Daphne turned on her heel and made her way down the corridor. "Goodbye Daphne." He said quietly as he watched her round the corner. He took a deep breath and walked up the stairs leading to the headmaster's office. 'For the last time' the part of him that had doubt shouted while the rest of him tried to suppress it.
He finished the trip up the stairs and found the door to the office open and Dumbledore seated at his desk with Snape standing to his side. "Please Harry, sit down." He said and Harry took his customary seat. "How are you feeling?" He asked once Harry had settled in.
"As ready as I'll ever be." He said paraphrasing what he had told Daphne earlier.
Dumbledore nodded. "Magically you are ready. How do you feel mentally Harry?"
Harry considered for a moment. "I'm ready, sir. I have faith that I'll make it out, but even if I don't, I know that the horcruxes will be gone," he glanced at Snape who gave him a nod of confirmation. "Which means he will be mortal, and you'll be able to finish him. Either way Voldemort will die tonight, and that's the most important thing."
There was a brief silence before Snape spoke up, to Harry's surprise. "You may be your mother's son after all." He said, his voice lacking the venom it usually did when he spoke to him. "I will do my part; you do yours and this will be ended before the night is finished." With that he took the sword from the table and placed it in its scabbard and then into a bag that shouldn't have been able to hold it.
He made his way to the fireplace and grabbed a pinch of floo powder. "Good luck." He said tightly.
"And good luck to you as well Severus." Replied Dumbledore. "Remember to wait a half hour before heading to Malfoy Manor and send the patronus when it is done."
Snape nodded and threw the floo powder at the fireplace. "Grimmauld Place." He shouted and then with a flash of green, he was gone.
Once the whoosh of the fireplace quieted Harry spoke up. "I thought you couldn't use your floo to travel outside of the school?" He said and Dumbledore laughed.
"Typically, you cannot use them except to floo call, but that was a private connection that I had recently set up to get to Grimmauld Place more easily if need be. You and I will however be using the floo at the hog's head."
Harry nodded. This was an integral part of the plan. Bode, the same unspeakable that had helped them get rid of the prophecy last November had discovered there was a mole working for Voldemort at the department of magical transportation. He had informed Dumbledore who had told him to not arrest the man.
As it turned out he would be watching over floo networks this evening. This was usually a mundane job that consisted of looking for any suspicious activities or people trying to floo long distance without authorization, but Dumbledore believed that he would be keeping an eye out to see where the headmaster may be traveling.
Seeing him head to the ministry late at night would be enough to get Voldemort's attention. Seeing him head there with Harry in tow should be enough to lure him there. Voldemort was unaware that the prophecy had been destroyed and his desire to know it would mean he would have to act quickly as he would assume Dumbledore and Harry were heading there to obtain or destroy it.
"So, everything is good to go?" Harry asked.
"Yes. Flemmons the spy is on duty and the ministry should be empty." He said as he unshrunk the two brooms and handed one to Harry. "We will fly to the edge of the grounds and apparate the rest of the way to the hog's head. Please ensure your cloak is raised. We do not want to get spotted too quickly."
Harry donned his invisibility cloak. When he put it on, the ring on his finger and the wand in his holster began to sing and he felt the full power of the hallows surround him. Dumbledore cleared his throat and Harry looked up at him. "Whatever happens tonight, I am proud of you." He told him and Harry nodded.
"Thank you, sir." He considered for a moment and continued. "Whatever happens tonight, thank you. For everything."
Dumbledore nodded stiffly and tried for a smile. "You must never need say thank you, but you are most welcome. Now, remember that Tom prefers raw power at first and then finesse as the duel progresses. To capitalize use strong shields to start and then reflective shields later on." Harry nodded again.
"I will."
Dumbledore nodded once more. "Let us go then." They stepped onto their brooms and made their way out the window to the gates. They were not spotted and when they landed, they shrank their brooms as Harry took hold of Dumbledore's arm.
They entered the hog's head through the back door and saw that the pub was empty. The old barkeep led them to the floo and whispered good luck. Harry went through first and a few moments later Dumbledore followed him. The second the headmasters feet had stepped out of the fireplace he went to work with his wand.
Harry watched as he cast intricate large-scale wards that limited outgoing apparation, portkeys, and floo. Once he had finished, they began to walk together towards the end of the atrium where the lift was and all the while Harry felt on edge.
The plan called for them to go to the department of mysteries normally in case they were being watched so there would be no suspicion. This meant Voldemort could appear at any time, but they would need to pretend they didn't notice. They got onto the lift and made their way back down to the ninth level for what Harry hoped would be the last time.
When he stepped off the lift his scar gave the same feeling it did whenever he was around a horcrux. He gestured subtly to Dumbledore who nodded almost imperceptibly. They made their way down the corridor and into the circular room. The room once again spun at a dizzying pace, and they walked through a seemingly random door into the room with all the shelves and prophecies.
It was difficult for Harry to focus knowing that Voldemort was nearby, but they made their way to the same aisle as the time previous, and Dumbledore gestured to an orb. It read 'S.P.T to A.P.W.B.D. Dark Lord and (?) Harry Potter', just like the actual prophecy had, but this was a fake placed here by Bode earlier in the week.
"There it is Harry." Dumbledore said quietly. "The prophecy. The reason why Voldemort wants you dead and the reason why he was unable to kill you on that Halloween night."
"Can we listen to it now, Sir?" Harry asked, trying to sound awed and amazed as he reached out and picked up the cool glass.
