AN: I'm getting to the end of this story arc. I have a sequel in mind but it is pending based on feedback. If you want the story to go on then you should to let me know via review. Anyway, enjoy. This chapter and the next go hand-in-hand with the following chapters acting as an end to this story arc.
Chapter 11
Luna was not usually one to condone petty acts of vengeance. In her time at Hogwarts as Loony Lovegood she had been on the receiving end of many practical jokes but she knew that, more than anything else, her antagonists wanted to provoke a response from her. By denying them that response she was able to deny them the satisfaction that they sought. However, with the evil that she had witnessed from the Death Eaters she felt justified in making sure that Amycus Carrow woke up bruised with a massive headache.
Luna saw Hermione gently lay Harry down on one of the hospital beds and had a thought, this Death Eater doesn't deserve to be side-by-side with someone like Harry, but we need to find out what spell he used against Harry and how to reverse its effects. "Hermione, I'm going to convert a section of the room into a cell so we that we won't have to worry about this one anymore."
Before Luna had finished speaking she saw that the last bed in the row had been replaced with a box that was opaque on all sides but the front where there was a wrought-iron lattice of bars. She walked over to the recently created cell and took the Death Eater's wand before dumping his body unceremoniously on the floor. The Death Eater began to stir and Luna shut the door before casting the Defigo charm to make sure that the lock wouldn't fail.
In her peripheral vision, Hermione saw what Luna was doing over at the newly created cell. However, what Luna did with that Death Eater did not register compared to the maelstrom of emotions that had been whipped up when Harry had taken that curse for her. Her worst fear had been realized; her failure to act resulted in Harry being hurt. She needed him to wake up; hoping that it would work Hermione raised her wand at Harry and cast the Renervate charm. To her horror the revitalization charm failed to achieve her goal; Harry's slumber continued.
Changing tactics, Hermione attempted the slightly more obscure Enervate charm. This spell also failed to rouse the sleeping form of Harry Potter. Hermione didn't want to leave Harry's side, but she had to find out the countercurse if she was going to repay Harry's sacrifice. She walked over to where Luna was standing in front of the cell before saying, "We need to wake him up to figure out curse he cast on Harry."
Luna nodded, following Hermione's proposition as she woke the sleeping Death eater.
To say that Amycus Carrow was disoriented when he woke he returned to consciousness would be an understatement. In his mind, no time had elapsed between him dodging the mudblood's spell and him waking up in what appeared to be a cell. "Where am I," he shouted when he saw Hermione and Luna through the bars of his cage.
"You are not in a position to be asking questions," snapped Hermione. "Tell me the name of the spell that you hit Harry with in the corridor!"
Amycus chuckled at Hermione's distress. "I'll tell you the name of the curse, but that won't do you any good. It's called Demosdepasado; there is no counter curse. I crafted the spell to sentence a person to relive their most terrible memories in a never ending cycle."
"You complete and total wanker," growled Hermione as she lunged toward the bars separating her from their prisoner.
"Every spell has a weak point; if there is nothing that we can do, externally, then the spell must be broken by Harry, internally," reasoned Luna. "Don't worry; there is no one stronger than Harry."
Harry was aware that he had been struck by a spell that Amycus Carrow had fired at Hermione. He opened his eyes and found himself in the cave that Voldemort had used to hide the locket. As much as he wanted to stop feeding Dumbledore the potion that Voldemort had left in order weaken the one who managed to breach his defenses, it was as if Harry was a spectator. Through his own eyes, he watched himself following Dumbledore's instructions to continue giving him the potion regardless what he may say after he started drinking. He heard Dumbledore beg for death and he heard himself promise that death was merely one drink away.
Eventually the potion was only one drink away from being finished. After the last drink Dumbledore feebly asked for water and Harry attempted to oblige only to be caught by a swarm of Inferi. These Inferi seemed to be stronger than Harry remembered because they pulled him all the way to the bottom of the lake where he felt his body drowning. Just before the last bit of life left his body, Dumbledore saved him and the two were once again in the headmaster's office in Hogwarts. Dumbledore shot a Petrificus Totalus at Harry, thus missing the opportunity to prevent himself from being disarmed by Draco Malfoy. For the second time, Harry was forced to watch Dumbledore die.
Harry had closed his eyes in a silent scream; when he opened them he was back in the Department of Mysteries in the Ministry of Magic. After his body gave the command to Hermione, Ron, Luna, Ginny, and Neville to destroy the shelves of prophesies, Harry's heart was torn when he saw Antonin Dolohov his Hermione with an unnamed spell that caused her to crumple to the ground in a heap. In the Brain Room, he saw a confounded Ron summon a brain that would attempt to strangle the red-haired boy. Harry saw the look on Ginny's face as she valiantly limped along trying to avoid putting weight on a clearly broken ankle.
