The air was charged with energy, tense and electric. Sirius had brought the cavalry and an all out war zone broke out in the Ministry. Harry and Sirius stood side by side taking on Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange. Hexes, spells, and Death Eaters were whizzing through the air with counter-spells and Order members hot on their tails. Then it happened all in slow motion. A sickly green light lit up the tip of Bellatrix's wand and Harry watched in silent shock as it hit Sirius square in the middle of his chest. Behind him, the mist filled archway reached out to Harry's godfather, and in a matter of moments Sirius was gone.

Vanished, like an early morning fog.

There was no trace left to be seen of Sirius, and everything grew silent and distant. Harry was left standing, silent and staring. This wasn't how it was supposed to end. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. He and Sirius were supposed to be happy, moved in together, both of them free from their respective bonds and far from the maddening crowd of society. So, this wasn't... Not... And Gods, it was Harry's fault. If he hadn't chased after the false vision Voldemort had given him, Sirius would still be safe, alive, and back in Grimmauld Place.

Without Harry's permission, his body lunged forward only to be held back by thin arms that shouldn't have the right to be as strong as they were. Lupin was speaking into Harry's hair and his ears. Both of them were crying and Harry was screaming, not hearing anything that Lupin was telling him. All Harry wanted was to wreak havoc and get his desired revenge.

As Bellatrix escaped through the far door, Harry went limp in Lupin's arms. She wasn't going to get away with this, no way in hell. She was going to pay. A hot ember in Harry's core began to warm, setting everything close to it on fire. When Lupin's arms relaxed, Harry tore away and put every drop of energy and magic into his feet to chase her down.

Ahead of him, he could her mad cackle of laughter echoing off the walls, ripping through everything it touched. The fire pooled and grew brighter. He raised his wand when he saw her black messy hair appear in front of him.

One heartbeat.

Two heartbeats. He was gaining on her.

Three heartbeats. The fire flared and the tip of his fingers and wand were glowing dimly.

Four heartbeats. He took a steely breath and aimed his wand.

"Crucio!" Bellatrix let out a surprised sound that was a mix between a scream and a gasp. Her body crumpled to the floor. Harry didn't feel any pity, Harry didn't feel anything. Just the fire that was pooling through his veins, setting a rampant fire in his core. He stood over her, watching her gasp in pain and laughing. Harry wanted nothing more than to hurt her again. He had raised his wand when Dumbledore arrived, followed closely by Voldemort himself.

Everything after that was a violent blur, Dumbledore and Voldemort battled. Fire and water clashed in the main hall of the Ministry, Harry was still trying to keep Bellatrix in his sights but at some point she vanished through a fireplace and was gone in a flash of green flames. After that, Harry found himself under the possession of Voldemort.

Violent flashes of his life, memories, and feelings were being torn through and ripped apart with almost painful intensity. But no matter what Voldemort brought forth in Harry's mind, he couldn't touch the blazing fire. Soon, the memories and the feeling were burning around the edges making everything inside too hot to touch and be around. The crackling fire drowned out everything and rendered it all to ash and dust. Voldemort had to shield himself from the raging firestorm and soon Harry was able to push him out once he was at the edge of Harry's psyche.

Hermione and Ron rushed into the main chamber just as Fudge and the Aurors appeared. Voldemort made eye contact with them all and vanished with a loud crack in the air. Harry was left panting on the floor, dust, glass, and rubble surrounded him. Dumbledore appeared over him and helped him up, Harry still felt hot to the touch and fire hadn't died out under his skin.

"Harry, my boy, we must get you back to the Castle." Harry couldn't speak, couldn't move. Bellatrix had gotten away, and Sirius was still dead. What was he supposed to do now? What would Sirius do in this moment?

The bright flashes of the reporter cameras made everything in Harry's head hurt. Too many voices asking questions, too many people pressing too close. A spark flickered in Harry's hand and anyone who saw stood back but they still pressed their questions about what happened here. Dumbledore tried to pacify them, promising a press conference as soon as he was able. It seemed to work but some still wanted to get answers out of Harry, who seemed in a catatonic state and barely responsive. Harry just wanted it all to be a nightmare that he was going to wake from and he would floo Sirius when it was all over. But the fire in his skin was too bright, too new for it to be something his subconscious to just bring up. This was all way too real and raw to be just another nightmare.

