DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter, he belongs to J.K Rowling and if you are reading this and think any different then St. Mungo's should be your next port of call.
Chapter 4: Conclusion
It has been just over a year since the day that changed destinies, the day that many people lost a part of themselves to the darkness, the day that the boy-who-survived-everything, Harry James Potter finally lost his impossible battle against the dark. But he has not been forgotten and as the full armies of the Light and the Dark gather for what has been heralded by many as the "final battle", no one else has been affected more than Sirius Black and Albus Dumbledore. They both were changed irreparably that day when they saw Remus Lupin declare himself the traitor that killed Lily and James Potter and align himself with the Dark Lord. They had changed when they witnessed the sacrifice Harry made for his Godfather even after been beaten with more than any normal human being could have taken. It was unconditional love at its best and they both decided that they would not let Harry's sacrifice to be in vain. It was quite ironic the way the way the pair went about their vow to Harry as even as the army of the light, led by Dumbledore gathered, he had not seen Sirius since that day in Riddle Manor.
Sirius Black had taken his godson's death and his best friends' betrayal as bad as could be possible and had disappeared for months on end after the night of his godson's death with no one knowing of his whereabouts. There had been rumours that he had hunted down Voldemort himself and had foolishly challenged the Dark Lord and had paid for it with his life. The truth however couldn't have been further from it. Upon reappearance, having been given a full pardon by the new Minister, Sirius ambushed and killed three Death Eaters that were about to enter the Zabini Manor. The Zabini's, a pure-blooded family that openly rejected Voldemort reported that they saw a man that was without a doubt Sirius Black, a well known pureblood before his trip to Azkaban and powerful fighter against the Dark Arts before being framed for the murder of Peter Pettigrew. They swore that they had seen Sirius kill all three Death Eaters mercilessly then burn a mark into each of their bodies before disappearing despite their being anti-apparition wards on the grounds. This was the first of many sightings of Sirius that always had three things in common. One was that he was always seen fighting people that turned out to be connected strongly with the Dark Arts. Another was that these people were already dead when the Ministry turned up and finally and perhaps most shockingly, the bodies were branded with a gold lightning bolt that encompassed the person's torso.
These attacks by Sirius were sometimes witnessed and rumours had started flying upon what people had seen. Sirius had finally dropped his laid-back personality and embraced his potential it had seemed along with many rituals to increase his power. These rituals, similar to that of which Voldemort had undertaken decades before had made some people fear Sirius to be the next Dark Lord but the Ministry refuted all of these accusations saying that they knew about Sirius and his actions. Rumours were also flying about the changes Sirius had gone through. Some said that he no longer needs sleep and never rested, always hunting down Death Eaters, night and day. Others have said that Sirius was more powerful than Merlin whilst some people suggested that his sanity snapped that fateful night and now he lives for only one thing: revenge.
This inevitably led to split in half in opinion over Sirius. In one corner of the magical community, Sirius Black was a hero who had personally taken out over thirty people who wore the Dark Mark. Also if reports from the continent were to be believed, Sirius was the man responsible for hunting down the Dark Creatures that had pledged their allegiances to Voldemort. The other corner of the Magical community claimed that the Ministry should arrest Sirius, who they said was too dangerous and throw him back in Azkaban but they were too weak and were becoming a dictatorship under their new leadership. Thankfully the second group is a small minority and in fact the Ministry is as strong as it has been in recent years and this is due to the new Minister, Albus Dumbledore.
Dumbledore devastated and drained emotionally upon return from Riddle Manor that night arrived back at Hogwarts to find that Cornelius Fudge was waiting for him. The Minister, fuming at the diabolical that had happened with the Third Task wanted Harry Potter for questioning. Before Dumbledore could speak the demoralising news, Fudge started spouting about how the boy was turning Dark and all this rubbish about You-Know-Who returning was mindless hysteria from a boy desperate for attention. To put it lightly, this snapped the last of Dumbledore's patience, from that moment his caring, kind, grandfather like persona disappeared forever along with any tolerance with the Minister and his ignorance. Fudge knew that he had said something wrong and he had found out when the last words that Dumbledore had said to him, eyes blazing, air crackling with power was that Harry had died in battle with Voldemort. The next thing Fudge remembered was waking up in his office. Fudge had tried to spin this to his advantage but found that any article he had sent to the Daily Prophet had been edited. When he angrily confronted the editor he was told that Dumbledore had taken up his rightful place at the head of the editing instead of letting the paper appoint someone, a position he had given up years ago. This angered Fudge further yet he did not get to act as within days he had been forced out of his position as Minister. To rub salt into his wounds, within in a week, using a technique that hadn't been employed for decades; Albus Dumbledore had been approved by all the Department Heads and finally to the delight of a grieving Wizarding World had been named Minister for Magic.
