Chapter Thirty-Seven
There was little else Ron could do except grit his teeth and pray he could take down as many Death Eaters as possible before he got hit. He and Hermione stood back to back, stunning and hexing anything that moved. It wasn't the same as having Harry behind him, like so many of the Auror assignments they had gone on, but at least with Hermione he wouldn't have to worry about her throwing herself at a pack of Death Eaters.
The frustration was starting to set in that no matter how many of You-Know-Who's followers they killed or rendered unconscious, they didn't seem to be making any real dent. When one went down, another Death Eater would take its place and close up the gap.
They were being forced into a corner as the confidence of their enemy increased. Ron, who had never really been much of a strategic thinker, knew they needed to come up with a plan fast or they were going to be overrun.
Hermione grunted in pain behind him, but he couldn't risk turning around to see her. "Are you okay?" He shouted over his shoulder.
"I'll live. It just stung a little," she shouted back.
He had a feeling it was worse than what she was making it out to be but he couldn't afford to let his concern for her distract him.
A dark cylinder object landed on the floor a few feet in front of Ron. As soon as he heard a voice scream, "get down!" he didn't think twice about tackling Hermione to the ground and covering her body with his own.
The explosion rocked the area around them. They were close enough to the initial blast that Ron's ears were ringing. He was coughing at the debris that littered the air around them. He went to ask Hermione if she was all right, when the sound of wand fire broke through the ringing in his ears. He scrambled around for his wand and swore when he couldn't find it. He must have dropped it during the explosion. But Hermione still had hers and when they saw three figures coming towards them, she drew her wand.
"Oi! Is that any way to thank us for saving your life?" Fred sounded offended. George was with him while Bill hung back to check that all the Death Eaters who had been hit were really dead or unconscious and not faking.
"Saved our lives?" Ron said furious. "You nearly killed us!"
"I warned you didn't I?"
"What if I hadn't heard you?" Ron shot back.
Fred looked at George and the two of them just shrugged.
"Bloody idiots," Ron grumbled, hauling himself to his feet and pulling Hermione with him.
"That's gratitude for you," George said to his twin.
"What was that?" Hermione asked curiously.
The twins puffed with pride. "You didn't think we spent all our time making joke paraphernalia, did you?" said George. "We knew how valuable some of our inventions could be if we made them serve a defensive purpose in the war."
"We took some muggle explosives and combined them with a bit of magic to see the different results," Fred explained. "There was a memory charm in this one. When this lot wakes up – well, the ones that survived, anyways – they won't have a clue what they're doing here. And we have a bunch of others that have nasty magical side effects."
"That's actually kind of brilliant," Hermione said in admiration, causing the twins to beam further.
Brilliant? It was a bit mad if you asked Ron. He had always known Fred and George to experiment with anything they could get their hands on – and the more dangerous the better – but messing around with barmy muggle explosives? They were lucky they hadn't blown themselves up along with everyone and everything in Diagon Alley.
"I thought Dad told you to find McGonagall," Bill rounded on his youngest brother, having finished surveying the wreck around them.
"Harry wasn't too keen on that idea and took off," Ron told his brother. "We were following him until this happened."
"Hey, Bill! There's another group heading this way!" George called, looking over the banister.
"I don't understand. How did they make it in so quickly?" Hermione said.
"Dumbledore was supposed to put up extra wards around the castle but something must have happened because he never put them up. No one's seen him since the battle started. We're getting slaughtered out there," he finished grimly.
They heard a second explosion go off and knew the twins had tossed another one of their inventions to the level below.
Hermione looked desperately at Bill. "We need to find, Harry."
Bill knew he would be better off getting killed in battle then facing his mother when she found out he had let his brother and Hermione chase after Harry on their own. But he also knew short of rendering them unconscious he wouldn't be able to stop them.
"Get going," Bill said after some debate. "We'll hold them off here as long as we can."
"Thanks, Bill," said Ron.
"You can thank me by coming back alive so mum can kill us together."
Bill went to join the twins and Ron and Hermione were off again.
"Harry had a vision of Dumbledore," Ron said as they hurried along. "I didn't say anything before now because we haven't exactly had a free moment."
"What happened in the vision?"
