Harry vanished, and before Wanda could react, Death was upon her, moving faster than she could see. Familiar arms took Wanda, and her vision was a blur. She appeared a distance away, briefly catching a flicker of Pietro, before he zipped back into the fray, ducking and weaving through trees as he removed people from Death's warpath. Wanda felt her heart constrict when she saw Ginny's withered form on the ground. Pietro had made a choice between them, and he'd always chose Wanda. Even if Wanda hadn't been critical to the mission, he'd choose her.
Around her, the forest was descending into chaos. From the castle, the intimidating row of doors opened, letting out a stream of people- a baffling mix of mundane soldiers of every stripe, wizards, and magical creatures. Wanda could only assume that they, like Molly Weasley, had been brought back to serve Riddle's designs. Blue portals formed just outside the castle wards, spewing out a horde of Dementors and inferi. A frigid chill rolled through the air that had nothing to do with the onset of winter. The Sorcerers opened portals of their own and reinforcements streamed out- witches and Sorcerers, Asgardians, Frost Giants and Kronans, Mutants, Wakandans, Goblins, and even mundane humans. It was nothing less than all the people of this world, and a few from beyond it, coming to its final defense.
Quickly, everything in sight became an indecipherable three-way battle. Patronuses were summoned and drove the Dementors back, but cohesion was broken as those from the castle leapt into the fray. "Our only priority is stopping her." Natasha's voice broke through on coms. Wanda agreed, zeroing in on where Death was carving a path through the madness. The forest had been completely destroyed, courtesy of a barrage of missiles from Stark. Pietro was still valiantly pulling people from Death's path, but there was a problem. Death was clearly headed towards the castle, and they were doing a poor job of stopping her. She knew that Harry was within, sense that he was locked in a battle of a sort with Voldemort. If Death entered the castle, she could get the Soul Stone before Harry. If she got the Soul Stone, she'd have unified the Hallows, and that would be it.
She was slowed by the stream that was spewed out into her path by the castle- wizards, giants, trolls and more. All were mowed down in an eyeblink. It was far too easy for Death to dispatch the living, if not with a mere touch of her shadowy form, then by the killing curse, which she sprayed liberally across the battlefield. Using the living or the dead against Death would never work. Thankfully, they already had a plan for that. "I'm ready for the golem." Wanda said.
"Roger that. Could someone bring our baby in?" Tony said. He and Shuri were keeping their distance, pestering death with missiles, beams, and drones. None of these were enough to appreciably slow her, but they had created something that could.
"Please don't call it that." Shuri groaned.
A portal opened, depositing a machine just outside of Hogwarts' wards. Originally, the suit had been crafted by Tony Stark for Hela out of Uru. After they had recovered the suit, Eitri had transformed it with some help and inspiration from Shuri and Tony. It was no longer a suit, but a weapon, and with the enchantments they had woven into it, Wanda was meant to be its wielder. She drifted her body back from the battlefield and let her mind slide into the machine, seamlessly integrating the circuitry until it was an extension of her own body.
Wanda smiled.
The construct was as fast and as agile as her mind allowed it to be. She navigated through the battlefield with ease. She cast off a trail of fire in her wake to block the advance of a horde of inferi. Death dodged Wanda's initial streaking attack but was caught off guard when Wanda pivoted on a dime, turning and reversing her momentum in a split second. Wanda's metallic fist impacted her (or rather, Hela's) face, sending her stumbling back for the first time.
Death's shadow touched her form but found nothing to take and nothing to age. The suit was made of pure Uru and animated solely by enchantments imbued into the metal. Wanda punched her again, and Death her wrist to block her. This suited Wanda just fine. Her arm liquified, molding around Death's hand before re-solidifying.
Death's eyes narrowed as she realized that she actually was in a dangerous position. The next moment, however, Death ripped her arm free. Wanda found only dust in her grip while Death withdrew her arm- a stump where her hand had been. Hela's body was disposable to Death, but it was gratifying to have made her pay a price, and to have in some way avenged Ginny's hand.
