So. We just saw OotP. It was…very disappointing, to put it nicely. Really. If you haven't seen it yet, we advise you not to. Not in theaters anyway, because it would just be a waste of money – especially if you've read all the books. The biggest problem we had with it was the plot. They just cut out so many scenes that it was ridiculous. Sort of made us wonder how anyone who hadn't read the book could follow it all. Jumped around a lot, skipped so many funny dialogues and important transitional scenes… And the characters. We just realized how much we hate how Dumbledore is portrayed – he's too serious, too hasty, too brusque. Not the whimsical, enchanting old man from the books. And they got rid of his half-moon glasses. Jeez. And Tonks – we're not sure about the rest of you, but that was definitely not the way we pictured her. And like Dumbledore, she came off as much too serious. She also had virtually no screen time along with Remus and Hagrid, which is a shame because they're all great characters.

And we come to our next biggest peeve – Sirius. The entire Department of Mysteries thing was terrible. Hardly no action – just a lot of crashing and lights when the shelves were knocked down. They skipped the Brain Room, the planets, the spinning doors, the Time Turners – you'd think they could have fit at least one of those in. And Sirius' death was atrocious. We were prepared to sob over it – cry a river, ocean, that sort of thing – but it was just so…abrupt. Plain. Boring. The only thing we can say about this is that if they screw up Dumbledore's death in HBP, we're giving up on the movies. We'll probably only watch that for the HarryGinny stuff.

On the other hand, we approved of Dolores Umbridge and Filch. Her character was funny to watch on screen, and the same goes for Luna – great one for laughs. Very airy and vague. And there was some nice foreshadowing concerning Ginny, who did some pretty impressive spellwork and who was always looking back when Harry and Cho were together – but of course, that's just our Ginny's-the-best thing talking. :P

Also disappointed that they cut Quidditch, Firenze, Dobby…we could go on forever about this. Probably the best thing about it was the special effects, especially at the end, and the funny parts that they kept. Kreacher and Grawp were done well, as well as Fred and George's fireworks – even if they completely did away with why they did it.

Overall, we believe it was the worst out of the five movies. We know it's daunting for a director to reel out a five/six hour movie, but this is Harry Potter we're talking about. We, for two, would definitely sit through all of it if it was done the right way. Fortunately, it provided just enough inspiration for us to whip this chapter together. So maybe it wasn't a complete waste of time.

…Sorry for that rant. We just had to put it out there. Feel free to comment. On with the story...

(By the way, we sort of lost track of the dates in this story, so we're going to start putting down dates from here. We'll probably change previous chapters later.)

A Battle of Wills - "You've taken everything from me, Harry Potter. In return of the favor, I will take everything from you."

31 April, 1997, 11:48PM
Third floor corridor, Hogwarts

Fred sighed. He slumped to the ground beside George and looked around. "Harry?"

"Still unconscious," Charlie said as he leaned his head back against the wall. "Fawkes might have healed the snake's bite, but that doesn't change the fact that he lost a load of blood."

"Ginny?" George asked.

"Still inside," Bill replied, nodding toward the closed doors of the Hospital Wing across the hall. "Ron and Hermione, too."

Charlie shook his head. "I hate seeing her like that," he said quietly. "It's almost heartbreaking."

"I know," Bill sighed. "It scares me, that they're so close. So vulnerable."

"You see her eyes?" Fred asked, shivering. "The light was gone. That glow in her eyes."

George stared at the ground. "Just gone," he agreed.

They heard footsteps and voices coming from the stairway, and turned to see Blackthorn and Drake walk up to them.

"The Aurors are finishing up," Drake said, wiping blood and grime off his face.

"Thanks for coming," Blackthorn said to Fred, George, Bill, and Charlie.

George shook his head. "No problem."

"How many?" Bill asked.

"Fifty-three, all told," Drake answered. "Some of them tried to run into the Forbidden Forest at the end, but that didn't work out too well for them."

"Centaurs?"

Drake nodded. "They have nine dead and four wounded. They're not too happy."

"Five mermen are dead, too," Blackthorn added. "Three wounded. Their casualties aren't that heavy since most of them stayed in the lake."

"Any of ours?"

"Ten Aurors in St. Mungo's," Drake said. "Kingsley and Tonks are fine for the most part. Six students reported minor injuries, but they've already been bandaged up by Madam Pomfrey."

