Author's Notes:
Hello everyone, and Happy New Year. A week late, but that's life. This is to address a few things people asked about in the comments. First a minor error on my point left an explanation for Ted Tonks not using magic during Christmas. I had accidentally deleted a section of dialogue where Ted explains he lost a bet to Sirius a few weeks prior and could not use magic for a month. Again, an error on my part so bear with me. Second, I've been asked about Harry and if he will always be the least among the group. I was planning on explaining it in another chapter fully, but this will have to do. Harry is actually the fastest learner of Elijah's techniques. As for why you haven't seen how well he can use Soul Magic, there really hasn't been a situation to show off Harry's skill set. Be expecting such a situation soon, however. Last, I've been asked about certain people joining the Harem, namely Tonks, Astoria, Fleur and Gabrielle Delacour, and, surprisingly, Isabel. Let me answer this question. I will only add one of them to the harem, no more than that. I will be posting a poll about that within the next month or two. You guys can decide which, if any of them, ends up in the harem. Well, all except for Astoria. I already have a pairing in mind for her, one who will show up in the same year as she does. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anything in the Wizarding world other than the OC's and the concept of Soul Magic.
As they arrived back at Hogwarts after the break was over, Harry and Tracey led the group up to the seventh floor and to the wall that Edgar led them to. "This is it," asked Elijah.
"Yeah," said Tracey. "Edgar. How did you make the door appear?" The raven cawed, and Tracey looked at him then the wall. "It's that simple?" Tracey started pacing in front of the door.
"What are you doing," asked Lily.
"Pacing and thinking about what I want."
"That's it?" asked Daphne. On Tracey's third pass, the door appeared right where she and Harry remembered it. Elijah used Soul Sight on the area and found nothing odd. Nor did he see any trace of magic around the door.
"That is odd. There seems to be nothing magical about this door at all."
"You mean Soul Sight isn't able to pick out anything unique?" asked Lily.
"No. I'm just seeing a normal door. I need to see more in order to tell what's going on here."
"Should we go in," asked Hermione. Susan stood nearby, Serina in a pocket stitched into the front of her robes by Lily. The baby phoenix looked at the door and chirped before hiding in the pocket.
"Serina is scared. There's something in there we need to be wary of."
"We know," said Tracey. Harry brought out his wand and held it next to the door, it started emitting a faint note. "Great. It's closer to the door now. How?"
"Maybe something was living in there," said Harry.
"Oh come on! I wanted that harp!"
"Whatever's in there," said Elijah. "We better not mess with this room for now. You kids go to the dorms and wait for everyone else to arrive, I'm going to study this door a bit more." The group left the seventh floor, leaving Elijah and Lily in front of the door. Lily pulled the black crystal from her pocket and they both saw it pulsing in her hand. "Of course. I scoured the entire school looking for anything that may have been a Horcrux or a hiding place for one. Leave it to Harry to find a secret room I never even thought of."
"And one I doubt anyone even knew about. Perfect hiding place, if you ask me."
"We're not ready to get it yet. For now, leave it where it is. When I can finish the Soul Protection ritual, then we'll go after it."
"And this," she asked, holding up the crystal.
"Now that we know where it is, we can hide the crystal properly and bring it out after the ritual is done."
"And if someone finds it?"
"They'll have to get passed my barriers. It's impossible."
"How are you so sure?"
"I'd rather not talk about them. It's… not a pretty subject." Lily saw him start closing off and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I won't pry."
"Thank you, Lily." Elijah gave the door one last glance before they went over to catch up with the students. As the children got to the first floor, they encountered Snape in the hall.
"Good morning, Professor Snape," said Daphne. Snape turned to the group and checked a watch he kept in his robes.
"The Hogwarts express has not yet arrived, I assume you came here with Professor Crowe and Mrs. Potter?"
"Yes sir," they told him.
"Then I guess I can't punish you for roaming the halls yet. Get to your dorm. And don't let me catch sight of you in the halls without an escort again, or I'll take points away and send you to detention, understand?"
