Author Note: Woops I almost forgot to post this! Time is just running away from me today, as I'm sure you all understand being this time of year. Thanks first of all to Wendy Waddles for her gracious help with this chapter and for reviewing the last along with Dontgotaclue88 and Elza. Elza, yeah I know! We can dream though, can't we!

Hopefully there will be another chapter next week as promised. I'm hoping to take some time off so I should have time, so see you all on the 24th!

Chapter 36 – The Final Battle

The castle was in a flurry. Students hurried to the room of requirement led by the heads of houses. Some of the younger students were excited at what they perceived to be a great adventure but most were panicked, though to their credit they all remained as orderly as possible given their fears. Meanwhile, Harry and Dumbledore's Army, along with the Order of the Phoenix (most of whom Tamara didn't recognise, though Harry and the others did) had joined Tamara in the Great Hall to prepare for the battle. An argument had broken out over who was to defend the outermost bounds of the castle. Snape, who was still feeling an inferno of anger at how Voldemort had used Tamara, wanted to lead the charge. Tamara fought back and told him that he had to stay put. He would be needed when Voldemort made his appearance. To their surprise, Harry agreed with Tamara, finally accepting the role that the three of them would have to play before the night was out.

Finally, it was agreed that Remus Lupin and Kingsley Shacklebolt would head the defences of the castle grounds. They would be the ones to fight on the front line, leading several other brave members of the Order. They all exchanged handshakes and wishes of good luck before the chosen fighters solemnly left to take up their posts in the grounds. Seamus Finnegan and Dean Thomas volunteered to man the astronomy tower where they would have the best vantage point, so as to inform the others when Voldemort's army approached. To occupy themselves, Tamara, Jez and Thalia set about clearing the Great Hall of the house tables. Together they raised their wands and on command, Hufflepuff's table rose into the air and sailed backwards, coming to rest against the nearest wall where it gently came to land. They repeated this action with the other house tables and the high table until finally the Great Hall was cleared.

When the teachers and those students who were of age joined them, having finished sending all of the underage students through the room of requirement to be evacuated, the next decision made was who was to be stationed in the nearby entrance corridors. McGonagall volunteered herself and would not be deterred, so it was she who led the castle's second line of defensive forces. Those who remained in the Great Hall stood in defensive positions with their wands drawn and ready. No-one spoke and the atmosphere pulsated with anticipation. Then, all of a sudden, a loud clap of thunder sounded overhead and the very walls shook as if a sudden explosion had rocked the castle. Rain began to drum on the roof, wind howling at the windows. A great storm was upon them and it brought with it the final battle, for at that very moment an owl patronus flew into the room. It opened its beak and spoke in Dean's voice; "They're here. My god, I've never seen anything like it!"

Indeed, Dean was right. It was as though the very bowels of hell had spat forth its most heinous creatures, bolstered with a vast army of masked Death Eaters, though Voldemort as yet was nowhere to be found. Tamara bit back a fierce urge to dash into the Entrance Hall to find out what was happening and gripped her wand so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Her amulet glowed lightly at her neck as though it too were preparing for the battle.

Those on the front line fought valiantly, but they were no match for Voldemort's vast forces. Hogwarts was not a place well staffed for battle and before long those members of the Order who were stationed outside began to retreat into the castle, sodden with rain and bearing wounds indicative of war. Rumours began to reach the crowd gathered in the Great Hall that one of the Order had been killed, and with fear they all wondered who it might be, if it were true. With the outer defences of the castle now breached, and the last of the protective charms broken, it didn't take long before Death Eaters began to stream into the castle and they all found themselves fighting for their lives.

Elizabeth pulled the car to a stop, having no idea where she was. She had driven northward, knowing instinctively that it was the direction she was supposed to be going in. Where she had ended up, however, was amongst a vast stretch of mist covered moors. The road had ended and in front of her a stretch of mountains loomed. To add insult to injury, it had also begun to rain. Heavy drops pelted the windows and high winds rocked the old car. Frustrated, she tried to peer through the rain, trying to spot anything that might point her in the right direction. But the rain was pouring down in thick sheets now, making it doubly impossible to see anything given that it was also pitch dark.

Desperate and at a loss for what to do she threw out silent pleas for help. As she sat there, lost in the chaos that was her thoughts, she began to feel a strange pull as though someone invisible were trying to lead her somewhere. Once again she cast her eyes over her immediate surroundings, trying to see through the rain, but nothing stood out in the darkness. After another moment had passed, the feeling came over her again and this time she saw a chink of light glinting on the horizon. Elizabeth stared at it, trying to make out what it was. Finally, she began to make out the outline of a shape and that the shape formed a human being. This person, however, was entirely translucent and light played about its edges. With a startling revelation, she realised that it was the same person that she had seen reflected in the glass of the photo frame back in her apartment. It was Dumbledore.

