It was the same field, the same battle. And yet, something was different. Something had changed. Draco turned to Harry, only to see him staring fixedly down at the fighting. "There are grave stones, another detail to give us a clue. I know exactly where we are now."
A sudden thought struck Draco as he watched. "Harry, we have our plans all set. If all goes okay, it will be a relatively quiet affair. And yet, we're still having these battle visions. What's going on?"
Harry sighed pensively, never looking away from the battle. Almost as if he didn't want to look at Draco as he broke whatever news he had. "I contacted Dumbledore as soon as the plan was set. He'll be sending a contingency of aurors and Order members after us to help with the distraction. And as a sort of 'just in case' back-up."
Draco considered all this. "And we all know Voldemort will have all his Death Eaters on hand to witness your final downfall. In the end, it'll escalate into this." Harry finally glanced over. The look on his face told Draco that he wanted to apologize, probably for dragging Draco into this in the first place, but Draco quickly silenced him. "Don't apologize, Harry. There's no need for it. I wouldn't be here if I didn't truly want to be."
Harry smiled softly at him then turned back to the battle, probably taking in minor details that might help in the actual event. Draco thought that was the end of it until he felt a smaller hand slip into his own and received the first real sign of fear from Harry. His hand was shaking, just slightly, but enough to show that he wasn't quite as settled about the whole event as he wanted everyone to believe. Draco matched his smile to Harry's. They'd be okay.
Both boys woke slowly that morning, ready for the day. This was it, and the dream had prepared them more than any plans they'd made in the last few days. They both dressed silently to meet they rest of their little group in the living room of Tori's house. Tristina, Rylan, and Hermione were already waiting, Hermione with potion in hand. Tori walked down the steps mere seconds later.
"Well, well, aren't we a cheerful bunch today?" she attempted to break the tense air. Harry and Rylan smiled softly to show they both at least appreciated the effort; no one else even acknowledged the statement or the fact that Tori had spoken at all. Tori shook her head but continued on, "Tris, Ry, you guys have the portkey?"
Tristina held up the little, green, armless stuffed alien that would deliver them to Voldemort. "We've got about two and a half minutes." The tension in the room spiked to previously unimagined heights. This was it; they were actually doing this. No turning back.
Harry closed his, took a deep breath, and turned his back to the rest of the room. Facing the corner allowed him some semblance of privacy in the last minutes before he had to face Voldemort one more time. Draco stepped behind him and slipped his arms around the smaller boy's waist silently. They didn't need words, just comfort. Touch to know they weren't alone in all this. Harry leaned back against Draco's chest, and Draco kissed the crown of his head softly.
Tori continued the countdown in her head. With thirty second left to go, she alerted Harry and Draco. "It's almost time guys. You'd better get over here now." She didn't want to interrupt their moment, but leaving two people behind was not an option.
When all six people were touching the toy in some way, Tori once again spoke. "Well, look at us, the We Hate Voldie Club. Think he'll have a welcoming committee, or are we on our own for snacks and refreshments?"
Draco shook his head, grinning. "Tori, you are just too much sometimes." And with that statement solidly in place, the portkey activated, and they were all jerked through space to the one place most of them really didn't want to be.
Harry's scar flared and burned, and he knew that the monster had been waiting for them. His knees buckled from the unexpected pain, but Draco's arms quickly wrapped around him and held him up. "Well, well, Harry Potter. I'm so pleased to have you as my guest once again." Acid dripped from Voldemort's tongue as he spoke. "Tristina, Rylan, you two did surprisingly well. Now leave."
The twins grinned, staring at him but not moving. "Oh, but you see, we didn't bring them here for you. They just wanted to come, check the place out, see what you were up to lately." Tristina's grin turned into a more natural smirk as Rylan talked. And as they kept Voldemort distracted, Harry slowly slipped the potion from his pocket.
Tori, being Tori, bounced up to stand directly in front of the Dark Lord. "Wow, you really are ugly. No wonder you have your minions to do your dirty work. Wouldn't want to be seen in public, now would ya? Speaking of, where are all the little men? Didn't they want to see the show?" She bounced away again to stand next to Tristina and Rylan.
