Previously on Defiance…
For the next three weeks, no one had heard a word from the dark lord. All that they knew was that he had hidden himself away with Grindelwald and was performing some kind of ritual. In fact, it was so silent that had it not been for the fact that he occasionally ordered his followers to fetch him strange substances, one might have thought that he was dead. There had been many more killings of the death eaters and the official count so far was over twenty, and yet, the dark lord seemed to be completely disinterested. His followers had been ordered to go on with the respective tasks he had given them. Finally, on the twenty-third day since the ritual had begun, he walked out of the ritual room. The problem was, he was not alone.
Something very much akin to what seemed like a shadow levitated out alongside him. It was dark and malicious, and clung to the dark lord like a cloak all over him. Darkness was reeking all over him, magnifying his aura by multiple amounts. Gellert Grindelwald walked up behind him, slowly pacing towards the dark lord as he observed him.
"My lord?" Bellatrix offered.
The dark lord smiled. "The wait is over. It is time to bring war to them."
The Dark forces gathered at Little Hangleton. Three hundred werewolves standing behind their leader Fenrir Greyback, fifty-two giants, a pack of around five hundred vampires under their leader Arnold Vatoksky, and around two hundred and eighty-five of his death eaters stood, surrounding their lord and Master, Lord Voldemort.
"My followers," Lord Voldemort spoke; his voice magically magnified, "today is the day I announce my return. We will show the Ministry of Magic, we will show Hogwarts and its esteemed protectors, we will show the world… that you might believe or not believe, you might attack or hide in cowardice, you might employ flukes to render me body-less, you might do anything, and everything, but… you cannot, defeat GOD!" His voice roared at the end of his tirade, punctuating his new status to all in his sycophants.
A shiver of exhilaration ran down every death eater's spine as their Lord's aura expanded, forming a humongous dark pallor behind him. Every single person and dark creature could sense the darkness reeking from the man who had done the inevitable, achieved the impossible and even conquered Death… There was no way that the Ministry or the Light would be able to defeat The Dark Lord this time…
"It is time that everyone understands that the Dark God was never gone. It is time that they understand that I AM IMMORTAL!" Voldemort roared. Again, the creature raised his voice bellowing to all around him about his exalted status. Knowing he had once again gone beyond what anyone else would dare and had achieved immortality. Again.
Every single follower cheered wholeheartedly.
Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange walked up to him. "My Lord?" They asked expectantly.
"Is everything going to plan?" the Dark Lord inquired.
Bellatrix nodded excitedly, smiling with her cackling evil grin. She was always glad to serve her Lord.
"Very well. Initiate Phase One."
Bellatrix bowed and the two stepped back into the crowd. Lord Voldemort addressed his followers again… "Let us go and show these vermin, why I am known as the most feared man on the planet…." He hissed, as the followers waved their wands into the air and yelled…
"MORSMORDRE!"
DMLE Headquarters…
"Director, there was a high amount of magic cast at the village of Little Hangleton. The amount of magic was too high for one single wizard. We believe-" Kingsley stopped midway as Amelia raised her hand. She stood up from her chair and walked up silently towards the window.
Kingsley continued, "Director, this level of magical propulsion could significantly be a threat to the Statute of Secrecy and I think we should-"
"I know, Kinglsey. I know what caused this."
"But... how?"
"Look into the sky."
There up in the heavens was a colossal skull, comprised of what looked like emerald stars, with a serpent protruding from its mouth like a tongue. As they watched, it rose higher and higher, blazing in a haze of greenish smoke, etched against the black sky like a new constellation. The entire evening sky seemed to be illuminated like some grisly neon sign.
The dark mark was floating in the sky.
Office of the Minister of Magic…
"I seriously need to take a holiday, Percival." Cornelius Fudge muttered sadly, as he relaxed into his chair. "So much work, so many problems, it's been ages since I had officially taken a holiday."
Percy nodded automatically. Ever since Umbridge had been sent to Azkaban, he had become Cornelius Fudge's right-hand Yes man, and that meant having to deal with the man's not so subtle tantrums.
"I wish Dolores were here, Percival. She was the right person to deal with these problems-so many murders, so many purebloods getting killed, and I am having to deal with it all. At least Dumbledore has understood that there is no way he can prove that You-know-who could ever be back… It was a big lie, after all…"
"Minister-"
"I know, Percival. Dumbledore tried to try get me out of my position but he had underestimated-"
"Minister-"
"Let me finish, Percival." Fudge commented with irritation. "Yes, after all, there is no way that You-know-who could ever be back. I mean, he is dead!"
"MINISTER-"
"WHAT?"
"Look."
Fudge looked in the direction Percy was pointing, and let out a miniature shriek as he witnessed the impossible. The humongous dark mark was floating in the sky.
"Minister-"
"Minister?"
"ye—es?" Fudge replied, still in shock.
"what are we going to do?"
"I- I need to think of—of something-I need to-" He got off and ran towards the fireplace throwing a fistful of Floo powder as he yelled- "DUMBLEDORE!"
Dumbledore's office, Hogwarts.
"So it finally begins…" Dumbledore mused, as he gazed at the ominous sign floating in the sky. He closed his eyes and prepared himself. The previous war- he had stayed passive, but this time it will have to be different.
"Dumbledore-" One of the portraits yelled out.
"Yes Everard?"
"They have attacked Saint Mungo's. An army of vampires and werewolves are blasting the outer wards. The wards will go off any moment."
"Harry? Could you-"
"Right now." Harry answered, before opening the window and jumping out of it. The old man, shocked by his sudden action, stood up and ran back to the window, only to see him transform midway into a giant thestral which flew off towards Saint Mungo's.
"A magical animagus? Will you ever cease to amaze me, Harry?"
"DUMBLEDORE!" A mad, hysterical voice called out from the Floo as Cornelius Fudge's face became visible. "Dumbledore, what is going on? The Dark mark?"
"Voldemort, whom you all refused to believe to have returned, is attacking." Dumbledore replied as calmly as possible before he looked up at another portrait which was talking to him.
"Send reinforcements to Diagon Alley." He whipped his wand and fired off a phoenix Patronus. "Go to Sirius. Diagon Alley is under attack. The rest of the Order is approaching." Dumbledore ordered the message Patronus as he deliberately ignored the minister in his fire for the moment… or two.
"DUMBLEDORE!" Fudge tried but Dumbledore paid him no attention.
"Minerva, Filius, my office, now." He spoke into a little ball and in a flash, the respective teachers were there. "Death eaters and giants are attacking Hogsmeade. Seal the castle, and then join me there." He looked at Fawkes who squawked back in acknowledgement.
"DUMBLEDORE WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO-" Fudge tried for the last time but one stern look from the old man stopped him midway.
