A/N: I'm baaaaaack! Mua-hahahaha! So you want to know what's going on in my life? I knew you would! OK today in English I asked my teacher what POV the Harry Potter seires are in because that has always confused me. I think we came to the conclusion of Third Person Limited, but it got more confusing as the day went on! Anyway that was the only interesting thing except for the argument I had with this boy about why the sky is blue...Yeah I know I'm a freak. BUT I will win the argument! Anyway thanx to:
Genie FF03: THANX! I love all those things!
Hplova4eva: Thanx!
Natalie Potter731: Well I guess you could say that it is heartwarming to know you are in total control! MUA-HAHAHA! Like IS THIS THE DAGGER WHICH I SEE BEFORE ME?? Er...ok buh bye!
tiffiany-45: I e-mailed you back but I don't think you ever got it! It was on my mom's address, because mine hasn't been working. I WOULD love to be ur beta reader if you didn't get my message! Tell me what you want in your review! THANX!
Cheese Diva: MORBID! lol see ya soon!
morgan: I dunno whether to hope that mines is good enough to kill you off, or to hope it isn't me that kills one my WONDERFUL reviewers...Hmmm...:)
Ms. Hermione's Laughter: Awesome about the chat with J.K. Rowling! That rox! YOu think you know what happens? OH DO YOU?! LOL keep readin!
michelleywelley: You think you know what happens? We shall see! MUA-HAHAHAHA!
wowsergirl: Don't die! You need to read the next chapter!
Nervous Turkey: AWESOME PENNAME! Keep on readin!
the-love-of-ron: Since I'm the author I got to hug Ron! :) Thanx for reviewing and as for Harry...*shrugs*
Weasley: Thanx keep on readin!
RusselGrl15: Is he dead...is he not? Is he dead? IS he alive? *shrugs*
CAnned Apple Pie: Thanx! As for your request I dunno if I can do that right now because of my messed up e-mail account, but ti sounds like an awesome idea!Still luvin the penname!
tephyS: Thanx!
Icebreaker20037: LOL I wanna hit random objects! Sounds like fun! Anger management! LOL thanx!
Kagome19: Thanx so much! Your reviews are always totally slammin! :)
Lily Lass: I love to keep you in suspense! It's fun!
mayelbridwen-singer: You think Harry's dead? Oh well I'm not going to tell you! :)
Leesa: I spit on cliffhangers too, just not mine! Thanx!
Disclaimer: Why do I sound like a broken record...broken record...broken record...
Chapter 15: Defeat and an Undeniable Truth
Harry could see the smallest amount of light coming through his closed eyelids. He tried desperately to sit up, but it turned out to be a losing battle. Suddenly his eyes sprang open. He was laying on the floor in the Shrieking Shack with a sobbing Hermione over him.
"Silence, girl," Voldemort hissed. "He can't hear you. He's finished, it's over."
"No," Harry whispered, grasping Hermione's hand. (A/N: Friendship like y'all! Honestly take a chill pill!) He felt an electric surge as he sat up and faced Voldemort.
Voldemort's eyes were blazing with fury and his face seemed whiter than usual. "It can't be," he said. His voice was filled with rage, although he looked petrified.
Harry struggled to stand up as Hermione gasped in amazement. Suddenly Harry's scar erupted in pain and his hands began to emit a strange golden glow. In fact his whole body was lit up like a firefly, and the light seemed to be transferring itself from him to Voldemort.
Voldemort screamed in agony as his hands began to emit to same light. He was slowly disappearing as the light traveled up his arms.
Harry scrunched up his eyes in pain as the ache in his scar began to grow. Then as suddenly as it had begun it ceased and Voldemort's body shattered in a shower of shimmering sparks. Rhonda remained only for a few seconds more staring at Harry with her eyes of darkness, before disappearing in the same fate as Voldemort.
The room seemed to echo as Harry stood in silence staring at his hands. He ran a hand over his now normal scar and turned to look at Hermione. She has tears running down her face, but her mouth was slightly open as she stared at Harry in awe. (A/N: NOT what you're thinking!)
"Harry!" she shouted as she grasped him in an embrace. Harry grinned and returned it. He could feel his eyes watering as he looked into his best friend's face.
"What's going on here?"
