CHAPTER 22: One Must Fall
Harry was skimming low over the waves in his motorbike, the powerful Atlantic winds making travel any higher very dangerous, even for a magical vehicle. He had felt the sudden surge and drop of magical power in his amulet, and instinctively knew that one of their own had fallen.
"Did you feel that?" Harry said, touching the Order's medallion hanging against his chest.
"Yeah…" he replied, Draco's tone very sombre. "We're too late, it has begun."
"Well it ends tonight, one way or another."
He gazed into the mist that surrounded Azkaban like a cloak. Voldemort's moods were pouring into him now, and he could pinpoint exactly where he was. They had to make it in time. For everyone's sake.
"Are you ready?" he said aloud to himself, and his nemesis. Gunning the engine even more he zoomed through the thick mist, the island rock of the final showdown in his sights.
Bill Weasley was doubled over, vomiting from the pain, the horror of it all. Voldemort had tortured Snape, and the screams that came from his mouth were beyond human. Voldemort fancied new ways of implementing pain, as he was so gleefully toying with them, giving explicit detail on the effects. He was actually having fun, and his light hearted tone was such a sadistic contrast to his deeds that Bill actually did believe that the Devil himself has sent forth his son. Without any visible means of escape, he resigned himself to his death and began to pray.
…Our Father…
"This, my red haired lad, is the Puncturus curse. Allow me to demonstrate," Voldemort playfully pointed at Sturgis Proudmore, who tried to run. He was ensnared by Voldemort's paralysis spell and lifted high above the ground. "Conjunctive Puncturus!"
…Who art in heaven…
Proudmore's eyes burst from its sockets, and after a few seconds of screaming, reattached themselves to the nerves left exposed. The sound and the dripping blood was beyond horrifying, and the soft chuckling from Voldemort would drive any being mad. The order watched in terror as the eyes popped out then reattached themselves over and over, the screaming man begging for mercy.
...Hallowed be thy name...
"You wish death already? Why? We have only started !" Voldemort released him, and he fell to the ground, clawing his face to dig out the eyes that now were no longer a true part of him, the pain was unbearable. The sight of the man writhing on the ground and screaming at the top of his lungs was too much for Bill, and he shut his eyes and covered his ears like a little child frightened of the monster under his bed.
...Thy Kingdom come…
"Snape… how you disappointed me." Snape backed against the door, inching away from Voldemort. "You- who could have delivered the boy to me at any time, decided to side with this muggle loving fool. Come now, young Weasley, let's try another one shall we? Severus, your turn…"
...Thy Will be done…
"No! Master.. NO!" Voldemort responded with that sickening laugh again.
…On Earth as it is in Heav-
Bill blocked his ears and clamped his eyes shut as Voldemort pointed his wand again, the prayer already forgotten.
"Exertimus femur tibulus!"
There was a sickening crunching noise and Snape screamed, falling to the ground. He twitched; all the non vital bones were being broken in sequential order in his body. After the fourteenth pop, he stopped screaming, screaming was too painful. He lay there motionless, not able to vent the terrible pain in his body.
"Kill…me…" he whispered.
"Not yet," Voldemort replied, walking away. "Your pain is insignificant to what I have endured." All the others who were still conscious cringed into the corners, trying their best to be unnoticed, like rats in a cage. Bill Weasley could not fathom what was happening around him, the screams of Proudmore still ringing through the night.
Fred, George, Ron, Ginny- would he ever see them again?
Expecting to be next victim of the Dark Lords experimental curses, he shut his eyes tightly wishing it to be quick. When nothing came, he opened his eyes, and saw Voldemort standing in a peculiar manner, his head tilted as if something just came to his attention.
"It seems that my guest of Honour has arrived."
Bill looked up hesitantly, Voldemort was unsure of something, and that meant there was a faint thread of hope.
Harry and Draco landed in the open courtyard where McGonagall's squad had entered. They both took out their wands and entered the massive doorway, cautiously examining their surroundings. Harry looked meaningfully at Malfoy, and he indicated further on, towards the centre of the building. They quickened their pace, their nerves gone without a trace. Adrenaline pumped through their bodies, and Harry's scar hurt more with each step he took. They heard a distant banging, then it stopped suddenly.