"Fourteen dead, none of them ours," Bill sighed. "That's a miracle."

Blackthorn ran a hand through his hair. "It was that PA. They did brilliant work. Those long-range spells and bomb things were ingenious."

"And all of them working together," Drake said with a rueful smile. "Still can't believe it."

Fred hesitated. "And…is it true? About Remus?"

Bill frowned. "Yeah, I heard about that. What happened?"

Drake and Blackthorn smiled. "That's what we came to tell you. The Medi-Wizards confirmed it just a minute ago. Fenrir Greyback is definitely dead."

Bill, Charlie, Fred, and George grinned. "All right!"

"Best news I've heard all month," Fred said.

"Remus insisted he wasn't hurt, but they sent him to St. Mungo's anyway," Drake said.

"So how did he do it?" George asked.

Blackthorn shrugged. "Technically speaking, he didn't actually kill him. He just managed to Stun him, and a passing Auror finished him off. But everyone gives him the credit."

Charlie nodded. "Good for him. Finally got his revenge, didn't he?"

"And yours, too," George said, nodding at Bill.

They all smiled.

"So how long are you two here?" Fred asked.

"We actually have to leave now," Blackthorn said. "Are you all staying overnight?"

Charlie nodded. "At Madam Pomfrey's behest."

"Right," Drake smiled. "We'll see you later, then. We'll send a Patronus if anything new comes up."

"Thanks," Bill said, raising his hand in farewell. Blackthorn and Drake bade their goodbyes and left the way they'd come.

George let out a long breath. The four brothers were quiet for a moment.

"Where's Mum and Dad, by the way?" Fred asked after a while. "Shouldn't Mum be blubbering over the lot of them right about now?"

"She and Dad are up in McGonagall's office," Bill said. "Dunno what they're doing."

They fell silent again. Moonlight pierced the windows and made puddles on the floor in the middle of the corridor. Bill absently fingered a scar on his arm. Madam Pomfrey had furnished an empty chamber off the Hospital Wing with beds and told them to sleep there for tonight, but Bill didn't feel like sleeping. He was tired, all right, but he knew he wouldn't be able to close his eyes.

The door to the Hospital Wing suddenly creaked open and Ginny stepped out, followed by Ron. They both sported bandages where they had been cut by shattered windows; Ron's forehead was tightly wrapped, making his hair stick out in odd places, and Ginny's left arm was covered in bandages from the wrist to the elbow.

"Hey, munchkin," Bill said softly. "You all right?"

Ginny's lip quivered. She shook her head.

Bill patted the ground between him and Charlie. "Come on."

Ginny walked quickly toward her brothers, keeping her head down. She sat next to Bill and buried her face in his robes.

"It's okay to cry, kid," Charlie said gently. Bill put one arm around his sister and shifted so that she was all but sitting in his lap.

Ron took a seat beside Charlie while Fred and George stood up and sat down on Bill's other side, and the five Weasley brothers all huddled around their sister. She cried for a long time, soaking the front of Bill's robes. He didn't even notice as he held Ginny tight.

Her sobs eventually died down, and she fell asleep in the crook of Bill's arm.

"Hermione?" Bill asked quietly over Ginny's head.

"Sleeping," Ron said. He seemed to barely have the strength to keep his eyes open.

"You should be doing the same," Bill said. "Going back to your dorm?"

He shook his head. "Madam Pomfrey said to stay."

"Then go in," Charlie said, nodding at the door.

"You sure?"

George snorted. "We're not going to let you die of exhaustion," he said. "Mum would have us hanged."

Ron gave them a fleeting smile as he stood up. "All right. Take care of Ginny."

"As always," Bill nodded.

The older boys watched as Ron slipped back into the Hospital Wing. Fred shook his head. "Can't believe that's our little Ronniekins."

"All grown up now," George sighed.

Charlie ran his fingers through Ginny's hair. "Ginny, too."

Fred grinned as he looked down at his sister's face. "Sometimes I wonder if she's really related to us," he said musingly. "Hard to believe that such a cute little girl could come from our family."

"Don't worry," Bill chuckled. "She seems to take after you two enough."

"Our pride and joy," George said satisfactorily.

"Who'd've thought she'd get mixed up in all this?" Charlie asked quietly. "With Harry Potter, of all people."

"Honestly."

Ginny suddenly stirred.

