(a/n): Hi all, Thanx for the reviews
Dark wizards cannot cast patroni? Darn, missed that. But, why can't Voldemort have a Patronus worthy happy thought? A particularly gruesome murder for instance?
Less painful? Sure, strap a bomb to your hip for instance. But too easy to lose it during the duel. Harry falls and Ron presses the button, but the explosion occurs on the other side of the pitch. But part of his jaw, guarantees it'd still be there, if it's needed.
Grindelwald you almost have to feel sorry for. Not a friend in the world. All he can do is work with one enemy to fight others.
Hermione and Dobby I haven't forgotten about. The characters, as time passed have come to accept the situation as it is because as even Ron has come to realize, there simply are no clues.
Cool news: SBPoA has hit 1,000,000 views!
45 – The Duel
The Quidditch World Cup Coliseum was completely remodeled with substantial accessories when compared to the original. First, it was vastly reinforced. It was anticipated that powerful spells would go astray, so the stands had layers of steel added to the floors. The audience needed to be protected as well, so the same glass brick, magically reinforced walls used in the Sirius/Lucius duel, were built to enclose the audience and protect them at every point. A roof would seal the top of the Coliseum, this was built at Harry's insistence, he did not want Voldemort escaping his ultimately last stand. The floor of the Pitch was also protected in a similar manner.
The duelists would fight in, essentially, a box of virtually unbreakable walls. It would take multiple and extremely powerful spells hitting the same place and in rapid succession to break them. A central one would separate Harry from Voldemort until the "Fight!" command was given.
The appointed hour was 7PM. Harry was there some thirty minutes ahead of time. He donned his Outfit of Battle, which looked somewhat silly. It was all a rather ugly shade of green with black feathers sticking out here and there. For weeks Salazar's Phoenix form was shedding feathers to augment Harry's Basilisk armor. Then again, its lack of noble appearance was its very strength.
And when he was ready, he pecked Tonks, Daphne and Mrs. Greengrass on their cheeks. Molly would accept nothing less than a two minute bearhug. Then moved to the men: Remus and Moody, the Weasley brothers.
"Die Potter. But take the fucker with you." Said Draco. Only much later would he learn how close to the truth that statement was. They shook hands.
Ron was next "Can I kill him, Harry?" he wanted to know.
"He'll be family as soon as him and Astoria marry." Harry countered "Better take that up with Mum."
Ron sighed and violently hugged his friend, he whispered "Don't make me press that bloody button!"
"Well, see ya in a hour, Sirius." He said cheerily.
Sirius pounded affectionately on an armored shoulder and smiled sadly "Remember when Lucius scared the pants off you?"
"That's when I thought he'd kill you." Harry countered.
Sirius smirked "Just remember everything you learned. Don't worry about putting on a show like I did. Just get it done. Don't rush in."
"You know how hard it is to do Both?" Harry gave a silly laugh and hugged his Godfather.
Sirius pushed him in Susan's direction "Save that for her!" he commanded. There could not be any real privacy, but everyone pretended to interest themselves in anything except Harry and Susan.
"Last?" she asked.
Harry laid his arms on her shoulders and kissed her "But not least." He whispered for her only "I love you, heart and soul."
"I love you, Harry Potter, heart and soul." She replied "Y'know, kissing in armor is no fun."
He appreciated the humor, but it faded quickly "If it don't… that is… be happy Sue." And he quickly jumped his broom and took to the sky. Trivial for even Hogwarts players, as his broom passed his throne, he casually tossed himself off the broom and landed in a throne carved from a single massive emerald.
As expected, his outfit soon brought amusement. It looked just the wrong side of ridiculous. Voldemort, he hoped, would underestimate it just as much.
x
At 6:55PM a burst of fire, like a meteor, could be seen in the distance. It was approaching the Coliseum as fast as a celestial object. By 6:57 it was seen to be a Ukrainian Ironbelly. The largest of dragons and made larger, somehow, by the Dark Lord. Standing on its tremendous body were fourteen (seven plus seven) of Voldemort's Death Eaters.
