Notes: Yes, this is the last one. I simply cannot think of any way to stretch it more. But then I get to start the sequel. Pretty much everything will be cleared up here. One thing you won't see is what happened to Draco and Snape. For that you'll have to read the sequel. So, onward we go!

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"What's wrong?" Ginny asked. "Don't say nothing. I know something is bothering you, so tell me."

"It's - I don't know."

"Yes you do."

"No, I -"

"Come on."

"Gin-"

"Tell me!"

"No." He rolled over, trying to avoid her.

"Why not?"

"Because."

"Because why?"

"Because I'm afraid!" he admitted. "There I said it. Happy now?"

She paused for a second, and then said: "You're allowed to be afraid Harry. It's nothing to be ashamed of."

"No, I'm not. I'm supposed to be the brave hero."

"Having courage means that you stand up and fight, even when you're scared. Everyone gets scared sometimes Harry. It just depends on what you're afraid of. Ron, for instance, was afraid of the teenie tiny spider that went crawling across the kitchen. Jumped up on a chair like a little girl - you should have been there, it was hilarious. But you, you're afraid of bigger things than little spiders."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that."

"Okay then. What's been bothering you?"

"Everything."

"What about everything?"

Harry lied there for a second, thinking about it. How would he say it so that it wouldn't sound stupid? He knew Ginny didn't care how it sounded, but he cared how it did. "I wasn't supposed to live."

"What?"

"I wasn't supposed to live. I wasn't supposed to survive. I was supposed to die. But I didn't. I planned everything on the fact that I was supposed to die and it didn't happen."

"So now you don't know what to do?"

"Yes, basically. I gave up any chance I had of a future because I wasn't supposed to get that far. And now that I have there's nothing left for me to do."

"How are you so sure you weren't supposed to live?"

"I am supposed to live."

"But you just said you weren't."

"I didn't think I was, before. Now I know I am. I'm part of the plot that I made it my life's mission to stop."

"What are you talking about?"

Harry paused for a while, knowing how stupid he was going to sound. Finally he said: "I'm a horcrux."

"You're delusional."

"No, it's true." He turned to her and flipped up his bangs, which were now ridiculously long. "Look at it."

"Look at what? The scar? Big deal, Harry. You've had it for the last sixteen years." (since he got it when he was about a year old. 17-1 ->16)

"It's different."

"No it's not."

"Yes it is. I've looked at it every day of my life. I think I'd know. It's different than it used to be."

"How's it different?"

"It's, well, deeper. Like... I don't know... it used to be old and dull, but now it's more like -"

"Like it's new," Ginny said. "Like you just got it."

"Yeah."

"So how does that lead to you being a horcrux?"

"I was thinking... what would happen to a horcrux when its main part died? Would it die too? But it couldn't, because the whole point of a horcrux is so that the main part never dies. But still, would it feel anything?" He sighed."I don't know. I'm not making much sense..."

"No," she agreed. "Hold on. Let me see it." She pushed his head down a bit so that she could see his forehead. "Hmm..."

"I might be delusional. I don't know..."

"No, you'd know better than I would. So, if this were all true, how would your scar get deeper from you being a horcrux?"

"When I tried to kill him, I got dizzy."

"Yeah?"

"But why? Why else would it affect me at all? I know I was sick and all that, but I shouldn't have been that dizzy, right? And when I finally killed him, it felt like my head was going to split open."

"So...what happened to the other horcruxes after he died?"

Harry opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it again. He realized that he had no idea... All the horcruxes were at Grimmauld Place, or at least most of them. "I don't know. Wait - wouldn't they all have to be gone already? That's how I killed him anyway..."

"Well then, I guess there's nothing against your idea. Nothing to prove it wrong."

"That's what I was afraid of," Harry said, getting up.

"Why?"

"I thought after I finally got him it would all be over. Everything would be different. I could have a semi-normal life... but now I can never get away from him. I am him."

"No you're not. You might be two percent Voldemort but that does not mean anything."

"Yes it does. They can still bring him back through me."

"Harry -" she got up as well.

"Or any offspring of mine -"

"Harry, honestly, it doesn't matter that much. Nearly all of the Death Eaters are dead or in Azkaban. Who would-"

"That's what they thought last time Ginny!"

"Well, the only thing I can think for you to do is to protect yourself - and any offspring. That way they can't ever get to it. You are still invincible to them as long as there's someone to protect you. I can name at least fifteen right now." Harry sighed, not knowing what else to say. "I know, I know. But there are some things you just have to deal with, you know? This is one of them. It's nothing. You can overcome it. You overcame him while he was alive, you can overcome him while he's dead."

