Chapter 22 - Facing Voldemort
The death-eaters sauntered to the other side of the group miraculously unscathed. As opposed to their usual tendency, they did not fire a single curse to the wizards present....neither did the Order and DA members. It was as if everyone was waiting for some signal of sorts before they start the battle. Even the trigger-happy Moody controlled his urge to curse the repulsive faces behind the masks. The two conflicting forces stared at each other malevolently but no one dared make the first move. The silence was deafening and the million-dollar question was nagging everyone's mind --- 'What's going to happen now?'
Harry secretly ordered the DA members to block the unconscious residents from the dark wizards' view. The silent battle of wits continued. Several agonizing minutes had passed but still, nobody moved aside from the dementors that came out of their hiding when they sensed the arrival of individuals not covered by their king's previous instruction. But they too seemed confused at the lack of activity that they dared not come near them.
The waiting continued until some decided to sit down and relax for a while to conserve their strength. Just when everyone was bored enough to attempt to lie down, the gate magically opened once again to reveal the arrival of the most vicious, most cunning, most evil wizard of all time ---- LORD VOLDEMORT!
"I see you have all been patiently waiting for my arrival." he casually strode into the death-eaters' location as if they were all there for a peaceful gathering instead of an imminent combat. He took in the surroundings and immediately singled Snape out. "Ahh, Severus, my once loyal servant, not as effective as before, are you? Weren't you able to find out our latest plan? Didn't you even wonder why you were all able to come here so easily?" Snape cringed at his touch.
"What do you want?" asked Harry, eyeing the dark lord carefully.
"Patience....patience...We'll soon get to that. By the way, I would like to give you the pleasure of knowing that a number of my loyal servants are on the way to the ministry and your hiding place. At my signal, the death- eaters would attack and the dementors would suck their souls living you with no other allies. Fortunately, I have a more efficient spy than you do." The dark lord cackled merrily, clearly elated at tormenting his audience.
"You're lying!" shouted Harry, knowing full well that the dementors would not follow Voldemort's orders. He couldn't be sure about the death-eaters but he did not believe that they could overcome the aurors at the ministry now that they had ample preparation. His only worry now was the school. Only a few competent wizards were left there.
"Fool! Would you like me to give you proof?"
"What do you want?" asked Harry furiously.
"Be my servant and I will call off the attacks and let your friends here walk free. Their lives are in your hands, Potter. I advise you to choose wisely." Voldemort scanned the group again until his eyes fell on Luna. "On second thought, maybe I need to give you enough reason to comply to my wishes." With a wave of his hand, Luna was suddenly disarmed and thrown forcefully to the horde of death-eaters waiting on his side.
Harry was horrified at seeing his girlfriend at such a delicate situation. The Order members immediately raised their wands but was stopped by Voldemort's words.
"The moment you attack, my servants will do too and the girl will perish."
The Order members lowered their wands furiously but one death-eater suddenly ran to Voldemort.
"You said you won't hurt my daughter if I join you!" he exclaimed as he removed his mask angrily. The onlookers were shocked as they saw who was behind the mask.
"Father!" screamed Luna upon seeing her father. She struggled to get free but the death-eaters held her tight.
"That was before she joined Potter."
"Then I refuse to be your servant anymore!" shouted Jack Lovegood, quickly sending the killing curse on Voldemort but it did not have the expected effect. He stared horrified at his previous master who was now mocking his efforts.
"You underestimated me. Now, you'll pay for your insolence. CRUCIO!" Jack immediately fell to the ground, writhing in pain.
"NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!" screamed Luna, tears flowing abundantly on her face as she stared at the helpless figure of his father. But she too was hit mercilessly by the Cruciatus Curse.
"INFERNUS GALACTICUS!" shouted Harry angrily, hurling the fireball at Voldemort who staggered due to the impact.
"I thought we understood each other, Potter." said the Dark Lord, apparently surprised at his attack.
"NO! YOU MISUNDERSTOOD ME. I'M SURE MY FRIENDS WOULD FORGIVE ME FOR CHOOSING TO FIGHT INSTEAD OF SIDING WITH YOU DESPITE THE CONSEQUENCES!" yelled Harry as he threw another spell at Voldemort.
