Thanks for all the awesome reviews! They make me very happy!
Gil: Lots of things ake you happy. Like cheese, for example.
Me: Cheese rocks!!!
Chapter 13: Back to Earlier
I know by the look
That I see in your eyes
I won't stand around
And I won't watch you die...
-Nickelback
Not 10 minutes earlier...
Harry Potter and Ron Weasley made their way through the now bloody battlefield. The sights and smells were thoroughly repulsive. Harry had to work hard to keep himself from being violently sick.
They had to leap to the ground several times to avoid curses and soon they were anything but spotless.
"Where are we going?" Ron asked.
"The Forbidden Forest," Harry told him. Ron did not argue. Harry didn't know how, but somehow he knew exactly where he would find Hermione. A sense of urgency grew within him. His scar burned horribly against his head but he hardly felt a thing. Hermione was in trouble.
Ron yelled. Harry turned sharply on his heal, wand raised. A Death Eater bore down on his friend.
Harry's reason left him at the sight of his friend's impending danger. Without thinking, he yelled, "Hey!"
The Death Eater looked up. When he saw Harry, he hesitated and took a step backwards. The next second it dropped to the ground. Harry saw Lupin with his wand pointing at the Death Eater. Lupin blinked when he saw Harry.
This is it, Harry thought.
His professor shook his head. "Never thought I'd see the day when you let your guard down."
Harry and Ron looked at each other. Lupin followed Harry's gaze and looked horrified to see Ron standing there. "What are you doing out here? You should have taken a portkey out of here with the others!"
"What-" Ron began, completely nonplussed.
"Bloody hell," Remus muttered-which, Harry thought, seemed highly appropriate for their present predicament. "Why did you let him out here?" He asked Harry angrily. The next second he pulled something out of his pocket and grabbed Ron's arm.
"Professor!" Harry yelled, panicked.
It was too late. Lupin opened his mouth, the surprised expression on his face quickly turning to one of horror. The next second they vanished, leaving Harry very much alone.
Harry froze. His immobility lasted seconds longer than expected. A Death Eater fell back onto him, clutching his throat as if he couldn't breathe. The Death Eater's attacker-whose head was cloaked-turned and walked into the forest.
The Death Eater struggled to his feet. When he saw Harry, his eyes opened wider and he fumbled for a wand, still breathing in ragged gasps as if he was overexerting himself.
Harry's wand was already in his hand. Pointing it at the Death Eater, he shouted, "Stupefy!"
The Death Eater was ready. A simple shield stopped Harry's curse and sent him ducking to the ground as it rebounded back on him. Harry rolled and sent a spell flying at the Death Eater before he could even get back on his feet.
His wand moving quickly, the Death Eater blocked it and sent three spells, one after the other, straight at Harry. Harry sent the first two back at him and dodged the third one as he felt his shield weakening.
His shield dropped with him and the next second the Death Eater shot the Impedimenta Jinx at Harry and hit him hard in the side. He froze instantly.
The Death Eater smirked, still having trouble breathing. "My master... will be pleased... when he learns... of your demise."
Harry couldn't say anything and the curse showed no signs of weakening.
The Death Eater raised his wand.
Like a flash of light, thought shot through Harry's mind. He couldn't do anything! Hermione was in trouble...Hermione was in trouble!
Determination rose in Harry. He couldn't just stand there while his friends were in trouble! Yes, he had a 'saving people thing', but these were his friends! He'd lost too many to the hand of Voldemort to loose another. He couldn't back down without a fight.
The Death Eater saw none of this. He brought his wand swooshing over his head yelling, "Avada-"
The next second he blew backwards by an unknown force. Harry's limbs instantly regained feeling and he looked down upon the Death Eater, power coursing through him that he had never known before.
He was beyond any form of astonishment. He felt anger at this Death Eater for keeping him here while Hermione was in danger. Hermione had gone through enough.
The Death Eater seemed to have lost all ability to breathe. He had been struggling before, as if a hand had been pressed to his mouth and he had a stuffy nose, but now he was hyperventilating.
Harry turned from him and walked back toward the forest, back toward Hermione. The Death Eater would not live through this battle.
Harry stopped right before the forest. There seemed to be a voice from somewhere.
"Help me, Harry! Please help me!" It was Hermione.
"This is a trap," Harry said aloud, realizing that once again Voldemort had played him like a deck of cards. "Voldemort kidnapped Hermione because he knew that I would go after her."
Harry didn't hesitate longer. There was no one to help his friend now but him. If he never showed up, Hermione would die. He stepped into the forest.
Instantly the sounds of the battle disappeared. Harry felt his skin crawl. The forest reeked of the evil that lay hidden in it. Harry could almost feel it around him.
"Harry!" called Hermione's voice. It sounded like it was just beyond the trees. "Help me!"
Harry resisted the urge to yell for her. It would be stupid to give away his position now. Though, being a tiny spark of good in a forest of evil, he was hardly untraceable.
