Chapter 14: The Last Horcrux
Harry was taken back to his teenage years, remembering his side-long trips with Dumbledore during aparation, this one was no different, except for the fact that Bellatrix was wildly trying to rid herself of his steel grip on her arm. He would not let go, he could not, despite the fact it felt as though he was being squeezed through a narrow tube, unable to move, unable to breathe, he could no longer bear it. He was so unused to the sensation of side-apparition, having not experienced it in years, that he could not hold on. His fingers began to uncoil themselves from Bellatrix's arm; he was so close to letting go… so close… he was hanging, literally by the tips of his fingers. He could not breathe!
No! No! No! He had to know, he had to see for himself in order to believe it, what she had said…. It could not be true! Harry knew he would never find out… he would die… now.
Cold night air filled his lungs to capacity, he felt as though they would burst. Harry coughed and sputtered and shivered…. He was lying in half a foot of snow.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
The voice rang out in the night, echoing…. Harry was unable to move, only stare, at a starless, black sky. He felt himself lifting away from the snowy ground, suspended by the light grip of magic. He was vaguely aware of Bellatix trudging through the snow beside him, and aware of his own movement through the air, slow and ponderous.
A feeling of dread awakened within him, as he heard old, iron gates creak, and stall slightly, unable to push away the blanket of snow. He sensed his own body float over the rusted spikes of an iron fence, and heard the gates slam shut behind him.
For the next few minutes, the only sound audible was the harsh breathing of Bellatrix who seemed to be muttering under her breath madly. Good. This must not have been the plan, at least, no matter what was about to come, he had the satisfaction of infuriating the woman that killed his godfather so long ago.
Suddenly, he was falling, no, flying, and the breath was knocked from his lungs as his back hit the rough surface of a tree trunk. Harry slid down it, and was presented a great view, all was clear now in his eyes. Malfoy Manor. That is where he sat, and before him stood a circle of robed figures, several of whom looked quite harassed, and bore subtle scarring of recent battle. He saw Bellatrix join them, it was then that he noticed two things.
Narcissa, Lucius, and Scorpious Malfoy stood along with the group of Death Eaters, completely fine, with no trace of spattergroit. He did not know why, but it felt like a slap across the face, how could he have been so stupid?! Why did he not send a search party to this place? Follow his instincts? Once more, his suspicions were confirmed. Never, ever again would he make such a judgment error. Perhaps Rita Skeeter was right, Umbridge too, perhaps they had all been completely correct in their harsh, cold attacks on him. Even Percy had had doubts… he was a terrible Head Auror.
No!
He could not dwell upon these depressing, morale crushing thoughts, not here, not now.
Harry felt a strange sensation fall over his body, he was able to move! Able to—
A twisting coil of rope constricted itself around him, binding him to the tree, it was only then he became aware he had been holding his wand, which was now embedded in the snow, far from his reach. Bellatrix giggled hysterically and threw a taunt his way. All eyes were upon him for a moment.
Harry heard their words, but they did not register in his mind, for it had been revealed what they stood around, a massive, iron, cauldron, crimson fire burning bright beneath it, smoke billowing from its top. Suddenly, for a moment, the yard of Malfoy Manor disappeared, replaced by a graveyard, a flash of green, Cedric Diggory's eyes, Wormtail, that smoking cauldron, the crimson stare of Lord—
"Good," said a voice. A cold, terrible, silky voice… but it had not come from the lips of a man with slits for nostrils, a bald head, and scarlet eyes, no. It had come from Lucius Malfoy…whose eyes…. Harry suddenly knew why the Death Eaters had converged here, why Malfoy was forced to follow their bidding. What was left of Lord Voldemort had taken possession of Lucius Malfoy.
"Good," said the Dark Lord. "Harry Potter, you've grown so much since I last saw you. I'm glad you're here to see this. I'll be with you in a moment."
Harry could not find the voice to retort. All he could do was watch as Bellatrix seized a handful of Narcissa's hair, snatched a long, silver blade from the unmistakable hand of Fenrir Greyback, and swept it across her sister's arm. Even from his position, several yards away, Harry could see her blood in the firelight, it dripped into the cauldron which belched a mushroom cloud of scarlet smoke. Bellatrix shoved her sister to the ground, raised her hands above her head, and recited, with great passion, something Harry hoped he would never hear again:
"Blood of the servant, unwillingly given! You shall revive your former master."
Harry observed as Lucius, no, Voldemort, stepped forward. This was different, perhaps, not a different potion, but the order of the ingredients was different… something else was happening here.
