A/N: None of this, except the plot, belongs to me. Merlin, but it galls to say that!

Hallowe'en:

Harry decided that he was officially going to kill the Twins. What a way to start Hallowe'en. He now thought that he could understand Argus Filch, just a little bit better then he ever wanted to. They had come up with a new product, and sent free samples to 'Select Customers' at Hogwarts. Most of them, by some strange coincidence, were second years, in his first DADA class of the day. The first one he'd ever taught. Fred and George had managed to come up with a completely new type of trick wand. This one would, upon saying the activation spell, salivus, would shoot spit balls, no matter what spell was used. Of course, the Gryffindor students found ways to replace the Slytherin's wands with these. It made practicing sheild charms just a bit difficult. It also made for a whopper of a mess, when one of the wands malfunctioned, and stuck on autofire. One whole wall of the room was completely covered in a disgusting mess. If he knew a way to find out for sure who had done the substituting, he would've made sure the culprits had to come back later, to clean it all up without magic.

Once the students had left for their next class, he set to work cleaning it up. As he cast his twelfth Evanesco, he heard the door open behind him. He turned and saw Tonks and Ginny, staring at the wall behind him. They looked at each other and started laughing uproariously.

"Think this is funny, do you?" he growled to the two of them. He looked pointedly at his desk, where the false wands lay next to the broken one that had malfunctioned. He had finally had to wrench it from the frightened student's grasp and snap it in half. The second year had been beside herself, as she thought it was her real wand. Luckily, he had found where the real ones were stashed, and handed them back to the appropriate owners. "Your brothers are going to die, horrible, painful deaths." he told his girlfriend.

Ginny followed his eyes to the desk, and started laughing even harder. She knew right away where the fake wands had come from. Once she was finally able to talk without giggling, she came over to her glowering fiance, putting her arm around him. "You do remember why you gave them the money to get started, don't you?"

With a resigned look, he nodded. "Yes I do. Because I reckoned we would need all the laughs we could get, with everything that was going on."

"Have you changed your mind on that?"

"Of course not. But do they have to send samples to students I'm going to have to teach?"

The pretty redhead started to laugh at this again, and he couldn't help but chuckle along with her. Now that he'd had a chance to cool down a bit, he could see the humor in the situation. "Alright, fine. I won't kill them. That doesn't mean they will escape this unscathed."

"Now that's the Harry I love." She gave him a kiss that took his breath away.

Tonks cleared her throat, reminding them they weren't alone. Harry looked at her over Ginny's shoulder. "Yes?"

The metamorphmagus said, "Listen, I'm glad you two are having fun and all, but you need to get this stuff taken care of, so we can get out of here for lunch. How about if the two of us give you a hand with it, and we get going."

"Good idea. I'm starving."

Ten minutes later, the three had the wall cleaned up, and were on their way out the main doors, heading up the path to Hogsmeade, for lunch at the Three Broomsticks.

Settled around the table, they all ordered up a quick lunch. Over bottles of butterbeer, Harry asked what the question that had been nagging him since the two women had shown up. "So Tonks, what made you come up here today? Is Remus alright?"

She waved a hand, trying to dismiss his worry. "He's fine, now. Sleeping it off at the Shrieking Shack. He had a really rough night, but he's really been better since the war's over. It's almost like, without everything to worry about, he can devote more of himself to getting through it. Of course, it helps that he sleeps a lot better these days, too. Not always out on some misbegotten mission, sleeping in alleyways, eating when he remembers."

Harry shuddered now. "I know. There are times I wondered why he didn't just tell Albus to bugger off. I mean, come on. Everybody has their limits."

She asked, "You mean you really don't know?" When he shook his head, she continued. "It was for you, in a way. Because of you, at any rate."

"What are you talking about? I never asked him to do any of that!"

"Even if he was the real brains of the Marauders, he and Sirius had a lot in common. Neither of them could just sit around, waiting for something to happen. There's also the fact that you, as the son of a Marauder, are the last of his pack. Make no mistake, Harry. He considers you as much one of his as Molly does. Why do you think he volunteered for all that guard duty, the summer after your fifth year?"

The young wizard was speechless at this. "How could I have never had a hint of any of this? Merlin! I feel really stupid, right now." He put his head down on the table and started thumping it softly against the wood. Thump. Thump. Thump. "Ow." He sat back up, to see the women looking at him with bemused expressions on their faces. "How in the world am I ever going to make it up to him?"

