... The Thunderbirds disappeared from view in front of the now stunned auror and the headmaster and headed out the small opening in the massive doors. They took the sky as soon as they were outside. None of them thought a thing to each other. Each of them lost in their own inner turmoil.
Harry was the first to break the silence. 'I'm going to kill him for the wizarding world, but I'm going to enjoy it for me.'
And now,
Gunslinger Part II
The sunshine was absent Christmas morning. It was cold and overcast, threatening snow at any time by the heavy dark look to the clouds. The Thunderbirds had been flying for an hour and a half dipping frequently from their invisible places in the air only taking someone's head off their shoulders if they got past the aurors. They preferred launching off the astronomy tower for speed.
Ginny preferred to let the D.E.'s catch her in human form and think they had caught someone where they should not be. Ginny let the hair on her head fall into her eyes as if she was a scared little girl and let them approach. When the Death Eaters got close, she transformed into a Thunderbird in front of them and when they looked her in the eyes like a basilisk, they were dead before their bodies hit the ground. George and Fred were betting with Blaise, Greg, Vince, Adam, Draco and Harry to see how many she would catch like that. Ginny was trying to scare one of them to death by the looks of her method up to the point when she flew off with a head in her talons.
The astronomy tower had three of the guns that Birdy had shipped to fight off the attack on the ground from up above. The Thunderbirds were the first to notice that all the high up guns had silenced and rushed to the ledge of the roof to see what was going on. The dark forces were beginning to move forward once again only this time there were ten times as many witches and wizards firing curses at the auror positions on the perimeter of the grounds. When the aurors had fired their last curses in retaliation, the gates and fences surrounding Hogwart's came crashing down allowing the outer auror positions to fall. The only thing between them and the castle now were the hidden wizard warriors.
The American wizards took the lead and charged from two sides clashing with twice as many wizards and witches on the dark side. The multitude of dark wizards had taken up offensive positions advancing under wand cover to each new place they chose to fire their curses and hexes at the light warriors. The Americans attacked in pairs, one holding shield charms and the other firing curses and then shield charms while the other fired his or her curses. The method was effective for them and to no surprise; they were doing quite well for themselves. The number of dark wizards and witches on Hogwart's grounds was increasing with each passing minute. The Japanese Samurai Wizard Nation's warriors were right behind the Americans their style of fighting a wizarding war was Bushido in nature and they did not leave their opponents alive.
When a third wave of dark wizards and witches pulsed forth through the boundaries the full force of the foreign fighters for the light side went forth into battle. The British Ministry's auror battalions were the next to deploy, both in the air and on the ground. Thundercloud house and the Order of the Phoenix would fight behind them. There was a full-fledged wizarding war going on and it was only going to intensify. Dumbledore and his staff would have to fight from the front of the castle doors.
The Thunderbirds stayed invisible hoping that stray hexes from their side did not hit them while they were in their warbird form. Bodies fell to the ground, headless in many cases, but to just drop dead, without your head was frightening for anyone to see. Ginny had taken to throwing the heavy heads like bludgers at people as if they were pins in a bowling alley. Seemed that a head was heavy enough to break an arm, a leg or break a neck when it hit someone. Banishing the heads to somewhere took time and Ginny did not have time to deal with heads so she thought in flight to her warbird friends,
'Just rip off a head and hit someone, it scares the hell out of them even if you miss.' Ginny thought, as she would launch her fifth or sixth bloody head at a dark target.
'Have you' 'missed yet?' Fred and George thought to their scary baby sister.
'No. Good one there Hermione, see, you broke the bloke's leg. Now go and fetch another head.'
'I saw. I think you're right. He's still breathing our air isn't he?' Hermione thought as she swooped out of nowhere to relieve the wizard of his painful broken leg and his head.
Adam, Harry, Draco and Neville were all sticking rather close to each other in the sky or on the ground. The others had taken up a circle pattern around the four who were going to be up close and personal when the end came for Voldemort. Harry had been collecting wands along with his kills He did not have to think about banishing the heads he had removed, they just went away. There were hardly any Death Eaters among the horde advancing on the castle, which caused concern among the leaders of the light side. The D.E.'s would be fresh when they arrived to begin their own fighting. The obvious reason for the huge numbers of dark wizards and witches fighting first was to occupy the defensive forces before they began the real attack trying to gain entry to the castle.
The dragons alone were fearsome to defend against on the ground, but in the air where their element lives, they were unstoppable creatures that could absorb curses and breathe fire perfect allies as long as they were on your side. They could be defended against but only just. The overhead entries into the castle were covered in charmed stone. You needed a password to gain entry or the stone remained stone. Dumbledore being the supreme mugwump he was and a supreme smart ass and the passwords were sunshine lollypops and 'rainbows'. Wonderful things he had said and truly beyond the dark wizards if they should ever get that far. He thought it was a good idea and he hardly ever changed his mind; hardly ever changed his mind.
Dumbledore cast the signal that he used when he needed to speak to the Thunderbirds from the astronomy tower a shining Thunderbird that flew up in sparkles instead of fell down was seen by the Thunderbirds almost at one time. In a few flaps from each of them, they were flying up the craggy cliffs on the lakeside to the only currently open entry into the castle.
Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall met the transforming Thunderbirds to human and visible just before walking inside, Harry, Draco, and a huge magical map laid out inside the barren room at the top of the tower. Harry and Draco instantly knew what the symbols that moved meant. The dark detectors had been tagging the marked Death Eaters as soon as they apparated into Hogsmeade village and they were concentrating forming a circle on the road between Hogsmeade and the castle itself. They knew where Voldemort probably was, or was going to be.
The other Thunderbirds entered the unnecessary room at the top of the tower and saw what Draco and Harry were looking at with Dumbledore and McGonagall. Fred and George rushed to the magical map and couldn't believe their eyes. Their dark detector markers worked. They didn't seem to read between the lines and had to be told that although not detectable, they were 99 44/100 sure that Voldemort was inside a small house on the road to Hogsmeade. Thanks to the marking the detectors did, they could estimate the number of marked witches and wizards surrounding the home.
"I haven't flown high enough to see the air above that part of the valley Have any of you?" Harry asked.
"I have Harry." Blaise said.
"Did you see the dark mark in the sky?" Harry inquired.
"No I didn't. You think that the wizard who owns that home is dead? They always conjure the dark mark when they're up to no good and especially when they bloody kill someone," Blaise offered.
Draco said quietly to himself, "I hope the bloke wasn't home."
Draco knew straight away, what Death Eaters were capable of. The wizards outside fighting for Voldemort probably had never even seen him and were going to perish for no good reason at all unless they surrendered and that did not look like it was going to happen any time soon.
"If the dark mark isn't in the sky when we go back out, then our glowing feather will be. Do any of you have a favorite color?" Ginny asked with anxious smugness.
"Um, Ginny..." Ron began, "The glowing feather is always blue isn't it?" he finished.
"Of course it is silly. It is everybody's favorite color isn't it. ISN'T IT?" Ginny tried her hand a being Slytherin trying to get her way looking quickly back and forth through low slit closed eyes.
"Uh, sure, yeah, it is my favorite yours too eh, Fred, George." Ron said keeping his eyes on Ginny. He did not see Fred and George signaling Ginny to play along with them.
"No, sorry" "it isn't" "our favorite." "We like" "Ronald Red" "our new" "patent color" "and flavor" "for candy." The twins said.
Ron paled when the twins dared to challenge Ginny when she was... in a mood and slightly mental.
"I'm sorry Gin, I thought they'd like blue like you and me and Hermione and probably the others too." Ron tried to stay the line with his sister completely forgetting the battle going on outside.
"Ronniekins, we're teasing you. You were completely too tense. Sorry, but it looked like it worked." Ginny said.
"You could have fooled me. The way you were going on, I was sure that you would have shrunken their bits for them for going against you."
"Nah, not you guys. Percy maybe, he's such a girl anyway he wouldn't notice." Ginny mused.
The conversation the Weasleys were having was relaxed and light; each sib trying to cheer up the other just a bit for some mental rest. The Xanadu Pepper-up was working entirely well. They all were thinking clearly, feeling invigorated and completely ready to re-enter 'the zone'. When they heard Draco yell their low volume banter was interrupted.
"What are you talking about sending Harry alone to stand and wait for Voldemort to just walk up to him?" Draco said stomping back and forth gesticulating with his hands wildly.
"Relax Draco love; you'll still be there with me. I can see you, but Voldemort will not be able to see you, Neville, or Adam until it is too late. He will see those surrounding himif they slay the inner circle and we will all be able to get our revenge. The wizards will either surrender or die when caught between the auror battalions and us. Either way is fine with me.
As the leader of the British Wizarding world, Mum and Professor Dumbledore as Prime Minister and Severus will blast a hole through any number of them to get to us to see it through to the end. We have to make sure he is gone for good. They will have a shield on him before he hits the ground. All of us Thunderbirds, Dumbledore, and one other professor will do that Navajo banishment Birdy drilled into our heads. Adam and Dumbledore will do the Navajo parts and we will supply the power. It has to be us, the twelve of us to do our will." Harry extemporized out loud more to cement the plan in his head than to let the others know what was going on.
"Which Professor has the tattoo?" Neville asked.
"Ten guesses and nine don't count." Adam said. He knew.
"Professor Snape?" "Nope"
"Professor Sinistra?" "Na ah."
"Professor Flitwick?" "Nope, guess again."
"Professor Sprout? Hehehe " "No and you're running out of guesses.
"Professor McGonagall?" "Give the man a cigar." Adam said conjuring a foot long cigar too big to smoke.
"Smarty, really how do you know?" Neville asked.
"Next time you see her, take a look at her and really look. Thunderbird all the way right aren't I Mr. Dumbledore?" Adam said.
"Indeed Prince Adam, quite correct. She became a Thunderbird in 1940. She will be flattered that you can tell" Dumbledore said.
"No wonder she's a whiz with a wand. I always thought it was only for show though if you ask me," Hermione pondered.
"She does magic with her right hand and holds her wand in her left. Two hands, one releasing the magic. Have you ever heard her say anything when she changes into a cat?" Dumbledore asked.
