The World Without Me

Chapter 26: When things finally fall into place

…

"Do you think he'll come out soon?"

"No. Not since the weird exuberant House Elf brought his snake back from who knows where. It was in pretty bad shape too. Must've been pretty desperate to ask Hagrid for help."

"I resent that."

"I just hope she'll be alright. Harry is very attached to her."

While Remus decided to stay in Harry's quarters until the boy found a way to help Nagini get better, Sirius, Alastor, Rosmerta and Hagrid answered the call of yet another Order meeting. Apparently the Dark Lord had started rampaging around again and in greater intensity for no apparent reason. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Nagini had been hurt but who knew what went on in Harry's head when he sent his pet away on some unknown errand.

…

"Ahh, Sirius! We were waiting for you to begin. Harry is not with you, isn't he?" Albus Dumbledore asked, looking behind the Animagus and trying to find a mop of unruly black hair, without success.

Sirius shook his head negatively and sat down.

The Headmaster's office was a little crowded and Fawkes thrilled an annoyed note when Alastor shooed it away to transfigure its perch into a chair. The Phoenix burst away in flames as an obvious means of teleportation, seeking tranquility elsewhere.

"He's still in his quarters with Remus, trying to find a way to heal his snake. I don't think he'll show up anytime soon," Rosmerta answered in Sirius' stance while sitting down herself beside McGavin. "Where are Kingsley, Frank and Alice?"

"I decided it was for the best they stay in the Great Hall and teach some defense to the children, following Mr. Potter's advice. Are you certain he won't be showing up?" Albus pressed again, looking more than a little miffed that Harry was absent for his first official (in their case anyway) Order of the Phoenix meeting. He plopped a Lemon Drop in his mouth and sagged in his chair slightly when all Sirius did was shrug nonchalantly.

"Albus? Can we start? If Potter doesn't feel like coming I don't see why we would have to drag him here," Snape said with impatience. He was fidgeting in his chair and sometimes gripping his left arm in alarm. "The Dark Lord isn't taking his sweet time and stopping for tea and biscuits here, you know. We need a plan of action."

"I know Severus but I was counting on Mister Potter to show up today, especially since Voldemort has started his activity again. I think Harry had something in mind to tip the balance of the war but to make sure I have to talk to him. Sirius, did he tell you anything?"

Sirius' eyes widened slightly and he shook his head. "Oh no, I'm not going there! I made a promise not to tell anything and I'm not even sure everything worked for him. All I really know is that he asked the Centaurs for help but I don't know if they said yes or no…though Voldie attacking might have made them change their minds…" he muttered to himself.

Minerva sighed. "I followed Albus' directions and tried to get into the Room of Requirements earlier today but the door didn't appear. I don't think they want us to intrude in their lives."

The people in the office started to talk at the same time, some badmouthing the Centaurs for not wanting to help. "We accepted them here where it's safe and they don't even want to repay us for our generosity-"

"Actually," Sirius interrupted, throwing the evil eye at Auror Edge, "It's more Harry who offered hospitality. We simply let him do as he wished. Don't try to take credit for what my Godson did, Marcus."

"Shut up, Black. If you hadn't discovered that this boy was your –precious- Godson you wouldn't have taken his side so rapidly!" Edge batted his lashes at the word precious and then sneered and hit the table with his fist afterwards in frustration and accusation.

Sirius got up from his chair so fast it tumbled behind him. "What's that! I'll let you know I trusted that boy even before we discovered who he truly was! So you can shove anything bad you have to say about him up your-"

"BOYS! SIT DOWN!" Albus interfered brusquely.

Xiomara put Sirius' chair back up and he mumbled his thanks before sitting down in a huff and not looking at anyone.

"Honestly, Black, can't you act the least bit mature for five minutes?" Snape drawled even if Dumbledore shot him a warning look from the corner of his eyes.

"Shut up, Snape."

"Sirius, please… And Severus, could YOU try not to get a rise out of Sirius every five minutes? This is no time for childish rivalry."

Sirius smirked at Severus who merely turned away from the Animagus.

"Well, we'll have to start sometimes. Now, I know for a fact that we have the House Elves on our side. They may not look like a force to be reckoned with but they are pretty powerful when they fight someone who is not their master. Elvin Magic is out of our jurisdiction so it's not easy to deal with; Voldemort's men will have a great deal of difficulty dispelling their attacks."

"Albus," professor Vector interrupted, "what about the Werewolves? Has Remus been able to make a deal with them?"

"Unfortunately no, and that may cause a serious problem. Fenrir Greyback is at the head of their troops and we all know, Remus the first, how bloodthirsty he is…"

…

If Harry had known that Dobby would come back with a severely injured Nagini maybe he would have thought more carefully about sending her to Riddle Manor before actually doing it. Now he was paying the price: seeing his familiar in this state made him feel twice as guilty as before and the headache he was now sporting made him cranky.

