As usual, we don't own Harry Potter, the excellent JK Rowling does. The only thing we do own is the plot, Heinzl and his followers.
Chapter Twenty-Four
This Ends Now
"This ends now," Harry said. All magical households had received a piece of parchment within hours of the Muggle-borns taking over the Ministry. Among the many decrees passed were that certain purebloods were now the property of the Muggle-borns.
"What are you going to do?" Hermione asked.
"We're going to go into the Chamber of Secrets and find Heinzl's skeleton, lure him to the magical shrine and use it to destroy him once and for all," Harry declared.
He then turned to Ginny and Neville who had arrived not long before. They were about to join Molly Weasley and the other Weasleys who were going to go into hiding, when Hedwig had delivered a message to them.
"Ginny, Neville - Annabelle is going to take you to the shrine using her power of light speed. Merklyn will let the three of you enter. Tell him what we have planned and that I will return with both Heinzl and his original body."
"Alright, mate," Neville said. "I've never had cause to doubt you before, and today is no exception." Ginny agreed with him. Harry turned to Sirius and Remus.
"There is a major risk in what I've got in mind, and there is a chance we won't be coming back."
"Harry - I've lost you once, I don't plan to do so again," Sirius said. "You need to let us come with you."
"You're going to be needed here. When Heinzl is destroyed, his hold over the Muggle-borns will be broken. As Lord Black, you will need to help them when the purebloods regroup afterwards and start attacking them. If we don't come back, you will be needed to destroy the shrine once and for all."
"Why destroy the shrine?" Remus asked.
"It's the ultimate source of magic. If anyone manages to get their hands on it, then it could mean the end."
"Alright then," Sirius said. "But promise me you'll try and come back alive."
"I promise," Harry said.
-
A couple of hours later, Harry and Hermione apparated to the remains of Hogwarts. Because the ward crystals were destroyed, they could apparate into the grounds. Rubble was everywhere. Slowly, they walked into what remained of the Entrance Hall and found an intact staircase. They walked up it to the first floor. They carefully manoeuvred along the passage to find a staircase to the second floor, but there was none.
"Shall we see if we can still transform?" Harry suggested. Hermione nodded and the two tried to transform into their animagus forms, and it worked. They flew up to the second floor. Unlike the first floor, this one was in ruins. The sky could be seen through what was left of the ceiling.
"Good job we don't have to go to any other floor," Hermione said. The two slowly made their way to the girl's bathroom and opened the door.
"Damn!" Harry said, "I forgot, I don't speak Parseltongue anymore and we don't have any recordings."
"Then we do this!" Hermione took out a wand and fired banishing charms at the sinks. Harry did the same and within minutes, the entrance was open. The couple jumped down the hole and slid down to the bottom.
Slowly, they walked through the passage, not knowing if the damage to the school would cause it to collapse. Eventually, they made it to the door. They fired banishing charms at it, but it had no effect.
"We'll have to see if we can apparate the small distance," Hermione said. "We know what is on the other side of this door so we can do it."
Seconds later, they appeared on the other side of the door. They walked down the passage to the main chamber.
"Alright, let's split up and look. If we find it, shrink it and put it in the bag," Harry suggested. The duo split up and walked around.
-
Meanwhile, in a small town near Malfoy Manor, where Lucius Malfoy and a group of Purebloods were hiding, a group of Muggle-borns were making their way to the Manor. Their orders were to arrest Lucius Malfoy and his thugs by any means possible.
-
"The plan has merit, young Annabelle," Merklyn said. Annabelle, Neville and Ginny had made it to the shrine and had been let in. The latter two looked around in awe. "There is a certain element of risk, but I will do what I can."
-
Hermione walked up to Harry. "Found them," she declared, indicating her bag. I'm surprised we didn't see them before. Maybe wards had been added and they fell with the castle."
The two apparated to outside the castle. Heinzl appeared behind them.
"Ah, so it seems you two aren't as dead as you seemed," he stated. "I wondered who triggered the security wards so I came to find out. I sense you know how to get to the shrine."
Harry put his arm around Hermione. "I'm not going to tell you how to get there!" he said, getting his new wand out. "Sheathe these feet in the driving gale, Make swift these legs o'er land I sail!"
Harry and Hermione transformed into the man of light speed and departed as quickly as they could.
"You forget, Harry," Heinzl said, "I too have the power of light speed." He got his wand out and cast the same spell.
-
At Malfoy Manor, witches and wizards, pureblood and Muggle-born began fighting. Curses of all descriptions were fired from anyone who could cast them.
-
Harry and Hermione arrived at the shrine and went to their friends. Seconds later, Heinzl also appeared.
"So, this is the magical shrine," he said. "Not very impressive."
"And you don't look very impressive," Merklyn said. Heinzl turned around.
"You must be Merklyn, I've heard so much about you," Heinzl said.
"And I've heard much about you. Your powers are impressive, but not good enough to stop me."
Heinzl pointed his wand at Merklyn. "Avada Kedavra!" he shouted. A burst of green light fired from the wand and hit Merklyn who didn't fall over but moved closer.
