Author's Note: Here it is. The last chapter of The Journey. Hope you all enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. All rights go to J.K Rowling. I am merely writing this for fun.

Chapter 14: Forgive

"Where could she have gone?" Harry asked. She wouldn't be on lunch break, most likely she'd get lunch delivered to her office.

"We need to get out of here," Sirius said, pulling on Harry's shoulder. "They probably know we're here."

Harry nodded and ran back down the corridor, Lily and James behind him. Mad-Eye was holding the lift open for them, and Harry ran in. When Lily and James joined him, Mad-Eye punched the button for the Auror's office.

A bell dinged once more and opened up into the Auror's office. It was completely demolished.

"What happened?" Remus asked, shocked.

"They must have known we were here," Dumbledore said, realizing the fact. "I suspect they will have blocked off every entrance and exit except the one in the Atrium, and that is where the Great One wants us to go."

"Then we will go there!" Kingsley said. "We need to end this. You saw the list of executions. Hundreds of people are dying every day! We need to stop this madness. And if we die, so be it. This is more important."

Harry could recall the exact feeling he had when he was walking into the forest to face Voldemort. "I agree. If you don't want to fight, you can find another way out. But I'm going with Kingsley."

"Me, too," Lily said, stepping forward. James took her hand. Sirius stepped up next to his best friend, as did Remus, then Dumbledore and Mad-Eye.

"Let's go!" Kingsley said, leading the way back to the lifts. He hit the button that read Atrium.

"Wand at the ready!" Moody shouted gruffly. The Atrium doors opened and Harry could see dozens of Dark Mages standing at the ready.

"Go!" Dumbledore shouted.

"Stupefy!" Harry cried, shooting spells into the crowd of Dark Mages, who retaliated with ferocity.

One shot a ray of light that collided with the ceiling above Harry and he dove to avoid the debris that were falling.

Kingsley was engaged in combat with two Dark Mages, jets of light flying around as they fought to kill.

James and Lily were standing together, taking out wizards with every shot.

"Impedimenta!" Harry yelled. He ran behind the fountain of Arlissa and shot spells at the Dark Mages.

One pointed his wand at Harry and twisted his wrist. The statue fell back as though it was soft metal and contorted. He waved his wand once more and it soared towards Harry, who dived to avoid it. The man swung the statue back again, and again.

"Confringo!" Dumbledore cried, and the spell hit a desk, papers flying off of it as it collided with five wizards and knocked them down.

Dumbledore now used his wand to create a huge wave from the fountain, sending it crashing towards the sea of white that was the Dark Mages.

Jets of light were flying around, hitting walls, tables, and anything in their path, causing debris of glass and plaster to fly around everywhere.

Mad-Eye was firing off spells at high speed, hitting Dark Mages before they even saw it coming. Sirius and Remus were standing back to back as they duelled more Dark Mages. Harry could see many lying on the ground, unconscious. They were winning!

Two Dark Mages ran in from the other end of the Atrium. Harry ran towards them.

"Petrificus Totalus!" he cried. One of them seized up and fell to the ground.

"Avada Kedavra!" the other shouted. Harry jumped behind the discarded, warped statue. The spell collided with it and the heavy gold flew back, pushing Harry into the wall. He groaned, then looked up. The man was duelling with Dumbledore now.

"Confringo!" Harry cried, and the man flew back and smashed into a desk, then fell to the ground, not moving.

A man came running in. He was taller than Dumbledore and twice the size, his arms rippling with muscles as he held long chains, whipping them around. He smashed one through the air toward Harry, who blocked it with his wand.

The man swung his chain towards Lily, who dived to avoid it. James was hit in the stomach and flew back, hitting the wall.

The chains seemed like they were magic, and the man now grabbed whole sections of the wall and chucked them at the last members of the Order. The room seemed to have been enchanted, otherwise it would have collapsed without a wall.

