Harry Potter and Unexpected Beginnings

Chapter forty-five

The swirling sensation kept Harry's head spinning, until a light began to appear in front of him, growing in clarity and dimension. His heart was beating, his pulse was racing and he gripped his wand tightly. He knew the moment of truth had come and he was ready. His anger and concern for the young woman he had promised his love and heart to was the driving force that brought his feet out of the fireplace to confront a room dark and stuffy. Crowded around were the black hooded figures of Voldemort's Death Eaters, each pointing a wand toward him. Harry returned his wand to the pocket of his robes, forcing the image of calm and confidence across his emotionless face. The high pitched laughter echoed from behind the black robed figures and as they moved aside to form a path to him, Harry saw the pasty face of the one man in the world he despised more than Uncle Vernon and Dudley put together.

"You are so predictable Potter," Voldemort cackled from his high backed chair, his red eyes glaring with amusement as Harry paced his way toward him.

"So are you old man," Harry answered calmly. "Where is she?"

"Safe, for now."

"I want to see her...now."

"Bring her," Voldemort hissed and Harry saw two large cloaked figures drag Ginny into the room from the hallway.

"You all right?" Harry asked in a gentle tone, glaring at the two figures he assumed were Crabbe and Goyle.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Ginny said, struggling against the strong hands holding her tightly. "I'm just going to kick these two if they don't let go of me." Harry smiled at the spunk of his girlfriend. She was stronger than he assumed, which made him proud to have her on his side.

"Tell me Potter, why would you be interested in such a scrawny thing like her? She's not much to look at if you ask me."

"I didn't ask you," Harry said with a sneer turning a narrowed eye toward the swollen bellied Bellatrix by his side. "But then you haven't much taste in the first place, do you?"

"Such a tongue Harry," Bellatrix hissed with a wicked smile. "Don't think your parents would approve of such an attitude."

"Since they aren't around I suppose that's not something I need to worry about, now is it?"

"Enough of this," Voldemort hissed. "I brought you here for a reason."

"Which is?"

"You want me dead and the feeling is mutual. However, recently I have discovered that you are much more powerful than I've ever predicted."

"Even more so than you?" Harry tempted fate as the thin man stood, secure in Ginny's safety for now. The Death Eaters moved aside, allowing more room for their master to confront his enemy one on one.

"You will never be as powerful as I am, but you can try."

"And try I do. So what is it you want from me? Obviously it's not for decorating hints," Harry said looking around the peeling wallpaper, cracked walls covered in cobwebs and broken windows. "You've done so many wonderful things already with this place."

"Think yourself clever do you, Potter?" a voice asked from the side, a voice very familiar to Harry, who turned to see the tall slender figure take a step further from the crowd.

"I was wondering whatever happened to you Malfoy," Harry said as Draco tipped the hood to his black robe off, revealing his pale blond head and flour-white complexion.

"Miss me, Potty?" he sneered.

"You wish. Just enjoying the peaceful serenity of Hogwart's without you. So, Voldie, what do you want?" Harry asked, turning back to the snake-like man standing a few feet from him.

"There is no way you will ever win against me, you understand that don't you?"

"No, actually I've never thought of my defeating you as not winning."

"Clever, but delusional. You are a very powerful wizard, Potter and those skills are growing rapidly. Join me and together we can rule the entire world."

"Join you? You're madder than even I had imagined."

"You have a choice Potter. Join me and live, rule by my side as my second in command and your friends will live. You can even keep your little girlfriend as your whore, for all I care, though I'll never understand why you would want her."

"Don't listen to him Harry," Ginny growled, as a hand from one of her restrainers clamped over her mouth.

"Why would I ever want to join you? You have nothing to offer me. If I'm as powerful as you suggest, that must mean I can stand on my own, perhaps even rule against you. Ever think of that?" Voldemort laughed his usual high-pitched hiss as he and Harry slowly began to pace around each other in a circle.

"You are as idealistic as your parents were. Your mother was very strong, but even she couldn't compete against me, though she did try. Have I ever told you how she died? You would have been very proud of her, Potter. She didn't beg me for mercy for herself, only for you. Noble don't you think?"

