A War of Nerves

CHAPTER 21: A War of Nerves

Brigid gave the coded hand signals to stop then turn left. Her operation of four was moving quietly and quickly through the halls of Malfoy Manner all they had to do was find the Juggernaut and they could report to Morgan.

Fist, pointer, left, fist, palm. The group turned down the left hallway and hide in the shadows. It was easy enough; Flitwick had broken most of the charms on the premises. Find the damnable monster and put it out of commission, she said to herself, that is your duty.

Fist, palm, pointer, fist, palm. It meant split up and look for it. Brigid turned down several hallways cautiously. She was in the dungeons, but everything was carpeted. Stupid rich people, she thought, now I can move silently. She moved down an empty hall and looked discreetly around the corner with her mirror. Aden was there. She stuck out her hand and signaled she was coming around.

He greeted her with a nod and the two of them split at the next fork in the halls. That was when Brigid came to it. A door with a silver handle, easily pickable, easily forced open now that there was no charms protecting it. The doorknob began to open and she stood back, willing herself a shadow like Flitwick taught her. Another of his charms. She could kiss the man...but she wouldn't.

A short balding man stepped out. He was rubbing his hands together AND ON OF THEM WAS METAL! Pettigrew, she growled inwardly. He should die, but he will need to be questioned.

"IMPERIO!" she said. His mind was immediately open to her. Pettigrew, she said in the mind speech. Open the door. Open the door. Open the door. Open the door. Open the door.

And slowly, the stupid man turned around and opened the door. Tell them to hurry. Tell them to hurry. Tell them to hurry. Tell them to hurry. Tell them to hurry.

"You all," the short man with the metal arm said sharply, "hurry up."

Tell me, she said in mind speech, How many are there? How many are there? How many are there? How many are there? How many are there?

"Nine," he answered.

And your master? And your master? And your master? And your master? And your master?

"In the ballroom. He is waiting for me," Pettigrew answered in a whine.

Brigid drew her blade and walked closer to him. The blade was tipped with green, it was methamphetamine. She tilted his head and cut him on the cheek while he was in his stupor. She threw him into a room that was nothing more than a closet. It might have been more if the charms were up...but they weren't.

"Estacia! Hook me with Morgan! Now!" she said through her ring. It glowed a bright red and she heard the voice of Morgan in her head.

"Now?" she asked.

"Now," Brigid answered. Morgan's link was cut and Brigid focused on Estacia again, "I need simultaneous links with Akira, Corbin, and Aden.

"I found them," she said to all three. "Go to where the painting of Alexander the Great is and turn left. I'm waiting as a shadow. Move quickly and quietly! Over."

"Copy," came Aden.

"Copy," said Akira.

"Copy," Corbin's accented voice said.

Brigid waited and drew one long knife and her wand and readied them for battle. Aden came first, being the closest. She became visible and signaled for him to station himself to the left of the door. Akira's spider form (for he was an Animagus) transformed into human and Brigid signaled for him to go spider and attack from above and wait on the ceiling. Corbin was the last to arrive and he did so by Invisibility Cloak. Brigid had examined it, it was very high tech. It could amplify voices, record voices, become visible and invisible so you could wear it anywhere, and it had a hood that clasped so it wouldn't fall off of you. She wanted one.

When Corbin became visible, Brigid opened the link between her and them. "There are nine of them. Pettigrew is in that closed, I put methamphetamine in his system, the good stuff. He'll be out for a while. Corbin, you enter first in your Invisibility Cloak. Try to knife at least one. Then Aden and I'll come in and back you up. Akira, you come in last and clean up the ones we miss. I want this to be quick. I'll signal when we go. Over."

The triple copy came and Brigid focused on what was going on in the room. They were concentrating hard, she could feel the tension. They were distressed. She held up her five fingers on her left hand. Four. Three. Two. One.

Corbin burst in, invisible, and knifed the first two with a poison dagger.

Almost immediately, Brigid called out, "PROTECTUS!" The Shielding Charm protected Corbin from the first onslaught of attacks. Brigid should have foreseen this; they had people guarding the workers. There were six workers and three protectors and Corbin had taken out one of each.

"Azulectro!" Akira yelled from behind her. The fingers of blue lightning reached out and killed a Death Eater worker.

"Aden! Behind you!" Corbin called as he knifed the second protector in the heart and then slit his throat.

Aden turned around in just enough time to cast a Shielding Charm. Brigid doubled with him and strengthened it. Two of the workers were killed by Akira before the last protector yelled, "Bellafara!"

Akira fell to the ground and didn't get up.

"No!" Brigid leapt at the last protector and knifed him in the throat after a short grapple.

Aden and Corbin had cornered the last two Death Eaters making the Juggernaut and had taken their wands. Brigid was breathing heavily and she knelt next to Akira and felt for his pulse. "Dead," she pronounced.

Then she walked over and stood next to Corbin and Aden over the cowering Death Eaters. She spat on them and then looked at what they were building for the first time.

It was huge! It had some glossy, iridescent blue exterior and it seemed to glow evilly. It hand long arms that had magic (she guessed) crystals on the ends that glowed with an inner black light. The head (or at least where the head would have been) was a dome and had some symbols written on the outside of it. Protection she guessed. She reached her hand out to touch it and immediately drew back. It shocked her and she dew back. Brigid frowned at it.

"What do you want us to do with them?" Aden asked.

"Slit their filthy throats, Ah say," Corbin growled.

