A Year to Rememer
By Izzy
Part 15:The Final Confrontation
"Not even zenth!" sighed Madeline Claudel in disgust to Morgana as they both sat down not far from Harry. "Well, ze Bac is much more accuarate, so just wait until next year!"
It was the day after the Beauxbatons students finished thier finals, and the day before the Third Task, of which Harry had just been informed the nature of. At noon the following day, each of the three champions would be placed in a network of passages underground, and would have to get out of them by means of solving some sort of riddle. Anyone who had not solved it by sunset would be rescued by means of passagesways that entering would turn the network into one simple tunnel. Hermione was off in the library, having forbidden Harry or Ron to give her any aid from that point on.
Harry wasn't worried about that. Hermione was an expert at riddles, she could handle this no sweat. In fact, he wasn't worried about anything any more. Everything had become perfectly clear over the last month.
First of all, he knew now why the spell he had used against Voldemort a year ago now hadn't worked:the ability had not yet matured within him. Now it had. And between the two attacks at Hogwarts and the appearance of Nagini here, he was sure Voldemort was close. When he found him, it would be the end of the Dark Lord.
He could wait with Sirius if nessecary. He'd gotten the news only yesterday that Sirius had been aquitted, and even now was obtaining legal guardianship of him.
The following afternoon...
Harry checked his watch. The champions had been underground for nearly an hour. It was very warm outside.
He thought he felt his forehead tingle. Was he imagining things? The tingling stopped.
A second later, his scar erupted into pain. He stifled a cry, his teeth gritted so hard they ground into each other, his hands flew to his forehead. Then, through the pain, he heard, Come Harry...come...
A calm overtook him. This was it. He was going to die, and Voldemort was going to die with him.
"Harry?" Fleur had noticed a problem.
"The spell I spoke of earlier, I can use it now. And I'm about to."
"But it will kill you!" she protested.
His heart sank as the sight of her terrified face. "I'm sorry. But it's the only way."
She nodded. "I know, but...I don't think I can ever find anyone else...I love you, Harry!"
He pulled her into a long kiss, fiercer and deeper then anything either of them had ever experienced. When he pulled away, he saw tears in her eyes, and in that moment he hated Voldemort more then he had ever hated him his entire life.
There was a murmer from the crowd as Harry Potter got up from the judge's stand. Without a word he walked onto the field. Then he pulled out his wand. "Voldemort! Show yourself!"
For a moment or so, there was dead silence.
Then, a few feet from Harry, the ground bulged, then burst. Out shot first Hermione. She lay on the ground dazed. Then a voice sounded from within the hole. "Crucio." Hermione screamed in pain. And out of the hole, his wand pointed at Hermione, climbed-
"Paul!" gasped Lavender.
Paul Gautier looked at her in disgust. "You didn't do me nearly as much good as I 'oped, 'alfblood." He pulled out a second wand. "Come along, Master."
Several people screamed as a ghostly apparition of Lord Voldemort floated out of the hole and hovered behind Paul. Most of the spectators fled. Paul waved the second wand(persumably Voldemort's) around him and muttered something. He was surrounded by a golden glow. "What can you do now, Pottair? I've activated a shield 'oo powerful for you 'o break."
"Expelliarmus!" yelled Harry. There was no effect.
"See? From 'ere, I can do what I wish." He aimed his wand at Dumbledore. "Crucio!"
Dumbledore did not move. His face twitched before hardening, his eyes blazing. His fists clenched, and his teeth were gritted, refusing to give Paul to the satisfaction of hearing him scream.
But many miles away, Professor McGonagall screamed and fell to the floor. Her current class gathered around her.
"It's Cruciatus curse!"
"Don't be silly, Carl, how could anyone be cursing her?"
"Ze mind link, when I was in ze Hospital Wing after ze Dementor incident, I 'eard-"
"But then who-"
"Never mind who, somebody get Madam Pomfrey!"
Back at Beauxbatons, Paul shook his head. "Stoic yourself all you want. You can't protect 'er, can you?" If possible, Dumbledore's expression became more furious.
"I nearly got 'er zat first zime too. I'd told Lavendair I wanted to do some research, and she didn't guess I wasn't even on ze ground, let alone in ze library. It was rathair risky, I admit, since I 'adn't 'ad my Apparition test, but I managed wizout spinching myself all four zimes. Right after ze first one," he turned towards Fleur, "I spotted your sister. I zought if she killed McGonagall, it would make ze perfect touch. But I 'adn't reckoned wiz ze brat's wand."