"Come to think of it, no. However, we don't either. Say why don't we change into ravens and follow him in from the treetops. He will never know it is us. Is the circle still in one place?" Hermione stated.
"It seems to be 'Mione. It happens to be around fifteen hundred in size." Ron said.
"Isn't that the estimated number of British bearers of the mark?" Blaise said.
"From what we can tell, that answer is yes, Sir Blaise." Dumbledore said with that damned blue-eyed twinkle.
"A thousand wizard families about to go down in flames all for one madma..." Luna said holding onto Blaise's warm arm tighter and tighter, closing her eyes tight.
"Everybody grab on and help her focus" Blaise urged everyone that wore the Thunderbird tattoo.
'Torture the other one first and let us see how much this red blooded Royal British wizard can endure until he tells us what we want to know. We will show him our mercy by killing him quickly afterwards.' Luna said in a perfect mimic of Voldemort before her vision went black and she opened her big blue eyes blinking them like the Scarlet O'Hara they watched in the muggle film while in Arizona.
"Who would they be torturing?" Adam asked.
"Wait a minute...'Frankie. Benny. Hey... Answer me.'.." Harry said hoping he could get them to respond. He summoned his Marauder's map from his room with a wave of his hand and the old beat up piece of parchment was there in time for him to look down. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." and the map came into view for everyone to look at. Harry turned and flipped the map until he could see the infirmary. No Frankie or Benny. The Library, The Great Hall, Their common room, The Thundercloud house common room, The hallways, the towers, the dungeons, even Hagrid's hut, No Frankie or Benny on the map. The two boys' were gone.
"They're not here. It's them, I am going to call him out now and maybe he'll leave them be. You start to kill anything in a white mask that's close to the scum Riddle. Adam? We have to go to the gates and you pop in, grab them, and pop them out. Who ever it is. Now who wants to go subdue the others?" Harry asked standing heading for the tower's edge.
"I'll go with him. I know which house it is. We'll get in and out in half a tic." Ginny said tying her hair back with a bow of blue leather, "Come on Adam. Harry, we will keep in contact with you and everyone else from the time we part. I think you'll be busy with the buggers while we're popping around." she finished, walking to the edge with Adam and Harry with the others on their heels.
Adam and Ginny snapped from the tower top to the edge of the apparition wards and apparated in the house they saw in Luna's vision. Over a thousand Death Eaters, real Death Eaters, and the bad motherfuckers, the most evil of evil, rotten, dirty, shitty, vile, ruthless... were in the second circle, surrounded them. The ones you should be scared of were in Voldemort's inner circle. Lucius, Bella and Severus were at one time, the shining stars, albeit dark stars.
Benny Hill and Frankie Creevey had been caught by a dark wizard who had drank an invisibility potion when they were walking past a window five minutes before the castle openings sealed with the enchanted stone and were tied to chairs, back to back together. When one was cursed, the other felt his pain was how it was supposed to work but for the last three minutes, Frankie and Benny were 'phasing' just enough under their clothes to let the curses pass through them. If they could 'phase' out of the ropes they would but they were magical and got tighter the more they struggled. The two young wizard teens were scared shitless but were showing bravery beyond their years. Adam and Ginny apparated into the room invisibly but the popping noise they made when they apparated into the room was just a little louder than it should have been. The curses stopped much to the boy's relief when Ginny and Adam started to drop heads on the parlor floor Voldemort apparated away immediately, his inner circle following his evilness. The two boys were grabbed by the much stronger invisible magic users and disappeared leaving a rumble of thunder behind in their place. As funny as it seemed Ginny and Adam apparated ten feet from Voldemort and they hauled the boys still tied to chairs over their shoulders and two upside down boys could be seen floating through the gate and once again, disappearing.
Adam and Ginny put the two boys down after they snapped straight into the infirmary and untied them. Madame Pomphrey was on the two in a heartbeat and began checking them for damage. Getting no positive responses to her inquiracharm, other than the red marks on their wrists and the marks on their cheeks from the gags they wore, they were... fine.
"What were you doing out there with them; did you go outside after I told you not to?" Adam asked this time really scolding Frankie and Benny.
Benny began to cry when he remembered what happened and when he began to cry, Frankie stood up for his friend. Frankie held the weeping Benny in his arms trying to soothe him looking at Adam with a hurt face. He had not put his thoughts together yet so he kept on shushing Benny.
"We were snatched out of a window just before it got sealed up. The person was big and he was invisible. He had us by our arms Adam, and he tied us up with those creepy ropes. They took our rings from us Adam, but not before I reminded Benny to phase if they tried to curse us. It worked. Thanks for coming for us but I think you owe Benny an apology," Frankie finally said finishing with a puff of air from his lips at a hair in his face.
"You were snatched? Oh, damn lil dude. I am soooooooooo sorry. I am glad that you're not hurt. Ginny and I got to go." Adam said.
"She left a while ago." Benny said sniffing and wiping his nose on his sleeve.
"Oh damn. 'Hey TBirds where are you at?" Adam said.
'By the whomping willow' Draco said.
"Where's the whomping willow?"
