Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter
It was the calm before the storm, Sky thought as he gazed around the living room in Lux Manerium and the people in it. Dora and Emily were on the love seat whispering and giggling while Sirius and Remus cuddled on the sofa next to them. Marcus was debating with Blade, Frank, Tiger and Tricia on whether a niffler or a puffskein made a better pet, while Alice, Panther, Silver and Z were in the kitchen preparing for the Easter meal. Despite the recent losses, the death and destruction, everyone looked happy and Sky wished things could stay that way. But he knew that as long as Riddle lived there would be no peace.
After their raid to the Mallory Manor things had been quiet. Too quiet. Sky knew that meant that the enemy was plotting. The next time they showed themselves it would be for something big. He could feel it in his bones.
"Sssky, why are sssitting alone here and not ssspending time with your humansss." Dexter interrupted his thoughts as he slithered around his neck. "You're not worried about the Sssoullesss one?"
"He'sss planning sssomething big Dex, I know it." Sky said stroking the snake's head.
"Of courssse he isss. But he will do ssso regardlessss of you ssspending your time worrying about it." Dexter said and Sky got the feeling that if snakes could roll their eyes he would be. Despite himself Sky smiled at the thought. "Now your chameleon girl isss looking for you. Go." The snake continued before slithering away hissing something about catching mice. Sky looked up and saw Dora looking at him with concern. He met her eyes and smiled reassuringly before making his way to her. Dexter was right. Worrying would not help him but maybe spending a peaceful Easter with his family would.
Sirius sat slumped by the bar counter of Hog's Head swaying slightly as he lifted his hand to signal the bartender to pour him another glass of Firewhiskey. He looked gaunt, his greasy unwashed hair hanging limply on his face. He was dressed in old ripped robes which even a good wash could not salvage. The bartender looked at him pityingly as she complied and poured another glass to the man. He had been a common sight for months now and the regulars no longer took notice of him. Everyone knew his story. He had been wrongly imprisoned in Azkaban and had spent the years after desperately searching for his missing godson before turning to drinking as he failed to do so.
This suited Sirius just fine. He was invisible to the other patrons in the pub which was a common meeting point for the lowlifes of the Wizarding world and the best source for information. Sirius' reputation as a useless drunk allowed him to spy on the patrons report back to the DoM, often giving them insights on possible raids or other illegal activities. Several times he had even seen Snape meeting with his Death Eater contacts.
This time there was a surprising amount of smalltime Death Eater wannabes that Sirius recognized from his previous visits. This caught his attention and he wordlessly cast a spell to allow him to hear better what the group was saying.
"Spread the word! We are attacking today!" One robed man whispered excitedly. Sirius could tell he was very young.
"What? Where?"
"Hogwarts of course, idiot."
"How do you know?" One asked suspiciously.
"I overheard Carrow tell Peters. He got his mark last week!" The first one said. "Our Lord has summoned us!"
"This is our chance to show the Muggle-lovers where they belong!"
"When's the attack?" One asked but before he could answer screams could be heard from outside the pub.
"Now." The man grinned and the group quickly left the pub.
Sirius cursed and quickly sat up and ran outside taking in the massive amount of black-cloaked men and women approaching the castle while destroying everything on their way. This was it, he realized. This was the battle that would decide the faith of the Wizarding world. Sirius only hoped they were ready.
Sky was in a meeting with Marcus when the Patronus came. They were in the middle of discussing Sky's theory on the source of darkness that surrounded Dumbledore and caused the abrupt change in him all those years ago, when Sirius' voice interrupted them.
"Attack in Hogwarts. This is it. Bring everyone."
The father and son exchanged calm glances as they both transformed to their battle robes and Marcus sounded the signal that rang through the entirety of the DoM.
"This is it then. Are you ready, son?"
"I'm ready for it to be all over." Sky said and Marcus pulled him to a hug.
"Whatever happens, just remember that I'm proud of you son."
Sky hugged him back before pulling away and grinning at his father.
"Let's go kick some Death Eater ass."
