Chapter 6:
Voldemort sat upon his throne watching as the sand in his conjured timer trickled into the bulb at the bottom, soon it would be time and he would lead his followers to the final destruction of Hogwarts and strike the mortal blow to the magical community. "Wormtail are we prepared?"
Pettigrew groveled before his master rubbing his hands together nervously. "Y-yes my lord, all loyal Death Eaters are prepared to apparate when you command." His beady little eyes darted from side to side.
Finally the final beads of sand ran into the bottom of the timer and Voldemort stood a cruel smile on his face and his scarlet eyes glowing in the dim light. "Let it begin!" With a pop of displaced air he apparted and soon the chamber they was filled with multiple pops as the Death Eaters followed their master.
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Albus stared along the table at the empty seat that should have been occupied by Serverus and a frown grew on already strained expression. Harry had somehow avoided all of the patrols and the had located Vincent Crabbe or at least what was left of him after the three bludgers where finished with him. They had struck the boy repeatedly till his insides where almost liquefied then the final blow had struck and a bludger had struck the boy in the chest area and pushed through the goal hoop it's self and torn Vincent Crabbe in half, he only hoped the boy had been dead long before that time. Draco Malfoy was another matter entirely, he had not been located anywhere on the school grounds and this worried him immensely so much so when he saw the fire in the distance in Hogsmeade he had sent Remus to investigate just incase Harry had anything to do with it.
He leaned back into his chair his fingers steepled under his nose as he watched the children of his school enjoy their Halloween, he gently struck his goblet with his spoon and he stood raising his glass. Soon enough all chatter stopped and he dipped his head in recognition. "I would like to ask that we all have a minutes silence in remembrance for those we lost last year at this time, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger." Without argument the Gryffindors stood soon followed by the Ravenclaws then Hufflepuff's till finally the only ones still seated where the Slytherins but with an angry glance from their headmaster they finally stood, albeit reluctantly.
The silence was profound and moving but it was not to last as with a crack of Displaced air a figure dressed in black and silver robes apparated into the great hall soon followed by dozens of others. The figure reached up and pushed it's hood back and Dumbledore came face to face with his old student. "Tell me Albus are we to late to join in the celebration?" Voldemort smirked cruelly as he raised his wand at the surprised Headmaster. "Expelliarmus!"
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Lupin raced through the secret passage that lead to Honeydukes sweetshop trying to get to town as quickly as possible when he rounded a corner and ran smack bang into someone running the other way. Both figures went down and Lupins wand slipped out of his hand swearing he scrabbled about the ground looking for his wand when he heard a voice he wanted and dreaded to hear.
"Bloody hell!"
"Harry!" His hand finally closed around his wand and he rolled over. "Lumos!" The wand tip lit up and he was face to face with his best friends son.
"Moony?" Harry grinned as he pushed himself to his feet. "God I'm glad you're..." He trailed off as he found Remus's wand in his face. "Um Moony what are you doing?"
"Stopping you Harry, just come quietly and we'll go see Professor Dumbledore."
Harry grimaced. "Well see thats the problem." He handed Remus the Marauders map and waited for his old friends reaction. "So we can go see Dumbledore if you like but I'd rather deal with Voldemort first if you don't mind that is."
Remus looked at the map horrified. "How-how did he get past the wards?" He rolled the map up and tucked it into his pocket and lowered his wand. "Harry you didn't do this so you could get him did you."
"I want justice Remus but I wouldn't put the others at the school at risk to get it. I think Crabbe, Malfoy and Goyle had something to do with this, but to late to ask them now I guess." He smirked slightly and Remus took a step backwards.
"I know about Crabbe and Goyle, you've killed Malfoy as well?"
Harry grinned. "The shrieking shack was a monument of pain Moony, yours, mine and Hermiones. I purified it with fire. The fact I left Malfoy inside when it burned was an added bonus."
"Merlin Harry your not a murderer, you can't go around killing people."
Harry glared at his old friend. "I haven't killed anyone, they killed themselves a year ago when they did what they did, I'm just making sure their bodies know it as well, now lets go we need to go to Dumbledores office, there's something I need to get."
Nodding slightly Remus turned and started back along the passage nervous as hell at the fact Harry was at his back and they both made their way back into the school.
