Author's note: Back with another chapter. Harry v/s Voldemort. Hope you guys like it. Don't forget to review.
Anka7995: Thank you for the review. Hope you like this chapter as well.
Starzinmieyez: Yes, but sadly the war is over with this chapter. Thank you for the review.
Maesde: Voldi is gonna be shocked. Haha! Thank you for the review.
Legionary Prime: Thank you for the review. Enjoy this chapter as well.
Cosmyk Angel: Haha! Thank you for pointing it out. I actually had a good laugh at that. Thank you for the review.
WinterRainbow: I'm not so sure about it, as Draco is currently into hiding. But if the plot develops that way, I surely will. Thank you for the review.
Moriahhh: Thank you for the review. I hope you like this chapter as well.
A loud shrill echoed throughout Hogwarts, it was so loud that Harry was sure his ear drums had burst. He clutched the armrest with both of his hands and tried to relax but the scream got louder with every passing second and then just as it had begun it stopped and instead a hollow voice, devoid of all emotion ranged through the entire of Hogwarts. Harry had no difficulty naming its master.
Harry Potter…if you believe you are so brave come and face me. I'm waiting at the front gate for you Harry Potter….
The voice stopped and Hermione looked tearfully at Harry.
"Harry…" she began but couldn't get the right words out.
"I have to go." He said mustering all his bravery and took a step forward.
"No…hey mate…wait." Ron said before Harry could carry his body forward again. Ron held on to Harry's arm as Hermione quickly crossed the room and stood in front of Harry.
"You don't have to do this. Dumbledore will handle it." Hermione said trying to reason with Harry.
"He's not here Hermione and he won't come." Harry said with a hint of sadness in his voice.
"No." she said loudly. "He is here Harry. I saw him fighting. He is here for you. I knew he wouldn't have left you like this. He'll take care of it."
Harry's head snapped up at Hermione as she said. "He…he is here?" he asked stammering and not quite believing his mentor and headmaster was finally here.
"Yes." She nodded, thinking Harry had finally decided not to go.
"Then I have all the more reason to go and face Voldemort." Harry said rounding around Hermione but he couldn't take a step ahead as Ron tugged hard at his arm.
"Mate…you don't have to." Ron said slowly.
"No I have to Ron. I have to face him, one day or the other. I can't run away from my fate forever. And plus I have to show Dumbledore that I'm responsible and capable of fighting my own battles." Harry said with a hint of desperation in his voice as he tried to reason with his friends.
"But Harry…." Hermione began.
"No Hermione. You always tell us to face our fears bravely and now you are telling me back down?" Hermione cringed a bit at his words and looked at the soles of her shoes.
"We are just worried Harry. We are scared." Hermione said slowly.
"Do you think I'm not?" Harry asked. "I'm Hermione and I need you both right now. I need your strength to go down there and face him. But if you both are going to behave this way how the hell am I going to win? You know every success that I had was not possible without you both and today I still won't succeed in defeating Voldemort without your help, strength and support." Harry said and sighed as he sat on the velvet armrest near the fireplace.
He looked up at both of them; his eyes were glassy as he stared at his two best friends.
"Harry." Hermione nearly cried as she flung her arms around his neck and buried her face in the crook of his neck.
He patted her slowly on the back and then he felt Hermione's grip loosen. He then looked at Ron, silently pleading with his green eyes. Ron's face was slackened; he furrowed his brows and looked around in concern as if he were searching for a place to hide. Harry thought he was going to cry but he didn't. It was an emotion he didn't quite understand in that moment. Scared? Sad? And he finally got it when their eyes met. Ron was worried.
"Come here." Harry said as he got up and flung his arms around Ron's heavy shoulders. Ron immediately gripped Harry in the middle and hugged him as if his life depended on that one hug.
"I'm not going to die, you know." Harry said slowly and Ron hugged him even harder, blocking Harry's breathing pattern.
"Say that one more time and I'll do the honour of chocking you to death." Ron said and Harry laughed.
