Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters.

A/N: Thanks to MiaCara, who is my beta for this story.

Chapter Fifty-Two

The Plan

Why did it have to be this way? Harry thought as tears rolled down his eyes, understanding coming to him too late for him to change what was about to take place.

"Harry?" Ron said standing next to him; he had the unconscious Hermione in his hand as if he couldn't bear to let her go. Harry looked at his friend, turning his eyes away for the duel that was about to take place because he had to explain, but all he seemed to be able to see was Hermione falling to the ground. She had pushed Ron out of the way of a curse only to get hit herself and for a moment Harry had feared the worst was going to happen. But Hermione had not been killed; they just didn't know how to wake her up. The two of them stayed close to her as a few more Death Eaters came after them.

The watched in shock as Remus broke ranks and rushed after someone … they couldn't tell who, but they did see the Death Eaters pack going to meet him. Harry had shouted for Remus to come back, but the werewolf was too far gone for him to hear the yell. Sirius, Tonks and Emmeline had heard though, and had gone to help their friend. It was then that Harry knew they couldn't just stand there and he turned to Ron, who had already picked up Hermione without a word needed between the two of them and they started heading back to the castle.

When they had got to the doors, Harry turned to look for Sirius and the others and was glad to see them coming back too, Remus seeming to be on Sirius back as they retreated. What he didn't like seeing was that everyone had turned to head back to the castle and the green lights started flashing as Voldemort had made his appearance on the battle field at last.

And then Dumbledore was there too, stopping the killing of the retreating people facing off between Voldemort. However, Harry felt a sense of foreboding as soon as he seen Dumbledore's wand.

"Harry!" Ron said again, and when Harry's eyes met his, his friends looked worried. "What's wrong?"

"Dumbledore … he's … he's going to lose," Harry said a sharp pain stabbing him at the words but he knew they were true. "And when he does, I'm going to have to go out there and take his place. I'm going to have to fight Voldemort."

"Have you gone mad?" Ron asked, seeming to hope more that was the case and Harry didn't blame him. He wished he had gone mad; then he wouldn't have to fight anymore. When he saw how determined Harry was he tried again, "Harry, Dumbledore won't lose … he can't, he's Dumbledore."

"Look at his wand," Harry said and Ron looked more confused than ever.

"His wand," Ron turned to the fight that was now in full force, quite the spectacle to see but neither boy paid much attention to it. Ron looked at the wand far in the distance and back at Harry still not sure what was going on.

"It means I'm going to have to fight," Harry said simply, "and you're going to have to let me do it alone."

"Harry," Ron shook his head, if Harry was right and Dumbledore would lose, that didn't mean that Ron would just let him walk into a fight alone. "I'm not going to let you …"

"I'm going to win," Harry said a sad determined look in his eye. "It's part of a plan. I'm just telling you that you need to let me go."

Ron face showed the reluctance of granting what Harry wanted, his eyes telling Harry not to do this, but he nodded his head all the same. "If you get killed Harry, I'll never forgive you."

"I know," Harry rested his hand on Ron's shoulder, before looking down at Hermione, who was still in Ron's arms, but his friend didn't seem to notice her weight at all as they had talked. His friends, the ones that had always kept him safe from the dementors and allowed him to have brief moments of a normal life, was who he was thinking about as he started making his way through the crowd of defenders watching the greatest duel of the century.

Though he was watching this too, his mind wasn't on the fighting wizards but on a duel he had against Dumbledore weeks before. Dumbledore had been teaching him all year, but for the last month he had been dueling the headmaster for real.

"This is not a game Harry," Dumbledore had said, "you have to use every ingenuity that you possess and all that I have taught you. You have to want to defeat me with everything you have, because until you are able to do that, you won't be able to fight Voldemort."

"It will be different fighting him even if I do think that way, won't it?" Harry had asked after the third time trying to duel with Dumbledore and getting cursed more times than he could remember.

"When you fight me Harry, are you afraid?" Dumbledore asked back and Harry shook his head. He didn't fear Dumbledore, though he knew he wasn't going to win any duel they fight. "What about when you face Voldemort?"

"Yes I'm afraid," Harry admitted because there was no point in denying that fact. He had been terrified every time that he faced Voldemort.

"So why is it that you were able to face him in a fight?" Dumbledore asked.

"Because if I didn't face him, he'll kill me anyways," Harry answered. "And I'm not going to die cowering."

"In other words, you draw strength from your fear," Dumbledore smiled kindly. "It's a very rare and valuable gift for one to be able to master their fear and use it to help them, but you, Harry, have that talent in abundance.

"Now, if only I were able to get that to show our duels," Dumbledore now sighed.

"I'm sorry," Harry sighed as well. "I'm trying as hard as I can …"

"I know Harry," Dumbledore sighed smiling again. "And you are doing remarkably well. I just wish I knew how to channel the depth of your strength so we can work on a way for you to bring that out at your will."

