The Last Battle
"We will strike through the main doors. There seems to be layers of anti apparation and anti portkey charms scattered over the school. It's not a tight net, there are plenty of gaps, but we know they are all gathered in the Great Hall." Dumbledore rotated the image of Hogwarts before the gathered witches and wizards. "We're going in two waves. We need to be fast and we need to strike them hard. I'll be leading the first wave. We'll hit them in the Great Hall, break the charms. Bill will be leading the second wave, they'll come in when the charms are down and we'll smash the Death Eaters and Voldemort in a quick blow."
The witches and wizards nodded grimly. They itched to go, they had the incredible urge to attack now. But Dumbledore had made them see reason. They had to go in ordered, united, and strong. If they went in piecemeal then the Death Eaters would crush them one by one.
"This is a far distance to apparate. Can you all make it?" Dumbledore asked, scanning the faces. They all nodded back.
XXX
Draco Malfoy sat upon a stout chair, his mother fussed over his left arm, tying the bandages and shaking her head. Draco ignored her and watched the proceedings.
This was what it would be like under Voldemort's rule? This is what he thought of as power? Draco shook his head. The screaming, shouting, and sobbing echoed down the hall. The Death Eaters laughed and had a merry time, pushing and shoving captured students and professors.
Voldemort sat presiding over a match between two younger students. They were not under the Imperius Spell, but they were tearing at each other in a mad desperation for survival. The executing of student upon student had become fairly boring after the first seven were killed and Potter it seemed had fallen into a madden state. Now the Death Eaters were entertaining themselves with the remaining students. Draco found it all unappetizing and faintly disgusting.
He had hoped for a great battle, a chance to fight those that he hated and those that he despised. But it had just been slaughter. Death Eaters versus students and a few professors. It hadn't been much of a battle, the only people that put up any resistance were the Ravenclaws and they were destroyed. The remainder of the Hufflepuffs had vanished and many had perished trying to go near the kitchens.
He should have been excited, flushed with victory, but all he could feel was a sense of dissatisfaction. Lord Voldemort had won. Potter was captured, Dumbledore was dead, the Ministry was in ruins. Even with all that Draco felt as if something were missing. That there should have been more.
The whole thing of torturing victims didn't sit well with Draco. He didn't know why. It didn't feel right. He could understand killing another person, killing them in battle. But why keep torturing the loser when they were already broken? He wondered if this was what it would be like under Voldemort's rule. Crushing everyone and torturing those that defied them. This was power and control? This was what they were fighting for? Draco leaned back against the stone wall, sighing.
"Are you alright?" His mother asked, her eyes flashing.
"Fine." Draco said.
"Why don't you join your friends, they seem to be having a good time." She said, gesturing to where Goyle and Crabbe were laughing at the antics of a student under the Imperius Spell.
"I'm fine." Draco responded.
"Then don't sit here and mope like a child. This is a grand day, the Dark Lord has won. Your sullen look is making things look bad for your father. Do you think that the Lord can't see your look of disgust or distaste?" His mother hissed. Draco looked toward the throne and saw that his father was intently watching him. "You fought well today. You were brave and you were strong. You could rise high in Voldemort's new world, but you must not anger the Lord."
XXX
Hagrid roared. He smashed his club into the flesh of the huge troll, the monster crashed back in a loud crack of bone and pain. Ginny moved forward and ended its existence. Hagrid gave the dead monster another powerful blow before staggering back and leaning upon the club.
Hagrid looked at her, his face red, his beard bushier than normal, and his eyes filled with a wild bloodlust that would have put fear into her if she had been able to feel anything.
They had ran across Madam Pomfrey and Hagrid as they headed for the Forest. They had quickly joined the group and helped in fending off the monsters that had been unleashed upon their trail. The Death Eaters hadn't followed, which was a relief.
Ginny moved toward an open spot. She looked westward toward the castle. She could see it and she shook her head. Harry was in there, Ron was in there, Hermione was in there. If she could she would go back in there, if she could she would fight the Dark Lord and rescue her friends. She clenched her fists and held back her tears. They might as well have been on the moon for all that she could do for them.
