She heard an odd swooshing sound and Voldemort's say softly "On your head be it."

Minerva opened her eyes desperate to see what was happening. Longbottom had the sorting hat on his head. Minerva was thoroughly confused.

"There will be no more Sorting at Hogwarts School. There will be no more houses. The emblem, shield and colours of my noble ancestor, Salazar Slytherin, will suffice for everyone, won't they, Neville Longbottom?" Voldemort said with his soft snake hiss.

Minerva glanced at Harry's body again and felt tears burn in her eyes. She swayed but a hand caught hers. She looked round and saw Seamus. He gave her a slight nod, released her hand and turned back to Voldemort.

Minerva saw Longbottom had been immobilized and the sorting hat on his head.

"Neville here is now going to demonstrate what happens to anyone foolish enough to continue to oppose me," Said Voldemort his wand directed at Neville. The sorting hat then burst into flames.

Minerva watched as one of her students was a flame. She closed her eyes wanting it to stop... for it all to be over then-

A massive movement could be heard.

From behind the walls it sounded like hundreds of people were surging forward.

Then Minerva heard a giant yell "HAGGER!" she spun around as Voldemort's giants bellowed back and charged him.

A flash of silver caught her eye and she watched as Longbottom broke free of the full body bind and drew from the depths of the hat the sword of Gryffindor.

No one could hear the slash of the blade over the din but it came and in one split seconed Minerva wondered what he was doing but it then became clear to her.

The head of Voldemort's beloved snake was spiining above the heads of survivors .

She glanced at Voldemort and saw he had his mouth open in a silent scream.

he pointed his wand at Longbottom, Minerva, about to perform a shield charm between them saw that one had just appeared there out of nowhere.

She glanced around but they were being pushed into the great hall.

Minerva had one thing on her mind. Get to Voldemort and avenge Harry's death.

She raced into the hall and saw Voldemort.

She started duelling with him barely noticing that Slughorn and Kingsley were too.

Her wand twisted and slashed but she could not beat him... she was trying her best... as was he.

She briefly heard Molly yell something at Bellatrix but could not comprehend the words.

The next thing she knew she was up in the air, blasted back writhing and flailing to land in a pile of rubble.

She saw Seamus and a few other students race towards her. "Professor! Are you all right?" Finnigan gasped.

"I'm fine!" She snapped and turned back to the battle but just saw Voldemort looking around.

Then she saw Harry.

Her jaw hanging she stared, wide eyed at him as he and Voldemort began to circle.

"I don't want anyone else to help. It's got to be like this. It's got to me." Harry said in a loud voice.

Minerva's wand hand fell to her side at his words. She still couldn't believe he was alive...

She saw Voldemort's eyes narrow. "Potter doesn't mean that," He said. "That isn't how he works is it? Who are you going to use as a shield today, Potter?"

Minerva bristled at Voldemort's words.

"Nobody. There are no more Horcruxes." said Harry.

He used Horcruxes! That's how he could never be killed. And that's what the three have been up to this year! Finding and destroying the Horcruxes...and they succeeded...

He went on. "It's just you and me. 'Neither can live while the other survives' and one of us is about to leave for good..."

"One of us?" sneered Voldemort. "You think it will be you, do you, the boy who survived.

"Accident was it, when my mother died to save me? Accident, when I decided to fight in that graveyard? Accident, that I didn't defend myself tonight, and still survived, and returned to fight again?"

Minerva felt a surge of pride at his words.

"Accidents! Accident and chance and the fact that you crouched and snivelled behind the skirts of greater men and women, and permitted me to kill them for you!"

For a moment she thought he would strike but he was taut and still.

"You won't be killing anyone else tonight," Harry was saying, "you won't be able to kill any of them, ever again. Don't you get it? I was ready to die to stop you hurting these people -"

Minerva was quite close to tears now. He had given himself up to save them all...

"But you did not!"

"- I meant to, and that's what did it. I've done what my mother did. They're protected from you. Haven't you noticed how none of the spells you put on them are binding? You can't torture them. You can't touch them. You don't learn from your mistakes, Riddle, do you?"

Minerva's eyes widened as Harry used Voldemort's last name. That was sure to enrage Voldemort.

"You dare –",

"Yes, I dare."

Of course he would dare, Thought Minerva. He was a Gryffindor after all. And despite the situation she smiled. Then thinking that everyone would think she was insane, smiling in an atmosphere as tense as this she turned sombre once more and listened to what they were saying.

"Is it love again? Dumbledore's favourite solution, love, which he claimed conquered death, though love did not stop him falling from the Tower and breaking like an old waxwork? Love, which did not prevent me stamping out your Mudblood mother like a cockroach, Potter – and nobody seems to love you enough to run forwards this time, and take my curse. So what will stop you dying now when I strike?"

Minerva gritted her teeth. How dare he insult Lily Evans! How dare he insult Albus Dumbledore the greatest wizard of all time?

"Just one thing," Harry replied. Minerva couldn't help but admire the way he stayed calm as Voldemort hurled those insults about his mother and Albus at him.

"If it is not love that will save you this time, you must believe that you have magic that I do not, or else a weapon more powerful than mine?"

"I believe both." Said Harry.

Voldemort laughed, but it was cold.

"You think you know more magic than I do? Than I, Lord Voldemort, who has performed magic that Dumbledore himself never dreamed of?"

Minerva suppressed a snort. Of course he dreamed of it. He was just too noble to use them...

She was transported to the July evening.

"You flatter me. Voldemort had powers I will never have." Said Albus.

"Only because you're too-well-noble to use them." She had replied.

Minerva pulled herself from the nostalgia and strained her ears desperate to hear more.

"No, he was cleverer than you. A better wizard, a better man." Harry said.

Damn straight! Minerva thought proudly.

"I brought about the death of Albus Dumbledore!" Voldemort said Loudly.

" You thought you did. But you were wrong."

Minerva was thoroughly confused.

"Dumbledore is dead! His body decays in the marble tomb in the grounds of this castle, I have seen it, Potter and he will not return!"

Furios at Voldemort because he had broken into his tomb she started forwards but hands pulled her back. She shot a furious look at Seamus then turned back.

"Yes, Dumbledore's dead, but you didn't have him killed. He chose his own manner of dying, chose it months before he died, arranged the whole thing with the man you thought was your servant."

Snape? Thought Minerva.

"Severus Snape wasn't yours," Harry was saying, "Snape was Dumbledore's. Dumbledore's from the moment you started hunting down my mother. And you never realised it, because of the thing you can't understand. You never saw Snape cast a Patronus, did you, Riddle? Snape's Patronus was a doe. The same as my mother's because he loved her for nearly all of his life, from the time when they were children. You should have realised. He asked you to spare her life, didn't he?"

Minerva choked back tears. And to think that the last thing she said, she called him a coward...

"He desired her, that was all. But when she had gone, he agreed that there were other women, and of purer blood, worthier of him -"

Minerva felt a rush of hatred. He would never understand love... never...

"Of course he told you that,but he was Dumbledore's spy from the moment you threatened her, and he's been working against you ever since! Dumbledore was already dying when Snape finished him!" Harry was a little impatient now.

So his blackened hand would've killed him in the end, Thought Minerva. She had guessed it was a curse but Albus never confirmed it to her.

A/N

Coolio! Now I just want everyone to know this. There is NOTHING going on between Finnigan and McGonagall. I really don't like those fanfics about like Hermuione and Minerva, Harry and Draco and so on. They are friends. Alrighty?

K good bye