Hogwarts was in chaos. Students were running around in panic while teachers and Aurors were attempting to evacuate them. Loud banging was booming through the castle as the Death Eaters worked through the school wards. Sky and Marcus along with Sirius, Remus, Team Five and several students who wished to remain and fight, had gathered into the Great Hall with hundreds of Unspeakables, Aurors and Hit-wizards who had responded to the call.
Marcus was laying out the plan and assigning positions while Sky, in his Sparrow persona, was discussing the destruction of the final Horcrux with Dora and Emily.
"We will take care of it." Dora said nodding. "You just focus on keeping Riddle occupied."
Emily nodded beside her. "We already have a plan to take her out." She smirked whirling her wand between her fingers.
Whatever Sky was planning to say in response was interrupted as the shrill voice of the Weasley matron pierced the air. Sky looked up to see that the Order had arrived.
"Absolutely not!" Molly Weasley exclaimed. "My thirteen-year-old daughter will not be fighting any battles!"
"That is not for you to decide, Ma'am." Sky said. "She's old enough to make her own decisions."
"Exactly!" Emily said.
"No she's not!" Molly cried. "I will not have my only daughter get herself killed because she foolishly headed to fight a battle she has no part in."
"No part in?!" Emily exclaimed her eyes glowing with fury. "My family is one of the reasons it started to begin with!"
"What are you talking about Ginerva?" Molly paled.
"You know what I'm talking about Mother." She spat.
"Arthur?" Molly turned to her husband for support but there was nothing Arthur could do.
"What is she talking about Dad?" Charlie asked.
"Yeah."
"We"
"Didn't"
"Have"
"Anything"
"To"
"Do"
"With"
"Starting"
"The"
"War"
"Did"
"We?" The twins asked.
"I have a feeling she's not talking about us." Bill said grimly.
"You remember?" Arthur asked his eldest.
Bill nodded. "I wasn't that young. And I had to help Mum around a lot because of her depression." He said before turning to Emily with a smile. "Just so you know you'll always be my little sister."
"Would someone just tell us what the bloody hell is going on?!" Ron exclaimed.
"My parents died by Voldemort's hand on October 31st 1981, just seconds before my big brother vanquished him." Emily said and the whole family apart from Arthur, Bill and Molly gaped at her. "I'm not really your sister. Ginerva Molly Weasley died at childbirth just few months before your father found me and brought me to the Burrow. My name is Emily Rose Potter."
"What?" Ron exclaimed. "She's a Potter?"
"Is it true Dad?" Percy asked.
"Yes. It is true." Arthur admitted. "But that does not make her any less your sister."
"Sorry to interrupt this family discussion but if you want to get your children out of here before all hell breaks loose, now's your last chance." Sirius cut in.
"The Death Eaters just broke the wards."
All hell breaks loose was in Dora's opinion a very good description of the situation in Hogwarts. The grounds were filled with Death Eaters and fighters from the resistance battling each other, bodies dropping from both sides. A group of giants had broken a wall into the castle and Dora could see Team Five, Marcus, Sirius, Remus and several other Unspeakables fighting against the group of enemies that came through the hole. She and Emily engaged in their own fights while attempting spot Voldemort and his snake. The success of the whole plan depended on finding and killing the snake after all.
In the meantime Sky along with a several curse-breakers, was reinforcing the wards around the Great Hall. The Hall was used to protect the remaining students that had not been able to evacuate before the battle began. Unfortunately it appeared that they were too late. The Giants had broken another way into the school and smashed an unprotected part of the Hall's wall, leaving it exposed.
The students screamed in panic as the giant smashed the hall and Sky immediately spun to action. He transformed into his phoenix Animagus and flashed on top of the giant before transforming back with a katana in his hand. With one swift move he buried the sword into the giant's brain, killing it instantly. He jumped off just before the giant crashed into the ground and yelled at the frozen students.
"Get out of here, quickly!" He said but it was too late. A group of Death Eaters entered, among them most of Voldemort's inner circle. In the middle of the group, however, stood a snake-like man who could be no other than Voldemort himself.