Harry and Hermione turned to see Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Tonks, Lupin, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Moody, and all the other members of the Order. They were standing near the many fallen deatheaters, wands drawn.
"It appears," Dumbledore said calmly, although his face was that of shock. "That Voldemort has been defeated at last."
Harry turned away from Hermione and to the professors. "Yes, he has been, but how did you know we were here?"
"All the Deatheaters have a mark, Potter," Snape spat at him. "It seared in pain when The Da—Voldemort called for his followers. Naturally I knew something had to be going on. I notified the members of the Order and we came looking for you."
"Are you quite alright, Potter, Granger?" McGonagall asked. Her voice had lost its icy tone and was filled with panic and yet slight warmth Harry hadn't heard in a long time.
"We're alright," Hermione said anxiously. "But Ron's not." It seemed as though she was trying to keep her voice from cracking.
"Ron!" Mrs. Weasley shouted and she hurried towards him, her husband not far behind. "Oh my gosh what happened to him?" She was sobbing uncontrollably now and Harry could see a fresh wave of silent tears running down Hermione's face, although she looked like she was trying to hide them.
Dumbledore stepped forward and placed two fingers on Ron's wrist searching for a pulse. "He's not dead, Molly, just merely unconscious."
Mrs. Weasley choked on more sobs and Hermione closed her eyes in relief.
"Now," he continued. "I suggest we all hurry back to the castle. There is much that needs to be explained." His eyes rested on Harry and Harry suddenly felt ashamed. What would the Headmaster think of him, now? Ron and Hermione were right. He should have told him what had happened.
Hermione bent down and scooped up the remains of her locket. Rhonda had crushed it into three pieces. Harry heard Hermione sniff at the sight of it.
"Portus," he whispered and the members of the Order, along with Harry, Hermione, and the unconscious Ron were transported to the hall of Hogwarts.
"Now that we know where everyone is, I wish to see Harry in my office," Professor Dumbledore continued. "Molly, Arthur, you two may take Ron to the hospital wing. He may be there a while."
Harry glanced at Hermione and watched her eyes fill with silent tears at the sight of Ron's body. He felt horrible, after all this was his entire fault. What if Ron never woke up? What if he was…
"Miss Granger, perhaps you had better go with them," Dumbledore said and Hermione scurried off with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.
"Harry, to my office," he said and with a swish of cloak they were heading down the corridor.
When they had arrived at the giant oak doors of Professor Dumbledore's office Harry was beginning to feel nauseous. He quietly stepped into the room and ignored the surprised noises issuing from the portraits' occupants.
"Take a seat, Harry," Dumbledore said as he also took a seat on the other side of the desk.
Harry sat silently looking around the room nervously. He clamped his mouth shut for fear of losing his supper.
"Harry, do you realize what you have just done?" Dumbledore asked looking at Harry over the tips of his fingers.
Harry shook his head. He did not understand entirely what had happened. In fact he didn't understand any of it.
"You have just used the most complex form of magic anyone has ever used."
Harry was puzzled. He didn't recall using any magic to defeat Voldemort. He just stood there and watched as he was reduced to a pile of dust.
"Can you explain exactly what happened to you, Harry?"
"Well…he…Voldemort tried to persuade me to…to…" he suddenly felt ashamed. What had he been thinking?
"Go on Harry. There is nothing to be ashamed of," The Headmaster said waving a hand as though to accentuate his point.
"He tried to persuade me to join him in the war. He said there was no use in being good and that everything I had been told was a lie. I probably would have believed him if it weren't for Hermione."
Dumbledore's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Miss Granger?"
"Yes, she reminded me that…well that it wasn't true."
"Forgive me Harry, but you are not being specific. I need to know exactly what Voldemort was telling you."
Harry took a deep breath and proceeded to explain how Voldemort had said that nobody loved him. That he had no friends, and that the only reason they were acting they way they did to him was to be on his good side.
When he had finished Dumbledore leaned back in his chair and drew in a long, deep breath.
"That is most interesting," was all he said before he seemed to lapse into thought once more.
After many moments of silence Harry piped up.
"Professor?" he asked quietly not wanting to disturb the old man.
The Headmaster's head shot up again to look at Harry. "Yes, Harry?"
