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Pierced by DarthMittens
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Pierced

DarthMittens

A/N: Sooo, this is the last time I attempt anything that isn't completely planned out beforehand. I'm having too much trouble making the plot flow as smoothly as I wanted to. I was reading over the first eleven chapters and found it much too jumpy and choppy.

Oh well, please enjoy!

Chapter 12 - Pierced By Magic

Hermione collapsed on the bed in her and Harry's bedroom, sighing as she sank into the soft mattress. It helped that Harry's scent still lingered on the sheets and comforter. She felt her heart warm up and a smile spread on her face as she hugged his pillow. It felt so good to be in love.

A small shock jolted Hermione at the moment she hugged Harry's pillow, making her eyes widen as she scrambled out of the bed. The feeling that had just hit her could only mean one thing - her ward had been tripped. She had set up a ward around the bedroom that notified her if anyone but Harry passed through it.

Does this mean…does this mean Harry's dead? she thought as dread gripped her heart.

Then she blinked, amazed at her lapse of memory as she felt the bond between them as strong as ever. She had forgotten that they were connected like that. If Harry had died, she surely would've felt it.

Hermione took a deep breath, drew her wand out of her pocket, and faced the door, ready for the intruders. What did they think? That she was helpless because she was a human? She wasn't stupid. Ever since being kidnapped she had been working on ways to ensure that nothing of the sort ever happened again. She was Hermione Granger, not some brainless, helpless ditz.

She began recanting long, ancient spells under her breath as the intruders attempted to break down the door, the magically-reinforced wood groaning as it was slammed from the outside. Hermione smiled as power surged through her at the completion of her spells at the exact moment the door blew apart, allowing the intruders in.

She was ready.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

Harry literally flew through the hallways, springing from wall to wall almost too quickly for his reflexes to keep up. He knew her surprise could only mean one thing: there were people attempting to kidnap her again.

Harry's mouth tightened as he kicked up his speed a notch. Dracula…

As he flew through the halls, he blew past a guard so quickly that the unsuspecting vampire was blown off his feet. Harry came crashing through the throne room doors and skidded the length of the fifty-foot hall to the bedroom, his eyes widening as he came to a stop in the doorway.

There were three vampires clad in black just like the three that Harry had just killed in the arena, and they were all lunging straight at Hermione with swords drawn. Hermione's eyes met Harry's, she smiled, then, just as she was about to be sliced into tiny pieces, she…she disappeared…

Harry blinked as his eyes scanned the room for her, amazement making his jaw drop as he found his mate standing calmly on the ceiling upside-down, her hair dangling below her and a bored look on her face. The vampires looked at each other in confusion before they darted for her again just as Hermione sliced her wand through the air at them.

A giant wave of white-hot liquid fire that made Harry shield his body from a good twenty feet away erupted from the tip in a wide arc, exploding towards the three vampires, who managed to Shadowalk to safety at the last moment while the fire slammed against the stone floor, instantly melting a good portion of it.

So these vampires weren't pushovers, either. They were the real thing if they could Shadowalk…

Hermione stood motionless at the foot of the bed, pointing her wand at the ground as the vampires sprang at her again, swords drawn above their heads to deal massive, devastating blows. Harry felt strong magic pulse through Hermione just before the vampires reached her, an invisible force-field blocking their attacks and throwing them off-balance.

Hermione spread her legs and held her arms out wide, Harry's eyes widening as her feet slowly lifted off the ground a few inches, where she stopped and levitated. When she opened her eyes they were pure gold-pupils, whites, everything-as was the aura radiating from her, forcing Harry to shade his eyes right as the force-field exploded in sharp shards of speeding light, instantly tearing two of the vampires to shreds while the third was saved by the bed.

The third vampire, blinded despite having been shielded, picked up his sword and streaked at Hermione's back silently. Harry drew his katana and tensed to lunge, but stopped when Hermione suddenly whirled around and sliced her wand upwards through the air in front of her. It was as though an invisible laser was being fired from the end of her wand - everything it pointed at, from the floor, to the vampire, to the wall, to the ceiling, was sliced cleanly. The two halves of the vampire fell lifelessly to the floor, blood, brain, and innards spilling out onto the stone.

