Chapter 22
At 8:45 AM on Saturday, Tom Riddle and five followers had arrived. They had apparated to the Hogsmede station, and walked to the Quidditch stadium. In an obvious respect for their ability (or a simple sense of simple self-preservation) no one bothered them as they approached.
Harry and his team were already there. Dumbledore had to be helped onto the edge of the pitch. He told Harry that regardless of the outcome of the duel, he knew that he'd spent his last evening in a bed, and asked Harry not to grieve for him. He thanked Harry for being so dedicated to helping the wizarding world.
To make the scene more believable, the team (if teams were selected) would walk out, arm in arm. It would appear to be nothing more than a show of unity. In reality it would help position a very feeble Dumbledore where he needed to be.
. ---------- . ----------
The witches and wizards attending the duel as spectators were all told to check their wands and other weapons at a booth that had been set up. It may or may not have been a good idea, but there was every attempt made to keep the duel on the floor from spilling into the stands.
Several of the Aurors would be testing the wands during the duel to see if any had recently fired an illegal curse last. It was somewhat likely that a few dark witches or wizards could be captured if Harry were to win.
The Aurors dreaded thinking what would happen if both Dumbledore and Potter were to fall in one day.
Several students had received detention and sent back to their rooms for attempting to resell their tickets. They would not enjoy their punishments of cleaning the splattered viscera from the walls of Quidditch pitch walls at the end of the duel.
The duel was being covered live on the WWN. The commentator had been attempting to interview anyone who had known Potter. They couldn't find too many people who claimed to be friends with Voldemort. The members of the DA group and Harry's students refused to say anything before the duel.
Hagrid had been instructed to collect the bodies after the end of the duel. He hoped that the bodies that he had to collect weren't Harry and the Professor.
. ---------- . ----------
Moody explained the specifics of the venue. The fighting floor had been charmed not to allow apparation, and a ceiling had been charmed twenty feet above them to not allow spells to accidentally hit any spectators.
As they were about to enter, Minister of Magic Amos Diggory approached them. In a rehearsed, steady voice he faced the man who had ordered the execution of his son. He said, "Tom Riddle, if you would prefer, I am prepared to offer you a swap of your original teammates for some captured Death Eaters should they be selected via the coin flip. It is our desire that they be executed, rather than allowed to serve life sentences, and allowing them to fight this morning would afford the Ministry that chance. They are all in fighting shape, I assure you."
He continued, "In the event that the duel does go to teams, and you win, they will be allowed to leave, as the wanted men and women that are you, but you would all be allowed to leave. We will offer you the team of Lucius Malfoy, Draco Malfoy, Michelle Edgecombe, Antonin Dolohov and Peter Pettigrew."
He took a steadying breath and faced the evil man asking, "Do you agree to these terms?"
Riddle thought about it. The mercenaries that he had been able to procure were each acceptable duelers. Two of them were accomplished in muggle weapons, as were Dolohov and to a lesser degree Pettigrew. Dolohov was very well versed in blade weapons as was Lucius. All in all, the Death Eaters would be better in wands or staffs than the mercenaries that he had brought, and they would follow his instructions to concentrate their fire on Dumbledore and Potter. He said, "I agree. Let it be said, if you wish to remain alive, you will address me as Lord Voldemort in the future." Diggory had nearly voided himself meeting Voldemort's gaze.
. ---------- . ----------
Harry looked up at the packed stands for a moment in silent amazement. Were there really that many witches and wizards in the world that had a death wish? If the dark side were to win today, all of the spectators in the stands would be in mortal danger. Harry vowed not to let that happen.
Moody eyed each of the duelers and checked for hidden weapons. Neither side had brought any. They were led to a table at the center of the pitch. In a magnified voice Minister of Magic Diggory announced, "Harry Potter has selected swords and staffs as the pool of weapons. The final weapon choice and the choice of single or a team duel are to be determined by coin flips. Lord Voldemort which would you prefer to be called first?"
Moody thought, Lord Voldemort my arse. Snake face would fit better.
Riddle wanted to give the prisoners as much time as possible to acclimate themselves to the area should they be selected. He said, "Flip the coin for single or team matches."
Diggory showed them the silver coin that Flitwick had charmed with anti-manipulation charms. It was a fair coin. One side showed a Harry Potter's head, the other side showed a group of witches and wizards, and the date. They both examined the coin and agreed that it was a fair coin. Diggory tossed the coin into the air.
It landed with the group of witches up.
…----------…----------
Draco Malfoy had been surprised when their normal prison routine had been altered earlier that morning. After eating, they were handed their black robes back and allowed to dress. Draco could hardly walk he was so stiff at the thought of possibly being in another duel, standing side by side with the Dark Lord himself.
His arrogance never allowed him to consider that he hadn't even held a wand in the last six months. Only one thought burned in his mind. Potter and the others would be made to pay. The imprisoned Death Eaters were led into the floor of the pitch and re-united with their master. They were announced by name. The crowd in the stands was silent as they were announced.
