Chosen One

Warning and all the disclamations is in prologue.

Please forgive any small errors or discrepancies that may have resulted from miscommunication between myself and my beta Metzy (who helps me around the edges when my English needs a little tweaking). Sometimes my vision and her edits don't quite meet in the middle.

Metzy is working through the earlier chapters of this story and should catch-up to the newer chapters soon, so bare with us.

Please drop a line on what you guy think?

Chapter 4:

Tonight dinner is like any other night with students rushing into the hall and quickly settling down next to friends.

McGonagall looks at her house fondly; the Gryffindor table being the loudest. She is thinking about all the plans, mischief and news they are discussing. She always knows what her house is up to unlike the other houses; especially Slytherin house. It is the first time this year that Harry Potter has arrived his with his best friends. 'It looks like the fall out is just a rumours', she muses with the merest tilt a smile on her thin lips.

McGonagall cannot deny that he is her favourite. Being the Boy-Who-Lived however is not the reason. It grew from that first time she had held him briefly; the night when he had survived the killing curse. She had reluctantly left the wizard child with his relatives who were in her opinion the worst kind of Muggle. The bond from that night. Not magical but maternal.

She is happy that the boy is with friends again. He may have made great progress in his studies over the last few months, with all his teachers including Severus grudgingly giving positive reports on his class performances to Dumbledore; however, no man is or should be a lone island.

McGonagall's happy face froze as the boy fell. The Weasley boy was the first to scream, closely followed by the students nearby. All of the teachers, including Herself, rushed down to check the boy. 'Harry Potter really knew how to add wrinkles to his teachers' she sighed.

The house elves, who usually used magic to stay hidden whilst attending dinner, started popping up all around the hall, as Harry fainted. The hall erupts with students, teachers and elves massing to their feet and moving around in total chaos. The crowd presuming the worst case scenario which is hardly surprising considering the close connection the boy has to the Dark Lord.

Unconscious, Harry Potter was hustled to the hospital wing and into a bed by the Headmaster and the Gryffindor and Slytherin Heads of House, leaving the other teachers to deal with the mob of students. The hospital has been quiet tonight, and for the last few weeks, with no other patients. Madam Pomfrey was preparing to leave her office and head own to the hall and join the other staff for her dinner when Harry was levitated onto a bed.

"What has happened?" she asked as she hurried over to Harry's bed and the others milled around her.

"Poor Harry collapsed in the Great Hall during dinner", Albus sighed still pale and thinking on the scene they had just left, "Does he has any internal injuries, Poppy?"

Poppy ran waved her wand down his body several times mumbling more to Herself then the others there, "I'll perform diagnosis spell on him."

She stood there puzzling over Harry's condition whilst viewing a series of different readings and diagnosis charts. The teachers grew concerned as they watched Madam Pomfrey's expression change.

"What is it, Poppy?" McGonagall could wait no longer and disturbed her colleague.

Madam Pomfrey frowned as she replied in a puzzled voice, "There is nothing wrong with him. No internal injuries... the chart does not explain why he is in this coma. In fact his brain patterns are normal" Her eyes met each of the others quickly before returning to the boy, "He should be awake."

"There must surely be something to explain his condition", McGonagall impatiently snapped "The boy could not just collapse".

"I've double checked the diagnosis and according to all of my healing knowledge, the boy should be fine. He is in perfect health, except maybe in need of a bit more nutrients in his diet." She glared at Minerva angry at the questioning of her professional expertise. She sighed. Right now the boy's health was her priority and it would not help losing their temper with one another.

"There is nothing more I am able to do for him. I'll firecall one of my old friends at St Mungo for a second opinion." She concluded her spells and floating the charts to disappeared.

The Headmaster turned his eyes to Professor Snape for his opinion. The Slytherin Head of House could only shrugs his shoulders and give the barest shake of his head.

"We will leave Harry here in your expert care Poppy, and hope his condition changes" His eyes with none of their usual glittering evident.

Shaking her head Poppy pulled the blanket up over the boy's body, and gently tucked him in, as the teachers started retreating from his bed.

Albus took one last look over at the sleeping form of Harry Potter before his sad eyes drifted to Snape who stood beside him. "Severus, would you mind joining me for a cup of tea after dinner?"

