Chapter 11

Just as Tom finishes his longwinded speech, Harry spots a small flickering of light as someone lights their wand and quickly douses it again, the pre-arranged signal to tell him that all the wards are up.

'You know, Tom, I would really appreciate it if you hurried things along. I do have better things to do with my time, you know.'

Having been purely focussed on their vaunted Dark Lord, the Death Eaters hadn't noticed Harry and now they turn towards him, looking from him to their Dark Lord and back.

Harry catches the flicker of surprise cross Tom's features as he sees that he is no longer bound and standing before him with his wand at the ready.

Giving Wormtail a contemptuous look, Tom casually throws a casual Cruciatus in the direction of the man who betrayed Harry's parents, causing the rat like man to fall screaming to the ground.

'I see that you are as incompetent as ever, Wormtail. If it wasn't for your.. loyal.. service this night, I would do away with you.'

He starts to walk towards Harry, addressing the Death Eaters as he does so.

As he is walking, Harry notices two small things. The first is a slight twitch of the man's face, and he uses the term man very loosely, and the second is a slight stumble as he walks.

'Hm, interesting. I wonder if that is because the ritual didn't quite go as planned or because we have destroyed his Horcruxes?'

He has no time to ponder the question as Tom continues his monologue.

'As you can see, my loyal friends.' Harry snorts at this. 'We have a guest tonight. Mr Harry Potter, The Boy-Who-Lived, has joined us tonight on this momentous occasion and it seems that he is quite lively. For now.'

The Death Eaters laugh at this, while Harry just shakes his head.

'Tom, Tom, Tom, what is it with these endless speeches? I mean, is there some kind of book out there written for wannabe Dark Lords? How to be a Dark Lord in ten easy steps? Becoming a Dark Lord for Dummies?'

An angry look now crosses Tom's face.

'My name is Lord Voldemort!'

'No, it isn't. your name is Tom Marvolo Riddle, son of a muggle and a squib and, if I'm honest, a right pain in the ass!'

Tom's snake-like features are now twisted in rage and he silently throws a Cruciatus at him, which Harry easily dodges, noticing once again a slight twitch on Tom's face and a slight trembling of his arm.

Strangely, seeing the rage clearly written on Tom's face, fills Harry with a confidence he didn't know he had and the resolve to see this through, although he does hope that the trap for Tom and his followers will be sprung soon.

As he is thinking this, he keeps dodging the spells Tom is firing at him, glad of the extra training he received, but returning fire only sporadically.

Suddenly Tom stops, watching Harry, an ugly smile on his face.

'I can see that you have talent, Harry Potter. I could use such talent. I grant you a second chance to join me. It's a great honour, not many who face me get a second chance.'

Harry simply shakes his head.

'Why would I join the man who killed my parents? Why would I join a man who hides behind a silly name? you are nothing, Tom. Nothing but a fool with delusions of grandeur.'

Tom's calm façade once again cracks as anger clouds his inhuman features, but before he can say or do anything, multiple jets of light streak through the night, striking the unexpecting Death Eaters, taking down half of their number.

Harry immediately springs into action, firing cutting and blasting curses at Tom, with Ginny, still hidden by the Invisibility Cloak also fires several curses and hexes, including her infamous Bat-Bogey Hex.

Though taken by surprise, Tom is quick to react, putting up a powerful shield and managing to block most of the spells, though he does get hit on the arm by a cutting hex, as well, to Harry's amusement, as Ginny's Bat-Bogey.

Quickly changing tack, Harry fires a blasting curse at the ground in front of Tom, throwing the man backwards.

As Tom falls to the ground, Harry takes a quick look around him, taking stock of what is happening, smiling as he sees Bill and Fleur taking on Lucius Malfoy.

Refocussing back on Tom, he barely manages to jump out of the way of the killing curse.

Shaking his head to clear it, he quickly gets back up again, his wand aimed at Tom.

While noticing that his arms and legs seem to tremble, it's the look of triumph on his face as he looks at something behind Harry, that chills him and he whirls around just in time to see Nagini preparing to strike, her huge fangs glistening with poison, just as a flash of silver passes in front of him, decapitating the large snake.