"We can listen to it back in my office, away from any potential prying eyes or ears." Dumbledore conjured a cloth sack and Harry placed the orb inside gingerly and then Dumbledore slipped it in a pocket on his robe.
The sensation in Harry's scar got stronger as they made their way back up. Dumbledore had told him that Voldemort would likely wait until the prophecy was secured and that he would probably wait outside the room, but he didn't know when he would attack.
"Let's get back to the atrium so we could floo back to the hogs head." Dumbledore said loudly. His goal was to allow the duel to happen in the atrium where there was more open space. He was hoping that saying so loudly would give Voldemort the same idea.
They went back the way they had come and stepped onto the lift. It went back up towards the atrium slowly. Harry pushed down his nerves as the uneasy sensation in his scar grew and grew. He felt jittery, like he often did before a quidditch match, and watched as the numbers on the lift slowly shifted.
Finally with a quiet ding the lift doors parted and before they could open fully Dumbledore had conjured a block of granite as a blasting hex was headed straight for them. The granite turned into a dust that Dumbledore blew out into the air giving them cover as they made their way out of the tight space that they were cornered in.
"Your reflexes are still quick you old fool." A cold reptilian voice rang out around them. Harry grasped the elder wand in his hand tightly and tried to control his breathing.
"Ah, Tom." Dumbledore said back conversationally. "I had been hoping our trip here would be uneventful. I am curious how you knew we would be here."
"I am Lord Voldemort." He spat back. "And Lord Voldemort has eyes everywhere." He went quiet and the dust from the granite block had finally begun to settle. "I know why you have come here. Give me the prophecy and I will spare the boy."
Harry could feel the magic come from behind him. A dark stunning curse. He threw up a shield and grunted as the sheer power behind Voldemort's spell collided with his own.
Voldemort's voice chuckled. "The boy has become more competent." He said mockingly. "My offer still stands. The prophecy and I will spare his life."
"I'm afraid I cannot do that Tom." Another spell was shot at them, this one the angry crimson color that could only be the torture curse, and this time Dumbledore intercepted it with another conjured piece of stone.
"Then the boy will die." The voice said.
"Avada Kedavra!" A female voice rang out from somewhere in the distance. The green spell hurtled towards him, and Harry intercepted the spell lazily with a piece of conjured wood that splintered on impact.
"Ooh Potty knows how to play this game." The sadistic voice rang out. Dumbledore had assumed Voldemort would come here alone but hadn't ruled out the possibility that he would bring death eaters with him. Now the question was how many.
"Hominum Revelio." Harry cast under his breath and four bodies lit up around them. Having been spotted they dropped their disillusionments and stepped out. Voldemort was directly ahead of them. To his left was Bellatrix Lestrange, to his right was Lucius Malfoy and guarding the floos was Antonin Dolohov.
"I could easily kill the both of you myself old man, do you truly believe you can best the four of us? Even in your prime it would have been difficult. Come now, Albus this is your last chance; give me the prophecy and I will spare the boy." Voldemort's voice rang out almost pleading with the headmaster.
"Personally, I think the boy could best all four of you. With myself here as well, I believe you are the ones that are undermatched." Voldemort's red eyes narrowed.
"Very well. Then you will both die." With that everything exploded all at once. Voldemort cast a dark cutter at Dumbledore as Bellatrix and Lucius both cast spells towards Harry. He shielded against them and cast his own variation of a dark stunner back at Lucius before firing off three confringos towards Bellatrix. Lucius just managed to duck underneath the stunner and Bellatrix threw up a hasty shield that broke after the second spell and got hit by the third one, catching her dark robes on fire.
Harry and Dumbledore separated into different parts of the atrium as their respective duels took place. With the elder wand and all his training, the two death eaters were no match for Harry and Dolohov soon had to join in.
Harry was kept busy dueling the three of them but from time to time caught glimpses of the incredible magic on display between Dumbledore and Voldemort. He wished he could watch it, but he had his own fight to worry about and just as he glanced back, he saw that Dolohov and Bellatrix both cast killing curses his way as Lucius cast a cutter waist high. It was a good plan to pin him, but Harry cast a reflective shield and conjured a wall of cement to take care of the two unforgivables. The cutter fired back at them while he stood behind his wall.
He donned his cloak and stepped out from behind the wall repositioning himself. He could see them closing in on it, thinking he was still behind it, and he snuck his way behind them. He cast the same dark stunner at Lucius that he had earlier and this time the spell struck true. Bellatrix and Dolohov turned around instantly firing spells, but Harry was gone.
Harry could hear Dolohov cast a reenervate but the spell variation he had used kept Lucius out for the count. He took aim with a diffinido and was pleased to see a spurt of blood fly out of Dolohov's elbow where it severed. The man screamed when he saw his arm thud to the ground and began reaching for his wand with his left hand that was still attached to his body when another dark stunner hit him.
Bellatrix screamed in anger. "Likkle Potty is hiding like a coward! Come out and play with Bella." She sang in a deranged voice. Harry decided to humor her and pulled down his cloak. She conjured a blade and sent it his way at a frightening pace. Harry turned the blade back around and shot it back even faster.
She ducked out of the way and screamed once more before standing and launching spell after spell at him. Harry shielded against them, physically blocking the unforgivables as they came. When she had tired herself out, Harry went on the offensive. He began to throw normal curses at her but extremely overpowered ones. Her shields were no match and after the third Bombarda it shattered, and she flew back. In a moment Harry had her stunned chained and disarmed.
