FicWad

Chapter Two: Downfall

September First had arrived, as Harry walked off the Hogwarts Express, for his seventh year of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a bit subdued because of the events of the previous year. Ginny, Hailey, Hermione followed him off the train, as Neville and Luna also joined them some time later, most likely because their were Aurors on the train who had hinted that it might be a good idea to travel in larger groups just in case something happened. Harry felt the urge to smack some students, who scoffed that they didn’t need the added precautions because of the lack of attacks. Harry speculated it was the calm before the storm.

“Look at how many people didn’t show up,” remarked Luna in a hushed voice as they looked around, indeed the Great Hall was only half full.

“After last year, most people wouldn’t want to send their children here,” replied Hermione somberly. “I can’t say that I don’t blame them but still, everyone spread out like this, it does leave us vulnerable.”

“Just how long do we have before he decides to run us all over,” added Neville in a hushed voice.

“Don’t know, the fact he’s done nothing since the massacre at Hogwarts is rather scary isn’t it?” asked Hailey.

“Yeah, it is, there’s no way to stop him if we don’t know exactly what he’s up to,” replied Neville with a nod. “It will be okay though, in the end, right Harry?”

“I hope it will,” said Harry as he jerked out of his thoughts, wondering how many more would die before he could stop Voldemort. Every possible lead for the Horcruxes over the summer had turned up to be nothing but a dead end.

“It will,” replied Ginny in a reassuring voice. “He can be stopped… “

They reached the Great Hall and waved each other good bye, as they parted ways to their separate house tables. Harry and Ginny sat down, a bit removed from the rest of the Slytherins, as they looked down the table.

“I shouldn’t have come to school this year,” replied Harry. “I should be out there, looking for the Horcruxes, an education doesn’t matter…”

“No Harry, if you’re not here, what hope does the rest of Hogwarts have?” asked Ginny and Harry did not have an answer. “Sure, some of us might be able to hold off an attack, but as the last attack proved, without your leadership skills, we’re running around in circles.”

“I won’t be here forever Ginny,” replied Harry grimly and Ginny shuddered, as she could not bear to live without Harry, he had brought so much happiness into her life, even after a rather dark time, after all that happened, with Bill currently clinging onto life, with Percy estranged from their family, with her mother in a state of depression because of the two other two things.

“I know, but in the mean time, you should stick around for at least another hundred years or so,” replied Ginny with a weak smile. “Still, even though Voldemort hasn’t done anything, you’ve got to admit there are some strange things going on.”

“You mean like the Dementors just disappearing from Azkaban,” said Harry with a frown. “Considering the fact that we know exactly what those things are, I find it a bit more disturbing that Voldemort may have them under his control, even if they are on a weakened form…”

“Do you think Voldemort has the Eye of Darkness?” asked Ginny and Harry just responded with a shrug, turning away as Professor Flitwick, the new deputy Headmaster, brought out the sorting hat, as the new Headmistress, Professor McGonagall sat down at the table, looking like she had not slept in weeks, and the looks on the faces of many of the teachers also indicated that. Lily had mentioned that they were trying to upgrade the Hogwarts defenses a bit for another attack but that was a long and tedious process, that they did not know how long it would take.

The Sorting Hat open the mouth on the brim and instead of springing into a song, it began to speak somberly.

“Normally I sing of the school, but now I bring a message of woe,” said the hat. “The events that have been prophesized some time ago are looming ever closer. The fate of the world hangs in the balance and today, the wheels of fate will begin to grind, setting into motion the events that may lead to the end of the world as we know it. A select few will have the power to stop this menace but will it be enough to save humanity? As for the sorting, it matters little, but I reluctantly offer myself one more time, perhaps one last time, to place the students where I feel they belong.”

Many of the students looked absolutely confused, as the sorting began but Harry and Ginny were among the few who had pieced together what the hat had said.

“The hat could be mistaken,” offered Ginny feebly.

“I hope it is,” agreed Harry. “But I’m going to be ready for anything today, even if I don’t quite believe in fate as much as many do.”

However, one thing Harry did believe in was the danger that Voldemort posed to everyone in the Wizarding World and indeed his life. Sooner or later, he would have to come face to face with Voldemort, whether or not the Horcruxes had been all located. Until the moment each and every Horcrux had been located, so Harry could unify the soul of Voldemort, he was still both extremely dangerous and immortal.

