Harry did not, in truth, want to get that close to Voldemort, and was, in fact, holding his breath as he made is presence known to the old snake. It merely seemed like a good entrance, and a good entrance was never to be wasted. He almost laughed out loud at the tableau he had orchestrated: Ron and Hermione standing behind him with shocked looks on their faces, Draco kneeling wide eyed and incredulous, and Voldemort squatted down before him with a twisted expression of displeasure on his face. In that instant Harry wanted nothing more than a muggle camera.

It took all of a second for Voldemort to react, lashing out behind him with his wand. A streak of red light shot past Harry's ear as he dodged to the side, cutting a line in the white plaster of the wall. Harry jumped back, a smile playing at the corners of his lips. "Potter, what the hell are you doing here?" The question came from the still kneeling Malfoy. The blond struggled to his feet wincing from the aches and bruises of his earlier beatings.

"That's a very good question, Mr. Malfoy." He then ignored the blonde completely. Harry turned to Voldemort and dropped into the old lecture mode that he used when he was mocking a class. "Hello Voldy, how did you enjoy the shadow hunt I sent you on?" Voldemort blinked in surprise. He could not fathom what Harry was talking about. "I mean Arisa, Old Snake. She doesn't exist."

Voldemort let out a soft growling hiss, but quickly gathered his wits. Harry Potter was well within his grasp, and it was past time for him to end the young boy's life. "Why Mr. Potter, it is so good to see you." Harry frowned at the greedy look in Voldemort's red eyes. "I must say that I was not expecting you to fall into my hands like this."

"Cut the crap." Harry tossed his head in agitation. "I merely want to end this power struggle between us. We both know that I am the Dark Lord, and I will kill you."

His eyes glowed with deadly intent. He pulled his wand out of his robes and leveled it at Voldemort.

Harry reached out with his hand in an attempt to grab onto Voldemort, but the snake was fast for his age and postmortem physique. His hand caught briefly on rough cloth before the robe was ripped from his hand. Another cutting curse was sent flying at his head. Harry barely managed to dodge the curse. "Ron, Hermione, make sure no one comes through the door," He called over his shoulder. Before he could turn to face Voldemort again a blast of air pressure knocked him back into the wall dazing him momentarily.

Once Voldemort's attention was fixed on Harry, Draco scrambled off to one side and took cover behind a decrepit lounge chair. He peaked out from his hiding place in time to see Voldemort throw Harry into the wall. He watched in fascination as Harry regained his feet almost immediately and threw a curse toward Voldemort that ripped open the snake's right shoulder. He glanced over to his right to see the Mudblood and Weasel holding off the Deatheaters, who had finally caught onto the fact that all was not right in the master's chambers.

A plan began to form in the back of Draco's mind. This was indeed a battle for supremacy between two Dark Lords, and one of them would die tonight. But the survivor would surely have given his all to win this battle. Draco pulled the scroll that contained the Dark Lord's Creed from a hidden pocket in his robes. All he had to do was wait for the right moment to recite the Creed. He could then finish off the weakened Dark Lord, and achieve the power and greatness he knew was his birth right.

Both of the Dark Lords were throwing curses at each other that Draco did not even recognize. The walls flashed lurid colors as magic whizzed across the room, only revealing deadly intent on impact with some hapless piece of furniture or wall. Harry was dodging all over the place in order to avoid spells. Voldemort just let most of the spells hit him seemingly unaffected by the gaping gashes in his body.

Draco slapped his hand over his mouth and gagged when a particularly nasty spell hit Voldemort in the left shoulder detaching his arm. The appendage fell to the wooden floor with a thump as a doll's arm would. It was the most disgusting thing Draco had ever seen in his life. The fact that Voldemort didn't bleed only made the scene more disturbing.

It seemed as if Voldemort was going to win this battle. Potter was tiring. No matter how many times he landed a blow it did not affect Voldemort. Even with one arm Voldemort was still casting spells as if he felt no pain at all.

Harry knelt on the ground breathing heavily. He knew that Voldemort didn't feel any pain, but usually there was some reaction to the loss of an arm. Sweat dripped down into his eyes as he gathered his thoughts.

"Not as easy as you thought, is it Potter, being the hero?" Voldemort hissed. "I don't believe that you were the one who was supposed to defeat me. Even if you did find the Creed it won't help you. You're just as worthless as that mudblood mother of yours or that disgrace to his family name that you call a father."

Harry completely ignored Voldemort's taunts. A few months ago such comments about his parents would have sent him into a rage; now he only felt a calculating calm. The winner of this battle would not be the one who wasted his breath on words, but the one who took action. He needed to be close enough to touch Voldemort. He really should have taken his chance in the beginning instead of taunting the snake.

He cuddled his wand arm to his body. A cutting curse had opened a long shallow gash on his forearm. It was not deep, but it was painful. He considered pulling out a knife, and quickly discarded the idea. A knife would do little damage against a nearly immortal being.

