Reaching the Limit

Author's Note: Nothing important. Just an apology for the delay.

Disclaimer: I own as much of Harry Potter than I do of China; meaning none. I do, though, claim author rights to the plot as well as my original characters. You may use components of my ideas as long as you credit or contact me.

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Adeavox was just about to begin his explanation about Harry's supposed gifts and background, when Harry heard a faint buzzing noise. He had no idea what it was, but he could almost taste Voldemort's presence. Undoubtedly it was magic; or a horcrux. Harry was hoping for the latter. He needed to destroy the piece of Voldemort's soul, wherever it was.

Harry, what is it? Adeavox asked, his voice losing some of its beastliness. The sharp tone of a man had entered into his speech, distracting Harry for only a second.

Magic, Harry replied tersely, creeping farther into the cave. His light footsteps made only the smallest of sounds, while his heavy breathing was deafened by the cloth covering his face from the still icy air. His entire body tensed as he neared the source; and by squinting his eyes he was able to see an opaque, shimmering barrier between him and whatever was inside.

Of course! He thought. Voldemort does need magic to remove the horcruxes.

Hermione, he then realized, had been right in some part but, even with that realization came another, more alarming, recognition. If Voldemort did indeed need magic to remove the horcrux, then that only meant the defenses were going to be stronger than any of them had planned for. Worry crept into the edges of Harry's consciousness. This was going to be no meager task; it would most likely claim his entire concentration, physical, mental and magical.

He didn't know exactly what he had meant as that last thought raced past his mind, but it seemed to fit, oddly enough. Harry knew that wizards were able to manipulate magic, but he also knew that they were rarely ever able to create it themselves. The everyday magic used by most, if not all, of the wizarding nation came from the very earth around them.

Harry closed his eyes, steadying his breathing. Inhale, he thought, one, two, three... Hold, one, two, three… Exhale, one, two, three... Hold, one, two, three... He repeated the small meditation a few more times, getting his racing heartbeat under control.

Soon enough his heart's pounding had subsided, and it had evened out to the pattern of his breathing.

Inhale, one, two, three... Hold, one, two, three… Exhale, one, two, three... Hold, one, two, three…

Harry stretched his mind outward, including all in his path, becoming one with the Earth itself. He felt the steady heartbeats of his two best friends some distance behind him. In that instant, he also searched for Adeavox, for the heartbeat and warmth that signaled life.

He found nothing; nothing normal, at least.

A warp in his magically enhanced vision occurred right where the Morglith was located, a tear. It was like a black hole, dragging the light from the external areas of his vision towards it. What was it? Harry thought. How can that happen? How can he be alive without a heartbeat? He chose to disregard that fact for the moment; Adeavox was true and loyal. He wouldn't trick them or spring a trap on them… Harry had made sure of that.

He turned his focus onto the wards and magic encasing the horcrux. The barely visible opaque barrier was now almost blindingly bright with a slightly reddish tinge of color to it; Dark magic.

Harry knew very little about this area of magic, the books he would have needed to study were forbidden to him or too dangerous and unchecked for him to handle. Frustration welled up inside Harry, along with a dark foreboding. As soon as he had seen the barrier with his magic enhanced sight, he knew that his chances at releasing the horcrux from it's prison dropped considerably.

He wasn't strong enough, not yet, to break the shield and remove the horcrux… not if he wanted to live afterwards.

Then you must wait, a voice said, intruding upon his mind. The barriers around Harry's psyche were easily crumbled underneath the newcomer's presence.

You know I don't like you in my mind, Adeavox, Harry hissed mentally at him. He envisioned the Morglith being flung out of his conscience through a doorway, which was shut and bolted immediately after the Morglith's absence.

The Morglith's eyes narrowed in agitation. Ignorant boy, he thought. He won't take any advice; always thinks someone is out to get him. He scoffed mentally, Humans!

Adeavox tried to enter the teen's mind again, using his own senses to search out Harry's aura. He was then rocked with an alarming discovery: he couldn't See Harry's aura, not one shred of it. Saying that he was alarmed would be an understatement. He wasn't sure whether it was Harry's powers, hopefully still dormant, that caused this, or the shield that he was still investigating.

He swallowed heavily, and tried again, furiously searching for other aspects of Harry's person that could be found by using his Sight. His brows knitted together when he was unable to even locate the core of Harry's wand, a phoenix feather. He should have easily been able to detect the magical properties. Phoenixes were magic in of themselves, they were permeated with it, and their very being was magic.

A low growl escaped his throat as he ground his clenched teeth in frustration. His troubles were soon forgotten when he saw Harry take a step closer to the barrier that encompassed Voldemort's horcrux.

Fool! He screamed, his thoughts bouncing off the walls of the cave. He had torn down all barriers that kept his thoughts from being `heard' in his hurry to stop Harry's advance. Don't go near it! You can't destroy it right now!

