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A/N: Y'all, I finally updated again hahaha. Anyway, enjoy this chapter!
The Last Horcrux
Scorpius was dreading this day, but he knew he had no choice but to meet the DA Core in the Room of Requirement.
A month had already passed ever since they destroyed Hufflepuff's Cup and they reckoned it was time to discuss the destruction of the next horcruxes. Scorpius wanted to point out they still needed Dumbledore's go signal, but he knew, without a doubt, that the old headmaster would concur.
Hence, he had no choice but to drag his arse out of the Slytherin Common Room and meet his newfound friends.
"Where are you going? Again?"
Scorpius sighed and reluctantly swiveled around. Pansy stood opposite him, with her arms crossed against her chest. He knew he hadn't been spending too much time with his Slytherin 'friends' nowadays, but war was looming. Scorpius could not afford lazing around with these buffoons.
"Doing the Dark Lord's bidding," he answered without a beat.
Pansy pouted and sauntered closer. "We barely see you, Scorpy-pie," she whined, missing the way he flinched at his nickname. "You're always going away."
"Because I have a task to finish, Parkinson," he snapped. Pansy's eyes widened, and Scorpius actually felt a little remorseful. "I'm… yeah." He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "There's just so many things going on, Pans. What with You-Know-Who's task and Prefect work, things hadn't been fine and dandy these past few days."
Her eyes softened as she reached out and held his hand. "If you need help, we're always here, Scorpius," she whispered. "I am always here."
"Don't like somebody else."
Scorpius immediately pulled his hand away, Hermione's words ringing loudly in his ears. Pansy looked hurt and he was actually surprised he remembered Hermione's parting words to him at that time.
'Merlin, Malfoy, you have it so bad,' Al-the-Inner-Voice cajoled.
"Shut up," Scorpius murmured under his breath.
"What?" If it were humanely possible, Pansy looked more injured.
"No, no," Scorpius said with a sigh. Hearing voices inside his head was already a red flag; maybe he should get himself checked-up, especially now Al's voice had been persistent. "I mean… I'm sorry, Pans. But I really need to go."
Pansy was about to protest more, but Blaise suddenly appeared and slung a casual arm over her shoulders. "Give it a rest, Pansy," the Italian said with a humored smile. "You're not even his girlfriend to demand wherever he goes."
Irritation marred her pretty face and she harrumphed away, leaving Scorpius with the bronze-skinned Slytherin.
"Off to see your girlfriend?"
Despite his small scowl, he couldn't help but redden. "Hermione's not my girlfriend," he grounded out in a whisper. 'Not yet, anyway,' Al-the-Inner-Voice sing-songed.
Yes, Scorpius should definitely get himself checked.
"I didn't even mention Granger's name," Blaise pointed out, amused. "And, since when did she become 'Hermione'?"
"Fuck off, Zabini," Scorpius murmured with a glare. "I'm leaving."
Blaise was chuckling when Scorpius finally left the Slytherin Common Room. He glanced at his watch and sighed, seeing that he was already fifteen minutes late for their supposed meeting.
When he arrived, Hermione shot up from her seat and crossed her arms, mimicking Pansy's stance a while ago. Her eyes were ablaze and her cheeks were tinged red too. And, was that relief he could see in her eyes? Scorpius wasn't entirely sure because she then narrowed her hazel eyes.
The other DA Core were looking at her with surprise. Sighing, Scorpius sauntered closer and sat on the vacant seat beside Potter.
"Sorry," was his merely reply. Hermione frowned and reluctantly sat down on her seat again.
Hermione, ever the leader, cleared her throat and straightened her back. "So, Harry and I thought a meeting is long overdue," she started. "A month has already passed ever since we destroyed Hufflepuff's Cup. We believe that it is time to destroy another one."
"We have two more left, yeah?" Ginny asked, mostly directed at Scorpius.
The only Slytherin slowly nodded his head.
"What do you reckon we should destroy next?" Harry quizzed, prompting Scorpius to sigh.
'Definitely not you,' he thought with a frown. "Well, I think Voldemort's pet snake, Nagini, is the next best thing to destroy."
"But you said that he and the snake are inseparable," Ginny reminded. "How are we going to kill it without Voldemort's interference?"
His grey eyes landed on Neville's form. "He will kill it," he said, jutting his chin at the nervous Gryffindor's direction. "Like I've said, you were famously known as the Snake Slayer. It wouldn't do us some good if we upset what was destined to happen, right?"
