A/N: So, I was going to wait until tomorrow or the day after to begin posting this but I can't wait. :P Everyone's pleads are getting to me. LOL. So, I caved and am now giving you all the third and final installment of my trilogy, The Last of Times. Now, before you start reading the story, please read what I'm about to say.
When I wrote this story, I had only read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows once since it had come out and that had been the day I got it. And, when I read it, I don't think I fully took in everything that happened and was explained because I was too busy crying the entire time. LOL. So, naturally, that means I couldn't remember hardly anything that happened in Deathly Hallows and I didn't want to re-read it because it hurt just to think about all the people that died in it. :P Anyways, since I couldn't remember anything that was supposed to happen in seventh year, my seventh year is completely different. There are the few odd details that are correct, but most of it is completely different and AU.
One of these differences is in the Horcruxes. Don't freak. They are all the same except for one of them. I do not have Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem as a Horcrux because I did not remember it was one. When I was writing this, I could've sworn that Godric Gryffindor's sword was a Horcrux until I did research and realized I was more than just a little wrong. :P However, despite knowing that I was wrong, I did not change this. So, instead of the diadem being a Horcrux in this story, the sword is instead. I thought it made for an interesting twist and plot line and it worked out well.
Well, I think that's it. If I remember anything else, I'll just put another Author's Note in another chapter. So, I'll shut up now and let you get on with the story. LOL. Don't forget to review please! :]
"Ron!" Hermione Granger yelled when Ron Weasley soaked her with water from the Black Lake.
"I didn't do it. Harry did!" Ron countered, pointing at Harry Potter.
"How could I have done it? I was over here with Sirius," Harry grinned. He was sitting on the ground with one of his two guardians. Sirius Black, Harry's godfather and great uncle, was sitting across from Harry, waiting for him to make his move in the game of wizard chess they were playing. They were beside the tables where everyone else was sitting, nowhere near Ron, Hermione, and some of the other kids.
"I tried," Ron shrugged. Harry, Sirius, Remus Lupin, and many others laughed. It was Harry's sixteenth birthday and the party had been held in the Hogwarts grounds. Harry was, of course, quite surprised he had made it to sixteen. He was surprised he had survived his fifth year at Hogwarts.
He had almost died a few times the previous year. First, he had been kidnapped for two and a half weeks by Voldemort and tortured endlessly. Then, Lucius Malfoy had caught him when Death Eaters attacked the cottage. The cottage had been set on fire and when he was heading for the back door, Lucius grabbed Harry and pinned him on the floor. Harry just got away. Another time was when he and his friends had gone to Diagon Alley. While there, Voldemort and Death Eaters attacked the village. Only five buildings were left standing but were badly damaged. The last accident was when Summer Watts was staying with Harry and his uncles. She happened to have vampire venom in her blood. If she bit someone while she was a human, they would be a vampire, but if she was a cat, the victim would be poisoned. That's what happened. She had bit Harry while she was a cat. He was poisoned and almost died, but Snape, amazingly, saved him.
"Your go, kid," Sirius said.
"Oh, right," Harry stared at the board for a long time before making his move. "Castle to B2," the piece moved. Harry smirked. "Checkmate."
"Little bugger," Sirius threw his bishop at Harry who laughed.
"Lost again, Padfoot?" Remus grinned.
"Shut up, Moony."
Harry laughed again. Harry had almost died many times in his fifth year, but a few close to him had died.
The first deaths were Harry's previous guardians. His aunt and uncle and their son. The Dursleys. Though they weren't great people and had mistreated Harry immensely, he had been sad when they died. The next to die had unfortunately been someone he was closer with. Ted Tonks. The husband of Andromeda and father of Nymphadora. He really missed Ted. The last deaths were Hermione's parents. She lost her parents and her house. The Death Eaters burned the house down. Hermione went to stay with the Weasleys and now lived there.
Harry wasn't the only one who had lost someone. Others did too. The previous year, St. Mungo's hospital had been attacked. Many were killed, including Neville Longbottom's parents, Frank and Alice. Sirius lost many of his Aurors, including Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody. Many had been killed in the Diagon Alley attack where twenty-nine people died. Many others were injured and there were seven disappearances. Only three of the seven returned. Remus lost two of his closest friends to his mortal enemy. Remus' friends, Kevin Baxter and Simon Gale, had gone undercover and joined Fenrir Greyback's pack. Unfortunately, they didn't make it. Greyback killed both of them. Remus had been crushed and swore to kill Greyback himself.
"Harry, come here for a minute," Remus stated and Harry sat beside him.
"What's up?"
"Sirius and I were wondering if you wanted to know the second part of your gift or have a surprise?"
"Umm, tell me, because Sirius can't keep secrets," Harry laughed.
"Shut up, Harry."
"All right, you two," Remus shook his head. "Now, the second part of your gift is—" he was cut short by Ron and Hermione calling for Harry.
"On second thought. Make it a surprise. It'll be better that way," Harry ran to his friends where they were climbing a tree and playing by the Black Lake.
