It Happened One Hallow's Eve

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to JKR. All situations are mine. No $$$ is being made from this fanfic.
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Chapter 32 ~ A Slight Misstep

Harry and Severus watched as Voldemort was quickly carried across the grounds, Lucius striding before him. Severus felt Harry start to tremble.

“Keep your wits about you, Mr. Potter. Your hour has arrived. There are over four thousand Order members on the grounds, and Albus will arrive shortly. You are not alone,” he breathed to the young wizard, his dark eyes resting on the approaching Dark Lord.

Harry swallowed and nodded slightly. He felt his robes, comforted by the feel of Godric’s blade beneath them.

On a branch above, Crookshanks hissed as he felt Voldemort’s evil wash over him. The half-kneazle crept a bit closer.

Voldemort and his Death Eaters arrived at the perimeter of the Whomping Willow, the wizards carrying him carefully lowering the platform to the ground as Lucius and his entourage spread out in a semi-circle around the tree. Lucius patted Draco on the shoulder.

“You did well, son,” he said proudly.

Draco didn’t reply as Lucius strode to a position where he could see Severus clearly.

Voldemort slowly rose from his throne and stepped off the platform. His red eyes rested on Severus.

“Did you do what was required, loyal servant?” the despot asked him.

“I did what I had to do, my Lord,” Severus answered him.

Voldemort gave a wide, lipless smile.

“You have proven yourself to me, Severus. Indeed, your treachery has endeared you to me greatly. Not only have you killed that fool, Albus, but delivered Harry Potter to me. Your place in my future rule is assured,” the Dark Lord said.

“Thank you, my Lord,” Severus replied, his dark eyes shifting toward Lucius. The blonde wizard was still on point.

Voldemort looked at Harry triumphantly.

“I have you now, Harry Potter. At least your death will be by the hand of the greatest wizard the wizarding world has ever known,” he said, his forked tongue flicking out with anticipation.

Crookshanks narrowed his eyes and let out a loud, derogatory hiss at this statement. Everyone looked up. Voldemort frowned blackly at the flat-faced cat.

“Stupid beast,” he hissed, raising his wand and firing a blast at Crookshanks, who leapt away just in time, scrambling up higher in the tree and taking cover on a thick bough. The branch Voldemort hit cracked and fell, the Whomping Willow shuddering in pain and anger.

Pissed at the cat’s interruption, Voldemort leveled his burning eyes on Harry.

“Release him, Severus, and give him his wand,” the despot ordered.

Severus dropped his arm from around Harry’s throat and handed him his wand, backing up toward the trunk of the Whomping Willow.

“Are you ready to die, Harry?” Voldemort asked him, drawing a wicked looking dagger from beneath his robes. “You will do it the old-fashioned way in the end.”

Harry looked at the wizard and took a deep breath.

“It might not be me who dies today, you bastard!” Harry cried, throwing back his robes and drawing the cutlass.

Immediately, the Death Eaters waiting for a sign let out a terrible cry and charged toward Hogwarts castle, fifteen hundred strong, wands held at position by their sides. Suddenly, over six thousand Order members appeared out of nowhere, firing stunners and dropping more than half of Voldemort’s loyal servants with a single concerted blast.

“Nooooooo!” Voldemort cried as the Order members attacked, easily overpowering his fleeing ranks, binding those upon the ground and taking up the pursuit as the remaining Death Eaters fled for the main gates. They were locked and Kingsley and Tonks appeared, dropping Death Eaters with blasts as the Order brought up the rear. It was over almost as soon as it started.

A loud clap of thunder sounded and Albus Dumbledore appeared, dressed in all white robes. The twelve Death Eaters did their best to engage him, the old wizard appearing and disappearing in various places as he took them out one after the other. Draco joined in the fray, blasting his comrades from behind with a grim focus.

“Betrayal!” Lucius howled, drawing his wand and pointing it at Severus…but he was too slow. The Potions Master slipped into the hole beneath the Whomping Willow. Lucius charged and fired a Killing curse into the dark recess, only to receive a returning blast that nearly caught him in the face.

Voldemort faced Harry, the look on his scaly face horrible.

“My Death Eaters may have fallen, but I will still kill you, boy. You’d better be able to use that cutlass,” he hissed as Harry started forward, firing a blast at Voldemort, which he easily blocked.

Lucius was attempting to maneuver himself into a position to reach Severus, who was pressed against the wall, firing blasts at the pureblood. Lucius leapt to the other side of the opening, his foot landing on a small bulge of root.

Crookshanks yowled as the Whomping Willow shuddered into life, its branches creaking loudly and making a noise much like a wooden roar. Lucius had inadvertently stepped on the bit of root that stopped the tree from whomping…and triggered it. Everyone froze at the sound, the fighting ceasing.

The Whomping Willow didn’t have eyes, but a very sensitive network of rootlets beneath the ground that were close to the surface. They could feel weight, movement and heat. The pain that the tree felt earlier emanated from the source moving directly in front of it. The thickest part of the flexible trunk pulled back.

Voldemort looked up just in time to see the main trunk of the tree come smashing down, crushing him flat as a pancake, the thick trunk resting there for a moment, then slowly rising.

Lucius was frozen against the tree trunk, his foot still resting on the rootlet, staring at the crushed pulp that was his former Lord. Severus stealthily crept out of the hole and stunned him without difficulty, then bound him. Then he stepped on the root, stilling the Whomping Willow so it would not attack again.

Harry stood holding the sword of Gryffindor, his mouth slack with shock as he looked down at what was left of Voldemort. The crushed wizard formed a kind of disgusting flower shape, black blood radiating around the center of his robes, pulp and bones like petals.

