Okay, since this is the LAST posting, I want to make some thank yous. If you don't care, then go ahead and skip this. LOL!
First off, thank you to all of my readers. You all really don't get enough credit around here, and I just think that you all rock. Seriously, you rock my socks. You have made posting this story such a wonderful experience, and you've made me want to continue posting other stories… as soon as I get a good idea, that is. Ha! But honestly, you have no idea how much I appreciate everything you've said, and I hope that you've enjoyed this story.
Kira, you're my sister and I love you! Thank you for being SO supportive and encouraging me to tell people about my passion for writing. I am so happy that you like my stories as much as you do—and even if you don't really, thanks for pretending that you do! LOL! I love how energetic you are, and I love how strong-minded you are. You're always there for me, and I honestly don't know whom I would look up to with out you. You've given me lots of confidence and you're the most remarkable and talented sophomore I've ever met. You're my hero.
Last, but never ever least, is my partner in crime, Kylah.
Kylah, you're the coolest person I know, you really are. Thank you for being the amazing friend that you are. You're beautiful, and I cherish the 15 years that I've known you. You are so awesome. You have the most creative brain I have ever seen, and I love your kooky ideas, and how utterly brilliant you are. You're the most wonderful editor, and you're so dependable and devoted with everything that you do. Thank you for always being there for me, thank you for giving me someone to gush over Harry to, thank you for coming to every one of my plays, thank you for watching Disney movies with me every weekend, but most importantly: thank you for being the best friend I'll ever have.
Okay, enough! On with Lily! I'm getting all teary eyed……
It was a cold and wet Halloween morning, when Sirius came rushing up the Potter's steps. He didn't bother to knock, which wasn't new to Lily or James.
"Anyone home?" He called.
"Yeah, Si! In the kitchen!" Lily called. She had been trying to get Harry to eat baby food, but was definitely losing. "You may have won this time, but I'll come out victorious in the end…" Lily teased the one-year-old Harry, dropping the spoon in the sink and pulling him out of his highchair. He giggled, and Lily spun him around, before bringing him out into the entryway to greet Sirius.
"Happy Halloween." Lily smiled, while Sirius gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "How've you been? You haven't come by recently…"
"Yeah, been talking to Dumbledore." He said, though Lily felt Sirius was looking preoccupied. "James home?"
"He's upstairswhy?"
"I wanted to talk to you both about something." Sirius said anxiously.
"Okay, sure, Si." Lily said, before moving to the bottom of the stairs. "James! Come down hereSirius needs to talk to you!"
James came sliding down the stair rail quickly. He hopped off the rail, and scooped Harry out of Lily's arms, and tossed him in the air playfully and caught him safely in his arms. "Hey there, Padfoot. What's new?"
"James, don't do that in the house—you're worse than Harry." Lily scolded while laughing as she followed her husband and Sirius into the living room.
"That's only because he can't walk yet. Just wait 'til we get you a broomstick, Harry—this place will be dust when you're through with it, right Lil?" James said proudly.
"Great." Lily groaned, though she personally couldn't wait to see her son on a broom.
"Could you both sit down?" Sirius interrupted them. James, Lily, and a gurgling Harry obliged. Sirius took a settling breath before saying, "Look, I've been thinking about being your Secret-Keeper for some time now, and I'm not sure it was so smart."
"What are you saying, Si?" Lily argued. "We've been fine here for a long time now."
"That's not what I mean." He said, as he scratched his head. "See, I thought, what if Voldemort decided to strike at you both again? I mean—you've seen the papers, haven't you?"
"How can we miss them?" Lily sighed, while James stared.
"So, you want to back out?" James muttered, bouncing Harry on his knee and trying not to look at his friend.
"No! No way!" Sirius said quickly. "But I thought that if Voldemort did come knocking, he'd know where to go to find you. I mean, he's getting stronger again…"
"So, you mean, that you're afraid?" James interpreted.
"No! James, don't be thick." Sirius rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "I'm just saying, that he would know to come to me first. No questions asked." He sighed in frustration. It seemed to Lily that this conversation was not going the way he planned. "But what if we turned the tables on him? Appointed a Secret-Keeper he would never, in a million years, suspect?"
"You don't mean Dumbledore?"
