This story as become more dramatic as it's progressed, but then again so did the books. This chapter starts setting up for the sequel.
An exorcism was easier said than done. There were many rituals and chants for expelling demons, but none for removing a fragment of a dark wizard's soul. Bree's solution: modify existing rituasl.
"We'll start with the Rituale Romanum." Ben suggested.
"It's a bit long." Bree replied.
"We're not dealing with a demon that wants to rip out our guts and feed us our entrails. We don't have to rely on the hunter short version." Ben responded.
"The hunter versions are all effective." Bree pointed out.
"On demons. Spirits are different." Ben stated.
"I'll say." Bree scoffed. "Usually it just takes some salt and some fire to get rid of a spirit, but I don't think salting and burning Voldemort is going to work."
"That's why we're doing an exorcism." Ben replied.
"But a lot of the Rituale Romanum isn't applicable." Bree stated.
"The parts about demon's anyway, but can you honestly say that the parts about Satan, the root of all evil, is not applicable?" Ben asked.
"… I'll shut up now." Bree replied.
"Get translating." Ben ordered.
There are certain phrases people don't like to hear because they always lead to conversations that nobody really wants to have. That's why Bree was reluctant to look up from her book of Latin when she heard Hermione say "I'm worried about you."
"Why?" Bree asked.
"Well, you've been very distant lately, and you haven't been pranking anyone or tormenting any first years. You've been spending more time studying than I do." Hermione replied. Bree stared at her.
"I mean, I know things have been difficult with your uncle and all, but he is recovering and" Bree cut Hermione off.
"And Aunt Lisa gave birth to a baby girl." She said.
"That's wonderful!" Hermione said brightly.
"No," Bree replied. "it really isn't." Hermione looked confused.
"Uncle Vince is recovering, Aunt Lisa is taking care of the baby, and Leo is running the family business. Competitors have sniffed out the weaknesses like sharks sniff out blood." Bree stood up and got in Hermione's face. "Do you know what happens when sharks smells blood in the water? I'll tell you. Feeding frenzy. So I'm sorry if I no longer fit into your world view, but I have a lot to prepare for and God knows how long to prepare for it!"
Hermione left Bree alone after that.
Luna and Neville offered what help they could in preparing for the exorcism. Soon everything was ready. All they needed was Harry.
"Harry, Ben and I have worked up a solution to one of your problems." Bree said after she had gotten Harry alone in the hall.
"What problem?" Harry asked.
"The one that involves a piece of snake faces soul residing inside of you." Bree replied.
"Who told you?" Harry demanded furiously. "I only told"
"Sirius." Bree interjected. "Who told Leo, who told Ben, who told me, and Luna, and Neville."
"Why?" Harry asked.
"We have a club. I would have told them what Ben told me anyway so it was easier just to have Ben tell us all at once." Bree answered.
"I meant, why is Ben telling you anything?" Harry questioned.
"Heir to the throne gets special privileges." Bree explained.
"What?" Harry asked confusedly.
"Aunt Lisa wants me to take over the business when she retires. She lets me know things so I can learn how to problem solve, and your problem has been solved." Bree replied.
"How? How have you solved it? Because the only way to get a piece of someone's soul out of a Horcrux is to destroy it and I don't really feel like dying." Harry responded angrily.
"No one needs to die for this. There's a way to get rid of spirits that muggles have been using for… well, for as long as there have been demons and evil spirits. It gets a lot more use back in America then it does here, but America doesn't have the ancient wards that weakens spirits and repels demons. Cases do pop up were the wards are weak or nonexistent and when things get bad, when evil stalks their homes and ruins their lives, muggle accept that the supernatural exists and then they call an exorcist." Bree explained.
"You want to exercise me?" Harry asked, confused.
Bree sighed. "No, I want to excise the evil from your body in a way that won't kill you." She said.
Harry looked worried. "You really think it will work?" he inquired.
"Yes." Bree replied with all of the confidence she could muster. "But like all exorcisms it will probably be somewhat dangerous and require a whole lot of willpower."
"Are restraints really necessary?" Harry asked.
