Authors Notes: Huge thanks again to everyone who has reviewed!!! I'm so glad you're liking the story! I hope you like this chapter- I loved writing it.
And just heads up that I'm heading away for a few days, so it might be Tuesday next week before you get another update.
Oh, one final thing. I obviously completely made something up in this chapter and since I don't speak Latin, the words came from an online translator, so if they're totally wrong, meh, there's nothing I can do. And there's something else that I completely made up too- that word and spell is mine. I created it ages ago for a fic that I never finished.
Harry smiled at the thought of Hermione being drunk- she had made a solemn vow the following morning as she lay on his bed with a massive hangover never to drink again- and she held herself to her word. Another drop of alcohol had not passed her lips.
She wasn't the only one to feel the after effects, Harry thought to himself. The rest of the boys had managed to make their way into their beds at some point after Harry and Hermione had fallen asleep in the bathroom- even Neville had tried some Firewhiskey.
Turning the page of the album, he found a newspaper clipping. The first of the post-war articles. And the picture used for the story was a moving one of him and Hermione. A spell shot from the side of the photo and Harry jumped in front of her, casting his shield.
Whenever he looked at the photo, he found himself wondering why someone would have a camera at a time like that. The final battle was horrid and lived in Harry's dreams almost every night. He had confessed to Hermione once- only once- that it felt like he was still in the forest, fighting Voldemort until the end. She said nothing- just held his hand and told him it would be alright and that she loved him and that her love would always be with him.
What she didn't know was that it was her love that had bought about the end.
'EXPELLIARMUS!' Harry bellowed, pausing on his mad dash through the forest and shooting the spell out behind him. He heard a gasp of surprise and he struck again. 'PERTRIFICUS TOTALIS!'
A dull thud.
'One less,' he muttered to himself and kept crashing through the undergrowth. The battle had been waging for hours- Death Eaters struck in relentless waves and the Order and Aurors were having trouble holding them back.
So many had been lost already- but Harry had pushed the thought to the back of his mind. He couldn't let himself be bought down by the loss. Not yet. There would be a time to grieve.
He stumbled through the trees into a clearing and allowed himself a moment to catch his breath- his pursuers seemed to be a fair way behind him and he was glad for the moment. Keeping his wand out, he leaned against one of the trees and looked up to the night sky. The stars were slightly clouded over and Harry wondered if he would live to see another cloudless, starry night.
The undergrowth rustled and he stood up and readied himself. It was obvious he wouldn't get out of this without fighting his way out.
'Harry!'
It was Hermione. Her eyes were alight with fear as she saw him, wand drawn at her. Her hair was filled with twigs and bits of leaf and her cheeks were flushed.
'You shouldn't be here!' he exclaimed, rushing towards her and embracing her tight.
'I had to,' she said defiantly. 'In case you haven't figured it out already you can't escape me this easily. I want to be with you, Harry.'
'You can't,' he said. 'This isn't your fight, Hermione.'
'Isn't my fight? Harry, as long as this fight involves you, it's my fight.'
'Ah, young love,' a new voice injected. The hairs on the back of Harry's neck stood up on end. Lord Voldemort. 'Makes you do some silly things.'
'And how would you know?' Harry said, stepping in front of Hermione. 'Have you ever been in love?'
'Fools are the only people who love,' Voldemort sneered. Harry felt Hermione clench his waist and he realised that Hermione had never seen Voldemort. He had hoped she never would.
A loud crack resonated in the air, making Harry jump slightly. Voldemort gave his chilling low laugh.
'Excellent. The anti-Apparation charms have been broken through.'
Broken through… Hermione…
A soft pop echoed behind him, alerting him to the fact that Hermione had either read his mind or was two steps ahead of him.
'Silly girl,' Voldemort scorned. 'Running for help from that old muggle loving fool.'
'Dumbledore cannot help me here,' Harry said, drawing his wand.
'So this is how it shall come to end? You are a fool to duel me. You cannot win.'
'I can at least give you a fair fight and die trying.'
'Very well, Potter. I shall enjoy seeing the look on your face as you realise you are about to die. I particularly enjoyed the look on your father's face.'
'CARITCHENGELLA!' Harry bellowed. A jet of silver light streamed out of his wand and hit Voldemort unprepared. The light encased him in a silver orb and Harry raised his wand slowly into the air, levitating Voldemort within the orb.
Little jets of light were hitting the interior of the orb- he was trying to fight his way out. The orb wouldn't break but and Harry lifted it higher and higher. In the back of his mind, he could hear Dumbledore, explaining that Voldemort couldn't stand those who love- that love would win out in the end.
Voldemort was panicking in the orb- he could not fight back and he was very high over the forest.
'What's the matter?' Harry called up, aware that he could still hear. 'Afraid I'll look up your robes or something?!'
He took a deep breath and summoned his Gryffindor courage. Dumbledore's words echoed in his head again… 'the spell will only work by the force of pure love'…
Pure love…
Hermione's face swam before his eyes. She was smiling and tilting her head back and laughing. She was happy. Her eyes shone and her cheeks were rosy pink.
Heart souring and raising the silver orb even higher, he bellowed the Latin phrase he had spent many months rehearsing.
'PUTUS DILIGO MOS ADDO TERMINUS!'
The beam of silver light connecting Harry's wand to the orb containing Voldemort turned bright gold and Harry closed his eyes to shield the light. He could hear Voldemort shrieking and Harry knew what was happening. The spell was projecting every feeling of love Harry had into the orb, trapping Voldemort.
Harry's wand started to grow red hot in his hand and he winced in pain, but he knew he had to hold on. It wouldn't be long…
Suddenly the shrieking stopped and the world seemed to go quiet. Harry opened his eyes and saw the clouds had parted, allowing him to look upon hundreds of stars.
'At least I got to see them one last time,' he muttered to himself.
The now gold orb exploded in a rush of air, forcing Harry backwards and onto the ground. The force field of magic around him was so strong it was painful. His scar was burning and he felt like his head was going to explode as well.
And then there was nothing but blackness.
When Harry came too he couldn't remember where he was or what had happened at first. There was only one thought in his mind. Hermione.
She was two steps ahead of him, as she always was. She was crouched beside him, her eyes red and puffy from crying. Beside her, standing tall, was Ron, cut and bruised, but smiling.
'Oh Harry,' she whimpered, throwing herself onto him and collapsing in tears. 'I thought I'd lost you… I thought the spell had backfired…'
'It's alright,' he said weakly, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tight. 'I'm alright.'
And for the first time since his fifth year, Harry broke down and cried.