Hello guys! another quick update, it'd be quicker but my mom finally visited and we hit all the awesome spots here in Athens and my mind was on shopping and my mom's care after months on my own :P so yeah, it was time for money and good food i guess hehe

HUGE thanks for your reviews, i'm so glad you like the story and that you liked hr's background

here is the chapie of the battle, the next one will be the last so hold on tight for the next update and THEN we're going to start the new story for harry and hermione :D oh i'm so excited, i'll try to have the trailer ready by the time the epilogue here will be up so you can check out the new installment stay tuned guys!

Enjoy...


Chapter Eight – The Death Dance

'HARRY!' Hermione cried out as her husband fell on his knees, taking her with him as he clutched at his forehead in suffering. Hermione, even in tears and shock of what had been revealed about her entire life, tried to help her husband the best she could. 'Please talk to me!' she begged Harry who was grunting and hissing in pain.

'He's back! Voldemort is back! He must be near…' Harry made it to grunt out as he felt his scull in such pain as if it was about to split in two. Hermione's eyes widened, if Harry could feel such pain then the locket was back in His hands and he was being reborn, that meant Harry was going to have that connection with Voldemort again. Draco Malfoy's hysterical laugh that reminded her of Bellatrix made Hermione shot up from her embrace with Harry, grip the phone again and smash it once more on Draco's head, this time leaving him unconscious. She needed to deal with her banes and having the idiot around drove her crazy. She moved close to Harry again who was gasping on his knees, she knelt down beside him and tried to help him on his feet.

Harry had forgotten how much pain he could feel when Voldemort was around, it'd been more than ten years ever since the Hogwarts Battle and now he felt the pain as if for the first time. He tried to focus however as the last thing he needed was for Voldemort to find out where they were through the connection that was restored, and haunt them down immediately.

'He's back, Hermione,' Harry whispered again as Hermione helped him on the bed and knelt before him and between his legs again, her hands around him as he tried to focus through the pain, they needed a plan immediately. She nodded her head and tried to clean her mind from all the other thoughts as she needed to think of some tactic, some plan, it was them against everyone in particular and the odds just seemed too bad right now.

'You still can leave for Egypt or something and I can go to Colombia,' Hermione whispered as she tried to think of something to hold on for them to remain there, their love for each other was the main reason but she was afraid they'd both die trying to make it. Harry paused and looked at her through eyes fogged from pain.

'I say we stay and finish this thing, even if we leave, he'll chase us like dogs, forever, until we'll be found dead in a river like Karkarof… but if we stay and fight for our crap marriage… we might can do it, I'm a mess and you're a disaster but I say we stay and fight because if we run now we'll always be running….' Harry said in anger, he didn't want her to think like that, they were supposed to be united, married for fuck's sake. When Hermione looked at him with as pained eyes, all the anger evaporated. 'The prophesy says we can make it,' Harry added in a softer voice.

'The prophesy also says that we're capable of awful things while united and that only separated we can be safe from each other… should I be settled?' Hermione snapped the question even if she didn't want to sound like that. 'I…my life was a lie for all this time, he used me and I should be the one to jump first and kill him, with you right next to me as he killed your parents and friends but… I can't afford see him killing you too, I don't care about myself, I feel smoked already, maybe your friend Ron was right… we're off the reservation.' Hermione sad softly and lowered her head but Harry took her chin gently and forced her to look at him again.

'Something wasn't a lie…. I loved you and I still do, more than ever before, less than in the future… if there is such a bloody thing…' Harry said honestly and more tears gathered in Hermione's eyes as she looked deep in his eyes. 'On or off the reservation, we've been fooled and tricked by them and now they are against us… no big surprise considering the betrayal.' Harry added and Hermione sighed. 'If you think we shouldn't fight for us, lets fight him for our parents' memories, or die trying,' Harry said but this time Hermione spoke.

'I want to fight for us Harry, I just don't want to see you dead, I won't be able to take that blow, I – I… The prophesy talks about us destroying each other and we both know if we have to fight him we need the hallows, powerful things we might not be able to stop from consuming us,' Hermione said and her voice broke again, that darn prophesy and all the things that included along Harry and Voldemort's prophesy and Harry having that connection with that monster… probably because a part of him was inside her husband drove her nuts.

