Sacrifice
Summary: For Harry Potter, his life goal for the past seven years had been to defeat Voldemort, the greatest Dark Wizard of his time. Destined to defeat Voldemort with a power greater than the Dark Lord, Harry struggled to survive. But now, with his greatest mentor, Albus Dumbledore, gone, Harry does not know what this power the prophecy speaks of is. The only clue Harry was given by Dumbledore was that this power had to do with Lily's sacrifice of her own life for that of her beloved child, Harry. With all that Voldemort has taken away from Harry, there was no possible way Harry could love the dark wizard putting him in a predicament. However, as Harry battles Voldemort for the final time, he begins to realize what the power truly is.
"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches...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...and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives...the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..." Harry repeated out loud as he hid behind the only remaining wall of a ruined house still standing.
Two hours had past since Harry entered this battle with members of the Order of the Phoenix as well as Aurors from the Ministry; however this battle had reached a stalemate. With every witch or wizard killed on one side, one of equal strength was killed on the other. To keep his friends safe, Harry sent Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Neville, Luna and many others on a wild goose chase. They believed they were searching for the last Horcrux, the one which was replaced by a necklace with the initials, R.A.B., but the reality was Harry was wearing it at the moment. The piece of Voldemort's soul had long been destroyed, but Harry hid this fact because the necklace allowed him to detect Voldemort's movements as well as masking his own movements from everyone who does not know about the necklace.
This allowed Harry to travel alone in the past year while forcing Ron and Hermione to stay at Hogwarts and making them believe that their research there would benefit Harry as he searched for the Horcurxes. It did not as the necklace had shown Harry where each of the Horcruxes remained because Voldemort had went to search for them once he realized three of the original six were destroyed. Even the Order had not realized Harry was attempting such dangerous missions alone, but Voldemort knew. Voldemort knew but could do nothing save for creating a seventh Horcrux.
This seventh Horcrux Harry knew well. It was the fabled Sword of Salazar Slytherin. That sword was hidden away deep under the ocean in a place no sunlight could penetrate. Godric Gryffindor had personally hid the sword away such that no other soul could find it or wield it. The only sword capable of matching the power of that sword was the one Harry carried at his side: the Sword of Godric Gryffindor. And the only way to destroy either of the two swords was to fuse it together once more.
An explosion roared over Harry's head bringing him back to the battle. Alert once more, Harry drew his wand as something crashed into what used to be a bed. His body eased as Harry knew it was the charred remains of what used to be alive. However, it was not the time to rest. Since the body was charred beyond recognition, Harry knew not friend or foe would come and confirm the kill.
Pulling over his invisibility cloak, Harry moved out into the street he was so familiar with in the past. Privet Drive. It was once a place he once called home, but no more. There was not even a single ounce of regret as Harry dashed into the remains of what used to be Number 4, the house of Harry's last relatives lived. They too were now dead as Voldemort had made it his first order of business to do when he choose this place as his next battlefield.
"Where are you, Harry Potter!" Harry could hear the furious Voldemort shout. "Come out and face me you coward!"
No, Harry answered silently. Not yet. Not until I can make sure we will dual one another uninterrupted.
Harry reached into his robes and pulled out a silver disk the size of his palm. The disk was blank on one side, but on the other there was a sun etched into it. It was placed down on the floor with the blank side face down. Next Harry wove his magic quickly and activated the disk. Black threads slowly crawled out from the center and dig itself into the ground while Harry quickly buried the exposed silver parts with debris. This was the last of twenty five disks Harry had prepared for this moment.
Today, at this hour, Voldemort will meet his doom, Harry said as he made his way to the center of the circle, still under his invisibility cloak. Either his corpse will remain here when this battle ends, or mine.
"You asked where I was," Harry shouted out as he pulled away his invisibility cloak. "I am right here, Tom! Come and face me if you dare!"
Immediately, twenty shadows landed in a circle surrounding Harry. Twenty wands accompanied the shadows as did masks he recognized very well. These shadows were Death Eaters, Voldemort's personal army of witches and wizards.
"How foolish can you be, Potter," the snide voice of Lucius Malfoy asked as he removed his mask. "What do you hope to achieve by standing there alone without any defences?"
"Even Snape knew to draw his wand when he was surrounded," Draco said after his father. "Too bad it didn't do him any good."
Harry barely listened to the two Malfoys or any of the other Death Eaters there throw insults at him. They would either kill him where he stood, or let Voldemort face him in a dual for all to see. Unfortunately, no one would see the dual should there be one for Harry wanted no one to be there when he faced Voldemort alone. "Either kill me now or shut up!" Harry shouted fearlessly. "Only one person here is worth my time, and none of you are him!"
"How dare-" Lucius began, but never had a chance to finish when a figure Apparated before him.
"Such bravery coming from someone who stands alone," the cold voice of Voldemort spoke. He looked very much like how he was on the day of his resurrection. The face was flat having no nose like normal humans. His eyes were crimson red and sent fear to all those who did not have the will to counter it. The air around him felt colder and heavier as Voldemort commanded a mighty presence, but for Harry Potter, none of those features affected him.
