Erased and Replaced

Part 30~Morning Star

Harry bit his tongue, picking Elijah up. Harry pulled him away from the Dais. Neville rushed over, taking Elijah from Harry as he rubbed circles onto Elijah's back. Lily leapt up to duel James but he swiftly hit her aside. Riddle tried to stop him but he deflected the spell away and lept towards the door.

Elijah watched him, cold fury in his eyes. He pushed away from Neville, charging after James.

"Elijah, no!"

Neville's shout was the only warning Harry got as he cursed as charged after Elijah.

Elijah sprinted down the steps, leading out to the golden fountain. James is almost at the Telephone lift! "You can't stop me, Snape!"

"I'll kill you!" Elijah swung his wand, aiming at James who turned and deflected it. He fired back as Elijah dived behind the fountain.

"Come out, come out, Snape..." James walked towards the fountain as Elijah grew angrier. "Well, well, have you come to avenge your dear Godfather?"

Silence covered them as Harry ran out. "Elijah!"

James chuckled as he turned his attention to the newcomer. Stepping into the darkness and watching the scene unravel.

"Elijah! Listen, I know you hate me right now but trust me, this isn't what you want to do! I know how painful it is to lose your family. Heck, if I lost my godfather, I don't think I would sit by either. But please, Elijah, this isn't what you want!" Harry spun around, looking- begging- into the darkness.

"Crucio!" James jumped out, hitting Harry who screamed, falling to the ground. Elijah had enough. It was time for James to taste his own medicine.

The spell hit him squarely in the chest. He shrieked, letting Harry loose of the curse as he fell to the ground and rolled away. He laughed as he climbed to his feet almost immediately as shot back. Elijah leapt behind the status as James blasted the head off.

"Never use an Unforgivable Curse before, have you, Snape? You have to mean it, you have to want to cause the pain in your very soul..." He tried to find him, sneaking behind another statue. "Give me the prophecy!"

"Can't. It got smashed by accident!"

"You lie!"

Elijah laughed. "How's Morning Star going to like that? You've failed him, and he's not very forgiving, is he?"

This time James laughed, almost doubling over. "Oh, you know nothing! Our lord is a lot more forgiving than your precious headmaster! Forgive me, Master! I tried but some brat got in my way." James lifted his wand to Harry's chest.

"He can't hear you from here, you know," Harry spat out.

"Can't I, Potter?"

Harry jumped up as Morning Star walked out. It was just like that night on the train. This was the same man. This was the man who brought him here. "So, you smashed my prophecy..."

Harry fiddled with his sleeve, letting out a bitter laugh. "Shouldn't have brought me here if you didn't want me to interfere."

"You know, you're playing for the wrong side. You think Snape or anyone in this world will believe you? Care for you? Help you get home? I can help you, bring you home easily. Or you can stay here, I'm sure you want to get to know Prongs a bit better. This is your chance to meet your father." Morning Star motioned to James who looked startled, glancing at Harry in confusion and horror. "James, come and say hello to your son."

James stumbled forward, looking to Morning Star for confirmation. "I have a son?"

"Yes. And your son knows the prophecy. It was planted in his head the second he touched it in the hall. If he is willing to tell us what he knows, you can spend the rest of your lives together. That's what you want, isn't it Harry? You want a family, above everything else."

Harry's looked down, his eyes dark.

"Harry? I always said I would call my son Harry. We can be a family. We can serve our Lord together and be by his side!" James stepped closer, pulling Harry into a hug. "We can rule the world together! Just give our lord what he wants..."

"You know, you're really not the prongs I remember!" Harry shot James across the room, pointing his wand at Morning Star. "I won't let you do this! You can't just pull me from my world and use me in some twisted game! You can't replace my family! I have a family! Back home! I've got Sirius! And Mione! And all the Weasleys! And I've got Luna who will always find something to talk to me about! That's my family! That's my home! You should have never brought me here! You should have never put them in danger! Expeliarmus!"

"Avada Kedavra!" The two wands clashed, sparks flying off as James made his escape. Elijah saw his chance, shooting Morning Star into the wall. He rushed out, grabbing Harry and pulling him behind the statue. Spells flew at their heads as they hid.

"You should not have come here tonight, Albus," Riddle announced, walking out.

"It is you who made that mistake, Tom!" Morning Star shot the killing curse but Riddle vanished with a swirl of his cloak. He appeared behind Morning Star, raising his wand to strike. The blinding light shot forward, the power staggering.

Morning Star summoned a shield, it glowing around him, keeping him from harm as Riddle's spell clashed against it. The room shook as Elijah and Harry stumbled to the ground. Dust and rock fell from the walls as the light faded.

"You do not seek to kill me, Tom?" Morning Star was unharmed as he taunted the headmaster.

"There are other ways to destroy a man, Albus."

"There is nothing worse than death!"

"You are quite wrong, Albus, as you have always been."

Morning Star fired another killing curse at Riddle. Nagini sprung up from the ground, swallowing the green light and falling to the ground, shedding her skin to rid her of the curse.

Riddle spun, sending a constant flow of blinding light from his wand. The sheer power of it shook the hall as Morning Star raised his own wand. The light separated around him. They are both surrounded by the flow of the light.

Riddle gritted his teeth as the high wind billowed around him. Morning Star glared at Riddle, his hand trembling as he is forced back by the power. Fear flickers in Morning Star's eyes. He let out a roar of frustration, a ring of green fire surrounding him. He vanishes in a tongue of red-orange fire.

Riddle's stream of light blasted into the wall, punching a huge, gaping hole in the wall and shaking the whole ministry. Harry and Elijah screamed as they were tossed away by the explosion.

Cracking forced Harry to look up as the rock broke and half the ceiling fell in. Riddle whipped around his wand, throwing Harry and Elijah away from the rocks. Morning Star reappeared on the Plinth where the statues had once been.

Elijah's eyes widened. "Look out!"

Morning Star raised his wand, shouting a spell. The water below the statue flowed up, surrounding himself in a globe of water. He vanished from within the globe, the water crashing back down into the pool and spilling over the floor.

"Professor!" Elijah forced him up but Harry pulled him back to the ground.

"Stay where you are, Elijah!" Elijah wanted to fight Harry but he could feel the teen shaking. "Can't you feel that?"

Elijah was about to ask what Harry meant when he felt his forehead split open. He screamed, blood pouring down his face. The pain was unbearable. Harry could feel the shared pain, he shrieked in agony, collapsing to the floor.

Harry could hear Elijah talking, but it wasn't his voice. "Kill me now, Albus... do it, if death means nothing... This boy means nothing and his death will mean nothing... It all means nothing to you..."

Green flames exploded from the fireplaces, people appearing out of the fire. Morning Star growled as he watched them, turning and disappearing in a blast of green fire.

Elijah slumped to the ground, his eyes closed and his face finally peaceful.

Harry pushed himself up, rubbing away the blood. "Eli?"