Chapter 2
"If you come with wands blazing to kill innocent children just because they stand in your way, I will hunt you down and kill you, just like how I put down your pet werewolf, Fenrir Greyback. You have been warned."
Lord Voldemort seethed as he listed to Potter's speech. Since when had the boy grown a backbone? The Harry Potter he knew wasn't this confident in defeating him! While it was true that he respected Potter for his bravery in standing up to him, this was the breaking point. Not even Dumbledore, in all his meddlesome schemes, had dared to publicly announce Voldemort's ancestry. The old man had tried, of course, but had been thwarted by the Dark Lord's brutal attacks on innocents. Potter was brave to attempt this, but foolish to think anyone would believe him.
"How dare the filthy half-blood lie about our Lord!" screeched Bellatrix, fury clearly marked on her face, her insane eyes glinted with rage. Many looked at her wearily. No one wanted to cross her when she was angry, not even her husband. In fact, it was during her last fit of rage that she had gone and killed her sister Andromeda for 'betraying' her family by marrying a Mudblood.
"But –" said a Death Eater uncertainty, but that was the last word he spoke before a jet of green light flew from Bellatrix's wand and impacted his chest as he rolled over, dead.
"Does anyone else have anything to say?" Bellatrix hissed.
Many of the Death Eaters gulped, but they knew better than to say anything to the mad witch. She was the Dark Lord's absolute favourite, not to mention was batshit crazy. No one wanted to mess with her.
"Harry Potter is lying, my friends," said Voldemort silkily. "He is nothing but a conniving liar who is trying to destabilise what we have achieved over the past year and a half. Think of our great achievements. We have removed the Mudblood filth from our society! Muggles have no place among us. Pretty soon, all of Britain will be free from the contaminant of Muggles and purebloods alone will rise as the leaders of the new order. Once the international community sees what we have achieved, we can take over the world! We shall show Muggles their place and eradicate them, but for that, we need to kill Harry Potter. He is the beacon of light for them all. Once he is dead, the war will be over and we shall have peace! I, Lord Voldemort, the heir of the Salazar Slytherin, the greatest of the Founders of Hogwarts, declare it so!"
Thunderous cheers and applause greeted Voldemort's speech as the Death Eaters bowed down to their Lord.
"ATTACK!" shouted Bellatrix as hundreds of Death Eaters entered the grounds, launching brutal spells at the castle in order to bring down the various protective enchantments the defenders of Hogwarts had erected.
Voldemort tapped his wand on his head, casting a Disillusionment Charm so powerful that no one could see him. He walked towards his destination with a smile on his lipless mouth. A sense of euphoria rent the air, a sense of purpose flooded his mind. Potter's words wouldn't have the effect the boy thought it would. His army wasn't going to betray him. It was not possible for them to betray him. Bellatrix did a good job in showing them exactly what would happen to traitors. He wondered if he should join the battle.
No, he would wait. After innocent blood was shed, Potter would come seeking for him. Of this, he was sure. The boy wouldn't be able to stand it if his friends died because of him. He would have Potter within his grasp soon. Until then, his Death Eaters would do the killing. He was positive that these idiots of Hogwarts would never use lethal spells. The members of the infamous Dumbledore's Army student organization as well as the Order of the Phoenix would stun people left, right and centre. By the time he entered the battle, the defenders of Hogwarts would be weakened while the Death Eaters would still be large in number. Voldemort laughed softly. Dumbledore's philosophy of giving second chances was foolish, and whatever Potter might say, he was Dumbledore's pet through and through. The boy would only disarm or stun; how pathetic.
When he reached his destination, he was annoyed. The marble tomb was a blemish on the beautiful grounds of Hogwarts. He raised his Yew wand. How fitting that this would be its last, great act. The tomb split open and the wrappings fell apart. He could almost taste his victory …
Unfortunately, the Elder Wand wasn't there.
He screamed in rage. White hot anger coursed through his veins. Within minutes, he was in the Shrieking Shack, with Macnair at his feet.
"Call the giants and dementors, now!" Voldemort ordered, in a deadly, cold voice.
"Yes, my Lord. At once!"
Voldemort fumed. They would all pay for denying him the Deathstick. He would kill them all! He wondered how his enemies could possibility hope to stop the giants under his command and drive away hundreds of Dementors. The Dark Lord smirked in satisfaction.
Harry Potter had already lost the battle; the boy just didn't know it yet.
HP*THE AFTERMATH*HP
"Harry, why did you come to Hogwarts?" Hermione cried. "You know that we haven't destroyed any of the Horcruxes. You should have –"
"Stop, just stop!" said Harry flatly. "I've been busy ever since you two decided to abandon me."
"Harry, mate –" Ron began, but the younger boy ignored him.
"I have a lead on another one, which is why I'm here. If you want to help, be my guest, but if you want to cause trouble, leave me alone."
Ron's ears slowly turned red in anger but one look from Hermione shut him up. Harry paced three times in front of the wall and the metal gates appeared. There was a loud explosion from below; the battle of Hogwarts had begun. Just as he entered a room that resembled a junk yard, he noticed Ron and Hermione following him. He remembered the diadem from where he had hidden Snape's old potions book at the end of last term. He asked them to split up.
"Somewhere here," he whispered urgently, the light from his wand illuminating his path. After several minutes of search, he found it; a faceless bust with an innocent looking tiara on top. He smirked at the Horcrux and wasted no time in grabbing it. Just as he was about to slip the diadem into his expanded pocket, he heard a sound from his left. Acting quickly, he silently cast, "Homeneum Revelio"
The moment the shadows appeared, he saw a jet of red light heading his way. He dodged it and fired a cutting curse at his opponent. There was an unholy scream. The Disillusionment charm came unravelled and he saw Gregory Goyle whimpering on the ground; Harry's curse had impacted his eye. There were two other intruders as well – Draco Malfoy and Vincent Crabbe.
"Hold it, Potter," said Malfoy snidely. "Don't think you can leave."
"We're here to take you to the Dark Lord," Crabbe spat, surprising Harry. For six years, he was labouring under the delusion that Crabbe and Goyle were too stupid to speak. He didn't let the situation bother him, though. The diadem was firmly in his hand and he had planned to go searching for Draco after destroyed the Horcrux. Maybe Mother Magic was looking out for him tonight as the Malfoy scion had come searching for him!
"I never thought I would be this glad to see you, Draco," Harry smiled, unnerving the Slytherin. Both of them moved at the same time. Harry and Malfoy slashed their wands in the air as jets of light flew in all directions. The Boy-Who-Lived was duelling two at once, using the junk in the Room of Hidden Things to his advantage.
"Avada Kedavra!" yelled Crabbe. Knowing the curse was coming right at him, Harry banished the diadem in the path of the curse. The Killing Curse impacted the artefact, destroying the Horcrux in the process. A screeching sound unlike anything Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle had heard before echoed throughout the room.
"Harry! Look out!" screamed Hermione, emerging from behind the broken vanishing cabinet. Her sudden appearance startled Harry, who was caught in the path of a cutting curse. He gasped in pain as his white shirt slowly turned red due to blood. Harry snarled in annoyance. Really, what was the need to screech like that? Didn't Hermione know that it didn't help during a duel?
Wanting to end the fight quickly, Harry cast a rapid spell-chain. Goyle was already incapacitated. A Blood-Boiling curse impacted Crabbe. Two Bone-Breaking curses shattered Malfoy's wand arm and left leg. Malfoy screamed in agony, but it was nothing compared to what Crabbe was going through. The boy's blood was so hot that it was literally boiling within his body. His skin blackened and he died a gory, painful death.
"H-Harry, y-you cast t-that –" Ron stammered, his face extremely pale due to fear, his eyes not darting from Crabbe's corpse.
"Y-You killed him, Harry!" whispered Hermione fearfully.
"They chose to attack me first," replied Harry softly. "You heard him, Hermione, he cast a Killing Curse. Did you expect me to disarm him instead?"
"Actually, yes!"
Harry snorted. He might have done that several months ago, but not now. The reality of war had hardened him. He now understood what Remus had told him back at the Burrow, just after he had been moved from Privet Drive. It was imperative that their enemies were crushed, lest they get back up and continue fighting. Harry had taken that advice to heart, which was why he had instructed the defenders of Hogwarts to use lethal spells and not simply cast stunners at the Death Eaters.
Harry levitated the three Slytherins out of the room while he carefully put the diadem inside the mokeskin pouch. They quickly walked away, with Ron and Hermione still confused about Harry's behaviour. When they reached the mouth of the corridor leading to the room, they saw Percy and Fred fighting a couple of Death Eaters. Harry, seizing the opportunity, fired Reductor curses at them from the side. The Death Eaters didn't even have a chance to dodge as the curse tore through their bodies, killing them instantly. Swiftly moving about, the Elder Wand fired several spells at the enemy, taking down one Death Eater after another. Harry was now the master of the Deathstick, and it showed. He saw, much to his delight, that the defenders of Hogwarts were indeed following his orders as they fired lethal curses at the Death Eaters. As he turned a corner, through the gap in the large window, he saw hundreds of Dementors approaching the grounds. The temperature plummeted and the sky darkened. Even though the Dementors were hundreds of feet away, Harry could hear an echo of his mother's screams.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"
Something huge and silvery erupted from the tip of the Elder Wand, but it wasn't a stag. The twelve foot tall Hungarian Horntail Patronus roared as it flew towards the Dementors, pushing them back, with the help of several other Patronuses that joined hands with the dragon. The battle continued. Even though the soul-sucking creatures had been pushed back, it was only a minor victory. After all, most of them fighting were teenagers, facing an army of adult witches and wizards. The battle was proving to be costly, Harry realised that.
Entering the grounds, Harry fought viciously against Voldemort's forces. He did wonder why the Dark Lord hadn't actively sought him out. Suddenly, there was a massive movement from the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Before he could even contemplate what was going on, the Acromantula attacked him.
Panting heavily, his clothes torn in several places, with multiple cuts on his body, Harry rotated his wand over his head. Fire erupted all around him, and he used it as a whip, just like Dumbledore had done to drive away the Inferi several months ago. The members of the D.A. and the Order of the Phoenix too cast fire spells, setting the large spiders aflame. The tactic proved to be useful, with many of them banishing the burning creatures towards the Death Eaters.
Unfortunately, their problems were still far from over.
Giants.
The thirty-foot tall giants were coming towards them, swinging their massive clubs, and Harry paled. Just how do you stop a group of giants? Their hide was resistant to magic, wasn't it?
But were they resistant to Basilisk venom?
Quickly, he rushed inside the castle and up the stairs to the Headmaster's office. The gargoyle stepped aside when it saw him. When he opened the oak door, he saw that all the portraits were asleep. Ignoring them, he went towards Dumbledore's portrait and yanked it open. It swung forward to reveal a cavity where the real Sword of Gryffindor was hidden. He pulled it out and it gleamed under the lighting charms. He shut the portrait, not looking at the alarmed expression on the face of the painted Albus Dumbledore as he left the room.
"How did he know it was there?" asked Dumbledore portrait, worriedly. "Did Severus reveal it to him? Does Harry know about the soul-piece in his scar? What is he doing?"
