The Last Protection: Harriett Potter's Legacy

Chapter 48: The Final Stand

The Black estate stood under an eerie silence, an unnatural stillness that hung in the air like a suffocating fog. The calm felt like a harbinger of the storm to come. Inside the grand manor, the Blacks were preparing for what was to be the final battle—the battle that would end Voldemort’s reign of terror once and for all. Harriett stood at the center of it all, her heart pounding, her senses sharp. This was it—the moment they had worked toward for so long. It was the culmination of years of pain, sacrifice, and loss.

Voldemort was mortal again, but that didn’t make him any less dangerous. In fact, Harriett knew, it only made him more desperate. For years, he had defied death, clinging to his immortality through the use of Horcruxes. But now, those pieces of his soul were destroyed, leaving him vulnerable. He had nothing left to lose.

Sirius and Regulus were already preparing the defensive wards, their wands drawn and their faces hard with determination. Orion Black stood by, his expression calm but fierce, his eyes tracking his children’s every move. The older Black had always been a man of few words, but now, his presence alone spoke volumes. The Black family had always been fighters, but today, they would fight for their lives—and for the world that Voldemort sought to destroy.

“You ready, pup?” Sirius asked, his voice rough but steady. His eyes locked with Harriett’s, a mix of pride and silent concern in his gaze. They had been through so much together, faced down countless dangers, but this... this was the endgame.

Harriett gave a quick nod, her resolve as firm as it had ever been. She had trained for this. She had faced unimaginable odds, but this was the final act. There would be no more running, no more hiding. She was ready. More than ready. She had come so far, and today, they would end this.

“I’m ready,” she replied, her voice calm despite the storm raging within her. Her emotions—fear, anger, relief—were all tangled together. But there was no room for hesitation now. Voldemort had to be stopped. He would not live to cast his shadow over another generation.

The air shifted. A sudden chill filled the space, an oppressive weight that pressed down on them all. The unmistakable feeling of Voldemort’s dark magic seeped into the estate, curling around them like a serpent. It was a familiar sensation—a palpable force that made the hair on the back of Harriett’s neck stand on end. The Dark Lord was coming.

“He’s here,” Regulus said, his voice low and steady, a quiet warning. “Brace yourselves.”

The very air around them seemed to crackle with dark energy, an overwhelming presence that made the shadows stretch unnaturally. The floorboards groaned underfoot, and the walls seemed to shift, warping as though the house itself was recoiling from Voldemort’s arrival. And then, through the haze of shadows, he appeared.

A figure, tall and imposing, his robes swirling around him like dark smoke. His pale face was a mask of fury, his red eyes burning with rage as they fixed on Harriett and the Blacks. His nostrils flared with anger, his wand raised as his lips curled into a sneer.

“You think you’ve won?” Voldemort’s voice was a cold hiss, filled with venom, but underneath it, there was a flicker of desperation. “I was immortal. You have taken that from me. But I will make you all pay for this. Your blood will stain the ground, and your suffering will be legendary!”

Sirius stepped forward, his own wand drawn and steady, his voice low but unwavering. “You’ll get no satisfaction from us, Tom. This ends today.”

Regulus, his jaw set and eyes burning with intensity, stood beside his brother. “You’ve killed too many, caused too much pain. We’ll stop you here and now.”

Harriett stepped up, joining them, her hand gripping her wand with determination. She could feel her pulse quicken, the magic in the air swirling around her. The final battle had come. No more secrets, no more hiding. She was ready.