RoLP Ch.83: Mors Vincit Omnia (Patreon)

Grindelwald tucked a hand beneath the silver-buttoned pocket of his waistcoat, his heterochromatic eyes flicking between Harry and Dumbledore. 

"I foresaw this moment," he said, a slight smile curving his lips. "Us three, amidst ruins, bodies strewn behind the boy and me, trapped. It happened as you always said it does, Albus. What you try to avoid, you create. And I did just that."

"Then you should also have foreseen that the wise course was to surrender," Harry said, flicking his wand. 

Chains of iron and bronze erupted from the ground, lunging at Grindelwald. The chains were shredded to bits, small pieces of metal falling around Grindelwald’s dark boots. "Visions only show what must happen, child. What follows and precedes can change. It is the freedom of human will that decrees all in the end."

"And I don’t suppose you have the will to surrender, do you?" Harry mustered a wry grin. "Because it would make this a lot easier."

"No."

A bolt of white lightning smashed against the blue shimmer rising from Grindelwald’s wand, a wave of water enveloping him from the other side.

"Break the shield, Harry," Dumbledore's voice rang through the crack of the spell. "I will drown him. It will end it once and for all."

Sparks of electricity fell to the ground as the spell crumpled, and a purple curse lanced through the swirling waters, bursting against the shield. ‘More.’ Harry hurled flashes of pink and purple that lit the water up, the curses hammering against the shield, the blue shimmer growing lighter. ‘Come on.’

A golden glow spun through the hazy waters from within, and a spear burst through it, sending a yellow curse slicing toward Dumbledore.

The Headmaster batted it away, his hold on the water breaking. Before the water could fall, Grindelwald seized hold of it, hurling it at Harry, shards of ice freezing within its stream. 

A tongue of fire wrapped around it, melting the ice and evaporating the water as a yellow curse whizzed past Harry’s ear.

He growled, his wand blurring through the air, a rainbow of curses lighting up the space before crashing against a golden shield that rose from the spear. 

‘Flamel’s spear.’ Harry's heart twisted. ‘I need to take it away if I want to kill Grindelwald.’

"You like my new spear, Albus?" Grindelwald flicked his wand, deflecting an orange curse, holding his shield up against Harry. "I made some changes that—"

His voice trailed off, and he stared at the wand in Dumbledore’s hand, his mouth twisting soundlessly. 

‘This is the time.’ 

Harry felt hope surge through his veins, drowned under the hate he tugged up. He aimed his wand at Grindelwald’s unprotected side. 

"Avada Kedavra."

The beam of green burst through the golden shield, and Grindelwald whirled around, raising his spear to intercept the curse. The weapon splintered, shards of golden light peeking through Grindelwald's fingers before bursting. 

A golden wave rolled across the field, sending Harry and Dumbledore stumbling. Grindelwald soared past Dumbledore, crashing into the remains of the hospital, smoke rising in the wind.

A burnt smell stung Harry’s nose, and he coughed, pushing himself to his feet. He looked around and darted toward the hospital where Grindelwald lay among the debris. 

Blood trickled down the stones from the missing fingers, a deep gash running up Grindelwald’s torn sleeve. A golden shard was stuck beneath his ribs, blood dripping down its edge. A cough tore out of the dark lord’s throat as he struggled to his feet, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

"Avada Kedavra!" Harry roared.

Grindelwald flicked his hand, and a chunk of cement flew in the way, swallowing the green light and bursting to dust. With a flick, droplets of blood from his arm swirled to form a bubble around the dark lord. Dumbledore hurled spells at the shield, only for them to burst against the film of golden red, a few bouncing away and tearing through the debris on the ground. 

‘Blood magic. That shield needs to be broken.’

"You thought it’d be so easy, Albus, did you?" Grindelwald’s eyes brimmed with fury. "Where’s the wand? What did you do with it?"

"It is in a place where you could never take it from." A smile curled on Dumbledore’s lips. "You’ll never get the Elder Wand, Gellert. Or any of the Hallows."

Grindelwald twisted around to look at Harry, squinting through the whorls and sparks that cascaded down the shield, the bubble of magic wobbling as Harry’s spell burst against it.

