Harry Potter and the Legend of the Twelve

Promises Broken, Promises Kept

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" screamed Harry. Everyone else around him screamed as well, but he could only hear his own voice as he watched the blade pierce his son's chest.

Suddenly, the barrier was gone and the snakes disappeared. A black mist poured from Albus's mouth. It swirled in the air, and then the cold, high-pitched voice was heard from it.

"I will have my revenge on you, Harry Potter! This whelp is but the first to die!" The mist shot up, and through the top of the chamber as if it were not there.

Nine pairs of feet ran toward where Albus still kneeled, the dagger in his chest, his hands still around the handle, a blank look upon his ghostly white face. Albus fell back, his twitching muscles, pulling the dagger from his chest. It landed with a clang on the stone floor, as he landed with a thud beside it as a pool of his blood formed around him.

Harry and Ginny dropped to their knees on either side of their young son. Harry gently lifted him onto his lap, as Ginny held his face in her hands. The others gathered around them. James picked Carly up. As she looked and saw Albus's body, she screamed, and James did all he could to hold on to her as she started to collapse, still screaming. Rose collapsed against Danny. Hermione, Ron, Neville, and Sirius looked on in horror and shock. Carly's screams and the sobs of all of them all echoed off the walls of the stone chamber.

As his parents held him, Albus began to speak. "D-Dad. M-Mum." His voice was just barely loud enough to hear. His breaths were getting shallower with each passing second.

"We're here, baby," said Ginny, tears streaming down her face, and a pain in her chest as if her heart had been pierced with a sword. "My brave boy."

"S-sorry. Couldn't...l-let him...h-hurt...anyone," Albus wheezed.

"You stopped him," said Harry, his voice cracking with grief as tears spilled from his eyes. "He won't hurt anyone now, Al. You saved us all."

"L-love...you...a-all," choked Albus.

"We all love you," said Ginny through her tears.

"C-Carly," said Albus, his voice weakening.

At the sound of her name, Carly broke free of James, and fell to the floor next to Ginny. Carly lifted Albus' hand to her cheek and held it there, and looked into his eyes through her tears. His hand was already growing cold.

"S-sorry...I can't...k-keep...my...p-promise," wheezed Albus, his breath coming in short, quick gasps. "I...l-love...you."

"I love you, Al," said Carly, her tears stinging her eyes. She leaned down and kissed him. She felt his lips growing cold. She pulled back and saw his eyes close. Carly reached up and clutched the phoenix charm hanging from her necklace. It was bloody from her leaning down to him. Ginny put her arms around Carly and held her as she cried uncontrollably for the boy she loved as Ginny cried for her son.

Harry watched as Albus's breaths became barely perceptible. This was the worst possible nightmare Harry could have ever imagined. Just that morning, things were good. They were happy. And now, nothing could ever be good again. He could never be happy again. Why had his son been taken from him? Why couldn't he have protected him? Why?

Harry looked at those standing around, at the grief on their faces and the tears in their eyes. He knew they all felt his pain.

Harry looked up, but not at the ceiling of the chamber. He looked up as if nothing was there as if there was no castle, just sky above him, and as if he was speaking to the very universe itself, he whispered. "Please...someone help me."

Before the sounds of Harry's words died, with the sound of a thunderbolt a bright flash of light erupted above them, throwing all of them to the ground, and throwing Harry, Ginny, and Carly back from Albus, causing his body to slip to the floor.

Harry was dazed at what had happened, but the sound he heard was one he had not heard in many, many years. It was a sound he had heard once before in this very chamber. It was the unmistakable sound of a phoenix.

Harry watched, as Fawkes seemed to fly out of the very light above them. The light vanished, and the scarlet and gold phoenix landed between Harry and Albus. The phoenix looked at Harry for a moment, and then turned to Albus, lowering his head over the gaping wound in the young boy's chest. The phoenix cried and tears splashed in the blood in his wound.

A moment later, Albus gasped for air, and Fawkes flapped his wings and flew into the air. Albus's breathing became normal, and the wound vanished. He remained unconscious, but he was alive. Carly crawled to Albus and put her ear to his chest to listen to his heartbeat. She clutched him tightly and cried as they lay there in a pool of his blood. Ginny held Albus's hand and cried tears of joy. The others on the floor around him were too shocked to move. They stared at Albus as he breathed. Not really comprehending what had just happened, but knowing Albus was alive.

Harry looked towards the entrance to the Chamber, the direction Fawkes had flown off in. Fawkes landed on the stone floor near the entrance of the chamber. As Harry looked at him, beside Fawkes appeared a tall man, with a flowing white beard and bright blue eyes, wearing half moon spectacles, slightly askew on his crooked nose. He smiled warmly at Harry. Although his lips did not move, Harry heard his voice speak as clearly in his mind, as if he was standing beside him.

'Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it,' said the voice of Albus Dumbledore in Harry's mind. After making the statement he had made to Harry so many years ago, Albus Dumbledore and Fawkes vanished.

Harry stared down at his son, watching his breathing. His prayer had been answered. Nothing else mattered.

Late that night, in the Forbidden Forest, a solitary figure stumbled through the darkness. He was wearing Hogwarts school robes, adorned with silver and green trim and a large spot of his own blood, the crest of Slytherin House upon his chest.

Scorpius' arm throbbed painfully from where the dagger had pierced his skin. The cloth he had tied around it had stopped the flow of blood, but did nothing for the pain. His head hurt from where it was smashed against the wall of the hallway.

He was exhausted, hungry, and cold, and had no place to go. Scorpius didn't try to Floo away from the school. He didn't think he would make it to the Headmistress's Office before someone stopped him, so he had opted for the Forbidden Forest instead.

Scorpius sat down to rest by a tree. The moonlight was dull from the half moon, and was mostly blocked by trees, but enough was getting through, that he noticed when a black mist formed around him and blocked out the light of the moon.

"Hello," said a cold, high-pitched voice from the black mist.

"What are you?" asked Scorpius cautiously.

"I'm a friend," replied the voice softly. "What is your name, boy?"

"Scorpius. Scorpius Malfoy," said Scorpius. "What are you?"

"Ah, I knew your father," said the voice, ignoring Scorpius' question. "He served me once, long ago, as did much of your family."

"My father is dead," said Scorpius without the least little bit of emotion.

"Oh, that is most unfortunate," said the voice without the slightest bit of sympathy. "How did your father die?"

Scorpius hesitated for a moment. "I murdered him," said Scorpius with no more emotion than his previous statement. "I stabbed him in the heart with a dagger." The tone of Scorpius' voice proclaimed the pride he had in what he had done.

"Is that so, Scorpius?" said the voice, a gleeful edge clearly audible. "Well then...you'll do nicely."