Disclaimer: I do not own any Harry Potter characters etc.

Warning: Book 1-6 spoilers

A/N: Obviously this is a rewritten fic of my old story “My Unreality”. The title is staying the same, and while the story will be following the same plot, I just felt this story had so much potential so I want to make it better.

Originally this story only had six chapters- this version will have a lot more. I want this to be the story I planned in the beginning, and not the rushed rubbish I wrote last year, so enjoy! Feedback of course is always appreciated ^_~

Into The Light

Lightning struck through the dusky sky, tearing the suffocating blackness apart in a sharp clash of blinding light. The moon barely peeped out from behind the blanket of darkness, its pale light far too feeble to face the horrendous sight below. The jagged lights once more clashed, briefly illuminating the bloodied ground where a fierce battle had raged only moments before. Only two people were left standing on the body littered ground- their eyes locked on the other, completely oblivious to the terrifying storm around them. It was a fitting scene for a battle, and the pounding rain slicing through the warrior’s skin like sharp knives only added to the dark day.

The raven-haired boy wiped the sticky blood off his face that was mingled with sweat, his breathing ragged as his eyes narrowed with intense hatred at the disfigured man before him. “You killed them!” He yelled, choking slightly on his tears that were forcing his throat to constrict painfully. “Now I’ll kill you!”

The man laughed, a cold fearless laugh that would have made any other person shiver in fear, but the raven haired boy was far too lost to despair to care about terror now. He had no room left in his bitter heart to feel fear, and that was what made him all the more determined to win this fight- to get revenge.

“And what are you going to kill me with?” The man asked, his crimson eyes smiling mockingly. “Your pathetic curses?” He laughed again and walked forward, his black cloak blowing in the chilling wind. “Poor, precious Potter: the saviour of the Wizarding World.” His red eyes glinted cruelly, and a slow smile curved his thin lips. “You’ve already lost everything you love. What is the use in fighting me now? No one is here to welcome you back home.”

Harry walked forward, his fists clenching so hard that he could feel the blood trickling down his hands from the crescent shaped wounds his nails had made. His emerald eyes sparked with rage, the pure hatred he felt for the man before him surging through him like a sickening poison. All he wanted was this snake- this monster- feel the pain he felt- to suffer as he had suffered. That was all he needed.

“Nothing matters to me anymore; you’ve made sure of that.” Harry said bitterly, meeting that crimson gaze with another surge of hate. “Only one of us will live tonight, Voldemort. I won’t run.”

These words seemed to agree with Voldemort, who smiled his pitiless smile and brought out his wand, stroking it lovingly with his fingers a moment before holding it in the duelling stance. “Then let us begin.”

Harry nodded grimly and raised his wand stiffly in salute. There would be no childish games this time. There would be no hiding behind rocks. This was the end; he would make sure of it.

It was sort of surreal to know that he was facing what could be his last moments on this Earth. Somehow he thought he would have been more scared than this- to know that he was possibly about to be killed, but after everything he had been through; after all the friends and allies he had seen killed- somehow he had become numb.

Voldemort moved slowly around Harry like a cat waiting to pounce on an unsuspecting bird. Harry could only watch, his heart thudding in his chest like a war drum building louder and louder for that critical moment. He saw the sharp jab of Voldemort’s wand and quickly deflected the jet of purple light that had been sent his way.

“You didn’t think I would come here unprepared, did you?” Harry mocked, but he gripped his wand tighter all the same. In a way he knew he was hopelessly unbalanced in this fight. All it would take was Voldemort to cast Avada Kedavra and that would be the end. He just needed to keep Voldemort toying with him to give him his chance to strike before that moment happened.

Voldemort’s lips twisted into a sneer, his eyes glinting maliciously. “So you learnt a few tricks? It still won’t be enough.”

Harry ducked again as another curse was sent his way, and rolled forward on the muddy ground towards Voldemort, quickly muttering a spell to send a flash of white at the tall man before him. Voldemort easily deflected it, as if Harry’s curse had been as worthless as a fly, and sent his own curse back. Harry just managed to block it, but he could feel the drain on his energy as well as his magic. There was just no getting around the fact that Voldemort was more magically powerful than him.

