Racing With Destiny: Chapter 29
by Lisette
Legalese: See Chapter 1 for disclaimers and ratings.
"Now take my hand and hold it tight. I will not fail you here tonight. For failing you, I fail myself and place my soul upon a shelf in Hell's library without light. I will not fail you here tonight."
-The Book of Counted Sorrows-
Duck. Twirl. Kick. Punch. Slash. Duck. Jump. Hit. Gouge. Flip.
Her moves were flawless and powerful as Buffy moved unlike she had ever moved before. Perhaps it was the months that she had spent patrolling the Forbidden Forest, filling her nightly slay quotient in an environment that was far more hostile than the usual graveyard that she had grown up with. Or maybe it was the feeling that this was the fight of her life. Whatever the case, Buffy moved with a skill and grace that seemed inhuman. That night, she was all Slayer.
Grunting, Buffy ducked the creature's awkward attack, its pointed claws glancing off the blade of her sword as she bent low and pivoted on her ankle, twisting and thrusting the blade behind her. And even as the sword sunk home in the creature's chest cavity, she was already using her other hand to snatch a dagger from the strap on her ankle and throwing it, the blade sinking into the neck of the hound that was about to spring on Angel's unguarded back. Nodding to Angel's look of thanks she quickly turned back and pulled her sword free, ducking beneath the strong arms of a vampire and then spinning in a high kick that connected with its neck. And even as she was regaining her step after the kick, the obviously inexperienced vamp was already turning to ash as she thanked Giles once more for the steel-toed docs that were doing wonders for her neck-breaking skills.
"Buffy, behind you!"
Heeding Faith's grunted warning, Buffy was already lifting her blade and turning, her eyes locking on the claw that was descending too quickly towards her face. She had been distracted and this was a fate that she couldn't thwart - couldn't avoid. But luckily, she wasn't battling alone this night, a fact which became apparent as Hermione stepped into view.
"Stupefy!" the young witch called out, stopping the demon's attack even as she was turning to send another curse towards the creature that seemed to be gaining the upper hand in a battle against the other slayer. In a way, the auburn-haired girl knew that the battle she fought was far easier than the one that the rest of her comrades were engaged upon. Here, in this cloistered area where she fought alongside her best friends, two slayers and a vampire against the dark creatures that Voldemort commanded, she was able to cast as quickly as possible with little worries to precision. If a few of her curses missed her target and struck either of the slayers on accident... well, it certainly wasn't as dire as had it been with the rest of the wizards and witches. There, a misfired spell could cause death in a friend. In this battle, speed and not accuracy was what counted, and fortunately, she, Ron, and Harry were three of the quickest castors at Hogwarts.
"I think that was Malfoy... it was!"
Startled, Hermione turned away from the fight long enough to roll her eyes as Ron practically danced a jig a few dozen meters away. "Seriously, Ron, can't you see that we're in the middle of a battle?" she called out, her voice cross.
"But one of those muggle darts just took down Malfoy!" he yelled, his grin stretching even wider and freezing on his face as his eyes widened in terror. "DOWN!" he roared, his wand already lifting and a muttered spell falling from his lips as his girlfriend obeyed his command without hesitation. Which was fortunate, for even the smallest of hesitations would have meant her death as the hellish creature behind her lost his prey and was downed by Ron's spell only seconds later.
"Hey, you okay?" Faith asked as she paused in her fight long enough to pull the girl back to her feet.
"Y-yes, I'm fine, thank you," Hermione murmured, her face paler than before as she turned back to her boyfriend, unable to even thank him as he was already casting more spells as they spoke. "And you?"
"Five by five," Faith returned, a bright grin lifting her painted lips as she turned and flipped backwards, her hand slashing out as she was mid-air and gutting something that looked strangely like a koala bear. An eight-foot tall koala bear with crooked teeth and nasty breath... and that wasn't even mentioning the spikes.
"Hey, less talk, more kill!" Buffy called out, admonishing the two as her sword cut a long slice through her opponent, unleashing a torrent of hot, red blood that she quickly danced around. "Remember? Fight to the death going on?" she asked as she knocked her elbow into the soft opening at the base of the creature that staggered towards her, already reeling from a blow from Angel.