"Do what you always do, Cornelius. Hide your head in the sand and hope that the problem vanishes away on its own." Dumbledore barely spared him a glance as he worked his way around the office. He'd already said what needed to be done and in return had been ignored and vilified.
Cornelius turned red. "Look Dumbledore I am the Minister and I—WHELPPPP!" His face vanished as a crimson jet smashed into the Floo were Cornelius's head had just been.
"He is quite a nuisance." Albus confessed a faint look of a self-satisfied smirk etched on his face, much to Minerva's disbelief.
Saint Mungo's.
The ancient wards surrounding the magical hospital were now almost beginning to crash, and could hold out to perhaps, only a couple more attacks before the wards shattered down completely. For some reason, the Floo seemed to malfunction and now there was no way to get the patients out of the place. Outside the hospital, a group of seven death eaters led by Bellatrix Lestrange, and another fifty dark creatures, comprising of vampires and half-turned werewolves were doing their best to undo the effect of the wards. The evil woman with the wild dark hair was consecutively firing dark curses, as the wards flared at the point of contact.
"Just one more..." She yelled, "One more joint attack at three, two-"
WHAM!
An enormous shockwave of magical energy radiated out, lifting her and the rest of the dark army and throwing them back by twenty feet. The army was soon back to its feet and roared in indignation. Bellatrix's hair was now flying around her head as if the very air was electrically charged. As the smoke cleared, they slowly glimpsed the dull outline of the one man who had done the folly to hinder their path.
"It seems we have a Hero on our side..." Bellatrix cackled, whipping her wand towards the stranger as she yelled, "CRUCIO!" Pouring all her hatred for Azkaban and everything Potter and the Light and Dumbledore and anything that represented them into the spell. Everything against her Lord and their cause. This was her chance to make a statement.
The unknown person sent back a pulse of magical energy that met her Cruciatus midway, causing a miniature explosion. The smoke cleared, as everyone looked in surprise at the man standing between them and Saint Mungo's. His long staff in hand, dressed like a proper war-mage, stood Harry James Potter.
"Aww, ickle Harry Potter wants to play?" Bellatrix mocked in a baby-like voice.
Harry smirked. "Not in the mood." He stated in a monologue tone.
Bellatrix snarled as she whipped her wand and threw out three successive Crucio's in quick succession, but Harry dodged each and every one of them as he waved his staff up in the air and slammed it down on the ground, propelling a massive seismic attack using Parselmagic. The waves hit her directly and sent her flying. A horde of vampires ran towards him only to get overwhelmed by the massive amount of flames he belched out from his fingers, burning them all to a crisp. The werewolves were busy trying to avoid the flames as they began to encircle him on all sides.
"One versus seventeen? Not fair. So not fair." He mocked as his magic took effect. Instantly, there was a Harry Potter standing behind each and every werewolf, while the one in the middle remained standing, his staff still in his hand. The seventeen Harry Potters raised their respective staves and yelled "Hastam argentum!" as silver spears shot out towards the werewolves standing in front of them respectively. The creatures, taken by surprise, instantly turned back to cast a shield against the silver arrows which seemed to vanish midway, much to their surprise when SNICKT!
The Harry Potter in the middle held his staff high, a single long thread of fire attached to its head like a long whip, as the werewolves suddenly felt something… different about themselves. They looked down at their abdomen, looking curiously at the thin ring of blood forming there, as they tried to understand what had happened when-
THUD!
One of them suddenly slipped off and fell to the ground. The problem was- only the upper part of the torso fell, while the rest remained standing, as if trying to understand why its upper part was now missing. Slowly, every single werewolf broke into two, before rolling off onto the ground.
A werewolf Patronus rushed through the air at that moment and pulled to a halt in front of the warmage, interrupting the thudding of werewolf bodies hitting the floor. Then Harry heard the voice of Remus Lupin coming from the ghostly form "Dementors, Death Eaters attacked Diagon Alley. Sirius and Order need help if you can!" Harry knew he had to hurry. Dementors and Sirius did not mix well. It was time to end this.
"POTTER!" Bellatrix roared. "This is not the end! I will get your-SNICKT!" She instantly apparated as Harry' fire whip slashed against her left forearm, burning away a part of it.
Harry looked around at the devastation all around. He raised his left hand and fired off a Patronus. "Go to Dumbledore. Saint Mungo is safe. I am joining Sirius." Saying so, he apparated away.
Meanwhile in Hogsmeade…
Around seven giants and another twenty death eaters, coupled with two dozen vampires had attacked Hogsmeade, crushing and stomping over anything and everything that came in their way. The giants recklessly drove their massive clubs through the buildings, destroying and leaving the land behind them in ruins. The leader of the giants spotted the three broomsticks and raised his club to obliterate it when-
BOOM!
A humongous fireball launched towards his club, obliterating it into splinters. The giant roared in indignation as the death eaters raised their wand cautiously, no more exhilarated as they found the other most powerful man in Britain, standing in front, wand-waving in his hand. The familiar scarlet phoenix soared in the air next to him before settling over his shoulder.
Albus Dumbledore was here for the rescue.
The death eaters whipped their wands, hurling curses and hexes at the man who simply waved his wand to transfigure a huge wall of marble between himself and the spells. The wall intercepted the curses, but got broken into tiny pieces. Seeing the famous Albus Dumbledore's defense get broken so easily, some of the death eaters began to laugh.
"Is that all you have got, old man?" Dennis travers, one of the senior death eaters, yelled at him.
Albus Dumbledore simply waved his wand like a baton, as the pieces of marble levitated upwards in the air, before he twisted his wand in a complex movement, transfiguring the rocks into six-feet long and considerably thick metal spears. With one single thrust of his wand, the spears shot upwards, impaling the giants at vital points. One single attack, and half of the giant population was levelled to dust.
The grin on Travers' face vaporized as he held his wand tightly.
Albus smiled as a thestral Patronus arrived "Saint Mungo is safe. I am joining Sirius." The distraction was just enough for Albus to start firing chains and curses to the remaining death eaters. He could see one order member taking a page from Harry's book and using fire at the vampires while another was using his own dueling methods of attack. The other order members were all in stages of battle as well …
Albus fought his way over to some of the others while firing vampires to their doom. Emmeline Vance, an order member spotted him and started to take another one down.
"Albus," she hollered as she made her way through the fray, "did I see a Patronus come through here? Are we needed at Diagon or St. Mungo's?" she asked as the two kept on fighting.
Albus shook his head as he shot another curse at the vampire coming behind his loyal member and old friend. "No, that was from Harry and he is on his way to Diagon now, St Mungo's is safe."
The older woman shot another curse at an approaching Death Eater and continued fighting.
Somewhere in Diagon Alley…
"Alastor, to your left!" Sirius yelled, as he and Moody fought against the vampires and the death eaters in a double-team formation, just like the first war, though he had partnered with James then.
