Disclaimer: I don't know why I keep writing these things, no one actually believes I own Harry Potter.
A/N; We flash forward about a month between the last chapter and this one. This first bit is actually the last ritual wherein Tom Riddle abandoned Love, Compassion, and Sympathy and became Lord Voldemort. What will Harry give up? Can he maintain his humanity? Will we ever find out? Hope you like it.
"And now Harry, for your true ascension beyond the boundaries of mortal men... Your magic is mature, your speed and reflexes superior to those of normal men, your strength beyond imagining, and you possess knowledge in fields most men will never touch. Today we leave humanity behind and move into the realms of the gods, shedding your weaknesses." Voldemort always did have a flair for the dramatic, Harry thought to himself.
"Yes, yes, I know. I've got to abandon those parts of myself that are weak so I may embrace the strong. I've got it. Do you ever get tired of listening to your own voice?" Harry intentionally bated him.
"If this ritual didn't have to be performed at just the right time under a full moon I'd break your jaw again. Hephaestus' Flames isn't a ritual one sees everyday. A little pomp and circumstance never hurt if you want to make an occasion special."
"Gee, I'm thrilled you want to make an event out of me performing an illegal black magic ritual to boost my power yet again. You never felt the need to make the others special."
"This is it though. This is the last one. Tomorrow I will finally get to kill you and my plans can commence once again!"
"Finally I won't have to listen to your annoying laugh as I writhe in pain anymore! After a month of dodging your dodgy servants we'll finally find out who is better."
"I could reschedule this for next month and practice my cruciartus until then if you are going to mock me."
"No, let's go ahead."
"Good, now who are you going to sacrifice? And what will you be cleansing yourself of?"
"Are you sure there isn't a couple other painful and humiliating rituals we could do instead that don't require me to sacrifice anyone? What did you get rid of?"
"How can you hope to defeat me if killing still makes you cringe? You will do this ritual."
"Fine, you win. Call Bellatrix Lestrange in here and let's get this over with."
"You were supposed to pick one of the muggles I had collected."
"It will be Bella or not at all. She owes me and my friends too much. Do you think you can win a war without sacrificing some pawns?"
Voldemort grumbled for a minute before summoning the witch. She entered pumped full of herself, believing she was about to be given an assignment because of her loyalty. A quick blast of magic cleansed her of that thought, and most others.
Bellatrix woke up lying on a hard surface blindfolded. She tried to raise a hand to remove the scrap of fabric but found she was held down with leather straps. She could hear two voices chanting and magic in the air. She flinched as a knife bit into her skin. A second joined the first as they carved out a map of her magical passageways. At strategic points the knives stopped and glyphs were burned into her with a wand tip. She felt her magic building inside her like a storm about to break.
The knives stopped cutting but the chanting speeded up to a frenzied pitch and the volume increased. A potion was smeared over her skin and another was painted into all the grooves and glyphs the knives had cut. They burned her skin and made it impossible for her not to twitch. She writhed and struggled against her restraints.
Her master took off her blindfold and she saw the grim faces of Harry and the Dark Lord. Harry lifted a goblet to his lips and drank deep. He picked up his wand and burned glyphs over his heart, on the backs of his hands, and in the third eye region of his forehead. He applied a sickly pink salve over them and spoke words that made the glyphs glow brightly. Harry joined her on the altar and straddled her midsection as her magic reached it's peak. He raised a specially prepared dagger with both hands over her head as he cried the final part of the incantation. The dagger came down and the world exploded.
As the ceremonial dagger pierced Bellatrix Lestrange's breast and her heart beat for the last time, her magic and life burst into a pillar of fire engulfing them both. Blue and gold flames leapt towards the heavens as the pair were incinerated. Harry felt the magic and fire passing through every part of his body. He was burned and born anew in the flames of Hephaestus' forge. He was tempered and purified, purged of all the aspects he deemed weak and unworthy of his power.
The duel was scheduled for high noon. Harry slept in and took a much longer shower than usual, determined to make the most of everything. His trunk was neatly packed and a copy of his will was laid neatly on top.
He pulled his custom dueling robes from the armoire and dressed. He had commissioned Madam Malkin's to make him a dueling robe of Chinese Fireball hide, then made some modifications of his own. He didn't bother trying to enchant it with shielding or repelling charms. Not only would it be useless in a fight against Voldemort, but it would only inspire false confidence. What he did do was slightly more cunning. He sewed actual wards into the lining of his robes with gold wire so fine it was better described as thread. He warded them against all manner of dark magic, and protection wards such as he could. He embroidered a set of runes to promote magical focus and flow into the cuffs and wove a unicorn hair into each cuff as well. Unlike Voldemort, Harry had no real skill with wandless magic. He could do a few basic spells, but he would never duel without a wand, so he built something resembling a back up wand into his robes. The wards and protections wouldn't help him against the unforgivables or any of the really scary upper level magic Voldemort could throw his way, but it would allow him some flexibility when it came to dodging, shielding, or just taking a hit.