"Since when did you get all work no play?" Faith grumbled as she obligingly took out another something nasty.
"Since I got all the play tortured out of me a few months back," Buffy retorted, a small grin belying the heaviness of her words. "But don't worry, I'm getting it back," she added as she took a couple of steps back and then rushed forward in a beautiful spinning kick that connected with the back of the head of Harry's opponent.
"I did catch them in a furious snogging session earlier today," Ron called out helpfully as he tried to remember the words to the spell that would cause Angel's dragon to lose its fiery breath. "Duh, congelo spiritus," Ron called as he flicked his wand, instantly causing the dragon to emit a non-threatening puff of cold smoke.
"Snogging?" Faith grunted as she joined Angel in his duel against the dragon.
"Oh, we made out already!" Buffy griped, her voice carrying to her friends as she finished off her opponent, only to find that there wasn't another one rushing in to take its place. Gasping as she tried to regain her breath, Buffy lowered her sword as her eyes swept over the grassy grounds. "Well, what do you know," she murmured as Harry quietly joined her.
"I think we may be winning this," Harry added, echoing her quiet shock as his green eyes drifted around them. Hermione and Ron had moved over to help Angel and Faith with the persistent dragon, while the woods and the grounds immediately around them lay silent. Impossible as it seemed, it looked as though the group had somehow managed to work their way through the mess of dark creatures that had assaulted them with little evidence of damage on their end save for the occasional bloody wound. Those that hadn't been slayed or stunned or incapacitated in some other way by the deadly team had fled, leaving their battle virtually finished. And even better was the sight of the adults as they continued in a battle that was obviously going well for their side. Actually, going well seemed an understatement as the Death Eaters continued to drop like flies, brought down by curses, spells, and even more darts. The tranquilizer darts and other muggle weapons had been a brilliant move by Buffy and her friends, and a move that had most likely turned the tide against the Dark Lord. In his hatred of muggle-borns and all things muggle, the Dark Lord had ignored a very real threat - a threat that had caused their side to take the upper hand. And when added to the fact that he recognized more than a few strangers fighting with the other castle inhabitants, it was evident that Ginny and Neville had succeeded in their mission and the reinforcements had arrived. "We may actually win this," he muttered, unable to quite believe his eyes.
"This battle, perhaps."
Startled, both teens quickly turned as Buffy moved before Harry, her sword raising once more as her eyes locked with Voldemort's. "Well, if it ain't old Moldy Wart himself," she muttered, just loud enough to be certain that the Dark Lord heard her taunt.
Ignoring the girl, Voldemort's eyes instead slid past her until they locked with the green eyes of one Harry Potter. "But you know as well as I that it will never be over as long as I still roam this world."
"And you're never going to win while I'm still breathing," Harry returned, his eyes narrowing.
Smiling shrewdly, Voldemort nodded his head as his red, slitted eyes took in the boy before him. No, not a boy any longer. The eyes that stared back at him were the eyes of a man. They were the eyes of the woman who had foolishly died to save him, set in the face of the man that he had killed. "Then it seems as though we are at an impasse, of sorts."
"So it seems," Harry agreed as he marveled at the fact that he was casually bantering with Voldemort, of all people. Buffy must have rubbed off on him more than even he had imagined. "Then again, we both knew that it would always come down to this."
Nodding thoughtfully, Voldemort's eyes slowly drifted past the children and to the battle that was raging around them. Their friends were almost finished with his dragon and his minions in the grasses beyond wouldn't last much longer before they surrendered. The battle was lost to him this night, and it was a bitter defeat for the Dark Lord. Then again, he had been counting on his attack on the Hellmouth to drive the slayer from the equation. It seemed that he had underestimated the child, for instead of driving her away, he drove her to bring in more of her kind... but perhaps not all was in vain. For if he could secure the death of the boy before him, as well as that of the slayer, the morale of the wizarding world would still be crushed and the next time he returned to Hogwarts, there would be little resistance and the school would fall. And with it, the rest of the wizarding world. The rest of the world. But even as the Dark Lord realized this, his eyes also fell upon the familiar figure of Sirius Black. In that moment, despite the distance that separated them, their eyes locked and the Dark Lord knew that his time was short indeed. As he turned back to the children he watched as Sirius alerted another man, a wizard that dressed as a muggle, and together the two began racing towards them. "Then I suggest that we take this somewhere a bit more private," he stated, his cold voice hissed between thin lips. "In the place where it all began it shall be ended," he added before disappearing without a breath of warning.
