Chapter 36

At the End of All Things

Hermione, somehow amidst the chaos and fighting, managed to stumble off the tower edge to fly down to the real fight. She wanted to find Lea, stand next to her and fight with her. She knew as soon as she stepped off the tower she was loosing a perfect vantage point of the battle, but she hoped to get as close to the magical barrier as possible. As soon as the walls came down she wanted to be the first one at Snape's side to help him.

Even from where she hovered above the ground patrol she couldn't make out the duel that waged on before her. Daring her self to fly a little closer she found an empty patch of ground not to far from the wall that she sought. All around her the Demons trained in Earth Magic were working frantically to bring down their Prince's shield.

The barrier itself was well created; it was see-through, just slightly tinted with green. It created a dome around the opposing fighters letting no on in to come to the aid of either of them.

………

It was a sacrifice he was going to have to make, he realized that now. He couldn't win and expect to come out of the battle alive. Deep down he knew he, like any other living soul, would want to find another way out, but for him this would be his final and last battle. For him, his torture was almost over.

………

"Give up, my old follower, you can't win this," Hermione watched with horror as Ash narrowly escaped another killing curse, "you can't even keep the upper hand," as he said this a dagger grazed her Potions Professor's cheek, leaving behind a trail of blood against ghostly pale skin.

He didn't look good. He was bleeding heavily from a gash on his back and another just below his knees, something just didn't seem right. He was going down too fast and too easy and he put up such little effort when attacked.

As if to answer her curiosity he dropped to his knees. One hand still shakily clutching his dagger, the other resting on his heaving chest as if it was a struggle for him to breath, "you…..bastard."

Voldemort lowered his want that was aimed to kill on his fallen opponent, "So you've finally noticed."

"I didn't think you would sink that low….when I could block your curses….something was wrong….in a fair fight….you would have been an…unworthy opponent," even in his state he still managed to lather those last words with hatred before letting out a strangled gasp as pain consumed him once more.

"Ash!" light flared brightly as Lea's dagger struck desperately against the Elemental's barrier, "Take down the barrier, Ash! Please….." her voice drifted off into a desperate plea as she fell slowly to her knees.

Voldemort let out a harsh, cold laugh, "Oh yes, Ashitaka, take down the barrier, pull her into your pain," with each word he was closer and closer until he crouched in front of the doubled over Ash, "Drag her into your torture." he placed a spider hand under his chin, forcing him to look up, "This is what happens Severus, when you get close to people," he slowly, threateningly unsheathed his dagger again, "they hurt you or you hurt them.," he dug the tip of the silver blade into Ash's shoulder, "first it was your father, murdered in the war," he dragged the dagger down, ripping though cloth and flesh, "then your mother, then that priest betrayed you," a little deeper the dagger dug, "then Evans, that stupid Mudblood Gryffindor, then Sarah, your the reason we killed her, you know.

"And then what happened? Hmm, you turned to the only person you thought you could trust, Dumbledore," red eyes sought frightened blue eyes, where Dumbledore still stood numb at the door of the castle, "and then, even that great man was manipulated by your own people and this is what happened to you. You sit at the edge of my knife, on the brink of destruction, bound to the Death of the Earth,"

At those last words eyes of the Demon's darkened.

"You recognize that don't you, for every blade of grass, every sapling, every insignificant little animal that is killed zaps out more of what little energy you…have….left," and with that final syllable he wrenched out the dagger and thrust it back in and twisted.

A tortured cry of pain escaped Ash's lips. The blade was twisted once again before being torn from his flesh in one swift movement.

The scream that echoed the fallen Prince's came from a panicked Lea.

Voldemort just laughed at her vain attempts to break through. Standing, he pointed down at the limp, bleeding form, "This is what happens when you defy me," he kicked the still figure and laughed maniacally, "Demons of the Four Worlds, your Prophecy of the Forgotten speaks of a savior. Is this the one the Gods have sent you?" he waltzed over to the barrier and smiled wickedly at Lea, "They send you a man that lies dead at my hand."

"I'm not dead yet,"

Of all the things Hermione expected to happen it was not this. Still bleeding freely, Ashitaka staggered to his fleet, pressing his hand to his chest, covered in the grime of war, "And I'm not going down unless you come with me." And with one last bout of strength he threw himself forward, running into Voldemort head on. Vines intertwine around his legs and arms, pinning him to the green-tinted dome. Pale fingers wrapped around a spidery throat and a deep familiar voice rumbled in an ancient chant:

"By the power of the Gods

Bind his soul to me,"

Recognizing the ancient spell Voldemort lashed out, but his attempts were in vain.

"My life is his life

My pain is his pain

My pleasure is his pleasure

And my death….is his death,"

And with a last summoning of magic and will, light flared in the lifeless eyes of Voldemort and his body went limp.

The Dark Lord had fallen.

But he was not the only one that fell that night.

………

No…she chanted the word softly to herself as he crumpled into the blood stained grass around him

And then as easy and simple as it looked the walls disappeared, but she didn't waste her time contemplating the works of ancient magic, her mind was only set on one thing.

"Ash," her voice was soft when she dropped down next to the red-painted body, but in the silence, it could still be heard, "Ashitaka, please," gently she rolled the figure onto his side, resting his upper body in her arms.

"Lea…."

"Ash,"

"Don't worry," he offered a weak smile, but it was cut off by the softest of gasps and a cough, "'tis only a flesh wound," he tried to laugh.

With tears flowing freely now, she brushed a stray lock of hair out of his eyes, "Please, you promised you'd stay with me,"

His eyes slowly drifted close.

"Please, damn it, don't leave me again,"

But she realized, as a final exhale of breath escaped his lips…

It was too late.

He already had.

TBC