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Weapon	By : uqui Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Voldemort Views: 105432 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 26
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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28/01/2012

Thank you to SuryaPrakash for the betaing. If there are mistakes, they are my fault.

Thank you also to everyone who reviewed.

Weapon LIX - Observations of the Past

The Sorting Hat had a unique job. Some called it a boring job and while that could be true for a great deal of the time, it was however a job that could leave the ancient artefact almost breathless. Most would think that rummaging around in eleven year olds' heads would be mundane, but most only got to rummage around in the surface thoughts. Skilled Lengimens tried not to delve too deeply into the forming minds of children or adolescents lest they leave some sort of impression, but the Sorting Hat was bewitched with skills that even the most highly rated Lengimens only dreamed about. The Hat didn't just delve into the surface thoughts; the Hat delved deeper into what gave each individual their individual traits. The in short time it was on the new students head, it saw all memories, saw all drives and ambitions and if asked it could predict a great deal of the students future. Most eleven year olds had no conscious profound thoughts, but beneath that, in their subconscious, even at eleven, a lot of the base for their lives and future decisions had already been set.

That's not to say that some individuals didn't encounter life changing epiphanies sometime after they turned eleven; just that most individuals didn't. What they were subconsciously at eleven was what they would remain for the rest of their lives.

And thus in the present day, the Sorting Hat had seen what Albus Dumbledore would become, driven as he was by the guilt of his sister's death. The Hat had seen that Aberforth would be bound by love and resentment and by the belief that he was normal and thus he would lead a relatively normal and quiet wizarding life. The Hat had seen the pain in Tom Riddle's soul. It had also seen the burning ambition and the Hat had known then for that young man, peace would only come when he found another who understood his pain. The Sorting Hat had seen into the depths of the myriad of pureblood wizards and witches who blindly believed in their superiority, it had seen the naive and almost childlike beliefs of the Muggleborn wizards who were just discovering their futures.

Living as it did in the Headmaster's office all year around, the Sorting Hat had a fair idea of the general situation in the Wizarding world. Everyone spoke to Dumbledore at some stage and the Hat got to listen in. So with all of its knowledge, it wasn't often that the Sorting Hat really wanted to see inside one of the students heads again but today, as it waited on the stool watching the elder students gather, it could see the changes in the school and in some individuals and those changes didn't follow the life path that the Hat had foreseen. Something had happened. Something life changing had happened and it had no idea what.

The change centred on two of the Sixth Year students and radiated outwards towards their friends and via that the rest of the school. As the Hat cast a glance backwards, it could also see a few alterations in the staff. The new staff were at the table already, as was to be expected, but some of the older staff were being drawn in. The Potions Master may think he hid his distress and turmoil well but hiding from a creation that had had a glimpse into the depths of your soul was much harder. In Severus there had been a depth of loyalty that would put any Hufflepuff to shame but it was focused on one woman. In that form it was almost an obsession, one the woman had not returned. She had been fond of him, and that fondness could have become love with the right circumstances, but she was never going to be as blindly devoted to Severus as he was to her and that would have caused them problems if they had of become a couple. Since they hadn't, that had left Severus pining after the impossible. Right at the moment though, he was only pining after rest. Behind his Occlumency shields his mindscape was a mess. It was skittering around almost plaintively as it sought to escape something... something that seemed as insubstantial as shadow.

The Hat crinkled in a frown. Shadow..?

The Sorting Hat turned its attention inwards, delving deep into its memory but before it could track down the reason shadows seemed oddly familiar, its attention was drawn back into the present by the procession of the First Years. Once it was back in the Headmaster's office tonight, it would have a lot to think about and the Hat wondered if it could somehow come up with a reason to be placed on the head of a few people again. In due course, the events of the world would let it know what had happened, but it wanted to know now!

The Hat took another look around as the Headmaster made his obligatory introduction for the new students and explained what would happen to sort them into new houses. Hogwarts looked almost united, though the changes it could sense in the two main students would soon affect that unity. The Hat could feel that the two of them would choose their own futures and the rest of the students would either have to follow or fight. Unity didn't concern either of them and while neither of them wanted to fall on the path they chose, if they fell, then they accepted that as a part of the price of forging their own future. The only problem was if they fell, then they would take those who had followed them down as well.

