Harry's POV

As I moved, I reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest. I could no longer control my own trembling. It was not, after all, so easy to die. Every second I breathed, the smell of the grass, the cool air on my face, was so precious.

My hand reached into my pocket and felt the jagged stone Issac had given me earlier. I took the stone out and inspected it in the palm of my hand. In this desperate time, I wanted guidance and I knew I wasn't fetching them, they were rather fetching me for I was about to join them.

I closed my eyes and turned the stone over in my hand three times. When I opened my eyes and looked around, the figures were neither ghost nor truly flesh. I was surrounded by familiar faces, my father had his untidy and ruffled hair, Sirius had a cheeky grin on his face, Lupin looked less shabby than usual and my mother had the widest smile.

"You've been so brave." my mother spoke.

"You are nearly there," said my father, "we so proud of you."

"Does it hurt?" I asked, the childish question coming out before I could stop it.

"Dying? Not at all," said Sirius, "quicker and easier than falling asleep."

"And he will want it to be quick. He wants it over." said Lupin.

"You'll stay with me?" I asked, almost desperately.

"Until the very end," replied my father.

With their reassurance, I set off, clutching my Invisibility Cloak tightly around me.

At last I arrived where all the Death Eaters and Voldemort were. A fired burned in the middle of the clearing. Some Death Eaters were masked whilst others showed their faces. Narcissa Malfoy sat alone, away from everyone. She must've felt so lost, her sister and husband dead whilst her son's location was unknown.

Every eye was fixed upon Voldemort, who stood with his head bowed, and his white hands folded over the Elder Wand in front of him.

"No sign of him, my Lord." said Dolohov.

Voldemort's expression did not change. The red eyes seemed to burn in the firelight. Slowly he drew the Elder Wand between his long fingers.

"I thought he would come," said Voldemort in his high, clear voice, his eyes on the leaping flames, "I expected him to come."

Nobody spoke. "I was, it seems...mistaken." said Voldemort.

This is when I mustered all the courage I had left. "You weren't." I said as loudly as I could, trying not to sound afraid.

The Resurrection Stone slipped from between my fingers and out of the corner of my eyes I saw my parents, Sirius and Lupin vanish as I stepped forward into the firelight.

Voldemort had frozen where he stood, but his red eyes had found mine as he moved toward me, with nothing but the fire between us.

Then a voice yelled: "HARRY! NO!"

Hagrid was bound and trussed, tied to a tree nearby. His massive body shook the branches overhead as he struggled, desperate.

"Harry Potter." Voldemort said very softly. His voice might have been part of the spitting fire. "The Boy Who Lived. Come to die."

None of the Death Eaters moved. They were waiting. Everything was waiting.

He wasted no time. Voldemort had raised his wand. His head was still tilted to one side. I wanted it to happen now, quickly. It seemed as though Voldemort obeyed my dying wish. I saw the mouth move and a flash of green light, and then everything was gone.

Third Person POV

Just like that, Harry Potter was dead. However, in his death he had travelled to an unknown land. A land where he met Albus Dumbledore once more and where his old Professor explained to him that he hadn't really died - it was the part of Voldemort within him that did. Within this conversation also, Harry learnt that he was the true master of death. He was the true owner of all three of the Deathly Hallows.

Harry also asked about Y/N, he desperately wanted to know if his old friend was truly dead. If he could escape death, couldn't Y/N do it again? However, for that question, Dumbledore had no answer and before Harry knew it, he was back in the clearing.

"The boy...is he dead?" Voldemort asked.

There was a complete silence in the clearing. Nobody approached Harry.

"You," said Voldemort, "examine him. Tell me whether he is dead."

Harry did not know who had been sent to verify. He could only lie there, with his heart thumping traitorously, and wait to be examined. Hands, softer than he had been expecting, touched Harry's face, and felt his heart. He could hear the woman's fast breathing.

"Is Draco alive? Is he in the castle?" the whisper was barely audible, her head bent so low that her long hair shielded his face from the onlookers.

"Yes." he breathed back.

"He is dead!" Narcissa Malfoy called to the watchers. And now they shouted, now they yelled in triumph and stamped their feet, and through his eyelids, Harry saw bursts of red and silver light shoot into the air in celebration. Still feigning death on the ground, he understood. Narcissa knew that the only way she would be permitted to enter Hogwarts, and find her son, was as part of the conquering army. She no longer cared whether Voldemort won.

"You see?" screeched Voldemort. "Harry Potter is dead by my hand, and no man alive can threaten me now! Watch! Crucio!"

Harry had been expecting it, he knew his body would not be allowed to remain unsullied upon the forest floor; it had to be subjected to humiliation to prove Voldemort's victory. He was lifted into the air, and it took all his determination to remain limp, yet the pain he expected did not come.

"Now," said Voldemort, "we go to the castle, and show them what has become of their hero. Who shall drag the body? No...wait."

There was a fresh outbreak of laughter, and after a few moments Harry felt the ground trembling beneath him.

"You carry him," Voldemort said, "he will be nice and visible in your arms, will he not? Pick up your little friend, Hagrid. And put the glasses back on."

After Hagrid had picked Harry up, he was commanded to move and he did so, stumbling forward.

A little later, Harry sensed, by a freshening of the air, that they had reached the edge of the forest. Someone passed close by Harry, and he knew that it was Voldemort himself because he spoke a moment later.