"Careful by the lake!" Remus called.
"Watch yourself in the tree!" Sirius yelled.
"Don't wander off!" Remus said. Harry turned around and stuck out his tongue.
"Cool off, guys. He'll be fine. Let him have some space," Kingsley Shacklebolt, Sirius's second-in-command at the Ministry of Magic, said to them.
"But—"
"Kingsley's right. He'll be fine. He knows the rules," Nymphadora Tonks agreed.
"Enjoy yourselves. You have some freedom from the kid and his friends. That's a miracle that hardly happens and probably never will again," Kingsley stated, sitting down again.
"We know you three went through a lot last year and it's hard to forget, but let him have this day without getting a million silly warnings from you two. Especially 'cause he's heard them a million times before. He's fine. Nothing's gonna happen," Tonks smiled.
"Yeah, but—"
"Guys. It's his sixteenth birthday. Leave him alone for a bit," Kingsley grinned.
Remus sighed. "You're right," he and Sirius turned from the trio and started talking with Kingsley and Tonks. For twenty minutes, everything was fine until everyone heard a big splash. They turned and saw Harry was nowhere in sight.
"Harry!" Remus and Sirius jumped up and ran to Hermione and Ron.
"What happened?" Sirius asked.
"Fell," Harry said when he broke to the surface. Sirius and Remus smiled. They helped the boy out of the water then conjured towels to dry him off. "Okay, okay. I can do it," Harry grabbed Sirius' towel and started drying his hair.
"You know, that won't help your hair lie flat," Sirius raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, yeah. Back off, Sirius," Harry threw the towel at him. Suddenly, it grew dark. Black clouds filled the sky.
"A storm must be coming," Remus guessed.
"No," Harry said. "This is something else." Just then, lightning flashed then figures came down in smoke. Harry broke out screaming and fell to the ground, a hand on his scar. His uncles fell beside him.
"Harry?" Hermione whispered.
"It's Voldemort."
Suddenly, the figures began moving very fast in blue light. When they stopped, everyone saw that Death Eaters had groups of people.
"Hello, Harry. Nice little party. I was rather disappointed when I didn't receive an invitation," Voldemort said. Harry stood, despite the pain in his scar, and looked at the Death Eater holding the Weasleys, Hermione, and his uncles. It was Lucius Malfoy.
"What do you want?"
"I figured that since this is a party, let's play a game."
"No."
"But here's the catch. You have no choice," Voldemort sneered and Harry glared. "We're going to play a trivia game. I'll ask you questions. If you answer correctly, I let someone go. You answer wrong, someone dies. Here's another catch. You have no say in who lives and dies."
"No."
"No choice. Come on up here with me so everyone can see you. Come on," Harry didn't move. Voldemort nodded at a Death Eater who grabbed Harry and dragged him beside Voldemort. Harry's head felt like it was going to split. Voldemort waved his wand and a pole appeared in front of Harry. The Death Eater took Harry's hands and tied them around the pole, fortunately in the front.
"Let everyone go. It's me you want, not them. Let them go," Harry growled, pulling against his bonds.
"This is more fun. First question," Voldemort began. "What was needed in order for my resurrection to be successful?"
"The bone of your father unknowingly given. The flesh of the servant, willingly sacrificed. The blood of the enemy, forcibly taken," Harry answered. He had tears in his eyes and begged them not to fall.
"Correct. Now, who should I release?" Voldemort looked among everyone.
"Please, let Remus and Sirius go. And the Weasleys and Hermione. Please," Harry pleaded.
"You, girl. You may go," Voldemort pointed at a young blonde. Her name was Luna Lovegood. She hesitated, then, after looking at Harry, took off for Hogsmeade. "Next question," Harry closed his eyes and waited. "Where were you held last year?"
"The Department of Mysteries in the Ministry of Magic," Harry choked. His tears had poured over and were streaking his face.
"Very good. You may go," Voldemort pointed to a sandy-haired boy named Seamus Finnegan. Seamus ran to the village. "What was my name before I fashioned myself a new name?"
"Tom. Marvolo. Riddle," Harry answered slowly. Voldemort let Cho Chang go.
"How did I possess the Weasley girl in your second year?"
"Through the diary that you had preserved your sixteen year old self in for fifty years."
Next to go was Dean Thomas.
"What monster did I have control over in the Chamber of Secrets and why?"
"A Basilisk because you're the heir of Salazar Slytherin."
Lee Jordan was released.
"Who is the greatest sorcerer in the world?"
Harry stopped and looked at Voldemort. He couldn't answer that. If he did, someone would die.
"Who?" Voldemort shouted.
"Albus Dumbledore," Harry glared.
"So sorry. Wrong answer. Let's see who will die," Voldemort raised his wand and pointed it at Remus.
"No! Stop it!" Harry sobbed. He fell to the ground and shut his eyes. He didn't want to see who Voldemort killed.