"Harry!" came the voice again.
Harry hesitated. That couldn't be Hermione.
He wasn't as clever as Hermione, but he certainly wasn't brainless. How could Hermione have known he was coming? Even if she did, Harry knew her well enough to know that she would not call for him. She wouldn't want her friends to be in danger. Another trick of Voldemort.
Harry walked carefully, trying not to make a sound. Hermione's voice always seemed right in front of him, but when he reached it, it always seemed further away.
He knew Voldemort tried to lure him somewhere, to fight in his territory, but Harry had no way of stopping him. Voldemort held all the cards. Harry was just a pawn. This was just another chess game, like he played with Ron. Harry and Voldemort were the kings. All help had left them to fight alone- winner take all.
The voice stopped. Harry found himself in pitch blackness with no clear idea where he was.
The pitch blackness suddenly lifted to reveal Hermione, tied magically to a tree.
Without thinking, Harry ran up to her. He pulled the gag out of her mouth.
Hermione's cheeks streaked with tears and dirt covered her face.
"Harry!" She almost sobbed when she saw him. "It's too late! Voldemort's here! The gag! You shouldn't have touched the gag!"
Harry felt a jerk behind his navel and the next second he spun quickly, disappearing to somewhere he knew he had no want to be.
He landed with a thud on the hard ground. Hermione fell to the ground next to him. She was still tied tightly, but she yelled for him instantly.
"Hermione!" Harry said. He tried to untie her hands, but the knots seemed to have melted together.
"Don't, Harry!" Hermione said. "Voldemort doesn't want me involved. He's here! He's been waiting on you. Please, Harry, get out of here! I'll be fine!"
"You'll be dead, that's what you'll be," Harry said angrily, trying to no avail to untie the knots.
"Well," said a cold voice from the shadows around them, "You'll both be quite dead in the end anyway."
Harry froze, not daring to look around.
"Ah, yes," said the cruel voice of Voldemort from behind Harry. "I see you remember me. I remember you quite well, you see. You and you alone have gone against me and yet still live."
Harry could find nothing to say to this, instead, his hands worked more furiously to get Hermione's knots undone.
"Ah, yes, the Mudblood. You have done your part." Hermione suddenly lifted from the ground and flew against a waiting tree. "No doubt you figured my trap long before you fell for it," Voldemort continued. "I made quite sure that you had no other choice, you see. Every person that could protect you is...preoccupied."
Harry slowly stood up and faced the man that had haunted his dreams since before he could remember. Cold, red eyes looked back at him. Harry resisted the urge not to yell in horror and take a step back. No matter how much extra training Dumbledore had put him through, he was not prepared. He couldn't be prepared. Not for this...
"It occurs to me," Voldemort said suddenly, "That I am the only one doing any talking. I'm quite interested to know what you think of this whole situation. I put quite a lot of planning into it, you see. I don't know if you have noticed this or not, but I would much prefer to have you dead than alive."
Voldemort looked at Harry, his red eyes taunting him. It occurred to Harry that he might be expected to speak. He wasn't entirely sure what he planned to say before the words came out.
"You're sick..."
Voldemort, instead of looking offended, smiled his horrible smile. "So I'm told. The truth however, is that I am quite well. It is my enemies, on the other hand, that come to an untimely demise."
Harry couldn't trust himself to speak again. He's already screwed it up the first time.
"I suppose my master plan was to kill Dumbledore before our first attack on the school. You can see how that messed up. I had also originally intended to kill the entire family of those red-headed idiots. But...circumstances change."
Anger boiled inside Harry. How could a person speak so calmly about ending the lives of hundreds of innocent people? But he had come to understand long ago that Voldemort was much less than human.
And in that instant, Harry felt his fear melt away as if every word Dumbledore had ever told him finally decided to sink in. He felt himself go beyond such petty things as life and death. No matter what happened there that day, the suffering would be over for him. He could finally be free of everything that seemed to have haunted him since birth. The prophecy would be fulfilled. The danger would be over. Life would be better. Death would be better.
Harry stood facing Voldemort with a calm air about him that would have surprised anyone. He surveyed the 'flight of death' with the cool collectiveness that any other could never hope to achieve. But his life had been leading up to this. This was the reason he had been chosen before birth. He was ready now, as he had never been ready for anything in his life.
With that epiphany moment, the pain in his scar that had bothered him for so long lessened until it was less than an itch.
Voldemort seemed to have sensed the change. "The end is near, Harry Potter."
"Yes it is, Voldemort," Harry said in a strong voice.
"I see you have learned to accept death. Well, that's not as much fun. I rather hoped you would cry for mercy," Voldemort said with that horrible thin-lipped smile.
"I don't cry," Harry said coldly.
"Oh, but you will," Voldemort smirked. "Trust me, Harry."
"I wouldn't trust you if you saved my life."
