Chapter 17
Harry had not actually planned on a direct response to his letters to Voldemort, yet he had been sending missives for almost a month. At first they were direct and to the point requests to return the prisoners, later they became more and more threatening. The last one had been more of a written slap in the face.
Tom,
I don't fear you like the others seem to. I know you as the coward you are. I refuse to call you by that ridiculous name you have chosen for yourself, rather I'll call you by your given name that you hate so much, because quite frankly you are the most pathetic excuse for a wizard I have ever seen. A muggle name suits you far better than that moniker you claimed.
It was once said you were capable of great and powerful magic. All I have seen from you so far is a full grown adult who bullies children. You were defeated by an infant how can you bear that kind of shame?
Well, the infant has grown up. It's time for you to face the fact I am not going to die, I'm not going away. You have to face me, because I learned your little secret. So long as I have my friends and fiancé you are getting less and less powerful aren't you? You can feel the power draining away from you, as I control more and more of the flow of power.
I paid for the front page of The Daily Prophet, you may want to read it, that is if you can crawl out from under whatever rock you are hiding under in Surrey.
Harry Potter
Order of the Phoenix
He still smiled over the whole thing. Frankly he was still scared of admitting to anyone let alone Riddle that they weren't strong enough to defeat him. The only thing he could do is keep putting pressure on the death eaters.
Which lead them here. Here turned out to be a park, one for small children with swings, see-saws and a small wooden fort like construction. He remembered it from his days growing up just three blocks from here. The Companions and forty Aurors were talking in hushed whispers. They had transfigured their robes into police uniforms, and were waiting for the signal from their informant. It came in the form of a cat, with a message tied to its collar.
The attack is verified. Privet Drive. Midnight
Harry realized what this meant. They stood and broke into teams of two. Ginny reflexively following him to Number 4. He raised his hand to knock. "Are you sure they won't recognize me?" Harry asked for the tenth time.
Ginny nodded. "They will see what they want to see a handsome young police officer, which, by the way, you are."
Her smile gave him a courage he hadn't known was in him. His hand fell on the wooden door rapping loudly. A quick glance at his watch, it was nine forty, plenty of time.
Vernon Dursley answered the door seeing a strikingly handsome pair of police officers at his door. "Mr. Vernon Dursley," the young man said as a statement, not a question.
"Yes, how may I help you?" Vernon's face was confused, and he was showing it.
"We are conducting an evacuation of Privet Drive. Please gather clothing for a two day stay, and leave the premises with all haste." Harry almost felt bad.
"WHAT? I'll do no such thing!" Vernon fumed.
Harry sighed it would have been so easy if he had just cooperated. "Mr. Dursley, if you do not evacuate this premises immediately, I will be forced to detain you in the jail until such time as we deem it safe."
Vernon's face grew noticeably pale, and the color rushed back in. Harry watched his eyes; he could always tell when Vernon was struggling between his own pig-headedness and authority. In this case, apparently, authority won.
"I'll get my wife and we'll be ready to go in a few minutes. PETUNIA!" Vernon Dursley slammed the door on them.
"Well, that went better than I had hoped for." Harry and Ginny moved on to the next house. They had worked out the evacuation to make it appear as official as possible, word was "leaked" to the muggle media of a potential gas leak, and that they were evacuating the area. This had, of course been the focus of the evening news, and the reason that no one was making even as little fuss as Vernon had earlier.
They met with the rest of the Companions and the Aurors at ten pm at the park. Their nervous energy was apparent, and Harry could feel the bond between him and the Companions strengthen as time slid by.
The Companions appeared for like nothing more than ten young men and women just out of Hogwarts and enjoying a light picnic in the waning hours of the night. The only thing distinguishing them from what they appeared was an occasional glimpse of gold and red on their right forearm.
At eleven forty-five, Harry stood, and rolled up his sleeves, the emblem of the phoenix emblazoned there like a glittering tattoo. Grimly the rest stood up, the gaiety of the picnic behind them. The Aurors looked at them in minor shock, that these young men and women appeared so powerful, and lead by the Harry Potter.