"He said Dumbledore and You-Know-Who were dueling and that Dumbledore was losing. I tried telling him it was probably a planted vision to get him to go on ahead alone. You didn't see him, but he wasn't exactly acting like himself."
"He's going to listen to reason once we find him," Hermione said stubbornly.
"Then he'll probably just end up using magic on the both of us this time," Ron said. "We'll stand a better chance of finding him if we split up."
"Oh, no you don't," Hermione said, seeing right through him. She turned sharply to face him. "You'll purposely try to lead me in the wrong direction so you can go after Harry yourself. You'll have to do a lot better than that to get rid of me."
A burst of wand fire that hit the wall nearest them, drew them away from their impending argument. It was only three Death Eaters this time, so these ones had probably slipped through Bill and the twins' defense.
"I guess we're staying together," said Ron, returning fire with his own wand before shoving Hermione around the corner out of sight. She didn't stay hidden for long. She came right back around and took out the lone Death Eater still standing.
"Don't ever push me out of the way like that again!" She fumed.
Bloody hell. She has to pick a fight with me even now. "Since there's probably more where those came from, I'm not going to argue with you right now."
Instead of retorting, Hermione was silent. Ron understand why a second later. He could hear Harry's voice, along with another one that didn't sound exactly human.
He and Hermione were on the move again. The fact that they were so close to Harry and were likely walking into some sort of deathly trap didn't slow them down in the slightest.
"You are so weak. To think that fool Dumbledore considered you my equal disgusts me. Then again, Dumbledore never was exceptionally bright," said Voldemort, his snake-like body towering over a battered and bruised Harry.
Harry fought to remain sitting up. His shield charm had held for a while but it had eventually come apart much the same way Dumbledore's had. Harry squeezed his eyes shut. He couldn't afford to think about the lifeless body lying mere meters away from him.
"His death was painful," Voldemort assured him, having picked up on Harry's thoughts. The link between them was much stronger now.
"It felt like the Cruciatus Curse, intensified a hundred times. But that must be difficult for you to imagine since the Crutacius doesn't affect you the same as others. Crucio!"
Harry was sprawled out twitching and convulsing as Voldemort put him through the Unforgivable Curse. He bit down on his lip until it bled but he wouldn't scream or cry out, and when he felt the blinding pain threatening to overtake him he would force his mind to push it back.
"Yes, it is unfortunate you are able to resist it to a certain degree," Voldemort observed, finally lifting the curse after more than five minutes had passed. "You live for pain as I do, that is why you can fight it."
"I'm nothing like you," Harry spat, forcing himself to his feet.
"Your thirst for revenge burns brighter in you than anything else," Voldemort continued. "That raw pain is what keeps you going but not even that will save you, Potter. I know about the prophecy and I know that you will be the one to die. Dumbledore merely succeeded in protecting you for a short while but even he knew this day would come. I had only hoped to have kept him alive long enough to watch his one star pupil destroy his favourite pupil."
Voldemort's skeletal arm lengthened and extended towards Harry. Harry couldn't dodge it in time and the bony fingers wrapped around his neck and squeezed.
Harry was vaguely aware of someone screaming his name but he was on the verge of blacking out and couldn't focus on anything but the scaly fingers crushing his throat.
Voldemort touched his wand to Harry's heart and viciously shouted, "Crucio!"
Harry's heart stopped and he lost consciousness before the pain spread through his body.
"Harry!" Hermione screamed in horror, seeing Voldemort's hand wrapped tightly around his neck.
"Get away from him, you bastard!" Ron shouted, his wand trained on the Dark Lord.
Voldemort paid them no attention. He calmly rested the tip of his wand against Harry's chest and shouted, "Crucio!"
Harry didn't resist or fight back. Voldemort released his grip and Harry slipped through, hitting the cold stone floor and lying there in a deathly still heap.
Ron didn't waste time using a standard stunning spell on Voldemort. His intent was to kill. He fired his wand without mercy and if he hadn't witnessed it with his own eyes, he never would have believed that it had no affect on the dark wizard whatsoever. Voldemort seemed to absorb the wand fire like it was a snack.
"Pathetic," Voldemort said. With one movement of his hand, he snapped Ron's hand back until he heard bones breaking and Ron's wand clattered to the floor.
