Journey Home by Jardyn39
Note: Sorry, but the POV switches around a little here, mainly to stop you working out what is really going on too quickly!
Chapter Eleven: Battling the Past
Harry had got only a few feet into the trees when his scar seared with pain. He stopped and rubbed his forehead.
It had been years since his scar had hurt.
He turned and looked back at the campfires and flaming torches of the hundreds who had gathered to defend Hogwarts in its time of need.
The battle would begin at dawn. They were ready should Voldemort order his hoards to attack tonight, but there was actually little point.
Voldemort had other business tonight and, after all, if he won there wouldn't be any need for a fight.
Harry turned to face the forest.
For a moment, just a moment, Harry knew this couldn't be real. He couldn't really be facing this all again? Could he?
Harry marched forward, exactly as he had done that night.
From that moment he was lost in the past, the present a mere possibility.
*
Hermione felt herself being shaken roughly awake. She groaned and turned over.
"Don't want to wake up," she complained thickly, her eyes still closed.
The shaking continued, more urgently this time.
Hermione opened her eyes with difficulty.
"Dobby?"
"Miss Hermione must please wake up!"
Hermione realised she was lying awkwardly against one of the living room chairs.
"Drink this now," Dobby ordered and brought a beaker to her lips.
Hermione drank two sips and immediately tried to push the disgusting concoction away. Dobby was most insistent though and forced her to drink some more.
Gradually the haze across Hermione's mind lifted.
She looked around the room to see that everyone was being revived by several house elves.
"What's going on Dobby?"
"Professor McGonagall could not get in touch with any of you. She contacted Dobby and we came at once. Dobby apologises for making you drink this potion, but you had all been drinking rather a lot."
"But why did Professor McGonagall want to contact us, Dobby?"
"Harry Potter has gone into the Forbidden Forest. Professor McGonagall says she watched him standing at the forest edge as usual tonight, but this time he went in."
"Did she say what she thought was happening?"
"Professor McGonagall just said for you to come at once. She sent this Portkey."
"Okay, I'm going," said Hermione, getting up and feeling rather grateful that Dobby's sobering up potion worked so well.
"Just a minute, Hermione. You're not going without us," said Ron.
"But Ron, you can barely do magic," Hermione reasoned.
"So? I'm coming too," he said adamantly.
Luna smiled warmly at him and walked over to join them.
"I'm going too," said Neville. "I'll be back as soon as I can," he said gently to Ginny.
"You're not going without me," said Ginny shakily.
"Ginny, after all that's happened," said Neville.
"We must go," said Ginny clasping hold of Neville's hand, "after everything Harry has done for us."
Hermione smiled tearfully as she held the Portkey up for them all to hold.
*
The five of them landed in Professor McGonagall's office, facing the wrong way.
"Welcome," said a familiar voice.
They turned.
Professor McGonagall and Alastor Moody were standing either side of an easel, upon which was propped a large portrait of Albus Dumbledore who was smiling at them.
"I'm so glad you all decided to come," he said warmly.
Hermione didn't stand on ceremony.
"Dobby said Harry has gone into the forest."
"He did, a few hours ago."
"Hours?" gasped Ginny.
"You've been expecting something like this?"
"Yes," said Moody. "When we arranged Potter's original Auror testing, he had a few problems. In truth, the test was specifically designed to expose something that he had difficulty accepting."
"But Harry passed his Auror test," protested Ginny.
"He passed a different test the second time, not ours."
"Okay, what couldn't he accept?"
"The most difficult thing for anyone to accept," said Dumbledore. "The truth about what really happened, and what he could and couldn't do."
"So, he's gone in there to face up to the truth?"
"Unfortunately, it's not that simple."
"What are you talking about?" asked Ron rudely out of frustration.
"Tonight, for Harry, Voldemort will win."
"What?"
"The six of you are the only ones who survived that night," explained Moody. "I know that only Harry was there when he beat Voldemort, but you five are important witnesses to the events immediately before and after. Everyone else who fought with and against you in the forest that night is dead."
"Harry is reliving that night," added Dumbledore. "For him, it may appear to be quite real."
"Okay, so we should be able to retrace our steps and find him that way?"
"Perhaps, though I doubt it. If you wish to go, please remember why you are there. You may remember some terrible things that, like Harry, your mind wished to forget."
They nodded.
Professor McGonagall cleared her throat.
