Disclaimer: I take credit for this plot and my own characters, but everything else belongs to J.K. Rowling.
Note: This is it, guys. It's been a great ride, it really has. Here's the final, extremely long chapter. Review and I'll include an Epilogue. Well, I'll include the Epilogue either way, but please review anyway!
Chapter Twenty-Two
The Final Battle
Word in their cell was the War was to end today; at least, that's what Hermione had told Draco she had heard through the handy Charm she had placed on their unsuspecting guard. According to the Spell Caster, Damien had unleashed hell on Hogwarts early that morning and was expecting to take the castle within an hour. Draco immediately panicked and threatened to break out of their cell with his bare hands if Hermione did not tear down the fortress. He was told that everything was under control and if he didn't relax the only thing Hermione would put holes in would be his head.
"The real battle is going to be here," She explained to his back as he clawed at the stone walls. "Ginny is more than capable of keeping herself and your daughters safe, Draco, now stop that and listen to me. We need to be ready."
"I am NOT going to stay in here while the lives of my wife and children are at stake," Draco said fiercely, kicking the wall and stubbing his toe. Cursing, he hopped around on his uninjured foot until he found himself face-to-face with Hermione. She grabbed him by the shoulders and forced him to look at her.
"You'll help your family more by staying here," She demanded, her voice agitated with him. "Haven't you been listening to a word I've been saying? The War ends today, but it ends here, at this castle. Dammit, Draco, hold still, you aren't going to sit out of this one, listen to me!"
"How do you know it's going to end here? How do you know Hogwarts won't fall and my family isn't going to die?" Draco shouted down at Hermione, and though she was a head shorter than he was, not once did she shrink from his rage.
"Because Ginny can handle herself, Draco, she's a more than capable leader. Do you really think she can't lead them to victory?" Draco opened his mouth to say something, and then her words hit him. She saw them process in his mind, and his eyes betrayed his confusion to her.
"What do you mean?"
"Ginny's been put in charge of defending Hogwarts because Harry left to bring the real battle here, to team up with Ron and Luna and get us out. But it'll be more than just that, I'm afraid. We're going to have to fight, and one way or another, the War is going to be won today, here in the fortress, not at Hogwarts." She eased her grip on his shoulders as she felt the tension leave his body. He gazed down at her in amazement.
"How do you know this?" He asked softly as he watched Hermione step away and reveal her wand. Within seconds, she had performed that wordless, eerie spell that transported his sword through solid walls and into her soft palms. She looked at is sadly, then offered it up to him, her face filled with remorse.
"How do you know?" He repeated, taking the blade in his hand and feeling the familiar sensation of power emanate through him. Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but there was a grating noise at the door of their cell.
"Now is not the time," Hermione's voice was suddenly serious, her body and wand ready and poised for whatever came through that door. Draco mimicked her and settled into a fighting stance. He felt a weight in his pocket and looked down at the handle of his wand. He chanced a thankful glance at Hermione, who nodded and looked back to the door. The handle was turning, and with a horrible scraping sound, it swung open. Draco sprang forward to meet their attackers, and he heard Hermione begin a Cruciatus Curse. They stopped short, however, when the recognized the three people entering the cell.
Hermione ran into Harry's arms when she recognized him. Draco saw the telltale red head of his brother-in-law and the slender form of Luna Lovegood flanking Harry, backs to the cell, wands raised in defense. Ron glanced over his shoulder and spotted Draco.
"You all right, mate?" He called and Draco nodded. His attention turned back to Harry and Hermione. The former was holding the latter at arm's length, scrutinizing her with an anxious eye.
"Are you two okay?" He asked, his voice more than slightly concerned, so much that Draco was sure he wasn't referring to him when he said "you two."
Hermione looked puzzled for a moment then caught her husband's gaze as it faltered to her stomach. "Oh," She said softly. Damien had sent word to Harry that she was pregnant. "Actually, Harry..." She pointed her wand at her midriff and it deflated to its normal size. Harry looked up at her in bewilderment. "...I'm not really pregnant, darling. It was a story I had to tell Damien, and--"
Harry held up his hand and glanced over his shoulder. Draco had heard it too. Someone was coming. "Now's not the time," He whispered hurriedly to Hermione. "Are you okay?" She nodded. Harry looked at Draco. "How're you holding up?"
