บท 204: Ch. 203 Mort
-Hogwarts Courtyard, A Few Moments After Aedan Left
"Take them down!" The deep masculine voice of one Kingsley Shacklebolt ordered as spells flew in a concentrated assault towards the gathered upper echelon of Tom Riddle's forces.
The utter loss and confusion this caused to all those beyond the most adept in combat or possessing the best instincts resulted in at least two dozen being downed in the first volley of spells as they scrambled for cover, almost trampling over each other in the face of a well coordinated ambush of this level.
There was little-to-no cooperation amongst them, only survival of the fittest.
Many tried to apparate out, thinking that the Hogwarts wards were down, but that proved impossible, with others attempting to employ Tom's self-created means of flight, to no avail as Aedan wove countermeasures against such into the additional wards he created for this assault. Knowing what Tom knew had its advantages, plus he didn't want air superiority to belong to the enemy or allow an easy means of escape. They chose to stay and fight in order to capture children to threaten magical Britain with, all those who decided to do so after his offer of mercy would not have an easy out.
Harry himself couldn't help but feel his lips quirk up at personally witnessing the 'feared, darkest wizard of all times' being caught so flat footed. He looked so confused, as if he couldn't understand what was going on. Like he couldn't believe this was all a trap built on his ego.
"Not so great being on the receiving end, is it, Tom?" The teen snorted, causing the Dark Lord's head to whip in his direction. "When you aren't the one with the advantage in numbers.
When you aren't the one ambushing or attacking from the dark.
When you're fighting people actually worth a damn with a wand instead of scared children, the elderly or the sheep that call themselves witches and wizards.
Oops, I forgot…you don't ambush with overwhelming numbers when it comes to the elderly, you have them assassinated."
The look of rage as Tom caught on to what Harry was insinuating was so satisfying for the young man.
Over the years, Tom had been the one in a position of power.
He was fully grown and had access to a professor during his first year, even if far from his full strength just the physical disadvantages a young, malnourished, scrawny boy with little-to-no actual magical training and physical skills were huge.
Although not technically a person, the Horcrux teen Riddle made not only had secrecy and dozens of dark spells and curses protecting him so very few things could have actually harmed or destroyed him at the time, he also had a thousand year old Basilisk which could probably eat an elephant, so twelve year old, still not in the best shape and without any real degree of magic, Harry really wasn't the one with the best odds.
And then at 14, he found himself whisked away at the end of a living maze filled with what Hagrid would call 'misunderstood creatures' and Dementors, dropped in the middle of a ritual after getting caught off guard by a booby-trapped cup, used as part of a ritual, bleeding, then surrounded and attacked while down by a newly returned Dark Lord, so again, no great odds.
Luckily, Harry had managed to avoid direct confrontations at 13 and 15 thanks to various factors and other situations, but today, nearing his 17th birthday, he stood before the man who ruined his, and so many others', life and had attempted to kill him ever since he was a babe.
And boy did it feel great to not fear him anymore.
To look at him with confidence that not only he would make it through this battle, but that his friends and even the family he managed to obtain were here to help him overcome the evil which plagued his life. Armed and prepared to fight, even if his opponent was more experienced and knowledgeable with magic, plus possibly enhanced with whatever ritual he could implement.
"I do not know what sort of trickery the Bones boy pulled, but it will not save you, Harry Potter." Voldemort venomously growled as he tried to regain composure after the humiliating show he had put on against his previous opponent.
"Would you be madder if I just said Aedan's better than you in magic and he got to stay good looking." Harry mocked with a purposefully irritating smile Sirius would beam with pride at. "He even got to keep his nose."
What could he say? He had learnt well that people like Tom might be more dangerous to most whilst angered, but for those on his level? It was a death wish to lose oneself in anger as they fought. Especially within a secured arena stopping the madman from lashing out or using others to his advantage.
Harry was explained how this battlefield of theirs worked, with Aedan only leaving because he was technically classified as the 'referee'. Even then he had pushed the limits of what the magic would allow by softening the Dark Lord a bit. So now, it would just be he and Tom until one was disabled or dead.
Well, there was the back up plan, but that was something Harry was going to make sure wasn't needed.
Thus, with both wands in hand, Harry readied himself for this destined fight.
"Two wands will not save you from the torment you will endure as I make you, and all those who defied me, beg for death." Tom coldly promised as he raised his own. "I will enjoy making you watch as I do so."
"You've already lost, Tom." The teen replied solemnly. "You just haven't figured it out yet."
Not hesitating, Harry struck out first with the Elder Wand to get his rhythm started with a debilitating little number Fred and George actually created.
*Flash!*
Because as soon as someone tries to block it, well the image of a naked troll is kind of cursed onto the blocker's eyes for half a minute, which Tom did do with a casual sneer. So now he was trying to blink that away as Harry launched his real attacks.
The first blow was to take advantage of his foe's obvious arrogance and dismissal, but now it was time to break out spells that made the Blacks a feared name and his own family an established one which allowed a teenage (and early 20's) James Potter to be so skilled that he became an animagus and could reliably fight against Tom and his forces to have his son become eligible for a prophecy.
Using his True wand, he conjured a set of charging stags before smoothly transitioning over to the Elder Wand to loosen the ground beneath his opponent's feat and around him for future ammunition. Although this wasn't nearly enough to disparage the experienced Dark Lord as he powered through the annoyance of the first jinx, sensing magic being cast around him, then formed a flaming whip from his wand too used to slash at the charging stags, killing one but the only cutting one of the other's antlers due to momentarily having his aim thrown off by Harry's second spell.
