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Once were meant to be

                As Voldemort watched his beloved Nagini's severed head fall to the ground, he raised the Elder Wand and pointed it at Neville.

                "Protego!" Harry yelled as he threw off the invisibility cloak. Everyone fell silent. Even the giants paused to see what was going on.

                "Your alive," Voldemort said in a shocked tone.

                "Yes, and ready to vanquish you once and for all."

                "I don't know how you survived but I shall destroy you this time." Voldemort raised his wand and as he did so Harry's wand flew from his hand, leaving Harry very much defenseless against the Dark Lord.

                Harry began to back away from him as Voldemort started firing killing curse after killing curse toward Harry. Either Harry was very good at dodging or Voldemort was in  a hurry to finish what he had thought he had done in the forest, but the curses never contacted Harry.

                Harry soon found himself against the wall next to the door of the entrance hall. He fell over as Voldemort sent one curse at his head and the force shook the whole castle. As Voldemort started to take breath for the final attack a large shield looking object fell from the top of the wall. The shield had a snake, a badger, a lion, and an eagle all around a large H. Harry recognized it at once as the emblem of Hogwarts that stood to welcome students as well as visitor into the school that was created from the four greatest witches and wizards of that era.

                "Avada Kadavra!" Voldemort yelled as he aimed for Harry. Harry not having time to think and simply reacting he pulled the shield down between him and the spell hoping that it would protect him. The spell collided with the shield and as it did it reflected the green beam of light toward the sky, leaving the shield completely unharmed and leaving Harry, Voldemort, the Death Eaters and those who were defending Hogwarts completely speechless.

                Suddenly Harry heard a sound; one he had heard only three times before. It was a peaceful sound but he had also heard it when it cried with loss. This song he had heard in the graveyard of little Hangleton when Voldemort returned to his body.

                Just as he remembered this, four shapes started to materialize out of thin air. It was not his parents, Cedric and some old muggle man like Harry had seen the last time he hear this song. It was four people he had never seen before in person but he knew immediately who they were just not why they were there. One was a rather short plump lady wearing a golden robe, that must be glowing in of itself because it was still night but the dress shone as if it was daylight. She also had her hair done up in rather dignified way. Also she was brandishing a wand in her right hand but in the other she had a golden goblet. The second lady was a rather skinny witch in a long navy dress robe and on the top of her head she wore the diadem that Harry had put upon a warlock sculpture to be able to find his old potions book. Next was a medium size man that had a long narrow face similar to Voldemort's although not as snakelike wearing emerald robes and around his neck was the locket. Last and most noble was a broud sholder man with a cape of maroon and gold and he did not carry anything but his wand. For a most noble and brave 17 year old boy had pulled it out of his own hat and therefore had the right to brandish it.

                As the founders of Hogwarts stood ominously, Voldemort's voice returned," This can not be."

                "It is," said Godric," we shall not allow you to trespass upon this hallow ground any longer."

                "Allow me - allow me," Voldemort said although frightened he still was irritated," Perhaps you do not know who I am. I am"

                "My heir!" Salizar exclaimed while walking to the front at the group; the locket dangling around his neck.

                "My great and noble ancestor, Salazar Slytherin, Sir, I am finishing your work."

                "My work. I never meant for my heir to attack Hogwarts."

                "But sir, you are the greatest of the four founders."

                "You humor me, but this is not about me it is about you attacking Hogwarts."

                "I shall attack anyone who gets in my way. Now stand aside."

                "I cannot allow you to beseech this ground."

                "Avada Kad-"

                In the instant that Voldemort's was raising his wand, the four founders at once raised their own wands and without uttering a single sound sent four beams of red toward Voldemort. Voldemort flew backwards and landed only a few feet from the blasted tomb of Dumbledore's

                As Voldemort started to get up from the spells he screamed in fury," I shall destroy every man, woman and child that gets in my way until I rule all. "

                "You never learn do you Tom." A mysterious voice rang out throughout the grounds. As everyone looked around for the source of the voice the founders pointed their wands at the tomb next to riddle and in an instant it erupted into gold flames. When the flames had subsided the form of a man was clearly visible. A man with long purly white hair and a waist length beard. A man who had faced more in life than most men could dream of. A man who faced death with open arms and had now returned from death to defend the school that he loved with all his being, was standing next to Voldemort. Harry knew that man in an instant and was relived to see the very real and unharmed form of Albus Persival Wulfic Brian Dumbldore.

                "You-You-Your dead," Voldemort said with undeniable fear in his voice.

                "Ah Tom, that is one fact that you could and will never understand. There is no difference from life and death."

                "No difference!"

                "No difference," repeated Dumbledore calmly as if he were talking to a child," To those who accept death it is a new life rather than the absence of life as you see it as."

                "I shall destroy your new life as I destroyed your old one."

                "I'm afraid you will not succeed."

                "Do you think you can defeat me when I have your wand, the Elder Wand, and you are wandless?"

                "You know very well Tom that I can do wandless magic but I need not have to. You see tonight in the forest Harry died. And with that death came protection and so any curse that you throw at me will not be binding. As well as killing me would do nothing for as you say I am dead."

                "Well you seem to have this all figured out," Voldemort mouth changed into a menacing smile. Harry had never seen that look upon his face before but he knew that whatever Voldemort was planning it wasn't good. "But tell me what happens if I attack someone who isn't dead." And with that Voldemort sent a killing curse into the crowd.

                Before Dumbledore or any of the founders could do a thing the spell had made contact and had killed a 16-year-old girl. She lay back to the ground with her eyes still showing shock. Her flaming red hair spread out on the ground and her mouth open in shock. 