"Nope, this is the wand I got from Ollivanders years ago." Harry waved his wand before sending a sizzling purple curse that gonged against the shield, sending Grindelwald stumbling a step back within. "Admit it or not, your dream of getting the Hallows will never be fulfilled."

Grindelwald looked between them and hung his head. A sad smile curved on his lips, and his grasp on his wand tightened. "I believe you. But if my dreams cannot be fulfilled, my purpose will be. I’ll not be defeated here today."

‘He’s going to run.’

Harry hissed, a green dome rising across the field as Grindelwald raised his wand to the sky, stones rising and enlarging to protect his chest from spells. A bolt of gold lightning shot from his wand, bursting across the green dome, and Grindelwald narrowed his eyes.

"A most clever spell." Grindelwald banished the rocks floating around him and transfigured them into bronze spears that cleaved through the air, only to vanish with a jab of Harry’s wand. "One of the language of serpents, no doubt."

"It means you cannot escape today, Gellert." Dumbledore twisted his wand, a golden beam shattering against Grindelwald’s blood shield. "Even your shield will break sooner or later."

Grindelwald sighed, running his wand along his left hand. The skin knitted together, and the blood from the missing fingers staunched.

"It will. But by the time you both chip it away, you’ll be tired, and I, healed and ready." Grindelwald smiled. "I told you. I will not be defeated here."

"Well, let’s see if your shield stops this," Harry sneered. "Avada Kedavra."

The killing curse passed through the shield as if it wasn’t there, and another stone rose and burst to dust that scattered at Grindelwald’s feet.

"Hate is the weapon of children, like Tom Riddle and yourself, Harry Potter. To kill me wouldn’t be the end of the idea I have sown." Grindelwald spread his hands. "My ambitions are greater than one man. They are for the greater good."

"We’ll see about that once you’re dead."

"For that, you’d have to kill me," he chuckled. "And I won’t die here."

A ring of hazy orange flames sprung up around the shield, the heat prickling their skin, and Harry smirked. "Come out of the shield, Grindelwald. Or you will die of the heatwave very soon. It will only grow hotter and hotter until you either die or come out."

Grindelwald jabbed his wand, and the flames sputtered for a moment before springing up again. 

He frowned before smiling. "You’re full of wonders, Harry Potter. A spell that doesn’t burn but dry and warm—a common household charm expanded and powered in an ingenious way. Most wonderful. Did you make it yourself?"

"Maybe, maybe not."

"Petulant," Grindelwald sighed, wiping the sweat on his brow. "Unfortunately for you, you have an enemy. And the enemy of an enemy… is my friend."

Harry looked up as a dark blur smashed through his green dome, landing beside Grindelwald, the dark mist turning to black robes and a head of pale skin, a bone-white wand clutched in his thin, skeletal fingers.

Sharp cracks and pops rang across the clearing, and dark-robed figures appeared, their silver masks gleaming. Harry turned his head, narrowing his eyes while Dumbledore looked at them with a carefully blank face.

"And with that, Albus," Grindelwald grinned, "the hunters become the hunted." He turned to Harry. "Now, what do you say, Mr. Potter? Ready to surrender? Because there’s no way for you to escape today."

Harry glanced at Dumbledore, his heart hammering in his chest. Dumbledore gave a single jerky nod, his eyes hardening.

"Well," Harry drawled, "we’ll just have to carve a path through you all then."

Grindelwald chuckled with amusement. "And how do you plan to do that? Against all of us?"

"By being what you always dreamt to be." The Elder Wand slipped back into Harry’s hands, and Grindelwald’s eyes widened. "The master of the Hallows."

"SHIELDS!" Grindelwald roared as flames poured from the Elder Wand and lunged at them, smashing into barriers of all sorts that sprung up.

Grindelwald’s and Voldemort’s magic pushed against the flames, trying to keep it away from their followers. The Headmaster sprang into action beside Harry, waving his wand in a wide arc, a shimmer rising again, the wards holding the Death Eaters in.

Debris around the field rose and turned to sharp spears, tearing through the air toward the Death Eaters.

Voldemort disappeared in a gust of smoke and reappeared in front of the weapons, vanishing them, snarling in anger. "AVADA KEDAVRA!"

