The Dark Lord had moved back a bit to a regulation duelling range. He was watching Harry with an arrogant indifference. Harry winced mentally. Of course he was arrogant. He'd beat everyone that had come against him with a wand. Even Dumbledore had only been able to hold him to a stalemate.
"Now, Harry, bow to me. Bow to your death."
"Go stuff yourself."
Voldemort lost his amused expression at Harry's rude rebuttal. "Imperio! You will now bow to me!"
Harry felt the spell slipping around in his head. A voice whispered to him to bow. It was much harder than Moody's spell. The voice was more insistent.
"Never!" Harry yelled as he broke the curse's hold.
The anger fled from Tom's face to be replaced with disappointment. "Such a waste. Time to die Harry." Without another word, the Dark Lord switched into duelling mode. A silent, yellow spell shot towards Harry. Harry managed to get a shield up that blocked the unknown spell. The shield managed to hold but the force of the impact actually managed to knock Harry back a bit. Voldemort gave a grudging nod of approval before firing off another spell.
Harry was almost entirely defensive as the spells flew fast and hot. He managed to block several and dodged the rest. He managed to fire off a Blasting Curse and a Jelly-Brain Jinx. The Blasting Curse hit at the Dark Lord's feet showing him with bits of sod, dirt, and rocks but did no real damage. The jinx was contemptuously swatted away by the Dark Lord's shield.
The Death Eaters had been cheering the fight like Hogwarts students at a Quidditch match. It was one of them in their excitement that gave Harry his chance.
Hector Depalma came from an old, but poor Pureblood family. He blamed the Muggle-born for the failure of his family's fortunes. There was nothing specific but he was sure there was a conspiracy against his House. His father was an early Death Eater and paid for Hector's Hogwarts education with plunder from raids on Muggle-born and Blood Traitors. The elder Depalma was killed by Aurors only a month before the Dark Lord's fall. The Depalma family money quickly disappeared once again. Hector blamed the Muggle-born and Harry Potter for their decline. For Hector Depalma, the Dark Lord's return meant Galleons for him and his family.
Now the Master was ready to kill the hated Harry Potter. Hector just wanted a piece of the brat before the Master finished him.
Harry dove to avoid a Killing Curse and landed to roll back up to his feet. Some instinct warned him a moment before the blow landed. Harry snatched the Death Eater's arm in a firm grip and heaved the man over his shoulder. Voldemort screamed in outrage that one of his servants interrupted his fight. Hector was in a daze as he tried to stand up but was tangled in his robe. His struggles ended as the Dark Lord's Killing Curse took him. The Death Eaters cheered again.
Harry took the opportunity and looked for a way out but he saw Peter and Barty blocking the way behind him.
"You have done well, Harry," Voldemort announced. "But the game is over now. No more tricks."
Harry had to grin. "Well, maybe one more trick." An instant later where a boy stood now stood a creature out of nightmare. It resembled a werewolf but was more wolf than man for all it walked on two legs. But Voldemort and his Death Eaters never had a chance to take in the details as the creature fell on them.
One massive clawed paw swung out to dig deeply into a Death Eater's side as the other gripped his neighbour by the neck and gave a sharp jerk. Another was bitten in the thigh and a woman's shriek joined the chorus of screams. It was mass confusion as the giant black creature moved in the darkness fighting though the one side of the ring on Death Eaters.
Voldemort was screaming orders that were ignored in the confusion. Mixed in with his Death Eaters, Tom didn't have a clear shot at the creature the Potter boy turned into. "Alive! I want him alive!" Voldemort screamed out.
Suddenly, the Potter creature was right there in front of him. Voldemort' s wand came up inhumanely fast as the tip glowed green with a Killing Curse. But the Beast was faster. The Beast swiped a paw at the Dark Lord's throat intent on ripping it out. Voldemort managed to avoid most of the swipe but the Basilisk-poison tipped claws dug in deep just nicking the carotid artery. Feeling the blood and the sudden burning sensation, Voldemort instantly Apparated away.
Seeing their Master flee, many of the Death Eaters followed him in their shock and fear.
The Beast surveyed the scene from a dark corner. His lungs were heaving as the adrenalin pumped through his body. He felt some slight pain from his 'duel' with Voldemort and he was sure he'd taken some damage as he fought through the Death Eaters but for now he could barely feel it. Instead, he looked out into the graveyard and considered his next move.
He could hear some Death Eaters moaning in their pain. A few more black lumps lay motionless on the ground. Harry knew he couldn't stay here. The Death Eaters could be back at any time.
The Beast moved stealthy through the disturbed graveyard towards the distant village. Hopefully they would have some way for him to get back to Hogwarts.
...
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