HARRY POTTER AND THE FINAL WAR
Summary: Harry Potter has returned from Hogwarts and has wasted no time in his search for Voldemort's Horcruxes. Against the wishes of his friends, he goes off alone. Will Harry win the fight against Voldemort?
Rated: M for violence, language, and sex
Disclaimer: Roses are red,
Violets are blue.
I don't own Harry Potter,
And neither do you.
Chapter 9: And So It Begins
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Harry was shocked. He had expected something to happen, but hadn't imagined that the memory would reveal a Horcrux. Harry glanced around the room, first at the pensieve, still containing several small memories, next at his friends' faces, blank in shock. Then, he looked over at the glass case where Dumbledore had kept Gryffindor's sword. There it sat, untouched, probably since Harry's second year at Hogwarts. He approached it slowly, purposefully.
"Harry, what are you doing?" Hermione cautioned.
"Well, let's see. My parents are dead. Voldemort killed them. He's made my life a living hell, and now he's found a way to make himself immortal. Oh, by the way he's after me personally at the moment. And so is the Ministry of Magic. Wait, looky here, if I can destroy this thing, it would take away a fraction of his immortality. Actually, after this one, there'll only be 2 more Horcruxes until I can face him personally and destroy the last trace of Voldemort. Now, are you suggesting that I take my time and let him find out that I'm on a mission to destroy his Horcruxes? Or are you going to get let me get rid of this one now so we can hurry and get to the others?"
"Well, of course we should go after the others. I just… think you should wait," Hermione replied.
Harry stared.
"Well, do you really want something like the Knight Bus to happen again? With Professor McGonagall? At Hogwarts?" She raised an eyebrow.
"I don't think –"
"Oh, come off it, Harry. You don't know what'll happen any more than the rest of us."
Harry looked over at Ginny and Ron. Ron was still staring at the sword, dumbstruck. Ginny was nodding.
"I think you should be more careful, Harry," she said.
Harry gazed over at her, and she was looking back at him meaningfully. He remembered their fight atop the Knight Bus. He would hate anything to ever happen to Ginny. He couldn't live. And for a brief moment, he had a flash of Cho Chang, sobbing all over him every time Cedric Diggory was mentioned – or not, for that matter. Harry couldn't bear to see Ginny reduced to such a pathetic wreck, though he acknowledged the fact that Ginny was a considerably stronger person than Cho.
"Hermione, you don't understand. This is something I need to do," Harry said. He stepped toward the glass.
"Harry!" Hermione shouted.
"I have to, Hermione! This Horcrux is right here, and it eneds to be destroyed before Voldemort finds out." Harry reached up and removed the glass case. "I'm going to do this, Hermione, with or without your help."
Hermione stared at him, her face turning quite red. Ginny looked apprehensive. Harry lifted out the sword as Hermione whipped out her wand and thrusted it toward Harry.
"Petrificus Totalus," she shouted. Seconds after the spell had been said, Harry's limbs snapped together against his body. He rocked to and fro for a second, attempting to maintain his balance, before he finally fell flat on the floor on his back. The sword clattered to the floor next to him. Harry glared up at Hermione. She returned his gaze with pity and remorse. Harry tried to speak, but his jaws were locked together. She flicked her wand at Harry's mouth and he felt his jaw loosen.
Hermione walked over next to Harry and bent down, picking up the sword. She brushed a piece of hair out of her face as she stood up and said, "I'm really sorry, Harry. But I can't let you do this. You still don't know how to break a Horcrux. The only reason you were able to defeat the last one was because it was gold and unprotected. Swords have all kinds of enchantments on them, and you won't be able to just melt it down." Hermione used the same shrinking charm Harry had used on their trunks to reduce the sword to a more compact size. She slipped it into her pocket.
"Harry I really am sorry. But I can't unbind you until you understand."
"Oh shut up, will you? You just want the glory of being the person who discovers how to destroy the Horcrux!" Harry said angrily in a raised voice. His temper was steadily rising by the second. Ron and Ginny's jaws were dropped behind Hermione, shocked that Harry had actually suggested this about Hermione. Hermione, on the other hand, looked as if she were about to cry.
"I don't," she said quietly. "You know that's not true Harry…" she trailed off. Harry continued to glare angrily at Hermione. Ginny stepped forward.
"Harry, you need to shut up," she said simply. Harry looked over at her, shocked.
"No! This isn't your fight! It's not hers or Ron's either, for that matter! This is mine against Voldemort's and she is only trying to stop me! She may as well join Voldemort's followers if she's going to prevent me from destroying him!"