"Don't even try, Harry. He doesn't expect it, and wouldn't want it. He feels that it's his responsibility. Who can understand a wolf, except another wolf? I think you're getting as close as anybody ever will, though. It's enough that you talked him into staying at Grimmauld Place. You know, that place is a lot nicer to stay at, now that Kreacher's gone, as well as that horrid portrait." She decided it was time for a change of subject.

"Anyway, as to why I'm here today, I thought, seeing as he'll be out like a light for the next couple of days, you might like a hand with the dueling club. How's that sound?"

"Sounds like a plan. It'll make it easier to guage where everybody is. I have to know where to start." Harry looked at his watch, and let out a yelp. "I have to get back. I have a class in twenty minutes. I'll see you two later." He stood, left money on the table to cover the bill, and gave Ginny a kiss before walking outside. As soon as he was out the door, he apparated to the edge of the school wards. He took a few steps inside the grounds and bent to pick up a twig. He picked it up, murmuring 'Portus.' The twig was surrounded by a blue glow for a moment, then was back to appearing normal. He activated it, and the familiar hook behind the navel sensation pulled him to the office above the DADA classroom. He still hated traveling this way, but was at least better at the landings these days. He walked down the stairs to the classroom, getting everything ready for the fifth years, who would be here in just a few minutes.

When the students, Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, started filing into the room, he took a seat on the corner of his desk. Once they were all seated, he addressed the class.

"I know I'm going to regret asking this, but, who here is familiar with the merchandise offered at Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes?" A few hands went slowly up. "Thought so. Alright, then." He withdrew his wand and said, 'Accio falsies.' As the trick wands came to him, he was silently glad he had remembered Gred and Forge's name for the wands. "Alright. Hopefully, your actual wands should still be in your bags. Please take them out, put your books away, and come to the center of the room." As they all stood and came over to where he was, he banished the desks to the outside of the room.

"For those of you who don't know who I am, my name is Harry Potter." He paused now, grinning. "Yes, Professor Snape's favorite student. That was sarcasm, for those who didn't catch it. Anybody who really believes I could ever be his favorite, see me after class. I have a crumpled-horn Snorkack breeding farm you might be interested in." Laughs went around the group at this. The potions master's dislike of Harry Potter was legendary.

"According to professor Lupin, this class has gotten pretty good at defensive charms, shields and the like. Today, I'd like to see how well you do with offensive stuff. You'll trade off with each other, each getting a chance to try both defense and offense." He looked down at the list of students. "Alright. I need Jennifer O'Neil and Byron Creevy to come up here. Byron, any relation to Colin and Dennis?"

"My cousins." The curt answer was an indication that he wasn't thrilled with the connection.

"Byron, you'll take a defensive position to start with, and Jennifer will start with offensive spells. Nothing that will cause serious injury, just in case of ricochets." Harry moved back a bit now. "Start whenever you're ready."

The two students faced each other, wands raised. Jennifer pointed her wand at Byron, and cast tarantallegra. Byron responded with protego. The spell was stopped, dissipating. The young witch then tried a tickling charm, only to be countered by his reflecto. She barely ducked in time, as the spell was sent back her way.

The young professor stepped in now. "Alright, good job, both of you. Nice use of the mirror charm, Byron. Now I want you to switch off. Miss O'Neil on defense, and Mr Creevy on offense." He stepped back again and said, "Begin."

Byron sent an expelliarmus toward the girl. She dropped to her left, under the path of the spell, straightening after it passed over. The young man then tried a stupefy. Her quickly erected shield stopped the red bolt quite effectively.

"Once again, very good, both of you. Nice use of defensive movement, Jennifer." He turned to the class now. "One very important thing for all of you to remember is that defending against magic doesn't always require using magic in return. Quickness on your feet, as well as using any available cover you can find also work very well. Next pair, you and you." He pointed out two more students, and had them face off.

The rest of the class went fairly well, as he tested the remainder of the students. As he released them, he said, "I want a foot of parchment on non-magical methods of defense by next class. Now, get out, you lot, and have fun at the Hallowe'en feast tonight."

As the last of the students left the room, he waved a hand, and the desks all resumed their normal places, as he headed to the desk at the front of the room. A tired voice surprised him.

"Just how long have you been doing wandless magic, Harry?"

He turned to see Remus, leaning against the doorway, his arms folded. He raised an eyebrow at his fellow professor. "Shouldn't you be passed out or something? Tonks said you were pretty out of it."

