Torn Away: Scenes From a Memory by Tradiferis

Disclaimer and Author's Note: I don't own Harry Potter, or the band Dream Theater for that matter. At the moment I'm barely owning my sanity :). This is the last chapter, thanks for sticking with it!

Chapter Twelve
Finally Free

You-Know-Who Finally Dead
Boy-Who-Lived and Albus Dumbledore Die Defeating Dark Lord

It can now be confirmed that You-Know-Who, the greatest Dark Lord of the past 50 years, is now dead. Unspeakable Fourth Class Ludwig Waechter from the Department of Mysteries, who witnessed the end, has confirmed that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has met his final demise, albeit at a heavy price.

"Yes, Lord V------- is dead, at last, defeated in a combined effort by Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore," the Unspeakable stated, "However, both Headmaster Dumbledore and Mr. Potter made the ultimate sacrifice in making sure that the Dark Lord met his final end."

When asked how the esteemed Headmaster and the Boy-Who-Lived died, the Unspeakable responded, "Headmaster Dumbledore was over 150 years old and dueled Voldemort until his age finally caught up with him. Mr. Potter was then able to move in to defeat a heavily weakened Voldemort, although the spell he used was so taxing on his system it could not hold up anymore. My thoughts are with Headmaster Dumbledore's and Mr. Potter's family and friends."

Minister Bones has announced that Mr. Potter will be receiving the Order of Merlin, First Class posthumously for his actions in defending the Wizarding World...

"How I wish you could be here to celebrate this with me," Harry said, looking up from the paper to the tombstone that was in front of him, "You know, not a day goes by where I wish I was able to change things just so you could be here by my side, Ron's too.

"You know, I think he misses you most of all Hermione. I think the 'death' of me isn't going to sit to well with him either...do you think I should tell him?" Harry asked the tombstone, which was engraved HERMIONE GRANGER, "I suppose I will after the wedding and everything has died down. Oh, I almost forgot!"

Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out a velvet box, "This is the Order of Merlin, First Class that I got for 'actions going above and beyond that of a normal wizard in helping to ensure the safety and viability of the Magical World during the Battle of Hogsmead and the Siege of Hogwarts.' I...this belongs to you my friend. If it wasn't for you none of us would be where we are right now...you did so much for me..."

Harry rubbed his hand over Hermione's name, "We all miss you so much Hermione..."

Harry trailed off as tears started to form in his eyes, "Merlin, I miss you Hermione. You were supposed to be by my side! The Golden Trio! You were my sister! Why did you have to die?"

Harry fell down onto his arms, looking at the tombstone, tears falling from his eyes. He tried to speak, but the words just failed to come out. He lent back onto his knees, still, staring at the slab of stone.

"I'm getting married in two weeks," Harry said, trying to make his voice sound normal, but failing miserably at it, "The Ministry wants to hold it at the official Ministry Hall of Sacred Events, due to Tonks being an Auror, and my being an Unspeakable, and an Order of Merlin member to boot. I'm expecting you there Miss Granger! I'm not taking 'no' for an answer, you hear me?"

Harry wiped the renegade drops that were still on his face, and leaned down to kiss the tombstone. He stood up, and looked at the burial plot of one of the best friends that he ever had, "Rest in peace my friend. Rest in peace."

-

"Thank you for coming Healer," Molly Weasley said, in a slightly panicked voice, "We have no idea what is wrong with him."

"I'm glad that you decided to bring in help, rather than wait," Harry responded, feeling bad for having to lie to the woman who at one point in time had been his like his mother, "Sometimes, waiting can do more bad things than good, and by what you described to me, it's a good thing you did indeed call."

"He's right in here," Mrs. Weasley said, motioning to the door that was next to her in the Weasley's rebuilt home. Harry nodded, and was about to enter when Molly grabbed his arm, "Thank you once again, Healer...?"

"Peabody, Healer Peabody," Harry replied, before walking into the room. Mrs. Weasley was about to say something but Harry waved his left hand and the door slammed shut. With a snap of his fingers, the door locked. Harry looked and noticed that Ron was sitting staring out the window, and it appeared as if the boy hadn't eaten for many a day.

"Good day Mr. Weasley," Harry said, getting Ron's attention for the door slam didn't seem to have had any effect on the morose boy.

"Who are you?" Ron asked, still looking out the window, and not really acknowledging Harry's presence.

"I am here because your entire family is worried about you," Harry told Ron, not really answering his question.