Hermione's feet alighted on the ground again and she looked at Harry with her normal, loving, chocolate-brown eyes, which promptly rolled up into her head, her body losing all of its strength as she began to fall. Harry Shadowalked behind her and caught her, making sure to stay out of the sunlight being let in through the crack caused by Hermione's last spell. He stayed still for a moment as he hugged her unconscious body close to him, relishing in the feel of her warm, alive body.

He had come that close to losing her.

He was lucky she had put in the effort towards making herself stronger, really. He would have been too late to save her.

He gently set Hermione on the bed and sat next to her, his head cradled in his hands. He was shaking - shaking from a mixture of fear and relief. She was alive…

But what had happened exactly?

Those golden eyes…

Harry glanced up, his brain working a mile a minute as he took in the sliver of a crack in the walls and ceiling. It was only a sliver, yeah, but the point was that she had cut clean through it with a single slash of her wand. He glanced at the scattered body parts, guts, and blood, amazement still coursing through him. She didn't defeat these vampires; she massacred them. They hadn't even come close to touching her…

When had she become so powerful? And what was up with the golden eyes?

Harry glanced at his mate and gently touched her cheek, deciding that all that really mattered was that she was safe. He frowned, though, as he lay down next to her.

While she may have been safe, she wasn't completely fine. Whatever combination of spells she had used, it seemed to have completely drained her of her magic. It wasn't really a long term solution to her lack of strength, since if she was ever up against two or three times that amount (not that Harry expected or planned to let that happen) she wouldn't have enough magic to sustain that state long enough to kill them all.

He wrapped his arm around her a little tighter and turned his face into her hair, giving it a gentle kiss. He would just have to protect her better than he was now and she would never have to use such spells again. Especially since tonight was the night Harry was going to mount his offensive against Voldemort…

Despite that knowledge and with Hermione in his arms and a smile on his face, Harry fell asleep.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

Harry stood on top of the crenellated wall of the caste wall, above the closed door, with his arms folded in front of his chest as he looked down at every last vampire that inhabited the castle. Hermione was standing just a couple of feet behind him.

"This is it, Hermione," he whispered. "If you want to become a vampire before the final battle, this is your last chance."

There was silence for a few seconds, leaving Harry's head to fall. "Harry…" she said quietly.

After another few seconds of nothingness, he slowly turned his head and smiled at her. She smiled back a little sadly, Harry's own smile faltering just a bit as he saw the golden flecks in her eyes. That magic had affected her more than either of them had originally thought. They hadn't talked about it yet, both of them deciding it wasn't the right time for the subject to be breached. "It's alright, Hermione," he said. "You'll have plenty of time after the war is over."

Her smile grew happier, instilling confidence in Harry as he looked back over Britain's vampire population. Men, women, children, all of them were gathered below, most with weapons and a few without. They'd all be fighting…

"Everybody," he said, using his vampire magic to push his voice out so everyone could hear him. "I understand you're a little shaken up by the attack by Dracula," he said. "Even if he didn't personally attack the castle, it is understandable that you'd be worried that he has his eyes on us. I assure you that nothing will come of Dracula being around." Harry tried to look as many people in the eye as he could to convey his sincerity and assuage their fears. "But that's enough of that. Tonight, we descend into battle. It will not be easy, it will not be fun…but it is necessary. He who threatens our domain must be slaughtered regardless of the army he has behind him! You all are not fighting for my sake, or on my command - you are fighting because you want to defend your home! I can assure you that not all of us are coming back alive…so if you must fall, at least make sure to take as many down with you as you can," he said with a grin as the vampires began cheering. "Tonight is the night that you all let loose! Heads will roll and the blood will flow like wine! Rip, shred, tear, and kill anything that isn't a vampire!" Dark magic began collecting around the crowd as their bloodlust began rising. "Will the seal-bearers please step forward?" A group of ten vampires walked to the front of the cheering crowd. "Protect these men with your lives until they complete their task! Split up and choose one to protect!"