Ron grit his teeth to keep for yelling out. There was no way he was giving that sick bastard the pleasure of seeing him in pain. The pain was awful but at least he could still stand and fight, which was more than he could do when he had broken his leg that one time.
"Ron!" Hermione cried and started towards him.
She stopped in mid stride, having been caught in a body-binding curse that left her frozen to the spot. Voldemort had aimed the spell below at her neck, so she could still move her head.
Ron could immediately see it wasn't a normal body-binding curse. Hermione looked to be struggling to breathe. He grabbed his fallen wand and aimed it at Voldemort. "Lift the curse off her, now!" He roared.
"You still have not learned your place," said Voldemort. "You and your family are as despicable as the muggles and half breeds you love."
Ron was hurled backwards through the air and crashed through a stone pillar. He was trying to sit up, but his body refused to cooperate. His head snapped up when he heard Hermione struggling within her invisible constraints and shaking her head wildly.
Voldemort let out a shallow chuckle. "So Potter's taught you how to close your mind to me, mudblood? But this way makes it much more enjoyable to watch. I'll wake up Potter and force him to watch his friends kill each other." Voldemort raised his wand and shouted, "Imperio!"
"Hermione, fight it!" Ron shouted at her, but even from this distance could see her eyes glass over and her body go limp.
"Mudblood, kill Ron Weasley. And make sure it's painful," Voldemort hissed. "When you've accomplished that task I want you to kill yourself. Do you understand the instructions I've given you?"
Hermione nodded blankly, just as Ron was shouting, "no!"
Voldemort released the curse holding her in place. When she just stood there, not moving, the Dark Lord hissed, "kill him now!"
Hermione brought up her wand without hesitation aimed it at Ron.
"You have to fight it!" Ron shouted at her. "You've been working with Lupin for weeks on how to throw it off!"
He wasn't getting through to her because she kept her wand trained on him and started opening her mouth. Ron snatched his wand from the ground and dove for cover behind a nearby pillar, as the first curse directed at him left her mouth.
He could hear Voldemort's serpent laugh and Hermione's footsteps as she closed in on him a second time. This time he didn't even hear the words leave her mouth as wand fire struck the wall close to his left shoulder and then above his head, sending the top of the pillar crumbling.
Then some new sensation was added to the mix and Ron felt like the temperature in the castle had been turned up another forty degrees. He glanced over his shoulder, Hermione was still coming towards him but he was looking passed her at something else.
Harry was on his feet and there were these visible red waves coming off of him. His eyes had changed as well. They went from burning orbs of green to red.
Ron knew Hermione was getting close to him again but before he found another spot to hide, he watched as Harry, without a wand, hit Voldemort in the back with a solid burst of that red energy. Voldemort staggered forward at the unexpected attack. Harry hit him again, but this time Voldemort had been prepared and blocked it.
Ron scrambled behind the statue of a knight, feeling the end of a curse singe through the back of his shirt and leave a smoking hole. Ron didn't know how much longer he could keep this up, but he couldn't – no, wouldn't – use his wand on Hermione. He just had to find another way to get through to her.
"Harry!" He yelled, much closer to him now. He wasn't sure what he was expecting him to do but maybe there was a chance Harry could break into her mind and release the hold the Imperius Curse had on her.
Harry looked at him, but it felt more like he was staring through him. Warning bells went off in Ron's head and he couldn't describe it, he just knew he didn't want Harry anywhere near Hermione. He got the feeling Harry was capable of just about anything at that moment.
"Their fate has already been decided," Voldemort was speaking to Harry. "They will die and you can either watch them or you can fight me and try to save the wizarding world."
Harry wasn't speaking but Ron could see he was already accepting what Voldemort had said.
"Damn it, Harry! He's messing with your head!" Ron tried to get through to him.
Seeing Harry's hesitant state, Voldemort began stalking away. "I will kill everyone here, Potter, and that will be on your conscious," Voldemort taunted. "I don't believe you're strong enough to stop me. You don't have the resolve to do what is necessary to end this."
Ron saw something visibly snap inside Harry and he knew there was nothing he could say or do to stop him. He was too far gone and wouldn't listen to reason. The only person he seemed to still listen to was Voldemort. All Ron could do was watch as he made the choice to leave his friends behind and pursue Voldemort.