"So I returned 'ere before I was missed. I couldn't risk trying zat again, but would need an excuse to leave ze grounds. And such an excuse presented itself during ze Second Task. Lavendair didn't even wondair why I was late to rescue 'er. My Master 'ad located ze Dementor, and I gave it the order to go to 'Ogwarts and perform the Kiss on McGonagall. But zat too failed."
"And now of course, when I tried to restore my Master to 'is body, our plans were thrwated by 'er," He pointed at Morgana, "since we could not keep 'is body alive long enough wizout Nagini's venom. But nevair mind." He pointed his wand at Harry. "I will kill you now, and you can't-"
"EXPELLIARMUS!" The yell came from the stands.
Paul stumbled back slightly. This broke the curses. Dumbledore slumped down over the judge's stand, and Hermione lay on the ground moaning in the aftereffects of the curse. His wand still raised from casting the Disarming Spell, Ron ran to her side. Paul glanced at him for moment, then continued. "Very well, then. "You'll try to use the same spell you did last year. But you're forgetting something. You can only use the spell once. And to kill my Master, you'll have to get past me. The shield is still in effect, you can't Stun me. Try."
Harry tried. Once again there was no effect.
Up in the judge's stand, while the others gathered around Dumbledore, Fleur suddenly broke away, closed her eyes, and began muttering to herself. Paul noticed. "Attempting to transform, Veela?" Attention turned to Fleur.
"She should," noted Sally-Anne(Terry and Lisa had fled) "If she suceeds, she'll have the power to break your shield."
Paul turned away as if that didn't bother him. "She can't. She needs more energy. She's of no 'elp."
"Energy..." murmered Morgana. She walked up to Fleur. "Sit down." Fleur obeyed. Morgana crouched behind her and placed her wand on Fleur's breast. "Mobilivitas."
Not noticing this, Paul laughed as Harry again attempted unsucessfuly to Stun him. "Zere's only one zing you can do now 'Arry, to prevent me from killing everyone 'ere." He pointed his wands at Ron and Hermione, the former of who now was kneeling, holding the latter, to Lavender, who was crying silently, to Hannah and Max, who were staring at the exit to the underground network, no doubt waiting for Alfred(Francisca and Sappho had fled), to Ernie and Justin, who were at the edge of the stands ready to run any moment, to Sally-Anne, who was standing there defiantly, to Madeline, who was cowering next to her, to Professor Bobwhite and Madame Maxime, who were crouched over Dumbledore(Mounsiers Delacroix and Hugot had also fled), to Fleur and Morgana, both of whom now had thier eyes closed, to the Grangers, both of whom had fainted, to the Fadtons, who simply sitting there too scared to move, to the various Beauxbatons people who for whatever reason had not fled.
"Not so fast." said Harry softly. "Why?"
Paul's eyes narrowed. "Why what?"
"Why let me do it? It's a fate worse then either death of the Dementor's Kiss, because it's both combined. I hardly believe you would let me do that when you when by now you could have easily killed me. Unless...where did you get that shield from?" As he spoke, he glanced at Fleur and Morgana, obviously trying to give them time.
Paul did not seem to notice. "An American wizard. By ze name of 'Ector Saliandar. 'E zought 'imself to be working for a new Dark Lord, but in truth, 'e 'as been under my bewitchment for nearly a year. I recently got 'im to destroy 'is body and from zere I 'arnessed his energy. I am using it right now to compose zis shield."
"Human fuel." said Sally-Anne in horror.
"Exactly. Combining ze energy I have now with zat of an especially powerful soul will restore my Master completely."
"And you want mine." finished Harry. He folded his arms. "Come and get it."
Paul turned to Voldemort. "What do I do, Master? All known methods of 'arnessing energy require some sort of 'is cooperation."
"Kill him," hissed Voldemort. "We will find another source."
But before Paul could so much as raise his wand, a scream from the stands attracted everyone's attention.
The scream was Fleur's. Silver beams of light were surging from Morgana into her. And then she began to transform. Her nose and mouth combined and grew out into a beak, her eyes grew large and predatory, her hands curled into talons, claws shot out of her shoes, huge wings sprung from her back, and her scream turned into a piercing screech of an enraged bird of prey.