The battle broke out immediately as if that was the signal they have all been waiting for. Moody threw curses left and right like a mad man while Lupin fought along side with him. Snape fought the enemies as if he had been wanting to do that for the longest time and all the DA members put their training to good use.
"BATTLE FORMATION!" shouted Ron at a group of DA members not covering the Crigod residents who were still unconscious. Hermione, Neville, Cho and Weasley twins all pointed their wands upwards as Ron started to cast the spell they had practiced before.
"HYDRO OXYDUS!" The water cannon toppled several death-eaters attempting to hex them.
"ABSOLUTO PROTEGO!" the DA members hiding the Crigod residents casted the absolute shielding charm to deflect the curses sent their way.
"AVEDA KEDAVRA!" one death-eater managed to cast the killing spell but missed its target.
"IMPEDIMENTA!"
"PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!" Neville rendered one death-eater immobile by the spell.
"CRUCIO!" Hermione immediately fell to the ground, howling with pain.
"HERMIONE! NOOOO!!!!!!" exclaimed Ron as he ran to her side to help her. "Finite Incantatem!" Fred and George covered him as he did so. The battle formation was broken and they had to fight individually now.
"STUPEFY!" Ginny was hit from nowhere and she collapsed too. Neville immediately carried her body to where Ron had hidden Hermione.
"YOU, TRAITOR!" A death-eater sent the killing curse to Jack Lovegood before anyone could help him. Harry just turned his head on time to see the green light hit Luna's father squarely on the chest.
"NOOOOO!!!!!!! FATHER, DON'T LEAVE ME! PLEASE!! FATHER!!!!!!!" Luna's loud screams of grief and frustration echoed around the place and Harry's heart almost broke as he saw his girlfriend fall on the ground as if she lost all the will to live. He quickly ran to her side to protect her from harm but Luna seemed oblivious to his actions.
"VOLDEMORT! WHY DON'T YOU FIGHT ME LIKE A MAN FOR ONCE!" he shouted in frustration as he noticed more of his friends suffer more injuries. Some were already lying on the ground although he couldn't discern if they were dead or just unconscious.
"I am much more than a man, Potter. It's your choice." replied Voldemort lazily. "But I'll give you one more chance, surrender now and the others will walk free." He waved his hand once more and all of his friends were immediately disarmed.
The chaos halted for a while as they all waited for Harry's decision with bated breath. Harry was seriously considering the situation. He could summon their wands back but how long would it take before Voldemort could command his loyal followers to kill them all. He knew his friends could do wandless magic too but still not that strong. Despite his previous declaration, he honestly did not want his friends to suffer on his behalf. Maybe agreeing with Voldemort now would give them more time....
"Well.....?" prompted Voldemort.
"I - I ----"
"Don't do it, Harry!"
Everyone turned around to see where the brave voice came from. It was Harry's aunt and she was glowing with the same powerful aura that Harry emanated when he was really angry. Other Crigod residents followed, flexing their hands as if they were just getting used to their newfound strength. They all watched in awe as Petunia and her friends effortlessly used wandless magic to arm their colleagues once more.
Voldemort's eyes widened at the enormous display of power. He was not expecting this and judging from the stunned expression of his minions, they were not ready for this either.
'KILL THEM ALL!!!" roared Voldemort, his ruby eyes glowing a dangerous red in rage. The light side braced themselves for another round of violent exchange but Voldemort's army seemed too scared to attack. each of them eying the wandless combatants with fright.
"Now, the tables have turned, Tom." said Harry, bursting with confidence once more.
"Let us see!" Voldemort clicked his fingers and the dementors slowly approached them.
Harry noticed that the Order members and Crigod residents became immediately anxious upon seeing the battalion of dementors ready to attack at Voldemort's command. Only the DA members seemed unconcerned.
Voldemort laughed evilly once more. "Let us see how well you could stop them all with your pitiful Patronus charms." He clicked his fingers once more and ordered the dementors to attack.
Nothing happened.
Voldemort commanded them once more. Again, nothing happened.
The Order members and Crigod residents were puzzled by the unusual behavior of the dementors. The death-eaters seemed confused as well.
