Disclaimer : Anything related to Harry Potter is not mine. Really.

You must have read the sixth Harry Potter book to fully understand what's happening in this story. I have had this story in my head for a long time, and decided to write it down. I don't know if this is any good, seeing as it's my first time writing outside school, but in my head it was great. I want a Pensieve!

Chapter 3 : The Last Battle

Back in the Infirmary, it took all of three seconds for chaos to break. Healers all around stopped their work to stare at the limp body of the Savior, now in a stretcher. Hermione and Ginny, teary-eyed, were at his side in an instant. Moments later Madam Pomfrey took charge and everyone went back to their task, except herself, the new Potion professor and the Head Healer from St. Mungos.

Making his girlfriend and his sister stand back a little, he watched as numerous spells and potions were used to try and get Harry to wake up. It took five long minutes before the young man began to stir, and, even if he had wanted to, Ron couldn't stop the two girls from bounding to Harry's side.

It took a moment more for the boy to completely wake up, but the moment he did he couldn't help but smile at the concerned faces around him.

'Hullo everyone.' he said, barely above a whisper.

Ginny flung herself at a startled Harry, who managed to pry the girl off him before being crushed to his death.

'Is he… Is he…' Hermione kept repeating, as Ron watched his best friend with a grin, knowing that it was finished, and everything would be alright.

The grin fell when he heard the single word. 'No.'

'But. But. But I saw him burn.' Ron said quickly, while everyone around stared in shock.

'His body is no more. But as we all knew, his soul is still around.'

'Then he'll be back. Again.' whispered Madam Pomfrey, looking defeated.

'No he won't, because I'll destroy him before he can.'

'And how will you do that, Mister Potter, when his soul is out there hiding?' asked the Head Healer.

Harry help his gaze, and finally answered. 'Because I know where he is, and how to end his existence, once and for all.'

'And where is he, Harry?' asked Hermione, thinking she knew the answer, but still hoping it wasn't so.

Harry looked gravely at those around him, before answering simply 'Inside me.'

'What!' shot Ron, Ginny, Poppy and the Head Healer in one voice, while Hermione burst into tears. And quickly after that, Poppy added: 'How can it be?'

'Let's just say that he tried it once, at the Ministry in my fifth year, and I managed to push him away.' Harry started. 'But this time, I decided to keep him.'

'And. And. And.' Hermione tried, tears still streaming down her cheeks, hoping with all her hearth that her suspicions weren't founded.

But she knew in her hearth, having done the same research as Harry in the past months, that her suspicions were true, and that there was only one way. That is why she couldn't finish her question.

'And how are you going to destroy him then?' It was a quite pale Ron who asked.

Harry closed his eyes for a while, long enough for the people around to start to worry, but he finally answered, eyes still closed. 'I'll use my own soul to destroy his. But for that, I'll need to be free. Free of… any ties.'

'No.'

It was whispered so low that Ginny had time to repeat it three more times before it was finally heard.

'Ginny…'

'No.'

'Ginny, listen to me. I have no choice.'

'No.'

'Please Ginny, I need you to understand. This is the only way.' Harry pleaded, looking at a distressed Ginny.

'No. You can't. You just can't. Please don't leave me. Please.'

Ron took his sister in his arms, engulfing her crying face in his robes, himself bordering tears as he understood the consequences.

'You know I love you. Ron. Hermione. Ginny.' He looked at each of them in turn, seeing the love in their eyes too, and knowing that he couldn't wait any longer lest he lose his control to the second soul now trapped inside him, out of reach for the moment, but cruelly battling to get out. Little did he know that Harry would soon give him exactly what he wanted.

'I don't have enough time to tell you everything that I'd want to tell you, but please know that I love you, and that I will be waiting for you. But not too soon.' he finished with a smile.

Then, turning to the Potion Master, he shocked everyone, once again.

'Severus. You know what to do.'

Everyone around watched in horror as the Potions Master, Xavius Highcrest, revealed himself to be no other than Severus Snape, and raised his wand at Harry's chest.

'Goodbye, Harry. Tell your godfather I'm sorry for everything.'

Hearing the voice of her old Potions Master, Ginny turned around and looked in shock as a bright green light traveled from Snape's wand to Harry's chest, before the piercing green eyes abruptly lost their twinkle.

Silence descended on the Infirmary. If anyone looked at the old professor, they would have seen him snap his wand in two then go sit on a chair in a corner, where he put his head in his hands, shoulders slowly shaking. But everyone's gaze was now on the now dead body of the Boy-Who-Lived, the Savior.

Suddenly a dense mist seemed to seep from Harry's body, forming the approximate shape of a body with snake-like features, quickly followed by a second mist, this one forming with an unruly mop of hair, who seemed to grab the first form and turn it around.

Lord Voldemort and Harry Potter were, once again, face to face. Or soul to soul.

Have Hermione listened to what her mind was telling her right now, she would have remembered that it looked exactly like the result of Priori Incantatem, as Harry had described to her at the end of their fourth year.

'You have failed, Potter. You are dead, and I am free!' said the soul, or what was left of it, of Lord Voldemort.

'You are right, Tom.' Harry smirked, seeing that even in death Voldemort still reacted badly to being called by his birth name. 'I am dead, and have no way to remain here, while you still have two Horcruxes binding you here.'

Voldemort glared at his rival. 'I must say I'm impressed. I didn't know anyone would be able to find, and destroy, that many Horcruxes. But I'm tired of you always meddling with my plans, so I'll be going now, and let you alone in death.'

Harry sneered at him, in a manner reminiscent of a certain blond.

'Not too fast Tom my boy. I'm not finished with you yet. Do you think I would let myself be killed only for the pleasure of it?' Harry asked, grinning at Voldemort's furious expression.

'Now listen here you brat,' he started, but was cut mid-sentence by Harry.

'You see Riddle-y-dum, I have had so much fun with you those last years, that I decided to bring you with me in the after-life, whatever it may be.'

Infuriated by Harry's taunting, Voldemort's mist took a red tint. 'You insolent… You know quite well that the remaining Horcruxes bind me to the Earth and seeing as you failed to destroy them all, I don't see why I should listen to your little speech anymore.'

'Oh but I think you forgot a little thing when you studied Horcruxes, Tommy dear. But I can understand, seeing how difficult it is to find information on the subject.' Harry started, unable to resist a final taunt at his arch-nemesis.

'You see, while the sole way to release your soul while on Earth is to destroy the source of the binding, it is quite different if you are dead. Do you know how strong is the pull on a soul to go to the after-life? No? I can tell you, it is stronger than anything I have ever felt, because in the last minute or so I have been battling to have a little more time here, and it is only because I have people helping me up there that I have managed.'

In a fierceness that few had ever seen coming from Harry, he finished his tirade.

'And now, Tom, I will grab you and cling to you with all my might, and then I will let the after-life do the rest.'

With that, Harry's mist quickly crossed the distance to Voldemort's mist and seemed to merge with it. A cry that chilled everyone to the core could be heard, no doubt coming from Voldemort, and suddenly the mists seemed to be torn from the room and as they disappeared, a last goodbye could be heard echoing in the stunned Infirmary.