Chapter 51

Chapter 52

EDWARD WRIGHT

"That all you got?" Edward taunted Voldemort and smiled internally as he saw the man lose his patience. He glanced back at the people behind him and narrowed his eyes.

"GO!" he commanded once more, a bit forceful and angry that they hadn't left the compartment still.

Finally, Elizabeth and Tonks returned to their senses and began leading everyone out of the compartment. Harry was the last person left and was constantly staring at Voldemort before Elizabeth dragged him away by the collar.

"And where d you think you are going?" Voldemort snarled and Edward immediately felt the air crackle and immediately twisted his wand, and a shield appeared in front of him, intercepting Voldemort's attacks.

Yet Voldemort was anything but complacent, and Edward's lips thinned and watched as the man took flight, a mocking smile on his face as he ascended from the train floor.

Edward clicked his tongue, for he had still not managed to figure out this ability. Voldemort was quick to take advantage of his flight and began to launch barrage after barrage of spells at him from various directions.

THUNK.

THUNK.

The ground beneath his feet shook as their spells clashed, yet Edward refused to give up any ground. The truth was that he was holding back, for he couldn't afford to go all out and risk putting the students behind him in jeopardy. So, his full focus was on keeping Voldemort busy.

"I have had enough!" suddenly, Voldemort snarled, and Edward's eyes widened as shadows shot out of Voldemort's body and began to morph into beastly forms behind the man. Edward could barely react as Voldemort brought down his wand, and the dozen or so conjured shadowy monsters rushed toward him.

Edward caught Voldemort trying to move past him to attack the students once more, and Edward's grip on his wand tightened. He could still feel the presence of students in the compartments behind him, that meant evacuation was still not complete.

He closed his eyes and began his chant as the water below the massive train track began to ripple at his command before it shot out and crashed in the form of a tidal wave into the dozen or so incoming creatures.

"Niflheim!" he whispered, and the water froze instantly, freezing Voldemort's demons with it.

Edward immediately turned back and spun his wand in a circle above his head and watched Voldemort rushing past him, and he cursed the bastard as he closed his eyes, preparing himself for what was to come next.

POP!

HE felt his vision twist before he suddenly felt himself falling from the sky. The air whizzed past his ears as gravity pulled him down. Had it been any other time, he would have spent a second or two appreciating eh magical scenery, yet he didn't have that luxury.

His eyes focused on the form of the shadowy figure rushing forward, and Edward aimed his wand at him and pushed for the magic to follow his command.

"Tempest!" and he felt a twinge of pain due to the recoil. Voldemort wasn't quick enough to react, and Edward watched in glee as the massive bolt of lightning hit the man.

"ARGH!" Voldemort screamed in agony, and Edward closed his eyes once more and felt his world shift once more, yet this time he felt his feet touch solid ground and opened his eyes and found himself standing atop the Express as Voldemort crashed into the lake below.

SPLASH.

Edward was quick to react and brought up his wand, and began to chant quickly as his wand lit up once more. He felt a massive drain on his magical reserves as he finally shouted the name of the spell.

"NIFLHEIM!"

And in an instant, the temperature of the whole area dropped and it became nearly freezing. In an instant, the water in the lake below turned to ice, trapping Voldemort down below.

Edward did not let his guard down and let his magic wash over the express. Thankfully, the evacuation seemed to be complete, with only a couple of signatures remaining. He felt a small pop and looked to the side and found Elizabeth standing there, her face flushed as a small flame circled around her in an effort to keep her warm.

"Is it over?" she questioned, and as much as Edward wished to say yes to that question, he knew that it would be a lie.

"No," so he shook his head, his eyes turning once more to the frozen lake as he scanned it all for any hint of an attack.

"Is the evacuation…." But before he could finish his sentence, he felt the magic shift in his surroundings as an ominous presence suddenly surrounded him. Edward tried to move, yet suddenly he felt his body freeze as he failed to breathe.

His wand fell from his hand as he fell to his knee. He watched as Elizabeth rushed towards him and was screaming frantically. He tried to speak again, yet it was as if his body was no longer under his control. He couldn't utter anything more than a single grunt as his throat closed up.