"Much more than you deserved," Harry said softly, fighting back the anger that threatened his composure.

"You won't defeat me. Unless you join me, you and your precious school will be destroyed."

"You can try, but with Dumbledore still in control you'll never get further than the front gates." Again Voldemort laughed, causing Harry's temper to rise.

"Albus Dumbledore is a pathetic old man, who's weak and worthless. He'll never stand against me. I have been and always will be the greatest wizard that ever lived."

"You may try to be the greatest wizard alive, but you'll never be more than a second rate, half breed, trying to be a success."

"I am heir to the great Salazar Slytherin. It is you who will never reach success."

"You may be heir to Slytherin, but you are also the son of a Muggle."

"Watch your tongue Potter, or I'll be happy to remove it for you," Bellatrix hissed in defense of her master.

"Hasn't he told you about his wonderful, proud heritage?" Harry asked, watching the anger grow in his enemy's red eyes. "A heritage that will run through the veins of your bastard child. His mother was actually your cousin, Bellatrix, Anna Felicia Marvolo daughter to Mathilda Hestia Black and Julius Draco Marvolo. His father however, was a Muggle by the name of Tom Riddle."

"Shut up Potter," Voldemort hissed.

"Why? Are you afraid to hear the truth? Are you afraid for them to hear the truth? Are you afraid to know that your father didn't hate you, like you always thought? It's true, your great Dark Lord's name is Tom Marvolo Riddle and he's half Muggle," Harry said turning to look at the Death Eaters surrounding them, then turned back to Voldemort. "Your father was told you died in birth with your mother. He loved you and he loved your mother, he only allowed her to stay in the wizarding world after she became pregnant, because she needed the care of a medi-wizard. He had plans of taking you and her to his world once you were born and she was well enough to be moved. But your perfect, pureblood grandparents had other ideas. They were the ones who were ashamed of you. They were the ones who didn't want the wizarding world to know about you. Dumbledore was there when you were born, but your grandparents took you to the orphanage as a baby before he could contact your father. Even he couldn't find you until you were able to enter Hogwart's. By then the damage had been done."

"You're a liar," hissed the pasty-faced man. "I killed the Riddles and destroyed any trace of them from my life."

"You may have killed them, but you could never erase them from your life. Your father is a part of you, a part of your blood. You used his bones for the potion that gave you back your human form, because of that you made him an even larger part of your life. You owe him for your very existence."

"I'm warning you Potter. Shut up or you'll pay for your insolence."

"I've been paying, every day of my life since you killed my parents. Have you told Draco Malfoy the truth about his mother's death yet?" Harry asked, turning to look at the tall blond standing, listening to every word the two enemies said to each other. His eyes narrowed at Harry as he glanced briefly to the Dark Lord.

"What is he talking about?" Malfoy asked.

"Don't listen to him, son," the dark hooded figure next to him said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "He's trying to confuse you, just as Dumbledore tried."

"Your father never told you how he killed your mother, by order of his lord and master?" Harry asked, still pacing around Voldemort. "He never told you how she begged for mercy, how she tried to save you from the life he had promised you to? He never told you how he simply raised his wand and issued the killing curse, without so much as single regret?" The younger Malfoy glanced to his the man beside him, edging further out of his grip.

"How do you know that?" the older Malfoy asked.

"Remember, I have powers even your master didn't realize."

"You told me my mother was a traitor and died as a result," the younger Malfoy said with an angry tone. "Tell me the truth, father. Tell me how she died."

"Her death was necessary," the older Malfoy's voice said from beneath his cloak. "She betrayed our Dark Lord and had to die."

"Answer me father. Did you kill my mother?"

"Yes and it was my pleasure to serve her body up to our Lord."

"How could you lie to me like that? How could you kill her? She was your wife."

"She was a traitor. I would kill you too, if you hadn't joined us. I will kill anyone for the Dark Lord."

"Some love your father has for you, huh Malfoy?" Harry asked, feeling the leverage growing. At last he was convinced who was to be the fifth point of the star. Malfoy was tempted, but was turning, seeing the truth of the world he was promised to.