They kept on fighting through the night, sending curse after curse until Harry thought he was so magically drained he would collapse. He could feel his arm protesting against casting any more spells- the wand in his hand beginning to feel like a tonne of bricks rather than a thin piece of wood. His breathing was ragged to the point of it being too painful to even breath, and his throat was hoarse from shouting spells- he had never quite got the hang of silent spells.

Harry felt something painfully hot collide with his leg, and gasped in sudden pain. He heard the sound of his bones snapping sickeningly in his dizzy brain and swayed in shock. His leg gave a nasty throb, and unable to handle the pain or the weight of his exhausted body, Harry collapsed to the ground in a bloody heap.

Groaning to himself as angry tears stung his eyes, Harry stared at his mutilated leg, noticing with a sort of morbid curiosity the way the bone was sticking out at an odd angle having ruptured the skin, and at the blood oozing out of the wound with each throb of pain.

Voldemort’s laugh rang hideously through the night- the sound so triumphant that Harry thought he might be sick.

“You cannot run from me now Harry.” Voldemort taunted, his red eyes gleaming with sickening satisfaction. He moved towards Harry languidly, knowing that Harry could not go anywhere now.

Not wanting to give up yet, Harry clenched his fists, only to realise with a jolt that he had lost his wand. He looked around feverishly for his only weapon and saw it lying on the muddy ground just a few feet away from him.

“Got-to-get-wand,” Harry gasped, his fingers stretching out desperately, while his legs tried to push his exhausted body towards the wand. His eyes lit up with sweet relief when he felt his fingers close around the muddy wood, but a shadow loomed over him, and quite suddenly Voldemort’s foot slammed down painfully on his fingers. Harry heard the crunching of the bones in his fingers and the loud snap of the wood splitting in two- his very hope breaking away with it.  He cried out in anguish, cradling his broken fingers against his chest as tears slid down his cheeks. His eyes rolled back into his head at the combined pain of his leg and hand, opening dizzily again to see Voldemort’s pitiless gaze above him.

“I’m going to crush you until nothing is left.” Voldemort said softly, his crimson eyes lighting with malice. “And then you shall die, knowing that everything you have loved I have destroyed.”

The rage boiled fiercely inside him- the desire to kill taking over until his whole body burned with cold fury. He needed to do something; he couldn’t just give in like this!

Keeping his gaze on Voldemort’s mocking face, Harry reached around the mud for something- anything that could help him. His fingers ran over a particularly jagged rock, and grasping it tightly in his hand, despite his fingers protesting as small cuts appeared from the sharp shards of rock, he looked up at Voldemort grimly. “I won't let you win!”

Voldemort laughed again and leaned his nightmarish face down closer to Harry, whispering softly, “My dear boy, you've already lost.”

Not even sure how what he was doing, Harry lunged forward with the rock and sliced ruthlessly with it at Voldemort’s neck. Blood splattered his face like crimson rain, and Harry could only watch as Voldemort fell back sputtering and choking, clutching his neck in disbelief where his blood gurgled out unpleasantly.

“You were right in saying my spells couldn’t hurt you,” Harry said with an ironic smile. “But even you can’t stop this.”

“You’ll never kill me, Harry. I’ll always be there like your shadow until the day you die.”

Harry didn’t doubt it, but it would not be in the way Voldemort wanted. He knew that in a way he was only killing the shell and not the evil inside that truly caused him pain. It was strange, but in a way Voldemort would be immortal, if only in memory.

The crimson eyes rolled back into his head as Voldemort took one last shuddering breath. His body swayed creepily before it fell back against the ground in a pile of blood, the last shreds of life slipping away in those few seconds.

Harry sighed and fell back against the mud in complete exhaustion, his eyes staring up at the stormy skies in bitter disappointment. He had defeated Voldemort, but he had gained nothing; Hogwarts was destroyed and all his friends had been murdered. There was nothing left for him here.

“I can’t even move.” Harry muttered bitterly, just lying in the mud as the rain pounded down on him. Was he going to just have to lie here next to Voldemort’s body until he bled to death?

