A New Power: Final Stand Chapter 26: Endgame, a harry potter fanfic

It's been a long road
Getting from there to here
It's been a long time
But my time is finally near

And I can feel the change in the wind right now
Nothing's in my way
And they're not gonna hold me down no more
No they're not gonna hold me down

'Cause I've got faith of the heart
I'm going where my heart will take me
I've got faith to believe
I can do anything
I've got strength of the soul
And no one's gonna bend or break me
I can reach any star
I've got faith, I've got faith, faith of the heart

It's been a long night
Trying to find my way
Been through the darkness
Now I've finally had my day

And I will see my dream come alive at last
I will touch the sky
And they're not gonna hold me down no more
No they're not gonna change my mind

I know that we're so cold
We've seen the darkest days
But now the winds I feel
Are only winds of change
I've been through the fire
I've been through the rain
But I'll be flying, oh yeah

--Russell Watson, "Faith of the Heart"

Chapter 26

Endgame

Hermione, Phoebe, Danielle, and against her mother's wishes, Catherine, appeared suddenly out of thin air above the trapdoor that led to what was believed to be Harry's hideout. Teams from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement were Apparating into all of the sections of the castle deemed stable enough for entry, but Hermione had insisted that she and her companions be the ones who went to the third floor.

Phoebe bent down and slowly opened the door. The area beyond was pitch black. Danielle dropped a potion vial into the hole. It fell to the stone floor and shattered, illuminating the room with brilliant light. The Devil's Stare that had once inhabited the large room was gone. There was no one waiting for them.

Hermione magically lowered each of them through the trapdoor and into the chamber below. Together, they set off through the room that had once held the flying keys, past the chamber where the massive troll had lived, past the chessboard room and the chamber that had contained Snape's potions. None of the traps that had been put in place to protect the Philosopher's Stone had remained, none except the Mirror of Erised.

The tall mirror still stood as it had the night Harry had encountered it, along with Lord Voldemort. It baffled Hermione as to why such a powerfully magical object had been allowed to remain in such a dismal place, but then perhaps that's why it was in this place; because it was so powerful.

"What is that, Mi?" Phoebe asked, pointing at the mirror.

"The Mirror of Erised." Hermione said distractedly, walking around to the back of the mirror as though she thought Harry might in fact be hiding behind it. When she emerged from the other side and noticed the perplexed look on Phoebe's face, she said;

"It's the Mirror of Desire. Erised; desire spelled backwards."

"And those words at the top?" Phoebe asked. "What does Erised stra ehru...?"

"I show not your face, but your heart's desire." Hermione interrupted. "That's backwards as well, just not…" she broke off, looking around the room as though she hoped to see a signpost pointing in Harry's direction.

"It's funny, I… I was certain he would be here, in this room."

"Well, we are operating on information retrieved from a demon." Catherine pointed out.

"Well, we can't go any further this way." Danielle said. "There's only one passage in and out of this room. We should…" Danielle stopped speaking suddenly and looked around. Phoebe was on her knees in front of the Mirror, sobbing. Danielle exchanged a glance with Catherine, who looked away. Hermione approached Phoebe and knelt down beside her.

"I shouldn't have looked." Phoebe moaned, crying into Hermione's shoulder. "But I thought… I thought maybe seeing them again would…"

"I know," Hermione whispered, gently patting Phoebe on the back. "I know loosing someone as important to you as Piper and Paige were is by no means easy. The loss you've suffered is… indescribable. But sweetheart, this mirror… it doesn't show us what is, or even what could be. It shows us what we want most in this world. That's why you see Piper and Paige… perhaps even Prue standing there with you. You see them because you would do anything, sacrifice whatever you had to in order to get them back. Being with your family again is the deepest and most desperate desire you have… and it is okay to look into this mirror, to see the things you can't, or don't, have." Phoebe nodded, her eyes drawn back to the mirror.

"I don't want to interrupt," Catherine said quietly. "but Harry isn't here, and I for one would like to find out why. We should go." Hermione nodded and slowly stood, bringing Phoebe up with her.

"Alright, let's go assist the other teams. Kat, I know you're going to yell at me, but please return to Atlantis and see if you can discover another way to locate him." Catherine sighed.

"Fine." She said. "You're gonna owe me though." Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Alright, let's get back to the surface and see how the others are doing." Hermione, Danielle and Catherine headed for the exit, but Phoebe lagged behind, her eyes still glued to the Mirror of Erised.

"You two go on." Hermione said. "We'll be along." Catherine shook her head.

