Disclaimer: I do not own any characters, objects, words, or anything else that comes from J.K Rowling's Harry Potter series as well as anything from the Star Wars franchise owned by Disney.
Warning: This story will contain scenes of violence, bad language, and maybe other themes that some audiences may find unsuitable. You have been advised.
'Mind Link Language'
"Regular Language"
"Communication Through the Mind, Communicator, or Parseltongue/Draconian"
'Thought or Spell'
The Grey Army
Chapter 6
The wards around Hogwarts crashed down against the ground against the assault it was under, yet the castle and its grounds remained ever still.
Ignoring the eerie silence, Dumbledore from his position, and Voldemort, from his own, accidentally shouted at the same time to their followers. "Charge!"
Fenrir led the werewolves at the spearhead of the Death Eater assault. He was clueless to the death that awaited him after crossing the next wardline. Unlike the last battle of Hogwarts, mines or other traps on the paths leading to the school were absent. Instead, an even stronger wardline surrounded the castle only a meter away from its walls. With the werewolf's impact, it sprang to life, illuminating the castle in a red hue. The once welcoming school looked much more sinister and fearsome than it had in centuries. The last time it glowed with such power and intimidation was when the founders had to defend it against muggles shortly after its creation.
A few other werewolves were unable to stop themselves on the Dark Lord's side, and the Ministry did lose a couple of its aurors as well to the new wards that disintegrated any that came near.
"POTTER!" Voldemort screamed blasting at the shield as quickly as he could. Even under his assault, though, it held. Slowly his troops were joining him once more, but the ever-stubborn ward would not fall. On the other side, the Ministry and Dumbledore commenced their own attack as well to similar results. Suddenly, though, everyone stopped at once, hearing their enemy's voice, the voice of Harry James Potter.
"Tom Riddle! Albus Dumbledore! So good of you both to make it! Are you both having a little trouble getting in?"
His face appeared on the shield of the wards to face each of his opponents. His hood was back and the material of his robes seemed to clump at the shoulders. The rest of his body was cut from view.
"Do you need some help?" He smirked deviously.
"You cannot hide forever, boy! Your wards will fall, and I will kill you!" The snake-faced figure shouted. His slits of eyes widened in shock when his face appeared next to Harry's on the wards. The two were not alone, however. Dumbledore's also emerged as he shouted, "Your dark magic cannot hold back the light!"
"Now, now, Albus. We need to make sure we are addressing each other properly. Yes, you are part of the Light and, in my opinion, are exactly what is wrong with it. I do refer to the Ministry's as well as your own corruption and weakness. I, however, am not a dark wizard. No, that title belongs to old Tommy here. After all, he has worked so hard to be called the Dark Lord." Harry's face scrunched up in scorn and mockery at his enemy's epithet. "I am a grey wizard. We acknowledge magic as neutral. There may be different shades, but some are needed more often than others. We don't let our enemies walk over us. We use all of magic and are not narrow minded like all of you.
"You wonder why the wards won't fall? It's because we are able to learn more than either of you ever could, but if you're both so eager to fight, who am I to deny you? Come on. Your blood will fertilize the soil."
As soon as Harry finished speaking, all three faces disappeared yet the red wards stood erect.
Roars echoed across the grounds, bouncing through the surrounding troops of the Light and Dark and filling their ears. The sound was unnatural. It seemed to include too many different voices acting at once than should be possible. A moment later, Voldemort collapsed to his knees in pain, his insides feeling like they were twisting apart. His Death Eaters rushed to his side but he pushed them back. He knew what had just occurred, and his eyes were agape in shock. He rushed to Nagini and tried to apparate but found himself blocked.
The Grey sprang their trap.
Another red ward arose around the combined forces, trapping them between the killing ward around the castle and a much similar looking one where the original wards were broken.
In the shadows around Voldemort, three grey figures emerged. Each was dressed much differently than their assassin days except for their infamous cloaks and colouring. Instead of the normal light combat robes, they wore unique armour from a mixture of several mythical creatures dyed in the colour of their order. As much as it was heavier, their movements were still unimpeded.
Using this freedom of movement, two of the Warriors automatically engaged the Dark Lord with their wands. He instantly reacted, dropping Nagini and casting up a shield around them, but the third figure appeared at his side a few meters away and summoned the snake towards him with his left wand, his right hand empty.
Voldemort tried stopping his third opponent but was interrupted by a flurry of spells from the other two. His entire concentration was needed to hold off their assault.
