The ring gleamed despite the age of the piece, and Albus knew what he had found. He turned it in his fingers, memories swimming in his mind of things he had done, of someone he had lost. He had thought himself prepared, but the need for absolution took him by surprise with its strength. If he just put it on, for just a minute...perhaps she would forgive him. Perhaps she would tell him that it wasn't his spell that had ended her life. He could move on and truly find peace before his death if he saw her just once more. He moved to put the ring on his finger when suddenly a stinging hex struck his fingers and he dropped it instead.
"Not this time, sir." A male voice said, and Albus looked up to see a young man standing by his bookshelf. He didn't recognise him and he definitely hadn't entered through the door to his office, since the school was empty of almost everyone. "Who are you?" He asked, deceptively calm. "How did you get here?"
"The last plan." The young man said, running his hand through hair that was assuredly blonde when it wasn't streaked with dirt and what was probably blood. "Time to burn the ashes, sir."
Albus paled at this pronouncement. "Is it as bad as all that?"
"Worse." The young man said. With a flick of his wand he floated the ring in front of him, grasping it carefully between leather-gloved fingers. "I won't let you put it on again and start the fall again."
The young man reached out and grasped the hilt of the Sword of Gryffindor. The young man took a deep breath and swung the sword before Albus could decide whether or not to allow this to happen. He knew the last protocol and what must have happened for this to occur. The blade hit the stone and an unearthly wail emanated from it. Black smoke filled the room and coalesced into the form of Harry Potter, older but undeniably him. "I am ashamed of you! Time is not something to be meddled with, Perseus!"
"Then you shouldn't have died, Old Man!" Perseus shot back. "Your sacrifice was pointless! You were tired of fighting, of being the Chosen One, and you went out pretending to be noble and left us behind and now there's no one left!" He took a breath and swung the sword again. The stone cracked, and the smoke shrieked and broke apart. "Two down, five to go." He joked, sword limp in his hand. "Just like old times."
"Seven." Dumbledore whispered. "I had thought…"
"Seven." Perseus agreed, putting up the sword. ""There is no spell for you to right her death." He said quietly. "There are sacrifices, and you've made them. Accept that and move on. There are no answers, and if you push for them, you will cost us this war...again, and we can't let that happen."
"We?" Albus repeated. "There's another?"
"She's taking care of another mission." Perseus replied. "I'll be taking on Defence."
"You can't just…!" Albus protested. "Severus…"
"Will not be one of those sacrifices this time." Perseus said coldly. "You bollocksed this up once already. It's time to burn the ashes."
Everyone looked up as the magic around Malfoy Manor shifted, and it was strange enough that even the Dark Lord paused in the moment he was about to deliver to the Malfoy boy his assignment. The space in front of the boy seemed to shimmer, and a young woman appeared, kneeling in front of the pale, shaking, blonde boy. "My Lord." She said, swallowing. "You have sent me here to this time in order to stop a rebel from my time in his attempt at destroying your empire." She held out a parchment to the Dark Lord. "Bound and sealed by your own magic, My Lord."
The snakelike man frowned. "Severus, check it for hexes."
The sallow man did as ordered, waving his wand in an intricate pattern. He reported the results with a frown. "Only a curse, should it be opened by anyone but you, My Lord."
"Lucius, open it." Voldemort demanded.
Lucius Malfoy swallowed but took the scroll from Severus and cracked open the seal, falling to the ground with a choking noise before letting out a scream.
"Severus." Voldemort said with a wave.
Snape waved his wand over the parchment checking it again, before nodding and handing it to Dark Lord.
The Dark Lord read the missive with a twist to his face that might have been called a smile on someone else. "My, my. You do bring us glad tidings. This letter does back up your words, Miss…"
"Malfoy. Eltanin Séverine Malfoy, My Lord." The witch replied, bowing her head lower.
Voldemort's eyes narrowed further. "That's how you were able to enter our protections?"
"Yes, my Lord."
"You know why you are here?" Voldemort pressed.
"Yes, My Lord." Eltanin replied.
"Should you fail," the Dark Lord hissed. "I shall kill young Draco before he has a chance to sire you."
"I understand, My Lord." Eltanin agreed.
"Lucius, see your granddaughter to her rooms." The Dark Lord ordered, with a dismissive wave. "You're no longer needed here." Lucius bowed, and moved toward the witch as she stood.
The pair had made it nearly to the door of the hall, when Voldemort stopped them. "One more thing." He said, as if he had just remembered something he had forgotten. He waved his hand, and Eltanin let out a hiss, her hand reflexively flying toward her collarbone.
"Fascinating." The Dark Lord said, tilting his head. "Well? What are you waiting for, Lucius?"