Sacred is the Windswept Time

Seventeen: Final Confrontation

It had been three days since Harry had met with the Order of the Phoenix. Three days of spending time with his family and friends, three days of visiting Sirius' still form in the infirmary, asking for forgiveness, and holding his hand. Three days of hoping that when the time came that he was strong enough to let go, because once he faced Tom Marvolo Riddle, Lord Voldemort, Harry knew that it would be the end, it was the point of no return... And that day was drawing closer and closer...

They were in Great Hall at breakfast on the beginning of the fourth day. It was a seemingly normal and bright day, until the silence fell around them, and then the sound of an explosion was heard at the very gates of the school. It was the day that the world of Hogwarts entered the world of war.

Within moments of the first explosion another was heard and many of the younger students screamed or burst into tears. The prefects tried to regain some sense of order amongst the students as a few of the Professors began to issue out orders. James and Lily got to action organizing the students and leading them to the dungeons where they would be safe from most of the battle.

As the students were being led to the dungeons Harry took off toward the headmaster's office where the aurors that Moody had gathered were appearing with the aid of a portkey. They looked grim and determined, prepared for anything, and Harry quickly gave orders as he walked to the headmaster's desk and on the shelves behind it reached up, his hand closing around the silver and gold hilt of Salazar Slytherin's sword. He took it from the shelf and a strange green light engulfed him, energizing him, as armor magically appeared over his white oxford shirt and black trousers. It was light armor, enchanted armor, silver chain mail, and plates of silver reinforced with solid thickly worked leather.

The aurors watched in stunned fascination as the boy with the strange sword become a warrior prepared for the battle he was so obviously born to face. Looking around at the men assembled, he glared, wondering why they were still in the office when there was a battle waiting at their breached and broken gates.

"A war is on! Move!" he shouted and the men rushed to do as he ordered, rushing from the office and out to the grounds where Death Eaters were surging through the grounds and approaching the school.

Harry felt his wand pressing against his left arm, where he had it hidden in his sleeve, but he wouldn't need it as long as he held the Sword of Slytherin, he was certain of it, as the weight of the sword felt right to his arm.

As he was descending the stairs of the headmaster's office he met with Serrano Sorcebaine, and the Potions Master looked at the boy, in awe that the sword of Slytherin had chosen to go into battle with the Heir of Gryffindor. The boy glowed green in the enchanted armor, and it was a vision that Sorcebaine would remember for the rest of his life, the vision of a boy from the future going into battle, fighting for the freedom of his world and the lives of his family and friends.

Their eyes locked for a moment and then Harry gave a nod, and Sorcebaine knew that he was to return to his post by Sirius' side, to protect Sirius Black at all costs, as he and Harry had discussed only the day before. Then Harry was rushing down the stairs, through the corridors, and out of the double doors of Hogwarts and into the midst of battle.

The world outside was one of chaos, Curses were being thrown amongst the aurors and Death Eaters, and Aragog's children burst from the Forbidden Forest to join in the battle, because on Harry's request Hagrid had gone to Aragog to ask the great spider for help.

Harry watched sprays of red, blue, and green light shooting out across an immense and seemingly endless battlefield where wizard fought wizard, and man fought beast. There was a terrible screech raging through the air as one giant spider fell dead to the ground, taking with it several unfortunate men who had been in its path as it fell.

Taking a deep breath Harry stepped through the double doors, and was ducking as a stream of bright red light, the Cruciatus Curse was flung at him. Turning to the assaulter as another curse was thrown at him, he lifted the Sword of Slytherin and the curse rebounded on the caster and the Death Eater fell to the ground in agony, his screams joining the chorus of the other wounded and dying.

With a howl of rage Harry raced into the thick of the battle, a man possessed by some strange force, and he cut through his enemies, the sword slicing, stabbing, severing, maiming and killing all the evil men that chose to jump into his path or challenge him. He was mad with fury and hungry for their blood.

Soon there was only one Death Eater brave enough to enter his path, and Harry stood, his body singing, vibrating with the power of the sword as he faced a tall aristocratic man with long platinum hair and cold, dead silver eyes. Harry swallowed thickly, realizing that he was facing Lucius Malfoy's father, and he wondered if his friend would ever forgive him for killing his father in battle.

