Harry raced to the forest's edge, not wanting to waste a single moment. He had just breached the first few bushes when he heard the Order following him from far off. This somehow lightened his heart. He imagined what they would look like to Cienna, out of nowhere The Order of the Phoenix burst onto the scene and saved her life. That's what they would do. That's what they HAD to do. What HE had to do. He had to save Cienna, he couldn't lose her too.
Harry ceased all thought as he tore through the foliage and low hanging branches. They whipped at his cheeks as if long, claw like hands trying to catch him. They ripped his cloak and snagged his robes. His cheeks were raw and bloody by the time he had noticed something tan on the ground. Harry stopped abruptly and looked down to feel his heart thump madly in his chest. There, embedded in the dark soil and patches of grass, was the faint but distinguishable path of sand. It lead straight into the forest, seemingly disappearing into the deepest of darkness. Harry knew it was the same path from his dreams and they would lead to where he needed to be. So, without hesitating, Harry sprinted off, following the sandy path.
Minutes slipped by as he ran with all his might, nothing consuming his mind but the thought of running faster. How long has it been since I first entered the forest? He allowed himself to think sometime later. I thought I would've crossed the path by-
He sharply stopped and felt his breath catch in his throat. The path split in two, each going in opposite directions. And now, it seemed, he barely noticed the distant muffled screams blending with the rustling, windy trees.
However far off the screaming was, it was undeniable who the owners were. One he had heard only fifteen minutes ago, the other...Harry's heart plummeted to his feet.
"No..."
Without even thinking, Harry took off down the path that lead to the left. It didn't take long to reach the clearing where the cries were louder than ever. He leaped out from behind a tree and came face to face with a horrific blow. Harry's feet vanished from beneath him and the wind cleared from his lungs in an instant. He shook his head and found himself on the ground, crumpled at the foot of a tree. His stomach burned and throbbed as his back trembled. Looking up, Harry saw what had dealt him such a hard hit. He thought he had stepped right into hell itself and really wished he hadn't looked up at all. For there, hovering above a limp little pile of dirty robes, was a monster of a creature.
Its feet looked like lion's paws, long dangerous claws bared and ready to use. It had four heads, each terrifying in its own respect. One was a bull, the other a ram, the third a hideous monster that mixed somewhere between dragon and lion, and the final seemed to throw off the entire creature and yet bring a sense of disturbance. It was rather fat human face. Stringy, oily hair fell to the shoulders as fanged yellow teeth protruded from pale lips. And atop this last head was a gold crown littered with dark jewels.
Harry scrambled backwards and pressed himself flat against the tree. The monster peered down at him with a look of accomplishment.
Then, with a voice that sent terrible chills through Harry's body, the creature spoke, "Harry Potter. You have come to me at last."
Harry squirmed, not being able to tear his eyes away from the ugly face closing in upon him. "What do you want with me?"
At the last moment he realized just how stupid the question sounded.
"What do you think I want?" The monster asked in its gruff slur. At Harry's silence, it smirked. "I have been summoned here by the Dark Lord, to end your life."
What was left of Harry's strength vanished from him.
"My name is Asmodeus," The creature finished ,stepping forward.
"Asmodeus? No. No, it can't be..." Harry muttered, feeling his stomach churn. He had read about him, this Asmodeus. He was a great demon, the king of all demons infact. Specialized in destroying marriages through lack of intercourse. He also had great skill in killing, among other factors Harry couldn't remember at the moment. Ruthless and horrible, he was also known as The Destroyer . Voldemort had conjured him up particularly for Harry's demise.This fact only brought a great sense of dread to Harry.
"Let us not stall on precious time. Lord Voldemort has much to do and it is just not worth it to play with you. I had almost expected a greater opponent, but you are a mere lovesick child," Asmodeus replied with an evil grin.
Harry felt his courage come back to him and he managed to stand up atleast. His legs were shaking horribly and his skin felt as if it wanted to disappear and let his insides go every which way."I am no child."
Asmodeus gave a horrible laugh," Indeed...You followed the screaming of loved ones, did you not?"
Harry straightened himself out and forced himself to look the demon in its red, fiery eyes.
Asmodeus gave another horrendous laugh," Stupid, foolish boy."
