Ginny's Gift, Chapter 28
Rated: PG-13
Summary: Ginny gives Harry a special birthday present, but the consequences are unexpected.
"So how are we going to do this?" Harry asked.
Ron looked around and shrugged.
It wasn't going to be easy for them to steal out of the Great Hall without anyone noticing them. The entire school had been assembled, they'd eaten, and now it looked as if they were expected to spend the night here. The house tables had been placed along the walls, and sleeping bags had been conjured as they had been in Harry's third year. It was still fairly early in the evening, though, and no one was thinking of going to bed yet. There was a palpable sense of uncertainty in the air, which was going to make falling asleep difficult indeed.
"Do you think you can slip on the invisibility cloak without anyone noticing?" Ron asked. "If you can, I think we have a chance."
"Where's Hermione got to?"
Hermione had been keeping as close an eye as she could on Harry all evening. This hadn't been as easy as it sounded since she'd been placed more or less in charge in the Great Hall. She, along with the Head Boy and the other prefects, were responsible for keeping everyone as quiet and calm as possible, which wasn't exactly easy. Many of the younger students were visibly frightened or nervous, and it was clear that even many of the older ones were simply putting a brave face on things. At the moment, Hermione was across the hall talking to Professor McGonagall. Ginny could be seen sitting with a group of first-years obviously trying to keep their minds off things.
Harry sidled into a corner. "Stand in front of me, Ron, so no one sees me disappearing." When Harry had slipped into the invisibility cloak, he asked, "Reckon we have everything?"
Ron's school bag was slung over his shoulder, and he patted it. "I've got Charlie's wand right here."
"Right, then. How do we get out of here?"
"Just follow my lead."
Ron started off along the wall, Harry following in his wake, careful not to bump into anyone. They had almost reached the doors when a voice stopped them in their tracks.
"Where do you think you're off to, Ron?" Hermione was blocking their path, her arms crossed.
"I have to go to the loo, all right?"
"Nice try, but since when do you need your school bag for that?"
"Listen, Hermione…" Ron began.
"You can't fool me, Ron. I'm sure Harry's under his invisibility cloak, and I know exactly what you're trying to do."
"Well, if you know that, then you'll just let us go, won't you?"
"I can't do that."
"Hermione," Harry grated warningly. She looked sharply in his direction, and he knew she'd heard him.
"No," she said even more firmly. Then to his horror, Harry saw Hermione raise her hand and motion to Ginny.
"Look, can't we talk about this?" Ron asked.
"Oh, we're going to talk, Ron, believe me."
"Not here," Harry said.
Ginny was making her way through the students, who were, for the most part, sitting in small groups on the floor and talking. "What's going on?" she asked, looking from Ron to Hermione.
"Come on," said Hermione shortly, and she slipped out into the entrance hall with Ron on her heels. Harry took one last glance around the Great Hall before slipping out himself. He didn't think anyone had noticed the others' departure. Hermione was holding open the door to a chamber off the entrance hall, and Harry realised with a start that this was the same room where they had waited until the coast was clear so they could go visit Hagrid at the end of their third year. That had been the night that Sirius had escaped on Buckbeak.
"All right," Hermione said once they were all inside. "You can take of the invisibility cloak now, Harry."
Ginny looked surprised for a moment as Harry emerged into view, but then as he watched, understanding dawned on her features, and that expression was quickly replaced by one of hurt.
Hermione was looking from Harry to Ron expectantly. Her arms were crossed again. "When were you planning on telling us you were leaving?"
Ron looked guilty, but Harry stared stonily back at Hermione. He couldn't look at Ginny at the moment, so he focused on Hermione. It was much easier for him to concentrate on feeling irritated with her. After all, Hermione knew better than any of the others what he had to do.
"Were you planning on telling us at all?" Hermione asked again, her voice deadly calm.
"You'd have worked it out, wouldn't you?" said Harry. He knew it wasn't a very nice thing to say, but Hermione knew. She was supposed to understand.
"Oh, well, thanks loads," Hermione said waspishly. "It's nice to know neither of us merits a goodbye."
"What were we supposed to do? Announce it to the entire school?" Harry's voice was beginning to rise, and he had to stop himself. He didn't want to be caught by a teacher at this point.
"No," said Hermione. "You're supposed to take us along!"
"No."
"Why not? You're taking Ron."
"Just let us go, Hermione."
"Not until you've given us a good reason for why you're not planning on letting us come along. Come on, we've always done this sort of thing together."
"How am I supposed to concentrate on facing Voldemort if I'm worried about what might happen to you and Ginny?"
"You're not worried about Ron, then, I take it." Ginny had spoken for the first time since they'd come in here, and she did not sound pleased.
"Yes, damn it, of course I am! It's just… " Harry stopped himself before he said something unforgivable. He'd been about to say something along the lines of Ron being able to take care of himself, but he knew right away that it wouldn't be a good idea to imply that neither of the girls could take care of herself. On top of that, he knew it wasn't true.
"Look," Ron broke in, "we've all got to do what we've got to do. I'm free to go with Harry. You two aren't."
"Just how do you reckon that?" Hermione asked sounding more outraged.
"Hermione, you're Head Girl. Ginny's a prefect. The staff are counting on you to help out if there's an evacuation."
Hermione looked as if she wanted to protest. She opened and closed her mouth several times, but there wasn't a whole lot she could say against Ron. He'd reminded her of her duty, and now she was torn.
"Hermione," he said more gently, "I will feel a lot better knowing you're safe here at school."
"Fine, Ron! That's just great for you! Now how am I supposed to feel? I'm going to be worried sick about the both of you."
"We'll still be able to do our part," Ginny reminded her. "If there's an evacuation, we'll help out, but after that, there won't be anything to stop us from joining the fight, will there?" She was looking straight at Harry as she said this, her eyes sparking with determination, as if she was daring him to tell her she couldn't fight if she wanted.
Harry said nothing. He merely stared back. Silently he told himself that he'd find a way to end it before the school was directly threatened.
"No, there won't be," said Hermione. "You're right."
"Look, Hermione," said Ron, "I'm sorry we tried to sneak off. It's just…"
Hermione cut him off. "I'm not going to sleep a wink until you come back… Both of you." She was very close to tears now, and Ron took her in his arms. She laid her head on his shoulder, and he held her for a long moment without speaking, his arms visibly tightening around her. Harry finally had to look away, but it was only to meet Ginny's gaze. She was staring at him unhappily, her expression a mixture between anger and worry.
"Just come back," she whispered. "Promise me you'll come back."
