Chapter One Hundred and Forty-Two: What She Saw That Day
Daphne checked her watch. The stream of evacuees was still going on, and members of the Order of the Phoenix were still arriving on occasion, but there were only ten minutes until midnight. She looked at Harry.
"You don't need all of us here to destroy the Horcrux, do you?" she asked.
Harry shook his head. "I don't. You should probably go and help everyone else who's fighting. We'll need everyone." He looked at Hermione and Ron. "If you can, you should join in as well."
"What about me?" Ginny asked.
"You can go and help the moment the Horcrux has been dealt with," Harry said, "but your mum will murder me if I let you join the fight from the start."
Ginny grinned wryly. "Yeah, it'd be kind of hard for you to kill Voldemort if Mum's preaching at you. I'll stick around here for a while, then."
Daphne hesitated for a short moment. "All of you…be careful, okay?" she said. "Once all of this is over…I want to celebrate our victory with all of you. Don't you dare to die on me."
"Don't worry. I wouldn't be so rude as to die on my girlfriend's birthday," Harry said with a faint smile.
Daphne hadn't even realized the date. In a few minutes, she'd be eighteen. Well, at least her birthday would have plenty of fireworks, in that case.
"Good…" she said softly.
Then, so as not to waste any more time, she hurried from the Room of Requirement, toward the Great Hall. On the way there, she ran into McGonagall, who was approaching with a group of people from both Orders.
"Professor! I want to help in the fight," she said.
"We've got enough on the towers," McGonagall said. "Head into the grounds. Edmund's leading one the sub-groups there to guard the entrances."
Daphne nodded once and immediately began to run. If Dad was out there, she was going to help him fight. She was feeling anxious, and though the prospect of a protracted battle wasn't one she relished, at least the objective would be simple: stay alive, and stop the Death Eaters from reaching the castle.
She had no idea what had happened to Snape since her conversation with him, but knowing him he would've made his way over to Voldemort by now. She just hoped he'd get a chance to kill Nagini before Harry went to look for him.
She ran out into the cool night air. Up ahead, she heard the shouts of a number of people and she ran toward them. Even in the gloom, she recognized Dad as he coordinated a number of fighters.
"Dad!" she shouted.
Dad turned around. "Took you long enough," he said by way of greeting, grinning faintly.
He gestured with his head. "Frontline for you. Make me proud, and no dying or you're grounded forever."
"If that was a pun it was absolutely terrible."
"I do what I can."
Daphne shook her head and took up her spot on the right of the front line. She was surprised to see she was standing next to Freddie Lowe.
"I didn't expect to see you here," she said.
"I heard about Gemma, so I could hardly sit back and watch, could I?" Freddie said. "Besides, I think all of the old S.I.N. members are here. Elsie's up with Sprout, Isaac's on the other side of the grounds with some of the Order of the Phoenix…pretty sure the others are here too. If I were to guess, the underage people will somehow find their way back in, too."
"I hope they don't," Daphne said softly. "I don't want their deaths on my hands…"
"Don't give yourself too much credit, Greengrass," Freddie said. "They fight because they believe in the cause. And you fought plenty of battles underage, too. Let them show Slytherin's nobility to the world."
Daphne didn't get a chance to reply, as a raucous battle-cry rose up somewhere in the direction of the gate.
"Get ready!" Dad shouted. "Shield Charms up, create space, and fire at will!"
The cry of "Protego!" filled the air as everyone in the group called their shields up.
Daphne lowered herself a bit, and spread her feet a bit apart so she'd be able to dive in any direction. A jet of green light shot from the darkness, and Daphne shifted to her right, instantly returning fire with a Killing Curse of her own. If she'd Stun a Death Eater now, the others would simply revive them. There was no time for mercy; not in a fight like this.
More curses soared through the air, and the defenders scattered. Dad had clearly instructed them to fight in a guerilla way, hitting and running, and not standing still to trade.