Harry walked over to McGivins. "Good to have you here Will." Harry shook the man's hand with measured respect.
"Thanks Harry. Have you and Ron figured out a game plan? The 'gas leak' story was an exceptional story by the way." Hermione blushed a bit at the compliment.
Ron scowled at William McGivins. "Yeah, here's the plan. In a nutshell, we are going to set up a defensive front here. The 'gas leak' will explain property damage after some modifications, though we are going to make every attempt to minimize that possibility."
Hermione was looking at the area they were going to construct the wall over. The park was basically four empty lots that had been converted to a small children's park, named after some muggle who was born near here. Hermione had never heard of the man, and doubted anyone else had either.
She rejoined the Companions. If all worked out well, Voldemort would be captured, and contained as of tonight. If not, well. There was always next time.
She grimaced remembering the portkeys they had made, small muggle coins from Germany Pfennig I believe they call them. Very small. Very easy to swallow. She unconsciously rubbed her stomach. They were set to activate at five am. Dead or alive, at five am they were appearing in the Weasley living room.
Eleven fifty-five. They were paired up surrounding the Aurors who were looking to make their last stand in the park. Ron called them the bait. Let's hope Riddle nibbles. Harry snuck a glance at Ginny, her jaw set and her eyes mere slits for focus at night. Suddenly, the lamps in Privet Drive flickered, stuttered and went out.
Forty voices uttered "Lumious" and wand tips flared. Just outside of the park stood the Death Eaters, and in the middle of them Voldemort.
"Pathetic, I see that runt Potter didn't grace us with his presence tonight. Pity really." Voldemort rasped, sarcasm dripping off his words like venom, "I had truly hoped for a re-enactment of our last meeting. "How did it go again? Oh yes…" he turned to the Death Eaters after a short pause. "Kill the spare."
The Death Eaters advanced into the park, Voldemort hovering at the edge, just outside the boundary. Harry knew he'd have to draw Riddle in. He yelled out then "Tom Riddle, by the authority of the Minister of Magic, I am placing you under custody for the willful misuse of magic against Muggle and Wizard alike."
Voldemort took the bait and stepped into the park. That instant the Auror's Disapparated on que and the Companions raised their wards. Harry reached into his rucksack and pulled out the dull greenish liquid contained in the crystal vial and advanced on the now trapped death eaters.
"I have a gift for you Tom," Harry continued advancing on them his eyes never leaving Voldemorts, "it took a lot of time and effort to put this gift together. I'm sure you can appreciate the effort; one man gave his life for this gift. It has become precious to me, and I am sure it will to be to you, as well."
He held out the vial, the tips of his fingers just brushing the edge of the wards. Harry's hatred and revulsion were growing more and more powerful, however he kept them in check. "Take this vial Tom, my gift to you is life."
Voldemort looked at Harry and the vial. "You must think me stupid, boy."
Harry's face twisted as the rage pounded in his ears. "No, Tom. I think you are quite clever, and as such you can see the validity of my offer. Nothing can pass through this ward. It's as simple as that. Not even air."
Voldemorts face twisted in pure hatred. "If you drink this Tom, we'll drop the wards, if you don't we'll go play chess for a few hours and ask you again when the air has become a touch stale."
Voldemort glared at Harry. "You can't kill me."
"You are right, of course Tom, I can't kill you, despite how much I want to, and I can't." He looked sadly at Voldemort, "that restriction however was never placed on Cho Chang. In spring, you ordered the death of Cedric Diggory. Cedric was Cho's lover."
Cho moved forward. "Don't take the vial, please. I am going to enjoy watching you all suffocate." Her eyes glinted in hatred and she had become quite the terror.
Harry handed her the vial. "You see Tom; I've placed your life in her hands."
He turned to Ron. "Ron, let's play chess."
Ron looked at Harry as if he were mad. "Are you barking, Harry? We don't have time for this."