"There may be an additional complication. Harry was convinced he heard something here in the castle. I believe he was not imagining things. There may very well be something unidentified stalking him or all of you in there."
"Great," said Ron. "Trust Harry to go sleepwalking in a nightmare of the worst night of our lives, when there are real monsters wandering about."
*
"Alright," said Hermione, "I think this is the spot where we entered the forest."
"It is," agreed Neville. "I remember that odd shaped tree trunk over there."
"Good. Now remember, Voldemort died or whatever at around five o'clock in the morning. We should assume that Harry will relive the moment at the same time."
"Pity we don't know where they fought," observed Ron. "Okay, how shall we split up?"
"No," said Hermione at once. "We all stick together, no matter what."
"But it would be quicker," began Ron.
"No, Ron," she interrupted him. "You can't do anything but throw sparks and there's no way I'm risking Ginny and Neville being left alone like last time. We stick together!"
"Okay, okay," said Ron, admitting defeat. "I wonder if I can manage a Lumos spell?"
They lit their wands and ran into the forest, heading for the position of the first skirmish.
*
"Oh, Albus," Professor McGonagall said dabbing her eyes. "Shouldn't we have warned them?"
"No, Minerva," he replied gently. "This is as much for them, as it is for Harry."
The fire flared bright green and a figure stepped out of the fireplace.
Moody limped over to join the four of them.
"I'm afraid there's been a development," said David Royce, handing Professor McGonagall a piece of parchment.
She blanched upon reading it.
Professor McGonagall went over to her desk and touched a tiny silver instrument, which gave a light ring.
She spoke clearly and firmly, her voice magically amplified and repeated in every room in the castle.
"All students are instructed to return to their dormitories at once. All staff and ghosts will report to the staff room for a briefing in ten minutes. Peeves, report to my office, now!"
*
Hermione was the first to reach the small clearing. There was no doubt that Harry had been here. Foliage was burnt from recent spell work and a couple of larger branches were broken.
"Okay, when we arrived here before we saw the same thing. There had been some kind of running battle but we didn't find any dead or wounded," said Hermione, struggling to get her breath back.
"That's right," agreed Ron. "We went off in that direction, didn't we?" he said pointing.
"No, Ron," said Neville. "It was that way."
"Neville's right," said Hermione setting off again.
*
Hermione skidded to a halt and caught her breath.
"Things got a bit complicated here, didn't they?" said Luna.
"This is where the main group split up, but the five of us stayed together," said Ron. "There was fighting going on all around at that point."
"We go the way we went before," said Hermione, moving forward but more slowly now.
It was really getting quite eerie. They could almost hear the shouts and cries that filled the air that night.
Ginny screamed.
The others turned at once and hurried back to her. Something was half hidden in the dark undergrowth.
Ron pulled the ferns back.
"Oh my," breathed Hermione. "How can this be?"
"I'd forgotten," said Luna. "They only found him the day after. We must have run straight past him."
The body of Dean Thomas lay at their feet.
"How can we be seeing this now, though?"
Ginny was staring down at Dean, a horrified look etched into her features. She was trying to pull Neville away.
"No," he said gently. "We're going on together. I've no idea how this is happening, but this has to be an illusion. Perhaps we're seeing what Harry saw, or something."
"Neville's right," said Ron. "It must be an illusion."
He knelt down to touch Dean. He hesitated but put his hand down on his shoulder, avoiding his chest wounds.
He was solid.
Ginny gave a muffled cry.
"Okay," said Hermione, clearly trying to maintain control of herself. "We should assume that there are enemies out here that are also solid, perhaps even alive. We should also assume they can perform magic."
Ginny looked up into Neville's eyes.
"It won't be like last time," he promised. "We're going to stay together."
Hermione suddenly realised. Ginny had been haunted by whatever had happened to her here, and here they were reliving that very night.
What if it happened all over again?
Luna went over and put an arm around Ginny, whispering something in her ear.
Ginny nodded and wiped her face.
"Let's go on," she said shakily, although not letting go of Neville's hand.
*
"What time is it?" asked Ron in an urgent whisper.
"Four."
"Then why does it look like it's getting lighter?"
"What?"
"It must be part of the illusion," said Hermione. "It was Summer when it happened, wasn't it? We're seeing the dawn like we would have done then."
"Shh," said Luna, pointing out ahead.
Far into the distance, dark robed figures were running in a group.
They ran to catch them up, going deeper into the forest.
They had closed the gap to around one hundred yards when there were suddenly shouts accompanied by loud cracks and bangs.