                In the moment that Harry realized that Ginny had gone from this world he lost it. Every resistance that he had had been broken. He rose to his feet and the pain that he had had since his encounter in the forest had gone and he saw no one else but Riddle. He had lost James, Lily, Sirius, Dumbledore, Hedwig, Mad-Eye, Remus, Tonks and now Ginny all because of Riddle's plans and now it was time for them to come to an end.

                He raised up his hand as if to call for something and the Sword of Godric Gryffindor was instintaniously summoned from Neville's hand into his own. Harry walked toward Riddle with the determination that few full grown men possessed. And as he walked toward Riddle he recited his destiny that had been told to him two years ago by Dumbledore and that had been prophesied 18 years ago by the women most considered a fraud.

                " The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches"

                Riddle sent spell after spell toward Harry but none of them ever made contact. It was if Harry was not whole he had lost half of him when Ginny had died and that half was filled with determination. A force of energy on a direct path toward Riddle, and that nothing could stop.  

                "born to those who have trice defied him"

                Riddle tried to escape but it was as if there was some kind of invisible force keeping him from retreating. It was as if death itself had came and was not going to let him escape this time for there was no more horcruxes. And Harry would find him no matter where he went.

                " and the Dark Lord shall mark him as his equal"

                A gust of wind blew and showed the lightning bolt scar upon Harry's forehead. Every eye was watching Harry. Everyone was silent and everyone was holding their breath waiting to see what happened.

                " but he shall have powers the Dark Lord knows not"

Once were meant to be (Cont.)

                Harry was closing in on Riddle and Riddle was using everything within his power to retreat to fight his way out, to somehow win. But there wasn't any.

                "for either must die at the hand of the other"

                Harry approached Riddle and placed to sword at his chest. Riddle for once was showing true fear and knew what was to come.

                "FOR NEITHER CAN LIVE WHILE THE OTHER SURVIVES!" Harry yelled as he thrust the sword deep into the abdomen of Riddle. Riddle let out a scream of pain that was unlike anything in existence. A man who had done more to stay away from death to make himself immortal was now bound to the same fate that any man alive must one day accept. Riddle felt the torchor and pain that eight deaths felt. With all his horcruxes gone there was nothing tying him to life. The diary destroyed by Harry, the ring destroyed by Dumbledore, the locket destroyed by Ron, the Cup destroyed by Hermione, the Diadem destroyed by the fiend fire, Nagini destroyed by Neville and the piece of Voldemort that resided in Harry destroyed by his own hand.

                His ropes to life were gone and death called for him that day. As Riddle fell to the ground Harry saw the red slit for eyes glow one last time and then they faded into complete darkness and Harry knew that Riddle was gone for good. He dropped the Sword of Gryffindor and knew that never again must he slaughter someone like he had just done.

                Harry rose up and looked at where Ginny lay and walked over to her. He bent down and stared into those deep brown eyes. He looked up the place where the killing curse had hit her and he began to cry. However it was not the kind of cry that created a lot of tears. It was a cry that was full of love. The tears that he did cry he did not try to cover up. He wanted people to see. Wanted them to see how much it had cost him. Everyone envied him, they wanted to be him. He wanted them to see that it was not good to be famous to have everyone know your name to be followed like a dog and to have those that you love attacked only to get to you.

                The tears tapped Ginny's chest and in that instant the wound healed. Harry was too busy thinking about what he would have liked to do with Ginny to notice. He was thinking of walks that they could have taken, the dinners that they could have shared, even the children they could have had; all that was meaningless, because now she was dead.

                A faint glow started the appear over Ginny and it was still an hour before the slightest hint of sunrise would be seen. Harry again did not notice he was still thinking of all the things that he could do with Ginny were she still alive.

                "Harry," a faint whisper like voice could be heard in Harry's ear. Harry immediately open his eyes to see a glowing Ginny looking up at him. He knew what had happened although he didn't know why. He was in shock but he didn't care. Ginny gently raised her head as better to hear Harry.

                "You're alive," Harry said with so much joy that he was about to explode. He had experienced loss, rage and joy all within the course of a few minutes. He kissed Ginny with so much passion that she lay her head back on the ground and kissed him back. It was a wonderful emotion. They both forgot where they were. It didn't matter that they were surrounded by hundreds of people, it didn't matter that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley was less than a few feet away. All that mattered was that Ginny was alive.

                Eventually Harry and Ginny broke apart and Harry looked at Dumbledore. He did not know why but he knew that he must know why Ginny was alive. As if Dumbledore had read his mind he said," Phoenix Tears."

                "But"

                "In you second year you were endowed with the power of the phoenix and in that instant you gained the ability to bring one back from anything that you had experienced. You having experience death therefore you could bring one back from death and that is why miss weasley is here now."

                "Then how are you all here. " Harry pointed toward the founders but directed his question to Dumbledore.

                "Ah I would have thought that that would be obvious. Before leaving the school Salizar and the other founders put part of their magic abilities into that shield and when it is attack they appear to defend Hogwarts. "

                " You mean like the diary?"

                "Close, but do remember that this is not a school for the dark arts. No matter how it was run in the past year. They are more then memories but less then ghost. They are here to defend Hogwarts but they are not part of their souls."

                "And you, sir?"

                "I am merely and temporarily reanimated by the founders to assist in the protection of the school. Alas my time is running short." Dumbledore started to move toward his tomb.

                "But sir - is there anything we can do?"

                "Do not forget those who were lost and always remember love is always the answer." And with that Dumbledore got up and lay in his tomb as he was last year. White flames erupted around him and the tomb was whole once again.

                Harry looked over to the founders and they were starting to vanish; first as if you could barely see thru them and then as though you could barely see them. As the H on the Hogwarts crest glowed it rose into the air and hung above the doors were it was before. The founders had gone but Harry now knew what the Sorting Hat had meant when it said that the houses must be united as they once were meant to be.