Harry's POV (Was it a Tuesday? Harry can't remember anymore)
"Harry!"
Harry looks back at the staircase he just jumped off of at the sound of Ginny's voice. Without a second thought, Harry freezes the staircase with an immobulus charm and races back up the steps, towards Ginny's voice.
What if the Death Eaters got through the wards and decided to infiltrate from the top of the castle, and they broke through the window in the seventh corridor? What if Ginny got hurt somehow?
Harry leans to the right as he turns right to enter the corridor Ginny was last in. His speed lessens when he sees Ginny racing toward him with a fire blazing in her eyes.
When Harry stops in front of her, and she grabs his robes, Harry thinks he's in deep shit. She must be bloody pissed at something.
It's no later that her hand is around his neck, and she's kissing him.
This is not what Harry thought would happen. He'd been ready for a fight of spells, not dominance! Because fighting for dominance is what Ginny was doing! Her lips were pressed against his with such force Harry has to grab GInny by the waist and pull her up so he can lean back without separating their lips!
Harry doesn't question her motives, he doesn't let himself think about how this is their first kiss, and he definitely ignores the tightening of his pants. Instead, he focuses on the feel of her lips as they slant against his own, he lets himself bask in the heat that her embrace offers; he tries to give as much fire as she gives.
Harry initially wanted their first kiss to be soft and slow and loving, but he'll take what he can get, and he won't complain!
Harry releases his hold from around her waist and grabs her hips, and pulls them flush against his own. He presses against her, so she knows exactly how she makes him feel. He revels in the sound of Ginny's small gasp and uses it to his advantage. Harry slips his tongue in her mouth and just about dies at the taste of her.
She's everything he knew she'd be and more. Everything he expected and everything he didn't know he wanted. She makes his heart race, his head spin, and he'd fallen so hard and fast he didn't recognize the possibility of him getting burned.
She elicits a fire within him, and he loves her. Columbus above, he loves her more than he thought he could, faster than he thought possible.
Harry pulls away when he becomes so overwhelmed he forgets to breathe. He gasps for air but is left without oxygen as Ginny pulls him right back in.
She bites his lip hard and it's Harry's turn to moan. She bites lips. She'll be the death of him.
Harry lets his hands roam until he has her ass in both of his hands. He squeezes and enjoys the way Ginny's whole body shudders against him.
They kiss for a small while longer until Ginny pulls away and pushes at his chest, so his lips stop their pursual of her own lips.
Harry enjoys the way he wakes her breathing heavy and recognizes that his own breathing is the same. It's then that Harry can hear pounding footsteps coming toward him.
"Go."
Harry stares at Ginny and bites his lip. They feel swollen, and he's positive they probably look swollen too, but he doesn't care because now he needs to go fulfill his destiny. He needs to leave Ginny here and go kill some shit. Easier said than done.
"I love you," Harry says again, because what else can he say? He might die! She might die!
"Tell me that after you kill Tom. Now go, before we give him too much time!"
Harry ignores the students that now surround them and kisses her lips one last time, reveling in the fact that she reciprocates his kiss.
"I planned on giving you a better first kiss, and I promise that the next one will be slow and romantic and everything you deserve," Harry declares.
Ginny squeezes his hands and then lets go, turning to face the other students. Harry burns the feeling of her lips in his mind; he burns the sight of her swollen lips to his memory and burns the memory of her telling him to tell her he loves her again into his mind.
And he runs. People part like he's Moses, and they're the Red Sea. He races through the corridor, turns left, and then jumps down the staircase as a whole.
He summons his broom to him and waits impatiently for it to reach him. When it does, Harry jumps over the landing railing and plummets toward the ground floor. He pulls the broom under him, and soon his plummet turns into a dive that would make any quidditch player jealous.
He ignores the shouts of students as he comes out of his dive and jumps off his broom when he gets to the Great Hall. It's there that he sees most of the Hogwarts staff, members of the Order, and a giant stack of cutlery.
Harry ignores the oddity of a giant pile of spoons, forks, and knives and proceeds to Albus and Sirius.
"You alright, Harry? You look a bit messier than usual," Sirius asks. Harry blushes and runs his hand through his hair, messing it up so it'll fall back into its natural state of handsome disarray.
"Peachy keen Pads. How are the wards hiding up?" Harry asks, his head turning to Albus.
"Tom will be through the wards within twenty minutes. We don't have any time to organize anything, but the students should be safe by the time Tom breaks in. I assume you've left Ginny to take care of some warding?" Albus asks.
Harry nods his head and notices a group of redheads whose heads had turned when he'd said Ginny's name. The similarity between them is so pungent Harry has to blink several times to make sure he isn't imagining things.
Harry looks them all over and sees Ron talking to who Harry can only imagine as his twin brothers. Ron's taller than all his brothers and also the skinniest. This is funny to Harry because he's seen how much Ron eats!
"Harry! Come and meet my family!" Ron yells, catching Harry's eye.
Harry takes a deep calming breath and tries to control the raging blush on his face. He just made out with Ginny, and now he's going to meet her family. Great going.
