Disclaimer: Anything familiar to JKR's books probably comes from there and is hers not mine. Also, Harry Potter, Hogwarts, the Wizarding World, and anything else that has to do with it belongs to the lovely JK Rowling, not me. I'm just playing in her sandbox and building my own Hogwarts in it.

Chapter Forty-Four

Harry was joined by his closest friends as he stood in front of the castle, Ron among them this time. Swords and wands were drawn, daggers and throwing knives all within easy reach. There was a tension in the air as lights began illuminating the sky yet again in the distance, screams of pain just barely reaching their ears, though they quickly grew louder as the fighting grew steadily closer.

A shudder was shared by all as a girl's scream tore through the air from not far in front of them, and Harry closed his eyes for a moment to pray that she had only been hurt badly, not killed.

Then the fight was upon them yet again, and Harry moved forward, Gryffindor's Sword slicing through the air to meet Death Eater as he silently cast Stunners, Banishing Hexes, and other, harsher spells. Around him, screams of grown men rang before they were silenced with death or unconsciousness.

Cuts dripping blood began to accumulate on Harry's arms and legs until he pulled back to heal them all, get rid of the blood, and repair the small tears in his robes as he knew he had no other clothes in his pouches to wear after these.

Time went on as he made his way through the terrible battle, sword and left hand covered in warm, slick blood that he barely noticed anymore as both arms swung around to hack, slash, and launch spells.

Finally, he found a clearing where there were no more Death Eaters, and it was soon obvious why: Albus Dumbledore had put some sort of charm around it so that the two of them could speak in the midst of battle.

"What do you want?" Harry asked as he panted, waving his wand to vanish the blood from his body and take this as a chance to heal.

"We must speak of grave matters, Harry," Dumbledore said sadly, his normally sparkling eyes a dark blue with pain. "You say you destroyed all of Tom's Horcruxes, but there is still one more."

Harry's head flashed up, annoyance at the Headmaster for stopping him in the middle of the battle forgotten in his shock.

"What?" he hissed between his teeth in English, disbelief shining in his green eyes.

"Harry, that Halloween night over sixteen years ago, when the Killing Curse reflected off of you and hit Voldemort, did something more," Dumbledore said, his voice heavy. "Soul ripped so many times and so weak, Voldemort didn't even realize it when yet another piece of his soul was torn from the rest once more to attach itself to the only living thing in the cottage of Godric's Hollow." Dread filled Harry's body as understanding filled him even before Dumbledore said one final thing. "Harry, you are the final Horcrux."

"My scar," was all Harry could mutter, touching it with a light finger as he tried to understand what this meant for him.

"I never wished to have to tell you this, Harry, but there is only one way to get rid of the final Horcrux."

"Let him kill me," Harry finished in a monotone, his hand falling back to his side as his face lost all expression, his normally expressive green eyes losing their light.

"Harry, you must see it as a chance to protect and save your friends," Dumbledore suddenly said intensely. "If you do this, Voldemort can finally be killed, even if it is not by your hand."

His words pierced Harry's mind, and Harry blinked once before he nodded sharply. He could see how his doing this would protect the others by giving them a chance to finally kill Lord Voldemort even if he wasn't alive for it. As long as Tom Riddle was finally mortal, he could be killed just as much as any other person, though it would take skill to hit him with something that would kill the monster.

"I need to think," Harry muttered, and Dumbledore nodded, his face sympathetic and sad.

Pulling out his Firebolt, Harry regrew it and quickly flew up into the air, looking down at the flashes of different colors of light all along the grounds. Flying a bit lower, he began to pick out his friends.

Tracey and Ginny were fighting back-to-back against three different Death Eaters, one of the robed and masked figures falling the moment his eyes zeroed in on them. Ron was helping his older brother Bill as they double-teamed a Death Eater. Draco was fighting his way to Astoria, trying to help her as she was being overwhelmed by three Death Eaters at once. Daphne took down two Death Eaters with one spell while Blaise healed himself because of a cut to the stomach.

Around the edges, Harry could see a random flash of yellow that appeared to be moving, and whenever he saw it, a Death Eater fell; Sebae was doing her job well. Random explosions from in the Entrance Hall, just outside the castle, and from areas all over the battle showed where the twins, second years, and third years were attacking.