Sky send a brief signal to Marcus. The Dark Lord had finally shown his face.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here." The Dark Lord grinned revealing his yellow rotten teeth. "The future generation of witches and wizards." He surveyed the remaining group of students huddled together, some of them pointing their wands at the Dark Lord. "Oh, how…adorable." He laughed mockingly. "They wish to fight me." The Death Eaters joined in the laughter.
"Join me and I will let you live." Voldemort said his red eyes narrowing and any trace of laughter disappearing. The students said nothing and Voldemort took out his wand.
"Very well. Avada Kedavra!" He shouted, the green light filling the Hall but instead of the spell hitting the supposed target, it was blocked by a piece of debris.
Voldemort spun around and saw Sky who had morphed into a regular student, grinning at him, his wand loosely pointed at the Dark Lord.
"You dare to stand up against me?" Voldemort roared.
"Quite easily so." Sky said carelessly leaning on the wall beside him. "I've done it quite a few times already."
"Who are you, boy?" Voldemort demanded and Sky smirked.
"Oh, I have many names, not all of them you know." He said. "But. I guess I could tell you a few since you asked so nicely." He continued mockingly before morphing to his journalist persona. "Charlus Jameson at your service." Sky said and gave a small bow.
"You!" Voldemort cried his eyes narrowing as he pointed at him.
"Yes, it was me who told the whole wide world how little Tommy killed his Muggle Daddy so that he could play a pureblood wizard." Sky said mockingly.
"Curcio!" An enraged Voldemort screamed but Sky easily side-stepped the curse.
"What? You didn't like my journalist persona?" Sky asked with a raised eyebrow as he morphed back to his original look for a few seconds before changing again. "How about this? Ray Evans, we met at the Chamber with your little diary, remember?" Sky grinned as Voldemort looked even more livid sending another torture curse at him while the whole hall gasped many of them recognizing him from his short time at Hogwarts.
"No? What about…" Sky morphed again this time to his Sparrow look.
"Sparrow…" Voldemort growled.
"I just wanted to say I'm so sorry for offing your Death Eaters." Sky said sarcastically before adding. "Not."
In the meanwhile, while Sky continued playing for time and riling up the Dark Lord, Marcus, along with dozens of Unspeakables and Aurors was gathering in the Great Hall under disillusionment charms. The plan was for Sky to attempt to get Voldemort to halt the fighting and duel with Sky while Dora and Emily killed the snake. So far everything was going according to the plan apart from the fact that the final battle was hoped to have set in the grounds instead of the castle. Now they had to alter the plan and thus, as a precaution, Marcus would lead a hidden team to the Great Hall, in case the Dark Lord got fed up with fighting by himself and ordered a new attack.
As the group entered, they could see the group of Death Eaters standing on the side as their Lord conversed with Sky. The students and a few teachers remained huddled in the corner and Marcus discreetly cast protective charms upon them before turning to observe the situation.
Sky continued riling Voldemort up, but it seemed that the snake-face had had enough of games.
"ENOUGH!" Voldemort cried. "Finis Metamorphosis!" He shouted and cast the spell at Sky who at this time stayed where he was and let the spell hit him. He morphed again but this time he had no control over the transformation as it was controlled by the spell and a few seconds later in front of the whole Great Hall filled with teachers, the remaining students, Aurors, Unspeakables, Death Eaters and Voldemort himself, stood for the first time since his disappearance,
Harry Potter.
Sky stood straight as gasps ran through the Hall, everyone recognizing him from the lightning-shaped scar on his forehead, and smirked as Voldemort visibly staggered in his shock.
"Y-you." The snake-faced man pointed at him his hand shaking.
"Me." Sky grinned.
"You're supposed to be dead!"
"Sorry to disappoint Tom. I guess you're not that skilled at killing toddlers." Sky mocked. "Now how about you try again? Just you and me, just like fourteen years ago. After all, it wouldn't do for one of your minions to finish me off where you couldn't."