"Alive, aren't I?" Draco asked, picking a spot over Harry's shoulder where he had a clear shot at whatever was coming around the corner. Satisfied that they were whole, Harry and Hermione joined the ranks of Ron, Luna and Draco. The five of them grew silent and listened down the corridor. Luna and Ron hadn't known about the battle being waged at Hogwarts today until Harry had told them, and Luna hadn't counted on the heightened security of the fortress as she had led them through it. Someone must've found the unconscious bodies of the guards by now and had sent for reinforcements. Sure enough, the sound of feet running their way was soon heard echoing down the hall. Then there was a hiss and a gasp from behind them. Ron and Luna spun to find Harry clutching his head, Hermione's hands braced on his shoulder to steady him.
"What is it, Harry?" Luna asked. Ron glanced at her, and despite the fact that she hadn't returned it, he had the feeling that they were both thinking the same thing.
"He's here," Harry grimaced, raising watery eyes as the rhythmic pounding of the runners grew closer. Draco grew tense and looked at Hermione, who was keeping a watchful eye on Harry. She had said the War would end today, here. Had she known that the Dark Lord was in the fortress? How had she possible acquired that kind of knowledge? He didn't have the time to ponder it, for at that moment, five Death Eaters rounded the corner and stared them down.
"Well, well, well," A pale Death Eater Harry recognized as Antonin Dolohov said slowly, a malevolent smile spreading across his twisted face. "Look what we have here. Three blood traitors, a Mudblood, and the infamous Boy-Who-Lived. Aren't we lucky, Bellatrix?"
"Yes," Bellatrix Lestrange's hands lowered her hood and she stared at them with hateful eyes. Beside him, Harry felt Ron stir, and he understood; Ron had suffered more losses at the hand of this woman than Harry would ever begin to understand. He wanted to see her dead as greatly as Ron did, but he knew Ron would be the one battling her today. The other Death Eaters sniggered and lowered their hoods. He recognized none of the others, but that was besides the point. There would be a battle today, whether he knew whom he was hexing or not. As if to prove it, a dark skinned female Death Eater raised her wand and shouted "Expelli-"
"Protego!" Luna shouted the counter curse before the others could react and parried the woman's disarming Charm. From there, all hell broke loose. The air was buzzing with spells, Curses and Charms, most of them silent but deadly. Harry had just frozen his foe and was looking for an opening in the fray when he heard it above the dim. It was a voice that had not tortured his ear for years, and now it was back, back with a vengeance.
"Protego!" Harry countered before Severus Snape's Sectumsempra found its target. Harry whirled and found himself face-to-face with his traitorous Potions teacher of old. A sneer spread across his greasy face. Harry knew he was capable of killing in that moment.
Ron hadn't missed a beat in singling out Bellatrix Lestrange and now their duel and moved into a deserted corridor to the right of the original hallway. He battled her as fiercely as he could, given the circumstances; she was shouting insults at him, bringing back painful memories of those she had taken from him.
"Weasely," She spat as she aimed a hex his way. "I can tell by the hair. So those were your parents, boy? And I guess your brothers too...yes, yes, I remember them. Weak, that's what they were. Most blood traitors are," She paused to deflect Ron's attack. "Filthy, disgusting excuses of life. Almost as bad as a Mudblood, yes...you taint our lineage, dishonor or proud ancestry."
Ron missed a beat and fell prey to Bellatrix's Curse. As his legs locked up and he fell to the ground, he felt her move over to him. Dark eyes glinted down at him, fanatic and maniacal. Her smile was twisted.
"Well, if this isn't familiar," She said softly, bending down over him, bringing her face close to his. "Percy, I think his name was? I remember him distinctly...couldn't make up his mind, that one. One day he was for us, the next day he was against us. Well, I made up his mind for him, but he fought my Imperious Curse all the way, didn't he? Went and snitched to you, as it were, and let that filthy Harry Potter avoid the inevitable longer...weak, that's what your brother was. Weak and unable to chose a side, a traitor to the end--"
There was a roar, a flash of emerald light, and Bellatrix Lestrange's body fell stiffly beside Ron, her face twisted, her mouth still in the form of the sentence Ron had killed her halfway through. He hadn't even realized he had killed her until he got to his feet and looked down at her body. A heavy weight lifted from his shoulders and he could've sworn he felt his family smiling down at him from the depths of Death. His victory was short-lived, however. Something was wrong.
