Dangerous Game

Dangerous Game

A/N: Hey everyone! Her-mee-o-ninny here, but feel free to call me Danni. Anyways, I've basically been sitting in my room for the past two weeks listening to CD's, one of them being 3 Doors Down, and while listening to the song “Dangerous Game”, inspiration for a fanfiction sort of just kicked me in the arse. Some parts of the song could work for this fanfic, but I had modified the plot somewhat, which means that I had to/will have to omit some lines of the song. Hopefully that won't bug anyone, hehe. Ok, so apart from that, I just want to inform you that this fanfic drops you right in the middle of “the final battle” between Harry and Voldemort during the end of Harry's seventh year at Hogwarts. I've never tried to start a story in the middle of so much action, so just bare with me. After all, I have practically read and reread this first chapter dozens and dozens of times so I can at least assure you that it has my approval as an avid Harry Potter fanfic reader, hehe. And…now I'm rambling. I'll just stop and let you see for yourself I guess. Hope you enjoy! Oh! AND PLEASE don't forget to review. This is sort of a risk for me because it's the first time I've posted my writing on Portkey so I would really appreciate any reviews (good or bad). Ok, now I'm done, haha. ENJOY!!!!

Chapter One

You stand before me

And we stare eye to eye

Before another second slips away

One of us will die

An eerie silence engulfed the room as they stared each other down. The threat to the wizarding world was just feet away from the one person who would be able to defeat him. A bead of sweat dripped down the boy's face as he fought the searing pain in his now legendary scar. The invisible ropes that bound him seemed to tighten as he struggled against them. Shrill laughter pierced through the room from the creature opposite him. This is no man, Harry thought to himself. Hell itself would have spat him back out…if it hadn't already…

“Harry Potter,” Voldemort said in a deadly sing-song voice. “How is that scar of yours? It really has worked to my advantage, I dare say. Of course your Gryffindor bravery has also helped. Foolish souls are blinded by their bravery, leaving them defenseless to those cunning enough to trap them, as I have done to you.” Voldemort smiled viciously.

Harry glared back, dying to retort, but knew he had to keep his mind clear. His eyes quickly darted to his right and a sinking feeling attacked his stomach. Why did they have to come? Why? He asked himself desperately. His eyes were back on Voldemort in a second, trying to rid his mind of the sight of Hermione and Ron sprawled across the far corner of the room, seemingly lifeless. It seemed impossible that only just yesterday he and Ron were celebrating their final quidditch victory at Hogwarts.

“And it's 90-20 Gryffindor! The Weasleys are really dominating this game! That was Ginny's seventh goal today and Ron, he's definitely been--Oh! And ANOTHER amazing save by Weasley! There's no way Slytherin'll be able to catch up, the slimy gi—“

“Thomas!” McGonagall shouted from Dean's right, sporting a rather stern look. “This is your final warning! I've told you again and again—“

“Yes, sorry Professor,” Dean said quickly before turning back to the game. “Anyways, let's see. Slytherin in possession. Oh! What a bludger from, well, one of the Gryffindor beaters. Couldn't tell you for sure because my darling professor interrupted me!”

“Dean! I—“

“Just joking, Professor! Ah, yes, Gryffindor in possession. It's Weasley up the middle. She passes to Belcher who passes back to Weasley. Weasley swerves. Nice job avoiding that bludger from Crabbe, Ginny! She's closing in. She's going to shoot! She—What?”

Dean stopped at the sound of tumultuous applause from the Gryffindor stands. At the sight of Harry and Draco zooming around the far side of the pitch, Dean had no choice but to give up on his commentating of Ginny. Someone was about to catch the snitch.

“Go, Harry GO!” Dean shouted, completely forgetting his job as commentator. Just then he felt something connect with the side of his head. Professor McGonagall had thrown her wand at him. “Ooph! Ow…Oh!! Sorry! Thanks Professor. Potter's closing in on the snitch, but Malfoy is so close behind. They're both reaching out. This doesn't look good. They're going to--!”