Dad himself slashed his wand back and forth so quickly that Daphne could hardly follow it. Ahead of her, she saw the lawn itself opening up, engulfing the approaching Death Eaters and tripping and tying them up with rapidly growing grass.
More and more Death Eaters were now showing up, and the group of defenders began to form pairs, each partner covering the other as the battle intensified. The ground was relatively flat and clear here, and Daphne and Freddie, who'd paired up, ran and dodged freely, firing everything from Impediment Jinxes to Killing Curses.
At that moment, there was a cry from the air, and a formation of people on broomsticks shot past, raining down curses upon the approaching Death Eaters. It was only a brief pass, but Daphne had clearly recognized Mum at the head of the formation.
"Showoff!" Dad shouted from a short way over, then rolled another Death Eater into a strip of lawn and constricted it before blasting it into some other Death Eaters to push them back.
"Fall back toward the castle!" he shouted. "The aerial support will give us cover!"
Indeed, in the distance, Daphne saw the flashes of light from Mum and her small team of flyers and the return fire from the Death Eaters.
The group of defenders had spread so far apart now that Daphne had no idea if everyone was still standing on their side. Battle had now broken out all across the Hogwarts grounds. Flashes of light, loud bangs, and screams of pain and anger filled the air.
Daphne wondered why they were being ordered to retreat, but she knew better than to ask questions in the middle of a fight. She and Freddie, still covering each other, followed Dad and the others from the group — which seemed mostly complete, still — back toward the light of the castle.
A deep, bellowing roar filled the night, and from the darkness a huge boulder came sailing past toward the castle wall, though a bright blue flash of light from one of the towers disintegrated it entirely before it could hit.
"Giants! Fall back, fall back!" Dad shouted.
But it was becoming more difficult to retreat, now. Voldemort clearly hadn't brought only Death Eaters. He, too, had brought his entire army, both human and otherwise. The Death Eaters and other Dark witches and wizards he'd brought were now beginning to use the terrain against the defenders, just as Dad had been doing to them.
Long roots and vines began to shoot up from the lawn, conjured into existence from behind the advancing line of what Daphne presumed was the unskilled front line.
But even a relatively unskilled line of people could still fire Killing Curses, and the darkness made it difficult to see them in their dark robes and hoods.
Daphne responded in kind as much as she could, but she had no real idea if she was hitting anyone. She was fairly sure she'd taken out at least one person, but there was just no chance to go and confirm it.
Now that the defenders were getting closer to the castle, though, they were more visible, and the Death Eaters could shoot more accurately than before, at the cost of now being bombarded from the defenders on the towers.
The giants, some way over, were still launching boulders at the wall, and while some of them were pulverized as the first one had been, others struck home. The castle walls, magically reinforced, weathered the beating for the time being, but Daphne had not doubt that under a sustained assault, they'd eventually crack.
Dad was truly showing his skill as a duelist, still using creative techniques to hinder and take out multiple opponents at once in ways even Daphne, with all the training she'd done both with him and the Order of the Lightning Bolt, couldn't match. He flicked his wand and a Death Eater was hoisted up by his ankle, and then used as a bludgeon to nearly smash another Death Eater straight into the ground. Neither looked like they'd be getting up anytime soon.
Dad saw Daphne looking at his handiwork, grinned, and said, "By the way, happy birthday! I'd tell you to blow out the candles, but we have none here…but that can be arranged!"
He pointed his wand at four Death Eaters who'd foolishly clustered close together and made a circular flick with it. To Daphne's surprise and shock, their heads caught fire.
"Go ahead, blow them out!" Dad said.
Daphne caught on, pointed her wand at the burning and screaming Death Eaters, and shouted, "Zephyrus Maximus!"
A wall of wind barreled the Death Eaters over, blowing out the flames engulfing them at the same time.
"Good show!" Dad shouted.
Daphne grinned.
Dad was hit with a Killing Curse and fell over.
