Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.
Dangers in the Past.
As soon as Harry spoke, the whole room froze. The Death Eaters turned to look at him and he started to walk, pausing when he was standing just behind his friends. Harry noticed with some pleasure that several of the black robed men had a panicked look in their eyes. Just after the Dark King had stated his name, a startled and pained yell rang through the room. Harry saw, with some amusement, how one of the Death Eaters fell, soon followed by the one standing next to him. The sudden commotion was accentuated when another Death Eater fell, this time not due to Derek, but at the hand of Snape. Harry could see the man holding his wand tightly, hiding it from view within his robes.
Thinking it was time to enter the fight himself, Harry thrust his arms out from his sides and was rewarded by the sound of several bodies hitting the walls. The sound seemed to break through the trance that held the rest of the Death Eaters in their place.
When a third death eater fell due to the bite of his snake, the first of the curses began to fly through the room, effectively putting Ryan, Dumbledore and Daniel in motion. The fight quickly escalated, and soon Snape dropped all pretence and began to curse every Death Eater in sight, standing at Dumbledore's side and protecting the older man's back.
In the mean time, Harry had gone to Ron's side. The four other teenagers had been fighting against two Death Eaters. With Ron and Hermione doing most of the work, all the while trying to protect Sirius and Remus at the same time. Harry's hand shot forward again, and the two Death Eaters flew through the room, slamming into the crucifixes that were still holding James and Lily.
The four teens turned around. Ron and Hermione smiled broadly at their friend, happy and relieved to see him there. On the other hand Sirius and Remus looked at him fearfully, trying to cope with the fact that a dead person had just come to their rescue. Harry noticed their discomfort, but realized that this was not really the time to try and calm his future godfather and his best friend.
With a small smile, he turned his gaze to Ron and Hermione. "I have to go deal with Malfoy. I need you to bring these two to safety? Echo and Godric will take care of James and Lily and will carry them to the Chamber's entrance. Wait there for them, and then stay back till Derek or I come to open the doors for you. Ok?"
Ron and Hermione nodded. They were not very happy, leaving Harry alone to face Malfoy, but they knew better. Their friend would be too much focussed on their safety to fight well and in the end it would only serve to hamper him. Muttering lightly, Ron took Remus's arm and began to drag him across the room, cursing the few Death Eaters in his path. He could hear Hermione and Sirius walking after them, and even further back he heard Harry starting his fight with Malfoy. At that moment Ron prayed. He prayed for his friend's safety and for the fall of the Dark King.
The moment Sirius heard his godson's voice he had been surprised. A mixed feeling of reassurance and concern filled his mind to the point when it threatened to break him down. Harry was there. That in it's self was a calming fact. The power of the teen had already begun to seep itself throughout the room filling him with warmth and strength. On the other hand, he felt very concerned. He had barely had news about how Harry was doing. Dumbledore didn't want to attract attention and had limited the letters between godfather and godson. The last letter he had received had said he was doing well, but Sirius had learned to mistrust those words when it was Harry saying them. He was snapped out of his reverie when Harry slammed a few Death Eaters against the walls. His instincts came rose again and at the same time as Daniel, he brought his wand up and the fight began. Soon he was much too occupied with cursing the black-robed men to keep track of what Harry was doing. He really didn't need to guess. He knew Harry was going to face Malfoy, the same way he had faced Voldemort, and the only thing he could do to help his godson was keep the Death Eaters away from them and stay safe.
From the corner of his eye, Harry saw Godric floating Lily down while Echo began to untie James. If Malfoy noticed this he didn't do anything to prevent it.
The two wizards watched each other intently. Harry clearly felt the other man drop his own magical barriers and a green light began to surround him. While the other man was concentrating on that, Harry carefully began to build a barrier. He was sure the fight was going to be intense and he had no wish to destroy the chamber or harm his friends in any way. Once the barrier was almost done, Harry turned his attention to Malfoy and frowned. He had sensed that magical aura before. It was nearly the same aura that Voldemort had possessed, and much to his surprise it was nearly as powerful. That couldn't be right. The last time he had seen Malfoy he hadn't been that strong. The older man seemed to sense his confusion and smirked.