Dumbledore's spirit beckoned to her to follow and so she did, the strange compulsion urging her out of the car. Battling the raging storm, she found herself being led through a tiny mountain pass that was illuminated only by Dumbledore's faint glow. For too long it seemed to her that she clambered through that narrow gap in the mountains, led by Dumbledore who remained a few steps ahead of her at all times so that she could never quite reach him. Finally, the mountain pass came to an end and a soaked Elizabeth could see a vast stretch of grass in front of her, atop which was the mouldering old ruins of a stone building which had once stood there. The ruin shimmered with a sudden explosion of blue light and then it changed before her eyes. Awed, she watched as the ruins transformed into huge and magnificent castle, its spires and turrets piercing the sky in a display of magnanimity.

At that moment, she realised that Dumbledore had disappeared and she knew she would have to go on toward the castle alone. Quietly, she whispered words of thanks and pressed on toward her destination, amazed that she had managed to get this far. She pressed on, and the closer she became to the castle, the worse the storm seemed to get. Finally, bent forward against the wind and rain, she found a large iron wrought fence looming up before her. The fence, however, leant backwards in places, and beyond it the grounds looked unkempt as though they had been carelessly trampled. Elizabeth looked up the hill beyond the fence at the castle and could see lights in some of the windows, and the unmistakeable sounds of battle pierced the storm. Feeling a sudden terror, she followed the fence until she found the front gates. The gates had been torn off their hinges and lay lifelessly on the ground in front of her. Stepping over them, she entered the grounds of Hogwarts and hurried up the hill toward the castle's front doors, which stood open. Apprehensively, she stepped through into a large high-ceilinged hallway. Immediately, it was clear where the battle was taking place. God-awful cries and shouts came pouring from a large room that seemed to branch off the entrance hall. Heading toward it, she found herself entering a hall that was larger than anything she had ever seen before, and witness to the battle on which the future of the wizarding world depended.

Immediately in front of her, she saw a masked man cast a hex on another man who promptly fell to the ground with a large gash in his side that began pouring blood. The masked man jumped over his fallen victim and disappeared into the crowd. Elizabeth's medical training immediately took precedence over her fear and she dropped to her knees beside the man. Removing her jacket and wringing as much rain water out of it as she could, she reached forward and pressed it to the wound, applying pressure in an attempt to slow the flow of blood. At that moment, a woman dressed in a matron's uniform appeared in front of her. The injured man spluttered and convulsed and his body went limp, his eyes fluttering closed. He had died.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" The matron asked her in a demanding voice, though she dropped to her knees beside Elizabeth to inspect the fallen man.

"I'm looking for Tamara Edgecombe." Elizabeth replied.

"You and the rest of the death eaters." The matron replied, more to herself than Elizabeth. "Who are you? I haven't seen you before." The matron could see the resemblance between Tamara and this woman, though she didn't remember ever seeing such a woman pass through the school as a student.

"I'm Tamara's cousin, Elizabeth." Elizabeth explained.

"A muggle?" The matron asked, with suspicion in her voice as she thought back on Tamara's medical file with the stated "muggle born" written in it. Elizabeth nodded. "Impossible." The matron whispered to herself in shock, though she chose not to waste her precious minutes pursuing that conversation. "If you are a muggle, as you say, then there is little you can do to help us and we cannot spare anyone to protect you. You would do well to leave and get as far away as you can."

"I'm a nurse. I can tend to the wounded. I want to help." Elizabeth pleaded. The matron stared at her for a moment as though she thought Elizabeth was crazy but finally she nodded and pulling Elizabeth to her feet she began to lead her through the crowd, ducking and dodging hexes as they went.

"I've set up a make-shift infirmary in a little room towards the back of the hall. I want you to tend to the people I bring in and administer the potions I tell you to administer." The matron paused and glanced at Elizabeth. "You can call me Madame Pomfrey."

At that moment, a cry beside them pierced the atmosphere. Elizabeth looked in shock as Tamara stumbled with the pain of a broken leg. Madame Pomfrey cast a hex into the crowd and swooped down on Tamara. With one great sweeping motion, she waved her wand across Tamara's leg, spoke a word that Elizabeth didn't know and immediately the broken bone was healed. Tamara jumped to her feet again, battle-weary but driven by a rush of adrenaline that kept her moving. Tamara stared dumbly at Elizabeth for a moment, not understanding how her cousin had suddenly appeared in the midst of the battle. Despite her wonderment, Tamara didn't stop to ask for an explanation. Instead, she tore at her hand and slid off Dumbledore's ring. She pressed it into Elizabeth's palm, instructing her to wear it and that it would protect her and then Tamara was gone, disappearing to rejoin the battle again.