"So you're a Healer then?" Ron asked, turning around to look at Harry with thinly veiled dislike in his eyes.

"Not quite," Harry responded with a slight smirk, setting down the bag he was carrying on Ron's bed.

"What are you then?" Ron asked with blatant distrust in his voice.

"I am concerned about your mental state," Harry responded, shifting his appearance to that which matched 'Ludwig.'

"Luddie!"

"In the flesh, so to speak," Harry responded, watching Ron's eyes become as round as saucers.

"Why are you here?" Ron asked.

"Because I thought you wouldn't mind not having a file on record for suspected ill health," Harry told him, before conjuring up a chair, spinning it around, and sitting in it backwards so that he was facing Ron, "Now, before a real Healer actually needs to be called in, can you tell me what the hell is going on with you?"

"What do you think?" Ron almost exploded, leaping out of his chair, "My two best friends die in a six month period, and people are wondering what's going on with me! Shouldn't it be OBVIOUS!"

"I also take it you're tired of hearing people tell you that Hermione and Harry wouldn't like you to mope around?" Harry asked, experiencing a minor flashback to the summer after his fifth year.

"I swear to God I'm going to take the Mickey out of the next person who tells me that," Ron said, throwing himself down into the chair he had been sitting on, "I miss them so much, everything I see reminds me of them...they were my two best friends! How can I be anything but okay? HOW!"

"This sounds eerily familiar," Harry commented to himself, but Ron heard him, and gave him an odd look, "I had a conversation that was very similar to this with Harry over the Easter holiday."

"You were the one in the Daily Prophet that saw what happened between Harry, Dumbledore, and that bastard," Ron said without preamble, silent tears filling up his eyes, "Tell me, how did Harry die? Why did he die? Please tell me...I-I have to know, I have to know! Please tell me."

Harry looked Ron straight in the eyes, thinking about exactly what he should say. He sighed before saying something that could have potentially disastrous results, "I killed him."

Ron just looked at him, stunned, before a gamut of emotions ran across his face before settling on outrage, "WHAT!"

"I killed him," Harry responded, fingering his wand idly in case Ron did anything rash, "You have to understand-"

"I DON'T HAVE TO UNDERSTAND ANYTHING!" Ron raged, "YOU KILLED HIM! I'LL KILL YOU!"

Ron launched himself at Harry, who quickly waved his wand, putting Ron's legs in leg locker.

"Did you forget that I am a fully trained Unspeakable Ron?" Harry said, putting his foot on Ron's chest, and looking down on him with his wand pointing at Ron's head, "Now, I am going to take the bind off of you, and then I will finish answering your questions, only if you promise to hear everything. Afterwards, I will let you do anything you want to me, but only afterwards. Got it?"

As Ron nodded, Harry shook off another flashback that came back to him. Harry waved his wand, and Ron tensed underneath him.

"Now, I believe you asked me why Harry died?" Harry asked, his wand still trained on the redhead's head.

"Get on with it you bastard," Ron snarled out. Harry sighed, before closing his eyes in concentration and willing himself back to his natural appearance.

"Because, Weasley," Harry stated in his true voice, "I wanted to live my life by my own terms and conditions, not anyone others. Besides, I really like the way my life is now."

Ron looked at him in complete surprise, not totally being able to form words. After a few moments he finally was able to say, "HARRY! You-you-you're Luddie? But what happened to Harry, I mean, you..."

Ron trailed off, still looking at Harry in complete surprise. Harry smiled, looking at his friend, "It's complicated, but let's just say that it needed to happen this way. Otherwise, Voldemort never would have been defeated."

Ron just continued to look at Harry in bewilderment, surprisingly taking it really well, but a million questions swirling in his eyes. He finally latched onto the most 'neutral' one that he could think of, "So you're getting married to Tonks then? Does she know?"

"No she doesn't," Harry said with a very serious voice, "And she never is going to. Ron you have to understand, Harry Potter is DEAD. I am no longer Harry Potter, I am Ludwig Waechter, Unspeakable Fourth Class, and recipient of the Order of Merlin, First Class. This is my life now, I'm sorry."

Ron just continued to look at Ludwig from the floor as he removed his foot from his chest and sat back down in the chair. Ludwig looked at Ron again, before saying, "I've missed you for all the years I was away. I hope you won't totally shut me out now that I'm eight years older than you."

"I could never shut you out, never," Ron responded, tears falling down his face. Ludwig reached his hand down and helped Ron up to his feet. He smiled at his long lost friend, before enveloping him in a hug.