"I just wanted to know…well…how, exactly, did Voldemort convince me of that? I mean now that I look back on it seems ridiculous. He didn't seem to be using any sort of magic, he just—"
"Ah, but what you don't understand, Harry, is that he was using magic," Dumbledore continued. "You see emotions are one of the oldest kinds of magic known to wizards. You remember how you can do magic without a wand when you get angry or desperate? Well those are obviously both emotions."
Recognition seemed to dawn on Harry slightly. It was though he was slowly putting a jigsaw puzzle he had been trying to piece together all his life together at last.
"You mean, he needed to make he scared so that I wasn't thinking clearly?"
"Sort of. You see Voldemort is not as skilled as the wizarding population thinks he is. He can only succeed by making you believe that you cannot. He needed to convince you to join him, only so that he could defeat you in the end. If you had joined him you would have been eliminated for sure."
Harry's breath had constricted in his throat. To hear that he had almost sold his soul to Voldemort, scared him to the point of goose bumps. Rhonda. What had happened to Rhonda anyway?
"Professor," Harry asked him. "What happened to Rhonda Garrison? She seemed to have disappeared after Voldemort, but—"
"Ah," Dumbledore said quietly. "Rhonda was a very interesting creature. In fact she wasn't a creature at all. More like a replica of Voldemort himself. Voldemort made the shell of her body and possessed it so that it woud be him in the body of first year. A very ingenious idea, although exceedingly dangerous."
"Then if Rhonda was Voldemort why didn't she just kill me here? Why did he go through all the trouble to bring me to a place where he could defeat me?"
"Because Rhonda was not full Voldemort, Harry. It is a very difficult concept to understand. She had the soul of Voldemort, but only part of it. She had the part that would do his bidding. He had his whole body, he wanted to defeat himself, I suppose."
Harry nodded and was silent for a few moments. His mind was a complete jumble of unanswered questions. As though Dumbledore was reading his mind he asked, "Is there something you would like to ask me, Harry? I haven't been all that clear."
"Well," Harry began, "I was juts confused as to how I defeated Voldemort. He hit me with the killing curse. I should have died defenselessly. There was no way I could have done anything. How did I survive?"
Dumbledore smiled. "I hoped you would ask me that. Harry." He got up from his chair and walked over to a giant cupboard in his office. He opened it and pulled out an old picture.
"Look," he said setting it down in front of Harry. Harry peered into it and saw the smiling faces of the new formed Order of the Phoenix. They waved at him from the frame and smiled widely. Harry felt a lump in his throat as he watched.
Sirius's face was shining among the others, although he looked a bit tired. His hair was matted and his face was pale from sitting inside a dark, damp house all day. But as Harry looked at him smiling warmly among his friends in the Order, he seemed to be reminded of the way he had looked at his parents wedding.
"You see these people Harry?" Dumbledore asked quietly, bringing Harry out of his reverie.
"Yes," Harry whispered watching now the smiling face of Remus Lupin. He was sitting next to Sirius with his arm draped along the table that had been set up for dinners at Grimauld Place.
"These people all united together to fight against Voldemort, to win the war that we have been trying to win for more than 17 years. They were trying to do it not only for the good of the wizarding world, but all for one purpose. You."
Harry's neck snapped up from examining the plump, happy face of Mrs. Weasley. She was sitting next to Mr. Weasley. His arm was draped around her and the other around Bill.
"Me?" he asked. There was a huge lump in his throat and the corners of his eyes were beginning to sting.
"Yes, because these people love you Harry. All of the people in the Order are trying to protect you because they love you. To many of them you are like the son they never had, and some the brother they always wanted."
Harry couldn't hold back the tears much longer. He wished Dumbeldore would stop. His eyes had moved on and were now looking at Tonks and Mad-Eye Moody. They were smiling and Mad-Eye looked rather sly with half of his nose missing.
"But what has that got to do with me?" Harry asked when he had composed himself. He was now trying to look into Dumbeldore's face although finding it rather difficult as the lump in his throat was threatening to explode.
"Don't you see, Harry? You have used one of the most ancient, and powerful forms of magic ever discovered. Love. The love you felt for Ron and Hermione in the split moment you thought they were going to die was powerful enough to keep you alive. It was the same sort of reaction as when your life was saved from your mother sacrificing herself for you."
"But she died," Harry said. "Shouldn't I have died and Ron and Hermione lived?"
