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The Bat Returns From Hell
- Chapter 5: Nightmares And The Defeat Of Voldemort

"Aarrgh," Harmony Farmer flopped on her bed in her tastefully appointed, but anonymous, Muggle flat in an equally tony, but anonymous, West Side neighborhood. Her boss had driven her crazy again, at the very last minute demanding Harmony's presence at another huge bash. The worst was having to memorize an entire two-volume guest list in less than twelve hours.

She did it, of course.

Wandless magic once again saved the day. All she had to do was read the entry closely, circle it with her right index finger (she had always been right-wanded, and when going wandless, saw no need to change), and tap that finger twice against her temple. It was magic - both the information and the image were inputted directly into her brain.

The shindig was excruciatingly boring. Harmony was on her feet for three hours, hovering constantly in the background while wearing excruciatingly high heels. Emily had been sick as a dog and nowhere near the top of her game. That earned Harmony that look from the Boss from Hell about an hour into the event - one that let her know she had just been promoted, and was expected to handle the lead role.

No words were spoken; none were necessary. Her job was to make the boss look good - to make it appear as if she remembered everything about every guest at the event.

Now she had been promoted. Poor Emily, it was not her fault.

But fault never mattered with Ms. Beastly. It never did, unless it was yours.

She had done a good job - but one could never tell with Ms. Beastly. No good deed, it seemed, went unpunished.

The evening was long - at once both stressful and monotonous. The topper came just as she left. She was wincing her way down MOMA's front steps in those horrible shoes when who should she encounter but Gilderoy (all right, his real name was Christian).

He had been playing hurt that she had not gotten back to him about the Harry Potter manuscript, suggesting that he knew someone who knew someone who could have obtained what she needed. She was sorely tempted to pry for details - to turn over the culprit to the tender mercies of Blackie Howe - but she cut the conversation abruptly short at the first sign of Christian's angling to go out with her, or at least trying to get into her pants.

That was so not going to happen. She never let that happen.

Once home, she never undressed and was asleep within seconds of her head hitting the pillow. That meant, however, that she had not practiced her Occlumency.

Voldemort had somehow gained control of the wards.

In the dark, starless night, the towers of Hogwarts Castle loomed in the background - some holed clean through or with smoke pouring from gaping windows. Only a few lights remained, and duelers hurled curses right and left. Frequent sharp reports sounded as spells crashed into the Castle's ancient stone walls.

She was there, with Harry, Ron, and a few others, trying desperately, and not altogether successfully, to keep Voldemort away from Harry and the rest of the Death Eaters away from Voldemort. Something had gone badly astray; Ginny was nowhere to be found when the alarm signalling the attack sounded. Neville went missing as well, having been assigned responsibility for escorting Ginny and getting her where she needed to be when she needed to be there.

Hermione and Ron fought off Death Eaters while Harry and Voldemort exchanged curses. After their one enchanted evening, Hermione had resolutely refused to replace Ginny. But she did "help" him (a little; she never let him have his way again) every so often to make sure that his memories of the two of them together stayed sharp and were readily accessible when the time came.

During one of those sessions, Harry had ended a kiss by promising Hermione that "when everything was over," he would end it with Ginny and be with her. She did not encourage him; nor did she discourage him. She stayed focused on one thing - making sure that The Boy Who Lived did. Whatever else happened; would happen.

Her single-mindedness required a major sacrifice - one she was prepared to make, but would be kept absolutely and forever to herself. She could only suspect how Harry would have reacted. He probably would have banished her to France to "keep her safe."

His initial confession of love had been so unexpected, and so overwhelming, that she was unprepared. When Hermione tested positive, she used her status as Madame Pomfrey's star pre-Healer student to slip into the Hospital Wing, steal a dose of Professor Snape's Abortifacient Potion, and end the pregnancy. Irony of irony - all the while she prepared Contraceptive Potions for Ginny, who continued her "training" with Harry none the wiser that his improved performance had little or nothing to do with her.

She often thought about that, given what later happened with Ginny. But if she kept it, Harry would never have allowed her on the battlefield, there would have been an irreparable rupture with the Weasleys, and Voldemort would have won. Thus, Hermione convinced herself that she had done the only thing she could do.

Harry would never, ever know of her sacrifice. If he told Ginny about the rest of it - that was his business.

But when push came to shove, Ginny was not there - and Voldemort was. Harry was weakening. She and Ron circled closer to him, protecting him from lurking Death Eaters, and even firing an occasional curse at the red-eyed monster himself, although to little apparent effect.

