I do not own Harry Potter or gain anything from writing this other than the opportunity of expanding on an already brilliant universe for my own entertainment, and hopefully yours.

CHAPTER 17 - DEATH

Hermione awoke on the hard stone floor with the feeling of something warm around her neck. She drew her hand back sharply at the feel of the hot stones, though somehow her neck was only mild. Recalling suddenly what happened, she sat up sharply. The shockingly bright light forced her to shield her eyes as she struggled to see where she was.

'Harry!' she called desperately while the light was still blinding.

'It's alright, Miss Granger,' an old, familiar voice said by her side. 'Keep calm, you're safe here.'

Hermione took the time to blink and clear her eyes. As her vision adjusted she saw that she was in the Room of Requirement. The space where she and Harry had set up the Heptagram for the ritual. The lines along the ground were glowing brightly and the stones around her neck shone a dull brown. She was in her place on the Earth point and all the other girls were on their own points, just starting to come to.

'Professor Dumbledore?' she said in shock, realizing he shouldn't be seeing this. 'What are you doing here?'

'I will explain everything when your remaining companions awaken,' he said calmly. 'For now, you should stay seated and rest.'

Hermione settled herself cross legged and took another sceptical look around. She saw Ron off by Katie, talking quietly to her. Ginny was doing the same for Luna and Neville to Susan. Dumbledore had made his way over to the two Slytherin girls who were with Madam Pomfrey and Sue Li. Tonks seemed to be the only one who was fully awake, she was sitting cross legged, staring to the side wide eyed and terrified.

'What's going on?' Hermione asked loudly, drawing everyone's attention. 'Where's Harry?'

When she said it the other girls realized too that Harry was indeed missing. Though it was Hannah's absense on top of that which really made Hermione afraid.

'He tricked us,' Tonks said shakily. 'He's doing it on his own, just linking with us from a distance. Dumbledore said it's to keep us safe.'

Hermione sprang to her feet and looked to the middle of the circle in a panic. There was an addition there that confirmed what Tonks just said.

'Where's Harry!' she demanded again. 'Tell me where he is!'

Dumbledore stepped closer as the other girls looked at Hermione and Tonks in panic.

'He is there,' Dumbledore said, pointing to where Tonks was looking.

Whirling, she looked out a window that the Room had created. In the distance, above the Forbidden Forest there was a brilliantly bright light.

'He's already started,' Hermione said in a small voice.

She slowly sat back down and hugged her legs to her chest.

'What do you mean?' Daphne asked in a panic. 'The ritual? He started the ritual?!'

Hermione nodded quickly, not taking her eyes off the bright light in the distance.

'But he's not here!' Susan yelled desperately. 'I don't understand!'

'I will explain everything,' Dumbledore said in a tired voice. 'Just know that this was Harry's own decision, and I happen to agree that it is the correct one.'

'HE'S SACRIFICING HIMSELF SO WE DON'T GET HURT!' Hermione shrieked at the Headmaster. 'HOW IS THAT THE RIGHT DECISION?'

'Because I believe he can survive,' Dumbledore said calmly, 'and I agree with him that some of you would not have had he proceeded with the plan you formed with him. There are six pieces of soul that need to be destroyed during this process. Miss Greengrass in particular would have been in exceptional danger, more than any of you. She is the Dark soul on Harry's side, and he is trying to destroy Dark souls.

'Harry is prepared for the possible inevitability, but he has not given up hope. That is why myself, Madam Pomfrey and Fawkes are here, and why Miss Abbott is with him.'

Hermione looked around and saw the Phoenix perched on the window sill, watching the happenings outside impassively. She sagged a little, her rage abating slightly.

'And he didn't think to ask me?' Daphne asked in a harsh voice. 'I would die for him willingly if it meant there was more of a chance for him to stay alive!'

'You believe he would not do the same for you?' Dumbledore asked quietly.

Daphne snarled at the Headmaster but didn't say a word.

'Again,' Dumbledore spoke sternly, 'this is the method that has the highest chance of every single participant surviving. Harry Potter is no fool; that much I think you all know. Trust him in this. Though I dare say, you have no choice.'

Just then the intensity of the light out the window got blindingly bright. Dumbledore pulled out his wand and the Phoenix flew to perch on his shoulder.

'Be ready,' he spoke to Madam Pomfrey directly. 'I do not know how long this process will take, he could arrive at any moment.'

There was a loud bang in the room and something silver and blue landed on the floor next to Ron, who jumped back about a foot. It writhed on the ground then let out a screeching scream before bursting into a black substance that looked suspiciously like blood.

