A/N: He he. Yeah, they Gryffindors were amazingly Slytherin in the last chapter huh? It's about to get worse, at least from Harry's point in this chapter! Thanks for all the reviews!
Chapter Forty: Embracing Your Inner Slytherin: Step One
Most of the room just gawked at Hermione as she lifted up a small white crystal from a piece of leather around her neck. The house was still shuddering and shaking from the explosions as Hermione called Harry's name.
"Harry James Potter, what are you doing?"
At the sound of Harry's voice, Draco visibilysagged with relief.
"What do you mean, 'what am I doing?' I'm distracting! Explosives are fun." Harry's voice then lowered, as if he had turned to someone to speak.
"Aw, Luna look. They're skittering all over the place. Like bugs."
Luna's voice suddenly cut into the reception. "Or like Alaskan Bellsheep. They skitter about the ice, looking for unsuspecting natives to eat and regurgitate to their young." Hermione made a face at that.
"Er, that's nice Luna." Came Harry'suncomfortable reply.
A snicker from the Harry-and-Luna side of the conversation and another explosion rocked the room. Harry came back on the crystal.
"Hermione, remind me to tell Sirius that we are so pranking someone when we get home!"
Sirius and Remus grinned at that.
"Looks as though Harry is channeling his inner marauder again." muttered Remus, the affection obvious in his tired voice.
Draco suddenlylunged at Ron, who yelped. At first it seemed like the blond Slytherin was attempting to wrap his hands around the freckled Gryffindor's neck. Ron struggled and pushed at Draco until frustrated, the blond snapped at him.
"I"m trying to use your crystal Weasley! I'd appreciate it if you kept you bloody hands to yourself and stopped waving them in my face like a bloody cave man!"
Ron stilled and turned red at Draco's words before swiftly untying the necklace and handing it over to the Malfoy heir, mumbling about 'the things I do for Harry.'
Draco held the crystal up to his face and quietly spoke Harry's name.
"Harry? Are you there?"
There was a moment's silence before the reply came back.
"Draco? Gods, are you alright? Luna keep it up for a moment. Merlin I am going to kill Neville when we get back to Hogwarts!" Harry's voice went fromshock to worry to anger in the span of five seconds, making Draco chuckle.
"I'm fine, Harry. A bit stiff but unharmed. That blood traitor Longbottom hurt Blaise though. I take it from your earlier comment, he's still breathing?"
"I needed him alive to figure out where he'd taken you. Then I was too busy to kill him." Harry explained before continuing. "Listen, I need you all to follow Hermione and Ginny. Ron, sorry mate but your sense of direction is horrible. The girls know where they're going. I love you and I'll see you on the outside."
The crystal stopped glowing even as Draco shook it.
"What does he mean 'I'll see you on the outside'? We're going to get him right? Granger?"
Sirius growled. "We sure as hell are. There's no way I'm leaving him in this place."
Snape sneered at the animagus. "We have wounded, Black. I'm sure Potter can take care of himself."
Sirius looked as though he would have tackled the Potions Master had he not been carrying a weakened Remus.
"I'm not leaving my godson here, Snape! You may not care but I sure as hell do!"
Sirius would have continued if not for the black wand suddenly pointed between his eyes. Snape was pale with rage.
"Don't tell me I don't care, Black. He may be you're godson but he's my nephew. I'm simply saying we need a plan."
Everyone clear three of the room's occupants looked gob smacked at that bit of news.
"Nephew?" whispered Ron in shock. "How many Slytherins does Harry have in his family?"
Remus gave a tired smile. "Rachel. I figured it might have been you she married when James stopped being so obviously enraged with you. He loved his sister with all of his heart, and if you made her happy he would have accepted that."
Sirius was having trouble doing anything more than blink at Snape's words until Ginny's voice broke the tense silence.
"We need to get back to the escape route to get to Harry anyway. I won't be able to fight with Blaise hurt like this. I'll take him and Remus out our way while you guys go and get Harry and Luna." She looked at her burden. "But I might need some help."
Lucius spoke up. "Take Draco, Pansy and Theodore with you. There is no need for you children, all of you children, to get hurt." He looked at Ron and Hermione.
Draco, Pansy, Ron and Hermione gave the blond man a glare.
"I've never left Harry behind before, don't think I'm about to do it now." Ron said, stiffening his back in anger.
Hermione stood straighter. "With all due respect, Mr. Malfoy, you'll have to drag me out by my hair before I'll leave Harry in here."
