The Dementors swarmed into the broken wreck of Gringotts, a grayish-black tide diving into the tunnels.
Harry and the rest of them stood quite a way back. They had a good idea of where the goblins would come out from, and the Dark Lord stood near the entrance to that tunnel, flanked by two Giants.
Any goblins that somehow managed to get past those three would have a line of Death Eaters waiting for them.
No goblins would survive this day. Not in England, at least. And since the bulk of their population was centered in the tunnels below Gringotts, this day, this cold, windy day, would spell out the extinction of the Goblin Nation.
They stood back, in the ruins of Diagon Alley. Even though it'd been months since the Dark Lord's attack, some of the buildings were still smoking. Some of them were still hot to the touch.
' Fiendfyre does not fuck around' Harry thought and suppressed a chuckle.
Diagon Alley was going to see a lot more fiendfyre today.
Only one store had survived the Dark Lord's onslaught.
Somehow, Ollivander had managed to protect his storefront from the fiendfyre. At least, at first Harry had thought the creepy old wizard had done something about it. But he'd asked Voldemort, how Ollivander had managed it.
And the Dark Lord had given him a rare smile and said: "I have no interest in destroying the premier wandmaker. Ollivander is not our enemy, though he may not be our friend. He takes no sides, and simply obeys the law. But having a wandmaker of his capabilities would certainly ensure a brighter future for the wizarding world"
Ollivander's store wasn't open today, though. He had been smart enough to close his shop when he saw the Dark Lord arriving, accompanied by two Giants, a horde of Dementors, and a small army of His Death Eaters.
The wind rustled along, blowing a lone colorful umbrella that had once graced the outside of Fortescue's parlor.
And the ground rumbled underfoot.
The remnants of the goblin army burst forth, and immediately, with inhuman grace, the Dark Lord spun into action.
A hundred fiery monsters leaped out of his wand, launching themselves at the oncoming goblins.
And the Dark Lord wasn't finished.
His wand didn't stop its frantic movements, spraying forth gale-force winds, lightning bolts, and killing curses with tremendous speed.
Harry watched, spellbound.
The closest thing he'd ever seen to the spectacle he was currently watching had been Grindelwald. But then, he'd been held up in arms of stone and terrified for his life. Now, he could watch, awestruck.
It was amazing.
The fiendfyre alone would have been crazy to see. Having learned to cast it himself, Harry could appreciate the difference between the meager amount and small size of his conjured beasts when compared to the Dark Lord's. But that wasn't what had Harry so shocked.
He knew how much concentration it took to control fiendfyre. And Voldemort was controlling His much greater than Harry could. No two of his beasts fought over a piece of prey, no.
And somehow, Voldemort was managing to cast a torrent of other curses at the very same time.
It was terrifyingly, hauntingly beautiful.
Everyone seemed to just stare, as the Dark Lord singlehandedly fought an army. They watched as a hippogriff dove down, tearing right through one of the Goblins' flanks.
They saw a group of goblins throw axes at a flaming cockatrice, causing the fire to lose shape for a few seconds before slowly regaining it.
And the Giants and Death Eaters stood stock-still, as the Dark Lord tore an enormous hole through the Goblin army.
Voldemort lowered his wand for a second, all spellcasting ceasing, the fiendfyre vanishing.
For a moment, the Goblins too, stopped, looking around in dismay as easily a third of their army lay dead and smoldering on the cobblestones around them.
"Charge," the Dark Lord said, his smirk audible.
And with a bellow, the giants ran forward, hefting their torn up trees, the roots flying around madly, leading the Death Eaters into battle.
It was absolute fucking madness. And it was absolutely fucking awesome.
He threw curses, flinging them around with wild abandon, only checking to see the size of his targets before attacking. There was no need to hold back, no reason to use any spell that could be less than lethal.
He attacked, blowing up the ground beneath the goblins' feet, blowing their armor off with killing curses and then ripping them apart.
He fought. He killed. He laughed, as blood sprayed across his face and turned sticky on his hands.
Harry found himself screaming wildly, casting curse after curse at a goblin that wouldn't stop running at him.
It kept deflecting them on its ax, swinging it in a half circle and knocking them aside.
He growled, casting another killing curse.
And the fucking thing threw a knife forward, striking the green jet precisely and exploding.
"Fucking die!"
He managed to blast its next knife out of the air.
And the goblin drew closer, running forward with a scream.
He spun, apparating with a crack, and appearing right behind the goblin, a killing curse on his lips.