Finally, though, Harry flew towards the Astronomy Tower, landing on the roof to look out at the Hogwarts grounds. In the distance he could see the sun rising, just a light line of purple beginning to push away the darkness that had been covering the battle. Pretty soon blues, oranges, reds, and yellows would join the purple in getting rid of the black, but by the time the sun was truly up, the battle would be over.

"How could I actually go get myself killed?" he asked himself, but his body seemed to want to give him the answer as his eyes moved once again, trailing from the sunrise back to the battle.

Students in robes of blue, green, yellow, and red fought alongside their classmates still with the Hogwarts crest visible on their bodies, silver swords flashing blue, red, purple, yellow, green, and so many other colors as spell fire exploded in the air. Their movements showed both exhaustion and determination to fight the Death Eaters, werewolves, and anything else Voldemort threw at them to protect their school. No matter what, they were going to fight until they either won or lost.

If I can help them win by dying, how can I not do so?

Then a loud explosion caught his attention, and Harry turned to see Voldemort and Dumbledore now fighting.

Hopping on his broom, Harry flew far above the duel, watching as water flew out of the lake to turn into a snake aimed at Dumbledore that suddenly froze, shattered, and flew at Voldemort, who melted the ice into water that fell to the ground harmlessly. A flame whip shot from Dumbledore's wand to be barely blocked by Voldemort, who conjured metal darts, and Banished them at Dumbledore. Suddenly the darts shot back at Voldemort, who just barely Banished them to the lake.

Angry, Voldemort conjured a snake and hissed something Harry couldn't make out as it was too far away for him to hear. The snake was suddenly launched into the air, headed back to earth from only a few meters below Harry, who could only watch in horror as the snake opened its mouth to allow the fangs to be aimed at Dumbledore's head as it fell at high speeds, the Headmaster defending against another water attack from Voldemort.

Just as Harry was about to call out to Dumbledore, he launched the water at the snake, looking up to be sure it hit.

Unfortunately, that moment was his downfall as Voldemort had already shot the Killing Curse at the great wizard, whose blue eyes met Harry's emerald green ones with a dying wish for Harry to end this before they went blank.

All around the grounds, the fight stopped as Dumbledore's body fell and Voldemort yelled in triumph, shooting up his green flare to signal a retreat.

Still in shock, the Hogwarts Protectors and Order members returned to the Great Hall, Harry meeting them there in silence, his Firebolt in hand as he stood at the entrance, thoughts flying through his head. Not only did he have Dumbledore's dying wish to think about, but he knew that he was now the certain leader of the resistance at Hogwarts.

Ginny and Tracey stayed by him when they reached him, allowing the rest to enter the Hall as Hagrid brought Dumbledore's body into the Hall to rest with the other fighters. Neither said anything, but there was no need to.

Finally, Harry saw all the students were still alive, though many were out of the fight now. The living Order members just looked lost without their leader. This meant Harry had to step forward, so he went to the Head Table and waited for everyone to notice him. It didn't take long for silence to fall.

"Dumbledore died for this war to end, and we can't let his effort be in vain," he said, his voice strained as he forced out the words while trying to push aside his emotional trauma from all the death as well as what he knew was coming. "Students and adults alike need to continue the fight. Don't give up because of this. Does anyone disagree with me when I say that it would be the last thing Dumbledore would have wanted?"

Not a single Order member spoke, so Harry continued, "Please, you Order members need to work with us! Speak to the strategists over by the large Map over here on the Head Table. If you want, ask the students about what they know and how we fight. Just stop thinking about us as kids and look at us as fellow fighters! We have plans, traps, and still more supplies, even after all this fighting. If we work together, we will win! Do it for those who have been lost in the first and second wars, those who have died tonight – do it for Dumbledore!"

Harry saw that he had finally gotten through to the Order of the Phoenix and sagged slightly in relief. The battle between allies was finally over.

"I know you still prepare to fight," a high, cold voice suddenly rang loudly throughout the grounds, pounding into everyone's ears. "Your leader, Albus Dumbledore, is dead! Surrender and Lord Voldemort will be merciful." Harry was not alone as he snorted at the idea of Lord Voldemort being merciful, even if he was the one speaking.

