Harry Potter and the Ancient Order

Chpt. 31. Dumbledore's Last Stand

Lord Voldemort was truly a terrifying sight. He had the most wicked smile, if in fact it could be called a smile, that Harry had every seen. Incredibly pleased with himself for breaching Dumbledore's area of top security, Voldemort only gained pleasure from the shocked looks shared by both student and faculty. How had he done that without a wand? Didn't Xander say that it couldn't be done?

"It can't, not by my magic, anyway," whispered Xander. "Mages cannot transfigure. But he is more powerful than we thought." Great, thought Harry. An even more powerful Voldemort to deal with. Why do the stakes always have to be risen? Why can't he just die? Why can't I just kill him? Harry was immediately appalled at these thoughts, wondering what could possibly cause him to desire to commit murder. He was not like Voldemort. He was not.

"Now, my laddies and lassies," hissed Voldemort. Even the sound of his voice was terrifying. "All wands are now in my-" he snapped his fingers "possession." Harry felt inside his robes only to find out that his wand was, in fact, missing. "You will all stand aside and watch me duel your champion of muggles. Witness the power of Lord Voldemort. Accept me as your master. View with your own eyes my first act of supremacy!"

Harry always felt nearly naked without his wand, but now he felt stripped to his flesh. The last time he dueled Voldemort, he was at least allowed to defend himself. Now what was he to do? He was now defenseless against the most powerful wizard who just happened to desire nothing less than his death. He knew that should Voldemort succeed in his duel with Dumbledore, he was next on the list. What the hell am I gonna do now? wondered Harry. He looked over to the few people he could trust his life to: Ron, Hermione, Cho, and Xander. Only Xander didn't seem to be frightened. In fact, he winked at Harry. He had that look of hunger, of competition in his eyes again. Ron, Hermione, and Cho, however, couldn't have been more terrified if dragons were eating them. They did hold their ground, however, which made Harry feel braver.

"You will hold your temper, Thomas!" Dumbledore's voice had that awe-inspiring quality of power that never failed to unnerve the most hardy. "If nothing, you must follow the rituals. You cannot do as you wish inside my grounds while I still stand before you."

Voldemort, however, seemed unimpressed. He merely smiled. That hideous, warped resemblance of a smile. "Oh, how I've waited for this day," he said in ecstasy. "The day to cast aside all doubts. The day to prove that I, not Albus Dumbledore, am the most powerful sorcerer to have graced this planet. I am no longer the miscalculating, arrogant wizard of yore. Lord Voldemort learns from his mistakes. If you think I am not ready for every possibility-"

"Be that as it may," interrupted Dumbledore, "You will find that the best laid plans often go astray." Harry had the distinct feeling that Dumbledore was stalling for time. He looked around once again to find that no less than a half dozen Death Eaters were keeping a sharp eye on him, making sure there was no escape. Many of the younger students were now cowering in whatever shelter they could find, eyes wide as dinner plates, too terrified to even cry. The tears will come, Harry knew, but he prayed that he might somehow spare the bitterness of loss. Every victory over Voldemort had come at a horrible price, not one without the ultimate penalty of a life lost. Somehow, Harry vowed, this will be different. Somehow, this must be a bad memory at its worst, not an ever-lasting ache. Voldemort had caused so much pain to so many people. Please, he prayed, don't let my classmates feel that pain tonight.

Xander suddenly appeared at Harry's side, interrupting his thoughts. "You four," he whispered, indicating Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Cho. "How long can you hold your breath?"

They all looked at Xander as if he were mad. The impatient look on his face prompted all of them to answer, as Harry heard Dumbledore continue his verbal battle with Voldemort.

"A little over a minute," whispered Cho.

"A little less than that," said Hermione, though her tone was lacking confidence.

"About two minutes," Harry and Ron responded together.

"You two," Xander nodded to Hermione and Cho. "You'll have to hold your scarves over your face. Only bring it down when I say so. You lot," he now said to Harry and Ron, "will be cutting it close. When I give the order, take them down. Remember, Do Not Breathe The Fumes."

"What about Alicia?" asked Cho. Had Xander forgotten about her? Thought Harry.

"I've spoken to her. She knows she must not be seen. Sirius is on it." At that, he dug in his pocket for a vial that he tipped upside down. There were two liquids on opposite sides, and when they mixed, it created a gas. The gas appeared to be expanding on its own. Harry wondered if the glass vial would soon crack from the sheer volume of the forming gas. Thank everything good Dumbledore had been able to stall for so long. What did he have up his sleeve? Harry almost wished that he heard their entire exchange, but he did notice that Dumbledore had his wand back and the remaining Death Eaters encircled Dumbledore and Voldemort.

