Unraveled
Chapter Forty-Four: Aftermath
Fiona finally gave out. Her energy had been drained. She started to sob as her father supported her. Sirius was so glad to have her alive that he couldn't say a word to even comfort her. He held her tightly as she sobbed.
"What happens now?" said Harry as he looked around. He knew that the body count and the damage done at the compound was nothing compared to the damage done around the world.
"What do you wish to do with these Death Eaters, Milord?" asked Rufus as he and the other knights made them kneel.
Harry looked at them. "Let the Ministry deal with them. Let us take care of our wounded," he replied as he looked around. He noticed that there were knights missing. "Let us prepare our dead." He turned back and walked up to Fiona and Sirius. "After that we can all go home."
"What will we do with all this?" asked Rufus.
"Leave it," Harry replied simply. "After you search the grounds and take anything of value or anything that can be potentially used against us. Then secure everything, put up a barrier so that no one can tread upon these grounds." He put Excalibur back into the sheath. "We must get out of here quickly. There is still a war raging everywhere else."
"As you wish, Sire. Move those pitiful excuses for wizards. Get them out of the king's sight," ordered Rufus to the other knights as he looked around the grounds. The great castle would still be there after they had gone.
"What will become of all of this?" wondered Remus out loud.
"Nothing," whispered Fiona, regaining control of her senses. "Nothing will happen. Soon everything will fade away to memory. Then into story. Then to legend. Finally, the only thing that will remain is the rumble."
"You can see it, can't you?" whispered Sirius.
Fiona felt naked. The crystal was gone. "Mom knew all along. I don't know exactly what she did. How did she come up with all of it? She was the only one who knew what was going to happen. I don't think even Grandmother knew about it."
"She knew Voldemort better than anyone. She knew his weaknesses. She knew his weakness was his need for family. His kin," said Harry. "Voldemort made an elaborate spell before in Hogwarts that incorporated some of the things your mother used. He used his diary to keep a memory of himself then he used a vessel to drain power from to become flesh. Your mother used her own magic and blood to pull it off. The crystal was your mother's blood. Voldemort could only be stopped by his own blood. His own kin. However, the crystal could only be triggered with Avalonian magic. No matter how strong my earth magic is, it still wouldn't be enough. All four elements were required to sustain the crystal's power."
"But that meant that any Avalonian could have used the crystal," said Rufus.
Harry shook his head and continued explaining, "Voldemort is many things, but he wasn't stupid. He wouldn't raise an idiot. Thalia made sure that the crystal would only work for Fiona. To think, Voldemort was out thought by the person he had underestimated the most."
"That is absolutely brilliant," said Rufus admiringly.
"I believe intelligence runs in the family. Thalia was a direct descendent of Salazar Slytherin," said Harry.
"No, I was not referring to Lady Thalia. I was referring to you, Milord. You are a brilliant young man. You were born to be king," corrected Rufus, catching Harry by surprise.
"I think most of us underestimated Thalia. I did," admitted Sirius. "Are you okay, baby?" He kept his voice soft just for Fiona. The remaining knights who were part of his team wondered why they had been so frightened of him earlier. Around his daughter, Sirius appeared rather harmless. However, they knew better.
"I don't know," replied Fiona. "She seemed so alive. And now she's gone again."
"The ones we love never really leave us," said Harry.
"But, is it truly over?" asked Remus as he looked around. "We thought it was over before, but he rose again."
Fiona detached herself from her father. She walked up to Harry. "The proof is on Harry's forehead," whispered Fiona. Harry lowered himself a bit for her. She reached out with a trembling hand. She was hoping that she was right. Fiona moved Harry's bangs away from his forehead. Everyone gasped.
Harry's forehead was clear. There was nothing on it. The lighting bolt scar had vanished from his forehead. "What?" whispered Harry.
"Your scar's gone," replied Fiona. Harry caught her hand in his. Keeping a hold of her hand, he reached with his other hand to feel his forehead. He could feel nothing. For the first time in his life, his forehead was clear.
