Into The West

By: DramaPrincess87

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor the song "Into The West".  They belong to JK Rowling, Howard Shore, Fran Walsh, and Annie Lennox respectively.

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Lay down
Your sweet and weary head
Night is falling
You have come to journey's end

Harry felt a jolt go through his body as his head fell back to meet the ground.  The dirt beneath his hair was gritty and a small cloud drifted over his glasses.  Dusk was falling around him, and he could hear the faint moans and cries of his fellow classmates and teachers.  He coughed, and a clot of blood fell from his mouth and landed on his shirt front.

Voldemort was gone.

Sleep now
Dream of the ones who came before
They are calling
From across a distant shore

What had happened minutes before was a blur.  Voldemort had approached, his eyes red with victory.  A flurry of spells... Voldemort's chilling laugh.. and then, a moment of weakness.  With his last bit of strength, Harry thought of his parents... Sirius... Ron and Hermione... and yelled the last spell he would ever use.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!!!"

And now Voldemort was gone.  The prophecy was fulfilled.  He was free.  But something had gone wrong.  A stray spell had hit him... something.  Something was wrong.

"Harry..."

His head turned slightly, searching for the owner of the voice.  It sounded familiar, but it was distant.  He couldn't place it.

"Harry."

It was his mother. 

Why do you weep?
What are these tears upon your face?
Soon you will see
All of your fears will pass away

"Mum."  Harry felt tears spring to his eyes.  One escaped his eyes and drifted down his dusty cheek, leaving a tell-tale path. 

"Why are you crying sweetling?"  He watched as she smiled softly at him, her red hair shining in the dusky light. 

"You're dead.  I must be hallucinating."

His mother just smiled at him.  "You're not hallucinating Harry.  It's time."

Safe in my arms
You're only sleeping

Harry looked at her.  "Time for what?"  It was a useless question.  He knew what it was time for.

"Time for you to join your dad and me.  Time for you to come home."

His voice was quiet.  "Now?"

Her visage swam in front of his eyes as he closed them to stave off the tears.  "Yes Harry."

What can you see?
On the horizon
Why do the white gulls call?

"Harry!!!"  Voices were rising around him.  He could hear Hermione's frantic voice as she ran through the battlefield.  "Ron!!"

Across the sea
A pale moon rises
The ships have come
To carry you home

Harry looked up at his mum.  "Can I say good-bye... to Ron and Hermione?"

She nodded.

And all will turn to silver glass
A light on the water
All souls pass

Hope fades
Into the world of night
Through shadows falling
Out of memory and time

"Hermione."  His voice was choked, tired.  It seemed to barely be a whisper, but yet it carried across the still battlefield.

"Harry?"  Hermione's head whipped up, as she struggled to help Ron to his feet.  She spotted the shine of his glasses from across the field and staggered to her feet, Ron's arm strung across her shoulders.  "Ron, it's Harry."

Ron raised his head, a cut above his eye darkened with blood.  "Come on then."  His left ankle was twisted, maybe broken.  He limped heavily, leaning on Hermione's shoulder, and hissing with pain every time he stumbled slightly.

As the reached Harry's side, Hermione's breath caught in her throat as she saw him.  "Oh Harry."  It fell unbidden from her lips, anguished.  Ron looked at him, his eyes deadened with pain.

Ron fell to his knees beside Harry, and Hermione followed suit on Harry's other side.

Harry coughed slightly.  "Hey Ron, Hermione."

Don't say
We have come now to the end
White shores are calling
You and I will meet again

"Hey Harry.  Fancy meeting you here."  Ron smiled brokenly, grabbing Harry's hand in his own and squeezing it slightly.

"Oh Harry.."  Hermione sighed softly, her eyes brimming with tears.  "We need to find you a mediwizard, you'll be fine and soon you'll be on your broom in no time."

"No I won't Hermione.  It's time for me to go." 

"No it's not!!" Hermione's voice broke as she shook her head angrily.  "You're going to be fine!!"

"Harry, mate, you're going to be okay.  Just let me go get.."

"No Ron.  It's time."  Harry's voice had a defeated quality, and his head fell slightly to the side as if he was too tired to hold it up properly.

"Harry, no!" Hermione whispered, tears sailing down her white cheeks, landing softly onto her robes.  "This can't be how it ends, you have to be okay.  Voldemort's gone.  You can be free.  We all can be free now.  It can't be like this!"  Ron put his other arm around Hermione's back as she began to sob brokenly.  She buried her head into his shoulder.

