It's that time. Time to say good-bye! Well, at least to Ghosts. That's right, this chapter that stands before you is the final chapter. That's okay, but you still have that one last time…

Thank You's: Hmm…who to thank? A lot of fanfiction authors! This story was an experiment in taking over used plot lines and making them…well, something new. Draco suddenly showing up on Harry's doorstep; Harry has a sister; I can't sleep either; and a couple of others. I want to thank the fans who loyally stood by the story…even when it got questionable. I don't want to write the same story over and over again and that's led to this fanfic's creation. I have to thank Teresa who made the best skeptical face about the Helen Evans storyline. It was a challenge. A throw down. And I can't resist a challenge…

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

Warnings: Weirdness.

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Ghosts

Chapter Fourteen

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An abandoned mansion. Harry didn't recognize it, it wasn't the Riddle mansion he remembered from his fourth year, but he knew that she'd been taken inside. He quickly touched down and pulled out his wand.

Strangely though, no one tried to attack him. He snuck over to the door and opened it very slowly.

Nothing. No guards.

What was with this place? Harry went inside but still saw nothing. There was some torches dimly lit up ahead and he could hear noises. His bare feet barely noted the cold stone that he was walking along.

Another door, but this one seemed far more ominous. Whatever was behind here, he knew he wasn't going to like.

He slowly opened this door as well, but there was someone there. Someone who greeted him eagerly.

"Harry Potter." A voice hissed. "I've been waiting for you."

Harry entered the room, his wand at the ready, and saw that directly in front of him were a flight of stairs going down. Below him was two things covered with black curtains. They were rectangular and Harry immediately didn't like them.

There was another flight of stairs leading up on the other end of the room and there was Voldemort, who looked too pleased for words.

"Where is she?" Harry asked.

"Don't you mean 'they'?" Voldemort taunted him. "I'm so glad you asked. You see, I have a little show I didn't want you to miss. A little game if you will."

"What game? And what do you mean 'they'?" Harry's eyes narrowed.

"You didn't realize the other one was missing, did you?" Voldemort's eyes gleamed with something like happiness. "This makes it so much better." He raised his wand and with a small flick, both the curtains fell off.

There were two rectangular glass boxes, that looked like they had some sort of horrible purpose because they were held up off the ground by dark, twisted metal. In one was Helen Evans, who was looking at him with her wide-eyed, almost frightened expression. And the other one.

The other one was Draco.

He began hitting the glass with his fists. He was obviously trying to yell at Harry but no sound could escape the boxes. Helen put both her hands on the glass in front of her and began to try and say something urgently to Harry as well.

"Do you know what these spectacular boxes are for?" Voldemort asked. "No, I'm sure you don't. Let me explain. They kill instantly. It's Dark Magic, the kind you and your kind deny. But I'm going to be very generous. The only way to crack the boxes is with a silver axe. You'll notice one on the wall next to you."

Harry looked over at it.

"Of course, not so generous, you've been a hindrance to me since day one." Voldemort frowned. "You can save one of them."

"What do you mean?" Harry looked at the two people before him.

"You can save one of them." Voldemort was clearly enjoying himself now. "You get to choose which one lives and which one dies. As soon as you save one, I'll activate the other box and kill whichever one you didn't choose."

Harry wondered if Draco and Helen could hear what Voldemort was saying. Helen continued to move her mouth urgently and Draco was pounding even harder on the glass.

"Choose." Voldemort laughed.

"I can't." Harry looked at the two.

No, don't make me choose.

Don't make me choose.

"What a pity." Voldemort murmured. "See how love makes you weak? So who's love makes you weaker?"

Harry looked at Draco, who was clearly calling out his name and he thought trying to tell him something else. Helen's mouth kept moving.

Moving.

Opening and closing.

Harry realized that while Draco was clearly saying something…she wasn't forming any words with her mouth. She wasn't really talking. And he thought about the times she'd spoken before, but hadn't really.

Are you real?

I've never held you.

I've held Draco.

What do I do?

What if you are real? What if I throw away my only sister?

What if I throw away Draco?

I can't…I can't…I have to save them both…but how?

I said I'd give you my life, Helen. So that you could live. But…

What if you're just an empty dream? The ghost of what I wanted?

"I don't want you to ignore me."

How can I leave you behind, Draco?

"He's in love with you."