"It's on the east side of the castle a bit. It is usually moving. Adam, they got twenty doses of the potion. We managed to drop the rest. Hope we didn't break too much." Frankie said just as Adam turned his back to leave.
"Don't worry about it Xanadu cannot be extracted. I'll get you more rings. The ones they stole will drive the wearer mad and then make 'em squibs. Bye guys." Adam said hugging the brave wizards before he left to enter the battle for all the marbles. Frankie's story would be told for thousands of moons in the Magical Navajo Nation.
Adam waved his hand and in a sparkle, he went invisible a snapping noise inaudible at both points of travel. He could see Harry standing just inside the old reach of the once vicious tree's stump and invisible, Draco and Neville. The invisible glimmer of the other Thunderbirds could be seen in a huge arc around Harry. Their long planned trap had finally been set and Adam was not late. He walked to Neville and Draco's shimmering selves silently.
'Hey you guys. I am standing right next to you. Why are we being quiet?' Adam thought to everyone.
'We want Harry to be seen alone. He won't let anyone get close to him except Voldemort.' Neville said silently.
'We won't either. They will think he's some sort of super spell caster as fast as their heads fall off their shoulders.' Draco thought to his trio of terror.
'Frankie and Benny are alright' Adam added.
'Ginny told us already.'
'Damn. How much longer was I?'
'Only a couple minutes.'
'I yelled at them for doing something they weren't supposed to be doingand it turns out they were snatched.'
'We know Adam, Ginny told us.'
'I got to make it up to em. Think a Pegasus might go over good?'
'You think your mother will give you a pair of Pegasus' to two prepubescent wizards?' Draco thought musing over the subject.
'How old were you the first time you did the hunka chunka?'
'What does that have to do with anything I presume you mean... do the nasty?"
'Well if you did it right, but yeah.'
'Sixteen, with Harry' Draco admitted.
'You know I cannot lie to you. Now why give a pair of Pegasus' to Frankie and Benny?'
'Oh, lots of reasons mostly, because I can.'
'Money and things don't do much good unless you spread them around I guess.'
'Hey look over there they are moving aside does that mean Voldyface is here?'
'Harry you be careful love' Draco whispered in his head.
'I've got armor over my belly, stones that absorb hexes and curses, I can phase, be invisible, I carry a wand, Excalibur and a gun. I'll be careful.' Harry thought with a slight smirk on his face meant for Draco's enjoyment and continued, '...Thunderbirds, when they get close enough, cut them off and I'll take care of the rest. Dumbledore will be here after you freeze the Death Eaters and before I kill that snake-faced bastard. You all should be in the air so you can see it all unfold.' he finished.
'Someone send up' 'a shower of' 'purple sparks' 'and we'll be' 'airborne,' the twins said aloft over their positions.
'You're all there aren't you?' Harry thought with a worried inflection.
'Aye Harry, they're all there' Draco thought back to calm his husband.
'I want to hear them Draco, Greg?' 'Aye Harry. Vince is here too'
'I'm here Harry' Vince thought to cut down on the chatter.
'Luna? Blaise?' 'three hundred feet to your left and up Harry.' 'three hundred feet to your right Harry.' the Zabini's thought. 'Ron? Hermione?' 'Where else would you expect us to be Harry? We are right in front of you on the left and right of the road. Voldemort has just passed under us. Three or four minutes. We count about the estimate of numbers of marked Death Eaters Harry.' Hermione thought out. 'Right across the road from 'Mione Harry. Right in front of you mate. We will let everyone know when they are past us, you can start to close in, and we'll bloody freeze the bastards where they stand. They do not deserve to live after the others died for the likes of 'im.' Ron thought.
'We're on opposite sides to your right and left slightly behind, Harry.' Neville checked in. 'Ready for this since I was a firstie Harry, You know that!' Ginny added.
'Thanks everyone. I feel somehow better knowing you're there.'
Voldemort's black robes hung on him and did not flap a bit even in the slight breeze as he stepped towards the mighty stone and iron gates of Hogwart's. Today was the muggle Christmas and indeed, he was going to claim many gifts. The seventh born of the King was the highest on his list, next, Excalibur and the scepter of Merlin from the dead body of Harry Potter He would love to claim the ponce whore of Potter's, Lucius Malfoys disowned son, the blood traitor's head and put it on a pike. After he had killed Potter, Dumbledore was next and then the back stabbing blood traitor, Severus Snape. Word had been passed back that Harry Potter was standing in front of a leafless tree alone. The battle looked like an even match with the continentals completely occupying Dumbledore's forces leaving the conquest of Hogwart's to the dark side, Muahahahaha.
The wrought iron fence surrounding Hogwarts after it was allowed to fall had been blasted to bits. There were perhaps twelve thousand wizards and witches on each side spread the width and breadth of the school's grounds. The quidditch pitch was a trap set for as many dark wizards as they could get in it, on the ground, dueling with a clever illusion of light wizards. There were several hundred witches and wizards throwing hexes and curses chasing the illusions but staying just out of wand range. The chase was ended when the exit that the dark forces thought was there, was now on the other end of the field.