Chilling winds whipped through the sky right outside of the island that contained Azkaban. Even without the Dementors, it was still a rather creepy and foreboding place, as it would take many years for the effects of these horrid creatures to completely disappear. Thicknesse had assigned rookie Aurors to guard the island, stating that it would be an excellent tool to give them experience just in case of a situation arose. There was a bit of controversy but not all that much, as most of the Auror department wanted to steer clear of Azkaban, so it was a job for the rookies to deal with.

A young Auror in his early twenties patrolled the island, giving a shudder as winds whipped in the sky. Other than that, there was little noise. Until at least until the chilling water around the island bubbled and the Auror stepped over, as something was stirring in the water. He bent down and a cold, slimy hand, erupted out of the water, grabbing the Auror. The man gave a slightly scream, before he was pulled beneath the water, and disappeared, with blood bubbling up from the depths below.

“Peters!” yelled another Auror, who had rushed forward when he heard his fellow co-worker’s scream. “Are you out here, where are you, what’s going on?”

A loud thunderous sound echoed throughout the island and the Auror looked up, as walking through the water was a monstrous figure. Over twenty five feet of pure mass, a giant was approaching the island. The Auror froze up as the giant stepped onto the island before it raised its tree trunk like arms and growled menacingly, raising its fist which was the size of a Muggle van.

This giant was the worst of this young man’s worries as a figure calmly stood in the shadows, with nothing but slit red eyes were visible in the fog. The Auror decided to make a break for it, as fast as he could.

“Excellent strategy,” remarked Voldemort calmly as he stepped out of the shadows, before he looked up at the giant he had brought with him. “Smash open the front of the prison.”

The giant just responded by raising both of his fists in the air and slammed them down on the side of Azkaban. The front wall crumbled basically into dust, allowing Voldemort to casually step into the prison as a trio of Aurors looked petrified as Voldemort entered the prison.

“Step aside,” ordered Voldemort in his most chilling voice and one of the Aurors foolishly attempted to stun Voldemort. Naturally Voldemort casually deflected this assault and fired a dangerous looking curse towards the Auror who screamed as his skin slowly melted, before his bones burst into flames, turning slowly into ashes.

The other Aurors slumped into the wall in fear as Voldemort rounded on them, his eyes narrowed dangerously.

“Take me to the security control rune or you’ll suffer the same fate as he did,” ordered Voldemort softly and one of the Aurors stepped forward, before leading Voldemort down the hallway, right into a small room that had a large stone rune with a key etched into it.

“Right there,” replied the Auror in a shaky voice.

“Lord Voldemort thanks you,” hissed Voldemort as he watched the Auror step forward, in an attempt to quickly sound the alarm. “AVADA KEDAVRA!”

The Auror dropped to the ground, struck full force with the green light as Voldemort looked down, before he tapped the wand to his throat, to amplify his voice ten times beyond its normal volume.

“My followers, Lord Voldemort has come for you,” replied Voldemort softly. “And I offer an opportunity to all prisoners to submit themselves to me, to join our cause, in exchange for your freedom. In thirty seconds, I will shut off the security ward, causing the doors to your cells to vanish and allow you freedom, remaining open for a full sixty seconds. However, I must warn you that if you take this opportunity and attempt to betray me, the consequences will be most painful. Now, my followers and those who wish to join the cause, prepare to join me in the corridor in five, four, three, two, one.”

Voldemort trace his wand over the rune and a loud hissing sound was heard, as the doors sprang open and several prisoners, both Death Eaters and otherwise, left their cells and made their way down the hallway. Only a few prisoners refused to submit themselves to Voldemort’s cause and after the sixty seconds were up, Voldemort once again traced his wand over the ward, causing the cell doors to swing back shut again.

“To the outside of the prison,” ordered Voldemort swiftly as nearly a hundred prisoners followed Voldemort to the outside of the prison, where Voldemort’s giant henchman was waiting, holding what appeared to be a Muggle automobile in the palm of his hand.

Voldemort looked up at the giant, who bent his boulder like head down to look for his master.

“Place down the Portkey and return to the camp,” ordered Voldemort calmly and the giant nodded, before he placed the portkey down, as all of the prisoners crowded around it, before they all touched it. Seconds later, all of the prisoners vanished from the island, as Voldemort disapparated without a word.