Nagini meanwhile flew at the solo enemy with her jaws wide, ready to bite and attack. He was more than ready for her, however, as one of his grey rings glowed and a glowing sword materialized in his right hand. It was too late for Nagini to dodge, and, as a result, the edge of the blade vertically met her right in the middle of her face. The basilisk venom infused sword had been forged for exactly this. The sword sliced through the snake with ease, but, after it passed through her head, she burst into a cloud of black particles. Nagini, Voldemort's familiar and horcrux, was no more.
The Dark Lord screamed in pain and a burst of black magic sent everyone around him back. As soon as the three Grey Warriors stopped sliding backwards, they lifted their hoods off their faces.
Hannah Abbot and Neville Longbottom stood as the twin duelers against him, and Draco Malfoy smirked as his ring absorbed his sword.
"Don't worry, Riddle!" The Malfoy Warrior called. "We're not ending things quite just yet."
Before the dark wizards and witches around them could respond, the three merged back with the shadows and disappeared. More than a few were perturbed and sending fearful glances towards their leader.
As the Dark Lord went to give his next instructions, he was interrupted once more. Turning around, away from the castle, they as well as the other Hogwarts attackers beheld a sight that made their blood run cold.
Voldemort and Dumbledore had both managed to gather their armies and, for the size of wizarding Britain, were impressive. Their numbers held none to one behind them. Standing at attention goblins lined the front of the ranks. Werewolves and vampires crouched low, ready to pounce. Elves had already taken aim with their bows while soldiers and wizards had done the same with their guns and wands. Amongst them, a sea of grey cloth adorned them even if only simply tied around an arm. If the two armies were able to see further back, they would have spotted a multitude of artillery.
Unfortunately for them, their view was obscured and their attention was more focused on Daphne Potter-Hogwarts-Peverell atop her dragon familiar. The reason that this was so unfortunate was made clear to them a moment later when the first of them died.
They were too focused on the army that had entrapped them to notice Harry on his own dragon atop the Astronomy tower with barrels and wands poking out the windows of the castle. Without a spoken word, the battle truly began.
After the Light and Dark reacted to the attack from behind, Rex reared back and let loose a bolt of lightning from his mouth into the night sky, illuminating the castle in a burst of white, disrupting the red. Many on the side of the Ministry were already surrendering, throwing down their wands and begging for mercy. To their surprise, they found themselves spared, with gunfire and spellfire directed towards their still fighting comrades.
Voldemort's forces did not attempt anything of the like, afraid to be killed by their lord. Well, one did attempt and found himself dragged into the shadows, losing consciousness in the process.
Peter Pettigrew would ultimately find he regretted this decision as well as many he had made earlier in life, namely betraying the Potters.
A mass of rockets and missiles toppled the dozen giants in a burst of flame. Despite their resistance to magic, the explosives were able to dig into their skins before delivering their deadly payloads.
The main grey army began joining the assault with their own long range weapons and spells. Within five minutes, both the Light and Dark were crippled but had managed to create their own defenses by transfiguring the surrounding earth. The most demoralizing part of the assault, besides their grievous losses, was how the wards had shielded their foes so well AND let them fire through it. Fear began to set in to each of the attackers of Hogwarts, except for one, and even Voldemort was finding the situation more and more desperate. He could only feel one last piece of his soul left besides the one inside his body, but he knew one was enough to secure his immortality.
The Grey kept up a sporadic exchange of fire just keeping their enemy pinned. Their reasons weren't revealed for a few minutes until Harry appeared from the shadows on the ground directly opposite Voldemort but behind the wards. He had absorbed Rex back into his skin.
"Tom Marvalo Riddle!"
At once, the Grey stopped their assault, Voldemort and Harry revealed to all through their images on the wards.
"You are weak. You are a wretch. It is hard to imagine that you are what the wizarding world has feared so. Face me, and let me show you what real strength and power is. Power not born of fear but of companionship, of trust, of respect, love, and kindness. Any single one of us would be enough to kill you, but give me the honour of taking your head." Lord Potter called. His robes billowed about him, his grey magic rippling the air around him.
"You wish to die so badly, boy? You petulant child! You think you can beat me?!" The snakelike figure screamed.
"Shut up and fight me." The Warrior's eyes were alight in flame, hearing the voice of his parents' killer.
