Lamb of Sacrifice
Disclaimer: Owning Harry Potter would be too troublesome. Having a copy of the books is enough for me.
"I just don't see why we have to kill him, 'Mione. He's our friend!"
Harry stopped behind the bookshelf he had been sneaking around, hoping to surprise his friends. Kill who?
Hermione sighed. "I don't like it either," she admitted. "But Dumbledore said if he dies, You-Know-Who goes with him - and vice versa, so he dies either way. But… the longer You-Know-Who lives, the more innocent people will die. And…. It may be selfish…. But I don't want Mum or Dad to die."
Stomach twisted into knots, Harry abandoned all possibility of revealing his presence. They wouldn't…. he thought desperately. There's got to be some mistake….
Ginny broke in, her tone pained. "Well… maybe it's the right thing to do," she whispered. "After all, it's mostly his fault You-Know-Who is back…."
Grasping at straws, Ginny? Harry bit down on his lip until it bled, because he would not let them know he was here - and especially not by whimpering.
"I don't want any of my family to die," Ron choked. "But Harry… isn't he family? Isn't he?"
Wasn't I? Harry's throat constricted, his fists clenched.
"He is… like my brother," Ron continued. "He's never done anything to deserve this! I don't care what Dumbledore says!"
The roiling pit that was Harry's stomach calmed just a little - until….
"Stupefy!" There was a thud, obviously the lanky boy collapsing to the floor. "I'm sorry Ron," Hermione whispered. "But Mum and Dad mean more to me."
"Let's get this done," said Ginny hollowly, and she left. Hermione followed her to the door before pausing.
"It's the right thing to do," she murmured, grief clouding her voice. "So why do I feel so much like Judas?" She sighed before following Ginny out the door.
Fighting growing nausea, Harry forced his feet to move as he stumbled around the bookshelf to the side of the unconscious Ron. "Ennervate," he cast hoarsely.
Ron stirred, and his eyes flickered open to meet Harry's. One look was enough for the redhead to know he knew, and he smiled grimly. "Looks like it's just the two of us again, mate."
Harry nodded wordlessly, and started making requests of the Room. They didn't have long before they had to be gone.
TWO YEARS LATER
They fought back to back. They'd both lost so much, parents, siblings - and now they clung to each other, friends to the undoubtedly bitter end.
Hermione and Ginny were fighting a losing battle against legions of Death Eaters with what remained of the Order of the Phoenix. Both of them accomplished duelists, both with a magical stamina nearly twice a normal witch or wizard, they laid down man after man - but the crowds of black never seemed to end.
They needed a miracle.
"Terra Intremo!"
Both girls screamed out in shock as the earth roared and shook, and they were thrown to the ground.
"Ignis Arcana!" The Hellfire spell set a great swath of Death Eaters blazing, and went out a second later to reveal nothing but ash. And that's where they landed - they, Harry and Ron and so many others neither Hermione nor Ginny recognized.
Harry motioned with his hand, and the group split up, spewing sickening powerful spells with not a one of them tiring. He and Ron were carving a path straight to the two girls, and they hugged each other, half in shock and half in fear.
They knew neither of the boys would be happy to see them. Not after what happened.
Dumbledore had not been happy when they'd reported their failure of the assignment to kill Harry. He'd sent them out on a wild goose chase all over the world, with the same objective plus one - retrieve Ron. They'd nearly succeeded the second, until Harry reappeared and flayed the Order guards holding him within an inch of their life to free him.
It was only later, he'd learned why Dumbledore wanted Ron retrieved. The redhead had fought the compulsion spell to a standstill - he would not kill his best friend. Ever.
Hermione started when she felt the callused hand caress the side of her face. Harry smiled at her before doing the same to Ginny, while Ron stood in the background with a smirk to put Snape to shame.
"It's been a while," he whispered, sending a chill down the girls' backs. "But don't worry, I won't be around long… just have a little gift for the two of you."
Ron shrugged off his knapsack, and Harry rummaged around in it for a second - theatrically, Hermione thought privately.
"Here," he said finally, and tossed something in her lap.
Hermione shrieked when she realized it was a head. Voldemort's head. "What - what-"
"Harry and I killed him," Ron informed her harshly. "Funny that Harry's still living and breathing, innit, if he and Voldemort were fated to die together?"
Hermione swallowed hard, and tears were gathering in Ginny's eyes.
"Dumbledore gave up on that hypothesis a year ago Harry," Hermione choked. "We told you… didn't you trust us?"
Harry's lips twisted into a feral smile. Apparently, that was the line he'd been waiting for. "Of course I trust you, Hermione. I trust you to lead me like a lamb to the slaughter.
"But…. You should have realized. You may be Judas, but I'm sure as hell no Jesus Christ."
Please, no flames over the references to Christianity. I think I'm entitled to make references to my own beliefs.