Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter
A/N: Thanks to talianne for betaing and Sapphire Water Elf Princess for inspiring me to finish this chapter! This chapter you find out how Harry killed Voldie… and what happened to Hermione and the others after Harry left. And… Mark does something stupid. Anyway, I hope you like so please review!
The Return
Chapter Four: Information
"Well…"
They sat there for a while, while Hermione told Harry all about the aftermath of the war. It had, in fact, taken a year for life to return back to a state of normality - or at least, as normal as people would ever get. Hermione explained what Dumbledore told her about what had happened to Harry, and what the whole world reacted with when they were told their saviour was missing.
"I remember going into Diagon Alley for some supplies for my healing course," Hermione said thoughtfully, "and the crowd would part as I passed through them. When I got to wherever I was going, someone would stop me and ask me where on earth you were or why I was hiding you. They refused to believe that you had just disappeared and I had no idea where you were."
"Oh," Harry said softly, biting his bottom lip.
"I honestly thought I'd go crazy," she said, sighing and looking down at her hands. "I hated not knowing if you were okay, or even if you were alive. And then these people had the nerve to imply that I was hiding you so you didn't have to deal with any publicity."
She paused and looked up at him. "I went to bed every day and I couldn't help but cry myself to sleep. I felt so helpless and I honestly think I would've done something stupid if I hadn't have met Mark."
Harry frowned, "You said you two have only been going out for six months."
"We have but I met him while I was training to be a healer. He had been out gathering information on a story involving escaped dragons or something, and he was injured across the chest. He was the first person I saved," she said, smiling slightly and gazing past Harry, out the window. "The wounds he suffered were so serious that he still has to come back to St Mungo's for check-ups every week. We became friends since I was the person he was probably going to see the most for the next few years, and he asked me out six months ago."
"Why do you like him?" Harry asked, frowning slightly.
Hermione focused her eyes back on Harry and shrugged, "He reminded me of you."
"Oh," he said softly, looking down at his hands.
"Mark was almost like a substitute for you," she said softly, leaning forward and taking his hands in hers. "He was sweet, sensitive and funny. He does look remarkably like you, except for his hair and eyes. And of course, your scar," she said, glancing up at Harry's forehead.
Harry sighed, "I still don't like him."
"I know, and don't worry. I'll make sure he doesn't get anywhere near you again."
He nodded and relaxed slightly. "How are the Weasleys?"
"They're alright. I saw them about a month ago."
"Mrs Weasley?"
"She's doing well."
"Ginny?"
"She's married."
"Really?" Harry raised his eyebrows in surprise. "To who?"
"Neville, actually," Hermione said, smiling slightly.
Harry grinned, "Good pair."
"Definitely."
"What about the rest of the Weasleys? Do Fred and George still run Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes?"
Hermione bit her lip and looked away from Harry, "Well… they all died after you left to defeat Voldemort."
Harry frowned, "What?"
Hermione sighed. "There was a raid on the Burrow. Ginny and Molly were with me that night, trying to work out what we could do to help you. Mr Weasley and all the boys were staying at the Burrow for one last night before going off to fight the Death Eaters. But Bellatrix and fifteen other Death Eaters surrounded the house and… I suppose they tore it apart. Once they found the Weasleys inside, they tortured them and… eventually killed them," Hermione finished her sentence with a small sniff. "The next day we arrived back to find ministry Aurors and personnel poking around the remains of the house and inspecting the bodies. Molly… she almost blew her top when she saw them poking at Arthur."
She looked up to see Harry clenching his teeth, his face steadily going red. He grinded his jaw and said through his gritted teeth, "I hope the Death Eaters suffered exactly what they put the Weasleys through."
Hermione moved closer to Harry and slid her arms around his waist, resting her head on his shoulder. "When you killed Voldemort the Death Eaters all died. Dumbledore said something about the Dark Mark connecting them to Voldemort. It's one of the reasons why Snape was so desperate to be rid of it after Dumbledore came to the conclusion that the Dark Mark was a connection of the mind and body."
Harry nodded, still clenching his teeth.
