Bad Love Keeperoliver Chapter 16

Lord Voldemort was vicious in his preparations for the final battle. He drove his minions with an uncaring demeanor and was swift to hand out his style of discipline when ever his orders were not carried out to the letter. The Crutiatus was the preferred method, but in one case when a lower ranked follower got two other DEs injured because of his stupidity, the method of choice was the AK. It was one thing to hurt yourself, but to hurt others on your team was unforgivable.

This was the only such instance that warranted it and it served its purpose. There were no more injuries to the DEs caused by a fellow team member. It didn't stop the Dark Lord from issuing the Crutiatus though. He used it to keep his men alert and prepared for the unexpected. He was particularly happy when the Crutiatus was put on one member, and his friend pushed him out of the way to prevent further pain. He gave the pusher a dose of the spell, then complimented him on his thinking. He said the spell was for stopping the spell from his master to the other member.

Finally, the Dark Lord announced that the final battle would be in three days, and for them all to enjoy this brief intermission however they wished to celebrate. He did however warn them that they all needed to be in fit condition in forty eight hours. This was to give final orders to everyone, and to set assignments.

During all of this, Voldemort was aware that Harry could feel what was happening, and he made sure that the brat would know what his own outcome would be. Voldemort would allow no other DE to harm Potter. Harry had to be removed by himself, but any of his friends were open to any pain that could be inflicted by Toms army. Their removal was also acceptable. In fact, there was to be no mercy given to any member of the side of the light. Potter had to be shown that it was because of him that his friends were falling to the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters.

Harry knew that with the training that his friends received, and with the hidden power of Luna and Celia, plus the number of adults that were available was more than Tom was expecting. The Dragons and the Elves were also not expected.

Of the fourteen students chosen to train with the Dragons, only six were chosen to ride them. The others helped with the care and handling. It was necessary for the Dragons to be near them all so that they could learn to distinguish between them and any others that might come near them. Any others not in the group that came near took a chance on being burnt to a crisp. The exceptions to this were Harry, Ginny, Luna, Celia and Bill.

After the training was completed, and the riders given their tasks, Colin walked back to the School and entered the Chamber looking for his friends. He found Ginny and Luna talking to Hermione and Daphne. He went to Luna and gave her a hug, then he went to Ginny and gave her a hug, and also a kiss. This did not go unnoticed. Harry saw it and when Colin kissed Ginny a second time, Harry found a way to protect Ginny from the upcoming battle. He would break up with her under the pretense of her being in love with someone else. Of course she would object to this reasoning, but Harry would make it impossible for her to change his mind, and let her go. He would never make a mistake like this again.

He knew Ginny did not love Colin. It was never more apparent than right after the second kiss, she slapped Colin in the face and told him to never try that again. He promised he would never do it again as he could not take the pain of another such slap.

Then when Harry approached Ginny with his breakup, Ginny let loose again, only this time, Harry was fighting off the biggest bat bogies he ever saw. The whole time he was fighting them, Ginny let him have it verbally. "What gives you the right to tell me something is over just because of something you saw and mistook. I did not kiss Colin, he kissed me. Twice. And he felt the sting of the slap I gave him after the second Kiss. I accepted the first kiss as a friend, but the second kiss was not accepted. I don't know what you think about this, but I don't like the way you are handling it. I can take a guess, and it probably is 100% correct. You saw Tom and he plans to kill all the people you love to show how much he controls. It is your idea to break off any friendship with your friends because you wish them no harm. Am I right?"

"Gin, what ever my reason, the fact remains the same. Colin kissed you. Twice, and you accepted them both. That tells me that you have some feeling for Colin, the same as me. I have not been able to spend the amount of time it takes for two people to get to know each other in a more than a friendly way. From here on out, I will not be able to spend even that little amount of time with you. You're better off with Colin."

"If you don't mind Harry, I think I know who I like. If you think I am that kind of a girl that cannot make up her own mind, then maybe you don't know me as well as I hoped. But know this, you cannot get rid of me that easily. I will fight for my beliefs, and one of them is you and I are meant to be together. So, go off and play hero once more with who ever will be tagging along with you and know that I will still be there when it is all over!"