This led to widespread changes and reform in the Wizarding World not seen since the time of Merlin. Within weeks all suspected Death Eaters had either been arrested or questioned on their loyalties with many ending up in Azkaban but the majority disappeared before this could happen, Lucius Malfoy one of them.
Azkaban was stripped of the Dementors in a controversial move but this made the Prison more secure as Voldemort found when he raided it for his loyal Death eaters from the First War. Instead of an easy victory like he thought, in the end only four Death Eaters escaped after heavy fighting. Bellatrix Lestrange, her husband Rabastian and her younger brother escaped along with a couple of Death Eaters from the Outer Circle
A new Auror Academy had been set up with Dumbledore providing the wards himself and a whole new stricter training plan had been set in place for the future whilst the current Aurors had been given crash courses in Advanced Magic by Dumbledore himself along with Muggle Fighting Technique seminars.
Dumbledore also instituted many other changes with a long-term reform plan of the laws in the Wizarding World started. Magical Creatures and non-humans were given more rights that had been taken away under previous Ministries. Crucially for the light, this led to many of these joining the light though many still joined Voldemort as did more Wizards every day as the Light and Dark sculpted their armies for the inevitable showdown.
That showdown was today, the 31st of October 1996, exactly fifteen years to the day since Harry Potter banished the Dark Lord for over a decade and became the boy-who-lived. The Light Forces had been trying for weeks to find out where Voldemort was planning to attack with little success. Since Snape showed his true colours, Dumbledore, The Order of the Pheonix nor the Ministry had not managed to get any spies close to Voldemort's Inner Circle, thus finding out very little.
However at dawn today, the Order had received a tip off from an anonymous source that many creatures were moving into position today and that Diagon Alley was going to be the target. Relaying this information to the Ministry, Dumbledore and a team of Unspeakable's quickly found out within the hour that this message was indeed correct and that the source was reliable. From there on, the message had been sent to all the Allies of the Light and less than twelve hours later, as most of the Dark Army, led by Voldemort Portkeyed into Diagon Alley, Dumbledore and the Order of the Pheonix were already waiting for him.
After landing in Diagon Alley, Voldemort knew that things hadn't gone to plan; there was too much residual magic. Waving his hand the Dark Mark appeared in the air just as Dumbledore stepped out of the shadows, the Order watching every step he made with baited breath in their hiding places as the Leader of the Light stepped out to face Voldemort alone.
"Hello Tom, good day for a stroll isn't it?" Dumbledore nonchalantly said; his whole body relaxed though the more astute wizards could see that he was anything but, the air humming with raw power.
Voldemort looked surprised for a second at seeing Dumbledore standing alone before him in Diagon Alley and he could hear mutterings of disbelief and even fear from the gathering behind him but he would deal with those people later. Extending his senses briefly Voldemort sensed an extremely high proportion of magical beings cloaked and hidden, no doubt by Dumbledore and knew that this was not going to plan.
"Albus you old fool, do you really believe you can stop me now. I have obtained power greater than you can ever dream of possessing, power that will make me stronger than my ancestor Salazar Slytherin and power that will let me rule the world." Voldemort hissed, fuming at the perfectly calm pose of the old man in front of him.
"Evil never wins Tom, while there is breath there is still hope." Albus softly exclaimed, his words carrying throughout the Alley as if he had screamed at the top of his lungs.
"Don't call me that you senile fool. You will perish soon Albus and who will carry your burden on old man. Your one hope begged for my mercy before I killed him." Voldemort hissed even louder at his last comment like he was trying to laugh but not coming close.