Reluctant to follow his enemy's instructions but eager to put him in his place, Voldemort stepped out of his fortification, his red eyes locked on Harry's green. Finally seeing the man, Harry walked through the wards as if they were not even there, much to his enemies' disdain. He already has both his wands in hand.
"Three rules." Harry stated. "One: no outside interference." Voldemort sneered but nodded.
"Two: We fight until the other cannot anymore, including death." This time Tom smiled, thinking the boy foolish.
"Three: Anything else goes." Lord Hogwarts smirked viciously, the red light of his wards bathing him in an even more menacing light. Even a part of the Dark Lord was hesitant to see how eager Harry was for this fight. Still, he agreed.
"On your call, Tom Jr!" Harry shouted, his smirk still alive but his body tensing.
Voldemort scowled and did away with a count, automatically casting towards his opponent. 'Avada kedavra!'
The young lord easily side stepped it. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. So uncivilized. Didn't your mother teach you any better? Oh, wait. She died giving birth to you, after putting your father under a love potion."
The Dark Lord screamed in rage and began sending everything he had at the boy across from him. He mixed in as many different curses as he could, adding parseltongue to the mix. Yet, Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, was undaunted. He did not cast a shield but instead chose to dodge each and every single spell thrown at him throughout the Dark Lord's ten minutes of spellcasting. That is until parselmagic joined the fight. Harry was batting those spells away with barely a flick of his wrist.
"You dare try the noble tongue against me?! I have studied under Salazar's own familiar as well as his journals!"
To prove his point, Harry caught the latest spell with his left wand, freezing Voldemort in his tracks. He had never seen a spell caught on the end of a wand, let alone one of parselmagic. Seeing his expression, Harry smirked again and brought the tip of his right wand to the collected ball of magic. As soon as it touched, it shot off back towards its original caster. The Dark Lord attempted his own shield but found the spell too powerful. It was able to stop any real damage from reaching him, but he was still propelled 20 meters back amidst the shards of his broken shield.
Voldemort's eyes widened once more that night in realization. That was the first spell he cast in their fight. The Dark Lord, You-Know-Who, knew fear for the first time in years. Despite the devastating assault he had sent the boy's way, Harry Potter seemed to just be toying with him.
"What do you have planned? Why are you continuing this?" The immortal screamed.
"Oh, look. You finally figured it out. You see what this really is. You came expecting a fight you could win, and you've realized you're in the middle of your destruction." Harry had seemed bored as he spoke but turned serious now. "You want to end this, Tom? Make me." The young man's smile was gone.
Voldemort could not believe it. He had been feared, and, now, everything he had worked for he realized was gone. He had been beaten by a sixteen year old boy. Well, it seemed he might as well try to die fighting. Voldemort would not be known dying while begging for mercy. He would live through his last horcrux and return when the time was right.
'Avada kedavra!'
The deadly spell was veering far off the mark, further depleting the snakelike figure's spirit as well as that of his followers.
'Umbra, Zeus, Rex. Are you three sure?'
'I'll alwaysssss be at your sssside.' The King Cobra hissed.
'We're a pack. There's nowhere else I'd rather be.' Umbra growled.
'Let them try to stop us!' The dragon roared.
Harry's eyes locked on Voldemort and a smile graced his lips. Then he looked back behind the villain at his beloved wife and his eyes shined.
'If this doesn't work, I want you to know that I love you with all of my being. I want this war to end so I can spend every last minute with you enjoying our peace.'
With that last mind communication, the man leaped to the side, forcing himself into the path of the spell. Within a moment, the green hit him right where he intended, on his lightning bolt scar. Another moment later, his body collapsed on the ground with a dull thump. Tears were flowing down Daphne's face and she could feel her own soul splitting at the loss of her mate.
Regina let loose with a devastating roar of icefire, mourning her and her familiar's loss.
Voldemort just stared in shock, utterly confused. Meanwhile, Dumbledore smirked. "Just as I hoped. I knew he would see reason."
The old man started recounting the other message he sent the boy months ago.
Dear Lord Hogwarts,
Before our next meeting, I do feel that I should share with you some information, as your former headmaster and as you are one so young. No matter how powerful you may think you are, I advise you to look into a piece of magic called a horcrux if you truly wish to defeat our mutual enemy. I doubt you will be able to take advantage of it for self gain. After all, the Dark Lord did leave one inside that scar of yours, and he is the only one who can destroy it.
