SYNOPSIS: Where do Dementors come from? Why haven't we seen any wizard graveyards? Could the two be somehow connected?
RATING: PG-13
DISCLAIMER: "Harry Potter" and all of its characters are property of J.K Rowling and her publishers.
**
So you want to know,
From where they sprung.
Not of the dead
Nor of the living
How did they become?
Hazel eyes were hollow as they stared into the deep orange flames. Sparks shot up from the consuming fires. Remus Lupin watched silently as James and Lily Potter were laid to rest. They bodies were almost complete immolated now. Dumbledore's words barely registered.
"We lay James and Lily to rest. May the fires save their souls and light their path to the hereafter."
Remus shut his eyes tightly, unwilling to watch as his friends were devoured by the flames. It was such a barbaric practice, the funeral pyres.
Yet he knew... He knew how necessary it was. The flames were a much kinder fate than what could have beenŠ
The darkest of beasts;
creatures of dread.
From where did they arise?
From what depths
Did they crawl?
Godric had fallen. Despite Godric's talent at duel, he had been felled. Salazar had never been afraid of dirty tricks; this fight had been no different. To think, Godric's most admirable trait had been his downfall.
Salazar laughed, kicking the corpse once the green glow had died. Rowena and Helga would quickly fall now that Gryffindor was no more. He would force them out of the school. No woman could match the great Slytherin. There was no reason to let them share in his glory. He would run Hogwarts. He would shape the fate of the Wizarding World.
" Avada Kedavra! " A bellow echoed through the courtyard. Salazar was barely able to turn his head before it hit him.
He felt the life force escaping his body. He could let out no cry; he could not strike back. He could only stare as Helga Hufflepuff took the life from him.
Snatched lives,
There is no soul.
Rowena patted down the dirt with her shovel. It hadn't seemed right to use magic. Considering their deaths, magic was the last thing anyone wanted to use.
Helga was silent, watching as Rowena commit Salazar and Godric to the ground. She had not spoken a word since those last two... Since the words that had brought down Salazar...
Since she had uttered the Killing Curse.
Rowena turned to Helga, a cold look on her face. "It was necessary, Helga."
Helga lowered her head, unwilling to meet Rowena's steely gaze. "That curse... I've condemned Salazar's soul."
Putting her arm around Helga's shoulders, Rowena comforted her ally. "He betrayed us, and he would not have stopped with us. You saved our world, Helga." Rowena cast a glance to the two freshly dug plots.
"Why bury them, Rowena?" Helga looked up at Rowena finally. "Why didn't we burn them?"
"Could you bear to do it? To watch Godric and Salazar condemned to flames? The Muggles bury their dead all the time." Rowena wiped a tear. "We can only hope they're now at peace."
Stolen peace,
There is no rest.
The full moon hung high over head, bathing the ground in ethereal light. A month of weather had hardened the plots of Slytherin and Gryffindor. This did not stop the putrid, festering hand from bursting from the earth. The rotting fingers clawed at the ground. A high-pitched squeal escaped the gaping mouth as the scabby head emerged from its prison.
The beast that had once been Salazar Slytherin had no memory. It felt none of Slytherin's ambitions, none of his greed. Only one thing fueled him.
It was hungry.
The former Gryffindor was soon free from his grave. It felt no anger towards Slytherin for bringing his demise. He felt nothing towards the beast beside him. It knew nothing except the hunger pumping through its body.
Something was missing.
Shrouded death,
There is no mercy.
There were two students out. They were supposed to be in bed ages ago. The creatures that had once been the Founders glided to them, squealing at the emotions pumping through the children.
The pair of embracing teenagers broke apart, crying out as they felt the coldness clamp down on them. Nothing had ever felt this terrible before.
The girl was able to scream before the festering mouth clamped over hers. The warmth spread through the creatures, filling the holes inside.
What was missing... They had replaced it. But it would not last. They could feel it dying already.
More warmth began to fill them. Both creatures turned, sensing approaching emotions. They recognized the new arrivals. Not as their colleagues... Just fresh food.
Searching forever,
There is no end.
Helga raced forward heedlessly, trying to reach the fallen students. She paid no mind to the creatures squealing, gliding towards her.
"HELGA!" Rowena cried out, paralyzed with fear as a festering hand grabbed her only remaining friend.
Rowena felt her stomach clench as her eyes fell to the creature's tattered garments. The crest of Gryffindor was clear upon his chest.
She could not take the scene. The emotions tearing at her heart were too much. Rowena ran, as fast as she could. She stumbled, her mind filled with the horrors of the world.
What had they done? What had they turned Godric and Salazar into? What had they brought onto the world?
A body without a spirit
Will never lie in earth.
It will seek out;
It will devour.
No body can rest without love.