Dum dum dum
Who: Harry, Bellatrix, Voldemort, and whoever wants to find NotReallyDead!Harry and kill Voldemort
What: More or less the events of DH, sped up, with less spectators, more blood and no Hallows. And some other differences.
"Find Nagini," Draco instructed Harry, before turning back to Snape, who was now rising to his feet....
Harry wanted to argue, wanted to tell Draco not to do it, but Snape had just killed Draco's mother. The young Slytherin could do whatever he wanted. Harry nodded, and ran through the room to the door on the other side into a smaller room. The snake was curling and writhing inside a electric-looking shield.
Nagini, Harry hissed.
The snake's enormous heard turned to him, the eyes looking, for a snake, somewhat panicked.
What is happening? My Master -
Is dead, Harry lied. I'll be your Master now. Do you know how to take down the shield?
I am a snake, Nagini pointed out, with a hiss that could have been a pained laugh.
"Right," Harry muttered. Time for some serious improvisation. He knelt beside Nagini, silently searching inside himself for the part of him that had blasted Draco into insensibility only a few months ago. He stretched out his hands to the thing and closed his eyes, trying to access it. It took a few moments, but after a while something white flashed in his vision, and the snake fell dazed to the ground.
Thank you, she said.
Harry sighed, drawing his wand again. I'm sorry, Nagini. "Avada Kedavra!"
There was a scream from outside, a low, hoarse, drawn-out scream. Harry, heart pounding in his chest, left the dead snake and kept moving. There was only one thing left to do, and it would start with finding Voldemort.
Instead, he found Bellatrix Lestrange.
He stumbled into a dark room lined with bottles and other items he was sure he didn't want to know about. It appeared at first to be empty, so he looked for another door. There wasn't one. He was about to turn to leave when he saw eight familiar-looking vials on a bench. Feeling sick, he drew closer to them. Five were full to the brim with dark liquid. One was only half full. The other two were empty. A dark red residue clung to the glass of the latter. A thick glass goblet stood next to the vials, and when he peered into it, the same substance lined its rim.
"Pretty, isn't it?" said the woman's cold, sing-song voice from behind him. He spun round. She was in the doorway - he was trapped. She had her wand on him.
"He's been..." he gagged. "Drinking it?"
"Very nourishing," she laughed.
"Why?" he asked, glancing back at the vials for a split second. "Why is he drinking my blood?"
She smiled.
"Tell me, damnit!"
"Now now, Harry. Let's not get excited."
He saw an opening, and, like Draco had taught him, went for it. The spell very nearly missed her head. He ducked as she yowled and fired at him, and her spell hit one of the vials, which shattered, spilling blood everywhere.
In the distance, Harry was sure he heard another scream from outside. He didn't have much time to contemplate, because he was hurling himself behind the bench to avoid Lestrange's next spell. Smash. Scream.
Suddenly he knew.
He stood up, pushing over the bench as he did so. All the remaining vials broke at once, and this time the scream was almost as loud as the one that had signalled Nagini's death. Voldemort was dying.
"I'm keeping him alive," he said, more to himself than to Bellatrix, who seemed to have frozen in shock at what they had done. "Me, just being here."
He ran past her, leaving her in the room as the blood seeped between the floorstones and mixed with dirt and dust, becoming impure and useless.
He figured it out, Harry thought as he ran. He didn't mean to do it, but he figured it out, and that's why he didn't kill me, that's why he just kept me alive all that time...
He turned a corner, and Voldemort was waiting for him. Alone.
"You look bloody awful," Harry told him.
Voldemort smiled a thin smile, looking haggard and worn for all his menacing physical deformity.
"Well, I'm here," Harry said, spreading his arms. "Just going to stand there?"
Voldemort raised his wand, but said nothing.
"Yup, you are just going to stand there, aren't you," Harry said. "Can't kill me without killing yourself. Pretty tricky."
"I still have some of my own soul," Voldemort said hoarsely. "I can survive without you."
"Not for very long," Harry pointed out. "Not eternally."
"I'll take you," Voldemort hissed. "And drain your blood."
"That won't last forever."
"I can find other ways -"
"Oh Tom, stop kidding yourself. Both of us are going to die. Maybe not today, maybe not on the same day, but it's going to happen. Death is the next great adventure, after all."
Voldemort's wand twitched. The spell hit - just - but rebounded.
"Sorry Tom," he said. "Guess my girlfriend's protective charms are more than match for you, right now." He pulled the necklace out from under his shirt. "How's it feel being beaten by a seventeen year old girl?"
Voldemort growled. "What are you going to do, Potter? There's no escape from here for you, or your friends."
"No, I suppose not." Harry sighed. He raised his wand. "You - stay."
"What are you - "
"Just shut up, for five minutes, will you?" Carefully he took hold of the necklace and pulled it over his head, letting it fall to the ground. The sound it made seem to deafen him, and he imagined Ginny's face when she was told. No, he thought. Don't think about that now. It's the only way...
"Are you going to kill me?" he asked Voldemort. "Cos the way I figure it, I don't have to kill you. Once I'm dead, anyone can kill you."
The old snake-faced creature merely stared at him.
"Fine," Harry sighed, turning his wand around in his hand. "I guess I'll -"
"NO!" Voldemort shouted. "NO -"
"AVADA KEDAVRA!!"
