The Darkness

All around me are familiar faces,

Worn out places,

Worn out faces.

~ Gary Jules or Tears for Fears (Mad World)

The weather was warm that June afternoon. The graduation banners were flying as the class of 1998 stepped out of the castle and took their seats in the middle of the Quidditch pitch. It should have been a happy day, but the seventh years sat in an odd silence, as though anticipating something horrible. The teachers looked unsettled and everywhere, nature stood still.

They knew it was coming, the traitor had told them so. Why they believed him? No one could guess. But Albus Dumbledore knew, just knew that it was better to be prepared.

Some of the girls could be heard sobbing softly, their parents weren't there and they were quite scared. The end was here, not with parties and gifts, but with sorrow and anxiety. They knew what they had to do, they had been prepped.

There were a few students missing from the large group, they hid, only seen by a pair of twinkling blue eyes. As the Headmaster stood, he pointed his wand to his throat and spoke the word, "Sonorus!"

He winked at no one and no one was hiding up in the Slytherin stands.

"Quit shoving, Malfoy," hissed a voice.

"That's not me, Weasel," another hissed back.

"Sorry, Ron that was me."

"That's okay, 'Mione."

"Why is she forgiven when you were willing to push me to my death?"

"Bugger off, Malfoy."

"And another country heard from. When did you become a man, Longbottom?"

"When I knew I could grow facial hair and you couldn't, you pampered prat."

"Will you all just shut up?!" Harry hissed at them, even the ones who weren't complaining. "I thought we were trying to be covert, it's hard when you are giving away our location with your incessant bickering." He glowered at them and then raised a single eyebrow. "Now, Ron and Draco, kiss and make up," his lip curled into a smirk and then resumed scanning the horizon with his omnioculars.

Ron turned green, "Please Harry, my stomach isn't well as it is."

"Yes Harry, I'd sooner kiss Longbottom's arse than Weasel's lips." The blonde sneered, looking as cool and perfect as ever despite the oppressive heat and imminent death.

Neville choked, "My arse takes offense to the idea of your lips touching it, Malfoy." He offered the Slytherin a smile but hid it when he saw Harry glare again. They all quieted down.

"...young ladies and gentlemen, I am saddened. You have all become so dear to my heart and now I must send you out into the real world. I can only pray that we here at Hogwarts have given you the tools you will need to succeed..."

"Is it me or is Dumbledore losing his touch. That speech is painfully dull." Draco's drawl broke the silence once again. "Of course, if he is planning on boring the Dark Lord to death, then kudos."

Harry just looked at him, shaking his head. The past year had been insane. Malfoy's father had been released from Azkaban before the Christmas of their sixth year. The Ministry, once again, believed his story of the Imperius Curse. He tried to force Draco to become a Death Eater shortly after that, and Draco refused on the merit that it would be a mortal sin to mar such perfect skin as his with such an ugly thing as the Dark Mark. Unfortunately, Lucius Malfoy never shared his son's sense of humor and hit him with enough Cruciatus Curses to; well...they were all pleasantly surprised the day he woke up in the Hospital Wing.

Ron hadn't accepted him easily, which was to be expected. Hermione was also a bit hesitant, but when she realized that Draco shared her love of books, she quickly found a willing study buddy and Ron began to appreciate Malfoy for his ability to take the pressure off the red head. Neville had spent the summer before seventh year growing. He didn't just grow up, he grew out and he also grew lots and lots of hair. He resembled a tall, muscular mountain man, yet his voice was still timid at times. Pansy Parkinson followed Draco's suit and turned her back on her family. She was a bit reluctant, but she knew that Draco would never steer her wrong. Blaise Zabini, though his father had been a Death Eater before he died, his mother was not. She was the dancer Isabella Zabini and she taught her son to follow his heart. He did and it often found him in bed with some young Hogwarts boy.

They had all spent the past year getting close and Dumbledore's Army was the key. The old man had suggested that Malfoy, Parkinson and Zabini join and build their skills, just in case. At first the Gryffindors were against it. How could they be expected to teach the pompous Death Eater Brats how to behave and do the right thing? In the end, it was the Slytherin who not only learned but taught. Now it was a matter of putting all that knowledge to good use.

