Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning
a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover
Chapter 49: The Final Reckoning
8-4-2010
by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997) .

xxxxxx

As the waves of swirling darkness continue to build up around Valkyrie, Samus could feel their intensity, pushing all four of them back as if they were gale-force winds. They stood their ground as best they could as Valkyrie glowered back at all of them, the seething hatred in her eyes as palpable as Kor-Zor's pure malevolence. Having had enough, Hermione brought up her arms and slung three Blasting Curses and a missile at Valkyrie. Two noxious peals of laughter echoed in the collection chamber as they were all effortlessly tossed aside. Kor-Zor's shadowy wings got bigger and spread farther, while he lended his strength to Valkyrie, who seemed to be self-generating Phazon all over again.

"Turns out I was breaking one of my own cardinal rules yet again," boomed Valkyrie's crazed voice. "Here I though Kor-Zor was too dangerous and untrustworthy to be utilized for anything beyond milking him for dark matter and dark energy. But now that we're becoming one, I see how alike we truly are. Unappreciated genius, cast out by everyone no matter how hard we tried to fit in, to work among our peers. Like me, his only solution was to go over them and prove his superiority, and unleash his genius on an entire galaxy, whether its inhabitants liked it or not!"

"Valkyrie, could you be any more mental?" screamed Harry, daring to nudge forward against the waves of darkness. "Thousands suffered and died because of this monster!"

"In that respect, they're a perfect match," muttered Samus dryly.

"Forget talking with these two! We're WELL beyond the point of no return!" bellowed Ron. "Hurry, we got all four pieces. Let's figure out how they go together before..."

"Fool! Think you'll get the chance?" shrieked Valkyrie. With a wave of her shadowy wings, Ron and Hermione were blasted off their feet, slamming into the wall behind them. Harry and Samus stood their ground, though, and were set to charge. Smirking evilly, Valkyrie raised her wand and arm cannon. Both took a concentrated blast of Phazon dead-center, flying back toward the others. "I, or rather we, have no time to waste here. The time to use our combined genius is at hand. The Day of Reckoning, when every human will have a choice to either accept the tide of change or be swept away by it, is here!"

With that, Valkyrie pointed hr arm cannon straight up, blowing a hole through the collection chamber's roof. As Samus struggled to get back up, she could only watch helplessly as the single-greatest abomination her people ever spawned was about to make a getaway. So full of fear and a crushing sense of failure, she was barely aware of a noxious hacking sound next to her.

Turning to her left, she saw Harry on his hands and knees, hanging his head as if he was about to be sick. She could hear him breathing heavily, his chest plate heaving. And then, suddenly, his head jerked up...revealing that he was back in his Metroid form. With a hideous, bird-like shriek, Harry launched himself clear across the chamber at a dmbfounded Valkyrie. His armored fingers dug into her shoulders, and at once, Samus saw him drain away Valkyrie's Phazon energy.

For a moment, Samus dared entertain hope that Harry could render Valkyrie powerless again. But those hopes were soon dashed when, with an explosive wave of darkness, Harry was blasted off her, landing back near the others. Harry's suit glowed from the pent-up Phazon energy he absorbed, but one look back at Valkyrie told Samus that he hadn't stolen nearly enough. "Like I said, no time to waste here!" Valkyrie sneered as she and Kor-Zor soared straight up like a rocket.

"HARRY! Harry, please, say something!" pleaded Hermione as she, Ron and Samus crowded around Harry. They helped him stand up on wobbly legs, but the vindictive glint in his solid, obsidian eyes had dimmed.

"Tried...tried to suck up as much power as I could...not enough..." Harry said weakly.

"And now, she says she's going through with her Day of Reckoning," said Ron. "H-H-How's that possible?"

"Not sure, but we'd better follow her and make sure she doesn't," said Samus.

"I'm afraid that would be a futile measure," came the voice of, of all people, Snape, coming through their earpieces. "Val has already initiated the measures to bring about her vision. Your only hope is to return to your ship and intercept her in space."

"SNAPE! Just what's going on? Where are you right now, and what are you doing?" demanded Samus hotly.

"While the four of you distracted my wife, I went off trying to sabotage all her equipment. Under her watchful eye, I didn't dare do anything until now," said Snape smoothly. "I have been attempting to render the pods that will disperse all the accumulated dark energy useless, but I had no luck, and now Val is deploying them. Even worse, I could do nothing for the missiles containing her transmutative virus."

"WHAT missiles? Ron made sure they were all destroyed!" cried Samus.

"Unfortunately for you, Val initiated the 'code black' just in time. That meant that all the missiles were stuffed into pods with extremely potent Undetectable Extension Charms placed upon them. They all survived the platform's destruction," explained Snape. "I carried it out, but Val would have known if any of the pods or missiles inside were tampered with. Luckily, there was no way of her knowing that I found Weasley and Granger clinging to each other, unconscious but alive."

"So, you just set us up like a bomb to go off at just the right time," sneered Hermione.

"You're welcome, Granger," Snape bit back sharply. "In any case, all my efforts have failed. Val has already collected the missile's pods and ventured into orbit with them. If she is to be stopped, it will be in orbit with her.

"Why are you doing this?" demanded Ron all of a sudden. "It looked like you and Asara had made up, that you ditched the Death Eaters for good! What made you..."

"I have my reasons, Weasley!" barked Snape. "Just know that this was perhaps the hardest decision I ever had to make! Don't make it all for nothing, you four! Get back to your ship and put an end to this!"

With that, Snape's connection went dead. The four of them just looked to each other, confused about what to do next. "Can we...really trust him?" asked Harry. "He duped us all before. What if this is some new trick?"

"That involved getting all four pieces of the anti-Kor-Zor weapon in one spot, right where he was held? Somehow, I don't think so," said Ron.

"Ron's got a point. Besides, if Snape's right, and Valkyrie still has her virus, we've got to go after her now," said Samus.

After checking the map on her HUD and blowing a hole through a nearby wall with missiles, Samus led her friends back to the loading elevator. The whole time, it was a struggle to curb her fear and anxiety. Just when it seemed that this mission was at an end, the very monster they were supposed to destroy for good was on the loose. Centuries of galactic history, the very safety of the galaxy itself, now rested on her shoulders. Sparing a glance back at the trio, however, she reminded herself it wasn't her burden alone.

At last, the freight elevator reached the lunar surface, just as Samus's ship came back down for a landing. Impatiently, the four of them jumped up to it, soaring higher than normal due to the moon's lower gravity. They entered through the top one-by-one, Samus coming down last, taking in all the panicked expressions of everyone who came along. Even the Etecoons and Dachoras looked subdued.

But in the case of J.B. and all the Weasleys, no doubt it was partly due to the shock of seeing Ron and Hermione alive and whole. Molly immediately rushed forward, easily smothering Ron in a hug even with his suit on. "Oh Ron...I feared but, I knew...our clock...knew you weren't gone..." she spluttered.

"Yeah, good to see Harry's knack of surviving anything's rubbed off on you two," quipped George. He them looked over to Harry, receiving a shock after seeing his Metroid form.

