22. Armageddon

Wormtail was crouching behind the pillar, chattering his teeth with fear. He was terrified. He had enough of that all. He was dreaming about one thing: to escape as far as he could from that dreadful, gloomy place. As far as he could from the Death Eaters and Aurors, as far as he could from the cruel, devilish Lord Voldemort, whose presence always filled him with an icy dread. He peeped out carefully from behind the pillar. Now he had a chance. The wizards, absorbed in fighting, wouldn't notice a small, crouched figure, silently slipping away from the hall and disappearing in the darkness of the corridors.

It was the only chance ! Wormtail stiffened, looked around for the last time and than his eyes met Harry. The boy was sitting curled up where Snape had pushed him, behind the marble platform of Voldemort's throne, his eyes fixed on the fighting people. Wormtail gasped in terror. Harry didn't realise that from behind, noiselessly zigzagging over the smooth floor, a huge, black snake was creeping towards him. Yellow, rapacious eyes were staring at the pray with a cruel pleasure.

Wormtail shivered and clenched his fingers on the cold surface of the pillar. Nagini was closer and closer to Harry. She stopped just behind him, slowly rose her head and opened her mouth. Sharps fangs glittered and shudder ran down the two-left tongue.

'No ! Leave him alone!' cried Wormtail and, unable to believe what he was doing, he rushed towards Harry.

Nagini hesitated for a moment and that was enough. Wormtail reached the platform and sprang at the snake with bare hands.

'No!' he shrieked shrilly 'I will not let you kill him!'

Harry turned round and was horror-struck. Nagini waved her thick tail, as if she was driving away a tiresome fly and with one stroke she pushed the wizard several meters away. Peter fell to the ground, panting and moaning with pain, But he knew he had to pull himself together. He rose his head and saw sharps fangs close in front of him and felt hot breath of Nagini on his face. A dry crack could be heard and Harry screamed shrilly when the headless body fell on the blood-stained floor.

* * *
Snape looked coldly in the glazy, dead eyes of David Lestrange who had been completely turning inside out by a brutal Dual Curse. He cast a sweeping, indifferent glance at the bodies of the killed wizards and looked around. Near the marble platform he saw Vega who had just cut Nagini's head with a single wave of her wand.

Something boomed behind his back and the whole room has been lit by a red-gold glow of a Fire Wall. Snape turned round just in time to see the powerful Voldemort's curse reflected from the Dumbledore's cover and flew over their heads with a blazing breath.

The wizard crossed burning gazes and rose their wands.

'Avada Kedavra!' they cried in unison.

Two green rays shot from both sides and rushed towards each other with a terrific speed. They met and a powerful explosion filled the hall with a light-green light. The jolt was so strong that the window-panes shattered into pieces, walls shook and dust fell from the ceiling.
Vega was staring at the fighting wizards with a real fascination, her concentrated eyes recording every detail of the duel. She has never seen something like that before. Wizards wands' had been connected with a green ray which was quivering and vibrating, scattering the bright sparkles all around. It was clear that the opponents' power was almost equal and none of them could break the curse of the another. It cost them, however, a lot of energy and they were quickly loosing their strengths.

Dumbledore was panting heavily, his forehead was covered with sweat. Voldemort's face twisted in the paroxysm of fury, his red eyes were burning.

'Vega, kill him !!!' he yelled to the Auror 'Kill him and all world would be ours!

Vega was motionless, her face didn't express any feelings.

'Kill him, daughter !' called the Dark Lord.

Dumbledore stagger and the wand almost slipped from his shaking hand. He held it, however, and supported the wrist with the other hand. The ray stabilised.

'Vega, you have right to hate me' he gasped with effort 'I didn't tell you the truth. It was mistake. Not the only one I made...' his hand started to shake again, he clenched his teeth 'For all those years when the terror of Lord Voldemort was spreading all over the world, I couldn't forget that I'm also responsible for that...' he staggered and took one step backwards. 'Anytime I recalled the names of the murdered wizards and Muggles, I knew that their blood is in on my hands, too...' he looked at Vega and his blue eyes flashed 'But Voldemort is the evil! ' he cried 'You know it ! He must be destroyed for the whole world's good ! And only you can do that !'

Vega was still silent, her eyes were cold and impenetrable.

'Don't listen to those rubbish!' howled the Dark Lord 'There is evil in YOU, too! You are my daughter ! You are same like me !'

'Damn, Vega ! Do something!' hissed Snape staring at the Auror with more and more anxiety. The witch smiled with bitter irony. She looked at Voldemort, then at Dumbledore. There were only hatred in her dim eyes.

'Sev, take Harry away from here!' she said dryly.

Snape turned pale and looked at her with a strange pain.

'What are you going to do?' he asked dully full of the worst feelings 'You are not...'

'GO !!!' yelled Vega 'And I will finish it once for ever!'

Severus was watching her silently. He understood much too well what those words meant. He smiled gloomily.

Did you really think I would leave you alone?' he said calmly 'Potter, go immediately...'

'Stupefy!' cried Vega desperately.

Snape fell down on the floor.

'Harry, pick up Severus' wand and take him away from here' said the Auror 'Call when you are far beside the walls of the castle.'

Harry stared at her with despair but he knew there was no other way. He waved the wand and unconscious Snape hung in a mid-air. Vega looked at him with a desperate longing, sighed heavily and told Harry to get out. The boy nodded and hurriedly run from the hall.

The Auror turned slowly towards the fighting wizards. They must have been holding their wands with the remnants of strengths and didn't even realise what was happening around them. Vega was watching them with a gloomy pensiveness. Suddenly she heard Harry's powerfully amplified voice.

'OK.!'

Vega's eyes shone like two stars and her lips twisted in devilish smile.

'See you in hell !' she hissed with hatred, rose her wand and scanned in a cold, rigid voice:

' ARMAGEDDON !!!'

Harry saw only a white light that suddenly flared up in the room on the first floor. Next second everything was plunged in a blinding sheen and in a deafening explosion that tore out the castle from its foundations and cast it into the starry sky in a gigantic fountain of fire and stones.