HERE IT IS! The final chapter! This took quite a bit of planning, so I hope you like it. For the very last time, please read and review!

Chapter 10: The Last Stand of Bellatrix Lestrange

"Aww, what's wrong little baby Potter?" asked Bellatrix with false sympathy, inching her way closer to Harry. "You look utterly distraught. It's as if you've seen a ghost!" She let out a thunderous, cackling laugh, amused by her own wit.

"What are you-, How are you-" Harry stuttered, completely shocked.

"How am I alive, you ask? Well to be honest I don't quite know the answer to that one myself. While I don't know how I survived, I knew how to feign my death. You see, I'm a very good actress. The best of my family in fact. If I wanted to seem sad, I would bawl my eyes out. If I wanted to be sympathetic, I could make people feel like I actually cared." She approached Harry. "And when I was to seem dead, no pulse or breath would be found." Harry could not understand how she was alive. He still vividly remembered the day that Bellatrix had supposedly died.

"You – will – never – touch – our children – again!" screamed Mrs. Weasley.

Bellatrix laughed, the same exhilarated laugh her cousin Sirius had given as he toppled backward through the veil, and suddenly Harry knew what was going to happen before it did.

Molly's curse soared beneath Bellatrix's outstretched arm and hit her squarely in the chest, directly over her heart.

Bellatrix's gloating smile froze, her eyes seemed to bulge: for the tiniest space of time she knew what had happened, and then she toppled, and the watching crowd roared, and Voldemort screamed.

Apparently, Harry had become wrapped in his memories and had not noticed that Lestrange had still been speaking. "YOU WILL LISTEN TO ME WHEN I SPEAK TO YOU!" Her voice boomed, nearly startling Harry to death. She was directly in front of him, so close that Harry could feel her cold breath on his face.

"Rubbish!" Shouted Ron. "You can't fake your own death just by 'acting'."

"Well, Mr. Weasley." Bellatrix turned to face Ron. "Finally you speak. I had almost not noticed you there. And of course, it did require a few silent spells to keep myself from moving, breathing, or even blinking. Though I am a brilliant actress."

"So basically you can play dead on cue," Ron clarified. "Congratulations, you have the abilities of a well-trained housedog!"

"Hush!" Shouted Lestrange, pointing her wand directly at Ron's freckly face. Her face was red and she looked like she could kill. Of course, she could kill. That was always her intention: to kill Harry and Ron. They needed a plan if they were going to survive. So Harry and Ron slowly moved closer to each other.

"You duel Augustus," Harry instructed Ron. "And I'll take Bellatrix." They then broke apart and faced their respective rivals. "Enough banter," Harry said to Bellatrix. "We won't get anywhere just talking. It's time to duel."

"Very well," agreed Bellatrix . In accordance with the rules of dueling, Harry bowed to his opponent. Unfortunately, Lestrange did not. While Harry was bowing, she took the opportunity to fire a spell at him.

"Expelliarmus!" she shouted, sending a beam of red light right at Harry's wand. Harry was disarmed, beaten by his most famous spell. Bellatrix then ran over to him and grabbed his arm. In a flash she and Harry were. Harry felt the usual sensation of being stretched, though it was different. He was apparating against his will. When he reached the destination he landed on the ground with a crash. He tried to get up quickly but by the time he did, he was face to face with Bellatrix's wand. In a few seconds he realized where he was. He was in Tom Riddle's graveyard, completely disarmed and at the mercy of Bellatrix Lestrange.

"Where did they go?" asked Ron.

"Ms. Lestrange took Potter to the Little Hangleton Cemetery," Rookwood explained. "It's the burial place of Lord Voldemort himself."

"What are you going to do with him?" Ron demanded to know.

"That's none of your concern," said Rookwood. "Besides, there's really nothing you can do about it. I've cast a spell preventing all apparition to and from this prison with the exception of Ms. Lestrange and myself. There's no escape."

"I don't need to escape. Once you're dead the spell will be broken and I'll be able to apparate whenever and wherever I want." Rookwood just chuckled a little.

