HP 6 - A different Half-Blood...

The Mirror

It was a full-size mirror and Harry read it at the top:

Hae portas sunt

Dice transique ad aliud latus

It looked familiar to him. It was the inscription above the mirror when Voldemort killed Karkaroff, but it was not the same mirror. It was older and the frame was dented more. Harry did not want to know what it meant, but Seamus dragged him forward anyway. Malfoy was still behind him, but Seamus went in front of the mirror. He looked at his own reflection and knelt down on one knee.

"Lord Voldemort," Seamus said, without a trace of fear.

Malfoy winced, but Harry watched the mirror intently. The surface of the mirror swirled into a whirlpool and the reflection changed. Voldemort appeared in the frame. Harry was frozen on the spot and as soon as his eyes made contact with Voldemort's eyes, his scar burned red-hot. He fell to the ground from the pain, but looked up at Voldemort defiantly.

Without another word, Malfoy and Seamus grabbed him and pulled him right through the mirror. It felt as though insects were crawling all over his skin, as Harry's hands hit the derelict wooden floor of Voldemort's lair. He looked up and around the dimly lit, shabby room. They were in the same room that Harry had seen in his dreams.

"Welcome, Harry Potter. It is good to see you, again," Voldemort said as though greeting an old friend, and he then turned to Seamus, beaming. "You have done well, my prince in bringing him here."

Voldemort did not even look at Malfoy. The only other person in the room was Bellatrix, who was as evil and twisted looking as ever. Harry stood up slowly. He was out-numbered four to one. He knew, against these odds, it was hopeless even with his mother's wand strapped to his leg.

"Nothing to say, Harry Potter?" Voldemort said, then laughed causing Harry's scar to wince in pain.

This is only the beginning, Harry thought, gulping slightly. Voldemort was going to pry the Prophecy out of him, and he was going to do it as slowly and methodically as possible.

Voldemort pulled out his wand and twirled it with his long fingers, "Well, let's get started, then."

Harry watched his wand cautiously, knowing what was coming.

"Crucio!" Voldemort yelled.

Harry fell to the ground, writhing in pain. He lost track of time. Voldemort held his wand on Harry for a long time. By the time he lifted it, Harry could not see or hear anything. His skin was still on fire and he was violently shaking. When his senses started came back, he became dimly aware that Voldemort and his Death Eaters were laughing.

"Get up!" Seamus yelled, while kicking him squarely in the back.

"Do not bother my prince! Crucio!" Voldemort yelled, and Harry started screaming again.

Please, make it stop, Harry thought. His scar was burning and splitting his head in two. Voldemort kept this spell on longer than he kept the first, and Harry blacked out from the pain before he lifted it. They woke him up with Ennervate.

"Trying to escape the pain? It will not work!" Voldemort snarled.

Harry was lying on his back and looking up at Voldemort. He was shaking still and his lip was bleeding from where he had bitten it. Seamus was pacing and watching him with a bloodlust, Malfoy was staring at him wide-eyed and was unable to look away, and Bellatrix was looking back and forth between Harry and her master with admiration and pure satisfaction.

"Perhaps your defenses are weak enough now. I know you have been learning Occulmency. Trying to keep me out? As if you could, now tell me the Prophecy!" Voldemort snarled.

"N-No," Harry muttered, spitting some blood at Voldemort's feet.

"I always liked it when they fight... but you will tell me... Imperio!" he said.

Harry's mind went blissfully blank. The pain was gone. He felt nothing. There was only a loud voice that told him to say the Prophecy. The words of the Prophecy were coming into his mind and the voice urged him on.

"Say it... say it... say... the Prophecy... say it...."

Harry almost started to say it. The words were forming in mind, but then another small voice said, "No... don't do it!"

"Say it!" the voice said, louder.

"No!" the other voice said more determinately.

"SAY IT, NOW!!!" the voice boomed.

"NO!!!" Harry yelled aloud, and the world started to come back into focus.

Somehow, he was back on his feet, facing Voldemort. Pain instantly exploded all over him and he swayed on the spot. He was shaking, but the only thought he had was to resist. He was still standing and facing down Voldemort. His scar was burning with Voldemort's rage.

