Disclaimer: Harry and friends are the property of J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros.

Summary: Yeah, I know: It's another one of those "Final Battle" fics. It started out as a crack ficlet but it had a mind of it's own and morphed into what you're about to read. In just the first chapter I try my hand at action, romance, and comedy, so buckle-up and enjoy the ride! Ladies and gentlemen, I proudly present:

The End

Part I

Above the roar of the wind, the sounds of battle barely reached the two wizards circling each other in a clearing. The War, as it would be called for years to come, had started in Hogwarts' hallowed halls but had long since overflowed to the Grounds. Now, Harry and Voldemort found themselves circling in the Forbidden Forest.

The branches of gnarled, old trees had grown until they criss-crossed and intertwined as closely as puzzle-pieces in some places. The fierce wind caused the trees to creak and groan as they grudgingly allowed tendrils of light to leak through to the forest floor before moving back again. There, in the depths of the forest, it was almost completely dark, save for the thin fingers of light reaching for the forest floor. It was in this intermittent darkness that the Dark Lord and the Boy Who Lived dueled for the last time. Round and round they went, each searching for a weakness in the other. The battle was just as much mental as it was physical, as both knew that to attack with their mind open was merely a waste of precious energy. Voldemort's blood-red eyes glittered with unadulterated fury and Harry's green eyes glowed with everything and, at the same time, nothing.

An anguished cry, carried on the wind, filled the air around them. Alarmed, Harry snapped his head in the direction of the scream. Voldemort took advantage of Harry's lapse in judgment and sent a nasty-looking curse his way. Harry's compassion had cost him the half-second he needed to deflect the curse. On pure instinct, Harry threw himself flat against the ground. He heard a whooshing sound, as if a large bird had just flown from Voldemort's wand and into the underbrush. He felt his hair rustle as the curse passed over him and smelled the acrid stench of burning hair.

Close call.

From his awkward position on the ground he managed to shoot a Stunning Spell at Voldemort's ankles, forcing the Dark Lord to perform an undignified two-step. While Voldemort was off-balance, Harry scrambled to his feet. Pull yourself together he mentally scolded. You wont be much help to them if you get your own head blown off. A worm of worry wriggled in the back of his mind. That scream had sounded a lot like---

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Ron grunted as he helped Hermione to her feet. The two had been climbing a hill to the relative safety of high-ground when a deflected jinx struck Hermione's shoulder. (Ron didn't realize until later that the surprised scream had come from his own treacherous mouth.) She lost her hold, fell, and tumbled to the bottom of the hill where she landed in a crumpled heap. Ron half-ran, half-fell to where Hermione lay. His hands trembled as he carefully flipped Hermione onto her back.

Her eyes weren't open.

Ron's heart skipped a beat.

Desperately he thought, She can't be...God. Don't let her be... He couldn't even bring himself to finish the thought. Luckily he didn't have to. Hermione's eyelids fluttered open. Ron was crushed under a wave of intense relief so powerful, he was sure that had he been standing, he would have collapsed. Ron released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding and began to rain questions and kisses on his girlfriend.

"Are you all right?" He pressed his lips to her forehead. "How's your shoulder?" Her cheek. "How do you feel?" Her other cheek. "Can you walk?" Her nose. "Why'd you scare me like that?" Her lips. Ruffled, surprised, and slightly exasperated, Hermione kissed back briefly before pulling away. When she saw that Ron intended to go on interrogating her, she quickly cut him off. "I'm fine", she assured "Just a little winded." Seeing the doubt on Ron's face she tried a smile, but it came out a pained grimace.

"Are you sure? Because--"

"Just help me up, will you? We're sitting ducks here. " Although, as she looked around, she saw that most of the Death Eaters had left the rolling hills in favor of the Lake and the Forest. She grimly looked on as a poor soul was blasted into the dark, chilly waters.

"Oh, erm, right." Ron sheepishly agreed. His cheeks and ears began to color. He stood up, grasped Hermione's outstretched hand, and tugged her to her feet. She over-balanced and steadied herself against the first solid thing her hands found which happened to be Ron's chest. Ron's arms naturally closed around her. Bemused and embarrassed, Hermione looked up to find Ron smiling down at her. They simply stood there for a moment, wrapped in each other's warm, if slightly awkward, embrace. Unfortunately, a moment later a distraction appeared in the form of Severus Snape.

Next Chapter:

Snape skidded into the clearing and time seemed to stand still for an eternal second. Harry looked at Voldemort. Voldemort looked at Harry. Snape looked at Voldemort and Harry. Harry and Voldemort both leveled their wands at Snape, Voldemort aiming between his eyes and Harry for his heart.

Two words escaped Snape's lips before all hell broke loose. "Oh, shit."

Author's Note: I really liked this chapter and I hope you did too. Let me know if you did...or if you didn't. The review button's right there...

La Nanita