A/N) So here is the final battle... I am currently writing the final chapter in this story...

Twisting Time

Chapter 44

Tuesday 20th April 1993

Snape returned the following day, just before his first Potions lesson was due to begin. He barely had a chance to report back to the Headmaster before hurrying off to class. They still had to keep the school running despite the attack made on the students. Sirius was still a Professor but due to the extenuating circumstances, he did not have to carry out his duties and his classes would be covered by other Professors. Harry had also been excused from lessons. He was currently with his mother whilst Sirius, Remus and James continued to discuss their plans with Dumbledore.

Sirius shifted in his seat, running a head down his weary face. He wanted this to be over. He wished he had the ability to do so but right now he couldn't. "We know where the Lestrange's are thanks to the tracking spell. It correlates with what Snape has reported as to where Voldemort's location is. They are all together. We know Jack is alive and not being harmed, just being held. He is clearly leverage against us."

"Or rather you," pointed out Remus quietly. "He can't use Harry because of your bond but he can use Jack. But how did he know you didn't have the same bond with Jack?"

James spoke first. He was trying to be strong. "Because Voldemort knows he killed Lily and I before. He's deduced Jack never existed. Sirius' sole purpose was to come back and help protect Harry and prevent the life he was living. It stands to reason that the bond would only exist for Harry and not for Jack, a weakness Voldemort can use. This is why Harry has to be involved because he can protect Sirius from danger. And that is why Jack was taken because he doesn't have the same link."

"I think the killing curse is the exception. That cannot be blocked. Not even a bond could," said Sirius. He just had the feeling that if it was all to end, it would be by the killing curse. "I think that is our only weakness…"

"It's a shame we cannot test this," mused Remus. "If we knew the killing curse couldn't get through, you'd be invincible."

"I don't want to be invincible," replied Sirius. "Fate may have given me another chance to get things right, but I doubt it has given me the ability to block the killing curse."

James sighed. "Just as long as both my sons are safe…"

"They will be," intoned the Headmaster. "Harry needs to be present as it will be easier for him to defend Sirius through their bond if he can see what is happening. He will have the cloak on. And I will protect him. You have my word on that, James."

"How are we going to do this then?" asked Sirius. "If Voldemort orders Snape to hand me over, I will go. I think it would be better if we all went at the same time. It would be a surprise for Voldemort if we all arrived at the same time. Snape could Apparate Lily out of the wards again so she can set up Anti-Apparation ones to prevent Voldemort from escaping."

James was nodding slowly. "That's a good plan, much better than what we were already considering. Albus?"

"It is a valid plan," the Headmaster admitted. "It does have merits… It does make more sense to have all of us go together rather than wait for Severus to return after handing you over to Voldemort. The element of surprise would still be ours."

"Do we know if the wards are keyed to people who wear the Dark Mark?" queried Remus. "Or are we supposing?"

"Supposing," answered Sirius. "He did last time. No reason to assume he won't have those restrictions in place again."

"So then…" Remus frowned, leaning forward, "wouldn't it make sense for Lily to remain outside the wards until she has got Anti-Apparation wards in place? We know we cannot Apparate directly into Voldemort's hideout so they can't get out unless they pass through the barriers."

"I would lay bets on Death Eaters being on guard in some form outside the wards anyway," said Sirius. "We would have to deal with them first before we get inside. But our plan is based on the idea that Voldemort will take Snape up on his offer to betray me. He may not. If he doesn't… in a few days we must act at least. I'm not leaving Jack there any longer than necessary."

James nodded. "I'm not either. I'm willing to wait at least two days for Voldemort to decide but after that we're striking. There is no give in this Albus either. Our son's life is at stake. And we are not leaving him to waste away in that monster's hands."

The Headmaster inclined his head, his beard reaching past the desk. "I will not ask for any more time. The most important aspect we must address is the final Horcrux. The snake needs to be killed before we can do anything about Voldemort. I will proceed to duel him whilst the rest of you begin to take out the Death Eaters he has with him. Be on the lookout for the snake. It might be useful for Harry to be aware of this as well. If he is under the cloak he has more chance of success than the rest of us. I will leave that in your capable hands, James." The piercing blue eyes of the Headmaster turned to Sirius, staring at him with a hard gaze. "Now, when were you going to tell me you had involved the Aurors?"

