Crossing the Line
NC-17
H/Hr
Romance/Angst with a smidgeon of humor
Summary: Inhibitions serve as a final barrier for protecting us from our inner most desires. At times, it can be all that stands from a person doing the right thing and the wrong thing. What would happen if you could force someone to do the wrong thing?
Chapter 1: The beginning at the end
"All these years that we've known each other Harry and you still have yet to prove a match for me in a duel…" A snake-like voice sneered
Rather than directly replying to the taunt, Harry sent a quick disarming curse to the dark assailant. He watched in disappointment as the curse sailed towards it's target and literally stopped in mid-air over a pair of sinister white hands before being thrown right back in his face, knocking him down once again.
Every time they had an encounter it would usually result in something like this. Voldemort constantly monologing while simultaneously killing off any chance of a counter attack. It didn't help that he was exhausted. The long, arduous battle to get into this situation was worthy of an epic itself.
His best friend Hermione Granger along with Ex-Auror Alastor Moody were the only ones to make it into the manor before a shield was erected, trapping everyone outside, outside and trapping everyone inside, inside.
As far as Harry knew, everybody was outside and still fighting.
"Crucio!" Voldemort said maniacally
Harry groaned in pain as every inch of his body, inside and out, felt like it was getting cut by glass. Voldemort uttered the incantation again and the pain ceased.
"You seem a little under the weather Harry. What's wrong, you go through all of this trouble to lure me out and you haven't even got the means to defeat me. Your mudblood loving father would be ashamed. Even HE lasted longer than this."
'AH BOLLOCKS' Harry thought
Here he was having an interior monolog while simultaneously criticizing Riddle for having the balls to do it to him.
He pushed all the fatigue and pain he felt deep into the back of his mind and focused all of his concentration on the situation at hand.
Harry jumped and sent a cutting hex directly towards Voldemort's feet, forcing the snake-like man to block with a shield spell.
Harry quickly prepared a blasting hex as his own cutting hex hurled towards him in a pale blade shaped light. He conjured a red blasting jinx and simultaneously erected a wordless protego shield with his left hand.
Voldemort, seeing that he wouldn't be able to block both spells, dove clear of the blast radius but not before being hit in the chest with the cutting jinx.
Angrier than ever for actually being penetrated, Voldemort screamed out in rage and Harry was sent clear across the sitting room right into a stone stairway post snapping something in his back and cutting deep into the right side of his neck. With blood gushing out of his neck and his vision fading fast, Harry glanced over beside him at a nearby pile of rubble.
Moody had been crushed by a collapsed ceiling earlier in the fight. If he wasn't dead he was dying and could no longer help him now.
Hermione, after Moody had been dealt with, he had just thrown all the way up to the second level as if to say a mudblood wasn't worth a decent hex. After that, a few trading of unforgivables, disarming hexes, and shield charms had placed him right in the situation he was in now.
A painful clench in his gut alerted him to the possibility that Hermione could very well be hurt, or worse if she was lucky. Voldemort didn't often torture his victims for long periods of time. The thought of him killing her just made him burn with an intense rage that was wasted on his paralyzed body. He was dying; for all he knew everybody outside could be dead. Ron, Hagrid, Remus, Tonks among others. He hadn't exactly been on good terms with Ron lately but he certainly couldn't wish such a fate as that upon him.
Alastor had served as a magical drill instructor for the past nine months, giving everybody a sense bitter encouragement with his agoraphobic philosophies on life. A lot of good that "constant vigilance" did him now.
Hermione, he would miss the most. She had been a really good friend in his time of need. She was a shoulder to cry on when he was sad and shoulder to knock some sense into him when he felt discouraged. She was a constant reminder of how much good was still in the world. He regretted now more than ever not being able to put a few more smiles on her face. It didn't matter anymore, he felt sick with himself to be so dejected to this fate. Voldemort was right, James would be ashamed.
Voldemort gave a quick, rather fake and unrespectful bow to Harry.
"I just want you to know before you die that this means a lot to me. I've been waiting in sweet agony for this moment for what seems like an eternity now. With you and bumbling headmaster finally taken care of, I will usher the world into a new age that will be forever ensnared in my grip. All that will remain of Hogwarts and everything that it stood for will be your head sitting in my trophy case."
Harry's spirits lifted considerably as he spied one last ray of hope. Hermione had somehow managed to crawl back to the edge of the second level. She had a clear view of both him and Riddle. She could end it now.
Voldemort looked into his eyes and smiled an evil grin. To his own horror, he felt Voldemort reaching into his mind; he had no strength left, no magic left to push him away with.
Voldemort smiled before whirling around and blasting a huge chunk out of the floor where Hermione was, causing her to fall right through to the first level; Right in front of HIM.
Harry quickly glanced at his surroundings, looking for some way to help Hermione in his fading state. He closed his eyes and, with all the energy and concentration he had left, sent out a silent 'Accio Wand' command.