HP*THE AFTERMATH*HP
Harry exited the Head's office and picked up one of the discarded broomsticks left behind on the floor. Kicking off into the air, he approached the giant that was destroying everything in its path.
"What's that?" asked Ernie Macmillan incredulously, looking at the rapidly moving figure.
"It's – It's Harry!" shouted Susan Bones in awe.
Harry dived, twirled and started spinning in circles around the giant in order to distract it from the people on the ground. Flying towards its chest, Harry plunged the sword deep into its heart; while normal metal would have found it impossible to pierce through the tough hide of the giant, the specially crafted blade made of goblin silver, imbibed with basilisk venom, made it through. The giant howled in pain and swatted Harry with its enormous hand. Even though he was an outstanding flier, the former Seeker of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team lost control of his broom as he painfully hit the ground, with blood dripping from the injuries he had suffered all over. Susan, Luna and Ernie came over to help him up, just as the giant fell back, dead. The basilisk venom directly impacting the heart had a near instant effect.
"Good job, Potter," praised one of the Ministry Hit-Wizards who was fighting on their side. "We'll distract the two other giants; do you think you can manage to stab them too?"
Spitting blood on the ground, Harry tried to get his breathing under control. "I'll do my best."
He picked up his broom and sword and flew towards the second giant. With the help of several witches and wizards, he managed to stab the creatures in the chest. In less than thirty minutes, the two remaining giants had been killed.
But Harry was injured badly at this point; he could barely walk. There were several cuts and broken bones all over his body and he was glad that he didn't have his glasses anymore. Merlin knows what would have happened had he lost them during the battle. Wanting to enter the castle in order to seek medical help, he donned his Invisibility Cloak and limped towards the doors. He suddenly stiffened when the voice of his enemy rang out. All around him, people stopped fighting.
"You have fought," said the high, cold voice, "valiantly. Lord Voldemort knows how to value bravery. Yet you have sustained heavy losses. If you continue to resist me, you will all die, one by one. I do not wish this to happen. Every drop of magical blood spilled is a loss and a waste."
"Lord Voldemort is merciful. I command my forces to retreat immediately."
"You have one hour. Dispose of your dead with dignity. Treat your injured."
"I speak now, Harry Potter, directly to you. You have permitted your friends to die for you rather than face me yourself. I shall wait for one hour in the Forbidden Forest. If, at the end of that hour, you have not come to me, have not given yourself up, then the battle recommences. This time, I shall enter the fray myself, Harry Potter, and I shall find you, and I shall punish every last man, woman, and child who has tried to conceal you from me. One hour."
The Death Eaters quickly retreated. Harry decided that it was time to mobilise and find out exactly where they stood. Just before he entered the Great Hall, he heard a crack of Apparition.
"Dobby, report," Harry rasped out.
"Dobby and the other elves freed the Muggle-borns, Master Harry," smiled Dobby. "They all be safe at the Potter farmhouse."
"How many were killed, Dobby?"
"Dobby does not believe the bad Ministry killed them, Master Harry. The Muggle-borns be only locked up and starved. Several died when wizards like Dobby's bad master tortured them, but most of them are alive," said Dobby shaking his head. "Those in camps be very sick and hungry. We be taking care of them. There are thousands of them, Master Harry."
Thank Merlin for small mercies. The thousands of Muggle-borns taken by the Ministry were not killed. He was sure they were tortured, though, which wasn't any better.
"Thank you, Dobby. You all did an excellent job," said Harry softly as he patted the elf on the head. "I have to go now. I need to get healed before the hour is up."
When Harry entered the Great Hall, all eyes turned to him and some gasped at his appearance. He looked bloody and beaten, face puffed up, with several cuts all over his body. His shirt was soaked in blood and he was limping. The first thing that he saw were bodies; so many bodies. Some dead, others injured. Guilt filled him to the bone, but Harry pushed those negative thoughts to the back of his mind. As he slowly limped forward, he saw a Slytherin first year shivering in the corner, crying silently. The boy had a cut on his cheek.
"Hey there, mate," said Harry softly as he slowly kneeled down in front of him. "What are you doing here? Why didn't you go home?"
The boy shook his head as more tears trickled down his face. "I don't want to go home," he whispered. "My father and big brother are fighting alongside those people. I don't want to be with them. I want my Mummy, but she – she – she was killed by the Dark Lord!"
Harry swallowed as he held the sobbing boy who had suddenly rushed into his arms, not aware that many were watching. "What's your name?"
"T-T-Thaddeus Nott," the boy hiccupped. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, but please don't send me back to my father! He or the Dark Lord will kill me just like they killed my mother! Please!"
"Don't worry, we won't send you back," Harry assured the young boy. "But I must ask you and your companions to stay out of the fight. Can you do that for me?"
"But where can we go?"
Before Harry could answer, the kindly Professor Sprout took charge and led the few remaining first years to the kitchens where they could be looked after by the house-elves.
With that taken care of, Harry limped towards one of the student-healers who had just finished patching up Susan Bones.
"Hey Susan, you okay?" he inquired.
"I'm fine, Harry," she smiled. "Good job on taking care of the giants. It was a brilliant idea. Is that the Sword of Gryffindor?" she asked, looking at the sword gleaming from Harry's belt.
"Yes, ouch!"
"Potter, please stay still. You're badly wounded," said Daphne Greengrass quietly. "It'll take several minutes for me to heal you."
Fifteen minutes later, once she had patched him up, Harry stood on his feet, only to painfully hit the stone floor when someone punched him in the face.
The entire Great Hall gasped collectively in shock as Harry fell on his butt, clutching his nose as he looked up at his attacker with fire in his green eyes.
Ron Weasley was staring back at his best friend, a snarl painted on his face.
"YOU!" he screamed angrily. "It's because of you that my father is dead! You bloody bastard, I – I –"
Unable to form any coherent words due to the pain he was experiencing of losing one of his parents, Ron instead chose to punch him again, only for Harry to stop him midway and banish the ginger to the stone floor. People were now watching, wondering what happened to the friendship the Boy-Who-Lived and the youngest Weasley son had once shared.
"How am I to blame, Ron?" hissed Harry angrily. "Are you labouring under the delusion that I was sitting on my butt the whole time? I was fighting too!"
"And a fat load of help it did!" screamed Ron. "Where the hell were you when my father was attacked?"
"I was on the grounds, killing the three fucking thirty foot tall giants," spat Harry. "This is a war, Ron! I didn't even know where your father was! How could I have helped him? You're his son; it was you who should have been with him and protected him!"
"Ronald, maybe –" Hermione interrupted, but the ginger cut her off.
"This battle wouldn't have started if not for you! You know that he can't be killed. You didn't finish the mission Dumbledore gave you and instead, you're killing innocent people by starting this fight. You're as bad as You-Know-Who!"
There was deathly silence in the hall as Harry stared at Ron with cold eyes. "Is that so?" he said, his voice dripping with venom. "You think I'm just like Voldemort? If that's what you believe, Ronald, then that shows that you have never been my friend all these years. Let me assure you that the reason I took a stand tonight is because I have every intention of killing the bastard. I'm willing to forgive you because your grief is clouding your judgement, but don't expect me to ever be your friend after this night."
With that, Harry walked away from Ron, who was still glaring at him. Hermione didn't know how to react and the rest of the Weasleys were crying for their dead father. Harry was sad that a good man had died, but it didn't really hurt him much. Cedric, Sirius and Dumbledore's deaths had shaken him too much and every death after that became numb. Harry paused in front of the bodies of Remus and Tonks. Harry had never spoken to the man after they had fought in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place in August. He realised, with a jolt, that Teddy was an orphan. The boy's parents and grandparents were all dead. Harry was the only family he had left.
Kneeling down, Harry closed his eyes and breathed deeply, conserving his energy. He knew that one of the reasons he had been able to take out so many Death Eaters was because of the sheer power of the Elder Wand. Voldemort must have been furious at not finding the wand in Dumbledore's grave.
The various Healers worked overtime in patching people through. Many of them watched Harry as he meditated, some wondering if he was really going to turn himself over. When the hour was almost up, Harry opened his eyes and stood up.
"If I could have everyone's attention please," he called out quietly. Hundreds of heads turned towards him.
"This is it. We have a chance to end this war here and now. This war has gone on for decades, destroying Magical Britain in the process. Remember what we have lost and what we can hope to regain once it is over. Remember all those who gave their lives for freedom. Do you recall what Riddle said? He said that he will destroy every man, woman and child who steps in his path. Please, I beg of you, don't give up now. Not when we are this close! This madman doesn't care about anyone but himself! He is willing to kill innocent children! If we let this go, there will no Magical Britain left to defend. This is our last chance. Don't waste it."
"I agree," said Neville as he stood up. "Let's finish this once and for all. To victory!"
"TO VICTORY!"
HP*THE AFTERMATH*HP
The battle resumed. Harry, under his Invisibility Cloak, used stealth to the best of his advantage as he managed to take out multiple Death Eaters. No matter how determined the defenders of Hogwarts were, the teenagers were just not skilled enough to defeat the inner circle members of Voldemort's army openly.
Voldemort was fighting three at once – McGonagall, Kingsley and Slughorn, who couldn't get a scratch on him. Bellatrix was fighting others too and just as Harry was about to fire a curse, a jet of orange light impacted Bellatrix in the back. She screamed and withered in pain as the organs in her body liquefied, bringing unending pain to the insane witch. The attacker followed with a cutting curse, severing her neck from her body. Voldemort roared in fury at the loss of his most trusted lieutenant. He pointed his wand at the attacker, one Neville Longbottom, only for a block of marble to impact the Killing Curse. He looked around wildly, only to snarl, "Potter!"
People had stopped fighting now. They watched as Harry and Voldemort circled each other like a pair of wolves, ready to tear the other in two.
"It's over, Tom," hissed Harry in Parseltongue. That was the only way he could communicate with the Dark Lord without anyone else understanding what he was saying. Information about the Horcruxes could never be revealed to the masses, after all. "There are no more Horcruxes. You are mortal now!"
People were wondering what Harry had just said when Voldemort let out a maniacal laugh and hissed back, "Do you think you could find them all, Potter? I am Lord Voldemort! I have pushed the boundaries of magic more than anyone in history! You can't find them all and a pathetic wizard like you can never hope to breach the enchantments I have erected around them! Face it, Potter, I am immortal and I shall always be immortal!"
"Still the pathetic six-year-old boy who is scared of death, aren't you Tom? The diary given to Lucius Malfoy; Helga Hufflepuff's Cup in Bellatrix Lestrange's vault at Gringotts; Marvolo Gaunt's ring in the shack in Little Hangleton; Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem in the Room of Requirement; Salazar Slytherin's locket in the cave by the sea where you tortured your fellow orphans; and of course, you're precious Nagini – all of them have been destroyed!"
Fear gripped Voldemort like it never had before. How? How had the boy discovered his greatest secret? Was the boy telling the truth? Blinding hatred assaulted his vision as he slashed his wand in the air. Jets of light flew in all directions as Harry and Voldemort battled for supremacy. Harry, unfortunately, was not a match for the Dark Lord's knowledge in magic. Sensing a weakness, Voldemort decided to end it once and for all as he pointed the Yew wand at his greatest foe.
"Avada Kedavra!"