These words reverberated through the air and it seemed they had struck a nerve as the air literally palpitated with magic as Dumbledore took upon a furious look that sent Voldemort back to steps before he realised something and stood his ground. However he looked unnerved at the scary look that Dumbledore wore.
"A child Tom, a mere child and you were scared of him. It took you three Killing Curses to kill him and even then he was defiant in death. You will pay for that Tom; I will happily go to hell if it means that I am the one to deliver this retribution." Dumbledore spoke in a tone that none present had ever heard, it was the tone of fury.
"You are nothing old man, nothing. Your time has passed and I will show the world. Black was supposed to be this big hero but where is he. He is probably crying at the coffin of his little baby godson. I am mighty, he is weak." Voldemort tensed readying himself not admitting to himself that Black was starting to unnerve him slightly, the man had pursued him through Europe relentlessly. He raised his wand swiftly but not before Dumbledore interjected one last time.
With a raise of his hand the Headmaster flung two balls of pure lighting at the Dark Lord, his robes whipping as he bellowed, "For Harry Potter"
With that last proclamation, the duelling started, faster and fiercer than ever before. The two sides were not just fighting a battle; they were fighting for the whole Wizarding World. Wizards fought for their freedom, they fought for their country and they fought for everything good. There were no formalities in this battle; this was the Survival of the Fittest to the highest order.
The battle raged for hours without either side gaining an advantage that could lead them to victory whilst Sirius had not yet made his presence known, having entered the battle late, cloaked and spelled to remain anonymous. It was by now five hours since the fight commenced and as the sun setting cast a blood red shadow over Diagon Alley, both sides were still battling ferociously though the number of warriors on each side had diminished considerably since the start.
Corpses of human's and creatures alike were strewn throughout the whole of the alley with pockets of fighting everywhere. The Dementors had been repelled with great loss and it was only because of the Goblins coming to the Lights aid at the last moment, helping them destroy the Dark creatures before they retreated back to Gringotts that the battle still raged.
But as the cloaked form of Sirius battled his way swiftly through the alley, he saw, far in the distance, a large group battling outside Gringotts and had no doubt in his mind that this would be where he found the prey that he sought.
He had entered discreetly and had been sickened at the death that hung in the air; the stench of it had rocked him for a moment though his stoic expression had never wavered. A shield protected him from any stray curse as he begun to battle his way through the masses trying to stay inconspicuous though he helped the Light without guilt, sending Blasting Curses and other powerful destruction curses at the Death Eaters, his conscience long gone.
Seeing two Auror's outnumbered three-to-one by Death Eaters, Sirius quickly turned his wand on one and before anyone could register his presence, Sirius had dropped the person in a flash of green light. Two more Death Eaters spun round firing Cutting Curses that were easily dodged. Sirius made no move to counter attack apart from flicking his hand inconspicuously so the two Death Eaters fired stronger Dark Curses that would damage a person's vital organs whilst one sneered.
"Ready to die, Mudblood lover?"
To their amazement Sirius just held his non-wand arm out and when the curses were near him he just swatted them back towards the Death Eaters with a wave of his palm. One of the Death Eaters was too slow to dodge and got caught by his own curse whist the other managed to raise a shield in time.
Sirius wasted no more time and within ten seconds the other Death Eater was dead too. Turning his attention to the two Aurors who had managed to kill another one of the Death Eaters that they were facing, Sirius pointed his wand at the last two who were oblivious to him and waved it in a complex movement. The affect was instantaneous. Both Death Eaters' necks twisted at an incomprehensible angle and they too dropped to the ground in a lifeless slump. Wasting no time, Sirius made sure that his cloak was still up and proceeded towards Gringotts.
Making his way swiftly towards Gringotts where the main battle of power was happening, Sirius knew that he couldn't afford to waste anymore time stopping to help people though he wished with his whole being that he could, after all these people were only innocents. Once in a while, a Death Eater or two would try and engage Sirius into a duel but all Sirius did was block the attacks on him, turn invisible and curse the Death Eaters dead within seconds before reappearing. He always reappeared, not wanting to waste too much magic, and continued on his quest of sorts towards the white marble buildings.