Wanda kept up the attack by miming a punch with her other hand, but it was a fake out, and instead she unleashed a blast of telekinetic energy. Death was nearly pushed back, but her body enwreathed in blue energy, and she bore back down. Channeling the Space Stone, Death put Wanda on the defensive, and no matter how she dug in, she found herself getting slowly pushed back. As they struggled, Wanda's constructed body began to warp, shifting until it began to take on the form and shape of her human body.
Shuri and Tony took Death's distraction as an opportunity, and they both made a closer approach, peppering Death with repulsor blasts. Killing curses formed in the air and streaked out at them, tearing deep gouges into their vibranium suits, but nanobots quickly covered over the damage. Shuri had been quite proud of the innovation. Finally, Thor came down to deliver what he hoped to be a finishing blow. Hela's body was forced to pivot around, blocking Stormbreaker with Mjolnir. Lightning crack down on them, leaving neither of them worse for wear. Meanwhile, Death's shadow remained focused on Wanda, pushing her back inch-by-inch. Wanda was happy to have her attention, as it prevented Death from going after her friends, who she no doubt would kill easily.
Nevertheless, Death quickly got the upper hand, exploding the ground beneath Thor and sending him flying back. She flung Mjolnir back at Wanda, and it clanged dissonantly against her. Though it wasn't enough to instantly send her flying back, the hammer kept pushing, and pushing. Hela's body stepped back into Death's shadow, and Death spoke. "Wanda, I should have known. You are quite the troublemaker. Many have paid the price of that."
If fighting to save the people I love makes me the villain, then I am the villain.
"But there's another pattern, Wanda." Death said mockingly. "You always fight, and it's always doomed. Your sins are for nothing, you die with regret." Wanda lost her last purchase on the ground, and went flying back, back, and back into the waiting maw of an open castle door.
Hogwarts swallowed her.
-----
Hermione's otter patronus flitted across the battlefield. Dementors were pressing in on all sides, and despite Neville and Ron's best efforts only a portion of their trainees had managed a corporal patronus. Still, they had trained for this. Those that could manage a patronus knew to form a team and focus on protecting everyone else if it came to that.
"This is bulloks." Ron muttered. "We're never going to make progress like this."
"All we need to do is hold them off." Neville said. "If Harry can beat Voldemort…"
Hermione secretly shared Ron's frustration. She was capable of so much more than herding Dementors, but at the moment her ability to summon a patronus was her most useful skill. A group of inferi trundled up to them, and Hermione negligently scoured them with fire, her attention never wavering.
Then around them, bodies started falling to the ground. Be careful what you wish for.
"Don't look behind us!" Hermione hissed, cuffing Lily, who had been about to wheel around.
"Shite." Neville cursed. "We've got a basilisk here." He said over comms. "On the south side of the castle. Do not look at it. I repeat, don't look at it!"
Hermione's mind reeled. She didn't dare look back and confirm it, but it made sense. She sent blasting curses blindly behind her while she tried to come up with a more concrete plan.
"Got any roosters?" Ron said.
"Now's not the time for-" Hermione began, only to be cut off by Natasha's voice in her earpiece.
"Hermione, we're moving onto plan B."
Hermione paled. "Plan B. Got it. I'm on my way." It's not like she wanted to leave Ron and Neville to deal with a basilisk, but stopping Death was the priority. Besides, she knew they were capable of handling it.
"You can't bloody leave now!" Ron hissed, firing spells blindly backwards.
"You boys can take care of it." Hermione said as she darted off. "After all, Harry did it when he was twelve."
"I'm not Harry!" Ron scoffed.
"Where are you going?" Neville called.
The Ancient One had confided in Hermione about her 'Plan B'. It was a truly desperate gambit, but it was time for desperate gambits. The Sanctum was not just a base and a refuge, it was a shield the protected the physical world from those beyond it. "To destroy the Sanctum!"
"What?"
-----
Natasha knew that she stood no chance against Death. She could see how quickly she moved, how she was able to dispatch multiple powerful opponents at once. There was no point in her throwing her life away when it wouldn't even save them a second.
Not unless it was their only option.