Dangling from the creature's mouth, Voldemort understood psycho-warfare tricks too, were Luna, Astoria and Ginny. He did not anticipate Harry's riposte.
"Hufflepuff's Cup, Slytherin's Locket, Gaunt's Ring, Ravenclaw's Diadem." Harry announced "Charlie! Bring them and Norbert!" Charlie was not known for his devotion to Harry, but this was about his baby sister.
Panic was visible on the Dark Lord's face "What is this, Harry? Going against your word?"
"I guaranteed you'd live to fight me." Harry answered "Nothing covered inanimate objects. You have my word … send them across to my side of the pitch and I'll order Charlie to send the objects to you. Take it or leave it."
The Ironbelly, Voldemort ordered him to lower his head to the ground. The girls did not need to be told, they fled "Well, Potter?"
"Charlie do it!" he commanded. And Charlie obeyed. All four objects were in the air, flying toward their owner. But before they even covered half the distance, Norbert cut loose a tremendous fireball. Nothing but smoking ash was left of the precious Founders' Objects. Harry sneered "Oops. Charlie must have misunderstood."
Weakened by the annihilation of large chunks of himself, Voldemort staggered in pain. And Harry set loose his imprisoned Dementor . The Dark creature developed a desire for more evil. It fed briefly on Harry, taking with it the bit of Voldemort Harry had. Then, sensing another such, in fact several nearby, it raced right through the barrier separating the combatants.
The Dark Lord cast "Expecto Patronum!" and a silvery version of Nagini attacked the Dementor. The struggle filled the Coliseum with a nerve wracking noise.
Susan was particularly alarmed as this could set into motion the very future she had once visited. But, Voldemort beat the Dementor. And in so doing, the Dementor died. A wizard once said "A Dementor's Kiss is almost unbearable to watch." A Dementor's death is worse. The scream is something from a Human's darkest subconscious. Everyone there that day would suffer nightmares.
For Voldemort, the victory was a Pyrrhic one indeed. Another part of himself gone. On the bright side, Harry had been affected no little bit, so could not capitalize. All this even before the duel was officially started. "Open that wall, Olde Fool!" he demanded "I will lose no more Horcruxes!"
"Tom hold." The Minister commanded "You too, Harry." Assuming he won, there had to be a discussion about secrets.
A sickly green light crashed into one side of the wall. Not Harry's, he allowed heavy breathing instead of forcing calm "I'll agree with him there!" he yelled back "Call round one a draw?"
"I must ask" Dumbledore's voice rumbled throughout The Coliseum "Will the Challenged apologize?"
Voldemort laughed evilly "Minister, I did not come to talk. Potter dies today." He even mock-bowed to his old teacher.
"Will the Challenger withdraw?" asked Dumbledore.
Having to outdo Voldemort by being polite to Dumbledore turned Harry's stomach "That would be difficult, Minister, as my friends found, and printed a complete biography on Riddle there. Right down to his Dreadful in Flying." This was again where the printers of The Quibbler were put to great use as thousands of copies of really damning information was made public. It reduced The Dark Lord to everyday wizard status. Tom Riddle had received detention for passing notes in class, got caught snogging in broom closets and also been honored for outstanding grades in Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts.
"There is only one place this could come from." Dumbledore was more than displeased. He was outright livid "School records are sacrosanct! HOW DARE YOU! MINERVA!"
Not at all abashed, Harry shot back "Got it in one!" A single go around with The Dark Lord was enough to forget any fear of his erstwhile Headmaster "And don't anyone miss the part about the great hero of Purebloods being a Halfblood!"
"RAWWRRRRARRRRRR!" Voldemort howled in fury. It was a tremendous loss of face. His heritage, his school records, all of it publicized. And just as "Bring me the Greengrass girl!" came from his lips:
They all, those few in on it, knew something would happen to use Salazar's scheme. Harry shouted "Got a deal for you Riddle!"
