The Final Lesson

Written by: HoshiHikari

Disclaimer: I do not own HP! That's right, the characters still all belong to J.K Rowling As for the plot, it might have been done before, so I won't take credit for that either

Summary:

He is tainted by evil. He had lost all emotions, all feelings all humane senses. He had become heartless, soulless towards all living creatures. The final straw had snapped. How could Harry save the world and bring light into a world consumed by darkness, when he, himself is the cause of chaos and destruction? When he himself is the Dark Master, the Half-Blooded Prince?

He is a werewolf, a dark creature, tainted by the goodness of people. He is the remaining Marauder, given the responsibility and the burden to raise young Harry. Now that Harry's gone evil, to what lengths would his guardian goes to protect him, to save him, not only from the world but from himself? Can Remus bring back the Harry that was once adored by everyone? Will Remus be able to teach Harry the most important lesson of all time? Can Remus teach Harry how to once again be humane, to have a heart and a soul? Will he, Remus be persuaded to give up, and cross over, when all is lost, and Harry is past being worth saving? Or will he stick by his beliefs, run out of time, and in turn pay the ultimate price?

NO SLASH! NO SLASH! in fact, Romance is not important, nothing romantically, and if there is, its not meant at all!

Author Notes: "…." talk Italic thoughts/dreams /…/ Parseltongue Snake language underlinetext/letter/writings bold/italicslyrics from songs (if any)

Lady Urquentha: thanks for the reievew. Glad you like the Voldemort twist. Yes, Avenger Remus

achilles-harry: thanks for the review! Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!

Thanks to everyone else who reviewed! I'm going to update my bio often so please check it out!

Chapter 25 The Battle of Forged Alliances (Part III)

Then, suddenly he saw it. Something or someone began to fade into view. As its shape drew clearer, Dumbledore could feel the winds shifting and a cold breeze sweep through the room. First legs, then a torso, then the upper body and then arms, a neck and finally a head.

All at once, an enormous gasp of surprise came from everyone except Avenger, who seemed to have anticipated this.

"So you've finally decided to take your own form, Voldemort, and not hide through my charge." Avenger spoke softly.

The figured smiled. He slowly bent down and carefully placed the Prince on the floor. Waving his hands, he gestured at the Death Eater's. Two of them exchanged looks before slowly and carefully approaching the thought to be dead Lord, who now seemed to have survived through his arch nemesis. The Dark Lord, or its shadow like figure that grew solid by the minute gestured at the unconscious Prince, and the Death Eater's took it as a sign to take the teen back.

"Yes, so I have. That isn't a surprise. After all, you knew all along, didn't you?" Then an obscure smile spread across the Dark Lord's face. "I could say the same for you. Never would I have imagined the day would come when we would be united on the same side, werewolf. My Prince can do such magnificent magic, uniting the world's enemies to form the same Master. After all, that is the only person that hereby links the two of us together. We both know the long line of intense hatred between us, enough that you've bided your time so well that you just can't wait to kill me the minute I leave the boy"

Avenger laughed coolly. "Why, Voldemort. You know me so well, the way my friends do."

At this Lord Voldemort let out a deep laugh, something that he hadn't done in a long time.

The laughter slowly died down. In three quick strides, the Dark Lord was standing before Avenger, eyes meeting at eye level. Neither seemed to tower over the other, and if they were standing side by side, instead of piercing holes into each other's body, it was difficult to tell who held more authority and were more powerful then the others. However, even standing the way they were, it was clear to Dumbledore that he now facing two of the most powerful people in the world.

"Yes, old friends indeed. In fact, so close, I don't believe formalities are necessary." Voldemort glanced over Avenger's shoulder. "Wouldn't you agree, Dumbledore?"

Giving Avenger one last deadly, stay-out-of-it look glare, he stepped before the man so that he was now standing directly before Dumbledore.