"Avada Kedavra!"
Moody lifted a rock slab, intercepting the curse while Sirius fired a rather nasty curse, smashing the death eaters' family jewels into goo.
"That was some curse, Black. Learning from family, are we?" Moody asked, as he conjured a dozen silver arrows and propelled them towards the vampires, who somehow moved out of the way.
"Yep!" Sirius answered, spinning away as another severing hex passed him before throwing off another decapitation curse at a vampire. "The less number of opponents, the less curses I have to throw."
"Sirius Black exerting caution? That is new!" Moody laughed, as he fired several questionable curses, rendering the vampires maimed and mutilated. Beyond them, Kingsley, Amelia Bones and another twenty from the Auror regiment were fighting against what seemed to be around fifty death eaters, with at least seventy other vampires and some werewolves.
"BLACK, I will kill you and bathe in your blood, today!" snarled Greyback, as he fired several dark hexes before letting his inner animal on the loose and jumping on to him. Sirius was already busy fighting off two other death eaters when Greyback jumped over him. He had hardly raised his wand to fire a spell when another shadow threw the incoming projectile away with superhuman effort mid-descent.
Greyback rolled over the dusty road as he pulled himself up and snarled. "Lupin!"
Remus smirked. "What? Didn't see that coming?" he whipped his wand out and yelled, "Reducto maxima!" The blasting curse shattered Greyback's shields throwing him away by another five feet.
"Remus!" Sirius exclaimed, "-you are back!"
Remus shrugged. "I left for home as soon as I heard from the packs about Greyback recruiting for a fight. So old Voldemort decided to return with a bang, did he?"
Sirius guffawed. "Good to have you back, Moony." He waved his wand, and sent two dark spears, impaling the two death eaters through their necks, killing them instantaneously.
"Trying to live up to your reputation as a mass-murderer, Sirius?" Remus joked, raising his eyebrows.
Sirius shrugged. The death eaters were on the defensive but there were still a lot many left. Diagon Alley had suffered a lot of destruction but it would have to cope up. Suddenly, the entire environment changed as he felt coldness grip his veins. The sky was getting cloudy as the coldness began to rise.
"Dementors!" He whispered fearfully.
"Don't worry Padfoot, I got you covered." Remus replied supportively, holding his shoulder firmly. Sirius nodded. Azkaban had done a number on him, and dementors had kind of, a nasty effect on his mind. He clutched his wand tighter.
Before Remus did anything else, he knew Sirius would need his Godson here to help with the effect these foul creatures had on his longtime friend. "Go to Harry. Dementors, Death Eaters attacked Diagon Alley. Sirius and the Order need help if you can!"
A swarm of over one hundred dementors floated in out of nowhere, surrounding everyone. The area turned almost foggy as the dementors preyed upon them. The death eaters saw this as their chance and returned fire with another forceful attack.
"PATRONUSES NOW!" Amelia yelled, firing off her Rottweiler Patronus as Kingsley sent out his ethereal swan. Remus' silvery wolf ran about while Moody fired off what looked to be some kind of grizzly bear. The rest of the Aurors tried to produce it but could only get mist. The Patronuses worked against the dementors, repelling them back, as the Aurors took heart and began to counterattack.
That's when things got ugly.
Remus tried to assure Sirius as he saw the terrified look on his face "Harry will be here soon, Sirius. Hold on, I called him and he will be here soon!" He only hoped he was telling the truth and Harry would be able to make it.
Another swarm of Dementors joined in, the rattling noises from their throats magnified by some dark energies, as the Patronuses failed to keep the newly increased Dementor population from attack. One by one, all of the Patronuses faded with the Rottweiler being the last.
They were surrounded.
"We need help. Big help." Amelia muttered.
Almost as in answer to her prayers, a portion of the Dementor population screamed in agony as a huge burst of flames dissipated them away, allowing sunlight to reappear for the captives beneath the Dementor canopy. The incomer raised his hands as two spheres of pure magic manifested in them, before throwing them out on opposite directions. The magical orbs twisted and transformed into two separate thestral Patronuses which plundered through the Dementor population, breaking them away.
Harry Potter had come to their aide.
"Harry!" Remus sighed in relief.
"Godson!" Sirius shouted, excited to see him at last.
"Is that Potter?" a few of the Auror contingent queried among themselves as they watched what appeared to be an avenging angel coming into their midst.
Harry raised his staff and rotated it into a circle above his head, before yelling up to the heavens…. "FULGUR TEMPESTAS!" The circle glowed with eldritch energies before a huge shaft of light shot out of light upwards, forming a bright sphere of light above them. The light emanating from it was so dazzling that the dementors had to retreat from it.
"HASTAM TEMPESTAS!"
Huge forks of dazzling white lightning shot out from the light sphere, mutilating and burning the dementors in the process. The nightmarish creatures cried out in agony, their numbers dissipating out of fear, knowing that there was someone amongst the prey who had the ability to truly exterminate them. The remaining dementors screeched loudly as they rapidly floated away.
Meanwhile, at Hogwarts…
"REDUCTO! CREPITUS! ABOLEO! CONCIDO!" Daphne sent the hexes in quick succession, as she fought on three death eaters at the same time. Peter had done a masterful job of showing the secret passageways into the school to the death eaters and now sixteen death eaters were inside the school.
The death eaters had divided into two teams, with one fighting the other teachers. Flitwick, and Minerva held them up front, while the rest of the professors made sure that the students were safe inside the common rooms. Daphne who was in the hospital wing with Astoria and Tracey, had found herself off-guard by the sudden intrusion since no one could make out how the death eaters had traversed into the castle despite the outer wards being up at full power.
Tracey was busy defending herself and Astoria behind a basic Protego shield giving her the chance to go for the offensive. Daphne spun forward and fired up a low-powered fire whip, not enough to cut through organs but enough to char skin on contact. She spun elegantly, lashing with the whip as she lashed it over Mulciber's face, charring his cheek and slashing across his left eye. The man groaned in agony and Daphne took the moment to send a powerful bludgeoner at his groin, sending the man crying in agony. The others decided that Daphne was the more important opponent and showered blasting curses over her, making her retreat behind a hastily conjured shield.
They slowly fought their way out of the hospital towards the seventh floor, hoping that the Fidelius would keep them safe inside. They met Zacharias Smith on the way who was himself fighting against a death eater and joined him. She found herself fighting three more death-eaters, and two more who were busy shattering through Tracey and Astoria's defenses when-
"CRUCIO!"
Raw agony shot through her as she fell down on her feet, screaming in pain. She swallowed and tasted blood in her mouth, as she looked at the direction from which the surprise attack had come from.
"Hello Greengrass." He set a powerful severing hex towards Astoria who fell down on the ground, her leg oozing blood on the floor. Zacharias was already down and Tracey was busy keeping her shield up.