Harry had to swallow hard before replying. "You know I can't promise you that."
A tear slipped down her cheek. "Lie to me then."
"I'm not going to do that."
She nodded once and stepped up to him, placing a hand over the talisman, which lay hidden under his robes. He felt a surge of something but didn't know whether it was some sort of power coming from her or simply the thrill of the contact. She was staring into his eyes. "You go then with all the love and protection I can bestow on you."
She reached up and kissed him all too briefly before turning and hugging her brother. Harry found himself facing a red-eyed Hermione She did not say a word to him; the understanding in her eyes was enough. He knew she'd say nothing more to try to stop him, just as there was no more he could say to dissuade either her or Ginny from joining the fight if it came to that.
She hugged him quickly, saying as she stepped back, "I once told you that you were a great wizard. I still think that. I'll always think that."
Then she and Ginny were gone. Harry turned to Ron. "Let's go."
"Where are we going?"
"I was thinking we could take the tunnel under the Whomping Willow to the Shrieking Shack. What do you reckon?"
Ron shrugged. "I don't suppose it much matters what tunnel we use. We don't know what we'll find on the other end no matter what."
Harry moved to put the invisibility cloak back on, but Ron reached out a hand and stopped him. "You'd better take this now, since we don't know…"
He was holding out Charlie's wand. Harry pocketed it. He was going to put the invisibility cloak back on, when he thought better of it. He and Ron were too tall now for them both to fit underneath it and hope to remain completely hidden. One of them would have to remain uncovered, so there really wasn't much point in using it now.
Instead, he stuck his head out into the hall. It was empty. "Come on, the coast is clear."
They stole over to the front door and eased it open. It struck Harry as odd that the front door was unlocked with the school under threat of imminent attack. He could only hope that it was locked from the outside.
Once they'd gone down the front steps, they both looked towards the village in spite of themselves. Not a single light, a single sign of life could be seen coming from across the lake. Fortunately there was no sign of the Dark Mark either. Harry had half feared seeing it floating in the sky above Hogsmeade like some mockery of a firework. Perhaps the Death Eaters who had attacked had been turned aside somehow.
"Let's go," Ron said at last, and they set off towards the Whomping Willow. They found a stick lying on the ground, which they used to press the knot to prevent the tree from attacking them.
It was a tight squeeze in the tunnel. The last time he'd been through here, Harry had been thirteen and small for his age, but now that he was almost eighteen, and much taller, he felt as if he had to walk hunched over, the ceiling was so low. He knew Ron, who was even taller than he was, couldn't be faring much better. The tunnel stretched on and on, and Harry's neck was becoming stiff from the unaccustomed position by the time they came to the place where the tunnel began rising again. Harry could see a dim light up ahead. He remembered this; they'd almost reached their goal.
But instead of speeding up, Harry froze. He turned quickly and held up a hand, both to stop Ron and to keep him from speaking. Then the sound came again. Voices. There was someone in the Shrieking Shack, most likely more than one person. Harry had no way of telling if the person was friend or foe. He would just have to creep forward cautiously and hope to get a look at whoever was there.
Harry began to inch along very slowly until he was almost level with the hole. The voices continued--there were at least three judging from the sound of things. They were speaking too quietly for Harry to make out exactly what they were saying, but at least one of them sounded familiar. He just couldn't place where he'd heard it before.
Ron was tugging on the back of his robes. He turned. "It's okay," Ron breathed.
"You sure?"
"Yeah. One of them is Bill. I'm positive."
Harry cautiously poked his head into the room. He barely had a chance to register the faces of its occupants when he found himself facing at least ten wands pointed straight at him.
"STUPEFY!"
He didn't think; he acted. He ducked, and the stunners passed over his head, but at least one of them singed his hair, judging from the acrid smell that now filled his nostrils.
There was a shout and the sound of several pairs of feet crossing the floor. Then several hands were reaching down into the hole, grabbing Harry by the robes and hoisting him out of it. Harry suddenly found himself face to face with his godfather, who did not look happy to see him. Beside him, Ron clambered into the room as well.
"Did you bring anyone else with you?" Sirius barked. "Hermione?"
"No," replied Harry. "She's back at school."
"At least she's showed some sense. Would you mind telling me what the hell you think you're doing here?"
"We're coming to join the fighting."
"No!" Bill interjected. "Ron, get back up to school."
"You can't send us back," said Harry, looking from his godfather to Bill. "We're both of age, and we've finished school for all intents and purposes."
Sirius heaved a heavy sigh but seemed to relent slightly. Harry looked around and saw another familiar face, that of Remus Lupin. He did not recognise any of the others but surmised that these people made up Sirius' comrades in arms.
"Do they know up at the school that you've gone?" Remus asked now.
"Hermione and Ginny know," Harry replied. "If we're missed they'll tell the teachers."
Bill was still staring Ron down. "I can't let you stay, either of you. What's Mum going to say?"
"What's she say about you, Bill?" Ron asked stubbornly.
"That's different. I'm an adult."
"So are we."
"Ron…"
"Bill," said Harry, "we may not have express permission to be here, but Professor McGonagall told us that if they evacuate the school, the older students have the choice of staying to fight. Let's just say we've made our choice early."
Bill, Remus and Sirius all exchanged looks. Finally Sirius said, "I don't suppose it makes a lot of difference then. In all likelihood, the school will be evacuated tomorrow… That doesn't mean I like this. You two will only make our job more difficult if we have to worry about you."
The irony of having his own argument turned against him was not lost on Harry. Nor was his reply. "Then don't. Ron and I can take care of ourselves."
"You haven't experienced combat. You aren't trained. You'll keep your heads down, both of you. No heroics. You'll follow orders. I can't have you putting others' lives in danger. Is that clear?"
Sirius was looking hard at both boys, and Harry knew it would be pointless not to agree. In the chaos of the battle, everyone would do what he could in any case. "All right," he said. "So it looks as if something is going to happen tomorrow?"
"We're expecting it, yes. Yesterday was only a trial. We pushed the Death Eaters back, but we assume they'll return tomorrow with reinforcements. It's pretty obvious what their plan is. They'll take Hogsmeade and move on to take the school if they can."
"What about Fred and George?" Ron suddenly asked. None of the other twenty or so faces in the room had the trademark Weasley red hair.
"They've holed themselves up in Zonko's," Bill said. "From what I gather, they've got their own defence all planned out. They're the least of my worries." Bill was looking hard at Ron, but he didn't back down under his older brother's stare.