"I COMMAND YOU TO ATTACK THEM NOW!" shouted Voldemort in desperation but the dementors remained still.
"Don't waste your breathe. They won't follow your orders." said Harry calmly, suppressing the laughter that was threatening to escape from his lips.
"Why is that?"
"Because you are not their leader."
"That's ridiculous! I am the Dark Lord! They have to obey me!" exclaimed Voldemort.
"Watch me!" said Harry venomously as he ordered the dementors to capture the death-eaters but to leave the dark lord to him.
The dementors immediately glided to the frightened death-eaters who did know how to conjure the Patronus Charm. They all ran to the gate at once to escape but the dementors were faster neglecting only a few dark wizards who were clever and experienced enough to suppress their auras. Harry faced Voldemort once more.
"Now, I am giving you the chance to decide --- surrender or die?" said Harry but Voldemort already started throwing curses at him.
"You really want to do things the hard way, do you?" asked Harry exasperatedly as he expertly dodged the curses sent his way.
"AVEDA KEDAVRA!"
"EXPELLIARMUS!"
Like what happened on Voldemort's rebirth, the jet of green light from Voldemort's wand met the red spark that blasted from Harry's in midair. Then both of their wands vibrated vigorously until a bright, deep gold beam connected their wands once again.
The onlookers watched in amazement as the two were lifted on the ground with an invisible force and the golden beam splintered and criss-crossed around them to form a golden, dome-shaped web. And then an earthly, beautiful sound filled the air -- phoenix song. Harry smiled as large beads of lights appeared out of nowhere, rolling around the golden beam. He knew from experience that if he could force that bead of light to connect with Voldemort's wand, then he would see his parents again...but this time, he did not intend to escape. He just want to speak with them one last time, before he finishes their murderer off.
The death-eaters were the ones howling with frustration now as they, too, recalled this particular scenario. They would have loved to help their master but the dementors were making them weak now. The people on the side of the Light were actively cheering Harry on as they watched the growing anxiety on Voldemort's face.
Harry concentrated with all his might to push the bead to Voldemort's wand until finally, it connected. Harry was confused. How could the wand connect so fast whereas before he found it so difficult and it took a long time? And his wand was not vibrating as hard....Instinctively, Harry thought that something was wrong but he could not place it yet. Instead he focused his attention on the figures escaping from Voldemort's wand. So many unfamiliar faces but Harry assumed that maybe he had killed so many wizards from their last encounter that it would take some time before the ghost of his parents appear. Harry waited patiently, not breaking the connection....but then another figure emerged...Harry gasped in surprise and confusion......
"Sirius?" Harry could not believe his eyes...how could Sirius come out of Voldemort's wand? It was Lestrange who killed him.
"Nice to see you, Harry. I see you were stronger than before." said the ghost of Sirius, smiling gently at his grandson.
"H-how?"
"I know Lestrange killed me. I could not understand it either but be watchful. Don't trust your eyes. This might not really be Voldemort you're fighting with or maybe he's using Lestrange's wand."
"B-but the wands connected...Dumbledore said it happened because our wands have the same core so he must be Voldemort." said Harry, still confused.
"I would love to chat but we don't have much time, Harry. Just remember, be vigilant!" Harry nodded solemnly. "And don't you go blaming yourself for what happened to me...You're the greatest grandson I ever had and I am so proud of you."
More and more wizards came out of his opponent's wand and some had approached their relatives and friends watching the battle to finally say goodbye. Harry waited some more but still, neither the ghost of his parents nor Cedric's came out of the wand. He stared at the mocking figure of his opponent. Voldemort was acting as if he had the upperhand on the situation. But before Harry could ponder more on his reaction, the beads of light went through the wand and coursed through Voldemort's trembling body.
Without warning, the evil wizard soon convulsed uncontrollably as if a tremendously high voltage of electicity was ransacking his interior. Then the beads of light escaped from every pore of his being.... Then the dome- shaped web surrounding them gradually faded while the phoenix song struck its last note.... Voldemort's reign of terror had finally ended...The Prophecy was fulfilled and after several months of sowing evil, murder and destruction, the most vicious, most cunning, most feared sorceror of all time....fell lifeless on the ground.
