Warning: I am definitely NOT an expert on Harry Potter, and don't know much at all, so this may be a little lame.

Chapter 3

This is it. That's what Harry thought when he found Voldemort. He sent up the signal for the others to go back to the Burrow once he felt the pain from his scar become worse. Voldemort was near and it was only a matter of time until Harry had to face him again, for the final time.

One of us will come out of this alive. Merlin, it has to be him. I have to end these years of evil. I have to free them from his control, from their fear of him. I need to make it so that they don't fear his name and no longer need to call him "He-who-must-not-be-named or You-Know-Who." I need to do this- for my parents, for Sirius, for Dumbledore. For Ginny, and Ron and Hermione, and the Weasleys; for the Order, for the whole wizarding world. I just have to do this. And I can.

Harry's hand flew up to his forehead as the pain from his scar seemed to explode. He was close. Very close.

"Harry Potter." The name was spoken with venom and Harry spun around to face the one speaking, with his wand raised. "How nice to finally see you again. For the last time, I'm sure."

Harry couldn't feel the pain from his forehead because of the anger-the rage- that was building up within him. He was face to face with the man- no, the thing- he didn't think Voldemort deserved to be called a man- that caused him so much pain. The reason that he grew up in a household with no love. The reason he never knew his parents, lost his godfather and beloved headmaster. The thing that caused so much fear and pain and suffering to so many people.

"Voldemort. It will be the last time, I assure you."

The thing let out a low, menacing laugh of sorts. He raised his wand.

"How I have looked forward to the day that I could get rid of you once and for all. The last time didn't go so well. And the years in between-well, I'm ready for my revenge."

"Yes, the same here. I'm ready to rid the world of you once and for all. To let future generations know of you only through tales and history books. I can't wait till you're a thing of the past."

"Nice, Potter. I see you've been working on your final speech. I'll be sure to let the world know what your last words were."

Harry thought of what Dumbledore had told him. His weapon was the gift of love. He knew he needed to use that love in order to defeat Voldemort. He thought of his mother, who had saved him by her love for him. He thought once more of his father, Sirius, and everyone he had ever loved and had ever loved him. He thought of Ginny. He loved her, more than anything in the world, more than he thought was possible. He needed to defeat Voldemort for her.

Before Voldemort could do anything, Harry cast the Killing Spell, thinking this was the moment that it would all come to an end. But it didn't work. Sure, the green jet of light sprung from the tip of his wand, hitting Voldemort squarely in the chest, but nothing happened. Voldemort only jolted a bit and began to laugh.

What the heck? How-? What on earth is going on? Harry's mind was racing as he got over the shock from the Unforgivable Curse not working. Just as he realized he needed to try again or Voldemort would kill him, he heard the wizard say "Crucio!" and Harry was on the ground in pain.

Voldemort continued laughing. "I hoped that would work. It's something I've been working on. To every other wizard it's impossible, but I've seemed to manage it." He saw that the effects of the curse were wearing off already and cast it again, sending Harry into much more pain.

"I've decided to torture you a bit. Well, actually, quite a lot. I figured that since I wasn't able to kill you the first time, sixteen years ago, I'd like to draw this out as long as possible. Make it more enjoyable for me, you know? All that I've had to do to get to this point, all the trouble you've caused me and everything that have gotten in my way, I've got to make you pay for all of that. It's about time that-" Something made the wizard stop. There was movement in the woods. Voldemort moved his wand from where he had it pointed at Harry and pointed it towards the trees. He could not, however, see anyone and was about to say "Crucio" once more when from out of nowhere a girl appeared.

"Harry!" She cried out and ran to him, with wand raised at Voldemort. Harry was now getting to his feet, his wand raised to the wizard also.

"Ginny, what are you doing? I told you to stay at the Burrow. Why are you here?" He asked her, his eyes not leaving Voldemort's.

"I borrowed your Invisible Cloak. Whatever happens tonight Harry, I'm going to be by your side. And that's final," she added, because she knew he would protest. "It's too late now. I'm here."

Harry sighed and Voldemort laughed. "Oh, how cute. Harry's little girlfriend can't be apart from him. Well, little girl, it looks like you're going to get to see your lover die, right before I kill you too." Voldemort suddenly broke his gaze from Harry's and before Harry had time to fully register what was happening, the Dark Lord's wand moved from it's position pointing at Harry to pointing at Ginny. Before Harry could do anything, the words "Avada Kedavra" were out of Voldemort's mouth and the ginger-haired teenager was hit by a green stream of light and fell to the ground.

Pure rage built up in Harry faster than he could have imagined. That creature had just killed the girl- no, the woman he loved. Holding onto that love, he shouted "Avada Kedavra" one more time as he fell to the ground and watched, almost joyfully, as the beam hit its target with ten times more power than it usually held, and disappeared as Voldemort's body fell to the forest floor.

Scrambling back to his feet, Harry cast several more "bad" spells before the corpse disintegrated (a spell certain members of the Order made sure he knew before the final battle). He breathed a sigh of relief. He remembered that the Killing Curse hadn't worked the first time. He realized that once Ginny showed up it did. He guessed that what Dumbledore said was true, that his love for Ginny is what made the Curse so powerful, powerful enough to finally kill Voldemort. He wasn't sure if it was really over. There were probably more Death Eaters and other things to take care of, but he wasn't really sure, wasn't able to believe yet that Voldemort was gone. That the wizarding world would never have to worry about him again.

Harry looked around the forest for any more trouble, the sky lightening rapidly, when he noticed Ginny's body. He ran over to her and fell to his knees, gathering her up in his arms. He let his sobs wrack his body as he rocked back and forth with his beloved in his arms. She was gone. He'd won the final battle, but she had still died. He had broken up with her to protect her, to prevent this from happening, to assure that he would not lose her. But he had lost her anyway.

This wasn't supposed to happen, he thought. She was supposed to stay at the Burrow; she was supposed to stay safe. I got her killed. And now I have to bring her dead body back to her family. Why? Why did she have to die? Why not me? He knew the answer. If he had died before he killed Voldemort, the world would have had no chance against him. But that didn't comfort him any. The one he loved was dead. Just like everyone else he loved and who had loved him. He had a feeling that the Weasley's would kill him, but he didn't care. He'd be with her then. With her and his parents and Sirius and Dumbledore. He'd be fine then. Maybe he'd even ask them to kill him.

He slowly stood up, gathered their wands and placed them in his pocket, and apparated to the Burrow.