"Malfoy." Daphne snarled, as she saw red. Momentarily she forgot about what people might think of her, or that she was still a student who was facing three grown-up wizards. All she cared was that she was surrounded and that her sister was injured, and needed her help. She closed her eyes and took a breath, as her primal-self took over.
When she had opened her eyes, she wasn't the girl who was fighting to defend her family and friend, she was the girl who had studied the dark arts extensively under the locket's influence. She was the girl who had become something to be feared, and her eyes glinted madly as a form of darkness lurked within them.
Her wand, which she was holding like a baton all this while, now hung freely on her arm, as she stood up, looking at the pale blonde with a feral glint in her eye.
"You shouldn't have done that, Malfoy." She whispered, as Malfoy laughed before sending a dark curse at her. Almost lazily, she whipped her wand up, manifesting a shield with nary a thought, which disappeared, having intercepted Malfoy's attack. Her right hand then suddenly became a blur, as she sent two javelins at two of the death eaters, and fired a dark, wide-area severing hex at them. The javelin got one while the hex decapitated the other. The third fell to Tracey's stunner.
The remaining two death eaters sided with Malfoy as the three of them sent powerful blasting curses towards the angry girl, who dodged, weaved and deflected the curses almost effortlessly. All those moments she had spent in training, all those techniques her betrothed had taught her, everything now flowed through her as she let her primal-self take over. Her magic flowed down with her mental commands as she threw high-powered dark hexes towards them, killing one more death eater and binding Malfoy in iron shackles while hitting him with a powerful severing curse that took off his left arm, making him fall on the ground in agony and then she turned back and-
"Stupefy!"
The crimson jet inundated her world as she fell down, the last sight being the smoking wand of Zacharias Smith who stood looking at her emotionlessly.
"That was… difficult." One of the death eaters commented as he stood panting. Astoria and Tracey were already stunned and bound on the ground. He looked at Malfoy who was whimpering in agony, holding the remains of his left arm, and got down, trying to repair it but in vain.
"Someone get him to a healer." Zacharias commented smoothly. "The dark lord would want her," he pointed towards Daphne who lay stunned on the floor, "take her away to the dark lord. That was the order." He licked his lips. "I will await the dark lord's next orders."
The two men nodded and bound Daphne using Incarcerous charms and held her up, before walking back to the entrance that led to the three broomsticks.
Meanwhile at the Ministry of Magic…
"How do you like my new attire, Augustus?"
Augustus Rookwood was accompanying the dark lord to the Department of Mysteries. They had just crossed the atrium and were now walking to the ninth-floor corridor.
Augustus smiled hesitantly. "It fits your persona, my lord. I am yet to decipher the true nature of the armor you are wearing. As far as I knew, it was a shadow when it first formed, before it changed into a cloak and now it has added an armor over you." He paused, "the armor isn't any hide, but more… metallic. I have never heard of anything like it."
"Touch it, Augustus. You have my permission."
Augustus reluctantly extended his arm towards the dark lord, as he touched the metallic armor that the dark lord had adorned. It was… different. There was a reason wizards did not work on metal armory, since it couldn't be enchanted. But this was…
"Steel?" He asked, surprised at the discovery.
"Not just steel. Shadow-forged steel, my friend. It can even withstand dragon-fire and Fiendfyre to some extent."
Augustus could only nod at the ingenuity before him. "Shadow-forged… steel."
The dark lord's eyes widened for a moment and then, he smirked. "Ah, I see that the special guest for the occasion is here, already."
"Potter?"
Lord Voldemort laughed. "No, not Potter. Someone far less inferior but at this moment, much more special. Someone who will be my ace in the hole."
"Voldemort…"
His smile shifting into a visible frown, he looked towards his left as he saw his partner, Gellert Grindelwald walking beside him. "What can I do for you?" He asked, keeping his feelings of resentment inside.
"just wanted to make sure that you remember…" He paused, "No matter what, do not employ the powers of the Shadow in a direct fight with Potter. The shadow learns from every fight, and right now, it has known nothing. Allow it to study Potter, and if somehow Potter is able to survive the battle today, at least the shadow will be able to pick on the strengths and powers he has displayed in the fight, making sure that it won't be a surprise to you the next time you face the boy."
Augustus blanched.
The Shadow can analyze the enemy and learn their moves? Genius!
Lord Voldemort smiled. "Do not worry. I have other uses for the Shadow at the moment. In any case, Potter will be dying tonight. The shadow is for my true opponent in battle, Albus Dumbledore, at least as much of an opponent a mortal can be against an immortal."
Gellert refused to comment.
"The second phase of the ritual requires the sacrifice of a powerful wizard and my enemy, and tonight, Harry Potter is going to be the ultimate sacrifice…"
Back in Diagon Alley…
"I have received reports. Hogsmeade is safe, as is Saint Mungo's. The death eaters attacked Hogwarts but the professors defended them off." Sirius proclaimed.
"What? At Hogwarts? How did they enter there?" Amelia blurted in surprise.
"Pettigrew." Harry, Sirius and Remus replied bitterly in unison.
"Does he know all the secret entrances of the castle?" She questioned.
Sirius nodded with a frown.
"So now the dark lord knows them too. We have to close the entrances."
"Damn!" Remus grunted.
"Any other news?" Harry asked.
"None." Sirius added.
"Well then I suppose I should go and check on Daphne! I know she can defend herself easily but I need to check for assurances." Harry returned before apparating away.
"Just like his father." Sirius added mocking Snape's tone, making the others laugh.
Few moments later…
"We couldn't do anything, Harry!" Tracey sobbed, "they took her- they overwhelmed her and took her!"
Harry looked at her emotionlessly, inwardly raging in anger.
"She was defending us rather well, until there was a surprise attack on her." She paused, "With a Cruciatus."
"Who was it?" He asked slowly.
Tracey snarled. "Draco Malfoy, and then he-" Her remaining statement was left unsaid, as a crack filled the air as Harry Potter vanished from the place, reappearing in the Slytherin common room. The moment he appeared, every single wand got raised at him, though most of them were in fear, what with the way energy and lightning was crackling all around him.
"I have just one question." He replied slowly. "Where is Draco Malfoy?"
"Why do you need him, Potter?" One of the seventh years asked.
"He helped the death eaters. He helped them capture my girlfriend away to Voldemort." The people in the room flinched as he uttered the name.
Several people stepped forward.
"We won't let you take Draco. We will defeat you and throw you at the dark lord's feet." Pansy Parkinson, who stood alongside the others, exclaimed proudly.
"I am going to say this once. Give me Draco Malfoy, and get out of my way. If you don't, heads will roll." He could feel the barbarian inside his head cheer in support as he allowed Ignotus's rage overwhelm him.
"We will not." Pansy raised her wand.
