This is our last day, thought Harry Wonderingly as he felt a bright spear of sunlight pierce his half-closed eyes.
'Did you say something, Harry?' Snape tried to adjust his position.
'Sorry, Prof. I wasn't aware I'd spoken aloud. I was only thinking that today is our last day and that of all the ways I could have pictured it, none of them come close to this.'
Snape nodded. 'You are both correct and incorrect,' he pointed out. 'Technically, our last days were some time ago — mine in particular. Today is only the last day of this chapter, Harry.'
Harry smiled wryly. 'You never give up, do you Prof?'
'Give up what, pray?'
'Being pedantic.'
'Standards must be maintained, Mr Potter,' growled the ancient wizard, though his words had none of their former bite.
'Yeah, yeah,' quipped Harry, finally opening his eyes all the way. 'As my great-grandchildren would say, whatever.'
Harry's gaze took in a common-room bathed in midday sunlight. The French doors had been thrown open to admit a soft spring breeze and the scent of flowers. A large table, laden with covered plates of cut fruits, sandwiches, cheeses, cakes and a variety of potables, had appeared opposite the residents' makeshift beds. There were straws, glasses and plates in a light substance which felt like plastic, but which Harry was almost sure was some kind of modern glassware. And in a plastic box labelled 'Authorised Personnel Only" were medications of various kinds. A note pinned to the white tablecloth read: "This should be more than enough to last you, even Ronald. See you very soon. Love, Matron and Stevenson."
'Wow!' Ron was choosing provender for him and his wife when Harry sauntered over.
'Impressive, isn't it?' agreed Ron as he piled more fruit into a bowl.
'They wouldn't have such a thing as a nutrient potion over there, would they?' called Draco.
Harry's gaze travelled to a chilly bin and opened it. Inside were more bottles of juice, water, and some smaller bottles labelled Fortisip Adult Nutrition.
'You can have Mocha, Neutral or Hot Tropical Ginger,' announced Harry as he recrossed the room.
'Hot tropical what? The mind boggles,' said Draco. 'And what, pray, is mocha?'
'Coffee with chocolate,' replied Snape. 'I'll have one of those.'
'I suppose it had better be neutral for me,' sighed Draco. 'That sounds safest.'
'Here you go, Sweet Peas,' said Ginny with a brightness which belied her worry. She set down a loaded tray in front of her in-laws, neither of whom had moved since awakening.
'What's the number, James?' came the soft voice to his left.
'Seven,' he replied shortly.
'There are pain potions in here,' called Harry from the table. 'Pretty strong ones. Who needs one of these? I doubt if they would have included them if they thought they weren't going to work.' He picked up the entire box and brought it across.
'One for Hermione,' he handed her a green vial.
'Mine are the blue ones,' said Draco. 'Just pop it into my goop, please.'
Lily reached over and extracted a red one. 'These are for your father,' she said quietly. 'Please don't ask; there isn't time. It's all academic now, anyway.'
Hermione glared across at them. 'Lily Potter. How could you?'
'We have work to do, Hermione,' Lily pointed out equably. 'We can't afford to be side-tracked.'
'But what if this isn't a side-track?' she persisted.
'Then we'll cross that bridge when and if we come to it,' stated Lily in a voice which brooked no further discussion. 'Our current jobs involve eat, comfort, discs.'
Half an hour later, the residents all sitting or lying peaceably, Harry took up the final two discs. 'For some reason they decided to split the last year into two films,' he announced. 'I propose that we treat them as one, that we pause to talk whenever we wish, and that we take whatever time we need. This will be our last chance to do whatever it is we're meant to be doing. Agreed?'
'I just hope there aren't any more nasty surprises,' said Lily wearily. 'I'm not sure I could take any more of those, specially today.'
'There are bound to be surprises,' said Snape. 'However, I cannot vouch for their nastiness. As Harry is wont to say, let's do this.'
The film opened with two staring eyes, followed swiftly by a scene featuring Rufus Scrimgeour giving a press conference. Then came three quick scenes showing each of the Golden Trio in their respective homes: Hermione reading the paper, Harry staring out the window and watching the Dursleys ready themselves for departure, and Ron out in the reed beds.
The scene then switched back to the Grangers, where all witnessed Hermione erasing her parents' memories.
'Oh, clumsy. Very clumsy,' said Hermione in disgust. 'There is no way I'd have used Obliviate.'
'I should hope not,' said Snape. 'Even so, you did a remarkable thing. Did you manage to undo it later?'
'Eventually,' sighed Hermione. 'It took a huge amount of time and effort.'
The scenes then switched back and forth between Hermione and Harry's homes.
'Ah, there's the bag,' said Ron.
'Which bag,' said Snape.
'I kept everything in that bag,' explained Hermione. 'All our essentials, all year. It was a really difficult piece of charm work.'
'By Salazar, girl. You thought of everything, didn't you,' said Snape with genuine admiration.
'They didn't include Dudley's change of heart,' said Harry disappointedly. 'Some of the Order came round to collect the Dursleys. Uncle Vernon didn't want to go, and it was Dudders who convinced him. We actually had a civilised relationship after the war ended.'
'Nice of them to finally show me flying,' remarked Snape as the Describer identified him as the Death Eater flying over the countryside towards Malfoy Manor.
'I like the evaporating gates,' quipped Draco. 'Nice touch.'
'Oh no,' he moaned in the next seconds as Snape was pictured entering his childhood home where Voldemort's death Eaters were gathered around a long table, with Charity Burbage suspended above. 'Why did I bother even to hope they wouldn't include this?'
Everyone watched in silence as the mission to take Harry was planned.
'Ooooh.' Lily shivered as Voldemort snapped the handle of Lucius Malfoy's wand. 'I almost feel sorry for your father, Draco. That must have felt as if a piece of his heart was being cut out.'
Draco nodded. 'I'm afraid my father realised, far too late, that he was involved in a game with stakes far too high even for him.'
Hermione reached to her left and gently wiped a single tear from his cheek as everyone witnessed Charity's murder.
'Of all the Hogwarts faculty, she was probably the closest I had to a friend,' sighed Snape. 'Yet one more thing to add to the ledger.'
'Now they put it in,' said Harry exasperatedly, as his on-screen self was pictured fiddling with a shard of his two-way mirror while packing. 'No one who hasn't read the story-books is going to know what the hell they're looking at. Sloppy.'
'Urgh. Rather you than me, children,' remarked Draco as six Polyjuiced Harry Potters, together with the real Harry, readied for departure.
'Yes, it was a bit bizarre as I recall,' commented Ron as Hagrid's motorcycle took to the air, accompanied by a variety of broomsticks and thestrals.
'Oh, Hagrid, you didn't,' said a shocked Lily as the motorbike landed on the motorway.
'Course not,' reassured Harry. 'And there were a few more tricks to that bike than just dragon fire. Arthur had a great old time tinkering with it.'
'The stunts look good, though,' laughed Neville.
'Oh, Harry,' said Ginny as Harry's owl plummeted earthwards. 'Poor little Hedwig.'
'Yeah,' he said tonelessly, but they missed another important detail. 'The thing that gave me away as the real Harry was my Expelliarmus. It had kind of become my signature spell.'
'Holey,' snickered Draco as the injured George joked with his brother. 'Oh, Merlin's knickers. No one could raise a joke like those two.'
Everyone bowed their heads as Bill announced Moody's death, and the scene cut straight to Harry's dream sequence featuring Dumbledore and the Horcruxes, with a smidgeon of Ollivander thrown in.
'I saw him being tortured,' whispered Harry.
'I don't remember that happening, mate,' said Ron as Harry was shown trying to sneak away from the Burrow in the dead of night.
'No,' confirmed Hermione. 'We did have a job to convince him that we were serious about doing the mission, though. You've already seen what I did with my family,' she winced, 'well, Ron transfigured the family ghoul and put him in his room. Molly and Arthur put it about that he had spattergroit, which was the reason he wouldn't be returning to school.'
'So that's how you did it, Ronald.' Snape smiled ruefully. 'It seemed, for a time, that the three of you vanished into thin air — until I consulted Dumbledore's and Phinneas' portraits.'
'What I remember is Molly trying her darnedest to find out what we were up to,' laughed Harry. 'And when she couldn't get that out of us, she switched to keeping us away from one another as much as she could.'
'Foolish,' growled Snape.
'She meant well,' said Harry as the movie switch direct to the day of the wedding and a nice little scene with Ginny and Harry alone in the living-room.
Scrimgeour's delivery of Dumbledore's bequests followed fast on its heels.
'Glad it didn't show how we nearly came to blows,' remarked Harry. 'That man didn't know how to take no for an answer. He just couldn't seem to get it through his head that I could be on the side of the Light but not of the Ministry.'
'He didn't give us away, though,' put in Hermione. 'That's something.'
The movie then skipped the wedding ceremony and went straight to the festivities.
'Oh, there's Luna and her dad,' cried a delighted Ginny.