"Ah…" Sirius bit his lower lip. He knew he couldn't hide this much longer. He was going to admit it anyway. "We need the extra firepower. Having them by our side is important, especially if this is to be the final battle. We cannot afford to lose this. Amelia Bones has only involved certain Aurors and has been training them in anticipation on being called to the front line. I went behind your back because I remember what it was like before. Going to the Minister of Magic wouldn't help but going to the Head of Magical Law Enforcement? That's the smarter thing to do. She can at least start preparations without letting her superior know." Sirius sighed. "Albus… We're going to need the Aurors for this if we are to succeed. If it is just me, you, James, Remus, Lily, Harry and Snape we will fail. Have you even reformed the Order of the Phoenix? You may have sent feelers out there but you haven't brought people together yet. And we need them by our side, experienced wizards and witches who can aid us in our hour of need."

"I had not wished to involve a Ministry department in this… The political ramifications…"

Sirius cut him off right there. "Political? What rubbish! If Fudge and his cronies try to move against us because we win they will lose the support of the people who elected them! The last thing Fudge would do would be to compromise his own permission by turning on us by working against eliminating a threat. Voldemort's return is out there now but Fudge is still being useless. All he has done is print some goddamn leaflets! That is all he has done! He hasn't even increased the amount of Aurors on patrol! Any competent Minister of Magic would have done so, but Cornelius Fudge? No."

"Sirius is right. Fudge won't dare to. He will ruin his career if he even tries," said James. "And I will personally sue him for not doing anything constructive about locating my son if he tries anything."

Dumbledore sighed but nodded his head, accepting the words. "Very well. I know I cannot change your mind on this. I just fear the repercussions."

Sirius chose to ignore this and changed the subject to another matter they needed to discuss. "Once the snake is killed, I can then step forward?"

"Yes. Though I could continue duelling him myself and save you the trouble," suggested the Headmaster.

Sirius shook his head, declining the offer instantly. He didn't even need to think about it. "You won't kill him. Only defeat him. The only way this can end is if he's killed. And I mean to do it. As soon as the snake is dead, back off, because I will be aiming to kill." He shrugged then. "Besides, he wants me dead. He will be gunning for me. May as well duel him." He shifted his gaze around the room. "I know our policy is to capture rather than kill but they will be aiming to kill us. I suggest we return in kind."

Dumbledore looked like he was going to argue however the nods of Remus and James indicated they agreed with Sirius' words and the Headmaster's face deflated as he backed down. It seemed Dumbledore was learning not to argue with Sirius.

They didn't have much to discuss further after that. All the major points had been covered. Now, they had to wait.

Thursday 22nd April 1993

It was late. The Marauders and Lily with Harry were gathered in an old abandoned building on the outskirts of a small Muggle town in the north. Snape had been called to Voldemort just hours before and Sirius had begun to gather the people that would fight beside him.

Alongside him were not just Dumbledore, James, Lily, Remus and Harry, there was also a few Aurors who were risking their lives for this. Kingsley Shacklebolt, Dawlish, Hestia Jones and Alastor Moody were among the more notable Aurors who had agreed to participate. Sirius knew his second cousin, Tonks, had wanted to participate but she was still training and the senior Aurors had agreed only seasoned veterans could join in. They needed to be watching out for rookies, especially on a crucial mission like this.

Harry was hidden from the other Aurors. No one knew he was there, as he was hidden underneath the invisibility cloak, standing right next to his mother, who had a hard look on her face and a steely gaze. She was ready to leave for the location right now. They just needed to wait for Snape to return to determine what plan they were putting into action.

Everyone was on edge and Sirius just continued to pace. He, James, Lily, Remus and Harry had been given Basilisk fangs to use upon the snake. Lily had been reluctant to give Harry the responsibility of destroying a Horcrux but they knew he had the advantage by being under the cloak. Other than that, he just had to lay low and protect Sirius.

Finally, as the sky darkened and clouds grew over them, Snape returned and reported that Voldemort had declined to take him up on the offer of handing Sirius over to him. Instead the Dark Lord intended on taking Jack to a public place and then executing him to lure Sirius out. Lily's face had been a picture when she had heard what Voldemort planned.

