Unofficial Portkey Archive

Ginny almost couldn't believe what she was seeing. Standing before her, looking almost a little shy, was Draco Malfoy. He was still alive, still breathing, though his eyes now held a haunted look. He looked to be under a great strain, as if he was fighting an inner force, but his gaze never wavered from her face.

"Draco," she whispered, taking a tentative step toward him.

"Please, Gin," he said quickly, backing up, "don't come near me. He's watching."

Ginny halted, tears threatening to spill over onto her cheeks. Her hands trembled as she clenched them fiercely together.

"Where have you been this whole time?" she said harshly, startling the whole group. "We needed you, but you weren't here. Hannah and Cho were just killed, but where were you? Off with Voldemort?"

"Gin, don't start," Draco said wearily. "I can't explain everything right now because I need to be taking the lot of you to Voldemort. He's expecting me to."

Harry narrowed his eyes and dawning comprehension came over him.

"You're supposed to be under the Imperius curse, aren't you?" he asked.

Draco slowly nodded his head.

"Yes, not originally though. I went to Voldemort with the intention of having him believe I had betrayed all of you and so, the bond between the Heirs failed and was never completed. He somehow saw through me though and cast the Imperius Curse on me to make sure I remained….loyal. Voldemort thinks he finally beat me there, but he never did. I threw off his curse within a few hours of him casting it; it was a particularly strong Imperius. Ever since then, I have simply done as he has commanded, acting like I am still under his power. He does love to recast it at points though, which is draining because I have to throw the curse off again."

Draco sighed and looked at them all pleadingly.

"You must believe me for now; I can't explain everything at this moment. I'm sure you all want to know about the Passim Mirrors and such, but please trust me, I never meant to hurt any of you and this is for the greater good. I have to take you to Voldemort as if you all are my enemies or else you will never get close to him. All I ask is that you give me your wands and I'll return them to you once we reach him."

Draco then drew his own wand and pointed it at the group, trying to put up a show. Ginny was refusing to look at him, trying to sort out her jumbled thoughts. His heart ached at what he must be putting her through. Ron, meanwhile, had backed away, a sneer crossing his face.

"No way, Malfoy," he spat. "My sister may love you and I may trust you more now, but there is no bloody way I am giving you my wand and trusting you that far."

"Ron!" Hermione said loudly, glaring at her red-headed friend.

"No, Hermione," Ron said, not looking at her and keeping his eyes on Draco. "Not this time."

Everyone fell silent, watching the two young men who couldn't seem to see beyond their differences even in the midst of a war. Ginny held her breath, torn between who she wanted to believe more. Ron was her brother and she loved him, but her love for Draco was still strong, her heart beating for him. Making her decision, Ginny stepped between the two and stared at Ron, a pleading look in her gaze.

"Please, Ron, please," she begged. "I know it's hard and I know you don't want to but we all must trust him. So many lives depend on us defeating Voldemort once and for all. We must do all we can to stay true to each other and bring him down. I know the things Draco has done to you have been terrible, but please, put that aside now and trust him this once."

She refused to look at Draco after her speech, already feeling his eyes boring into her back. She continued to stare fiercely at Ron, begging him silently to listen to her words. She held her breath until she saw him relax a little and a curt nod was given to her. Ginny let out her breath and slumped forward.

"Thank you," she whispered, before walking toward him and wrapping him in a hug.

"Only for you, Gin," Ron responded into her ear, then releasing her and stepping back.

Ginny turned to look at Draco, who was staring at her with obvious admiration in his eyes. He shifted and opened his mouth as if to say something, but she threw her hand out and sharply cut him off.

"Not now, Draco. I'm doing this for the greater good. You and I will talk more later."

She then approached him and thrust her wand into his hand; her eyes alight with simmering anger. She backed away and watched as the others slowly walked up to Draco and handed over their wands. Draco kept his wand trained on them all, acting as if he was truly forcing them to surrender to him. Ron gaze was deadly as he gave up his wand, the other boy having the decency to look scared. Hermione and Harry were last, Harry's eyes steely, clearly conveying his message.

"I'm putting my full trust in you, Malfoy," he stated simply. "Don't let me down."

A flicker of something passed through Draco's eyes.

"I know, Potter," he replied, as he shoved the group of wands in his pocket. "Now, all of you get in front of me and start walking. We're heading right for Voldemort, who is stationed near Hagrid's hut. Act like I'm controlling all of you. Now, move!"

And so the small group of students began to move down the hill, away from the lake, making their way slowly towards Hagrid's abandoned hut. They skirted their way along the edge of the Forbidden Forest, away from the main battle, which still raged on heavily, inching the whole time closer to Hogwarts. Hours had gone by, the moon now starting to set and the first signs of light beginning to peek over the horizon, showing the start of a new day.

