Disharmony in the Dungeons

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to JKR. All situations are mine. No $$$ is being made from this fanfic.
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Chapter 46 ~ Voldemort's Reckoning

Severus and Hermione looked down on the prone body of Voldemort. The Dark Lord looked up at them maliciously, his red eyes glittering. How dare they put him in this position. They were mere peons. They were not worthy to kill him. The Dark Lord tried to move. His pinky finger moved a little. Maybe his paralysis was wearing off.

"What do you want to do, Hermione?" Severus asked his wife.

"Kill him," Hermione hissed viciously. "I want to kill him myself. With the Killing Curse."

Hermione had never cast the curse before, but knew one had to have the power of hatred behind it, to make the curse work. She had enough hate in her to kill a hundred Voldemorts.

Severus looked down at the paralyzed wizard.

"No. That is too easy a death for the likes of him, Hermione. He has to suffer before he dies," Severus said, his black eyes raking over the Dark Lord, who now had feeling in his arms and legs. He was coming around quickly. He lay very still, hoping to catch the couple by surprise.

Hermione looked at Severus, her brow furrowed. She could kill the Dark Lord with the curse, but she had no stomach for torture.

"Severus, I can't do torture," she said quietly, "As much as he deserves to suffer, I simply can't do it."

Severus shifted his black eyes toward his wife.

"You won't have to, Hermione. I want you to leave him with me. I assure you, he will be dead by morning," Severus said, "And I will make sure that his death is a painful one and alert the wizarding world to his demise afterwards. Will that satisfy your lust for revenge?"

Hermione looked down at Voldemort. He had tortured her husband for years. He had harmed her, but that was only one instance. Severus had much more invested in the wizard's cruelty. She knew Severus would do the job right.

"Yes," she said, frowning down at Voldemort, "that would satisfy me, Severus."

Hermione wished she could stay and watch her husband slowly kill the wizard, but she didn't have the stomach for it. It would haunt her for the rest of her life.

Suddenly Voldemort sat up and tried to fire the Killing curse at Hermione.

"Avada Kedavra!" he shouted, thrusting his hands toward the startled witch.

Severus was caught by surprise. But nothing happened. The Dark Lord looked shocked, and Severus kicked him in the face, knocking him back down to the ground. Voldemort had tried to kill Hermione wandlessly. Bad, bad move.

Since the elixir did not contain Nagini's venom, he was not restored magically. In effect, Voldemort was magic-less. A muggle. A very ugly muggle. The Dark Lord's hand went to his bleeding mouth as he lay on the ground, looking up at the Potions Master with blatant hatred.

"You just tried to kill my wife," Severus seethed at him, his brows drawn together.

He turned to Hermione, who was shaking at the close call.

"Are you all right, Hermione?" Severus asked her, gripping her by the shoulders. He had almost lost her, again.

"I'm fine, Severus," she replied, her voice quavering.

"Good," Severus said, turning to the Dark Lord again. "I think it is time to leave us, wife."

Hermione nodded.

"Make him pay, Severus. For everything. For every evil act he's ever done, for every innocent he's ever killed or had killed," she whispered, her eyes alight with hatred as she looked down on the Dark Wizard for the last time.

"I promise you, I will Hermione. He will pay, believe me," the Potions Master replied.

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In her small room off the hallway, next to Peter's lab, Nagini felt her Master's distress. Her door was never completely closed, and the snake nudged it open and slid down the hall, heading for the throne room. Hermione had left the door open when she ran out to stun Peter. The snake slithered to the door and looked out. She saw her Master on the ground and two deatheaters standing over him. The snake could feel Voldemort's fear and knew he was in danger. Nagini watched as the smaller deatheater disapparated. Now there was only one. Better odds.

The snake didn't hiss, but slid quietly toward the Potions Master who was leaning over her master. The wizard grabbed him by the throat and pulled him to his feet. He was choking Voldemort.

Voldemort was gasping for air as Severus cut off his supply. The wizard saw Nagini, and mentally called for her help. The snake sped up, closing in on the unsuspecting Professor. Voldemort's eyes shifted just a little too quickly and Severus noticed it. Not bothering to turn around, Severus released the Dark Lord and leapt away, just as Nagini struck. The snake missed him. Nagini reared up, spreading her hood and hissing dangerously, trying to protect Voldemort, who moved behind her.

Severus scowled at the snake for a moment. He had always hated it. The Potions Master thrust out his hand and blasted the snake to bloody, wriggling bits, much of which coated Voldemort.

"NOOO, NAGINI!" Voldemort cried out as his faithful familiar was destroyed before his eyes. He brushed the pieces of the snake from his naked skin helplessly, then looked at Severus hatefully.

"You killed my familiar," he hissed at the Potions Master

"Yes. Yes I did. It was very satisfying," Severus replied, unbuttoning his robes.

"What are you doing?" the Dark Lord asked him.

"I'm going to give you a chance to defend yourself, my Lord, wizard to wizard, sans magic," Severus replied, removing his robe, and starting on his cuffs.

The Dark Lord quailed. He was no match for Severus. He hadn't fought anyone physically in years.

"I am no match for you," the Dark Lord said, watching as Severus unbuttoned his shirt.

Severus paused.

"I know," he said, smiling slightly as he removed his shirt, "that's what's going to make this so enjoyable."

The Dark Lord began to back up, his eyes flicking desperately around the room. They fell on his throne. His wand was lying in the seat. He ran for the dais, Severus taking off behind him.

