Well, long time no see. Here is the epic conclusion! Ok not completely but this is the last of the battle. And then maybe one other chappie and an epilogue. But I might combine those if they wind up being shirt like this one. Sorry about that btw, but I agonized for weeks on how to include everyone in the battle. Turns out I didn't do enough side character spiel previously to make it worth it in this chapter but everyone will get a conclusion... in the next chapter. :) Anyway onward and upward. Go see the Avengers and read and review! Also the beginning quotes are taken directly from the book. It's meant to serve as a flash through the H/Hr Friendship. Watch Alli6's All I Need and Beat Inside Me videos on youtube to see where I got my inspiration.

Standard disclaimer applies.


"You're Harry Potter!"

"You're a great wizard."

"I'm not as good as you."

"I'm a Hermione Granger."

"Books and Cleverness."

"I wish you were here Hermione."

"You need us Harry."

"I need you."

"-Friendship and bravery."

"You're my best friend."

"You're brilliant."


The first thing he realized when he awoke was that there was shouting, lots of shouting.

The second thing was that Hermione was no longer pressed against his front.

He coughed as smoke from nearby fires threatened to choke him and pushed himself into a sitting position. Blearily he looked around and chaos greeted him. The room he had once been in was in shambles, like a bomb had gone off and all around him witches and wizards were engaged in duels to the death.

His chest burned and for a moment he thought he was on fire, until he realized he had simply stopped breathing. He inhaled and coughs racked his body as smoke flew into his lungs. Hermione. He had to find Hermione.

He pushed himself to his knees and then grabbed a nearby wall to help him to his feet. He searched desperately but saw no bushy brown hair or blue jumper- he could have sworn she'd been wearing blue ….. right?

Sounds of spell fire and screaming rained down on him from all sides. He reached for his pocket, searching frantically for his wand. Hot, sweaty fingers searched desperately before realizing that it had been taken by Draco. Panic set in as a yellow spell crashed into the wall he was leaning on, obliterating it.

He screamed as debris hit him and flung him forward onto his chest, his hands automatically moving to protect his head and neck.

"Harry!"

He turned in time to see Remus slide next to him and grab him, pulling him behind a stone pillar as another explosion crashed 2 feet from where they had just been.

The werewolf grabbed him by the face and forced his head up.

"Listen to me Harry! There are anti-apparition wards in the building. We're working on bringing them down but until then you have to hide! Do you understand? Keep your head down and hide! There's a room just out in the corridor where we're taking the wounded. Go there, understand?"

Harry shook his head frantically, "Hermione-"

Remus cursed as the boy muttered out Ron's name as well, before peeking around the pillar. Harry did the same, trying to find his friends.

Friends.

Is that what they were now? Even after everything could he really be their friend?

Another explosion sounded and he held back a whimper of fear. He couldn't think of it now. No matter what they had done, he didn't wish them dead. Especially not her. He still loved her. Even if she didn't feel the same. The change of her feelings had no effect of his own. He was irrevocably hers. He wanted to vomit.

"HERMIONE!"

His head jerked toward the sound to see Ron running right into the heart of the spellfire. The bespectacled boy followed his line of sight to see a prone figure; bushy hair, small- like a girl, ….. and a blue jumper.

He was up before even he realized it. Running past Lupin and making a mad dash toward the girl. He was going to throttle her if she was dead. And if she wasn't he was still going to throttle her.

A crashed into the trembling form of Draco Malfoy and barely spared the terrified boy the punch in the face before wrestling the four wands from his hands. He snapped the blonde's and pocketed the others, taking off at another run.

He saw a light from the corner of his eye and ducked as a green beam sailed over his head, hitting someone in dark robes behind him. Almost there.

Pain shot up the back of his leg and raced all the way up to his head. He distantly heard someone call his name, as the world spun and he recognized he was in the air. He flailed his arms desperately and grimaced as he landed hands first. The impact causing a snapping sensation in his wrist and propelling him further into the room; right next to the girl.

As soon as he comprehended exactly where he was, he pushed himself into a sitting position and with his good hand pulled the body toward him.