'Remember how Krum got all hot under the collar about that symbol?' added Ron.
Mr Lovegood had just been shown wearing it, though Krum was not in evidence.
'Gee that old aunt of yours must have been cracked if she was a fan of Rita Skeeter, Ronnie,' remarked Neville.
'Don't call me that, Nev,' protested Ron. 'She was a force of nature was Aunty Muriel.'
'That's Professor Longbottom to you,' returned Neville.
'Hush,' hissed Hermione as the ball of white light resolved itself into Kingsley's Patronus, warning of the impending attack.
'You're amazing, you are,' said tv Ron as they changed into clothes from Hermione's beaded bag.
'Always the total surprise,' she quipped.
'Not to me,' declared Snape. 'I'm not sure there is anything you could do which would surprise me, Minister Granger Weasley.'
Everyone laughed.
'Nice work, guys,' said Draco as Hermione obliviated their assailants' memories in the café.
'Ah, the noble and most ancient house of Black,' quipped Harry as they arrived at Grimmauld Place. 'By the way, Prof, I've always been curious as to how you got past the wards that time you went and grabbed Mum's letter and photo.'
'Ask me no questions …' Snape smirked.
'What letter and photo?' demanded Lily sharply.
Ron pressed pause.
'You sent Uncle Sirius a letter, thanking him for my birthday present,' said Harry. 'And a photo of the three of us.'
'Oh, the broomstick,' laughed James. 'We had to put everything that wasn't nailed down in storage. You permanently traumatised poor Tabby. So, you took the letter and photo, did you Severus? As a keepsake?'
Snape shook his head mutely.
'You might as well tell them, Prof,' said Harry. 'I don't know if it'll come up in the discs.'
'What did you do, Sev,' asked Lily quietly.
'I just took the second page with your signature; and — and I cut you out of the photograph and took that, too.'
'What?' Seamus threw up his hands in horror. 'Did I hear you right? You defaced someone else's photograph?' That's … that's – that's like defacing someone's gravestone. You just don't do it.'
'That would have been my last letter to Padfoot,' mused Lily sadly. 'No wonder he kept it.'
James remained completely silent, his eyes closed and his lips pressed into a thin line.
'That's pretty juvenile,' put in Dean. 'What would you have done if you'd found a student had done that to someone else's photograph, especially if said subject of the photo were dead?'
'If that'd been one of mine, I'd have first issued multiple detentions, then written to their parents recommending a Mind Healer,' replied Neville. 'That's very, very disturbing.'
'Pathetic,' put in Draco.
'Well, I think it's very, very sad,' came Luna's voice from her place in the corner. They could hear yelling in the background. 'Sirius doesn't agree with me, but Remus and I will sort him out.'
'Honestly, Sev,' Lily moved to put an arm around him. 'What are we going to do with you? I blame myself, you know. We should have talked after … you know … that day. We could at least have sorted a few things out. I was just so hurt that you'd chosen them over me — that my friendship wasn't enough. I made it all about me when it should have been all about you. I'm sorry, Sev.'
'You're sorry?' Snape had remained silent all through their judgment — again. When, oh when would it be over? 'You're sorry? He repeated, astonished almost into speechlessness. 'You've never had anything to be sorry for …'
'Now you listen here, Severus Snape.' Lily briefly drew back from him and, looking into his sightless eyes, took both his hands in hers. 'This little "exercise" has been all about us resolving the things we've either been too stubborn, or stupid, or ignorant to deal with all this time. It's about us taking responsibility for our own behaviour. Not anyone else's — ours. Now, Godric knows you've had a lot to take ownership of — more than I could have dreamt — but so have I. So, let me take responsibility for my part of it.'
'And mine,' said her husband beside her. He turned to Snape.
'Oh, Godric, Severus. We were all so damned young: full of raging hormones and towering stupidity. It didn't occur to us that you didn't have anyone. You were just this runty, nerdy kid who for some reason got on our wick. And then — well — Lil and I didn't live long enough to try and change anything. She did try talking to me about you, you know. But I just kept telling her that we'd wait till after we'd won the war.'
'We thought we had all the time in the world,' added Lily sorrowfully. 'Silly, really. We were fighting a war after all.'
'And I was brought up by doting, elderly parents to believe I could have, be or do anything I wanted,' continued James. 'I was still learning that life didn't quite work that way when Voldemort finished us.'
'Snap, on the upbringing part,' put in Draco with a wince. 'It was Harry here who really taught me otherwise. After … you know … Dumbledore, I started to think about what was really important. I did have longer to work it all out, though. Didn't even come out until Scorpius was finished school. My wife was dead some years by then — and so was my father.'
'We ended up getting on okay after that,' added Harry with a grin.
'So why, in Merlin's name, has it taken us all so bloody long to tackle all this?' Seamus wanted to know. 'I mean … how long have we all been here? Does anyone actually know?'
'I've only been here what feels like around a year,' replied Harry. 'No one's arrived after me, have they?'
They all shook their heads.
'No, we've all been waiting for you, Mr Potter,' drawled Snape.
Everyone laughed, but Luna floated into the middle of the room, looking serious.
'Trust Professor Snape to come up with the answer,' she said softly.
The laughter froze on their lips.
'I was attempting to make a joke, Ms Lovegood,' replied Snape caustically.
'I'm serious, though,' she replied peaceably. 'You've all been waiting for Harry; at least, his parents have, and the rest of you have just joined them over time.'
All eyes turned to Harry, who first looked bewildered, then outraged.
'I thought you said it wasn't my fault,' he burst out.
'And it's not,' reassured Luna. 'You're the reason, not the cause. I already said that.'
Hermione began to laugh, and everyone turned on her with looks ranging from enquiring to scandalised.
'Oh, I'm sorry.' She tried to get herself under control.
'There's a muggle saying,' she explained. 'The elephant in the room.'
Lily and Dean nodded — the only two other muggle-borns present.
'It rings a faint bell,' mused Snape, the half-blood.
'It means a dominant issue which is somehow avoided,' explained Hermione. 'I think, Harry, that you're our elephant in the room.' She began to chuckle anew.
'You're too pretty to be an elephant,' remarked Draco, also beginning to chuckle. 'How about a cheetah instead? That — that seems far — far more appropri …'
He gave way to full-blown laughter, and was soon joined by the younger group.
'That's — that's 20 points from Slytherin for being a complete idiot,' spluttered Neville.
'But I'm not a complete idiot,' pouted Draco. 'There are bits missing.'
That broke everyone up.
'By Salazar, Draco Malfoy, you will kill me one of these fine days,' spluttered Snape. He was laughing so hard that Lily was struggling to hold onto him.
'But Uncle, dear,' shouted Draco, his grin so wide it threatened to take off the top of his head, 'we're already dead!'
'Oh, please! No more!' begged Hermione as she clung desperately to her husband.
Harry and Ginny looked across at their elders. They sat upright, arms about each other, both grey-faced.
'Mum? Dad?' Harry moved swiftly to their bed.
'It's all right, son,' said James through gritted teeth. 'She'll come out of it; always does.'
'And you?' Ginny had joined her husband.
James sighed. 'It's my kidneys — well it started in my kidneys. Now I suspect it's in my liver as well.'
Everyone winced.
'Mother P?' enquired Ginny.
'I'm fine,' said Lily faintly. 'Just — just don't make me laugh like that too often, eh, Draco.'
'I believe,' declared Snape, 'that I have laughed more in these past days than I did in the whole of my 38 years.'
'And it's not over yet,' said Ron, taking up the remote control. 'Shall we go on?'
They watched as the Trio explored the house, and then woke up to find Kreacher, who informed them the real locket was gone, courtesy of Mundungus Fletcher. Ron again hit pause.
'There's some important stuff they left out here,' he announced.
Hermione and Harry nodded.
'Although he was the Black family House Elf, Kreacher told us that he was closest to Regulus. Voldemort wanted a House Elf for some mission and Kreacher was volunteered. I suppose he wasn't expected to survive,' said Hermione.
'Except he did,' put in Harry. 'He came home and told Regulus where he'd been and what he'd done; they went back to that cave together to switch the lockets. I gave Regulus' locket to Kreacher, though it doesn't show that here. He was a hell of a lot nicer to us after that.'
'You mean,' said a horrified Ginny, 'that Voldemort had that poor old House Elf drink that potion, or whatever it was — the one Dumbledore drank which nearly killed him?'
They nodded.
'Well, all I can say is that I hope we left the world better than we found it,' sighed Ginny sadly.
Ron resumed the disc and the Hogwarts express came into view.
'Correct me if I'm wrong,' said Neville. 'But Cormack was a year ahead of us, wasn't he?'
'Well spotted,' said Dean. 'More sloppiness. Cormack wouldn't have even been there.'
A quick succession of scenes followed, featuring the Ministry, the new Minister and Dolores Umbridge, followed by Diagon Alley and Mundungus Fletcher selling stolen goods. Then it was back to Grimmauld Place and Harry trying to figure out the snitch Dumbledore had left him. Dobby and Kreacher retrieved Fletcher and he identified Umbridge from the newspaper.