"It's okay, we'll wait." She told her.

Hermione turned around and slowly walked toward Phoebe. She reached out and took Phoebe's hand.

"Pheebs, sweetie… I understand how tempting this mirror is, what it offers… but honey, I promise you…. This mirror will only cause you pain. It gives us nothing, Phoebe… people have lost their minds by staring into its depths, becoming obsessed with what they see, yet being unable to obtain it."

"I miss them so much, Mi…" Phoebe whispered.

"I know you do, baby." Hermione said. "I know you miss them, but the images you're seeing in the mirror, those aren't your sisters. They may look like them, but Piper and Paige aren't here. It will do you no good to dwell on the things you see in this mirror, Phoebe…"

Slowly, very slowly, Phoebe nodded.

"Yeah…" she said, tearing her eyes away from the mirror. "Right."

Hermione was about to suggest they leave this place, when she just happened to glance into the ancient mirror. The images she saw astounded her. For a moment, she didn't believe what she was seeing. How could a mortal being, a mere human heart long for something so beautiful, so bright, so… words could barely begin to describe what she had seen. Then, without warning, the image changed. It was then that she realized their mistake; it was only then that she knew what they had missed. She spun around to face the others, her eyes alight with joy.

"I think," she said, glancing over her shoulder at the mirror once again. "I've found him."

"Of course!" Hermione exclaimed as she burst into her bedroom and began rummaging under the bed, "The answer's been right in front of us the whole time! How could I be so stupid?" She found what she was looking for, a battered old box with several red jewels encrusted around the lock. She opened it with a wave of her hand and retrieved a wrinkled and dirty piece of parchment, which she showed to the others.

"You've still got that?" Danielle asked. "I thought it was at the Manor." Hermione shook her head.

"No, it was one of the few things I thought to bring with me before we left that day." Hermione explained. "With this, if Harry's at Hogwarts, we'll find him."

She hurried over to a table and spread out the folded up parchment. She raised her wand and said,

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

"Mum, we just left here."

"Thank you for stating the blatantly obvious, Kat. I'll see to it you get a medal when we get home." Hermione said, laying out the Marauder's Map on the floor of the chamber containing the Mirror of Erised and looking over it again. "The map clearly shows that Harry is somewhere in this room. Not above it, below it, or somewhere nearby, but in this very room."

"Is it possible that the map is broken?" Danielle asked. "Maybe the collapse of the castle caused it to stop working properly."

"The map has rearranged itself to account for the damage done by Dumbledore's potion. It reconfigured itself to show the castle as it is now." Phoebe pointed out. "The map has to be correct."

"Well, where is Harry?" Catherine asked.

"I don't…" Hermione began, but she broke off. Phoebe had returned to the Mirror of Erised and was staring at it intently. "Phoebe, I told you before…"

"No, Mi… not that." Phoebe said, turning to face her. "This mirror… you said it shows us what we want most, right?"

"It does." Hermione confirmed.

"Okay, the last time you looked in it you saw yourself finding Harry by using the Marauder's Map."

"Yes, which did nothing but lead us back here." Hermione said.

"But like you said, the map never lies. Therefore, Harry has to be here. He can't be invisible, because I know your powers allow you to see cloaked beings. He can't have used a trapdoor or hidden compartment because the map would've shown him there. He has to be in this room."

"But we've already seen that he isn't." Danielle said.

"Au Contraire." Phoebe said, pointing at the Mirror of Erised. "He's in there." Catherine's eyes narrowed.

"Say who now?" she asked, looking at Phoebe as though she were crazed.

"Mi, is it possible that this mirror not only shows us our deepest desire, but also what we want most at the moment?" Hermione shrugged.

"I guess it's possible." She said. "I'm no expert on the Mirror, obviously, but I don't see why it couldn't."

"Well, that's good." Phoebe said. "Because when I looked into this mirror a moment ago, all my thoughts were focused on getting to Harry, and I saw him using this mirror like some sort of portal."

"A portal?" Danielle asked. "A portal to where?"

"I haven't the foggiest." Phoebe said. "All I know is, he reached out his hand and touched the glass… and he disappeared."

Hermione immediately approached the mirror. She stretched her hand forward to touch the glass. As she did so, Dumbledore's image appeared in the mirror. It smiled warmly at her and nodded.

"That bastard…" she whispered. "Alright, this is it. I don't know where this mirror will take us, but I'll be willing to bet we'll be attacked the moment we arrive. Catherine, I want you to…"

"No, Mum… I'm coming. I want to see this through." Hermione stared at her for the longest time before deciding that this was a battle she wasn't going to win, and conceded.