A sudden smile blossomed across his face as an idea came to him. Even someone who did not feel pain needed legs in order to stand. Not taking his time with easily countered hexes or jinxes, Harry threw an exploding curse at Voldemort's legs, one that would incinerate everything below the knee.

The curse hit, and Voldemort fell to the floor with a surprised yell. Harry stood from his kneeling position and carefully walked over where Voldemort thrashed. As he gazed down on the man who had killed thousands of people, including his own parents, and terrorized an entire world, only one word ran through his mind: pathetic.

Harry stepped on Voldemort's one hand crushing the wrist. His eyes glowed green with his power. Fear entered Voldemort's eyes for the first time as Harry lowered himself and placed a hand on his forehead.

"You are no heir of mine." A blank look of incomprehension flashed over Voldemort's face at Harry's words, but Harry did not feel charitable enough to enlighten him on the subject. As far as Harry was concerned, the old wizard could and would die not knowing what he had meant.

Harry sent all of his magic into Voldemort calling out to his blood within the body. He had to hurry; it would not take long for Voldemort's body to heal. Already its legs had begun to regenerate.

The magical link between the blood and the body that produced it had degenerated over the years, but the blood still recognized its own. Harry poured his power into the blood and sent a telekinetic shock along the link. If his experiment worked correctly the shock would counter act the original spell that Voldemort had cast, and Harry's blood would reject the body.

Harry was concentrating so hard on maintaining the link that he only realized that Voldemort was dead when his hand sank into a puddle of shapeless goop. "Yuck!" He pulled hand out of the puddle that had once been the Dark Lord Voldemort, and wiped the slimy substance on his robes.

"Harry?" Hermione queried from where she and Ron were guarding the door. She had her wand at the ready, but her eyes were turned to Harry in concern.

"It's over." Harry looked at his friends who only stared back at him in shocked disbelief. None of them knew what to do next. Then Harry felt it: an incessant pulse in the back of his mind. It was the same pulse that he had lived with for the last fifteen years. Someone else had read the Dark Lord's Creed.

Harry sighed. He was exhausted, bleeding in several places and magically drained. He did not know if he could survive an attack right then. He turned to see Draco standing up from behind the chair he had been hiding behind and cursed. He should have expected this to happen, but the truth was he hadn't thought Draco was intelligent enough or brave enough to do it.

Draco placidly wiped the dust off his robes and came to stand before a still kneeling and panting Harry. "Well Potter, I can't say it has been fun, but I did learn a lot from you." Draco grinned with his wand pointed at Harry. "Call off your watch dogs." He nodded in Ron and Hermione's direction. The two of them stood tense, wands pointed at Draco but were too afraid of Harry getting hurt if they acted.

Harry drew in a deep breath in order to calm himself. He had nothing left to fight with. Anything he did was sure to end in his death, but he could not die before Draco or Ron and Hermione wouldn't stand a chance. The power boost alone that Draco would receive at his death would assure their deaths. It seemed that it was time for one of his selfless acts. "Ron, Hermione, kill him." All three of them stared at him incredulous. "Doesn't worry about me just make sure Draco does not leave here alive." He met his friends' eyes trying with all his might to convey his reasons for doing this.

"Master!" The sudden, loud cry caused all four teens to jump and turn to the door. Wormtail blundered into the room toward the puddle that had once been his Master. "You all will pay for this." He cried with tears in his eyes. "I will kill you myself, I the Dark Lord's most faithful servant-"

A flash of green light filled the room. "There," Draco pulled up his wand from where it was pointed at Pettigrew. "That takes care of him." He smiled smugly, and then suddenly found himself on the floor. "What the…" He tried to find his lost wand but found that it was in Hermione's hand. She had thrown a stunning curseat him while he had been distracted.

Harry seized the given opportunity and pulled his wand from his robe. "Avada kedavra." Draco fell to the floor dead. The pulse in the back of Harry's head ceased, and he fell into unconsciousness.

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Harry woke dazed and confused. His head hurt and his body felt like it always had after a day of Dudley's "Harry Hunting." He kept his eyes closed not entirely sure that he could handle the bright lights of the hospital wing at the moment. But where ever he was did not smell like the hospital wing. The bed he was in was much more comfortable than the ones he remembered anyway. He plucked at the frayed comforter beneath his hand. The soft texture was soothing to his nerves. He cracked open one eyelid to see his old room in his cottage in the Forbidden Forest.

"Harry," Hermione's concerned voice reached his ears. "You're awake."

"Yeah," he answered turning his head so that he could see her better. "What happened?" He rubbed his forehead trying to sooth the ache.

"You fainted, and we brought you back here." Harry watched her swallow hard. "Ron burned down the house that we were in. He said that it was better that way."

Harry nodded. "I agree. Where is Ron?"