Panicking, Ron realized that he could not see the others. He ran down the corridor and spun around the corner. Harry was locked in an epic battle with Snape, Draco and Hermione were teamed up against Dolohov and the woman who had begun the fight, but Ron's heart leapt into his throat when he realized Luna was nowhere to be seen...
~*~*~*~*~
Heavy battle had been raining down on Hogwarts for nearly an hour and a half now. The Few had met the Death Eaters as they came through the front gates, and Ginny looked around in suppressed horror as the bodies of friend and for alike began to litter the ground. She had just warded off her eighth Death Eater and was looking for someone else to take on when she heard shouts from the castle. She whipped around and looked to the doors. Members of ARMED were emptying through them, building a solid wall of swords, shields, axes and other weaponry between the advancing Death Eaters and Hogwarts. Though Ginny was positive that the enemy had suffered more casualties, the Few were still greatly outnumbered and the Death Eaters were slowly pressing closer and closer to the castle.
Ginny turned from the human barricade in time to parry a stray jinx. She was keeping a lookout for the pale figure of her father-in-law, Lucius Malfoy. Certainly he would be here, commanding the Death Eaters as she was commanding the Few, but she had yet to glimpse his elegant blonde head. She tossed aside her thoughts of Lucius and ran to assist Neville in his duel with Pansy Parkinson. Together they took her down, and as Neville turned to nod his thanks to her, Ginny's entire body and mind became acutely alert to everything around her. Neville saw the look and questioned it, but Ginny raised a hand to silence him. Somewhere, something was dreadfully wrong, but she couldn't place her finger on it...
"Neville," She began slowly, her heart pounding at the impossible thought her brain had just entertained. "Neville, my girls are in Hogsmede, aren't they? I saw them go; you saw them go..."
"They're safe, Gin, I prom--" Neville began, but at that moment, a bloodcurdling scream split the air.
"MAMA!!"
"Ella!" Ginny gasped, wheeling around to face her daughter's voice. It had come from her quarters in the southeastern tower. "Neville, hold them!" She ordered, and with the magic barriers long broken, Apparated to the tower.
Because her husband was a spy, there were powerful spells on their quarters that would not let one Apparate into them. They were separate from Hogwart's network, and because of that, Ginny cursed them with every foul word she knew as she ran up the winding staircase. Her daughter's frantic screams were echoing down the stone walls, and Ginny felt as if she could not possibly run fast enough. Finally she reached the door and wrenched it open with all her might. She burst into the room, wand ready to strike down whoever was harming Gabriella, but the sight that met her eyes stopped her cold.
Ella was sobbing at the side of the bed, one of Draco's five-inch knives clutched in her hand. The stainless steel was dripping blood onto her daughter's fist, and sprawled in a crimson puddle not a yard in front of Ella lay the body of Lucius Malfoy.
Gabriella spotted Ginny in the doorway, dropped the knife and ran to her. She collided hard with her legs and buried her face in her knees, her terrified cries lost to Ginny's ears. Astonished, Ginny ran a hand over her daughter's hair, her eyes not believing what she was seeing. Entranced, she knelt down to Ella's level and gathered the little girl in her arms, then backed out of the room. Ginny shut the door as soon as they were out, desperate to put that solid oak barrier between her daughter and her grandfather. Ella was losing consciousness against Ginny's shoulder. Ginny pressed the small body closer to her and closed her eyes, her anguished tears flowing freely.
"End this, Harry," She found herself whispering as Ella's breathing became normal. "End it, end it soon and give us our lives back."
~*~*~*~*~
Snape fell to his knees, his body clinging on to life by a mere thread. Harry towered over him, years of hatred flashing in his eyes. As he glowered down at his old Potions master, Snape grinned weakly.
