11/5/03: Just about finished; one more chapter left. Thanks to everyone for the reviews!
16. Into the Lair
A landing after a portkey was never an easy thing. Blaise was knocked off balance into Ron, and the two fell into a heap on the ground. Amazingly, Neville managed to keep his balance, but only barely. Harry managed to land solidly, which was fortunate given the two Death Eaters standing nearby. Before they could react, Harry flicked his wand, and a silver streak seemed to leap from one Death Eater to the other, immobilizing them both. After making sure there were no other threats, Harry offered his hand to help the invisible pile of girls to their feet while Blaise and Ron untangled themselves.
"Everyone alright?" Harry whispered. Several nods and invisible assents responded. Harry tied up the two Death Eaters and disillusioned them, making their bodies harder to spot. "Okay, let's go then." Harry headed towards the only noticeable exit from the room. As Harry walked down the hallway, he was again surprised at how different reality was from what he thought. Previously, he imagined that the Slytherins spent most of the free time plotting evil things in their common room; that had been far from the truth. Now, Harry expected Voldemort to be living in a castle hidden away somewhere, with dank and dark walls of stone with a sense of spookiness that pervaded the entire place. Instead, Harry found himself in a brightly lit corridor, like that of an office building, and there were even tasteful paintings on the walls. It was simply too cheery to be the headquarters of the most evil wizard of his generation. Harry stopped suddenly when he heard the sound of approaching footsteps. "Flatten against the walls," Harry hissed as he frantically looked for a place to hide, a door to escape through. There was none, so Harry stood his ground, wand raised.
Three Death Eaters casually strolled around the corner, animatedly talking about something or another. They paused when they saw Harry standing in the middle of the hallway, simply too stunned to react. "Stun the two on the either side and wrap up the one in the middle," Harry said, seemingly to himself. Then, in rapid succession, he cast a silencing spell on each Death Eater. As the Death Eaters reached for their wands, several voices could be heard at once as a number of red lights struck down the two Death Eaters on either side, and four sets of ropes were conjured to incapacitate the one in the middle. Harry chuckled, reminding himself to be more specific about who does what next time. Harry turned to the still conscious man, bound more than securely. Harry raised his wand and muttered, "Legilimens."
After a moment, Harry stood. "We're in luck; this isn't a main Death Eater site; though Voldemort is here. I think I know where Hermione is." Harry resumed his walk down the corridor, the reassuring sound of invisible feet behind him. At the end of the hallway, Harry found a half-open door. Peeking through, he saw a large, open room. His heart leapt when he spotted Hermione lying in the center of the room, bound and gagged. It took all of Harry's self-control to not blindly run into the room. As best as he could, Harry looked around the room and found it deserted, at least for the moment. Harry considered his options, meager that they were. Harry pointed his wand at her. "Accio," he whispered, but her body didn't move. "I'm going in to get her," he whispered. "Stay here unless you're needed." Harry heard a murmur of assent, and he slowly entered the room.
As he had thought, it was empty except for the body in front of him. Harry carefully approached Hermione, who noticed him with wide eyes. She started squirming and making indecipherable noises behind her gag. Harry knew then, at her panicked expression, that he had walked into a trap, but it was too late. Harry sprinted over to her, hoping to get them out of the room before-
"Ah! Mr. Potter! So good of you to join us!" Voldemort's silky voice echoed throughout the room. Harry ignored the glib taunt as he focused on freeing Hermione.
"Oh Harry!" she wailed once he had freed her of her gag.
"Are you alright Hermione? Did they hurt you?"
She shook her head. "I'm fine Harry, but you shouldn't have come for me! Now we're both trapped," she cried.
Harry smiled at her. "Nothing could keep me from coming to you."
"Aw, so sweet, so touching," Voldemort's voice echoed. "You're feelings for the mudblood will be your downfall, Potter!"
Harry turned and saw Voldemort approach. Hermione shrieked and shrank back in fear, clutching desperately at Harry. "What is this, Voldemort? Just you and me, wizard-to-wizard?" Harry knew that Voldemort was the more accomplished wizard, with decades of experience behind him, but he knew he stood a better chance in a one-on-one duel with the Dark Lord then against a horde of Death Eaters.
"Ah, if only. You see, I knew that fool Lucius would most likely fail in such a simple task; those Malfoys seem rather useful only to a point. But this will work out better." Voldemort snapped his fingers. Within seconds, the whooshing sound of portkeys could be heard echoing throughout the hall. Over a dozen Death Eaters suddenly appeared in their dark robes and masks, surrounding Harry. "Now then, Mr. Potter, whatever will we do with you?"