"He went back to Hogwarts." Harry opened his mouth to ask another question, but Hermione forestalled him. "You need to eat something." She stood hurriedly and practically dashed out of the room. Harry sat up in the bed supporting himself on his arms and blinked at the door where she had disappeared. A few moments passed in a limbo before Hermione returned with a tray. She sat the tray across Harry's knees and piled pillows behind his head so that he could sit up.

Harry carefully watched her as she sat back down in the chair placed next to his bed. He then deliberately picked up his fork and took a bite of the eggs on his plate. "Why did Ron go back to Hogwarts?" He asked after he had swallowed.

Hermione chewed on her lower lip before answering. "He went to inform Dumbledore of Voldemort's death."

Harry met her eyes. "Are you crazy? Is he crazy?"

"We owe them that much. The Wizarding World deserves to know that Voldemort is dead." Hermione smiled at him. "Don't worry. I made a port key from one of the books I found in your library. It should bring Ron back here when he is done, Hogwarts wards or no…"

Harry nodded in understanding. "So, you two are outlaws now too."

Hermione nodded. "It was quite obvious where we went when we left, and I did leave a note for Ginny. We are in this together."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I'm going to travel the world now, and learn other cultures' magic techniques. It'll be fun." Hermione smiled sadly. "Perhaps it is time that I got out of the library and started to explore the world around me." She laughed when Harry raised a disbelieving eyebrow at her. "Don't get me wrong I'm not going to stop reading, not by a long shot, but I think it would be fun to travel too. Ron would be coming with me of course."

"Of course," Harry answered around a smile.

"What about you Harry? What are you going to do?"

Harry sat back from the breakfast he had been eating. "I'm more of a home body. I think I'm going to stay here for a while and then sneak my way back into Hogwarts."

"So you won't be coming with us."

"No, you two deserve some time alone together." Hermione blushed at his words. "But I will drop in from time to time if you don't mind."

"How will you do that if we keep moving around like the fugitives we are?"

Harry smiled at her. "I know both your magical signatures, remember. I can find you anywhere in the world. And if you tried you should be able to find me." He paused for a moment remembering something. "I also have a couple of communication mirrors in my closet; we can use those to keep in touch."

"That sounds nice; I wouldn't feel right leaving you alone."

"I won't be." Harry said with a mysterious smile.

Before Hermione could ask him what he meant Ron burst through the door. "Hey there mate, glad to see you're okay." He turned to Hermione. "We are officially on the Most Wanted Wizards list, and Dumbledore is going to check out that old house. He's not going to like what he is going to see." He looked down at Harry. "I don't know if you realized this Harry, but 'Mione and I killed a lot of Deatheaters while you were fighting the Old Snake."

Harry bowed his head. "I'm sorry."

"Nothing to worry about." Ron looked at Hermione. "Have you told him about our plans?"

"Yes Ron, he's not coming."

"What? Are you sure Harry?"

"Yes, I am."

Ron gazed at his hands for a moment. "Well if you're sure."

"We will keep in touch, and you can come back to visit any time." Harry assured him.

"You're staying here?" Harry nodded in answer.

"Well, as long as you tell us when you leave." They all laughed and Harry promised profusely to contact Ron at least every week.

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One week had passed since Ron and Hermione had left. Harry sat in a comfortable chair in front of the fire place with a mirror cradled in his hands. He looked out the window at the falling snow. In a couple of more weeks it would be Christmas. Ron and Hermione had promised to pop in with gifts so that they could celebrate as a family. Harry could not wait to see them both in person once more. He missed them so much already, but they seemed to be having fun in Spain.

Harry glanced at the window once more. She should have shown up by now. He placed the mirror on the side table and strode over to the window to get a better look outside. "As impatient as ever," a low melodic voice commented from behind him.

He did not turn around, but a smile found its way onto his face. "What can I say? It's been a thousand years, and I've missed you."

Slender arms wrapped themselves around his waist. "A thousand years without you. This is what I get for choosing a mortal lover." Harry turned around to stare into the most amazing pair of grey-blue eyes he had ever seen. "At least you were right about returning to this school one day."

Harry snorted. "I always return home. I told you on my death bed that I would come back to you. And even better my spell worked." He reached up to touch her pointed ears. "Rowan, this time I will find a spell to make me immortal. I won't be leaving you again."

Rowan smiled and kissed him. "Good. But what about your friends?"

"What about them?"

"Will you tell them who they were in a past life?"

Harry frowned in consideration. "No, I will not tell Ron and Hermione that they were once Godric Gryffindor and Rowena Ravenclaw, there is no need for them to know." He sighed heavily. "Besides the personality changes could turn them against me again, as they did when they found out that I was the Dark Lord a thousand years ago. I'm not going to let that happen again. I keep those who are important to me." He ran his fingers down Rowan's cheek. "I'm just selfish like that."