Soul of the Enemy
By Willow Spirit
Disclaimer: I only own the plot. Everything else belongs to the wonderful J. K. Rowling.
A/N: Thanks for the reviews. I'm sorry for the delay; I've been trying to upload this chapter since Sunday. As a warning, there is some slight swearing in this chapter, but it's nothing too bad.
Well, this is it! Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 29 – Liberation Day
Harry, the other professors, members of the Order, and a small army of Aurors all stood waiting outside the school. There was about two hundred in total. No one expected it to be enough but it was all they could do in such short notice. So for now, they could only hope that it would be enough. They had tried to send messengers to Romania for some Dragons. Fingers were also crossed, hoping that no giants would show to support Voldemort's side. After Hagrid's failed attempt two years ago to recruit the giants, the outlook did not look good. So any help was good help at the moment, since Voldemort was sure to have a huge army backing him up.
The sun was quickly setting below the horizon. Everyone watched as it eventually slipped away from view. They stood before the main doors of the school, looking out over the grounds. The path through the main gates was to their far left and the Quidditch pitch was ahead of them, just to the right. Many agreed that Voldemort would try attacking from the West. The Forbidden Forest was to the East and it might be too difficult maneuvering an army through the thickness of the trees. There was more room to the West, allowing for faster and easier access to the school.
Part of Harry really couldn't believe that they were here at this point. They had finally made it after years of fighting back and forth. Tonight would be different, though. This would be the final battle. One side would not be walking away from this. Seven years of his life, his whole life, actually, had finally come down to this.
"Where is he?" Harry eventually whispered to Dumbledore, who stood firmly beside him.
"I don't think we'll have to wait much longer," Dumbledore shifted, as though he sensed something different. Harry glanced over the grounds again and saw a dark mass approaching.
Holy crap.
It was extremely large and it was moving steadily towards them. Harry wasn't stupid. He realized that it was Voldemort and his army but that didn't stop him from being shocked upon seeing its sheer volume. Harry knew that he was no battle expert so he didn't even try to guess the number of those enemy troops. If he had been Ron, then he might have been able to tell that there were roughly five hundred. Then again, maybe his lack of expertise was a good thing. A wise man in a movie once said, "Never tell me the odds."
Two hundred against five hundred. Surely Harry was better off not knowing the odds.
The army came closer and closer. It soon became apparent that the wards that normally protected the castle were completely useless by now. Without a doubt, Voldemort had anticipated this problem and had taken whatever steps necessary to get rid of them. Luckily this wasn't really a surprise for the home team. They had anticipated this anticipation, so everyone merely readied themselves for battle.
Soon they were close enough that Harry could identify certain creatures amongst the army. Besides the expected Death Eaters, Harry saw werewolves, hags, vampires, and other such evil nasties. Oh, joy.
And that's when Harry spotted him. He was right there, front and center, surrounded by all of his cronies. He wore long, billowing black robes that looked to be made of silk or some similar material. Go figure. Harry had to stop himself from snorting in indignation. Here they were going into a battle and Voldemort comes dressed like he's going into a ball. What a pompous, irritating arsehole.
He was so getting his ass kicked tonight.
-----
Harry couldn't remember which side actually made the first move. All he knew was one minute both sides were just standing there, glaring at each other, and the next minute they were at each other necks. Voldemort's side flew forward with snarls and roars, while the Hogwart's group responded with their own cries and shouts. Hexes were being thrown about everywhere. The two armies were slowly beginning to mix together so that eventually people were surrounded by allies and enemies. It became harder and more difficult to watch your back.
Not that Harry had to worry about that too much. It annoyed him immensely but he was very aware that he had a small personal guard fighting around him. It was no secret that Dumbledore, Remus, Mad-Eye, McGonagall, Hagrid, and Mr. Weasley were battling the enemies yet were also keeping a close eye on him. At least they were letting him fight his own fights. He had a suspicious feeling, though, that he would have more help than he would need if something were to go wrong. For the moment, Harry tried to convince himself that they were all working together, equally, as a team. That made the whole situation a lot easier to bear.
After a few minutes, even though it seemed like forever, a sudden thought came to Harry. He had been so involved with the beginning of the fight that he had lost track of Voldemort. During a lull in his opponents, Harry whipped his head from left to right, then behind him. He tried to find any sign of the Dark Lord or something that would maybe indicate where he was amongst the crowd. That's when he spotted a particularly active looking area, where the hexes were overwhelming and colors were flashing everywhere.