The Veela-hawk stood up, and a limp Morgana fell off her. She took off, and the air screamed around her as she streaked down towards the field.
Paul never had time to react. He had barely looked up and spotted the monster before she barraged into him, with beak, fire, and talons. His shield wavered and broke.
"Fool!" hissed Voldemort. He began floating back into the passage.
"NO YOU DON'T!" Harry raised his wand. Whatever he yelled next was drowned out by the screeches of the Veela-hawk, but a terrific beam of light issued from his wand, and engulfed Voldemort, and Harry fell to the ground. There was a terrific air-rushing sound, and Voldemort was no more.
Very abruptly the Veela-hawk pulled away from the charred and mangled remains of Paul Gautier and hastened over to Harry. Very carefully, she pulled him up. And everyone watched, she placed one talon on his forehead and the other over his heart. Silver light began flowing into him from them.
After several minutes she put him down, and took off, flying to the top of the stairs. She landed besides Morgana and pulled the girl up. Once again silver surges of light passed between them, this time into Morgana. The transformation reversed, until, her robes ripped and burnt and her shoes ruined, Fleur collapsed on top of Morgana. Morgana's eyes opened.
"Did it work?" she whispered.
"Yes."
"Your life energy!" exclaimed Sally-Anne. "You leant her some of it!"
Fleur pulled herself up and ran back down to the field. She knelt over Harry. "The spell would have killed him, but I think I gave him the energy he needed to live." She looked at Hermione, who seemed to be almost recovered from her ordeal. "Will she be allright?"
"I think so," said Ron.
Hermione smiled. "I'm fine, except that you're cutting off my circulation, Ron."
"Yeah," said Ron laughing, "you are going to be just fine. We still should take you up to the Medical Wing."
"I love you, Ron."
Ron grinned idioticly, reassuring Fleur further. Just one problem then...she looked up at the stands, and the last victim of the afternoon's battle. "And..."
At the top of the stands, Professor Bobwhite had just concluded his inspection of Dumbledore. "Comatose. He's old, and he was trying to withstand the curse, that must have made it worse. Not much we can do until he decides to come out of it."
Just Alfred emerged from the tunnel exit. "Well, that was a tough one, but-" Before he got any further, he could himself being hugged the stuffing out of by Hannah and by both his parents. He took in the scene before him:Ron and Fleur holding up Hermione and Harry, a very charred and mangled body not too far from them, the stands nearly empty, and everyone there gathered near the top where the judges were supposed to sit, excepted the swooned Grangers and the sobbing Lavender.
"Did I miss something?"
The next day...
Ron looked up from Hermione's bedside as Fleur stormed into the Medical Wing. "Stupid! Never mind that two of the judges are 'indisposed', to say the least. I hope they never hold this silly Tournament again as long as I live!"
"Fleur, what are you talking about?"
"Well, with all the events, Mounsier Delacroix pulled our attention today to the most important question:who won the Tournament. They then forced me to sit through half an hour of them yelling at each other. Hermione won, because she was first to clear the ground, Alfred won, because he's the only one to actually solve the riddle, or the whole thing made no sense and rematch should be held."
"So what are they going to do?"
"When I just got up and left, they were discussing calling it a tie. They were also discussing discontinuing the Tournament, which I sure hope they do."
"Me too," agreed Ron.
"Well surely it can't be this disastrous every time," pointed out Hermione.
They both started. "You're awake!"
Hermione groaned and pulled herself upright. "And I'm just about ready to get out of here. And I've done the N.E.W.T.s and I've done the Third Task. You realize what that means Ron..."
Ron smiled. "Yes, I very much do." He kissed her.
"Wait," she pulled away slightly, "Harry...and Dumbledore..."
Ron gestured over to two beds nearby, and his smile faded a bit. "Both comatose. There's a good chance they'll come out of it, though." Hermione climbed out of the bed and walked over to the two beds containing Harry and Dumbledore. Ron and Fleur followed her. "I know it sounds silly, but I want to sit here awhile." "It's not silly,' Ron assured her, "I had the same idea." "And when you two have the same idea," noted Fleur, "I'd say its an idea to be followed." She pulled up a chair and sat down. Ron followed her lead. Hermione reached for a chair, but then stopped and sat down instead on Ron's lap. For several minutes they sat in silence.
"How about the others?" asked Hermione softly. "How are they taking all of this?"