"Hey, no fair! He had a portkey!" Buffy grumbled, a dark glare twisting her pretty features. "And where did he go? What was he talking about?" she asked, turning back to Harry who continued to watch the darkness with tired eyes.
"I'm not sure," Harry admitted with a small shrug. "He could mean Godric's Hollow, the place where he killed my parents," he stated before slowly shaking his head. "But I've never been there before and have no idea how to... the Chamber of Secrets," he muttered, interrupting his own musings as the answer hit him with a flash of understanding. Cordelia had said it herself. She foretold of him meeting with Voldemort in a place of water and snakes. "He wants me to go to the Chamber of Secrets, and I have to go," he added as his eyes drifted past Buffy to where Sirius and Giles were frantically making their way towards them. "I have to do this or it will never be over."
"Harry!"
"Are you guys alright?"
"That was Moldy Ass, wasn't it?"
"Buffy, are you alright?"
"Then let's do this," Buffy returned casually as she finished the distance between them and placed her hand on his cheek, ignoring the calls of their friends as they encircled the two.
"Do what?"
"What are you guys talking about?"
"Here comes Sirius and Giles."
"Buffy, I can't-" Harry began, only to be interrupted by a finger against his lips.
"Hey, I promised you that you weren't going to do this alone, and I never break my promises... usually," she amended with a small smile as their circle tightened around them. "Besides, you know as well as I that this is the way it's supposed to be. Everything up until now has been leading up to this moment. Why else would you have learned your new trick right when you did?" she asked, smiling coyly at him. "Because I don't know if you've noticed, but we're about to get company and I know as well as you that there's no way Sirius is going to let you go. So just do your mojo and get us out of here."
"Stop it!"
"Would you listen to us? What's going on?"
"Hey B, there's some weird shit in the air - I can feel-"
"Buffy, don't-"
"Are you sure?" Harry asked, ignoring the confused and babbled words as he gently reached down and cupped her chin in his hand, feeling as Buffy's energy began to crackle.
"More than I've ever been about anything else," Buffy returned, answering more than that one question as she reached up and planted a quick kiss on his lips. "Now go," she murmured as she pulled away and held her sword between them, closing her eyes as she opened herself to him. And then, not a moment later, they were gone with a loud crack while a dead silence fell in their wake.
Amidst frantic cries for both Harry and Buffy, Sirius and Giles arrived in time to see the two teens disappear before their eyes, leaving a mass of confusion behind. "Where did they get a portkey?" Sirius demanded furiously, his eyes frantically taking in each of the group in turn. Ron was on the verge of absolute panic while Hermione stared at the spot where the two had been standing in a state of shock. Beside her, the vampire was grim while the other slayer seemed puzzled. "Did Vol-"
"It wasn't a portkey," Hermione muttered, slowly lifting wide eyes to the two men. "They... they apparated."
"But that's impossible," Giles cut in, shaking his head curtly as he dismissed the girl's words as he turned and surveyed the dark night, as if searching for his missing slayer. "Even with the protective barriers down, apparition on the grounds of Hogwarts is still impossible, as well as the fact that wizarding magic can't affect Buffy."
"Giles," Faith broke in, her voice sharp and instantly catching the watcher's attention. "I don't know shit about this magic stuff, but there was something weird going on between B and her guy," she stated, her words clipped. "I was sensing some pretty wack stuff that started with B and then moved to Harry, and then they were gone."
Confused, Giles could only stare at them for a moment longer before turning to Sirius with wide eyes. "Then where have they gone?"
If Buffy thought that travel by portkey was disorienting, that method had nothing on the art of apparition. To have your eyes and senses accustomed to one place and then in a blink of an eye to have all of that turned upside down and replaced by something new was severely disorienting. Yet the luxury of recovery was one that was lost to her and Harry, and as soon as the world stopped spinning Buffy was already swiveling away from him and raising her sword before her, her eyes darting around the unfamiliar room. "Where are we?" she asked, taking in the snake statues that seemed to move of their own accord in the dancing light of the torches, their stone forms trailing behind them and ending in a heavy metal door that was sealed to the outside world. Before them the narrow corridor opened into a wide, shallow pool of water, a massive face carved out of the wall of stone before them.