"Again, that's what we thought last time."

"Don't worry about it now," she said, smoothing his hair down. "Don't worry about it until it happens. You've been waiting for years to live your life - so live it, and worry about all that other stuff later."

"Okay, fine," he said. "But-"

"No but. Here, lie back down." She pulled him over to the bed again and forced him back down. "You need to rest."

"I'm so tired of people telling me that."

"Well, it's true. Oh, by the way, you have an appointment at St. Mungo's this week."

"Great." There was a knock at the door. Hermione stuck her head in.

"Your mum says it's time to eat." Ginny oulled Harry back up and they headed downstairs with Hermione.

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Harry sat, looking outside. Ginny came in and sat on his lap. "What you looking at?"

"The sky."

"Oh..." she looked. "You know what?"

"What?"

"I got a letter today."

"Amazing."

"From a school."

"Oh."

"Since Hogwarts won't be reopening for a while. They want to make sure everything is okay this time, for real."

"Which school?"

"I dunno. Somewhere up north. Private, so it costs tons of money. But that school and another one in the south are letting all Hogwarts students come for free. They just have to pay for books and all that."

"Neat." They were quiet for a second.

"You didn't get a letter?"

"Why would I?"

"I thought that, you know, maybe the ministry would want you in their school, or something like that..."

"I'm not so sure that I would go, even if they did want me."

"Why not? You're so worried about your future. It would be a good step to take."

"It's complicated."

"Of course." She was quiet then. He knew she wasn't going to say anything else about it then, but she'd nag him about it later. She wouldn't get it anyway. Harry didn't want to be a part of anything that involved Rufus Scrimgeour, no matter what it was.

But then, he thought, if I am going to live that long, what would I do? If it were just me then I wouldn't care, but Ginny... Suddenly something hit the window that Harry had jut been looking out of. Ginny instinctively grabbed onto him, and he moved a bit so that he was between her and the window. He looked up slowly and went for the window.

"Be careful," Ginny said quietly. He got up and looked... nothing. There was nothing there. No one on the ground (or in the sky, for that matter), nothing. But then he saw it - a tiny owl, flipping around just above the window. It was holding a letter nearly bigger than it was.

"For crying out loud," Harry said. He opened the window. "Get in here." The tiny owl fluttered in and threw the letter toward him, flying in circles around the ceiling.

"See? I knew you'd get something." Ginny said.

"And from the ministry too." He threw it away.

"Don't be like that." She picked it up and opened it. "Don't you at least want to know what it says?"

"Not really." He sat back down, while she scanned the letter.

" 'Dear Mr. Potter, the English Ministry of Magic's Auror's Academy would like to accept you to their auror training program.' "

"What?" He stood up and grabbed the letter from her.

"That's what it says."

He scaned over it and laughed. "Yeah, read the small print."

She read: " 'However, we can not accept anyone into our program who has not sucessfully completed all seven years of undergraduate school.' "

"Yeah. That's going to happen."

"Wait - those two schools are accepting you too. For free."

"Really?"

"Really. You can choose either and the ministry will pay for all of it. Guess they want you a lot."

"I don't want them."

"You might not have a choice."

"True."

"Sometimes we have to do what we don't want to."

"I know, I know..."

"So? Which one would you go to? Oh! Come with me! Then we could be classmates, since we'd both be in the same year."

"I didn't realize you were that excited about it. If I knew that's all it takes to please you..."

"Oh, shut it. I -" Then there was a scream from below them. Two pairs of feet stampeded up the stairs.

"Harry?" They heard. "Harry, Harry, Harry, Harry!"

"Oh my..."

"Harry!" They pounded on the door. "Harry!"

"Okay! Don't bust the door down." He opened the door and Hermione flew in, followed slowly by Ron.

"Look I - oh, you got one too! And so did Ron! Oh! This is great! Look!" She shoved her letter in his face. It was the same as his, only with her name on it. "Ron! Come on, let's go show your mum."

"But I -" Ron said. "I just got up here..." He followed her slowly. Then there was another shriek from below them.

Harry sighed. "I guess I don't have much of a choice now."

"No, you don't," Ginny said. "But it's the right thing to do."

"Yeah, I know."

Ginny leaned up and kissed him. "It'll be okay. I promise."

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Okay, I lied. There will be one more, but it won't be longer than a paragraph or two.