A/N: If you face a choice between living in fear or living in freedom, which one do you chose knowing either means you will lose everything? Is there such a thing as true freedom in this world?
Chapter 25
They stood silently side by side, staring out over the endless ocean that stretched out in front of them. Underneath them the waves crashed violently against the rocks. They knew they ought not to be here. They knew they ought to return to the Manor sooner rather than later. Narcissa's hand searched for Hermione's and she softly squeezed. Hermione turned to face her and their eyes met. Narcissa's eyes captured Hermione's and did not let them go.
"Where are we?" Narcissa whispered softly. The wind was pulling at her hair. She had lowered the hood. Feeling the wind through her hair felt almost like a sense of freedom. One she had not felt for what felt like an eternity.
"Cornwall," Hermione answered with a friendly voice. She glanced out over the cliffs. Water splashed up from the rocks underneath them as another wave crashed. The salty sea air penetrated her nose. "I came here the evening I left my parents' house and after I ran away from the Manor. I sat here for hours, just staring at the ocean. I watched the waves roll in and listened how they broke apart on the rocks. It is such a peaceful sight."
Narcissa nodded. It was indeed. She too liked listening to the waves and watching the ocean. Hermione didn't know but when she was younger she would sometimes Apparate away to her own secret little places of silence and comfort. She glanced down at Hermione's hand in her own. Slowly she pulled the younger witch towards her and with her other hand she rolled up her sleeve. The Dark Mark was burning fiercely on her skin. She swallowed. "Why did you do it?"
"I had no choice, Cissy," Hermione answered sadly. She knew she never had a chance of refusing once Voldermort had called her forward. She knew her receiving the Dark Mark was the only thing Narcissa would never approve of. The night her sister received hers was the night she truly lost her. "You know I didn't. The Dark Lord..." She swallowed the rest of her words when she saw the look in Narcissa's eyes. Sadness laced with guilt. A single tear slid down her cheek. "Cissy, don't."
"Why did you truly come back, Hermione?" Narcissa questioned softly and blue averted glanced up to meet Hermione's hazel brown. She saw how Hermione's eyes widened. The question had come from the darkest depths of Narcissa's heart. She was unsure if she truly wanted to know the answer. Was there such a chance that through the darkness there was a trace of light, of hope? "Did you come back for him or did you come back for me?"
Hermione searched Narcissa's face. For the first time she truly saw how much she resembled her sister. She saw the grief in her eyes. She had dark rings around her eyes. She looked older and more tired than ever before. She had kept her grace and her dignity and carried herself with pride but underneath the shell lingered her questions, her fears and her pain. "I came back for you" she whispered and the words came from her heart. "No matter how far I travelled, it was you I was thinking about." She sighed. "Everything has changed now, hasn't it?"
There was nothing Narcissa could say to deny it. She nodded in silence. "Yes, it has," she whispered and she swallowed the lump in the back of her throat. The knot in her stomach tightened. She watched from the corner of her eye as Hermione rubbed her lower arm. She knew the Dark Lord was summoning her. "There is no longer any freedom out there, Hermione. After tonight everything will be different. His reign is upon us from this day onwards." She hesitated. "Our souls are his to keep."
Hermione looked at Narcissa and caught her eyes. They looked at each other, silently. Between them they need not speak the words. The looks in their eyes spoke more than words ever could. Narcissa's hand still held Hermione's. The throbbing sensation in her Dark Mark slowly subsided. The waves crashed beneath them and the wind pulled their hair. They stood silently, for several more minutes. They were lost in each other's eyes and in each other's thoughts. When Hermione finally drew her wand she knew Narcissa understood. In silence they had made their promise. In silence they had found their answers in each other and as another wave crashed against the cliffs below, they Apparated into the darkness.
~()~
Their union had been made in silence. They had not spoken any words. The look that had lingered in their eyes had said more than words ever could. For the love between them was something that needed not be spoken. In that moment they lay in the soil outside the Burrow it seemed their fate and destiny had been decided between them. In those mere moments they had made a decision that would change their world forever. And now they walked up the drive to the front door, knowing that behind those walls lay the answer to their bid for freedom. The door was wide open. Inside the flickering flames from the candles cast eerie shadows on the walls. They were the last to return. As they entered the large entrance hallway they could hear the enthusiastic voices down the hall. They shared a silence glance and followed the sound of the voices. Portraits eagerly followed them as they walked further down the hall. It led them to the drawing room and they stepped inside.
"My Lord, we have triumphed," Hermione spoke with pride when she discovered Lord Voldermort sitting in his chair at the head of the table. He had not looked up when they entered. The others were present too though no one had sat down. She could see Voldemort's bony hand rest on the table, his wand within reach. She shot a silent glare at Narcissa. Both of them slowly approached the chair. "The Order has been defeated tonight."
