A/N: Well, here it is at last. Sorry to keep you waiting, but I was on a
Geography fieldtrip with no access to a computer - poor me, poor you.
Congratulations to those of you who guessed what I was going to do, a
surprising number, and thanks to everyone who reviewed. I have to say that
I'm surprised anyone thought I'd leave it there - I'm not quite that cruel,
and yup, I know it was a very nasty cliffhanger. Here it is, enjoy.
Suddenly, with darkening sight, Harry saw an aura of flames burst up around him. Everything came blindingly back into focus. Harry blinked rapidly to clear his vision and found, to his astonishment, that he was kneeling on the floor of the Great Hall, not a scratch on his body.
Voldemort lay a mere meter away, his body bent and broken beneath the serpentine man's customary black robes, his wand snapped in two and lying beside him. Harry crawled over, his body complaining at the effort. His mortal enemy saw him with eyes that seemed resigned to death.
"You've won, Harry Potter," Voldemort whispered hoarsely, sounding almost relieved. "You were a worthy opponent: the victory is yours." Then he coughed violently and fell silent.
"He is almost dead," a familiar voice said from behind Harry. He looked around to see Professor Dumbledore, looking down at the two greatest students he had ever had the privilege of teaching. He helped Harry to his feet and explained.
"I returned here while you fought. Knowing that you would triumph in the end, I helped to keep the students calm. It was prophesied that the cry of the phoenix would slay the serpent. Now you must say your farewells, for as soon as the life leaves his body, you will return to his own time, where I, no doubt, will be waiting for you. It is good for us all to know that the Dark Lord is killed in the end, however long it takes. It has been a pleasure to know you, Harry Potter, and I swear to you that I will do my best to ensure that you will grow up to achieve this destiny, however many rules I break in the process."
Harry smiled slightly, knowing what the man had done for him. Then he had a thought.
"Sir, how did he get into Hogwarts? Surely there are wards up restricting access. . ."
"An oversight on my part, I fear. The name of Voldemort was listed on the forbidden access list and would have been recognized, however Tom Riddle was not. Knowing this, he had no problems entering. That has now been remedied. Goodbye, Harry Potter, you fought a fine duel and are a credit to us all."
"Goodbye Professor."
Dumbledore nodded, the twinkle gone from his eyes although he was smiling proudly, and went to help the other teachers with the younger students. The first year Hufflepuffs in particular were somewhat overwrought. Harry's friends rushed up to take his place. None of them realized that this battle meant that he would be leaving them for his own time.
"You did it Harry!" Sirius whooped happily. Remus punched him discreetly, noting that Harry seemed slightly depressed.
"I couldn't have done it without you guys teaching me. Well, I guess I'd better say goodbye. I'll have to return to my own time once Riddle dies. Peter," Harry began, feeling very rebellious. "Always remember that Voldemort will be killed in the end. Never give up hope."
Peter looked at him, puzzled but assured him earnestly that he would. Suddenly, someone called from behind them.
"Harry!" The boys looked round.
"Uh oh," James said, looking slightly apprehensive. "I just hope that she didn't notice. . ."
"Harry, you were brilliant!" Lily Evans exclaimed, hugging him. "Your parents must be so proud of you, I know mine would be if I'd just done that! You just killed You-Know-Who himself!"
"Voldemort," Harry corrected her. "Fear of the name increases fear of the thing itself."
"If you say so Harry," she agreed, then paused. "Why did he call you Potter?"
She looked at James to check that he, as her boyfriend, was suitably jealous about the hug, but saw that he, Remus and Sirius were in hysterics. Peter just looked confused.
"What did I say?" she demanded. "Who are you, Harry?"
"Harry Potter, pleased to meet you," Harry said, grinning. "Hey Dad! Are you proud of me? You should be apparently."
James looked at him mock doubtfully, trying to control his laughter enough to talk.
"Yeah," he choked at last, before doubling up again. Lily stared at him.