At Gringotts, a group of goblin warriors were on the outside, being attacked by a rogue group of goblins, who had been joined by a group of Death Eaters. Ragnok walked over, dodging a sickly yellow blast of light, before he threw a spear at one of the attacking Death Eaters, impaling the wizard.

“Ragnok, the rogues have taken control of the wards of the bank, it won’t be long now before…” stated one of the goblins feebly before he got ripped in half, with blood to splatter everywhere.

“We’re fight to the last goblin, we won’t let these traitors allow him to take control of the bank!” yelled Ragnok. “We’re stronger, we’re goblins, we don’t need the help of…”

In mid speech, Ragnok was silenced when a jet of green light impacted him right in the chest. Ragnok dropped to the ground, one of the most prominent goblins at Gringotts was dead. The goblins looked on in shock, as they attempted to fight, but their morale was absolutely shattered and the Death Eaters fought inside, breaking up their attempts to retake control of the wards.

“Filthy creatures, you should have not fought the will of the Dark Lord,” grunted MacNair as the Death Eaters and the group of goblins sympathetic to Voldemort had walked forward, as the remaining defending goblins had decided to attempt to make a break for it, to perhaps fight another day. “You should have joined the others; this bank is under our hands now.”

“Let them leave, they might have put up a fight it’s over. We have the bank,” suggested one of the Voldemort supporters, turning to the Death Eaters, most of them who nodded in agreement, knowing that a few goblins weren’t going to matter much. The number of goblins who had decided to join the Dark Lord, under promises of more rights and the right to hold a wand, were much larger, as the Ministry had infringed on their rights one time too many. They had nothing to lose by trying out Voldemort and perhaps something to gain.

At the Ministry of Magic, Thicknesse stood at the entrance, as a group of Death Eaters approached, lead by Dolohov and Yaxley. Several Aurors made their way into the foyer, wands drawn but Thicknesse just turned to his Aurors with a calm expression on his face.

“It’s over, You-Know-Who has taken over, it’s foolish to fight,” replied Thicknesse in a calm voice as the group of Aurors looked astonished, but several of them stepped back, conceding their superiors orders but others held their wands facing off against the Death Eaters. “Listen, none of you make this any harder than it is, we must work together with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, to ensure that the deaths are fewer and further between.”

“How long have you been in his back pocket, Thicknesse?” asked the Auror called Dawlish but Dolohov stepped in front of the senior Auror, with a menacing glare on his face.

“You’d be served to listen to your superior, it’s over,” grunted Dolohov, as the Death Eaters pulled out the grisly remains of what was once Amelia Bones causing several Aurors to gasp. “Unless you wish to suffer the same fate that Madam Bones did, when she decided to go over Thicknesse’s head to give the unworthy Black a trial. “

“Indeed, it’s over now, the world is in the hands of the Dark Lord, Azkaban has fallen, Gringotts is ours, as is the entire Ministry of Magic,” added Yaxley. “Any heroes that wish to step up will suffer a similar fate and you now have a new leader, the Dark Lord will rule over all of Wizarding Britain. There will be no Minister, no Wizengamot, just the power of the Dark Lord and his first official act is an order to all the Aurors of the Ministry of Magic to help lay siege to Hogwarts, in our final step to take control. Only then will the purity of Wizarding Britain be established”

“It is done; the Ministry of Magic will place its support behind the Dark Lord in his plans for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,” confirmed Thicknesse. “Anyone who disagrees will be considered to be committing an act of treason.”

The Aurors had no choice but to agree with these orders, as Thicknesse was now the most powerful figure in the Ministry of Magic with the slaying of Madam Bones and he had the full support of one of the most powerful wizards, if not the most powerful, in all of Britain. The Ministry and all of Wizarding Britain was at the mercy of the most feared dark lord in the last century.

At Hogwarts, Harry and Ginny were about to make their way down to the chambers underneath the Slytherin library for the night but a frantic looking Tonks rushing towards them stopped them in their tracks.

“Harry, thankfully I just managed to catch you but all the Aurors inside Hogwarts have been contacted, we’re to surrender Hogwarts to the control of Voldemort within the next ten minutes or suffer the consequences,” said Tonks quickly. “This proclamation came straight from Thicknesse himself and…”

“The Ministry’s fallen to Voldemort,” interrupted Harry as he turned to Ginny, who looked about as horrified as he felt.

“Not exactly,” corrected Tonks and Harry’s eyebrow raised. “The Death Eaters walked into the Ministry and Thicknesse just handed over control of the Ministry without a fight. Madam Bones was murdered as well, she was just shown as an example to what happened to those who defied him.”