By the time they got there, at least half the group were dead or close to death. Most of them were clearly Death Eaters.
"Did Harry do this?" asked Ron incredulously. "I had no idea. He really went into the thick of things, didn't he?"
Hermione was frowning slightly.
"They are drawing him in," she said quietly. "Voldemort is sacrificing his people to bring Harry closer, away from us and the others."
She looked at her watch and smiled.
"What is it?" asked Ron.
"Well, it's now twenty minutes past four. I was knocked out just after four in the fighting. This means we aren't simply reliving that night. Tonight, whatever this is, it is different."
"So Dumbledore might have been right?"
"Not if I can help it," said Hermione grimly, walking over to a writhing Death Eater who was clearly close to death.
"Avada Kedavra," she shouted.
A green flash emitted from the end of her wand and the Death Eater instantly fell dead.
The other four looked on, utterly shocked.
"Hermione," said Neville at last. "We're sharing some kind of illusion, right? So what if you're not really firing spells at nothing real. What if there really was someone there, but not who we think we are seeing?"
For a moment, doubt crossed Hermione's face.
Then the doubt went.
"Dumbledore told us to remember that we are here for Harry. I think that so long as we fight to protect him, we'll be all right. That's what I'm going to try and do, anyway."
*
They ducked into the undergrowth as three small groups of Death Eaters passed them in a hurry.
A couple of them were chuckling as they went.
"That last group," whispered Neville. "They were the ones that got us. I'm sure of it."
"Should we double back and get them?" suggested Ron.
"No," whispered Hermione. "We have to get to Harry. Whatever they did, it won't happen to us again."
A high cold humourless laugh erupted through the trees.
It sent shivers down their spines. It was him.
Hermione moved first, determined to get to Harry.
*
Harry ran straight into the centre of the remaining group of Death Eaters causing them to flee in blind panic.
He continued firing non-lethal hexes at their retreating backs to hurry them on their way.
Harry knelt. He knew before he took their victim's pulse that he was too late. The body's skin felt cool to the touch.
At the time Harry was pleased to allow the main group to leave the area, leaving a dozen of so for him to easily deal with. Now, he very much regretted letting them go.
There was a muffled scream somewhere off into the distance.
Harry frowned. Who else was in the forest? He had come alone precisely to avoid casualties. If he failed there would be plenty of time for heroics later defending the castle.
For a moment, Harry was undecided.
Should he proceed deeper into the forest to look for Voldemort or should he go and help?
Dumbledore had warned him about this. Voldemort would have no qualms about placing his friends at risk, trying to provoke Harry into wasting time and effort on heroics to save others.
He took about six steps forward, going deeper into the forest, and then stopped.
Suddenly an image came into his mind. It was the image that had haunted him for years.
For the briefest instant, Harry saw clarity. The last time, on the actual night, he had gone on. He had accepted that he would be responsible for sacrificing his friends' lives. Voldemort had to be defeated. Nothing else mattered.
Except, of course, it did matter.
Harry set off again, determined to right a wrong he had allowed to happen.
*
Bodies were scattered throughout the forest floor. Several were clearly Death Eaters and Voldemort supporters, but the overwhelming majority were Hogwarts students.
As Harry ran through the forest, a mixture of emotions churned around in him. He was angry with them. Why hadn't they stayed in the castle? Why had the older ones allowed such young children to fight? He also felt pride in their bravery. He hoped they knew what they were getting themselves in for.
He passed a small group of Death Eaters, huddled together and obviously killed by arrows. Were the Centaurs fighting after all?
A distracted Harry tripped and went flying, his wand falling from his hand as he impacted heavily on the ground.
This rather surprised the group of Death Eaters he'd landed next to.
"Crucio!" shouted one of the others, but it was not directed towards Harry.
Harry leapt to his feet and charged, grabbed one of their wands in the scuffle. Its owner fell first to a stupefy spell, quickly followed by two more.
Three were now left as well as, Harry realised for the first time, their struggling victim.
Neville shrugged off his assailants who were clearly more concerned about Harry's sudden appearance.
Neville punched one of them while Harry stunned the one standing next closest to him. The third ran off into the woods and quickly disappeared.
Harry hurried over to stun the punched Death Eater, but he was out cold.
Neville looked angry and fearful as he reached into one of their robes to retrieve his wands.
"Accio wand!" said Harry. His wand flew towards him out of the bushes and he caught it easily. He snapped the wand he'd borrowed in two.
