A/N: I have revised this a bit. Punctuation, and made a few changes that made sense from one of the reviews left a long time ago. Yes, trained Aurors would not just automatically follow Ron, so I changed things a bit, so it would reflect that comment, and it flows much better I think.

Chapter One

All Good Things…

Harry leaned against the wall, and slid down until he was sitting on the floor. His head was bowed and he was breathing heavily. He slowly looked up and around and saw that Hermione was beginning to regain consciousness. Ron was unconscious and bleeding. Their battle with Nagini had not gone as they planned, but they had been victorious in the end. Now there was only one horcrux left.

Harry made his way to his feet, and approached Ron. He muttered a few healing spells, and woke Ron up with an enervate. Ron slowly opened his eyes and drank the potion that Harry had handed to him. Ron started to feel a bit better and looked over to Hermione. She gave him a brief smile and then grimaced at the laceration on her leg.

"Well, that went smashingly…" Harry muttered. He reached down and pick up the sword of Griffyndor, and wiped the blade off. "You guys ok?"

Hermione nodded and Ron made an affirmative grunt as they hoisted themselves off of the floor.

"We have to leave as soon as we can. I don't know when they are returning," Harry said. They had infiltrated Riddle Manor when the entire group of Death Eaters, including Voldemort had left not 10 minutes before. They had been staking out Riddle Manor for a few days now and had finally caught a break.

"Blimey Harry, give us a moment to rest up here…" Ron muttered.

Without warning, their DA Galleons started to heat up rapidly. Ron looked at Harry with wide eyes and shuddered. Hermione started to get nervous and bit her bottom lip. They all knew what the signal meant. Hogwarts was under attack.

"So much for the tea break, eh, Harry?" Ron grumbled.

Harry rolled his eyes and picked up Nagini's head, stuffing it into a bag that had the rest of the destroyed horcruxes. He let out a heavy sigh, and looked up at his two best friends.

"Well, this is the end… Ron, if anything should happen to me, please tell Ginny that I'm sorry I won't be there for her, and tell her… Well, you know…" Harry trailed off looking at the floor.

"Mate, don't be a git. You'll be able to tell her yourself. I won't let anything happen to you. We will make it through just fine," Ron said in a stern voice. Ron silently said a vow that he would not let anything happen to any of his friends.

They looked at each other and nodded. They ran from the house as fast as they could and reached the limit of the anti-apparition ward. The three Griffyndors apparated as fast as they could, without splinching themselves, into Hogsmeade and raced into the shop that the twins had setup there. Ron and Harry grabbed their brooms and Hermione hopped on with Ron, clearly looking nervous about flying.

"Just hold on tight 'Mione, you'll be fine," Ron said after noticing her discomfort. She smiled weakly at him and shut her eyes as he took off as fast as he could.

ooo

Harry, Ron, and Hermione arrived in time to see the north tower of Hogwarts collapse in a shroud of smoke and flames. They saw an immense amount of dementors swarming all over, and what appeared to be the entire Death Eater army slowly advancing toward their target. They looked at each other in an unspoken agreement that this would be the last battle.

They threw themselves into the battle furiously, sending spells in every direction that they saw the Death Eater's masks. The front line was starting to break from the constant onslaught, and the Aurors were tiring fast. The teachers of Hogwarts were doing what they could to keep the defense going.

Harry took a quick look to survey the field. He reached into his pocket, and found his DA Galleon. He held it tight, and concentrated. He ran to the front line and within moments, every member of the DA was at his side, their faces set in a look of determination. They all took a collective breath and every one of them cast their patronus, to drive away the mass of dementors.

The Aurors that were backing away looked at the group of students, and they stared in awe as the army of dementors scattered and fled. The line quickly reformed and started pushing forward. They advanced quickly and began to get the upper hand.

"Ron, see if the Aurors can use any help. They look pretty beat up, and they could use you I bet," Harry said. Ron nodded and ran over to the Aurors defending the groups of students.

"Oi, where are the Senior Aurors?" Ron asked the first one he reached. The exhausted Auror looked at Ron and shook his head.

