A/N: Finally posting Chapter 19. I apologize for it being a little while since my last update. BUT I have good news for my loyal readers, I have already written the next chapter - which will be the final chapter! It should be posted before the end of this week. I thank you all for being patient with me.

-19-

It had been a couple of weeks since the Second Task of the Tri-Wizard Tournament and still Ambrosia refused to be separated from Elle for more than a couple hours – which suited the toddler fine, she was more than content to stay with her Mom since her little adventure to the bottom of the lake.

The changes were not only found in Ambrosia and Elle but also the males of the family. Severus was always on guard, opening sneering whenever someone came too close to his wife and youngest. So everyone treaded carefully around the Potions' Master, not wanting to be on the receiving end of a hex or curse.

But the biggest change came with Draco and Harry.

Both boys seemed to have grown up overnight as they began to split their time between classes to being trained by their dad and uncles. And when they were not doing that, they were spending time with Elle – making her laugh and showing her easy magic that she would try to recreate.

It always made them laugh whenever she couldn't get it and would end up pouting, mad that she wasn't getting to do it on her own. But she would also brighten up whenever they assured her that she would be able to do it on her own when she got older.

Hermione and Luna had also worked their way into staying with the family – each girl taking it upon themselves to watch Elle whenever Ambrosia needed to go sub for Remus. Ambrosia was grateful for the two young witches and felt comfortable leaving Elle with them, knowing that her sons were training them as well in advance magic.

As the days grew closer for the Third Task, Harry felt himself more on edge as usual. He couldn't explain it but judging by the looks on his families faces, he knew that they felt something as well. He just didn't know how right they were.

-Night of the Third Task-

Everyone was gathered around in front of the Quidditch Pitch that had been transformed into a huge maze that was intimidating to look at. There were students with their parents in the stands that had been set up on ground level but still it was as if everyone could feel that something was in the air.

No one was talking loudly, all whispering to their neighbors as parents held their children closer as a chilly wind blew up around them.

Harry and Draco were both on edge as was Severus as he pulled Ambrosia closer to him as she held Elle closer, who was oddly silent as she kept her green eyes on the entrance of the Maze. Harry noticed this and narrowed his eyes as he reached out his magic, jerking back when he felt an oddly familiar presence. He moved himself in front of his parents and produced his wand as he fell into a dueling stance that he had been practicing. He didn't even have to glance to know that Draco had taken up a similar stance, both boys putting themselves between their parents and Elle from whatever was about to come out of the maze.

The whispering completely stopped as everyone took notice of what Harry and Draco were doing. As others began to move as such, putting themselves in front of their wives and children as wands were raised at the ready.

Dumbledore moved to stand beside Harry and Draco as his old eyes narrowed at the entrance. He knew that they still didn't forgive him but he this was something he needed to tell Harry before it was too late.

"Harry…it needs to be you," Dumbledore spoke softly, not taking his eyes away from the entrance of the maze but knowing Harry was listening to him. "Whatever happens here tonight, you are the only one that can throw that spell and it make a difference. We all have our part to play but remember, you are the only one that can truly rid of this evil here tonight."

Harry glanced at Dumbledore before turning his attention back to the maze. His eyes hardened as he felt the energy grow closer. He glanced at Draco and nodded his head. This is what they had been training so hard for the past few weeks. Harry knew on some level that it needed to be him to throw the final spell but he also knew that Draco wouldn't let him fight alone.

"Dad, whatever happens you stay with Mom and Elle," Harry said as he glanced back at his new family. "We can handle this but we won't be able to focus unless we know that you, mom and Elle are safe."

Severus glanced at both of his sons, worry evident on his face but he nodded his head nonetheless as he pulled Ambrosia and Elle behind him as he backed away slowly so he could have something solid at their backs.

Ambrosia looked sadly at her two boys, not wanting to lose them but knew that this was how it was meant to be. But that didn't stop her from waving her wand, placing a shielding charm on each of them. They turned back and smiled brightly at her as their magic reached out and formed a shield around Severus, her and Elle in response before they turned back towards the maze.

