(no subject)
***End of Flashback and blatant excuse to sneak a little smut into this chapter***
Just remembering that night, Harry was temped to pull out his swelling cock, but decided against it when he thought he'd heard a sound outside. Footsteps too close to the house gave him cause for concern, as none of his triggers had gone off to alert him to an intruder. It wasn't your everyday wizard who could even attempt to disable them without Harry knowing.
He told himself, maybe it was Hedwig, taking after a big mouse, that’d been more successful at scurrying off than most, but he wasn't fooling himself. Nearing the door, Harry could sense nearby the magic of at least three wizards. He tried to discern if he felt the darkness of the Mark on all three, but what he did feel made Harry's eyes widen. Only two wore the Dark Mark. The third’s magic was unforgettable, and unwelcome as it was familiar.
"Voldemort," Harry said casually, as if he'd expected the wizard to stop by for a spot of tea. He stepped out quietly, and then without waiting for the Dark Lord to give a lengthy harangue over why and how he planned to kill him, Harry fired off the first shot. Voldemort easily shielded the unexpected hex, but it had had the desired effect. While Voldemort laughed off the hex, Harry had taken out one of the two Death Eaters who had come along.
"Kill him!" shouted the Dark Lord, surprising Harry.
"So, he can learn from his mistakes," taunted Harry. "You've never defeated me one-on-one; it's wise to get help when you need it," Harry bit his own lip, reminding himself it wasn't wise of him to piss off evil wizards while battling, yet it was times like this when the words came out before he thought it through.
With a leap and twist that would make any gymnast proud, Harry avoided being hit by some nasty hexes thrown his way. He followed up a cutting hex with three different spells in succession, hoping the third wizard would be hit by at least one.
Harry noted the shades of colour and realized he wasn't familiar with some of the spells coming from the evil bastard's wand. That reminded him to shield those he could and get the Hell out of the way of the others. When a repelling charm hadn't sent Voldemort's spell back to him, Harry dropped to the ground and held his breath as the spray of sparks flew past, just barely missing him.
Harry couldn’t help but glance back at the crashing sound. The entire pile of useless lumber and other construction debris from his first house -building attempt splintered into small bits, then exploded into a fine powder and blew off with a breeze. He was tempted to thank Voldemort, since he'd priced the cost of haul-away, and had thought it atrocious, so had put it off for some later date; luckily common-sense returned and the thought of such dark magic hitting him kept his lips sealed, his mind refocused on the task at hand.
After a volley of hexes and nasty spells, Harry realized that his arsenal of magical knowledge, while quite respectable, was miniscule compared to the Dark magic Voldemort used. It was time to stop thinking about which spells to cast and to let it just flow as it had while he was drugged, drunk, or horny. Harry grinned big at the last thought. He'd had a nice stiffy just before his uninvited guest had shown up.
With a growl, Harry opened his mouth, thinking of an angry dragon breathing fire. Glancing down at himself, expecting to see scales, Harry surprisingly found he'd not changed into a dragon, yet had done what he’d wanted. Unfortunately, Voldemort had only been singed a little before deflecting the flames. The look on Tom's face was priceless.
"Crucio," shouted the one Death Eater who was still standing. Harry grit his teeth, not only with the pain, but in anger for allowing himself to be distracted by enjoying Voldemort's reaction to his last stunt, when he should have been cursing Voldie and defending himself. Harry convulsed in the cold mud as the Unforgivable pain racked his body.
Voldemort laughed at his pain, not expecting anything beyond a good floor-show, when Harry waved his arms frantically. Magic swirled around them, blowing sawdust around like a snow storm in a vortex. The swirling storm caused by Harry's magic swept up several pieces of lumber, two paint cans and a brick from along the sidelines. The Death Eater still holding Harry under the Cruciatus made a sickening guttural sound when a piece of wood pierced his body, protruding out from his chest like a harpoon. Staring incredulously down at the bloody timber poking from his shirt, he looked up again, only to be hit in the face with a flying brick. Before the body slumped to the ground, Harry had already leapt up from the mud, once again battling with Voldemort.