"The three Hufflepuffs have diverted thier attention to two items," answered Fleur. "The first is Hannah's upcoming wedding, which will take place sometime next year. They've hinted there's going to be a huge ceremony in America, and everyone will be invited."
"And the second?"
"Justin and Sappho. The Nurse insisted on doing very thourough examinations on everyone, and she discovered Sappho to be pregnent. Justin's feeling really repentent. He wants to marry Sappho right after she finishes school, at which point the baby will already be born. I think she's going to accept."
"How about Lavender?"
"Not doing too well," said Ron sadly. "Spends most of her time in the Bus, just sitting about, not doing anything. Morgana Nott's taken it apon herself to cheer her up, as well as caring for Madeline, who it seems wasn't as brave as she thought she was. All three will recover in time, I suppose. I must say, I never gave Morgana much thought."
"Neither did I," admitted Hermione. "And the Ravenclaws?"
"Nothing to remark about."
"Pansy Parkinson's acting oddest of all," added Fleur. "She changes the subject whenever the Dark Arts in any manner are mentioned and is sending a lot of owls, and don't ask me to whom."
Just then Mounsier Delacroix entered. "Madamoiselle Delacour-" he started.
Fleur said something in French that made Mounsier Delacroix go red. He then addressed Hermione,
"Meess Grangair, you should know, you an Meester Fadton 'ave tied for ze Tournament. You may pick up your winnings of five 'undred galleons at your convenience." He left.
Fleur hit her chair so hard it nearly broke. "Insensetive little-"
"Come on," whispered a voice.
The three of them diverted there attention back to Dumbledore. "There you go." Then he opened his eyes. "Hello. Very nice of you to drop by."
"You're awake!" yelled Harry.
"Who's awake?" Sappho entered the Medical Wing. Justin was with her. "Where's the nurse?"
Then she saw. "Wonderful! Let's tell everyone!" She whipped out her wand. "Accio Everybody!"
"That doesn't strike me to have been a very good idea," said Hermione as everybody began piling into the Medical Wing. "Raging hormones?" she whispered aside to Justin.
"Actually this is her regularily," he whispered back.
When Sappho finally lowered her wand, she had to struggle to do so, because the Medical Wing was so packed. The people nearest to the door started to leave even as word passed on the reason they had all been Summoned. The entire crowd then began pouring out the doors, taking the awake and very amused Dumbledore with them. Mr. and Mrs. Granger were amoung those present, and they took Hermione out with them, Ron following them. The Matron arrived and attended to Sappho. Then they both left. Finally Fleur was alone with Harry in the Medical Wing.
She sat down next to him. Ron and Hermione did not return; her parents were probably detaining them.
The events of the previous day began to wash over her yet again. She gotten what she wanted. She'd turned in a Veela-hawk, and full-blown one at that. But the way she had behaved had frightened her. It was disturbing to think about how she'd attacked Paul Gautier , the memories of ripping him apart as he burned kept coming back. Part of her didn't seem bothered at all, the Veela part, she was certain. As for the rest, she'd just have to live with it. It helped slightly, she supposed, to know that her actions had saved Harry's life.
A slight sound jarred her back to reality. She looked down and saw Harry stirring. He looked up and smiled brilliantly at her. "My dream. It wasn't a flashback."
"I take it that's a good thing."
"Oh," he turned pink. "My dreams-they've been flashbacks. I've been getting kind of sick of it."
She nodded. Once again the air seemed to crackle. She leaned over him. "He's gone now, you know."
"I know." He frowned. "I killed him. Felt every molecule of his destruction. And enjoyed it." The memory obviously upset him.
"We've all done some things that have frightened us." said Fleur. "I have, Paul Gautier..."
He nodded. "So, we'll both have to get through it. Together." His voice grew softer. "Fleur, remember what I said at the Yule Ball?"
Of she remembered. Fleur didn't think she could ever have forgotten. "You said that you loved me, but that my being attached to you would put me at risk, and you couldn't allow that, until Voldemort was defeated once and for all." For some reason, she was no longer frightened of saying Voldemort's name.
"And he has," continued Harry. "which means-"
"Which means," finished Fleur in a whisper which she couldn't even hear over the pounding of her heart in its excitement. "I can now do this." And she dipped her head down and brought her lips to his.
They didn't even noticed when Ron and Hermione hurried back into the Hospital Wing, spotted the scene before them, smiled, and left them to it.