Chapter 24: The Final Battle

Two months had passed since the birth of Vega Elizabeth Black. Since then, Harry had started the D.A. up again because too many people were asking him. With the D.A., he had taught everyone some useful spells as well as using the same technique he and the rest of the Golden Group used to become animagi. In short, this was to be the record year of the most unregistered animagi at Hogwarts. At least 15.

Harry had a few visions concerning the final battle which helped him get a better idea of who to include. Unfortunately, he saw the majority of the D.A. helping him fight. He also saw that the battle would take place next to the Black Lake here at Hogwarts.

It was now two weeks before the end of school. Harry and the rest of the Golden Group were at dinner when a pale green light appeared and landed on Harry's chicken.

"What do you want, Puck?" Harry asked.

Ron, Hermione, Neville, Ginny, Seamus, and Dean heard little bells. Harry, however, heard something a bit more frightening.

"Humans in black masks have appeared in the forest. One, without the mask, has a face like a serpent."

"He's here." Harry translated.

"Bloody hell." Ron swore.

Harry pulled out his D.A. galleon and gave the signal. He looked and saw the D.A. pull out their galleons and go pale. They looked over at Harry who nodded.

"Professors?" Cho, who was Head Girl, asked. "Can I see all of you in Dumbledore's office?"

"Of course Miss. Chang." Dumbledore said as she nodded to the Head Boy.

After the Head Girl and professors left, the Head Boy stood up.

"Prefects." He said. "Please lead your houses to their dormitories. This is a drill in case of an attack."

Only the D.A. knew that this WASN'T a drill.

"These are stupid." Malfoy said.

"Remember." The Head Boy added. "If the students are not where they belong, they, AND their prefects, get detention with Professor Jarter."

The entire Great Hall was emptied.

For a few minutes as the D.A. members snuck back in.

"You are CERTAIN this is not a drill?" Cho asked after she locked the professor up using the spell Harry taught her.

"Yes." Harry said. "This is it. Everyone know the plan?"

"Yes." The members said.

"Let's kick some Death Eater arse." Ginny said.

0000

"Why…won't…this…door…budge?" James asked as he tried to break it down. "NOTHING is working."

Cho had allowed all the professors in before her and locked the door behind them. After using the spell she learned in the D.A, she left to join the rest of the club.

"Have you tried passwords?" Lily asked.

"Butterscotch."

"Acid pops."

"We are talking about Miss. Chang here." Flitwick said. "She wouldn't use candies."

"Cedric?"

"Diggory?"

"Cho Diggory?"

Nothing.

"Mischief managed?" James tried knowing it wouldn't work.

CLICK

"HEY!" James exclaimed. "That's a Marauder's password."

"Harry must have told her that password." Lily said as the teachers went to go find the Head Girl.

They didn't find her. In fact, when the Heads went to go check, they found every member of the D.A. was missing.

"Dobby!" Dumbledore called.

"How may Dobby help Professor Dumbledore?" The elf said.

"Where are the members of Dumbledore's Army?" Dumbledore asked.

Poor Dobby was put in a tight spot. Harry had asked him not to tell, but Dumbledore was his master.

"Mmmph." Dobby hesitated. "Harry Potter and the others went to stop He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named! This drill is not a drill!"

The teachers looked at each other in horror.

"Where is the battle?" McGonagall asked.

"By the lake." Dobby squeaked. "BAD DOBBY!"

"Your getting a raise." James told the house-elf.

"Hopefully we're not too late." Flitwick said.

"I'll go call the Order." Lily told them.

0000

A few minutes later, the teachers found themselves at the scene of a battle. Death Eaters were battling centaurs, merfolk, fairies, and students. And the Death Eaters were LOSING.

"I don't believe this." Bellatrix said to Malfoy after Neville disarmed her. "We're loosing to a bunch of kids and beasts."

Part of what was causing their defeat was the fact that they were underestimating Dumbledore's Army.

"The Dark Lord will come help soon." Malfoy said as he turned to Harry who was battling McNair.

"STUPIFY!" both Malfoy and McNair shouted pointing at Harry.

Harry heard and quickly turned. He saw both spells coming at him from equal distance. Not really thinking of consequences, he transformed into the Black Phoenix and flew up. McNair's spell hit Malfoy and Malfoy's spell hit McNair.