The curse didn't kill the creature, instead only managing to destroy its armor and spin it around.
It snarled, showing him his teeth and throwing its ax from claw to claw.
He kept his eyes focused only on it. He ignored the shouts around him, ignored the curses flying around him, ignored the insane light show of war.
"Sectumsempra!" He cried, darting to the side as the spell left his wand.
"Gohath arah! Parzala Degarmi! Oculus Ruptio! Avada Kedavra!"
The goblin leaped high, avoiding his killing curse and flying at least ten feet into the air. He spun around, and it's fucking ax intercepted his blasting curse.
"Cruor Ignis! Avada Kedavra! Fucking die already!"
Another knife came flying toward him, and again, he managed to blast it out of the way.
"Serpensortia! Avis! Oppugno!"
" $Kill this thing!$"
The goblin did-something and the birds flew away from it, flying upwards.
The birds did, but the snakes didn't.
It started fighting them, managing to kill one and avoid two.
But not managing to avoid the fourth.
Its movements started growing sluggish, and Harry laughed as the other two joined in, downing it.
"Serpensortia! Serpensortia! Serpensortia! Serpensortia!"
Nineteen snakes surrounded Harry, and with a laugh, he gave them their orders.
" $Kill Goblins$"
Fine, they wouldn't be so useful with the Goblins' armor, but still. They'd help.
And even their armor didn't cover their eyes.
He laughed again, thinking of Spitting Cobras.
"Serpensortia! Serpensortia!"
He sagged, suddenly exhausted.
' Fuck! I've never conjured nearly this many!'
Conjurations, particularly of living things, always took way more energy out of him than anything else. And here he was, in the middle of a fucking war, tiring himself.
" $Kill Goblins$" he told the waiting cobras, "$or at least, blind them$"
They slithered off, and he just stood there for a minute, his hands on his knees, breathing deeply.
' What the fuck am I doing?! Anyone could just kill me!'
He straightened his back with a click and rejoined the fray.
There weren't that many goblins left, now.
Harry lowered his wand, his muscles shaking with fatigue and pressure.
They'd been fighting for what seemed like hours. The sun had started in its descent, and soon it would be night.
But the battle would be over by then.
The street was absolutely covered in bodies and broken goblin armor.
And for every human body, there were at least fifteen goblins.
The last hundred or so goblins seemed to be ignoring everyone else, attacking the remaining giant even as spellfire took their lives from behind.
But they didn't care, they were dead set on taking out the giant.
"They really hate Giants, hey?" Someone behind him said with a laugh.
He heard Rookwood spit loudly before answering.
"Na. They had a treaty with them once. They think the Giants are betraying them, and-HOLY SHIT!"
One of the Goblins had taken a huge jump, landing somewhere around the giant's knee. It stabbed in with its ax, and jumped up again, using its ax and knives as climbing picks on the giant's body.
"Merlin. Would you look at that"
Roaring with pain, the giant tried to brush it off, but the goblin was faster than its enormous hand.
And before long, it was on the Giant's face, pulling its ax back.
"Don't!"
Harry lowered his wand again, looking at Snape.
"Why the fuck not? Are we just going to-"
"And if you miss? Anything you could cast that would damage that creature with its armor, would kill the giant"
"Yeah, But-"
The gasps around him made him snap his head around, just in time to see the Goblin pull its ax out of the giant's eye.
And the giant roared, spinning around madly and stamping its feet.
' At least it's crushing those goblins around it'
But more of them were jumping onto its legs now, starting to climb up.
And the giant fell forward, shaking the street so much with its collapse that Harry almost fell over.
Just then, the Alley grew colder. A pall seemed to fall over the waning sun.
Harry turned, unsurprising to see the Dementors swirling out of the tunnel.
And flowing toward the few remaining goblins.
The sunset sparkled, the cold chill of the evening sweeping over the bloodstained cobblestones.
They gathered close.
The goblin was on its knees, its armor still on, though dented and marked.
Its crown was still resolutely stuck on top of its helmet.
"Avada Kedavra"
Its armor broke off, falling to pieces.
It looked up resolutely, meeting its death's gaze.
"Well? What say you, King? King of a race that is no more. King of the dead. What say you?"
The Goblin King looked around the street, at the corpses of its people. It looked up again, at the Dark Lord.
"Your people are no more. The Dementors say there are none left in the tunnels, but even if there were, the fiendfyre I will send shall take care of them. You had a choice. I offered you mercy. And you rejected it. This is what happened to those who reject my offers"
With a harsh, hacking sound, the last Goblin laughed.
