Lucius Malfoy cursed as he realized that he had failed. His Nazgul vanished in a shrieking mist as the Ring was destroyed. Then that dragon saved the Weasel. He grabbed his broom, and fled only to find another dragon as he rose into the clearing sky. The dragon forced him to the ground, and his wand was taken before he could recover. A brown haired man glared at him, saying, "Now we will find out what justice demands of you."
He was turned over to a group of elves who appeared suddenly, and they took him to a safe place. He stayed there, unable to escape, until his trial.
*
Charlie Weasley grinned as Hermione bent down to kiss his brother. "maybe I should leave?" he said.
"Charlie?" Ron said, when he had the chance. "I thought I heard you, at the end."
"You did, little brother," Charlie said, "but it almost didn't happen. You don't know how close it all was. You have scars, by the way, compliments of Norbert."
Ron stared at his brother in surprise, but refused to ask any questions. Then Hermione said, "He's famous, Ron. Did you know that?"
"It's true, Ron," Charlie said, "I'll show you the Daily Prophet. I'm the headline as The Savior of The Ringbearer."
"I've got to here this," Ron said, "How did you save Frodo?"
"He didn't," Hermione said, "He saved you. Every one know that you were the one who carried the Ring to its destruction." She laughed, adding, "You are the hero of the day."
"What? For almost killing myself? What about everyone else."
"We're famous, too," Faramir said, speaking up for the first time, "but mostly for knowing you. And Harry told me to tell you this. A reporter asked him what it was like being your friend."
Ron laughed at the irony of it all. He had done almost nothing, and now everyone knew his name. "I'll have to ask Harry how to handle all of this fame."
*
As Ron dressed and prepared to face the reporters, he thought about what Hermione had told him. He was the most famous person in the world, at least for this week, but people looked at him as a legend and not as a real person.
He stepped out of his hospital room, and was escorted to the interview room, which was crowded with reporters. The questions were simple. One of the first was if he wore the ring. Ron didn't think but said yes, then went on to explain that it was the only way he could see the Nazgul. For a brief moment, the room went silent, at this piece of news that no one had known about. Then it became a feeding frenzy as everyone tried to ask questions at once.
Ron was surprised at how calm he felt. It was easier dealing with all of these reporters than with one of Snape's classes. He answered every question, except one. Someone showed him a picture, taken that morning, of Hermione bending over to kiss him while he was in the hospital bed. The reporter asked if they were going to get married. Ron smiled at the thought, but said nothing. He wasn't sure, but he thought the reporter preferred getting no answer.
*
It was Saturday night, on the sixteenth of January, and Ron was waiting outside the Great Hall in brand new dress robes. He gasped as Hermione walked down the staircase to meet him. In his eyes, she was the most beautiful women in the world. He led her into the Hall for the Celebration Ball, and never noticed the applause as they entered. The music began to play, and they danced for the first time.
*
Faramir returned to the Mark as a hero. He felt pride, because he had held up his family honor, but the truth was that he was happier to receive the private hugs of his family, than all of the public praise thrown at him. He looked for, and found 'Uncle' Jellico joyfully talking with his distant Brandybuck cousins.
The sad part of his return came when he spotted Evelyne. She was walking hand in hand with another hobbit. She came by, politely commenting on his big adventures, adding that her new boyfriend was the sensible type. Faramir tried to be polite, but began to shake in anger because her rude attitude. Evelyne showed her true colors by giving a small laugh and asking, "What are you nervous about?"
"And who is this," a familiar voice said behind him, "Is she your girlfriend?"
"She was," Faramir said with an unsteady voice, turning to face Fedelia, "She was introducing me to her new boyfriend."
Fedelia took Faramir's arm possessively, and said, "Aren't you going to introduce me, Far?"
Evelyne glared at Fedelia for ruining her chance to put down the famous Faramir Took, and dragged her new boyfriend away before another word could be spoken.
"Thank you," Faramir said, "I owe you one."
Fedelia looked down at him and smiled. Then she frowned and said, "Faramir, I think you've grown taller."
*
Frodo had returned to the Mark to decide what to do with his life. His memories of his old life now seemed unreal, and he had few from his current life, as he called it. As he thought, the girl he had danced with, at thirty five the youngest of the Took's daughters, came and sat next to him.
"Do you always waste time like this?" she asked.
"I couldn't think of anything to do," Frodo said, looking up at the familiar face. As he looked at her face, he thought of something he could do. It was called courting. He did that for almost a year, then he did something else. It was called marriage.
