A/N: This is the big "climax scene". Please, don't flame me for it. Keep
in mind that I've technically never written an action scene, so it's kinda
rough. Thanks for being understanding.
The Story of Jessica Black
Chapter Sixteen: Burning and Laughter
"Then it was you!" cried Harry, Ron lying limp at his feet.
"Perhaps," said Professor Hardwell.
"But how?" Harry asked, "You've just been attacked with Montrifigus Mortus!"
A nasty grin spread across her face. "Stupid Dumbledore. Once I faked my own curse, I captured both 'Dumbledore' and 'McGonagall.' Look around you, Harry. See all of these professors? I will tell you that only one of us is acting of our own free will. Incognito, of course." She then waved her wand and the teachers changed form again.
"Perhaps it was I," said Professor Snape, now Professor McGonagall, "Or perhaps I am one of those acting under the Imperius curse."
Professor Dumbledore waved his wand and they changed form again. He was now Professor Hardwell. "Hard to tell, isn't it?" she asked, waving her wand and all the teachers resuming their original forms. "I'd hate to be the one to hurt the wrong Professor," she said, laughing. As she laughed, so did all the others. But one laugh hit Harry's ears like a punch in the stomach. A high, cold laugh. Coming from somewhere in the middle. Then, just as suddenly as it had started, the laughter stopped. One of the teachers was Voldemort in disguise. Who could it be? Harry decided to do something drastic. The clock was ticking.
He thought fast. Which of the teachers was likely to be Voldemort? How was he going to tell? Finally a thought occurred to him.
"Rictusempra!" he yelled, pointing his wand at Professor Hardwell. She doubled over, laughing. But it wasn't Voldemort's laugh. He pointed his wand at Professor Snape.
"Rictusempra!" he yelled again. Snape laughed, too, but it didn't belong to Voldemort.
Harry thought for a moment, quickly. Who was least likely to be controlled by the Imperius Curse? His eyes scanned the line of teachers quickly advancing on him. His eyes settled on Dumbledore. Dumbledore? The wizard that Voldemort feared above all? As he looked at him, his scar began to burn with a terrible pain. Understanding dawned on Harry's face as he raised his wand to perform the Tickling Charm on Dumbledore, just to be sure, when Dumbledore yelled, "Expelliarmus!" Harry's wand flew from his hand, and Harry was thrown backwards against the wall. He hit his head, but he was only in pain, not knocked out. But now he was wand-less, helpless.
The high, cold laugh emitted from Dumbledore. It seemed very odd coming from him, but Harry didn't have time to dwell on it. "Dumbledore" had now waved his wand at himself, causing him to change form from the jovial old man into the snakelike creature that Voldemort had now become.
"How interesting," said Voldemort coldly, "How very interesting. I killed your father as he wore that amulet, and now I'm going to kill you while you wear it." Harry looked down at his amulet to see that the stone was glowing. Maybe someone would come . . . He didn't dare hope. Voldemort continued. "You see, Harry, I did not spend the year here at Hogwarts in Dumbledore's body. No, I just replaced him an hour ago, just long enough to meet you down here to finally finish you and your meddling friends off. I was, for a time, a small but frightened first year Gryffindor, who was replaced just a short while after Halloween. My two failed attempts at replacing fifth years to get closer to you were quashed. The first was on a girl, who foolishly screamed when I went to abduct her, so I performed Montrifigus Mortus on her and ran quickly. The second, a member of the Order, I believe, had to be watched constantly, as he kept trying to escape. I released him after many attempts to replace him. I then took the place of your beloved Potions master, Professor Hardwell. I was amazed that idiot Dumbledore didn't recognize it at once. So now, here I am. And now I have your wand, and you are going to die at my feet."
He raised his wand, preparing to perform Avada Kedavra. Harry began to run as fast as he could to the other side of the room. He needed to get his wand back somehow.
"You nasty little boy," said Voldemort as his spell hit the wall where Harry had been, "You are disobeying your better. Come here and die properly, Potter, or I'll be forced to kill you now. Running like the scared little rat you are. Die with honor, Potter, just as your father did."
Then Voldemort screamed a spell. Harry was picked up off his feet and thrown across the room. There was a sickening crack as his arm hit the rock. He almost blacked out, but moved out of the way in time for Voldemort's spell to hit the rock behind him.
"Fool!" cried Voldemort, "You'll bring this place crashing down upon us! You'll kill your friends as well as yourself. You're going to die, Potter. Accept it."