"Shh," Bill whispered. "You'll wake her up."

"Too late," Ginny said in a sleepy voice. She rubbed her eyes and sat up – and noticed Bill's robes. "Merlin's beard," she said. "Did I do that?"

Bill grinned. "Don't worry about it, munchkin. Feel better?"

She brushed her hair out of her face and sank back into Bill's arms again. "A bit," she mumbled.

"You sure you're doing the right thing?" Charlie asked. "Being attached to him, I mean."

Ginny took a moment to answer. "This…this is what I've wanted all my life," she said with a small shrug. "I didn't realize the price would be so high. But then again, I didn't think the rewards would be so great, either."

"So it's worth it?"

"I had a chance to be normal, with Dean," Ginny said quietly. "I could have stepped out and watched all of this from the sidelines. But that would've been boring."

Fred and George grinned at each other. "Now that sounds like a Weasley."

"Besides," Ginny said, "he can make me feel like I'm the most important person in the world. Like I'm the only one that matters." She took a deep breath. "I…love him."

Charlie smiled and poked Ginny's shoulder. "Grow up all you want, munchkin," he said, "but you'll always be our little sister."

Ginny smiled back and reached out to hug him. "Thanks, Charlie." She let him go and hugged Bill, too. "I love you."

"What, we don't get hugs?" Fred asked indignantly.

"No," Ginny said, making a face at their blood-spattered clothes and grimy cheeks. "You two are dirty."

Bill and Charlie laughed.

4 May, 1997, 10:39PM
Gryffindor common room, Hogwarts

"I have a bad feeling about this."

"Stop being such a worrywart," Ron sighed.

Hermione crossed her arms. "I am not being a worrywart."

"Are too."

"Am not."

Ginny rolled her eyes. Hermione had been hanging around her brother for too long.

"Did he tell you what this is about?" Ron asked, turning on her.

"Would I be here if he had?"

"Oh. Right."

The portrait hole suddenly opened and Harry climbed through. "Hey – sorry I'm late," he said, running a hand through his hair. "I had to stop by McGonagall's office." He took a seat in an armchair across from them.

"See?" Hermione said to Ron. "That look. I don't like that look."

"Isn't that how he always looks?" Ron asked weakly.

Hermione sighed.

Harry smiled grimly. "He'll be at Godric's Hollow," he said quietly.

They froze.

"Er...what?" Ron said.

"How do you know?" Hermione asked suspiciously.

"This," Harry said, tossing a folded scrap of parchment onto the table. Hermione snatched it up and unfolded it; Ginny and Ron leaned over her shoulders to read along.

"The Dark Lord will be at Godric's Hollow the night of the 9th of May. Be ready. – HBP"

Hermione looked up at him incredulously. "HBP? Snape?"

Harry nodded.

"You can't trust Snape!" Ron exclaimed.

"How did you get this?" Hermione demanded.

Harry shrugged; he was watching Ginny as she tapped the parchment with her wand.

"It's obviously not a fake," she said slowly as the note glowed a delicate shade of yellow. "It doesn't react to the Forgery Charm."

Harry nodded in approval. "That aside, I can tell you for sure that it's real. I got the message by Patronus first."

"Patronus?" Hermione repeated, disbelief written all over her face.

"At 5:30 this morning," Harry said. "Said exactly what's written on that note."

"How do you know he's not lying?" Hermione demanded. "How do you know it's not a trap? He's a Death Gobbler, Harry. One of the top."

"And he murdered Dumbledore," Ginny added.

"He's not lying," Harry shrugged. "He told me under Veritaserum."

"How does that work?" Ron asked exasperatedly.

"There's a special form of Patronus messaging," Harry explained. "Kind of like talking through the fire, only you can use your Patronus instead of the fire. Let's you see the person you're talking to."

"You're telling me Snape willingly took Veritaserum and told you that the Dark Dork would be at Godric's Hollow?" Hermione asked skeptically.

Harry nodded. "Look, I'm not asking you to believe me. I know what happened and I know what I'm going to do."

"You're going to go?" Ron spluttered.

"Harry…" Ginny said quietly.

"What else is there to do?" Harry asked.

"Oh, I don't know," Hermione said sarcastically. "Alert the Ministry of Magic and have them kill the Dark Dork?"

Harry smiled wryly. "Don't you think that's what I want to do? But we can't, and you know it. Aurors or not, none of them stand a chance against him."

