Clash of Titans

Chapter 36

"I could feel evil stirring," Holly explained, answering Hermione's question as to why she'd shown up when she had. "I knew I needed to be here, and I knew it had to be now. I don't know how or why. I just do whatever my heart tells me to."

She had that faraway sort of look in her eyes when she spoke, suggesting to Hermione that caretakers were capable of some type of clairvoyance too.

"I'm sure Farouk and Montalban agree wholeheartedly," Ginny said, while she fiddled with the dress she and Heidi had created for Holly. "Won't this open back be a bit chilly outside?"

"I'm not bothered by the cold," Holly said. "I found out when I was little. My sister and I were playing in the snow, and she got sick, but I didn't. No, she was not born to my mother," Holly added quickly, noticing the strange looks she was given. "She was a foundling, given to my mother by the chieftain of a nearby Dait village. He got her from another Dait chieftain whose village lay closer to the Dreand Sea. But Vorth—that's the chieftain who gave Crystal to my mother—said that the other chieftain had no idea how the infant got there, because there weren't any tracks leading towards or away from the place she was found. And the Dreand Sea shore is far from the closest Etti settlement."

Ginny gave Holly an odd look. "Dait? Etti? What are those?"

Hermione was glad that the details of Pecos Bill's book were still fresh in her mind. It allowed her to understand what Holly was talking about. "Etti are humans, or near-humans. They're descended from wizards and witches who migrated to the Mirror Realm thousands of years ago when most of the land gates were still open. But they're not completely human anymore, because they interbred with other beings. Dait are humanoid beings with some feline features, possibly the same type of beings who used to dwell in Australia," she explained, before turning to Holly again. "Your adopted sister's an Etti?"

Holly shook her head. "She looks like humans from this realm. That's what's so strange about her."

"She was from this realm?"

"It's possible, I can't be sure. Mother told me that the one who found my sister said there were no tracks, and she ought to have noticed some because she'd gone fishing near that spot the day before, so the tracks couldn't have faded yet."

"Unless someone erased them," Ginny pointed out.

"That's possible. However, the Dait have a very good sense of smell too, and the one who found Crystal told her chieftain that she hadn't smelled anything. She had no reason to lie about it."

"I reckon you're right. So your sister got sick and you didn't," Ginny said, steering the conversation back in its original direction.

Holly nodded. "I asked Mother what was wrong with Crystal, and she told me that I was much hardier than my sister because I am half Nalhati."

"That's a word I don't know," Hermione said, not being able to remember it having been mentioned in Pecos Bill's book.

"Caretakers call themselves that."

"I see. Say, why didn't you tell us about your sister?"

"You never asked," Holly said simply.

"Did you tell Harry?" Ginny asked.

"Yes. We talked about her once. He told me that I shouldn't have left my mother alone to come and look for him, so I told him that mother still had my sister to love."

A whooshing sound announced Ron's arrival on the Typhoon's bridge. "I hate politicians," he said, though his expression wasn't as severe as his tone.

Hermione leaned forward in her chair. "What happened?"

"One of the gits from the United States' Ministry showed up here with a handful of Aurors to try and arrest us—as if they could. He was among the ones who advocated the disbanding of the Order. He obviously hadn't heard the news yet."

"The United States Ministry has been preoccupied with other matters recently," Hermione pointed out. She wasn't terribly surprised that no one in the U.S. had been following Anastasiou's former puppets' declarations of innocence on account of having been placed under the Imperius Curse, while Agua Caliente and Laketown had been under attack from a terrifying enemy.

"True. Anyway, another official showed up a little later," Ron said, a smug grin appearing on his face. "It seems Commander Ironheart isn't completely above exacting petty revenge on petty bureaucrats. After introducing himself, he told the newcomer that he sensed no influence of the Imperius in the first Ministry official."

Hermione gasped. This was almost too good to be true. "He was exposed as a willing accomplice?"

Ron nodded. "The American Aurors had some Veritaserum on them, so they were able to verify it immediately."

"You don't look too happy," Ginny said, and Hermione too had noticed that Ron's earlier grin had vanished.

"It's just that the second Ministry official struck me as even slimier than the first one. I'm sure he'd have betrayed us too if he'd been given half a chance. But we helped his career today, and he'll be lauded as the hero."

"I haven't been here very long, but I have observed that people who are skilled at telling lies are often the leaders," Holly said. "It is not only here. While I travelled around with Bill back home, I noticed it too."