The timeline then cut directly to the locket retrieval mission. Everyone watched with interest as, once again polyjuiced, the Trio penetrated the Ministry.
'That was a scary time and no mistake,' commented Ron. 'All that stuff against muggle-borns.'
'What are those,' enquired Snape as the Describer indicated Harry releasing various clockwork objects in Umbridge's office.
'Fred and George's decoys,' said Ron proudly.
'Of course,' smirked Snape. 'Silly me.'
'She had some nerve, wearing that thing, bold as brass,' remarked Neville.
'Silly wench didn't know what it was,' replied Dean.
'Lucky her,' said Harry. 'The thing was dangerous.'
'Why do they hardly ever use our individual Patroni?' Ginny wanted to know as the Trio was forced to escape from a load of dementors. 'Most of the time one comes up, they just use a ball of light. It could be anyone. Seems somehow disrespectful.'
'I suppose it's easier to produce a ball of light than various animals,' replied Hermione absently as the three made their escape.
'We saved a lot more muggle-borns than just Mrs Cattermole,' complained Ron.
'You were lucky to get out of there at all,' commented Draco.
'What on earth did we try playing with spells for?' Harry said wonderingly as the three threw spell after spell at the Horcrux. 'We knew what destroyed Horcruxes — at least, we should have done.'
'So that's how they kept us informed,' said Ron. 'They gave me my radio. I didn't actually have that until later. Very useful, that was.'
'Yes, and meanwhile, that bloody locket was working on all our minds,' said Harry. 'We took turns wearing the thing and it made us all irritable, especially Ron.'
Watching as Hermione investigated a sound, and Harry studied the Marauders' Map for signs of Headmaster Snape, Dean complained, 'I think that was meant to be me, Ted, Dirk and the goblins. Who the hell are these people? Am I not in this at all?'
'They're the snatchers who caught us later on,' replied Hermione. 'We overheard your conversation, learned about the replica Sword of Gryffindor, and worked out that it could destroy Horcruxes. I'd have thought that quite important.' She sighed.
Everyone looked sober as Ron's radio chanted out the long casualty list.
'It was bad, wasn't it,' whispered Lily.
Harry nodded.
'And then it got worse,' said Ron, as he witnessed first Hermione remembering how to destroy Horcruxes, and the ensuing argument. 'Hey, I never would have brought up your parents, Harry,' Ron protested. 'I was pissed off, sure, but I would never …'
'I know, mate,' soothed Harry as the on-screen argument ended with Ron throwing down the locket and walking off.
'Oh, boy,' said Hermione a few minutes later as she and Harry danced in the tent. 'That definitely did not happen.'
'This would be the same script writer with relationships on the brain,' sneered Draco.
'Yes; only not the important ones, seemingly,' mourned Ginny.
'We barely spoke to one another over those weeks Ron was away,' confirmed Harry.
'Serves you right for failing to be dramatic enough,' scoffed Snape.
Everyone snickered.
'Good thinking, son.' said James as Harry was pictured discovering the writing on the snitch. 'What does "I open at the close." Mean?'
'You'll see,' smiled Harry.
'Of course,' breathed Lily as Hermione showed Harry the triangular symbol in the book Dumbledore had left her. 'I remember seeing that in your copy, James. But what is it?'
'You'll see,' smiled Harry again as, on-screen, he and Hermione decided to go to Godric's Hollow.
Both elder Potters smiled wistfully as the village appeared.
'There's that symbol again,' said James. 'Why does it give me goosebumps?'
'Peverell.' He shivered.
'Oh, they didn't show the transformation of the war memorial,' said a disappointed Hermione.
'What transformation?' demanded Lily.
'When we looked, it transformed into a statue of you, James and baby Harry,' Hermione said proudly.
'Urrrgh,' said Draco. 'Tacky.'
'I agree,' said James. 'Glad I didn't get to see that bit.'
'Oh no,' mourned Lily. 'They just left it.' Harry and Hermione had just come upon the Potters' burned-out home.
'Oooooh, Harry, get out of there now,' whispered Ginny as she watched the two in Bathilda Bagshot's home a few minutes later.
'Bloody hellfire,' ejaculated Seamus as Bathilda morphed into Nagini the snake.
'Don't know what I'd have done without Hermione,' said Harry. 'My wand broke in the struggle.'
'You were fortunate to get out of there with only a broken wand,' opined Snape as the Forest of Dean became the pair's new location.
'Oh, yuck,' said Hermione as her on-screen self suggested remaining in the forest and growing old. 'This man is trying to push us together.'
Everyone watched in complete fascination as Harry, keeping watch outside the tent, observed a light in the distance which eventually resolved itself into a silvery doe.
'Oh, isn't it beautiful,' gasped Ginny.
'Severus,' whispered Lily in awe.
'What? That's you, Prof?' Neville sat there with his mouth open.
Snape nodded, unable to speak.
'You never changed it,' marvelled Lily. 'All your life.'
'That was your Patronus, Lil,' breathed James.
She nodded.
'And you what? You matched your Patronus to hers?' He turned to Snape. 'Hell, Severus, you poor bastard.'
Snape straightened up, his eyes flashing defiance, but he said nothing. Ron discreetly pressed pause.
James rose slowly from the bed and came around to sit close to Snape.
'I'm not angry, old chap,' he began. 'I'm just … just … I don't know … sad somehow, and shocked, and … well … in awe. You've kept all this inside, this whole time.'
Everyone turned to look at the two men.
'How?' Ginny asked in a small voice. 'How did you not explode, Prof?'
Snape shook his head mutely.
'I mean,' Ginny continued, 'you really, really love her, don't you? And — and you what? You just kept all that inside you all this time while you dealt with Dumbledore, and Voldemort and — and all of us too?'
'And then I came along, reminding you of my mum and dad,' added Harry.
'That would have been like having your nose rubbed in it,' remarked Neville wonderingly. 'I can see why you were so horrible to Harry.'
'Yeah, but it doesn't explain why you were such a git to the rest of us,' said Seamus belligerently, 'especially poor Neville here. I can understand the whole house points thing, but you made it very clear that you'd rather be anywhere else but teaching the likes of us.'
'Oh, come on, Seamus,' said Ginny. 'That last year, when he was Headmaster …'
'Kids were injured; kids were even tortured …'
'That's true,' put in Neville. 'But, looking back, it could have been a hell of a lot worse. Half the time we had detention with Hagrid … I mean to say …'
'Yes, in hindsight, that was a definite clue that you were trying to help us,' concluded Ginny gently, also moving round to Snape's side. 'Not that we knew anything about that at the time. We were trying to do more than just survive.'
She stared at him for a long time. No one spoke as she knelt and took him in her arms. Snape didn't even bother pretending to resist; he was just too tired.
Harry got up and walked over to have a quiet talk with Seamus and Dean.
'You know what,' said Ginny, rocking the distraught figure, 'I think you're fucking amazing —still bloody scary, too, if I'm honest — but amazing all the same.'
'Ha! Told you,' said James, poking him with a finger. 'Knew I wasn't the only one, you stubborn old git.'
'No, he's not the only one,' added Ron, joining his sister. 'It took me years to get my head around it. I suppose a part of me didn't even want to believe it because it was just easier to keep resenting how you acted towards Harry. But, seeing you these last few days and — well — over the time I've been here … well, thank you … for everything,' he finished lamely.
Hermione, observing from two beds away, shifted experimentally. With infinite care, she began to manoeuvre herself upright with the help of the couch's remote control.
'Mione, what are you doing?' enquired Neville.
'I want to go over to the others,' she growled, gingerly placing her feet on the floor.
'Ron, get over here and help me,' she ordered.
'No, you're all right, mate,' called Neville. 'I've got her.'
'Me, too,' offered Dean, crossing the room, leaving Harry still talking quietly with Seamus.
Together, the men helped Hermione to her feet and supported her over towards the others grouped around Snape.
'Lucky for me that potion is still working,' she groaned as she was propped awkwardly on the Potters' couch.
'Professor,' said Ginny gently. 'Hermione is beside us now, just to your right. I think she wants to say something to you.'
Hermione reached out her hand. 'Hello, Prof,' she said with a soft smile.
'Severus.'
If they hadn't been gathered so closely around him, they might have dismissed it as their imagination.
'What was that?' asked Ginny.
The slight form turned in her arms, so that he faced the gathering, and sighed in weary exasperation.
'Ginevra Potter. Have you not learned by now that I detest repeating myself?'
Inexplicably, (at least to Severus) everyone laughed.
'Oh, you are such a delight,' chortled Hermione. 'Is this your way of asking us to call you Severus?'
'Of course not,' he snapped. 'It is only my name, after all.'
'But we can't do that,' said Seamus, crossing with Harry — a nest of blankets holding Draco between them. 'You're our professor.'