The witches and wizard who had volunteered to stand by Harry were led into the pitch and announced. The ceiling was charmed to that the spectators could hear the magnified action on the playing field, but the duelists could not see or hear the crowds in the stands cheering for Harry, Dumbledore and the witches.
Diggory showed Riddle and Harry the other coin. On one side it had a pair of unsheathed Katana swords. On the other it had two crossed staffs. Ever the merchants, the Weasley brothers had created a limited edition run of five thousand sets of the commerative coins that had been snapped up at a mere fifty galleons each. Diggory flipped the coin.
Staffs came up.
Diggory showed them the staffs. There were ten identical staffs that Ollivander had made, five from the apprentices, the one Dumbledore had brought, and six similar looking walking sticks.
Diggory explained that the side would take turns selecting one staff at a time. He told them that the ten from Ollivander had a neutral core that any witch or wizard could use. The blood staffs would either work better than average or hardly at all, depending on the fit to the witch or wizard. The six walking sticks that had been seeded into the group were simply sticks designed to keep Voldemort's team from trying to take the apprentices staffs.
From a strategy perspective Riddle knew that his team could either attempt to deprive the others of their staffs, and possibly gain an advantage. He knew, as Diggory had stated that a bad fit would result in a nearly useless piece of wood. He advised his team to take the Ollivander staffs. One by one, they drew their staffs. Each side was led to an area where they could safely try their staffs out for a minute.
While the rules of the match had been stacked largely in Potter's favor, the fact remained that they were facing the most feared wizard in any of their lifetimes. In reality, at least six, perhaps most of the duelists would be dead within minutes.
. ---------- . ----------
Harry made an attempt at lessening the tension that the witches were showing and went into the Oliver Wood pre-quidditch game pep talk. "All right. This is it."
Having recognized the words, Katie laughed as she added, "The big one."
Even Hermione had heard the words before as she smiled and said, "The one we've all been waiting for."
It had worked. As much as humanly possible, the tension that they each had felt evaporated. One last time, they all smiled at each other. Dumbledore smiled at the leadership skills that Harry possessed, and hoped that they would be enough.
When they were called, they walked out arm in arm and gave a brief wave to the crowd. They were ready.
. ---------- . ----------
LM, DM, TR, ME, PP, AD – Voldemort's lineup
100 feet
KB, SB, NT, HG, HP, AD – Potter's lineup
They lined up side by side, each witch or wizard spaced about five feet apart facing the other team.
Lucius Malfoy, Draco Malfoy, Tom Riddle, Michelle Edgecombe Peter Pettigrew and Dolohov stood side by side on the dark side.
Lined up on the light side were Katie, Susan, Tonks, Hermione, Harry, and Dumbledore. The two teams were about a hundred feet from each other. Dumbledore had suggested the lineup, believing it would present the greatest difficulty for the Death Eaters in the opening volley. Both sides had briefly discussed that they would do and who they would aim at. Harry's team had something of an advantage as they had pre-planned the match-ups and overall strategy.
Moody fired a pistol into the air to signify the start of the duel. He would use it on anyone he found to be cheating. They began.
Tick.
Malfoy, Malfoy, Riddle, Edgecombe, Pettigrew, and Dolohov each aimed a killing curse at Dumbledore.
Dumbledore cast a protective shield in front of Harry before he was hit four times and fell without so much as a groan. The greatest wizard of the twentieth century was dead.
Hermione had fired at Dolohov, Susan at Lucius, Tonks at Draco, Katie at Edgecombe, while Harry aimed at Pettigrew. Unprotected by any shields due to their focus on getting rid of Dumbledore, they were each hit and fell, either dead or seriously wounded.
Tick.
There was no medical attention provided until one side either yielded or no longer existed. Draco Malfoy had cast his final spell and would bleed to death within a minute after being hit. There was no arrogance in dying in you own feces.
There was a fist size hole in Dolohov's chest. He was dead before he fell. Susan had aimed carefully and hit Lucius in the left side of his head. His last thoughts were splattered on the ground. Edgecombe was hit in the upper chest by Katie's shot. The internal explosion caused massive tissue loss. She was unconscious, bleeding out and would be dead within two minutes.
The rat that had betrayed his parents had drawn his last breath. Pettigrew, hit in the navel by the full force of Harry's Reducto blast from his blood staff was on the ground in three pieces.
Tick.
Riddle was amazed. He was certain that at least half of Potter's team would focus on him and had been ready to flatten himself on the ground in an evasive move. The old fool had died defending a boy that no one had bothered to target.
Riddle suddenly realized that the inability to apparate had now placed him at a serious disadvantage. With nowhere to run and no remaining followers, he decided to take Potter out and take his chances with the witches' aim.
The second volley was quite different. Harry and the four witches stood facing Tom Riddle. They stared at each other for an instant, then fired. Harry, Katie, Tonks and Susan aimed and fired Reducto charms at Riddle while Hermione cast a shield in front of Harry.
Riddle's powerful spell burst through the shield, deflected and weakened only slightly by it and unfortunately hit Harry squarely in the chest. He had dodged the spell, not knowing that Hermione would cast a shield in front of him in an attempt to protect him. Harry was knocked backward thirty feet by the impact, as if hit by a canon ball. Not knowing if Harry was still immune to them or not, Riddle had not fired a killing curse, rather a Reducto charm like the others had used.