SLAM.

“…Crash,” Dean said horror struck. “…Bloody hell…” Shouts from all over the pitch erupted as everyone began to pour onto the field. Harry and Draco lay sprawled across the sand, motionless.

Ron was the first to arrive. He had just been feet away from them, as they had collapsed just under his feet while he guarded the Gryffindor goal posts.

Hermione reached the two unconscious boys moments later. She knew too well what was going to happen as she watched them diving toward the ground at such a tremendous speed. The moment she realized that Harry would not pull out of the dive, Hermione raced from the stands.

“Harry! Harry! Ron, is he alright?!” Hermione sobbed as she collapsed next to Harry. Ron was still stunned at the sight before him. He moved closer to Hermione and placed a hand on her shoulder.

Harry awoke in the Hospital Wing several hours later in quite a daze. He could see blurred figures hovering over him as his eyes fluttered. He made to sit up and reach for his glasses, but had been thrown backward by an enormous hug from a mass of bushy brown hair.

“Ooph! `Ermione, gerroff! I'm fine!” Harry said, barely able to breathe after getting the wind knocked out of him. He still chuckled at how much Hermione worried about him. She always did.

“I'm so glad you're alright, Harry!” Hermione sighed, her face tear-stained. Her moods suddenly changed, however, as her smile faded to a frown. “Don't ever do that to me again! Risking your life for a game is just…ridiculous! I don't know what you were thinking! How could you—“

Harry silenced her by pressing his lips to her own. The quick kiss to his girlfriend of nearly three months certainly helped. She immediately melted into Harry, anger and worriment forgotten.

“I told you, I'm fine,” Harry whispered. Hermione grinned back at her boyfriend, just thankful she hadn't lost him.

“What a beautiful moment,” a familiar voice sighed mockingly. The same person handed Harry his glasses, allowing him to take in the room clearly. George snickered at his brother's comment before sighing, as well.

“Oh, grow up you two,” Ginny piped in, while rolling her eyes, although she sported quite a large grin on her face, along with Ron who was directly beside her.

“Alright, mate?” Ron asked, still smiling.

“Can't complain. Well, no, I guess it could be better if someone wasn't sitting on my stomach,” Harry snickered, before being awarded quite a nasty glare from Hermione.

Once Hermione had moved over next to Harry, Ron somehow grinned even wider and began, “Well, I think I can help make your day even better.” With that, he pulled something small out of his pocket. He tossed the golden snitch over to Harry, who caught it, smiling back at his friend.

“Poor Malfoy. You should have seen him. He stormed out about an hour ago after Dumbledore told him that you caught it. Sort of reminded me of Ginny throwing a tantrum,” George said quite sympathetically. There was a moment of silence between them all before they couldn't control their laughter. Not one was able to stop until a rather upset and frazzled Madame Pomfrey hurried into the room and shooed everyone away.

Anger coursed through Harry as he stared back at Voldemort. He was looking at the reason he had never experienced a normal life, the reason why he had lost anyone he had ever loved. No, Hermione and Ron are still alive. They can't be…gone. I'd know. He forced himself not to look at his two friends. The pain was just too much.

“Ahh…” Voldemort sighed. “Have I upset you Potter? Surely you don't think your friends are still alive? You watched with your own eyes how I tortured them to their inevitable deaths.” Voldemort grinned as a tear escaped Harry's emerald eyes. Fury erupted through his body as he gripped the ropes even tighter behind his back. He felt his hands burn as he gripped so tightly. His bindings seemed to further tighten under his grip before suddenly loosening. Confusion hit him. Why is Voldemort allowing the ropes to loosen? It was awkward, though. Voldemort hadn't shown any change in stance or even his horrible grin.

