Death and Taxes
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Life's Two Great Certainties
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Rating: Teen (currently) for language and I guess some war-ry type situations in this chapter
Warnings: Intended HP/LV (that means slashy goodness : P)
Disclaimer: Sadly for me, all known characters and situations are the property of J.K. Rowling
Beta: Myself -beams-
"You've learnt from our last encounter, little boy," the tall robed man snarled as he side-stepped slowly, one leg crossing over the other, mirroring the boy opposite him. "But then again you're not really 'little' anymore…"
Harry growled as the speaker of these words slowly licked his non-existent lips, his gaze still fixed with the red orbs sunk into that skeletally white face. Both men circled each other like predators, both sporting several injuries and ailments from their previous battles and both their wands having been sufficiently dealt with by both parties to ensure the continuation of this war.
"Tired, old man?" Harry retorted as he noted Voldemort's slight limp, probably induced by Harry's earlier 'bone crushing' hex.
The constant onslaught of dark curses and spells had kept Harry dodging and fighting with the last of his strength, but he was not about to let his arch rival know that; and Harry had retaliated with equally efficient hexes and shields. Their ripped cloaks discarded and their arms bare in the chilled night air, the two fought relentlessly.
The man opposite him threw a well aimed curse, allowing Harry mere moments to counter act; his weak 'protego' barely reflecting the spell as he was thrown backwards, skidding to a halt on his back in the blood and mud that had accumulated on the battle field around them.
Individual wars raged around the two wizards as Voldemort leisurely sauntered up to the spluttering Harry before him as if people weren't being murdered and tortured meagre inches away. Harry just glimpsed a flash of bright red hair in the midst, back-to-back with a smaller brown haired girl before the tall, pale man cloaked in a thin, dark material towered above him blocking his view. Ron and Hermione were still alive, but the light side was falling- any idiot could tell. Harry wished for his friend's safety as Voldemort stood still, stopping where Harry's own feet rested on the grass tussocks.
Harry glanced around, slightly panicked, as the dark lord made no further move.
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Ron had succeeded in disarming and stunning his own charge and had whipped around to Hermione's side to finish off the other advancing deatheater. With two on one, the rather short, masked figure soon fell with a bloodied gash just below his ribs; his facade slipping to reveal a rat-like countenance with protruding, yellowed teeth. Ron scrunched up his face in disgust,
"Pettigrew!"
The mousey-haired girl, however, risked a glance at the fatal battle she knew would be taking place beside her. But her shock was evident at what she saw. Her inquisitive yet frightened gaze meeting with Harry's as he appeared to survey the scene around him, a dark figure positioned menacingly just in front of him. The figure leant closer to her friend as if whispering something, then the sharp features of the face she had never seen yet heard so much about turned to her, the red eyes gleaming. Hermione couldn't help but let a gasp escape her cracked lips.
"Maybe we should take this somewhere a little more… private, eh Potter?" He-who-must-not-be-named almost purred into Harry's right ear, before shifting his gaze to follow Harry's.
Harry started as breath tickled his earlobe.
"Just keep my friends out of this." Harry spat back, his wand eventually levelled at Voldemort's chest. Being so close, Voldemort simply snatched the wand from the boy and flung it uncaringly over his shoulder. Harry watched, terrified, as it disappeared from view. Harry cursed under his breath.
"As you wish."
If Harry and the rest of the observing 'warriors' had been startled before, it was nothing to Harry's reaction as Voldemort simply turned and swept away from Harry to his original stance in the fight. But instead of brandishing his wand ready to duel, Voldemort merely twisted on the spot once more and was gone with the sweeping of his black robes. A small object glinting as it fell to the grassy mound glowing slightly, where, a few seconds ago, the dark lord had been standing.
The rest of the battle seemed oblivious to his disappearance their individual battles still raging on, but Hermione had seen what had just transpired, and, tugging on the sleeve of Ron's tattered shirt, had dragged the boy away from his petty jibes at the silent and presumed-unconscious men strewn before him to Harry's side.
"Harry, oh my, what happened?" Hermione continued to babble senselessly despite the situation, but Harry had barely heard the first two words she'd uttered.
Harry didn't speak, but pushed Hermione's hands from his shoulders, standing of his own accord. Ron scanned the surrounding area, but the 'Order of the Phoenix' were still engrossed in their crusades, outnumbered almost three to one. Harry ran toward the object still resting among the crushed grass stems, Hermione following nervously in his wake and Ron cautiously still glancing around for an impending attack. Harry reached down, but drew back suddenly as if burnt, staring at the lithe glowing object in fascination. A small silver dagger encrusted with a single line of pale green gems and an ornate hilt lay haphazard in the grass.
