DISCLAIMER: Read my lips: I own nothing. Try and sue, I have nothing to lose anyway.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: THE ENDING
When Lili next opened her eyes, she felt a bit confused. She wasn't in her room at home, and she wasn't in her room at SAM, and she wasn't in her room at Hogwarts. So where the heck was she?
It all came rushing back to her, along with the headache of the millennium, as she sat up. "Oy, anyone get the license number of that truck?" she moaned.
"It was I H8 VOLDY," Draco responded, not bothering to move.
Harry turned his head slightly to look at him. "Not your best material, Malfoy."
"What are you expecting, Mystery Science Theater? We've been unconscious for-" he checked his watch- "five hours. I'm not at top form."
"Five hours? So that's why my back feels like I slept on a mattress full of rocks." Hermione and Ron were sitting up as well, both holding their heads.
"But what happened? Did it work?" All five swiveled their heads around, looking for Voldemort. They saw several prone Death Eater bodies, and the still body of the lioness Naguret lying where she had fallen. Lili crawled to the side of the fallen animal.
"She's dead," she pronounced, although they all knew it already. "I called on the Mother, Gaia, and the Mother gave Naguret life again, enough to help me. I'm not sure if I'm amazed that I was worth the Mother bringing back a dead child, or terrified that I'm an extension of that kind of power."
"A little of each, I think," Draco put in, as he made a halfhearted attempt to stand up.
She smiled. "How is it I can stand you, forget getting along with you? You know me too well." She stood up. "Voldemort's gone, anyway. For good. The Mothers and Fathers made sure of that when they started this. They prepare in advance, them."
"Um, Lili? As wonderful as ancient legend-time is, can we go? This place gives me the creeps." Hermione looked around her and shivered, the stained glass windows were mostly of gruesome battle scenes, with a good murder here and there for flavor. "Not exactly cheerful and enlightening," she muttered under her breath.
Lili rolled her eyes. "Try having to spend three solid days here. With the knowledge that you'll probably die at the end of them. Not fun. I want to get out, now. Let's haul." From seemingly nowhere, she produced a packet of Floo powder. "This can only be used in this fireplace," she gestured to the extremely large fireplace in front of them. "So they let me have it. I got it off Mitty." Ron leaned down, and with a swift gesture, a fire was crackling merrily. It did a lot to lighten the atmosphere.
Draco tossed a handful of powder into the flame. "Hogwarts!" He called, and stepped into the swirling green. The others followed him, Lili, as usual, waiting to be last. Hermione waited with her.
Just as Hermione was about to call out the name, she paused. Looking up at the top of the mantelpiece, she read the engraved words, "Draco Dormiens." She shook her head. "Very cute. He named this place the first half of the school motto. Bet he thought it was clever, too." With one last shake of her head, she called out "Hogwarts!" and disappeared. Lili took one last look around, and followed her friend.
She fell forward into a circular room, and the waiting arms of one Harry Potter. Turning slightly pink, she stood upright and brushed the soot off of what remained of the once glorious purple robe. She tilted her head upwards, and looked into the twinkling eyes of Albus Dumbledore.
"I see you were successful," he commented. "Please, have a seat." He gestured to the last empty chair in the office. It was his own, but Lili sat down in it without the usual "oh-no-I-couldn't"s.
"I hate to have to ask you this so soon, but what happened?" He gazed at all five, and they squirmed in their seats, none wanting to begin. In the end, it was Harry who spoke.
"You see, Professor, after we left..."
It took a good hour to get the entire story out. It wouldn't have taken as long, but every few minutes, Lili would stop him to add in some insignificant little detail. The fifth time she did this, Ron told her off in a not-too-nice way, and she, not feeling up to an argument, sat back in her chair and let Harry continue. "It seems kind of... anti-climatic now," he finished.
"I suppose it might, for you, anyway." Dumbledore had, in the meantime, conjured up another chair, and now he leaned back in it. "Harry, you have been up against Voldemort so many times by now, that anything other than some sort of showdown between you and him alone would seem tame to you." Harry looked horrified at this, ever since meeting Lockhart, he had done his best to avoid being sucked into his fame. "It has nothing to do with you as a person, simply the events in your past. And all of you," his gaze widened to include the other four. "A job well done. Mr. Malfoy especially, he had the additional burden of not immediately being accepted. And Miss Grey, thank you for figuring out the Spirit element. I did not realize it, otherwise I would have told you immediately. Let me see... two hundred points to Gryffindor, and two hundred to Slytherin. Just to make it even. Now-"
"Um, Professor?" Lili interrupted him cautiously. "I just have to ask this, really fast... what's today's date?"
Dumbledore looked taken aback for a moment, then smiled. "Why, Miss Grey, today is Tuesday, April the twenty-fifth, and I believe the sixth year Gryffindors and Slytherins all have a rather large test in Potions at the moment." Harry, Ron, Draco, and Lili all looked as though they had been hit by lightning, Hermione could not have been more gleeful. "But," he added, "I doubt you will have to worry about that." Hermione's face fell, and the others looked overjoyed. "Now, off you scoot. You all have the rest of the week off. Enjoy yourselves, on Friday there will be a feast. And by the way," he added, as they moved for the door. "My thanks to you, and all the world, Warriors of the Light."
(A/N) That was it! The last chapter! I know it's not all that great, but hey, I'm kinda sick at the moment, and damn stressed out. I'm also rewriting this, the whole story, trying to make it better. I'll repost it when I'm done. And the sequel to this (I don't have a name yet, so all of you with suggestions about anything can email me, it's in my profile) will be coming out soon, I have the whole thing planned. Kinda. Well, it'll work out. Review, email (especially email, I don't get enough), and give me your suggestions! See ya soon, and luv ya lots!
