"This could be bad," Harry said, pacing in front of the fireplace of the Heads Dorm. Hermione was leaning forward with her elbows on her knees and her hands were under her chin, holding her head up. She sighed as her eyes followed Harry's path.
"No, actually, this is bad," Harry said. He stopped and looked at her. Finally, he had been at that for at least a half an hour. Hermione was quiet for a few seconds and before she had something to say, he had started pacing again. She sighed and leaned back against the couch.
"I mean, we are not ready to see Voldemort," Harry said. "We hardly have enough members in the Order to be stationed in Bath and Azkaban. Voldemort doesn't play around; you get in his way, he kills you. That blasted snake follows his every move and even with me being a Parsletounge, I won't be able to control it."
"Harry, will you stop pacing! You're making me a ball of nerves," was all Hermione said. Harry sighed and sat down next to her on the couch.
"I'm sorry. It's just that…what if it doesn't go as planned. What are we going to do if one of us has to duel Voldemort. No one is ready for that," Harry said.
"Harry, we'll follow the plan. If that doesn't work, then we'll figure something out. We always do," Hermione said.
"But this is more important that anything else we have ever done. If you or Ron get hurt, or worse, killed I'm not going to know what to do. It's different for the two of you. Voldemort is the only one able to kill me but you are susceptible to any AK coming towards you," Harry said. Hermione put her hand over his.
"Harry, calm down, please? If you get all worked up like this you won't be able to do anything once we get there," Hermione said. Harry sighed.
"I just…I'm scared," he said, looking at her. His eyes had unshed tears in them and the fear was easily spotted. Hermione pulled him to her.
"I don't want to lose you…or Ron," Harry all but whispered against her shoulder.
"You won't," Hermione said. "Believe it or not, you're stuck with an insufferable prat and a know-it-all for your best friends and we aren't going anywhere. I'm quite content where I am." Harry chuckled a bit.
"That's good to know," he said.
"What time is it?" Harry asked. Hermione looked at the clock.
"Four," she said. Harry sighed.
"I need to think," Harry said. He stood from the couch and Hermione's embrace. He heard the almost inaudible sigh from his best friend.
"I'll be okay," Harry said. "I need to think this through." He climbed out of the portrait and walked down the corridor, contemplating what exactly they were getting into.
His thoughts carried him to the tree by The Black Lake. He settled at the base of the large tree and leaned his head back against the bark.
"Harry, mate!" Ron's voice called out. Harry didn't know how long he had been under the tree, but it was long enough for him to fall into an uncomfortable slumber and for it to get to dusk. Harry opened his eyes and looked up at Ron.
"Come on mate, they're at it," Ron said. Harry accepted the hand Ron had extended to help him up and the two boys took off across the grounds at a dead run. They met up with Hermione, who had been coming quickly down a flight of stairs and the three of them ran through the corridors, dodging students along the way and ignoring odd looks. It wasn't every day that you saw Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley in jeans and t-shirts with their wands out at a dead run through the corridors.
"Come Potter, Granger, Weasley," McGonagall said. She slid a piece of parchment towards them and the three took it at the same time. Wind billowed around them before they came to an abrupt stop caused by the hard ground. Harry didn't bother to acknowledge the pain before he jumped up and joined the fight.
"Stupefy," Harry called out. A figure in all black robes crumpled to the ground. Harry moved on, stunning many more along the way.
"Hermione, Ron," Harry called out. "Stupefy." The Death Eater that was coming towards them fell.
"I'm going to find Nagini," Harry said. "Be on the look out and if you see Voldemort, all I ask of you is to run." Before Hermione or Ron could object, Harry was off. They shared a look before they took off after Harry. So much for the plan.
Harry crept along the edge of a dark alleyway. It was quiet where he was, but he could vaguely hear the noise of the fights behind him. Hissing reached his ears. He was close. The feeling that something was watching him made him spin around with his wand out. Nothing was there. He breathed once more and spun back around. He barely had time to register that large fangs were coming toward him before he ducked down. Hermione and Ron, who had been noiselessly following Harry stopped short and pressed themselves against the cold wall of a building.
"Reducto," Harry said, pointing his wand towards the large snake. Nagini dodged the curse and lunged at Harry. Harry dove towards the side and barely missed the large fangs. Harry spun around quickly, with his hand out.
"Sssiiiisssttttooo," Harry spoke in Parsletounge. Nagini stopped, surprisingly obeying the command. Parsletounge reached his ears that hadn't come from him and it hadn't come from the snake either.
"Potter, how nice of you to join us," Voldemort said.
"Evening Tom," Harry said, keeping his cool.
"Do not call me that filthy muggle name," Voldemort spat.
"Why shouldn't I? It's your name isn't it?" Harry said.