Dobby had immediately gone back to Malfoy's side not to arise suspicion even more and he had put Nagini on his warm bedcovers as soon as he saw what state she was in. He tried to wake her up but nothing worked. He had even begged Hagrid and Poppy to heal the nasty looking claw shaped wounds on her back. The MediWitch did look a little appalled after his request, Harry recalled, and said that she healed humans, not animals. Though, before she went back to the infirmary, she did voice her opinion about the wound looking a lot like Werewolf claw marks, helping Harry and Hagrid find the cause of Nagini's unresponsiveness.

Hagrid had gone to his hut to get some healing salve; it was for magical creatures but they did try it anyway, Harry saying that Nagini had seen and been under her fair share of magic. Apparently it worked to some degree because the wound slowly but surely closed, but Nagini had yet to wake up.

A House Elf tapped on the entry portrait and, since Harry didn't want to give up his place beside his familiar, it was Sirius who answered the door.

"Master Black, sir! Master Dumbledore said that Masters were invited to his office for a meeting!" the House Elf squeaked before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Sirius closed the door momentarily and looked at everyone inside Harry's quarters. "Looks like we're invited for an Order meeting. I heard that Voldie was starting to get impatient once again. I think this is the big one, guys. Dumbledore must be sweating right now."

The others nodded and lined up to walk out the door. The Animagus gazed at his unmoving Godson. "You coming Harry?"

The green eyed boy shook his head negatively.

Sirius and Remus shared a look and the Werewolf mouthed 'I'll join you later. I'll stay with him for now.' Sirius nodded and sent him a grateful look before they all walked out, Hagrid bending in half so he could pass without hitting his head on the doorway.

"Remus." The Werewolf startled before stopping at Harry's side. "Do you think Werewolf scratches are fatal to snakes?" He blinked at Hedwig who flew away from the window, probably to go hunt since there was nothing else to do, and turned his attention back to the Cobra.

Remus shrugged. "I really don't know Harry. I'm sorry. But if it can appease your worry, I really don't think so, at least not for a snake Nagini's size. She's strong so she'll get through."

"Thanks Remus."

The man hummed in return. "Do you want something to drink or eat? You haven't had anything since the House Elf brought her back."

Harry shook his head negatively. "No. With my headache I don't think I'll be able to digest anything."

"You have a headache? Why didn't you tell us? Is it because of Him?" he growled.

"Don't worry. I've been plastering my Occlumency walls all over my mind. Something caused Tom to become very angry so the dark mood just seeped through a little. I'm feeling a little queasy but it'll pass. I've been able to block the feeling not too long ago."

Remus didn't look the least reassured. "If you say so…I think I'll get myself something to drink, be right back."

Harry nodded and turned his attention on the sleeping Cobra once again, petting it lightly.

"Masster?"

Harry gasped and bent down to Nagini's level. "Nagini! You're awake! Merlin, I wass sso sscared! What happened to you back there?"

Nagini moved a little but hissed in discomfort; she was still pretty weak. "Do not worry about me, Masster. Nothing a good resst won't cure. I have to admit, though, that the Werewolf did a pretty good number on me."

"Werewolf?" the boy hissed back inquiringly, attention written in his face. "What happened in Riddle Manor?"

"Harry? What's-"

Harry lifted a hand to interrupt him and Remus shut up, surprised that Nagini was awake. He watched with rapt attention as Harry conversed with his second familiar. After a few minutes of intense hissing Nagini quieted down and slithered painfully on Harry's exposed arm, going still as soon as she was completely under his skin.

'Something must be up,' Remus thought, as he gazed at Harry's shocked, and then confident face.

"Let's go Remus!"

"Go? Go where? What's going on Harry?"

"Do you think the meeting is still going on?" Harry continued, completely ignoring Remus' barrage of questions and taking several of his things scattered around the room before walking swiftly out of his quarters.

Remus almost had to run to keep up with the boy. "It must be. Dumbledore made the call only thirty minutes ago." Harry hummed beside him and they continued their trek toward the Headmaster's office.

…

"…deal with them?"

"Unfortunately no, and that may cause a serious problem. Fenrir Greyback is at the head of their troops and we all know, Remus the first, how bloodthirsty he is…"

They heard the muffled voices of Vector and Dumbledore in the middle of a conversation on the other side of the old man's door and when Harry opened it enthusiastically every wand in the room pointed at both Remus and he.

"Headmaster!" Harry completely ignored the threat while Remus' hands shot up in the air. "WHOA GUYS! It's just us! Point your wands in some other direction, would you?"