Draco looked his father in the eye, Malfoy versus Malfoy.
"Would you leave mother in here by herself?"
Lucius looked at his wife for a moment before his gaze returned to his almost grown son.
"Of course I wouldn't. What kind of question is that?"
Draco swallowed. "Then why ask me to do that to Harry?"
All eyes turned to Pansy. The girl grinned sheepishly.
"I just want someone to play for locking me in a cage like some common animal. Plus I'm Draco's moral support."
Theodore held up his hands.
"Everyone stop it with the 'I will follow Harry to my death' confessions. I'll go with Ginny and Professor Lupin. But at the moment I don't think we're saving anyone."
Narcissa looked at the boy. "And why not?"
Theo closed his eyes for a moment. "Have you forgotten we all have no wands? Expect Severus. He always seems to have his wand."
The ex-spy smirked. "It's called a back up wand Theodore. Longbottom made the mistake of thinking that every single witch or wizard only carries one. Albus somehow persuaded the Ministry to give me the permit for this one. Sadly, the cages were magic proof or I would have gotten Longbottom before he left."
Hermione smacked her cheek. "That reminds me!" Swiftly, she stuck her hand in the front right pocket of her jeans and pulled out a small plastic cylinder. Popping the top open with her thumb, eight dark toothpicks were poured out onto her open palm.
A quick enlarging charm later revealed the eight missing wands.
Sirius took his and scowled at Snape as the dark-haired wizard put his extra wand away.
"I only have one wand." The ex-convict muttered to himself, loud enough for the rest of the room to hear.
"That's because you are an imbecile." Came Snape's scathing reply.
No one else spoke as they quickly Disillusioned or made invisible their neighbors and left the room of horrors behind.
Harry was balanced on one end of a very large, thick ceiling beam, invisible to the Death Eaters who were scrambling about trying to repair the damage done to their Master's headquarters and figure out just where it was coming from.
Luna was on the opposite side of Harry, using Blasting Hexes and other spells to cause huge craters in the pretty marble floor Voldemort had chosen for his old home.
Harry was happily conjuring up invisible balls of pure magic and batting them down at the Death Eaters like a tennis player. While Harry wasn't intentionally trying to kill anyone, he couldn't-wouldn't- help them. They didn't deserve it.
Tired of playing Whack-A-Death-Eater, Harry switched over to his Elemental Veela powers and began redecorating. Instantly, any part of the floor that had survived the previous attacks was covered in thick slippery ice, making most of the Dark side fall flat on their arses. The few that managed to stay up froze in fear of such a show of power.
Harry tilted his head to the side a bit, looking like a crouched, curious cat as his eyes glowed an unnaturally dark green. Cracks began to spider their way along the floor, the shuddering causing the Death Eaters to stay off balance as vines slithered out like devilish hands to grasp at the flailing limbs of Voldemort's frightened forces.
Craters that were deep enough were suddenly filled with boiling hot water or were transformed into pits of the hottest fire, it's color blue.
Harry rolled his shoulders, looking like he had just woke from a refreshing nap andglanced at his watch. He'd spoken to Draco last, about fifteen minutes ago. They had to be back at the mirror door by now. Harry surveyed the scene below him. There was no Death Eater free to help his or her comrades, just the way Harry wanted it when he walked out of here. No loose ends or messy situations like all the other times he'd gone off with his friends to save everyone. Perfect.
Harry lifted his crystal. Luna had stopped as well when the chaos had evened out below them.
"Luna, we should head back now. The others are probably on their way out now."
The Seer had been right next to him when Hermione contacted them but had gotten the idea that being attacked from opposite sides would confuse the group below and carefully floated herself over to another beam.
"You believe it to be over?" Came the Ravenclaw's reply. The tone of her voice was deeper and more raspy than usual, sending shivers down the Elemental Veela's spine. He'd only ever heard that tone twice in his lifetime...
Harry's last thought was suddenly cut off as a white hot pain laced down his scar. While Voldemort couldn't get into the Gryffindor's head any longer, Harry's scar had always hurt when the Dark Lord was near...like a warning.
The doors Harry had magically closed when the Death Eaters had arrived slammed open. Harry held his breath as shadows slid into the room before the cloaked figure in the doorway. The bone chilling cold of death and decay filled the room and Harry knew that things had just gotten a whole lot worse.
Lord Voldemort was here.
