Thank you to everyone for the reviews and story alerts :) Here's chapter twenty nine! Dun dun duunnn...
Chapter twenty nine
The final battle
A violent gasp of air forced air back into his lungs, sending an acid burn through his chest. The next breath wasn't quite so difficult to catch and the third was easier still. There was an odd tingling sensation about halfway down his stomach and he reached with clumsy hands to feel what it was. Somebody stopped him from reaching his goal.
'Harry!'
With surprising ease, Harry managed to pry his eyes open. The forest was dark, but an odd light hovered in front of his eyes. He batted it away irritably.
'Can you answer me?'
Harry shifted his body slightly and blinked to readjust his sight. Dumbledore was stood over him, the light was glowing brightly from the end of his wand. Remus was beside him on his knees, his brows pulled together tightly and Snape was further back, looking as horrid as Harry felt.
'Y-yeah,' he said shakily. 'I'm fine.'
Remus let out a sigh of relief before pulling Harry tightly into his side.
'What happened?' Harry asked, allowing Remus and Dumbledore to pull him to his feet. He swayed slightly before his head cleared enough for him to stand unassisted.
'Bellatrix stabbed you,' Remus told him. Harry nodded, remembering with hazy thoughts the sheer madness reflected in her eyes.
'I died,' he said, glancing quickly over his shoulder at Snape who was still a few feet behind them. He frowned curiously.
Dumbledore intercepted their glances with a knowing nod.
'An unbreakable vow,' he said.
Remus' eyebrows angled upwards.
'What?' he demanded, looking between all of them.
'It was only a matter of time before you discovered the truth,' Snape said wearily.
Remus looked to Harry for conformation.
'He made an unbreakable vow with my mother,' he said quietly. 'To keep me alive.'
Remus' jaw was working on silent words. He turned around to face Snape and they stared at each other in silence for a few moments. Snape's expression betrayed nothing of what he was thinking, but there was something about their silent interaction which intrigued Harry. Eventually they broke eye contact and Remus' face was slightly more drawn than before.
'We'd best get moving,' he said stiffly. 'The Order is waiting for us.'
'Where's Kingsley?' Harry asked as Remus took him by the elbow and began to direct him towards a circular clearing where the trees grew sparse.
'He didn't make it,' Snape replied quietly.
Harry felt his chest constrict with guilt but Snape rounded on him quickly. 'Now is not the time,' he said firmly. 'We can mourn those who have been lost when the time comes. For now, there are more pressing matters at hand.'
Regrettably, Harry knew Snape was right. Feeling guiltier by the second, he tired to push all thoughts of Kingsley aside. He had to be focused.
Just as Harry was beginning to wonder where on earth everyone was, a strange tingling passed over his entire body; the hairs on his arms stood upright. He stopped for a moment, unsure what to make of the odd sensation. Remus pushed him forward and suddenly, the clearing was fit to burst with people. Harry raised his eyebrows.
'I love magic,' he said with a grin. 'How did you do that?'
Dumbledore chuckled beside him. 'It is merely a protective spell,' he said. 'It will stop the Death Eaters knowing we are here until we wish them to know we are here.'
Harry nodded. He turned to look back and saw now that they were encased by what appeared to be a large circular bubble. The trees outside looked distorted, as if he were looking through cellophane. He was aware now of the amount of noise inside the protective shell. People were bustling about, there were several younger witches practising defensive spells in the corner; Harry could see Mad Eye and some of the Aurors organising people into groups. Tonks was beside him, looking weary and favouring one leg but otherwise she appeared to be coping just fine. She caught Harry's eye and shot him a quick smile.
'How did you get so many people?' Harry asked, his eyes surveying the large crowd. There were several people he hadn't seen before, Aurors dressed in impressive red robes and a large group of seventh year Hogwarts students he recognised. The Order stood grouped together in one corner, Bill and Charlie had joined them moments before.
'People want to fight,' Dumbledore said simply.
'Harry!'
