A/N: Okay, really? All those readers and only two responses? Yeah I know it's busy at this time of the year, but I really miss hearing from all of you! **sniff!** It will be a Christmas without reviews! I am so sad! (Peeks between fingers to see if it is working)
Okay, I guess it is better to give than receive, so here's another chapter, although I would like to hear from you! I hope everyone has a very Merry, Harry Christmas, and a prosperous New Year!
JK Rowling gave us the gift of this incredible world that she created, and I am happy to play in it, and even though I don't own the characters, I have enjoyed getting to know them so well!
Chapter 58
At the Crossroads
"Would the two of you please explain why you are in my office?" McGonagall said.
Harry looked at Neville, and gave him a slight shake of his head. Now was not the time to explain all of what had happened.
"We…uh…saw Snape coming out of the staircase, and so we thought we should come up to see if everything was okay," Harry said.
McGonagall looked at him in disbelief, and folded her arms across her chest.
"And?"
"And…and…" Harry sighed. She always seemed to know when something else was going on.
"Albion wanted me to get something from his old sitting room."
"Albion," McGonagall said.
"Yes, Ma'am."
McGonagall walked over to where the phoenix was sitting on the corner of the desk and looked him in the eye.
"And did you find what you were looking for?" she said quietly as she reached out to stroke the side of the bird's face.
Harry and Neville shared a glance, and Harry looked down at his hand as he flexed his fingers. He could feel her, almost like a warm mist surrounding his insides. He didn't feel afraid, and he could feel her curiosity and excitement as she poked and prodded through his mind.
"Yes, Ma'am," Harry said.
"You can tell her that I miss her too," Albion said.
"He…he said he misses you too," Harry said quietly.
McGonagall stiffened and stepped back, and for a second, Harry could see how much she missed her old friend.
"Yes, well," she said as she cleared her throat. "Now that we have that settled, would someone kindly explain to me why there is a dead snake bleeding on my floor?"
Neville and Harry looked at each other and grinned.
"This is…was, Voldemort's last Horcrux," Harry explained. "Neville just disposed of it."
Fred's eyes widened in shock. "I have never heard of a species of snake called a Horcrux. Looks more like a Basilisk," he joked. "Voldemort's you say?"
Harry nodded and grinned at his friend.
"Well done, mate," Fred said in awe.
Neville had the good grace to blush.
"Were there any problems with getting out of the Great Hall?" Harry asked. "I see you were successful in getting into the cage."
Fred smiled. "Piece of cake," he said with a snap of his fingers. "We just waited until one of those wankers slid out the door. We were a bit concerned when we saw Snape leave, didn't know where he would be off to, but he was back fairly quick. George is down there looking splendid as the Professor here, so we have a bit of time. That was quite a distraction you planned."
"Yes, well, it wasn't quite what I had in mind," Harry said.
"So how did you get Malfoy to go along with it? Hermione is quite upset, by the way," Fred said. "She didn't look to good when we left."
Harry felt a jolt go through his heart. She would expect the worst, since she saw the whole thing.
"I am so sorry, I'm coming for you," He thought, and gently pushed it towards her. Maybe it would help.
"It wasn't what I planned," he explained. "Snape had a hand in the whole thing."
"Snape?" Fred asked in surprise. "So he's on our side?"
"Apparently," Harry said. "Draco is just in it to save his arse."
"Yeah, that sounds about right," Fred snorted.
"Well," McGonagall said, "why don't I get those wards down, and we can go and meet your army. I think they have waited long enough."
She disappeared upstairs, and Harry disposed of Nagini's body. He then shrunk the head and carefully placed it in the velvet bag that was in his invisipouch. When he finished, he found Neville poking around the edge of the room.
"What are you looking for?" Harry asked.
"My wand," Neville said, shamefaced. "I dropped it while I was fighting with Nagini. That's why I had to use the sword."
Harry laughed. "Some things never change."
He pulled out his wand and gave it a flick. "Accio Neville's wand," he thought.
The wand came shooting out from under the desk, and Harry caught it easily and passed it to Neville.
"Let's go, shall we?" McGonagall said as she came down.
"Albion, alert Lupin and the others," Harry said as the phoenix took flight.
The four of them hurried down the stairs, Harry in the lead. Now the time was upon him, he was eager to get this over with. He no longer had the fear of dying, and all he could think about was Hermione.
