Thank you paige-rossi-black, Shrink To Be, Tai Greywing, I Shot The Sheriff, IronFist Shady Gurl, The Tenth Doctor's Companion and Xlittle-pyroX!

Doobrey Ferkin: Songfics? Love 'em. Revel in 'em. I'd make a million of my own if they were properly accepted on FanFic dot net. Shame, that. I've done one, but I dare not do anymore. (Sigh) Still, lots of people love a good songfic, me included, so if you're up for it, I'd say go for it. 'Cause you're right. There's a million different songs that work so well with the Doctor and Rose's relationship and the series as a whole! Ahem … thanksies for commenting! (Blush)

izzfrogger: Thanksies for the review and I hope your exams went okay, too!

LittleGinny15: Thank you! Sad song, that one. Quite beautiful. Hope you like this one too! And sorry for the delay. Writer's Block sucks big time. (Shrugs) 

A/N: Sorry! Writer's Block! Really, really bad Writer's Block! (Begs forgiveness)

Oh, and um … a lot of these events are happening at the same time, so if it seems to be moving a little fast, - or a little slow, come to think of it - that's most probably why. (Grins) Hell, you've no idea how hard it is to write so many characters at once until you try it for yourself. I'd never have believed it had I not written this, so I'm most definitely feeling an immense sense of awe for Mrs Rowling, right now. How she did it, I really do not know.

AnyWho, read on at last! And enjoy!

The Battle Begins

Tonks clutched despairingly at a stitch in her side as she practically flew through the corridors, her face set, pushing passed students rushing in the opposite direction, students with not a care in the world save for who'd kissed who that morning and which exam so-and-so expected to fail.

It amazed her how 'real life' could still be going on around them. Away from the Order, and away from the war, life was normal.

And she simply could not comprehend that.

Dearly wishing she could be one of those people, devoid of responsibility and the fate of the entire world resting on the shoulders of herself and her colleagues, Tonks shouted the password at the stone gargoyle before it was even in sight.

Jumping onto the revolving staircase, she gave the brass knocker one swift tug, then pushed straight inside, not bothering to wait for a summons.

McGonagall glanced up from her desk in surprise, and Tonks flashed her a sympathetic smile before launching headfirst into speech.

"Headmistress? We have a problem. A really, really big problem."

Her lips thinning, her eyes narrowing and her heart sinking as the conversation was pulled in a direction that even the Doctor himself would have problems with following, McGonagall was on her feet before the explanation was even finished.

And with an anxious nod at Tonks, spells for concealment, protection and defence escaping her wand and enveloping the entire school - accompanied with an alert to all members of staff about her abrupt departure - the pair turned on their heels, flicked their cloaks, and vanished.

Screaming out in frustration, Jack straightened up and ran his hands through his hair.

"Damnit!" he yelled, banging his head against the machine before turning away, leaning against it and breathing heavily. "This is impossible!"

Glancing sideways, he suppressed a shudder as the Doctor painstakingly slowly raised his head to stare at him, tear-filled eyes wide with despair and silent pleas.

Jamming his eyes shut, he turned away, the guilt bubbling like poison as it sped through his veins. Taking a deep, calming breath, he shook his head and composed himself, trying to ease his nerves if only to give him a clearer head.

"Right," he murmured, glancing around the room for something that could help.

And then he spotted it.

Feet away from him, it was glinting in the suddenly illuminated room as a jet of orange light flew in through the crack between door and wall and hit a machine at the far side of the room. Said machine sparked and fizzed, smoke slowly unfurling from its metallic bodice as a low whine stirred up a protest.

For half a second, Jack had a moment of giddy relief, distractedly hoping that breaking that machine might have actually helped them stop this one.

But it didn't.

Heart sinking, he sighed heavily, then scrambled to his knees and crawled over to the Sonic, stumbling back over to the machine in a daze.

One last-ditch attempt.

Not even sure of whether or not the settings were right, though he presumed they would be since the Doctor had been using it moments before, he pressed the button and smiled slightly as the tip flared blue, an incessant buzz echoing almost soothingly around the room.

Everything crossed in hope, he gritted his teeth and tried to ignore the sounds of battle from behind them, mind and face alike set in complete determination, the Sonic pointing at the wad of tangled wiring and his heart racing erratically beneath his chest.