"Even if this wall came down, little Astoria will die before you could even blink." Voldemort snarled.
Harry's voice boomed to every corner of the Coliseum "I SAID H O L D!"
"Alright Harry, what's on your mind?" asked Voldemort. His arrogant tone hid the fact that he actually froze at Harry's command. The tone had been so precise and regal that it demanded obedience. It made him seethe that the boy could do that to him.
x
Showing, or showing off was it, his broom riding skill, Harry coasted to mid-pitch. He was standing on his broom bending his torso this way and that and settled to ground "A week ago, I visited the Potter cash vault." He said "It was stocked from top to bottom with coins. Enough to make an Ancient and Noble House out of a pauper. Want it?"
"My own seat…" the Dark Lord pondered "What do you want Potter?"
Harry sneered up at his enemy "You know my price."
"The girls? Agreed. I can always kill them after you are dead." Voldemort smiled, not a pleasant one, as if he could smile pleasantly.
Harry shook his head "Uh-uh. Win or lose, you pledge not to harm them or their descendants. To the last generation. And add Susan to the terms."
"That would be foolish." Voldemort countered "They could attack me at will."
Salazar had foreseen that in their planning. Harry answered "They will all swear Unbreakable Oaths not to."
"I WILL NOT!" was a scream from Ginny, heard in the silence that filled the vast stadium.
Harry, who had been horrified by his control over his friend, had never used it again. He did on this occasion, calling on the full force of her own pledge "Ginevra Molly Weasley I order you, by your promise to me, to swear never to physically threaten Voldemort."
"I want them to swear loyalty to me." Demanded the Dark Lord.
This, Harry refused "No! Loyalty must be earned. This is a take it or leave it deal. My Lady?"
"No, Harry" replied Susan "This thing killed my aunt. I will fight him until the day I die."
He gave a look that crossed the distance "And I don't want you dying of anything other than old age. Please!"
"How sweet!" Voldemort sneered.
Harry ignored him "If you don't" he said "I'll just toss my wand aside and kneel in front of him."
"You and I are going to have words about this, Harry." She said, resentfully.
That amused the Dark Lord greatly "To the last generation' You said, Harry. Another man's child, sired on your wife? I shall enjoy watching that."
"That, Tom, is the most noble act I have ever seen." Said Dumbledore "I deeply regret not acting against you more meaningfully. Should Harry fail, you will face me next."
Harry teetered on the precipice of a jealous rage, but finally, still trembling said "Yeah, Riddle, even that."
"I shall first teach you respect for your superiors, boy." Voldemort sneered "Then you will beg for death. Finally, being a merciful Lord I shall grant it. But you have much to atone for."
Unbreakables were obtained from the four witches. Susan looked at her husband with a sense of wonder, even awe. Cut off from any physical contact, she gave Harry a teary smile, pressed her hand to the magic-proof wall and whispered "I love you. Now win this and we, you and me, won't get out of bed for a week."
"Thank you, Potter." Came from Draco. What he might have been thinking might be gleaned from his next words "But if you tell anyone I said it, I'll deny it."
Ron punched the wall futilely, bloodying his knuckles, His tribute was short "You're a man, mate."
"Your Dad" Sirius offered quietly "would have been proud. And I'm not saying that JUST because of Luna."
Harry's last act was to kiss the wall where Susan's fingers were, then streak off. "Time to die, Riddle." There were still tears in his eyes, but he was fully ready. He flew back to his end, briefly looped the Quidditch hoops, and stopped, surprised!
Voldemort's dragon and snake were still present and chomping for a fight "You agreed to fight ME Potter. Nagini and Hinnon are as much me with Horcruxes as I am."
"So be it." Replied Harry "Salazar, it seems your descendant can't be trusted." He also whispered a spell that no one in the audience was aware had any effect. The wall that bisected the Coliseum dissolved. There was, simultaneously, a seeming earthquake beneath the vast building.