" He's your dad?" Lily asked incredulously. "Then you must be from the future! Wow, what's it like? Hang on, if James is your dad, who's your mum?"
"Why, you are Lily," James said smugly, looking very self-satisfied. Much to his disappointment, far from being horrified, Lily suddenly laughed.
"And to think that I wondered why you suddenly started to grow up enough to hold a civilized conversation with! You were trying to set Harry a good example! As if he needed it."
James looked guilty, but Lily continued speaking to Harry.
"Does this mean you're going now, Harry?" He nodded sadly.
"Just remember, we'll always be with you: James, Remus, Sirius, Peter and me."
"Thanks," Harry said, although no sound came out. He knew what would happen to this solid friendship. One a traitor and three dead - it was good they didn't know.
Behind him, Voldemort coughed rackingly one final time and Harry stumbled abruptly forwards back into his own time, the enchantment ended at last.
Strong hands gripped his shoulders, steadying him while he got his balance, and Harry looked up into a face and eyes as familiar to him as his own.
"Dad?" Harry asked incredulously. He looked around the room - Dumbledore's study, just as it was meant to be but - "Sirius? Remus? Mum?" They were all there, grinning at his confusion just as they always had before . . .
"Welcome back, Harry," James said, beaming with just a hint of mischief.
Harry looked at them searchingly; none of them looked more than a few years older than they had at seventeen. He shook his head unbelievingly. Why had he thought they were dead? He'd grown up with them, and of course Peter wasn't there, because he'd died saving Harry from Voldemort sixteen odd years ago.
"He's dead," Harry said, almost as though he didn't believe it himself. "We've won. The war's over."
A/N: so that's it, the end, fine, finito. Please review and tell me now that its finally over, what you thought of it - every review makes it more likely that I'll keep writing. Now all my effort will be going into my other fanfics, so check those out if you haven't already. There will not be a sequel, I'm afraid, despite requests, simply because I'm already posting far too many fics at once and am completely blank as to what I could write. This just doesn't lend itself to a sequel - the story is over.
Thanks for all your reviews and for being such patient (or impatient as the case may be) readers. You're support made it possible to finish. Keep reading BlueGryphon.
Suddenly, with darkening sight, Harry saw an aura of flames burst up around him. Everything came blindingly back into focus. Harry blinked rapidly to clear his vision and found, to his astonishment, that he was kneeling on the floor of the Great Hall, not a scratch on his body.
Voldemort lay a mere meter away, his body bent and broken beneath the serpentine man's customary black robes, his wand snapped in two and lying beside him. Harry crawled over, his body complaining at the effort. His mortal enemy saw him with eyes that seemed resigned to death.
"You've won, Harry Potter," Voldemort whispered hoarsely, sounding almost relieved. "You were a worthy opponent: the victory is yours." Then he coughed violently and fell silent.
"He is almost dead," a familiar voice said from behind Harry. He looked around to see Professor Dumbledore, looking down at the two greatest students he had ever had the privilege of teaching. He helped Harry to his feet and explained.
"I returned here while you fought. Knowing that you would triumph in the end, I helped to keep the students calm. It was prophesied that the cry of the phoenix would slay the serpent. Now you must say your farewells, for as soon as the life leaves his body, you will return to his own time, where I, no doubt, will be waiting for you. It is good for us all to know that the Dark Lord is killed in the end, however long it takes. It has been a pleasure to know you, Harry Potter, and I swear to you that I will do my best to ensure that you will grow up to achieve this destiny, however many rules I break in the process."
Harry smiled slightly, knowing what the man had done for him. Then he had a thought.
"Sir, how did he get into Hogwarts? Surely there are wards up restricting access. . ."
"An oversight on my part, I fear. The name of Voldemort was listed on the forbidden access list and would have been recognized, however Tom Riddle was not. Knowing this, he had no problems entering. That has now been remedied. Goodbye, Harry Potter, you fought a fine duel and are a credit to us all."
