Pansy had been in the first battle. That had been terrifying enough. The invasion, her heart thumping as she had stood with the others, firing spells to slow down Death Eaters and Nazis. Trying desperately to buy enough time to get the kids out as killing curse after killing curse missed her by a whisker. Watching people she cared for die. Salazar releasing the Basilisk and the screams that followed before she herself got out to Valinor. To this day she had the occasional nightmare.
She had seen the desolation in the future in Iris's memories in the Pensieve. She stood now on the walls of the castle, alongside Muggle snipers firing down at the shadows in the grounds. She watched Iris defy gravity and send a hurtling bomb back, felt herself fall backwards with the force of the blast and the sky light up like day, watched the lake explode as Riddle's followers flew high in the air and plummeted to their deaths.
Pansy watched the Demons and Devils cackling with bloodthirst tearing into the woods. Thousands of shadowy figures surrounded them from all sides, some were going down but still more were edging forwards. She could see, like the others, the strange colours in the air. Nuclear poisons were seeping into the grounds. She shook her head. Her parents had been adamant that Riddle would never use poison like that on his own countrymen and women. Liar. The least of the bastard's many crimes. Riddle. Madman. Pansy felt vindicated that she had been right to turn her back on Riddle all those years ago.
His deranged voice was echoing off the walls of the castle screaming threats of slaughter. Pansy saw a silver mask climbing up the walls. She let rip with a bombardo spell and watched passively as the man fell to his death. Whatever Riddle had done to them was their fault too. They had all had a choice. They had all known what this New World Order really was.
Her eyes roamed to the gates that had been blasted open. They were hanging off their hinges now. The tall, slender figure of Riddle was moving into the grounds. His movement was snakelike. Pansy was reminded of Iris's snake, Esmerelda. Their attachment to snakes was about the only thing Riddle and Iris had in common. The similarities between the two ended there. Well, Iris could also be a little aggressive at times, Pansy mused. Pansy eyes kept roaming the grounds. They had their orders. Protect the castle, protect Harry and Iris, keep themselves alive. It all hung on a prophecy and a mirror now.
'Draco had better be bloody right. Our future depends on the sodding number eight. Merlin help us all,' Pansy thought grimly as she sent a stunner down while the man next to her sent down a bullet to the next silver masked man climbing up the wall.
Albus was decorating the sky with spells to shield the castle walls. The magic crashing off Iris now was in waves as those already in the castle felt buoyed by its strength. A mix of white and black surged through them. She was keeping the path to the castle that Riddle was moving up clear and forcing the followers back. Harry was nowhere to be seen. Albus kept calm and carried on. The two Minerva's had joined him now. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the goblins amble up armed to the teeth and salute him. They had been shown the memories in the Pensieve as well. He gave a small smile.
Another bomb came hurtling through the sky as again Iris thrashed her arm up and with a yell shot black magic towards it. The impact as it was forced back and landed into the mountains caused them to start to collapse. Iris grimaced. Too much like the future for comfort. She could hear Hermione behind her launch a shield charm.
She could make out the shape of Riddle stepping grandly up the path. Another boom and another bomb came out of the sky. A thrash of black magic and another mountain shook. The air was getting thicker now with all the shimmering colours of the rainbow. Silver masks were appearing closer. Iris pushed more out of her, forcing them back.
The noise was deafening. Machine guns were being fired from the other side of the castle. Iris looked up to see Dementors swarming down. Finally. She heard the anguish from some of the invaders as they were dragged off. The haunting sounds of anguish were coming from the forest.
'Come on Harry!' Iris pleaded impatiently. She clenched her jaw as she heard Hermione release a Confringo. She turned around and grabbed Hermione behind her. One of their attackers had fallen but another had his arm raised. A silver mask confronted her as, with a swish of her wand, she decapitated him. Iris turned back around to Riddle. He was getting closer. A scream from behind her as Iris turned again. A bomb was coming in through the other side. She turned the Peverell ring around and aimed for it, pouring the power into the bomb that diverted another. She heard Riddle scream in temper.
