The Stranded Hole: Part Seven
Harry walked back and forth as Hermione looked out at the room. About a dozen men and women stood before him, the makings of a small army. James was there, and he had rallied up Ron, Remus and other wizards, even Albus had shown up ready to help.
`Ladies and Gentlemen' Harry said as he stood still next to her, the pair of them in front of them like they were addressing the troops `me and Hermione are at war…'
The room buzzed slightly as he said the words, people were looking between themselves as if to check that Harry had really said that.
`In a matter of minutes we are going to be walking into battle' Harry said as he started to walk up and down the line once again `a battle we can't be sure we will win'
Hermione felt butterflies form in her belly at Harry's words, were things really this bad.
`And if we don't…' Harry said simply `then the world…every single living thing in the universe throughout time…will die…'
`you cant be serious!' Ron shouted angrily.
`Ronald…' Albus said warningly, his eyes focused sharply on Harry `allow him to continue'
`Thank you' Harry said nodding at the old wise man `The enemy is the Magicallds…magical parasites that have gotten to big for this world, seen too much for this life…they want to open a hole in our world to escape it, which will in turn suck our own world with them into the void…'
`The void?' Albus asked speaking up `We know nothing of the void'
`No one does' Harry said shaking his head `but I've been there, and I have ideas…and those ideas are enough to make me ready for war, a straight on fight'
`Harry…' Remus said slowly `if you cant beat them, what use are we?'
`Probably more than I will be' Harry said chuckling to himself `you see the magicallds know me, they know exactly what I can do…now its my belief that they will try and neutralize me, stop me from fighting at one hundred percent…I'll keep them busy while you carry one fighting'
`So who are we going to be fighting?' Ron asked his back straightening tighter.
`The Slytherins' Harry with making Ron laugh loudly.
`You should have said that part first!' Ron bellowed grinning wickedly `I'm in'
`Thank you' Harry said agreeable `now if any of you see the risk as too great…'
As he said this everyone in the room made noise, telling Harry that they too was in, ready to go to war for Harry.
`Don't answer too quickly' Harry said shaking his head `This isn't like usual, I cant guarantee anyone's safety…people will die…'
`We have to' Remus said stepping forward `its our world that's in danger!'
`Are you sure?' Harry asked smiling as all the faces nodded in front of him. All the faces except Albus Dumbledore `what about you, Albus?'
`We all do what's needed of us' Albus said softly `but is walking into a battle, a probable trap, really what we need to do?'
`Albus…' Harry started as he took a few steps closer to him `these Magicallds aren't like the others…their clever, extremely…I cant stop them any other way, and if they succeed…the world might just end…now, out of everyone except for Hermione, you are the person I'd most like beside me as I walk into battle'
Hermione blushed slightly at Harrys praise of her, placing her above Albus Dumbledore himself. Albus looked closely into Harry's face and eventually nodded, a grin spreading over Harrys face.
`There is something you need to know…' Albus said gently.
`What?' Harry asked confused.
`I know where a huge crack in time is' Albus said watching Harry closely `we believe that something, the Magicallds as you call them, has been widening it recently…this may be their point of attack'
`How the hell did you find a crack in time and space?' Harry said bewildered `it's not just something you stumble across unless…'
Harry stopped and Hermione could tell that Albus was feeling uncomfortable. His eyes looked away from Harry's slightly, and his shoulder twitched for the tiniest of moments.
`You've been searching for…it…haven't you?' Harry said softly, his voice almost a whisper.
`Can you honestly say that your surprised?' Albus aid confidently.
`To tell the truth I'm surprised you've even heard of it!' Harry said looking suspiciously at Albus before he blinked and shook his head `but I probably shouldn't be'
`I had Kinglsey and Alastor searching for it…I sent them the night I first met you…' Albus said `and, about a month ago, they found a crack…since then we have been patrolling it, knowing what could happen if it fell into the wrong hands…'
`Where is it?' Harry asked.
`Slytherin high command' Albus said `in the store room, under ground'
`Figures' Harry groaned.
`Shall I send scouts to watch the place?' Albus asked.
`Why?' Harry asked bewildered.
`So we can plan our attack' Albus said slowly.
`Oh…there's no plan' Harry said laughing `we're going now'
`But…' Albus started but stopped `everyone remove your wand and be ready for battle'
Hermione watched as everyone unsheathed their wands and moved closer together, as if they were marines preparing to watch each others backs. Harry walked up close to her.
`Stay close to me no matter what happens…' Harry whispered in her ear `I wont let anything happen to you'
`Thank you for letting me come' Hermione said holding his hand in preparation for apparition.
