Author's note- Last chapter! Last Chapter! Epilogue included! Last Chapter!
Woo hoo!
Lard, his arms wrapped around his legs, stared through the far side of stone wall, trying to put his life back together. Harry tried to feel sorry for him, but he had killed Seameus. What he really wanted to do was pull out his wand and curse the pants off him.
Ginny was tending to Hermione in the corner, and Harry could tell that things didn't look to good. Mary was floating in the middle of the room, her hands enlaced together, staring at each one of them with a transparent, solemn face.
Finally, in a scratchy voice, Harry spoke. He wondered if he would be so scared if Ginny was sitting beside him.
"Why did he try to kill me?" he asked Mary. She smiled.
"I was hoping to keep the best part for the end-," She began mischievously. Harry looked at her with intensity.
"What?" he nearly shouted.
"Well, it's quite odd, actually, because Lars has to kill him, but all of the prophecies say that it will be the heir of Gryffindor." Harry's brow furrowed behind his glasses. What did that have to do with him?
Mary read his face and began again. "Harry, you git, you're the hair of Gryffindor!"
"Excuse me?" said Harry.
"You heard me," Mary said. Harry had heard her, but he couldn't believe it.
"Me?" was all he could say. Mary nodded.
"you." Harry looked at her confoundedly, but his shock went quickly away as a large ring of fire appeared from the center of the room.
* * *
Ginny screamed and Voldemort stepped from the smoldering fire. Harry's scar began to sear with pain; at least ten times worse than it had all of the other times he had faced Voldemort. He dropped to his knees and moaned in pain. Voldemort laughed.
He turned to Lars.
"Why hello- son." Lars's eyes narrowed. He didn't fear him anymore- he despised him more than any other human being in the world.
"I see you've found out of your powers. Shame, I'm going to have to kill you," he hissed softly. Lars's wand was out in the blink of an eye. Harry, from a crack in his fingers, thought that he saw a tiny glimpse of a flinch flash across Voldemort's face.
He turned on his knees, and Lars glanced at him, then back to Voldemort. Harry couldn't see how he could look him in the eye like that. Harry, slowly, wobbled to his knees and took out his own wand, but Voldemort's hand wrapped around his throat.
"Think you could fool me, did you?" Voldemort asked, his gaze still on Lars. Harry struggled for a breath. And it was then, under Voldemort's deadly grip, that it came to him as well as Lars.
He felt his fingertips warm, and the heat of realization and power surge through his body. Voldemort hissed loudly and drew his hand back, which was bleeding. Harry cast a glance at Lars and he half smiled at him.
If Lars wasn't really alive, and he wasn't really dead- then he didn't really have a body. Lars, as if in slow motion as Voldemort watched in horror, ran over to Harry and did a perfectly precision dive into his chest.
* * *
The power was nearly overwhelming; Lars's hand- the one with the ring- was searing with white hotness. He held it out at Voldemort, who had his wand outstretched.
"Avada Kedavra!" he yelled over and over again, but the force from Lars's hand pushed them away. Finally, when he was a foot away from Voldemort, Lars turned his head to the side and said, "Goodbye, father."
He conjured up every ounce of magic into his hand, though he didn't need it. Voldemort was pushed with the force of a rocket into a pit of fire that had just come up from the ground. Panting, Lars pulled his way out of Harry, who immediately ran over to Ginny, who was crying.
They kissed each other, terrified and relieved at the same time. The kiss was so long and hard that it almost hurt, but Ginny didn't care. Harry was safe and all that mattered was that their rings still glowed red.
"Hermione," Harry said, pulling away. Ginny said nothing, and Harry felt his heart drop into his feet. But a voice behind him made it rise again.
"What about me?" Hermione said. Harry, exhausted, let out a cry of laughter and pant.
"He's gone. He's finally gone," Harry said, staring at the wall behind Ginny's head.
* * *
Before Harry boarded the train home, he said his last goodbye to Lars, who was running off to stay as far away as possible from Azkaban. At the moment, he even had a large rimmed bowler hat on so it shadowed his entire face.
"So where are you going to go?" Harry asked him. Lars stared above his messy hair.
"You know what? I have no idea."
* * *
EPILOUGUE
***********
The wedding was beautiful- fall leaves flew around in the swirling colors of the lowering sun. Harry held Ginny hand and they stared at each other, exited smiles on their faces. Harry ran his finger over her ring- the same red ring that he had given her five years ago when he had defeated Voldemort.
Her veil was behind her fiery hair, and Harry felt the same butterflies in his stomach as he always had when she smiled at him. As the pastor finished with his speech, Harry caught a glimpse of Ron and Hermione, their own rings glinting in the sun, out of the corner of his eye. They had gotten married right out of school.
"Do you, Harry Potter, take Virginia Weasly to be your wife, in sickness and in health, till' death do you part?" the pastor said.
"I do."
"And do you, Virginia Weasly, take Harry Potter to be you husband in sickness and in health, till' death do you part?"
"I do."
"Then you may kiss the bride." Harry, just as the sun faded behind the hilly forest side of Hogwarts, kissed Ginny and felt warmth spread through him again. Harry could feel her smile as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
And ass the crowd clapped, the newly darkened sky showered them all with early stars and the rock hide-out where Ginny and Harry had first kissed lit like marble from the moon.
