The battle you've been waiting for is in this chapter. I tried to get several characters' perspectives. I hope it made it more interesting and not disjointed.

Chapter 19: Rue the Day

******Mostly Where We Left Off******

They planned for Lucius and Draco to show up at the place he was instructed to be. Severus was not surprised that it was one of Bellatrix's properties. The rest of them and the Order members they had called would emerge at various times. The twins and Hermione did agree to be the last wave while Sirius, Remus, and Harry would be the third.

Buffy believed that Harry should be at her side, but the adults overruled her. It would be her father and Albus by her side.

"How are we getting past the wards?" Hermione asked when they arrived at the house.

Albus had a spell that would weaken them, but it wouldn't bring them down entirely.

"Why don't I just turn into a dragon and knock the gate down?" Buffy suggested.

"It won't work," Lucius said.

"We won't know unless I try it," she countered.

"It's too risky," Severus told her.

"This entire expedition is risky," she pointed out. "I'm a magical creature, so it's possible the wards won't affect me the same way they would a regular witch. Plus, I'm a slayer."

Severus glanced at Giles, who would be the one to convince her that her plan was foolish.

However, the man nodded. "I think you may be right," Giles said.

"She should be impervious to the wards," Wesley added. "Especially in a dragon form as it will offer her more built-in protection."

Severus glared at both men for not backing him. "I don't like it," he said flatly.

"As a father, you don't like her doing anything that is dangerous," Giles pointed out. "This is her job to do. If I believed she would be in mortal peril, I would not allow it."

His words somewhat mollified Severus, but he still watched with much trepidation as Buffy transformed.

Those who had not seen her do so before stared in awe. Wesley wished he could record the upcoming battle for the Council as it would be epic.

The twins were giddy in their excitement as they looked up at the girl that they mutually adored.

"Our babies will be magnificent!" George announced.

Molly looked sick at his words. Surely, the slayer would not be interested in one of the twins. She could not handle such boldness and disrespect in her life in such a capacity.

Fred chuckled when the dragon clearly laughed at his words. "The dragon slayer—an ironic but apt title—would never be with a child like you when she can be with me!" he announced. "She clearly finds the entire idea preposterous!"

"Stop clowning around," Molly ordered.

"Okay, Buffy," Giles said, ignoring the twins as he would any of the children.

"Be careful," Severus called out.

Buffy nodded her dragon snout and turned to face the home where her and Harry's separate nightmares resided.

This was going to end today.

Buffy took a few hops in her dragon body and was at the door. Her first attempt to breach it was using her fire. It didn't do much, so folding her wings, she hit the door hard. The door seemed shielded, and her body felt the ricochet of her blow. However, Buffy wasn't deterred and hit hard again. When the door still held, she kept it.

Inside the house, Voldemort and Bellatrix were drinking tea with several of his followers and the vampire Angelus. Her house wards alerted her to intruders.

"Someone is here," she said. She called for her house elf. "Find out who's at our door."

"It must be Lucius," Voldemort said. He glanced at the floor where the frozen body of Narcissa lay. After spending some time on crucios, he had stupefied her. Lucius still had some value, so he did not want to kill her out right.

"It's the slayer," Angelus commented. The demented wizards had allowed him to sample the golden captive, but then she passed out from fear. Before he could drain too much, her sister started torturing her with that crazy curse that caused the receiver tremendous pain. Although Angelus enjoyed the show, he couldn't help but think how depraved humans with souls could still be. Even if he admired their depravity, he still found it a bit strange. If he was being honest with himself, it annoyed him. No mere human should come close to being his equal on the grand scale of evil. Bellatrix had no problems hurting her own flesh and blood. In fact, the mad woman seemed to take real pleasure in it. If she was a vampire, she would have no equal. He really should kill her in case that happened. That woman didn't need to be immortal.

If the slayer had arrived, his tedium would end, and he would face his great obsession.

Buffy Summers would die tonight. Maybe, he would turn her. Wouldn't that be a fitting end to her story?

The thought of that excited Angelus so much that he grinned, standing up. "I'll go check it out," he said.

When he got to the front door, the elf said, "Many visitors outside. A dragon is breaking door."

"Dragon?" Angelus asked. "Great. The slayer is using her freakin' new magic powers."

He knew things were going to be dicey, and the slayer would be gunning for him. Did he run to fight another day, or did he make his stand? When the door splintered open, he saw the Buffy dragon and several human bodies behind her.

They were outnumbered, and the slayer could easily kill him the way she had Spike. Weighing his options, he decided to let the magic users fight it out. He would get the slayer when she was back on the hellmouth like nature intended.

Buffy, in her dragon form, laid eyes on Angelus and felt the fire boil inside her. However, he fled right before her fire was released. Not wanting the fire to spread, Severus quickly doused the flames.

Harry Potter stood behind the dragon, who was his friend and personal hero. Buffy Summers alone knew the weight that he carried. She understood the loss he bore, and she was going to fight his biggest foe with him. When the door finally broke, Harry grinned in anticipation.

This would end today. Either he would die, or Voldemort would.