Hermione grimaced. "Manipulative people are often in positions of leadership, that's true. But keep in mind that it doesn't automatically mean that they're bad people. The Order of Illumination often manipulates to avoid conflict. The real trouble starts when those people begin using their cunning to achieve their own selfish ends at the expense of others. It's very easy to do so in a position of power, which is why so many fall prey to it."

"I…think I understand," Holly nodded.

"Yeah, the world's far from perfect. You'll have to ask Heidi how these politicians' minds work," Ron said. "Speaking of Heidi, Captain Kovalenko sent me to look for her. I can't find her anywhere?"

"Oh, I forgot," Ginny smiled sheepishly. "She's in Austria. We decided to place the baby in his family's care as soon as possible. She ought to be back soon. The plan was to leave the baby at her mum's, who would then contact the child's closer relatives in Germany."

"What baby?"

"I told you about it, Ron." Hermione said.

"Oh, that baby," Ron said. Then he gave his sister a dubious look. "Do you honestly believe she'll hurry back after dropping off the baby?"

Ginny frowned. "What do you mean?"

"She hasn't seen her mum after her dad was murdered. I think they'll have some serious mourning to do. We might not see her again for days."

"Bloody hell, I didn't think of that."

"Don't worry about it. I'll tell Commander Ironheart and Captain Kovalenko."

"D'you think the Ice Princess will let it slide?" Ginny asked uncertainly.

All of the sudden an inexplicable blush turned Ron's head into a fair approximation of a tomato. "I think Captain Kovalenko isn't as frosty as she's made out to be, Ginny."

Hermione knew lots of Rangers had issues and that there was probably a good reason why Captain Kovalenko seemed a bit cold. And if Ron said that the captain wasn't as cold as she appeared to be, Hermione believed him. But she wasn't sure why Ginny's comment had made Ron blush like an awkward teenager. He blushed even more deeply when he appeared to noticed her suspicious gaze on him. She knew him well enough to be able to tell that there was something he didn't want her to know. All the more reason for her to ferret it out, of course.

She was about to pester him about it when Matt and Gudrun arrived on the bridge.

Gudrun raised and eyebrow. "Dodging your chores, children?"

"The ladies were," Ron said. "I was actually looking for Heidi on Captain Kovalenko's behalf."

"Where is she? I need to talk to her too."

"Austria. There was an orphaned baby boy who turned out to be her second cousin once removed. She took him to her mum, who'll send him to his closer relatives."

"Guess we won't be seeing her for a while then," Matt said. "I think she and her mum will be crying on each other's shoulder for a while."

"Did everyone take a sensitivity course when I wasn't looking, or am I getting denser?" Ginny muttered.

"A little of both," Gudrun said teasingly. "Hermione and I are rubbing off on our men, and since you're not rubbing anyone you're not wearing away any layers and you're cluttering up."

"I'm not willing to rub on just anyone," Ginny said haughtily.

"Excuse me, but are you implying that my wife is rubbing on just anyone? I am not just anyone!" Matt said, pretending to be offended.

Hermione smirked. "What exactly are we talking about when we say rubbing?"

Gudrun chuckled. "You've got a dirty mind, Granger."

"That's because Ron's rubbing off on me," Hermione quipped.

Everyone except Holly laughed. She just blinked quizzically a few times.

"Innuendo," Ginny patted Holly's shoulder. "You'll get the hang of it."

A warm feeling spread through Hermione while she witnessed Ginny's sisterly behaviour towards Holly. It quickly vanished, however, when she remembered that Harry was still missing in action. If only he were all right…

"C'mon, sweetheart," Matt grabbed Gudrun's elbow. "You need to rest."

"Really, you're treating me as if I'm disabled," Gudrun protested.

"I nearly lost you today. Indulge me, all right?" The pain in Matt's tone cut like a knife.

Gudrun's mutinous expression softened, and a coy smile appeared on her lips. "It's awfully chilly in the sleeping compartment."

"Sorry. Commander Ironheart has a few chores for me. Grab extra blankets."

Gudrun twirled Matt's hair through her fingers. "Can't it wait?"

"I'm afraid not," Matt groaned, looking genuinely tempted. Then his resolve visibly crumbled. "Oh, I suppose fifteen minutes wouldn't matter much."