"No, Harry. The difference in this situation is that you were trying to save them and he was trying to kill them. Voldemort purposely killed your mother to get her out of the way, but since she was willing to die for you, you were saved. Voldemort was trying to kill Ron and Hermione and accidentally hit you, but since you had jumped out to save your friends your life was saved."
Harry was astonished and bewildered at the same time.
"Yes, it is rather hard to understand," Dumbledore said reading the look on Harry's face.
Harry smiled weakly. "But that doesn't explain how I defeated Voldemort. How did I do that?"
Dumbledore sighed again. "There is a door in the Ministry of Magic that is always kept locked. Do you remember me telling you this in you 5th year?"
Harry nodded.
"And do you remember me telling you that there are some things worse than death?"
Harry nodded again.
"Well only that could have defeated Voldemort. He does not understand the concept of love, and never has. When you saved Ron and Hermione's life the love that you felt was too much. He couldn't handle it, and disintegrated. You defeated him with the thing that is even more horrible and powerful than death itself."
"Love is more horrible than death?" Harry asked. He couldn't quite imagine the feeling of dying being better than how he felt around Ginny.
Dumbledore smiled. "It's odd isn't it? How something can be so wonderful and yet so terrible at the same time."
Harry said nothing.
"Tell me Harry," Dumbledore continued. "If you were die right now, what would there be to be afraid of? Wouldn't everything just be over, and you will have moved on into a whole new adventure? What is so scary about death?"
Harry thought about that question for a long time. The Headmaster had a point. What was so scary about death? Maybe the fact that he would never see his friends again, but—
"Leaving everyone behind," Harry said instantly. "And the thought of them being in misery after I'm gone."
"Exactly," Dumbledore said smiling. "The thought of leaving everyone you love behind is terrifying, isn't it? In reality that is probably the only thing that keeps most of us from giving up when things get difficult."
Harry nodded. He was beginning to understand everything. It was as though that was the last piece of the puzzle he had been trying to place together for all his life. And it seemed so simple now, he wondered why he had never seen it before.
"So Voldemort never understood love and since it was so powerful in me he became powerless to protect himself? So the magic radiating from my body was the emotion of love?" Harry asked understanding perfectly now.
"Exactly," Dumbledore said smiling. "You defeated him through the only thin you had that he did not possess. A heart."
Harry leaned back in the chair he had been sitting in. He suddenly felt very exhausted and could barely keep his eyes open. It had been a tiring night, to say the least.
"You are going to need a good nights sleep, Harry," Dumbledore said standing up. "I suggest that you go see Madam Pomfery. She will already be tending to Ron, of course, but she will be more than happy to help you out. Tell her I said to give you a dreamless sleep potion. Molly and Arthur will probably be down there with Hermione, watching over Ron."
Harry's face became horrified again. "Will Ron be alright, Professor?"
"Oh, naturally. He should be awake by tomorrow I suppose. He will probably want to hear all about what happened, so get down there quickly."
Harry stood up and turned towards the door, but stopped. He turned back to take one last look at the picture on Dumbledore's desk, its occupants still waving merrily up at him.
"You may keep the picture if you like, Harry," Dumbledore said startling Harry. "I dare say I have too many of them."
Harry picked up the picture, his eyes looking at Sirius's wide grin. "Thank you, Professor."
"Think nothing of it, Harry," Dumbledore said with a smile. "You should get down to the hospital wing now. I am sure the Weasleys and Ms. Granger will be anxious to see you."
Harry nodded and turned to leave. As he opened the door he smiled to himself and muttered, "Yeah, Weasley and Granger." He laughed quietly.
"I agree, Harry," Dumbledore's voice said softly.
Harry's head whipped around to look at him only to see him smiling with a familiar twinkle in his eye.
A/N: SURPRISE! Harry didn't die! I have to tell you guys a secret...I can't kill anyone! It would be too sad! And you guys thought I was going to kill him! HA! OK now the results of the poll are *drumroll* 7 people voted 6th year, 6 people voted 7th AND 1 voted for a secret romance starting 5th year! Good one! I didn't think of that one! As for me? I think it will happen in 7th year because it is a major part of the plot and she can't end it soon, because she has got to keep us reading or some would just stop reading the books! TADA! OK and the poll for this week is: DO YOU THINK RON IS AWARE THAT HE LIKES HERMIONE YET OR IS HE STILL A LOVABLE CLUELESS GIT? Answer in your review! See y'all next Friday!