A familiar bushy haired girl came sprinting towards him from the crowd. She enveloped him in a huge hug, pinning his arms firmly to his sides.
'I was so worried!'
Harry chuckled lightly into her hair. 'We're fine, everybody...' he trailed off and pulled away from Hermione's vice like grip. 'Almost everybody,' he finished.
Hermione gave him a knowing nod.
'What's going on now?' Harry asked.
'Moody has just briefed everybody,' she told him. 'We're just waiting for Dumbledore to give the signal.'
Harry nodded, and as he did a striking pain shot through his forehead. He shook his head, trying to clear it but instead, he found himself looking down at a group of cowering Death Eaters.
'Go now!' a voice roared in his ears.
'Harry?'
Hermione waved a hand in front of his face. 'What's happened?'
He went to respond but another stab of pain pulled him from her and once again he was staring at the cloaked figures. He glared down at Lucius Malfoy who was cowering on the ground in a mess of blood and the remains of his death eater robe.
'Lucius, how you've disappointed me,' the voice said, almost soothingly to the writhing man on the floor. And with a stab of green light, the blonde haired man fell still.
'Harry!'
'They're coming,' Harry said quickly, rubbing away the last traces of pain in his scar. He turned to find Remus, Dumbledore and Snape looking down at him. 'Any minute now...he just killed Malfoy.'
Snape's face fell slightly. 'Malfoy was always a foolish man,' he said quietly.
'Are we ready?' Remus said, turning to Dumbledore.
The old man nodded slowly. 'If Harry is.'
All three men turned expectantly to Harry. He looked up into their faces and gave what he hoped was a reassuring nod, though it felt more like his neck had gone into spasm.
'I'm ready.'
His eyes lingered on Snapes for a few moments longer until a series of apparating cracks punctured the air. Automatically, everyone turned towards the sound; the protective bubble was suddenly filled with a tense silence.
Dumbledore raised his hand slowly. Men and women alike readied themselves. Harry saw the Weasleys in some sort of a group hug towards one side of the shield. Moody patted Tonks' shoulder as she moved over to take Remus' hand. They looked at each other for a few moments before she released him and took a firmer hold on her wand.
Hermione slid her hand into Harry's and gave him a gentle squeeze. His heart rapidly picked up pace as they waited for Dumbledore to give the signal.
To their left, the trees began to rustle and shake. Hermione gripped his hand harder and Harry instinctively placed himself ahead of her.
Two Death Eaters suddenly stepped into the moonlight, oblivious to the large group of people standing meters in front of them. Everybody froze.
Harry felt a twinge in his scar – Voldemort was just as nervous as he was. He could feel the apprehension radiating through their connection as they waited.
The two Death Eaters came to a stop just outside the protective barrier. They said nothing, but withdrew their wands and began to wander around the perimeter. The one on the left, shielded by a cloak, gestured to something in the distance. Seconds later, three more Death Eaters joined them.
'They know we're here,' Harry whispered to Dumbledore.
He nodded slowly, and studied Harry for a moment.
'You truly are ready?'
'For the first time, I really think I am.'
Dumbledore's eyes shone with pride and he turned to face their comrades hidden amongst the trees. Raising his wand into the air, a shower of red sparks fell gracefully to the forest floor and those towards the back of the group were now paying full attention to the wizard in front of them.
Dumbledore said nothing, but instead turned back to face the Death Eaters.
The odd tingling sensation passed over Harry once more. The five Death Eaters came to an abrupt halt. Through the darkness, Harry could still make out the look of shock in their eyes as they turned to face the army right in front of them.
In silence, deadly green jets of light soared from within the group, each hitting a target dead on. The Death Eaters all collapsed forward in a heap, unmoving. Harry turned around, shock clear on his face. He hadn't been expecting that...
Dumbledore was stern faced and had one hand wrapped around Hermione's wrist. His own wand, along with Snape, Remus, Bill, and Charlie's were all pointing forward. Hermione's hung limply at her side. Before Harry had the chance to ask what had happened, several loud apparating cracks tore through the air.