"Now, now, Harry. You should be more trusting. It's a virtue."
"What would you know about virtues, Voldemort?" Harry asked frostily. "You're anything but virtuous."
"If I had a heart," Voldemort said with a sneer, "It would be broken."
"Then it's a good thing you don't."
"Enough small talk. Let's get down to business."
"Eager to die?" Harry almost heard himself say.
Voldemort did not look startled. "No. Eager to kill."
Voldemort had the spell out of his mouth before Harry had a chance to send up a shield, but Voldemort had not caught him completely unprepared. Rolling to the side, he dodged it and was on his feet in an instant. He shouted a curse which Voldemort's shield shot back at him. He dodged.
Harry's mind raced faster than it had ever done before, but his body worked mainly off instinct. Each dodge, each feint, was not planned. He did it automatically, as if he had been training his entire life.
Voldemort shot a spell. Harry dodged. Harry shot a spell, Voldemort deflected.
He knew he could not keep it up. He used more energy than Voldemort for every move and he would have to start sending a few spells back. Voldemort sent a curse coming his way. Harry shot up a shield with all the power he could muster.
The shield bent under the power, but it did not break. Harry felt certain that if he should reach out a hand, he could have touched the curse, his shield bent back so far, but it held and the spell went shooting back toward the caster.
There was a lull in the fighting.
"I expected better, Harry, I really did," Voldemort said lazily, twirling his wand around his long, thin fingers.
"If you really wanted to talk," Harry said. "Then you wouldn't have brought me here. You would have invited me for tea."
"That's very true," Voldemort said. "Though I have long ago stopped drinking tea, myself. It's really a terrible waste of time."
Harry opened his mouth to respond, but the next second Voldemort yelled, "Crucio!" and he fell to the ground, yelling in pain.
* * *
Harry exited the forest. He barely saw the battlefield in front of him he was searching for something...there.
He caught the faintest trace of a signature so much like his own, but weaker. Far too weak...
Harry followed the trail, his dark cloak and powerful aurora keeping away potential attacker. Those who could not feel his power had long ago died.
The trail led into the forbidden forest. Harry did not hesitate. Voldemort must be in there. Harry must be in there.
He entered once again the forest of darkness-all light extinguished. The sun did not shine through the trees. Harry's signature traced easily. His pace quickened. He was getting close. He turned another tree and found that Harry's signature had vanished entirely.
Cursing, Harry closed his already useless eyes and concentrated on finding the reason for the disappearance. There was a powerful magic. It had been close to this tree...a portkey. Voldemort had portkeyed Harry somewhere.
But there was another signature on the tree as well. Harry's eyes opened in horror. Hermione...
* * *
Harry got to his feet shakily. The Cruciatus curse had been more painful than he remembered. His body still ached.
"Well, that wasn't very nice of me, was it?" Voldemort asked, smirking.
Harry didn't answer. He glared at Voldemort for a split second before continuing the duel once again.
Harry's entire body stopped aching. This was what he had to do, and nothing else in the world mattered. He moved faster, smoother, and more powerful than he had ever done in training. His wand whipped like a sword in front of him, a powerful blade stopping every attack. Every attack, but one...
"Crucio!" Voldemort shouted. Harry's shield did not hold. He fell to the ground again, screaming out his lungs.
The pain stopped for a split second. Voldemort had seen that Harry posed a threat-that he was no longer a joke. This duel needed to be wrapped up quickly.
Harry felt himself thrown against a tree. He hit his head with a crack and stars winked before his eyes. Voldemort approached slowly. Harry attempted to struggle to his feet.
"No, don't get up," Voldemort said. Harry felt a powerful magic pushing him down again. "I'm afraid I'm quickly running out a time," Voldemort explained. "This duel really can't go on. I'm afraid I shall have to end it so soon."
Harry saw, as if in a dream, Voldemort raise his wand. "Avada Kedavra!"
Harry distantly heard Hermione scream. The next second the curse hit him and he felt excruciating pain. It was as if his life was being ripped from his body.
So this is what it's like to die, Harry found himself thinking as the pain did not end. It's more painful than last time.
Suddenly the pain stopped and Harry saw that he was still in the clearing. The weight had been lifted from him and Voldemort was no where in sight. Harry struggled to his feet.
"Harry!" Hermione yelled, sobbing. "I thought you were dead! You yelled and it was horrible and I thought for sure that I would never see you again!"
"Quiet!" Harry said suddenly. Voldemort was no where to be seen. Harry's grip on his wand tightened. Surely he would not have fallen victim to the curse. Harry supposed it had rebounded upon him again.
There was no noise anywhere. Harry hurried over to where his friend was tied.
"Hermione, what happened?" he asked urgently.
Hermione swallowed her tears, and gulped, trying to stop crying. "He sent the curse at you, and you sort of sat there, and you looked like you were in a lot of pain. I'm not sure what V-Voldemort did. I yelled, because I thought you were going to die. I didn't pay attention to him. Then you stopped and I thought you had died, and Voldemort was gone, and then you got to your feet..."
