Chapter Text
Amelia could only watch as the green light surged towards her. In the distance she heard Harry screaming her name and was glad that he was alive. It hurt her so much knowing that he was going to witness her death and she only hoped that Mab would be triumphant so that he could live a long and full life. Her thoughts shifted to Susan and her heart broke once more knowing that she would never see her again. She wasn't even sure that Susan was okay since Harry was taken from where she was. So many thoughts flooded her mind in the few seconds it took for the spell to travel the distance from wand to chest. There was a second of immense cold just moments before the spell hit. The sounds of glass shattering followed by a brilliant blue light filled her vision before she slumped down seeing nothing.
*****
A memory surged to the front of Harrys mind and he knew it was the voice of his mother. Begging for his life in her own last moments. Now as he heard his mothers voice in his head he could see the same green spell that took her hit Amy. The moment it struck there was an explosion of light that reminded him of the color of his own eye. Others around him seemed to be blinded by it but he could only stare at the fallen form of the woman who had saved him from his own hell. The woman who had loved him for no other reason than because she wanted to. The light did not fade from above her body it become more solid almost a mist that sparkled in the glowing light of the gate. It was captivating and Harry felt it calling to him. Without thinking he got up and began walking towards it.
What the others saw was a young boy with an emotionless face begin to walk robotically to the woman who had just fallen. None but him could see the mist though they felt the magic that was raging around him. The moment Amelia had fallen to the ground the tentative hold he had over his magic was broken. It swirled around him violently so much so that no would be able to touch him without great effort. The three death eaters closest to the boy were actually being pushed back by the force of nature that was his magic while the others on the field of battle took only moments before continuing on with their own fights. Lucious had taken over facing down Griphook and Parkinson shifted to the goblin who had been going against Macnair. On the other side of the field Mab and the Walker had also continued trading magic and physically attacks faster than the eye could see. Harry was oblivious to all of this as he looked down at the body of Amy and then back up to the sparkling mist that had been released from the spell that struck her down.
Slowly he reached up to touch the mist. It was more than just cold to the touch it felt as if he would freeze just by being near it. He tried to pull away but found he was unable to as the mist quickly enveloped him completely. Every inch of him felt as if it become solid ice before it started to crack and shatter. Harry wasn't sure if he was screaming as the only thing that his mind could understand was pain. Worse than the beatings from his Uncle worse than anything he had ever felt. Falling to his knees he curled into a ball and could only scream as he was racked with immense pain.
*****
Malk slowly came to after being knocked out by one of the death eaters that had stormed into Gringotts. She felt lucky they had not killed her though the spell that had pierced through her body leaving a hole the size of a galleon would have been more deadly if she had not shifted at the last moment. Quickly she padded through the hall to the blown out door that had been where Harry and the others were staying. Standing in the doorway holding her shoulder with one hand she surveyed the room. The three girls were all under the table not moving and Malk went to them first. Relief flooded through her as she saw that each one was breathing. Next she checked on the four adults whom were laying in a few different spots. The ones she knew as the Lovegoods were both injured but would live. Xeno looked to have a severely broken arm that was twisted in directions that should not be possible. His wife was covered in what looked to be hundreds of shallow cuts and was covered in a layer of dried blood. Next was the man Cygnus if she remembered correctly. He seemed the lest injured of the adults with only slight bruising around his face though his breathing was very shallow.
Then she came upon Angelica who had a face twisted in pain. The first thing Malk noticed was that her eyes were open but staring at nothing. Her body was twitching slightly and every now and then the woman's mouth would open as if to scream but no sound would come out. Whatever was done to her was still happening and Malk did not know anyway to stop it. This was not supposed to happen. They were supposed to be safe here with the goblins. It had never crossed her mind that they would have the ability to break in again and get this close. Harry was gone and Malk could only hope that he was ok. A soft sound had her looking to the back of the room where a crumpled form lay. Fawkes was beginning to stir slightly as she approached. Once he saw her he screeched loud enough to cause pain. He could barely flap his wings but he hopped over to her feet taking the cloth of her pants in his beak and than flared out with flames.