Harry managed to dodge another curse sent his way. But he knew that Voldemort was right. The entire chamber would be falling down around them in a moment. He had to do something fast. If only he could get his wand back.
Just as Voldemort had raised his wand again, Harry did something desperate. He launched himself at Voldemort, hitting him in the stomach with his shoulder, forcing him backwards and knocking the wind out of him. Harry's wand flew out of his hand. Harry scrambled over and picked it up.
"Stupid boy," said Voldemort, "What good will that wand do you? I'll only -"
Voldemort didn't get to finish his sentence. Harry had pointed his wand at him and yelled "Expelliarmus!" before he could do anything. Voldemort's wand went flying through the air and into Harry's waiting hands. Voldemort was shocked, but then smiled evilly.
"What are you going to do now, Potter?" he asked, "You know that Avada Kedavra will not work on me. Especially when coming from a puny little wizard like you. So tell me, Potter, what are you going to do?"
Harry thought hard. What was he going to do? Finally, he yelled the first spell that came to his mind.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" he yelled. Voldemort was picked up off his feet. Harry directed his wand, knocking Voldemort into walls. All of Voldemort's tries to get back to the ground were in vain, until something hard hit Harry across the chest.
Harry fell backward, and Voldemort was put back on the ground. The other teachers in the room had grabbed Harry's arms and legs and were holding him still tightly. Voldemort wrenched both wands from Harry's hands, laughing maniacally as he did so.
"Now, Potter," he said, "You're going to die."
Harry tried in vain to get free, because the more he struggled the tighter the grip was on him. His left arm was in pain; Harry figured it was broken. He wasn't going to go quietly. He was going to fight until the end. His scar burned worse than ever as Voldemort raised his wand, preparing to perform the curse when a voice yelled from the passageway leading into the school.
"Expelliarmus!" it yelled, and both wands flew out of Voldemort's hands, and into the waiting hands of . . .
"Dumbledore!" gasped Harry, seeing the white hair and beard even in the dim light. The old man dropped Voldemort's wand and ran over to Harry, Voldemort having been blasted to the side by Dumbledore's spell. He checked Harry for injuries.
"Are you all right, Harry?" he asked, handing him back his wand and helping him up.
"Yeah, I think so. Except I might have broken my arm," he looked at his left side. His arm was lying limp and lifeless. He looked back up at Dumbledore.
"How did you know I was down here?" he asked.
"You rubbed your amulet stone, didn't you?" asked Dumbledore.
"No."
"Well, someone did."
Snape came out of the shadows, smiling. He was the only teacher left wearing his amulet. He had broken the Imperius Curse and rubbed the stone. Harry and Dumbledore nodded to him, then Harry turned to Voldemort.
"Harry, help me get the others out of here," said Dumbledore calmly. "We'll deal with him later."
Harry nodded, and went to go pick up Ron. He discovered he couldn't so he used a charm to make him weightless, did the same with Hermione and Jessica, and dragged them all out into the corridor. He then went back in to help Dumbledore and Snape.
"We've got them, Harry," he said, dragging the other teachers with him. They were all unconscious. Harry was still having a hard time believing that they had all been controlled by the Imperius Curse. They were such strong-minded people. McGonagall was not going to be happy about that when she woke up.
Harry looked to Dumbledore. He nodded. Together they walked back into the chamber, ready to face Voldemort head on.
When they got there, however, Voldemort was standing reaching for a rock in front of him. He had picked up his wand. When he saw them enter the room, a wicked grin crossed his face.
"Two birds with one stone!" he said, laughing, and he pointed his wand at the ceiling. A sound like a gunshot rang out, and the roof began to collapse. Voldemort laughed more maniacally, and grabbed the stone. He disappeared.
"A Portkey!" yelled Harry angrily.
"Come on," said Dumbledore, "There isn't anything else we can do."
Harry followed Dumbledore quickly out of the passage and into the corridor. A loud crashing noise told them the passage was sealed, and completely blocked off by rocks on the other side.
"Harry needs to be taken up to the hospital wing," Dumbledore said to Snape. "He needs rest. Harry, I want you to try to stay awake, all right?"
Harry nodded slightly, though didn't really comprehend it. Exhausted, battered, bruised, and bleeding, Harry collapsed against a wall. Dumbledore shooed prying eyes away from the area, and the last thing Harry saw before he blacked out was Dumbledore bending down to pick him up.