Once closer to Gringotts, Sirius felt the air thick with used magic and knew straightaway that this was where the majority of action had and was taking place. Putting up the strongest Invisibility Charm he could muster, Sirius walked past Order Members and Death Eaters alike, occasionally sending Silent Magic at the backs of Death Eaters. His destination was where Voldemort and Dumbledore were battling, encased in a protective dome that Sirius could tell Voldemort had set up as it practically gave out Dark Magic. Testing the shield and its strength, Sirius soon found out that he had to bring it down quickly as it was a shield that was draining Dumbledore's magical energy and if brought down by the caster, could cause massive damage, killing anyone in it, so whatever happened, the outcome wouldn't be good.
Drawing his wand Sirius started muttering an ancient incantation that he hoped above all else would work. After speaking for about twenty seconds or so, Sirius's wand tip started to go blue and Sirius prepared for the final stage of his spell. Thankfully both Voldemort and Dumbledore were too busy battling each other to concentrate enough to see through Sirius's invisibility though Sirius thought that if he didn't get in there quicker than Dumbledore might die. Raising his wand high in an arc to initialise the final part of the spell, Sirius saw Dumbledore succumb to the increased power of Voldemort, who had sunk deeper than ever before into Dark Magic in his bid for immortality and ultimate power. Falling to his knees, Dumbledore looked up and stared right into the monster's eyes and trying to move found he was trapped by magic. Preparing to die like a man, Dumbledore saw Voldemort smirk and mutter "Sonorous" before shouting in a smug victorious tone:
"Look what your mighty Leader of the Light has become; A beaten and bowed man on his knees. Any last words old man before you finally lose your life to the great power of the Dark and Salazar Slytherin?"
Never breaking eye contact, Dumbledore spoke in a clear concise voice that carried to everyone within hearing range "In my place will come another, and in his place will be another. The Dark may win the battle, but the Light will always prevail."
Scoffing, a furious Voldemort raised his wand just as Sirius slashed his wand in a downwards arc, silently bringing down the shield. Not noticing, the Dark Lord couldn't help but make one parting comment at the fallen form of Dumbledore.
"Who Albus, who will be there to challenge the infinite power of Lord Voldemort. Harry Potter is dead and you are soon to follow. The rest of your rag tag Order is either too old or doesn't have the power. Goodbye Albus?"
Raising his wand Voldemort never broke eye contact with Albus before waving his wand and bellowing "Hari Kiri"
Gasps were heard from the few people that had heard of the First Unforgivable. Hari Kiri was the original Killing Curse. Once hit, a person would die within an hour and there was no chance of escaping. During that hour the person would be subject to pain much greater than the Cruciatus. The modern day Killing Curse however was better as it travelled faster plus was unblockable. Sirius knew he had to get to Albus in time, the death of Dumbledore could cause the Light side to collapse and not even he could defeat the entire Dark Army on his own.
Apparating through the wards so that he was placed in front of Dumbledore was quite power draining but it was the only way to save him. Invisibility cancelled, Sirius appeared out of nowhere in front of Dumbledore, just in time to flick his wand and stop the curse in mid-air before rebounding it back at Voldemort, the curse travelling twice that of his original speed.
Even though he had taken Voldemort by complete surprise, the inhuman being was just about able to raise a shield in time though he did stagger under the power of the curse. Looking straight at Sirius, Voldemort thought that perhaps he had underestimated Black but it would be insubstantial in the end, he would die just like all the others did.
"So coward, you finally decided to turn up" Voldemort stated looking straight at Sirius who never even moved a muscle. "It doesn't matter though; do you think you are anything special?" The Dark Lord hissed before adding one more passing comment, not able to help himself, "Where's your Godson and saviour now. He's dead and you will be joining him shortly."
Sirius could feel the blood pounding through his ears as the mocking words of Voldemort floated through his head. Quicker than the human eye Sirius raised his wand and shouted:
"Avada Kedavra"
The curse sped at the Dark Lord who looked shocked again before dodging the curse at the last second, the green of death missing him by mere inches.
"That was the first time that anyone has sent a fatal curse at me Black and I can see that you carry the power of your ancestors in abundance but as you can see, I am more than a match for you." Voldemort hissed, superiority lacing his voice.
Sirius needed an edge, he knew that he was about similar in power to what Voldemort was a few months ago but he wondered how many rituals the monster had put himself through since then. He was also quite peeved that he had to use a portion of power apparating through the wards but he knew that he couldn't let Dumbledore die. Then it came to him, he had to do what no person had ever done.