"Where did he go?" Harry asked her.
"I don't know," Hermione said. "I didn't pay attention."
Harry looked down at the ropes still binding Hermione. "He's not dead," he said.
"How do you know?" Hermione asked.
"Because the ropes have a temporary spell around them," Harry said. "They would have vanished with the wizard, if he had died. Beside, my scar is still burning."
"Your scar?" said the horrible voice again. "I suppose it must be something of a warning beacon, isn't it?"
Harry whirled around. Voldemort had returned.
"That's terribly convenient, isn't it?" Voldemort asked. "I wish I had something like that to alert me of Dumbledore's movements...but wait, I already killed Dumbledore, didn't I?"
Harry felt his inside grow hot in anger, but he said nothing. He would play dumb, instead of doing something stupid.
"I expected something of this nature to happen," Voldemort said softly. "It would appear that it is not merely the blood that binds your mother's protection to you, but you as well. Oh well," he said in a business like manner. "It shall be much more fun to kill you the hard way."
Voldemort raised his wand again, and again the final battle between good and evil raged on.
* * *
Harry cursed at his misfortune. Portkeys were hard to trace. With Voldemort's portkey, it was near impossible.
Near.
Harry closed his eyes seized the few strands of magic that the portkey had left. Powerful magic always left some trace.
An image of the world formed in his mind. A small, blinking dot appeared. A portkey had landed there since this portkey had disappeared. More dots followed until all of Great Britain filled with them. Not a single dot appeared anywhere else in the world.
Harry frowned. That was not natural. Then it clicked. Voldemort was playing with him. Doubtlessly he had ordered his Death Eaters to portkey around until they made sure he was untraceable. More dots formed by the minute. They were still at it.
Instantly Harry cut off his mind. The new dots stopped appearing. He frowned while he tried to think of something that made sense. The Death Eaters must have been portkeying around since this went off. That means they must have known that this would go off. He could erase all traces of this portkey from the mental globe, but that would erase his dot as well. He was forgetting something...
Hermione...
Harry concentrated on her signature, practically mentally zooming through the whole of Great Britain. He could not try to locate his younger self because he would end up here, at Hogwarts in the very place his older self would be standing. Voldemort himself would have made sure he covered up his own signature. He felt himself weakening but did not stop. There. He stopped and opened his eyes. Of course...Little Hangington. He should have known. The very last place they would look, yet the very first if you knew its significance.
Harry opened his eyes and the globe disappeared. Waving his hand, he vanished.
Me: Bum. Bum. Bum!!!!!! Boy, I'm really dragging this final fight scene out, aren't I?
Gilthas: Normally, I would tell you that you are getting no where and this chapter could have easily been made into another chapter.
Me: But...
Gilthas: But I'm not going to get too far into it. All my thoughts are really going to that other story, which is harder. *grumbles* Dumb hard story.
Me: Right, anyway...
Authoress: Thanks! Hey, you read both my stories. Thanks! Here's the update!
Liz: Hey, sis. Yay! You reviewed! Another cliffy! Bwahahahahahaha!!!! I live to torment you.
Darkmoon Fleur: I liked older Harry too. My friend doesn't though. She thinks he's too powerful or too mean or something. But I mean to say, look what he's been through!!!
WhatandMiniJackSparrow: What's Legolas doing in a Harry Potter review? Oh well. I've learned long ago not to question these things. Thanks for reviewing!!! Mini Jack Sparrow rules!!!
gaul1: Thanks...
SUNFFLES: Advice and requests are wondeful. In answer to your questions, no, Harry will eventually get better. Dumbledore is, alas, dead. I was trying not to screw up the entire timeline thing just because older Harry came back. I think that Voldemort was growing impatient with Dumbledore and he felt that he was too strong to be defeated by him so he challenged him and (probably by cheating) won. As too details, I'm not really sure. The story is more about Harry anyway so I couldn't just flash over to what Dumbledore was doing randomly. Unless it was a dream...never mind. It's already written anyway.
Rise of Chaos/Allizarin Sylvain Phyre: Which name do you want to go by? Thanks a lot!
EriEka127: Yay!!!
A-man: Evil? You haven't met my 7th grade geography teacher...
SilverKnight7: Crazy? I was crazy once. They put me in a padded room. I lived there, I died there, they barried me in the ground there. Ground? Worms live there. Worms drive me crazy. Crazy? I was crazy once...
sara*magic: Sorry about the last cliff-hanger.... *blink* Sorry about this cliff-hanger. *randomly cackles evilly* *blinks again* I was breifly possessed by the spirit of my friend. She's a vampire... ;)
Gilthas: She's a very scary vampire.
Me: Yes, she is. That's a complement by the way. Please don't bite me! Anyway, thanks you so much for all the reviews! Questions? Comments? Please click that little purple button below and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.