Unbearable tiredness seemed to sweep over his body. His eyes closed and slowly blackness started to surround him. If this was what death was like then it wasn’t so bad. Harry almost felt like he was falling into a peaceful dream. Even the pain in his leg and hand seemed to have lessened.

Suddenly a blinding light shot out through the air. Harry opened his eyes in surprise and sat up with a jolt, squinting in protest at the pain of the white light. It poured down around him, embracing his body. A strange sensation surged through him, and Harry found himself feeling just a little afraid. What was going on?

A still silence rang through the air, and Harry could only hear his own ragged breathing, but that couldn’t be right- there was a storm…

The anxiety started building up inside him, and Harry quickly looked next to him, but Voldemort’s body had gone. Something was definitely wrong here.

“What’s going on?” Harry muttered to himself in a confused voice.

“Harry.”

He glanced around frantically at the voice that seemed so familiar and seeing nothing, looked up into the blinding white light and saw a figure descending towards him. They were clothed completely in white, and as they came closer certain things became apparent. It was a girl with light brown hair that blew gently in a non-existent wind. On her face she wore a gentle smile, and he knew he would never forget those honey-brown eyes. 

Tears slipped down his cheeks as he stared at the girl, his heart fluttering with hope. “Hermione?”

“Harry,” she whispered coming in to close the door.

“Hermione, what are you doing?” Harry asked, quickly pulling on his shirt in embarrassment.

“I’m sorry,” Hermione blushed. “I just needed to talk to you.”

“Oh?” Harry said in surprise and sat down on the bed. “What’s up?”

Hermione fidgeted slightly with her hands and frowned. Harry had never seen her so agitated before; she was normally so calm. “Hermione?” he prompted.

“Harry, please don’t go to the cave; it’s too dangerous. I promise we’ll find another way.” She burst out desperately.

Harry sighed. “Hermione, you know there is no other way.”

“But-”

“No.” He gave her a firm look, but his eyes softened the grimness. “You know what I have to do.”

Hermione stared at him, her sweet, honey-brown eyes filling with tears. “But so many people have died already. I don’t want you to-”

“-I’m not going to die Hermione!” Harry pulled her into his arms and held her close, trying to give her some comfort. “Don’t you believe in me anymore?” He asked looking down at her sadly.

“I do believe in you,” she said softly. “But I don’t want you to go.” She grasped his hands firmly and looked up at him with tear-filled eyes, “I love you Harry.”

Harry stared at her shocked. His whole life he had wanted to hear those words, and now hearing them he finally understood why love was such a treasured thing. Looking into her eyes he knew that nothing could compare to the feelings of warmth that burned through him, or the knowledge that he had just become complete. It suddenly seemed only natural to say the same.

“I love you too.” He smiled tenderly at her before leaning in to kiss her gently on the lips.

Harry opened his eyes suddenly and stared around him. The pillar of light and the person had gone. He tried to stand and was surprised at how easy it was. His leg had been healed, and glancing down at his fingers, he realised that too had been fixed.

“What’s going on?” he muttered, peering around the large white room with a frown. It appeared that there was no way out.

“Harry,” the voice said again, but this time clearer.

Harry spun around and saw Hermione standing before him clothed in white. She looked unearthly, almost angelic, but that didn’t stop him from taking a step forward in deep longing.

“Hermione, it really is you?” Harry said disbelievingly, just gazing at her sweet face.

She smiled gently at him, her eyes never leaving his. “Wake up Harry.”

He frowned and tried to walk forward to get closer towards her, but the world began to dissolve. Panicking slightly, he stared at Hermione’s smiling face as it too began to fade, and felt a jolt of anxiety shoot through him. “No, come back!” he shouted as he ran forward towards her.

The ground fell away under his feet, and Harry yelped in surprise at the sudden sickening whoosh of his stomach as he plummeted down into the blinding light below.

OOOOOOOOOOO

“Young man, what are you doing?” A voice asked in shock.

Harry groaned and opened his eyes. His body felt stiff, and an odd buzzing sound was ringing in his head. He stared around the cool stone walls that looked oddly familiar and held a hand to his head. “Where am I?”

“Must have hit his head.” Someone said amused.