He patted Ron one last time on his back before loosening his grip. He looked at Hermione and then at Ron. "Stay with me." he whispered.
"Always." They both retorted as Harry moved towards the door.
They reached the last staircase to the ground floor. The battle had silenced down. There were no shouts, no screams, and no spells being fired. Everything was quite, the sound of their feet shuffling echoed loudly around them as they walked and stood on the staircase gazing at the scene below them.
The Defence Army, Order, Aurors and the Professors were crowded near the staircase. He could see the gash on Neville's face clearly from where he stood. Luna had dirt smeared on her face but she looked alright. Harry saw Tonks right arm bleeding and Lupin's right leg was held in a roughly covered bandage. He could clearly see the blood dripping from Sirius's right shoulder and the scratches of Mr Weasley's face. The torn and slashed clothes of Charlie were not missed by Harry either.
Behind all of these people stood the Death Eaters, their masks no longer covering their faces. They were injured too…blood dripping, broken arms and legs. They were scowling at Harry angrily; looked like the DA and the others had put on a brave fight.
Among the enemies it didn't take long for his eyes to reach one snake faced person. His pale skin, chalk-white, skull like face, snake like slits for nostrils, red eyes and cat-like slits for pupils stood out from the rest. Harry noticed his body was skeletally thin and long and his thin hands had unnaturally long fingers. He had no hair and lips.
"You come Harry Potter." His voice was very soft and faint.
"Of course." Harry said as he walked down a step.
"Very brave." Voldemort said as he moved ahead. Everyone immediately cleared out and formed an arc around the stair case with Voldemort in the middle and Harry on the stair case. The others stood around the boundary as if spectators were watching a street fight that would soon commence.
Harry stopped half way down the staircase and his eyes immediately scanned the people for one person who he had missed dearly during the year but before he could find that person Voldemort spoke again.
"We'll have a fair duel Harry Potter and the one who survives, wins." Voldemort said his eyes stalking Harry's every breath.
Harry scanned the faces of people surrounding them desperately as if he couldn't lift his wand without that person's permission. At last Harry's green eyes met with bright blue ones and he craned his neck minutely and the calm face of one Albus Dumbledore sworn into his vision line. Relief filled Harry and he relaxed as if he had won already.
Harry noticed Dumbledore's face was clam but the usual twinkling of his brilliant blue eyes were missing instead they held a fire in them, a kind of fire which when trigged would burn the world in a second, yet his face showed no emotion. Harry stared hard into the blue eyes searching for the recognition in the old man's face and at last he found it when Dumbledore gave him one of his tiniest nods.
Filled with renewed energy; Harry stepped on the last step and onto the cold stone floor.
"I'm ready." He said surprisingly confident and without fear.
"Very well." Voldemort said his voice still clam and pleasant. "Harry Potter…" he said turning around to look at everyone. "…is ready to fight the great Lord Voldemort." The Death Eaters snickered while the others took in a sharp breath and looked worriedly at Harry.
Voldemort turned slowly to face Harry. He raised his wand to a little height and looked at him. Harry's fingers clutched his wand tightly and straightened up in his position.
"Now, we bow." Voldemort said and he bowed a bit before Harry. Harry bowed as well, his eyes never leaving Voldemort.
"Looks like Dumbledore taught you the rules of duelling after all, unlike last time." Voldemort said and his lips twitched. Harry remembered the Triwizard Tournament and the pain on his spine when he was forced to bow before the duel.
Harry's eyes landed on those blue ones again. It was a subconscious act and he felt like it. The old man stared right back and the blue eyes flashed a brief warning and Harry's eyes swept back to reality just as a bright green light almost reached him.
"Expelliarmus." Harry shouted just as the green light reached half way to him. Bright red light emitted from his wand and met the green one half way.
The explosion that sounded after the meeting of two spells made the hair on Harry's neck stand up. He shivered with the force of the spell and his legs went jelly for a moment. It was like the entire of Hogwarts had crashed down into a pile in that moment. The force from Voldemort's wand was increasing and Harry could feel it as he staggered a few steps behind.
