Disclaimer: JK's.

A/N: For Seren.

The time had come, just like she knew it would. He had come for them – for all of them. After tonight, nothing would ever be the same again.

She could hear the shouts, the screams. Her eyes filled, and she could no longer make out their faces. She had to keep moving, she had to fight. If they failed, they would never be free again. They would never again live in a world of hope.

Why did it have to be this way? Why did it have to be so hard?

She closed her eyes and tried to pretend that it wasn't real, that it wasn't happening. She tried to block out the noise around her, but it just wasn't possible. She wanted it to be over. She wanted life to be the way it was before.

She felt cold. She felt alone. Her heart was telling her to stand and fight. Be strong. Be brave. Why couldn't she do it?

It wasn't like he caught them by surprise. It wasn't like they weren't prepared. They'd known that this day would come, but now that it was here… She put a hand to her mouth to quell the wave of nausea. She could see them falling around her, falling, falling…

Get up, get up and fight. Don't just let this happen. Don't let him win. Don't let them die in vain.

She pushed herself to her feet.

It was getting worse. Where was the hope? Where was the freedom they had dreamed of?

Her fingers trembled as she pulled out her wand – her sword, her hope. She tried to ignore the screams, tried to suppress the stench of death that surrounded her. They needed her, she needed them – she had to fight. She had to fight for them, she had to fight for freedom, for hope.

She had to fight if she ever wanted to live in a world without fear. She did want it. She wanted it more than anything. And it was within her grasp.

She forced her feet to move, to take the steps that would bring her closer to her goal. Their goal. She tried to clear her mind, to empty it of all inhibition. This was not the time for fear. This was a time for war.

She gripped her wand tightly. She was ready. She would fight. They would fight. Together.

And they would win.

She looked at her friends standing beside her. She was fighting for them. They were fighting for her. No matter what the outcome, she would never forget the overwhelming love that she felt at this moment.

No one could stop them now. No one could take away their freedom, their hope – their love. They would fight to the bitter end. They would see this through.

She was used to relying on herself, on her own powers, her own abilities. This time she couldn't. She had to rely on them. On her friends. The ones who had been with her in every adventure, every trial. The ones who were with her today.

She would be with them, too.

It was over, finally over.

They had won.

They were free.

FIN