The stands stood thirty feet straight up, and unless they could fly without a broom, the Death Eater wannabes were on the ground if they wanted to get out. There were only twenty-five light wizards in the whole of the stands of the quidditch pitch and they rained down hundreds of curses on the several hundred dark combatants. When the last of them had been defeated, they were systematically bound, petrified and stacked. Professor Flitwick and Professor Sprout were leading this particular ruse and it worked wonderfully. They might be small and frail but the two of them were a stunning team. They would earn meritorious accolades for the capture of so many witches and wizards without killing any of them.
Voldemort's inner circle kept in tight quarter with Voldemort as his tall frame stepped over and around the few dead light wizards, there were. Hogsmeade seemed to be in hiding... for now. The most visible of the dead were dark wizards and they had no heads. The dark wizards' bodies lined the road to Hogwarts. Someone on the light side had an evil streak and if they survived, he would seek out whoever it was. He was thirty steps closer to Harry, just over a small hillock and...
"Hello there Tom, it took you long enough.Ready for me to kill you?" Harry taunted as he stepped from behind a tree directly in the path of the most forward of the inner circle surrounding their 'master'.
"My name is Lord Voldemort you puny whelp. I shall take such delight in turning your seventh child into potions ingredients in front of your freakish whore of a concubine." Voldemort hissed.
Voldemort blocked out everything around him, Death Eaters, rocks, trees, and the weather and kept his vision focused on Harry. Voldemort tried using legilimency on Harry but his charms were doing their job blocking the probe. Harry thrust the magic back into Voldemort's head, which caused him to step back. He drew his wand and pointed it at Harry. This act caused a reaction from one of the hidden Thunderbirds. Draco became visible next to Harry with his own wand drawn to keep the fight fair. Harry was still unarmed. He carried Excalibur on his back and his wand up his sleeve; still yet, he had not made a move towards them.
"You can't be so incapable of defending yourself against me can you Harry Potter? You need a ponce to defend your skin?" Voldemort taunted, stepping in circles training his eyes on the blond prince.
'He is trying occlumancy on me Harry, watch this' Draco said and he too thrust Voldemort out of his head.
"This cannot be! There has never been a single mind that I cannot enter; now there are two of you. Dumbledore is teaching you black magic in that school. I must say I didn't know he had it in him the dodgy old bastard," Voldemort hissed when Draco shoved his probe back where it came from.
"He's not teaching us dark magic Tom. Diffindo! Empress Thundercloud taught us. El Crucio!" Harry yelled beginning the duel between the light and the dark. Today, either today Harry would begin to live his life or his life would be over. The nine Thunderbirds surrounding the fifteen hundred Death Eaters had begun systematically petrifying the horde of people surrounding their lord and Harry. Draco stepped back three steps and was invisible once more leaving Harry or Voldemort to complete the prophecy no matter what the outcome.
Voldemort who in turn cast his own curses, terrible, painful curses meant to harm before killing, shielded Harry's initial onslaught. Harry's own shield defense was superb deflecting the worst that Voldemort could utter, Avada Kedavra. When Voldemort began using the killing curse on Harry, Adam, Draco and Neville appeared surrounding the two battling wizards, cutting Voldemort off from any retreat. Now was the time. Dumbledore, Narcissa, Severus, Professor McGonagall and two dozen aurors pried their way through the throng of petrified dark wizards, knocking many of them over into trees, rocks and down small hills. The leaders of two wizarding governments stepped into the clearing that Adam, Draco and Neville were maintaining, the adults watched as Harry sparred quite marvelously with the darkest wizard that had ever lived.
'Adam, your staff!' Harry thought to his godbrother and he held out his hand.
"You've always wanted a philosopher's stone Tom. Here is the seed stone that Flammel made his with and, it's all yours..."
"You foolish boy! You realize that with a stone such as that and Excalibur and Merlin's scepter, all of humanity will have to bow down to Lord Volde..." Voldemort stopped speaking.
Tom Riddle looked down at the stone he had risked so much to get and lose to Harry when he was a boy and now here it was, in his grasp. He held onto the stone until his hands began to shake. The stone was unmovable in the staff... in the staff that was now sticking out of his back. Voldemort raised his wand to try to shout his last curse. His eyes met with golden-rimmed emerald pools, looking down the barrel of a muggle weapon. Harry smiled at Voldemort waiting for him to begin to curse him. Voldemort did not have the breath left to utter the curse he most wanted to use and he blinked. Harry used the opportunity to put a magical bullet between the red slits in Voldemort's face. Indeed, there was an impenetrable shield cast around Voldemort before he hit the ground by Dumbledore and Snape and Professor McGonagall and Narcissa.
Adam, Neville and Draco were at Harry's side the moment the weapon fired. The Thunderbirds aloft witnessed perhaps one of the greatest wizarding duels that would probably ever be fought for at least a thousand years and were on the ground surrounding Harry who was momentarily stunned.
Draco took the weapon out of Harry's hand and placed his hands on either side of his husbands head to make him look into his eyes. Draco was the only person permitted to look here and he did. In a blink, Draco entered Harry's mind to find him sitting next to a very calm pool with water running on either end, Harry seemed to be lost in thought swirling a stick in the still water tracing patterns.
