The next two hours slipped from Harry’s grasp as if he were trying to hold a handfull of water. Before he knew it, he was leadind a small procession up a mountain on the outskirts of Hogsmeade. The sun beat down on the back of his neck and his trainers cut into his ankles.
Harry, Ron and Hermione had followed that trail before to visit Sirius when he was in hiding. They assumed that Voldemort was using the same cave, but presumed that he had made it much larger, as it was barely the size of Harry’s bedroom when Sirius used it.
“Nearly there,” panted Harry.
“I reckon we should slow down a bit,” Ron said. “We don't want to be exhausted when we get there.” The others nodded and looked a bit aghast at the amount of sense that he had made.
The five of them trudged steadilly up the mountain. Harry cursed under his breath, time seemed to have slowed down now, so his mind had more time to torture him. What was he thinking? Voldemort surely wouldn’t let Harry forgive him. Voldemort’d kill him anyway!
Hermione gasped and stopped dead, forcing Harry’s mind back to the mountain. Lucius Malfoy was sweeping back and forth along the path about a hundred yards away accompanied by Bellatrix Lestrange and Antonin Dolohov.
Harry and the others shrunk back behind a couple boulders and strained their ears to the conversation above them.
“I can’t believe you lost it!” snapped Bellatrix. “Who knows how long we’ll be here?”
“What if someone found it?” grunted Dolohov. “They’d be able to get in!”
“Don’t be an idiot,” drawled Malfoy. “They woudn’t know what Letum Specus was. Besides, the guards would finish them off.”
“Master is not going to be pleased, Lucius,” Bellatrix said. “That was our ticket in, and if we can’t get in ... well, The Dark Lord doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”
Ron looked at Hermione in awe, her Fidelius theory having been proved correct.
Harry, meanwhile, had poked his wand around from behind the stone, taken careful aim and muttered, “Stupefy.” Dolohov hit the ground heavilly and Malfoy and Bellatrix snapped their heads around.
“I’m not hiding,” muttered Harry and stepped out into clear view followed closely by the others.
“Why, Bella!” Malfoy spat. “We have company.”
“EXPELLIARMUS!” bellowed Neville from behind Harry’s back. The spell grazed Bellatrix’s ear and she glared at Neville.
“The Longbottom boy,” she drawled. “I’ve been meaning to do some ... catching up with you.” She rolled up her sleeves and brandished her wand. Harry raised his arm to keep Neville being irrational, but Ron was already holding him back after Neville had tried to make a tremendous leap at Bellatrix,wand forgotten.
Bellatrix shrieked with laughter. “These kids get me every time. Look at them, ready to fight. It was just pure luck you got away last time, kiddies. If that old koot, Dubledore, hadn’t shown up ...” Malfoy had cringed at Dumbledore’s name and shot Bellatrix a scathing look that shut her up mid-sentence.
“Take care of them, Bella,” Malfoy said off handedly and strode away. Obviously Lucius Malfoy thought he was too important to deal with such trivial matters. Bellatrix turned on the five of them and her lip curled.
“CRUCIO!” she bellowed.
Hermione hit the ground instantly with a shriek of torment. She writhed around on the ground in agony for a few seconds before Harry recovered from the shock and tried to help her. Ron, on the other hand, was already sprinting at Bellatrix and fumbling for his wand.
“Harry,” Ginny hissed. “Take Neville and go get Malfoy.” Harry hesitated but one look from Ginny sent him dashing up the mountain, Neville on his tail.
“PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!” Ron roared. Bellatrix’s wand clattered to the ground and splintered before she siezed up and hit the ground, straight as a board.
Ron was at Hermione’s side in a heart-beat, helping her up and murmuring words of reassurance. He was totally unaware of the blood that had splattered his robes when Bellatrix’s head made contact with a sharp stone.
“Ron,” whispered Ginny in fright, who was standing over Bellatrix.
“You’ve killed her.”
Ron stood up abruptly, Hermione still clinging to his arm and jogged over to the form of the petrified Death Eater. One look at her eyes told him Ginny was right. The cuontless times he’d used that jinx the victims eyes zoomed back and forth, as if begging to be released. Bellatrix’s eyes were empty and still.
