Chapter 27

By dawn's early rays, the Order was ready for the final stand for control of the Magical World. They would die trying to keep it out of Voldemort's hands, all the while hoping their savior would be the one to cast the final blow against the Dark Lord. What they didn't know was that Harry had already made several plans to, not only distract the Dark Lord, but to destroy Voldemort without being the savior. No longer would anyone try to call him The-Boy-Who-Lived or soon The-Boy-Who-Saved-Us-All. Oh no, I couldn't dream of answering their little hopes. They don't deserve having me as their savior. Their punishment for daring to turn their backs on an innocent child, let alone their supposed savior. No longer will I dare to hold that title and silently say 'I shall be your hero.'

"Well, well, Albus Dumbedore. Come to greet your new Master?" Voldemort hissed at his enemy. Red eyes flared in amusement at the sight of his opposing alter egos, The Order of the Phoenix. He truly believed they were pathetic. He hardly doubted that he would have to face Harry Potter, but there was that tiny chance the boy had left the world after they betrayed him and then tried to set him free.

"It ends today, Tom."

"Yes, it does, muggle-lover!"

Albus refused to wait any longer. With a flick of his wrist, bright yellow sparks exploded from his wand, signaling his allies to attack. And attack they did. Curses, spells, and hexes flew in distracting waves, sometimes with deadly precision. Everyone was engaged into full out battle for their lives. And the Order knew it wouldn't be much longer. The Death Eaters had no qualms about the Dark Arts nor sacrificing their own members to destroy the enemy.

But most didn't to take notice that Harry Potter was not in the battle, nor rushing to their aid. Albus Dumbledore was the only one fighting against a surprisingly laughing Voldemort, as well as the one of the two who noticed Harry wasn't among them. "No savior now, Dumbledore! Where is he when you desire him most!"

"He is not of your concern, Tom."

Voldemort cackled in glee. The battle was finally going in his favor. He would win this war and decimate everyone who opposed him. Then the world would be permanently purged of all Muggles and Muggle-borns. Maybe he'd leave the half-bloods alive, permanently unable to bear children. They could make wonderful slaves. But in his arrogance he failed to take notice two sudden arrivals, James and Lily Potter. They had arrived the night before at Fawkes' insistence. There they had been squeezed, held, and cried on by the various Order members. No one could believe that their old Defense Professor had made sure they would live, secreted away from the world until now.

"You lose this time, Dumbledore!"

"Think again, Voldemort!"

"Impossible!" Voldemort knew that voice. He knew it intimately well. He had murdered that voice years ago. Of that he was sure. But there before his wide eyes stood a very healthy, breathing James Potter. And at the irritatingGryffindor Auror's side was the lovely, redheaded, Muggle-born Lilly Evans-Potter. Side by side the two Potters raised their wands in his direction. With defiant precision, they hurled several hexes in his direction, almost seemingly uncaring as to those around them.

Voldemort raged in frustration and anger as he tried to deflect most of the hexes. He was hard pressed to defend himself with three attackers. That provided the distraction from noticing a fourth figure entering the fray. "You took my parents from me! You made them suffer! You tried to destroy my entire family! Not to mention me as well!"

Red eyes widened in surprise to see a determined, shaking Neville Longbottom facing him. Wand held out in a firm grip, Neville remembered what had been told to him. /'Remember that you're a Gryffindor at heart. Just remember these two words when you face Voldemort. Remember the love of your parents and your Gran. Remember the joy of having friends, of making them laugh everytime you got the best of Snape. Remember the fierce determination you had to face up to what you thought was wrong. Just remember 'Mortis Eterno' and all will be well.'/

Neville remembered. He also remembered that the man had said he was Harry Potter and that he wasn't going to be the savior, not this time. He was going to let the world know that they couldn't depend on something called a prophecy. The world was what you made it, not what was forced to be made. "You ruined this world for the last time, Tom Riddle! May the Devil rest your soul!" He raised his wand higher as both Potters and Albus swiftly attacked Voldemort, forcing him to defend himself as well as losing control of his shields. "Mortis Eterno!" A jet of pure white light blew from his wand slamming into Voldemort's chest, in the exact area where his heart might have been.

A scream of pure pain exploded from Voldemort as his body was enveloped in the light. Echoing screams fell from his faithful followers, each clutching their left arms. The same white light that had surrounded Voldemort swiftly flowed through each of his followers. By the waning light, only a selective few of the Death Eaters had survived, those placed by the Order to be spies within the various ranks of the Death Eaters. And the Order rose up in cheers of victory, shouting at Neville for being their savior.