"I admire the devotion you have for your friend, but a mudblood like you could never hope to be more than waste of living space, much less somebody's savior." Voldemort raised his wand to finish what he started.
The pile of rubble next to his position exploded and a glowing wand came screaming through the air right into his hand…
"Avada Kedavra!" Harry rasped, almost choking on his own blood
It seemed out of place, but fitting, there was no epic death, no last words. Tom Riddle was hit in the back by a killing curse and died instantly right on the spot.
"HARRY!" Hermione cried, crawling over to him and cradling his head in her arms.
With all his might Harry tried to mutter any word that would express how much Hermione meant to him. All that came out of his mouth was a silent gasp.
Before all went black he felt the comforting warmth of several blood staunching spells around his neck.
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"Is he going to be alright?" Remus asked
"His body should recover fine with the maladies we've provided. However, there was extensive nerve damage through a severing in the spinal cord and through a contusion in the back of the head. It was a miracle he survived at all really." A healer explained
"So then all that's left is for him to wake up right? How long do you think it could take?" Remus asked, wringing his coat tightly
"With comas like these you can never be sure. If we were to go in and try to pull out his consciousness; we might uproot something and that would leave him in a permanent vegetative state. It could be anywhere from a day to a week, maybe even years before he wakes up, but we all are hoping for the best." The healer said sadly
"I understand…" Remus said glancing through the tiny window into the room where Hermione sat holding Harry's hand.
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He had been floating in a dark, endless space for days now.
It all felt like a dream; one of those dreams where you know you're dreaming and you can't wait to wake up.
Now if only he could wake up. He breathed a slight sign of relief as he felt a tingling in his right hand.
'This place isn't completely empty…' Harry thought
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"So," Hermione said in know-it-all fashion, "Hagrid is doing fine and Maxime is expecting any day now. I imagine their children will be rather rowdy don't you think so Harry?"
She sat fiddling with his hand for a few more minutes. A sniffle escaped her and she started to break down.
"R-Ron and I are really worried about you, you know."
A sob escaped her mouth and she wiped at her eyes angrily, as if contempt with herself for showing any sign of weakness.
"So you've got wake up. We all promised that we would get through this together and we can't get through this together if you're not with us Harry. We need you- I need you. It just- it doesn't feel like we've finally won if you have to die in order for it to come true."
"S-She's right mate." Ron said
He had been glowering at the exchange between them, well her exchange to him anyway, for the last past half hour without saying a word. You'd almost think they were married with the way she was carrying on about him. For Christ sakes he had his fair share of scrapes and bruises too! She hadn't even bothered to ask if he was ok ever since they'd gotten back. It was all Harry this and Harry that.
She needed to get off the Harry wagon and start worrying about herself for a change, more importantly the feelings she was harboring for him; that she had been harboring for him for the past five or six years. He needed to find some kind of way to MAKE her see just how important he was to her. No more of this Harry nonsense.
He felt bad for the bloke just like everybody else did, but he wasn't the only one who got hurt. Others were hurt, some even died and yet everybody, including his whole family, was just sitting around here fretting about the bloody boy-who-comatosed.
Ron was tired of being Harry Potter's stupid friend; he wanted something for himself; and for once he was going to get it, no matter what the cost…
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Later that night
"So you say this will make her want to shag my brains out right?" Ron asked peering into a pouch containing a clear powder.
"I've already told you the workings of the potion you imbecile. Twice by letter and thrice more over the floo; a small drop of this will make the bearer EXTREMELY docile, in the sexual sense, towards someone they harbor feelings for." An old hag said
"So it will make her want to shag my brains out?" Ron asked dumbly
"Maybe, if she harbors strong feelings for you. Mind you that this potion builds on what the inner subconscious wants, there is no middle ground. Odds are, only one person will benefit from this unless the girl is extremely naïve, and I don't think there is anyone in the world THAT naïve."
"You'd be surprised…" Ron said thinking of Ginny and her many boyfriends of late
"Anyways, you make sure that it's you this girl loves before you slip her this. I will not be held responsible if you set something in motion..."
"Yeah, yeah I got it, no refunds. Here's your money you bleeding hag now gimme my love juice." Ron rambled
"Imbecile…" The hag mumbled handing Ron the pouch and taking the bag full of galleons from his hand
"Where'd someone like you get all of this money anyway boy?" The hag asked, counting her money
"I borrowed it from a friend…" Ron said tucking the powder safely inside of his robes
"You just remember sonny, you ever need to shop for ill-doings you come and see Endora. My customers ALWAYS get more than what they bargained for…
The witch let out a creepy cackle and transformed into a murder of crows before Ron's eyes
"That is one creepy hag." Ron said carefully walking out of the deserted ally and back into the main pathway of Nocturne Alley.