Luna had been listening to the two and decided to step in. "Ginny, even though you are right, and Harry is doing this to protect you, you must realize that there is a reason beyond even that. Harry, you must believe that Ginny is strong enough to handle what you saw with Tom. Yes Harry, I know what you saw and I know what it is you have to face. But keeping those who love you at an arms distance is wrong, as we can help you. We aren't the weak kids we were when we first started. Our training has given us the strength assist you when needed. You know of my strength, and Celia's. You know Ginny is much stronger than Tom can know. You have adults here that are strong and know what they are doing. Professor Snape can give us knowledge on Tom's weak points. Sirius and Mrs. Malfoy can also give you help with dark magic that is borderline good. The dragons give us an advantage with their strength, and the elves are with us as well. We stand a much better chance if you believe in us, as we believe in you."

"Luna is right Harry. You know how strong we are, and if you are worried about me, then what better way to protect me, if I am at your side. You know full well that I will be fighting in this war, whether it is at your side or not. I will not stand by and let my family fight and not be there with them. I will be at your side, even if it is as another member of your army."

"Gin, Luna, you don't know what your asking of me. Well maybe you do Luna, and if that is the case, then you also know that whoever is at my side is a target for any Death Eater to show me what pain they can inflict without even firing a spell at me. I know the Weasley family is marked as blood traitors, but I don't have to give them even more of a cause to hurt you or any member of your family. Luna, you are no safer than Ginny, because of your father's writing in the Quibbler. I cannot ask you to fight at my side and make yourself a larger target."

"Well, I'm afraid Harry that is going to be the case, because like Ginny, I will be there fighting right along with the rest of your army. Blaise will be there to assist me and you in case he is needed."

"You both know that I am meant to die in this battle? I have to die in order to defeat Tom."

Luna shook her head, "No Harry you don't have to die. Why do you think like that?"

"Because Tom thinks if anyone else were to kill me, I will be taking him along with me. He thinks if he kills me, then he will be saving his own life. I can't defeat him, I'm not strong enough."

Ginny replied, "Alone maybe you can't, but no one said you will be facing him alone. We will all be with you Harry. There is not a single person who will sit back and watch you face Tom alone. You have given us more than hope and will stand by you till the end. We know that some will die to include Luna and I, but in the end we know we will be victorious."

Harry cried at this declaration. "That is what scares me Gin, you dieing, or Luna, or Hermione. You all mean too much to me. Sirius, Remus, Tonks, Molly, Arthur, or any one else I have grown to care for. I would rather sacrifice myself than to see any one I care for die. My mother and father gave their lives in order for me to live. I can do no less for those I care for."

Luna stepped forward. "Do you think we are different, Harry. That we will not do the same if someone we love is in danger. Maybe you expect to die, but that does not mean you have to die. You were told that when the Basilisk poisoned you, the bit of Tom that was in you died. The other devices that held a part of him have been destroyed. The only thing that keeps him alive now, is the fear he drives into his enemy. If we go in without fear of death and fight him on even ground, we will win. Charlie's training with the Dragons has given us an edge that Tom knows nothing about. The elves are strong ally. The Centaurs will be there with us. All this Tom knows nothing about. Severus has placed a dome around the spiders of the forest, keeping them at bay. He did not know if Tom would use them as a part of his forces and decided to not take any chances. If we control our emotions and not take unnecessary chances, we will come out alright."

"No Luna, I don't think any different about you and know you will protect any person you care for. I know this is the same for you all. I know I no longer hold a piece of Tom in me. But he is still a very powerful wizard and has gathered the knowledge of the ancients and uses it to it's full potential. We have no one with that kind of knowledge on our side."

