Harry stood there, gawping, until the feeling seeped back into his legs and he could move again. A strangled gurgle escaped his throat.
The shock was overwhelming. Hermione had kissed him! His best friend of seven years, and she felt the same way as he did! But he was completely engulfed in regret. He hadn't told her how he felt.
He couldn't believe he'd just frozen up. Of all the times for Hermione to kiss him! The shock of it had completely numbed him. And now Hermione hated him.
He stood, his lips still tingling. Hermione's tear- filled chocolate eyes were burned into his brain. He took a hasty step in the direction she had left, wanting to run to her, wanting to tell her what was really going through his mind, but it was time. It was time to meet Voldemort, his hour was up. Hermione would have to wait.
Swallowing, he tore his eyes to the door. This was it. What his life had been building up to. With a tiny smile, Harry reminded himself that if he succeeded, it would all be over. Voldemort would be gone.
"When," Harry thought impatiently. "When I succeed." He had to come out alive; he had everything to live for. Hermione had showed him that.
The image of their kiss still fresh in his mind, Harry stepped through the door.
*
Harry's skin prickled as he walked up the stairs of the Astronomy Tower, his fingers scraping against the cold, damp wall. With each step his stomach muscles tightened, until he finally opened the door at the other end.
He stepped out. The temperature had dropped several degrees since he had flown to Hogsmead on his Thestral. Bitterly cold air stung his face, causing his cheeks to go red as he shut the door softly. He took a wary step, his shoes echoing on the stone floor, before he stopped.
Voldemort was standing at the edge, by the wall, looking down onto the crowd of faces. From where Harry was, he could see that Death Eater, Order member and average person alike were staring up avidly at the Astronomy Tower, watching with as much fear and anticipation as they had when Voldemort had made his dramatic entrance.
Voldemort's skinny form was completely still, only his silken black cloak fluttering softly in a breeze. A satisfied chuckle slithered from his throat, and he turned his hairless, snake-like head slightly so that Harry could see a glimmer of scarlet.
"And I was beginning to think you wouldn't show up," He sneered.
Harry stayed silent, staring directly into Voldemort's crimson eyes.
"You were very brave to come, so alone… or very foolish."
"I've just come to do what should have been done a long time ago," Harry said quietly and calmly, "to get rid of you."
"And you actually think you can do it?" Voldemort's hairless eyebrows rose. "You, the Boy-Who-Should-Have-Died? What power do you have, what makes you think you can defeat me? It is only because you let your precious mudblood mother die for you that you stand on your two feet!"
"That's where you're wrong!" Harry almost shouted. "She chose death; she chose it so I could live!"
"Weak, foolish girl," Voldemort spat.
"She loved me, Riddle, and that's more than what you could ever do!"
"What did you call me?" Voldemort said sharply. "How dare you use that filthy muggle name! I suppose you're trying to be like Dumbledore, are you?"
"Ah, Dumbledore, there's another wizard you could only dream of being as powerful as!"
"Dumbledore is dead because of me!" Riddle screamed.
"Wrong again! He also chose death; it had been planned out with Severus Snape as soon as they knew of your plan!"
"Snape?!"
"Snape had always been loyal to the Order, never you!"
Riddle stood, looking shocked, before it was wiped away from his face. "How can this be?!"
"My mother. Surely you realised how loyal he was to her?"
"He might have desired her. What does it matter?!"
"What does it…?" Harry shook his head in exasperation. "One thing you don't seem to realise is that when you hurt someone a person loves, they generally won't stay loyal to you! I'm surprised half the Death Eaters stay with you!" Voldemort's pupils contracted angrily.
"Well, look what happened when Snape did try to leave me! He tried to flee, but was killed in the attempt!"
"Wrong again, Riddle! Snape is alive and very well! He even bought me a horcrux to prove his loyalty."
Voldemort gasped, his scarlet eyes popping.
