Chapter 5
Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing. If he just gave himself up, then they wouldn't hurt anyone. They would leave and then the school could be prepared for them when they tried to take control of it later.
His mind instantly made up, he got to his feet, the previous pain in his scar forgotten, and he began walking confidently toward the assembled death eaters, positive that everyone would be safe once Voldemort had him.
Before he had even taken a half dozen steps though, he was stopped be a hand gripping his shoulder.
Spinning around with his wand drawn, he saw nothing but an arm suspended in thin air by an invisible body.
Dropping his wand to his side at once, he glanced over his shoulder to make sure they wouldn't be overheard.
Dumbledore and Voldemort were both absorbed in a growing war of words and had all their energies focused on each other.
"What are you doing here?" he hissed, almost angrily over his shoulder.
Turning back around, he saw a ripple like water for a second before an invisibility cloak fell to the ground revealing his two best friends.
"What are you doing here?" he repeated, trying to keep his voice as quite as possible.
Ron was the first to answer, "Dumbledore wanted us to give you this" he said simply, holding out a blank piece of parchment toward Harry.
"What is it" he asked wearily, not taking his eyes off the item in Ron's outstretched hand.
"It's a portkey to take you to Remus and Sirius" Hermione explained in a frantic whisper
"What, no! I won't take that thing!"
"Why not Harry! You-know-who will kill you when he finds you!" exclaimed Ron, still whispering at the same time.
"Yeah, and he'll kill you, Dumbledore, and the rest of the school when he finds out I'm gone!" Harry argued back.
Not quite knowing how to respond to this, Ron and Hermione just looked at him like he was insane.
"You take it, use the cloak and find Ginny, I told her to hide in the woods. You three get to safety and he won't be able to use you against me if none of you are here" he practically ordered his best friends.
"Are you crazy Harry? Haven't you heard what he's been saying to Dumbledore? He wants to KILL you" said Ron in amazement, not understanding his best friend at all.
"He's right Harry, we won't leave you alone with that monster" whispered Hermione "please take the portkey, it's the only thing that can save you right now" she was almost pleading with him now.
"No. Voldemort is here for me, and I will not see the castle attacked just because I don't want to face him. I will not watch as he kills everyone I care for just to see me in pain. If he has me, he'll leave and you will all be safe"
"But why do you have to face him Harry?" asked Ron, his outstretched arm falling to his side, he knew there was no way to get Harry to take the portkey now, he had already made up his mind and no one could change it.
"Because it's my destiny. My whole life has been leading up to this. I know I probably won't survive, but neither will he. I am the only one who can defeat him and he knows that. My blood runs through his veins and that makes him mortal. His life depends on me and if he kills me he will die too. If that is the only the wizarding world will survive, so be it" with that said, he began to back away from his friends, begging them with his eyes to understand and not to follow.
He was so focused on them that he didn't notice the silence around him since Voldemort and Dumbledore had stopped arguing and were starring at each other with hate and contempt in their eyes, and he wasn't very careful where he was walking. His right foot landed on a fragile stick that snapped loudly under his weight, sounding like a cannon shot ringing through the still courtyard.
Looking quickly toward Ron and Hermione, he motioned for them to get down, which they did quickly and silently, ducking behind the border of bushes that framed the forest.
He then fell to the ground too, still cloaked in the outer layers of the forest and hidden behind a group of thick bushes.
All hopes that the sound would be ignored were immediately dashed when every head in the group of death eaters and students alike whipped in the direction that the sound had originated from.
Voldemort turned slowly toward him and the look of mild shock was immediately replaced with pleasure as he saw the pile of death eaters Harry had levitated to just inside the forest as he had stunned them. His red snake like eyes then turned back toward Dumbledore smiling the entire time.
"And who might you be trying to hide you foolish old man? Did you honestly think he could escape from me that easily? Though I must say I am slightly impressed that he managed to stun so many of my servants without my noticing it. Let's see just how strong the little boy is, shall we?"
Dumbledore's face fell immediately and years of pain and anguish washed over his normally kind features and his wand arm visibly shook, knowing what was to come and that there was nothing he could possible do to prevent it.
