A/N: Wow, I never thought I'd make it this far. I mean, I only started writing this in August. There will only be one more chapter after this. It will follow the events of this one, but it will also explain what happens to surviving characters. Please read and review! I don't know anyone on Fan Fiction, so I'll take comments from everyone who's willing to spare a moment. I'm thinking about starting a new story about the Marauder's era. Any suggestions? You can let me know via email or review. Au revoir. :)
15. Dumbledore's Army
Harry raced down many flights of steps. He finally reached Gryffindor Tower. After giving the password, and being admitted inside, Harry skidded across the room, and ran right into Ron.
"Watch yourself Harry," Ron said, surprised.
"Ron! He's here! I saw him; he's in the forest waiting for me!" Harry shrieked. Ron's eyes bulged. Many heads turned in Harry's direction. A few giggling girls scurried up to their dormitories in great haste.
"Oh no," Ron said. "Lupin just floo'd through the fire and said the Order was on their way! They'll get killed!" Every hope in Harry evaporated immediately.
"Well, I'll have to go out there," Harry said.
"Not without us, you won't," said Hermione, just now entering the conversation.
"No," Harry said firmly. Hermione looked like she was stung by a personal insult. "I mean, I can't get you two killed as well. If you absolutely must come, wait for a signal, or go under the invisibility cloak, or both! Either way, I'm going now, and you can't stop me."
Harry left the tower, and walked down to the Entrance Hall. He opened the front doors wide. A harsh breeze stung his face. The sun had nearly vanished completely.
Harry looked into the forest and didn't see anything, but he was sure Voldemort was there. Every step Harry took, was taking him closer to his death. A sensation of anxiety tore through his body. He palms were filled with sweat.
Why am I scared? I know what's going to happen, so I should just stay calm. Maybe I can confuse Voldemort.
Harry decided he should warn Hagrid, so he briskly walked towards his cabin. He knocked on the door quietly. Just as it opened, he whispered,
"Silencio!" Hagrid looked very surprised, and Harry could tell he was mouthing a greeting. "Hagrid, go to the castle. Voldemort's on his way; I saw him in the woods. Sorry I had to silence you. Hermione will put you straight. Now go and keep everyone safe!" Harry whispered.
Hagrid looked slightly pale, but consented. He hurried off in the moonlight. Harry walked towards the edge of the woods, waiting for his rival. The breeze whisked past his ears, and he heard a faint popping noise. Hopefully it wasn't Death Eaters Apparating.
It was probably the Order. It was a good thing that the sound was too faint for Voldemort to hear, if indeed it was the Order. Then Harry heard soft, cruel laughter.
"Hello Harry. I thought I'd see you today," came the hiss of Voldemort. He emerged from the shadows of the deep, dark forest. His laughter echoed as if it was more than one voice. It was more than one. It fact, it was many. Perhaps twenty, or thirty.
Death Eaters emerged from the shadows, following their master. Bellatrix bore a nasty smirk. Lucius Malfoy, who had presumably broken out of Azkaban, stood next to Narcissa and Draco.
Many other ones, some that Harry recognized, some he didn't, stood in a long, thick line, blocking any way of escape. They must have assumed Harry wasn't stupid enough to turn his back to them and run the opposite direction. Nagini, the snake, was by her master's side, hissing without cease.
"So, are you ready to die, or would you prefer trying to escape?" Voldemort hissed. Harry was tempted to feel scared, but if he really was scared, he wouldn't have much of a choice, would he?
"Neither. Why don't you show me what I'm up against?" Harry replied, nonplussed. Voldemort looked slightly confused at first, but quickly responded.
"Show my your worst, he says," Voldemort said, more directed at the Death Eaters. They all laughed horrible laughs. "Well, I can do that. Bellatrix, are they here yet?" he asked.
"Yes. Here they come," she said, with a cruel smile. Her attention was directed at the perimeter of the Hogwart's grounds. Harry could just make out a cloud of dust, moving slowly up the grounds, getting closer and closer to where he now stood.
"The Inferi," Voldemort hissed, with a maniacal glint in his eye. "I doubt you've ever encountered them, have you Potter?"
Harry remembered only too clearly, that time in the cave with Dumbledore when they had to get the locket. The Inferi were there. They were dead bodies being possessed to bid evil doings under the command of Voldemort. He wasn't the only person ever to use them; usually very corrupt, dark wizards would use them, and they were usually the bodies of their victims.