Voldemort screamed in anger and let loose a concussive blast that knocked Dumbledore against the wall. He followed it up with a killing curse, but Harry quickly threw up a wall to shield him. Dumbledore groaned and Harry sighed in relief, but he knew he needed to buy some time. "Come on Tom, those death eaters were too easy, I think it's time for a challenge."
Voldemort sneered at him, and Harry could see he was bleeding from a few different cuts. He seemed to just notice that his death eaters were lying defeated around the room and instead of responding thew a rapid succession of curses at Harry.
It was unlike anything Harry had ever faced. Dumbledore, who was the greatest wizard Harry had dueled, preferred technique, strategy, and finesse whereas Voldemort just pummeled him with spell after spell, each seemingly stronger and darker than the last. The best way he could describe it was that Dumbledore would pick a lock whereas Voldemort's plan was to just smash through the door. Harry evaded as well as he could waiting for his opportunity to fire something back.
Voldemort conjured a wave of water and sent it at him. Harry turned the water into ice and blasted the sharp shards back. One caught his cheek and cut him, and Voldemort retaliated with a blasting hex that broke through his shield and knocked the air out of him. He barely managed to put up a shield of his own to avoid the fire whip coming his way.
"You are stronger than I thought." Voldemort said as they both caught their breath. "You would have made a fine death eater. You still can. Abandon the old fool and I will let you live. You can join my inner circle."
Harry scoffed and looked defiantly into his red eyes. Voldemort smirked and with a whispered legillimens Harry felt the strongest assault on his mind he had ever been subjected to. Harry retreated into his own mind and began to fight off the strong invasion. After a few minutes of struggling, he managed to violently expel him. Voldemort looked stunned and Harry cast a bombarda, confringo, and stupefy in rapid succession. Voldemort got hit by the blasting hex which took him out of the path of the other two spells and when he looked up, he wore an expression of fury on his face.
Harry glanced a look towards Dumbledore and saw that he was awake now and making his way to his feet. Knowing he was alright; it was time to execute the remainder of the plan. Voldemort rose to his feet and began another flurry of spells even more violent than the previous ones had been. Harry did his best to shield against them as he waited for a certain spell. Voldemort didn't disappoint.
After a few more spells he cast a combination of a stunner followed by a blood boiling hex and then the killing curse. Harry cast a shield and heard the initial two spells ping off it and then he lowered his shield. Time moved as if in slow motion as the same shade of green that had haunted his nightmares since his third year flew towards him. Harry fought against every instinct in his body telling him to step aside, duck, or shield against it, and instead he watched as the spell came closer and closer.
He looked at Voldemort and reveled in the slight look of surprise that crossed his face as he stepped forward to meet the spell. His thoughts shifted to Daphne then. He hoped this would work for her sake. He prayed that the spell would hit him and that he would be fine just like Dumbledore had theorized.
The spell finally caught up to him and struck Harry in the chest. His initial reaction was to be surprised by the lack of pain the spell impacting him had. He could feel it spread from his chest outwards and thought idly that the magic felt cold, but before he could consider it any further, his vision faded, and all that Harry Potter knew was darkness.
Harry woke up face down on a hard floor that should have been uncomfortable but wasn't. Instinctively he knew that he was okay, that he was alone, and that he was safe. Minutes passed, or maybe days, but eventually he opened his eyes and looked around, taking in the scene about him.
Everything shone in a brilliant white light, while a translucent fog misted his surroundings and cast rainbows in the air. He looked down at his hand, the flesh looked healthy and tan, and the rest of his body matched, looking healthier than the Scottish sun should allow.
He realized then that he was naked. The thought didn't mean much as he knew he was alone, but he did find it curious, nonetheless. He reached to his face and realized that despite his glasses being nowhere to be found, he could see perfectly.
Suddenly an agonized groan caught his attention, and Harry grew shameful of his nakedness, but no sooner had the thought crossed his mind than he was clothed in brilliant white robes. He felt the shame he had been feeling abate and then heard the agonized groan once more.
He searched for the source of the groan, and as he looked around the mist that surrounded him began to take form, his surroundings piecing themselves together like a magical puzzle. Before long a wide-open space, bright and clean, a hall larger by far than the Great Hall, with a clear domed glass ceiling that spilled sunlight through it materialized.
As Harry turned slowly, taking in his surroundings awestruck, he came across the thing making the noises and recoiled at the sight of it. It looked like a child but was the size of an infant. Its skin was raw and blistered and it was exposed to the elements and naked like Harry had been.
It lay curled up in a small ball 15 meters in front of him and based off its body language and the noises it was making, it was wounded and likely dying, yet Harry didn't want to go near it. He could sense that something wasn't quite right, but still guilt rose up within him and he felt like he should try to save it, so, he pushed back his fear and approached it slowly, ready to run the other way if needed.
Once he got close enough to it that he could touch it and could almost make out its face, a sense of familiarity overtook him that he could not quite place. Despite that, he still made no move to help it. He felt like a scared child, and try as he might, he couldn't make himself reach out.
"You can't help him son." A voice rang out beside him, and Harry jumped spinning towards the sound of the voice.
He saw himself walking towards him and the child, but he looked a few years older, and his eyes were brown. Next to himself he saw a gorgeous woman with deep red hair and the same green eyes he saw in the mirror every day, and then it clicked.
"Mum?" He choked out "Dad?" They gave him a smile and closed the small distance between them. His mum engulfed him in a hug first and Harry shamelessly clung to her and cried. Again, he was unaware if a minute had passed or a day, but he was in no hurry and his mother didn't appear to be either.
