Harry Potter- The New Prophecy

The Final Battle

May 5th, 2010
The next couple of months flew by without much incident. The war was still raging on, and more deaths, mostly muggle, were being reported in the daily prophet, but when it came to Harry and those he cared about, things were relatively calm. Or as calm as they could be during a war.

The birth of the twins and then the birth of Evangeline had not only brightened the mood at Grimmauld Place but had also brought everyone closer together. As Harry thought about his life last year and how different it was from his life now, he couldn't imagine going back. He had become so used to having his parents, Sirius, and Remus back that he couldn't imagine life without them.

Although they were stuck in Grimmauld Place, the family had managed to make the best of things, and several celebrations had taken place. In March, the family celebrated Al's fourth birthday by throwing a party, and although the party was small, the children all enjoyed it. The following month, they celebrated Lily Luna and Hugo turning two with an equally fun party. And as May came around, the family celebrated the beginning of the returns. It was hard to believe that it had been a year since Harry had interrogated his old headmaster and almost equally as long since his godfather returned. But with the anniversary of those returns also came the reminder of the upcoming anniversary of the prophecy and the returns of those who had made their lives hell. Sometimes Harry wondered if they would ever get back the future he had once fought so hard for or if they would live in darkness forever.

But as Harry watched the children playing around him and listened to the laughter filling the room, he forced himself to push those thoughts to the side. With Corinne now gone, order meetings had resumed, and although Harry found himself constantly thinking of Voldemort and what the future held, he tried to reserve those thoughts for the meetings and tried not to let them get in the way of his time with his family.

It was a beautiful, sunny morning. The type of day that would be perfect for a game of Quidditch or a picnic at the park. But the family sat inside, telling stories and enjoying each other's company. When Harry woke up that morning, he never imagined that in only a few short hours, things would change so drastically.

It was just after 10:00 when Albus Dumbledore stepped through the fireplace, a somber expression on his face. Upon his unexpected arrival, all chatter quieted down, and even the children's laughter had stopped.

"I'm sorry to interrupt what appears to be a happy time," Albus said sadly. "But I just received news of an attack at Hogwarts."

Harry felt as if he was going to be sick as he thought about his godson, who was just finishing up his first year. In no time at all, he and several others were on their feet, ready to fight.

"I'm coming with." Ginny said, but Harry put out a hand to stop her.

"No!" He said firmly, leaving no room for argument. "If this is it, I'm not taking any chances. I won't have our children lose both of us, Ginny."

Ginny looked like she wanted to argue, but Lily Luna's small hand making its way into her own stopped her. She knew her husband was right. No matter how much she wanted to fight, she had to put the children first.

In the end, Lily, Hermione, and Ginny all stayed behind as Harry, James, Sirius, Remus, and Tonks left to fight.

Harry hugged his wife closely as he ran his fingers through her smooth hair and breathed in the scent of her perfume. He closed his eyes and tried to remember her scent and how her lips felt on his. He felt wet tears rolling down his cheek, and he wasn't sure if they were hers or his own. Perhaps they were a mixture.

"You'll be okay, Harry." She whispered in his ear. "You'll come back to us. You always do."

When Harry pulled away from his wife, he opened his arms, inviting James, Grace, Al, and Lily into them. He hugged the four of them tight, hoping and praying that this wouldn't be the last time he would see them. "I love you all so much." He said. "Don't you ever forget that."