Genie FF03: THANX! I love all those things!
Hplova4eva: Thanx!
Natalie Potter731: Well I guess you could say that it is heartwarming to know you are in total control! MUA-HAHAHA! Like IS THIS THE DAGGER WHICH I SEE BEFORE ME?? Er...ok buh bye!
tiffiany-45: I e-mailed you back but I don't think you ever got it! It was on my mom's address, because mine hasn't been working. I WOULD love to be ur beta reader if you didn't get my message! Tell me what you want in your review! THANX!
Cheese Diva: MORBID! lol see ya soon!
morgan: I dunno whether to hope that mines is good enough to kill you off, or to hope it isn't me that kills one my WONDERFUL reviewers...Hmmm...:)
Ms. Hermione's Laughter: Awesome about the chat with J.K. Rowling! That rox! YOu think you know what happens? OH DO YOU?! LOL keep readin!
michelleywelley: You think you know what happens? We shall see! MUA-HAHAHAHA!
wowsergirl: Don't die! You need to read the next chapter!
Nervous Turkey: AWESOME PENNAME! Keep on readin!
the-love-of-ron: Since I'm the author I got to hug Ron! :) Thanx for reviewing and as for Harry...*shrugs*
Weasley: Thanx keep on readin!
RusselGrl15: Is he dead...is he not? Is he dead? IS he alive? *shrugs*
CAnned Apple Pie: Thanx! As for your request I dunno if I can do that right now because of my messed up e-mail account, but ti sounds like an awesome idea!Still luvin the penname!
tephyS: Thanx!
Icebreaker20037: LOL I wanna hit random objects! Sounds like fun! Anger management! LOL thanx!
Kagome19: Thanx so much! Your reviews are always totally slammin! :)
Lily Lass: I love to keep you in suspense! It's fun!
mayelbridwen-singer: You think Harry's dead? Oh well I'm not going to tell you! :)
Leesa: I spit on cliffhangers too, just not mine! Thanx!
Disclaimer: Why do I sound like a broken record...broken record...broken record...
Chapter 15: Defeat and an Undeniable Truth
Harry could see the smallest amount of light coming through his closed eyelids. He tried desperately to sit up, but it turned out to be a losing battle. Suddenly his eyes sprang open. He was laying on the floor in the Shrieking Shack with a sobbing Hermione over him.
"Silence, girl," Voldemort hissed. "He can't hear you. He's finished, it's over."
"No," Harry whispered, grasping Hermione's hand. (A/N: Friendship like y'all! Honestly take a chill pill!) He felt an electric surge as he sat up and faced Voldemort.
Voldemort's eyes were blazing with fury and his face seemed whiter than usual. "It can't be," he said. His voice was filled with rage, although he looked petrified.
Harry struggled to stand up as Hermione gasped in amazement. Suddenly Harry's scar erupted in pain and his hands began to emit a strange golden glow. In fact his whole body was lit up like a firefly, and the light seemed to be transferring itself from him to Voldemort.
Voldemort screamed in agony as his hands began to emit to same light. He was slowly disappearing as the light traveled up his arms.
Harry scrunched up his eyes in pain as the ache in his scar began to grow. Then as suddenly as it had begun it ceased and Voldemort's body shattered in a shower of shimmering sparks. Rhonda remained only for a few seconds more staring at Harry with her eyes of darkness, before disappearing in the same fate as Voldemort.
The room seemed to echo as Harry stood in silence staring at his hands. He ran a hand over his now normal scar and turned to look at Hermione. She has tears running down her face, but her mouth was slightly open as she stared at Harry in awe. (A/N: NOT what you're thinking!)
"Harry!" she shouted as she grasped him in an embrace. Harry grinned and returned it. He could feel his eyes watering as he looked into his best friend's face.
"What's going on here?"
Harry and Hermione turned to see Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Tonks, Lupin, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Moody, and all the other members of the Order. They were standing near the many fallen deatheaters, wands drawn.
"It appears," Dumbledore said calmly, although his face was that of shock. "That Voldemort has been defeated at last."