"Shut up Potter," the elder Malfoy growled, his wand rising toward him. "I'll kill you for what you've done here."

"You can try, but you'll never succeed," Harry said proudly, his voice showing a slight hint of amusement. "Do you remember that prophecy you wanted to get your hands on to, so badly last year? Do you really want to know what it said?"

"There is no way you could possibly know what it contained," Bellatrix said from her perch near Voldemort's chair. "It was destroyed before anyone could hear it."

"Not exactly anyone. I heard it," Harry lied, unwilling to reveal Dumbledore was the only one who knew the whole prophecy. "It said that Voldemort would mark his equal, which he did," Harry said, raising his hair with his hand to reveal the lightening bolt scar. "It also said that neither of us can live, while the other survives. It means that that one of us has to kill the other...kill or be killed. Nothing you can do to me, will work."

"We'll see about that," Voldemort hissed as the large image of his pet snake entered his conscious mind. Harry saw it immediately, turning toward around to see the massive reptile slithering toward him, tongue flicking and eyes hungrily set on Harry.

"Serpens Annihilare," he said, pointing his wand to the snake.

"No, Nagini!" Voldemort cried as his beloved serpent glowed a bright red, hissing in pain as it melted away into oblivion. "You'll pay for that Potter." The Dark Lord raised his wand, but Harry was too quick already anticipating his response. Using the lessons he'd learned from Charlie, he focused his whole mind toward the man, freezing in him in time. The Death Eaters gasped in shock as their master became as a statue, but the effects were only momentary. Within the span of a few seconds Voldemort was unfrozen, staring at Harry in disbelief.

"My powers are not only strong," Harry said, locking his green eyes with those of blood red ones. "They are equal to yours." Harry seized the moment, reaching out his mind and creating a shield around the two of them, his wand rising simultaneously toward the Dark Lord. The action took the Death Eaters by surprise, forcing them to raise their own wand to the dome covering their master and his enemy. They began issuing spells, creating a variety of sparks that lit up the room in an array of colors. Without thought, the doors surrounding the room were blown open, as the members of the D.A. burst through, followed by a number of Aurors.

Harry kept his attention to Voldemort, ignoring those outside the dome. They continued to pace around each other, circling, as a wild animal would stalk its prey. Each had their wand raised to the other, confronting and holding off their opponent.

"Think you're as strong as I, do you?" Voldemort hissed.

"You know I am, or you would never have asked me to join you. You're afraid of me, Riddle, afraid of the truth, afraid of the power I've developed."

"You are overly confident Potter. You will never defeat me."

"Perhaps not, but I will certainly try. I have run from you for too long, I'm tired of it. It's time to end this."

"No it's not, not yet," Voldemort hissed in laughter. "You think this simple child's spell will hold me? You are naive boy. I'll not destroy you this time, but the day will come when you will beg me for mercy, just as your parents did. Were you aware of how beautiful your mother was as she knelt before me? She was exceptionally beautiful, too beautiful for the likes of your father. I did not kill her right away, as you have been told. She would do anything to save the life of her infant son, anything I asked. She made a pleasing effort in the end. Quite the lover, your mother was. No wonder your father enjoyed her so much."

"What are you saying?" Harry demanded, his anger growing bitterly deep. Voldemort laughed again, the hissing echoed about the inner walls of the dome.

"Can't you figure it out? She made every attempt to save your life, even to the point of offering herself to me."

"You're a liar!" Harry snapped, the hand holding his wand shook with anger.

"Am I?" the evil tone echoed in his voice.

"My mother would never do that, never. She was..."

"My whore, to the very end. Your father was killed early, but your mother survived for hours before I tired of her. Pity too, she was quite an interesting woman. If it weren't for the fact she was a Mudblood, I would have quite enjoyed keeping her at my disposal for a while longer. Perhaps if I had known of her talents sooner, you would have been mine rather than James Potter's."

"I'll kill you for what you've done," Harry warned, but before he could issue the spell the hissing laughter echoed again, then vanished from the dome without warning. Harry was left within, fuming in anger, shaking with fury. He couldn't believe what he'd heard, he couldn't believe what his mother could have endured or surrendered in that way.

