Author's Note: Enjoy, guys.
They buried Ben and Bleaker with the rest of the heroes at Steep Park House.
The ceremony was brief and quiet. Ginny stood next to Draco, her hand locked in his. Unlike before, Blanca did not speak. She remained rigid and still, silent as Richard offered words of comfort instead. Later that same evening, after everyone else had gone inside, Blanca remained at the crude marker where Ben was buried.
After a while, she sat down in front of it, arms balanced on her upraised knees. Then she clasped her hands and bowed her head against her curled palms.
"What is she doing?" Ginny asked Richard.
Richard looked out of the window. "She's praying."
"Oh," whispered Ginny. She left after that, giving Blanca some privacy. Her hand never left Draco's, and as soon as they were alone, she curled into his arms and pressed her cheek firmly against his chest. "I watched you die," she murmured, eyes glassy.
He held her tighter. "I'm here," he whispered into her hair. Draco shifted so she could see his face, and he stroked her hair back from her tear-stained cheeks. "I love you so much," he told her fervently, blinking away tears of his own. "More than I've ever loved anyone or anything in my life."
Ginny's fingers curled in his robes, and she ducked into his neck.
Unfortunately, Draco had to stay at Steep Park House, and Ginny could not remain there with him. So in the end, she returned to the manor and endured, hour after hour, the isolation it brought. Letters flooded their post, condolences for Draco's death, bids to attract Ginny's attention.
She ignored it all; her focus was on training. Each day, as soon as she could get away, Ginny ventured to Steep Park House and practiced with Blanca, strengthening her shields and learning new spells. She trained with a mad rigor, burning with a hunger like nothing she'd known before.
One day, Blanca sat down with Draco and Ginny. "You need to be prepared to take possession of the Elder Wand," Blanca told Draco firmly. "We're going to disarm him, but you need to be the one to use the wand to end him."
"How are you going to disarm him?" asked Draco. "It's going to take more than a simple Expelliarmus."
"Leave that to us," said Blanca, leaning back in her chair, eyes dark. "Just be ready."
"But – "
"We'll handle it," Blanca said, and Draco fell quiet.
The days passed, as did the weeks. Each stretch of daylight was a haze of stilted anxiety, and with every passing moment, Ginny had to fight harder and harder not to crumble under the weight of her fear. If they lost – if they did not defeat Voldemort – it was not just England that would suffer. The entire magical population was at stake. The lives that had already been lost would be for nothing.
Ginny could not stand for that, but she did not know if she had the strength to do anything about it.
The evening before the commencement ceremony arrived, and it found Ginny at the manor alone, as she had been for so many nights. Ginny sat in the suite she shared with Draco, her eyes on the calendar on the wall.
Tomorrow was June 4th, 2001, two days before Draco's twentieth birthday.
A fire crackled in the hearth, but the heat of it was oppressive, given the muggy air outside. Standing away from it, Ginny walked the halls of the dark, desolate manor until she found herself outside. Despite the humidity, the night was far more inviting than the stuffy mansion corridors, so Ginny let herself walk out into the moonlight and simply wander.
Turning her face up against the bright moonlight, Ginny closed her eyes and tried to inhale. The breath stuck in her chest, and her features pinched in frustration. All she wanted was to breathe, but she could not.
Slowly re-opening her eyes, Ginny sighed. That was when she became aware of someone nearby, a lingering gaze upon her. Turning swiftly, Ginny looked towards the courtyard.
There, at the opening of the garden, stood Harry Potter.
Ginny froze; her skin grew hot, and her eyes watered. For a few seconds, the two figures simply looked at one another. Then Ginny's features twisted with fury. "Fuck you, Damien!" she shrieked, picking up a brick from a planter and hurled it at him. "Stop trying to trick me!"
The brick sailed through the air and, to Ginny's dismay, passed straight through his torso.
Harry looked down, his expression curious. Shocked, Ginny staggered, and nothing was said. Finally, Harry's lips quirked at a small smile. "Hello Ginny," he said.
Ginny breathed in a shuddering inhale, her hand still frozen in the motion of her throw. After a few seconds, she dropped her arm, a violent tremble seizing her body. "H – Harry?" she murmured. She took a cautious step forward. He looked so real; she could see the wind stirring his clothes, the flecks in his eyes. She could even spot the reflection of herself in his glasses. "I don't understand," she murmured. "Are you real? Or are you just in my head?"
"Of course I'm in your head, Ginny," said Harry. "But why should that mean I'm not real?"
When Ginny simply stared at him, Harry took a step forward, closing the distance between them. "I've been trying to help you," he told her, before smiling sheepishly. "But I'm not really sure how this works. Sometimes I'm here and … sometimes I'm not." He tilted his head at her.
"You led me to those girls who were talking about Luna," recalled Ginny, remembering his image in the forest. "And you were there in Diagon Alley, and in the house, too."
"Yes," he said. "I couldn't always be here when I wanted to be, though. I couldn't always help you." His features fell. "I'm sorry. I hated having to watch you go through so much pain." He moved as if to reach out to her, but then seemed to think better of it. Instead, he looked to her with a soft smile, and Ginny's entire body ached. "But you've had happiness, too." Harry met her gaze. "You have a wonderful family, Ginny. And I'm so happy for you."
"Really?" squeaked Ginny tearfully. "You are? I mean – " she stumbled, swiping furiously at her tears before she looked to him, her eyes pleading. "You're not angry?" she whispered.
"No," said Harry. "A little surprised, at first. But the longer it went on, the more I understood it. Draco Malfoy needs someone like you, Ginny. And believe it or not, you need him." Harry held out a hand to her, and this time, it lingered near Ginny's face. She could not feel any air from the movement, nor the heat from his skin. The hand did not touch her, and he dropped it. "Draco needs you to help him guard his heart against darkness," Harry told her softly. "And you need him to remind you that there is always a way out of that darkness."