How is that even possible? Harry though as he dove out of the way of a chunk of the Atrium.

Harry could see James and Lily had retreated to the elevator to avoid the man with the chain. They were firing spells from there as best they could. Harry could see a spell being fired at Lily from the side, and she wouldn't be able to see it coming from her angle. He ran towards her and pushed her out of the way. The spell blasted a hole in the elevator.

"Thanks, Harry!" Lily shouted.

"On three!" Sirius shouted, pointing his wand at the man with chains. Harry realized what he was doing. "One! Two! Three!"

They both shot Stunning spells at the man and he collapsed to the floor. Harry looked around. Remus was unconscious, but everyone else was still fighting.

Kingsley ran forward, levitating a desk in front of him. He sent it soaring towards the Dark Mages, and cried, "That was for Hestia!"

A huge flash of light blinded Harry, and he covered his face with his arm, stumbling blindly. When it went down he looked and saw Kingsley was blasted back and lying near the elevator.

"No!" Harry cried. He saw the mangled remains of the statue in the corner of his eye. "Engorgio!" the statue doubled in size.

Dumbledore realized what Harry was doing and pointed his wand at the statue. "Go, Harry! Get to Kingsley!"

Dumbledore sent the statue through the air high speed and it fell to the ground with a humongous CRASH!

The Dark Mages scattered, and Sirius, James, and Lily advanced, shooting spells into the crowd.

Harry knelt by Kingsley, who was breathing faintly. "Harry. Please. Get Hestia back safely. For me."

"No, Kingsley, hold on!" Harry cried. It couldn't be happening.

Kingsley's eyes rolled back into his head. He was dead. The battle slowed down behind Harry, as though nothing existed besides Kingsley dying.

No, no!

The blood rushed into Harry's ears, and he stood up and ran to join his friends, fighting with a new intensity, because one of their own had fallen-

"I see her!" Lily cried, ducking behind a desk. Harry ran towards her and ducked down as well, a spell grazing the top of his head.

"There!" Lily pointed. The Great One had entered the room and was fighting, sending large rays of light towards Dumbledore and Mad-Eye, who were fighting their hardest.

"We can finish this!" James cried, expertly Stunning a wizard who had come very close to them. "Let's go!"

Harry raised his head from behind the desk. "Hold them!" he shouted towards Dumbledore, Mad-Eye, and Sirius.

We can do it. For Kingsley.

Dumbledore waved his wand, holding it high, and flames came out of the end, forming a whip. He slashed it through the air towards the Dark Mages.

"This way!" Lily cried, and she ran straight for the Great One, who was firing off spells on her own. The other Dark Mages were focused on Dumbledore and didn't try to stop Lily, Harry, or James as they sprinted by.

Lily kept running, right through the battling figures next to her, because she knew that this was the only way to finish it.

"Stupefy!" she shouted, Stunning the men next to the Great One. Her eyes widened as she saw Lily, James, and Harry approaching.

"STOP!" The Great One shouted, her voice echoing through the hall, and she waved her hand. Everyone in the hall froze in their tracks, unable to move.

"What is she doing?" James asked. Lily slowed down around ten meters away from the Great One.

"What are you doing?" Lily asked in turn.

"I want to settle this with the least amount of lives lost. How about we fight each other, the two women. We'll see who is better, and we'll see who wins," the Great One said.

"Lily, don't do it," James said warningly.

Lily felt that something was compelling her to do this. She knew that this was the only way to settle the fight with the least amount of lives lost, but there was something else that she couldn't place... "You're not the only compulsive one, James," she retorted. "I'll do it," she said to the Great One.

"Excellent. If I win, I will be free to rule as I wish, and I will take your friends prisoner."

"And if I win, you have to call off your Dark Mages and turn yourselves in," Lily said.

"That sounds fair enough." The Great One waved her wand and everyone unfroze. They didn't resume fighting, however.