"Oh, no!" said the larger of the two. He was practically an old man with thinning hair and a nasty demeanor. "We were under the Imp-"

"I don wanna fuckin' here it ya bloody commy bastard!" Corbin growled, kicking him savagely.

"What can they give us that we don't already know?" Aden asked pointedly.

Brigid looked from Aden to Corbin and said, "Nothing. Kill 'em."

"No! WE KNOW SOMETHING!" the first said again.

"What might that be?" Brigid asked boredly, "Better make it good."

"We-we-we know how to work it! We are so close! You could command it! All that power-"

"Kill 'em," Brigid repeated. And Corbin and Snape each killed off their respective Death Eaters.

Slitting their throats, just to make sure, Corbin whipped the blood off on their shirts and said, "Now how the hell do we destroy the damn thing?"

Brigid shrugged. "Take the crystals and break 'em?"

"Sounds good to me," said Aden.

Aden and Corbin took a crystal each and broke it on the floor, a black gas escaping it that had a foul smell.

"Now what?" Corbin asked.

"Well," Brigid said, "We drag all the bodies in here, even Pettigrew, lock the door, and go off and join the Noble Six Hundred I guess."

"Sounds good to me," Aden said."

"Right-o," Corbin said in a cheerful voice.

Brigid dragged the drugged form of Pettigrew into the room with the dead Death Eaters. They piled all of the bodies up in the corner and left to find some action right after talking to an excited sounding Morgan.

"Did you see that, Uncle?" Morgan said, squeezing his hand.

"Yes, the first step is done," he said.

"But we aren't through yet," Moses Rashad said. "Did you tell them to move to the south gardens and lakes?"

"Yes," she replied, "And I told the Calvary to hold position. They aren't going anywhere for a while. Not until I hear word from McGonagall."

She closed her eyes again and said, Hermione Granger. When she opened her eyes again, she saw the brute force of the battle.

Hermione was fighting back to back with the ex-Auror Mad-Eye Moody. They had Apparated not five minutes ago and the battle began. It was loud and bloody. The Death Eaters had the advantage of numbers, but the Noble Six Hundred had the advantage of skill. Brain over brawn, right?

"Keep your guard up, girlie!" croaked Moody. "PROTECTUS!" he called, shielding the ten people around him. Hermione was definitely in awe of his power. He deserved more credit.

"ELECTRONOX!" Hermione cried. The black bolts of lightning sprinted from her wand and immediately fried two Death Eaters charging.

"PROTECTUS!" she called out, widening the birth of the shield and strengthening it. It was different...battle. When you were protecting people, trying to help them escape, it was different then this. This was murder. And the sickest thing was she wanted to. These people had killed her friends, innocents.

"MUNDELUSIA!" she growled. The ground heaved open and swallowed three more of the opposing Death Eaters.

"Minascirth!" a voice said. The Russian woman, Viktoria Polinen fell, a large gash in her chest where her heart had been.

"REDUCTO!" Hermione yelled. She blasted back an opposing Death Eater into another and they were thrown into the lake.

Lights flashed and magic was making the air hot, despite the cool wind that constantly threw her hair in her face. It was getting dark; large, magic powered, storm clouds crowded over the horizon and droplets of water began to fall. Lightning of natural origin flashed down on the battle. As they moved from the spot they were in, Hermione almost stumbled over a body. It was Red Decovenney, the man from Louisiana...

"Ya, canna help 'im now, girlie," Moody growled. "We've gotta move on."

She nodded and they moved forward into the large group of curse-flinging Death Eaters.

"PROTECTUS!" she cried again, strengthening the shield so that it covered a couple of other people. She saw Draco, Sirius, Remus, Bill, Arthur, and Mundungus Fletcher in the other shielded area.

"Don't waste all yer power on keepin' this here shield up, girlie," Moody said, "It'll fail soon, don try to keep it alive! Verdelectro!"

Green lightning shot from his wand and made two opposing warriors crispy as they pressed forward. The shield stayed though, and as they ran into a Death Eater, he writhed in pain as it disintegrated his body.

"INCIENDO!" Zabini the Elder said from beside her. He and his son were under her shield. The Death Eater burned and Zabini laughed.

"Father!" Blaise cried. But it was too late, a burning charm hit him and he died. The younger Zabini growled and said, "LETHALARIA!"

A Death Eater dropped dead of a heart attack. The battle raged on and on. Out of the corner of her eye, Hermione saw Abrella Figg and the Hawaiian Auror fall, but fall taking out a group of ten Death Eaters, a Kamikaze move. It was about an hour later that three people ran from the house behind the Death Eaters. Hermione recognized Brigid and cheered.

The three assassins of the Spider Crew attacked from behind the Death Eaters, causing a lot of confusion. They were using knives and wands, a lethal combination. Several Death Eaters fell from each side before they reorganized. Amos Diggory fell and so did Joanne Vector, her arithmacy professor.

That was when the rage came. People were dropping like flies, it was suicide! It had to stop. Hermione's blood boiled hotter than it had the day of commencement. Hermione's blood called for other's blood to be spilled.

"NOOOO!" she cried as yet another of her comrades fell, the English woman, Lelila Nottingham.

Her wand hand was shaking, her blood rising to her head. And the damn broke over, her nerves filled with adrenaline and the need to kill. "MUNDELUSIA!" she bellowed. The ground heaved open wider than ever right in the center of the Death Eater's infantry. Twenty or more fell to their death.

"ELECTRONOX!" she cried out. Huge black and thick bolts of lightning radiated off her very body and hit the Death Eaters full force. Many fell in the canyon she'd made and others were burned to death.