For a while, everyone in the ship was taken aback by Harry's metamorphosis, but Adam quickly got them to focus on the task at hand. "Lady, we picked up a radiation spike moments ago, coming from what looks like a humanoid figure. No doubt it's Valkyrie, travelling through space somehow, but...she's surrounded by a field of what I can only guess is dark energy and dark matter. The way it's affecting gravitational fields...it can't be anything else. Stranger still, there are several metal orbs being dragged along with her."

"It is Valkyrie, and Kor-Zor's merged with her. Those orbs have Undetectable Extension Charms and house the missiles we thought were destroyed," said Samus gravely.

Everyone's expression grew even darker, but it was J.B. that seemed to have the courage to speak first. "Well then, I'm setting a course and going after her! If this ship can amplify and aim spells, and you four are back together with the weapon pieces, we can..."

"It may be more complicated than that, Captain Granger," said Adam suddenly. "Something else is being launched from the moon's surface."

Looking out the cockpit window, Samus's blood ran cold as she watched a score of huge, cylindrical pods jettison from the lunar surface. J.B. instantly took off after them, arming the forward plasma cannons, but Samus instantly knew they were moving too fast to intercept. They flew on, unabated, toward orbits around Earth.

xxxxxx

July 4, 1997 A.D., 6:20 P.M. Western European Time

Hogwarts

Ginny ducked under a hail of curses, at the same time aiming up and taking out an Infernian house-elf with a rocket launcher, perched on one of Hogwarts's walls. She was here with the combined might of the Order of the Phoenix, the remnants of the Ministry and some troops the British army could spare. Hogwarts itself was one of the very last pockets of Inferno influence left on the surface. And thanks to how her overprotective mother was off in space, Ginny had a golden opportunity to take part, and show everyone what she was made of.

The group Ginny was in had already secured their courtyard, but more Inferno troops came pouring out of a nearby set of double doors. Ginny effortlessly threw up a Shield Charm to deflect a hail of bullets, but an Aguamenti shot shattered a nearby statue, and some of the debris hit Ginny in the head. For an instant, she went down, and out the corner of her eye, Ginny saw a goblin aim his wand at her. However, two Stunners downed him before he could fire off a single curse.

Rubbing her aching head, Ginny looked up. Neville and Luna were standing right behind her, having covered her. "Watch yourself, Ginny. Y'know what they say about cornered tigers and all. They're as ferocious as Crumple-Horned Snorkarks after you try picking their noses for them," said Luna airily as Neville offered Ginny his hand.

Ginny let Neville hoist her up. "Wow, didn't see you two in the initial raiding party," she said, sounding surprised.

"Well, Gran decided she wanted a piece of the blighters that overran Hogwarts, so I tagged along to keep an eye on her. So did Luna," said Neville. "But Luna's right, you have to play it safe. Merlin's beard, don't tell me we'll have to watch you as close as we did Hermione's uncle."

Being compared to the boisterous Air Force captain filled Ginny with pride. "Well, since he's flying Samus's ship again, looks like it's us three again."

"Just like last month," said Luna dreamily. "Bad news for the Death Eaters, it was, and now bad news for Inferno."

"Speaking of which, it's not like any Death Eaters are still hanging around," Neville said bitterly as the three of them headed for the doorway, ready to sweep the halls.

"Come on, Neville. You know the deal Harry made with Lestrange and the Malfoys. They got Harry and Samus into Inferno, and those three get to go find Voldemort and plead for Draco's life," said Ginny. Ginny belatedly realized she said Voldemort's name, and half-expected Luna and Neville to shiver. Strangely, they showed no fear. No real surprise. We've all realized the worst things we've ever feared are only the start of our nightmares.

The trio tagged along with many of the Order, namely Hagrid, McGonagall, Kinglsey and Slughorn, as they searched each and every classroom, sweeping them for enemy troops. The whole time, Slughorn never stopped looking distraught, McGonagall was exceptionally grim and reserved, while Kingsley and Hagrid seemed to relish all the takedowns. Bit by bit, their castle was being reclaimed. But the more they combed Hogwarts, the more it broke Ginny's heart, seeing how if the war Valkyrie started ravaged Hogwarts like this, then no place in the world was untouched. Not only that, in the aftermath, in all the confusion, it would now be that much easier for Voldemort's terror to take hold once more...

Their group neared the end of a long hallway, more troops rounded a corner, setting up protective charms and pelting them with curses. Ginny and the others responded in kind, but Hagrid took a far more aggressive approach. He took the full brunt of several curses as he charged forward, waving his umbrella-wand over his head. Rings of fire lit up the ground near the Inferno troops, too close for comfort. As they fell back, Hagrid howled and aimed his crossbow, firing an explosive arrow at the wall behind them. It sailed past the distracted troops, blowing apart the wall and burying half of them in rubble. Short work was made out of the rest after that.

"I do believe you enjoy using those a little too much, Rubeus," McGonagall remarked as she looked over the unconscious troops. "Nevertheless, this wing ofthe castle is now secure."

"We've still got a long way to go. Many of the upper levels have yet to be swept, and there're still some Hinds and wyverns circling around," Kingsley reminded them. At that moment, as if to emphasize his point, they all heard screams overhead. Ginny rushed to a window where the glass was gone. She had a perfect view of the Astronomy Tower, where it looked like some of the Aurors riding broomsticks were caught in a crossfire, stuck in between the fiery breath of wyverns and curses lobbed from the tower. Squinting to get a closer look, Ginny thought she recognized one of the figures leaning out the Astronomy Tower's window. Pulling out Harry's Omniculars, her suspicions were confirmed, making her lip curl.

Susan Bones was in the group defending the Astronomy Tower.

"I'm going up there," said Ginny sternly. Before anyone could say anything, Ginny swiped Hagrid's crossbow and a few of his arrows, then turned back down the hallway and yelled, "Accio Firebolt!" Seconds later, the broomstick Harry lent to her family soared toward her.

"Ms. Weasley, you...you cannot be serious about taking down the Astronomy Tower by air yourself?" cried Slughorn, aghast.

"Watch me," said Ginny simply as she mounted Harry's Firebolt and took off through the window. Within seconds, the wyverns circling the Astronomy Tower were in range, about to breath more flames out at the remaining Aurors.

With a devilish smirk, she started flinging Bat-Bogey Hexes at the wyverns, scoring a direct hit each time. As the wyverns veered out of control, Ginny dived for the tower, aiming Hagrid's crossbow. An explosive arrow shot through the window, and the muffled screams let Ginny know most of them were either unconscious or seriously injured. Ginny briefly thought of how this was far more brutal than what people thought her capable of, but after what Inferno put her family through, and what THIS particular Infernian did...

Ginny loaded another arrow as he willed the Firebolt to dive through one of the windows. Jumping off, she wildly looked around, aiming her wand and the crossbow. As she suspected, most of the troops were either (hopefully just) unconscious or too badly burned to fight any more. For a moment, Ginny felt a surge of revulsion. This is where Dumbledore died, and now she had done even more violence here...