Gil: Lots of things ake you happy. Like cheese, for example.
Me: Cheese rocks!!!
Chapter 13: Back to Earlier
I know by the look
That I see in your eyes
I won't stand around
And I won't watch you die...
-Nickelback
Not 10 minutes earlier...
Harry Potter and Ron Weasley made their way through the now bloody battlefield. The sights and smells were thoroughly repulsive. Harry had to work hard to keep himself from being violently sick.
They had to leap to the ground several times to avoid curses and soon they were anything but spotless.
"Where are we going?" Ron asked.
"The Forbidden Forest," Harry told him. Ron did not argue. Harry didn't know how, but somehow he knew exactly where he would find Hermione. A sense of urgency grew within him. His scar burned horribly against his head but he hardly felt a thing. Hermione was in trouble.
Ron yelled. Harry turned sharply on his heal, wand raised. A Death Eater bore down on his friend.
Harry's reason left him at the sight of his friend's impending danger. Without thinking, he yelled, "Hey!"
The Death Eater looked up. When he saw Harry, he hesitated and took a step backwards. The next second it dropped to the ground. Harry saw Lupin with his wand pointing at the Death Eater. Lupin blinked when he saw Harry.
This is it, Harry thought.
His professor shook his head. "Never thought I'd see the day when you let your guard down."
Harry and Ron looked at each other. Lupin followed Harry's gaze and looked horrified to see Ron standing there. "What are you doing out here? You should have taken a portkey out of here with the others!"
"What-" Ron began, completely nonplussed.
"Bloody hell," Remus muttered-which, Harry thought, seemed highly appropriate for their present predicament. "Why did you let him out here?" He asked Harry angrily. The next second he pulled something out of his pocket and grabbed Ron's arm.
"Professor!" Harry yelled, panicked.
It was too late. Lupin opened his mouth, the surprised expression on his face quickly turning to one of horror. The next second they vanished, leaving Harry very much alone.
Harry froze. His immobility lasted seconds longer than expected. A Death Eater fell back onto him, clutching his throat as if he couldn't breathe. The Death Eater's attacker-whose head was cloaked-turned and walked into the forest.
The Death Eater struggled to his feet. When he saw Harry, his eyes opened wider and he fumbled for a wand, still breathing in ragged gasps as if he was overexerting himself.
Harry's wand was already in his hand. Pointing it at the Death Eater, he shouted, "Stupefy!"
The Death Eater was ready. A simple shield stopped Harry's curse and sent him ducking to the ground as it rebounded back on him. Harry rolled and sent a spell flying at the Death Eater before he could even get back on his feet.
His wand moving quickly, the Death Eater blocked it and sent three spells, one after the other, straight at Harry. Harry sent the first two back at him and dodged the third one as he felt his shield weakening.
His shield dropped with him and the next second the Death Eater shot the Impedimenta Jinx at Harry and hit him hard in the side. He froze instantly.
The Death Eater smirked, still having trouble breathing. "My master... will be pleased... when he learns... of your demise."
Harry couldn't say anything and the curse showed no signs of weakening.
The Death Eater raised his wand.
Like a flash of light, thought shot through Harry's mind. He couldn't do anything! Hermione was in trouble...Hermione was in trouble!
Determination rose in Harry. He couldn't just stand there while his friends were in trouble! Yes, he had a 'saving people thing', but these were his friends! He'd lost too many to the hand of Voldemort to loose another. He couldn't back down without a fight.
The Death Eater saw none of this. He brought his wand swooshing over his head yelling, "Avada-"
The next second he blew backwards by an unknown force. Harry's limbs instantly regained feeling and he looked down upon the Death Eater, power coursing through him that he had never known before.
He was beyond any form of astonishment. He felt anger at this Death Eater for keeping him here while Hermione was in danger. Hermione had gone through enough.
The Death Eater seemed to have lost all ability to breathe. He had been struggling before, as if a hand had been pressed to his mouth and he had a stuffy nose, but now he was hyperventilating.
Harry turned from him and walked back toward the forest, back toward Hermione. The Death Eater would not live through this battle.
Harry stopped right before the forest. There seemed to be a voice from somewhere.
"Help me, Harry! Please help me!" It was Hermione.
"This is a trap," Harry said aloud, realizing that once again Voldemort had played him like a deck of cards. "Voldemort kidnapped Hermione because he knew that I would go after her."
Harry didn't hesitate longer. There was no one to help his friend now but him. If he never showed up, Hermione would die. He stepped into the forest.
Instantly the sounds of the battle disappeared. Harry felt his skin crawl. The forest reeked of the evil that lay hidden in it. Harry could almost feel it around him.
"Harry!" called Hermione's voice. It sounded like it was just beyond the trees. "Help me!"
Harry resisted the urge to yell for her. It would be stupid to give away his position now. Though, being a tiny spark of good in a forest of evil, he was hardly untraceable.