Draco stepped up to the Harry by the pool and held his hand out and down to Harry. Harry looked at Draco and realized he needed to get up and follow the blond man in his dream. This was Harry's happy alone place. Draco was welcome in this happy place.
'Harry love, it's time to leave here, it's over. You can have your happy place away from here now.' 'Will I be happy out there Draco? Will I be happy like I am here?'
'Yes Harry. Your children are out there. Let's go get our children.'
Harry lowered the arm that the weapon had been in and he followed Draco out of his mind until he was standing in front of him holding his head between his hands. Draco's silver eyes were crackled, leaking tears, smiling a huge white toothed smile. Harry blinked and blinked again. Everything suddenly came into focus. Suddenly, Harry realized what he had just done and dropped to one knee shocking everyone around him. Harry put his hands to his face and began to cry. It was over. Voldemort was dead. His parents and Cedric and all the others were avenged. Hermione, Ginny, and Ron, the twins, Luna and the others were surrounding Harry, hiding him from view with their battle robes shut tight together. Neville and Adam were hugging each other inside the circle, while Draco comforted the weeping Harry.
Hermione remembered a line and decided to improvise with a sonorous charm and loudlysaid, "Let the joyous news far and near be spread At long last Voldemort is really dead!"
Harry began to feel the overwhelming realization hit him, he'd killed Voldemort by hand, not with magic, it was written in the book by Merlin, 'the dark ones cannot withstand non magic.' Harry let go of Draco's hands. The Thunderbirds parted, creating a semicircle around him giving him clear access to Voldemort's floating body. Harry withdrew Excalibur from its sheath on his back and walked the few steps to the lifeless, hovering, bleeding body. Harry reached through the barrier surrounding Voldemort shocking the ones that cast the charm, and pulled the healthy looking arm from its sleeve. Harry looked up and down the length of the edge of Excalibur and in one swift move, he sliced a deep gash in Voldemort's body's arm letting the blood that he took from Harry be returned to him. Harry pried Voldemort's fingers off his wand and pulled it from his grip. He was dead now he was unarmed and bleeding the same way Harry did, against his will... if he had one ever at all.
The petrified Death Eaters were disarmed all at once with an accio spell by Neville. Neville being who he was didn't count on being covered with fifteen hundred wands all at once burst out of the pile wings spread, he'd changed into a Thunderbird to get out of the pile and he'd left behind a bolt of lightening for his trouble resulting in all the wands being destroyed in one fell swoop.
"Did I do that? Ouch!" Neville asked wincing pulling a piece of broken wand out of his butt.
"Quite alright Sir Neville" Harry said brushing off his long time friend. If there were to be words said about the incident, Harry would accept the blame. There would not be any words.
"You didn't dub me Harry and if you did, I forgot. Do it again now. Please." Neville said still shaken from the blast of toothpicks.
"Ok on your knees." Harry commanded, "Rise Sir Neville the Wandkiller Longbottom, Defender of the crown."
"Bloody hell, Harry, make up your mind. On your knees, rise. Always the same with you mate" Ron said slapping his best mate on the back.
Harry let go of Draco's hand to face his friend. Harry looked Ron straight in the eyes and held out his hand to congratulate his best mate on a job well done. Ron was not going to take any old handshake and he grabbed Harry in a bear hug swinging him around yelling,
"Harry! Harry! You did it mate. I always knew you would. You were brilliant! Come 'ere mate" he finished and was going to kiss Harry on the cheek.
Harry turned his head at the last second and Ron planted the biggest snog he could muster square on Harry's mouth. Ron instantly knew what he had done and so did Harry. He did it on purpose but Ron would never be able to prove it.
"Still trying to get at my husband are you Ron. I told you before not to try, but now look at you. You will be next to be having children. Hermione, make sure you stay on top for a while." Draco said to embarrass Ron and Hermione in one go, with a smile and very innocent eyes.
"Oh bugger Draco!" Ron said trying to think of something to say until he realized what he had just said.
"Alright, if you say so where do you want to do it, Right here? You up for it love?"
"Anything you say my King."
"Relax Ron. We're pulling your leg." Draco said.
"We are?" Harry said teasing both of the most important men in his life.
Dumbledore chose that moment to interrupt the freethinking banter...
"We're going to remove the body to the place in front of the Entrance Hall. Tom's body shall never enter the castle. We will perform the banishment there. The forces of the dark seem to be surrendering in large numbers... well the ones that have survived. The light side lost exactly 90 witches and wizards this day here. It seems that being prepared for this has paid off. There were over six thousand on Voldemort's side. Pity that many people will no longer be intimate with magic. They shall be worse than squibs muggles. They will not know how to survive on the outside if they ever get out of Azkaban or the other wizard prison. Lets get this over with shall we?" Dumbledore said enchanting the body with a locomotor spell towards the castle entrance up the hill.
The dragons were flying overhead of the Thunderbirds and Phoenix members and the floating body. The fire they were breathing on the battlefield was directed skyward in massive 'S' shaped arcs back and forth. The dragons were flying three abreast until the small group of powerful witches and wizards approached the landing in front of the entrance. The dragons landed and bowed low to the ground and folded their wings. The huge magical animals did not want to catch any piece of the charm about to be uttered.