'Over there!' Hermione yelled. Iris followed the direction she pointed. Hundreds of Death Eaters were coming over the hill. Using more of the magic she swiped the black magic across and knocked the men back. Iris could only watch in incredulity at the sheer amount of attackers that were coming through the forest and over the hill. Albus moved over.
'Repel them,' he said quickly, 'I'll delay Riddle.'
Iris ran and turned the ring on them, jumping out of the way of spells as Albus walked up to meet Riddle. Hermione watched as Iris unleashed the full force of the ring on them. She had to turn away as hundreds of bodies exploded in seconds. Iris turned the ring on those climbing the walls. The bodies crumbled into dust. Albus was duelling an enraged Riddle as Iris and Hermione ran back to the path. Iris made a split-second decision. They didn't have much more time. The people at the castle were too far back to aim accurately.
Albus was on his back, in no man's land, as his arm shook as he tried to hold a shield against the willful strength of Riddle. His followers were behind him. The black magic stopped them from getting in front. They needed to hold Riddle so Harry could get his hands on him. Where the Hell was he? Riddle was contorting strangely. She used the ring to portal behind him and repeated her future actions by shoving the razor in her boot into the back of his leg while aiming the ring at the silver masks behind him. One of Riddle's followers sliced the back of her leg before she released the magic as she yelped. She could feel her own blood seeping out as she turned the black magic on her attackers.
Their bodies exploded into dust. Iris grabbed onto the back of Riddle. Ugh, her skin was crawling by being so close to him. She got him into the traditional headlock that Bella was so fond of as Riddle told her in great detail what he was going to do to her as he tried to force her off him. She ignored him. The colours were dripping down now. Esmerelda seemed to be enjoying her day trip at any rate. She was hissing happily. She hadn't been out much recently. Albus pulled himself together.
'Harry!' screeched Iris, 'Do it now!' Harry had to be the one to do this. It was the prophecy. They didn't want to risk someone else attempting this in case it backfired.
Riddle was lashing out in every direction. Another bomb was launched through the sky. Esmerelda had come out to play and helped Iris by slithering around Riddle's neck and paralysing him. Albus could see the irony of using a snake against him.
'Over there!' Hermione yelled as the sounds of another bomb gushed through them.
Iris used her arm and pointed it at another bomb and poured more of the ring into it to divert as it spun out of control and smashed into the mountains. The mountains were crumbling faster now. Boulders were rolling down the hill towards the castle. It looked like a landslide was starting.
One of the castle walls was being pulverized. Iris grimaced. An enormous tank was ramming into it. More tanks were coming over the horizon.
Riddle looked like he was trying to get away from something other than Iris. Iris, Hermione and Albus were looking very confused. Harry yanked his cloak off.
'It's not working,' Harry said in exasperation. Riddle merely looked ruffled as he continued to rant.
Hermione looked rooted to the spot. Her eyes widened as she glanced towards the castle, 'No. Impossible,' she exhaled, but not in misery.
'Use the ring, Iris!' Hermione yelled.
Iris was only too glad to use the ring. The ring itself seemed to glow and pulsate with even more energy at these words.
Iris got her Peverell ring hand and bought it over Riddle's mouth, partly to shut him up. She closed her eyes.
'He's all yours, baby,' she whispered to the ring.
The others all watched in astonishment as thick black magic immersed Riddle completely. His skin was ripped away. His nerve endings and organs appeared and then they too were stripped away. His skeleton trembled as that too turned to dust. Iris was on her knees as she moved her arm down.
They all stared as the most evil man they had ever known simply fluttered away into nothing.
Harry was staring at where Riddle had been, 'How?' he asked.
Hermione waved her hand, 'Later. No time,' she dismissed him.
Albus waved his wand over the back of Iris's leg to numb it. They looked up at the castle.
Riddle's men were still climbing over the bodies in front of them in gas masks as the poison drifted towards them.
Iris bought up a portal to the Great Hall as they all leapt through it.
The ceiling was shaking. The mirror was glowing an impressive white. The noises were a lot louder than they had been. Albus was not normally one to panic but he heard the telltale noise of another bomb being launched in the air, 'Now, Iris!' he barked sharply.