Bingo.
That has to be him, Harry thought to himself. Before he could do anything else, though, his attention was brought back down to Earth as he was swiftly attacked by another Death Eater. And since he was so occupied, Harry failed to notice that the concentration of hexes was coming closer and closer to where he fought. He finished the Death Eater off with a body binding hex. He looked up, only to see Voldemort standing merely a few feet away, with Peter half-hiding behind him like a shadow.
The other professors and Order members also became aware of their appearance. It was quite bizarre, actually. There were nine of them in total, all pretty much completely frozen while everyone else continued fighting around them. Even though they were still as statues, glaring at each other, no one ever dared touch a single one of them. It was as if the others knew that this was a private battle, and no one was going to be stupid enough to step in the middle of it.
What annoyed Harry the most was the superior looking smirk that Voldemort wore on his face. Why did the bloody jerk have to be so cocky?
"Why, hello Harry," Voldemort bowed mockingly at him. "I'm surprised to see you out here amidst the dangers of the battle. I have to admit, I thought they would have kept you locked up somewhere safe and away from all this ugly business."
Harry knew Voldemort was trying to bait him. That much was glaringly obvious. But much of tonight would depend on him, Harry Potter, and how well he could hold himself together. He could not afford to lose his head in this game. That would only give Voldemort the advantage. Instead he took a deep breath before he replied.
"I've earned to right to be here, Tom," Harry said, purposely using Voldemort's original name. "My friends trust me and they know I need to be here."
Voldemort's face instantly soured at the mere mention of his old, Muggle-based name. His eyes briefly moved to glance at Dumbledore. "Been teaching him a few tricks, Dumbledore?" Voldemort sneered. "Only you have been so bold to call me by that name."
"Actually, Tom, he came up with that one all on his own," Dumbledore said, radiating a peaceful calm. "I had nothing to do with it. And I think you'll find that Harry has grown up quite a bit since the last time you met."
"We'll see about that," Voldemort quickly returned his scowl over to Harry. Harry met his gaze with confidence.
"How've you been, Peter?" Harry asked, never taking his eyes off Voldemort. "How's servitude treating you lately?"
"The Dark Lord treats all his loyal servants well," Peter replied importantly like a trained pet.
"Funny. I'd rather be my own person than a servant," Harry mused. "But that's just me. I guess freewill isn't that important to some people."
Voldemort suddenly broke out in amused laughter. "Harry Potter, you haven't changed a bit. You are still as arrogant and naïve as ever."
"Care to explain yourself?" Harry asked patiently.
"You still think you are this clever little boy who can beat me yet again," Voldemort said. "And yet you never learn from your mistakes. You are always underestimating me."
"What do you mean?" Harry started looking a bit worried.
"Do you honestly think you could hide it from me?" Voldemort replied calculatingly. "You want me to believe that Hogwarts is empty, that you have evacuated the students to a safe location. But I happen to know that your fellow students are actually hiding in your Great Hall."
"You're wrong," Harry breathed, but of course something in his eyes gave it away.
"And you tried so hard to keep their location a secret," Voldemort smiled coldly at him. "I think I will send a group of my Death Eaters to take care of them for me. Better yet, I think I will send reinforcements with them as well." Voldemort turned his head ever so slightly over his shoulder. "Wormtail," he ordered. "Send twenty of my most…creative Death Eaters to deal with this situation. And make sure that our special guests go with them."
"Right away, my Lord," Peter bowed his head before he took off into the crowd. Not even a minute later, Harry and the others could see several Death Eaters fighting their way through the masses until they reached the main doors. Then suddenly the air was filled with an icy chill and he could feel goose bumps forming on his arms and neck.
Oh, no.
Harry strained to see them in the growing darkness but he was sure they were there. A group of at least one hundred Dementors were heading for the school just behind the Death Eaters. And there was likely nothing he could do to stop them.
"Don't worry, Harry," Voldemort mock reassured him. "I promise you that their deaths will be quick and painless, unless the Dementors get to them first."
Harry turned back to glare at Voldemort. His face was desperately struggling to stay calm. His mind, however, was a different story.
