Downfall of a Darklord
Harry and Voldemort had been dueling for nearly an hour. They were very evenly matched, Hermione watched, unable to do anything from the magical cage she had been trapped in. Wormtail paced around the room, he seemed to be trying to decide what to do. Several times he had walked by her muttering about a debt. Harry looked exhausted but grimly determined.
Several times Voldemort had tried to land Avada Kedavra but Harry had dodged then he had discovered that Godric's sword absorbed that unforgivable curse.
Wormtail blocked her view of the fight for a minute, when she looked at his back she saw he held Harry's wand out to her. She quickly took it and slipped it up her sleeve. Wormtail glanced at her then began moving around the room. Harry was dueling with her wand so he and Voldemort would not be stuck in a battle of wills because of Priori Incantatem. This was a duel to the death.
She had to get out; Voldemort's attention was on Harry so she risked a quick alohamora. The door stayed locked; she tried the most powerful unlocking spell she knew; and heard a satisfying click. She hid the wand again and returned her attention to the fight.
Wormtail stood a few feet behind Voldemort, he looked terrified. Suddenly he lunged forward, silver hand before him like a sword. It pierced Voldemort's back, Voldemort stood motionless for a moment then slumped to his knees. Wormtail screamed in pain and pulled his hand from the wound. A moment later and Wormtail had crumbled to dust; only the silver hand remained, blood-soaked upon the floor.
Voldemort still knelt upon the floor apparently in shock. Hermione rushed out of the cage to Harry's side. He smiled at her and they embraced. Behind them Voldemort raised his wand and muttered something under his breath. Hermione saw something red fly from Harry to Voldemort's outstreached hand. Harry immediately slumped, his smile dying on his face. She felt blood on her hands as she struggled to hold Harry up. They knelt together; he met her gaze, that look that always pierced her soul.
"Forever" he spoke and across that gaze she felt him flow into her. Suddenly he was there in her head, she felt him concentrating on something more important to him than life itself, staying with her. She felt him trying to bind his soul to hers but something wasn't working. Then she understood, she began working with him, they felt a joining unlike any they had felt before. Suddenly they were one body with two souls. Harry's body finally slumped in death.
They quickly discussed what to do and reached a mutual decision. They stood and ran to where Voldemort's body lay, blackened. Together they knelt and retrieved Harry's heart from Voldemort's grasp. Then they took Wormtail's hand and ran back to Harry's body. They envisioned St Mungo's lobby and spoke "Portus" wand pointing at the silver hand.
They cradled him and touched the portkey. A moment later they were in the St. Mungo's lobby. "Help!" she called and a moment later the doctor arrived. They told him "Put him back together"
"Mrs. Potter, he is gone, let him go."
"You don't understand he is not gone; he would never leave me alone. He is here still; make his body work again, fast!"
The doctors didn't understand but being familiar with magical occurrences they grimly went to work. A few minutes later they had the heart back in and were repairing the damage from when it was ripped out of him. Another minute later and the body convulsed as they started the process of life once again. It had only been ten minutes since he took his last breath. Eventually one doctor turned to her.
"We have his body stabilized again. His body lives again but there is nothing inside, his soul is gone, we were too late Mrs. Potter."
"No you have done just fine. My husband's soul is here with me in my body, we will need to put him back."
Everyone in the room turned and stared at Hermione. "How is that possible?"
"We have long been accused of being one soul split into two bodies maybe that is a requirement for this to work. But before his body died he came into me and we bound our souls together, we are now one soul in one body. We think together, we speak together, we have truly become one. We need to speak with Albus."
The dumbstruck doctors stood there, mouth's gaping as Albus Dumbledore strode into the room.
"What has happened Hermione?"
"Voldemort is dead. After Wormtail kidnapped me, Harry found us. He was like an enraged god, monsters, Death Eaters, Dementors, everything fell before him as he came thrugh all of Voldemort's traps to reach me. Finally he reached us and Harry and Voldemort dueled for an hour, I was encaged in a magical prison, Wormtail the only other present. Wormtail seemed to come to a conclusion and secretly gave me back Harry's wand. Then he worked his way behind Voldemort. Once there he plunged his silver hand into Voldemort's back. Wormtail was consumed in the magical backlash, only his magical hand remained." She still held the hand she realized. "As Harry and I embraced Voldemort summoned Harry's heart from his body. As Harry slumped in death his soul came into my body, we bound our souls together. He is here within me, we see, feel, and can think as one. Harry's body has been repaired now we must put him back."
"Did I not tell you once Harry that you would be glad that you let Peter go free? Now, tell me just how you two umm melded?"
Hermione's expression changed slightly and it was apparent that Harry was now in control. "What is it you have been teaching us for the last few years Albus? Think of the end result and don't worry about how to get there. Ok here is what happened at least. I realized if it was to work it had to be done before my body died and my soul was released. So as I slumped in her arms I willed myself into her, much as we have done so many times with legimancy. Once I was inside her I tore my umm let's call it a root for lack of a better term, free from my dying body and tried to attach to Hermione. It wouldn't work though until she helped. I guess she had to accept me as a part of her before it could happen. But once she accepted me my 'root' anchored to her and we merged, there is still a distinct Harry and Hermione. Right now she is allowing me to speak through her; while she is busy thinking about what would be needed to put me back."
"You never cease to amaze and astound me Harry and you too of course Hermione. This is indeed a delicate puzzle you present me with. I would recommend we simply pretend that Harry is in a coma for now while we work out how to accomplish this task."
They nodded, "Alright we can go along with that for now. What about our children though?"
"That is entirely up to you both. They are with Ginny and Neville still I believe. Would you like to speak with Mr. Weasley?"
"Yes that would be good, and have Neville and Ginny bring the children here."
Albus turned to the still shocked doctors. "Place Harry in a room please, the official diagnosis is coma induced by severe shock."
All of the doctors nodded their heads several spoke "Yes, yes Chief Warlock."
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A/N: This came about when I was asked for my take on Professor Dumbledore's statement to Harry at the end of book 3. How Wormtail now had a debt to Harry and he (Harry) would be glad of it some day. I had originally thought this to be the perfect end for my Summer of Despair and Hope series. Everything in here fits with it, merely advance about five years to reach this scene. Thus Harry is using Godric's sword and Hermione's wand to duel… Oh wait, that hasn't happened in Summer yet… Hmmm oh well one minor plot element out of the bag about two chapters early. Enjoy, as always please read and review. Oh in case anyone was wondering. Yes this is the chapter I mentioned in my review of Musings (the one never before posted).
Gol