"Yes sir," they told him. He walked away, cloak billowing behind him.
"I've got to remember to ask how he does that," said Harry.
"Not important, Harry," said Daphne as she walked beside him. "Besides, it's not like he'd tell you anyway. It adds to his intimidation factor in class, he's not giving up that secret anytime soon."
"I hate it when you're right." They made their way to the Anima Mea dorm and found scorch marks on the door to it, but no sign of entry. "Not good."
"Someone tried breaking in?!" said Hermione. Daphne and Susan looked around as Harry went to the door and rubbed at the scorch marks.
"These aren't fresh. No heat. Someone tried getting in, and a while ago. I need to find Elijah and Mum, let them know what happened."
"We'll stay here," said Tracey. "Wait inside for you guys to arrive."
"Wait," said Hermione. "That may be a bad idea. What if someone is watching the cabin, and is waiting for us to head inside so they can follow?" Harry looked around and spotted something moving in the forest. He peered closely at where he noticed movement and felt something hit his mental barriers.
"Hermione's right. Someone's watching the cabin. Head back inside, find Elijah and Mum."
"Please don't tell me you're going to do something stupid."
"Something is out there in the forest, have Elijah track me, I'm going after them."
"Harry…," cautioned Hermione. He hid himself from view of the forest and pulled out his cloak.
"Have Elijah track me, I can get there without being noticed, we're fortunate it hadn't rained or snowed here in a few days." He put the cloak on, turning his body from the neck down invisible. "Go now, I'll be fine." Harry pulled the hood over his head and moved for the forest, the girls biting their tongues, so they don't draw attention to them. They moved to the castle just as Harry made it to the forest. He looked around and found foot prints heading deeper into the forest. He followed them and made a trail of broken branches on the ground to mark his path, both for himself and for Elijah. Soon enough, Harry came across a horrific sight, the corpse of a unicorn, its silver blood pooled on the ground. He felt the body and found it cool to the touch. 'Not fresh. This has been here for a while.' He saw what seemed like knife wounds and teeth marks in its hide. 'Drinking unicorn blood?! Are they mad?!' Harry heard a whinny of distress further in the forest and ran for it.
Harry found himself in a clearing and saw the unicorn running from something. Harry watched a cloaked figure shoot a spell at the creatures feet, knocking it down before dragging it with another spell to their location in the forest. Harry cursed and moved quickly, throwing a rock towards the direction where the unicorn was being dragged. There was a grunt as the unicorn quickly got up and bolted away. Harry moved from his position, trying to make sure he's not in the same spot when whoever attacked the unicorn came to investigate. The cloaked figure moved to where it saw the rock shoot from and looked around. Harry cringed as his foot stepped on a twig, making a loud crack.
The figure turned towards the noise, launching a spell from a yew wand and narrowly missing Harry. The spell blasted a tree and sent splinters of wood scattering around. The figure noticed a few splinters stopping short of a full arc and blasted the ground beneath them. Harry was blasted off his feet and the hood knocked off his head. "Harry Potter…" whispered the figure as it advanced on him.
"Voldemort, I presume. Only someone as vile as you would be dumb and desperate enough to drink unicorn blood."
"So, I need not introduce myself then. Allow me to skip to the next part then." A blast of green magic launched at Harry. He channeled magic into his brain and dodged to the side, avoiding the Killing Curse. Harry blasted a powerful bolt at Voldemort's feet, knocking him away and pulled the hood back up. "You cannot hide from me, Potter!" Voldemort started blasting curses at random in all directions, trying to hit Harry. A sound of galloping hooves drew both of their attentions. A centaur came bounding over and reared up, knocking the wand from his hand. Voldemort cursed and ran, calling the wand back to him with a silent Accio.
Harry watched him retreat and removed his hood for the centaur. "Thank you," he told the centaur.
"These woods are dangerous, Harry Potter. It is unwise to go charging after something you saw inside."
"Apologies. I didn't mean to intrude on your territory, but my doing so allowed me to save a unicorn from being killed by Voldemort."