"Edward! Edward!" he heard her scream as he felt her gently support his back. His vision began to blur up, and his heart thumped in his chest, and the last thing he saw before it darkened completely was an ominous dark specter appear in front of him, his face invisible under the shadowy hood that covered his face yet its identity pretty evident given the special scythe it held in its hands.

0000

ALBUS DUMBLEDORE

Albus Dumbledore's heart was hammering in his chest as he watched Gellert fall to his knees. He lamented his decision to delve into magics he never understood, as the ominous presence of death made his very being tremble.

Yet the mistake had already been made, and there was nothing that could be done about it. So, he had to make do. He gulped as he stepped forward and slowly began.

"You called him defiler? Can I ask what a defiler is?" he questioned and the shadowy figure didn't move, yet Albus felt as if thousands of people were staring straight at him. No, not at him, but through him. Dissecting his very being, gauging his value.

"They are beings who have broken the providence of death, souls which were never cleansed out of their impurities!"

And Albus had a vague idea of what it meant. Yet he had to do something. 

"We had summoned you, hoping to exchange the gits you had once bestowed upon us mortals so you could return balance to this realm and remove the scourge that is trying to disrupt your realm!"

Yet as soon as the words left his mouth, he felt the temperature of the room drop, and he felt as if a knife was placed on his neck.

"Gifts! You dare call my stolen treasures as gifts, you insolent insect!"

"That will be enough, brother!" cut in a feminine voice as he felt the air sift much like it had earlier when death had descended to the realm.

And suddenly, the pressure was gone, and Albus found himself capable of breathing again. He looked up and found another shadowy figure appearing beside the first one, and this one carried a much different presence than the earlier one. 

It was a sense of finality that she carried like a sense of great burden.

"What are you doing here, sister? This matter doesn't concern you, Fate," Albus heard Death snarl in anger, and Albus felt the magic in the room crackle as the magic of the two deities clashed. Beside him, he felt Gellert's eyes flutter as his friend began to cough as he began to get up slowly.

"It does. After all, they have summoned you to change the very threads of fate I sewed years ago."

"And why would I listen to them? I owe them nothing!"

"You do!" and suddenly, Albus felt the second diety's presence thicken as the wave of chill was pushed back, replaced by an instant sweltering warmth. He then finally noticed a pair of orbs shining under the hood of the second deity.

"Though rash. My brother is half right. Your payment is too little for the change you wish to enact. You wish to change the very fate of two souls, and magic demands that you must give us…"

"Something of equal value," Gellert added from the side, and Albus felt as if the deity nodded.

"Indeed. The trinkets you used to summon my brother are inadequate given how they were, in fact, stolen by you humans."

And Albus suddenly felt dread pool in his heart as he saw the shiny orbs shift towards Gellert.

"Two souls in exchange for untangling the threads of fate that bind the two souls!" Fate spoke in her feminine voice.

"I want the souls of the two defilers!" Death snarled as bluish orbs lit up under its hood as well.

"I am the adjudicator here, brother," Fate spoke angrily.

"I shall not let these two scourges remain here any longer. They are an affront to my very existence…" Yet suddenly, Gellert cut off the very entity that was demanding his and young Edward's soul.

"You can have my soul," and Albus stilled at those words. And suddenly it all clicked.

By defilers, he meant Edward and Gellert, referring to their unique ability to see the future.

"Good. Agree to hand over the other one as well, and I shall untangle my sister's mess and destroy the fissured soul festering in that scar." 

Albus gulped as soon as he heard those words. He looked at Gellert, who stood there in front of him with a serene smile on his face. Should he accept the offer and sacrifice young Edward's life to put an end to Voldemort? To sacrifice one for the greater good.

The face of the young man flashed in front of his eyes as he sat amongst these very Halls surrounded by his friends, so young and full of life. Yet he could see the other faces as well, the thousands that sat around him, wizards and witches from all corners of the British isle whose lives depended on his choice. 

Could he do it, condemn one to save thousands? Could he and, more importantly, should he?