"You may have beaten me, Potter, but I was only the beginning. You will fall, you will, just like your parents did. It is...inevitable." His last word rolled breathlessly off his tongue. His dark eyes rolled up into his head and he collapsed on the floor. He felt Draco and Hermione's eyes on him, but there was no time to discuss with them. His head had been throbbing increasingly for the past ten minutes, and as he looked around with watery eyes, he saw it. The only way out of the fortress, their only escape from the War, strode down the corridor to meet him for what they both knew would be the final time.
~*~*~*~*~
Destiny was calling her. She had run from the battle and through the familiar halls of the fortress, taking a staircase here and there, attacking anyone who stood in her path. A tiny voice in the back of her mind told her that if she just stayed away from the balcony, she would come to no harm and she and Ronald would return to Hogwarts safely, and theirs would be a happily ever after ending. The temptation of denying her fate was overwhelming. Once or twice she collapsed against a wall and cried until the tantalizing thought left her. She had a duty to fulfill. If she did not act accordingly, the whole world would pay. She would not let humanity suffer because she had been selfish. She would rather die knowing she had given him a better life, albeit without her, than live with him through this horrid war. She had to press onward.
Her footsteps carried her swiftly through the fortress without her command. She didn't realize she knew where she was until she burst through the glass doors of her old room and onto the snow-coated balcony. Abruptly she stopped and looked around. Nothing had changed. It was just as she had left it, and it would remain that way for eternity when she left it today.
The air grew tense; her stomach clenched and she eased her hand over the hilt of her sword. The moment she had waited for all her life was finally upon her. The moment of truth, the moment of action, the deciding factor. She did not know how, did not know what she had to do, but she understood that something had to be done and she was the only one who could carry it out....
The wind shouted a warning in her ear. He was here. She sensed his attack and spun to meet him, her sword ripping from her sheath as she did. They met in the middle, the haunting sound of steel-on-steel ringing mercilessly in the cold air. Damien's yellow eyes bore into her, his twisted, freakish face glaring menacingly down at her. He smiled, and it sent shivers down her spine.
"We meet again, my angel. For the final time, I hope." He pulled away from her and danced away, hiding himself in the thick snowfall.
"Fight me fairly, coward," She spat as she turned in circles to meet him from whatever angle he would attack. She heard his high, chilling laugh echo from all around her, but the corner of her eye caught his movement and she parried his blow and sent him back into the snow.
'Aid me,' She begged the wind, but it had died. There would be no unfair benefits in this battle of good and evil, this clash of wills. She narrowed her eyes and peered through the snow again. Nothing. And then it happened. Her body sensed the proximity of his sword from behind her, slicing at her neck, and she swung around to deflect him. Even as she raised her defenses, she knew she was too late. She opened her mouth to scream...
And was promptly deafened by clash of steel and blinded by a sudden shock of orange. Ron stood before her, locked down to the hilt with Damien, his teeth bared and eyes ablaze. She watched in shock and horror as they sprang apart and then came together again and again. Her breath caught in her throat; perhaps they stood a chance. But in a complicated twirl of his sword, Damien broke Ron's hold on his blade and sent the weapon through an opening in the rail and plummeting to the snow ground below. Ron's hand flashed to his side for his wand, but Luna knew what would happen before it did and cried out in dismay as Damien's sword sunk into Ron's stomach. His eyes widened in disbelief as he fell to the ground, clutching his bleeding stomach. Consumed with grief and rage, Luna broke from her trance and lunged at Damien.
Her sword slid through his flesh like water. Wild, she grabbed his shoulder and pushed with all her might. Though she couldn't see it happen, she felt the succulent surrender of bone and skin to her blade. He shrieked in pain and countered by sticking her in the opposite shoulder. She felt the steel threaten to break her like she had done to him, but he didn't have the time to get far. Damien was suddenly engulfed in a fantastic green light, and as it died, his body slumped to the floor. Luna wrenched her shoulder away before she could be dragged down with him and turned to Ron. With his left hand he covered his mortal wound, with his right he lowered his wand. Luna's heart skipped a beat as she saw how pale he was, even against the snow, and her hand faltered to her stomach. Dropping her own sword and wand, she ran to him and knelt by his side, supporting his head with her hand. Far below she heard shouts of triumph, but she didn't inquire them. Ron was dying in her arms; what else mattered?