Once Harry and the Headmaster returned to his office, Harry almost sagged against the older man. In matter of hours, Harry had lost everything short of his friends. But even then he had put them in grave danger and could have gotten them killed. Like Sirius. Sirius was dead because of him. Harry walked to the center of the large office, intent on leaving, to just wallow in his own anger and wait for the fire to fade to embers until it could be smothered out.

He was just to the door when Dumbledore's voice echoed through the walls and the ceilings to Harry. "No matter what you may think Harry, it wasn't your fault." Something in Harry's core snapped and the fire burst into life as if the Headmaster had poured a gasoline into the already raging firestorm. Next to Harry, silver instruments and other items twinkled at Harry almost mockingly. With a burst of fire and anger, the instruments went flying into several different directions. They clattered and shattered in an almost satisfying way. Without thinking, Harry swung his other arm out and smashed it into more of the little figurines and whatever else the Headmaster had collected. They too made the same satisfying clatter and the sounds of shattering porcelain and glass filled the office.

Harry's fingertips were turning a dark color, cracks appeared in his skin as fire sparked to life in the darkness of Dumbledore's office. Harry didn't notice, he was too busy destroying anything he could reach and breaking anything that was able to be thrown and shattered. The Headmaster never made a move to stop him, just kept telling Harry he didn't need these things and that he could easily replace it all. It just fueled Harry's anger further, the Headmaster's nonchalance and his wayward attitude. What did he fucking know?! Not a goddamn thing!

Next to Harry was a wooden table, once it had been covered in glittering collectibles. But now, now it was barren and the thought burned Harry's insides even more. He grabbed the edges of it, intending to flipping it over. But instead the wood whooshed alive with angry, crackling flames. Harry stared at the fire, almost content to see something that physically represented what he felt inside. Dumbledore approached Harry slowly and put a hand on the younger man's shoulder. Harry crumbled and sobbed into his hands that were back to normal. No evidence of the burnt skin that cracked with sparks of flames. He was just a normal child that lost a loved one. They neither spoke nor moved when the table was reduced to ash and dust. Much like Harry's insides.

This was the first incident.

A Year later, almost to the day Harry lost Sirius, he found himself in the middle of nowhere on a rock in a churning sea. Ahead of him was a cave in the side of a cliff face. Dumbledore was next to him as they made their way in. The cave made Harry's skin prickle with magic, it was an uncomfortable feeling to say the least. Wind gusted over Harry's shoulder as if it was trying to keep the darker energy from caressing Harry's magical core. It seemed to work, much to Harry's inner delight. The gentle breeze kept whatever lurked in the cave away, a barrier against the cold darkness.

But, obtaining the locket was no simple feat. Harry was drug underwater by a creature he wasn't sure could be found in any of Hermione's pile of textbooks. They piled on him, dragging him further down to the murky depths below. Above the water's surface, a fire was burning. The creature's were sent running in every direction, unused to being exposed to the light. Harry fought to the surface and inhaled life giving air. Dumbledore had his wand brandished and a rampant, but controlled, fire was burning the darkness. The breeze returned but it was warmed to the touch from the Headmaster's own spell. Harry reached out to touch the man.

"Professor, I have the locket so we can leave." Harry yelled over the roar and heat of the fire. Dumbledore nodded and he grabbed Harry's arm. The feeling of Apparition is always an uncomfortable one. The tug at Harry's navel was almost painful this time. The swirl of colors was almost sickening. When solid ground appeared under Harry's feet again, he nearly fell forward onto his face. Behind him, Dumbledore crumpled into a heap.

"Headmaster!" Harry knelt next to the man.

"Get Severus." his voice was tight and weak. Now doubt from whatever that poison had been keeping the locket under guard. Harry swallowed hard and when he moved to do as the Headmaster said a familiar mad cackle had traveled up the tower's stairwell. Fire blazed under Harry's skin.

