A/N: Last chapter. Thanks to all those who stuck with me throughout.

Chapter Twenty-Five

The End

Harry gulped, pasted his feet off the ground, and took slow steps towards the sphere. The closer he got, the louder the echo of the screams became, and the more his stomach churned. Fear was eating him from the inside out. Could he do this? What made him more powerful than all these wizards and witches combined? What if his magic wasn't enough to break the sphere and he'd be stuck in there as well?

He would never see Draco again.

His already slow progress towards the sphere halted. His hands shook with the need to help these people and his heart raced with the fear of failure. Was it worth trying? Was his life worth a bunch of criminals'?

Lucius walked up behind him, sensing his hesitation. "You promised, Harry."

"I don't think I can do this," Harry croaked. "I don't think I'm strong enough. I'm not the Harry you knew in the past. I'm no golden boy; I'm no hero."

"Don't be absurd," Lucius scoffed. "I can see you trembling with the need to help end this suffering."

"Maybe I would have, in the past," Harry said stubbornly. "Because back then I probably didn't have much to lose. But now I have Draco, and this isn't fair to him. You can't ask me to do this. I'm sorry."

"So eager to ask Draco for permission, are we?" A pitchy voice came from behind Harry. Something in that voice made Harry turn in a swift move. His eyes found Draco and his heart fell a thousand feet beneath him. With wide eyes he took half a step towards Bellatrix and reached for Draco who was held hostage in her vicious arms.

"Harry!" Draco Squeaked, eyes as wide as Harry's. He was wandless and almost choking in Bellatrix's stern grip.

"What do you want with him?" Harry shouted at Bellatrix. "Let him go! He's done you no harm!"

"Harry, just do as we say and no harm will come to Draco," Lucius spoke up, putting a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"You!" Harry turned half back to Lucius. "You planned this? You kept my wand, waited until Draco became important to me, and then brought me here to force me into surrendering my life?"

"Hardly," Lucius laughed. "Everything just worked out for the best. I'd say it was fate, wouldn't you?"

"You would hurt your own son for this?" Harry asked incredulously. "What kind of a father would do that?"

"Draco's not hurting," Bellatrix cooed. "He's having the best time of his life, aren't you Draco-Waco?"

"Blast them all to hell, Harry," Draco grumbled with some difficulty.

"Come now," Lucius squeezed Harry's shoulder. "I'm doing this with Draco in mind. Do you want him to live under the barrier for the rest of his life? He deserves better than that, don't you agree?"

"And if I fail?" Harry shot back at Lucius. "If I try to lift the barrier and I get stuck? What will happen to Draco then? His heart will be broken, and he will never forgive you."

Upon hearing that, Draco struggled harder in Bellatrix's grasp. "Is that what you mean for him to do? Are you condemning him to the fate of all these others who tried to break the sphere before him, Father? Do you hate me so much that you must crumble anything good that ever enters my life?"

Lucius' expression turned sour and his eyes grew even colder. "Enough. He will not fail. If he cares for you as he says he does, then that's all the motivation he needs to break through the sphere."

Before Harry could raise his wand towards Lucius, he felt a wand being pressed against his back. "Don't you even think about it. The slightest move and Bellatrix will crucio Draco."

"So?" Draco retorted. "I'll heal. No permanent damage can be done to me while the barrier holds."

"But I have a much better idea!" Bellatrix giggled. "Why don't I hold your hand over my wand and say a teeny tiny spell? And I'll aim it towards the barrier, and get Draco-Waco trapped forever."

"No, stop!" Harry shouted. "I'll do it! Don't harm him."

"I knew you'd choose the right path in the end, Harry," Lucius smirked. "Come on now."

Don't do it Harry, Draco begged. Please, please don't do it. I was a shell of a person before you came and lit up my world. I can't continue on without you.

His eyes stinging, Harry turned away from Draco. I'm sorry Draco, I have to do this.

"If you do it and fail, I'll grab a wand and follow you!" Draco threatened. "I swear to everything I hold dear Potter, I'll shoot a spell at the barrier, so there's no point in you doing this!"

"You will do no such thing," Lucius growled.

Harry turned back towards Draco, his eyes sad. Draco stopped struggling in Bellatrix's arms. He'd never seen Harry's eyes look like that. They looked as if they'd seen a thousand years, but that couldn't be, what with Harry's limited memories and all. How could someone look so sad and ancient?

"What are you doing?" Draco whispered, every inch of his body gone cold. He couldn't decipher that look, that look of complete loss and pain. "What are you planning, Harry? Talk to me!"

Harry raised his wand, and this time Lucius didn't stop him. Neither did Bellatrix. They were both caught in the blue swirl of Harry's wandless magic that was independently freezing the world around Draco and him.

"Stop it, Harry," Draco pleaded. "I don't know what you think you're doing, but I don't like this. Stop it! You've already frozen Lucius and Bellatrix; we can get out of here!"

"It will never be over until I raise this barrier," Harry said in a monotone. "Can't you see how it will never be over Draco?"

"Harry, what are you talking about? Don't point your wand at me; I'm on your side."

"That's the problem," Harry sighed. "I have to try to raise the barrier. This is so much bigger than me Draco, Lucius is right. I have to at least try to end everyone's suffering. I can't sit by knowing that I might be able to end all of this. That's not who I am. I was being selfish before, wanting to stay with you in this perfect bubble where nothing ever changes and we can be happy together. But this bubble isn't so perfect after all. These people are suffering, caught by the sphere. I have to raise the barrier, I have to make the ministry pay for this, I have to make sure that everyone gets a fair trial and justice."

"They chose to be stuck! They chose to attack the barrier, they knew the consequences!" Draco said desperately. "No one is forcing you to do this Harry! Please, don't do it! Stay with me, Harry."

Harry felt a tear break free.

I'll always be with you, Draco.

He reached for Draco's mind through their mental bond, digging deeper than he ever had. He found every memory ever associated with him. Found them and gathered them all in one place. It took a while, Draco had so many thoughts directly and indirectly about Harry, and more memories than them all, and Harry had to track every single one of them. He couldn't miss any.

With an exhaling breath, in one swift movement, he cut all those memories in half. If anyone knew what a crime it was to tear someone's memories to shreds, it was him, but there was no other way. Draco had to forget that he loved Harry. He had to forget that he even knew Harry. If Harry tried to raise the barrier and failed, which was the most likely outcome, what would happen to Draco? No, he couldn't hurt him this way.

This was the only way.

More tears rolled down his face as he watched Draco's eyes grow from desperate to cold as more and more of his memories of Harry were extracted from his mind and blasted to oblivion. He was alone now. Completely. He had nothing to lose, no one to lose. This was it. As the last memory was obliterated, he turned back towards the sphere; ignoring Draco's confused 'where am I?'

He raised his wand once more, this time pointed at the barrier. He was oddly detached and empty. Either way, he didn't care. If he lifted the barrier or not, there was no going back to Draco. A shining blue needle sped from his wand towards the barrier. The blinding light from the collision made his vision go so white it was almost black, and then he knew no more.