The Longest Day

by NanashiSaito

Ragnarok

Lord Voldemort surveyed the battlefield, looking out over the fallen bodies of both loyal and former Death Eaters, briefly scanning past the still-moaning, amputated body of Macnair and the headless corpse of Lucius Malfoy, across the sleeping form of Hermione and the wandless Harry and Draco, before finally settling on the remaining captives arranged before him.

All in all, his plan was still progressing nicely. The boy was here, the girl revived, the Stone was his, and a convenient vessel for the Unbreakable Vow had shown up. As for the girls, he would simply kill the spares when the time came.

"Tell me, Draco, This is not a trick, and you will answer truthfully or bear the consequences. If the boy freely chose to swear to you an oath, even knowing your father for a former Death Eater, you would trust in his words? Answer me!" Voldemort's voice rose to a shriek.

"I... yes. I would."

"Good," Voldemort said coldly. "The potential for trust must exist to be sacrificed. And for the bonder of the Unbreakable Vow... which of you shall sacrifice their magic? It shall be quite the long Vow... much longer than usual... much magic shall be required for that..." Voldemort smiled his awful smile as he observed the five witches standing before him, before settling on the pale-skinned, violet-haired witch who was protectively holding the dog-that-wasn't-Dumbledore. "You. You seem rather generous. What is your name, your true name?"

"Rarity Belle," she spat defiantly.

"Wait a minute, your surname is 'Belle'? So your sister's name is..." Rainbow Dash couldn't resist the question.

"Yes, dear. 'Sweetie Belle Belle'." Rarity interrupted.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash both stifled a giggle, prompting the Dark Lord to shriek, "ENOUGH! Put the dog down."

Rarity did as he commanded, and another (albeit smaller) knife instantiated at his throat as well.

The Dark Lord went on pacing in front of his captives. "Today - though I hardly expect even you to believe me - today we are doing Merlin's work, children. Before me stands a great danger, who in his blundering folly has been prophesied to wreak destruction such as even I can scarcely imagine. The Boy-Who-Lived! The boy who frightens Dementors!"

Voldemort laughed, a strange bitter laugh. When he spoke on his high voice was precise. "Here is the oath's intent, Draco Malfoy, Rarity Belle, Harry Potter. Listen well and comprehend the Vow that must be sworn, for its intent is also binding, and you three must share an understanding of its meaning. You will swear, Harry Potter, not to destroy the world, to take no risks when it comes to not destroying the world. This Vow may not force you into any positive action, on account of that, this Vow does not force your hand to any stupidity. Do you understand that, Draco, Rarity? We are dealing with a prophecy of destruction. A prophecy! They can fulfill themselves in twisted ways. I must be cautious that this Vow itself does not bring that prophecy about. I dare not let this Vow force Harry Potter to stand idly after some disaster is already set in motion by his hand, because he must take some lesser risk if he tries to stop it. Nor must the Vow force him to choose a risk of truly vast destruction, over a certainty of lesser destruction. But all Harry Potter's foolishness," Voldemort's voice climbed, "all his recklessness, all his grandiose schemes, and good intentions - he shall not risk them leading to disaster! He shall not gamble with the Earth's fate! No researches that might lead to catastrophe! No unbinding of seals, no opening of gates!" Voldemort's voice lowered again. "Unless this very Vow itself is somehow leading into the destruction of the world, in which case, Harry Potter, you must ignore it in that particular regard. You will not trust yourself alone in making such a determination, you must confide honestly and fully in your trusted friend, and see if that one agrees. Such is this Vow's meaning and intent. It forces only such acts as you might choose yourself, having learned that he is a prophesied instrument of destruction. For the capacity for choice must also exist, to be sacrificed. Do you understand, Rarity?"

Rarity nodded weakly while Spike growled impotently, "I - I think so. But I too agree that I really don't think Harry would do-"

"Silence, fool. And you, Draco?"

"I think, that it must be repeated to me."

Voldemort smiled that too-wide smile and said it all again using different words.

"And now," Voldemort said coldly, "Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy, I will return your wands to you, and you will keep your wands low, and touch your wand together--"

"Just the tips?" Rainbow Dash giggled.

