Disclaimer: I wrote this when I was 12 to 13 in 2003. Harry Potter is hereby © to J.K. Rowling. Everything else is © to me, or its respective owners.

Chapter Thirty: The Final Calm

They appeared in the forest. Nearby they could hear two people dueling, and they could see flashes of light.

"C'mon!" Cho muttered.

The others followed. Cho opened her bag set it down, putting on her cloak, becoming invisible, and taking out her wand.

"I think that might be Harry…he could be in trouble." Whitney whispered.

"We'll never know if we don't move! Now come on!" Alexa hissed.

The group moved forward, finding that Whitney's suspicion was correct. Harry was fighting off at least five Death Eaters.

"Now, on my count, we send out Stunners, ok?" Cho said quietly.

They nodded.

"One…two…three…NOW!" She hissed.

All raised their wands and chose a Death Eater, took aim, and shouted, "STUPEFY!" The Death Eaters fell to the ground, Cho, taking off her cloak, emerging from the clearance, followed by Whitney, Alyssia, Draco, Tom, and Alexa.

"Cho! I told you not to follow me!" Harry exclaimed, still in shock.

"You looked like you needed some help…and at least I didn't come alone." Cho replied.

"Well, thanks…but, just go back to the castle. I can take it from here."

"Like hell you can! We're coming with you, whether you like it or not."

Harry sighed.

"Fine…then let's go." He said.

Cho adjusted her bag on her shoulder, and walked forward. She motioned for the others to follow, which they did. Finally reaching a barren clearing. The place was desolate and deathly silent. Their footsteps echoed and reechoed at least five times over. The air was ice cold, their breath coming out in small clouds. Each step they took, the ground seemed to cover in ice. With a few more steps they reached the very center of the clearing. Death Eaters came out from the trees before them, stepping aside to reveal their leader, his red eyes gleaming.

"So…you've come at last…" He said in a snake-like voice.

Cho shivered, and pulled her cloak around her more tightly. Her white hair seeming even brighter in the dark clearing. It also made her skin look very pale. The only distinguishable color in her skin was the red splotches on her cheeks made from the cold air. Her white eyes took in the surroundings. Then she found her focus locked onto the trees through which Voldemort had made his entrance. Two figures approached. One with long, wavy blonde hair, the other with long dark hair. Both reached their master's side.

"My Lord, what do you wish that we do with them?" The blonde haired girl asked.

"I leave that for you to decide." Voldemort replied.

"And what shall I do?" The dark haired girl asked.

"Find the girl Akira. She should be back at the castle. Kill anyone who interferes."

"Yes, my Lord."

Kashya was about to set off, when Cho flung her entire body weight into the girl.

"You're not going anywhere!" Cho said angrily.

"Well, well, well…it's little Angel Serenity…looks like by your new look you'll be needing to release the light soon…too bad…you never did know how Rowena died, did you?" Rochelle said mockingly.

"Why should I care?!"

"You see, when I had created a new body for myself, I went to where she lived…In Godric's Hollow…on Halloween, I killed her…but unfortunately, Godric was much more powerful than I expected…so he destroyed me…then…I fled…hiding…until finally I found Miss Kesley. Then I took over her pitiful body, and I snuck in unnoticed by any of you. And I made you to believe Cianna was your enemy. Until the day you learned who your true foe was…and now, here we are, a year later…and here we stand…"

"Humph!"

"Are you ready to die, Cho?"

"Are you?"

"Now, now, girls…don't get too hasty…I'm sure our Lord has some matters to discuss." A Death Eater said coming forward.

"YOU!!!" Draco yelled.

"Draco, Draco, Draco…and I thought you were a good son…a good enough son to follow in your own father's footsteps…and you being Salazar Slytherin's second heir…I truly expected better of you…" Lucius said.

"My father died a long…time…ago."

"Then if that's how it is…that is how it shall be…"

Lucius sighed. He snapped his fingers.

The rest of the Death Eaters came forward.

"Take the women. All of them. Including Rochelle and Kashya. The boys have to have a little chat." He ordered.

They nodded and strode forward, reaching for the girls.

More Death Eaters came forward, crowding the girls in a circle, the guys fighting to get to them who were in the center.

Eventually, the four girls got taken away. The guys still fighting to get them back.

"DRACO!" Alyssia screamed.

"TOM!" Whitney shrieked.

"HARRY!" Cho cried.

"SOMEBODY!!!" Alexa shouted.

The Death Eaters hit the four girls roughly over the head, knocking them out instantly.

"The one with white hair, restrain her. When she wakes she may have an extreme amount of power. She cannot be allowed to get free. Understood?" Voldemort hissed to Lucius.