"Very well." She said, turning back to the mirror and taking a deep breath. "Let's go."

With a crack like a whip, the four women were deposited in a dark, cold, rocky chamber. It was very damp, and it was clear to all of them that they were deep underground.

"Does anyone else feel sick?" Phoebe asked, struggling to her feet and swaying slightly from dizziness.

"That… was different." Hermione said, standing up and gripping the stone wall to keep herself from falling over. "I know Apparating feels like you've been sucked through a garden hose, but that was like a…

"Coffee straw." Danielle said, helping Catherine stand and lighting her wand. Catherine did the same and asked,

"Anyone know where we are?"

"The Underworld's my guess." Phoebe said, examining the rock walls illuminated by Catherine and Danielle's wand light.

"Well, it's a dead end this way." Danielle said, using her wand to light the solid wall of rock behind them.

"Then all we can do is go forward." Hermione said, lighting her own wand.

Hermione led the way down the narrow path, the others following close behind her, occasionally tripping over a stray stone. They had been walking for nearly five minutes when the path widened and opened onto a chamber filled with an assortment of demons and Death Eaters. Danielle and Catherine raised their wands as the enemy turned toward them, but waves of white light burst from Hermione's outstretched hands, striking the servants of evil dead in a heartbeat.

"Damn…" Catherine whispered, awed as most people typically were at the sight of the power Hermione wielded. Hermione whimpered slightly and looked as though she might collapse. Phoebe rushed to help her remain on her feet.

"That took… a lot more power than it normally would have." Hermione said. For the first time in a long time, Phoebe saw fear in Hermione's eyes.

"Our powers are weakened down here." She said, confirming Hermione's fears. "I guess yours could potentially be weakened even more so, being what you are."

"My power is… limited as it is." Hermione said darkly. "If I use too much at once, I won't be able to use my abilities until I've had time to recuperate."

"Then save your power for Harry." Danielle said. "We'll fight these demons the old-fashioned way." She checked her pockets for potion vials. She tossed a few to Catherine and asked,

"Incendiary or Plasma?" Catherine smiled.

"Plasma." Danielle handed her two more potion vials.

Danielle and Catherine took the lead now, guiding them through the dark, twisting tunnels. They continued on for another half-hour, encountering no resistance. Perhaps it was this fact that allowed all hell to break loose. Catherine rounded a corner, checking to see if the path ahead was clear, and a fireball caught her squarely in the chest.

Phoebe was upon her immediately, attempting to heal her but to no avail.

"Mi, I can't heal her. Her injuries are too severe and we're too deep in the Underworld… my ability to heal isn't strong enough." Hermione knelt down beside them as Danielle tossed a potion down the passage. The resounding blast of explosives nearly deafened them.

"We'll have to take her back to the surface." Hermione said. "My healing power was conjoined with my ability to raise the dead. When the Elders stripped that…"

"Hermione, Harry's been busy down here." Phoebe said. "The moment you told me to take her back to the surface, I tried to orb out… I can't. Harry's put anti-orb spells around this place, so you can guarantee there'll be anti-Apparation spells in place as well. Mi, I think we're…"

"Trapped." Hermione whispered. "Yeah, I think we are." She looked up, watching Danielle struggle to hold back the approaching demons. With a determined nod, she looked to Phoebe.

"Pheebs, I need you to go help Danielle. I know your powers are weaker, but I only need a moment."

"You've got a plan?" Phoebe asked. Hermione nodded.

"I do, but it's going to be risky."

"Mi, what are you…" but Phoebe broke off, staring, horrified, between Hermione and Catherine. "No, Mi… you… you can't do this. You have no idea how much power this could take… we both know there's a chance that doing this could kill you."

"Yes, and if I don't do it then both Catherine and her baby are going to die. I'm out of options, Phoebe." Phoebe slowly took Hermione's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"I love you." She whispered. "Good luck." Phoebe stood and hurried to Danielle's side, hurling a potion vial with all her might toward the demons.

Hermione watched her go with a sad expression on her face. She felt sure she would never see Phoebe again. She looked down at Catherine and slowly raised her hands above her head. A swirling mass of black energy coursed through the air, forming a spiraling vortex which crackled with power and flashes of lightning. Hermione felt sick, and knew she might very well have just doomed herself and Phoebe, but if this worked… She carefully lifted Catherine and pushed her into the vortex. Her daughter vanished and the vortex spun and hissed for a moment longer before collapsing.