“It’s a trick,” he said, more to himself than anyone else. “She wants us to lift the spell so she can attack us.” Hermione shuddered and hid her face in Ron’s shoulder. Ginny lookedat her brother solemnly.
“We’ll be ready for her,” Ginny said, pointing her wand at Bellatrix’s chest, “if it is a trap.”
Ron nodded and muttered, “Finite Incantatem.”
Bellatrix’s arm, which had been locked to herside, hit the dirt and her body slumped against the ground. Her eyes rolled back into her head and her chest fell.
“She’s just tricking us,” Ron said hysterically as Ginny nudged Bellatrix with her toe. “I didn’t “ I couldnt “ I mean “” Ron’s face went very pale and he slumped to his knees. “I killed someone. I did. I’m a murderer. I knew that there would be deaths ... of course I did ... I knew I’d fight ... but “ but I killed someone. I’m just like them. I’m like a Death Eater. I’m like V-V-Voldemort.”
Hermione slapped him. “Don’t ever say that again Ron,” she snarled. “You’re nothing like them! Mistakes happen! You didn’t mean to... to kill her. You’d never murder anyone Ron. Surely you know that! You’re kind and sweet and gentle “”
Ron touched his face where Hermine hit him and looked at her. She turned red and dropped her eyes.
“You really think that?” he asked softly. “You think all that about me?”
“Of course I do! You’re my best friend!” Suddenly Hermione saw Ginny, pale in the face and still string at Bellatrix. Then she saw Harry and Neville returning triumphantly and she blushed, obviously disgusted at herself for choosing such a time to spill her feelings for Ron.
Harry approached slowly, a grin on his face. Then he saw Bellatrix and he stopped dead. The blood gushing from beneath her black hair and the empty presence in her eyes told him immidiately that she was dead. Ginny told him and Neville quietly what happened as Ron forced himself not to look at Harry, he looked purely ashamed.
Harry didn’t know how to feel.
“I should be happy,” he said out loud. “She killed Sirius, it’s the revenge I tried to take at the Ministry of Magic.” “ the others looked shocked at this statement, having never heard about Harry’s one and only shot at an unforgivable curse “ “So then ... why don’t I?”
“B-Because,” Neville stammered. “Because you realized that you never really wanted her to die. You wanted her to feel pain, just so she would have some idea of what she did to you, but that no one deserves to be murdered.” Harry understood at once that Neville was talking just as much about himself as he was Harry, but Ginny and Hermione stared at Neville in disbelief. Ron was just sniffing on the ground, staring at his hands as if they were horrible weapons of war that he culdn’t bare to have attatched to his limbs.
“Come on,” Harry said finally. “It’s time to do what we came here to do.” The others followed him up to a stone pannel in the mountain where a cave should have been. On Harry’s command they all repeated the adress from the parchment in their minds and the stone pannel slid open with a formidable grinding.
Inside was a dimly lit cave. Sinister shadows were cast by stubs of candles in wall brackets which made even a spider scuttling along the wall look imensly forboding.
“Harry,” said Ginny nervously. Harry turned around at once, it was not at all like Ginny to be so hesitant. “Um “ I need to tell you something now, so you’re not surprised and angry later ... I “ I left a note for Dumbledore.”
“You what?” Harry said loudly. “He and the order’ll show up here and clear out the lot before I can even see Voldemort! This was your bloody idea in the first place and now you’re the one to flub it up!”
“Shut up, Harry!”
“I WILL NOT!”
“No, I’m serious, someone’ll hear you! Just shut up!” Harry bit his tongue and contented himself just glaring at Ginny with utmost disgust.
“Don’t you look at me like that, Potter,” she growled. “I do have your best intrests in mind! Just because you can’t logically “”
“Will you two lay off eachother until we’re not in a cave full of Death Eaters? Thanks,” said Ron dryly.
“You know,” said Hermione as they continued walking, “I’m really surprised we haven’t some across any sort of trap yet. Or a guard. Or anything!” Just then, the candles all flickered out.
“Thanks a million, Hermione,” Ron squeaked. “Now you’ve done it.”
“I did no such “ AAAAAH!” Hermione’s scream pierced through the darkness and a sickening crack that followed made Harry cringe as he groped through the darkness for her.