`There's no one else I'd want with me' Harry said softly once again before addressing everyone `Is everyone ready? Good. This is a little trick the Magicallds taught me'
Hermione felt Harry raise his wand above his head and felt what seemed like a gust of powerful wind rush out from him, followed by a blinding light and there re-emergence in another, dark but large room. Harry had obviously copied the Magicallds mass appirtiton trick, and made them all appear in the Slytherins basement store.
She barely had seconds to see the corners of the room before the first crash of a n explosion sent her flying of her feet, smashing painfully into the floor.
`Get up!' Harry bellowed as his hand grabbed her and pulled her to her feet, his wand hand having produced a large silver shield that explosions was smashing against. Suddenly he threw a hand up to his head and winced but quickly recovered themselves `didn't expect the Magicallds to try that one…follow me'
Harry led her across the room, deflecting the majority of spells but Hermione still had to duck or swerve to miss a few. Harry kept on stopping, fighting of whatever invisible magic the Magicallds seemed to be sending at him. Harry quickly pulled her behind a large set of boxes and started throwing spell after spell across the edges.
Now she had some protection she peered round the edge and looked out at the battle scene in front of her, her breathe catching in her throat as she did.
Ron was stepping backwards as two large built Slytherins seemed to be closing in on him, but he was deflecting their red and blue spells and sending back his own.
Remus was fighting back to back with a heavily scarred man who kept on shouting obscenities as a group of four Slytherins surrounded them. She watched as a bolt hit Remus in the chest sending him crippled to the floor. Only seconds passed until the scarred man joined him lying motionless in the room.
`We're hugely out numbered!' Harry shouted at her as he stood up and aimed several large spells at the men who had taken down Remus who seemed to be congratulating themselves, three of them yelped in pain and fell down.
Hermione saw an amazing sight, Albus was in the middle of the room, six of the Slytherins had surrounded him and his wand was moving so fast that Hermione could no longer see it, battering of spells and shooting his own back. Around him was the still bodies of about 4 or 5 Slytherins Albus had evidently already taken down.
`Harry' Hermione yelled as she watched Harry fall to the floor in pain momentarily, before he sprang back up shaking his head `what's happening to you?'
`Those dam Magicallds are attacking me with everything they have!' Harry grunted in pain `and while I'm here everyone else is being beaten!'
`Ron! Albus!' Hermione yelled, she needed to help Harry, no one, not even he, could fight two battles at once `Come over here!'
She watched as the pair of them backed away slowly from the fighting, the Slytherins seemed glad at this and a lot of them left them to fight the others. Moments later Ron and Albus had arrived.
`What is it?' Albus said, still shooting spells into the battlefield.
`We're losing this!' Hermione said desperately `we need to get it over and done with!'
`I could fight all day!' Ron yelled in anger.
`Maybe you could, but I can't' Albus said with a smile `Hermione, Harry…now would be a good time to do your stuff and get us out of here'
`Um…' Harry said stopping what he was doing and looking around the room.
`What does um mean?' Hermione asked warningly.
`Its oral sentence filler, not meant to be in written English' Harry said brightly.
`And what does it mean in this instance?' Hermione asked angrily.
`It means I…' Harry said looking away from her awkwardly `haven't really got a plan…'
`You led us into battle without a plan on what to do when we got there?' Albus said disbelieving.
`Pretty much' Harry said with an apologetic grin.
`That's ok' Hermione said dismissively `because he needed to see the tear in time to work things out. And now he can he's coming up with one right now'
`Thanks' Harry said as he looked around the room `I could fill it with matter?'
`Then it can't be void?' Ron asked, still firing a hundred spells a second.
`Would that work?' Hermione asked.
`No' Harry said honestly.
`Then why suggest it?' Hermione asked.
`I'm brain storming here' Harry said angrily shaking his head `and I already have the Magicallds inside my brain trying to tear things to shreds so I don't need you to do it to!'
`Just think Harry' Hermione asked.
`I'll try…' Harry said as he stilled himself and looked around, staring into the far corner `It's bigger than I thought possible…'
`Meaning its close to breaking?' Hermione asked nervously.
`Yeah…' Harry said staring even more intently `it also means that I cant reverse it…'
`What do you mean?' Albus asked forcefully.
`Sometimes, if the hole gets too big, you cant repair it anymore' Harry said, his voice low but calm.
`So it's over?' Albus asked.
`Don't be silly' Hermione said dismissively waving a hand at Albus `what are you thinking?'
`That I could open one…' Harry said slowly `I could do it more carefully, smaller, just enough for them to leave…'
`But you said that the whole world will crack and that everything will fall away with it' Albus said angrily.
