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Chapter 10

The End Draws Near

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"So, what do we do now?"

"Why the hell do I have to have all the plans?"

"Because you're the only one here with powers, Kat!"

"So?"

"So, get us out of here! Preferably alive!" Catherine gave Phoebe a furious glare.

"Fine! Make sure you've got all that crap you brought down here. We're going to have to make this quick." Catherine dug into her robe pocket and retrieved two potions vials and her wand.

"Here," She said, pressing the potion vials into Phoebe's hand and the wand into Piper's. "Those potions are some of my best, and Piper, we've taught you enough spells for you to be able to cast a few if need be. I'll go out first, Phoebe, you take the middle, and Piper, bring up the rear." Catherine took another potion out of her pocket.

"What's that?" asked Phoebe.

"A potion Mum gave me. She didn't say exactly what it does, but the potions she makes tend to go boom, which is what I'm hoping for now." Catherine eased open the door, tossed the vial, and slammed the door shut again. The explosion was deafening. The door Catherine had been holding closed was blown off its hinges. Catherine was thrown across the room. The Death Eaters, it seemed, had been incinerated. While Piper helped Catherine to her feet, Phoebe investigated what remained of the corridor.

"Damn…" Phoebe whispered, awestruck. "She used Jacklebeet… I'd say at least three tablespoons of the stuff."

"That woman's crazy…" Piper said, sounding thoroughly awed. "What was she trying to do, blow the castle up? With that much Jacklebeet she couldn't have had much else in mind."

"I don't care if she wanted to blow the country off the map," Catherine growled, nursing a large gash on her left forearm. "The potion saved our lives, that's all I care about. Now, let's get the hell out of here before more Death Eaters show up." Piper and Phoebe both nodded, and quickly followed Catherine down the corridor.

-.-

"What are you doing up here?" Hermione asked, looking up from the bubbling shield potion at Harry, who had just orbed up onto the Astronomy Tower.

"I wanted to make sure you were safe." Harry told her. "After the Great Hall collapsed, I got worried. Where's Catherine?"

"She's escorting Phoebe and Piper down to the Order headquarters." Hermione explained. "I didn't want them going alone, what with the possibility of them running into Death Eaters."

"Good, good… they should be safe down there," said Harry. A massive explosion erupted on the ground and the tower trembled. "I need to go," he said grimly. "Will you be okay up here?"

"Harry, I'll be fine. There's no way any demon or Death Eater can get up here." Harry gripped her hand momentarily, as though planning to say something else. Whatever it was, he decided against it and said,

"Keep that shield up for us." He orbed out. Hermione turned back to the simmering cauldron. Such a fine thread to hold back the tide of evil waiting to rush in on them, she thought, watching the flickering flames beneath the cauldron. Hermione was shaken from her thoughts when a column of fire erupted in the doorway.

"Hello, my dear." Daniel said, smiling grimly at her.

"H… how did you get passed the shield?" Hermione asked, visibly shaken by his sudden appearance.

"I've picked up a few tricks in my time, sweetheart." Without another word, he gripped Hermione's arm and flamed out.

-.-

Harry reformed in the dungeon the Order was using as its headquarters. He spotted Dumbledore standing over a large holographic monitor, which displayed the entire battlefield outside. Paige, Piper, Phoebe, and Catherine stood with him. He made his way toward them.

"Catherine," he said. "Piper, Phoebe. I'm glad to see you made it."

"Have you seen Hermione?" Phoebe asked.

"Yeah, I just saw her. Why?"

"Because she's gone," Phoebe gestured at the large monitor. "That's an advanced version of the Marauder's Map. It can show anyone, anywhere, at any time. The only thing is, Hermione's not in the Astronomy Tower, or anywhere in the castle, or anywhere on the grounds. It's like she just disappeared."

"But, I just spoke with her… only seconds ago. Where could she have gone? Did you see anyone with her on that thing?" Dumbledore shook his head.

"I'm afraid not. We were not looking at the Astronomy Tower at the time."

"Well, she wouldn't just leave…" Harry said firmly. "Someone had to make her leave, and I think I know who."

"Well, we can't worry about it now." Paige said. "We've got to stop Grindelwald's attack before we can help Hermione."

"Regrettably, I agree." Harry said. "Hermione would want the castle protected, no matter the cost." Harry looked to Catherine. "C'mon," he said. "We're going to need your help."

Harry and Catherine orbed into a small Order encampment, just inside the shield. Ron, Luna, and Ginny sat around the fire with other Order members, nursing their wounds.

