Chapter 55

Hermione heard the footsteps of an approaching army and knew Voldemort was on his way to finish everything once and for all. What had happened with Harry? Had he let Voldemort kill him, or did he find another way?

"Harry Potter is dead," she heard a horrid voice echo out from the edge of the forest. "He was killed as he ran away, trying to save himself while you lay down your lives for him. We bring you his body as proof."

Voldemort came into view, with the Death Eaters following closely behind. She saw Hagrid was amongst them, holding the dead body of a boy less than eighteen, limp in his arms.

She let out a scream at the sight. Somehow, seeing your best friend dead was a lot worse than knowing it was going to happen. Nothing could have prepared her for this.

"The battle is won; your precious saviour is dead. You have already lost more than half your fighters, and my numbers far outweigh yours. I can end this war for you; end all the fighting. But those who continue to resist me and my efforts will be punished, man, women, or child, will be slaughtered along with their entire family, I do not care. So come, and kneel before me, and I can end this all for you."

She saw the Death Eaters take Harry from Hagrid and throw his body on the ground to show them all proof that her brother was dead.

Ginny began sobbing uncontrollably beside her, and Ron was letting out painful screams. Her own body had begun to shake and tears were flowing freely down her face.

Voldemort walked over to the body and kicked him over, so Harry's dirty and scarred face would be visible. "You see? Harry Potter is dead. Do you understand now, you deluded ones? He was only just a boy and he never stood a chance against I, Lord Voldemort. He always relied on others to sacrifice themselves for him; his parents, his godfather, and now you. He had no exceptional power of his own, and now, the ultimate testament to that will be his death."

"He beat you," Hermione couldn't help but cry out; plans be damned. Neville was the one meant to kill Nagini, and it was Harry who wanted that for him. "He was always stronger than you ever were, and nothing will change that. Harry may be dead, but we, his legacy will remain very strong. We will not submit to you; not now, not ever."

Voldemort laughed coldly. "You have spirit, Mudblood. You remind me so of a young Lily Potter. I offered her once a chance to join up with me, but she spat in my face, turning to her dear husband instead. But she got what was coming to her in the end. I won't be so generous with you, however. But I shall offer you mercy. Submit to me, and I shall find a nice master for you. You shall get to keep your life."

She wanted to laugh. Right, Voldemort wanted her to be a slave to a Death Eater. She had absolutely no desire to do anything of such.

"She won't submit to you, and neither shall I," Neville said boldly, as he came forward from the crowd.

"Longbottom, yes?" Voldemort inquired, looking to Bellatrix for confirmation. She smiled gleefully, and Hermione felt a sick knot forming in her stomach at the sight, given her past with Neville's family. "I've heard of the things you done during this past year, and I must say, you have courage. Your bloodlines are pure are they not?"

"So what if they are?" Neville said tauntingly. "It would make no less difference if I were a muggleborn or a half-blood."

"It makes you all the more desirable. While I may not want that mudblood, I would not mind having you a part of my Death Eaters. You would be very valuable indeed."

"I'll join you when hell freezes over," Neville said with an icy tone. "I do not side with murderers and torturers."

Voldemort smiled cruelly. "Well isn't that a shame. Maybe I could persuade you into changing your mind. I'm sure you don't want to see your friend," he said as he look at Hermione, "go the same way as your dear old parents, now would you."

She took a sharp breath, her hand tightening on her wand.

"You won't lay a hand on her," a familiar voice called out. It was not Neville who had spoken, but Draco. Hermione felt herself shiver in fear. He was not supposed to call attention to himself like this. Escaping his aunt was one thing, escaping Voldemort was an entirely different matter.

"Ah yes, Draco Malfoy," Voldemort said with a sneer. "I had heard that you were still alive. I was going to wait until this was all over to kill you over your little charade, but nothing like taking care of matters in the present, no? Did you honestly think you could get away with faking your own death, and thinking I wouldn't find out?"

"Oh I intended you to find out," Draco said coolly, as he walked over to where she was standing. "I don't care that you know, I knew you would find out. Faking my death was only a way to buy me time, not just to hide from you."

Neville slipped into the crowd, something which escaped Voldemort's notice as he was solely focusing on Draco. She watched as he silently summoned the sorting hat, which broke a window in the proccess, but went unnoticed through Voldemort's rage.

