WebNovels

Chapter 93 - Chapter 93: Don't Lose Your Head

=== February 22, 1997 ===

Hermione stands in the Room of Requirement after she has sent Pansy and Flitwick to the Infirmary. She finds a safe spot and erects a shield around her before using their bond to see what Harry sees.

Like Harry, upon seeing Snape she feels a surge of relief, until he fires the killing curse at their Headmaster. Hermione feels for Hugin, still by Harry's side and teleports there.

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Snape and Voldemort look in Harry's direction as he screams. Hermione appears and pulls him out of sight just before they see him.

"That sounded like Potter." Voldemort says.

"He probably ran away after he saw his precious Headmaster defeated." Snape replies.

"Summon the others back here." Voldemort orders.

"Yes, my lord." Snape then presses his wand to his dark mark before raising the sigil above the school. "Hogwarts is ours."

#####

"Look!" Tonks says as she points up.

Malachi looks up at the dark mark in the sky above the school. "If that's up, the wards are down, now is our chance to apparate in." They all nod as the join hands and apparate.

They arrive inside the Gryffindor common room. Amanda jumps."Ron! Death Eaters!"

Ron turns from the screen right as Malachi pulls the Death Eater mask off. "Allies, allies!" He yells.

"Even Greyback?" Amanda asks, her wand trained on the werewolf.

Tonks pulls off her mask. "That's Remus under polyjuice."

"We saw the dark mark." Malachi says. "How bad is the situation?"

"Dumbledore's name vanished from the map." Ron answers sadly.

"That would explain why the wards are down." Kingsley says.

"Where are Harry and Hermione?" Malachi asks.

"Here." Ron shows them on the map.

"We're going to help them." Malachi says. "Send anyone you can to help then use the portkey to get out of here." With that they make sure their disguises are in place and leave the room.

Remus leads them through the halls. As they walk they occasionally see real Death Eaters prowling the halls, but none of them dare get anywhere near them.

#####

'They just summoned help.' Harry says through their bond. 'If we're going to strike we better do it now.'

'I agree, I'll take Snape.' Hermione replies.

Harry smirks slightly. 'Not Professor Snape?'

'No, he betrayed the school.' Hermione answers.

Harry nods as he pulls out his wand and summons his sword. 'Ready.'

Hermione summons her daggers and grips her wand tight in her right hand. 'Let's do this!' In her left hand a ball of light appears and she hurls it towards where Voldemort and Snape are.

Snape pulls his wand off his dark mark right as a brilliant flash of light blinds him and Voldemort. He flicks his wrist and raises a shield in the direction the spell came from.

Hermione lifts herself up and flies into the room shooting a multitude of spells that all hit Snape's shield

Meanwhile, Harry rushes past Snape and slices at Voldemort with his sword. Only to have Voldemort nimbly dodge away. "Nice try, Potter." Voldemort says with a hiss. "But not good enough!" He sends a series of spells right at Harry, who quickly dodges them all except a large one fired at the end.

Not seeing a dodge Harry blocks the spell with his sword only for the spell to morph into chains that wrap around the sword. Harry drops the sword as he steps back. He attempts to resummon it, but the chains won't let him. He raises his wand and fires several spells at Voldemort.

Voldemort blocks them all with a shield spell. "Looks like you're no match for me without your sword."

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Snape, having regained his sight, drops his shield. Hermione takes the opening, firing a few spells as she sends Hugin towards him. Snape summons a piece of debris to block the spells as he draws a vial from his robes and puts it right in Hugin's way. The dagger hits the vial, shattering it then passes harmlessly through Snape.

Hermione teleports herself to Hugin and fires several spells before going to grab the dagger only for her hand to pass through it.

"You'll find it immaterial for some time." Snape says as he fires spells at Hermione only for her to reflect them back at him.

"Why did you do it?" Hermione asks.

"Take your dagger out of the fight?" Snape asks, "the answer to that is obvious."

Hermione summons the grimoire and creates a dozen clones of her. The clones all surround Snape. "I meant, betray and kill Dumbledore."

"What makes you think I would explain myself to you?" Snape asks as he fires a spell at one of the Hermiones only for her to dodge it.

"I figured someone who once called himself The Half-blood prince might explain himself to his enemies." Hermione answers.

Snape is taken aback. When he speaks, worry is obvious in his voice. "How do you know that name?"

