Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
This chapter isn't very long (just over a thousand words and I've started making that my minimum requirement). Sorry I didn't get it up earlier this week. This chapter is more depressing than I thought it was going to be. Won't say anymore right now.
Gryffindors-Light—Yeah, but he had to serve as a distraction. Hehe. Didn't mean him to be quite that girlish. :-)
BotherBother69—Thanks, updated.
Oxi-Nu—Thanks.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
CHAPTER 34: No One Left
Harry fell to his knees and decided it was best to stay there until the shifting stopped. He glanced up and saw Voldemort with a smug look of triumph on his face. Wandless magic. It was usually rather uncontrolled as this appeared to be, but this was definitely large scale. Harry took an assessment of the situation. Voldemort was still rooted to the spot and still mute. The shield had by some miracle held up, but if that display was as violet outside the shield as within, as Harry rather suspected it was, then by now they'd know something was wrong.
Finally the wall came down. Harry didn't know why. Maybe the Death Eaters had managed to destroy it, maybe his friends had given up. At this point what did it matter? The ground still shook.
At last it stopped. Harry saw Death Eaters climbing back to their feet from where they had fallen; the quake that Voldemort had unleashed had struck outside as well as inside the wall.
Harry knew it would jeopardize them all if he were to start cursing the Death Eaters, he held his wand tight and hoped his friends would pick up the line of what they needed to do.
One by one, Death Eaters started to fall as Harry heard muttered, "Stupifies!" around him.
Not all of them fell, they realized what was happening and the rest of them starting blocking and dodging the curses. One even threw a curse back, but it missed Harry. Two-thirds of them were still standing when Harry whispered to his friends out of the corner of his mouth, "Stop."
One of the Death Eaters realized there was something wrong with his master and got about fixing him. Invisible, Renata snapped Voldemort's wand in half (she was still holding it). Now, even if they somehow got it back, it would be useless. She snapped it to quarters, but that was as much noise as she dared make.
No one moved toward Harry.
When Voldemort regained his voice, he whispered, "He's here."
"Who's here, master?" asked the Death Eater. Harry recognized his voice.
"The Old One," Voldemort spat.
"You mean, A—"
"Don't say his name, you fool!" Voldemort slapped him and the man crumpled to the ground, whimpering at his feet.
Voldemort looked at the man with utmost contempt and disgust. "Get up. You always were a weakling. Find my wand."
The man stood and left, appearing as though he wished he could simply crawl through the dirt and escape unnoticed.
Harry heard the crunching of shoes and dragging of feet and quickly tried to cover the noise. "You know, Tom, I was thinking, it's about time you told everyone your secret." He said this loudly, especially the last word.
The Death Eaters started to mutter. Why had he called the Dark Lord "Tom"? What secret was their master hiding? He was a man of many secrets and they'd always accepted that. He was there leader and not only did they respect him, but above all else, they feared him above all else.
"You mean you haven't told them your secret?" Harry asked in mock surprise, terrified but trying his best not to let it show. "I can understand why you haven't told them. As far as you're concerned it's the most shameful secret you can imagine, isn't it?"
"Somebody silence him!" shrieked Voldemort.
A Death Eater shot a spell at Harry, but whatever it was stopped before it hit him. Harry knew that one of his friends had taken the shot for him. He wondered who. "After all, it's everything you stand against isn't it?"
"I said silence him!"
Again, someone else (maybe the same someone?) took the hit for Harry. He was shaking now, but tried to pretend it was from anger and not fear. "Tom Marvolo Riddle, I accuse you of the same crime for which you have punished countless others. The same crime that you hold as most offensive. The same crime for which you have killed innocent people. I accuse you, and rightfully so, of not being a Pureblood!"
There was a collective gasp. Some very, very, few of them had known his birth name was Tom, but none had known his ultimate secret.
"Nooooooo!" he shrieked. He lunged at Harry and tripped.
Harry wouldn't discover until much later that it was a body that Voldemort had tripped over.
Harry whispered quietly the words of the spell, "Petrificus totalus." Such a simple spell, Harry had learned it in his first year and it still served well. He almost smiled smugly, but hoped not to give away yet what he'd done if possible. Voldemort's body went rigid and Harry hoped no one noticed. Harry looked up defiantly at the Death Eaters. "This man, the one you call "master" and "Dark Lord", the one you take orders from, the one whose feet you grovel at, the one whose robes you kiss, the one who you'd give your lives for before your own families, this man is a half-blood! His father was a Muggle. Not even a Muggle-born wizard or a squib, but a plain and ordinary Muggle."
"Lies!" called one Death Eater, not wanting to believe his ears. The boy was mad. He should be punished. He would be punished!
"Blasphemy!" called another.
The circle started to advance on Harry and he knew he was finished. His friends had taken the hits for him and now it was his turn. He knew that there was no one left to die for him. His parents were long dead on his behalf. His friends were gone. He'd begged him not to come and now they were gone for good. And perhaps worst of all, Dumbledore, his mentor, his Headmaster, his parents' friend, had deserted him when he needed him most.
Harry knew he was now alone.
He had no one left.
He let 1 tear slide down his cheek and stood up straight and tall. He would not go without a fight.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Told you it was depressing! I'll try and update soon.
