Questions, Answers, and a Decision
After the members of the Order had apparated and the students that had come to Darren's aid had all gone, only Dumbledore was left in the room with Darren. He was leaving the room to look for more Death Eaters, to try to find Bellatrix Lestrange, but she was nowhere to be found. She must have apparated with Voldemort to wherever they had decided to meet if the ever had to run from Mortice Manor. He was still holding the sword in is hand and as his anger and passion for vengeance faded, he felt it slip through his hand and it crashed loudly to the floor.
Darren looked around him, looked at the mayhem that had erupted in the house. The snake was still writhing on the floor but Malfoy's headless body was lying still as a stone. Darren thought he got a fleeting glimpse of Malfoy's spirit leaving the house through a wall, but he couldn't be sure. He turned to make sure Ellie was indeed gone with the others and he found himself face to face with Dumbledore.
"We have much to discuss, I think Darren," Dumbledore said simply.
"Yes sir, we do."
"I take it that what I have seen here I your grandfather's home that this is the reason you used Occlumency against me that day in my office when you were re-sorted into Gryffindor House?"
"Yes sir, it is. I'm sorry."
"Sorry for what Darren? Sorry that you did what you had to do in order to try to protect your family? You have nothing to be sorry about Darren. In the end, you have helped deny Voldemort what he wants the most, the knowledge of what the prophecy says."
Darren stared at the floor for a moment before speaking to Dumbledore again.
"Is the prophecy true sir? Is Harry the only one that can destroy Voldemort?"
Dumbledore took a deep breath before saying "What do you think Darren?"
"I think it is sir. That is why…"
"That is why you were willing to sacrifice yourself in an attempt to save your mother and sister. You were going to force Voldemort to kill you in order to deny it from him."
"Yes," Darren finally admitted to not only Dumbledore, but also to himself, "but it didn't work. He used Legilimency against me, and I could barely hold him off. The only reason he stopped is because he thought he would kill me if he kept attacking my mind."
"I doubt very much if he was using his full powers of Legilimency Darren, but you did well to keep the prophecy secret."
"I did well? What do you mean by that professor?" Darren asked incredulously. "Look at what happened here tonight! I failed to get my mother and I died before I could get my sister to safety."
"Yes, but you did well all the same Darren. You have already admitted that deep inside you knew that the only real way to truly deny Voldemort the prophecy was by your death. And yes, your mother was killed in order to get what Voldemort wanted, but you held on long enough for the Order of the Phoenix to arrive and help get your sister away and to safety at Hogwarts. And," he looked at the bodies of Lucius Malfoy and Nagini, "you have denied Voldemort of the aid of two of his most important assets."
Darren looked at the now still body of the snake and then at Malfoy and sighed. He had denied the Dark Lord their aid, true, but Voldemort had gotten away in the end.
"Where will Voldemort go now sir? Will he go after Hogwarts next? He must know Ellie will be there."
"Yes, I am sure he knows she is there as of now, but he will be too consumed with where he will be able to hide before he strikes against anything, or anyone else."
"Are you sure professor? I think he might even now be trying to get to her, to make me tell him what he wants."
"No Darren, I am sure he will not attack Hogwarts. At least, not at the moment that is."
"What makes you so sure?"
All semblance of respect had left Darren's voice. He cared very little now about pleasantries. Only Ellie's safety was important to him at the moment.
"I have my reasons Darren. I have my reasons."
"You mean other than that fact that Lucius Malfoy and Wormtail are dead that is?"
"Yes Darren, other than those facts."
Silence fell between the old teacher and the young former student. Darren had so many things to ask, like why he was so sure Hogwarts was safe, but he kept his questions to himself, certain that Dumbledore would never give him the truth, but after what seemed ages, Darren broke the awkward silence.
"I have another question sir."
Dumbledore nodded his head in ascent, giving Darren permission to continue.
"Professor Lupin bit Wormtail downstairs. Why did it kill Wormtail, instead of turning him into a werewolf?"
"Well Darren, the hand that Wormtail was given by Voldemort on the night he returned in physical form was made of silver, and as I am sure you know from your classes, silver is deadly to a werewolf and the hand was attached to Wormtail's nervous system. When he was bitten by Professor Lupin, the werewolf infection was passed along in the bite, and when it reacted with the silver, it killed Wormtail. I can only imagine that it was a most unpleasant way to die."
"He deserved it," Darren responded coldly.
"Did he Darren?"
Darren looked at him with a quizzical look that told Dumbledore he was not going to be agreed with on this matter.
"Darren, Wormtail, or Peter Pettigrew as he was once known, was used by Voldemort and controlled by the absolute fear of his master. He was not a brave, or even a very capable Death Eater. He only helped his master return due to the fact that he was so terrified of his former friends and the vengeance they would take on him when they finally caught up to him and he saw Voldemort as someone that could protect him from Remus Lupin and Sirius Black."