'One bane at the time, Hermione,' Harry tried to comfort her, he had used the Hallows, he knew their power, their addictive nature, but he hoped that he could do it once again, especially now with her by his side, they had a small chance to make it and he was willing to exploit it.

Hermione looked at Harry for a moment, the past hours were the most honest of her life, she had opened up to him and he had done the same with her, and even if things right now seemed awful, she was willing to take a chance and demand more honest hours and days and months and years with her husband, even if the price was to die by his side…

'Lets do it,' Hermione finally said and Harry smiled at her weakly as the pain in his forehead increased again.

'He's mad, he's so mad,' Harry said and Hermione sighed, the man who had used her, who had killed her parents and had doomed her in a life with two people that were anything but fit to raise a child, her blood boiled in anger.

'We need the hallows, where are they?' Hermione asked and Harry this time smiled slightly. As far as she knew the Wand was in Hogwarts' grounds, in Dumbledure's tomb and the stone inside the lake, that's what rumors were about all these years. Harry took his wand and after a complicated movement Hermione wasn't sure she had seen before the wand conjured a small box out of thin air. Harry opened it before her, it could have fitted a ring or something as small but as Hermione looked inside she gasped when she saw a tiny wand, thin as a tooth stick, a tiny ring and a little piece of fabric. Hermione looked at Harry in wonder.

'Inside my wand, a Sumerian spell for objects being hidden inside other objects…' Harry explained at his wife's bewildered face and raised eyebrows.

'You have been carrying the Hallows inside your wand for all these years?' Hermione asked in shock.

'Well, we wanted the rumors to spread about Hogwarts as to disorient any Voldemort wannabes and Tom himself but I couldn't think of any other place to hide such things than my own wand, a wand that works only for me and is unapproachable to Voldemort because of the Priori Incantatem that takes place when our wands are active against each other…' Harry said as he rubbed his temple, he wished she knew what the Incantatem was or they would waste more time for him to explain, since she nodded he smiled slightly, she was a clever witch.

'I have to admit that's really bright,' Hermione said and Harry grinned this time, even in desperate times like this, they had the way to praise and support each other. 'So we fight as more as we can until we fall dead?' Hermione asked this time and Harry sobered.

'Have you heard of the Death Dance?' he asked her softly and Hermione sighed and nodded, it was probably their only chance.

'Two fighters bound by blood, some prophesy or marriage bounds, united can create a shield of power that will allow them to fight as one being, their senses increase and sharpen, their power levels are getting higher, their magic stronger, as long as they've cast the bounding spell to make the shield.' Hermione answered as if she was answering a teaching question about old families in power that made such spells to save themselves by other families of power.

'We're bound by the prophesy but our marriage bounds were Muggle and we're not blood related, just give me your hand,' Harry said and Hermione did as she was told, knowing what was to follow. Harry pointed his wand at his palm first, the spell breaking his skin in a small wound that started bleeding, he did the same to Hermione's palm. The two grasped their hands together, Harry pointed his wand five times on their hands and soon points of light became bounds that got tightly around their palms with the blood dripping from between. Harry moved closer and kissed Hermione on the lips, tapping once at her heart and once at his own, they both felt the power increasing inside them until they gasped and broke the kiss, ending the spell of binding at the same time, now they could perform the Death Dance.

The couple stared at each other's eyes for a moment before they could unclasp their hands and wrap them around each other even still bleeding and open, the decision was made and they weren't backing down now with the Order, the Death Eaters and their Lord in their wake…

Most people wouldn't believe that the final battle between the Potters and Voldemort would take place in a shopping center in the highway out of London, the Hogwarts School, Hogsmeade or even the Ministry were some of the places people expected to "host" the battle. But as the couple had no other choice but to abandon the motel and try not to be in the open of the highway, the shopping store seemed the best choice for a battle, full of shelves and corridors, they'd have the time to hide and execute a lot of people while the will be covered by the place and each other.

