There was the sound of windows breaking in the front room. The kids were screaming inside the house, while there were shouts from outside the house. Harry and Snape jumped into action, knocking over their chairs. Harry ran, crouching, into the front room and Snape ran upstairs. Harry pressed flat against the wall, trying to see how many people were out there. He counted one….two….no, they were moving too fast for Harry to count. Snape ran down the stairs, much faster than any man of his age should be able to.

“I counted at least three.” He informed Harry. “One of them is Yaxley.”

Harry took off for the bookshelf.

“Harry, this is not the time….” But Harry was not listening.

He reached up toward the only red book on the shelves and pulled it back. He had to protect his family. Running into the living room, he called to his family.

“Everyone, come here right now!” He shouted.

Ginny helped usher the children out of the dining room and into the living room. The bookshelf had swung open like a door. Inside was a room with five beds, food, water, and other things that were needed to sustain life. Harry was getting the kids into the room, telling each one how much he loved them before they walked in. Teddy was the last one left.

“Do you know what to do?”

“Yes.”

“Good. I love you Teddy.”

“I love you too, Uncle Harry.” The boy responded before running into the shelter.

“Ginny.” Harry yelled standing up. “Go in.”

“What is this Harry?”

“Right now is not the time for me to explain. Just go in.”

“I am not going anywhere until you tell me what the bloody hell this is.”

“It’s a safety shelter that Hermione and I built before we moved in. Now please go in.” Harry spoke with desperation in his voice.

“I am not going in there.”

“Ginny, Please. This is not the time to argue. The kids need you and you will be safe in here. GO!” Harry pleaded.

“Harry James Potter, I fought the entire second wizarding war beside you. I am not stopping now.”

Harry hated how stubborn she could be. Did she not understand what could happen if things went wrong?

“Fine.” Harry shouted, fed up with the argument.

Harry and Ginny said goodbye to the kids as Harry shut the door close. When he turned back to Snape, he heard another window explode.

“Let’s go.” Harry ran to the door with Ginny and Snape close behind him.

Harry wretched the door open and just missed being hit by a spell. Harry dove behind a column of the porch, turning around to see the spell that he just missed had taken a chunk out of the door frame. Harry hurled a spell in the direction that he saw the missed spell come from. Two jets of light came toward Harry, causing him to drop to the ground. He heard Ginny yelp in fear.

“I’m fine.” Harry spoke as he got to his knees.

He looked back to see if Ginny and Snape were okay, but they were not there. Hopefully they had gone into the shelter or had come up with a plan. He had to trust that things would end quickly. For the next few minutes, Harry shot spells off, only stopping to duck for cover. He knew that Snape would be fighting so where was he? There was a yell of pain coming from Harry’s left, then another one coming from his right. It seems that Harry had found Snape and Ginny. Now was the time to fight and bring Yaxley into the ministry. Shooting a spell into the direction of Yaxley, Harry jumped over the banister of the porch. Yaxley retaliated with a spell of his own, which Harry had just barely been able to block the spell.

He ran to the middle of the yard, throwing up his wand to block spells that were speeding toward him. He stopped when he felt Ginny standing to his right and Snape to his left. Now everyone could be seen clearly, but Harry only paid attention to Yaxley. A body crashed to the ground as Snape took out a person, then rushed to help Ginny. Harry could see the fear in Yaxley’s eyes as they began to duel. Snape and Ginny easily took out another intruder before turning their wands upon Yaxley. Yaxley kept his wand pointed at Harry’s head. They were at a stand still.

“It’s time to give up Yaxley. You can’t win, not when it is three against one.” Harry announced.

“I’ve done better with worse odds, Potter.” He growled back.

“You can’t win against him, Yaxley.” Snape remarked.

“It that Voldemort’s number one spy, Severus Snape.”

“It is.”

“I thought you died.” Yaxley smirked.

“Clearly not. I am here, aren’t I?”

“What makes you think I can’t beat him?”

“Because even Voldemort, the greatest dark wizard of all time, couldn’t defeat him. The boy even had Albus Dumbledore, who Voldemort said was one of the greatest wizards of all time, under his thumb. No one can beat him.”

Harry was going to disagree with Snape, but the way that his demeanor changed told Harry not to.