Harry, seizing the opportunity, knowing that being the master of the Elder Wand would ensure that he won this duel, flicked his wand at the man who had murdered his parents, thus destroying his life. With a silent prayer to Mother Magic, he too yelled –
"Avada Kedavra!"
Two beams of green light flew from the tips of both wands as they impacted each other. Flashes of light could be seen, but Harry pushed and soon, Voldemort found himself on the back foot, unable to strike. As much as Voldemort tried, he couldn't match the power of the Elder Wand. Harry's Killing Curse impacted Voldemort, destroying the Dark Lord's wand in the process. With shock still etched on his snake-like face, his body shrunk into a feeble mass as he hit the ground.
Tom Marvolo Riddle was dead, killed by the boy who was prophesied to defeat him.
Harry stood there, breathing hard, but when he saw people about to celebrate, he pointed his wand at the remaining Death Eaters and started stunning them. Getting the hint, the rest of them began to stun and bound members of the late Dark Lord's army, who were still in shock at their Master's sudden defeat.
No one was getting off easy this time.
When they were done, the tumult broke around Harry as the screams and the cheers and the roars of the watchers rent the air. The fierce new sun dazzled the windows as they thundered toward him, all of them wanting to shake his hand and touch the Boy Who Lived; their beloved saviour.
Harry informed Kingsley that the Muggle-borns who were sent to camps were safe and rescued. With relief evident in his eyes, the former Auror left, wanting to take charge at the Ministry. Harry sneered at the stunned and bound form of Severus Snape. The man had entered at the last stages of the battle like the coward he was. Harry vowed to himself that Snape would get what was coming to him.
The House tables were restored and people were sitting, eating and making merry. Not exactly in the mood to celebrate, Harry left the Great Hall and headed towards the Head's office. Even though he had summoned the spirit and forced Dumbledore to tell the truth, he still wanted to talk to the rotten portrait. As he was walking, his lips thinned when he saw Ron and Hermione hurrying towards him.
"Harry – mate – slowly down," panted Ron as he ran up to talk to him. "Harry, I'm sorry I yelled at you. I was upset and –"
"It's fine," Harry said simply, though his tone was enough to convey the message that he wasn't going to forgive the boy.
"Harry, how did you get the rest of the Horcruxes?" asked Hermione in shock and not a little resentment. "What happened to your glasses? You've suddenly grown taller and the features on your face seem to have changed! "
Harry didn't answer her as he calmly led them to the Head's office. As he opened the door, there were voices of celebration as the portraits welcomed him. Harry looked at the portrait directly behind the headmaster's desk. Tears were flowing from his eyes into his long silver beard.
"What are you crying for, Dumbledore?" asked Harry quietly. "Are you sad that I am not dead?"
His green eyes were glowing with rage.
Dumbledore's portrait panicked, jumping to the wrong conclusion. "Miss Granger, Mr Weasley! Voldemort is not dead! He –"
"Oh, shut up, Dumbledore," snapped Harry. With a flick of his wand, he created a privacy bubble around him and the portrait, cutting off any sound from Ron and Hermione. "I've already gotten rid of the damn soul-piece. Did you think your stupid plan was the only thing that could work? Did you think sacrificing myself on the altar of the greater good was the only way to kill Voldemort?"
Dumbledore's portrait gaped at Harry. "I-It's gone?" he exclaimed. "Is it really you, Harry?"
"Even if I were Voldemort, I'd say yes. But to answer your question, yes, I did get rid of the Horcrux in my scar. And for the record, I did not let Voldemort hit me with a Killing Curse."
"Then the soul-piece is not yet destroyed!" cried Dumbledore's portrait. "My boy, you should have listened to Severus!"
"I received help from the goblins, Dumbledore. They found a way to destroy it without killing me. Are you disappointed that I'm not dead? After all, you raised me like a pig for slaughter."
"My boy, I only did what I thought was best. Voldemort had to be destroyed."
"And I, with him," Harry said bitterly. "You screwed me over, Dumbledore, multiple times. Not only me, but everyone as well. You tried to redeem worthless scum like Draco Malfoy while putting innocent people at risk. Your selfish, dim-witted actions caused the deaths of thousands! Well, your great plan went up in flames. Your weapon is still alive and Snape is in custody. I'll ensure that every witch and wizard in the magical world knows of your atrocities."
Dumbledore's portrait closed his eyes in defeat. He knew that no amount of apologies would be enough to reason with Harry.
The defeater of the Dark Lord Voldemort turned to leave but paused mid-stride. He looked at Dumbledore's portrait with barely concealed disgust and before Ron and Hermione knew what was happening, Gryffindor's sword was buried in the canvas.
"HARRY!" yelled Ron, just as Hermione disabled the silencing charm.
"What are you doing, Harry?" screeched Hermione. "That's Dumbledore's portrait! It's Dumbledore! What's wrong with you?"
Harry simply walked out of the room without a backward glance. He doubted if things would ever be the same with them again. The war had changed him and their betrayal was the last straw. Harry wondered if he should be angry with Hermione as much as he was, but then again, she too believed in Dumbledore's infallibility and would never hear a word against him. He hadn't forgotten her constant, condescending nagging and how she had looked at him as though he was the culprit whenever his scar had throbbed. He wondered how she would have fared under Snape's tutelage if the man had taught her Occlumency. Harry was sure she would have gone insane due to the torture. Besides, he just wasn't in the mood. Maybe he would talk to her later, but he would never forgive Ron; ever. Nor would he ever reveal the information about the Elder Wand or the scar's true nature as a Horcrux; that information would remain a secret with him forever.
HP*THE AFTERMATH*HP
Harry walked out of the castle, looking at the destruction around the grounds. It would take a lot of time and effort to repair the damage done to the castle. He enjoyed his solitude, not surrounded by people who were constantly praising him. He had come to realise over the course of his life that fame was fickle. When he had first defeated Voldemort back in 1981, people celebrated, but no one cared that Albus Dumbledore had left him to rot at the Dursleys.
Thinking about that day reminded Harry of another orphan whose family had been destroyed by the Death Eaters.
"Winky!"
The elf appeared before him. "Winky, I want you to go to the Burrow and bring me my godson," he said. "If Mrs Weasley is there, inform her that I'll be taking care of Teddy from now on."
Winky nodded and within a few seconds, she brought the crying baby to him. Harry's eyes filled with tears as he gently took the infant in his arms. He gave Gryffindor's sword to Winky and instructed her to keep it safe at Potter Manor.
"I won't let that happen to you, little guy," whispered Harry as he rocked the baby to calm him down. "I'll raise you like my own son. In fact, you will be my son in name and blood."
With a near silent crack, Harry Disapparated.
HP*THE AFTERMATH*HP
"Is it possible?"
"Of course," answered Ragnok. "Blood adoption is usually done to infants. Yours was the first time we have performed the ritual where the person being adopted is an adult."
"Good," said Harry quietly. "I know it may seem distasteful to some, but he is better off not having to deal with his birth father's stigma. He shall be my son and heir. He shall be known as Edmund Harrison Potter-Black."
Having decided that he would go through with it, Harry allowed the goblins to extract some of his blood so that Teddy could be formally adopted into the Potter-Black Clan.
HP*THE AFTERMATH*HP
Four hours later, Harry picked up the infant now registered as Edmund Harrison Potter-Black, formerly Ted Remus Lupin, and Disapparated from Gringotts. When he arrived at the place, he saw a pair of large metal gates. They opened to his touch after the enchantments recognised him as a Potter. Carefully tucking the infant in his arms, Harry walked towards his new home. He was extremely glad the place had been under a stasis charm. Merlin knows how bad it would have been if not for it. A few minutes later, a beautiful and expansive mansion came into view. Harry smiled as he saw Potter Manor for the first time. From what Sirius had told him back in fifth year, it had been damaged during the first Voldemort war, which was why James and Lily had decided to live at Godric's Hollow. After renovations were complete, the couple had decided to place the ancestral manor under a stasis charm as they preferred to reside in the smaller cottage.
As he stepped into the entrance hall, Harry was in awe of the splendour the interior of the manor offered. The marble floor gleamed under the rays of sunlight streaming from the windows. Rich cream, red and gold colours dominated the walls. After casting a point-me spell, he proceeded to the master bedroom.
The master bedroom was very large and spacious, with an expansive four-poster bed, a sofa set and other pieces of furniture. The balcony off the bedroom afforded a breathtaking view of the lake situated on the grounds. Harry gently placed Teddy on the bed and changed clothes. While it was still before noon, he was way too exhausted to do anything. Because of the ritual, he knew that Teddy wouldn't wake up for a while. He could already see some of his features forming on the infant's face. He did feel slightly guilty in adopting the boy and changing his name, but he knew that had he not done so, Teddy's future would have been anything but happy. Even though the child wasn't a werewolf, and had instead inherited his birth-mother's Metamorphagus trait, most people would still treat Teddy like a pariah due to Remus' condition. Remus and Tonks may not agree with Harry's decision, but he was the child's godfather, and it was his duty to ensure Teddy's happiness. And this was the only way he knew in order to secure the baby's future.
He gently kissed Teddy's forehead as he drifted off to sleep. The little infant snuggled into Harry's hold and smiled as he inherently recognised the magical presence of his new father.
HP*THE AFTERMATH*HP
Back at Hogwarts, Molly Weasley was inconsolable when she found out about her husband's death. Thankfully, Percy had finally grown a spine and had apologised to his father before the battle, but that didn't make him feel any less guilty. Fred and George were having blank expressions on their faces as they sat together, not speaking a word. Bill, Fleur and Charlie were helping with the repair work. Ron, Hermione and Ginny were searching everywhere for Harry.
The Ministry of Magic, on the other hand, was going through a thorough cleaning. Kingsley was leaving no stone unturned as he did his best to make sure that all the people who were accessories to Voldemort's reign were arrested, waiting to be tried by the Wizengamot. The holding cells were full and not for the first time did he wish he had his old boss, Madam Bones, was present to take care of the chaos that had gripped the government. Unfortunately, one person had slipped through his fingers. This person wasn't present at the battle but had only heard whispers. Thinking that the pureblood faction still held power, Dolores Umbridge entered the Great Hall of Hogwarts with a superior expression on her face, flanked by two of her most faithful Aurors.
"Where is Harry Potter?" she asked in a sickeningly sweet voice.
Headmistress McGonagall boiled with rage as she saw the toad again. She knew of the atrocities this woman had committed under Voldemort's reign of terror and her hand twitched towards her wand. Several others in the Great Hall palmed their wands as well, unknown to the Senior Undersecretary.
"Why?" spat McGonagall.
Umbridge puffed out her chest importantly. "He is under arrest for the murder of several upstanding purebloods –"
That was all she said before she was blasted off her feet by no less than ten different stunners at the same time. She landed hit the wall in the entrance hall and dropped to floor with a heap, unconscious.
"Oh dear," said McGonagall in a mock concerned voice. "It seems the toad has finally croaked."
People chuckled as she bound Umbridge and the two Aurors. She had to call the D.M.L.E. to arrest them. Merlin knows the woman's crimes were numerous.
