A/N: Wow, I must have scared a lot of readers with that last chapter! I was surprised by how many of you reviewed so quickly! I think that you will like this chapter, and I promise, no cliffhanger! Thanks to all of you for reviewing, and I appreciate all of your comments. Here is the conclusion to Harry's inner battle. Enjoy!
I have been waiting for the lawyers to show up complaining that I have made the trio's journey too tough. I promise I will make it all worth their while.
Chapter 44
Strength in Believing
"Expelliarmus!" both Harry and Luna shouted at the same time. The power of the two spells was so powerful that Voldemort flew out of sight. Harry rushed to Hermione's side and cradled her against his chest. He looked up to see Luna standing quietly over him.
"Luna, we've got to get her some help."
He looked back down in panic at the slowly spreading red stain. He couldn't lose her, not now, not like this…
"I'm sorry, Harry, I can't help you," Luna said
Harry looked back up at her incredulously.
Luna just shook her head.
"This is all in your mind, Harry, so I can't help. You have to help her, or she will die."
It was one of the most confusing things Harry had ever heard, and he felt himself getting annoyed.
"Look, I don't have the time or the patience right now to figure out one of your riddles! Hermione is dying!" he said angrily.
Luna cocked her head and blinked her big blue eyes.
"Is that what you believe, Harry?"
Harry looked back down at her pale face. "I can see it," he said.
Luna sighed. "The mind is a very powerful tool, Harry. If Voldemort has used yours to make you believe that she is dying, then Hermione will believe it, and it will happen. Do you understand?"
Harry closed his eyes for a moment, trying to make sense of it all.
"So you are saying that none of this is real?" he said dejectedly, thinking about what Hermione had said earlier.
"No one has ever said that this isn't real," Luna said. "Voldemort's soul fragment is here, and so are we, and the rest of what you see around you is what you believe to be real. In here, you have the power to do anything. Remember the wall you conjured? That came from your magical core. That's the power Voldemort is trying to take from you, and the power that you need to use to stop this, and him."
Harry looked back down at Hermione, trying to see past the bloodstain and the paleness of her face.
"You have to believe, Harry," Luna whispered.
****** ****** ****** ******
Ron was becoming very nervous. He paced back and forth, his eyes darting to the shadowy figure by the wall. Lupin sat watching Ron, taking note of the worry and determination on his face.
"How long will this take?" he asked, breaking the silence.
Ron glanced over at the two girls sitting on the floor in front of Harry. His worry had doubled since the last time he was in this position, now that Luna was in the picture.
"I don't know," he sighed. "That's the part I hate."
Hermione stiffened and gasped before slumping against Luna, at the same time Tom gave a sinister laugh that turned into a cry of rage before he disappeared. Both Ron and Lupin scanned the room, but there was no sign of the evil spirit.
"What happened? Where is he? Is he gone?" Lupin asked.
"I don't think so," Ron said as he checked Harry. "The locket is still intact. Besides, the girls are-" he trailed off as he took a closer look at Hermione. She was hardly breathing.
"No, No, No! Not again!" he cried as he knelt in front of them.
"What?" Lupin asked as he came back around.
"Something's wrong with Hermione. She's hardly breathing," Ron replied as he gently cupped her face in his hands.
"We need to call Madame Pomfrey," Lupin said as he turned towards the door.
"No," Ron said, stopping him. "We need to wait. Something's happened," he turned to where Harry was lying. "Come on, Harry, you did it once, you can do it again. Bring her back."
****** ****** ****** ******
"You have to believe, Harry."
The words echoed through his head as he looked down on the most important person in his life. It didn't seem like it should be that easy. Harry closed his eyes and relaxed, searching his mind for that magical core Luna was talking about, which seemed strange since he was already in his own mind. He thought about his feelings for Hermione, and suddenly a thin golden trail, like a rope, appeared in front of him. He reached out and grabbed it, and felt a burst of energy fill him.
He placed his hand over her wound and with his eyes still closed, pictured the jagged edges stitching themselves back together. Luna watched as a faint glow appeared between Harry's hand and Hermione's side. After a moment, Harry opened his eyes and looked at her.
"I love you, too," he said quietly before leaning down to kiss her.
Harry gave her back everything she had given him, letting his love flow between them. After a moment, he felt her respond. He slowly pulled back, watching as her eyes fluttered open.