"And you do?" Hermione snapped.

"Yes," Ginny answered. Harry looked at her in surprise. She shrugged her shoulders. "I believe you do."

Harry smiled. "Thank you," he said softly.

"It could still be a trap," Hermione said adamantly. "He could bring along his entire army of Death Gobblers, and you would be trampled before you'd even get to the Dark Dork."

"He can bring all the Death Gobblers in the world," Harry said quietly. "They can't stop me."

And the way he said it made them believe him. They were silent for a long time, looking anywhere but at Harry.

"Now look," Harry sighed. "I know you've all sworn to hang me if I say this one more time, but I have to make sure. This is it. There's no going back; there's no rest until it's over. It's going to be either me or him still standing at the end, but I want to make sure everyone is safe no matter what happens. So I'll ask for the last time: Do you want to come with me?"

"However good your intentions," Hermione sniffed, "I'm ashamed you have to ask."

"Yeah," Ron said matter-of-factly. "You'd get yourself killed without us."

"Right," Harry grinned.

Ginny smiled. "You're not going anywhere alone."

Harry bowed his head and stared down at the ground for a moment. When he looked back up, there was a sad smile on his face. "Thanks," he said. "For…everything."

Ginny stood up, walked around the table, and sat beside Harry. She kissed his cheek and laid her head on his shoulder. "No need for thanks," she whispered.

"That's what we're here for," Hermione nodded.

"Forever and always," Ron grinned.

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "That's so corny."

"But it's true," Harry smiled, kissing the top of her head. He slipped his arm around her waist and stood up with her. "I'm tired. What do you say we go to bed?"

"Harry," Hermione said, looking consternated, "May 9th is this weekend!"

"You three don't have to worry about anything," he said, shaking his head. "I've arranged all of it."

He turned around and headed for the stairs with Ginny. Hermione and Ron looked at each other before hurrying after them.

––––––

Harry kissed Ginny goodnight and started climbing the stairs up to the dormitory with Ron. Ron glanced sideways at him; he seemed to be lost in thought as he twirled his wand between his fingers. Ron felt like he had to say something, but he didn't know what. They went up the rest of the way to their room without speaking.

Harry remained silent as they changed into their pajamas and got into bed. Dean, Seamus, and Neville were already asleep and snoring away.

Ron sighed and pulled his sheets up to his chin.

Tomorrow's the fifth. Five more days…

…He'll be fine. He's Harry. And he's so much stronger. Fearless.

And with all the Horcruxes destroyed…

He can win.

"Harry?" Ron whispered into the night.

"Yeah?" Harry whispered back.

Ron bit his lip. "I, uh…I just…wanted to say…" He blew out his cheeks. "…Thanks, mate."

Harry was quiet for so long that Ron was beginning to think he hadn't heard him.

"Harry?"

"No, Ron," he said, so softly that Ron had to strain to hear him. "It's me that needs to thank you. All of you. Because I haven't said it nearly enough times."

9 May, 1997, 10:54PM
Gryffindor common room, Hogwarts

Ginny shivered as Harry tapped her on the head with his wand. She looked down at herself to find that she had blended in with the wall behind her.

"Disillusionment Charm," Harry explained as he applied the same spell to Ron. "Easier than the Invisibility Cloak."

Satisfied that the three of them were properly camouflaged, Harry performed the charm on himself and turned toward the portrait hole. Before he could take more than two steps, however, someone came hurrying down the stairs.

"Shh!" Hermione whispered.

It was Neville.

He looked out worriedly into the common room. "Harry?" he called out softly. "Ron? Hermione? Ginny?"

Harry said nothing.

"I know you're here," Neville said, sounding desperate. "I know you're still here!"

Ginny heard Harry sigh. "What is it, Neville?" he asked.

Neville whipped around toward the sound of his voice. "Harry?"

"Not this time," Harry said quietly.

"I didn't come to stop you," Neville shook his head, taking a step forward. "I know where you're going. I-I want to go, too."

Ginny looked at him, startled. Neville?

"I-I've been practicing, Harry. I can hold my own against the Death Gobblers! You won't have to worry about me!"

Harry sighed again. "Neville, if you really know where we're going, you know you can't go."

"Yes I can, Harry," Neville said with a firmness that seemed to surprise even himself. "And I will! And so is Luna!"

"What?" Ron groaned.

