The walk into the forest had felt like years. Harry had passed Neville, searching through the rubble for bodies. "Kill the snake," he had whispered, "It's the only way he can die." Neville had nodded, seeming to understand.

When he reached the forest Harry had remembered the Golden Snitch that Dumbledore had bequeathed to him so long before. He had pressed it to his lips, and it had opened to reveal the black resurrection stone. He held it and saw his parents, and everyone he loved. They spoke to him before he continued on, promised to be with him.

Then had come the confrontation. He had boldly marched up to Voldemort. And Voldemort had killed him. Except somehow, as impossible as it was, he hadn't died. Instead he had seen Dumbledore, and a sort of imitation of King's Cross Station. But he had made his choice, and had returned to fight.

Now a body was leaning down over him, checking, at Voldemort's order, to see if he was truly dead. As soon as the smooth hand touched his chest he knew that his beating heart had given him away. But instead of proclaiming his life, the person above him asked a question.

"Is Draco alive?"

Harry recognized Narcissa's voice even though it was barely a whisper. He parted his lips the tiniest fraction. "Yes," he breathed out.

"All I want is my son," Narcissa muttered. Her hand left Harry's chest as she straightened. "Dead, my Lord," she declared.

Harry remained still as he heard the whoop of victory. He didn't move as Hagrid lumbered forward to lift him, and didn't move as he was carried out of the Forbidden Forest. He must not give himself away, not yet.

And then they were in front of the castle. Harry heard a scream. People were yelling his name. He cracked his eyes open the tiniest bit and saw Ginny, struggling against her brothers as she tried to run to him. Tears were pouring down Ron's face, and Hermione's too.

"Harry Potter is dead," Voldemort's voice boomed out across the expanse. "He was killed trying to run away, to save himself."

A figure stepped forward, streaks of black soot streaked through his blond hair. "You're lying. Harry went to you willingly."

"Ah, Draco," Voldemort hissed ominously. "So good to see you again. He turned to the Death Eaters lined up behind him. "I'm sure you remember the Malfoy's blood traitor of a son." Boos and hisses rose from the crowd as Lucius took a stumbling step forward.

"My Lord-"

But Lucius was interrupted by a bang. Voldemort swivelled around just in time to deflect the curse levelled at him.

"Now, who is this?" he asked menacingly as he eyed the second boy who had stepped forward next to Draco. There was a cackle from his side.

"That's the Longbottom boy!" Bellatrix exclaimed. "How are your dear parents?"

Neville snarled. Through the small gap between his eyelids Harry could see that there was something balled up in his hand. "You think you've won," he started. "But you're wrong. We'll keep fighting, every last one of us. That's what Harry would want. And it's what we all signed up for. You can't win." A cheer rose from the crowd of students and teachers.

"Silence!" Voldemort shouted with a wave of his wand. The sound stopped immediately. "You will all die, and I will be victorious!" He levelled his wand at the two boys standing in front of him. "Now which shall I kill first, the annoyance, or the traitor?"
There was a flurry of movement as several things happened at once. Lucius launched himself forward, between Voldemort and Draco. Narcissa threw herself sideways, crashing into Voldemort and causing him to stumble sideways. The silencing spell broke at that moment, and there was a great roar as the students charged forward.

But all momentum stopped, just for a moment, as Harry seized the opportunity and threw himself from Hagrid's arms. He rolled away quickly to the sounds of cheers and shouts. Voldemort let out a great roar as he recovered from Narcissa's assault and aimed his wand at Harry.

And then, Neville was holding a sword. He cast aside the thing he had been holding, which Harry now recognized as the Sorting Hat. In the brief moment of distraction he raised the sword, and, with a mighty shout, swung it down, not onto Voldemort himself, but onto the snake coiled at his side. With a burst of blood the snake fell to the ground, dead.

And then they arrived: the Centaurs from the Forbidden Forest; Thestrals and Hippogriffs and all manner of other magical creatures; Grawp, Hagrid's giant brother; dozens of witches and wizards who burst through the gate. It seemed that every family member, every person who lived in Hogsmeade, and a great deal more had all returned suddenly to help in the fight. Harry threw the Invisibility Cloak over himself as the crowd of fighters was forced back towards the school.

Harry darted in and out of the crowd. He threw up shield charms and blocked curses as he searched for Voldemort. Finally he saw him, slipping through the door into the Entrance Hall. Harry followed as the crowd surged into the school.

Inside the chaos continued. Curses flew everywhere. Harry ducked as a jet of red light shot past him. He squirmed through the crowd to the Great Hall, hoping that Voldemort would be inside.