Harry smiled. Voldemort was really gone. A great weight had been lifted off his shoulders. The sun was shining again. He was free. His people were now safe. His people. Harry remembered that he was king. Another weight came upon him, but it was one he was willing to bear.
Was this all some wonderful dream? He looked at Fiona. She was smiling up at him. He knew instantly that it was no dream. It was real. But, Harry still needed proof that it was real. So, he did the one thing that would make him believe it. He was still holding Fiona's hand. He pulled her up and kissed her.
Fiona wasn't prepared for it, but she soon melted into his arms. The only person who wasn't happy at that point couldn't do or say anything. Remus had restrained Sirius just in time.
"Let them," said Remus. "Just let them."
Sirius opened his mouth and closed it again. There was nothing that Sirius could do, but sigh in defeat. Deep down inside, he was happy for them.
*
It took weeks for everything to settle down again. In the midst of all the battles worldwide, celebrations broke out starting from England and sweeping all over the world in a great wave. The celebrations were bigger than before. For there were two reasons to celebrate: Voldemort was defeated and the wizards now had their king.
The battles were hard to break up. In parts of the world, where the Death Eaters were losing, the battles were easier to stop. Those Death Eaters simply surrendered when they had heard that their leader had been defeated. The harder battles were the ones where the Death Eaters had struck mostly Muggle populations around the world. They were harder to contain.
Some of the Death Eaters swore revenge, so they continued fighting, even though they knew Voldemort was dead. The remaining Knights of the Illuminati were sent to those places to lead the troops of wizards as ordered by the king.
A simple proclamation from the king was enough to send troops armed with wands to any spot in the world. Millions of wizards swore their lives and allegiance to the king. The young king had little choice, but to use Hogwarts as his command post.
The Weasleys had returned to the castle as soon as the group from Voldemort's stronghold had returned. They met them with tears, hugs, and kisses. The knights that had died were given proper burials with full honors. The real work had begun: to untangle the huge calamity around the world.
Bill and Charlie Weasley had gone to the frontlines to assist with the war efforts. Bill made the promise to return to evaluate the pieces that Harry had ordered brought back from the castle. Percy did not join his brothers in the battle field. Instead, he had stayed in the Ministry of Magic, searching for the spy who had passed along information to Voldemort.
It didn't take that long for Percy to find out who it was. It was one of the aides that Minister Fudge had trusted for years. The young woman ended up being the daughter of a Death Eater. However, she had used her mother's name to gain a job at the Ministry. She had spent years passing along information. Percy caught her and stunned her with his wand before she could kill him. He turned her over to the Ministry of Magic.
Upon her arrest, Minister Fudge made an offer to Percy to be his new aide. However, Percy had refused because he wanted to serve someone more worthy of his services. Percy was now the official vizier to the king. A position that he was more than proud of.
Harry had to work fast and appoint members to his court to get things organized and settled. Rufus harped him about having an official coronation, but Harry refused. He allowed Percy to reason with Rufus, so he could deal with other matters. Percy negotiated on Harry's behalf and told Rufus that Harry would not be officially crowned until his last year at Hogwarts.
The men who had returned to Hogwarts after the battle at Voldemort's castle wanted to return to the battlefield as soon as possible. Harry allowed the knights to go. However, Fiona pleaded with her father and godfathers not to go. The three men had little choice, but to follow her wishes. Nell found the whole thing hilarious. Arabella couldn't stop laughing either because such a small girl had managed to convince three grown men to stay with her. "She can be very pervasive when she wants to be. I can't stand it when she uses those sad eyes," said Sirius, admitting his defeat again.
Harry worked day and night with the help of Professor Dumbledore and the other teachers at Hogwarts. Ron and Hermione spent their time helping him out by making sure that Harry had some time off between tasks. Mrs. Weasley made sure that he was eating and sleeping, while making sure that her children and Hermione were safe as well.
The two people who did not return were Ryu Ran and Draco Malfoy. They had not sent word back from Avalon. Fiona spent her days watching the lake and waiting for them. She also played with her owl, Puck, and practiced on her broomstick. She didn't get to spend as much time with Harry because he was busy, but he snuck off every once in a while to be with her. However, her father was keeping closer watch of them.
