The Eighth Year Universe
Love Wins
Forever I'll Fight
The chapter title is from the song:
Somebody to Die For – Hurts.
Blacknot Castle, Scotland
"Okay. Are you ready?"
Elladora raised an eyebrow at her parents, "What is this, a pop quiz?"
"Of sorts," Theo said with a nod, "Egypt is a dangerous place. You need to be prepared for that, and you leave in ten days."
Ella fixed him with a strange look, "You're counting down the days?"
"Of course I am," Theo said, frowning at her, "I'm dreading you going."
"He'll cry for a week straight, you know what Pops is like," Sadie said offhandedly.
"Then every time you floo us, he'll cry as soon as you disconnect," Draco added.
Theo rolled his eyes, "I'm not that sensitive, but this is a big deal, Ells. You're the first one to fly the nest."
Ella snorted, "Almina and Charlus have both had jobs for ages - "
"And neither of them left home to do those jobs," Hermione cut in to defend Theo, "Mina is only just thinking of moving out. And Charlus has lived on the grounds for a couple of years, but he's still here for every meal."
Ella bit her lip and nodded, "So, if I sit through this little intervention, then that's it? No more bombarding me with information and questions?"
"Yes," Theo promised.
Ella didn't look convinced, but she shuffled in her armchair and said, "Fine. Go."
Theo looked rather pleased with himself for actually managing to convince her. He sat back in his chair and asked, "If a robber comes up to you and holds you at wand point-"
"Or knifepoint," Sadie cut in, "If they were a Muggle robber."
"Or gunpoint," Hermione added, "There's a lot of conflict in Egypt between the Muggles."
Sadie nodded, "It's not the same place it was in 1999."
Ella raised her eyebrows, "Okay…."
Theo continued with his theoretical scenario, "So you are at wand, knife or gunpoint - "
"Which one?" Ella cut in.
Theo looked at her in alarm, "Why? What does it matter?"
Ella gave him a bemused look, "Because it would be a different method each time, depending on the weapon of choice."
"Fine," Theo said with a shake of his head, "Assume it's a muggle."
"If he had a knife, I'd summon it from him, stab him and then obliviate him and leave," Ella said matter of factly. "And if he had a gun, I'd use a freezing charm to jam it, hit him over the head with it, obliviate him and leave."
"Both methods are rather violent," Sadie mused.
"Which is good in this situation," Theo said.
Hermione gave him a sceptical look.
"But only in this situation," Theo clarified, "And not in a normal situation, that does not require violence."
With a roll of her eyes, Hermione kicked Theo half-heartedly.
"Assuming it's a wizard or a witch, love," She said to her daughter, "What would you do?"
"Remember you're at wand point here," Theo said, "Alright? You're backed up against a wall, no way to apparate out before you try and cheat with that smart-arse move."
"Like you did, back when we all thought you were dead for a month, you mean?" Sadie retorted dryly.
"I did not cheat by apparating. I stole a portkey; there is a difference," Theo said, holding up a finger in his wife's general direction.
Ella snorted and shook her head in amusement.
"Now, the robber's got you backed against the wall. He's disarmed you, and he says give me all your money if you want to live. What do you say?"
Ella thought about that for a moment, then shrugged, "Bold of you to assume I have any money."
Draco grinned at her snarky but sly answer. Theo, on the other hand, looked like he was contemplating hitting his head off a wall.
"You're a Black-Nott! Everyone knows your family has money," Theo objected.
"Everyone in England knows my family has money," Ella cut in, "But this is Egypt, nobody there is going to know us, are they? Rather bold of you to assume that everyone knows who we are, Pops."
"Ella, stop winding Pops up," Draco said, fighting a smile, "He's just worried about you."
"I know, but I'm a big girl, Dad," Ella said, a hint of irritation coming into her voice, "I can look after myself."
"That being so, would you please humour him for a little longer?" Sadie asked.
Ella rolled her eyes, "Fine."
Theo clapped his hands together, "Right. Let's try that again – what do you say to the robber?"
Ella smirked and got to her feet, "Bold of you to assume I want to live."
