Love is the Strongest Magic

Love is the Strongest Magic

It had come to this moment. Everything in the past seven years had been leading to this.

Harry stared at the snake-like face of his parents' murderer, the creature who'd killed so many people in cold blood. His scar was burning, aching, and yet he barely felt it, so concentrated was he on the face of his nemesis.

He felt rather than saw Hermione struggle to his side. She was limping, bruised and bleeding, as indeed he was too, and his heart clenched. But her eyes were determined, shining with that indomitable spirit that he loved. She was hurt but she would see this through. And not only because they both knew the fate of the Wizarding world rested on their shoulders, but because she had made a vow that she would. As had he.

He remembered the last time he had spoken with Headmaster Dumbledore, that last meeting that had brought them to this final confrontation.

~*~*~*

Dumbledore studied the two students in front of him with grave eyes.

No one had been less surprised and more pleased than he when Harry Potter and Hermione Granger had officially become a couple. He had seen with the eyes of one who had watched generations of teenagers in their little love troubles, the growing feelings between the two, witnessed the strengthening of the bond they shared. It was special, that bond, one he hadn't seen since Lily and James Potter, Harry's parents. He wondered if it was coincidence that the son of that union should be destined to defeat this evil with his true partner. He doubted it. No, magic and destiny worked in strange ways and as he looked at the two teenagers in front of him, he knew that this had been meant to be.

They met his eyes steadily and he inwardly smiled. They may be only just 17 but they exuded a poise beyond their years. Yes, they were ready for this.

"Mr. Potter, Miss Granger, I'm sure you're wondering why I called you both here."

They both nodded, not saying anything.

"Before I explain, I must tell you both that what I am about to tell you must remain completely confidential. Not even Mr. Weasley must be told. This matter is between you two alone." He turned to Harry who looked increasingly tense, his face pale, making his green eyes even more noticeable. "You'll forgive my asking this, Harry, but how do you feel about Miss Granger?"

Harry's eyes widened ever so slightly at this question out of the blue but he answered calmly enough. "I love her, sir."

Dumbledore allowed himself to smile, the twinkle returning to his blue eyes, as he turned to Hermione who was looking confused. "And you, Hermione, how do you feel about Mr. Potter?"

"I love him."

Harry sucked in his breath sharply at hearing her quiet words before turning to look at her, his eyes warm. Every time he heard the words, he still had trouble believing it. He knew he would never get tired of hearing her say it just as he could never say the words to her enough. She returned the look and for a moment, they both forgot the presence of their Headmaster who studied the two with a touch of nostalgia in his wise old eyes.

Dumbledore cleared his throat slightly, and the two teenagers turned back to him, Hermione blushing.

"I once told you, Harry, that your mother's sacrifice, her love, left a mark that protected you. Lord Voldemort believed that your mother's protection would no longer affect him and he was correct to an extent. He was able to touch you without pain. However, he underestimates the strength of the love that your mother had for you."

Harry swallowed hard at the mention of his mother's love and Hermione reached over and took his hand, giving it a comforting squeeze.

"You see, Harry, the protection in your blood is part of the very essence of love, of magic, and that goes beyond a simple protection. Love, you see, is possibly the most powerful magic of all, and Voldemort knows nothing of its true nature. The love that protects you, Harry, while it allows Voldemort to touch you without pain, is also a weakness. It will work against him, if called. And there, Harry and Hermione, is where your feelings come in. There is a very old incantation, a spell of sorts, that has been nearly forgotten these many centuries because it is rarely used, indeed, so rarely that I don't recall a single instance of its use in the past thousand years or so. It requires two people who are magically powerful and who are connected to each other by love. Not just any love but a deep, faithful, true love, such that I believe you both share."

He paused, allowing this to sink in, and wasn't surprised when Hermione spoke first. "But, Professor, any spells that require two people to work are extremely tricky. There's never a guarantee that it will work, the two casters have to speak the spell in unison and any discrepancies in timing usually nullifies the spell or, at the very least, greatly reduces its effect. I don't understand..."

She trailed off as Dumbledore raised a hand. "Believe me, Miss Granger, I am fully aware of the difficulties and allow me to say I have the utmost faith in your ability to perform this spell together."

