Harry's POV

The battle was at it's peak now, everyone else was invisible. This was how it ended. Just the two of us.

"Why do you live!" Voldemort yelled angrily, still in utter disbelief that I had escaped his clutches and the battle was not over.

"Because I have something to live for!" I replied, looking him dead in the eye. "There are no more Horcruxes Tom. It's just you and me. Neither can live while the other survives, and one of us is about to leave for good..."

"One of us?" jeered Voldemort. "You think it will be you, do you, the boy who has survived by accident, and because Dumbledore was pulling the strings?"

"Accident was it, when my mother died to save me?" I asked. "Accident, when I fought in that graveyard? Accident when I survived your attempt to murder me?"

"Accidents!" screamed Voldemort, unable to believe anything else.

"I know things you don't know, Tom Riddle. I know lots of important things that you don't. Want to hear some, before you make another big mistake?" I asked.

Voldemort did not speak, perhaps he believed faintly I did have one final secret.

"Is it love again?" said Voldemort, his face jeering. "Dumbledore favourite solution, love, which he claimed conquered death, though love did not stop him falling from the tower? Love, which did not prevent me stamping out your Mudblood mother like a cockroach, Potter - and nobody seems to love you enough to run forward this time and take my curse. So what will stop you dying now when I strike?"

As we circled each other, I prepared myself to tell him the final secret I knew. "Just one thing."

"Love will not save you this time. You must believe you have magic I do not."

"I believe both." I said plainly, my hand clenched tightly around my wand.

Voldemort began to laugh as shock flit across his face. "You think you know more magic than I do? Than I, Lord Voldemort, who has performed magic that Dumbledore himself never dreamed of?"

"He knew enough not to do what you've done." I countered.

Voldemort screamed. "You mean he was weak! I brought about the death of Albus Dumbledore! I was the one who told my grandson and Draco to kill him!"

"You thought you did," I replied, "but you were wrong."

"Dumbledore is dead! I have seen it! He will not return!"

I spoke calmly. "Yes, Dumbledore is dead, but you didn't have him killed. He chose his own manner of dying, chose it months before he died, arranged the whole thing with the man you thought was your servant and the boy you thought was your future heir."

"What childish dream is this?" said Voldemort, his red eyes did not waver from mine.

"Severus Snape wasn't yours," I said, "Y/N L/N was not your perfect heir. Snape was Dumbledore's. Dumbledore's from the moment you started hunting down my mother. Y/N was Dumbledore's. Dumbledore's from the moment he met Hermione Granger. And you never realised it, because of the thing you can't understand. You never saw Snape cast a Patronus, did you, Riddle?"

Voldemort did not answer.

"Snape's Patronus was a doe," I continued, "the same as my mother's, because he loved her for nearly all of his life, from the time when they were children. You never saw Y/N with Hermione, otherwise you would know. Snape was Dumbledore's spy from the moment you threatened my mother and Y/N pledged his allegiance to you to save Hermione's life."

"It matters not!" shrieked Voldemort, who had followed every word with rapt attention, but now let out a cackle of mad laughter. There was an obvious betrayal, especially with Y/N. "It matters not whether Snape was mine or Dumbledore's. It matters not how my grandson loved the Mudblood - I changed his ways! He was my heir!"

"He was never truly your heir!" I countered. "He could never be your heir for as long as he loved Hermione!"

"It does not matter! I crushed them all! Snape is dead! Y/N is dead!" Voldemort yelled. "Dumbledore was trying to keep the Elder Wand from me! He intended that Snape should be the true master of the wand! But I got there ahead of you, little boy - I reached the wand before you could get your hands on it, I understood the truth before you caught up. I killed Severus Snape three hours ago, and the Elder Wand is truly mine! Dumbledore's last plan went wrong, Harry Potter!"

"Dumbledore's last plan hasn't backfired on me at all. It's backfired on you, Riddle." I replied coolly, Voldemort's hand was now trembling on the Elder Wand whilst I held onto Draco's wand tightly. The moment of truth, the realisation from Voldemort, was seconds away. "That wand still isn't working properly for you because you murdered the wrong person. Severus Snape was never the true master of the Elder Wand. He never defeated Dumbledore."