Harry shifted slightly and felt the invisible frayed edges of the now severed ropes hidden behind his back. He allowed his eyes to quickly glance away from Voldemort's death stare, furiously attempting to clear his mind. I won't let him in. I need this chance. His eyes just as quickly returned to glaring at the mass of pure evil standing before him. A simple struggle at his bindings allowed Voldemort to lower his guard slightly. That's right, get cocky. Keep talking. I'll have my chance soon enough. Harry watched as Voldemort turned to look at two of the remaining people he still had left. Voldemort let out sinister laughter, which pierced through the room once more, as the teenage boy sprung to his feet behind him.

Harry had lost his chance. Voldemort had spun around just in time. The boy dare not cast a spell, knowing the result. Their brother wands were practically useless against each other if they shouted the incantations simultaneously. Fear shot through his body as he stared at his enemy virtually defenseless.

“Harry, Harry…” Voldemort sneered. “I had hoped you would have known better than to try to surprise me like that. Clearing your mind won't help you any longer. Our connection is indescribable. However, I see you know full well what will inevitably happen if we do decide to duel, so I will give you credit for that. If it were your choice, we would probably be standing here until one of us meets our own natural death, but I am not a patient man, Harry. We will duel and you will meet your death. Once again, I ask you to bow to death, Harry Potter.”

His hatred toward Voldemort burned with a fiery rage as he glared back. I will not.

“No?” Voldemort questioned with a slight smile. “Well, I suppose I could live with that. For now, we duel!”

You reach for your metal

As I reach for mine

The sound of bullets flying through the air

Is followed by a cry

“AVADA KEDAVRA!” Voldemort shrieked.

Harry's eyes widened as he watched a mass of green light shoot from his enemy's wand. It was too late to dodge. All he could do was scream “Protego!” which immediately connected their wands in a glow of brilliant gold. Before the beads of light could appear, Harry quickly broke the beam of light and ran full speed to his right. It allowed him to get a better shot at Voldemort who had not noticed Harry move through the blinding light.

With every intention of destroying the creature before him, Harry shouted, “AVADA KEDAVRA!”. He watched as his hatred and fury sped toward Voldemort in a flash of green light. He had expected the light to collide with the Dark Lord, however with a swish of his cloak, Voldemort was gone and the jet of green connected with the stone wall. Large pieces of rock fell from the once smooth wall before Voldemort reappeared behind Harry.

He spun around as another mass of green began to build up at the tip of Voldemort's wand. Harry dove to his right just in time. The spell left a crater in the chamber's cold floor right where Harry had been standing just moments before.

As he began to get up, a searing pain shot through one of his legs. He quickly glanced down to see that half of his bone had pierced through the skin covering his shin. Harry gasped at the sight and fought the urge to vomit. A sense of numbness shot through his leg before the pain reappeared.

His eyes returned to Voldemort who was grinning viciously. His wand pointed directly at Harry's heart.

“Say goodbye, Harry Potter,” he hissed.

This is the end. Why? Why did it have to end like this? I barely put up a fight. I'm sorry Ron. You were like a brother to me. I'm sorry Hermione. I love you so much. I'm sorry Dumbledore. I've finally let you down. I'm sorry Sirius, Remus, Mum, Dad. I wish I hadn't lost you. I'm so sorry. I've let everyone down. I've lost.

Harry closed his eyes, waiting to be taken to his parents. He could see the green light building behind his closed eyelids and he could hear Voldemort began to shriek the incantation. He could hear pounding footsteps and a cry. He could hear a loud thud in front of him and when he eyes shot open, he could see the now lifeless body of his best friend sprawled before him. Ron…

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Dangerous Game

A/N: Ahhh!! Thank you guys sooooo much!! I was thrilled with all of the reviews I received!! Believe me, I've been trying to get you this chapter for the past week, but it's been…difficult. Writer's block is a terrible thing, to say the least. PLUS even after inspiration smacked me upside the head, curing my writer's block, I've been writing and rewriting this chapter in order to keep up with the first chapter, which practically everyone loved. Now, I believe it's up to my standards, as well as yours, hehe. Sooo, here it is!! (Just an FYI: Yes, this chapter is pretty short, but the end sets up what I need in the next chapter. I am hoping that I'll be able to get you the next chapter quicker to make up for the length. ENJOY! ANNNDDD PLEASE Review! You did a wonderful job last time, keep it up!! Hehe)