Draco let out a reluctant laugh, and he noticed Sadie biting back a grin too. Hermione was eyeing Ella carefully, and Theo was just done.
He threw his hands up into the air, "I give up. Lesson over."
"Ella, Pops is just trying to prepare you for - " Hermione began to say.
"Yeah, and he doesn't need to," Ella said matter of factly, "Because I already know what to expect. Aunt Daphne took me out for lunch after we shopped for my supplies for Egypt, and she gave me some tips."
Hermione relaxed a little, and Sadie frowned, "But…I could have done that, love."
Ella sighed, "No, Mama, you couldn't have because it's been over 20 years since you were in Egypt. Aunt Daphne was just there last year for a big dig, so…she knows about how it's all changed. She told me what neighbourhoods to avoid and what restaurants are nice. She gave me the address of a Curse Breaker she knows out there and said I could floo her if I needed some local knowledge. She told me the name of a good market, and she taught me some Arabic phrases and loaned me a book, so I can learn properly."
Theo smiled slightly, "Cool Aunt Daphne strikes again, but this time, I don't care. As long as she's helping you to feel safe."
Sadie raised an eyebrow at him, "Merlin, don't tell her that. If her head gets any bigger, it won't fit in Potter Manor anymore."
They all chuckled, and Hermione reached out to hug Ella, "We're happy for you, sweetheart. But that doesn't mean we won't worry."
"We're your parents," Sadie agreed as she joined in with the hug, "It's what we do."
"I know," Ella said as her mums hugged her, "And I love you guys for it."
Ivy House, England
"Granny, would you say that money changed you?"
Linda made a face and looked over at her grandson, "The hell did you just say, James Frank Longbottom?"
Harry snorted, "Ooh, you just got the full name from Granny."
Michael kept quiet on the other side of the room. The Longbottoms were playing Monopoly with Grace. It had been Linda's way of keeping them quiet in an educational way.
"How's it educational, Lin?" Michael had asked with an amused smile.
"They're learning math, ain't they?" Linda had replied.
Michael had just grinned and turned away.
James, always one to stir the pot, just carried on, "Well, Mum says that money didn't change her. She used her money to make the maternity hospital and for grants to help people and stuff."
Linda narrowed her eyes at him, "Uh-huh?"
"And even though Dad's rich and we have a big house, we're not spoiled brats," James continued.
"Speak for yourself," Laurel smirked, "Dad gives me everything I want because I'm his favourite. Right, Granny?"
Linda snorted, "You think you're being cute, Laurie? Fair enough, they go for the cute ones first in prison."
Michael hid his grin behind his coffee mug.
The twins guffawed with laughter, and Laurel punched them both.
"Ugh, you sound just like Mum," Laurel huffed.
"Where d'you think she learnt it from, eh?" Linda returned.
Grace chuckled and said, "You should know not to mess with her. Dad's always saying she's scary cause she's from the East End."
"Oh, is he?" Linda asked, giving Michael a pointed look.
Michael smiled and leaned over to kiss her, "Scary in a good way," he teased.
Grace and Laurel both made a face at the interaction, but they didn't say anything.
"Gross," James whispered.
"So gross," Harry agreed.
Linda rolled her eyes, "Right, you lot. Why are you asking me if I think money would change me? Has your bloody mother been bitching?"
"No," Harry said quickly.
"That was too quick," Linda said. She crossed her arms over her chest, "How's money changed me exactly?"
"Well…she said you were quick enough to get plastic surgery after you married your toyboy."
"James!" Harry and Laurel hissed.
Grace frowned, "What's a toyboy?"
Michael bit back a grin, "It's a…word, people use. It just means I'm a little younger than your mother."
"Oh, and speaking of mothers, I am going to give yours a smack," Linda said furiously, "I deserved that facelift! I earned it by raising that sassy little – woman!"
"Lin," Michael said, grabbing her hands, "Don't take it out on the kids. They are just repeating something they've heard at home. Lilly likes to stir the pot, you know that. It's where James got it from."
James grinned proudly.
"I'm pretty sure that's not a compliment, James," Laurel muttered under her breath, "You just landed on one of my houses, Gracie."
