Sacrifice

Voldemort was now face to face with Harry, a malicious grin spread across his snake-like face. Harry was now swaying slightly from standing so long, yet he could not help but to feel pure hatred at this moment. Voldemort was going to win, he had nothing. No plan, nothing to save his friends, nothing to save him.

Voldemort hissed, "It's either now or never, Harry. Do it now, and I might just spare your little friendssss..."

Then, just as something as crazy as his father would do, Harry had an idea.

"My wand." replied Harry. "I can't kill myself without my wand."

Voldemort looked taken aback. Apparently, he had forgotten this, too.

"Very well," said Voldemort. "but if you try anything...well," Voldemort chuckled. "I know what to do."

Harry extended out his hand to reach his wand. Voldemort slowly extended his and was holding Harry's wand. The minute Harry touched his wand, a searing pain came across his scar. The pain was unreal; it had never hurt like this before. Harry stumbled aback and crouched to the ground. The pain stopped continued, but did not hurt as bad. Harry was breathing hard now, like someone had punched him in the stomach and knocked the wind out of him.

Voldemort laughed into the midnight sky. He threw down Harry's wand at him and cackled, "I didn't know it was going to be this easssy. Apparently, you and Dumbledore are so terribly alike: weak."

At this comment, rage consumed Harry. He reached out and grabbed his wand on the ground, stood up, and pointed the wand straight for his own forehead.

"I AM NOT WEAK!" Harry screamed, his voice soaring into the night. "AVADA KEDEVRA!"

Ron, Ginny, and Hermione all gasped. Voldemort's eyes were filled with joy and happiness, but those eyes quickly turned fearful and shocked.

The curse did exactly what Harry had intended it to do: it had ricocheted off of Harry's glasses, causes the curse to backfire. It was now coming straight for Voldemort.

But Voldemort was too quick. Harry had forgotten that Voldemort had already had his wand out, and immediately pushed the curse back to Harry, screaming, "RICTUSEMPRA!" Harry, also having lightning quick reflexes (thanks from being on the Quidditch team) held his wand out and also screamed "RICTUSEMPRA!"

The curse immediately became immobile between the two of them; Harry's wand, casting a blue light, while Voldemort's cast a green light. The curse was strong, pushing onto both of them. Harry, determined not to give in, determined not to show he was weak, fought against it. He could barely see Voldemort through his cracked glasses, but he could see that the curse was moving towards him. Voldemort apparently realized this, too, because his eyes became fearful. He muttered a spell under his breath that Harry could not hear.

The next second, the curse split in two. One half hitting Harry, and one half hitting Voldemort.

Harry and Voldemort both crumpled to the ground. As soon as they did, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were released from the force field. The curse had been lifted from it, and they ran to Harry's side in fear of what they knew was true: Harry was dead.

Ginny, holding back muffled tears, gave into them. She laid down on Harry, sobbing. Ron stared in disbelief, unwilling to face the facts. He looked up at Hermione through foggy eyes, willing to comfort her and hold her, just as he did the day at Dumbledore's funeral. But as he gazed up at Hermione, to his disbelief, she was smiling.

"Hermione," asked Ron. "Are you alright?"

Hermione stared at him, her smile now becoming a grin.

"Ron, don't you get it? Harry's not dead! Only half of the curse hit him...that means he's still alive!"

Ron looked down at Harry and sure enough, there were slow, soft movements in his chest. But before he could even crack a grin, he then realized something.

"Hermione...," Ron began slowly. "But that means that Voldemort isn't dead either. That means he's still alive."