They're going to duel. It hit Harry very hard down to the core. The memories of last year that he had worked so hard to accept. Now, more pain. More loss. When will it all end? Harry forced these thoughts out of his mind. He'd have plenty of time to deal with them later. Now he must deal with the present. He was being counted on. He must focus.

It was a duel like none Harry had ever witnessed. The power of Voldemort matched against the brilliance of Dumbledore. When one seemed to gain the upper hand, the other was ready to even the field once more. Dumbledore frustrated Voldemort by using simple spells to counteract Voldemort's powerful and complex attacks. Voldemort was slowly but surely getting his licks in, but for each successful curse, Dumbledore had a counter-attack prepared. It was like watching a chess match with live pieces, with death as the penalty for losing.

Harry couldn't help but feel a little impatient. He couldn't stand being left in doubt. The future of the wizarding world, to say the very least, hung in the balance of this duel. Even though Harry wanted with every fabric of his being for Dumbledore to win, he couldn't help but wonder if Dumbledore's age would play a part in the outcome. Every witness did not dare make a sound, as they feared it would hinder their respective leader. The only noises being made were the shouts of hexes or cries of pain from the combatants. Harry soon wasn't sure if they had dueled for hours or days.

Xander nudged the small group of friends and nodded. Hermione and Cho quickly covered their faces in their scarves and Harry sucked in a large breath. Xander clapped his hands sharply, which drew the attention of the Death Eaters. Unfortunately, it also drew Dumbledore's attention momentarily, and Voldemort hit him with a curse that Harry didn't recognize. Dumbledore didn't even have time to cry out; he just dropped to the floor twitching, his wand clattering on the floor loudly. As soon as Xander had clapped his hands together he tossed the glass vial in the air, and it exploded, covering the room in a fog. Harry was shocked to notice that he had his wand back, neatly hidden in the pockets of his robes. The fog didn't appear to harm anyone who breathed it, and everyone did, unable to avoid it, it spread so quickly. Most had a dreamy sort of look, like they had just woken up from a very inefficient nap. Voldemort was too busy cackling his high-pitched laugh over Dumbledore's body to notice what had happened and ended up taking in quite a lot of the fog.

"What is this!? What has happened?" choked Voldemort. "Why are you fools standing around? He's a mage! Seize him! NOW!" The Death Eaters all rounded on Xander and brandished their wands. Not a few looked at their wands questioningly, as the rest were waving them in the air. No hexes came. They could not perform magic.

Xander merely smiled at the confusion. Closing his eyes and standing so his palms faced the floor, he muttered something in a spidery language: the Arcane language.

"Sator arepo tenet opera rotas morsmordre"

A ring of green flame came from his hands and began to slowly expand. A shadow of the Dark Mark hovered above the head of each Death Eater, mockingly marking them for Xander's spell much as they had marked to homes of each victim they had attacked in their lives. As the green flame hit, it immediately rendered each unconscious, as if each had been struck by an instantaneous coma.

Voldemort was livid. How had this happened? What had happened? Every Death Eater with him was lying on the ground, with their hoods still on but their breathing regular and rhythmic. Dumbledore's limp body remained in its place in the center of the room. Harry noticed the sudden lack of Slytherin students now (most notably Snape), and the remaining student body had pressed themselves so far against the wall they appeared to be a remarkably lifelike mural.

Xander was forced to sit, such a complex series of spells sapping his strength so much his knees buckled. Ron tried to catch him, but Xander waved him off.

"No. There's nothing you can do to help. Voldemort needs to be dealt with. Its up to you four," he managed to breathe. It was odd to see him so near helplessness after having witnessed his power for the first time. A thought occurred to Harry.

"What can we do? Nobody in the room can do magic," observed Hermione, sharing the same concerns as Harry.

"You four can. Voldemort can't defend himself," Xander forced out before resting his head on his arms. He stopped talking, as the effort was too much for him, and gave a gentle shove to Ron to tell him to go.

"No matter," mumbled Voldemort. He was much too busy surveying the extent of the damage to his followers to hear their conversation. "I am free to finish my chore. No more great protector to save you now, Harry Potter. You have been such a thorn in my side; I almost dislike the thought of no longer having you in my life. The Boy Who Lived dies tonight!"

"You've tried four times already to kill me. What makes you think tonight's different?" Harry said in an attempt to raise the nerves of his friends.

"I have beaten Dumbledore, you think your little group of friends can help you? Even your mage is nearly done for," he smirked at Xander. Xander had enough energy left to give Voldemort the finger before falling into a fit of coughing.

"Oooo, now that's not very nice," remarked Voldemort in mock offense. "Such rudeness in defeat. You would do well to warm up to your new master. I might find compassion in me and spare your life."