"I must say, I never believed my plan would succeed at such ground breaking records that would go way off the charts." Voldemort said casually, fumbling the wand he had retrieved from Harry's grasp. "Thanks to you Dumbledore, I have succeed."

Dumbledore frowned, not understanding. "I do not know what you are playing out Avenger. It won't fool me." He said, ignoring Voldemort. "Tom's dead, wiped off the face of the Earth. None of your little creations would or could bring back the real thing."

Before Avenger could retort, Voldemort boomed into another laugh. "You think I'm dead? You really believe I'm dead?" he asked, mockingly. "No, wait, I am dead. The man you now face is a mere spirit of its former self!" Another laugh. "You are blind Dumbledore! As blind as a bat! You and the rest of the world! Blind!" he boomed out. Then Voldemort suddenly pointed his wand at the Prince, who was still unconscious. "If anyone is dead, then that boy is! In fact, Harry James Potter has been dead for 3 years!"

There was a stir of unrest among the group as people began to murmur and heads turned to look at the boy, whose body now seemed to fade as Voldemort became much more apparent.

"As you all know, three years ago, I was challenged by the Potter brat. It was bloody at the very least. We both ended up being knocked senseless. In the end, for the need of survival, I possessed the Potter boy, for he was the only one present. For the next two years, there was a fierce mind struggle for dominance of a single body. The boy was weak, and in the end I overpowered his mind, body and soul completely. From then on, I resurfaced in the world as Harry Potter." A chuckle. "Did you ever think my Death Eater's would truly follow my sworn nemeses?" Then as if to answer his own question he said. "No, they don't. They were following my others. They are my faithful servants. The only reason Potter got tangled in this messed, should I say framed for my actions, is because I was working through him. Brilliant, is it not?"

Dumbledore's fist clenched, as he took another look at Harry. "and now that you don't need Harry, you're disposing him?"

"Correct. I never needed him to begin with, although he proved himself useful. After all, didn't you convince the world that Harry Potter was Evil? You help aid and promote my little scheme. You gave me enough time to recuperate and at last" he gestured at himself. "regain my own form and dispose of my former nemeses body. He is weak. Potter will not survive past a day without my presence. I now thank you for that Dumbledore. Through your cooperation, I have succeeded in conquering the world."

Dumbledore's fury grew, and his body was shaking as though his whole world came down upon him. Suddenly his near victory seemed distant. The cold and bitter 'truth' shattered his entire goal that he had been devoted and obsessed with for that past two years. Now knowing the 'truth' he wanted to reach out to Harry, to pull him out of the darkness that had emended itself around him.

You're not Evil Harry, nor Dark…..

Remus' words suddenly rushed into him. Thinking of Remus only made him feel worst, terrible. The man had believed, the man had trusted. The man had not abandoned the Prince at all, had never given hope on him, had always believed. Now that he was corrected, he wasn't here to witness it.

Dumbledore was so obsessed with his wrong doings that he didn't realize the obvious falsehood from the Dark Lord, the must noticeable being that the timeline did not match what happened, nor did he notice the 'my' in my prince in which the Dark Lord still referred Harry as, referred him as a superior. If anything at all, the twisted tale would have worked better if it had come out of the Prince himself, at least then, more truth would have been told.

"Bastard!" Avenger's voice broke his concentration. Pulling himself together, he concentrated on the changes that were occurring.

"You…you….you…" no more words came out from the Master's guardian, as frustration was clear in his voice. "You dare use…."

"Hold your tongue werewolf…" Voldemort said dangerously, turning back to face Avenger. He reached out and grasped the man roughly by his shoulder. "You seem to forget your place in society." Then very softly, he released the numbing charm on the man.

Immediately Avenger's knees buckled in pain as he tried to uphold his entire body weight. The new pain his shoulder caused his back to bend, and though he was wearing his mask, the obvious marks of pain were etched on it.