"There they are..." Harry whispered, "...coming from the area south of the lake, just like he said." Everyone assumed that the attack would come from the direction of the Forbidden Forest, it only made sense. When they got the news that Voldemort's army would come out of the south, they were shocked but they understood, this way they would be trapped between the castle and the forest. Harry lifted Hermione's hand mirror and signaled Dumbledore, it was hokey and Malfoy scoffed, but it was something the Muggle hating army wouldn't expect. The old man looked up and nodded.

His voice still magnified, he spoke to his students. "My children the time has come, please...to your stations."

Silently, yet swiftly, the students climbed the risers and hid in the high seats of the stadium where Aurors were hidden to protect them. The small group that had hidden in the Slytherin stands, descended onto the pitch. Dumbledore raised his wand, removing the voice amplifying charm and then whispered a few words. As Harry and his group took their seats, students appeared around them. Once again, the field looked like a graduation ceremony.

Albus turned to Minerva and Severus, "May Merlin bless them all."

Everyone was silent. Even Hagrid's dog Fang was sitting at his master's feet with an intense look on his normally dopey face.

Hermione gasped, "Can you hear them?" She clutched the hand of the student beside her and Seamus clutched back, nodding his head.

The sound of footfalls, heavy, booted footfalls echoed thru the field. The air was so tense you could almost slice it. This was what they had been training for, this was it.

~*~

"Bellatrix, you and Malfoy stay by me. I want my most powerful at my side," The cold high voice called as they passed the lake and trudged toward the Quidditch pitch. "Nott, you and Rookwood take your group to the castle. Kill anyone you find."

"Yes, my lord," Rookwood said before pointing to his group and running toward the castle entrance.

Voldemort looked about him, his face contorting into an even fouler scowl. "Wormtail! Wormtail, where are you?"

"Here, my m-master. What do you wish of me?" Peter Pettigrew bowed and scraped.

Bellatrix Lestrange sneered at the sad little man and Lucius Malfoy couldn't even be bothered to look in his direction.

"Wormtail, I want you to stay right with me." He gave the balding, former Marauder a half-smile. It was a smile that spoke of knowledge and Pettigrew trembled.

~*~

Harry closed his eyes and concentrated, a power he knows not...a power he knows not... This had become his mantra over the past year. He still had nothing; Harry had not developed any outstanding power, no uber gifts. He was still just Harry.

Draco leaned forward and looked past Pansy to see Harry's expression. He whispered, "You ready for this, Harry?"

The Boy-Who-Lived opened his eyes and said in a dead pan tone, "Hell no."

Ron sat with his sister, holding her hand. "Gin, you okay?"

She tore her eyes from the back of Harry's head and gave her brother a weak smile.

"Don't worry, Gin. He'll be okay, then you can spend forever letting him know." He squeezed her hand. He knew Ginny still loved Harry but she held back on telling him, she felt he didn't need the added stress of a relationship to add to his list of tasks he needed to take care of. This battle was hopefully the last task.

Then it began. Not with a bang or a flash, but with a cry of pain.

The group of Death Eaters that had entered the school were suddenly screaming. Filius Flitwick had worked his wonders along with Minerva McGonagall. As Rookwood and his group headed inside the castle, the entrance turned into large fangs and clamped down on the first few to enter. Those that survived on both the inside and outside were then attacked by statues and topiaries that came alive and began to slaughter the group.

Back at the Quidditch pitch, Flitwick threw McGonagall a knowing wink.

The remaining Death Eaters charged the pitch and ran toward the students who were sitting in the center. They were quite stunned when the first students they attacked only flickered and disappeared. Dumbledore's spell had bought them enough time for the real students and the remaining teachers to begin their attack as the Aurors shot hexes and curses down from the stands.

Regaining their senses, the Death Eaters began to pair off with sparring partners as spells rained from above.

Harry spotted Ron protecting Ginny from a hooded man. Ron shot the Death Eater in the chest and watched in horror as his spell caused the man to freeze and fall back. Hearing a noise behind her, Ginny spun and hexed another Death Eater that had tried to sneak up behind them.

"I knew I should have killed you when you were born," Lucius sneered. "Such weakness could only come from your mother's side of the family. I'm still young enough, I can start over."

His words pierced Draco's heart and he saw nothing but his hatred for the man that had made his life hell. Raising his wand he began to say the words, "Avada....oof!"

Harry had sideswiped him. "Don't do it Draco, he's not worth the guilt."