*
Kyle Stillwell was enthralled by magic. When he found out about his sister's boyfriend, Dennis, he thought about nothing else. It was everything he had always wanted. He asked his grandfather about the chances of his being a wizard. He asked Dennis and Colin. Once, when he was invited with Jennifer to watch a game of Quidditch, he asked the old man who ran the school. What he didn't know was that when he returned home his memory of magic would be erased. The Ministry of Magic decided that was something he and his family had no need to know about.
While Kyle watched the game, Albus talked to his grandfather. They talked for a good while afterward, and the two old men agreed. As planned, Albus met Kyle at the entrance to the Great Hall and asked to speak to him privately. He led the boy, now nine, into a small room where his grandfather and three elves were waiting for him. Albus told the boy that the elves were going to examine him to see if he had any magical ability. Kyle turned in surprise to his grandfather, who smiled in reassurance.
As Kyle stood there, one elf knelt before him and took the boy's hands into his own. The other two elves stood on either side of him, and placed their hands on his head and his shoulders. He watched the elf in front of him, and saw his hands begin to glow. Then he noticed that his own hands were glowing as well. All too soon, the glowing stopped, and the elves let go of him.
One of the elves went to a table and picked up one of several wands. "This is most suited to him. If he can perform magic, this one will tell us."
The elf showed the boy how to move his hand to make the shining stream of stars appear. Kyle tried it, and looked sad as only a few sparks appeared. "Try it again," the elf said, "but relax your hand, and think of what colors you would like the stars to be."
Kyle tried again, and managed a small sputtering noise and a few gold stars. He frowned at the thought that he couldn't do the spell. The elf noticed this and said, "He isn't very good, Albus. If he is to be a wizard, you will have to teach this one."
Kyle reacted like he had just been told it was going to be Christmas every day for the rest of his life. He promised Dumbledore vigorously that he would work hard if he was allowed to go to the school. Albus promised to consider it, and told him, that, in the meantime, he should not talk about what had happened. Kyle kept that promise for almost five minutes. He was sent back to the Great Hall for dinner when he ran into one of the teachers and shouted, "I'm going to be a wizard."
"Oh, be still, my beating heart. What wonderful news," Professor Snape said in one of his most sarcastic tones, but the boy had already left.
Albus thanked the boy's grandfather for letting them test their theory. After all, the elves had the means to remove the magical ability from a person. It seemed reasonable that it could be given to another person.
Aaron looked at Dumbledore and told him that he did not care so much about magic. He did it because he did not want his grandson to lose any of his memories. "In the end, that is all we have."
After Aaron left to join his family, Albus went to another room and unlocked the door. "Lucius Malfoy," he called out, "You are free to go."
"What do you mean, free?" Lucius Malfoy said in disgust.
"I mean exactly that," Albus said, "Despite your efforts, you never did managed to kill anyone. Therefore, the Ministry decided that you should only be stripped of your power, and released."
"Will you give me my wand?" Lucius asked.
"If you like, but it will be useless to you now. As I have said, you have been stripped of all of your power. You can no longer perform magic."
Lucius had the look of total defeat as he was led from the school. He would live the rest of his life as a muggle.
*
Frodo payed a visit to the school, and made it a point to talk to Harry. "Hermione told me about those last few minutes," he said.
Harry slumped in his chair, saying, "then you know that I failed. I tried to take the ring."
Frodo smiled at his friend. "I seem to remember doing something like that myself. The ring had the power to corrupt even the most honest person. Be thankful you had a trusted friend to save you from yourself.
Harry nodded at the thought, but added, "I should be thankful that Ron was stronger than I was."
Ron walked over from where he had been standing and listening, and said, "No, Harry, I wasn't stronger, only slower. In the end, I tried to keep the ring as well, but I was too late."
Frodo smiled and said, "I don't know about you, but I feel better. It helps to know that I was not the only one to falter."
Harry and Ron could only agree.
*
William Oakley looked out of the window, as the rain softly fell. It made a comforting sound, as he tried to organize his thoughts. He and Mary would be visiting Dennis later today, for a special occasion. They would visit the judge for one last meeting, to finalize the adoption.. It made everything that had happened seem unreal. He wiped his eyes, and went to get ready. His son would be waiting.
*
Mr. Ollivander smiled as the door opened to his shop to find himself looking at an odd group of people. The oddest thing was that he recognized all of them. He excused himself and walked around them to the door, locked it, and turned the sign to say 'closed.'
"I supposed I should go through the formalities and ask if there is anything I can help you with." he said to the group. He knew Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts. He knew Ginny Weasley, as well, but there was something different about her, and something familiar as well. He greeted them, then turned to Galdor and said, "Hello, old friend, I have not seen you for a very long time."