"Harry Potter, I speak to you now," Voldemort said, and all eyes trailed over to Harry, but his face was blank, knowing what was coming. "Look at the death surrounding you. Your godfather dead by my hand just as much as the Headmaster. Three years ago you chose wrong when you turned down my offer, and there are no second chances. Come to me within the next hour, and no more will die. Everyone else will be spared if you come to me and die. You have one hour, Harry Potter, before the fighting commences again, and this time my Death Eaters will be targeting students. One hour."

All around him, the Hogwarts Protectors immediately called for him not to go, not to protect them like this, but Harry's mind was spinning. He had to get away from everyone, away from the pressure of the eyes upon him.

Barely able to keep up pretenses that he was fine, Harry left the Great Hall and went outside, climbing onto his broom again to fly up to the Astronomy Tower for the second time that night. He knew the others would know he was up there, but Harry also knew that they'd understand he needed to be alone right now.

Looking at the horizon again, Harry saw that the sun had risen higher than before, changing the horizon from blues and purples to yellows, oranges, and reds with only a thin cloud here and there in the sky. It was a peaceful sight as long as he didn't look down to see the bodies of Death Eaters littering the grounds of Hogwarts castle, branding the image into his memory for the rest of his life. He couldn't imagine what it was like for the youngest students to see this, so he hoped they hadn't allowed their curiosity to overtake them and look outside to see the horrifying sight.

With light now beginning to cover the castle and surroundings, it was obvious that there was a lot of red intermixed with the green below.

Turning away, Harry looked at the forest, his eyes purposely becoming unfocused as he crossed them to blur the image in front of him. As he did so, thoughts poured through his mind.

Voldemort was obviously lying as he would kill the students one way or another, but if he, Harry, went to the forest to meet with Voldemort and allow himself to be killed, it would hold up the Death Eaters long enough for the Hogwarts Protectors to prepare again. It wasn't like Harry didn't have to be killed by the monster anyway to get rid of the piece of soul that had used his scar as a home for over sixteen years. At least if he went now there would be something else to collect from it other than the loss of Voldemort's final Horcrux.

Suddenly, Harry's Journal burned against the skin of his chest where it rested, hanging from its place on the leather cord around his neck. Pulling it from his neck and activating it, he saw messages from many people requesting that he open a group for everyone to enter, and with a sigh, he did so, pulling in every student in the school.

The sudden barrage of yelling from everyone telling him not to listen to Voldemort made him close his eyes against it, unable to read it. He kept them closed until a specific level of heat was felt in his hands, and he looked down at the Journal to see Ginny and Tracey talking privately with him.

Ginny: Go, Harry.

Harry: He told you?

Tracey: And she told me.

Harry: I love you both.

Ginny: We know, which is why you have to go.

Tracey: You're doing this for all of us because you truly care for everyone in this school.

Both: Go.

Harry switched back to the large group and wrote Silence; then he waited for it. When it was finally silent, he continued.

Harry: Thank you all for all you've done. I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to train and fight alongside. To me, you're all heroes for fighting in this, for being willing to give up your lives to protect this castle. Even more, you're heroes because you'll be the survivors who have to deal with everything that happened in this battle and afterwards.

Ginny and Tracey: Just let him go.

Their words seemed to silence all of the complaints, but Harry wouldn't have heard them anyway as he pressed a special button to allow them to continue on in group mode as he signed off of his Journal, placing it in his pocket before pulling out his Invisibility Cloak.

Covering himself and his broom with the Cloak, Harry flew to the edge of the Forbidden Forest, storing the shrunken broom away in his pocket as he walked, invisibly into the forest. He knew that he had to do this now, when his resolve was high and while it would still help everyone else. Of course, subconsciously, Harry had already realized he would have one final battle because not all of him had agreed to this. Still, before he could have that, he had to get to the clearing, which was something his resolve could succeed at right now.

Head held high, Harry walked towards the place he had an unexplainable feeling of where Voldemort would be waiting.

"It's hard, isn't it?" Tracey asked Ginny quietly, and Ginny looked up at the girl she knew was going through just as much pain as she.