-M.W.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: THE ENDING
When Lili next opened her eyes, she felt a bit confused. She wasn't in her room at home, and she wasn't in her room at SAM, and she wasn't in her room at Hogwarts. So where the heck was she?
It all came rushing back to her, along with the headache of the millennium, as she sat up. "Oy, anyone get the license number of that truck?" she moaned.
"It was I H8 VOLDY," Draco responded, not bothering to move.
Harry turned his head slightly to look at him. "Not your best material, Malfoy."
"What are you expecting, Mystery Science Theater? We've been unconscious for-" he checked his watch- "five hours. I'm not at top form."
"Five hours? So that's why my back feels like I slept on a mattress full of rocks." Hermione and Ron were sitting up as well, both holding their heads.
"But what happened? Did it work?" All five swiveled their heads around, looking for Voldemort. They saw several prone Death Eater bodies, and the still body of the lioness Naguret lying where she had fallen. Lili crawled to the side of the fallen animal.
"She's dead," she pronounced, although they all knew it already. "I called on the Mother, Gaia, and the Mother gave Naguret life again, enough to help me. I'm not sure if I'm amazed that I was worth the Mother bringing back a dead child, or terrified that I'm an extension of that kind of power."
"A little of each, I think," Draco put in, as he made a halfhearted attempt to stand up.
She smiled. "How is it I can stand you, forget getting along with you? You know me too well." She stood up. "Voldemort's gone, anyway. For good. The Mothers and Fathers made sure of that when they started this. They prepare in advance, them."
"Um, Lili? As wonderful as ancient legend-time is, can we go? This place gives me the creeps." Hermione looked around her and shivered, the stained glass windows were mostly of gruesome battle scenes, with a good murder here and there for flavor. "Not exactly cheerful and enlightening," she muttered under her breath.
Lili rolled her eyes. "Try having to spend three solid days here. With the knowledge that you'll probably die at the end of them. Not fun. I want to get out, now. Let's haul." From seemingly nowhere, she produced a packet of Floo powder. "This can only be used in this fireplace," she gestured to the extremely large fireplace in front of them. "So they let me have it. I got it off Mitty." Ron leaned down, and with a swift gesture, a fire was crackling merrily. It did a lot to lighten the atmosphere.
Draco tossed a handful of powder into the flame. "Hogwarts!" He called, and stepped into the swirling green. The others followed him, Lili, as usual, waiting to be last. Hermione waited with her.
Just as Hermione was about to call out the name, she paused. Looking up at the top of the mantelpiece, she read the engraved words, "Draco Dormiens." She shook her head. "Very cute. He named this place the first half of the school motto. Bet he thought it was clever, too." With one last shake of her head, she called out "Hogwarts!" and disappeared. Lili took one last look around, and followed her friend.
She fell forward into a circular room, and the waiting arms of one Harry Potter. Turning slightly pink, she stood upright and brushed the soot off of what remained of the once glorious purple robe. She tilted her head upwards, and looked into the twinkling eyes of Albus Dumbledore.
"I see you were successful," he commented. "Please, have a seat." He gestured to the last empty chair in the office. It was his own, but Lili sat down in it without the usual "oh-no-I-couldn't"s.
"I hate to have to ask you this so soon, but what happened?" He gazed at all five, and they squirmed in their seats, none wanting to begin. In the end, it was Harry who spoke.
"You see, Professor, after we left..."
It took a good hour to get the entire story out. It wouldn't have taken as long, but every few minutes, Lili would stop him to add in some insignificant little detail. The fifth time she did this, Ron told her off in a not-too-nice way, and she, not feeling up to an argument, sat back in her chair and let Harry continue. "It seems kind of... anti-climatic now," he finished.
"I suppose it might, for you, anyway." Dumbledore had, in the meantime, conjured up another chair, and now he leaned back in it. "Harry, you have been up against Voldemort so many times by now, that anything other than some sort of showdown between you and him alone would seem tame to you." Harry looked horrified at this, ever since meeting Lockhart, he had done his best to avoid being sucked into his fame. "It has nothing to do with you as a person, simply the events in your past. And all of you," his gaze widened to include the other four. "A job well done. Mr. Malfoy especially, he had the additional burden of not immediately being accepted. And Miss Grey, thank you for figuring out the Spirit element. I did not realize it, otherwise I would have told you immediately. Let me see... two hundred points to Gryffindor, and two hundred to Slytherin. Just to make it even. Now-"
"Um, Professor?" Lili interrupted him cautiously. "I just have to ask this, really fast... what's today's date?"
Dumbledore looked taken aback for a moment, then smiled. "Why, Miss Grey, today is Tuesday, April the twenty-fifth, and I believe the sixth year Gryffindors and Slytherins all have a rather large test in Potions at the moment." Harry, Ron, Draco, and Lili all looked as though they had been hit by lightning, Hermione could not have been more gleeful. "But," he added, "I doubt you will have to worry about that." Hermione's face fell, and the others looked overjoyed. "Now, off you scoot. You all have the rest of the week off. Enjoy yourselves, on Friday there will be a feast. And by the way," he added, as they moved for the door. "My thanks to you, and all the world, Warriors of the Light."
(A/N) That was it! The last chapter! I know it's not all that great, but hey, I'm kinda sick at the moment, and damn stressed out. I'm also rewriting this, the whole story, trying to make it better. I'll repost it when I'm done. And the sequel to this (I don't have a name yet, so all of you with suggestions about anything can email me, it's in my profile) will be coming out soon, I have the whole thing planned. Kinda. Well, it'll work out. Review, email (especially email, I don't get enough), and give me your suggestions! See ya soon, and luv ya lots!
-M.W.