A/N: Well here we are folks. The end of the road. You'll get no sappy words from me other than 'It's been fun'. If you've come this far then why not give the story a 'favorite'? It would only take a small moment of your time.
TTFN. Ta Ta For Now.
Chapter 36
With each step the hell beast took it grew closer and closer. Time seemed to slow for Harry as each stride from The Demon advanced him several meters.
His wand was up but his mind was blank. What could he possibly cast that would have any effect on this thing? The monster just shrugged off a killing curse for gods sake!
To the surprise of everyone, including The Demon himself, the next one to attack was not Harry or Dumbledore. It was not light wizard or dark wizard or goblin.
Rather, in an entirely unexpected move it was Aragog who scurried out of the trees and jumped into the Demons side, knocking the beast over.
Harry was frankly astonished the elephant sized spider could even move that fast in his old age.
A herd of centaurs that were passively observing the previous conflict stormed out of the woods all yelling war cries and started to surround The Demon. Some began pelting The Demon with arrows that all bounced off his shining black armor without leaving a scratch. Others slung ropes over him in an attempt to keep him from getting back on his feet.
Aragog spun around from where he had landed after barreling into his foe and started spewing silk from his abdomen all over one of The Demon's hands to keep the appendage glued to the ground.
The centaur chieftain looked in the direction of the hundreds of wizards and goblins watching in awe and puffed out his chest to speak. "WHY ARE YOU STANDING AROUND? EITHER START HELPING OR LEAVE!"
The Demon started to exude a dark energy from where he lay on the ground. Tendrils of black smoke began to waft off his back. The centaur ropes began to age rapidly and start to fray. All in quick succession they snapped with audible cracks. The Demon ripped his hand through the acromantula silk like paper mache and started to stand back up.
Headmistress McGonagall placed her wand against her throat. "ALL STUDENTS MUST RETURN TO THE CASTLE IMMEDIATELY!" her magically amplified voice rung out.
A panic began to form as screaming students as well as a few adults began to flee in terror and were all scrambling towards the nearest entrance to Hogwarts.
"Cancel all anti-apparition wards!" Amelia Bones yelled. "Aurors Shaw, Addison, Shacklebolt, McCoy, and Savage begin evacuating the wounded and unconscious!"
The one giant who was still in decent shape and had surrendered picked up his shield and club again and began to charge at the only thing he'd ever seen that was bigger than him.
Meanwhile, The Demon had just crushed a centaur underfoot. Aragog attempted to leap onto his back but one of The Demon's lower arms swung back and clamped down over two of the patriarch spiders legs. Aragog was swung around to The Demon's front and slammed down onto the ground.
The Demon grabbed each of Aragog's legs -two in each colossal hand- and stared down at his captive. "I HAVE NO QUARREL WITH YOU SPIDER-KING. WHY DO YOU INTERFERE?" The Demon bellowed in a deep voice that sounded like his throat was full of brimstone. All the while completely ignoring the arrows bouncing off him.
"YOUR VERY EXISTENCE THREATENS MY HOME AND MY CHILDREN! YOU DO NOT BELONG!" Aragog chittered back in his raspy voice.
Without offering a retort The Demon pulled hard with each of his arms and ripped all eight legs from Aragog's body. The spider gave a brief screech of pain and died a few seconds later.
The Demon dropped the legs to the ground and looked up only to be blown back as a large club being swung upward smashed into the bottom his jaw. The Demon stumbled three steps back and tried to steady himself but wasn't quite fast enough. Another blow to the side of his face sent The Demon meandering to the right.
"I have a plan but I will need a minute to prepare!" Dumbledore called to those around him.
"A minute is a pretty tall order right now Albus!" Scrimgeour shouted back.
Dumbledore ignored him and started to chant in Latin while waving his wand in intricate patterns through the air.
The giant moved in to go for a third strike when The Demon's upper left arm shot out and caught the club mid-swing. "Don't do that." The Demon said in a voice much quieter than the one he was using before. His flame eyes glaring angrily.
The Demon had a nasty wound on his jawline from where the second attack had struck him. His first injury of the battle. Black blood oozed from the opening and stained the ground black with liter sized drops. The Demon pulled his lower left arm back and straightened out his clawed hand till it was flat like a spearhead.