"You were going to be my protégée," Voldemort roared. "I would have groomed you to by my second in command, except you threw everything away. You would have had a great life, and every one would have known your name. You could have had anything you wanted."

"I already do have anything and everything that I could possibly want," Draco said in a chilly voice, "None of which you could have given me."

"And what would that be?" Voldemort asked mockingly. "Love? Do not tell me that you allowed that fool, Dumbledore to brainwash you."

"I have found love, yes, and while that may mean a lot to me, it is not all I found. I found family, and I found who I wanted to be, none of which involve you."

Voldemort sneered, "Narcissa, is this how you raised your son? To be a mudblood lover? I thought you and your late husband did a better job than that."

She watched as Narcissa Malfoy stepped out from the ranks of the Death Eaters, to come further towards the centre between two sides.

"You're right, my Lord," she started. "We did raise him better than that. We raised him with the values we had instilled in us when we were younger. But those same values would have resulted in his death. So I'm glad he threw it all away. I would rather have a son who is in love with a muggleborn than no son at all."

Voldemort looked disgusted. "So few pure families remain, and even less with heirs to take on. Do you not see what is happening? The mudbloods have infiltrated our way of life, sneaking in and slowly ruining one good family at a time."

"But it's about more than that, isn't it Riddle?" Draco taunted out. "It's about the fact that your muggle father abandoned your mother when he found out the truth, isn't it? It's about the fact that it broke her beyond repair, and she wouldn't even raise her wand to keep living for your sake. This isn't about your hatred for muggles and muggleborns, it's about the fact that your daddy left you as a child."

"I was going to spare you, you know," Voldemort said coldly. "I would have kept you around after all this was over as my own. But now I see that you're already too far gone, and well it's a lot better for a pure family to die off than turn into half-bloods. Say your farewells, Draco Malfoy. Ava-"

"No!" Narcissa's voice cried out as she raised her wand at the Dark Lord. "You will not kill any more of my family, not now, not ever."

"Narcissa," Bellatrix cried in an admonished voice. "How dare you speak that way to the Dark Lord? He is everything this world needs, and more."

"Oh shut up, Bella. I do not need to hear the words of the woman who killed my own husband while attempting to murder my child. You can burn in hell for all I care."

The fight between the two sisters momentarily caught Voldemort's full attention. As he turned to them both, to scold them, Hermione caught Neville's eye. He had managed to get closer to where Voldemort was standing, however he was still shielded by the people in front of him, so he was not easily spotted.

"Now Neville!" she yelled out for him to hear. It drew the attention back to her, however while everyone was looking at her, they failed to find where Neville was in the crowd. She saw him push forward as raised the Sorting Hat and pulled out the sword of Gryffindor. He charged forward and with a single stroke he cut off the head of Nagini, who was hissing at Voldemort's side for the discord between the two sisters.

Voldemort roared once he realised what had happened, and knowing full well what it meant for him. The snake fell down to the ground, headless, at Voldemort's feet, the head rolling beside the body.

The action seemed to set off a chain motion, ending any sort of 'peace' they may have previously had. She looked up, and saw reinforcements in the form of giants, centaurs, and Thestrals join the fight with them against the Death Eaters.

"We have to go do it now!" Hermione said to Draco as he raised his wand. "It's time to go bring down Voldemort." Together they ran, into Hogwarts, their broken school. They made their way into the Great Hall where the fight had resumed.

"Harry! Where's Harry?" She heard Hagrid cry out over the lough cries of the fight. Her eyes were drawn to where Harry's broken body had lay only moments before, but to her shock, it was not there! Had one of the Death Eaters taken it as a prize to keep for after the battle was over? What would Voldemort plan to do with the body if he won? Fury swept through her, causing her to charge at the nearest Death Eaters. She would be damned if any of them got his body; Harry deserved a proper burial, and it was exactly what she planned to give him.

To her left, Charlie and Slughorn were fighting of Greyback, Slughorn still in his Slytherin Green Pyjamas and Charlie, in his robes that he used when taming dragons. She smiled when she realized that his hair was the same length it had been at the Bill and Fleur's wedding a few months ago, knowing that despite the ongoing war, some things never changed. The Death Eater seemed to be having the time of his life, as he cast one dark spell after the other at the two Order members. Hermione wasn't shocked to realise that she barely recognised any of them.