"And for that, we thank you. We sometimes cannot save everything that dwells within the forest. Come. I will escort you back to the castle." Harry walked beside the centaur and looked up at him.
"I'm sorry. Could you tell me your name?"
"Forgive me, my name is Ronan." The centaur looked at Harry's eyes and hair. "I was not aware that humans had regained the knowledge of Soul Magic."
"My mentor, Elijah Crowe, taught me and several others what he knew of Soul Magic from his family."
"Crowe, you said? Then I must assume you are telling the truth. The Crowe's were one of the ten families that were entrusted with Soul Magic."
"Ten? Elijah said there were only nine families."
"No. There were ten. Ten families were said to have been given Soul Magic by Gaia herself. At least, that is what the old stories told us." After a few minutes, Harry heard Elijah calling his name.
"Elijah," called Harry. "Over here!" Elijah ran over, half transformed into his Animagus form. "Couldn't fully transform?"
"Oh yeah, great idea. Hunt for you and whatever you were hunting in full Siberian tiger form in a forest filled with apex predators, and centaurs who kill almost everything that intrudes on their territory."
"Point."
"So," said Ronan. "You are Elijah Crowe."
"Yes, I am. Thank you for helping my student. I assume he didn't get into too much trouble."
"Not too much. He handled himself well against Voldemort, when he wasn't making mistakes like foot placing and special awareness." Ronan told Elijah what he had seen in the last moments before intervening.
"Thank you again, Ronan. Take care." Ronan bowed slightly and went back to where the other centaurs were as Elijah and Harry went back to the castle.
"Elijah…"
"Stop talking. I don't want to hear it. When the girls came to us, we rushed over. You're lucky I managed to calm down your mother somewhat. Do you know what would've happened if she came looking for you instead of me?"
"I imagine half the forest would be destroyed."
"I'm sure that's putting it lightly." They made it to the lake and Harry cringed, seeing his mother looking angry.
"Crap baskets. Is it too late to face Voldemort again?"
"Yes, it is. Time to face the music, kid."
"Can't you do anything?"
"What can I do? I'm just your teacher, she's your mother. All punishment for your behavior comes from her."
"Gee, thanks." Harry went to his mother, who was staring him down, waiting for him to speak up. "… What I did was stupid, I know. But I saw something after we noticed the scorch marks on the door, I followed it. In doing so, I saved a unicorn from being killed. And I proved Voldemort is close by. Whatever is being hidden on the third floor, he's here for that, I'm just a bonus. Go ahead and give me whatever punishment you feel is necessary, Mum." Lily's only response was to hug her son.
"Don't ever do that again! I already lost your father, I'm not losing you too!" Harry stood there as he heard his mother crying.
"I'm sorry, Mum."
"Promise me you won't do that again."
"I promise I won't ever do that again."
"Good. Now you're grounded. No tele for two months."
"That's fair."
"All of you, head inside." The students went into the cabin to wait for the other students to enter as Elijah looked at the scorch marks on the door.
"He was right to be paranoid, though. They all were."
"What could cause this? This doesn't seem like ordinary magical fire."
"It's from a phoenix. I've seen this before on my family home. Certain people, enemies of my family, figured out how to use a phoenix tail feathers to access their fire apparation ability and tried using it to break in. But Soul Magic is just as powerful, if not more so, than that of a normal phoenix. It's because of the anti-magic properties. They draw magic from the phoenix itself, preventing it from entering the wards around my old home, and that I placed around the Anima Mea cabin."
"Dumbledore… He's the only one who has a phoenix, and who has motive to try and get in. He wants to keep tabs on Harry, if the spells on the cloak is anything to go by."
"That and his actions ten years ago. Dumbledore has an unhealthy obsession with Harry. Trying to govern his life, trying to push him into a single direction. Leading him to dangerous situations, if the stairs conveniently leading to the third floor corridor, are an example. There's no reason to doubt that now. He's trying to push a confrontation with Quirrell and Harry. For what reason is what we have to figure out."