The Order was right there first, bursting inside the motel and trying to find them, they had made it to escape by some moments but soon the Order understood where they were heading to and soon were getting inside the huge building.

'That's a really good store,' Harry whispered as the two moved inside after breaking in and they moved close to the kitchen equipment as to get ready with their muggle guns and wands, the ring had remained shrunk, like the cloak but the Elder wand was now in Harry's hand.

Hermione rolled her eyes at her husband's words as they could both hear the apparition sounds from outside and inside the building, her eyes fell on two dolls in a set of a kitchen, the classic happy housewife and the husband who was getting inside from job with a rose in his hand… classic life my ass she thought as she glared at the dolls that represent the past of her marriage right before her eyes.

They needed to be quiet as to destroy as many without revealing their actual spot through the building so they didn't fire spells the moment a wizard apparated close to them and was ready to attack them, they did so first, having him down in moments and stealing the potions he had at the ready.

They moved on, through the corridors taking by surprise a couple more enemies, with Harry striking them with a huge pliers, as he moved, he knocked a floor lamp and Hermione gasped as it would cause havoc while smashing on the floor but Harry had the time to stop it with his foot and place it down gently, after that he waved the pliers in victory with his tongue out, making his wife laugh quietly. They took the potions from their fallen enemies and moved on.

As they moved on, striking enemies from behind and petrifying them with silent spells, they kept on, Harry circled himself with the wands in his hands but as he did so his right fist knocked a tower of cans of paint, causing a huge noise of metal colliding on the wooden floor, Hermione gasped and hissed at Harry.

'Jesus, Harry…!' she glared at him.

'I didn't touch a thing!' Harry whispered apologetically.

'Yes you did!' Hermione retorted but the quarrel couldn't be continued as the first curses and spells were sent towards them with force from different directions and the couple ducked and started moving away, all the while firing spells and throwing fire and explosive potions until they got inside the elevator that led them to the next floor, the two remained there, heaving breaths with potions and wands at the ready while the ridiculous music of the elevator played in the background. Soon the doors were opening again.

'Stupefy!'

'Expulso!'

'Deprimo!'

'Protego!'

The couple retreated back inside the elevator as the Order people were more and they needed for them to spread around the building. The couple remained in silence again, huffing and breathing hard as the adrenaline rushed inside their veins and their hearts raced.

'Darn, this trip to Colombia suddenly seems very good now, isn't it?' Harry wondered in a soft voice as he glanced at Hermione's face, he hadn't expected to see the entire order against him, maybe a small piece of him hoped they wouldn't be such jerks to fight him of all people, yet he was wrong and now he could feel the fear of which Hermione had talked about before, he wouldn't make it if he saw her falling.

'Naah, it rains a lot this time of the year,' Hermione said in an equal whisper and Harry looked at her for a long moment. 'There is no other place I'd rather be…than here, with you…' Hermione added and they smiled slightly at each other, they needed to remain focused. 'Shut up…' she added as they both knew if they said something more now, they'd turn into puddles.

The doors opened again and the onslaught continued, soon the glass ceiling was shattering and black smoke consumed the atmosphere for a few moments as Death Eaters got inside the field and started fighting with the Order, it'd be odd as the Death Eaters didn't try to attack Harry and Hermione but the Potters knew that this was probably Voldemort's orders, he wanted to finish them just like they wanted to finish him.

The Potters kept firing spells through the battle that suddenly wasn't about them but who was going to survive to kill them later and soon everyone was in a blur of smoke, shattered pieces of various materials, dust, flashes of spells and screams of furry. Old enemies, new opponents, former friends and people responsible for deaths of beloved ones were fighting and even if the battle lacked the participation of non-human creatures since everything had been decided and executed so quickly that night, the air cracked in the heavy magic and emotions contained in it.

Harry made sure to cover his wife, just like Hermione did with him, if they used the Death Dance now, they wouldn't last long and Voldemort seemed nowhere to be seen yet, they needed to use that combination of magic, people and death as a last weapon, they still needed the element of surprise and they certainly needed to remain alive to the end.

