Neither can Live While the Other Survives …
Chapter Four: The Man in Front
Summary: Either must die at the hands of the other, for neither can live while the other survives … the Prophecy is about to be fulfilled …who will die at the other's hand? Can Harry say everything he wants to say before it's too late? Harry must vanquish the Dark Lord, or the Dark Lord will vanquish him …
Disclaimer: I own this plot as no one but JK herself knows how it will end. Oh, there goes a carrot embedded inside the ever-approaching iceberg.
HoshiHikari4ever: Well, I think that based on all of the descriptions of what Draco's father is like in the books, we are lead to believe that Draco is not just naturally a nasty piece of work. As they are all older in this fic, I wanted to show that with age comes maturity and that perhaps Draco could eventually stand up for what's right.
SunnyChika: Who will die? Argh, you know I can't tell you that!
Marauder3Moony: Haha, would it upset you if Voldie did kill Potty? *Winks evilly* don't incense me . . .
He mele no lilo: Well, your only wish has come true! (Weird wish, I'd personally wish that Sirius was alive again and that Johnny Depp was mine to make my bidding done,) but your call.
LauraLou: Sorry if the plan wasn't clear; the Order was meant to be the last back up; full of well and capable people who can fight and help to finish it all. If Dumbledore had gone in with all of them straight away, the element of surprise has gone! Plus, it was up to Harry when to call them, as Dumbledore wanted to give him a chance to show that it was really his fight.
PhoenixPadfoot89: Hmm, I hummed and hared about who should kill Bellatrix; true, Neville has a good cause for revenge due to his parents, but as I have an immensely soft and squidgy spot for Sirius, and Harry is the one who must make the hard choices in the battle, I thought it would be fitting if the Trio all avenged our lovely prisoner.
Mystikalolo: Yes, Ronald did say the name, lol; I thought you'd like that bit. I thought, (I don't know why as it is never really hinted at in the book) for some reason that Narcissa would have had a shred of decency be as it she was related to Sirius. Ain't no cliffie? Good lord girl, Voldie is back! How can I please these people … lol.
luthien baggins: Thanks for the review, I do have a plot in mind! Lol, keep reading.
Templa Otmena: Hey Lou, aha, you didn't pick up on my subtlety! I said, "And was that Fred Weasley? It was hard to tell …" so it leaves it open. Maybe it was, and maybe it wasn't … oooh the power. Lol. I didn't get the review for GND, but no doubt it'll turn up sooner or later. Bloody site. *Strokes screen*. I've said Lupin's face is grey in a number of my fics … hmm, guess I should find a different colour. Keep reading!
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Harry blinked. His mouth went dry and as he tried to swallow, bile became caught in his throat. He had been so prepared for this moment, so prepared to see the man that he had to kill in order to survive appear in front of him, so ready for it to actually happen, that he had almost forgotten about it. He had been fighting every body's fight, helping the good side defeat the bad, in which everyone as well as him was involved … until now. This was his fight, he knew it, and judging by people's behaviour, they knew it too. Dumbledore stopped what he was doing and lowered his wand, Harry's fighters blinked, their expressions terrified, the Death Eaters had stopped attacking, even Ron and Hermione backed away from Harry, looking wary. It was as though the world had come to a halt.
Voldemort smiled slightly, and waved to the awed crowd with the air of a man walking onto the stage in the wrong scene.
Dumbledore raised his chin slightly, but did not move. Harry chanced a quick glance at him, who was now staring resolutely in his direction, a fire in his blue eyes that said Harry was going to win.
Voldemort looked at his Death Eaters, all whom seemed to be watching him for instructions. "You will do nothing, as before," said Voldemort.
"Yeah, because that worked out last time, didn't it?" said Harry scathingly. Amazingly, he found that he was not afraid.
"Past is as past does, Potter. We shall rectify the mistake tonight."
Harry balled his fists around his wand, not looking at Ron and Hermione. They had never actually seen Harry fight his true enemy.
"We shall see how the events unfold themselves this time, gentlemen," said Voldemort. "Ah, no, I almost forgot, ladies, also Bellatrix …"
He glanced around, seeing no tall and heavy lidded woman standing by his side. "Bellatrix … where is Bella?" he hissed at a Death Eater.