"Please. You think you could kill me?" He approached Ron. "You are nothing more than a sidekick. You're nothing without 'The Boy who Lived' around."

"You filthy murderer!" Ron shouted. Completely furious Ron drew his wand and began to cast a spell. However, Augustus beat him to it.

"Crucio," Rookwood chanted, and Ron felt an unbearable pain course through his body. "I assume you're referring to your brother's death, are you not?" Again he used the Cruciatus Curse, and again Ron felt the searing pain of the curse. "Fred Weasley was a fool. He was nothing more than a foolish joke shop owner. I have done the world a favor, eliminating him and his poor sense of humor. He tried to curse Ron once again, but Ron leapt out of the way just in time.

"STUPEFY!" cried Ron, and the spell flew toward Augustus's face. Rookwood jumped out of the way just in time to save himself, missing his spell by less than a centimeter. The duel was going on in full force now. For most of the battle, the two were so skilled at evasion that few spells connected. In addition, when any of the spells did connect, they were not powerful enough to give either of them the upper hand.

The battle weathered on for over an hour, with neither getting too much of an advantage. Ron however, having never been in such an intense duel, seemed to be getting tired. When Augustus fired the stunning spell at him he was finally unable to avoid it, and he passed out in the middle of the floor, lying right next to Harry's wand.

Bellatrix was standing over Harry, the tip of her wand resting upon his forehead. It was as if she wanted to split his head open right along his scar. She seemed to be relishing in the fact the she was about to do what Voldemort could not. She was going to kill Harry Potter. Content with her accomplishments, Bellatrix let out a roaring, malicious laugh that almost made Harry's ears bleed.

"So what are you going to do now, Mr. Potter?" she asked, poking his head with her wand. "Your minutes are numbered, Harry. Your triumphant defeat of Lord Voldemort will give way to a whole new kind of evil, the Brotherhood of Death. We will do more against the Ministry and have more control than the Dark Lord has ever had. I will rule the Wizarding world, and you will be nothing more than a tiny footnote in history! So what do you think of that, little boy?" She put her hands on Harry's cheeks and looked him in the eyes. Harry did not answer. "ANSWER ME CHILD!"

Harry expected the Cruciatus curse which was already bad enough, but what he got was much worse. Bellatrix used what Harry assumed to be Sectumsempra. However, she knew how to control it better than Harry did. She swished her wand, and Harry instantly had a huge, painful gash in his arm. The flesh was ripped off and he was bleeding profusely. Harry cried out, the pain almost unbearable.

"Did you learn your lesson?" asked Lestrange. "Will you now tell me how glorious my plan is?" Harry still refused to answer. Even more furious then before, Bellatrix created a gash across Harry's chest. He cried out once more, experiencing the worst pain of his life.

"Last chance!" cried Bellatrix. "Give me your answer!" Harry did not speak. "THAT'S IT! DIE, HARRY POTTER!" she got up and made a huge slash with her wand. However, Bellatrix was so angry that she let her guard down and let Harry escape from her. "GET BACK HERE, POTTER!"

Bellatrix shot a series of spells in his direction, each of them missing by a mile. She was so blinded by rage that she couldn't focus. Her eyes were filled with fury and she kept firing spells.

While Harry knew that he wouldn't be hit as long as he kept running, he also knew he couldn't run forever. He was tired and his legs were aching. He still felt the gash on his stomach and arm and could feel the blood staining his shirt. Eventually, he collapsed behind one of the headstones. He was soon found and stunned by Bellatrix.

The face that was filled with rage just a second ago had now turned into a smile once more. She walked over to Harry and looked at his frozen, immobile body.

"Are you aware whose grave this is?" asked Lestrange pointing at the grave which he was leaning against. Harry looked up at the statue on top of the tombstone to find a sculpture of Lord Voldemort himself. The sight of it ripped into Harry's soul and made him feel nauseous.

