I have finally finished GI, its been betaed and now it can be posted!!! Yes I know, I should die a horrible and incredibly painful death for leaving this for soo long, but well, I had a bit of a case of writers block coupled with the intense fear of writing the worst ending for a fic in the HISTORY OF FANFICTION!! But well, we've finally gotten over that, (I think) and well here we are!! The last chappie, apart from the epilogue which shall be up in the next few days!!! And so!! Enjoy!!!
And I'm sorry to all those who requested Ron's death, I tried, but he's a cockroach and refused to die!!! But I hope you like the way I dealt with him.
Thanks to mickee for your beta work again!!! I love you!!! You're the best beta I've ever had!!!!!
And thanks go to everyone who reviewed, I love you guys!!!!!
Also, Morsus!! If ur reading this, you could have just typed you're email in the review, but anyway, sorry I haven't sent it to you, its because you've got ur settings set to not show ur email, therefore, I couldn't send it!!! If you still want it, then leave a review with ur address!! Thanks!!
And now, to the fic!!!
Greater Inheritance
Chapter 20 – End Game
"Ron. Get out of the way."
"No!! I know you're going out to join Voldemort! I won't let you kill us all."
Harry had to laugh. "Ron, now is not the time to develop a hero complex."
Ron bristled even more at hearing Harry joke, his face turning a dark shade of burgundy.
"Look Ron, I'm not joining Voldemort; I'm going out to stop the Death Eaters from getting into the castle. So, get out of the way before we are all killed." Harry tried to refrain from laughing, but it was getting increasingly difficult.
"More like going to let them in!"
"RON!!" Hermione came tearing over to them with shock evident on her face to see Ron facing off to Harry. "What are you doing?! Let Harry pass!"
Ron turned to glare even more heatedly at Harry, "What spell did you put on her?! WHAT SPELL?!"
Harry sighed exasperatedly. "There is no spell. She believes me of her own accord. She wasn't prejudiced against me just because I gained an inheritance."
Ron's glare at Harry intensified as he whipped his wand out from his robes and pointed it at Harry. "I'll do it Potter. Don't think I won't."
Harry nearly packed it right there as he looked between Ron and his wand. He took a step closer but Ron moved first.
"STUPEFY!!" Ron bellowed and he was cast through the air and into the large doors, still clutching his wand the wrong way around.
Hermione looked bewildered as she rushed over to Ron who had passed out, "What happened? Why did the spell backfire?"
"Herm, check how Ron's holding his wand," Harry snickered. "He was holding the wrong end!"
Hermione shook her head sadly at the idiot who lay at her feet, "I'll take care of him."
"Thanks Herm." Harry smiled.
She waved it away. "Be careful! And good luck!" She smiled warmly.
Harry nodded firmly, waiting for Hermione to make her way back into the Great Hall before setting a ward around the Hall to protect its occupants from any Death Eaters from getting in and from any of the students or teachers trying to get out and interfere. He finally made his way outside and into the surrounding grounds. Further off in the distance, many Aurors were battling with the multitude of Death Eaters and various creatures coaxed to serve the Dark Lord.
Harry felt a brief moment of pity as he thought of all the creatures. Many would be killed today and those that weren't would be dealt with by the Ministry, a harsh fate by any measure. But then Harry was back on track as he stepped down the stairs and made his way over to the battle.
For some time, Harry had contemplated what he wanted to happen in the war. As morbid a thought as it was, he'd decided that the less casualties in the war, the better. The best way to do that was to destroy Voldemort first then deal with everything else after.
But where could Voldemort be in this chaos?
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Black robes swiftly curled round corners as Severus strode through the higher levels of the castle dungeons on his way to the kitchens. Running barely half a step behind him was the house elf that had notified him of the disturbance in the kitchen.
Quickly drawing his wand from inside his robes, he tickled the pear in the fruit bowl. He knew what to expect to see within, but it still didn't prepare him for the smell of it.