A single finger was twitching at the edge of the mask, threatening to uplift it. "One more word, and I swear your precious identity would be revealed right here, right now." A cold shiver, worst then Dumbledore was presently feeling, elapsed the man. "Understand?" Avenger nodded as his physical pain was becoming unbearable, as well as exposing his identity was enough to drive him down and keep him within the Dark Lord's finger tips.

"Forgive me milord. I know not what came over me. I beg for your forgiveness." Avenger mumbled, breathing a sigh of relief as the pain in his shoulders and legs disappeared the moment the Dark Lord's hand was lifted, and this time a healing charm was set into play.

"Then prove to me, your loyalties rest with me, and not the boy. Take down Dumbledore and his entire army, single handily." He placed his own wand in Avenger's hand. "With this."

There were loud murmurs now. Both armies were restless, yet quite fascinated by the dialogue that was occurring. Through the actions and dialogue within the past ½ hour, it had already proven Voldemort's words that the Prince is the only person who links the two of them together and that there is a long intense line of hatred between them enough for either one to kill the other the first minute either of them has got. Now, that it was clear the Prince had been used all along, the people also began to wonder where or who exactly Avenger's loyalties lied with, and why was it so.

"Gladly." Avenger said simply, accepting what would seem like a suicidal mission. "However, I will never fight in your name. My loyalties solely lie with the Prince, with Harry Potter, nothing and no one can change that. Dumbledore and his armies just so happen to be in my way, waiting to be stampeded upon. Like I said before, once I am finish with them, I'll turn on you and your army. I will claim back and take back what you have taken away. Like you said earlier, it is not uncommon for an untamed wolf to bite back on its Master."

Voldemort smiled. "I look forward to our duel." He said. "In fact, so much that I think I'll help you accomplish your task. With the combined power of each other, those that stand in our path will be mercilessly slaughtered."

Then with no warning at all, the Dark Lord's form disappeared into thin air. All eyes traveled to Avenger, as though waiting for an explanation that never came.

With no warning, Dumbledore felt a gush of wind wrap around himself. Before he knew it, he felt something enter his body. "No…." Dumbledore murmured softly, although it was enough to attract everyone's attention. Immediately heads, spun around to look at him. There were gasps of surprise as they saw the man slump onto his knees, his entire body shaking. Then, his body froze. There was no movement at all from the man. Dumbledore was crouched over on fours, his entire body crumpled into a ball.

Not even five minutes had passed before there was slow movement. First the hands and legs twitched, and then as one, they pulled himself up so that he was standing again.

"Albus?" McGonagall's voice asked concerned. There was no reply. The man's eyes were shut tightly and the hand that was holding onto his wand was shaking. The headmistress took a tentative step towards him. She didn't make 5 feet when a series of daggers rained on top of her. She froze shocked at the speed and accuracy, even though the daggers weren't thrown to mean any harm.

"Stay away from him." Avenger said smoothly, his eyes focused on Albus. "Unless you wish to kill him yourself. Otherwise stay clear." He raised his voice. "In fact, I advice all of you to stay clear of him. Heed my warning now, if you wish to remain alive." There was something in the voice that caused McGonagall to halt. Was it concern? Was it fear? Or maybe a mix of both. Whatever it was, her instincts told her to trust the man, even if he was her enemy.

With out hesitating, Avenger turned back to Albus and threw a handful of daggers, this time, aiming to take his life. If he was correct and his instincts were right, Albus Dumbledore was no longer residing in his own body.

Dumbledore dodged left, then a quick right again, letting two daggers passed by each side. The audience cried out in awe, as they all knew Dumbledore was not capable of that himself. They watched as he ducked the one above his head. There was another cry of awe from surprise followed by a quick one of warning. The last dagger was aimed directly at his heart. At this speed, even at the speed the old man was moving at, there was no way to dodge or avoid it.