The inside of the Great Hall was complete chaos. House elves were running about, hitting Death Eaters with frying pans and cutting at them with cleavers, Kreacher fighting in the midst of them. Wounded witches and wizards were shooting spells from their cots, defended fiercely by Madam Pomfrey. Ghosts were flying wildly about, shepherded by Peeves, who was throwing all manner of rubbish at anyone in a cloak and mask.

Harry's breath hitched. Across the hall Draco and Ginny were backed into a corner, desperately deflecting attacks from Bellatrix. He dashed towards them, but found his way blocked by a stampede of centaurs.

A green light flew towards Ginny. Draco tackled her to the floor, narrowly avoiding the killing curse. Bellatrix cackled.

"YOU BITCH!"

Molly Weasley's voice rang across the hall, drowning out the sound of battle. Everything stopped as she sprinted towards Bellatrix.

"DON'T TOUCH MY CHILDREN!" Molly exclaimed as she hurtled forward. Harry watched as her curse flew towards Bellatrix, forcing her to turn away from Draco and Ginny.

Tonks leapt forward but stopped still at Molly's outstretched hand. "No, she's mine!" She deflected Bellatrix's curse and retaliated with one of her own as Draco and Ginny crawled away to safety.

The two women fought fiercely, the sounds of their struggle echoing around the room. Curse after curse struck out, only to be deflected or absorbed by the other.

And then it was over. Molly's curse flew under Bellatrix's outstretched arm, hitting her squarely in the chest. For a moment her eyes went wide, then she fell to the floor, dead.

There was a scream and Harry turned towards the door. Voldemort had just entered, his face painted with rage. He aimed his wand towards Molly.

"Protego!" Harry screamed. The force of his shield charm knocked Molly off her feet as the curse bounced harmlessly off of it. Harry pulled off his cloak, revealing himself at last.

"Potter," Voldemort hissed. "Finally tired of using your friends as shields?"

"It's just you and me," Harry responded calmly. He raised his voice. "Just us. I don't want anyone else to help. It has to be like this."

"Your mother's blood won't save you this time."

"It doesn't have to,' Harry answered. He circled around Voldemort as everyone else backed up against the walls. "Because you're done. There are no more Horcruxes."

Voldemort's eyes went wide at this. For a moment he stared, caught off his guard, before snickering. "I'm more crafty than either you or that fool Dumbledore realize, Potter," he hissed softly. "Did you think I would be so stupid as to hide my soul in only one place?"

"Of course not," Harry answered nonchalantly. "You hid it in seven places. One with the Malfoys, one with Bellatrix, one at your mother's house, one in a cave, one here, and of course, one in Nagini. That's why I told Neville to kill her." He paused. "Oh, and there was one in me too. You killed that one yourself earlier tonight."

Rage swept across Voldemort's face. "You insolent boy!" He shot a curse into the air.

"The wand still isn't working for you," Harry whispered. His green eyes met Voldemort's seething red. "You killed the wrong man."

"Snape defeated Dumbledore! The wand was his!"

Harry shook his head. "Snape never defeated Dumbledore. His death was planned, months in advance, between them."

"I took the wand from his dead body. It is mine!" Rage seeped out of Voldemort.

Harry shook his head again. "Do you know what wand Snape used to kill Dumbledore?" Voldemort didn't answer, so Harry continued. "By the time he reached the Death Eaters outside of the castle he only had his own. But that isn't the wand that he used to accomplish the deed."

"There were more people on that tower than you realize. I was there, hidden. And there was one other." Harry swept his hand across the room. "And after Snape killed Dumbledore, he waited, just for a moment, for that one other person to disarm him. That person is the true master of the Elder Wand."

Voldemort looked as if his eyes would burst from his head. He shook with rage as he levelled his wand at Harry. "And who is this person?"

"Me." The attention of the room shifted as Draco stepped out of the crowd.

Voldemort looked as if he would explode, his rage was so strong. He forced a chuckle from his lips. "The blood traitor. I should have known. It is of no consequence." He swept his wand around and sent a jet of green light flying towards Draco. Draco easily deflected it towards the ceiling.

"You can't hurt them!" Harry exclaimed. Voldemort turned back to him. "They're protected, all of them. I went to you willingly, intending to die. Your spells won't work against any of the people here."

It was these words that spurred Voldemort into action. He began to fire curse after curse towards Harry. Harry threw up a shield charm and threw his own curse back.

"You've already lost," Harry grunted. "This is your last chance, to try… for remorse."