"Goodbye Professor."
Dumbledore nodded, the twinkle gone from his eyes although he was smiling proudly, and went to help the other teachers with the younger students. The first year Hufflepuffs in particular were somewhat overwrought. Harry's friends rushed up to take his place. None of them realized that this battle meant that he would be leaving them for his own time.
"You did it Harry!" Sirius whooped happily. Remus punched him discreetly, noting that Harry seemed slightly depressed.
"I couldn't have done it without you guys teaching me. Well, I guess I'd better say goodbye. I'll have to return to my own time once Riddle dies. Peter," Harry began, feeling very rebellious. "Always remember that Voldemort will be killed in the end. Never give up hope."
Peter looked at him, puzzled but assured him earnestly that he would. Suddenly, someone called from behind them.
"Harry!" The boys looked round.
"Uh oh," James said, looking slightly apprehensive. "I just hope that she didn't notice. . ."
"Harry, you were brilliant!" Lily Evans exclaimed, hugging him. "Your parents must be so proud of you, I know mine would be if I'd just done that! You just killed You-Know-Who himself!"
"Voldemort," Harry corrected her. "Fear of the name increases fear of the thing itself."
"If you say so Harry," she agreed, then paused. "Why did he call you Potter?"
She looked at James to check that he, as her boyfriend, was suitably jealous about the hug, but saw that he, Remus and Sirius were in hysterics. Peter just looked confused.
"What did I say?" she demanded. "Who are you, Harry?"
"Harry Potter, pleased to meet you," Harry said, grinning. "Hey Dad! Are you proud of me? You should be apparently."
James looked at him mock doubtfully, trying to control his laughter enough to talk.
"Yeah," he choked at last, before doubling up again. Lily stared at him.
" He's your dad?" Lily asked incredulously. "Then you must be from the future! Wow, what's it like? Hang on, if James is your dad, who's your mum?"
"Why, you are Lily," James said smugly, looking very self-satisfied. Much to his disappointment, far from being horrified, Lily suddenly laughed.
"And to think that I wondered why you suddenly started to grow up enough to hold a civilized conversation with! You were trying to set Harry a good example! As if he needed it."
James looked guilty, but Lily continued speaking to Harry.
"Does this mean you're going now, Harry?" He nodded sadly.
"Just remember, we'll always be with you: James, Remus, Sirius, Peter and me."
"Thanks," Harry said, although no sound came out. He knew what would happen to this solid friendship. One a traitor and three dead - it was good they didn't know.
Behind him, Voldemort coughed rackingly one final time and Harry stumbled abruptly forwards back into his own time, the enchantment ended at last.
Strong hands gripped his shoulders, steadying him while he got his balance, and Harry looked up into a face and eyes as familiar to him as his own.
"Dad?" Harry asked incredulously. He looked around the room - Dumbledore's study, just as it was meant to be but - "Sirius? Remus? Mum?" They were all there, grinning at his confusion just as they always had before . . .
"Welcome back, Harry," James said, beaming with just a hint of mischief.
Harry looked at them searchingly; none of them looked more than a few years older than they had at seventeen. He shook his head unbelievingly. Why had he thought they were dead? He'd grown up with them, and of course Peter wasn't there, because he'd died saving Harry from Voldemort sixteen odd years ago.
"He's dead," Harry said, almost as though he didn't believe it himself. "We've won. The war's over."
A/N: so that's it, the end, fine, finito. Please review and tell me now that its finally over, what you thought of it - every review makes it more likely that I'll keep writing. Now all my effort will be going into my other fanfics, so check those out if you haven't already. There will not be a sequel, I'm afraid, despite requests, simply because I'm already posting far too many fics at once and am completely blank as to what I could write. This just doesn't lend itself to a sequel - the story is over.
Thanks for all your reviews and for being such patient (or impatient as the case may be) readers. You're support made it possible to finish. Keep reading BlueGryphon.