Ginny countered, "No single person we don't, but combined we have just as much or more than Tom. The Professors are no dummies. Bill has a vast knowledge of the ancient arts. Sirius was brought up around the Dark Arts. Celia is a dark creature herself. Luna has a dark ancestry. So you see, we are not completely defenseless against the dark. What will be, will be Harry, and there is nothing we can do about it. We will fight, and some will die. I am not afraid to die Harry, but I will not die a meaningless death. If it is destined for me to die, then I will die fighting for what I believe in."

"I guess I can do no less Gin, but I don't wish to see you die. I will protect you with my dieing breath if need be. The same goes for anyone I care for."

Luna finalized the conversation, "None of us wish to die Harry, but all of us are ready to die if the need arises. We all wish to make sure that the future of our people is safe from the hold that Tom has on them right now."

With that, there talk ended, and they went back to making sure all was in ready for what was to come soon. Ginny got across to Harry that she had no intention of leaving him for Colin. He was stuck with her.

BL-}

Tom had no idea what he would be facing, but he knew what he had to work with. Six giants, one hundred Dementors, five hundred witches and wizards and the spiders of the forest. It was the spiders that would be of the biggest help, as they were to weaken the defenders from the inside. Bring their spirits down, before he even engaged the battle with his army. Tom felt sure that surprise was on his side.

He felt that the Centaurs would join the side of the light, as they always felt a bond with the school and it's Headmaster or Mistress. The Merpeople might also fight, but they were restricted to the water, and posed no major threat. Other creatures from the forest might also join the forces of the light, but their number had to be minimal. What Tom saw was a weak army of children, over aged instructors, and creatures that were magical, but had no magic. His biggest concern was breaking through the schools defenses. He had felt their shields before and knew them to be formidable.

He also knew that the Order would have members there as well, and these posed the biggest threat of resistance to his attack. Once his forces broke through the schools shields, his loses would at first be severe, but with the giants and the number of Dementors preying on the defenders, his army would soon recover, and the end would come soon after. His biggest worry was the lack of leadership within the ranks. His inner circle was depleted and his confidence in what he had available was lacking. He hoped someone would step forward and show his men what was meant by fighting for a cause.

The time had come for him to bring his army to the gates of Hogwarts and end the threat of any resistance for his dream of domination over the wizard world, then the muggle world would soon follow. Yes, his wish to rule the world was all that mattered. But it all began at Hogwarts, and now was the time for it to begin.

His army gathered around him and listened to his speech about how they were about to become the single most powerful force on the planet. How they would begin at a place that was held in high esteem with the wizard and witches and end in their becoming servants to the conquerors.

The time for the final battle was now, and it took fifty wizards to move each Giant into place. The Dementors were already gathered and waiting for the command to begin the attack.

Tom began the advance of his army on the gates of Hogwarts.

BL-}

The sound of the alarms going off sent everyone to their designated areas. The school activated the silent defenders and sent them forward to meet any breach in the shields that came about.

Charlie and the trained students took the dragons to their area to wait for the right time to attack. The first order of business was to drive off the Dementors that they knew gathered in the forest, waiting for the attack signal. They knew that the spiders were neutralized, and the six students with him were all strong in their Patronus charms. All had full blown forms at their call. The dragons also were known to drive Dementors off with their flames.

This is exactly what they did. They were on the backs of their assigned dragons, and between them, they drove off the Dementors before they could do any damage. Charlie then brought the team around, and waited for the chance to attack from the rear and attempt to take out the giants before they could do any major damage.

When Tom saw that his first wave of attack was somehow stopped, he sent the giants in to take down the shields. His army joined the giants, and when the first shield came down, they were showered by an acid spray that took out fifty of his men, and two of his giants who stumbled into the acid flow and died.

Tom didn't know what was happening. He saw two giants and many of his men fall to what he thought was water, until he saw the burns on one of the victims. What could cause something like that? A spell he didn't know? A muggle substance he knew nothing about?

Tom had to pull back his army and rethink his plan of attack. Nothing had gone right with his plans. The Dementors and spiders never showed up. He lost two giants and many soldiers to something he knew nothing about. All this, and they had yet to encounter an enemy.

