I stared at the faces around me, my parents, Remus, Sirius. They were smiling at me, I simply stared back at them like an idiot. Lily was the first one to move, she came towards me slowly, her eyes full of emotion like I was as unbelievable to her as she was to me, she rapped her arms around me pulling me close to her. She felt strange, solid and warm, yet it was nothing like hugging a human. I leaned into her all the same, nuzzling my face into her shoulder like a little child. This was the first time in my memory I had ever been hugged by my Mum.
"We...are...so...proud." She whispered into my ear softly, she let me go so she could look at me, her green eyes hungrily searching my face, like she could never look away. Her fingertips traced the contours of my cheeks, brushed through my hair, wiped the water from my eyes, before they finally rested on my chest, right above my heart. It was almost like she was making sure it was still beating, though we both knew it would stop soon.
"You've gotten so far, Son." James said, walking towards us and putting his hand on my shoulder, he also looked at me like I was some sort of amazing spectacle, pride and concern hidden in his smiling face. He was just as worried as my mum but did a better job of hiding it. "And you did it all by yourself."
"Hey, we helped a little." Sirius retorted.
"Shut up, Padfoot." James snapped, turning back to me, "You're so strong, Harry."
"I can't believe how much you've grown, how much you've been through," Lily said. "I love you more then anything you can possibly know. And you'll still always be my baby." I noticed tears running down her beautiful face, she was terrified, I knew that, she had given her life so I could live mine and now I was going to end it.
I hadn't said anything since they arrived, but I couldn't help myself there was one thing I had to know.
"Is it going to hurt?" I asked, trying to sound braver then I felt, though I noticed I was shaking and my voice was thick, "Dying, d-does it hurt much?" I knew it was a very childish question, but I couldn't help myself, I had to know.
Lily bit her lower lip, "No." She assured me, putting her warm hand on my cheek, "I promise, it doesn't."
"Not a bit," Sirius added, "It's just like falling asleep, only much quicker."
"And it will be quick, he'll want it to be." Remus said, "You won't feel anything, you won't even know what happened."
"I-I'm scared." I admitted, I didn't like to admit my weaknesses, but I couldn't help it, dying wasn't easy after all. All those years I've came so close, but I've avoided it sometimes by only an inch, there was no avoiding this, my mind was made up, the game was over, I was the only one that could end this and it had to end.
"Of course you are," Lily sobbed hugging me again. "We all are."
"But, you've gotten this far." James repeated, "and we're going to get you the rest of the way, if you're sure that's what you want."
I knew they wouldn't tell me not to go, but they wouldn't tell me I had to either, because they loved me, as I loved them, they didn't want to see me die any less then I wanted them to. I took a breath and looked up at my father, "I have to," I said, my voice steady this time, determined. "I have to do what you and Mum did, I don't have a choice, it's one life for a hundred, possibly a thousand. In retrospect it's a small price. I have to." Lily let out a small sob but didn't argue. James nodded.
"You're more noble they I could have ever hoped." He said with a sad smile. "I'm proud you're my son." I tried to smile back with little success.
"You'll stay with me?" I asked.
"Yes," James promised. "until and very end."
"We're not going to let you do this alone," Remus agree.
"We're in this together." Sirius added.
I took a deep breath to steady myself and nodded. " Mum, you'll stay close to me, right?" I whispered.
"Yes, baby." Lily promised, "I'm right here."
She put her hand on my right shoulder, my father's hand was still on my left, I had the Resurrection stone between the first and second finger of my right hand. Here we go. I thought.
The five of us walked deeper into the forest, I couldn't stop trembling. I wanted so bad just to turn back. But I knew couldn't, one life for a thousand, I reminded myself, this had to be done. Then, I thought of Ginny, I would never get to say good-bye to her, in that instent I was so glad I kissed her on my birthday, because that helped me keep going, I would be keeping her safe. She was worth dying for. I could almost feel her lips on mine, that gave me strength like nothing else could.
We broke through the dense forest to see Voldemort surrounded by his Death Eaters. I dropped the Resurrection stone in surprise and fear, I hadn't expected him to be alone, but I hadn't expected so many followers to surround him. Saw out of the corner of my eye as my dead loved ones vanished from sight, I bolt of fear ran through me again, now I was truly alone.
Ginny, Hermione, Ron, I chanted to myself to keep myself from running, Ginny, Hermione, Ron, Neville, Luna...
"He's not here, my Lord," one of the death eaters said. " He must have chickened out."
"Shame, I expected him to come." Voldemort said, betraying no emotion. "I must have over estimated him."
"YOU DIDN'T!" I yelled, throwing off my cloak, adrenaline pumping through my veins, blood pounding in my ears. Everyone in the clearing looked at me.
