23/12/2014

I figured there was no real point in holding this chapter back, though people are likely to want to do me harm near the end.

I'd really like it if people could support my original story, and the link is available in the profile :D

Weapon XCII Reinforcements

Hermione followed Harry from the Great Hall. He made his way through the corridors of Hogwarts with surety and it calmed her racing nerves. She knew there was a war on but this was the first time it had brushed so close. The attack on Mrs. Weasley, while close had not yet hit home. She knew that because she had yet to see Ron. He hadn't returned from St Mungos and she had yet to see the small woman for herself. No doubt once she did, the reality of the situation would become clear but right at the moment, it was almost as if there was a comforting blanket separating her from the war.

Except now it had come to Hogwarts. Her nerves raced and her stomach clenched. She wouldn't have been able to eat Lunch so was grateful that the Headmaster had ordered them to the walls in defence. But she was scared. She could admit that much and her throat felt both tight and slick. Tight with worry but slick with the nausea that was making itself known.

The fresh air on her face was almost a blessing when they climbed the stairs and emerged on to the ramparts above the main Gate. Harry seemed relaxed and as she watched his green eyes flickered everywhere. Hermione knew he'd been training over the summer and she knew he had continued those lessons into the semester but it was now that she was getting an impression of what that meant.

It frightened her. She knew it shouldn't because this was Harry but he frightened her. She almost couldn't feel the amount of power he gathered when he saw the Dark Lord. It howled so loud to her senses that it wasn't a noise, it was just power, glowing around his hands, flickering with its own life and his eyes were so cold. In that instant she knew he would have destroyed everything just so that he was the one who could fight the Lord Voldemort. She didn't even think when she reached out her hand, crying Harry's name as loud as she dared. He could not be allowed to destroy the Wards of Hogwarts just because he wanted to fight Voldemort. She understood his rage, she felt it herself but now was not the time.

Sharp green eyes lanced into her and Hermione shuddered but remained strong. "Not now, Harry," she heard herself say and the energy in his hands faded as he realised the rest of the world was still there. But even though she shuddered away, and even though she was scared, Hermione remembered the reactions, she remembered what she was seeing. Harry's eyes screamed hurt, screamed betrayal but they were emotions not directed at her. The set of his mouth was grim, as if this was a task he would not enjoy.

The moment passed and Harry blinked. In that instant his eyes changed, calming and after a moment he offered her an apologetic smile.

"Thanks Hermione," the words were heart felt and the bushy haired witch smiled wanely. "Any time," she assured the young man who had turned back to look over at the gathered Dark Forces.

It seemed so simple at first. Even with the scary power Harry had showed her, and that's why Hermione didn't really understand how it had come to this. She was still on the ramparts, and the vampire had come to stand beside her. They were looking down as Harry and Dumbledore challenged the Dark Lord and his unknown second.

There hadn't been much of a battle; a few charms cast back and forth and one or two of the stone gargoyles were showing damage but that was it. And now both sides watched as the four spoke, the voices amplified for all to hear.

The Dark Lord sounded amused, his voice almost indulgent as he spoke. In contrast Harry and Dumbledore's voices were clipped and precise. It was an interesting contrast and Hermione had to reluctantly admire the way the Dark Lord could play the scene. She was just thankful that most of the students couldn't see what was happening. It wasn't that Harry and Dumbledore were at a disadvantage, they were not playing the Dark Lord's game and as a result they did not seem quite as relaxed, as confident. Perhaps that would change if they had a proper audience and Hermione felt a small smile crease her lips as she considered the implications.

Harry wasn't playing the Dark Lord's game because he was his own force. Victory didn't go to the one who could play the audience, victory went to the one who won and in this battle, the means were not at issue. Any method would be sufficient providing Hogwarts and the students were safe.

"It amuses me, Mr. Potter, you seem to think you can challenge me?" The question echoed around the castle.

"I'm not here to challenge you, Voldemort," Harry spat the name and Hermione was one of the few who did not flinch when he uttered it. "I'm here to defeat you."

"Ah yes," the Dark Lord drawled. "The prophecy... It does so amuse me that you put so much faith in it. The spoken word is so fragile. The meaning so fluid. But come... you wish to challenge me, why should I accept your challenge? My forces have you surrounded. The battle... it will be mine. I do not need to fight you."

Harry smiled. "No," he agreed, "but you want to," he made the addition. "And the last time we fought I was less than gracious."

"Too true," Voldemort agreed. "You knew nothing of the forms."

"So... a continuation or a fresh start," Harry cajoled seemingly heedless of the danger that a duel would represent.