Meanwhile, Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived-To-Kill-The-Dark-Lord, was staring at his long time nemesis with disbelief. That fast? He was not even wounded or extremely drained with power and energy as he usually felt after an encounter with him. This did not even come close to the dramatic confrontation he imagined and pondered upon -- with all the giants, werewolves, vampire and what-have-yous ferociously assaulting one another and leaving the battle field in ruins, dripping with blood... Not that he was complaining though but this seemed kind of anti-climactic somehow....'What's going on?'
"YES!!!"
A loud whoop snapped Harry away from his reverie as the entire light side immediately ran to him, cheering wildly. Even Snape was jumping up and down like a maniac and his Aunt Petunia smothered him with kisses while crying with joy.
"It's a good thing you were able to pull that off, Harry. We're not sure if we can do more magic due to lack of practice. We just banked on shocking them enough to give you time." said his aunt.
"You did it, mate!" exclaimed Ron, still carrying the limp form of Hermione.
"You had us worried for a while, boy. Why didn't you tell us that you're the new leader of dementors?" growled Moody, although he too was grinning foolishly making his face appear more disfigured than before.
"It was supposed to be a surprise, you know." answered Fred on his behalf.
"Yeah, you should have seen your faces. I thought Lupin would pee on his pants in horror." guffawed George, punching Lupin lightly on his arm. Lupin just smiled good-naturedly at him, not taking offense at his joke.
Harry grinned despite his misgivings and turned around to look for Luna. However, his smile was quickly replaced with concern as he saw her kneeling beside the fallen figure of her father, unmoving and with a blank look on her face. He rushed to her side to comfort her but Luna did not even look at him. She just continued staring blankly into space and muttering repeatedly ---- "It's just a dream....just a dream..."
Across the ecstatic crowd, partially hidden by the soul-sucking creatures, nobody noticed the small band of death-eaters that stealthily made their way through the gate and disappeared into thin air led by a newcomer with claw-like fingers and another with a shining, silver hand....while the other followers were callously left behind to suffer a fate worse than death itself...
The death-eaters sauntered to the other side of the group miraculously unscathed. As opposed to their usual tendency, they did not fire a single curse to the wizards present....neither did the Order and DA members. It was as if everyone was waiting for some signal of sorts before they start the battle. Even the trigger-happy Moody controlled his urge to curse the repulsive faces behind the masks. The two conflicting forces stared at each other malevolently but no one dared make the first move. The silence was deafening and the million-dollar question was nagging everyone's mind --- 'What's going to happen now?'
Harry secretly ordered the DA members to block the unconscious residents from the dark wizards' view. The silent battle of wits continued. Several agonizing minutes had passed but still, nobody moved aside from the dementors that came out of their hiding when they sensed the arrival of individuals not covered by their king's previous instruction. But they too seemed confused at the lack of activity that they dared not come near them.
The waiting continued until some decided to sit down and relax for a while to conserve their strength. Just when everyone was bored enough to attempt to lie down, the gate magically opened once again to reveal the arrival of the most vicious, most cunning, most evil wizard of all time ---- LORD VOLDEMORT!
"I see you have all been patiently waiting for my arrival." he casually strode into the death-eaters' location as if they were all there for a peaceful gathering instead of an imminent combat. He took in the surroundings and immediately singled Snape out. "Ahh, Severus, my once loyal servant, not as effective as before, are you? Weren't you able to find out our latest plan? Didn't you even wonder why you were all able to come here so easily?" Snape cringed at his touch.
"What do you want?" asked Harry, eyeing the dark lord carefully.
"Patience....patience...We'll soon get to that. By the way, I would like to give you the pleasure of knowing that a number of my loyal servants are on the way to the ministry and your hiding place. At my signal, the death- eaters would attack and the dementors would suck their souls living you with no other allies. Fortunately, I have a more efficient spy than you do." The dark lord cackled merrily, clearly elated at tormenting his audience.
"You're lying!" shouted Harry, knowing full well that the dementors would not follow Voldemort's orders. He couldn't be sure about the death-eaters but he did not believe that they could overcome the aurors at the ministry now that they had ample preparation. His only worry now was the school. Only a few competent wizards were left there.