Her face was pale. Her breaths were uneven. Blood coated the side of her face and parts of her jumper.

Her eyes were open.

A body skidded next to them and Harry had fired off a curse before he realized it was Ron. The swelling jinx acted immediately, as Ron cursed and pawed at his face. Harry felt oddly justified.

Hermione coughed and pushed herself on her side, spitting blood as she went. Swallowing back a sense of dread, Harry grabbed one of her arms and pulled it over his shoulder; Ron grabbing her other side in a synchronized move.

"We need to get her out of here."

Ron nodded before casting his head about to look for a clear escape.

Harry turned in the direction he had come from. "This way. Lupin's here. He said they were taking the injured to that corridor." He jerked his head in its general direction.

Ron nodded again before grimacing.

"Harry-" he stopped and Harry shook it off. He didn't want to hear it anyway.

Together the two boys dragged their injured friend back towards the aurors.

20 feet.

15 feet.

"Harry what Malfoy said wasn't the whole truth. She never would have been with me if I hadn't failed so gloriously."

12 feet.

"Hermione'd never betray you like that. I'm the one who messed up. I didn't protect her."

There was tickle on the back Harry's neck; fifteen seconds later a powerful blast of magic threw the trio off their feet. Instinctively Harry's arms went around Hermione, pulling her tight against him and taking the brunt of the impact as they fell a mere 9 feet from their intended destination. Blearily he saw a green pulse shoot over him and heard tortured screams, as the spell collided with Order members and Death Eaters alike.

The slow motion thing happened again and he felt his hand close around his wand at the same time he pushed himself to his knees. The Avada Kedavra racing from Voldemort's wand hit the Expelliarmus that came from his own. The explosion was magnificent, the after effects dispelling whatever spell Voldemort had cast on the duelers. The wand connection however, was not as Harry remembered it. Voldemort's beam was pushing his steadily closer to his hands.


"Lovely night for a getaway, isn't it?"

Ginny sighed but didn't remove her eyes from Luna's still form. "What do you want Neville?"

The older boy shook his head and came to stand next to her side, his hand finding hers and giving a soft squeeze.

"I couldn't let them fight alone either. Allot of us couldn't."

Ginny frowned and turned her face up to his in confusion.

He merely smiled, "The thestrals are waiting outside, along with a small army of elves and half the DA. Everyone else is staying here to protect the school."

Ginny beamed, "We're going to fight?"

He nodded. "We're going to fight."

Another voice decided to chime in at that moment.

"Mind if I join?"


He was significantly weakened. First from worrying over Ron and Hermione, then the potion that Malfoy had given him, then from finding out that Hermione had…. That she and Ron had betrayed him.

He tried to remember that the last time he had been engaged in priori incantatem, he had been tortured and still managed to win. A little voice in his head reminded him that he had had love on his side then. He glanced back at Hermione who was trapped in the cage with him and who was struggling to her knees.

He still loved her. He couldn't exactly feel that love at the moment, seeing as how his heart had been ripped out from his chest, but he knew. He knew he loved her. He knew he'd die for her.

He felt a hand grip his arm and turned to stare into her eyes. His hands were burning now, and he struggled to keep a hold of his wand. He wouldn't let her die.

Her head came to rest on his shoulder and he got a good look at the gash across her hairline, extending past her ear. She was whispering to him and he struggled to hear her mumbled words of apology, of how she hated herself, she never wanted to hurt him.

"I'd still choose you, you know." The words were strangled, forced out through clenched teeth and he was barely aware he was saying them. Her body tensed next to his, and she raised her head to look at him. He forced himself to look in her eyes and forced a smile that was probably more of a grimace.

Brown pools of chocolate and tears pulled him in and he saw their entire relationship in her eyes. His heart ached with her betrayal but everything she had done for him, everything they had been through? He couldn't throw that away over a fling. Not that it would matter in a moment.

He saw Ron banging on the cage from his peripherals, mouth open in a scream. He opened his mouth to tell her to take care of Ron, but the words clogged in his throat. He wasn't that big of a man. He wanted her to want him. Not Ron. Him: Harry.

