He was a trained Auror, he had fought before and even though he hated it, he had even killed in fights. But this was different, he would never forget this, the images were etched into his mind forever. The screams and crying of scared, wounded and dying Witches and Wizards, most of them barely adults. The sight of falling bodies, the smell of burned flesh and all the destruction around him. Harry would never forget what had become of the placed he still called home, what was supposed to be a safe place for children, a place where they could learn, build friendships, fall in love and break hearts. A place where they could live, not die.
Now it was a place of destruction, fear, terror and death. They had turned what was supposed to be neutral ground into a battlefield. They had painted the walls of a school with the blood of innocent children, had filled the halls once ringing with laughter with bloodcurdling screams of fear. As Harry slowly walked into what was once the Great Hall, and now the makeshift base hospital, his eyes wandered over to the wall were all the fallen laid. He forced his feet to take him there, to see what he had done.
He saw many people he didn't recognize, but some of them he did know and the sight of their lifeless bodies was like a stab to his heart. He saw the whole Weasley family gathered around Percy. Beside him laid Colin and Dennis Creevey, Cho, Hestia, Sturgis, Daphne, Tracy, Professor Sprout, Seamus, Lee, Ernie, Anthony, Terry, Mandy and Remus. Harry saw many Resistance Fighters and fellow Aurors there, people he had fought with, who had trusted him with their lives. His heart clenched painfully when he saw Jackson, Simone, Olivia and Wesley, all his Auror team comrades except Ron were dead. But what caused Harry to feel sick and his body to shake, was the amount of dead students they couldn't evacuate fast enough. Some of them were so small that Harry knew they were First Years, before him laid eleven year old children.
Harry couldn't take it anymore, he stumbled away, he didn't know in which way, he couldn't see the people he walked by. His blood was rushing in his ear, his heart thumping in his chest which felt constricted, but he just kept walking until his legs gave out under him.
"Harry!" for a moment he didn't recognize the voice that called his name, he didn't feel the arms at first, or the body he was pulled to. Only when the same voice continued to talk to him and helped him breathe again, did Harry recognize the person. Her voice, the distinct smell of her under a mixture of dirt, sweat, burned fabric and blood. It was Minerva. Even though Harry still felt awful because of the people they had lost, he was beyond relived to learn she was alive. A second later he felt guilty because her death would have been so much worse then all of the others together.
Harry turned and wrapped his arms around her, pulled her as close to him as possible and held her there, like he feared she would disappear the moment he let go of her. He felt how her own arms laid around him, felt her racing pulse through the skin of her neck against his own. Only when something warm and wet landed on the exposed part of his shoulder where is cloak and shirt had been ripped he pulled back thinking she was crying.
But when Harry looked at her for the first time he saw that, though there were tears shimmering in her eyes, it was blood from a nasty wound on her temple that had landed on his skin.
"Minerva you're hurt!" but before he could do anything she had wiped away the blood with what was left of her right sleeve.
"It's nothing, I've had worse. Are you okay?" she asked her voice full of worry.
"Yeah, just a few scratches and bruises." he stopped and took a deep breath as he took her hand and intertwined their fingers. "Have you seen them Minerva? Have you seen what I have done? Half of the dead were friends...and there are children...children Minerva! Because I was-"
"Stop! Stop right there Harry! This is not your fault, none of this was your fault. It's His fault and Snape's, he betrayed us, he let them in! If it wasn't for you and the others they would've slaughtered us all. Please don't take the blame for their deaths, the only ones to blame are Tom and his Death Eaters!" she had cupped his face in her hands and made him look at her "Nobody here blames you Harry...please, promise me you won't go, you know it's a trap." Minerva whispered but Harry didn't answer her, instead he kissed her.
She kissed him back after a little hesitation, knowing Harry hadn't kissed her only out of his love for her but because he needed time to find an answer. He knew she wanted one, that she deserved one and for the first time in their three year long relationship he actually considered lying to her, something he had not done once. But he knew better, he had to do it, because it was the only way preventing more people from dying and the thought alone that one of them could be Minerva, made him realize what he had to do.
With this in mind he intensified their kiss and put all the love he had for her in it. Once they finally parted Harry laid his forehead against hers and closed his eyes, just savouring being so close to her for the last time before he would tell her.
"You are going aren't you." It wasn't a question. Harry should have known better, Minerva knew him better than any one else, of course she knew what he would do.
"Yes."
"And nothing I can say, no matter how much I plead for you to stay because I love you, will change your mind am I right?" he swallowed the lump in his throat.
"Yes." he took a deep breath, "If we are right with our theory, then I might survive and return."
"If we are right, we don't know for sure and how do you plan to survive this? You'll be surrounded by Death Eaters."