“She would have been the only one who might have been powerful enough to stir up a rebellion,” concluded Harry grimly. “The Aurors here can do what they feel is necessary, but we’re not letting Hogwarts fall into the hands of Voldemort.”

“The Aurors will do everything they can to help keep it out of his hands, we had a quick meeting and we decided to go against Thicknesse’s orders, even if it costs us all of our jobs,” said Tonks firmly.

Harry opened his mouth to give his thanks but at that moment, Lily also quickly walked down the corridor, looking even more frantic than Tonks did, and that was saying something.

“Bad news Harry and I know the word about the Ministry has gotten in, but there’s two other places that have fallen, Alexandra just contacted me,” replied Lily. “Over one hundred inmates have been broken out of Azkaban, giant involvement is suspected but that’s only the tip of the iceberg. A large group of rogue goblins have sold out Gringotts to the Death Eaters, some tried to fight but were massacred, and now Death Eaters have Diagon Alley under lockdown, with Gringotts as their main base of operations.”

“Fred, George,” muttered Ginny, as she worried about the safety of her twin brothers, who were not about to just sit back and let Death Eaters take over, if they could do anything to help. She already worried about her father at the Ministry, with Voldemort taking over.

Harry looked over at Ginny, wanting to say everything was going to be okay, but he just couldn’t bring himself to say it, because for once, Harry lacked the confidence to be self assured. After the attack on Hogwarts last year, Harry’s sense of security was shattered slightly and the fact he just barely saved his family from being brutally slaughtered at the hands of the Shredder did not help matters any way whatsoever.

“Time’s running short, Ginny, warn the others, get as many sixth and seventh years as are willing to come to help the Aurors stall Voldemort,” replied Harry. “Mum, could you please take the portable transmat to the Room of Requirement, so it’s ready in case we need to evacuate?”

“Of course Harry,” agreed Lily with a nod as she walked off to do what Harry had requested as Harry looked off into the distance, as Tonks also left to join the Aurors.

“What are you going to do Harry?” asked Ginny.

“If he comes here, someone’s going to have to fight him,” replied Harry calmly and Ginny opened her mouth to protest. “I’ve held him off before, I can beat him again, he might be magically stronger than me in some aspects, but in other aspects, he can’t touch me. I’ll be fine Ginny, really.”

“Just be careful and if you get hurt, don’t fight to the point where you can’t escape,” said Ginny, as she threw her arms around Harry’s neck and pressed her lips against Harry’s, who returned the kiss heartily, almost forgetting the fact that Voldemort was about to come to the school for a minute and Ginny broke. “Sorry Harry, with everything that goes on, I have you, I’d just fall apart…”

“I understand,” answered Harry. “Ginny, I have full confidence in your abilities, but at the same time, I can’t lose you, I feel the same thing, it doesn’t need to be said, but save yourself, I don’t want anyone else to die. Especially you, I love you and I would have given up a long time ago if you hadn’t been at my side, giving me whatever encouragement I needed.”

“I know, but I love you, but they’ll be plenty of time for us later, right now we’ve got a school to keep out of Voldemort’s hands,” said Ginny in a confident voice giving Harry one more final quick kiss as she walked off as quickly as she could, to gather up some help, having a pretty good idea who she could depend on, who was good enough to be of help during a fight.

Harry looked at the windows, waiting for the approaching army that no doubt would come to Hogwarts. Voldemort would have to lead this one personally and would no doubt try to break down the defenses, rather than sneak in like the attack last year. It would be one final show of great power, the power that only Voldemort could show.

Voldemort sat in Salazar Tower with a smug look on his face as the tower began to levitate a few feet above the ground, with a large chunk of power crystal place on the front of the tower. Approaching footsteps indicated the arrival of Bellatrix Lestrange.

“My Lord, the ground army is awaiting your orders, the group downstairs is ready to propel our fortress right through the Hogwarts wards,” remarked Bellatrix, as she held up her prosthetic replacement arm.

“Begin with the siege,” ordered Voldemort softly, and Bellatrix nodded, before she sent a flare down the stairs, indicating that the Dark Lord had given the signal.

Ginny walked down with a group of Aurors and students, including Hailey, Hermione, Neville, Luna, and Ron, who looked around wildly.