Harry thought he recognised that voice but couldn’t quite place it. He stood up and swayed slightly, but managed to still stay on his feet. He noticed a bunch of people staring at him curiously, and frowned to himself. Where had they all come from?

A man Harry knew he had definitely seen before was peering at him through his glasses. “Maybe you should go to Madam Pomfrey?”

Harry could only blink. Madam Pomfrey was dead. She’d died in one of the battles at the camp. “What are you talking about?” Was this their sick idea of a joke?

Notching that a lot of them were staring at him still, he stared right back, glaring slightly at one of the young girls looking at him. A Ravenclaw crest was on her robe, and frowning slightly at the blue crest, he suddenly realised where he was. The stone walls, the familiar faces: he was in Hogwarts, though he couldn’t understand how.

“I have to go,” Harry said quickly and walked away shakily. What was going on? And how was he possibly in Hogwarts? Hadn’t it been destroyed?

He walked down the familiar corridors and gasped as a boy with flaming red hair walked past. “RON!” Harry yelled, running forward. “Ron, it’s me. Harry!”

Ron looked at him confused, and then his blue eyes narrowed slightly. “What do you want?”

“Huh?”

Why was Ron treating him like some ugly, stinkbug? Harry was his friend, wasn’t he?

“Don’t even talk to me,” Ron growled rudely and walked away.

Harry could only stare in bewilderment. If this was the world of the dead, why was Ron treating him like this? Heaven really sucked if it meant your friends hated you.

He started walked down the corridors in a slightly dampened mood, unsure just what was going on. Most of these people should be dead, and he seemed to be the only one who didn’t know what was going on. He still couldn’t believe the way Ron had treated him.

A girl with bushy brown hair walked past him, and Harry stopped suddenly, staring at her progress with an excited bubble building inside him. She wouldn’t push him away!

“Hey!” Harry called out, running forward to the girl. “Hermione!”

Hermione stopped, her brow furrowing in confusion. “Harry?”

Harry felt a wave of relief sweep over him; at least one of his friends recognised him. “Hey, what’s going on?”

”Sorry?” Hermione said puzzled, looking at him as if he might be crazy. “What are you talking about?”

Harry sighed. Maybe he had started celebrating too soon. “Well, you are my friend, aren’t you?”

Hermione gazed at him blankly, clearly having no idea what he was talking about. “Friend? You hardly even talk to me.”

“What? Of course I talk to you; you’re my best friend.”

She laughed in obvious amusement. “I think you’ve hit your head. Maybe you should get Madam Pomfrey to check it out?”

Harry let out a frustrated yell. Why wasn’t anyone talking to him normally? Why were they all acting like they didn’t know what was going on?

“Look, I just defeated Voldemort, and now I’m in this weird place and I need your help to get me back.”

Hermione walked forward and felt his head, her eyes meeting his with concern. “Are you feeling alright?”

“What? Didn’t you even listen to me? I defeated Voldemort!!” There was something definitely wrong here, and a nasty feeling was growing inside Harry. Somehow he knew he didn’t really want to know what was really going on in this weird place.

“Um, Harry, who is this Voldemort? Seriously, did you take some babbling potion or something?”

Harry just shook his head in shock. There was no way that anyone in the Wizarding World would say ‘who is this Voldemort?’. Something was seriously wrong, and Harry knew he had to find out what.

“Ah, Mr Potter.”

Harry turned and practically gasped when he saw Professor McGonagall walking towards him. There went another dead person. Maybe he was in a world of zombies, or maybe he was just dreaming? Yes it had to be that…

“I’ve been looking for you. Your mother is here to see you.”

“Mother?” Harry said faintly. He stared behind Professor McGonagall and saw a beautiful woman with emerald-coloured, almond-shaped eyes. Her long ruby red hair fell around her, and she smiled tenderly at him in a way he had seen her do many times in the Mirror of Erised.

“Harry, how are you feeling now?” She asked gently.

“Mum?” Harry gasped, unable to believe his eyes. “Is that really you?”

Lily laughed lightly. “Of course it’s me Harry.”

“This can’t be real.” Harry muttered fervently, all of a sudden feeling very light headed.

They all looked at him strangely, and Harry knew that wherever he was it was certainly not his reality.