Chapter 54 – The End…or something like it, like dough, not quite bread, but nearly there.

The following few days had been nothing short of rampant, moving equipment back and forth, making sure everything and everyone was ready, and now they were.

Now after so long, Harry stood next to a pallet facing the coordinates that he'd given Voldemort.

The shield square was in place, there was no mark on the ground but Harry knew where it was, he'd gone over it so many times the area was etched into his mind.

It was still afternoon, Harry had made sure the time he'd given was night, no harm in encouraging him to bring some of his night allies as well.

Next to Harry hidden inside one of the pallets was a large backpack with the liquid Nitrogen in it, he'd run checks after checks, Night Wolf had scanned the area and everything, was ready.

Shadow Blaze, Harry had picked up early this morning, after he'd gone on Friday and they'd told him they were having problems, he'd nearly…well he didn't really do anything, he just nodded and said "If it's not ready by tomorrow it's the end of the world." Then he disappeared.

She was some distance away but assured Harry that when the time was right she would be over the site.

Shadow Blaze wasn't the only ship of course that was hanging around waiting.

RSCS Firefox was standing by in orbit, a very close orbit supposedly to aid in the transmat process, Shadow Blaze would be half way or something like that to make sure it all went to plan.

Harry suppressed a chuckle.

'The Plan', there should have been a name for it, but Harry's-plan-to-destroy-Voldemort-by-blowing-up-a-sun, was a bit long and the wizarding contingent wouldn't have got the last bit.

Harry looked around for the wizarding contingent, he couldn't see them. Which in itself was good.

Moody and Tonks were in their element, concealment without the use of magic, the aurors actually covered it… before 'people' within the ministry stopped that favouring magic over non-magical means.

Harry knew where many of them were, and as night drew closer it would get harder to see them.

Some were under invisibility cloaks, many of those had been exchanged back and forth to get everyone to the site from the apparition point, but now there was no leaving, no more to come.

Not all The Order was at the site, many were stationed in smaller towns around, protecting them, readying them in case of co-current attacks.

Some were managing the damage…made by Voldemort's troops advance towards their location.

Harry pulled out the scroll of parchment again staring at the figures that Moody had written out; it was the most recent report of the distribution of Voldemort's troops.

Trolls – at least 5

Giants – at least 10

Vampires – unknown, minor groups have disappeared from their usual hunting grounds

Death Eaters – Unknown, however due to recent engagements numbers have decreased. Ministry information indicates Death Eaters have recruited internationally.

It wasn't an encouraging number.

Harry turned in a full circle, another group he couldn't see but knew was there was Jones's team.

They were there waiting, they were probably watching him right now.

Jones had asked him if there was anyone he specifically need them to take out.

There was…Harry had said it might help establish his authority…or make Voldemort all the more likely to attack him, either way it would be useful.

Harry was the only one on the ground.

This had been something Moody had brought up in one of the joint meetings of the Order and his friends.

"One of the single most dangerous things during a fight is to have people on the ground. The way Harry has worked this he will be facing Voldemort's troops." He'd pointed to the map.

"All of you will be behind these wooden things, or in amongst the muggle machinery, no one is to join Harry on the ground."

"Why?" Ron had called out.

"It is very likely that there will be spells flying everywhere, with more people in the battle area and you could get seriously hurt, or killed."

Moody paused looking around.

"This means you may be some distance from a target, however not much further than an average duelling platform." Moody paused and scanned the group. "This is not a duel!" he roared. "This is a battle, just because we have a plan, does not mean Voldemort's forces will follow a specific design."

More yelling and instructions had followed Harry had tuned out at that point.

The net result was that when Voldemort arrived he would be alone on the battlefield, hopefully…maybe.

The Order, had been given the affirmative from the Ministry to use the killing curse, in fact it had happened a while ago with the aurors, but the minister had personally told Moody that they wouldn't prosecuted should they need to use the curse.

Many of the Order were uncomfortable with using it Moody had been compassionate in that regard and had said use whatever spell, as long as it incapacitated their target.

Harry wasn't sure when Moody had started referring to them in such militaristic terms; forces, troops, targets. But it seemed to help, even Hermione was willing, not to kill, but disable them…

Harry tapped his foot against the little stack of weapons covered in a camouflage net and covered with dirt.