"The Chamber of Secrets," Harry replied, his voice grim as his eyes drifted to the spot a few meters before them, right before the water's edge. It was the place where he had almost died thanks to the venom of the basilisk that he had fought and killed. He supposed that he should have been grateful that the body of the basilisk was gone. Instead, Voldemort stood in its place - a whole new and much more deadly variety of the snake that had almost claimed his life.
Red eyes sparkling, Voldemort casually lifted his hands and began to clap them together. "Tandem apparition," he stated, his voice quiet and yet still managing to cast an echo as his eyes narrowed on the two. "I'm slightly impressed," he added as he slowly lifted his wand, his eyes mocking the glinting edge of the sword that the slayer twirled before her. "I thought perhaps that your Gryffindor bravery would fail you and that you would not come."
"Oh, I don't think either of us was going to miss this for the world," Buffy retorted as she straightened to her full five feet and some scant odd inches.
"So I noticed," the Dark Lord replied, "even though the invitation was for one. A problem that I can remedy," he added, as he locked eyes with the boy that stood behind her. "Avada Kedavra!" he hissed, watching as the boy tensed but refused to move, refused to act as the killing wave of green light flew forward and slammed into the small girl - the small girl that stepped back with the force of the curse before narrowing her green eyes at him.
"Gee, did I ruin your killing thingie?" she asked as she flashed a sickeningly sweet smile at him. "I guess that we slayers are just more resilient than that," she added before taking a pointed step the side, finally moving clear of Harry just as he lifted his wand before him.
"Expelliarmus!" Harry cried out, the disarming spell striking home and sending Voldemort flying back until he landed in the water that sat before the giant statue's mouth, a wave of the putrid smelling liquid parting to either side. But he didn't have time to congratulate himself as Voldemort never once lost his wand. Instead, the Dark Lord was on his feet and moving before Harry could summon the strength for another spell.
"Accio wand!" he ordered, his flat voice echoing in the massive chamber as Harry's wand was torn from his fingers and flew into Voldemort's own outstretched hand. And then, before even the slayer could react he waved his wand at the boy, sending him twirling back and colliding with a statue behind him.
Grunting, Harry went down hard, wincing as he felt something crack in his chest as pain flared from what had to be a broken rib. Grimacing, he blinked open bleary eyes and lifted a shaking hand to straighten his glasses, forcing himself to focus on Buffy's concerned green eyes. "Don't worry - all part of the plan," he muttered as she pulled him to his feet, all the while ensuring that her back remained between him and Voldemort.
"What is? Getting your ass kicked?" Buffy muttered, torn between concern and exasperation. "'Cause if so, your plan sucks. And if you hadn't noticed, he has your wand."
"Wouldn't have worked against him, anyway," Harry muttered crossly, wincing as he wrapped an arm protectively around his injured rib cage. "Besides, I haven't been practicing all this time to do battle with my wand."
"Okay, then I'll do my thing, a.k.a. severe ass kicking with a side of distraction, and you do yours," Buffy returned, her eyes flashing as Harry reluctantly nodded his agreement. "Good, now that that's solved," she muttered as she turned to take in the monster that seemed completely unconcerned and partially amused by their quiet and heated conversation. "Now, where were we?" she asked as she began advancing on the dark lord, absently twirling her sword in a wide arc before her.
"You were dying, I believe," Voldemort returned as the girl began circling him.
"No, that wasn't it," Buffy returned with a grim smile as she dropped down into a defensive crouch, her sword raised before her. "I actually think that I was about to, as we Americans used to say, open a can of whoop ass on you," she retorted, about to start forward when Voldemort waved his wand and caused her sword to go spinning from her hands, landing with a splash on the other side of the Chamber. Frowning, she turned her eyes back to the monster who had the nerve to smirk at her. "What, you think I needed a sword to kick your ass?" she asked as she straightened before him. And then, with the full advantage of her slayer speed behind her, Buffy darted forward and leapt high in a spectacular roundhouse kick that connected with Voldemort's face and sent him careening back into the water once more. "Hardly," she added as she quickly dove back in, not even letting him regain his feet before she began landing kicks and punches alike on his frame, battering him with a glee that was probably illegal in most states - a good thing she wasn't stateside.