HP*THE AFTERMATH*HP
"Where's Harry?" exclaimed Hermione. "I want to know how he found the rest of the Horcruxes. What if he missed something? Maybe –"
Ron and Hermione were outside, helping with repairs. The damage done to Hogwarts could not be repaired easily. McGonagall was thinking of cancelling the second term so that they could open again next September. After all, it would take a long time for things to get back under control. Reopening the school was not the priority at the moment as there were too many orphans and injured children and adults to deal with.
"I don't know," said Ron bitterly. "Did you see the way he ignored us? It looks like fame has finally gone to his head, the git!"
Hermione shook her head in frustration. "Honestly, Ronald," she snapped. "Grow up, will you? Fame is not the issue. Harry said that destroyed all the Horcruxes. But what if he missed something? That's why Dumbledore wanted the three of us to work together. If Voldemort hasn't been really killed, that could prove to be a huge problem for us!"
Ron had the decency to look slightly abashed. "Do you think it's really him, though?" he asked curiously. "The Harry I know would never kill anyone, including the Death Eaters. He cast the Killing Curse, for Merlin's sake! And he looks different too."
"Who would want to impersonate Harry and kill Voldemort? No, it was definitely Harry. He found the diadem, didn't he? But how did he know it was there? How did he get rid of the locket? What about Hufflepuff's cup? Nagini? Don't tell me he destroyed them all just after we left! None of us had a clue on where they were!"
The two of them simply stood in silence, letting the Scottish breeze ruffle their hair. They heard footsteps and Ginny Weasley came up to them and demanded, "Where's Harry? Dad's been killed and Mum's in a right state! How can he just run off like that?"
"I know!" said Ron angrily. "The git vanished right after the battle. Does he care that Dad died? After everything we have done for him, is this way he treats us?"
"You know how Harry is," Hermione sighed, shaking her head sadly. "He probably believes it is entirely his fault. Unless we make him talk about it, he'll keep it bottled up until he explodes. I was trying to make him talk about Sirius's death last year, but he never listened to me! But this time, it's going to be much worse. I think we should stick to him and make sure he tells us everything."
"We'll wait for him," said Ron. "He has to come back here sometime."
HP*THE AFTERMATH*HP
Daphne Greengrass sighed tiredly as she finished patching up another injured student. There were so many wounded, but the critical ones were all taken to St Mungo's. Since she was one of the few people who had trained under Madam Pomfrey before applying for Healer's school, she was qualified to take care of the broken bones and cuts. The darker curses were handled by Madam Pomfrey and other professional healers.
"Let me take a look at that, Professor," said Daphne softly as she saw McGonagall pass by. The headmistress had a deep gash on the side of her face.
"It's fine, Miss Greengrass, I have a lot of work –"
"This place is contaminated with dirt and dark magic, Professor. You don't want to have an open wound. It could lead to an infection," she interrupted, muttering incantations under her breath, with her wand pointed towards her teacher's cheek.
McGonagall smiled faintly. She usually didn't like many Slytherin students due to their bigotry and disgusting behaviour – Severus being the Head of House for so many years hadn't helped matters any – but she genuinely like Daphne. She, along with Padma Patil, was the top student of their year. Many were under the impression that Hermione Granger was the best, but they were mistaken. Hermione was very talented, but she tended to recite what was written in books, while Daphne and Padma chose to explain the concepts in their own way; their papers were a joy to read. Hermione never knew this because they never gave a merit list at Hogwarts. There was no need to publicise other people's marks was what the staff believed, so not many knew about Daphne's achievements.
"How is your father, Miss Greengrass?" asked McGonagall softly.
Daphne remained stoic but a lone tear slid down her pale cheek. "He's dead, Professor," she answered. "He didn't make it."
About a month back, Daphne's father, a member of the Wizengamot, had been tortured extensively by the Death Eaters for refusing to join Voldemort or supply money and resources for his campaign. Lord Cyrus Greengrass had tried to remain neutral during the conflict, but no one could do so under Voldemort's regime. Daphne also suspected that it was Draco who had egged the Death Eaters to attack her father. The Malfoy scion had been furious that she had dared to reject his advances. Apparently, her kicking him in the balls for refusing to sleep with him, not to mention trying to protect the various younger students in the House, was not acceptable behaviour, and her father had paid the price for it.
"I'm sorry, Daphne," said Professor McGonagall.
"It's okay, Professor. The healers had already informed me that any chance of recovery was slim to none. At least he wouldn't spend the rest of his life like the Longbottoms. He may have been a very strict disciplinarian, but he was still my father. I don't know how long it will be before my step-mother decides to throw me out of the house."
"If you need help, my door is always open, Daphne," said Madam Pomfrey warmly. "Don't think we haven't noticed how much you helped people in your House over the past few months. Harry Potter's speech really struck a chord around here, but in my opinion, people badly needed it."
Daphne nodded, lost in thought. She never expected the Gryffindor Golden Boy to defend the Slytherins. She could understand why McGonagall had told her Housemates to leave as many of them did support Voldemort's goals. It would have been unwise for them to have started fighting each other inside when Voldemort was a threat. Harry Potter having nearly been a Slytherin himself was a shock to everyone. Daphne had always thought he was a tactless idiot, but after last night's battle, her opinion about Potter had changed drastically.
Taking another deep breath, Daphne returned to her work. There were still more wounds she had to tend to.
HP*THE AFTERMATH*HP
Harry gently placed the sucker of the small milk bottle in Teddy's mouth. He was really grateful for house-elves. They knew how to take care of children and Harry didn't have to worry about his son's safety. They would see to the child's needs when he wasn't around, but that didn't mean that he didn't want to help too.
Teddy started crying when he realised it wasn't his mother's milk he was being fed. Harry sighed sadly as he gently rocked the baby.
"Shh, please don't cry, Teddy," he whispered soothingly, rubbing the boy's back. "Daddy is here for you now."
Getting an idea, Harry flicked his wand and whispered, "Expecto Patronum"
The dragon burst from the tip of the Elder Wand. The snout of the silvery dragon approached them and Teddy hiccupped as the positive emotions from the Patronus helped soothe him. Taking it as a good sign, Harry again placed the sucker of the bottle at his son's mouth. Now calmer, Teddy drank his milk. His hair turned bright blue as he looked at Harry with big grey eyes.
"Winky!"
The elf in question appeared before him, bowing to her master.
"Winky, I'll have to head to the Ministry soon. Please ensure that Teddy is fed and taken care of when I'm gone. Also, can you find some of my father's old robes? Maybe they're still in good condition."
"Yes, Master Harry," said Winky happily.
Harry got up from the sofa and walked around the bedroom with Teddy in his arms, rubbing the infant's back soothingly as he put the baby to sleep. He had to admit, he had no experience dealing with children, but he was sure that he would do a much better job than Petunia.
Ten minutes later, he placed Teddy on the large bed. He still had no time to go shopping, unfortunately, and so there was no crib he could use. After a refreshing shower, he donned a respectable pair of robes that had once belonged to James Potter, surprisingly in good condition. Once he was ready, he walked downstairs and Disapparated to the Ministry. He would ensure that all those arrested or suspected were given a trial; innocent people would not be sent to prison and the guilty would not get off scot-free this time.
HP*THE AFTERMATH*HP
Severus Snape couldn't believe his fate. How had he landed himself in a D.M.L.E. holding cell? Once moment the Dark Lord was the ruler of Britain and the next, he was dead? How had Potter done it?
However, despite the circumstances, Snape remained calm. Albus had assured him that once Harry knew the whole truth, he would realise what a great asset Snape was for the Order and the country as a whole. He was quite pleased with the whole arrangement; a consummate Slytherin indeed! When the Dark Lord was in power, he had been one of his most faithful Death Eaters, gifted the position of Headmaster of Hogwarts School. And now, with the Order of the Phoenix having won the war, he would reveal the truth to them and would be hailed as a hero.
Snape really hated the fact that he would have to spill his secrets to Potter in order to be acquitted. He had hoped that the brat would die, but he hadn't. Had the Dark Lord killed the boy, he would have celebrated with a bottle of Ogden's Old Firewhisky for the extinction of the wretched Potter line. Instead, he was now confined in a D.M.L.E. holding cell.
The door suddenly clicked opened and someone stepped inside.
"Well, well, well," said a familiar voice. "How the mighty Severus Snape has fallen."
"Potter," spat Snape angrily. "I'm glad that you're here. I wanted to speak to you. I was not loyal to the Dark Lord. I have been working for Dumbledore all this time. Take my memories and it will show you –"
"– that you believe you are in love with my mother, that Dumbledore raised me like a pig for slaughter, the old man's death was planned between the two of you, and that I have a piece of Voldemort's soul in my scar?" finished Harry, eyebrows raised, stopping Snape's explanation.
Snape's black eyes narrowed in suspicion. "How did you know all this?" he hissed.
"I know a lot of things, Snape, but suffice it to say, I got rid of that stupid soul piece before I came to Hogwarts for the final battle. Tell me, did you think I would kill myself just because that manipulative bastard said so? Were you labouring under the delusion that I would forgive you for all that you have done to me over the years, just because you claim to be in love with my mother? Did you think I have forgotten our Occlumency lessons, Snivellus? Did you honestly think I would make you a hero?" Harry sneered.
"You're a fool if you think I would save you," he spat angrily, as Snape's face contorted with rage. "I know it was you who spilled the information about the prophecy to Voldemort. I've known about it since before Dumbledore's death. Who cares if Dumbledore made you kill him, Snape? As far as the world is concerned, you murdered Albus Dumbledore on Voldemort's orders; end of story."
Snape's mind was calculating about how to deal with this new situation. He planned to tell the Wizengamot the truth about the soul piece in Potter's scar. With any luck, they would kill him too. As long as Potter died, Snape would be content.
Unfortunately, Harry wasn't willing to take any chances with his life.
"This situation is so ironic isn't it?" Harry smirked, positioning the Elder Wand at Snape's forehead.
"LEGILIMENS! OBLIVIATE!"
HP*THE AFTERMATH*HP
Harry entered the Wizengamot chamber wearing the traditional deep plum coloured robes that were designed for the members of the legislative and highest judicial body of Magical Britain. He ascended to one of the empty seats and sat down, calmly observing everyone present. He had already spoken to Kingsley about this, so at least the interim Minister of Magic knew of his status as Lord Potter-Black. He would have to be formally introduced during this session. There was no Chief Warlock elected as yet, as Yaxley was arrested during the Battle of Hogwarts.
People started whispering about him when they saw the duel Potter and Black crests on his robes. When some exclaimed in surprise, they saw the signet rings clearly visible on his fingers. Finally, Interim Minister of Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt ascended to his seat and banged his gavel.
"Wizengamot in session on the 26th of December, 1997," said Kingsley. "We are here today to stand in judgement of several witches and wizards who have betrayed this country and government by consorting with the Dark Lord Voldemort, who also goes by the name of Tom Marvolo Riddle. But before we do, we have a new member amongst us – Lord Harry James Potter-Black; the Head of the Most Ancient and Noble Clan of Potter-Black."
Harry got up amidst thunderous applause and bowed, ignoring the whispers that the introduction of the Potter-Black Clan had produced. He could see that many were curious about how he was Lord Black.
"Bring in the accused," Kingsley ordered.
The Boy-Who-Lived mentally smirked when he saw Severus Snape being brought in. The power of the Elder Wand had proved to be useful in erasing the memories in Snape's mind of Harry being a Horcrux.