"We're wasting time," Harry said darkly. His voice sounded farther away; it took Ginny a moment to realize he was moving toward the portrait hole. "You can come, Neville; and Luna, too. But you have to promise that you will not go after Bellatrix."

Neville paled.

"Neville?"

He swallowed hard. "I-I promise."

"Let's go."

Harry led them out of the portrait hole and cast the Disillusionment Charm on Neville. "Where's Luna?"

"She should be waiting by the Great Hall," Neville whispered.

Ginny suddenly felt Harry's hand take hers. She didn't ask who he knew where she was.

"Ron, take Ginny's hand; Hermione, take Ron's," he said. "Ready?"

"Ready," they replied. No one asked what he was doing.

All of a sudden, the world went black. Ginny gasped as she was jerked into the air. Harry squeezed her hand, assuring her that things were going as planned.

When the colors returned to her vision, she found herself in front of the Great Hall.

"What was that?" Neville asked wonderingly.

"Form of Apparition," Harry said. "Closer to the kind that house elves do. Where's Luna?"

"Harry?"

Luna stepped out from the shadows.

"Good," Harry said. "Come here."

Luna obeyed instantly and didn't say a word as the Disillusionment Charm was cast on her.

"Everybody take each other's hands again," Harry instructed as he grabbed Ginny's hand again. "Are we ready?"

Ginny took a deep breath. "Ready."

"Let's go."

––––––

9 May, 1997, 11:08PM
Godric's Hollow

The first thing Ginny noticed was the clouds. They roiled over the sky as if fighting each other for dominance, all of them an angry shade of blue and gray. It was colder, too; much colder.

And she also noticed that she could see herself again.

"No need to hide now," Harry said quietly.

Ginny instinctively stepped closer to him, as did the others.

"D-Do you know where he is?" Ron asked nervously. His hands were shaking.

Harry nodded. "He's waiting for us."

Hermione shivered.

"This is the village square," Harry informed them as he began walking past a row of abandoned shops. The others walked two paces behind him. "There's a cemetery in this direction," he continued, "and the house my parents lived in."

A thought suddenly occurred to Ginny. "You don't think…?"

Harry shook his head. "It was destroyed that night. There's nothing left for him to desecrate."

Ginny nodded, though she knew he couldn't see her. The main street they were on eventually branched off into smaller side streets. The dilapidated houses threw dark, jagged shadows at their feet.

Harry picked up his pace as he turned a corner. Ginny and the others followed him...

Only to find that he was nowhere to be seen.

Instead, a silver phoenix appeared before them.

::I swear I'll protect every single one of you.:: Harry's voice whispered. ::No matter what it takes.::

"Where did he go?" Ron asked bewilderedly as the phoenix blew away.

Ginny looked up and down the street, panic growing by the second.

Hermione looked furious. "What. A. Prat."

––––––

The house was shrouded in a mist that obscured the neighboring buildings. The windows were thick and foggy.

Harry faced the closed door with his wand in hand. He had seen this door – and this house – enough times in his dreams to realize it was important. He didn't know yet whether it was real or just an illusion, or if the mist was natural. But he did know that this was where Voldemort was waiting.

He pushed open the door and stepped inside.

He was in a large, spacious room. It was very dim, and what little light there was seemed hazy. It was furnished like a regular house, with a couch, two armchairs, a rocking chair, and a coffee table. There was also a small, round table to his right, complete with two high-backed chairs. The air in its vicinity was darker and it swirled around like someone was stirring it.

It was this table that Harry faced.

"Tea, Harry?"

Harry didn't even blink. "Hello, Tom."

The air stopped swirling for a moment, and the darker area seemed to fold in upon itself until it disappeared.

Lord Voldemort sat in one of the high-backed chairs with a tray of tea and crumpets on the table before him. He was in the guise of the younger Tom that had inhabited his diary.

"I thought we should have a little chat," Tom said pleasantly. "We haven't talked in quite a while."

"I noticed that, too," Harry nodded. "I've been a bit busy these past few months."

Tom's eyes flashed. "Really," he said in the same pleasant tone. "Well, all the more reason to talk, hmm?"

"Sorry, Tom," Harry said. "I'm afraid I don't have time for idle chitchat tonight."

Tom smiled. "I thought you'd say that," he said. He leaned back in his chair and lazily snapped his fingers.