"You are not our new master," spat Hermione. "You are the master of no one right now."

Harry and his friends stood shoulder to shoulder, each pointing their wands at Voldemort. Harry felt no fear. No nerves. Only the need for action. This evil wizard continues to take everyone of importance in his life. His parents. Lupin. Now Dumbledore. His nerves would not fail him now.

"Four on one? Now now, I thought Dumbledore taught the virtue of fair play," Voldemort scolded the group of young wizards, waggling his index finger much like Professor McGonagall had on past occasions. "Nobody seems to want to play fair with Lord Voldemort. No, they beg for mercy and fairness, yet Lord Voldemort receives none. Nobody believes that Lord Voldemort can feel. If it weren't such a compliment, I'd be offended."

Voldemort's apparent lack of respect for Harry's abilities only further solidified his resolve. Here was nothing now to stop him from avenging his parents. Avenging Lupin. Dumbledore. Sirius's false imprisonment. Everyone who had been wronged.

Before Harry could utter the words of his spell, Voldemort raised his wand and shouted the Killing Curse. "Avada Kedavra!" echoed through the silence of the Great Hall. Harry waited to see what would happen as Voldemort's echoed voice faded. Voldemort was stunned, and very confused, to see a small green puff of smoke come from his wand, nothing more. The quartet of brave young wizards stood before him, unharmed.

"No! NO! Impossible!" cried Voldemort. His anger was further raised by his inability to understand why he could not perform magic. This pause was all the prodding Harry needed. Just as he was about to end all the heartache, to kill Lord Voldemort, he heard Xander's voice in his head. Stupefy, it whispered over and over. Stupefy, stupefy, stupefy.

This repetition took Harry off his train of thought, and the words to the stunning spell slipped through his lips instead. Judging by the red beams from three other wands, the same happened to Ron, Hermione, and Cho. Voldemort flew back against the wall, blown well in the air by the power of the hex from four advanced students. His head gave a sickening CRACK! against the wall before rebounding again off the floor.

Harry was incredibly upset. He had the chance to defeat Voldemort, to end the reign of terror, to avenge his family and friends. Xander had stopped him. He didn't understand. He didn't know the chaos this man spread. He didn't know what pain this evil person caused Harry. He rounded on Xander, who had by now been able to stand back up and was slowly walking over to them.

"The Killing Curse wouldn't have stopped him," Xander said reading Harry's thoughts again, only further infuriating Harry. "I thought you above all should understand," he continued, struggling to regain his feet after stumbling and staring pointedly into Harry's eyes. Harry wasn't aware of Cho visibly shaking or of Hermione repeatedly muttering, "Oh dear, oh God, oh shit, oh no..." over and over again. Ron merely gaped at the scene, unable to speak. None of them had ever faced such danger before that they didn't know how to react and their human emotions were now taking over. Sirius and Alicia had now returned to the Great Hall, dumbfounded by the scene. Alicia ran for Xander, nearly knocking him over in his state of weakness.

"The Killing Curse would have done nothing more than start the cycle over again. He would have been ripped from his body again, but this time he would be promptly returned, having already taken those precautions. He has human bodies ready to inhabit for that purpose. No, we must wait for the Aurors to arrive. You've notified them, you two?" At this, he indicated Alicia and Sirius, who merely nodded.

"Are you lot O.K.?" Sirius asked.

"Yes," muttered Harry. He was still having trouble digesting Xander's explanation, though he hated to admit that it made perfect sense. "Xander did something so that Voldemort couldn't do magic. He couldn't hurt us."

"What happened to Dumbledore?" Sirius asked, now noticing his body on the ground and his wand out of reach.

"Voldemort," Ron said, shocking Harry by actually using his proper name. "They dueled and Dumbledore lost. Voldemort killed him."

Alicia was busy trying to hold Xander on his feet to hear much of the conversation, but she heard Ron say that Dumbledore was dead. "What's going to happen now? What will we do?" she asked.

"We wait for the Aurors to arrive. They'll handle him," Xander said nodding at Voldemort's unmoving body.

Sirius was fuming. He just kept pacing in circles. "You son of a bitch," he muttered over and over. "Do you really have to kill everyone who disagrees with you? Is life really that unimportant to you?" His voice grew steadily louder as his anger began to come out. "You stole half of my adult life from me! I was tortured in prison for twelve years because of you! I want twelve years payment for the pain you've caused me!"

Sirius walked towards Voldemort's body and made a move to kick him in the head.

"NO! DON"T!" cried Xander, but for all the good it did he might as well have told the sun to stop setting. Snape, who had just entered the hall, moved to stop Sirius, but it was too late. As soon as Sirius touched Voldemort, his body flickered and disappeared.