"As many of the buildings as possible have been manned," Remus told them. "Some more than others, obviously. This one, Honeydukes, the Three Broomsticks…"
Harry suddenly realised why this was. He'd come through the tunnels to Hogsmeade on more than one occasion, but now he saw that they posed a security risk to the school. Wormtail knew about them, after all, as he'd helped draw up the Marauder's Map.
"Wormtail…" Harry began.
"We haven't seen him," said Sirius, "but we fully expect he's told Voldemort the ways he might infiltrate the school. We're keeping a careful eye on the tunnels. And I'm keeping watch for Wormtail himself."
"But as a rat…"
"He'd still have a silver paw. It would make it more difficult for him to hide."
Harry fervently hoped that Sirius would manage to catch Wormtail at last so that his name could be publicly cleared.
It seemed as if Harry and Ron were going to be accepted now. They advanced into the room and found a spot on the floor. There wasn't a whole lot of space left, not that Harry expected to get much sleep. The room fell quiet, but the silence was a watchful one. From time to time terse words were exchanged in low voices, but conversation was kept to a minimum. Some of the others seemed to doze off, and Harry assumed they'd had enough experience to be used to the waiting and to snatch the opportunity to sleep when it presented itself. Harry and Ron both followed suit and stretched out on the dusty floor and waited for the night to pass in silence.
*
Harry woke up in the cold light of dawn, the exhaustion of the NEWTs having finally caught up with him. Others were stirring, and Harry knew that at any given hour of the night at least one person, and most certainly more, had to have been on watch. Everything was quiet. There was no noise even from the outside, nothing to indicate that there would be an assault on the village later today. He could see sunlight coming through the cracks in the boarded-up windows. It looked as if the day was going to be sunny and hot as the previous day had been.
Several hours passed before anything happened, and suddenly everything was happening at once. Sirius had had word, somehow, and everyone was snapping into action. Harry barely had time to register what was going on, when he was rushing outside with the others, running down the hill and helping man a hastily constructed breastwork, which stretched across the High Street in front of The Three Broomsticks. It had to have been put in place yesterday and seemed to be composed of tables and chairs from the pub and pieces of the counter from Honeydukes. Harry didn't feel as if it would provide much protection.
The enemy was apparently advancing from the countryside at the opposite end of the village, although Harry couldn't see them yet. There had to be another line of defence somewhere. Sirius, Remus and Bill all seemed to have disappeared further along the street, leaving Harry and Ron with a group of witches and wizards they didn't know and orders to stay put.
Harry looked over at Ron and wondered if his friend was entertaining the same thoughts as him. The temptation to creep up to the front line was growing on him. He didn't dare voice this idea aloud, however. He was sure the others had been instructed to watch him and Ron and not to let either of them do anything stupid.
He could hear shouts now and see flashes of light in the sky. They seemed to be coming from the general direction of Zonko's. He tried to raise his head higher over the breastwork for a brief glimpse, but he was thrown back to the ground almost immediately. A stone-faced witch glowered at him.
"Head down!" she barked.
Harry blinked. It was Madam Rosmerta. He hadn't recognised her dressed as she was in old, loose robes with dirt on her face and her hair in disarray. She also looked older, somehow, as if recent events had aged her. Harry imagined that since Hogsmeade visits had been cancelled and with the uncertain times brought on by the war, she'd perhaps experienced a set-back in her business. This might explain the lines of care and worry, which were now evident on her face. That, and the fact that she was now fighting evil in the street for her very life…
Harry scrambled back into position. There was more shouting and more flashing lights coming from the other end of town. Suddenly, beside him, Ron let out a shout. Harry grabbed the back of his robes to stop him from bolting up over the breastwork. There was a sound of running feet, and the next thing Harry knew, he'd been hurled to the ground once more, feeling as if he'd been hit with a Bludger.
He looked up to see that one of the Weasley twins--he couldn't tell which one--had bowled Harry over as he'd dived over the defence.
"Everyone down! She's going to blow!" came a shout.
It was the other twin. In the next instant, there was a massive explosion that rocked the ground, and bits of burning wood were raining down from the sky. Harry shielded his eyes and looked up. Where Zonko's had stood was nothing but vivid, multicoloured smoke billowing up into the sky. Intermittent popping noises sounded as bright sparks emanated from the pall, no doubt vestiges of Filibuster Fireworks. Everyone suddenly looked as if they'd aged a hundred years, as cinders blanketed the village.
"Brilliant!" cried the twin who had knocked Harry over--it had to be Fred, because George was crouching on the other side of Ron with his arm around a very grim-faced Pauline.
"Amazing!" agreed George. "That blew higher than expected."
Both twins' eyes were shining with delight in spite of the fact that they'd just blown up their place of employment.
"What's happening?" Ron asked them.
Neither one of them blinked an eye over Ron and Harry's presence, which was something of a relief. "The Death Eaters have come back stronger today," said Fred. "I think they've got a giant or two with them. They broke through the defences on the outskirts of town. With any luck the explosion took out a good number of them."
"What about our side?" asked Ron, going white under the layer of ash on his face.
"They were in on the plan," said George grimly. "As long as they got out of the way… We did give them a warning signal, you know."
Harry felt slightly sick. Remus, Sirius and Bill had all likely been close to that explosion. The smoke pouring out of Zonko's made it all the more difficult to tell what was going on. He was again tempted to run ahead so he could see what was happening. All this waiting was grating on him.
"Was Voldemort there?" he asked the twins suddenly.
"Didn't see him," said Fred.
"Nah," said George. "He won't lead his lot into battle. He'll wait until they've done most of his dirty work for him before he sets foot in Hogsmeade."
Harry didn't like hearing that, although he knew the twins were probably right. It meant more waiting… unless he took matters into his own hands.
Before he could formulate a plan, there was more shouting, but this time it was coming from behind them. Everyone turned, fearing some sort of surprise attack from the rear. But instead of Death Eaters, Dementors and an army of Dark creatures, there came an army of a different sort. Its soldiers were all robed in black and led by a tall figure with flowing white hair and beard. The sun glinted off his half-moon spectacles. Hogwarts, it seemed, had been evacuated, and the staff were coming down to join the fray.
Harry could see the four heads of house following in Dumbledore's wake, the rest of the teachers behind them. But behind them came students, and Harry's heart sank to see Ginny and Hermione among their ranks. He hadn't acted fast enough. He hadn't done anything, really. He'd simply waited here, as he'd been ordered.
