Disclaimer: Hey everyone. It's been awhile, I got sick with sinuses and a sore throat. It's been really annoying. I'm back now though. This chapter should be good. I'm not sure if this will be the last chapter or if there will be one more. It depends on how this pans out. Well I would like to thank all my faithful readers for sticking with me. I do hope that you all have enjoyed this story as much as I have. Well, enough stalling. For your entertainment I submit to you all, Chapter 15.
Harry and Voldemort were trading curses with each other like no tomorrow, because hey, there wasn't. Harry dodged a cruciatus curse and fired off a redactor curse. Voldemort shrugged it off and fired a jet of green light at Harry. He levitated something from the room into the path and hit it. They attacked each other skillfully, Harry creating shields to block some of the hexes being thrown at him and repelling others back. Harry kept backing Voldemort up and soon they landed into the Atrium.
"I still don't understand you Harry. How can one person have so much strength?" Voldemort questioned after Harry shrugged off his Imperious curse like it was nothing.
"Will-power Tom. You have to want it in your soul, something that you unfortunately seem not to have."
Voldemort fired back a very dark curse that hit Harry. Harry used a spell that his DADA professor had taught him, a very advanced reflecting charm, and the spell shot back at Voldemort. Shocked, it hit him dead on. Harry stared to see the effects of this and didn't notice when Voldemort fired three spells at him in quick succession. He dodged the first one, a blue light, easily, but was hit hard by a red light. The red light knocked him off his feet and he felt like his whole body would come apart. It saved him from the green light that flew harmlessly above him.
"Why don't you die? It's been almost sixteen years. I don't understand how you have managed to survive this long. But do not worry. You shall see your mudblood mother and your blood-traitor father soon. Oh and we can't forget that old fool Dumbledore wither. And you can add that filthy half-breed Hagrid to that list too. He didn't deserve to live, people thinking he had opened the Chamber of Secrets." At these words, Harry became very angry. The memories of all his loved ones who had died shook through his soul. Harry felt power rise within him he didn't know existed. Harry's body rose to its feet. He started to glow faintly.
"Hagrid? How could you Tom?"
"Don't speak as if you know me Potter. You don't have the privilege."
"I know more about you then you could possibly know Tom."
"That won't save you in the end. Enough of this. I'm tired of this duel. Avada Kedavra."
"Expelliarmus."
The two spells linked in midair and the two of them were lifted off their feet once again. This time, they were ready. The golden dome began to surround them and the Phoenix song began to give Harry strength. The cuts he had received during the battles previous had begun to heal and he felt himself gaining strength. This time, he would not run away. He saw the golden beam between their wands and concentrated all the will of his being into getting that thread to Voldemort's wand-tip. It moved, ever so slowly, towards Voldemort, and Harry could see the yew wand bucking under his hand. Voldemort began to sweat and Harry imagined how hot that wand must have been feeling.
When it finally connected, a bright light came over them all. Harry saw a shape begin to come out of Voldemort's wand. A very big shape. Hagrid.
"'Arry. How are ya? I seen your mum and your dad Harry. Lily n James. They are real proud of you Harry. Keep it up. You're gonna win Harry. I know you will. Just like in that tournament Harry. You're gonna do it. Keep it up."
Another shape slowly began to come out of Voldemort's wand. A very familiar shape. A wise old man, with a flowing beard. Harry stared in shock. Dumbledore.
"Harry, I never did get to know you that well. I am sorry about sending you back there. I talked to my brother Albus though. He has complete faith in you. I have never seen him so proud of someone in all the years that I have known him. This dark wizard is pretty bad from what I've heard. And he did get me in the end. But I took a few of 'em with me," Aberforth stated proudly. "But you take him Harry. You can do it."
Harry's heart began to pound from all the messages from his loved ones. He stared into Voldemort's red eyes. He saw fear in them. Harry wondered what Voldemort could be afraid of. An image of a boggart came into his Harry's mind. He wondered why that had come. Then, he followed Voldemort's gaze downward.
He noticed Snape looking on in interest. There was a young boy. He couldn't have been older then 13. He was staring at Voldemort, who shuddered under his gaze. This boy had black hair and piercing blue eyes. Why would Voldemort be afraid of a boy? The boy stared at him for a second. Then he began to shout.
"How could you! We never wanted that and you know it! Why would you do this to us Tom? It's not what we wanted. Ever since…" But the boy broke off, apparently unable to say the name.
"You just hadn't been the same since. And look what you have become. Look. A mere shadow of yourself. Look at me Tom! You could have had this. All of it. You were great. We were great. If you could see yourself now. If she could see you now. I'm ashamed of you Tom."
Harry saw Snape in the corner of his eye move towards the boy. Suddenly, the boy changed. It was now Albus Dumbledore.
