Chapter 2: In Harry's Study

Harry opened the door to his study, slowly as if some creature were waiting on the other side to punish him for not doing anything about his disappearance earlier, walked past where Hedwig was perched atop her cage sleeping silently and ran a finger over her soft feathers before sitting behind his desk.

Pulling a small key from his jacket pocket Harry opened the bottom drawer of his desk where he kept letters he had received after going into hiding from everyone. Also scattered about the drawer were clipping's from the Daily Prophet announcing the downfall of Voldemort by Harry, articles about people he knew while still in Hogwarts and Ginny's graduation announcement and photo.

Harry pulled these last from the drawer and scanned over them, especially the photo of Ginny, before laying them aside and arranging the letters by who they were from. He pulled open the top drawer and retreived a quill and parchment so he could at least attempt to keep up with some of what he read and answer what needed answering the most for Hermione, Ron and Ginny come Halloween night.

"OK, so where do I start? Er...Ron's letters were hardly ever long and usually to the point." Harry muttered to himself. "Besides he only sent about four."

Harry picked up the top letter, with a slightly trembling hand, and opened Ron's letter.

Harry,

What happened to you last night during Ginny's graduation party? You were there talking with Remus and in the next moment gone. Mum has been going spare wondering what happened. You know if you didn't want to stay, mate, you could have at least let me or Hermione know you were headed off. Send us an owl letting us know you are fine, Harry.

Ron

Harry laid the letter down remembering that night at the Burrow.

"Remus was asking how I had managed to take down Voldemort after Ron, Hermione and Ginny had been knocked out and I panicked, excused myself to the loo and walked out towards the Weasley's low garden wall." Harry spoke softly while writing bits down on the parchment. "When I got there I could hear Mr. and Mrs. Weasley talking about the same thing Remus wanted to know about, so I did what I thought was best in order to avoid awkward questions, I apparated home and hid like a fool."

Harry hung his head after lying the quill aside, trying to fight back too many memories at once, took a deep breath and looked at another letter. This one appeared to be from Mrs. Weasley, but Harry could not find enough courage to read the letter.

Mrs. Weasley had passed away almost three years ago after Arthur had been killed in a Muggle accident while investigating a problem just outside London. Arthur had simply been standing to close to a Muggle road when two cars got into each other sending them off the roadway and into Mr. Weasley. Molly, most said, passed away around eight months later from a broken heart.

Harry put Molly's letter back in the bottom drawer and picked one from Hermione's stack. To his surprise it was not a "Where are you?" letter.

Harry,

I know you've had a hard time since that day when you met Voldemort for the last time, but you must look at it this way, Harry, you have saved more lives in killing what wasn't really a man anymore, than what were lost that day outside Hogsmeade. I know you will not ever take me up on the offer, but if you need someone to talk to besides yourself to try to help, you cope with some of your burden I'm always here just like when we were in school. Only you can ask for help with your depression.

Your friend,

Hermione

'True depression was part of it, but in all honesty I may very well have had a breakdown of some kind.' Harry thought trying to bring all his memories of that day outside Hogsmeade to the surface.

The battle had been raging for more than hour now, but to Harry it seemed like it was days before he made it to the top of the hill, that would have led him to the cave where he, Ron and Hermione had met with Sirius in his fourth year. He had to keep going because his goal was in sight now with most of the Death Eaters killed, captured, or sent running in fear for their lives.

Voldemort stood, watched and waited for Harry to finally come to him.

"Well, Harry it seems we meet again for what will surely be the last." Voldemort said in his cold voice as Harry approached flanked by Ron on the right and Ginny on the left and Hermione on Ron's right.

"It will be the last, but not for me!" Harry said in a commanding tone.

"Maybe, but you will stand alone when we duel."

Voldemort raised his wand and brought it down in a slashing motion that sent Ron, Hermione and Ginny flying backwards away from Harry and tumbling back down the hill. Harry could hear every thud and crack their bodies made as they fell. Assuming the worse Harry rushed Voldemort, planting his shoulder into his midsection knocking the laugh from Voldemort lips.

"So, you would rather play a Muggle game than to take me serious?" Voldemort asked sputtering from being winded.

"No more games!" Harry yelled pointing his wand directly at Voldemort and muttered an incantation.

Voldemort snorted a laugh as the spell hit him and nothing happened.

"Potter, whatever you tried failed and now-" Voldemort gagged on his proclamation and his skin began to bubble and boil. His skin began to melt away from his body leaving ragged hole's that allowed his skeleton to show through. His body began to convulse and jerk in uncontrollable gestures. Voldemort sank to his knees, tried to speak and then fell on his face dead.

"Love. Dumbledore was right; it was love that would be his down fall." Harry muttered, swaying a little on his feet and then ran down the hill where his friends still lay motionless. Harry dropped to his knees, feeling more light-headed, beside Ginny, picked up her limp hand felt a light pulse before finally succumbing to unconsciousness himself.

He awakened three days later to find Ron, Hermione and Ginny were going to be fine except for a few broken bones and sprains from their fall. And Harry would be fine himself after a few more days of rest. The Healer's had told him that the spell he used must have drained his magic to a low level that had caused his blackout.

Harry raised his head from his desk when Hedwig let out a soft hoot and flew across to him and nestled her head against his.

"Thanks, girl." Harry said rubbing Hedwig's feathers and letting her nip affectionately at his fingers before he stood to leave his study for the day.

'Memories are sometimes worse then what we had to live through.' Harry thought to himself as he walked outside for a bit of fresh air after spending half of the day upstairs. 'I guess it won't be such a bad thing to remember the past at least for one night.'