"I am the most senior one left on this side of the field, the rest are either dead or too wounded to continue. I only graduated the academy last year..." the Auror explained. Ron put his hand on the Auror's shoulder and nodded.

"Mate, you lead us, and we will back you up. The group behind you was trained to fight a bit, so we can help you out if you need it," Ron explained. The Auror grimaced.

"I would rather the students would retreat, but I can see that you all will not, so I guess do what you can from back here, and cover the rest of us," the Auror said. Ron nodded, and relayed the orders to the DA, and they all readied their wands and started covering the remaining Aurors.

The tide of the battle turned significantly, but not without heavy losses to both sides. Seamus Finnegan was holding a motionless Lavender Brown, screaming for help, while firing off hexes and curses to keep the enemy away from her. Ernie MacMillan was facing off against a dementor trying to get to a group of terrified first years that had collapsed under the influence of the dementor. Hagrid was carrying a couple of seriously wounded students to the front gate as fast as he could. When one of the students or Aurors fell, two would take their place.

Harry dueled furiously with three Death Eaters at a time, his eyes blazing with fury. To his immediate right side was Hermione, firing off curses so fast, she barely had time to breathe. To his left, Ginny was sending curses and jinxes in bursts, toppling Death Eater after Death Eater.

The battle went on for quite a while, and the toll was tremendous. When both sides seemed ready to make a break for it, the crowd parted and there he stood, the Dark Lord himself.

"Well, well, well, Potter. Quite a welcome we received. But this ends today. I will make you suffer, and then I will make you watch, while all your friends die before I kill you once and for all," hissed Voldemort.

Harry spun around and focused his attention to the man who had ruined his life.

"Hello, Tom. I see your cronies are weak, and stupid. They have been beaten by the students," Harry said, trying to get Voldemort to lose his temper and focus.

"Yes, well, they all are a disappointment, but they served their purpose. They cleared the way to you for me, and now I will finish this," Voldemort hissed, his eyes narrowing.

The duel started at a fast pace. Both opponents were sending dozens of curses at each other, neither one backing down. Some of the wounded were watching the two of them like they were in an elaborate dance. When Harry would send a spell at Voldemort, it would be lazily flicked aside or dodged with grace. When Harry was the target, his seeker reflexes would kick in, and he would easily avoid them. After a half an hour had past, both Harry and Voldemort were beginning to tire.

Harry finally landed a solid hit with a bone breaking curse. Though it did not do very much damage to Voldemort, it caused him to stumble and fall for the briefest moment. Harry seized the opportunity and sent a steady stream of hexes and curses at Voldemort, trying to keep him off balance. Lucius Malfoy saw this and ran to his master's aid. He did not quite reach his master's side as Hagrid blocked his way.

"Get out of my way, you pathetic half-breed!" the senior Malfoy hissed. However, Hagrid did not move, but drew back his gigantic hand and punched Lucius in the chest with everything he had behind it. Lucius went flying right into the path of the killing curse Voldemort had sent at Harry while he turned his head in time to see Hagrid hit Lucius. In a brilliant flash of green light, Lucius Malfoy was hit by the killing curse in between Harry and Voldemort, and he was thrown to the ground dead. Voldemort howled in rage and focused on Harry.

"CRUCIO!"

Harry had been ready for this, as he reached out and took Ginny's hand. He felt a sudden surge of power as she gently squeezed his hand. He shouted out the spell that Hermione had created for him in case of this, Voldemort's favorite curse. It was time to pull out all of the stops, and end the fight, the battle, and the war.

"REPERCUTIO APLIFICIO PROPAGO!" Harry shouted, directing a massive surge of his power behind it. A brilliantly bright shield of white appeared in front of Harry and Ginny. Hermione's eyes grew large at the sight of the spell she had helped create.

Voldemort's eyes flew open in shock as he saw the curse rebound off of Harry, and speed back into himself, blinded by the intensity. The curse hit Voldemort right in his chest and no one would forget the ear splitting scream that echoed off of the battlefield. Voldemort was writhing in agony, screaming for the whole world to hear. Every Death Eater stopped fighting watching their master fall. The Aurors and students took this advantage and quickly subdued the remaining ones that were left standing.