"There isn't a Soul Technique that can persuade him?"
"Soul Magic doesn't impede upon ones will. It's about freedom, not slavery."
"Hence why kids have a much easier time with it than adults, their souls are freer than adults."
"Exactly. Free will powers the soul, which is why Soul Magic can't control others, and protects you from any sort of control. I can't force Dumbledore to do anything, and even if I could, he's most likely a master of Occlumency, meaning nothing I do would work, not even Verita Serum, as he could fight it to an extent."
"So we're dead in the water?"
"But not without a paddle, we just need to do things the old fashioned way. We just need to be patient."
"What are you planning?"
"Next time Dumbledore leaves, we head into his office, see what we can find."
"Who knows when that will be."
"… Pandora might."
"And you think she will help us?"
"She might. It's either her or Luna, and Luna will only help with a bribe. Besides, Pandora will know anyways if we ask Luna for help, so we might as well try and ask Pandora for help."
"Fine. We'll owl her later."
"Why owl? We have something that's not likely to be intercepted. Call Sirius, have him bring the mirror to Pandora."
"And if he's busy with work?"
"We threaten him with Amelia."
"That won't always work, you know."
"For now it will. And that's all we need."
"He's going to get you back, you know."
"Like a wolf can go against a tiger without a pack."
"And Amelia is his mate. Soon enough, you won't be able to stand against the two of them, three when the baby is born."
"Speaking of Amelia, did she and Sirius finally decide on a date? It's been 2 years."
"I asked her at Christmas. A week after we return from Hogwarts."
"Did the baby make her decide that?"
"No. That was always going to be the wedding day. The baby was just a pleasant surprise for them."
"Ah." Elijah looked out at the forest. "Harry held his own against Voldemort out there, brief as the encounter was, and with his limited skill set."
"Why did you limit what Harry learned growing up?"
"His strength at magic. He needed to learn control first, before advancing. Otherwise the more advanced stuff would've seen Potter Manor a crater by now. Magic channeling is the best way to learn control for those who have large reserves, and a good way to expand for those who have smaller reserves, like Hermione and Susan."
"So all this time you've been leveling the playing field, so to speak."
"And it took longer than I thought. But it's given them insight on what and what not to do and help whoever starts their lessons after them. They're better teachers than I am, especially Harry."
"He's had a good example growing up."
"You give me too much credit."
"You just don't give yourself enough. You've been an inspiration. To the girls, to Harry… to me." Elijah turned to her and saw her blushing lightly. "I don't know what any of us would've done without you here. Especially me… after that night, I probably wouldn't have fully recovered, but you helped me. You picked me up, each time I fell. You lent me your strength and helped me with Harry, giving me advice when I wanted it and a break when I needed it, you've set a prime example for Harry on what to be when he grows up." She kissed his cheek, surprising him. "Thank you, Elijah."
"Y-you're welcome." The two stood there in silence for a moment before Lily turned to the Castle.
"I'm going for a walk… care to join me?"
"Sure." Lily smiled as they started walking around the grounds at random, simply enjoying each other's company. They walked for an hour before they were approached by Snape.
"Hello Sev, how were your Holidays?"
"Lily, now that we are not distracted by students and classes, at least for a few hours, can we talk?"
"Sure Sev."
"I'll just leave you two alone…," said Elijah.
"No," said Snape. "You can stay. What I have to say involves you as well, I believe."
"What is it," asked Lily.
"What I am about to tell you, I swore to never tell your son, but I never swore to never tell you."
"Severus, what are you about to tell me?"
"The reason the Dark Lord targeted you and your family." Lily looked at her childhood friend, shocked.
"Severus, what do you know?"
"A servant of the Dark Lord was spying on Dumbledore. He was speaking with someone when they spoke a prophecy, one pertaining to the Dark Lord. It spoke of a child to be born, one that would defeat the Dark Lord. The child would be born at the end of July, your son fit that description."