"Come, Ginny." Madam Pomfrey said, soothingly. "We need to keep going."
She ignored her. She kept looking and from that far distance and suddenly she saw several figures suddenly appear. One had long flowing robes and white streaming hair, he led several others and they raced for the castle. For a moment she was stunned then realization hit her. Dumbledore had returned.
They were going to defeat Voldemort and they were going to rescue her brother and her friends.
"Dumbledore's back." Ginny said loudly. There was an expectant hush. "They're going back into the castle and they'll be fighting Voldemort. I'm going back.' She stared at Madam Pomfrey who looked shocked at her words.
"I'm comin' with ye, lass." Hagrid rumbled. He hefted his club. "They'll be needin' help."
Pomfrey looked frightened. She looked at the kids and back at Hagrid.
"Stay behind, Madam Pomfrey. There's injured among the group, take care of them. When the battle is over, come down and help with the wounded." Ginny said, there was a command in her voice. One that Pomfrey obeyed without realizing. "Come on, Hagrid."
"I'm coming also." Michael said, joining the two. No one else followed. No one else was strong enough, brave enough, or foolish enough.
"You all head deeper into the woods. Pomfrey will keep you safe. You hide and try to make it to safety." Ginny said and they all nodded slowly. She turned and headed back toward the castle, the two trailing behind her.
XXX
"VOLDEMORT!"
The yell suddenly tore through the laughing and the jesting among the Death Eaters. There was a moment of silence and they tried to understand what was happening. The Dark Lord was the fastest, rising to his feet and drawing his wand.
The great doors suddenly exploded inward in a wall of wooden splinters and a blast of magic. One Death Eater was caught in the blast, shredded along with the door. Several figures began running in, magic flaring and snapping out. With a roar the Death Eaters began fighting back.
Harry looked up weakly, his head seemed to weight too much, his body ached as if he had been beaten and his mind still reeled with the faces of so many children dying because of him. There was yelling, there was the shouting of spells, the cries of anger and fear.
Among the raging battle he saw a tall gray figure. Dumbledore. He was not dead. He was fighting back. A sense of determination and anger began burning in Harry's heart. The battle was not over yet, the fight had yet to end. He began struggling against his bonds. He needed to be free, Voldemort had to pay.
There was a sudden crack like thunder. Harry looked up to see several score of witches and wizards suddenly appear within the Great Hall. He heard screaming and stared in shock as a few of the witches and wizards fell away, parts of their bodies missing. The Death Eaters, though disorganized and caught by surprise, moved quickly and efficiently to attack these new transgressors.
If it hadn't been such a horrible sight, Harry would have been impressed by the adaptability and flexibility the Death Eaters showed. They didn't go for one on one battle, instead they attacked in small groups, cutting off a person and then killing or disabling them then moving on to the next.
Harry strained at his bonds. He had to get free. He had to fight. He suddenly saw a tall red headed figure make his way toward him. George.
"Good to see you, Harry." He cried out, suddenly making the bonds that held him disappear. "Come quickly. We need to get-" suddenly his words were cut off and he fell tot he floor. A terribly familiar look of shock and surprise crossing his face.
Harry looked up to see Voldemort making his way toward him; all those that stood in his way were swept away. Across the Great Hall Dumbledore was battle against three Death Eaters at once.
"Accio wand!" Harry cried, extending his hand. Voldemort tried snatching at the wand that tore from his robes.
"Stupefy!" He roared, but Harry was already moving. "Avada Kedavra!" The thick stone that had held him shuddered and crumbled as Harry ducked behind it.
"Crucio!" Harry felt pain tear through him and fell to the ground, gasping. "I've got him!" Screamed someone. Harry looked up to see Bellatrix descending upon him, her wand drawn.
"Expelliarmus!" A voice called out and Bellatrix was flung away, she crashed into a battling pair knocking aside a nearly victorious Death Eater. "Run Harry!" Mrs. Weasley called out, turning to face Voldemort. "Stupefy!"