Sirius had to be dragged off on more than one occasion by either Remus or Nell. Fiona got to spend more time with her father. They went off to Hogsmeade so that she could stock up on candy at Honeydukes. Sirius knew that her future was still undecided. He wasn't sure if he was going to allow her to go to Hogwarts. He wanted to keep her by his side.
The people at Hogsmeade greeted the Blacks with reverence every time they went out. Fiona could have gotten away with free candy at Honeydukes, but Sirius insisted on paying for it. However, at the Three Broomsticks, Sirius allowed Madame Rosemerta to give them free butterbeer. She told Fiona stories about Sirius, which made her laugh and tease her father. Sirius had to fight the impulse of spoiling Fiona because Severus would comment on it along with Nell. There were times that Sirius just couldn't resist Fiona's smile. That was how she ended up getting a broomstick from Diagon Alley. She needed a good one, but she didn't insist on a Firebolt.
Soon everything went back to normal. However, things had changed. The world had changed. The wizards had to do a lot of work to take care of the Muggles. There were more dead Muggles than wizards. The leaders of the world did not know how to explain all the damage done. Harry was at a loss. An emergency meeting was called to discuss the matter further.
"We must do something. We have been exposed to the world," said Professor McGonagall.
"There were many Muggles who lost their lives. Their cities have been destroyed," said Rufus, who had remained as a guard and adviser to the king.
"What do you recommend, Professor Dumbledore?" Harry asked.
The Headmaster was quiet throughout most of the meeting. He was very proud of how well Harry had risen to the occasion. He also remained the same boy he was before, but he had grown up a lot. He knew when to ask for help.
"We still have an alliance with Avalon, do we not?" asked Professor Dumbledore.
Harry slowly nodded. "We need a very complex spell to wipe the majority of the Muggles memories and come up with some kind of explanation for the chaos. This kind of spell would require a lot of magic. Can the Avalonians do it?"
"The Avalonians had to do it before. When Camelot fell, many Muggles knew about it. The reason why the legends have lived on in the Muggle stories is because there were Muggles who were related to wizards and they passed the stories to their children," answered Professor Dumbledore.
"But, would Lady Desdemona agree to do it?" asked Harry.
"It will depend on who approaches her," replied Professor Snape. "Fiona may have to do it. Her powers of persuasion have been very good lately." He smiled. He was supposed to be in the finishing battles, but instead he was sitting there and meeting with Harry.
"Just because she asks does not mean Lady Desdemona will do it," said Harry. "We need something to make sure that she'll agree to it."
"Then we must remind her that if our secrets are revealed, then it won't take long before the secrets of Avalon are as well," said Professor Dumbledore.
Harry nodded and stood up. "I'm going to talk to Fiona," he said as he walked out of the room.
He knew exactly where to find her. He smiled as he approached her. She was sitting outside waiting by the lake. She turned and smiled at him when she saw him. He paused for a moment. "How long are you just going to stand there and watch me?" Fiona asked, her smile not faltering.
Harry grinned at her. "Are you still waiting for them?" he asked.
"Yes, but there hasn't been anything," said Fiona. "The news would have reached Avalon right away, even faster than everywhere else."
"We're trying to figure out how to clean up all this mess," said Harry. "A good number of Muggles know about us now."
"Is it so bad?" asked Fiona.
Harry nodded, "They are not ready for us, Fiona. The Muggles notice things, but they choose to ignore them. With so much in front of them, they can't ignore it. It will take a lot of magic to clean this all up."
"You mean Avalonian, don't you?" asked Fiona.
"If it isn't too much trouble for you, would you mind discussing it with your grandmother?" asked Harry.
"Sure, I don't mind. It's just that I may not be able to reach her," said Fiona, but she stopped and looked at the water. "Or we can just wait a bit. They're coming."
"Are you sure?"
"I can feel it," said Fiona as she walked towards the edge of the water. A real surprise was coming towards them. Fiona's jaw dropped as she ran. Harry ran after her.