She held him tightly and stroked gentle fingers down his back and through his hair whispering quiet reassurances the entire while. She seemed as content as he did to hold him, and Harry could have sat wrapped in his mother's arms forever if he hadn't been interrupted by a quiet cough and a "You know I'm here too, right?"
His mum laughed at that and loosened her grip giving his dad a look that was meant to display irritation, but only came across as fondness. Regardless, she let go of him and Harry was wrapped in another hug almost immediately.
This one would have gone on just as long if not for the vile-looking toddler making another noise that snapped them out of it. Harry broke apart from his father and returned his gaze to the creature just a few feet behind him.
"You can't help." His father repeated. "He's made his bed, and now he must lie in it. Come on, let's get away from him." He took Harry by the shoulder and led him gently back in the direction they had come. After they were sufficiently far that they could no longer hear his groaning Harry spoke up.
"I'm thrilled to see you both, but you're— dead?" Harry trailed off as though it were a question, and his father chuckled, his eyes glinting with mischief.
"No kidding?" He said with a surprised tone. "I hadn't noticed. Darling did you know we were dead?" He said, looking towards his mother.
She rolled her eyes and swatted his shoulder. "Yes Harry, we're dead." She said gently and with a sad smile.
"Does that mean that… I'm dead too?" He asked quietly. Within him the the elation of seeing his parents and his sadness of breaking his promise to Daphne were warring.
"Well, that's the question, love." His mother said. "And only you can tell us the answer."
"Only I can?" Harry asked in a confused voice.
"Yes." His father told him and gestured towards his scar. Harry reached up on instinct and where the raised angry scar typically protruded from his head, he could feel only the faintest of lines. "Your plan worked Harry, the horcrux is gone." He said gesturing in the direction of the ugly childlike creature that was laying further down the hall. "But not just because you possessed the hallows or were the master of death, although they played their part. No, your plan worked because you gave yourself up willingly while not being sure that you would survive."
"Magic has a funny way of discerning our intentions." His mother took over. "And the same way it allowed my sacrifice to protect you when you were a child, your intentions of protecting those you love is what's allowing you to decide."
Harry looked at them for a moment processing what he was hearing. "Decide what, exactly?" he finally asked, and his father chuckled.
"Absolutely your son this one, wants to make sure he's clear on absolutely everything." He said to his wife with a smile and Harry felt a beam of pride run through him at the words. "You should be dead because of the curse, but because of your sacrifice and the hallows you get to choose Harry. Whether you live or die." Just then a train whistle blew in the distance and Harry realized he was at a clean all white version of Kings Cross Station.
"You could come with us our sweet boy, if you wanted to." His mother began once more. "Although I must admit your father and I would be quite disappointed if you chose to do so, despite our obvious joy at having you with us." She looked to his father who nodded in agreement.
"If you do decide to stay with us." She continued. "You just need to board the train when it arrives, but if you decide to return to the world of the living."
"Which is what you should do." His father broke in and his mum rolled her eyes.
"You simply don't, and you will awaken once more."
"And that creature?" Harry asked if only to buy himself some more time before making his decision.
"The horcrux that resided within you will wait here. The train that comes after ours will take it where it will live forever more." His father said coolly.
Harry nodded once, firmly. "Good." He looked at them for a moment and then spoke once more. "I wish I could stay with you, I really do, but I promised someone I'd do everything I could to make it back to her."
His parents beamed at him then. "We were hoping you would say that." His mother said with a smile.
"You found yourself a good one, Harry." His father chimed in. "Do what you can to keep her."
"I will." He replied, with his own fond smile. "Now how long before this train gets here?"
"We've got some time. How about some stories?" His mum answered him, and Harry nodded excitedly. They spent what felt like countless hours talking and Harry watched and listened as his parents recounted their lives from their earliest memories as children to the moment they passed and everything in between. It must've taken days for them to share it all, but again it felt like no time had passed at all.
When they finished speaking the train whistle sounded once again and this time Harry knew it was arriving. He looked at his parents once more sadly. "I don't know what I was expecting to happen when that curse hit me, but this is better than anything I could have dreamed of." He told them.
"We're lucky too." His mother told him. "Sharing stories is something people do once those they love join them, but we get to do it with you and watch you go back and grow old on top of that."
"We're sorry we weren't there." His father said with tears in his eyes. "But please know how proud we are of you. How proud we are of the man you're becoming."
Harry felt his own tears spring up as the train made its way down the tracks in front of them screeching to a halt as it did. "I love you both. So much. Thank you for your sacrifice. I can't wait for the day I get to see you again." His parents embraced him once more before turning and walking onto the old train.
With one final wave goodbye, the train started once more, and the hall around him began to break apart going from solid shapes back into the beautiful white mist once more. Harry felt his eyes grow heavy and then everything once again went black.
Harry awoke once more lying on the ground, but this time the ground was cold and hard, and his body felt stiff and achy. He tried to open his eyes, but it felt like he was in a trance and his limbs felt as though they weighed a thousand pounds.
He could hear faint, garbled noises growing louder and clearer and eventually he realized it was the sound of dueling. "Another, dead because of you." He heard Voldemort's voice ring out. "Another you could not protect. How much blood is on your hands?"
Harry finally forced his eyes open and once again saw an epic duel happening between the two wizards. His eyes focused in on Dumbledore, and he could see tears streaming down his cheeks. Although it had felt like hours and hours that he had spent with his parents, Harry realized that likely only a few minutes had passed, but enough time that Dumbledore had believed their plan to have failed.