Voldemort brushed away the spell as if it were an annoyance. "Avada Kedavra!" A wash of green light headed for Harry. Molly screamed and jumped before him. She let out a gasp and slumped to the ground.
"VOLDEMORT!"
Voldemort suddenly turned, pointing his wand toward and unseen figure. Dumbledore suddenly appeared his face contorted in terrible anger and his magic smashing against Voldemort's shield. Harry got to his feet, pain coursed through him, his vision clouded and his mind flared with pain. He shook away the pain and tried to focus upon what was happening.
Dumbledore and Voldemort battled like two giants. They didn't seem to see notice anything else but the incredible fight between the two. Though anyone trying to help either one of them was quickly attacked and dispatched, no though given to them. They were swapped away as quickly as one kills an insect that annoys them, while they are facing something more important.
Harry pushed away his amazement and his fear and moved forward, his limbs feeling heavy and slow. He was suppose to fight Voldemort, it was his destiny. He wouldn't let Dumbledore be killed, he would defeat Voldemort.
A Death Eater suddenly appeared before him. Without thought and without hesitation Harry snapped out a curse. The Death Eater fell away clutching his face and screaming.
He turned back to the battle to see Dumbledore suddenly fall to the ground, a glazed look upon his face and blood running from his eyes. He looked at Harry and then fell to the ground dead. A roar of triumph filled the air and the Death Eaters attacked with renewed energy.
Harry stared and then something broke within him. A terrible gate seem to open and Harry raged with power. He screamed and raised his wand.
"VOLDEMORT!"
XXX
Hagrid fell to the ground, his thick beard matted his blood and his eyes already dead. Ginny felt pain flash through her, but it was momentary. Instead she concentrated upon the target at hand. A skinny vicious looking Death Eater that had just stunned Michael.
"Expelliarmus!" She cried and watched his wand fly away. A look of surprise crossed his face. "Stupefy!" He fell to the ground. Ginny pushed on, now alone. The Great Hall was in chaos. The Death Eaters were pushing back against the Witches and Wizards that had come to the rescue. Near the head of the Great Hall she saw Dumbledore and Voldemort battling. Where was Ron? Where were the others?. She shook her head, rushing toward the Death Eaters. They needed to be dealt with first.
A Slytherin girl she recognized jumped before her. Ginny moved quickly shouting out a spell before she knew it. The girl fell away, screaming. She moved on.
"Bill!" She cried out joyously. Her brother turned toward her, a look of relief and shock upon his face. Then it was replaced with pain. He fell to the floor, his eyes blank. Ginny screamed as the Death Eater that had killed her brother began laughing. "Avada Kedavra!" She screamed.
Rage descended upon her. She attacked the Death Eaters with a ferocity that sent them back reeling. Two simple words. Behind it lay a terrible will and a fiery determination. Death was on her tongue and she smashed anything that stood in her way. They all needed to die. They all deserved death.
A loud cheering filled the Great Hall and the Death Eaters that were being pushed back suddenly jumped forward, confidence and wild abandon pushing them.
"VOLDEMORT!"
Ginny spared a glance toward the battle and gasped as she saw Harry crossing a ground of death. A transformation seemed to occur. He was no longer the happy boy she knew, instead he raged with an inner fire. He stance was all wrong, his movements completely different. In his hands he clutched his wand. Death Eaters fled from his path, even those that fought on his side flinched away and ran. He was a terrible visage to behold.
She saw Voldemort gape and then turn to face him. The two them began to fight.
XXX
He burned like the sun. Power coursed through him like lava, burning and hot. His vision narrowed to a tiny pinprick that only showed the red eyed white faced monster. Rage filled him and he attacked.
Lightning cracked, fire roared, stone turned to liquid, the air seem to turn into razor sharp pieces of glass. Harry stuck, a blast of will and power, no real spell behind it. It was a lashing out of anger, of rage, and of death.