The giant struggled to free his weapon from the vice-like grip but no matter how hard he pulled The Demon's claw was latched on tight. The Demon shot his lower left arm forward in a stabbing motion and pierced straight through the giants armor, into his chest, and finally out the giants back.
The giant opened his mouth to scream but no sound came out. The Demon retracted his blood-coated arm through the hole and let the giant crumble to the ground.
The Demon wanted to smirk but didn't have the time as over six dozen blasting charms hit him simultaneously all over his body. None of them did any real damage of consequence but the sheer force of them all was enough knock him off of his feet.
Harry lowered his wand as the enemy was obscured in a tremendous cloud of smoke. He looked around with the other wizards standing in formation with him. To Harry's surprise it wasn't just the 'warriors of light' who were buying time for Dumbledore alongside him. 19 of the 80 death eaters had stuck around to combat the new threat instead of fleeing once the anti-apparition wards were removed.
Harry could only guess at their reasons. Maybe they recognized that this creature was a threat to all of magical Britain and wars over blood status didn't matter in its presence. Maybe they were angry at what had happened to their master. Or maybe they just thought that if they helped in this fight then Madam Bones might be lenient with their punishment once the war officially ended.
Harry honestly didn't care which of these reasons was why they had stuck around. They could use all the help they could get right now.
The Demon burst through the smoke cloud running at a terrifying speed towards the wizards.
Without needing anyone to give an order to fire again six dozen more blasting charms burst from the wands and pushed the monster back again.
The witches and wizards all held their breath as they watched the new smoke cloud for signs of movement. Would he come out from the front? The left? The right?
It was none of these things as the body of the slain giant was thrown out of the cloud as a projectile and was rapidly approaching on the group.
"SCATTER!" someone screamed and everyone began to scramble to get out of the way.
Those on the right and left sides of the group were able to move run to safety in time. The same applied for those who were in the center that had the thought to apparate away to safety. Harry was in this group.
However, those in the center who didn't think of apparition in those few precious seconds and tried to flee by foot were crushed under the hulking body of the flung giant. Their screams immediately snuffed out.
With the path now clear The Demon rocketed out of the smoke, kicked away a centaur in his path, and descended on the group who had fled to the right.
It was just right then that Dumbledore finished his preparations.
"SACRA VINCULA LUMINE CARCERUM!"
Seven thick golden chains sprouted from Dumbledore's wand and honed in on The Demon like targeted missiles.
Each of The Demons wrists as well as both ankles were wrapped tightly by six of the chains while the seventh snaked it's way over his back and expanded to tie the other six together. The first six then plunged into the earth, dragging The Demon to the ground and spreading him flat with all his limbs stretched out.
Seven large swords of pure yellow light appeared in the sky above The Demon and plunged down into him. One in each of his four wrists, two in the ankles, and the last in the center of his back.
The Demon screeched in pain and tried to squirm from his bonds but was entirely unsuccessful. After half a minute of thrashing the creature went still and seemed to accept his fate.
Dumbledore chuckled merrily. "It's all right now everyone. The threat has been neutralized." he said as he began to stroll slowly over to the chained beast.
Everyone stared frozen in shock as Dumbledore was actually humming as he approached his prisoner. He stopped when he was about two meters in front of the beast's face. "Now then...what are we going to do with you?" he asked to the air around him.
The purple flame eyes seemed to focus on The Chief Warlock and something rather troubling happened. The Demon gave a single laugh.
The purple leylines over The Demon's upper right arm flared to life and the sword and chain pinning that arm down shattered.
Dumbledores eyes nearly popped out of his head and only a lifetime of training his reflexes let him form a barrier in time to stop the arm that was lunging at him.
The Demons clawed hand impacted the barrier only a foot in front of Albus's body and the golden wall immediately started to crack as the claw pushed against it.
Dumbledore held his wand forward and began to drastically reinforce the barrier. Magic poured out of his wand and the cracks began to repair themselves. The Demon narrowed his flame eyes and the leylines on his arm flared brightly again. Steadily the tips of his claw started passing through the protection with ease.
'That's...That's not possible! Nothing can overpower The Elder Wand!' Dumbledore thought fearfully.
