1 fic, no challenge
Title: The End, Part 2
Rating: R for angst
Genre: Drama
Characters: Harry, Voldemort
Word Count: 1429
Disclaimer: Not my characters, obviously!
Warning: An alternate ending to the series, written somewhere after GoF.
Summary: It's over. Everything is over. Only one decision left. And Harry has to make it.
Part 1 can be found here
Part 2
He let out a weak moan while he struggled to get up, slowly opening his eyes. Shimmers of colors were passing him by and it took a moment until he could regain control of his senses.
He was still on top of the building. It was raining down and the sky seemed to be a bit brighter than before - the raging thunderstorm had passed. Harry didn't even realise his clothes and his hair were soaking wet.
Someone had dragged him away from the edge and he was now lying a few feet away from it. And that someone...
That someone was now standing at the edge of the building, between Harry and his desired death, reminding Harry of a black, tall shadow, not quite constant, as if trapped in a perpetual process of dissolving. His cloak was fluttering in the wind. With his back to Harry, he looked down over the city, running his wand slowly through his fingers. As soon as Harry fixed his gaze on him, he turned around, as if sensing that he was being watched. His red, snake-like eyes flashed.
Voldemort.
Harry didn't feel anything. It was if his senses had left him. In a way he thought it was good; that way he didn't need to feel the pain. The pain would tear him apart. Yet in a way... In a way this emptiness was even worse than the pain. He didn't feel human anymore. Now he knew how the Dementors Kiss must feel like. He didn't need one anymore, it wouldn't make any difference.
Nothing made any difference. Not even the fact that his nemesis was standing right in front of him.
"Good morning," Voldemort said in a low voice, a grin playing at the corners of his mouth. "I hope you haven't been watching me for a long time, I was just admiring my work. Did you sleep well?"
Harry just looked at him with tired eyes, tired body and a tired heart. Or did he even have a heart anymore?
"Just kill me," Harry whispered in a barely audible voice and closed his eyes.
Voldemort laughed. It was a cold and merciless laugh.
"To kill you and free you from your pain, your torture?" The scarlet eyes narrowed, his voice remaining calm and casual, contradicting the words that were filled with so much hatred. "Never. I want you to suffer, to pay back for the years I had to spend alone, helpless in those dreadful forests. When I had no one, no true servants who could help me to regain my strength. And you haven't paid back yet, not by far, my dear Harry. Oh no, I'm not going to kill you."
"Then what are you going to do with me?" Harry said, his voice filled with apathy. Voldemort's sadistic smile nearly faded away and he looked at Harry with a curious expression on his pale, emaciated face.
"You have no one left," he said calmly, observing the boy. "They are all dead. Can you hear, can you imagine their screams in your head?"
Harry looked at Voldemort and his eyes slowly filled with pain and utter helplesness.
Voldemort watched Harry for another few minutes. He then waved his wand and a transparent image appeared on the right side of him. It was an image of Hermione and Ron, when they had been in Diagon Alley on that faithful day. Harry knew what this was about. He tried to close his eyes but he couldn't, he couldn't control his body anymore or any of his reflexes. He kept his eyes fixed on the moving images.
Hermione and Ron entering Flourish & Blotts, laughing warmly about a joke Ron had just told. Hermione dragging Ron around the bookshop and pointing at several books. Harry twitched as he heard his friends voice.
"Hermione, why don't you just buy the whole damn store?"
Hermione rolled her eyes and picked out several books. She walked over to the counter and paid for them. Then... They walked out of the bookshop and everything happened so quickly. Harry could hear the screams of several people, but he couldn't see the faces of the Death Eaters. Suddenly there was a flash of green light that hit Hermione and her books fell down to the floor. Ron looked petrified before he fell down to his knees, reaching out for her, ignoring the curses that were coming in his direction. The next minute he lost his consciousness and soon enough Aurors were surrounding both of them, along with the other dead wizards and witches that had been attacked. Screams of lament filled the memory scene.
Frantic thoughts ran through Harry's head as he watched this.
If he only had been there... If only he could've saved her... Somehow... Never got the chance to tell her that he loved her...
The images faded and changed. Now they showed the Burrow.
"No," Harry exclaimed silently, yet he couldn't walk away. Voldemort stood still, his black cloak fluttering in the wind. He kept watching Harry. Now they showed the Weasley's kitchen and the whole family sitting around the table, eating. They hardly smiled and Mr. Weasley looked utterly exhausted. Mrs. Weasley looked very pale and the children were quiet. Harry's heart couldn't take much more pain. He couldn't watch this.
Yet he couldn't stop.
He looked at Ron and how he leaning over, whispering something to George while he was reaching for the roast dinner. Then there was a sudden explosion outside the house and a group of dark hooded men broke their way into the kitchen.