Ginny stared at him, doing her best to commit every inch of his face to memory. "I'm sorry," she murmured after a long time. "I'm so sorry you had to die."
"It's alright," he told her, and a brilliant smile took over his face. "I'm with my parents, now."
Ginny choked back another sob and smiled through her tears. "That's great," she said, her voice cracking. "I'm happy for you." Her eyes flickered, and she sucked in a deep breath. "Are – Are my parents there, too?"
Harry's smile remained. "Yes," he told her, and Ginny let out a choked noise of joy. "And they're so, so proud of you," Harry said earnestly. "They want you to know that they love you, and that they're fine."
Ginny pressed both of her hands over her face and trembled.
"And," went on Harry, his voice tender, "they want you to know that they truly love your little girl, too."
Ginny dropped her hands. "You can see her?" she asked eagerly. "They've – they've seen her?"
Harry nodded, smiling. "We've all seen her. She's beautiful."
A strangled laugh escaped Ginny, a joyful noise suffocated by her tears. "Is she – can you see her now? Is she okay?"
"She's doing well," Harry said. "She and Narcissa are well taken care of."
"Oh, Merlin." Ginny pushed her hands through her hair, her eyes closing for a moment. When she re-opened them, she realized Harry stood just in front of her. Oh, he looked so solid, so real.
"Ginny," said Harry, "tomorrow, you're going to return to Hogwarts, and you will have to face Tom Riddle again. But I don't want you to be afraid." He reached for her again, and this time, Ginny could swear she felt his fingertips graze her cheek. "We will be there with you. All of us."
"You will?" asked Ginny, trembling.
Harry smiled again. "Until the very end."
At last, Ginny managed a real smile, even as tears clouded her vision. After a long moment, she breathed in for the first time in what felt like ages.
"Good-bye Harry," she whispered.
"Good-bye Ginny," Harry said.
In the next blink, he was gone. It was as if he had never really been there at all. No hint of him remained. Ginny looked to where he'd been standing, and she saw that the grass was not even indented.
Turning, Ginny walked through the garden until she came to its center. Looking up at the night sky, she took in a deep breath. Strength flooded her limbs, and she drank in the power of the moonlight, eyes closed again in the direction of the star-lit sky.
When she re-opened them, there were no more tears.
"It's time, Tom," she promised the sky.
June 4th, 2001
The day of the first-ever Commencement Ceremony for Glanfuil School of Witchcraft and Wizardry dawned bright and beautiful. The sky was a brilliant blue, punctuated occasionally by passing white clouds, rounded and soft. The air was lighter than it had been days before, without the sticky humidity. The sun shone radiantly, warming every gust of air as it rolled over the growing crowd in the form of a breeze.
People gathered, arriving in droves and passing through the school's gates with invitations in hand. Regulators in uniform walked through the crowd, features heavy and severe. Despite the celebration that was to take place, the majority of the gathered witches and wizards were quiet and morose. A heavy air of dread lingered around all, and no one seemed ready to remain still, instead filing around listlessly and feigning polite conversation.
The ceremony grounds were set up just outside of the castle, with a large stage manufactured in front of the crowd, and several rows of chairs sat off to the side for the graduating students. While the ceremony would have normally warranted no more than a five hundred people or so, a crowd of nearly a thousand gathered. As a result, there were no seats for the spectators. Everyone remained standing, restless. Above the crowd, hot rays beamed down on them in dotted rays of light.
In the midst of the crowd, Ginny Malfoy stood, wearing a fine set of dress robes and a hard expression. The graduating seventh years took their seats near the stage, many looking uncomfortable and uncertain. As Voldemort had declared, all of the most important figures in the British magical population were there; in fact, nearly everyone was, even if they did not have friends or family in the ceremony.
Just as with the wedding, Voldemort had taken what was meant to be a celebration and perverted it. He had manipulated this event to further fuel his own purposes, his hunger for power. Today was not about the graduating seventh years, but about Him.
And everyone knew it.
Ginny looked up at the large stage. At the moment, it was empty, with only a line of chairs waiting to be filled. Her eyes flickered through the large crowd, and several feet away, she spotted Blanca, waiting in the midst of the crowd. The two locked eyes for only a moment before looking forward once more.
Close to the front of the crowd, Blaise Zabini stood, bored and annoyed that he'd been obligated to attend. Gabrielle stood at his side, although Marseille was not with them, as he had been left with the nanny. Lavender Nott, Theo, and Astoria were also nearby; they, too, had left the baby at home, considering the nature of the event.
Sighing, Blaise shifted under the hot sun and scanned the attendees as they waited for the ceremony to begin. Being quite tall, it was easy for him to see over many heads and faces. After a few minutes, he saw something that made him balk.
It was Jean.
The French wizard cut his eyes in Blaise's direction, his eyes narrowed and his jaw set. Blaise's brow furrowed in confusion when the two made eye-contact, and for a moment, he was simply bewildered. Then understanding hit him, and Blaise's eyes widened.
Jean watched as comprehension formed first in Blaise's features, before it was replaced with panic.
Don't do this, mouthed Blaise to Jean.
Jean kept his features hard, and he shifted his eyes away from Blaise's pleading expression. Shaken, Blaise shifted forward once more, his hand tensely seeking out Gabrielle's. When he grabbed it, his wife looked up at him curiously. "What is it, darling?" she asked, but Blaise did not answer.
At that moment, a hush fell over the crowd.
Ginny looked forward to see a line of darkly-clad witches and wizards moving for the stage. They were being led by Damien Black and Dolores Umbridge. Smug as ever, Damien climbed the steps of the stage and turned to face the massive crowd.
After pointing his wand at his throat and magnifying his voice, Damien swept out his arms.
"Welcome," he declared to the all those gathered, smiling his peculiar smile. "You are here to celebrate a most momentous occasion! For today, we will call forward our first-ever graduating class of Glanfuil School of Witchcraft and Wizardry – a pureblood school we can be proud of!"