“Ugh! Damn it, Lumos!” he said desperately. His wand tip cast light upon Hermione who was nursing a broken leg on the floor. Ron hoisted her up and she leaned on him so she could limp along.
“What happened,” wimpered Neville.
“I didn’t slip,” Hermione said angrilly through barred teeth. “It felt like someone kicked me, but there’s no one else here. Unless ...” She let go of Ron and leaned against the wall for support, pressing her palms against as much of the dingy stone as she could.
“What in blazes “” began Ron,but he was cut off by a gasp from Ginny and Hermione crying, “Ah-ha!”
Part of the cavern wall had given way under Hermione’s touch and a doorway was opening up in front of her. She rested against Ron again with a triumphant smile and he squeezed her shoulders encouragingly.
Ginny grabbed Neville by the arm and dragged him through the door.
“We’ll go first,” she said firmly. “We can’t afford Harry getting hurt ... yet ... and Ron has to help Hermione.” Hermione blushed and cursed under her breath. Ron gaped at her.
“Why did I have to get hurt!” she moaned. “I’ll just be a drag now!” Harry never heard what Ron said to comfort her because his eyes suddenly rested on a grimy wooden sign chained from the ceiling with the words “Letum Specus” carved into it.
“Well, mates,” he said. “Here we are.”
Harry cautiously moved forward into the room ahead. It was a cavernous chamber with many torches along the stone walls, each bearing the Dark Mark. However there was little time to examine the decor because the moment they stepped inside a single Death Eater in the corner leapt to his feet.
“Avada Kedavra,” he said, somewhat lazily at Ginny who was nearest. Harry leapt forward and muttered “Protego,” which, combined with the identical shield Ginny had jus produced, deflected the curse right back at the Death Eater. He ducked swiftly and the green beam of light left a smoking hole in the wall behind him. Ginny whirlled around as if she had half a mind to tell Harry off for not leaving her to deal with the curse but then decided against it. Hermione deflected an “Expelliarmus,” aimed at Harry and stunned the Death Eater with a single, acurate spell.
“Now where’s Voldemort?” Harry muttered to himself, eyes scanning the chamber.
“And why would we tell you?” cackled a high-pitched female voice from behind him. Harry whipped around with a new fear in his eyes as he met at least two dozen Death Eaters approaching them, looking almost hungry with anticipation of the blood that was bound to be spilt.
“GET AWAY FROM THEM, YEH BLOODY BRUTES!” Harry stared in awe with a new apriciation for Ginny. Hagrid was storming toward them, swinging his fists at Death Eaters. Behind him was a rather large procession of Order members; only Dumbledore wasn’t present and Harry’s heart sank.
The Death Eaters recovered quickly from the shock and resumed a fighting stance. Then the battle really started.
Death Eaters, Order members, Harry Potter and his closest friends ran at eachother with loathing etched into every line on their determined faces. It was nothing too serious at first, mainly stunners and disarming. The first shock was really when a masked Death Eater used the Cruciatus on Neville. The Death Eater seemed to be greatly enjoying himself as he let Neville continue to writhe on the ground and cry with agony. It looked as though he was waiting for Neville to go insane, as his parents had. Ginny flung herself at the Death Eater and jerked his wand away, clinging onto his neck. He threw her off and Hermione stunned him.
Harry slunk carefully around the walls and pulled Ron and Hermione behind a large statue.
“I need to fid him quickly,” Harry whispered frantically. “I reckon if I deal with him now there’s less time for the Death Eaters to do much harm.”
“But where is he?” asked Ron nervously, casting his eyes around the room.
“I have no flaming idea!” hissed Harry, punching the wall. Hermione chewed on her lower lip in concentration, suddenly her mouthmade itself into a perfect “O” and her eyes opened wide.
“I don't think you have to worry about that, Harry,” she whispered, pointing a quivering finger over his shoulder. She had just seen a skeleton-like figure with blood-red eyes slip behind a tapestry into a door beyond.
“Wish me luck,” said Harry simply and dashed forward.
He weaved in and out of the people, creating a shield charm so as not to be hit. His only concious thought was to get to that door before a Death Eater could stop him. He heard a roar from behind him but didn’t look. He couldn’t look. He didn’t see Hagrid fall.