"Get off, Potter! I'm going to kill him for everything he's done!" He pushed Harry, hard. Turning back to Lucius, both boys were shocked to see him running like a coward, into the Forbidden Forest.

Voldemort saw it too. "Lucius, I'll owe you for your desertion." His crimson eyes spied Harry and Draco. A cruel smile played his lips. "So Harry, it comes to this, ambush and cunning. I'm quite impressed." He swept his hand in a large motion toward the battle on the pitch. It was obvious that the Death Eaters were falling, not because they were out numbered, but because they were far from being prepared for such a well thought out battle.

"I didn't do it to impress you." He pushed Draco behind him as he walked toward the Dark Lord, his wand raised high. "You know about the prophesy, you know what is to happen. One of us dies...and I'm not ready to go just yet."

The Dark Lord Voldemort smiled at the challenge. "Indeed, then I must say this will be a disappointing evening for you, dear boy." He raised his wand and shot Harry with a hex of bright blue. Harry ducked and raised his wand throwing a curse of green. They volleyed back and forth, Voldemort to play with his prey, Harry to buy time.

Draco helped Harry up after Voldemort hit him with a curse, it stung his chest and made him cough up blood. He quickly pointed his wand at his throat and whispered something. Draco felt hatred toward the Voldemort to rival his hate he felt for his father. "C'mon Tom, is that all you can do?"

"Why you insolent..."

He tried to hit Malfoy with a killing curse but was interrupted by Harry's amplified voice yelling, "NOW!"

At once, the remaining students, teachers and Aurors who were not dead or injured, turned their wands to the Dark Lord and together cast the largest Cruciatus Curse ever seen before.

Voldemort screamed in pain and terror, but he still lived. Harry nodded to Draco, who added his own Cruciatus. He walked over to the pale man, writhing in pain. "It's over, Tom. This..." he motioned to the people around him as he clutched at his chest. "...this is the power you do not know of. You were so vain, you knew what you had to do, but you didn't know why. You knew you had to kill me, you knew I could kill you. What you didn't know was how. Isn't it obvious, Tom? Family, it's always been about family. You had none, you tried to take mine. They are my power, they are what makes me strong. Now you know..." He had tears streaming from his emerald eyes as he lifted his wand, adding the final curse. "Avada Kedavra!"

As the green light flew from his wand, something happened. No one was quite sure what. The blue glow from the Cruciatus Curses had been glowing strong, but before Harry's killing curse could even touch Voldemort, the blue light pulsed, turned red, pulsed again and as the spell from Harry's wand touched the blue aura, it exploded.

Everyone was thrown backward as waves of energy rushed out in concentric circles from the apex that was the Dark Lord Voldemort. He was gone.

Slowly, like nature waking at dawn's light, cheering could be heard. Everyone yelled and clapped each other as the happiness became a thundering roar. It was over, the second war had ended. The Boy-Who-Lived had done it again.

Harry stood up, his chest still hurt. His head was throbbing and he could feel Draco behind him. Walking over to what was now a large crater; he kneeled down, and picked up a handful of dirt. He felt a hand rest on his shoulder. Looking up, he could see the sadness in his Headmaster's eyes. "He's not dead, sir."

Dumbledore shook his head. "No Harry, I'm sad to say that he is not dead."

"How? What happened?" Draco said with a panicked voice.

Albus gave the blonde a placating smile, "That, young Malfoy, is a good question. Something interfered and I'm at a loss to say just what that was."

Harry stood up, listening to the students cheering and sobbing, happy for their victory, sad for their losses. "Should we tell them?"

Albus shook his head, sadly. "No dear boy, let them celebrate and mourn. If we are lucky, he will not return for a long time." He clapped Harry on the back and led him away, Draco followed slowly, casting his eyes about as if Voldemort was behind a bush and would jump out at any minute.

Harry was suddenly bowled over by a streak of red. "Harry! I was so scared."

He gave her a sad smile, "It's okay, Gin. We're safe now, right Draco?" He turned to smile at the blonde, but there was no one there. "Where'd he go?" He let go of Ginny and spun in a circle until he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Let him go, Harry. He needs some time." The wise voice of Dumbledore spoke.

"I-I guess..." he was confused, but allowed Ginny to wrap herself around him once more and lead him back to the others.