"Crucio" said the cold voice triumphantly, aiming his wand toward the area of the forest that the sound had come from, and directly into Harry.
When the curse hit him, Harry gritted his teeth fiercely, refusing to give the man any satisfaction by crying out in his pain, though it felt that glass were in his veins and his entire body were being pierced by thousands of white hot knives.
Voldemort kept the curse on him for several agonizing moments before he released it, the gleam of a maniac in his eyes.
Once the curse was lifted, Harry took in several shallow breaths of desperately needed oxygen before daring to open his eyes, expecting to be surrounded by death eaters, but he wasn't. The first sight that met his eyes was of Ron and Hermione still hidden from the death eaters by a large bush.
Hermione was clinging to Ron with her face buried in his robes, her face completely hidden by her bushy hair. Her shoulders were trembling with the silent sobs that racked her body.
Ron had his arms around her and his head on top of hers, holding her as close as possible. He was looking straight into Harry's eyes with emotional pain written all over his bloodless face.
Harry's attention was soon taken though as the pain of the curse hit him again, much stronger than the first time.
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Voldemort was angry that the insolent boy had not cried out in agony when the curse had hit him, he knew that the boy was out there hiding. Spinning on his heel, blood red robes billowing out behind him, he walked to the nearest death eaters and spoke to them so softly that nobody heard what was said, but it was revealed seconds later when five voices yelled in unison, all pointing their wands at the same spot in the forest, "Crucio" rang through the still air.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
This time the curse hit him with pain he had never felt before. A fire ate through every vein, muscle, and bit of skin on his entire body.
The pain was more intense than anything he had ever felt in his life and he felt as though his body were being torn apart from the inside out, but still he refused to cry out, and when the curse was lifted a full minute later, he still felt like it was upon him, burning his lungs with each shallow breath he took and still pumping the glass through his veins.
He opened his eyes again and they fell back on the form of Ron still holding Hermione tight, but she was staring at him now as well, with tears staining her pale face.
Harry looked back at Ron's face and saw something he never thought he would ever see on the red heads face, tears.
Ron had a river of tears running down both of his cheeks as he stared back into Harry's face unblinking.
Harry was forced to look away from the intense looks his friends were sending him, unable to see so much pain, pity, and grief in their usually fun filled eyes. He instead focused on his own arms.
Had he been able to, he would have gasped at the sight. He had thousands of small streams of rich red blood covering both of his arms; as though the white hot needles he had felt piercing his skin had been real and not a figment of his imagination.
He knew instantly that the curse he had just been under had been much stronger than anything he had ever faced before.
'Well, that explains the looks on Ron and Hermione's faces' he thought grimly to himself. 'That curse should have killed me, and they probably think I'm insane since I am alive. How did I survive though? Why did I survive?' then it hit his pain filled mind.
The answers to both of his questions became as bright as day, as though someone were in his mind and putting them there for him, so he decided to bring one more question to his brain,
'What do I need to do to defeat him', and much to his relief, he knew the answer instantly. He smiled inwardly to himself before focusing on what he had to do.
Vowing to himself that he would not let Voldemort find him lying in a blood heap, he pulled himself to his knees and caught sight of his friends again, trying to give them a reassuring look before he spoke in a raspy voice.
"Thank you for everything, tell Sirius and Ginny I love them, please don't cry, none of this is anybody's fault but his. Don't worry about me, this is my decision and I know what I'm doing, I'll be alright" once he finished talking to his friends, he used the tree trunk next to him to pull himself to his feet, his legs wobbling precariously under the weight for a moment before steadying suddenly, allowing himself to not only support his weight, but to walk out of the forest radiating strength and confidence, his friends starring at his retreating back in amazement and sorrow.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A/N: well, sorry about leaving you guys hanging again, but I think it will be worth it, I hope anyways. There is one more chapter until the fight is over, and it will be posted either late tonight or early tomorrow. After that, everything concerning those at Hogwarts will be back to the present day for the most part, since the majority of the background information will be over with for them. I'm debating on weather or not to write about where Harry has been for the past three months now, or waiting until the end of the story, what would you like! I am very open to any and all suggestions you might have. Thanks again for reviewing, I will thank you all individually when I get more time.
Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing. If he just gave himself up, then they wouldn't hurt anyone. They would leave and then the school could be prepared for them when they tried to take control of it later.
His mind instantly made up, he got to his feet, the previous pain in his scar forgotten, and he began walking confidently toward the assembled death eaters, positive that everyone would be safe once Voldemort had him.
Before he had even taken a half dozen steps though, he was stopped be a hand gripping his shoulder.
Spinning around with his wand drawn, he saw nothing but an arm suspended in thin air by an invisible body.
Dropping his wand to his side at once, he glanced over his shoulder to make sure they wouldn't be overheard.
Dumbledore and Voldemort were both absorbed in a growing war of words and had all their energies focused on each other.
"What are you doing here?" he hissed, almost angrily over his shoulder.
Turning back around, he saw a ripple like water for a second before an invisibility cloak fell to the ground revealing his two best friends.
"What are you doing here?" he repeated, trying to keep his voice as quite as possible.
Ron was the first to answer, "Dumbledore wanted us to give you this" he said simply, holding out a blank piece of parchment toward Harry.
"What is it" he asked wearily, not taking his eyes off the item in Ron's outstretched hand.
"It's a portkey to take you to Remus and Sirius" Hermione explained in a frantic whisper
"What, no! I won't take that thing!"
"Why not Harry! You-know-who will kill you when he finds you!" exclaimed Ron, still whispering at the same time.
"Yeah, and he'll kill you, Dumbledore, and the rest of the school when he finds out I'm gone!" Harry argued back.
Not quite knowing how to respond to this, Ron and Hermione just looked at him like he was insane.
"You take it, use the cloak and find Ginny, I told her to hide in the woods. You three get to safety and he won't be able to use you against me if none of you are here" he practically ordered his best friends.
"Are you crazy Harry? Haven't you heard what he's been saying to Dumbledore? He wants to KILL you" said Ron in amazement, not understanding his best friend at all.
"He's right Harry, we won't leave you alone with that monster" whispered Hermione "please take the portkey, it's the only thing that can save you right now" she was almost pleading with him now.
"No. Voldemort is here for me, and I will not see the castle attacked just because I don't want to face him. I will not watch as he kills everyone I care for just to see me in pain. If he has me, he'll leave and you will all be safe"
"But why do you have to face him Harry?" asked Ron, his outstretched arm falling to his side, he knew there was no way to get Harry to take the portkey now, he had already made up his mind and no one could change it.
"Because it's my destiny. My whole life has been leading up to this. I know I probably won't survive, but neither will he. I am the only one who can defeat him and he knows that. My blood runs through his veins and that makes him mortal. His life depends on me and if he kills me he will die too. If that is the only the wizarding world will survive, so be it" with that said, he began to back away from his friends, begging them with his eyes to understand and not to follow.
He was so focused on them that he didn't notice the silence around him since Voldemort and Dumbledore had stopped arguing and were starring at each other with hate and contempt in their eyes, and he wasn't very careful where he was walking. His right foot landed on a fragile stick that snapped loudly under his weight, sounding like a cannon shot ringing through the still courtyard.
Looking quickly toward Ron and Hermione, he motioned for them to get down, which they did quickly and silently, ducking behind the border of bushes that framed the forest.
He then fell to the ground too, still cloaked in the outer layers of the forest and hidden behind a group of thick bushes.
All hopes that the sound would be ignored were immediately dashed when every head in the group of death eaters and students alike whipped in the direction that the sound had originated from.
Voldemort turned slowly toward him and the look of mild shock was immediately replaced with pleasure as he saw the pile of death eaters Harry had levitated to just inside the forest as he had stunned them. His red snake like eyes then turned back toward Dumbledore smiling the entire time.
"And who might you be trying to hide you foolish old man? Did you honestly think he could escape from me that easily? Though I must say I am slightly impressed that he managed to stun so many of my servants without my noticing it. Let's see just how strong the little boy is, shall we?"
Dumbledore's face fell immediately and years of pain and anguish washed over his normally kind features and his wand arm visibly shook, knowing what was to come and that there was nothing he could possible do to prevent it.