The eyelids suddenly flashed open. There was a brief moment when the eyes were lifeless blue, twinkle-less before turning crimson red. An all too familiar Voldemort trademark smile appeared upon Dumbledore's lips, causing the face to become askew and out of proportion. It was a haunting look that should have never been possible upon a calm, peaceful, selfless man. However, the way Voldemort made it, the sight was all too real.

"Protego" hissed the possessed old man, forming a barrier that was stronger then any that Dumbledore could have cast himself.

"Playing 'possess Dumbledore' now are we Voldemort? Only a coward who can't stand their own ground would fight against the enemy by being the enemy." Avenger drawled, disapproval seeping through his voice.

"I've got nothing to lose." Voldemort said simply. "You wanted to fight me, so I made the odds more even. You can't defeat a mere spirit, so by possessing flesh and bone, I have made it possible." An evil smile. "Even if you do defeat me, I take him with me." He gestured at the possessed body.

"The man will resist."

"Oh no." Voldemort drawled. "The boy." He gestured at Harry. "was much more of a challenge. At least he resisted for two years. Dumbledore gave up after two minutes." He sneered, clearing enjoying the startled looks upon the other's faces.

Before Voldemort finished, a line of resistance etched upon his face. For a minute the eyes were blazing blue, before switching again to crimson. The body was shaking once more as a fight for internal dominance ensured. Dumbledore was defiant, but Voldemort was just as aggressive.

"Cruico!" They watched helplessly as Dumbledore cast the spell upon himself while he was laughing insanely.

"You've hurt Harry old man. You've created wounds that would be forever scarred on my Prince." Voldemort said between casting on the man he was possessing and speaking. "You manipulating bastard. I'll make sure you pay before sending you to hell!"

The curses suddenly stopped. Dumbledore was panting hard, and they could tell it was him by his eye color. The man didn't get a rest before Voldemort took over again.

"If you want to charge and sentence any of my followers, including the Prince, I'll make sure you get sentenced for it as well." Having said that, he raised Dumbledore's wand and began slaughtering the man's own army. By the time Dumbledore took control again, or more likely that the Dark Lord left him a minute so that he could see his own destruction, his eyes cringed to see his front line of soldiers lying on the floor in unrecognizable pieces.

There was not a moments rest before Voldemort took over again. He was on his second killing spree, when he was stopped by a series of daggers that warded of the army that was under attacked.

Both sides looked up at Avenger, curiously, wondering just exactly why he would interfere.

"I believe the battle is between us, not them." Avenger said smoothly.

"It makes no difference." Voldemort said coldly. "I was just exercising my superior powers." He rolled up his sleeves. "Man is a fast learner. The only way to stop resistance is only through fear. Dumbledore will no longer resist me, knowing that when he does, it's himself who is lucking out. I will then gain full power and he'll perform something he won't wish to have done and regret later on in life. However, if he doesn't resist, and Harry has learn this as well, they will find out that accommodating would yield results such as being in control, of half conscious of their own life. Otherwise how else do you think the Prince would have been lenient on you, if it was my choice, you would have been dead. After all you do seem to share a delicate relationship with him."

Avenger outwardly growled, now taking a battle stance. The two faced off and began their duel. Avenger using Voldemort's wand, and Voldemort battled through Dumbledore using the old coot's wand.

"Avada Kedavra!" Avenger yelled.

Voldemort smirked, easily dodging that spell. "My, my, you really hate Dumbledore, don't you? Just to take me down, you're willingly to take him out to. Such unGryffindorish to do, betraying a member of your own house. I don't believe Gryffindors were traitors." Then Voldemort seemed to correct himself. "Oh wait, that's wrong. Besides you, both Wormtail and Harry would fall under that category as well."

Avenger ignored him as he was concentrating on the battle at hand. The two exchanged a serious of fast curses, mixed with Avenger's daggers.