Three, small is a relative term, Basilisks appeared. They were half the size of the one Harry slew all those years ago. And while that 'magic-proof' barrier was quite effective against witches or wizards, it did not hold for long. The juvenile Basilisks had to work through it, but it did not take long. Both wizards took to Parseltongue, but the crowd instantly knew which side the feared creatures were on. In the battle of monsters, the humans were ignored.
"Incendio!" was the Dark Lord's first offense. A streak of red flame instantly leapt the distance.
Harry was caught completely off guard. He screamed agony. It struck his replacement knee. He'd actually become so accustomed to it, that he had forgotten it was even metal. Not so, now. Ever touch a hot utensil? This was worse because the metal was inside his body. "AQUAMENTI!" he cried and a geyser of water poured over the wound. At first it flashed to steam.
"Avada Kedavra! Avada Kedavra! Avada Kedavra!" Killing curses flew from Voldemort's wand. But the offensive was frustrated by Harry's dodging.
What had been planned as a humorous attack became one of desperation. He couldn't just lay there rolling around. Agony returned as the water stopped. He spared a moment "Thanks Hermione" then "Xeroxia Maxima!" But instead of watching the result, he was back to nursing his wounded leg.
A dozen, thirty, fifty! More! Harrys appeared from nowhere. On brooms or on foot they charged en mass. The fliers circled around aiming wands and firing. Greens, yellows, purples, blues converged on Voldemort.
"Protego! Protego! Protego! Protego! Protego! Protego! Protego! Protego!" the Dark Lord was overwhelmed "Avada Kedavra! Avada Kedavra! Avada Kedavra! Avada Kedavra! Avada Kedavra!"
x
"Oh! Well done Harry!" cheered Luna.
Sirius growled "I do NOT like seeing that." He winced again as another Harry dissolved in a sickly green haze.
"It's not bad, not bad at all, really." Susan was trying to convince herself, in the very act of flinching as still another Harry went the same way.
Ron, with the remote to the Muggle explosives actually would know. There was a tiny -whatever the Muggles called it - that would tell him if Harry's heart stopped. But, he couldn't tell a soul.
"Can you honestly not tell?" asked Luna in her dreamy way "It is most obvious to me where Harry is."
Ginny gave a dirty look and snapped "Y'know, sometimes I really wanna slap you!"
x
The trio of Basilisks hissed and snarled, then attacked the Ukrainian Ironbelly. The magically enhanced dragon would likely have killed one Basilisk instantly, but three was too much. It twisted and roared and spat fire. The Basilisks tried their lethal glare, but to no avail.
Nagini caught the tail of one attacker in her fangs and pulled. Basilisk and snake fell, landing with a crash that echoed through the Coliseum. And, worse, the structure was not built for that. Cracks, mostly small ones, appeared here and there. They were almost evenly matched. Nagini however lacked the armored scaleyness the young Basilisk had. The pair curled their sinuous bodies around each other and began to squeeze in a mutual death grip.
The 112,873 strong audience were awed by the spectacle. There were actually more people here than at the sold out Quidditch World Cup. People sat on stairs, stood in walkways. And despite recommendations by authorities, sat on the magical roof.
Regardless of that, while few felt the need to cheer Basilisks, you could not help but be fascinated by seeing THREE of the creatures that none of which had been seen in centuries. Children loved dragons, and cheered for the outnumbered Ironbelly. It was, in short a thousand fold repeat of the Wizengamot watching Lucius and Sirius duel to the death.
The duelists in the audience pompously criticized much of what was going on as "Not according to Hoyle" or "Insert Founder here _ would not approve" The safely shielded crowd would also comment "Not that I'm choosing sides, but that was a bloody brilliant move." And so on. All the while, one skulking figure of no seeming importance made his way through not paying any attention to the duel.
x
Harry subtly hid himself in plain sight among his duplicates. And when they started to thin out, he simply recast the "Xeroxia Maxima!" spell. There were pluses and minuses to this game. On the plus side they cost little in magic, individually anyway. In bulk was getting to be a drain. Another plus they were making Voldemort keep up his shields against the possibility that any one was the real Harry, but it seemed he was beginning to get a clue as to when they were NOT real. Lastly, constantly throwing Killing Curses was expensive, magically. The problem being that having to blend in meant Harry had been hit by four Killing Curses, though those Phoenix feathers intercepted them.