"That's right, one of your horcruxes. I know all about them, Riddle, Dumbledore discussed them with me, and he sent me on a mission to destroy them."
"Y- You!? You destroyed my horcruxes?"
"No, not on my own. Professor Dumbledore destroyed one, and so did Snape, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. I only destroyed two. But it doesn't matter who did what. You're mortal again, which means you can be killed."
"I'll never die!!" Voldemort screamed, and in a flash he had whipped his wand out and a jet of green light was soaring towards Harry.
But he was quick. With a snap, Harry apparated to a spot behind Voldemort, whipping out his wand.
"Tarantallegra!"
As Harry had expected, Voldemort blocked it easily. Riddle then shot a horribly dark looking spell at Harry, which he managed to block with a protego horribilis. But Harry didn't think he could keep ducking and dodging forever.
*
Below them, on the castle grounds, everyone saw that the Boy-Who-Lived and the Dark Lord had begun their duel. Every one stood in silence, silently rooting for either Harry Potter or Voldemort, craning their necks to stare at the Astronomy Tower.
Hermione stood, watching more anxiously than any other member of the audience. Harry, her Harry, was fighting one of the most powerful wizards of the age, possibly to the death.
Hermione winced at the painful reminder that he probably wasn't her Harry anymore. He probably didn't want to know anymore, probably too embarrassed. She knew she was. Why couldn't she just keep her big mouth shut?
She watched as Harry ducked and dodged Voldemort's curses. She had known he didn't feel the same way; he just didn't think of her like that. "I've probably ruined our friendship forever," Hermione thought gloomily, fighting back tears for the fourth time since Harry and Voldemort had started talking.
"Hey," Hermione felt someone creep close to her, brushing her shoulder. "How's he doing?" Ron whispered.
"Ok so far," she whispered back, not taking her eyes off Harry.
"Ron!" she heard Luna hiss. "You're supposed to be resting in bed!"
Hermione glanced at Ron. He looked very pale, and his head was still smothered in turban-like bandages, but he was staring at the Astronomy Tower scene in fascination and fear through his one visible eye. "Yes, Ron, you shouldn't be here, you're eye's not better!" Hermione scolded.
"Come on, Herms," he said quietly. "You think I'd miss my best friend's finest hour?"
Hermione's lip trembled and she turned back to Harry and Voldemort's fight. His finest hour… she was sure Harry wouldn't have called it that.
They watched in paralyzed fear as Harry was bowled over by one of Voldemort's spells. Hermione's hand shot to Ron's wrist in panic, as fear for Harry clouded her mind. Voldemort had taken a few steps towards him, and a huge gasp resounded throughout the grounds. It was then followed by a Mexican wave-like sigh as he quickly apparated away, to a point just away.
"How is he apparating, anyway?" Hermione heard Tonks ask franticly. "What about the charm?"
"I don't know," Remus answered. "The charm must have lifted itself. It's like Hogwarts wants Harry to win, isn't it?"
More tense moments passed as Harry, who was nowhere equal to Voldemort in skill but seemed to be twice as gifted in bravery, tried with all his might to knock Voldemort down and keep himself safe. Despite his relentless efforts he had little effect.
"How can he win?" whispered Kingsley Shackelbolt hopelessly. "He is just a boy- he can't expect to duel You-Know-Who and win!"
"He'll do it!" Hermione whispered, staring determinedly upwards. There are several people who seemed to think otherwise, as they shifted uncomfortably.
"If I'd have known that the battle rested on a duel between the Dark Lord and Potter…" Lucius Malfoy whispered nervously in his wife's ear.
"We should be up there!" said Mr. Weasley suddenly. "We should be helping him fight! How can we just stand here and do nothing?" He tightened his grip on his wand.
"No, Dad," Ron held up a pacifying hand to his father. "This is between Voldemort and Harry. He wouldn't want us to help him; he's known for ages that it would be just those two."