But all sense of guilt vanished when Susan Bones stepped from an array of turning clock gears, half her face badly scarred, some of her hair burned off. Whatever pain she was experiencing, Susan blocked it out, her narrowed eyes filled with rage. "So, you're the one I have to thank for this," she said bitterly. "A bit bold and aggressive for you, never would've figured..."

"What's that supposed to mean?" demanded Ginny, occassionally glancing at the submachine gun that hung at Susan's side, not to mention the body armor and those weird robotic boots...

"Just thinking of how ridiculously passive someone has to be to let Voldemort take over her mind, and then, years later, willingly side with him again," jeered Susan. That did it. Ginny raised both her wand and crossbow, but Susan beat her to the draw. Ginny barely threw up a Shield Charm to stop of hail of enchanted lead, but then Susan aimed her wand at a nearby array of gears and yelled, "Expelliarmus!"

The charm ricocheted off a gear, soaring at Ginny at an angle that went past her Shield Charm, striking her square in the chest. Her wand and crossbow went flying away as she teetered backwards, and Susan rushed at her, pinning Ginny to the wall. Ginny grimaced as Susan glared back gloatingly, pressing the barrel of her gun under Ginny's chin. "Why, Susan?" Ginny managed to get out. "We trained in the D.A. together. We were friends."

"And I truly would've been sorry it had to come to this, if Harry hadn't stupidly chosen to side with Voldemort over his mother's best friend, and then all of you falling in with him like sheep!" spat Susan. "Are you THAT hopelessly infatuated with Harry, that you'd let Voldemort dupe you all over again?"

Ginny was about to spit out that because of Voldemort, Harry was determined to keep his distance from her. But then, a calm, singsong voice rang out. "And are you that obsessed with revenge, you'll let yourself be duped...as hopelessly as those convinced there's no Crumple-Horned Snorkarks?"

Eyes widening, Susan whirled around, but was too late. Luna had cast her own Disarming Charm, knocking away Susan's gun and making her wand retract. With her free hand, Luna rushed at Susan, grabbed her by the collar, slammed her forehead into hers, then planted a kick into her armored chest. As Susan teetered back, something was thrown at her feet, something like a potted plant. Ginny recognized it at once: a bud from Neville's Mimbulus mimbletonia. It spurt out a stream of inky-black liquid that pinned Susan to a pillar, sticking her to it like superglue.

"Been waiting to try that out again," mumbled Neville as he walked over to Luna and Ginny to retrieve his bud. As Ginny forced herself to steady her breathing, she saw McGonagall, Hagrid, Kingsley and Slughorn coming up the stairwell.

"Ms. Weasley, that was incredibly foolish of you! Brave, but foolish!" McGonagall chided at once.

"Well, you have to admit Minerva, it worked," said Slughorn, looking around. "Knew there was a good reason I made her a Slug Club member..."

Hagrid found his crossbow laying near where Susan Bones was hopelessly stuck. As he bent to pick it up, he gave her a cold, hard look. "Why, Bones? After six years here, why'd yeh turn like this?"

"You look at this world and the way it is, and ask why, Hagrid. Infernians look at what hasn't been and ask, 'Why not?'" said Susan defiantly.

"Spare us the pseudo-philosophy," growled Ginny as she retrieved her wand. "All you should ask yourself is why you lot had no chance of winning, especially now. Inferno's bottled up, this castle'll be ours again by nightfall, and..."

A sudden, booming pop from high above cut Ginny off. Luna had been staring dreamily around as she stood on a balcony, hopefully just on the lookout for any more wyverns. But she must have spotted something else. She pointed up at the sky, looking uncharacteristically grim. "Whatever this is, I think you all should have a look."

They all clambered out onto the balcony with Luna, looking up. Something huge was settling overhead, something high up in the atmosphere. And it looked like something was spreading out from it, something dark and billowing.

Ginny Summoned a telescope to roll toward her, and quickly calibrated it so she could get a better look. Peering through the eyepiece, she saw it was some colossal metal cylinder settling itself over Earth. Five thin, metal rods slowly branched out from the cylindrical pod, and out from them issued something dark and otherworldly, something that certainly didn't belong in their world. Not only was it spreading sideways from the pod, but the stuff was slowly filtering down toward Earth. Flummoxed, Ginny let McGonagall have a look, but she was just as dumbfounded and speechless.

"If you don't mind, I can tell you exactly what you're looking at," Susan called out from inside the tower. "It's one of the specially-designed pods that Dr. Asara made to house all the dark matter and dark energy she collected! If she's deployed them, then the 'code black' saved the missiles, and she's still ready to fire them down! So you see, Ginny, nothing you lot did here today matters. Beating the Reformers and sealing off Inferno doesn't matter! Dr. Asara will still have her Day of Reckoning! Your brother got himself blown up for nothing!"

With a hideous howl, Ginny ran back into the Astronomy Tower and punched Susan so hard, she instantly blacked out. Still fuming, Ginny looked back outside. The dark matter and dark energy was still spreading at an exponential rate, coming close to blotting out the sunset. Ginny felt her heart pound even faster at the thought of Valkyrie and Kor-Zor's darkness smothering the whole world. But still, despite her seething anger and mind-numbing fear, a slight hope was still very much alive in Ginny.

If Harry was still up there, he'd find a way, at the last minute, to turn back the darkness. He always did.

xxxxxx

Harry watched helplessly, his heart (or rather, the nuclei in his abdomen) sinking as Valkyrie's pods kept spurting out dark energy and dark matter, saturating Earth's atmosphere with it. Adam said there were twenty in all. From the looks of it, soon Earth would be concealed in one huge dodecahedron of dark, otherworldly power. At which point, the conditions would be right for Valkyrie to disperse her virus around the world, bringing about her Day of Reckoning and killing countless Muggles in the process. And everything he and his friends suffered through would have been for nothing.

Rage pounded through whatever Harry had for blood vessels now, the thought of Valkyrie still winning even after all this unbearable. "Adam, J.B., any chance we can blow enough of those pods away before the virus can survive in free air?" he asked, his inhuman voice laden with desperation.

"We're about to find out. We're closing in on the one that's pretty much set right over India," said J.B.. Harry looked out the cockpit window again, just as J.B. opened fire. But hope quickly turned to despair as the plasma bolts ricocheted off of energy shielding.

"It is no use," said Adam gravely. "According to my scans, each individual pod has deflective shielding mentally monitored through Valkyrie's bionic arm. So long as she is conscious, she will be able to reinforce whichever pod or pods the ship goes after."

"So we're back to our original plan: take out Valkyrie permanently," said George. "So let's pull this ship around and let her have it."

"Won't be that simple, George," said Samus. "If Valkyrie can survive in space now, she'll be too maneuverable, a harder target. This ship, not quite as much. She immobilized the entire ship before and can do it again."