Time seems to freeze as he sees Ginny, the invisibility cloak discarded, holding the bloodied Sword of Gryffindor, a determined look on her face. He barely hears Tom's screech of rage, or him screaming the Killing Curse.

Turning his head as in slow motion, he sees the green jet of light that is the Killing Curse flying towards Ginny and with a supreme effort, he propels himself off of the ground and tackles his girlfriend to the ground, causing the spell to harmlessly pass over them.

Looking up at Harry, who is now lying on top of her, Ginny gives him a quick kiss and a whispered thanks, both of which are returned by Harry before they both get up and face Tom, together.

His red eyes gleaming with a touch of madness, Tom sneers at them.

'So, Potter, you brought your girlfriend. How thoughtful of you. I might hand her over to some of my Death Eaters when I'm finished with you. Or even better, I might make you watch.'

Standing shoulder to shoulder with his girlfriend, Harry sneers back at him.

'You won't be doing anything, Tom. Soon, you will be finished and those idiots who follow you will be either dead or in prison. By the way, how are you feeling, Tom? Feeling a little out of sorts? Must have something to do with the last part of the ritual. You know, the part about blood of the enemy forcibly taken?'

At first, Tom doesn't understand the meaning of his words, then his eyes widen, and he looks at Wormtail, who is currently fighting, and loosing, against Sirius, with anger.

'Figured it out, have we, Tom? I let Wormtail take me, I let him take my blood.'

Harry doesn't get to say anything more as Tom flies into a fit of rage and starts to fling spells his way, causing Harry and Ginny to jump apart.

Soon the two teens are locked in an epic struggle with the so-called Dark Lord, watched in awe by those who witness it.

The speed, agility, and stamina of the two students pitted against the experience and knowledge of the former Head Boy.

As the trio battle it out across the graveyard, the last few Death Eaters who were still fighting are taken care off.

Sirius manages to easily dispatch Wormtail, refraining with great effort to kill him and instead hog-tie him before checking on Remus who got hit by a lucky shot from Wormtail.

Moving and working almost in sync, Bill and Fleur have managed to corner Lucius Malfoy against one of the old tombs.

Bleeding from multiple wounds, he fires a Killing Curse at Fleur, still perceiving her as the weaker target, but she easily dodges the jet of green light and throws a ball of fire in return, blasting the pale-blond haired wizard backwards.

Hurting all over and exhausted from his fight with Bill and Fleur, Lucius looks around to see most of his fellow Death Eaters have already been defeated. Having no intention of dying for his lord, he tries to apparate only for his eyes to go wide when nothing happens.

'What? Did you honestly think that we didn't put up anti-apparation and anti-portkey wards? Neither you nor any of your Death Eater friends will be leaving this graveyard! You will pay for the crimes that you committed. You will pay for what you did to my sister!'

Form his position on the ground, Lucius snarls up at him while stealthily moving his wand to aim at Bill.

'It's a shame that the little blood traitor bitch survived. I'm guessing that you gave her to the Potter brat as a reward for saving her. I'm sure that my Lord will make him watch as he has his fun with her.'

Just as Bill is about to give an angry retort, Lucius his hand shoots out as he fires a Blasting Curse at him.

It's the last thing Lucius does.

Having expected something like that, Fleur casts a powerful shield in front of Bill while a second later Bill shoots his own spell at Lucius, hitting the man in the chest. He twists in agony as all of his bodily fluids are drawn out of him until nothing remains but a dried up husk.

Standing above what was once his family's nemesis, Bill closes his eyes.

'For Ginny.'

Feeling a hand on his arm, he opens his eyes to see Fleur's beautiful eyes looking back at him, a loving smile on her face.

'Come, Mon Amour. There is still work to be done. We need to help votre soeur and mon frère.'

Smiling, he gives her a quick kiss before grabbing her hand and moving to where they can see Tom fighting with Harry and Ginny.

As the young couple hurry to help their sister and brother, a short distance away, Tonks roll out of the way of a curse fired by Amycus Carrow, a grin on her face as she is actually enjoying herself.