The Hogwarts contingent swept up to their line of defence, and the students were now left along this line, obviously the hindmost, while the adults who had been stationed there now rose and joined Dumbledore's train. Harry watched as they disappeared into the smoke coming from Zonko's.
Hermione was staring after them. "It's like they're going off into another world," she mused as the last figure vanished into the pall.
Harry and Ginny looked at each other uncomfortably. The irony of the situation was not lost on Harry. He could have stayed up at school, and he wouldn't have missed anything.
"So they've evacuated the school," Ron said into the silence.
"Yes, early this morning," confirmed Hermione.
"You haven't lost your talent for stating the obvious, have you, Weasley?" drawled a familiar voice.
Harry looked around sharply to find Draco Malfoy standing behind them.
"Made your choice, Malfoy?" Harry asked in a low voice.
"Maybe, but perhaps I'll change my mind."
Harry didn't reply, but he noticed that Malfoy was the only Slytherin among the new arrivals. Harry thought he looked very out of place without Crabbe and Goyle flanking him.
"So what do we do?" Ginny had broken her stony silence at last.
"We watch, and we wait," replied Harry.
Time continued to drag, and Harry felt increasingly restless. The others had all taken up positions along the barricade. Harry noticed Ami, the Ravenclaw whom Fred had tried to chat up at Christmas was among them. There was little conversation. An eerie feeling of detachment had begun to fall over Harry, as if he was no longer in the same world with the others. He could see them, but it was as if he was watching the telly with the sound turned off.
It was impossible to tell what was happening as the smoke pouring from Zonko's continued to screen the other end of the village. The only sound at the moment was the occasional explosion, but Harry couldn't say whether that was the result of some magical battle or more fireworks from the joke shop going off.
After a while figures, began to reappear, floating almost dreamlike out of the smoke. It soon became apparent that they were running from something. The Order's forces were being routed. They gained the last line of defence, and took refuge behind it, injured, bleeding, burnt and telling contradictory tales. Dumbledore was dead. An army of Dementors was come. Dragons. Giants. Voldemort himself.
Harry recognised none of them, or perhaps his brain was now refusing to co-operate. Something told him that one of the injured was a Bulgarian named Viktor Krum, but the information set off no emotion within him. He was separate from it all. The atmosphere was quickly becoming thick with panic and confusion, but Harry felt none of it. People were screaming, but his ears didn't register the noise.
A bushy-haired girl was tending to someone's burns aided by a tall, freckled boy. A red headed girl was shouting something at him, tears leaking out of her eyes, but Harry turned away from it. He didn't belong here.
In the general chaos, it was easy for him to slip away. He walked, slowly at first, stopping for no one who cried out to him, but soon he broke into a run, dodging more and more shadowy figures as they materialised out of the smoke. His throat and eyes began to burn as his lungs begged for a proper breath of air, and still he did not stop.
As he came out on the other side of the cloud, his eyes passed over the battle-scene in front of him and focused on his goal. For Voldemort was there, towering over his minions, the crumpled form of Albus Dumbledore at his feet. And he was laughing in apparent victory over his most hated and feared enemy.
Harry took no notice of anything else that was going on around him. If there were Dementors, giants, dragons or the bodies of those whom he had loved on the ground, he did not see them. He sucked in a great breath of air and shouted as loudly as he could.
"Tom Riddle!"
Voldemort heard him. He stopped mid-laugh and turned his serpentine eyes on Harry. Then a grotesque smile twisted his features. "Harry Potter--no leave him to me," Voldemort said to his Death Eaters who had turned their wands on Harry. "Harry Potter, you have come to witness my final victory. How kind of you. How fitting. I have just finished vanquishing your mentor. It will give me great pleasure to dispose of you as well."
Harry did not reply. He simply gripped his wand harder. He did not remember taking it out, but it must have been while he was running through the smoke. He held it at the ready so that Voldemort was sure to see it, while he surreptitiously slipped his left hand into his pocket and took out Charlie's old wand.
Voldemort was approaching him, while Harry held his ground, tensing himself to spring aside at the slightest provocation. Vaguely he was aware of the Death Eaters who had surrounded him giving way to form a circle around him and their master.
Voldemort laughed softly. "Ever the brave Gryffindor, I see. But of course, you're putting stock in your protection, aren't you? As you must know, I am now in possession of that same protection. Perhaps we should make a test. Whose is stronger?"
Harry suddenly felt a lot less confident. The shock of Voldemort's words was like a slap in the face, and they brought him out of the dream-like trance he had fallen under. Would Voldemort's talisman be strong enough to turn aside the spell Harry was about to use? Or would his sacrifice be enough to overcome Ginny's magic? He had no idea, but there wasn't anything left for him to do now but see it through. Voldemort would try to kill him no matter what, so he may as well try to take the Dark Lord down with him.
"I'm feeling quite magnanimous at the moment. Defeating one's greatest enemy will do that to you. I give you a gift today, Harry Potter. Use it wisely. It’s the only chance you’ll get."
And he dropped his wand. Harry couldn't believe it. Voldemort must be absolutely certain his talisman worked if he was going to give Harry a clear shot.
"What are you waiting for, Potter? I haven't got all day."
Harry concentrated then. He had to get this right; he'd only have this one chance. He thought of all the anger and confusion that Voldemort had created over the past years. He thought of the deaths, the danger, the families torn apart… He focused the entirety of his magical energy into his left hand.
Without warning he raised Charlie's wand and cried, "Me porricio! Exulo in tenebras ad perpetuitatem!"
The pain was incredible in its intensity, far, far worse than the Cruciatus Curse. Harry could literally feel part of himself being wrenched free and exiting through his left hand. It was a most integral part of him; he could sense it being ripped from every cell in his body.
Then there was a colossal release of energy. The blast bore him backwards until he found himself staring up at an impossibly blue sky. He knew he couldn't be dead. He was in too much pain.
He had no idea how long he lay there, completely paralysed. It seemed like an eternity, but it may have been less than a second. His body felt as if it were on fire, and he would have screamed if it were possible. But no movement was possible, none whatsoever.
Suddenly a face came into his range of vision, blotting out the blinding blue of the sky. He recognised the pale, pointed features. They were set in a sneer of deep hatred. Harry knew with certainty what was coming now, and he was completely helpless to do anything about it. Suddenly he heard Mrs Weasley's voice echoing through his mind; it was reminding Ginny that nothing turned back the killing curse. It didn't matter. In this moment Harry was ready to welcome death.
Lucius Malfoy raised his wand. Harry focused on the tip and steeled himself.
"Avada Kedavra!"
The last thing Harry saw was a rush of green light.
