Beta Reader: Cheryl
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. The only things I own are the plot, any characters, spells etc that you do not recognize.
Author Notes: n/a
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX Machination
Harry felt the slight tug behind his navel and knew that a Portkey had been activated. He had a good idea of where he was being sent, or at least to whom he was being sent. The time he was dreading but knew was inevitable, had finally arrived. But where was Hermione, where was Ron and was he even alive?
Harry dropped to the ground and wearily surveyed the room he was now in. The area was dark, dull and depressing. It was virtually empty, other than two shadows that could be seen silhouetted below a small light in the ceiling. Harry knew instantly that the towering, thin shadow belonged to Voldemort, and the short and stocky shadow belonged to Wormtail. Harry watched on in silence as the Dupree family approached the silhouettes and knelt down before them.
"My Lord, have we now re-paid you for our sins?" came Mr Dupree's voice. Voldemort laughed, that instantly recognisable satanic laugh. He turned around, his wild eyes etched on Harry. "I must say you have done well."
"Only the best for you My Lord," added Mr Dupree.
"Maybe so…but your best isn't good enough." Voldemort whipped out his wand and with three blast of light the Dupree's were hanging by their cloaks on a far wall, the only light source cast upon them.
Voldemort casually approached the restrained family, stopping first at the female Dupree; perspiration building on her brow Harry knew she was afraid.
"Please," said Mr Dupree, his voice quivering. "Give my son a free life, that's all I ask. We will do whatever else you wish. We delivered the boy. Please My Lord, I beg of you."
"What do you think Potter?" Voldemort glided over to Harry now, who remained silent. "Answer me, Potter." Harry stayed quiet, having no intention to speak.
"I think we'll do it my way." Voldemort walked back over to Mr Dupree pointing his wand. "Crucio!" Voldemort laughed as he watched Mr Dupree break dancing in mid-air. "Perhaps I should do it the Mudblood way like my father would have?" Voldemort moved his hand to his robe pocket and whipped out a small object firmly grasped in his hand. He moved his thumb north of the object and Harry saw a small blade shining incandescently.
Voldemort turned his attention back to the female Dupree. He lifted up her blouse and swiftly stroked the blade across her stomach, causing her to scream in agony. Harry closed his eyes and gulped hard. "That was fun, and you have Potter to thank for it." Harry opened his eyes again and watched Voldemort move to Felipe, who's face was now that of an aged man.
"The curse is taking effect once more I see." Voldemort walked over to Harry and turned him in order to afford a better view. "I've given Dupree plenty of…medicine, look." Voldemort muttered Lumos and the area lit up, to the horrific site of a large cluster of female bodies curled up on the ground, just as Susan's had been. "Of course, there is one more female." Voldemort turned Harry around again and with another Lumos spell the right side of the room lit up, where Hermione was bound by rope similar to him. Harry's eyes widened as he looked at Hermione, who was groggy and could barely hold her head up. Harry knew that Voldemort had been torturing her, and he expected that Ron would have received the same treatment.
"I'd say he has five minutes left yet…I'll take care of something else first. Avada Kedavra!" Harry looked sharply around the room, Hermione was still in place, but Mr Dupree had fallen from his hanger. He was dead. Harry feared that it wouldn't be the last murder he would see committed today.
"Four and a half minutes," Voldemort continued. "I've given him so much food that I'm beginning to run out. That curse will take effect more and more regularly the longer he waits. That explains the large amount of food that I've had to dish out…he only just got to that Bones girl before it was too late." Voldemort smirked and turned to Harry.
"Now Potter, how would you like your little dog to die?" Voldemort was now looking sternly at Harry, but Harry was glancing behind Voldemort, where he saw Wormtail's shadow disappear as he fell to the ground. The ropes bound around Hermione suddenly broke apart too, and Harry saw Ron crawling into the light, his wand in hand. Hermione moved a shaking hand to her side and Harry could see her wand in her hand.
"Expelliarmus!" she shouted. Voldemort sprung around and the wand in his hand flew over Hermione's head and bounced against the wall and onto the ground.