Just a little bit longer, Harry thought to himself. It's actually working!
-----
When the group of Death Eaters came to the large double doors of the Great Hall, they paused. Of course, it was magically sealed but it was nothing they couldn't handle. In an instant, the doors burst open and were thrown back against the inside walls. The first few Death Eaters filed into the Great Hall, only to stop in hesitation. They had expected to find a room full of students; young and vulnerable students of all ages.
What they saw instead was a barricade of tables flipped over on their sides…and behind those barricades stood about one hundred fierce looking older students with their wands drawn.
Now the Death Eaters were outnumbered, five to one.
Before they could even register what was happening, the tall, red-headed student in the middle of the group raised his wand in the air.
"WANDS!!" Ron shouted out to the rest of the students. Ten instantaneous Expelliarmus charms and ten Accio charms were hurled towards the Death Eaters. Five of them watched in disbelief as their wands actually managed to slip out of their grasps. Ron didn't give them any time to recover. "WANDS!!" he bellowed again, then followed up with a "MOUTHS!!" This time ten different students sent Silencing charms towards the enemies.
By this time the Death Eaters had managed to recover enough to start sending hexes back towards the students. The ones who had lost their wands, and the few who had just lost their voices, began surging forward in hopes of storming the barricade.
"WANDS AT WILL!! MOUTHS AT WILL!! AND FIRE!!" Ron ordered. The Summoning and Silencing charms kept on coming at constant intervals. Ten more students cast fire from their wands halting the Death Eaters in their tracks, though only for a moment. In their haste, though, the Death Eaters failed to notice that the floor in front of them was covered in a slick, clear liquid. Four of them collapsed on the floor as their feet flew out from beneath them.
Several students down the line started up Shield charms in order to protect themselves and their fellow students. A few more immediately cast spells that wrapped the fallen Death Eaters in tight, binding ropes.
"FIRE!!" Ron ordered again. This time the students split up their fire and directed it towards the side ranks of the enemy. As expected, it made the Death Eaters come closer together.
"Spread out!" one Death Eater shouted to the others, but it was useless. As much as they tried to take down the students, the little brats were just too prepared. It wasn't supposed to be like this. They weren't supposed to be organized into little groups and attack them using simple, elementary charms.
"STOPPERS" Ron bellowed. Over two dozen charms of the "Petrificus Totalus", "Impedimenta", and "Stupefy" variety were shooting across the room. There was just no stopping them. Eight more Death Eaters either froze on the spot or came crashing to the floor, leaving eight left. Those eight tried to step up the pace of their hexes but not much was getting through. The students in charge of the Shield charms really knew what they were doing.
"RELEASE THE CREATURES!!" Ron shouted. Dozens of small canaries came fluttering around and around the Death Eaters drawing some of their attention away. Using the distraction to their advantage, the students continued belting their charms at the enemy until the final eight were on the floor and bound with ropes as well.
"We got them!" Alex whooped with glee as they marveled at their work.
"Don't celebrate yet," Ron warned. "Stay alert."
"Ron," Ginny motioned towards the door. They were felt before they were even spotted. For whatever reason, they had stayed behind while the Death Eaters took the hits.
"Dementors," Hermione hissed. A huge mass of the deadly creatures appeared in the double doors.
"STAY DOWN!!" Ron shouted to the other students. "Are you ready, girls?"
"Absolutely," Alex readied herself.
"Ginny?"
"I'll be okay," Ron noticed how his sister was slightly tense, but he knew she would be okay.
"Hermione?"
"I…" yes, she was ready, but a part of her was hesitating. "I'm…yes. Ready."
"GO!!" Ron cried out.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!!" Ginny shouted, her face set in fierce determination. A great, silvery dragon erupted from the end of her wand. It opened its huge mouth and instantly swooped down upon the unsuspecting Dementors.
"Hermione?" Alex shook her shoulder. Hermione just stood there staring at the Dementors. Voices were filling her mind. She could hear her parents. They were screaming for her. "Hermione, we need you! Shit! EXPECTO PATRONUM!!" A few Dementors had gotten past the dragon and were heading around the side to attack the students. Alex's Patronus tried to intercept them.