The Lady of the Lake had arrived with Draco Malfoy and Sensei Ran. Lady Desdemona looked absolutely radiant in her long, white flowing robes. The markings on her forehead and Sensei Ran's were prominent. Fiona restrained herself from running up and embracing her grandmother. She wondered if she could ever look as dignified as her grandmother.
Lady Desdemona smiled at her. "Come, Fiona. Let me embrace you," she said. That was all Fiona needed to hear. They embraced each other tightly. "I was so afraid," whispered Lady Desdemona.
"So, Potter, you made it out in one piece. Good for you, but don't get too comfortable," said Draco.
"Well, I promised Fiona I would help her keep her promise to you, Ferret," said Harry.
"Where is everyone else?" asked Sensei Ran. He was looking forward to seeing his grandfather.
"Wait…is it possible for you to be here, Grandmother?" asked Fiona. "I thought you were bound to the isle."
"The disposal of your grandfather has allowed me to leave this isle," said Lady Desdemona. Fiona didn't have to ask whether or not the Dark Mark on Lady Desdemona had disappeared or not. Severus Snape's mark had also vanished.
"How are you, Milord?" asked Lady Desdemona to Harry.
"Very well, Milady," replied Harry. He was getting more and more formal these days because Mrs. Weasley had taken it upon herself to teach him proper etiquette. The twins and Ron were laughing and disrupting the lessons, so she had forced them to join Harry.
Ron was practically promised a future position in Harry's court as was Hermione. There was talk that the Round Table would be revived, but Harry didn't make any promises. The only one Harry wanted to make any promises to was Fiona.
"Let's go inside," said Fiona. They all trooped inside. Lady Desdemona was met with the usual reverence that she expected.
"Welcome back," said Sirius, but he stopped when he saw his mother-in-law. He groaned inwardly, but Fiona elbowed him before he could say anything.
"Sirius," said Lady Desdemona.
"Lady Desdemona," said Sirius.
"It is a good thing you came, Grandmother. There's something important that has to be done," said Fiona, thinking it was best to stop them before they insulted each other.
"For the daughter of my daughter, anything," said Lady Desdemona with a smile. Sirius smirked at her response.
"Too many Muggles knows about us," said Fiona. "I was wondering if Avalon could do something about it."
"Merlin was the one who fixed it before he was apprehended. He used Excalibur," said Lady Desdemona. "I believe that the King should not have any trouble using his sword at this point."
Harry nodded. "I still haven't figured out everything about my sword. I suppose this is a good thing to know how to do."
"I've been looking at the things that were brought from Voldemort's castle," said Bill Weasley as he walked in. He paused for a moment and quickly bowed.
"It's all right. What is it?" asked Harry.
"Some of them I can't identify. Rather there are some potent spells on them. There are just normal Muggle artifacts. I recommend that they be submitted to a museum. Unless of course, Lady Fiona says otherwise. These actually belong to you," said Bill as he nodded to Fiona.
"I don't want them," said Fiona. "Do whatever you want." She rubbed her arms. Sirius gripped her shoulders, knowing that her time in Voldemort's castle had lasting effects.
"What about the others you cannot identify, Mr. Weasley?" asked Lady Desdemona. "May I please look at them?"
"This way, Milady," said Bill as he gave her a slight bow. He didn't have to worry about doing that with Harry, even though people were getting more and more formal around him.
Lady Desdemona followed him to another room with everyone else close behind. She looked at the treasures. It had taken hours to take things out of the castle. She gazed at a mirror and smiled. "This was my mirror. I had taken along some possessions from Avalon with me when I married him," said Lady Desdemona.
"So, these are yours?" asked Fiona as she looked a beautiful necklace. She recognized it. It was the same necklace that Draco wore around his neck. It was the symbol of Avalon.
"Yes," whispered Lady Desdemona. "Would you like to have them, my child?"
Fiona looked at her father first. Sirius gave her a nod, so she said, "Yes, I would."
"You will visit Avalon again, right?" asked Lady Desdemona.
"Sure," replied Fiona. "I have to go to Draco's initiation."