Harry was gone and now Ron was left to deal with the threat that was trying to kill him. He could tell she was done playing around because now when she took aim at him, she was through using the lesser curses and had moved on to the more powerful ones.
He was running out of places to hide and didn't know what else to say to get her to snap out of the hold the Imperius had on her. Telling her to fight it hadn't worked and trying to reason with her while she was in this state would be useless. The one thing he hadn't tried which had always gotten a reaction out of her was to infuriate her.
"For someone who's supposed to be the brightest witch in Hogwarts history, you're not very bright." Another curse narrowly missed his head. You're going to have to dig deeper, he told himself. Really insult her intelligence. "Only someone who's weak-minded and stupid can't throw off the Imperius! Even I can throw it off, so what does that say about you?" He stared back at her and saw the arm holding her wand began to shake ever so slightly. "You didn't apply yourself. You didn't try hard enough," he said, throwing back at her the same scolding she had given him when they had been at school. "You made Lupin look like a fool for thinking he could teach you. He said you were the worst student he's ever had. He said he should have expected that from you since it took you two years to master the Patronus charm when Harry did it in a week." She still had her wand pointed in his direction but she hadn't thrown a single curse at him since his barrage on her intelligence began. She was fighting it, but it wasn't enough. He needed her to look at him – to really see him.
He moved into the open, making himself an easy target with nowhere left to go. Hermione clutched her wand tighter when she saw, and though her arm was still shaking, she kept it aimed at his chest. The conflict going on behind her eyes was the only indication he had that some part of her, no matter how small, recognized him.
But he had to keep pushing. He had to push her over the edge. It's not hard, he told himself. You do it all the time without even trying. "You want to know the real reason I didn't want you to become an Auror? Because you're a woman," he told her, almost flinching at his own words but it had to be done. If he was going to get through to her it would be with this. "You would never make it through the training. All you would have done was embarrass yourself," he said, walking towards her. "Besides, no one would want a stuck-up, bossy, know-it-all nagging them about every little thing they did wrong." He was almost to her now and he could see the way she was battling to keep her wand pointed at him. What he was doing was suicide, but if he didn't get through her he would probably end up dead anyways. "You should have listened to your dad. He was right when he said you didn't belong here. You're not a witch. You're just some muggleborn who goes around thinking she's better than everyone else, just like Malfoy!"
"No," she whispered in a barely audible voice. She pried her fingers off the wand and let it clatter to the ground. She started to sway on her feet, but Ron caught her before she could join the fallen wand.
"Ron?" She said, sounding like she had just woken from a dream.
"Yeah, it's me," he assured her.
She let go of him saying, "I – I don't remember what happened. Voldemort put me under the Imperius and then I – " She shook her head, hoping to clear it and that the answers would come to her. She looked at Ron's singed shirt and her eyes widened in horror. "I did that, didn't I?"
"It's no worse than some of the things I've said to you over the years," he said, trying to lighten the mood. "Did you hear me talking to you?" He said, quickly changing the subject.
"I don't know," she said, obviously still very shaken up. "It was like I was stuck in this thick fog in my own body and I couldn't get out. But there was this voice. I couldn't make out the words but it was making me angry." She gave him a panicked look. "Where's Harry? What happened to him?"
"He went with Vold – Voldemort," said Ron, saying the Dark Lord's name for the first time. "Something was wrong with him. While you were under the Imperius, he changed."
"Changed?" She said, confused.
"I don't know how to explain it. He looked more powerful than I've ever seen him." Hermione was already a wreck, so he didn't add how Harry had chosen to go after Voldemort over staying to help his friends.
"We have to go after him," she said, reaching down for her wand.
While she was distracted, Ron pointed his wand at her and said, "stupefy!" He caught her before she could hit the floor. He checked her vitals and everything appeared to be fine. She was just stunned unconscious. "Sorry, but you can't go after Harry," he said, scooping her up in his arms. "He'll just put you under the Imperius again or kill you."
He couldn't just leave her there in case any Death Eaters came patrolling through. He had to find somewhere to leave her. He started jogging back the way they had come from and no sooner had he started when he rounded a corner, nearly colliding with Neville and Dean. They were both soaked in blood but it didn't appear to be their blood and Ron didn't have time to ask for details.
