Strike once and strike right
While they were walking towards the Courtyard, Dumbledore asked Ron and Hermione to repeat word for word their last conversation with Harry. The boy had known about the Horcruxes for a long time. But he had refused to let his closest friends in. Which was highly concerning as, from what Dumbledore had observed, Harry had never pushed his friends away in time of need. When McGonagall had warned him, Harry was driving his friends away. He had then understood that the boy was afraid of being a threat for them and had therefore chosen to withdraw from their company. But then, he had learnt to control the connection. Therefore, there shouldn't have been any reason left for him to forbid his friends to follow him.
If chasing Horcruxes could be a long and fastidious journey, it wasn't less dangerous than going in a trap located under a giant three-headed hound to chase none other than Lord Voldemort. It wasn't less risky than going after a basilisk with the sole protection of one of the most incompetent DADA teachers he had ever hired. It wasn't as frightening as going back in time.
What had Dumbledore missed? What was the reason Harry had taken his distances with his friends despite his ability to control the connection? What did he not understand about these "possessions"?
His step hurried and Ron and Hermione almost to had to run to follow him.
The only way to gain access to one's mind was through eye contact. It was very difficult to do it from a distance, however manageable, but impossible when one was protected on Hogwarts grounds.
'None other can live while the other survives…'
Dumbledore suddenly stopped and the two students almost crashed into him. The pieces of the puzzles came suddenly together and the Headmaster stood horrified for a few seconds.
'Oh Harry,' he whispered in a voice so low Ron and Hermione didn't hear anything, 'why didn't you tell me?'
Lord Voldemort was watching his followers assembling in front of Hogwarts for the coming assault. He smiled as he saw the Malfoy Apparate a few feet from him. Even the rats from the Minister were showing themselves. Lucius Malfoy being ready to compromise himself was the final proof of Voldemort's superiority. His victory tonight was assured. It would just be a matter of time before Hogwarts falls and Dumbledore either gets killed or fly away. As for the boy, Voldemort knew he would show up eventually, and then he would crush him so that nothing would ever stand again on his path to power.
Tomorrow morning, he would be victorious, and his immortality would be secured. He would never be alone again. As he was about to give the signal, the sky lightened up with red sparkles. The firework like spell had come from behind them inside the Forbidden Forest. If the defenders of Hogwarts hadn't noticed them, their presence was now revealed. There was no time to lose. He raised his wand and casted the first spells to destroy the shields. Soon, many wands followed.
Harry was moving fast in the Forest. When he was sure he had put enough distance between him and the cave, he put his Cloak inside one of his pockets. He had applied the same enchantment than the one he had used for his bag, with an added protection so that only him could access it. He couldn't carry a broom or a basilisk inside, but there was enough space for the Cloak and the ring that he had kept on himself since he had destroyed the Horcrux. He briefly touched it. He had to remember that, from a promise to Salazar Slytherin, his will to save Tom had evolved into something stronger. Something that would maybe ensure him to meet this friend, to whom he had not been able to say goodbye, in the afterlife. Saving Tom was also his only chance at surviving the night.
Through the thickness of the tree foliage, he noticed that the sky lit up with flashes of all colours. In the distance he heard muffled creaks. Hogwarts protective shield was under attack. He hurried his step.
'Bloody Hell,' muttered Ron as they arrived in the Courtyard.
Above them, the shield was withstanding the assault, but little holes were already appearing in its structure. It wouldn't hold very long. Dumbledore turned his gaze towards Shacklebolt who was standing a few feet away, and the Auror nodded with a hopeful look. The Aurors were on their way with the Minister for Magic. They had to play the clock if they wanted to avoid the war and its deadly casualties. Dumbledore looked towards the black crowd of attackers and felt a wave of rage run through his core. He had rarely felt so powerless. Somewhere a boy he had swore to protect was putting his life in danger to save them, and he couldn't go after him as his presence was the only reason preventing Voldemort from going for frontal assault once the shield would fall. He would take the time to assess Hogwarts inhabitants' position and especially Dumbledore position before sending in the assault. And time was what would save Hogwarts.
As Harry was approaching the edge of the Forest, he started to hear exclamation and loud voices. Most of them were spells but other were the true expression of Death Eaters joy in their attempt to destroy his Home. It disgusted him. He headed to the place he had spotted the Dark Lord and indicated to Supra to hide.
