Ch 12. -the beginning of the end
Disclaimer- Don't own HP.
Harry awoke early the next morning with a deep sense of foreboding, as if the rug was going to be pulled out from underneath him. His scar was aching enough to cause him to have a nagging headache. Voldemort was up to something and Harry knew it wouldn't be long till he found out what it was. It never took long.
Before Harry finished dressing, he noticed someone watching him. When he turned he realized it was Dobby, who seemed very happy.
"What are you doing here Dobby?" Harry asked. Dobby was excited.
"It's a great day, Mr. Potter. A great day and Dobby gets to help Mr. Potter defeat those who are in the dark!" Dobby was glowing from happiness.
"What are you talking about? How are you going to help me?" Harry quickly advanced on Dobby. He knew full and well the disaster that a "helping" Dobby could reap upon him. Harry was alarmed to say the least.
"I can not say. I promised not to say. You can never make me tell but you will be sooo happy."
"Who made you promise Dobby?"
"A friend. A friend of Harry Potter! It's all going as planned! You will soon see! Harry can't know, he would never go through with the battle if he knew." Before Harry could ask more Dobby darted out of sight. Harry chased after him but soon lost track of the scampering Dobby. Now Harry was very worried.
Harry met Ron and Hermione at breakfast and told them of his encounter with Dobby.
Ron seemed unconcerned and to his surprise Hermione didn't seem to upset by his news. She just encouraged Harry to keep an eye on Dobby, "after all it is Dobby we're talking about."
Before he could argue about the seriousness of the situation, Dumbledore rose from his table to give a toast. A goblet appeared in front of every student and Dumbledore motioned for every student to pick up his or her goblet. "Today we will have a toast, for good news and new times. The house elves have decided to unite! They have decided to want freedom, which means pay, vacation time, and benefits deserving of these hardworking elves." The students cheered loudly at the announcement. Dumbledore waited and then continued. "I wish to thank those students involved in SPEW who helped bring this about. Who stepped up and decided to act and care for others. Simply outstanding." All eyes turned to Hermione, who blushed a deep red, and grabbed Harry's hand under the table for support. He smiled at her and squeezed her hand reassuringly. In a moment of unity the students and professors drank a toast to this new era. After the toast, Harry had a little drink on his chin and Hermione gently dabbed it off, her eyes fixed on Harry's. Ron looked at both of his friends and a look of understanding crossed his face. Quickly he glanced under the table and saw their entwined hands. Harry regretted Ron finding out this way but to Ron's credit he didn't say anything. He just looked away.
The rest of the day went by quietly. He couldn't wait to see Hermione at every given chance. He knew he had a silly grin on his face but he didn't care. He was in love, completely. During his classes with Hermione he sat as close as possible to her, drawing crude remarks from Malfoy and his gang but that didn't even bother him. The only thing that did bother him was his aching scar. The only thing grounding him to the seriousness of the situation.
Later after quidditch practice Harry sat with Hermione on the quidditch field. They were snuggled together watching the sun set over the dark forest. "You done with your detention with Snape?" Harry asked quietly.
Hermione smiled and nodded. "I have no where to be." She brought her head in for a kiss and Harry's heart leapt. The kiss was long and complete. They finally parted breathless as usual. Harry wondered if this was how his father felt when he kissed his mother. He so wanted to tell them about his new love and regretted not being able to do so. Hermione watched his emotions as they rushed across his face.
"Penny for your thoughts."
"Just wishing I could tell my parents about my being totally in love with you."
Hermione smiled. "You really love me? It seems to good to be true. I always dreamed of hearing those words from you." Harry smiled and gathered Hermione even more in his arms.
"I love you too Harry. You need to know that."
Their moment was fleeting, a moment not meant to last. The forest came alive with crashing. In the growing moonlight, Harry saw that the giants had arrived. They were heading to attack Hogwarts. and they weren't alone, the death eaters and Voldemort were arriving also. This was it, the final battle.
Harry grabbed Hermione and started heading back to Hogwarts but he knew they would never make it back in time. Hermione took out her wand and sent up an emergency signal that Dumbledore and the Order would recognize. Help would be on the way. Then Hermione stopped. Harry stood bewildered for a moment. "Come on Hermione, we can get in, we know the secret passages." He grabbed her hand but she pulled it away.