Everyone was still in the clearing as they waited with baited breath. And soon their wait was over as cloaked figures in white masks all emerged from the maze.

Death Eaters…at least fifty or more emerged and began to move around the crowd. They left a space between them and it didn't take long for it to be filled.

Lord Voldemort had finally made his appearance and it was monstrous.

Before them wasn't a man at all, it some sort of deformed creature that was partially reptile and partially human – though there was no doubt that there was no humanity left in the creature before them.

The entire clearing was dead silent as Lord Voldemort caught eyes with Harry and smiled wickedly as he waved his wand before him.

"Finally…we meet Mr. Potter or do you prefer Mr. Sssnape," Voldemort spoke but Harry made no move to answer him, just staring at him defiantly.

Voldemort sneered when the boy made no move to answer him before turning his attention to the other boy at his side, "Young Mr. Malfoy, whatever would your parents think. Come now, I'll give you one last chance to join my side and fight beside me as your dear parents would have wanted."

But as the silence reigned over the clearing, Voldemort became angrier at the lack of response from both boys in front of him.

"You both choose death then, that's fine too."

And with that, chaos erupted all around them.

Spells were cast this way and that, as Harry and Draco worked together to get Voldemort between them as he seemed to easily take on both young wizards without any difficulty.

But the strategy didn't last for long as other Death Eaters swarmed around their Master as they pushed back the younger wizards.

As the fighting went on around them, Draco and Harry's attention was drawn to Voldemort once again but his attention wasn't on them at all. Their eyes widened in horror when they realized what held Voldemort's attention.

Ambrosia and Elle…

Somehow during the fighting they had been separated from Severus and now Ambrosia was clutching Elle to her as she glared defiantly as Voldemort approached.

"Ambrosia…you have been a thorn in my side since I killed your precious sister," Voldemort sneered as he raised his wand. "That ends tonight, goodbye my dear."

Ambrosia couldn't do anything more than turn her back to Voldemort as she tried to shield Elle in her arms. She prayed to Merlin that he would watch over her family when she was gone, prayed that her boys would be strong for their dad once when was, and she just prayed in general as she waited for the deadly spell to hit.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!"

Voldemort screamed as the curse left his wand, the green a sickly color.

"NO!" Severus, Harry and Draco all screamed as they ran towards the pair, though knowing that they wouldn't make it in time.

Ambrosia tensed as she waited for the curse to hit, only to feel someone drive her and Elle into the ground as a dead-weight settled upon her legs as she lifted herself up.

She gasped as she saw who had dove in between her and Voldemort, taking the curse that was meant for them.

Dumbledore…

The fighting around them seemed to fade into muted background noise as Ambrosia watched as Dumbledore smiled weakly at her before the light faded from his eyes. She gripped Elle tighter, hiding the dead body that lay across her mother's legs. She couldn't believe it but she couldn't dwell on that now as she looked back up and meet Voldemort's eyes.

He sneered as he glared down at Dumbledore's body, "Like that is going to stop me, stupid old man."

"He wasn't trying to stop you, you overgrown snake-bastard," Ambrosia growled back as she tilted her head to look behind the Dark Lord. "He was giving them more time."

Voldemort's eyes widened as he spun around, curse at the tip of his tongue but it was no use.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!"

"AVADA KEDAVRA!"

"AVADA KEDAVRA!"

Three curses were yelled as Harry, Draco and Severus aimed their curses as the Dark Lord as Ambrosia hurriedly dragged herself and Elle out of the line of fire.

Voldemort could do nothing as the three killing curses flew towards him as the spells combine together as the came into contact with him. Voldemort didn't die exactly how one would think he would have, instead he seemed to implode in on himself – as nothing was left but the black ropes that he wore.

The clearing became deadly quiet, the Death Eaters shocked that their Master had been defeated so easily. However as the Death Eaters were distracted by their now dead Master, this gave the Light side the opportunity to quickly capture and immobilize the remaining Death Eaters.