"NO!" Ron bellowed. Harry would have flinched but he couldn't move. "You know just as well as I that Hermione has always been there for us, especially you. She helped you learn all those spell for the Triwizard Tournament, she helped you go after Voldemort on several occasions. You're out of line!" Harry was slightly shocked at Ron too.
"She is out of line by preventing me from destroying Voldemort!"
"She isn't preventing you, Harry, she's protecting you! Hermione is just trying to ensure your safety. The last thing she wants is for you to die or get injured trying to destroy Voldemort's Horcruxes. How do you expect to fight Voldemort if you're injured – or dead, for that matter?" A tear slid down Hermione's cheek. Harry glared at Ron, shooting daggers from his eyes.
"Erm… we've talked about this," Ron muttered.
"Stop," she whispered. Amongst all the fighting, it was the loudest thing the other three could hear. "Stop fighting. Harry, I just don't want you hurt. I want you to succeed, and I want you to rid us all of Voldemort and the Death Eaters, but you're not going to get hurt as you rid him of his Horcruxes. You need to stay at your best; otherwise the entire world has no chance, Wizards and Muggles alike."
Silence echoed as Harry, Ron, and Ginny soaked in Hermione's words. Harry looked down and felt his face heat with embarrassment. "I… Fine. I'll wait," Harry said plainly. Hermione smiled at him slightly and hugged his still-rigid body.
"Um… would you mind taking off the spell now, Hermione?" Harry asked. Hermione giggled and flicked her wand at Harry as he felt his limbs relax. He sighed and got up. Ron still looked angry from their row, and Ginny looked teary.
"Okay?" he asked. Hermione sighed as she left the office, wiping her eyes. The rest of them followed. Professor McGonagall was waiting nearby at the foot of the stairs.
"Did you children do what you… came for?" McGonagall asked sourly.
"Yes, Professor. Thank you," Harry replied. "Erm… Professor?"
"Yes, Potter?"
"Do you think that maybe, we could stay in the castle until school starts? I mean, you're here. We wouldn't be any hassle, really."
Professor McGonagall looked skeptical, though she sighed. "I have a feeling I'll regret this, but it is a rough time for us all, Potter. You four can stay."
"Oh, thank you so much, Professor!" Hermione exclaimed.
"Yes, don't let me down." Professor McGonagall replied.
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The weeks passed as Harry and the rest stayed peacefully in the castle, trying to decide how to destroy the new Horcrux. They had no luck. The first day of Hogwarts arrived, and Hermione shrieked with delight at the first sight of the Hogwarts Express chugging toward the castle. She and Harry had made up, and Ron had been content ever since.
"Can you hardly believe this is our last year at Hogwarts? Oh, but we'll have to work extra hard, of course, this year is the final determination of our futures!" Hermione had been rambling like this for weeks. The rest of them weren't nearly as excited.
As the entrance doors to the Great Hall opened, and the year's crop of young witches and wizards poured in, there was an indistinct feeling about the place. The younger ones bustled in, excited, happy, and nervous. But the more veteran students seemed more solemn. Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione sat down at the Gryffindor table.
"Hey, Harry! We didn't see you on the train!" Neville Longbottom called over to the four. Dean Thomas was with him.
"Yeah, hey," he said. He seemed a bit standoffish, although understandably.
The students continued to file into the Hall. Finally, Hagrid came through the doors leading a line of tiny first years, trailing behind like baby ducks. They remained at the front of the hall as Professor McGonagall came out with the Sorting Hat. She placed it upon its stool and it gave its speech:
Although my looks are not the best,
In knowledge I am wise
To put you into an age old house
We commence an exercise.
This school was founded years ago,
The group contained but four:
Bright Ravenclaw, Loyal Huffelpuff,
Cunning Slytherin, Brave Gryffindor.
Between the lot, friendships were strong,
But values surpassed all,
And so four houses came to be,
Standing old and true and tall.
So place me down upon your head,
And I will try to see
Which leader you'd have pleased the most,
In that house you shall be.
But heed a warning, students all,
My Sorting shall not break
The ancient bonds between the group –
This, Hogwarts could not take.
For those binds between its founders
Keep our home place strong,
And if they were to separate
We simply could not belong.
And so as we begin this year
I have to mention this:
Unless we stay together strong,
Hogwarts we're sure to miss.
The separation of our lot
Will cause the Great Downfall
As the glue continues to chip away
The task comes to us all
To stay together strong and true
Of this we must be sure.
And on a personal note, I must say,
Rest in Peace, Albus Dumbledore.