At the end of the line, Willow was there, wishing Luna was with her. Instead, she tapped Cordelia and Hermione. "Guys, I need some help with a spell," she told them.

"This is totally not the time, Willow," Cordelia said. "We're about to fight the Big Bad. The time to practice new spells is over."

"She's got a point," Hermione said, hating to disappoint her favorite female friend. Willow loved learning like she did, and she was brave, willing to risk her life for others. When she asked Willow once why she wasn't sorted in Gryffindor, Willow shrugged. "I could've been, but I want to learn more than I want to be brave. I was brave plenty living on the hellmouth." Hermione admired the fact that Willow didn't feel like she had anything to prove. She just wanted to learn all the magic she could so that she could return to her hellmouth. It was crazy but admirable.

"I'm not wanting to practice a spell," Willow said, rolling her eyes at Cordelia. "Luna and I have been working on linking a spell. Voldemort will come back unless we destroy all the things his soul is in. Dumbledore confirmed this."

"When the coven did the scar fix on Harry," Hermione said, nodding. "Putting pieces of your soul in a horcrux is very dark magic. There are not even any books in the library on it."

"It wasn't easy, but Luna and I found a few books. We had to get Giles to help, of course," Willow shared. "So will you help me?"

The girls nodded. "Of course," Hermione said. "You would need an actual horcrux, though, to link them. Do you have one?"

Willow pulled a book from her satchel. "This is Tom Riddle's diary. Dumbledore said that he was sure it had one in it," she shared.

"What do you need us to do?" Cordelia asked, giving a final longing glance at the twins, who were now entering the building. Hopefully, they'll still be something or someone to fight when they were done helping Willow.

The twins held out their wands, determined to find vengeance for their brother's death. Buffy had killed Spike, the vampire who probably murdered their brother. However, they could not know for certain as Angelus could have easily done it. They would not rest until he was dead, too. Then they would dedicate their lives fighting with the slayer. If not Buffy, they would fight with the other slayer. Both would never stop feeling responsible for Ron's untimely death, so they had vowed to do what Xander did with his slayer friend. They would pick up a cause that wasn't necessarily a calling like it was for the slayers.

Their parents were a step ahead, and before they knew it, curses were flying. George quickly spelled a magical shield to cover them both while Fred went on the offense.

Buffy could not believe that Angelus turned tail and ran off—the coward. She wanted to burn down the house, but she refrained. There was no sense in trapping them all in a burning house, so she quickly reverted back to her human form. She needed to hurt someone. Voldemort was going to pay for killing her dad.

Lucius called out, "Where is my wife?" He saw Bellatrix standing next to the Dark Lord.

"I was going to keep her alive, but you brought too many people with you, Malfoy," Voldemort said, giving him an ugly look. He turned to throw a killing curse at the prone form of Narcissa when he was hit hard.

Xander decided to follow Buffy's example and fight like an animal. He didn't feel nearly confident enough to hold his own with a magical duel. However, his hyena form was very formidable even if it wasn't as large as a dragon or panther. He moved to the fringes of the Order and his friends, looking for an opportunity to make a difference. No one but the twins knew how much he practiced changing his form. By now, it came as easily to him as brushing his teeth. When he spotted Draco's mom on the floor, he nudged Draco. "There's your mom," he told him pointing. Draco nodded, scared that she was dead.

"Go around the backside on the left to get to her," Xander advised. "I'll watch your back."

Draco held his wand out, Giles a step behind him. Since Giles wasn't much of a wizard compared to the other adults in the order, he had promised Draco that he would help with his mother.

A step behind Giles was the current Professor of the Dark Arts, Wesley Wyndam-Price. Wesley had his wand in his left hand and gun in his right; a reality that he had practiced for several times in the Dark Forest. Like his countryman, he was at a disadvantage when it came to magic. Although he and Rupert had been studying magic only a short time, both had learned quite a bit. Nevertheless, they would never be the equal of the other adults in the Order, who had been using magic all their lives. Therefore, Wesley felt his firearm leveled the playing ground.

There were about seven people in the dining room besides Voldemort and Bellatrix. This time, though, a few Dark Eaters were prepared for gunfire as they had real police shields used by SWAT teams in America. Where did they get their hands on that? Bemused, he dodged a curse. Then he watched in amazement as Xander Harris turned into a large hyena just as the villain Voldemort turned to use his wand on someone behind him.

Xander felt immense satisfaction as he changed and pounced on the nearly-as-ugly-as-a-vampire so-called Dark Lord. He saw, though, the mad wizard still had his wand in his hand, so Hyena Xander snapped his jaws around his right wrist, determined to sever it.

Voldemort felt the agony in his wrist as the creature's teeth sunk in, forcing him to release his wand. Using wordless magic, he flung the mangy animal off him.

"You took the wrong woman," Lucius called out, sensing his vulnerability.

He tried to get to his feet to dodge the spell Lucius threw, but he was not quick enough.