Voldemort paused for a moment, his face contorted in rage, his wand pointed directly at Harry's heart. His eyes shone red as he opened his mouth.

"Avada kedavra!"

"Expelliarmus!"

Two red lights darted towards Voldemort. From the corner of his eye Harry could see Draco standing next to him, his wand levelled towards the wizard and his eyes narrowed. The light of Harry's spell collided with Voldemort's.

For a moment the world slowed to a halt, as Draco's spell soared straight into Voldemort's chest and the light of a green spell, cast by the dark wizard himself, rebounded back. The Elder Wand soared out of Voldemort's hand a moment before the green light struck him between his eyes. He swayed for a moment, his eyes wide with shock, before falling down, down, to the ground. Draco caught the wand deftly as Voldemort twitched once, then lay still.

As time had slowed, it now accelerated. Harry felt numb as he was whisked around the Hall, congratulated and hailed as a hero. He found himself consoling those who had lost loved ones, helping to move the bodies, hearing the news, all while the sun rose into the sky.

Finally, he found himself sitting alone, exhausted and numb. He suppressed his urge to shudder as he heard someone sit beside him.

"Use your cloak." Harry looked up as he recognized Luna's voice. "I'll make a distraction so you can get away."

He smiled gratefully and pulled the cloak from his pocket. "Thanks, Luna."

Harry wandered through the hall, looking for the few people he actually wanted to be around. He spotted Ron and Hermione sitting with the Weasley family. A lump rose in his throat as he spotted Ginny sitting with them. But she could wait. He brushed past Ron. "Meet me in the Entrance Hall."

Draco was sitting at one of the long house tables, staring awkwardly across at his parents. He seemed relieved to hear Harry's voice from behind him, and immediately stood to follow him out, clutching the Elder Wand tightly.

In the Entrance Hall Harry pulled off the cloak. Wearily he embraced Ron and Hermione. "I'm so sorry," he said, "for not saying goodbye. I just couldn't."

Hermione nodded in understanding. "Draco told us what you saw." She glanced at Ron. "We understand."

"We're just glad you're okay," Ron agreed as the group began to move towards the stairs.

Harry sighed, thinking of the bodies lying in the hall below. "I'm not okay," he admitted. "Not really. And I don't think I will be for a long time."

He paused before turning a corner and glanced at Draco. "What about your parents?"

Draco shook his head. "I don't know. They- I just don't know. How can I go back to them after everything they did? But…" a tear fell from his eye, "How can I not after they saved me?"

Hermione took each of their hands in hers, and smiled softly as Ron placed his on her shoulder. "None of us will be okay, not for a long time. But together, together we can get better. None of us has to do this alone."

19 Years Later

Harry rushed to keep up with his son as he careened towards the platform. September had come quickly that year, and Albus was ecstatic to be starting his first year at Hogwarts.

"Al!" Harry exclaimed, finally catching up to him. He grabbed the back of his son's shirt to keep him from crashing into a woman with packages piled high in her arms. "Slow down!"

Albus looked up, a smirk across his face as his green eyes glimmered. "But dad, Uncle Draco is letting Scorpius run!"

Harry glanced back to see Draco deep in conversation with his wife, Astoria, and Ginny. As he watched Draco looked up and winked at him, raising his hand to point towards his own son racing past platform 8. Harry chuckled. "That's because Draco thinks I can handle both of you." His eyes twinkled right back at Albus. "C'mon, let's stop Scorpius before he runs into a wall."

Harry finally managed to catch Scorpius right before the wall dividing platforms 9 and 10. "Oh no you don't!" Harry exclaimed as he saw the twinkle in the blond boy's eye. "You wait for your parents. They're very excited to see you off for your first year, you know!"

Scorpius huffed and leaned against the handle of his cart. "Then tell them to hurry up!" he complained. "Rose is waiting for us!"

Harry pretended not to see Albus' smirk. Most of them knew very well that Scorpius had a crush on Ron and Hermione's daughter, but after an exceptionally short debate they had decided that it would be best if Ron didn't know anything about Rose's love life. At least not until she was married.

Finally the rest of their group caught up. Ginny smiled at Harry as she pulled away from Astoria. Their daughter, Lily, was clinging to her arm, bawling.

"I want to go now!" Lily was saying. "I don't want to wait two more years!"

James, Harry's oldest son, was consoling his sister. "Don't worry, the feasts aren't that good." he said. "And living in a castle isn't THAT great. Really you're not missing much."

Lily's sobs intensified. Harry pulled James away and shooed him through the barrier. "Stop antagonizing your sister!"

