A/N: Here's the last chapter. All open items and responses to reviewers will be after the epilogue. Thanks for the reviews!
32. The Final Confrontation
Harry faced Voldemort, his wand raised. "What's this?" Voldemort asked, amusement in his voice. "You wish to challenge the might of Lord Voldemort? I shall give you the honor of being the first to die!" Voldemort flicked his wand, and a green light sped its way towards Harry.
In one smooth motion, Harry muttered a stunning spell, aimed at Voldemort's wand, and rolled aside. The killing curse and stunning spell seemed to collide, and in a flash of golden light, they disappeared. Harry immediately slashed in the air, sending a purple flame at Voldemort. Surprised by the flash of light and the disappearance of his own spell, Voldemort only had seconds to react to Harry's attack. He quickly cast a shielding charm, but Harry's spell was only partially deflected: the spell struck Voldemort in the shoulder and sent him to one knee. He roared in anger.
"You! How!?" he spluttered in shock and fury. "Who are you!?" he yelled.
Harry stood and laughed, knowing it would infuriate Voldemort. "I see thirteen years living off vermin has dulled your mind. I'm disappointed that the great Tom Riddle can't see through a simple metamorphagus disguise!" Harry taunted.
Voldemort looked at him closely, then said in a low voice, "Harry Potter." A collective gasp arouse from the captive students, teachers, and family. Harry only smiled grimly, then scrunched his face and returned his features to their original state. "It's time, Riddle. Time to fulfill the prophecy," he said, then raised his wand. Voldemort whipped his wand around him in response, sending all the captives flying from the platform to fall painfully to the stone ground below.
Voldemort leered at him. "Yes, let's end this once and for all, Potter!" Voldemort sent another killing curse at Harry, but this time Harry didn't bother to avoid it. Harry simple sent another stunning spell in the direction of Voldemort's wand, knowing it would intercept and cancel out Voldemort's curse. That was Harry's secret - his hope of defeating Voldemort lay in their wands. Harry knew he couldn't counter all of Voldemort's spells, but he knew that the brother wands would. Harry silently thanked Colin Creevey for switching their wands; he relied on the fact that Voldemort thought Harry's wand was broken, and that Voldemort would have no reservations about using his own wand. When the first killing curse was cancelled, Harry felt elation: he might survive this after all. Harry knew the only weakness of the killing curse was it's slower speed; Harry could cast a stunning spell quickly, and he was confident he could counter every killing curse Voldemort sent at him.
Voldemort was slower to realize this, as he sent three more killing curses in succession. Each was cancelled. They eyed each other wearily; the brother wands would hinder Harry's attacks, as well. Harry sent a disarming spell at Voldemort, which was blocked with a shielding spell and rebounded back at him. Harry dove to the side and evaded his own spell, then flicked his wand as a bolt of electricity flew towards the Dark Lord. Voldemort countered with a stunning spell, clearly intending to cancel out Harry's attack. To his surprise, the jet of red light simply passed through the bolt of electricity*. The bolt struck Voldemort in the chest, and he staggered backwards. Harry was taken by surprise too, expecting the same thing that Voldemort did. Thus, he was not prepared for the stunning spell, and the force of the blow sent him to the ground. To his surprise, Harry didn't lose consciousness, though his chest ached. He silently thanked the inventors of the Auror robes, and stood. Seeing Voldemort still on his knees, Harry sent another disarming spell at his enemy.
But Voldemort looked up in time, and conjured a shield to protect him. Harry took the advantage and sent a freezing spell at the shield, covering it in ice, then followed with a stunning spell. The stunner shattered the frozen shield and struck Voldemort down. But he was not incapacitated. Voldemort struggled to his feet, fury evident on his face. He swished his wand, and a large snake flew from his wand to only feet away from Harry. But Harry was prepared, and sent his own snake to meet Voldemort's, and the two serpents battled one another. But in the meantime, Voldemort had moved to the side and sent a beam of light at Harry, who was focused on the snakes before him. Harry reacted and cast a shielding spell, but seconds too late, as Voldemort's spell penetrated his shield and hit him in the shoulder, sending him to his knees. Harry looked up, ignoring the pain, to see the snakes writhing about a mere meter from his face. Harry quickly cast a spell at the two snakes, sending them off in a flash of light. Voldemort stuck again while Harry was down, sending another spell that sent Harry sprawling.
Harry lay on his back, the breath knocked out of him. His side, chest, and shoulder were aching, but Harry was still alive. He saw burn marks in his robes, and realized that Voldemort's spells were strong enough to penetrate the Auror robes' defenses. As Voldemort's laughter filled the air, Harry struggled to his feet. He squared his shoulders and faced his enemy.
"Still alive Potter? Still fighting, eh?" Voldemort said. "This has been great fun; I haven't dueled like this in ages! But I'm afraid it's time for playtime to end," he said. Voldemort flicked his wand, and another spell shot at Harry. Harry dove to the side to avoid the spell, but his impact to the ground sent another jolt of pain through his body. Harry struggled to his feet, then his eyes widened when he saw a green light heading towards him. Reacting, Harry lifted his wand and sent a stunning spell, the flash of golden light only inches away from his wand temporarily blinding him.