First, Adam scourgified his staff from the blood and guts he had pulled out when he'd extracted it from the body. The stones on Adam's staff were no longer multi colored, they were all pure black. They had done their jobs. The Navajo charm to banish the body and soul of Tom Riddle to the nearest star was on his lips. The twelve British Thunderbirds formed a circle around Riddle's body and Adam, Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall entered the circle and began the chant. First Adam, then McGonagall included the Thunderbirds.
A spiraling shower of tiny sparks poured over Riddle's body until it was covered in the tiny bits of conjured magic. As Adam's staff was struck on the ground, the blackness in the stones streamed into the swirl of magic. The Thunderbirds knew instinctively to hold their hands aloft towards the center of the gathering magic. The incantation chanting had not finished and the black light streaming into the now glowing body did not stop flowing until the chanting stopped. The Thunderbirds were beginning the last stanza and the body began to levitate at the same level the hands surrounding it. The last word of the chant was spoke and the twelve Thunderbirds channeled their power to send the body into the heavens towards the sun in a bolt of lightening.
Thunder rolled from the tops of the hills to the valleys of northern Scotland from the burst of magical electricity. The threatening clouds above, released their calming, quiet, cold flakes of snow. Voldemort's threat was ended but the war was not over.
Someone in the castle opened its massive doors. Two people walked out peering down the few steps to the assembly before them. Frankie and Benny were smiling at their friends. The war was going to be over. Voldemort was gone. Moreover, the full extent of just what good Xanadu could do for the wizarding world and would be investigated. The reason this was important was walking out of the castle to stand with the two people in purple auror' robes. Remus Lupin put his arms on the two shoulders of the people staring at the Thunderbirds whilewondering just who the Thunderbirdswere and how could they have been asleep for fifteen years?
"Neville, come here lad." Remus said to the wizard who was occupied by his girlfriend. He had asked her to marry him directly. She said yes and he was not paying attention.
Remus repeated "Neville! Come over here. There's someone I'd like you to see."
Neville's attention still was on Ginny but she managed to get the idea that Remus wanted Neville for some reason and directed his attention elsewhere.
"Oh, for Merlin's sake Neville, come here and say hello to your parents," Remus said while bouncing up and down on his feet.
"My p-p-parent's? Where?" Neville asked now suddenly very aware.
"Right here love; it's me your mum," Alice Longbottom said pulling her hood off her head exposing her identity.
"And me son," Frank Longbottom said pulling his hood off of his head joining his wife.
The three Longbottom's were left be for about three minutes reacquainting themselves while the news spread like wildfire that Voldemort had been vanquished and all of his Death Eaters were captured in a well set trap. Draco couldn't believe that the man that corrupted his father, ruined his childhood family, created so much uncertainty in the lives of almost every witch and wizard on the planet was finally gone. His husband had done him in like he had been trained to do and now the Potter-Malfoy royal family could begin to make life better wherever they touched.
Charley had found Molly and Arthur inside the Great Hall as soon as the banishment charm was over with and Voldemort was gone for good. He'd watched from above on the tower as the Navajo incantation blew Voldemort to the sun. Andromeda had her fill of flying and burning and she settled down for a nap on the tower's peak. Charley had rushed inside the castle and down the stairs as fast as he could go. He wished he could snap around the castle and grounds like the Thunderbirds did because it was a good five-minute run to the Great Hall.
Molly and Arthur were all over their second born inspecting him for damage while loving him all the while and not stopping their chattering. Charley had to reach out to his parent's mouths to close them finally and just reached for their hands to bring them outside the Entrance Hall. The aurors and the members of Thundercloud house were leading the gathering of prisoners and confiscation of wands and other magical devices from the dark warriors.
Once the Death Eater's fell, there was no reason for the dark forces to continue fighting. They were fighting for Voldemort only because of the magical might his Death Eaters showed when conquering the hundreds of wizarding villages all over Eastern Europe. The families of the fighters were held thus making any revolt amongst them a mute point. They had to fight. When only nine witches and wizards petrified the Death Eaters, the magic they were using seemed insignificant and the threat to their families no longer existed. They gave up cheerfully and willingly. The snow that had been falling stopped and the heavens opened up to a beautiful clear blue sky. The Thunderbirds stood silently together with the leaders of wizarding government. The Weasleys were joined by Bill who had come up from the fighting in and around Hogsmeade to see the magical bolt of lightening shoot through the heavens on the way to... somewhere.
Harry's shaking had stopped and he and Draco stood hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder, surveying the carnage littering the school grounds.
Three MLE companies were unmasking, disarming and stacking the petrified Death Eaters in rows faces up and pouring their sentences down their throats before they were evenerated and tried in the war tribunal. They would be squibs and sent to the new wizarding prison somewhere in America. Their fortunes if they had money would be confiscated and spread out among their victims. If they had children in school, a certain amount would be set aside for them until they were adults, the vast fortunes would be gone, and would have to be rebuilt out of hard work.