'I was your professor, Mr Finnigan,' retorted Snape curtly. 'Do try to keep up.'
Draco was settled beside Hermione.
'Yeah, Seamus, get with the programme,' grinned Ron. 'Otherwise, it'll be points from all of us for being Gryffindor dunderheads.'
Yet more laughter.
'If I had taken points for that, Mr Weasley, the hourglass would have been permanently empty,' declared Snape with a small smile.
'No, it wouldn't,' objected Neville. 'Prof McGonagall would have eaten you for breakfast if you'd tried that.'
'No, she only ever had that horrible porridge,' put in Draco tonelessly.
'There's nothing wrong with porridge,' retorted Lily. 'It's supposed to give you lots of fibre.'
'Yuck! That sounds disgusting,' whined Draco, making a face. 'Why should I wish to eat fibres?'
'There are lots of foods which are rich in fibre, young man,' said Lily severely. 'Don't you ever eat fruit and vegetables or grains like oats?'
'And it makes you go good,' blurted Harry before he could stop himself.
'Go where,' said Ron?
'I'm not going anywhere, thank you so very much,' snapped Draco. 'Not for all the fibres in the world.'
Severus squeezed Hermione's hand. 'I think they're all mad.'
'All except thee and me,' she replied. 'And I have serious concerns about thee.'
'I give up,' sighed Snape, though he could not suppress a small smile. 'Trying to hold a coherent conversation with these people is analogous to herding cats with a cattle prodder. When did they become so entertaining?'
That made Hermione laugh.
'Ah, we love you too, Severus,' chimed in Harry.
'And that begs the question which no one else here has yet asked,' said Snape. 'How did I end up here with all of you?'
'Good question, um … 99,' said Draco. 'I have wondered that too, from time to time. It is not in the least what I pictured as an after-life.'
'I don't think any of us did,' said James.
'Someone must have,' contended Draco. 'A muggle-style nursing home is so foreign to anything I might have imagined as to be beyond bizarre.'
'But it hasn't been that bad, has it?' said Dean.
'That is not the point,' snapped Snape. 'You people are quite as capable of staying on topic as Mr Longbottom is of successful brewing.' Everyone laughed. 'When I arrived here, there was only Sirius and the Potters. Remus followed very closely behind me. We were all relatively young. The place was more like a large holiday house: comfortable, lived-in, surprisingly convivial — after a period of adjustment.'
'So that means you two must have arrived first,' said Draco, indicating the elder Potters. 'That means this entire setup is your vision — either one or both.'
'I suppose, technically, I arrived first,' said James thoughtfully. 'I remember my last thought was regret that I wouldn't see my son grow up. I didn't even have time to remonstrate with myself that I'd left my wand in the living-room. Next thing I knew, I was in this lovely little cottage. Lil and I had talked about buying a holiday home, and it was exactly the kind of thing we would have chosen. Eventually, we just stopped wondering and started enjoying. Then others started coming; Sirius, then Severus and Remus, then a very long time before you, Draco, from memory.'
'And things didn't start to really change until Harry arrived,' added Hermione.
'I think we had already established that we have been awaiting Harry's arrival,' said Severus. 'What we have yet to discover is why.'
'Oh, I think you'll find that out soon enough,' came Luna's soft voice from her corner. 'Why don't you watch some more of the disc. It's really quite interesting.'
'Now where were we,' Ron wanted to know. 'Ah, yes. Pro — Severus here was pulling our irons out of the fire — again.'
When he pressed play, Harry was pictured removing his clothing, preparatory to taking an ice dip.
'Take off that bloody infernal locket,' Hissed Severus.
Of course, Harry did not, the locket tried to strangle him and Ron rescued both him and the Sword.
'Harry Potter, I have no words,' sighed Severus mournfully. 'You knew the thing you wore was a Horcrux. You knew the Sword would destroy Horcruxes. Did it not occur to you, with all your experience, that the thing would try to preserve itself in the presence of the one thing which could end it? If Ronald had not been there, I would have had to rescue you myself; and believe me, that would not have been a pleasant experience for either of us.'
'Sorry er, Severus,' said Harry sheepishly. 'I know I'm a Dunderhead.'
'There are no words for what you are, Harry Potter,' retorted Severus without malice.
'By Godric, you kids were incredible,' breathed James as everyone watched Ron finally destroy the locket.
'Bloody hell, Mione,' said Neville as she turned the full force of her temper on Ron.
'That wasn't half as bad as in reality,' said Hermione.
'Phew,' said Dean. 'I think that comes under the category of meltdown.'
'She wouldn't talk to me for ages after that,' mourned Ron. 'Not until we got to the Lovegoods.'
'Poor Da,' said Luna from her corner. 'He really didn't know what to do when you all turned up, did he?'
'Sorry about your house,' said Hermione as it exploded and they escaped the Death Eaters who had come at Mr Lovegood's call. 'That Erumpent Horn (which wasn't shown here I note) would have been the chief cause.'
'It wasn't, though,' protested Luna. 'Da wrote to me and told me it was from a Crumple-Horned Snorkack.'
'Out of the frying pan …' interrupted Severus as the teenagers apparated straight into the arms of a gang of snatchers.
'Not exactly,' said Harry. 'There was a couple of months between those two events, during which I made some pretty staggering discoveries. Hit that button would you, Ron.'
But Ron was way ahead of him.
'Firstly,' began Harry once he had their full attention, 'Mrs Rational here,' he pointed at Hermione, 'didn't believe in the Hallows at all — even after Mr Lovegood all but confirmed that the Invisibility Cloak in our family was one of them.'
'What?' cried James and Lily in unison.
'It's the genuine article,' continued Harry. 'Dad, remember giving it to Dumbledore? He must have suspected and wanted to examine it.'
'Bloody good thing he still had it when we were killed, then,' growled James. 'I don't want to think about what might have happened had Voldemort gotten his filthy hands on it.'
They all shuddered.
'Yes, but that's not all,' said Harry growing excited. 'They left out many of the memories I saw in Dumbledore's pensieve in sixth year. 'In the very first one, we watched some Ministry bloke visit old Marvolo Gaunt's house because Tom's uncle Morfin had attacked a muggle boy (Tom Senior, I think) and old Gaunt had that ring that Dumbledore destroyed — the one with the curse in it — and it had that same symbol on it. He babbled about being related to the Peverells.'
'But that would make us distant cousins,' said James in horror.
'Very distant,' confirmed Severus. 'I see where you're going with this, Harry. The ring contained …'
'The Resurrection Stone,' said he and Lily in unison.
'Wow!' breathed Draco. 'What a lineage! My father would have been positively green.'
Everyone else who was hearing this for the first time was looking at James and Harry as if they'd never seen them before.
'So, then I had to wonder,' continued Harry who was on a roll now, 'whether Voldemort knew about the Hallows, and I concluded that he was just after the Elder Wand because he thought that, with the most powerful wand in the world, he could finally kill me.'
'Yes,' drawled Severus. 'Had I known what you know, Harry, I might have been able to talk him round. I had done it before.'
'But you'd have had to tell him about the Hallows,' squeaked Ginny.
'Oh, I expect I could have come up with an alternative,' said Severus with a satisfied smirk.
'Yep, I expect you could,' said a familiar voice from Luna's corner.
'Sirius!' yelled Harry.
'Never play chess or cards with this one, ladies and gents.' He was smiling when he said it.
'You're not supposed to be here, Sirius,' said Luna reproachfully.
'Ah, Merlin's bollocks,' replied Sirius laughing. 'I'm going to watch the end game with my friends. Who's going to stop me, eh?'
'Don't ever change, Pads,' said Lily, smiling fondly at him.
'Oh, I don't think that's very likely — ever,' replied Severus.
Sirius shot him a finger, causing the younger boys to snicker.
'But why would the script writers, or directors, or whatever, leave out something this important?' Neville wanted to know.
'Because it's too difficult,' sneered Severus.
'Oh, and there was that broadcast,' cried Hermione.
'Potterwatch,' cried all three together.
'Gee it was good to hear Lee, and Kingsley, and Remus, and Fred,' reminisced Harry. 'I accidentally called the snatchers in my excitement — by saying Voldemort's name.'
And with that, Ron pressed play and they found themselves watching a manufactured chase between the gang and the Trio.
'See? There they go again: creating gratuitous drama and then leaving out important things,' complained Draco. 'If all films are like this, I'm so glad I didn't pollute myself with them.'
'They've bloody left me out again,' cried Dean in exasperation. 'It's as if I don't exist.'
'And there's dear Bella,' sneered Draco as she was pictured meeting the captives at the gate of Malfoy Manor. 'Don't they just love her for the drama.'
'And there's the Deus Ex Machina,' he continued.
'I'll forgive you that, since Dobby was left out of most of these discs,' said Harry coolly.
Everyone grew silent as Dobby died in Harry's arms and they buried him by the beach.