"Harry, you must hide. Quickly boy." Dumbledore pushed himself to his feet with a power the man seemed to lack. Harry stared at him for a long moment. "Harry, do as I say. No matter what happens, you mustn't make a sound. Please Harry, trust me." Harry nodded and disappeared to the floor beneath Dumbledore just as Draco and a small group of Death Eaters entered the room. Harry watched in tense silence as Draco held a wand against Dumbledore and disarmed him.

Bellatrix eventually grew tired of just watching Draco battle himself. She draped herself over Draco's shoulder and was whispering into his ear, trying to convince him that killing Dumbledore will bring back his family honor and grace. Draco was slowly beginning to lower his wand when Snape strode onto the scene.

"Severus, the boy can't do it." Bellatrix snapped at the Potions Professor. "He's just like his father, weak and cowardly." Harry tried to hold the fires in place. It would do no good here, not like this.

"Severus, please." It was a plea from Dumbledore. His blackened hand was gesturing to the Professor. Harry lurched when Snape drew his wand. "Please." that plea again. Snape's face was almost unreadable, but the way his eyes and mouth twisted, he seemed pained almost.

"Forgive me." it was barely audible over the night breeze. "Avada Kedavra." a green light filled the thick darkness and it spiraled towards Dumbledore. The older male was thrown over the railing of the Astronomy Tower. Harry cried out and a wild wind whipped around him. The Death Eaters laughed and Bellatrix sent the Dark Mark into the sky. The wind suddenly increased and they had to flee from the room or risk getting thrown over the railings as well. Harry raced to the balcony and found that the wind was carefully setting Dumbledore to the ground below.

In his rage, the fire rose and it was almost as if Harry became his own source of light. He raced after Snape and the other Death Eaters. Harry screamed after the black clad man, his wand brandished for a fight. The wind shot passed Harry's shoulders and caught Snape's cloak. Behind him, Hagrid's hut was burning, casting the perfect lighting for this confrontation. Snape turned as Harry threw a wordless curse his way. Snape almost didn't manage to counter it, but he did. Hexes and spells whizzed between them. Bellatrix had once again managed to escape, so she would wait another day. Right now, Snape was the object of Harry's rage and betrayal.

"He trusted you! He trusted you and you killed him! You killed him you traitorous bastard! Murderer!" Harry screamed at the figure in front of him. Snape never replied, there were no scathing sarcastic remarks on the battlefield this night. A strong wind whipped around them, Snape threw an arm up to prevent any dust or debris getting in his eyes. Harry was panting and the wind pulsed against him. He crumpled when Snape countered another hex and Harry was too slow to block it. Harry's back hit the ground hard and the wind slowed to a disturbingly soft breeze. Snape could have finished Harry right then and there but instead he had just simply walked away. Harry watched his shadowy figure vanish, too tired and ragged to chase after him again.

That was the second incident.

The Malfoy's Manor was a constant waking nightmare. Harry and Ron were thrown into a cell while Bellatrix kept Hermione upstairs, separated and alone. They had found Luna and Ollivander as well as a missing goblin, Griphook. Ron paced, muttering angry and bitter words, no matter what he had tried on the cell door he couldn't get it opened. Suddenly above them they heard Hermione scream in terror and pain. Harry hissed out a curse in Parseltongue. Everyone stared at him in shock before Hermione screamed again.

"Dammit! There's nothing we can do!" Ron kicked the cell door in rage. Harry turned on his heel then felt a sharp pain like a knife shoot through his ankle. He knelt down and pulled free a fragment of a mirror that Sirius had given him. He tilted it and saw someone's face.

"Please, help us." he muttered to the mirror. Then the face was gone. He sighed in disappointment as the cell grew lighter and there was a soft crack. They all turned to see Dobby looking around then he grinned when he saw Harry.

"Harry Potter, sir! Dobby was hoping to see you again!" Harry hugged the little elf to his chest in relief.

