Chapter 24 ? The End

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All canon characters belong to JKR.

Thanks as always to my beta June for all of her help and suggestions.

Chapter 24 – The End

Harry was now but a few yards away from Voldemort. Despite his injuries, he kept going, fueled by adrenaline and anger at the man who had killed so many

The Dark Lord turned, sensing that his young enemy was close. He laughed mockingly. "You look like hell, Harry. Do you really expect to beat me like that?"

Harry sneered. "You should talk. Look at yourself. Your shoulder is bleeding; you can barely hold your wand. I've been watching you. Hasn't it occurred to you that your spells haven't quite had their usual kick?"

"I'm perfectly capable of blowing you to smithereens if that's what you're worried about, Harry." The Dark Lord pointed his wand towards the shoulder Harry seemed to be favoring. "Diffindo!"

Harry first felt a sharp shooting pain, then felt the blood trickle down his shoulder as Voldemort's spell hit him. He knew it could have been worse. Had the Dark Lord's magical abilities been working at their usual level, his entire arm would have been severed, instead of the deep cut he now sported.

This detail was not lost to Voldemort, who now realized that his spell had not caused the outcome he'd intended.

"Very good." Voldemort smiled eerily. "I commend you and your friends. You have obviously done something to me, temporarily... incapacitated me to a degree. No matter, I can still kill you."

Both Harry and Voldemort stood eyeing one another, oblivious to the fighting around them, and ignored by the Death Eaters, Aurors, and Order members who were fighting for their own lives.

"I am curious, though, Harry. I know the old fool Dumbledore is not to be scoffed at for his abilities to create a spell, but such a spell as this had to require something more. A potion married to it, perhaps. I know that creating a spell along with a potion of this caliber is far beyond the skill of that old codger. Tell me, just how did he do it?" Voldemort kept his wand aimed at Harry, just as Harry kept his aimed at Voldemort.

Harry looked around the field, trying to catch sight of Severus. When he did so, he noticed both his old Potions master and Lucius were fighting back-to-back, surrounded by a circle of Death Eaters.

"It was easy, really. We simply found ourselves a Potions master."

Voldemort laughed. "There isn't a potions maker left alive with that kind of knowledge and skill."

"Oh, really?" Harry smiled and once again looked toward Severus.

Voldemort followed Harry's eyes. He saw the dark-haired man he'd tortured in his home – the same man Lucius had been ordered to kill. He looked quickly to Harry, his face twisted in anger.

"Didn't you wonder how a low-level potions maker like Samuel Higgenbottom could develop a stamina potion that made you feel better than you had ever felt in your entire life?"

The realization hit the Dark Lord that Severus Snape had fooled him all along.

"Higgenbottom!" spat Voldemort. "The entire time it was a masquerade by Snape!"

"No...not the entire time. The real Higgenbottom is somewhere safe. A little Polyjuice goes a long way, wouldn't you say?" said Harry, trying to keep himself from fainting. The adrenaline had kept him going for a while, but now that he was only standing and talking, his injuries had caught up with him. There was no need to quickly kill Voldemort, who was too weak to be an urgent threat. Still, between the pain Harry felt in his shoulder and ankle, and now the blood he was losing, he felt he would fall to the ground at any moment out of sheer weakness.

"You little fuck! You think you have everything figured out, don't you? You and all of your idiot friends." Voldemort saw a group of Death Eaters coming towards them, and Rodolphus and Goyle senior were leading the pack. He knew now he had the upper hand; his loyal servants would protect him.

The group of Death Eaters stood in a half-circle behind Voldemort, with their wands lifted and pointing at Harry.

"Where are your friends now, Harry?" Voldemort began to laugh, as he felt his own painful shoulder injury resonate throughout his entire body. "Go on, Harry, kill me. Try it and you die within seconds."

Harry's hand shook. He looked at the Death Eaters; some had their masks and hoods still covering their identities, while others could be seen and identified. He saw his old classmate Gregory Goyle and his father. He also noticed Terry Boot and his father, and another man who looked like Vincent Crabbe, but since he knew Vincent was dead, it must be his father. Harry then looked at Rodolphus, wondering if he was still on the side of the Order.

Slowly, from behind Voldemort, Rodolphus approached Harry. He looked down at Harry impassively, and then turned towards Voldemort. In the blink of an eye, Rodolphus raised his wand and screamed:

"Incarcerous!"

Thick ropes appeared and began to wind their way around Voldemort, then dug themselves into the ground.

"What are you doing, Rodolphus?" demanded Voldemort as he began pulling at his restraints. He looked around him and noticed the group of Death Eaters surrounding him. "Have you all gone mad? You cannot kill me! I am your master! I am the Dark Lord! You cannot kill me! This won't keep you from Azkaban. They will kill you. I can help you, we can all leave now, we can fight another day!" yelled Voldemort frantically.

Off to his side, the Dark Lord could see the movement of light-colored fabric. He looked up and gasped. Narcissa and Bellatrix were looking down at him.

"You see, Tom. I told you I would watch you die," said Narcissa as Bellatrix laughed next to her.

Now Voldemort began to struggle harder.

"No, we will not fight another day," said Rodolphus. The apparition of Bellatrix moved to his side. She looked at her husband sadly and caressed his face lightly; she could not show herself to him and distract him now, when his life was still in danger. Rodolphus felt coolness on his cheek and a shiver down his spine. He heard a whisper in his ear and knew his wife was with him saying goodbye.

"Live for me, my love," whispered Bellatrix as she moved back to Narcissa's side. She'd come back with her sister because she never had the opportunity to say goodbye to her husband.

The two women now stood side-by-side and watched, prepared to intervene if necessary.