Enjoy What You Have Left,
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore
Harry had done his research following the message, gathering as much information on what a horcrux was and how it could be dealt with. He found the old manipulator's words true. Even the Grey Order knew that the destruction of a living horcrux meant the host's death.
The young man's worry for his people and concern for their survival, his paranoia as some would call it, all stemmed from the truth that he faced: in order to move forward, he would need to be left behind. He acknowledged his fate, but could not truly accept it, that was until he found one piece of information, one text, that gave him a chance.
As rare a piece of magic a horcrux thankfully is, it is even rarer to find a living horcrux. There have been recorded instances of animal horcruxes as well as two individual human ones. The animals have been observed to have a familiar bond to the original owner of the soul. "Human A" was taken over by the soul of another humanoid, mostly likely a wizard/witch. The subject from gathered reports seemed to become the same person in another body. Assassins were able to eliminate both targets with two of their casualties. For more information, see Case File H #3850469. Voldemort, Tom Marvalo Riddle Jr created the other recorded subject, Harry James Potter. Subject observed to be able to resist due to REDACTED. Subject's soul may be strong enough to survive death as a result by trading the fragmented soul. All other case file details locked under order of Edward Hindengard.
Edward had known and hid it from everyone, even the other Elders. Harry was even more glad to have killed another one who tried to manipulate his life. He just was thankful for his chance. He could work with the unknown.
Now, though, Harry James Potter Hogwarts Peverell was standing in a white space which was supremely odd for the young man as he was used to seeing it in grey. He stood in the head chambers of Grey Base One. Besides the lack of colour, there was one other difference, another set of doors behind the raised dais where the leaders would normally sit. They were identical to the ones behind him but seemed to glow while the ones behind him held a heavy air about them.
"Well this is fucking weird…" He thought aloud before calling out, "Can anyone hear me? Umbra? Zeus? Rex?"
"They're not here with you, Harry, but don't worry. You may be able to join them soon." A feminine voice spoke out.
The young man spun around trying to identify the source while reaching for his weapons, which were, to his dismay, absent. He then noticed his outfit had changed without him noticing. His battle gear was traded for jeans, trainers, and a simple black tee shirt. It was as if he blinked and it happened. Sparing just the moment of shock, he readied himself with his body for an incoming attack.
"You don't need to be afraid. I won't hurt you." The voice spoke again.
"Funny, I've never heard those words before being ambushed." Harry replied, his eyes scanning every corner of the room as fast as he could. He couldn't meld into the shadows where there were none. Apparition wasn't working either. This wasn't good.
"You and I have very different definitions of funny, but then again, you did grow up around Severus Snape. He was never known for a sense of humor." A male voice spoke. "Ow! What? It's the truth!"
"Don't you start blaming him for doing what he's had to do without us. We're lucky he's so caring and selfless. He's a lot like your father." The female spoke again.
"Wait… There's two of you, a male and a female. You both know Severus has been taking care of me…" Harry started piecing clues together. "Mum? Dad?"
A rush of warmth melted over him, and he couldn't help but close his eyes and enjoy it. After a couple moments though, he frowned at another feeling. Opening his eyes, he jumped back in astoundment, breaking the hug with James and Lily Potter.
The normally stoic and unflinching Grey Warrior was clearly shaken and unable to come to grips with the situation in front of him. His eyes bounced back and forth between his parents as well as the area around him. Even the continuing aura of warmth was unable to soothe him.
"Harry. It's okay. We'd never hurt you. You have to know that." James spoke softly.
"Who are you both, really?" Harry was completely on the defensive, ready to lash out at a moment's notice.
Lily grimaced and a glint of water started to emerge in her eyes before her face hardened and started walking up to her son. She could see his eyes lock on her yet still collecting in his entire environment. If it wasn't for the situation, she would have smiled seeing they shared the same eye colour. She stopped right in front of him.
The smack of her slapping her son's face rang out in the ethereal room. The Warrior for all his training couldn't bring himself to try to stop it, just bring his own hand to where his mother's had impacted, looking at her in shock.
As he started to open his mouth, she wrapped him back in a hug in a way only a mother could with her own child. Lily held him as close as she could while somehow not suffocating the by turned man.
After a couple seconds, Harry's reservations melted in her warmth and he hugged her back with all he had. "Mum." He didn't even register the tears flowing down his cheeks until feeling his mother's soaking his shirt. They broke apart after what felt like only seconds or hours to him. However long it was was not enough.
"I'm-"
"No." James cut his son off. "Don't you dare apologize."