The Demon's hand finally crashed through the barrier and clamped down hard over the aged wizards arm. Snapping not only all the bones in his arm but the wand it was holding as well.
Dumbledore cried out in pain and the rest of the golden chains and swords of light all shattered into tiny shards. The Demon smirked triumphantly and flicked the annoying wizard away with his finger, caving in the old mans chest, and sending him flying away.
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore died at the ripe old age of 114.
Everyone watched fearfully as The Demon got back to his feet and stood tall once more. He seemed entirely unconcerned by the seven new dripping wounds from where the swords had pierced him. It gazed over the crowd imposing and menacingly. Carefully choosing who he wanted to crush next.
No one had any ideas.
If that incredible binding spell from Albus didn't work then what could they possibly do?
Spells didn't work, weapons didn't work, and most everyone was already tired from the battle before.
One man stepped forward.
Hobbling on his one good leg in the direction of the enemy.
"Hey big feller! I want to talk to you!" Alastor Moody yelled from the base of The Demon.
If The Demon had eyebrows he would've raised one.
"Well go on! Pick me up so I can talk to ya!"
The Demon looked thoroughly amused by the mans antics. Sure enough though, the beast bent down and grasped Moody with his lower right hand. He brought the man to eye level and looked at him expectantly.
In a flash Moody produced his wand and jammed it into the open wound on The Demon's wrist. Bypassing the shiny black armor entirely.
"BOMBARDA MAXIMA!"
Many onlookers gasped as Alastor Moody and The Demons hand both exploded in an incredible fireball that sent chunks of flesh scattering everywhere. The Demon stumbled backward and gripped his stump painfully as gallons of black blood pouted out and stained the earth.
The Demon raised his head and his eyes changed from purple to a hateful red.
"I AM NO LONGER AMUSED BY THIS GAME!" he bellowed angrily. The incredible pressure in the air returned and pressed down on everyone around.
Harry grit his teeth and bent his knees as he struggled to stay standing.
Every one of the leyline tattoos on The Demon's body turned red and all of his injuries began to repair themselves. First his jaw was fixed. Followed by the open wounds from the swords sealing up. Harry watched as a fresh bony hand formed on top of The Demon's bloody stump. Then came muscle, skin, hair, and finally the black carapace.
Good as new.
The glowing tattoos shifted back into their default purple and The Demon allowed the pressure to lift again. He went down on one knee, slammed his hand flat against the earth and said something in a language no one was able to recognize.
Four black tendrils of shadow sprung from the ground in front of his hand and each shot off in a different direction at breakneck speeds. Each one had it's own target, seemingly selected at random.
Two goblins, a death eater, and a centaur were each impaled by the eel like black spikes straight through their chests. The black tendrils retracted themselves from their suddenly dead victims and each sought new targets.
All organization fell apart as every person began to run for their lives hoping they weren't selected by the black tendrils next. A few began to apparate away and The Demon snarled.
"NO ONE LEAVES!" he commanded as a purple field suddenly materialized all around them preventing magical transportation. It even pulled back those who had just began to disappear.
"Just die you bastard!" a goblin screamed as he launched his spear at the beast in futility.
The goblins eyes widened as the spear left a white scratch on the black armor of The Demon's shoulder from where it grazed him.
It wasn't much. It was barely a nick. A key dragged across a muggle car would've done more damage. But...it was damage. Damage that wasn't happening before.
"HE'S WEAKENED!" The goblin shrieked. "HIS ARMOR WEAKENS AFTER HE HEALS HIMSELF!"
The Demon's head snapped to the goblin from where he was kneeling and all four black tendrils changed their course, now all focused on ripping the goblin to pieces.
Amelia Bones saw the way The Demon reacted to the now eviscerated goblins words and didn't have any doubt they were true. She pressed her wand against her throat and cast a sonorus charm. "HIS DEFENSES ARE DOWN! EVERYONE STOP RUNNING AND FIRE!"
A hailstorm of spells, spears and arrows began to crash down on The Demon. Countless explosions of multicolored light obscured his form. It was like a fireworks show as different spells overlapped and amplified each other.
Even after the enemy had disappeared from view Harry kept slinging spells into the dust cloud. Again and again without rest. Every destructive spell he could think off.