'Ooh nearly got me there, Amy! It only went a metre wide. You're getting better at this!'

'Why you half-blooded abomination! You won't be laughing when our Lord has defeated the Potter brat!'

He shoots a volley of spells to where he last saw her, not realizing that she has already moved, using her skills learned as an Auror to stealthily move to where she knows his sister is trying to sneak up on her from behind.

Spotting her prey squinting in the direction of where her brother's spells are landing, Tonks quickly transforms herself to look like Lucius Malfoy before standing up and walking towards her with an arrogant sneer on her face.

'Alecto, why are you and that worthless brother of yours just standing there, firing spells into the ground! Afraid to face that fool Dumbledore's followers!'

Startled, Alecto spins around to face who she thinks is Lucius Malfoy.

'What? No, Lucius, we're fighting that Metamorphmagus Auror, the daughter of your wife's disgraced sister.'

Tonks raises an eyebrow as she looks around the area.

'Really? All I see is an empty field and I'm sure that I took care of that disgrace to the Black Family name myself. I will inform our Lord of your.. unwillingness.. to fight for our cause. Now go get your brother before he hurst himself!'

'Y—Yes, Lucius, right away.'

She hurries to where her brother is still uselessly firing spells but doesn't get far when Tonks/Malfoy calls out to her.

'Oh, and Aly, the only disgraced members of the Black Family are my aunt Cissy and that deranged creature rotting in Azkaban.'

'What?'

Confused by the words, Alecto turns around, her eyes widening as Lucius turns back into the pink-haired Auror.

'Surprise!'

Tonks quickly fires a Blasting Curse at her, causing her to fly backwards and hitting one of the statues with great force before sliding to the ground, her neck at an unnatural angle.

Looking down at the still form of the witch, Tonks merely shrugs.

'What a shame. Oh well, one down, one to go.'

With that she begins to stealthily move towards Amycus, who has finally stopped firing spells and is now looking around for his sister.

'Alecto? Have you seen where the abomination went? Alecto! Damn it, woman, where are you?'

Deciding against doing the same trick twice, Tonks casually leans against a tree before calling out to the man in front of her.

'Sorry to be the bearer of good, eh, I mean bad news, Amy, but it seems that your sister met with an unfortunate accident. I'm not sorry for your loss.'

Whirling around, Amycus shoots of a Killing Curse that is so poorly aimed that Tonks doesn't even have to move out of the way and merely shakes her head in amusement.

'It seems that we have a graduate of the Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy.' Seeing the blank look on his face, which she admits isn't all that different from his normal look, she mutters under her breath. 'And that's a perfectly good waste of that muggle reference.'

Before Amycus can recover from his confusion, she springs into action, firing a string of low-powered Stinging hexes with a powerful Blasting Curse thrown in at random intervals, all the while staying in motion.

Taken by surprise, Amycus can't avoid getting hit by the first salvo of Stinging Hexes before raising a shield.

Unable to fire back because of the relentless barrage Tonks keeps up, he begins to stumble backwards, looking desperately for a way out.

As a Blasting Curse hits and breaks his shield, he falls to the ground, but manages to raise another shield in time to stop the next volley of Stinging Hexes, although his forehead is now liberally covered in sweat.

With a grin on her face, Tonks keeps firing her Stinging Hexes, waiting patiently for the right time to strike.

Seeing him get unsteadily back on his feet, her grin widens, and she quickly shoots a trio of Blasting Curses at ground in front of him.

Exhausted and not expecting the attack, Amycus can't do anything to stop the curses and, like his sister before him, is thrown backwards through the air, hitting the ground with a solid thump.

Her wand pointing unwavering at him, Tonks slowly approaches him, giving him a none to gentle nudge with her foot when she reaches him, causing him to moan.

Shrugging her shoulders, she binds him up tightly from head to toe before hitting him with a stunner.

'And that's another one down.' Looking around, she notices that the area in her immediately vicinity is quiet. 'Hm, better find Hinny before they can get into more trouble than they can handle.'