Harry attempted to stand but he couldn't, instead he watched as two of the most powerful living wizards exchanged spells. It was almost beautiful, the magic they created, the precision with which they cast, the power behind their spells.
Dumbledore replied. "I have failed him, but I can ensure his sacrifice was not made in vain." He said as he cast a spell that caused the air to shimmer and then explode violently. Voldemort was thrown back but stood laughing.
"Tell yourself what you must old man, but day by day your hands grow bloodier."
Harry finally forced himself up to his feet, grasping the elder wand tightly in his hand once more and steadying himself. "There isn't any blood on his hands!" Harry yelled out defiantly. The epic dueling died down instantly as both combatants looked towards Harry.
Dumbledore pumped his fist in a gesture so surprising that Harry nearly laughed, while Voldemort looked at him, panicked. "Impossible." He said quietly. "I watched as it struck you, this one did not rebound."
At that very moment the patronus of a doe made its way into the atrium "The snake is dead; the enemy is apprehended." Snapes voice rang out.
Voldemort seemed to think the message was for him and was trying to contemplate what it meant, but before he could think too much longer Harry decided to taunt him. "You almost had me I'll be honest." He said and Voldemorts gaze snapped back to him. "But I can tell you how I survived, if you really want to know." Harry let his voice drop conspiratorially.
Voldemort looked at him warily, with disdain and hatred painting his face. "Go on then." He spat out.
"Have you ever heard of a horcrux?" Harry asked cheekily, with a smile. Dumbledore shook his head in exasperation while Voldemort's eyes widened in a brief moment of surprise before schooling his expression. He knew this wasn't the smartest thing to do, but he had just died and come back to life and was riding the euphoria and adrenaline associated with all of that, so he pressed on.
"Well, you see, I was terrified of death, so much so, that I split my soul, put part of it into a diary." He said and Voldemort's eyes widened once more. "But I didn't stop there. Oh no. I did it again and again, into my favorite necklace, my favorite ring, my favorite cup, my favorite tiara, and even my pet. Poor Hedwig."
At the end of that sentence Harry saw, for the first time ever, true fear on Voldemort's face. He instantly turned on the spot, but his apparition was harshly blocked by Dumbledore's wards. "Ah ah ah." Harry said, as if he were scolding a disobedient child. "What you just heard in that message was Professor Snape telling us that the last of your horcruxes is gone, and so now we have one last piece of your sad, sad soul left to destroy. The one that had the unfortunate fate of being stuck inside of you."
Voldemort just stared for a moment and then his eyes shone deep red, and he let out a roar that caused the hair on Harry's arms to rise and he instantly started firing spell after spell at Harry. Harry immediately fell into a defensive position blocking and shielding and rolling out of the way of the dark curses and hexes flung his way. He couldn't think of anything other than staying alive, but the thought that maybe he should have saved the gloating for after the fact did cross his mind when the floor beside him exploded into dust.
He was doing his best to send back spells, but Voldemort was fighting like a desperate wounded animal, and his attack was unyielding and unrelenting. Even he and Dumbledore together were having trouble subduing him.
As the fight progressed, they could see him getting tired and more desperate. Harry could sense that victory was coming and so he went on the offensive trying to throw a curse that would end it and overexposing himself, but Voldemort seemed to be anticipating it, and Harry realized too late that he had been baited in as Voldemort ripped a dark piercing curse through his left shoulder.
He felt the arm go limp and instantly threw up a reinforced shield and heard three spells clink off it in rapid succession. Dumbledore however, who saw the Dark Lord jump at this opportunity and understood that he was focused solely on Harry, used that moment to his advantage and struck Voldemort with an overpowered bludgeoning curse that broke through his shield and spun him through the air.
Harry took aim as the Dark Lord flailed in an attempt to orient himself and cushion the blow of his landing and fired the same piercing curse that Voldemort had used on him just moments earlier, but his curse struck him right through the left side of his chest, where his heart would have been.
The cushioning charm died on Voldemort's lips as he crashed hard into the floor face first, his neck bending at an impossible angle. Harry kept his wand up but looked at Dumbledore who lowered his slightly.
He walked towards Voldemort and ran a series of spells. The headmaster's shoulders sagged then, as if the weight of the world had been lifted from them "It is finished Harry." He said and Harry went to lift his hands in victory only to realize he couldn't move his left arm at all. A glance down showed a hole in his robe near his left shoulder the size of a fist that was gushing blood.
He looked towards Dumbledore who was already rushing towards him, and he suddenly felt very dizzy. The headmaster caught him just as he was about to fall and laid him gently on the floor. Harry could hear voices as aurors, and other ministry officials began crowding the edge of his vision. "It's really finished?" he asked as darkness began to creep into his periphery.
"It is, indeed, now I need you to stay awake." Dumbledore said as his wand was waving in an intricate pattern. Harry tried his best to follow directions, but at the end of the wand movement he felt a sudden and extremely sharp pain in his shoulder and the world once more faded to black.
He tried hard to fight against it and came in and out of consciousness as Dumbledore continued to work. After a few minutes the headmaster seemed to have finished. He was sweating more now than he had been during the duel, but Harry could see his relief plain as day on his face. Harry watched as he removed a bottle cap from his robe and pushed it into his hand.
