Dark Memories

Book 4 - Part 8: Mage's Wrath

Godric Hollow - 10:45 am

The fiendfyre erupted from Voldemort's wand and rushed at him without any pause.

There was nothing he could do as he felt the unrestrained heat enclose around him, felt the snow in his hair and on his clothes evaporate instantly. He needed to get out of there! He needed to go some place safe! He attempted to weave the flames around him, using his knowledge gained from Voldemort's memories, but the Makra resisted, twisting by its own will.

And then it happened.

He felt power, immense energy that could not, would not, be denied.

Flames filled his vision, the howl of the merciless blaze roaring in his ears as he felt an even hotter sensation run across his skin, surging from his center.

He was consumed.

O o O

The sound of wind brushing through trees came to his ears as a hush of something above alerted him to the fact he was not alone.

"'Arry? 'Arry can yuh hear me?"

"Hagrid?" Harry asked, slowly opening his eyes.

Hagrid was kneeling beside him, looking very relieved, and hovering all around him were . . . Pixies.

"Oh, thank Merlin," he continued before helping Harry sit up.

"Where are we?" Harry asked.

"In the Forbidden Forest, Harry Potter," a voice answered to his right.

Harry turned. "Firenze?"

The centaur nodded. "I was led here by a few pixies roughly an hour ago. After draping my cloak over you, I immediately left for Hagrid."

Harry looked down at himself, finding himself covered in ashes, as well as, thankfully, the centaur's cloak. The fire had obviously claimed everything he had had on him in Godric's Hollow, even his shoes.

"What happened?" Harry asked in confusion, the question referring to more than simply how he had ended up there.

"You arrived here as ashes and flames!" a pixie shouted, landing on Hagrid's shoulder. "And then you just . . . you were just here!"

"The Phoenix Makra," Harry breathed, now taking a closer look at his hands. They looked smaller. Not too small, but he could definitely tell they were not as big as they were the last time he had seen them. What had happened to him?

"I also took the liberty of telling Hagrid to bring a package of items and cloths for you," Firenze added.

Hagrid handed him a short stack of folded cloths, an old pair of shoes roughly Harry's size, as well as a Custosae kit. Harry recognized it as Hagrid's kit.

"I didn't have time tuh tell the others what was goin' on. The moment Firenze came to my house, I grabbed what I could and followed 'im over here. 'Arry, what happened? Dumbledore's been lookin' fer yuh. He's at the Ministry right now gettin' the Aurors to start searchin'."

"I was taken to Godric's Hollow," Harry said, before quickly telling him what had happened there.

"Blimey, Harry. What should we do now?" Hagrid asked.

"What time is it?" Harry asked.

"About noon," Hagrid answered, looking at his watch.

"Voldemort's not going to stop now that he believes he's killed me. Knowing him, he's going to want to gloat," Harry said, patting the ashes around him and hoping to find his wand. "Blast. The fire must have destroyed my wand too."