An Alternate End

Harry was held up above Voldemort as he strode through the great hall, firing spells at the remaining students with ease and evil grace. Hermione and Ron ran through the fighting crowd after the man that had killed their best friend; their hands were entwined and identical glares sat upon their grief stricken faces. They watched Harry being tossed through the air; they heard the thump as his empty dead body hit the ground, both of them flinched. Voldemort looked down at his enemy; just a boy, barely a man, dead by his hand. His red eyes glittered as he took in the cold form that was so bloody and bruised. Voldemort now looked up and spotted the two figures that stood still, they were set apart from the others, the other children that were being crushed by his forces. He laughed; those eyes! The remains of the golden trio stepped forward into the circle that held Voldemort and the breathless boy. Voldemort lifted his wand and with it he drew their friend from the floor and raised his lifeless limbs. The pair faltered, the girl held back a whimper, while the boy snarled, eyes blazing. Potter's body was now high enough for Voldemort to lay his long fingers on; he lifted the chin of the corpse so that the head lolled back. Voldemort grasped the boy's burnt clothes. He had been his. His prize, his killing. The two had now reached Voldemort properly; they stood only paces from him. Voldemort glared at the children who had kept Harry hidden, the ones who had helped shield his prize. As an act of mental torture, Voldemort laughed and made a sharp movement with his wand; causing the boy's body to crash into the ground; raising dust and shaking the shards of glass.

"Harry..." The girl could hardly help herself. Her eyes were swollen and shone with unshed tears, her hair hung limp around her cut and pale face. The dull brown eyes never left the body on the floor. She took a half hearted step towards him, but the other child stopped her. His eyes never left Voldemort's; his breath was quick and ragged. His best friend lay dead upon the floor and one could almost feel the anger crackle through the air.

"He was mine to take. He gave his life for you." Voldemort drew his high cold words out and watched the mental torture his sentence had caused the beaten pair. "You only had to turn your back...And, gone." He whispered the last word before turning away from them. He stepped over the body and cast his arms out. He pointed his wand towards the enchanted ceiling and cracked its magic with his bitter laugh. Voldemort was the focus point of all this mayhem and now that his back was turned, Hermione and Ron dropped to their knees; anger gone. Hermione lightly brushed the hair from her friends closed eyes; she tilted the cracked glasses and a tear drop landed on his sallow and empty face. Hermione brushed them away. Ron stared down at his best friend and leant forward to grip his lifeless hand. He squeezed and a look of hope flickered across his face, as if he expected Harry to grasp his hand back. The broken trio sat together for a last moment before the silent clam that had come over them broke. Hermione and Ron both glared at the dark man robed in swaying black. His head was raised to the sky and they both looked up together as rain began to fall in the great hall for the first time. Their stares were broken when Voldemort spun around to face them. His wand was raised and a cold sneer played across his lipless mouth. "You will pay; both of you, for keeping him from Me." his words echoed even though the hall was rent with screams and yells.

Harry slowly opened his eyes and found himself looking up at the cracked ceiling of the great hall.

How did I get here?" Harry asked himself, the last thing he remembered was the forest, the darkness. The moment of death alone, facing his final demise. Harry had come back to finish this, and finish this he would.

Harry began to notice the surroundings, he saw the battle raging around him, he stared as Ginny ran though his line of sight; sobbing while screaming somebody's name. Her eyes were fierce but the way she leapt at her enemies was weak and half lived; like she no longer cared. It suddenly hit him. They must have all seen his broken form, coming out of the forest. Ginny was morning for him. Ron, Hermione, Harry thought of his best friends as his eyes came to rest on them, hands grasping each other while kneeling next to Harry. His heart jumped when he saw them living, with hearts beating and lungs breathing. They both stared at an unknown figure, Harry couldn't turn his head to see, it was like an invisible force was keeping him frozen; for his own good.