Stumbling for a moment Malk caught herself blinking away the blinding light from the flames. Suddenly she was hit with the sounds of fighting and took in her surroundings. To her left was Mab and the Walker trading blows with an old man seeming taking shots when he was able to at the walker. Behind them was the gate and she gasped noticing it was just barely open as the Avatar stood still connected to it by the glowing blue light. To her right were two of the death eaters facing off against two goblins who seemed to be having trouble closing the gab to strike. The she looked straight ahead and saw the body of Amelia unmoving on the ground with Harry standing over her. She had witnessed the magically outbursts from the boy before but something was different this time. It was a magical tornado that had formed around him.
"Harry!!" She tried to call out her voice consumed by the rushing winds of the vortex. She saw him reach out towards something and then immediately fall over in pain. The magic around him lashed out with each cry from the child. There was no direction for the magic it was random. Invisible tendrils began to slam down around him leaving large gouges in the earth. Behind the boy Malk could make out three others that must have been the ones to attack Gringotts. One of the tendrils dropped down on the group crushing one man instantly. The others seemed to have been able to sense it and with a pop vanished only to appear a few feet to their right. This seemed to spark something in them as both began to throw spells towards Harry who was still on the ground writhing in pain. Each spell was just swallowed up by the magic currents surrounding him only to be flung back out around the battlefield. One such stray red spell was launched out of the vortex directly at the Man surrounded in blue slamming into his back causing him to fall to his knees.
As the connection broke between the man and the Gate a shadowy substance began to leak through the crack. In seconds larger pieces of shadow began to break off and launch themselves into the air and Malk knew that those shadows were demons being fully released into this world. The gate had to be closed but she had to protect Harry as well. What was she to do? Could she even help him right now? Malk doubted she would be able to get anywhere near him right now. Looking down to see if Fawkes could help her all she saw was a pile of ash with a single glowing ember in the middle of it. Forgetting about the pain in her arm she made a decision and shifted to her cat form and rushed into the vortex towards Harry. Somehow she was not flung to the side like everything else that came in contact with it almost like it knew she could help. Upon reaching Harry she placed her head against his and began to purr that same calming sound she made on the first day they met.
*****
Albus was tired not having exerted this much energy in a very long time. He forced himself up knowing that if the events of today ended badly he would have nothing to show for it. While the two beings before him traded blow after blow he had tried to get in a spell or two against the creature when he could but that was proving to be a useless task. Turning in saw Harry curled up in pain as a rather large cat pushed through the magic surrounding him. It was sad the boy lost another person in his life but that would just bring him back into Albus's control once more. He could take this opportunity to take out the death eaters that were standing on the other side of the boy. Bellatrix and Rodolphus were still trying to cast spells at the boy each one being absorbed by the gale and thrown in a random direction. As escapees from Azkaban they would be easy to eliminate with little to no questions later. He noticed that Lucious and Parkinson were still keeping the two Goblins at bay. He would need those two to survive as he could use this battle as bribery material when they came out on top.
Apparating behind the two death eaters he weaved his wand in the air transfiguring the earth beneath their feet into a soft mud that pulled any who stood on it down. As expected Bellatrix noticed it immediately shifting into the dark cloak form that the inner circle of death eaters like to use for travel. Rodolphus was slower to realize concentrating to much on trying to take down Harry and was ankle deep before he could react. Albus jabbed his wand forward shooting a overpowered stunner at the center of the mans chest only for him to apparate away. The husband and wife duo worked well together already having positioned themselves to his front and back. Each began to attack with a deadly fury spells flying from their wands with incredible speed. To Albus it all seemed to be happening in slow motion. After facing the creature and seeing what it could do these two were childs play.
Weaving his wand once more his off hand manipulating the magic as best as it could without a foci he incased himself in a sphere of solid earth. Seeing this the two began throwing powerful Bombarda spells into the sphere. Moments before it completely closed Albus was sure to picture the spot behind Rodolphus perfectly. As the sphere exploded from their barrage of spells it revealed that Albus was no longer there. Appearing behind Rodolphus he sent out a quick piercing hex that caught the man by surprise. Normally his stance was on peaceful solutions and promoting forgiveness today however there was no one around who could question him. Bellatrix screamed in rage as she saw the small hole appear in her husbands chest where his hear would be. It took the man a few seconds to realize that he had been hit before he crumpled to the ground. Albus was not ready for the full force of the crazed woman who seemed to only grow more proficient at casting the angrier she got.