"Not since the funeral of your father," Galdor said.
"His father?" asked Hermione, the fourth member of the group.
"Yes, Miss Granger," said the wand seller. "It appears I am more than I claim to be." His face became sad, as he thought of what to say. "Perhaps I should introduce myself, by my name. That should be sufficient to clear the air. I am Pendarion Telcontar, the youngest child of Aragorn, King Elessar. I believe you have heard of him."
"Wait," said Hermione, "I read the books, and I remember that Aragorn only had one son. It was clearly said that the rest of his children were daughters."
"His name was removed from the list of heirs," Galdor said. "He chose to follow the path of his grandfather, and refused his inheritance, in the best interest of Gondor."
"How curious," Albus said, "Your grandfather was Elrond, if I remember."
Mr. Ollivander smiled and said, "That is not quite right. My grandfather is Elrond, who still lives in the undying lands to the west. But that is not why you are here. If you will follow me I will show you the answer to the question you have not asked."
The wand seller lead then to the back of his shop, and opened a heavy door with a key. He led the way down a short corridor, and opened another door to his arboretum.
"This is why I called myself Ollivander. It is a play on words, O` lelf ander. It would literally translate as "of tree staying with.' Only someone who knew the elvin language would understand, but until today no elf has ever approached me. Galdor, I feared that you had all left. But enough of this. Come and see what I have done."
He stood aside and ushered them through the door. All of them gaped at what they saw.
"Is that what I think it is?" asked Hermione.
"It is," said Galdor as he gazed in wonder at the golden leaves. They stood and looked at a small park filled with Mallorn trees.
"I went to Lorien in the early days of my search," Ollivander said, "the trees were failing because of the lack of care. I gathered as many seeds as I could carry, and hid them away, until I found a safe place from the encroachment of men. I also saved the seed from another tree."
He led the way along a well traveled path, and led then to the clearing in the center. It was a white tree. Galdor showed the least surprise. After all, Ollivander was a play on words, meaning stay with the tree, not trees.
They stayed in the park for a long time, savoring the aroma of the trees, and asking the Half-Elvin Prince, now wand seller, many questions. Ollivander said little of his wanderings, but did mention that this was not the first place of trees he had made. Whenever he needed to abandon one grove, he always had more than he needed, to plant another.
"More?" asked Galdor and Albus at the same time.
"I will show you," Ollivander said, and pulled out his wand. He called out, "Accio, Accio," and two boxes flew to land on the ground where he sat. He gave one box to Dumbledore, and one to the elf. Inside each box was a seed. "Never before has more than one of the white trees lived at the same time. Even I never chanced to do that, but I did learn to harvest the seeds. Now is the time to see how they grow."
It chanced that Olivander was asked if he knew anything about the origins of the house elves, or the lost children as they were now commonly called. He said he did not, but that Radagast did. He added that, for some unknown reason, Radagast had been forbidden to tell. It was to remain a mystery.
*
Peter Pettigrew stared at his master. Only by luck had he managed to spirit him away, but Lord Voldemort remained in a coma. No magic that had been tried had been able to awaken him. The Death Eaters had deserted, and left him to care for the body on his own.
He cried in despair. He had no friends to turn to, and he was now powerless. He had tied his fortune to his master, and, for all his efforts, was left with nothing.
*
Grilchek sat at his desk making marks in the ledger. His arm tired easily but it was getting stronger as it continued its slow healing. He looked up as the bank managers approached him.
"Hrothchak is dead," the Senior Manager told him. "He died by his own hand rather than serve his master any longer."
It was the nature of goblins that they must serve a master, and the master was always impressed upon the goblin when he is first seeded in the pit. Since the fall of Sauron, every goblin has had Radagast as their master, and he was a master who had never made any demand on any goblin. The Senior Manager saw the question in the young clerk's face and said, "Hrothchak did not serve Aiwendel, but the Lord Voldemort. He rebelled against such a cruel master rather than continue to betray us to the Dark."
"I thank you for telling me this news," Grilchek said, "but why do you come to me as a group."
"We have to replace him," the Senior Manager told him, "and we have chosen you as the new Chairman of the Board for the Bank."
Grilchek was at a loss for words. "But why do you choose me? I am only twelve years out of the pits. I should be the least likely candidate."
The Head Accountant stepped forward, and said, "It is because of who your master is that we chose you. The world is changing, and it is you who will lead the new generation."
The Chief Auditor spoke up, "When you were seeded, Radagast was not named as your master. You should know this, now. He asked us, for many years, to make one like you, and we only did so with you."
