Harry was grateful that the rings quartet had successfully captured the attention of everyone on the battlefield, because it meant that he too could watch the goings-on unnoticed. The display was unlike anything he'd ever seen before – his friends positively radiated power, and the giant Patronuses were at once the most terrifying and the most awe-inspiring things Harry had ever seen. In spite of the great distance between his prone position on the lawn and his friends' stance atop the Astronomy tower, Harry could see them easily, and he had to bite back a gasp of horror when he saw them clasp hands and jump. Instead of plummeting to their deaths, however, the quartet landed on the backs of the waiting Patronuses, which then swiftly transported them to ground level with both speed and grace. The astonished looks on the faces of the Light fighters and Death Eaters alike just confirmed that the sight was probably the most unexpected since the time of the founders themselves, and everyone waited with bated breath for the quartet to speak.
"We said we'd defend Hogwarts 'til the very end," Hermione said calmly. "Well…here we are."
That was all anyone needed.
All hell broke loose as the fighting began anew. Skirmishes broke out all over the lawn as spells flew this way and that, and the Death Eaters quickly learned that the rings quartet would not be easily subdued. Even split up – as soon as the battle had recommenced, Luna and Neville had gone one way, Draco and Hermione another – they were still formidable, and far more powerful than anyone else in the vicinity. Harry swore he saw Neville seal a trio of Death Eaters inside an enormous cage of dirt just by raising his hands, and Hermione was firing spells at an inhuman rate. Deciding he'd best make his move so as not to get trampled, Harry whipped the invisibility cloak from his pocket, threw it over himself, and leapt to his feet, quickly moving sideways into the shadow of the front steps. From his new vantage point, he could easily see everything that was going on – a crucial detail if he was going to successfully confront Voldemort sometime in the very near future – but he was far enough away that he wasn't in any danger of being hit by stray curses.
As he watched, Harry contemplated the bizarre series of events that had taken place in the Forbidden Forest. Pansy seemed to know far too much, and the thought unsettled him – not because he didn't trust her, but because he didn't know how the dark-haired girl had gotten her information in the first place. Yes, Pansy had heard the prophecy, so her whispered "Six are gone" wasn't all that unusual. On the other hand, though, she'd raised her wand and sent up what was obviously a signal to the others that it was time to activate the rings…but Pansy hadn't known about the signal, nor was Harry certain that she might've come to such a conclusion on her own. Pansy was smart enough, he'd give her that, but she didn't know any of them well enough to know how they thought. Harry was also almost positive he'd never showed Pansy his wand holster – he'd never worn it around Grimmauld Place and before tonight had only ever worn it at all during DA meetings, as it was a bit impractical for everyday wear. How, then, had Pansy known it was there? She hadn't even fumbled for it, just pushed the wand straight up his sleeve and right into its proper spot as if she'd done it a thousand times before. Once again, Harry had too many questions and not enough answers. Ignoring his frustration for the moment, he pushed his hair out of his eyes and concentrated on the scene before him – at some point, someone was bound to notice that he'd disappeared, and then things would really get interesting…
All his life, Draco had never found anything quite as exhilarating as a steep downward spiral on a racing broom…that is, until he took a ride on the back of a Patronus. He'd leapt back into the battle without a moment's hesitation, taking on Death Eaters left and right as the glittering ring he wore kept him energized and even fended off the worst of his opponents' attacks. He'd yet to pull any fancy tricks like Neville's earth manipulation, nor was he throwing spells quite as rapidly as Hermione, who was dueling Dolohov with a vengeance, but that was alright – it was more than enough that he was part of the quartet chosen to protect the school they all loved like a second home.
"Draco, duck!"
Draco did as the voice commanded, dropping down on all fours to avoid a nasty curse that hissed as it collided with the stone behind him. As he hopped to his feet once more, he caught sight of the familiar face of his cousin.
"Wotcher," Tonks said, shooting another spell and smirking in satisfaction as it hit its mark and the Death Eater toppled face first into the dirt. The two cousins began working together to take down as many Death Eaters as they could, but then another familiar face – this one far less welcome – stepped into view. Tonks and Bellatrix immediately began exchanging curses – Draco didn't recognize them all, but judging by their poisonous hues, he doubted his aunt and cousin were sticking to Stunning Charms.
"Well, well," Bellatrix said as she continued to throw hexes towards her niece. "Draco, darling, I must admit I'm a little bit confused."
"Auntie Bella," Draco replied calmly. He discreetly deflected one of Bellatrix's nastier curses, sending it upwards where it shattered against a gargoyle, the unfortunate stone creature blasting apart into millions of tiny pieces. "I'm not quite sure what you mean."
