Author's Note: There is a spoiler for book 6 in this chapter. I should also warn you about the result of Harry vs. Voldemort. There is not a graphic description, but there is enough to create a mental image. That is why the rating has gone up from K+ to T.

This is not the final chapter, there is another one to come, but you might have to wait a while for that one. While the story is completed in writing, I need to work on the last chapter to improve it where I can. I wrote it in the early hours of Saturday morning (7th

The Final Battle

The atmosphere in Number 12 Grimmauld Place became more and more tense as the days went by with no sign from Voldemort. There had been no killings, no attempted killings, and no Dementor attacks. They all knew that the inevitable was getting closer. Harry certainly noticed the strange lack of activity from the dark side. He could often be found sitting alone in Sirius' old room, not talking, not moving, just sitting like a statue. It freaked Ron out the first time he saw Harry like that, but Hermione and Ginny appeared to know more.

Harry woke suddenly. It was only a nightmare. He told himself, wiping sweat from his face. His scar prickled slightly. Not again…He pressed his face into the pillow as it suddenly burned. Every night so far had been the same, same old nightmare, same old prickling scar, same old burning scar. He'd not told anyone about it, but knew exactly what it meant, and this was without help from Hermione.

Every night for the last four he had seen his parents being brutally murdered at Godric's Hollow, waking with the flash of brilliant green light. Every single time his scar had been prickling when he'd woken, only to burn worse than before moments later. He knew Voldemort was trying to send him a message – the final battle was approaching quickly, and it would take place where it all began for Harry…at Godric's Hollow.

He wasn't aware of falling back to sleep, but the next thing he knew, Remus Lupin was standing in his room while the grey dawn filtered its way through the bleak window.

"There's been some activity overnight." Lupin spoke quietly. "It seems they're preparing for something."

It's nice of Voldemort to give me some warning. Maybe he thinks I won't be able to fight because of my parents dying in Godric's Hollow. Harry sat up slowly. "Get the Order ready. We're going back to the beginning."

Lupin started. Harry knew instantly that his former defence teacher knew what he meant.

"We've got two days maximum." Harry's scar prickled uncomfortably. "Make that one day. It's tomorrow. Don't ask me how I know…I just do."

Harry crouched behind a large headstone. He could see his parents' graves straight ahead, but that wasn't why he was there. His scar had been prickling uncomfortably all of the day before, a sign that the end was coming, but he was determined to beat Lord Voldemort. All around him members of the Order of the Phoenix and friends were battling against Voldemort's Death Eaters. Voldemort himself was yet to show up, and until he did, Harry intended to remain hidden. He had his invisibility cloak in his pocket, just in case, but so far, it had stayed there.

As he sat there, listening to the shouts and bangs going on around the graveyard, he wondered what the muggles would think to all the noise. The flashes of light would probably scare them, especially when a particular green jet struck someone down and they would never move again.

The wait would shortly be entering its third hour. Harry knew Voldemort was hoping to catch him off guard and exhausted from all ready fighting, but he had no intention of allowing that to happen. His scar seared painfully. This was what he'd been waiting for; it was the signal that his greatest enemy had arrived. The Horcruxes had been destroyed, Voldemort was mortal once more, and it was Harry's job to get rid of him once and for all.

"Wish me luck." Harry whispered, casting one final look at his parents' gravestones.

He stood up slowly; turning to face the leader of the Dark side for what he hoped would be the last time. The all-too-frequent battles were getting on Harry's nerves.

"Tom." Harry nodded at the man calmly, though he had more resemblance to a snake now.

Voldemort hissed at the name. He raised his wand and sent the first curse.

"Crucio!"

Harry fell to the ground as a thousand knives tried to pierce his skin. His screams went unheard in the commotion around them. The pain subsided in an instant. He shakily stood up, gasping for breath and feeling a little less composed than before. It did not show though, as Harry kept his mind determinedly blank and his wand as steady as possible as he pointed it back at Voldemort. He was about to retaliate when Voldemort sent 'Sectumsempra' at him. It appeared Snape had been lending a hand in the preparation for the fight. Harry ducked behind the gravestone as the curse shot passed. He reached around the side of the stone and sent a silent stunner at his opponent, but Voldemort was prepared. Harry was forced to withdraw his hand at speed as his own spell rebounded towards it. He stood up quickly, twisting back towards Voldemort, but before he could do anything got his by the Cruciatus Curse again. This time it took him longer to get back to his feet. Voldemort was waiting patiently for him.

"Why are you waiting?" Harry panted. "Why not just kill me?"

"I want you to have a fair chance."

This wasn't the Voldemort that Harry remembered. Perhaps destroying the Horcruxes had made his mind more humane.

"Why? You know one of us has to kill the other. It was in the prophecy."

"I'm letting you prove yourself to be a man, to fight back before I kill you like I killed your dear old father." Voldemort was smirking at him.

Ok, maybe the lack of Horcruxes hasn't done anything after all. Harry gripped his wand tighter. "Been taking lessons from Snape? That's not like you, Tom." He retaliated.

Voldemort snarled. "I don't need to take lessons from anyone."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Shame. There's so much you could learn." He sent a silent Impendiment Jinx at him. It hit its mark with no resistance. "Like how to keep your guard up at all times…or did you really think you could beat me? Expelliarmus!"

Voldemort's wand disappeared into the rapidly darkening surroundings as day turned towards night.

"Stupefy!"

Voldemort dodged. The Impendiment Jinx had worn off. He was reaching for his wand but…

"Petrificus Totalus!"

…He fell to the ground, stiff as a plank of wood. Harry walked over to him and kicked him onto his back, thanking Hermione for teaching him that spell.

"You pathetic old man." Harry said, standing over him. "Your Horcruxes are gone." Voldemort's eyes flashed. Harry knew he would have been cursed into next year if the dark wizard could have moved. "You forget things so easily. I have youth and love on my side." Ginny hurried passed fighting a rather large Death Eater. "You might have Death Eaters, but what will become of them when you are gone? Every time we've met, I've escaped with my life. I am going to do that one last time, but you are not going anywhere. Goodbye, Lord Voldemort. Sectumsempra!"

Hundreds of cuts appeared on Voldemort's skin. Harry turned away, not wanting to witness his death.

"You fool! There will be others!" Voldemort spat, just before darkness took him.

A sudden bright green light surrounded them both. The glow grew momentarily brighter before evaporating just as quickly. Harry fell to the ground. The pain in his scar was worse than ever. It felt as though he'd cracked his head on an open window…except a hundred times worse. He was screaming louder than ever before, louder than a victim under the Cruciatus Curse. The pain was worse than when he'd been possessed by Voldemort.

A loud, violent explosion rocked the graveyard, engulfing the fighters in a thick, heavy dust.

Author's Note: I know, you want to find out who survived and who didn't...you'll just have to wait a bit longer for that one. I've not finished copying it up to the computer yet. It is finished though...and I think a few of you might hate me for the ending...I have a Character Deaths warning in the summary, and no one has died yet...until now...I'll explain why I killed them at the end of the chapter, I promise.

If you don't know where this battle was taking place, though I think I made it quite clear (Harry crouching behind a headstone and staring at his parents' graves), it was in Godric's Hollow, in the graveyard. Voldemort was re-born in a graveyard, and for Harry, it all started in Godric's Hollow. That's why I chose that setting...

I didn't have Harry kill Voldemort with Avada Kedavra because I don't think Harry would ever be able to use that 'curse' for the want of a better word. Because of his 'roots' I don't think Harry would be strong enough (i.e. Voldemort killing his parents in front of him and then trying to kill him).

Reviews would be appreciated.