"Harry, keep your eyes open now. This portkey will take you to Madame Pomfrey. Harry, can you hear me? Keep your eyes open." Harry opened his eyes as wide as he could and forced himself to nod at Dumbledore. "That's a good lad, now hold on tight, you've lost some blood, and this portkey will be… difficult." Harry heard a muttered phrase that might have been "Cockroach Clusters," and then he felt the uncomfortable sensation associated with magical travel.
The pain from his wound flared and Harry wanted to scream, but the portkey pulled the air out of his lungs. The uncomfortable sensation finally came to a halt, and he found himself unceremoniously falling to the ground.
He saw beds with white starched sheets on them and smelled the antiseptic air that indicated he had reached his destination. There was a scream and Harry heard shuffling. He was floated onto one of the beds and felt the wound that Dumbledore had attempted to heal start bleeding again.
"Mr. Potter, what happened?" He heard a voice that sounded a thousand miles away ask him.
Harry tried to open his eyes like Dumbledore had told him too, but he couldn't. Another voice rang out "Oh my god, Harry. Is he going to be okay?" Harry thought it sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.
He gathered what remained of his strength as he felt the comforting healing magic begin to run over his body. "It's over." He tried to say, but he couldn't be sure if his voice actually came out or not. He repeated it anyway. "It's over, it's over, it's over."
"What's over?" The same voice from before asked him.
"Voldemort is dead."
Harry allowed for a brief feeling of triumph to wash over him, and then, for the final time that evening, the world went black.
After Harry had made his way up to the headmaster's office, Daphne had immediately gone and found Tracey and Hermione. She had told them that everything was underway, and they made their way together to the infirmary where Ron was already seated so they could await his return by portkey.
They didn't know how long it would take for Harry to appear and so they waited, each of them too nervous to speak. Madame Pomfrey, who wasn't aware of the specifics but knew that Harry would be transported here and that he may need medical attention, sat in her office.
She came out and took a look at them gathered there and for the first time ever Daphne saw empathy in her old, lined features. "The lad will be okay." She told them simply. "He's here at this time of year every year and he always pushes through."
Ron chuckled at that, and the tension seemed to dissipate slightly. "He does at least have the decency to be consistent I suppose." The tall boy said with a smile causing Hermione to smile as well.
"Some more consistency would do you well, Ronald." She replied snarkily and Ron laughed.
"You want me to be more consistent coming to the hospital wing?"
"No, obviously not. I just meant in general."
Daphne allowed the sound of their bickering to wash over her and distract her from her worried thoughts. The plan was a good one she knew, but there was so much uncertainty behind the hallows and whether they would truly work.
Regardless there was nothing they could do now but wait impatiently. "Tell me about when you met Harry." She cut into their bickering and Ron and Hermione both looked at her sheepishly, but Ron smiled.
"Kings Cross before first year." He responded. He was a lost 11-year-old with no idea how to get onto platform 9 's. Mum helped him find it, and then the twins were the twins, but he was okay with me sitting in his compartment anyway. Even shared his snacks with me and the rest is history." He joked causing Hermione to roll her eyes.
"I met him not long after. I was helping Neville look for his toad." she said with a fond smile as she was remembering back to the day.
"Trevor." Tracey sighed, "Even now he loses him constantly."
"So, you've been friends since the train ride?" Daphne asked and Hermione's smile dipped as Ron looked ashamed.
"Unfortunately, not." She smiled sadly. "I was quite a lot that first year and they didn't take to me too quickly."
"It was mostly me." Ron said. "Harry only went along with it because of me."
"What changed?" Tracey asked, and this time Hermione's smile was more genuine.
"Well Ronald over here made me cry on Halloween, which if you don't remember happened to be the very same day a troll was let into the castle. I was crying in the toilets near the dungeon when he barged in, club in hand. I thought I was going to die."
"What happened?" Daphne asked. Somehow this story had never come up when she had spoken with Harry.
"Harry and Ron ran in to save me." She said smiling towards Ron.
"Harry, the absolute nutter, jumped on its back and shoved his wand up its nose." Ron added with a smile.
"And Ron managed to knock it out." Hermione finished.
Madame Pomfrey gasped as she heard them recount the story. "As first years?" She protested. "That boy is a magnet for trouble." She said disapprovingly, but with an odd sort of pride on her face.
"I don't know, I think he just has a habit of being places where he can help others." Hermione said softly, and the others nodded their agreement.
The evening continued that way, them recounting stories of Harry throughout the years. It was almost to the point where Daphne had forgotten why they were all gathered in the first place when Harry arrived thudding to the floor in front of them.
He was pale, his robes splattered in blood, and a hole larger than a galleon ran through his robes where he was bleeding profusely. The matron healer immediately levitated him onto a bed and began to cast diagnostics. "Mr. Potter what happened?" She asked.
Daphne waited for any response. Any indication that he might be alive. "Oh my god, Harry. Is he going to be okay?" Hermione's voice rang out beside her.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity his eyes fluttered and he drew in a ragged breath, mumbling something incomprehensible.
Daphne felt the world spin beneath her and felt herself fall back into her chair, relief flooding her body. Harry moved again, and this time his voice rang out more clearly, albeit still softly. "It's over, it's over, it's over."
"What's over?" Madame Pomfrey asked him, her wand working and potions floating around her.
"Voldemort is dead." He replied, and with that his head fell backwards and his eyes closed.
Daphne felt a torrent of emotions flood through her then. Relief, joy, disbelief, worry, fear. She didn't know what to do so she stood and asked the matron if there was anything she could do to help. Madame Pomfrey didn't disappoint and soon she was running back and forth grabbing supplies, potions, and anything else the healer needed.
