Disclaimer: I do not, in anyway own the wonderful world of Harry Potter, or Charmed or the man of legend mentioned in this chapter. I am just dabbling in the world they left for us. Though I do own the plot...
(please note...more of a warning... that within this chapter I take some pretty major liberties with a lot of things...one in particular...and without going into too much detail...some of you may not like what I write in this chapter. You will know it when you see it, just please, go with it.)
Chapter 64 pt 2…
A Destiny Fulfilled.
LAST TIME:
With a nod of his own, he turned back to face his oncoming enemy and said,
"It's time to end this."
Don't blink.
Don't even blink.
Blink and I'm dead.
But he couldn't help it. One second, he was watching the swiftly moving black forms coming from within the forest and the next...he blinked. In the moment Harry had blinked, they had vanished from where they had been and appeared right in front of those assembled in front of the school, en masse.
Harry sighed as a deep hiss called out from within of the group assembled in front of him. "Harry Potter...or should I say Halliwell, so nice of you to join us." The Dark Lord called out as he stepped forth from the flames that had just sprung up from nowhere.
There were stirrings in both groups and though he could hear some of the mumbling come from within his ranks, he chose to ignore them in favor of the being who was walking, no gliding, closer to him and his family. The evil one smirked, he too having heard the rumblings. "Didn't tell them who you are, did you? How rude."
The death eaters and demons laughed. Voldemort ignored them. "Yes, dear ones, this boy who stands as your champion before you has lied about who he is. Why stand with him. He who would hold back information from you; lie to you about who he is and just what power he thinks he wields...no, you do not deserve that. If you choose too, you may pass over to my side, where you can find your true place and earn such power."
"They are not going to listen to your lies."
"And why wouldn't they, Harry?" Voldemort replied. His tone was smooth, as though he were caressing every word as he spoke. It unnerved Harry, hearing him speak like that.
"You're right, I lied to them and didn't tell them my real name. But if you think they will cast me aside again, over me not giving them my true name, you really don't know anything about people."
"Ah, but do they yet know that it was you who put the headmaster into the condition he now finds himself?" At some of the whispers that started up, Voldemort smiled evilly. "I would say that is a no. My dear people" he called out, black soulless eyes sweeping the crowd behind Harry. "How long are you going to let this boy keep information that so rightly belongs to you? How long are you going to listen to a boy who coats his every word in a shimmering lie? Standing with me is where you want to be." Voldemort called out again, but as before, there was no movement from those who stood behind Harry.
"Let's not forget Voldemort, that it was you who cast the spell at Dumbledore that took him out."
"Ah, but Harry, it was you who sent him to the hospital wing. My spell and the affects of said spell ended as soon as I left the field of battle. You attacked Albus Dumbledore in cold vengeance."
"I did. And I won't hide the fact that I reacted poorly..."
"And it was you who killed Albus Dumbledore!" At this there were gasps.
"Albus Dumbledore is very much alive and in the amazing care of our hospital matron. He is no longer in critical condition, but will be up and about within the day...as long as he can find a way to escape the brilliant care of Madam Pomfrey." There were some sniggers at this and Harry continued. "I may have lost control of my magic and let loose on the headmaster. I won't deny this fact. I also did not tell these good people who I really am, not to lie to them, but to protect them. For too know me, and my name, is to know my family and that would put them in danger. The kind of danger which has only one name…the Source."
For only a moment, Voldemort looked as though he had been caught off guard, but in the next, he smiled a sickly-sweet looking smile and said, "Is this where I'm supposed to give a shiver and say "Ooh, little boy did research" and run away? I'm sorry to disappoint you Harry, for you see, I always win. I won against your mother and her sisters, and I will win against you. And what's more, is that by the end of this day, my numbers will grow."
"You never could understand people Voldemort. And you fail to realize that no matter the fact that I kept who I am from these good people, or that I may have, however wrongly, passed judgment on the headmaster for the life in which he subjected me too, those who stand behind me and with me, support me. They want nothing more than to see you gone from this world and I, Harry James Matthew Potter-Halliwell, will give them exactly what it is they want."