One last-ditch attempt.

It had to work. It just had to.

His heart in his throat, Harry stared distractedly at the door, wincing as he heard a shrill cry from the other side. Luna.

"This isn't going to work," he murmured, more to himself than to the others. But they raised their eyebrows in disbelief anyway, wand arms steady around him while he gradually let his own fall back to his side. "It isn't right," he went on, glancing anxiously over his shoulder, squinting a little as the azure tip of the Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver tore at his eyes.

"Harry, what are you doing?" Hermione hissed, voice strained as she glared at his lowered arm in despair.

He blinked and turned back to her, a small, sad smile on his face.

"The right thing," he said, before walking to the door.

"No!"

Ginny shot forwards and grabbed his hand before he could leave the room. Sighing in frustration, he turned to her and gripped her hand, slowly easing it clear of his own. Fixing her with an intense stare, he shook his head.

"Gin, this is my fight. Not yours, not theirs, not even the Order's. It's me and him. It's always been me and him."

Ron spoke up, staring at his best friend with a fire so unusually seen burning within his eyes that Harry was momentarily stunned.

"We made our choice a long time ago, Harry. We're in this together."

But Harry smiled and slowly shook his head.

"We were," he amended, glancing back to the door. Another bolt of light flew through the gap and Harry only just managed to push Ginny out of its line of fire before it smashed into the stone wall behind them. Steering her clear of the open doorway, he returned his gaze to them, the look in his eyes one of determined resignation. "There's something I haven't told you," he said softly, wincing as another shout from outside fluttered through his ears.

The Weasley's and Hermione were staring at him, wand arms slackened a little as they gave him their undivided attention, no longer paying any heed to the jets of colour that were flying into the room.

Harry hesitated, then confessed in a voice so low that they almost missed it, "I know what the last Horcrux is."

"Luna!" Neville yelled, dropping to his knees and wincing as his hair was ruffled by a scarlet jet that whizzed straight over his head. Coughing, he struggled up again, wand arm raised and eyes flitting towards the girl who was lying sprawled on the floor, clutching weakly to her side and shuddering violently.

He turned to see Lupin glance their way too before sending spell after spell at the pair of gleaming red eyes that were attacking them from a little way down the corridor.

"Neville! Grab Luna and run!" he shouted quickly, ducking down to avoid the streak of green that very nearly knocked him off his feet.

Neville would have snorted derisively had his nerves permitted speech.

As it was, he couldn't.

So instead, he sent another spell bouncing off of the stone walls and crawled across the floor towards Luna's side, wincing as he spotted the dark, blood-stained burn that was just visible, peaking out at him from in between her splayed fingers.

Eyes jammed closed in pain, she whimpered as he reached out a hand for her, easing it around her shoulders and carefully lifting her slightly.

"Leave it!" she hissed, nodding her head weakly towards Lupin and shuddering violently as her broken arm twisted awkwardly, lying limp against her chest as her other hand dug painstakingly hard into the wound on her side. "Help him!"

But Neville shook his head.

"Sorry about this," he whispered, genuine sympathy in his voice. "It might hurt a little."

And without another word, he swung her up into his arms and turned on his heel, vanishing on the spot with a flick of his wand, her pain-racked scream fading into non-existence.

Lupin smiled grimly, spared the spot they'd occupied seconds before a nervous but satisfied glance, and then returned to the attack with renewed vigour, slowly but surely backing away through the corridor towards where Harry and the others were.

"I hope you guys have a plan," he murmured to himself, taking refuge in a dense area of shadow as yet another jet of green light collided with the wall a few yards away. He glanced apprehensively at the door and flinched as Voldemort snarled in rage, forced back yet again by another well-placed spell from Lupin's wand. Voice barely above a croaked whisper, he added softly, "'cause I sure as Hell don't."

The gentle humming in her ears was reassuring. Soothing, even.

Whatever she was lying on was vibrating ever so slightly, its reassuring thrum leaking through heavy limbs and calming her.

Not exactly sure of where she was - nor of how she'd come to be there in the first place - but able to tell that she recognised it at the very least, Rose was sorely tempted to drift off again.

Thoughts sluggish and half-hearted, she suppressed a soft groan, cutting it off and letting little more than a strained whimper escape her lips instead.

But unfortunately, it was enough for her to be noticed.