Seeing Harry's shocked face, James chuckled. "Even if we hadn't been watching over you, you're your mother's son, always taking the world on your shoulders."
Two sets of emerald eyes shot James a disgruntled look before the first part of his father's sentence registered with the younger man. "You've both been watching over me?"
"Of course we did. We gave you all we could in life, you don't think death could stop us?" James spoke as he walked up and gave Harry a hug as well. It felt so strange having last held him as a babe to now hug a man just taller than him.
After only a few moments, Lily couldn't help but join in. "We're so proud of you."
Harry looked up at his parents and gulped. "Even with…?"
"You have nothing to be ashamed of. You carry the family name with more honour than your father did." A new male voice spoke up.
"Just because Jimmy didn't want to follow in your footsteps, doesn't mean he has let anyone down." A female joined in.
Emerging from the doors behind the leader desk, an older man and woman entered arm in arm. The man stood taller than both the other men and held himself well, the mark of a soldier. His messy black Potter hair was cut short. He also shared the same hazel eyes as James. The woman, though, looked similarly to the Black sisters, with her smooth hair hung up in a bun and her grey eyes. Immediately, Harry recalled his family tree and recognized his grandparents: Charlus Potter and Dorea neé Black.
"Still I stand by what I said of our grandson." Charlus spoke as they walked up, looking Harry in the eye. He was happy to see the young man hold his gaze.
"And you wonder why I could never stop joking. Someone had to make up for all your seriousness." James grinned.
"No, Sirius is my godfather." Harry elbowed his father softly, earning a guffaw from the man.
"Knew you were my boy!" James smirked proudly.
"No, son. He's not just your boy. He's all of ours and more. He is his own man and a damn fine one at that." Charlus smiled, bringing Harry into a hug along with Dorea.
The teen didn't even look up from the embrace but couldn't help his question. "Even with all I've done? Everyone I've killed? Everyone who I may kill?"
The elder Potters distanced themselves enough to see his face but still held on to him.
"You are." The eldest man spoke. "You're not a killer. We can see that easily. We know everything, and it is why I can say with pleasure that you are everything a grandfather could hope for. You're as strong as me and the rest of the family. You're still just as kind as your grandmother."
"And as formidable a warrior for good as your grandfather." Dorea added. "As well as charismatic as him and your father."
"Don't forget, he's as intelligent as Lily and loyal as any one of us." James spoke.
"With your father's penchant for trouble, including some that you make yourself." Lily gave a completely ineffective glare over her smile.
"Hey! I have to hold up to my vows!" The man replied in mock indignation. "After all, I solemnly swear-"
"That I'm up to no good." Harry finished for his father before turning to his kin, tears of happiness still trailing down his cheeks. "Thank you, but what's with all of this? I can't imagine the afterlife would be just a room I knew in life."
"I told you he was just as smart as his mother." James smirked before it faded. The smiles on the others fell as well.
"What? What is it?" Harry looked at each of them nervously.
"This isn't the afterlife. It's… a crossroads. You can move on and join us now by taking the door we came through." Lily began.
"Or you can go back through the doors behind you and join the living again. You have your chance, son." James finished.
"No matter if you come now or when it's your time, we'll be waiting for you on the other side." Dorea added.
"You're acting like I've already made my choice." Harry said in confusion.
"We've been watching you. Of course we know your choice. Even if you weren't a Potter, I'd know a man who'd do anything for his family just looking at you." Charlus replied.
"Am I that transparent?" The Warrior shook his head.
"Like Charlus said earlier, you have a piece of each of us inside you as well as many others. All good people. There's nothing any of us wouldn't do for the people we love. Your parents are proof enough of that." Dorea motioned to the two.
"You two died as true Potters." Charlus agreed. "I just wish I had a chance to get back at the bastard myself, but I suppose that's your honour, isn't it, Harry?"
The teen nodded and seemed to collect himself. Suddenly, his clothes changed back, and he found all of his missing items returned to his person.
"It is. Daphne would kill me if I gave up on everything now. Besides, while I can, it's my duty to act for those who can't."
"That sounds awfully like the Potter family motto." James grinned before looking at everyone else who were as well before sharing a collective nod and speaking at once.
"Acting for those who cannot!" The five Potters shouted as one before embracing in one last hug.
"I love you. I love all of you so much, and I can't wait to talk about everything with you guys when we get the chance." Harry smiled sadly, seeing the other four figures start to disappear.