Harry narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists. Something uncontrollable was burning through him now. Some unspeakable fury. Suddenly, he was reminded of his parents, how they died and left him alone to bear the Dursleys.
How he grew up alone and unwanted. How the only person close to a parent died at the hands of a Death-Eater. How the person he loved and trusted broke his heart into a million pieces and how, at this very moment, the only person he had left was in the hands of his greatest enemy.
A rage flamed inside Harry as he never knew before. It was hot and terrible and consumed him in pain.
"You are ready," The great demon muttered.
In an instant, Harry's hand flew down to his wand the same moment Asmodeus swung his massive fist. In an explosion of energy and power, Harry's spell and the Demon's blow met and threw Harry off his feet. He quickly scrambled up and attacked again, feeling his fury rise. He dealt spell after spell, all of which was either blocked or bounced off the Demon's thick hide harmlessly.
They circled round the clearing, trampling grass and causing a great uproar of noise. Harry was now receiving more painful blows than dealing, growing weaker and weaker with rage. It was soaking up his mind into an irrational mess, leaving him dumb and fumbling with the simplest of spells.
A mighty kick from Asmodeus' foot sent Harry flying back into a tree. The crack was undeniable.
Harry screamed out in pain and clutched his arm. He looked down and the cloth above the wound was torn as blood started to trickle out. The sight of the splintered bone poking out sent Harry's stomach into queasy grumbles and he felt a burning sensation rise up in his throat.
Asmodeus was enjoying watching Harry try to hold his wand and support his arm. It was all fruitless of course. Harry looked up at the gruesome demon and its four laughing heads. A new wave of anger surged through him. A fresh anger. A clearer anger. Harry clenched his good fist, allowing the new fury to seep into his every pore.
Harry leapt forward and screamed," Diffindo!"
Instantly, a powerful jet of blood red light escaped his wand and sliced right through Asmodeus' left foot. The severed part flew into the air and landed in Harry's outstretched hand perfectly. Not daring to hesitate, Harry vaulted forward and drove the razor sharp talons deep within the demon's chest. He clung to the creature with all his might as it thrashed about like mad. Ignoring the blinding pain in his broken arm, Harry yanked the claws downward, tearing flesh and whatever got in the way.
Asmodeus cried out frightfully and jerked sharply. Harry tumbled off the monster and landed in a heap. The demon stumbled around, its groans and screams growing fainter and more gurgled. The next moment, the Great Asmodeus lay in a lifeless pile, dark crimson surrounding him in puddles.
Harry exhaled shakily and threw the claw aside. His arm was trembling now, the hand that had held the Demon's paw burning with its acidic blood. Harry scrambled forward and reached the pile of tattered robes in a second. He quickly shoved the pile over and saw Hermione staring up at him.She gasped and blinked, sitting straight up and looking very confused indeed.
"Harry...Harry where am i?" She muttered before looking at him." Oh my god, Harry! What happened? Why are you all bloody?!"
Harry got to his feet and helped her up as well, letting her clutch his cloak," I don't have time to explain. Look, I want you to go back that way and get as far away from here as possible. The Order is wait-"
"Harry! I know which way Voldemort went!"
Harry stopped his sentence short and blurted out," Show me!"
Hermione grabbed his good arm and whisked him through the forest. They ran for only a few minutes at a tiring pace until they came upon light trickling through the huge trees.
It was only too late that Harry realized who was in the light when arms came thrashing around him and yanked him forward.
He stumbled and fell to the ground where he was jerked back up painfully and slammed against another tree. He grunted and winced as very tight ropes were instantly drawn around his body.
"Ah. Our guest of honor has arrived..."
Harry jerked his head up and found himself looking into the cold, catlike eyes of Voldemort himself.
A scream came from somewhere to his left and he saw Hermione struggling in a Death-Eater's arms.
"Let her go!" Harry yelled, uselessly squirming beneath his bindings.
Voldemort held up his hand and both the Death-Eater and Hermione ceased to fight.
"I believe its time to end your occupation here, Harry Potter. I have grown quite tired of your presence."
Harry jerked and twisted as hard as he could before Voldemort called out "Expelliarmus!"