"Harry," she whispered, and he smiled down at her before helping her sit up.
She glanced down at where the knife had gone in, and touched the area gingerly before looking back at Harry.
"I thought…" Hermione began.
"Not while I'm still around," Harry said with a smile.
He helped her to her feet and gently ran his hands up and down her arms before gathering her in a hug, resting his head on top of hers. There was so much he wanted to say.
"Storm's coming, Harry," Luna said.
Harry turned and saw for a fact, something was coming their way. He knew what he had to do. He stepped back from Hermione's warm embrace and reached out to cup her face and trace her cheek with his thumb.
"I want you to go," he said quietly.
Hermione had closed her eyes, but they snapped when he made his request.
`I need to do this, Hermione, and right now I need to know you're safe," he said. "Please trust me. You've already given me the power I need to fight back. Now I need your trust."
Harry could see the inner battle playing out in her eyes before she stepped closer into the circle of his arms again, seeking comfort.
"If you don't come back, I will never speak to you again," she whispered.
Harry smiled as he remembered her saying that earlier, and hugged her in understanding before reluctantly letting her go. She backed away until she reached Luna, her eyes never leaving Harry's face. Then as suddenly as they had appeared, they were gone, and Harry turned to face Voldemort.
****** ****** ****** ******
Ron was back to pacing again, and as he moved, Lupin would hear him mutter "idiot" or "wanker" under his breath. Every once in a while he would stop and cast a glance at the two girls, only to begin pacing and muttering again.
Lupin was at wits end. He felt old and helpless as he sat there, watching for any sign from Harry. He had done his battles with Voldemort before, watched as those closest to him died while he lived. He could feel the same frustrations coming back to haunt him. He wasn't sure what he could do now to help win this battle. As that last thought entered his mind, he noticed Luna's eyes begin to flutter open and heard Hermione take in a large breath of air.
Ron was down on the floor in front of them in a flash as the two girls slowly came back to their senses. Lupin watched as Ron hugged Luna first, and then Hermione. As Ron went back to fussing over Luna, Hermione looked up at Lupin.
"He promised to return," she said quietly.
"Not if I can help it," a voice said. "He belongs to me now."
They all turned and saw Tom standing in the corner, rapidly becoming more solid. Ron was up quickly, wand drawn and ready to fight, the anger blazing in his eyes.
"You know, I'm getting really tired of all your blustering," he said.
Tom smiled slowly and his eyes moved to where Harry was on the couch. They watched in horror as Harry's body began to spasm and then collapse back on the couch. Hermione grabbed his hand and watched for any further change.
"You need to mind your manners, young man," Tom smirked.
****** ****** ****** ******
Harry watched as the dark clouds came towards him. He watched the center of the clouds as it grew, focusing its energy on the individual in the middle. As soon as Voldemort was close enough, he threw out his hand at Harry and yelled "Crucio!"
The spell hit Harry before he had a chance to move, and he felt his body spasm as he hit the ground. The spell ended quickly, and Harry rolled over and got back to his feet, surprised that it wasn't as painful as before.
"That was your one free shot," he panted.
"No," Voldemort smiled, "That was just a lesson for your friends to learn."
"And what sort of lesson are they going to learn from you?" Harry asked.
Voldemort gave a small smile. "Why, not to anger me, of course."
Harry slowly began to circle Voldemort, who imitated his moves.
"I think that I've had enough," Harry said.
"Really? Are you ready to lay down and die?" Voldemort asked.
"No," Harry replied stalling. "Do you really know who I am?"
Voldemort laughed. "You are Harry James Potter. Whelp to James and Lily Potter, and the bane of my existence. All the more reason to kill you."
"What did I ever do to you?" Harry asked.
The longer he got Voldemort to talk, the more time he had to pull his power back without Voldemort noticing. Much like the Legilimens lesson with Lupin all those months ago.
"Thrice they evaded capture and prevented me from gaining the power I needed. But I had plans for them. I had heard they had a child, and I had great plans for you. I am presuming, since you are still here, that I didn't get a chance to fulfill my plan?"
The whole time Voldemort was talking, Harry was focusing on his link to his magical core, pulling it towards him, now he felt the energy crackling inside of him, and it gave him the strength he needed.