One more chapter. *Tear!* I will be back. Thanks to everyone who's read it this far, without accusing Jessica of being a Mary Sue (even if you think she is)! I love you all!
The Story of Jessica Black
Chapter Sixteen: Burning and Laughter
"Then it was you!" cried Harry, Ron lying limp at his feet.
"Perhaps," said Professor Hardwell.
"But how?" Harry asked, "You've just been attacked with Montrifigus Mortus!"
A nasty grin spread across her face. "Stupid Dumbledore. Once I faked my own curse, I captured both 'Dumbledore' and 'McGonagall.' Look around you, Harry. See all of these professors? I will tell you that only one of us is acting of our own free will. Incognito, of course." She then waved her wand and the teachers changed form again.
"Perhaps it was I," said Professor Snape, now Professor McGonagall, "Or perhaps I am one of those acting under the Imperius curse."
Professor Dumbledore waved his wand and they changed form again. He was now Professor Hardwell. "Hard to tell, isn't it?" she asked, waving her wand and all the teachers resuming their original forms. "I'd hate to be the one to hurt the wrong Professor," she said, laughing. As she laughed, so did all the others. But one laugh hit Harry's ears like a punch in the stomach. A high, cold laugh. Coming from somewhere in the middle. Then, just as suddenly as it had started, the laughter stopped. One of the teachers was Voldemort in disguise. Who could it be? Harry decided to do something drastic. The clock was ticking.
He thought fast. Which of the teachers was likely to be Voldemort? How was he going to tell? Finally a thought occurred to him.
"Rictusempra!" he yelled, pointing his wand at Professor Hardwell. She doubled over, laughing. But it wasn't Voldemort's laugh. He pointed his wand at Professor Snape.
"Rictusempra!" he yelled again. Snape laughed, too, but it didn't belong to Voldemort.
Harry thought for a moment, quickly. Who was least likely to be controlled by the Imperius Curse? His eyes scanned the line of teachers quickly advancing on him. His eyes settled on Dumbledore. Dumbledore? The wizard that Voldemort feared above all? As he looked at him, his scar began to burn with a terrible pain. Understanding dawned on Harry's face as he raised his wand to perform the Tickling Charm on Dumbledore, just to be sure, when Dumbledore yelled, "Expelliarmus!" Harry's wand flew from his hand, and Harry was thrown backwards against the wall. He hit his head, but he was only in pain, not knocked out. But now he was wand-less, helpless.
The high, cold laugh emitted from Dumbledore. It seemed very odd coming from him, but Harry didn't have time to dwell on it. "Dumbledore" had now waved his wand at himself, causing him to change form from the jovial old man into the snakelike creature that Voldemort had now become.
"How interesting," said Voldemort coldly, "How very interesting. I killed your father as he wore that amulet, and now I'm going to kill you while you wear it." Harry looked down at his amulet to see that the stone was glowing. Maybe someone would come . . . He didn't dare hope. Voldemort continued. "You see, Harry, I did not spend the year here at Hogwarts in Dumbledore's body. No, I just replaced him an hour ago, just long enough to meet you down here to finally finish you and your meddling friends off. I was, for a time, a small but frightened first year Gryffindor, who was replaced just a short while after Halloween. My two failed attempts at replacing fifth years to get closer to you were quashed. The first was on a girl, who foolishly screamed when I went to abduct her, so I performed Montrifigus Mortus on her and ran quickly. The second, a member of the Order, I believe, had to be watched constantly, as he kept trying to escape. I released him after many attempts to replace him. I then took the place of your beloved Potions master, Professor Hardwell. I was amazed that idiot Dumbledore didn't recognize it at once. So now, here I am. And now I have your wand, and you are going to die at my feet."
He raised his wand, preparing to perform Avada Kedavra. Harry began to run as fast as he could to the other side of the room. He needed to get his wand back somehow.
"You nasty little boy," said Voldemort as his spell hit the wall where Harry had been, "You are disobeying your better. Come here and die properly, Potter, or I'll be forced to kill you now. Running like the scared little rat you are. Die with honor, Potter, just as your father did."
Then Voldemort screamed a spell. Harry was picked up off his feet and thrown across the room. There was a sickening crack as his arm hit the rock. He almost blacked out, but moved out of the way in time for Voldemort's spell to hit the rock behind him.
"Fool!" cried Voldemort, "You'll bring this place crashing down upon us! You'll kill your friends as well as yourself. You're going to die, Potter. Accept it."