'Tell me she didn't actually carve that word on your arm, Hermione,' said Lily. 'Only, I've known you a while now, and I've never seen it.'
'No, she didn't,' sighed Hermione. 'She just used her favourite Cruciatus.'
Sirius growled, and Severus patted her hand.
'Ooooh. To be continued,' drawled Draco as they watched Voldemort retrieve the Elder Wand from Dumbledore's tomb.
'Oh goody. Intermission,' said Lily in a tired voice. 'I used to love intermission at the pictures, as we used to call them. It always meant ice cream.'
Severus smiled. 'that film your parents took us to,' he mused. 'The Thing that liked eating children scared me half to death. What was it called?'
'Chitty-Chitty Bang Bang,' cried Lily, and she began to sing. 'A gentle breeze from Hushabye Mountain; Softly blows o'er Lullaby Bay'
And Severus joined in,
'It fills the sails of boats that are waiting; Waiting to sail your worries away.'
They broke off, each looking at the other a little self-consciously.
'Please don't stop,' said Hermione quietly. 'I know the song, but I don't remember the words. They did re-runs on the telly.'
Everyone looked expectantly at Severus and Lily.
'I'm not sure I remember any more of it,' said Lily sadly. 'Sev, you've just about got an eidetic memory. Do you …'
He nodded, blushing slightly. 'Of course I do. It was the only picture I ever saw as a child. I acquired the soundtrack record from a second-hand shop in Manchester years later.' And he closed his eyes and sang, almost too softly for anyone to hear.
'It isn't far to Hushabye Mountain;And your boat waits down by the quay;
The winds of night so softly are sighing;
Soon they will fly your troubles to sea. So close your eyes on Hushabye Mountain.
Wave goodbye to cares of the day.
And watch your boat from Hushabye Mountain;
Sail far away from Lullaby Bay.'
'I missed most of that,' mouthed Neville wistfully to Dean.
Hermione had tears in her eyes.
'And what was that other one we kept singing until it drove Tunie crazy?' reminisced Lily, so lost in her reminiscence that she had temporarily forgotten they had an audience. 'They were some kind of sweets. We even talked about trying to replicate them one day when we got good enough at potions.'
'Oh, I know those,' squeaked Hermione delightedly. 'I used to drive my dentist parents barmy, singing that around the house. Now how did it go?'
Severus began to smile in anticipation. He couldn't help himself.
'Toot Sweets! Toot Sweets! The candies you whistle, the whistles you eat.",' sang Hermione, with a silly grin on her lined face.
Severus found he could no longer resist joining in.
'Toot Sweets! Toot Sweets! The eatable, tweetable treats! Toot Sweets! Toot Sweets! …'
Hang on,' pouted Hermione, 'Truly sings that bit.'
'Ah, as you were,' said Severus, laughing. They both came to a halt when they felt many eyes on them.
'Don't mind us,' said Harry, himself laughing.
'They don't have any ice cream, but we found these,' said Ron, presenting bottles to Severus, Lily and Hermione. 'It says they're flavoured milk.'
'Almost a milkshake,' said Lily happily. 'What have they got? Strawberry for me, please.'
'They also have chocolate, ice coffee and vanilla,' said Ron.
'Vanilla for me, please,' said Hermione.
'How about you, Severus?' Ron held out two bottles. 'Coffee or chocolate?'
'That, Ronald, is a very difficult decision,' drawled Severus. 'I wish you would not tax my poor old brain so.'
'It is a hard one,' whispered Lily to her husband who had re-joined them. 'He's a sucker for both.'
'I know,' laughed James.
Severus closed his eyes theatrically, reached out a hand and grasped a bottle; but it slipped his grip as he tried to take its weight.
'Damn-damn-damn,'
'Ok, Severus,' soothed Ginny. 'Let's pour this into a glass, a bit at a time so it's nice and light and easy to hold, and we've got plenty of straws. How does that sound?'
'It sounds as though I have little alternative,' he mourned.
Having refreshed themselves for the final film, Harry looked around at his family and friends. 'Okay, this is it, folks. Our last chance before we go to wherever we're going. It's been a bumpy ride but a worthwhile one, I think. Anyone think differently?'
Silence reigned.
'But we've still got difficult viewing ahead., and we might lose at least some of us before this disc is played out. So, wonderful people, take the opportunity to say what needs saying, and do what needs doing while we can. Hit it, Ron.'
The final film opened with the final scene from part one: Voldemort shooting a huge burst of energy into the sky with the newly-acquired Elder Wand.
'Ah, there you are, Sev,' cried Lily delightedly as Headmaster Snape was pictured watching the Hogwarts students cross the courtyard in desultory ranks.
'And there's Shell Cottage,' chirped Luna. 'I loved that place. It was very pretty — and peaceful.'
'Bloody hell, Severus,' said James with admiration as Griphook, Harry and Hermione discussed the fake Sword of Gryffindor and the possibility of pulling off a heist from Gringotts.
Severus huffed dismissively.
'So, you think Ollivander was lying about believing in the Hallows?' asked Seamus as Harry left Ollivander's room.
'Not exactly,' replied Harry. 'As I recall, he was uncertain about the other objects, but he absolutely knew about the Elder Wand. I think the fact that he knew about it — really knew —was what finally convinced Hermione.'
She nodded.
The timeline then cut straight to the morning of the heist. Everyone watched anxiously as the four thieves entered Gringotts' main hall.
'You lot must have had ice in your veins,' breathed Neville.
'Oh, it was worse than that,' said Hermione. 'We met a Death Eater named Travers before we even got inside. Then Harry had to confund the two security guards; they had those (whatyoucallthems) Probity Probes.'
'We had to throw the imperious curses around that day,' said Harry. 'I was really bricking it when they asked Hermione to present her wand. It was then we realised they knew we were imposters.'
No one spoke as they confronted the dragon and eventually entered the vault and came immediately under the Germino curse.
'They forgot the Flagrante,' yelled Hermione as the on-screen drama and noise increased. 'Everything we touched burnt us as well.'
They all sat with wide eyes and open mouths as the theft was pulled off. Then Snape began to laugh as the three exited Gringotts In the most spectacular fashion — on the back of the dragon. James, Sirius and Lily joined inn, followed by everyone else.
'That actually happened,' marvelled Severus.
The laughter soon died, however, as the three jumped from the dragon's back into the lake, and Harry received another vision from Voldemort, indicating that the latter had finally twigged that Harry and his friends were hunting Horcruxes.
'You're for it now, kid,' remarked Sirius as the teenagers decided to go straight to Hogwarts.
That was well and truly confirmed by a cut-away scene showing Voldemort, the Malfoys with him, in the ruins of Gringotts. Everyone shivered as they heard him instructing Nagini that she must now stay by his side.
'Stupid, stupid, stupid,' growled Severus as the three apparated into the familiar village. 'How could you not have realised Hogsmeade would be guarded? If Aberforth had not decided to help you … Oh, why do I bother?'
He was roundly ignored as everyone concentrated on the conversation with Aberforth.
'What a miserable old git,' said Sirius.
'But a useful miserable old git,' laughed Hermione.
'They left out Dumbledore's story,' said a disappointed Ron. 'People are going to think he was really a power-hungry megalomaniac.' He pressed pause,
Then proceeded to relate the tragic story of Ariana Dumbledore: her attack and complete breakdown had eventually led to the death of the mother, with Albus being forced to take on the family responsibilities.
'Grindelwald was related to Bathilda Bagshot,' continued Ron, 'and he visited her there after being thrown out of Durmstrang. They got really friendly, and Albus was even thinking of taking Ariana on this tour they were planning, only Aberforth wasn't having it. They all fought, and Ariana was killed in the chaos.'
'Oh no,' mourned Lily. 'I can see it all. Here's a prodigiously-gifted 17-year-old kid, thinks the world is his oyster, spends all day having to care for his ill and eccentric siblings, and along comes this handsome guy with big talk and bigger ideas. I'm just glad he had the presence of mind to see where Grindelwald was leading and pull back.'
'Not in time to save his sister, though,' said Harry sombrely. He turned to Snape.
'Severus,' he still felt exceedingly uncomfortable using Snape's first name. 'You wondered what Dumbledore saw in that dreadful basin the night we grabbed the locket? I told Aberforth I thought it was them — he and his sister — being hurt by Grindelwald. He kept pleading with someone not to hurt them, but to take him instead.'
'You're probably right,' whispered Severus, lowering his head.
They resumed the disc, and Neville gave a cry.
'Hey, that's me!'
Everyone laughed.
'Well, well. so that's how you entered Hogwarts,' said Snape wryly. 'I'm glad, actually. I should have had to engineer something otherwise.'
'By Godric, you've no idea how bloody good it was to see you three again after all that time,' smiled Seamus.
'The feeling was mutual, I can tell you,' confirmed Ron. 'Though my little sis only had eyes for one of us.' He gave her a wink.
Then the scene switched to the grand staircase, and Amicus Carrow watching as students made their regimented way to the Great Hall. Ron pressed pause.