Enthusiastic clapping rang out from a small section of the crowd, as well as those gathered on the stage. Umbridge was positively furious in her delight. The rest of the crowd gave a smattering of mild applause in response.
"Now," said Damien to the crowd, and even at a distance, Ginny could see his eyes glittering, "It is all of your privilege to welcome the wizard who made it happen – the wizard who has created your newly improved country, which is the envy of all the magical world!"
Lord Voldemort emerged in the center of the stage, a black figure looking outlandish against the bright backdrop of Hogwarts. He moved open his arms, flashing his teeth as he did so. More applause rang out, though the first few rows of witches and wizards seemed to move back, further from the stage. Nearby, the Regulators formed a line in front of the stage, hands folded in front of them.
Voldemort did not need to amplify his voice, as Damien had done. It carried over the silent crowd like a tidal wave, with no corner left untouched.
"To the graduating witches and wizards of England, Ireland, and Scotland," said Voldemort, shifting to look at the tense waiting class of seventh-years, "I greet you … as your protector, and your guardian. It is my hope that you all will continue to contribute to your country as you have done, to be the next fine generation of truly magical citizens. Our nation is the greatest on this earth, and for that, you must all take credit."
Voldemort moved across the stage. As he did so, Death Eaters began to appear in full regalia. They marched in uniform lines up each side of the crowd, in the direction of the stage.
"We have done what no one thought possible," Voldemort told them grandly. "We have created the superior magical community! And we will not stop there!" He looked to the students. "You have a duty to your country and your kinsmen to keep our world pure, powerful, and protected. And now, thanks to the efforts of Glanfuil and our Ministry, you have every tool at your disposal to build our nation even further! For even after you are all gone, and your lives have faded away, your country will remain. You must do all you can for it, in order to demonstrate your unwavering loyalty to our magical cause. In you, our great pureblood community will live on."
The cloaked Death Eaters continued to approach from both sides, each step in sync. Once they reached the stage, they filed into a line just in front of the Regulators.
"They have tried to stop us," Voldemort went on, growing more heated. Bellatrix stood at his side. "The Muggles and their Mudblood impersonators have tried to taint us! To defile us! They have threatened your culture, your way of life, your children and your families! They seek to take away what we have because they know we are fortunate, that we are powerful! But we – your Ministry – have saved you! And we will continue to do so, in whatever manner we must!"
Voldemort stepped forward. "We have the greatest magical nation the world has ever seen! And because of this, it is only right that we share it with the world! It is only just that we take back what the Muggles have stolen from us, that we emerge from our hiding places to dominate them as we did in better days past!"
The crowd shifted nervously, and people began to look at one another. Ginny's face remained hard.
"Soon," boomed Voldemort's voice, "we will take our new generation of witches and wizards, growing stronger each day without the contamination of Muggles and Mudbloods, and we will march on those inferior beings who took so much away from us! We will reclaim our country, we will reclaim your ancient rights, we will – take – our – places – at the forefront of the world!"
Voldemort held out his arms. "ALL – FOR THE GLORY – OF – "
Suddenly, Draco Malfoy and five others burst out of their Death Eater cloaks, turned towards the Regulators, and blasted them back into the stage.
At the same moment, Ginny and her team surged forward. The crowd began to break and panic, people screaming as the stage exploded under a barrage of curse fire. When the first line of Americans reached the front of the crowd, they slammed down their wands. "PROTEGO!" they shouted in unison, and a large shield jumped up from the ground and began to cover the panicked masses. Others hurried forward and did the same for the students, many of whom had jumped out of their seats and tried to run.
Ginny, Blanca, and many others hurtled forward, leaping over the people as they rushed to get away from the stage. Ginny jumped over the growing barrier and leaped directly into the fight, and as soon as she stepped forward in front of the stage, she hurled her wand forward at the first Regulator she saw. "AVADA KEDAVRA!" she screamed, and the Regulator fell, dead.
Voldemort's furious howl sounded, and Ginny skidded to a stop right next to Draco just as Voldemort spotted them both, his eyes wide. "MALFOY!" he shouted furiously, advancing on them from the ruins of the stage. McGonagall, Slughorn, and two Americans jumped in his path and began dueling him, throwing hex after hex even while they ducked the flurry of curses shooting through the air around them.
The air filled with smoke and became alight with spells as they flew in every direction. In the sky above, Charlie Weasley and Oliver Wood flew in on brooms, and next to Charlie, a massive gryphon-like creature flapped its wings. "NOW!" shouted Charlie, and the creature out let a cry that sparked the air with magical energy. As soon as it did so, the bright sky darkened and filled with thick grey clouds. Thunder rolled in the distance, and with every beat of the creature's wings, the storm grew more severe.
Rain appeared suddenly and pelted the ground, and the clouds swallowed up the sun, pitching the battleground into darkness. Lightning formed in the sky, and it struck down to the ground, catching a Regulator and killing him on the spot. The gryphon-like creature let out another yell and swooped down, snatching a Death Eater in its claws and ripping him off the ground.
Charlie and Oliver were right behind it, flying in on their brooms and snatching one arm each from the next nearest Death Eater. With a large heave, they tossed the struggling Death Eater directly off the edge of the grounds and into the gaping canyon that stretched between both ends of the bridge at the front of the castle.
On the ground, fighters clashed with magic and might, even as freezing cold rain fell on them like bullets from the sky. Lightning jumped down from the sky again, striking another Death Eater and sending him to the ground. Thunder sounded like a great boom, so loud it made the ground tremble.
Draco and Ginny fought next to each other for a moment before a spell shot directly between them, and they looked up to see Damien, panting and furious as he aimed a wand in their direction. "Go!" Draco told Ginny, before turning his fierce glare to Damien. "I can handle him."
Ginny nodded, giving her husband one last look before she rushed off. Draco raised his wand to Damien, and the two circled one another, each soaked to the bone. Lightning flashed behind Damien's shoulder.
"You – fool," hissed Damien. "You were better off dead."
