Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series belongs to J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros. Inc., Scholastic, Bloomsbury, Raincoast, and any other affiliated party.
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"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
John 3:16
Chapter 15: The Lion against the Serpent
The trio remained kneeling around Draco's dead form for a while. That had never expected that they would actually be mourning for the loss of the one person in school they had hated the most. Hermione even let a tear role down her cheek, a sign that she had truly forgiven the person who had given her so much grief.
Finally Harry pulled his hat down lower and stood up. "Come on, we've got a job to do." Ron and Hermione nodded and stood up.
Hermione glanced up at the staircase and said, "The next floor should be the top floor."
Harry nodded. "That's where Voldemort is." Ron and Hermione looked frightened and Harry seemed to have lost his usual confidence. "Lets go," he said.
Unfortuanately, when they hadn't even moved a step, they stopped when they heard the sound of what sounded like applause, only they heard clicks instead of claps: the clicks of hundreds and hundreds of pinchers. The trio turned around and gasped at the sight. Harry was gritting his teeth, Hermione looked frightened, and Ron looked about ready to faint from sheer terror.
Acromantulas! Giant spiders. Hundreds and hundreds of giant spiders were closing in on them, barring their pinchers and eight legs menacingly. Harry quickly cast a powerful shield charm that kept the spiders away. "I can't keep these spiders away forever," said Harry.
"Forget the spiders, you and Hermione go fight You-know-who!"
"What?" Harry and Hermione whipped around to face Ron. He looked extremely frightened but determined at the same time.
"Ron..."
"Harry, I just have this feeling that it has to be me who holds these spiders up. Besides, how could I ever truly call myself a Gryffindor if I can't face my greatest fear?"
Harry and Hermione were reminded of the time when Ron had sacrificed himself in a chess match back in their first year. Harry nodded and placed a hand on Ron's shoulder. Suddenly, a sudden glow eminated from Harry's hand and transferred into Ron's body. Ron's eyes widened.
"Harry, what?"
"I transferred a portion of my Battle Wizard powers into you. It's a temporary deal but it should be enough to fight off the arcromantulas."
Ron was clearly surprised but also relieved. He turned to the spiders, fighting his fears down.
"Good luck, Ron," said Hermione as she and Harry started to make their way up the stairs.
Ron pointed his wand at one of the spiders. He tried to fire a stunner but was completely surprised when he shot a powerful blast that disintegrated two of the acromantulas. "I could get used to this," said Ron with a grin. He readied himself to fight off the remainder of the spiders.
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The chamber on the top floor awed Harry: it was an exact replica of the Chamber of Secrets hidden underneath the school. But if there was a difference, it was the sinister throne at the end of the chamber. However, when Harry and Hermione walked up to it, they found that it was empty.
"Where is he?" asked Hermione. Harry looked back and forth gritting his teeth. He was feeling a burning pain in his scar indicated that Voldemort was somewhere near.
"Riddle!" yelled Harry. "Come out! Come out and fight!" His voice echoed throughout the chamber.
For about a minute, there was silence throughout the chamber. Suddenly, Hermione let out a scream when her body was flung forward toward the throne as if she were summoned by a summoning charm. She was seated in the throne whereupon magical ropes were conjured up and she was tied to the throne.
"Hermione!" Harry tried to make his way to a frightened Hermione but stopped when a sudden surge of pain ran through his scar.
Lord Voldemort stepped out in view from behind the throne, wearing a black robes with silver highlights and a green serpent embroidered on the torso.
"Why Harry, long time no see," he said.
"Voldemort." Harry's extreme confidence was gone, his face clearly showing the fear he felt for being in the Dark Lord's presence once again.
"I you're worried about your mudblood friend here, than there is nothing to worry about," said Voldemort gesturing to a saking Hermione. "She is still my first choice for mother of my heir, though I am afraid I am going to have to choose a new father. I had her tied up to make sure she didn't interfere with our duel." Voldemort turned to Harry, a very ugly look on his face. "Why don't we finish it, Potter? Why don't we finish what started 17 years ago? Let us end it one and for all!"
"My thoughts exactly!" yelled Harry. He shouted, "Stupefius Expelliarmus!" at the same time Voldemort shouted, "Crucio!" The two spells met half way in between them and formed into the golden thread of Prior Incantatem. Voldemort immediately broke the connection.
"I see that we still can not duel with our wands," he said. "I suppose when that happens, we need to rely on these." Voldemort pulled out a sinister looking single edged sword, its hilt in the shape of a skull, and a green serpent drawn along the blade. "Recognize this, Potter? Its made from the fang of a basilisk, still as poisonous."
"Is that so?" said Harry. "Well I could care less, so long as I can defeat you!" With a yell, Harry charged forward, his sword once again emanating the dazzling blade of light. The blade hit Voldemort's sword, sending out a flurry of sparks. Undaunted, Harry swung out another blade which Voldemort also caught on his sword.