The older man waved it off. "I'm alright. Tired as hell, but doing alright." He walked into the room now, and flopped into one of the chairs. "Now, quit trying to change the subject. How long have you been doing things without your wand?"

Harry sat back down on the corner of the desk. He looked keenly at Remus for a moment, before making a gesture at the door. It swung shut of it's own accord. The wolf in Remus could feel the additional spells at work. There was a locking charm in there, as well as one for silencing. There was also an ineffable feeling of the room having been sealed off. From everything.

"Remus, what do you remember of the final battle?"

"Why?"

"Please, just humor me."

The werewolf sat, lost in thought for a few minutes. Finally, he looked back up. "Well, not a lot, to tell the truth. It was just pure dumb luck that the battle happened on the night of the full moon. It was pretty clear, the way things were building up, that it would be soon. Had been, for a few days beforehand. So, I kind of neglected to take the Wolfsbane Potion. I knew we would need every edge we could get, and thought it might keep some of the Death Eaters off balance, if there was a full-fledged, hungry, insane werewolf running around. Worked pretty well, from what I remember. You know how much I always hated not knowing what I did in wolf form. Never really knew what I did while transformed. That's why I take that damnable potion, vile as it is."

Harry asked, "Did you ever wonder why everybody seemed almost at peace after the battle? Like life was just going on as normal? Didn't it seem a bit wierd to you?"

"Actually, no, I didn't. I guess I kind of chalked it up to everyone just being relieved that it was finally over. Now that you mention it though, it does seem bizarre. Do you know something about it? What does this have to do with you and wandless magic?"

"It started on the Express, heading back for my final year. Malfoy, Tweedlefat and Tweedledumb, all decided to pay us their yearly visit."

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Harry and his friends were all in their usual compartment, near the rear of the train. Ron and Hermione had finally admitted to the feelings they'd had for each other for almost four years now, and while Harry was happy for his two best friends, he was a bit nauseated by the way they'd break into fits of snogging, without any warning whatsoever. As a result, he and Ginny had spent a lot more time together that summer, talking and flying around the makeshift quidditch pitch in the backyard. With all the time they spent together, they had quickly become fast friends. He'd found himself telling her things he hadn't told anybody else. She was the first to hear of the prophecy Dumbledore had told him about.

When he had come to the part about 'neither can live, while the other survives' she had gotten a very determined look in her eyes. All she would say was, "Well, that's it then. We'll just have to make sure that you're the one who comes out on top." To her, it had seemed to him, it was just that simple.

The two were sitting across from each other in the window seats, making faces at Ron and Hermione. Those two, of course, hadn't noticed, as they were engaged in another marathon snogging session. Luna was sitting with her legs across Neville's lap, and they were taking a compatability test in the Quibbler and giggling every so often. The slightly strange blonde girl had just kissed Neville on the cheek, making him blush, when the compartment door opened.

Malfoy stood in the open doorway with Crabbe and Goyle, glaring at the occupants. His eyes landed on Ron and Hermione. He made a gagging sound and said, "Awww...isn't that precious? The mudblood and the weasel. I'd hate to think what those little whelps would look like. Knocked her up yet, Weasley?"

Ron was on his feet in an instant. It took Hermione, Harry, and Ginny to hold him back. "Listen, ferret-boy, unless you want to join daddy in an unmarked plot at Azkaban, you'd better get out now. What are you doing here, anyway? Aren't you supposed to be off kissing Voldemort's ass right about now?"

"Weasel, you'd better watch it, you blood traitor." He had his wand out now, pointing right between Ron's eyes. "Soon enough, you'll get what's coming to you." He shot a leer around the compartment. "You all will. Sooner than you think."

Ron shook the others off now and said to Hermione, "Don't worry. He's not worth it." He turned his back on Malfoy, to go back to his seat. A curse flew past his ear, breaking the window. In response, a barrage of curses and hexes flew at the three in the doorway. Nobody noticed that Harry hadn't even had his wand out. He had just flung his hand up, and yelled the first thing that came to mind. It had apparently worked quite well.

Ron walked over to where the three Slytherins lay sprawled. Looking at Goyle, he recoiled a bit. "Okay, for future reference, it's probably not a good idea to mix furnunculus with serpensortia." There were small snake heads popping out all along his hairline, making him look a bit like a medusa. It was hard to tell what combination of spells had hit Malfoy, but the effects were gruesome. His tongue was about a foot long and green, and his hair was now a quite lovely shade of lavender. His ears had switched sides, and his mouth had traded places with his eyes. In addition, his nose was upside down. He looked like an experiment gone wrong. Ginny, giggling evily the whole way, had gone to find Colin Creevy, to make sure he got plenty of pictures. This was a moment that needed to be preserved. As for Crabbe, the other two actually looked quite healthy, compared to him. He had apparently been hit with fallout from everything else, as well as a Bulgarian curse Hermione had been taught by Viktor Krum. He won't be described here. Be grateful for small favors.