"I'm sorry Severus. I just don't believe it. How could you? I know you didn't like James, but Lily? I always thought you at least respected her. She was not pureblooded, and neither are you. But that's not it. I don't understand. Whatever made you turn? But here you are. And I daresay this is bad news. And this is a fairly bad way to repay someone who saved your life. By giving them up. By telling Tom that he is who they want. How could you betray them?" Snape began to sob.
"I couldn't. I mean I did but I couldn't live with myself. I'm sorry. I don't know why you even trust me. I mean you tell me over and over again why, but I just can't believe it. I'm not worth it. Why you have to see it in me I don't know. And then you there looking at me. With those damn twinkling eyes telling me 'Severus…please.' Please kill me. How could you do that to me! I can't take it. And here the reason you trust me only because you saw love in me. How is that any reason to trust someone? Just because I'm capable of love doesn't mean I'm trusting. Damn it Albus. Ugh! You and your second chances!" Snape fell again. Lily walked hesitantly to his side. James looked on in wonder. Dumbledore changed again. He had now turned into James. A dead James. Sprawled on the floor. And then, everyone understood.
James rushed to Lily's side, tears flowing down her and staining the floor, mingling with Snape's tears. James shouted 'Riddikulus' and the boggart disappeared. Harry looked back to his battle and saw other shapes had appeared that he didn't recognize. There were a quite a few people there, Susan Bones's mother among them. He noticed Cedric as well. Then, they started to disappear. They wandered towards Voldemort and began to be sucked into him. As they disappeared, he saw two shapes he often dreamed about: his parents.
James Potter and Lily Potter: mere shadows of themselves, dead at Voldemort's hand. But Harry saw them again. Their younger selves looked on.
"Harry dear. It's all right. I had wanted to see you again. And now I have, twice. I love you Harry. Always remember that. Love is very powerful. It can save you. I'm glad to see you have someone you love as well." The Lily shadow ruffled up Harry's hair. He felt the feeling like when Nearly Headless Nick passed through him, but he saw his hair move to her touch.
"Yeah Harry. I love you too. We are very proud of you. Now though, I think we need to go. We are going to help you avenge us. I know you can do it. Be safe Harry. We love you." The James shadow looked at his son fondly, and hand in hand, the older Potters walked defiantly towards Voldemort. They too were sucked into him. The connection broke.
Harry and Voldemort fell to the floor. Voldemort looked like he wanted to throw up.
"What have you done to me?"
"Answer me boy!"
Harry looked around and saw Snape doing a very intricate wand movement and muttering words, while holding a strange object. What it was, Harry couldn't tell.
"What is going on? Is this death? No. I am immortal." Harry watched again as the shadows of those who he had killed began to come back out of him and drift towards another room. Voldemort followed them, as did Harry and all the rest. They began coming back out of him, as if being sucked up by Dementors. Harry just stared as the shadows all passed through the veil. Harry stared at the veil. It was almost unrecognizable. Harry assumed that this was the veil Sirius and Bellatrix had fallen through. But he wasn't sure. He saw an inscription on it. And Harry read it. "The beginning of the end and the end of the beginning." Everything was startlingly clear. He looked as all the shadows were done leaving Voldemort and traveling into the veil.
Then, all that was left was Voldemort. Harry looked at him. For the first time in his life, Harry knew exactly what to do. He stared at Voldemort, Harry's emerald green eyes flashing dangerously, even red once or twice. And he muttered the curse that his life had started with.
"Avada Kedavra." A jet of green light, and something rushing through the air. It hit Voldemort head on. Harry watched as the last of Voldemort's soul left his body. The body crumbled in a heap. Harry felt himself grow stronger again. There was still one more horcrux, he remembered Dumbledore telling him. And that he would know what the horcrux was when he defeated Lord Voldemort. And Harry knew. And he understood. His parents, godfather, best friends, and girlfriend all watched him. Snape looked at him. The memory of the mirror of Erised floated back to Harry. The crack in the mirror, dividing his soul's deepest desire. Two paths. What was right, and what was easy.
Harry knew what he had to do. He heard Snape say a spell but Harry walked on, feeling bruised, battered, but not beaten. He felt weaker than he had ever felt in his whole life. It was as if his soul had split in two. And he realized it had, because he had killed someone. Ignoring the cries of his friends, his parents, and his godfather, he strode purposefully towards the veil.
Yup, I am going to end it here. And there will be one final chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it. And any questions you have, post now in your reviews, and I shall answer them in the next chapter, either in the story, or in an author's note. It's been a fun ride you guys. You all made the last month of mine awesome. It's been exactly one month since I started this story, I think. I will begin writing the last chapter and hopefully get it up for you all on Tuesday. Until next time. – Magiquill9