`I know that' Harry said shaking his head `but it's all I have!'
`What will happen to the Slytherins?' Ron asked interestedly.
`The Magicallds will leave, stop trying to neutralize me, then I'll teleport them into a volcano or something' Harry said bitterly as a large explosion happened over them, giving Harry just the second he needed to create a large roof of bricks to protect the from it.
`The risk is too great' Albus said shaking his head and putting a hand on Harry's shoulder `we must withdraw and plan!'
`I say we go down fighting!' Ron said angrily looking at Harry for orders `we fight to the very last!'
What do you think, Hermione?' Harry said turning from Ron and shaking Albus' hand of him.
`Will it work?' Hermione asked seriously.
`I can't say' Harry answered honestly `but it could work…'
`So either way that hole is going to be opened?' Hermione asked as she weighed up the options.
`Yeah…' Harry answered.
`Then I'd prefer if it was you then the Magicallds' Hermione said smiling. And it was true. She threw her lot in with Harry a long time ago, and now she stood by him no matter what.
`You may have just condemned everyone to death' Albus said looking sadly at Hermione.
`or saved humanity once again' Harry said with a smile as he slowly raised his wand above his head.
Underneath her the ground started to shake, the walls rumbling and threatening to cave in, and even the fighting stopped besides them. The whole world stopped and listened to the sound of an earthquake impede on their lives. The sound she heard when Harry collapsed with Guy Fawkes.
`You opened it…' the voice of the Magicallds echoed around the room `for us?'
`For humanity!' Harry shouted back as the room continued to shake `that they may live!'
`Harry Potter…' The voices said loudly `you gave us life, and saved us from prison…what can we ever do to repay you?'
`One thing…' Harry shouted angrily `Never…and I mean in all of eternity…NEVER return!'
`We accept that…' the Magicallds said softly, sounding upset `thank you. Harry Potter'
`One last thing!' Hermione shouted having realized something `repair the hole and return the Ford Anglia to us!'
`Your wish, Hermione Granger…' the Magicallds said sounding freer than ever `is our command'
As soon as the words were said the shaking of the world had stopped, and a strange peace and silence resounded throughout the room.
`Is it over?' Ron asked looking around the room.
`Yes' Albus said slowly `Harry and Hermione has saved us once again'
`We're going to end up owing you two too many worlds!' Ron said laughing as he stepped out into the room from behind the box. Hermione followed him and saw bodies lying on the floor, not moving.
Harry stepped forward of them all and walked over to the still body of Remus. He crouched down lower over the body and placed his hand on his throat, feeling for a pulse.
`He's dead…' Harry said softly as he placed a hand over Remus eyes to close them `goodbye, old friend…'
`Where are the Slytherins?' Ron asked.
`They were pulled with the Magicallds' Harry said slowly `into the void…into hell'
`Why?' Albus asked.
`The Magicallds were trying to make things right' Harry said sounding disgusted `they watched humanity for too long, thought they could understand us…but they missed one thing, they weren't human, they see individual lives too clear cut, too easy to be wiped out…the Slytherins are dead because they made a mistake and wanted to correct it'
`Harry…' Hermione said softly.
What is it?' Harry said with a weak smile.
`There must be more to this…' Hermione said quietly.
`Like what?' Harry said as he fought a lump in his throat.
`Some moral, some lesson, some hope…' Hermione said fighting tears in her eyes `all we have is death, despair and pain…I need something more…'
`There isn't anything more' Harry said shaking his head sadly `all there is in this universe is me and you…that's it…'
And although his words were not full of promise, she felt herself slightly lightened. The only thing in this universe was her and him. A fact she had known for a long time now.
`If I find…it…' Albus said looking at Harry `how can I let you know?'
`We're leaving' Harry said suddenly without even looking at Albus, raising his wand out in front of him. Slowly Hermione watched as the door came into focus, only a few feet from where they were standing and Harry walked over to it opening the door without stopping as he stepped inside.
Hermione looked at Ron and Albus and sighed. Her old friends. Friends she had out grown. And now all that was left was her Harry. Her and Harry, alone in the universe, was all that mattered.
*
So that the end of the adventure…sorry for taking so long to update, I got only TWO reviews for the last chapter and was hoping for some more! Unfortunately I didn't get any! But, fortunately, it gave me a few weeks to get a slight march on this story…
So…today, I am giving you seven (count them… SEVEN!) new chapters, the whole of the next adventure and the first part of the finale!!! I'm pretty sure that that will make up for the long update time, but if it doesn't, I promise the finale will!!!
Also, the faster you review, the faster I update…and trust me when I say, and it'll be worth it!!!
Till next time…
Jms Granger…
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