"Perhaps I do stand alone," Harry answered, "but so do you as not one of these twenty Death Eaters will act unless you speak it for they are too weak to disobey your order. In this respect, I am the bravest one here."
"Very well spoken!" Voldemort laughed as he circled Harry. In his right hand, Voldemort held his wand, the elder brother of the one Harry held in his right hand. To his side, Voldemort wore the Sword of Slytherin, his seventh Horcrux. In the same fashion, Harry wore the Sword of Gryffindor. "You have proven yourself worthy of being my adversary, but after today, it will not matter."
"Either my corpse will lay on the ground for the world," Harry began as he drew the Sword of Gryffindor with his left hand, "or yours."
With those words, black threads erupted from the ground and wove itself to form a dorm. Several strands shot down from above and speared each of the twenty Death Eaters through the chest before they had a chance to react. As they cried out in pain, they were pulled off the ground and thrown out of the dome effortlessly before the dome was fully constructed. When the last hole closed, the area turned pitch black, but Harry was not worried. Yet. He stood perfectly still as the ground beneath him jolted rapidly several times before the black thread turned into light illuminating the final battle grounds.
"Magnificent!" Voldemort cried out in awe as the looked around. The dome itself was solid white giving off heatless light that illuminated the area, but not too bright to blind those in it. The ground was perfectly flat and polished nicely allowing Voldemort to see his own reflection. "You should have joined me, Potter. Together we could have ruled the world!"
"As I have said many times before, I'll pass," Harry answered as he readied his wand and sword. "I don't feel like ruling the world. All I wanted was to live peacefully with my friends."
"Ah, yes. I remember you saying that many times," Voldemort spoke as he raised his wand as well. "So the time for words is over."
"It has been for a long time," Harry replied.
"Just one last question before we start," Voldemort stated. "Why did you not have your spell attack me?"
"Would you have just stood there and let it kill you?" Harry countered. "I may not be well versed in the Dark Arts, but I know the wand movements of spells."
Harry moved to his right as he finished those words. He did not count of Voldemort playing fair. A green jet shot harmlessly past Harry's left shoulder proving his point. And neither would he as Harry already prepared a Disarming Charm before the dual started. Harry fired it immediately after Voldemort had fired his Killing Curse, but as Harry had dodged Voldemort's spell, Voldemort did the same. Although it had missed his intended target, Harry was still able to strip Voldemort of the Sword of Slytherin.
"Lucky shot!" Voldemort hissed as a red jet blasted from his wand towards Harry.
"A dual is ninety percent skill and ten percent luck!" Harry shouted back as he slashed his wand upwards bringing up a shield that reflected the stunner back at Voldemort. Immediately, Harry fired of a spell of his own.
Voldemort dodged his own stunner that was reflected back at him easily, but barely dodged the spell Harry sent at him. In the moment of time Voldemort had room to breathe, he fired off a spell of his own. He had no time to see if his spell was on target or not as Harry's spell bounced off the dome's wall and into the ground behind Voldemort. Upon impact, the floor exploded sending rock shards everywhere. Had Voldemort known about this, a shield would have been brought up for his defense. Instead, several shards dug deeply into the Dark Lord's back causing him to howl in pain.
"Down already?" Harry laughed as he had dodged Voldemort's spell easily and incurring no injuries. "This was what, the third volley and you're already down? Some kind of Dark Lord you are!"
Angered that Harry had drawn first blood, Voldemort lashed out with Reductor Curses of his own. He watched as Harry dodged each of them easily. When they hit the dome's wall, it went straight down to the ground causing the floor to split and send shards in every direction. However, Harry wove his magic gracefully and captured every one of the shards with a teleportation spell designed for inanimate objects across a short distance. Helplessly, Voldemort watched as sharp rock shards dug into his body. Pain exploded as blood splashed from his body and painted the ground around him with red splatters.
"Are you truly the mighty Voldemort?" Harry roared in mocking laugher. "I expected, I don't know, something more."
"Enough of this nonsense!" Voldemort shouted in anger as his magic pulled out the rock shards and healed his wounds. Immediately, the Dark Lord fired off seven purple jets that rocketed towards Harry.
Already knowing that the spells were that of the Dark Arts, Harry raised the Sword of Gryffindor and deflected them back towards Voldemort with the blade. Harry spent hours training to learn the perfect angles and distance between him and his target in preparation for this battle. As planned, Harry was dominating Voldemort as they fought on Harry's grounds, not Voldemort's. "How does it feel to have the advantage stripped away from you?"
"You haven't seen anything yet, Potter!" Voldemort cried out as this time he sent out three cyan jets accompanied by four deep green jets.
The Dark Arts was something Harry never invested time in learning, but Harry spent much time on techniques to defend against it. With a quick spin, Harry turned his body in a full 360 arc and slashed his sword across the ground before him. A dark cloud of dust erupted and engulfed the seven spells before large shards of ice sprouted from the ground while dark green roots, dripping with yellow liquid wrapped itself around the ice. It began to crush the ice while the yellow liquid melted any surface it touched save for the surface of the roots. Voldemort almost believed he had won until Harry stepped out from the shadows unharmed.