"Well it's not like we were expecting you two to barge in on a meeting like that! Don't do that again!" Mad-Eye barked.

Everyone slowly put their wand away once their fright passed away. "What's going on, Harry? I see Nagini is back on your arm so she must feel better," Sirius greeted his Godson and conjured tow chairs for Remus and the younger man to sit on around the table.

"Yes, she woke up not too long ago and went back there to rest, but not before telling me excellent news. Apparently my precious pet has dealt with twenty-six Death Eaters all on her own, dealing a hard blow to Tom's forces. A couple of them were Werewolves so you can guess which one from the two groups managed to scratch her, if you take in consideration that I protected her against magical attacks, not bare-handed ones."

Albus' eyes widened and he clapped his hands together joyously. Finally some good news!"

Snape looked doubtful. "Not that I want to insult your…pet, but how can a snake kill twenty-six humans and Dark Creatures all on her own?"

"I'll let you know that Nagini is very intelligent and capable of thinking ahead. Being around humans helped a lot to make her develop a conscience. She did what a snake does best: slither around, poison, choke and hit, if you count her tail as a weapon. That's how she got rid of them, though she had to double her efforts when it came to the Werewolves."

"Does she know, by any chance, the names of the ones she…disposed of?" Minerva ventured tentatively.

"Not all of them. I'll make a list later of the names she heard being mentioned but there's one I'll mention now…" Harry paused for dramatic effect, making them sweat.

He looked giddy himself and was making the others fidget in their seat.

"The Werewolf leader"

Remus' eyes widened.

"Fenrir Greyback! One nasty piece of work to deal with, too! He's the one who hurt Nagini."

Everyone sagged in their chair and let a collective breath out. Remus still sported a look between surprise, happiness and disbelief.

"My God, Remus! Do you know what this means? The one who bit you…" Sirius trailed.

Remus was too shocked to nod. "Merlin," he finally breathed, "Harry, if Nagini wasn't a snake I'd kiss her."

Snape made a face while the rest of the Order laughed. "This is indeed the best news we could receive in a long time! Tom will have a hard time controlling the Werewolves without Greyback around, especially since he was under His protection," Albus chimed.

"They won't be happy about Greyback being killed in Riddle's territory, I can tell you that," Harry seconded with a smirk.

"And what about the Centaurs? Will they fight with us?" Professor Sprout asked curiously.

"Hm, I still have to talk to them about that but I think some of them will side with us. Voldemort's stunt with the Dementors made them pretty angry at him since the soul-suckers killed their elder. And what about you? Have you been able to rally some allies?" Harry asked the Headmaster.

"Aside from the hundreds of Wizards in Hogwarts and possibly the children? The House Elves are ready to support us and Bill and Charlie Weasley have been able to convince the Goblins of Gringotts to lend us one of their dragons, which is no small feet."

Molly and Arthur looked at their sons proudly while said men blushed slightly under the praise. "We'll do anything to help, right, Bill?"

"Yeah! You can count on us."

"Speaking of House Elves, Harry, who was the one that brought Nagini back?"

The green eyed boy smirked. "He's my spy inside Voldie's territory. Actually I also knew him in my old world. Dobby is Malfoy's servant but don't go badmouthing him! He hates Malfoy to death. The only thing keeping him there is the contract between servant and master. Picture Sirius' relation with Kreacher and you'll be able to see the general idea."

Sirius shuddered at the name of his mother's detestable House Elf.

"Sure, he's a little exuberant but he's damn loyal to people he cares about." Harry's eyes clouded over as he thought about his Dobby's heroic accomplishments as well as his enthusiasm each time he went into the kitchen to visit him or give him a gift. He was tiring but oh so lovable nonetheless.

Sirius and Remus shared a knowing look and the golden eyed man put a comforting hand on Harry's back. The others, who didn't know of Harry's detailed past, simply looked on questioningly with the feeling of being powerless in the matter.

Rosmerta and Xiomara also gazed at each other shortly before they both smiled softly. "I'm certain he was a great friend. He must still be here," Rosmerta spoke softly, the flying instructor nodding her assent.

Harry blinked slowly and looked at them both, sending them their smile back. "Yeah, he was great…and he still is. I'm happy I got to know him too in this world." He just didn't mention the fact that Dobby almost killed him a couple of times in his second year. Dobby's protectiveness bordered the limits of obsession and probably insanity, though he would never say it out loud.

"Keh, I think I'll go see the Centaurs, I'll see you guys later."

"H-Harry? Wait!" Sirius called out, but the boy was already out the door.

…

Luckily for Harry, the door of the Room of Requirement immediately opened for him. Only a few of the Council members were there to greet him, though, the rest of the five clans hiding in the lush forest.