Harry managed to dodge another curse sent his way. But he knew that Voldemort was right. The entire chamber would be falling down around them in a moment. He had to do something fast. If only he could get his wand back.
Just as Voldemort had raised his wand again, Harry did something desperate. He launched himself at Voldemort, hitting him in the stomach with his shoulder, forcing him backwards and knocking the wind out of him. Harry's wand flew out of his hand. Harry scrambled over and picked it up.
"Stupid boy," said Voldemort, "What good will that wand do you? I'll only -"
Voldemort didn't get to finish his sentence. Harry had pointed his wand at him and yelled "Expelliarmus!" before he could do anything. Voldemort's wand went flying through the air and into Harry's waiting hands. Voldemort was shocked, but then smiled evilly.
"What are you going to do now, Potter?" he asked, "You know that Avada Kedavra will not work on me. Especially when coming from a puny little wizard like you. So tell me, Potter, what are you going to do?"
Harry thought hard. What was he going to do? Finally, he yelled the first spell that came to his mind.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" he yelled. Voldemort was picked up off his feet. Harry directed his wand, knocking Voldemort into walls. All of Voldemort's tries to get back to the ground were in vain, until something hard hit Harry across the chest.
Harry fell backward, and Voldemort was put back on the ground. The other teachers in the room had grabbed Harry's arms and legs and were holding him still tightly. Voldemort wrenched both wands from Harry's hands, laughing maniacally as he did so.
"Now, Potter," he said, "You're going to die."
Harry tried in vain to get free, because the more he struggled the tighter the grip was on him. His left arm was in pain; Harry figured it was broken. He wasn't going to go quietly. He was going to fight until the end. His scar burned worse than ever as Voldemort raised his wand, preparing to perform the curse when a voice yelled from the passageway leading into the school.
"Expelliarmus!" it yelled, and both wands flew out of Voldemort's hands, and into the waiting hands of . . .
"Dumbledore!" gasped Harry, seeing the white hair and beard even in the dim light. The old man dropped Voldemort's wand and ran over to Harry, Voldemort having been blasted to the side by Dumbledore's spell. He checked Harry for injuries.
"Are you all right, Harry?" he asked, handing him back his wand and helping him up.
"Yeah, I think so. Except I might have broken my arm," he looked at his left side. His arm was lying limp and lifeless. He looked back up at Dumbledore.
"How did you know I was down here?" he asked.
"You rubbed your amulet stone, didn't you?" asked Dumbledore.
"No."
"Well, someone did."
Snape came out of the shadows, smiling. He was the only teacher left wearing his amulet. He had broken the Imperius Curse and rubbed the stone. Harry and Dumbledore nodded to him, then Harry turned to Voldemort.
"Harry, help me get the others out of here," said Dumbledore calmly. "We'll deal with him later."
Harry nodded, and went to go pick up Ron. He discovered he couldn't so he used a charm to make him weightless, did the same with Hermione and Jessica, and dragged them all out into the corridor. He then went back in to help Dumbledore and Snape.
"We've got them, Harry," he said, dragging the other teachers with him. They were all unconscious. Harry was still having a hard time believing that they had all been controlled by the Imperius Curse. They were such strong-minded people. McGonagall was not going to be happy about that when she woke up.
Harry looked to Dumbledore. He nodded. Together they walked back into the chamber, ready to face Voldemort head on.
When they got there, however, Voldemort was standing reaching for a rock in front of him. He had picked up his wand. When he saw them enter the room, a wicked grin crossed his face.
"Two birds with one stone!" he said, laughing, and he pointed his wand at the ceiling. A sound like a gunshot rang out, and the roof began to collapse. Voldemort laughed more maniacally, and grabbed the stone. He disappeared.
"A Portkey!" yelled Harry angrily.
"Come on," said Dumbledore, "There isn't anything else we can do."
Harry followed Dumbledore quickly out of the passage and into the corridor. A loud crashing noise told them the passage was sealed, and completely blocked off by rocks on the other side.
"Harry needs to be taken up to the hospital wing," Dumbledore said to Snape. "He needs rest. Harry, I want you to try to stay awake, all right?"
Harry nodded slightly, though didn't really comprehend it. Exhausted, battered, bruised, and bleeding, Harry collapsed against a wall. Dumbledore shooed prying eyes away from the area, and the last thing Harry saw before he blacked out was Dumbledore bending down to pick him up.
One more chapter. *Tear!* I will be back. Thanks to everyone who's read it this far, without accusing Jessica of being a Mary Sue (even if you think she is)! I love you all!
