Chapter Nine: It was Over
"Your fate is upon you, take heed." I heard the words leave my mouth before I realized I was saying them. Voldemort was smiling at me in a very sinister way, I could tell he was thinking his attack through.
"Well Potter…" His voice was almost snake like still. "…You have grown since last we met, you almost look like a man now."
My temper was flaring. Here this thing was sitting in front of me, a smug look on his disgusting face, taunting me. He was trying to get me riled up, trying to upset me. I wouldn't let it work. I continued to keep my thoughts focused on the people I loved, such as my mum and dad, Ron, Hermione, and Sirius. I let a smile pass over my face at the thought, then it was swiftly replaced by a look of scorn.
"Why don't you come down here and fight me instead of torturing defenseless people?" I asked him, trying to get him away from Neville. I could see Ginny to my left waiting to reach Neville, so I did my best to get Voldemort away from him.
A sly smile crossed his face. "As you wish." Was all he said before he disappeared from the table. I hoped he had decided to take this fight elsewhere, but I had the feeling I wouldn't get that lucky. Just then I felt his presence behind me and heard a little first year gasp. I turned around, and there he was. Face to face we stood, neither one of us saying anything to the other. We were both waiting for the other to make the first move. In this case it was he who made the first move, sending the Cruciatus curse my way. I dove towards one of the house tables and dodged it barely hitting my head on the corner of the table. I stood up and turned to face him once again. Blood dripped from my eyebrow, where I had hit it on the table, and I let it slide down my face mixing with my sweat.
"Waddiwasi" I screamed sending the very table that had assaulted me towards Voldemort. It hit him and knocked him to the ground. I heard him say a spell and the table flew back at me. I again very narrowly dodged it.
He started laughing at me. An insane laugh that began ringing in my ears causing the ever-annoying scar to burn. What was I thinking? What was everyone else thinking is more like it? I could never beat Voldemort, not in a thousand years. There is nothing or no one that can defeat him. I felt my scar burning even more, and then the scent of burning flesh met my nostrils. I reached a hand up to my head to touch my scar, as I lay a finger on it, I had to remove it quickly due to it singeing my skin. I was losing faith, and therefore losing the battle. I needed a pick me up and fast. I closed my eyes and thought.
Think Harry, think about her. Think about her dying.
My eyes shot open as Hermiones face filled with pain, entered my mind. If at all possible I was going to do everything in my power to never see that look on her face.
Suddenly I was filled with rage at the thought of this creature hurting Hermione. I would not let him near her long enough to even take a breath. I felt power surging beneath my skin, it was itching to be let out. I didn't know what it was. I had never felt it before, it was a painful yet euphoric feeling fluttering about in my chest. This was it. This was what I would need to defeat Voldemort, and I didn't even know what it was or how to use it.
Without warning Hermiones face flooded my thoughts once again. Why did that keep happening?
Then a thought hit me. She must have something to do with his defeat.
I don't know how long I stood there contemplating what I was going to do, but it must have been too long for Voldemort's standards. I felt the effects of the Cruciatus curse before I even realized he had hit me. The pain wound through every vein in my body paralyzing me. I could hear Voldemort's laughter above me, as my mind threatened to leave me. I turned my head away from the look on his face, and my eye caught sight of something at the door. It was Hermione. She was standing there a look of pure horror on her beautiful face. I was going to make sure it was last thing I saw in this world. As my eyes began to lose focus I could see her mouth moving but couldn't make out the words. She was trying to catch my eyes with hers, but I was having a difficult time concentrating. Finally our eyes met, and what I heard next shocked me to the core.
"I love you Harry Potter."
That's all I could hear when our eyes met. She was using Legilimency on me to transfer her thoughts into me. She was saving my life. Her statement kept repeating itself in my head as I broke my eyes away from hers, and looked Voldemort in the eyes.
His blood red eyes met mine and I uttered the only thing I could think of at the time.
"I love Hermione…and she loves me."
He began to laugh, uncontrollable laughter that echoed off the walls in the Great Hall. I closed my eyes knowing this was the end. We were all going to fall prey to his lust for power. Then I heard something. I opened my eyes. The laughter had changed into screams. Smoke was coming off of him and his robes. I felt two arms come around me and drag me away from him as he burst into flames.
I craned my head to see who had pulled me away. It was Neville, I smiled graciously. When I turned my head back to where Voldemort had been, all that remain, was a pile of ash.
It was over.