But she wasn't done yet. "KALINUS!" she screamed. The creature of fire shot out of her wand. It was similar to the Patronus Charm, but lethal to humans. It was an animal made of pure fire that shot from your wand and burned everything it touched.

A huge tigress exploded out of her wand and out at the Death Eaters. In its massive form, it leapt upon the evil men and ripped them to pieces. Everything it touched was burnt and immediately killed. But eventually, its strength lessened and it all but disappeared.

"PROTECTUS!" Moody's scratchy voice called from behind her. She had stepped out of the rage a bit and he was trying to protect her too. She had enough sense to fall back.

Moody chuckled a bit as she fell into his arms. "My, that was unexpected," he commented. "Why don ya leave the rest to the clean-up crew, girlie. Ya've dun good, ya've done Hogwarts proud."

"It is over?" she asked tiredly.

"Minerva is comin' this way with the hostages, it is Apparition time. All we can do now is kill off or capture the remaining Death Eaters and let the Calvary do the rest. We've dun our job."

Hermione nodded and vaguely felt someone touch her arm. "Hey, Granger! Don't go to sleep!"

Hermione opened her eyes. "Malfoy?"

"Yeah, that is me. Now you can't go to sleep, Granger, you'll die. They're finishing off the Death Eaters as we speak. News from Hermes, the Calvary is in facing off with that bastard as we speak."

Hermione began to close her eyes. That was good. Harry could do it.

"GRANGER!" Malfoy said sharply. Then she slapped her face hard. "Don't sleep you'll die!"

Hermione's eyes rolled in the back of her head and then she came around.

"That is better," he said. "Damn, Granger, that was awesome! You got all crazy looking there for a minute, but it was awesome. I'll never forget that Kalin animal!"

"Yeah," Hermione said dazed. She was having (a weird) conversation with Draco Malfoy!

"They are almost done," he said. "Time to get up!" She tried to stand but couldn't. She heard Malfoy sigh and then haul her up and throw her over his shoulder. That was when Hermione went black.

Harry sat on the rock. They were hiding from the action until they got the message to go to Voldemort. It they went too soon, they would have to face too many Death Eaters and possibly a Juggernaut. But waiting was annoying. He felt edgy and twitchy and the slightest thing set him off. Dumbledore stood calmly beside him and Snape to the other side. Lily and Steven were off talking, arguing by the looks of it. Lily would glare at Steven, glance at Harry, then say something he couldn't hear and then gesticulate more.

Harry also saw the way Snape would look over at them every few minutes. His face remained impassive but something in his demeanor would change...something Harry couldn't put a finger on.

He didn't have too much time to analyze it because Lily started walking towards him and looking angry. Steven was rubbing his temples and muttering something, but he stayed back.

"Harry," she said, "I have to tell you something."

"O-okay," he said unsteadily. He looked up at Dumbledore, who just nodded and looked over at Snape. She grabbed his arm and hauled him up, leading him a little ways away from the group so they couldn't hear what Lily was going to say.

"Harry," she said seriously. Her arms were crossed and her green eyes bored into him. "I have to apologize for something. And I have to return something to you."

"Alright," Harry replied.

"After winter break, I Obliviated you," she said calmly.

"What?" he said a bit more high pitch than he knew he could. "Why?"

"Calm down," she hissed, "We're supposed to be hiding. I'll tell you. Do you remember talking to Voldemort when you faced off with him at the Orkneys?"

"Yes," he answered.

"What did he say?"

"He said that...that," Harry racked his brain. He knew Voldemort had said something important that day. He'd said...something. It was like it was on the tip of his tongue and it just wouldn't come out. "I don't know," he finally admitted.

Lily nodded. "He told you something about me, where I came from, who I am. I believe you have the right to know now. But please, don't overreact. Remember, you were fine with it before, I just altered what you were fine with...a bit."

"Okay," he said, trying not to get angry.

"Okay," Lily said, getting out her wand. "Finite Incantatum!"

An odd feeling came over Harry, like his brain was being infused with something. It was like having a hose, then putting your hand over it. The pressure built until it shot out with such force that you were stunned. He rubbed his head and then did a double take.

"My daughter?" he said shakily.

She nodded.

Harry sat down and worked his jaw up and down for a while.

"I'm from the future, Harry," she said calmly. "Ron's known since October and Dumbledore's known since the start of term. "I came here for this exact purpose, to kill Voldemort. Because, Harry, in my time, Voldemort is alive and still trying to take over the world. He kills you about a year from now and Ginny, my mother, and Hermione, and Ron and his family flee, like many families, to America. I got sent back to fix things."

Harry took a while to process this. It couldn't be true, could it? She did sort of look like him. Her hair was similar, her eyes were definitely his. And she did act a bit like the Ginny.

"But how..." he murmured.

"Hermione," Lily answered. "She did work on Time Turners and made one that could go backwards in time. I don't know if you remember, but, Voldemort had a locket. He took it from me when he discovered what it was. As of now, he doesn't know how to use it, but he is close I think."

"And if he did use it, he could rule the world," Harry surmised.

Lily nodded.

"What about me?" he asked. "How did I die?"

Lily sighed. "You were betrayed."

"By?"

"Your family, the Dursleys. Voldemort came to their house and they told them everything, willingly. He didn't even have to torture them."

Harry felt a muscle in his eye twitch.

"You took Ginny with you to visit them. As I was told it, Vernon insulted Ginny and her family and you leapt to her defense. He told you to leave and you did. You never came back. They were furious that you had kept your fortune secret from them," Lily explained.