The once laughing Voldemort staggered back, trying desperately to fend off the attacks. His shield rang like a gong and spells and curses crashed against it like the sea.
The fighting stopped as everyone gaped at the incredible battle that was unfolding. The castle rumbled and groaned, but no one moved. Their eyes and their attention focused upon the two battling figures.
Ginny along with the rest stared. Oh, God. Please win, Harry. She thought, pushing her way through Death Eaters and Witches and Wizards to get closer. No one objected and no one attacked her.
Harry's face was clam and focused, but that seemed even more terrible than the rage and the anger that burned upon Voldemort's. His green eyes burned like fire. He wasn't waving his wand or shouting out spells, but they were coming out of him. Like lightning they flashed so fast and so bright, crashing against Voldemort's shield.
"Kill them all!" A voice suddenly shouted. Ginny turned to see Bellatrix screaming at the gathered Death Eaters. She lifted her wand and pointed toward a wizard Ginny didn't know.
"Avada Kedavra!" Ginny screamed and Bellatrix fell away. For a moment there was not action, a moment of shock and then the fighting began again. Ginny slashed and burned anything in her way. She needed to get to Harry, she didn't know why.
There was a clap of thunder than knocked Ginny back. Her vision danced with spots and her ears rang, but she still heard the strangled cry of something. She staggered to her feet and looked to where Harry and Voldemort were fighting.
"It's over, Voldemort!" Harry roared. The Dark Lord lay smoking upon the floor, the once powerful wizard defeated.
"It'll never be over. I'm eternal!' Voldemort shouted, rising to his feet. Ginny took a step back, his flesh was ruined, only his red eyes still burned bright with anger. "I'll never be defeated!"
Harry suddenly staggered back as a wall of flame erupted around him. Voldemort laughed. The laugh of a madman who realized that everything was ending and he had nothing left.
Harry screamed, his flesh catching fire. But he still moved, he raised his wand and screamed. Harry launched himself forward, knocking into Voldemort. He raised his hands and clenched the Dark Lord's face.
Ginny could hear the flesh and bone crack beneath Harry's grip. His fingers seemed to sink into Voldemort's flesh, where the touched the skin blacked and cracked. It spread across his body, turning his once white flesh black and cracking. Voldemort screamed and tried fighting back, but Harry hung on. Spells and curses struck him, but he held on.
There was one last scream and Voldemort suddenly went limp. His back arched with pain and his blackened flesh sloughing off bone. He twitched once and then was perfectly still. Harry released him and stood up. His robes were shredded and blood poured from numerous wounds crossing his chest.
"It's over!" He roared. His voice booming across the Great Hall. "Voldemort is dead." Silence descending upon the hall. Suddenly someone shouted in triumph and the witches and wizards began attacking the Death Eaters once again. Their numbers whittled down to nearly nothing, they tried to flee. They were attacked unmercifully by the others, cutting down the fleeing Death Eaters.
Ginny ran to Harry's side. "Harry!" She cried, catching him as he fell. "Oh, God." There was blood everywhere. She quickly began trying to stop the flow.
Harry opened his eyes. Ginny saw more than physical pain in his eyes. They held something deep and terrible, a dark void where all she saw was despair. "It's over. It's over and they're all dead." He said softly and then closed his eyes again. "Please let me die."
XXX
A witch fell away, screaming with pain. Draco Malfoy pushed on forward, the man upon his shoulders a heavy dead weight. It was stupid and he knew it, but he wouldn't leave him behind. He wouldn't be sent back to Azkaban or worst.
"My belt." Lucius Malfoy whispered. "A portkey at my belt."
Draco looked and saw the small disk at his father's belt.
He took a moment to look back, the rest of the Death Eaters were being dispatched. There was no mercy among the people who had come with Dumbledore. They had seen the bodies of the children and now they raged. Draco felt a heavy weigh of despair and shock. It was all over. Voldemort had been killed. He shook his head. He was tired and he was injured. He needed to get to safety, to heal and to recuperate. He took one last look and touched the disk.
