Chapter 1: Defeat means only the beginning

The golden trio moved silently among the fighting forces, their target still unseen. Nagini was the last of the horocrux's they had yet to destroy and unfortunately the most opportune time to kill her had come only during the heavy battle taking place on Hogwarts grounds. Death Eaters and Auror's fought back and forth, bright spells met deadly ends. If it were not for how many magical beings were dying in this fight most people would have found the light show enthralling.

"Fuck!" yelled Ron as he ducked yet another stray curse. "It's like ol' voldi hadn't bothered to teach the DE's how to aim!" he whispered fiercely. Hermione frowned and told him to be quiet forgetting his cussing for the moment.

On their far left, Harry was crouched close to the ground, trying to block out all the noise from the battle on the field. With his training and magic enhancement, blocking out the sounds of fighting and yells of pain was fairly easy. Finally the sound he had been listening for caught his attention. A rushing sound, as if something soft was dragging along the forest floor. Harry stuck his hand out to catch the attention of Ron and Hermione. They become quiet instantly and followed as Harry silently moved towards the noise of the slithering. He paused and motioned them behind a large tree. From their position they could see the large black snake moving slowly along the foliage of the forest. Harry silently thanked whatever God exited out there that the moon was only partially full yet bright. They could easily see Nagini as the rays of silver light struck her black body, leaving a shining gray wave of light on her scales.

Hermione checked her backpack and pulled out a vial of basilisk blood. She shook it a bit in the moon light to gauge how much was left in the tiny glass container. "There is enough left to kill her, but we need to be precise. This is all we have." She told them silently. Harry nodded and Ron took on a determined face when he looked at him.

"Ready Ron?" Harry asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Ron replied, looking only a little uneasy. It was hard to truly see each other's expressions in the darkness, even with random lights from the spells being cast a few yards away. Harry nodded.

"You know what to do. I'll be right behind you." Then Harry moved away to circle around to Nagini's other side. He settled himself in some thick bushes and watched for Ron.

Ron tensed and began to concentrate. Before his magic could take control completely however, Hermione leaned forward and hugged him tightly.

"Don't get bit." She told him firmly, but her eyes shone with unshed tears. She would be strong for now and panic later. At least that was the thought she kept telling herself for the past few days. It had been tough especially when Ron kept having near brushes with random killing curses.

"We've been through too much for any of us to die now. Be careful Ron!"

Ron smiled ruefully and began to change. Ron's animagus form was not altogether surprising to his friends. Protective, loud, and fierce in a fight Ron had always been one for strategy and a type of leadership for the battle field, unlike Harry's leadership which focused on keeping peace rather than using force to gain his way. In place of Ron stood a magnificent golden lion with a bright red-brown mane. The lion shook its head a little, head butted Hermione in the stomach before silently stalking off behind Nagini.

When the snake lifted its head to the danger, it was already too late. The lion pounced, laying a back paw on the bottom half of the large snake while a front paw kept down the wiggling top half. Dodging a dangerous bite, the lion reared back, and stuck light lightning grabbing the snake three inches behind the head with its giant teeth. Harry shot out from the bushes then and grabbed Nagini's head, forcing her jaws to open. He popped the cork out of the vial with his mouth and poured it down her throat. Just as quickly, Harry rolled away.

Nagini twisted and churned on the ground beneath the crushing force of the lion. A few seconds later she began to spasm before falling limp, her red eyes now black in death. To be sure though, the lion stood still for a moment then shook the snake back and forth in its mouth. When no impending bite came to meet the rough treatment, it dropped the snake and rumpled a rough purr at Harry and Hermione, who had stepped out from behind the tree. Ron shifted back and smiled triumphantly before frowning and spitting on the ground.

"Oh gross!" he exclaimed. He continued to spit on the ground while Hermione giggled and Harry smiled. They were both thinking that the red head resembled an angry overgrown house cat trying to dislodge a hairball. When he was finished he glared at them. "You try having a nasty evil thing inside your mouth." He turned his attention to Harry. "Harrrreeeee!" He whined. "Not only did voldie not teach his army to aim, but I bet you they don't bathe either! Nagini tasted like a pair of your old socks!"

"And how would you know what my socks taste like Ron?" Harry said brightly.

"I don't, but if the smell is any determinant…" He grinned when Harry chuckled and Hermione sighed in exasperation. Boys would be boys, even at the most serious of times. A yell brought the trio back to the battle raging behind them. Quickly they ran to the edge of the forest. There they saw the remaining Aurors and some students surrounded in by a circle of Death Eaters, trying to defend themselves. Harry was desperately thinking of a way to help his friends when a chilling laugh erupted from the side of the field.