"You hear that?" Harry said. To confirm his fears, a chorus of screams erupted faintly through the long rooms. The sound echoed through the abandoned fortress, the ghost–like wails coming from the huge wooden doors at the end of the building. Draco's pursed his lips tightly, and he gripped his wand until his knuckles were white. They ran through the rooms, past ancient statues of armour and disintegrating furniture. They came to a halt in front of the locked doors and looked at each other, the unsaid question on their expressions.
Harry nodded, and Draco did the same. This was it.
"Alohomora!"
Nothing happened. Draco tried it as well, but still nothing. "Fuck it. Inciendo ar Jansitar!" his eyes blazed alive, a large fiery 'x' burned through the doorway. Both Harry and Draco kicked it, and it blew apart, pieces of flaming wood flying out into the courtyard. They looked up, and froze. The entire Order of the Phoenix, the Old and new, was revolving high the sky. Harry's scar burned into his forehead, and he put his hand to it, fighting the pain.
A slow, deliberate clap came from in the centre of the courtyard. A lone figure stood there, his cloak hiding all features of his face.
"I applaud you. If you are here, that means the Hunter and my pet has been defeated. Once again, congratualions on that remarkable feat. However, that was not unexpected. The end result is still the same, both of you are here, and now there is no one left to stand against me."
"Shut the fuck up. You wanted me for sixteen years. Let's get this over with." Harry drew his wand, and pointed it directly at him. "PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!"
Voldemort laughed, and Harry stood there, dumbstruck. What happened to his magic?
"Imperio!" Voldemort said lazily. Harry's mind went blank, and he felt all contented and happy.
You dumb fuck! fight it!
..Why? It feels so..nice…
Remember training! Don't give in!
..What training ?.
Snap out of it!
"NO!" He screamed, and his eyes blazed alive. "Time to cut this bullshit." He glared at Voldemort, who lowered his wand slowly, looking at the strange glow in his eyes.
"I have underestimated you. Very well, I will not toy with you any longer." With Voldemort's attention more focused on Harry, Draco covertly incanted his Elemency spell. He needed something more advanced, Voldemort stood in the flames of his house without even being touched. Maybe, if I destroyed his wand...
Voldemort looked upon Draco, who eyes glowed fire."Dear boy, don't you know that your pathetic Infernus ability is nowhere strong enough to contest me? Crucio! " the spell sizzled at Draco, who dove out of the way. The sheer magnitude of it was too much though, and he felt his body seize up and cramp with pain.
"Malfoy!" Harry said. " Incantum finite !" he screamed; pointing his wand at him. When again nothing happened, he began to panic. He couldn't use magic!
Trying to buy time, he began to run away from Draco, drawing Voldemort's attention to himself. Now that this wave of panic came over him, he felt an incredible surge of power fuel his strides. Sprinting in a big arc away from Malfoy, he gripped the hilt of his sword, and his hair came alive, his eyes emanating an electric blue pulse. Voldemort turned, tracking him down with the wand. Harry's eyes focused on his nemesis, and just as Voldemort was about to curse him, he accelerated, taking three long leaping strides. Harry concentrated hard, got his legs underneath him, and bounded unto the curved wall, running up the length of as he picked up speed. Dragging the edge of the Sword of Gryffindor against the rough surface, sparks began to fly and a trail of shadows followed him as magic began to explode inside of him.
Closing his eyes, he shoved away from the stone bricks, catapulting himself high into the air.
"What magic is this?" Voldemort hissed. He spun around, looking for his vanished opponent. Voldemort's senses reached out, his heightened hearing detecting the distinctive sound of the rustling of a cloak from above. Harry was practically airborne, the sword raised high above his head. Voldemort momentarily saw through Harry's perspective, saw his own hooded from rushing up to him, and spun around. Caught in the headlights, Voldemort only had chance to point his wand. There was a flash of steel; and Voldemort dissaparated, but not fast enough. Harry landed in a crouch, a severed hand and wand landing at his feet. Voldemort wailed in agony, clutching the stub of his right hand.