The battle began in earnest and with the amounts of energy he had already burned through he was barely holding her off. Her strategy was speed and quantity of spell work sending the nastiest curses she knew at him. Being a master of transfiguration was the only thing keeping him alive at the moment as he changed the area around him to aid in his defense. At first he was only able to rip up chunks of the earth the intercept the spells coming his way. After a time she began to slow down a bit the rage being replaced by a methodical urge to kill him. That was all he needed to start using the terrain to his advantage. Pulling up a large wall in front of himself to buy a few seconds Albus quickly changed the three large boulders to his left into large golems reinforcing them with a quick unbreakable charm. The wall before him exploded from a powerful curse and he proceeded to banish the debris towards the attacking Bellatrix. His golems also surged forward quickly surrounding her keeping her to occupied to even apparate away. Now on the defensive Albus began to throw his on spells at the woman victory on the forefront of his mind.
*****
Lucious was tiring as he continued throw spell after spell and the unrelenting goblin before him. No matter what he did he could not seem to land a blow on the thing. Not having ever seen a goblin fight he was starting to understand how they had held their own against the wizards in the last rebellion. Glancing to his right he noticed that Parkinson was having an even worse time with blood leaking from several gashes over his body. His Lord had been struck with a stray spell that looked to have been a stunner or so he hoped. Maybe that was the key. If he could get to him and bring him back then the tides could be turned back in their favor.
Turning back to Griphook Lucious threw two quick curses at his chest followed up by two Bombardas to his left and right. The goblin rolled to the left and be it luck or experience had his shield up which absorbed the spell but still knocked him back several feet. Using this as an opportunity Lucious apparated to his Lords side casting a quick Enervate and to his relief Voldemorts eyes shot open. He stood instantly taking in the battlefield.
"How long have I been out? Seems things have changed."
"Lord it has only been a few minutes but the battle is getting out of hand. The boy went into a rage his magic going out of control when the woman Bones fell. His outburst killed Rabastan and Dumbledore took out Rodolphus. A stray spell took down Macnair leaving myself Bellatrix and Parkinson. Though not sure Parkinson is going to last much longer against the two Goblins." he looked back to his friend as he said this who was struggling to not be impaled on the end of goblin silver.
"Leave it to me. It is time to show them true power."
Suddenly Lucious felt an oppresive weight settle on top of him. There was a dark aura emanating from his lord that struck an immense fear inside of him. He watched as Voldemort held out a hand towards the goblins battling Parkinson two balls formed in his palm the size of a marbles. Each one swirled with every color imaginable alternating one from another faster than the mind could comprehend. They shot forward homing in on the goblins instantly. As they touched the skin they seemed to just melt almost the way a snowflake would. Both goblins began to scream in pain as the same colors began to spread across their skin dissolving everything down to the bone. The younger goblin could only stare at his arm as the colors continued to spread taking his entire body until nothing was left. The other Lucious knew was named Griphook was smarter and severed his own arm just above the elbow stopping the spread of whatever it was that Voldemort had sent towards him.
"That should give Parkinson enough of an advantage to hold his own now. Lets see if we cant relieve Bellatrix of some pressure. Lucious when you see the sign attack Dumbledore from behind." before he could ask Voldemort vanished without a sound.
He looked towards the battle between the crazed Bellatrix and Dumbledore only to be caught by surprise when Voldemort appeared in between the two. Holding his hands out to each side he easily absorbed the spells from both. He took that as his soon and apparated behind Dumbledore a few feet away. While he was distracted Lucious whispered "Avada Kadavra" the green spell flying from the tip of his wand straight at the old mans back. Just before it was about to make contact a pillar of ice dropped out of the sky exploding as the spell smashed into. Dumbledore was thrown forward to his knees from the impact.
Looking towards where the fight between the one who called them here and the woman who looked like the guards he had to assumed she somehow intervened. It was no matter as it looked like she was barely holding on against that thing. He prepared to cast his spell again only for an outburst of magic to throw him to his back. As he began to get back up he saw that the boy was no longer curled up in a ball screaming in pain. He was now standing with his back straight his one eye glowing a bright sapphire while the other was an emerald green that could rival the sun. Power was radiating off of him in waves. The thing that sent chills down his spine was that there was no emotion in the boys face. Just the cold stare that belonged to someone far older than the child before them.