"I disagree, I Sirius Orion Black challenge you, Tom Marvolo Riddle to a Wizards Duel. The only term, till death do us part." Sirius bellowed after casting a small Sonorous Charm on his voice.
The effect was instantaneous. The fighting between the two sides that had become half hearted due to the majority half watching the duel between Voldemort and Dumbledore then consequently Sirius had nearly stopped completely as someone had actually challenged the Dark Lord to a duel.
Voldemort looked taken aback for a slight second before hissing, "I agree, now bow to death blood-traitor."
Sirius felt immense pressure on his back and he knew straightaway that this was the same thing that Voldemort had done to Harry back in the graveyard over a year ago. Fury bubbling up inside him at the image of Voldemort killing Harry while he lay there just watching, Sirius easily shook of the curse.
Raising his hand, Sirius merely waved casually but it sent Voldemort flying backwards, the Dark Lord staggering, trying to gain some semblance of balance. Snarling and hissing, the Dark Lord raised his wand and screamed:
"Iugulo"
Sirius easily side stepped the curse but it seemed like the Dark Lord's scream had awakened the rest of the people within the vicinity as the battle rose to another level. Sirius was dimly aware of a weakened Dumbledore duelling three Death Eaters but he needed to keep his full concentration.
From there on the battle reached new heights. Either side sensed a victory while neither side contemplated loss. Sirius flung everything he had at Voldemort while the monster himself looked strained at times countering such magic's. Silent Magic, Pure Magic even the Elements were traded as the ultimate battle raged in the centre, each fighter not willing to yield.
Sirius deftly blocked a Paralysis Hex while sending two Fireballs in return only having to dive out of the way when a Tornado was sent his way. He could see now from his limited view of the duelling that the Light were being slowly pushed back onto the steps of Gringotts where they were getting penned in.
Sirius and Dumbledore were on the front line, the Headmaster now duelling five Death Eaters simultaneously while Sirius had his hands full with an enraged Voldemort. Every second both men witnessed members of the Light Army being struck down and Dumbledore had had enough.
Raising his hands and muttering briefly Dumbledore raised his hand and a blast of power that made the hairs on Sirius's neck stand up knocked all five Death Eaters flying. His body sagging at the amount of power channelled, Dumbledore then raised his hands and started chanting, his body channelling magic more and more. Invisible winds whipped his robes and he levitated into the air as his chanting got stronger and stronger.
Busy deflecting the power of the Dark Lord, Sirius caught onto to what Dumbledore was doing too late and by that time he had already finished. Cursing himself, Sirius turned to Voldemort who also saw Albus rise and started sending curse after curse at him as well as Sirius, knowing this to be a turning point of the battle.
Sirius was screaming in his head at the utter selflessness and stupidity of the Headmaster. The man had erected a shield that no curse could penetrate except the Killing Curse but people who the caster wished could fire through one side. The problem was he had left himself open to attack plus the fact that it was incredibly draining and even the most powerful of mages could hold it for a minute before dying as they had used every spark of magic inside them.
The Light took their chance with both hands and begun mercilessly firing curses at the Death Eaters who started dropping like flies. Sirius saw some of them raising the strongest shield they could muster while trying to flee but they soon realised that only one or the other had a chance of working.
The seconds went on and Sirius was panting heavily at having to deflect curses sent at both him and Dumbledore, two curses having already grazed him while the majority of his energy was being spent protecting the Headmaster.
Unfortunately it was like trying to hold your breath. At first you might succeed but the more time that passes the higher the risk of failing becomes until you can't stop it. It had been close to a minute and Sirius was amazed at the power the Headmaster held, while he was shaking and sweating, looking on the verge of collapse he was still holding on.
Blocking a Bone Breaking Curse sent at Dumbledore, Sirius was barely able to deflect a Coma Curse before blocking one last curse for the Headmaster before his luck run out. A Blasting Curse hit him straight in the chest, knocking him off his feet and to the hard cobble stones, his ribs aching with every breath. Jumping to his feet despite the pain, Sirius wasn't quick enough. During them mere seconds Voldemort had sent a Cannonball Curse at Dumbledore, who without no one to defend him had been struck full on, knocking him out of the air and to the ground with a sickening crunch, his chest not moving as he lay there unmoving.