Usually that wasn't such a big problem, but at the moment any loss could be disastrous. He would sing of a warning but at the moment, it didn't matter if he just came out and said it, no one would take heed. The Dark Lord was still there and he should still be the primary target. They could not forget that. Though the Hat had to think about what it could remember of the Shadows. It had been so long since... since... since what it didn't recall but the stray thought had caught it unguarded. There was definitely something about shadow that the Hat knew and that was trying to come to the fore. It was something ancient, something tied in with the Hat's beginning. It would take a while to find, but as soon as the sorting was over, the Hat could somehow feel it needed to know what that memory held.

Harry lay on his back, looking up at the canopy of his bed. The curtains were drawn and around him; he could hear the soft snores of the others. They had fallen asleep quickly after their night time Astronomy class. He smiled to himself. It was definitely comforting and while from past years he was used to it, he conceded to himself that it may become overwhelming. He was someone who occasionally needed his solitude.

It had been a hectic day, ducking in and out of classes, explaining things to his friends and generally behaving as if he was normal. He was feeling energised though and almost too excited to sleep. Things were finally happening! Once he established in his heart and mind whether his friends would follow him or not, then he could either abandon the pretence of school or continue on. He wanted his friends to be with him but even if they didn't he still wanted to stay at Hogwarts. It was close to Dumbledore and you could never keep too close an eye on the old coot. The man held too many positions in the Wizarding world to be ignored.

But that wasn't what Harry wanted to think about now. Over the next few days things would begin to happen. There was a full moon, so Remus would test out the charm that had been cast upon him. Harry had no doubt of its efficacy, and Remus would be pleasantly surprised when he spent the transformation complete with his human mind. The Headmaster had already said that Harry could not spend the time with the werewolf, even in his animagus form which meant that Remus would be alone... or rather he'd be spending it with Gideon. The Death Eater Werewolf was still in hiding. Harry sighed, reflectively. That wasn't going to be fun for Remus, keeping the other werewolf in line, but he would manage. Once he recovered from the effects of the full moon, then Remus would go to the Gathering and...

:And our alliance with the werewolves starts there,: the shadows filled in as Harry's thoughts faltered.

:Does it?: Harry asked. He could think of many things that could go wrong. In the end he knew that he would be allied with the werewolves, or they would ally with his Beloved, but establishing this alliance smoothly was almost as important as the alliance itself. A smooth establishment showed any watching creatures that they were organised and that they would keep their word. It showed the world that they were capable and that was a very important consideration.

:Oh, there will probably be problems,: the shadows conceded, :but in the end Master, you are correct; they will ally either with us or with Voldemort. Remus will argue our case and he will be very convincing but it's possible the others will follow the Serpent Lord anyway, out of habit probably.:

:If they follow Voldemort, that's the least of our concerns, though it will be disappointing,: Harry said as he let his mind entwine with the shadows. :Remus will follow me, or maybe Sirius either way but where does that leave us with Snape?:

During classes today Harry had gotten a good look at the Potion Master. He'd spent time with the greasy-haired man all summer and those lessons had improved his sword technique immensely, but during those lessons the Potion Master had always been controlled and focused on teaching. He'd answered questions when asked but generally the lessons went without much talk. The formal phrases of 'Bow. Salute. Begin!' did not count as conversation. Because of that he had not really been able to track the Shadows as they worked on the Potion Master. It hadn't concerned him until now. What would he do with a seduced Potion Master, if he had no need of such thing?

And the Shadows were well on their way to seducing the man. It had been obvious if you knew what to look for, though Snape had done an admiral job in continuing his usual behaviour in class. But beneath that, the Potion Master had been trembling and every little noise that was out of the ordinary had caused him to start; every flicker of light through the high windows had him glancing around nervously looking deeply into the shadows for things that weren't necessarily there. There had been one change though. The dungeon was usually dank and dark with plenty of places for Harry's servants to hide in. Snape had announced at the beginning of the class that he fondly hoped that better lighting would make for better results, though he didn't expect much from the dunderheads.

