Got One Hundred Steps to Go (Tonight I'll Make it Ninety Nine)

19

The Dark Lord's furry was evident for everyone to see, but Harry and Ginny didn't give him an opportunity to retaliate, immediately drawing his attention back.

"Aren't you wondering, Tom," Harry called, "why you can't beat us?"

Voldemort glowered. "Don't call me that!" he snarled. "Lord Voldemort is equal to no one."

"And yet, you're making no headway, Tom," Harry replied.

Voldemort would not believe that anyone could match him.

Harry glanced back at Malfoy Jr.'s unconscious body, and then returned his attention to the Dark Lord. "I know why that wand won't work," he said simply.

That, above all else, paused the Dark Lord's advances.

Harry smirked. "It's the Elder Wand, correct? You took it from Dumbledore last December. The problem is, it wasn't his to command."

Ginny looked at him, seeing the direction of his thoughts, and had to hold in a gasp at the implications.

Around them, the crowd was watching, confused and concerned. Harry's friends had no idea what he was doing, but were happy that he was fighting well, and was keeping Voldemort off balance.

Harry shrugged. "You see, Tom, Dumbledore only took that wand to keep it from being used the way you want to use it. But when you killed him, he had already lost the wand's allegiance."

"What are you talking about?" Voldemort asked suspiciously. "I won the wand. I killed Dumbledore."

"But the wand doesn't pass only by killing," Harry pushed forward. "The previous owner only needs to be defeated. And you see, Dumbledore was defeated, almost a year ago. On the Astronomy Tower, he was disarmed by one of your sycophants. Its new owner was not even aware of the fact that the most dangerous wand in the wizarding world had switched allegiance to him."

Voldemort glanced at the Death Eaters that had been there that night. His gaze fell on Malfoy Jr. "It is of no matter," he decided. "I will dispatch of you and your pathetic girlfriend, and then take care of Malfoy."

Harry shook his head. "You're too late. You see, Malfoy and I fought in the same battle where you killed Dumbledore. I defeated him. If I'm right, that wand belongs to me, now."

Voldemort glanced at the wand in his hand, and Harry leaned forward slightly.

"Does the wand know that I am its rightful master? Think about what you're doing, Tom, and try for some remorse. It may be the only thing that will save you."

Voldemort sneered, the rage clear on his face. "I am all-powerful, Potter. I am immortal!"

Harry shrugged and reached into his pocket, withdrawing the sack full of damaged objects. He had shrunk it down to fit, and using wandless magic now, he enlarged it as he brought it forward, and tossed it to the floor in front of him. Voldemort's eyes followed the bag, his expression part fury, part curiosity. "We've already found your horcruxes, Tom. They're all destroyed."

Harry hadn't thought it was possible for Voldemort to get paler, but he certainly did in that instant.

Around them, the crowd murmured restlessly. Several of them knew what a horcrux was, and were astounded, not only that the Dark Lord had used them, but that Harry and his friends had been spending the last few months hunting them. Suddenly, they knew why the group of teenagers had removed themselves from view.

With a vengeful cry, Voldemort raised the wand that did not belong to him, and screamed, "Avada Kedavra!"

At the same moment, Harry raised his faithful holly and phoenix feather wand, and returned fire. "Expelliarmus!"