By the time the train had reached the school, the effects had worn off, with the exception of Malfoy's hair and nose. He had come back long enough to threaten all of them again, but they couldn't manage to take him seriously, with long lavender hair. He had then stormed off in a huff.

Ron had turned to the others, after they had stopped laughing, and said, "I don't know what he was complaining about. With a tongue like he had for a while, he might've actually got a girlfriend for once." This set off another gale of laughter.

All through the welcoming feast, Harry thought about what he had done on the train. He had cast quite a difficult spell, without the use of his wand. It made him a bit nervous. After Professor Dumbledore released them all, Harry turned to his friends and said, "Go on ahead. I'll meet you upstairs. I have to ask Dumbledore about something."

He walked up the central aisle between the house tables in the Great Hall, up to the head table. The headmaster was starting to walk away when the young wizard said, "Professor Dumbledore?"

The old wizard turned to look, and saw it was Harry. His blue eyes twinkling over the lenses of his half-moon spectacles, he said, "Ah, Harry. So glad to see you back, again. Is there something I can assist you with?"

"Erm, actually, yes. Could we talk in private?"

"Of course. Come along." He led the way to the gargoyle guarding his office. "Chocolate frogs." The stone guardian slid to the side, revealing the moving stairs beyond. Harry followed him up the stairs and through the door at the top, to his office. They stepped through, and the young man stopped and looked around. He had certainly spent a lot of time in this office over the past few years. Some memories were good, some not so much. He looked to his left and saw the phoenix, Fawkes, occupying his perch. He went to the bird for a moment, admiring the beautiful gold and red plumage. He stroked the phoenix for a moment. "Hello, Fawkes. How have you been?" he asked softly. Fawkes gave a short trill in response, stroking Harry's hand with his head.

"Now, Harry, did you just want to come up to say hello to Fawkes?" was the question from Dumbledore. He was seated behind his huge desk now.

Harry chuckled nervously and replied, "No sir. I just haven't seen him in a while, and thought I'd say hi while I was here." He took a seat in front of the desk and said, "Actually, I wanted to ask you about something. How common is wandless magic?"

The headmaster leaned back, raising an eyebrow. "Interesting question. Not very common, to say the least. In fact, I'd say that the list of wizards who can perform without a wand, with any type of control, would be quite short indeed. Why do you ask?"

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"Once he got over the shock, Albus convinced me that the powers that I was acquiring weren't related to Voldemort. As far as anybody knows, the Dark Lord had never exhibited any signs of this. Dumbledore spent the next six months teaching me everything he knew about using magic without a wand. At first, all he would tell me was that it would simplify matters considerably." Harry chuckled ruefully now, throwing his colleague a grin. "You know how much I've always loved it when he tried to keep things from me."

Remus chuckled along with him, seeing the irony in the younger wizard's droll statement. "So, how long did it take you to wreak havoc on his office a second time?"

"I didn't, but it was a near thing. I came into his office one evening for training, but had decided I was going to find out what he was neglecting to tell me."

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Harry was already in Dumbledore's office when the headmaster entered, to prepare for the night's training. He was sitting in the chair facing the big desk, wearing an expression that the rest of the school knew was a signal to stay well away from him. There were storm clouds chasing each other across his brow and his emerald eyes had darkened. Even Fawkes was starting to get a bit nervous, looking like he wished it was his Burning Day already. Dumbledore would normally have liked to jump right into the lesson for the evening, but sensed that there were other matters needing to be dealt with. He cautiously took a seat and addressed his young charge.

"Something seems to be troubling you tonight, Harry. Is there something you would like to discuss?"

The younger wizard snorted with derision. "You could say that. Ever since you found out I could do this wandless stuff, we've gone straight into this training, without one clue as to why this will simplify things." This was said with a growl.

Albus could feel the anger radiating off of Harry, coming from him in palpable waves of power. He raised his hand and said, "You are all too correct, Harry. Once again, I have made the mistake that I, all of us, have made, all too often in the past. I apologize, and will tell you all I can at the moment."