A cheer rose up as soon as Harry had finished. He smiled and took a moment to look at his two friends who nodded to him with a smile of their own. He returned the smile and turned back around to face Voldemort who, presently, had a scowl peeling across his snake-like face. He knew it was too good to last and before long, Voldemort reacted. Raising his right arm, and with a twist of his hand, he flung a ball of pure blackness at Harry, only it changed direction at the last second and hit Hermione square in the chest. Or at least it had appeared to do so, until the black ball ricocheted off her and was sent flying back from whence it came.
Voldemort only had a moment to move out of the way, but move he did. The demon behind him wasn't as lucky though. For the moment the black ball hit, he exploded into a shower of sparks and smoke. Seeing this had Voldemort seething and whipping back around to face Harry, though what he saw was something he hadn't expected.
Harry's eyes were glowing, a bright green, while a blue shield was shimmering out of existence in front of his friend. "Long gone is the time where I am going to let you hurt someone I love, Voldemort. I made that mistake once...it will not happen again."
"You cannot protect them all Harry, I will get one of them."
Harry smirked, eyes still aglow. "You could try."
With a yell of fury, Voldemort launched an attack and Harry responded in kind, though at the same time sighing in relief. He had been glad that Voldemort had not called his bluff; for he had been right…Harry couldn't protect them all that way. Heck, he was lucky that he had been able to hold the shield for as long as he had. This, his personal shield, was something he had been experimenting with for some time now and while he could call it forth to cover him and those next to him in an instant, he had never called it forth to protect a single person without him being inside the shield as well.
As Harry and Voldemort circled each other, both sides watched, unmoving, as their respective leaders faced off, trading spells back and forth. Hermione however, was the first to move on her side. At first Ron went to stop her, thinking she was going to interfere, but once he saw the movement of her wand, he too followed suit and did the same and all too soon others were following their lead and took out their wands and began to cast as well and before the demons and death eaters could blink, a blue and white shield shimmered into existence. It was this one little wand movement, started by Hermione, which saw all of the Hogwarts side protected from any wayward spell or energy/fireball that might come their way.
With all eyes on the two fighting figures, no one saw the magic of the shield start to move upwards behind them. Somehow, as though being powered by the magic of the lands, the shield that had been cast began to expand and sweep up and encompass the school in a thin sheet of magic. There was one person who had been witness to this and he smiled, pleased that his friends, family and everyone else on their side was safe. He knew that his two friends and the Deputy Head had made many plans in the event that he should fail and Voldemort make it past them and into the school. It was with another sigh of relief that he saw the first, and hopefully last, part of the plan put into action. He had admittedly been surprised when the shield had begun to climb the walls, as most shields shouldn't have been able to do that. But if there was something he had learned in his time with his family, it was that most, if not all of the magic in the world, worked off intent. Thus his friends 'want' to protect everyone produced a result that none would have thought possible.
His eyes landed back on his friends momentarily, making sure that they were indeed alright. It was however, this moment of his attention being elsewhere, that saw him writhing on the ground, body wrapped in by a black rope that pulsed with dark magic, screaming in agony.
Voldemort sneered in triumph as he held onto the other end of the rope, and sent waves of pain down it and into the boy who had caused him so much grief. Though this particular moment of triumph was short lived; as flames of the purest white erupted all across Harry's body. At first he thought that this was a result of his own magic and that the bane of his existence was about to, quite literally, go up in flames. He was shocked however, when the screaming form of Harry disappeared from within the ropes and reappeared a little ways away, gasping for air, smoke curling off his body. He was caught even more off guard when Harry raised both arms and pushed them forward, palms open.
At first nothing seemed to happen, but not a second later, a wave of pure magic, white in color, erupted from his open palms and sped towards the Dark Lord. Hoping to avoid the magic speeding towards him, Voldemort made a scooping gesture with his hands, causing a bit of earth, about the size of door, to rise up and protect him. Thinking that this wall of ground would protect him, he did nothing more to protect himself. How wrong he was...
Instead of creating a break in the wall of oncoming magic, the 'earth-door' got caught up in the blast and slammed into him, sending him flying, covering him in dirt. Harry watched as Voldemort twisted in the air into an upright position and vanished in a flash of black fire. Knowing that he was soon to be hit with another wave when the dark lord reappeared, he began sow his own spell and sent it flying the moment he saw the black flames spring up from the ground a few feet away. However, he wasn't the only one who had prepared.