"We will strike through the main doors. There seems to be layers of anti apparation and anti portkey charms scattered over the school. It's not a tight net, there are plenty of gaps, but we know they are all gathered in the Great Hall." Dumbledore rotated the image of Hogwarts before the gathered witches and wizards. "We're going in two waves. We need to be fast and we need to strike them hard. I'll be leading the first wave. We'll hit them in the Great Hall, break the charms. Bill will be leading the second wave, they'll come in when the charms are down and we'll smash the Death Eaters and Voldemort in a quick blow."
The witches and wizards nodded grimly. They itched to go, they had the incredible urge to attack now. But Dumbledore had made them see reason. They had to go in ordered, united, and strong. If they went in piecemeal then the Death Eaters would crush them one by one.
"This is a far distance to apparate. Can you all make it?" Dumbledore asked, scanning the faces. They all nodded back.
XXX
Draco Malfoy sat upon a stout chair, his mother fussed over his left arm, tying the bandages and shaking her head. Draco ignored her and watched the proceedings.
This was what it would be like under Voldemort's rule? This is what he thought of as power? Draco shook his head. The screaming, shouting, and sobbing echoed down the hall. The Death Eaters laughed and had a merry time, pushing and shoving captured students and professors.
Voldemort sat presiding over a match between two younger students. They were not under the Imperius Spell, but they were tearing at each other in a mad desperation for survival. The executing of student upon student had become fairly boring after the first seven were killed and Potter it seemed had fallen into a madden state. Now the Death Eaters were entertaining themselves with the remaining students. Draco found it all unappetizing and faintly disgusting.
He had hoped for a great battle, a chance to fight those that he hated and those that he despised. But it had just been slaughter. Death Eaters versus students and a few professors. It hadn't been much of a battle, the only people that put up any resistance were the Ravenclaws and they were destroyed. The remainder of the Hufflepuffs had vanished and many had perished trying to go near the kitchens.
He should have been excited, flushed with victory, but all he could feel was a sense of dissatisfaction. Lord Voldemort had won. Potter was captured, Dumbledore was dead, the Ministry was in ruins. Even with all that Draco felt as if something were missing. That there should have been more.
The whole thing of torturing victims didn't sit well with Draco. He didn't know why. It didn't feel right. He could understand killing another person, killing them in battle. But why keep torturing the loser when they were already broken? He wondered if this was what it would be like under Voldemort's rule. Crushing everyone and torturing those that defied them. This was power and control? This was what they were fighting for? Draco leaned back against the stone wall, sighing.
"Are you alright?" His mother asked, her eyes flashing.
"Fine." Draco said.
"Why don't you join your friends, they seem to be having a good time." She said, gesturing to where Goyle and Crabbe were laughing at the antics of a student under the Imperius Spell.
"I'm fine." Draco responded.
"Then don't sit here and mope like a child. This is a grand day, the Dark Lord has won. Your sullen look is making things look bad for your father. Do you think that the Lord can't see your look of disgust or distaste?" His mother hissed. Draco looked toward the throne and saw that his father was intently watching him. "You fought well today. You were brave and you were strong. You could rise high in Voldemort's new world, but you must not anger the Lord."
XXX
Hagrid roared. He smashed his club into the flesh of the huge troll, the monster crashed back in a loud crack of bone and pain. Ginny moved forward and ended its existence. Hagrid gave the dead monster another powerful blow before staggering back and leaning upon the club.
Hagrid looked at her, his face red, his beard bushier than normal, and his eyes filled with a wild bloodlust that would have put fear into her if she had been able to feel anything.
They had ran across Madam Pomfrey and Hagrid as they headed for the Forest. They had quickly joined the group and helped in fending off the monsters that had been unleashed upon their trail. The Death Eaters hadn't followed, which was a relief.
Ginny moved toward an open spot. She looked westward toward the castle. She could see it and she shook her head. Harry was in there, Ron was in there, Hermione was in there. If she could she would go back in there, if she could she would fight the Dark Lord and rescue her friends. She clenched her fists and held back her tears. They might as well have been on the moon for all that she could do for them.