"Yes." Ben replied as he tightened aforementioned restraints on the chair Harry was sitting in. There was a ring of salt around the chair and Bree was standing in her own salt ring a few feet away. Religious symbols from around the world were painted on the walls and the floor.
"If the spirit fragment fights back it could possess you and bite our faces off." Bree explained.
"Has that happened before?" Harry inquired.
"Yes." Ben answered.
"With demonic possessions." Bree elaborated.
"Voldemort isn't a demon." Harry pointed out.
"We're not taking any chances." Ben stated.
"What about the salt rings?" Harry inquired.
"Spirits can't cross a line of salt." Ben explained before turning to Bree.
"I'll stay on guard. You read the incantation and don't stop until it's over. No matter what happens you don't stop reading until it's all over, even if you have to read it over and again. Don't stop until it's done." He ordered. "Now begin."
Bree hesitated for a moment, an exorcism performed by a magi was different than one performed by a muggle. Bree was going to be channeling energy in the symbols while she read. Ben would be doing the same thing while he kept the spirit from attacking. "Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus omnis malus potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica."
The symbols began to glow.
"Ergo spiritus maledicte et omnis legio diabolica adjuramus te. Cessa decipere humanas creaturas, eisque aeternae Perditionis venenum propinare."
Harry began to thrash. Bree's voice became stronger as she read.
"Vade, Satana, inventor et magister omnis fallaciae, hostis humanae salutis. Humiliare sub potenti manu dei, contremisce et effuge, invocato a nobis sancto et terribili nomine, quem inferi tremunt."
Harry's scar began to bleed. His eyes turned red with snake-like pupils.
"Ab insidiis diaboli, libera nos, Domine."
"You can't save him, He's mine."
"Ut Ecclesiam tuam secura tibi facias libertate servire te rogamus, audi nos."
Harry thrashed and the restraints began to break. Ben grabbed Harry and held him down.
"Ut inimicos sanctae Ecclesiae humiliare digneris, te rogamus, audi nos."
"You can't get rid of me unless you kill him."
"Terribilis Deus de sanctuario suo. Deus Israhel ipse truderit virtutem et fortitudinem plebi Suae. Benedictus deus. Gloria patri."
Bree began reading the next incantation.
"Regna terrae, cantate Deo."
The exorcism lasted for an hour before the wraithlike form of Voldemort was driven out. Ben let go of Harry and undid the remaining restraints and helped Harry up. He patted Bree on the shoulder as he led Harry out. Bree collapsed to her knees. Ben came back a few minutes later and helped her up.
"It was like it had bound itself to Harry's soul." She muttered.
"I know." Ben replied. "You did great."
Katie had come back, which was good news for the Gryffindor Quidditch team, espeacilly since Dean and Ginny had broken up and weren't speaking to each other. The only person who was not particularly pleased to see Katie Bell back at school was Dean Thomas, because he would no longer be required to fill her place as Chaser. He took the blow stoically enough when Harry told him, merely grunting and shrugging.
Life seemed to continue on normally. There was excitement and nervousness for the upcoming final match of the season. And then Harry went and ruined everything.
He used a spell from the Half-Blood Prince's book, nearly killing Draco in the process. Harry had never used the spell before and had no idea what it did. Turned out it was a powerful cutting curse. Harry was banned from his team's final game. He was damn lucky the team he had picked out was good enough to win without him. When he came back from his detention with Snape he found a celebration going on in the common room. Ginny ran up and hugged harry.
The fact that Harry Potter was going out with Ginny Weasley seemed to interest a great number of people, most of them girls, yet Harry found himself newly and happily impervious to gossip over the next few weeks. After all, it made a very nice change to be talked about because of something that was making him happier than he could remember being for a very long time, rather than because he had been involved in horrific scenes of Dark magic.
Harry had hidden the Half-Blood Princes book and was now doing poorly in potions, though Slughorn, who approved of Ginny, had jocularly attributed this to Harry being lovesick. Meanwhile, Hermione had become convinced that the Half-Blood Prince was a former Hogwarts student named Eileen Prince.
