"Avada Kedavra!"

"Expelliarmus!"

Blazing light shot out of both wizards' wands as Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort delivered each other their final blow. Staff, students and Death Eaters alike watched on as the Great Hall lit up with green and scarlet flames that surrounded the two wizards duelling to the death.

Harry knew this would be his final chance to rid the world of the dark wizard who had caused so much chaos and destruction for all these years. Because of Voldemort, Harry's life had been decided for him; from the death of his parents, to right at that moment at Hogwarts, there had never been another way, not really. Hunting down the horcruxes had taught him that, and now that there were none left Harry knew it was time for him to finish it.

With an almighty crack, the two spells collided in mid-air into an explosion of colour and light. In his periphery, Harry saw a dark shape flit across the air towards him. Without thinking he flung his hand out to catch it and the Elder Wand landed in his hand and glowed, finally recognising its true master.

Wrenching his gaze back to his enemy, Harry watched as the red glow in Voldemort's eyes dimmed. He appeared frozen in time until, almost in slow motion, he tipped backwards and hit the cold ground with a thud, never to move again.

For a moment nobody breathed. Then all of a sudden, as though a silencing charm had just been lifted, a great roar erupted inside the hall. People started running towards Harry, their saviour, all wanting to be the first to reach him. Just as the crowd began to close in on him, Harry heard something that brought him back to reality.

Silencing everybody at once, a hideous wail filled the air, so animalistic the hairs on the back of Harry's neck stood up on end. Suddenly more cries joined it: shrieks and yells that could wake the dead. Then people were flying. Bodies, both dead and alive, were thrown out of the way and the crowd was parted to reveal the owners of the cries.

Bloodied and bruised, the captured Death Eaters rose to their feet after they had been abandoned by their protectors while they celebrated. Striding forwards, they raised their wands and directed them straight at Harry. Members of the Order tried in vain to reach the front of the crowd to shield Harry from the oncoming curses, but they couldn't move fast enough.

All at once, Yaxley, Rookwood, Macnair and Dolohov fired at Harry, their shouts blurring together making it impossible to distinguish the individual curses. The only thought that ran through Harry's mind was to get out of there.

Securing the Elder wand in his hand, Harry's eyes found those of Ron, widened in terror. Trying to convey as much thanks and sorry into that last gaze, he turned on the spot to disapparate.

But something went wrong.

Instead of the feeling of being squeezed through a tube, all Harry felt was a sharp tingling travelling the full length of his spine. Wind rushed past his ear as the tingling changed into blinding pain, paralysing his body. He saw bright lights flashing behind his closed lids and he felt himself get thrown off course and into the darkness.

All of a sudden the rushing noise stopped and he felt soft ground beneath him. He still felt the same tingling sensation as before, as though electricity was coursing through his limbs. Struggling to breathe, Harry pulled his eyes open and only barely registered the darkness of night that was wherever he had landed. Unable to hold on to consciousness for a second longer, his eyes slid shut and Harry Potter's mind slipped into darkness.