With or Without You

A Harry Potter Fanfiction: Book Seven

1.

"Aha! The Deathly Hallows!"

"Aurelia... don't talk about those..." Narcissa Malfoy's voice whispered as they made their way to the Death Eater Hallway.

They made their way across a long table where all the Death Eaters sat. Aurelia winced herself when she saw a half-tortured Muggle Studies teacher that Voldemort was mocking. "We have no cause for you anymore... Muggles and Muggle-borns...will be gone..." Chase gasped. Hermione and so many other kids in Hogwarts were Muggle born. And Voldemort was planning to wipe them all out?! Aurelia grabbed his hand. "Stop. He'll kill you if you object. Let's just find out where my prophesising and other powers came from."

"Ah, yes, my granddaughter. I suppose from reading your mind that you have actually protected your memories from reaching my clutches. Good for you. But... don't you want to know where your powers came from?." Aurelia had to nod.

"I'm sorry, Master... but that is so."

"This Malfoy Manor... is a house of memories. You'll see. But I have no time for that. This place is where my wrath always sits. Because you have always spent so much time with Draco here, you have picked up the power..." Now, she was cursed, and without a purpose. "Now, Miss Riddle, give me the prophecy that you have spoken."

"Master... I am not your friend. I don't know what in Merlin you're talking about. I can't remember when you gave me these powers, but the tables have turned, Tom Riddle. Angels can be bad." With that, Aurelia stormed out.

"Miss Aurelia Aquila Riddle... without this purpose... death is not on your side."

2.

Chase trod down the hallway. What had she done now? Having such an annoying girlfriend was just one of the perks of wizardry life. Chase didn't mind. Until now. But his life was her. Always her. What had she done for him? His walking turned to storming in the other direction. He remembered when they were younger, when they weren't in Hogwarts yet...

"Oh, come on, you like that Year Five boy, Yukio or something." Aurelia laughed and nodded. "What about your Sparky? Solomon?" Aurelia only slightly nodded. "Well, which one do you like better?"

"Yukio, didn't you know?"

Chase, in the background of the classroom, doing his work didn't care. They were only almost ten. Love didn't matter in life. Frogs did- and success, in especially math.

"Chase, CHASE!" His mother, Clarissa Solomon stood over him, in a white dress and shackles.

"MOTHER? But.. why are you in those...?"

"I'm sorry, Chase. I tried to get your father back. I failed... Voldemort caught me. I'm going to be executed."

"What? Just because you were going to do the right thing. That's not right at all! I'll stand up for you. I'll save you!"

"No, Chase. You need to stay here. Otherwise, they will kill you as well, Death Eater or not."

Chase protested "Please, Chase. For me, and for Aurelia." Chase didn't really care about the latter. But he said yes.

Aurelia stood outside, chatting with another girl with thick black braids and brown cat-like eyes. Pearl Florence Sparks. Chase stared at them, hoping to catch bits of their speech. From their facial expressions, he could basically get a gist of what they were saying.

Pearl - Go? Chase too?

Aurelia - yep.

Pearl - green eyes! Prophesising!

Aurelia - not like I care

Chase walked away. He would have to say something soon.

3.

Aurelia, Pearl and Chase managed to consult the Death Eaters and convince them to go back to Hogwarts. On the train, Aurelia caught sight of a tame snake slithering on the icy cold floor. She let it wrap around her forearms. "She's cute. But she tells me that she's been alone for eternity." Chase then spoke to the snake.

"What's your name?" To the other people in the train, this seemed like a murmur of clicks and hisses. Parseltongue. Chase was finally using his abilities.

"Asssstra..." The snake replied. Chase then recounted this to Aurelia, who, as usual, already knew. Aurelia petted the black mamba's scaly head. She definitely would call her new pet Astra. Chase felt a pang of some emotion... jealousy? He was old enough to know his own feelings, but he couldn't put his finger on this.

Aurelia had a flashback to when she first went on the Hogwarts Train. She was a ten-year-old First Year, scrawny and afraid of the world. And before... she was bullied for all her crushes. Especially that Muggle, Yukio. She had mixed feelings for him. But still, no one understood. Until she was close to turning eleven. Then Hogwarts solved all her problems. Parent problems. Friend problems. Enemies. Bullies. They all went away.

But now, looking at the lightning mark on her hand... She had betrayed her house, like many Slytherins had done. Taking a glance at Chase, she felt nothing but sadness. Love had no spark now. The air felt icy cold. The final battle was coming. She was fighting on the side of the Voldemort worshippers. It was wrong.

