Chapter 10

The Duel of the Fates

Harry sped through the silent hallways of the school and made his way to the enormous doors that would lead him outside. Gulping and shaking violently from head to toe, Harry reached out, grabbed the handle and tugged.

"Dammit! Fuckin door is locked!" he cried. Harry dug out his wand and pointed it at the door.

"Aloha Mora!" Sparks shot out of his wand and incinerated instantly on the stone door.

"I don't have time for this!" Harry screamed, slamming his fists at the door. "They must have put a spell on it," he muttered to himself. "That's why it was so simple for me to escape the dungeon." He gave a big sigh. "So how the fuck do I get outta here?"

Leaning against the door he slid down to a sitting position and hung his head. "There's gotta be a way…" As if a light bulb had appeared over his head Harry snapped his fingers and grabbed the curse scroll. He quickly scanned it then stopped at the Catachnati Curse.

"This curse will overpower any spell, charm, or enchantment used to obstruct a pathway." Harry grinned. "Hermione, here I come."

It was daytime, probably about noon, Harry figured, but the sky was so dark and dreary it looked more like night. Silhouettes of people and magical creatures darted around the sky. Colorful blasts of light, energy, and God knew what else shot around like bolts of lightning as the two sides shot spell after spell, charm after charm at each other.

Suddenly, amid the screams, cries, spells, and groans filling the sky, Harry heard an evil cackle that sounded all too familiar. His head snapped to the right just in time to see a blinding green flash turn Professor Sprout to a pile of dust only a few hundred meters away.

Harry opened his mouth to scream but a large, sweaty hand clamped it shut.

"Harry Potter. Just what the hell do you think you're doing here?" The gruff voice was barley audible but Harry would know it anywhere. He shoved the hand off his face and spoke.

"Snape, in my pocket I have the curse that will kill Voldemort and anyone who is his ally. Now if you'll let me go, I'll be off to save the world."

"Potter, do you really think that one measly little student can do what the entire light side of magic has not been able to for the past 18 hours?" His voice was as snide as ever.

Had it really been that long? Harry stared at Snape and finally took all of him in. His tattered robe, his bloody face, his severed and badly bandaged leg. Harry gulped.

"Yes." Leaving a stunned Snape Harry mounted his broom and flew away, hugging the school as he surveyed the area.

It was awful. The ground was just as horrible as the sky. One-on-one duels took place and spells were cast in every direction. Balls and streams of light were fired madly across the area as far as Harry could see. Dead bodies from both sides lay strewn around. Only a few feet away Harry spied Professor McGonagall. Without hesitation he leaped off the Firebolt and dashed to her side.

"Professor!" he whimpered. Was she dead? "Wake up! Oh, please be ok!" He shook McGonagall and got a faint moan out of her. "Phew! Let's get you to safety." Harry grabbed both of the professor's hands and dragged her to an out-of-the-way spot.

"You'll be safe here." Wishing he could stay longer, Harry ran over to his broom and mounted it, slipping the invisibility cloak over his body as he flew into the heart of the madness.

Harry had an unbelievably hard time controlling his emotions as he searched for Voldemort. He witnessed Oliver Wood blown off his broom, Madam Pomfrey thrown into the Dark Forest by a powerful charm, and a group of house elves incinerated with a single flick of a wand. Harry hoped beyond all hope that Dobby wasn't among them.

Everywhere Harry flew death seemed to be abundant. It was clear that the Light side was losing desperately.

"I've got to act now," Harry decided. Used to searching for a golden ball while in the sky it was slightly more difficult for Harry to locate Voldemort but he simply followed the green flashes and the feeling of dread in his stomach.

The man stood only 25 feet in front of him, completely oblivious to Harry. Everyone was. He was safe. Harry laughed to himself at the irony of it. Here he was, in the middle of the battle for control of the world and he was perfectly safe.

"Ok, Harry. Time to quit stalling. Time to save the world." Harry reached into his pocket for the scroll. It was gone.