Still, he found himself strangely happy that the two of them were here with him now. Dumbledore had told him that he was full of love. What he was about to attempt had probably never been done before. Which is why he knew it would work. But first he had to tie up loose ends.

"If I had the choice- If I had it to do all over again- I'd still save you from the troll; I'd still become your friend; I would ask you to the Yule Ball; And I'd fall in love all over again. In every reality, I'd always choose you." A watery smile appeared on his face as he let out a wet chuckle. "Not so sure that's good thing though. Kinda sucks that I'd be doomed to feel like this every go round." He shook his head determinedly, "still, I wouldn't give up one moment with you. I'm just sorry I wasn't what you wanted."

Her mouth had dropped open and tears were running in rivers down her face, her hair was matted and bloody. He tried to memorize every inch of her; it'd be the last time he ever saw her.

"Harry."

His name fell from her lips uncertainly as he turned away from her and began searching for his magical core. It was there: a flame growing smaller and smaller. He grabbed it and threw it into his wand, and threw himself for good measure as well.

He heard an echoing scream before feeling someone grab him. Which when he thought about it shouldn't be possible. That thought was forced to the back of his mind as agony raced up every nerve he still possessed. He was racing through a stream of endless yellow light, ghosts of people flying past him as he flew towards his destination.

He gasped for air as the pressure increased. It felt like he was being forced though a keyhole. And then James was flying next to him.

"Hold steady Harry. You're almost there."

Lily joined her husband on his opposite side.

"We love you Harry. It's almost over."

He blinked back tears as Sirius' grinning form appeared in front of him holding the Sword of Gryffindor.

"Aim for the heart kid. One shot will do it."

Harry felt the weapon being pressed into the hand that was not holding his wand and held it in a death grip as he was hurtled through the beam.

Distantly he saw a figure throwing off angry red sparks.

"Have faith Harry." Lily's soothing voice eased the fear racing through him.

"She won't let go of you." That was his dad….. Wait- what?

He was gaining of the figure now, close enough to see that it was a scowling Tom Riddle, he steadied the sword.

"She's a fighter that one. She loves you. She'll see you through this." Hermione. Sirius was talking about Hermione.

He was distracted enough to aim too high. The sword impaling Voldemort through the shoulder.

He screamed in rage and pain before flinging Harry to the side and pulling the sword out. He screamed again as the metal seemed to burn him and he flung it away.

Harry landed with a thud inside an arena of sorts, Riddle following close behind. He tried throwing a cutting jinx at the approaching Dark Lord, but nothing happened. The shield he conjured never came and the spikes that Voldemort had summoned pierced his side as he tried to dodge them. He couldn't do magic.

Riddle smiled sadistically as he seemed to come to the same conclusion before flinging the cruciatus curse almost half-heartedly.

He was immediately swept in a storm of agony. Agony that lasted all of three seconds before being swept away by a presence that felt distinctly like Ron.

Riddle scowled and attempted another curse but that too was batted away.

"Harry the sword!"

Ron's voice echoed through his head and he pulled himself to his feet. His eyes spotted the sword lying about three feet behind Riddle at the same time Tom's eyes, unknowingly to Harry, spotted the ethereal form of Hermione.

He made a mad dive, rolling past an uncaring dark lord, springing to his feet and promptly collapsing in pain. Screams echoed around him and it only took a second for him to realize they belonged to Hermione.

He pushed himself up and scrambled toward the sword, grabbing it and turning in one motion. Riddle was standing over a spectral Hermione, who seemed to be holding a rope in either hand. She was on her knees, face twisted in agony and eyes wide open staring defiantly back at her tormentor.

"Why do you fight such a useless battle girl?"

Harry ran at him, sword raised. Riddle waved his hand dismissively and a wall slammed into Harry halting his progress. He ran in the opposite direction trying to get past the barrier but it stretched endlessly in both directions.

"Give him up. You can go back."

Hermione shook her head, her eyes the only part of her body that didn't scream defeat.

"Never. I love him. I'll never give him up. I. Will. Always. Choose. Him."