This meant they had to act fast to save Jack. Snape did say that they were treating Jack well, probably lulling him into a false sense of security.

With the news of what Voldemort intended to do, the group quickly went over their plans again, with Sirius leaving out the necessity to kill the snake as that piece of information was on a need to know basis. The Aurors responsibility was to neutralise as many Death Eaters as possible. They, of course, were not aiming to kill, though Amelia Bones had given the order if lethal force was necessary they would not be penalised for it. Too much was at stake to try to simply just capture.

Within an hour of Snape returning, they were ready to leave.

Dumbledore already knew the location of where Voldemort was located, thanks to the location spell put on the Lestranges. So, the group Apparated instantly.

Voldemort had set up his base back in the country, in a forest in the south. Longleat. Some of the forest was taken up by a holiday village the Muggles had built up but the majority of the forest was still home to plenty of wildlife. And Voldemort had chosen to hide within a particular thick growth of forest, ensuring the battlefield itself would be very dangerous for those involved.

They arrived, as planned, outside the wards within the forest Voldemort was hiding in. The Aurors leapt into motion quickly, stunning the two Death Eaters that had been standing guard, quite blatantly, leaning against the barks of two separate trees. Their bodies lay crumpled on the forest floor, and then they were quickly bound to ensure they did not escape. Other Aurors quickly fanned out around the area, searching for any other watchers before the rest proceeded through the barrier.

They remained hidden amongst the trees, hoping Voldemort wouldn't notice his loss of Death Eaters. Lily started to work on Anti-Apparition wards, erecting them over the wards Voldemort already had in place. As long as her wards were placed higher than Voldemort's, hers should prevent him from escaping.

With the roaming Aurors having returned to the group, each wizard and witch linked hands with Severus Snape at the front of the group. Snape tried not to show his distaste of having to hold Sirius'. They figured it would be better if Sirius and Dumbledore entered after Snape. They were the two wizards that Voldemort wanted most.

"Everyone ready?" Dumbledore asked quietly.

There was a low muttering from everyone.

"This is it. We can end this tonight if we are lucky," added Sirius. He was clutching his wand tightly in his hand. He was feeling calm, surprisingly. He thought he might be more concerned but he didn't feel it. Perhaps because he knew whatever happened, he knew what the endgame was. He was ready for it, had accepted it. He just knew that the others would not accept it if he told them, so he kept silent.

"Let's go," urged Dumbledore.

And Snape walked through the wards.

Chaos burst out the instant it became clear Severus Snape had led Sirius Black and his allies to the forest. Albus headed straight to confront Voldemort. The others all ducked away, engaging in battles around him with the Death Eaters who were scattered around the forest.

"Tom," said Dumbledore quietly. He didn't raise his wand. He didn't need to. "It doesn't have to end this way."

Voldemort's face turned ugly, his red eyes slitting and his mouth opening in contempt. "If you would all bow down to me we wouldn't be here now, would we?"

"People do not like being ruled by dictators," said Dumbledore. "You wish to purify our world, yet you refuse to see that doing so would destroy our world. We need Muggleborns to keep the magic alive. Everyone in this world is worthy to live their lives without threat of being killed because of their blood. If it had not been for your mother infatuated with a Muggle, you would not be here. Your magical powers have not been hindered by the blood you so despise."

"He despised her! And she was wretched for daring to love a man of dirty blood!" hissed Voldemort, his red eyes glinting angrily. "You should not speak of things you know nothing about Dumbledore!"

"I know more than you think I do. As does Sirius," intoned Dumbledore quietly.

"Black only knows more because of what he is! But tonight will be his death!"

"To get to him you will have to go through me," stated Dumbledore quietly. "I will ensure you cannot kill him tonight."

"Then I will kill you first!" Voldemort raised his wand. "Avada Kedavra!"

Dumbledore stepped to the side as the green jet of light streaked past him. He would have to be careful here. No doubt Voldemort would constantly use the killing curse. He would have to be careful not to let his movements to avoid them endanger other people. He wouldn't aim to kill either. Tom Riddle needed to be stopped but there were always other ways to do so rather than senseless killing.