The End
Lard, his arms wrapped around his legs, stared through the far side of stone wall, trying to put his life back together. Harry tried to feel sorry for him, but he had killed Seameus. What he really wanted to do was pull out his wand and curse the pants off him.
Ginny was tending to Hermione in the corner, and Harry could tell that things didn't look to good. Mary was floating in the middle of the room, her hands enlaced together, staring at each one of them with a transparent, solemn face.
Finally, in a scratchy voice, Harry spoke. He wondered if he would be so scared if Ginny was sitting beside him.
"Why did he try to kill me?" he asked Mary. She smiled.
"I was hoping to keep the best part for the end-," She began mischievously. Harry looked at her with intensity.
"What?" he nearly shouted.
"Well, it's quite odd, actually, because Lars has to kill him, but all of the prophecies say that it will be the heir of Gryffindor." Harry's brow furrowed behind his glasses. What did that have to do with him?
Mary read his face and began again. "Harry, you git, you're the hair of Gryffindor!"
"Excuse me?" said Harry.
"You heard me," Mary said. Harry had heard her, but he couldn't believe it.
"Me?" was all he could say. Mary nodded.
"you." Harry looked at her confoundedly, but his shock went quickly away as a large ring of fire appeared from the center of the room.
* * *
Ginny screamed and Voldemort stepped from the smoldering fire. Harry's scar began to sear with pain; at least ten times worse than it had all of the other times he had faced Voldemort. He dropped to his knees and moaned in pain. Voldemort laughed.
He turned to Lars.
"Why hello- son." Lars's eyes narrowed. He didn't fear him anymore- he despised him more than any other human being in the world.
"I see you've found out of your powers. Shame, I'm going to have to kill you," he hissed softly. Lars's wand was out in the blink of an eye. Harry, from a crack in his fingers, thought that he saw a tiny glimpse of a flinch flash across Voldemort's face.
He turned on his knees, and Lars glanced at him, then back to Voldemort. Harry couldn't see how he could look him in the eye like that. Harry, slowly, wobbled to his knees and took out his own wand, but Voldemort's hand wrapped around his throat.
"Think you could fool me, did you?" Voldemort asked, his gaze still on Lars. Harry struggled for a breath. And it was then, under Voldemort's deadly grip, that it came to him as well as Lars.
He felt his fingertips warm, and the heat of realization and power surge through his body. Voldemort hissed loudly and drew his hand back, which was bleeding. Harry cast a glance at Lars and he half smiled at him.
If Lars wasn't really alive, and he wasn't really dead- then he didn't really have a body. Lars, as if in slow motion as Voldemort watched in horror, ran over to Harry and did a perfectly precision dive into his chest.
* * *
The power was nearly overwhelming; Lars's hand- the one with the ring- was searing with white hotness. He held it out at Voldemort, who had his wand outstretched.
"Avada Kedavra!" he yelled over and over again, but the force from Lars's hand pushed them away. Finally, when he was a foot away from Voldemort, Lars turned his head to the side and said, "Goodbye, father."
He conjured up every ounce of magic into his hand, though he didn't need it. Voldemort was pushed with the force of a rocket into a pit of fire that had just come up from the ground. Panting, Lars pulled his way out of Harry, who immediately ran over to Ginny, who was crying.
They kissed each other, terrified and relieved at the same time. The kiss was so long and hard that it almost hurt, but Ginny didn't care. Harry was safe and all that mattered was that their rings still glowed red.
"Hermione," Harry said, pulling away. Ginny said nothing, and Harry felt his heart drop into his feet. But a voice behind him made it rise again.
"What about me?" Hermione said. Harry, exhausted, let out a cry of laughter and pant.
"He's gone. He's finally gone," Harry said, staring at the wall behind Ginny's head.
* * *
Before Harry boarded the train home, he said his last goodbye to Lars, who was running off to stay as far away as possible from Azkaban. At the moment, he even had a large rimmed bowler hat on so it shadowed his entire face.
"So where are you going to go?" Harry asked him. Lars stared above his messy hair.
"You know what? I have no idea."
* * *
EPILOUGUE
***********
The wedding was beautiful- fall leaves flew around in the swirling colors of the lowering sun. Harry held Ginny hand and they stared at each other, exited smiles on their faces. Harry ran his finger over her ring- the same red ring that he had given her five years ago when he had defeated Voldemort.
Her veil was behind her fiery hair, and Harry felt the same butterflies in his stomach as he always had when she smiled at him. As the pastor finished with his speech, Harry caught a glimpse of Ron and Hermione, their own rings glinting in the sun, out of the corner of his eye. They had gotten married right out of school.
"Do you, Harry Potter, take Virginia Weasly to be your wife, in sickness and in health, till' death do you part?" the pastor said.
"I do."
"And do you, Virginia Weasly, take Harry Potter to be you husband in sickness and in health, till' death do you part?"
"I do."
"Then you may kiss the bride." Harry, just as the sun faded behind the hilly forest side of Hogwarts, kissed Ginny and felt warmth spread through him again. Harry could feel her smile as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
And ass the crowd clapped, the newly darkened sky showered them all with early stars and the rock hide-out where Ginny and Harry had first kissed lit like marble from the moon.
The End