Still, J.B. was changing course and going after Valkyrie anyway. She and Kor-Zor were heading for the debris field left by her weapon platform, the spheres with the missiles inside in tow. Harry watched her carefully as Valkyrie sped away from them, suddenly realizing something. "Then me, Samus, Hermione and Ron...we'll just have to go out there and finish the job."

A shocked silence fell over the ship. "Harry, I'm not the astronaut here but...I'm pretty sure you'll find it a trifle bit difficult to fight normally out there in space," said Arthur incredulously.

"Maybe. Maybe not," said Harry simply. "Adam, didn't you say there were attachments for these suits, some sort of rocket packs?"

"Indeed I did. I also said that their power demands rendered them unsuitable for practical use," Adam reminded him.

Harry held up a hand and concentrated, letting a little Phazon energy crackle over his armor. "Right now, I don't think supplying extra power'll be a problem," he said wryly.

Samus, Ron and Hermione all looked at him with dawning expressions, understanding exactly what he was saying. Adam must have understood as well, for instead of arguing with him further, panels in the ship's floor opened up, revealing rocket packs with wing-like structures that would obviously fuse right into their GF suits. "We're in luck. For some reason, only three suit prototypes were stored on this ship, but extra rocket pack attachments were stored as well," said Adam.

"Will it work with Samus's suit, too?" asked Hermione.

"These were made for suits reverse-engineered from my very own. It should," said Samus.

Adam went through the process of linking up each of their suits with the rocket pack attachments, the four of them standing in silence as he went about his work. At last, when all four were fastened, Harry held out his arm. With a nod, Ron and Hermione placed a hand over his, and Samus clasped her left hand over theirs. At once, Harry willed some of the Phazon energy he stole from Valkyrie to flow into their suits, giving their rocket packs ample power.

"This is it, then. Just like the Founders predicted. The four of us against that undead blighter out there," said Ron.

"And...what're we supposed to do while you four let your heads get bashed in again?" asked J.B. coyly.

"Be ready to back us up if we need it, but for the most part, leave the heavy lifting to us," said Samus.

With that, the ship's lower hatch opened, and one by one, the quartet jumped down into the vastness of space. Harry willed the thrusters on his back to activate, and found himself rocketing forward. It was an awkward start, but soon, he felt as comfortable flying through space as he did riding his Firebolt. Sparing a quick glance over his shoulder, he smiled as he saw Ron, Hermione and Samus effortlessly tailing him.

"Everyone, you do realize that out here, in the vacuum of space, the ice, wave and plasma beams are completely useless?" Samus asked delicately over their comms. It was an eerie feeling for Harry, hearing nothing but his own breathing and the voices coming over his mic. "All we've got to rely on are our spazers, missiles, and your magic."

"I figured as much," came Hermione's voice. "But Adam refilled our energy and missile stock, we're as ready as we'll ever be."

"But Hermione, you OK with this?" Ron asked suddenly. "I mean, we all know flying is a sticky thing for you, and here we are, out in bloody space..."

"How many times do I have to explain it to you?" came Hermione's sharp retort. "Flying on brooms is nerve-racking for me because before Hogwarts, I trained on flight simulators where there was instrumentation right in front of me to focus on and I never could see the ground right below me. Well, there's NO ground out here, and I've got a target right in front of me!"

Harry looked ahead, noticing that Valkyrie had slowed down, and now idly hovered in the middle of the debris field. Suddenly, Adam's voice rang out over their comms again. "Everyone, after recomputing the equations Voldemort pulled from Dursley's mind, along with other data our fair Lady retrieved from Valkyrie's lunar base, I have computed the time it will take for those dark energy pods to do their work. Earth's atmosphere will be able to accomodate Valkyrie's virus in exactly ten minutes."

"Ten minutes to avert total catastrophe. I've done it in less, when on my own," Samus said confidently. "Harry, you're taking point. Have at Valkyrie first, keep sucking up Phazon energy to repower our flight packs."

"Me? Shouldn't you lead the charge?" asked Harry, shocked.

"You're the Quidditch player, you're the one more used to flying like this, and you're the one with a Metroid's energy harnessing power," Samus reminded him. "For now, you're calling the shots."

As they neared the debris field, Valkyrie seemed to sense their presence, slowly turning to face them. Even in the blackness of empty space, Harry could see Kor-Zor's dark form billowing around Valkyrie. A little closer, and they could take out some of those missile-housing orbs...

Suddenly, Valkyrie's maniacal voice rang out over their comms, making Harry wince. "Well, that's a new wrinkle. Even in deep space, you're determined to take this fight to me," she spat. "Very well. I chose the name Valkyrie because I was determined to be even more fearsome than Voldemort, and gather brave souls willing to help me fight and usher in a new world. But since you've killed my closest companions and sealed away the rest, I guess it's time I make a stand myself...and look like my namesake."

Valkyrie spread her arms and wiggled her wand. Suddenly, parts of the debris field started to swirl about, and bits of jagged metal reshaped themselves as they coalesced around her. Still too far away, Harry could only watch helplessly as something started to form around Valkyrie. She crossed her arms, curling up into a fetal position as bits of glass seemed to melt and reform into a sphere around her naked body. Ambient water particles that were on the weapon platform flowed into the sphere, filling it, and wiring and tubing of all sorts latched onto the sphere and branched out.

More reformed metal plates and electronic components swirled around Valkyrie's sphere. Not only that, what were obvious parts of weapon systems zoomed toward her. In a dizzying blur, all these pieces began to reassemble themselves like a bizarre three-dimensional puzzle, as if trapping Valkyrie in a cocoon of machinery. The orbs with the Undetectable Extension Charms shot toward her too, hidden away in pockets of space in that bizarre structure with new Undetectable Extension Charms cast upon them.

At last, something took shape. Valkyrie's glassy sphere was set in the chest of a huge new machine, at least forty feet tall. It vaguely resembled a woman, only with feet resembling the talons of birds of prey, and a thrashing tail with a club at the end like a Hungarian Horntail's. Four huge, birdlike wings stretched out from the back, vaguely resembling solar panels. The right arm held some sort of lance, while the left arm was oversized, no doubt housing an array of laser weapons and missile launchers. And in places like the shoulders, hips and back, Harry could see more weapon arrays fused in with the bizarre creature.

To complete the picture, a metal sculpture resembling Valkyrie's head sat atop its shoulders. But it was adorned with a helmet that showed only the face. Huge wings were on its side and a large spike protruded straight from the top. The colors of this frightening new mech were hard to make out, since Kor-Zor's shadowy form rippled all over Valkyrie's new creation, making it blend in with the darkness of space. All that was instantly recognizable was the eerie glow of Phazon coming from the sphere in its chest, where Valkyrie still bobbed weightlessly in the water, idly floating as she concentrated, planning her next move...

The sight of Valkyrie looking so calm, still refusing to believe her virus had a serious flaw, filled Harry with a terrible rage. That, and the fact that even with her Horcrux-ish Metroids dead, she still had an annoying resistance to dying. Thinking fast, Harry said, "I'll fire off an opening volley, then the rest of you cover me as I go for the chest."