*****
The blast of magic that had knocked those around him to their back had only slightly pushed him back a couple feet. He looked down quickly and saw that the old man had run seemingly apparating away when everyone was distracting. It did not surprise him the man had always only fought when the odds were in his favor. When they were not he made sure to send others in his stead. Bellatrix had recovered and like Lucious was staring wide eyed at the young boy before them. There was no doubt that he was powerful maybe even close to as powerful as he himself was right now. Luckily he had nowhere near the knowledge. Now the question was would the boy attack them.
The answer to that question came faster than he expected as pure magic came flying towards him. There was no spell or use behind it just pure energy intent on doing him harm. He batted it away and was shocked when pain flared in his hand where the magic had struck. That had never happened before and he wondered if it was do to the fact that it was not a spell. He knew that none of his followers would be able to block let alone survive being hit by something like that.
"Lucious Bella I need you to back away out of range from the boy. If you can see an opportunity to attack do so but know that what he can do you will not be able to stop." His voice was calm almost eager at the challenge that was before him.
"My lord you cannot be serious he is but a child." Bella whined from his left side. With but a simple glare at her she reeled back and nodded in obedience to her Lord. As the two backed away he surveyed the child once more who still stood still as if a statue carved from stone. Those eyes boring into him. He knew that this was but a small obstacle in his way to true victory. With a deep breath he called upon the power that had bestowed upon him by Azathoth. The ability to manipulate the reality around him was the chaos that his true master had given him. Holding his hand up he imagined emptiness a void of nothing. Slowly a pitch black ball began to form that bent the light around it. He lazily pushed it forward towards the boy the ball traveling at a steady pace before suddenly shooting forward.
When the ball came within five feet of the Potter brat it abruptly stopped hitting an invisible force. He could see it struggling to push through whatever it was that was stopping it so he decided to help it along by thinking up three more and throwing them at the first. Each one was absorbed by the next until a hole the size of a beach ball was resting in the air. Slowly the larger version began to break through moving closer and closer to the boy who still had not reacted. For a second it looked to have worked as the resist disappeared the void shooting out to cover the last few feet to the boy. As if the breaching of the barrier was what caused the child to react he held both of his hands out and again pure magic pulsed forward before him crashing into the sphere and breaking it apart causing a spray of colors to fill the air.
His old self would have immediately pushed the attack to overwhelm the child with power but he was unsure that was the best path. Instead he took a moment to think and survey what was happening. So far the boy had attacked unprovoked once and the second attack was only made in defense. The boy had not moved forward away from the fallen body of the woman he had been crying over according to Lucious. There was also a large feline creature that seemed to be trying to do something to the fallen woman. It seemed that if they left the boy alone he would not be a threat. Voldemort believed he was just trying to protect the body behind him.
"You two keep an eye on the boy if he moves call out to me." glancing over to the last death eater Parkinson he sighed internally. The man was still struggling against a one armed goblin. Why Lucious had brought him was a mystery.
He moved himself over to the fight happening between the outsider and who he assumed was the Winter Queen. She was truly formidable as she was constantly countering the attacks thrown at her while landing blows here and there. It did not go unnoticed by him that she was sporting a few cuts and gashes. A few were sealed with what looked like ice while others were freely bleeding. Voldemort knew that she was the true threat to stopping them from finishing what they came here to do. If they could take her down then opening the gate was going to be painless. Concentrating he brought more voids into existence around him. It seemed to be getting easier to control them as he found he could now manipulate three of them at a time. Watching the two before him he picked his point of attack and when the woman moved to slash at the outsider with a blade of conjured ice he threw one of the orbs in the path of her arm. It grazed the top of her forearm which forced a scream from the woman.
*****
Mab dashed to the side looking down at her arm which was no missing a portion that was a match to the bottom half of the sphere that had appeared before her. Whatever it was had instantly removed everything that touched it skin muscle even a small port of the bone beneath. With a grunt she sealed it with ice. By now it felt that she was becoming more ice than Sidhe. Turning she saw the man the orb had come from and did not miss that he was surrounded by four more of them. She hoped he could not make more and worried what else he may be capable of. It worried her to face them both as she was just barely able to stand tow to toe with the Walker. Her allies had all fallen the only ones left standing were Malk Griphook and Harry. None of which could help her against these two.