Harry's wand jumped from his grip and into Voldemort's. He grinned.
"Very good. I see my demon weakened you very nicely."
"W-what?" Harry stuttered.
"My demon...Oh.. I took great pains to bring him to life, Mr. Potter. But with the help of dear Buckman Cherrywood, Ms. Parkinson and, of course, Ms. Granger, it was accomplished to the full extent of my dreams."
Harry felt his body turn ice cold as his eyes floated back over to Hermione. She stood confidently still, almost like a statue. No Death-Eater was holding her back or anywhere near her for that matter.
"I must say, your reaction is most gratifying. Makes the effort and the loss of several good servants worthwhile," Voldemort replied coldly.
Harry shook his head in disbelief as Hermione walked effortlessly over to Voldemort's side and kissed his hand. His skin crawled at the sight.
"You look sick Mr. Potter, may I ask why?" The Dark Lord asked in a forced sincere tone.
"You...You BASTARD!" Harry bellowed.
"Yes, I thought you might feel that way...It was very gratifying work to seduce Ms. Granger here into darkness. You see, at the beginning of summer last year I had 1 of my minions follow her and slip a Possession Draught into her butterbeer while she was on an outing with a Viktor Krum...After that, she slowly turned. With Cherrywood's knowledge of magical creatures, I created a flesh and blood Asmodeus, made especially for YOU, Mr. Potter. Ms. Granger gave us the intelligence to perfect him and gained your unflinching trust. As well as other things. I rather thought that we had problems when Ms. Granger broke up with you. It seems she had started to grow a tolerance against possession and apparently wanted to protect you from herself, hence the breakup. Then with your new love interest, i had almost lost all hope. Oh, but you're a predictable one you are, Harry. Wear your heart on your sleeve you do...So, with the aid of Asmodeus' infamous talent to seduce and possess, Ms. Granger soon won you over again and had you following the trail I set out for you."
Harry was seeing red. His breathing was fast and shallow as he hissed through his teeth," Where's Cienna?! Don't you DARE touch her!"
"Oh, she's safe enough...For now I suppose."
"I swear to God I'll KILL you for what you've done!" Harry screamed, jerking madly at the ropes.
"Oh...Not before I kill you."
And before he knew it, Harry felt an icy chill run down his spine. But as quickly as it started, the sensation vanished.
Voldemort stumbled back in shock, his cold eyes wild," What...NO!"
Another chilling sensation came, passing harmlessly over Harry. Two more cold breezes flew off of Harry's skin, making goose bumps raise all over.
"What!? What is this! ",Voldemort yelled frantically.
The Death-Eaters squirmed amongst themselves, whispering and mumbling fearfully.
Voldemort stormed up to Harry and grabbed his throat. His nails dug into Harry's flesh, drawing blood in painful pangs. Harry tugged and jerked away uselessly as Voldemort forced Harry to look him in the eye.
Harry gasped as a shadow floated from Voldemort's stare and enveloped himself in black. It then instantly vanished.
Voldemort's fingers dug deeper into their hold.
"Why isn't he dead, my Lord?"
"He's supposed to be dead..."
"Why hasn't he died?!"
"He knows!"
"Others will come now!"
"We must flee!"
Voldemort ignored his followers' panicked cries and he continued to thrust shadows onto Harry, growing more and more infuriated as they vanished .
"What have you done?!"
Harry struggled against him and grunted," Nothing..."
"WHAT DID YOU DO!?"
"NOTHING!"
"LIES!"
"GET OFF ME!"
Voldemort's ropes disappeared from around Harry instantly, allowing Harry to immediately fall free. The frog amulet fell out from beneath Harry's robes, dangling from its silver chain on Harry's neck.
Voldemort's eyes widened," The amulet! No! NO! HE has the amulet!"
Harry swung his arm and knocked his wand from the Dark Lord's loose grip. He pointed the wand at the shocked man and exclaimed," Stupefy!
Voldemort seemed to freeze momentarily before another cry said," Protego!"
Harry looked over and saw Hermione holding her wand , it aimed at him.
"You will suffer horrifically for what you have done ."
And before he could react, she shouted," Avada Kedavra!"