'What's this malarkey?' he wanted to know. 'This didn't happen at all. Or am I mistaken?'
'You are not,'' replied Severus. 'What did happen, Harry?'
'Ah, now that was a bit of fun,' Harry smirked, remembering. 'Luna took me to the Ravenclaw common-room to look at the diadem, and there we found Alecto Carrow, who was promptly stunned by Luna. I think she quite enjoyed doing it.'
'I did, actually,' confirmed Luna happily.
'Then Amicus and McGonagall turned up, and I crucioed the bastard for spitting in her face,' said Harry proudly. 'Then McGonagall Imperioused him and the two Carrows ended up trussed like a pair of turkeys. Then she agreed to raise the school to give me time to find the diadem.'
'Nice one,' said Sirius.
'Meanwhile, Mione and I went down to the Chamber of Secrets and got a load of basilisk fangs to kill Horcruxes with,' supplied Ron.
'Hey, Severus, you missed all that,' chortled Neville.
Snape huffed. 'I only have one pair of hands, Mr Longbottom.'
'Okay, so let's see what they've done,' suggested James. 'I'm mighty curious.'
Ron nodded, and pressed play. On the screen, Headmaster Snape strode between the rows of students to the high table, turned and face the Hall.
'Bloody hell,' whispered Ron as the deliberate, dulcet tones filled the Hall. 'I'd have just about creamed myself. By Godric, he's good, isn't he?'
Everyone nodded, but no one dared utter a sound as tv Snape concluded his speech. They watched Harry reveal himself and challenge the Headmaster. There followed a duel between Snape and McGonagall, in front of the entire school, which concluded with Snape breaking through a window and flying away.'
All the viewers applauded.
'I don't give a rat's arse that it didn't happen,' declared Sirius. 'By Godric, but it looked good.'
'Certainly, more interesting than the reality,' remarked Snape coolly.
Then, everyone was silenced once more as, through Harry, Voldemort issued his ultimatum.
'That's wrong,' grumbled Hermione. 'He gave us until midnight.'
'Bloody Parkinson,' spat Ginny as Pansy tried to get students to hand Harry over.
'Ah, so that's where they slotted it in,' said Hermione as she and Ron told Harry about the possible location of basilisk fangs.
'Exactly how did you open the chamber?' demanded Snape? 'If memory serves, Parseltongue is the only way to accomplish it.'
'I remembered the sounds Harry made when he opened the locket,' said Ron with a satisfied smirk. 'Took a couple of tries, but I managed in the end.'
'Good for you, kid,' said James.
'I think someone's enjoying themselves hugely,' commented Snape as tv McGonagall performed the spell which raised the statues. 'As I recall, she raised those against me, which was my signal to exit.'
'Ah, but that's not nearly entertaining enough, is it' quipped Draco sarcastically.
'I don't know,' retorted Seamus. 'What was all that about my proclivity for pyrotechnics? Far as I recall, I don't have one of those.'
Everyone laughed.
'Good old Flitwick,' said Lily softly as the diminutive professor began incanting along with other Order and Faculty members.
'Good old Luna,' said Sirius, putting an arm around her as her on-screen counterpart introduced Harry to the Grey Lady. 'Not just a pretty face, are you, Petal?'
Luna smiled at him. 'I didn't actually do that,' she confessed.
'It was Nearly Headless Nick,' said Harry.
The conversation between Harry and Helena Ravenclaw was split by a scene showing the Death Eater army gathering outside the school, with Voldemort at its head. The battle was about to begin in deadly earnest.
'There you are after all,' cried Neville, as Dean and Kingsley were shown discussing tactics. 'I was afraid they'd left you out completely.'
'Like Percy,' grumbled Ginny. 'He turned up in the Room of Requirement just as we were about to go up to the Hall. Do you remember? Finally realised what was really important.'
The next scenes alternated between Ron and Hermione in the Chamber of Secrets, and Neville guarding an entrance to the school against the snatchers.
The alternation concluded with Hermione destroying the Horcrux and sharing a passionate kiss with Ron.
Draco made a face.
'Oh, come on, Draco,' chided Ginny. 'At least they've finally got the pairings right.'
'Oh, wonderful,' cried James as Neville blew up the bridge.
Everyone watched as the battle raged on. Ginny and Harry paused for a kiss, and Draco mimed throwing up.
'Now, why did they do that?' wondered Draco, as he was pictured choosing a couple of mates and heading after Harry. 'It was always Crabbe and Goyle. Zabini would never have soiled himself so.'
The younger boys snickered.
'I seem to remember reading somewhere that the actor who played Crabbe had some legal trouble and was forced to withdraw,' supplied Hermione.
In the Room of Requirement, everyone gasped as curses began to fly everywhere, and Fiendfyre began to engulf the entire room.
The elder Potters clung to one another as the Trio fought for the Diadem, and for survival.
'Why did you save me,' asked Draco quietly.
'I owed you,' Harry replied simply. 'You could have outed me back at your house; you didn't.'
'How pathetic,' sneered Snape as Harry destroyed the Diadem. 'These people should have been familiar enough with our world to know that Fiendfyre also destroys dark magic.'
'It did,' confirmed Harry. 'The thing just fell to bits, with some blood-like substance oozing out of it.'
As Voldemort visibly weakened under the diadem's destruction, killed Minister Pius Thicknesse, and apparated to safety, Snape stretched out his hands to either side of him.
'What is it, Severus?' enquired Hermione. 'What do you need?'
'Contact,' replied the blind wizard tonelessly. 'It's almost my time, I think.'
'Would you like to stop the disc?' asked Hermione.
'Not … quite … yet,' he replied with deliberation. He seemed to be concentrating on something.
No one moved or spoke. They didn't even bother to complain that it had been Percy who'd killed the Minister, or that Fred had died in the explosion which had followed.
On-screen, Harry, Hermione and Ron were shown in the aftermath of the fire, looking the worse for wear. Harry told his companions that Nagini was the final Horcrux.
The scene then switched to Voldemort in Hogwarts' boathouse with Lucius Malfoy, who encouraged him to call off the fight and concentrate on Harry. For answer, Lucius received instruction to retrieve Severus.
The Trio then made their way through the burning school, battling as they went. They fought giants, death Eaters and Acromantulae before coming upon Greyback Fenrir and disarming him — all the while being pursued by a giant. Then, as dementors swarmed out of the darkness, a shimmering shield was thrown up around the fleeing Trio.
'Very slick,' chuckled Snape softly to Hermione. 'Pity it is also completely fanciful.'
'I knew Aberforth hadn't really given up,' she replied as he was seen fighting amongst a group of Order members, and the three sprinted towards the lighted boathouse.
'I'm glad they didn't use the Shrieking Shack,' whispered Severus.
'So am I,' replied Hermione, patting his hand.
'Would you please pause now?'
Hermione reached across her husband, took up the remote control and complied just as the Describer confirmed that Snape was now with Voldemort.
Everyone turned to look at Severus.
'This is it, for you, isn't it?' whispered Ron in awe. 'Are you … er … afraid?'
Severus thought about it. 'No,' he concluded carefully. 'I feel strangely' he searched for the right word 'light. Did you feel that way, Sirius — before?'
Sirius gazed at him in wonderment. 'No,' he replied just as softly. 'I was bricking it, to tell the truth.'
'Luna?' Hermione's voice held a note of fear for the first time. 'Will — will we all see each other on the other side, do you know?'
'For a little while,' replied the younger girl serenely, 'before we all pursue whatever new paths are ours to walk.'
'So, this will be goodbye, then?' Hermione continued, a lump coming to her throat.
'Goodbye to this part of the journey, and to those you've travelled with, certainly,' clarified Luna. 'You've all been stuck in one place for a long time. The Universe doesn't really like that. Now it's finally time to move on.'
'But — but…' Lily clung to her husband, and reached out blindly for her son. 'You can't mean that,' she protested, her eyes filling with tears. 'I thought — well — I thought that, wherever we were, we'd always be together.'
'And some part of you always will,' replied Luna, floating peaceably across to the Potters, all four of whom had now sprawled in a desperate tangle on the couch. 'Just not in this way. This part of your journey is nearly over.'
Ron quietly took his wife in his arms as the others all stared at one another in disbelief.
'Then don't resume that disc,' cried Hermione, extracting herself from her husband's embrace and sitting up without the slightest sign of pain. 'If we don't finish it, then perhaps …'
A frail hand reached out and grasped hers firmly. 'I don't think it works that way, Hermione,' said Severus, in a voice no one (with the possible exception of Lily) had thought he possessed. 'The discs were merely the vehicle through which we were finally able to resolve all our lingering conflicts, queries, curiosities — your "elephant in the room".'
Luna beamed at him. 'Gosh, you're good at this, Professor Severus!'
He gave her a slight nod of acknowledgement, before continuing.