Harry swatted the killing curse away and pushed magic down the Elder Wand, the flames enveloping the right flank of Death Eaters. Their screams were drowned in the fire, and Harry felt the wand thrum in his hand as they were reduced to ashes.

As the inferno raged, the Headmaster stepped closer to Harry, his wand a blur of blue as he dueled Grindelwald. Voldemort soared over the flames, struggling to contain them.

‘I can hit him while he’s busy.’ Harry absently deflected a stray curse, his eyes fixed on Voldemort.

"Professor, watch my back and don’t let them escape," Harry said. "I am going to deal with Voldemort."

Harry raised his wand and poured everything he had into the clouds, a storm gathering above them. The Elder Wand thrummed and the flames swirled, throwing everything into a haze of orange.

"POTTER, YOU DO NOT DESERVE TO WIELD THAT WAND!" Grindelwald's voice rang out over the crackling flames. A wave of magic burst, clearing a path between them and Grindelwald, whose eyes were burning with hatred.

‘I just need a moment.’ He kept his eyes trained on Voldemort.

Spells rained down on him, but Dumbledore stepped in front, his wand slashing through the air. The curses veered away, tearing through the surroundings but leaving them untouched. A spell shot toward Grindelwald, who raised a shield.

"Enough." Grindelwald stepped forward, his eyes blazing. "You win today, Albus. But you won't—"

A bolt of golden and black lightning cracked in the sky and crashed down toward Voldemort with a thunderous roar. The lightning tore through a flimsy shield that rose and struck the Dark Lord in mid-air, smashing him into the ground.

The earth beneath their feet trembled, and the fire dwindled as a screech rang over the dying crackle of the flames. A vortex of dark tendrils seeped out of the ground, turning into a serpentine skull.

“Voldemort’s soul,” Dumbledore breathed.

With another screech, the dark specter flew up, vanishing amongst the fire, shattering through the wards, and disappearing into the sky.

‘Had the horcruxes not been there, Voldemort would’ve been killed for good.’ Harry felt a pang beneath his ribs. ‘Time to get Grindelwald.’

Harry dragged up power and raised an aching arm, a swirl of blue and purple magic bursting from the Elder Wand. The spell smashed against a shimmer of silver magic, a deep gong piercing through the air, sending the Dark Lord skidding.

“No.” Grindelwald deflected a bolt of lightning from Dumbledore into the ground. “Zufluchtsort!”

Portkeys activated, and the Death Eaters and Grindelwald disappeared, leaving Harry and Dumbledore upon the ruins of the island.

“COWARD!” A wave of magic rippled through the clearing, debris bursting to dust, a cloud of white dust emerging from it.

“Harry, you—you killed Voldemort,” Dumbledore breathed. “You destroyed his body. What was the spell?”

“I don’t know. It was the wand that did it. I wanted a lightning bolt to hit Voldemort. The wand… it made it something else.”

Dumbledore’s eyebrows rose. “Most fascinating.”

“Yeah, had it not been for the horcruxes, we would’ve won,” Harry panted. “And the exertion would’ve been worth it.”

He sat down in the debris-strewn mud, exhaustion hitting him like a bludgeoning hex. Sweat dripped down his forehead, and his head spun.

“Harry? Are you alright? Harry?”

He gave a feeble nod, taking deep breaths. “Just very… tired. Last lightning spell… took a lot out of me.”

“Understandable, my boy.” Dumbledore patted his shoulder. “Come, I will take you to Hogwarts. Where you can rest.”

Harry’s eyes widened. “Shit. I just left a bunch of Obscurials with a phoenix and nothing else. I took them away from here. Of course, Scamander is also probably on his way.”

“Where?”

“The Chamber of Secrets.”

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Dumbledore appeared with a sharp crack in the chamber of secrets, watching as a dozen eyes stared up at him, backing away.

“I mean you no harm, children.” Dumbledore held onto Harry, giving them a warm smile. “I am a wizard, much like yourselves.”

“What’s with the funny accent?” A boy who seemed the oldest amongst them stepped forward, darkness bubbling on his skin. “And why do we believe you?”