Not disturbed at all due to being a magical construct, the stag charged onward, forcing Tom to dodge due to just not having enough time to really destroy it properly, but his movements were hampered by the loose stones beneath his feat resulting his some of his robe being snagged by the stag's remaining antler.
Good for Harry as he sent out a nasty immolation curse at the robes, followed by a blasting one at the Dark Lord's feat as he appeared to be in danger of being dragged off by the conjured animal.
Surprisingly, Tom actually jumped backwards with the charging beast, using its momentum to get out of his second spell's reach while blocking the first in a smooth motion to cut the part of his robes currently snagged in antlers.
Unwilling to just let the snake man get out so easily, Harry switched over to the grey area of Transfiguration, his dad's field of interest which he had a certain amount of natural talent which his new family had helped polish, and Charms, one of his mum's fields that Harry actually had a much better inclination towards. He did cast a corporal patronus as a teen and had quite the ability to grasp spells and their uses, hence why he was so good in DADA as well.
Thus came what would arguably be his real favorite branch of magic due to just how it uses charms and transfiguration: Elemental magic.
Ice lances were quickly conjured and banished towards his target from above as he formed spears of stone from below, setting a two pronged attack as Tom's feat touched the ground, having destroyed the second stag properly whilst doing so and sending a blast of of magical energy to shatter the incoming pointy elemental attacks expertly. This was something Harry predicted however, knowing all too well that any kind of defense from Tom's previous positioning would leave an opening he could exploit.
And exploit he did with a shortened version of the first actual Transfiguration 1st years learn at Hogwarts: How to make a needle.
With a mildly dark grin, Harry caught the fragments of ice and stone and turned them all into needles before banishing them anew whilst Tom worked on reigning back in his magic after using it outwardly for defense.
In response, Voldemort did something rather interesting, he used his over the top robes to actually minimize the amount of needles properly reaching him as if it was somewhat alive, but the numbers weren't possible to fully block without a proper magical shield. Just as Harry wanted, now grinning ferociously, he leveled the Elder Wand.
"Fulmen Maxima."
With a near whisper, Harry let loose a near blindingly and deafeningly powerful bolt of pure lightning from the legendary wand.
He had been ready.
This had become one of his favorite spells alongside the Patronus charm.
His most powerful offensive magic…and Voldemort was basically a lightning rod thanks to the metals needles he was currently sporting.
Plus, when they didn't expect it, the incredibly loud noise and flash of light were perfect to disorient the enemy, with the only downside being the high power cost mild double edge with allies possibly falling prey to the light and noise, plus some other possible hazards around conductive areas and water, but those didn't matter right now. The death-match ward they were in prevented those from being an issue.
The speed of the attack didn't allow for any kind of effective defense and even the movement Voldemort had managed was minimal as the lightning bolt followed him thanks to the numerous needles and Harry's intent.
*Boom!*
Flying backwards and slamming into the wards, Voldemort was barely able to let out a groan of pain as his heavily charred body dropped on the ground unceremoniously from the masterful series of unrelenting strikes by Harry.
The teen in question could hardly believe it.
It felt so unreal to have done that to a man so many considered unstoppable.
Liberating even.
Breaking out of his reverie as scoldings in voices ranging from Bones family members to Moody rang in his head, causing his to summon Tom's wand, it having fallen from his grasp thanks to the vast amounts of electricity which went into the man.
He should be dead, but his extremely ritualized shell of a body was good for something, plus he wouldn't really die until his snake went.
Speaking of which, he carefully looked around to find Ron actually being the one doing it, casting Aedan's Phoenix Flames to burn the retched thing to ash as it trashed around from what was likely to be immensely painful. It was possibly the most stepped being beyond Tom when it came to the Dark Arts, so it was going to be painful.
Ron having immense respect for Aedan has put a lot of effort into learning White Magic, especially its more combattive aspects, but Harry was just proud of how far his friend had come as he did a quick check to find his other friends and fellow students all still alive and mostly unarmed.
Then, as if everything was synchronized, a giant maelstrom of purple flames surrounded Hogwarts protectively, causing pretty much everyone to stop in awe or terror, generally depending on who's side they were on. Harry couldn't help but ruefully smile as he remembered Aedan's words regarding this being the largest scale magic since Merlin and he could believe it.
It was somewhat humbling to know someone that strong was out there after having beaten his largest demon, and reassuring knowing that it was someone akin to family. The teen could also understand why Professor Dumbledore was ok with using his life to achieve this moment.
*Cough cough*
Heavy coughing and rasping brought his attention back to the smoking, and now rapidly falling apart body of the soon-to-be former dark lord.
"Im-impossible." Tom wheezed as he looked at his hand scattering like ash.
"You're done Tom." Harry firmly informed him. "Nagini was the last of your Horcrux. As soon as she died, you became mortal again, and that was the only thing holding you together even before I blasted you.
Now… it's over."
A look of realization soon came over the man, then replaced with growing fear and horror as his facade of invincibility was fully shattered, leaving only the madman obsessed with escaping death.
"No!" He tried to stand and deny it after a few moments, but his legs broke apart in the effort, forcing him to stay on the ground as the ward around them collapsed and the Ministerial and Student forces watched on after their victory over the Death Eaters, witnessing the dying gasps of a man whom they all feared slowly vanish. "I am Voldemort!
I am immortal!
Invincible!
I am-"
"Dead." Harry interrupted with a blasting curse, scattering into dust with finality.
A few moments of silence followed before everyone erupted into cheers of victory, relief and happiness, with many rushing to Harry to bask in the triumph over Dark Lord Voldemort.
As for Harry, he finally felt truly free, and tears of so many emotions spilled out of his eyes for the first time in a long time as he hugged his closest friends.
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