As the Order members collected the Death Eaters and grumbled about there not being enough of them for everyone to have gotten a blast off, Albus and Severus walked up to the mess that used to be the Dark Lord. Harry was still in shock behind them.

“Not the glorious end Voldemort was hoping for,” Albus said, shaking his head. “Killed by a tree.”

Severus’ dark eyes studied the mass. It began to bubble.

“A tree can’t kill the Dark Lord, sir,” he said, reaching into his pocked and taking out the dread blade of Dresden as the black blood began to ripple toward the center of the crushed wizard, a bubble of flesh starting to grow in the center as the bones drew in. The wizard was trying to reform.

Severus pulled the dagger from it’s sheathe and threw it point first into the center of the bubble. A gurgling sound rose up from it, then the bubble collapsed and the entire mass turned black and hard.

“Now he’s dead,” Severus said with finality.

Harry was finally able to move and walked up beside Severus, looking at what was left of Voldemort.

“He’s really gone?” the young wizard asked, adjusting his glasses as he studied the blackened mass.

Severus looked at him.

“Yes he is, Mr. Potter. You are finally free of him,” the wizard replied, "We both are."

Harry stared for a bit longer, then a smile formed.

“Free,” he breathed.

Behind them, Lucius roused, then awoke, struggling in his bonds for a moment then looking around. He first saw Albus, Harry and Severus. Then he looked to his right and saw Draco helping Order members take Death Eaters away. His gray eyes widened, then narrowed.

“Draco! Draco, you’ve betrayed me! I disown you!” he howled at his son, hatred on his handsome face.

Draco looked at his bound father, then slowly walked over to him, Severus, Albus and Harry watching. Stopping a couple of feet away, he knelt on his heels and gazed at his father coldly.

“That hardly matters now, Father, since you will be spending the rest of your life in Azkaban,” the young wizard said. “Besides, it was better to betray you than the entire wizarding world. If Voldemort hadn’t poisoned your mind, you would see that.”

“It’s your mind that’s been poisoned, Draco. You’ve turned on everything you believed in,” his father spat at him.

“No, Father…I’ve turned on everything YOU believed in,” the young wizard replied, rising and walking away.

Lucius struggled in his restraints violently.

“Draco? Draco! Don’t you walk away from me! Draco!” he cried after his son hoarsely.

Draco never looked back.

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The scene at the Ministry was much the same as at Hogwarts. When the Aurors appeared to disapparate to Hogwarts, the Order members appeared behind the Death Eaters, stunned and bound them, assisted by the Aurors. There were no casualties in either confrontation…unless you included Voldemort.

It didn’t take long to clear the school grounds of Death Eaters. Voldemort’s remains were scraped into a burlap sack and delivered by Kingsley and Tonks to the Ministry. The wards around Hogwarts dropped, the danger over.

Albus, Harry and Severus returned to the castle, first going to the Great Hall, Albus explaining to the students what had occurred on the grounds, and announcing Voldemort’s death. This news was greeted with cheers, hat tosses and wand blasts.

As Harry entered the Great Hall, he was knocked to the floor by an ecstatic Ginny Weasley, who lay on top of him and kissed him soundly amid the hoots, howls and wolf whistles of the other students. He didn’t care as he kissed her back happily, holding her close. Even Ron was smiling. How could he not?

His best friend had survived.

Severus watched Ginny kiss Harry, then turned to the Headmaster.

“I need to go sir. I am sure I have my own welcome waiting for me in my rooms, though I doubt it will be as pleasant as Mr. Potter’s was,” the Potions Master said to Albus, whose eye’s twinkled merrily. No doubt Miss Granger would be livid.

“A bit of protective shielding might be in order, Severus,” the Headmaster quipped.

“Perhaps,” Severus agreed.

He hoped the fact that he was still alive would calm the witch’s ire. He exited the Great Hall and headed for the dungeons.

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Hermione cursed and tossed the sixth wand down on the floor. It wasn’t powerful enough, though the wards were weakened. There had been a wand she used in Charms in her third year that worked well for her. Her own wand had been snapped accidentally and sent out for repairs. The elf, whose name was Eli, had brought thirteen substitute wands from the class, and Hermione was working her way through them. She picked up the next wand.

“Come on,” she breathed, pointing it at the wards and focusing her intent, imagining them melting away. She felt them drop.

“Yes!” she breathed, rushing forward, pulling open the door and running right into Severus’ hard, lean body.

The wizard looked down at the witch with an eyebrow arched. Not only did she have a wand, but was half-dressed in his good silk shirt.

“You’re back,” she said, amazed and relieved.

“Yes I am,” the Potions Master replied, scowling slightly as he looked at the wand in her hand.

“And just in the nick of time, I see. You are a naughty, willful little witch who deserves to be punished for her disobedience,” he purred, pushing her gently back into the bedroom and entering, closing the door behind him.

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A/N: Another unexciting death for poor old Voldie. Lol. I was going to have Crookshanks hit the root to start up the tree and crush him, but I thought it would be more ironic if Lucius did it by accident. Technically, Severus killed the Dark Lord with the blade of Dresden. The Final Battle wasn’t much of a battle…but that’s what good planning will get you. :). Hermione did manage to get the wards down, but not get out. She would have had problems anyway, because the castle itself was locked down with powerful wards. Most likely she couldn’t have made it to Severus and Harry in time. Notice, I snuck Eli in again…just a little cameo. Now… :::perk::: what is this about “punishment?” Heh heh. The chapter was a little short, but that was because I decided to put the final lemons together. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. :)