She saw the house elves whom she had so desperately tried to free in her fourth year charge forward, following none other than Kreature, as they held carving knives, and various other kitchen utensils, towards a hoard of Death Eaters in front of them. While they were simply using it to attack the shins of the Death Eaters, the malice behind the attack was enough to cause the large array of Death Eaters to being to fold.

Hermione held on tightly to Draco's hand, as they made their way closer to the centre of the fight. Tonks and Ginny were in front of her, fighting off Rowle and Bellatrix. She prodded Luna in that direction, as the latter had just taken down Yaxley, with the help of Lee Jordan, and George Weasley.

Dolohov fell to the ground with a scream as Flitwick cast a curse in his direction, while Voldemort dueled McGonagall, Kingsley, and was joined by Slughorn as well.

Tonks cast a spell causing Rowle to fall limp, "That was for my husband, you ass," she yelled at his dead body, as she focused all of her attention on it. Unfortunately, Bellatrix took this opportunity to act.

She summoned away Tonks' wand quickly, "I should have done this years ago," Bellatrix said with a prideful face. "You were an abomination from the moment you were born, and you've further disgraced us by marrying and breeding with that half-breed."

Hermione lunged forward, knowing full well what was about to happen. She saw Ginny attempt to hex Bellatrix, but it was too late, "Avada Kedvra," Bellatrix shouted out, and Tonks came crumbling down. Hermione rushed to Tonks' side but it was too late; she was already dead.

Draco screamed out from beside her, "How dare you, you bitch," he screamed out. "You call all of them an insult to the family, when it is you who ruins the name."

Bella's lips curled into a twisted grin, "Is 'ittle Drwaco here to pway again?" she asked in a mocking baby voice. "Don't wowwy, Auntie will make it a quick death for you."

"Oh shut up," Draco yelled as he cast a Sectemsempra at her. Hermione joined in soon after, and the hexes began to fly back and forth in every direction.

"Crucio," Bellatrix cast out, and Hermione felt the pain course through her veins. She let out a cry, as she began to remember the pain she had endured at Malfoy Manor those months ago. She shrieked, and prayed for the pain to end. She didn't know how long it had been going on, but what she knew was that she needed the pain to end.

"Avada Kedvra," she heard Draco's voice call out. "You will never hurt or kill anyone else I love, ever again." From her spot on the ground, she watched as the spell hit Bellatrix straight in the chest, causing her to collapse, and lifting the curse from Hermione simultaneously. She felt Draco scoop her up in his arms and cradle her close to his chest. "

"Hermione," he said gently, as he stroked her face. "She's gone. She won't ever hurt you again."

She felt strong enough in that moment to cup his face and kiss him, as the battle raged on around them. They looked up to see the professors who were fighting Voldemort fly backwards as the result of a spell.

"Protego!" A familiar voice cried out over the noise. Hermione looked up in shock to see Harry standing in front of Voldemort, holding his invisibility cloak in his hand.

She let out a cry in shock. "Harry!" she screamed, but he didn't seem to hear her. Draco helped her up, and she pushed forward to get closer to the boy. Ron approached her from the side.

"I thought you said he had to die?" he questioned her.

"He did!" she asked in shock. "He was dead!" She stared at him for a moment before coming to a sudden realization. "Unless killing the Horcrux didn't kill him, but just the Horcrux!"

Draco and Ron simply just stared at her, not really comprehending what she was saying, however she didn't have time to explain.

"I don't want anyone else to try and help me," Harry said loudly, as his voice carried amongst the silence.

Voldemort hissed like the snake he was, "Potter doesn't mean it, now does he. He needs one of you to be his shield; one of you to die for him, so who will it be today?" Hermione knew that he was desperately trying to regain the upper hand in the situation, but the tables had turned. Voldemort had lost any advantage that he may have had.

"Nobody," Harry said simply. "There are no more Horcruxes, Tom; this is now between you and me. One of us will make it out of this, and the other won't."

"One of us?" Voldemort said with a sneer. "I am the greatest wizard who ever lived, and you on the other hand are a mistake. You lived through accident on my part, and through Dumbledore pulling all the strings.