"THAT! IS! ENOUGH!" Suddenly all the smoke was blown away by a shockwave and The Demon's battered freshly bleeding form came into view.
The Demon slammed all four of his palms against the earth and this time it was 16 black tendrils that sprung from the ground and began seeking targets at random.
Time slowed down for Harry as one of the tendrils swam through the earth towards him. He cast a blasting curse at it and it had no effect. Banishing charm. No effect. Cutting curse. No effect. He tried a Lumos just for the hell of it. The thing was made of darkness right? No effect.
The shadowy mass jumped from the ground towards his chest and Harry knew he was dead.
At least until he felt someone grab him from the back of his shirt and lift him off the ground and sharply to the right.
Harry felt himself hoisted onto the back of a galloping centaur that had just pulled him out of deaths reach. At least for the next few seconds.
"It has been a long time Harry Potter. I wish our meeting were under more fortuitous circumstances." The centaur said as he ran at full speed, just barely outpacing the demonic magic chasing them.
"Firenze! Can't say I was expecting to see you today." Harry said with joy to the centaur who had just pulled his ass out of the fire for the second time in his life.
"Indeed Harry Potter. We centaurs planned to remain passive observers to your humans war. However, when the hell beast was released we knew we could not standby. The stars spoke of great calamity on this day but none of us imagined it to be this."
"Speaking of 'great calamity' you got any ideas on how to deal with that?" Harry asked gesturing to the black tendril that was chasing them.
"I believe your idea to use light was correct. You simply didn't use enough." Firenze said with a brief glance to the same tendril.
"But I fired it at full strength. I can't use more-" Harry stopped speaking as the wheels began to turn in his head. Harry conjured a pair of sunglasses and handed them to his steed. "You're going to need these."
Harry reached into his shirt and took out his mokeskin pouch necklace. He placed his hand over it and summoned 'The Boomstick' into his hand.
Harry swiveled around and tried to steady his shaking arm from the bumpy ride.
"LUMOS!" Harry yelled while pointing the experimental weapon at the shadowy appendage.
Harry felt the enormous drain on his magic and a miniature sun practically exploded from his wand tip. Even though he had shut his eyes in preparation he could still only see nothing but white. His eyelids not being thick enough to block it out.
Harry canceled the spell once he felt his skin start to toast and opened his eyes to look around. To his complete and utter amazement not only was the black tendril nowhere to be seen but Harry had also vaporized five others that had been relatively close by.
Harry wanted to scream in success. To jump for joy at a job well done. Unfortunately Harry couldn't feel those things as he became instantly aware that The Demon was staring directly at him from all the way across the battlefield.
The Demon seemed startled and amazed and...infuriated. The Demon got back to his feet and the remaining black tendrils all vanished when his palms were removed from the ground.
More spells and weapons collided with The Demon causing minor wounds but the beast completely ignored them as he continued to stare at Harry.
Then he started to walk towards him.
Firenze closed his eyes and adopted a serene expression. "Harry Potter. I will not be able to outrun the beast. It has been an honor to fight alongside you." Firenze said as he decided to embrace the end willingly.
The Demon was now in a full on sprint.
"Shut up shut up shut up we're not dead yet!" Harry replied in a panic as he pointed 'The Boomstick' at his charging foe.
The Demon had crossed a quarter of the distance to them in only three seconds.
Harry gripped his 'The Boomstick' tighter and began to hyperventilate. 'What spell do I use? What spell stops a rampaging Demon?'
The Demon continued to ignore everything else attacking it as he reached the halfway point.
'Think damn it! Blasting Curse? No. Flame Whip? Would fire even hurt a Demon? Fuck I don't know!'
Three-quarters of the way.
'Come on Harry! There has to be something! Cast something! Cast fucking anything! Fuck fucking fuck I DON'T KNOW!'
On nothing but instinct Harry pushed all of the magic he had left through his wand and prayed it would do something. As if responding to it's wielders need for any spell that could stop this beast 'The Boomstick' sucked up every drop of Harry's power before amplifying it and launching it outward in a massive shining blue wave of pure magic over a meter in diameter. The recoil launched Harry backwards and he fell to the ground, taking Firenze with him.
Harry tumbled through the grass, dirt, and mud from the force of the blowback and very nearly lost consciousness due to magical exhaustion. He managed to stay awake by willpower alone and forced himself to stand on wobbly legs.