Grace sighed and threw her last monopoly bill down, "I hate this game."
"I love it," Harry said with a grin, "I mean, I'd like to say that money wouldn't change me, but I'm a terrible person when I'm winning monopoly."
Linda shook her head and looked into the fire furiously.
Michael put an arm around her and muttered, "Ignore them. I loved you before you had plastic surgery, and I love you now. I know Lilly thinks this is all just a big farce for Grace's sake, but it isn't, and it never has been."
Linda smiled and leaned across to kiss him again, "Even if you're my toyboy?" she whispered.
Michael chuckled and kissed her lightly, "Even if I'm your toyboy," he promised.
Potter Manor, The Lake District
Andrea sighed and looked out of the window at the light rain falling on the grounds. She rested her head against the cold glass and tried not to think about Ella or her parents.
"You okay, Andie?"
Andrea didn't look away from the window when she heard her brother's voice. Instead, she just shook her head and kept her eyes on the rain.
"I'm just thinking about Mum and Dad."
Alastor sat down on the other side of the bay window and looked out at the grounds.
"They'll be okay," Alastor said confidently, "They're Mum and Dad, you know? They survive everything life throws at them."
Andrea shut her eyes, "Yeah."
"You wanna play a game?" Alastor asked, "Take your mind off it?"
Andrea looked over at him and nodded, "Yeah, sure."
"Alright," Alastor said. He leaned back and clapped his hands together, "It's called Mum or Dave. I'll give you genuine quotes I've heard Dad say, and you'll have to guess if he was talking to his snake or his wife."
Andrea snorted in amusement, "I mean, surely it's not going to be that hard to work out. But yeah, it sounds fun."
Alastor grinned, "Up first – Who's the cutest in the world?"
Andrea raised an eyebrow at Alastor, "Mum?"
Alastor's grin widened, "Nope, Dave."
"Seriously?" Andrea was startled into laughter.
Alastor chuckled and said, "Up next – Get off me, you pain in the arse!"
"Dave, obviously," Andrea replied.
"Nope," Alastor sniggered, "Mum."
Andrea shook her head, but she was smiling.
"Right, this one is the killer. You ready?" Alastor asked.
"I'm ready," Andrea chuckled.
"Okay – Yes, my sweet. Yes, my agent of Chaos."
Andrea snorted, "It has to be Dave, right?"
"Uh-uh," Alastor grinned, "Mum."
"Oh, for fuck's sake," Andrea said, barely managing to stifle her laughter, "That game is harder than I thought it would be."
"Dad really loves that snake," Alastor sniggered.
"Clearly," Andrea laughed.
Alastor nudged her in the ribs and smiled, "Got you smiling though, didn't it?"
"Yeah, it did," Andrea said. She smiled sadly at him, "I'm gonna miss you when you go to Brazil, you know?"
"Yeah, I'm gonna miss you too," Alastor promised.
Budapest, Hungary
When they were sitting in the tree, ready to launch their raid, Harry wished they had sung Country Roads for luck. He had a bad feeling as he looked down at the guards patrolling the grounds, but he squashed it down because there was nothing else for it.
Taking a deep breath, he looked over at Daphne.
"Ready?"
Daphne nodded and pressed her forehead against his. They both concentrated on the other's magical core, then they felt the connection.
When they combined their magic, Daphne opened her eyes and gleamed ice blue, bordering on silver. They were similar to their usual colour but more vibrant than usual.
She turned away from them and blasted her wand in the direction of the aerial wards. A beam of light hit the dome surrounding the house, and it fizzled like it was being burned. Just like in Neville's demonstration with the lightbulb, there was a bang, and sparks rained down as the wards disintegrated.
"Alright, go!" Harry ordered.
Several cracks of apparition sounded as everyone moved to their pre-planned locations.
Harry, Daphne and Neville flew onto the roof, landed, dismounted their brooms and then started picking off the guards on patrol.
Daphne hit one with a stunning charm, Neville knocked one out by blasting him backwards into a tree, and Harry disarmed another, then bound his arms and legs. There were meant to be four though, which had them concerned about the whereabouts of the final one.
