Chapter 14:

Battle with Voldemort

Back at the camp, Nicholas and William recovered from the effects of the Memory Charm to discover that Hilda and Albus were already gone. Nicholas harrumphed, "What are we doing standing around like this? Albus and Hilda will be waiting on us to begin the attack."

William sighed, "I guess we just got nostalgic for a moment." He held out his hand to Nicholas, "Nicholas, I would like you to know that regardless of what happens today, it has been an honor to know and work with you."

Nicholas grinned ruefully, "The two of us are going to be around for a long time after this. Hilda and Albus are going to handle that bastard." Nicholas reached out and took William's hand, "However, I agree. It has been an honor and a pleasure. Now, let's get to work."

William nodded emphatically and the two of them bustled off through the camp to prepare the troops for the final assault of a war that had gone on entirely too long.

It was immediately obvious to Dumbledore, Hilda, and Harry when the attack was launched. A gigantic explosion burst through the air.

Dumbledore sighed, "It appears that it has begun. We should go."

Harry shook his head, "Wait just a few minutes. Voldemort might make himself known in the battle. Then, I will have to remain."

Several minutes later, Hilda asked, "Is he aiding the battle?"

Harry shook his head, "No, he is hiding his magical signature from me, and that means that he is not casting any powerful magic. Let's head out." Harry took off for the castle at a pace that Hilda and Albus were hard pressed to match.

Within a half an hour the three wizards were just outside the rear of the castle. Albus sighed, "Making our way around to the front of the castle and getting in is going to be difficult."

Harry snorted, "Who said anything about going around to the front of the castle?"

Hilda asked, "How else are we going to get in without attracting a whole lot of attention? We can't just blow a hole through the back wall. Every creature in the place would be on us in minutes."

Harry grinned, "You are right. We can't blow a hole in the back wall, but that doesn't mean we can't make one." Harry waved his hand and muttered under his breath. An archway appeared in the wall before them.

Hilda gasped, "How did you do that? The enchantments that guard this castle are insane. Albus and I have been unable to alter its integrity."

Harry replied, "You know what they say. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth. Stop worrying about how I did it, and let's just get in the castle."

Dumbledore chuckled, "Come on, Hilda. Even if he told you, he would have to remove it with the Memory Charm. Sometimes it is better not to know."

Hilda sighed, "I suppose. Let's finish this, my love."

Dumbledore nodded, "Let's." The three wizards entered the castle of Grindelwald.

The fighting on the outside of the castle was extraordinarily intense. Voldemort and Grindelwald were standing in Grindelwald's chamber overlooking the battle.

Grindelwald growled, "I suppose this means you were right."

Voldemort said calmly, "Of course. That Muggle-loving fool Dumbledore should be on his way. I will destroy him and then you will be free to handle the other Heirs at your leisure."

Grindlewald nodded, "I will retire to my upper chamber and wait for your signal."

Voldemort smiled evilly as Grindelwald left the room. He said quietly to himself, "Once, Dumbledore and the other Heirs are dealt with, I will be returning for your head, Grindelwald. There can only be one Dark Lord." Voldemort cackled maliciously.

Meanwhile, Harry was allowing Dumbledore and Hilda to handle the brunt of the Dark creatures that attacked them as they made their way through the castle. Hilda asked, "Why aren't you helping us more?"

Harry replied evenly, "I don't want Voldemort to know that I am here, or that I am coming with you. The less warning he has to my presence, the easier it will be to send him back to the present."

Dumbledore nodded, "It appears that we have made it to our target."

Harry looked up. Standing at the end of the corridor they were in was a group of guard trolls. Harry waved his hand and knocked the trolls unconscious. "Once, I confront Voldemort, the two of you need to beat a hasty retreat, and continue on after Grindelwald. One way or another, this ends tonight."

Hilda and Albus nodded with conviction. Hilda replied, "We've been at this a lot longer than you, Harry. We know our jobs."

Harry smiled, "I know. I'm just trying to say good luck."

Hilda smiled back, "I would have liked to have a child just like you, Harry. He would have been interesting to say the least."

Harry chuckled, "Let's just go." Harry let Albus and Hilda charge into the room ahead of him while he made himself invisible and followed just behind. The two Heirs burst into the room that was supposed to be Grindelwald's chambers to find an unfamiliar wizard standing in the center of the room with his wand drawn.

Albus challenged him, "Who are you stranger? Where is Grindelwald?"

Voldemort smiled, "I am your worst nightmare, you Muggle-loving fool."

Albus and Hilda assumed dueling stances. Voldemort cackled, "I see that you are going to allow me to enjoy this." Voldemort whipped his wand around, "Avada Kedavra."

The jet of green light sped towards Dumbledore, who didn't even attempt to dodge the spell. However, the jet of green light stopped in its flight just before it contacted Dumbledore. Hilda visibly breathed a sigh of relief. The curse held in mid-air for a moment before dissipating. Voldemort whirled around, "Potter."

Harry appeared at Voldemort's side. "I'm glad to see you, Tom."

Voldemort backed up into a defensive stance. "How did you get here, Potter?"