Charging a shot, Harry fired off three Blasting Curses at once while firing missiles. The monstrous construct brought up its arms, blocking most of his volley. But then, everyone else pitched in with beams, curses and missiles. Harry concentrated as hard as he could, trying to control his flight. It was nowhere near as effortless as riding a broomstick. He realized proper training must've been needed for flying in zero gravity, but with Earth having less than ten minutes left, he had to learn fast.

Valkyrie swung her massive lance, which billowed with Kor-Zor's dark power, but it was quite sluggish. Harry ducked under it, arms outstretched as he went for the chest, but suddenly, the leg's talons shot up and grabbed him, just as he was inches away. Valkyrie briefly opened her eyes to stare and smirk at him as her construct's feet slowly crushed him. Thankfully, a well-timed spazer shot from Samus to its glassy chest made Valkyrie relinquish her grip. Harry sped away as fast as he could, firing back furiously as he did so.

"Nine minutes left, Harry, and scans say this thing isn't weakening!" Hermione shrilled in his ear. "On top of that, our flight packs are already running low on power! Next time you move in, you've GOT to drain off some more Phazon energy!"

That was easier said than done, for now Valkyrie was going on the offensive. Missile launchers and laser cannons welded into her shoulders and hips fired at them, effectively blanketing the space in between them. Ron, Hermione and Samus did their best to dodge and swerve around them, but they clearly were having just as much trouble adapting. Many attacks clipped their sides, and Harry saw a purple sheen flicker around them. It was then that he realized the Phazon energy he lent them was also boosting their shielding. Without more power, and soon, their suits' shielding would fail...

Grim determination taking hold, Harry dove at Valkyrie as she retreated further. He took out an incoming missile with one of his own, and deflected a laser blast with the strongest Shield Charm he could muster. Willing his flight pack to give him an extra boost, he swerved past Valkyrie's massive, weapon-laden left arm and latched onto her glassy chest at last. At once, Phazon energy flowed back into him. Harry flashed his saliva-drenched, pointy teeth as Valkyrie writhed within her makeshift haven, while Samus, Hermione and Ron kept pelting her machine with everything they had.

Finally, just when Harry thought he couldn't hold any more, he kicked off from Valkyrie's chest. Out in space, that flung him away a good distance, and thrust Valkyrie back a good ways as well. Harry kept on deflecting all the missiles and lasers Valkyrie lobbed at him, covering his friends long enough so they could get close. Reaching out behind him with his left hand, he let the others grasp it, willing a fresh supply of energy to replenish their shielding and flight packs.

Suddenly, Hermione's voice rang in Harry's ear again. "Hey, I just noticed something. When all four of us were touching each other, the serpents on my knuckles...it felt like they were all coming alive!"

"That's interesting, Hermione, but I don't think Asara'll let us investigate it," said Ron.

"Maybe she will," said Samus. "Look at her. Harry feeding off her Phazon energy again weakened her more than we realized!"

Harry looked back over at Valkyrie and, sure enough, the weapon arrays that had been blazing seconds ago were powering down. Valkyrie herself looked as if she was languishing, bobbing idly in that fluid again.

"A little over eight minutes left, people. She's vulnerable right now, so let's find a way to take advantage of it!" cried Hermione.

"Wait a minute, the Founders' weapon! All of us have to come into contact! THAT'S how it's activated! And I bet Samus's piece is the one that fires it off!" shouted Harry.

"You sure about that?" Samus asked dubiously.

"Gryffindor was the master duelist and warrior, and you've got his part. Makes sense that you, of all people, got hold of it," said Harry. Wasting no more time on words, Harry swerved up and behind Samus, placing his hands on her shoulders, careful not to cover the lion heads. He looked over to Ron, then to Hermione, nodding at each of them, beckoning them to join in. Ron flew in over to their left, putting one hand over Harry's and the other under Samus's elbow. Hermione did the same on Samus's right side.

It happened almost instantaneously. The snake heads on Hermione's hands rose up, letting out a hiss everyone seemed to hear, even with no air to carry the sound. The blue eagles on Ron's chest, right shoulder and left thigh flapped their wings and squawked, while the badgers on Harry's armor gnashed their teeth. Lastly, the lion heads on Samus's shoulders seemed to roar as Samus raised her arm cannon. Something tanglible seemed to surround them all, an aura of absolute power both exhilerating and terrifying. They all felt this strange power build up, and Samus fired...

The space in front of them seemed to ripple violently as the weapon's effect travelled toward Valkyrie. Valkyrie was just starting to regather her wits, but then, she was hit by whatever it was. At once, the swirling, billowing darkness that nearly made her machine blend in with outer space seemed to abate, as if it were being sucked away. In fact, Valkyrie herself seemed rooted to that particular spot in space, unable to fly away or fire any weapons. It was as if something was slowly consuming Kor-Zor's dark form, and slowly, her machination along with him. This strange effect built up in intensity just as Valkyrie found the will to fight against it, thrashing and flailing.

"I...don't believe it," Samus muttered over their comm. "My scan visor's results...gravitational readings are off the scales! How could...wait, that's it!"

"What's it?" demanded Ron.

"GRAVITY! THAT'S what the Founders made to do Kor-Zor in! The only reason dark energy and dark matter were ever discovered was because only their interactions with gravity were detectable! Under normal circumstances, electromagnetic forces have no effect, so the Chozo helped the Founders make a weapon based on gravity!" Samus explained.

"Are you telling me the four of them made a magical black hole generator?" Hermione cried out in disbelief. "No wonder they never dared test it. They weren't afraid of it not working on Kor-Zor. They were afraid of it working period, and doing worse damage to Earth!"

"Well, keeping the Earth safe isn't much of an issue, where we all are now," Ron noted. "So let's keep pouring it on, crush both of 'em like bugs with this thing, and..."

All of a sudden, the rippling effect could no longer be seen, and the crushing black hole vanished. The four of them were flung back, and Valkyrie seemed to recover, just as camouflaguing darkness spread over her machine again.

"Oh great, I guess these weapon pieces aren't fully compatible with our suits after all," growled Harry. "We can't keep up the pressure long enough to make Kor-Zor implode."

"Then you just get back in there, suck her dry, so we can have another go!" shouted Ron.

"Ron's right. Only about seven minutes left. Trying the black hole generator again...it's our only shot," said Samus.

"Then we'd better move...she's getting away again!" cried Hermione, pointing. Valkyrie was veering off, backwards, swiftly circling around Earth again. In desperation, the four of them took off after her. Soon, they would be over the side facing the sun. Feeling anxious and nauseous, Harry spared a glanced down at Earth. A shudder of revulsion rippled through him as he saw that almost all of Europe was obscured from view, being smothered by Kor-Zor's dark power. Africa and the Middle East were nearly covered, too. It couldn't be plainer that time was running out.

Thankfully, Valkyrie seemed to be slowing down, which wasn't lost on Ron. "Alright, she must be running out of steam quicker than us!" he bellowed. "Let's finish this!"