Yet Albus scoffed as he made up his mind. He stepped forward and spoke clearly.

"No," he spoke clearly as he stepped right beside Gellert, whose dichromatic eyes were focused onto him. He felt the icy orbs of Death land on him, yet Albus ignored them and turned to face the so-called adjudicator.

"The price was two souls, right?" and before Death could speak up the weaver of fate answered clearly.

"Yes. Two souls, that is the price," and Albus nodded as the deity of Fate confirmed the exchange prince.

"Then I offer my soul." He said and watched as the icy blue orbs of Death narrowed in anger as the ground rumbled.

"NO! I want the souls of the two defile…"

"DONE! The exchange is accepted." The feminine voice of Fate cut off the screaming and Albus began the very magic in the air ripple as the two shadowy forms began to vanish. 

He looked to the side and found Gellert standing there as well. The thick black smoke around them began to coalesce around them, and Albus felt the whole castle shift as the magic circle glowed ominously.

"So, this is it, huh," muttered Gellert, and Albus nodded as he closed his eyes and carried out one final task. He felt his connection with the castle sever as he let go of the command of the castle wards to his first-ever apprentice and colleague.

"It seems so," he answered as he glanced at the vanishing form of his oldest friend.

"You scared about what comes next?" Gellert suddenly questioned, and Albus didn't miss the slight quiver in his voice, and he shook his head.

"No, after all, what is death but the beginning of the next great adventure," Albus himself felt his body vanishing, and he heard Gellert chuckle.

"You always were the optimistic one!"

And those were the last words he heard as he felt the light vanish as darkness enveloped him. And in that instant two souls departed the realm, together and hand in hand, in a way fate had never allowed to be in this realm.

Perhaps in the next.

CLANK.

And as the whole chamber emptied out, the only thing that remained were two wands. Legacies of perhaps the two most talented wizards ever born.

0000

SEVERUS SNAPE

Severus Snape slowly walked into the main Hall of the Malfoy Manor as his grip on his wand tightened. The main Hall had become the Dark Lord's private room and had been used by the man, and no one was allowed to enter the room without the Lord's explicit permission.

The atmosphere in the castle was tense, and everyone was anxious about the so-called secret mission. Though, by now, the whole continent would hear about it, as their Lord had threatened a worker from Daily Prophet to publish a special edition in his name.

He rushed past the massive table and walked up to the gilded cage placed there, a cage in which lay his target. The Dark Lord's snake roused at his presence and began to slither and uncoil. His eerie red eyes landed on him, and Severus felt as if it was the Dark Lord himself staring at him through those red orbs.

Severus didn't react and aimed his wand at the beast. The snake hissed, and its eyes narrowed, and it began to rattle the cage trying to break free.

"For Lily," he muttered, his voice barely audible as he prepared his heart to use the most reviled curse of all. 

Severus didn't wait and moved his wand into the wretched pattern of the killing curse.

"Avada Kedavra!" the whole room lit up, a green bolt of lightning hit the Dark Lord's familiar, and then Severus watched in awe as a thick dark cloud began to surround the body of the snake and morphed into the face of the Dark Lord.

"NOOOOOO!" it screeched loudly, shaking the very foundation of the castle with its shriek before it vanished as the shadowy smoke rippled out as a blast, breaking the windows of the manor.

BOOM!

The whole castle came alive in an instant and before he could leave the room, the doors to the room were opened as the most loyal servants of their lord stepped into the room.

Bellatrix Lestrange's shifted between him and the now-dead Nagini, and Severus watched the witch snarl in rage as she took out her wand and sent a barrage of curses toward him.

"YOU TRAIT…." yet the witch suddenly stopped, as her wand fell from her hand.

"ARGH!" she screamed as her curses whizzed past him. And suddenly, Severus felt the Dark mark on his arm burn with searing pain, forcing him to fall onto his knees.

"AGHHHHHH!"  "IT BURNS!!!"

"AHHHHHHH!"  "WHAT'S HAPPENING!"

  Suddenly the whole manor was filled with shouts of men and women screaming in pain and agony, with only those of them unmarked remained unaffected.