"They're dead," he said. "And you killed them."
Voldemort stared at him for a moment, and then he began to laugh.
Harry could feel the anger building in him, as Voldemort continued to laugh. He wanted to make Voldemort feel pain like he did, and without really thinking about it, he slashed his hand at the specter.
"Sectumsepra!" he yelled.
The force of Harry's anger hit Voldemort. He flew backwards, gasping and clutching his throat and chest, blood leaking through his fingers.
Harry slowly walked over to where Voldemort was lying, and crouched down. He looked at Voldemort with cold hatred in his eyes, and for once, saw fear.
"I guess you've just learned your lesson," Harry said coldly. "Salvo animus."
The pale blue glow of the spell surrounded the convulsing body as Harry moved away, and turned his back on the bubble as it faded.
****** ****** ****** ******
Ron looked back worriedly at Hermione and Luna as Tom began to laugh. Lupin slowly got up and came to stand beside Ron.
"What do you think?" Ron asked Lupin quietly as they watched Tom laugh.
"I don't know," Lupin replied. "Something must be very funny."
Suddenly Tom gasped and staggered back against the wall, clutching his throat and chest, his eyes blazing with anger.
Ron turned back to look at Harry. "Hermione, NOW!" he called.
Hermione pointed her wand at the locket dangling down towards the floor.
"Everto!" she cried.
The chain snapped, causing the locket to fall to the floor where it broke open. A black mist rose out of the locket, screaming as it began to disappear. Ron turned back in time to see Tom's image dissolve into thin air.
"Okay, Professor," Ron said. "Now you can call Madame Pomfrey."
****** ****** ****** ******
Harry was sitting under the large tree on the hill. He wasn't too sure how long he had been sitting there, he just knew that it was quiet and peaceful, and it gave him a chance to think. The strange thing was, he really wasn't thinking about anything anymore, he was just sitting and listening to the wind blow through the leaves of the tree. Every once in a while the wind would caress his face, calling him, but he chose to ignore it.
"Hello, Harry,"
Harry looked up in surprise. "Mum?"
She smiled down at him.
"Did I conjure you up, or…"
"Does it matter?" she asked.
"No, I guess not," he replied after a moment.
"Why haven't you gone home?" she asked. "You have been here for quite a while."
Harry shrugged. "It's quiet here, and I'm alone with my thoughts."
"Are you thinking about the promise you made?"
Harry looked up sharply. " How did you know about that?" he shook his head. "Never mind. I don't want to know."
They were both quiet for a while, one waiting until the other was ready to speak.
"How am I expected to defeat the most powerful wizard of our time when all I ever do is react out of anger? I wanted to hurt him, make him feel the way I did. But according to Dumbledore, he already knows about anger. I won't be able get the jump on the real Voldemort with that."
"It's quite common for a child to feel that way," his mother said.
"So how does that solve my problem?" Harry asked.
"You're not a child, Harry, its time to grow up."
"Which means?" Harry asked.
"You need to be in control of your emotions, accept your mistakes and learn from them, instead of looking elsewhere to lay blame. But you already knew that," Lily said.
Harry nodded reluctantly.
Lily sat down in front of Harry, cross-legged.
"Growing up is tough, Harry, but you don't have to do it alone. You have people who love you, and can support you when you need it. You also have the love of a wonderful woman."
"She is pretty incredible," Harry said. "I'm not too sure how I became so lucky."
"She's waiting for you now," his mother said.
"She is?"
"It's time to go home, Harry," she said as she got up to leave.
"Wait!" Harry said. "I need to ask you one more thing."
He saw his mother hesitate for a moment, unsure of whether she could answer.
"I just wanted to know," Harry said, "Do you think I can beat him?"
There. He had asked the one question that had been haunting him for quite a while.
She smiled serenely. "All my faith is in you, Harry. I think you know the answer to that question. Go home, Harry," She disappeared.
Harry leaned back and closed his eyes as everything around him disappeared.
****** ****** ****** ******
Luna blinked her eyes as she sat up. She looked down upon the two sleeping forms in the infirmary. She gently withdrew her hands from the two and stood up, squeezing by the chair occupied by Hermione, whose head was resting on Harry's bed, her arm draped over his chest.
"Welcome home, Harry," she whispered before sneaking out of the infirmary.
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