Doppelganger

A/N The end of the battle and what happens next?

Chapter 44 Battle! Part 3

Harry and Draco left Kingsley and Mad-eye after everyone agreed that there was nothing to be done except to order the troops to wound only and bind them up to keep more magic flowing to the hated wizard. Harry agreed as Voldemort left the strongest for last.

Harry stopped and looked to the blonde wizard. "If I don't get the chance I want to thank you once again for everything that you have done. Find Hermione and talk to her. I'm sure she would like to know more of Severus's last days before the battle as she was worried for him. I'll join you both in a while as I have some things to attend to."

Draco nodded as he watched Harry walk toward the castle entrance.

HGSSHGSSHGSS

"Traitor!"

"Snake!"

Severus eyed the spirits gathered around him, a few looking to him in hate while most just looked lost.

"Oh do shut up!" He snarled out, immediately silencing them.

The translucent form of Bole moved until he stood in front of the traitor. "And why should we listen to you Snape? You are not our equal!" He spat out.

A long deep chuckle sounded out from Severus as he looked to Bole. "Oh yes Bole we are very equal indeed as we are both dead. Voldemort used you and the few of the Inner Circle he felt unworthy to live to lead the cannon fodder. You were all sent to your deaths each and every one of you to aid him by giving up your magic to him through death. I think you should go into the forest and see what kind of a pep talk he is giving his true followers and worry about how the Veil will sort you."

Bole strode angrily away with four members of the Inner Circle.

"And what of us?" Asked a young wizard. "Why are we not going anywhere?"

Lily spoke out. "The Veil is closed and refusing to allow DEATH to ferry you. Do as Severus Snape says and reflect upon your past. You answered the call of your magic to the Darkness and you must answer to the Veil for it in time as it is awaiting an outcome to the battle." She watched with sadness as the other spirits left them heading back to the forest. The ones that were of the Light never gathered as they were around their comrades.

"They are pitiful." Severus spoke out as he watched them go.

"And what of you Severus? Did you not say that the Darkness constantly called your magic? I think that you are in the same position as them."

"Yes Lily and I have never been foolish enough to expect leniency from the Veil as I have been responsible for too many deaths including yours. At least I do not delude myself as I always knew where I was headed." He angrily stated as he floated away to go to Hermione as he felt the need to be with her. Damned he was but at least he was allowed a few months to be with one who truly loved him. Major Granger went to follow but Lily held her back. "He needs time alone Major Granger."

HGSSHGSSHGSS

Harry watched as the Headmistress and the staff of Hogwarts surrounded him as they waited for him to speak. "My friends soon the battle will finish and you are the last bastion of defense of this castle and all that is good and of the Light. You will know when you are needed. Voldemort will be giving an ultimatum as he thinks I am dead. Filius when you hear it you must send the armor of Hogwarts out to stand before us. A few minutes can make a difference in the outcome of this."

"Of course Harry. I can do as you say." The short professor squeaked out.

"Headmistress, may I have a word with you I private?" He asked the older witch.

He watched as Minerva joined him as they left the Great Hall and entered her office.

"What do you require of me Harry that has you looking to me with such sadness in your eyes?" Minerva asked as the portrait of Albus and the other portraits looked to the pair in interest.

Harry softly whispered what he required and looked to her.

Minerva wrapped him in her arms as she wiped the young man's tears with her robes. "You are such a compassionate wizard Harry. I am the Headmistress of this school and it is my duty alone. I will do what is needed. Go now and do not worry." Scooting the wizard out of her office as she closed the door and looked to Albus.

"I'll see you in the Veil Minerva and I will be waiting for you." Albus spoke as he looked down to her.

HGSSHGSSHGSS

Luna sat with Hermione as Draco finished telling Hermione about her husband's final days leading up to the battle as he finished. "He was always worried about you."

Hermione cried as Draco held her in his arms as Luna dreamily spoke out. "Professor Snape is with us as the Veil is closed and he has not moved on."

Severus looked to the young witch in surprise. "You see me Luna Lovegood?"

"I do Professor. You are standing behind Hermione and Draco." She spoke out as Hermione suddenly pulled away from Draco and stood up as she looked around.

Luna listened to her ex-professor's words as she spoke again. "Draco he thanks you for saving her and that you have performed admirably and he forgives you for hurting her and that when he meets you again he will not mention it." She paused as she continued to listen. "Hermione he tells me that he loves you and do not be saddened when you do not meet him in the Veil as he will pay for his actions of the past. He tells me that the short months that he has spent with you have been the best in his life and that if you do survive to move on and find another wizard more deserving of your love." He floated away as he spoke again. He had made his peace in her presence versus the letter that he had left.