The world spun on it axis for a moment when Harry was unexpectedly hit with an unknown spell. He couldn't tell if he was hanging upside-down or if his brain was spinning in his skull. Lunging for cover, Harry landed behind the large crate labeled 'bathtub', where he hoped he could regain his focus. A small brown mouse ran out from behind the crate, chased out of its hiding space.
After sending a handful of hexes at the crate, Voldemort grew tired of the game and levitated the crate off the ground, making it fly off. To his utter disbelief, Harry wasn't there. Next to his foot was an unnoticed mouse, which transformed into a snake that the Dark Lord did notice when poisonous fangs sank into his ankle. Instantly, Harry then transformed back into himself and punched Voldy in the head. Welts and blood began to well up brilliantly against his sickeningly pale skin.
"You!" hissed Voldemort irritably. "Did you think a snakebite would harm me?" he shouted and teetered a little off balance from the unexpected punch.
As Harry quickly retreated, flying as a tiny bug he hoped would not be noticed in the still-dusty air, he remembered that Voldemort had lived off of a potion made up of snake venom and unicorn blood for quite some time before being restored to his body. At least the punch to his head had been satisfying. It had probably been decades since anyone tried to physically assault the bastard. He returned to his own form just behind another box, and after shielding another frightening hex and leaping away from an Avada Kedavra, Harry sent a barrage of hexes, getting a step closer with each one.
He'd known many of the hexes wouldn't hit their mark, but they'd kept Voldy on the defense while he got close enough for his fist to connect with that non-existent snake-nose, followed up with a quick jab to his gut.
Voldemort sputtered as blood seeped from the slits of his nose. It was all he could do not to double over in pain. All of which enraged the Dark Lord enough to manifest an enormous ball of flame that went flying at Harry with such speed Harry felt and smelled the hair singe on one side of his head as he dodged.
A spray of cold water shot from Harry's wand to cool off the reddening skin on his scalp. "You son of a bitch!" yelled Harry, as the flames hit the house with such force they instantly took out the wall on impact.
~'~'~
Severus could kill Lucius Malfoy. Sure, he'd given him information so vital that it may not only fulfill his debt, but help to end the war, but the information was almost too late in coming. He'd been so desperate to get the information, Severus had gone to meet Lucius away from Hogwarts, and the surrounding wards made it impossible to send word to Albus from their meeting place. He'd not expected to have no time to work with, at all. On top of that, he could tell by the amulet under his wand holster that Harry had already repeatedly been in pain, great pain.
~'~'~
"Tell me something, Tom," taunted Harry. "Does it bother you that I've done more damage to you without magic than you've done to me with it?" Harry cast a particularly nasty hex using the wand in his right hand, he while his left hand flicked in the air, sending a large stone to the back of Voldemort's head. Harry's aim was a bit off and the stone hit the wizard in the shoulder. All these little physical attacks were almost childish, but they were taking their toll on the older wizard, who was not used to such abuse. The irritation was not only physical, but maddening as well.
"Accio!" Voldemort called out to the back of the property where the first Death Eater had fallen. A box around the size of a quaffle flew through the air. Harry was about to cast a spell on the box when Voldemort beat him to it, causing the package to tear open; little pieces of wrapping flew about. A distinct hum could be heard and Harry realized it wasn't paper flying about, but some kind of insect. Just as the sawdust did earlier, this swarm of bugs swirled around in an almost unnatural pattern. Of course, it was the Dark Lord directing the little swarm around the Boy Who Still Lived… thus far.
A quick Impediment curse had frozen the swarm so that Harry could banish the obnoxious things. He'd not gotten a very close look at them, but he figured they'd most likely be poisonous. He couldn't even count how many times he'd already been stung. Jumping to where the tub crate had landed, Harry pulled out his potions pouch, quickly downing an all-purpose antidote which may or may not help him with whatever poison could be running through his system. He found it odd that the Dark Lord wasn't taking advantage of this time to attack full on, but maybe he knew Harry didn't have long, depending on whatever it was had bit him.