Splatterings of blood covered most surfaces and puddled where the mangled little bodies of dead house elves lay.
Voldemort himself didn't have a speck of blood on him. Never would he allow these mudblood creatures to taint his person. But as the door slid open, Voldemort was alerted to Severus' appearance.
"Severus. Can't say I was exactly expecting to see you. I was wondering if Harry Potter would be available."
"I'm sorry, no. I'm not sure where he is."
"Oh well, never mind. CRUCIO!"
Severus quickly erected a shield but it didn't last long, as Voldemort continued with a barrage of hexes. As soon as the shield faltered, Voldemort took his chance and cast an Expeliarmus; Severus' wand flew into Voldemort's waiting hand.
"Now Severus, I believe we were interrupted the last time we spoke."
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Harry quickly made his way over to the battles as he ran with his wand in hand down the front lawns. Long before he'd reached the battle though, many a Death Eater had sighted and attacked him. The hexes reflected off his shield charm and back to their castor. Harry sent spells left, right and centre as he disabled Death Eaters and shielded Aurors.
But Harry couldn't find Voldemort. He noticed that the battles were making their way closer to the castle. He turned to keep looking when he finally entered the forest. He ducked and weaved through the trees but still, there wasn't even a sign of a group of Death Eaters. Harry was starting to get frustrated as he continued to search.
He stunned two Death Eaters from behind and blocked another hex sent his way.
"Where the fuck are you?!" Harry muttered vehemently when a small pop sounded in front of him.
"Harry Potter! Harry Potter! The Evil Snake Man has come!"
"Dobby!! What happened to you?! Where is he?" Harry knelt down to shake the house elf but thought better when he took notice of all of Dobby's injuries and blood covering him.
"The Bad Evil Snake Man with red eyes. He's in the kitchens. But Mr Professor Greasy came and Evil Snake Man is doing nasty things to Mr Professor Greasy."
"SHIT! Dobby, help the house elves out of the kitchens, okay? I'll get rid of the Evil Man."
Harry didn't wait for an answer as he transformed into the Cnn Annwn and raced out of the forest as fast as the Cnn Annwn was able to. He was fast approaching the castle when two flashes of blond hair caught his attention.
Before he knew what he was doing, he had skidded to a stop. He stared at the Malfoy men as they bantered with each other until Malfoy Senior had had enough and proceeded to duel with his son. Harry would have laughed if he were in human form as Lucius had barely sent his first hex before Draco had cast a shield as well as a hex of his own, which sent Lucius through the air to land awkwardly with a sickening crunch. With his Hell Hound senses, Harry could no longer hear the man breathing.
Yep. Draco would be just fine.
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Now reassured, Harry quickly took off again. Before long, he was sprinting through the corridors of Hogwarts castle and leaping down entire staircases as he made his way to the kitchens. He could feel magic pulsing all around him when the door to the kitchens sliding open ahead of him; he smiled, the castle was helping him. He could already smell the blood coating everything from many corridors away, but to see it was sickening.
Harry instead focused on Voldemort. He tried not to think about Severus who lay suspended on the wall, a good portion of his own blood covering the walls and floors of the kitchen, and focused solely on the creature that had spilt so much blood.
The sound of the Hell Hound skidding to a stop alerted Voldemort to Harry's presence, but the Dark Lord was confused and a little fearful as he beheld the terrifying Cnn Annwn from Ancient Celtic Mythology.
Harry smiled to himself as he watched the Dark Lord like a hawk. However, to anyone looking at him, it would appear he was baring his teeth at him or her. This is exactly what Voldemort saw as he almost took a step back from this creature of the Gods.
Harry vaguely noticed the house elves were disappearing, but he was brought back to Voldemort when he heard him speak.
"A Hell Hound with green eyes? Mr Potter, please stop playing these silly games." Voldemort seemed to have regained his composure, drawing himself up again.
Harry cocked his head to the side and shrugged to himself. Like it really mattered at the moment. He mentally cast another shield should Voldemort try to take advantage of the situation. A moment later he stood tall before Voldemort and met his gaze.