"My name is Lord Voldemort," Voldemort said. "Do I have to spell it out for you once more Potter?" He took his wand and wrote the letters in the air, which hung in front of Harry. Harry smirked and waved his hand towards the letters, which rearranged themselves to spell out Tom Marvolo Riddle. Voldemort growled.
"Do not play with me Potter," Voldemort snarled.
"Who says I was playing?" Harry asked. Voldemort waved his hand and Nagini attacked once more. Harry dodged the attack and stuck his hand towards the sky. The sword of Gryffindor appeared. Behind him, Ron and Hermione shared a wide-eyed look. Once more dodging an attack, Harry swung the sword towards Nagini and she recoiled.
"Potter," Voldemort sneered. "Crucio." The spell shot towards Harry and before he could dodge it, it hit him in the chest. The sword fell out of his hands and he dropped to his knees. He felt himself rise in the air and he was going backwards at a high speed. Ron and Hermione ran towards Harry. He had landed in an opening in the village and they were no longer in the alleyway.
"What did I tell you two?" Harry whispered. "Run!"
"Harry, no," Hermione said. "We're staying with you."
"I do not want you killed! Now go!" Harry said.
"Aw, Potter," Voldemort said. "Do you not think I would spare their lives?" The fights that had been going on around them ceased at the sight of Voldemort.
"I could give the blood traitor one last chance to come to the right side," said the Dark Lord. "And I'm sure my followers could find some…use of the mudblood."
"Piss off," Harry said, jumping up with his wand out in front of him.
"Language, language," Voldemort said. Harry growled and went towards Voldemort. The duel began without any notice.
"Ventus," Harry said. The spell shot from his wand and hit Voldemort in the arm as he turned. The spell knocked him off of his feet, but he gracefully landed on his feet. Voldemort laughed.
"Try harder Potter," he spat. He and Harry stared at each other as they went around in a circle, their wands down at their side.
"Depulso," Harry said.
"Seco," Voldemort said. He sent three spells in rapid fire and although Harry put up a shield, one still got to him. A large gash formed on his left bicep and blood poured out of it. He growled out in pain and sent four spells back to Voldemort, who only dodged two of them.
"Potter," he said. He moved his hand towards two Death Eaters who were behind him and they moved dutifully to where Hermione and Ron had been. The two began fighting while Harry continued with his battle.
Hermione's scream was what took Harry's focus off of his fight with Voldemort. He looked to his best friend, who was being held by a Death Eater.
"Take another step Potter and she dies," the Death Eater said. Harry felt his feet go out from underneath him and an invisible pressure was holding him up to the wall that was behind him.
"Potter, Potter," Voldemort laughed. "Never take your focus off of a fight." The Dark Lord walked toward where Harry was.
"Tonight you will see your hero fall," Voldemort said to the people scattered around the village. The Death Eaters were on one side and the Order was on another. In the center were Ron and Hermione and a little father away Harry was against the wall.
"But first," Voldemort said, turning his attention back to Harry. "I want to see you suffer." He walked closer and closer to Harry. The position he was in felt like déjà vu. The graveyard was the last time he was in this situation and he knew what was next.
"For eleven years, I was nothing but a parasite. I came so close to becoming whole again, but it wasn't until two years ago I succeeded. Your blood runs through me Harry," Voldemort laughed. "I want to hear your screams. I want to hear you beg for me to kill you. Then, being the merciful Lord I am, I'll grant your plead." Voldemort pressed his pointer finger to Harry's scar.
Indescribable pain flooded Harry's senses. He gasped out and closed his eyes as he tried to move. The invisible hold on him tightened.
"Open your eyes Harry," Voldemort said. "I want to see the light leave them when I kill you." Harry tried with all of his might to keep his eyes closed, but he was unsuccessful.
"Scream," Voldemort said. Harry felt his scar burst open and blood poured from it. The pain intensified, if that was possible. He couldn't help the bloodcurdling scream that erupted from his throat. The tears that had long formed in his eyes flooded down his cheeks and mingled with his blood and sweat.
He didn't know how long this had gone on. His voice was hoarse from screaming. He could feel his body start to shake. His right hand was down at his side, but he still had his wand in his hand. He had to form a plan, or he really would be killed. He moved his eyes down to Voldemort's and snarled. Though it took every ounce of might Harry had left in his body, Harry brought his arm up and gave Voldemort a swift uppercut. The Dark Lord staggered back and Harry slid down the wall. The seventeen year old staggered towards Voldemort and swung again, connecting with his jaw. He brought his left arm up and swung. His fist allied with the side of Voldemort's head.
"Enough," Voldemort said. He sent a spell towards Harry and he forced himself to move. His body screamed it's disapproval of such a quick move, but he ignored his body's pleads.
"You have made my life hell since I was born," Harry ground out. "Indirectly or directly, either way I have suffered because of you." Spells and curses were exchanged and Harry was really getting tired, both physically and mentally.
