A/N: Sorry, this part is short. It's kind of confusing .. you have to read pretty carefully to figure out what's going on .. but hopefully it'll become clear! Read!



Harry's head pounded as he opened his eyes and stared down at the grass he was lying on. Where had he gotten to? Why wasn't he at his four-poster at Hogwarts?

He gathered himself to a crouch and stood up slowly, looking back and forth to see where he was.

It was a grassy meadow, lit brightly by the sun, that he had never been to before. What ..?

He turned around, touching his pocket to find his wand. It wasn't there.

But there, behind him, stood a figure. The figure of Albus Dumbledore.

"Dumbledore!" Harry cried, his voice showing his obvious relief.

*

Hermione watched Harry look around in bewilderment. It was as if he could see no one, though the Death Eaters and Voldemort clustered around him. The Death Eaters were laughing their heads off.

Harry, Hermione thought, what's wrong? Run! Do something!

Harry pivoted on the spot, his hand going to his pocket where he kept his wand. It wasn't there.

Then Harry turned full around, and his eyes fell on Voldemort's figure, who was standing slightly away from the others. His whole face lit up as his eyes rested on Voldemort.

"Dumbledore!" he cried happily.

Hermione nearly fell out of her hiding place behind the plastic pumpkin. What?

Harry took a few steps towards Voldemort, a grin on his face. The red color was more noticable than ever.

Hermione gaped at Harry. What the hell are you doing, Harry?

*

Dumbledore was just standing there, looking at him. Harry stopped in his tracks, confused.

"What's going on, Professor?" he said, staring at the headmaster.

Suddenly, Dumbledore threw his head back and began to laugh. Harry jumped. It was quite the last thing he'd expected him to do.

And now his laughter seemed to be echoing .. there was more, faint laughter from all around him .. cruel, malicious laughter ..

Dumbledore stopped laughing, and the echoes (were they echoes?) stopped too. He came closer and put his hand on Harry's shoulder. His hand was cold as death.

"Welcome, my boy."

"What?"

"You have finally reached it. The land of Immortals."

"What -- what do you mean? The land of - Immortals?"

"It is the ultimate achievement, Harry. When a wizard of great power - like yourself and I - makes the final turn into surpreme strength, he is then accepted into the Immortals' land."

"What?" Harry stared around him at the grassy meadow. Out of no where, a great rock had suddenly appeared.

Dumbledore gestured at the huge rock. It was the size of a house.

"However, you must undergo one last test before you enter, Harry. You must destroy this - rock - here, completely, with one curse. Choose carefully, my student. You must destroy the rock with only one spell, and it must be entirely disintegrated. You understand?"

"Yes .. " Harry raised his wand.

*

Hermione watched in horror as Voldemort walked straight up to Harry and placed his hand upon Harry's shoulder. Harry jerked a little - hadn't he said his scar hurt when Voldemort was near? Well, he was near now - but he looked trustingly up at the Dark Lord.

He must be under a spell, Hermione decided. They couldn't make him do that under his own free will. Never. Not her Harry.

She leaned closer to catch their words.

"..However, you must undergo one last test before you enter, Harry."

He turned towards the Potters' house.

"You must destroy this - rock - here, completely, with one curse."

Oh, god, no! Hermione thought in anguish, the two wands falling out of her hand in shock. He's going to make Harry destroy himself - as a baby!

And Harry was stepping back, measuring the house with his suddenly-red eyes, trying to decide how to vaporize it.

Hermione crouched behind the pumpkin, squeezing her eyes shut. She knew better than anybody what Harry was capable of. If anyone could destroy a house with one spell, it was Harry. He had so much power in him, it was unbelievable. If only he would pick up a book once in a while.

He didn't have a wand, though. He couldn't do it without his wand ..

..could he? Hermione had heard of such powerful wizards that they didn't need wands. But Harry wasn't a fully trained wizard. He needed it.

"Here," Voldemort said with a smirk, stepping forth and offering Harry his own wand. It lay benign in his palm as Harry reached cautiously towards it.

"It feels .. odd," he said, lifting the wand. It was longer than his own wand. "Like it's mine .. only different .."

Voldemort nodded. "Part of the trial is to see how you do with an unfamiliar wand."

Harry raised the wand.

Hermione clenched the two wands into her palm. She could stand it no longer.

"HARRY!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, lunging out from behind the plastic pumpkin and running towards him as fast as she could. "HARRY, WAKE UP, IT'S ME, HERMIONE!!"



A/N: This is the second-to-last part! Yay!! That doesn't mean you shouldn't review, though!