"I'm sure you will be, too," growled Draco.
With that, Draco stepped forward and lashed out with his wand. Two spells met in the center of the dueling wizards and crackled, creating great tall beams of light each time one spell was caught by another. Damien rushed at Draco, sending spell after spell. One of Damien's curses hit the rock behind Draco and it exploded, fizzling as it came back down to the ground. Draco rolled out of the way and fired back at Damien, and the other wizard barely ducked it.
Yelling out, Damien lurched at Draco with a furious curse, and Draco blocked it, digging in his heels as he pressed back against the power of the curse and then countered with one of his own. The Stunning spell hit Damien, but he managed to duck away before Draco could advance.
"You – will – die!" yelled out Damien, and the furious barrage of spells began again.
Several feet away, in the protected crowd, Gabrielle Zabini gasped and pointed. "Blaise, Jean is out zere!" She looked desperately to him. "We have to do somezing! We have to help!"
But Blaise remained frozen, his grip on her hand unrelenting. "Blaise!" cried out Gabrielle. When he refused to respond, Gabrielle let out an angry cry and yanked her hand from his. That was when he reacted, but he was too late – Gabrielle was already rushing to the front of the shield.
"GABBY, NO!" Blaise shouted even as she sprinted forward.
"Let me through!" Gabrielle commanded, and the American wizard peeled back the shield for Gabrielle to leap through. On the battlefield, Jean was bent over a bleeding Colin Creevey. He healed him even as curses whizzed right by him, very near his own shoulder. "There, you're good!" he told Colin, yanking the younger boy to his feet. "Go!" Colin, newly healed, raced off and fired more hexes.
Jean hurried to the next fallen wizard, but as soon as he bent down to help him, two Death Eaters advanced on him with their wands raised. Jean looked up, his eyes wide with panic, but a blistering curse sailed by them and knocked one Death Eater off his feet. That was when Gabrielle skidded to a stop in front of him, turned to the second Death Eater, and then morphed her face into the terrifying features of an angry Veela to let out an inhuman scream.
The Death Eater stumbled over his own feet before running off in a panic.
Jean stared, his mouth open. Gabrielle's face shifted back to normal as she looked back at him. "Keep going!" she exclaimed, before taking up a defensive stance in front of him. Jean quickly turned his attention back to the ailing wizard.
Near them, Ginny Malfoy was fighting her way through two Regulators. A spell she'd learned from Blanca blasted the two apart, and Ginny turned then, only to see Bellatrix Lestrange just near the point of killing Luna Lovegood and Ernie Macmillan. Turning sharply, Ginny called out, "Blanca!"
The other woman stopped a few feet away, and Ginny turned, pointing at Bellatrix. A feral grin took over Blanca's features, and she raced up a boulder only to jump through the air and sent out a golden rope from her wand, which she used to slash through Bellatrix's spell and release her two victims. Bellatrix jerked, surprised, and then she turned to see Blanca rising from her crouch, wand pointed directly at Bellatrix.
"Who the bloody hell are you?" sneered Bellatrix.
Blanca narrowed her eyes. "Why don't you come down here and find out?"
Letting out a shriek, Bellatrix rushed in Blanca's direction, and the two locked in battle, each curse and hex more powerful than the last. Bellatrix and Blanca were evenly matched, and each time their spells hit, they was flush against the other's shield, pushing the magical energy high in the sky and sending shockwaves throughout the crowd around them. While Bellatrix was defending, Ginny rushed in from the side and sent a powerful hex her way. Bellatrix barely dodged it, and when she looked to see it was Ginny, she let out a furious snarl.
Blanca was relentless, pushing forward against Bellatrix. The dark witch could hold her own against Blanca, but she was having trouble defending against the both of them, and they were pushing her back.
Meanwhile, Lavender Nott had jumped up from her spot, determination filling her eyes. She moved forward, but Theo reached out and grabbed her arm. "Lavender, don't do this!" he pleaded. "Please! Think about your son! Think about Parvartus!"
Lavender swallowed tightly and looked back at Theo. "I am," she told him. Then she pulled her away and ran towards the shield. Astoria gasped, and she turned to Theo, who hesitated in his spot for only a moment.
"FUCK!" Theo yelled angrily before jumping up after her. Astoria was right on his heels, and the three jumped into the fray together. As soon as they were outside of the barrier, the three were forced to duck curses and hexes from every direction. Rain continued to pour, and lightning cut through the air right in front of them. Lavender unleashed a hellish curse on a nearby Death Eater, and Theo and Astoria joined her, fighting back as many of them as they could.
Then Lavender spotted a massive figure rushing at them. She froze, her eyes wide as Fenrir Greyback marched in their direction, flashing his fangs when he saw Lavender, who stumbled back, terrified. When she did, she ran into Theo and Astoria, both of whom stepped up with her.
"Come on, Lav!" said Astoria, before she and Theo began firing curses at Greyback. Lavender looked to them both and then sucked in a deep breath before stepping forward, too, her spells growing in strength with every blast. All at once, they fired on Greyback, and he stumbled back, teetering very near the edge of the cliff next to the bridge.
That was when Lavender, with a furious yell, rushed forward. "YOU KILLED PARVARTI!" she screamed, before she shoved Greyback hard in the chest with both hands so that he fell, tumbling off the edge and into the rocky canyon. "BURN IN HELL!"she bellowed after his falling body.
A few feet away, Richard fell to a nasty curse, gasping against the power of it as it tried to strangle him. Jean was next to him in a flash, and he healed Richard in an instant, practically bringing the other wizard back to life. "Thanks!" coughed Richard before jumping up and running off. As soon as he was off, Gabrielle blocked one spell and then another, but when she and Jean turned, there were four Death Eaters staring them in the face.
"Look out!" exclaimed Jean, before both he and Gabrielle were blasted off the feet, rolling very near the edge of the cliff. One of the Death Eaters hurried forward and cried out, "Expelliarmus!" With that, Jean and Gabrielle's wands were yanked from their grips. The four Death Eaters moved towards them, wands raised, and Jean jumped over Gabrielle to protect her.
