A/N I've kind of lost interest in this story, and the last chapter is mostly for those who crave closure. This is a 1-chappie

climax.

This chapter starts, just like the last chapter, with a secret meeting! By now the identity of Hermione's employer should be clear. CLIMAX CHAPTER! :)

"We engage in two hours." the words bounced back within the sound shield, creating an eerie echo that reverberated through the halls. Hermione shivered. "Sir.. are you sure? Shouldn't we prepare for longer, or-"

A harsh, rasping voice cut her off. "No. It must be tonight. We must intervene before it is too late."

The small girl gulped. "Ah… that is nice and all, but he is powerful. Taking him might not be easy."

The cloaked figure nodded. "We have accounted for that."

"And what is my part in all this?"

The cloaked figure and the man with the rasping voice looked at each other; then, in unison- "We no longer require your services, Ms. Granger. We cannot have you going around and blabbing our plan to our good friend Mr. Evans, can we, now?"

"Wha-what do you mean? I-"

Her stuttering abruptly cut off as the pair of wands turned in her direction. "No- no! Please! I can do research, I'm good at that-"

A loud bang. An ear-splitting scream.

Hermione Granger lay forever immobilized upon the cold, hard marble, her eyes blank and unseeing, a large wound staining her shirt a crimson red. The last of her scream died in her throat.

Albus Dumbledore sniffed. "Evanesco."

Water molded back into its source; the body and its parts vanished in a puff of dark smoke.

The old wizard cleaned the blood off of his wand; the remnants of the blood smeared on his cloak. "It was a pity… but we did have to tie up the loose ends, now didn't we? For the greater good."

"For the greater good." the rasping voice agreed.

"I shall call him now. Be careful; we can't afford to fail this."

~oOo~

"You wanted to see me, Professor?" the dark-haired youth said, his voice neutral. "Something concerning Hermione?"

The wizened man looked around his armchair. "I know about the Brimstone."

A moment of silence. And then-

Harry lashed out with his left hand; ice cracked and sprouted up the armchair, threatening to overturn the table. In a flash, the old man had vanished; his slender form reappeared beyond the portraits, his eyes ablaze. Bonds, hundreds of thousands of invisible bonds lashed through the air; Harry screamed and struggled as they entangled around him, each trying to hold him.

Ice met ice in a clash of epic proportions; shards of sleets hailed from the heavens, shattering against Dumbledore's golden shield. Harry roared again and a massive ball of ice crystallized in the center of the room, magnifying in size and strength…

The sphere exploded into a thousand shards of cutting death. Dumbledore barely managed to deflect the blades; they thudded into his golden shield, cracking the magical film. Icicles protruded from the ceilings at odd angles.

He instantly felt hundreds of grips slide from his body; he glanced up. Most of the Hogwarts Headmasters sat deep in concentration, clearly struggling to restrain him…

Chunks of ice gouged the ceiling into bits, ripping apart the portraits. He felt the mass of arms release him from their grasps, slowly at first, then all at once.

"Harry!" Dumbledore roared, his voice echoing loudly above the din. "I shall give you one chance to surrender!"

The boy narrowed his eyes. "Or else what?"

A mass of force slammed into him from the right; he was thrown through the air by a mound of liquid. He slammed into the frame. He could feel a rib crack.

Harry spat; blood, a mass of blood flowed out of his mouth. He grinned. "Dumbledore, you fool!"

The water instantly froze into a thick, white film. "I control all ice!" The ice solidified into hundreds of hands; and this time, they cracked the shield. Dumbledore roared as they held him against the wall. A thin, fractured piece held itself against his throat.

Dumbledore, surprisingly, laughed. "Harry… It is a pity that your efforts will have all been for nothing…"

He continued to speak even as the icy blade pressed harder against him. "For… I know something that you don't know…"

"And what is that?"

"Grindelwald…"

Harry turned with the speed of a viper and lashed out with his wand; but if Harry was fast, this man had the speed of lightning. A rough hand grabbed his wrist and wrenched it to one side; he screamed as he felt the bone break. With a callous foot, the figure bore down on Harry's wand; the phoenix feather snapped in half.

Cold, hard wood pressed against his throat. A wand.

Harry looked up to see a grizzled face peeking behind a bookshelf. "We've got you now, boy. Release Dumbledore."

The ice crystals were unrelenting. "RELEASE HIM!" Grindelwald screamed. His words were accompanied by a sharp jab to the throat.

Sharp ice melted into water; the liquid sloshed and seeped into the floor. Dumbledore stood, clutching the table for balance, and sneered.

"Boy…" he muttered, his voice low. "You will pay for that."

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HERMIONE?!" Harry shouted.

The old man smiled devilishly. "Oh, you didn't know? I murdered her."

He tossed his still blood-stained cloak to the floor. "See that patch right there? I slit her throat; that's artery blood. She died begging for mercy…"

His words meant nothing to Harry. Nothing. Hermione… dead? Impossible. Surely not. Hermione, who had been like a sister to him. Hermione, who'd helped him and saved his life. A deep, coarse hatred filled his heart, blocking away all logical reasoning. Hermione. Dead. Hermione. Dead.

The words repeated themselves like some sick mantra…

Strange. Everything had suddenly become red-shifted.

Crack. Crack. Crack.

The floors glowed a sudden, intense ice blue; the two men screamed and fell, clutching at their throats. Ice spiked out from all over their bodies, racing up their spines in large waves.

A white films roared into existence; it raced up the walls, coating everything in a horrible ice. Dumbledore screamed for the last time as his very blood froze and cracked.

It was wonderful.

Harry wondered idly how much water was in a human body. Was it 70%? 80? He didn't care. His sole aim in life now was to cause as much pain as humanly possible to the duo.

He screamed as his irises sparked and crystallized; Dumbledore watched in horror as the liquid in his eyes cut into his pupils. Long, thin chains of frost pelted at his body from the inside; but Harry would not kill him. No. Dumbledore did not deserve the luxury of death.

A thin tongue of ice, the remains of the small intestine, protruded from out his mouth; it looked alarmingly like an oversized tongue. Harry watched in apathy as a thick layer of sleet raced up his body; the ice would forever preserve the man in a state of eternal agony.

It was in ways the cruelest and most satisfying of sculptures.

Grindelwald stared, wide-eyed, at the sculpture that had once been his accolade; he limped to the door, struggling to remain silent-

"You."

The one word made Grindelwald's blood run cold. He hobbled ever quicker to the doorway…

Thump.

The Dark wizard hit the floor with a muted impact. A lone needle had pierced through the side of his heart, clogging up the arteries and sealing blood flow.

A second needle had pierced his brain.

It was a merciful death.

A/N Believe it or not, that was the climax. It went by very fast, I know 0_0.

In a real story, this definitely wouldn't have sufficed. In a real story, I'd have Grindelwald escape to summon some sort of stronger ally, somebody who could give Harry a real fight. But…

In all truth, I've been focusing my energies on new ideas lately. My interest in this story is about 25% of what it had been. Hence why I'll wrap it up right now. Added this chapter just for those who want closure.

Other than that, thanks for reading! :) Free virtual cookies to everyone!