"Ahh, you're awake. About time, too."

With a heavy sigh, she raised a hand to her head and tried to clear her thoughts of the misty fog that had enveloped them. Pushing herself up on wobbly arms, she blinked a few times, the Console Room slowly sliding into blurry focus, spinning a little and leaving her with a headache reminiscent of those she'd gained during the pub-crawls she'd undertaken with Keisha and Shareen so many years before.

With another sigh, this time half-disguised as a yawn, she lifted her gaze to the man standing beside the column, a hand drumming lazily on the edge as he considered her with an air of disinterest.

"Oh," she murmured, dropping her gaze and shaking her head a little, clearing it properly. "It's you."

He raised an eyebrow and faked hurt.

"Said with such enthusiasm, I'm sure," he retorted sarcastically.

"Whatever," she replied, struggling to her feet and shrugging. Glancing around the room, she frowned, rubbing the small of her back in a vain attempt to ease the aches and pains emanating from it. "Where is everyone?" she asked softly, staring at the closed doors and feeling concern well up within her chest. "And what happened?"

The Master, a look of intense amusement adorning his cropped features, raised an eyebrow.

"Dear, I'd rather like to ask you the same question," he replied smugly, glancing at the console and then back again. "Is it normal that you can absorb the very essence of time and space, or was what we witnessed a one-off occurrence?"

Rose opened her mouth to respond, but soon shut it, staring at him in surprise.

"Oh, so that's what happened," she said, more to herself than to him, running a hand over her eyes and glancing at the green column, too. "Bad Wolf."

"Indeed," he responded dryly. "That was the name you gave yourself."

Rose glared at him, but otherwise ignored his comment, glancing around the room and dearly wishing for company other than the Doctor's arch-nemesis.

…

The Doctor …

"Wait, did it work?" she demanded hurriedly. "Is the Doctor alright? Did we save him? That's why I changed, wasn't it?"

The Master hesitated, suddenly rather uncomfortable. After a moment's pause, he nodded carefully.

"So where is -?" but she trailed off, eyes lifting to the scanner at last.

"You only cured his injuries," the Master admitted softly, staring blankly at the wall as the scene outside tore into Rose's soul. "It's down to them, now."

But Rose wasn't listening.

Eyes opening Bambi-wide, she stared at the Doctor's trembling form for a second or two, drinking in the complete agony alight on his scrunched features as he battled internally against an invisible onslaught.

But he wasn't the only person to catch her attention.

Truth be told, she'd expected that much, remembering vaguely the knowledge that had sprung up as she joined with the Bad Wolf. Remembering about the whole 'memories-pulled-straight-out-of-his-head' gag that Voldemort was playing. Even remembering about there being a second Time Lord.

But as she let her eyes trail over to the man crouched beside a medley of multi-coloured wires, buzzing the Doctor's sonic screwdriver at a silver panel, she couldn't contain the gasp of amazement that escaped her parted lips.

For there was one other person outside the TARDIS. A person she had not been expecting to see.

Moments later, and the Master's apparent warnings fell on deaf ears as Rose bolted for the door.

McGonagall gasped as she stared in through the open doorway, eyes fitting over Order members and metallic robots alike.

The hall floor was littered with bodies, some Death Eaters, some comrades and friends, and some so badly injured or disfigured that they were no longer recognisable.

Forcing back the bile that was rising up her throat, she turned to Tonks and indicated the strange, metal monsters that were mutely gliding around the edges of the hall, keeping in perfect procession as they, for all intents and purposes, paced the room.

Tonks shrugged half-heartedly, mouthing, "they're working with Voldemort," before she strengthened her grip on her wand and stared off down the corridors, attention focussed on watching their backs. Most of the Death Eaters present at Voldemort's hide-out were inside the hall, if they weren't dead already, but you could never be too careful when the Dark Lord was concerned.

Gazing into the room, McGonagall frowned, then withdrew her head and turned to Tonks again.

"Right," she whispered urgently, "We can't get in without being … well, attacked by those creatures," she amended, paling slightly before continuing. "So, I'll send a message through, and those who aren't too badly injured can apparate those who are to Saint Mungo's. I've sent word ahead, so the staff are ready and waiting."

Tonks nodded carefully, eyes still riveted to the as-of-yet still empty hallway.