The doors opened and the vampires darted out, heading in the direction of where Harry felt Voldemort to be. Harry watched them go, smiling and lightly squeezing Hermione's hand as she slipped it into his.

"You ready?" he asked without looking at her.

She kissed him on the cheek and apparated them a couple miles from Voldemort's location, using Harry's lock on him as a guide.

It would be a little while before the rest of the clan showed up, so Harry stood up and crossed his arms, still facing away from Hermione as a troubling thought occurred to him. "No matter what I say, you're going to battle no matter what, aren't you?" Silence. "What was that power you used?" he whispered, not needing an answer for his previous question.

"An ancient body augmentation spell," Hermione replied.

"Why did your eyes turn gold?" Harry pressed on.

"While much more powerful, ancient magic isn't quite as…stable, as ancient magic," she said.

Harry finally turned around to face her, an eyebrow arched. "You mean it's not as safe," he said. "Don't try to pull the wool over my eyes, Hermione."

Hermione sighed and rested her hand on his shoulder. "I'll be fine, Harry…all right?"

Harry stared her in the eyes for a long time, a myriad of emotions waging war inside of them. One finally managed to win out over the rest. "All right," he replied softly, a smile of defeat pulling at his lips.

Harry could feel the rest of the vampires a couple miles out, so he grabbed Hermione and pulled her in for a kiss; their last one before they would go into battle. Hermione melted into him, her nails digging into his biceps so hard that he actually felt pain. As she broke off, Harry saw that the beginnings of tears were beginning to form in her eyes.

He gently wiped them off her smooth skin, leaving his hand on her warm cheek afterwards. "And I promise that I'll be fine, too," he said.

"You better live up to that," she said.

"Have I ever broken a promise?" he asked teasingly.

She swallowed. "There's always a first time for everything," she whispered sadly.

"There's no way it's going to happen with something so important, all right?" he said, trying to calm her as best he knew how. "I'm the almighty vampire master, remember?"

"No," Hermione replied. "You're Harry Potter. The man I love."

Harry smiled at her one last time before turning to spot Katerina and Jean-Claude leading the pack. Harry grabbed Hermione and settled her on his back before turning back around and leading them to Voldemort's headquarters, which came into sight after a few minutes, when they topped a hill of a grassy plain and saw a large manor ahead.

"Dead ahead!" Harry shouted over his shoulder. Turning his head to shout over was a big mistake, though.

A massive pillar shot out of the ground and slammed into his stomach, sending Hermione flying off his back. When the pillar stopped, Harry was thrown up a bit before he Shadowalked to the ground, trying to spot Hermione. It proved to be impossible, though, when he saw that the battle had completely erupted around him.

Weapons were clashing against one another as cries and yells rang out, and blood, limbs, and other various body parts flew through the air. The creatures they were up against consisted of all sorts of creatures: wizards, witches, werewolves, acromantulas, trolls, dementors, and inferi, to name the few that Harry recognized. There was no way he was going to find Hermione in all of this…

Then he stopped as it clicked. He focused his mind, trying to grasp the connection with Hermione…there! She was about three hundred feet west from him and from the feel of the link, she was fighting hard.

Harry grinned, unsheathed his katana, and began walking in her direction. He ducked a swing of an axe and decapitated the attacker without looking. Enemies, feeling his power, began swarming around him. He closed his eyes, tensed up, and released a wave of vampire magic, knocking the attackers flat on their backs. Now wasn't the time to be fooling around with these people…

He made a mad dash towards Hermione, cutting down any enemy on the way before they even knew he was there. Finally, he found her battling off a couple werewolves, wispy silver smoke coming from the tip of her wand. Harry grinned as the werewolves' flesh began melting off their bones, their howls of agony piercing through the cacophony of the battle.

Hermione met his eyes and nodded, assuring him that she was alright. Harry nodded back and used his magic to levitate about a hundred feet straight up, making sure to keep Hermione in his line of sight. What he saw when he got up there was a little disheartening. While his vampires had managed to take down more than they had lost, they were still going down quicker than they Harry had anticipated.