"Come, Ginny." Madam Pomfrey said, soothingly. "We need to keep going."
She ignored her. She kept looking and from that far distance and suddenly she saw several figures suddenly appear. One had long flowing robes and white streaming hair, he led several others and they raced for the castle. For a moment she was stunned then realization hit her. Dumbledore had returned.
They were going to defeat Voldemort and they were going to rescue her brother and her friends.
"Dumbledore's back." Ginny said loudly. There was an expectant hush. "They're going back into the castle and they'll be fighting Voldemort. I'm going back.' She stared at Madam Pomfrey who looked shocked at her words.
"I'm comin' with ye, lass." Hagrid rumbled. He hefted his club. "They'll be needin' help."
Pomfrey looked frightened. She looked at the kids and back at Hagrid.
"Stay behind, Madam Pomfrey. There's injured among the group, take care of them. When the battle is over, come down and help with the wounded." Ginny said, there was a command in her voice. One that Pomfrey obeyed without realizing. "Come on, Hagrid."
"I'm coming also." Michael said, joining the two. No one else followed. No one else was strong enough, brave enough, or foolish enough.
"You all head deeper into the woods. Pomfrey will keep you safe. You hide and try to make it to safety." Ginny said and they all nodded slowly. She turned and headed back toward the castle, the two trailing behind her.
XXX
"VOLDEMORT!"
The yell suddenly tore through the laughing and the jesting among the Death Eaters. There was a moment of silence and they tried to understand what was happening. The Dark Lord was the fastest, rising to his feet and drawing his wand.
The great doors suddenly exploded inward in a wall of wooden splinters and a blast of magic. One Death Eater was caught in the blast, shredded along with the door. Several figures began running in, magic flaring and snapping out. With a roar the Death Eaters began fighting back.
Harry looked up weakly, his head seemed to weight too much, his body ached as if he had been beaten and his mind still reeled with the faces of so many children dying because of him. There was yelling, there was the shouting of spells, the cries of anger and fear.
Among the raging battle he saw a tall gray figure. Dumbledore. He was not dead. He was fighting back. A sense of determination and anger began burning in Harry's heart. The battle was not over yet, the fight had yet to end. He began struggling against his bonds. He needed to be free, Voldemort had to pay.
There was a sudden crack like thunder. Harry looked up to see several score of witches and wizards suddenly appear within the Great Hall. He heard screaming and stared in shock as a few of the witches and wizards fell away, parts of their bodies missing. The Death Eaters, though disorganized and caught by surprise, moved quickly and efficiently to attack these new transgressors.
If it hadn't been such a horrible sight, Harry would have been impressed by the adaptability and flexibility the Death Eaters showed. They didn't go for one on one battle, instead they attacked in small groups, cutting off a person and then killing or disabling them then moving on to the next.
Harry strained at his bonds. He had to get free. He had to fight. He suddenly saw a tall red headed figure make his way toward him. George.
"Good to see you, Harry." He cried out, suddenly making the bonds that held him disappear. "Come quickly. We need to get-" suddenly his words were cut off and he fell tot he floor. A terribly familiar look of shock and surprise crossing his face.
Harry looked up to see Voldemort making his way toward him; all those that stood in his way were swept away. Across the Great Hall Dumbledore was battle against three Death Eaters at once.
"Accio wand!" Harry cried, extending his hand. Voldemort tried snatching at the wand that tore from his robes.
"Stupefy!" He roared, but Harry was already moving. "Avada Kedavra!" The thick stone that had held him shuddered and crumbled as Harry ducked behind it.
"Crucio!" Harry felt pain tear through him and fell to the ground, gasping. "I've got him!" Screamed someone. Harry looked up to see Bellatrix descending upon him, her wand drawn.
"Expelliarmus!" A voice called out and Bellatrix was flung away, she crashed into a battling pair knocking aside a nearly victorious Death Eater. "Run Harry!" Mrs. Weasley called out, turning to face Voldemort. "Stupefy!"