Using the Marauders map both Harry and Lupin used the secret passages to skirt around the few death eaters till finally they were at the gargoyle at the headmasters office. "Skiving snack box."
Harry laughed at the pass word and once the gargoyle moved he darted up the stairs Lupin hot on his heels. "Where is it..." His eyes scanned the room and finally he saw it, Godric Gryffindors sword. "He reached up and closed his hand around the hilt and he sighed as a feeling of peace seemed to flow through his body, for once the contact with something from his past failed to trigger the empathic backlash he let the sword tip point rest on the ground and he looked at Remus. "Lets go." As Remus turned his back Harry brought the hilt of the sword down on the back of his head and he winced as he watched him crumple to the floor. "Sorry Moony, too many of my friends have paid the price for a prophecy I never asked for, you're not going to be the next one." He set the sword down and gathered up Remus and settled him into Dumbledore's chair before he grabbed the sword and left taking Remus's wand with him. He closed the door and cast a locking charm on it and dropped the wand and walked away.
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Voldemort smirked at the surprised Dumbledore. "Shocked Albus?" He calmly tucked Dumbledores wand into his pocket as all around him his Death Eaters cast the disarming spell and the rest of the teachers wands sailed through the air. "You really shouldn't be so trusting of your students Albus, while your wards are strong, disrupter stones charmed to go off at an exact moment would open up your wards long enough for say, myself and my followers to apparate in, then the disrupters would expire your wards would reestablish and trap all of you here with me." He turned and gestured to a group of his followers. "Go secure the front gates." With a chorus of Yes my lord the group of ten left the great hall.
"So tell me Albus who should die first, and don't offer your'self up because you are going to be las-what the hell is all that noise!"
Outside the great hall the sounds of spells being cast and screams could be heard suddenly the doors swung open and a figure stepped through and smiled at Voldemort as he turned to face him a bloody sword in his hand Over his head a crow soared up into the rafters of the hall and perched it'self. "That would be me making all that noise." He calmly stepped further into the room and lifted his gaze to meet his murderer. "Hello Tom."
"No, you are not Potter, I know you're not him because I killed him myself!" Voldemort gestured to his Death Eaters.
Harry grinned at the advancing Death Eaters. "I only want him give him to me and you can all walk out of here alive." He smirked as all around him the Death Eaters began to laugh.
Voldemort looked at the figure in disbelief. "How about you get on your knee's and beg and we may kill you quickly."
Harry spread his arms wide the sword still in his hands. "I see you have made your decision, now lets see you enforce it." At the Teachers table the teachers watched in a mixture of fascination and fear as the student to scared move watched as the Death Eaters advanced with their wands raised.
Bellatrix Lestrange stood at their head and smirked at Harry. "I heard your Mudblood died on her knee's begging for her life Potter." She raised her wand and with an almost casual arrogance cast the Killing curse and watched in shock as the curse simply splashed against Harry's chest.
Taking advantage of her shock Harry darted forward the few feet between them his seething hatred of this woman boiling to the surface and he raised the point of his sword and drove it clear through her stomach. She looked down at the hilt buried in her and then up at Harry before she felt her knee's give way and fell her mouth opening and closing as she tried to speak. "No she died after she was beaten and raped, your the one dying on your knee's." He grunted as he hauled the sword free. As Bellatrix fell to the ground in a heap blood pooling around her body all hell finally broke loose, the Death Eaters started yelling curses at once. Students started to panic and in a rush started towards doors. Bright flashes of light filled the hall but in amongst it all was Harry and gleaming flash of silver and the spray blood as Death Eater after Death Eater fell beneath his blade. Seeing their chance the teachers sprang for their wands and began to cast disarming spells and stunning hexes and soon enough the last of the students had fled the Hall and the Teachers stood over the remaining Death Eaters but in the carnage there was no sign of Voldemort or Harry.
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Voldemort cursed under his breath, somehow his nemesis has returned from the grave, he crossed the grounds heading for the Forbidden Forest intent on getting passed the wards and apparating away. Soon enough he was underneath the branches of the tree's and a satisfied smirk was on his face, though the bulk of his supporters where now captured he knew he had struck another blow to the morale of the lightside. He spun at the sound of a twig snapping, his wand in hand, his eyes narrowed.