"Dobby, you must listen to me." the elf nodded vigorously. "We need to get out of this cell but first, you must take Luna, Ollivander, and Griphook to a safe place." Dobby turned and saw Luna approaching.

"If it wouldn't be too much trouble sir." she smiled softly.

"Oh I like her." Dobby giggled before grabbing her hand as well as Ollivander and Griphook. With a soft crack they were gone and above them Hermione screamed again. The fire that Harry had come to know and familiarize himself with flared to life. He sighed a small breath of relief. He would need this fire for the coming battle. Ron was watching him closely.

"Something has changed about you Harry." he muttered.

"How so?" Harry tilted his head at his best friend.

"You," he paused for a moment then spoke again. "You almost seem to glow." Harry glanced down at his hands to see, that he was slightly glowing. before either of them could comment further, Peter Pettigrew was tumbling down the stairs and Dobby wasn't far behind. He unlocked the cell door and Ron was the first one sprinting up the stairs followed closely by Harry and Dobby.

Hermione was lying on the floor, tears streaming down her face. As Harry got closer he could see why. Into her arm was carved the words: "Mud-blood". Fire sparked from Harry's fingertips and Bellatrix was laughing.

"Well, looky here at these pretty babies. The Dark Lord would love to see you." she pointed at Harry. "Summon him!" she snapped at Lucius. He almost seemed sick at the mere thought of summoning the Dark Lord. When he tugged up his sleeve, Harry understood why. They would summon him through the mark, which was without a doubt, painful. Ron shot a hex at the man, and Bellatrix retaliated. Soon they had hexes and spells flying all over the place. Parts of the Malfoy Manor were caught in the crossfire. Debris and rubble soon were scattered all around them.

Dobby disarmed Narcissa Malfoy and caught her wand. Bellatrix screeched in outrage. "How dare you defy your masters!"

"Dobby is a free elf!" Harry shot a hex at Bellatrix, fully intending on hurting the woman. Beneath his feet, the floor split as a vine broke through the tile and pulled the chandelier down. Bellatrix had to scramble out of the way, completely in shock. Harry grabbed Hermione and raced to Dobby who was beginning to Apparate them away. No one saw the dagger Bellatrix threw behind him or knew that it was caught up with them.

When they all landed, water brushed Harry's finger tips and hair. They ended up on a beach that Harry couldn't recognize. Hermione was crying and Ron was holding her close. A weak voice called out to Harry as he was standing. Dobby was hunched over and holding the hilt of the knife that was sticking out of his small chest.

"Dobby! No!" Harry caught the house elf and held him close.

"Dobby is happy to be surrounded by his closest friends. Dobby... Thanks you Harry... for being Dobby's... friend." Harry just held the elf as the light faded from his large green eyes. Luna reached down and closed his eyes.

"There, now it looks like he's sleeping." Luna knelled by Harry and put her head on his shoulder. "We should bury him, it's the polite thing to do." she muttered so only Harry could hear. He nodded as he stifled his broken sobs.

How many more people would die before this war was finally over? How many lives have already been ruined by Voldemort and himself? How many more will it take? Harry stared at the elf and for a small moment, he saw Sirius. He saw all the people who had died and given up so much for him to get this far.

Harry stood and walked away from the others. He had spotted a small clearing at the top of a sand dune that overlooked the whole beach. As Harry reached the top he knew it was the perfect place. It was a breathtaking view, the way the wind breezed by, the sound of the waves crashing the waves, the heat of the sun. To say it was perfect would be an understatement.

As Harry started to dig, the earth just gave way to his hands. Tears streamed down his face, as he spoke to Dobby. Telling him what the view looked like. Everything he saw, everything he heard. But one thing that stayed constant was the words: "I'm sorry." he repeated them whenever he couldn't or didn't have anything new to say.