When she caught a glimpse of Harrys wound for the first time, after Madame Pomfrey had cut his robe off, she nearly collapsed. The hole was bigger than she had originally thought, large enough to stick her forearm through, and it went straight through his shoulder and out the other side. The edges were black and necrotic, and blood continued to leak out despite Madame Pomfrey's best efforts to stem the flow.
"Blasted dark magic." Daphne heard her mutter under her breath.
After what felt like an eternity but couldn't have been more than a quarter hour she stopped her work. And looked around at their worried faces. "He'll be right as rain, but he'll be asleep for a day or two." She told them.
"The potions need time to work. He's lost so much blood. If it were anyone but the headmaster with him, he likely wouldn't have survived, but he'll be just fine. Just another scar, nothing more."
Hermione sobbed then and soon Tracey and Daphne joined in, even Ron began to cry slightly. Tears of sadness at the state he was in, tears of relief that Voldemort was gone, but mostly tears of sheer joy that Harry was alive.
He had done it.
The four friends crowded around Harry and joined together in a group hug. Daphne looked at his sleeping face. At his scar which was no longer raised and angry, but pale and faded, like a 14-year-old scar should look. She took him in and embraced these people, his family, and she cried.
Daphne had spent the last two days by Harry's side in an offshoot of the hospital wing away from the more public general wing. Since his return Friday evening the wizarding world had seemingly been shaken down to its foundation and back up again, but for Daphne her world had consisted of nothing more than four white walls, starched sheets, and a head of messy black hair that drew in breath after merciful breath.
With the headmaster and Harry going out on a Friday evening she hadn't even had to miss classes yet, but she was planning on it if Harry didn't wake up today. Madame Pomfrey, who typically never allowed students to spend the night, had made an exception and she slept in the chair next to Harry, clinging to his hand and the sounds of his breath, proving that he was alive and well. It reminded her of earlier this school year when the worst of their problems had been a bludger.
These past two days had been filled with more emotion than Daphne had experienced in the rest of her life combined. She often found herself crying from the sheer exhaustion of the fear that had gripped her and the relief that had still been flooding through her.
At night she dreamt that it wasn't true, that Harry had died, but then she would wake back up, his hand warm in hers and slight snores escaping through his nose. She would kiss his hand then and tell him softly how much she loved him.
Tracey, Ron, and Hermione came as well, bringing her food, clothes, supplies, and anything else she might need and spending their own time with him as well. No one else was allowed entrance other than the headmaster who had come to see her that night and then once each of the following days.
She had hugged Dumbledore tightly that first evening, surprising herself and the headmaster alike, but he had chuckled and hugged her back. "I take it you're quite relieved." He had told her, and she had sobbed in response.
"Thank you, sir." She had told him, and Dumbledore smiled gently, breaking away from her and causing Daphne to blush.
"You must never thank me for taking care of one of my students, Ms. Greengrass. If anything, I should thank you." She shot him a puzzled look and he smiled sadly. "I cannot know for certain, but while I do believe the Hallows played their part, I think you played a larger part."
"How do you mean, sir?"
Dumbledore considered her for a moment. "I think whatever Harry endured in those painful moments of his death, I — I can't be sure until he wakes and can tell me for himself, but I believe there was more at play than him mastering the hallows. I believe that he must have fought to return to the world of the living.
"I believe he chose to come back because of you." The headmaster finished quietly, and tears began to stream down Daphne's face again. "Thank you for giving this young man something stronger than any of us can quantify. Love. That was the power the Dark Lord knew not.
"I had assumed it was Harry's love for others which the Dark Lord could not possess, but that love was twofold, and it also included the love you in turn held for him, along with Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley and a handful of others. Were it not for you all, I don't know if he would have survived.
Dumbledore had excused himself then, promising to check in on Harry, and Daphne had resolved herself to love Harry even more than she had previously.
On Sunday afternoon as Daphne sat on the chair, a book in her left hand, her right interlaced with his, he began to stir. She looked at him excitedly and buzzed for Madame Pomfrey who rushed in and began performing all her diagnostics.
Before he was awake properly, she had already forced him to swallow three different potions, and he wrinkled his nose in disgust causing the healer to 'tsk' at him disapprovingly. "Everything remains stable, Mr. Potter. You will need rest, but you will be okay." She promised and Harry groaned causing Daphne to smile.
"I will leave you two to catch up, but please keep in mind he will need his sleep soon. I will fetch the headmaster." She spoke again, this time to Daphne.
"Yes ma'am, thank you." Daphne replied sincerely and at the sound of her voice Harry's head snapped towards her causing Daphne to fill with warmth.
Madame Pomfrey left the room and closed the door behind her and Harry looked at her with those green eyes, so full of love and joy. "Hullo." He croaked and she smiled again, pouring him a glass of water and helping sit up to drink it. He took it in greedily. "Those potions taste disgusting." He told her, his voice coming out much more normally now.
She smiled at him but the words that she had been anticipating telling him since he had come back Friday night escaped her. She just stared at him, and he smiled at her sadly.
"I'm alright Daph." He told her softly. "We did it."
She threw herself at him then and pulled him into a hug that he reciprocated despite the 'umph' that escaped his body at her tight squeeze. "You did it Harry. It was all you." She replied finally.
"I did some of it, but we all did it. You, and Dumbledore, and Sirius and Kreacher, and Ron and Hermione, and even Snape. We wouldn't have been able to do it if it weren't for everyone that helped." He said and Daphne loosened herself from his grip so she could take him in properly.
