A/N: Wow...Okay I'm sorry I kept you guys waiting so long. This chapter I had actually written a while ago and I forgot to post it here {i post elsewhere as well as }. The next one should be the last one unless I decide to post an epilogue. I have lots of crap going on so bear with me. I'll finish it soon and I WILL finish this fic. R&R PPL!

Harry awoke with a pounding head. He was sprawled on the street in front of Hermione's house. His head was, despite the ache, buzzing with thoughts. Voldemort? He had vanquished Voldemort. He was sure of it. The evil was dead. But there was no questioning those eyes. But Dale? How did Dale fit into this?

He sat up and noticed blood on the ground. His own, he realized. Reaching into the weave of magic once more, he focused on healing. The blow dealt to his head would have killed any normal wizard. It had been exerted with force enough to knock asunder solid stone. If not for his magic, his head would be a ball of rolling pulp.

Once adequately healed, he walked inside, searching for Hermione. He remembered her screech. Unexpectedly, her father jumped out with a shotgun and fired without comprehending who was there. Harry didn't see who it was either but he felt the lead embed itself into his chest. He staggered back but composed himself. He ignored the agony and focused on magic. The bullet lodged in him clattered to the floor and his father was already apologizing.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't know it was you. To think, I almost killed my little girl's lover." And then, as if he just recognized that he hadn't missed he stared up at Harry. "W-w-what are you?!"

"Hard to kill." Harry was used to situations like these. After all, he had led Dumbledore's Army during the Second War. His rage was coiled inside him, ready to spring, but a little self-control could go a long way. "Where is Hermione?"

"That thing. It took her."

"Dale?"

"Well, he was, but he turned into a demon. He just sprouted big black wings and shot into the sky. I thought I was going crazy."

"Well you weren't. I have to go save her." He looked down at Hermione's mother. "Will she be okay?"

"I-I don't know. I'm taking her to the hospital soon." Harry knew that he could take them to St. Mungo's but he just didn't have time. He felt guilty but who knew what was happening to Hermione. He felt nothing but hate for Dale, or Voldemort, or damned Daledemort, for all he cared. Harry could give less of a damn what he was called. All that mattered was that this man would die.

With a pop, he was in Hogsmeade, as close to Hogwarts as he could apparate. He drew stares from passers-by because of his blood stained clothes and haggard experience. He didn't care though. He needed to see Dumbledore immediately. Thundering through the gates, he realized thankfully that the wards didn't stop him. If he tried hard enough, he was sure that he could overcome them. But they were powerful and it would have drained him immensely, and right now he couldn't afford weakness. He pushed through the doors of the Great Hall and the few teachers that were there looked at him, shocked, as he ran through with the face that would send a grown man to his knees.

He stared in anger at the gargoyle that guarded the Headmaster's office. He reiterated every candy he knew, including Muggle ones.

"Argh!" He didn't have time for this. His rage unfurled at this moment and the statue of the gargoyle exploded into a shower of cinder and stone. He found Dumbledore just sitting there, waiting for him.

"What is wrong?" Harry still respected the man greatly. He was the wisest of men in his eyes and had a kinder heart than any. Even though it was a fact that Harry was indeed the most powerful discovered wizard in the world today, he still considered Dumbledore his better.

"I think Voldemort is back and he has Hermione. I need my equipment." He couldn't be back. Dumbledore raised a shocked eyebrow at the news but he waved his hand, causing a wall to open into a chamber the size of a closet. Harry couldn't even step in there but he pulled out Godric Gryffindor's sword, which he had slain Voldemort with. His magicked armor and other trinkets, and a long, thin, wand. The wand was very different than ordinary, as it was longer and a brilliant silver. It was not, however, metal. It was made of many different types of wood and its core was of Merlin's beard. The power this wand could harness would obliterate the minds of lesser wizards. Only he and Dumbledore had used it successfully and it was assumed that Voldemort could as well.

Harry stepped away from the closet and put on his armor. He had no helm. His chest plate was of a golden hue but the chain mail underneath was adamantium. His gauntlets were made of sleek, black, onyx and held many enchantments in them. His leg armor was bronze but his boots were once again, onyx. He sheathed the wand at his belt and hefted the blade, swinging it about. He hadn't used it in a while and he feared that he might have gotten rusty.

Gazing into a mirror to see if all was well, he noticed something odd. As the image of himself shifted, he realized that this was no ordinary mirror but the Mirror of Erised. He saw himself standing over Dale, who was kneeling with his back to Harry. Harry had the sword through the fool's neck. Then the image changed again. This time Harry was laughing. He was in a tuxedo and carrying Hermione. Except Hermione was in...a wedding dress. He almost dropped the blade right there as he saw what his deepest desire was. To love Hermione forever. Without bothering to say his farewells, Harry was once again rushing through the halls of Hogwarts.

Growling softly, he ran like never before out of Hogwarts and into the Forbidden Forest, where magic tended to be sporadic. The visit to Hogwarts had only intensified his desire to free Hermione and kill Dale. But he still had no ways to reach her except for the vast amount of magic he could harness. And that magic could be dangerous. One could not explore its depths and hope to control it. In the Forbidden Forest, he had once found where Voldemort was hiding. It had been quite easy since he had just searched for part of himself. Voldemort did, after all, impart a piece of himself in Harry. With that knowledge, amplified by the Forest, he had found the exact location of Voldemort and his parents' graves.

Using that same power, he planned to locate Hermione by searching for a missing piece of his heart.

"Damn it!" Harry found himself at the entrance to an enormous grass plain. The spell had led him straight here. Of course, the place was masked. He knew that but it took enormous energy to reveal a hidden place.

Frustration lashed at his mind leading to anger. It had taken him all his resources and a full week to find this place. A WEEK! Who knows what horrible things that Dale couldn't done to Hermione. His Hermione.

Sighing, he decided to let his anger take over again. He had a tight leash on it, for he couldn't afford to use it whenever he wanted. He had unleashed it once before and decimated Voldemort's army of Death Eaters. He could not control himself when in that berserker-ish stage. He would lash out at anything and everything and it had been chance that the only people there were enemies.

He felt the power take him over. He couldn't see straight. Everything was blurry in his raged form. His anger focused on all of the nothing around him, ripping and tearing at it like a werewolf through meat. Slowly, different things started appearing. The skies darkened and a castle shimmered into view. It was not even close to as immense Hogwarts was but still looked formidable. There was a moat with dangerous shadows lurking beneath its surface and a drawn bridge.

Despite the situation, Harry found himself chuckling. It was such a cliché situation. No doubt he would find Hermione either in the tallest tower or the dungeons. But first he had to get into the castle. Harry poked and prodded at the drawbridge to see that it was laden with wards.

If Harry exerted enough power to take it down, he would need time to gather up energy again and would be vulnerable to attack. Did Voldemort think him a fool? He was getting stupid these days. Harry, instead of focusing on the bridge, encircled himself in some sort of bubble shield. It would ward away minor threats and give him extra armor against stronger threats. Of course it wouldn't be much help against the Dark Lord himself but he was sure it wouldn't go to waste.

With a deep breath, he stepped out where the moat was. Expectedly, the bubble kept him aloft. He floated to one of the windows next to the bridge and plunged through, bits of glass encircling him in a dazzling array of lights. Making his way through the room he found himself in a long corridor.

Skirting the wall to avoid any possible dangers he went downwards towards the dungeons. There were no traps, no enemies. There were torches for easy visibility. What was Voldemort up to?

It was the last step. The last step and a gate was all that kept him from his enemy and his love. With a kick, the door flew open and he witnessed what was perhaps the return of Voldemort, darker and more powerful than ever before.