Chapter 7 - The Glass Vile
Disclaimer: all characters except Jerica are owned by JK Rowling.
Harry had heard enough. He threw off the invisibility cloak and charged into the room, his wand raised.
"Back off Voldemort, I've beaten you once I can beat you again!" he yelled, his voice filled with anger as he watched Jerica crouched on the floor, screaming in pain.
She felt the pain subside as Voldemort took off the curse, pointing his wand at Harry instead.
Jerica looked up and saw Harry standing there, the invisibility cloak on the ground at his feet.
"H-Harry.." Jerica muttered, her vision a sudden blur. "No!" she yelled, jumping in front of Harry just as Voldemort was starting to mutter the words of the forbidden curse. "You took my parents but your not going to take Harry! If you hit me again with crucio then I will be of no use to you."
Voldemort took in this sudden bout of courage from the young girl and her will to keep the boy alive. He also heard the last part of what she had said and began to comprehend it.
"Are you considering joining me?" Voldemort said, an odd smirk on his face once again.
"I will join you under one condition."
"Yes?"
"You must let Harry go back to Hogwarts safely."
Harry couldn't believe his ears. She was risking everything just so that he could live. He wouldn't let her be alone.
"Jerica you can't!" he said to her.
She turned around slightly and smiled weakly at him. "Trust me, Harry, this is for the best." Jerica reached behind her neck and unhooked the silver chain, taking off the vile and clutching it tightly in her hand.
Turning back to face Voldemort, she suddenly became almost business like.
"Your very determined...I like that in my deatheaters."
"Just let Harry leave unharmed and I will join you."
"Alright then. Crabbe, Goyle! Escort Mr. Potter out of the lair."
Two large men walked into the room and grabbed Harry's arms, trying to drag him away. "No!" he screamed, managing to get free of their grasp. He ran over to Jerica and stood by her side, wrapping his hand in hers.
"Oh what a foolish boy you are Potter..." Voldemort said before ordering the two men out of the room. "I see that my flaw is committed to you Jerica, foolish too, because if he had left then you would have lived. But now, you both have to die."
Voldemort stood up and walked over to Jerica, grabbing her by the neck. The vile slipped from her fingers as she gasped for breath.
"You are such a dumb girl, you would have been such a disappointment to your parents. They were committed to me...they killed for me. Now I will kill for them."
"Harry, grab the vile! Open it!" Jerica gasped, watching as her vision grew blurry and her chest growing weak from lack of air.
Harry looks around and sees the vile and grabs it, yanking the cork out by the metal rose. Red mist began to fill the room and warm up the air.
"What is this?" Voldemort said, his voice wavering in fear. He breathed in the mist and dropped Jerica, crouching over in pain.
Jerica ran to Harry and the stood, paralyzed in fear, against the wall.
One of the deatheaters had heard the noise and opened the door, peering in. He saw the mist and ran away quickly. He could be heard telling the other Deatheaters to leave because Voldemort was dead.
Suddenly, silence swept over the room.
Voldemort was lying still on the ground.
Harry was about to speak when a black shadow rose from Voldemort's body and disappeared through the open door.
Voldemort's body then crumbled to dust.
Jerica threw her arms around Harry and felt relief wash over her. It was over, they had won.
~*~