"We were duelling some of them when it happened," Hermione said softly. "They kind of went rigid and their eyes rolled into the back of their heads and they began to shake uncontrollably. They started to scream this… blood curdling, terrified scream. Then they fell to the ground and we could see their skin begin to shrink into their bodies." She cringed slightly at the memory, "It was disgusting. The skin began to melt away like wax and we saw their blood bubbling as though it was boiling. They started spewing up blood when their skin was gone, but they weren't dead yet. Molly was gazing down at them with this odd sort of smirk and Ginny was peeking out between her fingers. They only died when it seemed they had spewed up half of their blood."
She shuddered slightly and said, "The most disturbing thing I've ever seen." She looked up at Harry and noticed he had gone completely rigid, "What's wrong?" she asked, sitting up and looking at him worriedly.
"That's what I did to Voldemort," he said softly, biting his bottom lip and turning his head to look at her.
Hermione's eyes widened and she suddenly felt rather scared, "You did that?"
He nodded.
"But… how? I've never heard or read about a curse that can do that to someone."
"I'm not sure how I did it," Harry said thoughtfully. "Voldemort had taken my wand from me…"
---
"Ha Potter, now what are you going to do?" Voldemort asked, grinning down at the fallen form of Harry as he kicked his wand aside. "How will you defeat me without your wand?"
Harry raised his head to look up at the Dark Lord and gritted his teeth. "You won't win Tom."
"Oh I'm pretty sure I already have Harry," Voldemort replied, now smirking, the red slits of his eyes flashing slightly. He spread his arms and rose about two feet into the air before looking back down at Harry. "My Death Eaters have already killed almost all of your army. Your precious Mudblood will be the last I kill and I will make her watch me torture and murder every last person she loves. I will, however, have to spare her seeing you die though. I don't think I should leave you alive any longer than I have," he said, suddenly looking to the sky and raising his upturned palms up, almost looking as though he was calling to God.
Harry gritted his teeth as he dragged himself to his feet. His side and stomach were stinging painfully, for Voldemort had managed to slash him with Godric Gryffindor's sword before he tossed it aside to begin torturing Harry with the use of the Cruciatus Curse. It had sunk into the damp earth and Harry stumbled slightly as he pulled it out of the ground, focusing his eyes on the form of the Dark Lord, who was still gazing up at the heavens, seeming to gather all his power.
"Bad move Tom," Harry croaked before lunging forward and up to bury the sword into Voldemort's stomach.
Voldemort screamed and he dropped to the ground, clutching at the sword. "Potter!" he hissed, grimacing and gritting his teeth as he slid the sword out of his stomach. He got to his feet shakily and tossed the sword aside for the second time, "Did you think that would kill me?"
"No, but it gave me time to prepare," Harry replied, steadying his feet on the ground and clenching his fists. He closed his eyes for a moment, before opening them to reveal a divine white-blue light engulfing the whites of his eyes.
Voldemort's eyes widened and he immediately raised his own wand to send a curse at Harry, but Harry simply waved his hand at the offending wand. It flew out of Voldemort's hand and stuck upright in the ground away from the Dark Lord.
"Do you still think you'll win?" Harry asked, advancing on Voldemort, unclenching his fists.
"You can't kill me Potter," Voldemort spat, inching backwards, still on the ground.
Harry laughed bitterly and leaned down to grab Voldemort by the collar, "Ah but you see dear old Tom; the prophecy states that I am the only one who can kill you."
"My Death Eaters will keep on fighting," he said through gritted teeth, narrowing his eyes at Harry.
Harry laughed again and ripped the Dark Lord's clothes apart, to reveal his chest. "Whatever you want to believe Tom," he replied, lifting his arm to place his open fist on the centre of Voldemort's chest.
As he did so, the Dark Lord began to scream, and raised his own hand to plant it on the centre of Harry's chest. Harry suddenly felt a very painful burning feeling in the centre of his chest and screamed, clenching at Voldemort's skin slightly and somehow managing to send wave after wave of magic through his arm to Voldemort's chest. He was vaguely aware of Voldemort's skin beginning to seep through his fingers and slide down his arm, and re-doubled his efforts. He screamed out again as he placed his other hand on Voldemort's bald head, which was almost devoid of skin - it had melted and disappeared that quickly.
Tom screamed and removed his own hand from Harry's chest and Harry suddenly felt a release and his own pain subsided. He looked down at the dying form of Lord Voldemort and cringed slightly as he watched the Dark Lord begin to spew his own blood up. He cringed again as he realised Voldemort's skin was dripping off his forearm, and tried to wipe it off. He looked back at Voldemort to see his body shudder a couple of times before he went completely limp. Voldemort looked as though he was grinning up at Harry, almost as though he was the one who had won.