-

Ludwig looked over to his right and smiled at his new wife, who rolled her eyes. The reception party was being held at Patrick's home, and the two newlyweds were sitting at a high table while Ludwig's best man, Liam Flaighly, was giving a speech about the time Ludwig had gotten plastered at the Hog's Head in Hogsmead in the boy's last year at Hogwarts.

"Now, while he was of age, this was the first time that Luddie here realized that he just might have a drinking problem," Liam said, looking at Ludwig with an evil smirk, causing Ludwig to give him a very rude gesture, causing the crowd to laugh, "It just so happened that Professor Flitwick was meeting a friend in the pub, and when he saw Luddie he almost had a heart attack. So he went up to one of his best students and-"

"Okay, I think we can end the story here!" Ludwig shouted out, causing the crowd to laugh once again. All of a sudden, he noticed he didn't have any lips anymore, and looked over and saw his wife twirling her wand between her fingers.

"Go on Liam," Nymphadora Waechter said with a smirk, "I want to hear this story."

"Well, Professor Flitwick walked up to Luddie and before he could old Flitwick could say anything, this moron here starts prattling on about how he was taking on any challengers to a duel. Well, the Professor takes Luddie up on his offer, and soundly beats him in less than ten seconds because this poof was so pissed he could barely walk."

Ludwig waved his hand over where his mouth was supposed to be, and undid his wife's spell, "You're also leaving out that Firewhiskey when combined with other alcohols gives you a massive ego rush!"

"Even so," Liam said, laughing along with the rest of the audience, "To the young kids in attendance here today, if you've ever wondered why Hogwarts students of any age can only drink Butterbeer now, this drunk is the reason why!"

The crowd laughed as Ludwig had the decency to look slightly ashamed. Liam held up his goblet and looked at the couple of honor, "Ludwig, I have known you since sixth year, and you're one of the best friends that a guy could have. Nymphadora, I have known you since we both started at Hogwarts, and I can say you're one of the friendliest people that I've ever known. Besides, with the amount of times you two have fallen down the stairs, or tripped over your own two feet, you guys are made for each other! Here's to a long and happy marriage. Cheers!"

Later that evening, Ludwig looked at the now Mrs. Waechter as the two were dancing, and gave her a funny grin.

"What?" she asked, almost self-consciously, blowing a strand of curly blond out from in front of her eyes.

"I was just thinking," Ludwig said, "Now that your last name is Waechter, what are people going to call you? They can't exactly call you 'Tonks' now can they?"

The former Tonks laughed, almost stumbling out of her husband's arms as they danced. She gave him a calculating look, and responded, "Well, I guess I'm just going to have to get used to people calling me Nymphadora...although Auror Waechter does sound pretty good."

"That sounds perfect to me," Ludwig said, leaning in and giving Nymphadora a kiss, "Although you're always going to be 'Dora' to me."

He twirled her around, and surprisingly she didn't trip over her feet. Laughing she leaned into her husband's chest.

"I love you," Nymphadora said to Ludwig, holding him tightly.

"And I love you," Ludwig responded back, holding her just as firmly. Suddenly, Ludwig felt a tug on the sleeve of his dress robe. He looked besides him and saw his two adopted sisters standing there.

"Well, look who we have here," Ludwig said, smiling to Gwen and Stacey.

"Pardon us, lady," the twins said with a smile, "But may we have a dance with our brother?"

"Gladly," Nymphadora said with a laugh, almost pushing Ludwig away with a laugh, "Just don't keep him to long, we have many things we need to do tonight."

The twins laughed as she gave a wink, and pulled Ludwig into a dance.

"Ludwig you lucky boy," Gwen said while her sister laughed.

"And what would you know about what we're going to do?" Ludwig asked, looking slightly worried, and suspicious at the same time.

"Wouldn't you like to know," Stacey replied, while the twins laughed impishly.

"You two are going to be the death of me," Ludwig commented, and then the siblings shared a laugh.

As Ludwig was dancing with his two sisters, he looked over and saw his wife chatting with Patrick. He smiled down at his sisters and looked up at the sky to where he knew that some of the most important people in his life were looking down at him. He had finally found his life, he was finally free.

End.

A/n: And that's the end. Thank you all for sticking with me through the entire story and for all the reviews! They have meant a lot!

From here, I am working on a new story, and I hope to have the first chapter up by the end of June. To get updates, please check out my yahoo!group or my livejournal, both of which you can find links to in my profile.

Once again, thank you for all the reviews and kind words. Adios!