The sound of a sickening, sucking, bloodcurdling crack filled the air and Lucius… Voldemort, hissed in pain as… the bones from his hand were removed… by the wand of Bellatrix. She held them for a moment, suspended above the smoking pot, before breaking the spell and sending them in.
"Bone of the betrayer, unknowingly given! You shall revive your foe!"
And then, Bellatrix extended her own hand forth, above the smoke, and raised the knife.
"Flesh of the servant! Willingly presented, you shall revive your lord!" Bellatrix shrieked as though to a lover. Harry winced as she, in one swift stroke, severed her hand, and allowed it to fall in the cauldron. The Death Eater fell to the ground, clutching a bloody stump, she whimpered quietly, all the while muttering insane praise in the name of Lord Voldemort.
But all was not finished.
Fenrir Greyback stepped forward, the sword in his hands.
"Flesh, blood, and bone!" the werewolf growled. "They shall create the body of the Dark Lord! This… shall rebuild his soul."
Bellatrix stood once more, and with her remaining hand, waved her wand over the emerald sword, reciting a long, twisting, harsh incantation. It shook violently, threatening to slice the flesh of Greyback's hands, its silver color was replaced by a glowing green and the werewolf let it fall into the cauldron, causing the potion within the erupt in emerald smoke and belch a ringing boom. Then, a hand fell upon Fenrir Greyback's shoulder, and shoved him aside, Lucius Malfoy stepped toward the smoking potion and peered in, the green glow cast an eerie light upon his face, melting he features… transfiguring them into the shadow of a likeness… the face of Voldemort. The dead man's lips curled back in an evil sneer… he fell… fell, into the cauldron, which exploded into large fragments of metal, miraculously, not one hit a Death Eater, nor Harry.
Where the black cauldron had once stood, now was a large column of oily, green and black smoke. The cloaked, Dark Wizards bowed before it, Harry's heart was beating, beating so quickly that it almost hurt. This was it. This was the reason, for everything…. This was impossible! It must be an illusion, it must be….
It was not.
As the smoke began to fade, the outline of a cloaked figure began to gradually appear within its remaining haze. It was a man… and its features became more and more pronounced as the lingering green and black mist cleared, and there he stood….
The Dark Wizard. He had the complexion of snow, and bore a heart just as cold, his head was bald, his nose was nonexistent, just two serpent-like slits for nostrils, and his eyes were a striking crimson. He was Lord Voldemort.
"My Lord," squeaked a pathetic, feminine voice. Harry watched as the Dark Lord kneeled before his kneeling servant, and he lifted Bellatrix's chin.
"You… have done well; your record is no longer tarnished for the part you unwillingly played in my death, allowing the item to be stolen. Rise, my dear Bellatrix."
Voldemort stood, and so did she, her face contorted with a disturbing kind of passion, the likes of which Harry had never seen, nor could he stomach.
"Now, your hand," the Dark Lord ordered.
"Thank you my lord!" Bellatrix whispered.
"Your wand," said Voldemort. His servant presented him with it, and he waved it, conjuring Bellatrix a new hand that was as silver as the dagger she had used to slice it off.
Bellatrix kissed it as though it were a child and thanked Lord Voldemort with great passion before he gave her wand back.
The Dark Lord ordered all of his servants to stand; and congratulated them all, for he was back! Their glorious quest was at a new beginning.
It was then that those blood red eyes fell upon Harry, immobile, bound to a tree. Voldemort seemed to glide towards him, his robes black as midnight, flowing like silky mist behind him.
"Harry Potter," said Lord Voldemort. "The boy who lived… twice…. And now, here we stand, you and me, two grown men, perhaps this time you will not be so fortunate…. Ah… you still fear…."
"I do not fear you!" Harry spat.
Voldemort chuckled, and his Death Eaters erupted in a chorus of laughter.
"Then time has made you a fool, Harry Potter," said the Dark Lord. "Everyone should fear Lord Voldemort, for I have returned for a third and final time."
"Because this time, you'll die, completely." Harry retorted.
"Quite the opposite, actually, this time, I shall live… forever. No longer shall I seek the Deathly Hallows; no longer shall I rely solely on Horcruxes…."
"Horcruxes," Harry spat. "A tool of the weak!"
"Did Dumbledore's portrait tell you that?" Voldemort returned, causing Bellatrix to giggle hysterically.
"Face it, Tom, there is no way to gain immortality."
"You dare speak that name to me? Lord Voldemort! I-- but no… no… I shall not kill you, yet, dear Harry. I'm sure you are dying with anticipation for me to tell you… how I returned."