"And what about us?" she asked softly.

McGonagall shrugged.

"We go find the others, I guess. They might need our help."

Tonks nodded her agreement and watched as the Headmistress raised her wand, pointing it through the gap between half-open door and wall, and flicked it sharply upwards, sending a streak of golden light to soar up into the centre of the room before exploding firework-style, golden words glittering like fireflies as they were illuminated by the afterlight of the spell.

The room's occupants, man and machine alike, stared skywards in surprise, reading the words with immense interest, looks of utmost relief adorning the faces of the Order members.

A sign of help, those words were.

'St Mungo's has already been alerted. Assist the injured and get out now!'

Nobody needed telling twice.

Before the Daleks knew what was happening, just short of half the room's conscious occupants had crouched down beside fallen allies and carefully turned on their heels, whisking them away in a flurry of cloaks and drawn wands.

The remaining order members spared their retreating comrades almost wistful glances, before straightening, raising their wands, and shouting spells in unison at the top of their lungs, directing the beams that burst forth at the surrounding creatures.

Tonks and McGonagall were half-way down the corridor before they heard the resonating war-cries, inhuman, high-pitched screeches echoing around the chamber behind them.

Neither of them so much as glanced back over their shoulders, both whispering silent prayers for the Order members still fighting in the main hall as they sprinted through the corridors, heading for the cellar.

"No," Hermione whispered, a hand flying to her mouth as she gripped Ron's hand for support. Too bad for her he wasn't fairing much better. So when her legs gave out with the shock, he was dragged down with her, hitting the floor hard at her side but apparently paying no notice.

He simply sat there, staring at Harry, his gaze burning straight through his best friend as though hoping Harry might suddenly debunk his confession, tell them he was joking and laugh it away with an air of indifference.

But he didn't.

In fact, Harry was doing his damndest to avoid locking eyes with everyone in the room, as he fell silent and stared mutely at the door, watching as another jet of scarlet light bounced around the room, hitting a machine standing conspicuously against the far wall before disappearing into oblivion.

The twins were staring at him too, silently resting a hand each onto Ginny's shoulders, holding her back as she continued to gaze blankly at him.

Sensing the unasked question lingering in the air, the silent request that he 'tell them it's not true', Harry nodded slowly, raising his wand.

"I'm sorry," he said softly, turning to them at last, eyes brimming with unshed tears but the resolution and acceptance shining through with brute force. "But this is between me and him, now. You're going to have to trust me and stay here. Look after each other and help the Order, leave if you want, I really don't care. But you've gotta leave Voldemort to me."

Hermione struggled to her feet again, tears sliding down her cheeks as she stared at him, shaking her head in denial, gripping so hard to Ron's fingers that his knuckles were white. Not that he'd noticed.

"B-but … but you … if you …"

She couldn't force the words out. 'If you are the final Horcrux … that means … oh God …'

He seemed to sense what she was thinking though.

And nodded once.

"Which is why you're not going to be there. I couldn't handle that," he confessed thickly, forcing back the raw emotions that were rising slowly up within his chest and mutely constricting his throat. "I need you guys to stay here and help the Doctor. There'll be other creatures around for you to fight too, won't there? Creatures that Voldemort's pulled out, creatures he's built up his army with. You're going to have your hands full anyway."

But he wasn't exactly sure if any of them were even listening anymore.

And as yet another beam of light illuminated the room, offset by a grunt of pain from Lupin outside, he shook his head and composed himself.

"Thanks," he whispered, staring at each of them in turn. "For everything."

Jack glanced up at that, the buzzing momentarily ceasing as he stared back at the gang of teenage wizards standing beside the door. It had nothing to do with him, and while he'd caught most of the conversation, he'd understood less than a quarter of it. But nevertheless, he understood now what Harry was about to do.

And he admired the kid for that.

"Good luck," he called quickly, flaring the sonic again but keeping his gaze locked onto Harry's, who'd turned to nod his gratitude.

"You too," he said softly, staring at the Doctor briefly, then at the Time Lady still unconsciously shivering on the table beside them. Jack nodded back and followed his gaze, then returned to working determinedly at the control panel. Harry stared at the blue box again and realised with a jolt to the heart that he couldn't say goodbye to Rose. Or the Master, though to be totally honest, that wasn't exactly a huge disappointment.