Daphne stared at it. Unlike with Gemma, she hadn't felt anything. She hadn't seen anyone coming close. She heard Freddie, nearby, shouting a curse and returning fire, but for the life of her she didn't know which one he'd used. She just stared at Dad's motionless form in the grass.
It had happened again. Again, in her presence, someone had died. And again, it had been her fault. If Dad hadn't been distracted by her, by trying to show off for her birthday, he'd have seen this coming and avoided it. And this…this was Dad. Who'd dueled Voldemort and somehow lived. How could some talentless, spineless, coward of a Death Eater, or more likely Snatcher, have killed him? A duelist of whom even Sirius had said that he was extremely strong? In war people died, Daphne had seen that first hand…but not Dad.
But she'd felt denial when Gemma got hit, too. This was no different, and therefore, the outcome was no different. And this battle was far from over. She couldn't lose it, not now, otherwise Freddie and who knows how many others would suffer the same fate.
She turned around, the blood in her veins feeling ice cold as her heart seemed to beat ever faster. A dark shadow moved closer. She shot a Killing Curse at it and hit it in the chest. The shadow fell over.
A jet of green light was about to come from a particular patch of darkness, and she moved her head and upper body aside before it had even been fired. She shot back, another Killing Curse, and turned away knowing with absolute certainty she'd hit.
It wasn't like the last time Death Eaters had invaded Hogwarts and she'd been on Felix Felicis. She didn't feel invincible or full of infinite possibility. Rather, she felt nothing at all, thought nothing at all, and even her focus in emptiness, so long set on Harry, was clear and empty. Her Divination, her movement shadow or whatever the hell it was, had free rein.
She knew where the Death Eaters were and what they would do, where and when and how they would fire their curses, and she shot down any that were within reach, still falling back toward the castle, because her senses told her she had to, that she was now the leader of the group and if she didn't retreat, the others wouldn't, either, and they couldn't feel the future like she could.
They retreated into the halls, and Daphne knew that the battle outside was being lost, that Death Eaters were already penetrating the castle through other entrances, through breaches in the walls, and that they were not alone. The Acromantulas of the Forbidden Forest were swarming. Dementors advanced from the edge of the shadowy grounds, behind their human vanguard. She could not see any of this, and yet she knew it was happening. Her head was so clear, so cold.
"Fall back, past the Great Hall, there is a breach on the first floor outer corridor," she said clearly and calmly.
Freddie gave her a curious look, but Daphne said nothing, simply leading the way toward the corridor she'd indicated, where there was indeed a skirmish between some Order members and Death Eaters. With the aid of Daphne's group, the Death Eaters were dispatched, but there was no time to rest. The secret passage on the third floor was about to fall.
"Third floor, the secret passage," she said, her voice flat but clear.
Her group responded silently, and the Order members, though looking as confused as Freddie, followed them.
"Acromantula on the right," she said a floor higher, as the wizard in front was about to step around a corner. He threw himself back and just avoided the spider's lunge.
The spider reared up, and Daphne's Killing Curse hit in the soft abdomen. It immediately sagged.
"T-thanks…" the wizard said.
Daphne said nothing, instead continuing her path to the third floor unimpeded. Methodically, mechanically, Daphne led her group from critical site to critical site, her path ahead clear only a little bit at a time, and yet definite, infallible.
She didn't know how long the fight went on. People in her group broke away to pursue duels, or joined her as she simply walked, ghostlike, following her senses, following that undefinable magic that told her where to be, how to kill as many Death Eaters as possible…
And then, again, seemingly emanating from the walls itself, came that voice. "You have fought valiantly. Lord Voldemort knows how to value bravery. Yet you have sustained heavy losses. If you continue to resist me, you will all die, one by one. I do not wish this to happen. Every drop of magical blood spilled is a loss and a waste.
"Lord Voldemort is merciful. I command my forces to retreat, immediately. You have one hour. Dispose of your dead with dignity. Treat your injured. I speak now, Harry Potter, directly to you. You have permitted your friends to die for you rather than face me yourself.