Harry jumped as he heard the scream echo around him and he quickly backed away. His eyes were wide as he saw the blockade flare up from the use of magic in its presence.

Adeavox sped towards the lone teen, sweeping the would-be victim away from the defenses that were triggered when the use of magic was recognized. He was lucky that the censors only detected the use, and didn't feel the person approaching the item that they guarded. At least, he thought, I was fast enough that that didn't happen.

Harry regained his bearings a moment later, and tore himself away from the… person? He peered closer at who had supposedly rescued him from an unknown activation of the wards. His gaze was met by a figure which was completely covered in a block cloak; no light hit them.

The longer he stared, the more surprises he was met with. The outline of the form before him seemed to waver, as if it was not completely solid.

But what alarmed Harry the most was that this figure wasn't here when they had first entered the cave. Unless…

“No need to be alarmed, Harry. I couldn't hurt you even if I wanted to,” the firm voice of the Morglith that they had encountered earlier assured him, albeit in a less menacing form. They inhuman growl was gone, at the moment.

The young man's eyes widened as he backed up a step. A smile only stretched over the now-solid person's face in front of him, although he couldn't see it. The reaction of humans to seemingly impossible actions amused him.

It amused him, indeed.

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Draco winced as he felt one of the blisters on his feet burst—that was the fourth one. He could feel the watery liquid soak into the soles of his shoes, dampening the place on which his feet constantly pounded against.

He wanted to stop, he wanted to rest, to sleep, but those simple luxuries were denied to him. If he stopped on this trek, he wouldn't replenish any energy. Whatever was calling him was preventing it. If he tired to sleep, he would be plagued by unpleasant dreams. If he tried to stop and rest, something inconvenient would suddenly appear.

What you ask? How about a rattlesnake?

He wasn't able to use magic, should he be traced. If Voldemort even got a hint of what his former disciple-to-be was going to do, was doing, his life as he knew it would be over.

How inconvenient, he thought. I end up serving the very person I've harassed for the past six years. This is wonderful, terrific, and completely maddening!

It wasn't that he didn't want to do this, it was just that he wanted to go about it another way. Draco found it hard to accept that he was required to travel by foot to wherever he was going. Why couldn't he take a broom?

Or even a bloody muggle car?

He `hmphed' to himself, silently cursing whoever was pushing him to complete his journey in his fashion and while he was at it, he cursed the Potter-bastard himself.

He just wasn't expecting the sharp thwack on the head that he received for that. He growled deep in his throat, rubbing the bruise that was quickly forming on his head.

“What do I have to do now?” I asked to no-one in particular in a raspy, underused voice. “Do I have to bow down and worship the ground Potter walks on when I seem him next?”

He got no answer.

That meant yes.

His eyes narrowed. This is so not fair, he concluded.

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“You're—”

“Adeavox, the Morglith. Nice to meet you, Mr. Potter.”

Harry's mouth opened and closed like a fish for a few moments while the monster-turned-man smiled ruefully, enjoying the show.

“But you look like a—a man!”

Adeavox only raised and eyebrow, much in the same manner as Harry does, though it went unseen and replied with, “Appearances can be deceiving, Harry Potter. You, of all people, should know that very well.” Harry's eyes narrowed at that comment.

“Fine,” he relented, “but show me your face. I want to know if I can trust you.”

The Morglith pondered this for a second and, seeing that he had no choice, removed the hood covering his head and Harry's eyes widened in surprise for what seemed like the tenth time that hour.

“You do look like a man!” Harry sputtered, eyes disbelieving. How could such an inhuman being look so… so… normal?!

His gaze was greeted by a young man, looking to be, at the most, in his late twenties. He had midnight black hair with a blue tint that reached a few inches past his shoulders. The dark hair and dark, almost black, eyes contrasted considerably with his pale skin.

If it wasn't for his eyes, which held wisdom, emotion, and knowledge far beyond the normal lives of humans, he could have passed as a normal wizard.

Along with the fact that you didn't know what he actually was.

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Author's Notes: Just a little info…

1. You pronounce Adeavox: UH-DAY-UH-VOX. Got it? Good.

2. The word Sight and See are capitalized for reasons that will come to light in the near future.

3. In my theory, witches and wizards are unable to create magic, but they can manipulate it through a `funnel' of sorts, and in this case, their wand. More advanced wizards/witches can use their hands (which is why wandless magic comes into play). The magic that people of the wizarding world comes from the Earth.

4. Adeavox stopped Harry before he was able to trip the wards that were surrounding the horcrux to their full extent. They were set off when Adeavox used his mind to project sound, though. It was that action that saved Harry from possible death.

All reviews, good or bad, are appreciated.

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Most of the characters are © to the devious mind of J.K. Rowling.

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Thank you for reading.