He watched his old student carefully. This wouldn't just be a battle of power, it would be a battle of wills. Dumbledore's goal was simple: survive until the snake Horcrux had been destroyed. He fired off another curse as he swiftly moved out of the way of another killing curse. He could make this last.

He could.

Harry sneaked around the land, the cloak draped around him. He held his wand in his hand and his eyes were focused upon the snake that lay curled around a bush, hidden within the undergrowth, not moving at all. Harry's heart was beating fast in his throat as he closed in on the snake. He knew this wasn't his task specifically to do but he had the chance others could not. At least his parents and Sirius had prepared him for the eventuality he could kill it.

He was invisible.

No one knew he was here apart from his closest family.

As long as he remained quiet he could sneak up behind the snake and… He swallowed. He didn't want to kill it but he also knew how important it was to do so. The thought of killing a living creature didn't sit well with him. But I'm the only one who knows where it is. Others haven't found it yet. If I don't do this than Sirius cannot kill Voldemort.

Harry knew what the stakes were. He had to do this.

Harry crawled forward. He was on his hands and knees, moving slowly and carefully through the undergrowth. The snake had not moved from where it was curled around the bush. The snake was a dark green colour, fading in well with the forest colours, making it practically impossible to spot but Harry was used to looking for small things. He was an excellent Seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. He had spotted it thanks to the small change in colour and the slight movement the snake had made as it kept watch on its Master's duel with Dumbledore.

Harry hesitated. He had a chance here. But how could he take out the snake without alerting it? He had to move very slowly so as not to alert it to Harry's presence. He was still twenty metres away from it and he needed to get this done.

He could rush it and hope he was able to surprise it. Or continue to sneak forward more. He had learned a lot during his lessons with Sirius so he had a lot of skill for a young boy who had yet to reach his teen years. Harry took a slow breath and began to crawl forward a bit more, keeping his eyes focused upon the snake. The cloak kept him covered and he was being careful not to dislodge it.

Reaching down to his pocket, Harry grasped the end of the Basilisk fang. He had to handle it carefully. For that end, he had placed it in his pocket, sharp end down. His fingers clasped the rough surface of the fang and he pulled it free, slowly moving his hand up the rest of the way, so that the hand with the fang in, was close to his chest.

Crawling forward more, Harry continued to approach.

He just hoped he was going to do this right.

Sirius ducked, rolled, threw curses and generally just worked his way through the Death Eaters that were attacking them. He had already killed two, though he didn't know who they were due to the masks on their faces. The only ones without masks were his insane cousin and her husband. Both were currently duelling Kingsley who was holding his own against them.

He kept his eyes open, swiftly moving around, looking for any sign of the snake, whilst keeping watch on Dumbledore's duel with Voldemort. As predicted, Dumbledore was merely on the defensive, hardly attacking, giving Voldemort a large amount of room to play and own the duelling ground.

At the moment, that didn't matter.

Taking down as many Death Eaters as possible did.

Steeling himself, he cast around for his next target.

Harry was close now. He could reach forward and the snake would be within reach. He contemplated what to do. How could he do this without alerting it to his presence?

Slowly, he rose to his knees, trying to keep his breathing to a minimum. He knew snakes did not have ears but they could still hear. Vibrations was the key to their ability to know od what was going on around them. Then Harry stilled his movement. The cloak had fallen from him as he had risen slowly to his knees.

If a snake can feel vibrations does it know…

But before he could finish that thought, the snake struck.

Lily heard her son yell. She swiftly dispatched the Death Eater she was duelling, surprising them with a low tripping curse followed up by a stunner before twisting away and running towards the sound of her son.

Harry was off to the side, amongst a small clump of bushes, wrestling with Voldemort's pet snake, as it chomped and tried to strike him. Its tail end was wrapped around Harry's legs.

"No! Harry!"

Ignoring the danger to herself, she leapt forward and grabbed the snake by the neck, trying to pull it away from her son. As she pulled the snake back, she saw Harry wrench his arm free and in his hand was the Basilisk fang.

The snake thrashed, trying to bite at Lily but she expertly moved her body so it couldn't reach her.