"I can't believe we just told him to walk to what could possibly be his death," she whispered, face pale as she tried to imagine life without Harry in it.

"We had to," Tracey said gently, though her blue eyes showed the pain she felt at the idea of it. "If we hadn't encouraged him, he wouldn't have gone as easily, and you know Voldemort will never die if this doesn't happen."

"And Harry would do anything if we told him to," Ginny finished with a deep, sad sigh. "I know, but it's just hard."

"Then let's hope Dumbledore was correct and Harry will survive," Tracey said, and Ginny nodded in agreement, her Journal in her hands even though she wasn't reading any of the words, black lines of writing blurring together before her eyes.

She barely even noticed as a tear fell from her right eye, trailed down her cheek, and landed on the Journal.

Harry stood just inside the tree line of the clearing where Voldemort and his Death Eaters awaited him; if he was going to show up, that was.

While watching Voldemort and his followers, Harry was having an internal battle. He didn't know if he should just walk into the clearing and face death, even though Dumbledore had told him that he was a Horcrux and would have to die so that Voldemort would be mortal.

Harry knew he had another ten minutes to decide, but he just didn't know what to do.

Shifting beneath his Invisibility Cloak, Harry fingered the dagger that had been through so much with him and had been a huge asset in everything he did. His other hand grasped the handle of his holly wand, the one that was a brother to Voldemort's yew wand.

Then, Harry's right pocket heated up, no doubt Daphne trying to get him to talk so that she could try one last time to stop him, even though no one could stop the upcoming event once he walked into that clearing, if he did. That one thing reminded Harry what he was fighting for, who he was fighting for.

Every student, from Slytherin to Gryffindor to Ravenclaw to Hufflepuff, from first year to seventh, was counting on him. The Order of the Phoenix was counting on him. Families of his friends needed him to do this so that they could be safe and without fear that a Death Eater could turn up at their door and kill them at any given moment. Those still good in the Ministry needed him to stop Voldemort so that the Ministry could be fixed.

Most important in Harry's mind, though, was that if he did this, Ginny would be able to live her life without fear or the chance of her family being killed by terrorists.

Looking down at his robes beneath his Cloak, Harry found it amusing that he was going to go stand up to Lord Voldemort, the heir of Slytherin, while wearing Slytherin-colored robes and with the Dagger on his waist.

Even if he did die, Harry knew that it would mean someone else could finally kill Tom Marvolo Riddle, but he had a feeling Dumbledore had something up his sleeve.

Sighing internally, Harry made sure he was in shadow before slipping off his Cloak and putting it into the pocket of his robes that didn't have his burning-hot Journal in it.

Quickly contemplating taking out his Journal and leaving it so that everyone could hear what happened in the forest clearing, Harry sighed slightly and slipped it out. Opening it and activating it, Harry put his pencil into place before pulling out the leather cord around his neck and attaching the Journal to it. Shrinking the journal, Harry slipped it under his shirt and sighed lightly, knowing that his friends would all quickly find out he was signed on and would be reading the journal like it was a lifeline.

Before he could change his mind, Harry James Potter, seventeen years old, wearing Slytherin-colored robes, a dagger hanging on his side, and his wand in its holster, walked out into the clearing and stared Lord Voldemort, the heir of Slytherin and the darkest Dark Lord ever seen, right in the eyes, knowing that this might be the last thing he ever saw.

Tom Riddle: So you decided to show. Very well. Any last words?

Harry: Just get it over with.

Riddle: Avada Kedavra!

Harry: *Mutters* Goodbye…

The name Harry Potter disappeared from the list of names on every single Journal in existence.

Note: Author cannot post while maimed, injured, or dead. Please do not harm hiding author. Said author can still be found in her bunker, hiding while she waits for the storm from readers who may take this ending just as badly or worse than the last chapter, though many took it better than she expected. She would like to point out that she will not be rewriting the last chapter no matter what people may have said, because a battle is a battle, and battles are fast paced, so things can happen quite suddenly and quickly. Everything from the deaths to how quickly they happened was done with a purpose, the latter of the mentioned to show how fast things were happening.

Posted: 5/30/12