"Oh, I don't know," Harry said lightly, though secretly he kind of wished he was already dead.
"So tell me Tom," Harry asked, "what does a man such as yourself need assistance for?" Voldemort's eyes snapped back to Harry, and he stayed silent, for the Inferi drew ever nearer.
"I'm going to kill you Harry Potter," Voldemort stated. "But first, let me introduce you to a couple you have never known before." The Inferi were here. "Your parents." Harry hadn't once taken his eyes away from Voldemort, but he couldn't help it any longer.
So he turned and looked the direction Voldemort was looking. Standing there were two rotting bodies, white as snow, with skeletal, grotesque features. Sure enough, they were indeed Harry's parents. He gagged.
"You are so – so evil!" Harry shouted at Voldemort. Voldemort laughed, his cruel cackle.
"Some say that," he said.
"I'm going to kill you," Harry said quietly. Voldemort looked him straight in the eye; he was trying to break into Harry's mind. He could feel a little pain in his head, but he wouldn't allow such a thing, especially after all those grueling hours practicing Occlumency with Wilhelm.
Where is everyone? Surely Voldemort didn't already get to the Order. Harry could hear a faint rustling coming from behind the Death Eaters. But then he saw Snape, which broke his train of thought. Anger, anger beyond believing tore through Harry. He wanted to kill everyone standing before him.
"I'm going to kill you," Harry said again, this time a little louder. "Well Tom, you're supposed to ask, 'You and what army?'" Voldemort smirked.
"And why would I want to ask a foolish question like that?" he hissed.
"Because you know you're dying to know the answer. Fine, I'll tell you. It's Dumbledore's army." Harry saw Voldemort's eyes widen with horror, and he didn't have to think twice to know why. The Shadow's of thousands of dead witches and wizards were right behind Harry.
How? Harry felt a surge of bravery when he saw Dumbledore and his parents. There were so many of them. Harry didn't have to turn around; some of them were standing by his side. In the front were many that Voldemort had murdered himself. Voldemort's expression was difficult to describe. He looked flabbergasted.
"Surprised?" Harry asked, breaking the deathly silence. "Well I have something else that may be of interest to you Tom. Sometime during the school year, I happened to run across a locket. It was very pretty. It's a shame though, that it no longer exists."
"No. . ." said Voldemort. "You didn't. . . How. . .? It's not possible. You would have had to. . ." It looked as though connections were being made in his mind. He turned sharply.
"Who's side are you on Severus? I thought you were my most loyal servant," Voldemort hissed. Snape was very pale. His sharp eyes were full of fear, no matter how hard he tried to conceal it.
"Well? Answer me!" Silence. "Crucio!" Voldemort shouted, his wand pointed directly at Snape. Harry remembered once wishing he could watch Snape screaming and writhing, as the effects of the Cruciatus Curse took place. Well now he was.
"Stop it!" Harry yelled. Voldemort lifted the curse, and turned to Harry.
"And why would you care how I treat my servants?" he queried, with a hint of venom in his tone. Snape still lay there on the ground, twitching in agony.
"I can't stand seeing people in pain. It's wretched, and horrible. You would have to be really sick and demented to enjoy it," Harry stated defiantly.
Voldemort's lips were forming a thin white line. Him and Harry were making exact eye contact now. Everything was very silent, and cold. Voldemort turned his head slightly, directing his attention towards the Death Eaters.
"Choose your side," he hissed. Bellatrix stood her ground, and bore an expression that conveyed the message, 'If you dare move a muscle. . . ' Lucius and Narcissa were almost unbelievably calm. Draco looked very white, and unsure of himself.
He looked at his parents, at Bellatrix, Voldemort, and finally at Harry. He gave a last, apologetic look to his parents, and stepped forward. He then walked over to Harry and stood by his side.
"This has been my place all along," he said quietly. There were about thirty Death Eaters all together, and the majority of them looked slightly uncertain of their place in this war.
Then there was the army of Inferi, moaning and groaning, who's singular purpose was to cause fear. Harry could've sworn he saw a few Dementors over head.
All Harry had was an army of transparent Shadows. The Order was probably somewhere nearby, but they certainly weren't being much of a help.
