My standard sorry for the mistakes, grammar errors, blah, blah, blah.
Sorry for the lateness also. Summer is busy.
.-.
Harry gazed down at the soon to be battle field. The dark forces of Voldemort's were lined up near the forest, waiting for some signal. The Light forces stood protected just inside the school gates, Hogwarts defences shrouding them.
"What a wonderful sight." Harry said softly to himself.
"Is it?"
Harry didn't look behind him as Lucius came up to him, silently in the dark of the astronomy tower. Harry didn't even twitch as Lucius's long fingers carded through his loose dark hair.
"Yes." Harry answered. "It is. Now watch, It is about to begin."
And there was the signal, walking calmly up the path right between the two armies. Blaise was tall and elegant, wearing dark gold robes and visible by the reflection of the torches in hand and the ward lights. He looked tall and dangerous as he strode confidently not a bend in his back or a hesitation in his step. Walking, almost pitifully, behind him was a stooped old man with very little hair and rags for robes. He may have looked broken and bent, but the old man tasted dark, even from how far Harry was away. He could taste the centuries of aged darkness in the man and leaned forward near eagerly as he gazed at the greatest dark lord since Salazar Slytherin. Harry dearly wanted to keep the old man, hide him away and not let such a darkness go. He sighed softly knowing he had too. This one he could not keep. He was needed for a different purpose.
Harry's eyes flickered away from the old man to the Light forces standing at the gate of Hogwarts, shrouded by the castle's magical defences and wards. Harry only smiled as he saw Dumbledore's look of recognition. The man's mouth fell open in a cry that was far to far away for Harry to hear. Then Dumbledore was running, out past the gates and the wards, drove by memoires and magic. He looked like a gazelle despite his age, long legs making his strides near leaps. Harry could see the worry and the anxiety and the fear in his face. It was far too human.
Voldemort was smirking triumphantly, raising his hand to begin the attack, his trap sprung. Harry could see glee in his eyes as his lips pulled back, sparks starting to emerge from his wand as his army, tensed, ready to leap. Already, the most loyal to Dumbledore had already run from safety to aide the elder man, none quite catching up to him, but desperately trying all the same.
It all happened at once; Voldemort shouted out a command and the Dark Army sprung, howling and screaming their bloodlust as they charged; The Light forces threw barriers at the group running behind Dumbledore, hoping to call them back to safety or shield them; Dumbledore's magic rose to the visible spectrum, a pretty blue, as he reached desperately for Gellert Grindewald, lunging forwards the final step: Gellert Grindewald merely smiled at him and closed his eyes: and then Blaise began everything by drawing an ornate dagger from his robe and whispering the words of sacrifice as he plunged the knife into the heart of the man Dumbledore had once known and loved.
Dumbledore faltered, tripping the last step forward and was sprayed by blood as Blaise ripped the dagger from the dying man's body. Harry watched closely as Dumbledore's face etched itself in horror as he caught the slumping corpse of the man who had made him human, his blood running down his pale skin. Dumbledore followed the man to the ground, half cradling him as his magic collapsed in on itself in shock starting to expand in an explosion caused by the unbalancing.
Harry flickered his eyes away knowing the man was going to destroy himself. He was more interested in the large signs and runes burning themselves in the grounds before Hogwarts. The grass withered and died as invisible hands drew the human sized shapes in the grass. No one else really noticed as the Light forces tried to scramble behind their defences and the Dark charged. The dark army crossed the edge of the circle of runes and suddenly the runes burned black and red. At the same moment the Light forces chasing after Dumbledore stumbled over the opposite edge, reaching for the old man and not aware of the chaotic storm of magic that was swirling inside of him. The runes burned white and blue under their feet.
"Will you forgive me milord?" Lucius whispered behind him suddenly, anguished.
Lucius, behind him, sounded agonized, worried, tormented. Harry didn't look away from the field as the runes started the curl about Dumbledore and then reach out blindly for the last piece of the ritual/puzzle. Harry knew exactly what was needed.
Hands hovered above his shoulder blades, building up the courage and that was when Harry finally turned. Lucius, already in the motion of giving him a light push, flinched back, his eyes flashing darkly as he stared into Harry's own burning green ones. Even as Harry tripped backwards he raised an arm and brushed it against the tall blonde's cheek, fleetingly as he arched back. He didn't even attempt to catch himself.
"Of course Lucius."
And then he hit the rail and went over.
For a brief few precious second Harry felt the blood pumping through his veins and the wind screaming past him. He felt the pull of his clothes as his hair whipped past his face and felt entirely weightless as he fell. For a moment Harry felt alive.
And then he died. He hit the unforgiving stone ground, his body breaking even as his bloody splattered so beautifully, the rune pattern twisting around him joyfully and lighting up void-black.
.-.
The end of Chp. 51 – The Beginning.