"Harry!" came the voice again.
Harry hesitated. That couldn't be Hermione.
He wasn't as clever as Hermione, but he certainly wasn't brainless. How could Hermione have known he was coming? Even if she did, Harry knew her well enough to know that she would not call for him. She wouldn't want her friends to be in danger. Another trick of Voldemort.
Harry walked carefully, trying not to make a sound. Hermione's voice always seemed right in front of him, but when he reached it, it always seemed further away.
He knew Voldemort tried to lure him somewhere, to fight in his territory, but Harry had no way of stopping him. Voldemort held all the cards. Harry was just a pawn. This was just another chess game, like he played with Ron. Harry and Voldemort were the kings. All help had left them to fight alone- winner take all.
The voice stopped. Harry found himself in pitch blackness with no clear idea where he was.
The pitch blackness suddenly lifted to reveal Hermione, tied magically to a tree.
Without thinking, Harry ran up to her. He pulled the gag out of her mouth.
Hermione's cheeks streaked with tears and dirt covered her face.
"Harry!" She almost sobbed when she saw him. "It's too late! Voldemort's here! The gag! You shouldn't have touched the gag!"
Harry felt a jerk behind his navel and the next second he spun quickly, disappearing to somewhere he knew he had no want to be.
He landed with a thud on the hard ground. Hermione fell to the ground next to him. She was still tied tightly, but she yelled for him instantly.
"Hermione!" Harry said. He tried to untie her hands, but the knots seemed to have melted together.
"Don't, Harry!" Hermione said. "Voldemort doesn't want me involved. He's here! He's been waiting on you. Please, Harry, get out of here! I'll be fine!"
"You'll be dead, that's what you'll be," Harry said angrily, trying to no avail to untie the knots.
"Well," said a cold voice from the shadows around them, "You'll both be quite dead in the end anyway."
Harry froze, not daring to look around.
"Ah, yes," said the cruel voice of Voldemort from behind Harry. "I see you remember me. I remember you quite well, you see. You and you alone have gone against me and yet still live."
Harry could find nothing to say to this, instead, his hands worked more furiously to get Hermione's knots undone.
"Ah, yes, the Mudblood. You have done your part." Hermione suddenly lifted from the ground and flew against a waiting tree. "No doubt you figured my trap long before you fell for it," Voldemort continued. "I made quite sure that you had no other choice, you see. Every person that could protect you is...preoccupied."
Harry slowly stood up and faced the man that had haunted his dreams since before he could remember. Cold, red eyes looked back at him. Harry resisted the urge not to yell in horror and take a step back. No matter how much extra training Dumbledore had put him through, he was not prepared. He couldn't be prepared. Not for this...
"It occurs to me," Voldemort said suddenly, "That I am the only one doing any talking. I'm quite interested to know what you think of this whole situation. I put quite a lot of planning into it, you see. I don't know if you have noticed this or not, but I would much prefer to have you dead than alive."
Voldemort looked at Harry, his red eyes taunting him. It occurred to Harry that he might be expected to speak. He wasn't entirely sure what he planned to say before the words came out.
"You're sick..."
Voldemort, instead of looking offended, smiled his horrible smile. "So I'm told. The truth however, is that I am quite well. It is my enemies, on the other hand, that come to an untimely demise."
Harry couldn't trust himself to speak again. He's already screwed it up the first time.
"I suppose my master plan was to kill Dumbledore before our first attack on the school. You can see how that messed up. I had also originally intended to kill the entire family of those red-headed idiots. But...circumstances change."
Anger boiled inside Harry. How could a person speak so calmly about ending the lives of hundreds of innocent people? But he had come to understand long ago that Voldemort was much less than human.
And in that instant, Harry felt his fear melt away as if every word Dumbledore had ever told him finally decided to sink in. He felt himself go beyond such petty things as life and death. No matter what happened there that day, the suffering would be over for him. He could finally be free of everything that seemed to have haunted him since birth. The prophecy would be fulfilled. The danger would be over. Life would be better. Death would be better.
Harry stood facing Voldemort with a calm air about him that would have surprised anyone. He surveyed the 'flight of death' with the cool collectiveness that any other could never hope to achieve. But his life had been leading up to this. This was the reason he had been chosen before birth. He was ready now, as he had never been ready for anything in his life.
With that epiphany moment, the pain in his scar that had bothered him for so long lessened until it was less than an itch.
Voldemort seemed to have sensed the change. "The end is near, Harry Potter."
"Yes it is, Voldemort," Harry said in a strong voice.
"I see you have learned to accept death. Well, that's not as much fun. I rather hoped you would cry for mercy," Voldemort said with that horrible thin-lipped smile.
"I don't cry," Harry said coldly.
"Oh, but you will," Voldemort smirked. "Trust me, Harry."
"I wouldn't trust you if you saved my life."
"Now, now, Harry. You should be more trusting. It's a virtue."