"Surprised, Potter?"
Harry narrowed his eyes. "You've become very powerful, but it won't help you." Harry nearly gave a relieved sigh when he saw Godric fly away with James and immediately finished putting up the barrier.
Malfoy saw a blue light envelope them, but it didn't seem to bother him. He grinned.
"Oh, really? We'll see about that. Ready to duel?"
Harry smirked. "That is why I came."
Both wizards bowed slightly, each never taking their eyes from the other. Harry had just righted himself when Malfoy began the duel. The curses flew back and forth, sometimes hitting their mark, sometimes bouncing against the shield.
As the duel progressed, Harry grew more and more flustered. It didn't make any sense. This man, who had only been Voldemort's second, was proving to be much more powerful than his former master. Something was wrong. Harry was sure that if the Death Eater had had that kind of power when Voldemort was still the Dark Lord, he would have usurped his position and killed the other wizard. Then again, a wizard of Malfoy's age didn't suddenly have a burst of power like the one he was displaying. Not naturally at least. There had to be something or someone helping him, giving him more power than was naturally his. While Harry was mulling over this puzzle, his concentration slipped. The power behind his curses began to lessen. Malfoy's voice startled him out of his thoughts.
"What's the matter, Potter? Growing tired?"
Harry shook his head, trying to drive his thoughts away and cursed softly. He knew he needed to concentrate on the duel, he was having enough trouble as it was. But once again, a thought filled the teen's mind. Why hadn't Malfoy attacked him? He had had the perfect chance to finish the duel, he could have used all the power he now seemed to possess to win, but instead he had warned him. Why? The suspicion that something was wrong grew stronger.
Harry narrowed his eyes and tried to recall the last curses the Dark King had thrown at him. Was it his imagination or had Malfoy been using less power? With that thought in mind, Harry rolled out of the way of the latest curse Malfoy threw, following up with three curses of his own. The first one was mildly powerful while the next one was very weak and the last one very powerful. Harry looked closely at Malfoy, waiting for his reply. There it was and as Harry had suspected the Death Eater's curses mimicked the power levels he had used and in the right order. So that was it, now it all made sense. Malfoy hadn't grown more powerful, he was just using the power Harry put into his own curses. He must have found someway or found something that absorbed Harry's power and permitted him to use it as his own. Now he only had to figure out what it was.
Harry began to use less power in his curses so he wouldn't tire out so quickly. Between throwing curses and dodging the ones that were thrown at him, the teen kept his eyes firmly on his rival. Suddenly, after having rolled out of the way of one nasty hex, Harry saw something shine on Malfoy's chest. Carefully, he edged a bit closer to the other man and finally caught a good glimpse of the shinning object. It was a pendant, a coal black gem surrounded by two snakes.
Before he could see any more details, Malfoy used Harry's diverted concentration to send him flying with a banishing charm. Harry slammed painfully against the barrier, holding in a scream and ignoring the pain that throbbed through his body, Harry sent a curse and observed the gem. The teen had to hide his grin when the gem lit up with a green glow. He had been right, that little pendant was the source of his problems and he needed to get rid of it.
A plan began to form in his mind. It was reckless and Harry didn't know if it was going to work, but he had to try. Slowly, Harry began to gather all of his power in his right hand, while at the same time giving Lucius the impression that he was getting tired. Harry saw the glint of victory pass through Lucius' eyes and after several minutes of putting in a show, he allowed one of the less damaging curses to knock him down. This time he didn't get up. He could hear his friends' screams on the other side of the barrier and Lucius's footsteps approaching, but he didn't move. His hand had begun to glow with the power he had gathered in it, but Harry was carefully hiding it under his cloak that lay sprawled over him.
Two feet stopped in front of him and he heard Malfoy's sneering voice gloating over him.
"Well, well, well, it seems little Potter has finally met his match. You honestly thought you were going to be able to kill me, boy? I'm not a fool like Voldemort was. I don't attack unless I'm assured of my victory."
