What is history of magic? Ask any Hogwarts student. Most will reply with some drivel about goblin wars. A select few particularly unmotivated pupils will likely fall asleep at the mere mention of the dullest class at the most prestigious school of magic in the world. Not much is expected of the subject taught by an absentminded ghost. Dumbledore could have hired a new professor but, considering he received the same learning experience as a student, perhaps some misplaced nostalgia or misperception that history of magic was useless allowed him to delay the decision. Little could he have known that in the Founder's era it was one of the most important subjects taught. Unfortunately, this oversight led to ignorance about some of the most well known spells in the wizarding world, including the third Unforgivable curse, avada kedavra.
You see, history of magic was never meant to be a lecture on the history of the magic world. No, it was a lesson on the history of magical spells—their creators, original purpose, evolution, and classification as light or dark. Back in the day, any half-wit could tell you that the summoning charm was created by Bertram the Befuddled who got fed up with never being able to find his false teeth in his old age. (Ironically, although his spell theory was flawless, he could never use the spell, being unable to enunciate accio clearly enough without his dentures in his mouth.) In the goblin wars of the 17th century, it was labeled a dark curse as defenders used it to summon the vital organs from the bodies of their living opponents. In the year 1700, the newly founded Ministry of Magic declared it a light household spell.
But I digress. The curse in question, used upon Harry Potter for the second time on May 2, 1998, is avada kedavra, the killing curse. The original incantation, abada kedabra was created by the Ministry of Magic as a painless, humane form of the death penalty before the introduction of the dementor's Kiss as the primary method of disposing of the evil within the wizarding community. Of course, like many government initiatives, it was highly controlled and certain safety measures were established after Auror Henry Swineforth accidentally killed himself with it during a standard execution which was interrupted by news of another goblin uprising. The Ministry restricted the legal use of the spell and changed the incantation to avada kedavra, which limited the spell to only be used with murderous intent on others.
Due to their faulty education, neither Harry Potter nor Lord Voldemort was aware of this restriction when the Dark Lord killed the emblem of the Light once and for all. Nor did the victor realize that one soul (or at least a fraction of a soul) still resided in the body of Harry Potter.
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An eerie, high-pitched cackle filled the clearing of Death Eaters. After so long, years of fighting and hiding in the shadows, the Dark side had defeated its two greatest obstacles—Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter. Voldemort's face split into a wicked grin.
"Let us go and show those fools how much of a Savior" he spat the word "their golden boy was." He moved to leave the clearing, raising his wand to levitate the corpse ahead of the merry party, then hesitated, his maniacal grin widening further. "Why don't we have the half-breed carry his precious hero?"
A death eater moved behind Hagrid, prodding him with his wand towards the body. With a gentleness belying his size and strength, the half-giant picked up Harry's body. Tears streamed sown his face, and a half-sob escaped before the wand jabbed him fiercely in the small of the back, silencing his grief. He cradled the body closer, as if to protect him in death as he couldn't in life.
The group began their funeral procession through the forest, Death Eaters and Dark Lord alike celebrating their victory with cheers and sparks, a lone tall figure loping behind with his precious burden.
No one noticed when, halfway en route to the castle, the dead man's eyelids lifted, revealing cruel black eyes that most definitely did not belong to Harry Potter.
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Sorry it's kind of short, but this seemed like a natural place to end. Once again, I humbly request reviews and comments! Thanks for your encouragement last chapter!