"I…I can't," Hermione breathed. She didn't think it would be like this. It didn't feel like this before, back in Third Year. It was never this bad. Her legs began to feel weak and it was only Ron's arms that quickly grabbed her around her waist that prevented her from falling. "Ron, I don't think I can do this. I can hear them, Ron."
"You can do this," Ron tightened his grip on her. The two didn't even pay attention to what was going on around them. Ron just knew that Ginny and Alex needed help and Hermione's Patronus would probably tip the scales. "Look at me, Hermione. You can do this. Think of something happy!"
"I can't think," Hermione looked up at him fearfully. "I can't think of anything now. Ron, what are we going to…"
Afterwards, Ron would never completely understand why he did what he did that day. He just knew that had to do it.
Essentially cutting her off, Ron pulled Hermione closer into a deep kiss. She gasped in surprise as her normally efficient brain tried to catch up with what was happening. Ron was kissing her! Hermione's arms instinctively reached up and rapped themselves in a loop around his neck. A part of her felt like she was drowning so she held on for dear life. Then it felt like her body was on fire. She never knew kissing could be like this. Sure Victor Krum had kissed her once or twice but those kisses felt so meaningless and awkward. This was so completely different.
The kiss lasted for a few more moments before they finally broke it off, breathing heavily. Ron still held Hermione close as he lowered his forehead to hers and looked into her eyes. "Go make me proud!" he whispered urgently as he brought his hand up to her face. She nodded slightly with a growing smile on her face. She took a step backwards and readied her wand. This time there was no hesitation in her stance.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!!" Hermione's silvery otter appeared and she wasted no time in directing it towards the Dementors. It spun dizzying circles around their heads, slapping its tail repeatedly in their faces. With the addition of a third, powerful Patronus the Dementors never had a chance. Many started running as fast as they could for the door.
"Hermione, look," Hermione turned back to look at Ron, only to see him staring at something else. She followed his gaze and her mouth dropped open.
"Oh, my God."
Ginny's dragon was working wonders along side an enormous dog.
"Padfoot."
-----
The battle was not going well, or at least it was going well for Voldemort. Harry and Dumbledore were busy trying to keep Voldemort occupied. As he tried to remain focused, Harry instinctively knew that their side was taking a heavy beating. There were just too many enemy troops for them to make any progress. Their people were falling left, right and center. If something didn't change soon, then they were going to be in deep trouble here.
Harry could save sworn that Alex said they would win this thing. Something must have changed. Something must have happened and now they were paying the consequences. How much longer could they hold out? The worst part was no one was coming to their rescue. This was it. They had maybe a few more minutes before everything came crashing down.
Suddenly there was a big commotion coming from the front entrance to the school. Everyone in the area paused to look as a long stream of Dementors came tearing out of the main doors and out into the night. They ran as though their cloaks were on fire and they didn't even stop; they kept running and didn't look back. Harry turned and gave Voldemort a little smirk.
"Looks like your Dementor friends ran into a slight problem," he quipped. "And I don't think your Death Eaters will be coming back either. But don't worry; they're in a safe location now. They're well taken care of."
Voldemort fumed with anger as he began to realize what had happened. Then in a heartbeat, he anger was swept away and was replaced with his usual air of confidence. "Do you honestly think that a few dispensable Death Eaters will make a difference in this war," he laughed mockingly. "As I said before, Harry, you are naïve. If you haven't noticed before, dear boy, your side is losing."
Almost to prove a point, the ground swiftly started rumbling. Once again, something was drawing everyone's attention. This time, though, people were turning towards the West. Harry felt a sickening rush of dread flow through his body. If they were losing before, they were dead now. Voldemort was going to win.
There were about forty giants thundering their way across the back fields towards them.
"Finally," Voldemort smiled in pleasure. "As you can see, more reinforcements have arrived."
Several Death Eaters gave a roaring cheer as they spotted the approaching giants. Almost as a response, the giants picked up their pace. They raised their weapons: huge clubs, tree trunks, boulders, whatever they could get their hands on. They were getting closer and closer.
I guess this is it, Harry thought grimly. In the end we'll all be trampled by giants. What a way to go.
"Wait a minute," Harry could hear Hagrid shout over the rumble. He looked around and found him. Hagrid was squinting hard as he examined the approaching giants. Suddenly his eyes flew open in surprise. "Golgomath's not with 'em," he croaked excitedly, though Harry had no idea what he was talking about. "Golgomath's not the Gurg!"