Then, she stared at the path ahead of them. Hogwarts was going to be seen soon from the window soon. She would have the same feeling of happiness bursting inside her soul. But as she shuffled closer to Chase, his arm reached out. She thought he was going to put a warm hand over her shoulder, to share the view. But he pushed her back. His touch was as cold as the winters Aurelia used to spend alone. It didn't matter coaxing Chase Solomon. He was obstinate. Annoying. The biggest know-it-all Aurelia had ever seen. She didn't even know why she liked him.

Harry, Hermione and Ron were gone.

Their heroes were gone.

4.

Death Eaters had already taken control of Hogwarts, with Severus Snape as principal. Aurelia didn't mind the latter, but Hogwarts was a place of peace for wizards. These people had made it hell and agony. They made lessons crazy. They had to attack each other! Neville had literally excused himself from those lessons nine times out of ten. Luna kept going on about those random creatures. Chase grew further and further away from her.

One day, winter just...came. This time, it was alone. Aurelia felt like giving up. On stopping Voldemort. On the Deathly Hallows. On everything. Astra slithered closer to the crackling warmth of the small fire set up by a few Death Eaters. It was hardly anything. It wasn't like the students were going to fight back to the Dark Lord. Walking to the Ravenclaw dorms, Aurelia heard some sort of sobbing. Pearl was awake as well, and together, they went to the dorm where the sobbing was heard from.

It was Cho. Because of a certain guy, Pearl deduced. "C-Cedric. I can see you! N-no, w-wait! You can't g-go... No... not again." Hiccups and sobs were implanted in between this outburst of sadness. Aurelia ran away. To Chase. To scream at him for letting Cedric die. For becoming a Death Eater. He could have died himself and Aurelia would be happy! Even Pearl was to blame. For taking Draco's sights off her. For letting him date her.

All the people around her were to blame as well. Cho. For letting Cedric put his name into the Goblet of Fire. Harry. For even being born. Hermione. For attracting Ron and ruining his bloodline. Voldemort. For everything. All this hate swirled through her, as she stormed down to her boyfriend's dorm. Chase lay down in his bed, Ravenclaw Seeker sweater still worn, and aqua eyes now dull. "It really doesn't matter, love," he spat out. "I know it's you. I know you're here to blame me and I have to tell you something." Pearl snuck in as well. Aurelia prepared herself. "What, Chase?"

Her voice was weirdly sweet, and Chase knew that if she didn't call him Sparky, she wasn't in the mood for anything to do with him. "IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT! ALL THIS MESS ABOUT PROPHECIES AND MY PURPOSE! VOLDEMORT...WILL TAKE OVER THIS UNIVERSE. MUGGLES AND YOU AND I WILL ALL BE GONE ANYWAY! YOU DYING DOESN'T MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE!"

"Go on. I'd like to see you shout, Aurelia, when my news is done.

5.

Twelve-year-old Mala paced the floor of her red themed Gryffindor dorm. "Pearl Sparks... ah yes. The Death Eaters will obviously be coming to attack Hogwarts soon. I'll just do something to her then." Suddenly, the fire started to say something. No. Not the fire... Remus Lupin. It was his way of communicating with her. "Mala, don't do anything. When the battle commences, Tonks and I will be there."

"But... Remus. What about Teddy?" The person Mala referred to was Teddy Lupin, Tonks' and Lupin's newborn baby.

"It'll be fine. I'll hand him over to Pearl Sparks or Aurelia Riddle. They are nice with children."

"NO! Not... not Pearl. Not her. She's untrustworthy. She'll kill him!" But Remus was gone. Amycus Carrow, one of the Death Eaters, strolled into the room.

"You want revenge, huh? Well, I can get that for you. Just fight on the side of the Death Eaters and the Dark Lord."

"No. I won't do that. My father would not agree with your terms. I will not, too."

"Very well." With that, Carrow went out.

6.

"Being together, well, it's taking a toll on both you and me, Aurelia. Not everything's about you, and I'm sick and tired of being the actual sane one in this relationship."

"Huh? Chase, you're saying that I'm insane. Well, you're wrong. I could blame everyone and everything in my life. It's not about me. It's about YOU. Always showing off, always bragging about how smart you are. Being cunning matters, you know! I guess Ravenclaws are just oblivious to the actual things on the outside of all their brains. I don't even know about Luna. Strange? Yes. Smart? No. And you know what? I think Dumbledore wasn't fit to be Headmaster. Do you know how many times he let people die? It's not even acceptable anymore."

Pearl felt a twinge of agony. These were her best friends! And here they were, being normal Muggle teenagers and breaking up. It wasn't funny anymore. She knew how being young... she knew how to treasure the youth now. She knew what would happen.