Soon, Harry had made a decent hole. Carefully, he placed Dobby inside like a mother would place their child into a crib. He pushed the dirt back into place and placed any stones he could find to cover the grave. The breeze that whispered by wasn't a comfort, not today anyway. Once Harry was finished, he fell to his knees and cried. He placed his hands on the ground and lush green grass and bright colored flowers sprouted from the ground. Lilies, tulips, and daisies bloomed into the warm breeze. Harry sighed brokenly, he wished he knew how he was doing these things and what they meant. It started when Sirius died, and it only ever happened when he was in danger or in extreme emotional distress.

A hand gripped his shoulders, they were small and soft. "Does it matter how you do it Harry?" Luna's voice was quiet and gentle. "It's a part of you and that's all that should matter." Harry raised his head to see a storm brewing out farther to sea.

"There's a storm coming." he spoke lamely. He didn't know how to reply to Luna's comment. Luna hugged him from behind and it took him a while to notice that she was crying, too.

This was the third occurrence.

The silence of the Boat House was unnerving. There was a thickness in the air that Harry had never experienced before. Hermione kept close to his side, and Ron at his back. Someone was speaking suddenly.

"Severus, you have been loyal to me, have you not?" Voldemort's voice was soft and slow. Harry would recognize it's cadence anywhere.

"Of course my Lord." Snape's voice was silky and smooth. It didn't betray the uneasiness Harry was sure the man was feeling. Through the fogged glass, Voldemort and Snape were facing each other, the snake not trailing that far behind. It's tongue flickered out every now and then. Snape was facing the water as Voldemort paced beside him. The soft lapping of it was a lull of calmness. Harry felt a twinge in his core. He knew what was coming now. He knew what this feeling meant. But it wasn't as strong as the others yet. But the time was coming soon.

"Then explain to me why I do not have the boy or the Elder Wand yet, Severus." a tightness fell on Harry's chest. A kind of fear that he had yet to experience. Harry crouched by the entrance, it wouldn't do any of them any good if they were spotted now.

"My Lord?" Snape seemed to be genuinely confused now.

"You have something I need, Severus. Something I need to put an end to the Potter boy." Voldemort's voice grew colder, harder. Snape turned to face him and Harry watched as Nagini lunged at Snape's neck. Blood sprayed over the wood and water and Snape's body thumped to the ground. Voldemort let out a sigh and the crack of Apparition meant he was gone. Harry looked around the door and let out a soft, sad sound. The water rippled in response but he could ignore it for now.

Harry picked up Snape's head at an angle and clasped the wound on his neck with his hand. Snape was blinking sluggishly at Harry who was staring down at him in horror. Another life soon to be lost in the name of a war that could have ended so much sooner than this. Silver colored liquid started to fall from Snape's eyes.

"Take them," he muttered. Hermione pulled a crystal vial out of her bag and held it to Snape's cheeks, catching the silver liquid.

"Harry, these are his memories." she whispered in awe. Harry stared at the man, his fingers were getting slick with blood.

"I'm not going to lose him, Hermione." Harry snapped and the water rippled in irritation. Hermione's gaze flickered from Harry to the water and back. The smile that tugged her lips was an understanding one.

"Ron and I will stay here, keep him breathing and try to stave off the bleeding. You on the other hand need to watch these memories. There is a reason he gave them to you." She moved Harry aside and placed her hand where Harry's was and held the head at the same angle Harry was. "Go, quickly." she snapped and Harry gave Snape a withering look before rushing off to the Headmaster's office.

The office wasn't all that different than when Harry last saw it. It just lacked an aura that spoke Dumbledore. The energy was much different, it was inherently Snape's aura. In a strange way, it was calming. Pulling the Pensieve out of its hiding place Harry poured the memories into the molten silver liquid. He took a deep breath and placed his face into its cool waters.

A young Lily Evans was playing with leaves, watching as it made a butterfly and glided off her hand. Behind her a young Petunia was yelling at her.

"You're a freak Lily!" she hadn't changed at all. A young Severus was watching from a nearby tree.

"She's wrong you know," his voice was different. Younger. "You're not a freak. You're gifted with magic."

"Magic?" Lily was interested and curious.

"You're a witch. I have it too, I'm a wizard." Lily smiled at the boy.

"What's your name?"

"Severus Snape, what's your name?"

