Esprit de Corps

Chapter 18

"Enervate."

Harry opened his eyes slowly. It took him a moment to figure out what had happened. He was on the ground, hands and feet bound with magical ropes, lying at the feet of Voldemort.

"How kind of you to join us, my dear Harry," said Lord Voldemort, red eyes gleaming in pleasure.

"The pleasure's all mine, my dear Tom," said Harry coolly, looking steadily into his mortal enemy's eyes, which had narrowed in fury.

"Don't - call - me - that!" screamed Voldemort, kicking Harry savagely. Harry prevented himself from screaming and laughed loudly.

"Resorting to your Muggle origins, my friend?" he asked softly.

Voldemort was seething with rage.

"Crucio!"

Harry did not scream. He laughed. The more the curse hurt him, the louder he laughed. Suddenly he noticed that the pain was receding. Warmth was emanating from his marked wrist, taking away the pain...until he could feel no more pain.

"Losing your efficiency, Tom?" he said, smiling.

Voldemort was still holding his wand and the curse was still hitting Harry, but it was having no effect at all. Harry saw shock and fear in the Dark Lord's eyes, which pleased him. His grin broadened, and Voldemort's wand started pulsating wildly until he dropped it with a cry of agony.

The Death Eaters raised their wands and aimed at Harry. Harry saw that not all wands were steady. And Snape...Harry recognised him by the slight deviation in the position of his wand - it was ready to curse his colleagues - to save Harry from them.

"The Killing Curse - at the count of three!" shouted one Death Eater. Harry braced himself for death. There was no way he would survive this.

"No!" yelled Voldemort, "Stop it, you fools! You CANNOT kill him! Only I can!"

"But Master..."

"Silence!"

The wands were lowered. Voldemort smiled.

"I didn't say that you can't curse him, though," he said softly.

The wands were raised again.

"Crucio!"

"Navaja doler!"

"Reducto!"

"Quemadura!"

"Impedimentia!"

"Desgarron!"

"Serpensortia!"

"Conjunctiva occulus!"

"Azotar!"

"Imperio!"

Harry saw a multitude of coloured rays approaching him from all directions. He bit his lip, determined not to scream.

"PROTEGO MAXIMUS!" Several voices yelled. A shining barrier appeared between Harry and the curses. It shook as the curses collided with it, but it stayed in place, keeping Harry safe. Harry looked around and saw his friends, some of his teachers and a few Aurors standing around the Death Eaters, their wands raised.

"Severus! Free him! Now!" shouted Dumbledore. He was white with rage - radiating more power than Harry had ever seen him do before - even more than when he had arrived at the Ministry in June.

Snape raised his wand obediently and said, "Libre."

Harry's bonds fell away. He stood up slowly, keeping an eye on Voldemort who looked more scared than ever before.

It happened as quickly as lightning. Later, Harry didn't even remember exactly how it happened. He felt a prickling at the back of his mind - he knew that it was Voldemort. Harry grabbed the mental link and Voldemort fought back his hold. The mental tussle went on and on, until, the blossom on Harry's wrist suddenly flashed with the seven colours of the rainbow, spreading heat throughout his body. The black one on Voldemort burnt blacker and started spreading. Voldemort tried to withdraw his mind, but Harry grabbed the mental thread, reliving the best moments of his life, when he'd felt loved and cared for. Pictures - memories - flew through his head at an incredible speed - of his parents, Hagrid, Ron, Hermione, Sirius, Dumbledore, Dobby, Lupin...

Voldemort screamed. Harry didn't notice. His eyes were closed, his mind in a whirlpool of love and affection. He could feel the darkness of Voldemort's mind fading. He grabbed the thread harder.

Voldemort was burnt black. All of a sudden, he let out an ear-splitting scream as he was reduced to ashes that smouldered and disappeared.

Harry fell to the ground, unconscious. He was unaware of Voldemort's end.

The Death Eaters surrendered. The Aurors took them to Azkaban.

Ron and Hermione ran to Harry's limp form. Dumbledore came up behind them.

"Is he...?" asked Ron. He couldn't bring himself to complete the question. He was shaking all over.

Hermione bent down next to Harry and placed her fingers on his wrist, searching for a pulse. A found it - it was quite steady, albeit a little faint.

"He's alive," she breathed. Ron let out the breath he'd been holding.

"Of course he is. He vanquished Lord Voldemort and survived. The prophecy has been fulfilled," said Dumbledore.

"How did he do it?" asked Snape, coming up to them.

"I doubt if he knows himself," said Dumbledore.

"We have to get him to the Hospital Wing, at least," said McGonagall.

"Too righ'," said Hagrid.

Lupin picked up a branch and turned it into a Port-key. The next moment, they were all at Hogwarts.

Three days later...

Harry opened his eyes to the familiar sight of two anxious faces bending over him.

"Hi," he muttered, "What happened?"

Ron and Hermione put their hands over his and Dumbledore, who was sitting on a comfortable chair next to his bed, declared proudly, "You vanquished Lord Voldemort, Harry."

"Oh," said Harry, "Good."

~FIN~