After the greatest pain Voldemort had ever endured, he laid still, barely breathing. Harry took this time to build up his reserve energy to finish off the Dark Lord forever. He walked over, and took Voldemort's wand in his hands, for the Dark Lord was not able to hold onto it in his weakened state. Harry knelt down looking at Voldemort with fury in his eyes. They almost seemed that they had pure magic fire pouring out.

"And now, Tom, for the end of this," Harry said coldly. He snapped the wand in two and dropped the two halves onto Voldemort's chest and backed a few steps. Ginny moved forward to Harry's side. They were ready for the final spell. Harry took out a bag from his robes. One by one, he dropped the destroyed horcruxes by Voldemort, just to show how he was truly finished. The melted locket, the charred ring, Hufflepuff's cup, the destroyed diary, Gryffndor's gold cauldron, and Nagini's head. Voldemort looked weakly at Harry, and Harry saw something in Voldemort's eyes he never thought possible, fear.

"It looks like you are truly finished this time, Tom," Harry said. He and Ginny started the complex wand movements and began their chanting. Voldemort glowed for a moment, and then he went back to normal. They continued with a slightly different chant, and they joined hands. The air around them was crackling with pure and intense magical energy; white light began to emanate from the two of them.

Hermione had warned them not to over do the spell, for it could destroy both Harry and Voldemort at the same time, not to mention anyone who was near the two of them. She motioned everyone except Ginny away. Ginny was the key to this spell to work. It was the love that Ginny and Harry shared that fueled the spell. But she noticed that the level of energy was reaching an unbelievable level, and she knew they were pushing it too hard. Something that Ginny had told her a few weeks ago finally made sense.

Ginny started to grit her teeth as the power coursing through her began overload. She was determined to finish this for Harry. She poured as much of her energy into the spell, if only to make sure Harry survived this. She could feel her nerve endings crackling painfully, but she still pressed on. She was concentrating so hard, that she did not notice Voldemort staring at her intensely.

Harry noticed the sudden increase in the power flowing from Ginny, and a voice in the back of his mind was screaming at his to stop.

"HARRY! It's too much! You need to finish the spell before it's too late!" she screamed, trying to make them hear her over the roar of magical energy that was pulsing out in waves. Everyone was taking tentative steps back to make sure they would not get caught in the effect of the spell.

Hermione had to shield her eyes from the blinding white light coming from Harry and Ginny, while they worked to the end of the spell.

The resulting release of magic was to become legend. The wave of energy that was released, rushed out over the entire area as the very ground seemed to shudder. It affected anyone who was there that bore the Dark Mark on their arm. As a result, almost all of the Death Eaters that were present was killed by the spell that was released. The rest were severely injured or left unconscious. Hermione, along with everyone else that was on that field that day was knocked unconscious by the force of the blast.

When the students and remaining Aurors woke up, Hermione and Ron ran to the site where Harry and Ginny had defeated Voldemort. Professor McGonagall was close behind them. When she reached the area, she was not prepared for what she saw.

Hermione was sagging to the ground in sobs, and Ron let loose a tremendous roar of rage and sorrow. He fell to his knees, and began to cry. He felt that he had broken his promise by not being close enough to them to help.

Professor McGonagall walked to the center of the area and looked down. Voldemort had turned to dust. But right next to that pile of dust, was Harry clutching Ginny, his face buried in her neck, sobbing. Professor McGonagall quickly created a portkey that took the three of them directly to the Hospital Wing, where Madame Pomfrey was awaiting them.

Professor McGonagall flagged Madame Pomfrey over as soon as they appeared in the Hospital wing. Poppy handed over care of Dennis Creevey to another healer as soon as they arrived. Her hand flew to her mouth at the sight of Harry sobbing. She quickly moved in to see what she could do for them. Harry looked like he had been trampled by a herd of hippogryffs, but he refused to be touched. He released Ginny, and looked at Madame Pomfrey.

"Fix her first," Harry said. He gave a steely glare when Madame Pomfrey started to object. "I said, take care of her first. I'll wait until you are done."