"You'd better ask your father first. After all, we are a normal family," said Lady Desdemona.
"Daddy, can I go?" asked Fiona.
"Sure. We'll both go," replied Sirius.
Harry shook his head. He doubted that they were a "normal" family. Fiona was going to have to spend a lot of her time as a peace keeper between her father and maternal grandmother. However, Harry didn't mind being a part of the family.
The discussion started to move on to other things. Draco and Fiona were talking about his leaving for Avalon. Harry didn't take the time to stop and listen. He spotted Ron and Hermione. He smiled at them.
"Do you mind walking with me?" he asked.
"Why would we mind?" asked Hermione.
"We're your best friends," added Ron.
Harry grinned even wider. "I should thank you both for everything."
"But, we didn't do anything," said Ron.
"We don't need to be thanked for nothing," said Hermione.
"No, I should. I would have never made it this far without you. I don't know if anything I say will ever be good enough. You two have always been there for me. I know how hard it's been for both you. I was a mess for a while this year. I don't know where'd I be without both you."
Hermione's eyes started tearing up. "Now, look at what you've done, Harry," said Ron, but his cheeks were red.
"Come with me. There's something I have to do," said Harry. "I want you guys to see."
"What are you going to do?" asked Hermione as she wiped the tears off the sides of her face.
"Something that I hope I'll never have to do again," replied Harry.
The trio walked together to the boys' dorm of the school. Despite being king, he had insisted on not moving to a private room. Hermione was a bit timid to be in the boys' dorms, but she soon ignored it when Harry took Excalibur out of his trunk, where he had left ever since his return from Voldemort's.
"You probably should get some guards for it," suggested Ron.
"What if someone came in here and took it?" asked Hermione worriedly.
Harry shook his head. "The sword would do more damage to them. It recognizes me as its owner. Besides, it will be returned to Avalon for safekeeping when I go with Fiona and Sirius to Draco's initiation."
"What do you need it for, Harry?" asked Ron.
"Something important. You'll see," replied Harry with a smile.
"I don't like it when you have that look in your eye, but I trust you," said Hermione.
Harry led them out into the Quidditch field. He figured it was a good a place as any, but people saw them walking outside. "I think Harry has Excalibur," said Fiona.
"That means he is ready to do his magic," said Lady Desdemona. "This spell is worth seeing. I have never seen it before myself."
They all walked outside. Ron and Hermione spotted them, but Harry walked onward, ignoring everything else. He stopped at the center of the field. It was time for him to do some serious magic. He unsheathed the sword and handed the cover to Ron. He could feel the tingles again.
Harry closed his eyes. This spell was going to take a lot of magic from him. He had to trust himself to have enough endurance to handle it. He gripped the hilt with both hands. Harry needed no instruction on what to do with the sword. He was born with the knowledge. He pointed the tip of the sword down to the ground.
A warm, golden glow started to emit from the sword. Harry could feel the heat from it. This is for my people, he thought. Harry lowered the tip of the sword into the earth in front him.
A warm wave of golden light swept outwards from him and the sword it spread in all directions. The first ones to feel it were Ron and Hermione. It was a warm, healing sensation. The wave continued and covered the globe in a single sweep. It was like the dawning of a new sun. Harry needed no coronation. There could be nothing more glorious than the spell he cast as a demonstration of his future, benevolent rule.
The people present started to kneel in succession, bowing to the power of the king and the sword. Fiona remained standing with her grandmother, Draco, and Sensei Ran. She spotted three figures standing in the distance. One of them she recognized instantly, she tugged on her grandmother's sleeve.
Lady Desdemona looked up. Her eyes filled with tears as she looked at the three spirits. One of them smiled at her.
The other two smiled at Harry. They smiled at their son, the king. When it was done, the three departed in peace.
AN: We've got an epilogue. I figured this would be good. Fiona got to show the last time, but this time is Harry's chance to shine. I mean really shine. The spell Harry casts heralds a new era for wizards everywhere. Not only do the Muggles get their memories wiped, but the wizards get a blessing from their king. ^^
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I own this story and all the original characters created for it.