The Death Eaters recovered fast and with renewed hope they went on the offensive. Sirius reacted quickest out of anyone but he didn't see that Voldemort was raising his arms. Oblivious and with fury powering his magic Sirius raised his hand and bellowed:
"Opacus Funesto"
It was then after he looked closely that Sirius saw a beam of jet black light speeding towards him with about as much chance of averting it as pulling Miss Diagon Alley while Padfoot.
Both curses struck at the same time with Sirius being ten feet backwards by the sheer power behind the Darkest Magic possible. Sirius slammed into a lamppost but barely realised it, as he was already drifting in and out of consciousness while his body was desperately and hopelessly fighting the Magic that was shutting his vital organs down. Through blurred vision saw Sirius saw that Voldemort was yet to rise back to his feet but Sirius knew that his Curse was not enough to permanently stop the Dark Lord, Powerful Shadow Magic or not.
Hope fleeing him as quickly as his life was, Sirius thoughts turned to Harry and how he had let him down, he had failed to avenge his beloved godson's death, he was a weak failure. As his vision was darkening Sirius was sure that he could hear faint music in the background, from where he did not know. As his vision was got worse and his brain started to shut down, Sirius heard the music getting stronger and amazingly so was his vision. Then he realised what he was hearing, Pheonix song, but from where? Looking around wildly Sirius felt energy, magic and perhaps greatest of all, hope coursing through his body but still he saw no Pheonix. Then he realised why he couldn't see the Pheonix, there wasn't one. In fact, the music was in his head! Then just as he was struggling to his knees and shaking the remnants off of the Curse Voldemort sent his way, Sirius heard a voice in his head that he was sure he would never hear again.
"I love you Padfoot."
The words of Harry Potter echoed out in Sirius's head and the man nearly fainted on the spot. "I must be hallucinating!" he thought as he stood to his feet. Then suddenly as if he didn't think that hearing his dead godson's voice in his head along with Pheonix song as well as it saving his life weird, a flash of flame appeared in front of Sirius and once the flames died down, there, suspended in mid-air was a sword. Not just any sword, a ruby encrusted sword that any wizard who knew their history would recognise. It was the Sword of Godric Gryffindor in all its glory.
Sending his wand back into its holster and snatching he sword out of mid-air, Sirius felt all his feelings for Harry intensify. Calmly, as if he knew what he was going to do, Sirius held the sword tightly and steadied his feet. Before he could make his way towards where Voldemort was, the inhuman being beat him too it, having risen to his feet earlier and was already in the process of moving towards where he thought lay a dying man ready to lay down the killer blow.
Seeing that Sirius was not dying for some reason, the Dark Lord began firing powerful curses at Sirius, shocked that he survived his previous Curse but his eyes nearly popped out when he saw the man holding the Sword of Gryffindor in his grasp. Sirius, having all his magic replenished, was clearly stronger than the Dark Lord who was somewhat drained from the battle. Raising his hand and deflecting the curses Sirius fired a strong bone breaking spell that Voldemort couldn't shield from in time. Voldemort hit the ground again, though immediately he rose, firing waves of Dark Magic at Sirius who quickly sent waves of his own stronger Light Magic back at the Dark Lord who was slowly being weakened more and more by the amount of magic he was using. Sirius knew his time to act was now and he sent curse after curse at Voldemort, each one stronger than the last.
Finally Sirius got his reward when Voldemort got struck by a powerful Lightning Spell and fell to the ground, his snake like body convulsing. The quickly conjuring a sheath for the sword, Sirius sheathed it and strapped it to his side because he needed both hands free. Sensing that he needed to do this quickly Sirius started waving his hands in complex motions while chanting:
"Regno Zeus Vovere Nudo Immanis Aspectus"
As Sirius chanted, those people sensitive to magic in a thousand-mile radius of Diagon Alley felt magic hum in the air. It was almost tangible. Voldemort was now panicking and by the look of his moving mouth and twitching limbs, he was attempting to move and shout but was held in place by an invisible force. Slamming his palms together hard, Sirius begun chanting again
"Divulgo Pectus Mortalis Divulgo Adlido"
A bolt of Pure Magic was starting to form in front of Sirius; a pure white that no human colour could do justice to, the white was blinding, given off an ethereal light as it visibly pulsed. Taking a deep breath Sirius finished the chant in a strong voice:
"Duxi Divugo Praeterea Pectus Mortalis"
The next set of events took place so quickly that even if anyone witnessed the event, they would not have seen what happened, only the outcome.