The sound of spells being cast against the dome brought Harry back to reality, as he dissolved his barrier, joining in the battle against the Death Eaters. Bellatrix had disappeared, as had Lucius Malfoy, leaving the rest to battle for them. Ginny lay on the floor next to Voldemort's chair, while Crabbe and Goyle cowered in nearby corners. Harry made his way to her, touching her shoulder. A soft moan escaped her throat and Harry released the breath he had subconsciously been holding. A split second passed before he sensed another person by his side. He turned quickly to see Malfoy lean down across Ginny, his hand on her forehead, tipping it back to look into her face.

"She's alive," he said, looking at Harry. "We've got to get her out of here."

"What do you care?" Harry asked, testing the waters of their relationship. Malfoy frowned.

"I'm not like my father. I want to help." Harry smiled briefly, then turned to the battle between D.A. members and Death Eaters.

"We can't leave like this," he said. "We have to help."

"Go," Ginny said in a soft voice.

"Ginny, are you all right?" Harry asked lifting her up to a sitting position, her arm in an awkward position. She moaned in pain, reaching for her shoulder.

"I think it's dislocated," she said as a tear rolled down her cheek. "Leave me and help the others."

"Go on," Malfoy told Harry. "I'll stay with her." Harry frowned, unsure if the blond was sincere or if he should even be considering trusting him or not. "They need you Potter. The Dark Lord was right, you are a powerful wizard, you have to help them. Do you really think Weasley will hold them off without you?"

"If you're even thinking of double crossing me, Malfoy," Harry warned.

"I'm not." Harry stared at the young man across from him, seeing something in his eyes that told him he could trust him, then looked back to Ginny.

"I'll be right back," he told her. "Stay out of the way."

"I'll be fine, now go. They need you." Harry smiled, glanced back to Malfoy then joined in the battle.

"You're a real surprise, Malfoy," Ginny said looking at the young man who reached down to help her move further out of sight.

"Don't rub it in, Weasley," he said with his usual smirk, only his eyes revealed genuine concern. "It wouldn't do for anyone to know I actually helped Potter's girlfriend." Ginny leaned against the back of the chair Voldemort had once occupied. Her eyes caught sight of the figure in the corner sneaking up behind them, just as Malfoy turned, his wand raised toward the man.

"Avada Kedavra," he shouted, watching as the dark image of the elder Goyle collapsed on the ground, dead. "At least one of my mother's tormentor's was punished," he said sadly, glancing around the room. Crabbe was gone, sneaking out of the line of fire.

The battle was quickly coming to an end, as the Aurors cast their spells along side the D.A. members. Within a few minutes most every Death Eater was unconscious or secured, but before the fight was completed several Dementors floated into the room, bringing with them the icy cold of death and despair. Harry turned in time to see two advancing on him, he raised his wand and with the strength he had grown over the length of practice and time he issued the spell, "Expecto Patronum." The silver image of a large stag emerged from the end of his wand, fighting back the dark images. Several other members of the D.A. followed suit, forcing the Dementors back. Harry went to Ginny and Malfoy, reaching for the girl's arm.

"We've got to get her out of here," he told Malfoy seeing the effects the Dementors had on the girl. He raised Ginny carefully to her feet, wrapping his arm around her waist as Malfoy slipped her good arm around his shoulder. Ron and Hermione joined them, and they quickly made their way out into the hallway.

"You guys get back to Hogwart's," Tonks shouted, ordering the rest of the students out of the room. As each one quickly filed into the hallway, the doors to the room closed and locked behind them, leaving them to floo back to the castle via the caretaker's cottage. The battle may have been fought, but the real war was yet to begin. Harry frowned as he wrapped his arm around Ginny a little tighter. For the first real time since finding out about his prophecy, since confronting Voldemort for the first time when he fought for the Philosopher's Stone, Harry was confident he would win against him. His powers were stronger than even he knew and today when he stood face to face with him, Harry felt in control and powerful. He was The-Boy-Who-Lived and he would one day be The-Boy-Who-Succeeded.