"You were a bit unclear on that, yeah." Harry snapped, his fear quickly dissipating into the cold night air. He was no longer a child.
"It's a fascinating tale!" Voldemort exclaimed. "You see, when I tried to kill you, I made the mistake of believing that I was master of the Elder Wand. So, when my own curse rebounded upon me, a curious event occurred. It split my soul, one final time, the larger portion of it died with my body, but the weaker attached itself to Lucius Malfoy. My consciousness then remained with the dead fragment of my soul for years, in a field between life and death, I knew I had constructed another Horcrux, and thus I was unsure why I was not able to return with it…. Then I realized, I have never completely died! I found a way to take control of Lucius's body, and I destroyed his soul, but I was not strong enough to gain my own body with the resurrection I potion that I used when I initially returned at my father's old manor.
"I was weak, my soul was wounded. So, I had to rejoin it with a stronger, larger part of myself, the part I put into the sword. Unfortunately, this was a… peculiar resurrection, and the sword of my great ancestor Salazar Slythterin is gone, forever, but it is not all a loss, for Lord Voldemort has returned to the world!"
"And how did you manage to construct another Horcrux?" Harry inquired.
"Ah yes…. I myself must admit, it was no simple feat, my soul was torn, I realized, and splitting it again could be… a destructive idea. But I did it, with the murder of Gellert Grindelwald! I then transferred that piece of my soul into the sword of my ancestor that I had so recently acquired, and entrusted it to Amycus to place within the Chamber of Secrets when I returned to Hogwarts to retrieve the Elder Wand."
"Why Amycus?"
"Why? Because, I had a feeling… call it a premonition if you will, Harry. I thought, perhaps, Snape might have had control over the wand, thus, I believed he might turn on me if he knew I was looking to take it, perhaps he would destroy the sword…."
"Very smart of you."
"Yes, it was indeed, Harry. However I have no praise for you, most especially if the Skeeter woman is right."
The Death Eaters roared with laughter, Harry noticed Narcissa, Draco's wife Pansy, and his son Scorpious in the background, held captive by two grim looking servants of the Dark Lord.
"Now, I believe I have answered all of your questions."
"Yes. We have nothing more to discuss."
"I concur," said Voldemort. "However…. There is something I must deal with. Where is my wand?"
"Your old wand is gone, my lord." Bellatrix said apologetically, however, she held out a dark piece of wood to her master. "This is the wand of Lucius Malfoy, which you won, my Lord, by killing him, but you know that."
"Yes, of course I do. This shall be wonderful, more than satisfactory. Now, where is our trusted servant Draco?"
"He nearly betrayed us my lord, to Potter." Bellatrix announced, spitting out Harry's name as though it were an unpleasant drink. "I stopped him."
"Our accord is no longer valid," said Voldemort. He made a gesture with one of his long, chalk white hands. The Death Eaters converged upon Narcissa, retrieving her from the hold of the two brutes, and throwing her to her knees in the snow before the Dark Lord.
"You cannot do this!" Narcissa cried, tears falling from her cheeks. She held her bleeding arm with her other hand.
"Oh, but I can. I shall kill you, and your son's bride… and your grandson." Voldemort stated, smiling coldly.
"No!" Pansy Parkinson Malfoy screamed. "You will not have my son!"
"Shut up," snapped a Death Eater restraining her, he slapped the woman to the ground.
"Those who side with betrayers of Lord Voldemort must pay the ultimate price," said the Dark Lord, angling his wand at Narcissa Malfoy's neck.
"Take me then! Take only me!" The woman pleaded. "Do not take my grandson, or his mother!"
"There is no deal to be made here," Voldemort sneered, flicking his wand he cried, "Crucio!"
Narcissa's screams pierced through the night, echoing in the air. She convulsed wildly upon the ground, tearing at snow, kicking at air. Scorpious Malfoy's sobs were audible; Pansy Parkinson's were not, though her voice was.
"STOP!" The wife of Draco bellowed.
"Crucio!" Voldemort hissed, ending Narcissa's torture.
"And now, Narcissa Malfoy, bid your family farewell."
"Grandmother!" Scorpious cried, before a Death Eater smacked him to the ground, Pansy screeched in protest, attempting to force her captor to release his hold, the servant of the Dark Lord, however, did not.
"Let this stand as another of example of what happens when someone dare betrays Lord Voldemort!"
"Wait!" Bellatrix cried as the Dark Lord drew his wand back, preparing for the kill. The crimson eyes of Voldemort flicked to her incredulously, though without anger… yet.
"Let me kill her, my lord! It would be an honor, such an honor to serve you, in your true form… again. Please, my lord, I beg of you!"