Harry neared the tapestry, stomach burning. Voldemort was just behind there, he cold taste it on the air. Glancing over his shoulder to make sure no Death Eater was tailing him, Harry thought something was wrong in the battle. He didn’t notice the absesence of the half-giant towering over everyone else. He didn’t look for the cause of Hermione’s tears. Harry reached out for the tapestry but it had barely touched his fingers when the hidden door blasted open from the inside. Lucius Malfoy was striding toward him and he stumbled back in shock and horror. He laughed and raised his wand.
“Surely you didn’t think you’d seen the last of me,” he cackled. Say bye-bye, baby Potter.” Harry ran. He dodged Malfoy and heard him scream “AVADA KEDAVRA!” A horrible rushing sound filled his ears but he didn’t look back. All he knew was that he was alive. Malfoy had missed. Flying through the door behind the tapestry, Harry stopped, gasping for breath. He locked the door behind and hurried down a spiral staircase in front of him, regulating his breathing as if he’d forgotten how. He skidded to an abrupt stop at the bottom, much less repared for the shock than he elieved himself to be. Wormtail was crouching in a corner beside Lord Voldemort who was pacing the dank room. Voldemort raised his wand to Harry’s chest as soon as he made eye contact. Those horrible, red eyes. Harry didn’t even flinch. He held his wand in front of him and placed it on the ground, then stood tall and faced Voldemort. Somehow, all the fear and regret had drained from Harry and suddenly all he wanted was to free his friends. Voldemort did’t seem intimidating at all.
“I’m not armed,” Harry said steadilly. “I want to talk.” Voldemort looked highly amused and lowered his wand.
“I heard the prophecy,” continued Harry firmly. “It said that I’m the only one with the power to vanquish you, that you will mark me as an equal, that I will have power you don’t know and that in the end one of us has to kill the other.” Harry said this all on one breath and foced himself not to grin at the perplexed look on his arch nemisis’s face.
Voldemort regained his composure and chuckled under his breath. “Why do you tell me this, Potter?”
“Because I don’t want it to happen,” Harry said. He ploughed on, wanting to say all he could before Voldemort could get a word in. “I don’t want to kill you. I don’t want vengence. I don’t want to see you suffer. I forgive you. I forgive you for murdering my parents. For training your Death Eaters to kill Sirius and all those other innocent people. I forgive you.” Harry’s voice cracked and tears stung the backs of his eyes. Voldemort stared for a moment and then he smiled. Harry sighed with relief until Voldemort opened his mouth. He was laughing. Cold, high-pitched laughter that stung his chest and brought back memories ... his mother’s screaming ... but Harry refused to take back his forgivness. He left his wand on the floor and faced Voldemort, extending his arm for a handshake, a truce. Voldemort stopped laughing, raised his wand and sneered.
“Avada Kedavra.” Harry made no attempt to escape. He closed his eyes, held his breath and prepared to die. He would be with Sirius. And his parents.
A moment later, Harry blinked his eyes open. He was still alive. Glancing questioningly at Voldemort Harry saw his foe staring in horror at the ground between them where, to Harry’s surprise, Wormtail was flat on his back, spread eagle, and very dead. Harry stared and stared but it refused to sink in. Wormtail had taken the curse for him. Harry raised his head to Voldemort. Voldemort’s spider-like hands were rigid and clasped to his chest, a look of horror and pain on his awful face. Something very odd was happening. Harry stepped backward as Voldemort fell to his knees, gasping for air, clawing at his chest.
“Get it out,” he was hissing. Voldemort fell onto his back, eyes wide open in shock and in pain. He was still alive, but barely. Harry crouched beside him and placed a hand on his chest. He had no inkling why, his body seemed to be moving for him. A jolt shot through Harry from his hand where it touched Voldemort and he was overcome with an odd tingling sensation. Voldemort’s red eyes were growing darker. Harry stared intently as they turned brown, human. Voldemort gave a final hiss as his eyes closed and his hand dropped to his side. Harry felt no heart-beat beneath his palm. Voldemort was dead.