Madame Pomfrey pursed her lips, but nodded. Harry moved aside to let her work on Ginny. She began to wave her wand over Ginny, and muttered some diagnostic spells. Her face drained all of its color, and she began to gather numerous potions and called others into help. Harry watched as Madame Pomfrey began to move at a speed that was almost inhuman. He began to get very nervous as her face became more grave and determined.

"Madame Pomfrey? What's happening to her?" Harry asked desperately.

"We're losing her! I NEED MORE HELP!" she shouted out. A couple of other healers that had flooed in from St. Mungo's ran over to assist. Professor McGonagall gently led Harry to the side so the healers could work. She looked at the brave young man before her, but was saddened at what she saw. She could see the light in his eyes fading away, leaving an empty shell.

Harry started to tremble. 'I can't go on without her!' Harry thought to himself. The doors burst open, with Ron and Hermione charging through the door. They saw Harry, and their faces fell.

"Harry? How is she?" Ron asked. When Harry didn't answer, Ron panicked. He grabbed Harry's robes and shook him. "Harry?! What is happening?! Tell me!"

Hermione stopped Ron from shaking Harry, at which point Harry fell to the floor, tears streaming down his face. She kneeled down and gently put her hand on his shoulders. He looked up and she saw Harry's eyes. Her thoughts were interrupted by Madame Pomfrey walking out from behind the curtains someone had setup. Her face was drawn and pale.

"She will not last the night. I'm sorry," she said as tears spilled down her cheeks. "It's possible she will wake for a few moments, but there was just too much damage done."

"NO!" Ron shouted. "There has to be something that can be done! She has to live!"

Hermione bowed her head, and then looked at Harry. She had seen that look on his face before, right after Sirius died. She pulled Harry into a strong embrace and the walls Harry was building around himself fell. Years of sorrow and emotions broke loose. She let him cry, something he had very rarely let himself do. Harry was clutching to her as if she were his lifeline in a raging sea.

Ron stood there, trembling with rage and sorrow. His face twisted in anger. He stormed over to Harry and yanked him from Hermione's grasp.

"YOU LET HER DIE! How could you?! You were supposed to protect her!" Ron finished his sentence with a sharp punch into Harry's face. Harry did not even respond. He just slumped to the floor, staring at his hands. Hermione pushed Ron back so he could not get to Harry again.

"RON!" Hermione shrieked. She ran over to Harry as soon as someone restrained Ron. She cupped his chin and forced him to look at her.

"It's… It's all my fault…" Harry mumbled. "She is dying because of me…"

"No, Harry," Hermione said. "It's not your f-.." Harry cut her off. His eyes flashed angrily.

"YES. IT. IS! She is laying there dying because of me! I should have stopped the spell! Don't you understand Hermione? Everyone who has died since Voldemort came back is my fault?! I should have not let him come back! I COULD HAVE RESISTED!

"The woman I love is going to die, and I could have prevented it! Sirius died and I could have stopped that from happening! I could have saved Cedric if I just kept my wits about me! I could have saved Dumbledore if I had drunk that poison! I COULD HAVE STOPPED IT ALL!" Harry bellowed. Hermione had tears in her eyes after listening to Harry. She knew he took everything as his fault, but she had no idea it affected him so badly.

They all turned suddenly when they heard a weak voice.

"Harry? Someone?" Ginny had awakened while Harry had been yelling. "Can I see Harry?"

Harry instantly deflated and rushed to her side. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had just walked in the room when Harry was yelling. Mrs. Weasley has a look of shock on her face, and Mr. Weasley was having trouble comprehending what was going on. He has a confused look on his face, as he thought that Harry was overreacting to her condition. Harry was holding Ginny's hand, trying to stop his tears. She whispered something to him, and he looked up to the rest of the room.

"She wants you all over here," he said. "She said she needs to say g-goodbye…" His voice trailed off as it broke and he started to tremble again. He attempt to step back, but Ginny held onto his hand, and would not let him go. The rest of her family crowded around her bed. Madame Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall stepped back to allow them some privacy.

Ginny opened her eyes, and glanced around weakly. She noticed someone was missing.

"Mum, where… Where is Bill?" she whispered.