The Dark Lord stood for a few moments, considering the deal. His forces seemed to quiver and even in such close proximity the Shadow Servant never looked over at Harry. It was an impressive feat, all things considered but a calculated one. "All right, Mr. Potter," Voldemort said at length. "I will indulge you. A last request as it were... Before your peers you will bow before me, just as they will." He flicked his wand and a loop of power almost lazily traced out from it. Harry mirrored the gesture and the two lines of power met and merged, signalling acceptance of conditions that had not even been specified. They expanded then to form a golden circle around the combatants.

"Now then," red eyes glittered and there was the faintest smile gracing his features. "Bow."

Harry's expression mirrored the Dark Lord's and he stepped forward leaving Dumbledore standing on the edge of the impromptu circle. He bowed, though his eyes never left Voldemort's and their green depths seemed to burn the exact colour of the spell that killed. "To the death."

The Dark Lord's answering grin was vicious. "As if there could ever be anything else between us," he said, his voice rich with confidence and simultaneously the two of them moved.

Hermione knew that over the summer Harry had had extra lessons. She knew that he still attended classes in dueling and self-defence and that the Aurors had taught him much even in the few weeks he had been working with them. She knew that he had the knowledge from the Dark Lord and that despite a certain reluctance on some aspects, he was fully able to utilise that information. She knew... she had watched him. He was not the awkward teen that most were at his age... instead he was calm and controlled, almost fluidly graceful all the time. The bushy haired witch knew this yet it still stunned her to see it. The two combatants moved with such skill and speed that she was hard pressed to see what they had done. Spells clashed up against the other but even before the glow faded the two had moved on. She jumped when there was the sound of steel on steel and as she looked down from the battlements she could see that Harry had drawn the sword of Gryffindor and was blocking a strike from an almost sinuous blade from the Dark Lord. She gasped when they shifted, the two of them exchanging blows and jinxes with such speed that she could trace the path of steel by the light hanging in the air after its passage.

The vampire beside her watched just as avidly. "He is very skilled," they murmured eventually but Hermione almost didn't hear.

"How long will this continue?" she was almost afraid to ask the question.

"Until one of them kills the other," the vampire shrugged. "I presume those were the terms anyway," he added thoughtfully, looking over at the still faintly glowing energy which surrounded the field. Dumbledore stood outside the circle, as did the hooded man who had stood beside the Dark Lord. The two of them seemed content to wait though neither was oblivious to their surroundings.

"What?" Hermione gasped as she looked to the line as well, pulling her eyes away from Harry and the Dark Lord who were still furiously dueling each other. The two of them were too well matched. They knew the other intimately and everything they tried was countered. The light that defined the circle glowed, a gentle calming gold and it seemed to whisper just above the patches of scrawny snow withered grass that formed the circle. As she looked at it, Hermione could almost see deeper into it. It was not just light but a complex set of agreements that the two had hammered out between them in a few words.

"What else would suffice?" the vampire asked before dismissing the witch. She was so young and her understanding was still tinted with youth. It any other situation it might be appealing, watching a duel between two highly skilled wizards it was naive.

Hermione gulped heavily, glancing towards the vampire. The undead's expression was hard showing no expression but his eyes watched every move, and suddenly the young witch knew with absolutely certainty that the vampire, for all it professed to be on their side, did not care about the outcome, so long as one died. She shivered and looked back.

Despite the fact that Sirius knew the truth, that the Dark Lord and his godson were genuinely fond of each other, he could not see it now. The two of them were dancing around the other, spells, hexes and jinx's flying between them. The intent to hurt or kill blatantly obvious through the snarls and shouts that punctuated their duel. Occasionally one of them would try to transfigure something but there really wasn't that much material between them.

In the past Hogwart's had been a defensive castle. Though recently the grounds had expanded at heart certain design truths remained the same. That's why around the castle proper there was very little flat ground. The Dark Lord and Harry were fighting on the small path before the main gate, the glow of their dueling shield surrounding them and not so incidentally blocking passage towards the gate. Sirius was thankful for that. Dumbledore was behind the shield, standing on the pathway. He wasn't trapped. Hogwarts did not have a defensive moat but it meant that the Head Master would probably stay where he was. If he left the gates… Well… what ever else Voldemort's army was still gathered.

:Is the army going to attack or are they just going to watch?: Sirius asked silently.

:Oh, they'll attack… Like everyone else they are just a bit occupied at present,: the shadow's replied almost playfully and Sirius felt them flicker around him, no doubt adding to the image of him as their servant.