"Yes my Lord." Lucius replied.

He snapped his fingers again and the other Death Eaters retreated from the clearing, taking Rochelle and Kashya with them.

"My Lord, do I have to go?" Rochelle and Kashya whined.

"Yes, it's for your own safety. Lord Voldemort only wishes to protect you from harm." The Dark Lord replied.

The girls nodded and followed the Death Eaters out of the clearing, retreating to the nearby fortress.

"Malfoy, take the other two, leave Potter behind. We need to discuss a few things…" Voldemort said quietly, his eyes glinting maliciously.

Lucius nodded, snapping his fingers again, three Death Eaters appearing out of nowhere, binding Tom and Draco's hands behind their backs and gagging them. The two were taken away, all the Death Eaters, including Lucius left the clearance, leaving Harry and Voldemort alone, standing on opposite sides of area.

"Let this be the final battle. The one that proves which side is stronger. We will see who is better…Heir of Godric Gryffindor, Harry Potter, or me, Heir of Salazar Slytherin. A duel. Do you accept this challenge? Will you sacrifice yourself for the lives of your friends, those you love, or will you be defeated, forfeiting the lives of those you care about and your own life to the hands of the enemy? Draw your wand and stand tall. This duel is not going to end easily. There is no one here to help you, no one to die for you this time. Not your mother, not even that pitiful girl…Cho, her name was, I believe? Stand and fight Harry Potter. Prepare to die!" Voldemort hissed.

Harry felt rage boiling inside him. It was such a furious and uncontrollable feeling. This was it. The day he had been secretly hoping for. The day he could finally avenge his mother and father's death, the day he could avenge the souls of all who had died by Voldemort's hand. He drew his wand, his grip tightening on the slim piece of wood in his hand.

"Ready to duel?" Voldemort asked, an evil chuckle escaping his lips.

Harry nodded, his anger growing even more uncontrollable by each passing second. He hated Voldemort's voice, his stupid smirk and evil grin. Harry wanted to just tear that face off of him so he could smirk and smile no more.

Voldemort drew his own wand, laughing uncontrollably as realization dawned upon him.

"We can't duel with our own wands. They share cores, therefore if they're to be forced against each other Priori Incantatem would occur." He said, still laughing at his own stupidity.

Harry didn't care whether Priori Incantatem took place or not. He just wanted to kill Voldemort anyway possible.

"I don't give a damn about Priori Incantatem." Harry said finally.

"Our duel would be ineffective." Voldemort replied.

"Do think I give a-look, are we dueling or not?!"

Voldemort smirked.

"With that attitude, you can be worthy to join me."

"I'll never join you!"

"No matter…" Voldemort sighed, twirling his wand between his fingers in impatience. "Alous!" He cried, the wand pointed at Harry.

The spell came forward in a black jet of light. Luckily Harry had quick reflexes (thanks to his Quidditch training) so he was able to dodge the oncoming spell.

The spell hit a spot two feet to the left of Harry, burning a three foot deep hole into the ground. Voldemort raised his wand again, preparing to strike again.

Harry took this opportunity to break Voldemort's concentration. Taking aim and swinging his leg, he hit his target. The back of Voldemort's left knee.

The Dark Lord lost his balance and stumbled, dropping his wand. Harry stood kicking the man in the abdomen, then raising his own wand, pointing it at the Dark Lord's heart.

"You'll die now…for every bit of pain, suffering, and death you've caused." Harry said angrily.

"We'll see about that, Potter!" Voldemort spat.

"Kyusai!" Harry yelled.

A white light shot from the end of his wand, enveloping him and Voldemort in the bright light. There was a bang and a thud as Voldemort fell over, seemingly dead. The light dissipated, Harry looking at his fallen foe, grinning at his victory. He turned away, walking towards the spot the others had been led.

He had gone maybe two steps, when a hoarse voice behind him shouted the words "Avada Kedavra!"

A blinding flash of green light, Harry Potter, Heir of Godric Gryffindor, fell to the ground, his life and soul completely gone.

Voldemort stood, smirking.

"It seems Mr. Potter, that I have won our duel…the light will fail…you are so weak…" He said, triumph in his voice. "At least you can finally join your parents…"

-

Cho felt an odd sort of thing…like something was missing inside herself. Something, from her heart.

'He is dead Chosai…he has been…defeated…' A voice said in her mind.

'No! He can't be dead! It's not possible!' Cho's thoughts screamed.

'It is the truth…but you can still save him…open your heart, release the light, use the light to give him life once more.'

'How am I to release the light?'