Bree had been working harder than ever to learn everything that she needed to learn. As June dragged on Bree dropped the rest of her classes and spent her days learning from Ben. She had developed some muscles from the training. She learned how to fight, how to run and how to recognize when either action was needed. Bree and Ben both hoped that Bree wouldn't need the training for a long time and that she would more time to learn. That hope grew as the family business slowly began to reclaim territory, customers, and, most importantly, their reputation, but they still had ways to go. And then everything went sideways.
It was June, they really should have been expecting something to happen. Something always went wrong in June. The first sign that something was wrong was when the wards registered extra people in the castle, then there was Harry and Dumbledore's sudden departure, and finally there was the sudden appearance of Death Eaters.
"Every god damn June!" Bree shouted, startling everyone in the common room. Something always has to happen in June."
"What are you talking about?" Seamus asked, staring at Bree as if she had lost her mind.
"Death Eaters." Bree replied shortly as she began leaving of the common room. "In the castle." She left the common room, sealing the entrance behind her.
Hogwarts urged Bree along, leading to where Bill Weasley was losing a battle to Fenrir Greyback. Bree paused just long enough to note that Greyback liked to use his teeth even when he wasn't transformed.
"Restrain." Bree said. Greyback was immediately thrown against a wall.
"You know European werewolves are kind of pathetic compared to American werewolves." She said as she pulled a towel out of one of the bigger on the inside pockets in her boots. There was blood pouring out of Bill's face.
"It's not your fault, the wards keep you weak." She pressed the towel up against Bill's wounds.
"American werewolves transform three nights of the month and eat the heart out of their victims. There never remember transforming so most don't even know what they are." She was talking just to distract herself from all the blood and the sounds of chaos nearby.
"Makes them even more dangerous that way, since a lot of them are suburbanites trying to live normal lives. Then the blackouts start and the hunters come. No more normal life. No more life at all." She had Bill hold the towel as she helped him to his feet and led him to the hospital wing.
Madam Pomfrey began fussing over Bill and Bree quickly slipped out. She returned to where she had left Greyback and drew on his face with a sharpie. A Death Eater came up behind her, wand drawn.
"Av-" the Death Eater let out a rasping sound and dropped dead. Bree turned around.
"Hi Ben." She said.
"I'm surprised that you haven't banished all of the Death Eaters from Hogwarts." Ben stated. Bree was the only one who could banish anyone from Hogwarts. It was because of the way the wards were divided. Bree had the restraint and banishment wards, Ben had the killing wards, Luna had the healing wards, and Neville had the attack wards. Shield wards were divided between the four of them.
"This is Draco's last attempt at killing Dumbledore, I'd really like it to succeed." Bree replied.
"Fair enough." Ben replied. "Let's go make sure he's the only casualty."
Bree turned to face Greyback. "Get out and stay out." She said. Greyback was whisked out of the castle, across the grounds, and out the front gate. And soon as he was released he tried to get back in. He snarled as the wards rebuffed him. He would not stand for such humiliation.
Harry and Dumbledore reappeared, coming in from the air and landing on the top floor of the astronomy tower. Draco was there as well.
"Hello Professor, some night huh?" Bree said as she approached Profeessor McGonagall who was looking a little baffled since her opponent was plastered to the wall.
"Miss Smith! You should be in your common room where it's safe." McGonagall reprimanded.
"I'm safe as long as I'm at Hogwarts. I'm stronger here than anywhere else. That'll handicap me a bit, once I'm fighting in the real world, but here I am a god." Bree replied. "Now if our guest would be so kind as to get out and stay out."
The Death Eater, Amycus Carrow, was dragged out of the castle and joined Greyback.
"Did that to Umbridge last year, but I had to lift her banishment before the curse breakers discovered the ancient wards. Amycus Carrow won't be getting back unless I decide to let him in." Bree explained.
"How is this possible?" McGonagall asked.
"The founders' legacy is more than just the houses that bear there name, but it was lost to time and fools. I found it, woke it up and let others in on the secret." Bree explained.
"What secret?" McGonagall inquired.