"I have nothing to lose, but everything to gain." Avenger sent 'thousand knife cuts' as though to prove his point. Voldemort neither dodged nor protected or defended himself, except against for the killing curse, which would have killed him as well. There was no need to. After all he was possessing Dumbledore, another one of his nemesis. "Besides as you have already pointed out, Dumbledore has hurt Harry beyond repair. I will avenger Harry and mend the faults. Both of you fall into that category, therefore why should I be concerned about Albus' fate?"

"Well spoken. You should have been in Hufflepuff. You've got talents for every house, you've fit in best there." Voldemort continued, after sending a stunner followed by electricity wrapped within water. "However unfortunately you got stuck in a house with a Potter, a mutt, and a cowardly Rat." Then very softly Voldemort added, and Avenger was sure no one else heard, "They would've been disappointed to see you turn out this way, more disappointed then with Harry."

Avenger's anger boiled. No one, no one was going to tell him how James and Sirius would have acted or been. No one had the right to do that. No one was going to tell him that he was a disappointment. No one, and especially not Dumbledore, for he was sure the eyes was blue although he might have imagined it, when that had come out.

"Sorry, I've got no clue what the hell you're talking about Voldemort." Avenger said simply, for once glad that Dumbledore was physically suffering, and injured more then he was, as Voldemort had purposely let the spells hit him.

Voldemort rolled his eyes.

It was then that Avenger saw it. Reflected and beneath the crimson was sparks of blue, the eyes that should have been there. What was more annoying then that was the twinkle. The twinkle that even Voldemort could not eliminate. As Avenger looked deeper, he thought he saw something, but couldn't make it out.

'I-have-a-pretty-good-guess-who-you-are' was reflected from it, from the blue twinkling eyes. Avenger was startled that he twisted his gaze away.

"Something wrong?" Voldemort asked casually, pausing a minute, as he too felt Dumbledore trying to regain control again.

"Absolutely. Successfully murdering a person who won't die, and comes back over and over again to fight you. I believe that's very wrong." Avenger replied, as his eyes unconsciously drifted back into the man's gaze, as though something attracted him there. What he saw was something he wasn't prepared for.

Memories of his younger self of his path rushed through him. All of them had a single common goal, they all were when Dumbledore had reached out his hand to pick him up during his darkest hours.

It was heart warming; all of it, and it distracted Avenger from the battle at hand.

'Help me Remus. Help me. Please. Forgive me for my faults. Please. Remus, help me' The eyes of Dumbledore that were hidden from everyone else was pleadingly staring at him, seeking help.

'Please I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Please. Remus, help me. I'm sorry for not trusting you. I'm sorry about Harry. I should have known better.'

"Why won't you hold still?" Avenger yelled annoyed that none of the killing curses worked. He was now very frustrated, especially with Dumbledore trying to break into his mind and nag at him. More then ever, he wanted to kill the man. This time not because of only the faults that the man had struck on Harry, but for identity purposes. What he found himself fearing most nowadays when people finding out who he really was, who the man behind the mask was.

Voldemort laughed. "Very well, If you are so keen in defeating the man, then I shall let you. After all, he is useless to me. He won't be able to stand against his own, that is not with the injuries he sustained."

Just like the way he came, Voldemort left the body, appearing next to Avenger. Immediately, Dumbledore's frail and weak body fell forward and he landed on his knees, positive that his knee caps were broken.

"Now kill him." Voldemort was saying.

Avenger slowly walked forward, step by step, approaching Dumbledore. When he was by his side, he kneeled down and roughly grabbed the man up by his collar so that their eyes met, or at least Avenger could see the man's blue eyes, but not the other way around because of the mask.

"I'm sorry." Dumbledore managed to choke out. "I'm sorry." He said louder, or as loud as he could get.

"Sorry makes no difference. It can't change the past. What's done is done. You deserved what you got. Now you deserve what you're getting." A soft pause. "I've killed thousands, city after city, crushing one after the next. What do you think makes you so special? I do not hesitate, I never hesitate."

Avenger brought one dagger close to the man's neck, brushing it by the pulse, lingering there. Dumbledore did not flinch, in fact his face was quite calm.