"Is she all right?" Neville asked, sounding worried.
"She'll be fine. She's just stunned," Ron told them. "Take her some place safe and keep there."
"She's not going to like that," Dean said immediately.
"I don't care," Ron said, passing off Hermione's limp body to him and Neville. He handed Hermione's wand to Dean. "It's for her own good and if you two let her leave I'll be coming after you when this is all over," he threatened. "And no what she says don't give her back her wand."
"What are we supposed to tell her when she wakes up?" Dean questioned.
"She already knows where I'm going," Ron said to them. He took off, almost feeling bad about the task he had given Neville and Dean. Hermione was going to be furious when she woke up. Dealing with a hurt and pissed off Hermione was going to be as much fun as dealing with a room full of armed Death Eaters.
The surge of power coursing through him was unlike anything Harry had ever felt before. It was like for the first time he really felt alive. He enjoyed it because now there was nothing holding him back from fulfilling his part in the prophecy and ridding the wizarding world of the Dark Lord forever.
Voldemort's taunts and constant ridicule only served to further the adrenaline already pumping frantically through his body. He could deflect any magical forces or spells Voldemort threw at him by simply using his mind to form a shield around himself. He learned quickly to cast the same kind of magic and tossed it back at his opponent with the same ferocity. But just as Voldemort seemed unable to hurt him, Harry seemed incapable of inflicting any damage on him either. If anything, Voldemort seemed to be growing in power.
"Your powers are impressive, Harry Potter," Voldemort observed. "I hope you appreciate what I have given you."
Harry faltered in his next attack. "Given me?" Voldemort was messing with his head again. He wasn't going to be so gullible this time.
"Do you think you would have come this far – lasted this long – at your level? I used the Cruciatus to shock your heart and you did the rest. I merely opened your eyes to the power that was already within you. The power that your weak Dumbledore didn't want you to see."
Harry took a step back. Voldemort had done this to him. Voldemort had done this and he had enjoyed every second of it.
"Your desire for revenge and your constant pain are the source of this power," Voldemort continued in the same serpent-like voice. "Dumbledore was always afraid you'd become more powerful than him. He didn't want that to happen, especially after your new abilities surfaced. Yes, Potter I've known all about them for some time. That's why Dumbledore didn't want you to use them, but when it became clear you weren't going to listen he chose to have you trained, but only to a limited degree. He wanted you to know only enough to satisfy your curiousity – that you would be satisfied enough not to pursue them further. Dumbledore made you weak," Voldemort said, stalking towards him. "He was always holding you back. He's the reason so many have died when you could have easily saved them had you been properly trained. He's the reason you weren't strong enough to save your friends and now they're dead." Voldemort was not standing only a few feet in front of him, but his wand was resting harmlessly at his side as if he knew Harry wasn't going to attack him.
"How is it that someone supposedly as wise and powerful as Dumbledore succumbed so quickly under my power?" Voldemort said, posing the question Harry had been wracking his brain for the answer to. "Because he wasn't willing to do what was necessary to achieve his goal. That was his biggest failing. Not willing to do whatever it takes achieve something. I can feel you're not like that," said Voldemort, letting his eyes fall shut. "You're as angry and disgusted by Dumbledore's teachings as I was."
Harry squeezed his own eyes shut. He couldn't let Voldemort access his feelings so easily. Voldemort was a monster and the murderer of his parents, but that truth was replaced by something even stronger. The belief that everything he was saying about Dumbledore was true. Dumbledore had forced him to live with abusive muggles for ten years, and even after he found out he was a wizard, Dumbledore continued to feed him lies and keep secrets. When he really thought about it, Dumbledore had always been holding something over him, like he had always wanted to be the one with the power. That Dumbledore had always known what he was capable of, and had wanted to limit him because he wanted to be the one in charge and never wanted to relinquish that to Harry.
"Dumbledore never gave you more because you never asked for more," Voldemort continued, seeing the break in Harry's resolve. "You still don't ask for more but I'll give it to you."
Voldemort touched his wand to Harry's chest, directly at his heart. Harry opened his eyes but he didn't flinch or move. He knew he should use this moment when Voldemort was vulnerable to attack, but the hand holding his wand hung limply at his side.