Voldemort brushed away the spell as if it were an annoyance. "Avada Kedavra!" A wash of green light headed for Harry. Molly screamed and jumped before him. She let out a gasp and slumped to the ground.
"VOLDEMORT!"
Voldemort suddenly turned, pointing his wand toward and unseen figure. Dumbledore suddenly appeared his face contorted in terrible anger and his magic smashing against Voldemort's shield. Harry got to his feet, pain coursed through him, his vision clouded and his mind flared with pain. He shook away the pain and tried to focus upon what was happening.
Dumbledore and Voldemort battled like two giants. They didn't seem to see notice anything else but the incredible fight between the two. Though anyone trying to help either one of them was quickly attacked and dispatched, no though given to them. They were swapped away as quickly as one kills an insect that annoys them, while they are facing something more important.
Harry pushed away his amazement and his fear and moved forward, his limbs feeling heavy and slow. He was suppose to fight Voldemort, it was his destiny. He wouldn't let Dumbledore be killed, he would defeat Voldemort.
A Death Eater suddenly appeared before him. Without thought and without hesitation Harry snapped out a curse. The Death Eater fell away clutching his face and screaming.
He turned back to the battle to see Dumbledore suddenly fall to the ground, a glazed look upon his face and blood running from his eyes. He looked at Harry and then fell to the ground dead. A roar of triumph filled the air and the Death Eaters attacked with renewed energy.
Harry stared and then something broke within him. A terrible gate seem to open and Harry raged with power. He screamed and raised his wand.
"VOLDEMORT!"
XXX
Hagrid fell to the ground, his thick beard matted his blood and his eyes already dead. Ginny felt pain flash through her, but it was momentary. Instead she concentrated upon the target at hand. A skinny vicious looking Death Eater that had just stunned Michael.
"Expelliarmus!" She cried and watched his wand fly away. A look of surprise crossed his face. "Stupefy!" He fell to the ground. Ginny pushed on, now alone. The Great Hall was in chaos. The Death Eaters were pushing back against the Witches and Wizards that had come to the rescue. Near the head of the Great Hall she saw Dumbledore and Voldemort battling. Where was Ron? Where were the others?. She shook her head, rushing toward the Death Eaters. They needed to be dealt with first.
A Slytherin girl she recognized jumped before her. Ginny moved quickly shouting out a spell before she knew it. The girl fell away, screaming. She moved on.
"Bill!" She cried out joyously. Her brother turned toward her, a look of relief and shock upon his face. Then it was replaced with pain. He fell to the floor, his eyes blank. Ginny screamed as the Death Eater that had killed her brother began laughing. "Avada Kedavra!" She screamed.
Rage descended upon her. She attacked the Death Eaters with a ferocity that sent them back reeling. Two simple words. Behind it lay a terrible will and a fiery determination. Death was on her tongue and she smashed anything that stood in her way. They all needed to die. They all deserved death.
A loud cheering filled the Great Hall and the Death Eaters that were being pushed back suddenly jumped forward, confidence and wild abandon pushing them.
"VOLDEMORT!"
Ginny spared a glance toward the battle and gasped as she saw Harry crossing a ground of death. A transformation seemed to occur. He was no longer the happy boy she knew, instead he raged with an inner fire. He stance was all wrong, his movements completely different. In his hands he clutched his wand. Death Eaters fled from his path, even those that fought on his side flinched away and ran. He was a terrible visage to behold.
She saw Voldemort gape and then turn to face him. The two them began to fight.
XXX
He burned like the sun. Power coursed through him like lava, burning and hot. His vision narrowed to a tiny pinprick that only showed the red eyed white faced monster. Rage filled him and he attacked.
Lightning cracked, fire roared, stone turned to liquid, the air seem to turn into razor sharp pieces of glass. Harry stuck, a blast of will and power, no real spell behind it. It was a lashing out of anger, of rage, and of death.