Dumbledore conjured a chair and allowed Harry to sit on it, his eyes growing concerned for a moment as Harry winced. 

“And what did you do to him?” Darkness bled in the boy’s eyes and he stopped forward only to pause as Harry raised a hand.

“I was… fighting the one… who attacked the… hospital.” Harry heaved. “It… took a… lot. I’m tired.”

“Are you like us?”

Harry nodded, slumping back.

“My name’s Albus Dumbledore. I am the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and wizardry. If I may ask, what’s your name?” 

“Ethan.” The boy looked around wearily. “Where did this bird bring us?”

“Well, it’s a safe place in the castle.”

“Castle?” A little girl asked with wide eyes. “Like the ones of princesses?”

“A castle of magic,” Dumbledore smiled at her, glancing at Harry. “First we should get our friend here to the hospital wing. He’s—”

“You’re one of them.” Ethan hissed, tendrils of dark energy crawling up his arms. “You want to take us to another hospital and do the same thing they did with us!”

“Not at—” Dumbledore erected a shield, absorbing the tendrils of magic that leaped at him. Harry’s eyes shot open and he hurled himself to his feet.

“ENOUGH!” He yelled. “Enou—” A cough tore out of his chest, his ribs paining. “I—” 

“Harry, don’t exert yourself. You’ll make the exhaustion worse.” Dumbledore chidded. “Sit back, my boy.” The headmaster turned to Ethan. “I mean none of you any harm, Ethan. I mean no harm to you or your companions.”

“That’s what they said. That’s what all of them said!”

A vortex of darkness burst out of Ethan and Dumbledore threw up another shield, protecting himself and Harry as the obscurial magic hammered over the shield. The chamber rumbled, runes on the walls glowing as Ethan’s magic slammed into pillars and across Salazar’s face.

“Will the Chamber give out?”

“Unlikely.” Harry drew his wand, holding it in his hand. “I don’t think I should do any more magic though. If it comes down—”

“I am not harming the children, Harry. Most aren’t even Hogwarts age.” Dumbledore’s eyes turned hard. “But I will subdue Ethan if he tries to harm you while you’re defenseless.”

A trill rang through the darkness and purple lightning flickered, Harry’s eyes widening.

“I think I am championed already.”

A bolt of lightning cracked and the dark tendrils of obscurial magic were sucked away into a glass jar that trembled. Harry looked up to see Newt Scamander standing, the jar clutched in his hand while Ethan twitched on the ground.

“Ethan!” A couple of other children rushed to the boy’s side while Hedwig flew over their heads, perching atop Salazar’s stone face. 

“What did you do?” A girl screamed. “You— you—”

“Maybe we should listen to them,” Another boy tugged at the girl’s arm, pulling her back. 

“Harry, get out of here.” Dumbledore whispered. “You’re in no condition to fight.”

“Professor—”

“Fawkes.”

In a rush of fire, Harry was taken away from the chamber, and thrown onto something soft, his head hitting a pillow. Fawkes trilled and disappeared, leaving Harry in the room.

Darkness swam in his vision and sleep overtook him. Within moments, Harry was fast asleep.

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AND… DONE! Hope you all liked the chapter. 

I will be showcasing the effects of Voldemort's fall in the next chapter along with what happened to the Obscurials. This one was a real pain in the ass to write. I mean, I have been on this doc for two weeks, squeezing all that I can out of me to write it. At this point, I am just plain tired of this chapter and can’t write anymore. 

So, for the time being, I have decided to concentrate on my other stories before coming back to RoLP. I honestly wanted to write but my muse for the story seems to have taken a hit. And I have found the best way to cure it is concentrate on the other stories for a couple of weeks before returning to the story. And it is a month till I have to be concerned about it anyway. 

But I do hope you liked the fight. 

A huge thanks to Mughil for betaing this chapter.  

As for Galactic Voyager patrons, I will be publishing the additional chapters of RoLP with the next update. I cannot kill the goose that gave the golden egg by straining it too much, can I? In the meantime, do enjoy Black Dawn. The first two chapters are up alongside two pieces of the Lore Compendium. 

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Stay Happy! Stay Safe! Keep Smiling! Keep Reading!

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