Harry saw Bellatrix Lestrange cast the Cruciatus curse on Nevelle, as a reminder of what she did to the boy's parents. He saw his comrade squirm because of the combination of emotional and physical anguish. Soon after, the Order of the Phoenix arrived and Harry and Sirius were fighting Antonin Dolohov and Lucius Malfoy near the veil. A bit of Marauder-esque teamwork allowed them to dispatch of their opponents. Unfortunately, the victory was short-lived; Bellatrix Lestrange was able to get past the guard of an over confident Sirius and hit him with a spell that knocked him into the Veil. Harry was forced to relive the loss of two of the most important men in his life.
Meanwhile, Hermione and Luna had begun the search for the diadem of Ravenclaw. During the search, Hermione made a point of putting any stray book that she came across, that wasn't property of Hogwarts' Library, into her magically expanded bag. She had acquired just over two hundred books by the time she saw a silver glint atop a precarious stack of ancient furniture. Knowing that horcruxes don't respond well to magic cast on them directly, Hermione levitated the throne-like chair, upon which the horcrux rested, down from the tower. As soon as she picked up the horcrux from the chair there was a rumbling sound; apparently the tower was held together based on a pressure charm cast on the chair. By removing the horcrux from the chair, Hermione initiated the fall of the tower.
Hermione attempted to outrun the cascade of debris by running back in the direction from which she had come. Not daring to waste time looking behind to see how close the torrent of debris was to catching her, Hermione was extremely surprised to feel a broom slide underneath her and lift her into the air. Turning around, hoping to see Harry, Hermione came face-to-face with Luna. "Thank you, Luna. I found the horcrux and triggered that avalanche that was chasing me."
"You're welcome, Hermione. I thought there may be some kind of protection designed to use the room's content as a measure of security. I found a wardrobe filled with fur coats and cast an enlargement charm on it, the curse seems to be following you; so we can direct the torrent into the wardrobe and save ourselves the effort of having to pack up the room before we leave," said Luna as the girls landed on top of the magical wardrobe.
The charmed furniture and objects followed Hermione's progress and Luna's plan worked flawlessly. Eventually all of the charmed objects had entered the wardrobe and Luna closed and locked it with the same spell that she used on Amycus Carrow's cell before shrinking the wardrobe and handing it to Hermione. Hermione placed it in her bag and fished out the cup of Hufflepuff and the sword of Gryffindor; she handed the sword to Luna as she placed the cup on the floor in front of her. "Your kidnapping allowed us to get this horcrux; it's up to you to destroy."
Luna nodded and took the sword. "At least I don't have to destroy the previously lost diadem of Ravenclaw." She then brought the sword down on the horcrux and the soul fragment was destroyed. When the horcrux was destroyed a concussive blast of black smoke shot out in all directions, knocking Hermione and Luna off their feet and obscuring their view of the room.
Harry found himself in the maze that was the third task of the Triwizard tournament. He faced the eerie loneliness that the maze perpetuated. He was forced to watch Viktor Krum, acting under the Imperius curse attack the French champion, Fleur Delacour. He and Cedric worked together to slay an oversized Acromantula. Then Harry was forced to watch as the two Hogwarts champions agreed to share the victory and take the cup together.
Harry was forced to watch a scene that had haunted him after he was physically transported to the graveyard for the second time in his life, Petter Pettigrew murdering Cedric Diggory. Harry was bound to the tombstone of Tom Riddle Sr. and forced to, once again, take part in the ritual that would restore Voldemort to power. Harry saw Voldemort's rebirth and felt the fear associated with the arrival of the Death Eaters; Harry was hopelessly out numbered and believed that his death was quickly approaching.
Voldemort's pride forced Harry into a defensive duel that began by Voldemort attempting to cast the Imperius curse on Harry. Several spells later, Harry and Voldemort's words joined in Priori Incantatem. Once again, Harry was forced to relive his parents being ejected from Voldemort's wand. However, it was as if the spectral projections could see Harry and they were encouraging the Harry that was trapped in the memory just as much as they were encouraging the Harry of memory who was living through the events first-hand. Harry strained to add his power to that of his memory self. The memory was supposed to end with Harry breaking the connection and returning to Hogwarts. Instead, the Harrys were able to overpower the Dark Lord and, after an explosion, he found himself transported to the Hospital Wing of Hogwarts castle.
Lying in front of Harry was a petrified Hermione Granger. In her hand was the note meant to alert whoever found her that the monster in the Chamber of Secrets was a basilisk. Harry and Ron were joined by Gilderoy Lockhart when they mounted their rescue attempt of Ginny Weasley. He saw the professor attempt to turn Ron's wand on the two to modify their memories only to fail and ultimately end himself in St. Mungos. Harry had to make his way into the chamber alone. In the middle of the floor he saw Ginny lying on the ground in a heap.
"I've been waiting for you, Harry Potter," said the horcrux version of Tom Riddle.