"Fifteen minutes? I need at least half an hour, husband," Gudrun bargained.

"We shouldn't push the Commander's patience…but if fifteen minutes is okay, I suppose twenty wouldn't be too much of a problem."

Ginny snorted and rolled her eyes.

Gudrun shot her a mischievous glance. "Envy doesn't suit you."

"As if!"

"C'mon, let's give the lovebirds some privacy," Ron said, guiding Hermione to the levitation surface.

Ginny muttered something under her breath.

"What do you mean by 'more like bunnies'?" Holly asked Ginny.

Ginny blushed. "Never mind."

*

A dozen to the left of him and a dozen to the right, each one a specimen of perfection. The only blemish was Wormtail, who was cowering next to him. Draco had considered transforming Wormtail too, but in the end he'd decided to keep him around as a reminder of how wretched the lesser beings could really be. More pops and cracks announced the arrival of other avatars of his. The Rangers' ships loomed up ahead, and the fear emanating from the wizards on the outskirts of the encampment hit him like a tidal wave.

Draco briefly concentrated, pooling the resources of his avatars. The fear grew as the wizards realised that Apparating was no longer and option. He'd made Apparition impossible for fifty miles in every direction.

Two Rangers drew their wands and fired stunners at two of his avatars, only to see their feeble spells bounce off powerful Shield Charms. Draco laughed, and his avatars mimicked him. Their laughter echoed over the island, drawing the attention of his remaining foes instantly.

The rain of curses on his ranks increased tenfold. The fools initially only threw feeble hexes at him, but they seemed to learn their lesson quickly enough, and green beams began to pour into his ranks. Of course, since his avatars were all endowed with extreme speed, they avoided the curses by twisting their upper bodies and stepping sideways when necessary. He felt the fear among the lesser beings grow even deeper, though to his chagrin he traced most of it back to his own servant, Wormtail, who was cowering at the back of the formation now, hoping the enemy wouldn't target him.

A mental command later his avatars had broken into a sprint, quickly overtaking everyone in their path and transforming them into avatars of his own, adding them to the collective. He'd been more discriminating about his former additions, only personally assimilating new wizards and witches. But now there was no need for any more subtlety.

He felt the thoughts and memories of the assimilated Rangers seep into his thoughts. Caer Sidi was indeed under the Fidelius though it would no longer be invisible to him. He'd pay the last of the Rangers a visit after he was done with the ones in Laketown. After that, the whole world would be at his mercy.

The fear his enemies felt turned into complete and utter terror as they saw what happened to their comrades. Their mounting sense of desperation was invigorating. Yet there was no sign of Granger or the Weasleys yet. As the thought crossed his mind, the link to yet another person was made. The image of a girl in her late teens presented itself in his mind's eye, along with the knowledge they'd had about her.

Potter's daughter—she had come from the Mirror Realm, travelling backwards through time—she was a half-immortal? That was very interesting. And if the Mirror Realm could indeed alter the time currents like that, perhaps it ought to be his next stop. He could easily go back in time and subjugate the present, establishing himself as a god in the past as well. No, he just as quickly realised, that wouldn't be possible. His existence in the present depended on leaving the past unchanged. But that didn't mean he couldn't conquer the Mirror Realm as well. He'd have to grow more powerful first, for there were still Nalhati immortals in the Mirror Realm. Once he enslaved every witch and wizard in this Realm, however, he'd be able to squash them like bugs.

A pity that Potter had died when the ship went down in Lake Michigan. Now he wouldn't be able to witness how Draco would turn his daughter into a personal concubine. Draco fervently hoped that the story about people being able to look on from the afterlife was true. It would cause Potter endless torment to see his woman and daughter serving—and servicing—Draco.

He smirked. His search was over. One of his avatars had caught sight of the Weasleys and Granger. They had just emerged from a Cruiser. Potter's daughter was with them. He casually strolled over to them while his other avatars completed their work, assimilating all the Rangers they could find. Their skill and knowledge was a welcome addition to his collective, and his increase in power was more noticeable than when he'd assimilated lesser wizards.

"Malfoy!"

"Weasel," Malfoy's avatar responded. Draco decided to let him initiate the conversation while he was on the way. "You always must have known that this day would come. And you must have known that you would lose. It was—after all—inevitable."