Unwittingly, his eyes landed on Hermione, and the said brunette was already looking at him with a frown.
"Err…" Neville stuttered, raising his hand to get their attention. When Scorpius cocked an eyebrow, he cleared his throat and continued, "I'm not quite sure I'm suited for that role."
"And why do you think that, Neville?" Luna asked with a dreamy smile on her face.
Neville nervously scratched his chin and frowned. "The other horcruxes I could destroy, because they're inanimate. But this snake is different." He directed his blue eyes at Scorpius. "I'm sure it could strike and kill you in an instant."
Scorpius thought of Snape's untimely death in the hands, or rather fangs, of the said snake. "Well, it does attack if provoked," he said with a nod.
Neville blanched as fear flashed in his eyes. "Then how am I going to kill it?" he squeaked.
"The famous Snake Slayer pulled out Godric Gryffindor's Sword from the Sorting Hat and beheaded the snake, making the Dark Lord mortal once more," he recited from one of his textbooks back in his time. "I'm sure you're aware of how Gryffindor's sword is pulled out."
"Whenever a true Gryffindor needs it, the Sword will let itself be pulled out of another of Gryffindor's artefact - "
" – the Sorting Hat," Scorpius finished for Hermione. "Yes, 10 points to Gryffindor."
Hermione rolled her eyes but the corner of her lips was twitching.
"A true Gryffindor…" Neville repeated, frowning. "Well, in this room, I am the least brave Gryffindor. Why shouldn't, I dunno, Harry do it himself?"
Scorpius snorted. "Nonsense, Longbottom!" he exclaimed, shaking his head at his doubts. "You are one of the bravest Gryffindor I had ever know. You always seemed to handle the Devil's Snare with ease during our Herbology lessons in the future. Any rightful, brave Gryffindor would be able to handle it properly."
In spite of his fears, Neville smiled. "I still think I'm not fit for the job, Malfoy. That's all."
"You really should stop doubting yourself, Longbottom," Scorpius tutted with a sigh. "You were placed in Gryffindor for a reason, you know."
This quietened Neville as he looked at the floor, pensive.
"How will Neville confront the snake, though?" Ron asked. "You said it'll be inseparable from Voldemort."
Harry's eyes widened even before Scorpius answered. "During Voldemort's attack," he answered breathlessly.
"Gryffindors are really on a roll today, eh?" the blond joked with a smirk. Harry merely rolled his eyes. "And yes, as what our beloved Boy-Who-lived declared, the best time to attack Nagini is during the Battle of Hogwarts."
"You should take this more seriously, Malfoy," Ginny pointed out with a frown.
"I am taking this seriously," Scorpius insisted with a scowl. "War is bloody looming, Weasley, and I'm giving my pointers."
"Does it really have to boil down to that?" Hermione asked, almost in a whisper. "Do we really need to face off against Voldemort and his minions here, in Hogwarts?"
"It is written in all of my history books, Hermione."
The brunette sighed. "But, what if we are meant to prevent it? What if we can spare lives by stopping him from attacking Hogwarts?"
"I don't think Dumbledore plans to stop Voldemort's attack," Harry pointed out with a frown. "All he told us to do was to find all the horcruxes."
"I still have a task of fixing the Vanishing Cabinet," Scorpius added. "I'm almost successful, I can just feel it. I'll be trying it again tonight and if it's fixed, I will owl my mother and she would tell Voldemort. From there on, I am sure we only have a few days left before his inevitable attack."
The room grew somber with his revelation. Scorpius also thought if there was any way of preventing Voldemort's attack to Hogwarts, but there was only as little as he could do. He was afraid that if he stopped this inevitable, dire consequences would stem out from this prevention. Like perhaps, the battle would be brought upon Diagon Alley or worse, the Muggle world.
No, it was better that the battle happens in Hogwarts. Dumbledore promised he would evacuate all the minors, the injured and weak, and those who were too afraid to fight. Aurors, brave students, and even civilians who vowed to protect the Wizarding World would all arrive just in time for Voldemort's attack.
Yes, the plan was flawless and Scorpius knew that no matter what happened, the Battle of Hogwarts must come into fruition.
"And what of the last horcrux?" Luna then piped in, steadily focusing at him. "How are we going to destroy it?"
It was the question he dreaded the most. And why was it always Lovegood asking the same thing over and over again?
As Scorpius eyes met her blue ones, he couldn't help but think she already knew the answer to her question.