"I shall wait for one hour in the Forbidden Forest. If, at the end of that hour, you have not come to me, have not given yourself up, then battle recommences. This time, I shall enter the fray myself, Harry Potter, and I shall find you, and I shall punish every last man, woman, and child who has tried to conceal you from me. One hour."
And the spell, the cold certainty, broke, slid apart, and Daphne sagged against the wall she'd been walking past. Blood rushed in her ears. She still couldn't think, but not because she had no thoughts. Rather, she had too many, all at once, as if the past hours' worth of thoughts and emotions were all surfacing at once.
Her breath hitched and she slammed the bottom of her fist into the wall. Pain shot through her hand and lower arm and her breathing was heavy, labored, as if she'd been running for hours on end. Had she? As clear as her head had been just moments before, now everything was a confusing blur, and suddenly she was in the Great Hall, where bodies were being carried in by the survivors. The wounded were being tended to near the staff table.
Daphne stood up, wanting to help in recovering the bodies, but then sat down again without knowing why.
"Daphne? Where's Dad?"
Mum sounded afraid. And hearing her say 'Dad' seemed to snap everything into place, and Daphne just threw her arms around Mum's neck and broke down, not just sobbing but outright screaming. All the pain, hate, and fury of the past hours now came out, as all the thoughts had done moments before.
And by the way Mum tensed up immediately, Daphne knew she'd understood, and she was still crying when Dad's body was carried in…and then more…Amber, who really ought to have fled because she was too young…and Remus…and Tonks…and Fred…
Daphne buried her face in her hands. She didn't want to see it anymore. She didn't want to see who else would be carried in. Someone sat down next to her, and she felt another pair of arms around her neck, smaller than Mum's.
She glanced through blurry eyes at Ginny, whose tears were also freely streaming down her face, and she returned the embrace, saying nothing, and not needing to, either, but soon Ginny got up and left to join her own family in mourning her brother, and now Daphne briefly looked at Mum, who was silent but still crying, still keeping her arms around Daphne, who numbly leaned into her…and then it was there again, that clarity.
She saw that vision, heard Voldemort's words in her head, and she knew at that moment what Harry was going to do.
"I have to go," she said flatly.
"W-what? Daphne, no! You can't leave, not- not while–"
"I'm sorry," Daphne said. She didn't know if she meant it. She'd need emotions to feel sorry, after all, and once again, she had none.
"I need to go after Harry."
Mum looked up, glancing at the Great Hall doors, but there was no one there. Daphne, however, stood up and walked away, casting a Disillusionment Charm as she went, one more powerful and complete than ever before. In the darkness outside, she'd be invisible for sure. She knew where Harry was, and she sped up to catch up with him. He was evidently wearing his Cloak, but it didn't matter right then.
Harry was at the edge of the Forest, as Daphne knew he would be, and she followed him inside. There were Dementors between the trees, but Daphne's emotions were as cold and dead as they were. It was as if they were blind to her, and she knew Harry wasn't bothered by them, that he was protected by some other magic.
Daphne followed Harry further and further into the forest, just as invisible as he was. Soon, they'd left the Dementors behind them, and they went ever deeper…and then she spotted the Death Eaters moving between the trees, the forest floor lit by their wands, and she knew that Harry would follow, so she did as well.
She kept her distance, stayed quiet, but her senses told her that the Death Eaters wouldn't discover her. They reached a clearing where a fire burned, and Voldemort and some of his Death Eaters were waiting. Voldemort said something, but she couldn't hear what.
But then Harry appeared, his cloak taken off at last, and he stood up. "You weren't," he said loudly, and Daphne saw something small and dark slip from between his fingers.
He stepped forward into the firelight, and the nearby giants roared, the Death Eaters leapt up, and Hagrid shouted, "HARRY! NO! NO! NO! HARRY, WHAT'RE YEH–"
"QUIET!" a Death Eater yelled, silencing Hagrid with a flick of his wand.