This mollified the young man a bit, and the anger that had been builing to rage started to recede. "Good. Why will this simplify things? How much? What is it that I have to do that will require that I can control this?"

The headmaster shook his head, his expression one of amazement that Harry had managed to ask the right question almost immediately. He truly had underestimated this young man's perception. He turned and pulled a slim volume from a shelf next to his desk. "This grimoire was written by Morgan Le Fay. She seems to have been very active in the latter part of her life, compiling all the known spells of her day, whether light or dark. From what can be gleaned, she became quite obsessed with gathering magical knowledge of all kinds. It apparently became a mania for her. From her cubicle at the convent where she lived out the remainder of her life, she set them down in an impressive number of volumes.

"From what we have been able to discern so far, this particular book contains the oldest spells she was able to find, some going back even before the pharoahs. Many of them were invented before the idea of using a wand to focus magic. They were immensely powerful, precisely because they couldn't be focused. When magic can't be focused, directed to a specific point, it takes more power to achieve the desired effect.

"If trained from a very early age, most wizards and witches would be able to perform a perfunctory form of wandless magic. Even for some of the most powerful users, though, they would not be able to achieve what the average third year can do with the proper wand. You, Harry, have already come to the point, after only six months of training, where you are able to perform things without a wand that many adult wizards can not, with one. With a few more months training, you will be able to use some of the spells written here to fulfill the prophecy."

Harry asked, "So, is this supposed to be the 'power the Dark Lord knows not'?

"No, Harry. That is the same force that allowed your mother to protect you, when she was killed. The spell that you will use to protect those around you, as you destroy Tom Riddle, was incompletely translated, though that wasn't known at the time. What we had at the time were Le Fay's notes, not the full journal. We now have all of that and more, in this.

"What wasn't understood then was that, in order for the incantation to work as it should, using a wand was actually a detriment. It's actually more of an areawide spell, if you will, rather that one that should have pinpoint accuracy. That is why we have been training so intensely for the past six months, in order to give you the control you will need for this."

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"Once I had even better control over my magic without a wand than with it, he let me in on the rest of it." Harry conjured a couple of bottles of butterbeer, handing one to Remus. All this talking was thirsty work. He took a long pull at the bottle before continuing. "The spell he was referring to wasn't exactly the one that took down old Snake-Face, but did help. It allowed me a way to protect the people I knew would stand with me at the very end. Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and surprisingly enough, Neville, absolutely refused to allow me to do it on my own."

The werewolf visibly winced, then nodded. "I can see that. Ron and Hermione had been with you through everything, from the time you took care of that troll in your first year. I know that Ginny and Neville joined you at the Ministry the night S-Si...Padfoot was killed." It was still hard to say his friend's name, even after all the time that had passed. "I can also see how you would've reacted to that. You were still doing everything you could to keep your friends safe." He shook his head. "It certainly took you long enough to figure out that they weren't going to leave your side."

"I know, I know. I was pretty damn thick."

Remus smirked. "No kidding. Look how long it took you to figure out your feelings for Ginny." The older man chuckled now. "I'll give you this, though. You sure as hell made up for lost time, once you figured it out."

"Hey, look how many years of catching up I had to do with her. Still do, come to that." He took another long drink. "Anyway, the spell was a modified version of one of the spells in that grimoire. Apparently, it seems to be one of the spells that the Fidelius charm was based on. It didn't hide somebody from sight, but it did something more important. As long as the caster still lived, the person, in this case plural, that it was cast on couldn't be harmed by magical means. Physically, they would be vulnerable, but they couldn't be harmed by even the Unforgivables."

Remus interrupted now. "Isn't that kind of a big vulnerability? I mean, if you had been killed, they would have been right there, in front of him. Not to mention, if the Death Eaters had tumbled to them being open to physical attacks..."

"I brought both of those things up to them, when Dumbledore and I first presented it to them. As far as the first part was concerned, they all said that, if he somehow wiped me out, they knew it wouldn't be long before he came after them, and would rather it be quick.

"For the second part, we restarted the DA, only in a much smaller form. The two most important parts of the training now would be a hand-to-hand fighting course, and giving them a rudimentary training in wandless magic. They would need it, for the final part of the spell that would be Voldemort's end."