Harry waved his staff in a complicated gesture, and every single one of them fell down on the ground, holding their heads and screaming in agony. He could see Draco Malfoy on a bed, lying down behind them. He waved his hand, as Draco found himself levitated recklessly and shoved down on the floor, the bloodied hand oozing more blood.
"See what your girlfriend did to me, Potter?" He cried bitterly. "I am happy that now the dark lord will give her a very painful death. Even if I die today, I will be in peace knowing how the dark lord made her writhe in pain as her organs would twist and burn andAAAAAAAA-"
Harry twisted his wrist and his staff turned a little, as Malfoy felt the torsion around his backbone and screamed in agony. Harry drew closer to him and whispered, "Do you feel the pain in your abdomen, Malfoy? That is the sound of your backbone twisting. Soon it will twist beyond repair and tear your spinal cord into two pieces. I would love to see a healer trying to put that back together."
He twisted his wrist again and channeled his magic through his wand. "Last chance. Tell me, where is Daphne?"
Malfoy coughed, blood spurted out of his mouth as he did. "Even if I tell you, you will kill me anyway." He somehow managed to form a sickly smile. "NO Potter, I will die in pain, only to see you fail in finding your girlfriend while the dark lord-" He coughed again. "The pain doesn't matter to me, Potter."
Harry's face tightened. "A lot of people say that, until the pain starts." He twisted his wand as Malfoy yelled out, screaming in indescribable agony. Harry made some quick strokes with his wand as Malfoy felt the same twisting in his rib-cage, as he screamed. "STOP! STOP! I WILL TELL YOU EVERYTHING!"
His hand relaxed, and the pain Malfoy was experiencing subdued momentarily. "THE DARK LORD- DEPARTMENT OF MYSTERIES-"
"TELL ME MORE!" Harry yelled. Malfoy spurted some more blood. "He said to capture HER. Greengrass- she—she saved her sister but me and other death eaters got to her before she could escape." He coughed again. "The dark lord WILL KILL HER, Potter!" He tried to grin.
Harry's face turned blank, as he twisted his wrist again, as Malfoy's spine twisted with a finality as it split into two pieces, the other boy instantly going numb as the effect paralyzed him for life. He didn't shout, he did not scream, not that he could, as his body went into complete paralysis, as he lost consciousness.
Moments later…
"Harry, you know this is a trap," Dumbledore tried to prevail on him, "the attacks- Hogsmeade, Diagon Alley, Saint Mungo's- it was all a distraction to diverge us out of Hogwarts. They intended to infiltrate Hogwarts and capture Miss Greengrass, so that they could force your hand-"
"They did, and now I am going to this place. Are you helping me or not?" Harry refuted back.
"We are," Sirius replied supportively, "We just need to have a plan of attack."
Harry stood up. "I have a plan. Attack." He reached for the window and turned towards them. "Figure something out, and bring reinforcements. In the meantime, I need to give Voldemort a piece of my mind."
"Harry, Voldemort wants the prophecy-"
"Which he can have, for all I care," Harry retorted, "every minute we waste, Daphne is in danger, and I am done speculating." He jumped off the window, and apparated midair.
Dumbledore sighed. Looking up at Sirius, he replied, "Gather the reinforcements. My gut says that we will be surprised at what we find there."
Harry appeared into the atrium of the Ministry of Magic. The new method of transportation that Ignotus had taught him was very effective- for one, it was unrestrained by wards. While he could not transport himself through powerful wards, it worked just fine against anti-apparation wards. With one single crack, he appeared in the entrance of the Ministry atrium.
It was as quiet as the dead of the night. He cast a tempus spell.
11:29 P.M.
Close to midnight.
Potter, I think you should let me have this one…
No, I will be the one. It has to be me.
Don't be an idiot. This is going to be a trap. Both of us know that I should be the one to do this.
Harry stayed silent.
At least then allow me to be your primal self, when you feel surrounded.
I will.
Better.
He closed his eyes and expanded his senses. There were death eaters hiding in the atrium, cloaked under disillusionment charms. For some reason, they weren't firing spells. That meant two things- one, the dark bastard had explicitly ordered them not to attack him, just like he did at the graveyard. Or two, they were concocting a trap.
He didn't care.
The cloak heard his call and turned him invisible, as he wandlessly levitated himself up into the lift. A little bit of passive Legilimency scanned disorientation and confusion among the death eaters, but he ignored it and flew upwards. Reaching the lift, he entered into it and found it completely empty.
Number 9. Department of Mysteries.
The button activated at his touch, as the lift zoomed down all the way until it screeched as it came to a stop. The door sprang open.
"Level 9. Department of Mysteries." Said a cool, female voice.
Harry cursed. Rendering himself invisible, he activated the powers of the cloak as he stepped through the walls, flying through rooms, ignoring everything he witnessed on the way. And finally, he was there…
The Hall of Prophecy…
He stopped as he expanded his senses.
Daphne must be here somewhere…
He walked slowly through the narrow lane between the shelves, each holding layers and layers of stands on which little spherical orbs were kept. Some of them glowed with a silvery sheen, others looked almost dull and blackened. The room emitted a soft neon light.
And then he heard it.
A sound… A call, something that was calling to him… to his soul…it was… strange.
It is the prophecy calling you…
Me?
Yes. The prophecy is about you. It is calling you to pick the orb from the shelf and hold on to it. It is ancient magic at work.
More ancient than you?
More ancient than me.
Death eaters… Damn it, they seemed to be everywhere, hiding in, inside that very room, and importantly, there was some kind of concealment inside the very room, something he could sense but his senses couldn't penetrate… he knew that there were a lot of people in the vicinity, but for Merlin's -
Damn! His eyes widened.
He was on a Fidelius ground. Master Prince had lectured him on it. A simple tweaking of the Fidelius charm could be used to employ it as a wide-area concealment charm… only visible when the caster wanted it to be. The disadvantage was that once it was rendered visible, the charm faded, which meant-
He was inside a trap. He was being monitored and while he couldn't see anyone, they could see him. And with that, came another bout of recognition…
They are waiting for me to pick the orb. Voldemort knows that the call of the prophecy is too difficult to ignore.
If they have set a trap, you need to break out of it too… Use the power as I taught you... Use the Cloak…
He reached forward, as his eyes settled on the prophecy orb in front of him. It read…
S.P.T to A.P.W.B.D.
Dark Lord and (?)Harry Potter
This was it. This was the cause of everything. And now, the entire thing was about to end.
He extended his hand forward. He could almost sense the death eaters itching to fire curses at him the moment he plucked the orb.
Do it.
He touched the orb, feeling the subtle magic over the orb checking and validating his claim.
Any moment now…
Accio….
