Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. In fact I own very little excepr my daughter and my cats.

Summary: Harry is starting his final year at Hogwarts. The final battle is approaching.

Warning: This will be a slash in later chapters. If you do not like, then do not read.

Harry Potter and the Last Stand

Chapter One

A young man of sixteen was sitting in the garden of his aunt and uncles' house. He looked deep in thought at first but as you get closer you see that he is not actually thinking at all. Harry Potter sat staring at the sky, his eyes full of pain. He could not think. He could not think because then his memories would come flooding back to him. The memories of Albus Dumbledore dying with the wave of a wand. Killed, no murdered, by someone he thought he could trust. Of course, he was not the only person Harry had seen die right in front of him but had no way of stopping. Now Harry started to think. He thought about everything that had happened in his life.

When he was only a year old, his parents had been murdered yet he had somehow survived. He remembered the mental and physical torment of having to live with his only remaining family, the Dursleys. He remembered the joy at finding out he was a wizard and would be attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The first enemy he made, Draco Malfoy. The first friends he made, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. If he had known at the time what he would have to go through, he wouldn't have started at the school.

He remembered his first encounter with Voldermort, the man who had killed his parents when he was a baby. He had won in that first battle, but he had not gotten rid of the evil that was He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. If he had killed him when he first had the chance all of this would never have happened. But at the end of his first year he was only eleven years old. How could he have known what all of this was leading to?

During his second year he had again come up against Lord Voldermort. This time it was a memory of who the man had been when he himself had attended the school, years before. He had kidnapped his best friends little sister, Ginny Weasley, and she had almost died. Harry had saved her. That time. But could he do it again? He wasn't sure.

His memories moved to his third year at the school. He was now thirteen years old. This was the year that he didn't have to deal with Voldermort. This was the year he had found Sirius Black, his Godfather. He never imagined then that he would lose the man so soon. Who could ever imagine that?

In his fourth year he was entered into the Triwizard Tournament without his knowledge. This was the year when things really started to change for the young man. He was only fourteen but he had to watch as his fellow student and could be friend fell to the floor in front of him. Dead. He had had no time to protect the older boy from the wand that killed him. It wasn't Voldermort who had done this but it was on his orders. If only Harry had grabbed the cup alone. Harry escaped again, barely.

As Harry had entered his fifth year he had though that things couldn't get any worse. He was wrong. Because this was the year that he lost Sirius. This time there was no body to bury, but Sirius was not coming back. He was buried deep in the Department of Mysteries in the Ministry of Magic. If only Harry had talked to someone instead of rushing into an unknown amount of Death Eaters, Sirius would still be alive. But the fifteen year old had thought he was saving Sirius and he never stopped to think. Now he had lost his godfather and it was all his fault.

Harry's memories switched to his sixth year at Hogwarts. His and Dumbledores quest for the Horcruxes. By now he had heard the prophecy. Neither can live while the other survives. He had thought about that long and hard and he knew what it meant. He had thought that things couldn't possibly get any worse. This was the year that he had finally started going out with Ginny. He thought things would get better now. He was wrong. The only person that Harry knew could help him was dead. Killed by Severus Snape, Potions Master and Death Eater. Dumbledore had insisted time and again that Snape was a good guy and was only a spy for them. He was wrong and that only hit him as Snape uttered his last words to the Headmaster. Avada Kadavra. The Headmaster of Hogwarts was dead and Harry hadn't been able to help. He felt like he was alone. Everyone he cared about was dying around him and he couldn't stop it from happening. His friends and girlfriend had tried to comfort him of course. He had pushed them away. He had ended his relationship with Ginny and had insisted that he would not be returning to Hogwarts for his final year. Now he had no choice. The new Headmistress, Minerva McGonagal, had insisted that he would return and if he refused she would make him. Harry knew she would keep her word.

His memories changed to the dreams of the previous night. Harry wasn't sure if they were nightmares or portents of the future but now he had started thinking about them he couldn't stop.