Hermione fell back, her strength long gone. Phoebe abandoned the battle and rushed to Hermione's side.

"She's gone." Hermione whispered. "I was able to open a time vortex and return her to her time… at least I hope it was her time."

"What about you?" Phoebe asked.

"I think I'll live, but my powers are completely drained." Phoebe nodded.

"Alright, just rest here. Danielle and I will get you out of here." She gently squeezed Hermione's shoulder and returned to Danielle.

"Did it work?!" Danielle shouted over the sound of explosions and the hissing and crackling of spells arcing their way between the combatants.

"I think so." Phoebe responded. "Kat's gone, anyway. Hermione's powers are drained, though. It's down to the two of us."

"Okay, we need to start falling back… maybe see if we can get to the…" Danielle broke off. The demons had halted their advance and were retreating down the corridor. Another figure, on the other hand, approached them through the smoke. It quickly passed the demons as they vanished down the corridor.

"Son of a bitch…" Danielle muttered as the figure stepped into the light and both Danielle and Phoebe saw the face of Harry Potter staring back at them.

"Where's Hermione?" Harry demanded, ignoring Danielle and glaring at Phoebe.

"Like I would ever tell you." Phoebe growled.

"I know she's here, Phoebe." Harry said. "So let's not draw this out."

"What the hell is wrong with you, anyway?" Danielle asked, her hand tightening around the potion vial she held in her hand. Harry shook his head.

"My quarrel is with Hermione, not with either of you. I truly don't want to kill you, neither of you. I understand your loyalty to Hermione, but I…"

"You don't know the first thing about loyalty!" Phoebe told him. "If you did, you would never have done this! You betrayed your friends, your family… everyone who has ever given a damn about you! Worst of all… you broke Hermione's heart. She loved you, Harry… hell, she still does! Everything she's done, she did for the betterment of her family, of the people she loves. I get that you felt she cared more about me than she did about you, I understand that you felt betrayed… but you've taken this too far."

"I needed to get to Hermione." Harry said. "Do you have any idea how difficult that is? Atlantis is nigh impenetrable and I could hardly just ask her to meet with me. I did what I had to do to make her venture out, to come after me."

"And what part of that required the rape of a sixteen year old girl?" Danielle demanded. Harry didn't respond.

"Fuck this." Danielle muttered, tossing the potion vial she had been holding.

"Danielle, no…!" Phoebe exclaimed. The potion arced down the corridor, before being blasted out of the sky by Harry, who was now glaring furiously at Danielle and Phoebe.

"Fine." He said. "I did not want it to come to this, but if that is your wish, then fine." Harry raised his wand.

"Enough." Hermione said, pushing her way between Phoebe and Danielle, placing herself squarely between them and Harry, shielding them from any possible attack.

"Harry, please…" she begged. "Let them go."

"Your daughter attacked me!" Harry shouted. "Why should I just let them go?"

"Because I'm the one you want." Hermione countered. "All this, everything you've done has been to get to me. So, you can have me. I won't fight you, I won't try to escape… you can do whatever you want to me… and I promise that Phoebe and Danielle, nor anyone else from Atlantis will come after you. You'll be free to do as you please, wherever you please."

"And the Ministry?" Harry inquired.

"I have no sway over the Ministry of Magic, Harry." Hermione told him. "They won't come after you for killing me, but if you go on acting like you have after today, I cannot promise you that they won't hunt you down." Harry nodded.

"Very well." He lowered the wards blocking all forms of magical transportation. "The two of you may go." Phoebe grabbed Hermione's arm.

"I'm not leaving you." She said in a furious whisper. "I can't."

"You can, and you must." Hermione whispered. "If you stay, he'll kill you. In my current state, I could not stop him."

"Mi, if he kills you, I die anyway. If I'm going out, I want to do it at your side."

"This is a guess, Phoebe, but I believe that since my powers were drained earlier, my death would not immediately cause your death, seeing as there would be no instant overflow of power flooding into you. The moment you return to Atlantis, speak with Miley. After my death, Atlantis will be hers. If she chooses to accept this role, as I have, you will be free." Phoebe, loosing her fight to hold back her tears, said;

"I promised I'd stay with you until the end." Hermione squeezed Phoebe's shoulder.

"This is the end, sweetie." She gave Phoebe a swift hug, and after doing the same with Danielle, said;

"Go on… go now." Danielle bowed her head and vanished in a column of fire. Phoebe lagged behind, staring at Hermione, Harry looming over her shoulder.

