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CLAWS OF A RAVEN
by
Tyde
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Author's note: There will be an epilogue after this so you get a general wrap up of what happens to people after the...um, well...er after the ah...well after...this chapter hehe.
anntagonist – That left you hanging? Can't imagine why *grins evilly*. No need to wait any longer...what you've been waiting for is all down there!
Colleen – There is something in anaesthetic that makes you nauseous. Must be a special ingredient :o) I remember the lady explaining it to me when I was getting my tonsils out last year but I drifted off before I got to the end of her explanation. All I remember saying was "Gee that works really qui-" and then I was out :oP
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Chapter Thirty Five
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The tingling gradually intensified until it felt like a beetle crawling through his skin and it caused Harry to abruptly let go of his mug of hot chocolate, splashing the contents onto the floor and all over the side of the couch as the sting came to the forefront. A searing pain shot up and down the length of Harry's scar and he squeezed his eyes shut, hoping to block it out. Trepidation spread over Ron's face and dread was evident in Hermione's eyes as they watched it unfold.
Harry grabbed the emergency Portkey Remus had given them and threw it at Ron and Hermione who looked startled. "Go, get out of here. It's him" It was clear Harry meant to stay.
"But Harry, you can't" pleaded Hermione.
"Mione...get yourselves out of here. I'll be okay. I have to face this. He is not going to make me run"
A thunderous roar was heard and the fireplace was ripped apart by what could only be described as a large cloud of magical power. Sparks of magic slammed into the jar holding Wormtail, shattering it and the traitor found himself flat on the floor with a large chunk of mantelpiece pinning his legs down. He groaned in frustration and Harry smiled.
Ron's face held mixed emotions. "What about what Dumbledore said? What are you going to do?"
"Voldemort won't kill me"
"What makes you think that-?"
"Because I've got insurance" He floated the mantelpiece off of Wormtail and it crashed into a wall, chunks of plaster flying off in all directions. Harry hit Wormtail with the Jelly Leg and Arm curse so he was totally useless and couldn't attack anything, then hefted the shorter man up under the arms. Harry pointed his wand at Peter's brain like it was a Muggle pistol.
"I've got his faithful servant who helped bring him back to life" Harry looked quickly at the silver arm that seemed to be glowing more intensely than before. Was it a warning? "I'll kill Wormtail if Voldemort tries anything"
The pain from his scar just seemed to melt into the back of his mind as he readied himself for a showdown. Peter whimpered in his arms but that only caused Harry to grip him tighter.
A thick green mist filled the room and Hermione started coughing. "Hermione, Ron, now. GO! I'll be fine" And through the haze he saw Ron grab Hermione around the waist and the Portkey whizzed them away to Merlin knows where.
A loud crackle and a deafening bang sounded as the Dark Lord Apparated into Remus Lupin's lounge room. The floor shook and Harry found himself losing grip of Wormtail who fell down and rolled into a corner, relieved to get away from the teenager. His nose bumped into a length of wood and he grabbed at the wand gratefully, almost kissing it in gratitude. He struggled into a sitting position and neither Voldemort nor Harry seemed to notice.
The bright red eyes of the most feared wizard of all time glimmered in anticipation as he advanced on Harry.
"We meet again Harry Potter. I do hope there are no Portkeys to save you this time" he turned sharply to look at Wormtail quivering in the corner. "Wormtail, so they made you a prisoner. I'd rather hoped they'd killed you. Spilled all my secrets, no doubt. What is it you have in your hand? A wand is it? Give it to me"
"M-m-y lord?"
"Give me the wand you imbecile!" he shot a blast of green while uttering those terrible words that flooded Harry's mind with memories of his parents and Cedric. The servant was blown across the room and landed in a heap by the doorway. He wouldn't move again. A wand hung in the air and Voldemort snatched it up in his other hand. "And no more wand trickery to save you this time either, Potter" He stood up to his full and terrible height with a wand in both hands like a pair of fighting knives. "I do hope you've practiced since our last meeting Harry. I would like this to be a duel and not a game of hide and seek". The Dark Lord raised the wand from Wormtail menacingly. "Well?"
"Count me in" He managed to hide the smile when he recognised the wand being held in Voldemort's hand. It wasn't a wand at all but one of the sticks they'd transfigured to look like a wand when setting Sorora up with her Harry 'accessories'.
Harry figured now was as good a time as any and struck out with his own wand, hitting him with the first thing that unfortunately popped into his head. "Pantomimus chorea" And the Dark Lord began to prance around the room in an ungainly fashion as the Dancer-Prancer Charm took effect. It lasted for a mere few seconds before Voldemort had rid himself of it and he was seething.
"Bad form Potter, starting before the formalities"
"I'm not here to kill you"
"Isn't that funny, because I'm here to kill you. I suppose we all get what we want in the end" While he spoke Harry got the chance to get in another shot and had the Dark Lord on the ground under a curse and totally shocked that 'this boy' had bettered him once again.
