Dedicated to my best friend, Marian. I love you so much.
Ten Minutes Before The End. (One-shot contest entry by cityofwriting)
Ten.
The warmth from the fire radiated onto Harry's face beneath the invisibility cloak as he sauntered into the clearing, awaiting his death.
Nine.
His brilliant jade eyes gleamed with unshed tears as the faces of everyone who had died for him reappeared into his mind.
The loving smile of his mother particularly haunted him and he suddenly stopped, letting his feet rest on the damp grass.
"You've been so brave."
Brave? Brave is not letting your friends and family--and people you barely know--endure torture and die for you.
He picked up his feet again and started again for the light in the middle of the clearing, breathing in the cool air and staring straight ahead.
Eight.
Now he would be able to live up to his mother's words.
He wouldn't--couldn't-- let anyone else die for him. No one else was going to pay for his cowardliness. There would be no more substitutions.
Seven.
He had spent so long destroying horcruxes to come this far and not finish what he had started.
He was the last piece of Voldemort, the last living part, the seventh horcrux. Once all the horcruxes had been destroyed, Voldemort could be defeated.
For seven years at Hogwarts he never imagined it'd happen like this--and how could he? Dumbledore knew all along how this would end, but never told Harry.
But in some ways, Harry was glad it was kept from him for so long, because he would've never been prepared for this responsibility until now.
Everything was going to end with him.
Six.
"Time's nearly up. Potter's had his hour. He's not coming."
And Yaxley was right--The 60 minutes Harry had been given were almost gone.
As Yaxley turned with Donohov back into the forest, Harry followed slowly behind them.
With one foot in front of the other, Harry knew the two death eaters would lead him exactly where he needed to go.
Five.
And with every step he took, all of his senses felt heightened.
The chilly air continued to nip at his pale face, and the weight of the Resurrection Stone that laid in his hand became more prominent.
He could smell the fumes of smoke coming from ahead and the aroma of the wet green beneath his feet that surrounded him as he walked.
Except for the pounding of his heavy heart inside his chest and his footsteps, there was nothing but silence in the forest around him.
The taste of Ginny's lips was still present, and he closed his eyes for a brief moment to imagine the girl he loved. Her blazing look, the curl of her mouth, the way she blushed when she smiled--it almost made him forget about everything else.
But the sight of the fire and the crowd of watchful death eaters brought him back to reality.
Harry could feel a million memories, faces, sounds, and emotions race through his veins as he approached what he knew to be death.
Except fear. The one emotion that probably should be there--was missing. He used to be afraid of dying. But as death drew closer to him, fear had somehow disappeared.
Four.
Under the invisibility cloak, not only was Harry, but was his mother, father, Remus and Sirius. Their presence was his courage to keep moving, to hold on just a little longer.
As they walked, the four made barely a scarce of sound, but it didn't make him feel any less alone.
Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see the reassurance in his father's hazel eyes.
"You'll stay with me?"
"Until the very end," said James.
Remembering just those four words from his father was all he needed to approach the scene before him.
Three.
Yaxley and Dolohov stepped out into a clearing that Harry knew had been the place where the monstrous Aragog had once lived. The remnants of his vast web were there still, but the swarm of descendants he had spawned had been driven out by the Death Eaters, to fight for their cause.
As Harry's eyes lingered over the group of death eaters, he thought about what they were fighting for.
To purify the wizarding race, to rid of all muggleborns, to keep magic within the old wizarding families.
He thought about all of the people that were killed, beaten, shamed, and tortured because of their cause.
His spirit came rising back up in the pit of his stomach as he thought about their motivation, and the last bit of fight he had in him was making it's way in the front of his mind.
"No sign of him, my Lord," said Dolohov.
Voldemort's expression did not falter. His red eyes seemed to glare in the firelight. Slowly he drew the Elder Wand between his long, bony fingers.
"I thought he would come," said Voldemort in a clear voice, his eyes on the flames. "I expected him to come."
No one moved, no one spoke. Everyone seemed as terrified as himself.
"I was, it seems . . . mistaken," uttered Voldemort.
But with the last of his courage, Harry Potter ripped away his invisibility cloak and opened his mouth.
"You weren't," Harry announced, trying to sound strong.
Suddenly, the Resurrection Stone fell from his cold fingers and onto the ground. His mother, father, Remus, and Sirius vanished from his side. He stepped forward into the light, and right then he knew no one else mattered now. It was between them.
Two.
As the end drew near, Harry thought about his childhood.
He thought about the day we was born, and how every day after he thought about what would he become. Even after he learned of the wizarding world he thought about that.
When the sorting hat was placed on his head, it told that he had a thirst to prove himself. He wanted to be known for being more than just the boy who lived, he wanted to rely on more than just luck.
But now, he knew exactly why he was was living--what he was born for all along.
One.
"Harry Potter," he said very softly, "The Boy Who Lived."
Harry closed his eyes as Voldemort raised his wand.
Suddenly everything was gone.
And it was faster then falling asleep.
The two most important days in your life are the day you're born and the day you find out why. --Mark Twain
~~
Thanks for reading!! Sorry it took forever for me to post this (it's been one crazy week for me haha!), but I hope you like it. Please support by voting and commenting! :) Thank you!
It was at first going to be called thoughts before the end but I thought this sounded better haha! You can call it whatever you like though! :)