Harry stayed still, not answering the man.
"Nothing to say? Oh, well, it doesn't matter. The Boy Who Lived will disappear now, and without you, it will be very easy to kill your parents." Malfoy let out a cold laugh. "Any last words, boy?"
Then everything happened at once.
Harry shot up from where he had been lying and with a lightning fast movement, placed his glowing hand on Malfoy's necklace, gripping it tightly.
The Death Eater froze in place and Harry heard soft gasps coming from the other side of the room.
Looking straight in Malfoy's ice-blue eyes he whispered
"Destructo."
The gem absorbed all the power that had accumulated in his hand and began to pulse with power, becoming brighter with each passing second. Immediately, Harry dropped back to the ground and covered his head with his hands. The necklace started to hum, the light became brighter and finally, just when Harry thought his plan had failed, the expected explosion came. In giving the necklace all the power he had gathered, he had overloaded it and caused it to explode.
Harry heard Malfoy's scream and looked up slightly. He saw the man flying across the room and collide with the magical barrier that Harry had managed to keep in place with the remainder of his power.
What happened then was horrible.
The power from the necklace was now surrounding Malfoy. Soon, the power of the magical barrier added to the mix and started to flow into the man with such force that it began to tear him apart.
Harry turned away in horror and covered his ears, trying to drown away the images and screams of the dying man.
Finally, when all sound died down, Harry dared to look up again, unsure as to what he would see.
Ash.
Ash was all that was left of the Dark King.
Harry shuddered and closed his eyes again, curling up in a small ball. It was over. He had won again, but this time he had killed another human being, not in an accident but deliberately.
Drawing in a ragged breath, Harry gave in to the darkness that had been calling him since he had released the power. He didn't have the strength to stay awake any longer. The others would have to sort things out on their own. The only thing he wanted to do now was rest.
With his last conscious thought, Harry groaned: He was going to have to spend a lot of time in the Hospital Wing.
To be continued…
A/N: Thanks for all reviews. And thanks to my beta readers, Tanya and Gates.
Dangers in the Past.
As soon as Harry spoke, the whole room froze. The Death Eaters turned to look at him and he started to walk, pausing when he was standing just behind his friends. Harry noticed with some pleasure that several of the black robed men had a panicked look in their eyes. Just after the Dark King had stated his name, a startled and pained yell rang through the room. Harry saw, with some amusement, how one of the Death Eaters fell, soon followed by the one standing next to him. The sudden commotion was accentuated when another Death Eater fell, this time not due to Derek, but at the hand of Snape. Harry could see the man holding his wand tightly, hiding it from view within his robes.
Thinking it was time to enter the fight himself, Harry thrust his arms out from his sides and was rewarded by the sound of several bodies hitting the walls. The sound seemed to break through the trance that held the rest of the Death Eaters in their place.
When a third death eater fell due to the bite of his snake, the first of the curses began to fly through the room, effectively putting Ryan, Dumbledore and Daniel in motion. The fight quickly escalated, and soon Snape dropped all pretence and began to curse every Death Eater in sight, standing at Dumbledore's side and protecting the older man's back.
In the mean time, Harry had gone to Ron's side. The four other teenagers had been fighting against two Death Eaters. With Ron and Hermione doing most of the work, all the while trying to protect Sirius and Remus at the same time. Harry's hand shot forward again, and the two Death Eaters flew through the room, slamming into the crucifixes that were still holding James and Lily.
The four teens turned around. Ron and Hermione smiled broadly at their friend, happy and relieved to see him there. On the other hand Sirius and Remus looked at him fearfully, trying to cope with the fact that a dead person had just come to their rescue. Harry noticed their discomfort, but realized that this was not really the time to try and calm his future godfather and his best friend.
With a small smile, he turned his gaze to Ron and Hermione. "I have to go deal with Malfoy. I need you to bring these two to safety? Echo and Godric will take care of James and Lily and will carry them to the Chamber's entrance. Wait there for them, and then stay back till Derek or I come to open the doors for you. Ok?"
