Harry went back to the cabinet. One vial left. It was the only one without a letter, but which had a label. It read HP (last). Harry picked it up and went slowly to the Pensieve. Curiosity got the better of him and he went into the Pensieve for the final time.

-XXX-

Harry was standing in Dumbledore's office. This didn't surprise him because most of the memories had taken place here. Dumbledore was sitting in his chair as usual, but this time he wasn't doing anything except staring straight ahead. Harry approached him, waiting for something to happen. After a moment, Dumbledore spoke.

"Hello Harry," he said. Harry spun around to look at the door, but there was nobody there. Shivers ran up his spine. He looked closer at Dumbledore. His hand was blackened, and he looked so old and tired, far more than he had before. Harry realised this must have taken place in his 6th year, just before Dumbledore died.

"By now, I am nothing more than a mere memory in a vial," Dumbledore went on. He was still staring straight ahead, at the chair placed in front of his desk. There was nobody else there, and Harry realised the old man must be talking to him. Harry sat down in the chair, Dumbledore's eyes trained on him.

"I am a dying man, Harry, and I don't have much longer to live. As I am sure you are aware by now, my whole life I spent regretting losing those I loved dearest. I sought the Resurrection Stone that I have subsequently placed in the snitch which I have left to you. I hope that you are able to figure it out in time, and are not left wondering if I was feeling sentimental when I left it to you.

"I don't expect to live past tonight, Harry. Draco Malfoy has been given the task of killing me. His family has fallen out of Voldemort's favour, and are in danger. I would rather not have to sully a young and innocent soul with something as horrific as murder, and so I have asked Severus Snape to do it in his stead. I have asked this of him because he is loyal to me, and has been for a long time. He was my spy. I know that you don't like Severus at all, but I must ask you to please forgive him for what I hope he will do.

"There are many reasons for Severus having to be the one to kill me. For one, this curse will consume me before the year is up and I will surely suffer greatly, and I only ask that he do it quickly to save me from an undignified death. In him killing me, he will also prove himself to Voldemort as being loyal, and secure his trust, which I hope will be Voldemort's downfall. I am well aware that my death will ultimately be the final straw and things will change. I know that Severus will become headmaster in my absence under Voldemort's control, but I am secure in the knowledge that he will do his best to provide safety to the students without revealing his true intentions.

"Things are about to get rather complicated, and I am unsure of what will happen next. I am about to take you to a cave that Tom Riddle used to go as a child, as I am sure that it is where he has hidden a horcrux. I have heard tell, however, that I will not return, that he has some method of ensuring that anybody who tries to take the horcrux alone will not succeed. I am bringing you because I need you to continue my journey, and we need to destroy the horcrux.

At his point Dumbledore sighed and looked away from Harry. It was strange, sitting here, being spoken to as though Dumbledore was still alive and they were just having a chat. Harry thought about it. When he had said this, he had been sitting alone in his office, preparing to go on a journey with the knowledge that he might never return, and these were essentially his final words. This sent shivers down Harry's spine once more.

"I hope that by the time you see this, Harry, if you ever do, the war against Voldemort has been won and that you were successful in defeating him. I don't know how long your journey will take you, be it a few months or perhaps years, but I hope that you will persevere and succeed in the end.

"I hope that one day you will forgive me for my cruelties to you, and for using you against Voldemort, but I think you know that there is nobody else who could do it, no matter how willing they were. You were marked from before you were born to be great, and to do great things, I you have proven to me and to everyone else countless times just how worthy you are of carrying such a heavy burden. Indeed, it has meant that you have not had the easiest childhood, and you have had to see, do and experience many things that no other person of your age should, or anyone for that matter. I do wish things could be different and that you had not been dragged down by the burden that has been placed on your shoulders for you to bear, but just remember that you are never and will never be alone. As long as you have those that you love and that love you, you will never be alone. This is something I only learnt late in my life, and by then I was a fool."

He stopped here, a wistful look on his face. There was a knock on the door.

"Goodbye, Harry. And good luck," murmured Dumbledore.

"Come in," said Dumbledore, rising. The memory was fading around Harry, but he was still able to see that it was himself that was pushing open the door.

-XXX-

Harry sat in the office, watching the sun set over the forest, deep in thought. Dumbledore had certainly given him a lot to think about with all these memories. He had known some of the things that had occurred in Dumbledore's life, but now he had an entirely different view of the wise old man that had been his mentor. He was now more human in Harry's eyes, more vulnerable. It wasn't that he found Dumbledore weak, not in the slightest, but he realised that his view on Dumbledore's motivations for doing things had changed. Dumbledore had asked his forgiveness, but Harry had forgiven him long ago.

He didn't want anyone else to get hold of the precious memories that Dumbledore had left so he packed all the vials and the letters in his bag and put the Pensieve away. He took one final look at the office, turned, and left.

He went down to the Great Hall for dinner, taking his things with him in the bag. Although he was finished far earlier than he had anticipated, and it was only Friday night, he decided that he would go home straight after dinner. In the Hall he found Professor McGonagall, and told her that he was done and that he would be leaving.

"Are you sure Mr Potter?" she asked, peering into his face.

"I am, yeah. It didn't take quite as long as I had anticipated. Besides, I want to get home to Ginny. She is going to train abroad for a few weeks and she leaves next week, so I want to spend some times with her before then. Thank you so much for the use of your office and your time," said Harry.

After dinner was finished, he hung around to chat to some of the other professors, including Flitwick and Trelawney. For once, Trelawney didn't predict the end of his life. Instead she smiled and told him that he would have a happy future ahead of him. This was a breath of fresh air, and Harry smiled and thanked her.

He made his way across the grounds to Hagrid's hut and joined him for a Firewhiskey, and Hagrid kept trying to fill his glass with more liquid, which Harry refused. They chatted for a while, and then Harry took his leave. He went back through the gates, into Hogsmeade and into the Hogs Head.

Abe offered another drink, which Harry again refused, and he flooed straight home.

"Harry," said Ginny in surprise when he appeared out of their fireplace. She jumped up from the couch and threw her arms around him.

"Hi Ginny," said Harry, gratefully wrapping his arms around his girlfriend.

"How are you?" She held him at arm's length and eyed him up and down. "You look about a hundred years older, Harry. Are you alright?" she said, worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm alright. Dumbledore just had a few final memories he wanted me to see. He had kept them aside safely for me to see when it was all over. It was quite draining, actually."

"That's alright. Sit down, I'll get you some tea and you can tell me about it," said Ginny, placing a kiss on his cheek. He sat down heavily on the couch, kicked off his shoes and sighed. He was glad he had Ginny. He loved her so much and he planned to follow Dumbledore's final piece of advice and hang on to her.

A/N: Thank you for your patience. This fic is finally done. I hope you have enjoyed it, despite the length of time between chapters. Reviews are appreciated.