Voldemort's voice rang out. "You have fought valiantly...but in vain. I do not wish this. Every drop of magical blood spilled is a terrible waste. I therefore command my forces to retreat. In their absence, dispose of your dead with dignity. Treat your injured.

Harry Potter, I speak now directly to you. On this night you have allowed your friends to die for you rather than face me yourself. There is no greater dishonour. Join me in the Forbidden Forest and confront your fate. Should you do so I give my word that no other life will be lost on this night. You have one hour. If, at the end of that time, you have not given yourself up, then I shall punish every last man, woman and child who tries to conceal you from me."

The damage had been done, the battle was far from over yet it felt like no more damage could be done. The courtyard of Hogwarts was deserted, the flagstone stained with blood and broken wands around the place.

As the trio made their way towards the Great Hall, Ron shakily put his hand on the door. With a deep breath they prepared themselves for what awaited them, and he pushed open.

It was horrifying. The tables had been pushed to the wall with the injured stood in groups, arms slung over one another, all waiting to be treated by Madam Pomfrey. Amongst her was a student helper, Gabriella Walker, who was hastily trying to attend to whoever she could.

The fallen were laid out in the middle of the Great Hall - the first Harry noticed among them were Remus and Tonks, their blood-stained fingers intertwined. A heart-breaking sob alerted Harry to the dead body of Fred Weasley yet again. George had tears dripping from his eyes whilst Ginny, puffy-eyed and pale, stood alongside a distraught Arthur and Molly.

The absence of Issac from where Fred was seemed odd to Harry, it caused the jet-black haired boy to search for the third member of their formidable trio. His eyes searched the hall until he found both Issac and Joyce crowded around a body which Harry could not yet identify.

It couldn't be...Harry thought to himself. He knew the fate of Y/N but he didn't realise the boy would have done it so quickly...so alone. Without saying goodbye to anyone.

Hermione also seemed to have noticed the L/N family and immediately her expression fell. She prayed, begged, that it wasn't who she thought it was. Perhaps the L/N's had a family friend that had unfortunately fallen in this war.

As both Harry and Hermione made their way over, the L/N's seemed to have noticed them approaching. Joyce's eyes were red from the tears she had cried and Issac had also been crying - yet he had expression of determination. As if he believed that Y/N had escaped death for a second time. Perhaps he was just kidding himself.

Both Issac and Joyce moved apart slightly so that Harry and Hermione were exposed to the lifeless corpse on the ground.

He looked so defeated, so broken. Y/N L/N had been defeated at last. His hair was restored to his natural H/C colour, his E/C eyes were bloodshot and blank as he laid sprawled on the floor. Dirt covered his clothes, his suit jacket had been discarded leaving him only in his shirt, trousers and tie. His bones had been mended but he still look dishevelled.

Hermione let out a sob when she saw. "NO!"

She immediately fell to her knees, next to the dead boy. "N-no, you...y-you promised." she said, her voice shaking and wracked with sobs.

Harry stood solemnly. He had no indication of whether or not Y/N had performed the spell. He placed a hand on Hermione's shoulder, silently comforting her. He wasn't sure whether to tell her or not, it would be wrong to get her hopes up if it turned out Y/N didn't actually perform the spell.

There was also a wave of relief that washed through Harry. If they destroyed all the Horcruxes then Voldemort would no longer be immortal. They were one step closer to defeating him. There was also a part of him that felt relieved that Y/N was no longer with them. He was a powerful wizard, far more powerful than Harry, and if his true allegiance did lie with Voldemort then Harry's task would turn out to be even more difficult.

Harry looked at the grieving Hermione one last time before silently leaving the room, exiting to go to Dumbledore's office and to look at Snape's parting gift to him.

Hermione Granger was lost, she had never felt this ever before. She was the girl who knew everything. The girl who always had an answer. But now she had no answer, she was truly lost. Deep down she knew she had never lost him, even though at times she could not recognise him, she knew she still had her Y/N.

But now he was gone, she had no prior knowledge, no understanding, that it had to be done. In her mind, she thought he had simply been murdered in cold blood by someone. But by who? One of Voldemort's comrades who discovered that he had been an double agent or an ally who thought the L/N boy had truly joined the dark side?

Whilst Hermione was mourning her ex-boyfriend, Harry found himself getting snippets of Severus Snape's life. From his first encounter with his mother in their childhood to his time at Hogwarts. Harry saw everything, he finally got an insight into his parents' lives during their time at the school which had been so ruined now.

Snape's childhood went in a blur and suddenly he was talking to Dumbledore, pleading with him.

"Surely Lord Voldemort would spare her in exchange for the boy?" Dumbledore said in the memory.

"I have asked." Snape replied plainly.