Their first victim was Arhtur Weasley.
"No, please stop," Harry whispered and finally managed to close his eyes. "I can't look at this."
While he averted his eyes, he couldn't block out the noise. Mrs. Weasley let out a terrifying scream as Mr. Weasley's body fell down to the floor. Bill and Charlie seemed to be fighting back, he could hear several Death Eaters swearing and spells being cast. The other children didn't even manage to react.
Their screams continued to ring in Harry's ears even when it was over and the images had faded.
Why, oh God why... Why this massacre, all this death... Why... Why Ron and his family... Why Hermione... Why Albus Dumbledore... Why...
Voldemort spoke after he had read Harry's thoughts.
"Because of you," he said. "It's all because of you."
"No," Harry said in a broken voice and shook his head.
"Oh yes," Voldemort hissed and seemingly enjoyed the pain in Harry's voice. "It's all because of you. It's your fault. They're dead because of you."
"No, you ordered to kill them!" Harry exclaimed loudly and looked up at Voldemort with fierce fury and anger in his eyes, full of hatred and pain. His voice echoed in the desert that had once been his reality, his life. Feelings that were beyond words filled his voice. "You killed all these people, separated all these families! Don't you blame your deeds on me, you murderous bastard!"
Voldemort grinned, apparently taking pleasure in observing Harry's feelings, all those emotions that had finally come to the surface. "I have no intention to do that Harry," he replied cooly. "I'm proud of my work. But you misunderstand me. Even though my men and I killed these pathetic creatures, you're still the reason of their demise. I killed them because I wanted to hurt you, I wanted to cripple you, and that makes you responsible for their deaths. If you hadn't stayed alive, if you had died when you were supposed to, they would all still be alive."
"Then why don't you just go ahead and kill me now, once and for all!" Harry shouted out and seemed to be growing in height as he straightened his posture and stood up, facing Voldemort, nothing but the agony of loss seen on his face. "Kill me and free me from this pain," he whispered. "It is tearing me apart. You know this already. I'm afraid and I'm scared," he continued and looked at Voldemort. "That you might be right. That it really is my fault. That this," he waved over the city as the wind increased, "is my fault. That you only did this because of me. But why? Why do you want to torture me this much? Why are you willing to kill all these people just to bring me so much pain?"
"Revenge, Harry," Voldemort said softly and looked at him. "Revenge for everything you have done, and for everything you are."
-- End of Part 2
Eve//Slytherin
Rating: R for angst
Genre: Drama
Characters: Harry, Voldemort
Word Count: 1429
Disclaimer: Not my characters, obviously!
Warning: An alternate ending to the series, written somewhere after GoF.
Summary: It's over. Everything is over. Only one decision left. And Harry has to make it.
Part 1 can be found here
Part 2
He let out a weak moan while he struggled to get up, slowly opening his eyes. Shimmers of colors were passing him by and it took a moment until he could regain control of his senses.
He was still on top of the building. It was raining down and the sky seemed to be a bit brighter than before - the raging thunderstorm had passed. Harry didn't even realise his clothes and his hair were soaking wet.
Someone had dragged him away from the edge and he was now lying a few feet away from it. And that someone...
That someone was now standing at the edge of the building, between Harry and his desired death, reminding Harry of a black, tall shadow, not quite constant, as if trapped in a perpetual process of dissolving. His cloak was fluttering in the wind. With his back to Harry, he looked down over the city, running his wand slowly through his fingers. As soon as Harry fixed his gaze on him, he turned around, as if sensing that he was being watched. His red, snake-like eyes flashed.
Voldemort.
Harry didn't feel anything. It was if his senses had left him. In a way he thought it was good; that way he didn't need to feel the pain. The pain would tear him apart. Yet in a way... In a way this emptiness was even worse than the pain. He didn't feel human anymore. Now he knew how the Dementors Kiss must feel like. He didn't need one anymore, it wouldn't make any difference.
Nothing made any difference. Not even the fact that his nemesis was standing right in front of him.
"Good morning," Voldemort said in a low voice, a grin playing at the corners of his mouth. "I hope you haven't been watching me for a long time, I was just admiring my work. Did you sleep well?"
Harry just looked at him with tired eyes, tired body and a tired heart. Or did he even have a heart anymore?
"Just kill me," Harry whispered in a barely audible voice and closed his eyes.
Voldemort laughed. It was a cold and merciless laugh.
"To kill you and free you from your pain, your torture?" The scarlet eyes narrowed, his voice remaining calm and casual, contradicting the words that were filled with so much hatred. "Never. I want you to suffer, to pay back for the years I had to spend alone, helpless in those dreadful forests. When I had no one, no true servants who could help me to regain my strength. And you haven't paid back yet, not by far, my dear Harry. Oh no, I'm not going to kill you."