'They're here!' Harry cried.
'Everyone down!'
The people surrounding Harry threw themselves to the ground, shielding their heads with flailing arms and protective charms. Distracted by the red sparks that had begun to detonate in the air, Harry stayed upright glaring through the trees in a desperate attempt to locate Voldemort. Lupin reached up and tugged him down, shoving him firmly into the ground as another batch of red sparks shot overhead. Harry gave him a grateful glance before leaping to his feet. Bill, Charlie, Fred and George were hot on his heels, scrambling up and running off towards a thick collection of trees a few meters ahead, taking down two Death Eaters who'd appeared from the foliage. Mad-Eye and Tonks were next, running in the opposite direction and closely followed by Mr and Mrs Weasley; Harry had never seen them looking so determined. Dumbledore and Snape moved beside Harry, just as Lupin was getting to his feet. Wands at the ready, they stood shoulder to shoulder, brothers in arms as they scanned the trees ahead of them.
'This is it, isn't it,' Harry said, glancing sideways at Dumbledore.
The old man turned to look at him, and for the first time in years Harry saw a huge smile grace his face. He swept his beard over his shoulder and held his wand aloft, sending out a fountain of green sparks.
'Yes it is,' he said simply, before crying a spell Harry was unfamiliar with and marching forward into the fray. Harry, Snape and Lupin all exchanged amused glances and then, Snape ran forward also, pointing his wand directly into the face of an emerging Death Eater
'Crucio!' Snape roared, knocking the Death Eater off their feet and into a writhing heap on the ground. Harry raised his eyebrows.
'We're not holding back then,' he muttered to Lupin. Remus shook his head.
'It's now or never,' he said, looking round at Harry. He reached forward and squeezed his shoulder tightly. 'I'm proud of you. Sirius, your Mum and Dad - they'd all be proud of you. You know who you truly are. Don't forget that.'
'Stupefy!'
'Crucio!'
Two disgruntled cries soared in Harry's direction and he threw himself behind a tree, just as the spot he was standing in erupted into flames. Remus dived in the opposite direction, swallowed up by a crowd of battling Aurors and Death Eaters.
'Come out, come out wherever you are!' an unfamiliar voice crooned. Harry pointed his wand around the side of the tree, chanted 'Stupefy!' and listened happily as a loud thud acknowledged his spell had hit target. He poked his head around his shield and watched the scene before him with wide eyes. Where only moments before there had been nobody around, the entire clearing was now full of people, battling and fighting with and without wands. He watched in awe as Charlie knocked a Death Eater clean out with a rather impressive right hook before gathering his wand and stunning two more in quick succession. Fred and George stood back to back, yelling identical spells at Death Eaters who were now sprouting scales, feathers and large unbalancing tails of all shades and textures. Snape looked almost gleeful as he battled his way through his former comrades; laughing at one point as Yaxley (now sporting a dashing set of yellow canary wings) stumbled forwards into a tree and knocked himself out. Dodging another set of deadly looking spells, Harry ran over towards Hermione and Ginny...wait a minute Ginny? Harry faltered mid-step. He hadn't even realised she was there... she shouldn't be there at all! His heart stuck in his chest. The two girls had been surrounded by a large group of Death Eaters. Just as he pulled out his wand to help, a huge explosion rocked the air, throwing him backwards into the trunk of a tree. He cried out as an impressive circle of stars burst in front of his eyes; Hermione looked out for the count but was quickly rescued by a bloody Tonks, who levitated her behind a nearby bush. Ginny righted herself quickly and sprinted off towards her brothers, shooting Harry a furtive glance. Deliriously, Harry pulled himself to his feet as another spell ripped up a fountain dirt behind him, showering battlers in a mixture of mud and debris. Harry wiped a sweaty hand across his head, smearing dirt on his face and was suddenly hit from behind with a painful stinging hex. He yelped and spun around, only to be hit again, this time in the face. A masked Death Eater snarled viciously at him, raising his wand to cast something more