"Leave us," Voldermort spoke harshly and Lucius, Yaxley, Dolohov, McNair, Crabbe and Goyle appeared surprised but submissively left the drawing room after his request. Lucius made sure to close the door behind them and now it was only Hermione, Narcissa and the Dark Lord. He slowly turned in his chair before rising to his full statue. He towered over both witches. His red eyes stared down on them. "You are late. Both of you!" He sneered violently. Narcissa felt anger roar in her veins. His appearance made her feel sick to her stomach. Never had she approved of having him stay in her house.
"I hear you did not kill your sister when you had the chance, Narcissa. Your sister who married the Mudblood and then had a bastard child. That same bastard child who went on to marry a werewolf," Voldermort spoke coldly and Narcissa felt an intense hatred towards her husband in her veins. She promised she would kill him if she next got the chance. Her face remained emotionless. "Weakness is a failure, Narcissa. You must know that."
"It is indeed," she spoke with a humble voice. She bowed her head in what he would see as shame, obscuring her face with her long blonde hair. In her eyes shame did not reflect. The sparks of anger flashed in the blue of her eyes but she hid her emotions well. "I am sorry, My Lord" she whispered softly and knelt down before his feet to show her obedience. She knew he would approve. Beside her, Hermione did not kneel. She held her head up high, arrogance and pride lingering in her posture. Voldemort's eyes left Narcissa and slowly climbed up to Hermione's face.
"You have done well, Miss Black. The Order has been weakened. Minerva McGonnagal is dead and so is one of those filthy Weasley blood traitors," Voldermort lisped. Narcissa slowly rose back to her full length and brushed a string of blonde hair out of her face. "Perhaps the only regret is we did not kill more but the outcome is positive after all" He turned his back towards them and strode towards the window. His black cloak flapped around his frail looking body. Hermione glanced at Narcissa. Their eyes met. Silent words exchanged between. Narcissa's expressions were cold and distant.
The presence of Lord Voldermort in her own home had broken every little thing she had left. She had been a prisoner inside these walls from the moment he had ordered Lucius to use this house as his lair. But most of all she had felt like a prisoner inside herself. Her emotions had been a secret to the world. Her eyes had been hollow and cold and she lived in a world of her own, darkness surrounded her for she did not wish for him to know how she truly felt. Lucius had been loyal to the Dark Lord. Perhaps he was more loyal to him than he had ever been to her. If he had ever truly loved her, the love surely had faded over the years. Fear lingered silently between these walls.
Hermione nodded briefly and Narcissa's hand slipped silently inside her robes. She drew her wand. The wood of her wand was a sharp contrast with her pale skin. In the weak light of the fire Narcissa's eyes seemed darker than ever before. Hermione's hazel brown eyes were fixed on Voldermort by the window. He was alone. He had not been alone for a long time. Whatever had happened to his trusted and loyal Nagini, she didn't know. The snake wasn't here. It seemed he was almost too caught in staring out into the night to realize Narcissa was strolling across the room.
Narcissa walked towards him. Her steps were silent, muffled by the thick carpet on the floor. She almost seemed to fly over the floor. Her face was emotionless, her blue eyes cold and hollow. She held her head up high and carried her body with grace. He caught her reflecting in the glass and looked at her as he slowly began to turn away from the window. A hint of surprise and question could be detected in his scarlet eyes. He had raised himself to his full posture, towering a least a head over Narcissa. She did not bow to his appearance. His red eyes shot across the room and found Hermione. She stared at him as intently as Narcissa did. Hazel brown eyes fixated on his snake like face. A hand that rested near to her wand but she did not move a finger. Nothing about her posture betrayed anything about what was about to happen. She stood straight and looked him in the eye.
"What is it you want, Narcissa?" Voldermort questioned with a surprised tone of voice and only then did he realize she had drawn her wand. His mind registered danger and his red eyes flashed to the table. It had been his one mistake, his only failure. He had failed to pick up his wand. It lay abandoned and alone on the table. Useless. Hermione had seen it too and her eyes flashed from his face back to his wand. She knew that when it came to speed she would defeat him. He knew it too. Narcissa stood maybe two feet away from him and she raised her wand steadily. Her arm stretched. Danger began to flicker behind his red eyes and they became even smaller still.
"What I wish is to regain the freedom you once took from me," Narcissa whispered through clenched teeth and as he raised his hand to summon his wand she raised her wand and pointed it at his chest. His hand froze in mid-air. The Dark Lord was cornered. For the first time Lord Voldermort was the weaker party. He only slowly registered what Narcissa said. "It is not worth watching people you love die for your beliefs, my Lord. It never has been. Everything you took away from me. My son, my life and my home. It is because of you I lost my sister. I will not let you take her away from me as well."
Voldemort's hand raised and he brought it down so fast Narcissa could not respond. He slapped her across the cheek so hard that Hermione could hear Narcissa's jaws slam together. She nearly lost her balance, her body staggering to the floor. Tears sprung into the blonde witch's eyes and she quickly regained her posture before Voldermort had a chance to hit her again. His nails had scratched her cheek and blood was dripping from a cut just below her eye. It almost looked like she cried tears of blood. He froze when Narcissa's wand pointed at his chest. Her blue eyes shimmered dangerously. It was as if he knew what was coming. He raised his hands to cover his face; through his fingers his red eyes searched Narcissa's face. His mouth opened and a deep roaring scream escaped from the pit of his stomach.
