DISCLAIMER: As the author of this fan fiction story I do not, in any way, profit from the story or claim any rights to the 'Harry Potter' universe. All creative rights to the 'Harry Potter' universe belong to J.K. Rowling. Thank you for letting me play in this amazing world.
CHAPTER ONE
It was over. As Tom Riddle's body fell to the ground for the last time students, teachers, Order members, and all who had joined in the fight again Voldemort and his forces were quiet. The death eaters and army of the dark who were battling against the light also stopped in mid-curse, and watched their powerful master fall to the floor as easily as any mortal. The dawn sun suddenly blazed through the castle's east windows and broken walls and illuminated the thick dust that hung in the air from the battle, and covered the shoulders and hair of all in the castle. For a moment, the intensity of the light created an almost beautiful scene, washing out the blood stains and rubble that littered the floors and walls, and cast the room in a warm glittering glow.
Harry Potter raised his head toward the light, feeling overwhelmingly emotional as "a fierce new sun" (J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, pg. 745) rose over the death of Voldemort, and seemed to wash away the weight and fear of the past seven years. He slowly turned his head to look around him and saw Hermione smiling at him with tears on her cheeks from across the room, mirroring his emotions in her face. He continued to look around him and saw the sun light up the room, illuminating his friends, classmates, professors, and Order members as they stood ready to give up their lives for the greater good. Disbelief marked the faces of all who witnessed Voldemort's final battle, but after the body remained still and marred on the floor for long moments the school erupted around Harry Potter.
"FOR HOGWARTS!" Harry bellowed as he jumped into the suddenly raging battle, hearing his call echoed around the room by others. The battle suddenly gained a new intensity as the Light realized that the Dark leader was dead, and they now only need to get rid of Voldemort's followers to win. The noise in the Grand Hall was deafening with the shouts and screams of both sides, and crashes and vibrations as Hogwart's walls were blasted with missed curses and spells. Harry ran through the throngs, cutting down Death Eaters and giant spiders as they came in his path, trying to find Hermione and Ron. He spotted Hermione tiredly holding off two Death Eaters in the corner of the room, and from the corner of his eye saw a black mass of curly hair circling up behind her, unseen. Bellatrix LeStrange, Harry recognized, shuddering as he remembered what she had done to Hermione. Of course the bitch had lived through the battle so far.
"HERMIONE! HERMIONE! BEHIND YOU!" He shouted out frantically as he saw the maniacal woman raise her wand to his girlfriend. He was trapped in the battle, unable to move forward to get to her. Hermione, amazingly, heard his voice calling her name, and with a quick turn of her head saw Bellatrix LeStrange coming toward her. As he watched, Hermione surprised the two Death Eaters she was fighting with a spell that threw them against the wall and knocked them out. She left them there as she turned to face Bellatrix, the woman walking around her in a slow semi-circle, like an animal who has cornered its pray. Harry could see Hermione keep her face neutral and her back rigid as she faced her enemy. Suddenly Bellatrix lunged her wand forward.
"Crucio!" Harry heard her cry, and the curse burst through Hermione's quick protection spell. Hermione fell to her hands and knees, trying not to scream as the curse rippled through her. Harry renewed his frantic pushing through the people around him, but he was just too far away. Suddenly, Hermione's hand grasped her wand from where it had fell beside her hand and a protective bubble shot up around her, protecting her trembling body from the curse. Harry was amazed that she had been able to throw off the Unforgivable, especially given the weak state her body had been in even before the Battle. Harry noticed another person walking towards the two women; Neville was walking up behind Bellatrix, wand drawn, staring at Hermione over the maniac's shoulder. Harry knew he was determined to give the woman payback for robbing his parents of their sanity. Hermione gave Neville an almost imperceptible nod, and quickly dropped her shield, as she and Neville yelled a curse at Bellatrix simultaneously .
"CRUCIO!"
Bellatrix dropped to the ground writhing and screaming as she suffered a double hit of the curse that had been her torture specialty. Hermione and Neville walked towards the woman on the floor, holding the curse on her. Neville let his tears run down his face, in memory of his parents Harry assumed, and Hermione watched the woman writhe with a hard face. The woman begged and pleaded with them to let up the curse, but they ignored her.
"You're dead, LeStrange," Neville yelled at the woman with punctuated words, "This is for every person who has ever suffered at your hand. This is for my parents…" he choked out. "AVADA KEDAVRA!"
Bellatrix LeStrange laid still on the floor in front of them. Hermione turned to look at Neville and took his hand. He smiled back at her through his tears.
"We have a war to win." Neville regained his grip on the Sword of Gryffindor and his wand, and lunged back into the throng of the battle with a renewed energy. Hermione stood for a moment, just watching the battle in the Grand Hall and perhaps taking a moment to recuperate, and Harry saw Ron run over to join her. He knew Ron would stay with her, so Harry turned his full attention back to the battle with a racing heartbeat, seeing that the Light now vastly outnumbered the dark and that only a few straggling Death Eaters were left in the hall.
Not long after, the mood of the battle started to calm, the earlier intensity dying down as the last Death Eaters were taken down. Suddenly, Harry could see people stopping and looking around them, searching for more enemies but not finding them. A quiet covered the castle once again as the Light took a silent moment to realize that they had just won. It erupted moments later into clamour and every occupant of the castle started cheering and shooting up sparks of light into the air. Harry wanted to join them, but needed to find his friends first. He pushed his way through the crowd, smiling at his classmates and friends. He stopped as he saw Ron and Hermione feet away from him, seemingly looking for him as well. He launched himself at his friends with a hunger, needing to know they were alive and fine, and grabbed them together in a hug. Hermione was sobbing where she had wrapped herself around Harry's neck, and he could feel her warm tears dripping onto his shoulder. Ron had one strong arm around Harry's shoulders, and the other around Hermione's back, and was smiling at Harry with unshed tears in his eyes.
"I'm sorry," Harry uttered loud enough for only his friends to hear. He could only imagine what they had gone through when they saw Hagrid carrying him to Hogwarts. Hermione lifted her scratched and dirty face from Harry's shoulder and gave him her brilliant smile.
"You did it Harry, it's over!" Harry smiled back at her and Ron, and used his thumbs to wipe , the remaining tears off her face.
"No Hermione, we did it, I could have never finished this without you and Ron by my side, I owe you both everything." He looked at Ron, whom hadn't said anything to him yet, and was greeted by a clap on the back from the speechless Ron.
"I don't know what we would have done without ya, mate", he finally uttered, hastily wiping away a few tears that escaped as he said this.
They beamed at each other for a few moments before remembering the crowd of people around them. All around them, people were cheering, hugging, and watching the three friends. Noticing their attention was back on the crowd around them, a new set of cheers erupted for the three, and the crowd rushed in towards them for congratulations.