Snape's eyebrow raised as his eyes darken a shade; he knew what is coming. He nodded and swept out the room dramatically, robes billowing behind him.

The window of the hospital ward gently opened letting in a gentle breeze as two men flew into the castle silently. They strode purposefully and unchallenged across the room, to where the single occupant is lay in the large room full of beds.

As they drew closer, their shadows seemed to be growing and spreading as if to hide the boy. The man shows his impatience grown from the months of waiting for the council's approval to see the boy; the Chosen One. His nerves and temper frayed from long political games it had taken to reach their decision.

He flicked a hand toward the window and suddenly moonlight flooded into the room making it shine in metallic reliefs of glittering gold and silver.

"He is the one."

He palm touched the boy's forehead, and the symbol of a sun and moon intertwined appeared as he drew his hand away.

The second man stared at the first, "Lord Santh, is it too late? It looks like he has already entered the Cocoon Stage."

"No", he murmured with a bare shake of his head. His eyes quickly locked with the second. "It looks as if his transformation has only begun this very night. We must take him back to the Crystallise Chamber." His voice tinged with anger with the thought of what could have lost tonight. Alatoriel.

"I don't understand, how the process could have been manifested this quickly?" the second man picked up the boy carefully, "It took me at least a year, all wisdom says that a human should take a lot longer."

'The boy is human, very ordinary, though he is blessed with a bit of magic; they called themselves wizards' Santh mused.

The boy's hair brushes against the second man's bare arm as they turn to leave. He looked down and was shocked to see his magic tangle with that of the boy. He had not expected it. Individual magic usually repelled the magic of others unless they had a pre-existing bond only possible with a deep level of harmony between the parties involved which was in turn dependant on their individual relationship.

"You have forgotten who the boy has inherited from Beren." Santh chided his companion. He did not however notice Beren's response as his attention was drawn to the glow emanating from the window and the fore stopping them from exiting.

"The castle" Santh groaned quietly to his companion. He had known it was alive; however, he had forgotten that it too may have held a stake in ensuring the boy remains. It seemed as if had underestimated the Wizarding World.

'The boy must be important to her' he scowled. 'I don't have times for this.'

"Good lady, we entered this place unarmed. We would like to leave here in peace" His voice tinged with magic and authority intended to sooth and comfort the recipient under his spell.

"The boy Harry Potter is my child and under my care; you may leave without him." Hogwarts thoughts echoed through the room.

"He must leave with us." Santh's voice still thick with calming tones.

"A Great One you are. Indestructible you are not. The child is mine." There was anger in her tones showing her growing irritation with their guile.

"Lady, we also have claims on him" Santh's voice free of his previous spell drawl, "He is becoming one of us. He will die if he does not leave here with us tonight. We do not wish to fight you but we will if we must". True sincerity crept into his voice now, "The humans here cannot help him now, but we can."

"I see he is changing though not of his choice but your's. Treat him well." Her voice ominous as the ward around the window fell for them. Santh and Beren wasted no time as they took to flight with their cargo; gone as quietly as they had come.

Beren looked towards his lord, "Lord Santh, we could have fought her easily."

"The Lady's power, dwells deep in the root of this land. It would not been an easy battle Beren." He closed his eyes, trying to make out the depth of the magic. Just as he had thought, the castle stood directly on the Ley Line; a gateway to their world.

"Let us return home, Beren"

Before they disappeared, Santh shook his head, 'We have learned much tonight about this world'.

Madam Pomfrey returned to the hospital wing after dinner, with the side trip talking to Minerva. She walked over the Harry's bed hoping for a miracle recovery, which whilst not common had happened twice to her in 1984 with Susan Marbeldene...lost in thought for a moment.

Her wits returned, and to her horror she saw no harry Potter in the bed. Quickly she cast a no nonsense "Cuspis ut", but to no avail. She followed this with a slightly unnerved "Ostendo sum Locus". She could not believe it. Franticly she ran to the office and threw a handful of floo powder into the fire.

"Albus, Albus, come quickly" she sobbed". Albus appeared through the flames in an instant. "Harry is gone".

For the second time that night Hogwarts was in chaos. This time it was the teachers who led the frantic activity in the search for Harry Potter.

TBC….

*** Cupis Volo – Rough latin for "Point to" . "Ostendo sum Locus" translation Reveal location