"Yes, just the--" Voldemort's anger suddenly surged as he realized that the rainbow-haired witch in front of him was joking at a time like this. He bade the Dementors to fly lower, in a wordless attempt to stifle any further interruptions.

"You know that she can kill those things, don't ya, Mister Quirrell?" Applejack asked with her arms folded.

"What, those Demendroids? I sure can, wanna see?" Rainbow Dash squinted upwards to try to see them amid the darkness of the night sky and the canopy of trees above.

"Yes, I would like to see," Fluttershy whispered.

Pinkie was too busy examining the sparkly gems embedded in Spike's collar to comment.

In response, the knives that were hovering an inch from their throats drew close against their flesh, and Voldemort shouted, "Another word and the four of you will be slain on the spot." He directed his attention back towards Harry, Draco, and Rarity. "You will speak such words as I direct you. If you speak any other word, then I will cut you down, and the rest of you as well. Do you understand?"

The three nodded. Harry was chilled, and shivering, and not only because he was naked in the night. He didn't understand why Voldemort was not just killing him. There seemed to be only a single line leading into the future, and it was Voldemort's chosen line, and Harry did not know what came after this.

"Rarity Belle," said Voldemort. "Touch your hand to Harry Potter's hand, and repeat these words. Magic that flows in me, bind this Vow."

Rarity spoke those words. Behind Voldemort the obelisks chanted, a language that Harry did not know; three times they repeated their words, then fell silent.

"Draco Malfoy," said Voldemort. "Think of the reasons why you might trust this boy if he had given this oath freely. Think of that potential for trust, and sacrifice it as you say..."

"By my trust that I hold for you," said Draco, "be you held."

And then it was Harry Potter's turn to repeat Lord Voldemort's words, and Harry did so.

"I vow..." Harry said. His voice shook, but he spoke. "That I shall not... by any act of mine... destroy the world... I shall take no chances... in not destroying the world... if my hand is forced... I may take the course... of lesser destruction over greater destruction... unless it seems to me that this Vow itself... leads to the world's end... and the friend... in whom I have confided honestly... agrees that this is so. By my own free will..." Harry could feel it, as the rite was invoked, the shining cords of power wrapping around his wand and Draco's wand, wrapping around his hand where Rarity's hand touched it, wrapping around his self on some disturbingly abstract level. Harry could feel himself invoking his power of free choice, and he knew that his next words would sacrifice it, that this was absolutely the last chance to turn back.

"...so shall it be," said the coldly precise voice of Lord Voldemort.

"...so shall it be," Harry repeated, and he knew at that moment that the content of the Vow was no longer something he could decide whether or not to do, it was simply the way in which his body and mind would move. It was not a vow he could break even by sacrificing his life in the process. Like water flowing downhill or a calculator summing numbers, it was just a thing-Harry-Potter-would-do.

"Did the Vow take, Draco?"

Draco sounded like he was weeping. "Yes... I have lost so much, please...."

"Return to your places... Good," said Voldemort. The Dark Lord floated high in the air, the black-clad figure overlooking the graveyard. The Dementors swarmed at his behest, surrounding the group, preparing to feast if the next step did not go as planned. "Better. Now I shall kill the Boy-Who-Lived."

Beneath the moonlight glints a tiny fragment of silver, a fraction of a line...

Voldemort noticed the trick of light from the corner of his eye and immediately reacted, sparing no time for further dramatics. As he loosed his mental instructions out for the Dementors to follow, the line expanded into something larger, something brighter, something blinding. The Dementors swooped downward.

(black robes, falling)

With a quick flick of his wrist, the knives that were poised threateningly against Spike, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Rarity pushed into their flesh and drew themselves savagely across their throats.

...blood spills out in liters

The five witches and the dog fell to the ground in crumpled heaps, and Harry barely had time to register the shock before the blinding silver light was the only thing that he or anyone in the graveyard could see.

...and someone screams a word.

Comments

[Eruantalon]

Having Draco sacrifice for the vow is cruel. Well told.

[RDDash]

...blood spills out in liters

Team good guys died. The End.