It was his little store of weapons that he'd found when he was digging through his trunk, a rocket launcher, an ATR and a bazooka. He might as well use them, even with Voldemort captured and in the cage there was still going to be a lot of forces still around, probably…maybe…

Harry idly patted down his pockets, making sure the various guns which were sitting around his person were still there, 2 Uzis, 4 handguns, various knives and of course his wands.

Harry leant against the pallets watching the light slowly diminish until the sun was below the horizon.

Even before it was totally down he could hear the thumping noise, like in that movie he'd once seen with dinosaurs, there was the feeling of the ground pulsing as they advanced.

"Here they come…" Harry muttered to himself.

The giants were leading the trolls they walked up towards Harry, stopping a hundred meters or so from him and stood waiting like a huge contingent waiting for orders.

Then…it was like air rushing out of the area, there were several pops and suddenly the area in front of him was full of people in dark cloaks, at the same time, just above the group some people swirled into existence, they were aboard flying carpets, all were staring at him.

Then there was one final almost silent pop.

Voldemort had arrived.

Flanked by three Death Eaters he approached, Harry also took a step forward, still bearing in mind the location of the transmat site.

"Lord Potter." Voldemort said simple.

"Lord Voldemort. Why keep your forces hidden? It is not as though I would tell anyone…who would care…" Harry said bitterly, he'd already told everyone many times he might be a little out of sorts 'acting mad'.

Voldemort raised an eyebrow, Harry noticed he had changed since their last encounter, he was still snake like, but with hair, and facial expressions.

He nodded to the three flanking him.

They each removed their masks, flanking Voldemort was Snape, Pettigrew and…Harry wasn't sure about the third.

"I see you didn't take my advice…?" Harry asked mildly amused.

"I did…you see…" He poked Pettigrew, now that Harry could see him he did have an odd vacant look in his eyes, well a more vacant look.

"He was never all there…all that time as a rat…" Harry said lightly.

"He is not alive…" Voldemort said silkily.

Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Turn Wormtail. Pull down your hood." Voldemort bit out an instruction.

Harry fought to find an expression, it was somewhere between a grin and amusement, he hoped it was right.

Most of the back Wormtail's head was…missing exploded outwards. Someone giggled, it was the third man accompanying Voldemort.

"Necromancy?" Harry asked feigning interest.

"Nothing so grand should be wasted on Wormtail." Voldemort paused waiting for Harry to guess.

"Something then, as a simple Imperio?" Harry wondered out loud.

Voldemort nodded appreciatively. "I have long wanted to experiment with it on such a complex…comparatively speaking individual." Harry tried not to snort but did at Voldemort's comment of complex…and Wormtail.

"So it's just animated flesh…won't that collapse…degradation…" Harry continued to prompt Voldemort.

"Until total decomposition takes place." He admitted.

"Hello Snape." Harry waved his fingers creepily at him in a mock greeting. The wave was a signal to Jones and in 5 seconds…

4, 3, 2.

"Goodbye Snape." Blood and brain matter exploded out the back of Snape's head as a bullet shot from a silenced rifle ripped through his skull. Snape fell making many of the Death Eaters jump.

Voldemort regarded him and drew his wand, carefully.

"Your Death Eaters are a little jumpy Voldemort."

Harry looked around, many of them were drawing their wands, this was going to get nasty very quickly.

"A ruler's subjects should fear them."

"Perhaps. Who are you, I could swear we've met before." Harry said to the other man by Voldemort's side.

"Lestrange." He said fingering his wand.

"Well you must be Rastaban…sadly the last in your family." Harry waved in the same manner as he did Snape, a moment later it was only Voldemort and his animated corpse.

"How?" Voldemort whispered.

Harry held up his hand studying is, totally ignoring the many wands trained on him.

"Perhaps I picked up a rock, and sent it hurtling towards your Death Eaters, and they died…I'm sure you know enough about Death Voldemort."

"Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort suddenly cried, Harry watched as the spell tore out at him, he stood aside at the last moment and watched it streak by.

Harry while doing so pulled the Uzi from his pocket and shot a clip's worth into Wormtail riddling his body with bullets, he slumped downwards.

"How passé, the killing curse, and I thought we were going to be 'allies'."

Harry said in a sweet sarcastic voice.

"Attack!" Voldemort said simply and made to disapparate.

The disapparition wards were up as soon as they'd appeared.

At the same moment that the crowd started to rush forward spells from all sides started to launch forth, hidden from the collected masses the Order was firing spells left right and centre.