"He killed-"

"Aren't you listening? Snape never beat Dumbledore! Dumbledore's death was planned between them! Dumbledore intended to die, undefeated, the wand's last true master! If all had gone as planned, the wand's power would have died with him, because it had never been won from him!"

"But then, Potter, Dumbledore as good as gave me the wand!" Voldemort's voice shook with malicious pleasure. "I stole the wand from its last master's tomb! I removed it against the last master's wishes! Its power is mine!"

"You still don't get it, Riddle, do you? Possessing the wand isn't enough! Holding it, using it, doesn't make it really yours. Didn't you listen to Ollivander? The wand chooses the wizard. The Elder Wand recognised a new master before Dumbledore died, someone who never even laid a hand on it."

I paused before giving Voldemort the truth. "The true master of the Elder Wand was Draco Malfoy. From the night he disarmed Dumbledore in the Astronomy Tower."

Blank shock showed in Voldemort's face for a moment, but then it was gone. "But what does it matter? Even if you are right, Potter, it makes no difference to you and me. We duel on skill alone and after I have killed you, I can attend to Draco Malfoy."

"But you're too late," I added, "you've missed your chance. I got there first. I overpowered Draco weeks ago. I took his wand from him."

Silence from Voldemort, the shock slowly returned.

"So it all comes down to this, doesn't it?" I whispered. "Does the wand in your hand know its last master was disarmed? Because if it does...I am the true master of the Elder Wand."

The time for pleasantries was over. Voldemort raised his wand and with one shriek he casted his infamous spell whilst I casted mine.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!"

"EXPELLIARMUS!"

The bang was like a cannon blast, and the golden flames that erupted between us, marked the point where the spells collided. I saw Voldemort's green jet meet my own spell, I saw the Elder Wand fly high, spinning across the enchanted ceiling like the head of Nagini, spinning through the air toward the master it would not kill, I had come to take full possession of it at last.

As the wand flew towards me, I caught it with my free hand as Voldemort fell backwards. His arms were splayed, the slit pupils of his scarlet eyes rolled upwards as Tom Riddle hit the floor with a mundane finality. His body was feeble, his white hands empty and his snakelike face was vacant.

Voldemort was dead. Killed by his own rebounding curse. The war was over.

The sun rose steadily over Hogwarts, and the Great Hall blazed with life and light. I was a part of the jubilation and the mourning, the grief and the celebration. Everyone wanted me there, I was their leader, their saviour.

I had to speak to the bereaved, I had to receive all the thanks, I had to hear the news from all over the country and hear that Kingsley Shacklebolt had been named temporarily the Minister of Magic.

Voldemort's body had been moved to a chamber away from everyone, away from the bodies of Fred, Tonks, Lupin, Axel Leroy-Smith, Y/N and fifty others.

Despite the fact the war was over, I could not feel happy. I was filled with exhaustion and pain. I glanced over at Y/N's body, Issac and Hermione were still there. Mourning the death of both brother and lover.

As I walked over, I overhead Issac talk. "I need to do something, can you come with me Hermione?"

He then noticed me and turned. "Can I borrow your Cloak Harry? So I can move his body?"

I looked at Issac sceptically, could it be that Y/N actually performed the spell? I nodded and gave him my Cloak to place over Y/N's body before helping them carry him out of the hall and into the library.

"What are you doing to him?" Hermione asked, tears in her eyes, as Issac placed him down gently, pulling the Cloak off him and reaching for a book already on the table.

My eyes narrowed as I looked at the page, I could distinctly make out the words of the page. Y/N had indeed taken my advice and casted the spell. I was filled with hope again, perhaps he wasn't dead. Perhaps he could come back to us.

Issac pulled out the Golden Snitch Dumbledore had left Y/N and placed it on Y/N's chest. Hermione's eyes suddenly lit up, she had clocked on from her light reading what Issac was doing.