"You need to trust me Harry. I mean really trust me, no matter what, okay?"
He nodded and to his surprise she sent up another signal. Harry knew what it was as soon as it blossomed across the dark sky. The sign of Voldemort. He looked at Hermione, disbelief etched on his face.
"Hermione?" He searched her face which betrayed no emotions. 'She asked him to trust her. He needed to trust her.'
Voldemort and the death eaters quickly advanced, Snape included. Hermione next did the unthinkable. She backed off and joined the deatheaters. Harry's emotions betrayed him and tears spilled down his cheek. Voldemort laughed, a deep throaty laugh. It chilled Harry's soul.
"Ms. Granger, well done. This was better than I ever expected. You will be justly rewarded." Voldemort patted her shoulder and Hermione smiled back at him.
Harry thought his soul died at the sight. The pain was unbearable. He tried to remember her last words to him but the sight of her with Voldemort was overwhelming. He heard battle cries in the back ground. Dumbledore and the Order were coming but the worst damage was already done.
Voldemort commanded the his deatheaters and giants to attack Hogwarts. As they took off to battle Harry recognized the deatheater standing closest to Hermione. It was Krum. Harry didn't think he could take much more.
"Hermione stay with me," commanded Voldemort. "Krum and Snape, you stay too. Take defensive posts." Krum and Snape rushed out, just out of sight but still close to defend Voldemort, should he need it.
"I imagine you have some questions Mr. Potter. Well, I haven't got much time so we'll make it simple. I'm the heir of Slytherin, that you already knew. But what you didn't know is that if I was able to get another heir from the Hogwarts founders to side with me, I would even be more powerful. You see the founding fathers of Hogwarts were strongest together. They completed each other, filled each others weaknesses. Seperated they were vulnerable. I finally realized I need a partner, I needed another heir." He laughed again. "It took me a while to adjust to the thought of a partner, as you could imagine, but I finally realized that I still could be in control. If I got a heir who would be submissive..." He pushed Hermione's shoulders, forcing her down to her knees.
"Hermione's the heir?" Harry was shocked. Hermione glanced up at him and smiled. He felt a shiver crawl down his spine. "How?"
"It took some time to trace down each family tree, then I came across the name Granger. Ravenclaws always loved muggles, a little to much in my opinion." He smiled thinking it clever. "Anyways, I remember thinking Granger, where have I heard that name before. Then I remembered Malfoy telling me of your friends, the Weasley kid and a mudblood named Granger, who by all accounts was a talented witch. So I just had to bait her, you could say. Who better than my Mr. Krum. Just give the girl a little attention, gain her trust, then bring her to me. Hard to believe that nobody gave this very attractive girl the attention she deserved." He stroke Hermione's cheek almost lovingly.
Harry felt anger finally well up inside. He readied his wand in his hand, ready for attack. He didn't believe in the slightest that Hermione was a traitor. Her kiss was real, her love was real and he was willing to bet his life on it. Dumbledore and Ron had finally made their way to Harry's side. Ron looked at Hermione with shock. She stood back up and faced him. Two friends facing off was an unbelievable sight. Dumbledore's face remained blank, refusing to let any emotion through. As he drew his wand, Harry drew his, the prophesy would be fullfilled tonight. Tension was so thick in the air Harry found it difficult to breath and nobody moved the slightest.
Voldemort calmly looked at his foes and curtly called Hermione's name. It had begun, Harry realized, like a chess game. Each leader calling out his knights. Hermione wasted no time. "Avada Kedavra!" she yelled and a green glow shot out from her wand. It struck Ron directly in the chest. He fell over backwards landing on his back, eyes open, his mouth gaped open from shock.
