Harry Potter and the Death Awakener

Chapter Seventeen: Irodore: A History

   Irodore loved the grounds at Hogwarts. He loved everything from the gentle, rolling hills to lake where the giant squid lived. He even had a soft spot for the Forbidden Forest. It may look ugly and menacing on the outside but he found it soothing in a weird way.

   He spent as much time as he was allowed outside as a young Ravenclaw. Even during the winter when it was cold and wet, he always took the time to at least open the window and get a breath of fresh air. He found Hogwarts most beautiful during the winter, especially when a fresh snow coated the hills and icicles drooped from the trees.

   Irodore was always a good little Ravenclaw. He followed every rule, turned in all of his homework on time, and received the highest marks on tests. He was even made Prefect in his fifth year and Head Boy in his seventh. Everything was turning out well for him, that is until he fell in with the wrong sorts in his last year.

   Severus Snape and his ilk were a year younger than him. Irodore never paid much attention to them except for that time he broke up a fight between him and James Potter. He didn't care much for either of them if he was being honest. James was snobby and hotheaded and Severus was full of nothing but hate and spite. However, he sympathized with Severus because Irodore knew what it was like to be picked on. He tried to make sure Severus was okay, but he nearly bit Irodore's head off for it.

   In the following weeks, Irodore went to the library looking for a book on spell making. He'd been researching on how to create his own spell and he needed the book for help on wand movement. Irodore had looked all around but could not find it. Finally he gave up and asked Madam Pince, who grumbled something along the lines that that grimy handed Slytherin, Severus Snape, had it.

   It took Irodore all but twenty minutes to track him down at a table in the library. He had his potions book out along with a scroll of paper that had the beginnings of an essay on it. He sat down across from him and Severus immediately closed his potions book shut with a hard thump.

   "What do you want?" he snapped.

    "You have a book I need. It's called The Fundamentals of Spell Making."

    "I'm using it. Now leave me alone," Severus said and looked back down at his paper. He was clearly done with this conversation, if it could be called that.

   Irodore sighed, " Look, you're obviously working on a paper and aren't using the book right now. I just need it for a few moments."

   Snape just ignored him and kept writing. "I'll give it right back." He paused and then said, "If it makes you feel any better I won't even leave this table."

   Severus finally looked up at him with a glare and said, "Fine." He fished the book out of his back and tossed it on the table at him. "I need it back."

   "Yeah, yeah." Irodore was already skimming through the pages, looking for the passage he needed. He quickly scrawled down a few notes on wand movement and handed the book back to Severus. He took the book wordlessly from him and opened it to a page. He crossed out a word in his potions book and wrote something down, clearly struggling.

   Irodore had already packed up his things and stood when he noticed that Severus was also working on a spell. He casually glanced at his work. It looked like he was attempting to put a name to his spell.

   "No, no you've got it all wrong," Irodore stated. "Most spell names derive from Latin words. You'd be better off if you stuck with Latin. It'll make the spell work better and will probably be more powerful."

   "Nobody asked you," Snape said but begrudgingly took his advice and turned to the Latin section in the book.

   "You know," he said, "I have a few more minutes until my next class. I can give you some advice. I know how tough that book can be to read."

   Severus didn't say anything, but Irodore took that as cue and sat to relay all the information had gathered on spell naming. Severus had taken it all with a grain of salt, but he written down everything Irodore said. Together they worked out a name for his spell, which would hopefully be used for defense only.

   Sectumsempra.

   When he finally left the the library, Irodore felt good about helping Severus, but looking back on it now, he wished he'd never even said a word to Severus Snape.

   Later in the year, Severus approached him and recruited him for the Death Eaters. Irodore only did it because Snape had promised that his family would be spared from Voldemort's wrath.

   A year after that, however, he found his family dead in their home. A few of the Death Eaters claimed it was just in accident but Irodore knew it was because he was steadily rising in rank.

   When he told Voldemort about what they did, he didn't even punish them. He simply laughed and said, "Think of it as an endorsement for progress on your spell. Now, I don't want to see you again until you've got it right."

   It took nearly twenty years for him to prefect his spell. He still wasn't powerful enough to bring back the Dark Lord, but with every person he brought back, he could feel himself getting stronger. In fact, just last night he was able to bring back the Gelert Grindelwald. He told Grindelwald that if he joined the Death Eaters, Irodore would get him revenge on the person he most wanted it for. Grindelwald easily agreed.

   So now, here he was. Marching across the Hogwarts' grounds in the early morning. He followed the path to where he knew the coffin would be. It took him a while, but he finally reached the destination of that white marble tomb.

   Irodore raised his wand and shouted the words that he knew would prove the old man wrong. "Suscitare mortuos!"  The lid flew off the coffin, but Irodore didn't stick around to see Albus Dumbledore walk out.