"That's for Faith," she muttered as the toe of her heel rocked his head back. "And this one's for her watcher," she continued as a right cross split his lip and drew blood. "And oh yeah, that one is for Fred and George Weasley," she grunted as the heel of her foot connected with his middle, the sound of ribs cracking drowned out by his pained and surprised grunt, "'cause from what I've heard, they would have been dang cool. And Harry? Yeah, this is for Harry and his parents!" she added before spinning once more just as he regained his feet, her heel connecting with Voldemort's face, breaking his flat nose and causing blood to cascade down his chin as he stumbled back and fell once more.
Panting a bit from her exertions, Buffy took a minute to regain her breath as she hazarded a brief glance towards Harry, her eyes locking with his as he seemed to be concentrating on something - pulling on his magic and bending it to his will. Which was of course when Voldemort regained his senses long enough to reclaim his wand. The next thing Buffy knew was pain as a chair appeared out of nowhere before lifting in the air and crashing down over her back, the wood splintering as she dropped heavily to the ground. Grunting, Buffy winced as she pulled herself to her feet, her green eyes narrowing and locking on the Dark Lord. "Okay, now I'm mad," she muttered as she took in her black tank and more importantly, the wet stain that marred her tan cords. "Do you know how hard it is to get stains out of these things?" she asked as she rolled her neck, feeling as the pain was already beginning to pass. "And what's up with the chair? Can we say cheap shot?"
Smiling shrewdly, Voldemort shook his head. "Such a proud slayer," he murmured, his voice like smooth velvet and causing goose bumps to form on her skin. For some reason, Buffy really didn't like that smile. "So comfortable in the knowledge that our magic cannot affect you," he continued as he slowly began advancing towards her, one hand wiping at the blood that dripped down his pale chin.
And even as he moved towards her, Buffy found herself unwillingly backing away. The dark power that the guy was putting off was so potent that she felt as though it was choking her and her damn slayer sense. She couldn't get past it, couldn't focus past it, and by the look in his eyes, she knew that wasn't a good thing.
"But what no one seems to have realized is that, while our magic cannot directly affect you... you are as powerless as a muggle against physical objects that are controlled by my magic," he whispered as with a flick of wrist, one of the heavy statues flew from its resting place and slammed into the small slayer, knocking her from her feet as her body skid into the pool of shallow water.
"Accio Maurauder's Map!" Sirius bellowed as he and Giles raced towards the castle, their breathing ragged. Everything was happening so fast that Sirius struggled to keep up. One minute he was engaged in the battle of his life when his gaze fell on Harry's familiar figure - a figure that faced a tall being draped in black. Instantly, Sirius knew what stood before his godson, and as Voldemort turned his red eyes toward him, he knew that he would never reach Harry in time. He thought then that he had failed him. Failed James. Failed himself. Even as he called to Giles and the men began to race towards their wards, they knew they would be too late - and they were. For in a deceptive blink of the eye Voldemort was gone, and scant seconds later, so were Buffy and Harry.
Harry.
Everything was falling apart even as victory seemed to be theirs. With a single heated word Giles had sent Hermione, Ron, and the remaining slayer and the vampire to the others with orders to help where they could. They would see to Buffy and Harry.
Harry.
Together, they had taken off towards the castle. They didn't know where the two teens had gone or what had happened, and even though Hermione had stated with conviction that Harry had somehow apparated them both, Sirius couldn't wrap his mind around it. He couldn't wrap his mind around any of this. All he knew was that he had to find his godson before something horrible happened. Before Voldemort happened.
Harry.
And then the map was there and in his hands. Pausing long enough to tap his wand against the top of the paper, he hastily forced the old words from his throat. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," he gasped, his breathing ragged as lines began to spill across the old parchment, detailing the school and showing all that remained within. As he felt Giles crowd beside him, Sirius' frantic eyes scoured the map until they found three dots, grouped together in a chamber far below the castle. H. Potter, E. Summers... T. Riddle.
