Final Duel
I see you.
First time since childhood-has it really been so long?
You haven't changed much, Bella. Still the same,
Only now without the pretty mask to conceal your inner ugliness-
Years in Azkaban stolen away your youthful beauty,
Leaving behind the haunted look, the madness that I always saw,
Even when we were children.
No need to hide now-not from me.
I know your Darkness, and the one you serve.
It's blood feud for us both-you in name of purity and I for Light.
Both now seek to outdo the other's side.
You who preached so righteously of loyalty to bloodlines-
Rather ironic then,
What you've done to Nymphadora, your sister's daughter!
Never mind-I'll take her place in the battle pattern.
Care to try against me? A man released at last from Hell
Is bound to be possessed of terrifying fury.
Very well. Don't say I didn't warn you, Cousin.
Ha! Skills rusted a bit, have they? Surely that isn't
The best you can do!
The second curse, aimed in my distraction
Doesn't miss.
My body arches backward with the force
Exerted by the crimson flash-
Falling, with only the whispers of Death to welcome me
In their embrace.
So sorry, Moony-steadfast packmate, loyal brother-
That in my foolishness I would desert you so soon.
Cry with the silver, silent moon
But once for me, then let me go.
The intangible past doesn't bear clinging to.
Oh, Harry, dear son of my heart,
If I have only one regret, it's this,
That I never told you how much your devotion meant,
And how I loved you as my own.
What an error I made in withholding the words, not knowing
I would never have a chance to say them.
Hear them, then, in the hiss of dead voices-
My own shall all too soon join the myriad-
And answer, if you would. I hope I'll hear.
Prongs, Lily-to have failed you again, abandoned your son
Is more than I can bear. Forgive me
For my idiocy, past and present,
And draw me in, close to you
Where you rest, in peace eternal.
Strange that the healing of one pain-that of losing you-
Would do naught but bring another to light. How I regret to leave,
Knowing the agony I'll cause
The ones I love.
I can see the recognition of my fate, and the tears
In Moony's eyes-bright diamond drops from amber.
He mourns already; I can see the rawness of the wound I am inflicting.
Harry doesn't yet realize-thank Merlin for that mercy!
I could not endure the pain of seeing in his eyes
What I do in Moony's.
Take care of Harry, I would say to him if I could,
But time does not permit. I only hope they see-
Both of them too inward-turned by habit-
That they need each other.
Now there is only silence-
The clamor of the battle seems to dim.
And kaleidoscopic flashes of bright memory
Replace the dark and gloom.
Prongs, Lily, Harry, Moony-
My true family, all bright smiles and laughing eyes.
The fluid ease of the change, and then
Running on four paws through a moonlit forest, canine howls
Joining lupine in a joyful harmony
Accompanied by the swift percussion of hoof-beats on soft, damp earth.
A baby's sweet cooing, and the soft scent
Of mild soap and baby-powder,
Silk skin and pastel cloth as
My godson falls to blissful sleep in the protective cradle
Of my arms, emerald eyes drifting shut.
So bittersweet now, the memories-
What little joy there was in a life all too short.
Now the brush of the Veil, icy against my skin,
And Oblivion is born in a whisper.
I see you.
First time since childhood-has it really been so long?
You haven't changed much, Bella. Still the same,
Only now without the pretty mask to conceal your inner ugliness-
Years in Azkaban stolen away your youthful beauty,
Leaving behind the haunted look, the madness that I always saw,
Even when we were children.
No need to hide now-not from me.
I know your Darkness, and the one you serve.
It's blood feud for us both-you in name of purity and I for Light.
Both now seek to outdo the other's side.
You who preached so righteously of loyalty to bloodlines-
Rather ironic then,
What you've done to Nymphadora, your sister's daughter!
Never mind-I'll take her place in the battle pattern.
Care to try against me? A man released at last from Hell
Is bound to be possessed of terrifying fury.
Very well. Don't say I didn't warn you, Cousin.
Ha! Skills rusted a bit, have they? Surely that isn't
The best you can do!
The second curse, aimed in my distraction
Doesn't miss.
My body arches backward with the force
Exerted by the crimson flash-
Falling, with only the whispers of Death to welcome me
In their embrace.
So sorry, Moony-steadfast packmate, loyal brother-
That in my foolishness I would desert you so soon.
Cry with the silver, silent moon
But once for me, then let me go.
The intangible past doesn't bear clinging to.
Oh, Harry, dear son of my heart,
If I have only one regret, it's this,
That I never told you how much your devotion meant,
And how I loved you as my own.
What an error I made in withholding the words, not knowing
I would never have a chance to say them.
Hear them, then, in the hiss of dead voices-
My own shall all too soon join the myriad-
And answer, if you would. I hope I'll hear.
Prongs, Lily-to have failed you again, abandoned your son
Is more than I can bear. Forgive me
For my idiocy, past and present,
And draw me in, close to you
Where you rest, in peace eternal.
Strange that the healing of one pain-that of losing you-
Would do naught but bring another to light. How I regret to leave,
Knowing the agony I'll cause
The ones I love.
I can see the recognition of my fate, and the tears
In Moony's eyes-bright diamond drops from amber.
He mourns already; I can see the rawness of the wound I am inflicting.
Harry doesn't yet realize-thank Merlin for that mercy!
I could not endure the pain of seeing in his eyes
What I do in Moony's.
Take care of Harry, I would say to him if I could,
But time does not permit. I only hope they see-
Both of them too inward-turned by habit-
That they need each other.
Now there is only silence-
The clamor of the battle seems to dim.
And kaleidoscopic flashes of bright memory
Replace the dark and gloom.
Prongs, Lily, Harry, Moony-
My true family, all bright smiles and laughing eyes.
The fluid ease of the change, and then
Running on four paws through a moonlit forest, canine howls
Joining lupine in a joyful harmony
Accompanied by the swift percussion of hoof-beats on soft, damp earth.
A baby's sweet cooing, and the soft scent
Of mild soap and baby-powder,
Silk skin and pastel cloth as
My godson falls to blissful sleep in the protective cradle
Of my arms, emerald eyes drifting shut.
So bittersweet now, the memories-
What little joy there was in a life all too short.
Now the brush of the Veil, icy against my skin,
And Oblivion is born in a whisper.