I bet you all thought I'd never get this out. But I did, surprising even myself.

This is the next to last chapter. Enjoy it.

And thanks for the reviews, few though they might be.

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Chapter 5

The silence stretched on for many minutes as Harry's weary mind tried to grasp the meaning of the words he had just heard. His eyes showed nothing of the whirlwind of emotion and thought that was currently tearing up his inner walls and peace. His first reaction was to scream in rage and hurt. It wasn't fair. What had he done to deserve this? All he wanted was to have a normal life like everyone else. Why had Voldemort picked him? His second reaction was the one that lingered the longest. Relief. What did he have to live for anyway? All he was good for was to destroy the Dark Lord after all. That was why he hadn't died as an infant. Understanding and clarity dawned like the morning sun rising and banishing the shadows from the land. This was what the prophecy meant. He could finally end this horror that was his life without letting everyone down.

Harry looked at the two men anxiously watching him. He smiled the first real smile he'd smiled in a long time. A chuckle escaped at the expressions of shock on Snape's face. Draco just looked at him like he'd lost his mind which, Harry decided was probably true. A giddy sense of relief and happiness coursed through him, but Harry composed his features and asked his one question.

"How did this happen?"

Snape looked relieved to hear an intelligent query coming from his former student.

"When the Killing Curse meant for you rebounded and hit the Dark Lord, a part of him was left in you which is why you can speak parseltounge, and why you have the mind connection with him. It's obvious now that the reason this happened is because of the small portion of his soul that was transferred to you."

Harry nodded thoughtfully. It made a strange sort of sense. An internal smile grew as he considered the rage Voldemort must have felt when he realized that he had accidentally created a Horcrux.

The silence lengthened as Harry pondered this new revelation.

Malfoy was becoming frustrated with the lack of response, and showed it by glaring at Harry and clearing his throat.

"Well? What are you going to do?"

Harry looked at the blond man leaning against the wall and shrugged.

"Kill myself of course."

He frowned, missing the looks of almost horror that crossed Malfoy's face at his casual declaration.

"But if I do that… then who will kill him?" he mused aloud. "I'd need someone to kill him as soon as I was dead."

Snape felt a wave of pity as he surveyed the broken Harry Potter that stood before him. For that was what he was. Broken. That was the only explanation for his casual almost relieved acceptance of his impending death. Harry Potter wanted to die.

"I'll do it." He found himself saying, "I'll kill the Dark Lord."

Draco gave his mentor and father figure a surprised but understanding look and then turned expectantly to Harry.

Harry stared into Snape's dark eyes searching for sincerity. The potion's master opened his mind to allow Harry to probe his motivations.

Harry did so and found the reassurances that he needed.

"Alright." Harry nodded. "We need a plan of action."

"You mean to do this as soon as possible I hope." Snape said no trace of his usual sneer on his face.

Harry nodded again.

"In the morning meet me here at 10am. I can manipulate old Voldy thru the link, and we can end this once and for all."

The other men agreed and left as silently as they had arrived leaving Harry alone with his thoughts.

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Harry walked slowly back to The Three Broomsticks allowing his mind to wander over his memories. He would miss Ron and Hermione. They had been his first and only friends. They had stood by him through it all. Harry tried not to think of how his death would affect his friends. He felt a stab of guilt at abandoning them. But at the same time he was smug that he had found a way to leave his life behind and still live up to the expectations of his friends and adopted family. There would be little regret for Harry Potter. He was tired and depressed and sick of living.

As he reached his room, Harry decided to leave notes for all of his dearest friends. He wanted them to know that he loved them. He sharpened his quill and opened a new bottle of ink. The words flowed easily and it was hours before he finally found his way into slumber, but a stack of fresh letters sat on the desk charmed to be delivered upon his death.

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The morning dawned clear and cool. The dew glinted on the leaves and the sun warmed the earth after the cold night. There was not a hint in nature of the forthcoming confrontation between good and evil. The birds sang and people woke as always.

Harry Potter awoke slowly, determined to enjoy his last few hours of life. He dressed carefully and went down to the pub and ate a hearty breakfast, smiling at every patron.

There was no outward sign that this would be the last time anyone would see The-Boy-Who-Lived alive.