Before Harry can bow to who Harry thinks is Ron's dad, he's enveloped in a warm hug by a shorter redheaded female. Ron's mother.
"It's so lovely to finally meet you, dear! Ron's told us all about you in his letters, of course, and you've been mentioned in Ginny's as well. I feel like I know you already!" The red-headed Matriarch says, pulling away and holding his face in both of her hands.
Harry smiles widely at her and pulls her hands away from her face, kissing them both lightly before letting them go.
"The pleasure is all mine, Mrs. Weasley," Harry says.
Harry turns to Mr. Weasley and bows his head lightly. The older man returns the gesture, and then Harry's attention is pulled back to Ron, who starts introducing all of his brothers.
Harry tries to remember all of their names and thinks he does a great job of it too. The only trouble he thinks he'll have is trying to keep the twins apart. He's already forgotten which is Fred and which is George. Horribly impolite of him.
Harry excuses himself after a short while, excusing himself to get back to Albus and the others who are discussing strategy. Or arguing as it looks to Harry.
"Where'd Minerva go?" Harry asks. He was hoping the one voice of reason would be there making decisions.
"She's setting up Hogwarts for war," Albus says grimly.
Harry nods his head, and before he knows it, he's being whisked up in their plans to fight.
Albus wants to go purely on the defensive and try and barricade Hogwarts, apparently completely sure of the castle's ability to protect them. Sirius, however, wants to meet them at the wards in an all-out attack. Apparently, the Auror department will be joining them as soon as the wards fall and the opportunity to apparate is presented to them.
Harry goes through both of their scenarios and shakes his head. They can't play one or the other. They need to have an offensive team and a defensive team. Other Order members offer their opinions, and Harry watches them silently.
Harry feels a rush of magic pass him and knows the first of the wards have fallen and the rest will fall shortly after. It's time to present a plan. It's time to step up and fulfill his destiny.
"Alright, this is how we're doing this," Harry interrupts. He waves to the rest of the adults who are on the ground floor to him and ignore Albus's and Sirius's glares.
"This is what's going to happen. We're going to split ourselves into four waves. We don't have very many people until the Aurors get here so, with the" Harry counts everyone there. Thirty-two.
"I'm going to have seven people with me to meet Voldemort and his army head-on. We'll be primarily offensive. I want eight people behind us who are primarily defensive, and the same will be for the other two waves inside the castle. We don't know what their strategy is besides killing us all, so be prepared to face them all but remember all the students are on the seventh floor.
"I'm going to announce that those of age can join us in the fight," Harry looks at everyone there, and they all nod. Albus looks like he wants to argue Harry's last point but thankfully keeps his mouth shut.
"The waves will be broken early on in the fight, but with the waves, we'll have a head start on capturing and incarcerating. When the waves are broken, I'm afraid when it comes to dueling; you'll be on your own. Watch each other's backs. Converse amongst yourselves about where you should be in the lines. If your defensive is better than your offensive, go into the second or fourth wave of people.
"Before I dismiss you, Voldemort cannot be killed if the snake doesn't die first. Albus, you mentioned having basilisk fangs?" Harry asks, gesturing to him.
Albus nods his head and pulls out two basilisk fangs. He hands one over to Harry, which he takes carefully.
"That snake is something called a Horcrux. It can only be destroyed from basilisk venom or Fiendfyre, and I'd really rather not unleash Fiendfyre while there are innocents around. If either Albus or I die, someone needs to get ahold of the fang and kill the snake. Does anyone have any questions or anything to add?"
Everyone stays silent, and Harry nods his head. He casts the sonorous spell and announces that everyone of age whose willing to fight, may do so. He wishes everyone luck, and then get's rid of the spell.
"You're not fighting this alone, Harry."
Harry turns and comes face to face with Sirius. Harry takes it all in, the nerves, anxiety, and fear of battle. He nods to his godfather and then walks into his arms for a hug. They pat each other's backs soundly and then push away from each other.
"Let's kick that halfbloods ass!" Sirius says, giving Harry a wide smile.
Harry smiles at him widely and marches his way to the doors that lead to the castle grounds.
People fall in line beside him, Sirius, Albus, Kingsley, Charlie, Minerva, Severus, and Filius. Harry doesn't think it's a good idea to bring Severus along, knowing he's been playing spy for Albus. Nobody can trust the guy, and Harry doesn't like how he's on the front lines. From what Harry's heard, he should be in the Hospital wing making potions, not teaching students how to make them.
Harry rolls his neck and keeps his mouth shut. If Severus turns his back on them, Harry will kill him without a second thought.
Harry exits the castle's courtyard and is met with the sight of black. The afternoon is cloudy and brisk, and the horizon is filled with loud chanting Death Eaters, growling mythical creatures, dementors, and Giants. Harry lets his eyes roam over each of them as he walks, but stops searching when he meets the slanted eyes of Voldemort. Harry takes quick notice of the snake by his side and lets himself feel some relief that Voldemort actually brought it with him.