"Don't you worry dear, Bill is tending to Fleur right now. I'll get him," Mrs. Weasley said. She hurried off for a moment, and quickly hurried back with Bill, who looked confused. Understanding dawned on his face, and he eyes welled up.

Ron threw a quick angry glare at Harry, but Harry ignored it, focusing on the floor. Ginny opened her eyes again, and then started to speak.

"I wanted to say goodbye to all of you. Madame Pomfrey already explained what happened to me, and what is going to happen. I'm glad all of you made it out of this just fine…" She drew a breath to continue. "I know my time here is short, so I will make this quick. George, Fred?" They looked up as they heard their names. "Don't stop running the joke shop. After this is all said and done, a lot of people will need things to make them laugh again. Bill, I'm sorry that I won't be there to see your children when they do arrive."

Bill lost control and started to cry. Fred and George had dimmed expressions on their faces, not wanting to believe that she was really going to die. Ginny took a few ragged breaths before continuing.

"Charlie, find Percy and let him know what happened, and take care of yourself. I will miss our talks we always shared…" She grimaced as a spasm of pain racked her body. "Mum, Dad, please forgive Percy. Life's to short to hold onto petty disagreements… Remember that I went down fighting…

"Ron, please don't blame anyone, especially Harry. I made the choice to do this. I did it for everyone to have another chance…" She took a few more breaths, which were getting weaker by the minute. "Hermione, come over here…" She whispered something into Hermione's ear that brought a fresh round of tears to her eyes. Ginny then looked to Harry.

"Harry… I'm sorry…" she rasped. "I'm sorry that we won't be able to be together…. Please don't blame yourself… I want you to find someone who loves you like I do… I want… you to be happy…" Her breaths were coming in short ragged gasps, and her eyes were drifting closed. "I… love you…all…."

Her hand fell limply out of Harry's hand, and her eyes closed. She took one last breath, and it slowly came out. Harry stared at her with an unreadable expression. Mrs. Weasley broke down into sobs, as the Weasley brothers were crying and holding onto each other. Mr. Weasley stepped back a few steps, and lost his balance falling to the floor screaming. Mrs. Weasley ran around the bed and dropped to the floor, clutching her husband. The sounds of grief were unbearable to Hermione who shut her eyes and sobbed, covering her ears.

Harry stumbled back, dazed from what he was seeing. He bumped into the wall, and slid down until he fell to the floor. He was shaking from head to toe, and his eyes were glazed with tears. He looked down at his hands and the closed his eyes and clenched his fists. Hermione started towards him, but his head shot up suddenly. He stared at her with an intensity that she had never seen before. He stood up and moved to the door.

"No. Don't come near me. Everyone I care about has died. I don't want anyone else to die because of me," he said sternly. His back was facing everyone, but they knew the look he had on his face. "That's why I am leaving."

"NO! Harry please, stay with us!" Hermione yelled.

Ron ran up to Harry and blocked his path. Harry flinched back, expecting another swing to come at him. Ron looked down at his feet, embarrassed that he had done that to his best mate.

"Harry, I know I hit you, but I'm sorry! I wasn't thinking! We need you here. Please, mate. Don't leave…" Ron said quietly. Harry sighed and looked down.

"Ron, I'm sorry but I have to. Don't you see? Ginny is dead, and it's because she was close to me. That was what Voldemort's curse did to me. I can't have anyone close because they will get hurt or killed! I WON"T LET IT HAPPEN AGAIN!" Harry shouted. Ron gasped and dove away from Harry.

Harry started to glow and shake, like he was being electrocuted. He screamed in pain as he lifted off of the ground. Bolts of energy shot out from him as he hovered in mid-air. There was a massive explosion of magic as Harry lost control. All of the bottled up emotion and rage he contained broke free. The windows in the hospital wing exploded outwards, and the ground shook. A wind started to swirl around him as he continued to release energy. Hermione bravely tried to reach out to Harry, in an attempt to calm him down. Harry's screaming trailed off and he stared down at her. He waved his hand and she was rooted into place.

"No Hermione, don't. I have to do this," Harry rasped, his voice strained from the screaming. "Watch over them for me, alright?"

She nodded, and with a loud boom and a brilliant flash of light, Harry was gone.