Adrenaline coursed through Harry's body as the Darkest Wizard to ever live slinked into the grand ballroom and coolly looked over the state of his army. Harry felt as though time had slowed down as he watched from his perch, until Voldemort raised his head and looked at the spot that Harry was crouched on, his eyes blood red, pupils barley visible.
"Why don't you come down and face me Harry Potter and maybe I'll let your friend over there live?"
Ginny and the others had just closed the mirror door when Lucius and Severus suddenly grabbed their forearms, inhaling sharply.
There was no need to ask what the action meant before Draco and Sirius took off running in the direction Hermione told them they we going. The others quickly followed.
Lucius had told Draco when the Malfoy heir had asked what it was like, that the Dark Mark did two things. It burned when Voldemort summoned you and turned an icy cold when he was near.
Since both marked men were not screaming in pain or swearing like sailors, that left one horrifying choice.
Voldemort was here.
Harry felt like he'd been punched in the gut. His crystal was still glowing, so taking advantage of the gift, Harry quickly whispered to Luna.
"Stay where you are and stay hidden. If possible, get out of here. This may get messy."
Not even waiting for the answer, Harry let go of the crystal and stood tall, before leaping down off the beam and onto a small clear spot on the destroyed marble floor. Without a word his Invisibility was dropped.
Voldemort smiled, the action looking more like the corners of his face were being pushed up by invisible forces instead of muscles.
"So Longbottom succeeded, did he?"
Harry felt a smirk tugging at his own lips.
"No."
Voldemort scowled a moment before replacing his mask of indifference.
"Typical. It's so hard to find good help these days. Either way, here we meet again."
Harry had looked around the room, keeping one eye on the...thing in front of him while trying to spot Luna's aura in the mess. He looked back at Voldemort, when he had stopped talking.
"Yeah, well I can honestly say the pleasure is not mine. What do you want?"
Voldemort began to walk around Harry, slowly as if he were circling his prey. That thought did nothing to calm the Gryffindor's nerves. The Dark Lord's eyes glowed.
"I want what I've always wanted. The offer still stands, Harry. Join me and I will make you powerful beyond your wildest dreams. I know magics that could keep you fit, healthy, make you and your mate live forever, together. Isn't that what you want?"
Harry pretended to think about it. He needed to keep Tom's attention on him so Luna could sneak out. Not the best plan in the world but a plan in the end. A thought entered his mind. Voldemort had a very short temper and his anger gave him a one-track him that usually screamed KILL POTTER.
Unconsciously, Harry's hand slowly rose, grabbing the hilt of the forgotten sword on his belt and Voldemort stopped.
Harry laughed quietly, rejoicing at the fury building behind those ruby red eyes.
"Still fearing death, Tom?" The Elemental Veela taunted. This time he was doing the circling, the roles reversed. Harry continued.
"Haven't you heard that death is the next great adventure?"
"Don't you use those words on me, boy!" Voldemort snarled, flecks of spit flying from his snake-toothed mouth. The expression did nothing for the man's looks. Harry kept alert as he talked.
"You want to make me powerful beyond my wildest dreams? How? I was stronger than you in my nappies, coming into my inheritance only had me stronger. You can't offer me anything. After all," Harry stopped and gathered his magic as he tilted his head to the side and continued. "I'm 'The One With The Power To Vanquish the Dark Lord.'"
For the first time in his life, Harry saw shock and fear in Voldemort's gaze but slowly it bled out to show an emotion Harry was very familiar with. Rage.
The Elemental Veela had been expecting the first curse, a familiar green one, and quickly threw a piece of marble at Voldemort and threw himself to his left. The Unforgivable went off course and struck the far right corner of the room, far from its target. Relying on his reflexes, Harry shot up and took a defensive stance. He remembered from Fourth Year that Avada Kedavra was unblockable and had no counter-curse, even if an impostor had told him that.
Voldemort was on his feet as well, a small cut above his own cat-like eyes allowed a thin stream of blood to flow down his white face and Harry was surprised to see that Tom Riddle bled red. Two of the strongest wizards to ever live stood opposite each other, looking for weaknesses. Harry knew of one already. He was patient while Voldemort hated waiting. All he had to do was wait for him to throw the next curse, anticipate his moves and look for a moment to make an attack of his own.
Just as Harry suspected, Voldemort flung an Imperio at Harry, who waved it off like a fly and shot a Severing Charm at the Dark Lord.
Voldemort laughed as the spell struck his shield, the man's arrogance making Harry's blood boil.