Xavier Malfoy gazed at the boy glowing in Salazar Slytherin's armor and sneered, "So you are their champion, the great Harry Granger. Why would you fight for them wearing the armor of our cause? Salazar Slytherin was a man that spoke for our cause, our birthright, the purity of our blood. How can you fight for them when you bear the power of our champion?"

Harry was no longer in control as he felt something else rise within him, a strange, deep voice rose in his throat and escaped his lips. "How dare you think that I would condone the bloodshed of your fellow witch and wizard? It was not for the purity of our blood that I fought, but for the integrity and survival of our people in the days when foolish muggles would kill their own kind out of ignorance. I did not turn away muggleborns and half-bloods because they were less than purebloods, I turned them away in the hopes that they would not be persecuted for what they were."

"Who are you?" Xavier asked, madness rising in his eyes.

"I am the forefather of your house, and I am ashamed at what my house has become by the likes of you. I am Salazar Slytherin and you were never fit to be in my house."

"You would dare to impersonate Salazar Slytherin and spout out lies!" Xavier raged, and lifting his wand he shouted, "Avada Kedavra!"

The force that possessed Harry's body lifted the sword and the killing curse struck the sword, and the sword glowed a brighter green and then Harry pointed the sword at Xavier as the voice once again escaped his mouth, "By the Gods, may you know the pain and torment you've brought to others!"

The green light shot from the sword and struck Xavier Malfoy in the chest, and the most horrifying sound imaginable escaped from his throat as the light engulfed him, his screams becoming inhuman howls as he fell to the ground in a fit of convulsions until his body grew still and his soul, a translucent image of his handsome but cold living body stood up and apart from his body and glared at Harry with those cold, dead silver eyes. Harry pointed the sword toward the sky, and that voice in possession of his mouth spoke, "I summon thee my fellow huntsman, take this villain as thy quarry!"

The sky grew black and lightening raged in great streaks and flashes as an ungodly sound of baying descended from the sky and there were horrible beasts with haggard and evil looking men riding astride them, a whole party of macabre huntsmen, and the haggard dead, some bones with bits of flesh and decayed clothing covering them, some haggard humans, some broken and bruised women or men, all looking the worst for the wear, some naked, and some wearing little more than rags. But the men, or whatever they were astride the horrible beasts looked at the translucent figure of Xavier Malfoy, their eyes burning with a hungry scarlet light, some even licking their lips as they reigned in their eager beasts.

Harry watched the change in Xavier Malfoy as mad terror took over the once aristocratic and evil men and the translucent man took off running, and the beasts sensing the beginning of an eternal chase with new quarry at the head of the pack let out a series of horrifying growls and howls as they took off at a gallop chasing, hunting down the evil soul of the slain Xavier Malfoy as he seemed to run into the sky and the Wild Hunt, of old fabled legend and stories to frighten small children, eagerly took off after him always at his heels, and Xavier Malfoy screamed, his madness and anguish rising above the baying of the huntsmen's terrifying beasts.

The battle seemed to halt as aurors, Death Eaters, and professors stopped and watched as Harry or whatever had possessed Harry had summoned the Wild Hunt and given over Xavier Malfoy as quarry to the dreaded Huntsmen, a punishment reserved only for the worst of evil.

As the last of the screams and howls fell silent over the battlefield Harry regained possession of his body and began to walk toward the broken gates of Hogwarts, the Death Eaters and aurors parting as he walked, forging a path for him rather than stand in his way, as they'd seen the power he could wield.

As Harry stood at the gate he stopped and called out, "Tom Riddle, would you face me now, after seeing what I've done to your most loyal follower, your lover! Would you face me now?!"

"What makes you think I would fear you boy?" came the familiar high pitched voice of Tom Riddle, and he stepped out of the shadows of the forest surrounding the road leading to the gate of Hogwarts and faced Harry Potter, his enemy, the one that would see him destroyed or die trying.

"Because you would be a fool not to fear me, Riddle, and I never thought you were a fool, a bit mad, but never a complete fool," Harry replied.