"No," Voldemort replied simply. "They all die by my hand."
"Very well," said Bellatrix, with an air of disappointment.
Narcissa's eyes met Lord Voldemorts, and the both of them smiled lightly. Harry watched, from his bound position against the cold, rough bark of the tree, as the wand of the Dark Lord was aimed right between the woman's eyes. A tear fell down Narcissa's cheek, but her smile did not waver.
"This is a great honor, dear Narcissa," hissed Voldemort. "Have you any last words before you go to join your husband?"
"I'll torment you, if you kill my grandson, I'll torment you, I swear I—"
"Avada Kedavra!"
Narcissa's eyes rolled into her skull, she remained in her kneeled position for several, drawn out moments, before crashing, face first, into the freezing snow. Scorpious Malfoy's incoherent screams rang through the air, before a Death Eater's hand contacted with his temple, sending him into the snow as well, he did not stand up. Pansy Parkinson Malfoy was thrown before the Dark Lord now. She wore a defiant expression on her face as Lord Voldemort's wand angled toward her head.
"Wife of Draco," Voldemort whispered. "Crucio!"
Harry shut his eyes for a moment, blocking out the sight of the soon to be dead woman convulsing in agony, cutting through snow, hands and legs making contact with her mother-in-law's lifeless, cold corpse. Her screams pierced the air, reverberating off the large manor in the distance. None of the commotion aroused the motionless child, lying in the snow near two cloaked Death Eaters. Harry tasted bile at the sight of him, Voldemort would pay for what he'd done, and he vowed to not let that boy die, he must save Pansy as well!
He must break free of his bindings!
If only he could focus his magic enough to cut through the ropes… focus… focus….
"Crucio!"
All was quiet now, save for the harsh, ragged breathing of Draco's bride.
"My dear Mrs. Malfoy, Lord Voldemort admires your composure, after such torture," said the Dark Lord.
Pansy, now on her knees, spat at the hem of her tormentor's robes. Harry watched in a mix of grief and horror, it was nearly time, he could sense it, any second… he must focus! He must break free! The Head Auror shut his eyes tightly, concentrating.
"Avada Kedavra!"
The words echoed in the cold night, and Harry saw the flash of green, even through his tightly closed eyelids, the muffled thump did not break his concentration. He must be free, he must be free!
"Where is the son of Draco? Bring him to me! Let us show the world what happens to all who cross Lord Voldemort! Let us show the world that their families are not safe, that they are not safe from my wrath!"
Harry would not have it! Voldemort would not execute a child! There would be only one more death here tonight, the death of the Dark Lord! Harry felt it then, the magic, under his control, his head screamed the incantation! He opened his eyes as the ropes tore away, a surgical slice cut by an invisible blade severing them. In a single movement, the Head Auror lurched forward, grabbed his wand, and stood tall, facing Voldemort, wand aimed at the Dark Lord's chest.
"You will not kill a child!" Harry spat through gritted teeth. "Most especially one of my students!"
Voldemort turned his wand upon the Headmaster of Hogwarts School, as did every other Death Eater, the little boy, unconscious, half submerged in snow was banished from their minds, just the way it needed to be.
"Excellent job, Harry," the Dark Lord commended. "I suppose it is only right that you earned the position of head Auror."
"Let's kill him! Let me rip out his throat! Let me eat his liver, I'm in the mood for meat tonight!" Greyback announced.
"Dumby's man through and through, let's kill Potty Potter, let us, my lord! Let us destroy him!" Alecto Carrow pleaded.
"I shall do it, my great lord! Allow me the pleasure of serving you!" Bellatrix cried.
"No!" Voldemort snapped. "No! Away, away, I will take care of Potter! No one will intervene!"
The Death Eaters grumbled and pulled back to a better viewing position, several yards away from the two wizards, Harry glanced at Scorpious who was far out of the way as well.
"You cannot win, Harry Potter," said the Dark Lord quietly. "I know magic that even Dumbledore could not hope to comprehend, and who are you, but a Headmaster, a Head Auror, I am more powerful."
"That may be so, but I'm willing to take my chances."
"Then you are a fool!"
"No, you are, that's right, because in every encounter we've had, I've won."
"Yes, but this time it is the power of Lord Voldemort matched against Harry Potter, only Harry Potter. You forget, you no longer have a connection to me, your scar is now nothing but… a scar. And, this time, you are not master of the wand I possess."
"You're right; I guess it's come down to a fair contest then."
"Indeed, you realize now that I shall achieve the upper hand, and you shall die."
"Not really, one thing I've learned from being an Auror is that the one who takes the first shot usually wins."