He summoned the entire row of shelves towards him, the prophecy orb falling down to create a vast smokescreen as he turned himself invisible. The cloak activated, making him immune to spell fire, as shouts broke out, and curses flew right and left. He could hear them cursing out loud about Harry Potter coming into their hands and then escaping when there was a-
"ENOUGH!" roared Lucius Malfoy! "Ostendere Fidelius!"
Instantly, the entire group of death eaters were visible, Harry observed. There were at least thirty death eaters in there, with Daphne bound to a chair in the centre, stunned and injured, and standing next to her, was Malfoy. The cloak's powers at maximum effect, he darted towards her and the moment he was close enough, he willed his magic out as he thought clearly…
"Solaris primus maximus!"
A huge sphere of blinding white light flooded the entire place, and even the dark lord had to shield his eyes from the blinding luminosity. Harry took advantage of the moment as he quickly cast an illusion, and used the powers of the cloak to break her out of any locking charms, pulling her out in the process. Malfoy threw out a massive black fog like substance from his wand which engulfed the light orb, extinguishing its radiance completely. He looked back towards the seat, only to find it empty as he roared in anger.
"Potter! You cannot get out of this place. Give me the prophecy orb, and I will allow you to leave." He roared.
"And you are well-known across the length and breadth of wizarding Britain for keeping your word." Harry retorted back, his outline now visible against the smoke behind him. He had placed the unconscious girl on one side and put her under a heavy-duty shield.
Lucius's lips curled. "Not very smart of you, Potter. You might have freed the girl, but you wouldn't be able to get out of this place alive. The dark lord made sure of that."
Ignotus snorted in Harry's head and said 'Didn't he just say he would allow us to leave if we gave him the prophecy? And now he it's you can't get out because the dark lord made sure of it. So, which is it?'
'Yeah, as I said, not well known for keeping his word.' Harry replied back to his alter ego.
Malfoy was not kidding. Harry could sense powerful barriers all around the room, activated and raised to maximum power. Furthermore, the barriers did not stop intrusion, only extrusion. Which meant, people could come in, not get out. The countless army of creatures and death eaters outside now made much more sense.
I am in a kill zone.
That meant- he would have to fight his way out. The cloak protected him from spell damage, but not Daphne. In some other situation, he would have stunned and transfigured her, but not knowing what they might have done to her, it was not an option. He would have to fight and defeat them all.
The word you are looking for is kill. Let me out.
Harry resisted.
"Give us the prophecy, brat!" grunted Rudolphus Lestrange.
"So, an entire army against little old me, is it?" Harry taunted.
"If necessary," Bellatrix snarled.
"Ah, Bellatrix, did you tell your ickle friends about how you landed up on your arse?" He taunted, and was pleased to see her snarl in anger.
"We will get the prophecy, Potter, over your dead body, if required." Malfoy replied coolly.
"Three versus one, no fair. How about this?" Harry sneered, as he cast three more illusions of himself.
"Ah the famous doppelganger defense illusion," Malfoy sneered, "that is all you have got?"
Harry smirked. "I was just getting started, as the three Harry Potters darted towards the death eaters to fire powerful hexes, and shockingly, the curses actually hit their shields.
"HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?" Bellatrix yelled, raising her wand to defend herself.
Harry smirked. "That was the beginning, and this is how to go beyond…." And he let go, submitting to his primal self as Ignotus claimed the front seat. The souls shifted, as his magic resonated, exploding out of him in spectacular fashion. The elder wand manifested on his right hand, as his staff shortened to wand-length in his left. His eyes glowed with a feral sheen, as he summoned his magics.
If you want a fight, I will give you a fight.
Albus Dumbledore, Sirius Black and the rest of the Order appeared through one of the Floo entrances at the Ministry Atrium. The moment they stepped inside the main hall, all hell broke loose as an army of a hundred vampires and scores of death eaters stood there, wands raised at them. Augustus Rookwood walked from between the dark army up to the forefront.
"Welcome, Professor Dumbledore," he snarled. "We are… tonight's entertainment."
"Harry will need your help. You go ahead. I and the rest of the Order will deal with these people." Sirius muttered.
Albus considered it. "Will you be able to hold them off?"
"He is not alone." Remus answered from behind. Albus counted it. Fifteen Order members against an army of dark creatures didn't look that positive, but he had no option. "Very well," he muttered and looked at Fawkes who burst into flames, vanishing him away from the Atrium.
Sirius watched the old mage vanish in a pillar of flames as he clutched his wand tightly. Fifteen against a hundred and fifty did not look good. He steadied himself as the rest of the Order members stood with him.
"Ready?" Tonks asked, standing next to Lupin.
Sirius took a deep breath as he glared at the army in front of him. "Let's play." He snarled.
Albus slammed down on the ground as the powerful wards negated Fawkes from travelling through them. Fawkes squawked in irritation as he flew around Dumbledore, who waved his wand to analyze the strange barrier that was erected all around the inner Hall.
"These are not normal wards..." he muttered.
"Necromantic," replied a very familiar voice. He spun back, his eyes suddenly cold as he recognized the person standing there behind him.
"Gellert." He gritted his teeth.
"Old freund…" Gellert grinned, "how nice to see you again…"
"I thought you were unable to use your magic," Albus replied coolly, his fingers twitching over the surface of his familiar birch wand.
"You were correct," Gellert laughed, "However, your… Voldemort and I made a deal. I help him increase his powers and he helped me with my problem."
Albus stayed quiet.
Gellert raised his new prosthetic right hand. "Made of mercury, you know? Once I was free to use my magic, I regrew my wand hand and made it better." He snarled. "And now, we can continue where we left off in 1945."
"I should have killed you when I had the chance." Albus hissed.
"You should have," Gellert taunted, "we create our own demons, Al. And tonight, the demon you created will destroy you." He pointed towards the barrier. "To enter through that barrier, you will need to defeat me first. Until then, you are limited to fighting me, my old freund."
Albus raised his wand, his magic singing and egging him to call it. "let's dance, Gellert."
Back inside the Hall, Ignotus was ravaging the place. The three chief lieutenants of the dark lord were getting hard-pressed fighting against him who seemed to be effortlessly beating them to the pulp. They had somehow defended themselves, escaping from the Prophecy room to the Time Room to another vast chamber that held the Veil of Death. The other death-eaters had joined in, resulting in a clutter of heads rolling down on the floors as Ignotus gave them their death with open hands.
The three death eaters liberally fired Unforgivables, but Ignotus waved his elder wand, the wand that always cast true for its Master, and transfigured walls from the air, intercepting them. He waved the elder wand as the broken marbles transfigured into javelins and hurled them towards them. Two of the javelins impaled Rudolphus, killing him instantly. Bellatrix nearly missed one, but it slashed against her leg, as she fell on the floor. Malfoy was already fallen on the floor, unconscious from a powerful bludgeoner.
"The dark lord will come for you, Potter…" she snarled, holding her injured leg as she tried to drag herself up. She pushed her abdomen over the floor, trying to get away from the boy.