Two large Death Eaters appeared by the left and right walls with their brawny arms locked around Neville's and Ron's throats. A stocky little Death Eater appeared by the front wall, holding his wand to Hermione's throat. And a fourth, final Death Eater materialized in front of the back wall. Harry didn't turn around.

"I was hoping this would give you some incentive to stay," Tom said.

Harry sighed. "I was hoping we could leave them out of this."

"Now, Harry," Tom drawled. "I know you don't think I'm so stupid to pass up a chance such as this. If you had wanted to keep them out of harm's way, you should have left them behind."

"I should have," Harry said quietly.

"So," Tom said amiably as he sipped from his teacup. "How did you know I was here?"

Harry poured himself a cup of tea. He forced himself to focus on Tom and ignore Ron's struggling and Hermione's frantic gestures.

"Does it matter?" Harry shrugged. He took a sip. "Good tea."

"Only the finest," Tom said, inclining his head.

"So what is it you wanted to talk about?"

"Oh, this and that," Tom said airily. "Crumpets?"

Harry took a crumpet from the proffered plate. "Thank you."

"But first, I'd like to ask you some questions."

––––––

What the hell is he doing?

Anger and worry and fear collided in her mind, leaving her feeling like she wanted to bite off the fingers of her captor. The wand tip pressing into her throat was becoming painful, and it didn't help that the Death Gobbler also had her arm twisted behind her back.

None of them had even had time to gasp. The Death Gobblers had snuck up on them not even a minute after Harry had disappeared. And here they found him having tea with the Dark Dork.

Ginny was clearly unnerved at the sight of this younger Voldemort. From the descriptions she had given of her vivid nightmares in second year, Hermione assumed that this was what the Voldemort in Riddle's diary had looked like.

Ron and Neville struggled vainly against their captors. They grimaced as the burly arms slowly tightened around their necks.

Harry didn't seem concerned at all. He was conversing lightly with Voldemort and sipping calmly at his tea. He didn't even look tense.

She couldn't take it. "Harry, what are you – "

She gasped as the Death Gobbler dug his wand deeper into her throat.

"Quiet," he growled. "The Dark Lord is speaking."

Hermione swallowed hard and looked back at Harry.

"It's certainly a possibility," he was saying.

Voldemort looked very pleased. "I've always thought it was a shame that we had to waste so many years in conflict."

"Regrettable," Harry agreed. "It could have been much more productive."

"It's not too late," Voldemort said with a wide smile. "Together, we can accomplish things much faster…"

Hermione was dumbstruck. Together?

…Harry?

You're not…?

It was then that she noticed Voldemort's wand underneath the table. It was pointing directly at Harry and emitting a soft red glow. Hermione barely stifled her gasp as she looked back at Harry. His eyes seemed cloudy and slightly unfocused.

No.

"Harry!" Hermione cried, trying to ignore the wand jabbing into her throat. "Snap out of it!"

"It's a trap!" Ron shouted.

The Death Gobbler wrenched her arm up, making her scream.

"Hermione, stay quiet!" Neville gasped as his captor began strangling him. "Ron!"

Ginny hadn't moved. She was staring at Harry's back with an unreadable expression.

"…Eradicate them," Voldemort was saying. He glanced amusedly at Ron. "All of them."

Harry nodded. "And the Ministry?"

"Abolished, of course," Voldemort said. "Their foul methods and corrupted laws have polluted the magic. We need to purify it again."

"Yes."

"Harry," Hermione whispered, almost in a sob. "Harry, please…Harry…"

She was losing him. He was entranced. He couldn't hear, couldn't see…

"A new world, Harry," Voldemort said. "Together, we can surpass the limits. There would be no boundaries. We might even find a way to defeat death, and we could find a way to bring your parents back. Would you like that?"

A strange, empty sort of smile passed across Harry's face. "Actually, Tom," he said, "I would."

––––––

Tom smiled widely. "Yes, yes, of course…"

Harry nodded. "But first," he said, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly, "I would rather you let them go."

Tom's eyes flashed for a brief moment; it was the only indication that he was annoyed – surprised? – that his spell hadn't worked. "Why yes," he said obligingly. He nodded and the three Death Eaters holding Ron, Hermione, and Neville released their hostages.

"Thank you," Harry said.

"And now, if you would…"

"Why are you in such a hurry?" Harry asked quietly. "We have plenty of time. And you're not finished yet."

