Usual Disclaimer: Unfortunately this world and its wonderful inhabitants do not belong to me, they belong to J. K. Rowling, I'm just borrowing them. I am making no money from this it is purely for the enjoyment of those few who choose to read it. Thanks J. K. for lending me your ready made world of magic.
Extra Disclaimer: The Song Lyrics below do not belong to me, they belong to Pink.
A/N: This is a two chapter posting plus a small epilogue chapter which brings us to the end of the story so an extra special thanks to everyone who has stuck with this story from the beginning and everyone who has read the story to the end. I hope you all enjoyed the story and continue to read any future stories that I may post. Thank you again and enjoy…
MB
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"Hey, hey man what's your problem?
I see you're tryin' to hurt me bad,
Don't know what you're up against.
Maybe you should reconsider, come up with another plan?"
Pink
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"This is it." Harry stated. "It ends tonight."
Draco took in Harry's clenched jaws and determined eyes and felt he could do anything, he would do anything, to help him.
Voldemort came to and backed up against the tree behind him.
"Running away Tom?" Harry was biding his time, he could feel Draco's grip on his power waning with his energy levels and he internally fought to restore the link. "What happened to the 'This will be the last thing I ever do' and 'how easy it is to torture me' and 'I won't be walking away this time'? Not so strong without your army behind you it seems." Harry spat. "You know what Tom, I'm tired. I'm really tired of fighting you. Of preparing to fight you. Of protecting my friends. Of being followed and admired because I'm the only one brave enough to stand up to you. Prophecy my arse. Just because some mad old fraud said I was the only one who could beat you, the whole world starts believing it and fearing you." Harry laughed and Voldemort looked at him as if he were a lunatic before looking around him for a possible escape.
"Don't even think about it." Draco growled.
Voices began to filter through the trees from a distance, the battle must have progressed outside of the caves. Voldemort looked hopeful that perhaps his army was on its way.
He opened his mouth to speak but Harry cut him off.
"No, you will listen to me for once because I'm sick of listening to everyone else! Okay so you were powerful but now, I'm not so sure because.. well because I'm still standing here aren't I? Everyone believes that you are powerful and evil beyond control but I don't think so. See, I think, it's not because I'm more powerful that I'm going to beat you, but because I'm not going to give up because of some silly notion that you might be a bit evil." Harry smirked and Draco observed a truly Slytherin side to Harry that he had not previously seen so strongly.
"You do love the sound of your own voice don't you." Voldemort hissed.
"I wouldn't bother trying to buy time for your 'loyal' army to appear. Even if they do, I doubt they pose much threat by now."
"You are mistaken if you think I need them Potter. Unless you've forgotten, I'm the one who strikes fear into the hearts of the masses..."
"WRONG!" Harry interrupted him loudly, anger shining through his glowing green eyes. "Haven't you been listening? It's not you that people fear - its your cadets, its your stupid signal in the sky - I mean what's that all about?" Harry mocked Voldemort who seemed too stunned by his tirade to do anything except try to look menacing as he pointed his own wand at the two facing him. "It's pathetic and I don't care if you're skilled at tattooing a bunch of idiotic followers - I'm not going to kill you because you're supposedly evil, I'm going to kill you because you've stopped me living my life. Yep It's selfish as hell but right now I couldn't care less! I'm out here for myself. Not anyone else." Harry smiled manically and brought his wand into line with Voldemort's chest. "Don't worry, It won't be quick." His eyes flickered to Draco's and he nodded before Harry began another spell. He had not noticed the voices becoming louder as the battle neared them and as his chanting grew louder, Order members and Deatheaters alike gathered behind them but kept their distance.
"GET THEM!" Voldemort commanded but nobody seemed to move as Harry's voice raised above his and a stream of silver light shot from the end of his wand, knocked Voldemort's wand from his hand and shot straight into his chest.
"NOW!" Harry yelled at Draco and Draco concentrated harder than he ever thought possible and pushed all the power Harry had given him out of his body and through his wand. A jet of gold light erupted from his wand tip and, as he steadied his wand, merged with Harry's ongoing spell. He kept concentrating on pushing all his magical energy into Harry's spell while Harry, his eyes closed, fought to keep the spell going as his power slowly drained from him.