From a hidden niche in the Forbidden Forest, Harry watched. Lord Hades had been the one to explain about that particular curse. It was a way to eradicate the darkest of souls from never returning to human life. But if it was directed by pure love, whether in true love of family or friends, it had the ability to eradicate those who followed the Darkness. Like Severus Snape, he was a faithful follower at one time and then turned spy. The love directed at him would have played judge and jury on his soul. Once it believed him worthy to live, it would simply absorb what tainted Darkness he held, leaving him alive and tatoo free.

Long live The-Savior-Who-Saved-Us-All, Neville Longbottom, Gryffindor extraordinaire and Slytherin's bane. Good job, Nev. Exactly what you needed to truly know what it means to be a Gryffindor and to be who you really are.

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"Albus?"

Albus wearily grinned at his old students. "Lily, James, thank you for returning to us."

Both Potters smiled brightly when Poppy suddenly stumbled out of the fireplace with three wriggling figures. "We wanted nothing more than to return to help. But we promised Shadow that we would wait."

Blue eyes twinkled in delight as he faced three grinning faces. "And who are you, my little ones?" He held out a small glass bowl, "Lemon drop? Cherry Twizzler? Canary Cream?"

Lily laughed, "They're our children, Albus."

"Albus?" The questioning voice suddenly had a body when Harry slipped inside without bothering to knock. "Ah, sorry."

"Shadow?"

Harry tipped his head. "Yes. But you should have already known the truth."

James nodded, "Yes. We know you're our son Harry. We're sorry we couldn't be there nor find a way to make sure Sirius could be there for you."

"I'm sorry you had to live with Petunia. She was never fit to take care of you, let alone have her own child." Lily had unshed tears gleaming in her emerald eyes.

Harry turned away, not wanting to rehash his past. He had time to get over that. His gaze had then fallen onto the curious gazes of three other children, "And you are?"

The littlest one giggled around a mouthful of candy. She pointed a finger at herself, "I'm three. Titania Lillian Potter. Nia for short." Hazel eyes gleamed as her name was spoken in such determination for a young child, who knew she was proud for even knowing her whole name. Her reddish curls bounced around a cherub face as she gladly reached for more candy, smiling cheerfully.

Emerald eyes then faced two identical boys. He wondered if he would have the same problem telling them apart like Fred and George Weasley. "We're six." He blinked, they even had the ability to speak at the same time.

"Warren Evans and Logan Sephlur Potter. Names come from both our family heritages, a few centuries back. Both were quite famous for their fierce political moves. Both troublemakers already, pranksters in the making." Like their sister, they bore hazel eyes. But like Harry, their hair was an unruly mop, though one of them actually had multicolors. "Warren likes to be different, colorful in any way he can."

Harry gave a small smile. But before he could say anything, three figures barreled inside. "Lily! James!"

Severus sneered as he faced the couple, "Lily, Potter." James ignored the man in favor of his friends. Severus turned back to Harry, "Never bothered to return."

"I did." Harry couldn't stop the blush from coming, "You were, uh, busy."

A dark brow raised in amusement, "Really, Potter?"

Remus quickly moved to Harry's side, nuzzling the throat before him. Both Potters' eyes widened a bit. Albus smiled brightly, "Well, I see I have no worries now. We..."

But Remus wouldn't wait. Instead, he dragged a willing mate from the office and down the steps towards the dungeons. Something Harry was relieved for, he still couldn't stand to be in the same room with the mentor that had betrayed him, nor stay with the memories of the same mentor that had trusted him during his time as a Professor. Severus snorted, "Forgive my mate, Albus. Seems he needs to be the dominant one again."

Albus sadly nodded, taking great pains to hide his suffering. He knew he had lost the young man's respect and trust, quite possibly he would never get it back. But he still had hope. And hope was something everyone must be able to look for in the future.

"My son with my friend?" James stuttered a bit after the question, bringing Albus back to reality.

Severus raised a brow before he, too, swept out of the office, snickering at the sputtering of James Potter as Lily gave her last words, "You take care of him Severus Snape. You and Remus or you will find out just how much knowledge I had learned at Professor Shadow's tutelage during those long hours in the library."

And like Albus, Lily was willing to wait. She had waited for years to know what her Defense Professor had hidden from her, even if the answers she had received weren't what she wanted. She had spent years grieving for a child she had left behind, only able to look through memories of her little boy, left behind by a willing Assassin Vulcan. He may have grown into something cold and harsh but she would never fault him for doing what his heart wanted. She decided to do everything in her power to close what terrible gap her little boy had with the world around him, even if it meant building an impenetrable wall to keep him from hurting.

The world has already paid its way in blood, oh ex-Minister of ours. But rest assured, you better hope the world makes you pay in blood. And by all the Gods in The Powers That Be, Petunia, you better hope something tells you to run. Because you will pay in blood as well. Mark my words, one day, one day.