"Oh Harry!" simpered Voldemort as he tapped his wand on his palm. "Did you honestly think I had no protections around me? That I would let a simple Severing Charm be my end?" His mocking smile dropped. "Enough with these childish games, let us finish this once and for all."
From then on, it was all Harry could do to stop himself fomr being hit with curses he'd never even heard of. Figuring wizarding magic was out of the question, Harry called on his elements to protect him. Vines that were not already occupied with dead or unconscious Death Eaters snapped like whips on Voldemort's own shield, weakening him even if he didn't know it yet.
Outside the storm that had been brewing let its fury go. Rain and sleet pelted the earth as thunder boomed and lightning flashed. Winds whipped around, picking up debris and tossing it hazardously around like pieces of confetti. Hail the size of basketballs broke windows as funnel clouds formed and disappeared as if they were unsure if a tornado should disrupt the battle.
The ballroom was a mess of streaking curses and element magicks as both wizards competed to survive. Harryrealized that Voldemort was giving it his all and hadn't been bothered if he hit his own menwhen the Elemental Veela nearly slipped on the blue-gray intestines of a Death Eater still hanging from one of his vines.
Harry had just thrown a rather large fireball at his enemy when a pain filled cry broke his concentration. Luna, who had been sneaking out like Harry had told her,had beenhit in the leg with a Blasting Charm.
That was all it took for Voldemort to hit Harry, who was more than halfway across the ballroom, with a well aimed Crucio.
Fire stamped across Harry's nerve endings as thousands of hot knives cut into him. The Elemental Veela gave a short scream before clamping his mouth shut, actually having the mind to not bite his tongue off in the process. He would not give Voldemort the pleasure of hearing him scream.
Harry's body arched and convulsed with pain as muscles tensed. Insanity or death seemed like heaven at that moment. Harry could hear the Dark Lord laughing in the distance as something banged against the closed door and Luna screamed forhim to stop. Concentrating on Luna's voice and Draco face, Harry summoned his magic and pushed against Voldemort's in a test of wills. It hurt like hell but it cleared Harry's mind enough to ward off the wave of insanity that was threatening him.
If Harry had not been in so much pain, he would have seen Luna begin to glow as she stopped screaming at Voldemort and stood. A phoenix song busted out from somewhere within the Seer who began to walk across the room.
That familiar song snapped Voldemort's attention to Luna and his spell on Harry broke, allowing the boy to take in a breath of fresh air. Trembling, Harry opened his eyes and gasped at what he was seeing.
While Luna's form was as solid as ever, in the pure light surrounding her stood another figure, one with dark red hair and brilliant, almond shaped, emerald eyes.
Lily Potter, Elemental Veela, stood behind Luna Lovegood, her ghostly hands on the Seer's shoulders as both women blocked Harry from Voldemort's view. The Dark Lord tried to sneer at the girl and the spirit in front of him.
"Stand aside, you silly girl."
Luna shook her head, her blond locks shining in the light. When she spoke, Harry could hear two distinct voices.
"No. Not Harry. I will not let you harm him."
"Stand aside now!" Voldemort commanded, pointing his wand at the Ravenclaw.
Something about this scene pulled at Harry's mind. It was familiar, someone standing defiantly before Voldemort to protect him. And Voldemort telling them to 'stand aside'...
Harry eyes widened as a memory exactly like this one surfaced in his mind, the only difference being he wasn't a child anymore and the person before him wasn't his mother.
Harry made to stand when Voldemort suddenly waved his wand and shouted at the Seer.
"Avada Kedavra!"
At the exact moment the Killing Curse left the Dark Lord's wand, the doors to the ballroom busted open, flying off its hinges and landing a few feet away from the opening. The people Neville had captured, along with Ron and Hermione, stormed in, but stopped as they saw the scene before them.
Harry had surged forward when he heard the spell fall form Voldemort's lips, but not even Elemental Veela can stop death. The spellcollided with Luna's chest, after tearing through the bright light, and would have knocked her crumbling body back several feet if Harry had not caught her first.
Voldemort laughed as Harry sank to his knees with Luna's already cooling body in his arms. Shocked, Harry just stared at her, missing the already closed eyes and small smile gracing her dead lips. For some reason, death suited Luna Lovegood very well.
Hermione gave a muffled sob as she put her hands over her mouth, attracting Voldemort's attention. In the blink of an eye, he had all of their wands soaring out of their grasps and onto the floor behind him. The Dark Lord smiled.