'I theorise that James and Lily, in their desire to hold onto their son a little longer, created this space so they could be certain of being the first to greet him when the time came. However, the space became a (I don't know) a kind of net into which we all passed. We remained here until Harry himself arrived.'
Luna applauded. 'Exactly right. But then we had a problem, you see. We thought you'd all just come over as soon as Harry got there, but you didn't. It was Professor Dumbledore who finally worked out why, so he recruited some of us to come up with a plan.'
'But who chose who would pass and who would be caught in this … this net?' demanded Draco. 'Arthur was here for a short while, but Molly was not. And the twins weren't here at all, despite the fact that you were friends, Harry.'
'And what about you, Luna?' asked Neville. 'You were part of Dumbledore's Army and helped Ginny and me lead the resistance. And my Hanna. She's still, well, back there somewhere.'
'All souls are different,' explained Luna matter-of-factly.
'Okay,' said Ron. 'I can see why most of us ended up here — Dean and Seamus went right through school with us, Sirius and Remus are self-explanatory …'
'thanks, kid,' quipped Sirius. 'I've been called a lot of things, but never that.'
'And Draco here was instrumental in helping us make a lot of fundamental changes in wizarding society in his lifetime,' added Hermione, smiling at him.
'That just leaves me,' said Snape.
'Oh, but you were the other elephant in the room,' said Luna brightly.
'What? There were two of them?' Draco looked horrified. 'It's a wonder we could move.'
'Don't be an ass, Draco,' said Lily.
'What? Asses as well as elephants? This is starting to sound like that story you once told me, Harry. It was about some bloke and his family saving all the animals from a catastrophic flood. I can't imagine anything worse; the mess must have been feet deep. It's a wonder the boat didn't sink under the weight.'
'Remind me who brought him again?' quipped Seamus.
'Oh, shut up, you lot,' said Harry in exasperation.
'It's — it's just that I — I'll miss everyone,' said Draco in a small voice. 'It's been a hell of a ride, all things considered.' He wiped at his eyes absently.
'And we'll miss you, too, you silly git,' said Ginny, extracting herself with difficulty from her husband and in-laws. Crossing to Draco, she hugged him tightly. Draco buried his face briefly in her hair. 'You are a good girl, Ginevra Potter,' he declared.
Ginny beamed. 'I can't remember the last time anyone called me a girl.' She kissed his cheek and drew away, her own eyes glistening.
During this exchange, Harry had also quietly disentangled himself and approached Snape's couch. 'May I sit beside you, Severus?'
'Of course, Harry,' replied the older man. He shifted slightly, and found it was somewhat easier than he had remembered. They both fell silent, each either unwilling or unable to begin.
I could do without this audience, thought Harry ruefully. Come on, Draco. Say something witty — please — anything to distract their attention from us.
'I don't know where to start,' said Harry truthfully. 'I feel as if it needs either a million words or none at all.'
'None at all then, please,' chuckled Severus. 'Our time is at hand, Harry — yours and mine.'
Harry reached for his hand. 'I really, really don't want to watch this next bit, Severus.'
'Oh, and I do?' Some of the old bite was back. 'Come now, young Potter. Where is that Gryffindor spirit? You're nearly there. Don't falter now.'
A single tear ran down Harry's cheek. 'I'll miss you, you old git.'
Everyone laughed.
'This has been a most illuminating and instructive adventure, certainly,' was all Severus would say. He took a deep breath. 'If you please, Hermione, resume the disc.'
Instead, she sprang to her feet, accompanied by the gasps of her companions and threw her arms around him.
'Jumping the gun again, Miss Granger,' he drawled, copying the gesture. 'How little things change.'
She gave him a light slap and pulled away, unable to speak. It was Ron who took up the control and pressed play.
Every eye was glued to the screen as Voldemort first complained to Snape that the Elder Wand was not performing as expected, before explaining why he had to kill him.
Harry sat rigidly upright, his wife's arm protectively around his shoulders, as Voldemort gave the command to kill. All watched, captivated, as the Trio entered the boathouse and tended to the dying Snape. The tears on tv Snape's cheeks matched those on the face of every viewer.
Still, no one moved as the on-screen trio felt the building shake all about them and heard Voldemort's second ultimatum.
'He's gone,' whispered Hermione, looking dazedly around as the Trio made their desultory way back to the castle.
'Not so fast, Miss Granger,' drawled a familiar rich baritone.
Everyone started violently as the imposing figure of Severus Snape stood in the middle of the room, appearing to tower over them. Hermione pressed pause.
'Well,' continued Snape, advancing on the group. 'What are you all lazing about for? Class of 78, class of 98, on your feet this minute, or I shall have 20 points from each of you.'
Everyone stared, open-mouthed, but the more ambulatory of the group moved to comply as if pulled by strings.
'That includes you, Mr Malfoy,' barked Snape, striding over to Draco. 'Contrary to popular belief, I am not averse to deducting points from Slytherin where necessary.'
Neville glided over and helped Draco to his feet. The slight, white-haired man still appeared dazed.
'Mr Malfoy. Do stand up straight and look around you,' came the silky voice, now oozing scorn.
'Oh, Merlin, it's the drill sergeant from hell,' said James. 'Who are you, and what have you done with Severus Snape?'
'Oh, it's him all right,' reassured Seamus with a grin. 'This is what he was like in class.'
'No, he was worse,' chimed in two familiar voices from the direction of the tv screen.
'Fred! George!' Ginny squealed like a child and ran towards them, closely followed by Ron, as the rest of the Weasley family appeared behind the twins.
Everyone then began talking at once. They milled around, greeting a rapidly growing crowd of old schoolmates and teachers, and gazing about themselves in wonder.
Their surroundings had morphed into a replica of the Hogwarts great Hall, glowing with festive life, and each of them was permeated with an ethereal light.
'Took you all bloody long enough,' complained George to Harry.
'Yeah, a man could die waiting for you,' added Fred.
Harry rolled his eyes.
'Even I thought Dumbledore's plan was bonkers,' continued Fred, 'until you actually started watching those discs and I finally saw what he was driving at.'
'And where exactly is the old fox?' Ginny wanted to know.
'Right here, Mrs Potter,' said Albus Dumbledore jovially, sweeping her into a warm embrace.
'By Merlin, you put us through it,' she chided.
'No, Ginevra,' he sighed, 'you did that to yourselves. I only provided the tools.'
He broke away and strode up to his old place on the platform where the high table stood.
For all attendees, the years rolled back as the Faculty took its place as if it had never been away, and the others settled at the long tables, not bothering with house affiliations, but mingling freely.
'My dear people,' began Dumbledore as the hall quieted. 'I am delighted to finally welcome our missing friends to this farewell feast. Soon, we will feast until we burst, before we part — never again to meet in this way or in this place — though some of us may cross paths as we pursue whatever adventures await us.'
Lily clung tightly to James as they sat in a knot with the elder Malfoys, Tonks and Remus.
'Before then, however, there are two things to be accomplished. The first is to thank all those involved in bringing this plan to a successful conclusion. Firstly, to Arthur Weasley. Your knowledge and enthusiasm for muggle places and technologies proved invaluable.'
Arthur, sitting at a table with his wife, Sirius and Luna, and the younger Potters, beamed.
'I might have bloody guessed,' growled Sirius.
Everyone laughed.
'In fact,' continued Dumbledore serenely, 'I have other members of the Weasley family to thank for playing their parts to perfection. Stand up, Molly, if you please.'
Molly arose, a mischievous smile on her round, pleasant face. The former residents of St Osric's watched in growing understanding as she became taller, thinner, her hair winding itself into a tight bun and her nose lengthening and reddening.
'Daft old bag, indeed,' said Matron, smiling pointedly at James, who blushed furiously.
Everyone applauded.
'We're very proud of you, mother,' came Percy's pompous tones from somewhere in the middle of a group of assorted Ravenclaws and Slytherins.
'Well, I didn't spend all those years in the Order without learning a thing or two,' said Molly, her cheeks pinking. 'And I even managed to train some of my children pretty successfully, too,' she added matter-of-factly.
Percy arose then, and approached Severus Snape at the high table.
'Professor? Severus?'
'Mr Weasley,' replied Snape, an unreadable expression on his thin face. It was finally devoid of all the lines and care with which many of those present had become familiar.
Percy gave an elaborate bow and, before the intrigued Snape, transformed into a short, dumpy, curly-haired young man with thick glasses. 'Leander Stevenson, at your service.'
Dead silence greeted this as everyone waited for a reaction. Snape stood for a few moments, merely looking at the apparition in front of him, remembering the many nights this young man had visited the decrepit old blind wizard in his room and enjoyed a convivial cup of tea laced with the carefully-curated potion which would ensure that he could not interfere with the residents' machinations. Then he began to laugh. It bubbled out of him like the slow eruption of a long-dormant volcano, rising in volume as he gazed down at the man who had so neatly played him.