"Hermione, I…"

"Go!" Hermione exclaimed. Phoebe orbed out. Hermione turned to Harry, who was standing barely five feet from her.

"So, what's your plan now?" she asked, pulling her flowing white gown more securely around herself.

"Why'd you do it?" Harry asked, folding his arms across his chest. "With all the power you have in you, why surrender to me?"

"My powers are gone, Harry. One of your demons nearly killed Catherine, and Phoebe couldn't heal her down here, what with the Underworld's effect on her powers. I did the only thing I could think of that might save her life. I sent her back home, back to her own time. The process depleted my powers. We know you've become an Avatar, I… I knew Phoebe and Danielle didn't stand a chance against you, so I did the only thing I could do to protect them."

"And how do you know I won't still go after them?' Harry asked.

"Harry, I don't care what you do to me, I don't care how far you scatter my body across the universe, but I swear this to you; If you lay a hand on any, and I truly mean the word any, of my family or friends ever again I will do whatever I have to, I will cross every line, I will kill anyone I have to, I will defy God himself if it comes to that in order to get to you. I promise you, Harry, I will ensure that you suffer horrendously for all of eternity if you ever hurt them again… if you ever even go near them again. I will destroy you." Harry just shrugged.

"Is Catherine okay?" he asked. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Like you care." She muttered.

"She is my daughter."

"Miley was like your daughter too, Harry. Look what happened there." Hermione sighed. "I don't know if Catherine's okay and I don't expect I ever will. She was dying, that's all I know. Hopefully someone in her time was able to save her. If not, well then you murdered your daughter, and your grandchild." Hermione smirked. "Yeah, that's right. She was pregnant, and thrilled to death about it too."

"I… I didn't know." Harry said quietly.

"Now you do." Hermione smiled. "Isn't it interesting that you never do realize the damage your actions might cause until you actually witness it? Honestly, I hope you never do discover the truth. In my mind, that should be enough punishment for you; living the rest of your days, not knowing if you killed your own child. I pray the guilt eats at you for every second of your life from this moment forward."

"You've changed, Hermione…" Harry said.

"I sure as hell have." Hermione said. "I've changed a very great deal from the Hermione you knew. Truthfully, I like the change. I'm not as soft as I used to be… and nowhere near as forgiving."

"You expect me to ask for forgiveness?" Harry asked. Hermione shook her head.

"I couldn't forgive you if you did. Harry, you raped my daughter. I can't forgive you for that. I could have found a way, had you only taken her… but when you stepped over that line, I… I wanted to kill you. I was going to kill you, but Phoebe managed to talk me down. You owe her, by the way. You owe Phoebe your life. I hope one day she calls to collect. Honestly, I didn't think she would manage it, but she… she just has a way about her. Hell, maybe she'll forgive you… but I won't…. not for this. Rape is the sickest, most twisted and evil thing a person can do. There is no redemption for that sin, Harry… no forgiveness, no repentance. People like you don't deserve it."

"You don't think there's forgiveness for the things we do?" Harry asked. "Even if we're truly sorry?" Hermione shook her head.

"You know that I'm not a religious person, Harry. I never have been… but no, I don't think there is. I believe, and I hope that I'm wrong, that we are judged, once this life is over, by the things we've done. I don't believe people like us, who have done terrible things, are going to be forgiven… even if we ask. So, no… I think you can be a sorry as you want to be and you still won't find forgiveness. You chose to do what you did. Everyone makes their choices in life, Harry. No one forces you to do anything. Everything is a choice, that's what life is. If you make a conscious decision to do something, in this case to rape a teenaged girl, then I don't think there should be forgiveness… not for any of us."

"That's funny to hear coming from the person who has probably done more forgiving in her life than most other people in the world combined." Harry said.

"Is that what you think I've done, Harry? Forgiven people?" Hermione shook her head. "Harry, I don't honestly believe I've ever forgiven anyone for anything. Not Ginny for the things she did, not you and Phoebe for what the two of you did, not Draco for his countless betrayals… I just… stopped caring. What was the purpose in focusing on the bad all the time? It wasn't helping me, so I just… let it go. I didn't forgive, not really. I just didn't think about it any more."

"So, you actually…"

"Harry, could we please stop this?" Hermione asked. "I didn't do this to spend the rest of my life debating the many questions of life with you… unless you consider this to be some strange form of torture, which I actually could somewhat see how you might, I'd really appreciate it if we could hurry this along." Harry smiled.