"We love you too." Dorea and Charlus waved before fading away.
"I love you too, but don't come rushing to join us. Be happy. That's all I want." James put a hand on his son's shoulder before disappearing as well.
"We'll always be here for you, watching, listening, waiting. You're never alone. Remember that, and don't forget your friends either. They care for you too." Lily hugged Harry as she faded away, leaving one last rush of warmth into his body.
Harry straightened up and opened his eyes when he realized his mother was gone, but the warmth remained. He checked his weapons and clothes one last time before turning around. He went to push open the door that would return him to the world of the living but paused for a moment.
"I will make all of you proud, I promise. Until next time."
With the softest push, the door opened, and Harry's vision was flooded in white before he lost all sense of time and space. Next thing he knew, he felt the familiar grass of Hogwarts underneath his body and realized his eyes were closed. Somehow he felt lighter than ever before though a bit stiff as well.
The quiet around him was interrupted by the voices of his familiars in his mind.
'Harry, are you there?!' Umbra barked out.
'Sssspeak to ussss.' Zeus hissed.
The man flooded their link with feelings of reassurance, opening it as well to the connection between him and his wife. Daphne's tears immediately stopped and a smile graced her lips that Harry could see even with his eyes still closed.
'How long was I out?'
'Too long!' Rex spoke out.
'Just a couple seconds. I'm so glad you're okay. You're never doing anything like that ever again, do you understand me?' Daphne's tone left no room for argument.
'Loud and clear, love. Ready to finish this?'
Regina verbally roared again in answer for her familiar.
'Then let's do this.'
In an instant with magic, Harry was back on his feet, shocking everyone watching. The man's aura was roaring around him while he casually rolled his shoulders back as if waking from a nap.
"That's the second time your killing curse has failed to kill me, Tom. Any other tricks you have for me or can I finish this?" James's patented smirk was across Harry's face.
Voldemort, shaken in fear, could not respond, merely staring in shock and realization. The last horcrux was gone at the exact moment his curse had impacted the boy. Voldemort was now painfully aware he was mortal.
"15 years ago you attacked a child and sealed your fate. You created me, Tom Riddle, and now it's time I ended this farce."
"Avada kedavra."
The green spell rocketed toward Voldemort's side, but Harry surprisingly banished him forward, forcing him to dodge the spell. Everyone turned to see who the caster was and most were surprised to see the feller of Grindelwald.
"I thought you abhorred dark magic, Dumbledore. Are you that desperate to be back in the limelight? Such a greedy hypocrite, but don't worry. I will deal with you soon enough." Suddenly, a cage made of stone formed around the old man. Upon closer inspection, the bricks were actually of the same material as Hogwarts.
"Cage of damnation!" Harry cast in parseltongue, further enforcing the prison around the man with magic.
Dumbledore in response tried to summon Fawkes, but the phoenix just perched atop his cell as if taunting him.
Seeing the old man dealt with for the time being, the Grey Warrior turned back towards his long-time nemesis, rage filling his eyes. Voldemort recoiled in fear.
Harry smirked once more. "See what has become of your supposed unstoppable lord! He is afraid! He fears his own demise because he has realized his failure as I hope the rest of you have as well.
"The question I have for everyone here is this: what shall we do with him? As much as I wish to take his life, I am not a murderer. If enough of you so wish it, I will act as his executioner or as his warden, taking him away to suffer for his mountain of crimes. No matter what, the Dark falls tonight. How is up to all of us. As much as he has taken from me, Tom Marvalo Riddle Jr has taken from all of us in at least some part, some admittedly more than others, and I refuse to take that choice from all of you."
Harry paused to look around at everyone he could see before continuing, "When I give the word shoot red or green into the air as high as you can. If you feel as I do that this bastard should be killed here and now, shoot red. If you feel that his crimes would be better atoned through imprisonment, green."
The Warrior paused to let everyone make their choice then spoke. "Now, DECIDE!"
Lines of red rocketed up into the night sky. Most Death Eaters had surprisingly remained frozen in place with a few casting green spells and, even more surprisingly, a couple of them sending red. The amount of red in the sky reflected easily off the pools of blood around the battlefield, illuminating the living and dead.
'Avada kedavra.' Voldemort tried to cast quietly but just hung his head in shame seeing the spell weakly leave his wand and limply fall to the ground.