Harry held his breath but felt the whisk of the spell fly past him. He spun around and saw a body crumple immediately to the ground. Harry felt his insides lurch," NO!!!!"
He raced forward and threw himself to the ground, scrambling frantically to the form. Harry gathered it into his arms, ignoring his broken bones, and looked down into the pale and lifeless face of Cienna. His heart shattered and died as he clung to her.
The Death-Eaters quickly vanished into the thick of the forest as cries and shouts came from the opposite end of the clearing. The Order had arrived.
Voldemort shot Harry a most satisfied grin and disappeared along with his Death-Eaters.
Hermione stared at Harry with a vacant look, then followed Voldemort into the dark.
Harry sat there, staring at the spot where they vanished and burned it with his eyes.
"Harry!"
Harry looked over numbly as Ron rushed forward. The Order quickly filed into the clearing, seeing the tracks of who had been there and Harry sitting with a limp girl in his lap.
Dumbledore stepped forward gravely and muttered," We can do no more here...Let us dispose of the dead creature found and leave Harry to his own."
"But what of Voldemort! He only JUST left! We could catch him!" Lupin cried.
"Voldemort is no longer in these parts...By now, he has made it safely to his haven no doubt," Dumbledore replied in an even quieter voice.
Harry didn't hear the rest of this conversation. The only thing he saw, heard or felt was Cienna in his arms. He held her for some time, feeling her skin turn from its usual warmth to an icy stiffness.
He let himself die with that warmth. As he clutched Cienna's dead body to him, the night turned darker and colder. He was in a new world now. A world without life and without love. A world forced upon him by a monster of a man.
A rage grew in Harry with this. A rage no human being would ever begin to feel. Harry consumed himself with this rage.
He stood up shakily and scooped Cienna into his arms. As he walked back towards the others, Harry mumbled to himself with every bit of malice and loathing he had in him," He will pay...If its the last thing I do, I will KILL him..I will kill Voldemort...."
Hey people! I hope you've been enjoying reading my story. I really appreciated the MOUTAINS of reviews I've been getting. It almost brought me to tears...It was beautiful. LoL, ANYWAYS! I hope you all had as much fun reading this as I had writing it.
YES, this was the last chapter of Harry Potter and the Path of Destiny. There's a sequel... GO READ IT!
With love-
Management
Harry ceased all thought as he tore through the foliage and low hanging branches. They whipped at his cheeks as if long, claw like hands trying to catch him. They ripped his cloak and snagged his robes. His cheeks were raw and bloody by the time he had noticed something tan on the ground. Harry stopped abruptly and looked down to feel his heart thump madly in his chest. There, embedded in the dark soil and patches of grass, was the faint but distinguishable path of sand. It lead straight into the forest, seemingly disappearing into the deepest of darkness. Harry knew it was the same path from his dreams and they would lead to where he needed to be. So, without hesitating, Harry sprinted off, following the sandy path.
Minutes slipped by as he ran with all his might, nothing consuming his mind but the thought of running faster. How long has it been since I first entered the forest? He allowed himself to think sometime later. I thought I would've crossed the path by-
He sharply stopped and felt his breath catch in his throat. The path split in two, each going in opposite directions. And now, it seemed, he barely noticed the distant muffled screams blending with the rustling, windy trees.
However far off the screaming was, it was undeniable who the owners were. One he had heard only fifteen minutes ago, the other...Harry's heart plummeted to his feet.
"No..."
Without even thinking, Harry took off down the path that lead to the left. It didn't take long to reach the clearing where the cries were louder than ever. He leaped out from behind a tree and came face to face with a horrific blow. Harry's feet vanished from beneath him and the wind cleared from his lungs in an instant. He shook his head and found himself on the ground, crumpled at the foot of a tree. His stomach burned and throbbed as his back trembled. Looking up, Harry saw what had dealt him such a hard hit. He thought he had stepped right into hell itself and really wished he hadn't looked up at all. For there, hovering above a limp little pile of dirty robes, was a monster of a creature.