He had hoped to save most of his magic for the impending fight with Voldemort, but it looked like he was going to have to take part in the fight against his minions, too.

He closed his eyes in concentration, focusing solely on the power running through his body. He held out his hands towards the heavens, demanding power as the battle raged on below him. Slowly but surely, he felt pure, raw power begin to accumulate between his palms. It started off as a tiny ball of what seemed to be dark gas, then began growing as sweat began to bead on his forehead.

More, more, more, more, more!

He grunted as his muscles began straining, the ball of power expanding rapidly above him. He let out a loud scream as it began to expand even further, swirling with such ferocity that the magic was pulling at Harry's clothes. It made a thunderous sound as it sucked in everything around it, threatening to topple a few of the tall trees around it.

Harry strained to hold the magic up as he looked down at the battle, surveying where it would be the most effective. Considering the bulk of Voldemort's forces hadn't even joined the battle yet, it wasn't that hard of a decision.

Harry picked the middle of the army.

He gathered his strength and let out a loud cry as he hurled the massive collection of energy at the petrified. It streaked through the air, making Harry brace himself in midair as the turbulence threatened to pull him into its slipstream.

The magic slammed into the ground, crushing and tearing all the soldiers beneath it a split-second before it exploded. Harry was blown back as a massive shockwave of magic exploded from the impact point, instantly vaporizing the nearby troops. Then the sound of the explosion tore through the ranks, making Harry brace again as he found his footing. The wind and sound tore at him, threatening to tear him apart as trees desperately clung to the ground with their roots and soldiers dug their feet into the ground to stay upright.

After the dust had cleared, a good quarter of Voldemort's forces had been wiped out. Harry smiled, then coughed up a bit of blood before his magical platform faltered and disappeared, his strength completely sapped. He fell, unable to move (or even do anything) as the ground rushed up to meet him).

"Aresto Momentum!" Harry heard Hermione cry.

His movement slowed to almost a complete stop as he touched down on the ground, his vision blurry.

A shape entered his line of sight, and it took him a minute to identify it as Hermione head. "Hermione?" he croaked.

"You idiot," she said quietly, leaning down and placing her neck in his mouth. She grunted as Harry bit and began feeding. "Don't use so much magical power at once."

But we're losing, Harry said mentally.

"None of that really matters, Harry," Hermione replied. "All that matters is that you defeat Voldemort. If you do that, we win. You can't defeat him if you have zero strength, though."

Harry remained silent, knowing she was right but too stubborn to admit so.

"Fine," he said as he detached his mouth and wiped the blood off his chin with his arm.

"Plus, neither Jean-Claude nor Katerina have joined the battle yet," Hermione continued.

"They haven't?" Harry asked, confused.

"Katerina's still commanding the troops and Jean-Claude is assisting the seal-bearers," she said.

"How many seals are in place?" Harry inquired.

"Only four," Hermione answered.

Harry nodded and glanced at the sky. "They still have a good five hours, so I'll leave it up to them to figure out how to get their job done." He grinned at Hermione. "Let's get back in the battle."

Hermione gave him an 'are-you-serious?' look. "Harry, let's just go right into the manor and kill Voldemort," she said.

Harry was a little disappointed, but grabbed Hermione's hand and allowed her to apparate them to just inside the manor's inner gate. Harry noticed that the letters 'MM' were engraved in the gate.

"Malfoy Manor," Hermione said softly, voicing Harry's theory.

They met each other's eyes. "Let's go," they said in unison.

Then everything went into slow-motion as Hermione's eyes widened and she cringed before her hand was ripped from Harry's and she was slammed into the gate behind her, sliding down it unconscious. Harry immediately turned to see Dracula standing just outside of the front doors, sneering, his palm held out towards Harry's mate.

"You," Harry spat, hoping Hermione wasn't dead. He felt the warm feeling of relief seep through his body when he felt their bond in his head.

Dracula calmly walked down the front steps of the manor and came to a stop about twenty feet in front of Harry. "Yes, me," he said simply.