"You disgust me," replied Dumbledore, "you would sacrifice the life of an innocent child over a schoolboy crush?"

"She's more than that! She's different! Beautiful. Kind. Hide them all. I beg you."

Dumbledore looked at Snape. "And should I do so, what will you give me in return, Severus?"

"Anything."

The memory dissipated and Harry was chucked into a new memory, a memory filled with a furious Snape.

"You said you would keep her safe!"

The memory changed again.

"He exhibits no measurable talent. His arrogance rivals even his father's. And he seems to relish his fame."

It changed.

There was now a scene, showing Harry the contents of the various conversations Snape had about Y/N boy with Dumbledore. About Y/N's mission to infiltrate Dumbledore's army, about their concerns that the L/N boy was truly turning evil but then the reoccurring mention of Hermione Granger saving him.

It changed once more.

Snape looked at Dumbledore, the ring on Dumbledore's fingers. "Why did you put it on? Surely you realised it carried a curse."

Snape handed Dumbledore something to drink. "It will spread."

"How long?"

"Maybe a year."

"Well this makes matters more straightforward."

Snape turned away.

"Do not ignore me, Severus. Was it not you who told me of Lord Voldemort's plan to have the Malfoy boy and the L/N boy to murder me?

"It is not expected that Draco will succeed, he assumes Mr L/N will do the deed."

"You must kill me Severus."

Despite Snape's protests, Dumbledore carried on. "There will come a time when Harry Potter must be told something. But you must wait until Voldemort is at his most vulnerable. On the night Lord Voldemort went to Godric's Hollow to kill Harry, and Lily Potter cast herself between them, the curse rebounded. When that happened, a part of Lord Voldemort's soul latched itself onto the only living thing it could find: Harry himself. There's a reason Harry can speak with snakes. There's a reason he can look into Lord Voldemort's mind. A part of Lord Voldemort lives inside him."

"So when the time comes, the boy must die."

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes. And Voldemort himself must do it. That is essential. And it must be after Y/N L/N has died, when he has died Voldemort will be at his weakest."

"You've kept him alive - you've kept both of them alive - so that they can die at the proper moment. You've been raising them like a pig for slaughter?"

"This is touching, Severus. Don't tell me you've grown to care for the boy?"

Snape stared at Dumbledore fiercely before casting. "Expecto Patronum!"

A blast of light bursts from Snape's wand and soaring out the window was a silver doe.

"After all the time?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes wide.

"Always."

And then Harry emerged from the Pensieve, staring at his reflection. There were a million thoughts rushing through his head, there had been so much concealed from him. As he exited the office, the castle was eerily quiet. Portraits were deserted as Harry walked, his destination already in mind.

As he trudged through the corridors, he noticed that in the distance Hermione and Ron were together. Hermione was still in tears, Ron tried to console her but even he was visibly upset. No matter how much he came to hate Y/N in the end, he still treasured the memories the two of them had made as children. The two of them stood solemnly before Hermione turned, almost as if she sensed Harry's presence.

"Where've you been?" she asked, worry on her face.

Ron looked at Harry. "We thought you'd gone to the forest, we thought you might be-"

"I'm going there now." Harry said plainly.

"Are you mad!" Ron exclaimed.

Harry paused before speaking. "It's...it's meant to be."

"Rubbish!" shouted Ron. "You can't just give yourself up to him."

Hermione shushed Ron. "What is it Harry? What is it you know?"

"There's a reason I can hear them...the Horcruxes," Harry explained whilst Hermione shook her head, "I think I've know for a while..."

Harry paused and then turned to Hermione. "I think you've know too."

"Know what?" Ron asked dumbly.

"I'm one of them..." Harry said, his voice cracking slightly. "He needs to kill me, it has to happen. Just like how Y/N had to die."

"Y/N had to die?" Hermione interjected. Harry didn't intend to tell her but in his current state, it just slipped out.

He had no choice but to explain it now to Hermione, who had tears rolling down her face. "It was a prophecy. Voldemort couldn't die unless his bloodline had been eradicated, and since Y/N was his last living heir, he had to die."

There was a moment of understanding from Hermione but it still didn't make her feel any better. "So all this time...he had to die?"

Harry nodded. He still refused to tell her about the spell Y/N may have attempted as he didn't want to get her hopes up.

"This is why I have to go, otherwise he would have died in vain. I need to do this." Harry said.

Hermione stood still, miserable before speaking. "I'll go with you...I'll-"

Harry shook his head. "Kill the snake. Kill the snake and then it's just him. Then it will be over. Then we'll win."

Then Harry turned, leaving his two companions behind. Ron and Hermione watched him silently, watching every step until he was gone - unsure if they would ever see Harry Potter again.