“We heard on the wireless in the Gryffindor common room, You-Know-Who’s taken over everything,” said Ron. “Gringotts, the Ministry, Azkaban, everything, and Harry’s saying that a small group of students, teachers and Aurors are going to stop him in his tracks.”

“No, I doubt that Harry’s planning to defeat Voldemort, he wants to rattle his forces, before we retreat,” replied Hermione as she turned to Ginny. “Right, Ginny?”

“Yeah, that sounds good, let’s go with that,” answered Ginny.

“It almost sounds like Harry does not have much of a plan to deal with a sudden invasion,” remarked Luna candidly. “He’s done well so far, but this has happened all so fast, so he’s making it up as he goes.”

“Well to be fair Voldemort does have the Ministry on his side now, along with all of those prisoners he broke out of Azkaban and the goblins, so his army is expanded infinitely,” said Hailey. “Harry might be good, but he’s working with a limited amount of resources on short notice.”

“Yes, even most of the Resistance group is spread out, I’m sure Harry could get them all here soon enough, but before Voldemort took over,” remarked Hermione skeptically. “I don’t know how feasible that would be, I’m sure…”

At that moment, large bolts of magic erupted from the lake as a large stone building soared through the sky, right at Hogwarts, nearly radiating with black magic.

“BLOODY HELL!” yelled Ron his eyes widened as the building flew right at Hogwarts, not stopping, as it appeared to slice towards every defensive ward that Hogwarts had up, only gaining more velocity as it approached the school.

“Students of Hogwarts, this is Professor McGonagall, as the Ministry of Magic has fallen to Lord Voldemort, and as a result, is assisting him to take control of the school,” declared McGonagall, her voice amplified throughout the entire school. “We are doing…”

“This is Lord Voldemort,” hissed Voldemort, cutting McGonagall off. “I recommend that all inside the school surrender themselves to the Dark Lord and I will forgive any past attempts to defy me. The wards are under my control and any who may be outside their Common Rooms may fight it impossible for anyone to get in, or get out through the designated exits. All exits are controlled and my forces on the ground are coming in, to round up any rebellion.”

All of the teachers, including the rest of the students and the Aurors made their way as Ginny pulled out her two way mirror to quickly contact Harry.

“Harry, he’s taken control of the school, now what do we do?” asked Ginny as Harry’s face appeared on the mirror.

“Once the ground army enters the gates, throw as many lethal spells as possible through the windows and then thirty seconds after that, get to the transmat,” said Harry and Ginny turned to the others.

“When they get through the gates, aim to kill and then go to the Room of Requirement, we have a way to get out that is not keyed into the school,” said Ginny as she relayed Harry’s message to all inside the school.

“What of the students?” asked Professor Sprout. “We can’t just leave them here.”

“We will stay as long as possible, to let the others escape,” ordered McGonagall calmly, but the look of her eyes saw that she was just as worried as the others were. “Perhaps a way can be found around whatever he did to the wards. It’s a long shot.”

“They’re coming through the gates right now,” shouted one of the students from the distance and everyone rushed through the windows, to prepare to fire. Several jets of multi colored spells flew right out the window, impacting the ground force from every direction possible, as several dropped down.

“To the Room of Requirement, now!” yelled Lily as their attack had caused some dissension in the ranks, as the rest of the teachers remained back, in an attempt to further stall the forces, my enchanting suits of armor to attack anyone who had came down the hallway.

Outside Hogwarts, Harry crept out of the shadows, as he looked up at Salazar Tower, a large chunk of Y’Liatian Power Crystal glowing a nearly blinding shade of blue light. Harry knew now that if he could take out the crystal, he could take control of Hogwarts. Quickly, he pulled out his Firebolt and mounted it, before he shot up like a cork, before he pulled out his blade. If he had attempted to bust it magically, it would just absorb the magic, this had to be done the Muggle way. Quickly Harry raised the sharp end of the blade but a hole materialized in the front of Salazar Tower and quickly, it created a vacuum effect in the tower, sucking Harry inside.

Harry spiraled down to the ground, from being drawn into the tower forcibly, the impact causing him to be dizzied. Slowly but surely, Harry pulled himself to his feet, just as he came face to face with Voldemort himself, who stood in the shadows with a calculating expression on his face.

“Welcome to my fortress Harry,” remarked Voldemort. “We meet again, but as you’ll find out shortly, it will be for the last time. I had assumed that you would attempt to destroy my power source but you should have been the one to assume that I would have a way to stop you in your tracks.”