A glance at his house made him sag. It was ruined. Distracted by an all-encompassing magic, Harry only vaguely recognized a magical sphere that had been erected above them. "What…" he trailed off, thinking about the golden cage thingy that occurred when he fought Voldemort after the Tri-Wizard Tournament.
"Just a little something to ensure that you don't try to run," explained Voldemort, who'd made sure to prevent Harry from Apparating away. "You should be feeling the effects of all those lovely Glumbumbles by now," he raised his wand. "Crucio!"
"Crucio!" Harry shouted back. If he'd caused pain, he wasn't sure, but at least the Dark Lord had released him from the same curse. "I don't need happiness to beat you!" shrieked Harry. "You've made most of my life miserable, why should now be any different?" Harry threw his hands in the air like a conductor leading an orchestra. Within seconds the ground where Voldemort stood lifted up as if some enormous creature was erupting from beneath him, causing Voldemort to tumble. "Crucio," repeated Harry while Voldemort tried to right himself. Harry approached, pointing his finger at the Dark Lord, holding the painful curse until he practically felt as though he had touched him on the chest. Without warning, Harry slammed his head down, butting their heads together like a ram. Harry found himself being hurtled through the air far from the Dark Lord.
They continued to battle, each blocking many curses, but also getting hit with some nasty ones. After a time, both Harry and Voldemort were using only nonverbal spells - they were not only faster to cast, but gave their opponent less time to react, as there was no warning of what was approaching. One big exception was the Avada Kedavra, which needed to be spoken aloud with conviction. Harry had also found he needn't make any hand gestures at all; it had simply been a habit of his since he had to remember to use a wand in public.
"Why have you wasted your time building on this land, Potter?" taunted the Dark Lord. "Potter is an old wizarding family and yet you're all that's left. Not even man enough to procreate. No matter, you're almost finished. Avada…" he cried out when it looked like Harry would slump to the ground, thinking about his pathetic life.
"NO!" screamed Harry in a desperate tone before spinning and leaping out of the way of the green haze that would have instantly taken his life. With a deep breath, Harry concentrated with every fiber of his being to create a powerful barrier shielding him from anything Voldy could throw at him. 'Hopefully anything', he thought, though he practically glowed from the shield charm he'd erected.
Harry was beyond reason. He began throwing more magic at the Dark Lord than he remembered learning, and when he couldn't focus to draw any more, he found a way to get in close and just hit him with a left hook. At one point, Harry was so infuriated he transformed into his cat form and clawed at the evil bastard, shredding the front of his robe. The Dark Lord had laughed out loud at such an absurd sight and was taken completely by surprise when Harry's cat form grew immensely in a moment, off-balancing him in the act. The large, white cat swiped at him, tearing into the flesh of his pale white leg while large, sharp teeth clamped closed around the wand that had caused so much sorrow in the wizarding world. The sound of yew shattering into fragments was almost deafening. Harry could see Fawkes’ phoenix feather jutting out of the splintered wood. Voldemort raged; his animalistic shriek which could have been heard two blocks away.
An unexpected chill in the air caused the albino Bengal tiger to step back from the bloody Dark Lord.
"Lucius, so good of you to finally arrive," his tone didn't bode well for Malfoy. He spat blood at Harry's white fur, which quickly transformed back into his muggle clothes, consisting of a pair of blue jeans and a sweatshirt advertising Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.
"Lucius couldn't make it, my Lord," the voice of Severus Snape made both wizards turn their heads in surprise. "It seems his time in Azkaban has taken its toll on Lucius, causing him some difficulty in carrying out your order. I am, however, at your service," Severus assessed the situation. Both Harry and his Master looked haggard. Severus himself wasn't fairing all that well, with a Dementor in tow. "My Lord?" questioned Severus when he couldn't pass through some sort of barrier.
"You!" growled Harry at the sight of Severus in an attempt not to blow his cover.
With a flick of his wrist, Voldemort remembered his wand was now but a mere stub in his hand. Tossing the useless stick away, he spoke an incantation to allow the Dementor into his protected sphere, making sure Harry still couldn't Apparate out.
"My Lord?" repeated Severus when he realized he couldn't follow.