"Harry! Catherine!" Ron called when he spotted them. "We were starting to get worried. How are the others?"

"There fine, all except for Hermione." Harry responded.

"What happened?" Luna inquired.

"She's gone. I think she was taken from the Astronomy Tower by her father."

"Luna and I can go get her." Ginny volunteered. "Any idea where he took her?"

"To Grindelwald, if I were to guess." said Harry dryly. "But we don't know where he is and we can't devote anyone to finding him. Hogwarts takes priority now. Would I rather abandon the school and go after her? Of course, but we have to protect Hogwarts."

"Harry's right," said Catherine firmly. "I would love to brave all and hasten to her rescue, but we don't have the manpower to rescue Mum and fight a war at the same time. It will take an army to breach Grindelwald's defenses. We've only got the one army and it's a little busy at the moment. Simply put, we can lose Mum… we can't lose Hogwarts. If we do then the war is over and it won't matter that we've saved her."

"I know…" said Ginny quietly. "I just… with the shield, we hardly need an army here. As long as the shield holds, we'll be…" The Astronomy Tower exploded. It seemed the Order hadn't managed to intercept all the demons and Death Eaters in the castle. The shield flickered and collapsed. They dropped to the ground as a torrent of spells arced into the sky, racing toward them like multicolored blobs of fire.

"I think it's time." Catherine told Harry, edging closer to him, making certain to keep herself hidden behind a fallen tree.

"Right," Harry said. He pointed his wand skyward and shot a jet of red sparks into the night sky. High above them, the stars rippled. A single dragon, jet black in color, swooped down upon Grindelwald's forces. Another dragon appeared, following the first one on its course, fire blazing from its mouth. Together, they glided over the battlefield, leaving long trails of fire on the ground. Even with the mounting casualties Grindelwald was suffering, his army continued to press the Order back into the castle. Unfortunately for Grindelwald, his army became so focused on breaching the castle's outer defensive wall, they were unprepared for the Order's secret weapon.

A battle cry sounded from the edge of the forest. Death Eaters raced toward Grindelwald's rear guard, led by Voldemort. Now trapped between two armies, Grindelwald's forces turned from the castle and charged Voldemort's advancing lines. Against all odds, Grindelwald's army broke through Voldemort's advance and retreated into the forest.

"They'll Disapparate as soon as they've cleared the school grounds." Catherine said, collapsing on the ground next to Ron and Luna, both of whom looked as tired as she felt. Harry came hurrying up to them, Ginny on his heals.

"Are they prepared?" Harry asked Catherine. She nodded.

"If they're needed," She said quietly.

"Good, if Voldemort's got something planned, now is his…." Catherine's eyes widened. Harry, Ron, Luna, and Ginny all turned to see what she was looking at. A single giant, massive club in hand, towered over them. Its thundering footsteps shook the ground as it approached the castle. A high, cold laugh sounded behind them.

"I must confess that I am greatly disappointed." said Voldemort. "I had thought that you would at least have contemplated my treachery. It's like you don't know me at all." Harry simply shrugged.

"Oh, we you perfectly." Magical creatures began appearing everywhere on the grounds. A herd of centaurs charged into the field, peppering the enemy with arrows. Whitelighters orbed entire legions of wizards onto the school grounds. Voldemort cursed and vanished. Wizards on broomsticks dropped explosive casks onto the ground. The black lake rippled. A spiraling maelstrom appeared, and a fleet of large, dark ships surfaced. The vessels, sent by Durmstrang Institute, opened fire. The ship's cannons bombarded Voldemort's forces as they attempted to regroup. As most of the Order surrounded Voldemort's army, Harry and Catherine raced across the ground for the castle doors.

"Are you sure about this?" Harry asked as they burst into the ruined Great Hall.

"Yes!" Catherine shouted, lighting a fire beneath a cauldron and began dumping ingredients into it. "Look, without the Power of Three, the Source vanquishing spell isn't going to work. Mum made a potion that we used to escape from a group of Death Eaters earlier. I think I might be able to increase its explosive yield enough to vanquish Voldemort and the Source."

"But you don't know that you can." Harry countered.

"No, I don't know," Catherine retorted. "But if it doesn't work, we're dead. We're one witch short for the vanquishing spell and we can't risk transferring Mum's powers to someone else, because wherever she is, she's going to need them. Now, the faster you stop asking me questions, the faster I'll finish this potion!"