Seconds after the black flames had appeared, a spell of the purest black came careening out and sped quickly towards Harry. Both blasts of magic met in the middle and exploded, sending a concussive force back from whence they came. Neither of the two had the chance to protect against the onslaught of magic and was sent flying.
Harry slammed into the ground so hard that the air was knocked out of him. Despite the air loss, he was able to conjure a smirk as he saw that Voldemort too had landed in a heap. As Harry tried to stand, he found himself unable too. It felt as though a weight was pushing down on him. The only thing he was able to do was maneuver his head and look around to see if he could locate said force.
'That's not possible!' Harry thought to himself as he took in the sight before him. There, coming out from within the ranks of Demons and Death eaters was the Dark Lord himself, left arm raised, palm facing downwards in a dome shape. Harry guessed that it was this simple gesture that was keeping him down. Harry then looked to the heap on the ground in front of him, not seven feet away from him and blanched. The form that had the look of the dark one began to morph into that of another. He didn't know who it was, but at the moment it didn't matter. He had been tricked into fighting the wrong person.
As though picking up on his enemy's thoughts, Voldemort sneered and spoke. "Nicely done, no? Figured it was only fair. You did it to me; why not take my turn in doing so to you. You see Harry; I had to show you that you are not as great as you think you are. You couldn't even tell the difference between the real me and a decoy. And now, you have wasted your energy into fighting someone else, thus paving the way for me to bring an end to you."
Harry scowled as he made to stand. At first he thought he would be able to push through the pressure keeping him down, but then another weight would come crashing down upon him...forcing him to the ground once more. This went on for too long in Harry's opinion, and he knew that Voldemort was playing with him as a cat would play with its prey. Then without warning, the weight was gone and Harry moved as quick as he could to stand up again…but Voldemort had been quicker. Just as he had begun to move, Voldemort brought up his right hand, palm facing upwards, calling forth pitch black flames that engulfed Harry completely, tearing at his skin. Before Harry could even think, he was on the ground screaming. Screaming for his life; all the while trying to brush the flames off of him. This didn't work. Neither did him trying to call upon his own flame power to offset that of the Dark Lord's.
Harry, his body, not being able to stand the pain, began to shut down and all too soon, he went still, flames still crawling across him. Voldemort cackled and turned the crawling black flames into a raging inferno that swept out in all directions, obscuring everyone's view of the broken body that lie within, before speeding up into the sky giving off a heat so strong that even those behind the protection of the shield felt it.
As Voldemort cackled victoriously and manipulated the flames to even greater heights, a woman on the Hogwarts side threw herself into her husband's arms, sobbing for her son.
~~~hpgw~~~
Inside the roaring flames, a body began to move. Eyes fluttered open and instead of the roaring black inferno they expected to find, they were greeted by a soft, glimmering light. Harry moved only slightly at first, so as to not aggravate his body with the pain that was sure to come. However, when no pain came, he moved into a sitting position, only to move a second later to a standing one. As soon as he was on his feet, he focused on the area around him to better get his bearings.
The area around him appeared to be the grounds of Hogwarts School, only it looked different; as though it had come right out of a fairy-tale book. With the very air 'shimmering' around him, bathing him in a brilliant white light. It was from within this light, a woman emerged. He could tell it was a woman because she was clad in a floor length white gown that clung to her figure and shimmered as she moved.
Harry watched on, in awe, as the very light seemed to bend around this woman as she moved closer to where he stood. She moved with elegance and a grace that made it look as though she were floating. Harry's breath hitched in his chest when the woman came to a stop in front of him. There, shining like a light in his darkness was the one person he had wanted to see more than anything in the world, Ginny Weasley.
She smiled widely as his hand rose and gently caressed her face. She leaned into the touch and put her hand over his. "I've missed you Harry." Ginny said, taking a step back.
At hearing her voice and feeling her hand on his, he swiftly pulled her into hug. "And I you." Came his reply.
"Harry..." Ginny began, pulling back from his embrace.
"No"
Ginny smiled sadly, "Harry, you have to let me go. You have to go back and defeat him. It is the only way you will be able to live the life you're supposed too."
"But..."