Draco had gathered more of his avatars around him as he'd made his way over to the Weasleys and Granger. He personally picked up the conversation again. "I can sense your revulsion, though you needn't worry. I am not going to assimilate you or your Mudblood whore. I'm just going to kill you, very slowly, though not before I've made you watch each and everyone of my avatars have their way with her."

He sensed a flash of recognition from Ginny. She'd noticed her ring on his little finger, and the fact that none of his avatars were wearing it, a difference he had created on purpose. She'd correctly concluded that he was the original, yet she'd incorrectly concluded that killing him would end things. Not that she could kill him.

Her rage gathered and she drew her wand. In the time it had taken her to draw her wand, he could have stopped her in a variety of lethal and non-lethal ways. But he chose to endure the inevitable Avada Kedavra, if only to prove his point about the inevitability of his victory and the futility of their resistance.

Draco revelled in their shock after the greenish light of her curse had washed over him with no apparent effect. "You shouldn't have done that," he said shaking his head melodramatically. "Yes, Ginny, you correctly guessed that I'm the original. You actually believed that killing me would have set the others free? Well, I suppose my destruction would have accomplished that. But there was one little snag to your plan. I can't be destroyed! However, you have me juggling with that Killing Curse now, and someone will have to die."

He began to pace around. "Should I kill one of the Rangers? Let's see…which one were you close to? I could kill my grandfather, or perhaps the healer, Lilia? She was your friend, wasn't she? Or maybe it ought to be someone from home? Eeny meeny miny moe, who will stay and who will go? Ah, I have it!"

He swapped the essence of one of the Avatars next to him with another one. It would surely break their spirits. He smiled. "I believe you know him! The day before yesterday, in England, I added him to the collection." He transferred the deadly energy to the avatar. He changed back to his original form and fell flat on his back, looking at the sky with lifeless eyes.

"Voldemort only managed to have one killed, so I thought I'd complete the collection and kill the other."

*

Ginny's shriek pierced the complete silence that had overtaken Laketown. Ron's legs failed to hold him upright, and he fell to his knees. It couldn't be true…not George!

Before Ron, Hermione or Holly could stop her, Ginny rushed over to George and kneeled beside him, no longer paying attention to the smirking Malfoys surrounding her.

"Of course it's true, Weasley," Malfoy said. "You know, my father always said that your mother's temper would someday cause your family a whole lot of grief. In light of recent events, one could think he might have been displaying some of the Seer blood the Malfoys have been said to possess. Though one wouldn't have needed to be a Seer to see this coming."

"Stop gloating! Just get it over with! You're here to kill us aren't you?" Ginny cried, cradling George's body in her arms. "Get it over with!"

"But your anguish is so much more delicious," Malfoy laughed. "Why end it so quickly? It would make for a good story. I could use your brother's emotional feedback to refine my way of telling the tale while he watches my avatars have their way with his Mudblood. Then, when it's just right, I'll remind you of it while we're consummating our belated union."

Ron's blood boiled. How he longed to wipe that superior smirk off Malfoy's face.

"Go ahead, Weasley. Give it everything you've got. I'd love to see your brother's business partner lying there beside—"

Malfoy stopped in mid-sentence, his eyes widening in something that looked remarkably like fear. Ron was about to feel even more ill than he already was. Something that could cause Malfoy concern had to be very bad indeed. But Holly's delighted squeal changed his mind. Her glowing eyes were looking straight at a large cloud that was quickly producing a tornado-like funnel cloud. It spat out a small figure that swooped out of its fall and headed straight towards them at an incredible speed.

Seconds later it was it was upon them, landing hard between the horde of Malfoys and Ron, sending up stony debris and a large cloud of dust. The rocks bounced off an invisible shield a few feet in front of them. From the corner of his eye, Ron saw Holly with a look of concentration on her face, holding out her arms in a warding gesture. She had created the shield. Moments later, Ginny, along with George's body, came floating out of the dust-cloud, dragged by some invisible force. They settled down behind Holly.

"Thank you, Holly," an oddly resounding voice said. It sounded like two voices speaking at the same time.

The dust gradually cleared, revealing a man in dark clothing. He was about as tall as Ron was, though he had much more muscle mass.

"Potter!" Malfoy spat.

Ron frowned. He hadn't seen the face, but except for the hair, the man didn't look like Harry.

"No. I am no longer Harry Potter or Maximilian Wolfe. I am Phoenix!"

When Phoenix spoke those words, he began to manifest an aura similar to the one Ron had seen Harry manifest shortly before facing down his double.