Hermione drew a breath, though it did not calm her. She was scared for him. She whished he would let them help him. But no, she understood he wouldn't want anyone to interfere and put themselves in danger. She accepted this, and there was nothing she, or anyone else, could do but wait.
*
"Avada Kedavra!" Lord Voldemort spat, and a blinding green light protruded from the end of his wand.
"Serpentsortia!" said Harry franticly, aiming his wand at the jet of light now rushing towards him. A python shot from the tip, colliding with the green light and falling to the ground dead.
"Once again, Harry Potter, you allow another creature to die in your place!" Riddle jeered hurtfully. Harry looked down guiltily at the coiled creature, and in this split-second pause he was thrown into a spasm as Voldemort knocked him to the ground with a Cruciatus Curse.
Pain filtered through his tired, sweaty body like white-hot currants of electricity. Harry could feel all the hate and fury pouring from Voldemort, concentrated into this curse. Tiny flames crackled along his nerves, like little fiery whips.
His teeth ground, his fingers curled, his eyes rolled and watered. This was by far the worst Cruciatus Curse he had ever experienced, as he writhed and jittered on the ground.
Amidst his writhing he heard Voldemort laugh maliciously.
"Foolish boy. Hesitating because of a worthless animal." He took the curse off for a second, allowing Harry's muscles a second of recovery, before using the spell on him again. "This is your weakness… you care too much."
Harry's lungs were screaming for air, but he was too busy writhing on the ground to breathe properly.
"Dumbledore never realised this… he always thought it was strength… hah…."
Agony was pulsing through Harry's veins like hot, fiery poison.
"Look at you! You are completely at my mercy and none of those traitors you call friends can help you now… not that dumpy Weasley family…"
Suddenly images started flashing through Harry's mind. Memories, like photographs, whirred through his brain, becoming all he could see. Images of red-haired, freckled people… watching Bill and Charlie fight with the tables, showing Mr. Weasley around Muggle London, Mrs. Weasley giving him a hug, listening to Percy give a lecture on Cauldron bottoms, sniggering as Fred and George rocketed off into the sky on their brooms, yelling to Peeves to "take care" of Umbridge…
"None of the Order of the Phoenix… they have failed you…"
New images, now of Order members flashed through his brain: Seeing Professor McGonagall turn into a cat for the first time, Remus and Tonks at Grimmuald Place, Mad-eye Moody warning him about putting his wand in the back pocket, Professor Snape explaining what Harry's mother was like, Hagrid rescuing him from the Dursley's, Dumbledore taking him to find a horcrux, Sirius telling him how much like his Father he was…
"Those little school mates of yours? Hah…"
Now he was seeing people he knew from school: Dean and Seamus in the dormitory, Colin Creevey bugging him about a photo, helping Cho with her patronus, Cedric Diggory telling him about the egg under water, Neville, Ginny and Luna helping them at the Department of Mysteries…
"And what about your parents? Certainly not them…"
And now memories that Harry didn't recognise, that must have been locked away in the darkest corner of his brain, were unravelling as he writhed in pain under the Cruciatus Curse: Memories of a red haired pretty woman, and a man with black messy hair and dark, bespectacled eyes smiling down at him, cooing and laughing and playing with him…
"And especially not those weak, stupid little friends you hang around with… The Mudblood and the Weasley boy…"
Ron and Hermione, smiling, laughing, hugging him, the three of them just hanging out…
"You thought you could defeat me… you are far too weak for that…"
Harry writhed and screamed even worse. Voldemort was going to kill him… He would never get to play quidditch with Ron again… He'd never get to tell Hermione how he felt about her…
"No…" Harry moaned.
Suddenly there seemed to be warmth spreading across his body, and the pain from the curse was dimming. Slowly, gradually, his limbs stopped twitching, and the agony stopped searing across his muscles. Though he could see through his blurred eyes that Voldemort was still using the curse, he was completely numb.
On shaking, exhausted limbs, he slowly rose to his feet. Tired and sore though he was, he stood up and raised his head. He took a deep breath.