Harry managed to clear his eyes as Voldemort laughed. Still kneeling, Harry slashed his wand and sent another stream of purple flame at Voldemort, who conjured another silver shield to block it. Harry immediately sent a series of stunners at Voldemort, who blocked them with his own spells. The flashes of golden light appeared, temporarily blinding Voldemort. Harry took advantage of Voldemort's disorientation; he rushed to the side, and sent another stunner around Voldemort's silver shield to strike him down. Voldemort went flying, landing painfully on the platform. Harry launched another attack, but had to duck as Voldemort redirected it back at him. Voldemort stood slowly, his face no longer carrying the smug look it had only seconds before. They circled each other slowly, and then Voldemort surprised Harry by dropping his arms to his side and bowing his head. Harry looked on in confusion.
Pain suddenly ripped through Harry's head, and he felt like his scar had exploded. It was the same pain he felt at the Ministry, the pain that made him wish for death. Harry fell to his knees, dropping his wand and grasping his head in agony. But through the pain, Harry knew what he had to do; he had prepared himself to counter this attack. He thought of Sirius, of how much he meant to Harry. But the pain continued. Harry desperately thought of his parents, of seeing them in the Mirror of Erised, of being with his family again. But the pain remained, and Harry retched. He tried to think of Ron and Hermione, of happy times at the Burrow and the wonderful school year just completed. He thought of the Quidditch victories and spring break in Harrogate and the Graduation Ball. But still the pain continued, and Harry felt like he was going to pass out. Harry lay on the ground, his knees to his chest, crying out in agony. He knew he was going to die. He hoped he was going to die, and he began to welcome death. He knew he would soon be with his parents and with Sirius and Hagrid. He didn't regret any of his actions in the slightest, and he was thankful that he kissed Hermione before he died.
Hermione. Thoughts of that kiss began to pierce the hazy cloud of pain. He remembered the softness of her lips, the feel of her face and hair under his hands. He remembered the way her lips tasted and moved as she kissed him back. He remembered the look in her eyes as they gazed at each other after the kiss. He had known immediately that she loved him, as he loved her. He thought it a pity that he should die just when he finally found true love.
As this last thought crossed his mind, Harry suddenly realized that the pain had fallen to a dull ache, and then disappeared altogether. Harry opened his eyes in surprise, only to be greeted with a greater surprise: Voldemort had fallen to the ground, in a position that mimicked his own, grabbing at his head in pain. Harry looked on in confusion and saw Voldemort slowly raise his head to look at Harry in bewilderment. Harry realized what happened, and he focused his thoughts back on Hermione. He remembered the times they spent together, the times they held each other for safety and protection. He remembered all their silent conversations, worlds of meaning conveyed through nods and looks. He imagined their future together, a cozy home somewhere with bushy, black-haired children with brown eyes running around. Harry stood and watched Voldemort writhe in pain, begging for release.
Harry picked up his wand. "Expelliarmus!" he cried, and Voldemort's wand flew from his weak grasp into Harry's hand. Harry staggered to Voldemort, his thoughts focused on the feeling of Hermione in his arms as they danced at the Graduation Ball. Raising both hands, the brother wand tips touching and pointing at Voldemort, Harry cried out, "Avada Kedavra!" A single beam of green light emitted from the two wand tips, moving inexorably towards Voldemort. Voldemort raised his head in surprise, and his eyes registered with disbelief the spell as it approached. In his last moment, Voldemort fixed Harry with a look of pure loathing before the killing curse struck its mark. Harry watched as Voldemort's and his lifeless body fell to the ground. Exhausted, Harry fell to his knees, his head bowed.
Harry looked up at the gasps of the captives, still bound around the platform. A dark cloud was seeping from Voldemort's eyes and mouth, rising into the air – Voldemort's body was defeated, but his spirit was not. Spurred into action, Harry reached into his robe and withdrew his other purchase from Knockturn Alley, the one he was never without. He tossed the soul gem into the ground and began the incantation. A strong wind seemed to materialize, originating from the soul gem itself. The black cloud that was Voldemort's spirit began to fly away, but the heavy winds buffeted it. Harry repeated the incantation, focusing every fiber of his being on the soul gem. Slowly, the dark mass began to be drawn into the gem itself. Voldemort struggled mightily, but he was too weak after the battle. The whirlwind captured his dark spirit, and he was pulled into the soul gem. Finally, there was nothing left of Voldemort but a swirling mist in the depths of the soul gem.
Harry cast unbreakable charms on the gem, then summoned it to him. He looked at Voldemort's trapped spirit, and smiled grimly as he pocketed the gem. He knew that without a host to live off of, Voldemort would eventually die. After a moment to regain his breath, Harry searched for and found Hermione's face. They looked at each other for a long moment, the relief and happiness, and love, evident on their faces. Harry then rose to free Dumbledore and the rest of the captives.
A/N: Ok, I hope the final battle didn't disappoint. A short epilogue to follow.
*Why didn't the spells cancel you ask? Mainly because I made it up. I figure spells comprised of magical energy will cancel, like stunning spells and curses. But because Harry sent a bolt of lighting, it was electricity and doesn't cancel. Similar if Harry sent a fire ball or a kitchen sink at Voldemort's head, those wouldn't cancel either.