They quickly made it down to the landing above the Great Hall, where all was quiet. Harry could see two sentries standing guard outside of the doors to the Great Hall. Harry sent a quick "Stupify," spell at them and they toppled to the floor in a heap.
McGonagall looked at him in surprise.
"I'm impressed, Mr. Potter, I didn't know you could throw a spell that far."
"Neither did I," Harry said as he looked at his wand. It had felt so natural. He could almost hear Amoura laughing in his mind.
The small group quickly went down the stairs and opened the front door. Harry could feel the chill from the Dementors, and could see them circling the grounds. Several people Apparated close to the front of the school, and Harry could feel the difference in the air as the Dementors became aware of a new presence. Several of the Order shot their Patronis at the advancing Dementors, driving them back, while the rest made a run for the school.
"Hurry!" McGonagall called. ""The Dementors will not enter the school without a formal invitation,"
"Well, I'm not going to give them one," Harry said.
He was relieved to see Lupin and Tonks arrive along side Luna. After a quick greeting, Harry turned to the rest of the army.
"You will not attack unless you are attacked first. Our first priority is to get the students and the teachers out of the cages in and to safety. I will keep Voldemort occupied. Don't take any unnecessary risks. We are going to end this, but I want to do it with as few losses as possible."
He was ready. He turned and walked towards the doors of the Great Hall.
"Arrive in style, Harry, arrive in style," Fred said with a wink.
Harry took a deep breath and felt Amoura's power surge through him, her excitement giving him strength. He raised his arms, flicked his wand and said "Alohomora!'
The double doors slammed open with such force that the walls shook. Harry moved into the now silent hall with the rest of the Order following behind. As he approached the dais, a very surprised Voldemort slowly stood up, and Harry could see him trying to figure out if he was seeing an illusion or not.
He realized that he must have really shocked the mass of people in the room. No one had moved, except for Draco, who was pulling his mother away from Voldemort. Everyone was waiting for the expected exchange.
Harry spared a quick glance at his friends chained to the wall and he could see the relief and surprise on Ron and Ginny's face. From Hermione though, he saw nothing. She hadn't even lifted her head as the group arrived, and his heart lurched at the sight of her. With a flick of his wand, the chains disappeared and the three friends collapsed to the floor. He moved towards them.
"This can't be," he heard and stopped.
"Draco killed you, you were pronounced dead," Voldemort said as he flicked a glance first at Snape, and then Draco. "How is it possible that you still live?"
Harry didn't answer.
"New wand?" he asked after a moment as he nodded in Harry's direction. "Or did you just borrow one?"
In response, Harry swung his wand wide, and the click of the locks could be heard throughout the hall.
"Tell me, Harry, have you been dabbling in the dark arts?" Voldemort asked.
"I don't need to," Harry said. "I have something you will never understand."
He watched out of the corner of his eye as Ron and Ginny slowly crawled to Hermione's side.
"What? Love?
I.
DON'T
NEED
IT!" he spat and whirled to face Draco. "Crucio!"
Draco fell against his mother with a cry of pain.
"NO!" Narcissa cried as she held him, her body shaking from the affects of the spell. "Stop! Please! I beg of you!"
"He needs to be punished, Narcissa, for lying, and I am not too sure yet what your involvement is." Voldemort said calmly, and to Harry, the look in his eyes reminded him of someone on the verge of losing control.
Voldemort brought his wand up again. "Something a little more permanent, I think, as a reminder. "Sectumsempra!"
There was a blur of black, and Draco and Narcissa were thrown to the side. Snape gave a gasp of pain as he was slashed across the chest and up the neck. He collapsed on the floor, clutching the side of his throat.
Voldemort frowned. "I should have known," he said as he stood over the potions master. "You never truly gave yourself to me and my cause. You deserve to die at my feet like the slime that you are."
Voldemort turned his back on him, walking away and leaving him to die. He stopped beside the table, and picked up the cup of tea that remained there, sipping it as he watched the man on the floor gasp for breath.