"What is happening to you, Miss Riddle?" "You never understand, Chase! You never do...Which is why... I am happy to end this relationship. Goodbye, Chase Solomon." When people feel that it's too much, they break down. Their body stops working. Praise is good and all, but praise creates pride, and pride always comes before a fall. Pearl knew that. But the lovers had nothing of that. Being raised in pure-blooded families, both had no feelings of the Muggle world. None of them were born in an environment where their parents nurtured them and helped them to grow.

It didn't matter. They needed to grow up soon anyway. And Pearl was sure of that. Meanwhile, Mala Black had found something. Something amazing.

Artemis, Greek goddess of the moon, hovered over her, ethereal as ever. "A twelve-year-old Hunter. Very well. Just pledge your dedication to me." Mala did so. With that, Mala Nightingale Black was a Hunter of Artemis. She had sworn off boys, which would influence the Black name forever. "Oh. You do know... you're a demigod, Mala. And a powerful one at that. It's an honour to have you on my team." Artemis flew off.

There were many worlds out there. Some that even wizards and witches didn't know about. One was the world of Camp Half-Blood and Greek gods. And it was also an honour for Mala to know just one more than that girl, Pearl Sparks.

7.

Nearing the end of the year, Harry, Hermione and Ron were sent to the Malfoy Manor. At this same time, Pearl, Aurelia and Chase were taken back. They had a job to do, and that was to start preparing for the Second Wizarding War. Narcissa Malfoy was quite unhappy to the break-up. "Oh! I thought they... they were perfect for each other!" She was talking to Pearl at this point, and it was quite a shock, seeing that the couple they had grown to see together was gone.

Pearl nodded in agreement, then hurried off to see Draco. He sat quietly in his bedroom, waiting for her. Pearl walked in. She glanced around the room. It was perfectly blank. It was much more cheerful the last time she was here. "Oh. I suppose you've noticed. But I've to go downstairs. Some visitors... have come." From her great IQ, Pearl could easily infer who had been captured, and brought here. Their Golden Trio, Harry, Hermione and Ron.

Aurelia stood next to Bellatrix Lestrange, looking down on them. Both crept up to Hermione. Aurelia opened her mouth, and managed to hiss out, "A Mudblood. I'm so sorry Hermione. For you to even exist," she spat. Harry, who didn't even look like Harry, clawed on Aurelia's marble-green gown.

"Lia! You're not like this!"

"Harry... " Aurelia shook her head, her black curled hair bobbing around. Bellatrix did something. Bellatrix Lestrange slapped Aurelia. "Enough! Oh, my Lord, I suppose your business needs to be done." Voldemort emerged from the dark shadows. Harry nodded to Aurelia. His caring eyes snapped Aurelia out of her trance. But it was too late. "AURELIA!" Voldemort screeched. Aurelia nodded quickly and hurried into a room. Pearl turned to Hermione.

"'Mione, you really won't like what is going to happen...I'm really sorry." Hermione's eyes showed no sign of being alarmed, but then, Bellatrix approached. Pearl was a Half-Blood herself, but she had never been discriminated like what was about to happen to Hermione. "Hah! A Muggle-Born!" Bellatrix then got her wand out. Amycus Carrow ushered Pearl, Draco and Chase away into Chase's room. Why Chase? Pearl thought this through but did not find an answer.

Hermione's screams were heard all over the Manor. Pearl enchanted the room with a Silence Spell, then got to work with the boys. "Pearl?" Draco inquired. "Are you okay... you know... with... Hermione..?" Chase was at the back of the room, his face half shadowed by his messy hair. Pearl smiled.

"Of course, I'm not fine with it, Dray. But being a Death Eater's loved one...it's not too hard." Draco fiddled around on Chase's blue carpet. He looked like how he was in the First and Second Year at Hogwarts. Shy, but cute. "Pearl, the Battle is to go on. I don't know if Mala will plan her revenge then, or-"

"She will. I've been sending her letters. She only replies with short sentences like, I'll send her to Voldemort. I don't know what she means." Chase finally said. "And that other worlds exist. I wouldn't question her on that. The last thing we need is another threat." As soon as he said that Harry, Luna, Hermione, Ron and Dobby were transformed out. But the three were unaware of this. And unaware of how a house elf they knew and loved was going to die.

Pearl then nodded. Then, Aurelia came into the room. Her eyes glowed a lime green and her dress was singed. Chase himself could swear that he saw green light coming from Voldemort's chambers in the Manor and screaming. He was sure that this was not Aurelia. "Hello, dear Pearl and Draco. I have yet another mission."