"Ah, Harry. We were beginning to wonder when you would come to us," Firenze spoke up, the rest finally paying attention to him instead of talking quietly to each other.

"Yes, I apologize for my lateness but Nagini was hurt yesterday and she was in need of medical attention."

"I see. I hope the one who hurt her is now suffering the price."

"Oh, he's dead all right."

The Centaur nodded. "We were waiting for you to know what to do. We cannot possibly win this war alone. We are resistant to most magic but I fear that these Dementors will be the death of us if they gang up on us like they did the last time. We are still mourning the loss of Master Heracles," Firenze spoke softly.

Bane's hoofs hit the ground in a show of anger. "Tell us what to do and we will make Him pay! The Centaur forces are at your disposition!" he barked while the others nodded confidently, faces set in stone. The tension could be easily felt. They were ready to fight to the death to avenge their Leader.

"I'm honored that you decided to join forces with us but not to sound rude of anything…Bane, I never pictured you as the type to join a human's side so quickly."

Bane snorted. "In my eyes you are the only worthy human to fight side by side with. So it's only natural that Firenze will be the one to continue the negotiations with the old man, being the only one who can tolerate him to a certain degree. We will continue to train and train the children old enough for this war. The females who are not expecting will also help."

"Alright, if that is what you wish. One last thing: do you know how Aragog is doing?"

Stratos, the leader of the blue clan, was the one who answered. "He was fairing well last time I heard of him. He and the rest of his family were actually enjoying a nice…dinner."

Harry snorted but his eyes held some malicious mirth. "Hmmm, Death Eater à la crème. A nice choice on the menu."

The leaders decided not to comment on his cruel sense of humor.

"Would it be best if I join you now? There is no time to spare if you want us to help you we have to talk things through," Firenze spoke up, taking a few steps in Harry's direction.

"Of course. Let us be on our way, then."

"Wait," Alta spoke up, "take Orion with you. He seems to be taken with you, young human. Perhaps, if he goes with you, he will restrain himself from spying on a private meeting next time?" The blond tribe leader questioned seemingly out of the blue, yet his gaze was straying toward the forest. He smirked when a flushed Orion walked out. "Sorry."

Firenze actually chuckled. "There is no need to apologize. But let your curiosity remain as it is, not turn into an obsession. Come, young Orion."

"Thank you for this privilege, Master Firenze. I will try my best not to be a bother." The blond Centaur trotted towards Harry and smiled eagerly.

Harry shook his head but his eyes held some mirth at his friend's enthusiasm. "You won't be a bother. Just be careful and stay near us; some wizards, even from the Light side, still have some difficulty accepting human and non-human relations and treaties. They may not attack you directly but you will recognize the signs by their body language."

"I understand. I am still wary of the human race. Do not misinterpret my eagerness. I only want to see how a war is prepared and…um…actually, I kind of admire you."

Harry blinked and reddened, but did not boast.

"You're still so young but you can obtain someone's trust so easily. I was surprised and more than a little skeptical when I heard that a human had asked for a Council mobilization but when I saw you walking beside Master Firenze, like an equal, no less…"

"I understand Orion. I'm honored to have won your trust and friendship. Friends and family are very precious to me," the green eyed boy said quietly.

Orion's lips quirked up and he thrust his hand in front of Harry. "Then let us shake hands, my friend! Let's win this war together!"

Harry nodded confidently and smirked. "Yeah, we'll win this!"

Unbeknownst to the two males shaking hand, the group of elders smiled and nodded to each other. "This is the beginning of a great alliance," Bane spoke up softly, "things are looking up. We have the hope and passion of the future generation on our side."

…

Hi everyone! FINALLY, I've been able to write the 26th chapter of WWM. I'm very sorry for the delay but at the moment school is more important than fan fiction, since this is my last semester. I have projects to give for all of my art classes and the final one will be held during 5 weeks, so you can see I am not to blame for my lack of updates. It's a miracle (thank my week off) that I've been able to piece a chapter together in just a few days.

I know some people (though I really hope not) will probably write a review with something like "What took you so f$cking long to update?" PLEASE, I DON'T WANT TO RECEIVE SUCH REVIEWS. If you don't have anything good to say, don't say it. It's not in my intention to be mean by saying that, but I don't much care for insensitive replies or flames (though I did not receive those very often, they are very disagreeable). I'm doing my best here for you guys, so I appreciate those who have constructive criticism or nice things to say. I do have a life outside but you guys will always be one of my top priorities. I never abandoned a fanfic before, never did, never will. Have some faith in me. I'll finish the story for my great readers!

'Till next time, hopefully sooner than 2-3 months, but remember that CEGEP right now is being a b$tch. THANK YOU!

Eternal Cosmos

-Hugs n' kisses to all!-