Cruel Love

The Final Battle

"This is it," Harry whispered to Ginny and squeezed her hand. "I love you."

"I love you." whispered Ginny.

She smiled at him briefly.

Somewhere above them they heard a crash, Voldemort and the Death Eaters had arrived. Ginny wondered briefly why they were so noisy; she had always imagined them to be more stealthy, but quickly pushed those thoughts from her mind. Her only goal now was to survive. Harry tightened his grip on his wand. Nothing would hurt Ginny while he was still alive. He would make sure of that.

The door in front of them burst open and Voldemort walked into the room, flanked by twenty Death Eaters. Harry knew who some of them would be. He remembered some from the graveyard and others from the night two years ago, the night when Sirius died. Harry allowed the hatred to fill him. Hatred of all the pain that he had suffered, hatred of the loss that others had suffered and hatred of the grief that everyone had suffered: the hatred of Evil.

Voldemort and his Death Eaters drew their wands.

"Dumbledore," said Voldemort. "This is brave of you. But do you really think you can beat me?"

"I don't think I can beat you, Tom. I know it." Dumbledore said calmly.

"You are not invincible, Voldemort," said Harry, quietly, from behind Lupin.

"Harry Potter," said Voldemort with a sneer. "Too many times you have thwarted me, but not today, today you will die."

Voldemort raised his wand, but Harry was quicker.

"Avada...!" cried Voldemort.

"Stupefy!" Harry shouted quickly, before Voldemort could finish the spell.

Voldemort flew backwards into the Death Eaters behind him. Soon red and green jets of light filled the room, and cries of "Avada Kedavra", "Crucio" and "Stupefy" filled the air. The battle had begun.

Bodies littered the floor, some of the Death Eaters, some of the Order. Neither side would back down. They would fight to the death. Susan was limping and Luna was unconscious. Ron's face was badly burned and Harry had a black eye, but they fought on. Dumbledore stood over Luna protecting her, firing blasts from his wand at the Death Eaters.

"Crucio!" Neville bellowed standing over the injured Bellatrix.

She writhed on the floor and screamed with pain. But Neville didn't stop. This was revenge. Harry felt a small surge of satisfaction at the sight of the woman who had caused such pain being forced to feel pain. Then looking out across the room, Harry saw Malfoy, his hood long since torn. This man had caused his Ginny pain by passing to her that diary, and so he, Harry, would avenge the pain suffered by the people he loved. He raised his wand steadily, pointed it and Malfoy, felt the hatred rush through him and spoke the words dreaded by all of wizardkind.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" he bellowed.

He saw the flash of green light, and he heard the sound of rushing death. Malfoy was dead before he hit the ground. Harry smiled in momentary triumph, but then he saw her.

She was facing Voldemort and he was laughing.

"Ginny!" Harry shouted.

But then he saw it. A jet of green light from Voldemort's wand and Ginny fell to the ground. The world began to spin around Harry. It was as if his heart had been ripped from his chest and he was watching it slowly stop beating. Everything seemed to be in slow motion. Duels were breaking up around the room as people turned to witness the final showdown. The noise of battle left the room and Harry could hear the blood rushing through his ears. He stared at the creature who had somehow succeeded in destroying Harry's life. The battle now entered its final flourish: Lord Voldemort versus the Boy-Who-Lived, Potter versus Riddle, Tom versus Harry.

"You take everything I have ever loved, Riddle!" Harry shouted. "My parents, Sirius, Ginny," he paused.

Harry raised his wand.

"DAEMON MORTUS!" he roared with all his might the spell that Dumbledore had taught him.

Quickly he pulled a potion vial out of his pocket and threw it as he said the spell, and finally, Voldemort fell, clearly dead.

Harry looked around him and saw that the Death Eaters were falling. Good was winning. He dropped to his knees, still clutching his wand.

"Ginny," he said, feeling for a pulse. "Oh, please, Ginny," he repeated, sounding panic-stricken.

"Ginny," he whispered in blind desperation, finally feeeling a pulse, the weakest he'd ever felt.

He picked her up and carried her to the corner, where he stood over her, stunning every Death Eater he could see. Harry had done it. The Dark Lord was gone. No longer would the wizarding world live in fear, but looking around him, Harry had only one thought: what was the cost of victory?