Harry turned away from Hermione and to the professors. "Yes, he has been, but how did you know we were here?"
"All the Deatheaters have a mark, Potter," Snape spat at him. "It seared in pain when The Da—Voldemort called for his followers. Naturally I knew something had to be going on. I notified the members of the Order and we came looking for you."
"Are you quite alright, Potter, Granger?" McGonagall asked. Her voice had lost its icy tone and was filled with panic and yet slight warmth Harry hadn't heard in a long time.
"We're alright," Hermione said anxiously. "But Ron's not." It seemed as though she was trying to keep her voice from cracking.
"Ron!" Mrs. Weasley shouted and she hurried towards him, her husband not far behind. "Oh my gosh what happened to him?" She was sobbing uncontrollably now and Harry could see a fresh wave of silent tears running down Hermione's face, although she looked like she was trying to hide them.
Dumbledore stepped forward and placed two fingers on Ron's wrist searching for a pulse. "He's not dead, Molly, just merely unconscious."
Mrs. Weasley choked on more sobs and Hermione closed her eyes in relief.
"Now," he continued. "I suggest we all hurry back to the castle. There is much that needs to be explained." His eyes rested on Harry and Harry suddenly felt ashamed. What would the Headmaster think of him, now? Ron and Hermione were right. He should have told him what had happened.
Hermione bent down and scooped up the remains of her locket. Rhonda had crushed it into three pieces. Harry heard Hermione sniff at the sight of it.
"Portus," he whispered and the members of the Order, along with Harry, Hermione, and the unconscious Ron were transported to the hall of Hogwarts.
"Now that we know where everyone is, I wish to see Harry in my office," Professor Dumbledore continued. "Molly, Arthur, you two may take Ron to the hospital wing. He may be there a while."
Harry glanced at Hermione and watched her eyes fill with silent tears at the sight of Ron's body. He felt horrible, after all this was his entire fault. What if Ron never woke up? What if he was…
"Miss Granger, perhaps you had better go with them," Dumbledore said and Hermione scurried off with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.
"Harry, to my office," he said and with a swish of cloak they were heading down the corridor.
When they had arrived at the giant oak doors of Professor Dumbledore's office Harry was beginning to feel nauseous. He quietly stepped into the room and ignored the surprised noises issuing from the portraits' occupants.
"Take a seat, Harry," Dumbledore said as he also took a seat on the other side of the desk.
Harry sat silently looking around the room nervously. He clamped his mouth shut for fear of losing his supper.
"Harry, do you realize what you have just done?" Dumbledore asked looking at Harry over the tips of his fingers.
Harry shook his head. He did not understand entirely what had happened. In fact he didn't understand any of it.
"You have just used the most complex form of magic anyone has ever used."
Harry was puzzled. He didn't recall using any magic to defeat Voldemort. He just stood there and watched as he was reduced to a pile of dust.
"Can you explain exactly what happened to you, Harry?"
"Well…he…Voldemort tried to persuade me to…to…" he suddenly felt ashamed. What had he been thinking?
"Go on Harry. There is nothing to be ashamed of," The Headmaster said waving a hand as though to accentuate his point.
"He tried to persuade me to join him in the war. He said there was no use in being good and that everything I had been told was a lie. I probably would have believed him if it weren't for Hermione."
Dumbledore's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Miss Granger?"
"Yes, she reminded me that…well that it wasn't true."
"Forgive me Harry, but you are not being specific. I need to know exactly what Voldemort was telling you."
Harry took a deep breath and proceeded to explain how Voldemort had said that nobody loved him. That he had no friends, and that the only reason they were acting they way they did to him was to be on his good side.
When he had finished Dumbledore leaned back in his chair and drew in a long, deep breath.
"That is most interesting," was all he said before he seemed to lapse into thought once more.
After many moments of silence Harry piped up.
"Professor?" he asked quietly not wanting to disturb the old man.
The Headmaster's head shot up again to look at Harry. "Yes, Harry?"
"I just wanted to know…well…how, exactly, did Voldemort convince me of that? I mean now that I look back on it seems ridiculous. He didn't seem to be using any sort of magic, he just—"
"Ah, but what you don't understand, Harry, is that he was using magic," Dumbledore continued. "You see emotions are one of the oldest kinds of magic known to wizards. You remember how you can do magic without a wand when you get angry or desperate? Well those are obviously both emotions."
