DISCLAIMER: Harry Potter is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. The Oz series was originally created by L. Frank Baum and is now owned by the International Wizard of Oz Club and Walt Disney Pictures Inc. while the classic 1939 film The Wizard of Oz was produced by Metro Golden Meyer though recently re-released by Warner Bros. Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
A/N Lets go guys! One more chapter to go! One more chapter to go! Now all I have to do is work my butt off to make sure the last chapter comes out within this week.
Chapter 14: Final Confrontation... for now
It was sheer pandemonium at the shrine up in the Gillikin Country. Curses flew back and forth as the Death Eaters and the Nomes battled the Hogwarts students, all members of Dumbledore's Army. The students had taken them completely by surprise and unprepared. Most of the Nomes were quickly finished off and were lying around unconscious and those few remained were being picked off. The Death Eaters had managed to regroup on the other side of the shrine and were now firing curses back at the Hogwarts students.
"Students! Students!" screeched Bellatrix Lestrange as a curse grazed her ear. "We're being bested by children again! I've had enough of this!"
'It looks like she hasn't realized we're the exact same students she faced in the Department of Mysteries yet,' thought Hermione. She thought another curse before ducking behind a small rock to avoid a particularly nasty curse.
On the other side of the rock, Ron was yelling, "Stupefy! Rictumsepra! Reducto! Impedimenta! Expelliarmus!" Ron was so intent on casting as many curses and jinxes he knew that he wasn't concentrating much on defending himself. As a result a stunner hit him.
"Ronald!" exclaimed Luna from a farther side of the field. She dashed toward Ron, dodging curses as she went by. She arrived next to Ron, just as Hermione took out one of the Death Eaters with a handy "Expelliarmus".
"Ronald, wake up," said Luna, shaking Ron a little. She pointed her wand at him and said, "Ennervate." Ron groggily woke up.
"Wow, I must've died and gone to Heaven," he groaned as he looked up at Luna. "I see an angel before me."
Luna smiled and said, "Well that just depends on what kind of angel you're talking about. Earthbound angel, celestial angel, fire-angel, piper-squeak angel, they all look quite different."
"You can make sweet eyes at each other later," snapped Hermione as she fired another curse. "Lets finish our job first!"
* * *
Back at the Emerald City, the duel between the Dark Lord and the Boy-who-lived was still raging on.
"You can't win, Potter," sneered Voldemort. "You maybe be growing more stronger with each passing year. But I am forever the more powerful. The more experienced. Comparing you to me is like comparing a kitten to the largest of tigers."
"Even a kitten has sharp claws, Voldemort," snapped Harry. They circled around each other brandishing their wands like swords. Voldemort fired a series of curses at Harry, all of which Harry deflected with a well-placed shield charm. Harry in return shot a disarmer at Voldemort, which the Dark Lord merely shrugged off.
"Insolent fool," said Voldemort with a laugh. "What did you possibly think you were doing when you attempted to deceive me? What difference is there if you were planning on eventually turning on me anyways? I would've killed you at a different time." He fired another curse, which Harry dodged by leaping out of the way. Harry in return fired two continuous jinxes, both of which had no effect on Voldemort.
"I'd like to see you try!" snapped Harry. He leapt forward using a little bit more stronger curse. Voldemort was forced to place a shield charm around himself to stop the curse.
"Reducto!" yelled Harry. The resulting explosion threw Voldemort's body across the chamber but he quickly leapt back to his feet, unharmed.
"Pity, pity," replied Voldmeort with a smirk. He pointed his wand at the ceiling. With a careful swish, he brought the ceiling's support beams crashing down onto Harry. Harry managed to keep himself from getting crushed by levitating the debris. But by the time he was clear of it, Voldemort was standing in front of him wand right in Harry's face.
The Dark Lord laughed triumphantly. "I have you now," he said. Then, not giving Harry any time to react, he shouted, "Avada Kedavra!"
* * *
Back at the shrine, things were heating up as the small battle continued on. Hermione was standing her ground against the few Death Eaters present as Ron and Luna covered her from behind one of the larger rocks.
"Get the mudblood! Get the mudblood!" screamed one of the Death Eaters as he fired random curses at Hermione. An irritated Hermione was about to shut up the Death Eater with a well place 'Silencio' when she remembered that that was how she had ended up getting wounded in the Department of Mysteries. Quick to learn from a mistake, Hermione silenced the Death Eater with a "Stupefy!" instead.
"Petrificus Totalus!" exclaimed a jubilant Luna as she petrified the last of the Nomes. "And that's it!"
"All right! We've won control of the shrine!" yelled Ron, bouncing giddily on the balls of his feet.
"Not yet," said Hermione rather somberly. "I don't see Bellatrix Lestrange anywhere." She looked around and finally noticed for the first time that one of their numbers was missing. "Where's Ginny?" she asked.
Luna suddenly paled. "I-I left her when I went to wake up Ronald," she said. "I hope she's OK." Unfortunately, the group realized that Ginny was not OK when they heard a shrill scream from the other side of the shrine.