From the shadows of the Death Eaters walked Voldemort in all his snake-like glory. His red eyes pierced the group of survivors. He smiled evilly, sending chills down the backs of Aurors and Death Eaters alike. Stepping forward he spread his arms wide and looked around at the group.

"Where is your hero now?" He shouted out in glee. "He has left you to die. Just as Dumbledore has left you, leaving your family members to be murdered and your loved ones to die." He cackled gleefully. "You have nothing left." His red eye gleamed with insanity as they pierced the group of the light. The Aurors began to feel more than a little tired, fearing the battle already won. It had been months since the golden trio had left to follow Dumbledore's instructions. They might not even be back yet, much less alive.

"You are wrong Tom." Said a strong voice from the darkness of the forest. Harry and his friends had decided enough was enough. The mission was suicide, but now, with the last Horocrux's gone, they could finally rid the world of Tom Riddle. They stood strongly, Harry between the calm but aggressive Hermione and the defiant and protective Ron. All three faced Voldemort with varying expressions: Hermione with a determined face, but if one looked closely they might be able to see the tiny sparks of courage and fear raging in her brown eyes; Ron wore a mask of anger and had pulled his lips back in a snarl as he looked at the demon who had killed most of his family in cold blood; Harry's expression surprised most of the group though. He looked almost expressionless- Calm, cool, and collected. The only part of his pixie-like face that showed any spark was his eyes. The emerald orbs glowed eerily in the night as they gazed upon Voldemort. Voldemort scowled at them but couldn't help tensing at the almost cool look upon the smaller man's face. Harry tilted his chin up in triumph at Voldemorts temporary lapse in conversation.

"You are wrong Tom." He repeated softly this time, yet Harry's words traveled through the heavy silence that had ascended the battle grounds at their arrival. "I would never abandon those I love. I vowed to protect all that I could." Harry, though small in stature because of years of malnutrition, stood the strongest among the golden trio. "I have changed. I would rather not kill in order to gain that means of protection. But if I must, then by the Gods of the four winds, Tom, I will remove you from this lifetime." Harry was not altogether religious, but he figured if he had to answer to a higher power, he would address the four natural magic's that existed in the world as constant living entities.

Voldemort shook silently in rage as he began to notice that Harry's words were beginning to have an encouraging effect on the small group of light fighters left. He scowled at the Aurors who tensed in reaction but didn't back down or retreat. When he sensed that his demonic demeanor hadn't affected the group like it had moments earlier, Voldemort turned his roiling red eyes back on Harry.

Among the group of fighters, standing in stolen Auror robes in order to protect the school and friends they loved so dearly, Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood watched with mixed emotions as Harry had spoken to Voldemort.

Luna noticed the physical changes first. Harry was still rather small for a seventeen year old male, and although slender, she could sense that he was nothing but muscle under the tight dueling robes he wore. He no longer wore his glasses, probably had Hermione find a spell to fix his eyes Luna noted, and without them his heart-shaped pixe face was more pronounced while his green eyes were allowed to finally magnify the external power he exuded in their glowing spheres. His messy black hair had grown a bit longer, and Luna supposed he had tied most of it back since there seemed to be a sweeping motion from the front of his face to the back of his neck. She couldn't tell how long it had grown while the three had been busy, but if Luna had to take an educated guess, she would had to say at least down to the middle of his shoulder blades. Luna smiled dreamily when she realized her Ravenclaw tendencies were being shoved around her rushing thoughts again. With little effort she pushed the thoughts aside and wondered if Harry knew about the powerful Snarkles that seemed to have grown around him and his friends while they were gone.

Neville on the other hand took in Harry's physical appearance quickly, instead finding himself drawn to the magical power that Harry exuded. It was as if the magic around them was attracted to him in such a way that the waves seemed to want to dominate the smaller man, but Harry's own innate magic pushed at the external magical forces unconsciously, forcing the magic to bow to his strong will. Neville wondered for a moment if Harry had learned to control the magic on purpose, or if his hard journey had unconsciously trained him into controlling the wild magic that swarmed around him. If Neville hadn't been able to sense the magic around Harry then he would have automatically known about it anyways once he had seen his friend's eyes. The emerald orbs exuded a power that reflected the intense training he had gone through in order to complete his task of finding and destroying all of Tom's Horocrux's. Neville looked at his friend's power and shook a little in anticipation. For some reason Neville understood that the next few moments were going to be the most eye catching and memorable moments in Hogwarts history.

Both Luna and Neville caught each other's eye and smiled. Harry had come. Harry had not given up. Harry was here to support and defend his home, friends, and loved ones. It had been a long and hard journey, fighting not only the Death Eaters but the Ministry as well, surviving and growing stronger in the deaths of the people close to them, and now they all faced the demon that had plagued the magical world for the past three decades.