She knew what had happened to the boy and hoped that he was able to pull through it. He was not meant to take the mantle of the Winter Knight until he was older. Mab saw that it had already raked him with pain though it was a good sign he was no longer in pain. If he could freely wield the power he could be of help but she would not do that to the boy. He may be part of the prophecy but it was her job as the Winter Queen to stop this madness. This had to be ended and soon. Moving quickly so that she did give them a stationary target Mab started to gather the magic in the area pulling on what was radiating out of Harry. At least he could help in this way. Using the magic she began forming layer after layer of ice over her entire body. Once finished she moved to attack the extra magic she took from Harry causing the ground to freeze under each step. Even the air itself was turning to an icy mist as she moved.
The orbs continued to launch themselves at her while the outsider started to throw more and more black waves of magic at her. Mab could feel the orbs as they passed through the ice when she got to close some taking more pieces of herself with them. Changing tactics she shifted towards the man with the orbs. Slamming her foot down bringing up a wall of ice between her and the outsider she dashed towards the other one. Throwing one hand behind her she launched a javelin of ice behind her towards the outsider while she formed another blade in her other hand. Mab knew she had caught the man by surprise being able to close the distance so quickly and was able to land a deep slash across his chest. Spinning with the strike she saw the javelin break through the ice wall impaling the outside in the shoulder as he was about to throw another wave of magic towards her. Taking the blade she formed in both of her hands she slammed it into the ground in front of her. The moment it impacted the ground froze with jagged spikes of ice shooting up close to four feet in height. They rapidly extended outwards from her missing both of her assailants but succeeding in pushing them back.
Mab took the moment to pull on the magic with just her thoughts using it to grab onto the bits of water in the air around them all. The space around the three of them began to fill with small crystal snow flakes that grew to the size of fist. Before either man could react she released them causing hundreds of razor sharp snowflakes to race towards them. She watched as the man with the orbs was able to expand them into a flat surface that was able to intercept a majority of the flakes. Still he was slashed in numerous places bringing him to a knee. The outsider on her other side created a shield of the same black substance he had been flinging in her direction but he was losing his strength and was struck by more than a few of the projectiles. Mab knew she could not let up. Her reserves were running low having already pushed herself farther then she ever had since becoming the Winter Queen. Pulling more on the magic within her almost to draining herself completely she was able to fill the air once more but this time with foot long ice spears.
Both men were ready this time and had shields ready as she expected. She launched the spears at them watching as they were absorbed easily and smiled as she engaged her second attack. With nothing but a thought she caused spears to spring forth under both men catching them off guard. the Outsider took a spear to his left arm and right foot before he was able to push himself backwards. The other man came out far worse having two spike pierce his thighs. He grunted before shifting to some kind of shadowy form collapsing a few feet from where he had been stabbed.
"My Lord!!! How dare you." It was the woman standing near Harry that screamed pointing her wand towards her "Fiendfyre"
Mab watched in horror as a giant snake made of molten fire rushed forward towards Harry who stood between her and the woman. Without a through she dashed towards the flames pushing all of the magic she had left into stopping the primal force that was moving towards them. She knew this was a form of the netherworld magic that only devoured everything in its path. It would not stop until the power pushed into it died out. Mab could only hope she had enough power left to drain this thing before it overtook her. A cloud of steam burst the moment her ice impacted the snake made of flames. She could feel the creature pushing against her ice forcing it back. Taking a look behind her she was met with the blank stare of the boy and Malk who was standing protectively over Amelia.
"Malk you need to get Harry out of the way. I don't have enough power to stop this thing. I can only slow it down for so long." She yelled over her shoulder pushing more of her will into the ice at her command. It wasn't enough as her other two opponents were not sitting idly by. The Outsider was dashing towards her his hands surrounded by a sinister black aura. On her other side the man with the orbs had either healed his wounds or sealed them off and was launching more orbs towards her Harry and Malk. She didn't know what to do as the attacks were coming from all sides and she was running out of magic. Harry still stood swallowed by the will of the mantle unable to break free of his own mind. It all seemed hopeless. If only the court was whole the power they would wield together could change the tide. 'Was there time?' was the thought that flashed through her head. There was once chance and she hoped it was not to late.