Tick.
The combined spells of the three witches and Harry had cast blew the unshielded Thomas Marvolo Riddle into a dozen pieces.
Tick
Examining and stunning each of the bodies for safety, Alastor Moody declared the duel to be over.
Tock.
The duel was over, but at a terrible cost. Amazing almost everyone, it had lasted no more than five seconds. Hermione's pre-match strategy had largely worked.
In the end, Riddle and the five Death Eaters were dead, and four witches were still standing.
. ---------- . ----------
Poppy had been placed in charge of a dozen Medi-Witches. She had prayed that their services would not be needed that day on their friends. They had previously arrived at the Quidditch stadium and had set up in the light side locker room. They had created a half dozen portkeys that would allow them to transport a patient directly into the hospital ward.
Watching from the side, she was amazed at the speed and brutality of the duel. Just seconds after Moody's pistol shot, the duel was over. The four witches ran to Harry who was laying on the ground at an odd angle. She and the other Medi-witches ran onto the field.
Six of the Medi-witches looked at the Death Eaters, one went to Dumbledore while Poppy and the rest went to look at Harry. He wasn't breathing.
…----------…----------
Nikki the armor tailor and her mum had been invited to attend. She knew that she had provided Mr. Potter and the brave witches with the very best body armor that was available anywhere. She had pointed out the different witches to her mum before the duel started.
They were seated next to Hanna Smith and Gretta Wood, students in Professor Potter's first year defense class. Both of them had absolute confidence in their professor, and had fun telling Nikki and her mum that Professor Potter was their very favorite teacher. Nikki hoped that the little witches still had their favorite professor on Monday.
Nikki was horrified when he-who-must-not-be-named fired a Reducto blast at Harry. Nearly as powerful as the blast that Harry had fired to save the students at the Three Broomsticks, Harry had been thrown about thirty feet. He wasn't moving, but she didn't see a large pool of blood like the others had shed when hit.
Like most of the others in the nearly silent stands, she prayed for his health.
…-----------…-----------
Hermione was not going to let her best friend get killed. With all of her might, she had cast a protective shield in front of Harry. She was horrified when she saw the shield shatter, Voldemort's spell deflected, hitting her best friend as he was tossed backwards like a rag doll. She only hoped that it had helped reduce the awesome blast that Voldemort had fired.
Turning her attention for only a moment, she saw that Voldemort and the others were finished. A step behind the others, she ran to Harry.
…----------…----------
Relegated to the stands, Ginny Weasley had felt humiliated to be sitting in the stands between her parents like a little child.
She would never forgive herself for having told Lavender about the duel. She watched horrified as the apprentices rushed to Harry's side. Susan started mouth to mouth in an attempt to get Harry to breathe. The others held him while the Poppy healed a nasty gash on his left arm.
Before either of her parents could react, Ginny ran down the stands to the locker room.
. ---------- . ----------
The Hospital wing was a somber place. The body of Professor Dumbledore had been brought in and was on the bed next to Harry. Poppy had known that one way or another, both men would have ended up here. A part of her had hoped that Dumbledore would have passed peacefully in her hospital bed. Yet she knew that his greatest desire was to help Harry rid the world of Voldemort.
She and the other healers had carefully examined Harry and believed him to be mortally wounded. While he might be dying, he was unconscious and at least resting in peace.
. ---------- . ----------
Outside, Hagrid placed the remains of the fallen Death Eaters on the far side of the pitch. He carefully collected the different weapons and placed them in a locked trunk, as he had been instructed. He carried Voldemort's pieces over to the pile with a shovel and urinated on the body.
Taking his time, he thought of the taunting that he had received from Tom Riddle over the three years that he had been a student and the years after, while he was working as an apprentice for Ogg the gamekeeper. He had known McNair, both Malfoys, Edgecombe and of course Pettigrew the traitor when they had spent their respective times as students in the castle. All of them had harassed him at one time or another. He poured ten gallons of the light kerosene on their remains and fired sparks at the pile until it burst into flames.
Five minutes later, the fire was still burning high with a sickening black smoke and an very unpleasant stench. With his faithful dog Fang at his side, the gentle man walked back to his cabin to wait. Like the others, he hoped that somehow he would hear good news about Harry.
…----------…----------
Remus sat with Kingsley. He had been aware of the extent that Dumbledore had diminished and realized that it was only his awesome reputation that had caused all six Death Eaters to fire at him in the first volley.
He had watched as Hermione had produced a powerful shield to protect Harry, and sickened as he saw his young friend tossed backwards like a kicked football. Like Nikki, he hoped that the Hungarian horntail armor had done its job.
Kingsley did not share his friend's optimism, but diplomatically remained silent. He wished that they would have drawn swords instead.
…----------…----------
A/N
The last two chapters end quite differently that the endings that were previously posted. I hope that you'll like them.
Could Molly Weasley ever mind her own business?
Has anyone read the Canadian editions? Are they different than the US editions?