...
What: More or less the events of DH, sped up, with less spectators, more blood and no Hallows. And some other differences.
"Find Nagini," Draco instructed Harry, before turning back to Snape, who was now rising to his feet....
Harry wanted to argue, wanted to tell Draco not to do it, but Snape had just killed Draco's mother. The young Slytherin could do whatever he wanted. Harry nodded, and ran through the room to the door on the other side into a smaller room. The snake was curling and writhing inside a electric-looking shield.
Nagini, Harry hissed.
The snake's enormous heard turned to him, the eyes looking, for a snake, somewhat panicked.
What is happening? My Master -
Is dead, Harry lied. I'll be your Master now. Do you know how to take down the shield?
I am a snake, Nagini pointed out, with a hiss that could have been a pained laugh.
"Right," Harry muttered. Time for some serious improvisation. He knelt beside Nagini, silently searching inside himself for the part of him that had blasted Draco into insensibility only a few months ago. He stretched out his hands to the thing and closed his eyes, trying to access it. It took a few moments, but after a while something white flashed in his vision, and the snake fell dazed to the ground.
Thank you, she said.
Harry sighed, drawing his wand again. I'm sorry, Nagini. "Avada Kedavra!"
There was a scream from outside, a low, hoarse, drawn-out scream. Harry, heart pounding in his chest, left the dead snake and kept moving. There was only one thing left to do, and it would start with finding Voldemort.
Instead, he found Bellatrix Lestrange.
He stumbled into a dark room lined with bottles and other items he was sure he didn't want to know about. It appeared at first to be empty, so he looked for another door. There wasn't one. He was about to turn to leave when he saw eight familiar-looking vials on a bench. Feeling sick, he drew closer to them. Five were full to the brim with dark liquid. One was only half full. The other two were empty. A dark red residue clung to the glass of the latter. A thick glass goblet stood next to the vials, and when he peered into it, the same substance lined its rim.
"Pretty, isn't it?" said the woman's cold, sing-song voice from behind him. He spun round. She was in the doorway - he was trapped. She had her wand on him.
"He's been..." he gagged. "Drinking it?"
"Very nourishing," she laughed.
"Why?" he asked, glancing back at the vials for a split second. "Why is he drinking my blood?"
She smiled.
"Tell me, damnit!"
"Now now, Harry. Let's not get excited."
He saw an opening, and, like Draco had taught him, went for it. The spell very nearly missed her head. He ducked as she yowled and fired at him, and her spell hit one of the vials, which shattered, spilling blood everywhere.
In the distance, Harry was sure he heard another scream from outside. He didn't have much time to contemplate, because he was hurling himself behind the bench to avoid Lestrange's next spell. Smash. Scream.
Suddenly he knew.
He stood up, pushing over the bench as he did so. All the remaining vials broke at once, and this time the scream was almost as loud as the one that had signalled Nagini's death. Voldemort was dying.
"I'm keeping him alive," he said, more to himself than to Bellatrix, who seemed to have frozen in shock at what they had done. "Me, just being here."
He ran past her, leaving her in the room as the blood seeped between the floorstones and mixed with dirt and dust, becoming impure and useless.
He figured it out, Harry thought as he ran. He didn't mean to do it, but he figured it out, and that's why he didn't kill me, that's why he just kept me alive all that time...
He turned a corner, and Voldemort was waiting for him. Alone.
"You look bloody awful," Harry told him.
Voldemort smiled a thin smile, looking haggard and worn for all his menacing physical deformity.
"Well, I'm here," Harry said, spreading his arms. "Just going to stand there?"
Voldemort raised his wand, but said nothing.
"Yup, you are just going to stand there, aren't you," Harry said. "Can't kill me without killing yourself. Pretty tricky."
"I still have some of my own soul," Voldemort said hoarsely. "I can survive without you."
"Not for very long," Harry pointed out. "Not eternally."
"I'll take you," Voldemort hissed. "And drain your blood."
"That won't last forever."
"I can find other ways -"
"Oh Tom, stop kidding yourself. Both of us are going to die. Maybe not today, maybe not on the same day, but it's going to happen. Death is the next great adventure, after all."
Voldemort's wand twitched. The spell hit - just - but rebounded.
"Sorry Tom," he said. "Guess my girlfriend's protective charms are more than match for you, right now." He pulled the necklace out from under his shirt. "How's it feel being beaten by a seventeen year old girl?"
Voldemort growled. "What are you going to do, Potter? There's no escape from here for you, or your friends."
"No, I suppose not." Harry sighed. He raised his wand. "You - stay."
"What are you - "
"Just shut up, for five minutes, will you?" Carefully he took hold of the necklace and pulled it over his head, letting it fall to the ground. The sound it made seem to deafen him, and he imagined Ginny's face when she was told. No, he thought. Don't think about that now. It's the only way...
"Are you going to kill me?" he asked Voldemort. "Cos the way I figure it, I don't have to kill you. Once I'm dead, anyone can kill you."
The old snake-faced creature merely stared at him.
"Fine," Harry sighed, turning his wand around in his hand. "I guess I'll -"
"NO!" Voldemort shouted. "NO -"
"AVADA KEDAVRA!!"
...