"What…what in heavens name is that thing?" Cassandra gasped in horror.
"Something that you will never understand," Harry replied cryptically.
Despite her fear, the blonde would not be defeated so easily.
"I don't care what it is; I won't be defeated by the likes of you. No one is stronger than the power of Slytherin."
Harry set Hermione back down on her feet and readied himself for Cassandra's attack.
Ron and the others watched anxiously as the final confrontation began to unfold.
"I can't believe that Hermione wasn't killed!" Ron gasped.
"As Harry said, his love wouldn't allow her to die," Lavender said with a slight smile.
"Those two are truly exceptional," Dumbledore said with a proud smile.
"What is Cassandra going to do now though? She has nothing left to fight with," Sirius stated.
"I wouldn't count her out yet, my friend," Remus added.
"Indeed, that orb contains magic even I have never seen," Dumbledore said with an anxious look on his face.
"Don't think that this battle is over, Harry, because I'm more than capable of putting out that oversized fire of yours," Cassandra said with a snicker.
"Do your worst!" he growled back at her.
Harry pulled Hermione close to him.
"Herm, stay close to me, and you'll be safe. I promise, we'll be fine."
She did as he told her and pressed herself back against his chest. His arms extended out in front of her, and the phoenix shrieked as it prepared for battle.
Cassandra raised took the orb out of her robes and pointed directly at the couple. The sphere glowed intensely, and she smiled evilly.
"Kelvinore Enwraptor!"
Harry readied himself for whatever Cassandra was about to throw at him. All of a sudden, the ground beneath his feet and around him for about a twenty-foot radius began to freeze. Huge slabs of ice exploded out of the ground and literally encased Harry and Hermione. The ice continued to expand until it swallowed up the entire phoenix; the mighty bird screeched as it became buried in its frigid tomb.
"No, Harry and Hermione are trapped in there!" Ron gasped. He was about to run to them, but Sirius grabbed his robes.
"Don't Ron, you can't help them now."
They could actually see the indentation of where their bodies were within the ice formation. Sirius, Ron, and the others looked on worriedly; they truly didn't know if either Harry or Hermione were still alive or not.
"How pathetic! I knew that even the great Harry Potter didn't stand a chance against the power of Slytherin," Cassandra laughed.
"He could have had anything he wanted from me, but instead, he and his little bitch are going to remain trapped in there forever!"
Cassandra looked over at Harry's friends and smiled cruelly.
"Don't try anything stupid. That ice could contain a live volcano; you have no chance of rescuing them."
What Cassandra failed to notice was that the place where Harry and Hermione were trapped was beginning to glow.
Suddenly, the ground began to shake, and Cassandra looked around for the cause of it. That was when everyone saw it. From within the glacier, an intense red glow was emanating. It became brighter and brighter, making the ice shimmer.
"It's Harry!" Lavender shouted.
"That's impossible!" Cassandra countered, "No one can escape that frozen prison."
"You don't know, Harry," Ron chided.
The ice began to crack, and pieces snapped off one after the other. Cassandra drew back in horror at what she was seeing; this couldn't be happening!
From within the slab of ice, Harry clenched his fists, and his blood began to boil. He'd had enough of Cassandra Cross; he was done playing nice.
Ron and others watched in utter amazement as the seemingly impenetrable wall of ice shattered into a thousand pieces. It exploded outwards, and the shards evaporated in less than five seconds. The phoenix erupted from its captivity, and it unfurled its wings once more. Cassandra's eyes were wide with fear as she stepped back from the mighty beast.
"How…what…he can't…" She couldn't do anything but stutter.
"CASSANDRA!"
Harry's voice roared across the field, and the tone of it made everyone cringe. Even Hermione who was pressed up against him looked up at him in shock at his angry voice. She saw his eyes and knew that he'd been pushed too far. It was just like when he'd face Voldemort. There would be no more mercy from him this day, and to be honest, she wasn't in the mood to be forgiving either.
"Hermione…" he whispered. His tone was its usual gentle hue, but his eyes were unchanged.
"Let's finish this, Harry," she confirmed for him. He raised his arms out in front of her and pressed his face against her hair.
"Together, Herm, let's end this."