"You can't kill me Potter," Voldemort said. "You're just a boy." Harry shot spell after spell towards Voldemort. Some hit him, and some didn't. Harry focused on the spot behind Voldemort and with effort, he was gone.
"Potter, come out to play," Voldemort called. Harry ended up directly behind Voldemort and with all the effort he had, his fist collided with the back of Voldemort's head.
"Acer," Harry said. The spell shot out and hit Voldemort in the back. The Dark Lord screamed and fell. Harry's senses were on overload and before the Nagini had moved, Harry knew where to go.
"Secare Caesus," Harry said. The spell hit the snake. It was dead instantly as the spell severed its body in several places. Voldemort's scream sounded through the village and the black mist rose from Nagini's dead carcass. A white light cut through it and Voldemort's screams intensified.
The Death Eaters panicked. The Order immediately attacked and Ron and Hermione took their chance against their holders. The two took everything they knew and applied with to the Death Eaters in front of them. In less than a minute, they were down and the two seventh years joined the rest of the Order in the fight.
"Potter," Voldemort rasped. Harry turned and faced his rival. "Potter, this isn't over. I will kill you." The Dark Lord disappeared from sight. The Death Eaters apparated away also, fleeing the fight with their master.
Harry's body was still shaking slightly. Ron and Hermione rushed to his side. Harry sucked in a deep breath.
"He knows we know about the Horcruxes," Harry said quietly. "We need to find Ravenclaw's item or we'll never get it. And we need to destroy the cup when we get back." His legs didn't take his weight any longer and he fell to the ground. His vision and hearing began to fade in and out before darkness overcame him.
O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O
Poppy Pomfrey had been alerted to the Order's counterattack when the rest of the Order had been notified by McGonagall earlier that morning. She had expected her infirmary to have visitors, but she hadn't expected what was coming toward her.
The moment that the infirmary doors swung open, the nurse had been stocking her potions cabinet. She was lucky…
"Goodness!" Poppy said. Minerva McGonagall and several other Order members rushed through the doors with stretchers in front of them. Immediately the nurse began putting patients in the beds. She ran diagnostic tests one by one.
"Poppy," Minerva said, slightly out of breath. "Potter." She pointed to the stretcher behind her and Poppy instantly levitated Harry to a bed, conveniently the one he was always in when he was in the medical wing. Ron and Hermione lipped over to a bed and sat down as a senior Order member tended to their small wounds.
"Gracious me," Poppy muttered as she ran her wand over Harry's unconscious body. The boy had really outdone himself this time. His body was in shock and he was damn lucky his brain hadn't been fried. He had internal organ damage from continuous pain and at the moment, his brain wasn't getting the proper oxygen it ought to have.
"Minerva, I need anyone who has a background in medicine to start tending to the rest of the patients. Mr. Potter is going to be a while," Poppy said. Minerva nodded once and did as she was asked.
"How's Harry?" Hermione asked as Madame Pomfrey passed her. Hermione got up and followed the nurse despite the fact that she was limping and still bleeding slightly from various places. Pomfrey shot the young girl a sympathetic look as she searched through her stocks.
"Not well dear," was all she said. Hermione frowned.
"Not well? What do you mean not well? He's alive right?" Hermione asked. Worry, concern and fear took over her senses.
"Barely," Pomfrey said, rushing back to Harry. Hermione followed her as quickly as she could. As the nurse conjured up something that was like a muggle IV, Hermione looked down at her best friend. His skin was sickly pale and it almost matched the shade of white in the infirmary. Dirt and blood were matted in his hair and on his clothes. He looked dead.
No she thought. I can't think that. Harry's not dead. He'll be all right…he always is. But as she looked at him more and more, her fear started to overcome her senses and the tears that had been threatening to spill began to pour from her eyes. Ron, who had come up behind her took one look at his best mate and shut his eyes.
"Come on Hermione," he said, his voice almost a whisper. He gripped her upper arm gently and led her away from Harry's bed. He eyes didn't leave Harry's form until absolutely necessary and then she turned back to face where Ron was leading her. Ron was beside her and his arm was around her shoulders, but she felt alone. She wrapped her arms around herself and let herself be moved away.
"He'll be okay Hermione," Ron said, his voice cracking. Hermione looked up at her other best friend.
"He'll be okay. He has to be," Ron said in a whisper, more to himself than to Hermione. "He has to be…"
&---&---&---&---&
Hi there! Well, it took a while to get this one out. It was hard for me to write this chapter for some odd reason…but I think its okay.
Can you believe Deathly Hallows is coming out in two days? I can't. I mean, it's the end of the series. It's hard to look back and remember you were reading the third book when you were nine. How long ago was that?
So, the movie was abso-bloody-lutely amazing! I saw it the day it came out at 12:45. Wow…I'm done.
Thanks for reading. WarriorPride23, 8 pages.
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