"I want you to watch me win. I want you to watch as I, Malena, overcome the final obstacle in avenging Arlissa!" The Dark Mages cheered.

Something clicked inside Lily. She realized why she felt like she needed to do this. "Wait!" she cried.

Malena looked over. "What?"

"I understand why you feel pain for your daughter. You lost her unfairly, and you felt so angry and sad and lonely. I know what you're feeling. I felt the same way when I lost my son, Harry. The pain of knowing that he was gone was so horrible.

"I know it hurts, but I know now that you have to forgive. You can't live in anger forever! I learned that, and I forgive the person who caused me to lose my son. Try, Malena. Try to forgive."

"I-" Malena had, of all things, tears in her eyes. "I can't forgive. Not after they took my daughter."

"That's what I thought at first. But you have to forgive- otherwise you'll be stuck angry, lonely, and bitter forever. I don't think Arlissa would want you to do this to yourself. I think she would want you to forgive."

Lily took a breath and continued. "I know it's hard, and I know it hurts. But you need to look to the light and do something positive. You could've reformed things without taking over violently. You could have done so much. And you can, if you just try to forgive them for taking Arlissa."

"I can't. You shouldn't either. Why would I let these prejudices and injustices go unnoticed? They killed my daughter. And now, I will kill you." She raised her wand, and then a flash of green light filled Lily's vision and she closed her eyes, thinking one last time of James and her Harry.

Lily opened her eyes. Was she dead?

Malena lay on the floor, her eyes open and glassy. Lily looked around and saw James with his wand outstretched, looking completely shocked.

One by one, the Dark Mages all Disapparated, leaving the remnants of the Order behind. Dumbledore, Mad-Eye, and Sirius were all staring at Lily, James, and Harry.

Lily felt James wrap his arms around her. "It's over," he whispered. "We did it."

"It's over," she repeated. She looked back at Malena and felt a twinge of regret. Too many lives had been lost.

"You wanted to see us, Albus?" Lily asked, making her way to Albus's desk in his "emergency-in-case-Hogwarts-is-ever-destroyed house". He had his Pensieve out on his desk.

"Yes. I believe that I can find your Harry, wherever he is. That is, of course, if you want to see him. You will not be able to get him back, however."

Lily had already faced the fact that she couldn't get her son back. She looked at James, who squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"We'll do it."

"I had been speculating on how exactly to find a way to find your Harry and be able to see him, and I realized that we could use this Harry's blood and put it in the Pensieve. Harry?"

Harry made his way into the room. He held a vial. "I wanted to help in any way I could," he said, giving Dumbledore the red vial. He poured it in. Lily's heart pounded.

"Now, we need one of you to give blood as well, so we can find your child."

James stepped forward. "I'll do it."

Always the hero, Lily thought sarcastically.

"No, James, I'll do it," she said, stepping forward. "I want to do it." She took the knife from Dumbledore and made a small cut on her hand, dripping her blood into the Pensieve. Dumbledore poured the contents of Harry's vial into the Pensieve, then swirled it around with his wand. The silvery substance turned a deep, dark red.

Lily could just make out faces that were hidden in the reddish-gold liquid. It stopped swirling and Dumbledore said, "After you." Lily put her face into the Pensieve and felt herself falling through space. She landed in a cottage identical to their own. She was standing at the kitchen table.

James landed next to her, looking around. "This is our house," he said.

"Good observation."

The front door to the cottage opened and a James Potter walked in, holding the door for Lily who was holding a small bundle of blankets.

"Bring Harry over here. No, over here, there's a draft over there."

"He's such an idiot," James muttered to Lily, who laughed.

"You were worse when Harry was born. Remember when you covered the entire living room with foam padding?"

"James! He'll be fine, don't worry!" Other-world Lily chided.

James slumped. "I know, I'm just so happy that finally, after trying for so long, we have a son."

Lily could feel tears coming to her eyes. "That's him, isn't it. Harry."

