Second Place - Romance

DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Harry fearlessly held his ground, heedless of the wizarding war raging furiously around them. He felt quite confident with his mentor Severus Snape guarding his back as he faced Voldemort. Harry�s teacher had been secretly training the young wizard for the past several months.

Figures old snake face would decide to attack Hogwarts early though, Harry thought to himself. The Halloween feast had just begun when the alarms signaling the collapse of the school wards had sounded. Nodding to his friends and the other members of the DA, Harry quickly stood and made his way to the front doors with the majority of the teachers. Professor Dumbledore had seemingly anticipated such an attack because contingency plans were quickly put into action. Professor Vector and Argus Filch were to gather the younger students and lead them to the relative safety of the dungeons. Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape had worked for weeks to secure some of the rooms in the labyrinth that was known as the dungeons.

Oddly enough, Harry felt rather calm in the midst of the chaos of war. He had had months to accept the prophecy and he had come to terms with the fact that he probably would not survive the final confrontation with Voldemort. At first the idea of his death had tormented him, but as time wore on Harry began to make peace with the thought. After all, dying would finally free him from the pain of his life and the emptiness in his heart and soul. Harry had watched the last couple of years as those around him had found companionship and love while he had remained alone. The truth was that he was so busy training to defeat Voldemort and that there had been no time for romance in his life.

Harry tried to accept that there were good reasons why he was alone, but that couldn�t stop the pain clutching his heart as he lay awake in bed in the middle of the night. It couldn�t stop him from feeling as though he were only half a person. It didn�t stop him from wanting someone of his own to love. Someone who would want him just for being Harry, not for being the Boy-Who-Lived or the bloody Savior-of-the-Wizarding-World. Unfortunately, the few times he had tried to date, it quickly became obvious that the other person was not interested in Harry but only in his fame and that persona. Then add to that the fact that Harry had begun to realize that he preferred men to women and the result was that he felt even more alone.

It was odd, Harry reflected, that the person he had spent the most time with the past several months was his potions master, Severus Snape. Well, at least he acknowledged, Snape never sees me as anything but an annoying young boy. Harry had trained hard with the unyielding man and they had forged a tentative relationship. The young Gryffindor wouldn�t call it friendship, but it certainly was no longer open hostility. The most frustrating thing for Harry though was the fact that no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn�t seem to please the older man. Sometimes, Harry even swore that just when he had managed to break through to the stoic potions master, then the man would inexplicitly pull away and become even more aloof and detached.

Shaking his head, Harry forced his attention back onto what Voldemort was saying. Really, he found himself wondering idly, is there a villainy class that teaches how to bore one�s opponents to death? Giving a theatrical yawn, Harry interrupted Moldy�s spiel. "Yeah, yeah, Tom, but really, who do you think is the shoe-in for this year�s world cup?" There, thought Harry, I can be idiotic too.

Harry had to laugh as his antagonist�s face turned even redder. He wouldn�t have thought it possible, but the shade clashed with the reptilian red eyes. The creature that had once been Tom Riddle sputtered in indignation. Never had he, the Dark Lord, the most feared wizard in centuries, been treated with such blatant disregard for his powers. And now here was this twit of a boy who dared to act as though he was actually bored by the great Lord Voldemort.

Watching the emotions and thoughts swirl behind the red eyes, Harry gauged that he had injected just enough frivolity to annoy Voldemort without sending the monster over the edge. Harry had spent much time thinking over past encounters and had decided that if there was one thing that Moldy didn�t like it was to not be taken seriously. So the young man had decided to play up that angle and when the time was ripe he would strike. It didn�t hurt that Moldy continuously underestimated him either. Professor Snape had trained Harry well and the young wizard now had a tremendous amount of control over an almost unimaginable amount of raw power. His mentor had been stunned when he had begun to realize just how powerful Harry truly was. But while Severus was shocked, Albus Dumbledore had been almost giddy with joy. Harry had the sneaking suspicion that the old wizard had known all along just how much power Harry would come into on his 17th birthday.

Standing guard next to Harry, Severus was shocked that the brash Gryffindor�s crazy plan seemed to actually be working. The irritating boy had decided that he needed to distract the Dark Lord in order to obtain an advantage in a wizarding duel. Oddly enough, Potter had picked up on the bastard�s fondness for self-glorifying speeches and also his fanatical self-importance. The Gryffindor then turned those insights into a way to drive the Dark Lord into a towering rage that would serve to wreck his concentration. Then Potter would be free to strike out and hopefully destroy the Dark Lord permanently. Of course, it being a barmy plan, the headmaster had been delighted and had whole-heartedly agreed to it. All of which had only served to further convince the potions master that the idea would never work.