Well that was understandable. The show was very impressive. Harry was the more athletic of the two and he ducked and rolled, and ran around dodging curses sent his way while Voldemort was more traditional. The Dark Lord was not above moving, he dodged his fair share of curses, but he maintained his position. Eventually Harry might tire, putting him at a disadvantage but for the moment they were evenly matched and Sirius fought back his instincts when his godson ducked under a particularly nasty hex, rolled and cast a reply.

Harry's fine! He thought to himself, rolling the words around his mind. They won't seriously hurt each other, he continued but the words did little to calm him because at the moment there was not even the slightest hint of anything beyond unyielding burning hatred between the two. In fact Harry seemed uncharacteristically fierce… Sirius didn't pretend that he knew his godson as well as he should, Azkaban had removed that possibility but he liked to think that he was close to the lad… but at the moment Harry's eyes, while cold and calculating, showed something else, something fiery. :What is he angry about?: The question was far more serious than his previous query.

The shadow's seemed to sigh. :Molly Weasley was attacked by Bellatrix.:

Sirius was hard pressed not to snarl at the answer. His cousin! That bitch! Suddenly he understood his godson's anger. :Will she survive?:

Silence was answer enough but before he could question any further his attention was drawn back to the duel.

Voldemort and Harry stood facing each other, wands extended, power pouring from them. The colour of the spells clashed forming a sphere of light that was white with power. The two of them were frowning but neither seemed prepared to back down and as Sirius watched he saw them both adjust their grip on their wands, using two hands to hold their magic steady.

:Prior Incanti!: the Shadows identified what was happening for him.

Sirius had heard of this. Harry had very reluctantly told him what happened in the grave yard but this was the first time he had seen it. It was beautiful in a way but he didn't recognise the colour of the charms. He was only thankful that neither were the green of Avada Kedrava.

:Confringo and Diffindo,: the Shadows answered the unimportant question as they watched the bead of light trace its way back and forth between them.

Neither Voldemort or Harry were willing to give ground and the two of them snarled at the other as the energy moved. Neither seemed to gain the upper hand.

As the battle of will continued Sirius frowned. :Will this cause issues?: He asked without looking away.

:Issues?:

:Prior Incanti only happens between brother wands. Harry has Voldemort's but I think everyone assumed Harry still had his somewhere, so will this cause issues?:

The Shadows were silent for a moment and the canine animagus could feel them thinking. :One was broken and one was bent… It shouldn't,: they said finally.

:You'll take care of it even if it does,: he added the comment only half in jest. The Shadows would take care of everything so long as Harry was happy… just as he would.

:Of course,: they seemed to laugh before even their attention turned back to the duel.

The bead of light connecting the two spells was still centred between them but both Harry and Voldemort were sweating as they exerted themselves. Neither panted. They were both fit enough for this but the strain on their magic was real and the heat from the charms was strong. Sirius could feel it from where he stood, driving up against him in waves and he wondered how the two of them were still standing.

He heard them shout, pain and frustration in both their tones and as Sirius watched he saw Harry and Voldemort move together, both of them wrenching their wands upwards, forcibly breaking the connection. The bead of energy moved almost as if it was on a springy rope between them but at the apex it touched the top of the duelling dome and exploded in an eye watering, ear bursting explosion of light and noise.

It served as a signal and as Sirius shook his head to clear the roaring in his ears, he realised that the shout was coming from the Dark Forces and they were charging.

"Gargoyles!" McGoganall's command echoed over Hogwarts. She had been a Professor for decades, which meant she had learnt how to keep her eyes on the bigger picture. So many students had tried the old distraction technique and she wasn't about to fall for it, not even when the distraction was a life and death duel.

Around the castle stone statues awoke, the grinding noise of their movement lost in the noise of the attack but any individual shout was drowned when the forces meet. The gargoyles alone weren't enough to stop the gathered forces but they were enough to slow them down and not being alive they had to be crushed to powder before the attackers could continue. Inside Hogwarts, the suits of armour were animating and making their way to the walls, taking up places between the older students and Professors who were casting with all their might.

If you could ignore the intent, it would be beautiful. The colours of the spells, their streaming trails covered the walls of Hogwarts. The castle itself was immaculate, graced with the embrace of winter. The snow churned as the gargoyles fought, striking at wizards, witches, trolls, serpents and inferi with impunity. One missing an arm swung at a young death eater who had gotten too close, flinging the wizard away and as he flew through the air, he was hit with two spells from the castles defenders. Another waded through the inferi though the undead clung to the statue with more piling on at every opportunity.

It was chaos.

