Colin saw the first of the deatheaters who began to boat across his lake. His own speech had angered him. He realized that what he'd told the lake inhabitants was true. The followers of Voldemort would kill all of them... and they would kill Graham. With a face reddened by anger he ordered the mer people and the squid to attack and to kill all of the deatheaters they could. The sweet face that once had held a beautifully innocent love of life spoke the orders to show the black robed wizards the same amount of mercy they'd show the lake-peoples. No mercy at all. Those who numbered just over a hundred as they started across the lake landed on the opposite side with only ten members.
"This is it." Neville whispered when the plants told him the first of the deatheaters had come into the forest. With one last kiss to Blaise's mouth, Neville stood up, easily balanced on the tree branch they'd been seated on. Opening his mouth, he began to sing in the language of the loreist calling out orders to the trees and plants of the forest. Soon the deatheaters stupid enough to enter the forest realized why it was called the Forbidden Forest. Of the 60 deatheaters who walked into the forest only 4 came out the other side.
On the final front Harry stood tall and proud with the children of Slytherin behind him. Voldemort's approach was slow and a moment after arriving he sent his deatheaters off to kill any of those within the castle while he dealt with Potter.
Harry stood back and glared at Voldemort in the middle of the final battle. "I have a gift for you, Tom."
"Don't call me that!" Voldemort snarled as he cast another curse at Harry, who dodged it easily.
Harry stopped moving and raised his hands above his head. Chanting under his breath Harry began to gather a large ball of pure purple energy into his palms. Every where across the battlefield people from both sides stopped to stare. The shiny purple light drew all of their attention. Even Voldemort stopped and wondered what Harry was doing.
"I'm giving it all back." Harry said after his chanting had stopped.
"What?" Voldemort drew back and started to move away.
With narrow eyes Harry threw the purple energy at Voldemort as he advanced. It struck Voldemort before the dark lord had time to react. Standing back from the now fallen and convulsing Voldemort, Harry spoke softly. "It's every bit of pain, hate, fear, anger, and sorrow you've ever caused. You see, Tom... It sucks a bit of your soul out of you every time you cause those emotions. For a normal person it doesn't add up to much... But you have caused so much that it's taken most of your soul... Now, I'm giving it all back."
The by-standers stared as Voldemort's ugly visage faded to reveal a handsome but sobbing boy of about 17. Harry knelt and drew the crying boy to him, holding Tom Riddle to his chest as a mother would hold her child close. "It's okay, Tom... Shush... it's almost over now." Harry rocked him for a short time while slowly rising his wand to point at the back of Tom's head.
A whimper had him drawing back staring down at the young man. Tom looked up at him with large sorrowful eyes. "I'm sorry..." He cried as his mind raced over everything he'd ever done in a very long and very ugly life.
With a soft smile Harry petted his hair back. "I know. Close your eyes and rest. It'll be over soon." Harry ran his hand over Tom's face, closing his eyes before he murmured softly, "Avada Kissetera1" with his wand pointed at Tom's temple. A small smile formed on Tom's face before his final breath escaped him.
After standing he stepped back from the body and began to chant again. With a gentle wave of his wand Tom's body slowly faded to leave only a coin sized pale gold light and a small pile of ashes. Reaching out Harry allowed the light to rest in his palm. "I too, am sorry, Tom... A wise man told me once that it isn't the abilities we have but the choices we make that crafts the person we are. Maybe this time you'll chose a little better." Harry lifted his hand and allowed the wind to carry the light off.
Turning Harry looked at the various Death Eaters. Lifting his hands he cast the same spell on them. All of them shrieked with the agony of feeling the horror and pain they had caused through out their life times. After some had collapsed, he started to walk slowly through the bodies of the fallen from both sides. He couldn't even count the numbers, but he knew for certain that it was too high. "No matter the result this was too many people to lose." Harry looked at those still alive. "When we bury them, we bury them as equals, because they were all soldiers fighting for what they believed to be right. Deatheater and Lightfighter will lay side-by-side forever as a reminder of that fact."
All of the people standing around nodded before they began to help the wounded, from both sides, to a drier area to be treated. The ones healthy enough began to move the dead to another area. Draco held Cros as Bill and Charlie carried Narsissa's body to the growing pile of dead. George and Fred cried as Percy Weasley was laid down beside her along with so many others.
Severus woke up and stared at the darkness of the final minutes of sunset. Sitting up slowly he looked around, trying to figure out where he was and where Harry was. After a few moments of staring at the people moving bodies and victims Severus found that he could stand, if a little unsteadily. Moving forward he looked around until he found Neville, who was assisting in giving basic first aid to a woman. "Neville... where is Harry?" His voice trembled and he only hoped that it wasn't too apparent.