The shadow that was under Harry's robe had chuckled into his master's ear at the brilliant lighting that was now affixed to the dungeon walls and ceiling. :At least everyone will be able to see which ingredient is which.:

Harry had agreed silently before he turned his attention to the class.

:Snape will be ready when we need him,: the shadows replied to Harry's question, supplying him with several images of the Potion Master. The singular time he allowed himself to acknowledge the Shadows was becoming longer and longer and they were playing on that, highlighting to him how much nicer it was when he didn't have to look over his shoulder for them. :We thought we might tell the Serpent Lord that we are taking him. Snape will betray him at some stage, we do not want Voldemort to see our protection of the potion master as your betrayal.:

:Good,: Harry said, before he yawned. Perhaps he wouldn't have the long talk he wanted to have with the Shadows tonight, but there was one more thing that needed to be discussed. :I still don't know what you want me to do with Ginny.:

:You are doing fine with her,: the Shadows reassured him. :Xeoaph wasn't completely fooled at the station, but the vampire has centuries of doubt. Dumbledore and the Order believe it. The question is rather what do you want to do with her?:

The black haired boy sighed. :She's necessary,: he admitted with a less than good grace. :But how necessary is she for the long term?:

The Shadows seemed to blink. :She is necessary,: they agreed. :And she's necessary for reasons which have not come to light yet. Circumstance will define if those reasons come to pass. We play the game master and we play every aspect of the game so there are times when our plays come to naught. We would have more knowledge of her and the reasons master, but at the moment, it's just another thing that may or may not happen. We aren't sure. Past the end of the year though... you are correct, she becomes just another witch. Unless you want to breed master?:

:Maybe someday,: Harry said, and was surprised by his own response. :But not for the moment. Even then I'm not sure I'd want her.:

:So leave it for the moment Master. She's necessary for now. When the situation changes, it would be best to examine then the best options for dealing with her.:

:Nothing is set in stone,: Harry murmured mentally.

The Shadows chuckled. :Even if it was Master, you are adept at Reducto.:

Harry smiled at their quip, but he was losing the battle against sleep. :We will talk when we have solid information, Master,: the Shadows whispered to him. :We like to speculate, but talk is more productive with facts so sleep now and we will talk later,: the Shadows whispered the last as their master drifted fully into sleep.

In the Headmaster's office, the Sorting Hat sat on its shelf. It had sung it's warning, which had mostly been ignored as it had expected and then it had sorted the students. There had been a small difference this time as the students had known each other for a day or so. Hopefully they would keep the friendships between those it had been forced to separate on their respective personalities. Then the Hat had been transported back to the Headmaster's office and put away. It was then that the Hat had been able to consider the discrepancy it had noticed earlier.

With a few muttered words the Hat had put itself into a trance and had begun sorting through its oldest memories. Its existence was almost a mistake. Godric and the others had cast charms on it, but that was near the end. Riding around with Godric for as long as the Hat had was really what created it. It had seen both great and common magics. It had been present when the foundation for Hogwarts was laid and infused with magic so that the castle truly lived. It remembered that well. Infusion magic was an art lost to most now and it was never anything that had been the most precise branch. They, the Founders, had meant only to infuse the Heart Stone, but the Hat had also been infused and at that point, it had gained true consciousness. Because it had been around magic for so long though, it could remember, vaguely, some of the things that had happened before it was born. Though those weren't the memories the Hat was searching now, they did make for some interesting telling. The Hat had seen more than the Founding though. It had accompanied Godric through everything; it was just the Founding improved its ability to remember.

It was the memories from after the Founding that the Hat was searching through. The fleeting memory of shadow was linked somehow to Godric. History today would have the Founding being as a great step forward and something that was supported by wizards as a whole. It was not. While there was logic in making a standardised education, for many years the presence of so many witches and wizards in one place, even though most were fledglings, had caused many problems. Hogwarts was a castle because it had to be a castle. Defence was the first priority, firstly from the Muggles who had launched periodic attacks but perhaps more importantly from other wizards and witches and their dark desires. Sacrificial magic was potent, and while it was strong when powered by the pain and death of a Muggle, it was infinitely more powerful when the victim was magical. Taking a student from their teacher was usually painful when it was one or two students with an experienced teacher. But the ratio at Hogwarts was far more favourable, especially if you could separate one of children from their teachers.