While Elizabeth retreated into the relative safety of the makeshift infirmary, where Madame Pomfrey gave her brief instructions before disappearing into the battle once more, Tamara lost herself in the battle again. In the chaos, she had become separated from Snape and couldn't see Harry either. She would need them both with her when Voldemort made his appearance, and so she scanned the crowd as best she could while trying to fend off death eater attacks. She could see neither of them anywhere.

They were losing the battle. No matter how courageously they fought, they knew they just didn't have the numbers to match Voldemort's army. Hogwart's was falling. The only hope now lay in the final showdown with Voldemort himself. But where was he?

Elizabeth gently brushed closed the eyes of one of their fallen comrades, sadness washing over her at having to do so. True, she and Madame Pomfrey had also saved many lives working together that night, but it didn't make the losses any easier. Looking up, she caught Tamara's gaze. Her cousin was more than a little worse for wear but on she fought, not giving up hope though her heart must have been heavy, and once more Tamara disappeared into the crowd.

As Elizabeth pulled herself to her feet to return to the make-shift infirmary, she thought back on that night's events. Though the battle had been unlike anything she had ever experienced, it hadn't been what had scared her. What scared her the most was the thought of what might come to pass should they lose the battle. Having said that, however, there was one thing that scared her above all; the prospect of losing the people she cared for most of all. It would be devastating if she lost Tamara, and Snape too felt almost like a part of the family now.

Watching him duel, when he had passed her by, she marvelled at how skilled he seemed to be, but suddenly fear shot through her at the sight of one of the masked men aiming a wand at his back. She called out and he managed to escape the brunt of the spell although he still sustained serious injuries.

When his assailants turned their attentions toward other victims, she rushed toward him. The worst of his injuries seemed to be a large gash close to the base of his spine. She ordered him to lift his shirt so that she could attend to it and drew a small bottle out of her pocket. The bottle contained the closest alternative to antiseptic lotion as Madame Pomfrey had in her store of wizarding healing supplies. Elizabeth poured some of the lotion on a cloth and smeared it over the wound. Immediately, the lotion began to glow and then disappeared, leaving the edges of the wound neat and easier to attend to. This done, she swapped the bottle of lotion for a small container of cream. She applied some of the cream to the wound and watched as it slowly began to draw the edges of the wound closer together. Without a wand to speed it along, she had no choice but to let the cream knit the edges of the wound back together unaided. It was a much longer process, but at least it was a start and it meant that Snape was no longer in danger from his injuries.

Pulling his shirt back down over his wounds, she turned to face him. "Please be careful, Severus." She admonished, mother-like. "You mean everything to Tamara... and the family wouldn't be the same without you."

He looked back at her in surprise and awe at the second mention that he was now considered to be a part of their family, and slowly nodded. "I promise I'll be careful." He told her, before they both went their separate ways once more; she to finish her journey back toward the make-shift infirmary and he to return to the battle.

The Death Eater stumbled backwards at the force of Tamara's hex and fell onto the floor unconscious. After taking a deep breath, she felt a hand on her shoulder and whirled around in shock with her wand drawn. To her relief, it was Snape. He brushed a trickle of blood from her brow and cupped her face in his hands.

"Tamara, have you seen Harry? We need to stay together." He told her in a hurried voice. But Tamara wasn't given a chance to reply. A familiar cold mirthless voice spoke from behind them.

"I might have known." Voldemort said, appearing in the doorway and speaking over the crowd when he saw Snape with Tamara. At his words everyone in the Great Hall froze and turned to stare at him in horror. The final moment had come at last. "So this is why you betrayed me, Severus. You bedded that poor excuse for a witch."

Tamara felt as though her heart had begun to melt inside her chest. Now everyone in the Hall knew one of her most closely guarded secrets. It was not how she would have had them find out. Snape, however, did not take kindly to Voldemort's words and the false claim that he had made love to Tamara. He raised his wand and fired the avada kedavra before another word could be spoken. Voldemort, however, lazily raised his wand in front of him and the curse fizzled to nothingness in the air in front of him as he let out a chilling laugh.

"You were never my master." Snape told Voldemort, his wand still raised. Voldemort responded with a curse of his own, not aimed to kill but to injure. Voldemort liked to make examples of his victims. It wasn't his style to provide quick endings. Tamara acted without delay and used her amulet to throw a shield between Voldemort, Snape and herself. Like Snape's curse had done, Voldemort's curse fizzled into nothingness as soon as it hit the shield.

"Where is Harry Potter?" Voldemort suddenly called out to the crowd, losing patience. "There are three who will die tonight and I want them before me together. Give him up or I will kill each and every one of you and tear this castle apart."