"Any last words?"

Dumbledore seemed to be thinking. Taking in the silence, and the fact the Dumbledore had closed his eyes, Avenger took it as a sign that said no. However, just as he was about to do so, the eyes flashed opened and very soft words came out.

"Sorry?" Avenger asked.

Dumbledore cleared his throat. Then in a swift movement, he jerked his head away from the dagger. With his right hand he twisted the wand Avenger was holding. Turning to look at Voldemort, he held out the wand.

"Good bye Tom" With snapping fingers, the wand broke.

There was a furious scream. At first Dumbledore had only thought that the man would only be furious that his wand was snapped, but it turned out to be more. Voldemort was fading. With a final shriek, he disappeared.

Everyone stared in awe. No one had expected it. Before anyone could recover, especially the man before him, he used his left hand, grabbed the dagger, turned it around, and stabbed it into the younger man's chest. Since they were in proximity of each other, the attack was swift and clear cut.

"Bastard." Avenger cursed as his body fell backwards.

"Re—Avenger!" The Prince's voice erupted the silence. No one had realized that once the Dark Lord had disappeared, the Prince's awoke from his unconsciousness as though it was really because the energy that Voldemort had used was returned to him, and therefore he awoke.

"Avenger!" The Prince called out, jumping onto his feet. By first instinct he rushed out from his protective Death Eater's who were trying to hold him back. The scene was all too familiar for him to bear. Avenger, no, Remus was falling the same way Sirius had.

"If one of us has to die, then its going to be you. You…Re--"

Dumbledore never finished naming the man. Avenger's hand snaked out and seized the wand that Dumbledore's wand. "Obliviate. I forbid you to remember my true identity." He whispered quietly.

Apparently it had worked. The old man seemed to freeze. At that moment, Avenger fell flat on his back. Dumbledore's eyes were blazing with triumph, having defeated a man of his stance. He remembered and recalled everything except for the part of true identity, as he, himself didn't even realize that that part of his memory had been completely wiped.

"Avenger!" Harry yelled. The moment he was out of the Death Eater's protection, Dumbledore gave the summon to have the Prince tackled down. Two auror's, also Order members took that job onto hand, reaching the Prince quicker then the Death Eater's could.

Harry struggled, but couldn't shake them off. All he could do was helplessly scream his guardian's alias name, as he watched fresh blood protrude from the new wound.

"One more move, and I swear I'll kill him." One of the auror's threatened as the Death Eater's tried to rescue their Prince.

Dumbledore now slowly approached Harry, who spat at him the first moment he got. Reaching into the boy's robes to search for dangerous materials, he was surprised to pull out a wand, to be more precise, Harry Potter's own wand.

"Get your filthy hands off my wand!" Harry was saying, as he tried to leap towards Dumbledore.

"I'm afraid a misunderstanding has come up, my boy." Dumbledore said causally. "It seems to me that you have been under both the influence of both Tom and Avenger."

"What!" Harry tried to piece together what might have happened afterwards, but nothing made any sense to him.

"I'm afraid for the past three years; you have been possessed by Voldemort and had been controlled by Avenger." Dumbledore repeated solemnly. "It will take some time, but I'm sure a full recovery is in order."

"What the hell is going on here?" The Prince demanded, very confused.

"I'm sure you're confused Harry. It's ok. I've got everything under control. Come back to my office, and I'm sure we can sort everything out."

"I'm not going anywhere." Harry snapped. "It's not OK. You don't got everything under control!" he said hotly. Seeing that he was getting no results, he roughly turned to his Death Eater's and demanded for an answer. "What the hell is going on here?"

No one stepped forward, or made a move. The Death Eaters didn't really know what to do. One minute they were under Harry's control, the next under the Dark Lord who they thought were dead, and then Avenger seemed to be mixed in it as well. No one really knew what to do.

"My Prince…" Bella's voice began, but was cut by Dumbledore.