"Fine!" Voldemort growled. "Stay out of this." He spat to his Death Eaters. "Potter is mine." And then he cast out the first spell – a-flesh-eating curse – at Sky, thus beginning the battle.
"Vespere comedetis carnes"
Sky dodged and the curse hit the table behind him. He answered with a series of his own curses and managed to hit Voldemort in an arm with a Diffindo but only just.
"Curcio"
"Reducto"
"Admordeo"
"Protego, Calamitas"
"Sectumsempra"
"Oppugno"
"Abrumbo"
And the battle went on.
Spells flew from side to side in bright colors and the audience watched the battle with fear and fascination. Marcus's protective shield worked as no stray spells were able to go through them and the students were kept safe. The Unspeakables remained disillusioned ready to act as soon as it became necessary and twenty minutes into the fight it did.
"Enough of this!" Voldemort hissed as another one of Sky's spells nicked at him. "Death Eaters, attack!" He yelled before casting an Avada Kedavra at Sky, but missed by few inches.
Chaos began as the Death Eaters attacked and the Aurors, Unspeakables and teachers as well as the students rose against them. Sky saw Emily fighting against Bellatrix Lestrange and felt a surge of pride as she easily took her down. His eyes scanned around the Great Hall and he saw Marcus fighting Gabriel Mallory, Blade and Panther ganging up on Gregory, easily finishing him off, and many others he recognized. Remus was going one on one with Fenrir Greyback while Sirius fought simultaneously both Lestrange brothers. But he could not see Dora.
Sky send a trail of curses at Voldemort who blocked them all before returning fire.
Finally after ten minutes of battle Sky spotted Dora who met his gaze and nodded banishing the mangled body of Riddle's snake to the battlefield.
Voldemort roared as he saw his beloved familiar dead on the floor devoid of his soul, no doubt feeling his power weakening as he functioned with only the small remaining part of his soul. He send a trail of killing curses everywhere not caring if he caught one of his own.
The snake was dead and it was time to stop playing and finish this once and for all.
Sky dodged another killing curse and pulled out a couple of his throwing stars and started running towards Voldemort. He threw the stars at him surprising him by using a Muggle weapon before disappearing into the shadows.
"Potter! Come out you coward!" Voldemort yelled angrily, throwing killing curses left and right till suddenly he froze hearing a voice right from behind him.
"I haven't gone anywhere Tom." Sky whispered.
Voldemort swirled around his robes billowing and wand raised, ready to curse Sky but what he found was himself staring into a pair of cold, deadly green eyes and a tip of a katana sword, which disappeared into his stomach in a flash.
"It's over Tom." Sky said quietly. "You lost."
"I will. Come. Back." Voldemort managed to grunt, blood running from his mouth.
"No Tom. This is it. Your Horcruxes are gone; there is no way for you to come back. Not this time." Sky whispered and Voldemort's eyes widened with fear as he dropped onto his knees in front of Sky.
"May you suffer in Hell." Sky said pulling the sword out of Voldemort's stomach and swiftly beheading him – this time there would be no uncertainty of his death.
Voldemort's head dropped onto the floor and Sky looked around as screams filled the Hall. The remaining Death Eaters fell into their knees, clutching their left hands where the mark burned slowly draining them of their life force in an attempt to save their Master, but Sky knew it would only end up killing them.
Sky straightened himself and was just about to walk away from Voldemort's body when a loud cry filled the room.
"NOOO!"
Sky looked up and saw Dumbledore running towards him the Elder Wand in his hand and a mad glint in his eyes.
"You stupid boy! You weren't supposed to kill him yet! You were to be under my guidance and only weaken him for me to finish him!" He ranted. "You ruined everything, you imprudent brat! Admordeo!" He screamed and cast the spell at Sky who instinctively side-stepped it. However, there was a grunt behind him and Sky turned to see a shower of blood bursting out of the person who was hit by the curse.
Sky felt a wave of horror and fear run through him as he recognized the person.
"DAD!"
A/N: Thanks for reading. Please review and tell me what you think.
- Dalnim