The Dark Lord was surprisingly quick, he reached the dais, grabbed his wand and pointed it at Severus, who skidded to a stop.

"Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort hissed, hatred dripping from the lisped syllables.

Again, nothing happened.

"Shit!" Voldemort cursed, flinging the wand at Severus, who threw up his arms, the wand bouncing harmlessly off them. Voldemort attempted to run again. This time Severus caught him, turned him and hit him in the face with a crushing right cross that knocked the naked thin wizard across the throne room. Voldemort staggered to keep his footing as Severus walked toward him slowly.

"Defend yourself, my Lord. I'm giving you a sporting chance," Severus said in a low voice.

Voldemort took a swing at him, but Severus slipped it, and hit him in the solar plexus with such force, the Dark Lord bent over, then dropped to his knees, heaving and gasping. Severus looked down at him.

"Come on," he said coldly, backing up so Voldemort could rise.

After a few moments, Voldemort rose, putting his hands up in an attempt to defend himself.

"That's better," Severus said, moving in again. He swung again, plowing through Voldemort's upraised hands and hitting his chin with a satisfying crunch, breaking the wizard's jaw. Voldemort fell again, holding his ruined jaw. He was going to be beaten to death by his servant.

"Get up!" Severus hissed.

Voldemort struggled to regain his footing. He stood up and faced Severus, who leapt on the Dark Lord and began beating him mercilessly and brutally, his fists slamming into his face and body over and over again, knocking him around the throne room, and dragging him up off the floor by his throat when he fell, pummeling him until he heard the satisfying cracking of ribs. Finally he stopped. The Dark Lord was on the ground, kneeling on all fours, blood running from his mouth and nose, his scaly face swollen horribly, his red eyes puffed to slits. He had never known such pain. Severus looked down on him, his fists covered with blood.

"Now that you have been properly tenderized, my Lord, I am ready for the next part of my revenge. You have watched me and others brutalize women for your enjoyment for years. You ordered the most horrible acts performed on them while you were a casual observer," Severus said. "You ordered me to brutalize my wife, and you watched as I practically destroyed her for your pleasure."

He walked around the wizard and stood behind him.

"Let's see how you like being on the receiving end, you sick fuck," Severus snarled, undoing his pants and lowering the front of his silk boxers.

"NOOOOO!" Voldemort cried.

The Potions Master didn't seem to hear him.

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It was eight o'clock in the morning when the early risers of Hogsmeade heard the sudden crack of thunder as it echoed from the middle of the street. Suddenly a body appeared, followed by another crack of thunder.

People gasped and approached the bleeding, naked, broken body cautiously. They looked down. Shouts went up.

"It's the Dark Lord! He's dead!"

Yes, it was Voldemort…or what was left of him. His entire body except for his face, was flayed of flesh, red and glistening. At some points, his broken ribs showed through. Blood oozed from between his buttocks, from his loins and from his neck. His throat was cut, and he had something hanging out of his mouth. Closer examination showed it was his long, snakelike cock, the balls still attached. Pandemonium broke out as people ran, screaming the news.

There was no doubt about it. Voldemort was dead.

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Hermoine was sitting in the armchair in the study, when she heard the crack of apparition. Severus had returned and walked out of the bedroom. He looked exhausted.

Hermione jumped up and ran to him, flinging herself into his arms. Although Voldemort had been helpless when she left, she was still worried about her husband.

"Are you all right, Severus?" she asked him, clinging to him, savoring the comforting hardness of his body.

"I'm fine, Hermione," he said, looking down at her. "And the Dark Lord is dead. His evil will never touch us again."

Hermione absorbed this. It felt unreal. The Dark Lord was gone.

"How did you kill him?" she asked her husband.

"Slowly and painfully," the Potions Master replied, his eyes going cold at the memory of skinning the screaming wizard. "He suffered, believe me."

Hermione nodded. Severus looked closely at her, noticing the dark circles under her eyes.

"Didn't you sleep at all last night?" he asked her.

"I couldn't sleep, knowing you were with Voldemort. I was worried," she replied, tightening her hold on him. Severus caressed her hair.

"You shouldn't have been. Come on, let's get some sleep," he said, walking with her back to their bedroom.

"But what about classes?" Hermione said, looking up at her husband.

Severus smirked.

"I have a feeling classes will be cancelled today," he replied.

And he was right.

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The news of Voldemort's mysterious and brutal death spread across the wizarding world like wildfire. The Daily Prophet put out a hasty mid-morning edition to cover the event. Albus Dumbledore suspended classes indefinitely, stunned at the death of the Dark Lord without Harry Potter's involvement.

Who had done this?

Albus sat in his office at his desk, a strange look on his face. Fawkes trilled in the background trying to comfort the old wizard. The Prophecy hadn't been set in stone after all, and Harry wasn't the hero the Headmaster thought he was destined to be. They could have attacked Voldemort at any time, rather than wait for him to initiate the Final Battle. So many had died because of his decision to follow Sybil Trelawney's prediction. It had seemed so real, so authentic.

Dumbledore folded his hands in front of him. He had made a costly and grievous error in judgment. But nothing could be done about that now. Now that the threat of Voldemort had been extinguished, he had a future to plan. But before he began that, he needed to have a word with one Potions Master and his brilliant little wife.

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A/N: Yay! Voldemort is dead. Ooh, and what a death. I'm not even going to comment on Severus' payback. Man oh man. Please review.