"Not Dumbledore—Peter." Sirius said, with a triumphant smile. "I mean, come on. We all know the guy's a wimp, so who would expect that the Potters would make him their Secret-Keeper, over James's best friend since Hogwarts?"
"You're flattering yourself—But you make a good point…" James nodded. "What do you think Lily?"
"I don't know. I mean, things are going fine for now." Lily said hesitantly. "Why mess with a good thing?"
"Why not make a good thing better?" James implored.
"Well, that's true…"
"Oh, I get it." Sirius said with a smile. "You don't trust ol' Wormtail, do you?"
"Not especially." Lily said. "But I do trust both of your judgments."
"I talked to Dumbledore already. He was a little reluctant, but he said we could redo the charm today if you both thought it was best." Sirius said hopefully.
"Can't. Harry and I have a doctor's appointment." Lily said. "But we both don't have to be there."
"I could go with Si to do the Charm, if you want." James agreed.
"All right." Lily said, with a nod.
"We should leave now." Sirius told James, checking his watch. "I promised Dumbledore I'd be back at Hogwarts in twenty minutes, with or without you."
"See you soon, Lil." James replied, kissing his wife. "Love you."
"Love you, too. And be careful, you two." Lily said, taking Harry back from James. "And stop by Gringotts on the way home, if you can." James gave a wave of consent, and left with Sirius, closing the door behind him.
Lily waited anxiously for James to get home, later that night. The sun was just starting to set, though it was hard to tell through the gray-clouded gloom.
But finally, James opened the door and placed a bag of Gringotts gold on the table.
"How did it go at Hogwarts?" Lily asked him, after a brief hello.
"Just fine. Peter seemed very honored that we chose him over Remus and Dumbledore." James shrugged. "I dunno. He seemed especially eager. How was the doctor's?" He asked her.
"Fantastic." Lily said with a grin.
"And why is that?" James asked her confusedly.
"Because Harry won't be an only child in a couple of months." Lily said, her uncontrollable smile spreading to James's face.
"You mean? Wow! Lily!" He kissed her excitedly. "This is great! I have to talk to Remus… he'll be the new Godfather, after all."
"Naturally." Lily said, curling up on the couch.
"And where is the big brother?" James asked Lily, as he made his way to the fireplace.
"Sleeping upstairs." Lily answered. "We're out of floo powder, James."
"Oh. Right." James said, leaving the fire, and moving to the phone instead. "That's funny," He said, listening into the receiver. "I think the line's dead. There must be a storm on the way…"
"Well, you can talk to him in the morning, can't you?"
"Yeah…" James said, hanging up the phone and looking slightly put out. "Yeah, I can."
A few hours after dinner, yawning, Lily got up from the chair. "I think I'm going to bed. You coming?"
"Yeah… in a minute." James said, as Lily made her way up the stairs. But a few moments later, James called up to her. "Lily! Come back down here!"
"What? What is it?" Lily asked, rushing back downstairs, still fully dressed.
"Look…" James replied from the window. He had the curtains pulled back and was looking anxiously outside.
"Is it Peter or Sirius?" Lily asked, as they were the only ones who knew where they lived. She hooked her hair behind her ears, and watched James from the bottom of the stairs.
"No." James said darkly. He quickly turned to Lily, and looked at her. "Go get Harry."
"You don't think it's Voldemort…?"
"Look for yourself." James said, steering Lily to the window. Sure enough, a man cloaked in black was slowly walking up the street. He was flanked by at least six other men, all with their eyes on the Potter's house. Immediately, Lily wished that she remembered where she had left her wand…
"Oh my God… James…" Lily murmured. She moved away from the window, and hugged James tightly.
"Come on, Lily—we have to get out of this house. Go get Harry." He said, giving her a push towards the stairs. "And hurry."
Lily dashed up the stairs and into Harry's room. She cradled him tenderly, and rushed into her own bedroom. She whipped open some drawers, searching desperately for her wand. It has to be here… She had been an idiot to let it out of her sight…
"Lily!"
At the sound of James's voice, Lily abandoned her search. She went down the stairs, and saw James locking the door with a charm. "We'll go out the back" He muttered.
"Surround the house!" Someone shouted from the end of the driveway. "Don't let them get away!"
