The End of Darkness
Harry lay on the ground gasping for air. Slowly his breathing steadies and he opened his eyes. It was over, it was finally over. As he tried to get up Harry realised that he couldn't move. He couldn't even turn his head. Maybe I didn't survive he thought to himself and then another thought struck him. Where were Ron, Hermione and the others? Opening his mouth to scream, he realised that he couldn't even do that. Slowly he rolled his eyes to his right and saw red hair. Whose was it?
Laying there, Harry began to pray.
"Please let them be alright. They can't be dead. Take me in their place."
Hearing footsteps, Harry closed his eyes and prayed that the people coming were not Death Eaters. He knew that Voldermort was alone when he arrived but what if his followers had been lurking and waiting. The footsteps were getting closer. Any moment know they would break the line of trees and enter the clearing. Harry braced himself for the worst. If his time had come, he would die knowing that Voldemort could hurt no-one else. He just hoped that none of his friends were still around. He'd sent them off on a wild goose chase before he left Godric's Hollow. He now knew that at least one of his friends had followed him. He tried to remember if he had seen anyone following him but he could only remember the duel…
When Harry arrived at the clearing Voldemort was waiting for him just as he knew he would be. He smirked at Harry and started to move towards him with his wand pointed directly at Harry's heart. Harry stood, as if he was stuck to the ground, staring back at Voldemort with a grim smile on his face.
"So you came Harry and alone. I'm impressed. Yet you don't seem to fully understand that tonight I will finally achieve what I set out to do sixteen years ago. Tonight Harry you will join you mother and father."
Harry finally moved, he raised his wand towards Voldemort.
"Oh I don't think so Tom. You see, I don't think I will die tonight. It's not my time however I do think it is your time. You seem to be alone Tom. Where are your Death Eaters? Where is Nagini?"
"Don't call me that name!" shouted Voldemort.
"But that is your name. Tom Marvolo Riddle. Why shouldn't I call you by your given name?"
Harry thought he saw Voldemort stumble slightly and gave a brief smile. Yes he was rattled and he did look weaker than the last time they faced each other at the ministry. Everything that Dumbledore had taught him last year was true. Learning all he could about Voldemort's history was turning out to be of use. By destroying the Horcruxes he had weakened him. It would still be hard to beat him but at least now they were on a more even playing field. Harry thought that if he could keep him talking he would be able to shake him up some more.
"You know Tom; I don't think you can take me on just by yourself."
"Of course I can Potter and I'll show you just how quick it can be. Then again maybe I'll dragged it out and cause you so much pain that in the end you will beg me to kill you. You should know that I have taken many steps to ensure that I will live forever."
"Oh you mean your Horcruxes?"
Voldemort's eyes opened wide and Harry knew that he had surprised Voldemort with this declaration. The fear was growing, Harry could feel it.
"You must know that they have been destroyed. Every last one of them that you left outside your body. I must admit that hiding the last one in Godric's Hollow was a good idea but I found it eventually."
"No, you can't have! You can't have destroyed them all. I would have known."
"Ok, I didn't destroy them all personally. Dumbledore destroyed a few before Snape killed him but yes I destroyed the rest. Even you precious Nagini."
"Nooo! Ava……………"
"Expelliarmus."
Harry saw Voldemort's wand fly into the air and land at his feet. He couldn't believe that it would be that easy.
"You won't kill me Harry. You don't have it in you to kill."
"You don't know what I'm capable of; I have no-one left. You made sure of that. You killed my parents. Your Death Eaters killed Sirius and Dumbledore. I have nothing and no-one left." Shouted Harry.
"What about your friends Harry? The Weasleys and the Mudblood Granger? Maybe my Death Eaters are on a mission to kill them so that you will truly know pain. As Dumbledore repeatedly told me, it is the ability to love that gives you your strength."
Harry blanched, was Voldemort telling the truth?
"You won't use an Unforgivable Curse Harry. It's not in you. Your soul is whole and pure and as I said Dumbledore believed that your pureness would stop you. I however have no such restrictions."
Stopping, Harry thought this over for a moment and he made the mistake of closing his eyes and lowered his head for only a few seconds. However Voldemort took this moment to lunge for Harry's wand. They each struggled to gain control of the wand. Harry could feel the wand slipping through his fingers. Before he lost the wand he yelled.