Harry's teeth gritted.

"You were playing Quidditch at the time, Seeker for the Montrose Magpies. A group of Death Eaters came to an international game, you were playing Bulgaria. In the middle of the match, the Bulgarian team, including Krum, attacked along with the Death Eaters in the stadium. Two hundred died. It was sheer luck that Ginny and her family weren't able to see you that match.

"It was ten against forty Harry. You killed half of them yourself before dying; you didn't want innocent people being hurt."

Harry was silent and Lily continued. "You couldn't know yet, Harry; that is why. You had told Ginny and I didn't want it leaking out. If you knew too early, I might not be born. I need to be born Harry, I have other things I need to do.

"In my world, I'm the one that defeats Voldemort after the fall of Dumbledore, this Hermione of the future has discovered. But it doesn't happen for a long while yet, and so many have died. There are virtually no Muggles left. Wizards hide in the three free nations of the world, Peru, the States, and Japan. The rest are hunt down and captured by Death Eaters.

"The Matson twins of the future discovered that Voldemort is trying to make a master race of people he can rule forever. I couldn't risk it, Harry. So Hermione, Ginny, and Dumbledore devised a plan to keep this time safe. Because it was worth it if even one future escaped Voldemort. Do you understand Harry? It is important that you do."

He did. He couldn't allow that to happen. Because what if she didn't defeat Voldemort? He couldn't allow Voldemort to kill off everyone and play God for an eternity. He wouldn't allow it.

"I understand, Lily," he said calmly.

Lily let out a sigh of relief. "Good. Good, now let's go back. He's looking at me again. He doesn't understand..."

Harry tried to deceiver what she'd said but it didn't make sense, and he had other things to worry about. He walked over to Dumbledore again, who looked calm and collected as ever.

"Harry," he said, "Everyone, I have something I want to say."

Harry, Steven, Snape, and Lily gathered around him. They were all edgy, knowing that the time was soon to come that they would face their greatest and most powerful enemy, and they may not live through it.

"Voldemort will have called his strongest Death Eaters to him, but no more than two or three. This we can handle. I have up most confidence that our Noble Six Hundred will defeat the Death Eater infantry and I have the up most confidence in us. When you go out there, stop thinking, just do what is natural to you. No amount of practice or planning will help you now. Go with your instincts, follow your emotions, they are the strongest tool you have. I believe in all of you, and I believe you will do what you were sent here to do."

At that moment, Dumbledore's blue ring glowed and he nodded. "It is time. They are in the open-roof ballroom beyond this wall.

"REDUCTO!" Dumbledore cried. The wall shattered and flew back to the ground. Looking in, Harry saw a large Shielding Charm blocking a throne like chair. Voldemort sat on it and he had three men with him. One was obviously Lucius Malfoy. Another appeared to be the executioner from Harry's third year, Walden McNair. The third was a blonde, muscular, pug-faced man Harry didn't recognize.

"Parkinson," Snape growled from Harry's left. "I've got Parkinson."

Apparently that was Parkinson.

"Malfoy," Lily said in a low, dangerous voice behind Harry. "He's mine."

"Steven and I'll go after Voldemort, Harry, you take McNair. Watch out, he is left handed," Dumbledore said.

"Well, well, well," boomed the menacing voice of Voldemort, "We have some visitors, Lucius." His shield had gone down and Harry could see from where he was standing there was a smile on his grotesque face. "Please, do come in, we get guests so infrequently...where are your manners Lucius?"

Malfoy was smiling cruelly and looking malevolently at Lily, who stared back fiercely. Snape's eyes were latched with Parkinson's. There was something between those two, Harry thought.

"Ah, Miss Potter, how good to see you again! Your company has been missed at my court. And Snape, how long has it been since you've held the pleasure of my right hand? And of course Dumbledore; what can we say about Dumbledore? You killed my teacher you know, Grindelwald. A fine teacher, he was. But who is this? You have the look of Cornelius Woodsrow about you, if I can remember the man clearly. He had purple eyes, yes, you must be his son or grandson," Voldemort taunted. Last he looked at Harry. "And then there is Harry Potter. Couldn't leave him behind? I can see why, he's grown into such a fine wizard, too bad he'll die here today."

"No one and no thing will die here today but evil," Dumbledore replied to him. His voice was steady and commanding and he walked over the rubble and towards the awaiting Death Eaters and their master.

"Then you are sorely mistaken, Dumbledore," the dark wizard laughed. "But enough talk. We will finish you soon enough and return to normal."

Lily was furious now. It didn't take much, but now she was enraged. He couldn't look at her like that! No one looked at her like that! Oh, he would die, he would die and then she'd kill Voldemort.

"Now Lucius," said Voldemort, "do make this quick, I'm feeling bored."

Snape was facing off with Parkinson; Harry had taken the defensive in front of McNair. Dumbledore and Steven were ready to attack Dumbledore. And that left her Malfoy. Good, she said to herself.

Lily threw off her light jacket and stood straight-backed, staring down Malfoy fiercely. She palmed her wand, the wand Ollivander made special for her, and cracked her neck intimidating. Then she spit on the ground towards Malfoy and said, "Wanna play?"

He sneered at her and said, "I'll do more than that you insolent little-"

"Cut the shit, Malfoy," she said sharply, interrupting him in the middle of his insult. "Duel o' die, motha' fucka'."

"Expelliarmus!" Malfoy shouted in an enraged voice. The battle had begun, but Lily only had eyes for him.