The inferi and the gargoyles locked with each other and on the battlements some of the suits of armour began showering the attackers with arrows. The castle gates were reinforced by suits of armour. The Death Eater attack was centred where but if they broke through they would encounter another layer of defenders. The vampires were gathered in the shade but once night fell, if the battle was not yet concluded they would come into their own.

Briefly Sirius wondered who was in charge of the Dark Lord's forces. Voldemort was so much their leader that it was hard to imagine them taking commands from another but as the waves attacking Hogwarts resolved themselves logically, the canine animagus knew that the Serpent Lord must have given command to someone.

:Dolohov,: the Shadows whispered to him and Sirius nodded. He knew the name, even if he did not really know the wizard. At least it was not Bellatrix. That was something and in the unlikely event that he had to speak to Voldemort's second in command, he wasn't sure he could handle talking to his cousin.

A clash of steel brought his attention back to the duel. The attack on the walls was progressing with methodical chaos but it would take a while. Hogwarts was built for defence and with magic defending her, she would not fall easily. His role was not to attack and even now both attackers and defenders were not aiming towards them.

Within the dueling sphere, Voldemort was wielding a short but curvy blade while Harry was using a longer sword. Both held their wands in their left hands but the charms they were casting were relatively simple as they focused on the physical duel. The shorter blade allowed the Dark Lord to move quickly, and the tall wizard took advantage of that, lunging in with fast slashes. Harry was his match though and those attacks he could not block he dodged but he was not purely defensive, though his attacks did not rely on his weapon. His sword shone but Harry only occasionally used it to attack, instead, he kicked and it almost seemed as if the two were locked in some parody of a ballet.

Every kick Harry made was precise. He did not over extend and he did not raise his leg much. There was none of the muggle theatrics of sweeping high kicks. Instead he was focusing on Voldemort's legs with short, sharp thrusts aimed at breaking bones. It was testament to the Dark Lord's own prowess that his foot work was good enough to avoid the attacks but they meant he could not truly close with Harry to take advantage of the short range of his weapon.

"Dementors and lethifolds!" Sirius heard the shout from behind and a new wave of attackers emerged from the Forbidden Forest.

"Patroni!" the command came a heart beat later and a few streaks of white light streaked towards the approaching darkness. They drove back some of the Dementors but there were too many of them and not enough patroni.

"Fire spells," another command echoed from the castle and Sirius heard the students and teachers shout 'Incendio' before firey yellow and orange streaked overhead. It was not a bad plan but for the most part the range was too far and while the spells managed to cast flames, the fires lasted fitfully on the snowy ground. The lethifolds flowed around them and the Dementors almost contemptuously flew above the weak fires. The Death Eater's cast their own charms, most likely fire freezing ones on the Dementors as they closed on the castle and the range of the spells were more accurate.

Still the occasional Dementor caught on fire and screamed with an inhuman voice before falling back to the snowy ground where for the most part, the flames extinguished.

Sirius risked a glance at Dumbledore. The Headmaster was tense but his attention seemed to be on the duel but Sirius wasn't fooled. He could see the way that the ancient wizard's eyes kept glancing at him, the question obvious. Who exactly was he to stand at the Dark Lord's side?

He resisted the urge to let out a bark of laughter. Oh... the irony!

He'd been sent to Azkaban on the assumption that he was the Dark Lord's Right Hand man... and here he was, standing at the Dark Lord's Right Hand... Magic did love it's humour. It was a fine prank, worthy of the Marauders but he could not be exposed. Dumbledore had to think he was still wandering around in the wilderness doing the Order's asinine bidding.

Spells flashed overhead, coming from behind and Sirius winced slightly as they impacted with Hogwarts. The stonework creaked but did not break and another volley followed. Dolohov was doing a fine job leading the ranks and as a third volley arched overhead, the castle's defenders organised enough to shield. It was weak but it held but they had been distracted and it was all Sirius could do to stand as the Dementors and lethifolds swarmed around him, streaming towards the gates. He was protected because of his position. The Dementors knew better than to cross him.

Dumbledore protected himself by summoning his patronus phoenix which flew around him in tight circles but he could not protect Hogwarts.

The defenders knew what was happening. Their spells at the gates were vicious and while the Dementors were stopped by the gates, the lethifolds were not, the thin dark creatures disappeared expertly through the narrow openings. Screams came from within the castle.

The press of Dementors around them caught the attention of Voldemort and Harry though and Harry pulled back, blinking as he saw the Dementors. The Dark Lord looked pleased. He did not necessarily intend to capture Hogwart's today but if he did, then that made the coming campaign easier.

"It seems, Potter, that even if you fight me, I will win," Voldemort purred, ignoring the look of hatred Dumbledore directed at him.