He closed his eyes for a moment and concentrated all his energy upon his magical core. The images of his parents flashed behind his closed eyelids for a minute second before he opened them. The spectators gasped as they saw the fire burning in Harry's eyes.
Harry's eyes shone with power and confidence. When Voldemort's red slits met the bright emerald ones they filled with fear, but just as it had flashed it went away and Voldemort screamed, ending the spell.
"Expelliarmus." Harry shouted again but Voldemort deflated it with a flick of his wand.
"Do you really think Harry Potter that you can defeat me?" Voldemort asked, his voice still surprisingly clam.
"Can you?" Harry asked, his breathing slightly heavy
They were moving in a circular motion, one provoking the other.
"So you think you can really defeat me? With the power of knowledge you hold?" Voldemort asked, taking a step towards Harry.
But Harry stood firmly in his position. "Sometimes knowledge is the only thing that can solely destroy a person."
Anger flashed in Voldemort's eyes and the green spell emitted from his wand once again. Harry's red spell met it again half way and the explosion once again vibrated off the ancient castle.
Harry knew he was weakening, he was after all just fifteen and Voldemort was more powerful and stronger than him. But he knew it was a fight till the death and he was not going to give up, especially when he knew the hopes of the wizarding world lay solely on his thin shoulders.
The fire blazed Harry's eyes again and Voldemort staggered a bit was the indication of the strength in Harry's spell. Ginny clutched on to Hermione as Harry forced the spell on Voldemort once again.
Voldemort ended the spell like he did previously but this time before Harry could contemplate Voldemort fired a 'Crucio' directly at his heart.
Harry collapsed on the floor, his body withering in pain. He was subjected to this spell before but it wasn't that powerful. Hot knifes stabbed him on every inch of his body and he felt hot poker was being inflicted on his open wounds. He shouted and screamed against his will and he heard the faint laugh of the Death eaters around him. Voldemort ended the spell and walked over to Harry.
Harry rolled on his back and his eyes landed on Sirius for a second. Sirius was being supported by a very weak looking Mr Weasley.
"Now do you think the same Harry Potter? That you can defeat me?" Voldemort said closing in around Harry.
Harry muffled another scream as Voldemort came even nearer to him. Harry's scar started bleeding with Voldemort's close proximity.
"You, Harry Potter who cannot even exercise control over himself?" he asked, addressing everyone around him. The Death Eaters now laughed openly at Voldemort's remark.
A white light emitted from Voldemort's wand and Harry was thrown against the opposite wall. Blood oozed from his head and scar as he fell to the ground in a huge 'thud.' Several gasps echoed around the corridor as Harry fit the floor unceremoniously. Voldemort laughed at Harry and his Death Eaters joined in him in the laugh.
Harry rolled away from the wall and faced Voldemort. His breaths were coming short as he looked into the merciless red slits.
"Crucio." Voldemort yelled as he saw Harry reaching for his wand.
He felt the pain as strong as hundred daggers sinking into his stomach. He groaned and screamed with anguish, he writhed about on the floor, clutching his body. His eyes were watery with the sheer pain and his breathing came out in sharp, shallow rasps. Sweat dripped down the side of his face and covered his forehead in a thin sheen.
Voldemort laughed even more when he lifted Harry up in the air and threw him across the floor. Harry clutched his body as he rolled on the floor in pain. He tried to stop himself from making any movements when he felt pain in every inch of his body. He stopped rolling and withering and instead tried to calm himself. He opened his eyes and found himself staring fixedly at Sirius.
Voldemort had thrown him across Sirius's feet. Silent tears of agony rolled down Sirius's face as he saw his godson wither about in pain. Harry's heart ached for his godfather. He wanted nothing more than to curl himself into a small ball on his godfather's lap and sleep soundly for the rest of his life. He wanted to become invisible, he wanted to stay away from the prying eyes of people and for the very first time in his life he wanted to just die.
"You see Black?" Voldemort asked as he still circled Harry halfway as if he was an injured animal. "No one gets away from me. I get to them at last and today you all are going to witness the rather painful demise of one Harry Potter." He spat Harry's name with disgust as his red slits pierced the bloodied boy.