"I'm not the weak one here, Riddle." Voldemort's eyes had widened so much that the whites were visible all around the red iris. He stared at Harry, completely shell-shocked, his chin hanging below his gullet. He couldn't believe his eyes. "None of us are. We have been fighting against you for so long, with our lives and the lives of our loved ones at stake, and you never understood this. You never cared what you were doing to us, you never cared how many people's lives you took. You never bothered to try and understand. Because you never bothered to try and love, and you've lost out on the greatest power. You're the weak one, Riddle!"
"Never!" Voldemort screamed, gnashing his teeth in fury, "How dare you! I am the greatest wizard of the age! Nothing can stop me!"
"No, Riddle," Harry shook his head slowly, "you were a fool to think you could live forever. Everything has an end, Riddle, and this is yours!"
"AVADA KEDAVRA!"
"EXPELLIARMUS!"
Once again two beams of light connected, as did Harry and Voldemort's eyes, green to red, red to green, and their wands were vibrating uncontrollably as the jets of light feuded. Both Harry and Voldemort struggled, each trying to overpower the other, and the longer they duelled, the brighter and more powerful their magic.
Whatever spell Harry was using, it was no longer "expelliarmus". The substance erupting from Harry's wand was brilliant, pure white, like a patronus. It jetted out to join Voldemort's black beam of magic, forming black and white flames, that curled together in their own little grapples.
The heat given off by the two spells was unbearable. It was like standing too close to the bonfire: scorching, burning, so hot it sucked moisture from Harry's eyes. Harry was struggling enough against Voldemort's curse, without the added pressure of the heat.
The phoenix feather core of his wand was burning; he could see it glowing through the wood of his wand. It sent searing pain through his hands, and Harry would give anything to let go, but he couldn't; he had to keep fighting, keep burning.
Suddenly, Harry's white spell engulfed Voldemort's black one, and hit him with full force. His wand rocketed into the air, and landed, glowing, with a thunk, while its master was blown backwards, howling and screaming. He just managed to grasp the edge of the wall of the Astronomy Tower, his pale, long fingers scrabbling on the rock, so fragile-looking they could break. He couldn't pull himself up; he was hanging over the edge.
Harry looked at the distance between the ground and the Astronomy Tower. Such a long way… he would fall to his doom…
Harry approached him, his hand still sizzling and his Crucio-weakened muscles throbbing. He looked into the usually burning red eyes, finding there was fear in them. The tiniest hint of the human being he once was was now peeping out, the last morsel of humanity.
"And now I speak to you, Tom Riddle, not to Voldemort. To the boy you once were, not the monster you have become… try for some remorse… try to understand what you have done…"
The last scrap of humanity vanished. "Remorse is for weaklings!"
Harry had known in his heart that Voldemort would never co-opperate. But now what to do with him? He wouldn't use the Avada Kedavra, that had been the same curse that had killed his parents… He took a few paces back, not seeing Voldemort's fingers etching towards his fallen wand.
"Then you can drop to your doom. You won't be able to hold yourself up much longer. Goodbye, Tom Riddle."
Suddenly Voldemort's wand flew to his hand, Voldemort just managing to hold on one handed. "Goodbye, Harry Potter…Avada Kedavra!"
It was so unexpected that Harry had no time to react: The spell hit him directly in the heart.
A roaring, whooshing sound, like a train, filled Harry's ears. Everything seemed to have become slow-motion, frozen in time, even his heartbeat had stopped. He could just see Voldemort's face, deliriously gleeful, before something unexpected happened. There was a burning pain in his ribs, and the jet of green light flew out of his chest, instead striking Voldemort right between the eyes.
Harry keeled over on to the floor, and the empty body of Lord Voldemort fell from the tower. Finally he was dead, killed by his own rebounding curse.
Harry rubbed his chest, breathing painfully hard. He thought he might faint from exhaustion. His hands and knees hurt from where they were making contact with the floor. He was shaking. He didn't think his frail form could hold him up. But he was alive.