Its feet looked like lion's paws, long dangerous claws bared and ready to use. It had four heads, each terrifying in its own respect. One was a bull, the other a ram, the third a hideous monster that mixed somewhere between dragon and lion, and the final seemed to throw off the entire creature and yet bring a sense of disturbance. It was rather fat human face. Stringy, oily hair fell to the shoulders as fanged yellow teeth protruded from pale lips. And atop this last head was a gold crown littered with dark jewels.
Harry scrambled backwards and pressed himself flat against the tree. The monster peered down at him with a look of accomplishment.
Then, with a voice that sent terrible chills through Harry's body, the creature spoke, "Harry Potter. You have come to me at last."
Harry squirmed, not being able to tear his eyes away from the ugly face closing in upon him. "What do you want with me?"
At the last moment he realized just how stupid the question sounded.
"What do you think I want?" The monster asked in its gruff slur. At Harry's silence, it smirked. "I have been summoned here by the Dark Lord, to end your life."
What was left of Harry's strength vanished from him.
"My name is Asmodeus," The creature finished ,stepping forward.
"Asmodeus? No. No, it can't be..." Harry muttered, feeling his stomach churn. He had read about him, this Asmodeus. He was a great demon, the king of all demons infact. Specialized in destroying marriages through lack of intercourse. He also had great skill in killing, among other factors Harry couldn't remember at the moment. Ruthless and horrible, he was also known as The Destroyer . Voldemort had conjured him up particularly for Harry's demise.This fact only brought a great sense of dread to Harry.
"Let us not stall on precious time. Lord Voldemort has much to do and it is just not worth it to play with you. I had almost expected a greater opponent, but you are a mere lovesick child," Asmodeus replied with an evil grin.
Harry felt his courage come back to him and he managed to stand up atleast. His legs were shaking horribly and his skin felt as if it wanted to disappear and let his insides go every which way."I am no child."
Asmodeus gave a horrible laugh," Indeed...You followed the screaming of loved ones, did you not?"
Harry straightened himself out and forced himself to look the demon in its red, fiery eyes.
Asmodeus gave another horrendous laugh," Stupid, foolish boy."
Harry narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists. Something uncontrollable was burning through him now. Some unspeakable fury. Suddenly, he was reminded of his parents, how they died and left him alone to bear the Dursleys.
How he grew up alone and unwanted. How the only person close to a parent died at the hands of a Death-Eater. How the person he loved and trusted broke his heart into a million pieces and how, at this very moment, the only person he had left was in the hands of his greatest enemy.
A rage flamed inside Harry as he never knew before. It was hot and terrible and consumed him in pain.
"You are ready," The great demon muttered.
In an instant, Harry's hand flew down to his wand the same moment Asmodeus swung his massive fist. In an explosion of energy and power, Harry's spell and the Demon's blow met and threw Harry off his feet. He quickly scrambled up and attacked again, feeling his fury rise. He dealt spell after spell, all of which was either blocked or bounced off the Demon's thick hide harmlessly.
They circled round the clearing, trampling grass and causing a great uproar of noise. Harry was now receiving more painful blows than dealing, growing weaker and weaker with rage. It was soaking up his mind into an irrational mess, leaving him dumb and fumbling with the simplest of spells.
A mighty kick from Asmodeus' foot sent Harry flying back into a tree. The crack was undeniable.
Harry screamed out in pain and clutched his arm. He looked down and the cloth above the wound was torn as blood started to trickle out. The sight of the splintered bone poking out sent Harry's stomach into queasy grumbles and he felt a burning sensation rise up in his throat.
Asmodeus was enjoying watching Harry try to hold his wand and support his arm. It was all fruitless of course. Harry looked up at the gruesome demon and its four laughing heads. A new wave of anger surged through him. A fresh anger. A clearer anger. Harry clenched his good fist, allowing the new fury to seep into his every pore.
Harry leapt forward and screamed," Diffindo!"
Instantly, a powerful jet of blood red light escaped his wand and sliced right through Asmodeus' left foot. The severed part flew into the air and landed in Harry's outstretched hand perfectly. Not daring to hesitate, Harry vaulted forward and drove the razor sharp talons deep within the demon's chest. He clung to the creature with all his might as it thrashed about like mad. Ignoring the blinding pain in his broken arm, Harry yanked the claws downward, tearing flesh and whatever got in the way.