"Avada Kedavra," Harry heard Voldemort say. Who was killed, Harry didn't know and didn't want to know. "Now, Harry. If you had to choose someone to put under the Cruciatus Curse, who would it be? Lupin, Black, Ron Weasley, or Granger?"
"I can't answer that," Harry stated, horrified.
"You either choose or I put them all under it."
Harry looked at his best friends who looked terrified. He then looked at his uncles who didn't look scared at all for their lives but for Harry's, of course. They were both looking at Harry with a look that said to choose one of them so his friends weren't hurt.
"How about this? You choose one of them in ten seconds or I put the curse on you for the amount of time it would take on the four of them. Your decision. Them or you," Voldemort changed his offer.
Harry looked at Remus and Sirius again. He saw they looked as terrified as Hermione and Ron now. They knew Harry would choose to take the curse, but they were trying to tell him to choose one of them.
"Ten seconds are up. I guess you want to take the curse," Voldemort smirked.
"That's my choice." Harry glared. Sirius and Remus started breathing very fast and their eyes grew wide.
"Very well," Voldemort cut Harry's bonds then raised his wand again. "Crucio!"
Harry collapsed, screaming and writhing. Remus and Sirius watched in horror. It had already been two minutes. Harry was starting to black out. His scar felt like it was going to split. The last thing he heard was Hermione scream, Katie Bell scream, and Voldemort laugh. Then, everything went black and silent.
"They're both fine, right? Right?" Hermione said. She sounded frantic.
"No. They're gone. Both of them," Harry heard someone say sadly.
"What about Harry?" Ron asked.
"Just unconscious. He'll wake up soon," Remus answered. Harry groaned. Whether it was loud or not, he didn't know. He tried to move his fingers, but he couldn't feel his body. He was numb and didn't know whether he was moving or not.
"Harry? You awake, kiddo?" Sirius whispered.
"Mmm," Harry moaned. He still couldn't move.
"Harry? If you're awake, say something or move your fingers. Anything."
"Sirius," Harry replied in a voice he thought was louder.
"Thank God," Sirius breathed. "Okay, stay here and stay still. Hermione and Ron are right beside you. I'll be right back," Harry didn't want Sirius to leave. He tried to raise his arm to grab Sirius but he was still immobile.
"Harry, we were so worried," Hermione stated.
"Thanks. I want to move."
"Sirius said to stay still," Ron answered.
"I know. I can't move anyways. My body is numb. I can't feel it. I can't move at all," Harry told them.
"Oh my God. You might have nerve damage," Hermione gasped.
"I think it's wearing off. I'm starting to have feeling in my fingers," Harry sighed. "I think I might fall asleep soon. I'm really tired."
"You should sleep. Don't worry. We won't leave. We'll stay here," Hermione promised.
"Thanks, guys," Harry smiled and shut his eyes, quickly falling asleep.
"I can't believe his scar was bleeding. That's never happened before," Harry heard one of his uncles say.
"How are we going to tell him that they're gone? That they're dead?" the other one wondered. Who was dead? How many had Voldemort killed?
"I have no idea but we have to soon. The funeral is in four days and there's one tomorrow."
"True."
"Sirius," Harry said.
"Hey, kiddo. Remus is here too."
"Hey, pup. How're you feeling? Ron and Hermione said you couldn't feel your body."
"I sort of can now. Where are we?" Harry slowly looked around. The room they were in wasn't familiar, only the stuff in it was.
"We're at home. This is the second half of your gift. We got a house. We're leaving number twelve. We're near a Muggle village out in the country. It's quiet here and very safe," Remus told him.
"Really? We live here now?" Harry asked. They nodded. "Awesome. What's wrong?" his uncles looked extremely sad.
"Where do we start?" Sirius looked at Remus. "Harry, when Voldemort had you under the curse for a bit something happened. Your scar started to bleed. Blood was coming out of it. It was terrifying," Sirius explained.
"Oh my God. That's never happened before. Freaky. What else?"
Sirius and Remus hesitated and looked at each other. How could they tell him? He would die when he found out. "Harry, we're so sorry but just before Voldemort disappeared, he killed Katie Bell. We're so sorry, kiddo," Sirius told Harry. Harry stared at them. It couldn't be. Katie Bell, Gryffindor Chaser. Dead? He couldn't believe it.
"She's not the only one," Remus continued. "Dumbledore was killed as well. They're both gone," Remus was crying lightly and Sirius looked close to it. Harry stared at them even more. Dumbledore was dead? No way. It was a lie. He wasn't dead. He couldn't be. Harry opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He had no voice. Sirius hugged Harry while Remus stood and went to the window, still lightly crying.
"The funeral for Katie is tomorrow. Dumbledore's funeral is in four days. On Friday," Sirius told him. Harry still couldn't speak. He quickly realized he didn't want to talk. He wouldn't talk. He just lost two very important people. What was he going to do?
A/N: Please don't kill me. :P You know, I bet I'll be saying don't kill me a lot in this story. :P Anyways, so did you like it? I hope so. I really do think this story is quite good. I really like it and I hope you all do too. Please review and let me know what you think. :]