Chapter 27 - Gone, But Not Forgotten
Virginia stared at the sight in front of her. One of the bodies turned into ashes and disappeared into thin air with a hiss. She ran to the other body. Lia was back.
"Lia can you hear me?" Virginia shook Lia gently.
Lia opened her eyes and looked at Virginia and smiled. "I'm home." She said in a whisper and closed her eyes again.
"Don't you dare leave us now!" Virginia said. She put a hand on Lia's neck and was relieved to find a pulse.
Harry ran to her side. "Is she really back?" he asked.
"Yes," Virginia said, "well, at least, I hope so."
"How did she get that?" Harry pointed at the scratch on Lia's arm.
"Oh no." Virginia said in horror, "that was the poisoned comb."
Harry turned to see Remus helping Snape to get up and he removed the stunning spell.
"Professor Snape!" Harry called, "we need an antidote here!"
"We need Fawkes here." Remus said and called, "Fawkes!"
"Can he come here?" Sirius asked and his question was answered right at that moment.
Fawkes the phoenix appeared and landed next to Lia. It brought it's head near the scratch and cried. A single tear scrolled down on the scratch and it started to disappear. Fawkes flew to McGonagall's side.
"Look!" Virginia said when she saw the scratches on Lia's arm disappear.
Lia opened her eyes slowly and looked at them. "What's going on?" she asked in a tired voice.
"Oh Lia, you're back!" Harry pulled Lia in a tight hug.
"Hi Harry." Lia said.
"Virginia! Virginia are you alright?" Wolf came into the room. "I told you to stay outside!" he hugged her.
"I'm fine Wolf. It's over now." Virginia said.
"Let's get you out of here first." Wolf said and helped her get up and they walked out of the room.
Fawkes flew to Ron's side and cried on the wound of his head. It healed in an instant. Sirius carried Ron out of the meeting room, followed by Harry who was helping Lia. They went to another room. Sirius put Ron on a bed and Lia sat on a couch.
"How do you feel?" Harry asked her.
"I'm fine," she managed to smile, "you better take care of Ron. He doesn't seem good."
Harry was about to go to Ron's side when he noticed Sirius and stopped.
"Sirius?" he said, "is that really you?"
Sirius looked around him. "Well, it doesn't seem that there's someone else who looks like me in here." He smiled.
Harry smiled and hugged Sirius. "I can't believe it! You're not dead!"
"Thanks to Snow White." Sirius said and hugged Harry tighter.
"I'm sorry I made you come to the Department of Mysteries that night." Harry said, "I didn't mean to get you killed."
"It's alright Harry, and it wasn't your fault. Department of Mysteries or not, I would've came after you wherever you were at that time."
"Oh Sirius, I missed you!" Harry said.
"I missed you, too, Harry. You can't believe how hard it was to pretend to be William."
Harry pulled back. "William? You were him all the time?"
"I… knew… it." Came Ron's tired voice.
Harry turned to see his friend awake and trying to get up.
"Ron!" he went to his side. "How do you feel?"
"I had better days." Ron replied, "What happened?"
"Lia's back, the witch is gone forever and Voldemort disappeared."
To Harry's amazement Ron didn't flinch at the mention of the Dark Lord's name.
"What about the others?" Ron asked.
"They're fine, and don't try to get up. You had a nasty wound on the back of your head, but Fawkes helped you."
"Fawkes? How did he get here?"
"Dunno, but it was good to see him." Harry smiled.
Ron lay back in the bed. "May I sleep? I feel exhausted." He asked.
"Of course mate." Harry left Ron to take a nap and went to Lia's side.
Remus entered the room. "Is everyone alright in here?" he asked.
"Remus! Look who's back!" Harry said and pointed at Sirius.
"I know Harry. He was back about a week ago." Remus replied with a smile.
"You knew all the time and didn't tell me?" Harry frowned.
"I couldn't," Remus said, "Dumbledore's and Snow White's orders."
"But why?"
"Security purposes." Sirius said, "Dumbledore thought that Voldemort might try to kill me if he knew I was back."
"Oh." Harry said.
"Remus, how's McGonagall?" Sirius asked.
"She's fine. Snape's with her. They're in the next room, but I wouldn't say the same about Wendell."
"What's wrong?" Harry asked.
"Queen Red Riding Hood III is dead."
"What?" Sirius said in a whisper. He stormed out of the room.
"Who did it?" Harry asked.
"Wormtail," Remus said, "that's when Ron got him."
"I can't believe I missed that moment." Harry said and looked at Ron, who was asleep. He smiled at his friend with pride.
"And guess what he did before he killed him," Remus continued, "He asked McGonagall to forgive him before casting the spell."
"No way!" Harry was surprised. In the middle of the fight Ron asked for forgiveness for using the worst of the unforgivable curses.
"Well, he did, and I'm really proud of him to tell the truth." Remus smiled.
"His parents would be proud too." Lia said.
"Lia, you need to rest. Let me take you to another room." Remus said. Lia nodded and he helped her to get up. He took her to another room and helped her into bed. After pulling the bed covers over her she looked at her and smiled. "It's so nice to see you again." He said, "Sleep well." He leaned close to her and kissed her forehead and then he left the room.