"Yeah, I think so," James said, his eyes getting watery as well, though he tried to wipe them away.

"I guess he'll be happy here," Lily said, a watery smile on her face. "I know we can't get him back, but at least we know he's happy and safe."

"Dumbledore says there's no Voldemort here. He'll be alright, I suppose," James said, wiping his eyes as though he just had dust in them.

"We should probably go," Lily said sadly. James nodded.

"Goodbye, Harry. I hope you prank everyone around you, but don't get in trouble, and I want you to know that I love you." James left the Pensieve before he would do something unmasculine like cry in front of his wife.

Lily smiled sadly at the baby Harry. "I love you, Harry. Always remember that. You'll be safer here than you ever could be in our world, and I know that this Lily and James will take care of you just as well as we could have." Lily sniffled, tearing up a bit. "I wish that you had never been replaced with the other Harry. I was so mad at him, so angry, because he took you away from me. But he's a good kid. I've been watching him and, though I was mad at him, I saw how well he lead others, and how he helped others. I saw the good in him, Harry. And I love him, too. He's also my son from another world, and he's been raised well. Please don't be mad at me for loving him too. I'll miss you, but it isn't possible for us to be together. Remember that I love you, always." With that, Lily turned and left the Pensieve, and baby Harry, forever.

"Harry? May I please speak with you for a moment?" Lily asked. Harry looked slightly nervous as he followed her into a different room.

Harry stood in the room awkwardly, waiting for Lily to speak.

Lily, unsure as well, opened and closed her mouth a few times, slightly resembling a goldfish, before she took a deep breath and started to speak.

"Harry, I- I know that I've been mad at you, and distant. I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry, mu-Lily. It's my fault that your Harry is gone, and-"

"It's not your fault, Harry. It just happened. And I know I blamed you, but I was so, so sad and heartbroken that he was gone that I needed to get all my emotions out, and they came out in the form of anger, and they were directed at you. And I know that's no excuse, but I'm terribly sorry. And I just wanted to tell you, I love you too. I love you because you're my son and a mother can't not love her son and I'm so sorry, Harry!" Lily threw her head into her hands and started sobbing. Harry, sobbing girls never his forte, awkwardly patted Lily's back, still in shock from her confession.

"I love you too, Lily."

Lily looked up, her eyes red. "Call me mum."

Harry beamed.

"I still can't believe we did it," James said, swigging down a bottle of Butterbeer.

"It wasn't just us. Harry helped us, along with everyone else. And Kingsley," Lily replied.

"I'm just glad they found Hestia in time."

"Yeah…" Lily and James sat in comfortable silence in their cottage, watching a Muggle film.

"So, what happens now?" Lily asked after a few minutes.

"I know they're rebuilding across Europe, electing new people, catching the last Dark Mages and Death Eaters. It also means I'm going back to Auror office soon."

Lily spoke a little sadly, "I know. You better not do anything stupid this time," she said, punching his shoulder.

"Ow!" James rubbed his shoulder.

After a few more minutes, Lily's eyes met a picture of Harry. "I still miss him, a lot."

James sighed heavily. "I do, too. But at least we know he's safe and happy. We did try to make the world a better place, and now he's in one."

"I know." After a few more minutes of watching, Lily voiced her final concern. "What does this mean for us?"

"Us? Well, maybe we can finally have some peace."

Lily scoffed. "Peace? I doubt it."

"You're right. Trouble follows us wherever we go." James kissed Lily and they both laughed.

"You know, I think I figured out why we took that long, winding, and frankly annoying as hell journey," James said.

"Why?"

"Because we're the Potters. That's what we do."

THE END

Author's Note: I can't believe it's over! My first fanfic! I sincerely hope everyone liked reading it.

I would like to thank everyone who supported this story. Anyone who followed, favorited, or reviewed, thank you. I really appreciate it.

My other story, The Life We've Dreamed of, will still be continuing, so please check that out.

Thank you all again! :)