"Severus Tobias Snape, you have been brought before the Wizengamot for the murder of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, former Headmaster of Hogwarts and former Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. You are further accused of aiding the Dark Lord Voldemort during his reign by killing numerous innocents and torturing others. You have also been accused of leaking information about the prophecy which foretold the defeat of the Dark Lord at the hands of a boy that was to be born in July 1980. Your actions led to the deaths of James and Lily Potter and also the torture and permanent incapacitation of Frank and Alice Longbottom. You are –"
Pandemonium gripped the Wizengamot. The journalists were writing down the charges in excitement even though their dicta-quills were working. The Lords and Ladies of the Wizengamot were in uproar, chief among them was Lady Augusta Longbottom. She couldn't believe that Snape, who Dumbledore had personally vouched for, was responsible for what had happened to her son and daughter-in-law. Harry calmly leaned back, crossed his legs and watched the spectacle with amusement shining in his green eyes.
Once the chamber was under control, Kingsley continued. "You are also accused of torturing and mind-raping one Harry James Potter-Black under the guise of Occlumency lessons two years ago. You are further accused of voluntarily giving Veritaserum to Dolores Umbridge when she wanted to illegally question students. How do you plead to all these charges?"
"Not guilty," said Snape monotonously, but one could observe that the man was deathly pale.
"So noted," said Kingsley. "Give him the serum."
Snape's eyes widened in panic; it had been twenty-four hours since he had taken the Veritaserum antidote. Without it, he would be forced to answer the Wizengamot's questions. Kingsley had ordered six drops, which would manage to severely wreck his Occulumency shieds. He had not anticipated such a brutal tactic; the reason the serum wasn't used regularly was due to it being unsafe for the brain. He struggled, but it was futile as he quickly succumbed to its effects.
The interrogation was perfect. Snape admitted that he was a Death Eater and a supporter of Voldemort and had killed Dumbledore on the Dark Lord's orders. This was the problem with Veritaserum; they needed to ask precise questions, but since Snape did indeed kill Dumbledore on Voldemort's orders, he couldn't tell them about the fact that Dumbledore wanted Snape to kill him. He also admitted to delivering the information about the prophecy to Voldemort and went to Hogwarts to spy on his master's orders. Finally, he revealed all the terrible deeds that he had committed during his role as Death Eater, including mind-raping Harry Potter-Black under the pretence of Occlumency lessons, also under the orders of Lord Voldemort.
"All those in favour of execution?" said Kingsley.
Harry raised his lit wand and the vote passed by a majority. Snape would be pushed through the Veil of Death that very evening. It wasn't the kiss, but then again, even a Dementor wouldn't want to kiss Snape, would it? Those foul beasts would all be destroyed soon using Fiendfyre; they were just too dangerous to be left free. Azkaban would no longer play host to the soul-sucking demons.
So much for Dumbledore's grand plan for the greater good where Snape was a hero.
Things were going well. If only a certain ginger would stop annoying him; the female one.
HP*THE AFTERMATH*HP
Harry stood still as he watched the funeral of Arthur Weasley. He had already cremated Remus and Tonks as per the tradition of the Black family, and here he was, at the Burrow, a week after the final battle, attending Mr Weasley's funeral.
Harry was sad that a kind man had died. Mr Weasley had graciously taken Harry into his home and provided food and comfort. He had even taken Harry to the Quidditch World Cup when there was no reason to do so. He had never been close to the man, but he could sympathise with the Weasleys' sense of loss.
What was annoying was how Ginny would constantly stand next to him, trying to take his hand. When she tried for the third time, his eye began to twitch in annoyance. He wanted to let her know that there was nothing between them anymore. He didn't know why, but he just wasn't interested in Ginny. What had he seen in her? He had no idea. He actually found her to be … shallow.
Edmund Potter-Black had been formally registered as his son with the Ministry of Magic. Thanks to his influence, he didn't have to answer too many questions and Kingsley smoothened things out as well. Harry could see that the Minister was quite proud of the way Harry had adopted the boy; after all, he had been Tonks' mentor and he cared about his old protégé. It hadn't been released to the press yet, but Harry wanted to talk to Luna about an interview. He was touched that the Lovegoods had been printing positive facts about him during the Voldemort regime, knowing how dangerous it was to do so.
"Harry, we need to talk," Ginny said quietly, pulling him aside. "Why are you avoiding me?"
"Ginny, this is really not the time," Harry sighed.
"Then when is the time?" she shot back. "This is the first time I've gotten the chance to speak to you since the final battle! As your girlfriend, I think I have the right to be upset when my boyfriend refuses to spend time with me!"
"Hold on a second! Boyfriend?" asked Harry incredulously. "What gave you … okay, listen, Ginny. I have too many things going on right now. I'm not exactly looking for a relationship. I'm sorry."
"What?" she shouted angrily. "You can't just leave me like this! After Dumbledore died, I let you go because I knew you wouldn't rest until you killed You-Know-Who. That's what you've always wanted to do, and I understood that. But now –"
"No, Ginny," Harry interrupted. "Killing Voldemort was not what I always wanted to do. The responsibly of killing him was thrust upon my shoulders and I carried the burden unwillingly. All I've ever wanted was to be a regular, ordinary wizard. Not the Boy-Who-Lived."
"But you are the Boy-Who-Lived!" she cried. "Don't you dare break up with me, Harry Potter! Don't be an idiot. We're supposed to get married and have children and that's what we're going to do. I respected your wishes the last time, and now, you respect mine."
Harry shook his head, scowling at her. "It's my life, Ginny," he shot back furiously. "And I'll decide who I want to spend my life with and when I wish to start a family. We are not getting back together and I'm not your boyfriend!"
Fuming, Harry marched towards the Apparition point beyond the wards surrounding the Burrow. Just before he could leave, he saw two others running towards him.
"Oh, bloody hell," he muttered. "Kill me."
"Harry – mate – where have you been this past week?" Ron panted.
"We've been searching for you since the battle!" said Hermione furiously. "We sent owls, but not once did you choose to reply until yesterday! Do you know how worried we've been?"
Harry closed his eyes as he took in deep breaths. He flicked his wand and erected a silencing charm around them.
"Is that Dumbledore's wand?" asked Hermione sharply, her gaze fixed on the Elder Wand in Harry's hand.
"No, it's the wand of my ancestor."
It was true, of course. He was descendant from the Peverells, from what he had seen from the family tree at Potter Manor. Kreacher had said that the Peverells were supposed to be the brothers of the tale.
"Then why are you using it? What happened to your wand?" asked Hermione, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"I'm using it because I like it better than my old wand," said Harry through gritted teeth. What was this, an interview? An interrogation?
"Where have you been living for the past week, mate?" asked Ron, repeating his earlier question. "You didn't come to the Burrow. I mean, where else can you go?"
"I've been living at the Potter ancestral manor," said Harry stiffly. "Since I'm seventeen, I claimed my inheritance and was finally able to access my family properties." When he sensed Ron's jealousy rise up again, he interrupted, "Did you think everything was going to be rosy again after you two walked out on me?"
Ron and Hermione gaped at him. "Harry, we tried to come back, we did, but," Hermione said uncertainly, "we couldn't find you."
"I'm glad you never found me. If you had, the war would have never ended. Didn't I tell you that hunting for the Horcruxes wouldn't be easy, Ron? What part of that didn't you understand? Was your stomach all you could think about? We were at war! Did you think Dumbledore told me everything and had given me a layout of all his plans? That manipulative old goat never prepared me for anything! I had to figure it out all on my own! I told you that there was a Horcrux at Hogwarts. You snubbed me. You insulted me. Both of you were constantly whispering behind my back. You thought I was such an idiot that I could never figure things out without you, didn't you Hermione?"
The two of them were stunned. "Harry –" Hermione began.
"I destroyed the snake in Godric's Hollow," said Harry, shutting her up. "I approached the goblins and sought their help in getting the cup. It was in Bellatrix's vault. The diadem was in the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts. I destroyed the locket with the Killing Curse the day you both left. He really is dead. All his Horcruxes were destroyed. That's why I took a stand that night. Ron, don't ever think I will forgive you for your actions. Hermione, you were my best friend, but I don't think it will be the same ever again. I'm sorry."
With that, Harry Disapparated from the Burrow, leaving Hermione upset and Ron very angry; Ginny was furious that she hadn't managed to talk to him again.
"Where did he run off to now?" asked Ginny angrily.
"He went to his manor," spat Ron. "Bloody git. He's acting like Malfoy."
Hermione was silent. There was more to the mystery than what Harry told her and Merlin be damn it, she was going to get to the bottom of it.
HP*THE AFTERMATH*HP
The Hogwarts Express shined brightly under the sunlight as people gathered on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. Headmistress McGonagall had reconsidered her decision after the damage to Hogwarts was repaired, so the school reopened on the first of February. Witches and wizards from various magical construction companies worked overtime, and the castle was finally repaired in a month's time thanks to the generous donation given by Harry and several other families. People were talking excitedly as they boarded the train. The most notable name being mentioned in nearly every conversation was one Harry Potter-Black.
Harry James Potter-Black, the Boy-Who-Lived, the Chosen One, the Man-Who-Won, the defeater of You-Know-Who, the holder of Order of Merlin, First Class, the Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble Clan of Potter-Black, was the hero of everyone around. He had given a personal interview which had appeared in the Quibbler. The young wizard had explained that he had disappeared underground during those months for a reason, and that it was only due to his mission being a success that he was able to defeat Voldemort. He had also praised several people like Neville Longbottom, Minister Shakelebolt, Lee Jordan, and the Lovegoods who had stood up against the Death Eaters and protected the innocent. The young Lord had also donated quite a bit of money to Hogwarts and the Magical Orphanage, which sadly, had a large inflow of new orphans. Unknown to others, Harry, on the advice of Ragnok, had also invested in many businesses which were doing poorly because of the war. In time, they would grow into cash cows and Harry had quickly acted, making him reap the rewards in the future.
What was shocking was that Harry Potter-Black had also adopted an orphan. The baby was just five months old, and it was said that Harry had already blood-adopted the child. He was now the proud father of Edmund Harrison Potter-Black. It also came as a shock to people when Harry announced that he was the blood-adopted son of the infamous Sirius Black. No one knew until recently that Sirius had actually been innocent; Fudge had buried the information after Voldemort had revealed himself to the world, not wanting to attract more problems for himself and the Ministry. It was quite satisfying when Cornelius Fudge himself was sent to Azkaban for corruption. The foolish man's incompetence was what helped Voldemort seize power so quickly.
Harry stepped out of the Floo with Neville Longbottom, the silver Head Boy badge gleaming on his chest. He had accepted the position when McGonagall offered it to him, only because he could get a separate suite. He couldn't raise Edmund in the Gryffindor dorm, after all.
"Ah, it is so nice to be finally rid of them," Neville said with relish.