Then it happened. Voldemort slipped an Expelliarmus through a crack in Harry's now battered Protego shield. Harry flew one way and his wand another. His back rammed a tree and although he rolled this way and that, he did not scramble to his feet.

"I tire of this sport," Voldemort hissed. "You have fought … acceptably … but like your father, the time has come for you to die. Say goodbye to this world, Harry James Potter…."

The Dark Lord raised his wand and started to pronounce the Killing Curse.

"Noooo!" Hermione screamed. Finishing off the Death Eater dueling her with a clipped "Sectumsempra," she sprinted to Harry and made herself a human shield between him and that monster.

"Expelliarmus!" Sectumsempra!" Reducto!" she screamed curses in rapid succession, but each of them bounced impotently off of Voldemort's silver shield - the ringing noise echoing through the darkness.

"Away with you, pathetic Mudblood!" the Dark Lord dismissed her. "I have no interest in anything not fit to scrape off my shoes." Voldemort generated a gust of wind from his wand, trying to blow her out of the way. She silently cast a Weighting Charm on herself, countering that attempt.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Luna dart forward, put a phial to Harry's lips, and fish out his other wand. Knowing Luna, it was a Replenishing Draught. Standing there, facing Voldemort, she was prepared to do anything to keep Harry alive, since he was their only hope.

"Say anything you want, you sorry excuse for a Dark Lord," she challenged him. "I beat your O.W.L. score, and by a handy margin. You'll forever be second best to me - a Muggle-born."

She saw wandlight coming in the other direction as well. "Look out, Ron," she cried. "Behind you!"

The Dark Lord roared again. "Do you think I care about trivialities such as O.W.L.s? I have achieved immortality. Out of my way, Mudblood." Chains shot out of his wand.

"Lilaceous," she incanted. The chains Transfigured into lilies and fell harmlessly to the ground.

"Hermione," he heard Harry's gravelly voice call from behind. "It's got to be you. We can't wait any longer. The real thing will be more effective, anyway…."

He felt him touch the back of her shirt.

She knew it would never work. Even magically, she could not possibly undress fast enough. The Dark Lord would kill them both first.

Ron had whirled around at her warning - and almost hexed Neville. Then, still facing Neville, he heard Harry's exchange with Hermione, and Ron's jaw dropped.

"No," Neville called out. "We're ready now."

Hermione knew what that meant. Ginny had finally arrived, suitably dressed - or undressed - beneath Harry's Invisibility Cloak. All the redhead had to do now was get into position.

"For the last time, stand aside," Voldemort commanded, his red eyes flashing malevolently. "If you value your insignificant little life."

He said some curse she had never heard before, and a burning orange bolt flashed from his wand.

Not knowing what else to do, Hermione conjured a mirror. As she did, she felt something she could not see brush behind her. It had to be Ginny. That meant she only had to buy them a little more time….

Voldemort's spell slammed into the mirror, staggering her - but it reflected back and crashed into the Dark Lord's own leg. For the first time in the entire battle he had obviously been hurt. Voldemort stumbled backwards a couple of steps and almost fell.

"You'll have to kill me get to Harry," she screamed at Voldemort.

"Be careful what you ask for; you just might get it," the evil wizard howled as all around them more curses flashed. Another troupe of Death Eaters, led by Draco Malfoy, stormed into the clearing.

At the same instant a group of D.A. members rushed from the other side, firing their own volley of hexes. They called to Harry and Hermione - something about goblins and Hogsmeade.

Hermione could not move. The Killing Curse was unblockable. If she moved it would hit Harry or Ginny.

"Avada…."

"Do your damnedest…. And be damned!" she yelled what she fully expected were her last words on this Earth.

But the Dark Lord never completed the Killing Curse. Instead he hissed, "Oh, no you don't, Mudblood…." His burning eyes regarded her as she squeezed off yet another ineffective curse of her own. Just a split second before, a randomly misdirected bolt of magic flashed into the ground between them, kicking up dirt - and some of the lilies she had conjured. "I remember Lily Potter. Oh, how well I remember her…. I won't be fooled again."

With that, the Dark Lord limped to one side, trying to get her out of his line of fire. She realized immediately why she had been spared and took a step sideways, making sure that she stayed between Harry and Voldemort.

"Hermione - down! We're ready!" She heard Harry's command and instantly dropped to the ground.

"Puissance d'Amour Totalus!" She heard him scream out - adding Hermione's own embellishment to the spell. Rolling over, she saw Harry furiously pumping into a stark naked Ginny Weasley, who held onto him for dear life.