The Death Eater at the front, Avery, raised his wand with a sneer. "CRUC – "
Suddenly, a wall of flame split the space between the feuding sides in half. Jean and Gabrielle jerked back, alarmed, as did the Death Eaters. The fire burned high, resisting the rain, hot-white in its intensity.
In front of the wall of flame, Blaise Zabini walked out in slow, measured steps, wand in hand and eyes dark. He stopped in the center of it, between the Death Eaters and their adversaries. Avery scowled.
"You a bloody-traitor now, Zabini?" he sneered.
Blaise raised a brow.
"Kill him!" ordered Avery, and one of the Death Eaters hurried forward, hurling a killing curse at Blaise. Blaise jerked his arm and deflected the curse with scarcely a movement. The Death Eater balked, and then tried again, this time moving closer. Blaise blocked this curse as well, and the next. Once the Death Eater was close enough, he threw one last curse at Blaise. This time, instead of blocking it, Blaise brought up his wand, snatched the curse from the air, and with one twist of his body, he hurled it back at the Death Eater and killed him in an instant.
Avery's eyes widened, as did Jean and Gabrielle's, from where they watched on the other side of the flames.
Blaise brought up his wand and pointed it directly at Avery. With a howl, all three remaining Death Eaters began to fire on Blaise at the same time. Blaise blocked each one, though he had little time to retaliate. After several curses, Blaise ducked low, flung his arm forward and let loose a curse that hit the Death Eater next to Avery, causing the other wizard to fall forward with a strangled cry, heave up a lungful of blood, and then fall over, dead.
In the next moment, Blaise battled the two remaining Death Eaters with a speed and ferocity that they could not together overcome. One of Avery's deflected curses soared at the other Death Eater, and it left him dead as he fell to the ground.
In a rage, Avery blasted a powerful curse at Blaise, and the younger wizard caught it, though the curse continued to bear down on him. Twisting his ankles to give him more leverage, Blaise dug into his spot, hunched his shoulders and pushed forward, pressing through the curse and sending Avery flying back off his feet. Before he could recover, Blaise lashed out with his wand. "Frigus Morteum!"
Avery screamed shrilly as the curse struck him, and he lurched back, head twisted as ice began to overtake his skin. His eyes glazed over, his limbs froze, and he began to cough violently until his entire body trembled. Blaise lifted his wand, and Avery rose with it, jerking in the air against the strangling power of the curse. Then Blaise slammed his wand back down to the ground, and Avery followed, smashing into a million pieces of ice as he did so.
Blaise straightened, panting, before he held up his wand. The wall of flame jumped back into the tip, disappearing in an instant. That was when Blaise looked over his shoulder at the stunned Gabrielle and Jean.
He smirked.
On the opposite end of the battlefield, Draco ducked away from Damien's curse, and now he had two other Death Eaters to contend with as well. However, Michael and Mary spotted him from where they were fighting, and they hurried over, letting out whooping yells as they sent a magical explosion soaring over the space between them. Both of the Death Eaters were caught in the flame and screamed, fleeing from the fight.
Damien scowled. "Bloody useless cowards!" he shrieked, but he had only a moment to recover, as Draco was bearing down on him with stunning ferocity.
Damien backed away, but Draco pressed, advancing on Damien with each step. Their spells met between them, one blocking the other, until Draco caught Damien once and sent the other wizard scrambling for cover.
That was when Draco narrowed his cold grey eyes, gripped his wand, and pushed forward. "CONFRINGO!" he shouted, and the boulder Damien had been hiding behind blasted into hundreds of pieces, sending the other wizard flying through the air and on to the ground.
"Expelliarmus!" shouted Draco, and Damien's wand flew from his hand. The panicked wizard jerked his gaze in the direction of the wand, but he could not reach it, and Draco moved forward only to slam his foot into Damien's stomach to hold him there. Damien grunted, crying out, and Draco raised a wand directly at his face.
"No!" cried out Damien, before suddenly, his features melted away and formed the face of Lucius Malfoy.
Draco froze.
"Please, son," pleaded Lucius. "It was me all the time. I was – I was hiding from the Dark Lord, in order to protect you. Don't kill me!"
Draco's hold on his wand trembled.
"Please, son…" whispered Lucius, reaching a hand out to him. "It's me. Don't kill me…"
Draco's heart seized, and for a moment, his grip on the wand slackened. Then he let out a furious cry and kicked hard in the wizard's stomach, causing him to grunt in pain. Draco leaned forward, jabbing his wand in the throat of the struggling wizard beneath him. "I told you I would cut your fucking throat, Damien."
Draco twisted his wand and whispered venomously, "Sectumsempra."
The spell cut so deeply that Damien's head was instantly severed, leaving bloody indentions in the ground below him.
The spell simmered and faded; Lucius's face melted away, and after that, all that remained was the true face of Damien Black: plain, unremarkable, and dead.
Jerking his head up, Draco saw Ginny and Blanca still battling Bellatrix. Bellatrix was weathered, panting, unable to keep up with both of them at the same time as Blanca pressed her back, blistering in each spell. It seemed they had her, until Bellatrix seized a moment of opportunity and turned, firing not at Blanca, but directly at Ginny. The spell had such force that Ginny, even behind her shield, was launched off her feet, where she went crashing into the ground.
Draco rushed forward to help her, but three more Regulators jumped in his way, and he was forced to stay back.
Blanca whipped her head in Ginny's direction, and Bellatrix used that moment to fire on her. Blanca jumped behind her shield, but she, too, was knocked off her feet, and she landed hard very near the cliff, rolling so quickly that she tumbled right off the side.
"BLANCA!" screamed Ginny, but Richard was closer, and he lashed out with his wand to snatch Blanca around the middle with a glowing gold rope.