Recognition seemed to dawn on Harry slightly. It was though he was slowly putting a jigsaw puzzle he had been trying to piece together all his life together at last.
"You mean, he needed to make he scared so that I wasn't thinking clearly?"
"Sort of. You see Voldemort is not as skilled as the wizarding population thinks he is. He can only succeed by making you believe that you cannot. He needed to convince you to join him, only so that he could defeat you in the end. If you had joined him you would have been eliminated for sure."
Harry's breath had constricted in his throat. To hear that he had almost sold his soul to Voldemort, scared him to the point of goose bumps. Rhonda. What had happened to Rhonda anyway?
"Professor," Harry asked him. "What happened to Rhonda Garrison? She seemed to have disappeared after Voldemort, but—"
"Ah," Dumbledore said quietly. "Rhonda was a very interesting creature. In fact she wasn't a creature at all. More like a replica of Voldemort himself. Voldemort made the shell of her body and possessed it so that it woud be him in the body of first year. A very ingenious idea, although exceedingly dangerous."
"Then if Rhonda was Voldemort why didn't she just kill me here? Why did he go through all the trouble to bring me to a place where he could defeat me?"
"Because Rhonda was not full Voldemort, Harry. It is a very difficult concept to understand. She had the soul of Voldemort, but only part of it. She had the part that would do his bidding. He had his whole body, he wanted to defeat himself, I suppose."
Harry nodded and was silent for a few moments. His mind was a complete jumble of unanswered questions. As though Dumbledore was reading his mind he asked, "Is there something you would like to ask me, Harry? I haven't been all that clear."
"Well," Harry began, "I was juts confused as to how I defeated Voldemort. He hit me with the killing curse. I should have died defenselessly. There was no way I could have done anything. How did I survive?"
Dumbledore smiled. "I hoped you would ask me that. Harry." He got up from his chair and walked over to a giant cupboard in his office. He opened it and pulled out an old picture.
"Look," he said setting it down in front of Harry. Harry peered into it and saw the smiling faces of the new formed Order of the Phoenix. They waved at him from the frame and smiled widely. Harry felt a lump in his throat as he watched.
Sirius's face was shining among the others, although he looked a bit tired. His hair was matted and his face was pale from sitting inside a dark, damp house all day. But as Harry looked at him smiling warmly among his friends in the Order, he seemed to be reminded of the way he had looked at his parents wedding.
"You see these people Harry?" Dumbledore asked quietly, bringing Harry out of his reverie.
"Yes," Harry whispered watching now the smiling face of Remus Lupin. He was sitting next to Sirius with his arm draped along the table that had been set up for dinners at Grimauld Place.
"These people all united together to fight against Voldemort, to win the war that we have been trying to win for more than 17 years. They were trying to do it not only for the good of the wizarding world, but all for one purpose. You."
Harry's neck snapped up from examining the plump, happy face of Mrs. Weasley. She was sitting next to Mr. Weasley. His arm was draped around her and the other around Bill.
"Me?" he asked. There was a huge lump in his throat and the corners of his eyes were beginning to sting.
"Yes, because these people love you Harry. All of the people in the Order are trying to protect you because they love you. To many of them you are like the son they never had, and some the brother they always wanted."
Harry couldn't hold back the tears much longer. He wished Dumbeldore would stop. His eyes had moved on and were now looking at Tonks and Mad-Eye Moody. They were smiling and Mad-Eye looked rather sly with half of his nose missing.
"But what has that got to do with me?" Harry asked when he had composed himself. He was now trying to look into Dumbeldore's face although finding it rather difficult as the lump in his throat was threatening to explode.
"Don't you see, Harry? You have used one of the most ancient, and powerful forms of magic ever discovered. Love. The love you felt for Ron and Hermione in the split moment you thought they were going to die was powerful enough to keep you alive. It was the same sort of reaction as when your life was saved from your mother sacrificing herself for you."
"But she died," Harry said. "Shouldn't I have died and Ron and Hermione lived?"
"No, Harry. The difference in this situation is that you were trying to save them and he was trying to kill them. Voldemort purposely killed your mother to get her out of the way, but since she was willing to die for you, you were saved. Voldemort was trying to kill Ron and Hermione and accidentally hit you, but since you had jumped out to save your friends your life was saved."