"Do you want to murder every living Death Eater?" Voldemort asked him. "They are inconsequential. They are nothing more than fanatical fools who do what I tell them and follow their faith blindly. I wouldn't stop you if that's what you wanted." Voldemort's yellow eyes lit up and his mouth stretched into a frightening smile. "But that's only a small part of what you want," he said knowingly. "You want the one who betrayed your parents. The one who let Sirius Black rot away in Azkaban for twelve years." Voldemort turned away from Harry and made a mark in the air with his wand.
The wand that had been hanging limply at his side moments ago, Harry now clenched tightly. Peter Pettigrew had appeared and was on his hands and knees, groveling in front of his master.
"M-master, you summoned me," Pettigrew said in his pathetic whiny voice. "What do you need of me?"
"Give me your wand, Wormtail," Voldemort commanded.
Pettigrew hesitated. He looked at Harry, seeing the fire burning in his eyes.
"Do you dare defy your master, you pathetic fool?" Voldemort bellowed.
Pettigrew frantically shook his head. "N-no, m-master," he stuttered. He quickly reached inside his robes and with fumbling hands held it up to Voldemort. Instead of taking it, Voldemort hit his hand with such force the wand was sent scattering across the room and Harry could hear the sounds of bones snapping.
Pettigrew moaned in pain and remained hunched over on the floor, cowering.
Voldemort stepped aside, giving Harry a clear path to Pettigrew. Without thinking, Harry raised his arm and aimed his wand at Pettigrew.
"I don't understand," Pettigrew mumbled. "Master, what's going on?"
Voldemort ignored him and looked at Harry. "I'm giving you what you want, Potter. Do you want to be responsible for letting your parents betrayer escape a second time?"
Pettigrew finally clued in on what was going on and he threw himself at Harry's mercy, something that had worked once before. "Harry, you must spare my life. I have so many stories of James and Lily I could tell you – "
"SILENCE!" Voldemort's voice boomed.
Pettigrew flinched at the anger in his master's voice and stopped talking. The only sound emanating from him was a low whimpering.
"Your hesitation is pointless," said Voldemort, growing impatient. "You're fighting what you know to be the right thing to do. Kill him now!" Voldemort screamed in anger, the rage in his voice causing Pettigrew to cover his ears.
Harry was torn. The reason his parents were dead was cowering right in front of him. He owed it to Sirius to kill him. His compassion for Pettigrew had cost his godfather the chance of being a free man. Sirius might still be alive if he hadn't been hiding out at Grimmauld Place as an escaped convict, looking for any excuse he could to leave the house. Lupin had suffered too. All his friends were dead and now he was alone – And it was because of Pettigrew. He didn't care that he was rationalizing the situation. Pettigrew didn't deserve to live and Harry would not make the mistake of showing him mercy again.
"Harry!"
Harry's head snapped around. For a brief second he thought his eyes were deceiving him, but they weren't. Ron was standing there, his right wrist bandaged hurriedly and hanging awkwardly at his side. He was out of breath and looked close to collapsing but he was alive.
"Ron?" Harry said in disbelief. His attention was drawn away from Pettigrew to focus on Ron.
Just as he did that, Voldemort through a curse at Ron, who only just succeeded in getting his shield charm up in time to block it.
Harry just wanted it all to be over. As soon as he knew Ron was all right, he focused on Pettigrew, who was trying very hard to disappear into the floor. He raised his wand – and then stopped. Pettigrew didn't deserve a quick and easy death. He deserved to suffer.
Ron was close enough to them he could see something happening to Pettigrew. His face turned red and then purple, like he was suffocating. He was clawing at his throat like some invisible hand was choking him. He saw the manic grin on Harry's face and he knew what was going on.
"Harry, stop it!" He thought Pettigrew was a worthless bastard that deserved to die, but Harry wasn't just killing him. He was killing him slowly – and he was enjoying it. "Have you lost your fucking mind?" Ron yelled at him. "You wouldn't do this!"
But Harry didn't stop. He didn't seem to hear Ron at all. He continued his torture of Pettigrew until Ron heard a bone snapping and knew that had to be the traitor's neck.
Before Ron could comprehend what was happening, Harry was coming towards him at an incredible speed, pinning him against the wall. Harry grabbed his throat, not enough to suffocate him, but enough to keep him from moving too much.