She leapt deftly out of the way of the Disarming Charm. "Come on Malfoy, don't fuck around with me. I'm better than that."

He sneered at her again, this time managing to make Lily laugh some; he'd never intimidate her, not like this. She dueled like her father, fast and furious. She dueled like her Aunt Hermione, powerful and forceful. Lily was a dueling master, but so was Malfoy.

"Bellafara!" he yelled, the yellow beam of power shooting out of his wand and right at her.

"Protectus!" she said quickly, her transparent energy field protecting her from the attack. "Minascirith!" she returned with a flick of her wand.

Malfoy dodged it and tripped over a loose rock from Dumbledore's Blasting Charm. "Verdelectro!" she said. The veins of green power shot through her wand at him, and he did a good enough Shielding Charm to stop it at the last second.

Malfoy got up quickly and rounded on her catching her with a Burning Charm she only partially blocked. Her right leg collapsed under her and she strained to get up. It was burned and bleeding.

"What, no snide comment now you filthy American bitch?" he said mockingly as he partially limped over to her.

"Where's yo' pimp cane?" she spat, "Looks like ya could use it, Malfoy."

"Crucio!" he shouted. It hit her hard and he kept her under pain for a long time. A shadow formed over her eyes and she coughed up some blood when he was done.

"Damn!" she shouted, getting up after catching her breath on the ground for a minute. "Almost hurts less the second time, don't it? O' are ya weak from gettin' it yo'self, ya bloody bastard?"

"Keep quiet you insolent brat! Didn't anyone ever tell you to shut up when you are loosing?" he growled at her.

"Didn't anyone tell you to wash your hair every day?" she spat back. She needed to buy some time to get some energy back. Pissing him off was not only fun, but useful.

"CRUCIO!" he yelled again. Lily again fell on the ground and writhed in pain. And again Lily got up and looked him in the eye.

"Gone soft, Malfoy? Here try this on for size, Electronox!" she yelled. The black lightning rushed from her wand but it was off too much and only a small finger brushed by Malfoy, taking out his left arm. He cried out in pain, for when ever black lightning touches you, it fries your nerves.

He eventually got up, Lily staring him down the whole time. It wasn't nice to hit an enemy while they were down, nor fair. They circled each other; both blocking out the other voices shouting curses and charms everywhere. Lily's wand was low, but ready to strike. A wind blew her hair from her eyes and at that second, Malfoy said, "IMPERIO!"

It hit her full in the chest and she coughed hard, almost dropping her wand. Come to me. Come to me. Come to me, the voice repeated. Come to me. Come to me.

Lily smiled and began walking to him. He thought he would win. He didn't know her strength, what she inherited from her father. She walked forward willingly. But under the guise of the Imperious, she slipped her hand around to her back pocket.

Bow to me. Bow to me. Bow to me. Bow to me. Bow to me, the mind voice said to her.

She bowed to him. It was too easy.

Give me your wand. Give me your wand. Give me your wand. Give me your wand. Give me your wand.

Slowly, as though she were trying to fight it, she raised her wand arm. She was so close to his wand she could taste it. If she got that wand, she'd win. She'd have to be quick; she'd have to do it now or never.

Give me your wand.

Lily lashed out with her left hand, the hand that had drawn a knife from her back pocket. The magic knife cut clean and severed his wand hand. She grabbed Malfoy's wand out of the falling severed fist quickly, all before he knew what was happening.

"Ahhhh!" Malfoy cried out. He wanted to clutch his wounded hand, but the arm Lily had deadened wouldn't move.

Lily leapt at him and threw a right hook his way and he was down for the count. She wouldn't kill him; Morgan would get to do that.

"I'm out of your league, boy," the hulking man named McNair said in his deep, cracking voice.

"I'm not a boy," Harry said defiantly.

"Is that so?" McNair chuckled. "Well then, I'm sure you'll know all about fighting like a man."

He's scared, Harry thought. He wants to trick me. He'll use every dirty trick he knows to beat me.

"I know how to duel," Harry spat.

"I'm sure," McNair said.

And the sounds of battle were blocked out of his head. He could hear the screams of Lily to his left, and to his right he could hear the mocking torment of Parkinson by Snape. He could feel the waves of magical power rushing around him from the high level fight of Dumbledore, Steven, and Voldemort. Harry was prepared for battle, this is what he trained for, what he had been born for.

"Minascirth!" McNair cried into the stillness of their fighting area.

"Impedimenta!" Harry said, slowing the whirlwind of fire from reaching him as he dodged.

"Minascirith! Minascirith! Minascirith! Akinisu!" McNair yelled. Harry was dodging these quickly, his Seeker agility coming in handy with the bombardment of fire throwing and freezing charms.

"Damn it! Stay still, boy!" McNair growled deeply. "Impedimenta!"

But this missed too, and while McNair was powering up to attack again, took the offensive. "Akinisu!"

The Freezing Charm hit McNair's right shoulder, and immobilized the right half of his body. McNair howled in pain and tried to chip the ice off with his free hand.

"Electronox!" Harry yelled. The black waves hit McNair and McNair hit the ground, dead.

Harry took several deep breaths and bent over his knees. Blood rushed to his head and he felt a bit faint, but he pushed it off quickly.

"Potter!' the sharp voice of Severus Snape spoke. This brought him further out his daze. He looked around for the first time and saw Lily. She was fighting Malfoy and she had just taken off his wand hand. She punched him and he went down.

Snape was coming over to him. "Potter! Get up; Dumbledore and the American need help!"