Harry's head quickly whipped around to stare at the giants. The leader, a huge ugly character, drew his arm back to take a huge, destructive swing. And he swiftly brought it crashing through the nearest groups of Death Eaters; not Aurors!
In that instant, the tone of the battle changed as everyone realized that the giants were starting to attack Voldemort's troops instead of Hogwarts'. The Aurors let out a united cheer and the Death Eaters turned pale with fear. Harry glanced at Voldemort and was amused to see that the Dark Lord was looking quite furious by now.
"Reinforcements, huh?" Harry wanted to laugh. "Looks like someone wasn't too pleased with their previous manager."
Voldemort glared harshly in return. "If there's one thing you learn about warfare, it's that you always have a contingency plan," he explained curtly. He raised his wand but Harry was ready for him. Voldemort advanced on Harry and Dumbledore with even more determination than before.
Unfortunately, they didn't know what he was planning until it was too late. Voldemort waited for the right moment when Dumbledore was just far enough away from Harry. His hand suddenly shot out and gripped Harry by the sleeve of his robes. Harry had just enough time to glance up at Dumbledore and see the alarmed look on his face. But before Dumbledore could do anything, Harry and Voldemort had vanished.
-----
"Where is he?!" Ron demanded venomously as Hermione put a comforting hand on his shoulder. She wasn't exactly wearing a cheery expression either. Neither were Alex, Ginny or Neville.
As soon as Harry and Voldemort had disappeared, Dumbledore, the other professors and Order members took immediate action. They all decided to leave the battle grounds out side and trust that everything would go smoothly now that the giants had arrived. They assembled in the Great Hall, where they were confronted by several angry students.
"How could this happen?!" Ron continued shouting at the adults. "I thought you all would be watching over him?"
"Mr. Weasley," McGonagall chided him on his tone of voice. "Please remain calm."
"Remain calm?!" Ron cried incredulously. "This is my best friend we're talking about! You knew Voldemort would want to go after him and yet you all let this happen!"
"Ron," Hermione whispered warningly.
"If you must blame someone, Mr. Weasley, then blame me," Dumbledore said humbly. "Harry and I were fighting Voldemort. I should have been the one to stop him. If it helps, then you can blame me."
"Well blaming anyone isn't going to do any good," Ron admitted grudgingly. "What are we going to do next?"
"There isn't much time," Dumbledore said. "Harry may only have minutes left. We need to find out where they have Apparated to. We may only have one opportunity to choose correctly. If we choose the wrong location we may be too late."
The group frantically searched their minds for any clue or any other ideas.
"The graveyard where Voldemort returned," Mad-Eye Moody suggested.
"Perhaps," Dumbledore mused.
"The Department of Mysteries," Remus said.
"Tempting, but I think that would be too crowded, even for Voldemort."
"What about the Chamber of Secrets," Ginny offered softly.
"I think that would be a bit too close."
"So then that rules out the chamber where the Mirror of Erised was stored," Hermione reasoned.
"Voldemort's parents' place?" Snape suggested. Unfortunately he had not heard anything about this. Voldemort must have kept this a closely guarded plan.
"He'll want it to be significant," Ron thought out loud. "If he plans to kill Harry, then it will be a place that means everything…" Everyone looked to Ron as understanding slowly spread across his face.
"I think I know where they are."
-----
Harry knew he was in trouble. It didn't take a genius to figure that one out. Voldemort was probably taking him to some remote location where he could dispose of Harry's body. And yet the funniest thing about this situation was that despite its seriousness, Harry was still able to find some humour in it.
Not again, Harry thought ironically. Why do they always want to drag me away to deal with me?
As soon as they had landed in their new destination, Harry immediately took note of his surroundings. They were in a patch of forest. There was nothing spectacular about it. Harry doubted that it was a dangerous place like the Forbidden Forest. There probably weren't any magical creatures around either.
But then Harry noticed a house far off in the distance, barely visible through the darkness and the trees. Not only that, but there also appeared to be the remains of something else, maybe another foundation of a house, just a few meters away. Harry thought he could also see a clearing beyond the other house. That could possibly mean a road or a driveway of some kind. Could this be a small town or a village? If so, Harry didn't recognize it. But why would Voldemort bring them here of all places?