"You fool!" spat Snape. "You bloody fool!"

Sirius was staring in amazement at the spot where Voldemort's body had laid only seconds before. "Only one with the Dark Mark can touch him when he's incapacitated, or else his body Disapparates to a location known only to his Death Eaters! You've just returned him to his servants!" Snape was seething, his extreme dislike for Sirius only adding to his ire.

"Dear Merlin, what have I done? I didn't know!" breathed Sirius. He was forced to sit, his actions hitting him with the force of a physical blow.

"Calm, Professor Snape. He had no way of knowing. He's been locked up for so long he had no way of acquiring that knowledge," Xander said as he approached Sirius. "It's not your fault," he continued, resting his hand on Sirius' shoulder. "I doubt the trap would have worked anyway. But we had to try. We had no choice. We saved many a life tonight."

"But it cost us two great lives in exchange," murmured Harry, looking between Lupin and Dumbledore. "How can he be stopped now?"

"Only one life was lost tonight, Harry," said Xander emphatically. He walked over to Dumbledore and rolled him over on his back. He still appeared lifeless, but Harry noticed the intake of breath.

"Can you help him?" asked Harry hurriedly. Dumbledore had become so important to Harry; it was like losing a grandparent.

"I can try. I don't know if I have enough strength left," Xander said quietly. He looked around the Hall, taking in the entire scene. A few of the frightened students were brave enough to start to come forward, but had looks of sadness on their faces at the sight of Dumbledore.

I've failed them, thought Harry. I swore to keep them safe, now they have to see this. I promised them no heartache, now they'll have nightmares about this for years.

"I've failed them," Harry whispered aloud, though he didn't mean to.

"You've failed no one," Xander stated firmly. "Your actions tonight probably saved their lives and countless others. Your bravery spurred your friends beyond their own natural capabilities. Will tonight haunt them for some time? Yes. But your courage will ease their pain. They will recover much sooner knowing they have someone like you, someone who selflessly risks his own life to protect them."

"Dumbledore?" Sirius was slightly shaking his body, but to no avail. He was still breathing, but showed no signs of becoming conscious any time soon.

"I need complete concentration," Xander said. He motioned to the Death Eaters. "By now they should have their magical abilities back. Bind their hands and legs and take their wands. Stand guard and do nothing to disturb me."

Hermione, Cho, Sirius and Snape set about the task of tying up the Death Eaters, conjuring cords from their wands. Soon, the wands of the Death Eaters were stacked across the room, far from their reach. They still had not regained consciousness. Xander spent the time murmuring to himself and playing with something in each hand. He had his eyes closed and was in what looked like a trance, oblivious to his surroundings.

Everyone present watched in amazement as Xander took out a leaf and placed it in Dumbledore's mouth, maneuvering to rest it under his tongue. He then took out what looked like an aspirin and held it in his right hand. His arms were crossed over his heart, and his eyes had a blank look in them. Xander's lips were moving, though no one could hear what he was saying. Slowly, the words became slightly audible, though no one could understand them. He was lost in the magic, giving himself completely to the power of his words. His chant became more and more powerful, and Harry noticed that they were the same words repeated over and over, though they made no sense to him. They had a different pronunciation every time, and a different syllable was inflected with each recitation. Once Xander finished his chant, he crushed the tablet in his hand and sprinkled it over Dumbledore's body. He began to speak again, the chant becoming more and more powerful, until Xander's voice overpowered anything that could possibly disturb him. His voice echoed until it sounded like there were five different voices chanting, each saying a different line of the spell. Harry had to cover his ears as he felt his eardrums might burst. The very stones of the walls seemed to be humming as he drew on ancient power to cast his spell.

It was magical power as none had ever witnessed. If anyone had even wanted to interfere, they couldn't, such was the awe inspired by the magic. Harry could hear the song of the phoenix humming gently as if off in the distance, but was steadily growing stronger as Xander's chant began to recede proportionally in volume. Soon the phoenix song overtook Xander's voice. Even after all that Xander had done that night, Harry's jaw dropped.

Xander's robes were no longer covering his torso, exposing his back to everyone in the hall. The giant phoenix tattoo on his back began to glow, then shine, then move! It flew off Xander's back, circled the room a few times and had such a warming effect on everyone in the hall that those students who were too paralyzed with fright now moved closer to the center of the hall. The phoenix swooped down to Dumbledore, flying through his body as if it were a ghost. It circled Dumbledore again, resting on his chest and shedding a few tears on his face. Its job now done, it flew back to Xander, implanting itself back into its place between his shoulder blades, becoming once again a static figure. Upon contact, Xander's chanting stopped and he collapsed into a heap, a very small smile gracing his lips as his mouth oozed blood.