Harry was astonished and bewildered at the same time.
"Yes, it is rather hard to understand," Dumbledore said reading the look on Harry's face.
Harry smiled weakly. "But that doesn't explain how I defeated Voldemort. How did I do that?"
Dumbledore sighed again. "There is a door in the Ministry of Magic that is always kept locked. Do you remember me telling you this in you 5th year?"
Harry nodded.
"And do you remember me telling you that there are some things worse than death?"
Harry nodded again.
"Well only that could have defeated Voldemort. He does not understand the concept of love, and never has. When you saved Ron and Hermione's life the love that you felt was too much. He couldn't handle it, and disintegrated. You defeated him with the thing that is even more horrible and powerful than death itself."
"Love is more horrible than death?" Harry asked. He couldn't quite imagine the feeling of dying being better than how he felt around Ginny.
Dumbledore smiled. "It's odd isn't it? How something can be so wonderful and yet so terrible at the same time."
Harry said nothing.
"Tell me Harry," Dumbledore continued. "If you were die right now, what would there be to be afraid of? Wouldn't everything just be over, and you will have moved on into a whole new adventure? What is so scary about death?"
Harry thought about that question for a long time. The Headmaster had a point. What was so scary about death? Maybe the fact that he would never see his friends again, but—
"Leaving everyone behind," Harry said instantly. "And the thought of them being in misery after I'm gone."
"Exactly," Dumbledore said smiling. "The thought of leaving everyone you love behind is terrifying, isn't it? In reality that is probably the only thing that keeps most of us from giving up when things get difficult."
Harry nodded. He was beginning to understand everything. It was as though that was the last piece of the puzzle he had been trying to place together for all his life. And it seemed so simple now, he wondered why he had never seen it before.
"So Voldemort never understood love and since it was so powerful in me he became powerless to protect himself? So the magic radiating from my body was the emotion of love?" Harry asked understanding perfectly now.
"Exactly," Dumbledore said smiling. "You defeated him through the only thin you had that he did not possess. A heart."
Harry leaned back in the chair he had been sitting in. He suddenly felt very exhausted and could barely keep his eyes open. It had been a tiring night, to say the least.
"You are going to need a good nights sleep, Harry," Dumbledore said standing up. "I suggest that you go see Madam Pomfery. She will already be tending to Ron, of course, but she will be more than happy to help you out. Tell her I said to give you a dreamless sleep potion. Molly and Arthur will probably be down there with Hermione, watching over Ron."
Harry's face became horrified again. "Will Ron be alright, Professor?"
"Oh, naturally. He should be awake by tomorrow I suppose. He will probably want to hear all about what happened, so get down there quickly."
Harry stood up and turned towards the door, but stopped. He turned back to take one last look at the picture on Dumbledore's desk, its occupants still waving merrily up at him.
"You may keep the picture if you like, Harry," Dumbledore said startling Harry. "I dare say I have too many of them."
Harry picked up the picture, his eyes looking at Sirius's wide grin. "Thank you, Professor."
"Think nothing of it, Harry," Dumbledore said with a smile. "You should get down to the hospital wing now. I am sure the Weasleys and Ms. Granger will be anxious to see you."
Harry nodded and turned to leave. As he opened the door he smiled to himself and muttered, "Yeah, Weasley and Granger." He laughed quietly.
"I agree, Harry," Dumbledore's voice said softly.
Harry's head whipped around to look at him only to see him smiling with a familiar twinkle in his eye.
A/N: SURPRISE! Harry didn't die! I have to tell you guys a secret...I can't kill anyone! It would be too sad! And you guys thought I was going to kill him! HA! OK now the results of the poll are *drumroll* 7 people voted 6th year, 6 people voted 7th AND 1 voted for a secret romance starting 5th year! Good one! I didn't think of that one! As for me? I think it will happen in 7th year because it is a major part of the plot and she can't end it soon, because she has got to keep us reading or some would just stop reading the books! TADA! OK and the poll for this week is: DO YOU THINK RON IS AWARE THAT HE LIKES HERMIONE YET OR IS HE STILL A LOVABLE CLUELESS GIT? Answer in your review! See y'all next Friday!