"Harry Potter is dead. He was killed as he ran away, trying to save himself while you laid down your lives for him. We bring you his body as proof that your hero is gone. The battle is won. You have lost half of your fighters. My Death Eaters outnumber you, and the Boy Who Lived is finished. There must be no more war. Anyone who continues to resist, man, woman or child, will be slaughtered, as will every member of their family. Come out of the castle now, kneel before me, and you shall be spared. Your parents and children, your brothers and sisters will live and be forgiven, and you will join me in the new world we shall build together."

There was silence in the grounds and from the castle. Voldemort commanded his army to move forward, approaching the castle. At last they came to a halt. They had spread themselves out in a line, facing the open front doors of the school.

"NO!"

A scream penetrated the air. It was much more terrible to Harry as he had never expected or dreamed that Professor McGonagall could make such a sound.

Then the screams began.

"NO!"

"HARRY!"

Ginny's screams pierced the air as she rushed towards Voldemort. Arthur Weasley stepped in between and restrained his daughter from going any further.

Voldemort addressed everyone. "Tell me. These last few hours, as you collected the dead and tended your wounded, was he by your side? While your hands ran dark with the blood of mothers and sons, fathers and daughters, brothers and sisters, his were clasped in prayer - but it was a prayer for one and one only. While you battled courageously, until you could no longer will yourself to stand, he had long since fallen to his knees. While you cursed me until your voices grew ragged, he begged me for mercy in a voice as meek as a child's. He's not worthy of your tears. And do not despair of his betrayal. You were never in his heart. Not for one single solitary beat.

"LIAR!" Ron yelled.

"Did you not hear me! Harry Potter is dead! From this day forward, you put your faith in me or suffer the consequences. HARRY POTTER IS DEAD!"

Besides Voldemort, Nagini hissed madly as Voldemort surveyed the students and the staff.

"Now is the time to declare yourself."

Voldemort's eyes met Draco's, the platinum hair boy looked terrified.

"Come, Draco," Voldemort summoned, "so your father did not die in vain and his legacy lives on in you."

Narcissa looked at her son pleadingly but the Malfoy boy thought about what Y/N would say. How he believed that even though he was set on a path for evil, the L/N boy believed he was inherently good.

Nevertheless, the pressure of the crowd got to Draco as he ducked his head and stepped forward.

"He saved your life." Ron said bitterly as Draco passed him, referring to Harry.

"Well done, Draco. Who will be next? Hm? Come now, don't be shy." Voldemort boomed. He looked over to the faces again. "Where is my grandson! Y/N, come forward."

There were murmurs of everyone's realisation that Y/N L/N was alive and indeed Voldemort's heir.

Then Neville stepped forward, the Sorting Hat in his hand, limping and then stopping in front of Voldemort who looked amused.

"Well, I must say, I'd hoped for better. Is this truly the best Hogwarts has to offer?" Voldemort commented.

The Death Eaters laughed.

"Who might you be, young man?" Voldemort asked.

Neville spoke bravely. "Neville Longbottom."

"Well, welcome, Neville. I'm sure we can find a place for you in our ranks."

"Someone has to do the washing!" a Death Eater yelled, causing an unanimous roar from the rest of Voldemort's army.

"Now, now. Let's not underestimate our young friend. By stepping forward, he lives to see another day..."

"I'd like to say something." Neville said, still stood bravely where he was.

"Very well Neville, I'm sure we'd all be fascinated to hear what you have to say."

"You wanted to know where your grandson is." Neville commented. "He's dead."

Voldemort let out an evil cackle. "Now is not the time for jokes Neville, my grandson is my heir, he cannot be dead."

Neville stared at Voldemort fiercely. "But he is."

Almost as if on cue, identical to Hagrid carrying Harry in, Issac walked forward. The dead body of Y/N L/N in his arms.

There was now an expression on Voldemort that was never seen before. A hint of sadness, a hint of fear.

"You have your kingdom now, but you have no heir." Neville continued. "Your army is so depleted, who will you have left?"

The newfound courage from Neville had thrown everyone off. Sensing the effect this bombshell had on Voldemort, Neville turned to the others, trying to inspire them.

"It doesn't matter that Harry is gone. People die every day. Friends. Family. Yes, we lost Harry tonight. But he's still with us, here-" Neville tapped his heart, "-and so is Fred and Remus and Tonks and...all of them. They didn't die in vain. But you all will. Because you're wrong. Harry's heart did beat for us. All of us..."

Neville took a step forward, looking Voldemort dead in the eye before spitting. He then reached into the Sorting Hat.

"This isn't over!"

Voldemort raised the Elder Wand at Neville whilst Neville reached into the Sorting Hat and pulled forth the Sword of Gryffindor. As Voldemort's wand fired, Neville parried the curse and it rebounded on a group of Death Eaters.

As the Death Eaters let out a scream, Harry spilled from Hagrid's arms.

"Potter!" Draco yelled and to Harry's surprise he tossed him a wand.

Whilst Harry had rushed away to seek shelter, Neville had used the explosion of chaos to slash the silver blade. It could not be heard over the roar of the crowd yet it seemed to draw everyone's attention. With a single stroke, Neville sliced off Nagini's head which then spun high into the air.

Voldemort's mouth opened to let out a scream of fury that could not be heard as Nagini's body thudded to the ground at his feet.

This was it. There were no more Horcruxes. Voldemort's bloodline had ended with him. It was the final battle.

It was the Boy who Lived versus Lord Voldemort.