"Oh, you are wrong Ron, you never know when you'll have time for the simple things, pleasures like Chess, reading a good book, or making love. Personally, with you, I think I'd rather play chess," he reached into his rucksack pulling out a chess set, "its muggle chess I'm afraid, but it's good enough for now." The small set opened up, and Ron sat across from Harry. "Besides, your sister might get jealous, and Hermione didn't bring a good book."
Ron snorted, and looked at Harry already concentrating on the board. "Well then Harry, set up your defenses."
Ron was surprised, Harry was playing quite well, and yet it still wasn't good enough. Cho had stopped her tirade almost an hour before, and had taken to stalking the perimeter of the wards asking them if it were feeling hotter, or less comfortable in there.
"Check and mate Harry. Bloody brilliant game though."
Harry looked up at Ron and smiled. He then stood and moved over to the wards. "Well Tom, changed your mind yet?"
Voldemort simply glared at Harry.
Harry shrugged. "Let's see, I read a good book last week, I just got done playing chess, and as for making love," his eyes flickered to Ginny, "well, we will do something about that later. So, what can we do to pass the time? Oh! I know! A muggle game it's called 'Twenty Questions'. I'll go first.
"Where are the hostages Riddle?" Harry's eyes were blazing green.
"I had them killed. Boy."
"Oh! One point from Riddle's team," Harry's wand flickered to the side a small scoreboard lit up, on the top were two names 'POTTER' and 'RIDDLE'. The score read 01 00. "For excessive cheek and poor sportsmanship."
Voldemort glared some more.
"Ok, let's try another one. Where are the students being held Tom?"
"You'll never find them."
"My, my. Someone's not taking the game seriously." The scoreboard ticked, and the score now read 02 00. "I think it's time to impress on Tom the severity of his situation." He looked at Hermione. "Release a death eater." He turned to Justin and Cho, "kill the death eater."
Voldemorts eyes widened at that. Hermione uttered an incantation, and one of the death eaters shifted out of the hemisphere. Justin placed him in a full body bind. Cho looked at the trash on the ground before her, and placed her wand tip on his throat. "Reducto" He lasted five minutes.
Justin placed a hand on her shoulder, and whispered in her ear for a minute. She pulled away from the body.
Harry watched the scene impassively. "Well, now that that is over Tom, let's see what the score is now." The board showed 03 00, "oh my, not going well for the Riddle Team." He rubbed his chin in thought. "Where, Tom, can I find the remaining students?"
Voldemort was looking at Harry differently now. "So what makes you righteous Potter? What makes you so noble? One of my men lay dead from suffocation by your orders. You are no better than Worrith who slew that Diggory brat."
"Ah, interesting questions. I am righteous because the man lying dead at my feet is a cold-blooded killer, and I have saved him from going insane in Azkaban. My nobility springs from the fact that in my mercy I didn't just have the lot of your servants taken there, each one has the right to request a quicker death than the one given by the dementors." The scoreboard flicked again, 05 00.
"Now, it's my turn again. Where can I find the students?"
Voldemort stared back at Harry. "I have them held in a series of caverns."
Harry considered this. "Good, but not enough to score. Where is this cavern?
Voldemort glared at him "You can't wait here long enough for me to die from suffocation."
"I'd like to remind you, Tom. By using my blood to resurrect yourself, you removed the protection my mother gave me from you." The smile spread over his mouth, "however, you're now completely mortal, just like me."
Voldemorts eyes flashed hatred renewed. "You are lying."
"No, Tom, I'm not." Harry motioned Cho over to him, and took the vial from her. He placed it on the ground in front of the bubble. "Hermione, place the vial in with them."
He watched a bit of the surface bubble forward and grasp the small vial, then shrink back into the hemisphere. He walked over to Hermione and whispered into her ear "How much longer can you guys hold this?"
Her voice was strained, though she showed no outward signs of it. "At best two hours Harry."
He smiled at her, "I'll work something out Hermione."
"Well Tom," he poured himself a glass of water and raised it in a toast "bottoms up."
The vial still lay on the grass, stoppered and waiting. "Just one swallow is all it'll take Tom. Then you, and your 'friends' can go free."