"Harry! Do it! Kill it!" she yelled, desperately trying to hold the snake still, despite its continued thrashing. She could see it was squeezing her son's legs ever tighter in its attempts to get free from her grip.

Harry didn't hesitate. He raised his left arm.

Lily pulled back on the snake's neck.

Then, Harry plunged the fang into the snake's neck.

Voldemort saw it happen. He saw his snake, Nagini, cut down by a twelve year old boy. A boy he should have killed years ago if not for Black's interference. He felt his anger building, felt himself unleash the power within his veins. He strode forward, eyes focused upon the boy and his Mudblood mother. He ignored Dumbledore, throwing out magic in every direction, not only from his wand but from his hands too, as he pushed himself through the battling hordes of Death Eaters and Aurors alike.

He would kill them for that…

He shot killing curses everywhere, not caring who he hit. He just wanted people dead. Those that had failed him did not deserve to survive this battle either. He reached the Mudblood and her boy. She stood in front of her son, holding her wand up in a defensive position. "Move." It wasn't a request.

"No!" the witch responded curtly. "I will not let you harm my son!"

Voldemort turned his wand on her. "Then you shall die too."

"You would kill me anyway," she replied, "even if I did step aside."

"Astute." His robes billowed around him. He had no plans of sparing anyone's life today. They all deserved to die. "Avada Kedavra!"

But the jet of green light did not hit the Mudblood as Voldemort had expected it too. They were thrust aside at the last second as magic from the right of them blasted both the Mudblood and the boy out of harm's way. Voldemort cursed and twisted his wand to his left and pointed it straight at Dumbledore. He didn't hesitate, just let his anger pool forth into his power, and a black streak of light erupted from the end of his wand.

The old man could not avoid it in time. The shield he had used to protect himself broke apart from the sheer power of the curse Voldemort had sent his way. The black energy did not dissipate upon shattering the shield either, and it impacted the Headmaster right on the chest.

The old man's eyes faded and his body toppled backward.

He had not expected that but it was a victory he had wanted for a long time. He laughed. He turned back towards the Mudblood who was ushering her son towards the wards. They wouldn't be able to get through, not unless the traitor was on standby. He should have expected Severus Snape to have switched sides. He had suspected foul play but had chosen to believe that Snape had remained a loyal Death Eater, collecting information for years on his enemies. He had, certainly, provided enough to prevent doubts rising about him.

It did not matter whether Snape had betrayed him. Dumbledore was dead. Black would soon follow. And then so would Snape. But not before he had killed the Mudblood and her whelp of a boy.

James had seen Dumbledore fall but had not reacted to it. Sirius had instantly abandoned his duel with Dolohov and ran towards Voldemort, intent on facing him, leaving Dolohov to James alone. Behind Dolohov, tied to a tree, was Jack. He was unconscious, having accidently been hit by a stunner that Sirius had intended for Dolohov. The Death Eater had stepped aside.

James ducked as a curse soared past his ear, nearly singeing the skin off. He retaliated with a choking spell which he hoped would be enough to deter the Death Eater from attacking again. He was not surprised when it didn't work. Instead, James had to leap out the way as a killing curse flew past his face. That was lucky.

He had to take down Dolohov so he could get to his son. He had seen Lily and Harry in trouble earlier but Dumbledore had signalled to him that he had everything under control. James had trusted him to keep them safe but now… Was the Headmaster dead? It was likely but he hoped whatever curse Voldemort had used on him had merely injured him severely enough to knock him out…They still needed Dumbledore.

James twisted, pivoting on his feet as Dolohov cast several curses at him at once. "Protego!" He managed to get a shield up in time, but not before he cast a sticking spell at Dolohov's feet, preventing him from moving away from the rebounded curses.

Dolohov, not expecting James to react so quickly to the triple curses heading his way, did not move fast enough to avoid being hit himself from the rebound. He stunned himself and nearly sliced his own throat with a throat-slitting curse which impacted against his right arm, cutting straight into it and causing profuse bleeding.

James stepped over Dolohov's limp body and towards Jack who remained unconscious. He untied his son and pulled him away from the tree, hugging him close. No one seemed to be paying attention to him but he had to get Jack out of here. Away from the battle for medical attention. But, he couldn't get through the wards unless Snape could help. He could still feel the crackle in the air of the wards, indicating Voldemort hadn't torn them down yet. If he had, James could have simply left himself by moving out of range of Lily's anti-apparition wards.