As they rocketed toward her, Harry got the feeling that weren't that lucky. He caught a glimpse of Valkyrie in that fluid-filled orb, and her body language...it was far more self-assured. Taking note of her mechanical body, he saw the four wings were not only spread wide, but glowing.

"Wait, how can anything look like that in space...oh no...EVERYONE, SCATTER!" Samus screamed at them all. Her warning came just in time. Stream of deadly, radiant energy shot out from all of her wings, creating an array of lethal, sweeping lasers. "She's turning the solar winds on us!" Samus shouted as they ducked and swooped around. "It must be how she's flying around in space, manipulating the solar winds, and here, on the side of the planet facing its sun..."

In desperation, the rest of them cut loose with everything they had, but Valkyrie hardly seemed to feel all the weapon fire and curses smacking into her construct. The sun's reflected rays kept streaking across their flight path, slowing Harry's advancement to a snail's crawl. Even worse, Harry noticed a new indicator on his HUD, letting him know how much energy his flight pack had to spare. His was running out fast, and he knew it was the same story for all his friends.

"Harry, going to try something! If it looks like you've got a clear path to Valkyrie, take it!" Samus suddenly ordered over their comm. She swooped in past Harry, missiles armed. Deftly ducking under the redirected solar radiation, she fired at the exposed glass orb in its chest. This seemed to daze Valkyrie, as the solar lasers stopped moving as swiftly. Following Samus's lead, Harry rushed in, hands outstretched, hungry for extra Phazon energy.

Unfortunately, Valkyrie recovered in record time, and one of her wings began to angle itself to fry Harry as he swooped in. Harry winced, bracing for the worst, but all of a sudden, Valkyrie's redirected solar energy angled away from Harry. The same was happening with the rays from the other three wings. Harry risked a glance behind him, wondering where it was going.

He gasped as it was all absorbed into the cockpit window of Samus's ship. Harry caught a quick glimpse of George, Arthur and Molly standing behind J.B. with their wands raised, their pilot doggedly staying on course.

Of course, the Lambasplendio spell! Harry realized with jubilation, just as the Weasleys released it. A wide stream of collected, deadly solar radiation shot out from the cockpit window and smacked into Valkyrie before she could veer off. Caught in its wake, helpless, Harry heard screams muffled by static over his comm. But no cries of pain from Kor-Zor. Samus was right, only the Founders' gravity weapon had any chance of hurting him.

"Harry, the Weasleys are just about spent!" J.B. shouted to him. "Get in there, suck up everything she's got!"

"On it," said Harry simply as he rocketed forward again. The Weasleys' beam abated just in time to grant Harry a split-second chance to move in. Valkyrie swung her massive lance again, but Harry shot past it just in time, latching onto the exposed orb again, willing his body to suck up as much Phazon energy as possible.

This time, though, Valkyrie found the strength to swing around her spiked tail, trying to impale Harry. Harry caught Valkyrie's jerky movements, and let go just in time. As Harry rocketed up, the spikes on her tail struck the orb housing Valkyrie. Harry looked on in dismay; the orb looked cracked, but stayed intact. As it was, however, he had more than enough Phazon energy to keep the four of them going.

As J.B. brought the ship in again, cutting loose with its own weapons, Harry used that time to beckon everyone to gather around him. The four of them took up the same positions. As Harry willed the Phazon energy he stole to repower their suits, he felt that strange, wondrous and frightening power build up all around them again. "J.B., get clear. We're immune to these black holes we create, but I don't think the same can be said of our ship."

J.B. obeyed Harry without question, making the ship veer off and out of range, just as Samus fired off the Founders' weapon. Once again, a miniature black hole sprang up out of nowhere, right behind Valkyrie's construct. Fueled by desperation, Valkyrie fought on in earnest, flying away from the anomaly. Or at least trying to. No doubt even the solar winds that Valkyrie now rode on were starting to be pulled into that black hole. And Harry smiled as he saw the shadowy ripples that shrouded her construct be pulled away into that black hole. They got a good look at the mech underneath, which now looked like an unimpressive hodge-podge of junk. You tried putting your insane dream back together, just like that junk pile, but it'll all come apart, Harry thought vindictively.

But again, the four of them couldn't keep the black hole machine running long enough. Just as it looked like the gravity would crush Valkyrie's junkpile like an egshell and suck up Kor-Zor's darkness forever, the Founders' weapon gave out. Having been trying to free herself, Valkyrie now shot forward with deadly momentum, bringing up her huge lance to impale them. The four of them broke away just in time; thankfully there was no rush of air to scatter and disorient them further as Valkyrie rushed past. J.B. brought the ship in again, furiously firing its weapons as the Weasleys directed amplified Blasting Curses through the cockpit window. Harry, Samus, Hermione and Ron joined in, firing everything. Yet again, Valkyrie seemed to shrug off everything they threw at her, Kor-Zor's rippling darkness spreading over her armor once more.

"Only five minutes left people! We've got to get Harry close enough again, set Valkyrie up for another shot!" Samus cried over their comm. Harry spared a glanced over at Earth. Hardly any of its surface could be seen through the dark power that now permeated its entire atmosphere. Grim determination taking hold again, Harry shot toward Valkyrie, but she was ready. Valkyrie cut loose with all the weapon systems she slapped on, and this time, she used short bursts of redirected solar radiation, so that the Weasleys couldn't suck up enough to knock her silly.

"No, Samus. I'll be saving you and Harry from bleak, lonely futures, whether you like it or not," Valkyrie shot back over their comm. "A means to artificially create black holes, something the Founders had good reason to see as forbidden. What makes you four any diferent from us, the way I've tried to unlock the true potential of genetics and evolution, and how Kor-Zor wanted to utilize that dark, unknowable part of our universe?"

"Because we're using it to save lives, while you and Kor-Zor had no problems taking them!" Harry shouted back, ducking and diving around the missiles and lasers headed his way. But the weapon fire was getting too intense, and Valkyrie was moving too swiftly. It looked less and less likely that Harry could move in to drain more energy in time. The power for his flight pack was sinking fast, and only four minutes were left until Valkyrie could drop her missiles into Earth's atmosphere.

xxxxxx

Samus's mind raced as she watched both the indicators for their remaining time and her flight pack's power tick down. But as fast as her thoughts were going, her actions were even faster. She had taken point in the blitz on what remained of Kor-Zor and Valkyrie. Her beam fire and missiles rained down on them non-stop, and along with her three friends, her ship now made passes, blasting them with all its firepower. But no matter how hard they tried, nothing seemed to weaken Valkyrie enough to let Harry slip in one last time.

"Three and a half minutes left until a new era dawns!" Valkyrie shouted over her comm. "Since you wouldn't help me shape a brand-new future, time to wipe you out so you can't interfere with it!" More short bursts off redirected solar rays forced Samus to back off. As she retreated, desperately trying to plan their next move, Samus noticed something moving towards them. Or rather, a lot of things...

"Great...more asteroids chunks she flung at Earth, but didn't eneter the atmosphere!" Samus cried out, warning her friends. Huge chunks of space rocks zoomed at Valkyrie, and Harry, Ron and Hermione got the message just in time, swooping and diving to evade the asteroids. Many came at Samus herself, but after avoiding them all and looking back to Valkyrie, her mech was gone.

