Disclaimer: Still don't own a thing. except the stuff you don't recognise. Those are creations of my own head.

Chapter 8: Memories

Harry spent the next week carefully examining Cooper, watching what he says, what he does, what books he looked at. He hasn't seen anything to back up what he saw at the warehouse, but he wouldn't let his guard down. He was sitting in the library with Cooper and Hermione researching the past Zeichen, when Ginny came in saying, "Tonks is coming tonight and she said she has important information."

"Well, do you know what it is?" Harry asked as his girlfriend sat beside him. He was very happy that their relationship was better. He still remembered the lost look that had been in her eyes for so long.

"She couldn't say. She'll was only able to get out of the house for a few minutes before they would have noticed her. They're letting her out to market to the people for a few days. Last time she didn't get enough new people to join, and they've only just begun to trust her again. She'll have more information tonight though."

"Hopefully, it's more than what is in these old books," Hermione interjected. "We haven't been able to find out more than we already know. It always says there's a spell to destroy the Zeichen and subsequently the Keepers, but it never tells what the spell is. It's so frustrating."

"Perhaps you three should take a break. I only got here a few minutes ago." Cooper said to the group. The girls seemed to exhale in relief while Harry tensed. It must have shown, because Cooper looked in his direction inquiringly. He shrugged and got up with Hermione and Ginny. "Don't worry. If I see anything, I'll call." He went back to his work as the group exited.

"Do you guys ever get the feeling he's not telling us something?" Harry asked as they were in the kitchen.

"Who's not telling you something?" Draco had just entered when Harry asked his question.

"Cooper." Draco's eyes clouded over at the mention of that name, but nobody noticed.

"Why do you ask? I mean, he hasn't been telling us lies or anything."

"I don't know." Harry seemed perplexed. He wondered around the room as he spoke his thoughts aloud. "How can we really trust him? His word…Oh another thing, where did he learn all this stuff, he's a muggle. No muggle has access to that kind of information unless they have wizarding heritage."

Draco sat through this until, "Well, you can believe me. Only my word. Maybe he can't tell us everything, I mean we can't tell everything to people not in the Order." Harry looked into his eyes and found nothing, just gray orbs. He hated not being able to read people, and Draco was one of the hardest. He kept everything close.

"It was just a feeling. Just forget it." Hermione and Ginny watched this exchange and remained silent. They knew Harry had difficulty trusting people, and needed to find things out in his own way.

Just then, the object of their discussions popped his head around the door. "I think I might have found something." He came around the corner carrying a huge tome of a book. It was very old and dusty. The pages were yellowed from age and the cover was peeling from the spine from multiple uses. He laid it down in front of them to an open page. Hermione pulled it towards her while he explained. "I knew there was something about them that I was forgetting but I couldn't figure it out until I saw this passage."

Hermione looked down at the book. She saw nothing out of the ordinary until she began to read and understood. "…today Daniel came back from school. He seemed rejuvenated, like he had a purpose, but whenever we asked him about it, he was very tight-lipped. He would only talk about this group that he was involved with at school, but never details, like what this group did. He just seemed to pity us, as if we didn't understand him, but I'm his sister. I don't understand…He's still going on about the Group. It has consumed him. He comes for shorter and shorter visits and when he is here, he only sits in his room writing to the Group. Last time he was here, Daniel had the audacity to tell me that I was going to hell because I disagreed with him. He doesn't seem to remember any of the things Mother taught us…Well, we have finally put a name to this Group. It's called the Keepers. He let it slip when he was telling us how they have finally found their Zeichen." Here Hermione stopped reading and looked at the others. "He said now they can finally begin the cleansing process. Mother lost it and forbade him to return to school. This only enraged him and he left, swearing to never return. His last words hurt the most. He said we weren't his real family anyway. I'm so scared for him…News of the Keepers' movement has finally reached our ears. It appears that they were defeated by a man named Alexander Bertrand. He was able to solve the Zeichen's riddle, thus destroying him and his followers. I asked him about Daniel but…So we have to solve a riddle?"

"Well, I don't know if it's like a sphinx's riddle but there is something all the Zeichens have had at their downfall. They tested their opponents in the mind, thinking themselves superior and knowing that any common man can fight physically but it takes someone truly knowledgable in the ways of the world to defeat them."