The bolt of Pure Magic upon the finishing of the chant that Sirius instigated started to hum and pulsate, trebling in size in less than second then flying into the body of the Dark Lord who was vainly trying to stand and mount an attack of his own on Sirius. The Pure Magic passed through the shield that Voldemort had raised with ease.
Once in contact with the Pure Magic, the Dark Lord issued an unearthly scream that would reside in the minds of those that heard it forever more. The scream was like that of a dying creature, full of the worst pain imaginable, it made the screams of Cruciatus sufferers sound like whispers. Voldemort's body then started to glow an eerie silver and visibly began to weaken as what looked like the magic that kept his body functioning was torn apart piece by piece, just leaving what magic he had always possessed and not an iota more.
Upon finishing its work, the ball of Pure Magic, now tainted black by whatever foreign and ritual magic it had found residing in Voldemort, ripped itself from the now mortal soul whose screams re-ignited upon the ball re-surfacing to the air where it disappeared without a trace.
Even though Sirius had just had his magic replenished, he swayed uneasily on his feet as he recovered from the huge amount of magic he had just lost invoking Ancient Magic to return Voldemort to his original state that was Tom Marvolo Riddle. Drawing his wand Sirius sent the Killing Curse at Voldemort who to his amazement still rolled out of the way though it looked like it had taken him great effort.
Rising to his feet unsteadily Voldemort drew his wand and stood there, his eyes now a horrible red/brown colour while the rest of his features now looked more like Tom Riddle than Voldemort.
"You pathetic fool Black, I could beat you in any form, my powers still outweigh yours, you will suffer the same fate as the rest of your friends unless you join me now. This is your last chance." Voldemort spoke in a half-hissed tone.
Sirius stood there for a moment looking at the pitiful being in front of him but Voldemort was still right. He was still more powerful than Sirius ever thought he would be but still not as powerful as Sirius was. Raising his hand Sirius quickly shouted:
"Blasot"
The Blasting Curse sped towards Voldemort who raised his hand to deflect the curse but was shocked as nothing happened and the curse hit him full on sending him to the floor, his chest now residing a massive burn where the curse struck.
Sirius was amazed at the arrogance Voldemort had just shown trying to deflect the curse with his hand when he knew that it took a good bit of power to do so, especially against powerful spells. Sirius quickly sent an Anti-Apparition Jinx at Voldemort making sure that he couldn't escape easily. Just as Sirius was about to send another spell at Voldemort however, the Dark Lord raised his wand and hissed:
"Serpensortia"
Three jet black Serpents roared towards Sirius, all around twenty-foot long and looking very deadly. Blasting two easily and then freezing the last one, Sirius had to hit the deck quickly to avoid the flash of the Killing Curse that the once again standing Voldemort had desperately flung at him.
Rolling to the side, Sirius was getting fed up and knew that he had to finish off the Dark Lord quickly before he either countered the Anti-Apparition Jinx or found another way to escape. Raising his hand Sirius bellowed:
"Congelo"
Voldemort conjured a shield but instead of aiming the curse for him, Sirius had aimed the curse at his feet thus making the shield worthless. Starting to slip, Voldemort quickly sent off a powerful Dark Arts hex before pointing his wand at himself and muttering "Wingardium Leviosa".
This was just what Sirius had hoped for and rolling forward, under the curse Voldemort had sent, Sirius quickly muttered a wandless Agility Charm before propelling himself into the air, his body launching itself at the now just rising form of Voldemort.
Closing the gap between he two with great speed, Sirius sent a stunner at the shocked form of Voldemort who was trying vainly to get out of the path of the flying man. Voldemort easily blocked the curse as Sirius expected but as Sirius was ten foot away and closing he sent another stunner that Voldemort blocked easily again.