"Impressive," said Voldemort. He started flinging his sword around in brilliant sword skills that no one would've known he had. Harry deflected each of the blows with brilliant skills.
Finally, Harry saw his chance. He made a flying leap, somersaulted in the air and landed behind the Dark Lord, whereupon he yelled, "Maximus Reducto!"
The explosion caught Voldemort in full force as it slammed into his back. Voldemort was blasted away down the chamber and slammed into one of the pillars. The force of his impact was so strong that a few cracks emerged on the pillar.
However, Voldemort appeared to be unharmed as he stood up and brushed dust off of his robes. Harry gritted his teeth in frustration.
"Disappointed, Potter?" asked Voldemort. "I would expect that you knew that an advanced reductor wouldn't work on me."
"Of course I knew that!" hissed Harry. "I was still hoping for at least a little effect."
Voldemort grinned and started to make his way toward Harry, brandishing his sword and wand. Harry steadied himself and shouted, "Draco Incendio!" A powerful flaming dragon shot out of Harry's wand. Voldemort looked surprised as the fire dragon engulfed his body. However, Voldemort simply walked through the flames unharmed and suddenly emerged in front of Harry through the flames. Before Harry could react, Voldemort had placed him on the Cruciatus Curse!
"Harry!" screamed Hermione. She felt as if her insides were being torn apart as she saw him writhe in pain on the ground in front of her, barely holding in his screams of pain.
"I'm impressed, Potter," said Voldemort. "The dragon flame was a spell that only young Malfoy could use, but you have brilliant added it to your own arsenal after only one duel with him!" Voldemort laughed out loud as Harry continued to writhe in pain. He lifted his sword up in a stance that clearly meant he was about to decapitate Harry. "Unfortunately, that is enough to defeat me." Hermione screamed as Voldemort swung his sword down.
Despite his pain, Harry managed to lift his sword in time to block Voldemort's strike. Before Voldemort could do anything more, Harry lifted his wand and yelled "Stupefius Expelliarmus!" Voldemort was blasted away but unfortunately, he was neither disarmed nor stunned. Still, the curse was broken.
Harry groggily stood up panting as he shook off the effects of the Cruciatus Curse. "Harry, are you all right?" asked a tearful Hermione.
"I'll live," said Harry. He was still glaring at Voldemort who once again stood up.
"Not bad, Potter," said Voldemort.
Harry gritted his teeth and yelled, "Multiplicus Diffendo!" Hundreds of magical blades of light were conjured up and flew toward Voldemort. Voldemort simply cast a powerful shield charm and blocked all of the blades. He made his way up to Harry brandishing his sword over his head. He formed a huge blade of light around the sword and swung it down at Harry.
Harry also formed a powerful blade of light around his own sword. The two blades collided into each other, shooting off sparks as well as the sound of cackling energy.
Harry and Voldemort continued to swing the powerful blades of light at each other, sparks and energy released with every hit of the blade against each other.
"You know you can't beat me, Potter," taunted Voldemort as the two blades collided against each other. "I have been a Battle Wizard far longer than you have. By sheer experience, I have the advantage."
"Really Riddle?" hissed Harry. "I thought you wouldn't have been able to catch up with the high energies of youth!" He placed a strong kick, boosted by magic on Voldemort's midsection.
The magic boosted kick sent the Dark Lord flying across the chamber. However, while he was still in the air, Voldemort managed to catch Harry off guard and shouted, "Expelliarmus!" Harry's wand flew out of his hand and landed twenty feet away to his right.
"Harry! Your wand!" shouted Hermione from behind him.
"Don't worry, I can still fight," said Harry. He lifted his sword up in front of him, both hands on the handle.
Voldemort started laughing hysterically. "You are a fool, Potter!" he said. "Without his wand, how do you expect to block this?"
Hermione shuddered as Voldemort shouted, "Avada Kedavra!"
"Harry, dodge it!" shouted Hermione. Harry was just about to do that when he realized that Hermione was right behind him! If Harry dodged the killing curse, it would hit Hermione!
Harry started to think as fast as he could. He had vowed to himself that he would always protect Hermione, and he knew that if he let Hermione die, he would never be able to live with himself. There was only one thing left to do. If one of them were to die, than Harry knew who that was to be.
Hermione's eyes went wide, when it became clear that Harry wasn't going to dodge the killing curse. Furthermore, he spread his arms out in a gesture to prevent Hermione from even being hit by the curse.
"I love you, Hermione," said harry. It was a whisper but she still heard it. Hermione felt a pang in her heart and tears were flowing from her eyes.
"Harry! NOOOOOOOO!!!" she screamed. The green light of the killing curse engulfed Harry.
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A/N Sorry, this chapter was so late but I've been busy lately. I guess my schedule has been fully disrupted. Anyway, please read and review this chapter. This chapter is the last cliffhanger because the next chapter is the last one! Thank you so much for reading this fic.