Disclaimer: As much as I would love to claim I own Harry Potter, sadly I can only claim owning a set of books written by the real author. That said; Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling. This story is mine, however, and any familiarity to other fan based works is accidental.

AN: This story is one that came to mind after reading HP and the HBP. Like the multitudes of others writing about it, I too wanted to make my own ending to the saga. Since this is my second attempt at writing a story don't be surprised if it is a little slow at first. I am trying, please be patient while I learn. Thanks.

"…" denotes speech

'…' denotes thoughts

A Journey's End

Chapter 1: Reflections

The residents of Privet Drive have always prided themselves on being normal. Normal homes, normal people, and normal problems. The residents of number four Privet Drive prided themselves on this more than most. That is why the surrounding community would be surprised to know that the Dursley household was the least normal on Privet Drive.

This summer started differently than the last few summers because Mrs. Dursley's nephew was home earlier than usual. And, like all things different, this caused several rumors and ideas to fly from one end of Privet Drive to the other. Of course the fact he was home two weeks early only started the rumors flying. What really got people's attention was that he wasn't alone! Much to the horror of Vernon and Petunia Dursley, he brought friends.

Unlike the Dursley's, who were horrified at the rumors now flying around, their nephew couldn't have cared less about all the commotion he and his friends had caused. You see, their nephew was Harry Potter, and in just over a month he would be considered an adult wizard. His friends were also magical, Ron Weasley a wizard like Harry, and Hermione Granger a witch. Since arriving, the three simply stayed at number four. To put it simply, Harry's friends moved in with him, his aunt and uncle, and when Smeltings let out at the end of the week for the summer, Harry's whale of a cousin Dudley.

Harry Potter, The-Boy-Who-Lived, now believed to be the Chosen One in the eyes of many, stood looking out the window of his bedroom. Off to the side an alarm clock blinked 2:13 a.m. while his friend Ron slept snoring on a transfigured bed against the wall. Across the hall in the guest room Hermione slept with the door closed. It had been two weeks since they had arrived. Harry for his part wasn't surprised his friends had demanded to join him here; in fact he had expected it for some reason. The fact that both sets of parents had allowed it did surprise him. Though given that both Ron and Hermione were seventeen and considered adults in the Wizarding world had most likely been one of the main reasons.

So far, the past few weeks had been rather quiet. When they had arrived suddenly and unannounced at the door, the Dursley's panicked. Vernon's shouts of not letting freaks into the house a day earlier than he had to, let alone two more of them, echoed around the street. Of course Ron didn't care and forced his way in at wand point. Hermione for her part looked more upset at the insult than the rest of it, and that was where things started going downhill fast. The fact that Vernon also commented on the "Old freakish man named Dumble-something" being dead and his family being glad there was one less unnatural freak in the world didn't help.

Yeah, that was entertaining. The smartest witch to set foot in Hogwarts in centuries versus one overly large muggle quickly turned into the best lightshow in town. Add in Ron, who apparently did learn a few tricks from his older brothers Fred and George, and Harry had a new favorite memory. Good enough for a Patronus, he'd bet.

Glancing at a picture next to his clock Harry reached down and picked it up. The picture, a moving wizarding photo, was of him, his two best friends and his girlfriend Ginny. No, not girlfriend; he couldn't think of her as that anymore. He had broken it off at Dumbledore's funeral.

The picture had been taken before all that, and had all four laughing and enjoying a nice spring day. Ron and Hermione seemed to be glaring at each other because of some argument earlier, while Ginny waved. Harry stood right beside her with his arm wrapped around her waist.

Harry shook his head to try and clear the tears wanting to form. He missed her more than anything. Sirius, his parents, even Dumbledore's death didn't hurt as much as not being with her. They broke up because he wanted to keep her safe. He didn't want to imagine her being hurt because of him, and hoped that at least now she would be safe.

After the funeral she had looked like she understood. They avoided each other while still at school that last day, and even on the train home. When they said goodbye at Kings Cross, it was short and simple. On the train she had said she loved him and would wait. Somehow that didn't help how he felt.

Letting out a sigh he picked up the locket laying beside the alarm clock. This locket was the reason he and Ginny couldn't be together. It was also the reason Dumbledore was dead. He had died because he was weaker after they had gone to retrieve what they thought to be a Horcrux. But it wasn't one of the seven parts of Voldemort's soul. Instead it was just a locket that had nearly killed Dumbledore and himself in its retrieval.

Dumbledore died because he was too weak to properly fight off Draco Malfoy, and then Snape betrayed him by casting the Avada Kedavra.

Squeezing the locket he looked back at the picture. This locket was a reminder of what he had to do.

"Two destroyed that we know of, one that may or may not be and three yet to go before Voldemort can be killed. One might be a cup belonging to Helga Hufflepuff, another we have no idea about but think might have belonged to one of the founders, and then Voldemort's familiar Nagini. Four Horcruxes to find and destroy and the only clue we have is that someone with the initials "R.A.B." was also looking for them."

He glanced back at his sleeping friend and then looked back out the window at the moon. He noticed off to the side of it a bright red dot named Mars.