Remus Lupin fought fiercely as Death Eaters battled against the forces of Light. The wolf in him had been unleashed and his opponents were quick to feel his fury. Cutting a swath through the foes facing him, Remus was able to join up with Kingsley Shacklebolt as the Auror battled with a particularly large and dangerous Death Eater. The Auror had just dealt a debilitating hex when he felt the presence of another behind him. Spinning around, wand at the ready, he relaxed as he saw that it was another member of the Order of the Phoenix who had arrived. Nodding grimly, Kingsley turned back to face the never ending tide of dark wizards. Remus stood by his side and raising his own wand readied himself to continue in the battle.

Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger and the other members of the DA were facing similar circumstances. Bravely the students fought the much older and more experienced Death Eaters, not allowing the taunts about their age and abilities to rattle them as they traded hexes and curses. Surprisingly the students were holding their own with only a few slight injuries as they slowly began to incapacitate their opponents.

Albus Dumbledore stood on the battleground that the school grounds had been turned into. Nearby Minerva McGonagall and Filius Flitwick were flinging curses at the Death Eaters who dared to face two such experienced fighters. Hagrid was physically battling dark wizards over by the forest with his brother Grawp. The young giant was a force to be reckoned with as he used his tree-turned-club to sweep the attackers off their feet and his roar could be heard over the shouts of his opponents. Albus felt the weight of the battle on his shoulders as he faced his own opponent. Lucius Malfoy proudly faced his once headmaster and now enemy as they slowly circled one another. The blond autocrat sneered as he regarded the older wizard. "Your time is up old man. Our Lord will be victorious this day and all that you hold dear will perish."

"I think not, Lucius. There is power here that is greater than even your Lord Voldemort can possibly imagine. You cannot think that you will triumph this day," Albus said solemnly as he prepared for attack from the Death Eater.

"Oh, but I do, Headmaster," this said with a sneer. "Even though you managed to corrupt my former son and heir. Rest assured that before this day is through that the worthless creature my wife bore will no longer exist."

Albus frowned as he regarded the younger wizard. He had the patience to wait for the right moment and though it would bring him no joy to kill Lucius, he would do it if for no other reason than to protect young Draco Malfoy. Albus had been absolutely delighted when Severus had brought his godson to him and the boy had asked for protection against his father and Voldemort. Severus had been diligently working for years to ensure that Draco had another path to follow. The joy and pride in the stern potions master�s face was only apparent to one who knew the man well.

On another part of the school grounds Draco Malfoy stood side by side with his mother Narcissa and their relative Nymphadora Tonks. Not far away the Weasley twins were brandishing their own sort of wizarding weaponry. Part jokesters, part strategists, the duo were proving to be formidable opponents. Laughter could be heard as the twins watched one of their jokes incapacitate a couple of Death Eaters. Draco concentrated on battling more of his father�s friends and fellow Death Eaters. It sickened the young Slytherin to think that he could ever have thought to follow in his father�s footsteps. Fortunately for him, his godfather, Severus Snape had been there throughout the years, quietly guiding and leading him along another path.

Narcissa felt the exhilaration as even in the heat of battle she felt free and alive. She had literally spent the past several years in the shadows of her husband�s zealous devotion to the monster who had threatened to take her only child from her. And now she was standing by her son�s side, fighting with him to free the world of that evil tyrant and his followers. The vibrant woman knew that her husband was somewhere in this mayhem, battling against the forces of Light. She only hoped that the cold-hearted bastard would not live to see the end of the battle.

Seemingly nonchalant, Harry watched Voldemort�s temper grow as he perceived that Harry was belittling him. So far, so good, Harry thought to himself. He was well aware that a wizard needed to be in complete control of his faculties and his emotions if he were to wield his magic effectively. And with old Moldy growing more and more upset, his control was wavering. Now, for the clincher: "Oh, Tommy boy, is it true that you were voted the villain most likely to be beaten by a student?"

Lord Voldemort had never known such fury before. He had listened to endless taunts and jibes from the Boy-Who-Bloody-Refused-to-Die-Already. How dare this insolent whelp of a boy mock him? And to see the traitor, Snape, standing by his side. "You have had your lassst joke, boy. "Crucio!" the serpent screeched.

However, Harry had been waiting for this moment. Harry easily sidestepped the hastily spoken spell even as he raised a powerful shield not only around himself but also his professor. Before the words had even left Voldemort�s mouth, Harry had fired back his own curse that spelled the doom of the most evil wizard to terrorize the world in centuries. Harry watched as the evil wizard succumbed in a blaze of magic fire and smoke. All that was left of the once man was a noxious pile of ashes. The powerful young wizard then spoke the incantation that Professor Snape had taught him. The spell would complete the deed and destroy Voldemort.

Harry felt his strength fading even as he watched the remains of his parents� murderer dissipate. The world faded to grey and then to black as he fell into the abyss of unconsciousness.

The Flipside of Sanity - Chapter 2

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