Voldemort smiles a sickly smile, and with the wave of his arm, Harry feels the wards fall, and suddenly, everything gets louder. Harry hears battle cries as the enemy races toward them. Harry takes a deep breath to calm himself and then breaks into a sprint, his wand held outward. He needs to fight his way through the enemy and get to the snake.
Harry waves his hand that holds the basilisk and calls on the earth's crust. He sends it rippling toward the enemy. Many of them stumble, and the rest are so distracted trying to keep their footing, that Harry casts as many binding chams at fallen creatures and people as he can. He hears pops as people disapparate and can only hope that the second wave behind him, has his back.
Harry gets stuck fighting a mountain troll and a werewolf at the same time. He tries dodging out of the way of both the trolls club and the werewolf's claws but gets hit back by the troll's club while narrowly missing the werewolf's claws.
Harry casts a shielding charm as he gives himself two seconds to get his breath back. Then, without much thought, Harry casts a severing hex at the troll, cutting the trolls club arm clean off. Blood gushes out of the beast, and its anguished roar causes Harry's ears to ring.
He can't focus on his decision because the werewolf is on him once again. Harry curses himself for letting the werewolf get close to him but dives to his left to escape its claws.
Harry looks up and sees a giant bolder falling out of the sky, right where Harry is crouched. Harry races away from his spot and looks over his shoulder just in time to see the werewolf that had been after him, get crushed by the boulder, its bones making a resounding crack.
Harry looks around him and finds himself surrounded by fighting. Harry takes in the sounds of people screaming, beasts roaring, and spells being cast. Harry binds a few beasts from behind and lets them sit amongst their fall allies.
Harry keeps his wand at the ready, but every enemy around him is focused on someone else; a good portion of them are trying to defeat Albus. Harry continues to pick them off while watching his back for any other attack.
Why are they ignoring me?
The ground, merely fifteen yards in front of him, blows to pieces as a burgundy spell hits the ground.
Harry shields his face with his arms and isn't surprised when a red blur runs past him; her wand firing spells at an inspiring rate.
"Don't just stand there, Potter! Take it to em'!" Ginny yells over her shoulder.
Harry shields himself from a stray hex and with a war cry worthy of a Spartan warrior. He runs forward, firing spells left and right, trying to catch up with Ginny.
He gets stopped by dementors, and he scrambles to cast the Patronus charm. He lets himself think about kissing Ginny, and his Stag appears and fiercely charges the Dementors.
He fights everything in his path and helps everyone on his side when he gets the chance. It's a never-ending battle. He can't tell how long he'd been fighting, more than thirty minutes if the setting sun was anything to go by.
Harry looks to his left and notices Ginny and Minerva fighting a few Death Eaters. He watches as a Death Eater casts the killing curse at Minerva, and with wide eyes, Harry realizes Minerva doesn't see it.
Ginny notices as well, and Harry watches with horror as she throws herself into its path. Without another thought, Harry does something very few wizards and witches can do. Harry summons Ginny's body to his own, and before Ginny's body collides with his, he transfigures a rock to shield Minerva's unprotected back.
Ginny hits his body with a resounding thud. The wind gets knocked out of him, and he momentarily panics that they're defenseless. He's quickly calmed when he hears Sirius's voice casting spells right next to him.
Ginny must have felt the same panic because she's up on her feet within two seconds, and Harry's quick to follow.
"What were you thinking? Don't you ever throw yourself in front of a killing curse ever again! Are you out of your mind? You're amazing at transfiguration! Use it!"
Harry is fuming. She scared him to death! He thought she was toast! There's no surviving the killing curse! Unless your mom sacrifices herself and the universe decides to torture the little punk as punishment for living!
"I was going to! I didn't want to risk transfiguring a rock in the wrong spot, and it all be for naught!" Ginny spits angrily. Harry ignores the fire in her eyes that ignites his entire body with adrenaline and heat, and glares right back at her.
"That's why you transfigure an object close to her! This way, she's got something to put her back to!" Harry takes a step forward and tries to intimidate her into listening to him. He will not let her risk herself like that again. It's bad enough that she's even here!
"I didn't have the angle for that! I acted on instinct, and that's always done me good, so don't try looking down on me and yelling at me!" Ginny huffs out, and Harry can actually feel her breath on his face; they're that close.
Harry backs down and takes a step back. He needs to refocus. He'll say something later if he remembers.
"Don't die on me when I finally have someone I would fight to never let go of. Me telling you I love you wasn't some last words shit. That was a warning that I will find a way to bring you back to this hell hole and make you marry me and play house!"
Ginny stares at him like she can't believe the words that just came out of his mouth. Which Harry has to admit is fair. He's always liked romcoms.
"Don't die on me either," Is all Ginny says before she's off finding someone else to fight.
Harry glances at the sky and frowns.
Hadn't he just been in a meeting an hour ago? Hadn't he just kissed Ginny? He knows Ginny had been under the potion for a few hours, but the setting sun?