"What I mean," Bellatrix replied, her wand work not stopping in the slightest, "is that we had such a nice little chat earlier…such a nice chat, and yet you stand here beside…that." A bright pink hex flew from her wand, Tonks only just managing to deflect it, and Draco had no doubt as to what Bellatrix meant. She had no words to express Andromeda's traitor status, no words to describe her disinherited niece. Draco smirked. His moment had finally come.
"Ah, yes…our little chat. Tell me, Bellatrix – what exactly did I tell you?" Bellatrix's wand actually dropped a fraction as she paused to consider her answer, and Draco was proud to see Tonks not drawing attention to the relief she felt at the brief respite.
"You told me you had thirteen years' worth of intelligence on Harry Potter, and then you told me all sorts of wonderful things – not that it matters now, since Potter's dead" – here she paused and let loose one of her maddening giggles – "but that information might still prove useful against his loved ones, eh?"
"Yes, yes," Draco said, waving her off almost impatiently. "I did indeed tell you I had thirteen years' worth of information…but what exactly did I tell you?"
"Everything!" Bellatrix cried. "You told me everything! You told me Potter supports Puddlemere United and that his favorite color is blue! He's not a fan of maths but likes Charms, and he won't eat broccoli no matter how much you bribe him! He's terrible at Gobstones and not much better at chess, and-"
"His first crush was Jessie Alston, the pianist for the singing group the Kneazles, although he'll never, ever admit that he even listened to their music," Draco finished, his smirk broadening as he caught sight of the amused look on his cousin's face. Clearly, she'd caught on.
"Yes, that!" Bellatrix said eagerly.
"Dear Auntie Bella…are you even listening to what you're saying?" Draco asked.
"I'm telling you everything you told me about Potter!" Bellatrix replied immediately. Tonks snorted.
"You just told us his favorite color, his least favorite food, and his secret celebrity crush," she said pointedly.
"But Draco-"
"I said I had thirteen years' worth of information on Harry," Draco said, examining his nails to hide his smile. "I never said I was going to tell you anything useful." Bellatrix's expression morphed from one of confusion to one of rage.
"You tricked me," she hissed. "You tricked me, you little brat! You're worse than your good-for-nothing father!"
"I'll skip the comparisons to Lucius, if you don't mind," Draco drawled. "After all, I'm rather proud to be a Black." Bellatrix snarled in reply and then attacked, her spells flying faster than any they'd yet seen. Bits of rubble flew in all directions as her spells hit anywhere but their marks – it was lucky she was in such a blind rage, Draco thought, or he and Tonks would've been blasted to smithereens by now. Bellatrix whipped a dagger from her robes and threw it straight at Draco, but Draco's quick reflexes had his own knife knocking the wicked-looking blade to the side an instant later. He took a few precious seconds to destroy the dagger with a well-placed curse – it wouldn't do to have Bellatrix Summon it again, especially if it were laced with poison like he suspected. Bellatrix took advantage of Draco's momentary distraction to send a Crucio towards Tonks, and Draco only just managed to put up a Shield Charm in time, the curse missing his cousin by inches.
"NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!"
All three combatants whirled around to find Andromeda Tonks charging across the lawn, Sirius close behind. The two newcomers jumped into the fray, wands blazing, and Bellatrix's eyes gleamed wickedly as she focused on her new opponents and the quintet began to duel in earnest. Though there were others close by, they stayed away by unspoken agreement – this was the battle of the Blacks, and as it had started that way, so it would stay until the very end.
Harry was in awe. Hermione had just won her duel with Dolohov in spectacular fashion, her mother's killer now crumpled and bleeding in a heap on the lawn, and Draco…Harry had somehow heard the entire exchange between Draco and Bellatrix, and while he resolved to murder his brother for revealing his childhood crush on Jessie Alston, he had to admit Draco's plan had been absolutely brilliant. Harry had no idea why Draco had had to have such a conversation with Bellatrix in the first place, but the blond had pulled off a deception that would've made Salazar Slytherin himself proud. Harry's heart had leapt for joy when Sirius had gone barreling across the lawn after Andromeda, and the five-way duel now ongoing amongst the last remaining members of the Black family was a sight to behold. As much as he wanted to, however, he couldn't continue to just sit back and watch – Voldemort wasn't going to let this go on forever, and Harry was damned if he was going to end this on anything but his own terms. Reaching into his pocket, he withdrew the Resurrection Stone once more.
"Ghosts will be your cloak," he said, repeating the phrase from the prophecy he'd spoken in the Forest. He turned the stone over three times just as before, but this time, shadows of everyone who'd died over the course of the war began to pour forth from the stone. Hundreds of ghosts – far too many, Harry thought sadly – emerged, some alone, some in pairs or other small groups, and began to slowly form a giant circle around the decimated lawn. He felt an extra pang of grief every time he recognized a face – his parents, Hermione's mother, Cedric, Eloise, Lavender, Seamus, Roger Davies, one of the girls from Durmstrang, Bastien…and, to his horror, Remus Lupin, although his ghost didn't look quite so…there as the others. Could this be, perhaps, because Remus wasn't yet dead, only hovering on the edge of it? Harry preferred not to think about it.