A red light began to glow in Tom Riddle's dark green eyes as he gazed at the boy wearing glowing green armor and bearing his forefather's sword.

"I am no fool," Riddle hissed, as he glared at Harry, and then he chuckled as he continued, "And I'm rather curious about something... How is it that you can enter my mind? How is it that you can hold the sword of my forefather, unless we are one and the same? You must be my other half if you are able to hold Salazar Slytherin's sword. If we are two halves of the same soul then join me boy. It seems that you are the fool. Can you imagine how great your power would be if you joined me? We could rule the world together. The wizarding world would revere us and the muggles would fear us as they were always meant to. Submit to me boy and the world would be ours for the taking. Why would I need Xavier at my side if I had you, my pretty boy, the secrets we could share, the passion."

"Are you forgetting the madness?" Harry added.

"Only in madness is their true genius, true vision. Surely you know this if you've been inside my head, boy. Take my hand, my offering, I'll give you the world if you'll say you are mine."

"Never! I would never submit to the monster that murdered my parents! I would see you dead and my parents alive. There is nothing you could offer me that would ever make me submit to you!" Harry shouted.

"Well then, though it may be a pity, I will simply have to kill you," Riddle said with a shrug and drew his wand. "I think we should face each other as wizards rather than men, drop my ancestor's sword and let us duel as wizards."

"All right," Harry said and he leaned the Sword of Slytherin against the broken wall where one of the gates of Hogwarts had been fashioned and took his wand from his left sleeve. "We shall duel as wizards."

Riddle smirked and then with a quick swish and flick shouted, "Crucio!" just as Harry shouted, "Impedimenta!"

The light from the wands, one red, the other white met and the two wands locked together, as the light began to blaze into a bright and fierce gold, the gold pouring and erupting from the cores of the wands to engulf the two wizards, and before the light completely surrounded them Harry shouted, "Accio Sword!"

The Sword of Slytherin flew into Harry's hand just as the golden light sealed around the two wizards, Riddle trying every curse he could think of, and finally he settled on the killing curse, but with his wand locked with Harry's it just wasn't working, and the fierce red light glowing in his cold green eyes began to blaze with fear and madness as Harry lifted Salazar Slytherin's sword and brought it down where Riddle's neck met his left shoulder. There was a hot spray of blood as Harry savagely removed the blade from Riddle's body, and the man screamed in agony as he realized that death was upon him, but even so he glared at Harry with his glowing, dying red eyes and producing a poisoned armor dagger that he'd had hidden up his right sleeve he threw it at Harry, catching him in the chest and soon Harry's screams of agony joined Riddle's and there was nothing as the blinding golden light began to fade and darkness engulfed Harry's vision.

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Everyone on the battlefield watched as the two men faced each other, both of them looking so much alike. They watched as the wands locked and the golden light engulfed the two, the Sword of Slytherin being summoned by one, and then there were the screams of agony, two screams that erupted from the golden light followed by the screams of hundreds of Death Eaters as they clutched at their left arms where the dark mark seared their flesh as their master died. Many of the Death Eaters were driven mad by the pain, and some, like Peter Pettigrew, simply died from the shock.

As the golden light faded Albus Dumbledore, Alastor Moody, and several of the Hogwarts' Professors rushed to the gates of Hogwarts, but there was only one body to be found, the dead body of Tom Marvolo Riddle.

Dumbledore took a deep breath and then turned his gaze to Alastor Moody and said, "The battle is done. I do not know the price this has cost us, but now is the time for tying up loose ends. Arrest the Death Eaters and tend to the wounded, I have some grave matters to attend to."

Moody nodded and began to spout out orders to the aurors that were gathering around them. Hundreds of Death Eaters were arrested that day, many went to Azkaban for the rest of their lives, most of them already mad when they got there, suffered with their dementia and kept the dementors well fed with their fears and nightmares, and many of the Azkaban guards would swear that when storms raged just outside that the screams of their prisoners increased and many of them jabbered on for hours about the wild hunt, and sometimes there was a long wailing scream that fell from the skies and the prisoners wailed their lament for their fallen comrade, screaming his name over and over as the Wild Hunt passed by them, each of them calling out to Xavier Malfoy.