"Did you think I would let you get away Tom?"
Voldemort snarled spinning around trying to find some sight of Harry. "Damn you Potter show yourself!" The darkness of the forest seemed to move and the gleaming arc of silver and Voldemort stared at the bleeding stump of his wrist as his severed hand tumbled to the ground still clutching his wand. Harry stepped out if the shadows and from over head the crow settled down upon his shoulder and he bent down and picked the wand from the still clasping fingers.
"MY HAND!"
Harry laughed and swung the sword again leaving a bloody gash across Voldemorts cheek. "Your hand is the least of your worries trust me, I'm going to kill you Tom just like you killed me, but trust me you're not going to come back this time." He lashed out with the sword again leaving a bloody slash across Voldemorts chest.
Voldemort fell to his knee's gasping in pain. "Do you expect me to beg Potter?" He laughed bitterly. "You killed me before Potter and I came back...I will come back again."
Harry smiled a rather sad smile. "No Tom I don't expect you to beg, wouldn't change anything you're still going to die." All around them the sounds of the forest trickled in and suddenly the sounds of hoof beats could be heard and Harry stepped away from the bleeding Voldemort. "Goodbye Tom, your going to burn in hell, but not before you suffer." He melted into the shadows and Voldemort found himself alone.
Struggling to his feet, weak from blood loss Voldemort started to shamble back the way he came before he found himself in a clearing. His crimson eyes darted back and forth as scaly winged shapes slowly encircled him. His head darted back and forth looking for a way past them but there was none and slowly the Thestrals drawn by the smell of blood closed in, their sharp teeth snapping at Voldemorts bleeding wounds sinking into his flesh, tearing chunks from his body as he struggled to push them away all the while screaming in agony as they ate him alive.
As his body collapsed to the ground the Thestrals began to tear the robes from the body in their haste to get to the bleeding flesh but in the shadows a deeper shadow formed slowly rising from the body. It floated above the feeding Thestrals and began to waver in the evening breeze, if seen from the right direction it almost looked like a face. Suddenly the shadow moved as it heard the caw of a crow which settled on a branch just before it and the face turned to see the bird, again it cawed but this time it's beak remained open and slowly and inorexibly the shadow found it'self drawn into the birds open mouth, if seen from the right angle it even looked as though the shadow was screaming. Finally the shadow was gone swallowed by the Crow and the forest was silent except for the sounds of tearing flesh.
Harry stumbled through the trees he knew his time was limited and now that his job was over and he could feel his body growing cold, Godrics sword falling from a grasp to weak to hold it any longer and he leaned against a tree and slowly slid down it till he sat upon the earth floor of the forest and felt his eyes growing heavy, but in the distance amongst the trees he could see a bright white light growing steadily closer.
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Dumbledore hurried between the tree's he to could see the bright white sphere of light and he followed after it till he found himself at the edge of the clearing and he watched in awe as the light settled around the form of Harry and it exploded in it's brilliance causing Dumbledore to look away, when his vision cleared he shook his head believing he was hallucinating because before him kneeling before Harry was Hermione Granger.
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Harry lifted his gaze and he smiled slightly as he felt cool fingers softly trace his scar, and finally emerald eyes met with chocolate brown. "I love you Hermione and I'm coming home..."
Hermione smiled softly at her beloved and she leaned forward her lips pressing against his in a sweet kiss and the light flared once more into existence and all that was left in the clearing was the cooling body of Harry Potter. Dumbledore made no attempt to hide the tears that streamed down his face after what he had just witness and he would swear as he would when he told this tale that on the very breath of the air he heard the whispered words of Hermione Granger.
"I love you to Harry..."
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#Two months Later#
Ron stood over the repaired grave of his best friend and he thought about everything that had happened that night. Carefully he lay the rose on Hermiones grave and he smiled a sad smile before he drew his wand and cast a simple spell before he walked away. Upon each Head stone blow what was originally carved was something new.
`Death is not the end, and true love will last forever.`
*The End*
AN: It's done I hope you all had a good time reading it and I hope the ending wasn't a dosappointment for you
Lata
Kai_Lun_Mau