the marriage stone (Discontinued)

Chapter 60 - The King's Voice

United behind the great shield they held over top of Harry Potter, they all saw the moment when Harry's spell utterly consumed the great creature that would destroy them all. The brilliant light shining from Harry's wand finally filled all the shadows shifting beneath the creature's skin, and the elder demon screamed in despair as the Earth itself denied its existence. One moment it was there, burning with light, and the next moment it was gone, banished from this world by magic itself.

Their shield dropped when the danger was gone, all of them drained beyond comprehension. For one still, quiet moment they all stared at the slender form of the Wizard who had saved them, wand still raised, his red and gold Gryffindor scarf blowing in the crisp breeze. He was shaking - Severus and the others could see that - trembling in shock. But so were they all. Every man, woman and child in the Quidditch Pitch was trapped in the same moment - blind terror giving way so swiftly to relief that all of them were unable to do anything more than simply stare. Despite the utter chaos that had reigned only moments before, the entire stadium seemed to be holding its breath.

Slowly, Harry lowered his arm, and then turned with cautious, deliberate movements as if in pain. Every eye in the stadium was upon him, every body poised in tense stillness. There was a look upon Harry's face that Severus had never seen before. Amid the exhaustion and overwhelming magical drain that was sending tremors through his body, there was a deep horror behind his eyes of someone who had looked into the darkness and found it staring back.

Harry tried to take a step toward them, but staggered under the strain. A collective gasp echoed through the pitch and everyone took a step forward as if to catch him as he dropped. But it was Severus and Sirius who actually reached him, both of them taking hold of one of his arms as his knees buckled beneath him. They caught him, held him between them, and for a brief moment Severus' eyes locked with Sirius' as they silently shared this burden between them. He could see the same emotion in the man's eyes that filled his own heart - fear, confusion, and an overwhelming need to protect Harry from what still lay ahead of him.

When Severus had first researched the King's Voice spell months ago, he had focused only on the research done over the years as leaders and military commanders had modified the spell for various applications until finally someone had invented the Imperious and brought a new Unforgivable to the world. He had utterly dismissed the original references to the spell as something Merlin himself had created for the sole use of King Arthur. After all, it was just a legend, as were the list of other spells mentioned in that grouping created by Merlin.

But one of those special spells of Merlin - The King's Banishment - had made its way into children's fairytales. Every Wizarding child heard the story about the great monster that threatened a village until it was banished by the King with a spell only the true King of the Wizarding World could utter. Harry had just pulled the proverbial sword from the stone, and he had no idea what it signified to all those looking on, what deep primordial emotion that gripped them all.

That singular gasp and the aborted movement of the crowd caught Harry's attention, and those bewildered, haunted green eyes sought out his, and then rose to sweep over the thousands of Wizards staring down at them.

For a moment, Harry did not react and then they all saw a wealth of emotions flashing through his eyes, horror and grief most clearly visible. He shook his head as if in denial of the total attention he commanded.

Using the strength of Severus' and Sirius' arms he pulled himself upright and turned to face the crowd, his gaze sweeping over the silent masses still watching him, waiting for something to snap them out of their shock. "Get up!" he shouted to all of them, his voice raw with emotion. "There are people injured, trapped! Help them! Help each other!" The young man who wanted no authority, no power, spoke a command and everyone in the stadium moved instantly to obey.