Ignotus stood above her, ready to cast the killing strike. He could see the fear in her eyes. "Really, where is your dark lord now? I don't see him coming?"
"Wouldn't I, Potter?" came a disembodied voice, that seemed to chill everyone's bones. A black mist entered the room, which condensed together as Lord Voldemort stood in front of him in all his glory, his aura raging as it reeked of darkness.
Bellatrix looked scared for a moment, before she smirked and yelled, "Final Sacrifice." The ground suddenly glowed blue, and before he was able to understand what happened, powerful iron shackles shot out of the floor, binding all over Harry, holding him captive. Harry tried to break through by trying to push his magic out of his hands, but the shackles seemed to bind him tighter.
"It's futile, Harry Potter." Lord Voldemort walked towards him. "The more you use your energy, the more powerful these shackles will become." He smiled. Walking up close, he stood in front as he looked at the face of his greatest enemy….
"Harry... Potter… The boy-who-lived… Last year you were there at the graveyard, bound to a rock, and today you are once again, bound while I stand before you…Harry, Harry, Harry… do you not realize, that you are only running out of borrowed time? Time that your mudblood mother got you…but death came for you finally, as you knew he must…" He slipped a dagger and plunged it inside Harry's abdomen, "that which you feel, is basilisk venom… now in less than a few minutes, it will slowly decay your organs and kill you from within. Nothing, not even your mother's sacrifice will be able to save you now..."
He laughed.
Meanwhile, just outside the barrier, the entire place was in ruins. The duel between the two grand mages had wrecked destruction the likes of which had not been seen since 1945, though one could say that the destruction could have been much more, but fortunately for the entire floor and unfortunately for Albus Dumbledore, Gellert Grindelwald seemed to fight to delay, than to win. Every move was clinical, just enough to neutralize Dumbledore's attack, and keep him busy. He did not want to kill him, rather his entire objective seemed to be contain him, and keep him busy until something had happened, and then-
"ENOUGH!"
Dumbledore stood straight, his wand sparking in rage as Gellert suddenly roared out. "The game has gone for enough, Albus." He pointed towards the barrier. "If you want to go in now, I won't stop you. Of course, you might want to kill me and finish me first, but then you will miss witnessing your miracle boy get sacrificed so that Voldemort can ascend to powers the likes of which the world has never seen before."
Dumbledore gritted his teeth in anger.
"So which of it, is it going to be? Will you choose vengeance over your miracle child?" Gellert raised his wand towards the barrier and sent a purple spell, as the entire barrier crumbled to pieces. Inwardly, he hoped that Dumbledore would fall for it since he was out of power and any more continuation of the duel would kill him surely.
"This is NOT over, Gellert. I will kill you, and I will kill you myself."
"Sure," Gellert drawled, "but right now you should hurry, my freund. Your boy hasn't got much time left…" He laughed as he summoned his remaining magical power to transport himself out of the Ministry.
"Harry!" thought Dumbledore, as he strode into the chamber.
"Any last wish, Harry Potter? I will certainly like to fulfill it. Think of me as paying it a tribute to you for being a worthy enemy, at least as much a mortal can be to an immortal." Voldemort drawled, as Harry writhed on the ground in pain. The succession of Cruciatus curses from all sides, coupled with the basilisk poison shutting him down from insides had rendered him beyond weak.
Ignotus! We have to do something!
I am trying!
We have to! If we die, he is going to kill Daphne and everyone else. We cannot do it. We cannot.
Shut up Potter! I am trying. Just a little more time…
"But then I reconsider, there is no point killing you beforehand. I will rather have the pleasure of watching you as I kill your girlfriend in front of your very eyes." He laughed cruelly, as he turned, "Bella, bring the girl."
Ignotus struggled.
Ignotus, let me out.
There is nothing you can do, Potter.
Just let me out….
Ignotus did not resist.
Voldemort was speaking again, as he lifted the fallen girl and levitated her in the air. He cast an enervate at her, as Daphne stirred, before her eyes widened as she understood what was about to happen. She turned toward her right to see Harry bound in chains as she tried to speak, but it hurt…
"Har—ry?"
"Watch as I take your own from you once again, Harry Potter. Hope this will remind you why I am the most feared man on the planet…" He raised his wand towards Daphne as he yelled…
"AVADA KEDAVRA!"
At that exact minute, several things happened.
Using a force of magic impossible and absolutely formidable to begin with, Harry Potter shattered the shackles, making them tear as the blood magic used to create them, something that was nigh impossible, since sacrificial blood magic was one of the most powerful magics out there.
Harry let out a yell as he sent his entire magical power into a single spell, as the magic manifested into a shaft of pure energy, tearing through the Avada Kedavra and hitting Voldemort, hurling him back into the wall and obliterating his wand arm completely. His wand got swept up in the air before the shockwave shattered it into pieces. Bellatrix screamed in rage as her Lord and Master fell down on the wall, his wand arm completely obliterated, as blood dripped off from it on the floor. Harry smirked as he somehow stood over his own feet, feeling his energy reserves at an all-time low.
"Third rule of battle-never believe you have won until you have the enemy dead or incapacitated." He sneered, "You never know what tricks the opponent might just have under his sleeve."
"You speak as if you are the only one who has a trick under his sleeve, Potter." Voldemort spoke out, as he stood up. "Watch this," he sneered, as he looked at his amputated wand-arm. Some kind of magic simmered over the surface of the injury and then suddenly, a new limb grew out from the injury, as Harry looked at him with shock.
"See this, Potter? Do you understand why I am the most feared man on the planet? It was simply a fluke that I had to lose my human self the previous time, but this time, this resurrected form is much more powerful, much less vulnerable and much more sophisticated than ever possible." He looked at the remains of hi broken wand, "—you shouldn't have done that, Potter, Previously I thought I would give you a wizard's death, but now…" He walked up to Harry Potter who looked defiantly at him. The boy was almost falling down but still standing up. "You have been a nuisance for so long, Harry Potter. It is time to end it all." With one devilish smirk, he stepped back and then suddenly strode up and kicked him in the abdomen, throwing him into the veil.
"NOOOOOOOO!" Albus Dumbledore and Daphne both yelled in unison, as they witnessed him fall down into the depths of the Veil. Albus Dumbledore, who seemed to stagger before his knees gave away, slowly fell down on the floor, weeping openly.
"You… you… monster!" Daphne muttered in blind rage, as she tried to get up from the floor, her legs failing her as she fell down again with a thud. Bellatrix cackled in sick amusement.