She shook her head. "Harry, the people, they need you. Your family needs you."
"But what about me…what about what I need?"
"I know…"
"No, Ginny, you don't. I need help. I need you."
"I know…and I wish I could be there to help you too, but everything happens for a reason Harry, you taught me that."
"Ginny,"
"Shh...Harry, I did what I did to protect you. It was my destiny, to die protecting you. Just as it is your destiny to fight and destroy him…the Source, to protect everyone else."
"But I can't, he's too powerful. Heck, I just spent precious time fighting a decoy."
"And there is a reason for that."
Harry scoffed, "What reason could there possibly…"
"You are more powerful than you think Harry. Just the simple fact that you are willing to stand up to him proves that. And you don't stand alone. You have your family and friends beside you. And you have me, Harry. You've such a big heart Harry; a heart for protecting those who need it and cannot protect themselves. You know your destiny Harry. You know what you are meant to do. What you are meant to become."
"How do you know..."
"What Ezekiel told you? Oh Harry...I've always known." Ginny said knowingly, causing his eyes to widen.
"How?"
"That is a story for another time, Harry. Suffice it to say, you and I were meant to meet. You were meant to save me in the Chamber, just as I was meant to die saving you. We're connected, Harry. We always have been. And always shall we be." Ginny said as she caressed his cheek, before taking a step back.
"Ginny I..."
I know Harry…I know. I always have." She replied with a smile.
"Goodbye Ginny." Harry said, tears welling in his eyes as he watched her retreating form. Though just as she was about to be swallowed up by the bright light she stopped, turned around and gave a smile.
"Where there is death, Harry, there is also life. Look for me and I will be there. I love you with all my heart my Harry. Blessed be."
Harry watched as the light around them both began to swallow them up, first Ginny, then him, growing brighter and brighter by the second. As the light overtook him, Harry let it fill up his very being. He let it refresh him. He stretched out his arms beside him and looked upwards and smiled. He could do this. He would do this, for Ginny. And before too long, Harry too was swallowed up by the white light.
~~~hpgw~~~
All of a sudden a voice called out from within the crowd behind the shield, pointing towards the heart of the flames where a white light had suddenly appeared.
"Look!"
This had Piper out of her husband's arms quicker than most could blink and facing the raging inferno, eyes searching for the spot at which the boys hand was pointing. Inside her chest, Piper's heart did a flip. For there, at the heart of the black fire, was a faint white light. And it was growing brighter by the second, until the heart of the fire no longer held any black, but instead the purest of white.
Voldemort being caught up in his manipulation of the fire and what he thought was his win, didn't seem to notice. Until it was too late that is. Not seconds after he had begun to sweep the fire up into the sky, did the fire turn the brightest of white before exploding out in all directions, propelling the self proclaimed dark lord backwards into the front line of his followers, sending them all crashing to the ground.
At the sound and concussive force of the explosion, there were several demons and death eaters who decided to get the heck out of dodge via shimmering, blinking or apparating; leaving those who were not smart enough to do so, behind.
Voldemort, with a snarl, floated to his feet and turned to face the direction the explosion had come from. Thinking it had come from the opposing side in attempt to interrupt him in his celebrations; he conjured a red and black fireball and had just raised his hand to throw it when what he saw before him caused it fizzle out into a puff of smoke.
There, hovering in front of him was the glowing form of one, Harry Halliwell.
Harry didn't stay airborne for long and not a moment later he was slowly lowering himself to the ground. He bent his knees slightly as his feet came into contact with solid ground again and as he did so, he turned slightly and locked eyes with his mother. He knew that she would need to see him, his eyes, and his smile, to know that he was okay. With this done, he gave a slight nod to both Ron and Hermione and then turned his attention to the being in front of him.
Voldemort took in the image of the boy who stood, once again, defiantly in front of him. Gone were the singed jeans and ripped shirt. Now he had an entirely new look about him.
His black tunic hung broadly over his shoulders and chest where a white triquetra, crossed by two wands blazed, just over his heart, bounded by silver embroidery. A belt of polished silver chain fastened with a crusader's cross gave the waist. The silver embroidered hem stopped at his knees over black pants and black polished leather boots. Shining steel chain mail fortified him underneath the tunic and down the arms, while black leather bracers ending in steel cuffs engraved with triquetras bound the armor in at the forearms. Just visible under his raven black hair was a thin silver band crossing his forehead over his scar.