On and on the ghosts marched, and it was no time at all before someone noticed, and the crowd of fighters hastily backed away, afraid of the newest arrivals. Some duels, most notably that of the five Blacks, continued without interruption, but many stopped to watch the ghosts' progress, and to wonder where they'd come from, and what would come next. Harry, deciding that he'd postponed his entrance long enough, followed the ghosts, coming to a stop some fifteen feet from Voldemort, though he was still hidden by his cloak. Just to his left stood Pansy, still concealed by her own cloak but identifiable by her stature, and he could also see Luna, Neville, and Hermione. Strengthened by the sight of his loved ones, Harry removed the cloak at last.
"Hello, Tom," he said. "Are you quite finished killing my friends and family?"
Shocked gasps and screams rang throughout the grounds as the news of Harry's reappearance spread rapidly, but Harry took no notice. He only had eyes for the shell of a man who stood before him, the monster who'd wanted him dead when he was but an infant.
"Harry Potter," Voldemort replied, the anger in his tone unmistakable. His snake slithered from his shoulders to coil at his feet, hissing ominously all the while. Harry couldn't understand the hissing and inwardly smiled, his lack of comprehension only adding to his theory about his scar, but the snake was still a huge problem. The beast was the only thing still in the way of ridding the world of Voldemort for good…but how to do it? If the snake really was a Horcrux, then a simple spell wouldn't do the trick – and even if it could, Voldemort would deflect the attempt faster than Harry could blink, and then he'd really be in trouble.
"I killed you in the Forest, and yet you stand before me," Voldemort continued in little more than a whisper. "How is this possible?" His eyes focused on someone stood just behind Pansy.
"Severus – you said the boy would come. You said this plan would work."
"And come he did, my lord," Snape replied evenly. "Did he not?"
"That does not explain his continued presence!" Voldemort said angrily. "Harry Potter should be dead, and yet he is not! What happened?"
"I'm afraid I don't know, my lord."
Voldemort paused to consider this. By now, the only people still dueling were the Blacks, everyone else having stopped to watch. One of the duelists yelped, but nobody paused to check who it was.
"Severus. I put you in charge of my school, made you headmaster of this fine institution. I gave you Alecto and Amycus Carrow to help maintain order and carry on the traditions in the name of the greatest of the Hogwarts four, Salazar Slytherin – and yet I do not see your fellow servants with you."
"I cannot account for all of my colleagues, no," Snape replied.
"Hmm. Would you say you have done so?"
"Pardon, my lord?"
"Would you say you have upheld the traditions of Salazar Slytherin?"
"You yourself are aware of the Muggle-born Registration Commission, my lord," Snape said. "Only those of Wizarding heritage have walked these halls this term."
"I see…and yet I still see four banners instead of one. I wonder…" Voldemort raised his wand. There was a distant crash, and something dark came flying from an upper window of the castle. It wasn't until Voldemort held the object in hand that Harry recognized it – the Sorting Hat.
"The colors of Slytherin shall more than suffice for all students of Hogwarts from now on," Voldemort announced. "Too many generations of students have succumbed to this piece of filth, a hat belonging to Godric Gryffindor." He spat the founder's name like a curse. "Miss Parkinson." The cloaked figure nearest Harry jumped.
"Yes, my lord?"
"Unfortunate as the Sorting situation may be, you were still found worthy of the House of Slytherin. You, therefore, will have the honor of destroying the Sorting Hat – after I have finished dealing with your headmaster." Voldemort tossed the hat at her feet.
"Yes, my lord." Pansy bowed her head quickly. Harry frowned. Was it just his imagination, or did Pansy's voice sound funny? And why was Voldemort so determined to take his anger out on Snape? As far as Harry knew, Voldemort still viewed Snape as a loyal Death Eater…
"Severus…I've always considered you a faithful servant. Would you agree?"
"My loyalties have never wavered." Involuntarily, Snape's gaze flicked briefly to the ghost of Lily Evans Potter. Harry, who stood just in front of his mother, felt his eyes widen in horror and prayed with everything he had that Voldemort hadn't noticed.
But he had. Oh, he had.
"Your loyalties have never wavered. How…touching," he said with an evil smile. To his credit, Snape didn't show any signs of dismay – he didn't even blink – but it was too late.
"You've betrayed me, Severus," Voldemort said softly. "Betrayed me, and for a Mudblood. I do not take kindly to this treachery." He hissed sharply. Before Harry could realize what Voldemort had done, the snake had streaked across the grass quick as lightning and embedded its fangs in Snape's side. Snape gasped in pain and fell to his knees – Harry desperately wanted to help, but the snake was now circling Snape's form, making it impossible for anyone to get any closer.