After hours of fighting the last of the Death Eaters surrendered. Dumbledore lifted Luna and Harry lifted Ginny. They took a portkey back to school, leaving Snape and McGonagall to return the other students.

Up in the hospital wing, Harry laid Ginny on a pure white bed. She was still unconscious, hardly breathing. Harry took her left hand in his as he knelt beside the bed.

"Ginny, I love you," he whispered.

For what seemed like an eternity Harry held Ginny's limp hand tightly as he wept, not wanting to let her go.

"Harry," said a quiet voice.

Harry turned to see Dumbledore behind him.

"Harry, come with me now. Let her family be with a for a little while." Harry nodded and stood up.

He placed Ginny's hand gently at her side and followed Dumbledore to his office.

"Harry," Dumbledore said. "Thank you for what you did today. You saved our world. Because of you, we are free. You will receive the Order of Merlin, First Class. You will also receive five thousand galleons as a reward from the Ministry of Magic, which is, I am sure, a poor consolation for everything that you have suffered. Your friends will each receive two thousand galleons and Order of Merlin, Second Class, as will everyone else who fought the Death Eaters today. You have shown outstanding bravery, Harry and I am so very proud of you. But I will have to ask you to be brave, just one more time." Dumbledore said gravely.

Harry looked at the old man sadly. He knew what Dumbledore was going to say.

"Sit down, Harry." Harry sat down on a harsh wooden chair opposite Dumbledore.

"Ginny Weasley is going to die, probably within twenty-four hours."

"Are you sure?" Harry asked, without any heart in his question.

"Yes," said Dumbledore. "I'm afraid so."

"What…" said Harry, slowly breaking down. "What spell?"

"I'm not sure what curse was used, but there is no way of fighting it."

Harry put his head in his hands, allowing the tears to fall.

"You know," Harry said quietly. "Some people believe that the cost of victory is never too high, but why do I always have to pay the biggest price?"

"Harry, I…" Dumbledore was at a loss for words.

Harry felt his eyes stinging.

"Why is it always me?" he asked, sadly. "Why do I have to lose everyone that I love?"

"I don't know," said Dumbledore.

"Since I was eleven I have had to fight, and for what?" he asked. "I have nothing left to live for. Fighting against evil has brought me nothing, except pain, loss and grief. And evil, it seems, is not finished picking on me. It wishes for me to suffer some more!"

"Harry, I…" said Dumbledore. "I am so sorry."

"I just wish it would all end," said Harry, slumping on his chair. "Can I be with her?"

"Of course," said Dumbledore.

Harry stood up.

"Please tell Mr Fudge that I am very grateful of his generosity." Dumbledore nodded and Harry swept from the room.

Tears fell silently down his face as he opened the hospital wing door. He was not sure how he had got there. He had just walked in a daze, a trance. He crossed the room, past Luna and Susan, Tonks and Snape, and stood by Ginny's bed. Seven red headed people and a bushy brunette were seated around her. Ginny was awake.

"Can I have a few minutes alone with Ginny, please?" Harry asked, quickly wiping the tears away.

"Of course you can," Mrs Weasley nodded.

She, Mr Weasley, Bill, Charlie, Fred and George, Ron and Hermione all stood up and left the hospital wing. Harry pulled a chair up close to the bed and took Ginny's left hand in his.

"Hey, Ginny," he said softly.

"Hi Harry," she said smiling.

"How are you?" Harry asked.

"I think…" said Ginny. "I think I'm dying."

"No Ginny," said Harry. "You're not dying."

"Liar," said Ginny.

Harry smiled sadly.

"I'm scared," said Ginny. "I'm not afraid to die, but I'm afraid for you. You lose everyone you love, and I don't know how you find the strength to carry on. I'm afraid that one day you'll lose that strength, and then there'll be no way out."

Harry stroked her cheek, searching for the right thing to say.

"Sometimes I think it would have been easier if we'd never fallen in love," whispered Ginny.

A solitary tear rolled down her cheek. Harry wiped it away.

"Don't ever say that," said Harry. "You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I love you so much. I wouldn't change anything from the best two years. Well, maybe I would have stopped you from going to fight, but other than that, I'd change nothing."

"I love you," said Ginny.

Harry smiled at her.

"Marry me, Ginny," he said.