Until then, her talents were better used coordinating their team. She listened to the chaotic chatter that flowed into her headset and she synthesized it. She told Tony to send drones after the Basilisk. She told Loki to remain hidden, for he would be needed for 'Plan C'. She directed Carol to hotspots around the battlefield, also keeping her away from Death. While Carol would be one of the few powerful enough to slow Death, they could not risk losing Carol.
All the while, she didn't think about Harry. Wanda had assured her that he was alive and fighting Voldemort but had told her nothing more. It was just as well, because even if she'd had minute by minute updates, she wouldn't have been able to do anything with it. It, like everything else, was out of her hands.
"What's 'Plan B'?" Clint asked. They'd posted themselves along a small crater, Clint picking off enemies from afar while Natasha cleared those who approached.
"You don't want to know." Nat said.
"God, we aren't awakening some deep, dark evil, are we?"
She tilted her head.
"I was joking, Nat. You realize I was joking."
The Ancient One joined Death in battle, and was doing an admirable job of maintaining her attention. Death had instantly shattered the mirror dimension, but the Ancient One wielded it's fragments- hemming her in with spatial shards. However, Hogwarts' wards prevented her from using portals, and that was a fatal weakness. Finally, Death resorted to punching through a pane of these shards, and it slowed her enough that the Sorcerer Supreme was able to strike her with her open palm.
The Shadow that clung to Hela's body was spat backwards, and the Ancient One withdrew her now withered hand. Hela gasped, her eyes going wide. "Get it off!" She shouted. "Get her off me!" Pitiless, the Ancient One drove a shard straight through Hela's chest, pinning her to the ground. A moment later, the shadow slid back into Hela's body, cutting off her scream. Death's dark hand grabbed the Ancient One's ankle, who fell to the ground, withering as Death painfully pushed herself up. She flashed Death a pained smile, and Natasha felt something shift. The overcast morning sky gave way like an opening maw, and a twisted skyscape unfolded overhead. "What's that?" Clint asked in a strangled tone.
"It's the Dark Dimension." Natasha said, using the general distraction to quickly take out a squad of Hydra soldiers that had been summoned from the castle. "Don't look into the abyss, Clint." She warned.
"Yeah." He said.
"WHAT DID YOU DO?" Death shouted, her voice cutting across the battlefield. Natasha took satisfaction in her rage and confusion.
In contrast, the Ancient One's voice was soft, dying. "There exists something beyond time, beyond death. And I made a bargain."
-----
"Where is he?" Lily demanded, advancing on him. Of all of Riddle's cruelties, Harry shouldn't have been surprised by this. Just like Ginny, his mother had been brought back to life torment him. "Where is my son?"
Right here. "He's out there." Harry said.
"Fighting?" She choked.
"Of course."
Chains shot down from the ceiling. Harry vanished them easily, but behind him he heard a strangled shout. He wheeled to see Ginny rising in the air, a chain wrapped around her throat. Her hands gripped the chain's length, holding herself up. If her grip slipped, she'd die. She looked at him with accusing eyes. He vanished her chain as well, and Ginny fell to the ground, gasping for breath.
"Tell them to send him back!" She demanded. Even now, she was hurting the people he loved. "Get him out of there! He can't- he can't-"
"Its too late for that." Harry said. "Septimius isn't the shrinking violet you think him to be. He wants to be out there, fighting for what's right." His eyes narrowed. "Not that you've ever respected people's free will."
He knew that he was playing into Riddle's hands. He knew getting under his skin was exactly what he wanted, but Harry couldn't help it. The wound was too raw for him not to pick at.
"I did what I had to do, to save my son." Lily said defiantly. "I did what I had to do." She repeated.
Harry barked out a bitter laugh. "You don't know how much I admired you." He said. "I was told all these stories about how brave you were. How much you loved me. How you saved my life."
"What?"
"I'd dreamed of what it'd be like, if you hadn't died. If we'd had been a family. But I guess you should never meet your heroes."
Lily was staring at him, eyes wide, shaking. "Who are you?"
"In another world, another time… you were my mother." Harry said, bracing for any reaction- shock, disbelief, grief, anger.