Darren made to speak again. The surprise that Professor Lupin had been an old school friend of Wormtail had shocked him, but Dumbledore continued unabated. "Yes, you saw his last old school friend kill him tonight, but I dare say that tomorrow when he returns to his human form that Professor Lupin will harbor a bit of sympathy for his former friend as far as what happened to him in the end, but will I believe undoubtedly never admit that to anyone but himself."
"What about Malfoy, sir? Can he still help Voldemort even though he is dead?"
"He may be able to, if he decides to remain in our dimension. But, that is his decision, and I cannot truthfully say what he may decide do Darren."
Both old and young man fell into another silence for several moments before Dumbledore broke the silence this time.
"I must return to Hogwarts now Darren. I would like you to come with me, if you would. I think your friends would like to see you and I am sure you would like to make certain that Ellie is indeed well."
"You can apparate to outside of the grounds sir, but how do I get there?"
"Well, as a ghost, you can go just about anywhere that has not been made so that a ghost cannot enter it. All you have to do is concentrate on a place you have lived before your death and you will appear on that very spot. From my conversations with the Hogwarts ghosts, it is apparently almost exactly like apparition. I will see you at the school momentarily then Darren?"
"Yes sir," Darren replied, and Dumbledore readied himself to apparate, but Darren called out to him.
"Professor!"
"Yes Darren, what is it?" Dumbledore answered.
"What about professor Lupin? How will he get back to Hogwarts, if everybody else has already left? He doesn't have a wand, does he?"
"No Darren, he doesn't have a wand. I left a portkey on the grounds, and he will use that when he turns back into his human form at dawn. Is there anything else Darren?"
"Yes sir, there is."
Dumbledore inclined his head to one side and waited to hear Darren's question.
"How did you know I was here sir? How did you know where to find me?"
"Wispy told me, or rather her cousin Winky, who has been working in the Hogwarts kitchens for the last three years. Wispy contacted her when you arrived here and alerted the house elves at Hogwarts, who of course informed me immediately"
"How did she do that?"
"She used the powerful elven magic she possesses to contact her cousin, and another house elf, Dobby, was there when she spoke to Winky. When your grandfather died, she became the servant then of the most immediate member of the family who was a direct descendent of your grandfather to reside in the house, your sister, and through her, your mother. It was a mistake I am not surprised Voldemort, even with all of his intelligence and magical power, made."
"What are you talking about?" Darren asked incredulously.
"Well Darren, it seems that Voldemort, having taken over the house, assumed that Wispy, who was presumably terrified of him by the way, may not have belonged to him, but would do as he ordered out of sheer fear. But she was only doing what he had ordered in the hopes of helping her true Mistress escape. She had no allegiance to Voldemort and therefore no problem in contacting her sister at Hogwarts once you showed up at the house and it was only a matter of minutes before Winky and Dobby relayed the information to me."
Darren nodded his understanding and then Dumbledore vanished with a soft pop. A few minutes later and Darren was wandering aimlessly around the house. His mother's body was gone. Apparently one of the Order had removed it and he hoped it was at Hogwarts, at least temporarily. There was no sign of Wispy in the house either. He called out to her, but received no answer from the house elf that had taken care of his family at great risk to her own safety. She was definitely not there, as she would be bound to answer the call of her master, which Darren would be since everyone else in his family that was a witch or wizard was deceased. Maybe, he thought, she doesn't have to answer to a ghost. He hoped she was alright, and that maybe she had accompanied Ellie to the school, which he decided after roaming around the house for a few minutes more was his next destination.
He closed his eyes as if apparating and concentrated on the common room in Gryffindor tower. A flash of light and then he felt himself being whisked away like a wisp of smoke and then he was back in the common room. Several younger students jumped and yelled in fright at his sudden appearance and ran up the stairs to the dormitories. Darren just ignored them and made his way to the entrance hole guarded by the Fat Lady. He realized he did not have to open it and just floated through it. He heard the Fat Lady let out a shout of surprise when he came out into the hallway and heard her ask "My dear, what happened to you?" but Darren just ignored her like the Gryffindor students and floated down the corridor.
Three minutes later and he was in front of the gargoyle that stood in front of the entrance to Dumbledore's office. He did not know if he needed a password, or if the entrance was guarded against ghosts entering, but he leaned forwards and could see the rotating stairwell behind the gargoyle. Darren floated through and looked up and felt his body begin to rise up to the door to the Headmaster's office.
At the top of the stairs he saw Professor McGonagall and the short green haired witch standing there outside the door that led to Dumbledore's office as if they were waiting for him.
