Chapter ten: Lust
She contacted Harry two days later. He watched as she did it, wondering what she was doing. He didn't ask: he had no real curiosity. All of his will to do anything had been stamped out that one, awful night. He was just mildly interested in what she was saying. It was a distraction.
She touched the charmed gold coin that he'd given her and carried on a conversation that was so soft that he couldn't hear. Finally, she put it away and turned to him. "He's coming tomorrow," she said bluntly.
"Why are you telling me this?" he asked.
"Because I'm not waiting for you," she snapped. "You'd better be up and ready when he comes, or you are staying here to my father's tender mercies."
He shrugged. "Does it matter who kills me? I'm going to die anyway, right?"
She looked at him impatiently for a moment, then suddenly seemed to make up her mind. In one swift movement, she bent down and kissed him hard. Electric shocks spread through his body at her touch and, when she pulled away, he realized that he cared very much whether he survived or not. Their eyes met, and there was a moment of perfect understanding between them. She turned away and strode out of the tent, presumably going to the man… thing she was ensnaring. He began to make preparations to leave.
Two days later, both he and Althea were on hair-trigger. They were waiting for the scout to tell them that Harry Potter and entourage had arrived. When it finally did come, she closed her eyes momentarily. Then, she rattled off instructions in a brisk, businesslike voice. "Stay with me. I'll be with the Dark Lord, but with luck he won't notice you. Leave all talking to me, and do not attempt to go over to their side until I tell you to. Harry will think that both of us betrayed him, and he'll try to kill us, but you can't show any signs either of fear or of switching sides. Just leave it to me to handle it. Do you understand?"
He nodded, and she took a deep breath. He could see her pulling the persona that she had built up around her, then she swept arrogantly out of the tent. He followed her, doing his best to look meek.
She strode into the Dark Lord's tent without knocking – obviously he was expecting her. Thankfully, nobody gave Dudley a second glance. Everyone was watching Althea as she made her way towards the Dark Lord. Dudley watched her too. She was absolutely stunning, wearing her emerald robes like a Queen. Her head was help up high, and she looked neither left nor right. It was quite plain that she considered herself above everyone else in that room – except for the Dark Lord himself, of course – and that she expected everyone else to get out of her way. They all did so.
"Why is he here?" the Dark Lord hissed, pointing a slender finger at Dudley.
She smiled coldly. "I had thought to force him to witness the defeat of his cousin, my Lord," she said. "It seemed… a fit punishment."
The Dark Lord nodded, still looking at her. Dudley couldn't detect any emotion in his snake-like face, but he thought that the Dark Lord was completely lost in Althea. He wanted to grin, but schooled his features into an expression of terror. The creature would be in for a nasty surprise today.
"Potter has assembled quite an army," the Dark Lord said. "How did he know where to come?"
Althea looked around the room coldly, her eyes fixing on Snape. "You have a traitor in your ranks, my Lord," she said simply.
Snape's face went white, and he took a faltering step forward. "My Lord," he breathed. "It is not me who has betrayed you! It is her!" The venom in his voice apparently sealed his fate.
"Althea is worth ten thousand of you, Severus," the Dark Lord said icily. "I trust her word far above yours. Avada Kedavra!"
A jet of green light flew out of the Dark Lord's wand and hit Snape squarely, sending him shooting backwards. It was clear that he was dead. The Dark Lord's red slit eyes traveled around the group assembled in his tent. "Does anyone else have… objections?" he asked.
No one moved.
"Excellent. Shall we crush Potter and his followers?"
This met with a roar of approval. The Dark Lord strode out, Althea at his side, Dudley trailing behind her. As they advanced towards Harry's army, more and more masked individuals emerged, until they were leading a veritable army. Glancing back, Dudley couldn't see an end to the followers. His heart sank. How could Harry even hope to win against so many?
They crossed the wards, the Dark Lord dissolving them with a single, sharp wrist movement. For the first time, Dudley could see Harry's army clearly. It looked pitifully small compared to the masses of black-cloaked people trailing the Dark Lord, but Harry didn't look afraid. Next to him, Ron's eyes fixed with surprise on Althea. Then, he whispered something to Harry, who only nodded. Dudley supposed that Ron had told Harry that they were all traitors. He found that he didn't care.
The Dark Lord stopped a few yards away from Harry. His forces spread themselves out behind him, just as Harry's were. For a wild moment, Dudley thought that they'd been transported back in time to the Middle Ages. Wars were fought like this back then. It didn't occur to him that, for many wizards, they were still in the Middle Ages. It didn't matter.
"You have come to die, Potter," the Dark Lord said, raising his wand.
"I've come to kill you," Harry answered, raising his. "You can't kill me with that wand."
There was a moment of tense silence as the two surveyed each other. Despite the size of both armies – and Harry's was big, despite how much it was outnumbered by the Dark Lord's – you could have heard the slightest noise for those few seconds. Then, Althea spoke. "He tries to trick you, my Lord," she said. "Do not listen to him."