"As you are the master at using the Dark Arts," Harry said as he waved his wand causing the roots to catch fire and burning it into ash, "I am a master in defending against it. And in this dome, there is no chance of you defeating me with Dark Arts alone."
"How do you figure that? You are no more than eighteen years of age and your exposure to magic could be no more than seven years," Voldemort countered. "As for me, I have well over forty years of exposure to magic and most of those years were spent perfecting the Dark Arts."
Twin yellow jets flew towards Harry, but with an effortless slash of his wand down the center, the spells forked around Harry and dissipated. "Simple. While learning the Dark Arts requires mastery of all the spells, defending it has only three simple rules. First is dodging. Certain spells that have no counters or creates a reaction on impact are best dodged. Dodging is also the perfect defense against all spells."
To demonstrate his point, Harry began to dodge Voldemort's volley of spells. It was simple as Harry trained by dodging spells from all directions for hours at a time. Each step Harry took was light and graceful as well as perfectly place to dodge the next incoming spell.
"However, should there be a time where dodging is unnecessary or ruled out as it is when you are defending someone behind you, the second rule comes to play. Deflection." Harry stopped where his last step was and easily deflected Voldemort's spells back towards the Dark Lord with his wand and sword. "As you can see, every spell can be deflected should a witch or wizard know how."
Furious that his more volatile spells were proving to be useless, Voldemort began to use the spell which had no known counter: the Killing Curse.
Noticing a change in tactics, Harry began to dodge the green jets as he moved on to his last rule. "And when deflecting and dodging could prove harmful, the third and last rule comes to play. Dispelling magic. Nihilum!" Harry spoke forcefully as he thrusts his wand forward in a powerful jab.
Voldemort felt a sudden invisible force push him back as the Killing Curses faded to nothing. "Impossible!" Voldemort cried out as he tried again, but the result was the same. Again he was pushed back and again the Killing Curses were dispelled.
"There is no counter to the Killing Curse," Harry began to explain, "but given the right conditions, it is possible to dispel any magic thrown at a caster, even the Killing Curse."
Harry had the complete advantage in the field of magic, but magic was not the only way to kill another. From what Harry had seen, Voldemort was not only good with magic, but swordplay as well. How else would the Dark Lord have obtained the Mirror of Ravenclaw from the greatest swordsman three decades ago?
Although Harry had disarmed Voldemort when their dual began, Voldemort easily reclaimed the Sword of Slytherin. After all, who better to wield the sword than one who carries his blood? Gripping the Sword of Gryffindor tightly in his left hand, Harry prepared himself for the toughest part of his plan: Killing Voldemort. Even though Harry was an expert at defending and using simple spells to cause damage, Harry did not have any more offensive spells save for the Killing Curse. However, to use such a curse would eat away at Harry in a way Harry did not want. Thus his only remaining option was defeating Voldemort in the area Harry knew he was inferior to the Dark Lord in: Swordplay.
Voldemort kicked off to start this battle between might and magic as he raced forward with both his wand and sword at his side. He watched as Harry did the same and paid close attention to which foot would lead Harry's attack. The Dark Lord watched Harry's eyes carefully, attempting to read Harry's movements to gain the advantage. What Voldemort had not expected was that Harry had no experience in swordplay.
It surprised him when Harry slammed hard on his left foot and kicking his right leg up. Voldemort dodge by a centimeter and readied for a slash, but Harry's kick was not intended for an attack. Instead, it was to give Harry momentum as the Sword of Gryffindor slashed in an upward arc from under Harry. Quickly adjusting himself, Voldemort brought his sword to defend, but the swing was powerful enough to throw him up into the air. In that moment of vulnerability, Voldemort's wand was knocked away by a disarming spell.
Acting quickly, Harry used a spell to throw Voldemort's wand into one of the holes created during his deflection of Voldemort's Reductor Curses. Harry's muscles eased up slightly as now Voldemort was stripped of his magic. Taking the initiative this time, Harry launched forward and lashed out with his sword, but Voldemort deflected the attack easily. There was an immediate counterattack from Voldemort, but Harry wove his magic and sent a column of rock straight into the jaw of Voldemort knocking him back.
This column protruded diagonally from the ground and gave Harry a perfect ramp to run on and launch himself in the air. When he was air born, Harry drove the Sword of Gryffindor through Voldemort's right shoulder and pinned the Dark Lord to the ground. However, in that precise moment, Voldemort also jabbed his sword upward. Abandoning his wand, Harry used his right hand to block the sword from piercing his chest and in doing so the two drew blood at the same time.
Suddenly, Harry felt a pulse through his body and everything went black. When Harry looked down, he could see his hands, feet and body, but there was nothing but darkness around him. "Did I lose and die?" Harry asked himself out loud, but the darkness began to crack and light bled through.
"Why are we fighting?" a deep and firm voice cried out. The voice traveled far and seemed to echo through the area. "Why must it end like this? Why don't you just disprove the rumors?"
As Harry's eyes began to adjust to the light, he saw two figures in a short distance with their swords drawn. When Harry could make out the finer details, he noted that the man on his right had a tall and muscular frame. His hair was golden and his eyes were blue while on his body clad bright red robes. His opponent stood just as tall, but was thin in comparison. His hair was silver while his eyes were green. Like the first man, he was also wearing robes, but they were green.
