Everyone was searching around for the source of the shout, George looked around in bewilderment - Voldemort looked furious. And Harry pulled off the Cloak at last. The yell of shock, the cheers, the screams on every side of; 'Harry!' 'SHE'S ALIVE!' were stifled at once. The crowd was afraid, and silence fell abruptly and completely as Voldemort and Harry looked at each other, and began, at the same moment, to circle each other.

"You!"

"Me!" Harry replied. "You think you know me so well, then you should have known - should have known I'd fight. That I wouldn't come to you without doing something!"

"It was an accident! Just an accident that you're alive-"

"Accident was it when my mother died to save me? Accident when I decided to fight in that graveyard? Accident, that I didn't defend myself tonight, and still survived, and returned to fight again?"

"Accidents!" Voldemort screamed, but he did not strike, and the crowd watched frozen. "Accidents and chance and the fact that you crouched and sniveled behind others, and permitted me to kill them for you!"

"You won't be killing anyone else tonight," Harry said, "You won't be able to kill any of them. Don't you get it? I was ready to die to stop you hurting these people -"

"But you did not!"

"I meant to. I did what my mother did. They're protected from you. Haven't you noticed? Can't you feel it? Your spells will not bind. You cannot torture them. You cannot touch them. You haven't learned from your mistakes -"

"You dare -"

"Yes," Harry said, "because I know things you don't Tom. I know lots of important things that you don't. Want to hear some, before you make another big mistake?"

"Is it love, again?" Voldemort said, "Dumbledore's favourite solution, love? Love did not prevent me from stamping out your Mudblood mother. So, what will stop you dying now when I strike. or do you think you know more magic than I do?" Voldemort laughed. "Then I, Lord Voldemort, who has performed magic that Dumbledore himself never dreamed of?"

"Oh he dreamed of it, but he knew more than you, knew enough not to do what you've done."

"Then he was weak!" Voldemort screamed. "Too weak to dare, too weak to take what might have been his, what will be mine!"

"No, he was clever than you, a better wizard, a better man."

"I brought the death of Albus Dumbledore!"

"You thought you did, but you were wrong," Harry said. "He didn't die from your orders. He chose his own manner of dying, chose it months before he died, arranged the whole thing with the man you believed to be your servant."

"What childish dream is this?"

"Not a dream, I've seen his memories - Severus Snape was never yours," Harry said, "He betrayed you then and continued to do so until his death. All because you started hunting down the woman he loved; my mother. And you never realised it, because of the thing you can't understand. You never saw Snape cast a Patronus, it was the same as my mother's; a doe, because he loved her for nearly all his life. You should have realised, he asked you to spare her life, didn't he?"

"He desired her, that was all," Voldemort sneered. "This matters not. Matters not whether Snape was mine or Dumbledore's, or what petty obstacles they tried to put in my path! I crushed them. Dumbledore tried to keep the Elder Wand from me! He intended that Snape should be the true master. But I got there ahead of you - I reached the wand before you could get your hands on it. I understood the truth before you caught up. I killed Severus Snape hours ago, and the Elder Wand is truly mine!"

"You're right in thinking Dumbledore's plan going wrong," Harry said, "But before you try to kill me, I'd advise you to think about what you've done ... think, and try for some remorse, Tom ..."

"What is this?"

"It's your last chance, it's all you've got left ... I know what you'll be otherwise ... be a man instead ... try ... try for some remorse."

"You dare-?" Voldemort said again.

"I dare because Dumbledore's last plan hasn't backfired on me at all. It backfired on you, Riddle." Voldemort's hand trembled as he held the Elder Wand. "The wand still isn't working properly for you, because you failed to kill the wrong person. Dumbledore intended to die, undefeated, if all had gone to plan, the wand's power would have died with him. Didn't you listen to Ollivander? The wand chooses the wizard ...possessing the wand is not enough! Holding it, using it, doesn't make it yours." Harry explained, "the night Dumbledore died, Draco Malfoy Disarmed him, thus the Wand chose him as its new master. Snape killed Dumbledore with his wand as planned. But the wand had a new master - "

"I killed Snape!"

"It's not necessary to kill the previous master of the wand, haven't you been listening - Draco Disarmed Dumbledore - You do not need to kill the previous master of the wand. So now, I ask you this," Harry said, "does the wand you hold, know that I overpowered Draco. Because if it does, it knows that I am the true master of the Elder Wand."

A red glow burst suddenly across the enchanted sky above them, as an edge of dazzling sun appeared over the sill of the nearest window. The light hit both of their faces at the same time. Harry heard Voldemort's voice shriek, as she too, yelled:

"Avada Kedavra!"

"Expelliarmus!"

The bang was like a cannon blast and the golden flames that erupted between them, at the dead center of the circle they had been treading, marked the point where the spells collided. Harry saw Voldemort's green jet meet her own spell, saw the Elder wand fly high, spinning across the enchanted ceiling, spinning through the air towards the master it would not kill, who had come to take full possession of it at last. Harry, with her unerring Seeker skills, caught the wand in her free hand as Voldemort fell backward, arms splayed. Tom Riddle hit the floor with a mundane finality, his body feeble and shrunken. Voldemort was dead, killed by his own rebounding curse, and Harry stood staring down at her enemy's shell.

One shivering second of silence, the shock of the moment suspended: and then the tumult broke around Harriet, the screams and the cheers, the roars of the watchers rent the air. The first to reach her was Ron and Hermione, their arms wrapping around her. Then, Neville, Luna were there, Kingsley, Hagrid, the Professors, George could not hear a word that anyone was shouting. He could hardly believe it was finally over. George rushed to his girlfriend's side, swept up in too many emotions that he could barely process. She was alive after all - but he needed to hold her, to be sure he wasn't in a dream. George startled her as he picked her up, spinning her around in delight. Laughter erupted from her lips squealing. "George! Put me down."

Families were gathering together, Kingsley had been made temporary Minister for Magic, the remaining Death Eaters were fleeing or being captured, the innocent of Azkaban were being released. The Great Hall blazed with such life, and people had wanted her there to be part of the mingled pourings of jubilation and mourning. They wanted their symbol, their saviour, and their guide with them. McGonagall was barking orders to get the wards up and running as quickly as possible. George ignored them all. It was over, and he wanted nothing more than Harriet Potter.

"Marry me?"

George asked the question without thinking - the ring he had got for her, still hidden within his backpack left behind in the tent they had been using. George could hardly care if he lost it, but he had intended to get down on one knee - ring in hand - he had forgotten all about his plan in the heat of the moment.

Harriet's face was horror-stricken. The Great Hall had gone deadly silent. Her eyes scanned the hall in panic. Harriet's green eyes turned to him, she was breathing in fast, shaking like a leaf. And George cursed himself as Harriet's eyes teared up.

George reached for her again, to comfort her - Harriet in her panicked state whispered, "Ron's gonna kill me." before she vanished from his very sight.