"Fool! Would you like me to give you proof?"
"What do you want?" asked Harry furiously.
"Be my servant and I will call off the attacks and let your friends here walk free. Their lives are in your hands, Potter. I advise you to choose wisely." Voldemort scanned the group again until his eyes fell on Luna. "On second thought, maybe I need to give you enough reason to comply to my wishes." With a wave of his hand, Luna was suddenly disarmed and thrown forcefully to the horde of death-eaters waiting on his side.
Harry was horrified at seeing his girlfriend at such a delicate situation. The Order members immediately raised their wands but was stopped by Voldemort's words.
"The moment you attack, my servants will do too and the girl will perish."
The Order members lowered their wands furiously but one death-eater suddenly ran to Voldemort.
"You said you won't hurt my daughter if I join you!" he exclaimed as he removed his mask angrily. The onlookers were shocked as they saw who was behind the mask.
"Father!" screamed Luna upon seeing her father. She struggled to get free but the death-eaters held her tight.
"That was before she joined Potter."
"Then I refuse to be your servant anymore!" shouted Jack Lovegood, quickly sending the killing curse on Voldemort but it did not have the expected effect. He stared horrified at his previous master who was now mocking his efforts.
"You underestimated me. Now, you'll pay for your insolence. CRUCIO!" Jack immediately fell to the ground, writhing in pain.
"NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!" screamed Luna, tears flowing abundantly on her face as she stared at the helpless figure of his father. But she too was hit mercilessly by the Cruciatus Curse.
"INFERNUS GALACTICUS!" shouted Harry angrily, hurling the fireball at Voldemort who staggered due to the impact.
"I thought we understood each other, Potter." said the Dark Lord, apparently surprised at his attack.
"NO! YOU MISUNDERSTOOD ME. I'M SURE MY FRIENDS WOULD FORGIVE ME FOR CHOOSING TO FIGHT INSTEAD OF SIDING WITH YOU DESPITE THE CONSEQUENCES!" yelled Harry as he threw another spell at Voldemort.
The battle broke out immediately as if that was the signal they have all been waiting for. Moody threw curses left and right like a mad man while Lupin fought along side with him. Snape fought the enemies as if he had been wanting to do that for the longest time and all the DA members put their training to good use.
"BATTLE FORMATION!" shouted Ron at a group of DA members not covering the Crigod residents who were still unconscious. Hermione, Neville, Cho and Weasley twins all pointed their wands upwards as Ron started to cast the spell they had practiced before.
"HYDRO OXYDUS!" The water cannon toppled several death-eaters attempting to hex them.
"ABSOLUTO PROTEGO!" the DA members hiding the Crigod residents casted the absolute shielding charm to deflect the curses sent their way.
"AVEDA KEDAVRA!" one death-eater managed to cast the killing spell but missed its target.
"IMPEDIMENTA!"
"PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!" Neville rendered one death-eater immobile by the spell.
"CRUCIO!" Hermione immediately fell to the ground, howling with pain.
"HERMIONE! NOOOO!!!!!!" exclaimed Ron as he ran to her side to help her. "Finite Incantatem!" Fred and George covered him as he did so. The battle formation was broken and they had to fight individually now.
"STUPEFY!" Ginny was hit from nowhere and she collapsed too. Neville immediately carried her body to where Ron had hidden Hermione.
"YOU, TRAITOR!" A death-eater sent the killing curse to Jack Lovegood before anyone could help him. Harry just turned his head on time to see the green light hit Luna's father squarely on the chest.
"NOOOOO!!!!!!! FATHER, DON'T LEAVE ME! PLEASE!! FATHER!!!!!!!" Luna's loud screams of grief and frustration echoed around the place and Harry's heart almost broke as he saw his girlfriend fall on the ground as if she lost all the will to live. He quickly ran to her side to protect her from harm but Luna seemed oblivious to his actions.
"VOLDEMORT! WHY DON'T YOU FIGHT ME LIKE A MAN FOR ONCE!" he shouted in frustration as he noticed more of his friends suffer more injuries. Some were already lying on the ground although he couldn't discern if they were dead or just unconscious.