"Answer my question and I'll answer yours." Hermione says.

#####

As Malachi's group walks, Bellatrix steps out of an alcove carrying Neville's sword, still wet with Rudolphus' blood.

"Madam Lestrange." Tonks says using Nott's voice.

"No, I'm Neville. Ron said you might need help. I thought this disguise would be best."

"What is the name of the weapon I gave your wife?" Malachi asks.

"Mujina, named after a shape-shifting badger of Asian lore." Bellatrix / Neville answers.

"You should lead the way then." Kingsley says.

Bellatrix / Neville nods and they all continue along. Eventually they arrive at the same doorway Snape had gone in. They all cautiously look in and see the fights, and Harry's sword bound with chains.

"I have an idea." Malachi says.

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"Sectumsempra!" Snape yells as he holds his wand out and quickly turns in a circle. The spell hits all of the Hermiones and they vanish as a result.

Suddenly Snape's right arm snaps and he grabs it as he drops his wand. Hermione appears from seemingly nowhere. "Accio Snape's wand!" The spell snags his wand and it goes to her free hand. She tucks the wand into her robes, then grabs Munin before walking up to Snape and pressing the blade against his neck. "Tell me why you would betray Dumbledore or I'll kill you like a muggle."

Snape swallows feeling the blade against his throat as he does. "He promised me Ginerva Potter."

Hermione can't hide the surprise on her face by that answer. "Why?"

"I loved Lilly Evans, but I couldn't have her." Snape answers, "so I'd have her daughter instead."

Without a thought Hermione pulls Munin from Snape's throat only to drive the dagger into his groin. Snape collapses in pain as Hermione pulls the blade out. Then she points her wand at him and shouts: "Immobulus!" Freezing him I'm place, but leaving him conscious and breathing.

#####

Harry matches Voldemort spell for spell, the two of them damaging the room more and more as the spells never hit each other. "Why won't you die Potter?" Voldemort asks angrily, launching another attack at Harry.

"Funny, I was just about to ask you the same thing." Harry replies as he dodges the attack and comes back with one of his own. Voldemort shields the attack but it's enough to knock him back through the wall

"My lord!" Bellatrix / Neville shouts as she / he comes up to him and starts to move rubble along with Greyback / Remus.

"Get away from me!" Voldemort shouts as he uses a wave of magic to break the rubble and get up.

The magical blast knocks the sword out of Bellatrix / Neville's hand and knocks a bundle out of the hands of one of the Death Eaters. The bundle hits the ground and opens up revealing Malachi's magical prosthetic and the magical blade Atrunant.

"Look at that." Voldemort says as he picks up Neville's sword before looking at Harry. "Looks like your allies are gone."

"I guess that leaves us to finish you off." Harry says, motioning to Hermione as he grips his wand tight.

"How do you expect to do that?" Voldemort asks.

"Accio Atrunant!' Harry says, pointing his wand at the black blade causing it to come flying to him. He catches it in his right hand and stares down Voldemort.

Voldemort growls as she shoves Bellatrix / Neville away, giving the sword back to her / him as he does. He steps forward and starts firing spells relentlessly, leaving Harry no choice but to run and dodge.

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Hermione turns from Snape and sees the barrage of spells that Voldemort is firing at Harry. She summons Hugin and sends it speeding across the room. Once the dagger is near Harry she teleports to it.

"Hermione! Get out of the way!" Harry yells as he runs past her.

Hermione calmly draws a square in the air as she says: "Reflect!" The square enlarges as it gathers all of Voldemort's attack and sends it back at him.

Voldemort goes to dodge but feels something weighing down his ankle, when he looks down he sees Malachi's magical prosthetic has grabbed him. The spell hits him, knocking him down and sending his wand off to the side.

Voldemort sits up only to see Harry and Hermione standing in front of him. "It's over, Riddle." Harry says.

"It'll never be over, Potter." Voldemort says as he sees his wand and reaches out for it.

"I don't think so." Neville says, thrusting his sword through Voldemort's hand as the polyjuice wears off.

"I am immortal." Voldemort states.

"Let's test that." Harry says as he readies his sword. "Any last words?"

"The prophecy, how does it end?" Voldemort asks.

Harry smirks slightly. "I'll answer that by quoting one of my father-in-law's favorite movies: There can be only one." As he says the last words he slashes Atrunant, and severs Voldemort's head.

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