Harry did not listen to what Voldemort said but he saw Sirius wince as if he was stabbed behind his back. He knew it was his fault and he was solely responsible for his godfather's condition. Harry scanned the faces of people surrounding Sirius. Mrs Weasley was crying into her husband's shoulder. Ron held Hermione as she wiped her tears with the back of her hand and stared at Harry.
Harry closed his eyes again, remembering the faces of all the people he held so dearly in his life. He tried to remember every small detail he could of them; how the creases deepened on Sirius's face when he was worried, or how Hermione's face would light up when she was happy, how Ron's face would give out every emotion he was facing, how the thin vein on Mrs Weasley's temple would throb when Fred and George would make her angry….everything. He tried to paste those images in the back of his mind as the similar pain filled him again as Voldemort again threw him across the floor.
"Give up Harry Potter?" Voldemort voice ranged through Harry's ears as an alarm bell. His eyes snapped open as image after image of him, Ron and Hermione defeating Voldemort all these years flashed through his mind.
"Not so soon." Harry croaked as he got up. He placed both his hands on the floor as he pushed himself up, his wand still held securely in his right hand.
"I never give up." Harry said staggering when he stood straight upright.
"You will lose Voldemort…darkness never looms for long and after every darkness there always is a dawn." Harry said staring straight into Voldemort's eyes.
Everyone gasped in horror as fire started licking Harry at his feet. The fire gradually increased and in no time enveloped Harry in a cocoon. Voldemort's red slits were wide as they could get and the others gasped as they saw Harry covered in flames.
Harry screamed but it was not in agony or pain, it was a tired scream, like he wanted to get over with it. Harry lifted his arms up sideways and gave a second scream.
A huge orb of fire shot out of Harry's heart and the flames licking Harry from head to toe died down. The orb lighted and fire shot out of that orb in every direction and Harry was caught right in the middle of the blinding light and fire. When the light and fire died down, a huge lion made of fire stood in its place.
Harry crouched into a fighting position with his wand out. The lion imitated Harry's position and gave his deafening roar. Harry watched as a shocked Voldemort's eyes filled with fear for the second time that night. The red slits shifted from the huge animal to Harry in a second.
Harry watched as Voldemort's eyes pierced him again. A faint hint of recognition lasted in his eyes as the familiar sensation warmed them. Water suddenly enveloped Voldemort and in no time transformed in to huge hissing snake.
Everyone gasped and backed away from the fight. The huge snake looked like a magnified form of Nagini; it had the same deathly eyes and structure. The two huge animals eyed each other threateningly before pouncing on each other.
The roar and hissing of the two animals vibrated off the walls as they fought. Harry was weakening as his energy was draining quickly by supplying it to his animal; Voldemort was not far from Harry. The animals were nothing but elemental magic given a definite form from the caster's magical core.
Harry's breaths were coming in short gasps as the lion pounced and fought the huge snake. Al last when Harry knew he was about to collapse Voldemort's snake attempted to coil around his lion's body. The lion gave one last roar as it clawed and tore away the snake's body. Voldemort's cry was weak as the snake burst into millions of pieces before disappearing.
Harry looked at Voldemort; he could hardly keep his eyes open. He was drained of all energy, his body was aching with pain and he wanted to collapse and fall into a deep sleep. But he knew he couldn't not when Voldemort was still here and he was so close to winning. He firmly planted his foot on the stone old floor and forced his eyes at Voldemort.
Voldemort looked nothing but like a very aged man who was very near to his death in sickness. He was heaving for breaths as he stared with unbelievable eyes. His wand arm twitched but no spell emitted from his wand. Harry stared back at him and for a moment he saw defeat in those red eyes before Voldemort disappeared into thin air and Harry collapsed on the ground.
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Phew! I admit that was difficult to write. But it's done. I hope you guys enjoy it.
Next chapter: I haven't written it yet but it will mostly be a Harry/Dumbledore talk.
Review! Review!