Chapter 24

The Other Chosen One

"Ok, it's now or never," said Buffy, as the three Halliwell sisters finally found their way over to them. "Willow, start the spell. Dawn, are you ready?" she looked at her sister.

Dawn hesitated. "Yeah…I think so. Are you sure this is gonna work?"

Buffy shook her head. "I'm really hoping so Dawn."

Willow suddenly gasped and Buffy turned to look at her friend. "What's going on?"

Willow pointed towards Cordelia. Angelus had her trapped, with Xander and Anya as helpless witnesses.

Buffy shook her head. "I can't think about anything else now Dawn. I'll…just have to hope Cordy can hold out a bit longer."

"Against Angelus?" Willows eyebrows shot up. "Buff…you barely managed to…"

"I know. But once we help Harry win this, then we can concerntrate on helping her…and Angel. But we have to do this first!"

Willow sighed. "I guess you can't help everyone," she said, looking around them. She was also thinking about Tara.

Buffy agreed with her.

A white mist began to form around the six friends as willow began to say the incantation they needed. Buffy took Dawns hand to give her sister the support she needed. She really did hope this would work!

"That's the basic plan. So, am I crazy?

Crazy is such a strong word

Let's not rule it out though,

I personally, don't think it's possible to come up with a crazier plan,

We attack him with hummus,

I stand corrected."

- Buffy, Willow, Giles, Cordelia, Oz

"We may in fact stand between earth

And it's total destruction,"

- Giles

"You know, I'm not afraid of our powers. I mean,

Everyone inherits something from their family, right? Who wants

To be normal when we can be special?"

- Phoebe

"Strong is fighting. It's hard, and it's painful, and it's everyday.

It's what we have to do."

- Buffy

"One things for sure, nothings ever gonna be the same."

- Xander

"Someone has to fight the good fight,"

- Wesley

"Harry, you're a great wizard you know

Not as good as you

Books! And cleverness! There are more important things,"

- Hermione and Harry

"Happiness can be found even in the darkest of places

Harry, if one only remembers to turn on the light."

- Dumbledore

"I've realised what I want to do. Help people. I think its worth

Doing and I don't think you do it coz you have to. It's a good fight

and I want in."

- Willow

Harry stumbled slightly as the images hit him suddenly. It was like he was actually there, in their memories, and for a moment he didn't know what was going on. His heart went out to them all even though he didn't know what their plan was, he didn't know what he was supposed to do now. But the images gave him some hope, they had shown him, that even as powerful as Buffy, the charmed ones and all his friends were, they still had moments of weaknesses, where they had doubted themselves and their abilities. But they were still here. They'd come out of whatever trouble they'd been in, and they were still here. So, maybe he had a chance after all.

He looked up at Voldemort as he advanced on him, felt the heat of flames and coughed in the smoke that covered the area like a fog as voldemort launched several spells at him at once. Instinctively he raised his hands, and the entire scene froze.

"What the…" he started, in shock.

Then, something even more shocking happened, and someone moved through the frozen flames, appearing in front of him. Someone who couldn't have possibly been there…Dawn.

"What are you doing here?" he managed to get out. "What's going on?" he looked around him.

"Shh," she whispered. "We don't have much time, let me explain. This will only last a few moments, hopefully enough to help you lower his defences. Everyone has combined their powers to help you."

"You mean…"

"Yes. You can levitate, blow things up and freeze and move things all you like. You have the ability to heal faster like slayers and do Wicca magic like Willow." Even as she said this to him, he felt all his recent wounds closing up and healing.

Harry just stared at her in amazement. "To quote Cordelia," he said eventually. "I personally don't think it's possible to come up with a crazier plan. What if I can't control their powers? Didn't it take them ages to learn?"

"I'm not saying it won't be difficult, but we all believe that you can handle this. " She leaned forward to kiss him. "I know you can do this Harry, I believe in you. Don't worry about us, alright? Don't worry about anything except surviving. Remember, you have everything to live for, he doesn't," she hesitated. "I love you. Promise you'll try to live?"

He nodded, slightly dazed and she smiled and took a step back.

The scene unfroze, and Harry had never moved so fast in his life…thanks to Buffy's super strength and speed! He dodged the spells, and then deflected them, using Paige's power, throwing them back in voldemorts direction.

"I could get used to this," he muttered, for the first time actually feeling like he could win!

"Clever tricks Harry," Voldemort hissed. "But parlour tricks only."

The ground shook underneath him and he fell, cutting his arm again, but he reached up with his hands and attempted to blow up his enemy. What had been voldemort swirled round likeash amongst the flames and smoke, but soon reformed again.

"This is getting boring boy," Voldemort told him, but there was something in his voice…almost fear…

"I'm not wearing you out am I?" Harry asked, before blowing him up again, trying to give himself time to think. Lowering his defences…but how was he supposed to kill him?