Harry laughed, "Did you really think that I was going to allow you to come back in time without following you? What fantasy." Harry looked sideways at Albus and Hilda, "The two of you should continue after Grindelwald. I will follow after I deal with this." He indicated Voldemort with a twitch of his head.

The other two wizards nodded in affirmation, and then hurried on from the chamber to seek Grindelwald. Hidla looked over at Albus as the two of them left the room, "I hate to say this, but I actually doubted the young man. After seeing the way Voldemort looked after seeing Harry, I don't doubt him anymore."

Albus shook his head, "Definitely not. I could sense the evil malevolence and power radiating from that man. I would not want to have to face him in battle. He is far more powerful than Grindelwald."

Hilda nodded, "I know. Now. Let's end the menace to our time, while Harry handles his."

Albus merely smiled as the two of them headed on.

Harry continued to stand and smirk at Voldemort back in the chamber that the other two Heirs had just vacated. Voldemort growled, "I am going to kill you, Potter."

Harry just laughed in his face. Then, he shook his head in amusement, "How long have you been telling me that, Tom? I have to admit it is beginning to get a little old. Especially since you still haven't managed to get rid of me. The Child of the Prophecy that threatens your existence. It has been over sixteen years since you heard part of the Prophecy, and while you have won your fair share of the battles, the war is mine."

Voldemort snarled, "Never underestimate evil, Potter. I will find a way to destroy you despite the Prophecy and this vaunted power of yours."

Harry continued to laugh, "You are pathetic, Tom. To imagine the most powerful Dark Lord that has ever lived quivering in fear of a boy. Salazar Slytherin would be disgusted with you. At least he faced my ancestor head-on. He didn't let everyone else fight his battles for him. You are nothing more than a coward, Tom. A pathetic excuse of a wizard."

Voldemort swelled with rage at these words, "We will see about that, Potter." Voldemort brandished his wand, and several of the statues sprang into life.

Harry grinned mischievously, "Finally, I was beginning to wonder when we were going to get this little party started. Harry snapped his fingers and conjured several statues that sprang into action to counter the ones that Voldemort had animated. The statues began to battle it out across the room. Harry waved a hand at Voldemort and said, "Stupefy."

The curse bounced harmlessly off of Voldemort's shield. Voldemort laughed, "You will have to do much better than that to defeat me, Potter." He basically spat Harry's name.

Harry grinned, "You know as well as I do, Tom, that I am just beginning to warm up." The two continued to exchange curses, while the statues did battle around them. Harry started transfiguring objects and banishing them at Voldemort in an attempt to distract him. Voldemort began countering with Killing Curses at which Harry chuckled, "Tom, you know that one of those will not even harm me anymore."

Voldemort coolly responded through the heat of the battle, "Eventually, I will wear you down, Potter. You do not have the magical reserves that I do. Then, my curses will harm you. I know your secret."

Harry smiled in surprise, "I am impressed, Tom. You have certainly done your homework. However, what makes you think that I will allow this battle to continue for that long."

During this conversation, the group of statues had finally managed to destroy each other. Voldemort waved his wand at the debris, and a whirlwind appeared that swirled all the dust around Harry. It blinded him for a moment, but he countered the storm to find a jet of green light headed right for his head. A quick wave of his hand, "Dissipato." The curse disappeared. Harry shook his head, "You should know something like that will not work on me, Tom."

Voldemort did not respond, but merely conjured a sword into his off-hand. Harry grinned, "So, you want to repeat this little embarrassment. I would be happy to accommodate you." Harry conjured a sword in his own hands. Suddenly a huge explosion ripped about half the wall from behind Harry and Voldemort away.

Harry smiled, "It seems that the forces of light are winning this battle, Tom. You have failed to alter the course of history. I will still be protected by Dumbledore in the future, and you will still be unable to finish me."

While this battle had been commencing, Nicholas and William had been waging a very successful campaign against Grindelwald's minions outside of the castle. The attack began with at least two hundred witched and wizards launching Explosion Hexes at the front line of trolls and giants that were working for Grindelwald. From that point forward, the troops took the battle to the hit-wizards and dark creatures from the other side, one at a time. Bodies dropped on both sides left and right. Nicholas and William fought side by side, and led their troops to victory. During a pause in the fighting, William asked Nicholas, "So, how do you think Albus and Hilda are doing?"

Nicholas shrugged, "I don't know, but they should be well inside the castle by now. Hopefully we can keep Grindelwald's forces at bay long enough for the two of them to finish this."

William nodded, "I know what you mean. Now. Let's give it to them." The two wizards smiled at each other and then advanced laying Stunning Spells around them almost indiscriminately. The troops continued to rally around the two Heirs, and continued to defeat, destroy and drive back the forces of evil. Once they reached the outskirts of the castle, William cast an Amplification Charm on himself, "Sonorus. Everyone, Explosion Hexes at the tower on my mark. ONE, TWO, THREE. NOW!" A hundred Explosion Hexes went flying at the castle, and one of the walls of the main tower was torn away.