"You won't"
"Dumbledore did a wonderful job on your self esteem this year" he tried to stand up but Harry's concentration was not broken and the Body Bind curse held. "And what makes you think I won't get what I want?"
"Because you don't deserve it"
His laugh was loud and cold. Harry's memory flickered in his mind and he could hear the screams. "Stop laughing"
"Or what? You'll hit me with a curse for boils? Still so childish, so elementary in your magical learning. I really hoped you would be more of a challenge this time" And he stood up calmly. "Come on Harry, hit me with your best shot"
And the anger that had been simmering under the surface bubbled right up inside of Harry and exploded out of his mouth. His arm holding the wand shook with the sheer intensity of his concentration "You think I can't hurt you? You don't think I'm capable of getting a scream out of the...thing...that killed my parents. Well you'd be wrong" and with that a blast of magic shot from the end of his wand and the word "Crucio" hung in the air.
Voldemort looked surprised as he doubled over in pain, but he did not cry out. The curse did not last long however as a voice entered Harry's mind and shouted, Stop it Harry. Stop it now.
Harry relieved the curse from the Dark Lord and stood ready to hit him again, but with something less illegal. Voldemort straightened up and stared at him with renewed interest.
"An Unforgivable Harry?" and he smiled wickedly. "I most certainly underestimated you. But whatever made you stop?"
"It's not the way"
"Oh but it is Harry. You've tasted the victory and power of an Unforgivable Curse. It makes you feel alive, don't you see? Can't you feel it tingling through your fingers, making your blood pump stronger and faster?" He stepped closer to Harry and smiled again. "You get that from me"
"Shut up"
"Hurts to hear the truth doesn't it? The great avenger for the Light side is riddled with blackness. You'll have to make a choice soon Harry. How long do you think it will be before you get the urge to kill?" he hissed the last part and Harry took a step backwards.
"Never" Harry gulped but did not back down.
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because you're revolting and I'd never want to subject myself to that" The Cruciatus Curse hit him hard and fast and he shrieked. Harry fell to the floor, writhing in agony as the pain worked it's way up to his brain. He knew Dumbledore had been in his head before, but where was he now?
The cottage shook like in an earthquake and the Dark Lord fell over, his wand snapping underneath him. He tried in vain to use the other wand and it merely shimmered and transformed back into a stick.
Harry stood with a grin on his face. "I win this round"
"Don't think this is over! Next time I will-" but his threats did not meet the ears of Harry as he cut him off mid-sentence.
"There won't be a next time"
"I'd like to hear your reason boy"
"If either of us die now then the world is off kilter. Do you honestly think you could control everybody after that happened? They'll all be thinking - Why listen to some old has been when ultimate power is there for the picking? If the Heir of Gryffindor were to die then the Heir of Slytherin would reign forevermore. The curse Salazar Slytherin performed when he was forced out of Hogwarts was weak. He may have been a much-revered wizard but his charms weren't up to scratch. He didn't realise that the minds of a turbulent and ever growing society could overturn it" Harry kept his wand trained on his enemy but had relaxed considerably. "Some ancient magicks just fade."
"You expect me to believe these words from a foolish young wizard? I really did think you were smarter than that"
"He is" Dumbledore's voice joined the atmosphere and Harry's soul rejoiced as he felt a hand rest on his shoulder. "He received this information from a wizened old wizard. I'm sure I don't need to remind you Tom about how much I seem to inconceivably know"
"Don't call me that filthy Muggle name"
"Very well, Lord Voldemort. You haven't changed since the last time we met. Being older in years does not make you older in here" He tapped the side of his head. "Do as Harry says and leave. He has defeated you again. Don't question it, just leave. You may fool yourself into thinking I don't threaten you, but I know the truth, and so do you – deep down inside where there is still a sliver of humanity left. You do not want to see me get angry"
The Dark Lord seemed to consider this, his lips moved in a silent vow that he would return and finish what he'd started, but they stopped mid sentence. A mass was forming in the air above Dumbledore's head, like a storm cloud gathering but instead of being a thunderous black it shone with golden hues, the edges crackling with red sparks.
Harry saw none of this, staring straight ahead with a look of quiet triumph on his face. A silence swept its way across the room, passing over the dead body by the door and resting upon Dumbledore.
And deep in the old wizard's eyes something shifted. It seemed to be a shadow, lurking, waiting for its chance to pounce. It filled Voldemort's mind with uncertainty and mentally he stumbled. Swirls of memories planted themselves and took root, pushing through his brain like worms wriggling through soft soil. But all Harry saw were cold eyes staring him down.
And amazingly Voldemort turned from them and Apparated out. A mere memory had forced him to.
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