"I don't trust you enough to let you in on that one, so here's another instead. Slytherin's monster was meant to be a guardian for the school. His reason for not wanting to allow muggleborns in isn't because of hatred of scorn, it was because of fear. Muggles are very good at destroying what scares them. When the movie Jaws came out the shark population plummeted. During the founders' days witches were the sharks." Bree told the Professor. "If you let modern day muggles know what kind of danger there in than your Dark Lord problem would be cleared right."
And with that, Bree walked off to join the chaos.
A great shudder ran through Hogwarts, there was suddenly an open position in the staff. Dumbledore was dead. Bree fought back a grin. The remaining Death Eaters, including Draco and Snape, were fleeing the castle. Bree meandered up to the infirmary where Luna was helping Madam Pomfrey by using the healing wards on Bill. He would still have scars though, since his wounds, which had been inflicted by a werewolf, were cursed even though it wasn't the full moon.
Madam Promfrey caught sight of the dried blood on Bree's hands and began to fuss.
"It's not my blood." Bree stated quickly.
"Then whose?" Madam Promfrey asked. Bree looked over at the bed were the oldest of the seven Weasley children was lying unmoving.
"Bill's." she said. The school's nurse looked a bit startled.
"Ah, right, you did bring him in." she muttered. More people began to arrive. Neville, Ben, Hermione, Ron, Tonks, Remus, Sirius, Ginny and Harry.
Hermione ran to Harry and hugged him; Remus moved forward too, looking anxious.
"Are you all right, Harry?"
"I'm fine... how's Bill?"
Nobody answered. Harry looked over Hermione's shoulder and saw an unrecognizable face lying on Bill's pillow, so badly slashed and ripped that he looked grotesque. Madam Pomfrey was dabbing at his wounds with some harsh-smelling green ointment.
"Can't you fix them with a charm or something?" Harry asked the matron.
"No charm will work on these, the … healing wards that Miiss Lovegood has been using helped somewhat, but there is no cure for werewolf bites." Madam Pomfrey replied.
"But he wasn't bitten at the full moon," said Ron, who was gazing down into his brother's face as though he could somehow force him to mend just by staring. "Greyback hadn't transformed, so surely Bill won't be a-a real-?"
He looked uncertainly at Remus.
"No, I don't think that Bill will be a true werewolf," Remus said, "but that does not mean that there won't be some contamination. Those are cursed wounds. They are unlikely ever to heal fully, and-and Bill might have some wolfish characteristics from now on."
"Dumbledore might know something that'd work, though," Ron said. "Where is he? Bill fought those maniacs on Dumbledore's orders, Dumbledore owes him, he can't leave him in this state-"
"Ron-Dumbledore's dead," said Ginny.
"No!" Remus looked wildly from Ginny to Harry, as though hoping the latter might contradict her, but when Harry did nor, Remus collapsed into a chair beside Bill's bed, his hands over his face. "How did he die?" whispered Tonks. "How did it happen?"
"Snape killed him," said Harry. "I was there, I saw it. We arrived back on the Astronomy Tower because that's where the Mark was... Dumbledore was ill, he was weak, but I think he realized it was a trap when we heard footsteps running up the stairs. He immobilized me, I couldn't do anything, I was under the Invisibility Cloak-and then Malfoy came through the door and disarmed him-"
Hermione clapped her hands to her mouth and Ron groaned. Luna's mouth trembled.
"-more Death Eaters arrived-and then Snape-and Snape did it. The Avada Kedavra." Harry couldn't go on.
"I knew it!" Sirius declared vindictively. "I knew Snivellus couldn't be trusted!"
"And we're all very happy for you," Bree replied sardonically. Sirius went quiet. Everyone in the room remained silent. They heard something somewhere out in the darkness, a phoenix was singing a stricken lament of terrible beauty.
Everyone stayed quiet and listened. A long time later that the hospital door opened again and Professor McGonagall entered the ward. Like all the rest, she bore marks of the recent battle: there were grazes on her face and her robes were ripped.