"What would you know about virtues, Voldemort?" Harry asked frostily. "You're anything but virtuous."
"If I had a heart," Voldemort said with a sneer, "It would be broken."
"Then it's a good thing you don't."
"Enough small talk. Let's get down to business."
"Eager to die?" Harry almost heard himself say.
Voldemort did not look startled. "No. Eager to kill."
Voldemort had the spell out of his mouth before Harry had a chance to send up a shield, but Voldemort had not caught him completely unprepared. Rolling to the side, he dodged it and was on his feet in an instant. He shouted a curse which Voldemort's shield shot back at him. He dodged.
Harry's mind raced faster than it had ever done before, but his body worked mainly off instinct. Each dodge, each feint, was not planned. He did it automatically, as if he had been training his entire life.
Voldemort shot a spell. Harry dodged. Harry shot a spell, Voldemort deflected.
He knew he could not keep it up. He used more energy than Voldemort for every move and he would have to start sending a few spells back. Voldemort sent a curse coming his way. Harry shot up a shield with all the power he could muster.
The shield bent under the power, but it did not break. Harry felt certain that if he should reach out a hand, he could have touched the curse, his shield bent back so far, but it held and the spell went shooting back toward the caster.
There was a lull in the fighting.
"I expected better, Harry, I really did," Voldemort said lazily, twirling his wand around his long, thin fingers.
"If you really wanted to talk," Harry said. "Then you wouldn't have brought me here. You would have invited me for tea."
"That's very true," Voldemort said. "Though I have long ago stopped drinking tea, myself. It's really a terrible waste of time."
Harry opened his mouth to respond, but the next second Voldemort yelled, "Crucio!" and he fell to the ground, yelling in pain.
* * *
Harry exited the forest. He barely saw the battlefield in front of him he was searching for something...there.
He caught the faintest trace of a signature so much like his own, but weaker. Far too weak...
Harry followed the trail, his dark cloak and powerful aurora keeping away potential attacker. Those who could not feel his power had long ago died.
The trail led into the forbidden forest. Harry did not hesitate. Voldemort must be in there. Harry must be in there.
He entered once again the forest of darkness-all light extinguished. The sun did not shine through the trees. Harry's signature traced easily. His pace quickened. He was getting close. He turned another tree and found that Harry's signature had vanished entirely.
Cursing, Harry closed his already useless eyes and concentrated on finding the reason for the disappearance. There was a powerful magic. It had been close to this tree...a portkey. Voldemort had portkeyed Harry somewhere.
But there was another signature on the tree as well. Harry's eyes opened in horror. Hermione...
* * *
Harry got to his feet shakily. The Cruciatus curse had been more painful than he remembered. His body still ached.
"Well, that wasn't very nice of me, was it?" Voldemort asked, smirking.
Harry didn't answer. He glared at Voldemort for a split second before continuing the duel once again.
Harry's entire body stopped aching. This was what he had to do, and nothing else in the world mattered. He moved faster, smoother, and more powerful than he had ever done in training. His wand whipped like a sword in front of him, a powerful blade stopping every attack. Every attack, but one...
"Crucio!" Voldemort shouted. Harry's shield did not hold. He fell to the ground again, screaming out his lungs.
The pain stopped for a split second. Voldemort had seen that Harry posed a threat-that he was no longer a joke. This duel needed to be wrapped up quickly.
Harry felt himself thrown against a tree. He hit his head with a crack and stars winked before his eyes. Voldemort approached slowly. Harry attempted to struggle to his feet.
"No, don't get up," Voldemort said. Harry felt a powerful magic pushing him down again. "I'm afraid I'm quickly running out a time," Voldemort explained. "This duel really can't go on. I'm afraid I shall have to end it so soon."
Harry saw, as if in a dream, Voldemort raise his wand. "Avada Kedavra!"
Harry distantly heard Hermione scream. The next second the curse hit him and he felt excruciating pain. It was as if his life was being ripped from his body.
So this is what it's like to die, Harry found himself thinking as the pain did not end. It's more painful than last time.
Suddenly the pain stopped and Harry saw that he was still in the clearing. The weight had been lifted from him and Voldemort was no where in sight. Harry struggled to his feet.
"Harry!" Hermione yelled, sobbing. "I thought you were dead! You yelled and it was horrible and I thought for sure that I would never see you again!"
"Quiet!" Harry said suddenly. Voldemort was no where to be seen. Harry's grip on his wand tightened. Surely he would not have fallen victim to the curse. Harry supposed it had rebounded upon him again.
There was no noise anywhere. Harry hurried over to where his friend was tied.
"Hermione, what happened?" he asked urgently.
Hermione swallowed her tears, and gulped, trying to stop crying. "He sent the curse at you, and you sort of sat there, and you looked like you were in a lot of pain. I'm not sure what V-Voldemort did. I yelled, because I thought you were going to die. I didn't pay attention to him. Then you stopped and I thought you had died, and Voldemort was gone, and then you got to your feet..."