The robes were lined with a golden colored silk that almost allowed the real gold threads to blend in. It was very subtle, unless you looked on the inside of the robe with mage sight, in which case it was a beautiful network of magical power. Wards would stand up longer than mere spells, and offered more protection besides. They just took a lot more effort to set up. Given the three weeks he had to get ready, it wasn't a problem.
The two opponents had one last meal together, a late breakfast, before the showdown.
"You've prepared your will Potter?"
"I have," Harry confirmed. "In fact there's something I'd like to mention about it."
"What's that? What could be in there that concerns me?"
"If I die, the majority of my money will of course be devoted to funding the fight against you. However, I've written it that Dumbledore and his crew are never to get a knut, they would only waste it after all. I would like you to be the executor on that part. Just give it to whoever is putting up the best fight."
"You Gryffindors are a trusting lot."
"Meh, it isn't like you could actually get access to the money. The goblins will see to that. But who better to know where it can be used?"
"So you know, honor has no place in a war."
"Admit, I wouldn't have lived this long if you weren't secretly looking forward to this as much as I am. Did you prepare your will?"
"I am not the one who will die today."
"Pride comes before the fall. Supposedly we are finally equals. Who can say the outcome when equals face one another."
"Very well, in accordance with your last wish, we will do this properly. Harry James Potter of the line of Gryffindor, I challenge thee to a duel."
"Tom Marvolo Riddle of the line of Slytherin, I accept. What are your terms?"
"We shall fight to the death, with no option of surrender. I will forgo a second."
"I will forgo a second as well. The duel shall begin at the chiming of the twelfth bell. This is a sacred matter, let none interfere." Harry bowed to his opponent as the first bell chimed in a clock on the mantle in the main hall. Voldemort returned the bow. They looked into each others eyes and waited
The last bell chimed and both men exploded into action. They had both advanced beyond the need to bellow their spells like amateurs; a pyrotechnics show just started flying without a sound. Harry conjured a multitude of ping pong balls and set some of them randomly bouncing around the room, while some orbited him at great speed. Chaos was his weapon against the precisely ordered mind of the former Hogwarts Head Boy. They traded spells, ducking, dodging, and weaving their magically enhanced bodies through the room. Neither had scored a hit yet, but they were both still feeling each other out even though more than two minutes had passed.
Harry made his first real ploy against his older opponent. He cast a large cone of roaring fire in front of him, but used it as cover for two crackling balls of black energy sent to either side. Voldemort cast a flame freezing charm in record time and charged through the center letting fly a barrage of bone shattering curses. Harry dropped to the floor and rolled while some of his loyal ping pong balls exploded in ripped plastic confetti. He would miss those little guys. He catapulted himself back to his feet while spraying oil over the floor.
Voldemort sent a fire spell of his own and soon the room was engulfed in flames and eye burning black smoke. Harry used a bubble head charm and a flame freezing spell on himself before throwing himself sliding across the floor. He rained a hail of curses in the direction he had last seen Voldemort. The response came from behind him. He scrambled to avoid being blown up. He decided to get rid of the flames and bring his ping pong balls back. The others having melted in the unfavorable terrain.
There was a split second of peace before the heavy magic began. Beings from other planes were invoked and blasts of pure magic crossed the room. As fast as they worked to invoke new powers, they also were careful to banish any that got too close. The air grew thick with remnants of spells and effects that never got a chance to act on their purpose.
"Had enough Tom?"
"Never!" a blast of that distinctive green light flew over Harry's head when he ducked.
"Oh Tommy boy, the wands, the wands are calling
From lake to lake, and down the old schools side
The summer's gone, and all your Eaters are dying
'Tis you, 'tis you must go and I must bide." Harry sang mockingly.
A few more killing curses joined the fray as Harry kept dodging and mocking his opponent.
"Oh Tommy boy, oh Tommy boy, I hate you so.
And if you come, when all your Eater's are dying
And I'm not dead, as dead you soon will be
I'll come and find the place where you are lying
And kneel and say a curse there from me." The traditional tune mocked the enraged Dark Lord.
By now the incoming Harry had to dodge was almost exclusively the red of a crucio or the killing curse green. Harry was pleased, an enraged opponent wouldn't think. A thinking opponent was dangerous. Harry made one last diving roll before coming up literally face to face with Riddle, who was by now frothing at the mouth. Harry jammed his wand into his opponent's chest and said his final spell, never noticing where his opponent's wand was located.
"AVADA KEDAVRA!" Two voices cried as one. Two simultaneous green flashes smashed into the chests of two surprised men. There was a magical explosion of green energy that launched both men back until they hit a wall. Their bodies slid to the floor.
A/N; Sorry Jeconais, I stole your song. For those who've never seen that last bit of Filk, visit jeconais(Dot)fanficauthors(Dot)net and read "This Means War!"