She hurries in the direction she last saw Harry and Ginny, only stopping to fire a Blasting Curse at Walden MacNair, who is giving Cedric and Viktor a fair amount of trouble.

Thrown off balance by the curse, he becomes easy prey for the two Champions and they quickly subdue him.

When they have finished tying him up, the two exhausted and injured Champions look around to see were Tonks went. Seeing only a limping Remus, who seems to be checking bodies, they decide that they can't do very much for Harry and Ginny in their present condition and set off to help the former Professor.

Meanwhile, Tonks has found Bill and Fleur, coming to a stop next to them, her jaw dropping open at the sight before her.

'Merlin!'

In front of her she can see Harry and Ginny furiously duelling with Voldemort, the ground around them having been churned by all the spell fire to resemble a battlefield of the first World War.

Even from a distance, she can see that the two are covered in sweat and are sporting several bleeding wounds. Looking at Voldemort, she is glad to see that he looks little better.

'Why are we standing around here, gawking! Let's help them!'

Bill lets out a frustrated sigh and shakes his head.

'We can't. First of all, look how they are moving. If we start firing spells we are liable to hit Harry or Ginny. Second, the bastard put up a shield preventing us from getting any closer. I've tried to take it down, but the anchor must be somewhere inside although I don't understand how he could have

prepared one. I mean, it was clear that our attack came as a complete surprise to him.'

For a moment, the three of them watch in frustration as the battle in front of them continues in all its ferocity.

'All the Death idiots are taking care of. Godric! Are they still fighting? Why isn't anybody helping them?'

Turning around, they see Sirius standing behind them, a look of awe on his face, so Bill quickly explains the situation, causing Sirius to let go with a string of expletives.

Noticing that Remus isn't with him, Tonks gives him a concerned look.

'Sirius, where is Remus?'

The look of awe is quickly replaced by a grin as he turns to her.

'Oh, don't worry, Cousin, he is injured but still in one piece. Nothing serious. However, he is seriously annoyed that Wormtail managed to get the drop on him, but I'm sure that you will manage to make it all better.'

Tonks just looks at him, not really sure if she wants to hex him or not and before she can decide, her attention is drawn back to the fight by a call from Fleur.

'Oh no, Ginny!'

Whirling around, they are just in time to see Ginny fall to the ground, apparently having lost her footing in the muck and mud that was the graveyard.

Seeing an opportunity, Voldemort immediately shoots several spells at her.

Using his Seeker's speed and reflexes, Harry dives towards Ginny and just barely manages to roll her out of the way of the fire.

Unfortunately, this leaves them both winded and entangled, unable to quickly get up to resume the fight.

With a triumphant smirk on his face, Tom strides forward, his wand pointed at them.

'So ends the Boy-Who-Lived. I will admit, Harry Potter, that you and your little friend put up a brilliant fight. If the circumstances would have been different, I would have invited you both to join my Death Eaters. Alas, I fear that opportunity has passed and now your pitiful existence will end. Tonight, the world will know that I, Lord Voldemort, am the greatest and most powerful wizard in the world and they will know to bow to me.'

'No one will bow to you, Tom. At best they will pity you.'

Forgetting about Harry and Ginny, Tom whirls around to face Dumbledore.

'Dumbledore. Come to safe your precious Saviour of the Wizarding World?'

'Give it up, Tom. Victory will not be yours today. Your followers have already been dispatched, it's only you left.'

'They are of no concern to one who has conquered Death.'

Dumbledore sadly shakes his head.

'We know about the Horcruxes, Tom. We destroyed them. All six of them. Nagini was the last one.'

For a second, Tom stands frozen, his eyes wide, then he whirls around, firing a Killing Curse at Harry and Ginny, who had just managed to get back to their feet.

Whirling around once again, he begins to trade spells with Dumbledore, whilst Ginny pulls Harry back down to the ground, dodging the green curse.

As the two wizards do the battle, it's clear that they are evenly matched, with Voldemort's injuries being offset by Dumbledore's greater age.

For fifteen minutes everybody watches the two firing spells at each other and blocking the spells fired at them.