Outside, the battle raged on. Despite the Order's advantage in numbers, the Order was tired, having battled Grindelwald for hours. Voldemort's forces, however, were fresh and fit for battle. Even so, Harry thought, as Catherine corked five potion bottles and handed one to him, if you cut off the head of the snake, the body will die. He examined the jet black liquid inside the vial. Catherine took one last look around the Great Hall. She had a sad expression on her face, almost as though she would never see it again.

Harry reached out and took her hand. She turned and looked at him. In that moment, Harry forgot she was his daughter. She was just that pretty girl he'd fallen in love with all those years ago. The girl that had given her life to save his in that very room.

"It's odd, isn't it?" Catherine said, correctly reading the look on his face. "How things change?"

"Yeah… it is." Harry muttered.

"Have you ever… Have you ever thought about what would have happened if you and I had never broken up? If I hadn't died and lost the baby… If I hadn't flown off the handle when I saw you kissing Ginny…?"

"Every day." Harry said quietly. "Catherine, I…. I really did love you… You know that, right?" Catherine nodded.

"Yeah," she said, wiping a tear from her eye. "Yeah, I… I know. Harry, I…" Harry reached up and cupped her cheek in his hand. He gently wiped another tear off her cheek.

"We've got to go…" Catherine nodded again.

"Right," she said. She pocketed three of the potion vials and gripped the last one tightly in her hand. "Let's go." Harry took her hand and led her out into the Entrance Hall. It was deserted.

"C'mon," Harry said, edging out into the Hall and toward the oak front doors. Catherine kept a firm grip on his hand as they walked. Just as they reached the doors, a fireball hit Catherine squarely in the back. She flew across the room and slammed into one of the large hourglasses that indicated the House points. Voldemort descended the Marble Staircase, smiling darkly.

"Harry, Harry, Harry…" He chuckled softly. "Your time is up. You and the Order of the Phoenix have irked me for the last time." Voldemort drew his wand. Harry followed suit. Voldemort's gaze fell on the potion in Harry's hand.

"A potion?" He asked. "What? Don't I merit the Power of Three? I'm hurt. But then, your daughter is dying on the floor over there, and her mother…. Well, I had hoped to kill her myself, but I suppose my old associate, Grindelwald, will have that wonderful pleasure."

"Why did you have to do this?" Harry asked, ignoring Voldemort's previous words. "All of this… everything… all this death and pain is because of you. And what have you gained? Nothing! Why?" Voldemort laughed.

"My reasons are of no concern to you," Voldemort raised his wand. Harry tossed his potion vial, but Voldemort blasted it out of the air.

"Fool…" he muttered.

"But who is the more foolish," Catherine said weakly, from the floor. "The fool? Or the fool who turns their back on the enemy before killing them?" Voldemort turned around. Catherine stood inches from him. She seemed to be using every ounce of strength she had to remain standing. In a flash, Voldemort had drawn his sword. Harry hit Voldemort with a bolt of lightening from his fingertips, but it had no effect.

Voldemort plunged the sword through Catherine's chest. She gasped and fell to the ground. The potion vial slipped from her grasp and shattered at Voldemort's feet. Voldemort looked from the potion on the ground, to Catherine, whose blood was beginning to pool around her, to Harry, who slowly lowered his wand. Voldemort laughed softly.

"Well," he said, in an offhand sort of way. "That's that, I suppose." The shattered potion ignited and exploded. The blast knocked Harry off his feet. Catherine was engulfed in the powerful detonation. Harry had barely landed on his back before he was already upright again. He ran to Catherine's side, to find her still alive. He knelt beside her and scooped her carefully into his arms.

"Kat…" he said softly.

"Haven't we been in a situation like this before?" she asked weakly. Harry looked her over. She was covered in burns. The sword wound in her chest still bled freely and Harry could only guess what the fireball had done.

"You died for me last time," Harry told her. "Not again." He stood, held both hands out over her, and began to heal her. For a moment, Harry thought it wasn't working, but then the burns began to disappear. The sword wound vanished and her eyes fluttered open. She looked up at him. Harry held out his hand and Catherine took it. He pulled her to her feet and gave her a soft smile.

"I'm not losing you again." He said firmly. Catherine grinned.

"Thanks." she told him. "C'mon, we need to go. With Voldemort gone, his army will be diminished, but the Source is still out there. We need to go find him." Harry nodded.

"I think I might know where we can find him." Harry gripped Catherine's hand once again, and together, they orbed out.