Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters.
Original A/N: Thanks to MaeSilverpaws1, who is beta-ing this story.
Chapter One Hundred Sixty
Battle's End
Remus had known that something was wrong the moment he got into town. There had been far too many Death Eaters there, especially considering that he knew there were more fighting against the Hogwarts's Professors and attacking the students from the other side of town. He also found it rather easy to fight off the mob of hooded figures in front of him, as if they had dulled reactions. After the first few minutes he realized that he was actually fighting the Hogsmeade's townspeople under the Imperius Curse. It seemed that the fact that hundreds of people were being Imperius at once made it more difficult to control the masses as none of the fighters were particularly strong but he had to worry about hurting his opponent now.
He was in view of the students coming through the alley when the Aurors showed up and the horrible message rang through the town. His heart dropped to his stomach as he knew exactly what Harry was going to do. He noticed the crow in the sky over head awhile ago, but now it was flying towards the path the carriage were on, and he knew that at least one of Harry's friends was going to be flying to try to talk to him. Surely Ron and Hermione would keep Harry from giving himself up. If Voldemort was really here, then he would be able to be killed. Tonks had destroyed the last of the Horcruxes that Dumbledore had told them about. With the Aurors, Hogwarts's Professors and the other Order members, the chances of them winning were actually rather good, so Harry had no reason to listen to the message that Voldemort had just made. No reason at all.
And yet, Remus still knew that was exactly what Harry was going to do.
He no longer cared who was in front of him, it didn't matter if these people had no control over their action; he had to get to Harry right now.
"Remus!" he heard Neville yell and he was able to see the boy along with one of the Weasley twins (which had to be George since he was sure Fred had been the crow). He headed to them as quickly as he could and was glad to see that they had made a rather sizable path in the direction he wanted to go. He started running down the path and hardly noticed the boys were following him, or that George had disappeared for a while. In fact the only reason why he realized that was the fact that a coyote had ran in front of him only to turn into George.
"We have to hurry …" he said, now jogging alongside Remus, who could hear the fear in his voice. "They've gone ahead."
"They?" Remus asked, of course Harry had gone ahead but he hadn't expected the others to as well. He hadn't realized it was possible but he felt even worse than he had a moment ago as he thought of Harry's friend running towards Death Eaters and likely their deaths.
"Yes, they, and we're going with you too," George said.
Remus knew he should argued, demand that they stay at the carriages that were now coming into view. But that would take a lot of time, if it was even possible at all and he wasn't about to stop for anything. "Just listen to what I say. If I give an order …"
"Don't worry, Professor Lupin, we'll follow you," George said in a rare (for him) serious tone, "as long as you don't ask us to stay behind."
Remus nodded his head and pushed past the students and the carriages without a word, though he did noticed that there wasn't very much damage, which he was grateful and relieved about. Someone shouted after George but it was old news about the others so no one stopped.
When he heard the roar of the lion George surged forward, "Ron!"
They must have taken a different path; Remus experienced a moment where he saw all the things that were happening at once. He saw that Hermione was standing with a crow in her hands, which seemed to have been stunned but was waking up now. A lion, that was obviously Ron was running towards them … that or towards the pale wizard.
Voldemort, pale and snake like, and somehow even more crazed than ever. Then there was the motionless body of Bellatrix Lestrange. Next to her was the nearly as motionless, Sirius, he was standing staring forward and looking defeated. Remus had only seen Sirius frozen like this a few times and it was always when he had lost something precious to him. Of course then his eyes almost automatically turned to the only other motionless form. Harry lay on the ground, though he only could see his messy hair, Remus knew it was him.
Remus was too late to save his godson, and a part of him felt like he was hollowed out and left with nothing.
Nothing but the idiot that was standing in probably the most dangerous spot on earth, and Remus wasn't going to just sit there and watch this.
"Get to the others," Remus said to the boys behind him as he ran out to fight.
He shouted out curses but Voldemort easily blocked or dodged them.
"Sirius, you better snap out of it!" Remus shouted to his friend as he continued fighting Voldemort, only now he was being forced back as Voldemort went on the offensive. That sight must have worked for Sirius as Remus saw his friend starting to fight Voldemort as well.
"Do you really think you're a match for me?" Voldemort said with a mirthless laugh.
"It doesn't matter if we're a match for you or not, we are going to defeat you!" Ron roared, much like his lion from. "I'm done being afraid of a coward like you!"
"Oh, how brave of the little lion," Voldemort said directing his wand at Ron but the four curses from Hermione, Neville, Fred and George caused Voldemort to retreat from that particular attack.