"You'll never win," Harry replied, not even breathing hard as he brought up his sword.

"My victory is inevitable," the Dark Lord replied, gesturing towards the gates. The Dementors were swarming, despite the best efforts of the defenders, though their fire spells were more effective now. The were screams from the castle as the lethifolds moved around. "You may have allied with the Vampires, but they are useless in daylight."

"Perhaps," Dumbledore agreed, "but they are not all we have allied with." The ancient wizard seemed to be looking over the Forbidden Forest and Sirius forced himself not to look. He was a Marauder, he wasn't going to fall for that old trick.

It wasn't until Harry's eyes widened almost imperceptibly that Sirius realised it was no trick. His back itched as he turned and the canine animagus resisted the urge to swear. Of all the times...

:At least Voldemort won't blame you,: the Shadow's supplied helpfully.

No, he definitely wouldn't think that the man guarding his back had anything to do with this. He'd be blaming someone fully of the light, and that's only if anyone bothered to take credit. Flying low over the forest were dragons. Welsh green dragons. Zipping around them, but mostly at the sides and above were the dragon handlers on brooms, herding their charges into battle. It was beautiful... and then the lead dragon let out a belch of fire and it became pandemonium.

The dragons flew in a sweeping run over the dark forces before they banked around Hogwarts. The Death Eaters sent curses and hexes towards the handlers but for the most part they were careful to remain out of range, content to let the dragons handle things. The was a flurry of shouts and the red of stunning spells arched through the air as the dragon handlers wheeled their charges for another strafing run. It took at least eight stunners to actually stun a dragon, a single one acted as a sting, goading them to follow directions.

The Dark Lord watched and Sirius didn't need to look to see that his face was twisted into a grimace. His forces were enough to break the castle but most likely were not enough to hold it. The dragons tipped the balance far out of his favour.

"You'll never win," Harry repeated, lunging forward.

Voldemort was not so surprised by the Dragons that he allowed the hit and he spun, his dagger held against his forearm, catching Harry's sword. Green eyes narrowed as Harry tried pressing his advantage but the Dark Lord almost seemed to explode as he lashed out in retaliation.

As the dragons made another pass Voldemort and Harry clashed in a dizzying display of prowess. They moved so fast that it was almost impossible to see who was winning. Harry slashed forward and followed it up with a charm but the Dark Lord dodged and his dagger almost contemptuously flicked the charm away before his own wand spat out a curse. Harry ducked and tried angling his blade upwards in a slashing motion but Voldemort was wary and stepped back, the hem of his robe caught the blade but nothing more.

Screams came from the field as the dragons swooped, their fiery breath lancing to the ground incinerating all that it touched. The Dementers swarmed closer together at the gates of Hogwarts, seeking what shelter they could at the walls but already they were beginning to slink away, skirting around as carefully as they could and disappearing back into the Forbidden Forest. Unlike the fire spells from Hogwarts' defenders, dragon flame was not troubled by the cold and long swaths of land burned. There was very little smoke but between the flames Sirius could see the Dark Forces retreating. They had no choice.

The dragons may not be that well controlled, but they were wrecking considerable damage. Sirius ducked as one passed overhead and in his slight moment of distraction the Headmaster made his move. The canine animagus was flung backwards by Dumbledore's charm and Sirius opened himself up to the Shadows as he rolled, his magic already neutralising the effects.

Inside the duelling sphere, Voldemort laughed. "You shouldn't have done that old man," he snapped as the sphere faded, the energy coalescing around Harry. The young wizard screamed and struggled against the energy, his sword dropping to the ground. It was all Sirius could do not to rush to Harry's side but he knew he could not and he growled, facing off against Dumbledore as the old wizard kept his wand trained on him. The Headmaster seemed shocked at the backlash but it was too late to stop it now.

"No!" Harry snarled, as the Dark Lord backed away. "Avada Kedavra!" He growled the words before screaming again as the backlash of energy ripped into him but the green light flew true.

Sirius saw Voldemort's expression show absolute surprise before red eyes narrowed slightly and the Dark Lord levelled his wand at Harry. "Avada Kedrava!" he snapped the words, not even bothering with the wand movement. The words weren't as harshly spoken but the power was there.

Screams came from the battlements and it was surreal. Sirius watched as Voldemort fell, and was reminded again how powerful Dumbledore was when the old wizard's wand blurred and the very ground itself raised up to intercept the green light that would have hit Harry. Harry still fell, as the backlash from the dueling sphere rushed into him and with the two lying in the ground, there was silence.

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