"If that's your wish." He said. He stepped toward her, perhaps to take her to wherever he intended to execute her, or maybe he was planning to kill her right then and there, Hermione never found out. She waited until Harry had reached out to grasp her forearm, and then she struck. She grasped his throat and forced him to the ground with strength Harry had not expected from her. She quickly retrieved a potion vial from her pocket and forced the contents into his mouth.

"What was…?" He sputtered, attempting to cough up the foul-tasting concoction.

"Power Stripping potion." Hermione told him, climbing off of him and standing to her feet.

"Now we're on even terms."

"So, that was your plan all along?" Phoebe asked, watching Harry, who laid Stunned on the floor of the control room, beneath a magical force shield. Hermione nodded. "You could've told us, you know." Phoebe continued. "We both thought…"

"I know what you thought." Hermione said. "I'm sorry, Phoebe, but I needed your performances to be as realistic as possible. What could be more realistic than that? Not to mention my plan was conceived on the fly. I had a vague idea of what I was going to do should the situation allow it, but I no idea exactly how things would progress."

"Okay, okay, I understand… just don't ever do that to me again, Mi." Hermione smiled.

"Alright, I promise."

"So, what do we do with him?" Danielle asked from her position on the sofa. Miley, who had been resting her head on Danielle's shoulder, looked up.

"Well, firstly we need to find out whether or not he's really under a spell. Then, if he is, we'll have to discover which spell and then how to break it." Hermione began to pace back and forth in front of Harry's cage.

"If he's under a spell, Dumbledore's the only one who could have done it. This, all this, has to be what he meant when he said there would be one more challenge ahead. Naturally, he would have to know what spell Harry's under."

"If only we could ask him…" Miley muttered. Hermione turned to her, looking as though she were going to say that was impossible, but then she stared.

"Miles, you are brilliant."

"Mi, this is a terrible, terrible idea."

"This is our best bet on getting answers." Hermione said, pulling Phoebe toward the glass sphere in the old chamber the Avatars had used as their lair.

"If this is our best bet, we're screwed." Phoebe muttered.

"Have faith, Phoebe." Hermione told her.

"Oh, I've got faith. If I didn't I would've stayed on Atlantis. Just don't start singing that damn song again."

"I like that song." Hermione said, studying the smoke filling the sphere.

"Maybe." Phoebe said. "I didn't think it worked as a theme song for that one television show, though…"

"Could we maybe talk about this later?" Hermione said, taking Phoebe's hand. "We need to focus." Hermione touched the sphere and they were once again pulled into the swirling white fog.

"Okay!" Hermione shouted, releasing Phoebe's hand and looking skyward. "I don't have the slightest idea where in the hell we are, nor how this thing works! So, I'm going to work off of the assumption that someone can hear me! Earlier, I saw my parents in this damn thing, and now I need to see someone else. I need to see Professor Dumbledore!" Hermione paused, waiting. When nothing happened, she said;

"Professor Albus Dumbledore!"

"How many Professor Dumbledores could there possibly be?" Phoebe muttered.

"Shush." Hermione told her. "I need to speak with him!" she continued, shouting to the heavens.

"Hermione, I don't think this is going to… holy shit!" Hermione spun around. There, standing barely ten feet from her with his arms clasped behind his back, stood Albus Dumbledore.

"You asked to speak with me?" he said, his eyes twinkling behind his half-moon spectacles.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm glad to see you." Hermione said, subconsciously placing herself between Phoebe and Dumbledore. She didn't think he would hurt them, she wasn't sure if he even could hurt them here. Still, she wasn't about to take the risk and end up being wrong.

"I'm glad to see you're still alive, Ms. Granger." Dumbledore said. He smiled. "I understand you have questions for me?"

"Yes," Hermione said. "I do. Firstly, is Harry under a spell?" Dumbledore said nothing.

"Is he under a spell?" Dumbledore simply examined his fingernails. Hermione sighed.

"Well, Phoebe, you were right. This was a bad idea."

"Thanks for saying so, Mi." Phoebe responded.

"One last time." Hermione said. "Is Harry under a spell?"

"He is." Dumbledore said.

"Is it the same spell you put on my father?" Hermione asked.

"Yes." answered Dumbledore.

"Did you put the spell on Harry?"

"I did." Dumbledore said. Hermione exchanged a nervous glance with Phoebe. So far, they were three for three. Hermione let out a long, steadying breath.

"How do we break it?"

"Now, that my dear, I cannot answer." Dumbledore said.

"Do you know how?" Phoebe asked.

"I do, but I will not tell you how to remove the spell. That challenge is for you to uncover."