Grilchek stood up and looked hard at the goblins before him, and saw that each of them was afraid. "Who is my master, then? Who do I serve?"
"Yourself," the Chief Auditor said, "We named you as your own master, and you have proven yourself better than any of us."
"Do you accept the position?" the Senior Manager asked.
Grilchek could only nod his head.
*
Narcissa smiled as the judge ruled in her favor. Her divorce was final. She was a free woman. The second ruling made her truly happy. All of her exhusband's property and money were awarded to her as compensation. She did not even have to share it with that useless rodent of a son that had been forced on her.
She smiled again, as the wizard escorted her from the courtroom. He was an ambitious man in the government, and would be a good catch. He saw her money and influence, and thought the same about her. They would wait a proper length of time before they married, and she would make it a point to have a proper child this time, perhaps a daughter.
*
Draco smiled as he looked at his possible futures. The dwarves were discussing their plans with the elves, but they would accept his offer. No one would object, because none of the profits would come directly to him. He could guarantee that the fishing boats would consistently have the hauls of fish to fill the demand, and money would flow into the village.
If the future shaped itself the right way, he had only one more thing to do. It would take time, he thought with a mischievous grin, but he would even the score with Harry Potter. Draco laughed to himself, as he saw how Potter would react to what he would do.
*
The elves tried to dissuade the dwarves from dealing with Draco Malfoy, as he had seen, but the dwarves demurred. Draco had offered to tell them where Khazad Dhum was, at a reasonable fee, to be paid after they were satisfied. This smelled of honesty, as did the offer to supply them with fresh seafood. They would make the deal, but keep their eyes open.
It was Ginny who persuaded the elves to wait. She said that Draco could do nothing without their finding out about it. They already had many close ties with men in the fishing village, and could watch him easily. "His plans are deep, and we must be ready when they surface. He can only work by guile, and we can be crafty as well. We will keep close to him and watch him." The elves agreed, and many saw the wisdom and influence of Galdor in this. He had found an excellent partner in the changeling girl.
*
Harry looked down at the table, as Cho tried to explain, but her first words hit him hard. "I like you, Harry, but . . ."
There was nothing else to say, and he did expect it, but it still hurt. They would always be friends, but never anything more than that. He thanked her for her honesty, and told her that he agreed. It was only a small lie, but he could not think of anything else to say. He left the Great Hall thinking how perfectly things had been arranged. Now he had double Potions to go to.
*
The Minister of Magic called Sirius Black into his office to give him the good news. He had been officially found innocent of all charges against him, and his record was cleared. It was only a formality, and expected, but it had to be noted. As Sirius was handed the official papers, he found an additional letter.
"Are you sure about this," he asked the Minister.
"To be honest, I am not," the Minister admitted, "but that is politics for you. The Prime Minister needs to build up his support with other governments, and you are a political plum. You are a wronged man who never gave up his faith in the government. That plays very well in certain circles."
"Then this is a real offer?"
"Of course it is. You are now the Deputy Minister in Charge of External Relations. Even I have to admit it is a wise choice. You are friendly with the Weasley family, and Harry Potter is your godson. That gives you a personal connection with the elves and hobbits, two of the groups you will have to deal with. Through them you also have connections to almost every intelligent race we know about. That makes you a valuable person."
The new Deputy Minister left the office shaking his head. He would never be good at politics, but he now had an interesting job. It would involve a great deal of travel, but to some very interesting places. He found himself whistling as he walked down the hallway. He hadn't done that since James died.
*
It was the end of term, and a farewell party was planned. The school was moved back to its original location, and the students would take the Hogwarts Express back to London. Harry said his goodbyes at Kings Cross Station, and headed to the Leaky Cauldron. He would rent a room for the summer, and work for Fred and George at their joke shop. For once, he would not have to deal with the Dursley's.
He walked in the Leaky Cauldron to find his Godfather waiting for him. "Harry, I've talked to Fred and George, and they've agreed not to hire you," Sirius said, and began to laugh when Harry made a face. "I'm sorry, Harry. You looked exactly like your father did, whenever I told him I had a new plan."
"Sirius," Harry said with a laugh of his own, "Do I at least have my room here?"
"Not if I can help it," Sirius said, "Harry, I know you've heard about my new job, and I need an assistant for the summer, for a good will tour. Are you interested?"
"Where are you going?"
"First, we are spending two weeks at the Grey Havens to discuss various projects dealing with trade and education. Then we go to the excavation site of Khazad Dhum . . ."
All Harry could think of was that it was going to be a wonderful summer.