"AVADA KEDAVRA!"
Hermione had never imagined what it would sound like to hear those worlds roll from Narcissa's lips. They sounded cold and empty. All the hatred and the pain she had endured because of this dark creature lingered in those two words. The green jet of light shot from her wand and hit Voldermort square in the chest. He had no time to blink or register what had happened. The screaming stopped. For a moment it looked like his red eyes were going to bulge out of his head and then an eerie silence filled the room for several seconds before his body crushed the floor. The robes covered his face, obscuring him from the two witches in the room and he lay face down on the carpet. One hand stretched out, the other underneath his body.
Narcissa turned around to look at Hermione. The young brunette nodded and ran over to her. Her hazel brown eyes rested on the dead body of one of the most powerful wizards the world had ever known. Another dark era had ended because they had chosen for it to end. They had turned their back on their master if it meant they could face each other. Their union had worked. Their silent agreement had been put in place. It was not worth dying for the beliefs of another if it meant losing the one they loved and too much had already been lost. If it meant that from now on they would only have each other it was better than having to lose forever. The world was going to change now. After tonight nothing was ever going to be the same again. The memories of another dark era would linger over this world for a long time to come. The wounds would never heal and the pain would never die.
~()~
They sat with his body till sunrise. They had dragged it to the middle of the room. Voldermort lay on his back, his arms by his side. His wand lay on his chest. His white, snake like face was more lifeless than ever before. The scarlet of his eyes had faded. Only blackness remained. Neither of them spoke for all the time they sat in the drawing room. The fire in the fireplace had gone out. Narcissa stood by the window, looking out over the gardens of Malfoy Manor. She watched the fountain and how it spilled its water. A bird flew into the garden and sat down. It turned to the window and just looked at her. Narcissa's lips curled up into a smile without even realizing it. Hermione sat with her back against the wall and her legs pulled up under chin, her arms wrapped around her knees. Her eyes rested on the dead body on the floor but she did not really see him. Both witches were lost in the memories that had flooded into their minds.
When the sun began to climb over the horizon it was Narcissa who slipped out of the window sill and turned to look at Hermione. Blue eyes seemed brighter than ever before. Slight pink blushes had appeared on her cheeks. Her voice was clear. "We cannot stay here. If they find us, they will kill us. We must flee before the sun rises completely. We made this choice and so it means we have to live with the consequences."
"Do you believe we have truly found our freedom?" Hermione whispered a she rolled up the sleeve on her arm. The Dark Mark no longer burned like it had done the night before. It looked like a cold, black stain on her skin. The skull and the snake. A cruel, cold reminder of how she had lost everything. She wondered if the other Death Eaters realized what it meant now that is was no longer burning. Narcissa remained silent. She was unsure whether she believed in true freedom after the life she had lived between the walls of Malfoy Manor. Was there such a thing as true freedom, away from the darkness? Or would it follow them with every step they took out into a new world that woke as the sun began to rise?
She took Hermione's hand into her own, helped her rise to her feet and weakly smiled as she brushed a string of brown hair out of her face. She could see tiredness in her hazel brown eyes. They had been awake all night. "I do not know, my love. Perhaps freedom is as much as an illusion as everything else."
Hermione glanced at Voldermort. His body still lay in the middle of the room. She walked over to it and took the wand of his chest. It felt wrong and evil in her hand and with one firm move she snapped it in half. It felt as if a dark spell had suddenly been broken. She held the two pieces in her hand. The core was a single feather from a phoenix. She looked down it for a moment before slipping it into the pocket of her robe. "He doesn't need it anymore."
She joined Narcissa and let her hand slip in hers. Narcissa's skin was warm and soft. She nodded and they turned on the spot. They Apparated out of the drawing room and into a world that saw a new dawn break. The sun climbed further over the horizon and covered the world in a warm shade of orange and yellow. Inside Malfoy Manor Lucius stalked down the stairs with his usual arrogance and strode across the hallway down the drawing room. He had woken up to an unfamiliar stinging feeling in his arm and a glowing sensation in his chest. Puzzled he had abandoned his bed and had now reached the drawing room. He turned the doorknob in his hand. As he stepped into the room, his breath hitched in the back of his throat. A cold hand suddenly seemed to have grasped his heart. His grey eyes found the body of Voldermort sprawled onto the floor, empty eyes staring at the ceiling.
Lucius stood frozen for several more moments as throughout the house more voices were awoken. Death Eaters gathered in the door way as the minutes past. In the end Lucius was the one to enter the room. He knelt down beside the body of his former master with a mixture of guilt and relief filling his chest. He watched the Dark Lord's features. His eyes did not see his wand. Voldemort's wand was missing. Soft whispers came from the crowd gathered in the drawing room. Fear reflected in their eyes. But in some he could see a glimmer of hope. He looked up. They looked down on him with expectation. His words were cold and hollow. "He is dead."