"Do you know what the riddle is?"

"It's always up to the Zeichen. They come up with a riddle that they think will work. But beware. Everything from their mouth could be considered a riddle. They often talk with their opponents, leading them into a false sense of security, and will trip them up with their riddle when their opponents don't even know that that is the riddle."

"Was that supposed to make sense?"The others in the room looked completely perplexed. Only Hermione, Draco and Cooper had the look of understanding in their eyes.

"Anything they say could be the riddle. It doesn't have to be the form of a standard riddle. They only wish to feel superior because they believe they are the superior race." Hermione explained.

"Well, that complicates things." Ginny commented before they all fell in contemplative silence.

Several hours later, at the Order meeting, the entire group was on edge as they waited for Tonks to arrive so she could give her information. Hermione had told the group what they had learned earlier, and they were discussing riddles.

"Do we have any accounts of the other downfalls, so we know what to look for?" Harry asked, always ready to find ways to defeat his enemies.

"Nope, what happens with the Zeichen and his defeater is the same as what happened with Voldemort. Only you know the extent of those conversations." Cooper said looking knowingly into Harry's eyes. Harry didn't talk for the rest of the time, thinking about what had taken place at the Last Battle.

After Graduation, all the students, their parents and the professors were standing in the Great Hall where they had received their diplomas only moments before. There was an air of accomplishment and relief. They were done, finally! Everyone was taking pictures, wanting to forever capture the joy that that day had brought. How ironic it is that that day had changed everything in more ways than one. Harry didn't need cameras to remember it.

He saw Hermione and Ron standing before the head table, surreptitiously holding hands. While they had never admitted to liking each other, everyone knew it. They were talking with Ron's parents about what they wanted to do after Graduation; Ron had wanted to be an auror, whereas Hermione saw herself as a journalist. She wanted people to know the truth. Harry had let himself feel happiness for the first time that day. He was so worried that he never appreciated the beauty of the ceremony. He thought they would attack before, when people had their guards down.

Suddenly, there was a huge explosion. His eyes connected for a moment with Hermione and Ron's, then he turned and sprinted towards the entrance hall where screams were echoing off the walls. The Great Hall was in chaos; people were running for cover, or trying to get to where the action was. Younger siblings were crying for their families, while muggle families were trying to make sense of the confusion.

Harry knew, rather than saw, that the Order and the DA assembled behind him. He entered the fray, immediately stunning two Death Eaters. He felt the energy and the power coursing through the room, spells whizzing past his body. He was battling MacNair, Buckbeak's would-be killer, when he suddenly felt an intense sorrow fill him. Voldemort had set Dementors on them. They immediately lowered the moral of the Order and the others fighting.

Harry caught Hermione's eyes. They met together with Ron and linked hands. The three of them shut their eyes and concentrated their energy on the image of life without Voldemort. They began to chant in low, slow voices an ancient spell. "…spes validus, virtus jugis, succurro nos evinco is malum… spes validus, virtus jugis, succurro nos evinco is malum… spes validus, virtus jugis, succurro nos evinco is malum!"(1)

They opened their eyes, and everyone saw the milky white orbs that replaced their eyes. They lifted their wands as one and said "Expecto Patronum" in a loud clear voice that wasn't their own. It seemed to be a blend of all theirs, Hermione's soft alto filtered through Ron's steady tenor, and Harry's deep baritone. They were finally one entity and with their combined power, they sent a shot wave through the air to the Dementors so intense that it rocked the foundations of Hogwarts.

A great stream of energy shot from each wand, met in front of the three friends and shaped itself in the form of a warrior of old. It looked valiant, and majestic. It had no face or distinguishing features but it brought hope to all those fighting. The warrior began his assault on the Dementors.

Released from the spell, Harry, Hermione and Ron felt rejuvenated. They weren't sure if the spell would work, but they had to try. The Patronus was all their souls, and fought the darkness for them.

The Order was able to push the Dark Forces to the Quidditch field, when Harry suddenly felt an intense pain in his head. He fell to the ground, writhing in pain, clutching at his head to try and force it out. He knew; he knew He was here. Voldemort had arrived and he was pissed.

A circle had cleared and Harry and Voldemort stood in the center of it. Fighting continued on around them, but neither paid it any attention.