Harry kills a troll that goes up behind Sirius and does a quick sweep around him to see if anyone else is unaware of an attack he can help with. That's when the metaphorical light bulb appeared over his head.
Harry takes a hard left when he sees the lake in the distance. He's got an idea worthy of Godric Gryffindor.
Harry throws a few blasting hexes at some trolls that are after Minerva and throws himself to the ground when a Death Eater tries throwing the killing curse in his direction.
He grunts with the impact and hisses when he leaps up and feels the scrape on his knuckles from clenching his wand as he dove to the ground.
Harry continues making his way to the lake, and when he's within a reasonable distance, he throws his arms wide, and the lake waters erupt into the sky. Harry clears his mind and concentrates on every individual drop of water.
When he feels like he's in control of the mass of water, he turns slowly, and then, keeping his wide stance, brings his arms together and claps his hands together before pulling them apart again.
The water is quick to respond; the water rushes all around him, quickly overtaking the back lines of Voldemort's army. Harry lets the water hit every enemy, knocking them down, sweeping them up into the waters current, and finding his next victim.
Harry concentrates as he keeps control of the water, not sure if he plans on completely drowning his enemies or just making them lose consciousness. He doesn't think too much on it, not wanting to lose his concentration.
Harry keeps careful control, ignoring the screams of Death Eaters and beasts of all kinds, running from the large mass of water he controls. Harry smiles and almost loses control of the water when he sees Voldemort watching him.
Harry pushes the water with his mind, letting the water rush to Voldemort at high speeds. Just before the water hits him, Voldemort waves his hand, and the water goes right over his head.
Harry glares and tries to completely enclose Voldemort with the water, but the evil wizard creates a dome of oxygen, a shield Harry tries to penetrate but can't.
Harry's concentration dissolves as a spell hits Harry from the side. Harry collapses and chokes on air as he feels all his oxygen leaves him completely. He tries to take in air, but his lungs aren't working.
Harry tries every nonverbal healing spell he can think of, he goes through a list of them in his head. He can feel himself get dizzy as he lies on the ground, his head spinning. His vision starts to blur, and in a last-ditch attempt, casts episky maxima.
He's not even sure that it's a spell, but when air rushes back into his inflated lungs, he thanks every deity he'd ever heard about.
Harry stays still as he inhales oxygen greedily. He counts to ten in his head, and then with a grunt, pushes himself up onto his elbows. Harry lets himself take in the battlegrounds as he catches his breath.
The castle grounds have turned into a marshland, the water he had once controlled, spread itself out into random puddles, and an inch of water that everyone fought in. People kicked up water as they moved, people slipped on the ground, and Harry is happy to find most of the mountain trolls dead.
Harry tries to find Voldemort in the mess of fighting and finds him in a theatric duel with Albus. Harry finds a few aurors fighting each other and wants to roll his eyes. Of course, half of the aurors would be corrupt. Might as well have left them at the ministry.
Harry finds his godfather in a fight with both werewolf's and Death Eaters alike. Sirius is holding his own, dodging spells and claws in a mess of water.
Out of the corner of Harry's eye, he watches his roommate Seamus, slip in the water. Harry tries to cast a shielding spell, even fifty yards away, but the giants' fists collapse his shield and make impact with Seamus's body.
Harry feels a burning rage in his chest. Harry jumps to his feet only to fold himself like a lawn chair when he realizes the burning in his chest wasn't only rage. Harry gasps and blinks away tears.
When his eyes clear, and his breathing comes easier, Harry straightens up and casts a bandaging spell all along his torso. Harry gives himself three seconds. Only three seconds, before he's gritting his teeth and running back into the fray.
Harry ignores the pain in his chest and, using his rage, calls lightning from the sky to hit every single giant he sees. A sick satisfaction wells within him as they fall. The thunder that follows the lightning strikes is deafening; he hopes he didn't cause his allies to go deaf.
Harry doesn't let himself think on it too much as he throws himself into battle with a few Death Eaters. He can feel his energy leaving him quickly, but he pushes all his fatigue aside. He relies more on shield spells than he would like but pays close attention to the spells the Death Eater's cast so he can dodge any DD spells.
Harry almost laughs mid-duel when a green curse flies past him. He disarms both of his opponents with his most powerful expelliarmus and then ties both up with ropes.
He can't believe that the people in Britain call the killing, torture, and imperious curses unforgivables, while in America, the mass population calls them Daddy Don't curses! The thought came to him when he was almost killed.
Harry thinks he's slowly losing his mind. He's mid-battle, mid-war, dealing with culture shock, what he thinks is true love, and a prophecy. He's crazy. Oh well.
A huge explosion goes off, and Harry and every other being turns to where Voldemort and Albus stand.
"Regroup in the Forbidden Forest. Harry Potter, await further instructions!" Voldemort's booming voice, announces.
Harry makes direct eye contact with Voldemort and nods his head. He'll give his friends any break they can get. A chance to regroup would be good too. They can assess the damage and come out with a new strategy.
Harry keeps his wand at the ready while both sides retreat. He barely controls the overwhelming urge to hit the Aurors who turn their back on him. The world could do without traitors, and he wouldn't mind getting rid of them himself.
It feels like he stands there for hours when he really only stands there for twenty minutes. He watches werewolves, dementors, and what he thinks was a dragon, pass by him. Harry can only assume that the Death Eaters all disparated to the forest instead of walking.
After the grounds are cleared of Voldemort's army, Harry waits another ten minutes before he turns and follows his allies up the path that leads to the castle. He spots mutilated bodies lying in the grass, and his nose finally picks up on the scent of death.
Harry grimaces.
Instead of putting as much distance between him and the corpses as he can, Harry starts toward them. He checks every single body that litters the ground. If the body belongs to his side, he levitates them in front of him and checks the others.
He continues to do this as he slowly makes his way to the castle's main entrance. He recognizes most of the people he levitates in front of him but can only remember two of their names. Nymphadora Tonks, Sirius's cousin, and Seamus Finnegan.
Their deaths hit Harry harder than he was prepared for. He considered both of them family, and so far, they had only died for a cease-fire. He didn't kill the snake; he didn't kill Voldemort, he didn't even fight him!
Guilt claws its way up his throat and settles at the top. His breathing is often stoppered by his overwhelming guilt, and his eyes sting with unshed tears. What had he been doing when they were killed?
Trying to catch his breath? Debating whether to kill or leave the enemy unconscious? Was he looking around, trying to think of his next step? Did he accidentally drown Tonks?
Harry lets his eyes focus in on Tonks's body, and he inhales sharply. She's drenched. From head to toe.
He's an idiot. An absolute IDIOT! He thought everyone from their side was further back! How did he not notice her?
Harry unconsciously climbs the steps into the castle as he continues to berate himself. He levitates the bodies into the corner of the Great Hall, where he sees other bodies lying on the floor.
Harry checks over the bodies and recognizes only one of them. Daniel Perish. The Gryffindor first year Harry had on his shoulders mere hours ago. Did the Death Eaters get into the room of requirement?
Harry shakes his head at the thought. If the Death Eaters had gotten into the room of requirement, then there would be many more bodies than there were.
"Kid was firing stinging hexes faster than I could eat a mini mince pie."
Harry turns to his right and sees a tall red-headed man with burn scars all up and down his arms. Charlie Weasley. Ginny's second eldest brother.
"How'd he get out?" Harry wonders out loud. He doesn't expect an answer from anyone, but when a hand lands on his left shoulder, he jumps.
"Ginny made the room impenetrable. The kid walked right out of the room."
Harry looks over his left shoulder and sees the eldest Weasley brother. Bill. Just behind him is his wife. He can't remember her name, but she's French.
"I don't get it," Harry says, turning back to Daniel. The kid would look like he was sleeping if you ignored the gash on his forehead.
"Ginny made it so nobody could get into the room, but people could leave the room," Bill explains quietly.
"Has anyone checked on the rest of the kids?" Harry asks. He looks over the rest of the bodies and notices that Daniel is the only kid among the dead bodies.
"McGonagall volunteered to check on them. They're trying to make portkeys to send them somewhere safe. Apparently, McGonagall's dead Uncle was rich and left her his castle, so were sending them there."
Harry nods his head.
"No."
Harry whips around and stares at Ginny. She has blood all over her robes, dust, and rubble in her hair, and she's staring over Harry's shoulder. Right at Daniel Perish.
Her face goes from disbelief to despair within a millisecond.
Harry watches helplessly as she rushed past him to kneel at Daniels's feet. She's muttering the word, no, repeatedly. A heart-breaking sob echoes off the wall, and Harry breaks with it.
He steps close to her before kneeling next to her and putting a hand on her back. He rubs soothing circles on her back as she cries. He lets his own tears fall and grieves with her. Not only for Daniel but for everyone who had lost their lives.
Harry clears his tears quickly, hoping Ginny will look at him and reach out for his comfort.
"You have one hour to give up, Harry. He will choose a second to have at his side for a duel with me. If he does not come, I will leave and lay massacre to every wizarding village, every muggle-borns home. I will overcome the ministry and leave you all with nothing."
Harry waits for Voldemort to say more, but when nothing else comes, a cold determination builds within him.
Ginny catches his eye, and he wonders when she looked up at him. There are still tears running down her face, but the only sound she makes is a small sniffle.
"How do you do it?" Ginny asks him.
Harry furrows his eyebrows. Do what? He broke down just like she did. She must see his confusion because she asks a different question.
"How do you go through things like this and still laugh and smile openly? How do you run around quoting muggle films, and making friends with anyone who smiles at you?"
Harry tries to think of a good answer, a good way of putting his thoughts into words, but Ginny's burning gaze makes it difficult for him to think straight.
To solve his problem, he shifts until he's sitting Criss Cross Applesauce and opens his arms up, hoping Ginny will get the hint.
She rolls her eyes but luckily, she sighs and climbs onto his lap, so she has her legs wrapped around his waist, her arms around his neck, and her head over his shoulder.
Harry buries his nose into her hair happily and smiles when he can still smell her flowery shampoo.
He takes a second to collect his thoughts and then starts talking without a destination in mind.
"Every time something bad happened, Sirius would pack us up, and we'd move somewhere else. Sometimes it would be across multiple states, and sometimes it would be the opposite side of that same state.
"It didn't matter the distance because wherever we'd end up, I'd have left everyone I knew behind and would need to start fresh. When I turned twelve and started racing in little leagues, I was kidnapped by one of my coaches. He had some preconceived notion that I had the power to raise Voldemort from the dead.
"When I escaped, we moved, and I didn't try."
Harry pulls himself away from the memory and pulls Ginny closer to him. Twelve was not a good age to be him.
"I didn't try and make new friends during the summer; I threw myself into defense against the dark arts and ignored my friends during school; I didn't let myself do anything but prepare for the next inevitable event.
"I didn't sleep, or eat, or ride my broom, or even write letters to Sirius. I became depressed, and to make this really long and tragic story shorter, I got onto the roof of Ivermorny every night and let myself sit on the edge. If the wind picked up and I fell, well, I wouldn't have cared.
"It was after one night I noticed the full moon and imagined how Moony would have handled me. He would have sat on that roof with me. He'd hand me chocolate, he's talk to me about a book he'd just read, or a film Sirius dragged him to since I wasn't there to go with him.
"He'd remind me that it's okay to not be okay, but it's not okay to sit there and not do anything that could possibly make me feel better. I realized that racing brooms, watching films, and having lots of friends made me happy.
"I didn't let myself tip over the edge just because I didn't care to lean back a little," Harry says, playing with a loose strand of Ginny's hair.
"Harry, Albus would like to speak with you and the rest of the Order."
Harry nods his head at Minerva, who slips into his field of vision, before walking past him and out of his line of sight.
Ginny disentangles herself from him and helps him up without a word. Harry takes her help, kisses her hand, and then makes his way to the head table where the teachers usually sit during meals.
Harry catches Albus's eye and gestures for him to start. He's on the clock. He has forty-five minutes. Perfect.
"Now that we're all here. Voldemort must have a plan to kill Harry, or else he wouldn't have given the option for a fair duel. I suspect he's falling back on the fact he still can't die forever. So, I need everyone, besides Harry and I, of course, to lock down the castle.
"Finish making portkeys and send off the students youngest first and keep going until all the students are gone. Fred, George, Sirius, I want you three to set traps in the castle for Death Eaters who might try to get into the room of requirement. I want-,"
"Wait," Harry says, holding his free hand up in a stop gesture, "I didn't pick you as my second for this duel."
Harry feels like he's being burned alive by the glares he receives from the Order members. Was it something he said?
"Harry's right. Besides, as his guardian and an Auror, I should go with him," Sirius says.
Harry shakes his head. Why does he get the feeling that everyone will start arguing soon?
"I want to do it," Ginny says from his right.
The group explodes. Harry knew the argument was inbound, but he didn't think it would be so explosive or at the cause of Ginny. He should know better.
Harry waves his hand over the entire group of people and silences them. Everyone returns to glaring at him, and he sighs. It's always him that everyone ends up mad at in the end.
"First of all, I will be picking my second. It won't be Albus because, no offense, I don't trust you enough. It won't be Sirius because I've had too many parental figures dying for me, and it won't be Ginny because I'd never be able to forgive myself if she died. Clear?"
Harry waits for everyone to nod before he undoes his silencing charm. People test to see if he lifted the charm by clearing their throats and making other noises. It's like they don't trust him!
"Minerva, it would mean a lot to me if you'd be my second," Harry says, looking at the old witch pleadingly.
"I'd be honored."
Harry nods and stays quiet for the rest of the meeting. Albus directs people on their jobs, and Harry can't. find any fault in his strategies, so he leaves them be. He glances at his watch and reckons he should grab Minerva and start walking.
Before he can get Minerva's attention, Ginny grabs his arm and tugs.
"Don't pull any heroic bullshit and die. I can only imagine you're the noble type to die for the greater good or some other trashy line," Ginny says. Harry smiles at her and kisses her forehead.
Greater good his ass. When it comes to Ginny, Harry's selfish beyond reason. He doesn't want to give up another second of their time. He discreetly hands her his invisibility cloak and enjoys the wonder on her face when her hand disappears.
"Anything for you, my dear," Harry says jokingly. Ginny smiles at him, which makes his smile widen, but hers fades into something more mischievous.
"I'm not a deer; I'm a lioness," Ginny says. She winks at him, and then suddenly, Minerva has her hand on his shoulder and is pulling him out of the castle.
Harry's thoughts get more explicit than he'd ever admit because their forms are compatible. He hopes one day she'll let him mark her. Claim her. The idea is old-fashioned and possessive, but it's the animal in him. Literally.
"What's the plan?" Minerva asks him, when they reach the grounds.
Harry grimaces, and Minerva huffs at him. He stopped planning things a long time ago when he realized nothing ever went the way it was supposed to.
"I guess the best course of action would be for you to distract Voldemort, and I'll try and kill the snake," Minerva says.
Harry nods his head, but his thoughts stray back to the people in the castle. He could die soon, and he never said goodbye to anyone. He should have given Sirius a hug. If Voldemort kills him, Harry doesn't have any doubt that Sirius would become a madman and join him in death soon after.
What about the friends he's made? What about his roommates? He's only known them for two weeks, but he cares about them. He would have liked to say goodbye.
And Ginny! Why hadn't he kissed her for real? Why didn't he remind her that he loves her? Would his death impact her as much as it would Sirius? He doesn't want her to die.
"Whatever you're thinking about that's making you frown like that, you better stop thinking about it."
"I feel like I'm not taking this as seriously as I should be," Harry says, kicking a piece of rubble absentmindedly.
"That could be a good thing, as long as you don't play around while you duel," Minerva says tentatively.
Harry nods his head but stays silent.
He's trained for years for this, and now that he's here, he doesn't feel ready. Would he feel more prepared if he'd said his goodbyes first?
"May I have the fang?" Minerva asks when they reach the edge of the forest.
Harry hands her the fang silently and then shoots green sparks through the trees. He waits for a sign to point them in the right direction of Voldemort.
Red sparks shoot through the trees directly ahead of them. Harry reckons they need to walk the length of two football fields before they reach Voldemort.
They set off at a normal pace, both of their wands drawn, ready for an ambush or any other type of attack.
Harry pays close attention to their surroundings and finds a mostly clear path that they could use as a means of escape if they need one.
Harry slows to a stop just outside a small clearing where he sees at least eight Death Eaters, including Voldemort.
Harry steps into the clearing and meets eyes with every person opposite him. Bellatrix Lestrange, Dolohov, Fenrir Greyback, Luscious Malfoy, Voldemort, Barty Crouch Jr, both Carrows, and surprise, surprise, Severus Snape.
Nine vs. two. Perfect.
"You wanted to see me?" Harry asks, rolling his eyes when nobody says anything.
"Harry Potter, welcome. I see you didn't bring Dumbledore as your second. We have more in common than anyone else knows," Voldemort says. Harry rolls his eyes and gestures to Minerva on his left.
"Minerva would kick your ass if she wasn't my second," Harry says confidently.
He scans the ground, trying to find Voldemort's snake, and finds it stretched out behind Voldemort's followers.
"So crass. I wonder if you have any manners at all. Care to bow and start this duel off?"
Harry scowls but tips forward a few inches, barely a bow. If Harry was bowing to any respectable person, Sirius would cuff him on the back of his head for his disrespect.
"I see not much has changed. Goodbye, Harry Potter."
Voldemort bows low at the waist and is firing the killing curse before he's even straightened out. Harry dives to the side, enters a roll, and pops back to his feet, firing the disarming charm. Voldemort blocks it and, not messing around like he had in the cemetery all those years ago, fires another killing curse.
Something a lot of people don't realize is that the speed in which a spell moves through the air, all depends on the intent behind the spell, and the urgency with which the caster puts upon every incantation.
And Harry can tell Voldemort wants Harry dead and out of his way. Right now. The spells fly across the small clearing giving Harry very little opportunity to simply step out of the spell way.
Harry gives what he gets and tries to keep his spells simple but dangerous. He needs to somehow injure Voldemort, kill the snake, and then kill Voldemort without using a DD spell.
Harry finds a good rhythm and sticks to it as he duels with Voldemort. He slowly shrinks the distance between them, which makes it more difficult to doge and shield, but when he's within fifteen feet, Harry changes into his Animagus and charges him.
Harry growls happily when Voldemort is too surprised to try and kill him and leaps at Voldemort's leg and bites him. Harry ignores the thought of how gross it is to have Voldemort's leg in his mouth and clenches his jaw even further.
Voldemort's inhuman scream echoes in the tress, and Harry is blasted back by an unknown force.
He shakes his head and tries to find the source of the spell. Voldemort is busy trying to heal his leg, a forcefield-like bubble surrounding him. He then sees Minerva, badass Minerva, in a full-out battle with eight Death Eaters.
Harry changes back into himself and throws himself into the fray. Figuratively.
Harry throws a blasting curse into the center of them that knocks them off their feet and even knocks him back a few steps.
Harry binds the Carrows, who lay on the ground unconscious and almost faints when Ginny freaking Weasley rips his Invisibility cloak off and summons the basilisk fang to herself. Harry watches as she grabs the fang out of the air and literally throws it at Nagini.
The fang hits Ginny's mark, and the snake shakes until it withers and decomposes until all that's left is snakeskin that moves with the wind.
Harry turns to Voldemort and realizes his eyes are moving from his dead snake and Ginny.
The forcefield falls, and Harry summons Ginny to himself.
"Stop!" Voldemort yells.
The spells slowly stop, and everyone has their wand pointing at someone else. Harry's is on Voldemort, Ginny's is on Fenrir Greyback, and Minerva's is on Bellatrix Lestrange. That last one mildly surprises Harry. He'd have thought her wand would have been on Snape.
"Ginerva Weasley," Voldemort drawls, smiling at Ginny. Or Harry thinks he's trying to smile.
"Don't."
"Don't even look at her," Harry growls.
"No need to growl at me, Harry. I think we will finish our duel, do you agree?" He asks.
Harry looks at his companions, receiving a nod from both of them.
"You're killing me, smalls!" Harry exclaims, smiling mischievously. We love a good Sandlot quote.
"Confringo!" Harry yells.
Harry does not let Voldemort set the pace for this duel. Harry is unhinged.
Harry tries constricting the air around Voldemort, trying to suffocate him, but Voldemort waves his hand like Harry's elemental control is as annoying as a fly.
Voldemort has a small limp from the bite and is focusing most of his energy on shielding himself from Harry's attacks.
It's annoying to Harry just how good Voldemort actually is at dueling. He's well educated in the Dark Arts; that much is obvious.
It's when he hears Ginny hiss as he dodges a blasting curse that Harry's vision practically tunnels. He ignores any curse that isn't green and fires with every step he takes. His senses are on high alert, but he focuses on his vision only.
Voldemort is taking long strides away from Harry, but Harry will not let him get away.
"Explelliarmus!"
Voldemort doesn't have the distance advantage on his side and can't cast a shield. His wand flies behind Harry.
Harry wants to ask him if he has any last words like every good battle scene should have, but he wants him gone.
"If your sins against me weren't reasoning enough for me to kill you, listening to your twisted ideas for Ginny gives me every reason to do this!"
Harry transfigures a stone into a sword and picks it up.
"As the heir of both the Black and Potter fortunes, I have every right to kill you by sword for killing not only my parents but Regulas Black as well!"
Harry thrusts the sword forward and watches with sick satisfaction as Voldemort screams, and the sword cuts right through Voldemort's outstretched hand and into his chest.
The sound of tearing flesh is sickening, and when Voldemort starts to fall, Harry lets go of the sword and watches him fall.
When Voldemort falls, a giant crack is heard, and Harry startles to realize that the skull in the sky disappears, and the Death Eaters still standing start to run. Harry takes a step after them but pauses when his eyes fall back to Voldemort's unmoving body.
Harry levitates the body and, without another look, starts making his way back to the castle.
Harry excuses himself from the Minister of Magic and gazes at the Great Hall without thought. People are weeping with both joy and sorrow. He wishes he could take away the pain and loss everyone feels.
He wishes he could take on every feeling in the room that isn't happiness and take it upon himself. He feels numb. He looks at the back of the room where the bodies of the dead lay and tries to feel something.
Kingsley, Mary, Moody, Colin, Blaise, Connor, Hagrid, Argus, Cormac, Cedric, Nymphadora, Lavender, Padma, Poppy, Hermione, and Sirius.
He'd demanded to know if anyone knew how each of them died, but when he heard that Sirius was too busy laughing at a prank, he'd been playing to notice a stray bludgeoning curse. It knocked him back into a wall, where he cracked his skull open.
Harry doesn't know what to do with himself. He's back to being an orphan; he's stuck in Britain with responsibilities of both the Black and Potter households. A weight had lifted from him, but a new one had settled on his chest and left him without feeling.
"You look a bit lost."
Harry blinks a few times and takes in Ginny, standing in front of him. She's a vision.
"I think I am."
Ginny walks up to him and engulfs him in her arms. He puts his chin on her head, and it's like the weight shifts, and suddenly he can feel everything. Tears fall uninhibited, his chest compresses, and his breathing is shallow.
Harry tries to stay quiet as he grieves. He tries to stay strong for everyone who's watching them, but something about Ginny makes him feel things. She's always been like that for him.
He gives himself five minutes before he calms himself down and promises himself that he can grieve more later.
"How's your family?" Harry asks softly.
Ginny pulls away from him so they can see each other's faces, and exhales slowly.
"They're all okay physically, but-," Ginny's eyes go misty, and she clears her throat.
Harry caresses both of her cheeks and waits patiently.
"Hermione had been one of us for a long time. Ron passed out after having an episode, and nobody knows what to do about that."
Harry nods his head and kisses Ginny's forehead. Ginny and Hermione acted more like sisters than friends, and Harry knows Ginny is trying to stay strong for everyone else. Just like always.
"You're stronger than anyone I've ever met. You'll be there for everyone whose struggling out of pure kindness and love for others. Plus, you'll always have me. Harry Potter, from bleedin' America."
Ginny laughs and leans up to press a slow kiss to his lips that makes him feel better than any potion ever could.
"You're right. At least I'll always have Harry Potter from bleedin' America.
I know this is a really rushed ending, but I leave to a place where I can't write or use the internet quite enough to upload so, thank you. Thank you for reading this and joining me on this journey. I hope you liked it!
-Ace