"I'VE GOT HER!" he yelled to Ginny, but Ginny barely heard him, because Bellatrix was in front of her now, relentlessly hurtling curse after curse in her direction. Ginny jumped up and scrambled to get out of the way, but she had no hope of firing back. Bellatrix was too fast and too strong.
It was just the two of them now.
Sliding in the mud from the rain, Ginny hurried to hide behind a piece of the broken stage, but Bellatrix blasted right through it, and Ginny fell over with a cry. Whirling to face the dark witch, Bellatrix and Ginny stood squarely in front of each other.
Inhaling deeply, Ginny pulled up her wand and set herself to fight.
Grinning wildly, Bellatrix rushed at her, firing off another curse that Ginny only just managed to avoid. "Oh, I am so glad you're here, little blood traitor!" taunted Bellatrix in a malicious shout. "After all, I do so love having a matched set!"
She fired off another hex, and Ginny barely rolled out of the way. She fired at Bellatrix, but the other witch blocked it effortlessly. Ginny's heart pounded, and she felt true panic. There was no one here to help her. Everyone else was fighting for their lives.
"First I killed your stupid brother," called out Bellatrix with delight. "And then your mother!" She fired at Ginny, who cried out from behind her shield. "And THEN YOUR FATHER!" Another curse, and Ginny's curse fell away entirely.
"And now," said Bellatrix, features curled, "I have you!" Ginny jerked up her wand to block, but Bellatrix was faster. "CRUCIO!"
The curse hit Ginny before she could even think. Agonizing pain shot through her every limb, and Ginny barely had the strength to cry out as she fell to her knees. Somewhere behind her, she heard Draco call out her name, but he sounded faraway. Pained tears filled Ginny's eyes, and her chest tightened. She couldn't breathe.
Bellatrix laughed, long and loud.
"But why should I stop with you?" she taunted, sliding closer, even as the agony immobilized Ginny entirely. "No, I think after today..." her eyes danced with malevolent delight, "... I'll go and find that little girl of yours."
Ginny's eyes jerked up, her entire body shaking violently against the curse. Even her blood hurt.
Bellatrix's dark lips curled in a twisted grin. "That's right, little Weasley. I know you've hidden her away somewhere, but I will find her. And when I do, I'll take my knife, and I'll cut her sweet, soft skin, over and over and over again…"
Ginny made an unintelligible noise against the curse, her face red and streaked with tears. Her teeth clicked strongly together, her fingers curled in claw-like positions at her sides.
"… until her little helpless infant body can't take it anymore," crooned Bellatrix, stepping closer. Fury filled Ginny, her breathing coming faster, her every joint shaking.
"And then," Bellatrix taunted, "once I've given that little brat all the pain, all the suffering she can endure – I will end her life with a slow, painful stroke of my blade… all before she's ever even old enough to know her name."
Suddenly, Ginny felt a presence all around her. Her strained eyes darted around, and she saw at her side, Arthur and Molly Weasley. Fred, Bill, Percy, and Ron were next to her as well, faces determined.
"Come on, Ginny," said Ron. "You can do it. Don't let her win. We're here."
She heard another voice behind her. "We've got you, Ginny," said Harry. "We won't let you fall."
"You're stronger than her, Ginny!" came Hermione's voice. "You are!"
"Fight, Ginny!" the voices chorused together.
Ginny's body seized, jerking against the spell, and with a great, burgeoning yell, she threw off the curse with such force that Bellatrix staggered back, shocked. Ginny heaved in a deep breath.
"NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!" Ginny hurled her wand forward. "AVADA KEDAVRA!"
The ray of green light pierced Bellatrix's chest directly at its center, and the dark witch staggered back, eyes wide, lips parted, before she fell in an arch and landed in a lifeless heap on the broken grounds of Hogwarts.
Nearby, Voldemort let out a great yell of rage as he watched Bellatrix fall.
That was when, from behind him, Blanca, Richard, and Michael lashed out with their wands and yelled in unison, "SECARE!" Identical beams of red light shot of their wands and sliced right through Voldemort's arm, severing it from its joint.
Draco ran forward, throwing out his own wand. "ACCIO ELDER WAND!"
The struggling wand jerked from Voldemort's unanchored grasp and flew across the scarred battleground, jumping right into Draco's outstretched fingers.
Draco snatched the wand out of the sky, and the power coursed through him like a shockwave, jolting him with its immense strength. Voldemort, now sans one arm, turned to face Draco with a monstrous yell.
Draco locked eyes with Voldemort. "Malfoys," he told Voldemort fiercely, "are servants to no one."
Then Draco waved his arm, and the Elder Wand, as if it could read his mind, let out a jet of green light before the spell had even finished crossing Draco's lips. "AVADA KEDAVRA!"
As soon as the curse struck Voldemort, the dark wizard froze, his spine going straight and his inhuman face creasing with an unfinished shout. Time seemed to slow as he took a step back, only to find that his legs were crumbling beneath him and the hard, unforgiving ground rose up to meet him.
With that, Tom Marvolo Riddle fell, dead before he even hit the ground.
The battle came to a stop, all eyes turning to Voldemort as he crumpled to the ground and did not stir. Draco stared, wand still extended, chest heaving. Moving slowly from her spot, Ginny edged closer, mud and blood splattered all the way up her fine robes and onto her face.
No one said anything. The battle had grown quiet, still.
"He's dead," said Draco at last, trembling with disbelief. He looked up to Ginny. "Voldemort is dead."
The entire magical population of Great Britain could only stare, unmoving. Nearby, Blanca ambled forward, favoring one leg, and she looked down at Voldemort. For a split-second, she seemed frozen as well.
Then she hurried forward, climbing onto a piece of rubble, dragging her broken leg behind her as she did so. Everyone turned to watch her climb to the top, and when Blanca reached a spot above everyone else, she turned her face to the sky and let out a howl.
"WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Blanca screamed joyfully at the top of her lungs.
Ginny let out a loud laugh, and the Americans joined Blanca, screaming wordlessly into the air and thrusting their wands high, so that colorful bursts of magic leaped into the air like fireworks and exploded over Hogwarts.