Oblivious to Harry, the Shadows were concealing from his view, a large mass of students, and members of the Order, who were all willing to fight until the bitter end. They were slowly making there way towards the front, where Harry was.
Snape had slowly risen, and made his way to where Draco was. Harry was stunned. Wilhelm was right; grudges were pointless, and it was time to forgive. These were the last two people Harry ever thought would be standing by his side.
Think of everything in reverse. Dumbledore must've asked Snape to kill him! That's what they were arguing about in the woods! I'm such a ruddy fool to not think of that.
Harry felt very guilty at this. He had misjudged them completely. Again, he heard a faint rustle in the trees, behind the Death Eaters.
"Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus," Harry hissed softly, in Parseltounge.
"You're not the sleeping dragon Tom, Hogwarts is" said the Shadow of Dumbledore, as reinforcement came into view. Harry didn't turn around to see them, but somehow he knew they were there.
"You have greatly disappointed me. Especially owing to the fact that you are my heir," said Salazar Slytherin, of course, in Parseltounge.
It looked as though Voldemort had just now noticed the four founders. It was then probably, that he realized he was not the strongest, most powerful wizard present.
Harry decided that this was a good moment to do something vital, if he wished to get any closer to killing Voldemort.
Langlock! he said nonverbally, with his wand pointed at Nagini. She started hissing horribly. Voldemort noticed. It was now time to act. Harry thought about all the dreadful memories of his past, concentrating as hard as he could.
He forced a hurricane of hatred and malice to flow in his veins. It was very difficult, him being the kind person that he was.
"Avada Kedavra!" Harry shouted. Voldemort automatically stepped away, under the impression that the spell was directed at him. Nagini keeled over, and a screech, that seemed to come from within her deafened nearly everyone in the close vicinity.
Harry was trembling slightly. Everyone looked at him with wonder, as if they were thinking, "How is he capable of such evil spells?" Voldemort looked aghast. Harry knew that the piercing screech had been the Horcrux, and so did Voldemort. But did he know that Harry knew?
"Do you believe me now when I say that I'm going to kill you?" Harry asked, breathlessly. Voldemort's face was like a statue, only with a carving of hatred, and a mix of shock etched on.
"Well, now that the wretched Nagini is gone, and the locket's out of our way, we can move along." Voldemort was bound to have figured out what Harry knew by now.
"Did I mention Hufflepuff's cup?" Turning to to the founder, Harry continued, "I'm so sorry to inform you, Miss Hufflepuff, but I'm afraid your lovely goblet is gone as well."
Voldemort was looking slightly more murderous than usual. His eyes were filled with red flame. This was the worst Harry had ever seen him, but he was determined not to let this falter his bravery. Not now, not when he most needed it.
He saw Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and several other students and teachers crouching nearby, ready to fight.
"So let's see," Harry said, with a false tone of wonderment. "I believe that's. . . one, two, three! Yes, three down (that I've mentioned so far). Then there's the ring. Now I don't know how Dumbledore got a hold of that; you better keep close watch on your possessions Tom. You and I both know that the diary's been gone for heavens knows how many years now. So that's. . . five. Now that leaves you. Please believe me when I say I'm going to kill you; I couldn't be making it more plain!"
Harry was already feeling triumphant. Voldemort's penetrating stare let up. His upper lip curled. It seemed to drain the happiness out of Harry. What now
"You fool. . ." Voldemort hissed. "There are seven Horcruxes, not six." The few people who hadn't understood what was going on until this point suddenly gasped, giving away their position.
"Tom, Tom, Tom. Didn't I tell you? Apparently not. . . ." Harry was merely bluffing, but it seemed to do the trick. Voldemort couldn't have looked less human, with malice and the unwavering, inhumane hatred searing through him.
"Harry," whispered a gentle, smooth voice from behind him. He had a feeling he was the only one able to hear it. "None But The Purest Exit The Realm Of Shadow." It was Lily, trying to give him a clue.
Harry stood there for several seconds. As each one went by, Voldemort was closer to figuring out that Harry hadn't the faintest idea what to do next.
His heart pounding, Harry saw the Death Eaters edging towards the Order's hideout. It wasn't very secret, because they were mostly just hiding behind Hagrid's cabin, and Madame Maxime's gingerbread house. They were planning a surprise attack.