Severus collapsed to the ground as his body writhed in agony, his body began to convulse, and he felt his very soul screaming in agony as the Dark mark on his arm continued to burn.

Those unaffected were running around in panic as they tried to make sense of what was going on. And the last thing Severus Snape saw before darkness enveloped him was the Dark mark expanding as it began to cover his whole body.

0000

ELIZABETH WHITE

Elizabeth White's heart nearly gave out as she watched her friend collapse in front of her.

"Edward!" she screamed as she rushed towards him as she watched him fall to his knees, his face flushed as he struggled to breathe. She saw his wand fall on the roof of the train as he collapsed with a grunt, his eyes dazed. 

She reached him and supported his back gently as she cast every diagnostic spell she knew to find out what was wrong with him. Yet nothing seemed wrong, yet her friend was dying right there in her arms.

"Edward! Hold on! Please just hold on!" she screamed as she gripped his hand, and she could feel a haze covering his eyes. He was losing consciousness.

"NO! NO!" and she knew that she had to get him to St. Mungo's immediately. So, she held onto him, and just as she was about to close her eyes for the apparition a massive explosion broke her concentration.

BOOOOM!

She covered her face as she was showered with shards of broken ice, and her dread pooled in her heart as she watched the sky get covered by massive dark clouds, and right there in the center of the clouds was the most ominous mark of Dark Lord himself.

Carved out of the clouds, a massive skull with eery green eyes, looked down at them ominously as a shadowy snake slithered out of its mouth and began to descend towards the lake.

She held onto Edward with shaky hands and closed her eyes as she tried to apparate away with him, yet she failed. The magic in the air was too turbulent for the apparition, and suddenly she felt a shiver run through her spine as a shadowy figure began to ascend out of the lake.

It wasn't human. No, it was too large to be human and was shaped like a massive snake. She watched it jump out of the frozen lake, and its girth was nearly twice that of the astronomy tower at Hogwarts.

"Hisss!" the very air trembled as it hissed as it began to coil around itself, its snake-like slit eyes focused onto her and the unconscious form of her friend. 

Fear gripped her heart, making it difficult to even breathe, as she watched Voldemort appear at its head, his face contorted in fury as his eyes red eyes blazed in rage.

She saw his eyes shift towards them. No, she was too insignificant for that gaze. No, they focused on Edward, and Elizabeth knew that she had to do something. She heard him hiss loudly as the massive shadowy snake-like creature hissed again, its eyes narrowing onto them as it hissed loudly before it began to rush towards them.

Elizabeth gently placed down her friend and placed his wand in his pocket as she stood and walked in front of him. She hardened her heart as she gripped her own wand tightly and began to chant and wave her wand.

She began to cast every spell she could recall, shields, wards, curses, and any other spell that came to mind. Yet despite all her efforts, the massive beast remained unaffected by her spells and continued to rush towards them as it opened its mouth to reveal its massive fangs.

Yet she couldn't give up. She couldn't, so she continued to cast, even as her wand heated up, even as she felt her eyes tear up, even as she felt her very soul scream at her to get away, she continued to cast.

And just as the beast was meters away from her, she hardened her heart as she resorted to the last spell she hadn't tried, the most reviled and dangerous curse of all, and hardened her heart as she waved her wand in a zig-zag fashion as she shouted the ominous words.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" and she felt her very soul scream in agony as a green bolt of lightning shot out of her wand, aimed straight for the head of the beast, meters away from devouring her. Yet even the vilest of curses did nothing as the beast continued to rush towards her.

In the end, she closed her eyes as she resigned herself to her fate.

"I am sorry, Edward," she whispered, and then as she stood there resigned to her fate, she suddenly felt a small whisper from behind in a very familiar tone.

"Ignis Darkin!"

00000

Voldy just murdered all his followers to survive. Since he was already a homunculus and with all of his Horcruxes gone, he would have died, so he siphoned off all magic of his followers, leaving them dead to delay his death.

Elizabeth's last stand was inspired by a scene from Pirates of the Caribbean where the Kraken devours Jack along with the Pearl.

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