Remus met Harry in the corridor and they went to Wendell's office. Wolf came out and closed the door after him.
"He wouldn't let her go." Wolf said.
"Who?" Harry asked.
"Wendell. He wouldn't let anyone near Red." Wolf's eyes were red from crying. Harry didn't know what to say. He knew perfectly how Wendell felt at this moment.
"Virginia is with him now, trying to convince him to get out," Wolf said, "but I don't think she'll succeed. I'm going to call Tony. He's the only one whom Wendell listens to."
Wolf left Remus and Harry and went to find Wendell. Harry saw some servants walking through the corridors, entering different rooms and getting out of them.
"The spell is removed." Harry said.
"Yes, the swamp witch is gone and Voldemort has lost his supporters who helped him cast the spell. It wouldn't work now." Remus said.
"He hasn't got out yet?" Tony asked as he approached them.
"No." Remus replied.
"Okay." Tony entered the office.
"SHE IS NOT DEAD!" came Wendell's voice from inside.
"Let's get in. I'm going to use magic." Remus said. He, Harry and Wolf entered the office and looked at Wendell, who was sitting in a corner holding Queen Red's body tightly in his arms.
"She's not dead. She's not dead." He kept repeating. "She'll wake up, you'll see. She has just lost consciousness. She's not injured."
Virginia was now crying into Wolf's shoulders. "He's gone mad." She whispered.
"Let's get you out of here." Wolf told her and they walked out of the room.
"Wendell," Tony said and knelt next to him, "she's gone. There's nothing you can do now. Let's go to your room now. Come on."
"Leave me!" Wendell demanded.
Remus took out his wand and pointed it at Wendell. "Impedimenta!" he said and Wendell's body went rigid. "Sorry Your Majesty, but I had to do it."
Remus levitated Wendell's body and took him to a near room. He couldn't remember which one was the room Sirius was using when they first got here, so he took Wendell to the first empty room he found.
Lord Rupert came and when he saw Wendell's body hanging in the air, he gasped. "What happened?"
"Long story." Sirius said. "You'll know it later." He carried Red's body and walked out of the office. "Where should I take her?" he asked.
Lord Rupert looked confused. "The guestroom. Upstairs." He showed Sirius the way to the guestroom.
Sirius put Red's body on the bed and left the room quickly. Harry was heading into his direction.
"Sirius, are you alright?" Harry asked.
"Yes." Sirius replied, trying to control his emotions.
"What's wrong with your hands?"
Sirius looked at his injured hands and smiled. "Nothing," he said, "I'll just have to see Virginia."
Harry followed his godfather down the corridor and they went to a room where Wolf was comforting his wife. Sirius knocked the door and entered.
"Sirius! You're here!" Wolf hadn't noticed Sirius during the mayhem at the meeting room.
"I've been here quite a while," Sirius chuckled, "I needed to see Virginia." He showed them his hands.
"My God!" Virginia wiped her tears and got up from the chair she was sitting on. "Let me get you some clean bandages."
A maid walked into the room and bowed. "Miss Virginia, Master Wolf."
"You're awake!" Wolf said, "That means we broke the spell! Huff-puff!" he hugged the maid, who was startled by Wolf's sudden happiness. "You don't know how good it is to see you!"
"Thank you, Sir." The maid said with a smile.
"We need some clean bandages and whatever you can find to clean wounds." Virginia said.
"I'll bring them now, Miss Virginia." The maid said and left the room.
Virginia turned to Sirius, "Sit down, please."
"Virginia, this is Sirius," Wolf said, "he's Harry's godfather." Then he turned to Sirius, "Sirius, this is my Virginia."
"Nice to meet you Virginia." Sirius said with a smile.
"Nice to meet you too." Virginia smiled back.
The maid came back with clean bandages and some water and alcohol. She put them on a table and went out.
Virginia took off the bandages form Sirius' hands and started washing his wounds with water. Then she took the bottle of alcohol and a bandage.
"This is going to hurt." She said and started cleaning his wounds with the alcohol.
Sirius winced but didn't make a sound. Virginia continued cleaning the wounds and then she wrapped Sirius' hands with new bandages.
"Thanks." Sirius said.
"You're welcome," Virginia replied, "how did it happen anyway?"
"I found Lia in an old castle, which belonged to the witch." Sirius said, "She was trapped in a mirror. I had to break them all before I could find her."
"Cripes! She was so near all the time!" Wolf said.
"But who could've guessed?" Virginia said, "The swamp witch had left that castle since Snow White's wedding day."
"It seems that she still had some precious items hidden there after all." Sirius said and sighed, "I can't believe we actually got rid of her."
"Yeah, but Voldemort escaped." Harry said with a frown.
"Don't worry about him. He's on his own now, and whatever he does, it won't last for long. He doesn't have any supporters now." Wolf said.
"What about Bellatrix? I didn't see her anywhere." Sirius said.
"She's dead." Harry said.
"Dead?"
"Yes. Three Cruciatus Curses at once and she didn't last for even an instant." Harry said.
