FB: Chapter 8: The Final Battle

Disclaimer: see chap 1

Thanks to everyone who reviewed… hope to get at least forty reviews for this story, but I don't see it happening… :o( But to the people who actually took the time out to review, I salute you.

Ron stuffed his hands in his pockets. He stood a few yards behind her, watching her. She had been sitting there crying for at least fifteen minutes after Harry left. He was never good at these things, Harry always knew the comforting words to cheer Hermione. But people always told him he was a good listener, and Hermione was one of his closest friends. Swallowing the large lump in his throat, he walked over to her. "He's right you know,"

She looked up at him. "What?"

            "I know you two love each other. Don't give him up, Herm. You'll regret it the rest of your life."

            "But Ginny…" she trailed off.

            "Harry has a mind of his own. He knows who he wants to be with. Ginny will be hurt, but she will get over it." Ron replied.

Hermione was silent.

            "When he comes back, you tell him. Don't make the biggest mistake of your life."

            "I've been such a fool!" she shouted. "What if he never comes back? The last things I said to him…"

            "Was that you loved him," he finished. "That alone can fuel you. And this is Harry we're talking about! Harry is way too stubborn to give up and die. This is his quest. He'll come back, I know he will."

Harry fell flat on his face, dirt and dust invading every his nose and mouth. He coughed, and sat up. He was in a wooded area. He started to panic, thinking the Portkey hadn't worked at all. But then he noticed candles floating in midair next to some trees. They made a huge circle. Harry saw a chalked outline on the ground of the Dark Mark, and in the middle, lay a motionless figure in Scarlet dress robes.

            "Ginny!" Harry ran up to her, déjà vu from his second year invading his brain. He put two fingers to her neck for a pulse. She was breathing, she was alive! "Ginny," he whispered, gently shaking her.

            "Draco?" she whispered.

            "Draco!?" Harry grunted. "Did HE do this!?"

Ginny opened her eyes weakly. "Harry…"

            "Shhh," he replied. "Malfoy. Did Malfoy do this to you?"

She shook her head feverishly. "No!" she clutched his arm. "Harry, You-Know-Who is here!" she screamed, fear shining in her eyes. "It's a trap!"

            "Little Harry Potter!!!" a voice hissed behind them. "We meet again."

Harry rose to his feet and turned to the speaker. "For the last and final time, Voldemort."

Voldemort laughed. "Your mummy isn't here to protect you anymore,"

            "She's not," Harry said. "That's why with your death, I will avenge her name."

            "I knew you would come for her," Voldemort pointed a crooked finger at Ginny. "And I knew you would get by my most loyalest returning member,"

            "Snape," Harry muttered.

            "A riddle for you, Potter." Voldemort said. "Why is it that you're still alive? All of the other heirs have been killed."

            "Shut your damn mouth and let's duel," Harry snapped.

            "With your death, Potter, I will once again rule. My full powers will return. You are the heir of Gryffindor,"

Harry was silent.

            "No one's told you, boy?" Voldemort chuckled. "Ah yes, the last bit of knowledge you will know before your death."

Suddenly, it all made sense to him. Diggory must have been Hufflepuff's heir! But what about Ravenclaw?

            "I am, of course, the heir of Slytherin. And you, the heir of Gryffindor. Perhaps I should cut out your tongue as my trophy for defeating all other three heirs? I daresay I hope you unlike the other two will be a challenge?"

            "You'll pay," Harry mumbled.

            "Who was it? Oh yes, that pretty girl you had your eye on way back when from Ravenclaw. She had to be the easiest of them all. Killed her in her sleep."

Cho! He had killed Cho! Harry yanked out his wand.

Voldemort laughed. "Did I hit a nerve?"

            "Harry, no!!" Ginny cried, staggering to her feet.

            "Get back," he barked. "Search for the Portkey. As soon as you've found it, get out of here."

            "But Harry…"

            "DO IT!" He shouted.

Voldemort laughed once again. "I shall allow her to live for now."

            "Your fight is with me," Harry said. "Duel!"

Voldemort pulled out his wand. It was almost identical to Harry's. "Ah yes, the brotherhood of the wand. You could have been great with me, you know."

            "I'd rather die,"

            "So be it!"

And so, the clash of the wands began. Ginny searched the ground frantically, searching for the Portkey back to the woods.

Hermione and Ron hurried through the woods.

            "We should have went with him!" Hermione panted.

            "He would have never let us," Ron said. He clutched his side. "I'm tired of running."

            "Running!" Hermione stopped dead, and slapped a hand to her head. "Why didn't I think of it before!"