"Really! You think a bunch of children are going to defeat me," Voldemort's laugh almost seemed to have humor in it this time.
"I don't know why you find that so funny, you've been afraid of Harry since before he was born," Neville pointed out.
"And now he lies dead at my feet, by my hands as it always should have been," Voldemort gloated, causing all of them to ache but none of them rose to the bait. "I see that none of you every really cared for the boy, you were just breeding him as a weapon against me."
"You son of a bitch!" Sirius snarled and rushed at the snakeman in a fury.
Remus was prepared to cover his friend's advance, Remus deflected as many of the attacks that Voldemort had fired on him, as Sirius took the opportunity to use his entire arsenal.
Voldemort just laughed, unfazed by the attack.
Remus was suddenly knocked to the ground by some unseen curse and Voldemort was about to aim his deadly wand at Sirius when the others sent curses toward Voldemort again.
"Enough!" Voldemort stood to face them. He no longer had the haughty amusement; he was now annoyed and was clearly looking to end this fight. The earth shook and the gravel started to gather so that statuesque figures started to be created and attacked the teenagers as Voldemort faced the two older men looking ready to kill.
Sirius and Remus gave each other a look before running in opposite directs trying to make it harder for Voldemort to keep up with both of them. However no matter how hard they tried, Voldemort didn't seem to be stress about fighting two opponents.
"Now," Sirius called and Remus reacted immediately as if they had planned this from the begging.
"Avada Kedavra!" Remus said with Sirius echoing the curse.
But it was the third voice, one that had called out a completely different spell in a voice that no one had expected to hear again, that had really done it.
"Expelliarmus!"
Voldemort's wand soared from his hand as he looked at the body that was only a few feet away from him in shock.
"But you …" was all he was able to say as the two Killing Curse hit him, the look of shock terror forever frozen on his face as he fell to the ground.
"Yeah well, I guess you were wrong," Harry said sitting up, unable to tear his eyes off of the form of Voldemort on the ground.
"HARRY!" the voices of Sirius and Remus mixed together and then Harry was being pulled into the tightest embrace of his life.
"I saw you … you …" Sirius wasn't able to form the words as he crushed Harry to him, with Remus wrapping his hand around both of them. "He … kill …"
"Didn't … work," Harry chocked. "Can't breathe …"
"Sorry," Sirius loosened his grip a little. "I just … I can't believe … how are you alive?"
"My mum," Harry answered with a sad smile.
"Harry?" Ron said weakly, the stone figure he'd been fighting crumpled as soon as Voldemort had been cursed. And now he was staring at his best friend. The one that he had let walk to his death … the one that was now sitting up being hugged by his guardians. Before Ron could even realize what was going on he was enveloping Harry in his own hug, saying pretty much the same thing as Sirius. Then Hermione was next to him, doing the same. Fred, George and Neville all joined in the hug.
Harry smiled at all the people that were around him, though he could hardly make out the words as they all seemed to be talking at once. He had woken up to the sound of Sirius screaming but he didn't move. He wanted to let Sirius know that he was okay, but he knew that if he stayed still he might be able to make a surprise attack, which he was able to do.
Now it was over, and it seemed almost anti-climactic, a simple disarming spell and the combined effect of Sirius and Remus's curses, and Voldemort was gone. And he was now going to live. He had lived the last few months sure he was going to die, only to find out that wasn't really true at all.
After a few minutes the others tired themselves out and he was able to tell them what had happen and explained to Sirius and Remus about being a Horcrux and that was why he had to come here. He knew that they weren't happy about this. Not happy that he had kept the truth about what he was from them, but it didn't seem to matter much right now as he was alive and they were able to hold him.
It took them a long time to realize that there was actually more fighting to do. Actually it was the fact that they could hear the Death Eaters trying to retreat towards them and away from the Professors they had been fighting. Clearly they had realized that something had happened to their master and now they were stuck in the trap that they had set themselves when they cast the Anti-Apparition charm.
"It seems like we have some more work to do," Sirius said.
"I was about to say the same thing myself," the gruff voice of Scrimgeour said, a troop of Aurors were behind him as Tonks ran forward, joining in the hugging. Scrimgeour on the other hand was looking at the bodies of Voldemort and Bellatrix. "Though, it seems like you have done a very good job of it so far."
"Thanks sir," Sirius answered. "But I remember you telling me that work like this never ends."
There wasn't any more talking after that as everyone got up to fight.