Harry grimaced. He gently disengaged himself from Hermione's grasp. "Stay down," he whispered in her ear, cursing his oversight of not bringing her a wand. She nodded mutely, and Harry looked around. He spotted a slight blurring near the doorway, and hoped that it was his reinforcement. "What's the matter Voldemort, afraid to face me alone?" Harry asked loudly, ignoring the cries of anger and surprise from the Death Eaters (and possibly invisible students) at the use of his name. "What do you expect me to do? Everyone target a different Death Eater and then attack them all at once when I give the signal?"
Voldemort's eyebrows, or what passed for eyebrows on his snake-like face, furrowed in slight confusion at Harry's words. He recovered. "No, Potter. I expect you to die."
"Now!" Harry cried, hoping that the others had gotten his not-so-hidden message. Harry cast a shield spell and wrapped his arms around Hermione, using his body as an additional shield. Red lights sprang from unseen sources as several Death Eaters were stunned. Voldemort looked around confused until he realized what had occurred. He waved his wand, and a warm wind swept through the room, revealing the three disillusioned boys. The four of the seven remaining Death Eaters turned their wands on the boys, while the other three kept their aim on Harry.
"Very tricky, Mr. Potter. Very…Slytherin of you," Voldemort said. "But I'm afraid, not enough." Before Voldemort could enjoy his victory, four beams of red flashed out from nowhere, striking down the Death Eaters who had trained their wands on the boys. Ron responded by quickly stunning one of the Death Eaters who was guarding Harry. The other two boys followed suite and aimed at the other two Death Eaters, and with one of the girl's help, they were quickly stunned. That left Voldemort standing alone, spluttering with rage.
"What! How!" Voldemort said, losing his composure. Harry groaned as one of the girls whipped off the invisibility cloak, revealing their presence; he had hoped to keep their presence a secret for as long as possible.
"Very good, Mr. Potter!" Voldemort said. "My, you are full of surprises, aren't you? I suppose I shall allow you your little victory, but it shall be a hollow one, indeed." With that, Voldemort flicked his wand and set a silver light streaking towards Harry. His aim was off, though, and Harry easily avoided the blast. "Farewell, Mr. Potter, we shall meet again. But in the meantime, I thank you and that fool Dumbledore for this!" Voldemort taunted, holding up the gemstone.
That was his mistake, a result of his arrogance and underestimating Harry's reflexes, honed through years of Quidditch. Before Voldemort could make to apparate away, Harry raised his wand. "Accio gemstone!" he cried aloud, and the gem flew from Voldemort's grasp and into Harry's outstretched hand. Harry slashed his wand and set a purple flame at Voldemort, who conjured a shield to dissipate the flame. But six cries of "Stupify!" rang throughout the room and Voldemort was struck several times. Harry stepped forward and added his own attack, and it was clear that the odds were against the Dark Lord. With a final scathing look at Harry, Voldemort disappeared in a swirl of his robes. A whooshing sound told Harry that the unconscious Death Eaters had been somehow whisked away by whatever means Voldemort used. Harry breathed a sigh of relief as he looked at the gemstone in his hand, happy that no lives were lost in his latest encounter with Death Eaters.
"Harry!" Ginny's cry brought him back. Harry turned to look at her, and he felt his stomach drop. "Harry," she cried again as Hermione lay in her lap, her fingers stained with blood as she tried to stem the increasing flow. Harry belatedly realized that Voldemort's intended target wasn't himself, but that who he cared the most about.
"Hermione!" Harry cried, rushing to Hermione's side. It was bad. The silver streak had punctured through Hermione's chest, leaving a gaping wound that Ginny was desperately trying to staunch with her a ripped-off piece of her sleeve. "Oh god oh god oh god," Harry repeated, his mind paralyzed with fear.
"Harry!" Ginny's voice broke through his panic. "Do something!" she pleaded.
Harry grabbed his wand and started casting as many healing spells as he knew, which wasn't many given his focus on the Dark Arts. It wasn't enough; the flow of blood had slowed, but not stopped. "Please…" he whispered as the tears flowed freely.
"H-Harry?"
"Hermione!" Harry cried, cradling her head with one hand and clutching her hand with his other, sticky with blood.
"Harry!" Hermione gasped, as tears started forming in her eyes. "You did it Harry, you beat him," she whispered.
Harry shook his head. "Oh god, Hermione…I'm sorry!"
"No Harry, it's my fault. I should have stayed down like you said. I'm so sorry," she said weakly through her tears. She gave a sudden gasp as pain filled her face.