"Who cast it?" Sirius asked.
"Me, Ron and Remus."
"Oh I love the three of you!" Sirius said and gave Harry a tight hug.
"You're not mad that we killed your cousin?" Harry asked.
"Your cousin?" Virginia asked.
"She's the one who killed me on the first place." Sirius said.
"Oh," Virginia said, "then I guess… it's okay."
Wolf held Virginia's hand and smiled to her. "It was the right thing to do." He said to her.
"Yes," she replied, "it was."
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The Palace of White was being cleaned after the mess. The residents of the nine kingdoms were awake from their sleep and were trying to get back to normal life. The news about the swamp witch being defeated and gone forever had filled the kingdoms in an instant. The royal families were in the Second Kingdom preparing for the funeral.
Wendell was devastated. He couldn't believe that his childhood friend was dead. He stood near her glass coffin staring at her pale face. She looked as she was smiling. Like she knew that they've won.
"Wendell," Virginia whispered.
"I can't believe that she's gone." He said and sniffed, "we used to fight all the time when we were children. Our parents kept punishing us for fighting, but that didn't stop us." He chuckled, "she used to call me prince charming."
"She will always be with us." Virginia said.
"Why did it have to be now?" Wendell asked, "now that I wanted to tell her how I felt. Everyone used to think that she's not my type, even me, but when I saw her at my coronation, I saw a woman who was full of energy and…" he left the words trail off. He couldn't continue.
"Come, let's go." Virginia held his hand and they walked away.
Wolf was sitting in a corner, looking at the coffin from a distance. He didn't cry. He couldn't. Remus came and sat next to him.
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
"I don't know." Wolf replied, "I feel like something's missing."
Remus didn't reply. He looked at Wolf with sympathy.
"She was my cousin." Wolf continued, "although she never admitted it, but she showed it sometimes when we were kids. We met a couple of times before my parents were killed. After that I went on my way and someday I heard that she was already a queen. I never saw her until Wendell's coronation day. She pretended that she didn't recognize me, but she did. As the queen of the Second Kingdom, she wasn't supposed to like wolves, not to mention having a wolf as a relative, and I understand her totally." Wolf turned his gaze to look at the ceiling; "we never saw each other after the coronation. She didn't even talk to me. She didn't sign the Royal Wolf Pardon, because she loathed wolves." He looked at the glass coffin again, "But I miss her. She was a great queen for her kingdom. She knew how to control everyone."
"She's gone, but not forgotten." Remus said and looked into Wolf's eyes.
Wolf wanted to cry. He wanted to howl so the nine kingdoms would know of his loss, and he decided to do it. He got up and walked to the nearest window. He opened it and dropped his head to the back and howled with all his might. Everyone in the room turned to look at him. Women gasped and started to cry. They could feel the pain in his voice. Virginia walked to his side. She put a hand on his back and he turned to face her. Tears were filling his eyes.
"Let it out." Virginia whispered and he buried his face in her arms. He cried and Virginia held him close to her tightly. "It's okay Wolf," she whispered, "I know how you feel, and I feel the same."
Harry was sitting next to Lia, his head on her shoulder. She was holding his hand and looking at Wolf who was still crying into his fiancée's arms. Rex was lying at her feet, looking at her with concerned eyes.
"I'm glad I killed him," Ron said. He was sitting next to Harry.
Harry sat straight and turned to Ron. "You did the right thing mate, and I don't regret anything I did. They deserved it."
"But she didn't." Ron said, and Harry knew he was talking about Red. "She was just trying to get out of the room."
"I know, mate."
"I can't believe I kept that rat all that time in my house, in my own bed." Ron said, "and suddenly, he turns out to be the one who caused your parents to die and sent your godfather to Azkaban, and now, he killed a queen. He's dead, but Voldemort escaped."
"We will get him. He won't stand being on his own, without his followers." Harry said.
"I hope so." Ron replied.
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On the next day, Harry and Ron were exploring the gardens of the Palace of White when Sirius came to meet them.
"I was searching for you!" Sirius said, "we're leaving in a few minutes."
"Leaving?" Ron said, "brilliant! I can't wait to be back home!"
They went inside the castle and headed to the mirror room. Everyone was seated at the large table. Sirius, Harry and Ron entered and sat at the table, too.
"I want to say that I was honored to meet you all," Wendell said, "and I want to thank you for your effort to save our kingdoms. I am hoping that we shall meet again someday in the future."
"It was a pleasure to meet you, too, Your Majesty." Professor McGonagall said.
"We'll miss you." Virginia told Lia, "It was so nice to meet you."
"I hope that we'll meet again." Lia replied.
"I'm sure we will," Wolf said, "we have the mirror!"
Lia smiled, "come to visit us as much as you can."
"We will." Virginia said and hugged Lia.
Remus came near Wolf. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Wolf."
"Thanks Remus." Wolf said as he shook Remus' hand. "I hope that you'll be able to send me some of that potion you use at full moon."
"I will, don't worry about it." Remus replied.
After saying their good-bye's the magical folk walked through the Mirror of Magic and returned to the wizarding world. They appeared at the Forbidden Forest and walked toward the school.