Chapter 29
Summary: Ginny gives Harry a special birthday present, but the consequences are unexpected.
"So how are we going to do this?" Harry asked.
Ron looked around and shrugged.
It wasn't going to be easy for them to steal out of the Great Hall without anyone noticing them. The entire school had been assembled, they'd eaten, and now it looked as if they were expected to spend the night here. The house tables had been placed along the walls, and sleeping bags had been conjured as they had been in Harry's third year. It was still fairly early in the evening, though, and no one was thinking of going to bed yet. There was a palpable sense of uncertainty in the air, which was going to make falling asleep difficult indeed.
"Do you think you can slip on the invisibility cloak without anyone noticing?" Ron asked. "If you can, I think we have a chance."
"Where's Hermione got to?"
Hermione had been keeping as close an eye as she could on Harry all evening. This hadn't been as easy as it sounded since she'd been placed more or less in charge in the Great Hall. She, along with the Head Boy and the other prefects, were responsible for keeping everyone as quiet and calm as possible, which wasn't exactly easy. Many of the younger students were visibly frightened or nervous, and it was clear that even many of the older ones were simply putting a brave face on things. At the moment, Hermione was across the hall talking to Professor McGonagall. Ginny could be seen sitting with a group of first-years obviously trying to keep their minds off things.
Harry sidled into a corner. "Stand in front of me, Ron, so no one sees me disappearing." When Harry had slipped into the invisibility cloak, he asked, "Reckon we have everything?"
Ron's school bag was slung over his shoulder, and he patted it. "I've got Charlie's wand right here."
"Right, then. How do we get out of here?"
"Just follow my lead."
Ron started off along the wall, Harry following in his wake, careful not to bump into anyone. They had almost reached the doors when a voice stopped them in their tracks.
"Where do you think you're off to, Ron?" Hermione was blocking their path, her arms crossed.
"I have to go to the loo, all right?"
"Nice try, but since when do you need your school bag for that?"
"Listen, Hermione…" Ron began.
"You can't fool me, Ron. I'm sure Harry's under his invisibility cloak, and I know exactly what you're trying to do."
"Well, if you know that, then you'll just let us go, won't you?"
"I can't do that."
"Hermione," Harry grated warningly. She looked sharply in his direction, and he knew she'd heard him.
"No," she said even more firmly. Then to his horror, Harry saw Hermione raise her hand and motion to Ginny.
"Look, can't we talk about this?" Ron asked.
"Oh, we're going to talk, Ron, believe me."
"Not here," Harry said.
Ginny was making her way through the students, who were, for the most part, sitting in small groups on the floor and talking. "What's going on?" she asked, looking from Ron to Hermione.
"Come on," said Hermione shortly, and she slipped out into the entrance hall with Ron on her heels. Harry took one last glance around the Great Hall before slipping out himself. He didn't think anyone had noticed the others' departure. Hermione was holding open the door to a chamber off the entrance hall, and Harry realised with a start that this was the same room where they had waited until the coast was clear so they could go visit Hagrid at the end of their third year. That had been the night that Sirius had escaped on Buckbeak.
"All right," Hermione said once they were all inside. "You can take of the invisibility cloak now, Harry."
Ginny looked surprised for a moment as Harry emerged into view, but then as he watched, understanding dawned on her features, and that expression was quickly replaced by one of hurt.
Hermione was looking from Harry to Ron expectantly. Her arms were crossed again. "When were you planning on telling us you were leaving?"
Ron looked guilty, but Harry stared stonily back at Hermione. He couldn't look at Ginny at the moment, so he focused on Hermione. It was much easier for him to concentrate on feeling irritated with her. After all, Hermione knew better than any of the others what he had to do.
"Were you planning on telling us at all?" Hermione asked again, her voice deadly calm.
"You'd have worked it out, wouldn't you?" said Harry. He knew it wasn't a very nice thing to say, but Hermione knew. She was supposed to understand.
"Oh, well, thanks loads," Hermione said waspishly. "It's nice to know neither of us merits a goodbye."
"What were we supposed to do? Announce it to the entire school?" Harry's voice was beginning to rise, and he had to stop himself. He didn't want to be caught by a teacher at this point.
"No," said Hermione. "You're supposed to take us along!"
"No."
"Why not? You're taking Ron."
"Just let us go, Hermione."
"Not until you've given us a good reason for why you're not planning on letting us come along. Come on, we've always done this sort of thing together."
"How am I supposed to concentrate on facing Voldemort if I'm worried about what might happen to you and Ginny?"
"You're not worried about Ron, then, I take it." Ginny had spoken for the first time since they'd come in here, and she did not sound pleased.
"Yes, damn it, of course I am! It's just… " Harry stopped himself before he said something unforgivable. He'd been about to say something along the lines of Ron being able to take care of himself, but he knew right away that it wouldn't be a good idea to imply that neither of the girls could take care of herself. On top of that, he knew it wasn't true.
"Look," Ron broke in, "we've all got to do what we've got to do. I'm free to go with Harry. You two aren't."
"Just how do you reckon that?" Hermione asked sounding more outraged.
"Hermione, you're Head Girl. Ginny's a prefect. The staff are counting on you to help out if there's an evacuation."
Hermione looked as if she wanted to protest. She opened and closed her mouth several times, but there wasn't a whole lot she could say against Ron. He'd reminded her of her duty, and now she was torn.
"Hermione," he said more gently, "I will feel a lot better knowing you're safe here at school."
"Fine, Ron! That's just great for you! Now how am I supposed to feel? I'm going to be worried sick about the both of you."
"We'll still be able to do our part," Ginny reminded her. "If there's an evacuation, we'll help out, but after that, there won't be anything to stop us from joining the fight, will there?" She was looking straight at Harry as she said this, her eyes sparking with determination, as if she was daring him to tell her she couldn't fight if she wanted.
Harry said nothing. He merely stared back. Silently he told himself that he'd find a way to end it before the school was directly threatened.
"No, there won't be," said Hermione. "You're right."
"Look, Hermione," said Ron, "I'm sorry we tried to sneak off. It's just…"
Hermione cut him off. "I'm not going to sleep a wink until you come back… Both of you." She was very close to tears now, and Ron took her in his arms. She laid her head on his shoulder, and he held her for a long moment without speaking, his arms visibly tightening around her. Harry finally had to look away, but it was only to meet Ginny's gaze. She was staring at him unhappily, her expression a mixture between anger and worry.
"Just come back," she whispered. "Promise me you'll come back."
