Text in bold belongs to JKR
~SHP
Luna Apparated into a deserted classroom just outside the Great Hall. Btu when she entered the hall, the scene inside froze her in shock. The Great Hall was now a triage ward. Neville, Oliver Wood, and Lee Jordan were moving the dead to a chamber off the Hall so there might be more room for the wounded. Madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall were trying to sort out the worst of the injuries. Everywhere people were crying or injured or dead.
A sharp howl of pain forced Luna to move again.
"Let me help," she told McGonagall who was tying a makeshift sling around Justin Finch Fletchly's broken arm.
"There isn't much to be done. We're just about out of everything already. Just try to make them comfortable," McGonagall replied.
"Tell me who is the worst and I'll get them to St. Mungo's."
McGonagall looked up sharply at that. "How?"
"I'll Apparate," Luna replied simply.
"Don't be silly," a voice said from behind her. Luna turned to see Hermione and Ron. Hermione's face was red and puffy from crying. "You can't Apparate in and out of Hogwarts."
"You can't. I can," Luna told her, too tired to argue with Hermione.
McGonagall looked at Luna as if she were insane. "That kind of power can only come from a –
"Headmaster. Yes, I know. We're wasting time," Luna said impatiently.
Hermione huffed. "That would require a very powerful wizard. And who would have done that for just you?"
"Give it a rest Hermione!" Ginny said sharply, coming up on the small group. Streaks of dried tears still marked her face but her eyes were blazing as she looked at Luna. "She can and she's right, we're wasting time. The worst are being treated over here."
The redhead took Luna's hand and led her to a cluster of people. Luna recognized several students of all houses. One Gryffindor was slumped, unconscious against the wall, her left arm missing from the elbow down. A Hufflepuff lay next to her, wheezing heavily around, what Luna assumed, was a punctured lung. A dozen others sported similar or worse wounds.
"Right," Luna said determinedly. She grasped the Gryffindor, who she now recognized as Katie Bell's friend Leeann, and Disapparated.
Seconds later she returned to the stunned faces of Professor McGonagall, Hermione, and Madam Pomfrey.
"Ho – how?" Hermione gasped as Luna bent to grip Terry Boot.
"Severus," Luna replied as she Disapparated again.
When she returned the next time it was to paler, more stunned faces. But she ignored them as she Disapparated with another body.
Luna was exhausted when she was finished. Can too much apparating cause physical damage? she wondered idly as she collapsed to the floor on her final Apparation into the Hall. Ginny pressed a cup of water into her hands. Luna offered her a small smile of thanks.
"Where is Harry?" Luna asked after a long drink.
Neville, who had joined the group while Luna had been ferrying wounded to St. Mungo's, turned red. "I think… I think he … he gave himself up. He said he wasn't going to but I haven't seen him and he told me… well he told me to do something if he was busy and he hasn't returned."
Everyone looked at Neville in horror.
"No," Hermione said weakly, falling against Ron.
As if on cue, Voldemort's horrible, snake-like voice echoed through the Hall. "Harry Potter is dead. We bring you his body as proof that your hero is gone."
No one spoke but there was a great surge toward the entrance hall. Neville helped Luna to her feet and she leaned on him gratefully as they too, made their way to the doors.
Outside, Luna saw a long line of Death Eaters stretched out beside the Dark Lord. She trembled at the sight of Harry's body, cradled in Hagrid's arms. Neville shook with silent sobs beside her and then a loud, terrible scream broke the silence.
Luna jumped at the sound of pure despair that issued from Professor McGonagall. The Transfiguration professor had always been fiercely proud of the fact that Harry Potter, The Chosen One, The Boy Who Lived had belonged to her house – belonged to Gryffindor.
McGonagall's wail was followed by a chorus from Ron, Hermione, and Ginny and Luna didn't know if she could stand it any longer. Her heart was breaking into too many pieces. She was too tired.
It was over.
Just as she thought her legs were going to give out on her, she felt a warm hand on the small of her back and glanced over her shoulder to see Blaise Zabini. He gave her a grim smile and Luna was thankful for his support as her legs trembled violently beneath her.
"When did you -?" she stared to ask.
"SILENCE!" Voldemort yelled and Luna felt as if her voice had been sucked out of her. "You see? Harry Potter is dead!"
"He beat you!" Ron shouted and Luna felt instantly as if her own voice had returned.
Gasping, she realized that something was wrong. Voldemort's power was weaker, incomplete. For the first time, she stared hard at the ugly, disfigured wizard. Luna expected to see a twisted and blackened aura, like those of his Death Eaters around him. Instead, she saw nothing. He was completely empty, as if he had no soul.