"Oh! And, Pearl, after Hermione, I'm coming for you."

8.

It being time for the war, Pearl, Chase and Draco were presumed to be on the side of the Death Eaters. But they were also planning to secretly help Dumbledore's Army. "I won't do this, Pearlie. I'll help you with making this plan, but I won't carry it out. OK?" Pearl nodded. Draco was a coward, she thought. Death was fine. What wasn't fine was that Voldemort had a chance to rule the wizarding world.

2nd May 1998. This was the day. Aurelia was nowhere to be found. Chase seemed to get worried whenever Draco brought up scenarios of what could happen. Pearl knew that he still cared. But Voldemort Apparated out of nowhere, as usual, in his arms was a mamba. Astra. She slithered into Pearl's arms. "Pearl... Aurelia is no longer the sssssame... changed...and Mala Black is coming..." Pearl had no idea what the snake was saying in Parseltongue Chase translated.

Aurelia stood nearby. Her eyes glowed a sark green and she wielded a dagger. Her long, black hair was now let down from its ponytail and straightened. This was obviously to make sure she was not recognised.

But it was probably the weirdest thing about Voldemort. She looked too pretty to be a Death Eater. But she was too evil to be part of Dumbledore's Army.

Chase turned around. He felt that he was being watched. "LOVE!" Aurelia smiled thinly. She swept over. Aurelia was in a thin dress that hugged her figure. It flowed behind her.

"Haha, Master Solomon. Why call me that? Voldemort is going to kill the other two traitors soon, once I tell him about them."

"Aurelia. Why them? Why not me?"

"I have my own reasons, Solomon."

She walked out, her green dress flowing behind her lime green high heels.

Chase ran to where the other two still stood chatting cheerfully.

9.

The fight was taking a toll on Death Eaters and Dumbledore's Army. Harry burst into tears when he saw Aurelia murder Colin Creevey. Hermione shook Aurelia, but not before Aurelia got out her silver acacia wand and nearly shot her with a Killing Curse. Her/His job was to kill all Muggle Borns, and Tom Riddle was pulling the strings on Aurelia's soul.

Chase screamed. A Death Eater had shot him with the Torture Curse. Neville sobbed in a corner next to two unrecognisable bodies. Pearl stood, fighting the Carrow twins. Then Mala came in, cackling. She chased Pearl out of Hogwarts, holding a silver-tipped arrow and bow.

Draco begged a Death Eater to accept him on their side. He really was a coward. Aurelia continued to kill under the possession of Tom Riddle. A Horcrux was gone. Another destroyed. But meanwhile, another was created without anyone knowing. Chase picked up the remnants of his motivation, fired a Killing Curse and killed Amycus Carrow. Voldemort sheltered in the Shrieking Shack with Lucius Malfoy.

Draco was saved by Harry in the flames and grasp of the Fiendfyre. Crabbe was left behind to burn. Ron and Hermione were attacked by a huge wave. And in that dramatic moment, they finally kissed. It felt good to finally get their confessions over with, even if it was nonverbal. Somewhat, Aurelia seemed to survive cracking out of the shell of possession from Tom Riddle. Astra bit her many times. The poison seeped into Aurelia's veins, then vanished somehow. Chase grappled on to her skirt, his blonde hair now messy and avoiding the curses sent his way.

Pearl half-heartedly laughed as Mala sent off the ruins of what was now Hogwarts.

She smiled. If this was the last time she saw this world... she had always wanted children called Scorpius and Anastasia.

Her eyes closed slowly.

10.

Aurelia started to turn grey. She thought, this was probably how Dumbledore's hand felt last year. Chase ran to Ron. He knew how Aurelia had become like this. "HEY! TOM RIDDLE! I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT YOU SHOULD GO AWAY! NO MORE DEATHS! JUST GO!" Grabbing the Sword of Gryffindor, he crept to Aurelia's front. Using his battle reflexes and hitting the part of the body that would make someone fall down but not go unconscious. He wanted Aurelia to see him. See him finally be brave for her.

His casual clothes were ripped and torn. He plunged the sword into her heart. If Aurelia didn't come back... well, Chase knew he was going to be lost forever. But it was either this, or the chance of him dying in the war and Aurelia staying like this. She took one last gasp and the slow rising of her upper body ceased. Chase waited for what seemed like centuries, hoping in the dim light.