"After everything you've done," Phoebe growled. "After everything you've put us through, after everything you've put Mi through… can't you give us one thing?" Dumbledore did not respond.

"Bastard…" Phoebe muttered.

"Can the spell be broken?" Hermione asked. Dumbledore nodded.

"It can." He said. "And with far less effort than you might believe." Hermione nodded.

"I can live with that." She said. "I do want to ask one thing, though."

"Do so." Dumbledore said.

"Why lead us all around like you did? What was the purpose in having the Mirror show me finding Harry in the Marauder's Map, only to have it send us back to the Mirror? Why couldn't the Mirror simply show me what it showed Phoebe?" Dumbledore smiled.

"Oh, my dear… you do not understand the very basic principle of the Mirror of Erised. You see, when you looked into the Mirror, your deepest desire was to discover a way to find Harry. The Marauder's Map gave you Harry's location. When Phoebe, on the other hand, looked into the Mirror, she wanted nothing more than to get to Harry. The Mirror, therefore, showed her how to get to him, instead of where he was. You must understand that the Mirror does indeed show us our most desperate desire, but that desire is not always the same thing."

"So, you're saying in that moment, I wanted to find Harry more than I wanted my sisters?" Phoebe asked.

"You did, if only for a brief time. In that moment, your love for Hermione, your desire to help her overpowered your longing for your sisters, thus you saw the way to get to Harry."

"Is it bad that what he said made perfect sense to me?" Phoebe asked Hermione.

"Nothing makes sense to me anymore, Phoebe." Hermione muttered. "We should go."

"We should." Phoebe agreed. "I want to know one last thing, though." She said, stepping toward Dumbledore.

"What, exactly, is this place?" Dumbledore smiled and bowed his head

"A world that lets us have one final moment with those who have passed on."

"So, you didn't learn anything?" Danielle said when Hermione and Phoebe returned.

"At least we know what we're dealing with now." Miley said, her eyes glued to the still Stunned Harry.

"And we're trusting Dumbledore on this?" Danielle asked. "More importantly, a Dumbledore you met in a weird globe full of smoke, owned by the Avatars."

"We are." Hermione said, looking up from the Book of Shadows. "I'm not particularly happy about it either, Dani. But like Miles said, at least we have an idea as to what we're dealing with."

"If Dumbledore told you the truth."

"If Dumbledore told us the truth." Hermione agreed.

"Fine, then." Danielle said. "What's the plan?"

"Haven't got a plan." Hermione confessed, closing the Book of Shadows. "If I did, I'd be attempting to initiate it instead of standing around here discussing this situation."

"I can start working on potion," Phoebe volunteered. "Not that I have even the slightest idea as to what I'd put in it."

"Thanks Phoebe, but I don't think a potion is going to get us out of this." Hermione said. "Dumbledore told us that this spell could be broken with less effort than we thought."

"What could be less effort than mixing a potion?" Danielle asked. "Breathing?"

"No, I just… I think he meant something very specific." Hermione said. "I feel like he was hinting at something I should already know, I just… can't figure out what it is." Danielle was about to respond when a spiraling blue wormhole formed in the center of the room. To the surprise of everyone present, Catherine stepped out of it, cradling a small bundle in her arms.

"Kat…" Hermione said, exchanging a quick glance with Phoebe. "It… it worked? You survived?"

"I did." Catherine said, carefully extended the bundle out to Hermione, who gently took it. "We both did." Catherine added. "Mum, I'd like you to meet Emma Elizabeth Halliwell." Phoebe looked up, shocked.

"Halli-who?" she asked, her eyes wide with confusion. Catherine smiled.

"Piper won't always be the only Halliwell sister with children, Pheebs." She said with a mysterious smile. "Emma, after my grandmother, and Elizabeth…" she smiled at her mother. "after you. I would've used your first name instead, Mum… but it sounded better this way."

"She's beautiful, sweetie." Hermione said, smiling down at the baby girl in her arms. The sudden sound of sobs caused them all to turn and stare at Harry. The Stunning spell had apparently worn off, and Harry was kneeling at the edge of the magical cage, staring at Catherine, Hermione, and baby Emma with tears streaming down his face.

"They survived." He whispered. "They both made it, they…" Catherine took the softly sleeping child from Hermione and knelt down in front of Harry's prison.

"Dad," Catherine said quietly. "meet your granddaughter." Harry's sobs did nothing but redouble after being granted a closer look at the tiny baby.

"She's absolutely gorgeous, Kat." Harry told her.

Hermione sat down on the sofa next to Phoebe, who looked at her questioningly. Hermione smiled.