Voldemort gave an involuntary shudder at the sight before him. There was something that was off-putting about this "new look" Harry had. It was almost regal in appearance. And the look his enemy had in his eyes…he shuddered again. He attempted to stand straighter and look as imposing as he could. His eyes narrowed further at the smug look Harry had just shot him.
"There is nothing you could possibly do that will intimidate me, Voldemort. You are nothing but a smudge on these lands; one which will be wiped from existence by this day's end." Harry called out.
"How dare you…"
"Yes, I dare. You have polluted us long enough. If you intend to try and take these lands, you will find yourself facing…"
"Who, you?"
"Yes."
"You don't have the power to stop me boy. I am and always have been. You cannot hope to vanquish me. As with your Mother and Aunts, even if you were to rid me of a body, I will be reborn. I am always reborn. That is how the power of the Source, works. My magic, my very being, is and always will be. I am timeless. You will never be rid of me, just as you stand no chance in defeating me."
"It is you who stand no chance, Voldemort. My family was only meant to keep you at bay, never beat you. That task was left to me and to me alone. It was foretold a millennia ago."
"If you mean the prophecy made by that fraud; the one that hides away in that school…that prophecy was a fake. Surely you know that that old coot was played, all she wanted was a job."
Harry shook his head, "That is not the prophecy of which I speak. The one which I speak of was made long before either of us had any knowledge of each other. Suffice it to say, you have met your match, Voldemort, and it will be my pleasure in ridding the world of your terror."
"NO! Voldemort shouted and in one swift movement, he sent a ball of black energy, careening towards Harry, who did nothing but stared disinterestedly at it, his head cocked to the side ever so slightly. Before it even had the chance to cross halfway between them, it seemingly vanished out of thin air. In another cry of rage, the Source threw another…and another…and another, each one meeting the same end as the ones before it. With each ball of energy the Source threw at Harry, the weaker he got. All too soon, Voldemort was driven to his knees. Not by anything Harry had done, no, he hadn't made a move just yet. This was all the Source's doing. He had expended too much magic in too short a time.
"You will not stop me in claiming what is, by rights, mine!" Voldemort cried breathlessly.
"You have no rights. You do not own these lands!"
Voldemort sneered. "And you believe a little whelp like you, does? No, it's you who has no right!"
Harry stared deadpanned at the evil in front of him and after a few moments, he smirked, raised his right hand above his head and then slowly began to lower it. As it was lowering, a gleaming silver sword appeared shining brightly; its ruby's glinting in the setting sun's rays.
Voldemort faltered when he saw the sword, "That's…how did…no, you cannot…!"
Harry's arm never wavered as he brought the sword down, stopping at chest level to point it directly at the evil in front of him. "I can…and I do." Harry said with a smirk and at seeing the Source pale even further, he continued.
"I am Harry James Matthew Potter-Halliwell, direct descendent of Jonathan Potter, who is descended of Godric Gryffindor himself, descendent and Heir of Arthur Pendragon."
At this pronouncement, those gathered in front of the school began to murmur, though Harry paid them no mind, for he continued on.
"It is as Heir, by both Blood and Magic, to the Noble and most Ancient lines of Pendragon and Gryffindor, owners of these lands, that I claim them and my rightful place among them and its peoples."
Angered beyond belief, Voldemort cried out, "You can't…"
"I'm not Arthur, and I probably won't do half as well as him...or even Gryffindor, but I'll be damned if I let you, or those like you, defile our land."
"NO!"
"I banish you, Voldemort –Source of all Evil. Your reign of terror has ended, both in this land and any other."
Acting on a sudden burst of adrenalin, Voldemort flew up from the ground and conjured the darkest, most evil magic he had at his disposal and cast it. Harry, having expected something like this, lowered the sword, sticking it in the ground, and raised his hands in front of him. Moments before the dark magic reached him, a gold and red Triquetra edged in white fire bloomed from his palms, pulsing with power. The black magic hit the Triquetra, spraying across it, with an almost metallic clang and the whole shield flashed like sunlight on impact. Voldemort's hands flew to his eyes and he stumbled backward.