Shakily, he got up, almost toppling to the ground again. He was surrounded by a ringing silence, as though all the sound waves had been extracted from the air. He walked over to the edge of the Astronomy Tower, where Voldemort had fallen. Down below, he could see Riddle's shrivelled form, quiet and still. And then, he looked across the grounds.
As he raised his head, that deafening silence was broken, as people started yelling, whooping, screaming, cheering.
He looked down for faces he knew. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were dancing around wildly with each other. Remus was swinging Tonks around. Fred and George were yelling and punching the air. Neville was screaming "Wahoo!" Draco Malfoy beamed heroically, as though he'd just killed Voldemort, and swung Ginny over his knee, kissing her fiercely. Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy watched their son with their mouths hanging open. Bill and Fleur were kissing passionately. Snape looked almost light headed with relief. Ron was waving his fist about in the air with cries of "YEAH!" while Luna seemed to have attached herself to his side, as she was hugging him so hard. And Hermione… Hermione was smiling up at him, just smiling. Even from his distance Harry could see there were tears in her eyes, but she just stood there. But Harry could tell from that smile what she was thinking, and it meant more to him than if she'd been doing cartwheels. He grinned back at her, and her smile broadened. His knees were starting to feel weak…
Wait, they really were going weak. His vision was starting to blur, and it felt like the little energy that he still had was failing him. His exhausted body collapsed, and he was falling… falling…
Darkness.
*
Harry felt lighter than a bubble. He drifted around in the darkness, wondering where he was and what he was doing there. He couldn't see anything at all, and the silence was penetrating. He felt as though he didn't exist.
It was a few minuets before he was aware he wasn't breathing. But he felt comfortable with it, as though he didn't need to breathe. He put his hand to his chest. No heartbeat, just as he had suspected.
From the corner of his eye he could just see a dim blue light. Whatever was causing it seemed to be moving towards him, until he could see the shapes it was making. He gasped.
There, in a row, stood Hagrid, Lilly, James, Sirius, and Dumbledore, barely visible. But instead of solid people, they were outlines, as though drawn with a glowing blue pen. The only thing solid looking about them was there eyes, in perfect colour. Harry stared at them.
"I'm dead," he whispered softly.
"Not quite," said Dumbledore. "As a matter of fact you are only half- dead."
"What does that mean?"
"Basically, you're in a coma. You seem to be dead, but there is a chance you will recover."
"Oh." He peered into the unbreakable darkness. "Is that why I'm here, instead of- wherever it is I should be?"
"Tha's right," smiled Hagrid.
"Is- is Voldemort dead?"
"Yeah," James grinned, "you got him good, kiddo."
"We're so proud of you, Harry," Lilly whispered. She put a hand on his cheek, so she could look at him closer. Harry stared into the emerald green eyes that matched his own, searching them as hungrily as they searched his.
"But- I don't understand. I know he hit me with the killing curse, but why did it take so long to work? What was with the delayed reaction?"
"Erm, it wasn't the curse that killed you, Harry," said James apprehensively.
"Huh? Well, what then?" The men shifted uncomfortably. Lilly carried on gazing at Harry.
"Mate, you can't fall 200 feet off the Astronomy Tower and come off completely unscathed," said Sirius gently.
"But why? Why did I fall?"
"Exhaustion," James explained. "That was some serious bit of magic you did there, Harry."
"But why did the curse rebound? No-one died for me this time!"
"No, but someone sacrificed something just as valuable."
"What? Who?"
"It was Hermione!" Hagrid grinned.
"But- What did she sacrifice?"
"Her heart," said Dumbledore softly, eyes twinkling.
There was more silence. "Her- her heart?"
"You see, she knew that you needed the confidence to fight Voldemort, that you needed to be told how much you are loved. She also knew, or thought she knew, that you didn't love her back. But she told you anyway, took the gamble and lost. She now thinks she has destroyed her relationship with you, but knew it was what you needed to get you through this fight."