"James…" Lily whispered, but James grabbed her arm, and pulled her to the kitchen, and towards the back door. Harry had awoken and was starting to cry. Through the kitchen window, Lily saw three Death Eaters pointing at them, nudging each other and laughing. James whirled around and Lily led the way back into the living room.
There was a knock on the door. They were trapped.
"Take Harry and go, the first chance you get. But stay out of the way, until that time arises." James instructed, holding Lily in a tight embrace, while their son cried. "And… I love you both."
"You must be crazy if you think I'm going to leave you here." Lily whispered back. Her breath grew short, and there was another impatient and almost mocking pound on the door.
"You have to—you have to, Lily."
"No… I can't… I won't. I'll help you, we'll fight him together, and we'll win, James… Just like seventh year."
"Go." James said softly, kissing Lily. "Just go…"
"James!"
"Go, Lily!"
James pulled out his wand, and Lily hesitated before hurrying up the stairs. She heard someone shout, "Alohamora!" outside, and she ripped open Harry's bedroom door. She could hear the rumble of angered talk from downstairs, and distinctly heard a high-pitched voice say, "You're lying, Potter." She snapped Harry's door shut, her breathing uneven and heavy.
Harry was sobbing, as though he knew that something wasn't right. Lily held him close to her, whispering, "It'll be all right, Harry, angel… everything will be fine…" But in her mind, she could see no escape. She looked around Harry's room helplessly, remembering with fondness the late nights Lily and James had stayed up to watch their son fall asleep. Just the other night, they had stood above his crib, holding each other, as Harry drifted into his dreams. They were so amazed and transfixed by their child that the hours just flew by, and now…
There was a huge crash from downstairs that yanked Lily out of the memory, and Lily decided it was time. Her heart banging in her chest, Lily pulled open the door, holding Harry in both arms. She made her way carefully down the steps, her heart hammering.
"Get out of here, Voldemort!" James shouted. "Leave my family alone!"
"It doesn't have to end like this, Potter," Voldemort sneered. "I just want you, and the boy." There were at least four Death Eaters in the room, all with their wands pointed at James, who was standing tall with his wand held high.
"Get out!" James yelled again, magically chucking a chair a Voldemort. A Death Eater blasted it away effortlessly.
"How dare he…" another Death Eater growled, moving towards James with a vicious look in his eyes.
"Touch him, and I will kill you," Voldemort said, not taking his eyes off of Lily's husband. "I have waited years for this moment, and I will not let it be spoiled by you." Voldemort's twisted mouth broke into a smile. "Now then, Potter. Where is your darling baby boy? I must say, I would love to meet him…"
"He's not here." James lied, teeth gritted.
"Fine." Voldemort sneered. "Oh, yes, there's someone I want you to meet, before you die, that is."
James didn't answer. Voldemort pushed one of his Death Eaters forward, and instructed him to remove his hood. Lily watched in silence as the man did as Voldemort said.
"Peter?"
Lily was stunned. She couldn't believe it—it had to be a mistake. Peter Petigrew was standing before James, his round face determined and set. "I'm sorry, James," he said softly. Lily stared. It wasn't possible: little, pathetic Wormtail couldn't do this. He had knowingly turned her family over to the most evil man alive. And he actually looked pleased about it…
"Can you believe it, Potter? One of your own! One of your best friends betrays you… Petigrew here came to me this afternoon, bubbling over with excitement, telling me he's found where the Potters are living. At first, I couldn't believe him. After all, he'd been telling us of your hideouts for years now—yes, Potter, years. But then he told me that he had been appointed your Secret Keeper, and I knew he wasn't lying. Imagine my joy, Potter, when I walked down your street, knowing that I would finally do what I have been meaning to do since you graduated from Hogwarts!"
"Peter, you back-stabbing… low-life…" James was cursing at Peter under his breath, wand now off Voldemort and pointed straight at the chest of one of his best childhood friends. "All this time? All this time you've been lying to me…"
"I'm sorry, James." Peter repeated, quivering slightly under James's furious stare. But Lily could see past James's anger—his usually bright blue eyes were dark, sad, and full of pain.
"That's right, Potter. Your best friend betrayed you, and handed over your hideout willingly to your worst enemy. Some friends you have, Potter." Voldemort laughed maliciously, and James flicked his wand back on Voldemort.
Voldemort just laughed. He paced closer to James, who was still watching Peter. Lily noticed that his hand was shaking, though his face was frozen.