"Before you ask, Phoebe, yes… I think the spell is gone."

"And what…?" Miley began.

"Broke it?" Hermione finished Miley's sentence for her. She leaned back into the couch, resting her head on Phoebe's shoulder. Miley lay back across her mother's lap, her eyes watching Catherine and Harry.

"It was love." Hermione answered at last, a hint of awe in her exhausted voice. "The most powerful source of magic in the universe. That spell may have caused Harry to hate me, but the sight of his granddaughter… and the love he must have for that little girl… learning that both she and his daughter survived must have shattered the dark hold over his mind."

"I guess Dumbledore was telling the truth, then." Danielle said, her voice tight. Hermione smiled at her and nodded slowly.

"I guess he really was."

"I figure I'll head home next week. I'm anxious to get back in some ways, but in others… I'll always feel like I belong here." Hermione smiled slightly as Catherine leaned against the railing of the balcony outside of her bedroom where both of them stood.

"We've finally made the future a better place for you, Kat." Hermione said. "That's what we've been trying to do ever since Harry showed up on my doorstep that day. You deserve to be happy, sweetheart. You should go enjoy it."

"Yeah, it's just… I'm a little scared."

"Scared? Of what?" Hermione asked.

"Every time I go back… something goes terribly wrong. What if it happens again?" Hermione shrugged.

"Then it does." She said. "Kat, you can't worry about what might happen. You can't change it, you can't control it."

"I know that, I… I just wish I knew for sure."

"So do I." Hermione admitted. "I wish I knew a lot of things. I wish I had known Dumbledore was behind all of this. I wish I had known Harry was going to be put under a spell…. I wish I knew how to bring all the people, all the friends we've lost back, but I don't."

"You promised me you'd find a way." Catherine reminded her.

"I did do that, didn't I?" Hermione said. "And I plan to. I fully intend to find a way to bring them back… and I do promise you Kat, I will find a way."

And so Atlantis returned to normal. Catherine soon returned to her own time, refusing Phoebe's pleas to reveal more of the future to her. Harry, too, had left Atlantis. He felt he needed to do a great deal of thinking, and the island was not the place to do that. Draco had left as well, only a single week after Harry. His reasoning was that although he had come to consider the island home, it brought up memories of Ginny, and of the life they could have had. He had stayed as long as he had because he felt that he owed Hermione for saving him from evil, for accepting him despite everything he had done. Now, though, he needed to go his own way, to start a new life… and slowly begin to find a way passed Ginny's death.

So as days turned into weeks, and weeks into months, the heat of the summer gave way to the icy cold and thick snows of the winter. When the first snow fell on Atlantis on that freezing Friday night, Phoebe was to be found slowly walking the dark halls of the palace. As she walked, she came to realize that in a little over a week, it would have been a year since they had first discovered Atlantis. A full year. In some ways it felt much longer than that, though at other times Phoebe felt sure they had only arrived on the island last week. So much had changed since the battle at Hogwarts, so much had changed since they had received those letters from Dumbledore… the letters that had begun the search for this place.

Phoebe reached the bedroom she and Hermione had shared for nearly six months and slipped through the door.

"Hey, Mi." Phoebe said, spotted her best friend sitting at her small desk.

"Hey, Phoebe." Hermione responded sleepily. "What are you doing up so late?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Phoebe retorted, sitting down at the foot of Hermione's bed and taking off her shoes. "To answer your question, though… I went for a walk around the palace. I… I needed to think." Hermione closed the Book of Shadows and leaned back in her desk chair.

"What were you thinking about?" she asked.

"Just some stuff." Phoebe said. "Don't worry about it." Hermione nodded and shrugged.

"I never got the chance to thank you before." Hermione said after several minutes of silence. "For staying with me, I mean. I thought, for a moment, that once you understood what I was prepared to do to stop Harry, you might leave me."

"You changed your mind about that." Phoebe reminded her.

"Yes, I did." Hermione responded. "But you agreed to stay with me before I changed my mind. So… thank you. I don't know what I would do without you, Pheebs." Phoebe sighed.

"Mi, I… I need to tell you something." Phoebe whispered, holding her face in her hands. "I've thought about this for the past few months now, and I made a decision during my walk tonight. This has been on my mind for a while now, and I'm so, so sorry that it took me this long to realize what I needed to do." She looked up at Hermione with tear-filled eyes, and saw that Hermione knew whatever she intended to say would not be pleasant. Phoebe took a deep, steadying breath.

"I'm leaving.