This was it. This was the moment she'd seen and feared all those years ago. Something, deep beneath the solid ice of her mind, screamed at her to move, to step in, to stop this. But she remained hidden, watching, because she had to, because this had to happen, because the crystal ball had shown it all those years ago and she knew it could not be changed, had always known it could not be, and then Voldemort aimed his wand and there was a green flash of light, and Harry fell over like Dad had — but Voldemort fell, too.
The green flash of the Killing Curse had once again broken the icy frame of mind Daphne had been in, and it was purely her own instinct, her own curiosity, that kept her hidden now, rather than charging into the clearing firing curses at anything that moved.
Nagini, to her consternation, was alive. Snape had not managed to kill her, in the end. His absence, however, made it obvious to Daphne that he was dead. Whether by Voldemort's hand or an Order member, she didn't know.
After a few minutes, Voldemort stirred and began to crawl back to his feet, the Death Eaters surrounding him and clearly asking him if he was alright. Voldemort waved him away, then ordered someone forward to check on Harry, and with a start, Daphne recognized Narcissa Malfoy, who studied Harry's body.
Daphne's heart hammered in her chest, hoping that against all odds, Harry would be alive… But then Narcissa looked up and shouted, "He is dead!"
The Death Eaters began to cheer, and Daphne felt the cold rising once more, pushing it back down only through sheer force of will. Insanity could wait. She had to experience this, all of this, as herself.
"You see?" Voldemort shouted over the raucous cheering from the Death Eaters. "Harry Potter is dead by my hand, and no man alive can threaten me now! Watch! Crucio!"
Harry flopped around like a ragdoll and Daphne fought to keep her breathing level, to keep from crying out. She wasn't sure what she was waiting for, but she felt like she had to, all the same.
Voldemort now forced Hagrid to lift up Harry's body and carry it, and he ordered the group to depart the clearing.
Daphne hid in the trees, just a bit longer, and then crept forward to the place where Harry had been hidden before he revealed himself. Between the leaves and other debris on the forest floor, the small black stone was hard to spot, and yet Daphne's…Divination? Instinct? Raving insanity? Whatever it was, it pointed her straight toward the Resurrection Stone. If Harry was truly dead, then he would appear if she used it.
In the fairy tale, the brother had turned the stone thrice in his hand, so she did. Three people appeared — yet Harry wasn't among them.
Instead, she saw Gemma, Dad…and Snape. Gemma looked the same as she'd done when she died, but Dad and Snape were both younger than she'd ever seen them.
"What- what are you doing here?" Daphne asked softly.
"You're the one who called us," Gemma said kindly.
"I…did?" Daphne asked.
"Of course you did. Why else would we have appeared?"
"I was looking for Harry," Daphne said.
"Well, then I guess he's not dead, is he?" Gemma asked. "If he were, he'd have come. He wouldn't be much of a boyfriend otherwise."
"I- I'm sorry you died…all of you…" Daphne said.
She wanted to look away, ashamed, but Gemma and Dad looked so kind, and even Snape's neutral expression was less guarded than it had ever been.
"I knew what I was getting into, Daphne," Gemma said. "Archie said it, too."
"But…but we never got to talk, now," Daphne said.
"But we did," Gemma said. "If you hadn't come to Secester, I'd still have been there. I'd probably still have died, perhaps even been Kissed by the Dementors. If I had, I wouldn't even have been able to be here. I'd be far more gone without you, in a very literal sense."
"And if you think that I died because I was joking around with you," Dad said, "you should really be a bit more modest. I was keeping an eye on the Death Eaters the whole time. This one would've hit me regardless. You can't avoid death forever. And, you know…death is far from the worst thing in the world."
"But…are you really…here? You're not just…I haven't gone insane?" Daphne asked.