"Oh, Potter, don't be stupid." Voldemort replied, "No matter how hard you fight me tonight, I will win. No matter how much good there is in this world, evil will win—I will win. I had the joy of killing both your parents, and, when I'm finished with you, I'll kill your son and your wife, and all of your friends. You're nothing, Potter. You aren't brave enough to beat me—you're not strong enough to beat me. You are weak, and not worthy enough to live. You've lost, Potter. You have lost."
Everything went into slow motion. Lily watched from the top of the stairs, while her husband stared defiantly at the Dark Lord Voldemort. But before anything could be done, Voldemort shouted a spell, and a blast of green light filled the room.
"NO! JAMES!" Lily screamed, as she watched James fall to the floor. Tears were streaming freely down her face. Harry let out a shriek. James lay motionless.
"Give me the boy." Voldemort said, turning to Lily as though he knew she had been there all along. The Death Eaters were laughing triumphantly up at her.
Without a word, Lily ran back to Harry's room, sobbing. She slammed the door, and quickly locked it. Her heart was in her throat, as she listened to Harry's sobs that matched her own, and Voldemort and Peter's slow progression on the stairs. She couldn't even believe that this was happening. She looked at the window, and wondered vaguely if she could escape that way. But when she looked down at Harry, she realized that she wouldn't be able to get down without hurting him or herself.
"Aren't you worried about killing a baby? It could have repercussions…"
"Go downstairs with the others, Petigrew." Lily heard Voldemort answer through the door. She couldn't stand it any longer—this man and his followers had murdered her husband. Tears were falling freely from her eyes. James was dead. The love of her life was gone forever. He was the best thing that had ever happened to her—and now he was dead.
"Oh God…" Lily cried softly. She kissed Harry's head—a head so much like her husband's—and held him tightly. James was dead…
"Alohamora!"
The door opened with a tantalizing creak. Lily stared at the snake-like man before her through tear filled eyes. She hadn't even realized that her mouth had opened, and she was screaming.
"You needn't die." Voldemort snorted, though Lily knew without looking at him that he was lying. He would kill her and her child.
Lily backed toward the wall, clutching Harry as tightly as she could. "Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!" She wept, wishing James would burst through the door and rescue her.
"Stand aside, you silly girl… Stand aside now!" He shouted, moving towards Lily with his wand pointed at her son. Her insides were exploding with pain and grief. The image of James lying dead on their living room floor was pounding in her brain over and over again.
And suddenly, she realized that there was no hope left for her now. All she knew was that Harry had to live. If she died, she would be with James… She could die—but Harry couldn't. He would live. He had to. Harry had to grow up, to be happy and healthy… to go to school, to get married, to have a child of his own… he had to live.
"Not Harry—Please no! Take me… Kill me, instead." Lily tried to reason. She quickly turned away from Voldemort, placing Harry in his crib and touching his head lovingly, with her tears falling onto his face. "Have mercy—Please have mercy…" she begged.
"Have it your way!" Voldemort yelled. Lily whipped around with a new determination. She wiped the tears off her face; ready to fight for her son's life, unarmed and defenseless, when Voldemort screamed the first and last spell.
"Avada Kedavra!"
There was a flash of blinding green light—a light that Lily had never really realized was beautiful in the most gruesome way possible. There was a horrible whooshing sound, as though death were flying swiftly and hauntingly from all the corners of the earth to meet her. For the second time that night, time itself seemed to creep by, as Lily felt a glacial chill crawling and caressing her skin. She knew it was over as the cold finally seized her heart and with a small scream, Lily Potter collapsed lifelessly to the floor.
Harry sobbed, punching the air with his fists. The pale white sorcerer moved to his crib, grinning maliciously. "Finally…" He muttered insanely. "The last Potter…"
Harry did nothing but cry. Voldemort stepped over Harry's limp mother, with his wand held out in front of him. "Stop your sobbing, Potter. This should be painless… though, I wouldn't know." He chuckled viciously. "Oh, at last… You have no idea how long I have waited for this, Potter…" He lowered his wand to point at Harry's chest, with an uncontrollable smile brightening his disgusting face.
"Avada Kedavra!"
Immediately, Harry's forehead split open in a painful and insufferable tear, and the volume of his crying increased ten-fold. There was another flare of green light that filled the room, and filtered out of the windows into the cold October night. A rush of wind, and suddenly, it was Voldemort who was howling.