deadly; the green glow was already at the tip of his wand. Harry, blinded by pain and fueled by adrenaline, ran forward and tackled the man to the ground, stabbing his wand through the eyehole of the mask. The man closed a hand around Harry's throat, clamping down on his windpipe. Harry gagged loudly, trying to shake the man off. With one hand on his wand, he landed a punch to his face and gasped out 'Stupefy!' watching in relief as the man sagged underneath him. He didn't have time to recover though, for another set of spells were sent in his direction, this time from two advancing Death Eaters. Harry leapt to his feet, stumbling backwards over the fallen man and dueling fiercely. His breath came in ragged gasps as he tried to draw enough air back into his lungs to fight back. Scanning the clearing, hoping desperately for somebody to come and aid him, Harry saw that somehow the Death Eaters were beginning to outnumber the Order. Dumbledore was holding his own, of course, but Fred and George were now supporting an unconscious Bill and a blood streaked Ginny was limping towards Tonks to give her a helping hand. Distracted by the scene in front of him, he didn't realise one of the Death Eaters was preparing to throw a killing curse at him. Seeing the green glow, Harry froze, quickly throwing up a shield charm. The curse exploded off, throwing Harry backwards and rebounding into the Death Eater who'd cast it. The second wasted no time in attempting to curse another one, but just as he lifted his wand to incant, somebody tackled him from behind. Harry laughed in relief as Lupin came thundering forward, his own wand aglow with the deadly curse. With a simple chant, the man tipped forward, stone cold dead.
'Okay?' Remus called, scrambling to his feet and scanning the clearing. Harry nodded quickly, though his legs felt incredibly wobbly under him. He opened his mouth to respond, when Mr Weasley suddenly tore past him, and with a feral war cry he landed a spectacular curse on two Death Eaters who were back to back. They slumped to the ground in a heap. Harry was unsure if they were dead, but the moonlight reflecting off their pale skin made them look like skeletal corpses.
'Watch out!'
Harry turned to whoever had screamed, and was once again pulled to the ground by Lupin. Dedalus Diggle wasn't so quick, and was caught in a bloody spray of green light, which sent him careening backwards into a ditch. Another spell siphoned past Harry's head, slicing his cheek as though it were a scalpel. He immediately felt the trickle of blood as it seeped down his face and neck. Lupin looked at him worriedly before tugging him backwards into the ditch where Diggle was now laying unconscious.
'Alright?' Lupin asked quickly, pulling Harry's head up.
Taking a moment to steady himself, Harry nodded, though his head began to spin dangerously. 'I'm fine,' he said. 'It's just a cut.'
Suddenly, another scream rang through the air, followed by several loud bangs and cracks. Remus pulled Harry further into the ditch, shielding themselves in amongst the bushes. Through wide eyes, Harry watched as Ginny was knocked off her feet, caught swiftly by Tonks who was just about managing to hold her own. Harry went to leap to his feet, but Lupin pulled him back down.
'She's fine, Tonks has her,' he said fiercely, holding onto Harry.
'I need to help her!' Harry cried, struggling against his hold.
'Hold on a second,' Remus told him sharply.
Startled by his tone, Harry followed Remus' eyeline. His eyes were locked with Dumbledore's who, looking entirely in the opposite direction, managed to knock out six Death Eaters at once. Dumbledore's gaze was enough to freeze Harry to the spot and he knew full well what that look meant.
Mere moments later, the loudest apparating crack Harry had ever heard burst through the air. He clamped his hands over his ears as a fountain of red sparks accompanied it, showering over the battlefield and cascading to the ground as tiny flecks of fire. Harry felt his heart catch in his chest as none other that Lord Voldemort appeared in the centre of the clearing, his black cloak floating around his ankles and his wand held firmly in front of his face. As the dust settled and Voldemort came firmly into existence, Dumbledore caught Harry's eye. He could almost feel Dumbledore's voice entering his mind.
'Stay where you are – wait for the opportune moment.'
Harry tried to steady his breathing.
This was it.
