ginny278 - Thanks for the review. Very prompt, as always.

Chapter 9

"Ron!" Harry yelled. "I want you - to cover me - I'm going to - Expelliarmus! - going to attack - the giant!"

Ron nodded and flourished his wand, disarming a Death Eater that was coming at Harry's back, and, with another flick and muttered incantation, sending a Death Eater motionless to the ground, stunned. He was used to combat, although he couldn't pretend that he was used to battles on such a colossal scale like this.

He felt a shiver of dread and knew the feeling immediately. Spinning around, he found himself face to face with a dementor that was trying to come up on him from behind. Thinking of the time he had won the Quidditch Cup for Gryffindor, he yelled 'Expecto Patronum' and the now-familiar silver Jack Terrier came out and sent the Dementor away, flailing. Ron turned around without a second thought to see Harry beckoning Hermione and Remus Lupin over to him to help out. He saw Harry direct them and then count down - three - two - one - and then three jets of red light shot out at the giant's head simultaneously. It toppled to the ground, the combined three powerful spells overcoming the giant's natural protection from magical spells. Ron Stunned and roped up two Death Eaters that were pursuing the trio as they came back for cover.

"We're falling back," remarked Ron to Harry and Hermione as they returned. "I didn't think there'd be so many."

"Nobody did," Hermione gasped.

"Maybe they're Imperiused," Harry suggested.

"I don't think so. Watch out!" Remus yelled, as he stunned another Death Eater that had been about to use the Killing Curse on Hermione.

"Thanks."

"This is no time for chit-chat," Harry snapped, although of course he was right. "Where's Gin? - we keep getting split up."

"She's over there," Ron pointed, and they saw her, Neville, and Seamus fighting fiercely for their life, with Dean coming up to reinforce them.

"Divide and conquer," Ron murmured. "They're splitting us up and beating us with numbers."

"We've got to stick together," said Harry. "Come on!"

Without any further debate, he sped off and launched himself at the Death Eater group that was taking down Ginny, Neville, and Seamus. Ron and Hermione struggled to keep up as Remus went to help McGonagall, who was fighting a pair of Death Eaters alone.

Harry came up to Ginny as she dispatched the last Death Eater.

"Are you alright?" Harry said.

"I'm fine," she said, unruffled. "And would you watch yourself and not run up like a lunatic? I don't want you getting hit."

Harry grinned, feeling as if he hadn't done so in days. This battle had raged for hours and showed no signs of stopping. Death Eaters seemed to be reinforcing themselves and were always revived whenever they took them down, as the Order didn't kill them.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione had finally destroyed the Horcruxes a year ago - even the one that was in Grimmauld Place, put there by Regulus Black, or RAB - and Voldemort was finally vulnerable. But they couldn't get to him. Finally, they had discovered a Death Eater camp and ambushed it, but there were more than anticipated, and they had raised the alarm. They didn't have time to Apparate out once the fight started, nor could they, as there were too many Order members that Death Eaters might have captured, or that might still be alive lying on the floor.

Harry felt a pang at his scar.

"He's coming," he said to Gin, low, "very soon."

Ginny looked worried.

"Look, Harry," she said. "If you don't think you can, then you should go. I think we're winning this battle now - we can get out of here - do it later -"

"No!" argued Harry fiercely. "I'll never have a better shot. He's getting stronger, Gin, and so are his forces."

"I'll back you up whatever you do, Harry," Gin said, in a rare sentimental moment. "You know that."

"Hey!" Ron yelled. "Some help, here?" He and Hermione were facing down a giant and a pair of dementors.

"On three - one - two - Stupefy!" Four voices yelled out in chorus as the giant toppled, and four Patronuses immediately shot out of their wands to take down the two dementors, who let out horrific shrieks as they ran away. Neville and Seamus had long gone off to assist Dean, Moody, and Charlie.

Suddenly, Harry's scar erupted in pain. He collapsed to the ground for a moment, then got up with great effort.

"Are you all right?" Ginny yelled, looking more concerned than she ever had.

Harry gritted his teeth. "There he is."

The man who had haunted his dreams for years and changed the course of his life was wreaking havoc with a surprise attack. Nobody had expected him to show up, except for Harry. Order members fell back, as they didn't have the power to compete.

"I need you three to protect me while I fight him," Harry yelled to Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. The three nodded. "I don't think you'll have much trouble. He wants to take me alone anyway - take care of each other."

Harry looked in Ginny's eyes for what felt like a long moment - then sprinted off, with his friends a short distance behind him, battling Death Eaters.