"He has left Hermione. He tells to pursue your inane actions but remember to survive as you have so much to live for. Be a Slytherin for once and not a Gryffindor and think of yourself for once."

HGSSHGSSHGSS

Voldemort walked onto the grounds of Hogwarts once again as three of his Deatheaters followed behind him with the bodies of Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger and dumped them on the ground as Voldemort spoke. "I have killed Harry Potter and his friends and there is no hope for you now. Surrender now and I will spare your lives." He spat out, His voice resounding across the grounds.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione moved among their comrades encouraging them to cheer out loudly.

Harry placed his wand on his neck and muttered "Sonourus" Speaking with his voice amplified by the charm as he moved out in the open with Ron and Hermione standing next to him. "I'm afraid you have met our doppelgangers as I'm still alive Tom and I have destroyed all of your Horcruxes. You are mortal once again and I will defeat you."

Voldemort snarled as Hermione used the same charm and spoke. "My Lord the offer of a makeover is still open."

Voldemort pressed his wand to his Mark as he called to his army to gather behind them. "Deatheaters go forth and leave none alive here except for Potter!" Walking forward as well with his wand in his hand. This should not take long at all.

His army rushed forward as the armor of Hogwarts spilled forth and began line up in front of the defenders, slowly advancing on the approaching army with their swords held out. It took four strikes of strong hexes to bring them down, enabling the defenders to move forward in relative safety.

HGSSHGSSHGSS

Minerva watched as the last of Volemort's army passed beyond the castle walls and pressed her hand to the weak spot of the wards and healed them, allowing no one to escape or apparate within its boundries. She began to turn her heal to Aparrate back into the castle as a green light engulfed her and she knew no more as Bellatrix looked down to the dead witch and removed the ring and placed it upon her finger.

Bella cackled out in joy as she called her nephew to her holding out her hand with the ring. "Now Brody I control the castle for our Lord and…." She watched as the ring began to glow dark red and suddenly screamed out in agonizing pain as the light flared brighter and brighter, forcing Brody to close his eyes and cover them with his eyes as a loud voice boomed out, the ground beneath him shaking. "Bellatrix LeStrange you are not worthy of this castle and the price you pay is death!"

There was complete silence for a moment and then loud cheering broke the silence as Brody removed his hands and opened his eyes to look for his aunt. He was confused for a moment and then saw a ring glittering on the grass. He looked to it in fear as he debated if he should pick it up or not.

Brody gasped out in surprise as the ring answered the question as he suddenly found it in his hand. "I do not want anything from the castle except to find Hermione Granger. She protected me and stood by me and told me that I had the choice to choose for myself." He told it.

He felt strange and light headed as his mind drifted away.

HGSSHGSSHGSS

Harry cheered along with the rest as he turned to Hermione. "At least we will not have to fight her. Things are looking up already."

Hermione began to reply back but the noise of clanking armor being struck by hexes and then falling apart rang out. Soon holes appeared in the line as their attackers began to concentrate on breaking through them. Chaos erupted around them as the lines soon merged.

Brody found himself suddenly in the middle of it, being on a side with most of the witches and wizards being of the Light. He removed his mask and threw it down as he began to look for Hermione. He struggled to remove the robes of the Inner Circle when he felt himself thrown to the ground and looked into angry blue eyes of a flaming red headed wizard as he felt the wizard's knee press upon his chest as a wand point dug into his neck.

"I recognize you Brody LeStrange!" Ron snarled out.

"I can explain! I am looking for Hermione as I want to help her." Brody begged the man as he struggled beneath him.

"Like what you did to her in the castle when you escaped?"

"No listen to me!"

Ron moved his wand until it was touching the boy's stomach and muttered a slicing charm as he watched the intestines spill forth as the boy screamed out in pain. "No LeStrange. I will not allow you to trick her again. She trusted you!"

Ron stood up and watched as the boy struggled for a few moments and then passed out. He walked away never feeling any remorse as he had done it to protect her. He left the boy's wand behind and if he could not heal himself then his death would not be on his hands.

HGSSHGSSHGSS

Severus stood next to the portrait of the Founding Four as he found the longer he waited for the Veil the battle interested him less and less. He reflected on that and realized why should he care anymore as he was dead? The passages of books he read in the past about death clicked into place. One never looked back once they were dead. He supposed his concern at first was because he was new spirit. The longer he waited, the more he found that he could not concentrate on it as the thought would disappear. Just then Minerva appeared before him in translucent form.

"Minerva I am sorry to see you the same state as me. I hope you did not suffer." Remembering the poison burning through his veins as he struggled against Nagini as he died.