A bright pink beam shot out of Harry's wand, to which Ginny's hand was also clinging (another of Hermione's improvements). The solid beam of light found Voldemort and seemed to pin the Dark Wizard where he stood.

Harry was not even looking at his mortal enemy. He certainly did not look at the girl he was having sex with. No, his piercing green eyes stared over Ginny's right shoulder straight and unwaveringly at her. As surely as his magic had fixed the Dark Lord in place, his eyes captured hers.

She could not look away. She knew that made her useless in the furious firefight going on all around them, but she knew from the ferocity in his eyes that maintaining eye contact with him was all that mattered.

Somewhere behind her - in the direction of the Castle - she heard some huge explosion.

Also behind her, she heard Voldemort roar out a Killing Curse. The pink glow illuminating the Whomping Willow and other trees in the vicinity mixed with the evil green light of the Dark Lord's spell.

Another few seconds passed with Hermione remaining transfixed. The pinkishness seemed to flutter. Then she heard his voice, Legilimencing into her head like so many other times they had needed to have a private conversation in public.

He was panting from all the strain. `Hermione … it's not holding…. I need your help…. Please tell me … that you … love me…. Please mean it.'

She Legilimenced back, `I love you, Harry. You have to know that. I've always loved you. I think since I first met you. I want you. I want you to win, Harry. You're my inspiration….'

The Pink light grew stronger, and the green light retreated, but only for a bit. Harry started to weaken again.

`Say it again, please…,' he groaned. He was plainly tiring.

`I love you; I have always loved you; and I will always love you!'

He seemed to get a second wind. The pink light gained again. She thought she heard Voldemort screaming….

His voice came to her a third time. `Hermione, if we get through this alive…. Will you marry me?'

`Harry, if that's what you really want, of course I will…'

A stray Blasting Curse smashed into a rock next to Harry, shattering it and sending shards in all directions. Harry's Protego shield only protected against magic - since he had to cast an outgoing spell. The shrapnel sliced into Harry's legs and into Ginny's arse. He staggered and she screamed.

The pink light that only a moment before was on the verge of overpowering the Dark Lord's evil flickered. The opposing green light flared.

Once again Hermione did the only thing she could think of. She pointed her wand directly at Harry and Ginny. "Puissance d'Amour Totalus," she incanted loudly. A pink beam shot from Hermione's wand and enveloped the two. Then she called out to him in what she hoped was a similarly loud voice, "Hold on! I love you Harry!"

Through her wand all Hermione's magical energy began draining from her body. Harry and Ginny appeared to absorb the pink beam she maintained. Hermione saw it reform, merge with their magic, and rocket from Harry's wand in what resembled a horizontal tornado.

Everything went quiet and seemed to happen in slow motion. All she could hear was the sound of her own blood roaring in her ears.

Ron circled around behind Harry, his wand hanging limply from his hand, his eyes wide in wonderment. He was gawking at either her, Harry, or them both.

A tremendous pink flash erupted behind her, in the direction of Voldemort. A shock wave knocked Hermione over, and she rolled on the grass fighting to keep her focus, and to keep her wand, on Harry and Ginny. The branches of the Whomping Willow swayed wildly with an unseen force - a wind of hurricane strength.

Black flowers started blossoming throughout her vision. Swimming into view were the malevolent gray eyes of Draco Malfoy, his face etched with rage, his mouth howling a curse.

She tried to scream a warning, but no sound emerged from her throat

The green flash from Malfoy's wand hit Ron squarely in the back, dropping him limply to the ground.

Dirty blonde hair flashed through Hermione's rapidly narrowing field of vision. Luna did something with her wand that Hermione could barely see, and Malfoy's face exploded in blood. He, too, fell out of sight.

Hermione's eyes rolled back, but just before she passed into whatever state lay beyond where she was, the she saw the ominous yellow eyes and bloodstained teeth of Fenrir Greyback crouching over her. For the second time that night, she felt the rushing wings of death - but the werewolf unaccountably hesitated, distracted by something.

She screamed and screamed and screamed some more. A pounding noise rung in her ears that would not go away….

The door to her flat gave way with a crash. Six of New York's finest piled in. They found one very disturbed young lady and one very smoky and quite wrecked apartment.

- 10 -

C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\My Documents\HP & The Fifth Element.Bat from Hell Ch 5 Nightmare Trio to Defeat Voldemort.doc.doc 12/28/06

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