He stroked his son's hair. It didn't look like he had been harmed, only detained. He didn't look malnourished either, suggesting they had at least fed him and given him water. James hefted Jack's limp body into his arms. He knew he was taking a risk but he had to protect his son. He cast his gaze around the duelling witches and wizards and found Snape had already moved from his original position. He was now moving closer to James.

Crouching down into the undergrowth, James waited until Snape was able to break away from his duel by paralysing his opponent.

"Potter," said Snape curtly, crouching down. "Give me the boy. I will get him to safety and come straight back."

James nodded. He could trust Snape. "Get him to Pomfrey." He didn't want to leave his son but he had a job to do, a mission to complete first. "I'll defend you whilst you get out of here."

Snape didn't indicate he had heard James, merely held out his arms. Placing Jack in his former rival's arms, James rose from his position, shielding Snape and his son from potential enemies. They moved quickly through the undergrowth, skirting the edges of the battle. It was so frenzy within the battle circle that they were lucky they had not been noticed.

James' eyes found Sirius duelling furiously with Voldemort. Come on Sirius. He saw Lily and Harry on the far side of the forest area, crouching down with Lily firing off curses every now and again. He could see the remains of the snake by their feet. He couldn't get to them but they seemed protected for now because Sirius seemed to be projecting some sort of bubble around them, which he suspected only protected Harry rather than Lily. He also noticed that a thin glittery shield was reflecting over Sirius, suggesting Harry was doing the same thing.

He backed up further and they finally reached the edge of the barriers. James looked over his shoulder briefly at Snape. "Thank you."

Snape rolled his eyes. "Just get back out there and fight, Potter. Make sure that bastard stays dead."

James felt like grinning but he didn't. "Will do."

Then Snape was gone, taking Jack to safety.

Gripping his wand, James rushed back to battle, heading towards Remus' side who was engaged with Lucius Malfoy and Rabastan Lestrange.

Sirius stepped in front of Dumbledore's body, wand raised directly at his foe. The Dark Lord's eyes were flaming red and his features twisted in to an ugly mask. "Give it up, Voldemort. It's over."

"IT IS NEVER OVER!" hissed Voldemort. "Nagini may be dead but it does not matter in the end."

Sirius smirked. Oh, he was going to have fun with this. "Really? Would it matter more if you knew she was the last Horcrux you had?"

Voldemort's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "You know nothing!"

Sirius chuckled. It probably wasn't the most appropriate thing to do. After all, he was staring death in face. "Don't I? Let's see… the locket, the diary, the cup of Helga Hufflepuff, the Diadem of Ravenclaw, the Ring of Salazar Slytherin and your pet snake… Am I missing anything?"

"AVADA KEDAVRA!"

Sirius ducked. The jet of green light impacted against a tree behind him, just above where Lily and Harry were protected by the shield he was protecting. At least he had learned two things: one, Voldemort was pissed and two, the shields he and Harry could project around themselves were not immune to the killing curse. He had expected that. It had been too much to hope for that they were both immune to everything.

"How about that? You missed!" Sirius baited.

"You will die, Black!" snarled Voldemort, thrusting his wand forward once again.

"We all do," stated Sirius, "no one is immune to death, not even you!"

"I will be once you die by my hand!" Voldemort shot another killing curse at him but Sirius stepped aside.

That confirmed it then. Now that Voldemort knew all his Horcruxes were gone, he intended to make his next one with Sirius' death. Sirius wasn't going to give him that opportunity. He fired off his own killing curse but the Dark Lord easily stepped aside. It wasn't going to be so easy to kill him. He just had to get lucky.

The battle began anew. Curses rocked between them, with both Sirius and Voldemort ducking, stepping aside or deflecting them aside. Neither of them was winning. Neither of them was losing. It was fast and furious and the pace was draining his energy and his magic as he fought on skill alone. Voldemort was using all his power against him, eyes burning with a desire to kill.

Sirius knew the consequences of using too much magic in one go. Magical exhaustion. And he was starting to feel the effects. Overpowering his spells just to counter Voldemort was draining him quicker than usual.