Phoenix half-turned his head and glanced at Ron. Ron's heart caught in his throat when he saw Harry's emerald green eye-colour, and the lightning-shaped scar on Wolfe's face. The answer to the riddle dawned on him. The prophecy had been fulfilled. Only one had emerged.

"Board that Cruiser and take off. I'll deal with Malfoy."

"I'm afraid no one leaves without my permission," Malfoy drawled. The other Malfoys all raised their wands and aimed them in their general direction. "This won't be as much fun as torturing your friends, but it'll give me nearly the same amount of satisfaction."

The fatal syllables of the Killing Curse emanated from dozens of throats at the same time. Ron threw his arms around Hermione and closed his eyes, yet the flashes of green light still penetrated his eyelids. Everything was deathly quiet afterwards, except, the sound of his own heartbeat pounded in his ears, and he felt Hermione stir in his arms.

"Impossible!" Malfoy hissed.

When Ron opened his eyes, an amazing sight greeted him. Phoenix was surrounded by a golden aura. Its volume and intensity was much greater than that of the whitish aura he'd had previously. Several green circles of light surrounded him, like Saturn surrounded by its rings.

With a casual gesture, Phoenix sent the rings shooting upward, where they dissipated into tiny green sparks that quickly dissolved into nothingness.

"You are going down!" Phoenix growled.

A pain of strong arms hoisted Ron to his feet. "We have to go."

Ron blinked. Holly had already taken Ginny into the Cruiser while he'd been too shocked to move, and now she was urging them to do the same. "Uh, right. C'mon Hermione—"

"You are not going anywhere," Malfoy screamed maniacally.

"Please hurry," Phoenix said calmly.

Green light reflected off the Cruiser's hull as Ron, Hermione and Holly ran towards the Cruiser. None of them died, so he guessed that Phoenix had stopped the curses again. His last glimpse through the closing ramp confirmed it. The last of the green sparks were dissipating into nothingness.

"Holly, please help George," Ginny wailed.

"I'm sorry," Holly said softly. "I can nourish the smallest spark of life, but I can't create life from cold ashes."

"Hermione, secure George," Ron said brokenly, while he hurried towards the levitation surface. It was hard to keep his thoughts coherent, but for all their sakes he had to blunt out the pain he was feeling. He knew he couldn't rely on Ginny just now, so he didn't give her any orders. Not that he really blamed her. If he'd been the one to inadvertently cause George's death, he'd likely have been in the same condition Ginny was in.

Once on the bridge, he plopped down into the pilot's chair. He was by no means an expert in handling Cruisers, but he knew enough to let it take off. There wasn't any time for a proper activation sequence so he pressed the emergency start up button. The Cruiser sputtered like a child being fed some disgusting food, but soon everything seemed to be up and running. He roughly shoved the vertical ascension lever, causing the Cruiser to jump into the air. The Cruiser began pitching forward dangerously, forcing Ron to pull the yoke towards him. But he'd overcompensated, because the next moment he saw only the sky. He silently thanked the ship's designers for the foresight they'd shown by adding the gravity charms. Even so, his manoeuvring might have thrown Hermione off her feet in the lower deck.

"See, I told you the Cruiser wasn't rocking because of us," Gudrun's voice sounded. "What do you think you're doing, Ron?"

"While you two were having fun, things went really badly outside," Ron snapped. "I think we're the only ones who haven't been transformed into Malfoys."

"What?" Gudrun said, sitting down into the other co-pilot's chair. "Let go of the controls, I've got it. And what do you mean with transformed Malfoys?"

Ron turned to face her, but words failed him when he saw that she was wearing a sheet.

"You were flying like a drunken troll," Gudrun said. "I couldn't let you crash us while I was putting on my uniform."

"Right." He cleared his throat. "Malfoy's back and he's really powerful now. And he's got this power where he can transform other people into a likeness of himself. He can also control them—" Ron paused to swallow the lump out of his throat and get a better grip on his emotions "—and he can't be killed. Ginny tried. We found out that he can transfer the effects of the curse to any of the people he's transformed. It seems he transformed my brother George a couple of days ago."

Gudrun's eyes filled with shock. "He killed your—what can we do against someone like that?"

"Nothing. We can only stay out of Harry's way while he deals with him."

Gudrun gasped. "Harry's back?" Her light blue eyes quickly filled with hope.