"No Hermione! Please don't leave!" Harry cried desperately.
"I-I love you Harry. I don't regret anything Harry. Remember that…it's not your fault!"
"Hermione!" he wailed, as her eyes seem to go blank. "No!" he cried out, grabbing her lifeless body from Ginny and holding her tight, oblivious to the blood seeping onto his robes. It wasn't fair! Just as he found happiness, a world where he found acceptance and belonging, just as he found love, Hermione was taken from him!
But it didn't have to be that way, did it? Harry still had the gemstone, and he could still break the stone and return to a world where Hermione was still alive. But…that world, did he want to go back? Back to a world where he was both savior and deviant? Back to where he had caused Sirius and Cedric to die? Back to a House that didn't fully accept him as plain old Harry? Harry looked up, at the faces surrounding him. Ron, Ginny, Lavender, Neville – he missed their friendship, he would have that back again. Pansy, Daphne, Blaise – he had grown to love them as his family. But in his old world, they would be hated rivals, and he would lose everything he had come to cherish in so short a time.
But then, Harry returned his eyes to Hermione's face, her lifeless eyes. Could he really live without her? Harry was afraid, afraid that the Hermione in his world would not be able to love him, that five years of friendship would prevent her from feeling something more from him. It was a risk; if he broke the gem, he would lose everything; the acceptance, the freedom, and possibly the love of Hermione. But Harry knew that if he didn't break the gem, he would always wonder, always think of her and what might have been. In the end, it really wasn't much of a decision. Harry gently lowered her body to the ground and drew his wand. He pointed it at the gemstone, which he had dropped when he realized Hermione had been struck down.
"Diffindo," he said sadly, cleaving the gem in half. A mist seeped out from the two halves of the broken gem, and Harry's world swirled to black.
A/N: I suppose this would be four cliffies in a row. Ah well. So yes, despite my best efforts to be sneaky about it, Harry's going back to his own world. I hope the 'final' battle wasn't too contrived. I need Harry and Hermione to confront Voldemort, but then I was left with the problem of what to do with the rest of the kids. I tried to think of a way to separate them, but I couldn't.
So, why wasn't there a Prior Incantato when Harry attacked Voldemort? I figure because they didn't send spells in magic form at each other; Voldemort conjured a solid object, so it didn't result in a Prior Incantato effect. It's the old "kitchen sink" effect, if anyone read my first story ;)
Romm: keep in mind this isn't an alternate reality (I always hated alternate realities, sorta minimizes the special-ness of my reality), just a changed one. I've probably been confusing the issue by writing about "Harry's world" and "Slytherin world," but it's only one timeline, just changed.
sethro72: Harry was initially suspicious, but after living two/three months with the Slytherins, he came to trust them. He was pretty happy after winning the Quidditch match and Malfoy's story was so believable that he let his guard down.
Geminidragon: hehe, hopefully you've recovered from my first cliffhanger and haven't suffered too much at the one after, or this one. I hate having death on my conscious.
Starre: I don't get kids WB, which sucks because I don't get to see the latest X-Men: Evolutions cartoons. Sorry about Draco, but I needed a bad guy and he definitely qualified.
ericanddonna4ever: thanks for the review! Sadly, I must admit I haven't really seen T7S, but my brother-in-law swears by it.
naughty little munchkin: I like them fluffy chapters too, that's probably why I get carried away writing them. Science = no good; that's why I took Plate Tectonics (earthquakes and such) and Biological Clocks in college. Man, do your exams ever end? It seems like you've been taking tests for a whole month!
A.M.bookworm247: such language! I'm shocked! Oh, and thanks for checking out my other story :)
Narcissa-Malfoy-22: it's a kids book, after all...can't have swear words :)
A.M.bookworm247: I wouldn't go that far to say I'm as good as her…but you go ahead feel free to say it all you want :)
ears91: I thought it pretty neat the way that worked out, inter-House unity and all. I wouldn't have minded exploring that a bit more, but the action got in the way.
Kang550: I lack the creativity to think of my characters and plots, ah well. True about the portkey (or maybe not, who knows if Harry can make one, I never really thought about it), but it was actually Lucius' portkey that they used. Voldemort made the cane into a portkey so Lucius could return to him immediately after delivering the message.
Calen: Harry no doubt doesn't want to bring them along, but two things change his mind: 1) they're really adamant about it, and more importantly 2) the more time he wastes arguing is the more time Hermione is in Voldemort's clutches. Similar to OotP where Harry relented and let everyone come with him to the Dept of Mysteries because he thought Sirius was getting tortured, except worse since this is Hermione.