"Lily Evans."

The water rippled much later. Snape was still young but he was much older than the previous memory.
"You're quite certain that this is the prophecy?" Voldemort asked.

"Yes my Lord, I brought it to you just as you asked. But I have a request from my Lord." Voldemort said nothing but stared at Snape to continue.

"I ask you to spare her." Voldemort didn't reply, he simply left. Snape was left alone on the cliff. Dumbledore approached.

"Severus?"

"Albus, I fear I have made a grave mistake. I beg of you to hide her, keep her safe."

"Only if you do something for Severus."

"Anything!" Snape was desperate.

"You must spy on Voldemort, from this moment on, you work for the Light."

The water lurched and Snape was walking through a house. Everything was in shambles, pictures were shattered on the wall and on the floor. On the staircase laid the still form of James Potter. The hallway hadn't fared any better from the struggle. A child was screaming and crying and as Snape turned he had to brace himself against the door. Lily Potter was dead, sprawled on the floor in front of her child's crib. A baby Harry was red in the face and voice was nearly hoarse from the screaming and crying. Snape slowly walked to his best friend and knelt down to hold her head and sobbed brokenly with the child.

The water sloshed and Snape and Dumbledore were sitting in the office. Dumbledore's hand was blackened by the ring, and Snape was inspecting it with charms and diagnostic spells.

"Your situation is grave Albus. I can stave off the poisoning, but only temporarily. It will eventually kill you Albus."

"How much time do we have Severus?"

"Months, maybe if the potions take."

"I know the Dark Lord has asked the Malfoy boy to kill me." Dumbledore's voice is soft in the darkened office.

"Albus..." Snape's voice is soft, resigned. As if he knows what's going to come.

"I want you to do it, Severus. The boy shouldn't know what it's like to take a life. So, I want you to be the one Severus who kills me."

"And the boy? Albus, what is to become of Harry?" Harry almost jerks at the sound of Snape's voice saying his name.

"He must die, Severus. He is a piece of the Dark Lord that needs to be destroyed." Snape explodes.

"After all this time, all his trials and you send him to the Dark Lord as a pig for slaughter! Finally made him the soldier you wanted and needed and you sent him to die on the battlefield in your name! Albus, the boy is so much more than that!"

"Don't tell me that after all this time you have finally come to care for the boy!" Snape drew his wand and a doe Patronus flutters about the room before vanishing.

"How long?"

"Always."

Harry pulls away with a broken gasp. So, this was the Headmaster's grand plan. This was how he had planned to win the war against Voldemort. A pig to the slaughter indeed. Harry rubbed his scar and sighed. Everything about Snape, he had gotten wrong. Snape was a man who made the wrong choices, but he had more than paid his dues by now. Harry turned on his heels and ran back to the boat house. There was still a chance to save him!

"Harry, his breathing has gotten shallow. He has lost a lot of blood, mate." Ron had rushed out to meet him. Harry jogged in to see Hermione speaking to Snape. Telling him to hang on and that help was coming. Blood covered her hands and she was shaking. Harry took over and she slumped against Ron thankful for Harry's quick return.

"I watched the memories sir." Harry began speaking. "You... Of all the things I could have called you, and I chose Traitor and Murderer." Harry leaned over the man, the water was lapping loudly against the docks, eager, waiting to be called. "You deserve the title of hero, more than I do at this point. I need you to fight sir. I don't want to face the aftermath of this war without you. Snape..." Harry paused, almost choking on tears. "Severus, please.'' The water was rising closer now. Eyes were peeking out from under the wake. His magical core tugged at the surf of the lake. It answered in gentle, slow swells. It wiped the trails of blood from the wood and it inched closer to the duo. A mermaid was gliding closer, a glowing chalice in its hands.

"Water mage," it's voice was raspy and unfamiliar. "The water has heard your call, and we the merfolk have come to answer the call to give voice to the water." It held out a goblet.

"This is the most sacred of our treasures, the source of our culture, and beliefs. We have waited until the call of the Water Mage to use it. You have called and the time has come." It laid the chalice on the dock. Harry grabbed it and held it close to his chest.

