Title: The Final Prophecy
Author: Cassandra Potter
E-Mail: DanielsAngel7866@aol.com
Spoilers: SS/PS, CoS, PoA, GoF, OotP
Ships: H/Hr
Summary: A destiny draws near. The Dark Lord's power grows stronger with each passing day. The one marked as an
equal will not survive the final battle, but will die at the hand of the Dark Lord himself....
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and company don't belong to me. Malcolm, Piers, and Gordon, don't belong to me
either..They came from OotP..*wink* Which I'm sure you all will realize once you begin to read the chapter. They
belong to JK Rowling. No money is being made for this work of fiction. I'm just writing something to keep me
entertained until Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince comes out in book stores. Please don't sue me. I don't
have any money, so there really wouldn't be any point..Honest…
Author's Notes: I haven't written or posted much HP stories lately because the last story I started and sent
out didn't receive any reviews at all…*cries* Hopefully, this will spark some interest. As always please read and
review.
******
Sitting in the playground near number four Privet Drive, Harry Potter starred off across the street at the bushes sitting next to a bench. It had been in those bushes he had seen his Godfather for the first time three years before. If he had only known then what he knew now, Harry knew he would have told Sirius to stay away from him. If it hadn't been for him, Sirius would be alive today. Still on the run from the Ministry, but he would be alive. Hearing laughter, Harry glanced over at his cousin and his bully friends. Harry had been sitting in the very same playground the year before when the Dementors had attacked. Harry wondered if they would see him this year.
"Hey, Big D, isn't that your cousin over there?"
Glancing in Harry's direction, Dudley frowned as he shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, he is so what? Let's go."
"Oh, come on Dud, you've told us a million times how you'd love to teach him a lesson. Why not teach him now," Malcolm asked glancing from Harry to Dudley.
"May be I will, but another time, Malcolm. I don't feel like it tonight," Dudley said frowning even more when he saw Harry stand up from the swing he had been sitting in.
Snickering, Piers glanced at Gordon and Malcolm. "I think Big D is scarred of his cousin."
"Shut up, Piers! I'm not scarred of anyone," Dudley yelled curling his hands into tight fists.
"Prove it then," Gordon taunted laughing with Piers and Malcolm. "If you're not scarred of your cousin, then give him your famous right hook."
"No, I have nothing to prove to you guys. Besides, you've all seen my right hook every night this summer. Let's go."
"You do have something to prove if you want to stay in this gang. Right hook or not, Big D," Malcolm said grabbing Dudley's arm.
Standing in front of the swing, Harry watched and listened to the argument. Smiling, he waited to hear Dudley's answer to the threat. One part of him wanted Dudley to approach him. He had his wand on him and Dudley knew it, but he wouldn't use it. No, if Dudley wanted to fight him it would be fist to fist. He might be skinny, but Harry wasn't a weakling. He had as much muscle as Dudley had fat, and that's saying something. Quidditch had done wonders for him in the strength department.
Breathing heavily through his nose like an angry bull, Dudley yanked his arm free of Malcolm's grasp in one quick, fluid motion. Before anyone could react, he was across the street and heading headlong towards Harry. "You've had this coming for a bloody long time," he growled loud enough for his friends to hear him even though he was so scarred his hands were shaking.
"Why don't you put your fist where your mouth is, Dudley," Harry snapped.
"Fine, I will," Dudley snapped back swinging his right fist as hard as he could toward Harry's face.
Quickly raising his left arm, Harry easily blocked Dudley's punch. As he was blocking the punch, Harry swung his own right fist toward Dudley. Connecting with his cousin's face, Harry smiled. "What's wrong, Dudley? You can't block a punch," Harry taunted as Dudley rubbed his bruised cheek.
"You just got in a lucky punch," Dudley replied quickly as he swung his left fist toward Harry.
Repeating his actions, Harry easily punched Dudley in the face again using his left hand this time. "I guess I was lucky that time too, huh Icle Diddykins," Harry asked ignoring the laughter beside him.
Dudley on the other hand wasn't ignoring the laughter. He was being made a fool right in front of his friends. Dropping his hand from his bruised face, Dudley ran right smack into Harry knocking them both to the ground. Hearing a grunt of pain brought a smile to Dudley's face which only grew bigger when his right fist made contact with Harry's face.