"Look, Harry more of your loved ones for me to kill. Who shall be first?"
The Boy-Who-Livedwas unresponsive and Voldemort laughed.
Instead, Harry was thinking about what had just happened and another memory was tickling his mind.
Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, love can be considered an element and Veela's are beings of love. What is your point Harry?"
"Well, if I have new blood, the blood of my mother, then the blood Voldemort took from me in the Third Task is useless. I have new blood and my mother's protection would be restored with my inheritance. Maybe that old protection was my father's protection and now I have both restored."
Suddenly Harry was back in the present, feeling as though he had just be cured of what old war veterans called 'shell-shock.'
Voldemort seemed to be upset that none of his prattle had gotten Harry riled up and angrily jerked his arm up.
"I'll finish this once and for all. Say goodbye, Draco."
Silver-gray eyes widened with fear and then shock as Harry launched himself at the Dark Lord, his hands out-stretched. The room watched as Harry's hands wrapped around Voldemort's neck and that eerily haunting phoenix song started again, but that was not what caught everyone's attention.
The places in which Harry's skin had touched Voldemort's had begun to smoke. The Dark Lord started flailing about, trying to dislodge Harry who was intent on staying attached. The smoke grew as Harry concentrated.
The Gryffindor had his eyes closed as he thought. You have to do this right, Harry. No anger, no revenge. Just love and forgiveness. Think about the person you love the most. Immediately, Draco's face shined under Harry's eyelids and the Elemental Veela smiled.
Blue flames, edged in white flared up from Harry's hands and Voldemort let out a tortured scream as the flames spread before his body disintegrated into a pile black ashes.
From those ashes rose a shadowed shape and Harry took a deep breathe. Anyone who knew him would immediately recognize a young sixteen year old Tom Riddle, or at least his outline from the shadow. Two furious, cat-like ruby red eyes glowed as they glared at Harry. Then suddenly the shadow lunged at Harry.
Hermione and Pansy screamed as Ron and Sirius yelped. Draco took a step forward only to be held back by his father. Furious, Draco struggled but Lucius' grip was too strong.
Just before Riddle struck, Harry's eyes flashed open and three words stopped the tainted soul of Lord Voldemort in its tracks.
"I forgive you."
Red eyed widened before the shadow seemed to curl in on itself. Riddle's soul was in pain as it changed. Red turned into an icy blue and slowly the darkness of the shadow started to melt away, revealing Tom Marvolo Riddle.
The boy's ghostly shape gasped on its knees before slowly rising and looking over itself. Harry just stood there, watching as Luna suddenly appeared, her image cloudy and transparent as well, and taking young Tom Riddle's hand, shesmiled at Harry before both souls misted away.
The ballroom was silent for a moment before Harry, suddenly very tired, dropped to his knees. Draco broke free of his father and ran toward his mate, avoiding the craters and vines before dropping to his knees beside Harry. Gently he put his arms around the shaking boy.
"Is it over?" Draco asked as the others came closer, surveying the damage and wanting to check on the Gryffindor Golden Boy.
The storm outside had stopped and the rosy tint of the sky told them that morning was fast approaching. Harry nodded and looked at his hands.
"And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives. I didn't think it would honestly be that literal."
Hermione crouched down beside her friend, confusion in her eyes.
"I don't understand." She confessed. "I'm guessing that was part of that prophecy we broke last year but what was that at happened atthe end?"
Harry smiled at her. "That was Tom Riddle's soul. I cleansed it by giving him my forgiveness."
Sirius put a hand on his godson's head.
"Why? The prophecy didn't require it of you."
Harry closed his eyes tiredly but the small smile stayed.
"No that was for me. These hands may have killed his body, but my words saved his soul."
A/N: Phew! I've killed my first Voldemort and I've done it differently than just AK-ing him! I think I should explain somethings. First: why I killed off Luna after bringing her in? Well, I sort of brought her in to be killed. The whole scene with her and Lily was to jog Harry's memory about the protection. Plus, she knew she was going to die (she gives up hints along the way) and she's in heaven with a HOT Tom Riddle!
One thing I noticed with a lot of Harry Potter fics is that people make the Killing Curse blockable. If you remember, the impostor Moody says that Avada Kedavra is unblockable and there's not proof it can be blocked. Lily didn't block Harry's AK but wouldn't stand aside and let Voldemort AK him, so she got her own AK. Check the HP Lexicon for more information!
Thanks for all the reviews!
S.Tangerine