"You wouldn't be-"

Hermione's voice was shaking, she couldn't even finish her sentence.

"You love my brother right?" Issac asked Hermione.

I thought that was such a stupid question to ask. The answer was obvious.

"More than anything in the entire world." Hermione replied confidently.

"True love surpasses all." Issac muttered, he then looked at the page before looking at Hermione again. "I need you to put both hands on the Snitch and I need you to read the following incantation 'Anima Et Corpus'."

Hermione nodded before kneeling down next to Y/N, looking into his eyes. I watched standing up, if this worked, I would feel a huge wave of relief. I didn't want Y/N to die, I knew he had gone down a dark road, I knew he had gone through a lot but what I said to Voldemort was true. He could never be evil so long as he loved Hermione Jean Granger.

"Whenever you're ready Hermione." Issac said.

Hermione placed both her hands on the Snitch before muttering the incantation. "Anima Et Corpus, Anima Et Corpus, Anima Et Corpus. Why is it not working!"

Her last sentence was filled with desperation. Tears had reformed in her eyes, falling down her cheek and onto Y/N's body.

She repeated the incantation again, each time with more and more desperation. There was nothing but then there was. A subtle glow radiated from the Golden Snitch and my eyes widened in anticipation. Issac and Hermione noticed it too, the Snitch radiated with a golden glow before it disappeared.

Nothing. It looked like Y/N didn't make it. He was truly dead.

We all sat in a mourning silence around our fallen comrade. However, we were interrupted by loud coughs, we all immediately looked at the body in front of us and we were met by the familiar E/C eyes.

He had done it, Y/N L/N had escaped death yet again.

Y/N's POV

After the excruciating pain, the next thing I felt was pain yet again. My limbs seemed to have tried to readjust themselves and I was coughing up blood towards three figures in front of me. It took me a while to fully become acclimated with my surroundings, however when I did I thought I was in heaven.

As I sat up, in front of me was the bushy-haired girl I had fallen for years ago - but her hair seemed less bushy now. I couldn't blame her, she had probably gone through a lot.

Before I could speak, I was tackled back onto the floor by a pair of lips. Hermione Granger was kissing me. I wrapped my arms around her, ignoring the soreness from my arms.

When she pulled away, she peppered me with kisses as if this was the last time she would ever see me. I couldn't blame her, I was pronounced dead a good few hours ago.

When she finally let me breath I looked at Harry. "Is he-"

Harry nodded. "It's over. We won." he breathed.

I let out a sigh of relief. It was all over. The prophecy had been bypassed, we had found a loophole. F/N Malfoy was no more, Voldemort's heir was no more. I could be me again. The Y/N L/N before the events of my fourth year. It had been an overwhelming three years. I had lost myself at points along the way but Hermione Jean Granger had been my lifeline. She kept me from truly losing myself. Whenever I was at my darkest, I thought of her and suddenly there was a light at the end of the dark, dark tunnel.

This was it, this was the end of the tunnel. I had made it. The war was over. Everything was over.

"Why." Hermione shouted whilst hitting my shoulder. "Did." Smack. "You." Another hit. "Do." Smack again. "That!"

"Ouch 'Mione!" I said, holding my shoulder. "Cut me some slack, I just temporarily died by separating my soul from my body."

She looked at me, unimpressed. "Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell any of us!"

"I did tell Issac, and Harry gave me the idea." I replied with a small smile.

She still looked unimpressed as tears continued to roll down her face - I think they were a mixture of relief and happiness.

"So it's over?"

Issac nodded. "It's over little brother."

I smiled to myself. In this moment, the four of us huddled around each other in the Hogwarts library, everything was perfect. I wouldn't change it for the world.

As we all got up and began making our way back to the Great Hall for my dramatic entrance, Hermione asked me once again whilst her fingers were intertwined with mine.

"What you did was very irresponsible Y/N! You could've been killed...or worse, expelled!"

I laughed at her comment, she laughed too. It felt like we were in our first year all over again.

"What can I say 'Mione." I replied looking down at her with the cheeky smile no one had seen for a while.

"I was feeling epic."