"Mother release the Mantle of the Winter Lady!!!" She shouted into the sky.
For a second she thought that she had not been heard until there was a loud crack that burst through the sky. A brilliant white light split the clouds above them racing down and slamming into the chest of Amelia. The womans body began to glow as it lifted a few inches of the ground before she began to cough violently the glow fading as she landed on her knees. It worked there had been some life left to bring her back and bestow upon her the power of the Winter Court.
*****
The pain had stopped though he could not know how long ago. It was so intense that he lost all thought and felt that he was truly going to die. That was when he thought he heard the sound of Malk purring next to his ear. Harry could feel something stir within him as the pain started to ebb away ever so slightly. Thoughts and memories came rushing back in place of the pain that had blinded him. He could clearly picture how Amy's body had been lying lifelessly on the ground before him. Another one who loved him taken trying to protect him. When would it end? When would he be strong enough to be the one to do the protecting?
"It will be soon young one. You only have to have patience and trust in those around you." A deep voice spoke up. Harry spun to see a very tall thin man before him. His skin was pale but not in a sickly way more like how Mabs was like polished ice. If he looked closely he thought he could see speckles of gold running across his skin where it was exposed. The mans face was strong with a heavy jaw thin lips and a perfectly balanced nose. If there was ever perfection in a face it was this man. His eyes were silver and were currently staring deeply into his own. The major contrast of the figure before him was that of his hair. Where everything about him was pale and bright his hair was pitch black and stretched down past the middle of his back.
"Who are you? and uhm where are we?" He asked his nerves coming out in his voice
"You may call me Oberon and for now that is enough. In time you will learn of who I truly am but right now there are more pressing matters. As for where we are well inside your mind." He said the last with a sweep of his arm to show Harry what was around. He just now realized that there was nothing around at all. Just pure white in all directions except for himself and the man before him.
"I don't understand. The last thing I remember was seeing Amy die and touching the blue mist that hovered above her then pain." He could feel the tears start to leak down his checks.
"Understanding is something that may take more time than we have right now. You have been granted a gift of power that was not meant for you until you were much older. Your body reacted and tried to force the power out of you. Luckily there are those who care for you and one such was able to coax you into accepting the power as best as you can."
"What do you mean power?" He asked. Could it be something that would help him protect those he cared about.
"Oh young Harry you will be able to do so much more than just protect those you love. I have many many plans for you but first let us get you back to your family. Amy is waiting for you." With those words the man placed a small thin blade of a silver like metal in his hand. The moment it made contact he felt everything all at once. With a gasp he sucked in a great breath of air looking around to see chaos around him. Just in front of him was Mab straining as waves of ice flowed from her hands attempting to fend off a giant flaming snake. All around him was destruction he could see some strange black orbs moving towards him from his left and a large insect like creature dashing at him from the right. Panic began to rise up in him. He was not ready for all of this and then a hand was placed on his shoulder. Turning he looked up to see Amy alive and smiling down on him.
"Amy your alive!!!" He immediately spun and wrapped her in a tight hug.
"It would seem that way. Though I do not know for how long." Her eyes drifted to the attacks heading their way. Harry pulled back from the hug and remembered the piece of metal that was placed in his hand. It was still there but had changed into a shape resembling a wand. He could feel it pulse in time with his own heart beat and then a voice spoke in his mind. Harry knew what to do.
"Amy I think I know what to do. Hold my hand please." He reached out and she gripped his hand in hers. "Mab can you place a hand on my shoulder?" He yelled over the noise startling the Winter Queen. She looked over her shoulder eyes widening at the two. Without a thought she nodded and placed a hand on his shoulder. The moment she did so the flaming snake surged forward pushing through her magic.
"Whatever you have planned Harry hurry."
The voice he heard was that of the man from inside his head. His mind was filled with knowledge of a magic that would take all three of them. He could feel all of it in the air through the wand in his hand. The taint of the magic around the creature before them. The chaotic madness in the orbs flying towards them. Finally he felt the pure magic of the Nevernever everywhere and he pulled with all of his might. A bright rainbow sphere surrounded them as all three attacks crashed against it at the same time. It rippled but did not break under the onslaught though both Mab and Amy had dropped to their knees under the drain of their magic. The flaming snake sizzled and hissed against the dome before exploding into sparkling embers. Lifting the wand above his head a beam of white light shot into the sky piercing through the clouds.