Finally Harry's hearing came flooding back and he heard the cold voice of Voldemort. The shock allowed him to breathe; his chest heaved and he gasped. Neither of his friends noticed as he was shocked back to reality, he turned his head and heard Voldemort cry,

"CRUCIO!" His wand was pointed at Ron or Hermione, he didn't know for sure. All he knew was movement. He had died to save his friends from harm, which still applied.

Around him, Harry didn't notice the deatheaters slowly lose their battles. Now they were being taken down one by one. Hitting the floor with a final thump. The others began to retreat out the back of the hall, students and teachers hot on their heels.

Harry knelt up and took the torture curse in the chest. While Harry screamed, he watched Voldemort's wide eyes as he took in the image of the living Harry. His shock turned into a hardened face of fury. Harry felt his friends hold his shuddering body and he heard their screams of anger and misery. Finally it stopped and Harry lay shivering in the arms of his two best friends, they looked down at him with shock and mixed hope. Harry gave them a small shaky smile and croaked,

"Couldn't go without saying goodbye could I? Hermione let out a sob and it was drowned by Voldemort's scream of rage.

"Potter! Stand and face me so I can kill you properly!" Harry let out a half hearted laugh as he pried himself from his friends grip. They sat and watched, still overwhelmed by Harry's return.

He stood on shaking legs and reached inside his jacket for the short black wand. Harry could not hide behind his holly and phoenix wand. They began to circle each other and Harry picked up noises from the entrance, the army was filing back into the hall. Whispers held Harry's name, he smiled slightly as he heard Ginny gasp.

"I gave my life to safe these people Tom. I died to stop the killings, the pain, but look what it has done. The place you called your home lies in ruins and the innocent lie across the floor. Where are your deatheaters now Tom?" Voldemort snarled and an ugly face of evil passed over the bone white skull. He lifted his wand he pointed at Harry as he spat,

"You gave your life for nothing. You haven't saved anyone! Your very existence has been the cause of all these deaths, the lives wiped from this earth because you stand here." He jabbed his wand at Harry "Living!"

Harry stopped in front of his friends, he would die protecting them, no matter what, and he took a deep breath and waited for the moment.

"Avada Kedavra!"

"Expelliarmus!"

The wands met for just a second and Harry felt his scar tug. Harry watched as the elder wand spun into the air and fall right into his open left hand. Voldemort fell back; eyes wide before rolling up into his skull. His body hit the ground and there was a brief second before the air was rent with yells of victory. People jumped and punched the air while others cried with relief that it was finally over.

Harry stood still, and his wand dropped to the ground. He let his arm fall to his side. He didn't register the victory, the celebrations. The only two people who had noticed his absence where his two best friends. Ron and Hermione stood together and walked around to face Harry.

"Harry?" They both said at once, "You did it." Harry's knees buckled and he fell forward, Ron caught him and lowered Harry to the floor carefully. Harry's head rested between his two crouching companions. They lent over him and tears fell freely from them both. The crowd had stopped, the silence was deafening. A circle formed around the golden trio, an invisible acceptance that was there so they could say their last goodbyes. Cries hit the skies and tears fell from each battered face. Professors looked on with empathy and hopelessness, while students looked with respect and loss. Their hero was leaving; the connection had been too strong.

Neither could live.

Harry looked up at Hermione and Ron and said,

"We did it." Before his last breath died upon his lips and lids covered those green eyes for the last time...

19 years later

The girls auburn curly hair blew in the wind. April had died. The child looked up at her mother who stood with a stony face, looking down on the white marble grave which bore the name

Harry James Potter

Born 31st July 1980

Died 2nd May 1998

He gave what was rightfully his. His life ended with one final act of bravery and honour and wiped the earth clean once again. He will be remembered.

The young girl looked back to her parents who were quietly crying, heads bent and hands moulded together.

"Did you miss him mummy?" she asked; face facing upwards into their eyes. Her mother sniffed and nodded. Her parents both said together,

"Oh we miss him alright; we just couldn't go without saying goodbye."

...

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry .

An alternate end to the last Harry Potter book

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