"So sorry, Severussss. I'm taking no chances," hissed the Dark Lord, and neither Harry nor Severus knew if he meant that he didn't trust his spy. It was nearing the point where that no longer mattered. "Our Mister Potter here is going to get a Kiss. I don't want the Dementor wasting any time or effort trying for another soul, when it's Potter he’s meant to dine on this evening."
Snape was left standing helpless as Harry faced the Dark Lord and one hungry Dementor. He looked over the scene, taking in Harry's appearance. He seemed to have faired well, or at least better than anyone else facing off against Voldemort. The side of his head was severely burned and he favored one leg over the other. Astonishingly, it was the evil bastard who looked like he'd been trampled by hippogriffs. Voldemort's usually long, flowing robe was shredded in several places and caked with blood around his legs. What pale skin that was showing, was welted and bruised extensively. Severus couldn't help the grin, thinking about Harry beating on the Dark Lord as if he were in a schoolyard brawl. It reminded him that Harry was not only young, but muggle-raised, and wouldn't duel like a mature wizard. Harry didn't care about finesse and form if it meant getting the job done. By the looks of it, Harry's way had worked well thus far.
As the air swirled around in the sphere, debris accumulated against the barrier's perimeter. What caught Severus' eye was the collection of insects along the ground. His eyes widened when he recognized he was looking at forty or so Glumbumbles. Damn Lucius, he’d told Severus about the attack and the Dementor, but hadn't mentioned the Glumbumbles. The Dark Lord was currently taunting Harry about his house - what was left of it.
Harry paced around like a caged animal, haphazardly throwing hex after curse, but having little effect. Tears were streaming down his face, obscuring his vision, making his aim off. The temperature dropped so rapidly at the arrival of the Dementor that the sphere was beginning to fog, leaving Severus desperately trying to see inside.
"I'm sorry," cried Harry. "I have no happy memories…" he trailed off.
"I LOVE YOU Harry!" shouted Severus, shocking the Dark Lord. "You don't need a memory, I. Love. You!"
With a goofy grin that fleetingly crossed his face, Harry cast his Patronus. The silvery wisps formed antlers, but quickly faded and was gone. The sight of the antler startled Severus, remembering what Harry could do, but he didn't know if he dare suggest such a thing.
"You what!?" Voldemort's red eyes glared at Severus, then Harry.
"I'm sorry, Sev," Harry cried out. "I wanted to defeat this bastard before our anniversary."
The words only served to infuriate the Dark Lord further. Had they actually been together long enough to have an anniversary?
~We'll see how much he loves you without a soul!~ Voldemort hissed in Parseltongue and called over the Dementor that had been waiting for his command.
Severus didn't know what was said, but saw the approaching Dementor advancing on Harry. Without another thought he called out to his lover, hoping and praying to the gods and goddesses that he wasn't making a mistake. "Prongs, Harry! Let me see your dad's Animagus form!! BE PRONGS!" his voice cracked on the last word, and then he silently begged that everything would be all right in the end.
Harry's body morphed swiftly into the magnificent, translucent silver stag. In all his shimmering glory, he reared up on his back legs, his front kicking out at the approaching Dementor.
Lord Voldemort gasped at the sight of Harry taking the form of a Patronus. As his mouth hung open in shock, the hungry Dementor took the opportunity offered, the only remaining living sentient being, and preceded to suck out what little soul there was. Harry backpedaled, not wanting to interfere with his enemy's last kiss.
Just as the Dementor finished feasting on Voldemort, the sphere vanished, allowing the soul-sucking creature to retreat, quickly leaving the presence of Harry’s Patronus form.
Severus' momentary excitement died as his Master's body fell, sweeping through Harry's misty form, which also seemed to dissolve, each particle scattering like a dandelion in the wind, a whole bouquet of dandelions. It was as though they were in a snow globe and someone had just shaken their whole world. Sparkles lingered in the air, tickling Severus' nose before eventually drifting down to the ground.
Tbc
I know this is an evil place to end…the next is coming maybe tomorrow.
Special thanks to xikum who got through this chapter with it's glaring errors even though her real life stays busy holidays and all.