Harry smiled and nodded. All the remaining Death Eaters, after being questioned, were given appropriate sentences. The inner circle Death Eaters, along with others who had committed horrible crimes, were all executed through the Veil. The others were given a sentence in Azkaban based on their crimes. Many others were made to do community service to repair the damage caused. Harry had been very happy when Dolores Umbridge was executed, kicking and screaming. Draco Malfoy too was sent to Azkaban for the attempted murder of several people during his sixth year; the arrogant boy had nearly killed Katie Bell, Ronald Weasley and Professor Slughorn, not to mention smuggled Death Eaters into Hogwarts, resulting in several people being injured and Albus Dumbledore being killed. All those families had to pay a lot of money to the Ministry as compensation, so none of them had enough gold to bribe people.
Harry entered the train and headed towards the prefects' compartment. Ron's badge had been given to Neville at the beginning of the year, much to the boy's anger, so Neville was now a prefect. However, Hermione had still retained her badge. When he entered, Harry was surprised to see who the Head Girl was.
"Greengrass?" he asked in surprise.
Daphne looked up from her book and greeted him politely. "Hello, Potter. Or do you prefer Black?"
"Potter is fine," Harry said dismissively.
"Where's your son?"
Harry beamed with happiness. "The house-elves are taking care of him. I didn't think he would like being mobbed on the platform. He's only five months old, after all. I'll bring him here once the meeting is done."
Daphne smiled slightly and nodded. She was quite surprised when she was offered the position of Head Girl, but Professor McGonagall had explained that she was the highest ranking student in their year, not to mention her work during the past term was also exemplary. Not many knew how much she had helped during Snape's reign because secrets rarely got out of the Slytherin common room. It was only because of her long-standing position did McGonagall know, and of course, Madam Pomfrey knew because Daphne was quite close to the matron.
Hermione Granger entered the compartment and glared at the Head Girl badge pinned to Daphne's uniform. How could she have not been made the Head Girl? She was the top student in their year, was she not? She had also fought against Voldemort. What had Greengrass done?
Hermione also saw the Head Boy badge pinned on Harry's chest, and couldn't help but feel a twinge of resentment and jealousy. Harry was made Head Boy while she wasn't chosen as Head Girl. But that was not what really bothered her. She was also angry at how her friend's recent behaviour. Harry had come to the Burrow to comfort Mrs Weasley a week after Arthur's funeral, but when the woman had demanded Harry stay at the Burrow, he had flatly refused, saying that he had to take care of his son. The fact that he had blood-adopted Remus and Tonks' child was quite a shock. She was also disappointed in him for changing the boy's name. Sure, Teddy was Harry's godson, but that didn't give him the right to take away the child's entire name and identity! She had pointed out that Remus and Tonks may not have wanted their child to grow up without their chosen name, but it was futile. His stubbornness could easily rival hers.
Ginny wasn't pleased with him adopting the child either, but Harry would hear none of it. Hermione could see that her friend was getting annoyed with Ginny's repeated attempts in trying to get back together. He had told the girl in no uncertain terms that he wasn't interested in continuing any sort of romantic relationship with her, and that had led to a heated argument, with Ginny and Molly yelling at him to fall in line. Harry's point was that they had only dated for about two weeks and he had realised after the war that he wasn't interested in her anymore. He had changed as a person, was his defence, and Ginny hadn't taken it well at all.
Hermione huffed as she finished the meeting and left to find Ron and Ginny. Harry surely had changed because the Harry Potter she knew wouldn't be acting like this.
"Where's Harry?" asked Ginny.
"He's not coming," Hermione said bitterly as she sat down. "He's still in the prefects' compartment. The rest of them are all cooing over Teddy."
"He's bringing the child to school?"
"Well, considering that he's here, we can assume Teddy will be with Harry the entire term."
"Why would he blood-adopt the child and change his name?" asked Ron, shaking his head in exasperation. "I mean, it's not his son! The way he acts –"
"It's like Teddy is his own, I know," frowned Hermione. "I can't believe Sirius adopted Harry. How is that possible, anyway? Are you sure it is legal? Blood rituals are illegal, aren't they?"
"Not the adoption ritual," Ginny huffed testily.
HP*THE AFTERMATH*HP
Harry released puffs of colourful smoke from the tip of his wand, making Teddy squeal in excitement as he tried to catch it. They were in the prefects' compartment, with several of his year mates surrounding him.
"He's so adorable," gushed Hannah Abbott.
Harry smiled again as he watched his son look at the others in the room with big violet eyes. Teddy turned towards his father and his face crinkled. Soon, his hair turned jet black and his eyes bright emerald green.
"Wow!" exclaimed Tracy Davis, the new Slytherin prefect. "He looks so much like you now! I wish I were a Metamorphmagus!"
"Don't we all?" said Neville as he tickled the boy, making him giggle.
"He changes his hair colour to the most ridiculous colour that catches his fancy," Harry chuckled. "We play that game for hours on end and he seems to enjoy the attention."
Harry released a dark purple colour smoke ball. "Teddy, can you change your hair to this colour? Come on, mate, you can do it!" he encouraged, gently kissing the boy on his forehead.
Teddy squealed in delight, his hair turning from black to purple.
The people all around applauded and cooed over his behaviour. Harry smiled as he hugged the boy closer. He was very happy with his decision in adopting Teddy as his son. This was perfect.
Daphne Greengrass smiled softly at the father-son duo. How she wished she had her mother or father with her at this moment. Her step-mother, Ursula, had never liked her; that's how it had always been, with Daphne being treated like a virtual stranger in her own home. Her father, being the astute businessman, didn't spend as much time with his two daughters as he should have. By the time she was eleven, Daphne had sunk deep into her shell, too afraid to come out. She had been a loner throughout her life, but war tended to bring people far from their comfort zone.
It was only a matter of time before her stepmother and Astoria made her leave Greengrass Manor permanently. Daphne was surprised that they hadn't done so already. Astoria had been contracted to marry Draco Malfoy, but he was in prison for the next five years, something she knew her half-sister was quite pissed about and hated Harry Potter because of it. The younger Greengrass' relationship with Malfoy had been going well, except the foolish little girl didn't know that Malfoy was trying to get into Daphne's panties. At least without all those morons in the snake pit, it would hopefully be a good term.
But she wouldn't be living in the snake pit. She would be living with Harry Potter in the Head Boy/Girl's suite. She wondered how the situation would play out, as she was not an easy person to get along with. She hoped they wouldn't come to blows. Harry was a very powerful wizard, magically and politically, and at the moment, she had nothing.
"Hey, does anyone know whose Patronus that dragon was?" asked Ernie suddenly. "That thing was huge!"
"Yeah, I want to know about that too," frowned Padma. "I've never actually seen a dragon Patronus before. Dumbledore's was a phoenix, but no other person has a magical animal for a Patronus, right?"
Harry chuckled to himself as he whispered, "Expecto Patronum"
People gasped as the silvery Hungarian Horntail Patronus burst from the tip of the Elder Wand. It wasn't as large as before, but it was still pretty impressive.
"It was you?" cried Neville.
"I thought your Patronus was a stag, Harry," said Luna, looking confused.
Harry shrugged. "It changed, apparently. That was the first time I cast it with the dragon form. I'd used it just hours before and it was a stag then, but when I cast it again during the battle, it was a Horntail; not sure why it happened, though."
That caused people to whisper excitedly as they wondered what would cause a Patronus to change its form. Edmund was petting the Patronus on its snout and laughing in excitement. The final year at Hogwarts was going to be brilliant; Harry was sure of it.
HP*THE AFTERMATH*HP
Harry entered the Head's suite after the feast, with mixed emotions. While the deaths had not seemed to affect him then, he was wrong when he thought they wouldn't affect him now. So many people had died; when he looked at the House tables, it was a testament to how deadly the war really had been. The victory was costly for the country, all because of foolish old men like Voldemort and Dumbledore.
He sighed as he put Edmund in his crib after rocking him to sleep. Not able to fall sleep himself, he sat by the fireplace in the common room. He had been lost in thought until he heard a female voice.
"Potter? What are you doing here? It's nearly midnight," said Daphne in surprise.
Harry turned and saw Daphne walking towards him. He had to admit that she was incredibly beautiful. She was dressed in a thin nightgown which highlighted her breasts and curves very well. She was about five feet nine inches in height and had long, wavy raven black hair that framed her face. Her features were delicate with soft pink lips and her hair was falling elegantly over the front of her shoulders. Her deep blue eyes were concerned at the moment, and she looked like Aphrodite herself as she sat down opposite to him.
"Potter, are you okay?"
"Huh?" said Harry as he snapped out of his daze. He blushed when he realised he had been staring at her and stammered an apology. "I'm fine, thanks. Call me Harry. We'll be living here for the next six months. I hope we can move past the last name business."
Daphne thought for a few seconds and nodded slowly. "That sounds reasonable. You may call me Daphne. So again, what are you doing here at this time? Hungry are you?"
"No," he replied softly. "Coming back here reminded me of the people who died during the battle. I just could not go to sleep."
Daphne remained silent. What could she say to that?
"I wonder if I could have avoided the Battle of Hogwarts. Maybe if I had done things differently, I could have saved needless people from dying. If I had not asked Neville to call for reinforcements; had I not asked McGonagall to make our stand against Voldemort, would it have been different?"
By this time, Harry felt like he was talking to himself and Daphne was intently listening to him. He was unconsciously muttering while staring at the fire.
"Am I to blame for what happened? But how am I at fault? Voldemort would have killed everybody whether or not I had been involved. If his attacks on the Muggles had continued, it would have been only a matter of time before we were exposed. And Merlin knows that would have easily destroyed our society, with endless war and destruction. There is no way Muggles would have accepted magic. Those bloody fools; didn't they realise they were essentially destroying themselves? A pureblood order is not established by killing purebloods themselves! It makes no sense!"
"But if I had taken the battle away from Hogwarts, would I have been able to kill him? No, I don't think so. I was no match for his skill. I only had superior power at my disposal, not magical skill. But that wouldn't have stopped the Death Eaters or the Ministry, right? His support was from his Death Eaters primarily, which was why I asked for reinforcements. But did I force people to fight? I told them to use lethal curses. All are these deaths really my fault?"
"Stop," said Daphne and Harry jumped, not realising that she was still there.
"The battle was not your fault, Harry," Daphne said quietly. "You weren't here; you don't know how terrible it was, especially during detentions. The Carrows showed no mercy at all and it was infinitely worse in the Slytherin dorms. The junior Death Eaters were all forcing themselves on other girls; it made me sick! I stood up to them and they didn't like that. When I rejected Malfoy's advances, they went after my father. They tortured him badly and he died a month later. My step-mother agreed with the Dark Lord's goals, so they spared her. You took a stand when no one else did; yes, many people died during the battle, but I believe it would have been much worse had we not fought. That battle wasn't only about you. It was a fight of freedom for us all. All of us suffered because of the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters so don't blame yourself. Sorry for being candid, but it is pretty arrogant if you think the whole battle was about you; it wasn't."
Harry smiled softly. The battle wasn't about him. Yes, she was right, but that didn't make it any less easy to accept; survivor's guilt.
"I'm sorry about your father. What happened to your mother, if you don't mind my asking?"
"My mother died due to unforeseen complications during my birth. It is no secret because of how ridiculously rare it is for mothers to die during childbirth in the magical world; it caused quite a stir back then, I'm told. My father remarried and had Astoria who is my half-sister."
Harry nodded. They sat in silence for a long time when suddenly, Edmund started crying again. Harry got up and headed to his room and gently gathered the infant in his arms.