He looked weak, and pale, and thinner than he should, but he also looked like the weight of the world no longer sat strapped to his shoulders. His scar was barely noticeable now, just a faint lightning bolt shaped line. "You're being modest." She told him softly, affection lacing her words.
"Honest." He countered.
Before daphne could reply, Dumbledore entered the room and smiled at the two of them.
"I was already on my way to check up on you when Madame Pomfrey's message reached me." He told them. "Harry, how do you feel?"
"Alive, sir." Harry replied with a smile and Dumbledore laughed.
"You are alive indeed."
"And Voldemort?"
"Gone Harry. Every last bit of him. He will never return, never haunt anything but our memories again." Harry nodded.
"I'm sorry, sir." Harry said, surprising Daphne. "I got careless at the end. Giddy. I shouldn't have goaded him like that."
Dumbledore waved him off. "I was young once too, Harry. We finished what we set out to, and you can pull a lesson from that if you like, but do not apologize to me for that. Were I in your shoes at 15 years old I would have been twice as reckless and half as apologetic."
Harry smiled and Daphne made sure she would ask Harry what he had meant by goading the Dark Lord.
Dumbledore looked at them once more and then walked purposefully towards the bed and embraced her boyfriend. I am so proud of you, Harry." He said and Daphne watched as Harry squeezed his eyes tight, tears falling from between them anyway. He didn't respond, but he didn't need to.
Dumbledore pulled away after a few seconds and looked at him again. Daphne realized the old headmaster had tears in his own eyes as well. "We will meet at some point. We can discuss everything in further detail then, for now I want you to rest and spend time with those you love."
Harry nodded his appreciation. "Thank you, sir."
Dumbledore stepped out of the room and Harry laid his head back down, his eyes growing heavy from the exertion and potions. He tried to force them open, but Daphne took hold of his hand. "Sleep Harry. I'll be right here when you wake up again.
He nodded once and sent her an apologetic smile. "Thank you, Daph. I love you."
"I love you more, Harry." She replied, but by the time the words had left her mouth he was already asleep.
Four weeks had passed since that night at the ministry. Since Voldemort had died. Since Harry had lived. It was strange to go from worrying about a psychotic megalomaniac who was obsessed with you and constantly trying to murder you to your biggest stress suddenly becoming end of year exams, but Harry wasn't complaining.
When he had woken up properly, he found out that a lot had transpired while he slept. Voldemort was well and truly dead, most of his death eaters had been either killed or captured during the surprise order attack on Malfoy Manor crippling them significantly, and the government had undergone massive changes after Minister Fudge had resigned before he could be fired.
The front page of the Sunday papers showed an endless loop of Voldemort striking Harry, before Dumbledore and Harry in tandem took him out once and for all. The title proclaimed "BOY-WHO-LIVED NOW THE MAN-WHO-WON!" Apparently, their final duel had been witnessed by hundreds of spectators, but Dumbledore's wards had forbidden anyone to leave or enter the atrium during the fight.
Many students who were children of death eaters had been pulled from school the following Monday and Harry was once again proclaimed a savior and the light of the wizarding world, but he cared little for the fickle papers or people who fawned over him now.
Dumbledore had used their popularity to his advantage, securing a fair trial for Sirius and his freedom and had begun drafting legislation that would revoke blood purity laws and increase protections for muggleborns and magical creatures alike.
The school had been in a frenzy and Harry had been congratulated, clapped on the back and thanked a hundred times by just the Creevey brothers alone, and hundreds of times by the rest of the castle's inhabitants.
He hated the attention but knew that they needed to get it out of their systems, and that soon enough they would move on to other things, which they did with exams just around the corner. Harry had been studying in earnest himself, but today was a break day.
He made his way towards the lake where Daphne was waiting for him. The mid-May sun shone down on them and warmed their skin, no charm needed. "You're late, Potter." She smiled at him.
"I am not." He protested, showing her his watch which read eleven am on the nose.
She narrowed her eyes. "Hmm, force of habit I suppose." She said lightly as she took his hand in her own and they began to stroll around the lake.
Harry had opened up to Daphne about everything that had transpired that night. The duel, his death, meeting his parents, returning to her. Daphne had been overly affectionate since then and today was no different as she tucked herself into his side and held him close, sighing with contentment.
They didn't speak as they made their way to their rock. When they arrived Harry produced a picnic basket out of a pocket that shouldn't have been able to hold one and conjured a blanket. Daphne beamed up at him.
"A picnic?" She asked excitedly, and Harry smiled and nodded his confirmation.
"Too beautiful out not to." He told her back.
They sat and unwrapped the sandwiches Harry had packed, basking in the sunshine and one another's presence. As they ate Harry looked out at the lake, the sun glistening against its calm surface, the water still, but for the occasional tentacle that broke through.
He looked at Daphne and couldn't believe how far he had come. How far they had come. They had done it. The hard part was over. All that was left was to live and to love one another, and now they had their entire lives to do so. Just like Daphne had told him at this very same spot not so long ago, but what felt like an eternity past. Urgently, but not with haste.
A/N: We did it! Thank you to everyone who stuck with me during this entire process. This was the first fic I ever started writing and to see it finished is a huge accomplishment. Thank you for every review, PM, favorite, follow, kudo, and bookmark. Thank you for reading! I would love to hear your thoughts if you would be so kind as to share them. And lastly, I know this one ended kind of quickly so what do you all think about a fluffy epilogue? ;)