And as he turned away, he found himself briefly hoping that Rose would forgive him for leaving before he saw her again. Strange, the things you think about when certain death is imminent.

With one final glance at Ron, Hermione, Ginny and the Twins, he forced a smile and turned away, walking for the door.

But he never made it.

"Harry, no!" Ginny yelled, struggling against the Twins' grip on her shoulders, tugging fruitlessly and almost dislocating a shoulder in the process as she fought and lost against the onslaught of tears. "Please, you can't!"

Harry glanced back and was very sorely tempted to run for the TARDIS and barricade himself in there. The longer he delayed, the less composure he could maintain a firm hold on. And Ginny was dearly shredding what little certainty he'd felt to shreds with just a look as she stared at him, eyes wide and tear-filled, pleading with him to reconsider.

With a heavy sigh, he shook his head, walked to her side and planted a soft kiss on her forehead, willing himself to contain tears of his own.

"I've got to, Gin," he said simply. "Not just for everyone else, but for me, too. I can't let this go."

Before he could turn away again, his vision was obscured by a head of bushy brown hair, and the combined weights of Hermione, Ron, Ginny and the Twins were soon very nearly dragging him to the floor. For a few moments, he accepted it, but when it didn't seem like they were going to relent their holds any time soon, he sighed heavily and cleared his throat, carefully dislodging Ginny's arms from around his neck before squeezing Hermione's shoulder in an attempt to coax her into dropping the arm that was looped around his waist.

The twins had pulled back already, dragging Ginny along with them, though she'd given in by now, retreating submissively and silently weeping into Fred's shoulder.

Composure very close to shattering completely, Harry patted Ron on the shoulder, who flashed him a sincere, watery smile and tugged Hermione away too, leaving Harry standing alone in the middle of the room, cries and shouts filtering in from outside and the doorframe frequently brightening as spells impacted against the door.

"See you later," Ron said finally, deciding to overlook the fact that that was insufferably unlikely. Because the alternative just didn't bear thinking about.

Harry hesitated, then nodded, turning to the door and striding purposefully towards it.

"Count on it," he murmured, before pulling it wide and raising his wand, a spell crashing into the wall beside him and bathing him in an eerie, violet light before fading away. Lupin was leaning heavily against the wall, blood pouring from his nose in torrents and skin ashen-white, but his arm was still steady, wand still raised and pointing at Voldemort who was little more than four paces away from them.

But as the door was thrown wide, both fell suddenly still, eyes riveted on the boy standing motionless in the doorway.

With a smile completely going against how he was feeling, Harry cleared his throat and straightened his wand arm, eyes on Voldemort and Voldemort alone.

And before anybody could say another word, Harry and the Dark Lord had turned on their heels and vanished, leaving the corridor to fall intolerably silent, once more.

The TARDIS doors were flung wide, and as Lupin slowly staggered into the room, a teary Hermione running to his side and offering support which he gladly took, for the second time in as many minutes, the buzzing in the room was suddenly cut short as Jack, the Weasley's and Lupin and Hermione all turned to stare at the girl silhouetted against the alien lights within the box's four wooden walls.

"Jack," Rose whispered, eyes wide in amazement, completely ignoring the teens standing a few feet away from her as she watched in almost detached fascination, the sonic slipping from Jack's hands as he scrambled to his feet.

"Rose!" he exclaimed, delightedly, momentarily forgetting the task he'd set himself as Rose flung herself into his arms. He wrapped an arm around her, hoisting her up and spinning her on the spot, laughing in complete and utter delight. "God, you have no idea how good it is to see you!"

Rose chuckled weakly, sliding from his grip and staring at him almost fearfully. "But … but what are you doing here?" she asked quietly, disbelievingly, staring around the room in awe.

Then her face fell.

That snapped them both out of it.

"Oh, damnit," he murmured, scooping up the sonic again and tugging at the wires as another one was pulled free. He must have dismantled over two thirds of the machine by now, and yet still the red wire was stuck fast.

At the same time, Rose dropped to her knees beside the Doctor, a hand running nervously through his sweat-drenched locks.

"I was brought here," Jack called back by way of an explanation. Rose raised an eyebrow but decided not to press for a clearer answer in light of the present situation. Instead, she forced her gaze to lift from the Doctor's, trying to fight back the overwhelming feelings of anxiety and fear that were eating away at her insides, and glanced at the teens standing between the TARDIS and the door.

