Author Notes: Another Co-written project... Considering I have a ton of WK/SM stories I figured a HP/SM needed done... And (to my knowledge) this plot hasn't been used in this fandom... Anyway I'll be writing this with Chibi Pyro Duo... comments are appreciated.

Next in Line

The field was like a lake of mist. As far as the eye could see rolling fog seemed to consume the area. It was a wonder that anything could be seen on a night like this one. Even the stars seemed to have lost their twinkle as they were silent witnesses to the scene below.

Harry dodged at the last possible second and was sent rolling through the damp grass as he tried to avoid the attack that had been meant to kill him. He had been fighting with his arch enemy for well over an hour now and his labored breaths revealed this fact. He had only survived thus far on luck and it seemed to be something he was quickly running out of. He would have given everything to be with his friends again, but they were safe and far away from here.

A sizzling green line zipped by his ear and he bounced to his feet with a wince. This was no time to let his mind wander. One mistake and he could find himself finished. His hands were sweaty and he had dropped his wand long ago. He had been reduced to dodging blasts as he vainly tried to make his way back to his precious item.

A laugh seemed to fill the air and eyes that seemed to be tinted red mocked the helpless teen. "You're no match for me, boy." The deep male voice rumbled through their arena and sent a chill through the younger participant, "accept your death and let's end this."

Harry swallowed nervously as his bloodshot eyes focused on his wand. They must have steadily worked their way back to where the attack had happened. He was only a few feet away but those few feet seemed like an eternity to him. He saw the flash of red and barely ducked beneath it as he dived wildly with his hand outstretched towards the wooden wonder. "Please," he whispered as his fingers scrabbled in the dirt in a wild attempt to grab the wand up.

Green light blinded him and he gasped as he felt it sizzle in the space beside his head. The shots were starting to get closer, that meant Voldemort was tiring of his game. He was starting to aim to kill. Harry took another deep breath as his eyes scanned the available escape routes; there wasn't any. He was trapped in a corner like a rat that was being stalked by a cat... And in Harry's case the cat was a vicious tiger who wanted to torture him before slaughtering him. Tears stung the corners of Harry's eyes and he dashed them away with the back of his hand. He had no time to grieve over what had happened in the past. This was the final battle... It was him against Voldemort and there would be no rescues from Dumbledore this time.

There would never again be a rescue from Dumbledore... Unbidden tears started to trickle down his dirt stained cheeks and he barely suppressed a sob. Dumbledore had died for him, had taken the blast meant to end Harry's life in order to give him time to escape and regroup. The memory was still fresh in his mind as those ancient eyes had filled with shock and disbelief before all life faded out of them.

Resolve flickered to life in Harry's emerald green eyes. He couldn't allow this monster to win. He would not let Dumbledore's sacrifice be in vain. Hatred filled his very being as he remembered the deaths of his loved ones that had been caused by this demon. It was up to him to revenge them all, no one else could. Instinctively his fingers tightened around his wand until he could feel the harsh wood digging into his skin, but he didn't care anymore. The only thing he cared about was revenge.

Amused eyes followed Harry's every pathetic attempt. To him this was a game. It wasn't enough to kill the boy that had ruined all his plans; he had to let the wizarding world know that he, Voldemort, was once again in control. "Foolish," he whispered as Harry attempted to curse him. "The only way to stop me is to kill me, like I'm going to do to you." He let those words sink in and smiled in malice as fear and hatred mixed together in the murky green gaze. He gestured with his wand and a wave of wind struck the small body and sent it flying to the ground. He was tired of playing; it was time to take his rightful place once again.

Harry's body had slammed into a tree but with sheer will power he forced himself to stay awake. His friends were counting on him. He wasn't about to let them down. Wiping fresh blood from the side of his face where the bark had caught him, he started to struggle to his feet when a wave of sheer pain washed over him. Voldemort was using the forbidden curses and like a fool Harry hadn't been prepared enough to try to dodge it. His screams echoed through the field only to mingle with Voldemort's laughter.

With a gasp Harry only barely managed to duck under the next attack. The killing curse... He was in such excrutiating pain. It seemed that he would forever be screaming to the heavens as he agonized. He twitched as the pain faded and greedily gulped the air that had seemingly been forced out of him.

"Goodbye, Harry Potter," Voldemort casually announced with a sadistic smile as he aimed his wand once more at the boy. With Harry as weak as he was it was easy to curse him once more and drive the rebel to his knees as he writhed in pain. With a flick of his wand he released one last spell and laughed as Harry's world was flooded with green. With Harry Potter dead there would be no one left to ruin his plans. It was a shame he hadn't been able to turn the boy... It would have been even more satisfying if Harry had been the one that had killed Dumbledore instead of himself. But then again... just like he was enjoying with Harry, he had enjoyed watching Dumbledore die.

A motion caught his eye and he smiled. It seemed that Potter wouldn't be so easy to kill after all. No matter, it would be a pleasure killing the upstart with his own two hands. With a smile he strode over to the still twitching body and picked Harry up by his neck. At first he considered ending it with one clean twist, but what was the fun in that? Instead he held the teen's feet off the ground and slowly choked out whatever life remained in him. The world would learn that Voldemort was to be obeyed and not trifled with.

The wizarding world seemed to lurch to a sudden halt as a giant green skull with a snake for a tongue was painted on the sky. Many common muggles stopped whatever they were doing to take snapshots of the strange occurrence and whisper to each other about aliens.

News of Harry's death spread fast. At first only those from Hogwarts knew about it, but the tale spread quickly like a fanned blaze over the world. Soon stories were told of how he heroically fought against Voldemort only to be crushed like an insignificant worm. Fear crept into the hearts of all from the magical world as they waited to see what would happen next. Harry Potter had been the boy who lived, and now it seemed he had died by the hands of Voldemort himself. With him their hopes for a safe peaceful world had been destroyed completely. It didn't take long for the people to fall into despair.

She strode with purpose as she passed through the arched hallways. Ghosts stopped to watch her go with a strange look in their eyes. She didn't pay them any mind as she struggled to outrun the memories. She had watched the entire battle, to the end. She had seen Harry survive the attack that had killed his family only to be slaughtered by Voldemort's own hand... She had tried to help of course, she knew he was the only hope for this world to have peace, but it had been as if she was invisible.

Her steps faltered as she noticed a boy watching her. Normally she would have ignored this but the way he was looking at her... He wasn't looking through her as most were apt to do. "Can you see me?"

For a moment he studied the young woman. She had blonde hair in a strange hairstyle, and she was wearing an even stranger dress, especially if you considered that while on school grounds most wore robes. At first he had thought her a ghost but you could see through those... and he couldn't see through her. "Yes..."

She smiled and gently took his hand. "If you can see me and touch me than you're the one... You're aware of what happened today with the concerns of Harry Potter, correct?" she waited for him to nod and leaned forward to gently kiss his forehead. "My name is Serenity. I was once Princess of the Moon... only those that can see me have a hope of saving this world from Voldemort. You've been chosen to avenge Harry's death."

His reaction was quite natural if you knew him. Neville Longbottom, a seventh year Gryffindor that had been teased and bullied most of his life, fell to the ground in a dead faint.