"I-I've never seen this chamber before," Giles stuttered, having enough sense to not even bother with his first question of what he was looking at. His answer was more than apparent as his eyes locked upon the small dot that was labeled with his slayer's name. E. Summers. Elizabeth Summers. Buffy.
"The Chamber of Secrets," Sirius murmured, his voice catching in his throat as his frantic blue eyes lifted and locked on the school doors. Without another word he broke into a run, his long legs carrying him across the grounds as the watcher fell into step beside him.
"And who's T. Riddle?" Giles asked between gasping breaths of air. But his question was quickly forgotten as someone stepped into their path, blocking their route. For the briefest of moments, Giles lifted his wand and considered cursing the person aside until his brain caught up with the rest of him. "Dumbledore!" he gasped, stilling in time to avoid a painful collision.
"Harry and Buffy are in the Chamber of Secrets with Voldemort," Sirius quickly stated, feeling himself tremble as he gazed trustingly at the headmaster. Everything would be alright now. They had found Dumbledore and the headmaster would know what to do. He always knew what to do.
Albus slowly nodded his head as his shoulders drooped beneath the weight of Sirius' words. "I feared that it would come to this," he murmured, his gaze drifting past them and to the battle that was being waged behind them all.
Eyes narrowing, Sirius felt a cold thread snake through his limbs. "What do you mean?" he asked, his voice so low that for a moment he feared that Dumbledore hadn't heard his question - until the headmaster turned those insufferably kind and knowing blue eyes towards him. Eyes that spoke so much more than the headmaster ever did.
"You know of what I speak," he murmured, his eyes so sad that they pitied the tall, proud man before him. "You know of what I speak and still you refuse to see it," he added, shaking his head slowly. "Everyone knew that in the end, it would have to come down to Harry and Lord Voldemort. It has to end between them, one way or the other, just as it was started between them sixteen years ago," he stated softly as Sirius' body tensed, his muscles rippling beneath the fury that was building within the man.
"No," he stated, his voice so controlled and even that it was more startling than had he shouted his denial to the very night. "It can't!"
"It will," Dumbledore corrected calmly as his sad eyes turned from Sirius to include Giles in their gaze. "It's their destiny," he murmured, his sadness doubling. "Both Harry and Buffy have been racing against their destiny since birth - a destiny that neither could ever hope to avoid-"
"Giles, I'm sixteen years old. I don't wanna die!"
As the men paled, and as Giles fell to his knees, a look of horror twisting his features, Dumbledore continued on. "Both Harry and Buffy accepted their destiny, their fate, long ago," he murmured as his gaze slowly turned away from the watcher to lock on Sirius' furious blue eyes. "Now it is only up to you to accept that as well."
"Well I don't accept it!" Sirius snapped back as Giles regained control of himself, the older man climbing to his feet to stand beside Sirius. "I never will! They're just children!" he continued, his voice rising until it reached a fever pitch. "Who could ever expect two children to do this kind of thing?" he demanded, his anger so blinding that it was difficult to even look at him. "What kind of Powers would drive the destiny of two small children to face these odds?" he demanded before furiously turning away and storming towards the castle.
For a moment, Giles watched the man go before sharing a knowing look with Dumbledore. He understood the headmaster's words, but that didn't mean accepting them was any easier. Oh, he had accepted Buffy's fate only a few short weeks ago when he realized that he was powerless to stop it. But that night he had made his slayer a promise. He had vowed to her that when her time came, she wouldn't have to face it alone, and to hell if he would break that promise to her now. With that thought, he nodded once towards the aged wizard before turning and hurrying after Sirius.
Sighing, Dumbledore slowly shook his head and went to follow - only to falter as he realized that he couldn't go forward. Sighing once more, Dumbledore stilled as his eyes followed the men as they hurried up the steps to the castle. One, or maybe even both, had cast a barrier to prevent him from meddling further, but what neither seemed to understand was that they would be too late. They would always be too late as, whether they accepted it or not, this was their destiny, and if there was one thing that Dumbledore had learned with his years, it was that destiny was one thing that could never be ignored.