In the Darkness
Chapter Sixteen: Forgotten Enemies, Remembering Friends
The five of them sat around a table in the Leaky Cauldron, all trying to figure out what had happened below Diagon Alley, the most confusing revelation had been the true identity of the man they had been fighting against, especially when he had been dead for years. 'So, if Pettigrew was Snape…' Ron began, his leg resting on a chair, wrapped in bandages 'then…wait…if Pettigrew was Snape…then who…who killed Dumbledore?' Neville shrugged his shoulders; the bandage around his head covered the bleeding gap where the explosion had torn away his skin.
'Well it must have been Pettigrew,' Hermione said, 'because we all know that at least one of Snape or Pettigrew was killed after Albus's murder. But the person blamed for that was Pettigrew, in fact it was Snape who killed him – wasn't it?'
'No, it was Pettigrew who murdered him and Snape who was then killed in turn for that murder,' Harry said, the weariness clear in his voice. 'Think about it, Snape and Dumbledore were always in conflict but never enough to kill each other, they had trust, Snape was our spy before we fought Voldemort, and when we fought Voldemort. Remember when Dumbledore retired he told us all to visit from time to time, well a lot of the time Snape was there, I remember seeing him in the background when I made fire-calls to Albus. Why then would he kill him? Answer: he didn't, Pettigrew killed them both – it was the perfect plan.'
'What made it more perfect is that we thought Dumbledore's murderer was brought to justice after his death.' Draco continued on for Harry, shaking his head as he did so, 'First Pettigrew kills Snape, then stocking up the body with Polyjuice he transforms the body so that it's him, then with another batch he turns himself into Snape, goes to Albus and kills him when his defence is down, plants Snape's body as his own, then says he killed himself after he killed Dumbledore, and there go two of his greatest opponents, like he said Voldemort was another. It's stupid, but I even forgot that Severus was supposed to be alive, after that day he just disappeared.'
'Or rather Pettigrew disappeared, and so he grew in power and the dark forces with him, that was when Harry disappeared as well, because you noticed it, except now you know why…because of a forgotten enemy.' Neville leant back nursing the bandage wrapped round the gash in his side, closed his eyes as he tried to make sense of it all, eventually he just shook his head, 'Well, whatever may have happened in the past it's all over now.'
'Yeah,' Ron replied as they all began to sit in silence, watching the world go by, two Ministry wizards walked past carrying a covered body on a stretcher, 'but at what cost?'
* * *
In the middle of the countryside Geoffrey Walters was walking along, enjoying the evening air when he reached the base of a rolling green hill, digging his walking stick in firmly he was about to climb up when the thought came to him that he hadn't locked up his house that day. Grumbling about his own inefficiency he struck out back across the meadow to where he had parked his car, a few seconds later he was gone, the noise of the engine swiftly fading in the air.
On top of the hill, a group of cloaked people emerged from thin air, as if they had been invisible before, they were clustered around two marble white stones that stood among a cluster of weathered stones that had once been the same colour. The group had no illusions about why they were there, but parts of them did not want to accept the passing that was taking place, they wanted to be free to enjoy the beauty surrounding them. A beauty that would remain unchanged but forever remind them in their hearts of the sorrow they felt here.
Kneeling down by one of the stones, Harry traced his finger over the grooves that were part of the dog carved into the headstone, tears rolled freely down his cheeks but he didn't make a noise as he grieved for his godfather. Behind him a red-eyed Ron lent on a stick as he held a tearful Hermione close, Neville sat with the children nearby, not knowing what was happening they happily made patterns in the grass with small wands while he watched, a faint smile on his features. By the other stone stood Mundungus and Arabella, both their eyes were full of sorrow but they projected affection and friendship as they studied the stone on which had been carved a lone wolf howling at the moon.
A little way down the hill stood Draco, not knowing Lupin or Sirius well he was not so much anxious of joining the group as afraid of taking the solemnity of the moment away from them. Reaching into his pocket he withdrew a small seed that glowed green as the sun began to fall in the sky, crouching down over the grass he dug out a small hollow of mud and pushed the seed inside, carefully smoothing it back down he stood to watch the sun set. After a while he walked back up the hill, the sky was now turning a deep red and he could see the moon rising in the background, as it fell across Lupin's grave Mundungus let a smile creep across his face, finally his friend was free from the past that had troubled him. Rising from Sirius's grave Harry reached into his robes and drew out two wands, each of which had names carved into them, with shaking hands he placed Padfoot and Moony where they belonged.
Using his sleeve to wipe his face he eventually turned to the first of the graves that had been planted on the hill, on top a weathered wand still lay, the words Albus Dumbledore carved into it's handle. Reaching into his pocket Harry withdrew a small object that he had found in the ashes of the tunnel, the small crystal shone brightly as he laid it beside the wand. With a smile on his face he read the new inscription Neville had placed: You were the Light, four words that had saved their world. Sighing he looked away into the distance as the sun began to set leaving them standing in the fading light, turning to Draco he let a small smile show on his face, it was time to go home, but this time not in fear of tomorrow.
A flash glimmered across the top of the hill and the group vanished leaving the lonely hill top to fade as night's first shadows began to caress it, easing off the red and yellow light. In the dim light an observant onlooker would have seen the tendril spring from the ground as new life awoke in the darkness…
The End
Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed this, especially my little enclave of e-friends who include Lord of the Net, Pavati&Padma, Giesbrecht, Eladriewen and *beth*. From my hometown I wish to thank Kate Potter and Gaffer. Thank you all for keeping me writing despite the fact I'd been out of contact because of university and I will return with more fics soon – but would you prefer short fics, a finish to the Siege [erk!] or another reasonably long fic?
Special thanks go to my friend Emma from university who let me use her computer to write this [cheers for Emma in the reviews please!] and also to Voltora, one of the first authors I knew and feel privileged to do so. Anyone with an ounce of sense should read ' The Greatest Gift', it is fantastic.