This was the room that Harry and Voldemort were in. Harry brandished his sword at Voldemort and smiled, "Grindelwald's forces are beaten, Tom. Just as it should be. Albus and Hilda are going to finish Grindelwald himself. I am going to send you back to the present. Then, it will be as if the two of us were never here. How does that make you feel, Tom? All that work to cast the time travel spell, and you have succeeded in accomplishing absolutely nothing." Harry chuckled as he continued to taunt Voldemort, "You are nothing, Tom. The light is supreme. Your reign passes with the sunrise, just as the darkness of night retreats every morning."

Voldemort snarled as he positioned himself for a fight, "The darkness always returns at the sunset, Potter. I will survive till the sun sets on your time on this Earth."

Harry shook his head, "I don't think so, Tom. Even if by some miracle you manage to defeat me, there will always be another to take my place. I may be the Child of this Prophecy, but there will always be another Prophecy and another child to fight you, Tom. I imagine that long after you are gone, there will be another Dark Lord. If I am alive, then I will destroy him as well. If I am not, then there will always be another Protector of the Light to stand against evil. That is the way it has always been, and that is the way that it will continue to be."

"We will see, Potter. The light has no advantage over the darkness."

"Oh, yes, Tom, we do. The light has something that you will never have or understand. People of the light are always willing to sacrifice themselves to save another. That gives us a power that you can neither understand, match, or defeat." replied Harry.

"Just what power is that, Potter?" Voldemort spat.

Harry smiled, "Love, Tom. Just love. That is all I need to keep me going."

Voldemort did not reply to this with words, but attacked savagely. Harry blocked the sword blow, and sidestepped the Killing Curse that followed it. Fifteen minutes into the battle, and curses began to be hurled through the opening in the castle wall as the attackers pushed even closer to the castle. The two duelers paused in their battle to observe the battle for a moment. Harry smiled again, "Soon enough you are going to find yourself facing five Heirs instead of just me, Tom. How long do you think that you will be able to last once my grandfather, Nicholas, Albus, and Hilda are at my side? I think that it is time for you to return to the present. Then, the two of us can settle this little battle in our own time."

Voldemort dropped his sword, and pocketed his wand, "Very well, Potter. You win this round. I will find another way to destroy you."

Harry bowed, but never took his eyes from Voldemort as he did so, "I look forward to foiling the attempt, Tom. Now, go."

Voldemort disappeared into the ethos of time, and Harry mentally followed his essence towards the present. Then, he sighed and took off in the direction that Albus and Hilda had taken to locate Grindelwald.

A/N: I hate to beg for reviews, but I appreciate everyone who does review. So keep them coming.

Fanficfreak35: Thanks for the review.

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Dobby: You better believe it. Thanks for the review.

Dragonclawz54: I had a lot of fun putting the Heirs into it. Thanks for the review.

HermioneGreen: Next chapter is the defeat of Grindelwald. Thanks for the review.

Phred doesn't like you: LOL. That was good. Thanks for the review.

Aalikane: Chain me to a desk? Don't you think that's a little extreme? Thanks for the review.

Yugioh/Potter/Pokemon fanatic: You won't find out what's going on in the present till Harry returns. Thanks for the review.

Cur03: I think you got your answer. Thanks for the review.

Katepotter13: Thanks for the review.

PlasmaFyre: The next chapter is going to be short, but then you can expect three longer chapters in a row. After that, we'll see. Thanks for the review.

Lucugirl07: I'll get it to you as fast as I can. Thanks for the review.

HappySnakesrule: I'm glad that you have enjoyed the story this much. Thanks for the review.

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Lord of Darkness13: Thanks for the review.

Goddess of war and wisdom: Don't study too hard. Thanks for the review.

HP-wannabe69: Next chapter. Thanks for the review.

GinnyPotter7: The proposal will be in this one, and I am planning on doing a short piece on the wedding. After that, Who knows? Thanks for the review.

Plasterwork: One more short chapter, and then I will give you some long ones. Thanks for the review.

Lourdes: She was a lot of fun to plan. Thanks for the review.

RLupin1003: The battle has arrived. Thanks for the review.

Blip-dragon: Thanks for the review.

James Potter's Lily Flowe: Nobody else besides Harry and Voldemort are going back in time. Thanks for the review.

RyokoTenchi: Thanks for the review.

Athena kitty: You are asking me to give away too much of the story. Thanks for the review.

Lunawolf: One more in the past, and then its back to the present. Thanks for the review.

DiAToR: He can heal basically any wound caused by a weapon or spell. Lycanthropy is part of the Lycanthrope, so I don't see that he should be able to heal that. The Dementor's Kiss leaves the victim soulless. He would have to be able to locate their soul and re-infuse into their bodies. That is the stuff of gods, so I think that should be outside his realm of powers as well. Thanks for the review.

Potter and the Weasley: Thanks for the review.

Maria: It must have just been messed up for a bit. Thanks for the review.

Shadowz-123: I'm glad you found it. Thanks for the review.

Silver Warrior: Nicholas is the Heir of Ravenclaw. You'll find out about Hilda in the next chapter. Thanks for the review.

Jaws2: I'm glad that I have you intrigued. Thanks for the review.