"What's wrong, Teddy?" asked Harry as he brought the baby to the common room. "You can't be hungry and you have the diaper on. Can't go to sleep?"
Edmund didn't understand what was being said, but he continued to cry. Harry sighed tiredly as he walked around the common room, pointing at various things to distract the boy. After nearly half an hour of running around to amuse the baby, Edmund finally went to sleep, sucking on his thumb. Harry gently removed the finger from the child's mouth and placed the young boy in his crib.
"I'm really impressed, Harry," Daphne smiled faintly. "Not many seventeen-year-old boys would be so caring towards a baby. What made you adopt him? Who are his parents?"
"I'm sorry, Daphne, but I can't answer that question. It's private. But what I can tell you is that he's an orphan. He was my responsibility anyway, so I decided to blood adopt him instead of being a regular guardian. I didn't want him to go through what I – well, good night," he said with embarrassment as he went back to his room.
Daphne looked at Harry in surprise. The boy had probably revealed more than he wanted to. It was quite a shock when people read in the Quibbler that Harry had a less than happy childhood. Was he abused? Her mind was buzzing as she went to bed. Harry Potter-Black was an enigma to her. Malfoy and Snape had clearly lied about him. The Harry Potter she had just spoken to was not a brash, arrogant idiot. He was a soft-spoken and kind-hearted boy. She wondered what other surprises he had in store.
HP*THE AFTERMATH*HP
The months passed by quickly. Since it was an intensive course of six months, the classes were crammed together. There was no Quidditch either, something which made Ron complain about. They all had to work on their N.E.W.T.s which were just a few months away. Harry also took his job as Head Boy seriously. He had revamped how the student body operated so that there were minimum disputes. He also did his best to not be biased while enforcing the rules or awarding punishments. Some of the blood purists who remained in the school soon realised that they would be punished badly if they spouted Voldemort's propaganda. The war had cost them all too much and Harry wasn't willing to let the disease fester. It was going to stop here and now. He also spent a lot of his free time with Teddy, who was taken care of by his house-elves when he wasn't around, something which Hermione Granger found out much later.
"WHAT?"
Many heads in the Gryffindor Common Room turned towards Hermione as she shouted at Harry, who looked annoyed.
"You made house-elves bond with you?" screamed Hermione. "How could you, Harry? It is slavery! I can't believe you condone slave labour! You –"
"Enough, Hermione," snapped Harry. "I have not ill-treated any of them. I found out something about them which, had I know before, I would never have signed up for your campaign for house-elves. Do you know that elves need to bond with wizards in order to live? Without the bond, they die a horrible, painful death. The elves I bonded to were near death and only my magical transfer saved them. They remain with me because they want to do so, not because I force them to. I will not force them to accept clothes when they don't want to do so! I am not a tyrant. It is their lives and their decision if they want to work for me. Yes, my elves are bonded to me and they are happy and there is nothing more I wish to say on the matter."
That incident made the gossip vine of Hogwarts run overtime as they all wondered what happened to the golden trio that drove a wedge between Harry and the other two. Ron and Hermione had started dating but Harry always claimed that he had no knowledge of the subject.
Of course, Harry had fought publicly with his ex-girlfriend as well. Ginny thought she was entitled to Harry and since they had dated the previous year, it was only a matter of time before they got back. She had threatened many girls who were eying Harry, though the boy was not interested in any of them. Finally, Harry not being able to take it anymore, had publicly lashed out at Ginny, saying that her love potions wouldn't work anymore and that she should just give up. The girl had turned white as a sheet at the accusation and when she tried to slap Harry, she was hit by a stunner courtesy of the Head Girl. That was the last time Harry ever spoke to Ginny.
But Harry wasn't interested in Ginny. Over the past several months, he had grown to like someone else; someone who he was spending a lot of time with. Daphne Greengrass was like someone he had never met before. She was actually dubbed the Ice Queen, but Harry hadn't seen that side of her when they were in their suite. She was intelligent, beautiful, passionate, and actually took care of his son when he wasn't around. They also had similar backgrounds and interests that helped them form a strong bond of friendship. Harry found himself caring for her more and more as time passed by but he was too scared to openly admit it. They got along quite well with each other and he wondered if she would be interested in him. He still had self-confidence issues when it came to girls even though almost all the girls of the school were lusting after him.
In July, it was finally time for the N.E.W.T.s. Harry had taken Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Potions and Transfiguration. He had no ambition to become an Auror; no, he wanted to take up his family seats on the Wizengamot. He wanted to help reshape the British magical world into a place worth living in. In the past five months, Daphne had explained to him about how the magical world truly worked and how it was like to be born and raised as a witch or wizard. Knowing what he did now, Harry felt he was ready to take on an active role in politics.
HP*THE AFTERMATH*HP
Harry groaned as he finished his final N.E.W.T. practical. While it had only been five papers, it was still bad. He was thankful for his Occlumency skills which he had acquired during the soul transfer because it helped in his written exams. The practical exams were quite good, and he was confident that he could score an Outstanding in Charms, Defence, and Transfiguration, and he felt he had done reasonably well in Potions and Herbology as well. The last exam had been Potions. After the practical was done, Harry decided to head to his suite, intending to take a hot bath.
Just as he entered, he heard Teddy crying again. Wanting to soothe his young son, he rushed to his room, only to stop at the door. His eyes widened as he saw the spectacle in front of him.
"Shh, calm down Teddy," whispered Daphne as she gently rocked him, his face buried in the nape of her neck.
"What is it, little guy? Do you want me to get Daddy?"
Teddy still cried heartbreakingly as he clutched Daphne's hair. "MAMA! MAMA!"
Daphne felt tears sting her eyes as she hugged the ten-month-old baby to her chest. She had grown increasingly attached to the boy over the past several months and she wondered if she would ever see him again. Add to that, she had started developing feelings for Harry as well. How could she not develop feelings for Harry? They both had so much in common and had grown closer after spending so much time together. He was also perfect husband material. He was intelligent, handsome, rich, kind, considerate and loving. She recalled all the times they had spent together alone in the common room, talking to each other as they rocked Teddy to sleep. They had spoken to the other about their lives, families, experiences; she couldn't explain it, but she knew she was falling in love with him. But she was also not brave enough to tell him about it. She didn't know if he would return her feelings. Besides, he was the Boy-Who-Lived. He had girls running around him all the time! Why would he want to choose her, of all people?
"I'm going to miss you so much, Teddy," Daphne said softly, placing soft kisses on his face. "I don't know if I will ever see you again."
Teddy cried harder at that as he hugged her and cried, "Mama!"
"Daphne?"
She turned around in surprise, only to find Harry Potter standing there at the doorway, watching her. Daphne blushed deeply as she stammered, "Sorry, Harry. He was crying and -"
"Hey, you have nothing to apologise for," said Harry softly. "Here, let me help."
He took Teddy from her, but the boy kept looking at Daphne, pointing his tiny hand at her as he screamed, "Mama! Mama! Dada! Mama!"
Harry's heart skipped a beat as he realised what had happened. Daphne was the only girl who spent so much time with Teddy. Like Harry, she too fed him, changed him and rocked him to sleep. She also laughed with him and spoke to him, practically the only motherly influence in his life since Tonks had died. It was only natural that Teddy had come to regard Daphne as his mother.
Harry fought back tears as he said, "Teddy, Mummy and Daddy are not going anywhere. We'll be right here, okay? Please don't cry, Teddy. Calm down. Look, Mummy's here," he said pointing at Daphne. "And Daddy is here too. We're not going anywhere, alright?"
After several minutes of reassuring the baby that they were not leaving him, they quietly stepped out of Harry's room. Daphne had tears in her eyes as Teddy's calls for her still echoed in her mind.
"I-I guess it's only natural that he sees you as his mother," Harry fidgeted. "I hope you weren't offended with me calling you that. I –"
"No, it's fine Harry," said Daphne softly. "I don't mind at all. I was honoured when Teddy called me that. In fact –"
She wanted to say that she had grown very attached to the boy too, but couldn't muster up the courage. After all, Harry was the boy's father. Who was she to claim the mother's spot when she and Harry weren't together? It wasn't fair to either Teddy or Harry.
She looked up and stared into his emerald green eyes. Harry looked into her deep blue eyes, multiple emotions swirling in them. This was the first time Teddy had called them both mama and dada. Something had changed between them; both of them could feel it.
They didn't know how long they stood there, staring at each other. The breeze from the window blew inside, making Daphne's dark hair fall over her face. Harry tentatively reached up and tucked the strands of hair carefully behind her ear. Now that he had touched her skin, he couldn't stop it. He ran his finger up and down the side of her face. He realised that her skin was so soft. She looked so beautiful and so perfect.
Daphne's breath was caught in her throat as she felt Harry's fingers caress her cheek. This wasn't a dream, was it? She could see the longing in his eyes. Tentatively, she leaned forward very slightly, mustering all her courage in the process. Taking it as a positive sign, Harry too leaned forward; his fingers trembled as he delicately cupped her cheek. For nearly half a minute, they simply stared at each other as he ever so slightly leaned forward. Harry's thumb was gently caressing her cheek. Daphne reached out and took his other hand in hers. She could feel his breath on her face. She closed her eyes in anticipation.
Their lips touched briefly; once, twice, thrice . . .
It was slow and tentative when their lips met, but they didn't break it. Harry let go of her hand and grabbed her by the waist. Daphne slowly sneaked her arms around his neck as she hugged him tightly. Both of them involuntarily smiled into the kiss as they realised that they truly did have feelings for the other. When they broke apart, they were panting; Harry leaned his forehead against hers and grinned. He hadn't been this happy in a long time.
"This better not be a dream again, Daphne, because I would throw a fit if I were to wake up and find that it wasn't real," whispered Harry as he gently kissed her eyes.
Daphne smiled as she captured his lips again. "This is real, Harry," she assured him as they continued to kiss passionately. It started out slow again, but soon, Daphne moaned as she opened her lips, allowing Harry's tongue to probe her mouth. The two of them were too caught up to realise that they were moving inside Daphne room.
Harry grabbed her waist and pushed her against himself as he trailed kissed down her jaw and neck, eliciting a moan from Daphne. He gently squeezed her arse, making her squeak while he chuckled. When her legs hit the bed, they fell against the mattress, with Harry on top of her. Daphne kissed him back as she tried to get his robe off of him. She fumbled with the buttons of his shirt and a minute, his shirt fell to the floor.
Harry's kisses were leaving a trail of fire on Daphne's body. He kissed her neck and gently unbuttoned her shirt and kissed her bra-covered breasts. Daphne moaned and arched her back. She pushed him on his back and after climbing on top of him, she grinded against his erection, making him groan in pleasure. Harry fumbled with the bra straps, and soon, they too joined the clothes on the floor. Pushing her back on her bed, Harry began kissing and nibbling on her breasts, taking his time to suck her nipples, making Daphne pant and moan. Trailing kisses down her stomach, licking her navel, Harry slowly made his way back to her lips, just as Daphne pushed him on his back.
Fumbling with his belt, she tossed it aside. With one swift pull, both his trousers and underwear came undone, with his erect penis standing proudly before her.
"I've never seen a naked boy before," she breathed as gently stroked his erection.
