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I was tired. Far more tired than I had been in a long time. Decades. Although, when one has all the time in the world, I guess decades don’t mean an awful lot. To me they do. Even though I have more time than most.
It took me a few seconds to rise to my feet. Numbness stiffened my limbs. The poison. It would have killed someone else. Me; it was an annoyance more than anything.
His cruel smile faded a bit as I stood. It vanished entirely as I straightened up to my full height and raised my wand. A sneer twitched a bit about his lips, as his eyes focused on my raised hand. He wasn’t sure if I had the strength to cast anymore. Sunofabitch had cheated anyway and poisoned me with a dart. His assassin hadn’t lived to shoot another. But the poison was making life a bit more difficult for me. But that was all.
Voldemort flew backward across the courtyard, propelled by an arcane blast from a wand not of this world. He attempted to transform to smoke and fog , but I twitched and he fell from the sky like a duck that had been shot. He flopped hard and scrambled to his feet snarling. He raised the Elder Wand and cast. And cast again. And yet again. His spells simply broke against me, like waves against a barrier reef, affecting me not at all. He simply didn’t have the power. Unfortunately for him, I did.
My next blast plastered him against the outer wall of Hogwarts. I let him flop to the ground, before I hexed him again. And Yet again. Not enough to kill him. But I was definitely fucking him up in a major way. Most of his ribs were now broken. His left arm hung limply, as he raised his wand arm again. I let him cast. He screamed his rage as his spell broke yet again against my defenses. Then, I put my wand away.
“Had enough yet, Tom?” I asked politely, advancing slowly, and deliberately.
He attempted to hex me again, casting spell after spell in quick succession. The Unforgivables sparkled and fizzled around me. I didn’t even stop moving forward. Let alone show any sign of being affected by them.
“You don’t have the strength, Tom. That’s why they woke me up. No matter what weapon you had, Albus knew you couldn’t overcome me.” I smiled. It was not a friendly smile.
The dread lord panted, dropping his good arm and leaning heavily against the stone wall. He was trying to figure out a next move.
“You don’t have a next move, Tom. Your game is up. Your time is done. I’m going to use your life-force to undo all the damage and death you’ve caused. Well, yours and all your Death Eaters that have survived.” I said coldly.
He actually smiled.
“That old fool Dumbledore would never condone that.”
“Indeed. But, I don’t intend to clear it with him first. Or even ask him. He may have awoken me, but he does not control me. And I abide no counsel but my own. Tom, you’re too dangerous to be allowed to live. Oh, granted; not to me. To me, you’re a minor annoyance. But to the rest of the people in this world, you are a major pain in the ass. And THAT, stops now.”
I didn’t bother using a wand. Simply, I pointed at Voldemort and sucked the life essence out of his body. He dropped dead on the spot. Then, I picked the information from his spirit, about the location and shapes of the Horecruxes he had made. Those that Dumbledore and company hadn’t already found. I raised my hand into the air and clenched into a fist. Two of his soul repositories collapsed immediately, yielding their power up to me. The last, I would have to be more delicate with.
Turning, I found myself confronted by Dumbledore, Snape, McGonegal, and the rest of Hogwarts staff. The look of horror on their faces was palpable. Murder, even of one such as Lord Voldemorte, was distasteful in the extreme to them all. Well, except for Severus. He logically understood it. The rest found it abhorrent.
“You, killed him.” Albus whispered, “Without even a thought.”
I shrugged.
“Thought wasn’t necessary. He lost the right to be called human a long time ago, Professor. He was little more than a rabid animal. You don’t cure a rabid animal. You put it down, before it infects others.” I glanced over my shoulder at the Dark Lord’s corpse.
“You waited too long in this case. He infected many. And ruined many lives. I don’t know if all the power stored within him is enough to reverse it all. But I will try my best.”
“Reverse it?” Minerva whispered. “You have the power to…”
“Bring back the dead? Oh yes. Neither Heaven nor Hell can deny me anything.” I chuckled, “They owe me favors. This one is going to use up most of the good will I have on BOTH sides. But, I think it well worth it.”
I strode past the group, to where Harry Potter lay, on the very brink of death. I had spared just enough power to hold him there. Quickly, I knelt beside him as the others gathered around me. Gently I took his head in my hands and pressed my left thumb against his scar. Black energy flowed out of his ears, nose and mouth, for several moments. When it finally stopped, the young man opened his eyes and blinked.
“There we go, Mr. Potter. I think you’ll feel quite a bit better now. That nasty bastard made YOU one of his soul repositories.” I smiled, helping the young wizard gain his feet. He looked around dazedly, taking in the scene of carnage that had been his school. Dead bodies littered the grounds. Friends and enemies. He let out a low moan.
“Harry. Steady. We’re not done here yet.” I smiled, holding him up as he sagged at the horror around him.
I took out my wand again. Fourteen inches of k440 stainless steel, with a core made of Illudium Q-36; an unholy marriage of science and technology neither of this world, nor of this dimension. Turning away from the boy, I raised the wand, and fed the power of the dead Dark Lord and all of his minions through it.
“Consurgo ex Mortalitas!” I roared. My voice rumbled and echoed around the courtyard, and the sky went dark above our heads. The ground beneath us trembled and shuddered. Yep. Heaven AND Hell were pretty pissed at THIS request.
Across the length and breadth of the field, the dead gasped, groaned and came back to life. Not the bad ones. Only the good. Wounds healed in seconds. Broken limbs knit themselves. Burns healed instantly. Blood, guts and brains were all returned to their proper owners. Parents cried out in joy and ran to their children. Friends hugged each other and did not let go. George and Fred Weezly danced in circles, with the rest of the Weezly clan a whirling dervish crowd about them. Harry looked around, relief and tears showing on his face at the same time. With a smirk, I turned the young man towards the forest.
“I haven’t forgotten your sacrifices either, Mr. Potter. I said EVERYONE he killed. And I meant it.”
Walking slowly towards us from the treeline, a small group. They were seemingly hesitant and bewildered for a few moments. Then, seeing where they were, rushed towards us. James and Lily Potter. Sirius Black. Harry cried out and ran headlong to his family. I smiled. Sometimes, it was indeed good to be the “good guy.” Satan spawn notwithstanding .
Behind me, I heard Snape whisper in shock…
“Merlin…!”
I turned and looked quizzically at the Potions Master.
“Yes? What? You doubted me?”
End
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