"What kind of a fool do you take me for Potter? What kind of poison is it?" Voldemort scoffed at Harry.
"Why Tom, and all this time I thought we were on a first name basis, after all you did kill my parents, and tried to kill me," Harry was working hard to keep his tone and voice calm during this pushing the anger and hatred down deep, controlling it. "You have my word that the potion will not kill you, and you will be permitted to walk free from here unharmed and unmolested."
Voldemort picked up the vial and looked at it carefully. "So what does the potion do then Harry?"
"Let's just say that if you drink that, you will be able to leave the barrier Tom." Harry sat then on the grass, and began toying with his wand, twirling it in his fingers almost carelessly.
Voldemort
looked at Ginny, "tell me girl, what is this?"
Harry looked up and stopped twirling his wand. "Tom, you are breaking the rules. Hermione release another death eater."
She raised her wand and hesitated a moment then released the next death eater.
Lucius Malfoy tumbled onto the ground outside the hemisphere of magic, and found himself staring at Harry Potter, and hearing a full body bind being cast on him.
Harry saw a lock of silver-blonde hair and lifted the mask. "Mr. Malfoy, what a pleasant surprise. Let's see, what do I have to say about you? Oh plenty." He nodded as if Malfoy had said something. "Yes, I do have to thank you for bringing Ginny and I together you know. Ahhh, the memories of pain and the torture you put her through. Oh, this is going to be fun isn't it?
"See, the little 'problem' of not killing does not apply to you Mr. Malfoy, you attacked my family. Oh, I see you don't understand. The Weasleys adopted me, and well, it's perhaps a bit of a technicality, but you and I both know you placed the diary in Ginny's cauldron in her first year. So, I can do this. Reducto."
He survived just three minutes.
Harry looked up at Voldemort. "So Tom, let's discuss your reticence to drink that potion so loving crafted for you, by the way, by the lovely and talented Lisa Turpin." Harry motioned Lisa over. "Now look at that face Tom, she worked so hard on it, and you would just disregard it so casually?"
Harry removed his arm from Lisa's shoulders, and she moved back to where she had been standing. Harry noticed all of the Companions were looking tired. "Hermione, release another one." He turned to her "this time, make sure it's our old friend."
She turned her attention to the prisoners and released a man who almost got to his feet before the bind was placed on him.
"Auror Vonn," Harry stated roughly moving his mask aside "I'm not going to kill you, you are going to Azkaban. Auror McGivins will see to that. Tom, Tom, Tom, you are running out of friends."
Voldemort uncapped the potion and drank it.
"All of it Tom." Harry watched the clear bottle drain. "Every last drop."
Suddenly he clutched at his stomach, and his form shifted, he aged rapidly, jet black hair shooting through with silver, and finally a dull white.
"Well now Tom, welcome to your new life." Harry nodded to Hermione, and the hemisphere disappeared. "You are all free to go, however violence begets violence, if you harm a single person, we will hunt you down and kill you."
"Tom, you may be asking yourself what has happened. Well, the short form is, you are what would be called a 'squib' now. The potion is a virus that eats away at your magic. Your most powerful magic is the one that gave you youth and health. Those are gone, and by daybreak you no doubt will be hard pressed to levitate a feather."
The Aurors were advancing with wands drawn. It was working like planned. Ron had been a genius, and Harry would need to lavish huge praises on him later. Publicly. Voldemort chuckled and then reached inside his coat for a small stone with a pop he was gone.
The Aurors stunned the remaining death eaters and took Vonn into custody.
Harry and Ginny sat in the park with the rest of the Companions not talking, just looking around.
So this had been it. The 'war' was over the final battle had happened and with a minimum of bloodshed or harm. The bodies of the death eaters were gone, and Riddle was to be a squib soon. Then one by one they disappeared.
The next morning the residents of Privet Drive returned to their homes as saw the oddest thing on the football field scoreboard "POTTER 10 RIDDLE 00". Vernon Dursley was outraged and spent the rest of the day in a fury that he could not vent on the person responsible. That bastard nephew Harry Potter.