"Quit it. I don't know what you're playing at. We all know the truth now. Quite trying to manipulate Harry." He drawled. "In fact, I must as well get you all rounded up. It's clear the Dark has lost."

Harry rolled his eyes, as he watched Dumbledore's men hurry towards the group to take those orders.

"Disaperate." The order was soft, but well heard. "Defend as needed. Abandon if must."

Harry was satisfied at the results. At least that told him that he was still in control. In one rumble, Harry's entire army disappeared. There was no trace left at all that showed that only a minute ago, another whole army resided here.

Dumbledore frowned at that. He still couldn't believe it, but it was clear the Harry too had power. Or maybe perhaps it had worked, because they were all cowards and needn't be told to leave. He figured that the latter made more sense then the former. Glancing around he noticed that only Harry and Avenger were left.

Avenger was painfully sitting up. The snake around him was hissing defensively at anyone that tried to approach him.

"Would you wish to kill that man who literally destroyed your life?" Dumbledore asked, seeing that Harry too was staring at Avenger.

Slowly Harry nodded. "I trust you Professor. If you say that is the case, then that is the case. I don't doubt you." The two aurors released him with a nod from Dumbledore. Taking the old man's wand, he slowly turned it onto his guardian.

The two stared at each other, eyes meeting eyes.

"Remus you alright?" Harry mentally asked, full of concern.

"Yes, this won't kill me."

"What happened?"

"Long story"

"Do you think you can apparate?" Harry asked suddenly. "Or are you too weak to do so?"

"Why? I thought you were going to kill me? Aren't you going to follow Dumbledore?" The name was laced with hatred and betrayal. "How do you know I'm not who Dumbledore says I am?"

"Nah. If you are, then you'll be dead. Karo would have killed you. You must have defended and protected me, and for that I thank you."

"Can you apparate?" He asked again.

"Even if I can, I won't. I don't trust you alone with them, with him." Avenger seemed to spit in Dumbledore's general direction.

"No choice. I order you. Get out of here." Harry was saying. "Please Remus. We both know I've lost this front. Please. You know there's more then one way to look out for me then being Avenger. Right Remus?" There was added emphasis on the man's first, and real name.

"You haven't seen my back, have you? The moment I made that tattoo, I had no intentions of turning back."

Harry frowned. "Remus, if you insist on being Avenger, then take it down as an order. One way or another, get yourself to the south wing, in the last room to the left, and you'll find yourself on a path of survival."

The two stared at each other some more. Finally Avenger gave a curt nod. "If you're going to kill me, then kill me, get it over with." He said out loud.

Harry grinned. "Inpatient aren't we? Eager to see Voldemort?" A pause, as he turned back to Dumbledore. "Shall I Professor, that is execute his wish? Or is that too easy for him?"

Avenger rolled his eyes. Dumbledore closed his eyes. Finally after a while he opened. "Kill him. However, I have one thing, I must ask." He turned back to Avenger. "What did you do with Remus?"

Avenger cocked his head to the side, as though thinking. "What do you think old man?" he sneered. "Remus is dead. I killed him." The reply was simple but firm. "Remus Lupin is forever esrased from this universe. He's wiped out of existence."

Dumbledore merely shrugged, as though he expected this reply. What he didn't notice was Harry shudder slightly, or if he did, then the old man assumed it as a reaction of a cold blooded murderer. To Harry, the words meant everything to him. He didn't miss the tone it was said in, a tone of defiance, with no sense of regret. Hearing the status of Avenger speaking of his own status like that with such calmness, wasn't something that he could have expected to have been done so casually and simply.

"Avada Kedavra" Harry hissed and Dumbledore merely assumed it as a reaction from hatred. They watched as the green light charged towards the man. At the last minute though, the man did disappear, causing Harry to let out a sigh of relief.

"Dam him." Harry cursed. He looked around, noticing the disappointed stares from Dumbledore. Exercising as much self control, Harry managed to return the wand without snapping it.