Harry had to swallow hard before replying. "You know I can't promise you that."
A tear slipped down her cheek. "Lie to me then."
"I'm not going to do that."
She nodded once and stepped up to him, placing a hand over the talisman, which lay hidden under his robes. He felt a surge of something but didn't know whether it was some sort of power coming from her or simply the thrill of the contact. She was staring into his eyes. "You go then with all the love and protection I can bestow on you."
She reached up and kissed him all too briefly before turning and hugging her brother. Harry found himself facing a red-eyed Hermione She did not say a word to him; the understanding in her eyes was enough. He knew she'd say nothing more to try to stop him, just as there was no more he could say to dissuade either her or Ginny from joining the fight if it came to that.
She hugged him quickly, saying as she stepped back, "I once told you that you were a great wizard. I still think that. I'll always think that."
Then she and Ginny were gone. Harry turned to Ron. "Let's go."
"Where are we going?"
"I was thinking we could take the tunnel under the Whomping Willow to the Shrieking Shack. What do you reckon?"
Ron shrugged. "I don't suppose it much matters what tunnel we use. We don't know what we'll find on the other end no matter what."
Harry moved to put the invisibility cloak back on, but Ron reached out a hand and stopped him. "You'd better take this now, since we don't know…"
He was holding out Charlie's wand. Harry pocketed it. He was going to put the invisibility cloak back on, when he thought better of it. He and Ron were too tall now for them both to fit underneath it and hope to remain completely hidden. One of them would have to remain uncovered, so there really wasn't much point in using it now.
Instead, he stuck his head out into the hall. It was empty. "Come on, the coast is clear."
They stole over to the front door and eased it open. It struck Harry as odd that the front door was unlocked with the school under threat of imminent attack. He could only hope that it was locked from the outside.
Once they'd gone down the front steps, they both looked towards the village in spite of themselves. Not a single light, a single sign of life could be seen coming from across the lake. Fortunately there was no sign of the Dark Mark either. Harry had half feared seeing it floating in the sky above Hogsmeade like some mockery of a firework. Perhaps the Death Eaters who had attacked had been turned aside somehow.
"Let's go," Ron said at last, and they set off towards the Whomping Willow. They found a stick lying on the ground, which they used to press the knot to prevent the tree from attacking them.
It was a tight squeeze in the tunnel. The last time he'd been through here, Harry had been thirteen and small for his age, but now that he was almost eighteen, and much taller, he felt as if he had to walk hunched over, the ceiling was so low. He knew Ron, who was even taller than he was, couldn't be faring much better. The tunnel stretched on and on, and Harry's neck was becoming stiff from the unaccustomed position by the time they came to the place where the tunnel began rising again. Harry could see a dim light up ahead. He remembered this; they'd almost reached their goal.
But instead of speeding up, Harry froze. He turned quickly and held up a hand, both to stop Ron and to keep him from speaking. Then the sound came again. Voices. There was someone in the Shrieking Shack, most likely more than one person. Harry had no way of telling if the person was friend or foe. He would just have to creep forward cautiously and hope to get a look at whoever was there.
Harry began to inch along very slowly until he was almost level with the hole. The voices continued--there were at least three judging from the sound of things. They were speaking too quietly for Harry to make out exactly what they were saying, but at least one of them sounded familiar. He just couldn't place where he'd heard it before.
Ron was tugging on the back of his robes. He turned. "It's okay," Ron breathed.
"You sure?"
"Yeah. One of them is Bill. I'm positive."
Harry cautiously poked his head into the room. He barely had a chance to register the faces of its occupants when he found himself facing at least ten wands pointed straight at him.
"STUPEFY!"
He didn't think; he acted. He ducked, and the stunners passed over his head, but at least one of them singed his hair, judging from the acrid smell that now filled his nostrils.
There was a shout and the sound of several pairs of feet crossing the floor. Then several hands were reaching down into the hole, grabbing Harry by the robes and hoisting him out of it. Harry suddenly found himself face to face with his godfather, who did not look happy to see him. Beside him, Ron clambered into the room as well.
"Did you bring anyone else with you?" Sirius barked. "Hermione?"
"No," replied Harry. "She's back at school."
"At least she's showed some sense. Would you mind telling me what the hell you think you're doing here?"
"We're coming to join the fighting."
"No!" Bill interjected. "Ron, get back up to school."
"You can't send us back," said Harry, looking from his godfather to Bill. "We're both of age, and we've finished school for all intents and purposes."
Sirius heaved a heavy sigh but seemed to relent slightly. Harry looked around and saw another familiar face, that of Remus Lupin. He did not recognise any of the others but surmised that these people made up Sirius' comrades in arms.
"Do they know up at the school that you've gone?" Remus asked now.
"Hermione and Ginny know," Harry replied. "If we're missed they'll tell the teachers."
Bill was still staring Ron down. "I can't let you stay, either of you. What's Mum going to say?"
"What's she say about you, Bill?" Ron asked stubbornly.
"That's different. I'm an adult."
"So are we."
"Ron…"
"Bill," said Harry, "we may not have express permission to be here, but Professor McGonagall told us that if they evacuate the school, the older students have the choice of staying to fight. Let's just say we've made our choice early."
Bill, Remus and Sirius all exchanged looks. Finally Sirius said, "I don't suppose it makes a lot of difference then. In all likelihood, the school will be evacuated tomorrow… That doesn't mean I like this. You two will only make our job more difficult if we have to worry about you."
The irony of having his own argument turned against him was not lost on Harry. Nor was his reply. "Then don't. Ron and I can take care of ourselves."
"You haven't experienced combat. You aren't trained. You'll keep your heads down, both of you. No heroics. You'll follow orders. I can't have you putting others' lives in danger. Is that clear?"
Sirius was looking hard at both boys, and Harry knew it would be pointless not to agree. In the chaos of the battle, everyone would do what he could in any case. "All right," he said. "So it looks as if something is going to happen tomorrow?"
"We're expecting it, yes. Yesterday was only a trial. We pushed the Death Eaters back, but we assume they'll return tomorrow with reinforcements. It's pretty obvious what their plan is. They'll take Hogsmeade and move on to take the school if they can."
"What about Fred and George?" Ron suddenly asked. None of the other twenty or so faces in the room had the trademark Weasley red hair.
"They've holed themselves up in Zonko's," Bill said. "From what I gather, they've got their own defence all planned out. They're the least of my worries." Bill was looking hard at Ron, but he didn't back down under his older brother's stare.