"There were plenty of children born at the end of July! Why would Voldemort…"
"'The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…'" said Snape, making Lily go silent. "'born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not.' These were the words told to Voldemort and caused him to attack your family. Dumbledore told me that what Voldemort was told was only the first half of the prophecy, but never told me the second half. This prophecy is why Voldemort targeted you specifically."
"How do you know all of this, Severus?" Snape said nothing as he looked down in shame. "Tell me Severus! How do you know?!"
"I was the one who told the Dark Lord…" Lily stared at him in shock, Elijah looked at the two, standing nearby and saying nothing. "I heard Dumbledore speaking with Sybil Trelawney when she spoke the prophecy, but was thrown out of the inn he met her in. I tried tricking myself into believing that you were safe, but it did nothing. The moment I knew you were due in July 11 years ago, I pleaded with the Dark Lord to spare you, and your family, but deep down, I knew what would happen. I went to Dumbledore, told him what I had done and begged him to save you!" Lily punched Severus in the jaw, nearly breaking it.
"Why are you telling me this? My husband is dead because of you! Why are you telling me this?! So that I'll forgive you?!"
"I'm telling you because you deserve to know. I don't expect you to forgive me, I don't deserve it. I thought I told him out of blind loyalty, but deep down, I hoped you would need a shoulder to cry on, one you could trust. But when I saw your body at the cottage that night, yes I was there, I realized what I had done. And even if you had survived the night, you would forever be in pain, and I would have caused it." Snape dropped to his knees. "I owed James Potter a life debt, and my actions went against it. As his surviving wife, the debt falls to you. Do to me what you will. My life is in your hands." Elijah stepped between them.
"Lily, don't. No matter what he's done, do not do what I think you're going to do."
"Stand aside, Elijah." Said Lily, drawing her wand and aiming it at her former friend. "Because of him, James is dead."
"No, because of him, you were hunted. James' death was because of Voldemort and Peter Pettigrew's betrayal."
"None of this would have happened if he hadn't told Voldemort the prophecy!"
"You don't know that. Fate has a tendency to push things in certain directions, for all we know, Voldemort would've found out another way."
"Let me do this Elijah, for James." She met his gaze, her eyes angry and sad all at once. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he knew she needed this, in her mind at least. "Please…" He saw tears start forming in her eyes and felt his heart lurch. She was in pain, and a large part of him wanted nothing more than to help ease it in whatever way he could. Elijah sighed and stepped aside, giving her a clean line of sight at Severus Snape.
As she aimed her wand at him, her anger and grief fueling her, the Horcrux felt everything from its place inside the crystal in her pocket and reached out to her mind. 'He let your husband die,' It whispered. 'And almost got you killed. He almost made young Harry an orphan, all for his obsession with you. He deserves a painful death. Give him just that. Show him no mercy and make him feel the pain you felt, and still feel. Make him suffer, give James Justice, and get your revenge!'
"Lily," said Elijah behind her. "Think before you do anything. What will killing or harming him accomplish? It won't bring James back, it won't even help you to heal from his loss. All it will do is hurt you as well as him, not physically, but spiritually and mentally. Lily…" Elijah stepped to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Don't let yourself be consumed by grief and despair. Harry needs you to be his mother, not a murderer rotting in Azkaban."
'Don't listen to him,' whispered the Horcrux, feeding her anger. 'He has not felt the pain of losing one you love. He does not know the anguish it causes you. How can he, a man led by fate, ever understand your grief, your sadness. Kill Severus, and turn your wand on him, let him know what true suffering feels like.'
"Shut up!" shouted Lily, clutching her head and closing her eyes in pain, her magic lashing out and striking both men away from her as the Horcrux started worming it's way to her mind, flowing with her immense anger. But as soon as the Horcrux touched her, it recoiled as a presence touched her soul and another pushed the Horcrux back into the crystal. Lily felt a warm sensation on her lips. She opened her eyes and gasped lightly as she saw Elijah in front of her, his lips on hers and his soul calling out to her. That's when another voice entered her head, one she hadn't heard in 10 years.