"What is it?" Hermione murmured, clinging tightly to her boyfriend's arm. She scoped once more for Harry's shoulder as he crouched on his haunches. Harry lifted the index finger of his right hand and traced the glittering hilt- only realising his mistake too late. The familiar sensation of a port key tugged at his navel as the trio were whisked off to a place far different from the battle field they had vanished from. Nobody saw them go.
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Harry's knees buckled beneath him as he fell limply on his side, quashing the air from his lungs, as Ron landed with a thump by his feet. Hermione was the only teenager left standing, readily surveying their new surroundings. The young girl inhaled sharply as she caught sight of a dark figure, their back turned, the one who had brought them to this place. She edged away slowly. Ron followed suit, scampering on all fours. Harry remained still, his arms supporting him where he lay.
The man spun abruptly, the shock only apparent on his face for a split second as he glared at his two 'uninvited guests' before his visage relaxed once again into an indifferent mask.
"Harry…" The man drawled as he advanced towards the unarmed boy, a smirk befalling his snake-like features.
"Stop!" A male voice echoed through the crisp air. Voldemort glanced up just in time to jolt his head to the side in haste to avoid a shot of bright red light. He growled at the second year spell, returning the favour with a much deeper shaded curse of his own.
Voldemort's left boot collided with Harry's collar bone as Harry attempted to stand, almost choking him,
"Leave him!" Harry rasped, his words only to be endorsed by a much shriller plea- not Hermione as well?
"Leave him alone!"
"Oh," Voldemort focused his pitiless scarlet eyes on Hermione, "does the little girl want to play too?"
It wasn't a question. The disembodied scream that raked through Harry silenced all other sounds as Hermione's body plunged to the ground, writhing simultaneously. The startled objection from Ron was cut short as he was immobilised with yet another flick of Voldemort's wand. Those slit-pupilled eyes once again resumed their gaze on Harry's as the man spoke and Hermione's screams faded into staggered gasps, his voice low and menacing.
"Look-ie, the kiddies want to play with the big boys," he chuckled uncharacteristically, weaving his wand between the spidery fingers of his left hand, "I say we let them." He steadied his wand between his index and middle finger of the other.
"No!" Harry yelled hoarsely, still aware of Hermione's shuddering breaths, "This is between you and me!"
"Such noble last words Potter," Voldemort sneered raising his wand, a manic glee in his eyes, "Avada ke-"
A bolt of blue light, like electricity, shot into the back of Voldemort's bald head, leaving a dull pattern resembling dust particles etched into the darkness. The spell sent him reeling forward, the boot previously resting on the ground crashing just above Harry's head and the other following shortly, allowing Harry to clamour for air to feed his parched lungs.
Scrambling upright Harry stared in bewilderment at the crippled figure of Lord Voldemort clutching at his head in agony.
"What the fuck did you do?" Harry whipped around glaring daggers at the boy he knew to have cast the curse; the teen's wand still raised as if in a trance. But, the boy retaliated just as quickly, snapping back to reality.
"I saved your bloody life, mate!" Ron answered as if shocked that Harry would ask such an imprudent question.
The crouched figure's breathing was laboured and came in short puffs visible in the cool night. Hermione looked on dumb-struck, still in her position from the cruciatus curse.
"This shouldn't be happening," Harry muttered, pacing backwards and forwards. Harry had hit the man a million times over with the second unforgivable curse, and never had it affected the dark lord as bad as what was currently taking place.
"What's up old man? Had too much?" Harry jibed, but the words lost their customary venom at the sight of the whimpering form.
From the corner of his eye Harry saw Ron kneel by his girlfriend's side and hoist her up to be supported by his shoulder.
"Just finish him Harry." Ron said coldly, giving a distasteful glare in the direction of the straining outline, "I need to take Hermione back."
A muffled scream came from the figure face down in the dirt, robes ripped and muddied. With one last glance Ron apparated back to the battle field with the collapsed Hermione hanging from his arm.
Harry returned his own gaze to Voldemort. Why didn't Ron just tell him what spell he cast to cause so much pain to the single most powerful and feared wizard of the age?
Stunned out of his reverie by a final scream, the form of Lord Voldemort reeled over onto his back, his eyes rolled back in his head. Forgetting all precautions Harry ran over to the body, bending down and searching for a pulse. He found what he was looking for, but was it what he wanted to find?
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A/N Kay, this is my first ever fanfic that I've published so… er… yeh, just thought you ought to know.
Please read and review, I'm not expecting much as a new author here, but, you know, one can hope ; )
I really wanted to release this before 'Deathly Hallows' so have been working extra hard on it. Not to mention the fact that this was rewritten about 5 times! No kidding!! It just wouldn't work; Ron and Hermione weren't even meant to be in this chapter. Ah well, life goes on. The next chapter will be out soon
Feel lucky people, I was gonna leave this at the first divider after the portkey bit, but I didn't think it was long enough...