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The final battle in the Second War took place just after Harry and his friends had finished school. They had all been at the Burrow, getting ready to head over to Diagon Alley. It probably wasn't the safest place to go, or the best time to do it, with all the Death Eater attacks lately, but they had been cooped up in the house for the past week and were about to go, as Ron had said numerous times, 'barking mad'. Harry, Ron, and Ginny were waiting for Hermione to come down the stairs when a single golden feather floated down, to rest on the table. It was the signal they had waited for. The bushy-haired witch came into the kitchen just in time to see it settle onto the worn wood. The four friends all reached forward to touch the feather at the same time. A familiar, slightly nauseating feeling came over them all, as the portkey effect took over, and they were jerked through to their destination.

They were standing in a clearing in the Forbidden Forest, quite a way from Hogwarts. It was a section of the forest none of them had been to before. A moment later, Neville had appeared to the side of them.

"So that's it, then? It's starting?" said the wide-faced young wizard. The training the five had undergone had perhaps seemed to transform Neville the most. The physical training had helped him get into much better shape physically, as well as increasing his confidence. The rest of the training had also increased his confidence in his magical abilities, to the point where he had actually finished his time at school with some of the highest marks in his year.

Harry nodded. "Yes. I can feel them drawing near." Voldemort's forces had taken to sending dementors out in front of the main attack force lately, to serve as a vanguard, as well as to weaken any opposition they might encounter. "They'll be here in a few minutes. I need to set the first part of the spell." The other four gathered around him in a box pattern, backs to him so they could keep watch.

Harry raised his hands to the sky and threw his head back. In a clear loud voice, he said the incantation. "Amor defendere omni absque Voldemort." It was the protective part of the spell, the part that should protect his friends while he cast the spell that was the real focus, as well as protecting them from any of the after-effects it might cause. Translated literally, the spell meant 'love protect all except Voldemort'. It was essentially a shield spell, that would contain any of the fallout from his battle with the Dark Lord, while his friends in turn protected him, from the efforts of any of the Death Eaters who might take exception with his desire to destroy their master.

A white glow spread from his hands, slowly going from him to his friends, now his guardians. They stiffened as it hit them each in the breast. As it spread from there to the rest of their bodies, enveloping them in a pure white glow, the four were infused with the protection he offered. As it flowed into them, they finally understood, once and for all, why he had to do this. By now, they had all known of Trelawney's prophecy, but none had been able to ken it like they now did. As this happened, all four of Harry's friends and protectors accepted the need for this, unconditionally. They knew now why he had accepted the possibility that he might not survive the encounter with Voldemort. They accepted that he was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to stop the Dark Lord, in order that no other family would need to suffer the way that his had. In return, they each silently pledged that, if they would have anything to say about it, the sacrifice would never be required. Cliched as the phrase might be, they would truly go to the gates of hell for him, as they knew he would do the same for them. The bright white light slowly faded, as it was absorbed into them. The five were now locked together in the mutual web of protection.

The spell completed now, the five teens turned to face the direction they could all feel the dementors approaching from. All of them drew their wands from their robes, waiting, preparing for what was to come. They knew that the Order was gathering everybody they possibly could spare right now, aurors as well as any other witch or wizard who could raise a wand. Neville spun as they heard the first pops of Order members apparating in behind them, his wand at the ready. The first one to spy them was Mad-Eye Moody.

"Constant Vigilance. Good job, Longbottom."

"Thanks, Mr Moody. We've been practicing just a bit." This last was said with a slight smirk and a quick bob of his head.

"Haven't we all, boy."

More were appearing now, by ones and threes, even some larger groups. Soon, there was a huge gathering of wiches and wizards, all grimly preparing for the coming battle. They were all starting to get a little edgy with the waiting, as Harry said simply, "They're here."

A solid line of dementors, more than anyone had ever seen in one place, appeared then, intent on causing as much chaos as they possibly could. They were close enough already that Harry could see the bones poking from their rotted flesh. The hoods on the dementors' cloaks were already lowered, their gruesome mouths gaping, as they cast about for someone, anyone, to perform their soul-stealing Kiss on. Harry spurred the rest on, as he yelled, "Expecto Patronum!" The stag that burst from his wand was huge, the spread of the antlers large enough to take down five of the fowl creatures with one toss of the head. Alongside it were an otter from Hermione, which was attempting to bite the dementors in places nobody was quite sure they had to worry about, a huge bear from Ron, swiping dementors aside with it's clawed paws, Ginny's grimm that locked on with it's teeth, and Neville's falcon, swooping in with it's talons to snatch the dementors away. There were many other silvery phantoms moving through the ranks of the former guards of Azkaban, but none did the damage these five did. Later, Hermione hypothesized that the binding spell they had done must have enhanced their patroni, or perhaps it was the fact that none had ever been more certain of what they would do, than at that moment.