A crack of apparition sounded, and they spun around – the fourth guard had just materialised on the roof. He cast a spell at Harry, who blocked it and threw a stunning charm at him. It connected with the lethal curse he had aimed at Harry, and as the two spells met in mid-air, Neville hit the man from behind with a stunning charm.
Harry grinned over at Neville, "Just like old times."
Neville chuckled and walked to the edge of the roof. He looked down at the grounds and said, "The two guards by the gate are down, but Lorne and Wood are having trouble by the front door."
"Let's get down there and give them a helping hand, then," Harry said.
"No," Daphne said, "They're big boys; let them take care of it themselves. We're on the roof already. Let's just drop down and get into that attic."
Harry looked conflicted, "But they need back-up…."
"If they do, they can call on Shep and Lilly," Daphne said reasonably, "If we go down there and end up caught in this fight, we'll miss our chance to get in, and that door is unprotected right now."
Harry knew she was right, so he nodded, "Fine, follow me then."
He jumped down onto the metal staircase, and the other two followed him. Daphne scanned the door to make sure it was clear of curses.
"It's clear. Guess your magical EMP was a good idea after all," She said, shooting Neville a grin.
"Not just a pretty face, am I?" Neville joked.
Harry chuckled and said, "Daphne, open the door. Neville, be on your guard in case there's someone on the other side."
They both nodded, so Daphne opened the door with magic and surely enough, they came face to face with a guard. Luckily, Harry's reflexes were still swift, so he could duck to avoid the killing curse that flew by his ear. Then Neville stunned the guard and shoved him onto the metal stairwell.
The trio stepped into the attic floor and pushed the door shut behind them. They all had their wands raised as they looked along the corridor. There were six doors; each was heavy and wooden with a steel lock and a small window barred with lead.
"This looks like a prison," Neville said quietly.
"Or a research base," Harry said, his eyes darkening, "This is probably where they took the information they stole from the Department of Mysteries."
"Well, we don't have time to look for it," Daphne reasoned, "We just need to scout this place out for Statute Saboteurs then make haste."
Harry nodded, "I know," he said, glancing into the rooms through the bars. In each one, he saw a person, but everyone was disfigured somehow – one had bandages over their eyes like they had been blinded. Another's mouth was horribly disfigured. A third looked like he had been burned by some chemical, and the fourth and fifth cells were empty.
There was one in the middle of the corridor that was larger than the rest, and at first glance, they thought that there was a person inside it. But upon closer inspection, they realised that it was actually a charmed dummy.
"What the hell are they doing here?" Harry uttered under his breath.
"Whatever we can to make things right."
The trio spun around and drew their wands on the person who had spoken. Although she was dressed in Muggle clothing, she was obviously a witch, but she hadn't reached for her wand at all, which seemed a little odd.
The girl could only be in her late teens or early 20s. She had jet black hair and a scar running down one side of her face. The most unusual thing about her was her eyes – they were bright red, the colour of fresh blood.
"Stupefy!"
She laughed when nothing came out of Harry's wand.
"That won't work here. I suppose you didn't notice the magic nullifying ward on this floor," She said calmly, "You wouldn't, I guess. It's very subtle. Most Curse Breakers only find them when they know to look for them. Still, this one is supposed to be the best in Britain, isn't she?"
The girl quirked an eyebrow up at Daphne, "Perhaps the British are not quite as good as they believe."
Harry could tell she had an accent, and he knew that it was Eastern European, but he couldn't quite pick out exactly where she was from.
"Cheeky bitch," Daphne muttered under her breath.
Harry's eyes flashed, "Daphne, be quiet. Let me handle this."
The woman raised an eyebrow, "Because that's what Harry Potter does, right? He handles things. He takes all those poor girls and boys from the Closes and gives them a loving home. I suppose it's all for money and power in the end, just like it is in Russia."
Harry didn't let her rile him up, though.
"No, I do it because it's right," He said calmly, "Because that's what I've always believed in, doing the right thing. Not for a reward, but because it's right."
She nodded and surveyed him, "Then I think there's a deal to make here because we are not who you think we are. Your newspapers paint us as the villains, they call us terrorists, but all we want is the right thing."
