Title: Set Me Free
Summary: AU. One –shot. Harry was captured by the dark side and forced to do evil things. What happens when he meets the light side again at the battle of Hogwarts? WARNING: Character Death.
By: Zero Capability
"Where is Harry Potter? What have you done with him?" Dumbledore's voice rang out across the no-man's-land between the two forces. One fighting for the light, one for the dark. The time had come for the final battle and both sides were standing in the grounds of Hogwarts. Prepared to fight.
A lone figure walked forwards, a hood pulled up over his head. His face obscured by shadows. He came to a stop, right in the middle of the gap between the armies, an equal distance from each. A pale hand reached up and pushed the hood back, exposing his face. The pale skin seemed to glow in the darkness. Midnight black hair blended in with the shadows. Once bright, lively, green eyes – now dead, unemotional – stared out from the pale face, straight towards Dumbledore.
"Harry, my boy, come over here. The light will help you heal." Dumbledore held out his hand, inviting Harry to join him.
Voldemort's laugh erupted from behind Harry. "You think he can be healed? He will be broken forever. Nothing your side can do will help. And anyway, he's killed people, tortured people, people from your side."
A person dressed in Auror robes stepped forwards, wand pointed threateningly at Harry. "I say we kill him, he's killed our people. He's tainted."
Dumbledore half turned to face the man but before he could speak, he was interrupted, by a cold, empty voice that sent shivers down everyone's spines.
"So kill me then, what do you have to lose?" Harry's voice turned softer, covering everyone in the emptiness of it.
"Give me what I tried to give myself." Harry stretched out his arms, showing them twin slashes on the inside of his wrists. "I envy the dead. No dreams, no memories. Just pure nothingness. Set me free."
"We can set you free from the darkness." Dumbledore intervened. "We can help you, just come over to our side, just leave the darkness behind."
Harry threw back his head and laughed; a cruel laugh that made everyone grip their wands tighter in their hands. Though his expression did not change from the unemotional mask that it was. "I am not asking you to save me from the darkness. No. I am asking you to save me from this world, from this life. Save me, set me free."
Dumbledore gaped at Harry. Never before had anyone heard Harry speak like this, not even the dark. Harry was strong, a symbol for the light, the Saviour. And here he was asking for death. There was a silence that enveloped the grounds of Hogwarts. Nobody spoke, nobody moved. Waiting to see what would happen next.
"You don't need to die Harry." Dumbledore tried fruitlessly to change Harry's mind. The light needed him to destroy Voldemort, to complete the prophecy and save the wizarding world. They just needed to save him from the dark.
"No, I don't need to die, but I want to." Harry took half a step forwards. "I want to escape this world, this life, this destiny. I want to be free. And if you will not help, then I must free myself." Harry stopped talking, a silence descended.
It had gotten darker. It was now a minute to midnight. The darkness was broken by the sudden flickering of flames. The flames were in Harry's hand. He lifted his hand flat, so it was horizontal to the ground.
"I shall set myself free." He whispered to himself, as the flames grew and started spreading along his arm. Towards his shoulder. Down his body. Across to his other arm. And finally up, over his head. Harry's whole body was encased by the flames. They were burning him alive. And even though pain ricocheted through his body, his face was turned towards the sky, his eyes closed in bliss as he burned.
Both armies watched in horror and fascination as Harry's body began to turn to ashes right before their eyes.
After a minute, though it had felt like hours to those watching, the fire extinguished. It was midnight.
All that was left of Harry was a pile of ashes. But before anyone could move an inch, the ashes started moving. They built themselves up until the ashes had turned into a bird. An ink black bird, with bright, emerald green eyes. A phoenix.
The bird trilled. It's song shattering the silence which had held the armies. It was both beautiful and haunting at the same time. Everyone there knew the song would remain with them, for the rest of their lives, until their dying day.
The bird stretched its wings before taking off. It flew over the Forbidden Forest, all eyes watching it until it was unable to be seen against the dark night.
Silence once again covered the area, none willing to break the spell cast upon them. Both sides still watching the sky, as if waiting for the night phoenix to come back.
One phrase echoed in all their minds. "Set me free."