Her eyes scanned the line of Death Eaters quickly. As she did so there was a shout and Neville lunged forward from beside her.
"Neville!" she cried as Voldemort disarmed him with a lazy flick of his wand.
Blaise tightened his hold on Luna, as if afraid she might lunge forward too. But she had already turned her eyes back to the Death Eaters. Every one of them had aura's that were dark, twisted, and ridiculously overjoyed.
Except one.
Narcissa Malfoy's aura was pure terror. Luna took a deep breath to try to slow her thoughts. This meant something. She just had to put the pieces together.
"I'll join you when hell freezes over," Neville said bravely. "Dumbledore's Army!"
There was a roar from the crowd as everyone seemed to find their voices at once. Luna glanced back at Harry's body again but was struck mute by what she saw. Harry still had his aura. It was bright and whole and fierce and Luna knew in that moment, that Voldemort was right – the battle was won. Dumbledore's Army had prevailed.
Because Harry Potter was not dead.
She opened her mouth to speak but a scream ripped the air apart and Neville stood in flames. Luna wrenched herself from Blaise's grasp just as a roar sounded from the boundary of the school.
Reinforcements had come!
The ground gave a sudden tremble as Grawp came around the side of the castle yelling for Hagrid. Voldemort's giants ran toward him and bellowed their answer. And then there were the centaurs firing into the line of Death Eaters! A large shadow passed over head and Luna glanced up to see her threstals and Buckbeak the hippogriff flocking toward the giants. The chaos that ensued forced everyone back into the castle. The exhaustion Luna had felt earlier melted away as she rejoined the fight.
She was momentarily slowed when the door that led to the kitchens blasted open and hundreds of house-elves swarmed into the hall too. They were all fighting for Dumbledore's Army. For the Order of the Phoenix.
For Harry Potter.
Ahead of her, in the center of the Great Hall, Luna saw Hermione and Ginny engaging Bellatrix. Fury like Luna had never known surged through her as she remembered how Bellatrix had tried to torture her; how she had tortured Hermione. Sprinting forward she joined the duel just in time to block Hermione from a curse.
She was dimly aware that it was down to them, fighting Bellatrix, and McGonagall, Slughorn, and Kingsley, dueling Voldemort. But she couldn't think about that. Bellatrix was fast and cunning.
The older witch cackled as she flung a killing curse at Ginny. There was a loud shriek and a flash of red as Molly Weasley lunged forward screaming, "NOT MY DAUGHTER YOU BITCH!"
Luna fell back, breathing heavily, and joined the rest of the crowd as they watched these final duels. A moment laughter, Molly Weasley stood triumphant.
Voldemort roared his fury and spun toward Molly but a ringing, "Protego!" came from thin air. Harry yanked off his Cloak and Luna's heart jumped in her chest at the sight of him.
There was no fear in him as he began to circle Voldemort. She didn't need to see his aura to know that Harry was determined, ready, and capable of ending the war. Here. Now.
Luna listened as Harry explained how Dumbledore had outsmarted Voldemort. The entire Hall had gone silent, everyone straining to hear Harry's words.
"Severus Snape wasn't yours," Harry said.
Her throat tightened with tears. Harry knew!
"Snape was Dumbledore's, Dumbledore's from the moment you started hunting down my mother. And you never realized it, because of the thing you can't understand. You never saw Snape cast a Patronus, did you, Riddle? Snape's Patronus was a doe, the same as my mother's, because he loved her for nearly all of his life, from the time when they were children," Harry said.
Everything made sense now. The woman Severus had betrayed the Death Eaters for was Harry's mother! Silent tears fell from Luna's cheeks as her heart swelled. She wanted to leave, to Apparate to Severus's side, and tell him she knew everything. That she loved him even more because of it. But she didn't. She needed to see the end.
Harry was talking about the Elder Wand now. Explaining that Draco had been its master but he, Harry, had disarmed Draco when they had escaped Malfoy Manor. Luna suddenly felt very small and foolish for questioning Fate. For doubting even for a moment, that all the bad things that had happened were not leading up to this moment.
Harry raised his wand, his aura glowing like that of a Knight in armor. The castle floor trembled beneath her feet as Voldemort cast the Avada Kedavra but Harry's Expelliarmus was stronger. The Elder Wand flew through the air, landing in the hand of its true master, and it was over.
Harry stood victorious.
The Boy who Conquered Death.