"Avada Kedavra."
Voldemort also cast the spell at the same time and a violent streak of green light shot out of the wand and his a nearby tree, blowing it to bits. The wand became even harder to hold on to. Harry used all his strength and pushed Voldemort to the ground where he immediately reached for his own wand. Turning he pointed the wand at Harry and opened his mouth. Anger, unlike any he'd ever felt coursed through Harry.
"Avada Kedavra," shouted Harry for the second time that night. This time the spell hit Voldemort squarely in the chest. His eyes opened wide and he fell to the ground with a thud. The force of the spell knocked Harry off his feet as well and when he fell he hit his head on a rock knocking him unconscious.
"HARRY! Oh God, open your eyes Harry. Please don't be dead. MUM! He's over here, he's not moving."
Harry felt a gentle hand touch his cheek. He knew that hand. Opening his eyes he looked up at the girl he loved. She was looking away from him so he took a good look at her. She looked unhurt and he felt a surge of love so strong go through him. He wanted to touch her, he needed to touch her. He tried to reach out to her and was surprised to find his hand moving. He softly placed his hand of the side of her head and watched as she turned towards him. She had tears in her eyes. He caressed her face and wiped the tears from her cheeks. A tentative smile lifted the corners of her mouth and Harry ran his thumb across her lips. She closed her eyes and took a deep cleansing breath.
No words passed between them but Harry could see the love in her eyes. Just as she lowered her head Mrs Weasley came bustling over closely followed by Mr Weasley. Harry turned his head slightly and saw that it was Ron lying in the grass. Hermione was kneeling on one side of him while Red and George were standing on the other side.
"Ron!" Harry croaked, finally able to use his voice.
Mr Weasley placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him from getting up while Mrs Weasley covered the cut on his head.
"He's fine Harry. He just tripped over a tree root when he was running over to you."
Sure enough, when Harry looked over, Ron was sitting up holding his head with one hand and Hermione's with the other. Next thing he saw was Hermione lean over and kiss him. Fred and George, who had been laughing seconds before, now stood there with stunned looks on their faces. Harry turned back to see Mr and Mrs Weasley smiling indulgently at them. He thought he heard Ginny murmur "About time," before she looked back down at him. The look on her face told Harry more than any words could. She was mad and he knew that know that she knew he was fine, he was going to get both barrels.
"Why Harry? You didn't need to face this alone. You know that, we would have come with you."
"Ginny, I had to come alone. I knew that he was weaker but I couldn't risk him hurting any of you just to get to me. I couldn't have lived with that. I love you all too much."
He looked at everyone standing around him and he then realised that he was still lying on the ground. Lifting his hand up to no-one in particular, he asked for some help. Both Bill and Charlie grabbed a hand each and lifted him up. Harry swayed a little but Ginny was right there to support him. He looked down at her and his heart swelled.
"I love you Ginny."
"I love you too."
Harry leaned over and kissed her. Lifting his head he heard a phoenix singing and he smiled.
"Do you hear that?" he whispered.
"Hear what?"
"Never mind." He wrapped his arms around Ginny and lifted his face to the sky and whispered his thanks. In amongst the stars he saw their smiling faces. Dumbledore, Sirius and his parents were looking down on them. He saw Dumbledore smile and nod at him. Blinking away his tears Harry finally said good-bye and they slowly faded away but Harry knew that they were not really gone. People you loved never really left you.
Suddenly there were pops sounding around the clearing and Harry could see at least a dozen wizards and witches appear with their wand drawn. He watched as Mr Weasley rushed over to Scrimgeour and point to the body of Voldemort. Slowly the gathered wizards and witches made their way over to make sure that he was really dead this time. Harry turned his back on them and with the help of his friends, made his way through the forest, leaving the deadly scene behind him. He knew he would have questions to answer but he figured that could be done later.
Back at the Burrow, Mrs Weasley made Harry go up to Ron's room and rest. Everyone but Ginny was told to leave him alone. Ginny sat quietly beside Harry as he slept and never let his hand go. Harry blissfully slept through the night, not stirring once. When he awoke the next morning, Ginny was gone and Ron was standing at the window looking out. When he turned around and saw that Harry was awake he walked over to the bed and sat in the chair that Ginny had sat in the previous night.