"Crucio" said the cold voice triumphantly, aiming his wand toward the area of the forest that the sound had come from, and directly into Harry.
When the curse hit him, Harry gritted his teeth fiercely, refusing to give the man any satisfaction by crying out in his pain, though it felt that glass were in his veins and his entire body were being pierced by thousands of white hot knives.
Voldemort kept the curse on him for several agonizing moments before he released it, the gleam of a maniac in his eyes.
Once the curse was lifted, Harry took in several shallow breaths of desperately needed oxygen before daring to open his eyes, expecting to be surrounded by death eaters, but he wasn't. The first sight that met his eyes was of Ron and Hermione still hidden from the death eaters by a large bush.
Hermione was clinging to Ron with her face buried in his robes, her face completely hidden by her bushy hair. Her shoulders were trembling with the silent sobs that racked her body.
Ron had his arms around her and his head on top of hers, holding her as close as possible. He was looking straight into Harry's eyes with emotional pain written all over his bloodless face.
Harry's attention was soon taken though as the pain of the curse hit him again, much stronger than the first time.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Voldemort was angry that the insolent boy had not cried out in agony when the curse had hit him, he knew that the boy was out there hiding. Spinning on his heel, blood red robes billowing out behind him, he walked to the nearest death eaters and spoke to them so softly that nobody heard what was said, but it was revealed seconds later when five voices yelled in unison, all pointing their wands at the same spot in the forest, "Crucio" rang through the still air.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
This time the curse hit him with pain he had never felt before. A fire ate through every vein, muscle, and bit of skin on his entire body.
The pain was more intense than anything he had ever felt in his life and he felt as though his body were being torn apart from the inside out, but still he refused to cry out, and when the curse was lifted a full minute later, he still felt like it was upon him, burning his lungs with each shallow breath he took and still pumping the glass through his veins.
He opened his eyes again and they fell back on the form of Ron still holding Hermione tight, but she was staring at him now as well, with tears staining her pale face.
Harry looked back at Ron's face and saw something he never thought he would ever see on the red heads face, tears.
Ron had a river of tears running down both of his cheeks as he stared back into Harry's face unblinking.
Harry was forced to look away from the intense looks his friends were sending him, unable to see so much pain, pity, and grief in their usually fun filled eyes. He instead focused on his own arms.
Had he been able to, he would have gasped at the sight. He had thousands of small streams of rich red blood covering both of his arms; as though the white hot needles he had felt piercing his skin had been real and not a figment of his imagination.
He knew instantly that the curse he had just been under had been much stronger than anything he had ever faced before.
'Well, that explains the looks on Ron and Hermione's faces' he thought grimly to himself. 'That curse should have killed me, and they probably think I'm insane since I am alive. How did I survive though? Why did I survive?' then it hit his pain filled mind.
The answers to both of his questions became as bright as day, as though someone were in his mind and putting them there for him, so he decided to bring one more question to his brain,
'What do I need to do to defeat him', and much to his relief, he knew the answer instantly. He smiled inwardly to himself before focusing on what he had to do.
Vowing to himself that he would not let Voldemort find him lying in a blood heap, he pulled himself to his knees and caught sight of his friends again, trying to give them a reassuring look before he spoke in a raspy voice.
"Thank you for everything, tell Sirius and Ginny I love them, please don't cry, none of this is anybody's fault but his. Don't worry about me, this is my decision and I know what I'm doing, I'll be alright" once he finished talking to his friends, he used the tree trunk next to him to pull himself to his feet, his legs wobbling precariously under the weight for a moment before steadying suddenly, allowing himself to not only support his weight, but to walk out of the forest radiating strength and confidence, his friends starring at his retreating back in amazement and sorrow.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A/N: well, sorry about leaving you guys hanging again, but I think it will be worth it, I hope anyways. There is one more chapter until the fight is over, and it will be posted either late tonight or early tomorrow. After that, everything concerning those at Hogwarts will be back to the present day for the most part, since the majority of the background information will be over with for them. I'm debating on weather or not to write about where Harry has been for the past three months now, or waiting until the end of the story, what would you like! I am very open to any and all suggestions you might have. Thanks again for reviewing, I will thank you all individually when I get more time.