Voldemort looked around at the group surrounding him.

"Free me!" He looked at the two ghostly women. "You bitches. What have you done? You've cast a spell on them!"

Harry and Rodolphus looked at one another, then back at Voldemort. The others did the same. They looked at the spot Voldemort was talking to, and saw nothing.

"We have done nothing. You have done this, Tom," answered Narcissa. "All of this, the war, the bloodshed, the betrayal. This is all your doing. You are now beginning to reap your rewards. You have one foot in the grave, and death is waiting impatiently for you."

His patience running thin, Rodolphus approached the Dark Lord.

"This ends right here, right now. We have served you long enough, and have lost far too much in doing so. Perhaps we should all die, I don't know. What I do know is that you killed my Bella, and you burned my brother alive. Let us now see how you like it. Incendio!"

Voldemort began to burn.

The Death Eaters who had come with Rodolphus were surrounding the Dark Lord and keeping loyal Death Eaters at bay – those who'd heard the Dark Lord's cries for mercy.

"Goodbye, Tom. We won't be seeing you again. You're not going to the same place where we are," said Narcissa and Bellatrix in unison, and then faded away.

Rodolphus looked at Harry. "Go on, boy, do what you must, and finish it. Free us all of this pestilence," he said as a lone tear fell down his cheek.

Harry's eyes went wide in horror. He'd expected to kill Voldemort, but the man's body was already in flames. He reminded himself that everyone once thought the Dark Lord died the night James and Lily Potter had died. Perhaps Rodolphus was right; Voldemort had to be killed properly, flames or no flames.

All around them, the fighting had slowed as onlookers noticed the group of men surrounding what looked to be a bonfire.

Harry stepped forward and pointed his wand. Sibyll Trelawney's prophecy had been made before he had been born. His parents had died in the war against Voldemort, as had many others. Their sacrifices were now going to be paid back.

Harry let all of the anger and hatred he'd felt over the years wash over him, and when he felt he would burst with fury, he released it to the one man who had caused it all. "Avada Kedavra!"

The streaming green glow shot out of Harry's wand and hit Voldemort's burning body square in the chest. The sudden burst of energy threw everyone standing around that circle back several feet.

Across the field, the sudden blast also knocked Severus and Lucius to the ground as well as the Death Eaters they'd been fighting.

Albus Apparated next to Harry. He bent down and helped Harry, who was coughing and holding his shoulder, as he tried to sit up.

Draco and Ron had argued with Hermione and Ginny, made promises to look out for Severus and Lucius, and then warded them into Hagrid's hut. Then they headed back to the battlefield. From a distance, Draco and Ron saw Harry and began running as fast as their legs could carry them.

Draco practically slid next to Harry. He took hold of his lover and held him tightly.

"You're alive, you're alive." Draco shook as he felt Harry's tears against his cheek. Draco pulled away and noticed the blood on Harry's shoulder. "You're bleeding, he's bleeding!"

"Draco, calm down," said Albus.

"You did it, mate!" said Ron, who now kneeled down next to them.

Harry smiled. "I had help. I could never have done this without everyone's help." He looked to the pile of bones and ashes across from him. "He's finally gone. After all of these years." Harry lifted his hand to feel for his scar, and it was gone. He looked at Albus who smiled.

"Yes, he is gone, Harry. He truly is."

Across the field, Rodolphus sat up slowly, having been knocked unconscious against a tree. He had been standing with the other Death Eaters, who had been thrown back several feet by the energy blast from Harry's Killing Curse. How did he get thrown all the way here?

"Bella.," he whispered, as he felt a sudden gust of air across his face. He looked up and noticed the other Death Eaters now being gathered up by the Aurors. He quickly pulled his Death Eater robes over his head and tossed them to one side as he struggled to stand.

He held his wand tightly in his hand, and looked around. In the distance he saw Severus and Lucius.

Severus helped Lucius to his feet. Rodolphus had earlier told Lucius the names of the Death Eaters who would help on the battlefield, but were too afraid to help the Order any sooner. Severus and Lucius began instructing some of the Aurors on which Death Eaters to take to the Ministry (including those recruited by Rodolphus), and which to take straight to Azkaban. They waved off the rest of the Aurors and finally were able to take a satisfying breath.

"We're still here," said Lucius.

Severus looked at his friend. "That we are, my friend that we are!"

Both men hugged one another and laughed.

Lucius spotted Rodolphus over Severus' shoulder. He patted Severus on the back and nodded towards the other man. Both stared at Rodolphus, who stood at the edge of the forest. Without speaking, they knew what he was going to do. They smiled at him and inclined their heads towards the forest, giving Rodolphus their blessing on his plan to escape. Then they turned their backs to him and began to walk away. For anyone who inquired about Rodolphus Lestrange, they would be told that he died on the battlefield that afternoon, but that he was a hero.

"Where are we going, Severus?"

"To Hagrid's hut. Ginny and Hermione are both there."

Lucius stopped, "They were supposed to stay in the castle!"

"I know, Lucius, I know. Hermione said Ginny ran outside to find you, so of course she had to go with her. I asked your son and Ron to ward them into Hagrid's. Shall we see how strong their wards are?"

"Bloody Gryffindors," mumbled Lucius as Severus chuckled and nodded his head in agreement.

Rodolphus felt his body shake and he started to cry with relief. He looked around once more and slowly backed his way into the forest. He would leave the celebrations to those who survived. Rodolphus Lestrange would never be heard from again.

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The battle is over as you have read. Next chapter will have the aftermath. I think I've got one or two more chapters left here.

I hope you enjoyed this one, thank you for reading.