"That son of Satan." Harry screamed, acting very irritated. "I'll kill you the next time we meet!" He screamed at the empty space that Avenger was only moments before.

A hand touched his shoulder and Harry flinched at it. "It's alright Harry. It's over. Take it easy. I swear we'll kill him, get them all, and punish them for their evil deeds."

The Prince nodded numbly.

"Come with me my boy. Let's go back to Hogwarts, together."

"I'm sorry." Harry said. "for whatever mess I caused."

"You didn't mean it, and that's all that counts. You were possessed by Voldemort. We should have expected nothing less." The old man said bitterly.

"I'm glad to be normal again." Harry said. "The world, and everyone else here, may never forgive me, and I won't blame them."

"What's happened has happened. It can't be changed." Dumbledore said simply, sticking out a hand. "Focus on the present and the future. Together, we can create a brighter day." Harry took the hand, agreeing with the man. The two held it for a while, before Dumbledore finally released it.

"Minevera, Filius." Dumbledore called out. The two hurriedly came over. "Can the two of you take Harry back to Hogwarts." The two looked at him startled, eyeing Harry with utmost distrust. "Have Poppy check him over please." Albus continued. "I want him well protected from anyone until I've had the chance to properly speak with him."

"Albus! Are you out of your mind! You're endangering the entire Hogwarts' population by…." Minevera said furiously.

"He was possessed Minevera by Voldemort." After the Dark Lord's reappearance, the name once again struck fear. "It's not hard to believe. He did prove his ability tonight. Didn't he managed to possess me?"

McGonagall open her mouth to protest.

"It's alright Professors. I swear nothing will happen to the staff or students. Hogwarts is my home. It's not my fault that Voldemort possessed me. I can assure you, I am completely myself, the same scrawny boy who broke a thousand school rules in a day, the same boy who ended up in the hospital wing more often then the whole school combined, and whose spent 5 years within your house. " Harry said lightly.

"There, settled then." Dumbledore was saying.

"but what if You-Know-Who poss---"

"possess me again?" Harry asked. "I won't let that happen."

Another objection was coming out of the headmistress.

"If Mr. Potter is truly able to stick with his end of the mutual agreement, then I see no harm." Flickwick interrupted. "after all he does hold a high rank in society. A man of his status, claming to be a Prince must live up to his name."

"I give you my word of honor." That was all it took. There was no more objections that were vocalized. After being clasped on securely by the two Professors' on each side, the three disappeared.

Dumbledore watched them go. At last he let out the breath he was containing. After being possessed by Voldemort, Dumbledore was very weak, and his body was full of energy. It took all his magic to keep his stable state together. Now though, since there was no more enemies present, the last bit of energy escaped him. His body swayed, and he collapsed onto two very startled aurors.

"Albus!" they shrieked surprised. There was no response. Feeling for a pulse, they found one but it was beating very weakly.

"Get the medic!" One of the aurors yelled. "Hurry! The man's on the rim of death!"

Dumbledore barely opened his eyes as he saw numerous people hover over him. He could hear, but couldn't make out what was said. He was overly exhausted and his body ached. His body told him, he was coming to his end, and he was very eager to go with it.

Harry

His mind spun back to that name.

No! I can't die now! The war's drawing to a close. I can't die now, not when its this close, not when the truth about Harry finally came out.

The thought of Harry pushed him towards survival.

He needs me. He needs me for the days ahead of him. He needs that hand to guide him onto the right path again. He needs me to help him set things straight. I can't die now. I mustn't leave him now.

However his physical state and his mind set was in two very different worlds. His body did not permit him to live on. That was clear, and Dumbledore knew it. Everything and everyone around him was dimming, blackening. Finally his eye lids slid closed and darkness took him.

Harry...I'm sorry. Forgive me.

How was it? As always your opinions are greatly appreciated! At last the story is moving at a good pace. Please Review!