Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anything it's affiliated with.

Sorry it's been so long since the update and sorry this chapter isn't very long. The next one will come soon. Please review if you don't hate me too much for not updating in so long?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

            The next Hogsmeade weekend was quickly approaching. Harry had a feeling deep in his gut. Something was going to happen. He knew it. But he didn't tell anyone. Not even Renata. She would discourage him from doing what he knew he had to.

            He wasn't exactly sure how or why, and no one else seemed to notice anything different or feel anything different, but it was his gut instinct, and he knew it was right. The final battle was fast approaching.

            He knew some time this week it would happen. He'd never been more certain of anything before. He knew that Voldemort wouldn't try anything at school. That left only one choice. Hogsmeade.

            Harry checked to be sure that the whistle Dumbledore had given him was still around his neck. It was. He was ready to face anything that happened this week, even though he knew in his heart that nothing would happen until Saturday. He had 6 days.

            He spent his free time in the library studying curses, counter-curses, shields, blocking, hexes, and anything else he could think of. When he wasn't studying these things, he was practicing them. He left most of his schoolwork that week undone. He knew that if he lost, it wouldn't matter whether or not he'd done his written assignments. What he was doing was more important; it was all that mattered.

            "Harry, you'll wear yourself out, get some rest," said Ron.

            "Harry, you haven't done any schoolwork in days," said Hermione.

            "Harry, you're keeping something a secret from me," said Renata.

            They were all right of course, but he ignored them. He had bigger fish to fry, so to speak.

            Saturday morning dawned and Harry was awake with the sun, watching it rise from the window of his room and knowing that he might not ever see it rise again.

            He took a deep breath. He knew today was it. The final it. He was as ready as he could be for whatever was coming.

            Knowing he might never return to this room, he went through his trunk and took out a few things dear to his heart, and a few he thought he might need.

            He chose a picture out of the album Hagrid had given him long ago. It was of he and his parents. He folded it up and put it in his pocket. He felt as though having them there would some how help him.

            He saw a pack of Dungbombs. He didn't know what use they might provide, but he stuffed them in his other pocket to be safe. Who knew what could come in handy?

            He saw a few other odds and ends and put them in his pockets as well.  He put his hand to his neck, as he'd done so often this week, and checked to see that the whistle was still there. It was.

            It was too early to go downstairs, so he wrote a letter.

To whomever has found and  is reading this letter,

           I just wanted to say, that throughout the good and bad, the best seven years of my life have been here at Hogwarts. I'm sorry that it's over for me now and that I'll never see any of you again, but I'm not sorry for what I've done. I think I made the right choice today. I did what I had to do. I'm sorry I lost (well, if you're reading this, I probably lost and we're in for dark times). All the same there are some things I want to tell some people.

           Find some way to tell these people these things for me—

           Renata: I love you and I never wanted to forget you or let you go. If I had survived today, I would have asked you to marry me. You mean the world to me.

           Ron: You're the best friend a guy could have (even if you don't count all the times you saved my life) and I don't know how to say thank you enough. All the times we got in trouble and all the times we got away with stuff, you were always by my side. I don't have an official will, maybe this'll count, but everything I've got is going to you. Everything in my Gringotts vault, my Firebolt, my dad's old cloak, the Map, all of it to you, buddy. Hey, make sure you ask Hermione to marry you. You never want to lose a girl like her.

           Hermione:  You've been an amazing friend and I can't even count how many times you had to pull my sorry butt out of the fire (whether it was grades, or keeping my from getting detention, or keeping me alive). You're the sister I never had and you were always there for me. Oh, and when Ron pops the question, say yes. You two are great together.

           Albus Dumbledore: Friend? Teacher? Mentor? Headmaster? Guardian? You were all of that.  Hogwarts will be in trouble the day you are gone.

Sincerely,

Harry James Potter

            Harry tucked the note under his pillow just as Ron was stretching and waking up. "Hullo, Harry. Today ought to be good, right? Last Hogsmeade weekend of the year."

            Harry just grimaced.