"With all due respect, I find that hard to believe," Harry said darkly, "You tried to assassinate our Minister for Magic. You killed an innocent girl to get classified information from our Department of Mysteries."
"We did not want to do that," The woman admitted, and Harry saw a flash of sympathy in her eyes, "She was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time."
Harry laughed humourlessly, "Yeah, try telling her parents that. Or her brother, or the girlfriend she pushed away for her own protection. There's being good, and then there's doing bad things because you think they're for the greater good. I do one, and you do the other."
"You have no idea what we have been through!" The woman hissed, taking a step towards Harry, "Do you even know why we have to suppress magic up here?"
Harry didn't let her intimidate him, "No."
"For their protection!" The woman snapped. She motioned to the cells around them with the disfigured people inside them.
"They have been pushed and prodded so many times; their magic is unstable. If we don't repress it, they will burn themselves out or destroy this entire building. That information we stole, it was to fix their genetics – to give them back their sight, to give them back their lives."
Harry eyed her suspiciously, "And what does this have to do with your mission to 'out' us to the Muggles, exactly?"
Her eyes darkened, "Because we will never get justice! The only way for us to get that is to tell the Muggle world that we exist, then we can expose what they did to us."
"What who did to you?" Harry asked, "Who are you talking about?"
"The Russians," The woman said hatefully, "They took us as children, all of us. They experimented on us, used our blood to try and give themselves our magic. They trained us to kill for them. They brainwashed us. The rest of the Muggle world has no idea because they don't know about magic. But how many other witches and wizards are being exploited unknowingly? The only way to fix it, to save them, is for the entire world to know what they did."
Harry nodded, "Right. So you lead the wizarding world into the light. You tell the Muggles all about us. But then what? Once you've killed everyone who dared to get in your way. Once you've freed wizardkind and everything is perfect and fair. Once you finally have things exactly the way that you want them – then what?"
He took a step towards her, "What are you going to do with the people like you? The troublemakers? How are you going to protect your glorious revolution from the next one?"
"We won't need to," She said simply, "We will win and then we will live harmoniously with the Muggles. They will not stand for this when they learn the truth."
Harry laughed, "See, that reeks of someone who was raised in a holding cell and who doesn't know Muggles very well. The ones who hurt you? Well, the sad truth is that there are too many like them. There will be no grand outpouring of love from the Muggles. There will only be war."
He shook his head, "So even if you win, how long will you have won for? Because the hard truth is that nobody wins for long. The wheel just keeps on turning and turning. One revolution bleeds into another, so don't let it. Break the cycle."
She studied Harry, but before she had time to respond, the door burst open.
"Katerina, we are under attack!" A man said.
The woman, Katerina, held up a hand and motioned to the three people in front of her.
"I am aware of that, Isaak."
The man, Isaak, looked at her warily. Harry could only conclude that they must be related because they looked so similar. Isaak had the same jet black hair and a similar face shape. But his eyes were different; one eye was white with a deep scar running across it through his eyebrow. The other was the most vibrant amber that Harry had seen.
"Why are you conversing with them?" He asked, his accent a little thicker than Katerina's, "They have comrades downstairs in the mess hall, duelling our friends."
"We do not always have to fight, Isaak," Katerina said calmly, "Sometimes deals can be struck. This man is Harry Potter. He holds a great deal of power over the people of Britain. He is of far more use to us alive than he is dead."
Isaak scoffed and motioned to the door, "Then lock them up and help me before we lose another person that we care about."
Katerina opened her mouth to respond, then the mirror at the end of the hallway glowed, and another person stepped out of it. Before anyone really had time to process what was happening, the person had attacked them.
Whoever she was, she had an ethereal look about her. Her hair was a silvery-white, and her eyes such a calm, icy blue that they rivalled Daphne's.
With a swipe of her wand, she removed the magic suppressing wards, and loud noises began to echo around the holding cells.
"Katrin, what are you doing?" Isaak asked loudly.
"Katrin, stop!" Katerina ordered.
