-1Chapter 23

A/N: Without the right type of music, this won't be as effective. So, go to Windows Media Player and stick Hero by Mariah Carey on. Then read it. Trust me! And if you don't like that, find a song that really MOTIVATES you, MAKES YOU THINK. Tells you: "Life is out there! There are wars to fight out there! And I'm going to GO OUT THERE AND DO MY BEST!" (Sorry, when I was writing this I was very MOTIVATED).

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry, Hogwarts, Ron, Hermione, Malfoy, Voldemort, Prof. McGonagall, Hagrid, Priori Incantatem, or anything like that, they're JK Rowling's, kay? Plot's mine, and only mine.

Harry's POV

It's been a week, in the Hog's Head, and the suspense was becoming too much for me. And the smell; I can't say that I liked that, either.

But I'm here, and it can be only minutes till I meet with Ron and Hermione. To tell the truth -- I can't wait. Without them, the whole chase is just grief. With them, it becomes adventure. Wearying adventure, but still, it holds an element of fun…

I turn towards the shrieking shack, and it's as if they were waiting till my back is turned.

"Harry!"

That's Hermione.

She throws herself at me happily, so I'm knocked to the floor. Next it's Ron's annual punch in the head. Laughing, actually laughing properly for the first time in a month, I sit up.

"Er, it's good to see you, too."

And such a change from other greetings. Ron and Hermione have a strange way of making me feel appreciated; something I value very highly in them.

"We were so worried!" Squeals Hermione.

"You and the rest of the world," I sigh. It's nice to know there's so many people trying to look out for me; but infuriating at the same time. My privacy… it's my own. I don't need a thousand eyes following me to feel safe. Just… well, just Ron and Hermione. I look up to the castle. "Is… er, is Ginny alright?"

"You bet; she was made Gryffindor Quidditch Captain." Ron speaks for the first time. He sounds disbelieving; that makes me laugh.

"Wow!"

"I know!" He grumbles. "She takes everything out on me." He glowers.

Meanwhile, Hermione's looking suspiciously at me. "You haven't found anything yet and not told us, have you?"

"Er, well, I thought I did. But… I'm going back to it. You see…"

The story is told and Ron's gape is just the same as ever. I laugh again.

"Dumbledore's brother?"

Hermione has that cool, calculating expression on that she outs on every time I tell them a revelation. "He'll be a helpful ally."

A girl of many words, just not when you need them.

Before I can respond, footsteps sound behind us. Hermione squeals again and tries to hide behind Ron, who groans.

"What? What is it?" I ask, perplexed.

"Hermione's fan club, I'm willing to bet," says Ron through gritted teeth. Again, I'm cut off before I can reply. Since when did Hermione have a fan club…?

Before I know it, I'm looking up at the sky at the huge Dark Mark rearing over our heads. I know what lurks behind me -- I knew we'd meet again… just not this soon.

"Hello, Harry."

Voldemort himself.

I guess I should be grateful that he holds me in such value that he'd come kill me personally.

There he is: white skin stretched against his face, red eyes gleaming. Surrounded by at least twenty Death Eaters… and one, one I know. A surge of anger lets me see Draco Malfoy, recognizable even with the death eater's skeletal mask hiding his face.

"Ron, Hermione, here's your chance to run…"

"No way…" Ron's voice is fearful.

"We've come to stay, Harry…" Hermione keeps a strong resolve.

Voldemort laughs mockingly.

"Always the hero, Harry. Always the hero. But, I fear, this time you are no more than a bump in my path. You are a school boy, hardly a match for twenty death eaters and the dark lord himself."

"Actually," I say unfalteringly, "I count nineteen Death Eaters, a minor-" my eyes fly to an infuriated Draco Malfoy, "and a dead man," I say through gritted teeth. My eyes rest on Voldemort, face contorted with what's supposed to be a mocking smile. I know Hermione's looking at me like I'm the stupidest person alive; but doesn't she realise? Sheer cheek and luck are the only weapons you possess against a wizard like Voldemort.

"Sadly, the only dead man here stands before me…"

We pull our wands out together.

"Let's make this quick, shall we, Harry?"

And behind them, I can see other people coming down to watch. The teachers from Hogwarts. Hagrid: Professor McGonagall.

They're going to die needlessly.

I wish there's some way I can save them, but I can't.

I can't…

And with that, a familiar… accident takes place.

'Avada Kedavra!'

'Expelliarmus!'

It's Priori Incantatem.

But it's not like it was last time: Voldemort seems to be ready for this. We're raised above the ground again. There's no phoenix song, nothing except the tendrils of golden light that secure the two wands in place: the beads, sliding the length of the beam.

"It's an old trick, Harry!"

There's no room to listen to the taunts. No room to think. Just enough time to will, will those beads down the line. But it's not working: Voldemort is ready, and he's got the will of ten men. There's nothing to do, but it might win me some time. The ground shakes; it's like the whole world is ready to give in, just to this moment. Ready to give up on me. Give in to Voldemort. I sever the connection.

I hit the floor and roll, and a curse just misses my shoulder. The blood pounds in my ears; my hearts thumping against my rib cage and in the extreme exhilaration, I fire a stunning curse at one of the Death Eaters. I barely have the time to see him immobilised, hitting the floor. I fire off curse after curse; ducking, dodging towards Ron and Hermione, all too aware of my back open to the Death Eater's curses.

I look back towards the Death Eaters. Some of my curses hit home: at least five Death Eaters lie still in the mud, eyes unblinking, frozen with various hexes. The ground shakes again, and there's no time to give Hagrid a wave good bye. There's too much to do; there's no time to save them. That's such a horrible thought, but it's true. Save them, forsake the world. Save the world, there's a chance I save them.

The curses come down like rain, and the footsteps sound, ever-close.

It's too late before I realise there's one heading towards my back. It hits square, and I'm blown into the cold air, all the breath taken out of me. I land on the ground on my back, and without thinking, yell:

"Crucio!"

It hits the person I've been wishing dead for a year. Bellatrix Lestrange curls up in agony, twitching; convulsing. I'm tempted to stay there and spectate but there's no time for revenge games. I reach Ron and Hermione and grab Hermione's hand. Ron grabs her hand and without thinking of the three D's, whatever the hell they stood for anyway, I disapparate from Hogsmeade for what will probably be a very long time.

But I will come back.

Even if it killed him, he'd come back and kill Voldemort. Severus Snape, he was a dead man, too. And Draco Malfoy… he was third in line, but he'd get what was coming, too.

A/N: I'm sorry if that's not as good as I think it is -- I loved writing it. And there'll be PLENTY more, very, very soon. Just make sure you had the music.