"Expelliarmus!" Harry yelled, not expecting it would do much. It didn't, of course, as Voldemort dodged it with ease. The two locked in mortal combat without a word to each other.

"Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort yelled at the same time as Harry tried to disarm him again. The spells connected in mid-air again, and the same thing happened as had happened in the graveyard, when Harry was nearly fifteen. Voldemort, however, had no interest on maintaining the connection, and with a great effort, wrenched the wand away, breaking the connection and nearly splitting both their wands in two. They stayed together, however.

"Stupefy!" Harry yelled, trying to weaken him before attempting the finishing spell. Voldemort conjured a shield at just the right moment and then flicked his wand, saying something low. Harry's bones and muscles exploded in pain, and he knew he had fallen victim to the Cruciatus Curse. He kept his grip on the wand tight, however, and as soon as Voldemort arrested the spell to deliver the Killing Curse, Harry blasted Voldemort off his feet and five feet away. He jumped up.

This is it. This is the moment.

"Avada Kedavra!" Harry yelled, hoping that it would hit. It didn't. Voldemort rolled to the side, anticipating Harry's move.

Ron ducked two Stunners that flashed right over his head, then Disarmed one Death Eater and jinxed another.

"Finish that one off, will you, Hermione?" She smiled grimly and used the full Body Bind on the man, incapacitating him. Ron summoned both their wands and snapped them under his feet. There was no way they'd be able to fight again in this battle.

"Good idea, Ron," Hermione said.

Ginny was doing some fighting with the Death Eaters, but most of the time, was watching Harry battle with Voldemort. Harry had grown immensely in power and was now Voldemort's equal, but that didn't necessarily mean he would win, and Ginny felt a sense of dread. She believed in Harry, though, so she wrenched her eyes away and tried to help Ron and Hermione fight, then spotted Hagrid having difficulty fighting an actual giant, and rushed off to help him.

Ron had turned his back on Hermione for a moment to fight a dementor when he saw, out of the corner of his eye, at least three or four jets of light converge on the same spot. Dreading what had happened, he immediately dispatched the dementor and turned around, saw three or four Death Eaters. He ducked and rolled, missing all four spells, and sent a Stunner at one. He disarmed another one, but was about to be killed by a third when the man suddenly fell down, Stunned. The fourth Death Eater only had time to look surprised when Seamus stunned him too, and snapped all four's wands.

"Is she alright?" Seamus said, pointing to Hermione, but Ron had already run to her side.

"Hermione! Hermione - wake up!" Ron yelled, tears blurring his vision. It couldn't be.

Ron checked for a pulse, and was overjoyed to find one there.

"Ennervate," he said calmly, expecting that she had simply been Stunned and needed to be revived. It didn't work, however.

"Ennervate. Ennervate! God damn it!" Ron yelled. He threw Hermione over his shoulder and motioned to Seamus.

"Cover me. She's alive but badly hurt, somehow."

Seamus nodded and jogged back with Ron, who was surprised at how light Hermione was. They watched low before slipping behind far enough to not be a target.

"Where's Mum?" Ron said.

"Here!" said Mrs. Weasley. "Oh no - not Hermione -"

"Yes. Mum, can you take her back to Headquarters? Can you Apparate that far?"

Mrs. Weasley nodded.

"Ron - are you all right - is Harry - I've heard that You-Know-Who -"

"Just go!" Ron yelled. "He's alright, for now, I've gotta go help him."

Ron ran out without another word. Seamus shrugged apologetically and went out to follow him, and Mrs. Weasley Apparated back to the Headquarters, which would be deserted but for Madam Pomfrey.

Ron saw Ginny fighting a Death Eater and Stunned him immediately. Ginny nodded thankfully, but then their eyes were all drawn to one point.

Harry threw off a fourth Imperius Curse, but wasn't ready for the spell that followed.

"Expelliarmus!" Voldemort yelled, and Harry was blasted off his feet, and his wand flew into Voldemort's hand.

Voldemort swooped over to Harry like a bird of prey, and menaced over him for a second, relishing the moment he had longed for for years.

"Goodbye, Harry Potter. Avada Kedavra!"

Harry turned his head to see Ginny as his last memory, then there was a flash of green light, and then only darkness for the Boy-Who-Lived.

"Ron! Ron!"

"Wha...what? What time is it?" Ron woke up, sweating, at 4:30, being shaken awake by somebody he couldn't identify in his drowsiness. As he came to slowly, he realized that it was actually just Ginny.

"Why did you wake me up, Gin?" Ron asked, but one look at her face and he realized that something serious was happening. "What's wrong?"

"Ron - I think - Hermione's waking up."