Harry nodded and looked over at Dumbledore and Steven. Beams of energy were shooting wildly back and forth, curses and charms he'd never heard of were being cast.

He followed Snape to stand behind Dumbledore, and as he approached Dumbledore cast a huge Shielding Charm and blocked a snaked formed Kalin animal.

"Helarium Osara!" Dumbledore roared. From his wand exploded a clear beam of power and it hit Voldemort square on the chest. Had he done it? Voldemort cried out in pain, but his pure black eyes shone clearly and he seemingly shook the attack off. He did stand afterwards though, and he looked angry.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" Voldemort bellowed.

"No!" Lily cried out.

Where was Lily? Then a shadow, quick as light, moved from behind the chair and leapt at Voldemort. Harry saw a glint of metal in the shadow's hand and it buried itself in the stomach of Voldemort, knocking him from the platform. Voldemort howled in pain again and a bright shield formed around him blowing the shadow from his body. The shadow hit the throne/chair Voldemort had been sitting in and slid down, apparently unconscious. The shadow flickered momentarily and Harry saw it was Lily.

Voldemort looked furious. His shield was holding and he touched his stomach and a black substance stained his hand. Harry realized this was his blood. Voldemort was no longer human; he hadn't been for a long time now. He was something else now, the incarnate of evil.

The thing Harry couldn't believe was he was alive, he was sure the curse was heading straight at him. Dumbledore was still standing, as was Snape. Then Harry saw, it was the American that was hit. Steven Woodsrow was slumped on the ground, his wand loose in his hand, and a look of shock on his face.

Harry looked again at Voldemort and saw sparks of black magical lightning radiating off his body and moving along the floor, leaving rubble in their wake. Voldemort's black on black eyes flicked with the same lightning and he seemed to grow taller, like he was infused with power.

A sudden surge of fear came over Harry. And then the fear hit the wall. It couldn't go any farther into Harry's soul, he wouldn't let it. This was the thing that killed his parents. This was the thing that killed Cedric. This was the thing that would kill countless millions if he wasn't stopped.

Then came the clarity. Harry knew what he must do. Harry closed his fist around his wand tightly and it broke. From his fist he felt a growing power, something foreign and strong. His fist began to glow with a pure white light, something pure and good. The pure light flowed to his shoulder and strengthened in power and intensity. Some unseen wind of magical energy pushed off of him radiated from his body.

A purpose came to him, something he knew he was supposed to accomplish. The radiating whirlwind of energy enveloped him and his wand arm tingled with power. He heard two people cry out and Snape and Dumbledore were thrown to either side. Determination and hope were set firmly in Harry's mind, he knew his job.

Harry advanced on the black, towering form of Voldemort, and saw Voldemort wasn't really that tall. Or maybe Harry was growing, or maybe the room was shrinking, he couldn't tell.

Harry was eye level with the black whirlwind of death, his equal, his enemy. Voldemort's wand grew into some sort of sword, long and towering, and the demon brought his hands together on the hilt and raised it to face Harry.

"It seems I've met an equal on this world," Voldemort's magically amplified voice resounded. "But it also seems you are lacking your wand, the only thing that might have saved you."

Harry knew this was false. He wouldn't speak to this incarnate of evil; only lies would come from his mouth. Instead, Harry focused all his energy on his glowing arm. The light was forgeable he knew. He concentrated on the throbbing mass of energy and envisioned it solid, solid and in the form of a long sword. Immediately, the white energy formed a blade of shining iridescent metal, pure and untainted.

And unreadable expression, somewhere between satisfaction and fear, crossed the Dark Lord's face as Harry raised his sword of light to the sword of dark. Sparks of white and black lightning shot from the swords as they made momentary contact.

"You shall not hurt people any more, Voldemort," is all Harry said.

And the battle began.

Harry's faced his enemy, set and determined, and saw Voldemort give an involuntary shudder of pain. Voldemort raised his sword of dark and struck down with force on Harry, but he dodged the blow and swept his sword at the Dark Lord as the dark sword hit the ground. Voldemort ducked under the blow and regained his footing.

Voldemort spun to gain speed and power and swung at Harry's torso with all his might, but Harry brought the sword of light up and blocked Voldemort's blade. Black and white sparks flew as contact was made and the sound of metal grinding against metal reverberated in the magic filled air as the blades scraped over their lengths. When the swords separated, Voldemort flicked his wrists in an attempt to gain direction of his blade and kicked Harry's left arm.

Harry cried out as dark power coursed through his veins and in his nerves. Voldemort laughed and brought the heavy blade over his head and swung it down on Harry. Harry raised his sword of light in time to block his face with a single arm. Voldemort pushed down on him and Harry fell to his knees in an effort to keep the evil sword from cutting him again. Harry pushed against the force of Voldemort and then rolled quickly over his shoulder, escaping the sword once again as it crashed into the ground. He rolled to his feet and felt the ground heave with the force of the dark blade, and a great crater was formed where it hit the earth.

Breathing heavily, Harry charged Voldemort, his arms so heavy he thought they might give. But blow after blow after blow he backed the fifteen foot tall Voldemort down. Harry put all the power he had into the next few stokes. His sword glowed brighter with every blow and in one moment of glory and strength, he fell his sword on Voldemort's so mightily, the dark sword shattered, and only the hilt was left.

"NNNNOOOOOOOOO!" the massive Voldemort bellowed.

"You shall not hurt people any more," Harry repeated. The sword of light glowed and sparked so fiercely it drew the lightning down on it as Harry lifted it above his head in his good hand. "And the world will never be haunted by you again!"