She watched, both in horror and fascination as they began to circle around each other, never once changing the distance between the two of them.

"Accident?" Harry asked mockingly. "Was it an accident that my mother died to protect me? Was it an accident that I fought you in the Graveyard and still managed to survive? Was it an accident that I willingly went to you tonight, and survived, without once putting up a fight?"

"Accidents," Voldemort screamed out, but he sounded like a pathetic man, trying to convince himself of his correctness. "Just like how you cowered behind greater witches and wizards and let them die."

"No one else will be dying tonight. Haven't you noticed that you haven't been able to touch a single person since my death? You haven't been able to do any harm to anyone, and you know why? Because I died for them, as my mother died for me. You don't learn from your mistakes, do you, Riddle?"

"You dare-" Voldemort began to screech.

"Oh I dare," Harry jeered. "Because I know many things. Do you want to hear another mistake that you made, Tom?"

"Is it love again?" Voldemort spat. "I already heard that answer once tonight. Dumbledore's solution to everything, isn't it? Well let me tell you this, Potter. I have power that he could never have dreamed of having; power beyond his wildest imagination."

"He dreamed of it, but he was clever enough not to go after it. Because he knew better; he was a better wizard and man."

"I brought his death," Voldemort shouted out desperately.

"Did you?" Harry asked. "You may have thought so, but you were very wrong."

"He's dead!" Voldemort screeched. "I've seen his body decaying in the ground"

"Yes, but he planned his own death; planned it all out. You didn't kill him, Dumbledore simply believed you did."

"What foolishness is this?" Voldemort asked glaringly.

"The truth," A deep voice rumbled from behind them. Everyone in the room turned to see Severus Snape come forward to come into Voldemort's vision.

"I killed you," Voldemort hissed, once he got over his initial shock.

"You intended to," Snape said coldly. "But thanks to my Godson, I survived. Let me tell you another secret, Tom, I never was on your side, not after you said you were going after Lily Evans. You killed the woman I loved, and expected me to simply 'get over' it? The minute you threatened her, I gave it all up, and went to Dumbledore, telling him I would spy for him. I was never yours, not even when I killed Dumbledore."

"It doesn't matter," Voldemort said. "I'll just kill you again, and then the wand will work for me."

"No, it won't," Harry said calmly. "Because it was Draco Malfoy who disarmed Dumbledore, not Snape. The wand was his."

Draco's head snapped up in shock, obviously confused by the sudden turn of fates. "What?"

Hermione looked at him, terrified, as she clenched her hand around his.

"So I'll just kill him instead," Voldemort said, sounding bored. "I wanted to keep him around, but I suppose it won't be that big of a loss."

Harry simply smiled, "Well you see a few months ago, we went to Malfoy Manor, we were taken there you see, however no one would have informed you because we wiped Bellatrix's mind. But when we were there, we let Draco act as if we kidnapped him, and during the charade, I disarmed him. So that wand that you're holding," Harry said, as he looked at the Elder Wand, "is really mine."

The golden sun began to make its way up into the sky, signalling the dawn of a new day. The light blinded them all temporarily, but when her vision returned, she saw Harry point his wand at Voldemort.

"Expelliarmus"

"Avada Kedvra"

There was a loud bang, like a canon, and sparks flew where both spells met at the centre. However, Harry's was stronger. She watched as the Elder Wand flew through the air to Harry, and his red spell his Voldemort in the chest. The wand flew to Harry as it was rightfully his, and would not be used against him.

Harry held both wands, as Voldemort lay on the ground, collapsed with a sense of finality. It took a moment to sink in, but once it did, Hermione let out the breath she was holding and for the first time in a long while she relaxed. It was finally over.

A/N: Whew, this was probably one of the hardest chapters for me to write, because of all the action that happened. I can't believe that it's nearly over L I loved writing this story, and while I still have to wrap it up, it's really overwhelming. I want to thank you again for all your support; as a writer it means a lot to hear from you guys, regardless of what you say.

I hated that I had to kill Tonks, but I hated that her death was never explained. I could have done Remus' as well, but seeing how this story was focused around Draco more than Harry, Tonks seemed more relevant of a death to write, seeing how close they got.

Until next week, good bye my readers.