"As many of the buildings as possible have been manned," Remus told them. "Some more than others, obviously. This one, Honeydukes, the Three Broomsticks…"
Harry suddenly realised why this was. He'd come through the tunnels to Hogsmeade on more than one occasion, but now he saw that they posed a security risk to the school. Wormtail knew about them, after all, as he'd helped draw up the Marauder's Map.
"Wormtail…" Harry began.
"We haven't seen him," said Sirius, "but we fully expect he's told Voldemort the ways he might infiltrate the school. We're keeping a careful eye on the tunnels. And I'm keeping watch for Wormtail himself."
"But as a rat…"
"He'd still have a silver paw. It would make it more difficult for him to hide."
Harry fervently hoped that Sirius would manage to catch Wormtail at last so that his name could be publicly cleared.
It seemed as if Harry and Ron were going to be accepted now. They advanced into the room and found a spot on the floor. There wasn't a whole lot of space left, not that Harry expected to get much sleep. The room fell quiet, but the silence was a watchful one. From time to time terse words were exchanged in low voices, but conversation was kept to a minimum. Some of the others seemed to doze off, and Harry assumed they'd had enough experience to be used to the waiting and to snatch the opportunity to sleep when it presented itself. Harry and Ron both followed suit and stretched out on the dusty floor and waited for the night to pass in silence.
*
Harry woke up in the cold light of dawn, the exhaustion of the NEWTs having finally caught up with him. Others were stirring, and Harry knew that at any given hour of the night at least one person, and most certainly more, had to have been on watch. Everything was quiet. There was no noise even from the outside, nothing to indicate that there would be an assault on the village later today. He could see sunlight coming through the cracks in the boarded-up windows. It looked as if the day was going to be sunny and hot as the previous day had been.
Several hours passed before anything happened, and suddenly everything was happening at once. Sirius had had word, somehow, and everyone was snapping into action. Harry barely had time to register what was going on, when he was rushing outside with the others, running down the hill and helping man a hastily constructed breastwork, which stretched across the High Street in front of The Three Broomsticks. It had to have been put in place yesterday and seemed to be composed of tables and chairs from the pub and pieces of the counter from Honeydukes. Harry didn't feel as if it would provide much protection.
The enemy was apparently advancing from the countryside at the opposite end of the village, although Harry couldn't see them yet. There had to be another line of defence somewhere. Sirius, Remus and Bill all seemed to have disappeared further along the street, leaving Harry and Ron with a group of witches and wizards they didn't know and orders to stay put.
Harry looked over at Ron and wondered if his friend was entertaining the same thoughts as him. The temptation to creep up to the front line was growing on him. He didn't dare voice this idea aloud, however. He was sure the others had been instructed to watch him and Ron and not to let either of them do anything stupid.
He could hear shouts now and see flashes of light in the sky. They seemed to be coming from the general direction of Zonko's. He tried to raise his head higher over the breastwork for a brief glimpse, but he was thrown back to the ground almost immediately. A stone-faced witch glowered at him.
"Head down!" she barked.
Harry blinked. It was Madam Rosmerta. He hadn't recognised her dressed as she was in old, loose robes with dirt on her face and her hair in disarray. She also looked older, somehow, as if recent events had aged her. Harry imagined that since Hogsmeade visits had been cancelled and with the uncertain times brought on by the war, she'd perhaps experienced a set-back in her business. This might explain the lines of care and worry, which were now evident on her face. That, and the fact that she was now fighting evil in the street for her very life…
Harry scrambled back into position. There was more shouting and more flashing lights coming from the other end of town. Suddenly, beside him, Ron let out a shout. Harry grabbed the back of his robes to stop him from bolting up over the breastwork. There was a sound of running feet, and the next thing Harry knew, he'd been hurled to the ground once more, feeling as if he'd been hit with a Bludger.
He looked up to see that one of the Weasley twins--he couldn't tell which one--had bowled Harry over as he'd dived over the defence.
"Everyone down! She's going to blow!" came a shout.
It was the other twin. In the next instant, there was a massive explosion that rocked the ground, and bits of burning wood were raining down from the sky. Harry shielded his eyes and looked up. Where Zonko's had stood was nothing but vivid, multicoloured smoke billowing up into the sky. Intermittent popping noises sounded as bright sparks emanated from the pall, no doubt vestiges of Filibuster Fireworks. Everyone suddenly looked as if they'd aged a hundred years, as cinders blanketed the village.
"Brilliant!" cried the twin who had knocked Harry over--it had to be Fred, because George was crouching on the other side of Ron with his arm around a very grim-faced Pauline.
"Amazing!" agreed George. "That blew higher than expected."
Both twins' eyes were shining with delight in spite of the fact that they'd just blown up their place of employment.
"What's happening?" Ron asked them.
Neither one of them blinked an eye over Ron and Harry's presence, which was something of a relief. "The Death Eaters have come back stronger today," said Fred. "I think they've got a giant or two with them. They broke through the defences on the outskirts of town. With any luck the explosion took out a good number of them."
"What about our side?" asked Ron, going white under the layer of ash on his face.
"They were in on the plan," said George grimly. "As long as they got out of the way… We did give them a warning signal, you know."
Harry felt slightly sick. Remus, Sirius and Bill had all likely been close to that explosion. The smoke pouring out of Zonko's made it all the more difficult to tell what was going on. He was again tempted to run ahead so he could see what was happening. All this waiting was grating on him.
"Was Voldemort there?" he asked the twins suddenly.
"Didn't see him," said Fred.
"Nah," said George. "He won't lead his lot into battle. He'll wait until they've done most of his dirty work for him before he sets foot in Hogsmeade."
Harry didn't like hearing that, although he knew the twins were probably right. It meant more waiting… unless he took matters into his own hands.
Before he could formulate a plan, there was more shouting, but this time it was coming from behind them. Everyone turned, fearing some sort of surprise attack from the rear. But instead of Death Eaters, Dementors and an army of Dark creatures, there came an army of a different sort. Its soldiers were all robed in black and led by a tall figure with flowing white hair and beard. The sun glinted off his half-moon spectacles. Hogwarts, it seemed, had been evacuated, and the staff were coming down to join the fray.
Harry could see the four heads of house following in Dumbledore's wake, the rest of the teachers behind them. But behind them came students, and Harry's heart sank to see Ginny and Hermione among their ranks. He hadn't acted fast enough. He hadn't done anything, really. He'd simply waited here, as he'd been ordered.
The Hogwarts contingent swept up to their line of defence, and the students were now left along this line, obviously the hindmost, while the adults who had been stationed there now rose and joined Dumbledore's train. Harry watched as they disappeared into the smoke coming from Zonko's.