"Ron," She breathed, not sure what to say. He knowingly, willingly sacrificed himself for her. It had been her destiny to die, not his. She had seen it, had been told that's how it was supposed to happen. She had prepared to die today for the majority of her life, and now he was doing it for her. It wasn't fair. She opened her mouth to tell him so, tears stinging her eyes, but he held up a finger.
"Shhh," He said softly. His mouth was a vibrant red against his white face. She began to sob. She could not lose him, she refused to lose him, not after all he had done for her. Twice now he had given her her life back, and twice now she had failed him. As if he had read her mind, Ron reached up and placed his hand on the side of her face. With a ragged breath, she composed herself, taking her free hand and pressing it against the one on her cheek, tilting her head to kiss his palm. She pressed her lips hard against him and then looked into his eyes.
"Don't leave me," She begged. He smiled.
"Never," He promised. As they stared at each other, the wind picked up again and blew softly over their bodies, and Luna finally understood why she had been given the gift of communicating with it. Biting her lip at his unspoken promise, she nodded. He smiled again, then looked away from her. His eyes became distant; Luna followed his gaze to the mountains. The sun was vibrantly setting behind them.
"We won, Luna," He whispered as she looked back at him. His eyes caught hers once more. "We won the War."
"Yes," She said with a sad smile. "Yes we did."
She was losing him; she could see it in his face, could feel on the air. Death was claiming Ronald Weasley, opening its black arms to him, welcoming him home. She saw in his face that he was fighting it, begging for a few final moments with her. He was granted his wish.
Gently, she stroked the side of his face and leaned over him. She pressed her forehead to his and breathed him in, wanting always to remember everything about him. She felt his fingers lose themselves in her hair.
"I love you," He said, so quietly Luna wouldn't have been able to hear him if she hadn't bee so close.
"I love you too," She whispered. "And I always will."
"Don't think of me as gone," He begged her, his breathing raspier. Death was becoming impatient. "I'll always be with you. We will see each other again. Do you believe it?"
"I do." She said solidly, knowing she had never said truer words in her life. Ron smiled and looked up at him, a playful fire in his slowly dimming eyes. Luna laughed softly; he would be himself to the end. Nodding, she leaned in closer and kissed him softly. She felt his chest rise beneath her as he returned it, and for a moment, not even Death could tear them apart. She was filled with that same fire she had felt the first time she had kissed him, the time he had saved her from Isabella, that night they had made love. It filled her, completed her, satisfied her, and she understood what the Sages had meant in saying she would give up her life for the War. But she also understood that she had to let him go. It was the way of life.
She felt his chest fall, felt his final breath against her lips. Slowly she pulled away and gazed down at his serene face. He was really, truly gone.
'No,' Whispered the wind as it swirled around her, enveloping her body like strong arms in an embrace. 'Always with you.'
Smiling sadly, she got to her feet. For the first time in years, she felt whole. She felt her mother and the Sages smiling down at her, felt her father's love for her, and felt Ron's presence on the wind. No, she would never be alone as long as she had them.
"Luna!" She heard a voice behind her shout. She turned to face Harry, his eyes alight with victory. "Luna, it's over! The War's over! Voldemort's defeated! Where's Ro--oh my God." He had seen Ron's body and crossed the entire length of the balcony in three long strides. For the first time since Ron killed Damien, Luna looked at the other lifeless body. He lay in the snow, saffron eyes wide in pain, fear, and...relief? Confused, Luna went over to his body and crouched by it for a better inspection. That's when she saw the telltale black blood oozing from his shoulder wound, mixing with his own red blood. Apprehension dawned in her eyes and she looked to Harry, who was crying silent, unnoticed tears over Ron as he held his friend's body in his arms.
She got to her feet and crossed over to Harry. Kneeling down beside him, she placed a hand on his shoulder and ran the fingers of her other hand through Ron's snowy hair. She felt Harry's eyes on her, but she didn't meet his gaze.
"Yes," She said quietly as she stared proudly at Ron's body. "Yes, the War is finally over."