An indeterminate time later, the stag having dealt with the last few stragglers, they had a slight respite. Ginny took advantage of these few moments when the Death Eaters hadn't caught up to current events to withdraw energy replenishing potions from her robe. She handed them round to her companions, to ensure they would all be up to the next stage of the conflict. The youngest in the group, due to her keen interest in the healing arts, had become the medic and potions brewer for the quintet. She had improved even beyond Hermione in this respect, causing her brother's girlfriend no small amount of chagrin. Fortunately, this was the only part of that training she had needed as of yet. Others around them were doing the same, swigging pepper-up, as well as some of the more arcane potions, to raise their energy levels back to where they would need them.

All too soon, cowled figures, wearing bone-white masks, started apparating into the scene, and the curses, hexes, and jinxes started flying. It was unmitigated chaos, on both sides. A very frustrated group of Voldemort's henchman soon found that even the most powerful curses thrown at the young wizards in the center of the melee would simply rebound, as often as not taking down their fellows. Some of the denser ones, whom Harry thought must have been Goyle and Crabbe Sr, even tried throwing crucio at Ginny, only to have it reflect straight back onto themselves. If the situation hadn't been so grave, it would have been funny. As it was, Harry's anger was building into a rage. So far, there had been no sign of Voldemort himself. With all the death and destruction that was happening around them, there was no way Riddle was going to slip through his clutches this time. He cast a sonorus on himself, and started calling for his mortal enemy.

"Tom Riddle! Where are you, you misbegotten half-blooded son of a hedge witch? I'm waiting! What's the matter, don't you think you can handle a couple of kids? Have to send your dung-eaters to do your dirty work?"

He fought as he taunted Riddle, trying to save as many as he could. He saw Moody go down to a vicious slashing spell from the elder Malfoy, as Kingsley was lost to an avada kedavra from Bellatrix Lestrange. She turned then, seeing Neville. A queer light came to her eyes as she found the son of the people she had tortured all those years ago. "Longbottom. So, how's your dad these days? How about mumsie? Ready to join them?" She threw a killing curse at him then, only to have it deflected back to her instantly. She didn't even have time to look surprised, though it did wipe the sneer from her face.

Harry's taunting continued. "Tommie, where are you? Come on, you squib, get your skinny snake arse over here, and let's get this over with! I've dealt with your dementors, your lackeys are losing, and it's just going to be the two of us, soon. Then again, I don't blame you for running, you coward. You couldn't even kill me when I was a baby, how can you hope to do it now? Get out here, you worm!"

A hissing, sibilant, voice came back to him, now. "Just who are you calling coward, boy? You are the ones with his friends surrounding you?"

The young wizard signaled to his friends, now. They moved away from him, far enough to allow Voldemort to approach. Once he did, they contracted again, still facing outwards. "They won't interfere. They will make sure that nobody else does, either. This is between you and me, Tom."

"How DARE you call me that? I have expunged the last of my father's blood from me! I am no longer his son. You shall suffer, Potter, as no other has." He threw a crucio at Harry, only to have it rebound, ending as quickly as it hit him. "How is that possible?"

As he stood there, stunned, he was hit by Harry's expelliarmus. He dropped, as his wand flew to the younger wizard. Harry put both wands away. Again, he cast his hands in the air, threw his head back, and chanted, "Plenu Anime Anullare." A blinding green light, more brilliant than anything seen in millenia, emanated from Harry Potter now. It flew from his hands, two bolts of pure power, twisting and writhing like snakes, before they joined and homed in on Thomas Marvolo Riddle. The energy coursed through him, rapidly tearing him to pieces. His soul was not just being ripped from his body like the last time, it was being shredded, torn asunder. When the Dark Lord was reduced to nothing more than swirling confetti, the final spell was spoken. "iacere ad quattor ventus." The pieces were then scattered to the four winds, through the shield created by the five friends. A brilliant white light flashed over the clearing, seeming to go on forever, though it lasted just seconds.

The battle was over, the light having finally prevailed.

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Harry paused in his retelling. This was the first time he had even thought about all of the details of that fight. During daylight hours, at least. Nights were another story. He still had the dreams to contend with, but at this point, they were only dreams. They may disrupt his sleeping patterns from time to time, but they no longer ruled his life.