Tom decided to get his army to destroy the shields from a distance to counter the substance that took so many of his warriors. He watched as the shields began to weaken. It could be seen as they begin to dim

with each attack. He saw the flow of the death as each shield fell. He was beginning to feel better about things as he watched each shield fall. He also saw the defenders gather at the gates waiting for the final shield to fall and prepare for the attack that would soon follow. Tom watched the defenders as they moved into place, and knew something was different about them. Their moves were mechanical. They moved slowly and too precisely. It was as if they were not real. He decided when it was time to attack, he would send in the giants and let them do as much damage as they could before he sent in his army of wizards.

BL-}

Charlie and his squad sat and watched the proceedings as they went on. Kreachers idea of the acid was brilliant. It gave the school enough time for its defenders to get into place. They watched as Tom sent his giants forward to attack the school in advance of his army. Charlie started to laugh at this, as this was what they were looking for. He never thought Severus' thoughts were correct, but he was now proven wrong. He would never doubt him again. It was about time for his part in the battle plan to take place, and he prepared his squad. They would attack the enemy when they began their advance on the gates. This is when they would all begin to pack themselves together and would be hard to move and return fire. Charlie also knew that the second part of the plan would be taking place at the same time.

Dobby and Kreacher were ready to do their part in the battle. They would attack the giants where it was believed to be their weakest point, their ear passages and their eyes. This bit of information came from Grawp, Hagrids brother. Grawp had his part in the battle as well. He would join the elves in the battle against the giants, taking on one of the fierce beings. His training he received from Hagrid would serve its purpose, as he would fight with his mind as well as his strength. Before he met Hagrid, he was considered a runt to the other giants, and was picked on and beaten regularly. He fought like any other giant did. Grawp has been trained to defend himself while looking for any advantage he could get. He trained for speed and agility. He would be fighting a battle other giants did not understand.

Time had come for the light to use this training and advance on the Death Eaters as they entered the gates to Hogwarts. Charlie and the other dragon riders began their attack from the rear, and the elves and Grawp made their attack on the giants.

The dragons began with their fire breath that took its toll on the rear forces, but was soon countered by the shields put up by the dark army. It was far less damage than Charlie counted on. By look of it, there had been only thirty or forty DEs taken out. He had hoped for over a hundred.

The elves began their attack on the giants, and did their part in disrupting their flow. The damage to the giants was again not as high as they had hoped for. The ears were tougher than expected and the eyes had a film on them that protected them from harsh lights. Their blindness was only temporary and when it came back, the giants were angered. Grawp entered the battle and did the best of the three attackers. He killed the first giant he battled in a short period of time, and was facing off against a second, when he was hit from behind by a third giant. The third one would have killed Grawp if not for the elves coming to his aid. They swarmed over the giant like ants, stinging it in hard to reach places, then departed the giant so that the centaurs could do their part. Using the venom taken from dead spiders, they fired arrows dipped in the venom and shot them into the giants eyes. This did the trick that the elves could not accomplish. The giant fell dead from all the venom shot into his system. Then a second one fell from the same plight. By this time, the giants had fought their way through the guards of Hogwarts and advanced on the walls of the school.

The Centaurs had to fall back as they ran out of the poison arrows, and regular arrows had little effect on the giants. They retreated back to the forest to wait on the humans to enter the gates and would face the Centaurs on a more even fight.

The DEs got through the gates and started to fire upon the elves that were fighting the giants. They began to drop to the ground where they were stepped on by the giants. It was becoming a slaughter for the elves, so they retreated as well.

The dragons fire was not a factor anymore, so they began to join the fray, and took out the DEs with their claws. This became the most effective defense yet. More than two hundred DEs fell to this attack, before Tom stepped into the battle. His magic was more than enough to combat the dragons and four died before the last three could get away. Norbert, the Chinese fireball and a Horntail were the three. However, before he died, the old Ridgeback took Colin back to the school to be healed. He then turned and went back into the battle where he died fighting with his last breath.