"I can't vouch for your sanity," Dad said with a small smile, "but we're here, yes, in a way. We don't belong on this side of the Veil any longer."
"What's it like there?"
"We can't tell you," Gemma said.
"And not because we don't want to," Dad added, "but because you cannot understand. Even with that amazing gift of yours, you cannot understand."
"But know that we aren't gone. And as long as you keep us in your heart, we won't even really be gone from your world, either," Gemma said.
"I've killed people," Daphne said softly. "I don't regret doing it. Doesn't that mean my soul is torn?"
"I am here, am I not?" Snape said, speaking up for the first time. "If my soul was intact, was allowed to pass on…do you really believe that you, a far more noble person than I, would not? Your soul is intact, I promise you."
"I've had…dreams," Daphne said. "Whispers…that my soul was tainted, that…" She looked at Gemma. "…that your death was my fault. That I…that I belonged to him. To Voldemort."
"Your soul has been touched by dark magic, but it remains whole," Snape said. "The Horcrux could not possess you, but your own fears strengthened its influence. It will not bother you for much longer. It will be over, soon."
"You know…" Daphne said slowly. "Talking to you now…it feels…as if somehow, the pain, the sadness…it's…it doesn't hurt as much. I didn't get to say goodbye, to any of you…but now…now I can. But if you still exist, even though you're dead…why does it still hurt at all? I mean…I'll see you again one day, right?"
"You will," Gemma said. "But the living mourn the dead, that is just how it is. And we, the dead, we mourn for the living, because we cause them so much unnecessary grief. We're happy that we got to talk to you one more time."
"But you shouldn't call us back after tonight. We don't belong anymore," Dad said.
Daphne hesitated. "Can I…at least bring the Stone with me? At least Mum and Ginny and Ron…they want closure, too."
"The true purpose of the Resurrection Stone is to show that death is not the end," Dad said. "It is meant to give acceptance of death. Rather than being 'Master of Death', I have always believed that the Elder Wand's true purpose was to defend its wielder, and not to cause death and destruction.
"I believe that Elder Wand was the wand that crafted the Stone, for the purpose of easing the passing of the dying, and of easing the grief of those who never got to say goodbye.
"And then, it was used to craft the Cloak, to protect those who could not fight for themselves.
"But such tools are easily misused for greed, as history has shown. You seem to have the right intentions. Keep the Stone, if you feel that it's right for you to do so."
He smiled sadly at Daphne. "But it is time for you to go. It is not over yet, not completely."
Daphne nodded slowly. She didn't want to say goodbye again so soon, but she knew Dad was right.
"Daphne, thank you for being a good friend and for inspiring me," Gemma said. "Live your life with your head held high. I don't want to see you here until you're at least a hundred, got it?"
Daphne smiled faintly. "I'll try," she said.
"You've inspired me, too," Dad said. "Your bravery and loyalty to your friends pushed Mum and me to stand up for what we believed in, where we didn't dare to before. Always keep that spirit, Daphne. It will take you far."
Daphne just nodded once. She could feel her throat clenching up and her eyes burn.
"Miss Greengrass…Daphne," Snape said. "My interactions with you have…given me a lot to think about. I cannot make amends for the things that I have done…but as you told me, mere hours ago…Lily did forgive me. Once again…thank you…and I am sorry I could not kill Nagini, in the end."
Daphne shook her head, her tears now flowing freely. "It's alright. We'll manage. And…for whatever reason…I forgive you, too. Please…please rest peacefully, all three of you. Goodbye."
And with that, she shoved the Stone into her pocket, and the translucent figures in front of her disappeared. She marched back through the forest, then broke into a run when she heard the sounds of a fight. Whatever had happened, the battle, as Dad had said, wasn't over yet.
She drew her wand. Her mind was clear, but the ice was gone, and she felt completely like herself. In front of the door, she saw the decapitated body of a huge snake and her spirits rose at the sight of it. Nagini was dead, the final Horcrux destroyed at long last.