All at once, the massive crowd of people began to do the same, and more shouts filled the air, yet more explosions jumping into the sky as people tossed up their wands and filled the air with elated shouts of joy. The cries grew so loud that the ground seemed to tremble, and at the same moment, the shields disappeared and the sky opened up again, the magical storm falling away.
The bright sun returned, and the clouds vanished. And still, the crowd grew louder, witches and wizards calling out and throwing up their arms with gleeful cheers.
The remaining Death Eaters hit their knees in disbelief, hands behind their heads as the Aurors snatched them up and put them in restraints.
Ginny looked across the battlefield and saw Draco, who stared at her. Crying out with joy, they ran to each other, and Ginny leaped into Draco's arms, wrapping her arms and legs around him as he twirled her. Nearby, George and Vera rushed to one another, as did Charlie and Fleur.
Luna Lovegood held out her arms and spun in circles, crying out over and over again, "He's gone, Father! He's gone!"
"I can't believe it!" sobbed Ginny, taking Draco's face in her muddy hands. She pressed their faces together, tears pouring down her cheeks. "He's dead, Draco. Tom Riddle is dead."
Draco let out an incredulous laugh, holding her tight against him and whimpering as he held her close. Suddenly, something tackled them from the side; it was Blanca.
Draco laughed and dropped Ginny. "Disarm him!" he shouted to Blanca. "You bloody Americans are so FUCKING literal!"
"Hey man, whatever works!" crowed Blanca, before she wrapped them both up in her arms and hauled them off the ground in a hug.
Nearby, Theodore Nott dragged his hands down his face. "Can we please just go home now?" he cried out, looking upset. Lavender and Astoria both laughed and slung their arms around him, leading him off.
A few feet away, Blaise Zabini was brushing some dirt off his robes. "Well," he said, turning to face Gabrielle and Jean, "I hope you two would-be Gryffindors are happy, because I am now officially – " he checked his pocket watch, " – late for brunch with my mother. And you know damn well that a government coup is no excuse for tardiness."
Gabrielle and Jean exchanged amused looks. "Sorry darling," said Gabrielle, while Jean muttered, "Sorry, dear."
"So," said Blaise smoothly, "my suggestion to the… two of you," his eyes flickered to Jean, "is that you spend the rest of the day thinking about all the best possible ways to make this up to me. Is that clear?"
"Oui," said they in unison, each smirking.
"Good," said Blaise. "Then I'll see you both at home."
With that, he turned and walked away. Behind him, Gabrielle nudged Jean, and then she jerked her head in Blaise's direction. Jean hesitated for only a moment, and then he grinned, rushing forward to catch Blaise by the arm. As soon as the other wizard rounded to face him, Jean put his hand behind Blaise's head and pulled him into a deep kiss.
There was no hesitation; Blaise returned the kiss with a hand on Jean's chest, and when he pulled away, he gave Jean a real smile, which Jean returned fully. Pulling back, Blaise pursed his lips to hide his smile, but it did not vanish entirely. Flickering his eyes over Jean's face, Blaise pulled away from him, slid his hands in the pockets of his robes, and walked off.
"YAY!" shrieked Gabrielle, jumping up and down and clapping her hands.
Jean turned back and rushed to her, encircling her in his arms and pulling her up so she could wrap her legs around him and cling to his neck. "I missed you so much!" Gabrielle exclaimed. "Let's have another baby!"
Jean laughed joyfully, carrying Gabrielle off. "Okay!" he told her.
Gabrielle cheered. "Two to one! We win!"
Near the front of Hogwarts, Ginny wrapped Draco in her arms and kissed him, fingers tight in his robes. "I love you so very much," she told him against his lips, and Draco smiled at her, looking so like he had that day they'd kissed in the forest.
"And I am so grateful for everything about you," he told her in a whisper.
"Ahem," said a voice, and they pulled away to see Minerva McGonagall smiling. She looked in the direction of the castle. "Mrs. Malfoy, if you would be so kind," she said, gesturing at an austere stone sign.
Grinning, Ginny stepped forward with her wand and pointed it directly at the large engraved letters. They read: GLANFUIL SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY. With a deep breath, Ginny sliced her wand through the air. "CONFRINGO!"
The sign blasted apart, revealing the banners of Hogwarts School and Witchcraft behind it. The crowd cheered again, raucous noises of celebration thundering into the sky. Laughing, Ginny climbed onto the rubble and looked out at Hogwarts, her arms spread wide.
As she did so, she spotted a group of figures on the bridge just in front of Hogwarts's immense front doors. Ginny lowered her arms, lips parted as she recognized Harry Potter standing there.
Behind him was Ron Weasley, and next to Ron was Hermione. Fred was there, too, and Bill and Percy. Molly and Arthur Weasley held each other and smiled, looking directly at Ginny, tearfully tabbing at their eyes and waving at her. Behind them, many more faces gathered, all just in front of the entrance to Hogwarts.
She saw Harry meet her gaze over the long distance and smile. The two figures who stood at his sides smiled, too – James and Lily Potter. A lump rose in Ginny's throat as those gathered behind Harry turned in unison and walked in the direction of the doors.
As Ginny watched, the departed souls returned to Hogwarts. Harry lingered after all the rest, taking one final look at Ginny before he gave her a last wave.
Ginny lifted her hand and waved back.
"Ginny?" said Draco, following her gaze and seeing nothing. "What're you waving at?"
She looked down at Draco and stumbled off her perch, falling into his arms and letting out a watery chuckle. "Just some old friends," she told him, before she jumped into his arms again. "Come on," she told Draco. "Let's go get our girls."
Draco smiled brilliantly, pulling Ginny into a kiss as he lowered her to the ground.
"That," he said, "is an excellent idea."
Ginny smirked. "I'm full of them," she whispered against his lips.