For minutes, the whole thing continued. The Dark Lord was, predictably, infuriated by the tactic and had allowed himself to go wild. Slowly, his cold reason asserted itself. He began using lesser spells to eliminate what he now knew were duplicates. But, he still used the Killing Curse when not completely sure a particular target was not the boy. After almost a half hour of profligate use, his energy was beginning to wane. His shield flickered once or twice, then angered, he forced it to flare higher than before.
x
"Oh bloody hell!" it was Ron who among Harry's closest associates saw the first change in the now nearly hour-long battle. Any strategist knew that it was not the wizard duel that would change the situation. The struggle between the giants could easily decide the wizard duel. For a moment, Hinnon freed his wings, and flew headlong into the roof. The impact crunched part of a Basilisk between aptly named belly and sturdy roof. The mortally wounded Basilisk dropped off like a wet rag. You could see the segments struggling for air. The dragon roared in victory, but that was a mistake, its second enemy managed to loop several turns of powerful body into Hinnon's mouth. This might seem an error, but no, the Basilisk flexed its rings apart taking jaw and head in opposite directions. There was a sickening cracking sound that announced Hinnon's death. Both monsters dropped the three hundred feet to the floor.
The third Basilisk and Nagini had been squeezing each other without real headway. The Basilisk looked in horror at the sight of her sister crashing to her death and it was just enough of a distraction for Nagini to get out of a few slack coils and sink her fangs right through her enemy's head.
x
Harry was tired. When Voldemmort's shield wavered, he was sure the battle was nearly over. But when it flared up again, he was demoralized. His left leg, where his artificial knee had cooked his flesh, was aching. It made him sick to his stomach. He streaked away from the scene of battle to the far side of the Coliseum vomiting most of the way. He hit the wall at full speed and slid down, barely conscious.
"Oh sweet Merlin! NO!" Susan squeaked. She buried her face in Ron's shoulder.
He gulped, she just HAD to be standing where the Muggle gadget was. "It'll be alright, Sue." He promised, lamely, the while awkwardly reaching into his left pocket with his right hand.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Susan screamed incoherently. She raged impotently against the wall at the horror. Nor were any of Harry's group in much better form
x
Nagini struck then. Her prey's feet were conveniently together and not at all difficult to swallow. The snake's throat muscles worked on the human, pulling him deeper.
Harry was senseless for an unknown period of time. Seconds or days, he could not tell. But he was vaguely aware of something wrong, and suddenly he came back into himself. His legs did not work at all, but that was not the true danger. His eyelids flew open and fear filled him.
Nagini, dominated by the Voldemort Horcrux, was only pleased that her prey was awake and struggling. Stomach juices began churning and dripping inside.
"Ger'off!" screamed Harry, in panic. He pushed and pulled, irrationally, at the snake-face but more and ever more of his legs disappeared . And an itching on his ankles began to burn. Something metal clacked under him. He hadn't once used the gun! IDIOT! He found it, flicked off the safety, aimed and fired all in a single motion. As fast as he could pull the trigger, bullets struck.