Harry had in the momentary confusing while Voldemort was screaming out orders ripped off the camouflage over his stash of weapons.

He had the rocket launcher on his shoulder and hit the button, the large rocket ripped out of it and flew across the battlefield impacting a troll and taking out a giant at the same time, there was a horrible wet sound as it had impacted.

Throwing it aside as he jumped swerved and dodged the spells coming his way he found the bazooka, and thanked for small mercies and aimed at one of the flying carpets; they were less manoeuvrable and thus easier to hit. Luckily there were two close together that were firing spells down in an attempt to hit the hidden Order.

The explosion caught both of them the flames burning away the threads which held them up above the fight…and some distance off the ground.

Harry started in earnest to fire spells and guns into the mass of Death Eaters and whatever else, Voldemort was also trying to make his way towards him as the Death Eaters attempted to fire at their hidden enemies. Harry fired spell after spell and bullet upon bullet at both Voldemort and his troops.

He watched as Voldemort carefully walked forwards, Harry ran, gritting his teeth as he was hit with a few slicing and slashing curses and pulled on the heavy pack and ran at Voldemort.

"Protego!" Around Voldemort red shields flared out of the ground and all around him layer upon layer, the Death Eaters stopped for a moment, allowing the Order to continue to fire at them bringing down many who had stopped to stare at Voldemort.

Harry at the same time as Voldemort was flinging insults and firing curses at the shield grabbed at the nozzle and squuezed the leaver. The liquid nitrogen jutted out at Voldemort who didn't know how to react, so he continue to yell spells at him, Harry cringed as he felt another cutting hex hit him, this one was from Voldemort, obviously the shields weren't totally impervious to all spells.

After…Harry didn't know how long, but the pack was lighter Voldemort wasn't moving.

Yelling into his shirt where a radio lay hidden, over all the noise of spells.

"Activate!"

Harry watched, ignoring the spells around him, as Voldemort dematerialised from the battlefield.

Harry grabbed the ear piece and mic and slipped it on as he ran pulling off the pack and grabbed the remaining ATR, he fired it aiming at the group of remaining trolls and giants.

"Transmat complete Last Raven. Subject is contained within Cage."

"Good." Harry coughed out as he discarded the Uzi and grabbed the second firing off together with his wand at the mass who seemed in a state of slight panic as the shield that had held their much vaunted leader was still hanging in the air yet Voldemort was no where to be seen.

Harry turned a second too late as two Death Eaters came at him, they fell less than a breath away from him, gun shot to the head and lower chest.

"Thank you Jones." Harry muttered to himself.

The Order was coming out of their hide outs as the amounts of bodies began to increase in numbers, and the Order began to gain the advantage.

Harry felt a hand on his should and turned to fire, stopping himself at the last minute, Remus was firing off spells as Harry was, battling the vampires that were around unable to stop themselves from feasting on the wounded Death Eaters around them.

"Go Harry, we both know this isn't the end, you need to finish this…" Remus said quickly.

"I can still help..." Harry threw the empty Uzi at a Death Eater knocking him or her unconscious.

"Go we can sort this out. We both know you've got somewhere else to be." Remus nodded upwards.

"Harry we can help them out." Jones's voice came over the radio.

Harry pushed Remus out of the way to the ground and releasing his wings wrapping himself tight as several curses came at him, he grimaced and didn't want to think about what they were or what they just did to him.

Remus looked up at him as Harry pulled him up from the ground.

"Look after yourself Remus." Harry said before he ran off, firing at stragglers who were at the back of the crowd.

He disappeared from the battlefield a moment later.

"Come on Shadow Blaze let's get going…" Harry muttered as Shadow Blaze started to gain altitude slowly.

"There is much power and weight…" "Activate the HWG now."

"Within the atmosphere."

"We're still near Inferno?"

"Yes."

"Do it…" Harry muttered, it wasn't like…anyone would be paying a huge amount of attention.

Outside there was a huge rush of light in the night sky followed by a loud crack as the ship rushed into the burst of light forward on its journey.

Harry leaned into the chair, he could feel all the wounds, cuts and gashes that he had all over his body, grabbing a bottle of water and quickly downing it along with a protein bar transformed into a small raven and fell into unconsciousness.

With Harry as a much smaller being Shadow Blaze restricted the space within which he was, that which held the store of food and water was shut off and all energy was redirected to engine speed and maintaining the cage hidden below her as they sped towards the system, a system which would be very different by the end of their journey.