Hermione raised her hands and pressed her palms up against the back of Harry's hands. Their fingers entwined, and he whispered a single word in her ear. It took a split for her to realize what it was.
"You will not defeat me, Harry; I won't be beaten like my grandfather," Cassandra growled even though she slowly backed off.
Harry said nothing and neither did Hermione. Their hands clenched together, and the phoenix shot up into the sky. The firebird began to change shape and instead formed into a large stream of white light. Once it reached the clouds, it diverted outward across the sky into several rays of bright light.
"WILDFIRE!!!"
The couple's voices spoke as one, and the rays of light streaked down from the heavens. It looked like it was raining sunshine as the beams became pillars of white-hot fire, and they aimed straight for Cassandra Cross.
The young woman screamed in terror and held the Orb of Slytherin out in front of her, trying to defy the divine judgment that had been released on her.
The attack hit the sphere and pierced through it within half a second. They hit Cassandra head on, and she practically wailed as the cosmic firestorm continued to rain down on her. The flames consumed the magic within the orb as well, and the evil that resided within it was destroyed for all time.
"Sweet Merlin, what in bloody hell is that?" Ron gawked. No one else could respond; they were all dumbstruck by the massive attack.
"Harry…he and Hermione…such power…I never thought…" Dumbledore had never stuttered before, but even he was speechless at the display of the two, young wizards.
The rain of fire lasted several minutes until finally it ended. The streams of fire did not dissipate but instead reformed back into the shape of the phoenix. It flapped its wings and then returned to Harry and Hermione. Nothing was left of Cassandra Cross except a charred crater.
The firebird returned inside Harry's body, and the pair lowered their hands as the battle ended. Hermione turned her head to see Harry already gazing down at her, and she smiled up at him.
"You did it, Harry."
"We did it, my angel."
Their lips came together, and their arms wrapped around each other. Harry clutched her against his body, and Hermione melted into his arms.
"It's over…once and for all."
"Yes, Harry, it's finished."
He saw her worn out body and knew that she needed attention. Cradling her in his arms, Harry walked back towards Hogwarts. Hermione was asleep within seconds of him picking her up.
"Harry…Hermione!" Ron called to his best friends. Lavender was lying in his arms, and she waved to the approaching couple.
"Hey Ron, I see you aren't any the worse for wear; I'd hate to see what Malfoy looks like," Harry chided.
"Is she okay?" his friend asked and pointed at Hermione.
"She will be with Madam Pomfrey's help."
"Yeah, Lavender needs some patching up too; let's get them to the infirmary."
The two, young men grinned at each other and carried their ladies back inside the main gates.
Hermione woke up out of a very relaxing sleep, and she was greeted with seeing Harry's head lying on the side of the bed she was in. He was sitting next to her, but he was hunched over, probably rather painfully, in a chair by her bed. She smiled slightly and brushed her fingers through his hair. Harry's face snapped up, and he gave her a tired smile.
"Hey…" she whispered hoarsely.
"Hey yourself."
"You look tired, love," Hermione said while stroking his cheek.
"Sorry I fell asleep," he apologized.
"Don't be, we've been through a hard fight; it's time to rest, Harry."
"Are you all right?"
"I'm fine. Whatever healing spell Madam Pomfrey used is working wonders on my sore ribs so grab a bed and go to sleep."
"I can't stay with you?" he said with a sly grin on his worn out face. She actually giggled a little.
"You know I love sleeping next to you, honey, but to be honest, it wouldn't do my broken ribs much good. They still have to set correctly; I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize, I wasn't serious, but I have an alternative."
Harry grabbed the vacant bed next to Hermione's and shoved it up against hers. She smiled at his idea and shook her head at what Madam Pomfrey would say when she saw what he'd done to her infirmary. He crawled into the bed, and his eyes drooped closed before his head hit the pillow. Harry's hand sought out hers, and Hermione entwined their fingers together. A small smile formed on his lips, and she squeezed his hand.
"Love you, Hermione…" he whispered as his voice trailed off.
"Love you too, Harry…" she answered as her eyes closed as well.
Author's Notes: And so ends the battle. I hoped everybody liked the way things turned out. This story isn't finished yet so stay tuned for the last few chapters.