"Molly and Arthur are on their way," she said, and the spell of the music was broken: everyone roused themselves as though coming out of trances, turning again to look at Bill, or else to rub their own eyes, shake their heads. "Harry, what happened? According to Hagrid you were with Professor Dumbledore when he-when it happened. He says Professor Snape was involved in some-"
"Snape killed Dumbledore," said Harry.
She stared at him for a moment, then swayed alarmingly; Madam Pomfrey, who seemed to have pulled herself together, ran forward, conjuring a chair from thin air, which she pushed under McGonagall.
"Snape," repeated McGonagall faintly, falling into the chair. "We all wondered... but he trusted... always... Snape... I can't believe it..."
"Snape was a highly accomplished Occlumens," said Remus, his voice uncharacteristically harsh. "We always knew that."
"But Dumbledore swore he was on our side!" whispered Tonks. "I always thought Dumbledore must know something about Snape that we didn't..." .
"He always hinted that he had an ironclad reason for trusting Snape," muttered Professor McGonagall, now dabbing at the corners of her leaking eyes with a tartan-edged handkerchief. "I mean... with Snape's history ... of course people were bound to wonder... but Dumbledore told me explicitly that Snape's repentance was absolutely genuine... wouldn't hear a word against him!"
"I'd love to know what Snape told him to convince him," said Tonks.
"I know," said Harry, and they all turned to look at him. "Snape passed Voldemort the information that made Voldemort hunt down my mum and dad. Then Snape told Dumbledore he hadn't realized what he was doing, he was really sorry he'd done it, sorry that they were dead."
They all stared at him.
"And Dumbledore believed that?" Sirius snarled. "Dumbledore believed Snivellus was sorry James was dead? He hated James!"
"And he didn't think my mother was worth a damn either," said Harry, "because she was Muggle-born... 'Mudblood,' he called her..."
Nobody asked how Harry knew this. All of them seemed to be lost in horrified shock, trying to digest the monstrous truth of what had happened.
"This is all my fault," said Professor McGonagall suddenly. She looked disoriented, twisting her wet handkerchief in her hands. "My fault. I sent Filius to fetch Snape tonight, I actually sent for him to come and help us! If I hadn't alerted Snape to what was going on, he might never have joined forces with the Death Eaters. I don't think he knew they were there before Filius told him, I don't think he knew they were coming."
"It isn't your fault, Minerva," said Lupin firmly. "We all wanted more help, we were glad to think Snape was on his way..."
"So when he arrived at the fight, he joined in on the Death Eaters' side?" asked Harry. And so began the story of what had happened. How Luna and Neville had used strange spells, how Greyback was suddenly no longer a part of the battle, how Bree had used some ancient secret to banish one of the Carrows from Hogwarts, and how they had let Snape pass when he came down from the tower, not knowing what he had done.
The doors of the hospital wing burst open, making them all jump: Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were striding up the ward, Fleur just behind them, her beautiful face terrified.
"Molly-Arthur-" said Professor McGonagall, jumping up and hurrying to greet them. "I am so sorry-"
"Bill," whispered Mrs. Weasley, darting past Professor McGonagall as she caught sight of Bill's mangled face. "Oh, Bill!"
Remus and Tonks had got up hastily and retreated so that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley could get nearer to the bed. Mrs. Weasley bent over her son and pressed her lips to his bloody forehead.
"You said Greyback attacked him?" Mr. Weasley asked Professor McGonagall distractedly. "But he hadn't transformed? So what does that mean? What will happen to Bill?"
"We don't yet know," said Professor McGonagall, looking helplessly at Remus.
"There will probably be some contamination, Arthur," said Remus. "It is an odd case, possibly unique... we don't know what his behavior might be like when he awakens..."
Mrs. Weasley took the nasty-smelling ointment from Madam Pomfrey and began dabbing at Bill's wounds.
"And Dumbledore ..." said Mr. Weasley. "Minerva, is it true ... is he really...?"
As Professor McGonagall nodded, Harry felt Ginny move beside him and looked at her. Her slightly narrowed eyes were fixed upon Fleur, who was gazing down at Bill with a frozen expression on her face.
"Dumbledore gone," whispered Mr. Weasley, but Mrs. Weasley had eyes only for her eldest son; she began to sob, tears falling onto Bill's mutilated face.