"I doubt you remember this place."
Harry turned to glare at Voldemort. That's when he noticed that they weren't alone. Peter was also there as well as four other Death Eaters. Okay, so the odds were still not in his favour, though Harry tried not to think about it. He needed to stay focused here.
"No, I don't," he replied. There wasn't any point in denying it.
"Well, I did not expect you to," Voldemort said smoothly. "After all, you were only fifteen months old when it happened." Voldemort watched with satisfaction as it finally came to Harry where they were.
"Godric's Hollow," Harry inhaled deeply. "We're in Godric's Hollow." And that ruin over there…that must be all that was left of his old house.
"Where we first met," Voldemort confirmed. "Where I had the pleasure of killing your parents."
"Yeah, and then your wonderful plan went to Hell," Harry snapped. "What happened exactly? Oh, yeah, you couldn't even kill a little boy."
"An unfortunate incident," Voldemort sighed dramatically. Then, before Harry could even shout out a spell to defend himself, Voldemort flicked his wand casually. Harry found himself thrown against the nearest tree with ropes binding him tightly against it. His wand had flown out of hand and it landed neatly in Voldemort's grasp. "Now I have a chance to finish the job properly."
Harry cursed himself for letting his guard down, even for a moment. Now he was tied up, without a weapon. He tried Apparating away but that didn't seem to work. Voldemort probably had something to do with that. He tried to think of a way out of this, but nothing came to mind. Did anyone even know they were here? Probably not. Why would anyone consider this place? Harry seriously doubted that help was on the way. He was alone; he would have to save himself.
"I suppose you've been waiting a long time for this," Harry said, deciding that stalling was a good defense tactic for the moment.
"I have indeed," Voldemort replied contently.
"Is that Lucius Malfoy?" Harry asked, squinting at one of the other Death Eaters. He was sure he had caught a glimpse of pale blonde hair. The Death Eater in question threw back his hood, revealing that it was indeed Lucius Malfoy. That gave Harry had a sudden idea. "Well, how about that! Looks like we're only missing good old Snape and our party would be complete."
"Snape?" Malfoy raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, Snape," Harry said. "I've been told repeatedly from others that Severus Snape isn't a Death Eater but I've never believed them. Snape loathes the sight of me; that must mean he's one of you. Plus I've never trusted him in my life."
"I find it difficult to trust him as well," Voldemort said, causing Harry to pause in confusion. "What's the matter, Harry? Did you really think that Snape could be a double agent and I wouldn't know? I have known about his dual loyalties for years. Who do you think went crawling to Dumbledore, telling him that I would be going after the Potters?"
Harry's mind reeled with this new information. Voldemort knew that Snape was playing both sides. And Snape was the one who warned Dumbledore. Snape had tried to save his parents. "Why didn't you do anything about it?" he asked, completely confused. "You could have had him killed."
"That is true," Voldemort agreed. "But then I realized how valuable he could be. Snape had managed to obtain a teaching position at Hogwarts. Even though he would be able to tell Dumbledore some of my plans, the door could work both ways. So you see, there was no point in killing him…yet."
"But you're going to kill me, though," Harry asked bitterly.
"That is the plan."
Wonderful. Harry glanced over the six people standing before him. These people could very well kill him. All Voldemort had to do was raise his wand and Harry would be gone. Should he be scared? Harry wondered what would happen to everyone else if he died. He thought about his friends and even about the people he didn't know. There were millions of people out there who would be affected if Voldemort actually won this time. What would actually happen?
Harry had always imagined that the world would literally come to an end if Voldemort ever gained any amount of power. He was so sure that the world would be left in ruins. But what if he was wrong? Who said it actually had to be like that? History was full of terrible and ruthless dictators but the world survived. There was always hope in every situation, in every moment in history. Did people in the past give up and accept the lives they were expected to live? Of course not. What did these people in the past do? How did they continue on with their lives?
A sudden feeling came washing over him. It was an unexpected wave of calmness and acceptance. He knew what would happen. The world would move on. In the end, when it came to the big picture it didn't matter if he lived or died. He had been so concerned with the prophecy before. Harry had thought that he needed to survive in order for everyone to have any hope. In the end, it was just a prophecy. Nothing was set in stone. If he died, then so what? Life would still continue, no matter what.