Harry was battling Bellatrix with Molly when he saw Xander make a move toward his greatest enemy. Then, much to Harry's pleased surprise, Lucius had Voldemort in a crucio. Harry's distraction cost him as a particularly nasty curse hit him, causing his wand hand to break. When he saw his wand fall, he felt his heart pound in fear.

"I got you, Harry," his godfather called out. Harry felt relieved as a magic shield surrounded him, allowing him to pick up his wand with his unbroken hand.

Dumbledore and Severus were throwing curses while keeping eyes on the children.

"Where are the rest of them?" Dumbledore asked Severus. "Willow, Hermione, and Cordelia are not in the room."

"Willow is working on that spell she told you about," Severus said, wincing as he saw Harry's wrist break.

"If she can link the horcruxes, we can end this for good," Dumbledore said. When Professor Wyndam-Price fired his gun, Dumbledore winced. "I wish he had left that weapon behind."

Severus didn't care what weapon the DADA professor used if it kept his daughter and niece safe. Of course, he also didn't want her to lose any friends, so Wesley's gun was very welcome.

When Xander got knocked off Voldemort, Severus tried to beat Lucius to his side, but he didn't make it.

Lucius got his curse off first while Buffy went up to Bellatrix, punching her in the face. After Angel fled, she had changed back into her human form as it was the one she was most comfortable fighting in.

"I had her!" Molly exclaimed, glaring at Buffy.

Buffy ignored the Weasley matriarch as she disarmed the loon. When Bellatrix screamed out in rage, Buffy hit her in the stomach. "Give it up. You have no wand," she said.

The wily witch then pulled a knife and stabbed Buffy in the chest.

"Buffy!" Severus screamed as she fell with the knife in her chest.

Molly didn't hesitate any further and threw the vilest curse she had mastered: the Sectumsempra. Large gashes appeared all over Bellatrix, and she screamed out in agony.

Lucius enjoyed seeing the Dark Lord in pain and prepared to finish him off when he heard his son call for his mom.

Distracted, he saw that Professor Giles and Draco were tending to his wife.

"Let us finish him off," Severus said to him.

"See to your family," Dumbledore advised.

Lucius nodded at him and Severus before moving to do just that. However, Voldemort proved that he was never as defenseless as he appeared. His pet, Nagini, appeared to defend him.

Lucius didn't see the large snake that slid out from the large table, striking at Lucius' leg. The fangs pierced his skin, injecting its poison.

His cry of pain drew the injured Buffy's attention, and she managed to throw one of her stakes, hitting the thing in the throat. However, Wesley used his gun to blow its head off.

Immediately, Voldemort felt the loss of his soul as his pet died, and he bellowed in rage, throwing off the crucio Lucius had hit him with.

Harry saw Voldemort get up and called out a warning to Sirius, who nodded as he knocked down another wizard, trying to get at them. Buffy's sword was knocked out of her hand as she failed to dodge a curse due to the knife in her chest. "Giles!" she called out before falling to the ground.

"We must end him," Severus said to Dumbledore. He saw the watcher head to Buffy's side and knew he must focus on ending the threat. Buffy didn't need him to hold her hand, and Giles would care for his daughter.

"We cannot stoop to his level, Severus," Dumbledore said with disapproval.

"His evil must be eradicated!" Severus insisted. There was no way he was going to allow this snake to slither away once again.

Suddenly, a wave of magic came through the room as Willow's spell finally took form. The final bit hit Voldemort, and he stumbled to his knees. He screamed in rage as he felt all the pieces of his soul get destroyed. He was in mortal danger and knew he must flee.

Arthur Weasley picked up a sword that Buffy had dropped, a determined glint in his eyes. He was close enough to attack Voldemort as Buffy was hurt. Albus and Severus were hesitating for some reason. Even Harry was hurt, unable to attack. It was up to Arthur.

"Do it, Dad!" Fred encouraged, spotting his dad with the sword.

George threw a spell to knock out the wizard about to attack his father, and the way was clear.

It seemed to happen in slow motion and yet all too fast. Willow, Hermione, and Cordelia finally entered the battle in time to see the most unlikely of scenes.

Buffy and Harry were hurt while Bellatrix seemed to be bleeding to death with Molly standing over her in satisfaction. Both Draco's parents were down, and he seemed at a loss, sitting between their prone forms. Wesley was moving toward Lucius, hoping to help. Xander was a hyena, attacking the dark wizard closest to the twins. Surprisingly, Arthur, though, was holding a sword.

He moved as Voldemort was on his knees, trying to rise. Arthur didn't hesitate.

"For Ron," he said as he swung the sword.

Voldemort looked up as the sword came down, but he didn't have time to react.

Severus and Dumbledore were standing too close, and the blood from the beheading quickly covered them.

"That's so gross!" Cordelia exclaimed.

"You did it, Dad!" Fred yelled, moving to embrace his dad.

Arthur stood frozen, staring down at the head of the boogie man of their world. His eyes were open, a surprised look on his face.

The other wizards were quickly defeated as they were each stunned to see their Dark Lord's head cut from his body.

Draco could not believe it. A bloody Weasley had killed the Dark Lord.

Somewhere, Ron Weasley was laughing.

*****To Be Continued*****