Harry stared back at Voldemort defiantly. He was not going to lose. Not after the death of Sirius, Remus, and so many others. He was going to destroy Voldemort, but not in revenge. Not for the fact that the snake-like man before him had almost destroyed everything he loved, had taken away from him a life of love with his parents and godfathers. No, Harry had learned the lessons of love and support in the dangers his friends and he had faced while collecting the torn pieces of souls that Tom had hidden away. Harry was going to destroy Tom Riddle once and for all, and for all of the right reasons. He was going to kill in order to protect, even if it meant sacrificing himself. Harry had some fights with Ron and Hermione over his decision to go one on one with Tom, but in the end they had sighed and looked at him with sad eyes. They were with him to the very end, no matter what his decision. Like true Gryffindor lions, they would protect their pride and stand by their leader.

Voldemort narrowed his eyes at the Potter child in anger. What an annoyance he thought. The Potter brat probably believed he could defeat him. Voldemort gave Harry a devilish smile. The brat had no clue about his backup plan. A dangerous plan and one that might drain him of most of his remaining magic, but Voldemort was at the end of his sanity. His one obsessive thought was simple and clean cut: kill Harry Potter.

"You think you can defeat me boy?! I'll take you and your entire Order down, even if I have to waste all the magic surrounding the castle!" He hissed at Harry. Harry narrowed his eyes and frowned a bit, the only facial expression he had made during the entire fiasco.

Without a second thought Voldemort raised his wand and shot of a volley of spells at the trio. Ron and Hermione dodged aside, but Harry stood still, raising his wand quickly to perform a shielding spell. The innate magic in him created the translucent shield but the wild magic that bent to his sheer power and will, fortified it, making the original invisible protego shielding spell an opaque color, like the inside of a white sea shell. It shimmered with rainbow waves each time a new spell was cast. Harry concentrated more of his power into the shield and managed to raise it from the ground so as when Voldemort began to circle around for an opening, Harry could easily circle with him, deftly keeping the shield between them. He was still looking for an opening and devising a plan.

Harry's eyes glowered at Voldemort as he dodged the killing curse. No matter how strong the shield, the killing curse could always shatter them. Voldemort cackled in glee, sending off a cutting curse. Harry was a bit slower in his reaction time and found himself with a small gash running from his calcaneous bone to mid-calf on his right leg. He hissed and clenched his teeth, but otherwise ignored the pain that the wound radiated.

"See Potter? Just as weak as ever. Just because you disappear for a few months for some 'training' doesn't mean you can defeat me. I've been fighting much longer that you have Harry," Harry winced at the sharp drawl Voldemort had adopted when saying his first name. "And my experience automatically makes me the better candidate for the winner." Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Voldemort had taken to gloating like Draco had take to hair gel back in first year. The resemblance between their mouths was almost enough to make him snicker, but the seriousness of the situation denied him the chance. Instead he was once again quickly dodging yet another killing curse.

The audience watching the two duelers avidly watched each and every move. Some of the Death Eaters were smirking and cajoling Harry and others were cheering on the Dark Lord. Ron had to forcibly hold back Hermione when Harry had been struck by the cutting curse. The urge to run and heal him had been so strong, that she actually had tears in her eyes. She felt so hopeless not being able to help her friend, but Harry had been right. By engaging in a one on one duel with Voldemort, the Dark Lords followers had been too intent on watching the battle, while the trapped Auror's were able to silently disappear from their position one by one, back into the dark forest for a clean get away.

Neville and Luna had been watching just as closely, watching with pride and growing joy as Harry deftly continued to dodge each of Voldemort's spells. Neville noticed the power that Harry exuded. When he was unable to dodge a spell completely the wild magic around him would rise up and deflect it in another direction. Each time this happened Harry's eyes flashed a brighter green for only a few seconds. Too short for Voldemort to ever truly see happen. Neville had never seen a Wizard such as Harry. Harry must have been a natural at controlling magic. The invisible lines of power weaved around the man in loving caresses, flexing outward to perform even the slightest task that Harry pushed it to do.

Luna on the other hand recognized Harry's strategy. She continued to eye the Snarkles and Chifacks that constantly hovered around the boy, giving him bursts of magic every now and then. Silently Luna was impressed. Both creatures were doing things outside of their natural tendencies. She continued her dreamy smile and waved at a passing Wetheby that had come to watch the Snarkles. Natural enemies at heart, Wetheby's and Snarkles shared no love at all…woops! Getting off track again, Luna thought to herself. She returned her gaze to the battle, silently adding her own natural magic for Harry to use.