There were many students who weren't in the Order that were hiding there too. Harry had one hand dangling by his side, and the other one holding his wand with a death grip, so he tried to attract someone's attention with the hand he wasn't using.
Hermione noticed, and out of the corner of Harry's eye, he saw a puzzled expression on her face. Without moving his hand much, he pointed to the Death Eaters, who were stealthily getting closer and closer to make their attack. Hermione started whispering instructions to someone, so Harry continued to think of his next move.
He suddenly understood what his mother was trying to convey. He was no longer a Horcrux. He had been in the Fortress of Shadow, which had wiped clean anything unpure, which included his scar that had mysteriously disappeared.
"Well, Tom, I have an answer for you. I'm no longer a Horcrux. End of story." Voldemort gave him a mocking look.
"There's no way to do that without killing yourself," he leered.
"Ahh, but are you sure? You didn't know Shadows existed," Harry pointed out, tilting his head towards the army of them behind him.
"Just possibly, do you think there might be more you don't know? I think so. . . . In fact, I know so." Harry was just starting to get his anger flowing, in order to kill Voldemort, when he heard shouts coming from where the attack would have been.
Apparently they weren't able to stop it in time. Harry didn't turn his head, and it was a good thing, because Voldemort didn't either. He heard cries of pain, and it was tearing him apart inside. He wanted so badly to help. He heard the unmistakable shriek of Ginny.
Harry's eyes started to sting; he could tell she was in pain. Just as he was about to give up, the Shadows swarmed around him, blocking Voldemort's view. Harry, feeling very grateful of their presence, ran over to Ginny. Her arm was bleeding profusely.
"Ginny. . ." Harry stammered breathlessly, "Are you okay? Does it hurt?"
"I'm fine Harry. You shouldn't be here. You have to kill Voldemort!"
"Where are the others? Is anyone else hurt?"
"I don't know Harry. I think one of them dragged Hermione off somewhere. You have to find her!" Harry ran off, in search of Hermione. The entire Order was there, fighting with all there strength.
Harry saw, what looked to be a Malfoy, performing the Cruciatus Curse on Hermione. She was screaming a terrible, unbearable scream. Though, anyone suffering was unbearable to Harry.
"Stop it!" yelled a voice from behind him. It was Draco. "Father, stop it! You're killing her!"
"She's a filthy little mudblood!" Lucius screamed. "She doesn't deserve to live!"
"Harry, what's happening?" Priscilla asked urgently, as she came running towards him. "Where's Voldemort? Is that. . . Hermione?" she asked, just now noticing what was going on there.
"Draco, stop him!" she yelled. Draco shoved his father out of the way, putting a cease to the curse. There she was, on the ground, nearly dead. Ron charged forward.
"Hermione!" He knelt down beside her, and starting mending a few wounds with some simple, yet effective charms. Many people were already dead, but the fight went on. Harry didn't know where Voldemort was, and frankly, he was sure he wanted to.
Lupin was battling Greyback; Tonks was battling Bellatrix; Moody, Sirius, Snape, Wilhelm, and a fair few Weasleys were trying to hold back a large group of Death Eaters. Lucius had been unconscious for a few minutes, but got up again.
"What on earth do you think you're doing Draco?" he asked, outraged. "A mudblood, a muggle lover, and a half breed. My own son. I never thought I'd see the day."
"Half breed?" Draco asked sharply. He looked at Priscilla, who turned pink.
"Oh, ah, didn't you know Draco? Um, I'm half vampire," she said, slightly flustered. Draco looked strange, as if he was trying to make up his mind.
"So why do you care father? It's not like you're any better than them," he said finally. Priscilla flung her arms around Draco, for he had just accepted her for who she is, just as Snape had done for his wife.
The Inferi were just moaning and groaning as usual, so Harry figured Voldemort must be too busy at the moment to give them instructions. In fact, he wasn't busy at all; he was standing right behind Harry.
Harry saw a panicked look on everyone's faces, and figured this out. He slowly got up, ready to face his doom. Surprisingly, Volddemort waited for him to turn around.
"I want to see the light leave your eyes," he said cruelly. That pounding came back to Harry's ears. Everyone fell silent.
"I'm going to kill you Tom Riddle," Harry said through gritted teeth. "Avada Kedavra!"