A/N: Wow. Um, yeah. This chapter is what brings it all together..hopefully. It's suppose to anyways.

Well anyways, I start school tomorrow so who knows when I'll post again.

Chapter 12

Harry sat crouched behind a tree, silently wishing that his heart was only deafening to him and not to the Death Eaters that were currently stationed in the small valley next to him. He had been sitting there for the past five minutes and still he couldn't pluck up the courage to confidently walk in the clearing. Voldemort was there, he knew that, he had to kill him, he knew that, and yet he was scared. But didn't he have a right to be?

A mere boy of sixteen years of age asked to do what the greatest wizards could not do themselves? It was impossible.

Alas, impossible seems not to be in the dictionary of the famous Harry Potter. So why was he so afraid?

Every time he had met Voldemort, he had never been this afraid. Was it the realization dawning on him that this was it? That this was the final battle? That one person will live but the other will die at his hand? It seemed like every thing else was child's play before this.

Harry's common sense told him to merely hit him in the back when he wasn't looking, but his heart was telling him differently. He should be a man. He should stand up, and face Voldemort like the man he should be; the man he was becoming.

But Harry couldn't do it. As much as he tried, he could not will his legs to pick him up and carry him through the foliage to either the victim or the murderer. Thankfully, or regrettably, he didn't have to.

"Harry, please, it isn't polite to eavesdrop on a private conversation," came a loud voice through the woods. Harry cringed; it was like nails on a chalk board.

With his heart in his throat, Harry slowly rose from his crouched position and turned to walk into the clearing. When he stepped through the foliage with his wand raised, he was met by Voldemort standing in the center with Death Eaters flanking him. They were wearing their masks but Harry knew that they were the same Death Eaters he had met in the Department of Mysteries, maybe more.

"Harry Potter, how nice of you to join us this fine evening," Voldemort grinned. "I believe you've already met my loyal followers." Voldemort gestured toward the Death Eaters and their voice suddenly rang out in the cold, night air.

"Harry Potter, the Boy who's going to Fail." "Come to try and take us on again Potter?" "Where are your loyal friends, Potter?" "Have you decided it was too much for your little girlfriend?" "Aw, is little Potter starting to get scared?" "Afraid you don't have enough nerve to use Avada Kedavra on us?"

Harry tried with all of his will to ignore their taunts, but it was becoming harder and harder with every sentence. Slowly his confidence was weakening and his fear growing.

Finally Voldemort raised his hand to stop them; he was laughing softly but it grew until it blocked out every other sound.

"Harry, Harry, I see you have finally learned that this is just no place for your little friends. I'm proud of you, but you must understand that when I kill you tonight, they will be my first victims," Voldemort laughed.

"There's a problem with that, you'll never be able to get past me," Harry said, wondering where this confidence had come from.

"Really? Well we'll just have to see about that," Voldemort smirked, raising his wand. His smile waned though when he heard a rustle of leaves. Then he smiled wide again. "Looks like I was wrong, your friends are here."

"What?" Harry exclaimed, looking around for a familiar redhead or bushy hair. Voldemort ignored him, though, and waved a few of Death Eaters to go into the woods. A few minutes of excruciating silence passed before a loud grunt, a shriek, and more yelling were heard. Moments later the Death Eaters came back carrying Ron, Ginny, and Hermione. They were all slightly bruised and struggling against their captors, but still alive and breathing.

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed when she saw him.

"What are you guys doing here?" Harry shouted, trying to keep one eye on Voldemort but still looking at his friends. "I told you to go home!"

"Did you honestly think I, we were going to leave you?" Ginny demanded, a look of ferocity on her face.

"How sweet, a nice reunion, but alas, it has to end," Voldemort sneered, raising his wand once again. This time, instead of pointing it at Harry, he was facing his three best friends. "Which shall be the first to go?"

"Don't you dare touch a hair on their heads," Harry said, gritting his teeth. If his friends were going to place themselves in harm's way, he would protect them at all cost.

"Harry, Harry, haven't you learned anything from protecting your friends? They're going to end up getting hurt even worse and it'll be your fault. So how about you be a smart little boy and leave me to my business?" Voldemort said, a cruel smile playing on his lips.

"That's like asking me to stop loving, to stop caring," Harry said, stepping closer to his friends but keeping his wand pointed at Voldemort.

"Love? Is that what you think will save you? Love is nothing," Voldemort spat. "Love turns into rejection which turns into pain and hurt. Love is just a word that people made up to describe a small infatuation."

"That's not true!" Ron suddenly shouted.

"Really?" Voldemort asked, rounding on the tall red-head.