“A rare lapse,” responded Harry coolly, before a Kusari-Gama whipped out of his sleeve, in an attempt to catch Voldemort off guard with a ninjitsu attack but Voldemort calmly reached forward, catching the chain, before he yanked Harry forward and caught him right in the chest with a palm thrust, magically enhanced. Harry’s chest stung like hell as Voldemort stood over him. “What the…”

“Those assassins you fought over the past year were the most skilled in their disciples and now I have all of their abilities, magically amplified ten fold!” hissed Voldemort as his right hand was now illuminated, nearly blinding Harry with the black glow, before Voldemort raised it up into the air and impacted Harry right in the face. A ringing erupted in Harry’s ears as he was sent backwards and crashed into the wall. Voldemort dragged Harry towards him magically, before he gripped Harry by the arm, viciously twisting it, before Harry flipped to the ground. “How does it feel Harry, to be beaten by your own Muggle tricks?”

“You might have the abilities, but you’ll never truly understand the discipline behind them,” responded Harry as he quickly flung a set of six shuriken at Voldemort who caught them all before he flung them right back at Harry at the speed of light. Harry just barely managed to put a shield up to contain the explosion but he was still impacted backward, his feet dragging into the ground, leaving black marks where his heels dragged.

“Time after time, you’ve managed to get the jump on me by using this ninjitsu but now just another thing that I excel at Harry Potter,” taunted Voldemort but Harry quickly flipped over the back of Voldemort, before he wrapped his arm around the throat of Voldemort, attempting to choke the Dark Lord out, but Voldemort arched his back, before he slid right through Harry’s legs and then caught him with a magically amplified kick right to the back. Harry was launched in the air as he crashed to the ground, his back throbbing from the impact. “But, as always, the oldest tricks are still the most effective. CRUCIO!”

Harry felt as if a thousand razor sharp needles were stabbing right into his body, as Voldemort punished him, seeming to derive some sort of pleasure from wearing him down. He dropped to his knees and a twisted smirk appeared on Voldemort’s face.

“On your knees right before me, where you belong Potter,” remarked Voldemort as Harry removed a drawstring bag from his pocket. “Admit it Potter, I’m your superior, I’m…”

Powder was thrown up into the air, causing the area around Voldemort to be blacked out for a few seconds. When the lights come back on, a dozen duplicates of Harry Potter was surrounding Voldemort, all looking the exactly the same.

“Mere trickery Potter, I’ll take care of each of your doubles one by one and then you’ll be finished off,” hissed Voldemort as he slashed his wand through the air, slicing two of the holograms, causing wisps of magic energy to burst into the air. Voldemort disabled all of the hologram duplicates to be destroyed one by one until Voldemort was left alone, with no one else in the room.

Just then, the feet of Harry swung up from above, managing to catch Voldemort off guard and impacted him right in the face. Voldemort staggered as Harry somersaulted over Voldemort before a large blast of fire impacted from the wand of the Boy-Who-Lived. The Dark Lord blocked it with a solid shield composed completely of ice. A determined look was etched on Voldemort’s face, even with a slight black eye.

“Crucio,” declared Voldemort and once again Harry felt himself in absolutely pain, but he looked up at a large support beam above Voldemort’s head, if he could get it, he cold take Voldemort out. “Admit it Potter, you’ve given it your best, but your best was not good enough.”

“My best is more than a match for you, Riddle,” retorted Harry as the wooden beam was sliced from the ceiling, as it came down, impacting Voldemort’s the top of Voldemort’s head causing the Dark Lord’s knees to buckle slightly, as more pieces of debris came down, with Harry quickly dodging out through a half opened door, into a nearby corridor as Voldemort gave an inhume shriek as the rubble came down onto his head.

Back inside the school, Ginny looked off in the distance.

“Ginny?” said Hailey and Ginny turned around, to see Hailey standing right there. “We’re the last two left other than the teachers, Mum says that we need to leave now, the other teachers are just barely holding off the force, they’ve broken through into the Great Hall.”

“I can’t just leave Harry here on his own,” replied Ginny in a hushed voice.

“Harry has the Portus-Amulet remember, he can get out of here easily if he gets in trouble,” responded Hailey. “Besides, Harry wouldn’t want us to put ourselves in danger.”

“I know but I don’t have to like it,” responded Ginny as they walked over to the transmat, as Lily joined them.