"That was for Alastor," he declared, a murderous tone in his voice.
The Anti-magical jinx that kept Draco's and Harry's magic dormant was released, and Harry felt his wand spring back to life. "Incantum finite !" he screamed, pointing at Malfoy, who was struggling to get back to his feet after being under the Cruciatus curse for so long. At the same time the Order of the Phoenix fell from the sky, but at that height it meant they will be killed from the impact.
"Malfoy, the others! Mobilucorpus !" He screamed, and a few of the order stopped, hovering in midair. Malfoy feebly waved his wand and did likewise, catching a few others as well. Harry's eeys bulged when not all were caught, and they remainder were going to fall to an abrupt death.
Letting go all of his inhibitions, he allowed the sword to command him. Harry's eyes blazed white with power, and he began to hover a few feet into the air. Draco's pain and weakness ebbed away from him, as he felt raw energy amplify his Infernus ability. There was a sudden release of effort needed to do the spell from his wand. Whipping his head around, he frowned as he say Harry levitating in the air, his wand pointing to the sky. He had to admit, he was impressed. The golden boy had taken the entire burden and the entire Order was held securely under his control.
Good. Now it was his turn.
Draco stood up, and his eyes blazed alive. Clasping his hands together, he forced them into each other, his arms and shoulders tensing as he attempted a fifth tier summon of the Infernus. He could do it, he knew it. Magic burned through him like never before. He will do it!
"Inciendo Eruptus !" The ground shook, and visible cracks zig-zagged throughout the in the courtyard. His blond hair came alive as rubble began to slowly fall upwards, the magic density around him amplified to an incredibly advanced state, flames igniting in his eyes. The cracks deepened, all of them racing towards Voldemort.
The Dark lord was gripping his bleeding stub, his face was contorted in agony. Suddenly, the ground below him erupted in huge fifty foot pillar of fire, the flames engulfing him whole; his body propelled upwards in the blast. Draco screamed as he felt the magma below the earth's surface beckoning him to use its vast reservoir of energy, willing himself to give his all to kill his parents' killer. When he heard that soft chuckling noise escalate into a mad cackle, he opened his eyes, not believing it.
Voldemort was blown high up into the sky, unscathed by the flames. He stood unfazed on a large piece of rubble, levitating it without using a wand as he looked down at the two novices.
"Impressive, young Malfoy, but still not enough."
Draco drew the Hunter's blade and charged, sprinting towards Voldemort who surveyed him from on high. "What, you plan to miraculously fly and stick me with your little toy?" he mocked, summoning his severed hand towards him.
"Not quite-"Draco grinned, and is eyes blazed alive again. Throwing the sword in a high forward arc, he slammed both palms together, again summoning forth the Element of Fire. One more time…
"Inciendo Eruptus!" he screamed, watching the balde as it tumbled over and over in the night sky.
This time, the cracks raced to a few footsteps in front of Draco and he laughed the ground exploded in another huge pillar of fire. Propelled violently upwards a second time, he once again incanted the same spell, his eyes focusing on the glinting steel flipping end over end. Another Volcanic eruption exploded, and Draco rode this one higher, bouncing from one fountains of fire to the other. The explosive force sent him sailing in a long trajectory forward, his cloak and body entirely engulfed in flames. Not taking his eyes off the sword for a moment, he snatched it out of the air and took it in a two handed grip, screaming as he brought it arcing down over his head. Voldemort couldn't believe it. The boy had actually gotten on top of him!
"PROTEGO!" Voldemort hissed, milliseconds before impact.
Draco swung with all his might, and there was a loud clang of steel on an invisible force shield. Voldemort was sent plummeting like a missile to the ground, the shield taking the brunt of the attack. Draco bounced off of the shield charm like a rubber ball, flailing his arms wildly as he fell. He landed with a loud on the unforgiving floor, feeling his magic shut down. The sword fell from his hand, and the volcanic fires immediately disappeared. He lifted his hand feebly, defiantly trying to stay awake, but the darkness pulled his eyelids shut. He was out cold.