"No, it's not. I love Hermione. I always will. This isn't a small infatuation, and if it is an infatuation then it's been going on for a long time. Love is the purest of all magic. It's greater than anything you could ever do," Ron said, standing up tall against the Dark Lord.

"You don't know what you're talking about boy," Voldemort said, grabbing Ron's arm and twisting it painfully. "If love is so pure, will it save you when I kill you?"

Ron remained silent but continued to glare at Voldemort.

"Oh Ron," Hermione moaned quietly under her breath. "I love you too."

Ron had no chance to respond though, because dozens of pops were sounded across the valley. But before the Aurors and Order of the Phoenix member could start saying even one spell, Voldemort laughing and welcomed them with open arms.

"Welcome! I'm so glad you could join us for the diminish of the famous Harry Potter," Voldemort sneered, before signaling the remaining Death Eaters to attack the Aurors. By time the Aurors figured out what was happening, it was already too late. In no time, the trio and Ginny's hope were laying unconscious on the ground. "Harry, Harry, I must say your friends were a refreshing change of pace, but now to move onto higher things."

"Don't touch them," a weak voice groaned from the ground. The whole company of kids, Death Eaters, and Lord Voldemort looked over to see Arthur Weasley struggling to his knees. A cut was bleeding heavily across his forehead and bruises were already starting to form but otherwise he was alive and conscience.

"Well if it isn't Arthur Weasley. You're just in time to see you're very own son murdered beneath my hands," Voldemort sneered.

"You won't touch them," Arthur groaned, slowly rising to his feet and raising his wand with a shaking arm.

"I'm afraid to say, someone like you won't be able to stop me," Voldemort said. "Imperio!" Arthur's face screwed up in concentration but after a few moments it passed and a dazed, peaceful look overcame him as he dropped his arm. A small smile played on his lips.

"Now I know you're just dieing to say goodbye to your youngest son," Voldemort laughed.

Slowly, Arthur Weasley walked across the clearing with the same dazed expression and small smile. Ron's breathing became more rapid and shallow as Arthur got closer and closer to him. When he was a mere foot or so away from his son he stopped. Arthur's eyes were misted over and he wasn't even looking at Ron.

"Dad?" Ron croaked out as he started to shake.

"Dad! Snap out of it! You're under a spell; we're right in front of you! Dad!" Ginny cried, her voice growing weaker as the Weasley's dad slowly raised his arm, pointing it at Ron.

"Goodbye Ronald," Voldemort laughed.

" Avada Kedavra!" "Dad!" "Ron!" A jet of green light threw Ron back into his captor's arms who quickly tossed him on the ground.

Hermione struggled against the man who held her arms. Finally he just let her go and she rushed to Ron where she kneeled down, tears pouring out of her eyes.

Harry started to tremble as he watched Hermione shake Ron's limp body. He knew this would happen. That's why he didn't tell anyone. He knew someone would get hurt. He knew someone would get killed.

Harry glanced at Ginny and saw her hanging limply in her captor's arms. She was staring numbly at Ron's body as if she wasn't registering what happened. The Death Eater that held her leaned over and whispered something in her ear but she continued to stare numbly. Then he heard the Death Eater whisper in her ear again but louder.

"Tell Harry to kill him now!"

Harry recognized that voice, he did. He just couldn't place it.

"If Harry doesn't kill the Dark Lord now, your brother's death would have been in vain.."

It was Lucius, Lucius Malfoy. Was he helping them now? But Ginny just stood there as if she was deaf.

"Harry! Harry, kill him now!" Lucius shouted across to the Boy Who Lived.

"Lucius?" Voldemort questioned, hearing his shout. "One my most loyal followers? Are you betraying me?"

Lucius through Ginny to ground and stood his ground.

"You made him kill his son," Lucius said grimly, knowing what was coming.

"No one betrays the Dark Lord. Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort shouted. Lucius fell to the ground, his eyes now lifeless.

"Dare Harry, I'm afraid we'll have to reschedule our dual. I have urgent business to attend to," Voldemort said, mock bowing. Voldemort grinned and Apparated, as did the rest of the Death Eaters.

It took a moment for Harry to realize what just happened, but when he did, he dropped his wand and rushed over to Ginny was who was sitting on her knees. Her breathing was shallow and she was turned away from Ron's body.

"Ginny?" Harry said, slowly placing his arm on her.

"Don't touch me," Ginny whispered, shrugging off his arm.

A/N: Well I think that's the last of the flashbacks. There was no way I could split this up so it's one big chapter. There might be one flashback, I'm not sure. We'll see.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much I did writing it. Not too many chapter left after this...I think.