Remus interrupted the younger man's reverie. "So, what caused the effect afterwards? The mood, I mean, where all of a sudden, it felt like it had been weeks since the end, rather than having just happened?"

"Hermione's been looking into it, of course, but even she isn't able to suss it all out. Remember that the spells I used were ancient. They may even be the basis for the Unforgivables. As near as we can tell, the protection spell we used acted as a filter of a sort. They strained out all the parts that, for lack of a better way to put it, were Voldemort, and passed on the rest. He had spent a lot of years building up his magical powers, even during the time he was without a body. That's how he was able to hang about all that time. When the spell ripped him apart, all that power was released. It had to go somewhere, and the last part of the spell ensured that it did. The spell saw my friends as the four winds the words referred to, so it cast the parts of him to them. The shield spell, in order to continue protecting them, somehow let all of it pass through them. Not the parts that were him, but the magical power. All that power went out from them, and washed out over all the people out there.

"I've always wondered if magic was some sort of animate force, a type of life all it's own. All I know for sure is that it doesn't seem to like being tied up inside a creature like Voldemort had become. When it escaped him, it also was able to discern who his followers were. As we were cleaning up the last few pockets of Death Eaters, we saw that the ones who retained the Dark Mark were only the most unrepentant, the ones who'd followed him because they liked it. For the rest, it was gone.

"I think the mood came more from the wave of magic, recharging everyone, almost. I think that, in replenishing them in a way a potion couldn't, it healed them in other ways. There were a lot fewer wounds on that battlefield than anybody ever expected." He chuckled now. "I think that's the first time I've ever seen Ginny bored after a battle. She was so used to having to heal up all the wounds everybody else suffered, that it was a bit un-nerving to find that her services weren't needed. I sent the four of them back to the castle, telling them I'd be along soon. I wanted to let Dumbledore know how well it had all worked. Of course, he knew already. Can't put anything over on him, you know."

Harry looked at his watch now, and jumped up from the desk. "Bugger! Ginny's going to kill me! We're supposed to be up at the feast, tonight. I'd better get going."

Lupin waved him off with a smirk. "Have fun. Due to my, umm, debilitated condition, I've been excused from that particular duty."

The younger wizard gave him a look as he walked to the door, removing the sealing spells along the way. "You bloody faker. I have to go, but we'll talk about this later."

He opened the door, crossing the hallway to his quarters across the way, to find his beautiful fiance. It was almost time to head for the Hallowe'en feast.

A/N: To everybody who has waited so patiently for the next chapter in this story, I apologize. This chapter was a bit difficult to write. I know how antsy I get, waiting for a new installment on one of the many stories I follow. There will be at least a couple more on this one, but they shouldn't take as long to get out. I hope.

GiGiFanFic: No need to make rash promises like that, my dear. You are more than welcome to review my poor attemps, to your heart's delight. Again, sorry to take so long.

UnRealityCheck: Thank you for your very kind words. I know just what you mean, when it comes to grammar, spelling, and usage errors. I have run across a great many fics that could have been absolutely brilliant, if not for these things. This is part of the reason why some of the chapters in this story have taken as long as they have to get posted. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. Also, I hope that the last couple of chapters have cleared up the questions you raised.

Richard: Thanks for the tip, regarding British weddings. I hope it's not too obvious that I'm a Yank. I've done my best to keep the language as close as I could, for a colonial. Glad you're enjoying the story.

Cobalt45: I noticed that myself, not long before Jaquelyne pointed it out in a review, as well. 'Scuse me a second... :::thumps head against wall repeatedly::: Urgh.

Jaquelyne: Thanks again, fair damsel. When I wrote that chapter, I was listening to Meet Me In Margaritaville. I had just burned it to my HD the day before, and it inspired me. Since then, I've also added License to Chill. Jimmy's da man.

SiblingCreature: Personally, I think that if Harry doesn't become an auror or a pro quidditch player, professor would have to be it. As for headmaster or Minister of Magic, not so much.

Stahchild: Good question, concerning Ginny, and how OOC it might seem for Molly to push the two of them to move in together. Just a couple of things to keep in mind, in my opinion. I think that Molly and Arthur would have realized by now, that their daughter, much like Harry, hasn't really been a child for a long time. With everything they've been through together and apart, both teens had to grow up much faster than anybody should, but grow up they did. Another thing to think about is the fact that Molly knows that Ginny has wanted to be at his side, in every sense of the word, since before she can remember. Molly also knows and loves Harry like a son, and knows that he would never do anything to hurt Ginny.