"Draco!" Harry screamed, still concentrating on bringing down the others. He thought about letting them fall and catch them before they landed, but even that that was too risky. He knew he was now a sitting duck, but he couldn't worry about that now. His wand hand was quavering, the effort of controlling so many objects draining his fortified strength like a syringe. Voldemort was getting up from the Draco's attack, the ground beneath him chipped and cracked from the force of impact of his powerful shield.
"Tremendous power, I will enjoy taking his soul." Reaching out with his left hand, he summoned his severed hand and held the bloody wrist in his grasp. He laughed as he saw his enemy struggling to save his precious 'Order'.
Fool. Never turn your back on an opponent. "Avada Kedavra. "
Harry's scar surged with tremendous pain as pure animosity ran through him. There was a flash of green, then his vision momentarily turned black and white. The killing spell blasted him twelve feet away. He hit the ground face first and tumbled over a few times. Harry's magic fizzled away, and all senses immediately stopped. His perception of reality was now only in his mind, his conscious trying in vain to hold on to something that was no longer his. His body relaxed, the muscles no longer responding. His sword and wand dropped from his hands, and the medallion felt icy cold against his chest. His heart stopped, and there was a desperate need of oxygen to his brain. One by one, his organs shut down, his chest no longer rose and fell in rhythm.
… So this is what it means to die...
His last thoughts were about Hermione, and how he never got the chance to show her how much he loved her. The curtains closed, both eyelids falling for the last time.
… I couldn't do it…
Harry Potter had fallen before time, his legacy dying with his final breath.
After enjoying the euphoria of victory for nearly a full minute, Voldemort approached his defeated enemy, looming triumphantly over him, his snake eyes and pale face twisted with glee. "Farewell, young Potter, you have been a worthy adversary," he declared, reattaching his severed hand with a grimace. "It is done." Before he could retrieve Harry's fallen weapon as a token of his victory, a light began to shine from behind him.
"Lumos Jansius !" a female voice screamed. The light expanded until it reached a blinding luminance. Hermione's gripped tightly unto the halo of Life, her hands poised over her head. Tears began to run down her face as she lowered it reverently on her brow.
"Asar Millemiulus Resucitarius Infinite!"
From the depths of darkness, a single pin point of energy twinkled.
The Essence of Life itself had been reborn.
Harry's heartbeat kicked itself back into action, and the natural instinct the body has of self-presence and material weight began sending nerve impulses up his spinal cord. Blood circulation re-activated, and electrical pulses began racing to re-animate what was once gone. His mind jumpstarted, everything flooding back at once. All of his injuries jostled each other in reflexive spurts, giving him a total body status. The smoky air rushed back into his lungs, yet it never tasted so sweet. He groaned softly.
He just couldn't believe it. He was in tremendous pain, but he was alive.
That was all that mattered.
Determination surged back into him, and his fingers gripped the wand at his side. Not knowing that his enemy had returned from the dead, Voldemort spun around to face this new threat. He couldn't believe his eyes as yet another teenager stood with his wand raised, a grim determination on his face. A girl lay face down at his feet, her hands splayed awkwardly at her sides.
"Fucking children!" he swore, his eyes flickering dangerously. He raised his arms above his head, and incanted, "SYAR ALKI US DEHMENCIOUS!"
"Enervate!" Ron shouted, pointing it at Hermione, but she barely stirred. He scooped down, and propped her up in his arms. "Come on, Hermione, get up! Rescitarus!"
Nothing. She still lay limply in his arms.
Dementors were slowly materializing out of the Veil of the Unknown, two, and three at a time. Ron felt their accumulative presence gnawing at him, but he had to concentrate, he was the only one who could do anything at the moment. He heard a sound from to his right, and spotted Draco Malfoy moaning on the ground, his head lolling to the side. Grabbing Hermione around her body, he hauled her across to him. "Malfoy!"