"Not finished?" Tom asked.

"Well, that could be my fault," Harry said agreeably. "I didn't make myself clear, did I? What I meant was…let them all go."

Tom gestured at Ron and Hermione. "But I thought I did," he said.

"Let her go, Tom," Harry said softly.

There was silence.

"I see," Tom said slowly, "that I have underestimated you, Harry. It seems that you have…grown."

"Let her go."

Tom shook his head. "I'm afraid that's one request I must refuse."

Harry smiled. "It wasn't a request, Tom."

Tom's eyes narrowed. "It wasn't, was it?" he whispered.

"No," Harry said. "It wasn't."

"Then I must…disregard your command," Tom said delicately.

Chains suddenly appeared, binding Harry to the chair. At the same time, a knife appeared in the hand of the Death Eater that held Ginny.

Hermione sharply sucked in her breath.

"A Muggle's death," Tom said softly, "for a Muggle lover. Fitting, wouldn't you say?"

Neville was barely able to catch Ron's arm and restrain him.

"I'm not giving you a choice this time," Tom whispered. "You are going to watch her die, Harry."

The chair slowly spun until Harry was facing Ginny.

He picked his head up and gazed into her eyes. Saw the pain, the struggle to smile. The will to believe, the overwhelming fear. Conflicting.

"She's going to die, Harry. She's going to scream. She's going to beg to be killed. And you'll have to sit here and watch…every single moment."

Tom must have given his signal, because the Death Eater raised the knife toward Ginny's throat.

The fear in her eyes was plain now. Her face paled. She squeezed her eyes shut as the knife touched her throat.

Her lips moved soundlessly. Harry…

"I'll only say it one more time, Tom," Harry whispered, staring intently at the knife as if it would disappear if he willed it enough. "Let. Her. Go."

Tom moved forward so that Harry could just see him out of the corner of his eye. He had a twisted, grotesque smile on his face.

"Say goodbye, Harry."

"Let…"

Hermione screamed. Ron bellowed.

"Her…"

The knife flashed.

"GO!"

The house exploded.

­––––––

"Godric's Hollow, second street!" Mad-Eye shouted, sending his chair flying as he stood up. "Move!"

Kingsley didn't bother to stand up. He Apparated straight from where he'd been sitting on the couch in Minerva's office.

Remus materialized in front of him as Godric's Hollow swirled into view. Tonks, Mad-Eye, and Sturgis appeared to his right, while Blackthorn, Drake, Bill, and Charlie turned up to his left.

They stood before an empty plot of land.

"What?" Sturgis said incredulously. "Where…?"

"It was an illusion!" Mad-Eye growled, spinning around. "It must have been destroyed!"

"So where are they?"

"Never mind that," Drake said grimly. "We've got a lot of company coming."

Cloaked and masked figures began whirling into view all around them, filling up the town. And behind them, tall, hooded figures with rotting hands and rattling breaths came gliding up, blotting out what little light there was.

Kingsley grimaced as the cold swept in around him. "Aurors?"

"Less than five minutes," Tonks said through gritted teeth.

"Think we can last?"

Tonks raised her wand. "We have to."

––––––

Harry ducked as a jet of red light went sizzling over his head. "Have you lost your touch?" he taunted as he spun around another spell and retaliated. "Getting soft with all your Death Eaters doing your dirty work for you? Or is having only one-seventh of a soul impairing your abilities?"

Tom vanished with a swirl of his cloak and reappeared behind Harry. "Crucio!"

"Resorting to dirty tricks already?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow. He flicked his wand and a pile of rubble flew up to form a wall in front of him. It shattered as it took the brunt of the spell. "That's no fun at all."

Their wands flashed and sparks flew as they dueled, exchanging blows faster than Harry could keep track of. Sometimes their spells would collide, connecting their wands for brief moments.

Interesting, Harry mused as a jet of orange light glanced off his shield and careened into the night. The magic is still inclined to connect, even though I'm using Remus' wand.

He could hear the sounds of fighting throughout the rest of the town; he had warned Remus that Death Eaters would be arriving shortly before midnight, and it appeared that Remus had in turn alerted the Ministry's entire staff of Aurors.

Harry suddenly found himself at the edge of the town near the cemetery. Tom noticed it, too; he began inching toward the graveyard as they both continued to duck and weave around each other's spells.