"Please, follow me Darren," Professor McGonagall told him in a voice that almost cracked as she opened the door and he floated behind her to see that all the students that had come to Mortice Manor were in Dumbledore's office, as well as Ellie and Wispy too.
"Darren!" Ellie shrieked when she saw him and all the others turned to look at him as well.
Ellie came bounding across the room and he felt a wave of emotion come over him and then her arms around him, almost as if he was still alive. She held on to his just solid enough legs for several minutes, and not one person in the room spoke or looked at them. It was a private moment, and none wanted to intrude upon it. Darren hugged her back, and could see silvery tears flowing down his translucent cheeks in a mirror next to the entranceway. After what seemed an eternity, Darren took Ellie's wrists in his and gently pulled her away from him so that he could move to the other side of the room.
"Neville," he said as he saw his friend waiting for him. "I'm sorry Neville, I didn't mean to…"
Neville had tears running down his own cheeks and he only said, "Its okay Darren, I understand."
Darren nodded at him and turned to Ron, but Ron cut him off before he could speak.
"It's okay Darren, really. I understand why you did it too, so no need to apologize."
Harry spoke next, but Darren cut him off with thanks for helping get his sister to safety.
"You're welcome Darren," was all that Harry could say in return and Darren thanked Hermione and then Dumbledore.
Next he was able to only nod at Blaise, who nodded in return and Darren knew that any hard feelings developed over the last year were long gone. Blaise had come with the others and helped rescue Ellie, so Darren knew he could not harbor a grudge under those circumstances. He had purposely avoided any contact with Cho because he did not think he could bear to look into her eyes and see the pain he had caused reflected back at him, but Cho came to him and took his hand which had solidified enough at her touch to allow her to hold it.
Darren floated there for several minutes and watched as the clock ran and Cho held his hand in hers. He watched as time advanced and the darkness outside began to give way to the coming morning. It had been an hour before sunrise when he had returned to Hogwarts, and now he had only a few minutes to make his decision. He turned to Dumbledore and asked a question.
"What are my options sir?" he asked simply, but already knowing in his heart the truth.
Dumbledore put his finger tips together and bowed his head as if in deep thought before speaking from behind his desk.
"Well Darren, you could reside in any former residence in which you have lived during your lifetime. That would include your parent's home, Mortice Manor, or Hogwarts. However, I must warn you, if not remind you, that if you do stay behind, your family, along with Miss Chang and your friends here, will be in grave danger from Lord Voldemort. He can try to take them and use the threat of their death to force you to reveal what you have learned. Now, I am sure I could convince the Ministry to allow you to stay in Hogwarts castle, at least for the foreseeable future that is."
Darren bowed his head as in defeat. He had already known the answer to the question before he had asked it, and knew what his decision must be.
"I have made my decision Professor Dumbledore," he announced silently.
All the heads in the room turned to hear what he had to say, but Cho looked away from him and let go of his hand.
"Yes Darren?" Professor Dumbledore answered softly.
"I will go sir, not stay."
"NO!" Cho shouted, but Darren turned to her to try to explain.
"Cho, you heard Dumbledore, and you know he is right. If I stay, he can still use you and Ellie and Neville and Blaise to get what he wants from me. He has been in my mind, and I would bet that he can still do it, even now. And since he has done that to me tonight, I know he knows about you already."
"No Darren, stay with me, stay with us, please," she pleaded as tears of sorrow ran down her beautiful face and broke Darren's heart.
"I can't, can I Professor? If the Ministry can make ghosts stay in certain places, then Voldemort probably knows how to control a ghost magically as well."
"Yes, I'm sorry to say that he probably does Darren," Dumbledore told them all. "I am certain that Voldemort can control a ghost, and yes, as long as you are still here, he can use your sister and anyone else you may love to his advantage, as you have said."
"Then I have to go." Darren replied. "Cho or Ellie will never be safe, not as long as that bastard and his followers are still free. And nobody else I am friends with will be either."
Cho grabbed at him, but he pulled his hand away from her. It was hard enough to say this without looking at her, much less to see her crying as he told them all what he was going to do.
"I have about ten minutes, right sir?" he asked.
"Yes Darren, precisely ten minutes until sunrise."
"I have several requests sir, if it is okay to make them."
"Certainly Darren, I will grant them, naturally, if it is in my power to do so."
"I want to know who will take care of my sister, now that I am … gone."
"We had been discussing that before you had arrived Darren, and Miss Chang was most eager to take Ellis into her care."
"Okay, but what about where they may have to hide? They have to be hidden."