The Dark Lord nodded, and screamed those same two words. Harry shouted his own, and the two jets of light met in the middle. A moment later, the Dark Lord broke contact, shifting slightly so that the beam of red light hit the person directly behind him – a man that Dudley recognized as the one who'd been there when his parents were killed. Secretly, he hoped that the man was dead. He deserved it.
A few more insults were traded, then, with some unknown signal, the two armies began to advance towards each other. The Dark Lord and Althea stood, watching as their army moved towards Harry's. Similarly, Harry, Ron, and Hermione stayed behind while their forces met the enemy. There was another moment of utter silence, then chaos erupted. The two masses of bodies became a single entity, each person doing his or her best to kill anyone else, regardless of the danger to themselves. It was almost beautiful to behold, though Dudley would never have thought that moments before, and he was horrified at the thought moments afterwards.
"Come," the Dark Lord said, taking Althea's hand. "Leave this for the pawns." Althea wrapped her fingers around Dudley's wrist just as the Dark Lord lifted them effortlessly off the ground. They flew over the battle, the Dark Lord and Althea proud and commanding, Dudley terrified and pitiful.
Finally, they landed facing Harry and his two friends. No, three friends. Somehow, Ginny had joined them. The Dark Lord didn't even look at her, concentrating on Harry. Althea did look at her, and the look in Ginny's eyes did not bode well for the brown-haired woman. Or for Dudley himself, for that matter.
"Let us settle this once and for all, Potter," the Dark Lord said, drawing his wand again.
Harry took a step forward. The Dark Lord did the same. The two faced each other for a moment, then the Dark Lord said, "Avada Kedevra!"
Incredibly, Harry didn't get his wand up fast enough to counter the spell. Ginny screamed as the jet of green light sped towards Harry's heart. She launched herself at him, throwing herself bodily in the path of the light. She screamed as she died, and her eyes didn't leave Harry's. Her screams formed words. Dudley couldn't understand them, but he didn't need to. There was only one thing that she could be saying.
"I love you!" Ginny Weasley swore with her last breath.
Harry looked at her in horror. "Ginny!" he whispered. His voice broke as tears ran down his cheeks. "Ginny!" It was a shout this time, and he turned to the Dark Lord, his green eyes crazy with grief. "You are going to die, Voldemort!" he screeched. He pointed his wand at his enemy and spoke those two words. The Dark Lord leveled his own wand, ready to counter Harry's spell with one of his own, but Althea touched his arm. He turned to her, and she kissed him. Only Dudley saw the telltale glint of her knife. As she drew away from him, she thrust it savagely into the Dark Lord's back, stepping across the gap to where Harry and his three companions were standing. Dudley followed her. The Dark Lord looked at her for a moment in incomprehension as the spell hit him
She smiled grimly at him. "Snape was right," she said simply.
He screamed in pain and anger, and then in terror as he felt himself start to decompose. Dudley watched in abject horror as the figure disintegrated.
"Say the spell now!" Althea shouted at Harry. He starred at her in incomprehension. "The spell!" she screamed again. "The locking spell!"
Harry turned back to the rapidly vanishing Dark wizard and spoke in a flat, deadened voice, "Devenos Singulus." The particles of the Dark Lord flowed towards him, entering into his body. He stiffened, not moving until all of them had been sealed away. Then, he turned and started walking towards the little group. With a sudden, sickening drop of his stomach, Dudley realized the flaw in Althea's grand plan to trap the Dark Lord in Harry's body: Harry couldn't cope with it all.
Evidently Althea saw it too, because her eyes widened in terror. "You have to kill him!" she shouted to Ron and Hermione.
They turned to her, Hermione in shock, Ron in fury. "What are you talking about?" Ron roared. "We can't kill Harry!"
"He's not Harry anymore, don't you see?" Althea asked, staring in terror at the figure of the man who had only moments before been Dudley's cousin. "He couldn't cope with the power. He's turning into the Dark Lord!"
Hermione shook her head in disbelief. "That's not possible," she whispered. "Nothing in any of the research showed…"
"It doesn't matter what the fucking research showed, Granger!" Althea screamed. "Ever heard of the difference between practical and theoretical?"
"You did this on purpose," Ron shrieked, throwing himself at Althea. "Your treachery was proven, and you want to kill him now!"
Althea stepped aside, allowing Ron to collide with the ground rather painfully. "You have to do it!" she told Hermione urgently. "Now, before he becomes too powerful!"
Hermione only shook her head in bewilderment. "I can't," she whispered.
She didn't have to. Another familiar voice did it for her. They all turned to see Draco Malfoy standing behind them, holding his wand with trembling hands. "You see, Potter?" he asked harshly, swaying slightly. "I can do it." He collapsed, allowing them all to see the hole in his back. Killing Harry had been his last act in this world.