"NO, 'ARRY, DON'T DO IT, RUN, RUN WHILE YE CAN! DA OTHERS NEEDJA!" I turned to see Hagrid who was bound to a tree by several Death Eaters, I registered slight relief that he was still alive before turning back to Voldemort.
"I almost was afraid you wouldn't show," Voldemort said smiling evilly, a chill ran through me, I begged myself to remain in control, Ginny, Hermione, Ron... "But no, you wouldn't, the famous Harry Potter wouldn't let his friends down. The hero fighting a pointless fight couldn't let his friends down." I forced myself not to look away, not to show fear. I tried again to control my trembling, but I had never been so scared in my life, this was the real deal, no turning back. "You're going to die now, Harry Potter," He hissed, "you didn't even raise your wand." He was mocking me, I expected that, I hoped that that would be enough for him, that he wouldn't put me under the crucioatus Curse, I didn't want to be screaming on the ground as I died, I wanted to die painlessly and with dignity, was that to much to asked? Remus promised that he had wanted it over quickly, I wished he'd just do it already!
"It will be worth it." I said putting every ounce of strength I had to keep my voice steady, I spoke softly, but I knew everyone could hear me clearly in the dead silence of the forest, "Because if I die, you can't touch my friends. You'll have leave my friends alone. I'll die like my mum, and you won't be able to kill anyone anymore, it'll all be over, you'll be over."
Voldemort laughed a cold cruel laugh, he'd thought of this and was in the process of working his way around it, "So bold, so foolish, so stupid, to trade your life for your filthy friends. The mudblood and the blood traitors, I'll let them live, for now."
"You're out of Horocruxes." I said, trying to make him believe, that I believed it was true, "All five of them are gone, so even if you kill me now, it will only be a matter of time before you follow."
Voldemort gave a twisted smile, obviously he thought that meant I didn't know the snake was a Horocrux. "So foolish." Voldemort hissed.
Nagini hissed and slithered around Voldemort's feet. She must have been released for this occasion, Harry Potter was about to die. With the quickest of my seeker reflexes, I jumped on her, and caught her in a death grip.
"AVADA KADAVRA!" Voldemort roared. As the green light faded so did Voldemort's smile, Nagini was dead, I was still holding her tightly around the neck. I gasped for air, pain worst then anything I could imagine ripped through my body, worst then the Cruciotus curse, worst then the basilisk bite, worst then when my scar burned it's hottest, the killing curse must work slower when it's killing two at once.
"NO!" Hagrid roared knocking the Death Eaters away.
My mother said it wouldn't hurt, but she didn't have to go through this, it was excruciating, every inch of my body felt like a white hot knife was piecing me, my bones felt like they were splintering away, ripping agony, my chest constricted so tight I every breath I took was like physical labor. This was hell. I couldn't think about anything but the pain, but I had to, I forced myself to raise my head a few inches to look up at Voldemort, he to looked like he was in pain, too, but mainly he looked scared. A blood-red ball of light rose in his chest growing bigger until it swallowed his body up completely, then it started to shrink, it closed in one itself until there was nothing left of it. I tried to feel relieved but all I felt was pain, death hung over me like a cloud, it was waiting for me, it wasn't in any rush, I could come in my own time, but every second I rejected it, was one more second I spent in this agony.
I didn't even realize that Hagrid was at my side, until he spoke.
"Harry." He whisper worried, "It's okay, Harry, yeh'll be okay, it'll be okay, yeh hear me?" I knew from the terrified look in Hagrid's eyes that he didn't believe that.
"T-tell…tell Ron and...Her-Hermione..." I said panting hard to make myself get the words out. "tell them...for me…that...they...they're great...the best fr-frien...best friends anyone could a-ask for…and t-tell G-Ginny...that...I love her...so much..." I tried to take another breath but my lungs seemed numb and constricted, I knew I couldn't put up with this pain any longer, I couldn't prolong my death anymore. "Th-thank you, Ha-grid…for every-th-thing..." I couldn't even drawn in one more breath, I had more to say, but the pain overwhelmed me. I gave a slight nod, as if telling death I was ready.
InstantlyI felt better, the pain and the weight lifted in less then a millisecond, a sort of relief I never knew was possible. I was soaring, I looked down into the forest, and saw Hagrid sobbing over the body of a pale skinny boy, his face covered in ash, his black hair matted and his green eyes gazed over reflecting the sky they could no longer see.
Do I really look that sickly? I asked myself And am I always covered in blood? No wonder Hermione was always worried about me. As I floated upwards, the vision of Hagrid and my body faded and instead I saw my parents waiting to welcome me home.
Authors note, I'm really not that sadistic! Don't be mean to me!