Chapter 20 – The End Has Arrived

"No!" Ginny screamed, as the blinding green light subsided and she realized the reality of what had just happened.

She peered closely at the fallen boy's face. It looked so serene for a person who had just been angry and passionate enough to take a killing curse meant for someone else.

The girl did not have enough time to ponder the situation; Lucius Malfoy was, again, pointing his wand at her in an attempt to send an "Avada Kedavra" her way.

"You won't kill me. I'll destroy you before you can do this to anyone else, you vile man!"

Before Ginny could even utter those words that she would later regret, Harry had stepped in. He quickly cast a protection spell around them, "Protego!" He then started to explain to Ginny that no matter how hurt she was that she should not stoop down to Lucius' level. Killing him would make her no better than the Death Eaters they were fighting.

Ginny lowered her wand and quietly thanked the boy. "Thank you, Harry. Now, let's go kick some Death Eater arse!"

Harry let down the shield and was ready to continue his search for Lord Voldemort. However, Lucius Malfoy had other plans for the boy. The man figured that if Harry were dead, it would not matter that the prophecy had not been fulfilled. With Harry gone there would be no need for the prophecy, and nobody capable of saving the wizarding world from Voldemort's wrath.

Before Harry could realize what was going on, Lucius Malfoy had his wand pointed at him, ready to curse him into oblivion. At the last second, a stocky man with a silver hand jumped in front of Harry and sent his own curse at the blond haired man.

Peter Pettigrew had fulfilled his wizard's debt to Harry. Lucius Malfoy was dead before he could even utter the curse that would rid the world of the Boy-Who-Lived.

Astonished, Harry could only stare at what Peter had done to his fellow Death Eater.

"The debt's been paid, boy. Now run along and do what you must." Peter encouraged the boy, and then once Harry was out of view, Pettigrew put himself out of his misery.

As the last Death Eaters were taken hostage or demobilized, Harry Potter confronted the man formerly known as Tom Riddle.

"Prepare to die, Potter. I'm sure your parents will be delighted to be reunited with you at long last."

At the mention of his parents by the man who had killed them, Harry quickly sent the most hate filled curse he could at the evil wizard in front of him. Voldemort had sent the Avada at the exact same time as the unsuspecting boy.

A bright green light emitted from each wand, intercepting in the middle. Seconds later the light turned red and Harry was having a difficult time keeping his wand steady and the light unfaltering.

Apparitions spewed forth from Lord Voldemort's wand, and at some point in the procession, Harry's parents appeared before him. The James Potter standing aside him told him to hold on tightly, and the Lily Potter beside the apparition of his father asked him to remember the weapon she had given him as a mere baby.

With a newfound will and urge to defeat the Dark Lord at all costs, Harry turned his mind to the weapon his late mother had mentioned. Instead of the hate for the evil wizard that was powering his curse, he turned to the feeling of love that he had for his fellow Order Member's, his friends, his late parents, and for his life. He threw all that love at the wizard in front of him and watched the red light glow even brighter as it inched its way toward Lord Voldemort.

The light reached the wizard and his wand flew from his hands, burnt to a crisp. Slowly, Voldemort's skin started burning, and as his body writhed in pain, a bright light emanated from within him. With an explosion and a light piercing the dark night's sky, Voldemort was no longer. Harry Potter was again the Boy-Who-Lived.

Harry lowered himself to the ground and placed his head in his hands. He was in shock.

The rest of the Order had stabilized the remaining Death Eaters and now held them captive under their watch. Many Order members were wounded, and only a handful had lost their lives, including Draco Malfoy.

Ginny lay on the ground, crying uncontrollably. Ron and Hermione sat nearby consoling one another; Charlie Wesley was dead not a few paces away from them. Alastor Moody was motionless on the ground near the Headmistress. A fellow Order member, Hestia Jones, had also been killed in the fight. The others were bleeding and bruised, but alive.

The captured Death Eaters were carted off to Azkaban as soon as possible, and the wounded Aurors and Order Members, as well as students from the Great Hall, were sent to the Hospital Wing or St. Mungo's, depending on the severity of their pains.

The next few hours were spent in silence for most of those who had fought in the final battle. The Headmistress arranged the funerals with the Minister of Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour.

It would be a few days before the heroic fighters would be laid to rest on the grounds of Hogwarts. Honouring the dead would be a sad part of the beginning of the celebration for the downfall of the most evil wizard to grace the wizarding world since Grindelwald had been at large.

A week after the events that had taken place on the Hogwarts Quidditch pitch, most of the British Wizarding World attended the funeral procession of the fallen men and women that was to take place on Hogwarts' grounds.

The Weasley family mourned deeply for the loss of their second oldest son, Charlie. Ginny, on the other hand, was most distraught, as she had lost a dear brother, as well as a dear friend. She was inconsolable, and her family gave her the time and space she needed in order to heal her broken heart.

The funeral for the fallen heroes lasted a good three hours. The Minister of magic, as well as the Headmistress of Hogwarts gave their speeches, and even Harry was called upon to say a few words.

Harry did not know what to say, as he was still in shock over the events of the past week, and he was in mourning for all the people their cause had lost over the course of the war against evil.

He said, with a newfound maturity that the war had instilled in him, "We are here to mourn those we have lost in the great battle against the evil wizard of our time. Lord Voldemort is gone, but at what price? Our dear ones have been taken from us, but we honour their deaths this afternoon. We will honour their deaths through living; we must rebuild our community, and preach tolerance for all witches wizards and muggles, alike. Not hate. I propose we absolve Hogwarts of the four houses and unite ourselves under its glorious banner. We are one, us witches and wizards, let us not stand divided. We defeated the Dark Lord as a unit, and we will live forever more as a unit."

The audience applauded Harry's words with heartfelt enthusiasm. The time had come for the wizarding world to change. Peace was upon them, and they would live in tolerance, remembering those who fell, and the price of the lives they had retained.