'Well then,' Dumbledore spoke into the silence, 'it is encouraging to know the process is working.'

'That's Ravenclaw's diadem!' Sue said in shock.

'Indeed,' Dumbledore said, inspecting the husk of the diadem, 'or it is better to say, it was.'

They all stared at the destroyed object, Hermione had one thing on her mind, and it terrified her. Katie voiced her fear aloud.

'If that happens to H - Harry,' she said in a frightened voice.

'If there is one thing that I know about Harry Potter,' Madam Pomfrey said loudly, 'it's that he is very proficient at not dying.'

Hermione didn't turn away from the light but smiled despite herself. She called to him with her thoughts, hoping desperately that he would listen.

Come back home, Harry.

One Hour Earlier

They stood on a raised platform high above the Forbidden Forest. The sheen of the wards Dumbledore had erected surrounded them, cutting off the wind completely. Harry Potter stood in the middle of a Heptagram that was an exact replica of the one back in the Room of Requirement. The sun was just beginning to rise, still hidden by the mountains on the horizon. The sky was an orange-pink to the east, the glow touching onto the tips of the trees below them.

'It's pretty,' Hannah said quietly.

'Quite romantic really,' Harry commented, flashing her a smile.

Hannah gave him a half-hearted shove on his bare chest but her hand lingered. She ran it up his chest and cupped his cheek. Letting the moment breathe, they looked into each other's eyes for a long time. Finally Hannah moved closer to him and stood up on her toes to kiss him on the cheek.

'I'll give you a proper kiss when you survive,' she said shakily.

Harry nodded at her and smiled sadly.

'I'll hold you to that, you know,' he promised.

'I hope you do.'

Harry turned away from her and raised his wand with a flourish. Hannah adjusted her necklace around her neck and triple checked the bracelet was still there then placed her hands firmly on his back.

The sun was now fully visible above the mountains, spreading a comfortable warmth through them.

'Are you ready?' Harry asked her in a strong voice.

'Yes,' she answered, equally as strong.

Hannah began first, leaning into him harder as she started her incantation, loud and clear. A few moments into her chanting, the stones on her necklace lit up one by one. The names of Harry's chest did the same in perfect sync. He could feel the connection between himself and the seven witches back in the Room of Requirement. He pointed his wand at his chest in the centre of the names and began his own incantation.

The Heptagram burst into light immediately, blinding them temporarily with the brightness. They did not need to see though; Harry could feel Hannah's hands on his back as she strengthened the link and could feel the magic from his own chant tickling his scar.

Visions shot through his eyes. A short wizard with bandy legs and long, scraggly ginger hair walking through a dark alley, hefting a sack over his shoulder. A dim room, lit only by a barely burning torch on a wall, mountains of gold and treasures filling the small space. Shockingly, he saw the Room of Requirement, the seven witches waking up from their induced slumber. Nagini the snake uncoiling and sniffing the air suspiciously with its tongue, a pale man looking at his hands in confusion. The same room again as Voldemort ordered his few followers who were within to leave, shooting a spell wildly at their retreating figures; Harry recognized Snape and Bellatrix Lestrange among them.

Then he was back, the white light still unbearably bright but still his eyes were wide as he concentrated on the next part of the spell. He flicked his wand hard along an impossible trail, a trail along a Dark soul. It was left after the visions and he concentrated on the one leading to the Room with the people he loved. The light exploded brighter as the magic of the ritual pushed through the path, his eyes burning from the brightness and his scar pulsed dangerously. He heard Hannah gasp behind him but she continued the incantation right through it.

Harry concentrated hard on the next trail, the one to Mundungus Fletcher. Another flick and the burst of light was followed by a burst of pain along his side. His scar throbbed like it was trying to escape the side of his head. He needed to focus, his side and his face felt wet and he shuddered at what it must be. He didn't have time to be distracted, he began the chant again and flicked toward the dim room and he screamed in agony as the flash overwhelmed him.

He spat the salty tang of blood from his mouth only for it to be refilled immediately. He fought the pain from the lancing gash that ripped open his back under Hannah's fingers. She shifted her grip on him but continued to chant, her voice louder and fiercer than before. He drew strength from it and aimed for the snake. He felt his left arm tear open completely at the same time that his scar screamed at him, releasing a cough of blood of all things. Harry wasn't sure if his arm was still attached at all, but he still held his wand in the limp fingers of the other.

The Cruciatus curse was nothing compared to this pain but he somehow remained on his feet. Perhaps the only thing that kept him alive at all was Hannah's chant holding his soul firmly in his body. A body that was failing him as he struggled to lift his wand arm.