The Founders weren't combat specialists, but they knew their stuff. They and the few teachers who helped at first were all proficient in fighting spells. Dark Arts and Defences had been one of the first agreed upon subjects, not so much to fend off other wizards as to fight off other dark creatures. Vampires, Werewolves, even lethifolds were common place though now the lethifold was extinct on the islands. The world was a dangerous place and the students needed to learn that.

The Hat frowned as it came across an interesting memory. The castle was under attack from Muggles controlled by Vampires. It wasn't such an unusual situation for the time and the Hat could remember Helga fighting with her staff, and it could remember Rowena's skill with her daggers and Salazar's ability with the long sword but it couldn't remember Godric. Now that couldn't be right... Surely Godric would have been there as well? How did he remember what the others fought like if Godric wasn't there? Why wasn't it on Godric's head?

If the Hat had of been human it would have sighed, as it was though, it focused its attention more clearly trying to see the battle from a different perspective. Most did this by loading the memory into a Pensieve, but over the years the Hat had developed the ability for itself. It could, with sufficient concentration, hold a memory and move around in it though it could not go beyond the bounds of the memory. It was a useful skill for searching through what it had seen. It took a while, there were many on the battle field but eventually the Hat found Godric. He was near the back, holding the gate with some of the senior students and most importantly he was not using magic. Why was he not using magic? Why was he not up the front? Why was someone who looked like Godric up the front fighting? Obviously someone skilled had to hold the gate but that was not one of the Founders' jobs, it was a job for one of their trusted assistants.

Maybe there was something about that battle that meant Godric couldn't fight. The Hat didn't want to draw conclusions so pursued other memories. This time it was Giants who were doing the bidding of a group of Dark Wizards that were attacking. Once again the Hat could remember the others fighting, combining their magic to get through the skins of the Giants. They were effective but once again the Hat had to freeze the memory and look for Godric who he eventually found helping treat the wounded. Again the Patriarch of the Gryffindor house was not using any magic beyond some basic healing charms. Again it was odd and the Hat looked for another memory.

Trolls lead by human-form Werewolves.

Dark Wizards and Witches riding Thestrals.

Acromatula.

Ghouls and hags.

Dementors.

Goblin armies.

Chimeras and manticores.

Muggle armies.

Animal-form werewolves.

The memories of battles went through the Hat's mind and each time he could see the other Founders fighting with both magic and weapon and he always found Godric, either near the rear, fighting only with his sword or he was helping attend to the wounded, using only simple healing charms. A phoenix was sometimes seen with him, a phoenix that looked suspiciously like Fawkes.

The Hat continued to search his memory. There was no reason he could see for Godric to always hang back yet there must have been. Godric was known for his fighting skills. How could he be known for his skills if he never fought?

Finally the Hat came to a memory of a dragon, herded by goblins attacking the castle. It didn't seem as serious as the other attacks but there were many goblins and there were a few other dark creatures attacking. The hangers=on were easy to deal with but the dragon was difficult for the others. Salazar's serpents could do nothing, Helga's trees and vines could not hold it back and Rowena's skills meant nothing to it. They could hold it off, they could defend, they were the most skilled wizards and witches of their age but they could not drive it off, not with their attacks being split between dragon and goblins.

After what seemed to be hours of combat, the Hat could sense Godric's frustration. He had been helping treat the wounded this time, and it had been a steady stream of burns and cuts and arrow wounds. He'd patch them up and they would head out again. More serious injuries were laid around the infirmary. The defenders were tiring though, even the Hat could sense that and once they tired, it would only be a matter of time. This was not what anyone wanted. Godric had sent a message to the outside, his patronus pulsing strongly with his voice.

All the defenders fell back to the castle walls and as the last of the external defenders retreated through the Great Gates, Godric had stepped through them carrying only a wooden staff wearing robes that were jet black and had no crest. The Goblins had momentarily thought this was Hogwarts surrender. They were quickly debased of that notion.