            "Of what!?"

            "Summoning Charms!"

            "Hermione, the school's in a pile of rubble," he said.

            "It's worth a try!"

            "Godspeed," Ron moaned.

Hermione pulled out her wand. "Accio, broom!"

They waited.

And waited.

And waited some more.

            "It's not working," Ron mumbled, poking her in the side.

            "Shut up," she snapped, her eyes closed in concentration.

            "I warned you to leave," a voice hissed behind them. Aragog had returned.

            "Hermione!" Ron forced her to open her eyes and at the huge spider.

            "Oh God!" she replied, clutching his arm.

Ron was backpedaling, dragging her with him. "Think…" he was mumbling.

            "What!?"

            "What are spiders afraid of? Besides a really big shoe?"

Hermione rubbed her forehead. "A Basilisk!"

No more servents, Aragog himself was advancing on them. And quickly.

            "Yeah, but we really don't need to worry about one of those, do we?" Ron moaned.

Aragog's pincers were right at the base of Ron's throat when all of the sudden, Aragog collapsed on top of him.

            "Ron!" He heard Hermione's voice. "It's okay!"

A hand shot out and helped him to his feet.

And he was suddenly face to face with a creature that was half man, half horse. The Centaur held a bow tight in his hands. Six arrows were sticking out of Aragog. Ron kicked one of his hairy legs. "Bastard," he mumbled.

            "Thank you," Hermione was saying to the Centaur. "Firenze, is it not?"

He bowed. "And you are Harry Potter's friends."

Hermione nodded. "I'm Hermione. That's Ron."

Ron shook Firenze's hand.

            "What are you children doing in these woods? It's highly dangerous."

Hermione quickly rattled off their story.

            "Then Mars is correct," Firenze said, tilting his head to the sky. "It warned us that the Dark Lord would indeed rise again."

Ron held a dumbfounded expression on his face. "We should introduce him to Trelawney," he mumbled to Hermione.

She stomped on his foot. "Quiet. He saved your life."

            "I shall give you a ride back to Hogwarts," Firenze said, bowing down to let them slide onto his back. "And I must ask you not to come into these woods again. I will not always be around to save you."

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Harry had Voldemort where he wanted him. He had froze him in a block of ice, and had taken his wand from him. Ginny stood a few yards away, cowering near a faded newspaper that was the Portkey back to the woods.

Harry walked right in front of Voldemort, waising Voldemort's wand in his hand. He pointed his own wand at it. With a "Ponicular Spiltundra!", Voldemort's wand splintered into tiny pieces. A small red light flew up into the sky, flickered and went out.

            "Kill me then, Potter," Voldemort hissed.

            "Death for you is only the beginning." Harry said. "I have waited seventeen years for my revenge. Seventeen years to make you pay."

            "Harry, come on, just do it and let's go," Ginny squeaked.

Harry ignored her. He stared into Voldemort's soulless eyes. "May you burn in hell forever," He raised his wand.

            "Not so fast," a voice echoed behind him.

Harry wheeled around. Pettigrew had his wand pointed at Ginny's throat. "One word and she gets it."

Voldemort laughed. "You see, Potter? After all this, you still lose!"

            "Let her go, Pettigrew." Harry demanded.

            "Step away from my master."

Harry looked to Ginny. There was fear in her eyes.        "Don't do it, Harry!" she pleaded. "Kill him! You have to!"

            "Shut up!" Pettigrew hissed, jabbing his wand deeper into her throat. She gave a small squeak.

Damn, damn, DAMN! Harry thought Petigrew was gone. He had no idea that he'd be here. But what other choice did he have now? Reluctantly, he stepped away from Voldemort.

Voldemort smiled eerily and Pettigrew laughed. "Ironic, isn't it? First I hand your parents to Lord Voldemort… and now you."

Harry had to move fast. He had to catch Pettigrew off guard. If he didn't, he'd kill Ginny, no questions asked. "Alright. Let her go, Peter."

Pettigrew laughed. "Aww, but the party's just started!" he grinned. "Now drop your wand."

This was it. It was now or never. He opened his hand to let his wand fall. Before Peer knew what hit him, Harry had acted. "Accio, wand!"

The wand flew back into his hand. "Avada Kedavra!" he shouted at the two of them, praying he hit Peter.

Heehee, folks, we have here a cliff hanger. Why? Because I want… no I NEED reviews!!!! I want at least thirty-five before I post the next chapter! So, if you really, really love this story, tell your friends, neighbors, relatives to come read and review so I can happily post the next chapter!