"Well, we have an opening on the staff next school year as Madam Hooch has decided to retire, so we seem to be in need of a new flying instructor and quidditch referee and I was curious if Miss Chang may be interested in taking the position next year. She would of course be allowed room and board in the castle, as well as Ellie, who would be her charge, and who will I believe will be eleven before the start of the next term."
Darren raised an eyebrow at Dumbledore's last statement, which brought a slight grin to the old headmaster's face.
"What difference does it make if she is eleven before the next term starts? She isn't a witch. She hasn't ever shown any magical ability."
"Oh no master Darren, Mistress Ellie is a witch sir," Wispy said with a gigantic grin on her lined face. "I is telling Professor Dumbledore before you got here tonight."
It was the first time she had spoken since Darren had entered the office and he turned to her in shock and surprise.
"What do you mean Wispy?" Darren asked when he had regained his senses from the shock of her announcement.
"I is being teaching her Master Darren, I is being teaching her magic and how to use it," she said proudly as she smiled at him again.
"Really? But how? She doesn't have a wand Wispy."
"Oh sir, I gets Master Andrew's wand from where it was kept so she can learn. Nobody ever went in there and it wasn't missed at all."
"She has been using my father's wand?"
Yes master Darren, she has," Wispy said with a huge smile on her face.
Darren looked at Ellie. Ellie had a tear running down her face but she pulled her father's wand out of her little jacket and pointed it at a small case on Dumbledore's desk.
"Locomotor Case!" she said, and the case rose into the air and moved around as she waved the wand.
Darren smiled at her and threw his arms around her and pulled her tightly to him, his body becoming almost solid again as his sister held him tightly and begged in his ear.
"Don't go Darren, please don't go," she sobbed to him, but he eased her away from him and looked into her watery eyes.
"I have to go Ellie, I have to or you will never be safe. Please understand that."
"I do, but I still want you to stay with me."
Darren could not remember his heart ever being so heavy, not even at any time in the last two years, even with everything that had happened to him.
"Ellie, Cho will take care of you, and I am sure Neville and Blaise and Harry and his friends will look in on you too."
Neville nodded his head emphatically, as did Blaise, Harry, Ron and Hermione as well.
"You will get to come to school here like you always wanted and you will learn so many wonderful things. Remember how badly you wanted to come with me when I came here my first year? Don't worry about me. I'll be okay, okay?"
Ellie only nodded her head a bit as a tear ran off the end of her nose. Darren reached a now solid hand out and wiped her face and she smiled at him through her sorrow.
"Cho is a really good person, and she will teach you how to fly and she is really good at magic, so she will help you with school work too. Maybe you will even get to play Quidditch someday for the team of the house you are in."
Ellie only nodded slightly at this statement, but she seemed to have tried to harden herself against what she knew he was going to do. Darren took her one more time and said "I love you Ellie," to her and she replied in the same manner. Hermione was crying softly in a chair and Ron was not looking at Darren and Ellie, but was rather wiping his eyes with the back of his robe's sleeve. Darren turned to his friends to make his goodbyes.
He took Blaise's hand and tried to speak, but Blaise cut him off with a choked apology.
"I'm sorry I was so bad to you Darren. It wasn't fair to you, not after what I learned about-"
But Darren cut him off in mid-sentence and said "I understand Blaise, I really do. Thanks for being there tonight Blaise. It means a lot to me, really," and then turned to Harry.
"Harry, I am sorry I did that, but I hope you can understand why."
"Of course I do Darren. How could I not?"
"Ron? Hermione?"
"You don't have to say a thing Darren," Hermione told him. "We understand completely."
"Yeah mate. If it had been my family, I doubt if I could have done anything different myself," Ron told him.
Finally Darren turned to Neville and Cho. Neville was crying openly and Darren looked at him and smiled.
"Neville, you are stronger than I am, remember that. You can do anything you want. You just have to not be afraid to try."
"I…I…I…" Neville began, but Darren spoke again.
"Neville, just don't be afraid of anything or anyone, promise me that will you?"
"I'll try Darren, I promise."
"Good," he told Neville before asking one last favor from his friend.
"Neville, will you be secret Keeper of Cho and Ellie's hiding place?"
"Yes," Neville said without hesitating or flinching and Darren said "Thank you Neville" before turning to the woman he loved completely and utterly.
She was weeping into her hands, her shoulders shaking as she waited for Darren to tell him what she knew he was about to say. He took her head softly in his hands and raised it up so he could look into her dark and beautiful eyes. His lips touched hers and she took his hand in her own and held it tightly to her tear strained cheek. Darren looked up and over her shoulder and could see his reflection in an old mirror. He saw silvery tears running down his face and then looked back into Cho's beautiful eyes.
"I love you, I really do," he told her.
"I love you too Darren," she choked in response and he took her cheek in his palm and felt her tears run over his solid form and said "I choose to go on."