"You know, you have very bad timing, Tom. "Harry spoke before Voldemort could begin his usual tirade about conquering the world and killing Harry.
The Dark Lord bristled at the use of his old name. "And why is that?" he spat.
Obviously the Dark Lord didn't like being interrupted.
"Well, as you probably already know, I've been with Draco for a few weeks now, and tonight was the first time I topped." Harry's expression became dreamy. "My God...when I first entered him...ohh, and his arse is that tight... I...I almost passed out."
Meanwhile, the Dark Lord was looking decidedly on the green side as Harry expressed himself so emotionally and emphatically.
Harry's tone of voice saddened. "It was at this time that you decided to visit. Severus came barging in expecting us to drop everything and join the battle." Harry paused for a moment to subconsciously rub his crotch, "God, I'm still hard."
Harry seemed to come out of his dazed state and he looked back to Voldemort, "You couldn't have waited half an hour."
"ENOUGH, Potter! I don't wand to hear about all your sexcapades. You disgust me."
"Have I touched on a sore subject?" Harry asked kindly.
"Hardly Potter. Your sodomy is what disgusts me," Voldemort snarled.
"So in other words, you haven't been getting any?"
"P-Potter!!" Voldemort spluttered indignantly.
"Not even Lucius?"
"POTTER!!"
"Not a very good minion," Harry commented conversationally.
"POTTER!! BE QUIET! Meet me on the battlefield and bring a cleaner mindset!!"
With that, the Dark Lord apparated away. Immediately, Harry rushed forward to Severus and took down the wards that held him prone against the wall. The man toppled to the ground, emitting a groan of pain that was barely audible.
After much protesting (once he could), Harry had cast enough spells to ensure he'd survive before he succumbed to Snape's demands to "Leave me the bloody hell alone", and to go rid the world of Voldemort.
Harry slowly made his way up through the castle, then down the lawns to where Voldemort stood waiting. Already, bodies dotted the landscape, a few built up around the Dark Lord by those who had tried to do the Boy-Who-Lived's job: Tried and Failed.
Harry calmly and serenely came to stand in front of Voldemort whose anger seemed to be on a very tight leash.
"What took you so long?" Tom Riddle vented.
"I had to relieve myself of a pressing problem," Harry said innocently, coupled with an air of relief.
"I tire of your insolence, boy! CRUCIO!"
Harry's wand was out in a flash as he deflected the Unforgivable.
"Temper, Temper." Harry shook his head. "Test results have shown that anger can cause high blood pressure. We wouldn't want you to die of a common muggle ailment now, would we?"
Harry's warning only served to infuriate Voldemort all the more.
"AVADA KEDAVRA!" The snake eyed man screamed in anger.
Harry took a jumping step to the side with the Unforgivable hitting the ground 10 metres behind him.
"My, my, are we angry!"
"SHUT UP you INSOLENT child! Avada Kedavra!" Harry dodged again, "AVADA KEDAVRA!"
Once again Harry dodged the Unforgivable before casting his own spell wandlessly. "Saepio Saepire Saepsi Septum!"
To all appearances, it would seem as if nothing had happened, that perhaps the spell had failed, or maybe Harry made it up.
Voldemort assumed the latter.
"Stupid Child, making up spells. CRUCIO!"
Immediately the spell encountered a barrier not a metre away from the Dark Lord. The light, rebounding from the strange wall, sent blue energy rippling along the barrier like a stone dropped in pond. The hex was sent back to Voldemort, who screamed in pain while falling to the ground, writhing on the damp grass. After a few more seconds, he managed to get a 'finite' out as he slumped on the ground, his body slightly twitching from the after effects. After another few minutes, the Dark Lord managed to rise to his knees.
"Hurts like a bitch, doesn't it?" Harry asked, an evil little smirk on his face as he watched Voldemort shakily make his way to his feet, glaring heatedly at Harry while a bead of sweat ran down the side of his face.