'Why is it I have to do everything around here,' asked the soul of James Potter. For Lily, time slowed to a crawl as she felt James presence nearby. 'Do you know how aggravating it is watching you two dance around your feelings for one another? Honestly, I was beginning to wonder if I should haunt you to convince you be with him.'
'James?'
'Hi, Tiger Lily. Hope you missed me.'
'James. What are you doing?'
'Two things. One is saving you from being possessed by a piece of Voldemort, the second is helping you move on.'
'James. I can't…'
'Yes you can. Hell Lily, I was expecting it three years ago when you both started falling in love. Three whole years! The only one to take longer than you two was Sirius asking Amelia to marry him. Be sure to berate him for that for me.' Lily chuckled softly as she could practically hear the cocky grin she loved to see. 'You and Elijah deserve each other, and you deserve to be happy. I can't be there for you, but he can.'
'James. I'd be…'
'Stop thinking like that, god! You two are both so stubborn, no wonder you both ignored your souls for as long as you did. I had to actually push him into action! Do you know how hard it is for a formless spirit to do that?!'
'No, because only one of us is a formless spirit.' She chuckled.
'And there's the laugh I was waiting for. Listen, Lily. You two need each other, especially as you find more of the Horcruxes. He needs you to complete the Soul Protection Ritual.'
'James, what about you?'
'I'll be fine. I've still got a few things to do before I fully leave this plane of existence. The first is buying you some time so that you can complete the ritual.'
'Wait, what?!'
'If I don't do this, we run the risk of Voldemort possessing either of you or worse the kids. Part of me needs to keep the Horcrux in the crystal. I can't keep it contained forever, but I can give you a year.'
'James, what do you mean part of your soul?'
'Just know that when you pass on, years down the line, I hope, I won't be there to greet you.'
'James, what do you mean?!'
'I'm doing this to protect you Lily. You and Harry.'
'James! Don't you dare do this! Don't leave me alone!' In her mind, she could see him smiling at her.
'What are you talking about? Alone? You're not alone.' Lily's soul shined as it finally connected with Elijah's, a silver light enveloping the two of them and blinding Snape. 'You've got him. You've got Harry. You've got the girls and their families. Don't lose them, no matter what. I love you Lily, tell Harry I said Hi. Take care, Tiger Lily, and good luck.'
Outside of Lily's mind, several seconds ago, after being pushed back by Lily's rampant magic, Elijah felt a presence try and penetrate his mental barrier. He was about to repulse them away when he recognized the presence. 'James? What are you doing here? You should have passed on.'
'Hey, Elijah. Good to see you too.'
'Can't see you, James, just hear you. Why are you here?'
'Lily's in trouble. The Horcrux is homing in on her mind and emotions. We need to work fast if we want to save her.'
'Shit! I knew something like this would happen! I told her I have to do this alone!'
'You've known her for ten years, Elijah. You know she'd never let someone bury a burden alone. Especially not when it's someone she's in love with.'
'What? James, what do you…?'
'Oh, come on! You can't be this dumb! Your souls have been screaming out to each other for three years! The kids have noticed it! Minnie has noticed it! Hell, those of us on the other side have noticed it! The only ones who haven't are you two. Listen Elijah, Lily is in love with you, as much as I don't want to acknowledge it, she is. It's been 10 years. She'll never stop grieving me, but she can at least move on, for her sake. I know you feel the same for her as she does for her.'
'James. I don't…'
'Shut up and listen. It's fine. She deserves happiness, you both do. She needs someone in her corner, someone to stand by her when times are getting tough, and someone to keep her strong. I can't do that, especially not after learning what I have to do.'
'What do you… no. James don't!'
'I have to buy you guys some time to complete the ritual. And I need to make sure part of me is still around for something else down the line.'
'James, don't you know what this will do to you?!'
'Yes. I'll be stuck in Purgatory forever with no chance of passing on fully.'
'James, there has to be another way to give us time.'