Nagini's prey was biting back! Her quick wits figured that out before the third bullet. But disengagement was another matter. Both of the snake's eyes exploded between heartbeats. Then life departed.
x
"That's the last of them!" The Dark Lord gloated as the last Harry copy dissolved "Nagini finds you a tasty tidbit, Harry. I should perhaps let her finish you." He stalked over, enjoying the victory, negligently twirling his wand between his fingers. Then he felt his last Horcrux explode. He wailed. Yes! And the entire audience heard the wail. And, truly wounded he slumped to his knees. Voldemort cast one Killing Curse after another, but due to the awkward position none came close to the still snake-entrapped Harry. He was simply too far.
x
Battle had raged all over the Coliseum. One side to the other. So that at this particular moment it so happened that The Dark Lord was much closer to Harry's friends that he was. As a result, when Voldemort stood solidly on his feet and got proper aim they all saw a sneer of victory. Nor, focused as they were, did they notice what the great majority of the spectators did. A mass of dark green flashed in and wand and much of the arm wielding it disappeared in a spray of red.
The lone surviving monster was a Basilisk. It struck unnoticed by the small wizard and took what it knew to be a dangerous weapon. She was highly intelligent and had learned much from the two Parseltongues, the boy and the painting. Without the stick, the wizard would be a quick snack. Then to truly heal, she would consume the others. Curling lengths of her body around the human, she held him motionless and began to squeeze.
"NOOOO!" Vodemort howled in pain.
Harry's friends cheered at the sight, though Susan was more concerned with the condition of her husband. She sighed when he finally extricated himself from being more than half eaten by Nagini. She watched him struggle to his feet and slowly begin to limp. And though unheard from that distance, she cheered.
x
Not a single witch or wizard had their attention on anything but the climactic moment of the duel. Well, all except the one that was just then entering the Minister's Box.
x
"Stop!" Harry hissed in Parseltongue. No one in the crowd understood him, but the effect was obvious. The Basilisk hissed back and stopped her slow crushing of her snack. He Transfigured his wand into a cane and hobbled his way to where his utterly immobile and defenseless enemy waited.
Silence filled the Coliseum. Was Harry about to spare the wizard who had killed his parents? And, indirectly, his unborn child?
"Tell me, Harry" Voldemort grunted, he was still stretched almost to the limit in most of his muscles. Let alone the copious bleeding from his partly missing arm "How did you do it? Lucius' house?"
x
Hearing that made Draco unconsciously strain to hear, even though he didn't need to.
x
Harry spat in the face that was inches from his "Sorry Tom, classified. You might live just long enough to ask a couple other questions, though."
x
He again hissed something the audience could not understand, but Basilisk coils tightened.
x
"I had to hit you with at least a couple of Killing Curses." Voldemort observed "Lily's protection is gone. How?"
Harry smirked and turned about to display himself "The armor you found so ridiculous" he explained "Dotted here and there with Phoenix feathers. And in answer to your next question, Salazar Slytherin never died all those centuries ago. He used all of his magic to turn himself into a painting and his Familiar joined him there."
Without any summons, a ball of fire appeared and resolved itself into a portrait framed in gold.
"My own ancestor betrayed me!" roared Voldemort, pain forgotten and he twisted in the coils … almost effectively, but not quite.
The painting glared, unfeelingly "Flesh of my flesh, yes. Blood of my blood, true." He acknowledged "But a true inheritor of my beliefs and morals? No. The Gaunt Family shamed me. I have selected a new heir, she-"
"Silence!" Harry commanded, harshly "He doesn't need to know!"
Salazar nodded and the painting went still.
"I want to know who all the Death Eaters were and are." He demanded, then hissed.
The Basilisk could be seen to smile. Voldemort was hoisted into the air. Blood spurted from a leg which was now missing past the knee.
x
"Bad form Harry!" the Minister of Magic shouted. But nothing else was heard from Dumbledore and nobody looked.
x
The Basilisk spit out one part of her tidbit. The knee, cap, joint and all and hissed at Harry "More!"
"Set me free, Harry." Voldemort hissed back, not wanting the crowd to hear him.
Harry spoke normally "Tell me what I want and I'll let you live."
"Legilimens!" Voldemort shouted, a spell he could do wandlessly.
That attack, Harry had been very specially trained for. He closed all but a sliver of his mind from it. Using the spell had opened a gap in the Dark Lord's mind. Harry claimed exactly the information he'd demanded then hissed again. The connection was broken when Voldemort screamed as his other leg was taken "Sorry, Riddle." Harry said coldly "I might need a spare, later. Quidditch is a rough sport."