"He's chasing down some of the Deatheaters who got away... Sir, maybe you should go to the Infirmary." Neville finished the bandage on the woman's arm and stood, slinging an arm around the taller man's waist.
"Perhaps that would be a good idea." Severus could tell he had a concussion, but the worry for Harry had been enough to drive him to his feet.
Harry stood on the top most battlement beside Lady Rowena's tower looking down on the scene of final battle. "I can't believe that it's done. Was it worth it? Why couldn't there have been another way?"
Stepping from the shadow Severus, who had just been released from the Infirmary, put an arm around Harry's shoulders. "You did what had to be done... It was the only way. I wish there had been something else you could have done. I don't want you to dwell on this too long."
He turned and smiled up at Severus. "I won't dwell on anything more than the sad loss of life... And honestly I can't mourn Tom."
Severus tilted his head a little. "Why do you smile and say that?"
"Because, at this moment he is finding another couple and he is going to be born for a second time. Perhaps this time will be better. That is why I can't mourn for him." Harry leaned against him.
"Where did you learn such a spell?" Severus asked as he wrapped his arms even tighter around him.
"The library in Lady Rowena's tower... Severus?" Turning, Harry laid his head against Severus' chest. "Tonight could you help me forget? I just want one night of peace."
Severus nodded slightly as he leaned down to press a soft kiss to Harry's lips.
That night all of the couples laid down together and celebrated surviving. As they slept in peace for the first time since the beginning of the war, the small light that was formerly Tom Riddle came back to the one place he'd always called home. It came into the castle and floated looking over each of the couples.
Down in the dungeons the light found Blaise and Neville snuggled close, holding on to one another in reassurance that both of them were still live. A few doors down it found Draco laying mostly on top of Charlie with the red head clutching tightly to him, as if for fear of losing him as Percy had been lost. Across the hall from them in a different room Bill was sitting up in bed as if still on guard, while Cros slept with his head on Bill's lap.
Up in the one of the towers the twins were wrapped up in a blanket, asleep sitting up in a window seat of in Lady Rowena's tower, still on the look out... just in case. The light shifted into another branch of the tower where Colin and Graham were resting in the pure innocence of youth. It seemed to smile before shivering a little, as if shaking it's head. No, these weren't right. It knew where it was needed. Going back to the dungeons it searched out the one who'd freed it. There it found them curled up together. Everything was ready for it to slip into place, and so it did. Floating down, it rested on his belly for a moment before sinking in. Inside it found a warm bed waiting on it. After shifting around for a moment it settled to sleep and to wait.
In the days after the final battle there were many celebrations and many funerals. But none was so poignant as the grand burial at Hogwarts. All of those who fell in the final battle were laid to rest in a single massive memorial. At the site of the battle Harry brought a huge rock up from the center of the world and craved it into a replica of the Parthenon in Greece. Inside he set a huge piece of white and black marble, onto which he carved the name of every person who died in both of the wars with Voldemort. The final name on the list, was Tom Marvolo Riddle.
That day Harry stood up in front of the Wizarding world and told a sad tale, a tale of a boy who had no one and nothing. He went on to tell them about how that little boy's only home was Hogwarts and how that home was denied to him because of a fit of anger. Harry finished by telling the world that there was no one who could be blamed for the war or the deaths because Lord Voldemort had been, at the core, a scared little boy who'd simply lost his way.
As Harry was about to step down from the podium he stopped and looked out at the stunned crowd again. "I have also a word of warning... To those of you who believe that the war is completely over, it isn't. There will be others who lose their way, as Tom did. All we can do is be ready for them... and to help any who would ask for it. Because had someone offered a hand to Tom years ago, this could have all been avoided."
With that Harry walked down to relax beside Severus who wrapped his arm around him, while others went up to deliver speeches about those who'd died. Draco surprised everyone by leading his twin up and then speaking. "Our father was one of the dark lord's biggest supporters, as was our mother... but in the final minutes of her life she intrusted something to me. She told me that she loved us and that she was upset that she had never had the chance to be a mother... Then she took the killing curse to save my intended's life. I felt the need to share this with you for one reason, to show you that, as Harry said, they were no different than any who fought for Light. Every mother who is listening to this should understand better than the rest. Love is the one thing that would not distinguish the two sides. They all had families and they loved them, in their own ways. Now I would like to ask that any who has the money and room to spare to look into taking an orphan in at least temporarily. They need love and compassion, whether they were the child of a Deatheaters or a Lightfighter... if for no other reason than to prevent another Tom Riddle from happening."
Some of the crowd gasped, but Harry smiled and clapped politely as the twins left the small stage.