The battle went on and on with the Potters killing Order members that were uncovered by Death Eaters, in a way helping the dark side but then killing Death Eaters that too, tried to fight with the rest. Under other circumstances Harry would feel like the greatest traitor to be killing Order members but the lines had been redrawn and the situation was kill or be killed for all of them.

For a moment the couple parted by two feet and then Harry's heart skipped beats as he heard Hermione screaming in endless pain from behind him, he had heard such kind of screams, from his own lips back in fourth year when Voldemort had used the Cruciatus on him. He spun around, trying to find the person that inflicted on his wife such pain and he felt like exploding the moment he saw Bellatrix Lestrange pointing her wand at Hermione's convulsing form on the floor, the brunette seemed as if she had been waiting for this for a long time.

'CONFRINGO!' Harry bellowed as he pointed his Phoenix wand at the Death Eater, the spell missed her for an inch as she moved to her left, yet it affected her as the explosion sent her a couple feet away on her back. Hermione's screams stopped and the young witch remained on the floor gasping and weak as Harry rushed close to help her.

'Hello mother,' Hermione said in a broken and harsh voice as she stood on her feet with difficulty, just like Bellatrix because of the spell and her age.

'Granger,' Bellatrix spat as she looked viciously at the younger woman.

'And proud of it,' Hermione retorted at the woman who had made sure her childhood was a living Hell.

'I thought I raised you to have a better taste in men than the Halfblood bastard.' Bellatrix said as she looked at the couple.

'Considering your husband and Lord… allow me to decline your taste in men…' Hermione spat back and Bellatrixe's eyes filled with furry as she pointed her wand again but Harry was faster and Stupefied the darn witch who was sent flying more feet down the corridor unconscious this time.

The couple didn't have time to deal with the witch that was out as Harry's forehead felt like being burnt again and Hermione that until then was held by her husband now held him in her own arms as Harry tried not to collapse in pain.

'Potters,' the airy, cold voice was heard from behind them and the couple turned around and looked at Him, the reason they both didn't have parents, they didn't have decent lives, the reason of the prophesies, the reason of them actually being there tonight, holding each other before him.

'Tom,' Harry acknowledged his all time enemy as Hermione just stared at the man who had taken all her life from her hands. His red eyes flashed in anger at the sound of his actual name but he knew how to retort.

'Dear Hermione…' the hissing voice said and the couple felt a shiver down their spines. 'Harry… I have to admit, even after the battle at Hogwarts, you still made all the wrong choices… marrying to the woman that is going to be your downfall… like you will be hers, if of course you can make it and conquer the greatest wizard of all time.' Voldemort said with an inhuman smirk.

'Dumbledore is dead but even if he was alive we wouldn't have a reason in the world to fight him so I'm sure we can win anyone below the greatest wizard of all time…' Harry spat back and this time Voldemort's smirk wavered.

'It was a pleasure to see you together, both destroyed by me, I still remember the fear in your parents' faces while I cast the killing curse on each of them… but it's ok, a pureblood married to a Mudblood, the Mudblood herself and two filthy muggles are no great casualties, just like you, Harry… you could have done better for a wife than a Mudblood like your mother,' Voldemort shot back and the trio didn't need more small talk. Voldemort vanished for a moment and they had the time to grasp hands, get in position and perform the spell.

Their backs touched, the hand that held each other clasped the Elder wand as well while their free hands raised the shield before them while the battle went on around them, thought exhausted and spent, they were going to give their best.

Voldemort showed up right before them but the shield worked and sent him flying away, he recoiled midair and advanced again with a fire spell that circled the shield in a ring but Harry used a water spell to break it, Hermione at the same time sent an injuring curse at the evil wizard who apparated again before he could even land on his feet.

The two remained close but soon they felt their shield shaking and wavering, Harry spun Hermione around, as if they were dancing and she circled herself holding his hand and the Wand until she stood before him, they held both their free hands and their wands touched, causing the shield to get strong again and a glow to erupt, coaxing a holler of furry as they made it to ban him from the shield that he tried to penetrate in his immaterial form.