He paused as he looked from one to the other. Harry looked slightly stunned at the weight of what he'd just been told, Hermione hardly less so. And for a moment, he felt a touch of sadness. They were so young still, so young to have to deal with all this, to have the fate of the Wizarding world on their shoulders. And yet, it was not up to him or to them to question their destiny. They must do the best they could and somehow, as he studied the two of them, he felt his own heaviness ease slightly. They were young, yes, but they had already proven themselves many times over and their love was strong, all the stronger for what they had each gone through, and that love would bring them through.

Harry met Voldemort's red eyes glowing eerily out of that snake-like face, refusing to flinch or give way.

"Well, well, well, this is an unexpected pleasure, to get to kill both of you at the same time," Voldemort hissed in that cold voice. "I must say, I'm surprised you brought your Mudblood girlfriend with you, Potter. Now you can watch her die before I kill you too."

Harry didn't say anything, just bit his lip so hard he tasted blood. Voldemort was just baiting him, he knew that. He would not allow him the satisfaction of seeing his success.

He clenched the fist holding his wand tighter, before glancing at Hermione beside him.

Green eyes met brown, they both mouthed "I love you" as they reached out for the other's hand, pointing their wands at Voldemort. And as one, they started to speak.

"Power that binds, strength of hearts,

Hear us now in this hour of need;

Our love is true, our faith is strong,

Come forth, Love, and end this now!"

With the first words, he felt a strange power begin to rush through his veins, making him tremble with the force of it. He could feel Hermione's hand trembling in his, and knew she felt it too. Voldemort was screaming something, but he couldn't hear it through the strange roaring in his ears, and trying to curse them but he could tell, from the look of frustrated fury on his face, that nothing was working.

The last words were nearly shouted by them both as his grip on her hand tightened.

Then out of their wands, two twin jets of pure gold light burst, meeting and merging in the middle before hitting Voldemort in the chest.

For a moment, time seemed to stop, and then there was a blinding flash of golden light, so bright both Harry and Hermione shut their eyes against the glare. There was a final wailing drawn-out shriek of anguish, of hate. And then just silence.

Cautiously, they both opened their eyes, still holding hands tightly.

Voldemort was gone.

Slowly, they approached the spot where Voldemort had been, to find his wand lying on the ground, a small hole in the ground and one single rose, of so dark a red it was nearly black, with long, sharp thorns on the stem. There was no trace of bones, blood, or any sign that something that had once been human had been there.

Slowly, Harry bent down and broke the wand that would never again be used to commit a crime, and watched as a single phoenix feather fell out of the core to drift to the ground. Hermione pointed her wand at the feather and said, "Incendio" quietly but firmly, watching as the feather burned.

She looked at Harry who was staring at the rose as if he couldn't believe it was all over. She bent and picked up the rose, careful not to prick herself on the thorns.

He blinked and then turned to look at her. "Are you okay?"

She smiled a tired smile at him, glad to see that some life was coming back into his bright green eyes, no longer dark and troubled. "I'll be fine."

He nodded, pulling her close to press a kiss on her temple. "Thank you," he said quietly.

She frowned a little, pulling away slightly to look at him. "For what?"

"For everything. For risking so much to do this. For staying beside me all these years. Just for being you."

She smiled, feeling tears well up in her eyes. "Then thank you for all the same things," she said softly.

And as they kissed again, the last remnants of the darkness that had come with Voldemort vanished.

One week later...

Harry and Hermione looked down at the simple stone that marked Dumbledore's grave. He had died defending the school to which he had given so much and as was fitting, had been buried there as well. There had been some talk of building a monument in his honor but his real monument would be in the hearts and minds of all those students whose lives he had influenced in his own way.

Hermione bent and gently placed the still-blooming rose that had appeared where Voldemort had been, on Dumbledore's grave, a last tribute to the man who had taught them how to defeat their common enemy and who had had faith in them to the end.

Harry was silent, remembering something Dumbledore had said years ago. To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.

He smiled as he put his arm around Hermione. Thank you, Professor, and goodbye.

He turned to meet the eyes of the girl he loved. "Ready?" was all he said.

She smiled back, nodding and hand in hand, they walked away, going back to the front gates of the castle for one last time where Ron and the rest of the Weasleys, Sirius and Remus were waiting for them.

Voldemort was gone for good. He had Hermione with him, for now and for always. And he was not afraid of whatever the future might hold.