"If you truly want this man to live, the water will be your guide." and like a ghost, the merfolk were gone, ducked in the swells that were tugged by Harry's magical core. Harry scooped up the water into the snail shell and poured it over the wounds. The water spilled over Snape's neck and formed almost a webbing, sealing the wound from bleeding further. Harry did it again and more webbing appeared. And the more water Harry poured onto the wounds, the more a thick viscous fluid leaked out. The water welled up over the docks and swept the vile liquid out away from the docks. The chalice lost some of its purifying light, but it still had a use, Harry could feel that from the way it hummed in his hand. Snape's neck wounds were sealed, but only for a time.

"Take him to Madame Pomfrey. I still have something I need to do." Harry ran wet fingers through Snape's hair. At least he could walk away from this, knowing he save one person's life.

Coming back to life however; had not been a part of Harry's plan. Meeting Dumbledore in what looked like King's Cross Station should have told him otherwise if he was being honest. Narcissa bent over him, quietly asking, "Is Draco still alive?" Harry ever so slightly nodded. She sighed and she glance over her shoulder to say in a shocked voice.

"He's dead." When this was all over, Harry was going to send her a bouquet of roses or whatever kind of flower she liked. Hagrid had been the one to carry Harry's body back to the Castle. Voldemort gave a grand speech on how Harry's death would mean he would rule and that he would spare anyone who swore fealty to him. Harry avoided rolling his eyes to prevent this plan getting screwed before it even had a chance of getting off the ground.

Neville had been one to step forward but it quickly turned into events that would give Harry an upper hand. The sword was pulled free from the Sorting Hat and Harry lunged himself out of Hagrid's arms and stood on his feet. A stunned silence filled the court before there were cheers and the disappearing Death Eaters that finally realized just how screwed their leader was. Voldemort screamed in rage and Nagini struck out at Harry. Harry jinxed the creature, barely stunning it, but it was still enough for Harry to make a run for it.

He caught up with Ron and Hermione. "We need to get get rid of the fucking snake." Harry was out of breath, but he still had enough energy and strength for this. This one final battle.

"How do you plan to do that then?" Ron replied, equally out of breath.

"Grab a fang from the Basilisk and use that, or use the sword." Harry sighed and looked around. "I'm gonna try and distract Voldemort so that's one less thing you need to worry about." Harry sprinted in a direction and Ron and Hermione made for the Chamber entrance.

Harry managed to get Voldemort into one of the top floors. They fought and spat out spells one after another. It was complete chaos between them and the Order fighting the Death Eaters. Pulling his magical core, the wind breezed into the room. Harry grabbed Voldemort.

"Let's end this how we started this Tom. Together." and Harry hurled them both out of a window. Using the wind as he guides Voldemort, they both crash landed back into the main court of Hogwarts. Grabbing their wands, the both summoned a spell. Red and green collided and they made a solid string with a golden bead in the middle. They both pressed and the bead barely moved either way.

Suddenly, the string broke and Voldemort was stunned for only a brief moment. Something in Harry told him the snake was dead, and he raised his wand again. Voldemort followed and they were once again connected with the golden bead in the middle. It quickly became a battle of will and the desire to see this through.

Harry felt the fire in his core, the wind over his shoulder, the earth beneath his feet, and the water of the lake. They all spoke and whispered to his core, urging him to keep pressing, keep going, it'll be all over soon. Harry pressed harder, using the strength of the elements to move the bead. Voldemort used all his magic and will to stop it. His wand flew from his hand and a fire erupted around him.

Harry watched in detached relief as Voldemort was dissolved in ash. The fire died and the Elder Wand lay on the ground in it near broken glory. Harry picked it up as the crowd raced to him. Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Luna were the first ones at his side.

"How's Snape?" Harry asked Hermione who only smiled and replied.

"Pomfrey said whatever you did, saved him. She was stitching the wound together when we left. He's going to make it, Harry." Harry hugged her and soon it turned into a large group hug between the five of them.