He was screaming in anguish, agony, and aggravation as he started to crumble before baby Harry's wet eyes. Slowly, Voldemort was nothing but a long whisp of smoke, which blew out of the room speedily. Harry was alone.
Sirius flew on his motorbike to Lily and James's house quickly. Maybe it was something about Peter's house that gave him a strange feeling. Peter's mother was usually always home; yet the house had been empty.
But the sight of his friends' happy faces would make him feel better, he was sure. But as he flew over Godric's Hollow on that deathly bitter Halloween night, something felt terribly wrong. He hurried to Lily and James's house, and saw that their door was hanging loose on its hinges.
Anxiously, Sirius parked his bike, and walked inside. "Prongs? Lil?" He called. No one answered. He turned into the living room, and saw chairs turned on their sides, and a lamp smashed. And what was that by the sofa?
He hurried over to it, and gasped.
James was lying on his stomach, stock-still.
"James?" Sirius said, his voice cracking. He leaned on his heels, and he tried to lift his friend into a sitting position. Sirius clutched James tightly, but James was unmoving and limp. "Prongs? Speak to me, buddy…" He murmured. James's glasses had fallen to the floor, and his knuckles were white around his wand. His eyes were closed… so he must be only sleeping… But Sirius suddenly found it hard to breath.
"Lily!" He shouted, standing up, his eyes still locked on his best friend. He ripped his eyes away, and pounded up the stairs, shouting Lily's name until his voice was hoarse. He was on his way to Lily and James's bedroom, when he saw that Harry's door was ajar. Sirius was trembling.
"Lily…?" He called helplessly again. Pushing the door all the way open, he saw Lily sprawled on the floor. "Oh God…" Tears started to fall from his eyes like rain, and he fell to his knees. He couldn't bring himself to look at Lily.
His two best friends… were dead.
Then, Sirius heard a small cry from Harry's crib. Nervously, his eyes fogged, he pushed himself back to his feet and looked into the bed. There was baby Harry with a large gash across his head that was bleeding freely over his small face, streaming down his nose and dripping onto his pajamas.
"Oh, Harry," Sirius muttered, lifting him out of the crib. He hugged Harry strongly against his chest, while they both cried.
Awhile later, when the Ministry of Magic finally arrived, Sirius waited by the doctors nervously. "Is he going to be all right?" He kept asking, while they looked over Harry.
"Seems to be fine, Mr. Black." The doctor finally said. "But he'll have that curse-scar on his head for the rest of his life, I suppose. Odd shape, isn't it?"
Indeed, the cut on Harry's head formed a lighting bolt that slid from just below his hairline to just above his left eyebrow.
"Thank you, doctor." Sirius said, lifting Harry, as Hagrid approached him.
"Hullo, Sirius." Hagrid said gruffly, wiping his face. At the sight of Hagrid, Sirius bit his lip to reel in the tears that were sure to start up again any moment.
"Hi Hagrid."
"How… Are yeh doin' all right?" He asked Sirius, sincerely.
"Barely surviving." He said, his voice cracking as though he had never used it before. "I… just can't believe it. They're… I just can't believe it." He repeated quietly, not even wanting to admit to himself that Lily and James were dead and gone forever. By admitting that they had been killed would make it true… and Sirius couldn't do it. He had to stay strong—for Harry, if not for himself. Sirius suppressed a shiver.
"It hasta get worse to get better." Hagrid assured him. "Things'll turn out all right. Yeh'll see."
"I wish I could believe you." Sirius said softly, looking down at the small, defenseless baby in his arms. He bounced Harry softly, and smiled at him. Sirius found that it hurt to smile at a devastating time like this. Even looking into Harry's face hurt—he looked so much like James… and those eyes belonged to Lily.
"But You-Know-Who's gone forever, isn't he? Tha's gotta be good, don' it?"
"I guess," Sirius muttered. Honestly, he would rather have Voldemort causing terror than to have Lily and James dead. What did it matter if Voldemort was tormenting faceless people if Lily and James were alive?
"I'm… uh… I hate to do this to yeh, Sirius." Hagrid said uncomfortably, as he watched Sirius staring at the child. "I have strict orders from Dumbledore to take 'Arry to his aunt and uncle's house straight away."