'Not unless you're willing to give Voldemort a chance at winning. This is the only way. I can buy you a year, and that's it. After that, it's up to you. I have to move now, take care of Lily for me. And hurry up and kiss her! She needs an overwhelming positive emotion to break her free of the Horcrux's negative emotions.'
'James, I'm not going to do this. She's your wife. It wouldn't be…'
'Jesus, how stubborn can you be. I told you it's fine. Just keep her happy.' Elijah turned Lily to him as she gripped her head. After a second of hesitation, Elijah felt a force push him closer to her. He placed his hand on her cheek and kissed her, a bright silver light igniting between them in the same instant, and a golden light surrounding the black crystal in Lily's pocket, locking the Horcrux in place.
Inside the castle, a pacing Dumbledore was interrupted from his musings by Fawkes' singing. It was a song he had never heard the phoenix sing before. He watched as the phoenix's wings flared as it's song reached a crescendo. At the same time, a wave of magic, more powerful than he thought possible, washed over the castle. "My word," he said to no one in particular. "What on Earth was that?"
On the third floor corridor, Quirrell collapsed in pain as his master writhed in agony, after a strong pulse of magic hit him like a train. 'Get me out of here, Quirinus! Now!' Quirrell struggled to his feet, Voldemort's pain affecting him greatly. He managed to get to the DADA classroom and Flooed himself to a random location, before passing out from the pain.
Inside the Anima Mea cabin, Harry was meditating as the girls were watching a show Hermione had found called Doctor Who when they all felt a wave of magical energy flood the room. Harry instinctively reached out and felt his mother's magic as well as Elijah's, but it seemed different than normal, they were similar but not exactly the same as he remembered from seeing them a month ago.
"What was that," asked Susan, holding a loudly chirping and happy Serina.
"I don't know," said Daphne as she stood up from the couch. "But it was powerful."
"It was Mum and Elijah," said Harry as he opened his eyes. "I just felt their magical signatures change."
"Let's go find them, then," said Tracey. They left the cabin and went to where Harry felt their magical signatures.
Lily wrapped her arms around Elijah's neck as their souls and emotions met one another. After a few minutes, that felt like seconds to the two Soul Mages, they pulled apart and placed their foreheads together, both blushing and breathing heavily. Remembering what had just happened, Lily pulled the crystal out of her pocket, revealing the black crystal surrounded by a warm golden glow. She clenched her fist around the crystal before putting it back in her pocket. She turned to Snape and found him unconscious, his head having impacted a rock after her magic knocked him away. She sighed, and hugged Elijah close to her.
She felt him chuckle and looked up at him. "What's so funny?"
"Your hair." He moved a strand for her to see, revealing it was completely white, not red with white streaks like before. She smacked his shoulder playfully.
"Now look what you've done. I look like an old hag."
"More like a beautiful enchantress," he replied with a smirk. She giggled before sighing and looking him in the eye.
"James said he wouldn't meet me when I pass on, what did he mean?"
"When a spirit separates their soul they are sent to Purgatory, no matter the intentions. It could be to save someone else, or it could be out of curiosity, it doesn't matter. It's something my Uncle told me when I had lost my cousin when I was six. I was wondering where he would end up after the funeral. He told me as long as he didn't split his soul after death, he would pass on to whatever comes next."
"So, James won't be waiting for me or Harry?"
"I'm afraid not, Lily. I'm sorry." Lily sighed and buried her head in his chest. He held her there for a moment before he made her look at him. "We need to get Severus to Madam Pomfrey, he most likely has a concussion. Lily huffed at the mention of the man she once called friend and looked at the Soul Mage.
"Fine. But only because it's the right thing to do." Elijah levitated Snape's body and they made their way to the medical wing. "Wonder how the children will react when they figure out what happened."
"James told me they've known for a while, wouldn't be surprised if they had a betting pool on it."
"You never should've convinced everyone to let you teach them gambling."
"It was for a training exercise."
"Yes, because I'm sure stacking a deck is very handy in combat." They laughed with each other and continued on their way, Souls singing as happily as they looked.