“How close were you to death, Severus?” Yaxley inquired.

“That does not matter.” Snape said calmly.

“It matters to me! I want to know who close you were to death.”

“Had I acted a moment later, I most likely would have been dead.”

A sinister smile crept across Yaxley’s face.

“So, you didn’t see that mud blood, Lily Evans?”

“What does she have to do with this?” Harry argued.

“Lily Evans was a mud blood. Do not deny it!”

“Don’t you dare call her that.” Snape retorted, raising his wand to Yaxley’s face.

“Since you are alive, I can now send you and her filthy child back to her together.”

“Enough!” Snape shouted, throwing a spell at Yaxley.

The duel began.

Within minutes, everyone was sweating. Yaxley began to throw spells wildly, which scared Harry. A spell came at Snape and he stumbled backwards from the force of it. Looking to make sure that Snape was okay would be the worse mistake Harry would make in his life. It was only an instant distraction, but it left enough time. Harry turned his head, and knowing Snape was okay, he turned back in time to see a large sliver spell racing toward Ginny. She didn’t know that it was coming toward her.

“Look out!” Harry yelled at her, while lunging in front of her.

He soared through the air, knocking Ginny to the ground. When they landed, Harry could hear the fight recommence. Snape was okay and fighting. Harry pushed himself up and looked to make sure that Ginny was okay. He was lying on her back, shaking. A red liquid was seeping down her arm. Something was definitely wrong.

Harry crawled to Ginny. Horror is what met his eyes. He had been too late. She was bleeding all over. The last time Harry had seen this spell, he had casted it upon Draco Malfoy during their sixth year. Luckily, he knew how to heal Sectumsempra wounds. Harry ran his wand over her wands and, thankfully, they began to heal. He was about to turn to the next wound, when the one that he just tried to heal had opened up again. He had traced the wound over and over again, until he had done it ten times. The wounds would not heal.

These were not normal wounds. These were cursed. Harry knew that if Snape tried to heal them, they would not close.

“Ginny, you have to hold on. Help is on the way. Just hold on, sweetheart.” Harry mumbled as he kept trying to trace the wounds.

Hopefully, someone at the Ministry had gotten his call for help. He prayed that someone had heard his call and was now on the way.

“Harry….Harry please stop.” Ginny whispered, but Harry did not listen.

He did not even realize that Snape had incapacitated Yaxley and he was now, quietly, watching this horrible scene unfold.

“I’m not going to stop.” Harry growled as he continued to attempt to heal the wound.

“Please stop.” Ginny whispered again, taking a hold of Harry’s wand hand.

“I’m not going to let you die. If you die, then I have nothing left to live for. We, the kids, need you….and I need you.” Harry stated.

“No Harry. You still have everything to live for.” Ginny pleaded.

“I don’t know how to live without you, Ginny. I need you.”

“I know that you can because you won’t forget how much I love you.”

Ginny reached up and kissed Harry. Could this be the last kiss that Ginny would ever give him? If it was, then Harry would not forget this moment.

“I love you so much, Ginny. You mean the world to me.” Harry spoke, while shifting her in his arms as the rain came down harder.

“And you mean the world to me as well, Harry.”

“If you die, then my life becomes lonely and meaningless.”

“No, It doesn’t. You have the kids, and Severus to be there. You have so many people to help you. You need to tell my parents that I love them. You also need to tell the kids. They can’t forget how much I love them and neither can you.”

“I love you so much Ginny. One lifetime is not enough to express my love for you.” Tears began to sting Harry’s eyes.

“And mine to you, as well.” Ginny whispered as she reached up. Harry leaned down so that she could touch his face. “You are the greatest man that I have ever met and the only man that I have ever loved. I love you.”

“I love you too.” Harry said in response.

Ginny’s blue shirt had turned a deep purple and Harry could feel her blood seeping through his jeans.

“I love you more than you will ever know, Ginny.” Harry confessed.

“I…Love…You….Harry.”

Ginny had whispered so quietly that Harry had to place his ear next to her mouth. He could feel her hand go limp in his own. With tears flowing down his eyes, Harry looked into her eyes.

Ginny Weasley, the love of Harry’s life, was dead.