"So, you have learned much since we parted last." Voldemort hissed in his slow methodic voice. It was almost soothing in its rhythm. Harry was finally able to push Voldemort out of his head and regain his feet. "Only a truly powerful wizard could call such an intense patronus. It's a shame that you had to share your power with such unworthy people."

"Really? The only person unworthy of my presence here is you." Harry spat. Angered Voldemort struck and the fight began. It was a battle of wills as both were accomplished duelists. The fight quickly took the form of a dance. Each thrust parried and each attacked nimbly avoided. The wand's movements flowed from each with a grace, and the spells were the light display.

However the fight soon turned in favor of Voldemort. Harry, being human, was wavering and a simple stunning spell threw him to the ground. He lost control of his wand, and Voldemort applied the Cruciatus curse. Harry felt hundreds of tiny needles incessantly jabbing him all over his body. He couldn't escape the pain; it penetrated beneath his skin, his body, into his heart and soul. He felt the curse lifted from him for the barest of seconds before it was reapplied. Listening to Harry's screams like music, he said, "Why do you bother? You know you can't beat me. I am more powerful than you can even dream, and yet so alike. Too bad it has to end like this." He released Harry and kicked his wand to him. "I want to have the pleasure of looking into your eyes when I kill you, hearing the breath escape your body, and knowing that I killed you."

Voldemort waited until Harry stood to face him. Then he screamed a second later, "Avada Kedavra." Harry saw the jet of green light coming straight at his heart. He didn't think Death would come in the form of vibrant energy rather than the dark specter.

Suddenly he saw a great shape intercept the curse. He looked down on his savior, into the eyes of his first and best friend, Ron. He had sacrificed himself so Harry could go on living. Immediately, Harry threw the stunning spell at Voldemort, just as he threw a second killing curse. The spells connected, just as they had three years ago.

"Are we to be two immortals locked in an epic battle until Judgment Day and trumpets sound?" Voldemort asked.

"Or you could surrender.(2)" Harry responded.

"It seems to me that you have no more power than a mere man. How do you expect to defeat me, pray tell?" Voldemort was smiling in truly terrifying way. He felt confident that this boy couldn't ever kill him. He had lost his precious mentors and had no one left to save him. In their niche in the battlefield no one noticed the two combatants.

"Look around Harry. See all your friends out there? They are all going to die and it will all be your fault. You are mine; mine to kill, to torture, to destroy. This is a pointless battle, so much needless death and yet, you brought this on them."

"No! I won't let you kill them." Harry suddenly broke the connection, and shouted into the air,

Spirits of death, spirits of life.

Come to me, help me in this strife.

Defeat this evil, defeat this might,

Pave the way for love and light.

He thought of Ron, his parents, Sirius, Dumbledore, and felt their love course through his body, restoring his soul. He aimed at where Voldemort's heart should be, and said, "Nex per vita(3)." A white light emitted from his wand. It was the most pure thing Harry had ever seen. He saw life in it; people surviving and growing old together. He saw children, playing and flying free of all this turmoil. He heard the phoenix's song from the light, and knew that he wasn't a murderer. He was couldn't kill something that wasn't alive; Tom Riddle had died a long time ago.

In that instant, Voldemort knew that it was over. The light struck his body, releasing Tom's soul to finally be at peace with death. The carcass of Voldemort crumbled and disintegrated into dust that was picked up by the wind, forever lost.

The sounds of terror and triumph flowed through the field, Harry heard none of it. He fell to his knees, beside his friend and wept. Even though he finally got rid of his greatest foe, he didn't feel happiness; he felt empty. It was too much, the price was too high.

Harry was pulled from his thoughts as Tonks entered the kitchen. She had a knowing look on her face, as if she had the answer to all their problems.

1: Hope strong, courage constant, help us defeat this evil.

2: These are lines from Pirates of the Caribbean. An amazing film if you've never seen it.

3: Death by life.

AN: these are made-up sayings in Latin and well, i've never taken Latin, so if they're wrong then please let me know. I know i kinda strayed from the perspective of Hermione but i felt i needed to talk about the Last Battle and what Harry felt. Don't worry, most of the story will be from hermione's perspective. Please tell me what you think. A writer needs comments like they need air, and you are depriving me of air!