Draco stepped forward next to his son. Astoria smiled and stood on his other side, her hand resting on his cart.

"Just push through the barrier," Draco whispered to Scorpius. He turned to nod at Harry briefly before the family disappeared.

Harry and Albus quickly followed, with Ginny and Lily close behind. Together the group ventured onto the platform, searching for their friends.

"Hugo!" Lily screeched. Her tears stopped immediately as she wrenched herself away from her mother's arm and barrelled towards her friend. "I knew you would be here!"

Harry smiled as Ron and Hermione came into view, their daughter Rose clutched between them. Ginny ran up to greet Hermione, smiling widely, as Albus and Scorpius wandered towards Rose.

Draco came up next to Harry. "I'm going to miss him," he said quietly. "He has no idea what a ray of light he is in our lives."

Harry placed his hand on Draco's shoulder. Astoria was sick; they all knew it. Her days were limited, and one day it would just be Scorpius and Draco. "He'll be back soon. You'll see, by Christmas it'll feel like he's barely left."

James barrelled back into the group, his cart and trunk suspiciously absent.

"Teddy's here!" he shouted. "He's with Victoire, and they're SNOGGING!"

Ginny's eyes went wide. "Victoire? That's lovely! Oh, can you imagine, if he was part of the family?" she turned towards Harry and Draco. "Then we'd all be related for real!"

Draco chuckled and nodded towards Scorpius, whose cheeks were flushed as he talked animatedly with Rose. "I think that's going to happen anyways," he muttered. Ginny giggled.

Harry glanced at his watch. "Five minutes to 11," he announced. "Onto the train, all of you!" He started shooing his children towards the train. "James, your trunk had better already be loaded."

As James ran off ahead Albus stopped and looked up. "Dad," he said slowly. Harry leaned down to listen to him. "Will you be upset if I'm not in Gryffindor?"

Harry smiled. "Of course not! With all the time you spend with Scorpius and Draco, I would be surprised if you were. You might actually be more Slytherin than either of them."

"Really?" Albus asked. Relief began to spread across his face.

"Really." Harry answered. "There's nothing wrong with being in Slytherin. In fact, if Uncle Draco hadn't been friends with me and Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron, we would've all died a dozen times over. Every Gryffindor needs a Slytherin to keep them from making stupid decisions."

Draco leaned over Harry's shoulder and chuckled. "You're right about that," he said. He looked Albus in the eye. "Don't let the other Slytherins treat you badly. They'll be lucky to have a Potter in their house."

Albus smiled widely and wrapped his arms tightly around Harry before turning and running to the train. Scorpius and Rose were waiting to help him drag his trunk on board. For a moment they disappeared. Then their faces appeared at a window, and they waved wildly as the train began to pull away.

Ron smiled as Rose's waving hand disappeared from view. "They're going to be okay." He turned to Draco. "That is, if your son stays away from my daughter." The serious expression on his face dissolved into a smile as he saw the worried looks on everyone else's faces. "I'm not that easy to fool," he chuckled. "Scorp turns red and stutters every time he's near Rose."

Harry smiled to himself. The train station, the curious glances from other parents, all faded from view. The Elder Wand had been locked away safely for 19 years. It's power would be broken forever when Draco died. The resurrection stone was lost in the depths of the Forbidden Forest. The Cloak alone remained in his family, its secret well-concealed by the small group now surrounding him.

They all had scars. Ron's arms were covered in snaking patterns from the brains in the Department of Mysteries. Hermione's arm was marked with the word Mudblood. Draco's Dark Mark had faded to an angry scar. And the lightning bolt on his own forehead would forever remind the Wizarding World of the war.

But after all of these years, as he watched the train carrying their children fade out of view, he knew that they were finally okay.

Well, there it is. The end of it all. If you've read through this story I would really appreciate a quick review to tell me what you thought. Whether its telling me what you loved or saying what I could do better, I appreciate them all!

I want to thank everyone who has read and enjoyed this story. I love to write, but I'm extremely shy about sharing my writing. I honestly thought that maybe one or two people would read this, and the response that it has received has shocked and amazed me. I feel infinitely more confident about my ability to write now, and that's thanks to all of you readers! So thank you for all of your encouragement throughout this process!

I keep finding myself having ideas for a sequel to this story. Hopefully sometime in the future it will happen, but it could be some time, as I really want to spend some time focusing on my original fiction. If I do write a sequel I will be sure to announce it here so that everyone following this story knows about it.

May you read the best of stories, find yourselves inspired, and have a lovely day.

Dollhouse Dancer