"I am much more than a man, Potter. It's your choice." replied Voldemort lazily. "But I'll give you one more chance, surrender now and the others will walk free." He waved his hand once more and all of his friends were immediately disarmed.
The chaos halted for a while as they all waited for Harry's decision with bated breath. Harry was seriously considering the situation. He could summon their wands back but how long would it take before Voldemort could command his loyal followers to kill them all. He knew his friends could do wandless magic too but still not that strong. Despite his previous declaration, he honestly did not want his friends to suffer on his behalf. Maybe agreeing with Voldemort now would give them more time....
"Well.....?" prompted Voldemort.
"I - I ----"
"Don't do it, Harry!"
Everyone turned around to see where the brave voice came from. It was Harry's aunt and she was glowing with the same powerful aura that Harry emanated when he was really angry. Other Crigod residents followed, flexing their hands as if they were just getting used to their newfound strength. They all watched in awe as Petunia and her friends effortlessly used wandless magic to arm their colleagues once more.
Voldemort's eyes widened at the enormous display of power. He was not expecting this and judging from the stunned expression of his minions, they were not ready for this either.
'KILL THEM ALL!!!" roared Voldemort, his ruby eyes glowing a dangerous red in rage. The light side braced themselves for another round of violent exchange but Voldemort's army seemed too scared to attack. each of them eying the wandless combatants with fright.
"Now, the tables have turned, Tom." said Harry, bursting with confidence once more.
"Let us see!" Voldemort clicked his fingers and the dementors slowly approached them.
Harry noticed that the Order members and Crigod residents became immediately anxious upon seeing the battalion of dementors ready to attack at Voldemort's command. Only the DA members seemed unconcerned.
Voldemort laughed evilly once more. "Let us see how well you could stop them all with your pitiful Patronus charms." He clicked his fingers once more and ordered the dementors to attack.
Nothing happened.
Voldemort commanded them once more. Again, nothing happened.
The Order members and Crigod residents were puzzled by the unusual behavior of the dementors. The death-eaters seemed confused as well.
"I COMMAND YOU TO ATTACK THEM NOW!" shouted Voldemort in desperation but the dementors remained still.
"Don't waste your breathe. They won't follow your orders." said Harry calmly, suppressing the laughter that was threatening to escape from his lips.
"Why is that?"
"Because you are not their leader."
"That's ridiculous! I am the Dark Lord! They have to obey me!" exclaimed Voldemort.
"Watch me!" said Harry venomously as he ordered the dementors to capture the death-eaters but to leave the dark lord to him.
The dementors immediately glided to the frightened death-eaters who did know how to conjure the Patronus Charm. They all ran to the gate at once to escape but the dementors were faster neglecting only a few dark wizards who were clever and experienced enough to suppress their auras. Harry faced Voldemort once more.
"Now, I am giving you the chance to decide --- surrender or die?" said Harry but Voldemort already started throwing curses at him.
"You really want to do things the hard way, do you?" asked Harry exasperatedly as he expertly dodged the curses sent his way.
"AVEDA KEDAVRA!"
"EXPELLIARMUS!"
Like what happened on Voldemort's rebirth, the jet of green light from Voldemort's wand met the red spark that blasted from Harry's in midair. Then both of their wands vibrated vigorously until a bright, deep gold beam connected their wands once again.
The onlookers watched in amazement as the two were lifted on the ground with an invisible force and the golden beam splintered and criss-crossed around them to form a golden, dome-shaped web. And then an earthly, beautiful sound filled the air -- phoenix song. Harry smiled as large beads of lights appeared out of nowhere, rolling around the golden beam. He knew from experience that if he could force that bead of light to connect with Voldemort's wand, then he would see his parents again...but this time, he did not intend to escape. He just want to speak with them one last time, before he finishes their murderer off.
The death-eaters were the ones howling with frustration now as they, too, recalled this particular scenario. They would have loved to help their master but the dementors were making them weak now. The people on the side of the Light were actively cheering Harry on as they watched the growing anxiety on Voldemort's face.