Harry plunged the sword of light into Voldemort's heart, or where it would have been. Voldemort writhe under the white fingers of light as they assaulted his body and wracked him with spasms. Light shone through his black eyes. Light filled his body and shot from his mouth, his ears, his nose, his hands, his feet, and from where Harry's sword had stabbed him. The light filled him so totally that it overflowed and exploded, shattering his body as though it had only been black eggshell. The shattered pieces disintegrated into thin air and his dark soul was torn and killed by the light, extinguishing it like a candle would a shadow.

Light erupted from where he had previously stood and blinded Harry temporarily. When Harry looked up again, he felt the familiar tingle in his hand, but as he looked at it, it didn't glow. There was just the sword of light, shrunken down to a human size, but still radiating some power. Harry looked around bewildered, the manor was all but destroyed, and the open-roofed ballroom was barely standing.

He looked around and couldn't see anyone.

"Dumbledore! Snape! Lily!" he cried. He dropped the sword on the ground as he saw a pale hand stick up out of the rubble. He rushed over to it and began throwing rocks and heavier away from the body.

A coughing and wheezing Severus Snape was unburied and Harry took his hand and pulled him out of the rubble. There were gashes on Snape's face and he was covered with dirt and dust, his normally black hair looking gray and matted.

"Where's Lily?" Snape wheezed. "Where's Dumbledore?"

"I don't know," Harry said.

He and Snape began looking for Dumbledore and Lily. They found Dumbledore easily enough; his blue cloak gave him away. He had managed to get behind a large boulder and protect himself from the final blast of light and power.

"You've done it, Harry," Dumbledore said, his voice wavering ever so slightly. "You've eliminated hi evil from the world. I knew you could."

"Where is Lily?" Snape said slowly, a hint of distress in his voice. He began moving around behind the throne/chair and muttering, "She couldn't have died. She wouldn't. I would've gone. I would've followed her! No! LILY!"

Harry looked at him in disbelief. "What is going on, Dumbledore?"

Dumbledore shook his head slowly and said, "He was in love, Harry."

"With Lily?" he said in a disbelieving voice. How could he have missed this?

"Yes," Dumbledore answered. Then he walked over to the grieving Snape and put his hand on Snape's shoulder. Dumbledore spoke to Snape quietly, saying some things Harry couldn't hear. After a while, Snape nodded and his shoulders slumped.

"We will take McNair and Malfoy back with us," Dumbledore said. "Mobilicorpus!"

The limp bodies of McNair and Malfoy rose into the air and followed the three men, one with an impressive looking sword, out of the shattered wall at the South end of the ballroom. The skies were clearing and the manor grounds stank of death and battle. Bodies of Death Eaters lay on the ground, some whole and some not. There were no wizards or witches from the Noble Six Hundred, their bodies had been removed by their comrades.

Harry looked around and on a distant hill, the light shone through the clouds and a dark figure stood; their back to them, bent over something he couldn't see. Harry squinted and tried to figure out who it could be. Dumbledore and Snape took the hint and looked in that direction.

Snape stopped dead. "It is her," Harry heard him whisper. Harry watched as he stumbled towards the far hill, then broke into a run. "LILY! NO, LILY! NO!"

Faster than Harry thought was possible in his condition, Snape sprinted full force to the hill and then slowed to a stop not a foot from the person. Dumbledore was following with his long strides and Harry followed as well.

Lily's leg was burnt and almost useless to stand on, Harry could tell by the way she hobbled around to greet him. Tears were streaming down her face and there was a sparkling compass, no, her pocket-watch, in her hand.

As Harry approached the hill, Dumbledore stopped him and he heard their voices.

"...can't ask it o' ya, Sev'rus," Lily said in an emotionally distraught voice.

"I would come, please ask it! I would help you! I would help defeat him in your world, whenever you are from!" Snape pleaded.

"Ya canna come. Ya belong here; ya have a role ta play yet Sev'rus."

"NO!" he yelled, "Then you will stay here! I won't let you leave! I'll bind you to me and you'll never escape!"

Lily sobbed and clutched the pocket-watch to her breast. Snape took her shoulders roughly and shook her. "We can be together! Can't you see?"

"We can't! Ya have a duty here, I have a duty elsewhere. We're bound ta our fate an' it takes us in different directions. Duty is all I have now that I'm loosing you! Let me have it!"

"No!" Snape said angrily. "Duty is what you had! I am what you have!"

His hands, still clasping her shoulders, tensed suddenly and drew her toward him in a passionate kiss. Harry seemed to think it was cruelty than love, and looked at Dumbledore to see him expressionless and tense.

Lily pulled fiercely back from the kiss and said, "No, Sev'rus - my place is in that time - not this-"

"Come with me!" he said, urgent, powerful. "Come and be with me!"

"We can't be together, you an' I."

"No? You and I could take the universe to pieces and put it together again, Lily! We could find Voldemort and kill him, take him from your world. We could stay there, or come back to this one! Your Time Turner can do this! Then we could be together forever, nothing could separate us! Lie about your name, lie about who you are, lie about when you are from, but don't lie about what you truly want..."

And their lips were fastened together with a powerful greed. Snape's hands pressing her closer to him and burying themselves in her hair. Again, Lily resisted and pulled far from him. But she lost her balance on her bad leg and fell to the ground.

Snape bent down to her and held her in his arms. "Don't you see, you need me, I need you. Forget duty. Forget everything. You and I'll go off and live in my summer home. We'll live there until the end of our days and we'll be happy. We'll have kids if you want! I could be a father; I'd be a good father. Stay, I beg you!"