"You've never done it before either?" asked Harry in surprise.
"What do you mean?" asked Daphne, her eyes wide. "You mean this is your first time?"
"Yes," Harry answered, somewhat shyly. "I've never been comfortable with anyone else to go this far. In fact, you're the first girl I have kissed in a year."
Daphne was slack-jawed. The Boy-Who-Lived, who could literally get into any girl's panties, had not had sex before?
"You're serious?"
"No, that's my father. I'm Harry, remember?" he deadpanned. Daphne rolled her eyes at the pun.
"What about Ginny Weasley?"
Harry groaned. "Can we not spoil the moment by talking about her? She gave me love potions; I'd suspected it, but that confrontation the last time confirmed it for me."
"Well then, this is quite perfect! Who would have ever guessed that I'd be the one to take Harry Potter's innocence?"
Swatting her arse playfully, he shot back, "Who knew I would be the one to melt the Ice Queen's heart?"
Laughing, she leaned down and kissed him lovingly. Harry removed the last layers of clothing after flicking his wand at them and also performed the contraceptive charm.
The afternoon was spent basking in the glow of their new relationship as they made love to each other for the first time. It was one of the most memorable moments of their young lives.
HP*THE AFTERMATH*HP
A few hours later, Daphne woke up and moaned softly as she felt Harry kissing her neck and shoulders.
"Hello, beautiful," he whispered, lightly nibbling on her earlobe. "I've been watching you sleep for the past fifteen minutes."
Smiling with contentment, Daphne buried her face in his chest. "I like it here," came her muffled voice. "It's very comfortable."
Harry chuckled. Daphne quickly captured his lips and gave him a passionate kiss. "I think I'm falling in love with you, Harry" she confessed.
He started at her, eyes wide, looking overwhelmed. Did she just say that?
Daphne swallowed, feeling anxious. Had she been too forward? Curse the fates, she had ruined it! Great going, Greengrass!
But to her surprise, Harry's eyes brimmed with tears as he said in a choked voice, "No one has ever told me that they love me before. I've been told so many times that I'm worthless and that no one wants me, but no one that I can remember has told me that they love me. Thank you."
"No thanks needed. I was only stating the truth. I do so love you, Harry. I love you very much."
Harry gently nuzzled his face against hers as they cuddled, a lone tear sliding down his cheek. His lover kissed the tear away and before he knew it, she was kissing him again, this time soft and with full of love.
Just when things began heating up, the alert charm went off.
"Blast it," Harry cursed, as he got up with a groan and walked out of the room. Daphne chuckled as she searched for something to wear. Finding Harry's shirt, she summoned it and tried it on. She felt nice wearing it and decided to check up on the boys.
When she entered, Harry had just finished changing another diaper and was rocking Teddy to sleep. She giggled in amusement as he glided towards her unofficial boyfriend and swatted his bare arse.
"Go cover yourself, lover boy," teased Daphne. "You're not the baby here."
Harry pouted, making Daphne laugh. "Did you hear that, Teddy? Mummy thinks I'm the baby here, but we all know who the baby really is, don't we?"
Teddy laughed as he grabbed a fist full of his parents' hair in each of his hands.
"MAMA! DADA!" he said happily.
"Yes," whispered Harry, beaming at Daphne. "We are your Mummy and Daddy."
Daphne smiled when he grabbed her in a hug. She snuggled into the embrace, resting her head on his chest. Harry gently placed a kiss on her forehead as the three of them enjoyed the moment – as a family.
"I love you too, Daphne."
HP*THE AFTERMATH*HP
Epilogue
Harry and Daphne started dating from that day in July. Since school was going to get over anyway, they didn't announce their relationship to anyone. Once their exams were over and they returned home, Ursula, Daphne's step-mother indeed tried to make things miserable for her by attempting to force her into a marriage with someone who was three times her age. Knowing that the woman couldn't do anything with regards to a marriage contract or her title as heiress, Daphne had simply moved into Potter Manor, not wanting to live with Ursula or Astoria anymore. Of course, Ursula Greengrass didn't know where Daphne had moved into; had she known, she would have done everything possible to lock Daphne up in Greengrass Manor.
After six months, Harry had proposed to Daphne who happily accepted; they had given a small interview to Luna who had published the article in the Quibbler. The entire country was taken by surprise because none of them had expected them to be a couple. Many were happy for them, but some were not, especially two people named Ronald and Ginevra Weasley.
Ron had ranted for hours about how Harry had betrayed them all by consorting with a Slytherin, while Ginny had been furious at how the Slytherin bitch had taken her future husband away from her. Molly Weasley too was upset and had sent Harry a howler expressing her anger and disappointment about how he had 'cheated' on Ginny. Unfortunately for Molly, there were anti-howler wards around Potter Manor, making the owl go back to the Burrow without delivering the letter. The kitchen was destroyed because of the resultant explosion.
Ursula and Astoria Greengrass had thrown a fit when they realised that Harry Potter-Black was getting married to Daphne Greengrass. Because of the nature of the contract Ursula had created for Astoria and Draco Malfoy, the girl couldn't marry anyone else, forcing her to wait for her betrothed to be released from prison. Unfortunately, when Draco did get released from Azkaban after five years, the Malfoy vault at Gringotts contained so little gold that the goblins deemed it more profitable to draw up the account closing papers instead. Draco had not taken Azkaban well and his eyes and body reflected it. Unfortunately, even though the Dementors had been destroyed, the effects on the prison remained. The blond had been declared impotent years later, and the Malfoy line died with Draco and Astoria.
Harry and Daphne had gotten married on a beautiful winter morning on the grounds of Potter Manor. They had a simple wedding, inviting only some of their close friends and well-wishers. Even though his friendship with Ron had fallen apart, Harry was still on excellent terms with Bill, Fleur, Fred and George Weasley. He had invited all his old Quidditch teammates, D.A. members, Hogwarts teachers and other friends. That evening, they had a large reception, inviting Wizengamot members and other influential witches and wizards so as to make political connections.
After graduating from Hogwarts, Harry immediately took his place on the Wizengamot, while pursuing a higher education in Magical Law at the same time. Wanting to make a difference in the world, and due to the lack of good and honest politicians, Daphne had changed her mind about her career. She no longer wished to become a Healer, but instead, she joined her husband on the Wizengamot using the Greengrass Lordship that she had inherited from her father. The couple soon began making progress. They were known for their powerful presence and many of the discriminating laws against Muggle-borns and magical creatures were removed. The relations between the Ministry of Magic and the Goblin Nation were at an all-time high due to the efforts of Harry and Daphne Potter-Black. Because of Harry's popularity, he was barely twenty-three years old when he was made the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot.
After they got married, two weeks later, Daphne realised that she was pregnant. Nine months later, she gave birth to a baby boy, James Sirius Potter-Black, the Heir Potter. Edmund Harrison Potter-Black, the Heir Black was two years older than his little brother and another two years later, Elizabeth Lily Potter-Black, the Heiress Greengrass was born. When Edmund was ten years old, Harry did tell the boy about his birth parents. Surprisingly, he took it rather well. He had asked them the standard questions, for which Harry told him everything he knew about Remus and Tonks, but Edmund had later hugged Harry and Daphne and told them that as much as he loved his birth parents, Harry and Daphne would forever be his true parents, adopted or not. Needless to say, the couple was touched by their son's sentiment.
Ron and Hermione had gotten married to each other, but their marriage was rocky and had not ended well. Hermione had realised a little too late that she was just not compatible with Ron. She had gone to healer's school and was brewing potions and other medicines at St Mungo's Hospital. Ron, after much reluctance, had taken a job at the Ministry, employed by the Department of Magical Maintenance. They had one daughter named Rose.
Fred and George had married their long-time girlfriends Angelina and Alicia respectively. McGonagall had retired after the last of their children had left Hogwarts, saying that she couldn't handle the chaos anymore. She was sent a large gift basket by the twins, full of her favourite goodies, thanking her for putting up with their children who were much worse than Fred and George had been at Hogwarts during their time.
Ginny tried to make it work at Quidditch and had been a popular player. She had tried to connect with several guys, but none of her relationships lasted long. She died alone in her mother's house, forever cursing Daphne's name.
After hearing the story of her husband's childhood, a vengeful Daphne eventually tracked down Vernon, Petunia and Dudley Dursley a few years after the final battle. The three of them had no idea that Harry's wife had found them and Daphne was quite content in letting them live in ignorance. She cooked up several delicious schemes for them over the years. The Dursleys suffered extensively as Vernon lost his job after several incidents of anger issues and accusations of embezzlement of funds. They defaulted on their mortgages and the banks were not merciful. They also lost their house and somehow, the people in Privet Drive realised that they had been lied to about Harry Potter who had lived there several years ago. Petunia couldn't show her face in public after Harry made a charitable contribution to a Muggle orphanage, his face appearing on national television and in the newspapers. Dudley was arrested for using and selling illegal drugs, and after several years of punishment, Vernon died of a heart-attack while Petunia died in bitterness and misery.
Harry also wrote an autobiography which detailed his life from the time he was abandoned at the Dursleys to the time after the war to his current life as Chief Warlock. The book was a best seller, not only in Magical Britain, but all over the world. Albus Dumbledore died a hated man for all that he had done and not done, both during the Grindelwald and Voldemort wars.
When Kingsley retired, Harry took over as Minister of Magic, having been voted by an enormous margin, both by the public as well as the Wizengamot. Daphne had then taken over his previous position of Chief Warlock. Together, the couple was responsible for the development and later protection of the international magical world. Harry and Daphne Potter-Black were hero worshipped throughout the international magical community for all that they had done, and they died peacefully in each other's arms at the age of 311, having served as the first and longest standing Supreme Chancellor and Chief Justice of the newly formed International Magical Republic.
All was well.
THE END
AN: I have always wanted to write such a fic where it was relatively canon compliant until Book 7 and yet, Harry doesn't end up with Ginny. I wanted to make it a one-shot but finally decided on two chapters. Yes, Teddy was born much later in canon, but I tweaked the story of how Remus and Tonks got together. From what I have read, while Teddy didn't face too much backlash because of his status as Harry's godson, Rita Skeeter did take a punch at him several times because of him being the son of a werewolf. Besides, I wanted Harry to raise a child early. Teddy was an integral part of Harry and Daphne's relationship. That's how they bonded.
I also don't like how the entire Slytherin House was targeting in Book 7. I mean come on! One-fourth of the population were ex-Slytherin students. Not all of them were bad! It is ridiculous! And there is no way was I going to kill Fred. If you think it was quite simple for Harry to figure things out, remember that it was by chance that Harry figured out the Resurrection Stone was inside the snitch and about the cup in the vault and about the diadem in the Room of Requirement in Book 7. If he can get brainwaves like that in canon, why not here?
I believe I have correctly portrayed Ron and Hermione's behaviour, though some might disagree with me. You have to remember that this Hermione didn't listen to Harry's rant about Dumbledore, nor did she get tortured by Bellatrix. Ron didn't come back seeking forgiveness either.
And yes, in all my stories, Harry's grandparents will be Charlus and Dorea. I won't be changing it. Sorry JKR and sorry to anyone else who is named Fleamont; I don't like it, so I won't be using it.
Please read and let me know what you think!