Everyone looked up at it mesmerized at the sight before them. As the light struck the clouds they began to churn and darken. Rumblings could be heard while flashes began appearing within them. Harry knew it was time and with everything he had he forced the wand down falling to his knees himself as he did so. The reaction of the sky was immediate as lightning burst forth striking with deadly accuracy at anything outside of their sphere. He saw the man who seemed to control the orbs quickly cast some kind of black disc above his head as a bolt struck at him. It disappeared into the void he cast but more rained down on him from other angles slamming into his body throwing him back. There were two other death eaters one he had seen around the ministry who vanished the moment the first bolt struck down. The woman who had been the one to strike down Amy and his friends was frantically casting shield after shield trying to stave of the bolts only for it to not be enough. She to was struck repeatedly landing with a crunch her body smoking slightly.
The last of the attackers was the creature that was part man but mostly insect. He stood staring at the three protected within the colorful shield before looking up to the sky. Something told Harry that what he had done was meant for this thing and the others were just collateral damage. Almost as if confirming his thoughts the sky lit up brighter than anything he had ever seen. A bolt of lighting burst forth from the clouds crackling with power and energy. It was the size of a small building burning the air as it raced down towards the thing in front of him. Crashing down with the power of a small comet the ground cratered under the force of the impact. Harry could not tear his eyes away as he watched the creature flicker inside the lightning its skin burning instantly. Within seconds there was nothing but ash left as the bolt receded back into the sky.
Silence followed with a smoky haze rising from the ash before seemingly being pulled back into the crack of the Gate. The sphere that had been protecting them had vanished the moment the creature had fallen. Harry was panting with sweat covering his entire body. He was quickly pulled into a hug by Amy who was now crying. It was a few minutes before she let him go and the three stood up to take in what was left of the battlefield. The first thing he noticed was that the man with the orbs and the female death eater were nowhere to be found. The next was the gate that was still slightly open with shadowy mists shooting out and jetting off into the distance.
"Amelia we must close the gate. To many things have escaped into this world already." Mab spoke softly
"What can I do about it?" She asked confused
"Surely you can feel the connection to the Nevernever now and its magic? Do you not realize how you were brought back?"
"I feel something all around us is that the magic of this place? Wait what do you mean how I was brought back? What did you do?" Amy seemed to be almost panicking now
"I did what I had to do to bring the power of the court back together so that we could win. You are the new Winter Lady my friend." Harry almost smiled at the slack jawed expression that was on Amy's face right now.
"What? I don't understand?"
"I will explain everything soon but first I need your help closing the Gate. I will need you to Harry." She said looking at him and offering her hand. He took it into his as Amy took Mabs other hand. All of them were covered in a blue glow one that he remembered seeing the man surrounded by. A beam of light shot forward from the center of Mab's chest connecting them to the Gate. It to began to glow in response and the door slowly slid shut once more with a last shriek breaking free through the crack before the seal was set.
"Is it over now?" He asked as the glow faded from the all.
"The battle today is over my knight but I believe the war is just beginning." Mab answered with a hand on his shoulder. "One we will fight together I hope." She looked towards Amy when she spoke.
"I will do what needs to be done to protect those I love." She responded with steel in her voice. "Now though I want to get back to see my niece." As she spoke a very disheveled and beat up Griphook limped over to them with a manic smile on his face.
"Did I miss the last hurrah? Stupid Wizard buried me in rocks and I just now got out. Do you know how hard it is to dig with one arm?" This brought a laugh from both Mab and Amy as he smiled. Malk was once again at his feet purring gently as he reached down to stroke her fur. When he looked down he noticed a small naked bird being gently held in her teeth. Reaching down he took the newly born phoenix feeling the connection with it resonate with his magic. For right now it seemed like things might be ok but he couldn't help but wonder where the man and woman had gone to. And what else had escaped from the gate while it was open.
*****
"So Athropos it seems they won this round." Clotho said as she placed a few threads on the table before them.
"So it seems my sister, but my daughter was correct that it is only just beginning."