She sobbed into his shoulder, her resolve apparently dissolving. Lily hesitated; her eyes closed, she seemed to sway as if she were fainting; but she kept her balance and opened her eyes again with an infinite beautiful, green sadness in them.

"No," she said. "No."

Lily's face was a mask of tears. Harry could see them glinting; they were real. Lily stood uneasily and looped the chain around her head.

"I can't," she said calmly.

The ethereal light on the hill seemed to agree with her decision because it glowed just a bit brighter.

"I'd give anything for you, Lily," Snape whispered. "My life, my name, my love, anything you named. Just name it! I'd never hurt you, you can't hurt something that is yours. Because, Lily, that is what you are, mine, my own."

"I know," she whispered in a choked voice. "I know. I'll never forget ya Sev'rus, never. Goodbye, my love."

Then her body seemingly disappeared into a shimmering cloud of magical dust. Snape stood still for a long time, as if willing it to not be true.

"No," he whispered. "No. NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" he cried out in anguish. "NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Snape collapsed on the hill and tore at his hair. Harry had never seen a grown man cry, and certainly never though that he'd be seeing Severus Snape cry. But cry he did, and it was the saddest thing Harry'd ever seen. Dumbledore climbed the hill and spoke something in Snape's ear that Harry didn't quite catch. Slowly, Snape stood and began walking lifeless down the hill.

Harry tried not to stare, but looking at Snape made him realize that Snape had just had half his soul rifted from his body. Snape had lost something so important, he could barely live. Harry felt an intense wave of sorrow for the older man. He'd found his love and had her taken from him. Harry would never allow Ginny to be taken from him, never.

Once the Dissaparition Charms were down, they Dumbledore Apparated the whole lot of them to the Apparition room in Hogwarts. Ginny was there and immediately hugging and kissing Harry like she'd not seen him in years, not five hours.

Other people stepped out of the way of Snape as he made his lonely track from the room and to only Merlin knows were. Ginny was worrying over him and taking him to the infirmary for his cut before anyone could question him or congratulate him.

It was only until late that night that Dumbledore came to his bed in the infirmary.

"Dumbledore?" he asked.

"Yes, Harry?" Dumbledore said. He looked like he always had, though maybe a bit older. His eyes were still a sparkling blue and his half moon spectacles still on the bridge of his nose.

"My sword-"

"Ah, yes," said Dumbledore, "the only reason I came to see you this night."

"How...why...but how?" Harry sputtered. He still remembered everything, he'd not passed out and forgotten. He was well aware of everything and felt he was being babied too much.

"You rose to the occasion, Harry. It was in you the whole time. I've long known the blood of kings run through your veins Harry, maybe even king Arthur himself. Only a king could have called that sword from his blood, his soul magic. It is the incarnation of good and light made for the sole purpose of defending the world against the sword of dark, its counterpart. The French call it L'épée de Lumière, the Germans call it Schwert des Lichts, and the ancient Grecian wizards called it Ensis siliqua. Though most people today call it Excalibur."

"Excalibur?" Harry asked. "Then shouldn't it be thrown back into the lake, where it belongs. Or maybe we could find Avalon, let it reside there. I don't deserve this wand, Dumbledore, I don't even know what to do with it!"

"You could do all those thin but I doubt you will," Dumbledore replied. "You should keep it I think, guard it. If the world needs it again, it will be called and some one else will wield it."

Harry hesitated and then said, "I suppose I could. But what of Lily, and Snape?"

"Lily is most likely in her time now, doing her duty. And Snape will stay here, I have already spoken to him. He will need time, and protective spells to ensure he does no harm to himself. Lily said this world had things for him to do yet. I think the hope, though it is slim, of seeing Lily again, will keep him alive."

"Does he know that...that she is my daughter?" Harry asked tentatively.

Dumbledore sighed, "Yes, I had to tell him. It was driving him mad, insane."

"And the Death Eaters? What will become of them?" Harry asked.

"Morgan Estellan is working on them as we speak. She says she'll have all the information she needs by tomorrow around noon. Very efficient she is."

Harry shivered and said, "Are there many, casualties I mean."

"Twelve," he replied. "Hermione Granger saved a lot of lives today with a particularly strong Kalin Charm and Earthquake Curse. A ceremony will be held for all those who died with a proper monument built for then and those who died in the Death Eater attack on Salem's. And you, Harry, will be awarded First Class along with others receiving honors. Even young Ginny will be receiving a medal for her bravery here at the castle."

"What? I mean, what happened?"

"She didn't tell you?"

Harry shook his head and Dumbledore laughed.

"A squad of sixteen Death Eaters retaliated shortly after the Noble Six Hundred arrived. It seems they were planning something on the same day we were. Mr. Weasley and Miss Weasley led a bunch of Salem's survivors into battle, no casualties for us because of Miss Weasley's perfect Shielding Charm and Mr. Weasley's superb battle tactics."

"Neither of them told me!" Harry said in disbelief. He'd been talking to them for hours, to the Americans, to Bill and Arthur Weasley and no one had said a thing.

"They probably didn't want to worry you," Dumbledore reassured him. "But as for you, you will rest however long you need, and then we'll have our graduation in a few weeks. Then you'll receive your medal at commencement. You'll be expected to attend the funeral of those that died during the attack and the dedication of their monument. History books will be rewritten because of you, Harry. The world owes you their thanks."

Then Dumbledore nodded and left a very tired Harry.