Luckily for him, Voldemort was on the far side of the crowd of attackers. Therefore, when Harry emerged from the Forest and stared at the Dark Lord, only him noticed the boy. Harry had hoped that what he had done to Bellatrix would be enough to encourage Voldemort into asking questions instead of attacking him. But the savagery of the war had driven the Dark Lord mad. As soon as he realised who the boy was, he redirected his wand towards Harry and unleashed a torrent of hexes and jinxes. Harry just had the time to mentally raised his protective shield, and he felt it cracked dangerously under the impact of his opponent's attack.
No discussion then… Fine.
He raised his wand and engaged in the most dangerous duel of his life.
At the first the Death Eaters didn't notice anything as they were focused of destroying Hogwarts shield. They all wanted to be the wand which would cast the coup-de-grâce. However, those located near the Dark Lord quickly sensed something had changed, and they stopped attacking to watch in disbelief one of the most impressive duel they had ever witnessed. Like a wave spreading on a shore, each wand lowered, and the attack ceased to give way to the duel.
The Game had changed. What their master had sought had arrived and everyone was too hypnotised by the fight to continue the assault.
If Voldemort was daunting, they were in shock to see that Harry was standing his ground and was returning blow for blow. They were moving fast, and the elements were raging around them. They had never seen a fifteen-years-old fight this way.
Harry was in trouble. Thanks to his lessons with Salazar, he was able to defend himself and even attack Voldemort, but he knew it wouldn't last. He didn't have the magical endurance, nor the dueling skills of the Dark Lord. For now, he was resisting. But soon he would be overwhelmed. He realised his plan had failed and tried to control his growing panic. If at least he could bring Nagini in death with him, all the Horcruxes would then be destroyed. He started to change his strategy to redirect all the spells the Dark Lord was casting, against the snake. One way or another, one of them would end up touching and killing it… right?
Supra was watching the fight, concealed in the shadow of the trees. He wasn't moving at all, and, thanks to the Disillusionment Charm, he was virtually invisible. His master… His friend had grown so much. He remembered his first attempt at levitating a pebble. What he was seeing now was something else and he felt a lot of pride to have such a talented friend. However, his opponent, this... Voldemort was also an impressive wizard. And Supra suddenly feared Harry would lose the duel. He spotted the Dark Lord's snake crawling near her master's feet while taking care to not disturb him. The fight was so intense she had to stay a bit further that usual from her master. Supra noted the snake was so focused on her master, she was completely unaware of her surrounding. He knew that the snake was a target and his hunting instinct started to kick in. He had to help Harry. He started to crawl slowly and carefully toward the battlefield.
'What happened? Why are they stopping?' Asked Lupin with a worried voice.
The attack's intensity was lowering, and the shield had now the time to reconstitute itself to its fullness.
'It seems they are fighting each other,' said Moody while squinting his magical eye.
Dumbledore watched the attack stops and his heart dropped in his chest. There was only person who could have distract the Dark Lord enough to stop the assault. He was about to rush forward when a giant burst of fire coming from the fight lit up the whole castle and the crowd of Death Eaters.
While circling each other, Voldemort had ended with his back facing the forest and Harry had seen his basilisk approaching the Dark Lord from behind. He glanced at Nagini who was quite far from her master now and an idea emerged in his mind. He would give Supra the time he needed to kill the snake. And for this, he would need to get Voldemort's full attention for at least a few seconds.
As the Killing Cruse was rushing towards him, Harry transfigured a rock which exploded under the impact of the spell. But before Voldemort could distinguish him again, he gathered all his remaining force and invoked the most powerful Fiendfyre he could. Swinging his wand like a whip, he unleashed the hellish fire which rushed towards Voldemort.
The Dark lord's eyes widened as he saw the fire whirlwind close the distance between Harry and him at alarming speed. The burning blast forced the Death Eaters to take a few steps back and Nagini retreated to the Forest while hissing ferociously toward the Fiendfyre. She never noticed the giant figure that stood behind her. Her master transfigured a wave of water to extinguish the blaze and the figure swooped on her. The pain from the basilisk bite sent her into oblivion and she realised she had never seen her master so horrified and frightened in her life. As the basilisk venom killed her, the sadness for not being able to be there for her master overwhelmed the pain, and she then closed her eyes forever.