Asmodeus cried out frightfully and jerked sharply. Harry tumbled off the monster and landed in a heap. The demon stumbled around, its groans and screams growing fainter and more gurgled. The next moment, the Great Asmodeus lay in a lifeless pile, dark crimson surrounding him in puddles.
Harry exhaled shakily and threw the claw aside. His arm was trembling now, the hand that had held the Demon's paw burning with its acidic blood. Harry scrambled forward and reached the pile of tattered robes in a second. He quickly shoved the pile over and saw Hermione staring up at him.She gasped and blinked, sitting straight up and looking very confused indeed.
"Harry...Harry where am i?" She muttered before looking at him." Oh my god, Harry! What happened? Why are you all bloody?!"
Harry got to his feet and helped her up as well, letting her clutch his cloak," I don't have time to explain. Look, I want you to go back that way and get as far away from here as possible. The Order is wait-"
"Harry! I know which way Voldemort went!"
Harry stopped his sentence short and blurted out," Show me!"
Hermione grabbed his good arm and whisked him through the forest. They ran for only a few minutes at a tiring pace until they came upon light trickling through the huge trees.
It was only too late that Harry realized who was in the light when arms came thrashing around him and yanked him forward.
He stumbled and fell to the ground where he was jerked back up painfully and slammed against another tree. He grunted and winced as very tight ropes were instantly drawn around his body.
"Ah. Our guest of honor has arrived..."
Harry jerked his head up and found himself looking into the cold, catlike eyes of Voldemort himself.
A scream came from somewhere to his left and he saw Hermione struggling in a Death-Eater's arms.
"Let her go!" Harry yelled, uselessly squirming beneath his bindings.
Voldemort held up his hand and both the Death-Eater and Hermione ceased to fight.
"I believe its time to end your occupation here, Harry Potter. I have grown quite tired of your presence."
Harry jerked and twisted as hard as he could before Voldemort called out "Expelliarmus!"
Harry's wand jumped from his grip and into Voldemort's. He grinned.
"Very good. I see my demon weakened you very nicely."
"W-what?" Harry stuttered.
"My demon...Oh.. I took great pains to bring him to life, Mr. Potter. But with the help of dear Buckman Cherrywood, Ms. Parkinson and, of course, Ms. Granger, it was accomplished to the full extent of my dreams."
Harry felt his body turn ice cold as his eyes floated back over to Hermione. She stood confidently still, almost like a statue. No Death-Eater was holding her back or anywhere near her for that matter.
"I must say, your reaction is most gratifying. Makes the effort and the loss of several good servants worthwhile," Voldemort replied coldly.
Harry shook his head in disbelief as Hermione walked effortlessly over to Voldemort's side and kissed his hand. His skin crawled at the sight.
"You look sick Mr. Potter, may I ask why?" The Dark Lord asked in a forced sincere tone.
"You...You BASTARD!" Harry bellowed.
"Yes, I thought you might feel that way...It was very gratifying work to seduce Ms. Granger here into darkness. You see, at the beginning of summer last year I had 1 of my minions follow her and slip a Possession Draught into her butterbeer while she was on an outing with a Viktor Krum...After that, she slowly turned. With Cherrywood's knowledge of magical creatures, I created a flesh and blood Asmodeus, made especially for YOU, Mr. Potter. Ms. Granger gave us the intelligence to perfect him and gained your unflinching trust. As well as other things. I rather thought that we had problems when Ms. Granger broke up with you. It seems she had started to grow a tolerance against possession and apparently wanted to protect you from herself, hence the breakup. Then with your new love interest, i had almost lost all hope. Oh, but you're a predictable one you are, Harry. Wear your heart on your sleeve you do...So, with the aid of Asmodeus' infamous talent to seduce and possess, Ms. Granger soon won you over again and had you following the trail I set out for you."
Harry was seeing red. His breathing was fast and shallow as he hissed through his teeth," Where's Cienna?! Don't you DARE touch her!"
"Oh, she's safe enough...For now I suppose."
"I swear to God I'll KILL you for what you've done!" Harry screamed, jerking madly at the ropes.
"Oh...Not before I kill you."
And before he knew it, Harry felt an icy chill run down his spine. But as quickly as it started, the sensation vanished.