The last words of her sentence were bitten out. Riddle cocked his head at her curiously before casting a slashing curse casually across her abdomen.

Harry watched, body pressed against the barrier as she slumped further. She didn't scream. Simply coughed, closed her eyes and lay down as if she were going to sleep. If it weren't for the rapidly spreading pool of blood surrounding her, he might have convinced himself of such a thing.

Rage like he'd never known consumed him, and forced itself out of him in the form of a scream. White light filled the room shattering the barrier and forcing Riddle to throw up his arm to shield his eyes.

Harry took full advantage, rushing forward and slashing with the sword. An arm flew through the air as a curse crashed into his chest. He staggered and fell to his knees. Riddle tried to press the advantage, but as he took a step forward, Harry rolled and closed the distance between them, slashing again with the sword. Unfortunately Riddle managed to conjure a chair that took the blow meant for him. The very next instant had him sending a bludgeoning curse at still reeling teen.

Harry cried out as his left shoulder was pushed back and snapped in two. He screamed again as the cruciatus was cast on him. He couldn't think of anything but the pain.

Finally, the curse was lifted and Riddle came to stand over him, a gloating smile on his face.

"You did well Potter to have survived me all of these years. But every story must come to an end."

He raised his wand, and Harry swallowed back bile. He had failed.

Riddle opened his mouth to speak the killing curse; the first vowel wasn't even out of his mouth before he sputtered, his face morphing into the epitome of confusion. He staggered and spun wildly, giving Harry a view of the wooden chair leg in his back. Ron. Feeling a burst of energy he realigned his grip on the sword and pushed it up and through the chest of the being who had single handedly destroyed his childhood.

Riddle's hands grabbed the base of the sword protruding from his person, staring down at the wound in shock, before turning his face up to sneer at Harry.

"Do you really think this will solve anything Potter? You may kill me, but my vision will never die. My supporters will carry on my work. There will always be a Dark Lord."

He spoke the truth, and Harry knew it, however loathe he was to admit it. He looked over at Hermione's still form, her hands still clutching the ropes.

"Doesn't really matter much to me Tom. I'm done. I killed my demon."

There wasn't much fanfare after that. Just a twitching corpse and a last breath.

Exhausted and ignoring more than one broken bone or torn muscle, Harry crawled over to Hermione's body, picking her up and cradling her in his lap. He stroked the hair out of her face and drank in her peaceful expression.

"I'm so sorry 'Mione. I'm so very sorry. This was never supposed to happen to you."

Her skin was cool to the touch and her body unresponsive. Would they ever see each other again? Or was he trapped here, while she went on….. on to what? Where was she?

Panic started to set in. Where did people go when they died? Was she safe? He couldn't protect her if he wasn't with her. Where was she?

"Hermione." Her name came out as an agonized moan and he swiftly burned his face in her hair, rocking her small frame in his arms.

"Please. Please don't leave me. Come back. Mione. Please. You have to come back. I need you. I don't care about you and Ron. I just need you. Please. Please….. I don't want to be alone."

He felt a pull behind his navel and cried out, trying desperately to hold on to her.

"No. No, I won't leave you Hermione. I won't."

It came again and he grit his teeth against the pain.

"You'll be okay, Harry. You're a great wizard, you really are."

A third tug flung him back into the abyss and he screamed her name as she was torn from him.

Bright light assaulted him from all angles. He vaguely saw outlines of people in his vision, a hand pressed into his own. Her name formed on his lips.

"It's okay." Dumbledore?

He was wrong. It would never be ok.

"It's alright Hermione, you can let go now."

She was dead.

"And Harry, just be careful."

The hand was pulled from his own as darkness crashed in around him.


Please don't hate me! lol

Review!

And I'm also trying to get a Mother's day fic up. I don't like that Harry's always the cool parent. Nerdy girls can be awesome parents too! We're not boring and strict and un-understanding or whatever else cliche that mother Hermione seems to get tagged with. That's just not fair. Anyway so yeah look out for that. Also is it just me or has the recent H/Hr fics being posted been riddled with well porn? Just a thought.

Anyway Review, even if it's just to say "good" or "bad" or "hi"