"Over here," Valkyrie's voice seemed to whisper. Whirling around, Samus gasped as her shadow-consumed mech seemed to rise out of nowhere, the oversized left-arm clutching a massive, mangled piece of her totaled weapon platform. Valkyrie haughtily held it over her head, smirking at them all from her vantage point in her chest before hurling it at them.

Fear overwhelmed Samus for a moment, but only a moment. She opened fire on the massive piece of space junk, desperately trying to blast it in two. Her three friends instantly got the message, letting loose a hail of curses meant to split it apart. When it was only a few meters from Samus, it finally started to break apart. Then, J.B. flew her ship in close, finishing the job with its plasma blasters, then took a few potshots at Valkyrie before veering off.

But Samus had little time to catch her breath. The asteroids Valkyrie brought to her moments ago zoomed past the four of them. Once again, they barely avoided getting smashed by the rocks. The asteroid chunks began to circle around Valkyrie at ridiculous speeds, creating an impregnable field as Valkyrie opened fire with all her weapons again.

"Only three minutes left!" Hermione shrieked. "Someone, come up with a plan! We're almost out of time!"

"Take out the rocks! Take out the rocks!" screamed Harry vehemently, immediately lobbing Reductor Curses at the circling asteroid pieces. The four of them kept blasting them apart as they evaded Valkyrie's weapons, but there were too many. Samus couldn't see any way to take out enough in time and let Harry slip back in. But then, just as almost all hope had faded, as Samus watched Valkyrie and the way she almost faded into the background of space, she noticed something else. Something else that blended in with the blackness...and was moving closer.

All of a sudden, Valkyrie was blasted from behind, and more asteroid chunks were taken out. At last, Samus could make out what it was: the shellfish-like submersible the Malfoys had stolen. Evidently, just like her ship, it could travel travel water and space. Suddenly, Bellatrix's cackling voice shrilled over their comm. "I do hope you can forgive us for showing up later, Potter, but when you see what..."

"Bella, we discussed this. My wife and I are the ones who know how to use the ship. WE do the talking!" barked Lucius. "Potter, we know what you're planning. Get ready to have one more go at her."

"UNGRATEFUL TRAITORS!" roared Valkyrie as she suddenly turned her redirected solar radiation on the new arrivals. Luckily for the Malfoys, the ship was small and maneuverable enough to stay one step ahead of Valkyrie. The Malfoys kept helping them blast away the asteroid chunks, but eventually, some of Valkyrie's weapon fire winged their stolen ship. Smoke and plasma trailed from one of its engines as it veered off.

"Well, the Malfoys took care of most of the asteroid bits, but she's still got all her guns blazing! How am I supposed to get close?" demanded Harry.

"I think I see how. We've got a couple more old friends joining the party," said Ron flatly, pointing back over to the Malfoys' ship. Some hatch had opened on the top. Out shot Draco Malfoy, still clad in his power suit, and holding onto his back was Voldemort. Draco had a dead look, as if all of his willpower and spirit had been drained away, while Voldemort's was one of livid resolve.

Almost as soon as the pair cleared their ship, that same strange, semi-opaque bubble that Adam described encased Draco. Through it, Samus saw Voldemort wave his wand, and it rolled toward Valkyrie. Then came the glassy, white snakes that shot out from the bubble, which latched onto Valkyrie and held her fast. Valkyrie writhed angrily in her own bubble as her weapon fire was turned on Draco's, but all her missiles and lasers bounced harmlessly off his barrier. The snakes kept coiling around Valkyrie, holding her tighter as they chomped down on her built-in weapons, ripping them off one by one.

"HARRY! Voldemort's given you the opening you need! DO IT NOW!" Samus shouted over the comm. Harry glanced over at Voldemort for a moment, hesitating. But thankfully, whatever was going through his head, it didn't distract him for long. He shot right at Valkyrie, ducking around the few asteroid bits that still encircled Valkyrie, and latched onto the orb in her chest.

It wasn't long before Valkyrie shook all of them off, but judging from the purple aura that now surrounded Harry, he had all the Phazon energy he needed. And just in time, too. Samus noticed her flight pack's power was nearly gone, and now, less than two minutes remained until the darkness blanketing Earth became oppressively crushing.

Hermione, Ron and Samus all gathered around Harry, assuming their previous positions. "J.B., Lucius, all of you...get clear. This time, we're making sure that black hole stays put until both Kor-Zor and Valkyrie are sucked into it," said Samus resolutely.

Phazon flowed through all their suits as the weapon's power built up. Then, in one tremendous burst, Samus let it loose one last time. At once, Kor-Zor's shadowy form was pulled clean off its armor, rushing back toward the black hole.

On top of that, parts of Valkyrie's mech were coming apart, being ripped clean from its main body and then crushed by the oppressive gravity. The mangled weapon pieces were the first to go, then the bird-like legs, mace-like tail and giant lance were ripped free and swallowed up. Samus concentrated with all her might, willing the black hole maker to stay armed long enough to get the job done.

Sweat dribbled off her brow, and soon, Samus felt blood flow out of her nose. But she refused to let her willpower ebb, and soon saw her determination pay off. As more armor plates flew off, the hidden orbs housing the virus-filled missiles were ripped free of their housing, and got pulled into the black hole. Then, at last, the wings were wrenched off by the gravitational pull. Now, there was nothing to help Valkyrie resist it. At the same time, Samus thought she saw Kor-Zor's shadowy head over the mech's, its massive beak screaming silently as the rest of its dark, spectral form was swallowed up by the black hole.

"It's over. This curse that's plagued the Chozo people, it's finally over," Samus breathed in relief as she watched what was left of Kor-Zor get sucked up into that black hole. "And soon, Valkyrie can keep him company," she added vindictively.

"NOT JUST YET, SAMUS!" screamed Valkyrie. With one last, tremendous effort, Valkyrie burst through the cracks she accidently made earlier, shooting out at what had to be a velocity faster than light. It was only for a brief moment, but it was enough to shoot herself free of the black hole.

Valkyrie came right at the quartet, and they were so exhausted, concentrating so hard on keeping the black hole open, they had no chance to evade her. All four of them went flying, but Valkyrie made sure to latch onto Samus. They both shot downward toward Earth, out of control, hovering dangerously close above the dense field of concentrated dark energy.

Valkyrie no longer had any means of communicating over their comm, but her meaning was plain enough. Her wand was between her teeth, having already been used to cast a charm paralyzing Samus. Holding onto Samus with her right hand, she drew back her bionic arm, willing the long, serrated blade to pop out.

But just as Valkyrie was about to run her through, Samus's willpower and resolve came rushing back, and with that her strength. As Valkyrie brought the tip of her blade forward, Samus broke Valkyrie's hold and twisted her left arm around, willing her fins to extend. All three went clean through Valkyrie's chest, coming out the other side.