In his sleep he had watched everyone he had ever loved die right in front of him and he was unable to help. Their faces flashed in his mind as he thought about the people he wanted to protect. Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Neville, Luna and the Order of the Phoenix. In his dreams he had been unable to protect the ones he loved more than anything in the world. And Harry didn't know if, when the time came, he would be able to do so in real life.

Harry sighed and looked up as his cousin Dudley came out of the back door, looking extremely pleased with himself. It was Harry's birthday the next day and as yet had received no post save the list of equipment he would for the new school year.

'What's the matter, Harry? Your friends deserted you?' Dudley snickered, obviously thinking he was extremely funny.

Harry didn't respond. He just stared at the tubby young man standing in front of him. Finally, Harry spoke. 'What do you want, Dudley?' he whispered, dangerously.

Dudley shrugged and looked up at the sky where Harry had been staring for the last three hours. Dudley shivered in the cold. It was unusually cold for the summer months.

Harry looked away from his cousin and sighed again before standing up and going indoors, Dudley following him. Harry went straight to his room and Dudley did not follow him in. Harry threw himself down on the bed and stared blankly at the ceiling for a while before reaching out and retrieving a book. The book was entitled Defence Against the Dark Arts: For Those With Nowhere Else To Turn. Harry flipped through the book, taking in the information within with extreme ease considering he usually copied Hermione's work at school. Harry was just annoyed that he couldn't practise all the new spells that he had learned until he was back within the walls of Hogwarts, which were no protection to him anymore.

When Harry looked at the clock he realised that it was a quarter past midnight. He was seventeen. This realisation did nothing to improve his mood. Harry lay back on the bed and tried to will himself back to sleep, but he was scared of what he would see if he gave in and let tiredness take him.

Just as he was contemplating wether or not to risk falling asleep, his owl, Hedwig, flew through the window carrying a bundle of small packages and letters. She hooted thankfully as Harry took the delivery off his pet and gave her some much needed food. Harry opened the first letter. It read:

Dear Harry,

We know you are trying to shut yourself away from us to protect us. But it won't work. No matter what happens, we will be by your side when you face off against the death eaters and he-who-must-not-be-named. We care too much for you to let you push us aside specially when you need us the most. We hope you have a good birthday and we will see you on the train.

Hermione and Ron

Harry sighed and new that they would keep their word. He placed the letter down on his bed and opened the parcel accompanying it. Inside were loads of different chocolates and one of Mrs Weasleys homemade cakes. Harry placed these things down picking up a chocolate frog and eating it as he opened the next letter.

Harry,

I know we are no longer together but I thought I'd mark your birthday anyway. I hope it is useful to you. I want you to know that I will remain your friend forever, no matter what happens and I will always love you.

All my love,

Ginny

Inside Ginny's parcel was a book on potions. It was a rare book not the kind sold in Flourish and Blotts. Harry flicked through it quickly and decided that the book could be extremely useful to him. He opened the next letter. This was the last and there was no parcel accompanying it. Harry read.

Harry,

I know that you have taken Dumbledores death extremely hard and I don't blame you. But don't get caught up in your grief. Believe me it never helps. I have enclosed in this envelope some pictures of your parents, myself and Sirius when we attended Hogwarts. I hope you like them.

See you soon

Remus Lupin.

Harry's eyes moistened as he looked at the smiling faces of the four friends. They were in their final year, Harry could tell. His mother was Head Girl. Harry placed the pictures carefully in his photo album. It had been given to him in his first year by the groundskeeper and Harry's very first friend, Rubeus Hagrid. It suddenly struck Harry that he had not received anything from Hagrid this year which was extremely odd. Harry started to worry about his friend. He had been the first to die in his dreams and, Harry suddenly remembered, he hadn't been present in his dreams at the time.

Harry was really worried now as he drifted into a fitful sleep.

A.N Please review. This is my first fanfic. I will try to upload the next chapter as soon as I can. Please review.