"Any other last words, coward?" Harry started walking forward, his wands returned to their holsters and his magic rolling off his body. He slowly stalked forward like the predator he was. Despite his pace, it was unchanging, steady, methodical, and Voldemort could swear each step sent an earthquake through him, yet not a sound was heard.
When Lord Potter was five meters away, he summoned Tom's wand into his own hand and snapped it by squeezing on the middle of the piece of wood. He did not pause in his stride and continued making his way forward, lazily letting the pieces drop from his hand.
Two meters, his sword materialized into his left hand from one of his Orderian rings. Still, Harry Potter did not stop until he stood over Voldemort. "Well? Anything at all?"
Tom Riddle shook his head and kneeled down in defeat, earning gasps from both allies and enemies. Harry just nodded in recognition. "In that case, for your crimes against this world. For the lives you've shattered and taken, you have been sentenced to death.
"I hope magic does not even show mercy on your soul."
The blade rose, and the blade fell, followed closely by the head of the dark lord Voldemort, blood freely pouring out the man's body, soaking the ground in red.
Harry held the blade perpendicularly in front of his body before waving his hand just off the sword's surface. Black flames burned around the metal, instantly purifying it of the blood. Only the tip remained lit when he lowered his hand to his side and then the flame to Voldemort's body. As soon as the flames touched the flesh, they spread out across the corpse but no further until it turned to ash. Once assured of its destruction, Harry lowered the flaming sword to the last part of Voldemort's flesh, turning his head to ash as well.
Satisfied with the results, the Warrior extinguished the flames and absorbed his weapon back into his ring. Next, he turned his gaze on the Death Eaters, the last of Riddle's legacy. Most of them flinched at his fiery stare.
"Any who surrender now will have it added to their record when they are tried for their crimes. Any who refuse will be treated as hostile threats and eliminated immediately."
Many of the Grey army growled in hope for the latter, eager to draw blood from the blood supremacist terrorists. Many of the Light faction were astounded at Lord Potter's compassion following his brutality. The remaining Death Eaters had varied reactions, between vicious anger to bitter defeat to confusion.
"This is your one and only warning. Choose now!" The man's voice echoed across the grounds, amplified by the wards, still showing the scene before him to any who could normally not.
To even Harry's surprise, about half of their forces started trudging out and throwing down their wands before bowing in submission. In an instant, though, a Grey Warrior was behind each, attaching a portkey to their prisoner. With a wave of their hands, those that surrendered disappeared from sight. They would be dealt with later.
The leader of the Grey Army smiled in gratification towards his friends before turning his gaze back to the last of the forces of darkness. Within moments, his smile turned vicious, and then, he nodded.
The forces of Grey were unleashed, Daphne leading the charge atop Regina. Elven arrows rained from the sky, leaving craterous impacts where they hit due to the magic imbued at their heads. A wall of goblin shields rushed forward, vampires and werewolves leaping over towards their targets. The Grey Warriors on the other side of the fortification stood still and watched to ensure none would flee their way.
Unfortunately for any of the Warriors craving battle, they were never given the chance. It only took minutes for their forces to eliminate the remaining Death Eaters.
The Light army watched in horror at their effectiveness, the massacre displayed across the wards but returned to Harry when finished. They did not see the Grey moving their lines to trap the forces of the Ministry and the Order of the Phoenix until it was with their own eyes, and by then, it was too late. They were completely boxed in between the two halves of the army as well as their enemy's wards.
"Do you remember what I asked you in Azkaban, Dumbledore?" Harry was facing towards where he knew his people were not even looking at who he addressed. They were alone.
When the old man remained silent, though, the teen continued. "How does it feel?"
Harry turned and looked the manipulator in the eye. "You're beaten. All of your plots and plans have been torn to shreds. There's nobody left to save you from your greediness and no one left to fool."
"There will always be more fools left to trick. You have seen what I have done even from a cell. I rose back to the top even after what you revealed. I am Albus Dumbledore. I am infallible."
The teenage warrior grinned while Fawkes shook his head and flew off the cell, a line of magic between the two familiars appearing and visibly breaking as he did. To both men's surprise, the phoenix landed on his right shoulder.
'Will you have me, noble Harry Potter?' A voice sounded in the mentioned man's head.
'Fawkes?' He asked.
The mythical bird trilled in confirmation.
'Thissss is getting ridiculousssss' Zeus hissed indignantly.
'You ever think it might be getting a little crowded around here?' Umbra added.