Then, just as it appears that Dumbledore has the upper hand, he suddenly goes down, having become victim to the same thing that brought Ginny down. However, unlike Ginny, Dumbledore doesn't get up after the fall, having hit his head on the remains of a headstone.

As all those watching gasp, Fleur is the only one to notice the shimmering air in front of her and is quick to realize its implications.

'Merde! That vieux bâtard! Wait till I get my hands on him. I'm going assassiner him!'

Shocked by her outburst, the others with her turn to stare at her.

'Fleur?'

'Don't you see? The bouclier, eh, the shield went down the minute Dumbledore went down. It was Dumbledore who put up the shield! Le vieux fou is still following the prophecy. He wants Harry to be the one to kill Riddle. Le lâche, the coward!'

Stunned, they just stare at her before what she has just said registers, leading to a string of expletives from the group.

As anger at the machinations of the headmaster fills the group, they turn their attention back to the fight only to see Harry and Ginny once more fighting Tom, with Dumbledore lying unconscious on the ground.

For another ten minutes, the three continue to fight with Tom visibly getting desperate as the fight goes on while Harry and Ginny seem to be filled with a steely resolve.

Suddenly, as if by silent command, the two teens spring apart and fire the same spell at Tom.

Ready to counter their attack, Tom raises a shield as he prepares to fire back but is surprised when bright sparks suddenly appear right in front of him, blinding and dazzling him.

As he instinctively tries to shield his eyes, he drops his wand, and his shield, giving both Harry and Ginny clear shots to fire a powerful Cutting Curse.

Unable to defend himself, and indeed, unable to see the curses coming, the two spells hit.

For a moment, the battlefield seems to be frozen in time as everybody watches Tom, then, as if in slow motion, one of Tom's arms falls to the ground, followed by Tom himself, leaving one of his legs standing.

As Tom lies on the ground, barely alive, Harry looks at Ginny, who gives him a determined nod, and the two quickly fire a Blasting Curse at the so-called Dark Lord, finally ending his reign of terror for good.

As cheers begin to sound all around the graveyard and people begin to stream towards them, Harry walks towards Ginny, who gives him a tired smile before gently hugging her boyfriend.

Looking into each other's eyes, they slowly fall to the ground, just managing to exchange a weak kiss filled with love for each other as unconsciousness claims them.

Completely ignoring the mess that used to be Tom Riddle, Sirius comes to a stop in front of the two teens, Tonks, Bill and Fleur close on his heels.

Kneeling next to them, he quickly looks them over, seeing the numerous large and small wounds covering them. Afraid to move them, he turns to the group, a slight tremor in his voice.

'I.. I can't tell how badly they are hurt. I mean, they seem to be okay and they are clearly exhausted but otherwise I just don't know.'

Laying a comforting hand on his shoulder, Fleur kneels down next to him whilst looking at the two teens she considers to be like a brother and sister to her.

'It will be alright, Sirius. Bill and I will return to Hogwarts to inform the Deputy Headmistress of what happened here. We will tell her that the fight is won and that we need Madam Pomfrey to come immediatement to check on Harry and Ginny. I will also ask for your cousin, Andromeda. She is a healer to, Oui?'

Sirius just nods numbly as he watches his godson and girlfriend, unable to help but think of another couple with black and red hair.

Trying her best not to let her own worry show, Fleur smiles at him and gives him a quick hug.

'Bon, then Bill and I will go. Tonks, you will look after our siblings?'

'Of course, Fleur, don't worry. As soon as Remus and the others have arrived, I will set up a perimeter, but I do suggest that you don't take too much time.'

With that the two women hug before Fleur grabs Bill's hand and apparates back to Hogwarts.

As luck would have it, it doesn't take long for her and Bill to return with Poppy Pomfrey and Andromeda Tonks in tow as the two Healers had been waiting in front of the castle together with Professor McGonagall, Arthur, Alastor Moody and Minister Bones, all of the students and spectators having been sent inside to remain in the Great Hall.