But Katrin did not stop. She twisted her wand and thrust it at Harry, uttering a curse that none of them had heard of. Nobody could move quick enough to intercept it before the beam of purple light hit Harry square in the chest.
He fell back silently, his body hitting the ground with a sickening thud.
Daphne turned around, pointed her wand at Harry and yelled, "Duratus!"
"We need to get out of here," Isaak panicked, "If that is Harry Potter, the full might of wizarding Britain will rain down upon us."
Neville held his wand out, the tip glowing amber as his eyes flashed, "Oh, it already has," he said, his voice reverberating around the hallway.
With a flick of his wand, he had thrown all three of them back against the wall. Then he swiped his wand down to stun them. However, before he could, Katrin used magic like they had never seen and disappeared in a puff of smoke – like the cliché magicians did in children's magic tricks.
Neville stunned the other two then knelt down next to Daphne, whose diagnostic charm had just finished.
"What's wrong with him?"
"I don't know," Daphne replied, her eyes scanning the words and letters above Harry's body, "I don't…I have no idea what she did to him."
Neville swallowed but raised his wand, "Expecto Patronum."
His silvery lion Patronus paused in front of him, awaiting orders.
Neville took a breath and said, "We need a Healer up here. We have a man down on the second floor. I repeat, we have a man down on the second floor."
Daphne was still staring at the silvery writing above Harry helplessly. But Neville couldn't let himself get distracted. He ran to the door and yanked it open, surveying the situation on the grounds. However, they were empty, which meant that everyone else was still fighting in the lower house.
He looked towards the main gate that Victoire and Nevaeh had just run through. They were about to head up the stairs when they were intercepted by Lilly, who yelled.
"Injured Aurors in the entrance hall. Get them out of here, and I'll deal with the situation upstairs."
The two girls followed Lilly's orders, and Lilly darted up the stairs, her eyes on Neville.
"Who-" she began to ask.
"Harry," Neville replied, his voice hoarse.
Lilly pressed past him into the corridor and knelt on Harry's other side. She looked at the diagnostic charm above Daphne, frowned then vanished it away. She ran a few of her own and muttered to herself while she did.
"His stats are good," Lilly said, looking up at Daphne, "He's fine, just…not awake. Enervate!"
Harry's body shuddered, but nothing happened – there wasn't even a flutter of eyelashes or an obvious exhale of breath.
This made Lilly's heart quicken, so she cast another spell and shook her head, "He's in a coma…we need to get him back to St. Mungo's. This isn't the place to try and work out why."
"Then let's get him out of here," Neville said from the doorway, "Now."
Lilly levitated Harry's body, and Neville grabbed Daphne's hand, yanking her out onto the stairwell. He spun on his heel and apparated back to the safe house, and then Lilly and Daphne did the same with Harry's body.
They scaled the stairs as fast as possible to the clocktower when they got there, which was chaotic enough before their arrival.
Victoire was lying on a gurney. Her shirt was soaked with blood, but Bill and Nevaeh were dealing with it. Bill was holding her down and keeping pressure on the wound while Nevaeh sealed it. The other Aurors all seemed to have minor injuries, which they were dealing with amongst themselves.
"Do you need me?" Lilly asked them.
Bill shook his head, "No, we're good. It was an arrow to the shoulder, through and through. Might do a little bit of muscular damage, but Nevee here is knitting that all back together. Is he going to be okay?"
"I don't know," Lilly admitted.
Daphne had barely said a word. She was as pale as a sheet, but as much as Lilly wanted to hug her and tell her it would all be okay, she had to focus on Harry.
John took a step forward and muttered to Neville, "Did you put a portkey on anyone you stunned?"
Neville nodded, "Yeah, we did."
"Good, they'll all be sweating in the dungeon right about now then," John said in a whisper, "Did you get the one who hit him?"
Neville shook his head. He was cursing himself for that internally, but he wasn't going to say that out loud.
"No, she got away. Is everyone else okay?"
"Yeah, we're all good," John promised, "But Harry…."
"Harry will be fine," Neville said. He swallowed and nodded as if to convince himself, "He has to be."
"Bill!" Lilly called, "Can you get someone else to put pressure on that wound? I need you here."