Voldemort stared after her, as if he weren't quite sure how to react. Finally, he settled for simply turning away to face Harry. "Potter." Harry palmed the vial, hoping to hide it from the other man. "Well, well, Potter. What are you hiding?" It didn't work as well as he'd hoped. "Accio potion."
Harry knew, with every fiber of his being, that Voldemort could not have that potion. It was a potion made for destruction, and Voldemort could cause far too much damage with it. Harry threw himself after the potion, snatching it out of mid-air just before it reached Voldemort's hands. He hit the ground and rolled but had the potion safely clutched in his hands.
The only warning Harry received was a brief blaze in Voldemort's blood-red eyes before he growled out, "Crucio!" The pain hit immediately, ripping and burning and washing away consciousness of anything else in the room. When it finally stopped, Harry relaxed his spasming muscles. The potion rolled out of his hand and crashed on the floor.
The plan had been nearly perfect, so where had it gone so wrong? Harry stared at the spilled potion seeping into the stone of the dungeon floor, feeling his hope and confidence sinking along with it. They would all die, and it would be his fault.
All motion had stopped at the sound of glass shattering, and Harry raised his eyes to lock gazes with Draco. He then shifted to look at the others: Hermione, Tori, Tristina, and Rylan. They were all looking at him, everyone wondering what would happen now. He wished he could tell them.
Voldemort's cackling laugh broke the moment. "Is this really all you have to bring against me?" he sneered. "Pathetic, Potter, truly pathetic." He cast a quick succession of stunning spells at Tristina, Rylan, and Tori; all three bounced off, unsuccessful.
As the others in the room watched, the three were starting to morph into... something else. Tori's fiery red hair grew and changed to a shimmering, flowing white. Tristina and Rylan's matching chestnut flowed into an inky black on Tris and a sky blue on Rylan. The skin on all three paled to a glowing, translucent nearly-white. "We're more than you think we are," Tori shot back calmly.
Voldemort's eyes widened almost imperceptibly as he took in the new creatures standing before him. "Let's take this outside, shall we?" Before anyone could answer Tori's question, they were all standing in the old graveyard between the aurors and the Death Eaters.
Harry and Draco glanced at each other and knew. This was the end; only one side would be walking away from this soon-to-be battlefield intact. That thought had barely passed when the two sides attacked, rushing at each other with wands drawn and ready.
The two boys could only watch the battle around them; it was so familiar yet not, because now it was real. The waves of fighters had pushed the boys and Voldemort to opposite ends of the grave-marked field. The battle continued with bright sparks of curses and spilled blood on both sides.
"Any plans?" Harry looked at Draco but didn't answer. Instead, they smiled slightly at each other; no plans were needed when both knew what to do. Latching onto the other's hand, Harry and Draco made their way through the battle as Voldemort did the same on the other side.
The three stared at each other, waiting for someone to make the first move. Suddenly, Voldemort smirked. "Such high, foolish hopes, Potter. I hope you don't actually believe you can defeat me like this." He practically grinned as he looked at the pair's clasped hands.
Harry looked around at the battle being fought almost as if he hadn't heard Voldemort's words. As he turned back to face the Dark Lord, he shook his head and gave Draco's hand a light squeeze. "Like this? No. I know the aurors can't hurt you in any way. They can incapacitate you by taking away your Death Eaters, but they can't physically hurt you."
Draco tugged on Harry's arm to direct his attention to a slight distance behind Voldemort where Tori, Tristina, and Rylan were standing. Harry let a small smile tug at the corners of his mouth as he took in all their other-worldly glory.
"I also know, Tom, that I can't kill you. Not completely," Harry continued, not taking his eyes off the trio. "You took precautions against that a long time ago, and I won't deny that you did your work well."
Voldemort smirked as if this were an admission of his impending victory. Draco sneered at him. "We can, however, get rid of you. Permanently. We can trap you away in a little cell where all that power you worked so hard to gain is completely obsolete. You will be totally removed from the situation."
Voldemort's gleeful smirk slowly faded as he realized they were speaking the truth as far as they knew it. "Di banés ur." Harry stated it quietly, but no one could deny the sheer power surging through the words Voldemort's composure crumbled as the magic hit him.