With friends that keep trying to kill me, who needs enemies? Ron pried at Harry's hand but it wouldn't budge. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
"I told you not to follow me," Harry said, his voice dangerous. "I'm the one who has to fight him."
"And what a brilliant job you're doing," Ron croaked, feeling Harry's grip tighten. "For fuck's sake, Harry, you just killed a man and you enjoyed doing it!"
"I'm doing this my own way!"
"You're doing exactly what he wants! Exactly what Hermione told you wouldn't work. He's playing with you. He's using the guilt and the pain and the anger that you're feeling to manipulate you! Why can't you see that?"
"Ron, I'm warning you – "
"Go to hell," Ron spat. "You know how to end this and you're choosing not to! The Harry I know wouldn't sacrifice his friends and everything he cares about for some twisted revenge! You don't care about things like power and inflicting pain. Voldemort's like that, not you!"
Harry slugged Ron across the face and then let him drop to the floor.
Spitting out blood, Ron looked up at Harry and fixed him with a look that would have killed if he had an ounce of Harry's powers. "If you don't end this, you better hope he kills you because if he doesn't, I will. Good people are dying because you keep fucking around. Good people that are risking their lives for you because they believe you can save them." Ron let out a bitter laugh. "At least Malfoy's finally fighting for the right thing, which is more than I can say for you."
Enraged, Harry turned away. Ron had some nerve, comparing him to Malfoy. Just because Ron couldn't comprehend what he was doing, didn't mean he wasn't doing the right thing. He was doing the right thing.
But at what cost?
Shut up! He screamed at his conscience.
You'll lose everything.
I've already lost everything.
Not yet, you haven't, his conscience fought back. Your friends are still alive and you know Ginny is still alive too. You would have felt it if something had happened to her.
Hermione's plan won't work, Harry thought, trying to rationalize his actions. He's too powerful.
How do you know? You never even gave it a chance. As soon as Voldemort opened up that power within you, you've been acting like a monster. Abandoning your friends, killing without remorse, and now hurting the people who have fought by your side since the beginning. You've become everything you hated, all for a little taste of what real power is like. Ron was right. This isn't who you are at all. But there's still time for you to change.
"Enough!" Voldemort's terrifying voice boomed. "This muggle-loving, wretched excuse for a pureblood, thought he would trade in his sidekick status and play the hero. Now he's going to die for his foolishness. Avada Kedavra!"
There was no defense for the killing curse. No way to block it or deflect it. Even if Ron had his wand there wouldn't have been anything he could do. Harry already knew all this when he threw himself in front of the curse.
The glowing green light of the killing curse enveloped Harry's body. He screamed at the initial burst of searing pain, as the curse attacked every cell in his body. But the pain quickly dissipated and instead of devouring his body it began to ricochet back to the target that had cast the spell.
Harry could hear Voldemort's terrifying screams as his own killing curse rebounded back to him. But Harry already knew it wouldn't be enough to kill him. The curse would only transform the dark wizard to a similar weakened state he had been in when the killing curse had deflected off him as a baby.
Even though he had weeks of practice, Harry still wasn't sure he was doing it right. There was so much confusion that opening his mind and trying to channel the feelings of everyone inside and outside the castle was more difficult then any of the times he had practiced. What was even more difficult was digging beneath the surface and pulling out the strongest strands of feelings, all of which were related to love in one way or another. He directed them at Voldemort through the link they shared and the Dark Lord recoiled. Harry kept it up, not knowing how long he would need to maintain the connection for, but knowing he would have to hold it for as long as possible, even if it meant his death. Even when his scar started throbbing more painfully then ever before, he gritted his teeth and maintained the connection.
He couldn't see anything except for the yellow light pouring out from his scar. Even Voldemort's screams were starting to sound distant. Only after Harry felt his body begin to convulse and his skin felt like fire, did the beam of light shooting out from his scar stop. He forced himself to stay conscious as he watched Voldemort break up into tiny fragments that were each consumed by the golden light, as if he were being eaten alive piece by piece. Then the last fragment of Voldemort was consumed by the light and there was nothing but silence hanging in the air.
Harry's head felt heavy and his body too drained to move. The only welcoming sight in front of him was the darkness that over took him before he hit the ground…