After gorging himself, Harry waved goodbye to Rosmerta and ambled down the road to the Shrieking Shack. He climbed the split rail fence and walked through the overgrown grass to the ramshackle house. He entered and greeted the two Slytherins.

After a quick explanation, Harry lay on the dusty bed and closed his eyes. The hallways of his mind appeared as always, and he made his way down the hall to the locked door. With a smile he pried the lock off the door and let the chains fall to the floor. The door swung wide and Harry embraced the darkness that swept him out of his mind and into the mind of evil. Instead of trying to see out of Voldemort's eyes, Harry drifted along in the tangled maze of the Dark Lord's mind gently suggesting that Harry Potter was alone and vulnerable in Hogsmeade. The silvery threads of suggestion fell and stuck to the dark tangles of Voldemort's mind. How long he drifted, Harry did not know, but finally he felt it. The Dark Lord had fallen for the carefully constructed suggestions. Harry gave a silent whoop and with a conscious effort, forced himself back into his own mind. He walked back down the hallway of him mind for the last time bidding farewell to the familiar doors and memories.

Harry's eyes opened suddenly and he sat up, startling his companions.

"He is coming."

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Severus tried to keep his hands from trembling. Soon it would all be over. Soon he would be free. He glanced over at Draco, who was paler than usual and clutching his wand for dear life, but looked determined. Potter sat on the edge of the bed, calm and composed. Severus could not understand how he could face his death with such poise. Severus knew that had it been him, he'd have been vomiting from fear.

Suddenly the sounds of screams reached them. Harry stood without speaking and the two Slytherins followed suit. They followed the boy hero out of their sanctuary and into the town. Smoke and flames billowed from rooftops, and masked figures dealt death to any and all that crossed their paths. The street was littered with the dead and dying bodies of the innocent townspeople. As the three men approached, Aurors were apparating in and trying to push back the Death Eaters, but there were too few Aurors and too many followers of Voldemort. Soon the bodies of the Aurors joined the ones already bleeding on the ground. Harry stopped in the middle of the street, ignoring all around him. All he could see was Voldemort. The Dark Lord was standing amidst the remains of Honeydukes laughing as he watched the destruction.

"VOLDEMORT!" Harry bellowed.

The Dark Lord turned and an triumphant smile crossed his face.

"POTTER!" he screamed back and watched in delight as the boy drew his wand and approached him.

The battle continued on around them, hexes and curses crisscrossing as they found their intended victims, but Harry walked through them as if they were no more than insects. Snape followed, occasionally shooting off a curse at a Death Eater that ventured to close.

"Crucio!" Voldemort called, pointing his wand at Harry.

The dark haired youth fell to the ground writhing in pain, but not a sound escaped him. Harry withdrew into his mind as the pain continued for what seemed like centuries. Eventually it ended and Harry forced himself to his feet. He sent a mocking smile in the direction of the Dark Lord.

"I found the last Horcrux Tom."

Voldemort's eyes flashed in anger and a little bit of fear. But he laughed high and long.

"You would never destroy it. It is too precious to the world."

Harry laughed as well, his eyes cold and without emotion.

"Precious to the world maybe. But not to me."

He raised his wand as if to curse the Dark Lord, but then turned it on himself. He let the tip of it rest against his throat for a moment in order to enjoy the terror on Voldemort's face.

"Imperius." Voldemort shouted in desperation.

The curse hit Harry full on, but he shrugged off the fog it created in his mind and smiled again.

"Nice try Tom. But once again you lose."

As Harry opened his mouth to say the words that would end his life, he heard twin cries of despair.

He turned slightly and saw Hermione and Ron rushing toward him. They were bloodied and weary, but the sight of their best friend holding his own wand to his throat gave them strength.

Harry gave them a heartbreakingly beautiful smile and he mouthed,

"Goodbye."

Turning his back on his only friends, Harry looked right into the eyes of evil and said the words.

The light left his eyes and his wand slipped from his lifeless fingers and rolled to rest at the feet of his disbelieving friends.

A rush of wind as the last piece of Voldemort's soul broke free from it's prison surrounded the area and complimented the scream of terror that tore loose from the Dark Lord's throat.

Severus Snape stepped forward wand drawn, as the last bit of Voldemort's soul was destroyed.

"Goodby my Lord." He sneered. "Avada Kedavra."