"You should know better than everyone how lies can become truths," the slender man spoke in a cool and calm voice. "If enough people believe it for a long enough time, it will become a truth regardless of if it was true or false to begin with. Those were your very words, Godric."
Godric? Harry asked himself. Then he noticed how familiar the two swords looked. They were the swords Harry and Voldemort held in their battle. The Swords of Gryffindor and Slytherin. Immediately, Harry knew the large man was Godric Gryffindor and the slender man was Salazar Slytherin. However, there was something different. The sword Godric wielded was not the sword Harry carried, but Voldemort. And in the hands of Salazar was the sword Harry carried. What's going on?!
"But unlike you, I do not have the power to change it, Salazar!" Godric pleaded. "Unlike you, I do not know how to use words as effectively as you can! So please, Salazar, my dearest friend, let's stop this foolishness and try to work this misunderstanding out with the Counsel!"
"Godric, you are too loyal and too true of a friend," Salazar replied. "This is why people take advantage of you so much."
"But you never did!" Godric challenged Salazar's words.
"Yes. That is because like how I am your dearest friend, you are mine," Salazar answered. "And because you are my dearest friend, I must ask you to end my life and carry out my will."
"I can't do that," Godric shouted with tears streaming down his cheeks. "How am I to face Helga? Or Rowena? And for Merlin's sake, how am I to face your wife? How could I walk up to them and tell them I killed you in cold blood?"
"You don't have to," Salazar spoke with a gentle soothing voice. "They already know. Selene was the one who suggested it before I had the courage to tell her this plan of mine. And although they disagreed with this, both Helga and Rowena know that unless I am executed by your hands, the Counsel will see that I am publicly executed for all of Europe to see."
"Why? Why must you suffer for a crime you did not commit? Why must you suffer for the slaughter of all those Muggle-borns and halfbloods when the true perpetrators are the men of the Counsel?" Godric shouted, unable to comprehend his friend's reasoning.
"Because I have no power," Salazar answered simply. "They control the masses and the words that are spread about. I am nothing more than a humble teacher who once fought for separation between purebloods and halfbloods."
"But that was to keep the one from killing another! That was to try and keep a safe environment for everyone to learn magic!" Godric countered angrily.
"It doesn't matter, my friend," Salazar spoke calmly. "My fate has been determined. Either you kill me today or I will kill you and face the judgment of the Counsel."
"You're not serious!" Godric exclaimed.
"I am," Salazar said with an unwavering tone. Immediately, Salazar launched forward and used his sword to strike at Godric. "Do you know why Merlin decided to split the legendary sword of King Arthur into two after Arthur died?"
Unable to respond due to Salazar's relentless and merciless attacks, Godric just grunted.
"The sword of King Arthur served two purposes. One was to fight for the weak, the other was to defend. Thus, the sword you carry, Caliburn, was forged with the purpose of the former. My sword, Excalibur, was forged for the purpose of the latter. You are the knight that fights for righteousness while I am the defender of good and justice," Salazar explained as he pushed Godric into a corner. "This is why you must survive, my dearest friend. You must right the wrong the Counsel has done to me for a defender cannot fight."
The blades crossed once more before both men shouted a warcry and stabbed their sword forward. However, only one sword drew blood. The other stabbed into the cold stone wall.
"Well done, my friend," Salazar said weakly as he grasped the hand that held the sword which pierced his chest.
"Why did you miss?" Godric asked in a whisper.
"Because, Godric, both of us cannot die together. One of us must live on and that one must be you. Goodbye my oldest and dearest friend. I do not hate you for this and I hope one day you will learn to forgive yourself." With those words, the Great Salazar Slytherin collapsed against his best friend, limp and lifeless. As Godric cried out in pain, he did not notice the peaceful smile Salazar wore as he rested against his friend.
"Sad, isn't it?" a new voice spoke to Harry. Immediately, Harry turned his head around only to find Tom Riddle standing as he was when Harry met him in the diary. "I must have seen this a thousand times, but the sadness of this tragedy never fades."
Harry quickly rose to his feet and backed away. He reached down for his wand, but it was not there. Neither was his sword. "What are you doing here, Voldemort?"
"Voldemort?" Tom said with a bit of confusion. "Oh, yes. That is what he calls himself. It's been so long since he spoke that I don't even remember that he no longer calls himself Tom Riddle."
"What is this? Some kind of joke" Harry cried out in shock. How could Tom not know that he calls himself Voldemort? He was the one who created the name in the first place! "You aren't going to fool me with this lousy act!"
Tom turned towards Harry and studied the younger man for a moment. Then his eyes fell on the lightning shaped scar on Harry's forehead. "Oh, that explains much."
"What?" Harry said with much confusion.
"You are, um… the one Voldemort tried to kill," Tom said as he struggled to find a name. "I'm sorry, but I can't seem to remember you name."
Sorry? Voldemort said sorry? Harry cried out in his mind. And he doesn't even know my name! How can Voldemort say sorry and not know my name as well?!