Ron nodded. "It's not exactly Harry, though. It calls itself Phoenix. It's a combination between Harry and Wolfe. Looks like the prophecy came true after all. Just not in the way any of us expected it to."

*

To Phoenix it seemed like being able to see after a lifetime of blindness. He saw things the way they truly were. He perceived and understood the flow of magic around him. He could see the web that bound the enslaved wizards and witches to Korumu's stone, and saw the stone itself pulse with a foul sanguine light where Malfoy's heart used to be.

He sensed that Malfoy had chosen not to continue the confrontation on Phoenix's chosen battleground, and was preparing to leave. But Phoenix couldn't allow that. The stone's power would grow as more wizards and witches were enslaved by it, and if too many people were enslaved, there would be no way to stop Malfoy's onslaught.

Phoenix cast his own anti-Apparition spell on the region. "You're not going anywhere, Malfoy. We are going to end this here and now. You have every reason to be afraid. After I strip the stone's power from you and free the enslaved, I'll bring you to justice for all the evil you've done."

"I wasn't going anywhere."

"You're forgetting that Wolfe is part of me. I can read your thoughts. It seems you've gained that ability yourself…through some dark means," Phoenix said. "Always seeking outside power, because within you've always been weak and spineless. As Wolfe would say, you never had any balls. Ginny just corrected your outward appearance in accordance with your inner one."

"You'll pay for that!" Malfoy snarled.

"I'm shaking in my boots," Phoenix retorted. "You know I'm much more powerful than you are. Be a good boy and sever the connection to Korumu's stone. I can't promise you leniency from the authorities, but at least you'll spare yourself the humiliation.

"Think you're more powerful, do you? What you see now is only a hint of what I'm capable of. You've stood in my way for the last time!" Malfoy said, as he steadily built up the same filthy red aura the stone was producing within him.

Phoenix saw the auras of all the stone's slaves diminish to near-nothingness. Malfoy was leeching every available ounce of power out of them, and one by one they fell unconscious. His overall power was soon concentrated around the stone now, and it easily equalled Phoenix's.

"Scared?" Malfoy drawled

"You wish," Phoenix said, though he definitely felt a growing amount of concern.

"You thought you were fighting a madman, but now you've realised that you're fighting a god!" Malfoy cackled. "We've seen that you can stop the Killing Curse. Let's see how you fare against this."

A Quaffle-sized orb of the same colour as Malfoy's aura formed in his hand, and he hurled it at Phoenix.

Phoenix tried to channel the present magical currents around the projectile to redirect it like he'd redirected the Killing Curses, but to no avail. He barely managed to evade the projectile, feeling a sharp pain in his side as it grazed him.

The projectile exploded behind him, causing a small earthquake and creating narrow but deep fissures in the ground. Dust was all around him, and he couldn't see Malfoy until it was too late to dodge the vicious uppercut that would've taken anyone else's head clean off. As it was, the energy of the impact lifted him to his feet and sent him flying up into the clouds.

Unfortunately, the stone seemed to have increased Malfoy's intelligence as well. The memories provided by Harry and Wolfe portrayed Malfoy as someone who always stopped to gloat when he had a clear upper hand. Malfoy, who also appeared to be also capable of flying unaided, pursued him into the clouds, overtook him and smashed him back earthward.

Phoenix could only channel his inner magic, hoping that he'd strengthened his body enough for the imminent impact. His earth-shattering crash didn't stop at the surface. The rocky island's soil violently broke apart around Phoenix's body as the sheer force of his crash drove him into the ground.

Fighting to stay conscious, he shoved a few boulders aside and rolled onto his back. He was immediately faced with dozens of sanguine-coloured magic projectiles raining down into the crater he was lying in. Not all of them were accurately aimed, but the ones that seemed to be headed towards him would finish him off easily. Some of them hit, further battering Phoenix's injured form. The others collapsed the walls of the crater. Boulders of all sizes rolled down the slopes and piled on top of him, obscuring the light of day.

The pressure of the boulders on his broken ribs, along with all the blood from his internal injuries made it hard to breathe. Pain blossomed along his broken jaw as he clenched his teeth. It couldn't end like this. The consequences for his friends and family would be devastating. Hermione and Ron would be tortured and finally killed. An earlier glimpse into Malfoy's depraved mind had revealed a fate worse than death awaiting Ginny and Holly. And Galatea—Malfoy would probably kill her and her unborn son to punish Phoenix posthumously for trying to stop him.