"It's the only way. Even if I die, he'll be mortal again, you could end this. We both know there is no other way." Harry said quietly and raised his head to look at her. Minerva kept her eyes closed, but he saw the tears that ran over her cheeks, which he wiped away with his thumps.
"That doesn't mean it hurts less or makes anything easier." she whispered and opened her eyes. "But it also doesn't change the fact that I love you."
"I love you too, more than anything else in the world. And I will make sure, that he will be mortal again the next time he gets near you or anyone else I hold dear." Harry told her and kissed her one more time. God how much he wished they could have had a life together. If he somehow, miraculously, survived this, Harry swore to himself he would propose to her. With that Harry pulled away from their kiss and stood, pulling Minerva with him and hugging her close again.
For a few moments they just stood there, not saying a word. Harry slowly broke their hug and pressed another kiss to her lips.
"I love you."
"I love you too." this being the last words they might have said to each other Harry turned around and left the Hall. He walked through the almost complete destroyed Entrance Hall and threw his Invisibility cloak over himself as he marched quietly and alone towards his death.
Harry couldn't believe that the woman who had saved his life was the same woman, who had spent a good portion of her life helping the mad man who tried to murder him his whole life. Ever since they found out that Draco had joined the light side and had spied on them, Harry had wondered why Voldemort hadn't murdered Lucius and Narcissa. Only now did Harry understand that Voldemort had only waited for the day they caught Draco, so they could see their only child getting tortured to death before they were killed themselves.
And now with a simple lie, Narcissa had saved Harry's life. But now he needed a plan, Hagrid was carrying his "dead" body towards the Castle, he had to find a good moment to attack. But as long as he was surrounded by over fifty alerted Death Eaters, no surprise moment could give him enough time to get under the cloak and away.
Harry then thought about the people he cared about back at the castle, if they saw him they would believe he was dead! Though he knew they wouldn't stop fighting, what if his supposed death managed to put them off long enough for Voldemort and his Death Eaters to murder more of them.
Harry had to force himself not to move a muscle and play the dead when they arrived in front of the castle. But he was still lucky that Hagrid was so rattled he took no notice of any signs that might show him Harry was still alive. His heart was beating so hard and fast in his chest when Voldemort called the Resistance Fighters to come out, that he thought it was a miracle no one around him heard it.
"Come and see! See what happened to the great Harry Potter!" Voldemort laughed and then he heard the screams. Hearing his friends and family shout his name in desperation, especially Ron and Hermione, was the worst thing Harry had ever heard. Still nothing could have prepared him for Minerva.
"No! Please no! No!" her screams were worse than the Crucio, worse than any pain he had felt up until this point in his life.
"Ah, Minerva why don't you come a little closer, I'm sure we can have a civilised conversation, no need for shouting." please don't do it, please don't do it Minerva! hammered through Harry's mind, but against his silent begging he heard other people calling her back, with no success. Despite the almost physical pain that the death of her beloved brought her, Minerva knew that now the only thing keeping Voldemort alive was his snake. The only way to get to her was to get closer to Voldemort himself, she would finish what Harry started. And if it took her life then she would give it, but Minerva would take that damn snake with her!
"Thank you way better don't you think?" his taunting words were followed by silence. "You know, as you are the only one left that could lead this...well, let's call it resistance, I think we should put an…agreement on some conditions."
"You can't believe that this is over." Minerva said and encouraging shouts and yells could be heard from all the others. Harry had to keep himself from opening his eyes and peeking at his beloved, because he knew that when he gave in, he wouldn't be able to stay "dead" for another second.
"Silence!" and immediately the voices were cut off. "Of course this is over my dear, Harry Potter is dead. The-"
"And that's the reason we won't ever surrender! We will keep on fighting you for every life that was lost tonight, their deaths won't be in vain!" the silence charm was broken and again the shouts and screams of all his friends echoed through the night. Again Voldemort put a silencer charm on the fighters, this time Harry could even feel the magic radiating off him.
"And you- kneel before your new Master, or feel the pain of disobedience." for the first time in his life Harry wanted her to do what Voldemort said, but he knew that would never happen and in the next moment her screams of pain confirmed his assumption. Harry had to clench his teeth so hard he thought they would brake to stop himself from helping her.
"Well, I believed you to be wiser Minerva. But it seems I was wrong about you in so many ways." Harry could hear him walk around and dreaded what would come next.
"Do you see this? Do you see the pathetic whore under my feet my dear friends! Look at the filthy whore who laid with the so called Saviour of our World! A whore who spat on our noble values when she invited my enemy between her thighs, when she let him touch her, let him use her for his own carnal desires. A filthy and disgusting whore, worth even less than a Mudblood from the moment on she excepted my enemy's seed within her for the first time! But tell me how does it feel to see your lover beaten and dead, knowing he died while abandoning you, especially you, leaving you back here as my gift."