"Fool!" he yelled. He pointed the blade at Hermione, Ron to her right. Voldemort swung an arm back before delving the blade not into Hermione, but into Ron's stomach. Harry's eyes opened wide as Ron crumpled over the blade and Voldemort moved his hand away, which was soaked in Ron's blood. "RON!" Harry screamed.
Voldemort smiled wickedly and gripped Felipe by the shoulder and dragged him to his feet. Voldemort moved a wand up to Felipe's face. He held Felipe close to his face. "You pathetic boy," he snarled. "Avada Kedavra!" Felipe's face turned a pale white, and his body fell limp in Voldemort's arms and he dropped Felipe down to the ground in disgust.
This was Harry's chance, and he wasn't going to miss it. He flung out his arm towards Voldemort's back. Voldemort turned around, weapon less. "Time for the girl now-"
"AVADA KEDAVRA!" Harry screamed the spell, and the green spark travelled towards Voldemort's chest, but he dodged the spell in a flash, causing the green to strike Felipe's sister in the heart, and she fell to the ground instantly.
"You're learning well Potter," Voldemort cackled. "Now let me show you how it's really done, Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort yelled, his wand aimed at Hermione on the ground.
"Avada Kedavra!" Harry screamed. As the jet of green light emerged from both Harry and Voldemort's wands, they struck each other and held still, Harry could feel a familiar vibrating in his wand, the same vibrating he had felt when he had met Voldemort at the graveyard two years earlier. Harry chanced a glimpse of Hermione who was staring between Harry and the spell, which was due to strike her chest at any moment.
"Hermione, go! Now!" Harry urged, desperately holding onto his wand. Hermione sat rooted to her spot, shaking her head stubbornly. "He can't touch you now Hermione, he's weak." Harry grinned at Voldemort, who was staring with hatred at both Harry and Hermione, his hand too was vibrating furiously.
"You can't defeat me Potter! Your whore can barely move. Crucio is a wonderful tool for inflicting pain onyour dirty little Mud-"
"Don't say it!" Harry snapped bitterly.
"Dirty little Mudblood," Voldemort spat, his demonic eyes set on Hermione. "You're not the first filthy scum to step foot in the Riddle House, it was owned by one after all."
Harry focused on keeping his grip on his wand. He pushed as hard as he could to move the spell, and it began move together with Voldemort's arm. The spell moved over what were now misty ghosts of the Dupree family, Ron's scrunched up body and away from Hermione.
Harry's eyes were engaged on Voldemort, who was now closing his eyes. Suddenly Harry felt the strength drain from his wrist, his fingers, and his wand fell to the ground. The green blaze from Voldemort's wand passed through the air to strike Harry in the chest, sending him hurtling backwards into the wall, Harry could hear Hermione's screams in the distance. But if he could hear Hermione's screams, didn't that mean he was…?
Harry could hear everything around him, but he couldn't see anything or move a muscle. "Harry!" he heard Hermione scream again. "Hermione!" he tried to answer her but no sounds could be heard from his mouth. Calmly Hermione's words of wisdom from earlier this year echoed in his mind, "Save it for when you do fight him, build up that anger, turn it into courage and strength. Become the Gryffindor inside you. Add that to the one emotion you have that Voldemort doesn't - love, and that could win you this war. Remember that."
A sudden surge of power and strength seemed to be build inside him, and he felt his body raising up until he was standing on his feet. "Avada Kedavra!" he heard once more. No, had Voldemort killed Hermione? There, in the centre of the blackness that surrounded him he saw a line of green approaching him, he watched it strike just below his chest, and then, to his disbelief the spell rebounded off him and moved away before stopping.In the distanceHarry heard a loud thud.
The weakness came over Harry once more, and as soon as he hit the floor, almost as a ricochet, Harry's scar burnt wildly. He gripped his head for what seemed like hours, before a blinding flash caused him to open his eyes and find himself staring up at the ceiling of Hogwarts hospital wing.