"S – she is dead, my Lord."
Voldemort sighed lazily. "Oh, my, they have done the job properly. Very well, where is Lucius?"
" D … d-dead, my Lord."
If possible, Voldemort's face whitened even more so, the skin tighter around his eye sockets. He pursed his lips and turned his head to Dumbledore.
"Very good … very good indeed …"
Dumbledore chuckled. "I am not worthy of such praise, Tom, you should give your thanks to the man in front of you."
Voldemort laughed sharply, almost bark-like. It had no trace of the high cold evil laugh that Harry had heard so many times in his dreams. If anything, it reminded Harry strongly of his Godfather. At the thought of Sirius, emotion and a power so strong flowed through his veins that he knew that he was going to win this fight.
"The man in front of me?" said Voldemort incredulously. "Do you not mean, the boy, Dumbledore?"
Dumbledore's face hardened, but it was Ginny who spoke. "You heard what he said."
She was standing atop of what appeared to be the smouldering wreckage of a troll. There were cuts and bruises on her bright face, but her eyes were still sparkling emerald green, her hair, flattened to her head, was still a vivid red. Voldemort turned his skull-like head towards her.
"Who is this charming young lady, Harry?" Voldemort said, an air of amusement in his voice. "Are you not going to introduce us?"
"Don't answer, Harry," came a strong voice from behind him. It was Mr Weasley. He also looked worse for wear, but was glaring at Voldemort, his hands shaking. It was clear that this was the first time that he had noticed that Ginny was there, fighting, when they had forbidden her to take part in the battle. "He's trying to manipulate you."
"Don't be so naïve, Weasley, I know who you are and I know who your children are."
Mrs Weasley blanched from behind her husband.
"Is it love, Harry?" said Voldemort quietly, and quite seriously. "Is it really?"
Harry said nothing, but anger was fast replacing fear, an anger of the murders Voldemort had committed, of people he loved, the way he spread discord and terror without raising a finger, the way he was taunting Ginny.
Suddenly, Voldemort shot a jet of purple light in Ginny's direction, but Ron got there first. He knocked Ginny off her feet, sending her sprawling amongst a pile of rubble from the walls, and took the full blast of the spell. With a crash, he lay motionless on the floor, unmoving. Hermione screamed.
"RON!"
Harry moved forwards very quickly, but Voldemort shot another jet of light at his feet, causing a small crater to emerge. It smoked inches from his trainers.
"Don't show your weakness, Potter," said Voldemort softly.
Hermione gritted her teeth and rushed at Ron. Voldemort was ready, he shot another jet of light, yellow this time, not intending to kill, but Hermione was quicker. Before Voldemort had even raised his wand, she sent a powerful protective shield around herself and Ron, so the spell bounced off it with a resounding clang.
Voldemort began to laugh. "Resourcefulness! Fantastic, girl!"
Harry's anger was escalating. Voldemort was playing with them. He raised his wand ever so slightly.
"This ends now," he said.
Voldemort smiled cruelly and nodded. "Yes, I believe it will."
* * *
Lupin expelled a breath that he had been holding. He slammed the Death Eater's head into the wall, which he had previously held in a headlock surprisingly quietly. It fell silent and still, and Lupin stared at the scene in front of him. It was happening now … Harry was facing Voldemort for the last time …
"What's Dumbledore going to do?" hissed Mrs Weasley in his ear. "What about Ron and Hermione, and Ginny?"
"Nothing," said Lupin less than calmly.
"Nothing? He's just going to leave them there? Leave Harry to deal with this on his own?"
"Molly, you need to trust Dumbledore. And Harry. They know the Prophecy."
Mrs Weasley looked sideways at Lupin. "He has to die, doesn't he?" she said in a shaky voice. "That's what it'll have said, I know it."
"No, you don't know it. Trust him."
* * *
Harry raised his wand.
"Expelliarmus!" he yelled.