But this new day was no better than the previous one. The war seemed far from over and the Heirs cringed every time a new cry of pain echoed back to them. Their walk was dragging on, each step more painful and heavy than the previous one. The weight of what was about to come caused their shoulders to slump further and further; the time to show their full strength was very near. Were they truly ready?

Harry glanced over at Hermione, reaching out for her hand at the same time. She smiled gently back at him and squeezed his hand reassuringly. They would be in the battle together, until the very end. They gave each other strength and power, as they had from the moment they had first met on the train. They would help take down Voldemort together, their love meaning so much to this final battle.

"Is this really necessary, Draco?" Blaise hissed from just in front of the blonde Slytherin.

Draco rolled his eyes and simply prodded Blaise in the back with his wand tip.

"Yes, unfortunately," he replied. "You heard what I said to all of you. Just keep walking and act all pissed. Stay on guard though; we'll need to respond quickly once we reach Voldemort."

"What? Are we attacking him immediately?" Blaise asked, surprise in his voice.

"Yes," Draco said bitterly.

Suddenly, Hagrid's hut loomed before them, causing Harry to take in a sharp breath and grip Hermione's hand even tighter. From behind the hut, where the now barren pumpkin patch lay, a strong reddish glow was emanating. Every few minutes, a streak of green light would flash out from behind the hut, striking an unsuspecting Auror or Order member in the back. A soft yet chilling laughter followed every time.

Draco moved ahead of them all and started to make his way around the hut. He pointed his wand at the group and with a motion of his hand, signaled them to halt.

"Master," he called out, "I have brought them as you requested."

"Yes, Mister Malfoy," Voldemort responded back calmly. "Very good, bring them to me now."

Draco jerked his head at them and they all moved forward. A sudden movement out of the corner of his eye caused Harry to stop and squint into the cluster of bushes growing next to the stone walls of the hut. With a quick reflex, Harry slipped his sword out, swinging the gleaming blade at the bush.

"Whoever you are, show yourself now," he said strongly.

"Please, no," a whimpering voice spoke. "Don't hurt me, Harry."

"Wormtail," Harry spat. "Get out of there!"

Shaking, a tired and scared Peter Pettigrew crawled out from under the bushes, covered in dirt and sweat. His robes were torn and splattered with mud, and his eyes were rolling every which way, as if terrified of some unseen force. He seemed not to care as Harry pointed his sword and rested the sharp tip directly above his heart.

"What are you doing here?" Harry said angrily. "Hiding from your beloved master? Or are you waiting to catch me off guard?"

"No no, Harry!" Wormtail cried, falling to his knees. "I can not return to the Dark Lord! I betrayed him unintentionally and now he'll never accept me back into his ranks. He will kill me on sight, just as he will do to you! I wanted to warn you, to pay back a debt that you started three years ago."

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked, confused but not lowering his defenses.

"The Dark Lord will not allow you near him!" Wormtail said. "I know this though he never actually said it. He will kill you on sight just to have you out of the way, before the Heirs can come to realize their full powers. His entire intention was to turn the Heirs to his side and defeat the Light. He now knows he can never turn you, so he will simply kill you!"

"How do you know this?" Harry asked, pressing the sword a little more forcefully.

Wormtail winced but quickly continued.

"I am not as stupid as the Dark Lord thinks. He told me of his plans to release the Heirs' powers and I aided him in it. But I simply know he can never turn you to his side. The-Boy-Who-Lived would never join the Dark Lord after all the suffering he has caused him."

Harry relaxed the hold on his weapon only slightly, eyeing Wormtail with distrust.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Like I said, a Wizard's Debt! And…" He paused. "I owe James and Lily."

Harry never got a chance to respond to Peter's comment because a shriek from Hermione, followed by a rushing sound reached his ears. He spun around in time to see the Killing Curse streaking towards him.

…………………

While Harry had stopped to speak with Wormtail, Draco had led the others to Voldemort, who immediately froze him in place.

"Where is Potter?" the Dark Lord had snarled.

"He…he was here, My Lord," Draco choked out in response.

"I want Potter!" Voldemort spat. "He must die at my hand before the other Heirs."

"Take them first, My Lord!" Draco said with desperation in his voice.

"Foolish boy!" Voldemort yelled, throwing the Cruciatus Curse on him before Draco could move. "Do not question my judgment!"

Draco fell to the ground and writhed, gritting his teeth in agony as his whole body shook. Ginny started to move forward to reach him, a tear running down her cheek. Voldemort quickly lifted his hand to her though and smirked, effectively halting her movements.

"Stupid Muggle loving slut," he snarled. "It would be wise of you not to do that."

Ginny's eyes flashed as Voldemort released his hold on Draco and stepped around him, leaving the blonde panting in the dirt.