Harry and Draco repeated the statement together. "Ys banés ur." The three Sophye entered the chanting, and Voldemort screamed. His soul ripped away from its tentative hold on physical being as the monster's stolen body broke. The mantra was repeated one last time, and the black cloud that was Voldemort's spirit slipped into the small crystal Tori held. She quickly muttered a few words of binding, slipped the stone into a black velvet bag, and looked up at the boys.
------------------------
A.N. 1:
(1) Di banés ur and Ys banés ur
(a) pronunciation: Dee bahn-ace uhr and Ees bahn-ace uhr
(b) translation: I banish you and We banish you
(c) language: Sophye
A.N. 2:
Finally a new chapter!!! dances Ya'll wouldn't believe how hard this was to write. Writer's block is a bitch with puppies. grins Anywayz, thank you all who're still reading this! You've shown unimaginable patience and faith that I would continue. Now, reviewer responses!
Ms. Padfoot: Thank you! The fact that you were hooked on the first chapter really means a lot to me. No matter how many times people tell me my writing is good, I'm always afraid they just don't want to hurt my feelings. blushes
Aahz: Hope you had a nice nap! giggles And hopefully the plot line is starting to be revealed little by little, especially in this chap. Thanks for the review!
Rowenna: Um, okay, so not exactly a "sooner" update... grins But I think it's one of my better chapters, so hopefully the wait was almost worth it. Let me know!
Andrea: We haven't talked in so long, hun! E-mail me sometime, 'cause I really miss talking to you! Also, I'm sorry I haven't been sending you stuff to beta lately, but it's been so long since I've posted stuff that I thought it'd be better to just post right away to calm the lynch mobs. yells at crowd No, seriously, put the torches down! Down, I say! Um, guys...? turns and runs
Angel Spirit: I'm glad you kept reading! Hopefully Tori, Tristina, and Rylan grow on you readers as much as they did on me. 'Cause, believe me, I was just as reluctant to add them as some readers are to accept them. And hopefully this chapter shows that they weren't completely frivolous or anything. Let me know what ya think, 'kay?
Switch7: Here, update! tosses it in Switch's general direction Only about, oh, almost a year after your review... blushes Hope you like!
Enemy of The Lone One: Any specific questions I could answer for you? Or anything I can add to the story to make it less confusing? Let me know, and I'll try to help ASAP. Also, I hope this chapter is a little less confusing and maybe clears up some questions left hanging in other areas. Enjoy!
Serpent of Light: Well, I'm glad you like my Harry! grins Hopefully he's just as good in this chapter as in previous ones. Thanks for the review!
WittchWay: Why, thank you. blushes, giggles And when, may I ask, is That Effect gonna be updated? Huh? pokes Wittch Hope you liked this chap. just as much! Thanks!
Brenna8: Does this count as swift? laughs nervously Um, anywayz, thanks! I still think this chapter is one of my best, and I'm hoping all you readers out there agree. Let me know if I'm completely crazy in that belief, 'kay?
Noe: blushes madly Aw, you're too sweet! Thank you very much, and I hope this chapter lives up to expectations.
SunGoddess1: Now there's a new chapter up! See! points up at many, many words Thanks for the review!
Nemati: Continuation! Yay! dances Can you tell I'm immensely proud of myself? Anywayz, I've had a lot of feedback saying the story's kinda hasty, so I'm working on slowing it down a bit. Don't know if it's working, but shrugs let me know. Hope you enjoyed!
Liber Creperum-Liber Diabolus: Thanks! Hope you liked this part just as much. grins
texasjeanette: I'm glad you enjoyed! As far as the whole Harry/Draco thing, well, this chap. shows a little bit of that. As far as how powerful they'll become, what all is involved in being the Chosen, and all that other good stuff... Well, I'm still working all that out. Bits and pieces are falling into place as I write, but it's all still very much up in the air. But I hope you enjoyed this part anyway. Thanks for reviewing!
Great big hugs and giant cookies of your favorite flavor to everyone. Thank you sooooo much for all the feedback!
And finally, I'd like to throw out a huge thank you to Tia. She helped me find my interest and motivation in this story again. And she hounded me every day in class until I wrote more. laughs Thanks, Tia!!