"Look at me, Dumbledore!" Lord Voldemort replied, as she walked towards the weeping man on the floor. "I sent your beloved child of Prophecy into the veil, and now… I have defied the prophecy…"
That shut the old man up. "The… prophecy…" he muttered, slowly getting up from the floor. "The Prophecy orb…"
"My lord," One of the death eaters called in, distracting the dark lord, "I found the orb. It was here." The new recruit picked the silvery orb from the floor and raised it; said item zooming out of his hands as the dark lord summoned it from him.
"This… this cannot be possible..." The dark lord muttered slowly, as he looked at the orb in his hand. The orb glowed with an eerie silvery sheen, the glow somehow mocking him.
"I JUST KILLED HARRY POTTER!" Lord Voldemort bellowed, "WHY IS THIS PROPHECY STILL ACTIVE?" He spun towards Dumbledore, "WHAT TRICKERY IS THIS?"
To his shock, the old man began to laugh. Harder, and harder, getting on his nerves. "What is so funny? What is SO FUNNY?"
"The prophecy…." Dumbledore laughed…. "You... wanted the prophecy Tom, and now you have it... Break it... Break it… let everyone hear it…" He replied amidst his laughter, which resounded all over the vast chamber.
Lord Voldemort looked at him in anger. He cast a final look at the orb before smashing it down on the floor. An enormous grayish cloud soared out of it, as Sybil Trelawney's voice spoke out…
"The one with the power to vanquish the dark lord approaches...
born to those who have thrice defied him...
born as the seventh month dies...
And the dark lord will mark him as his equal,
but he will have power the dark lord knows not...
And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives...
The one with the power to vanquish the dark lord will be born as the seventh month dies…"
"HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE? I JUST KILLED HARRY POTTER?" Lord Voldemort roared in absolute fury. "HOW CAN THE PROPHECY STILL HOLD TRUE?"
Dumbledore still laughed, as if he had gone round the bend completely. "You haven't killed him, Tom! You cannot kill him... You have killed him once, and now it is time that you get killed by him…"
"What? What does that mean-"
Dumbledore stood up. "Harry Potter lives, and Harry Potter will return for your death, Tom Marvolo Riddle!" He roared as he whipped his wand in anger…. Gigantic flames shot out of his wand as it formed a ginormous phoenix that shot towards Voldemort who stared at his defiance in anger.
"HARRY POTTER IS DEAD!" Voldemort roared, as he raised his arms wide, propelling out a shockwave of dark magic that reduced Dumbledore's elemental attack into nothingness. "And now you will pay for your sins… AVADA KEDAVRA!"
The shaft of poisonous green shot out towards Dumbledore from Voldemort's hands as Dumbledore watched it coming towards him, but before the green bolt could reach him, a huge roar resounded the entire chamber as dazzling white lightning shot, out from within the veil, obliterating the killing curse into nothingness. The veil fluttered violently, as sounds of hooves became more and more distinct.
"What- what is happening?"
"THE ONE WITH THE POWER TO VANQUISH THE DARK LORD APPROACHES, RIDDLE. DEFEND YOUR IMMORTALITY NOW!" Dumbledore smirked, as his old fingers tightened around his wand.
The entire veil seemed to burst open as a ginormous raven-black thestral galloped out it, the aura radiating from it enough to make even the dark lord shield his eyes. The thestral roared as it flapped its wings powerfully, the shockwaves thus produced hurling back everyone by at least ten feet.
"WHAT—WHAT MAGIC IS THIS?" Voldemort exclaimed, as the thestral suddenly morphed and there in its place, dressed in robes of a Warmage, with the Elder wand in his right hand, and his staff in his left, the cloak of invisibility fluttering behind not unlike a cape, stood Harry James Potter. His eyes, once bright green, were now stormy gray, indicative of the storm of magical energy restrained inside his body.
"YOU…" Voldemort roared, summoning Bellatrix's wand from her as he fired off a powerful severing hex, only for Potter to send back a burst of magic. The spells collided in the center as Potter whipped his wand, as the colliding magic shit back towards Voldemort, blasting into him as it hurled him through the wall, breaking one wall after another as Harry pushed his magic. Voldemort tried to push back but the power was too great, as he was helplessly slammed against one wall and the next until they were both in the Atrium.
"HARRY… POTTER…" The dark lord gnashed his teeth as he got up, pulling himself from the floor. "You came back… You just had to come back…. Why won't you just die? WHY WONT YOU JUST DIE?" he roared as he yelled, "AVADA KEDAVRA!"
Harry raised the mythical wand in his hand, the wand that always belonged to him, the wand that would always cast true for its Master… and yelled, "HASTAM ANIMA MORTIS!"
A ginormous thestral, as black as the night, erupted out of his wand, as it darted towards the oncoming killing curse, before it consumed it completely before shooting towards the dark lord. Voldemort hastily drew up his most powerful shield but the thestral tore through it, shattering it to pieces as it slammed against the dark lord, making him scream in agony the likes of which he had never known. Harry twisted his wand as the dark lord screamed even more before he fell on to the floor, panting as his entire body screamed of agony.
"I will kill you, Potter..." The dark lord muttered, as he got up slowly. "I will kill each and every one you know and love… I will take everything from AAAAA-"
"You are done taking people away from me, Tom Riddle." Harry Potter spoke, though his tone was different. There was no rage, no anger, just a sense of supreme confidence that came from knowing that the world was his to command. "You will stay in your place, or I will make you. Now kneel before me…"
Voldemort laughed. "As if I will-"
"KNEEEEL!" Harry roared, as Voldemort felt his spine curve as though a huge, invisible hand were bending him ruthlessly forward, as he staggered and fell down on his knees, in proper fashion, his head lowered down, almost as if touching the ground and he could see Harry Potter's dragon-hide boots from there. There was a flash of light as Dumbledore sent Bellatrix down on the floor, as the entire of the Order of the Phoenix, the Aurors, reporters and even Cornelius Fudge appeared on one side, through the Floo entrance… Every single eye, Auror, Order member, Death eater or even the Minister, everyone looked in awe as they witnessed Harry Potter, the Boy-who-lived standing over the Dark Lord Voldemort as the latter knelt before him, despite all of his struggling to get out of Potter's spell.
Harry raised his staff and sent another purple spell at him, which made Voldemort scream in agony once again…
"He is… he is…back, truly back!" Cornelius muttered rather loudly, as everyone looked at him. Harry looked up at him, as Voldemort took the chance to throw out a magical burst as he broke from the spell, apparating away before Harry could counterattack. Strangely, Harry did not even seem worried by it at all.
"Harry… Harry, are you alright?" Dumbledore walked towards him, as he held the boy's shoulder.
"I am not Harry Potter, Albus Dumbledore." Harry looked back as Dumbledore's eyes widened as his bright blue eyes met his stormy grey ones. "I am Ignotus Peverell."
INTERMISSION
AUTHOR'S NOTE: THIS ENDS THE FIRST SEGMENT OF DEFIANCE. THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE POSTED IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS!