Alright, part 6 is here… I'll let you read first, some notes can be found in the end.
Disclaimer: I owe none of these characters, I own only this plot.
Padma Patil and Cho Chang were talking. They talked mostly about Harry. In Padma, Cho found a friend, who did have time to listen. Talking to Padma made Cho understand her feelings better. She understood that she shouldn't spend her whole life grieving for Cedric, and that falling in love with someone else wouldn't necessarily be forgetting Cedric. Maybe she wasn't ready yet, but she would be. Someday… A sharp pain in her chest interrupted her thoughts. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think.
"Cho!" She heard Padma's voice, but it sounded like it was a million miles away. "Cho! What is it?" And then: "Madame Pomfrey! Madame Pomfrey! Cho's having some sort of fit!"
***
Albus Dumbledore felt it. Avada Kedavra. Hadn't Severus gotten there in time? Who had uttered the words? Who had released the Killing Curse? Voldemort?
Instantly, he knew it was Voldemort. Somewhere, deep inside, he knew that it was Voldemort, who had used the curse.
He hoped Voldemort had failed again.
Dumbledore stepped into the fire. "The Shrieking Shack!" he said, feeling fear for his friends clutching his chest.
***
"Avada Kedavra!"
An indefinable, spine-chilling sound hurled through the air.
Ron Weasley heard the voice and saw the flash of green light lighten up the cabin. He couldn't believe it! You-Know-Who was stunned! This didn't happen. It couldn't be happening. They had already gotten away, hadn't they? The blizzard was about to end. They had already gotten away! Ron was standing with his back towards Voldemort, but he could still hear the muffled sound of - not one, but two! - corpses falling to the ground. The Imperius Curse vanished suddenly, and Ron wheeled around. Numb disbelief filled him.
"Oh my God! Oh no!"
***
"Avada Kedavra!"
An indefinable, spine-chilling sound hurled through the air.
Even though her mind was somewhere else, taken away by the Imperius Curse, Hermione Granger realized what the words meant. Behind her she heard the sound of a corpse hitting the floor. She saw the lifeless body, holding a wand, fall to the ground. The Imperius Curse was thrown of. She wheeled around. For a second, she couldn't believe what she saw. Then her brain started to accept it. The shock made the scene in front of her easier to bear, but it still wasn't enough. Tears started to fall down on her face, but she didn't even notice them. She stood as paralyzed, watching the horrible scene.
***
"Avada Kedavra!"
An indefinable, spine-chilling sound hurled through the air.
Severus Snape heard the words. He had already nearly conquered the curse, and the words, the horror that the words brought to him, made him shrug of the curse.
There was a sound of first one, then another body falling.
Snape wheeled around, towards Voldemort, and stared with disbelief on him. Then he backed, and looked at both of the corpses laying on the floor. He didn't know what to say. He just stared shocked on the two corpses.
***
"Avada Kedavra!"
An indefinable, spine-chilling sound hurled through the air.
Parvati Patil heard the words. She saw whom You-Know-Who was pointing at. She struggled to shut her eyes, fought the curse that much. The green glow shone through her eyelids. Then she heard two bodies hit the floor. The Imperius Curse vanished, and Parvati opened hopefully her eyes. The sight that met her made her first gasp for breath in horror. She started to scream.
***
"Avada Kedavra!"
An indefinable, spine-chilling sound hurled through the air.
Sirius Black was bound by the Imperius Curse. He was forced to watch, when the green bolt of lightning escaped from the end of Voldemorts wand. He couldn't turn his head to follow it, but heard the sickening sound of a corpse hitting the floor. He then saw to his astonishment Voldemort fall, and the effect of the Imperius Curse vanished. Sirius turned towards the other corpse. At the same time Dumbledore steeped to the room through the fireplace.
Sirius heard Parvati scream. Ron was staring horrorstruck at something. Hermione wept silently.
Then Sirius saw Harry. He was lying on the floor, unblemished but unmistakably dead.
Sirius pushed his way past Ron and Hermione. They seemed to be in shock, neither of them moved or said anything. They just watched.
Sirius fell on knee beside Harry. He didn't feel any numb disbelief or shock that would have numbed the pain. He understood very clearly, what had happened. That Harry, his godson, was dead.
He couldn't weep, the grief felt like it was beyond bearable. He straightened Harry's limbs, and shut carefully his eyelids. He brushed gently the black, untidy hair, and clasped his hands onto his chest. Then he transformed into the great, black dog that Harry had, when he had first seen it, feared, and then grown to like. Sirius howled out his misery.
***
Albus Dumbledore looked at the scene. There was Parvati, who was screaming, Hermione, who stood weeping silently. No, now she started to move. She moved over to Parvati, and slapped her. Parvati's scream changed to sobs. Ron was muttering to him self, wearing an expression of shock and disbelief. Severus stood as paralyzed, and Sirius, who had transformed into a great, black dog, was howling. And the corpses of Harry Potter and Tom Marvolo Riddle, better known as Lord Voldemort, were lying on the floor.
Dumbledore looked out through the window. The blizzard was calming down. Dark clouds hid still the sky from view, and snow was still falling, but the wind had calmed down.
Dumbledore stepped to the body of Lord Voldemort. He straightened Voldemorts limbs, and shut the eyes, hiding the victorious look. Voldemort hadn't even had time to understand what had gone wrong. That anything had gone wrong.
Dumbledore sighed. He bent down to stroke Harry's hair and one single tear fell down on his wrinkled cheek, to disappear in his white beard. He felt grief for losing one of his favorite students. At the same time he felt victorious; after over twenty years of fear they had finally conquered Voldemort!
Dumbledore couldn't help thinking that the prize was too high.
***
Remus Lupin read the letter. He threw some Floo Powder in the fire, stepped in and said "Shrieking Shack."
He would never be able to forget the scene he was met by at the Shack. Two girls, whom were weeping silently, somehow finding comfort in each other's presence. Two corpses lying on the floor. A boy, who was standing looking down at his friends corpse. A man, with greasy black hair and a black goatee, staring at the bodies. The old man, his head bowed, and his silvery white beard reaching down to the floor. And a black dog, howling out an unspeakable loss.
It took a second for Lupin to realize what he was seeing. Always, when he thought back of that moment, he first remembered the scene, and the wave of disbelief. First after that he realized what he was seeing, that it was his friends, standing there… That it was the feared Lord Voldemort, lying on the floor. And that the other body belonged to one of his former students, to Harry Potter, whom had been killed, taking with him to the other side his murderer, the most feared of all wizards, Tom Marvolo Riddle.
Lord Voldemort had finally been defeated, but it had cost the Wizarding world a hero, the boy, who had escaped Lord Voldemort not once, but four times.
Lupin felt a burning feeling in his throat. He repressed all of the feeling raging inside him. "Sirius," he said gently. "We'll have to get them to the castle." The black dog didn't answer.
Lupin sighed. He waved he's wand and muttered "Stretcher!" A stretcher appeared. "Sirius," he said again. "I'm sure you do want to help to lift him on the stretcher. He deserves respect… You could help too…" He directed the last words to Ron, Parvati and Hermione. "Harry would want that…"
Sirius returned to his human form. He's face was twisted of grief and sorrow, when he kneeled beside Harry. So did Snape, Ron, Parvati and Hermione. "On three," said Dumbledore quietly. "One, two, three…" They lifted carefully the body of young Harry Potter to the stretcher. His limbs were already stiffened by death, and his face felt cold towards Parvatis fingers, when she touched the scar on his forehead.
Lupin looked out through the window. "The blizzard is over," he said. "The wind has died down, though it's still snowing a bit. I guess were going to bear him to the castle in the traditional way…"
"We are," Sirius said tonelessly. "I owe him that much." He crabbed one of the handles. Dumbledore, Snape and Lupin took the others. Dumbledore waved his wand at the other corpse on the floor. "Mobilicorpus!" he said, and the corpse rose a feet in the air and started to float. The funeral procession started to walk slowly towards the Hogwarts castle, which was dimly visible behind the village of Hogsmead. They all had their heads bent down, and all of their faces reflected self-accusations, regrets and grief. All of them had a heavy burden of sorrow to bear.
So… There will be an epilogue, that explains all of the questions this leaves (at least it's supposed to…)
Please do review!!! Flames welcome too, but I warn you: I do not write alternative endings. I'm sorry, but I can't. It's impossible. I just can't. But you can write an alternative ending yourself, if you don't like mine. Just mail me about it, I want to read it…
Review, or I won't post the epilogue!!!! This is still blackmail, and still unfair to those who review, but I won't post the epilogue if you don't review. And honest reviews, please…