"I will do this. Not because of fate. Not because of some scar or the Wizarding world's belief about me being some chosen hero, but because I choose to. I will defeat him. He will pay for the lives he has destroyed."

Harry was determined, and no matter what he was going to see this through to the end.


A few hours later in another part of the country, Mrs. Weasley stood looking out the back door of the Burrow, her mind still having not fully processed all that had happened recently. Her eldest son, Bill, was badly injured and now scarred for life because of a werewolf named Greyback. Fortunately it hadn't happened on a full moon so he wasn't cursed with lycanthropy. But the scars had been bad, and would remain. They couldn't be healed away or charmed off. Like Harry's scar, these were curse scars and would stay with him all of his life.

Despite that, though, there was still something to celebrate. In a week he would be getting married. As much as Molly disliked her soon to be daughter-in-law, Fleur had proven her wrong in the end. Bill's condition had only strengthened her resolve to marry him.

The night Bill had been attacked had also been the night of another tragedy. It was the night Dumbledore had been betrayed by someone he claimed to have the utmost trust in. The night he had been murdered. It was a death that shook the Wizarding world to the core. Without Dumbledore, held to be one of the greatest wizards in history, the dark wizard Voldemort seemed to be unstoppable. And worse, Hogwarts itself had been attacked. The governors of the school still hadn't decided on whether or not the school would reopen this fall.

Looking around she focused in on her youngest child. Ginny had been so quiet after the funeral. Ginny would smile, she would look happy whenever anyone talked to her, but if one looked carefully they would see that she seemed to be holding back tears. The first night back she had even cried herself to sleep.

'I don't blame her. I've been crying too; with all that's happened, and Ron staying with Harry. At least now those muggles he lives with will behave, but with You-Know-Who out there…'

'No' she thought as she shook her head. 'He's an adult now. Besides he's with Harry and Hermione. Those three have always looked out for each other, and have survived everything else. They'll be safe.'

Unaware of her mother's attention, Ginny sat under a tree trying to concentrate on her charms book. Even with the headmaster's death, O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. exams were held a few days ago. She had spent the last day trying to double check her charms answers but couldn't concentrate more than a few minutes.

'It's been over two weeks. Two weeks since the funeral and Ron decided to stay with Harry to help him. Two weeks since Harry decided to break up with me. I know it's because he wants me safe, and I don't want to think about how he'd feel if I were hurt, but…'

'No. I have to do this for him. When I'm seventeen I'll be able to apparate and be old enough to help him. I can study every book I have of curses and defenses. Maybe some healing charms, and when I come of age I'll leave for wherever he is and help.'

She looked up from her book and saw Fleur talking rapidly to her sister Gabrielle. Even though she couldn't understand a word of French she could easily guess what it was about.

'Phlegm…, no Fleur, really does love Bill. She proved it when she stated that she was still going to marry him. Hell, she became more forceful about it. Personality aside, she's not that bad I guess.'

Wincing as Fleur started laughing and speaking louder in her seemingly mutilated version of the English language to get the attention of one of the people helping prepare the Burrow for the wedding in a few weeks. "Personality and voice aside," Ginny mumbled.

She sighed and imagined herself in Fleur's place as she thought about Harry again.

Wiping the tears away before they could form Ginny tried to concentrate on the book again. 'I know he loves me. He wouldn't be doing this if he didn't. The only reason he is letting Ron and Hermione help is because since they're adults he really has no choice. I've waited six years, I can wait one more.'

Charlie watched his sister wiping her eyes and start reading the same page in her charms book for the third time in the last hour. It didn't take a genius to figure out what the problem was. He, like most of his family, received the letters she had sent about Harry finally seeing the light as it were. After the chaste goodbye they had given each of the at the train station, her crying herself to sleep that night, and now seeming to fight back tears at the mention of his name, he knew something was wrong.

He knew that Harry couldn't have dumped her. Merlin knows she would have torn the Burrow apart if that were the case. Ginny was definitely her mother's child when it came to her temper.

"One of the two tried to be noble, and both are too damn stubborn to admit the stupidity of it. Which ever one it was needs a good hit to the head." Charlie said softly.

"It was probably Harry."

Charlie turned to see Remus leaning against the doorframe.

"He seems to think that pushing away the people he cares about makes them safer. The more he cares, the further he pushes them away. Doesn't even cross his mind that it actually hurts them more than it helps." Remus continued.

"Reminds me of someone else I know." Charlie said, looking at Remus. "By the way, how's Tonks doing?"

Ignoring the glare Remus was now giving him, Charlie moved towards the door. "We should get going. McGonagall wanted us to bring the three of them to see her at Hogwarts today, and I, for one, want to have a word with a certain green eyed Gryffindor."

"Sure, I'm coming. And feel free to help me knock some sense into him. I figured he would have learned his lesson after last year." Remus said as he followed Charlie.

"Help? My sister's the one he's hurting."

Remus chuckled as they walked out of the Burrow and began walking up the path leading away from the house. "Okay, I hold, you hit."

"Works for me," Charlie replied.

With that the two disappeared, one after the other, the noisy cracks signaling their apparitions scattering the chickens that called the front yard home.

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