"You gave us a choice. Wizards. And you call us monsters?"
"Any last words, King of the dead?"
The Goblin King continued to laugh.
"Avada Kedavra"
And Olrik, last king of the Goblin Nation died.
"Pity we didn't get him a friend"
Stebbins moaned at the foot of their bed, waving its stumps at them.
It couldn't see anymore, not without eyes, but it could still hear. And even though they'd taken its lips, they hadn't removed its tongue, so it could still speak.
"Yeah," He said, repositioning himself against her back and throwing his arms around her.
He stifled a yawn.
"Pl-pl-pl-please. K-k-kill me. Kill me. Kill me. Please. Pl-please. P-please. K-kill me"
"Fuck," he said, snuggling tighter to her, his cock hardening against her cheeks. "He's like a fucking broken record, isn't he?"
She giggled, wiggling back against him. "I'm starting to get bored of him. Can we just use him up already?"
"But-I wanted to- to see if we could get all his skin off. You know, without him dying"
"C'mon, Harry. We can't keep him too long. Didn't you hear about Capella?"
' Tonks, shifting her features to look like each of the Weird Sisters, trying to get him to laugh'
"No? What happened to her?"
"She tried to kill herself!"
"Seriously? She waited till now?"
' Tonks, smiling and joking around, knowing that he hated it in the Order's Headquarters, just trying to make it better for him'
"Yeah. Bella says it's always a danger if you keep them too long. But get this, she fucking smashes her head against the wall to do it. Of course, Bella has wards set up to let her know about anything like that, but still…"
' Sirius, saying in a letter about how happy Tonks'd been since she got together with Lupin'
"Damn. So what's Bella gonna do?"
"She says she'll punish her. Make her realize that it's not worth it. And that if she tried again, she'll let Sharptooth play with her. And she really wants us to come, sometime"
"Yeah. Sometime"
Daphne leaned her head back, coming to rest on his.
"Is it hard for you?" She asked quietly. "Her. She was nice to you when you were staying there"
He swallowed thickly. "Na. It's fine. Stupid half-blood bitch. She chose the wrong side"
Daphne turned around, looking deep into his eyes.
After a moment, she nodded.
"Let's finish him off. Please, babe. To celebrate the battle. You were too tired last night, and-"
He grabbed his wand off of the bedside table in an answer.
She smiled and reached for her own.
And in unison, they called out: "Crucio!"
They hadn't taken its tongue, and even without lips, Stebbins could still scream.
Phillip Peltier walked through the wrought iron gates, a wand pressed firmly into the small of his back, another two wands pointed at him, one from each side.
As the second line of Dark Mark Detectors screamed out their warnings, one of his guards snapped their wand towards them, shutting the noise off.
"Thank you," He said snidely, "I was afraid I would develop a headache"
The wand pressed into his back a bit harder, and it's owner growled at him. "Shut up, scum. Just shut up"
"But my whole purpose here is to talk, and-"
He rubbed his arm balefully.
' Stinging hexes? They are nothing more than children. My Lord will have an easy time with them'
"Just because you're here under a truce flag doesn't mean we have to listen to your bullshit. Now fucking walk, Death Eater scum"
He sighed. At the very least, they could be more creative with their insults.
He was led through the entrance hall, led down a corridor.
He'd never been to Hogwarts before. He'd gone to Beauxbatons, instead.
He found himself wondering whether the school was always this dreary, this quiet. This dead.
Or maybe it was due to their fears of the war that there were very few sounds of children.
' And they should be afraid. My Lord will kill them all'
He kept his eyes open, taking note of all that he saw.
For all that it was an enormous honor to be the Dark Lord's envoy, he did wonder why his Lord hadn't chosen a Hogwarts graduate for this, one who would be able to tell the difference between the school in a regular time to now.
' He told you why, idiot. He wanted someone who would not be immediately recognized, who there were no strong emotions about to cause foolish actions'
' Or maybe' a small voice whispered, ' he chose you because you're expendable'
Before he had time to do more than brush that thought off and remind himself of what an honor had been bestowed upon him, he was thrust into Grindlewald's room.
' This is more like it'
He could feel the menace radiating from the students in this room. A pair of twins flanked Grindelwald's chair, and they looked like they wanted nothing more than to tear apart the interloper.
A dark-skinned girl stood near them, and he saw how she fingered her wand, staring at him with a horrible grin.
And Grindelwald drew his eye.
He walked forward, his knees suddenly wobbling.