"That's not true..." Minerva's voice was steady and free of any emotions, she wouldn't show him any reaction to what he had said about her, she didn't care what he said about her, he could insult her all he want, but she wouldn't let him speak that way of Harry or cast a slur on his memory!
"Harry did not run away, he sacrificed his life for us and we know the truth. No matter what lies you try to tell us, we won't stop fighting! We remain loyal unlike your henchmen, who deserted the sinking ship like the rats they are the first time and you know they will do it- Ahh!" the Crucio interrupted her and for what felt like hours her screams echoed around.
"You better don't anger your knew Master again Minerva." Voldemort said when he lifted the curse off her.
"You won't ever shut me up and I don't have a Master." her voice was strong and everyone knew there was no way he would ever break her. Harry's problem was that Voldemort knew that too.
"Alright, you want to play the brave, your wish is my command." Harry couldn't hold back any longer. He opened one eye a tiny bit just enough so he could make out what was in front of him. Minerva was kneeling alone in front of Voldemort and his Death Eaters, but with her head raised high, Harry felt his heart beating faster again this time also with pride, his fierce woman wouldn't back down ever. In the distance behind her he could just make out the others, standing close together and on the alert. Voldemort waved the wand and for a moment Harry didn't understand what he did until he caught something in his arms.
"Let's make an example on the honourable Headmistress and show your friends what happens to people who don't understand that my era began." with that he forced the Sorting Hat on Minerva's head and stepped back.
He raised his wand and the hat flared up, the fighters by the entrance screamed and then many things happened at the same time. Behind the Death Eaters reinforcements lead by Charlie Weasley and Andromeda Tonks turned up also screaming, Harry couldn't pretend any longer and jumped from Hagrid's arms, Minerva tore the burning hat from her head and pulled Gryffindor's sword from it and with a cry she beheaded Nagini.
For a moment everything around them happened in slow motion and Minerva stared up towards Voldemort and he stared back, in shock. Harry knew she had no chance to get her wand in time, she knew her death was unpreventable, Voldemort's arm moved so Harry did the only thing that he could.
"Tom!" he whirled around and they stared at each other but Harry's wand was already pointed at Voldemort.
"Avada Kedavra!" the green light emerged from the tip of his wand and the shocked look on Voldemort's face turned to one of surprise. The killing curse struck Voldemort in the chest and he was thrown off his feet and landed on the ground a few feet away. He was dead. It was over, it was all over now.
The world around him had stopped, they all looked at him and the dead man in front of him. For a moment everyone had stopped fighting, not one said a word. Then many Resistance Fighters started cheering, Death Eaters began to disapparate so they held as many of them back as possible. But Harry only had eyes for Minerva, he quickly pulled her to her feet and wrapped his arms around her.
"Are you okay?" Harry asked and he could feel her tremble in his arms as she let out a teary laugh.
"You- you died and you ask me if I'm okay?" she pulled back a moment but only so she could lay her hands on his face, her left was burned and half of her face was covered in dried blood but Harry didn't care and kissed her. He was free, finally free, it felt like the weight of the whole world had been lifted off his shoulders, it was like he was finally breathing for the first time in his life.
"You did it! It's over oh Merlin it's finally over. I love you Harry, I love you so much! I thought…I thought you were dead." Harry brushed the tears off her cheeks but he couldn't answer her because all his friends and the other Resistance Fighters rushed towards him. He hugged Ron, Hermione and Draco who were the first ones to reach him and then everything was a blur.
Harry didn't know how long it actually took until he was sitting here on his own, didn't know how many hands he shook, with how many people he had talked but it had been hours. The sun was just rising above the mountains in the distance and it's light danced across the surface of the lake, it looked like even nature was happy that Voldemort was no more.
"It's beautiful isn't it?" he didn't move, didn't look up, he just lifted his arm and laid it around Minerva. Her head came to rest on his shoulder and her bandaged left laid on his bend knee.
"Yes. I never thought I'd see the sun again...see you again." Harry murmured and he didn't even try to stop the tears that ran down his face. They held each other as they both cried, cried for the last two and a half years they spend in terror and fear, all the people who had lost their lives for this moment, so that he could end it all. They sat there until their tears had stopped flowing and watched the sun rise higher and higher.
"We're here...we are both here and alive. We...we can have a real life again." Minerva said and Harry looked at her and nodded, he then pulled her closer against him and Minerva laid her head back on his shoulder.
"Yes we can, together."
Hello dear readers,
here is the next Chapter! I hope you liked it! Please tell me if you did. :) Also big thank you to everyone who followed, favoured and reviewed the first Chapter.
I'm extremely sorry for taking Neville's big moment from the Battle, but I just had to for obvious reasons.
See you the next time around!
Patti