The younger students all cheered. A talking hat was sure to be a great entertainment for them. But the older students were just reminded of Dumbledore. Then, from Able, James through Young, Eliza, the first years were sorted. As the last one scampered over to the Hufflepuff table, the Great Hall fell silent. This was where Professor Dumbledore gave his welcoming speech. Professor McGonagall tapped her spoon against her glass, although it was hardly necessary in the silence. All eyes turned towards her.
"Students, welcome to Hogwarts. As you all know, I am Professor McGonagall," she paused. "Your headmistress. Now, I know it has been customary for many years for the headmaster to give a welcoming speech to you all, but I feel that it would be important for someone else to speak first."
She turned her head towards the side of the room. Scrimgeour, the Minister of Magic approached her. A soft whispering buzz filled the Great Hall.
"What's that prat doing here, Harry?" Ron asked.
"I don't know. He'd better not be doing anything like Umbridge," Harry whispered back.
"You'd think the ministry had learned after her," Ginny noted.
"Shh! Let's hear what he has to say." Hermione waved her hand at them. The hall had again grown quiet.
"Hello, student of Hogwarts," he began. "This will be a journey of a year for us all. The past few months have brought a drastic change of circumstances. You have lost your headmaster, but no matter, you have a new one." He glanced over at Professor McGonagall, who nodded. "Yes, well much more importantly, we must be careful, as He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has returned!" He paused dramatically, but was greeted by nothing but silence and semi-attentive stares.
"Does he think this is new to us?" Harry muttered.
"So," Scrimgeour continued. "We will have much increased security here at Hogwarts this year. The Ministry will take extra precautions to make sure you are all very, very safe. But otherwise, you children shall continue as normal. Carry on."
"Thank you, Minister," Professor McGonagall concluded. "And now, children, we will commence with our start of term feast. Please don't eat yourselves silly, as you all will be beginning classes tomorrow. When you have finished, you may retire to you dormitories. Begin!"
The golden platters in front of all the students magically filled with food. They each piled food onto their plates before them, hungrily. After three helpings, dessert appeared before them all. As Harry began to pile pumpkin pasties onto his plate, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Harry turned to see a pair of bright, keen, yellowish eyes behind a pair of spectacles, a sight that he had come to dislike very much.
"Yes?" Harry questioned resiliently. Scrimgeour raised an eyebrow at Harry's robust actions, but shrugged it off.
"I would like to have a word with you, Mr. Potter," Scrimgeour said bluntly.
"No," Harry said as he turned back to his Pasties. Hermione shot him a look.
"Go with him," she hissed under her breath. Harry shook his head no.
"He is probably going to confront me about the hearing I ignored!" Harry said quietly. Hermione's eyes flashed.
"Harry, if those were his intentions, he wouldn't have waited this long to speak with you! Now GO!" she hissed once more. Harry finally gave in and turned in his seat. As he had expected, Scrimgeour was still standing behind him, waiting. Harry stood and followed him out of the Great Hall without a word. They stopped in the first empty classroom they came across.
"What is it?" Harry asked hotly. He had very much wanted to get back to the feast. As if able to read his mind, Scrimgeour flicked his wand at the air. A small tray appeared and hovered for a moment as a few desserts popped up on it. Scrimgeour flicked his wand again and muttered something quietly, but Harry didn't know what it was for.
"Eat up, and we'll talk," the Minister said. His eyes bore down on Harry's until Harry finally reached out and grabbed a pumpkin pasty.
It happened suddenly and unexpectedly as Harry grabbed the dessert. Just as his fingers had wrapped around it, he felt a familiar jerk from somewhere behind his navel. He tried to take his hand off the food, but he couldn't. It felt as though his fingers were sealed to the cake magically. Harry felt his feet lift off the ground as he sped through a flash of bright colors and howling wind until his feet slammed hard back onto the ground. Harry fell over as he felt the ground underneath his feet. He looked around as he stood.
Authors' Note:
Nora: We're approaching a tricky part in the story now, but we think it's going to be really great! Sean and I had totally different takes on it, so this is the first chapter that we both wrote in its entirety, and this final product is an accumulation of the two versions. We hope it came together okay!
Sean: Sean would like to point out that Nora is stubborn, as is Sean. They both had two whole separate ideas, and it was Sean who eventually gave in. But Sean would like to now take the time to answer a few reviewers:
It is completely within canon that Dumbledore wasn't near Voldemort as he formed the Horcrux, yet Harry can see him do it in the memory. If you read OoTP, when Harry goes into Snape's memories, Snape isn't near James and his friends the whole time, yet Harry is still able to follow them. JKR has said inn an interview that it is what really happens, and that is that. Sean would answer more questions about the Pensieve and chapter 8, but Sean cannot. Your questions will be answered by the end, though! SEAN GARUNTEES.