“I don’t like it much either, Ginny,” inputted Lily with a worried look on her face. “Still, we’ve got to have faith that Harry will that he’ll get out alive, but right now, we need to get on the transmat and send it with us to New York, so the Ministry can’t trace us back to where we live.”

“It’s hopeless for the others now?” asked Hailey.

“Yes, the Professors of this school did everything they could, but time has ran out,” replied Lily as she activated the control and the transmat, along with the three witches had vanished, leaving Hogwarts, just as Voldemort’s forces had broke threw the last line of defense.

Voldemort blasted through the wall and stood face to face with Harry but Harry dodged an extremely deadly looking spell. The spell burned a hole right through the wall in record time and cords shot out of Harry’s wand, wrapping around Voldemort’s arms and legs but Voldemort twisted out, before be came behind Harry and conjured a glowing yellow sword. Harry faced off against Voldemort, holding his double edged weapon and rushed Voldemort, but the sword sliced right through the weapon, turning it into a smoldering pile of melted metal. Harry dropped to the ground, as Voldemort’s magically enhanced weapon slashed right through his clothing and viciously wounded his shoulder. Harry laid on the ground, in pain, as his shoulder was cut and he removed his Portus-Amulet, now was the time for a strategic retreat.

Before Harry could activate his escape route, Voldemort reached forward and removed the amulet from Harry’s neck, before he magically levitated Harry up into the air. Drawing his fist back, Harry was impacted hard, and flew all the way down the corridor, as Voldemort held Harry’s Portus-Amulet in his hand. Voldemort approached Harry, as Harry laid on the ground, bruised and battered, but definitely, he would not stop fighting, he would defeat Voldemort. He had to!

“AVADA KEDAVRA!” screamed Harry desperately even though without the Horcruxes it would not be that effective. Voldemort looked amused as the Killing Curse struck him right in the chest. It lifted Voldemort off the ground and caused him to slam down on the ground. Harry stepped forward, before he collapsed to his back from the effort it took him to fire off once Killing Curse, it caused a heavy amount of magical exhaustion, as Voldemort’s eyes flickered open as the Dark Lord climbed to his feet.

“Every muscle in my body aches Potter, I commend you for that,” replied Voldemort as he looked down at Harry, who could not even summon the strength to lift his head. “First attempt of a Killing Curse, I see Potter? Not bad, but you obviously lack the skills and threw way too much of your power into it. Perhaps I should give you a demonstration on what the Killing Curse can truly do?”

Harry just managed to pull himself completely to a sitting position, unable to defend himself and Voldemort just stood there, contemplating something in his demented mind, before he stepped forward and swiftly removed Harry’s wand from his hand.

“Yet, the Killing Curse would put you down easily, it’s not the glorious, slow defeat that I had hoped for,” said Voldemort as he raised his wand and Harry found himself wrapped tightly in magical ropes and levitated Harry’s bound form into the air. “I must admit, I do enjoy a challenge and I shall give you one in response, rather than killing you outright, because I could easily finish you off Potter.”

Moments later, outside of Hogwarts, near the lake, a large crypt was carried out by some low level Death Eaters. The Inner Circle Death Eaters approached, with a bit of a new look, wearing executioner’s masks and loosened nooses around their necks, with white robes that looked to be splattered in blood and looked excited as Voldemort placed Harry in the crypt, with Harry’s own Portus-Amulet placed around the neck of Voldemort.

“Potter, this is it, once the crypt is sealed shut, you have sixty seconds to find a way out, as you’ll only have enough air for that, but there are ten separate anti-Apparation fields placed on the crypt so while you might have pulled off a miracle with two during our last meeting, I doubt ten would be even something that I could break through,” admitted Voldemort coldly as he raised Potter’s wand, and looked to place it in the crypt, but he withdrew his hand and snapped Harry Potter’s wand in half right before his very eyes, as the Inner Circle members laughed and that was the last thing Harry saw before the crypt was sealed shut.

Calmly, Voldemort turned to all of the Death Eaters and amplified his voice so those who were contained in Hogwarts by the Ministry could here him.

“Here lies Harry Potter, a meddlesome brat who in the end fell to Lord Voldemort,” said Voldemort softly as he turned to a group of Death Eaters. “Lower it into the water.”

The group levitated the crypt into the air and shifted it over the lake, before they let it drop. The crypt containing Harry Potter slowly sank into the lake, to the icy depths below.