"H-" Voldemort tried to speak but all that came out was a croak. "How?"
"You see, that's just it!" Harry began, sounding rather pissed off, "Everone underestimates me. You have no idea how annoying that is. Everyone expects me to destroy you and yet most of the time they don't think I can do it. Look at you! I'm 17 years old and you still think I'm a child! Next year, I will be a legal adult! Sure, I know you were out of it for like 10 years but please, get with the programme. It'sbeen 16 years since you first tried to kill me!
"Then there's Dumbledore. Manipulative old Dumbledore. He never tells me anything. He only told me about my Grandparents when they died. Then he continuously makes me go back to the Dursley'syear after year to be abused and what not. Did you know that he only thought I should start training when Mr Weasley was killed? Then he couldn't get over the fact that I can do wandless magic," Harry idly played with some balls of light as he continued to vent. "Then all of a sudden, he's acting all high and mighty, saying that he always suspected that I might be!"
Harry shook his head before vanishing the balls of light with another wave of his hand. Voldemort took the chance to recover his normal aloof manner.
"Then you might be pleased to discover that the old fool is dead," Voldemort taunted.
"Oh well. We'll live without him," Harry replied nonchalantly, completely unfazed.
"Well I have only to kill you. Then nothing will stop me from ruling the World!" Voldemort proclaimed loudly, a maniacal glint to his eye.
"Do you know how pathetic that sounds?"
"INSOLENCE! NOW YOU WILL DIE!!" Voldemort screamed again, "AVADA KEDAVRA!"
Harry watched as the green light shot out of Voldemort's wand to encounter the strange shield that encased him, sending the now green energy ripple effect to echo all over the shield. Again the Unforgivable rebounded, and before Voldemort had time to react, he had collapsed to the ground dead. For another few seconds, the barrier continued to ripple with the energy before slowly dissipating. Harry cancelled the charmed barrier and walked to the lifeless body, kicking him a few times to ensure he was dead, and perhaps just to get a small feel of personal revenge.
It was only when he looked up again, that he noticed all the Aurors and Death Eaters that had paused their own battles to witness the Final Battle.
The Light had won.
Already some of the Death Eaters were starting to back away to run. But when they attempted to apparate, they discovered that they were in big trouble. With a thought, Harry had brought all the Death Eaters on Hogwarts ground that were still alive to a clearing on the front lawns, and had encased them in the same charmed barrier.
The confusion was apparent on all the Death Eaters' faces as some tried to break their way out of the 'bubble'.
Harry took a deep breath as the Aurors all around came swarming towards him, arms raised in cheer as they congratulated him, patting him on the back and such. He could stand the first five minutes of all the joyous cheer and people yelling and touching him, but then, he had to get out.
He had to know. Where was Draco?
He knew the blonde could easily defend himself, but there was still the paranoid little voice in the back of his head that put Harry on the edge. Speeding up to a run, he made his way to where he last saw Draco.
All around him, there were bodies scattered lying lifeless, the majority of them being Death Eaters. Closer up to the castle, he spotted a crowd and made for them. And then he found it: the shock of blonde hair he was looking for, making their way out of the crowd.
"DRACO!" Draco stumbled back slightly as Harry crashed into him, arms wrapped tightly around the blonde's neck.
"Knew you'd do it." Draco mumbled into Harry's hair as he held Harry tightly around the waist.
Both breathed deep in the knowledge that both were perfectly fine and injury free. Draco lifted his head to kiss Harry, who eagerly reciprocated. Barely breaking for air, they continued their furious snogging whilst the crowd around them grew.
Then it was just getting a little creepy.
"Come on," Harry said, sounding all business as he released himself from Draco's hold before grabbing the blonde's arm to take him up to the castle, "I said that as soon as this battle was over that I was going to screw you something chronic. Now move it!"
Draco had a wicked smirk on his face as he followed Harry back up to the castle.
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Stay tuned for the epilogue
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