"It's over," Harry croaked, before letting exhaustion overcome him, dropping to his knees and falling down onto his stomach. "He's gone."
---
They were silent for quite a while after Harry told Hermione what happened that day. She sat there, almost in shock, imagining what it must have been like to do… whatever Harry did to the Dark Lord.
"I don't know how I did it," Harry said softly, "Or even how I knew how to do it." He looked up at Hermione, "I just knew."
"Is that why you've got that scar?" Hermione asked, glancing at the hand print on Harry's chest.
Harry looked down at his chest and sighed, "Another souvenir I suppose. I think Voldemort tried to do whatever I did to him. But he was a little too late. And his hand wasn't directly on my skin."
She nodded and looked away from him.
"Are you alright?" he asked tentatively.
She smiled weakly, "It just brings back memories. I know it's one thing to actually do that to someone but when you're surrounded by them and they all… turn into skinless zombies it's just another thing altogether. I had nightmares for ages."
Harry sighed heavily and pulled her into a hug, "I shouldn't have told you," he said softly.
"No," she said, pulling back from him to look at his face. "No, you need to tell me. You need to get it out and I need to know what happened."
Harry nodded, "Alright. I won't tell you anymore today though."
"Okay."
She sat up off him and looked at her watch, "It's half past six!" she said in surprise. She looked up at him and asked, "What would you like for dinner?"
Harry grinned, "Pizza?"
Hermione smiled, "With everything on it?"
"Except of course for anchovies and mushrooms," he said, still grinning widely. "You still like that?"
"I will never lose my taste for it," Hermione said, smirking at him. "Are you alright to stay here while I go out and order it?"
"Sure," Harry said, moving back on the couch to swing his legs up on Hermione's lap. "I'm quite comfortable here."
She laughed softly and stood up, pushing his legs off her. "I'll be back soon then. Are you sure you don't want a blanket?"
"I'm fine. Quickly, get our pizza so we can eat and sit here and talk," Harry said, swinging his legs back to the empty couch.
Hermione quickly grabbed her purse and then left the apartment to walk down the road to the pizza place. Fifteen minutes later she had the pizza, along with some garlic bread and a couple of bottles of soft-drinks. Walking back towards her apartment, she noticed a crowd standing outside and shouting up in the vague direction of her apartment.
"Harry," she muttered, speeding her walking up.
"Harry Potter has returned!" a man shouted, standing on the threshold of the entrance to the block of apartments.
"Oh no," Hermione murmured, closing her eyes and silently cursing Mark. "Excuse me," she said, pushing past a few people.
"Get in line," someone said gruffly, "We all want to see Harry Potter."
Hermione rounded on the man and glared at him, "I live here."
"How do we know that?"
She rolled her eyes and kept on pushing through the crowd. "Get out of my way," she said stiffly to the man who was shouting to the crowd.
"And why should I? Are you the one hiding Harry Potter?" he asked, looking pointedly at her.
"I won't dignify that question with an answer," she replied angrily, glaring up at him. "Get out of my way."
"It's Hermione Granger boss!" Mark's voice shouted.
"Oh." A look of comprehension dawned on Mark's boss's face and he grinned. "Well, Miss Granger, are you going to let us in so we may thank our saviour?"
"No," Hermione said very firmly.
"Why not?"
"Even if Harry had come back to me, I doubt he would ever want to associate himself with someone such as you. He always hated reporters and I'm sure he wouldn't hesitate in kicking you out himself," she said curtly. "Now, if you don't mind, I would like to get into my apartment so I may eat my dinner and go to bed."
"You're denying that Harry Potter has returned?"
Hermione bit her lip and looked behind her. Mark was standing very close to her, at the foot of the steps leading up to the front door. He was frowning up at her with his arms crossed. She sighed and turned back to face the reporter,
"I won't ask you again. Please get out of my way."
"So he is back!"
She narrowed her eyes and drew her wand from the pocket of her robes and pointed it at the man's chin. "Move," she said very softly.
The reporter smirked and stepped aside. "Have a nice evening Miss Granger. By morning, half of the wizarding world will be at your doorstep."
---
To be continued…