Harry was torn. He needed to get to Hermione, but he knew he could save Snape, the man he had hated for years. He looked over at Ron and Hermione one last time before moving to kneel beside Snape, who was gasping for breath as his life drained out of him. Snape looked at Harry in surprise as his hand was pulled away from his neck. Harry traced his wand over the deep wound, muttering the singsong counter spell that he suddenly seemed to know. He watched in amazement as the flow of blood seemed to slow and the skin around the wound began to knit.
As Harry stood and backed up, he caught Snape's eye and the look Snape gave him caused him to smile slightly. His teacher was both grateful and annoyed that Harry had just saved his life.
Voldemort hadn't move from his spot, except to hold up his hand to stop the Death Eaters from attacking. Harry could see a slight hint of curiosity under the anger on his face. If he could keep him unbalanced, he might be able to catch him with his guard down.
"You know, Tom," he said. "If you keep trying to kill your minions, there won't be anyone left."
One slanted eye twitched, and he threw the cup he was holding. It shattered, causing some of the nearby Death Eaters to flinch, but they did not move from their spots.
"You insolent little whelp," Voldemort growled as he raised his wand.
"Oh, you can't try to kill me yet," Harry said. "At least not until I have leveled the playing field. I have some presents for you."
`Where did all of this confidence come from?' Voldemort thought, his movement stopping in mid-cast as curiosity took hold of him.
Harry reached into his invisipouch and pulled out the items he had been saving. He enlarged them, and one by one tossed them at Voldemort's feet. Harry glanced around the hall; it looked like the two sides were ready to pounce. He wondered why Voldemort hadn't given the signal to attack. He heard Voldemort chuckle and he turned to see him holding the cracked goblet.
"You were trying to rob me of my immortality? Was that Dumbledore's idea? The old fool," he laughed. "You have so much to learn, it's a pity you won't be around long enough."
"Don't be too sure," Harry said and he threw the snakehead at the Dark Lord's feet. He saw a flash of anger cross Voldemort's face.
"My beloved pet," he said, his voice cracking. He reached down and gently picked up the snakehead, cradling it to his chest.
"You have taken away something very dear to me," he said angrily as he gently laid the head back down.
Harry braced himself for an attack.
"Do you think I would be foolish enough to rely on one method? I knew that separating my soul was risky. It's why I learned how to use other people's souls for my own benefit, and its why I have this pendant," he said as he held the necklace up. "And once I receive the ability to move my soul to another body. I will create my own heir, and once the body is old enough, I will take over. I will never die. So you see Harry, I am quite invincible, and you are about to die."
"I don't think so," Harry said. "Finite Incantatem."
The necklace reverted back to its original book form in Voldemort's hand, and for one split second, Harry saw fear in Voldemort's eyes, before they burned in fury.
"Avada Kedevra!" Voldemort screamed, pointing his wand at Harry, at the same time Harry dove to the side. The spell blew a chunk out of the wall as Harry rolled and came to his feet again.
All hell broke loose. A roar went up as the Death Eaters attacked and the members of the Order responded in kind. Voldemort turned and pointed his wand at the ceiling about Ron, Hermione and Ginny.
"Everto!"
Harry gasped as the ceiling crumbled and began to fall towards them.
"Protego!" he called as he sprinted to their side, casting a bubble of protection around them.
He could feel the weight of the rocks and mortar as it bounced against the shield and around them, but his eyes were fixed on the brown ones now looking at him. The avalanche of rocks stopped, and Harry let the spell drop. Without a word, he helped Hermione to her feet. She gingerly reached out to touch his face to see if he was truly alive.
"I must be dreaming," she whispered. "Either that, or I died. I heard you say that you were coming to get me."
Harry smiled and leaned in to kiss her.
This was what it was all about. He held her tightly as he deepened the kiss, assuring her that he was really there, letting the magical current run through him and over to her. It didn't matter that there was a battle going on around them, right now all that mattered was showing Hermione how much he loved her. He could almost see Amoura watching with a content smile on her face, and he gently pushed her away. He wanted this moment for just him and Hermione,
"I love you," he whispered to her in between quick kisses. "I can't believe I almost lost you."
"I thought I lost you forever," Hermione said brokenly. The pain was still too raw. "I can't live without you. Don't you ever do that to me again."
"Yes, ma'am," Harry said, as he leaned in to kiss her again.
"Uh, Harry?"
There was a tap on his shoulder.
"I hate to cut this short, mate, but we have a problem," Ron said.
