Into the Darkness

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I haven't had much luck on TDA so far, so bear with me. I know the plot I have has been done before (a little overdone, one might say), so I don't expect much from this one either. This is just a little something I did for fun, to practice my writing & get another fic on TDA. It doesn't have a happy ending, but TDA fics aren't supposed to. That's all, so read & let me know how I did.

Into the Darkness

Rain steadily and endlessly poured down on a landscape littered with blood and bodies. In his line of vision, Harry Potter looked as if he was the only survivor. He struggled to walk on his throbbing right leg toward a body he thought he knew. Sure enough, when he came upon the blank face and lifeless frame, his assumption was confirmed...it was Luna Lovegood. Harry remembered her well; she wasn't the most normal person you'd find at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but she was always ready to help when it was needed.

"Luna," Harry whispered, touching her face lightly and looking at her vacant gaze. The sight of her aroused a hidden anger that Harry believed was gone forever. A fresh rage at Voldemort and his followers formed and swelled in Harry's already heavy chest. He destroyed Voldemort, but the damage that he and his supporters left behind was irreparable.

In the distance, Harry thought he could see faces of members of the Order of the Phoenix: Nymphadora Tonks, Minerva McGonagall, Mundungus Fletcher, and Remus Lupin. It hurt Harry even more to see so many flaccid bodies of such a noble organization, of which he became a part of. He felt even more uncomfortable looking out on the immense field that had become a sea of death, so he mustered up all the energy he had left and began walking away, toward the outlying forest.

The journey wasn't easy. Harry's leg was still searing with pain, and the terrain wasn't easily travelable. He stumbled across the muddy ground, rain pouring down and soaking his shirt and jeans even more. He glanced down at his aching left hand and noticed it was bleeding. He watched a drop of his own blood fall to the wet ground, and then looked at his surroundings once more.

The Death Eaters' bodies were blurred in the fog and rain, but Harry still recognized August Rookwood and Bellatrix Lestrange, among others. He didn't stop to become angry or reminisce on the encounters he'd had with them, but kept moving through the field. Harry put the hand that wasn't bleeding to his wet and dirty face. Although he couldn't look at his face, he could feel that a few years had already withered away from the events of the previous months.

Death and destruction was all around Harry - he wasn't quite sure what day it was, or even what time it was; he'd lost track of time completely. Upon reaching the forest's edge, he could just make out the outskirts of a small town that looked like it was in ruins. He wouldn't be surprised if this village was destroyed, or even if it was his distressed mind playing tricks on him, but he decided to make his way there; he'd learned recently to never give up hope. It looked like a long walk, but Harry shook off the nasty voice in his head telling him to give out and collapse right on the spot where he stood and pressed on.

Harry's energy was quickly diminishing and he had begun blinking blood, sweat, and rainwater out of his eyes, but his desire to reach safety kept him going. He wanted the Daily Prophet to be able to report that someone had survived the battle, as he was sure reporters had found out about it by now. He didn't know how many had survived and right now, when his head was aching (particularly along his scar), he didn't want to think much at all.

On the edge of the field closest to him, a body moved. He could just make out in the darkness that this person was female, and he felt, for the first time since the battle had started, a wave of relief crash down on him like an ocean swell crashing down on the beach. He temporarily abandoned his quest for the town and fought his way through the field to the direction of the moving body. When he reached the girl, familiar brown eyes met his and a small yet very true smile appeared on his mangled face.

"Hermione, you're alive..." he said quietly, and he helped her sit up.

"You're alive," she said. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you."

It seemed the sentence caused her a great deal of effort. She breathed heavily, and her leg was lying at an odd angle, indicating it was broken. She slowly sat up; and her bushy hair was even wilder than it usually was, and her brown eyes looked as heavily-lidded as Bellatrix Lestrange's. Had someone tried to kill Hermione and failed?

"Can you stand?" Harry asked Hermione.

"I'll try," Hermione replied, struggling to get to her feet. It took her several minutes, but she managed to get to a stance, swaying on the spot.

"I'll help you," Harry said, wrapping her right arm around his shoulder.

"Thanks, Harry."

"Of course."

So Harry helped Hermione, and Hermione helped Harry move toward the village on the edge of the forest. Harry felt a little better and his leg didn't throb as much with Hermione by his side. It was baffling how she survived, with all the dead bodies covering the once-empty field. Harry tried as hard as he could not to wrap his mind around it; his best friend was alive and they were heading toward refuge.

Harry and Hermione kept moving, taking short rests because of their injuries. It seemed the town was miles away, as each step got harder and harder. Harry's leg was almost ready to give out from walking on it, and he could tell Hermione's was too.

"We can't go on Harry," Hermione whispered, exhausted.

"Yes we can Hermione, we can make it."

"I hope you're right."

So they carried on. The town seemed to be getting further and further away, and more bodies lay pilled on the field before them. Just when both Harry and Hermione felt they couldn't take another painful step, they emerged past a cluster of trees and at last came upon the town. Most of it was in ruins, but in between two buildings they could see the faint outline of a man coming toward them.

Excitement flooded through Harry as the man advanced on them. Finally, help had arrived! He and Hermione could be transported to St. Mungo's to recover, then they could both get on with their lives. The Dark Side was vanquished, and all would end happily...or so he thought.

They couldn't tell exactly who it was coming at them from as far away as he was, but as he got closer his blonde hair, round frame, and rat-like appearance couldn't be mistaken. Peter Pettigrew had survived the battle.

"Potter...you killed my Master..." Peter said as he approached them.

"Wormtail...how did you..."

"You destroyed my Master, now I destroy you...both of you."

"Don't do this Wormtail," Harry begged.

But it was too late; Wormtail had already drawn his wand, and he was too quick for Harry. He shouted "Avada Kedavra!", bright green light flashed momentarily, and Hermione Granger lay dead next to him. Before Harry could fully ingest what happened and react, Wormtail had already turned his wand on him. "Petrificus Totalus!" Wormtail bellowed, and Harry fell to the ground, limp and wide-eyed. Able to do nothing but scream hateful thoughts at Wormtail, Harry silently cursed himself for reacting so slowly and not being able to save his friend.

Wormtail faded further into the distance, and Harry felt an overwhelming sense of defeat. The only other time Harry had been like this was in the beginning of his sixth year on the Hogwarts train when Draco Malfoy cast the spell on him. But back then, Nymphadora Tonks was there to unlock the body-bind and get him safely into the school. Now, in the midst of the lifeless field behind him, there was no one...

~FIN~

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