"Why?" Harry growled. "Even if we don't agree with each other, we're still both vampires. Yet you side with the human?"

Dracula's eyes began glowing a faint red. "I don't care what species a being is. I will side with whichever side produces the most carnage, blood, and hate. I side only with evil."

Harry felt a surge of power flow through his veins. "Evil," he said.

"So the fledgling can hear," Dracula said in pretend amazement, taking up a fighting stance. "You better hope you can fight just as well."

Harry dug his feet into the ground and cleared his mind. "Don't worry, I can," he said as his katana lightly scraped against its sheathe.

Harry bolted at Dracula so fast that the ground broke where he pushed off of. The ancient vampire smirked, took a relaxed stance, and held up a finger to block Harry as he had earlier. "Tch. And to think I had believed you might have learned your lesson."

Dracula's eyes widened as the blade sliced cleanly through the skin, muscle, and bone in his finger, chopping it off, while the tip of the blade carved a line diagonally across his chest. "Impossible," he said, calling his finger to himself magically and attaching it as his chest wound simultaneously healed. Then he narrowed his eyes at Harry. "You fused…"

Harry said nothing as he felt Hermione behind him. He would kill this bastard no matter what…

Harry let out a shout as he charged, forcing Dracula to dodge as he took wild swings with his sword. They grew increasingly faster, the speed of the blade eventually building to the point that Harry could barely see it with his own eyes. How Dracula was managing to dodge every single blow was a mystery to him.

Harry growled and took a ferocious swipe at Dracula's head, only for the ancient vampire to slide back a few feet and make a slicing motion with his hand. Vampire magic burst from his hand, slamming into Harry's chest and sending him flying. He formed a clump of magic below his feet and used it as a springboard, collecting a bit of his magic around his katana.

Dracula pointed his hand at one of the supports of stone archway between them, then sent the column flying straight at Harry, who sliced cleanly through it. Dracula just barely managed to form a blade from magic just as Harry reached him, the elder vampire using his creation to block what would have surely been a fatal blow.

Harry eyed Dracula's sword and smirked. "So you managed to copy me, eh?" he said, looking at his opponent's identical katana.

"Don't get cocky just because you managed to cut me," said Dracula, pointing the tip of his sword at Harry's face. "You're about to taste what it feels like when I get serious."

Harry snarled and rushed at Dracula again. Dracula held out his hand and shot a beam of magic at Harry, who just barely managed to dodge by ducking. He swung at Dracula…only for the sword to pass through nothing. He was kicked hard from behind, grunting as the foot sent him flying into the stone wall of the manor, which cracked from the impact.

He rubbed his back as he stood up, looking back at Dracula to find that he wasn't there anymore. The tiniest flash of panic surged through him before he whirled and cut at the vampire that had managed to Shadowalk behind him. The sword passed through the image, which was just that: an image.

He whirled back around only to find Dracula's fist shooting straight for his stomach, sinister vampire magic gathered around and augmenting the power of the ancient vampire's fist. Harry went flying a good forty feet when he was hit, unable to move as he slammed into the gate that Hermione was propped up against.

He got up a little shakily, yelled, and charged, Shadowalking to the left of Dracula and taking a swing at him. Dracula easily blocked Harry's katana with his own, then used a surge of magic to slam Harry into the ground so hard that the younger vampire swore at least half of his bones broke. They knitted back together easily, and Harry used the slowly-clearing dust cloud caused by Dracula's last blow to take a swing of his own at the older vampire.

Harry's sword once again passed through nothing.

"Over here," he heard an amused voice say from his right.

Harry yelled and slashed at the voice, only to contact nothing again. "This is pathetic, fledgling," Dracula said from the right.

Harry slashed at the voice again, which said, "I expected better from you,"

Harry couldn't tell where it was coming from even as he eyed the now visible grounds around him. Dracula was nowhere to be seen.