Ron and Hermione nodded. They were not very happy, leaving Harry alone to face Malfoy, but they knew better. Their friend would be too much focussed on their safety to fight well and in the end it would only serve to hamper him. Muttering lightly, Ron took Remus's arm and began to drag him across the room, cursing the few Death Eaters in his path. He could hear Hermione and Sirius walking after them, and even further back he heard Harry starting his fight with Malfoy. At that moment Ron prayed. He prayed for his friend's safety and for the fall of the Dark King.
The moment Sirius heard his godson's voice he had been surprised. A mixed feeling of reassurance and concern filled his mind to the point when it threatened to break him down. Harry was there. That in it's self was a calming fact. The power of the teen had already begun to seep itself throughout the room filling him with warmth and strength. On the other hand, he felt very concerned. He had barely had news about how Harry was doing. Dumbledore didn't want to attract attention and had limited the letters between godfather and godson. The last letter he had received had said he was doing well, but Sirius had learned to mistrust those words when it was Harry saying them. He was snapped out of his reverie when Harry slammed a few Death Eaters against the walls. His instincts came rose again and at the same time as Daniel, he brought his wand up and the fight began. Soon he was much too occupied with cursing the black-robed men to keep track of what Harry was doing. He really didn't need to guess. He knew Harry was going to face Malfoy, the same way he had faced Voldemort, and the only thing he could do to help his godson was keep the Death Eaters away from them and stay safe.
From the corner of his eye, Harry saw Godric floating Lily down while Echo began to untie James. If Malfoy noticed this he didn't do anything to prevent it.
The two wizards watched each other intently. Harry clearly felt the other man drop his own magical barriers and a green light began to surround him. While the other man was concentrating on that, Harry carefully began to build a barrier. He was sure the fight was going to be intense and he had no wish to destroy the chamber or harm his friends in any way. Once the barrier was almost done, Harry turned his attention to Malfoy and frowned. He had sensed that magical aura before. It was nearly the same aura that Voldemort had possessed, and much to his surprise it was nearly as powerful. That couldn't be right. The last time he had seen Malfoy he hadn't been that strong. The older man seemed to sense his confusion and smirked.
"Surprised, Potter?"
Harry narrowed his eyes. "You've become very powerful, but it won't help you." Harry nearly gave a relieved sigh when he saw Godric fly away with James and immediately finished putting up the barrier.
Malfoy saw a blue light envelope them, but it didn't seem to bother him. He grinned.
"Oh, really? We'll see about that. Ready to duel?"
Harry smirked. "That is why I came."
Both wizards bowed slightly, each never taking their eyes from the other. Harry had just righted himself when Malfoy began the duel. The curses flew back and forth, sometimes hitting their mark, sometimes bouncing against the shield.
As the duel progressed, Harry grew more and more flustered. It didn't make any sense. This man, who had only been Voldemort's second, was proving to be much more powerful than his former master. Something was wrong. Harry was sure that if the Death Eater had had that kind of power when Voldemort was still the Dark Lord, he would have usurped his position and killed the other wizard. Then again, a wizard of Malfoy's age didn't suddenly have a burst of power like the one he was displaying. Not naturally at least. There had to be something or someone helping him, giving him more power than was naturally his. While Harry was mulling over this puzzle, his concentration slipped. The power behind his curses began to lessen. Malfoy's voice startled him out of his thoughts.
"What's the matter, Potter? Growing tired?"
Harry shook his head, trying to drive his thoughts away and cursed softly. He knew he needed to concentrate on the duel, he was having enough trouble as it was. But once again, a thought filled the teen's mind. Why hadn't Malfoy attacked him? He had had the perfect chance to finish the duel, he could have used all the power he now seemed to possess to win, but instead he had warned him. Why? The suspicion that something was wrong grew stronger.