"Your resistance is amusing, but it is starting to annoy me! Tell me!" Voldemort shouted.

Harry throat was so tight from the pain that he could not respond, but he was sure words were not needed to show his contempt for Voldemort.

"Legilimens!" Voldemort shouted, and images of Harry's past started to flash before his eyes.

Cedric's body, the blinded Basilisk lunging at him, Uncle Vernon putting bars on his window....

He had to stop him. The pain was making it difficult, but he refocused and tried to clear his head. The room was becoming clearer. He did not need a wand to repel Voldemort's attacks.

"Congratulations, Potter," Voldemort said, shaking off the effects of whatever hex Harry had thrown at him. "But... Legilimens!"

Nemesis was rearing up, a bloody 'I must not tell lies' was engraved on his hand, Sirius was falling through the veil....

Stop him, Harry told himself. He focused again and the world came back into focus. His scar burned in agony, again.

"Legilimens!" Voldemort shouted, again and then Harry heard Voldemort say silently, "Show me...."

Ron, hoisting up the Quidditch Cup, Ginny at the Easter Ball, Prongs was walking toward him, Dumbledore sitting at his desk, the Pensieve was swirling....

"NO!!!" Harry shouted, sending Voldemort reeling back a few feet. Their minds had been connected somehow. Harry was shaken from the last attack and fell to his knees painfully.

Instead of being angry, Voldemort laughed, "Very good, Potter! I do congratulate you, but everyone breaks in the end... believe me, I know!"

He tried to get up, but Voldemort's high-pitch laugh made his scar burn again and sent him back to his knees. Harry looked up at Voldemort with unadulterated hatred and mumbled, "Never."

"Tsk, tsk. Perhaps, a few more doses of pain will weaken your defenses enough. Crucio!"

Harry fell forward on the floor again and was seizing in pain. He lost all track of time. Voldemort stopped, but only to hit him again and again. He could not feel anything anymore. He could not move. He forgot where he was.

Voldemort... he remembered dimly. He had lifted the curse. Harry slowly began to regain feeling in his body. His throat was raw. He could not move his legs or his arms. Pain was drowning out any sound. He opened up his watery eyes and saw Voldemort standing above him. He raised his wand.

No... please... stop... Harry thought.

"Legilimens!" Voldemort said, in his head and Harry saw flashes. He could not stop him.

The merpeople at the bottom of the sea, Lupin changing into a werewolf, Sirius and James taunting Snape, Dumbledore sitting behind the Pensieve....

"N-no... you can't hear it..." he thought, but he had no strength.

"Legilimens!" Voldemort said telepathically to Harry as Voldemort crawled into his head, and Professor Trelawney's transparent figure rose from the Pensieve.

"THE ONE WITH THE POWER TO VANQUISH THE DARK LORD APPROACHES... BORN TO THOSE WHO HAVE THRICE DEFIED HIM, BORN AS THE SEVENTH MONTH DIES...."

"No... you... can't... hear... it..." Harry thought weakly, but he could not stop him.

"I will hear it!" Voldemort said, in his mind.

"... AND THE DARK LORD WILL MARK HIM AS HIS EQUAL, BUT HE WILL HAVE POWER THE DARK LORD KNOWS NOT...."

"No..." he thought weakly.

"Yes!" Voldemort growled.

"...AND EITHER MUST DIE AT THE HAND OF THE OTHER FOR NEITHER CAN LIVE WHILE THE OTHER SURVIVES.... THE ONE WITH THE POWER TO VANQUISH THE DARK LORD WILL BE BORN AS THE SEVENTH MONTH DIES...."

"At last!" Voldemort cried aloud, making Harry jump at his new ability to hear.

"Very interesting... that is why... if only I had known..." Voldemort said to himself, mulling over the Prophecy his head.

Harry noticed Bellatrix celebrating and Seamus grinning madly and laughing. Malfoy did not say anything, but was completely white and quivering discreetly. Voldemort, however, stopped and looked back down at Harry.