With one last fierce look at Hermione, Iris took every last bit of courage she had and ran into the mirror as fast as her legs could take her.
The two Luna's stepped back from the mirror with Draco and moved towards the others. The walls were shaking now. They could hear the sound of a bomb hurtling through the night sky. Hermione glanced out the window. The mountains were collapsing and coming straight for them. The air outside was thick with colour. It all looked so pretty but it was deadly.
A moment of stillness hovered then as Hermione dared not breathe as they heard the sound of the bomb closer than close as the white light around the mirror began to expand rapidly to an enormous size. It contorted into a big ball of light as it expanded larger than the Great Hall in a second and just kept growing bigger. Hermione looked out of the window one last time. The landslide was just about to hit the castle walls.
The bomb was almost going to hit the courtyard outside. It was all over. Draco looked over at Hermione. His grey eyes soothed Hermione a little. Pure white light surrounded them. Then, without warning, Hermione felt her body pulled vertical and fly up into the sky at an impossible speed as her body lurched as she was lifted miles and miles high into orbit.
She swung her arms out in panic and met with some sort of clear protective bubble. She was amongst the stars. She looked around. Her first thought was she had died. Then she noticed the other bubbles around her. She could see Ron. Pansy. Draco. Both Harry's. They looked as stunned as her. She turned to the other side and saw the amazing sight of Hedwig looking very miffed in her own bubble. Hermione's heart leapt higher. Her mum and dad. Gran. Hermione gazed at Lily and James. Sirius. Albus.
She couldn't help but grin as she saw a rather confused looking Hagrid in his rather large bubble. Her heart melted a little as she spotted a unicorn in another. She looked further. Crookshanks! He looked a little bit put out, to say the least. Kreacher was there. A very disgruntled looking goblin was nearby. She could see the silver snakes. Thousands of bubbles were hovering all around her. She moved her hands. The material of the bubble was soft. She looked down. Blackness and stars stretched forevermore. She could see hundreds, no, thousands of bubbles appearing all around her in the cosmos. She could barely make out the moon. It looked so far away. She could just make out the Earth.
It all looked so different from up here. The bubbles were drifting back now, gliding smoothly away. She could see the air around the Earth. It looked murky. Grey. The Earth was starting to spin faster. Defying the laws of physics. Round and round. It began to resemble the twirling top she had as a child. She felt a light behind her out of the corner of her eye. She turned around and gasped. This was the mother of all portals. It was stretching open for miles. It was shimmering white like the mirror had. She could hear the soothing magical tones, similar to Equilibrium. Hermione turned back to Earth. It was glowing now, an angry reddish colour. Her eyes widened as she saw the moon start to crumble. The sun looked to burn considerably much brighter.
She turned back to the portal. She could see one of the Luna's, who looked very intrigued by what she was seeing. They were very close now to the portal. She began to see the bubbles float gently into the light. A few at first. Then dozens. Then hundreds started to go into the portal. The portal stretched for miles. Hermione turned to look along. Thousands of bubbles. She breathed a sigh of relief. This was a rescue mission of life on Earth. They hadn't been forgotten.
She was almost at the white light herself. She turned back for a last look at her universe. Only half the moon remained and what was left was crumbling. The Sun was so bright she had to turn around. It was blinding. The Earth looked like it was on fire. She put her hand to her mouth. Judgement Day. Riddle had forced it. Mother Nature had had enough. Her bubble nudged into the portal. She was one of the last from her section to go through. She kept her eyes on Earth. It was so far away but she heard and felt the impact as Earth exploded at the same time as the Sun. Hermione watched the Moon crumble away into the abyss as the cosmos lit up in fire.
Hermione felt many conflicting emotions as she drifted into the white light. She moved her hands to her ears as she heard the echoes of an explosion of unimaginable levels as she moved into the protective white light. Draco had been right about the Big Bang.
'Iris!' she called out in shock. No one could survive being in the middle of all that. Hermione could only hope the Peverell ring would keep Iris safe.
Her bubble drifted into the white light but she felt safe. Soothed. She felt like she did at the waterfall with Iris.
Hermione promptly burst into tears.