Harry narrowed his eyes and tried to recall the last curses the Dark King had thrown at him. Was it his imagination or had Malfoy been using less power? With that thought in mind, Harry rolled out of the way of the latest curse Malfoy threw, following up with three curses of his own. The first one was mildly powerful while the next one was very weak and the last one very powerful. Harry looked closely at Malfoy, waiting for his reply. There it was and as Harry had suspected the Death Eater's curses mimicked the power levels he had used and in the right order. So that was it, now it all made sense. Malfoy hadn't grown more powerful, he was just using the power Harry put into his own curses. He must have found someway or found something that absorbed Harry's power and permitted him to use it as his own. Now he only had to figure out what it was.
Harry began to use less power in his curses so he wouldn't tire out so quickly. Between throwing curses and dodging the ones that were thrown at him, the teen kept his eyes firmly on his rival. Suddenly, after having rolled out of the way of one nasty hex, Harry saw something shine on Malfoy's chest. Carefully, he edged a bit closer to the other man and finally caught a good glimpse of the shinning object. It was a pendant, a coal black gem surrounded by two snakes.
Before he could see any more details, Malfoy used Harry's diverted concentration to send him flying with a banishing charm. Harry slammed painfully against the barrier, holding in a scream and ignoring the pain that throbbed through his body, Harry sent a curse and observed the gem. The teen had to hide his grin when the gem lit up with a green glow. He had been right, that little pendant was the source of his problems and he needed to get rid of it.
A plan began to form in his mind. It was reckless and Harry didn't know if it was going to work, but he had to try. Slowly, Harry began to gather all of his power in his right hand, while at the same time giving Lucius the impression that he was getting tired. Harry saw the glint of victory pass through Lucius' eyes and after several minutes of putting in a show, he allowed one of the less damaging curses to knock him down. This time he didn't get up. He could hear his friends' screams on the other side of the barrier and Lucius's footsteps approaching, but he didn't move. His hand had begun to glow with the power he had gathered in it, but Harry was carefully hiding it under his cloak that lay sprawled over him.
Two feet stopped in front of him and he heard Malfoy's sneering voice gloating over him.
"Well, well, well, it seems little Potter has finally met his match. You honestly thought you were going to be able to kill me, boy? I'm not a fool like Voldemort was. I don't attack unless I'm assured of my victory."
Harry stayed still, not answering the man.
"Nothing to say? Oh, well, it doesn't matter. The Boy Who Lived will disappear now, and without you, it will be very easy to kill your parents." Malfoy let out a cold laugh. "Any last words, boy?"
Then everything happened at once.
Harry shot up from where he had been lying and with a lightning fast movement, placed his glowing hand on Malfoy's necklace, gripping it tightly.
The Death Eater froze in place and Harry heard soft gasps coming from the other side of the room.
Looking straight in Malfoy's ice-blue eyes he whispered
"Destructo."
The gem absorbed all the power that had accumulated in his hand and began to pulse with power, becoming brighter with each passing second. Immediately, Harry dropped back to the ground and covered his head with his hands. The necklace started to hum, the light became brighter and finally, just when Harry thought his plan had failed, the expected explosion came. In giving the necklace all the power he had gathered, he had overloaded it and caused it to explode.
Harry heard Malfoy's scream and looked up slightly. He saw the man flying across the room and collide with the magical barrier that Harry had managed to keep in place with the remainder of his power.
What happened then was horrible.
The power from the necklace was now surrounding Malfoy. Soon, the power of the magical barrier added to the mix and started to flow into the man with such force that it began to tear him apart.
Harry turned away in horror and covered his ears, trying to drown away the images and screams of the dying man.
Finally, when all sound died down, Harry dared to look up again, unsure as to what he would see.
Ash.
Ash was all that was left of the Dark King.
Harry shuddered and closed his eyes again, curling up in a small ball. It was over. He had won again, but this time he had killed another human being, not in an accident but deliberately.
Drawing in a ragged breath, Harry gave in to the darkness that had been calling him since he had released the power. He didn't have the strength to stay awake any longer. The others would have to sort things out on their own. The only thing he wanted to do now was rest.
With his last conscious thought, Harry groaned: He was going to have to spend a lot of time in the Hospital Wing.
To be continued…
A/N: Thanks for all reviews. And thanks to my beta readers, Tanya and Gates.