Voldemort screamed an inhuman scream and writhed under the pressure from the spell which kept him rooted to the spot. The bright silver light from the spell seemed to enter him and fill him with pure good magical energy before it began to seep out through his every pore. He screamed as the energy which was the direct opposite to everything he claimed to be, seemed to burn him slowly away, like acid eating through flesh from the inside. It was a horrific sight and the sounds of Voldemort's high pitched screaming and hissing seemed to curdle the stomachs of the onlookers who wanted to close their eyes and throw up but most of whom could not tear their eyes away despite the sickening sight.
Draco felt as though he was about to collapse and he looked at Harry, whose eyes were still closed in concentration. He had to keep going, Harry couldn't hold on by himself. Somehow finding a new wave of strength, Draco pushed it on into the spell and the jet of light emanating from his wand turned startling green in contrast to its previous gold. His knees bucked beneath him but he held his wand steady and thought of Harry. Harry would keep him strong, he pictured his smiling face as he closed his eyes. A loud high pitched shriek that seemed to go on forever and pierce his eardrums, was the last thing Draco heard before he lost consciousness. His last thought was that he had failed Harry.
After the shrillness of his last scream the explosion seemed dull and noiseless in comparison. Harry opened his eyes. He viewed the scattered ashes of Voldemort and felt strange. He couldn't quite process what was going on around him. The world seemed to be in silent slow motion. He turned to see rejoicing Order members and Aurors, he saw his friends running ever so slowly towards him - battered and bruised, he saw the last of the Deatheaters disapparating... but something was missing.
He clutched his chest as he realised a searing pain was ripping right through him and he looked around for Draco. He cried out when he saw him on the ground. "No!" But even his words did not seem to make a sound as he fell to the ground next to his mate. The pain in his chest making his vision blurry. He was bleeding but felt numb. As he leant over Draco and stroked his hair, his chest gave another heave. His friends reached him just as he slipped into dizzying darkness beside his soul-mate.
"Dray?"
"Harry! There you are! I looked everywhere for you." Draco rushed into Harry's arms and Harry gripped him tightly. His words seemed strange in their dark surroundings.
"It's alright I'm here." Harry stroked his hair
Draco pulled away "But it still hurts." He put a hand to his chest.
"I know it hurts me too. Where are we?"
"I don't know." Draco looked around him.
As they stood in the total darkness, unable to differentiate floor from walls or ceiling, they clasped their hands tightly together.
"I thought I'd lost you it hurt so much." Harry whispered.
"I thought I'd failed you." Draco whispered in reply and they turned to face each other again.
"No you didn't, you kept me going. I couldn't have done it without you."
"He's dead?"
"He's dead."
"I thought I'd given up too soon. I used everything I had but It wasn't enough. I used all you gave me and all my own strength too but you still carried on when I was spent."
"No, don't you remember the green light? It finished him and it came from your wand not mine."
"I don't remember... I thought I'd ruined it all."
Harry smiled through the tears which ran down his face and through the pain which was travelling through his entire body. "No you saved us all." Harry gave his hero a soft kiss.
As they stood searching each others pain-filled souls their surroundings began to brighten and they found themselves still standing in the woods but everyone else seemed to have left. Where they stood seemed to be filled with bright sunlight but only a few feet away it seemed the land tumbled into darkness once more..
"Why are we here, Dray? This isn't right."
"I passed out and came here." Draco frowned. "Why does it still hurt Harry? You're here but it still hurts."
"Because we're not really here."
"What do you mean."
"This isn't real. In reality we're dying." Harry sat on the ground and Draco sat opposite him. "This is our way of communicating subconsciously I think. I think I'm dying."
"Don't you dare die Harry, you fought for your life back and won! You can't die now."
"It won't matter unless we both live. I can't live without you."
"You're strong Harry. You'll be able to carry on."
"To what point?"
"I want you to be happy."
"You're talking as if you wont make it and I will. If we make it we make it. Together. It's a forever thing remember?"
"I feel so weak Harry. It hurts so much."
Harry grasped both of his mates hands and closed his eyes.
"Don't you dare!" Draco pulled away. "You need to heal yourself!"