Chapter Two

RECAP:

You reach for your metal

As I reach for mine

The sound of bullets flying through the air

Is followed by a cry

Harry closed his eyes, waiting to be taken to his parents. He could see the green light building behind his closed eyelids and he could hear Voldemort begin to shriek the incantation. He could hear pounding footsteps and a cry. He could hear a loud thud in front of him and when he eyes shot open, he could see the now lifeless body of his best friend sprawled before him. Ron…

***

And they're crying

What will we do?

What will we say

When it's the end of this game that we play?

Will we crumble into the dust my friend

Or will we start this game over again?

Harry felt as though the wind had been knocked out of him. He couldn't move, he couldn't breathe, he couldn't think. Images suddenly raced through his mind and thoughts echoed throughout his body, but all he could do was stare at his best friend. He had lost him. Harry's best friend, his brother, Ronald Weasley was gone.

“Excuse me,” Harry said to the plump woman.

“Hello, dear,” she said. “First time at Hogwarts? Ron's new, too.”

She pointed at the last and youngest of her sons. He was tall, thin, and gangling, with freckles, big hands and feet, and a long nose.

***

The car gave a nasty wobble. Glancing out of his window, Harry saw the smooth, black, glassy surface of the water, a mile below. Ron's knuckles were white on the steering wheel. The car wobbled again.

“Come on,” Ron muttered.

They were over the lake - the castle was right ahead - Ron put his foot down.

There was a loud clunk, a splutter, and the engine died completely.

“Uh-oh,” said Ron, into the silence.

The nose of the car dropped. They were falling, gathering speed, heading straight for the solid castle wall.

***

Ron was on his feet. As the dog sprang back toward them he pushed Harry aside; the dog's jaws fastened instead around Ron's outstretched arm. Harry lunched forward, he seized a handful of the brute's hair, but it was dragging Ron away as easily as though he were a rag doll ---

***

Ron pulled out his Omnioculars and started testing them, staring down into the crowd on the other side of the stadium.

“Wild!” he said, twiddling the replay knob on the side. “I can make that old bloke down there pick his nose again…and again…and again…”

***

“Ron, get out of the way, get down—”

But Ron had already pointed his wand at the tank.

“Honest, Harry, they're brains—look—Accio Brain!”

The scene seemed momentarily frozen. Harry, Ginny, and Neville and each of the Death Eaters turned in spite of themselves to watch the top of the tank as a brain burst from the green liquid like a leaping fish. For a moment it seemed suspended in midair, then it soared toward Ron, spinning as it came, and what looked like ribbons of moving images flew from it, unraveling like rolls of film—

“Ha ha ha, Harry, look at it—” said Ron, watching it disgorge its gaudy inards. “Harry, come and touch it, bet it's weird—”

“RON, NO!”

***

“Alright, mate?” Ron asked, still smiling.

“Can't complain. Well, no, I guess it could be better if someone wasn't sitting on my stomach,” Harry snickered, before being awarded quite a nasty glare from Hermione.

Once Hermione had moved over next to Harry, Ron somehow grinned even wider and began, “Well, I think I can help make your day even better.” With that, he pulled something small out of his pocket. He tossed the golden snitch over to Harry, who caught it, smiling back at his friend.

As Harry came back to reality, his loss quickly sank in. A tear escaped his emerald eyes as he choked back a sob.

Harry wasn't the only person in the room who was stunned. Voldemort seemed unable to tear his eyes from that boy, foolish enough to sacrifice himself in his friend's place. Voldemort, however, was not stunned due to shock, but stunned due to pure delight. The-Boy-Who-Lived, the one person who would be able to defeat him, was now crumbling before his eyes. The Dark Lord let out a wave of wicked laughter.