"The last horcrux…" His words died down, trying to rack his brain for a decent explanation. Harry the Horcrux was curiously peering at him, and Scorpius knew he still did not have the guts to tell everybody today. "We should focus first on killing Nagini before we get to that. Dumbledore did say one horcrux at a time, right?"
His eyes determinedly settled on Neville despite how Luna's gaze unsettled him. "For now, focus on being very brave, Longbottom," he said. "We will be needing that as soon as you confront the snake."
"And as for the rest of you," he continued, his eyes landing on everyone in the room, "brush up on your DADA skills. We should all be ready."
That night, Scorpius skipped dinner and went straight to the Room of Requirement. Despite his protesting stomach, he knew he shouldn't show himself to dinner, lest Pansy demanded where he would go once more after dinner.
Scorpius lamented the skipped opportunity of going to the kitchens upon arriving in the secret room. He already made a mental note of dropping by and requesting for some late dinner, and perhaps some toffee candies on the side since Potter already claimed his prize.
He meandered through the clutter and finally arrived in front of the covered Vanishing Cabinet. He pulled away the moth-eaten blanket and let it pool on the floor. He then brandished out his wand, pointed at the empty cage beside the cabinet, and whispered, 'Avis'. Three yellow birds shot out from the tip of his wand and twittered noisily inside the cage.
Before he was to grab a bird, a most delicious smell teased his nose. Surprised, he swiveled around and saw Hermione standing in front of him, clutching a plate of roast beef and mashed potatoes.
"I saw you skipped dinner and I figured where you'd go," she said with a shrug, her cheeks tinging a little at the curious look in his eyes. "Here." She offered the plate, and Scorpius graciously grabbed the plate.
"What are you doing here?" he asked in between bites.
"I thought you might need my help," she said with a casual shrug.
He took the last few bites of his meal and set the plate aside. "You've helped me enough before," he said. "Let's see if your correction will actually make the difference."
Scorpius then grasped one of the twittering birds and placed it inside the Vanishing Cabinet.
"Remember, it's not Nek-te-REE. It's Nek-te-REH," she reminded.
He nodded his head briefly and closed his eyes. He placed the tip of his wand against the wooden door and whispered, "Harmonia Nectere Passus."
A soft whoosh was heard, and at the same time, the twittering of the bird disappeared. Scorpius darted a quick glance at Hermione and saw that she was staring at the cabinet with utmost concentration.
Gulping down his nerves, he looked back at the cabinet and whispered, "Harmonia Nectere Passus."
Another whoosh was heard and his heart almost burst out from his chest when he heard the unmistakable tweets of the bird inside. He eagerly yanked the door open and the bird, the live bird, spread its wings and burst free.
"Ow, ow, blimey!" Scorpius exclaimed as the vengeful bird tried to peck him on his face. He then laughingly batted away the bird and exclaimed, "It bloody worked!"
Hermione Finite-d the conjured bird, and those inside the cage, until what was left was a mirthful Scorpius with scratches on his face.
"It… it worked," the blond repeated, this time more somberly and softer. His spell worked; the Vanishing Cabinet was already fixed. This meant he had to owl his mother tonight to tell of the good news. At the same time, he had to seek for Dumbledore and tell him that Voldemort's attack would be impending.
His heart thudded loudly inside his chest, feeling instantly dreadful. Everything he had worked for would finally culminate into this, and Scorpius did not know how to feel. His wand hand started to shake and he took a deep breath. This was it – the war would finally happen. All the things he had read from his history books were finally coming into reality and Scorpius wasn't so sure if he was ready to partake in all of these madness.
"Harry's the last horcrux, isn't he?"
Her soft voice had cut through his silent distress. Eyes widening, he realized what she had just uttered and quickly swiveled around to face her.
Her warm, brown eyes intently searched his and before he could utter a lie, her eyes already welled up with distressed tears.
"He is, isn't he?"
Scorpius sighed and tenderly wiped away the tears rolling down her eyes. Hermione looked surprised but thankfully didn't pull away.
"Being intelligent can sometimes be a curse, yeah?" he asked with a sad, small smile.
Despite her tears, she showed a small smile. "There are instances when I hate it when I'm right," she replied, followed by a dainty sniff.
"Harry Potter is the last, unintended horcrux," Scorpius finally said.
"Unintended?"
"Even Voldemort doesn't know," he expounded. "Nagini was supposedly the last horcrux, but he failed to know that the scar on Potter's forehead housed a piece of his soul. Nasty magic, I know, but that's what our history books told us."