He swept around the side of the hut and halted, smirking in satisfaction at seeing Harry standing over a cowering Wormtail. Lips curling in disgust at his follower who had run away from him in terror, Voldemort knew he would deal with the rat next. His wand raised up, poised to perform the Killing Curse. Draco tried to lunge forward, his body screaming in protest, while Hermione let out a shout.

"HARRY!" she cried out.

"Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort spoke, the green light erupting from his wand and racing forward.

Harry swung around, eyes wide with shock when he realized he had absolutely no time to avoid the deadly curse. With surprising agility though, Wormtail leapt to his feet and knocked Harry to the side, putting himself right in front of the Killing Curse. Harry crashed to the ground and looked up in time to see the green light connect directly with Wormtail's chest. Horror filling him, Harry watched the former Marauder crumple to the ground, his eyes dead and unseeing.

A howl of rage escaped Voldemort, who raised his wand once more. Draco reached him this time though and knocked the Dark Lord right over, the two falling to the ground. Hermione rushed forward to Harry's side, who was still staring at Wormtail's still form in shock.

"My God," Harry whispered. "He gave his life for me."

"Harry!" Hermione shouted. "Get up, get up. We have to fight now."

Voldemort and Draco stood at the same time, a blazing fire burning in the Dark Lord's eyes as he looked at Draco.

"Traitor!" he cried. "I knew it all along. Avada…!"

A blast of energy erupted from Ginny before he could finish the curse, causing Voldemort get knocked backwards. Draco whipped around in time to toss the others wands forward.

"NOW!" he yelled.

The other Heirs and their companions threw their hands out immediately, their respective wands flying straight to them. Harry and Hermione leapt off of the ground as one and dashed to their friends just as Voldemort stood again. The fire in his cat-like eyes from before was nothing compared to the way they glowed now. His spidery fingers curled menacingly around his wand as he stared down the Heirs and their companions.

"So be it," he hissed. "The downfall of the Light shall begin with all of your deaths."

A flurry of spells, hexes, and curses followed his words. Voldemort let out as many from his wand as the group of seven did all together. His disappeared at random moments with a whip of his cloak, popping up again in various spots, causing all of them to change their tactics every few seconds.

"Stupefy!" Ron yelled, aiming at the Dark Lord's back, where the spell was easily deflected.

"Avada Kedavra!" Harry managed to say, mustering all his hate behind the words.

"You think you can kill me with that, Potter?" Voldemort hissed, vanishing from sight.

The seven managed to surround the Dark Lord, but he avoided their continuous spells each time. A streak of yellow light grazed Hermione's arm, who stumbled back and danced away from the next one. Harry bewitched his sword and made it fly at the Dark Lord, who easily dodged it and flung its point into a tree. Draco and Ginny were side by side, throwing out curse after curse, ducking and rolling away as they were deflected back to them. Ginny tried to change into her Animagus form but Voldemort forced her to change back, almost killing her in the process. Luna, Blaise, and Ron were doing all they could to distract the Dark Lord, hoping the Heirs would find either an opening or the true power that lay within them all.

"Do something, you lot!" Ron bellowed, creating a shield around himself.

"Our powers, Harry!" Hermione cried as she ducked. "Where are they?"

Harry hissed in annoyance and tried to run forward, but Voldemort created a strong ward around himself, allowing no one to come near him.

"Duel me, Tom, you coward!" he screamed.

Voldemort laughed loudly and simply shot the Cruciatus Curse at Harry.

"Do you think that would be fair? With your little friends standing by to aid where necessary?"

Harry snarled in anger and lunged forward again, the ward throwing him back. Taking advantage of his lapse in concentration, Voldemort shot the Torture Curse out once more, this time hitting Harry, who cried out in pain and writhed on the ground. Ron, who was closest to him, dashed forward to help, his concentration slipping. Voldemort took the initiative and slammed the red-head with a powerful spell that blasted him backwards into Hagrid's hut. Ron slid down the stone wall and slumped over, unconscious, blood trickling down his neck.

"NO!" Harry shouted, the curse breaking off of him with the sound of a gun-shot.

Voldemort's lips curled into a smirk.

"Ready to play harder, Potter?"

Harry stood, his eyes glowing bright green with anger. A crackle of electricity rippled around him and the distinct roar of a lion resounded in his ears. Feeling a power like none he had felt before surging through him, Harry allowed it to take control, embracing the power of the new magic fully. Their battle came to a stop as Voldemort's eyes went suddenly wide, his wand slack in his thin hand. The other Heirs and the last two companions spun around to stare at Harry, who was glowing bright gold with his eyes still shining the same bright green.

With his eyes focused on Voldemort, Harry outstretched his arms and uttered a string of words in Latin. They were leaving his mouth of their own accord.