"Well, it seems you are fairly confused," Tom said as he studied Harry's reaction. "Indeed I am Tom Marvolo Riddle, but I am not Voldemort."
"How can you not be Voldemort?" Harry cried out in shock. "Tom Marvolo Riddle spells out 'I am Lord Voldemort'!"
"Yes, yes," Tom agreed as he searched his mind to rephrase his statement. "Think of it this way, when we found out that we had magic, we developed multiple personalities. Well, two personalities. One the one you know as Voldemort, and the other is, well, me; plain old Tom Marvolo Riddle."
"What makes you think that I would believe you?" Harry asked skeptically.
"Wishful thinking?" Tom said with a chuckle. "Well, let's take you childhood for example. Did you have a good one?"
Harry stood there and hesitated, not know why Voldemort, or Tom as he would rather call himself, would ask such a question. The simple answer would be 'no', but Harry was not about to answer someone he still considered his enemy.
"Well, I can tell you didn't have an ideal upbringing. Your distrust of others helps proves my case, although it may not be true," Tom said quickly.
"Why would you assume that distrust and a bad childhood go hand in hand?" Harry asked.
"There is more than distrust. I do know Voldemort killed your parents. I was there and knew that in order for Voldemort to be stopped, someone must be equally as strong as Voldemort. When your mother sacrificed her life to save yours, a power greater than that of Voldemort's emerged. It was also in that moment that I was able to break through Voldemort's suppression. When he attempted to kill you, the spell rebounded and I had hoped it would kill both of us, but it had not. So, to ensure that you would grow to become as powerful as Voldemort, I used all the strength I could take from Voldemort to give you that scar and infuse you with some of Voldemort's power," Tom explained thoroughly. However, he could still see that Harry was confused and distrustful of his words.
"Suppose I do believe you, what does this have to do with you not being Voldemort or whatever you said?" Harry asked.
"Do you know about my childhood?" Tom asked in response.
"Enough to know how you became Voldemort," Harry decided to reply truthfully to find answers.
"Now compare how different our childhoods were," Tom told Harry. "How different are they?"
"For the purposes of finding my answer, I'll say they were similar," Harry responded.
"What would have happened if you had not found anyone who would help you in your time of need?" Tom asked.
What would happen if Hagrid had not come when he did? Harry asked himself. I would probably just hate Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia and Dudley even more…
"I don't know," Harry chose to say as his reply.
"Well, I chose to hate everyone around me," Tom replied. "I was bullied left and right as I was quite possibly the weakest boy there. But I still wanted to be friends with everyone else. Had Dumbledore come before I discovered my magical talents, things would have been different. But I discovered them before and used it to take revenge on those who had bullied me. And during that moment, my conscience woke and I questioned whether or not it was right to do such a thing. However, my hatred dominated me and consumed me so much that I wanted revenge on everyone who was against me. To save what was left of the goodness inside of me, I separated into two people."
Yes. I would have traveled down that same path had Hagrid not come when he did. Or Ron. Or Hermione. Or Dumbledore. Harry agreed silently.
"I envy you," Tom said to Harry. "I wish I had the strength to become the person you are today. But unfortunately my hatred has consumed me to the point of no return. So my wish is much like that of Salazar's wish of Godric. Kill me and rid this world of Voldemort once and for all. And when you do, do not let your hatred consume you like it did me. I will use all my strength to keep Voldemort from killing you, but you must find the strength in yourself to defeat him."
Harry looked at Tom and for the first time saw someone different. This was not Voldemort. These were not the words someone whose heart is as black as night would say. No. This could only be said by someone whose heart aches of regret. Someone who has a conscience. Someone who wishes to do no more harm. Perhaps Tom is not Voldemort. And perhaps all Tom ever wanted was to be loved and able to love in return.
Love. The power the Dark Lord knows not. Voldemort had stated that he recognizes Love as a powerful force, but does not reckon that Love is the greatest strength in the world. Then Harry remembered something Tom had said about the time he watched Lily sacrifice her life for Harry.
"My name is Harry James Potter," Harry said as he held out his right hand to Tom. "And I think I have found a way to save you, Tom."
"What?" Tom asked. "What do you mean?"
"I figured out what the power the Dark Lord knows not is," Harry replied with a grin as he turned and walked away. "When this is all over, Tom, I only ask that you tell this story to my dearest friends, Hermione Jane Granger and Ronald Bilius Weasley. And then I leave it to you to take care of them."
"Wait!" Tom cried out as he tried to reach for Harry. "Harry! What do you mean 'take care of them'? How am I suppose to do that when I have done all of you so much wrong?"
"You haven't, Tom," Harry replied as he began to fade away. "Voldemort has. And like you stated when we met, you are not Voldemort."
When Harry regained consciousness in the real world, pain filled his body as blood dripped from his wounds. His sword was heavy as was his breathing, but Harry knew now what he had to do. "Voldemort, do you know the names of these two swords?"