"Did you see that?" James whispered to McGonagall. "Did you see Harry transform into a phoenix?"

"I did." McGonagall stated.

"He is SO grounded when this is over." Lily said as Hermione pulled the same stunt, but with an owl instead.

"How many of the students are animagi?" Sirius asked. Lily had contacted the Order via patronus. The only members not present were Melissa and Spica. They were in the Hospital Wing waiting for the battle to end.

"We can asked questions later." Flitwick said.

The adults joined in the fray.

"Okay." Harry said to Hermione as they landed and transformed back. "Who let the teachers out?"

"Harry." Hermione said. "The password was "Mischief Managed." Did you REALLY think your father wouldn't at least TRY it?"

"True." Harry said as he stunned a Death Eater who was going after Ginny.

"Crucio." a familiar dark voice said.

The red spell went directly towards Sirius.

"SIRIUS! LOOK OUT!" James, Harry, and Remus screamed.

The spell didn't hit Sirius. A man had jumped in front of the dog animagus and took the spell.

"You!" Voldemort said stepping out from hiding.

"Did you REALLY think Rosier could kill me?" the man told him. "He just left me for dead."

"It was YOU wasn't it?" Bella accused. "YOU were the one who destroyed the Master's horcruxes."

This got the adults' attention. The horcruxes were destroyed?

"No." the man said taking off his cloak. "I just provided the one horcrux that was needed to perform the spell."

Sirius got the shock of his life when he discovered who had taken the curse for him.

It was Regulus. His younger brother.

"Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort yelled.

"Expectilliarmus!" Harry yelled jumping in front of Regulus and pointing his wand at the Dark Lord.

Priori Incantatum happened for a few moments before Harry broke the connection.

"This is between you and me, Voldemort." Harry announced. "No one else is to fight."

"And how do you expect to defeat me?" Voldemort taunted the boy.

"Like this." Harry said.

To the adults' surprise and horror, he threw his wand to the side.

"Your joking. Right?" James asked. "PLEASE tell me your going to dive for it."

"No." Harry said.

Lily gave James a look that CLEARLY stated He's-your-son-James-Potter.

"Foolish choice, Mr. Potter." Voldemort said. "Crucio!"

"Avada Kedavra!" Bellatrix yelled pointing her wand at Harry.

"No!" Another death eater cried and threw himself between Harry and Bellatrix. The Death Eater fell down dead.

Harry quickly touched the ground and murmured a charm that created a shield so that no one could get hurt. When he ducked, the spell missed and dissolved in the shield.

"Wandless." Voldemort realized.

Harry smirked at him.

Harry pointed at Voldemort and closed his eyes. When he opened his eyes, a gold light shot from his hand and hit Voldemort who cried in agony.

Within a few minutes of the battle, both wizards were getting weak. Voldemort was weaker than Harry.

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..." Harry repeated. "Amore Cantarus!"

The gold light hit Voldemort as Harry murmured something under his breath.

"Mum. Dad. Sirius. Remus. Spica. Vega. Melissa. Ron. Hermione. Ginny."

At Ginny's name, the light got brighter and blinded everyone while Harry kept murmuring the names of the people he cared about more than life itself. When the light died down, everyone saw both wizards unconscious. Voldemort lied dead, and Harry was unconscious.

With Voldemort dead, the aurors of the Order of the Phoenix apprehended the Death Eaters. The Marauders walked over to the Death Eater who had sacrificed his life to save Harry's. James knelt down and removed the mask to reveal the face of….

Peter Pettigrew.

"He owed Harry a life debt." Remus explained feeling his emotions go haywire. He wasn't upset over the death of the death eater who had betrayed them, but he was upset over the death of the fellow Gryffindor he used to play pranks with.

"Don't go anywhere." Sirius said to his brother who was starting to quietly retreat. "We need to talk."

"Your right." Regulus said in defeat. "We do."

"Harry?" Ginny asked as she held him.

The D.A., as well as Lily, had gone straight to their unconscious leader. James, Sirius, Remus, Regulus, Dumbledore, and McGonagall ran to join them.

"Ginny?" Harry whispered as he half opened his eyes.

"I'm here." She said.

She leaned her head closer to his head as he whispered something to her. Suddenly, his body went limp.

"Harry?" She asked. "Harry? HARRY?!"

TBC