Harry shut his eyes for a moment and then without a word, he grabbed the axe off the wall and rushed down the stairs. He took it and smashed the glass box with all his might. As soon as he did, Voldemort muttered an incantation, activating the second box. Harry had rushed to catch the one he'd saved.

He turned though, just in time to see Helen Evans staring at him from her glass box and then she disappeared in a flash.

Harry realized that tears were streaming down his face, even as he held onto Draco, who was having trouble standing.

I couldn't save you…I thought I could…

But…

"You saved me." Draco looked up at him. "I thought you were going to save her…did you figure out she wasn't real?"

"What?" Harry looked down. "She wasn't?"

"No, she wasn't." Draco shook his head. "You still thought she was real and you saved me?"

"I love you…" Harry told him.

"And now you're both about to die." Voldemort reminded him of his presence. "You saw through my illusion…I wasn't expecting that."

"She was your illusion?" Harry clenched his teeth. Draco's arm was looped around his neck and the two boys stood. "You did all that? Haven't you done enough, you sick bastard?" He held up his wand.

"I think there's only one person who's about to die. And that's you." Draco held up his wand as well. The two boys gave each other one last look before going into battle with Voldemort.

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Hermione couldn't imagine a busier year. The N.E.W.T.'s were over. Voldemort was dead. The Wizarding world was waiting for them all with open arms. They'd be leaving Hogwarts. She felt herself growing miserable as she realized that the place where she'd finally felt she had friends was going to be left behind.

"Hermione?" Ron was behind her as she looked out the window. "We're all waiting by the lake. Are you coming?"

"In a minute." Hermione remembered that they were going to go out and have a picnic. One last get together before they all had to leave and become adults with careers and only see each other around holidays…

"Are you sad?" Ron asked as he went to stand next to her. "Because you're leaving?"

"A little." Hermione looked down, thinking fondly of all the memories they'd shared together. "Do you think you'll visit me this summer?"

"Yeah." Ron nodded. "Although…er…"

"What?" Hermione asked.

"Well, I was thinking…I'm kind of used to living with other people." Ron went red in the face. "And I didn't want to live alone and well, I could probably live with a lot of other people but I…um…thought…well, we are older now and…I'd understand…but I'd like to like to live with other people…as in you."

"You…want to live with me?" Hermione was pretty sure her heart skipped a beat.

"What I was actually thinking was…" Ron was blushing so deeply that when he reached into his pocket, Hermione could feel hear her heart beating in her ears. "Maybe…" And he put a little box on the windowsill.

Hermione took one look at it and knocked him over in her enthusiasm to kiss him.

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Ginny watched Draco and Harry. They were talking together as they began setting out the stuff for the picnic. The final battle had taken place when no one was expecting it. They'd defeated Voldemort once and for all.

Everyone had a million questions for them and bit by bit, everything began to come together. Helen Evans was an elaborate illusion that Voldemort had used Dark Magic to create. The construct he'd put together could cloud people's minds and make them do whatever they wanted. The illusion had caused Luna Lovegood and Draco Malfoy to feel as though they'd spoken to her. Harry recalled how he'd kept following her and hearing her wordless speech. She'd had probably been created to lure him to his death until Voldemort got reports from this construct who'd told him about Harry and Draco.

The two boys hadn't really recounted how they'd killed Voldemort, Ginny just knew they did it together. Watching them together made her feel a little sad. Both boys she felt like she could have fallen in love with herself…and she didn't have anyone. Ron and Hermione were now coming and if the way they were holding hands was any indication, she knew they were finally together.

Harry didn't have the haunted look that he normally had. Instead, he looked like he was looking forward to having some peace for a little while.

"Come on, Ginny, we can't have this picnic without you." Harry called her over. Ginny grinned and ran along to sit on the blanket with the others.

Harry looked around at this friends and Draco and realized that while he was looking at an illusion as family, he never understood the truth of the matter:

That this was his real family.

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WOO! The end! That's right! Ghosts is finished! I know you're all sad and even I'm a little sad but…this means that I get to start a brand new fanfic! A fantastic new epic that I called 'There Shall Be No Night'. This is the summary: AU. Briedland, a country locked in a state of terror. The Realm of Faerie, a world coming undone. In order to save both, a young man wrongfully arrested as a terrorist must overcome all odds and embrace his destiny. It's gonna be really, really good. Sooooo good. So much planning though. The largest wall in an apartment has a four hundred year timeline for this fanfic…(not that the fanfic takes place over four hundred years, I just needed to work out four hundred years of history.) Please read and review! See you guys around!