Stunned by his adversary's question, Voldemort stood up straight and replied, "No, but why would you ask such a question?" He, too, was tired from this battle. Voldemort knew not of how long he had fought with Harry, but he knew that Harry was quite a natural with swordplay if he had no experience before. Harry's attacks had been fierce and unyielding batting Voldemort into corner after corner. It was almost as if Harry had turned into a beast. However, now that Harry has proposed a question, Voldemort decided to stall time to regain his breath.
"Caliburn and Excalibur," Harry replied.
"They're the same sword," Voldemort scoffed and quickly dismissed the names. "Excalibur was just a romantic word created to replace Caliburn of the King Arthur legend."
"They were one sword," Harry countered as he stabbed Excalibur into the ground. "It was once one sword designed with two purposes. First was to defend the weak against all forms of oppression. Second was to fight for those who did not have the strength to fight. When Arthur died, Merlin decided these two tasks were too great for a single person to carry. Thus Merlin split King Arthur's sword into two. Excalibur, the one I carry as did Salazar Slytherin did before me, served the purpose of defending. Caliburn, the sword you wield as did Godric Gryffindor did before you, served the purpose of fighting."
"And why should I believe it?" Voldemort asked.
Harry smiled as he picked up his wand from the ground. "Because Tom Riddle showed it to me. Farewell, Voldemort, I'll see you in hell. Pullus Lacuna."
A black vortex appeared behind Harry and a slight pull dragged anything that was loose into it. Harry and Voldemort remained in place as they placed their feet down firmly. But unlike Voldemort, Harry stood with his arms wide open. His wand was still in his right hand, but Harry gave no indication that he would use it.
"What are you playing at?" Voldemort cried out in confusion. "Are you trying to get us both killed?"
"Perhaps," Harry answered ambiguously.
"Fine, if you want to die that much, I'll take your life from you!" Voldemort screamed as he jumped forward and let the currents carrying towards Harry. Caliburn was kept poised at Harry's heart and Voldemort felt as time slowed while he noticed the distance between him and Harry came closer at a slower pace with each moment of time that passed. Midway, Voldemort noticed Harry close his eyes and then an object flew from his right. Immediately, Voldemort recognized it as his wand and in that moment, time seemed to speed up again. There was only enough time to process half a thought before the blade pierced through the chest of Harry. "Foolish Potter!"
"No, you're the fool, Voldemort," Harry coughed with a smile. "Tom, you can come out now."
Voldemort wanted to cry out in protest, but his voice was lost to him as he felt something pull his soul out of his body. The next moment, Voldemort found himself inside the body of Harry Potter and seeing the world from his perspective. Before him stood someone who wore a face he had not seen in a very long time. It was the face he was born with. It was the face of Tom Marvolo Riddle.
"You are finally free, Tom," Harry said as he fused the two wands together in his hands. Next, Harry pulled out Caliburn and fused it with Excalibur making the two swords one once more.
"What do you mean?" Tom asked as Harry handed him a wand that did not look like any wand that existed in the world. "What happened? You were supposed to kill us!"
"No. I am destined to vanquish the Dark Lord. To do so, I sacrificed my life to save yours, Tom. In doing so, I fused Voldemort's soul with mine and together the two of us will die this day," Harry replied as he took off his glasses and handed them to Tom which exposed his left arm revealing the Dark Mark. Tom quickly checked his own and found nothing there. "You are Tom Marvolo Riddle, the young boy who only wished to find someone he can love and receive love in return. And to you, Tom, I hand you the wand of both Voldemort and I as well as Excalibur in hopes that you will use it for the good of humankind. Also, I give to you the mark of the savior. This might hurt a bit."
Tom felt a sudden burning on his forehead and his eyesight blurred. Quickly, Tom put on the glasses Harry had handed him earlier and found him staring at Harry, but there was no scar on his forehead.
"Take care, Tom," Harry said as he turned and walked towards the black vortex. "And please do try to take care of my friends even though they might not trust you at first."
"Wait!" Tom cried out, but the black vortex suddenly turned into a bright light. The next thing Tom knew, the vortex was gone and the dome that enclosed him shattered. Around him, Tom could see nothing but death. Death that was caused because of what he had done. Searching through his mind for spells Voldemort could use, Tom found one that would work best in capturing all of Voldemort's minions without killing them. "Ligo Morsmordre!"
At once, the battle ceased while hundreds of wizards and witches appeared behind Tom, bound and stripped of their power. They were dressed in black cloaks with a mask that was indistinguishable from one another. However, there was one that was not bound. A werewolf dropped down before Tom and sniffed several times.
"What's the meaning of this, my Lord?" the werewolf asked.
Searching his memory, Tom found a name to go with the werewolf before him. "I am not your lord, Fenrir. Voldemort is dead, defeated by Harry Potter through the sacrifice of his life for mine. So either surrender yourself, Fenrir, and face your judgment or I will capture you myself."
"So you have betrayed us all," Fenrir spoke as he lashed out with his claws, but Tom was quicker.
Tom was able to leap backwards while pulling out Excalibur from the ground without the claws coming close to hitting him. Not wanting to cause anymore bloodshed, Tom incanted, "Volatilis!" Immediately, two wings sprouted from his back giving his the ability of flight. Although surprised, Tom pushed it aside temporarily as he wove his wand in the air and shouted, "Stupefy!"