Seemingly hearing his thoughts, Hannah's hand left his back to grasp his arm and he felt strength returning to it. Strength enough to move it how he needed to. He garbled the final incantation through a mouthful of blood and swung his arm in a wide circle before thrusting it from his scar out across the final trail.

While it didn't seem any different from his own white washed perspective, he knew the explosion of light swallowed his entire surroundings, probably to beyond Hogwarts. His head seemed to explode, he barely felt it though, or anything else as his legs gave way and there was no more light. Only darkness.

He didn't see Hannah catching him in shaky arms. Didn't see her press the bracelet to his body. Didn't feel the pull of the Portkey. Nor did he feel himself land in the centre of the circle in the Room of Requirement.

He may not feel ever again.

Hermione felt tired. She was just sitting on the floor but she was somehow exhausted. And hungry, very hungry. There was a curious part of her brain that was making notes on the side effects of the ritual through the link. There was the rest of her brain that was terrified every time the light burst like that.

'That is the fourth,' Dumbledore murmured, though loud enough that she heard him. 'The final two will be in one.'

Ron was saying something to her, she wasn't sure what, she wasn't paying attention. The next would be the last, then what? She asked Dumbledore as much.

'Then, Miss Abbott will activate her Portkey and they will arrive here,' Dumbledore said, indicating the centre of the circle. 'While Miss Abbott sustains his soul, we will heal his body.'

Madam Pomfrey nodded resolutely, wand at the read, a table next to her containing various potions and bandages and healing equipment. Fawkes chirped from his perch on Dumbledore's shoulder. All eyes were still on the light.

'Let me remind you,' Dumbledore intoned, 'it is imperative that no one enters the circle once Harry arrives, lest you put your own soul at risk. It is also imperative that you seven do not move; you and Miss Abbott could be the only thing keeping Harry from passing on. Hopefully the damage to him is not as bad as that, however.'

The time was stretching on impossibly long. The space between the last two bursts was far shorter.

Could the strain have been too much? Was he not able to finish?

Her traitorous thoughts were interrupted by a light so blinding she had to shield her eyes. It enveloped the entire room they were in and stretched who knows how far beyond. Nothing but white existed even through her arms that covered her eyes. Cries of alarm permeated the light and a few moments later it was dark. She blinked several times before her eyes began to adjust, and even then there were white spots marking her vision.

A twisting at the center of the circle caught her eye as a splash of red was thrown across the room.

Hermione screamed. Harry Potter, her best friend, the man she loved, was in the middle of the still glowing circle, completely covered in red, one green eye staring at her unseeing.

Hannah was atop of him, covered in Harry's blood, eyes shut tight and screaming her chant at the top of her lungs. She'd manage to shift off of him shakily, her two hands never losing contact with the bloody mess that was on the ground.

Hermione looked desperately over to Professor Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey but the two looked as terrified as she felt. Their wands moved through the air just outside of the circle as they cast their diagnostic charms of all things. Only Fawkes seemed to act immediately, landing on Hannah's shoulder and crying onto the boy in a strange mimic of the Hufflepuff girl he was perched on. Its tears landed over where Harry's heart would be, the bird purposely targeting his vitals.

The effect was immediate as his skin patched together slowly where the tears landed. As soon as the patch of skin was whole the Phoenix moved on along his chest. Hannah quickly shifted her hands to the patch of healed flesh, smearing it with blood but no doubt revelling in the feel of skin as her voice gained some strength.

Hermione cast the Soul-Seeing spell on herself to make sure the battle that Hannah was fighting was going well. Harry's soul was nearly fully separated from his body; the only part still connected was where Hannah had her hands placed. The light soul hung there like a plastic bag caught in a tree.

Harry's torso was almost fully healed now and Fawkes moved on to his head, a place where the Headmaster and Matron had already been working. With the blood cleared Hermione could see his face clearly and she let out a whimpering sob. There were black fissures lancing out from where the lightning bolt scar had been, where a small hole now existed.

One of the fissures went right through his right eye, destroying one of the green orbs that once looked at her with such intensity. None of that mattered though, as long as he lived none of it mattered. Slowly the torn skin on his face reformed until he looked like Harry again. The black gashes faded under the Phoenix tears, eventually being gone completely. Fawkes gave a tired trill and flew shakily back to the window sill where it seemed to fall asleep under a wing.

As Dumbledore began working on Harry's limbs, Hermione saw that his left arm was barely attached. The bone was snapped and clearly visible through the open arm. As the magic worked along it the arm reformed itself to appear good as new. Harry's soul was still only clinging, however, even though his exterior seemed mostly healed. Madam Pomfrey was casting a spell continuously on his chest and Hermione realized she was trying to resuscitate him. Even after Dumbledore got through all the limbs Madam Pomfrey was still using the same spell on him over and over. Dumbledore seemed at a loss and fell back against the wall, exhausted.