"Excito Gryffindor! Excito Leo!"

As the last syllable fell from his lips, a blast of magic erupted from around Harry. A green light the same color of his eyes raced like a shockwave away from him, rippling outwards and spreading all over the grounds of Hogwarts and Hogsmeade. A sudden wind whipped up and followed right after the shockwave, knocking everyone, besides Harry, over. A lion's roar echoed across the grounds and as Hermione squint her eyes to look at Harry, she could have sworn she saw a large image of a golden lion standing next to her boyfriend, the loud roar coming from it.

The grounds of Hogwarts suddenly were filled with the sounds of screams and heavy thuds. Dark creatures were turned to ash, their weapons falling to the earth. Several Death Eaters were killed instantly as the shockwave hit them, their wands blowing apart into splinters. Several were merely knocked unconscious, as if Harry's power had become concentrated and knew to keep a few alive for trial. Order members, Aurors, and students quickly bound them and destroyed their wands before they too were knocked over by the gust of wind, all of them remaining conscious though.

Far below, the Death Eaters swarming Hogsmeade were killed, the members of the Light halting in shock as the lion's roar reached their ears. Snape's mouth dropped open in awe as he saw where the blazing green light was coming from.

"Well, Potter," he muttered, "I should have known you had it in you somewhere."

And then, as quickly as the spectacle had started, it stopped. The image of the lion vanished from sight and the magic released from Harry receded back into him. The Gryffindor remained standing, looking merely winded, deepest loathing still prominent across his features as he glared at Voldemort. The Dark Lord was slowly picking himself up, for the first time in his life utterly stunned into silence. Harry's gaze never left him as he flung his hand out towards Ron, a deep red light leaving his palm and connecting with Ron's forehead before encasing him completely. A Healing Shield.

"Ready to play now, Tom?" Harry mocked, eyes still glowing.

Voldemort sneered as he righted himself.

"Such a waste of power on such a poor excuse for a wizard," he spat. "Imagine what I could have made you do with that power if only you had joined me. You and your fellow Heirs would have been great, honored, even. But you chose your path long ago, Potter. You turned away from the Dark."

"Nothing could ever make me join you, Tom," Harry said, taking a few steps forward. "You are nothing, always were. Your thirst for power destroyed you, made you who are now. This night has had a long time coming. It is time we ended it officially."

"I'd like to see you try," Voldemort hissed. "Even with those fancy powers, you are no match for me. You may have defeated my followers, but I can go on without them."

"Enough talk!" Draco suddenly said.

The other three Heirs came to stand beside Harry, a force of magic surrounding them all. Luna and Blaise knew they were no longer needed now, so they rushed to Ron's side, working around the Healing Shield to help him further.

Voldemort slowly backed away from the Heirs, drawing them all further out into the battlefield. The members of the Light moved away, watching with bated breath as the Final Battle begin to come to close. Their fight was now over. It was now left completely to the Heirs to bring down the Dark Lord.

The air around the Heirs flared with energy, as they all looked at each other and realized that their powers were officially coming to the surface. Something within each of them clicked and a rush of magic filled their veins, pounding through them. Now each of the Heirs could feel all their love and trust for each other pouring into them, made so much stronger by the sacrifice of Draco. The love felt between Harry and Hermione, Ginny and Draco, made the bond that much stronger, firmly cementing everything had worked for during the past year in place.

Voldemort halted, wand raised toward the Heirs, who stopped as well, several meters from him. With determination in their eyes, the Heirs didn't even raise their wands, simply stood still, knowing their wands were no longer necessary.

"And so it ends, Tom," Harry shouted.

With those words, the Heirs began their first assault on the Dark Lord.

..............

Author's Note: Hmm...bit of a shorter chapter here, I hope none of you mind. I'm sorry about the delay with updating but it took me awhile to get this chapter going. Not sure if I completely like it still....once I make a re-do of this story I might change it around a bit. I hope none of you are disappointed with it and you liked Harry's new show of powers. I guess you could consider it a filler chapter that had to lead to the Heirs simply being the only ones fighting Voldemort. Sorry about the cliffie too, but I hope not to leave you hanging for too long! I'll try to keep this note short but I wanted to ask a question. Without sounding completely egotistical, I was considering creating a Yahoo!Group for this series, since I have a few sequels planned after this book's completetion. What do you guys think? I'm still working out the details but tell me if you like the idea. I'd even allow other writers to write stories based off of "Heirs," one-shots and such, along with art. I'd love to make the group with another writer who is creating a series as well. :)
All right, please leave a review and let me know, along with telling me whether you liked the chapter! Wish me luck on my finals! Oh yes, and the Latin phrase I used means "Awake Gryffindor! Awake Lion!"
PhoenixFirebolt