"Harry…" he heard from a weak voice. "Be…low…"

Harry had only one second to be confused at Hermione's hint before Dracula erupted out of the ground and impaled Harry on his blade. Harry grunted again, unable to move while the force of the air was being pressed down on him so hard. Finally Dracula stopped, allowing Harry to slide off the end of his sword. The older vampire Shadowalked behind him, slammed him down with two fists, Shadowalked underneath him and hit him back up, then Shadowalked far above him.

Harry, too weak and beat-up to move at this point, could do nothing but watch as Dracula pointed the tip of his katana at him. A small ball of magic similar to the incredibly large one Harry had thrown earlier collected at the tip, then with the utterance of a single word from Dracula, blasted away from the sword and slammed into Harry's stomach, threatening to tear through him.

It didn't quite manage that, though it did slam Harry into the ground so hard that the impact left him in the center of a ten-foot wide crater. Blood was leaking from his mouth and his body was screaming out in pain, his magic almost completely depleted. He couldn't move no matter how hard he tried, so was forced to watch as Dracula, not a scratch or speck of dirt on him, slowly levitated down until he was right above him.

"You really thought you could win?" he asked, amused. "You really thought you could beat me, Dracula? You thought that just because you managed to surprise me once, you could kill me?" He sneered at Harry, his eyes full of hate and contempt. Harry could do nothing but do his best to keep his eyes open. Everything hurt

"Luckily, it looks as though your foolish, unrealistic dreams will finally come to an end," he said. Then his face brightened. "Ah!" he said excitedly. "But first…first I want to see despair."

He grinned and Shadowalked to Hermione, whose eyes were open but unfocused. She was barely even awake. "Her…mio…ne…" he choked out, holding up a hand at her. He couldn't get to her…

Dracula walked up to the edge of the crater, grinning nastily at Harry. "Fledgling," he said, "please tell me how you feel when I kill your mate right before your eyes, especially when you know that it's completely and entirely your own fault. This is what you deserve for not listening to me sooner."

"Her…mione…" Harry said a little stronger this time, coughing up a bit of blood.

Dracula slowly drew out his katana and just as slowly brought it up above his head, letting go of Hermione and letting her fall on her knees. The look on his face was one that showed how insane he truly was.

He was really going to do it…

"Hermione…" Harry said just as the sword began streaking at her neck. What was this feeling that was rising in him?

She smiled at him, looking straight into his eyes with her warm, loving ones even though Harry was sure she could barely see at the moment. He heard her voice in his head.

I love you.

"Hermione!" he shouted, willing his body to move.

Next thing he knew, he was in between the sword and Hermione with his arms crossed in front of him in an X shape, a magical barrier that had formed in front of his arms blocking Dracula's blow. Hermione had fallen to the ground at Harry's feet. Harry was seeing nothing but red.

How dare Dracula try to kill her! How dare he try to take away his true love!

Dracula smirked at him. "So you still have the strength to stand, eh?"

Harry smirked right back, though his body was screaming in protest at him. "As…as long as Hermione is alive…I will always have the strength to defend her."

A little of the interest in Dracula's eyes died at Harry's words. "You're on death's door. What was the point of getting back up? I'm going to kill you and your mate either way."

Harry growled and felt more power than he had ever felt before surge through him , his teeth clenched as he let out a cry and swung at Dracula, who just barely managed to dodge.

"On death's door?" Harry asked maniacally as he swung his katana at Dracula over and over, faster and faster. Dracula, meanwhile, was taking slow steps back, sweat beginning to bead on his forehead as he blocked and parried Harry's blows.

"How has your power increased?" Dracula asked, his eyes wide. "You were completely drained not two minutes ago!"

Harry let out a shout and delivered a mighty overhand blow. Dracula just barely managed to block it, but a millisecond after he did, his blade shattered, allowing Harry's sword to slice deep into where Dracula's shoulder met his neck. He let out a cry of pain, and Harry said, "It's because I have something to fight for. My willpower will trump the power you put so much stock in."

Then Dracula grinned. Harry winced as the ancient vampire master formed a new blade and slammed it through Harry's stomach, the blood-stained sword exiting through his back.