Harry froze. He looked at Ron for signs of life, he saw none. Voldemorts laughter brought him back to reality. Hermione had killed Ron. Dumbledore roared back, he mutter a curse he had never heard before and hurled it a Hermione. She deftly dodged aside but seemed shaken by Dumbledore's fury. Somewhere, by the forest, another sign was shot into the sky.This time it was the Hogwarts crest. Harry quickly scanned the darkness looking for his ally who made the sign but he was quickly stopped short by a curse from Voldemort. He barely had time to dive to the ground to miss the death shot. He quickly rolled seeking cover by a nearby tree. The death eaters had scattered out but it wasn't a organized offense or defense. Harry finally saw why. At the Hogwarts signal, the giants had stopped their assult on Hogwarts. They changed sides in the middle of battle, Grawp was leading them. The deatheaters began to retreat, firing hexes and curses into the darkness. On an off chance, one of the curses hit a giant, knocking him to the ground. When it happened the ground shook, throwing Harry and his allies off balance. He heard Voldemort scream "Avada Kedavra." Instinctively, Harry threw himself to the right landing behind some bushes. Quickly he used his hiding place to his advantage. He crawled to the end of the shrubs, seeing Voldemort advancing, his eyes glowing red brightly. Behind him Hermione was still trying to fend off Dumbledore, weakening considerable each time she countered his hexes.
It was this moment Harry would always remember. He stood quickly from behind the bush, he had only seconds to work to his advantage. He yelled his hex "Avada Kedavra!" But to his dispair, Voldemort evaded his shot. He was caught in the open and he realized that this was his lasy shot. It was him or Voldemort. Voldemort started to yell "Avada Kedavra" at the same time Harry did, but this time he also heard "Stupefy!" ring out only seconds before. Behind Voldemort, a huge blast of red lit the sky. At the same time Harry finished his curse, it shot out directly at a frozen enemy and struck him dead center. Harry's scar burned intently, so intently, he crumbled to the ground. Voldemort wasn't even able to scream, he simply fell, the look of shock written all over his face. Finally the pain ceased and Harry looked at his dead foe. The prophesy was complete. The remaining death eaters dropped their wands, defeated.
Harry felt no joy, only grief. He quickly made his way to where Ron laid. He could hardly see through the tears in his eyes. But he did see something, something so slight. A breath. Ron was breathing. 'But how?' Harry's mind raced. Then he understood what Dobby was talking about. Events of the past months came to recollection. Hermione's detention working with potions and Dobby saying he helped Harry through a "friend." Hermione had found a defense to Avada Kedavra, a potion. Dobby somehow helped Hermione distribute it to the students. Then he remember- the toast. Harry scanned the landscape for Hermione. When he saw Dumbledore crouched near a body, Harry's heart dropped. He left Ron's side a raced to Hermione. "No!" was all he was able to scream..
When he reached Dumbledore, the old wizard looked at Harry with tears in his eyes. Hermione was dying. She smiled weakly when she saw him, "I knew you would win," she said with tears in her eyes. Blood was flowing from her mouth in a steady stream. She coughed and winced in pain. Harry gathered her in his arms. She tried to talk more but she no longer had the strength.
"I know what you did! You saved us all Hermione!" he cried, stroking her hair. Her eyes began to close, darkness setting in them. "I love you so much, you can't leave me. You can't."
She looked at him for the last time and with her last breath she said, "I love you." Harry screamed in agony as she went limp in hs arms, the light went from her eyes. Behind him he heard Dumbledore sobbing. Harry turned still cradling her body, "Didn't you know?"
Dumbledore shook his head no. "If I only knew.." he trailed off. "I had already wounded her when she turned and hexed Voldemort with stupefy. She collapsed after that. If I had only knew," he said again.
"She didn't even tell me about the potion," Snape chimed in. "She must have experimented after she finished the potions I assigned to her in detention. I had no idea. I told her to tell me everything Harry. I told her to leave nothing out, that both of our lives depended on it."
Harry looked at Snape searching for the truth. The sadness in his eyes told Harry that he indeed had no clue of Hermione's plans. Harry found irony in the fact that Hermione had trusted Dobby of all people with her secret. Behind Dumbledore, he saw Ginny helping a weakened Ron get to them. When Ron saw Hermione's body he cried out. It made Harry cry all the more. Ron grabbed Harry and Hermione and cradled them both. The three friends together for one final time.
The end.