"That is why you had to survive, Potter. It is why I only could have heard the Prophecy until now. I marked you with that scar. I even transferred some of my powers to you that night," Voldemort said, looking vehemently.

Harry leaned against the chair that was behind him. He did not think he could stand up, but he was slowly regaining his strength. Harry glanced over at Malfoy, who looked deathly pale and looked away from him, disturbed by what he saw.

"...either must die at the hand of the other.... So, it is between you and me. Destiny has spoken. It is just not clear on who kills the other. That will be remedied. We can end this, now. It is either you or me," Voldemort said and rose his wand.

This is it, Harry thought. He was going to use Avada Kedavra. Suddenly, the door burst open. It was Lucius Malfoy with a cut on his lip.

"My lord he has escaped!" he said, clearly worn out and beat up. Bellatrix ran out of the room, but Voldemort was furious and Harry's head exploded with a fresh dose of pain.

"YOU CANNOT GUARD ONE WANDLESS TORTURED PRISONER!!!" Voldemort thundered. Lucius fell on his knees as though a scar had burned on his head, too. Draco started to shake with fear.

"Master please! He just attacked and took me by surprise... master... please forgive me..." he begged, in vain.

"No, Lucius!" Voldemort spat, kicking his hands off his robes. "You have failed me for the last time! Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort shouted vehemently.

Voldemort's wand emitted green light that blasted right through Lucius Malfoy, who fell right over on his back, his eyes frozen in absolute fear. Seamus laughed, but Draco, for a split second, was in shock. He stared at his father lying dead on the corroded floor. When he snapped out of it, he pulled out his wand and charged at Voldemort.

"NO!!!" he yelled, but he was not quick enough.

"Expelliarmus!" Seamus yelled and Malfoy's wand soared out of his hand and Seamus caught it.

"Crucio!" Seamus said, using Malfoy's own wand on him.

He held it on him for a long time. Malfoy screamed like Harry had and shook violently. When he finally released the curse, Malfoy was lying on the floor staring at his dead father. Voldemort happily watched his prince at work, but he walked forward and stared cold-heartedly down at Malfoy.

"First lesson: never leave family behind. They will never forget or surrender," Voldemort said, with a smile.

"Yes, my lord. Malfoy, so nice of you to join us, but..." Seamus started and enjoyed watching Malfoy stare up at him in fear.

Seamus readied the Avada Kedavra Curse, but they were not watching Harry. He pulled out his mother's wand as quietly as possible. As much as he hated Malfoy right now, he could not let them kill him.

"Expelliarmus!" Harry yelled as he stood up.

Seamus's, Malfoy's and his own wand flew from Seamus's hands and robes and landed behind Harry, but Voldemort's wand stayed with him. Voldemort laughed almost happily.

"Aren't you full of surprises? It is an unwritten rule that wizards carry only one wand, but perhaps this is how it should be. Let us face destiny, Potter," he said, with no trance of fear.

Voldemort and Harry both raised their wands, but Bellatrix reentered the room and threw none other Snape, across the room between Harry and Voldemort. He was shaking and was not able to stand.

"Got him before he could get a wand and Apparate," she said happily, unperturbed by her brother-in-law lying dead on the floor, but then realized that Harry had a wand.

Snape looked up at Harry and they both were at a loss as to why each other was there.

"P-Potter?" he said, weakly, but Harry did not respond.

"I hate to break up the touching reunion between Dumbledore's favorite pets... but we need to get to business," Voldemort sneered. Snape returned his attention to Voldemort, but did not say anything else.

"I did want to get more information out of you... but I guess we cannot always get what we want," Voldemort said, directing his wand toward Snape. "You thought you could fool me. Lord Voldemort knows everything, but our time here is at an end." Voldemort's cat eyes flashed blood red and glanced back at him and spat, "You just watch, Harry Potter, and see what is in store for you."

Hewas still outnumbered. Malfoy had not moved since Seamus lifted the Cruciatus Curse and Snape did not have a wand. Harry's only advantage was that Seamus was still unarmed, but Bellatrix and Voldemort were still both armed. Voldemort had enough presence of mind to block whatever spell he would throw against him. Snape was going to die... unless....