Harry turned to Draco and pulled him into a tender hug. The tears the two of them had been shedding had dried up and only traces of them could be seen. Harry rubbed his fingers across Draco's lips earning his fingertips a kiss. The two smiled and kissed each other tenderly melting into each other. Harry's belly moved between the two and for the first time, although Harry knew they were there, the babies kicked for the first time. Harry and Draco stepped apart holding hands with their eyes open wide, huge smiles plastered on their faces. The war was over at that minute and the two forgot about it all just for a minute.
Seeing the two wizards step apart quickly, Hermione and Ron were next to them and wondered what had happened.
"Is anything wrong Harry?" Ron asked.
"No Ron, nothing is wrong. Everything is perfect. The babies just moved for the first time."
Hermione gushed "Oh Harry that's wonderful!" .
"Oh Harry, by the way, Happy Christmas mate" Ron said giving Harry a hug. His fear of male closeness had abated somewhat it seemed.
"Thanks for that Ron. Would you look at that down the road at the gates?" Harry said suddenly observing the activity at the school entrance.
"Bloody hell it's the press. Do you want to talk to them or shall we go inside and get cleaned up?" Ron asked.
"Let them up here and have five minutes then escort them off the grounds. No one else but Mr. Lovegood's photographers can have free access to anywhere there has been fighting" Draco said for the royal pair.
The wizards in Hogsmeade village had come out from hiding under their protective wards when the dark detectors had quit alarming. They quieted down when Voldemort's body was banished from Earth. They could hear the apparating arrival of hundreds of people and the excited shouting from outside their homes. "It's over! He did it! The King killed Voldemort! Long live the King!"
Fireworks from happy wands were showering the sky over Hogsmeade when the reporters finally had made their way up to the castle. Fred and George were testing out some of their new creations adding to the magical spectacle in the sky while Harry, Dumbledore, and Narcissa let the press ask their questions. Professor McGonagall held her wand tucked under her arm but tightly in her grasp. When the five minutes was up, she was going to end the press conference and send the group off to file their reports. The Wizarding Wireless Network was the first to get the news out across Britain and soon after, the continent of Europe knew of the fall of the dark wizard. It was the best Christmas or Yuletide many could remember. Their King had given the greatest gift of all, freedom without fear.
The reporters were smart enough not to ask the same questions and a lot of information was passed along. A full report would be available the following Monday morning at the Ministry headquarters once the cement was removed. Harry was lead away from the wizards who kept shouting their questions. The two royals refused to answer any questions regarding their family. The story was not about the children it was about the war and how it ended.
Draco and Harry quietly entered the castle and snapped into their suite. The two wizards undressed each other, folding or hanging their garments. Harry had not needed to use glamour charms yet but soon enough. His skin was tight over the growing bundles of joy inside him. The two of them went inside their bathroom and filled the tub with warm bubbly lilac scented water.
The last few hours of their lives were spent with an air of uncertainty but now , now, they could begin living the lives they never had before. The two washed each others hair, rinsing with warm fresh scented water giving them a crisp smell, they massaged each other over each square centimeter of skin, finally just relaxing in each others embrace. Their reverie was broken when Adam snapped into their bathroom.
"Hey you two, whatcha doing'?" He asked, the answer obvious.
"Well if you must know, I'm playing with Draco's gun" Harry said matter of factly with a shit eating grin on his face.
"Draco doesn't have a gun... oh, you guys are so silly. Hey, the reason I'm in here is we just got finished talking to my mama and she said she'd send Pipsqueak to fetch us if you want to go spend Christmas with your babies." Adam said.
Draco was on his feet in a flash. He did not mind that his erection was now in Harry's face or that Adam could see it. He was going to see his babies and playtime could wait.
"Draco, help me up and I'll get dressed and we can go." Harry said still staring at Draco's swinging appendage.
"Harry, get your eyes off my willie, Adam hand me a towel," Draco said helping up his pregnant husband.
"Here are two. One to hang on yours and one to hang on Harry's." Adam said looking at the power pole jutting from Harry's lap.
The three wizards had a good laugh while two of them dried off. Draco's mind worked like a dervish thinking of what to wear, how to pack the toys and gifts and any other number of things while he dressed himself and Harry. He had selected the very best muggle outfit that was not a suit of clothes for himself and Harry. Adam had changed into his favorite elk skin trousers and shirt and his hair had been brushed and was flowing freely about his back and shoulders. The three looked like they were fit to go on holiday when they left Harry and Draco's room. Thundercloud house common room was still empty save for the assembling Thunderbirds who were preparing to go to America. Frank and Alice Longbottom were going along to see their old friend Little Bird as well as to stick with their now grown son.
Dumbledore and McGonagall walked into the Thundercloud house common room arm in arm. The sight before their eyes was something that they had not thought to believe could happen for a very long time. Dumbledore's faith in Harry remained steadfast, the prophecy had been met, the outcome... would be written in history as it unfolded. Pipsqueak arrived on the top of Thundercloud tower five minutes after everyone was ready to travel. Severus was going to stay at the castle and take charge of the clean up. Dumbledore and McGonagall were staying in Britain for a while longer. There was much to do for them as well and it did not have anything to do with a war.