Valkyrie's eyes widened, a little bit of blood flowing out of her mouth and floated about in space. They were stuck like that for a moment, but Samus was purposefully holding on, trying to angle them into the right position.

Even though she knew Valkyrie couldn't hear her, Samus began to rant. "Even the brightest forget things from time to time. Here's a little something to jog your memory," spat Samus. She held up her arm cannon, which was charging...and absorbing the ambient Phazon radiation Valkyrie still gave out. Valkyrie's eyes widened even more, knowing that this was finally the end for her. "Like I said before, there's plenty of things I could tell you, explaining why I told you to stuff your offer. But right now, there's only one thing I want to say: GAME OVER!"

Samus retracted her fins and thrust the tip of her arm cannon into her gut, blasting Valkyrie with her own Phazon at point-blank range. Samus had calculated everything perfectly, for as Valkyrie was blasted back, her body destabilizing as she shot across Earth's upper atmosphere, she crashed into a stray asteroid fragment. It had just been caught up in Earth's gravity, but now, the asteroid chunk and Valkyrie were careening toward the nearest pod flooding Earth with dark power. Samus watched with a sense of finality as Valkyrie body's disintegrated completely, right before the asteroid chunk smashed into the pod. It exploded at once, and the asteroid piece veered off on a new trajectory, one away from Earth.

As Samus kept watching, she realized that with even one of the pods knocked out, the field couldn't be kept up. Not only that, its destruction set off a chain reaction, causing all the other pods to self-destruct. The dark energy field around Earth...it had taken several minutes to build in density, but with the pods self-destructing, it began to vanish instantly. Like winds blowing away foam along a coastline, the dark energy and dark matter dissipated, now that no pods were holding it all in place. It all went back to the barely detectable part of the universe, where it belonged...

While Samus watched, satisfied with her handiwork, she suddenly became aware of a falling sensation. Looking down, she clearly saw North America, but was keenly aware of how she was falling toward it, and already, the heat of re-entry was getting to her. Even worse, Samus realized she had diverted all her remaining Phazon energy into the blast that finished Valkyrie, not just what she absorbed from her aura.

"Anyone...can anyone hear me? It's getting a little hot in here!" Samus bellowed over her comm. As if to answer her call, Samus felt three pairs of hands roughly pull her back up. Looking up, she saw Harry, Ron and Hermione's strained, but joyous looks through their visors.

"We're almost out of power, too. But don't worry, we've got everything covered," came Ron's triumphant voice. Samus noticed their gazes were angled downward. Glancing down, she saw J.B. was bringing her ship in right under her. All four of them dropped down roughly onto the top of it, hastily clambering into the hatch.

At this point, with their mission accomplished, Samus's focus began to slip. She groggily collapsed to her knees, and was acutely aware of how her three friends faltered as well. Samus felt pairs of hands and Adam's mechanical limbs set her against a wall and remove her helmet. Adam and George were hurriedly asking her questions, but Samus couldn't comprehend any of it, her mind finally succumbing to fatigue.

However, something soon happened that brought Samus's attention back into sharp focus. Crackling noises echoed throughout the ship, along with cries of surprise from the Etecoons and Dachoras. Sitting up roughly, Samus looked over to see that her friends' GF Marine suits were sparking and smoking dangerously. In desperation, the three of them were prying them off piece by piece, Adam lending them a hand.

As the separate pieces of their armor suits hit the ground, they continued to smoke and sputter. Then, the badgers on Harry's suit bit the air a few final times, before their yellow color faded, changing to an ashen, dull black. The eagles on Ron's suit cawed and flapped their wings before the same thing happened to them.

Hermione bent down, caressing the writhing snakes on her suit as they hissed and sputtered, their final moments approaching. "We...were right. The Muggles in the future, they did their best. But...these suits couldn't withstand the pressure of using that black hole weapon, like the Founders' suits probably could," she said somberly as the serpents now hung limp and lifeless in her hands.

"Y'know...maybe, it's better this way," said Harry in a heavy tone. "We used the weapon where it couldn't hurt anyone else, Kor-Zor's beaten once and for all, and there's no chance of that black hole maker ever being used for anything else. I bet the four of them would've wanted it this way," Samus suddenly realized that Harry's voice...sounded almost normal again. Looking over to him, Samus saw Ron was holding Harry up, and his scaly hands and talons reverting back to human hands. When she got a look at his face, those solid, black eyes were the only trace of his Metroid form left. And soon, they changed back to the green eyes everyone said resembled his mother's.

"Then it's over, mate," said Ron brightly. "Valkyrie and Kor-Zor...gone forever! We finally won!"

"The battle for Earth's future, maybe," said J.B. suddenly. "But the war'll still be going on. Look outside."

Everyone turned to the cockpit window. Facing the ship, a few dozen meters away, was what was left of the Malfoys' stolen ship, still smoking and sparking dangerously. Then, that semi-opaque bubble protecting Voldemort and Draco settled on top of it. It faded as the two were lowered down into the ship, but Samus caught Voldemort's scarlet, murderous glare before he vanished. The ship just hovered in front of Samus's for a moment, as if daring J.B. to do something. Then, suddenly, it turned around and flew down into Earth's atmosphere, leaving a trail of thick smoke.

Arthur broke the awkward silence. "Do we...go after them?" he asked delicately.

"No. Shooting down that ship...at this point, Voldemort'll just come back as surely as he did after blasting himself with his own Killing Curse," said Samus. "Trust us, everyone, 'killing' him now will just make this war drag on longer."

"B-B-But...S-Samus, this is an opportunity we can't pass up!" cried Molly. "Once he gets close enough to Apparate to the ground..."

"He already can. He Apparated on and off that space station, remember?" Harry reminded everyone. "Besides, shooting that ship down would also kill the Malfoys, and I'm...not prepared to do that."

"He's right. Much as I hate to say it, we had a deal with them. Just let them go," said Samus with a tone of finality. As she gazed over Earth's surface as J.B. plotted a landing sequence for Hogwarts, Samus let a wave of calm sweep over her. At first, a part of her feared that that dark energy would come rushing back, but nothing popped up to obscure the breathtaking view below. Samus had travelled to countless alien worlds, but now, seeing the human homeworld looking so pristine from so high-up, narrowly avoiding yet another biological catastrophe, it somehow filled her with a sense of peace, of hope...

Samus was so occupied with the view from the cockpit, she almost didn't sense someone saunter up behind her. "So, wanna go ahead and get my arse-kicking over with now, or d'you wanna rest up a bit?" asked George coyly.

Smirking, Samus grabbed him and put him in a headlock, forcing him to look outside. "Just enjoy the view," she said simply as J.B. went on with the landing procedure.

xxxxxx

And so, at last, there you have it. The climactic final battle of this whole, sordid affair. I hoped it was everything you expected, especially after that massive build-up of over a year. Anyway, now only the epilogue remains, and the same rules apply as last time. This fic, once again, was loaded with references to other games, television shows, movies and literature. Show yourself to be a true Metroid-esque archaeologist and find them all!

So long,
Grey-X