Unexpectedly Expecting

56: I Open At The Close

Harry

In the chaos of the Battle of Hogwarts, and Snape leaving on the back of a huge Hebridean Black Dragon, and fleeing like the coward he was, Harry and Lupin found themselves fighting alongside their fellow Gryffindors. The Weasleys were fighting giants along the Western wing of the courtyard, and Harry found himself oddly enjoying not having to be the leader for once, and letting someone else take charge for a change.

Neville Longbottom rose his wand, and looked to his fellow students, "Let's go kill these pricks who are trying to wreck our home! What say you, everyone?!"

The Gryffindors, along with Harry and Remus all shouted, "Aye!"

"Attack!" Neville ordered.

The fight began in earnest as acromantulas crashed into the walls, and even rogue werewolves Harry had never met before began fighting them. Harry felt like shifting, but Remus shook his head.

"Why not?"

"Because it's your job to defeat Voldemort, no one else's," Remus answered, his tone serious. "And it would be best if you didn't do that in your wolf form, don't you agree?"

Harry grinned. "Sure. Let's go play with spiders first, though."

Remus grinned. "Deal..."

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They had no time to speak after that, because time seemed to slow as Harry fought deatheaters, and the lesser ranked deatheaters that were apparently called Snatchers for some reason.

Somewhere, Harry lost track of Remus in the commotion, and he found himself fighting back to back with Lucius Malfoy as he encountered yet another masked deatheater. Lucius had Dumbledore's wand, and when he dispatched his opponent, he turned to him, "You'll probably be needing this."

Harry looked at the Elder Wand, and then at him with astonishment, "Why? Why are you giving me this?"

Lucius blocked an incoming curse flung their way. Lucius shrugged, "Call it my making up for my family's ill past treatment of you. I have business with Bellatrix that needs my full attention."

Harry understood, and took the wand. "I get it. Give that crazy bitch hell."

Lucius laughed, "I most certainly will, I promise you that."

"Good. Good luck."
"You too...Harry, you too."

They parted then, and Harry didn't feel any more powerful with the Elder Wand than his own, but still, he felt safer having it in his possession nonetheless. He fought off some acromantulas, and tried to focus on where Voldemort was precisely. He knew he was bad at psychic magical arts, always had been, but after ten minutes of sending out his awareness he felt Voldemort enter his mind at long last: ("Ah. Harry Potter....Come to me in the Forbidden Forest. We will settle this matter between us as it should have been from the very beginning.")

("Fine. Then, call off your goon squad. No one else needs to die because of me. If I die, you win this war. If you die, the lightside wins. Fair enough, right?") Harry sent back, although the effort was hard. Freaking Snape made it seem so easy.

Voldemort ruminated over these thoughts for a bit before answering, ("Very well. The battle was only meant to be a diversion any way. I will give you an hour for your side to tend to your wounded, and dead. But, no more than that. After that, you will come to die without a fuss.")

Harry chuckled, ("Whatever you say, Tommy. Time will tell who will die. All I know is is that I want this whole stupid prophecy bullshit done and over with. What do you say to that?")