"But- but it's not the same as sacrificing your life, is it?"
"Your friendship meant as much to her."
"But then- doesn't this happen every time someone takes the risk and tells someone they love them?"
"This is different. What gave you the courage and confidence to fight Voldemort?"
"Being told I was loved," said Harry quietly. "That was what made me fight."
"And what a fight!" Sirius's eyebrows were raised. "Blimey Harry, that was some duel!"
"Yeah, yeh really creamed `em, Harry!" said Hagrid. "And you shocked him. Did yeh see his face, he didn't know what teh make o' the things yeh told him."
"Well, I still can't! I mean, I still can't believe you arranged your own death, Albus!" James nodded at Dumbledore, who smiled sadly.
"It was a price that had to be paid, James."
"And blimey, what about old Snivelly fancying Lily?" Sirius shook his head. "I thought he hated the both of you!"
"I always told you to trust Severus," said Dumbledore quietly. "This was my reason. I'm surprised he told you, Harry, I thought he'd carry the secret to his grave."
"I should have known." Lily was looking solemn, and James looked uncomfortable. "All those years… I should have known." James wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders.
But Harry's mind was still on Hermione. "So- so Hermione's been in love with me for a long time?"
"You should have realised this, Harry, when you found the Mirror of Erised. The mirror version of Hermione came to life, did it not? It was the same with the Philosopher's Stone. You wanted it, and it was possible for you to get it."
"How long has she realised this?"
"That is not for us to tell you, but for you to find out," said Dumbledore calmly. "But for now, you have a choice to make. You can either return to the living world, or come with us, and rest in peace."
Harry looked around at the smiling faces, especially at his mother. Resting in peace sounded nice, after everything that had happened, but his mind was already made up.
"I'm going back," he said blankly. "I'm going back to my body."
"A wise choice," said Sirius proudly.
"I must warn you, there will be a struggle to wake up. You see, your body already thinks you are dead."
"But I have to wake up. I can't just leave forever."
"Then you must walk through that door." Dumbledore pointed to a door, appearing out of nowhere. "It leads back to your body."
Harry nodded and swallowed, looking at them guiltily. "I'm- I'm sorry you all died. I know you did it to protect me. You didn't deserve to die, any of you."
And before he knew what was happening, they had all gathered around him, squashing him in one gigantic seven-personed hug. Though they looked like outlines, they were all quite solid, and Harry let them smother him, knowing it would be the last time he'd see them before he really did get to rest in peace.
Eventually, they broke apart, and Harry saw there were blue tears glistening in Lily's green eyes.
"Thank you, Harry," said Dumbledore. "Thank you for ridding the world of this great evil, after everything you've been put through."
"No," said Harry quietly, "thank you."
"Well, we'll have to be off then," said Sirius cheerfully. "Come on, James, we've got that heaven-version of the Marauder's Map to finish."
"Right-o, Padfoot," James grinned. "We don't want Wormtail chewing it all up."
"Pettigrew?" Harry said in disbelief. "You're friends with him?"
"Well, he did take an Avada for my only son; we've got to give him some credit."
"See yeh round, Harry," Hagrid raised a farewell hand.
"Good luck, Harry. We'll be watching you," Dumbledore's eyes twinkled one last time.
"Bye-bye, Harry," said Lily, wrapping her arms around him again. Then she whispered, so quietly the others couldn't hear, "Give Severus my thanks, for looking after my baby."
Harry nodded, and parted with her, to turn to the door.
"Professor," he said suddenly, addressing Dumbledore. "Will I remember this?"
Dumbledore smiled. "It is all in your head, Harry."
"Wait, you didn't answer my que-" but they had faded away, leaving Harry alone in the darkness, only accompanied by a shining blue door. Gulping, he stepped through it, once again falling, just as he had fallen off the Astronomy Tower, until he landed, with a jerk, back in his body.
*
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