Riddle chose that moment to strike. The same instincts that had once allowed him to spot the golden glint of the snitch alerted him to the danger, as he saw green out of the corner of his vision. Time slowed. Killing curses converged on him from every direction. He blasted apart the stone tile floor around him, using the shrapnel to block the curses. The beams zigged and zagged, forming sharp angles to avoid the debris. Harry swung his staff in an arc, and the curses crackled with green sparks as they deflected. One ricocheting spell collided with the floor beneath Harry, but he compressed the resulting explosion into his palm. He held his hand out, amplifying the blast with the power stone, and let loose, taking some satisfaction in blowing out an entire wall of the Great Hall.
"Typical. All the power in the world at your fingertips, and you're still using the killing curse." Harry taunted. Was that really the extent of Riddle's plan? Distract him and take him out with a sucker punch? Harry was almost disappointed.
The clash had set one of the tables on fire, casting the room in a harsh glow as smoke began to collect. "Your eyes." Lily said, her voice terribly soft.
"I was always told I had my mother's eyes."
Lily put a hand to her mouth, hunching over. It took Harry a moment to realize that she was dry heaving.
I'm with you, Harry. Wanda whispered.
Lily smacked herself in the head, looking desperately up at Harry. "He's… he's here-" Harry caught her meaning. Riddle was in her head, just as he'd done to Ginny.
"I can help with that." The smoke coalesced and Wanda stepped out.
She glided over to Lily, placing a finger on her temple. "Let me show you who you are." She said, as her magic sparked faintly. Lily's head lolled forward, and she fell to her knees, propping herself up by her arms as she gasped.
"Oh god. Oh god. Oh god." Lily repeated.
"I can sympathize." Wanda said. "There is a world where I did worse to save my own children, so I am capable of the same evil." She tilted her head. "But it is evil, and its time for you to acknowledge that."
Lily sobbed, a single gut-wrenching noise.
"How are you here?" Harry asked, and was a little unnerved when Voldemort simultaneously asked the same question.
"I followed you." She kissed him. I followed our bond. "I'll have you know, Riddle." She taunted. "If you do succeed in breaking into my mind, all you're going to get is a lot of very pornographic memories of Harry- tread carefully."
"And Lily?" He asked.
"It wasn't hard to break her free from Riddle. She was already fighting hard against him- thanks to you." Her eyes focused on Ginny. "Speaking of." Wanda tended to Ginny while Lily stared- dead eyed, at Harry. He looked away.
"Harry!" Ginny ran to him, clutching at his arm to steady herself. Harry exhaled and froze time for them. He wrapped her in a hug, letting her cry into his chest. There were no words to comfort her. He knew, all too well, that she'd just relived her deepest trauma. He knew that a few moments of respite weren't enough to fix anything, but they were all he could give her.
Reluctantly, Ginny pulled back. Looking up at him with wet eyes, she said. "We can stay like this a little longer, if you want." He said. He would give her all the time in the world, if he could.
Ginny's eyes narrowed in defiance. "Let's kill this bastard." Harry almost chuckled, and time began to move around them.
"Then you're a fool, Wanda Maximoff. You have no power here." Riddle spat. Harry would have rolled his eyes at the theatrics, had the room around them not flickered. The bloody tables and hanging bodies were replaced by an altogether more horrifying sight- dead schoolchildren, all around them. Their bodies were locked in agonized poses, frozen in a single moment of terror.
"This is what this room really looks like." Harry said dully, surveying their surroundings. "He killed all of these kids, though I'm not sure why."
"He made me see it." Lily said. "To torment me, I suppose." Or torment him, by proxy. "He's put his soul into the castle. We're not safe here." Lily said. "All these kids… what he did-"
"ENOUGH!" It was one voice, spoken through hundreds of mouths. All around them, the children rose, somehow both unnaturally stiffly and limply. An eerie yellow light flickered in their hollow eyes. These were not inferi. There was something animating them, more than mere magic, but less than life.
"They're all him." Wanda reported, disturbed. "Not just controlled by him… its like they're all part of his body."
"Let's finish this, Harry Potter." Tom Riddle, the man himself, said. He walked into the room, the crowd of bodies parting for him. He looked like a wax sculpture of himself. His body had not degenerated as he had when he'd created horcruxes. He looked perfect… far too perfect. Uncanny.
What exactly had Tom Riddle done to himself?