"There'll be no need for that." Harry's voice suddenly responded. "I'm here." He emerged from the crowd and took his place beside Tamara and Snape. "We're not afraid of you. You stand before us nothing more than a mortal man. Your horcruxes are gone. We stand before you, united in friendship, trust and love. You cannot harm us and you will meet your end in us." Harry's words were strong, his voice confident. It was clear that this day had been a long time coming for him, longer even than it was for Tamara. Something flickered in Voldemort's eyes as Harry spoke. It was clear that he was familiar with the magic Harry referred to, but in his true fashion he quickly brushed it aside.

"You speak strongly, but you will be no match for me." Voldemort responded. With that, he raised his wand to perform the killing curse. Harry raised his own wand in response and began to weave his own magic. Snape aimed his wand and joined his magic with Harry's. Together, they combined to form a single jet of silver light that met Voldemort's curse and held it at bay. Voldemort began to struggle under the weight, though it wasn't yet enough to repel him.

Tamara, however, was filled with a mix of emotions. Despite the evil inherent in Voldemort's nature and deeds, and despite his betrayal, he was still her Father. He was the biological link to her true identity and the fact she felt pain over his betrayal meant that she still cared about that link. Knowing this, could she really have a hand in killing him?

"Tamara, come on!" Snape called to her. "We need you! Do it now!"

Once more, Voldemort laughed. "She will never kill me." He said. "You are just like me, Tamara. Your blood is my blood."

No-one in the Great Hall who had heard those words uttered ever found out what Voldemort really meant, but it struck at Tamara's core keenly and painfully. Though he was her Father, and her need for family was strong, the accusation that she was just like him was more painful still.

"I am not like you." Tamara replied, her voice shaking. And though tears began to glisten in her eyes, she raised her wand to join her magic with Snape and Harry's. Immediately, the silver jet turned gold. Destroying Voldemort's spell, the gold jet shot forward and hit Voldemort squarely in the chest. A huge blast rocked the room as Voldemort's body was obliberated.

At first, none of the crowd could quite believe what had happened, but after a moment of dumbfounded Tamara gasped audibly. Where the physical body of Voldemort had once stood, there was now a shimmering green mist lingering in the air. Only, it wasn't quite mist; it retained loose semblance of a shape and it pulsated eerily as it made its way toward her.

Tamara knew at once that this was what remained of Voldemort's vast powers and that now he was dead she was being given an opportunity to claim those powers for herself. Tamara found the offer unbelievably tempting. With his power she could ensure that no other forces of evil arose to threaten the wizarding world, and she could ensure that no-one would betray her again. But another voice nagged at her, reminding her of a famous quote; "absolute power corrupts absolutely". It would begin with the smallest things, little things she could do to serve her whims and desires but the little things would soon turn into bigger things and it wouldn't be long before the power corrupted her.

Knowing what she had to do, and though forgoing such power was incredibly difficult, Tamara stepped backward away from the lingering mass of power that hung tantalisingly in the air in front of her. The power sensed the decision she had made and in the face of its rejection it immediately changed. The shimmering green disappeared and left behind an oily shadowy monster. The foul creature opened what looked to be a mouth, let out a shrill piercing scream and charged at her.

Horrified, Tamara raised her wand and cried out in protest. The creature knocked her backward and vanished all at once, Snape and Harry having reacted together in their attempt to help Tamara.

After what they had accomplished together through being united by trust and friendship, a bond had been forged between all three of them. And so, needing to protect one of their own, they had both raised their wands in Tamara's defence and once more, the extraordinary magic that their union had invoked was raised again and the foul creature fell to dust at their feet.

After Voldemort's body had been obliberated, most of the people in the crowd hadn't really understood what had happened next. To their minds it was, at last, all over and in their disbelief that was all that their minds processed. The death eaters, having witnessed their master fall, turned and fled from the Great Hall, all knowing what the penalty would be for serving Voldemort and that without him to protect them there would be nothing to stop justice being served against every single one of them. Silent shock and awe filled those who remained. In their darkest hour, and beyond all hope, three courageous souls had united to save the day. Suddenly, a loud cheer broke the silence and all at once the room that had held so much carnage was now filled with celebration.

But amidst the wildly celebrating crowd, Harry and Snape remained silent. Tamara had not recovered from the fall induced by the shadow creature. Snape knelt down beside her and cradled her head in his lap as he began stroking her hair. She looked as though she might have simply been asleep, but the reality was so much worse. Molly Weasley, who stood nearby, broke away from a tight hug with her husband, Arthur, when she noticed the sad scene. Her joy-filled expression melted from her face and she clutched at Arthur's shoulder, imploring him to find Madame Pomfrey.

Author Note: *Gasp* Does this mean what we think it means? Never fear, things won't be quite what you're expecting. I did make a promise about a happy ending didn't I?

I need to make a couple more brief credits before I sign off. Thanks to Wendy Waddles for helping me brainstorm ideas for Elizabeth's role in this chapter and what happened to Voldemort's powers after he died. For this, I also took inspiration from the first book in Ursula Leguin's Earthsea series.