"Where did he go?" Harry asked her.
"I don't know," Hermione said. "I didn't pay attention."
Harry looked down at the ropes still binding Hermione. "He's not dead," he said.
"How do you know?" Hermione asked.
"Because the ropes have a temporary spell around them," Harry said. "They would have vanished with the wizard, if he had died. Beside, my scar is still burning."
"Your scar?" said the horrible voice again. "I suppose it must be something of a warning beacon, isn't it?"
Harry whirled around. Voldemort had returned.
"That's terribly convenient, isn't it?" Voldemort asked. "I wish I had something like that to alert me of Dumbledore's movements...but wait, I already killed Dumbledore, didn't I?"
Harry felt his inside grow hot in anger, but he said nothing. He would play dumb, instead of doing something stupid.
"I expected something of this nature to happen," Voldemort said softly. "It would appear that it is not merely the blood that binds your mother's protection to you, but you as well. Oh well," he said in a business like manner. "It shall be much more fun to kill you the hard way."
Voldemort raised his wand again, and again the final battle between good and evil raged on.
* * *
Harry cursed at his misfortune. Portkeys were hard to trace. With Voldemort's portkey, it was near impossible.
Near.
Harry closed his eyes seized the few strands of magic that the portkey had left. Powerful magic always left some trace.
An image of the world formed in his mind. A small, blinking dot appeared. A portkey had landed there since this portkey had disappeared. More dots followed until all of Great Britain filled with them. Not a single dot appeared anywhere else in the world.
Harry frowned. That was not natural. Then it clicked. Voldemort was playing with him. Doubtlessly he had ordered his Death Eaters to portkey around until they made sure he was untraceable. More dots formed by the minute. They were still at it.
Instantly Harry cut off his mind. The new dots stopped appearing. He frowned while he tried to think of something that made sense. The Death Eaters must have been portkeying around since this went off. That means they must have known that this would go off. He could erase all traces of this portkey from the mental globe, but that would erase his dot as well. He was forgetting something...
Hermione...
Harry concentrated on her signature, practically mentally zooming through the whole of Great Britain. He could not try to locate his younger self because he would end up here, at Hogwarts in the very place his older self would be standing. Voldemort himself would have made sure he covered up his own signature. He felt himself weakening but did not stop. There. He stopped and opened his eyes. Of course...Little Hangington. He should have known. The very last place they would look, yet the very first if you knew its significance.
Harry opened his eyes and the globe disappeared. Waving his hand, he vanished.
Me: Bum. Bum. Bum!!!!!! Boy, I'm really dragging this final fight scene out, aren't I?
Gilthas: Normally, I would tell you that you are getting no where and this chapter could have easily been made into another chapter.
Me: But...
Gilthas: But I'm not going to get too far into it. All my thoughts are really going to that other story, which is harder. *grumbles* Dumb hard story.
Me: Right, anyway...
Authoress: Thanks! Hey, you read both my stories. Thanks! Here's the update!
Liz: Hey, sis. Yay! You reviewed! Another cliffy! Bwahahahahahaha!!!! I live to torment you.
Darkmoon Fleur: I liked older Harry too. My friend doesn't though. She thinks he's too powerful or too mean or something. But I mean to say, look what he's been through!!!
WhatandMiniJackSparrow: What's Legolas doing in a Harry Potter review? Oh well. I've learned long ago not to question these things. Thanks for reviewing!!! Mini Jack Sparrow rules!!!
gaul1: Thanks...
SUNFFLES: Advice and requests are wondeful. In answer to your questions, no, Harry will eventually get better. Dumbledore is, alas, dead. I was trying not to screw up the entire timeline thing just because older Harry came back. I think that Voldemort was growing impatient with Dumbledore and he felt that he was too strong to be defeated by him so he challenged him and (probably by cheating) won. As too details, I'm not really sure. The story is more about Harry anyway so I couldn't just flash over to what Dumbledore was doing randomly. Unless it was a dream...never mind. It's already written anyway.
Rise of Chaos/Allizarin Sylvain Phyre: Which name do you want to go by? Thanks a lot!
EriEka127: Yay!!!
A-man: Evil? You haven't met my 7th grade geography teacher...
SilverKnight7: Crazy? I was crazy once. They put me in a padded room. I lived there, I died there, they barried me in the ground there. Ground? Worms live there. Worms drive me crazy. Crazy? I was crazy once...
sara*magic: Sorry about the last cliff-hanger.... *blink* Sorry about this cliff-hanger. *randomly cackles evilly* *blinks again* I was breifly possessed by the spirit of my friend. She's a vampire... ;)
Gilthas: She's a very scary vampire.
Me: Yes, she is. That's a complement by the way. Please don't bite me! Anyway, thanks you so much for all the reviews! Questions? Comments? Please click that little purple button below and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.