A red jet slammed down on the werewolf flattening him to the ground. When Tom landed, the wings faded away and he walked up to the unconscious werewolf. "You should have just surrendered," Tom stated as he used a spell to lift the werewolf over to where all the other minions were.
A sudden scream caught Tom's attention. He looked up into the sky where the scream originated and realized it was not one single scream, but a collection of many screams. Then Tom saw a group of young adults falling through the sky. Instinctively, Tom wove his magic and created a large cushion where the group was landing and caught them safely.
"Blimey! That was one scary fall!" a male voice cried from the cushion. "But fun!"
"Fun? How could you consider that fun, Ron?" a female voice cried out. "If it was scary for you, think about how Hermione feels! She is your girlfriend after all!"
"Oh! Hermione!" the first voice cried out.
"Way to go, Ron," another male voice spoke.
"Great way to treat your girlfriend," a second female voice agreed.
"I mean, you didn't even provide her with a cushion!" a third male voice cried out. "That's what boyfriends are supposed to do for their girl."
"Can it, Dean," the first male voice shot back. "If you're such an expert with girls, how come you can't keep a stable relationship with any girl?"
"That-" the voice was cut off by a grunt.
"Ron, stop arguing with Dean and find Hermione! That's the least you can do for her right now!" the first female voice shouted. "And whoever put up this stupid cushion is great, but can you get rid of it so we can move?"
"Oh, right," Tom whispered as he snapped back to reality. When he dispelled his cushion, Tom found three females and three males. "Um… Hello."
The group turned towards the person who gave the greeting, with the exception of one female who seemed to be unconscious, and asked in unison, "Who are you?"
"Oh, yes," Tom said quickly. "My name is-"
"Bloody hell, mate!" a redhead who had the voice of the first male Tom heard cried out. "What did you do with yourself, Harry?"
"Wait a-" Tom tried to explain, but another redhead cut him off.
"That can't be Harry," the female redhead said. "And if you are, what are our names?"
"Don't be stupid, Ginny," the male said. "How can Harry not know our names?"
"That doesn't look like Harry, Ron," another male spoke. "Sure he has the scar and the glasses, but unless you hit your head on the fall, and I mean hit it really hard, I'm sure you will agree that that is not Harry."
"If you're not Harry, then who are you?" the second female asked.
"Well, my name is Tom," Tom replied simply, not wanting to give his full name. "I heard the name Hermione, so I must ask: are any of you Hermione Jane Granger or Ronald Bilius Weasley here?"
"Blimey! Where's Hermione!" the first redhead cried out.
"Well, that one freaking out about Hermione is Ron," the female redhead answered. "And the one lying unconscious on the ground is Hermione. If I may ask, why are you looking for them?"
"Harry specifically asked me to tell the two of them what happened to him and take care of them as well as his friends." When Tom finished, everyone, including Hermione who had woken up, turned to face him with deathly pale faces.
"What happened to Harry?" Ron dared to ask.
"You killed him, didn't you?" Hermione accused quickly.
"No, I didn't," Tom replied, but never had a chance to defend himself.
"Liar!" Hermione spat as she stood up with her wand drawn. Her deep brown eyes pierce into Tom's with much hatred and malice. "Tell me why I should believe a word you say, Tom Marvolo Riddle, or rather, Lord Voldemort?"
Tom felt a deep sting as he heard the young woman speak the name as if it was a curse. Placing down his sword and wand, Tom took five steps back and held up his arms surrendering himself. "Yes, I am indeed Tom Marvolo Riddle, but I did not kill Harry James Potter. He died sacrificing his life to vanquish Voldemort so that I could live."
"That's a lie!" the female redhead screamed as she stomped forward and jabbed the tip of her wand into Tom's chest. "Harry would never give his life to save you! He hates you! He hates you so much that he would personally drag you to hell if he could!"
"He did," Tom answered as calmly as he could, but he was scared. Not so much of dying, but unable to grant Harry's wish. "Harry discovered what the power the Dark Lord knows now was. It was love. And the greatest act of love is selflessly sacrificing oneself for another. In doing so, Voldemort was dragged out of this body and into Harry's. From there, Harry entered the gate to Hell, similar to the vile hidden away in the Ministry of Magic."
"No… no… this can't be true…" the female redhead chocked out as she collapsed to her knees. "Give him back! Give Harry back! Why do you deserve to live when Harry has suffered so much to defeat you? What gives you the right to live more than Harry?"
Tom could do nothing but watch as Hermione walked over and pulled away the female redhead away from Tom. Then, as she comforted the young lady, Hermione whispered, "Hush, Ginny."
Tears also streamed down her checks as the sobs of Ginny rang through the air. As his eyes traveled from one young adult to another, Tom could see the sadness that enveloped this group of friends. He could see how deeply they cared for Harry, the one who gave his life so that Tom could finally live and be free of Voldemort. Tom could also sense how much love they each had for Harry. This was what made Harry different from Tom when they were the same age. It was then that Tom noticed that he was crying as well. There was no such person in the world who would give one's life to save his. Yet, Harry did so without hesitation after meeting Tom.