The next meeting Harry had was so completely different than all the others. As soon as Harry had walked through the Headmaster's door he was transported to some dark forest. He didn't have time to wonder how that had happened because he was being attacked. His instincts took over as he used all Dumbledore the things had taught him while remaining true to his own style of fighting. It was difficult, he had been hit by a curse at one point, but it wasn't too serious … no, the worst pain he had was in his left leg were a piece of wood that came off of a tree had ledge itself there, causing Harry to limp when he walked. But finally he was able to disarm the Death Eater he was fighting against.

As the scenery around him had started to change, going back to the offices he knew well by now, he realized that he should have known that it was impossible for him to be transported out of Hogwarts. He knew that couldn't happen, so why hadn't he realized that before now.

"I put a mild confoundus curse on the door so you would believe what your eyes saw without questioning it," Dumbledore voice said, from the mask Death Eater that was standing in front of Harry wandless. He pulled off the mask and then the robes and he beamed at Harry. "It seems you have learned a great deal Harry."

"I … disarmed … you?" Harry said the words as if they couldn't possibly be true.

"I must say, I had not seen that form of attack coming," Dumbledore nodded his head and picked up his wand his eyes lingering on it for a few seconds before he put it in the pocket of his robe. "I thought a brisk fight with a Death Eater might prove to trigger some of your gift and you did not disappoint me. I can see now that you are ready for the fight that will be coming shortly."

"Right," Harry said a little put out now that Dumbledore had tricked him like that.

"Though you still need to keep dueling Harry, there were a few times that you have dropped your guard in your fight," Dumbledore said wanting to make sure that Harry didn't get too confident. "Remember, if you are fighting Voldemort or any of his strongest lieutenants they will not miss with the curses that I sent after you."

"Hmph … well you could have missed a little better, this is killing me," Harry said gesturing to his leg and Dumbledore looked at it gravely before pulling the piece of wood out of it and before Harry had time to do more than flinch, Fawkes was perched on his knee, a tear falling on the wound and it closed up.

"Forgive me Harry, I did not intend for you to be hurt," Dumbledore sighed.

"I know," Harry said, smiling at Fawkes as way to say thank you.

That had been the last time that he and Dumbledore had a meeting, the last time that he had seen his headmaster up close since a few hours when he had talked to him before all the fighting had started. And yet it was clear to him as soon as he saw Dumbledore's wand right now, what must have happened. For Dumbledore wasn't fighting with the Elder wand he had been using since Harry had known him, he was using a differently wand, likely the one he had bought when he was younger when he first went to Hogwarts.

He remembered again the look on Dumbledore's face when he had picked up the Elder wand after Harry had disarmed him, he had grimaced. It was probably in that moment that Dumbledore felt a change but he had not let Harry known about that at all. Perhaps he was reading too much into all of this, and when he got out there to face Voldemort he would be wrong and there would be nothing he could do to defend himself! Panic started to fill in him, but even as it did he felt his courage coming to him, his steps picking up. It was like Dumbledore said; when he was most afraid he also becomes his most determined.

But nothing could stop his heart from sinking when it really happened. When Dumbledore had fallen on his knees … and even in that weaken state looked straight at Voldemort his wand dropping from his hand … the way it moved slowly towards the ground, not the wand Dumbledore had been dueling with, but the Elder wand was making its way to the ground. And then Dumbledore was falling too, the curse by Voldemort being lost in the many cries of shock of the defenders of Hogwarts, but the flash of green was unmistakable.

Harry had known what was to come before it had happened, but still it was hard to believe what he was seeing. Dumbledore was died! Voldemort was smiling triumphantly over him. Part of him thought Dumbledore was only feinting defeat … would get up at any second …

But the truth was; it was Harry's turn now. He had to face the monster that had killed his parents … that had just killed the greatest wizard that Harry had ever known. And he would be able to do it, because that great wizard had given the last tool he will need … he just wish it didn't have to come at such a high price.

"Your great champion has fallen!" Voldemort was saying to the crowd, in a gloating voice and Harry felt his anger start to rise, but he continued to walk calmly towards the dark wizard. Of course Voldemort would boast … he will try to break the spirit of all those that still want to oppose him. But Harry wasn't going to let that happen. "You have no chance of winning the fight now! Surrender and you will live! Continue fighting and I make sure that every single one of you is killed!"

"Which would be a better fate than living in whatever world you'll try to reign in," Harry said, finally making his way by all of the defenders of Hogwarts and looked at Voldemort face to face. It was nothing like last year when he worried he might really die when Voldemort cast the killing curse at him. He couldn't have fought that day, wither he did survived or not, the Horcrux in him had to be destroy so he had to let it happened. Today, one way or another was the last fight between them.

"Harry Potter!" Voldemort said an amused smirk on his lips.

"Harry no!" he could hear people shouting behind him, it was hard to tell since it seemed that several people were saying something to him. Telling him to not face Voldemort alone as he knew he must. So he didn't listen to them.