"Let me live and I'll give you anything you want." It was a plea that somehow sounded more like a threat.
Harry sneered "I want my parents back! I want Amelia back! I want my child back!" he hissed again and those were his last words for several minutes. Because that hiss was an order to free the Dark Lord's arms.
Voldemort acted instantly, the pain was all but intolerable. But he used both his intact arm and the torn apart one to attack Harry. The fool boy had given him an opportunity that he himself never would have. There were ways even to recover from these wounds.
For Harry, this had nothing to do with mercy, nor did this have anything to do with any rational plan that had been made. He wanted to end the Dark Lord's life himself, and NOT with magic but with his bare hands. He threw his wand away in the instant of giving the command. He did not even try to defend himself from the battering arms. Not even when the damaged arm stabbed into his side. He yowled in agony but got to his enemy's throat and squeezed.
Voldemort delighted as Harry's blood mixed with his in the growing stain below. "We'll … die to … gether." He managed to choke out.
"I'm fine with that." Harry tightened his hands even more "And you've lost more blood than me. Even if you kill me, I've seen to it you'll die too."
That led to vastly more violent struggling from The Dark Lord. But, then, he slowed and weakened. Blood loss and lack of air took their toll. Resistance became trying to pull the ever tighter fingers from his airway. But with only one hand he accomplished very little.
"That the best you got?" Harry taunted. The harsh fingernails bit into his hands. It HURT as much as the wound in his side, but he kept on relentlessly. And … it seemed a lifetime later … the eyes that matched his bulged. A white goo trickled out of Voldemort's mouth. It was over.
x
That last act was all but devoid of action. But no one in the Coliseum moved, and barely dared to breathe as it went on. A stopwatch, if one had been present, would have recorded exactly 4 minutes 29 seconds, from the moment of Harry's hissed order to free Voldemort's arms to the end.
A hiss that now no one known could understand. But, again, what it meant was very quickly made clear. The Basilisk tightened its coils beyond the capacity of human bones to withstand. Drooling, the 15 foot long creature once again lifted the human high. Then curling about, got its head under the body and lowered.
The crowd watched, in horrified fascination, the whole procedure until a human-shaped bulge INSIDE the Basilisk was all that remained of the Dark Lord. And those incredible walls were allowed to expire. No one really moved from their seats, except for the assembled Death Eaters who had arrived with their master. They instantly flashed away. Careless of the Basilisk, however, everyone in that little isolated section ran out to reunite with Harry. Hardly had they arrived, Susan pulling his head into her lap, when a bellow was heard.
x
Having slowly made his way around almost half of the Coliseum, Gellert Grindelwald was exactly where he wanted to be to exact his revenge. He no longer cared for any of the high ideals he'd once quoted to the Spymasters. He would die content if he took Dumbledore and Potter with him. He stood poised behind the Chair of the Minister of Magic and whispered "Brian, old friend."
"Who?" pointed had and purple Robes of State spun. Half-moon glasses focused on "Gellert!"
"Goodbye traitor!" A wicked multi-edged sword thrust forward even ahead of the first syllable right into and partly through Dumbledore's belly. Then he yanked it free.
The stricken Minister sagged into the motion and was met by an upswing of the weapon. His head flew upward a few feet before arcing downward into the carnage below. The body was thrown over the edge by the attacker and fluttered about on flowing robes, landing some distance from severed head.
x
"Sweet Merlin's hairy balls!" Ginny cursed, not knowing nor caring if her Mother had caught up yet.
Susan's only concern was comforting Harry as Madam Pomfrey treated his wounds. She did not even look up as a dead Dumbledore hit the ground in two pieces.
"NOW POTTER'S TURN!" the second most feared wizard of the 20th Century declared. His amplified voice rumbled through the Coliseum. "MURDERER OF MY GRANDSON!"