He has nothing to live for….he remembered Dawn telling him. Only power, and there's never going to be enough…

He's just a wizard, Harry realised suddenly. He's powerful, but he was just an ordinary wizard. He'd scared everyone in their world with horror stories, massive armies and vast magical power. And he may have gathered so much power in his life, used so much dark magic that it had corrupted his soul, made him unrecognisable…but underneath it all he was just like them…

"It doesn't have to be this way," he said suddenly, almost tired.

Voldemort burst into laughter. "It can't be any other way now Harry. Only one of us can live, you know that…"

The dark lord raised his wand as if in slow motion. "And so …to the death of Harry Potter…"

But Harry was already steps ahead of him. "Aveda Kedavra!"

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Cordelia watched Angelus as he stood towering over her, and she closed her eyes, trying to block out the sound of his laughter. It was even worse then she'd thought it would be. She still didn't believe this was happening. She didn't know how they'd get over this one. Or how Angel would react…if they ever saw him again.

"Angel, this isn't you," she told him.

"Same old, same old. Can't you people think of something new? Won't you ever get it?" he taunted her.

"I can think of something new mate," Cordelia gratefully saw Spike standing in front of her now. "I can think of something very new!"

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Severus Snape turned sharply away from a nearby warlock, and surveyed his surroundings. The golden trio minus one were staying close to Cole and the other supposed champions of the powers that be. The slayer and her witch friends were trying out what little magic they had left….and he personally doubted that even that would be enough.

The centaurs had joined in as well as other creatures from the forest moments before, adding their own weapons into the fray. He thought bitterly to himself that he might as well flee and save himself, because no one else seemed to be watching his back like all the others. And here he had been Dumbldore's spy for the order all these years and what thanks did he get? He shook that thought away fast, because it wasn't like him at all. He was used to fending for himself.

"Are you going somewhere Snape?" said a voice he had hoped not to run into.

"I don't have time for you Bella," he hissed at her.

Bellatrix lestrange smiled evilly at him. "I think you'll make the time to try and survive, don't you?"

"If you want your own life to end so soon, then fine," he shot back at her. "Crucio!"

Caught of guard, the black witch doubled over in sudden pain, but it didn't last long. "Traitor," she managed to shout at him. He then felt blinding pain himself, and he heard her shrill laughter. "You're going to end up just like Black Severus," she shrieked madly.

This made him focus and break through her curses. "I'm nothing like him!"

Something caught his attention though, something bad. Draco had finally run into his father.

"I can handle this Severus," said Lupin coldly, suddenly appearing between them.. "We have a little score to settle, concerning the death of a friend."

"Fine," he snapped back at the werewolf. "Play the bloody hero all you want!"

He didn't stay long to find out what had happened, because he apparated away quickly to Draco's side.

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Tara felt breathless even though she hadn't moved, and Charlie was looking at her anxiously again. By this time Percy had woken up, disorientated and bewildered.

Please work, she thought desperately. It didn't help that she couldn't see the orb of Thesulah that stored his soul, but she could feel it. Close by, locked away in a vault in one of the adjoining rooms, she could sense it.

"What are you doing?" a nearby death eater hissed at them, moving closer to the cadge they were trapped in.

"What does it look like?" snapped Charlie, trying to distract him from her. "We're sitting in a cell trying not to die of boredom…."

Tara had now gone into a kind of trance. Her eyes were still open, but her vision was now blurry and her eyes unfocused.

What is lost, return. Not dead…nor of the living…..

The words were coming back to her now, and she repeated them in Latin as well…the foreign words seeping into her from some unknown place. Please work, she kept on thinking, visualising Angel's soul being released, and travelling through space and time back to where it belonged.

Then just as suddenly as the magic had started, it stopped. Tara was back to normal. She came back to her senses, and then realised the danger they were all in. The guard had unlocked the door and was now towering over them. "You have no idea of the mistake you've just made witch," the man said to them all softly. "Because you just cost the life of one of your little friends here!"

The green light of the killing curse engulfed them all and Tara shielded her eyes. "No!" she heard Charlie crying out, and then she saw Percy lying still and cold on the ground. He wasn't moving.

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The Aveda Kedavra spell barely came out in a whisper, as Harry realised he was being hit with another lot of spells to throw him off guard. Struggling to gasp for breath he managed to block them. "Aveda Kedavra!" this time it was louder and stronger, and it worked!

A shower of green light shot out of his wand. It all happened so fast that Harry almost missed it. Just like that, Voldemort was gone. Of course, Harry would realise later, it wasn't just the killing curse that had ended Tom riddles life. The power behind the curse had been fuelled with Harry's desire, not just to live, but to see his friends and family again. Something the dark lord couldn't ever know about. The power he knew not….love. Harry had conjured up an image of everyone he ever cared about to give him the strength to use the spell. Otherwise he wasn't sure that he could have pulled it off. It took immense power and courage to cast the killing curse.

Now there was nothing left but a circle of charred earth where he had once been. Harry sunk to the ground wearily, staring at the burned earth. He knew it would be a while before he used magic like that again. He looked up, suddenly remembering Dawn, but she had vanished and he was alone. He wondered if she had ever been there.

The flames around him disappeared.

One more chapter left!