And with that, they left.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was re-opened the following September under Headmistress Minerva McGonagall. Once more allowing witches and wizards of all backgrounds, the school flourished.
Kingsley Shacklebolt was nominated Minister of Magic, and the Regulator force was deposed. All surviving Death Eaters were imprisoned, and the remaining departments of Muggleborn subjugation were shut down.
Shacklebolt offered Draco a new position in the Ministry, but Draco refused, telling him, "Working is for poor people, and I do not plan to do it for a moment longer."
A few days after the war, Blanca and the other Americans returned home to the United States. Blanca and her family came back to England every year, though, and enjoyed a vacation with the Malfoys. As a result, the two families remained very close for the rest of their lives.
As it turned out, Blanca was right; both of her children turned out to be magical. Marco and Mayra each attended Ilvermorny and were both sorted into Horned Serpent.
The war over, Andromeda and Ted Tonks were finally able to reunite. They also regained custody of Teddy, who had actually been very well taken care of by Damien's wife, Inga. In fact, Inga so cared for Teddy that Andromeda and Ted allowed her to continue visiting him throughout his life. This made Inga very happy, and she was able to find many friends in England after her abusive husband's death.
Andromeda and Ted also adopted and raised two orphaned Muggleborns alongside their grandson.
Teddy attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and he was sorted into Hufflepuff.
Charlie and Fleur remained married after the war, although they never had any more children. Instead, they were happy to raise Margrethe, which they did with a great deal of love and compassion. When Margrethe started school, they left to travel the world together, with Charlie continuing his magizoological work and Fleur writing travel editorials for Witch Weekly.
Margrethe attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and was sorted into Gryffindor.
George and Vera returned to their shop, and they reopened it to great success. Although they both suffered greatly from the loss of their siblings, they were able to find solace together, and they remained happily married for many years.
The couple eventually had two children, a boy named Fred and a girl named Vita.
Fred and Vita both attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and they were each sorted into Gryffindor.
Four months after the war, Theo and Astoria married in a lovely ceremony in London. The pair later had two sons, Laertes and Horatio. However, Theo once revealed to Lavender that he preferred Parvartus over his own sons, stating that they reminded him too much of his father.
Lavender moved into her cottage with Parvartus, and a few years after the war, she opened up a flower shop in Diagon Alley. The shop was called Bouquets of Lavender, and it was a great success.
Theo remained Parvartus's primary father figure throughout his entire life, and as a result, Parvartus spent most of his childhood under the assumption that Lavender and Theo were actually brother and sister. Just before his first year at Hogwarts, Theo and Lavender sat him down and gently explained the true circumstances of his birth. Parvartus, being a sensitive boy, was upset at first, but he eventually came to understand, and their relationships all remained largely unchanged.
Lavender did not date for many years, instead preferring to happily divide her time between her family, friends, and business. One day, though, a kindly Irish wizard who frequented her shop asked if he could take her to lunch. After much internal debate, Lavender accepted.
She had a wonderful time.
Parvartus attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry one year ahead of his two best friends. He was sorted into Hufflepuff, much to Theo's dismay.
Once the battle was over, Jean returned to the Zabini household. He regained his old job at St. Mungo's, and Blaise and Gabrielle once more took up their positions as socialites. A year after the war, Blaise and Gabrielle planned a special proposal for Jean and offered to make him an "official" part of the family. Jean happily accepted, and the Zabinis had a grand wedding ceremony; the ensuing party was the talk of magical England for years.
After that, Jean changed his name to Zabini, wore a wedding ring, and never found a reason to leave again.
Gabrielle went on to have three more children: twin girls by Jean, whom they named Marinette and Leilette, and a last girl by Blaise, this time named Isabella. When Blaise saw that their fourth and final child was a girl, he turned to Marseille, took him by the shoulders and said, "I'm sorry, son. I have given you my curse." Then he left to go smoke a cigar.
Marseille attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and was sorted into Slytherin. All three of the girls opted to attend Beauxbatons instead, stating that no boys would ever date them at Hogwarts because they were all too afraid of Marseille.
Draco Malfoy renounced his position as Head of Muggleborn Registration Commission. After cracking the nameplate on the door, he tossed it over his shoulder, told Shacklebolt to "bugger off," and then left. From then on, he devoted all his time and energy to his family and hobbies.
As soon as he and Ginny were able, they rushed to Sweden to pick up Athena and Narcissa. From there, they went to America, where Maggie was waiting for them. Maggie was so happy to see them, she cried and clinged to them for an hour, never wanting to let go. Draco and Ginny brought both of the girls home, and they were finally able to begin their lives as a family.
Shortly after, Draco personally funded the building of a beautiful and stately children's home for all the Muggleborns who had been orphaned by the war. He then campaigned for it tirelessly, making certain that each child was eventually adopted.
He also kept his promise to Ben Jankowski and brought his wife and two sons to England. They stayed at the most elegant magical hotel in all of Great Britain, and every single expense was entirely paid for. Draco also enlisted in the help of Oliver Wood to show the family the Muggle parts of London. As a result, Oliver grew very close to the family, even moving to the United States a year later to be closer to them.
Three years after the war, Ginny tried out for the Holyhead Harpies Quidditch team. She made the team as a reserve Chaser, and within a year, she was a starter. Within two more years, she was their Captain. In all, Ginny played professional Quidditch for eight years. She took her team to three national championships, and she also played for the English national team four times.
In her final year as a Quidditch player, Ginny helped her team win the World Cup while her family watched from the stands, cheering louder than anyone else there.
After that, Ginny retired from Quidditch to spend more time with her family. She and Draco went on to have one more child, a rambunctious little boy they named Atticus.
Maggie, Athena, and Atticus all attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As Draco predicted, Maggie was sorted into Gryffindor, as was Atticus.
And Athena? Well, officially she was sorted into Ravenclaw.
But only because she asked.
"Not Slytherin, eh? ... Are you sure? You could be great, you know…"
- The Sorting Hat, HPSS
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The End.