He rolled away, throwing off another couple of spells in quick succession, all designed to injure if any of them hit his foe, but they were all quickly countered. He wasn't getting anything through though it was lucky the majority of Voldemort's spells would be blocked by Harry's protection field currently encased around his body. He only had to worry about the killing curse.

He ducked and slid along the ground as another killing curse came his way. Damn it. He's resorting to quite a few of those now. Sirius could only return in kind.

He had to find a way to end this and soon otherwise he would fail and die when his magic expired. If he was unable to fight back… Think… Think…

Sirius cast around, still defending against the copious attacks unleashed against him from Voldemort. He was looking for an opportunity. All he needed was one lucky shot. And that was when he saw it. Voldemort was angry, so very angry. He was just letting power loose in every direction though attempting to keep it focused upon Sirius alone. But it was an advantage Sirius could take…

It was risky…

I have to do this…

It was the only way he could get Voldemort down…

Throwing himself to the right as another killing curse impacted against the tree he had been standing against, he rolled behind a bush and instantly, consciously, transformed into his Animagus form. Because it was still dark he would be shielded due to the colour of his fur.

On all fours, Padfoot ran out, running around in a loose circle. Voldemort hadn't noticed. He was still walking slowly towards the bush he thought Sirius was still hiding behind. And, Padfoot struck.

His paws landed on Voldemort's back, even as his teeth clamped tight around Voldemort's wand arm, by his wrist, biting through skin, muscle and bone.

Voldemort screamed, shaking the arm Padfoot had latched on to in an effort to dislodge him but he refused to do so.

With his back legs, Padfoot pushed into Voldemort's spine, causing him to drop and fall to the forest floor. Unclamping his teeth from the bloody mess of Voldemort's wand arm, Padfoot kicked the Dark Lord's wand out the way before transforming back into his human shape.

He whipped out his wand and pointed it straight at Voldemort. "Game over." He spat out Voldemort's blood from his mouth. He didn't hesitate, not giving the Dark Lord a chance to move. "Avada Kedavra!"

Voldemort died instantly.

They had seen it happen. Had witnessed how Sirius had attacked Voldemort from behind in his animagus form, had then disabled his wand arm through a vicious method that Harry would not have thought of himself. They had seen the green jet of light from Sirius' wand hit Voldemort. They knew it was over.

"Harry," said his mother quietly. "Stay here."

He nodded. He watched as his mother rushed over to Sirius' side. He could see how weak Sirius looked, the paleness of his skin. The bond between them reverberated weakly. Sirius was draining and fast from the amount of magic he had used.

All around him Harry could see other duels stop as the Death Eaters became aware of Voldemort's defeat. Some turned tail and ran only to be stunned from behind whilst others merely surrendered.

His green eyes saw Bellatrix Lestrange stun her opponent, having been one of the few who had not stopped their duel and then she turned her wand towards –

Harry swallowed. He knew what was coming.

Green light rushed through the air towards him. He closed his eyes.

But it did not hit him.

Instead he heard a loud thump as a body hit the floor.

Sirius stared at the body of Voldemort, lying motionlessly on the ground. He had done it. And he felt so weak from the exertion of using up so much magic. Voldemort was dead. He held his wand loosely in his hand as he cast his gaze around the battlefield. Others were still duelling but most Death Eaters were surrendering. Only two pairs were still duelling.

Rabastan Lestrange paired with Lucius Malfoy against James and Remus.

Bellatrix and Jones.

Sirius felt unease within his stomach. Jones was hit by a stunner and she fell, collapsing onto the Earth in a boneless heap. Bellatrix screeched in triumph and then turned her wand straight to –

Sirius felt his voice stick in his throat. He wouldn't be able to move Harry out of the way in time.

He didn't think.

He just acted.

Someone tackled Bellatrix just after green light had shot from her wand but they'd been too late to dislodge her aim.

"NO!" Sirius leapt forward and stepped in front of the killing curses trajectory, shielding Harry from death.

It impacted against his chest.

And…

…he died.

To be continued...

Please let me know what you think!

Padfoot is awesome, isn't he?

And... if you kill me you won't know what happens next!

Until next week...

the-writer1988