Even though his heart wasn't restarting, his soul kept clinging to the spot where Hannah held, her voice growing hoarse from overuse but still fighting on. Hermione looked at the hanging soul and spoke to it.

'Harry,' she said in a weak voice. 'I - I expressly forbid you to die. So please, come back to us.'

'You can't die, Harry,' Luna Lovegood said shakily. 'I don't want to watch someone I love die again. I don't think I will survive it if you do.'

'I know you've lost a lot of people, Harry,' Susan said, crying. 'I have too. I know you miss them but you can't leave me yet. You can't. I need you.'

'You've never died before, against all odds,' Daphne said, her eyes fixed on the spot where Hannah's hands held his soul. 'I know you're not going to do it now either. So stop being so bloody dramatic.'

'He always is dramatic isn't he,' Katie said quietly. 'I like that about you, Harry. I think I like everything about you though.'

'Don't die, Harry,' Tonks said almost calmly. 'The dead will wait for you, there's no need to rush things. Your dad was a prat anyway.'

'Y - y - you a - always said you like the way I say your n - name,' Tracey said through gasping sobs. 'H - Harry.'

'Harry,' Hermione echoed.

'Harry,' the rest said, one by one.

Still, his soul clung onto Hannah's hands, Madam Pomfrey's repeated spell useless.

'If you don't come back none of us will ever shag you again!' Hermione shouted angrily.

His soul moved into his body, enveloping him completely. Pomfrey's spell took purchase and his chest moved up and down.

Hannah faltered in her incantation and slowly moved shaky hands away. The light of the circle dimmed to nothing as Harry's chest continued to rise and fall with Madam Pomfrey's help.

Hermione rose onto shaky feet and moved to Harry's side, touching his face just to make sure he was real. Pomfrey was there a moment later, moving her wand over his body as she muttered under her breath. The rest of the girls moved to do the same as Hermione, no one daring to breathe.

'Don't bloody crowd the boy! He's not out of the woods yet!' Madam Pomfrey scolded and they all backed off a step, except for Hannah.

'Bloody pervert,' Hannah mumbled in a hoarse voice under her breath, then collapsed on the floor.

Dumbledore was on her a moment later, waving his wand over Hannah much the same as Pomfrey was doing to Harry. Madam Pomfrey began feeding Harry potion after potion, her wand waving over him in between each phial.

Finally someone found their voice.

'Are they going to be alright?' Neville asked in a near whisper.

'Miss Abbott will be fine,' Dumbledore said in a weak voice that made him sound his age. 'Mr Potter …'

'He will not be waking up any time soon I can tell you that,' Madam Pomfrey said in a somber tone. 'His body was essentially dead for nearly an hour. It is functioning properly for the moment though still has much healing to do and thankfully his mind seems healthy, but it takes time for a soul to reconnect to a body it had left, even partially.

'I do not claim to be an expert on the subject … in fact most of what I know I've learned through Harry's book. Perhaps there is an expert on souls at St Mungos.'

'I don't think so,' Katie Bell said, frowning. 'I was there for months and I was barely improving. Then the day Harry came he sped up my soul and I was released that night.'

'It doesn't matter how long it takes,' Tonks said firmly. 'He will wake up, won't he?'

Madam Pomfrey wet her lips and furrowed her brow.

'I think he will,' she said. 'If anyone could wake up from this, it is him.'

The room went silent as Hermione smiled down at the unconscious boy.

'Maybe if you promise to shag him some more it'll get him up,' Ron said from behind them, earning a very hard punch from Neville and harder glares from all the conscious women in the room.

Ron mumbled something about, 'Thought you needed a laugh,' then, 'Seemed to work last time.'

'Well it's a start anyway,' a very weak voice sounded out.

Everyone looked in shock to Harry's face to see one eye blinking open.

'Harry!' Several people breathed, fighting between wanting to hug him and not wanting to hurt him.

Harry looked around blearily, taking count of every face looking at him until his eye fell on Hannah.

'Tell her she was brilliant,' he mumbled out. 'I …'

His eye faded shut.

Everyone looked to Madam Pomfrey who was smiling and shaking her head incredulously.

'Only him,' she said bemusedly as a tear fell from her eye. 'Only him.'

Various people let out happy sobs and choked laughs. Hermione found Ginny's arms wrapped around her, half laughing, half crying into her shoulder. She looked down at her friend who had survived so much, who was going to survive again.

'He's going to be ok.'