Hermione's eyes widened. "Which is why they could communicate through Harry's dreams," she gasped.
Scorpius nodded. "Prior to his death, he had murdered Potter's parents, which fractured a part of his soul," he continued. "It was only because of Lily Potter's undying love for her son that saved Harry."
"Then… then to destroy the piece of soul inside Harry, he must…" She trailed off, horrified. More devastated tears welled up from her eyes, and Scorpius didn't hesitate in wiping them away.
"Yes, yes, the horcrux must be destroyed in order to kill whatever piece of soul they are housing," he said, "but… but Potter's case is special."
"W-what do you mean?"
"What I meant was, despite destroying the piece of Voldemort's soul in him, Harry Potter would still live," Scorpius said with a small smile. "I used to jokingly call him 'The-Boy-Who-Lived-Twice', and let us just say future Auror Potter didn't like my humor at all."
Her tears had thankfully abated, but the confusion on her face was still clear. "I don't understand," she replied.
"No one is supposed to know this," Scorpius said with a sigh. "Only Dumbledore and Snape knew because they were the only ones I can confide with. Telling the DA Core… Potter most especially, would defeat this purpose."
"Scorpius, you're not making any sense," Hermione implored.
"You are aware of the sacrificial protection Lily Potter made for her son," Scorpius started. "Because of this ancient, powerful magic, Voldemort cannot touch Harry, no matter how much he wanted to. Which was why Dumbledore always insisted for Harry to live with the Dursleys, because Petunia was there, and her blood essentially protected Harry. And then, when Voldemort used Harry's blood to come back to life - "
" – that sacrificial protection lived on, in Voldemort," Hermione murmured, nodding her head. "I believe Dumbledore had explained that to me before."
"Yes, thus practically protecting Harry more if Voldemort attempted to kill him," Scorpius explained. "Another secret as to how Voldemort was defeated in the end was also sacrificial protection. But this time made by Harry Potter."
Hermione fell silent and absentmindedly chewed on her bottom lip. "You mean to say… that Harry must be willing to die in Voldemort's hands?" she murmured.
"Yes, you brilliant witch," Scorpius said with a sigh, disbelieving that Hermione easily caught on with what he was saying. "On the day of the Battle of Hogwarts, Voldemort demanded for Harry to die in order to spare the lives of many. You and I both know that Potter would do this without question."
"So, when Voldemort killed him, he unknowingly killed the last piece of his soul in Harry. Lily's love prevented him from dying. At the same time, Potter was able to bestow sacrificial protection to the others who are battling. It was the reason why more casualties were prevented."
Hermione brandished out her wand and silently magicked a nearby chair closer. She then proceeded to plop down on it and held her head. "I need a moment to process everything," she murmured.
Scorpius chuckled and knelt down in front of her. Holding both of her hands, he peered into her eyes and said, "I know it's some complicated shit. I honestly almost failed History of Magic because of the topic on the Second Wizarding War. But one thing's for sure, Hermione – Harry Potter will live, whether we like it or not."
"Then we must tell Harry bec - "
"No," Scorpius firmly replied. "I think for this ancient magic to work, we shouldn't say anything. Let's all just leave it up to Potter and see if he really has a bloody hero complex."
Tears once again sprung into her eyes, much to his dismay. "But… but Harry's been through so much," she whispered. "I don't… I don't want him to suffer anymore."
"That's the task he must bear as the reluctant Boy-Who-Lived," he said, reaching out once more to wipe away her tears. "Harry Potter is brave and strong, though, so all we have to do is steadfastly stand by his side and support him through and through."
"Okay."
"Yes, okay," Scorpius said with a small smile. He wiped her remaining tears away and stood up. "Come on. I still have a letter to send."
A/N: Drop a review!
By the way, since we are nearing the end (yes, you brilliant people, we really are nearing the end), I would just like to say that this fic is non-HBP and DH compliant, so ya know, no Deathly Hallows and shizznits. It would be nice to include those in this fic, but it would complicate everything and my schedule cannot afford a complicated story hahahah. So basically, they only need to destory all the horcruxes to ultimately defeat Voldemort, okay? Okay. Again, drop a review!
With love,
WickedlyAwesomeMe
P.S. I am currently an OB-Gyn rotator and it's toxic as hell and I want to always cry after our duty and please please please send me some hugs and love. I love you all huhu.