Voldemort began his incantation in unison with Harry; however, the Head Auror was faster. The Dark Lord was forced to leap out of the way as a giant wave of fire shot his way.
Harry threw another curse before his opponent could return with a spell of his own, Voldemort halted it in mid air, and tossed it aside like a worthless stone, the Dark Lord then retorted by conjuring up uncountable spikes of black ice, and launching them at Harry. The headmaster summoned a wall of energy, a mixture of the Protego Charm, and something of Harry's own invention which dissolved the ice in mid air, and flew straight for Voldemort.
A massive brick wall stopped it, and the bricks shattered. Harry ducked as the jagged pieces, speeding as fast as muggle bullets flew for him. They overshot him, and he glanced up in time to see a wall of water about to crash upon him, from his downed position, he launched a golden disk of magic at his enemy, Voldemort was forced to let go of the wall of water (which Harry immediately froze in mid air) as he deflected the curse.
The Head Auror caught the massive chunk of ice as it fell with a simple levitation charm, and then launched it with all his power at the Dark Lord. Voldemort's eyes widened, he spun on the spot and vanished. The massive projectile of frozen water smashed through the walls of Malfoy Manor, inflicting untold amounts of damage upon the structure—
Harry could not react fast enough, a slight pop behind him, and then the wind rushing at his face. He was flying through the air; he hit the snow face first, and rolled, missing a jet of green light by chance. Potter stood, turning to face Voldemort who now stood several yards away. Both opponents waited for the other to make a move….
Moments of utter stillness passed, everything was silent; there was nothing, no wind—
Harry moved first, creating a dagger of silver, and launching it at Voldemort who transfigured it into a flock of bats, sending them back at Potter. The Head Auror angled his wand forward and bellowed an incantation in his head, the bats drew toward one another like magnets, forming a dark blob of moving creatures which melted into one another, morphing into a statue made of white marble, clutching an iron mace, Harry gave life to the stone warrior with a complex animation charm and sent charging at his enemy.
Voldemort conjured up a statue of his own, this one made of black obsidian, wielding a silver sword. As they clashed, Potter shot off a well aimed spell, combining them both together and transfiguring them into an unnaturally large bear which roared furiously, and launched itself at the Dark Lord courageously.
"Avada Kedavra!"
The bear fell and faded into the snow.
"Incendio!" Harry cried, launching a jet of fire at his enemy.
The foe retorted with a jet of water, both elements clashed in mid air and completely removed one another from existence.
Voldemort waved his wand, magicking a boulder into existence.
"Confringo!" Harry bellowed.
The massive rock exploded in mid air, sending stone flak in every direction. Voldemort extended his arms and roared into the night, shattering the pieces of rock into grains of sand.
Harry scowled, his frustration building. He must cast something powerful, undefeatable, something unexpected!
"CRUCIO!" Potter bellowed, willing all his anger to torture Lord Voldemort until he was dead, anger for the death of his parents, for Sirius, for Dumbledore, Lupin, Tonks, everyone the Dark Lord or his servants had ever murdered! However, the curse never made contact, Voldemort vanished….
Harry growled in fury and spun, searching. Where was he? He must return! He must!
He did.
Not two feet in front of Harry, Voldemort reappeared, within punching distance.
"Expelliarmus!"
The incantation came not from Harry, but from the Dark Lord. The Head Auror was unable to resist, and he back stepped in horror, falling to the ground as his weapon left him. Voldemort stood over him for a moment, stroking his wand as though he were sharpening a blade. In an instant, it was angled at Harry's heart.
"Avada…"
With the delivery of the next word, Harry Potter would be dead.
XxX
Muhahahahahahahahahaha! Another evil cliff hanger. I hope you enjoyed the battle, and the resurrection of Voldemort. I have no idea how that would work… but I think I did it well enough… Anyway, and THE FOLLOWING IS VERY IMPORTANT, there are two ways to end this. The first and crappier way is to not do a sequel, and solve all problems now. The second, and better way is to write a sequel, a book 9, essentially, there are definite items to work with, first of all, the Felix Felicis Albus got should come in, also, Draco's betrayal of Voldemort… the debt, as you say, was paid, but obviously Draco wont be happy. Also, Harry's future as Head Auror and Headmaster, plus how the wizarding world would react to Voldemort's return a second time (NOT the way in OOTP, I promise). We all know Voldemort will want revenge on Harry as well, plus there's that entire take over the wizarding and muggle world thing (that I'd love to write)…. So, what say you, readers? Will you join me for a sequel, or not? Vote now! Review!