The Hogwarts side cheered. Harry, not yet done, sent a spell of his own towards the Source, binding him in flames so white; you couldn't look at them for too long without your eyes beginning to burn. The flames didn't spread, their purpose only being to bind. Satisfied, Harry began to chant, but not before he plucked the sword from the ground and once again leveled it at Voldemort.
"Patricia, Penelope, Lily, James, Sirius…"
Back behind the shield, Piper heard her sister Phoebe gasp "He finished it…!"
"Four times this evil's cheated Death
Felt no pain and kept its breath…"
In front of her, Piper watched as Ron pulled Hermione closer, a small smile creeping up his face. "You can do it, Harry!" She heard him whisper.
"Astrid, Helen, Laura and Grace…
Stand strong beside me so that I may vanquish this Evil from Time and Space."
As the air began to thicken with magic, Piper felt an arm go around her. "He's going to do it!" Leo said softly. She smiled.
"Now open my heart, to his blackened soul,
Reveal the secret that it holds,
So that he may feel my true desire,
And be forever vanquished in Loves Passionate Fire."
As Harry completed the spell, he gripped the sword hilt with two hands and held the blade vertical, drawing the hilt level with his heart.
Before Voldemort had even the slightest chance to react, a thick, wide cone of golden light erupted from Harry and the sword, igniting the air in a splendor of brilliant rays that promptly slammed into Voldemort with such a force that it sent him sliding backwards a few feet, closer to the Demonic and Death Eater ranks.
Voldemort's body began to swell from the onslaught of magical energy, which was swiftly and continuously coming from Harry. He cried out in agony as the magic that came from Harry began to fill up his very being.
Those watching from behind Harry were in awe of the magical strength and power their savior seemed to have. Though if he spoke the truth, and they knew he had, he was The Once and Future King. Or at the very least his descendent, which made him even more powerful than Arthur had ever been. The magic that both Gryffindor and Arthur had wielded and had had an age to grow, culminating in what they saw standing before them today. And boy did he seem to have that power in spades, and the onslaught was never ending…or so they thought. For as quickly as it had come, it left, disconnecting from Harry's body, though continuing on to Voldemort's. His body lurched as it took in the last whatever it was Harry had sent towards him, forcing him to bend forward at the waist.
All of a sudden, Voldemort let out a piercing scream, as flames, pure white in color, leapt up and began to lick at his limbs, light flooding out of his open mouth. He turned his head towards Harry and in Voldemort's eyes he could see pain, worry and defeat. Harry then closed his eyes and willed the magic to end it.
Light and fire, both white in color, soon started pouring from cuts that were opening themselves up all across Voldemort's body. Then, like a wave at the beach, Voldemort seemed to suck up all the air around him before he let loose one last, horrifying scream and exploded in a blast of pure magic, wind, fire and light. As he exploded, there was a flash of the most brilliant of white light, which caused everyone present to shield their eyes. The only one, who wasn't fazed by the sudden onslaught of light, was the person who had cast the spell to cause it.
It took several seconds for the magic to fully disperse and the spots in everyone's vision to clear, but when they did, everyone surprised at what they saw.
Standing before them, unmoving, was the form of Harry Halliwell. The sword, which now lay horizontal; was still raised and in his right hand, while his left arm, was now out in front of him, palm facing outwards, touching the flat side of the sword, in a defensive manner. It would later be learned that Harry had protected them from the magical backlash that had occurred when Voldemort had exploded. Those who had been unlucky enough to be caught in the resulting blast had been vaporized immediately. Thankfully, the only ones that had been caught in the resulting blast were the Demons and Death Eaters that had accompanied the Source to the school.
'There are still many more out there, especially the ones who left earlier, but they will be hunted down…eventually." Harry mused as he gazed upon the spot at which Voldemort had just been occupying. With one, swift movement, Harry lowered the sword in his hand, sheathing it in the scabbard that had just appeared at his waist and turned to face the crowd that was behind him. Gone was the shield that had protected them during Harry's battle with Voldemort. It had vanished the second Harry had called upon his magic to protect everyone, including the school. Chris had been right when he had told Harry that he, Harry, had more power than he could possibly imagine…that it was only the tip of the iceberg. He knew it would take time to learn all that which he could do, but now was not the time…no, he had a crowed to deal with.