Screams echoed in the Hogwarts walls. This was a battle that no one would forget. But Chase ignored all that. He took the sword with Aurelia's blood on it and put it away. He didn't want the first thing she saw to be a blade. Slowly, she woke up. IT WAS A MIRACLE. Chase laughed. This was it! Her eyes fluttered open, and Chase could not be more thankful. "Aurelia!" She blinked.

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember anything before... the battle?"

"Yes, but it's Voldemort..."

"It's okay, you don't need to tell me, Lia."

"I will, though. It's of him putting a locket of me. A golden one with the mark of Salazar Slytherin on it."

"Then it should be on your neck, though-" Chase picked up an emerald pendant from Aurelia's neck. He took it off, and it immediately expanded to the chunky locket of Salazar Slytherin. Voldemort must have cast a spell to make it shrink to something that was an incomprehensible size to be suspected. "Oh! He led me to a soundproofed room. Then I started to bang on the walls and scream at him to let me out. But he didn't."

"Lia. Do you hear that?" Two screams in the distance. Aurelia recognised one as Harry's, and the other as Voldemort. They had, in fact, just fallen off the ruins that were Hogwarts. Chase ran out of the long hallway they were in, followed by Aurelia.

The final, fatal duel was about to begin.

11.

Aurelia positioned herself next to Harry. He turned in fright, thinking that he was going to be murdered because of his Muggle blood. She shook her head, and his tensed-up shoulders relaxed. "Harry. Voldemort did it to me." Voldemort's pupils became as small as pinpricks...

"My granddaughter, I did it for your good! With no purpose, you-"

"Oh, Tom Riddle... With or without you, I'd be fine. Without or without a purpose, I'd be fine. This world of pain was only made because of your imagination. You do not feel love because you were a Love Potion Child. You were born without love in your veins. That was an experience you never experienced. And I cannot blame you for that. Your mother is. But you made it worse. You because Lord Voldemort."

"No, Aurelia. This is why you are too obnoxious for any person. You will never find true love. Your fatal flaw is pride. You think you're so clever, don't you? In fact, you are clever. But never in matters of justice. Fight for me, and you will get true glory, even if you die in battle!"

Harry grit his teeth. "Oh, so very great Dark Lord! Here is your gift of mercy from me!" Voldemort sensed what was about to come and screeched a fatal spell that changed the choices of history forever. "AVADA KEDAVRA!" Harry and Aurelia's eyes widened. The crowd, not far off, gasped in shock. Ron and Hermione clutched each other. Harry and Aurelia nodded to each other, "EXPELLIARMUS!" The lights of the spells, red and green collided. This was the battle of all the times, the battle of all history.

Voldemort took his last breath with a heaving rasp. Then he vaporised, the ashes of what was the Dark Lord vanishing in the gentle breeze. Harry looked stunned. Aurelia smiled warmly, like the beautiful sun that was making its way up a distant hill. Then she put her hand on Harry's shoulder and walked off. Memories flushed through Harry's mind. How they first met each other on the Hogwarts Train, how she got possessed and he saved her.

Third Year, when she didn't really speak to him, but he admired her from afar. Fourth Year, when bother she and him shared the same amount of despair at Cedric's death. Fifth Year, when she was a Prefect and supposed to work for Umbridge but helped Dumbledore's Army in all her quests. Sixth Year, when Dumbledore sacrificed himself and she screamed out the Astronomy Tower window for both him and her.

And now, when she showed her loyalty to him yet again. Harry felt words come out of his throat that he had never brought up the courage to say. "Aurelia Aquila Riddle, I have loved you from the start." Aurelia smiled again, yet this time, it was sad.

"Harry James Potter, I cannot ever love you like that. You have another lady that needs you. Plus, I have a man as well. You are still the saviour of my life. The bright light that still shines through every time I see you." She walked off to Chase, who boldly kissed her full on the lips. Harry felt no pang of rejection. He, in fact, was happy to get that thought off his chest.

"Lia. That was such a great rejection. But where's Pearl?" Mala Black cackled in the background, dragging a half-dead Pearl up to Aurelia's feet. Aurelia muttered a healing spell. Pearl woke up and stood. "Thank you, my bestie! But I have such bad news. Come look. At the Fallen Fifty." Aurelia ran to the Great Hall, where more than fifty bodies lay. Tonks, Lupin, Fred. More that she recognised. Colin Creevey. She kissed the ones she knew on the foreheads. Chase stood forlornly next to her.

"Let's go. Come on, Pearl. Draco's gone with his parents."

And so, the three stood there, next to the ruins of Hogwarts, reflecting on the lives they had led and the amazing things that they had done.

Aurelia Aquila Riddle had a purpose. And her purpose was to be here.