"You should not have come in front of me Harry; you might have lived a few more hours if you had not."

"I can't live while you're still alive, Riddle," Harry said and as soon as he said it he knew it was true. He had only glimpses of a normal life because ever since he was eleven, Voldemort had been pledging him.

"You dare call me that!" Voldemort hissed, his eyes flashing bright red in his anger. "I am Lord Voldemort, the most powerful wizard alive. I killed Albus Dumbledore! You are nothing but a boy who cowered behind stronger people and watched as I killed them!"

A pain went through Harry as he thought of those he had lost, and Dumbledore coming to his mind as he wished that he could have saved his headmaster somehow. But he shook that thought out of his mind as quickly as it came, the grief still there but he would not let it take over him. Dumbledore had died, he was sure, knowing that Harry would defeat Voldemort. Harry wasn't about to disappoint him now.

"I never claimed to be anything!" Harry said to Voldemort, he wasn't sure where the words were coming from, but it was time to let everything out. "I never wanted people to follow me! I never wanted people looking at me to save them. I never wanted any of it."

"Are you trying to plead me to spare your life?" Voldemort questioned a humorless smile on his lips.

"As if I could believe you would show any mercy," Harry scoffed. "I never asked for any of that. You were the one that made me that person. All the destruction you caused in my life … in the lives of so many others is why I stand in front of you now. And because you still believe that I'm just a boy and yet fear me all the same I will defeat you."

The last words, filled with as much bravo as he could muster was his attempted to angry Voldemort and it clearly worked.

"Fear you!" Voldemort laughed a chilling laugh that caused most to feel a trickle of fear, though the Death Eaters that were still behind Voldemort seemed to join in the laughter.

It was quick, but Harry had been expecting the move so he sent the stunning charm to meet the killing curse that Voldemort had aimed at him. When the spells had met halfway between them, Harry wasn't surprised to see that what had happened two years ago in the graveyard started all over again.

"Watch out Riddle, you're showing some of your fear," Harry gloated, pushing Voldemort farther, and trying to make it even more obvious that the wand that Voldemort had would not be of any use in this fight.

"You think you're special boy!" Voldemort snarled, trying to break the connection between the two wands but no matter what he did he couldn't break loose. "You're hiding behind the twin cores. Do you really think you can defeat me just because your wand can stall mine?"

Harry laughed, though he feared he was becoming too reckless, "you can't even break the connection, can you?"

"Argh!" Voldemort shouted, a fury so powerful that it seemed to have physically manifested as it had knocked several people to the ground, Harry going down among them.

"NO!" Harry shouted as Voldemort throw away his wand of yew, the one that was the brother to his own wand and picked up the Elder wand. Harry's heart pounded in his chest. And here's where we find out if your plan worked Dumbledore, he thought as Voldemort waved his wand in a triumphant glee.

"Avada Kedavra!"

"Expelliarmus!" he shouted back and just before Voldemort spell was going to hit him.

The curse rebounded … the Elder wand flying through the air …

But Voldemort was not dead. He had moved out of the way of the rebounded curse …

Wandless and a look of fear in his eyes and yet still alive.

Harry thought of everything Voldemort had ever done to him, all the pain he had caused and mustered himself to use Killing Curse. Voldemort, wandless, weakened as he was, could not be allowed to live. Harry was going to have to kill him … it had to be done and he was the only o …

"Avada Kedavra!"

Harry watched as the green light hit Voldemort his face widening it a moment of shock and for just a second he must have realized all of his Horcruxes were destroyed and this was his really death. And then he was gone … his lifeless body fallen to the ground.

It was only when he was sure that Voldemort was dead that Harry turned to look at the person that had killed Voldemort for him. It was surprising and not surprising at all to see that it had been Severus Snape. An odd arrange of emotions on his usually smooth face. Harry felt a sense of relief fill him as he continued to gape at Snape, and he was glad that he had not killed an unarmed man even one that had deserved so much worse than death as Voldemort had.

And then there were screams coming from all over the place.

The defenders of Hogwarts were rushing forward, coming to embrace Harry (and he could even see people going to hug Snape, though the Potions Master didn't seem to appreciate it).

"You did it Harry!" Ron shouted the first to have reached Harry and giving him a bear hug that was worse than any Molly had given him. Then other was surrounding him and he was being hugged by all of the other too. It was a few minutes later that he found himself hugging Hermione, who had been revived somehow it would seem, her eyes teary and he realized that so were his with everything that was going through his head. The one thing that seemed to stick though was that it was all over now. And they had survived.

A/N: I know, I really was evil to end the last chapter like that, I never planned on it, it's just what happened after I started writing. This ending seemed to be a little awkward to me, but I'll have more explanation about what happened in the next chapter. I'm also sorry about the Voldemort Dumbledore fight, I don't really know how to write a duel as great as that fight should be, and it didn't help at all that I've been writing so many other duels before that taking a lot of my creative ideas with it.