Suddenly, Harry felt very strong, overcome with a triumphant feeling that he couldn’t escape and he cursed himself for it. He couldn’t feel that way! He had forgiven this man who was, truly a man again. He had tried to stop the death of either of them and Voldemort had died anyways. The prophecy had fulfilled itself.
Harry got to his feet and headed back out to the battle. Voldemort was dead; his heart gave a little leap at the thought, in spite of himself. The world was saved, widard and Muggle alike. Harry stepped out into the dingy , feeling triumphant; until he looked around.
Blood was spilt all across the stone. It was abandoned of the living. Only a few bodies littered throughout the room, however there were many less bodies than there were fighters. Harry jogged forward toward the door to Letum Specus with dread spreading throughout his body. His heart pounded in his ears as he followed the trail of blood down the narrow corridor where he had entered with his friends. It seemed like a life-time ago. Stepping out into the grey dusk out on the mountain Harry saw a horrible scene.
Bodies were strewn all over, Harry couldn’t tell which were stunned and which were dead. A morbid curiosity forced him to look at their faces and he recognized a fair few of them. His commrades who had not yet fallen were desperately fighting the remaining Death Eaters with looks of grim determination etched into everyline of their pale faces.
He saw Ginny’s face first among them, her eyes were large and shining with tears but her face was set and she plunged back into battle, desperate not to show her grief. His heart leapt into his throat and he struggled not to cry.
One body caught his eye far more than any other and all attempts to stop the bitter tears were forgotten. Hagrid was on his side in the dust, his wild hair matted with blood, eyes open and empty. His face showed pure terror. Harry moaned at the sight of his fallen friend and tried to force his eyes away. He couldn’t bare it.
Suddenly, Harry’s eyes grew wide and round at something a few hundred yards away from him. The few remaining battle cries seemed so far away and a poignant silence defeaned him as he sprinted forward and stood over two very familiar people. A tall, gangly figure was still and silent on the ground. His red hair was nothing in contrast to the blood oozing from his forehead. His blue eyes had lost their twinkle and now were grey and empty. His face was stone. He looked like a man, and, Harry was sure, he’d died like one. Hermione crouched over his body, heaving with tormented sobs that pierced the strangling silence. Silvery tears squeezed between her fingers and mingled with Ron’s blood.
Harry couldn’t move. It was as if every muscle in his body has siezed up from shock and from the excruciating pain that threatened to kill him every second he spent staring at his fallen best friend. Suddenly, the sound returned to Harry’s world and he heard the clattering of many feet. Tearing his eyes off Ron’s bloody figure, Harry saw the remaining Death Eaters disappear into the mist. Dumbledore was striding toward the throng of people, his eyes cold and empty. He would pause evry now and then, glance down at a body and whisper a few words of prayer.
Harry couldn’t take the pain of it anymore. He fell to his knees in a puddle of Ron’s blood and cried. Hot tears that burned his eyes and ripped holes in his chest. He threw his hands in the air and screamed out his torment to the heavens as Ron’s blood trickled from his fingers down his arms. Hermione was nearly unconcious, laying across Ron’s body. Her eyes were wide open as his were. Almost as lifeless. As though there was nothing left to live for now that he was gone. Harry touched her shoulder, tears still coursing down his face. She burried her face in Ron’s cold chest and murmured a few words before passing out.
Before Harry fell unconcious with grief he took a final look around the battle field. Ginny was stumbling toward her brother, her face showed a grief more powerful than anything you could imagine. It made Harry cry harder to see her face, the pain in her dark eyes. He cursed the world and the Death Eaters and Lord Voldemort for causing her that kind of pain. She didn’t cry, she didn’t scream. She just knelt at Ron’s side and placed a hand on his still chest. Closing her eyes, Ginny Weasley began to murmur a prayer. Each word seemed to remove a pin from Harry’s heart as she said goodbye to her brother. Harry placed his hand next to hers and listened to her chanting. Taking a deep breath he tasted blood and dust and grief. He spoke the words with Ginny. Silent and rasping. Desperate and beautiful. No one existed to him anymore except for Ginny Weasley as she taught him a lesson that he wouldn’t ever forget. A lesson of life, and one of death. Although she never said a word to him, Ginny had told Harry that Ron would always be with them in their hearts, and Harry thanked her much for that.