"Go ahead, then," Harry said. "Kill me."
"You are so eager to die, then?" Voldemort smiled coldly.
"No," Harry shrugged his shoulders a bit. "It's just that my death won't really mean anything. I'm just one person. If you thought that you could win by killing me, then you're wrong."
"I hardly think so."
"If I die," Harry explained carefully. "There will be thousands of people behind me who will stop at nothing to bring you down."
"No one would dare attack me when I'm through with you," Voldemort laughed darkly. "When the Boy-Who-Lived is finally dead, everyone will fear me."
"Everyone will hate you," Harry corrected him. "And times are changing. People aren't so afraid of you anymore. People who refused to say your name before are now saying it freely and openly. You are losing your influence on them. They won't stand by while you tell them what to do. If anything, my death will bring them together into one big army. You won't be able to fight them forever. So by all means, kill me. I just hope you're ready for the angry mobs that will soon be after you.
"And since you're so interested in immortality, you'll be able to spend the rest of your eternal life in Hell after you die."
At this point, Harry honestly didn't care if he lived or died. He thought it was only proper to let Voldemort know what he was in for. Throughout the entire exchange Harry had kept an eye on Voldemort, with quick glances towards Peter and Malfoy. All were getting pretty irritated by now, though Peter seemed especially anxious. Harry didn't have time to think about this, though. Voldemort raised his wand directly at his face.
"Wormtail," Voldemort said, bringing his faithful servant to his side. "I want you to make sure that Mr. Potter doesn't try to escape."
With a flick of his wand, Harry found himself falling face down to the ground. Harry hit the forest floor with a thud, knocking the breath out of him. He slowly made his way to his feet and saw that Peter was standing nearly right beside him on his left. Peter also had a wand pointing towards his face. What were they afraid of? He was weaponless and alone. What was he going to do, sneeze on them?
And why was Peter's wand shaking so much?
"Farewell, Harry Potter," Voldemort said wistfully. "I shall miss our stimulating conversations."
Harry raised his chin proudly as Voldemort started the incantation for the Killing Curse. The typical, bright green light came flying from the wand towards him. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Peter take a step backwards, probably just to get out of the way.
Then, almost in slow motion, Harry saw Peter step on a protruding rock. Peter lost his balance. Instead of falling backwards like he normally would, some invisible force caused Peter to fall forwards…
…Into the path of the oncoming curse.
There was nothing anyone could do to stop it. It hit Peter in his side as he crashed to the ground. Everyone stared at him for a long moment. He was motionless and eerily still.
Harry looked up into Voldemort's face and saw that he was just as shocked as he was. Then, another curse came flying over Harry's shoulder. It hit Voldemort directly in the chest, causing him to fall backwards.
Harry spun around and saw Snape racing towards him, along with Dumbledore, McGonagall, Remus, Hagrid, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Alex. For a few seconds, Harry just stood there, dumbfounded. In those few seconds, hexes flew back and forth until the other Death Eaters decided to Apparate from the area.
"Harry!" Hermione launched herself into the arms of one stunned Harry, nearly knocking themselves over in the process. "Oh, Harry, you're alright!"
"What…how…" Harry didn't know where to start.
"We figured it out," Ron said, coming up behind Hermione.
"But…" a million thoughts were buzzing through Harry's head. A few seconds ago he was ready to face his death. Now he held a hysterical best friend in his arms. "What happened? Who won the fight?"
"Who do you think?" Ginny snorted. "I'd say the deal was sealed after the giants came and then the dragons even showed up."
"Dragons!"
"Yeah, just before we took off," Ron grinned. "It was beautiful. They were burning Death Eaters to a crisp. I think I even caught a glimpse of Charlie at one point."
"Hermione," Ginny shook her head. "Let him breathe, will you?"
"Sorry, I'm sorry," Hermione stood back and tried to compose herself, though she still had a steady grip on Harry's shoulders. "I'm just so glad you're okay. We thought that…that maybe we wouldn't…"
"Get here in time," Harry finished for her. "Yeah, that thought crossed my mind too."
"Harry," all the students turned to see Dumbledore standing there looking at them. Harry glanced at him, then over to the bodies of Peter and Voldemort. Neither one had moved from where they had fallen. Harry stared at them in disbelief.