"Dark Lord, I summon you," said Bellatrix. For a while nothing happened. However, what happened shortly after was something that horrified and haunted Harry to his core. The ground around him trembled and quaked, and the pale, vile form of Lord Voldemort appeared before him, his blood-red eyes digging into Harry's soul.

Augustus Rookwood loomed over Ron's unconscious body, his hand buried deep in his pocket. Soon, he pulled out his wand and held it out in front of him. Opening his mouth to say a spell, Rookwood was fully prepared to kill Ron. However, it was at that moment that something truly remarkable happened.

"Expelliarmus!" shouted Ron, leaping up from the ground. Rookwood's wand was launched out of his hand and onto the floor.

"What did you do? How are you not unconscious?" asked Rookwood, his face frozen in fear.

"I'm just following Bellatrix's example," Ron explained, preparing to fire a spell at him. He unleashed all of his rage over Fred's death in one simple spell, which hit Rookwood square in the chest. The intensity of the spell was enough to finally kill Augustus. Even after his death, his eyes remained wide and bulging, making him look perpetually surprised. His skin was pale and sallow, and he was unmoving. When Ron could finally be sure that Rookwood was dead, he found his keys and used them to unlock Hermione's cell. Inside the cell, he saw Hermione's weary, unconscious body.

"Hermione," Ron called softly, shaking her gently and trying to wake her from her sleep. "Hermione, Wake up. It's me, Ron." When Hermione's eyes finally opened, she was thrilled to see the face of the man she loved standing over her.

"Ron?" she asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "Is that you?" As her eyes came into focus, she saw that it was really him. "Oh my god, Ron!" Hermione jumped up and hugged him tightly. When she came to her senses, Hermione parted from Ron, looking at him skeptically. "Wait, what are you doing here?"

"Listen, I know what you must think of me, but I want you to know that I love you, and I always have. I shouldn't have ever let you go. I'm so sorry." After a few seconds of saying nothing, Hermione surprised him by kissing him. It was a soft, tender kiss, something that assured Ron that everything was going to be okay with them.

"No, I'm sorry," said Hermione. "I just wish we hadn't lost these two weeks."

"Okay, now we have to find Harry," Ron explained. "Bellatrix Lestrange is still alive and she's apparated him to Voldemort's graveyard. We have to hurry." Picking up Harry's wand from the floor, he went to Rookwood's body and took his handheld transceiver.

"Wait, how is Bellatrix still alive? And how did you and Harry find me?" However, Ron was too busy to answer Hermione's questions. He was speaking into the transceiver, which came over the prison loudspeakers.

"Attention Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom, and Luna Lovegood. This is Ron. Harry's in trouble. Come to the maximum security section as soon as possible." After finishing the announcement, Ron and Hermione waited for the others to show up so they could aid in his battle against Bellatrix.

"Why so distraught, Harry?" Voldemort asked in the same intimidating voice he always used to speak with. Harry was distraught. He knew that the Dark Lord had to be dead, and yet he truly could not explain what was happening. How could he be dead if he was standing right in front of Harry's face? "I asked you why you look so distraught. Last time I saw you, you were the most arrogant child I've ever seen. What has changed? Did you not expect me to be alive right now?"

Harry ignored Voldemort's barrage of questions. He looked around the cemetery. Bellatrix was no longer there. In fact, even the tombstones and the houses surrounding the graveyard had disappeared. It was as if he and Voldemort were the only to people for miles. Harry looked at the man he'd killed, and Voldemort looked at his killer.

"Did you really expect me to be done in at the hands of a child? I am the Dark Lord, Lord Voldemort. I am He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. I am not human. I cannot die. The person you spoke of at Hogwarts a few months ago, I believe it was Tom Riddle, was it not? That person does not exist." Harry knew something was off. His scar didn't hurt whatsoever.

"Harry!" he heard someone call. "It's Ron! Snap out of it. You're being bewitched by Bellatrix Lestrange." Harry heard Ron's voice, but he did not see him anywhere.

"What are you doing?" snapped Voldemort, growing irritated at being ignored.

"It's Ron," Harry explained. "I can hear his voice. He's here."