Voldemort deflected the spell almost lazily with a flick of his wand. He began pacing towards Harry, who sent another jet of light at Voldemort, backing up as he did. People around them scattered, even the Death Eaters. Voldemort deflected it again, sending it sideways. It hit someone who stifled a muffled yelp of pain before keeling over sideways. Harry knew that he was delaying what he knew he had to do … he had to kill him, or Voldemort would kill him … it was kill or be killed … and yet, now, when his life was in danger, he was delaying it.
Harry's heart began to quicken; this wasn't going to work so easily … had he really thought that this was going to be easy? No …
Harry began moving backwards quicker, Voldemort began to smile. It was as though he knew exactly what he was doing. The Death Eaters all wore satisfied smirks. Harry sent a third jinx flying at his enemy, shouting "Impedimenta!" as he went.
Finally, Voldemort retaliated. "Crucio!"
This was what Harry had been waiting for him to do … Priori Incantatem …
The wands connected in a golden jet of light … the colours from both wands had combined … sparks flew from both and Harry felt once again that familiar vibrating sensation shaking his arm … he held it with both hands. More light began to erupt, ricocheting off the walls, bouncing back to create a dome again … Harry's arm was already beginning to shake. The faces around watching them were white, others expressionless.
Harry chanced a glance at Voldemort, expecting to see his white face constricted in fear, as it had been before, but much to Harry's terror, Voldemort was watching him carefully, no trace of strain on his face, as was on Harry's. He was holding his wand in one hand, almost smiling.
"Oh dear," he said, his voice ringing loud and clear. "What ever shall we do, now that both our wands share the same core?"
Harry distantly heard intakes of breath around him; he supposed this was due to the fact that not many people knew that his wand and Voldemort's were brothers. Suddenly Harry knew that Voldemort must have foreseen this, it had happened before anyhow … how could he have been so stupid? Of course Voldemort would have seen this coming … he was playing with him …
"What on earth am I going to do, Harry? Any ideas? Dumbledore?"
But Dumbledore had gone … he was not where he had been minutes before … but this was OK … it was part of the plan … Voldemort having the upper hand, however, was not part of the plan. Voldemort almost seemed beside himself with glee … Harry thought that his wand might splinter any second …
"You see, Harry? They will all leave you eventually … they will all forsake you, as you knew they would in the end … as I told you …"
A few hundred yards away, Mrs Weasley turned quickly to Lupin who seemed to be having trouble restraining himself.
"Remus … we mustn't do anything … Harry told us not to … we have to trust him, you said so yourself!"
Lupin shook his head. "Sirius would just stand here – Harry's in trouble, he'd be there next to him –"
" – Sirius is dead, Remus."
Lupin looked sideways at her. "I know. But I don't know how much longer I can just stand and watch this happen."
"And where on earth has Dumbledore gone?" she added, still anxiously trying not to tear her eyes away from the scene. Voldemort had begun moving towards Harry again …
"He's gone to get what we need … you know why … you're right, Molly. We have to trust them both."
Mrs Weasley gritted her teeth and clenched her hands. "Hold on, Harry," she whispered.
*
Voldemort was too close now, Harry knew it … he did not know what would happen if he broke the connection, he only knew that it would leave him a lot more vulnerable than before … but Voldemort was not having any trouble holding it …it was easy … he couldn't go on like this.
Voldemort was close enough now to speak so that only Harry could hear him.
"What can a man do, when he knows he is beaten, Harry?" he said softly. Harry's arm was aching more than anything, his scar was searing dully, sweat was breaking out on his head … Voldemort's face was too close.
"You cheat, Harry."
From inside the sleeve of his long black and rippling robes, Voldemort unsheathed another wand, like a sword. It was long and black, sharper than the other one.
"Now, this wand is not phoenix feather, oh no. Did you really think you could beat me with that trick?"
Harry's eyes blazed … his hand was going to fall off … surely something was about to break …
"The previous incantation didn't work, I know … but I think this one will."
With a massive wrench taking up all of the strength he had left, Harry pulled his wand out of the connection … but in so doing, he lost sight of his opponent for a second too long …
"Crucio!"
True to his word, the curse worked.
AN: Hehe, sorry people … I'm hoping I can resolve this in the next instalment! NOW REVIEW!!!!
Rosie x