Harry, Draco and Severus all ran and fell to their knees by Ambrosia and Elle. Severus quickly taking his wife and daughter into his arms, holding them close as Harry and Draco laid their heads on her shoulders. The family was quite content to just stay together like this, the reality of almost losing each other having finally sat in.

Aurors began arriving as well as other worried parents, happy to see that their children were safe. It would later be revealed that there was about a dozen that had been killed on the Light side, the Headmaster included in that number. The Light knew they were lucky and that the entire Wizarding World should be falling to their knees to thank the three wizards that had finally rid their world of the evil of Voldemort.

But for now, they were all content to watch as the family embraced each other, happy to see the love that the two adults shown all of their children and knew that they needed this peace.

Ambrosia finally pulled away from Severus as she brought her hand and gently placed it on his cheek, laughing lightly as he kissed her palm as he brought his hand over hers as he held her gaze.

"I almost lost you," he whispered as he looked at Elle who rested her little head on his chest. "I almost lost both of you."

"But you didn't, Severus. And that is all that matters. We are both here with you and I don't have any plans on going anywhere anytime soon," Ambrosia spoke quietly as she turned her head to look at their boys.

"I'm very proud of both of you," she said to them, moving to kiss each of them on their forehead.

They both smiled at her as they moved to stand, gently bringing her with them as Severus stood up with Elle in his arms.

They stood together as they observed the scene around them. Death Eaters were all rounded up and currently being escorted off Hogwarts grounds by the Aurors. The dead were being mourned by those around them as the Professors gather around the fallen body of Albus Dumbledore.

"He saved you Mom…he saved both of you," Harry muttered as he looked at his mom, eyes still wet with the thought of how close he came to losing another mother.

Ambrosia could only nod as she looked at the body before her, knowing that it could have easily been her and Elle there on the cold ground.

'Damn you old man,' she thought as she felt tears come into her eyes. 'You know damn well I can't hold a grudge now, not after what you did here tonight.'

She reached out both of her arms as she held both of her boys closer to her as Severus stepped even closer as he placed an arm around her waist as Elle was now sleeping on his shoulder.

The family stood there in silence, each lost in their own thoughts as they watched Dumbledore's body being covered by a white sheet as his body was put onto as Madam Pomfrey floated the Headmaster's body back into Hogwarts – preparations already being discussed as to when the memorial as well as others would take place.

Sirius and Remus finally joined them, after they had returned from helping the Aurors escort the remaining Death Eaters to Azkaban. Sirius stood near Harry as Remus stood near Draco, both feeling the two younger wizards lean back into them as they swayed on their feet.

Thankfully both older wizards were prepared as exhausted finally won out with the two teens as their knees finally gave way, leaving them to be picked up by their uncles.

"It's alright Ambrosia," Remus stated as he saw the woman's scared look. "They're just exhausted – they just need rest, like the rest of us."

Ambrosia took a deep breath and gathered herself as she nodded, "You're right, we've all had one Hell of an evening and could use the rest. Let's get our children into bed Severus, so I can collapse on the couch."

Severus nodded, "And a spot of Firewhiskey for me. Merlin knows I need it after tonight."

"You and me both Severus," Sirius responded as he moved to follow Remus back towards Hogwarts.

Sirius and Remus gently laid Harry and Draco in the large bed in their parent's room as Severus settles Elle between her older brothers. All four adults felt better putting their youngest members together in one room and as they watched Harry and Draco turn so that they each could cuddle against Elle – they knew that they had made the right choice.

Ambrosia tucked each of her children in, kissing them on their foreheads as she walked out into the den as she sat beside Severus – taking the glass of Firewhiskey that he silently handed her.

The four adults sat in silence with just the crackling of the fire to fill the still night air. Each lost in their thoughts, all grateful that they had survived the night as well as the slumbering youth in the bedroom.

Tomorrow…tomorrow there would be celebrations, there would be mourning and there would be plans made.

But for tonight, they would sit in silence and enjoy the peace that had descended upon them and their world.

END

A/N: I can't believe that there is only one chapter left in this fic...I honestly cannot believe it. Reviews are more than welcome!