"Ridiculous! Ronald Weasley is far from here. No one is here except for you and me."

"No," Harry disagreed. "Ron is here, and you aren't." suddenly Harry felt a soft tap at his foot. His wand was under his shoe. Picking it up, Harry had no clue what to do with it.

"I've had enough of this folly!" shouted Voldemort. "Prepare to die, Harry Potter!" Voldemort held up his wand and pointed it at Harry. With no other option, Harry followed his instinct and held up his wand as well.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" shouted Harry, and a beam of light shot out of his wand. The beam went directly through Voldemort's body and formed the shape of a stag. The bright light shone all over the graveyard, revealing what was truly there. Standing right behind him were Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, Luna, and Rolf. And on the opposite side of the cemetery, Harry was Bellatrix Lestrange, red-faced and fuming, standing where the illusion of Voldemort had stood but a moment earlier.

"How dare you?!" Bellatrix fumed. Furiously, a flash of green light flew out of her wand and barely missed Ron's face. Ron took out his wand to retaliate, but Harry stopped him,"

"No," said Harry. "All of you go. This is my fight, and I don't want any of you hurt." Silently, they all did what he said.

"Good luck," said Rolf as he walked away. "And remember what I told you." Harry nodded. He did remember, too.

"You may have to kill tonight."

"Draw your wand, Potter!" shouted Bellatrix. "It's less fulfilling to kill you while you're unarmed." The second Harry pulled out his wand, he was bombarded with a constant barrage of spells and curses. It was as if he were being attacked by a whole army and not just one witch.

The battle may have been the longest, most intense of Harry's life, and every time Bellatrix shot a spell from her wand, Harry thought it was the one that would end his life. However, Harry managed to dodge every spell Lestrange threw at him, even launching some spells of his own that succeeded in wounding her. Harry could tell that something about Bellatrix was off. She seemed even more crazed and sadistic than usual. Harry saw this as an opportunity to finally kill finish her off.

"Incendio!" She screeched, shooting a brilliant inferno of fire out of her wand. Harry's arm caught full blast of the spell, causing him to double over and clutch the burned arm in agony. Maddened by bloodlust, Bellatrix walked over to Harry and pointed her wand at Harry's chest. Suddenly, her mouth curled into a vicious smile. However, it was not like her usual smile. Harry could see panic in her face.

"Crucio!" she shouted, watching Harry clutch his stomach in pain. But she was not satisfied. Once again, she shouted, "Crucio!" and Harry felt the pain course through his body. "CRUCIO!" Harry was terrified. If Bellatrix kept this up, he would be driven insane. So Harry pulled out his wand and held it in his hand.

"CRUC-"

Bellatrix did not get the opportunity to finish the curse. Her eyes wide with rage, she fell to the ground with a thud. Learning from past mistakes, Harry check to make sure she was not alive. Her teeth were bared with the fury of her spellcasting. Her hair was tangled and messy, and her clothes were torn and stained with blood. Harry felt her pulse, to find that she had none.

Finally, Harry was certain that Bellatrix Lestrange was, in fact, dead.

In the following days, everyone heard of Harry's noble victory at the hands of the evil sorceress, Bellatrix Lestrange. They also learned of how Ron defeated Augustus Rookwood and avenged his brother's death. The two young wizards, along with Ginny, Luna, and Rolf, each played their part in the defeat of the Death Eaters following Lord Voldemort's demise. After the Battle of Azkaban, every death eater was taken prisoner once again, and Azkaban Prison was restored to its former glory.

As weeks upon weeks passed by, news of the battle began to fade into history. Instead, the Weasleys and others began to focus on matters such as Percy's wedding and Ron's reconciliation with Hermione. Other stories that circulated through the Burrow were news of Fleur's pregnancy, or of Ginny's engagement to Harry Potter.

Well, there it is. The last chapter. Thanks for reading my fan fic! I really hope you liked it. Im hoping I get the chance to write more fics, but I'm starting school and I might not be able to find the time. So thanks again for taking time to read my story. Please review!