When Harry noticed that the Death Eaters had broken to gather closer to the fight, he smiled. Their stupidity had allowed the remaining Auror's to leave unscathed. With a feral smile Harry glanced back at Tom and lifted his wand. "INCENDIO!" Voldemort dodged at the last second, a little surprised that Harry had fired off a spell at all, since the boy had only been dodging and blocking his spells from the beginning.

"That was not overtly helpful for your friends Mr. Potter." Voldemort gave his Death Eaters a look and command all in one. His followers jumped to attention and turned back to the group of light fighters…only to find that they were no longer where they had left them.

When Voldemort had realized what had happened he turned his full rage on Harry.

"POTTER!" He screamed in outrage and fury. He began casting Crucios and Avada Kedava's left and right. Now the Death Eaters were trying to avoid being cursed or killed as well. Harry rolled aside and behind a tree raising his wand as he did so.

"Accio Sword of Gryffindor!" A few seconds later the sharp sword sailed through the air near inches from Harry's face, and with quick seeker reflexes he grabbed the handle easily. The smooth round metal fitted easily to his hand. Shifting his wand to his left hand, he moved from behind the tree and blocked a curse with his sword. It was a nifty trick he had learned while practicing a mock duel with Ron one night. The sword repelled almost every spell except for the killing curse. Avada Kedava just seemed to break every shield spell or pass through certain objects. The few objects it could not pass through were gold, copper, rock, and thick trees. At least those were the only a few of the items they had tested on before the mission took them all by storm. Harry muttered another shielding spell and closed his eyes, he pushed a bit of the wild magic around him and into the ground.

Responding in kind to his call, the magic erupted from the ground with a large piece of granite stone. Protecting Harry from any killing curses, the stone did hinder his vision of where Voldemort might attack next within the next few seconds. With a bit of blind luck and a prayer to whatever God or Gods existed he used the wild magic wandlessly forcing the stone to shoot forward to where he suspected Voldemort would be. Voldemort quickly used a demolishing spell on the oncoming stone wall.

Harry smiled in triumph and followed right after the stone quickly, using Voldemort's insanity and confusion with the rushing stone as a pivoting point for the war. Death Eaters and Auror's watched alike in horror and fascination, almost in slow motion, as the famed sword of Gryffindor stabbed Voldemort through the chest, and slicing upwards. Voldemort turned wide, shocked eyes on Harry. Harry Stepped back, pulling the sword from Voldemort's chest.

"But…h-how?" Voldemort asked, blood beginning to run from the corner of his mouth.

Harry, panting and sweaty from dodging spells for the past hour and a half gave Voldemort a grim look.

"We were not just training Tom. We discovered and destroyed all of your horocrux's as well. Your soul has been collected and released." Harry took a step back and watched as Voldemort began to slump to the ground, blood rushing from the gash in his chest. "The other world awaits you Tom. I have done as I promised. I have protected those I loved, and with their love I have survived and lived. Your wickedness passes this day." Harry turned and began to walk back towards Hermione and Ron.

Behind him Voldemort placed one hand on the ground and coughed up more blood.

"N-not with…out y-you." He snarled and raised his wand. Hermione, who had been able to see both Voldemort and Harry screamed out for her friend. The bright green light left the end of Voldemort's wand just has he fell to the ground dead from blood loss. Harry was unable to dodge in time, too tired from the fight and the war in general. He managed to move a bit, but the curse caught him on his upper left arm. The green glow surrounded his body and sent it lifeless to the ground below. Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived, the chosen one, the prophesy child, had fulfilled his destiny and in return lost his own life. Around the Auror's Death Eaters were screaming in pain as the connection to their lord began to cut off their lives or destroy their magic. But Hermione had only eyes for the body on the ground. Ron had no such reservations and rushed forward towards his friend, screaming at the top of his lungs. The bushy haired girl sank to her knees and cried silently, still trying to absorb the fact that Harry had just died.

The shock could only cover so much of her emotions and already there was a large hole being created in her heart. A hole that ached with the pang of loss. It was with this feeling that she finally collapsed on the forest floor in a faint.

Luna and Neville rushed forward after Ron. Alongside them ran another student and fighter, Cho Chang. Luna had watched Voldemort commit that one last bit of violence with horror-struck eyes. She had been the first to move, running before she even realized it. Neville stumbled after her, his own body weak with emptiness after watching Harry fall forward dead. Cho had been another issue altogether. She and Harry had determined that they were not meant for each other the year before, but they had still been close friends till the end. She could not believe that Harry, the most powerful wizard she had ever met other than Dumbledore, had fallen to a curse that he had managed to avoid all day.

Together, they knelt on the ground next to Ron as he rocked Harry's body back and forth. Pain filled eyes moved over their faces before bending back over Harry's prone body. The war had been won, but they had lost something so precious that it felt as if they had been the ones to face defeat.