Voldemort stumbled back in shock, his cold eyes wild," What...NO!"
Another chilling sensation came, passing harmlessly over Harry. Two more cold breezes flew off of Harry's skin, making goose bumps raise all over.
"What!? What is this! ",Voldemort yelled frantically.
The Death-Eaters squirmed amongst themselves, whispering and mumbling fearfully.
Voldemort stormed up to Harry and grabbed his throat. His nails dug into Harry's flesh, drawing blood in painful pangs. Harry tugged and jerked away uselessly as Voldemort forced Harry to look him in the eye.
Harry gasped as a shadow floated from Voldemort's stare and enveloped himself in black. It then instantly vanished.
Voldemort's fingers dug deeper into their hold.
"Why isn't he dead, my Lord?"
"He's supposed to be dead..."
"Why hasn't he died?!"
"He knows!"
"Others will come now!"
"We must flee!"
Voldemort ignored his followers' panicked cries and he continued to thrust shadows onto Harry, growing more and more infuriated as they vanished .
"What have you done?!"
Harry struggled against him and grunted," Nothing..."
"WHAT DID YOU DO!?"
"NOTHING!"
"LIES!"
"GET OFF ME!"
Voldemort's ropes disappeared from around Harry instantly, allowing Harry to immediately fall free. The frog amulet fell out from beneath Harry's robes, dangling from its silver chain on Harry's neck.
Voldemort's eyes widened," The amulet! No! NO! HE has the amulet!"
Harry swung his arm and knocked his wand from the Dark Lord's loose grip. He pointed the wand at the shocked man and exclaimed," Stupefy!
Voldemort seemed to freeze momentarily before another cry said," Protego!"
Harry looked over and saw Hermione holding her wand , it aimed at him.
"You will suffer horrifically for what you have done ."
And before he could react, she shouted," Avada Kedavra!"
Harry held his breath but felt the whisk of the spell fly past him. He spun around and saw a body crumple immediately to the ground. Harry felt his insides lurch," NO!!!!"
He raced forward and threw himself to the ground, scrambling frantically to the form. Harry gathered it into his arms, ignoring his broken bones, and looked down into the pale and lifeless face of Cienna. His heart shattered and died as he clung to her.
The Death-Eaters quickly vanished into the thick of the forest as cries and shouts came from the opposite end of the clearing. The Order had arrived.
Voldemort shot Harry a most satisfied grin and disappeared along with his Death-Eaters.
Hermione stared at Harry with a vacant look, then followed Voldemort into the dark.
Harry sat there, staring at the spot where they vanished and burned it with his eyes.
"Harry!"
Harry looked over numbly as Ron rushed forward. The Order quickly filed into the clearing, seeing the tracks of who had been there and Harry sitting with a limp girl in his lap.
Dumbledore stepped forward gravely and muttered," We can do no more here...Let us dispose of the dead creature found and leave Harry to his own."
"But what of Voldemort! He only JUST left! We could catch him!" Lupin cried.
"Voldemort is no longer in these parts...By now, he has made it safely to his haven no doubt," Dumbledore replied in an even quieter voice.
Harry didn't hear the rest of this conversation. The only thing he saw, heard or felt was Cienna in his arms. He held her for some time, feeling her skin turn from its usual warmth to an icy stiffness.
He let himself die with that warmth. As he clutched Cienna's dead body to him, the night turned darker and colder. He was in a new world now. A world without life and without love. A world forced upon him by a monster of a man.
A rage grew in Harry with this. A rage no human being would ever begin to feel. Harry consumed himself with this rage.
He stood up shakily and scooped Cienna into his arms. As he walked back towards the others, Harry mumbled to himself with every bit of malice and loathing he had in him," He will pay...If its the last thing I do, I will KILL him..I will kill Voldemort...."
Hey people! I hope you've been enjoying reading my story. I really appreciated the MOUTAINS of reviews I've been getting. It almost brought me to tears...It was beautiful. LoL, ANYWAYS! I hope you all had as much fun reading this as I had writing it.
YES, this was the last chapter of Harry Potter and the Path of Destiny. There's a sequel... GO READ IT!
With love-
Management