"You expect me to believe that you came here to die? Do you think me a fool Potter?"
"Don't call me that, and no I don't expect you to believe me but it is the truth."
Voldemort cast his eyes over the boy stood in front of him. At every previous encounter the boy stood before him, head held high, eyes blazing, ready to fight. Now the change was unbelievable. Eyes lowered to the ground, shoulders hunched, there was none of the usual defiance in his stance.
"Why?"
Harry looked up at the dark lord in confusion, "Why what?"
"Why do you want me to kill you?"
Harry lowered his eyes again, he didn't want to explain himself, he just wanted Voldemort to get this over with. 'I guess I was hoping for too much, of course he wants to drag this out. I shouldn't have expected anything less, why would he give me what I want.'
"I don't want to live anymore and I figured you would have no problem with killing me," Harry said, eyes still focusing on the floor. He really hoped that Voldemort didn't push any further, but of course he did.
"Why don't you want to live anymore?" Voldemort asked, he wasn't entirely sure why he didn't just kill the boy, that was his goal after all. However, he really wanted to know what had caused this defiant boy to just give up on life.
Harry sighed, he knew there was no point in avoiding the question anymore, Voldemort was just going to keep on asking him, "I never wanted this. I didn't want to fight. I had no idea about any of this, magic, you, my parents, anything. Then I find out that I'm a wizard and I thought that I would get to have a nice childhood from then on, but no. I find out that I'm destined to fight in this goddamned war and I never wanted to do this. I never even got to choose my own side, I just did what was expected of me but I'm done, finished, I can't fight anymore!"
Voldemort stared at the boy as he gave his speech, his eyes misting over as he finishes his rant. "You never wanted to fight? You never got to choose a side of this war, would you have ever chosen my side given your parents?" "I don't know," Harry answered, "I'm not even sure what your side of the war believes in, I only know what the light side told me and I wouldn't put it past them to lie about you and what you do."
"Is death the only option you see left?"
"It is my only option, you think the light side would let me go? I told Dumbledore that I didn't want to fight and he told me that I had to, that I was the only hope for them. Why me? I'm just a kid made to fight in a man's war, I just wanted to be a kid..." Harry trailed off, "However they can't make me fight if I'm dead and if you killed me they would just assume that I came to fight you and I failed. It would all be over."
"Look at me."
Harry lifted his head and fixed his eyes on the face of his enemy who has turned into his last hope.
Voldemort looked in Harry's eyes, they were dead. All the fire gone, all the fight had left the boy and left him a shell, "They've killed you."
Harry's eyes widened slightly in shock before nodding slowly, "They have led me to this conclusion."
Voldemort shook his head, "No, they have killed your spirit. Would you consider a deal?"
"What sort of deal?"
"You get to live. I keep you away from the war, you never have to fight again, as long as you promise not to defy me."
"I wouldn't have to fight?"
"No."
"I'd be kept safe?"
"I would protect you to the best of my abilities."
Harry looked thoughtful for a minute, a slight light appearing in his eyes before dying once more, "I don't think I can."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't think I can carry on living, I have nothing to live for. Everyone I care about is dead. I just want this to all be over."
Voldemort looked on and realised that the boy was right, he would never regain that light. To live on would be to continue suffering, alone. He would never be given the chance at the childhood he was deprived of, he could never separate totally from the war. The light had taken everything from him, there was nothing left for him.
"Very well Harry."
Harry looked surprised at the agreement and at the use of his first name.
"I will kill you, if that is what you wish."
"It is."
Voldemort raised his wand and pointed it directly at Harry's chest, "I hope you find peace in the afterlife."
"I hope you win this war and get everything you wanted."
Voldemort closed his eyes briefly, this was not how the tale was meant to end. No glorious battle, no hundreds of dead warriors, no duel. Just a boy who had been forced to take on too much. A boy pushed to death because of everything those who claimed to love him had done.
"Avada Kedavra."
The green light shot out of Voldemort's wand and hit the boy in the chest. He fell and lay there, unmoving. Voldemort walked over to the body and looked down at the peaceful face of his sworn enemy. He reached down, gently closed his eyes and then lifted the boy into his arms before apparating to Hogsmeade.
Once he appeared he wandlessly enhanced his voice and spoke up to the castle, "Harry Potter is dead. The light will fall."
Several minutes later the headmaster appeared, the twinkle in his eyes disappeared once he saw the body of his boy saviour in the dark lord's arms.
"Harry Potter is dead," Voldemort repeated as the headmaster slowly edged closer to the pair, "Give up this war Dumbledore, your saviour is dead. There is no hope left for you, give up before there is anymore deaths."
Dumbledore looked from Voldemort to Harry's body then back to Voldemort, his body slumped in defeat as he summoned a patronus, "The light has lost, the dark has won the war."