'Father, you do seem to be in the habit of picking up magical creatures.' Rex agreed.
Harry rolled his eyes at his familiars' antics. 'I can never say no to those who need a home, and neither could any of you so don't act like you have a leg to stand on.'
'Hey!'
'Or tail in your case, Zeus. I'm fine with you guys being a pain in my ass over this, but can it wait until we're finished here at least?' He pleaded.
Hearing their agreement to hold off on the verbal beating, Harry relaxed and looked back over to Fawkes. "The honour would be mine."
A golden flash of magic enveloped the two for a moment before Harry felt the connection. 'Looks like I'll be needing another tattoo.' He thought with a grin.
"Now, Dumbledore. Before you keep speaking, I should let you know something." James's mischievous smirk was back. "Everyone heard you." The wards behind Harry lit up showing the Light's appalled reactions as well as a playback of Dumbledore's short rant.
Once more that night, Lord Potter broke an opponent's spirit. He felt very satisfied seeing the face of the man responsible for so much of his pain and torture drop in defeat. "You stole. You cheated. You lied. To every single person around you just to keep getting what you wanted. You cast away all of your ideals just to stay at the top, even casting a curse you have condemned your whole life just to try and take the glory. I can only imagine what role you played in turning Tom Riddle into Voldemort, and looking into your eyes, I see no remorse. I just see a sad, pitiful fool who couldn't let go."
A live image of the two appeared on the wards now, and Harry dissolved the cell around his last major opponent of the night.
"I told you the next time we faced each other, you would die. It's time I follow through on my word." Fawkes took off, circling the two. Harry remained wandless.
"Aren't you going to draw?" Dumbledore scowled, pointing his wand at the one he thought responsible for his downfall.
"No need."
With a snarl, Albus began casting spell after spell towards Harry, Transfiguring over a dozen golems at the same time and sending them to join the fray. An unnatural amount of dust started clouding the air around the teen, obstructing the elder man's view, though he kept up his assault. Not a single spell came towards him in response.
Over a minute went by of this blind onslaught when Dumbledore finally let up, beginning to tire. Catching his breath he twirled his wand and brushed the cloud out of the air.
Harry Potter stood behind a solid magical shield with just his right hand outstretched, a wand notably absent in it. Pieces of the golems littered the ground.
"Told you." He smirked before raising his left hand palm up.
Two spikes of earth shot out from the ground and pierced through Dumbledore's heels into his legs. Screaming in pain, he went to collapse but found himself stuck, unable to move.
"As a fitting send off, I won't use a single 'dark' spell. Let me show you what a warrior is capable of."
Harry's shield lowered, and Dumbledore attempted to hit him with three curses. Each one was easily avoided. In return, five bludgeoning spells flew at Dumbledore, who could only shield three with the third destroying his piece of magic and the other two impacting both of his legs at once. This sent Dumbledore flying backwards with the spikes still embedded in his legs, though now freed from the rest of the ground. Between the latest spells and the spikes, Dumbledore's legs were useless. Pain wracked his mind, and he couldn't even hold onto his wand any longer.
Once more, Lord Potter stalked towards his prey at a slow pace, already summoning Dumbledore's wand to his hand and breaking it just as he had Voldemort's. Repeating the process further, Harry stopped when he stood over the broken man, chains sprouting from the ground and trapping Dumbledore down.
"Any last words?"
"Harry, please."
"I already told you. My name is Lord Harry James Potter Hogwarts Peverell. May not even magic have mercy on your soul." He then cast a silencing charm on the beaten man followed by a flame spell that slowly started to take over Dumbledore's body. The feller of Grindelwald screamed silently as the Man-Who-Conquered turned away, ignoring the odor of burning flesh.
"No others need to die tonight. You have seen how effective we are. The Dark has fallen. Dumbledore has fallen. The Ministry has fallen. Surrender now, and you will be treated fairly. If we can show mercy to criminals, I'm sure it is not a stretch to imagine us showing kindness to you as well.
"I will not repeat myself."
Immediately, most of the Light surrendered, dropping their wands. Any remaining resistance was quelled when Fudge's wand was shown on the wards to be on the ground as well.
In one night, the Grey Army drew their first war to a close. For once, Grey magic had prevailed.
AN: Here's another chapter for the series that started it all. I actually got more emotional than I thought I would writing out the purgatory scene due to thoughts of my own family. If you enjoyed, please feel free to leave a review.
As Always,
Occidere Prima Vel Occidi