Instantly seeing stars, Harry struggled against Dudley's weight. He was strong, but Dudley was fat. At that precise moment, Dudley was using his enormous weight to smother him to death. Wedging his knees between himself and his cousin, Harry was finally able to knock Dudley off of him. Rolling to his knees, Harry struggled to stand up only to be knocked back down to the ground by three pairs of hands. Facing Dudley one on one he could handle. Facing three bullies and Dudley without the use of his wand was suicide. Blocking a punch heading for his face, Harry groaned in pain as another fist hit him in his stomach. Doubling over, he tried to catch his breath as he reached for his wand which was sticking out of his pants pocket. Just as his fingers grabbed it, he was kicked in the face with enough force to throw him onto his back and knock his wand from his pocket.
"Hey, what's this," Malcolm asked picking up the long, slim stick off the ground.
Snatching the wand from Malcolm's hand, Dudley snapped it completely in two. "It's nothing now," he snarled grabbing Harry and punching him again in the face.
Hearing Dudley snap his wand in half, Harry didn't care that he was being beaten to a bloody pulp at that very moment. He had just lost his second and only defense he had left against Voldemort. Without that wand, he would have nothing to keep Voldemort from killing him, or anything to allow him to see his parents taunt the Dark Lord while they protected him.
Curling up into a ball, Harry tried to shield his body as best he could from the vicious blows. Hearing and feeling his arm break, Harry gagged as bile came pouring out of his mouth. Coughing, he curled up tighter feeling Dudley's hand grab his shoulder uninjured shoulder. He knew Dudley wasn't finished with him just yet.
"Not so tough now are you, Harry?"
Spitting out the blood in his mouth, Harry narrowed his eyes up at his cousin. "And you're not as strong when you don't have your bullies fighting your fights for you either. I was doing just fine until they butted in."
Shaking his head, Dudley hauled Harry to his feet. "This has been fun Harry, but it's getting late. Mum and Dad will start to worry if I don't show up soon. Don't worry they won't be worried about you though when you don't show up tonight," he snapped kneeing Harry in the stomach for good measure. Letting him go, Dudley watched Harry crumble into a bloody heap on the ground. "Let's go. He's not in any condition to fight us anymore," Dudley said laughing right along with his friends as they walked away.
Coughing and spitting up more blood, Harry clutched his ribs with his good hand before using it to get himself to his knees. He had to get out of the middle of the street. If Voldemort decided to attack him, he wouldn't stand a chance. He wouldn't stand a chance now anyway without a wand, he reasoned sourly as he dragged himself to his feet. He needed help, but there was no way he was going to be able to walk to Mrs. Figg's house in his current condition. He could barely stay on his own two feet much less walk the distance. Taking a step forward, Harry lost his balance and pitched forward closing his eyes because he knew the fall was going to hurt.
"We've got you, Harry. Ron, grab him before he falls," Hermione instructed holding on tightly to Buckbeak's neck.
Sliding off of the Hippogryph's back, Ron grabbed Harry as soon as Buckbeak let him go. Looking down at his best friend, Ron tried not to gag. Harry was a mess. Seeing a long piece of wood broken in two next to Harry, Ron bent down to look at it. Swallowing hard, Ron picked up the two pieces of Harry's wand. Sticking them inside his pocket, Ron lifted Harry into his arms. Ron cringed hearing Harry cry out in physical pain. "Bloody hell Harry, what happened to you," he asked knowing Harry wasn't going to answer him as he carried his unconscious friend over to Hermione's waiting arms. Climbing onto Buckbeak's back, Ron held on to the animal as it lifted them and itself off of the ground and into the air.
Biting her lip, Hermione held Harry close to her, but made sure she wasn't holding him too tight. "Take us back, Buckbeak," she said wiping away her tears with her free hand. "If we hadn't snuck out Ron, he might be…"
"Don't say it, Hermione. He'll be fine. Dumbledore will get him fixed up in no time," Ron said quickly not wanting to think about Harry almost dying that night.
TBC