"Are they…?"
"Both dead," Snape confirmed, crouching over Voldemort's body and retrieving Harry's wand.
"But I thought…" Harry turned back to Dumbledore in complete confusion. "I thought the prophecy said he had to…or I had to…"
"Snape's hex killed him, Harry," Dumbledore explained.
"But I thought I had to," Harry said in astonishment. "How could Snape…"
"Do you recall a certain conversation we had four years ago," Dumbledore smiled slightly. "Do you remembering me telling you that there may come a day when you would be glad you saved Peter's life?"
Harry felt his stomach twist. "You mean…?"
"I believe that Peter died to save you," Dumbledore said. "Whether it was intentional or not, you two had a bond of blood because of your actions four years ago. Peter may not have had a choice; he was meant to save your life. It is quite possible that he died in your place."
"But the prophecy said I had to kill Voldemort or he had to kill me," Harry wondered if he would ever understand this.
"Prophecies can be interpreted in different ways," Dumbledore reasoned. "Maybe by killing Peter in your place, Voldemort somehow satisfied that part of the prophecy. Perhaps that is why Professor Snape was able to kill Voldemort; the prophecy had been fulfilled."
Okay…maybe this actually worked in some weird, strange, coincidental kind of way.
"This is just like Luke and Darth Vader and Frodo and Gollum," Alex thought out loud quietly. "The bad guy redeems himself in the end and manages to complete the quest, whether he likes it or not."
"Alex?"
"Yeah?" Alex, who had been staring at the bodies, looked to Harry, only to realize that everyone was now staring at her.
"When would you like to…?"
"Oh," Alex blinked in surprise. "I guess I'd better do it now." Reaching into her robe pocket, Alex pulled out the little matchbox. She opened it up and took out a tiny slip of parchment. She closed the matchbox and stuffed it back into her pocket.
Alex approached bodies carefully. She glanced quickly at Peter before she concentrated on Voldemort. Walking right up to him, she knelt on the ground right beside him. The others gathered around at a respectable distance and watched as she unfolded the bit of parchment. Alex read the inscription and took a shaky breath.
Raising her wand, she did the required swish and flick.
"Animus Perium!" she cried as the end of her wand started to glow. Everyone stared in awe as Voldemort's body started glowing as well. "Animus Perium!"
The body slowly started to fade and then suddenly started breaking apart like a sandcastle. Everything was slowly turning into a pile of dust.
"Animus Perium!!" Alex shouted a third time. Harry noticed the tears that were flowing down her face.
"Alex?"
"ANIMUS PERIUM!!" Alex finally screamed. Harry quickly approached her when she started beating the dust with her fists. "ANIMUS PERIUM!!! DIE YOU BLOODY BASTARD!!"
"Alex!" Harry cried as he tried to gather her in his arms. At first Alex tried to refuse, insisting on destroying the last remains of the wizard who had seemed so focused on ruining her family. After a moment, she finally stopped fighting. She fell into Harry's arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
"I want him to die!!" Alex screamed through her tears. "I want the bastard to die!!
"I know," Harry whispered as he held her tight, his own eyes quickly filling with tears.
"I can't take it anymore," Alex sobbed. "I can't be strong anymore. I'm sorry Harry, I can't do it."
"It's okay," now the tears were flowing down his face as well. Everything he had ever felt, all the emotions he had kept bottled up over the years, all the devastation over his parent's death was finally coming to the surface. "I'm tired of being strong too. But he's gone. He can't hurt us anymore. I won't let him hurt us anymore."
The others just stood back and let the two Potters grieve. There was nothing they could do. Years of pain and anguish were pouring out in Harry and Alex's tears. And as much as everyone else had loved them and had been there for them in the past, only the two Potters could ever truly understand what it meant to carry the Potter name.
So that is why Harry and Alex were left to grieve together and hopefully start healing their battered hearts.
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A/N: This is not the end! I have one final chapter planned. Please review and let me know what you think of the end. It is my honest belief that Peter will die in some way at the end of book seven. It's just too much of a coincidence that Harry saved Peter's life and then Dumbledore said what he did at the end of PoA. Peter will play an important role in the end, I think.
And more brownie points to whoever can guess who said "Never tell me the odds." It's from a famous movie. (Hint: think director George Lucas)