"I'll do it," Lorne said, stepping forward and taking Bill's place.
"You're gonna be okay, baby," Bill said, leaning down to kiss Victoire on the forehead where beads of sweat were forming.
"You're doing great, honey," Nevee agreed, "I'm almost done, then I'll get you some pain potion so you can sleep this off."
"Ugh," Victoire groaned, "That sounds great."
Nevee laughed and nodded at Bill, "She's gonna be okay. Go and be where you're needed."
With a nod, Bill walked over to Lilly. She cast a muffliato bubble around them and said, "Cast a curse diagnostic charm over him."
Bill frowned and did so, the same silvery writing that had appeared above Harry's body earlier rematerialising.
"I'm not a Curse Breaker, but I do read and speak Latin, and if I'm not mistaken, that's very similar to the spell that makes a Horcrux," Lilly said.
Bill looked over at Daphne, but she was clearly in shock and not really looking at the writing.
"That's because it is," Bill said, "Did anyone hear the incantation?"
Neville recited it, "Perdam animam tuam."
"I will destroy your soul," Lilly and Bill translated.
Daphne's hands were shaking when she looked at her best friend, "What are you…what are you saying?"
Lilly shook her head and cast a more detailed diagnostic charm – one that looked at Harry's magical core, which seemed fine and then beyond that. Beyond his magical core, golden shards were floating around aimlessly.
"What is that?" Neville asked. He was sure he sounded as terrified as Daphne looked.
"That should be his soul," Lilly said, her voice breaking, "But it has been shattered."
"What?" Daphne asked, her voice so quiet it was almost lost.
"The curse, it was designed to forcibly rip his soul apart," Lilly said, looking up at Daphne, "It should have ripped the pieces from his body, but for some reason, it's contained."
"I cast a curse freezing spell at him," Daphne said weakly, "To…to slow it down."
"That explains it," Lilly said, her frown deepening.
"Does this mean…" Daphne's eyes filled with tears, "He's going to die, isn't he?"
"Not necessarily," Bill said. He frowned as if he was trying to work something out, "I've heard some stories about this kind of thing. Back when I was working in Egypt, we used to talk about the Judgement of Osiris. It's the only known way to put a soul back together after it's been ripped apart to create a Horcrux."
"How does it work?" Neville asked.
Daphne swallowed because, of course, she had heard the stories too.
Bill continued, "The person has to repent for their sins and feel true remorse for all of their bad deeds. Only then will Osiris decide if they deserve to live and have their soul united once more, or if they are doomed to die."
"But Osiris doesn't exist," Lilly said, frowning at Bill.
Bill sighed, "We don't know if he does. But the point is that there's nothing we can do to help. Harry is going through the Judgement of Osiris in his own head right now, and he can either be his own best friend or his own worst enemy."
Daphne let out a reluctant sob, and Lilly and Neville both moved to hug her, wrapping their arms around her tightly.
Bill sighed and rubbed his eyes, "We need to get the hell out of here."
Neville nodded and pulled away, letting Lilly hold Daphne tightly.
"Shep, organise portkey transport to St. Mungo's for Mitch, Harry and Victoire," Neville ordered.
Lilly pulled back from the hug, "I need to transport them to St. Mungo's."
Daphne was still holding it together, for the most part. There were tears in her eyes, but she hadn't broken down yet.
"No," Daphne said firmly, "I'm not leaving without him."
"You have to, Daphne," Lilly said softly, "He needs medical evacuation, but everyone else has to go via the international apparition point. If you don't, you're breaking international wizarding law, and you can't visit him if you're in prison."
Neville took a step closer to Daphne and whispered, "Lilly will be with him until they reach the hospital. You know he's in good hands, and I'll get you home, I promise."
Daphne swallowed and looked at Lilly, "If he…if he says anything - "
"I will tell you the minute you get back in the country," Lilly promised.
Daphne could only nod, and Neville was hyper-focused on getting everyone else out to stop himself from thinking about Harry.
"Okay, Lilly is on medical evac. Everyone else, pack up and get ready to move out to the international apparition point."
"We're going home."
- TBC -