Hermione was staring after them. "It's like they're going off into another world," she mused as the last figure vanished into the pall.
Harry and Ginny looked at each other uncomfortably. The irony of the situation was not lost on Harry. He could have stayed up at school, and he wouldn't have missed anything.
"So they've evacuated the school," Ron said into the silence.
"Yes, early this morning," confirmed Hermione.
"You haven't lost your talent for stating the obvious, have you, Weasley?" drawled a familiar voice.
Harry looked around sharply to find Draco Malfoy standing behind them.
"Made your choice, Malfoy?" Harry asked in a low voice.
"Maybe, but perhaps I'll change my mind."
Harry didn't reply, but he noticed that Malfoy was the only Slytherin among the new arrivals. Harry thought he looked very out of place without Crabbe and Goyle flanking him.
"So what do we do?" Ginny had broken her stony silence at last.
"We watch, and we wait," replied Harry.
Time continued to drag, and Harry felt increasingly restless. The others had all taken up positions along the barricade. Harry noticed Ami, the Ravenclaw whom Fred had tried to chat up at Christmas was among them. There was little conversation. An eerie feeling of detachment had begun to fall over Harry, as if he was no longer in the same world with the others. He could see them, but it was as if he was watching the telly with the sound turned off.
It was impossible to tell what was happening as the smoke pouring from Zonko's continued to screen the other end of the village. The only sound at the moment was the occasional explosion, but Harry couldn't say whether that was the result of some magical battle or more fireworks from the joke shop going off.
After a while figures, began to reappear, floating almost dreamlike out of the smoke. It soon became apparent that they were running from something. The Order's forces were being routed. They gained the last line of defence, and took refuge behind it, injured, bleeding, burnt and telling contradictory tales. Dumbledore was dead. An army of Dementors was come. Dragons. Giants. Voldemort himself.
Harry recognised none of them, or perhaps his brain was now refusing to co-operate. Something told him that one of the injured was a Bulgarian named Viktor Krum, but the information set off no emotion within him. He was separate from it all. The atmosphere was quickly becoming thick with panic and confusion, but Harry felt none of it. People were screaming, but his ears didn't register the noise.
A bushy-haired girl was tending to someone's burns aided by a tall, freckled boy. A red headed girl was shouting something at him, tears leaking out of her eyes, but Harry turned away from it. He didn't belong here.
In the general chaos, it was easy for him to slip away. He walked, slowly at first, stopping for no one who cried out to him, but soon he broke into a run, dodging more and more shadowy figures as they materialised out of the smoke. His throat and eyes began to burn as his lungs begged for a proper breath of air, and still he did not stop.
As he came out on the other side of the cloud, his eyes passed over the battle-scene in front of him and focused on his goal. For Voldemort was there, towering over his minions, the crumpled form of Albus Dumbledore at his feet. And he was laughing in apparent victory over his most hated and feared enemy.
Harry took no notice of anything else that was going on around him. If there were Dementors, giants, dragons or the bodies of those whom he had loved on the ground, he did not see them. He sucked in a great breath of air and shouted as loudly as he could.
"Tom Riddle!"
Voldemort heard him. He stopped mid-laugh and turned his serpentine eyes on Harry. Then a grotesque smile twisted his features. "Harry Potter--no leave him to me," Voldemort said to his Death Eaters who had turned their wands on Harry. "Harry Potter, you have come to witness my final victory. How kind of you. How fitting. I have just finished vanquishing your mentor. It will give me great pleasure to dispose of you as well."
Harry did not reply. He simply gripped his wand harder. He did not remember taking it out, but it must have been while he was running through the smoke. He held it at the ready so that Voldemort was sure to see it, while he surreptitiously slipped his left hand into his pocket and took out Charlie's old wand.
Voldemort was approaching him, while Harry held his ground, tensing himself to spring aside at the slightest provocation. Vaguely he was aware of the Death Eaters who had surrounded him giving way to form a circle around him and their master.
Voldemort laughed softly. "Ever the brave Gryffindor, I see. But of course, you're putting stock in your protection, aren't you? As you must know, I am now in possession of that same protection. Perhaps we should make a test. Whose is stronger?"
Harry suddenly felt a lot less confident. The shock of Voldemort's words was like a slap in the face, and they brought him out of the dream-like trance he had fallen under. Would Voldemort's talisman be strong enough to turn aside the spell Harry was about to use? Or would his sacrifice be enough to overcome Ginny's magic? He had no idea, but there wasn't anything left for him to do now but see it through. Voldemort would try to kill him no matter what, so he may as well try to take the Dark Lord down with him.
"I'm feeling quite magnanimous at the moment. Defeating one's greatest enemy will do that to you. I give you a gift today, Harry Potter. Use it wisely. It’s the only chance you’ll get."
And he dropped his wand. Harry couldn't believe it. Voldemort must be absolutely certain his talisman worked if he was going to give Harry a clear shot.
"What are you waiting for, Potter? I haven't got all day."
Harry concentrated then. He had to get this right; he'd only have this one chance. He thought of all the anger and confusion that Voldemort had created over the past years. He thought of the deaths, the danger, the families torn apart… He focused the entirety of his magical energy into his left hand.
Without warning he raised Charlie's wand and cried, "Me porricio! Exulo in tenebras ad perpetuitatem!"
The pain was incredible in its intensity, far, far worse than the Cruciatus Curse. Harry could literally feel part of himself being wrenched free and exiting through his left hand. It was a most integral part of him; he could sense it being ripped from every cell in his body.
Then there was a colossal release of energy. The blast bore him backwards until he found himself staring up at an impossibly blue sky. He knew he couldn't be dead. He was in too much pain.
He had no idea how long he lay there, completely paralysed. It seemed like an eternity, but it may have been less than a second. His body felt as if it were on fire, and he would have screamed if it were possible. But no movement was possible, none whatsoever.
Suddenly a face came into his range of vision, blotting out the blinding blue of the sky. He recognised the pale, pointed features. They were set in a sneer of deep hatred. Harry knew with certainty what was coming now, and he was completely helpless to do anything about it. Suddenly he heard Mrs Weasley's voice echoing through his mind; it was reminding Ginny that nothing turned back the killing curse. It didn't matter. In this moment Harry was ready to welcome death.
Lucius Malfoy raised his wand. Harry focused on the tip and steeled himself.
"Avada Kedavra!"
The last thing Harry saw was a rush of green light.
Chapter 29