The gate to the cemetery clanged shut.

"I hate fighting in cemeteries," Harry said. "I've begun to get sick of them, actually."

Tom hissed between his teeth. He sent a barrage of curses at Harry, who barely raised a shield in time to block them. He took a step backward as the shield shattered; he stumbled over a tree root and went down.

Tom materialized overhead with an evil smile on his face. He raised his wand.

Harry lashed out with his feet and caught him in the groin. Tom doubled over in pain, casting a quick shield around himself as Harry threw a hex at him before rolling away.

"Still a man, I see," Harry called.

Tom's face twisted in a snarl of fury. "You've taken everything from me, Harry Potter," he hissed. "In return of the favor, I will take everything from you."

"I dare you, Tom," Harry said, sending two discs of yellow light spinning at him. He managed to dodge one, but the other sliced through his cloak. "I dare you to try it again."

"You don't care if she dies?"

"Don't you?"

"Me?" Tom snorted, slashing the air with his wand. "Why should I care?"

Harry made a similar slashing movement, and the two spells crashed into each other with a bang. "Because she is the world to me," Harry said quietly.

"And if I kill her," Tom said maliciously, "it will break you."

"No. You still don't understand, Tom. You still haven't figured out what I'm fighting for yet." Harry waved his wand in a circle before him and drew two vertical lines through it. The symbol glowed and hung in the air for a moment before dissipating. "I fight for the future. My future, her future, our future, my friends' future, the world's future. For what we can have once you're gone. You're right – she is everything I live for and everything I'd die for. It's true you could kill her, but then there won't be anything holding me back. Because I'd have nothing more to lose."

"I've had enough of your pretty words, Potter," Tom snarled. "Seventeen wasted years over a worthless little boy. This is the end. AVADA KEDAVRA!"

Harry smiled grimly as the Killing Curse burst from Tom's wand. He raised his own and took a deep breath. "EXPELLIARMUS!"

––––––

"The dementors are closing in!" Remus yelled. It was now impossible to move around without stepping in blood or on the bodies strewn over the ground. Nearly all the Death Eaters had been defeated, but now the dementors that had been hanging back were moving swiftly forward. "Expecto Patronum!"

Ron, Neville, Hermione, and Ginny stood together farther down the street. They were closer to the incoming dementors and already seemed to be suffering from the cold.

"Happy thoughts!" Ron shouted desperately. "Happy thoughts!"

He and the others raised their wands. As one, they roared, "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

Four huge, full Patronuses burst out of their wands and charged the dementors. Together with Kingsley's, Tonks', and Remus' Patronuses, they began pushing the hooded figures back out of the town. They were eventually driven away entirely, leaving the area eerily still and quiet.

"Look," Kingsley whispered, pointing past Remus' shoulder.

Remus turned around – and stared.

A gigantic, golden dome rose into the sky. It was just beyond the cemetery where Lily and James were buried.

"W-What is it?" Ron gasped as he came running up.

"They're inside," Ginny breathed. She was holding her left arm pressed close to her chest, and her sleeve was soaked in blood. "They're fighting inside that thing."

Indeed, they could hear thunderous bangs and blasts echoing like gongs into the night. There were occasional flashes of light that penetrated the golden dome and pierced the dark sky.

"There's nothing we can do," Remus said tightly. He felt like his heart had frozen inside his chest.

"Ginny, come here," Tonks said softly. She tapped Ginny's arm with her wand. "That should be good for now."

Ginny nodded her thanks and turned her gaze back to the dome.

Seconds…minutes… Nearly an hour passed by, and the fighting inside the dome seemed to have become more intense, if anything. By now, all of the Aurors and Medi-Wizards had congregated in the village square with them to watch the glowing golden dome. Remus absently let a Medi-Wizard check him over; his eyes never left the dome.

And then it was silent.

Kingsley stared, awe-struck. He asked the question flashing through everybody's minds. "Is it over?" he whispered into the silent night.

The dome exploded.

Up Next: Complications. Voldemort doesn't die that easily, after all.

We're sorry if this chapter didn't make sense. We completely made stuff up as we went. And we're aware that we have three days to finish six chapters, so…yeah. The worst thing is that we started a three-week all-day camp on Sunday that runs from eight in the morning until ten thirty at night, which leaves nearly no room to write. So we'll go as fast as we can and attempt to finish this by…Saturday. Ha ha. :)