Fight To The Finish

Chapter One

Harry stared over at the letter he had received a few minutes ago, from a large black falcon who had immediately flown off after making his delivery. His green eyes, no longer hidden behind black glasses thanks to a charm Madame Pomfrey had developed, glanced over at a very large and very old-fashioned clock. It was 11:30 PM.

Ron, Neville, and the other 7th year Gryffindor boys were sleeping soundly in their beds, exhausted from the grueling N.E.W.T.S. Harry sighed quietly. He envied them all for being able to sleep. He looked down at the letter, pondering the message - invitation - it held.

His thoughts blurred the words together, but he knew what they said. The letter offered him a chance to fight fairly to the death with Voldemort, no tricks. If he agreed, all he had to do was hold the letter, and at midnight it would turn into a Portkey and bring him face to face with his enemy. Ordinarily, Harry wouldn't even consider it. However, Snape, Hogwarts' spy on Voldemort and his activities, had told him and Dumbledore about it a few weeks earlier. He hadn't known the exact date it was planned for, but Voldemort was being truthful about wanting a fair fight. Harry closed his eyes, remembering the scene.

"Harry, the only reason the Dark Lord would even consider this is because he knows he will win. I won't lie to you - he has gotten much stronger, even stronger than last year." At this, Snape had bit his lip, no doubt thinking of the various tortures he'd been forced to witness over the past three years. After a few moments, he snapped out of his trance, and looked to Dumbledore. "Headmaster, I think the Dark Lord's been keeping me around just for this."

Harry had frowned at this. "Well, he thinks you're his spy at Hogwarts, doesn't he? He'd probably expect you to persuade me to go."

Snape shook his head. "I'm not so sure. I fear he suspects me....I think he has since I went back."

Harry had looked at him in confusion, but the subject had been dropped. In the days since, Sirius and Lupin had warned him not to go several times. They said that he wouldn't be able to survive this time, that he mustn't try to be a hero. Dumbledore hadn't forbid him. When Snape had left that day, Dumbledore had looked older than Harry had ever seen him. Dumbledore was the only person who didn't give Harry a lecture about knowing his own strengths and not playing hero.

"Harry," he'd said quietly. "I'm afraid you're going to have to make this decision on your own. When the time comes, you won't have to listen to anyone's advice. In fact, knowing Voldemort, you probably won't even get the chance. Just listen to your heart - it'll tell you what to do."

And here Harry was, needing to make a life and death decision. Dumbledore had been right, of course. The letter's 11:30 PM delivery hadn't given him the time to get a second opinion. It only gave him a half hour to figure out what to do, by himself.

He turned the letter over and over in his hands. He hadn't known that Portkeys could be used inside Hogwarts. He should have realized, though - hadn't the TriWizard Cup been a Portkey, and on Hogwart's Quidditch Pitch?

He closed his eyes. He didn't like to think of the TriWizard Tournament, because it made him think of Cedric, and his death which had been Harry's fault.

That was only the first death Harry had caused since Voldemort's return. He thought of old Mrs. Figg, his former baby-sitter. It had turned out that she was a witch, part of Dumbledore's elaborate plan for Harry's protection while away from Hogwarts. She'd been killed by Death Eaters last year, when the creature who called himself the Dark Lord had become aware of the part she played in Harry's protection. Lupin had also died, and it had hit Harry hard. He'd died protecting Harry. There'd been several others, as well. Cedric had been the first, and since him Harry had become a completely different person. Though he'd known fear for his first three and a half years at Hogwarts, it was all much worse now. Before, he mostly feared for himself. Now, he feared for others.

He looked at Ron, his best friend, sleeping soundly with a smile on his face. He was probably dreaming of Hermione, Harry thought, smiling a bit. Ever since Hermione had cleverly tricked Ron into admitting his feelings for her at the beginning of the year, the two had been inseparable. They still squabbled constantly, but it was all in good fun, and they could make up in much more enjoyable ways now. At first they'd been worried that Harry would feel weird hanging out with them. However, Harry hadn't minded in the slightest. For one thing, his relationship with Ron had gotten even better. Ron was a very competitive person, especially with Harry. Harry suspected that, deep down, the fact that Ron had a girlfriend and Harry didn't made Ron feel better about himself, and made him less prone to jealousy. The second reason he didn't mind was because it made him feel better to see them so happy together. It was sort of a reminder of what they were all fighting for.

Harry himself hadn't ever really been with anyone, even though he was 17 now. He'd had a very few brief flings, but nothing serious. He wouldn't let himself get into anything, because he didn't want anyone else to get hurt. Besides, there weren't really and girls he was crazy about; Cho'd graduated. She'd already tried something last year, but after that one kiss, Harry refused to let it go any further. The guilt of Cedric had still been fresh in his mind, even after nearly two years.

He was glad his two best friends were so happy, but he still didn't hang around them that much; they were easy targets. If anything ever happened to Hermione, he'd never forgive himself, and neither would Ron. If anything happened to Ron...the Weasleys were his favorite family in the world, he couldn't live if he made them suffer. Which was why he was staying away from Ginny. Now 16, she'd become absolutely gorgeous. He had to avoid being alone with her, not knowing what the newly confident Ginny Weasley would do. Voldemort and his followers would just love for Harry to get involved with a Weasley.

Harry looked at Ron. He was at a good point in his life, except for the fact that he lived in fear - the fear that came of being Harry Potter's best friend.

It was then that Harry knew he must go. He had to face Voldemort. Everyone he knew and loved was at risk because of that fact; he knew and loved them. He owed it to them, to Cedric, to Mrs. Figg, to Lupin. After all, what if he succeeded? What if he managed to kill Voldemort? They'd all go back to leading normal lives. Harry would have a chance to have a normal life again, too. He could avenge the deaths he had caused and make peace with himself.

But what if he failed? The thought scared him. He didn't want to die, especially not if it involved being murdered by the same evil that had killed his parents. However...he felt he had to try. Otherwise, he'd just be living in fear for the rest of his life. He had to try. His heart had told him so, and Dumbledore had told him to listen.

Harry looked at the clock. 11:58. He held the letter, grabbing his bag with the photo album of his parents Hagrid had given him first year and his invisibility cloak. If he died, he wanted to die with the last bits of his parents he had left.

Just as he was slinging the bag over his shoulder and placing his wand into his hand, he heard a voice.

"Harry?" It was Ron. "What are you still doing up?"

Harry looked at his friend, whose eyes were tired and hair tousled from sleep. He felt sad, thinking he might never see him again. "Hey, Ron?" 11:59. He didn't have time to wait for a response; he spoke quickly. "If I'm not here tomorrow, tell everyone I did what I had to. I did it for them. Tell Ginny I don't hate her, and that if I wasn't Harry Potter I'd have told her how beautiful I think she is. Tell Hermione thanks for everything, and I love her and Sirius and Hagrid and Dumbledore and even Snape." His voice was calm, but inside he felt like he was going to crack. Only about 30 seconds to go. Just hold on to the letter...

"And I love you too, Ron, you're my best friend, and I love your whole family. If I'm not here tomorrow, my entire Gringotts vault belongs to the Weasleys, all of you. Don't refuse, there's no one else to take it."

Ron's eyes widened, and Harry knew he'd guessed. He and Hermione had both known what Voldemort was planning, and both warned and begged him not to go. Five seconds. Harry felt a desperate urge to hug his friend good-bye, but then he'd miss it or drag Ron with him.

"Harry, no!" Ron yelled, waking the other boys up as he climbed out of bed and desperately tried to grab Harry. It was too late. Harry felt himself being pulled into the letter as he yelled what could be his final, "Good-bye!"