He laughed. "So, you think Avada Kedavra is good enough to kill me?" Merklyn raised his orb and cast a spell at the other aged wizard.
In the meantime, Hermione got Heinzl's skeleton out of her bag and re-enlarged it.
"Wingardiam Leviosa," she said, pointing her wand at it. It rose from the floor and Hermione moved it to the shrine, before dropping the charm. With a splash, the skeleton landed in the pool. Heinzl screamed in retaliation.
"Time to finish this once and for all - Lazerous!" The blue energy beam struck Merklyn who dropped the orb, which rolled over to where the group were. Harry picked it up as Merklyn fell to the ground, dead. Heinzl began to fade. He turned and walked over to the pool and stepped in. He moaned as the energy of the pool slowly restored his power. He looked at the five, who were watching him.
"YES! Yes... I feel it, the power... fills me. Yes, I feel the universe within me! I am... I am a part of the cosmos! The power flows... Flows through me! Of what consequence are you now? This planet, these people. They are NOTHING to me! The universe is power! Real, unstoppable POWER! and I am that force! I am that power!" he shouted.
The group hid behind a table which had Merklyn's papers on. In the magical pool, Heinzl bathed in the pure magical liquid.
"What are we going to do?" Neville asked.
"There is a way. If we concentrate our magical power on Heinzl while he is in that pool, the combination of our magic and the magic in that pool will hopefully destroy him," Hermione said.
"But how are we going to get our power strong enough?" asked Harry.
"We cross our magical streams," Hermione answered, "The Patronus charm should be powerful enough. We don't need a destructive curse, just something with enough power."
"But, crossing the streams is bad!" Ginny exclaimed, "Bill told me that crossing the magical streams can cause the casters to vaporise!"
"That's why Harry will be on hand to cast the ancient spell of invulnerability to minimise the effect on us."
Everyone sat there and thought for a second. Then Harry broke the silence.
"I love this plan - I'm excited! I know it will work!" he said. Everyone got up and walked within range of Heinzl. Harry stood up on the table. The ancient wizard was now recovered following the destruction of his body.
"See you on the other side, Ginny," Hermione said, and then cast her patronus charm. A beam of white light fired from her wand and struck Heinzl. He reacted and turned around to face them.
"Nice working with you, Hermione," Ginny countered. She also cast a patronus at Heinzl. After a few moments, the two girls moved their wands closer to each other and the magical streams crossed. The power increased.
"Now Neville!" Ginny shouted. Her boyfriend also cast his patronus followed by Annabelle. They then moved their wands so their magic would cross. Heinzl reacted in pain as the overload of magic flowed through him.
Harry held up Merklyn's orb as he saw Heinzl pointing his wand at them.
"Lazerous!" the older wizard shouted. As with Dumbledore's death, a blue beam of energy fired from his wand.
"The arrows turn, the swords repeal, may nothing pierce this mortal shell!" Harry shouted. The man with crystal hair rose out of the orb and beams of light fired from his eyes, covering Harry and the others with a mighty shield, the beam of energy hit the shield which began to absorb the spell. Seconds later, the spell died away. But unlike the first time he cast it, Heinzl did not fade away, the power of the pool replenishing his core.
The effect of the crossed Patronus charms began to have an effect on Heinzl, the elder wizard being slightly weakened by casting the energy beam spell. Then Harry had a thought.
"Oh mist-filled pits, dark, dank, unclear, Touch all before me with frost-fingered fear!" A giant spider came out of the orb, and walked over to Heinzl and bit him. Heinzl started to see things.
Heinzl looked as his followers seemed to break chains of imprisonment. They then raised their wands at him.
"You enslaved us and caused many of us to die!" they said and cast spells at him. Heinzl broke out of the trance and screamed. Harry decided it was time for one final ancient spell.
"Three suns aligned, pour forth the light and fill the archer's bow with might!" The blue archer came out of the orb and prepared to fire an arrow. Harry jumped from the table to join the quartet then cast his own Patronus at Heinzl. He kept his right arm raised. His magical stream crossed with the others. Heinzl began to bow down with pain.
"IF I AM TO DIE, THEN YOU WILL DIE WITH ME!" Heinzl roared and pointed his wand at the group again. "Lazerous!" Again, the beam of blue energy fired from the wand and struck the shield. It began to weaken from the strain of the powerful curse. It was so powerful you could see the partial skeletons of Harry and the others. Harry lowered his arm and the archer fired his arrow of light, it flew down the beam of energy, taking it back towards Heinzl.
As the arrow struck him with the energy beam, Heinzl screamed. There was a huge bright flash of light, the skeleton of the ancient wizard could be seen, the energy of the crossed magical streams having an effect. But one of the streams died away as slowly, Neville turned to dust. Seconds later, Ginny and Annabelle also turned to dust. Finally, the energy beam charged arrow pierced Heinzl's heart and magical core.
"TURN AWAY!" Harry shouted. He and Hermione cut their magic and dived away as both Heinzl and the magical pool exploded with a blinding flash of magical energy. The two lovers were engulfed in a bright flash of light.
-
Please review, with thanks to those who do.
With acknowledgements to Masters of the Universe and Ghostbusters for ideas.
-->