"Don't call me that, and no I don't expect you to believe me but it is the truth."
Voldemort cast his eyes over the boy stood in front of him. At every previous encounter the boy stood before him, head held high, eyes blazing, ready to fight. Now the change was unbelievable. Eyes lowered to the ground, shoulders hunched, there was none of the usual defiance in his stance.
"Why?"
Harry looked up at the dark lord in confusion, "Why what?"
"Why do you want me to kill you?"
Harry lowered his eyes again, he didn't want to explain himself, he just wanted Voldemort to get this over with. 'I guess I was hoping for too much, of course he wants to drag this out. I shouldn't have expected anything less, why would he give me what I want.'
"I don't want to live anymore and I figured you would have no problem with killing me," Harry said, eyes still focusing on the floor. He really hoped that Voldemort didn't push any further, but of course he did.
"Why don't you want to live anymore?" Voldemort asked, he wasn't entirely sure why he didn't just kill the boy, that was his goal after all. However, he really wanted to know what had caused this defiant boy to just give up on life.
Harry sighed, he knew there was no point in avoiding the question anymore, Voldemort was just going to keep on asking him, "I never wanted this. I didn't want to fight. I had no idea about any of this, magic, you, my parents, anything. Then I find out that I'm a wizard and I thought that I would get to have a nice childhood from then on, but no. I find out that I'm destined to fight in this goddamned war and I never wanted to do this. I never even got to choose my own side, I just did what was expected of me but I'm done, finished, I can't fight anymore!"
Voldemort stared at the boy as he gave his speech, his eyes misting over as he finishes his rant. "You never wanted to fight? You never got to choose a side of this war, would you have ever chosen my side given your parents?" "I don't know," Harry answered, "I'm not even sure what your side of the war believes in, I only know what the light side told me and I wouldn't put it past them to lie about you and what you do."
"Is death the only option you see left?"
"It is my only option, you think the light side would let me go? I told Dumbledore that I didn't want to fight and he told me that I had to, that I was the only hope for them. Why me? I'm just a kid made to fight in a man's war, I just wanted to be a kid..." Harry trailed off, "However they can't make me fight if I'm dead and if you killed me they would just assume that I came to fight you and I failed. It would all be over."
"Look at me."
Harry lifted his head and fixed his eyes on the face of his enemy who has turned into his last hope.
Voldemort looked in Harry's eyes, they were dead. All the fire gone, all the fight had left the boy and left him a shell, "They've killed you."
Harry's eyes widened slightly in shock before nodding slowly, "They have led me to this conclusion."
Voldemort shook his head, "No, they have killed your spirit. Would you consider a deal?"
"What sort of deal?"
"You get to live. I keep you away from the war, you never have to fight again, as long as you promise not to defy me."
"I wouldn't have to fight?"
"No."
"I'd be kept safe?"
"I would protect you to the best of my abilities."
Harry looked thoughtful for a minute, a slight light appearing in his eyes before dying once more, "I don't think I can."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't think I can carry on living, I have nothing to live for. Everyone I care about is dead. I just want this to all be over."
Voldemort looked on and realised that the boy was right, he would never regain that light. To live on would be to continue suffering, alone. He would never be given the chance at the childhood he was deprived of, he could never separate totally from the war. The light had taken everything from him, there was nothing left for him.
"Very well Harry."
Harry looked surprised at the agreement and at the use of his first name.
"I will kill you, if that is what you wish."
"It is."
Voldemort raised his wand and pointed it directly at Harry's chest, "I hope you find peace in the afterlife."
"I hope you win this war and get everything you wanted."
Voldemort closed his eyes briefly, this was not how the tale was meant to end. No glorious battle, no hundreds of dead warriors, no duel. Just a boy who had been forced to take on too much. A boy pushed to death because of everything those who claimed to love him had done.
"Avada Kedavra."
The green light shot out of Voldemort's wand and hit the boy in the chest. He fell and lay there, unmoving. Voldemort walked over to the body and looked down at the peaceful face of his sworn enemy. He reached down, gently closed his eyes and then lifted the boy into his arms before apparating to Hogsmeade.
Once he appeared he wandlessly enhanced his voice and spoke up to the castle, "Harry Potter is dead. The light will fall."
Several minutes later the headmaster appeared, the twinkle in his eyes disappeared once he saw the body of his boy saviour in the dark lord's arms.
"Harry Potter is dead," Voldemort repeated as the headmaster slowly edged closer to the pair, "Give up this war Dumbledore, your saviour is dead. There is no hope left for you, give up before there is anymore deaths."
Dumbledore looked from Voldemort to Harry's body then back to Voldemort, his body slumped in defeat as he summoned a patronus, "The light has lost, the dark has won the war."