"That was Bellatrix Lestrange," gasped Neville. "Ginny's in trouble. Rodolfus Lestrange and a few of the others have her."
"Lead the way," ordered Harry, with a quick glance at his watch.
*
The loud cheers and laughing told them they were running in the right direction. The trees were also thinning unfortunately, but there was still plenty of green low lying undergrowth.
Suddenly they saw a large group of black robes. They stood out clearly against the forest background.
Ginny's scream cut through the air. It sounded like her throat was raw from screaming. Her screams were accompanied by more cheering and laughing.
Neville put on a burst of speed. They were only yards away now.
Harry jumped forward and rugby tackled Neville, earning himself a kick in the face. Neville struggled to get up, but they were both well concealed within the dense undergrowth.
Neville only stopped struggling when they heard what Harry had seen just in time.
"Potter!" screamed Bellatrix Lestrange. "Potter is coming for you!"
"You get her," whispered Harry. "I'll get them."
Neville nodded and Harry released him.
They crawled out of the undergrowth in separate directions.
As Harry got closer, he could hear their conversation. They weren't troubling to keep their voices down.
"Did that sadistic old hag say Potter was coming after us?"
"Hey, that's my wife you're talking about," said Lestrange, sounding quite un-offended.
"Pay attention to what you're doing, Lestrange, or move aside for one of us."
"But the Dark Lord said Potter would be drawn towards him, didn't he?"
"Yes, Malfoy took the bait to him a while ago."
Ginny had stopped screaming now. Somehow, that seemed worse.
Harry stood and walked up to the circle, knowing he mustn't look.
Suddenly, they spotted him and were stunned into silence. A ripping sound was the only noise.
If he looked, he would just kill them all.
They moved apart slightly, unsure of what was about to happen. Lestrange stood.
Harry looked.
*
Harry looked down at his shaking hands. He was covered in blood.
He looked up to see Neville cradling Ginny, who was wrapped in his robes.
Harry walked over and Neville looked up at him, tears in his eyes but smiling.
"I'm going on," said Harry. "Stay with her."
Harry turned and ran off, once again going deeper into the forest, passing Bellatrix Lestrange's horribly distorted body on his way.
*
Hermione lead the way as they crept to the edge of the wide clearing, determined to stay hidden until they were in a position to help.
Hermione was now shaking with fear.
Harry was standing facing Voldemort in the middle of the clearing. A few Death Eaters remained to witness the final duel.
"Congratulations," said Voldemort. "I promised to make the Death Eater who killed you, rich beyond their dreams. I thought you would appreciate the extra effort they put in."
"Really?" said Harry, sounding quite unconcerned. "I wonder why so many just turned and ran away then?"
"They will pay."
Hermione examined Harry closely. He looked unhurt so far, although covered in blood. Then she noticed his wand. It wasn't his. In fact, it looked almost like hers. She looked down for confirmation and was shocked to see she was holding Harry's wand. Then she remembered. They had swapped wands, so the brother wands didn't have to fight.
"Kill him, Master!" shouted a Death Eater from the opposite side.
"Patience, Malfoy," said Voldemort, not moving his eyes from his opponent. "Harry deserves to enjoy his final moments. I want him to really appreciate the trouble I've gone to, to make his death quite agony."
Harry looked over to Malfoy.
"Pardon me," he said politely, "would you permit me one indulgence?"
"Of course," said Voldemort with a cruel smile.
Harry flicked his wand sideways and a red flaming rope erupted from its tip.
Malfoy and the two Death Eaters standing next to him were decapitated at the same time as the rope flew through their three necks.
"Bravo!" cried Voldemort with delight as the other Death Eaters scattered in shear panic. "Nicely done, Harry!"
Harry turned his attention back to Voldemort.
"I take it you found young Malfoy's body, then?"
Harry nodded.
"Yes, I would have preferred to torture Lucius before killing him, but I assure you he would have died in any event. I didn't order him to kill his son. I always saw young Draco as a great potential, actually."
"Even though he chose to fight against you, in the end?"
"Indeed, Harry. Lord Voldemort values such strength of character."
"Well, shall we get started?"
"But you haven't had your surprise yet, Harry."
There was a rustling and from the far side of the clearing, behind Voldemort, came another group of Death Eaters.
Hermione watched on as they dropped the limp body they were carrying onto the ground before hastily retreating back into the forest undergrowth.
It was Hermione.