"Of course, it doesn't matter how he looks... it's not r-really important... but he was a very handsome little b-bo... always very handsome... and he was g-going to be married!"
"And what do you mean by zat?" said Fleur suddenly and loudly. "What do you mean, 'he was going to be married?'"
Mrs. Weasley raised her tear-stained face, looking startled. "Well-only that-"
"You theenk Bill will not wish to marry me anymore?" demanded Fleur. "You theenk, because of these bites, he will not love me?"
"No, that's not what I-"
"Because 'e will!" said Fleur, drawing herself up to her full height and throwing back her long mane of silver hair. "It would take more zan a werewolf to stop Bill loving me!"
"Well, yes, I'm sure," said Mrs. Weasley, "but I thought perhaps-given how-how he-"
"You thought I would not weesh to marry him? Or per'aps, you hoped?" said Fleur, her nostrils flaring. "What do I care how he looks? I am good-looking enough for both of us, I theenk! All these scars show is zat my husband is brave! And I shall do zat!" she added fiercely, pushing Mrs. Weasley aside and snatching the ointment from her.
Mrs. Weasley fell back against her husband and watched Fleur mopping up Bill's wounds with a most curious expression upon her face. Nobody said anything; Harry did not dare move. Like everybody else, he was waiting for the explosion.
"Our Great-Auntie Muriel," said Mrs. Weasley after a long pause, "has a very beautiful tiara-goblin-made-which I am sure I could persuade her to lend you for the wedding. She is very fond of Bill, you know, and it would look lovely with your hair."
"Thank you," said Fleur stiffly. "I am sure zat will be lovely."
And then both women were crying and hugging each other. Ron and Harry looked stunned and Ginny and Hermione were exchanging startled looks.
"You see!" said a strained voice. Tonks was glaring at Remus. "She still wants to marry him, even though he's been bitten! She doesn't care!"
"It's different," said Remus, barely moving his lips and looking suddenly tense. "Bill will not be a full werewolf. The cases are completely-"
"But I don't care either, I don't care!" said Tonks, seizing the front of Remus's robes and shaking them. "I've told you a million times..."
"And I've told you a million times," said Remus, refusing to meet her eyes, staring at the floor, "that I am too old for you, too poor... too dangerous..."
"I've said all along you're taking a ridiculous line on this, Remus," said Mrs. Weasley over Fleur's shoulder as she patted her on the back.
"I am not being ridiculous," said Lupin steadily. "Tonks deserves somebody young and whole."
"But she wants you," said Mr. Weasley, with a small smile. "And after all, Remus, young and whole men do not necessarily remain so."
He gestured sadly at his son, lying between them.
"This is... not the moment to discuss it," said Lupin, avoiding everybody's eyes as he looked around distractedly. "Dumbledore is dead. ..."
"Dumbledore would have been happier than anybody to think that there was a little more love in the world," said Professor McGonagall curtly.
"I get to be best man." Sirius declared just as the hospital doors opened again and Hagrid walked in.
"I've... I've done it, Professor," he choked. "M-moved him. Professor Sprout's got the kids back in bed. Professor Flitwick's lyin down, but he says he'll be all righ' in a jiffy, an' Professor Slughorn says the Ministry's bin informed."
"Thank you, Hagrid," said Professor McGonagall, standing up at once and turning to look at the group around Bill's bed. "I shall have to see the Ministry when they get here. Hagrid, please tell the Heads of Houses-Slughorn can represent Slytherin- that I want to see them in my office forthwith. I would like you to join us too."
As Hagrid nodded, turned, and shuffled out of the room again, she looked down at Harry. "Before I meet them I would like a quick word with you, Harry. If you'll come with me..."
Harry stood up, murmured "See you in a bit" and followed Professor McGonagall, as did Sirius. The ward was silent for a moment.
"Bree," Hermione spoke up. "What was the ancient secret you used to banish Amycus Carrow?"
My birthday is on the twenty-fifth. I will be twenty. Reviews for any of my stories would make great birthday gifts.