"Wh-what?" Sirius spluttered. He held Harry tighter to his chest. He was not going to let go. Not after…
"I hafta, Sirius… Dumbeldore's orders."
"No—no, you can't… Lily and James… I'm Harry's godfatherI'm supposed to take care of him, if… if anything happened to them…" Sirius said desperately. "I have to… I want to, Hagrid…"
"I know yeh want to. But Dumbledore's orders." Hagrid repeated, reaching down, and taking Harry out of Sirius's arms. Sirius felt so empty. There was nothing left, now, except—
"Take my bike." Sirius said quickly, knowing that was the least he could do. "You'll get there faster. Please? I want to know he'll be safe…"
"But, Sirius! Yeh love that bike." Hagrid argued. Sirius breathed heavily, knowing that it would be too painful to keep the bike—James had practically given it to him. He couldn't keep it. Besides, Harry should use it—James would have wanted it that way.
"Take it. Please, Hagrid. I don't need it…" Sirius begged. Hagrid nodded, as a fresh set of tears tumbled out of his beetle eyes, and into his big beard. "Thank you, Hagrid."
"Take care of yerself." Hagrid mumbled, as he took Harry away for what seemed like what would be forever.
Sirius turned away, and started to walk down the street. All he wanted was to get away from the Potter's house… away from their limp, lifeless bodies… away from everything and everyone. Towards the end of the block, Belle Figg Apparated in front of him, with a blotchy face, and tears falling down her face. When she saw Sirius, she hurried up to him.
"Oh, Sirius!" She sobbed, throwing her arms around his neck. He hugged her back, as new teardrops started to slide down his cheeks again. "I didn't want to believe it… but they are! Oh, God…" She turned her head, and kissed his cheek with dry lips.
"It's okay… it'll be okay…" He murmured into her ear.
"I just wish… If only we could've—" Belle muttered between breaths. But she suddenly pulled away from Sirius's embrace. "Wait a second…"
"What? What is it?" Sirius asked her, as they both brushed their faces clean of tears. "What, Belle?"
"You…" She muttered, taking a step back, and pointing a quivering accusatory finger at Sirius's chest. "You… You were their Secret-Keeper! You traitor! You killed them! You killed Lily and James!" She screamed, her voice cracking with sadness and betrayal.
"What?" Sirius asked, but then it hit him. He had told the Potters to switch Secret Keepers.
"Don't you ever come near me, or Remus, or Peter or Harry ever again. And after all we've been through together? I thought that you and I… We… I can't believe you would just throw in your lot with Voldemort! What were you thinking!"
"But Belle… please listen…" Sirius begged, grabbing her hands. "I didn't do it—We switched! It was Peter who"
"Don't you dare touch me!" She yelled again, flinging Sirius's hands away from her own. She was crying again, and it hurt Sirius even more to see her like this. "You are disgusting—get away from here! Just wait 'til the Ministry finds you… it won't take them long!"
"Belle—no, please! Listen!" Sirius cried out. "I love Lily and James… I couldn't possibly… you have to believe me, Belle… Let me explain, please…"
"Get away from me!" Belle screamed, breaking down into tears again. "We were fools to trust you… you betrayed us all!"
"I didn't…" Sirius murmured. But as he stepped closer to Belle, she whipped out her wand.
"If you don't leave here, I'm calling for the Ministry to arrest you." She said threateningly, wiping her eyes with her left hand. "And believe me—I will."
"I…" Sirius began, but he just turned, and ran down the street. Was this his fault? Did he kill Lily and James? As his feet pounded against the pavement, his only thought was: Peter… you damn spy…you tricked me—you tricked James. I will kill you for doing this to them, for doing this to Harry…for doing this to all of us… This is your fault. How could you, Peter?
But Harry was far away, clutched safe in Hagrid's arms. The warm moleskins of Hagrid's coat gently brushed against his cheek, as the cold night air whipped around them. There was a consecutive hum from the motorbike that slowly made Harry very sleepy.
"Just over Bristol now, Harry…" Hagrid said to him comfortingly. "We're almost to your new home."
And as Harry left the wizarding world and his old life behind, he slowly started to approach a new life—a life that would be full of danger, astonishment, and most importantly, a quest: The quest for good to conquer evil for all time.
The End