"Scrimgeour is here to talk to you Harry. Mum sent me up but told me not to wake you."
"Thanks Ron." Getting up, Harry started to get dressed, "I might as well get it over with."
Two hours later, the Weasleys and Hermione heard the front door close and watch as Harry entered the kitchen. Mr Weasley looked worried, he knew that Harry could be in serious trouble for using an Unforgivable Curse but upon seeing Harry he smiled. At least Scrimgeour hadn't taken Harry away.
"What happened Harry?" Hermione asked, sitting on Ron's lap at the table.
"Well, he said that I'm lucky not to be sent to Azkaban, but seeing as it was Voldemort I killed he thought I could be forgiven and thanked by all wizards worldwide. He then offered me a job at the ministry. I told him that I'd get back to him on that."
Smiling, he walked over to the table and hugged both Mr and Mrs Weasley, kissing Mrs Weasley on the cheek. They smiled back at him and Mrs Weasley wiped the tears from her cheek and declared that tonight there would be a celebration. Harry nodded and took Ginny's hand and pulled her outside to the garden.
After walking for what seemed hours they came to rest under the giant tree at the back of the yard. Sitting in front of Harry with his arms around her, Ginny didn't think she could be any happier but he had a surprise for her.
"Ginny, I want you to know that I love you."
"Harry, I know. I love you too."
"Enough to marry me?"
Ginny turned around to look at him, "Of course. Of course I'll marry you Harry. Nothing would make me happier."
Leaning down Harry kissed her. When he finally lifted his head he continued speaking, "Firstly, we have to finish our education. You need to finish Hogwarts and I intend to train as an Auror. That's at least a couple of years before we can marry and then you need to think about what you want to do, career wise."
"I'd like to be Healer." She said quietly, "but I don't know…"
"You should do it Ginny, you'd be great. We'll always be together no matter what so let's get exactly what we want. The sky's the limit."
"Yes it is Harry, yes it is."
Over the next two months the remaining Death Eaters were caught and incarcerated in Azkaban. Peace returned to the wizarding world and once again Harry was famous for defeating He Who Must Not Be Named.
FIVE YEARS LATER
"Come on Ron! We're going to be late if you don't hurry up."
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming."
Coming down the stairs, Ron stopped when he caught sight of his wife. He was still amazed that he had taken so long to see what had been right in front of him for years. This woman completed him. He loved her completely and now they were going to have a baby in a couple of month's time.
"Ron, are you all right?"
"Yes Hermione, I'm fine. I love you."
"And I love you but we're going to be late. Your parents will be here soon."
Sure enough, they had only stepped out of the house when Mr and Mrs Weasley arrived. Ron helped Hermione into the car and then slid in beside her.
"Harry, come on or we'll be late."
"I'm coming. What time are your parents coming?"
"Any moment now." Ginny looked out the window just I time to see her parents arrive. "They're here now. Grab James's bag and let's go."
Harry watched his wife walk out of the house carrying their son and he smiled. Who would have thought that life could be the happy? Getting in the car, Harry took James from Ginny and gave him a kiss before handing him over to his Grandmother.
"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."
Harry watched as Remus lifted Tonks's veil and kissed her to he cheers of all their guests. Harry was so happy for them. As everyone clapped he looked around at all their friends gathered here. Hagrid and Maxime were sitting in the back row with Gwarp. Bill and Fleur were seated next to Mr and Mrs Weasley. Professor McGonagall, who had insisted he call her Minerva which he couldn't quite do just yet, was sitting with Professors Sprout, Flitwick and Madam Pomfrey. Charlie was sitting with his fiancée Claire while Fred and George had come alone choosing to leave their current girlfriends at home. Harry wondered if they would ever settle down. Probably not, they were having too much fun. Luna and Neville were sitting next to his grandmother. They made an unusual couple but they certainly looked happy together.
Everyone looked happy and that was all that Harry could hope for. Smiling, Harry looked over at Ron and Hermione and remembered that day 12 years ago when they met on the train. What he couldn't have known then was that he had just found his family.