Then Harry grinned. He grabbed Dracula's sword hand and slashed his katana straight down, slicing Dracula's arm off at the elbow. Harry let out a burst of magic, which slammed into Dracula and sent him flying into the wall of the manor.

Harry coughed up a bit of blood and grimaced as he grabbed the hilt of Dracula's sword and pulled the blade out of his stomach, the wound taking its time in closing. His knees threatened to give out and his vision was a bit blurred as he saw Dracula struggle to his feet.

It seemed that willpower alone could only get him so far. As Dracula staggered forward with his sword in hand and blood leaking from a gaping wound on his head, Harry stood still, conserving his energy. It would need to be decided with this next blow.

He could hear the battle raging on around him, his friends shouting and yelling as they cut down the enemy and were cut down by the enemy.

Friends…

There were hundreds of friends out there fighting for him. He may not have known many of them by name, but in his short tenure as the Master he had come to appreciate his fellow inhabitants of the castle. They were out there fighting in the name of freedom, attempting to stop a madman with wand. They didn't even need to be fighting, yet they fought anyway for the sake of humans even if they didn't know it. They fought for those humans who misunderstood and ostracized them.

They had lent them their power when he was fighting to save Hermione from the werewolves, and he hoped they could lend him their power one more time. He would need every drop of magical power he could get.

He felt the power build within himself as Dracula limped towards him, sword in hand. The reason he felt the power grow, he knew, was because he was willing to die. He would die to defeat Dracula and protect his friends. It was a shame he wouldn't be able to face and kill Voldemort, but he would leave it up to the rest of them to finish it.

He believed in them.

Dracula was only ten feet away now, so Harry began drawing his magical energy into the blade of his sword. He would finish Dracula right here and now.

His katana began to vibrate in his hand as the magic built in it, some of it leaking out just a tiny bit to form a midnight-purple haze around it.

Dracula was only five feet away now, a crazed look in his eyes. He was willing to kill Harry even if it took his life, too.

Harry felt Hermione behind him as Dracula began to enter the range of his blade. He loved her so much. He hoped she knew that…

He brought his sword back and let out a yell, Dracula doing the same.

He heard Hermione cry out, too, startling him, then the crack of apparation.

Hermione appeared in the air above Dracula, who looked up just in time to see her slashing her wand at him. Her eyes and body shone gold, making Harry cover his own eyes again. Dracula held up his arm to shield himself as best he could, but nothing happened as Hermione landed on the ground next to him, panting.

Dracula grinned, brought his sword up, and…and then he exploded.

Literally, he exploded into little bits, gore shooting out and covering Harry and Hermione. Harry grimaced as he felt the cold blood drench him, and when it was over he unshielded his eyes to find that where Dracula had been standing, there was now nothing.

Hermione had blown him up.

Hermione stood up, her eyes still shining, and pressed her wand against Harry's forehead. Harry, with no strength left to move, cringed as he expected the worst. Hermione said something in an ancient tongue Harry didn't recognize, then he felt warmth begin to pass through his body, making him relax as his eyebrows furrowed.

The warmth infused every centimeter of his body, his strength coming back to him as Hermione's incantations grew faster. This lasted for a few seconds before she slowed down to a stop and lowered her wand. Her eyes turned back to their normal, pretty brown, she smiled weakly, then she crumpled to the ground.

Harry caught her again, smiling down at her as her eyes focused on his and she smiled back at him. "One down, one to go," she said. "And this time you better keep your promise."

Harry let out a chuckle even as his eyes began to grow a bit wet. "I knew you'd see right through me."

"Of course I did," she said. "You've always been a martyr…even when you don't need to be."

She stood up weakly, her arm around Harry's neck for support. They turned to look at the manor together, their determination to see this through to the end together spurring them into motion.

As they stepped through the doorway, Harry felt a horrible wave of evil energy wash over him.

Voldemort…

A/N: I know I kinda just jumped into the final battle there, but I was fresh out of ideas…

And yes, that means this story is coming to an end, but I have a great one planned next!

Please don't forget to review!

'Til next time!