The once laughing Voldemort staggered back, trying desperately to fend off the attacks. His shield rang like a gong and spells and curses crashed against it like the sea.
The fighting stopped as everyone gaped at the incredible battle that was unfolding. The castle rumbled and groaned, but no one moved. Their eyes and their attention focused upon the two battling figures.
Ginny along with the rest stared. Oh, God. Please win, Harry. She thought, pushing her way through Death Eaters and Witches and Wizards to get closer. No one objected and no one attacked her.
Harry's face was clam and focused, but that seemed even more terrible than the rage and the anger that burned upon Voldemort's. His green eyes burned like fire. He wasn't waving his wand or shouting out spells, but they were coming out of him. Like lightning they flashed so fast and so bright, crashing against Voldemort's shield.
"Kill them all!" A voice suddenly shouted. Ginny turned to see Bellatrix screaming at the gathered Death Eaters. She lifted her wand and pointed toward a wizard Ginny didn't know.
"Avada Kedavra!" Ginny screamed and Bellatrix fell away. For a moment there was not action, a moment of shock and then the fighting began again. Ginny slashed and burned anything in her way. She needed to get to Harry, she didn't know why.
There was a clap of thunder than knocked Ginny back. Her vision danced with spots and her ears rang, but she still heard the strangled cry of something. She staggered to her feet and looked to where Harry and Voldemort were fighting.
"It's over, Voldemort!" Harry roared. The Dark Lord lay smoking upon the floor, the once powerful wizard defeated.
"It'll never be over. I'm eternal!' Voldemort shouted, rising to his feet. Ginny took a step back, his flesh was ruined, only his red eyes still burned bright with anger. "I'll never be defeated!"
Harry suddenly staggered back as a wall of flame erupted around him. Voldemort laughed. The laugh of a madman who realized that everything was ending and he had nothing left.
Harry screamed, his flesh catching fire. But he still moved, he raised his wand and screamed. Harry launched himself forward, knocking into Voldemort. He raised his hands and clenched the Dark Lord's face.
Ginny could hear the flesh and bone crack beneath Harry's grip. His fingers seemed to sink into Voldemort's flesh, where the touched the skin blacked and cracked. It spread across his body, turning his once white flesh black and cracking. Voldemort screamed and tried fighting back, but Harry hung on. Spells and curses struck him, but he held on.
There was one last scream and Voldemort suddenly went limp. His back arched with pain and his blackened flesh sloughing off bone. He twitched once and then was perfectly still. Harry released him and stood up. His robes were shredded and blood poured from numerous wounds crossing his chest.
"It's over!" He roared. His voice booming across the Great Hall. "Voldemort is dead." Silence descending upon the hall. Suddenly someone shouted in triumph and the witches and wizards began attacking the Death Eaters once again. Their numbers whittled down to nearly nothing, they tried to flee. They were attacked unmercifully by the others, cutting down the fleeing Death Eaters.
Ginny ran to Harry's side. "Harry!" She cried, catching him as he fell. "Oh, God." There was blood everywhere. She quickly began trying to stop the flow.
Harry opened his eyes. Ginny saw more than physical pain in his eyes. They held something deep and terrible, a dark void where all she saw was despair. "It's over. It's over and they're all dead." He said softly and then closed his eyes again. "Please let me die."
XXX
A witch fell away, screaming with pain. Draco Malfoy pushed on forward, the man upon his shoulders a heavy dead weight. It was stupid and he knew it, but he wouldn't leave him behind. He wouldn't be sent back to Azkaban or worst.
"My belt." Lucius Malfoy whispered. "A portkey at my belt."
Draco looked and saw the small disk at his father's belt.
He took a moment to look back, the rest of the Death Eaters were being dispatched. There was no mercy among the people who had come with Dumbledore. They had seen the bodies of the children and now they raged. Draco felt a heavy weigh of despair and shock. It was all over. Voldemort had been killed. He shook his head. He was tired and he was injured. He needed to get to safety, to heal and to recuperate. He took one last look and touched the disk.