Suddenly, Tom noticed a large group of witches and wizards approaching. Each and every one looked worn from battle and carried expressions of loss. Discretely, Tom wiped away his tears and waited until the large group approached him. Tom easily recognized the Auror uniforms majority of the people wore and a few faces. The most prominent was that of Minerva McGonagall.
Minerva stepped forward towards Tom with an expressionless face, but Tom knew she was surprised. As well as everyone who had seen his face before Voldemort was born. "I must say I am quite surprised to see you have regained your original body, Tom."
"I didn't, Professor," Tom replied.
"Professor?" Minerva asked in surprise. "You normally address me as Minerva."
"But you became a professor a Hogwarts, didn't you?" Tom responded.
"Headmistress now," Minerva answered quickly, not wanting to explain. "But this does not explain why you would suddenly capture your own servants and surrender."
Tom decided not to argue that technically he had not surrendered, but rather disarmed himself to gain the trust of the six young adults who were still glaring at him. "The full tale will take much time to explain, but Voldemort is now dead as Harry Potter gave his life to vanquish him."
Tom's words sent a wave of confusion through the crowd. There were some screaming for Tom to receive a Dementor's kiss as punishment without trail. Minerva raised one hand and easily silenced the crowd. "What do you mean by that, Tom? Are you not Lord Voldemort?"
"Lord Voldemort was my split personality. I know it sounds unbelievable, but that is the truth. If you wish, you can take me to Azkaban and give me Veritaserum to confirm it," Tom replied. But no sooner did those words come out of his mouth did a man with a metal leg walk out with a bottle. "Or you could give it to me now. But first, please take care of those people behind me. I doubt they would want to stay and if the chance for escape is given, they probably would take it."
With a slight nod, Minerva sent the Aurors forward and capturing all the Death Eaters. "Alastor, please refrain from cursing or jinxing Tom during his interrogation," Minerva said as she walked over to Tom carefully to administer the Veritaserum. She looked over to the side where she saw a familiar sword but an unrecognizable wand. They were well out of Tom's reach, but she did not trust him. "Open your mouth."
Without a complaint, Tom opened up and let two drops of Veratiserum drop into his mouth. Immediately, Tom felt the effects as he lost control of his body. Although conscious, Tom knew he could not do anything until the effects wore of in an hour.
"Recount the events of the past hour," Minerva commanded, and Tom complied willingly. He would have done so without Veritaserum, however Tom doubted anyone would believe him.
When he finished recounting his tale, Tom heard Moody say, "This must be a well constructed lie. There's no way for those events to have happened."
"Is this a lie?" Minerva asked.
"No," Tom replied.
"Why should we believe you? What possible reason could you give to convince us that you are not Voldemort but the ounce of good left of Tom Riddle which I doubt there was any?" Minerva questioned.
"For all the crimes I have committed as Voldemort, I cannot atone for, but Voldemort is dead. Proof of that is using Morsmordre on my left arm where the Dark Mark should be. When Harry Potter gave his life for mine, he exchanged one branding for another. As the Dark Mark was the branding of a villain, the lightning shaped scar on my forehead is proof of a savior. I am no savior, but this is the mark that distinguished Harry Potter. He left this mark upon my forehead as I had once done so to him in hopes that with it, I can gain your trust," Tom replied.
"After all this," Alastor spat, "and suppose we do believe you, what are your goals?"
"To grant Harry's last wish and take care of Hermione Jane Granger, Ronald Bilius Weasley and all of those who considers Harry a friend. Also, to carry Excalibur and the wand created with the wands of Harry Potter and Voldemort to protect humankind the best I possibly could," Tom answered.
"Will you swear to it?" Minerva asked.
"I will make an Unbreakable Vow to it," Tom replied.
"Then make one right now," Hermione spoke with a firm voice.
"And should you ever betray your words, let death be your punishment," Ron finished.
"Very well," Tom agreed. "Then I will make my Unbreakable with the two of you. Hermione Jane Granger and Ronald Bilius Weasley, Harry James Potter's two dearest friends, I give to you my promise to protect and take care of the two of you as well as all those who call Harry Potter a friend at all times. And I vow to protect all of humankind so long as I wield Excalibur and the wand Harry entrusted me with. Should I break my vow, let Death take my soul."
With those words, two inscriptions tattooed itself around Tom's wrist depicting the words of his vow. On the back of each hand, a large 'H' was tattooed and circling around the one on the left hand was Ron's full name. On the right hand, Hermione's full name circled around the 'H'.
When Hermione and Ron saw that the Unbreakable Vow was sealed, they turned and walked away with another word. In his mind, Tom said, I hope one day you will forgive me, for I do wish for your friendship as you two were the closest to Harry James Potter, the one who gave me life. You are as close to Harry as Salazar was to Godric. Inseparable, even when one is gone…
Author's Note: I had not expected this story to be this long. But, when I started writing, I couldn't stop because I liked this concept so much. It's good that I finished this as if I didn't, I'd be struggling with too many concepts in my head and unable to decide which one I want to write first. Well, this is the end of this story for now. Maybe I'll come back to this later, but that will probably be after I spent more time on Changer of Fate.