"I regret it," Voldemort said coldly, his tone saying quite plainly that he felt no such remorse. Snape, however, only had eyes for Lily, whose eyes glistened with tears.
"After all this time?" she asked. Snape smiled softly.
"Always." The tears slipped from Lily's eyes and rolled gently down her cheeks as Snape succumbed to his injuries and fell unconscious. Voldemort sneered at the scene.
"He made his choice. Now, Miss Parkinson – the hat."
"With all due respect, I don't think I shall."
"Excuse me?" Voldemort demanded. Harry looked at Pansy in shock. That was definitely not a Pansy-esque response, not at all…and he hadn't been hearing things earlier; her voice did sound odd…
"It is a historical artifact, after all," Pansy said calmly. "Besides, I have quite the history with this hat – and snakes." Before Harry could process the impossible – surely his perceptions of the last hour or so hadn't just been turned upside-down! – and before anyone else could react, the girl reached into the hat, removed a gleaming silver sword, and sliced the snake's head off in one fell swoop. The severed head hit the ground with a thump, and, sword of Gryffindor in hand, the girl threw back her hood at last to reveal someone who was definitely not Pansy Parkinson.
"Hello, Tom," Ginny Weasley said, parroting Harry's earlier greeting. "Remember me?"
Harry could only gape at his girlfriend. Her presence explained so much, yet it also opened up a thousand new questions. What was she doing here? He snapped out of his daze too late, horrified as Voldemort roared with rage and shot a curse Ginny's way, but Ginny merely raised her sword and defected the curse with the blade.
"Basilisk venom!" she said. "Powerful stuff, isn't it, Tom? Perfect for ridding the world of unwanted souls." Harry grinned when he saw the unnerved expression on Voldemort's face.
"That's right, Tom," he added. "The diary…the ring…the locket…the cup…the diadem…the snake…and even the unexpected one" – he paused and tapped his forehead – "they're all gone. It's just you and me now."
"And you think just because you discovered my secret that you can beat me, is that it, boy?" Voldemort sneered.
"I don't think I can – I know I can," Harry replied calmly. "Do you want to know why?"
"I don't think it matters why."
"Oh, but it does." Out of the corner of his eye, Harry was pleased to see several Order members carrying Snape's limp form to safety – he was still unconscious and covered in blood, but maybe they could get him help in time. Maybe there was still hope.
"It does matter," Harry continued. "And it all comes down to that wand in your hand."
"My wand?"
"Yes. The Elder Wand, the Deathstick – quite a formidable history it has, isn't it? Unsurpassed in power and ability…and yet, I suspect it's worked for you just like any other wand."
"The Elder Wand has more than proven its worth!" Voldemort retorted.
"Ah, but has it?" Harry countered. "You see, the legends all say that the Elder Wand must be beaten to fully secede to a new owner."
"I stole the wand from Dumbledore's tomb!"
"Yes, you did – but that didn't change the wand's allegiance. You see, Tom, the Elder Wand had already recognized a new master, someone who never even realized he'd won the allegiance of the world's most dangerous wand…"
"Who?" Voldemort demanded to know. "Who could have possibly overpowered Dumbledore?"
"Why, your servant of course – Theodore Nott. I was there, you know, the night Dumbledore died. Nott Disarmed Dumbledore mere minutes before he killed him, fleeing the tower soon after without realizing what had happened."
"And so I shall just have to take care of Nott first," Voldemort said easily, but Harry shook his head.
"It's not that simple, Tom, because that's not all. You see, I Disarmed Nott right after he killed Dumbledore – Nott left that tower without a wand." Harry held up the wand in his hand.
"Do you really want to know how I lived while the Horcrux within me did not?" he asked quietly. "It's because that wand in your hand recognizes another master, so while it killed the parasite within, it wouldn't – it won't – turn its back on me." He raised Nott's wand once more. Around the two foes, all was quiet – even the Black duel had stopped for now, the combatants somehow understanding the importance of what was about to happen.
"So this is it, then – just you and me, Tom. Only one of us can walk away – who's it going to be?" Voldemort raised his own wand in reply, his red eyes narrowed maliciously.
"Avada Kedavra!"
"Expelliarmus!"
Red light met green in a blinding collision, smoke obscuring the contest from view. When at last all was clear once more, the ghosts were gone, and only one wizard was left standing. Exhausted and in pain, Harry collapsed to his knees, his wand falling to the grass beside him.
Voldemort was dead. The Battle of Hogwarts was over.
A/N: Well, that was a whirlwind of a chapter...I'd love to know what you thought!
Guys...there's only 1 more chapter after this - & it's short, so I might actually get it up today. I'm not sure how I feel about this.
Thank you, as always, for the follows/faves/reviews, & for reading!
JKR owns all things Potter, I just play. Please R&R, & enjoy! :)