'Let your heart guide you to his…'

She closed her eyes, her thoughts filled with images of her and Harry together. Light shone around her, and then burst from her heart, her eyes glowing a bright white before they faded back into brown, and her white hair flying, shining with light. The lights turned into feathers from an angel's wing, showering her in hundreds of feathers, her hair becoming a rich raven black. She slumped over, falling unconscious.

-

Voldemort began to walk away from his fallen enemy, not realizing the bright beam of light that had made contact with Harry's body.

A second beam landed in Harry's hand, and it became the sword of Godric Gryffindor.

Life filled Harry's body, and he stood silently, feeling the sword in his hand.

"Voldemort." He called.

The Dark Lord turned, refusing to believe what he just heard.

Voldemort saw Harry standing there before him, hold a sword in his hand that glinted in the light of the setting sun. The light reflected onto the blade, making it appear that the sword was glowing red.

Without a moment's notice, Harry tightened the grip on the sword, and ran towards his enemy, plunging the silver blade into Voldemort's heart. With a loud shriek, Voldemort fell. Harry pulled out the blade, Voldemort's blood splattering his clothes. He dropped the sword, wiping the perspiration from his brow.

At last. Voldemort had been defeated…the war was over.

Dark orbs of light came from the open wound in Voldemort's heart, then disappeared. A strong gust of wind blew, Voldemort's body turning into ash and being blown away.

The distant cries of Death Eaters met Harry's ears. Several burst into the clearance. They were on fire. They too, turned to ash.

Rochelle and Kashya emerged. Harry picked up his sword once again, waiting for them to strike.

Both girls charged, Harry swung the blade, it made contact with Kashya. She screamed, her blood also covering him, then a single golden orb drifted out of her body, soaring in the direction of the castle. Then she flickered into purple sparks, existing no more.

Rochelle was dead before she could see it coming. Harry had already stabbed her through the chest. Her blood soaked his clothes, then she aged before his eyes, turning from a teenage girl to an adult, from an adult to an old woman, turning into a skeleton, finally becoming dust that blew away.

Harry picked up his wand and held the sword loosely in his hand, running through the trees, coming across the fortress. He blasted his way in, finding everyone inside, their hands bound with rope and gags in their mouths. He cut their binds and removed their gags, reuniting with his friends.

-

Cho's eyes fluttered open, seeing someone in front of her. Her vision sharpened.

'Harry!' Her thoughts exclaimed in joy.

He was busy cutting the rope that bound her hands together. Her gag had already been removed and was lying on the ground beside her. Everyone else was getting to their feet and dusting themselves off.

Finally Harry had cut through the last strand of rope that held her hands together. Gently, he removed the rope from her wrists, then looked at her with his piercing emerald eyes.

"Harry!" She exclaimed.

She wrapped her arms around him, ignoring the fact that he was covered in blood. He held her and pulled her closer in return.

"Oh I was so worried!" She whispered.

She put a hand on his face, feeling warmth, then touching his lips, making sure he was real and alive. He reached out his own hand, lifting her chin gently and leaning in closer to her, softly pressing his lips against hers. He pulled her closer, holding her tight, the kiss deepening and becoming more intense.

"Ahem." A voice said.

The two broke away, disappointed that their perfect moment had been shattered.

Alexa stood staring at them, looking very uncomfortable.

Cho and Harry glanced around, seeing that Whitney and Tom were in each others arms, Alyssia resting her head on Draco's shoulder, Draco wrapping an arm around her, resting his chin on her head, playing with her blonde hair.

"When I said 'Ahem' I wasn't talking to just Harry and Cho. I was talking to all of you." Alexa said.

The other two couples sprung away from one another, giving Alexa their full attention.

"Well now that Voldemort's been defeated and all, I was hoping we could you know, go home…back to Hogwarts." She said.

"That sounds like a great idea." Cho, Harry, Whitney, Tom, Alyssia, and Draco agreed.

All joined hands and in a loud crack they disapparatated, returning to the school. A pop sounded as they reappeared in the boys dormitory, seeing someone waiting for them that made their jaws drop.

Akira was sitting on Ron's bed, smiling at them. Ron and Hermione were behind her, Mercadez in Hermione's arms, Lin in Akira's arms.

"Aki! You're alright!" Cho exclaimed.

"Uh yeah…" Akira replied.

Hermione had tears in her eyes.

"I'm so glad to see you again! Ron and I took good care of Lin and Mercadez. But Akira's help was much welcomed." She said.

Hermione placed Mercadez in Whitney's arms, Akira placing Lin in Cho's arms.

"So what's up?" Akira asked.

"You have no idea…" Cho replied.