"…uuunnhh…"
Ron pointed his wand at him. "Enervate!" Draco's eyes shot open and he looked up groggily at Ron.
"Weasley King..? What are you doing here?" without waiting for an answer, he sprung to his feet. "Where's Potter?" he asked, looking around.
"Do you know how to do a Patronus?" Ron asked desperately. "We have to save him!"
"A Patro- who!" Draco asked, completely baffled. His head hurt, and his back was killing him, but he was alive. That's a good sign. "Holy shit," he murmured, looking at all the Dementors materializing around them, it seemed to be closing on twenty. "If you have a plan Weasley, now would be an excellent time," he ordered, tightening the grip on the Hunter's sword.
Harry still lay on the ground, his already weakened strength now being affected by the Dementors. He was too weak to get up and move, and sooner or later the magic feeding demons would take him, sucking out his precious soul. He turned his head to the side, and saw Malfoy and Ron backing into each other, wands held at the ready, the swarm of dementors closing down on them. They had targeted them first, they had the most magic in their bodies. Right about now, he felt like a beat up punching bag.
Wait, who was that on the ground? It was Hermione!
Desperation surged back into him, and he gripped the sword with the other hand. His eyes burned with power, and his hair came alive, dancing across his vision.
"Go," he commanded silently. "Malfoy!" he screamed, and his sword sped towards the trio being enclosed by the undead spirits. The sword tore through the dementors in its arrow flight path, leaving a wide line of disintegrated cloaks. Malfoy turned at his name and saw the sword bearing down at him. Harry made another silent command, and the blade kicked itself up, flipping over many times in the air, arcing down at Malfoy. He timed the blade, and snatched it out of the air. Suddenly, he felt energized, and charged, swinging both swords in vicious arcs, cutting down the dementors in waves.
In the center around the Veil, some of the Order were rousing, Hagrid and Tonks were the first to awaken. Arthur Weasley keeled over on his side, vomiting up blood. The severely injured were still out cold, and Dumbledore also did not move. Remus was the first to fully recover, and he got wearily to his feet. In his present condition, the utter lack of defences left him very vulnerable. The fear the dementors instilled swamped him immediately. Seeing the full moon right before his eyes, he yelled, and his transformation began.
Ron, oblivious to anything other than the horde of Dementors swarming him, tried to concentrate. His mustered his nerve, shouted his spell.
"Expecto Patronum!" His patronus surged out of his wand, a bright light chasing down the nearby dementors. Harry watched on in worry, still trying to get his body to respond. Draco was visibly slowing, and swinging in a desperate manner. The paralyzing effects were taxing him, and it would be sooner or later that the continuous army of Dementors Voldemort was summoning would get in to him. Ron's corporal patronus was fading; he was on his knees desperately shielding Hermione with his body and his failing patronus. After a few half hearted attempts to swing the swords, Draco was on all fours vomiting, the dementors closing the gap.
Suddenly, there was a howl of a beast, and a huge silver grey wolf ran along the courtyard. It had eyes that shone through the night, its shiny fur reflecting the clear moonlight. It charged through the dementors, passing through them like a mystical spirit of the night. Voldemort stopped his summoning charm, and faced the huge beast.
"Remus!" Harry croaked, hope instilling him with determination as he lay there, slowly recuperating. Voldemort's many curses didn't even come close, the bolts of magic to slow against such an agile creature. As Remus pounced again, his jaws snapping, Voldemort disappeared and reapparated out of range, firing another killing spell that once again narrowly missed his shiny mane.
Remus was fighting the Dark Lord, but the dementors were still closing in on his friends. Harry's body filled with desperation, and he felt the Solidus Charm return, flowing fresh through his veins. His eyes blazed alive and the cloak regenerated around his shoulders. Solidus' energy was now stronger than ever, and he was back, ready to finish this. He rose slowly to his feet. Outstretching his right Hand, the sword flew from Draco's limp fingers and back into his palm.
Holding the sword vertically with both hands, he brought the blade at eye level, the letters G O D R I C G R Y F F I N D O R pulsing with a hot orange glow.