The Hat watched the memory as it unfolded. It almost didn't know what to think.

Godric walked away from Hogwarts, straight towards the dragon, allowing himself to be surrounded by the goblins. He stopped about twenty metres from the dragon and sat, placing his staff across his knees. In a soft voice, Godric had spoken. "You have this one chance to withdraw."

"Withdraw?" The Goblins questioned before they laughed, their little voices high with scorn.

"Or be destroyed," Godric added.

What struck the Hat was the soft assurance it could hear in the wizard's voice. There was no question to Godric what would happen. For a moment the calm assurance shook the Goblins but only for a moment before their belief in their superiority returned. For all intents and purposes they had the upper hand. They had the castle's defenders exhausted, they had Godric, one lone wizard completely surrounded and within range of their dragon. They had no reason to leave.

"Go ahead," one of the oldest goblins said. The goblin was thin with narrow yellow eyes and scars running over his face. His armour was old and dented but of good quality. The Goblin was probably one of the main leaders and Godric had just looked up at him sadly, a soft smile on his face.

There was a moment of stillness before the darkness flowed out from Godric and spread everywhere, covering everything. The dragon snarled and belched fire that was quickly quenched by the darkness. The dragon's jaws were forced closed and its head forced skyward. It screamed, too much like a human for comfort but it was not strong enough to break the bonds that were forming around it. The goblins had been at a loss for a moment before they jumped towards Godric, blades flashing in the setting sun. None of them got to within three metres of Godric.

The Hat didn't really know what happened but the darkness that extended out from Godric seemed to wrap around them and brought them down to the ground with grunts of pain. The grunts quickly turned into screams and the darkness spread, stretching to encompass all the goblin armies that were gathered and all the others that had been participating. Everything was brought down to the ground and it seemed for a moment that a huge lethifold was covering the grounds around Hogwarts. It was a darkness that writhed as the individuals within it fought for a few moments before it stilled showing little lumps over the fields. The lumps though didn't remain and quickly flattened out.

The only creature that was not squashed into nothingness was the dragon. It continued to struggle against the bonds but they held. The darkness spread over the grounds around Hogwarts for about half an hour before it began retreating back to Godric leaving only empty armour and tattered fabric in its wake. Tears were streaming down Godric's face as he rose and walked to the dragon. He cast carefully at it, cutting away the physical chains that held it in place but the darkness did not move. It formed a thick band around the dragons muzzle and forced the massive creatures head down. Godric looked into the dragon's eyes.

"Leave now and live free," he said to the dragon before turning to walk back to the castle.

Once he was out of range the darkness retreated from the dragon, flowing back into Godric's clothes. It shook itself before looking balefully at the retreating form of Godric. It was only a moment and the dragon made no move to attack before it unfurled its wings, flapping them experimentally. It roared and flew off and the memory faded into nothing.

That certainly explained a lot. Power like that... it was a good thing Godric was scared and sad to use it. If he had of been any other man he could have ruled the world. But what was that power? The darkness obviously answered to his conscious call but it ... the Hat wasn't sure. It seemed as if there had been something more there... except it didn't know what.

The Hat brought its attention back to the present, though there was little to observe in the Headmaster's office this late at night. That power was definitely what had triggered the memory earlier today, though that had been focused on Snape. The Hat allowed its eyes to half close as it continued to think. Snape did not and could not control that power but it was interested in him. Did one of the students now control that power, or was one of the students now controlled by that power? Godric was a grown wizard, a strong man with the ability to restrain himself and to resist the call of darkness. While many of the students would develop into great witches and wizards, those who would have the strength of mind to be able to resist all temptation were few and far between. There was only a few in each generation and not all were tested. Snape had the ability but it would only manifest in certain circumstances and the circumstances in which Snape could stand strong were gone so he was a hollow man and those who knew how to take advantage of that, would.

The Sorting Hat sighed. It really did need another look into a few minds. Somewhere, someone knew more than they should but if they were a pawn or the master, that remained to be seen.

So much had changed, yet so much remained the same. The Hat just was not sure at the moment, which was which.

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