After having determined that none of their injuries are life-threatening, the worst being broken bones, and that their unconscious state is more the result of exhaustion than anything else, Poppy prepares them for the trip back to Hogwarts while Andromeda begins the task of looking after the other wounded.

Back in the Hospital Wing, Poppy doesn't hesitate to levitate the two in a single bed, ignoring the gasp of surprise coming from behind.

As she finishes tucking the two of them in, she is joined by an anxious looking Molly, the originator of the gasp.

'Are.. are they alright?'

Looking to her side, Poppy smiles at the Weasley Matriarch.

'They will be fine, Molly. They are in remarkable good condition, considering. Mr Potter has a broken leg and Miss Weasley a broken clavicle, but those are the worst of their injuries. However, they are severely exhausted, both physical and magical, and they will be sleeping for at least the rest of the day and quite probably tomorrow. Now, have you seen Minerva?'

Still looking at her daughter and her boyfriend, tears now in her eyes, Molly just shakes her head and begins to tell the Matron that she has been waiting in the Hospital Wing since the start of the third task.

She doesn't get to finish her explanation as just then the doors open and Minerva walks in followed by Arthur, asking the same question she did, and receiving the same answer.

Joining the two women in watching the young couple while Arthur embraces his wife, she gives a small smile and wipes away a tear that is forming in her eye.

'Mr Weasley and Miss Delacour gave me a brief summary of what happened. I can't belief that they had to actually had to fight Voldemort or that Albus stopped anyone for interfering!'

Her voice, soft at the beginning, rises as she says the last part, while the two other women look at her in shock.

'My… My baby girl fought You-Know-Who?' Then Molly registers what Minerva just said, and her face goes from pale to red in an instant. 'What do you mean with Albus stopped anyone from interfering?'

Shaking her head and looking angry herself, Minerva answers her.

'Apparently, when Harry and Ginny where fighting Voldemort, Albus put up a shield that stopped anyone from approaching. Miss Delacour believed that he wanted to ensure that Harry would be the one to finish Voldemort.'

The look on Molly's face would freeze a hurricane in its tracks as the air around her begins to crackle.

'Why that senile, manipulative bastard! When I get my hands on him, he will wish he would have never been born! I'm going to hex him from here to the Ministry and back! Oh, that old fart! Just you wait!'

Watching her pacing and ranting, Poppy and Minerva, both as equally angry, can't help but chortle and almost feel sorry for the old Headmaster, almost. Arthur, who let his wife go as she started to rant just gives them an apologetic look although he is angry himself.

In the end, Harry and Ginny don't wake up until three days later, never letting go of the other in their exhausted sleep.

As soon as they wake, they are immediate pulled into a strong hug by Molly, who has barely left their bedside.

As soon as she lets go, they are surprised as Poppy Pomfrey also steps forward to hug them before doing a quick diagnostic spell and proclaiming them to be fully recovered.

Having been dismissed from the Hospital Wing, they quickly get dressed in the fresh clothes that have been laid out for them before following Molly, who tells them that they are to meet everyone else in a large room that has been set aside so that they can avoid the crowd that has gathered in the Great Hall.

Just as they are about to leave, Poppy once more runs over and hugs both of again before giving them a stern look.

'Now, Mr Potter, Miss Weasley, I do hope that this is the last time I will see either of you in my hospital for the rest of your school years?'

Seeing the corner of her mouth twitch up in a smile, the two smile back at her and give her a hug in return.

'We will try, Madam Pomfrey, but we're afraid that you will get lonely if we don't make at least one visit each year.'

Poppy looks likes she is thinking about this before answering.

'Well, I guess that as long as it is just one visit per schoolyear that would be alright. It does get quite boring here without you visiting after all.'

With smiles and another hug, the bid each other goodbye for now and set off for the room where their friends are waiting.

When they arrive at the room, they are greeted by their friends and family and as they talked about everything that has transpired since their defeat of Tom Riddle, the two of them hold each other close as they look around the room, smiles on their faces, happy to be amongst their friends and family, happy that the shadow that had been hanging over the Wizarding World, and Harry in particular, is finally gone. Happy that they are together.