"Then what are you going to do with me?" Harry said, his voice filled with apathy. Voldemort's sadistic smile nearly faded away and he looked at Harry with a curious expression on his pale, emaciated face.
"You have no one left," he said calmly, observing the boy. "They are all dead. Can you hear, can you imagine their screams in your head?"
Harry looked at Voldemort and his eyes slowly filled with pain and utter helplesness.
Voldemort watched Harry for another few minutes. He then waved his wand and a transparent image appeared on the right side of him. It was an image of Hermione and Ron, when they had been in Diagon Alley on that faithful day. Harry knew what this was about. He tried to close his eyes but he couldn't, he couldn't control his body anymore or any of his reflexes. He kept his eyes fixed on the moving images.
Hermione and Ron entering Flourish & Blotts, laughing warmly about a joke Ron had just told. Hermione dragging Ron around the bookshop and pointing at several books. Harry twitched as he heard his friends voice.
"Hermione, why don't you just buy the whole damn store?"
Hermione rolled her eyes and picked out several books. She walked over to the counter and paid for them. Then... They walked out of the bookshop and everything happened so quickly. Harry could hear the screams of several people, but he couldn't see the faces of the Death Eaters. Suddenly there was a flash of green light that hit Hermione and her books fell down to the floor. Ron looked petrified before he fell down to his knees, reaching out for her, ignoring the curses that were coming in his direction. The next minute he lost his consciousness and soon enough Aurors were surrounding both of them, along with the other dead wizards and witches that had been attacked. Screams of lament filled the memory scene.
Frantic thoughts ran through Harry's head as he watched this.
If he only had been there... If only he could've saved her... Somehow... Never got the chance to tell her that he loved her...
The images faded and changed. Now they showed the Burrow.
"No," Harry exclaimed silently, yet he couldn't walk away. Voldemort stood still, his black cloak fluttering in the wind. He kept watching Harry. Now they showed the Weasley's kitchen and the whole family sitting around the table, eating. They hardly smiled and Mr. Weasley looked utterly exhausted. Mrs. Weasley looked very pale and the children were quiet. Harry's heart couldn't take much more pain. He couldn't watch this.
Yet he couldn't stop.
He looked at Ron and how he leaning over, whispering something to George while he was reaching for the roast dinner. Then there was a sudden explosion outside the house and a group of dark hooded men broke their way into the kitchen.
Their first victim was Arhtur Weasley.
"No, please stop," Harry whispered and finally managed to close his eyes. "I can't look at this."
While he averted his eyes, he couldn't block out the noise. Mrs. Weasley let out a terrifying scream as Mr. Weasley's body fell down to the floor. Bill and Charlie seemed to be fighting back, he could hear several Death Eaters swearing and spells being cast. The other children didn't even manage to react.
Their screams continued to ring in Harry's ears even when it was over and the images had faded.
Why, oh God why... Why this massacre, all this death... Why... Why Ron and his family... Why Hermione... Why Albus Dumbledore... Why...
Voldemort spoke after he had read Harry's thoughts.
"Because of you," he said. "It's all because of you."
"No," Harry said in a broken voice and shook his head.
"Oh yes," Voldemort hissed and seemingly enjoyed the pain in Harry's voice. "It's all because of you. It's your fault. They're dead because of you."
"No, you ordered to kill them!" Harry exclaimed loudly and looked up at Voldemort with fierce fury and anger in his eyes, full of hatred and pain. His voice echoed in the desert that had once been his reality, his life. Feelings that were beyond words filled his voice. "You killed all these people, separated all these families! Don't you blame your deeds on me, you murderous bastard!"
Voldemort grinned, apparently taking pleasure in observing Harry's feelings, all those emotions that had finally come to the surface. "I have no intention to do that Harry," he replied cooly. "I'm proud of my work. But you misunderstand me. Even though my men and I killed these pathetic creatures, you're still the reason of their demise. I killed them because I wanted to hurt you, I wanted to cripple you, and that makes you responsible for their deaths. If you hadn't stayed alive, if you had died when you were supposed to, they would all still be alive."
"Then why don't you just go ahead and kill me now, once and for all!" Harry shouted out and seemed to be growing in height as he straightened his posture and stood up, facing Voldemort, nothing but the agony of loss seen on his face. "Kill me and free me from this pain," he whispered. "It is tearing me apart. You know this already. I'm afraid and I'm scared," he continued and looked at Voldemort. "That you might be right. That it really is my fault. That this," he waved over the city as the wind increased, "is my fault. That you only did this because of me. But why? Why do you want to torture me this much? Why are you willing to kill all these people just to bring me so much pain?"
"Revenge, Harry," Voldemort said softly and looked at him. "Revenge for everything you have done, and for everything you are."
-- End of Part 2
Eve//Slytherin