Chapter Thirty-Four
"Gathering"

Page One

Minerva's gown whipped at her legs as a triumphant wind blew through the glen. The memory of Tom Riddle held the infant in his hands, swaddled in pure white linen. His eyes closed as he looked up at the sky. After a few moments pause, his eyes bolted open, an intimidating green glow surrounding his eyes. The clouds parted above them, the rain ceased and the two moons stood at attention.

Minerva stared at the three as the painting she had seen came to life before her eyes. The wind blew more fiercely, her hair drying as a whirlwind came at them from all directions, centering on the child in the tall man's arms.

A fire ignited in front of them, great orange flames licking at their heels, but grasping onto nothing. Not a single thread was singed.

Riddle bent slowly down to one knee, the child resting on his right forearm, his left hand disappearing into his robes.

"Ab aevum etiamnun decessus, ab aeternus eternus mei, meus praedestino commilito." His voice hissed each word and yet enunciated with flawless ease. In an instant, he lowered his right arm, letting the bundle drop into the flames.

"NO!" shouted Michael, lunging forward, not knowing what to expect, reaching wildly for his only daughter.

"Michael," stammered Megyn, "Don't move!"

Riddle whipped around and rose to his feet as a cobra rearing for strike. His left hand emerged from his robes, brandishing a large wooden staff, a large sphere atop its elegantly carved head. Riddle angled his shoulders, bringing the staff horizontally across Michael's path. Michael grunted as the stone collided with his ribs, his arms flailing ahead of him, desperately trying to reach the white bundle amidst the flames.

Michael stepped back in shock as Riddle brought the staff upright, resting its point in the ground. Advancing slowly toward Michael, Riddle's eyes flashed and a grin split across his face.

"Evil…" muttered Michael, stepping slowly backward, his eyes caught on the glow surrounding Riddle's countenance. "What evil I have allowed…"

"Progress, Michael," assured Megyn from behind the massive figure of Riddle, who appeared to be growing in stature with every step, imposing upon Michael. "This is the future, Michael, if only you'll accept it. It will bring us such happiness."

"Happiness?" bellowed Michael. "He's murdered our child!"

"Murder is not something I bestow upon my creations," muttered Riddle through perfectly white teeth.

"Your creations?" Michael's head was throbbing, his blood ran cold and he immediately felt a sudden emptiness gape open beneath his heart. "Minerva was my own flesh and blood!"

Minerva's head began to feel light and she struggled to stand on her feet. Something was draining her. She looked around to see hundreds of hooded figures surrounding the glen on every side. Quickly looking up she noticed the moons in the sky, their shape quickly changing. Evening out rapidly, the half phase became three quarters and the full moon began to fade.

"Enough!" shouted Riddle. Minerva looked down in time to see a giant flash. Bringing her hands to her eyes with a scream as her sight was overcome with sickening light, she heard a man cry out in pain. The light seeped through her eyelids, burning her eyes. Moments later the light began to dissipate. When she pulled down her hands she saw Riddle and Megyn running toward the forest, a pure-white crying bundle in their arms.

Minerva ran to the center of the clearing toward where Michael had fallen. Her eyes filled with tears as she saw him, motionless on the ground, a tear still resting on his cheek.

Dementors surrounded them on every side, encroaching ever closer. Her vision began to darken as her soul began to weep. That deadly feeling of cold seeping through her skin… she fell onto the chest of her father, hugging him as tightly as she could as her mind blanked and her senses melted.

* * *

Snape kept watch as Sirius and Harry slept, doing all they could to regain strength. Snape stared up at the sky, the small points of light that peaked at him from behind the swaying leaves. The stars shed enough light to cast heavenly streams of light through the branches, illuminating select patches of dirt and mud. The rain continued to pour its seemingly endless amount of moisture, drenching them in unceasing tears.

The forest remained calm for quite some times. The toll that entranced the Dementors must have carried them far off into the wilderness, or they were simply biding their time.

Peace proved stationary as a single twig snapped a few feet from them. Snape's head turned toward the sound, fearing the worse. Another twig from the opposite direction met the same fate and then another… and then another. Something was surrounding them.

After a few apprehensive moments, a dark creature came out in front of him, shielded by the selectiveness of the starlight.

"Severus Snape," said the creature, a massive beast Snape was unable to classify from his unlucky position. He stared hard down his chest as he lied there, his eyes refusing to focus.

"We've brought someone for you," continued the beast.

Another figure moved around to the side and stepped right into a brightened column of light.

"Poppy!" gasped Snape, relieved to see a friendly face, smiling lightly back at him.

"The centaurs seem to have befriended us," said Madam Pomfrey, nodding toward the creature in the shadows. "Severus, this is Barcis."

Snape tried his best to sit up so he could get a better look at the massive centaur.

"Don't expend your energy," said Barcis, stepping around to Snape's side. "Madam Pomfrey has come a long way to help you. Lay back, we will handle the rest."

Madam Pomfrey pulled off her cloak and laid it over Snape, kneeling closely next to him.

"I'm not sure there's much we can do for him out here," said Madam Pomfrey, looking up at Barcis. "Is there any way we can get him back to the castle?"

"That won't be necessary." Barcis took a deep breath and again began to pound the ground with his hoof. Again, the centaurs began to gather around them, coming out from seemingly nowhere.

"Bring Lelani," Barcis ordered as another creature came near. A centaur immediately nodded his head and returned to the forest.

Snape looked straight up; no matter where he looked, a centaur met his gaze. They were completely surrounded. He'd never seen so many in his life in one place. This was highly unlike these normally fickle, untrusting creatures. For centuries centaurs had shied away from any form of contact with wizard kind. Perhaps the stars were on their side for a change.

The centaur sent off into the forest shortly returned, leading a fair, almost pure white being behind him. Snape was nearly blinded when he tried to look upon the centaur, for it was so pure white it seemed to reflect any light around it; mirroring perfection. When it finally moved into a shadow Snape took in a sharp breath of surprise; he had never seen a female centaur. Indeed, neither had anyone else. Wizard explorers had been searching for a mere glimpse of one for as long as history would allow and yet none of them had any stories to tell about the beauty of the creature that was now before him. She had long white hair that reached far beyond her elbows and skin as white as cream. Her torso was draped in fine silk that flowed as majestically as each strand of her hair. With each step she took she seemed to float, gliding effortlessly as if skating across ice.

"I ask that you speak of Lelani to no one," asked Barcis, looking down at Snape. "We fiercely protect the females, for if you humans knew how powerful they truly are you'd stop at nothing to capture them."

Snape, unwilling to take his eyes from the glorious white being, simply nodded his head.

"They are most precious to us," continued Barcis, "And if anything were to happen to them…"

"Please, Barcis," interrupted Madam Pomfrey, "Please know you can trust us. We must get going."

Barcis nodded and immediately Lelani stepped forward toward Snape. Within an instant the light became so blinding he forced his eyelids shut, unable to withstand the magnified reflection of the moon and stars upon her silvery coat. As his consciousness faded, he felt a sharp stinging permeate his ribs and an immense warmth run through his lungs and straight into his heart.

* * *

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