Of the riders, Ron, Fred and George were unaccounted for. Draco used Norbert to try and find them, but it was no use. They were assumed dead due to where the dragons went down, in the midst of the DEs.

Tom led his remaining forces up to the school where they were facing the students and Professors plus others Tom could not believe were there. Sirius Black and Severus Snape were standing shoulder to shoulder, as well as Remus Lupin.

"Severus, you choose poor partners for your betrayal. Do you honestly think you stand a chance against me with my forces, and you with a blood traitor and a mixed blood?"

"Do not take them lightly TOM. They are better than any you have standing around you."

"DO YOU DARE TO MOCK ME BY USING THIS NAME? FOR THAT YOU SHALL DIE A MOST UNPLEASANT DEATH, HALF BLOOD. AVADA KEDAVRA!"

The spell never reached Severus, as a wall formed in front of him, taking the full brunt of it. Remus was the first to see it coming, and countered it with the wall. He then blasted ten Death Eaters with a bombarda curse. From there, all hell broke loose and the battle for Hogwarts began for real.

Flashes of red, green, blue, yellow, orange and purple were seen over and over again. People on both sides began to fall. Toms army outnumbered the side of the light, but the light side had the better trained members. Soon, their numbers were less than even as the DEs panicked from the devastation that rained down on them from the Hogwart defenders.

Once again Tom's voice rang out over the sound of the battle, "STAY AND FIGHT YOU COWARDS! YOU HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR AS LONG AS I AM HERE. THOSE OF YOU WHO REMAIN SHALL BE REWARDED BEYONG YOUR IMAGINATION."

Still his army ran from the carnage. Only a few remained behind to continue to fight at Toms side.

BL-}

Marie and a few others were all that remained in the chamber to help with the wounded. They heard nothing about what was going on over them except from what they were told about from the wounded who were brought in for treatment.

This was how she heard about Ron, Fred, and George missing and presumed dead. It was how she learned that Professor Slughorn had died saving Draco, Charlie and Colin from a collapsing wall. He was struck from behind by a cowardly Death Eater who joined Horace when the three took out their revenge on the fallen Professor. They saw three more trying to sneak into the ranks of the defenders and were ready to take them out when Charlie heard a familiar voice.

"HOLD UP, WE'RE ON YOUR SIDE!"

"George, is that you? Who is with you?"

"Ya Charlie, it's me. I have Fred and Ron with me, but they are in bad shape. Fred has lost a lot of blood from a cut on his chest, and Ron is hurt bad by a giant that h it him with his club. I think he may have a broken back."

"Prove to me you are who you say you are."

"You and Tonks had a thing going on in school. You almost asked her to marry you, but chickened out. That is the reason you left for Romania."

Charlie gulped real hard, "It is you. Come on in. We will help get Fred and Ron down to the hospital."

Charlie, Draco, Colin and George got them to the chamber, followed by Molly and Arthur. Both were crying over their two sons. Fred would be alright, but Ron may never walk again. It was worse than George thought. Nerve damage as well as shattered bones in his back and legs made the outlook bleak.

BL-}

The battle was still going on, and the defenders took their advantage to the attack. Tom and his few remaining men began to retreat to the lake. Tom saw what was happening, and stopped 100 meters from the waters edge. He saw one of the defenders he wished to remove. The color of the hair had to make this person a Weasley, and it's length made it the youngest of them, the girl. Tom looked straight into her eyes and fired the curse that would have taken her life except that someone stepped in front of her and was hit. This person should have died, but instead, he turned on Tom and cried out, "We end this here Tom Riddle. Either you or I will die in the next few moments, but before that happens I wish for you to hear me out."

"You wish to say you last few words to your friends Potter. How charming. Go ahead and tell them goodbye."

"Not to them Tom, they are for you."

"You wish to beg for mercy do you."