"But if I heal you and send you back you could pull me through, I know it."
"No Harry, I'm not powerful. You need to go back and help me."
"But what if I go back and I cant save you."
"Then you'll carry on, living the life you deserve."
Harry closed his eyes, pain seared through him at the thought of living without Draco.
"Please Harry, you have to do this. You have to try." Draco slid his hands back into Harry's and closed his eyes. "I love you."
"I love you too." Harry whispered.
"HARRY!" Hermione cried as he flung herself to the ground, kneeling beside his limp form. She checked his pulse and found it. It was extremely weak but it was there. She checked Draco too and he seemed even worse, his extremely shallow breathing seemed erratic and ragged. "Draco, wake up. Please wake up." She wept at their sides. "Get some Medi-Wizards over here!" She shouted at Ron who stood staring at their still forms. "They need to be taken to St. Mungoes. Ron!"
Tearing his eyes away from them, he ran back to wards the battle scene and shouted for medical help.
"What happened?" The Medi-witch asked Hermione as they rushed Harry and Draco into St. Mungoes.
"They were in the battle. They're bonded." Hermione told her.
"Bonded?" She lifted Harry's t-shirt and took in his marking. "Merlin."
"Get out." Hermione hissed, not even looking up from the side of Harry's bed.
"I..."
"Get. Out."
Dumbledore looked wordlessly at the two unconscious forms lying next to each other before turning and leaving silently.
Hermione wept at their side. They had a small room to themselves where the beds had been pushed together to keep them as close to each other as possible. Ron sat beside her, his eyes would not cry and he could not feel anything except a sense of loss and despair. His arm rested across his lap in a temporary cast while his bones restored themselves and there were five stitches on his left cheek. Hermione was still to be seen to by the Medics as she refused to leave Harry and Draco's side. The blood had dried on the cut on her jaw-line and her ribs remained broken and causing her to wheeze slightly as she breathed.
Harry and Draco lay, hooked up to breathing apparatus and drips which constantly fed them small doses of restorative potion which didn't seem to be having any effect. Hermione had joined their hands together hoping it would somehow help them.
Outside their room the hospital was in chaos, dealing with the casualties from the battle.
Outside the hospital the wizarding world was in chaos, rejoicing in their victory.
Days passed. Hermione was finally seen by a Medic. Ron's cast was removed. Families mourned the loss of husbands, fathers, brothers, lovers. Wizards and Witches celebrated the end of Voldemort's reign of terror and toasted their saviour. The ministry dealt with dozens of Deatheaters, the death of Voldemort and of Lucius Malfoy. The world carried on in the most part oblivious to the fact that their saviour and his soul-mate were fighting for their lives. The Weasley's practically lived in St. Mungoes, wishing that Harry and Draco would wake up and keep their family complete.
When Harry opened his eyes, he smiled as he looked around at the sleeping faces of his family. He ached all over and the pain was getting worse. He had left Draco in the nothing space between life and death and he had to save him. He clasped his hands with Draco's and lay with his head on Draco's chest listening to his faint heartbeat. Closing his eyes he tried to communicate with Draco but gained no response. He spent hours trying to give whatever power and energy he had left to his mate but gained no response.
Hermione was the first to wake and see Harry crying onto Draco's chest. "Harry?" Her voice caused the Weasley's to stir and wake one by one. "Is he?"
"He's almost gone." Harry whispered. "I can feel it." He held Draco's hand to his own chest as if to draw life from his own heartbeat. "Don't you dare leave me." He whispered into Draco's ear.
"I need my wand." He sat up and looked to Hermione and his family looked on silently.
"Harry you can't use magic. You're too weak." Hermione protested weakly but she searched through Harry's stuff beside his bed and found his wand.
She watched as Harry cut his own palm and then Draco's before whispering through his tears "All I have, I give to you." He repeated this over and over again with his eyes closed.
"Please come back to me." He whispered as he felt the same effects as he had with the spell he had performed in the caves but to a much lesser extent. He felt tired and he smiled when Draco's eyes fluttered open. Everyone gasped as they smiled at each other for only a moment before slipping into a peaceful sleep, their souls finally able to begin to heal.