"I think it was Severus as I suddenly find myself her. But I accomplished what I needed to. No one can leave the castle nor its boundaries and none can Apparate." Minerva replied as she saw several hundred souls standing around the castle walls. "Why are we here Severus? I expected to meet DEATH and travel to meet Albus."

Severus replied as Bellatrix LeStrange suddenly appeared. "DEATH waits for the outcome and it seems that everyone that has died is slowly making it back to the castle walls, even those of the enemy."

He smirked as he saw Bella looking to him in anger. "Welcome to your death Bella. I hoped you suffered as much as your victims of the past did. At least we can accompany on another to Hell."

The translucent form of Bella spat out "Never!" As she floated away from the traitor.

HGSSHGSSHGSS

Brody moaned out in pain as he remembered his last meeting with his Head of House mere hours before the battle.

Severus pulled the Brody to his room at the lair of Voldemort and handed him a phial of creamy pearl liquid as he watched the boy take it and then looked to the tall wizard questioningly.

"Phoenix Tears Brody LeStrange that was given to me by my wife for me to use. It will do me no good at the end and I pass it to you as Hermione told me that she believed in you. I scoffed at her remarks until she asked me of how I would have turned out if someone could alter my course of my life. It is too late for me but you are young and she believed that you could change. Use it when needed and become what you truly are. I hope that you survive young Slytherin."

Brody recognized the tone of dismissal as he placed the phial into his pocket. "I will Sir and thank you." He turned and left his Head of House to his own thoughts.

Brody opened his eyes and dug inside his robes for the phial and then used it to heal his gaping wound. He struggled out of the robes as he stood up and used his wand to caste a Notice-Me-Not charm as he began to look for Hermione Granger.

He found her as she took down two attackers and bind them up as a third suddenly appeared behind her and raise a wand. He removed the charm as he shouted out "Avada Kedevra!" Killing the attacker as Hermione turned around and noticed him.

"Brody I knew that there was good in you." Hermione exclaimed in surprise at the appearance of the young wizard as she hugged him for a moment as they stood back to back in a defensive position. "Do not kill them Brody as their magic travels back to Voldemort. We must incapacitate and bind them."

The attack on them came fast and furious as he complied with his friend's wishes.

HGSSHGSSHGSS

Harry noticed that the attackers suddenly withdraw and shot a green light out of his wand into the sky as he watched as his comrades gathered around him. He waited a few moments as he looked to the group as Ron and Hermione joined him along with Brody.

Ron noticed the young boy. "Hermione he tricked you in the past. Do not believe anything that snake tells you."

Hermione spoke out. "He is on our side and anyone that wants to attack him will have to go through me."

Brody spoke out. "You left me to die and I healed myself. This brought me to you." Digging in his robes to dig out the ring as he suddenly felt compelled to do so and held it up. "The ring of Hogwarts and it tells me that it belongs to Hermione Granger."

She held it as she looked to it in doubt. It should go to Professor Flitwick.

***Take it and place it on your finger Beautiful one. You are the Light and it belongs to you. *** Fawkes sent out.

Hermione placed the ring on her finger feeling the acceptance of the castle as she looked to her friends. "Fawkes told me that it belongs to me."

Harry looked to her as he counted the witches and wizards gathered. "Merlin there is only thirty of us left."

Ron spoke out. "What we need to do Harry." Watching as Voldemort led two hundred of his followers behind him as he stopped and waited.

Harry addressed his small group. "This is it and I will see you in the Veil if we are unsuccessful."

They approached Voldemort and stood waiting.

"Harry Potter it is time to take you down and take my rightful place." Voldemort spat out as he pointed his wand to the young man as his army rushed forward as the two wands connected.

"Avada Kederva!" Voldemort shouted as Harry's charm met his, the sparks of their charms clashing and held in the middle as the Deatheaters rushed to attack the few remaining members.

Hermione felt despair as she suddenly heard Fawkes sing a joyful song as he flew over. ***Beautiful One remember your love.***

Hermione's body thrummed as she remembered everything and the sacrifice of her comrades and her husband.

"Hermione Voldemort is too strong! I cannot defeat him!" Harry moaned out as he watched the green light creep closer toward him as he continued.

The ring of Hogwarts pushed through her despair reminding her of the sacrifice of so many as a thousand witches and wizards that were previously residing in the siege room rushed forth as she remembered her husband's words and felt joy and love as a bright light enveloped her as she focused the true love to her friend as she touched his hand his hand and focused her love."

"Push love to him Harry!" She shouted out as the world spun crazily around her as she knew no more.