With a small sigh and smile on his face, he began the trek over to those who were still staring wide-eyed at him. As he drew closer, he began to realize that they were not staring at him, but at what was behind him. Harry stopped and gave a smirk as he too turned around and let his gaze fall upon that which had captured the others.
There, not twenty feet away in the spot that Voldemort had once stood, standing at a whopping seven and a half feet tall and three and a half feet across, perfectly cut, was a gleaming stone edged in a pure white fire. Though however beautiful the stone may have looked, it was the inside that had everyone staring in awe. Colors and sparks of all kinds filled the large stone; swirling and flowing, while at the same time, expanding and folding in on itself. In short, it was pure, unadulterated magic. The likes of which had only been seen by a rare few.
Harry gave the stone a wide smile and turned back around to face all those assembled. Most of who had now begun to set their attention upon the young man who now stood before them, though some still gazed at the stone some feet away, pure wonder etched on their faces. All too soon though, a hush fell over the crowed and everyone present had their sight locked onto, not the spot at where the Source had been, but on the person who had brought the end to the darkness that had been a plague over them for far too long. They were all staring at Harry, who once again, stood unmoving, his eyes flowing all across the people in front of him.
He raised his arm just enough so that his fingers brushed swiftly against his throat, spelling it to be magically amplified. He didn't speak right away, choosing to catch gazes with his friends, who had stood by him up to this point. After smile and nods were quickly exchanged, he moved to that of his Aunts, who simply smiled in return. He then turned his eyes to the two people he wanted to see the most and once his gaze locked with his parents, he felt his spirits soar. There, in their eyes, was a love that Harry had only experienced from the sidelines by watching others with their families. He had seen it so many times reflected in the gazes of the Elder Weasley's when they watched their children. It was now something totally different to be on the receiving end…and while he had known before now, that his parents loved him, this though, he knew was a different form of that love and it was starting to fill him to the very brim…and he couldn't be happier.
He knew that they would want to speak with him, a lot of people would. He was sure that there would be interviews and things of that ilk that he would have to contend with over the coming days. The most prominent of topics, he was sure, would be the proclamation he had made about his heritage. And there would be time for all of those things, but at the moment, he had something else he had to do first. And so it was with no great effort that he proclaimed loudly…
"It. Is. Finished!"
~~~hpgw~~~
Not too far away, high in an abandoned tower of Hogwarts School, a lone figure stood, watching the scene below. She smiled widely as she watched everyone move to head into the castle, family and friends embracing one another. The battle was over and she had watched, proudly, as Harry had taken the final step into becoming who he was meant to be. It would still be some time before the dust would settle and everyone in both magical worlds accepted what was to be, but accept it they would. And she wished greatly, not for the first time, that she would be around to see it, this New World, this…New Age come to pass. Alas though, some things were not meant to be.
As she continued to stare out at the thinning grounds in silence, a swirl of lights began to coalesce next to her, filling the darkened room with their light and before long she was joined by another. "Treva, it is time…"
She nodded and sighed sadly, "I know." And in the next instant, both figures were quickly gone from the tower in a matching swirl of lights, leaving the few leaves that had somehow found their way in, to blow around in the non-existent wind.
A/N: Well here you go…The final battle. Not as long as one would hope, but not matter how hard I tried, it was just not meant to be. Trust me, I tried really hard to make it a good long one...
If you are confused by what happened to the Source/Voldemort….you will only have to wait a little while longer before you find out just what it was I did to him. In other words….all will be explained in the next chapter. Along with a couple more surprises…and speaking of surprises...let the commotion commence at the Pendragon plug. (like I said, I took some major liberties with some things...particularly the Harry Potter world and Arthurian Legend.)
(also note, I do have a conversation between Harry and Ezekiel, the one mentioned in this chapter, that deals with the Arthurian legend and just how Harry is descended from him...it shall be posted as a one-shot, after the final two chapters are posted.)
A big thanks, again, to RoseMarieLynn, who helped me in getting a portion of this down.
Lemme know what you all think!
And of course...See you lot next time!
Mudbloodpotter.