'Oh, congratulations, Mr Weasley,' he gasped. 'How — how deliciously ironic.' He was fighting a losing battle for control. 'That I … I … I had to die in order to be successfully tricked.'
Everyone broke up then.
'Never thought I'd see the day,' laughed James.
'Who did?' spluttered Lucius Malfoy. 'I swear we shall never hear the end of this. Percy Weasley, of all people for Salazar's sake, fools the man who fooled Voldemort. Delicious indeed.'
'I take it you did not ingest any of my potion, Mr … er… Percy' said Severus reproachfully as the laughter and chatter continued.
'Er, no,' confirmed Percy. 'It was so good that I couldn't risk its effects.'
'Then how?'
Percy produced a full hot water bottle, slimming the Stevenson persona considerably. 'I learned this trick from a man I met some time ago. He said his name was Moist Von Lipwig. Imagine being called that, poor bastard. Anyway, he assured me he had used it extremely successfully on wealthy landowners who were attempting to skew negotiations for railway land in their favour by plying him with quantities of alcohol. Very useful things, hot water bottles.'
Severus slapped him on the back. 'Nicely played indeed — not just for the hot water bottle, but for the fact that you appeared to successfully repel my ligilimency without my having the slightest idea you were doing it.'
'Well, being dead, for a given value of dead, does have its advantages,' smiled Percy.
People!' cried Albus Dumbledore, as the chatter went on. 'There is one more thing I would ask of you before we give ourselves over to celebration and farewell. The former residents of St Osric's have been watching a version of the story which involves us all. Although the discs have done their work, the story itself has not been concluded. Therefore, I would ask this one last favour of you all: that you now share, without reserve, your memories of the end of the Second Wizarding War, that we may all benefit from whatever this has to teach us. Severus and Lily, please would you begin with your memories. I believe that is where the former residents left off.'
Drinks and snacks appeared on the tables as person after person arose and contributed to the story of Harry Potter.
'Harry, you are truly remarkable,' commented Narcissa Malfoy as he described walking through the Forbidden Forest, towards what he was convinced would be his death. 'Very few people, magical or muggle, could have managed it with such dignity and bravery.'
'I'll never forget the look on old Mouldy Voldy's face when you insisted Severus here was Dumbledore's man,' laughed Hermione.
'I should have enjoyed seeing that,' said Severus wistfully.
'And what about our Neville,' said Ron. 'He just killed that disgusting serpent while everyone's back was turned.'
Neville blushed.
'Well, Longbottom,' said Blaze Zabini. 'Never knew you had it in you.'
'That'll be Headmaster Longbottom to you, Zabini,' said Neville, grinning widely.
Everyone laughed.
Then Harry arose and approached the high table.
'I've got one more piece of information,' he said to the hushed assemblage. 'Some of you — many of you in fact — know what it is. But there's one man here who doesn't, and he deserves to be told, since it affects him. It's funny how easily little things, important things, can be overlooked when sharing new information.'
He moved along to stand beside Severus, who raised a questioning eyebrow.
'Severus, you know Gin and I had three children?'
Severus nodded.
'And did I ever tell you their names?'
'No, Harry,' replied Severus wonderingly. 'I have a nearly eidetic memory; I should have remembered such a thing.'
'Well,' Harry braced himself. 'Our eldest was named James Sirius for obvious reasons. We also had a daughter whom we named Lily Luna, also for obvious reasons. But our middle child's name caused us some soul-searching.'
The door opened, and a figure trotted confidently up to the high table and stood with Harry and Severus.
'Al,' breathed Ginny in awed joy as he passed.
'You see, there's always been so much I wanted to say, to ask, to discuss,' faltered Harry. 'But you were gone, so this was all I could do to ensure that something of you lived on.'
He presented his middle son. 'Severus Snape, meet Albus Severus Potter.'
Severus stared, dumbfounded, into the bright green eyes of Lily Evans Potter and Harry James Potter. Al extended a tentative hand and was pulled into a tight, tearful embrace.
The room erupted into applause.
'Hello, Godfather,' said Al, still smiling up at the taller man. 'Mum and Dad always said that's what you would have been if you'd lived.'
'And I'm sure I should have been honoured,' whispered Severus as his tears flowed freely. 'You poor, poor boy. How did you ever manage, saddled with a legacy like that?'
'Oh, I think I did okay. Eh, Dad?'
'I think we all did,' answered Severus, including Harry in the embrace.
The feast was just as each had remembered it of old; there were mounds of mashed potato, pies of every flavour, tureens of soup, great bowls of vegetables and haunches of meat. Everyone's favourite pudding seemed to also be on the menu, and no one's preferred potable was forgotten.
'One for the road … again?' said Sirius, sauntering up to Severus with a heavy crystal tumbler in each hand.
Severus looked around to see that everyone was busy eating or talking.
'I — I don't mind if I do,' he said rather shyly, taking a tumbler.
'Where's that young godson of yours?' Sirius wanted to know. 'By Godric he looks like his dad, doesn't he?'
'Last I saw he was with his parents,' replied Severus sadly. 'I regret that I have had so little time to get to know him.'
'Try thinking of it this way, me old China,' said Sirius, clapping him on the back. 'You actually got to meet your would-have-been godson. I've got a namesake who's still somewhere back in the land of the living and, unless we both have some kind of (I don't know) epiphany down the track somewhere, neither of us will know the other at all.'
'You have a point,' sighed Severus. 'Tell me, Sirius, is it growing chilly in here or am I imagining things?'
Sirius looked around. 'I don't believe you are. I think, in fact, that people are already slipping away.'
Severus looked wildly around him but could not immediately see who he wanted.
'They've gone on already.' Harry came racing over to his godfather and his former Potions Master. 'I've looked everywhere, but they've simply disappeared.'
'No, I'm still here, said James, gliding up to the group. 'Lily went some time ago. She waited long enough to have some of that bloody Victoria sponge she always liked; then she and Al just … went.'
Severus lowered his head.
'Hey, is that Whiskey, Padfoot?' James accepted a conjured tumblerful and turned to face the others.
'Mind if I join you?' Remus shambled lazily over. The eyes which had always looked haunted and sad were now sparkling with lively anticipation. 'Tonks, Ginny, Fleur and Ginny are all swapping motherhood war stories. Last time I saw Teddy, he was trying to argue religion and philosophy with Luna.'
'Then I wish him luck,' laughed Severus. He conjured a tumbler and handed it to Remus. 'That is a feat even I would hesitate to attempt. I suppose you are drinking?'
'Guess I am,' replied Remus affably. 'What shall we drink to?'
They all looked around the Great Hall, which had emptied noticeably.
'To us,' suggested James.
'That's a tad lame, even for you, Potter,' quipped Severus.
'No, it isn't,' returned James, 'It's literal; to us — we adventurers standing here, and that includes you, you git.'
Severus raised his eyebrows.
'Of course it does,' put in Sirius. 'It always has, except we all never knew it until way too late.'
'It's not too late if we know it now,' added Harry, conjuring his own glass and joining the others. 'We're all still right here, right now. Come on, guys. To us!'
He presented his glass, first to Severus, who touched it willingly before the others swiftly followed.
'To us,' they all chorused.
'We really should be toasting the two of you,' declared Remus, glancing at Harry and Severus.
'Ah, there you are,' cried Hermione as she hurried to join them. 'I couldn't find any other former St Osric's people — even Ron.' Her lip began to quiver and she wiped viciously at her eyes.
Harry moved to put an arm around her, but Severus moved faster.
'Shall I tell you a secret, Hermione?'
She nodded.
'I'm afraid, too,' he said quietly. 'None of us knows what will come next. There is only one way to find out. Simply let go.'
In the next instant they were both gone.
'What a guy,' breathed Harry.
'You've got that right,' said Sirius. 'As for you, kid …'
'OH, shut up, Unc,' laughed Harry. 'Time we went too, eh? Time for the next adventure.'
Epilogue
'Abigail Smith, don't you dare go any higher.'
'Hey, that's what he said to me,' called the small, red-haired girl currently pushing the swing to its limits.
'Who said,' called her mother worriedly gazing around for the mysterious he. 'Come down here at once.'
Abigaile let the swing coast to a stop and raced over to her mother's side. 'He said.' She smiled up at her mother. 'He's one of …them.'
'Oh, I see,' sighed Laura Smith. 'Did he say anything else?'
'He said I shouldn't swing any higher because I'm not magical like he used to be. Wasn't that mean? I'd like to be magical.'
'You're already magical enough, thank you very much,' said Laura as she took her unusual daughter by the hand to lead her out of the park.
'Abbie,' she ventured tentatively as they waited to cross the road, 'do you know where these people are? Do you know where we go when we become … them?''
Abigail smiled brightly up at her mother. 'In the wind and the grass and the leaves and the trees and the clouds and sun and moon and — and … Everywhere!'
Author's NoteI hope you found this story as satisfying to read as I did writing it. With the healing help of Riverwoman, I got through. May it also bring you hope and peace.
Aroha nui, K.