Closing his eyes, Harry began to levitate slowly, then spiralled upwards, soaring into the sky. The night came alive and clouds darkened, the whole atmosphere crackling with energy. The clash between the moisture-filled rain clouds created a lightning storm high above, the clouds flashing as electricity surged from one to the other.
"Father, I need your help." He pointed his wand, and thought about the day that he and Hermione danced quietly at his house, his true feelings for her brought out in the open.
"Expecto Patronum!'
A huge corporal patronus, bigger than any before, parted the huge clouds above, and the great Stag charged down through the sky. Its hooves pounded on the courtyard stone, leaving small craters in its wake. It circled Ron, Hermione and Draco protectively, the dementors disintegrating into the smoke of lost souls. Voldemort looked up to the sky, an utter look of horror on his face. Harry's eyes burned high in the sky, his cloak buffeted by pure magical energy. There was a peculiar sensation of one returning from a long journey coursing through him. He felt a familiar soul reaching out to him, a soul that belongs to the wizard who vowed to protect his best friend's only child.
... Harry, call whenever you need me, okay? I will be always there for you...
"It is time… Voldemort, you shall be judged by the Grim. Sirius, lend me your strength."
… We're in this together from now on…
"MORBIDUS PATRONUM!"
The veil shone white, and a large canine head emerged, a huge black dog with glowing eyes. It fully emerged, and Sirius Black in his animal form stepped slowly onto the courtyard, its eyes flashing at Voldemort. Ron, Draco, and the others who were conscious were beyond shock. Even though it looked just like him, Ron instinctively knew that something was not right about this. This definitely was not the friendly dog nicknamed Padfoot. The massive dog growled, and bared his fangs. It crouched low, and Voldemort paled visibly, horror struck. He stepped back in fear, and fell, tripping over some rubble.
"No…. it does not exist, what illusion is this!" he screamed.
The Stag, the Werewolf and the Grim all walked around him, as if circling prey. The rest of the Order were now coming to their senses, and were dumbstruck by the extraordinary sight.
The Marauders rode once again.
"The Grim has passed judgment," Harry held the hilt in a two handed grip, once again holding it close to his face. Angling it so that the blade ran parallel to his shoulder span, he squinted his eye in line with the blade's target. It was aimed directly at Voldemort's chest. "Gryffindor, give me your steel."
The blade shone blinding white, and everyone had to block their eyes from the intensity. Harry streaked downwards through the night sky, a lightning bolt of blue and white. There was a loud sonic scream, the air tunnel behind him penetrated the clouds and they parted to once again let the moon's rays to illuminate the battlefield. In that single intense heartbeat, Voldemort was forced to look through Harry's point of view. And the only thing he could see was the petrified expression of his own face. The instant before Harry plunged the legendary weapon into his heart, his perspective reverted, and all he saw has a lightning shape scar glowing over two green eyes.
There was ear shattering crash, and dust and rocks flew everywhere. Ron and Malfoy created shield charms over the wounded, and crouched low as rubble fell like rain. After the dust had settled, Ron sprung up and ran to the huge crater, climbing over the boulders that surrounded it.
"Harry!" he shouted, jumping in. Harry lay in the crater, his face pale, and barely breathing. The charm was gone, and he was covered with rocks and dirt. The sword no longer glowed; it was embedded up to the hilt in the center of Voldemort's chest. The Dark Lord's mouth was opened in a silent scream, his red snake-eyes now a dull brown. Ron picked up Harry, and heaved him onto his shoulders. Grunting under his own strength, he managed to push Harry over the edge of the crater, exerting himself to the fullest. He took one last look at the dead body buried beneath the crater rubble, and brought up a mucus filled wad of saliva. He hocked it out, its thick yellow substance splattering against Voldemort's dead face. He climbed out and shook Harry, trying to wake him. His face was pale as death, covered in dirt. The scar was gone.
"Harry! Harry! You did it! HE'S DEAD!"
He opened his eyes, and smiled weakly. "Yeah..." he groaned. His head fell back, and he blacked out, his body exerted far beyond human capability.
"Harry? HARRYY?"