The boy before him, however, never heard it. His body seemed to have completely shut down. I've lost Ron. I'm so sorry. Why? Why did this have to happen? He should have just let me die. I'm going to die anyway. He should have saved himself. He should have saved Hermione. No, but even if he saved himself, I would have died knowing they would never be safe. Voldemort would live on. Voldemort will live on…Voldemort…

It's coming back to me

A powerful surge of anger shot through Harry, awakening him. Voldemort will not live on. I can't let him destroy everyone I've ever loved. Don't worry, Ron. Voldemort is as good as gone.

Voldemort hadn't seen the sudden change in the boy before him. He continued laughing, knowing that the time had come to end this battle. He never saw Harry shift his weight to clutch his wand tighter in his hand. He never saw the look of pure hatred and fury in those pools of emerald. He never heard Harry Potter choke out, “Avada Kedavra!”

All he ever saw was the blinding flash of green light as it raced toward him. His eyes widened in terror before the jet of light seemed to pass right through his chest. The look of shock remained on his face as he gasped and fell to the floor in a lifeless heap.

The-Boy-Who-Lived fought to hold onto consciousness, but it was a losing battle. After using the curse, he collapsed fully to the cold, stone floor, his eyes fluttering. He could have sworn he had heard someone calling for him from a distant. It was coming closer, closer. A sense of warmth spread throughout his body at someone's touch before darkness claimed him.

***

Harry gasped before having the sudden urge to sit up, however his body wouldn't allow him. His eyes shot open to find that he wasn't wearing his glasses. Instead of lying on the cold, stone floor of the chamber, he found himself in the comfort of one of the sterile white beds of the Hospital Wing in Hogwarts. He tried to think back to what had happened, but a sharp pain shot through his head, like a migraine. It was difficult to see everything around him because he could only move his head from side to side. The room was extremely dark, which didn't help matters. The only brightness in the room came from the beam of moonlight that shone through the window on the far side of the room. As he looked to his left, he saw the blurred figure of an enormous man, slumped in a chair next to the main door to the wing. Hagrid…Harry thought.

He then looked to his left and finally realized what was causing the sense of warmth throughout his body. Harry smiled broadly at the sleeping form of what had to be Hermione. Her arm was slung over his stomach and her hair was practically as unruly as his own. Not wanting to wake her, he closed his eyes and slowly fell back to sleep, knowing that everything was right in the world.

***

As Harry awoke the next morning, he found that Hermione was still sound asleep, but Hagrid was nowhere to be found. He tried to shift slightly and realized that his body was fully cooperating now, apart from the sharp surges of pain that shot through his legs and arms as he moved. He carefully turned to his side, to face Hermione. Harry found himself raising a hand to touch her cheek before running his fingers through her bushy hair.

“I love you, Hermione,” Harry whispered.

“Mmm, love you too, Harry,” Hermione answered in her sleep. Harry smiled and rested his head on the pillow. It seemed to take Hermione several seconds to register what had happened. Her eyes shot open, wide as saucers.

“Morning,” Harry whispered.

Hermione gasped before an enormous smile spread across her face. She shifted her weight slightly before enveloping him in a tight hug.

“Harry! I can't believe it! I thought I'd lost you! Please tell me I'm not dreaming!” Hermione practically squealed due to her excitement.

Harry smiled broadly once again before pressing his lips to hers. This is where I belong, Harry thought to himself. They broke apart before kissing a second time, however this time the kiss deepened. Harry wished they could simply stay like that forever.

Hermione eventually broke the kiss and looked straight into Harry's vibrant eyes. He smiled before reaching for his glasses. After he put them on and turned back to Hermione, he watched as tears poured down her cheeks. His smiled faded as he reached out to wipe her tears away.

“What's wrong?” Harry asked in a voice no louder than a whisper.

Hermione let out a sob before choking out, “R-Ron…Harry…he's gone…”

Harry's stomach seemed to freeze as he remembered the events before he had fallen into unconsciousness. He closed his eyes, but to no avail. A tear escaped his eyes before running down his cheek. His entire body seemed to shut down as he collapsed back onto the bed, allowing the darkness to surround him, once again.

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