"No, I wish to explain to you why it will be you who dies here tonight. You see Tom, we know how you keep coming back after we thought we had got rid of you. That was some very dark magic you used. But, thanks to Bella, we were able to finally destroy the other articles we had in our possession, like the Diadem of Lady Ravenclaw, The Gaunt ring, Slytherin's Locket and the image of Bella destroying Lady Hufflepuff's cup. Of course you already knew that your diary had been destroyed. When Bella killed Nagini, she opened the door for us to do away with the rest. In other words Tom, you are defenseless. You can die this evening and there is nothing you can do about it."

Tom's look said many things, but fear wasn't one of them. He looked more confused than anything. "How did you find them Harry Potter? They were supposed to be hidden so that no one could find them? And how is it you know of Bellatrix, and what she did, when I didn't know? I was there to see that fire and Nagini burn in it. Belltrix was not even there."

"You're right Tom, she wasn't there when you got there. She had already left by that time. She had help with her escape. You see Tom, she was bitter at the way you treated her and she struck back the only way she knew how. She knew she could not face you, but she did know how to hurt you. She had her elf help her in her every move. She knew the cup meant something very dear to you, so she destroyed it but died in the attempt."

"Even with this knowledge, I am strong enough to defeat you and this pathetic army. One thing I would like to know before you die. How is it you survived my killing curse?"

"That is because of the love my mother had for me. You killed her that evening, but you didn't kill the love she had for me. Her love created a situation in me that made me immune to the curse. It was sort of like your Horcruxes. Her love and her giving herself to you freely gave me the ability to absorb your curse without harm. You see Tom, my mother's soul runs in my body like yours runs in your horcruxes. The difference is She gave up her life to create this horcrux where you took lives to create yours. What you did Tom, was to create the weapon that would be used to destroy you, namely me. Of course, the results would have been the same if it was Neville you had attacked that evening. I did not know this until. I had a talk with Professor Snape. He didn't know this, but when he told me of the love he had for her, and then told me of how he was able to fight off your calling, it all came together. My mother used his love to set her plans in motion. She knew that when the time came for him to make his commitment, he would choose the side of the light because deep down inside, he had shown love rather than hate, and that would eventually free him from your hold."

"Your talk makes no sense Potter. Love has no power over magic. Love prevents one from thinking straight. It is confusing and hindering to all who allow it to control their feelings. That is why I am so powerful, I feel no love."

"You're wrong Tom. That is why you are so weak. Without love there is no balance. It is the same with hate. Without hate, there can be no balance. Perhaps hate is the wrong word, but for this conversation, I will use it."

"Enough of this. It is time for you to die now Potter. You have wasted enough of my time with this dribble. Are you ready to join your parents in the afterlife Harry?"

"I am more than ready Tom. I look forward to the time I will join them. Are you ready to join your parents as well Tom?"

"I will not be joining them tonight or any time soon Harry. It is you who will die this evening."

"So be it then, let us begin, but know this Tom, without being prepared, you will be spending much time wandering this earth as a separated spirit hoping to make it to your final destination."

With that, the fight began, and from the start Tom was on the offensive, driving Harry back toward the castle. Harry stayed with his defensive posture, hoping to tire Tom out. It looked useless to him as Tom continued his assault on Harry, without any indication of his being tired. But looks can be deceiving. In fact, Tom was not use to carrying on a prolonged fight. He was use to the fact that his killing curse was all he ever needed. With it being useless in this fight, he has to resort to using spells and curses that took too much out of him. However, he was not going to show anyone how weak he was by stopping too soon.

Tom could not keep up this pace any longer and Harry saw his chance to strike back. He used his disarming curse on Tom. It pushed him back several meters, but it did not take his wand. He then fell when Harry used a tripping and tangle foot curse on him. He could not believe that he was caught like that. He blocked Harry's next spell, and used this time to get up and fire back. However, he did not see Harry set up a spell that reflected back any spell used against his. When his spell hit this, Tom was struck by that very same diffindo spell he sent. The cut severed the artery in his neck. And with that, Tom drowned in his own blood.

The battle was over and Tom has been defeated with his own spell. It was now time to to see who made it through it alive.