The couple moved back in their previous position and the moment Voldemort showed up again it was time for them to advance on him.

The shield remained around them as they walked closer to him and he waited with his wand pointing straight at them. The battle around was raging on but the trio was dedicated in their own - life or death- fight. Both Harry and Voldemort raised their wands, read to execute the prophesy they had in common, the Avadas collided with each other and the two men groaned in pain and effort as the connection between the wands created the Phoenix web outside the Potter's shield that never wavered thanks to Hermione who was still grasping at her husband's hand for dear life.

Harry felt his scar in enormous pain but he wasn't sure what was still keeping him on his feet, maybe his will to finish the snake like bastard before him, maybe his connection with Hermione, maybe her words before about being there than anywhere else, maybe his own will to fight for his wife and their only chance, maybe a little bit of all, thing was, he had never felt such pain before in his life as both the Death Dance and the Priori Incantatem along Voldemort's part inside him made his body feel like exploding into million pieces.

Hermione gasped and almost left his hand the moment she saw her husband rising a few inches from the ground, all the while his body stretching like a bow, a moment later, from his own flesh and clothes a black smoke moved out of him as if something sucked it out of his very flesh. The black thing bounced against the Potters' shield and Hermione knew Harry Potter was no longer the Horcrux that held him bound with their nemesis. Soon the black smoke was making it to move out of the shield of light the Potters had created and rushed close and inside its main piece. Voldemort inhaled deeply while Harry was still struggling to hold the connection both with his wife and his enemy at the same time while the breaking point neared his end.

Hermione rushed closer to Harry, holding tighter the Elder Wand with her other hand while she grasped the fist that held the phoenix wand as to help him with her own magic. The connection seemed to get stronger as she used her own power through her husband's wand and soon, since they functioned as one being the couple made it to turn the breaking point closer and closer to the other end of the connection, where Voldemort was struggling to stop them even thoughy stronger with the final piece of his soul back in place.

The moment the breaking point hit Voldemort's wand, Hermione found the chance to finish this once and for all through the Elder Wand while their enemy struggled with the wand connection. She helped the weak by then Harry to point the Elder wand at Voldemort's direction, if the powerful Hallow along their own connection couldn't take down the madman before them then nothing could ever do it.

The Phoenix web disappeared in a moment and with it the faint sound of a Phoenix's cry the moment the lifeless body of Tom Riddle's fell on the cold ground while Hermione was setting down her semi-conscious husband, they both bled in various spots of their skins and drops of blood had escaped their nostrils because of the sheer power that had rushed through their united bodies. Hermione knelt next to her husband as he remained flat on his back and smiled faintly up at her with eyes unfocused.

The rest of the battle had been over around them but Hermione only cared about the slipping man before her, they had made it to kill Voldemort but Hermione feared that the price was too great for her to afford as her husband touched her face with his weak palm.

'I love you, I wanted to tell you that ever since the elevator,' Harry gasped and Hermione's tears fell freely down her cheeks as she started casting strengthening and healing spells on him.

'Shut up, just shut up and you'll tell me in awhile, when you're fine,' Hermione said though her tears as she tried to focus but his hand kept her distracted while his eyes begged for her attention.

'I just thought you should know now…' Harry said and Hermione sobbed, cast a couple more powerful healing spells and then hugged him tightly even with her arms trebling in exhaustion and pain from the Cruciatus and the battle she had suffered. She rained his face in kisses as they remained hugged in the destroyed store before she could whine in fear and grip the Elder Wand, determined to save him as his eyes slowly drifted closed…


OOOH poor Harry and poor Hermione! what u think guys? i want to know! what u think of their struggling to save their marriage before the battle and what about the battle itself of course, i think the hermione-bella-taste in men moment was a nice one wasn't it? and then the battle with Voldemort, one of the most satisfying for my writing may I say, it felt better than that suicide Voldie had in DH with the Expeliamus and the Kedavra *facepalm*...

WAITING FOR YOUR REVIEWS, LOVE AND OPINION!

any errors hopefully will be forgiven as OF COURSE it's 03.28 am : P

CP09