The Demon had frozen in his tracks and held an expression of complete disbelief.
A perfect circular hole was in the center of his torso from where the blue wave of raw magic had completely plowed through him. It had utterly vaporized armor, skin, muscle and bone. The ring blazed red along it's edges and smoke lightly wafted off of it. Harry could actually look through the front end and see Hogwarts out the back. If the blast had been even just a foot longer in diameter then it would have completely separated the upper and lower torso.
The purple tattoos that covered his body all began to lose their shine like a light bulb flickering out and The Demon's arms dropped to his side.
"This form has been broken. Not bad mortal. Not bad." The Demon said softly and with a small twinge of respect.
The flames he had for eyes abruptly extinguished and his body crashed down onto his back. A black and purple portal opened up from the ground and the body began to sink into it like quicksand. Once the corpse had been entirely swallowed, the portal slowly vanished until it was like it was never there.
Harry started to fall to his knees in exhaustion but was caught by Firenze's arm. The centaur hoisted Harry onto his back and began to slowly walk towards the castle.
"Come Harry Potter. You have done something so incredible on this day that I do not have the words to do it justice. It is time for you to rest. Let the others do what work remains."
"No. Not yet. I wonder if you could do me a favor Firenze? Take me to where Voldemort crashed into the woods. Please. I need to see it, I need to truly know that it's over. I have to see his body. With my own eyes." Harry said tiredly.
The centaur gave a small nod in understanding. "Alright Harry Potter. If that is what you wish."
Firenze moved slowly across the battlefield as Harry rested on his back. Through half-closed eyelids Harry watched people meander around attending to the deceased. He saw Prof. Flitwick drape a shroud over the body of Pomona Sprout while that blonde ravenclaw from before placed a comforting hand on the tiny mans shoulder. Then he passed Amelia Bones gently closing the eyes of a deceased Head Auror Scrimgeour with her hand. Based on the look of the giant hole in his chest the man likely did not suffer long. Several times they were stopped by survivors to praise him on what he had done and each time Firenze had to politely wave them off promising Harry would speak with them later.
Harry had been overjoyed to learn that his family had all survived. Hermione had been dragged back into the castle by a retreating McGonagall and his father and uncle were spotted evacuating the wounded. He was sure that a great number of people he knew had perished but at the very least his family had lived.
Leisurely the two entered a clearing in the woods and began to look around for the remains of The Dark Lord.
Not two minutes had passed before they found him slumped over in front of a tree that had cracked from the impact of his body.
The bloody bastard was still alive.
Barely.
Saying his body was an absolute mess would be an understatement. Parts of limbs missing, bones protruding from several areas, rib cage visible, blood leaking from practically everywhere.
Voldemort raised his head and spoke through a broken jaw.
"Potter...Look at me...and listen well..."
Harry sighed in exhaustion. "No one fucking cares Tom..." he said quietly.
Harry lazily lifted his normal wand and sent a tiny piercing hex right between the mans eyes. Using the minuscule amount of magic he had recovered in the past few minutes.
Voldemorts faux body slumped over and the last piece of Tom Riddle finally died.
Harry slipped his wand into his pocket and leaned tiredly into the centaurs back, letting all the stress of the past few days leave his body. Firenze turned around from The Dark Lords corpse without saying a word about the exchange and began the slow journey of taking Harry back to Hogwarts.
"I am curious Harry Potter...What will you do now?" he asked lightheartedly.
"Find a bed and sleep for five days straight." Harry replied dryly.
Firenze smiled and suppressed a chuckle. "And after that?"
"Well after five days it'll be the weekend so I'll probably...*yawn*...spend the day with Hermione."
Firenze laughed merrily as they ambled out of the forest's edge. "You know that is not what I mean Harry Potter."
The centaur tilted his head up to the sky and watched as the stars began to come into view as night truly started to take over day. "I can no longer see your name written in the heavens Harry Potter. It seems that your destiny is yours to make. You are finally untethered from the manipulations of Fate. So I hope you don't mind if I ask again. What will you do now?"
Harry closed his eyes and began to drift away into a deep sleep. The bed was simply too far away to wait.
"...whatever I want."
FIN