"Lord Grindelwald, I bear-"
"Just Grindelwald. Gellert, even. I claim no meaningless titles. I am man enough to use my own name, and ever I have been"
He should have bristled at the insult to his Lord, but Grindelwald's eyes burned into him, gazing into his soul.
His stomach roiled, but he pushed forward and spoke again.
"I-I bear a message from my Lord, and-"
"Who is your lord?"
He almost jumped at Grindelwald's softly asked question.
"I-You know who He is, and-"
"Are you afraid to say his name?"
Grindelwald's followers laughed, an ominous sound that made Phillip want to vomit.
"I-Lord V-Voldemort. That's who I follow"
Grindelwald nodded.
"Prove it"
"Your Detectors-"
"Show. Me."
He didn't even think, just rolled up his left sleeve.
Grindelwald was standing before him in a flash, barely even seeming to cross the intervening space.
Phillip felt his Mark being stroked, but he didn't feel Grindelwald's thumbnail pierce his skin, letting a single drop of blood well up.
He didn't feel a drop of Grindelwald's blood entering his arm, didn't hear the muttered incantation, didn't see the Elder Wand flash.
He looked down, as Grindelwald released his arm, and didn't see the tiny, already healed cut.
"Tell your lord," Grindelwald said quietly, "that I will never parley with him. That he will die an eternal death at my hand. Go. Tell him"
Phillip ran his tongue over dry lips. "I-He-He said-"
"NOW!" Grindelwald roared, and Phillip ran, urine making its way down his legs, horrible laughter echoing in his ears.
"Well? What did Grindelwald have to say?"
Phillip kneeled before his Lord's throne, hoping that he would not suffer for his failure.
"He-he-my lord, I am- I am truly sorry, but he said that-that he will not parley"
The Dark Lord's hands gripped His armrests, His fingers pushing their way into the wood.
"Did you tell him-"
Phillip straightened up suddenly, his whole body bearing itself differently.
"Lovely place you have here," he said, his voice tinged with a Germanic accent. "I'm sure the Malfoys are most pleased with your commandeering their home"
Voldemort's eyes widened, and his wand shot forward, blazing through a series of complex movements.
"Grindelwald, I presume?"
Phillip's body gave an elaborate bow. "The very same"
"And using the Osiris mechanism. If you are so happy to delve into such magic, surely you see our similarities. Why must we fight? Why must you force me to kill you? I had great respect for you, once. Surrender, Grindelwald, or you and all those who aid you will face the same fate as the Goblins"
Grindelwald laughed. "Oh. Voldemort. Tom, I should say. Similarities? We are nothing alike"
"You did as-"
"Yes, yes," Grindelwald said in a bored tone, waving one of Phillip's arms flippantly. "I killed. I tortured, I subjugated. But do you know our greatest difference?"
"That you are weak" Voldemort hissed, "and like all the weak, you shall perish"
"Everything I did, was for a cause. At first, at least. I believed in it, so strongly that I did things I found repugnant. You, however, have never desired anything but your own power. Have you?"
"You miserable, Muggle-loving wretch, you disgrace the Magics you wield, the power you hold-"
"We have nothing in common" Grindelwald continued, ignoring Voldemort's outbursts, "save that we both have committed atrocities. No, Riddle. No. I will never ally with you. I will destroy you, and all that you hold dear"
"If death is your choice then I will deliver it to you gladly. You rejected my offer" Voldemort snarled, "And you will pay the price. You, and all who ally with you"
Grindelwald stood there calmly, Phillip's body not paling or shaking at the threat.
"Allow me to present a counteroffer. Deliver to me your Horcruxes. Give me Harry Potter. And once your safeguards are destroyed, face me in a duel. If you are truly-"
Voldemort's wand lashed out, and Phillip's body caught fire, burning to ash in seconds.
"Well," Grindelwald said, blinking and shaking his head slightly, "it would seem that Voldemort has a temper!"
The three present in the room laughed at that.
He looked around at them, letting his eyes rest on each one.
"How far would you be willing to go?" He asked quietly, his voice intent. "To achieve your revenge? To destroy this monster?"
Patil answered first, as she twisted her sister's bracelet around her wrist.
"Anything. I'd do anything"
The Weasleys nodded their assent, murmuring "Anything"
"Will you? Will you sink to his level? Will you do things that will leave their marks on you forever? Will you allow yourself to go down in history as a monster?"
"Whatever it takes"
He grimaced.
"Very well. Here is what I want you to do"
And as he spoke, they listened, their faces set.
They would do whatever he asked of them.
Anything.