Phoenix clenched his unbroken left hand into a fist. Failure was not an option. The burning in his lungs spread throughout his body, but the fiery sensation rapidly became a comforting warmth. He was suddenly breathing a lot easier, and the pain in his body drained away, leaving him revitalised. He'd experienced this type of healing once before, though it didn't come close to the intensity of the magic stealing through his form right now.

Maybe Malfoy was thinking the fight was over, but as far as Phoenix was concerned, it was just starting. He concentrated, creating an expanding bubble of golden light that shifted the rubble away from him. The boulders at the top of his would-be tomb shattered, bringing the cloudy sky back into view, as well as an incredulous-looking Malfoy.

"We're not done, Malfoy!" Phoenix roared. "The whole world is crying out for your defeat, and I'm not about to let them down."

The anti-Apparition spell had faded while Phoenix had been weakened, and he was now going to use it to his advantage. Malfoy was oblivious when Phoenix reappeared behind him and kicked him down to the island below. Calculating Malfoy's trajectory, Phoenix Apparated again and appeared below Malfoy, catching him in the stomach with his outstretched arm. Malfoy spat out black blood as the driving fist decimated the internal organs clustered around the area. Then Phoenix grabbed Malfoy's hair with his left hand, drew his right hand away from Malfoy's belly and drove it into his nose with all strength available to him, sending him crashing into the ground while Phoenix held onto a clump of Malfoy's hair as a souvenir. "If I must… I'll take a piece of you at a time."

Phoenix once again set up an anti-Apparition ward many miles in every direction, knowing that his enemy's escape would be disastrous. Malfoy was weakening, but he wasn't weak enough for the bond with the stone to be broken. Phoenix knew he had to be careful, for killing Malfoy while he harnessed all the life taken from his slaves meant killing the slaves too. That would effectively bring about the end of the Order of Illumination.

Phoenix watched as his nemesis crawled out of the crater created by his impact. Malfoy glared up at Phoenix while his flattened nose repaired itself. "You are not the only one who can regenerate."

"You won't be regenerating next time," Phoenix said. He stirred the power within himself, preparing to release it at Malfoy. He brought his wrists together in front of his abdomen and directed the energy flow to the space between his cupped hands. A ball of turquoise energy flared to life. "Try this on for size!"

A superior smirk appeared on Malfoy's face as the turquoise sphere hurtled towards him. At the last instant, he twisted to the left and the sphere shot past him.

"You're too slow," Malfoy drawled. "You didn't honestly believe that you'd hit me with that, did you?"

"Did you hear or feel any kind of explosion?" Phoenix asked calmly, unable to keep a smile of his face. The stone might have made Malfoy smarter, but deep down, Malfoy was still Malfoy.

"What are you talking about?"

"This!" Phoenix said, milliseconds before the turquoise ball hit Malfoy in the back. He'd been so busy patting himself on the back for dodging the projectile to begin with, that he hadn't considered the fact that it could change its path and come back at him like a Bludger. Malfoy's inability to sense the sphere approaching from behind also told Phoenix that Malfoy was as limited as he was when it came to sensing or affecting each other's special magical projectiles.

Knowing the time to strike was finally at hand, Phoenix dissolved his anti-Apparition spell again half a heartbeat after his attack hit Malfoy, who was momentarily weakened by Phoenix's attack. He appeared behind Malfoy, rendered his hand intangible with the special powers imparted on him by the pendants, and reached into the back of his enemy. He could feel the stone burn against his hand. It was nearly unbearable, as the stone resisted with all the magic inside it.

But Phoenix pressed on, knowing that Malfoy would Apparate away if he let go. And if that happened, all would be lost. He'd grow so powerful that it would be impossible to stop him. Bit by bit, Phoenix pulled his hand out of Malfoy's back. Then the stone was out and the web shattered. In his peripheral vision, Phoenix saw the assimilated wizards and witches take on their own form. Malfoy slumped forward, unconscious.

Korumu's Bloodstone was no longer burning in Phoenix's hand. It reached out to Phoenix and sought to communicate with him through Wolfe's ability.

"Don't bother," Phoenix spat. "You will be destroyed. I won't let you cause any more misery."

The stone began to burn again, conveying a menacing message.