And you'll be here in my arms
Just sleeping

What can you see?
On the horizon
Why do the white gulls call?

"Harry..." Harry looked up and saw his mum faintly behind Ron and Hermione.  She was smiling and looking behind her.

"I see my mum.  She wants me to come with her.  She wants me to go home."  Harry lifted his head and smiled at them.  "I get to be with my mum and dad."

Hermione looked at him, and smiled sadly.  "Harry..."

Ron looked at Harry and rubbed his arm jerkily across his eyes.  "I'm going to miss you mate.  So damn much.  This isn't bloody fair!!"

Hermione looked at Harry's hand in Ron's and softly muttered, "Ron don't swear."

Ron looked at her incredulously, and rolled his eyes exaggeratedly at Harry.  "Mental, this one."  But he hugged Hermione closer to his side as he said it.

Harry grinned at them.  "Just promise me one thing."

"Anything Harry."

"Make sure you two name one of your kids after me.  Or at least make me a godfather or something."  He smiled amusedly as Hermione and Ron both blushed.

"Okay Harry.  We will."  Hermione's voice was surprisingly strong as she smiled at Harry, her cheeks stained red.  Ron looked at Hermione out of the corner of his eye, his eyes wide with hope and shock. 

"You heard the lady mate.  Guess we will be."

"Harry... it's time."  His mum was smiling down at the three youths.

"I guess it's time for me to go now." Harry whispered, coughing slightly.

Across the sea
A pale moon rises
The ships have come
To carry you home

"Harry!"  Hermione broke down, and buried her head into his shoulder.  "Harry, don't leave us, you can't leave us!!"

Ron let out a sob, and buried his eyes into his free arm as his shoulders shuddered.

"Guys... I won't leave you.  I'll always be looking out for you.  Just don't forget me."  Harry let his hand drift slightly over Hermione's hair, as he squeezed Ron's hand firmly.

"Never." Hermione's voice choked out, as she dragged her tear-stained face from his shirt.  "We'll never forget you. Ever."

"Good-bye Hermione."

"Good-bye Harry."  She leaned down and kissed him softly on the forehead, breathing in his scent to cement it to her memory.

"Bye Ron."

"Good-bye Harry."  Ron squeezed Harry's hand, then leaned down and embraced him as fully as he could.  "Love you."  Ron's voice was harsh as he whispered it into Harry's ear.  He then sat up jerkily, and wiped at his eyes.

"I love you both.  You're my family... I never told you that."  Harry's own voice became anguished as he looked at them huddled at his side.

"You never needed to.  We always knew."  A smile flitted across Hermione's face as she wiped away a stray tear.

Harry smiled, and closed his eyes.  "Good-bye."

Then, Harry opened his eyes and realized that he was standing up. 

"Hello Harry." He turned and saw that his mother was beside him.

"Mum!"  Harry threw himself at her, and couldn't help but grin as he felt her arms encircle him.  He looked over her shoulder and saw his motionless body lying in the dusty battlefield, Ron and Hermione crouched around him crying and holding each other.  But then another voice encroached on his consciousness.

"Hello son."  Harry pulled away from his mother and noticed his father standing slightly to the left.  James pushed his glasses up his nose and grinned.

"Dad!"  It was all Harry could do to keep from crying and yelling.  He hugged his father close, and felt a missing piece of himself clank into place.

"Let's go.  There are some people waiting for us."  Lily smiled at the sight of her son and his father together.  She reached out her hand and beckoned to Harry.  "Come here Harry."

Harry took hold of her hand, and felt his father's hand encircle the other.  As they turned to walk from the field, he took one look back at Ron and Hermione. 

Hermione's head lifted.  Her breath caught and she whispered Ron's name.  They looked on together as Harry clasped his parents hands.  Ron smiled and Hermione leaned her head against his shoulder. 

"He has his family now."  Her voice was hushed, and Ron bent his head down to kiss her forehead.

Harry felt a cloud leave his heart.  They would be okay.  They all would.  He faced foreward, and walked towards the light.  He could feel his parent's hands, and he tightened his grip on them as he saw his relatives and Sirius at the other end.

He was home.

And all will turn to silver glass
A light on the water
Grey ships pass
Into the west.