But the next question to escape her lips was echoed by somebody in the doorway.

"Where's Harry?"

Startled, the room's occupants looked up in time to see Tonks and McGonagall skid to a halt beside Lupin and Hermione, Tonks gasping and running to his side while the Headmistress fixed beady eyes on her once-students.

"He's gone," Ron whispered, staring at the doorway almost wistfully. "With Voldemort."

McGonagall's mouth dropped open in surprise and she stared at him, wide-eyed.

"What? Why? How can he think he can fight him alone?"

But Ron shook his head slowly, expression still hauntingly vacant.

"He didn't have a choice," he said. "He knows what the final Horcrux is. We all do," he added, the truth finally hitting home.

"Wait … final Horcrux, did you say?" Lupin asked quickly, raising an eyebrow. "You mean you've destroyed all the others?"

Hermione shook her head, the tears no longer falling but drying against her pale cheeks.

"No, we didn't need to. Regulus Black and Peter Pettigrew got to them before we could."

"What?!" McGonagall whispered in disbelief, staring at Ron for confirmation and gasping when he gave it. "You mean, two Death Eaters have willingly aided in the downfall of their Master? Why would they do that?"

But the room was filled with blank faces at that. She blinked and looked up, suddenly aware of two new acquaintances standing within the room, one leaning against the doors of the Doctor's bizarre blue box, and the other buzzing away at a control panel beside a large machine.

"I'm inclined to ask what the Hell is going on around here, but something tells me I'd have trouble finding the time to listen to the story," she said finally, eyes flicking to the Doctor at last. A hand flying to her mouth, she shuddered. "Is he alright?" she asked softly.

Again, she was met by uncertain silence, and shook her head, plucking her glasses from her nose and running a shaky hand over her eyes. So many questions … What had happened to the Doctor? What was the remaining Horcrux and why had Harry left to fight the battle alone? Who were the two newcomers? The one at the controls was, most definitely, Jack Harkness, she recalled. And judging by the fact that the girl still wired in to the peculiar machinery around her was the only girl who appeared to be a 'captive', then she had to have been … Teri, was it? Or something like that. McGonagall couldn't suppress a heavy sigh. It had only been that morning that she'd discovered the whereabouts of Voldemort's two captives. Huh, that morning. Seemed more like a lifetime ago. But as to who the second man was, the one watching with eagle-sharp eyes fixed on the Doctor as he leant casually against the blue police box's open door, she had absolutely no idea.

And she'd just opened her mouth to ask when a loud cry of, "thank God!" echoed around the chambers, followed by a loud ripping noise as Jack yanked a wire clear of its companions, killing the incessant buzzing of the contraption in his hands and staring as the machine at his side sparked and groaned in protest, readings on the scanner suddenly indecipherable as vague but distorted images scattered pixel-style across the screen.

The entire room watched with bated breath, Tonks, Lupin and McGonagall not having a clue as to what was going on but gathering that whatever the machine did was most definitely far from good.

Hermione and the Weasley's walked quickly forwards, hanging back and hovering just behind Rose, who was gripping so tightly to the Doctor's limp but sweat-coated hand that she was sure she'd crushed his fingers. Jack staggered backwards, eyes flitting between the Doctor and Teri, and even the Master appeared to have stopped breathing as he watched from the TARDIS doorway, arms no longer crossed but hanging expectantly at his sides.

As one, the room fell silent, only the sounds of the protesting machinery breaking the eerie quiet that had fallen over them all.

As one, the room fell silent. And waited.

(Apologises most profusely) Sorry! Another cliffy! I simply can not help myself! They just make such fantabulous places to end chapters, don't they? (Hopes you can forgive her)

And sorry for any mistakes. I haven't proof-read it yet, 'cause I just really wanted to get it posted. I'll revise it this evening, but if you find any in the meantime, don't hesitate to let me know and I'll amend them. It's just I've been writing this since half 7 this morning. 'Tis now half 3. I'm sure you can do the math and come up with ( one plus one equals exhaustion ) at the end of it, right?

AnyWho. Thanksies for reading! And I love reviews …

Blessed Be!
xXx MissHaunted-MoonLight xXx