"Ginny!" exclaimed the three of them. They raced over to the other side of the shrine only to see Ginny on her knees with Bellatrix Lestrange right behind her jabbing her wand into the back of Ginny's neck.
"Oh, pity, pity little kiddies," mocked Bellatrix with her sing-song voice. "It was such a good plan taking us by surprise but it all goes to say that you're all a bunch of babies after all." Ginny would've glared at Bellatrix if she could have.
Ron was about to rush Bellatrix when she snapped "One move and it will be curtains for your baby sister!" Ron stopped dead in his tracks. "Ok, now obey every command I give you or else."
"What do you want us to do?" asked Hermione as she glared at Bellatrix.
"Putting down your wands would be a start," suggested the Death Eater. Both Hermione and Luna placed their wands on the ground as Ron angrily threw his down. Bellatrix started speaking up again, "OK, now that that has been taken care of, I suggest that you all stay still while I tie all of you up. After that, I will be taking you to the Master himself who will... Draco? What are you doing here?"
The Hogwarts students looked up in surprise to see that Draco Malfoy had emerged from his hiding place and was making his way over toward Bellatrix and Ginny.
Draco's face was a mirror of confusion. "Why does the lady have Ginny on her knees?" he asked.
Bellatrix was equally as perplexed. "What are you talking about nephew? I am your aunt: you mother's sister. Don't you recognize me?" she demanded. "What are you doing with these blood traitors and mudblood? You should be at Hogwarts right now!"
Draco looked around once more dazedly. He suddenly seemed to have comprehended what was going on for his confused face suddenly twisted into anger. "How dare mean lady hurt Ginny!" he yelled. Before Bellatrix could comprehend what had happened, Draco had smashed his fist into her face, the force of which sent Bellatrix sprawling back, hitting her head on the rock that was the shrine. Her head must've hit the perfect spot for the rock suddenly cracked in half, breaking into two pieces as Bellatrix crumpled to the ground unconscious.
The Hogwarts students quickly got their wits about them as the magic bindings of the protection of Oz unraveled with the destruction of the shrine. "Bloody hell," exclaimed Ron. "Well I guess that's one way to take care of the job."
* * *
The flash of green light filled the throne room of the Emerald City as the Dark Lord's triumphant laughter echoed across the chamber. However, when the green light subsided, Voldemort was shocked to see that Harry Potter was still on his feet very much alive.
"What? How is this possible?" demanded the Dark Lord.
"Oh, thank God it worked," exclaimed Harry as he let out a breath of relief. "As for how this is possible, I would think that it's quite obvious." Harry nodded toward the throne. Voldemort looked at the throne to see that Ozma was no longer in her comatose state but was rather smiling triumphantly at him.
"You fell for my gambit Riddle," exclaimed Harry. "While its true that sitting Ozma on the throne would grant you access to all the powers of Oz, you seem to have forgotten that its also the key to the immortality of Oz, which I believe is the real reason why you invaded this land in the first place. So long as Ozma sits on the throne of the Emerald City, no one can be killed in Oz. Which means, " Harry made a small bow, "I am immune to Avada Kedavra."
"No!" exclaimed Voldemort. "No! No! NO!" Voldemort started firing more curses at Harry, but Harry merely dodged all of them. "I am the all-powerful Lord Voldemort! I cannot be defeated by a mere technicality such as this!"
"Oh you can boast all you like. Threaten, torture, maim," taunted Harry. "But tell me, Tom Riddle, just how far can you really go if you can't kill anyone? Where are your special powers now?"
"I will not be taken in like this!" yelled the Dark Lord. "I will emerge triumphant! I cannot be defeated!" Voldemort continued firing killing curses at Harry, all of which had no effect what so ever.
"You've already lost Riddle," snapped Harry.
"No, I cannot lose!"
Voldemort looked ready to defiantly continue the duel when there was a deep rumbling sound through the land. The Dark Lord looked around realizing that the rumbling was the result of the protection binds of Oz giving way.
"The shrine has been taken, way to go guys!" said Harry. "Well, there you have it Voldemort: the protections of Oz are down. Within seconds, members of the Order of the Phoenix will be apparating into Oz ready to fight until the bitter end. Just how willing are you to take them on if you don't have the ability to kill any of them?"
Voldemort glared at Harry saying nothing, then in the blink of an eye he disapparated, leaving Oz behind.
"Why did you let him escape?" asked Ozma.
"He can't be captured. No prison in Oz or on the Earth could hold Voldemort for more than a few hours," said Harry. "In the end he has to be destroyed because 'either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives'. But not here, not now: in the same way he can't kill me in Oz, I can't kill him in Oz either."
It was that moment when several pops sounded through the chamber and the room was quickly filled with five wizards: Dumbledore, Lupin, Moody, Tonks, and Shacklebolt. "All right, where's the action?" demanded Tonks. No sooner had she stepped forward when she tripped on one of the steps and fell flat on her face. She muttered incoherent curses as Lupin pulled her to her feet.
Dumbledore surveyed Harry and smiled. "Well, I see that this land had been left in good hands."
A/N Whew. That's another chapter down and just one more to go. You can all expect to see it within this week. The conclusion of this fic is coming very soon. That's a promise.