Disclaimer: I don't own HP. JKR does. That's why HBP is the way it is…
A/N: Thanks to those who have reviewed. Hope you'll like this too. If you read, please leave a comment, ok? That makes me happy…
Chapter Ten
"The Final Duel"
Seeing Hermione falling down, Harry put a sudden "Cruciatus" on Voldemort, who fell down shouting for the unexpected pain. Harry took advantage of this, and kneeled down on her, with a tear crossing his face. Then he stood up, ready to fight, but the Dark Lord was already with the wand pointed on him. Harry was still shocked for Hermione, and felt so useless and powerless.
"Go on, kill me. It is what you want, isn't it?"
"Not so easily, Potter. You will have to suffer a lot, paying all the times you stopped me. Crucio!"
Harry disconnected his mind from his body, didn't suffered anything, and he regained the lucidity needed to fight, understanding that Hermione would not want him to surrender and fail the whole Wizarding World, then returned in his body.
"Haven't you noticed yet I know how to avoid the "Cruciatus" effects? You delude me, Tom"
"Sod off, Potter! Prepare to die, this time. You know you have to die"
"It's funny! This is the sixth time we face each other, you always said you were killing me, and I am still there, completely sane, ready to destroy you. It is arrived the moment of closing many bills, Tom Riddle. Prepare yourself to meet your end" Harry said, enraged as never in his life, his green eyes dark and menacing, purposefully calling his enemy in the way he hated the most.
"Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort yelled, full of rage. The boy not only had stopped him six times, but still was not afraid of him, something he based his power on.
Harry jumped out of the green light way, then he counterattacked. "Incendio"
Voldemort's robes took fire, then, after a moment of surprise, the Dark Lord cried. "Pluvio".
"Good try, Potter, but this would be useful with someone else, not with me. Inverto! And now how are you, upside-down, Potter?"
"I'm not upside-down, Voldemort. You really thought I couldn't be able to overcome a Confundus Charm? With who are you thinking to duel with?" he replied.
"Expelliarmus!" Harry said, but this charm didn't work well, and even if Voldemort fell down, his wand remained in his hand. The Dark Lord stood up, then put an "Imperius" on Harry, who was able to resist, casting a Japanese curse on him. "Hara Kiri" he cried, but Voldemort was able to reflect it on the boy. If the curse had hit, the Dark Lord would have been kneeling on the ground, pushing his wand in his stomach like it was a sword, and indescribable pain would take him to madness.
Now it was Harry who was on his knees, ready to try the Japanese suicide with the sword, when he thought: "I have not a sword, I have a wand. I can not do this" and stood up.
Voldemort's smirk vanished, replaced by anger.
"Why do you don't understand finally that this time for you it is the end, Potter? Let's finish this duel: Avada Kedavra!"
Harry defended himself another time, jumping away, then he counterattacked. Around them, students and Professors, having destroyed all the Death Eaters, were now looking the duel in silence, worried for Harry and their future.
Voldemort took advantage of Harry being on the ground, jumping out of the Killing Curse way, to attack him.
"Incido!" he cried, and many lights erupted from his wand, and hit Harry.
McGonagall was staring at Harry to try to understand his conditions, the boy had several gashes on his body, blood dripping from them. From the guy depended all the future of the magic world, and he was now so badly injured. However Snape helped Harry, casting an Healing Spell on him, making the gashes less painful.
"Don't mess with me, Snape!" the Dark Lord hissed menacingly, but couldn't attack the Professor because Harry was attacking him.
Harry, unaware of the others' looks, was concentrated only on his enemy, both of them defending themselves and counterattacking, in a rhythm which would have worn out everyone, but not him.
He was burning with the desire of revenging his parents, Cedric, Ron and Hermione destroying Voldemort. He owed them that, and couldn't wait anymore.
"Potter, I have to admit that your bravery is enviable, and also your skills, but this will not save you. You remember the Prophecy, don't you? One of us has to die, and this will be you. I can't die" then he laughed evilly.
Suddenly, Harry remembered Dumbledore's voice suggestion.
"Here's where you are wrong, Tom. You can die. Do you remember when I kept you far from the Sorcerer Stone? Well, in that moment you lost the opportunity of becoming immortal. Now you have a weak point, and I will exploit it"
The Dark Lord, at those words, laughed loud.
"It is useless to deceive yourself, Potter. You cannot destroy me", but without answering him, Harry cried "Accio Sword" thinking about the Godric Gryffindor's sword in Dumbledore's office.
After some seconds the sword arrived, and Harry caught it. Then he looked Voldemort directly in his face, and decided to use his secret weapon, which he had showed to nobody, yet.
He vanished and moved like an invisible ghost just behind the Dark Lord, then before he could move, he froze him. When his body was on the ground, Harry reappeared, looking him with hatred.
"Surprised, Tom? You didn't know I can do this, did you? Well, let me explain why I can. The deep love for Hermione made my spirit grow stronger and stronger, and now I can change myself to pure spirit when I need, but still corporeal enough to use a wand. And now we are at the end of the trip, Tom, aren't we? Let your faithful Death Eaters know the truth, then. Tell them you are an Half Blood like me. Tell them you're not the pureblood you claim to be."
The captured Death Eaters were shocked by the news. They didn't want to believe it.
And then, with a firm hit he cut away his nemesis's head, killing him in a non-magical way, as Dumbledore's voice had suggested. In fact he was not immortal even if a magical killing would destroy his body, leaving his soul ready to return, as he already did one time. But he could not survive to a death in non-magical way, because he despised Muggles and their ways of doing things, thinking them inferior, and did not protect himself from that.
Done this, he fell on his knees, dragging himself first on Ron's body, hugging it affectively, mourning the friend so courageously dead. Then he moved to Hermione, the one who pained him the most, hugging her body to his own, kissing her on her cheek softly, whispering her incoherently.
"Hermione…please, don't die…don't leave me alone…Hermione…". He remained a lot crying on her, then, when he was finally standing up, ready to take her body in his arms and bring it in the castle, it glowed a pure white light. All the present looked at her body in awe, while Harry was disbelieving.
Finally, she opened her eyes. Harry was refilled with joy, so he hugged her keeping her close to him, brushing his lips on hers. He felt her mouth disclosing, and his did the same.
Then he pulled her even closer, wanting to feel her body on his own. They remained this way a long time, while around them the guys were rejoicing, and the Professors looked at them touched, everyone, from McGonagall to Snape, passing through Flitwick, Hagrid, and even Trewlaney and Moody.
When they stood up, Harry supported her, going toward the castle, because he wanted to bring her in the Hospital wing, still asking himself how was it possible. Dumbledore's voice answered him.
"She was saved by the same thing which saved you sixteen years ago: Love, Harry. Your mother loved you, and died trying to protect you, so you was saved. Now, you loved her, and for her so many times you risked your life. Every time you were ready to die for her, her protection increased. So we can say YOU saved her simply loving her, as once you destroyed Voldemort, the love for her had the upper hand and revived her"
Harry was still disbelieving, when she spoke.
"Thank you, Harry! You saved me again. You saved all of us. However, I don't want to go to the Hospital wing, I'm fine"
"No, Hermione. At least one night you have to stay there. But I won't leave you alone, I will be there with you all the night" he said softly.
Then, after having left her to Madame Pomfrey, he went in the Great Hall, to have a quick dinner, taking also something for her to eat. Here everyone wanted to congratulate with him, especially the teachers, but he quickly dismissed them as he wanted to go back to Hermione.
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