Harry concentrated with all his might to push the bead to Voldemort's wand until finally, it connected. Harry was confused. How could the wand connect so fast whereas before he found it so difficult and it took a long time? And his wand was not vibrating as hard....Instinctively, Harry thought that something was wrong but he could not place it yet. Instead he focused his attention on the figures escaping from Voldemort's wand. So many unfamiliar faces but Harry assumed that maybe he had killed so many wizards from their last encounter that it would take some time before the ghost of his parents appear. Harry waited patiently, not breaking the connection....but then another figure emerged...Harry gasped in surprise and confusion......
"Sirius?" Harry could not believe his eyes...how could Sirius come out of Voldemort's wand? It was Lestrange who killed him.
"Nice to see you, Harry. I see you were stronger than before." said the ghost of Sirius, smiling gently at his grandson.
"H-how?"
"I know Lestrange killed me. I could not understand it either but be watchful. Don't trust your eyes. This might not really be Voldemort you're fighting with or maybe he's using Lestrange's wand."
"B-but the wands connected...Dumbledore said it happened because our wands have the same core so he must be Voldemort." said Harry, still confused.
"I would love to chat but we don't have much time, Harry. Just remember, be vigilant!" Harry nodded solemnly. "And don't you go blaming yourself for what happened to me...You're the greatest grandson I ever had and I am so proud of you."
More and more wizards came out of his opponent's wand and some had approached their relatives and friends watching the battle to finally say goodbye. Harry waited some more but still, neither the ghost of his parents nor Cedric's came out of the wand. He stared at the mocking figure of his opponent. Voldemort was acting as if he had the upperhand on the situation. But before Harry could ponder more on his reaction, the beads of light went through the wand and coursed through Voldemort's trembling body.
Without warning, the evil wizard soon convulsed uncontrollably as if a tremendously high voltage of electicity was ransacking his interior. Then the beads of light escaped from every pore of his being.... Then the dome- shaped web surrounding them gradually faded while the phoenix song struck its last note.... Voldemort's reign of terror had finally ended...The Prophecy was fulfilled and after several months of sowing evil, murder and destruction, the most vicious, most cunning, most feared sorceror of all time....fell lifeless on the ground.
Meanwhile, Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived-To-Kill-The-Dark-Lord, was staring at his long time nemesis with disbelief. That fast? He was not even wounded or extremely drained with power and energy as he usually felt after an encounter with him. This did not even come close to the dramatic confrontation he imagined and pondered upon -- with all the giants, werewolves, vampire and what-have-yous ferociously assaulting one another and leaving the battle field in ruins, dripping with blood... Not that he was complaining though but this seemed kind of anti-climactic somehow....'What's going on?'
"YES!!!"
A loud whoop snapped Harry away from his reverie as the entire light side immediately ran to him, cheering wildly. Even Snape was jumping up and down like a maniac and his Aunt Petunia smothered him with kisses while crying with joy.
"It's a good thing you were able to pull that off, Harry. We're not sure if we can do more magic due to lack of practice. We just banked on shocking them enough to give you time." said his aunt.
"You did it, mate!" exclaimed Ron, still carrying the limp form of Hermione.
"You had us worried for a while, boy. Why didn't you tell us that you're the new leader of dementors?" growled Moody, although he too was grinning foolishly making his face appear more disfigured than before.
"It was supposed to be a surprise, you know." answered Fred on his behalf.
"Yeah, you should have seen your faces. I thought Lupin would pee on his pants in horror." guffawed George, punching Lupin lightly on his arm. Lupin just smiled good-naturedly at him, not taking offense at his joke.
Harry grinned despite his misgivings and turned around to look for Luna. However, his smile was quickly replaced with concern as he saw her kneeling beside the fallen figure of her father, unmoving and with a blank look on her face. He rushed to her side to comfort her but Luna did not even look at him. She just continued staring blankly into space and muttering repeatedly ---- "It's just a dream....just a dream..."
Across the ecstatic crowd, partially hidden by the soul-sucking creatures, nobody noticed the small band of death-eaters that stealthily made their way through the gate and disappeared into thin air led by a newcomer with claw-like fingers and another with a shining, silver hand....while the other followers were callously left behind to suffer a fate worse than death itself...