Harry turned in time to see Voldemort escaping out of the Great Hall. He looked back at Hermione, and could see the fire in her eyes again.
"Fine, let's go," she said as she stepped back, brushing the dust off her clothes and standing up straighter. "But we are far from finished, Mr. Potter."
Harry grinned at her, wondering what that future conversation would be about.
Any idea as to where your wands are?" Harry asked.
"Bellatrix has them," Ron said.
Harry could see him hiding a smirk that said he was dying to tell Harry how whipped he was. He scowled at him, before turning away.
They scanned the battle from behind the pile of rubble.
"There," Ron said, pointing to a small skirmish near the now empty cages.
Harry cursed under his breath. He didn't want Voldemort to get away. It had to end tonight. He suddenly got an idea. He pointed his wand straight through the hole in the roof.
"Tribuo mihi vicis pugno," Harry could feel the ward dropping back over the school.
What was that?" Ron asked.
"Turning the tables and giving me time to fight," Harry said.
With the new ward in place, Voldemort wouldn't be able to go anywhere in a hurry.
"Ginny, Ron, head around to the right, Neville's there. Let him know what's going on. Hermione," he held out his hand. Hermione intertwined her fingers in his and Harry felt strengthened by the warmth of her hand in his. He lifted it to kiss her knuckles. "I need you with me," he said quietly.
Hermione smiled at him, as an understanding flashed between them.
"There isn't anywhere else I would rather be," she said.
The four friends separated, and Harry led Hermione around the outside of the battle. He dropped a few unsuspecting Death Eaters as he went, and tried to help out where he could. He heard Hagrid roar and saw several bodies go flying. He was glad that the normally gentle giant was on their side. A large explosion sounded from outside, and Harry could feel the castle shudder. The cry of voices and the sounds of spells could be heard from all around him, and for a brief moment, he feared for all of their lives.
Bellatrix, her wild hair flying, cackled with laughter as she shot another spell at the group hiding behind tables in the corner. Harry could see a bag hanging from her waist, and figured that's where the wands were.
"Accio bag," he said, and as the bag detached itself, Harry flicked his wand again. "Retournez propera," he said, and the bag opened and several wands made their way back to their original owners.
As soon as Bellatrix felt the bag being removed, she spun to see who was challenging her.
"Expelliarmus!' he cried.
Bellatrix dove to the side, and the spell hit Rudolphus, sending him flying back into the wall. There was a crunch, and he slid down the wall, coming to rest with his head at a funny angle.
"NOOOO!" Bellatrix screamed as she ran to his side.
Harry grabbed Hermione, and they turned to the doors into the front hallway. They had only made it a few steps when Harry felt a sharp pain on the back of his leg. He went down, and grabbed his calf. It was covered with blood. He looked up to see a very crazed looking Bellatrix stalking towards them.
"YOU WILL PAY FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE!" she screamed as she raised her wand again.
Hermione stepped in front of Harry as he tried to get up, her wand raised.
"EXPELLIARMUS!" Neville hollered, and Bellatrix went crashing into the tables before collapsing on the ground, her wand flying off towards the back of the room.
"That felt rather satisfying," he said as he came up to Harry and Hermione.
"Thanks, Neville," Harry said as he leaned on Hermione.
"How bad is it?" she asked, trying to get a look.
Harry shook his head. "It's okay," he said evasively.
His leg felt like it was on fire, but he couldn't focus enough to heal it. He tried to send out a call to Amoura, but she seemed to be preoccupied by the fighting. It was almost like having a distracted, excited child running around in his head. He was having a hard time trying to stay focused on `being Harry' and not letting her take over completely.
"You'd better go," Ron said as he came forward. "We'll cover you."
"Thanks," Harry said as he turned towards the door.
He took one step and stopped, as he realized what Ron was doing.
"Ron!" he called, turning back.
Ron came back, a worried look on his face.
"I just wanted to say… you know, thanks."
"What for?" Ron asked.
"For being the best friend a mate could have," Harry said.
Ron had the good grace to blush. "You can tell me more about it over a drink when this is all done," he said as he slapped his friend on the shoulder. "Now go, before my attempt at heroics is shot."
"Come on," Harry said to Hermione as he limped towards the door, attempting to ignore the pain. "We've got an evil wizard to catch."
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