Then with unbelievable quickness, Sirius whipped out the Sword of Gryffindor from what appeared to be thin air and before Voldemort could do anything magical or otherwise to stop him, Sirius slashed the Dark Lord right across his chest with a vicious blow that drew deep into the chest.
Falling to the ground, Levitation Spell forgotten, Voldemort's body was gushing blood making it look like a fountain while the man himself was still, though you could still see the shallow rise and fall of his blood soaked chest indicating that he was indeed still alive.
Sheathing the sword before landing swiftly on his feet, Sirius cancelled the Agility Charm with the barest flick of his hand and then without any prelude, whipped out his wand pointing it firmly at the fallen form of the Dark Lord and saying in a voice that commanded power:
"Avada Kedavra"
The sickly green coloured Killing Curse shot towards the fallen form of the Dark Lord and struck the fallen figure dead on. As the Curse struck the figure a bang that Sirius was sure could be heard all over London resounded and a huge magical backlash was unleashed. This occurred as the magic inside Voldemort that had made him nearly immortal, though badly damaged by Sirius's ritual, fought for every ounce of life that the Killing Curse was trying to deprive Voldemort of.
Not prepared to put his faith in the power of the Killing Curse, Sirius strode over to where the body of Voldemort lay prone on the floor. The body was making an odd sound similar to that of someone gasping for air and producing something akin to magical radiation but frankly Sirius was beyond caring. Flicking his wand, the body of the once all-powerful Dark Lord became suspended mid-air in a kneeling position of sorts; Sirius drew the Sword of Gryffindor for the last time. Then casting a very powerful Enervation Charm, Sirius saw Voldemort's eyes flicker as he started to regain consciousness.
"How things have changed Tommy hey. Just a year ago I was weak and you were strong. Due to this I lost the most important thing in my life and I will never be able to forgive myself." Sirius started, his normally stoic eyes clouding with emotion as he realised that it was about to end. "But now, oh how the roles have changed. You know Tom, I could get used to being in control and all powerful but I'm not like you and would never be and now I get to finish what you started." Sirius finished snarling at the man suspended in front of him who actually looked scared, struggling against his invisible bonds to no avail.
Raising the Sword of Gryffindor high above his head in a wide arc, Sirius boomed in a deep voice:
"In the name of Harry James Potter, Last Heir of Gryffindor"
With that and an almighty whoosh and sickening crack, it was all over. Voldemort was defeated, his mortal head separated from his bloodied body, no spirit, no ethereal being, just one dead human body.
Falling to his knees, Sirius finally let the emotion out that he had been holding in for a year. Tears flowed as freely as the blood on the battlefield as Sirius finally realised that he had done the impossible. He had defeated Lord Voldemort, the most powerful Dark Lord since Salazar Slytherin and taken revenge for the murder of his Godson. He had taken revenge for the betrayal of friendship but he knew it had come at a high cost but Sirius knew that he would do it again.
Standing once more, Sirius turned to look at the battlefield one last time as that is the only thing that it could be described as, Diagon Alley was no more. It had been thoroughly decimated so badly that not one building was left untouched by the battle of Good vs. Evil. Sirius surveyed the broken and battered bodies that littered the once perfectly cobbled streets. He saw good men lying there broken, he saw what looked like to be an Order Member hugging the dead form of Dumbledore and lastly he saw the body in front of him. The body of Tom Marvolo Riddle, the self proclaimed Lord Voldemort, lying there, as mortal as any other on the battlefield and just as crucially, dead like the others as well.
With that thought still in mind and the burden of revenge finally lifted off his shoulders, Sirius reflected and found that he now had some semblance of peace. He could now get on with what he wanted to do and with his life in general.
With that previous thought still fresh in his mind, Sirius raised his wand and said the most unforgivable of words and did the act that he had wanted to do for over a year ever since Harry was murdered:
"Avada Kedavra"
A whoosh of Green Light later, Sirius Black, Conqueror of Voldemort, Marauder Supreme and beloved Godfather finally re-joined his godson, happy at last.
The End ANThank You all for reading. I know that I don't ask for reviews but if you have read this story could you please just review, it doesn't have to say anything apart from a name, it is just so that I know how many people have read the story and whether I should continue with the Black Saga.
Just the Epilogue left to go people. And it is very nearly done. A little glimpse into the future for you!
Cheers
Halstead