Phoenix already knew it. The stone's destruction would cause an explosion that rivalled that of small Muggle nuclear weapon. It would be enough to kill even him. But he couldn't let that deter him. He looked up at the sky, where rays of sunlight were now poking through gaps in the dark clouds. The weather reflected the way things would be if he didn't follow through. Future generations would have struggle like those narrow columns of light, against the overwhelming dark clouds that didn't have a silver lining.

Phoenix took off, briefly wondering if Ginny and Galatea would support him in this decision as he made his way higher into the atmosphere. The thinning air and increasing cold didn't affect him one bit, another testimony to the power of the pendants, which created a thin protective layer around his body.

He cleared the ten miles of troposphere and continued on into the stratosphere, stopping at an altitude of nearly twenty-five miles. Ironically, it was a memory of the wizard-raised Wolfe which provided the passing thought that the pilots of the few Muggle experimental aircraft that reached that attitude needed special, pressurised suits to prevent their blood from literally boiling. The Dursleys had systematically deprived Harry of any such opportunity to learn anything outside of what was taught at school, or knowledge that could only be gathered outside Dudley's narrow interest in television programmes. Muggles…Phoenix briefly wondered what they would do to explain away the explosion.

As he held the stone cupped in his left hand while he cocked back his right arm, readying himself to deliver a crushing blow, he hoped he was high enough not to affect Muggle aeroplane traffic. He infused his right hand with every ounce of power he possessed, and drove it into the stone.

***

Gogirl: The end is in sight. I'm proof reading the final chapter now, before sending it to my betas.

LadySiri: The destruction of the evil stone would release a wave of energy akin to that of a small nuclear weapon. Korumu's Stone, a.k.a. the Periapt/Amulet of Absolute Power, is what keeps Korumu alive, much in the same way the One Ring keeps Sauron of LoTR alive. So the energy released by the destruction would kill Phoenix. (Harry/Wolfe) The destruction of the stone means that it's creator dies. And the death of its creator means that his twin brother, (Novoridu, the caretaker of the winds) dies too, because his existence is bound to his evil twin's.

Does that clarify things?

Wand*Light: No, Merlin wasn't her teacher, and the identity of the teacher isn't really important. Harry being the griffin isn't an allusion to Ruskbyte's fics. The mythical griffin is often seen as a warlike yet virtuous totem, so I reckon Ruskbyte and I were inspired by the same source.

Thoroughbred: The drama is far from over. You'll just have to wait and see.

CatatonicReaction: Ruskbyte's fics tend to have slow-ish starts, that's true. But his style in general kept me hanging on until it got interesting.

Jake: Yikes, I've been at this for a year!

Foxfur: I heard that it hurts once the anaesthetic wears off. That true? Anyway, about Merlin: According to the legends Merlin has no father. In the older legends it was a nature spirit of some sort. The christianised version spoke of Merlin having been sired by an incubus, but cleansed from the evil heritage through baptism and retaining only the good stuff, like his magic. And no, I didn't mention this in the fic.

nycgal: Remember, not a word about what we discussed. :-)

Lady Reaper of the Shadows: How indeed.

Stefanie: Moira, who is indeed the Mistress, learned how to absorb magical powers and did so left and right. She also took a Veela's powers, hence her appearance. I never mention this directly in the story but I dropped hints about it here and there.

Ginny6S: Changed your name again? Chapter 38 is nearly finished as I type. You'll be getting it in the mail a few days after I post chapter 37.

Fiona: Details? What details?

jona: No, the prophecy is definitely Harry versus Wolfe, (if you re-read it carefully you'll see that the description fits Wolfe's sequence of events slightly better) although it was fun to watch you people puzzle about it. ;-) Actually, I made the two situations so similar on purpose.

Lord Dreadnault: Good to see you're still reading.

The Bronze Snidget: That's right. It is supposed to be unclear. If you need an explanation, look at the answer I left for LadySiri.

~*Obsessed~with~Snuffles*~: I think the ending is best described as bittersweet. The final chapter will end on a positive note, of course. But to the characters it will hardly seem happy, with all the loss.

Viva: Long time indeed. No, as far as I know stories like Ruskbyte's and mine are rare, and I don't know of any similar ones.

Anthena McGonagall: Wow, my audience is more diverse than I thought.

Earl: How did you like the showdown?

rocket boy: The Matrix references are a joke. I'm not copying the Matrix for want of inspiration.