The battle had moved into the entrance hall, but Daphne was still Disillusioned and she easily moved past everyone, dodging and ducking between the combatants, looking for her friends. She pushed her way into the Entrance Hall, Stunning Death Eaters where needed, unseen in the chaos.
She spotted Neville, his wand in one hand, the Sword of Gryffindor in the other, and much like Ron had done at Slytherin's grave, Neville wielded the sword with utmost efficiency, even using it to deflect curses. He cut down Rodolphus Lestrange, and then whirled around, doing the same to Rabastan. If Bellatrix hadn't been captured during the raid on Malfoy Manor, he'd surely have gotten her, as well…but since he was wielding the sword, Neville had probably been the one to decapitate Nagini…
And Voldemort roared in fury, pointing his wand at Neville…
"Protego!" a voice roared, and the Shield Charm in the middle of the hall forced Voldemort back, and then Harry appeared, alive and well, from under the Invisibility Cloak.
"Harry!"
"He's alive!"
For just a moment, the cries of surprise rang out, and then a deathly silence fell over the crowd. Daphne broke her own Disillusionment Charm, feeling she wouldn't be needing it anymore. Harry and Voldemort began to circle each other.
"I don't want anyone else to try to help," harry said loudly. "It's got to be like this. It's got to be me."
"Potter doesn't mean that," Voldemort said, his red eyes wide. "That's not how he works, is it? Who are you going to use as a shield today, Potter?"
"Nobody," Harry said. "There are no more Horcruxes. It's just you and me. Neither can live while the other survives, and one of us is about to leave for good…"
"One of us?" Voldemort said mockingly. "You have escaped me only by chance and circumstance, Potter. Do you truly believe that you can defeat Lord Voldemort in single combat?"
"Yes, Tom Riddle, I believe that," Harry said. "You are weak, pathetic, and a coward. I have seen what remains of your soul, and it is pitiful. I have nothing, nothing, to fear from you, and neither does anyone else in this hall. Or haven't you noticed that none of your spells are binding anymore? Haven't you noticed that, no matter what you do, you can't hurt them? I have done what my mother did for me. I sacrificed myself, without fighting. Your magic cannot touch them."
"You didn't sacrifice yourself at all," Voldemort said. "You didn't die–"
"I meant to," Harry interrupted, "and that's what did it. There is so much you don't understand, Riddle, so, so much."
"You dare–"
"Yes, I dare. You kept my mother's sacrifice alive by using my blood, tethering me to life while you lived, but that's not all. No, you couldn't have killed me even if you hadn't. That wand in your hand, the Elder Wand…it does not belong to you."
"I have killed Severus Snape, who killed Dumbledore! The Wand is mine!" Voldemort said.
But Harry shook his head. "No, Riddle, it isn't. Snape was never the master of the Elder Wand, because Dumbledore was defeated by Draco Malfoy before Snape killed him…and I Disarmed Draco weeks ago. So tell me, Riddle…does that wand in your hand know I Disarmed its last owner? Because if it does…I am the true master of the Elder Wand."
A red-gold glow burst across the enchanted ceiling, and the ray of sunlight illuminated Harry and Voldemort both at the same time — and both raised their wands at once.
"Expelliarmus!"
"Avada Kedavra!"
The jets of light collided in midair, and Voldemort's curse rebounded on him, the Elder Wand sailing through the air, and Harry snatched it out of the air as Tom Riddle fell over and hit the ground with a mundane finality.
There was only a second of silence, and then the Great Hall erupted in cheering, and people stormed over, trying to be the first to congratulate Harry, while the rest of the Hall just seemed to fall into the arms of whoever happened to be next to them, as long as it wasn't a Death Eater.
Daphne fought her way over to Hermione, Ron, and Ginny, who seemed okay with waiting until everyone else was done with Harry. Ginny spotted her first.
"Daphne! You're alive!" She ran over and kissed her forcefully. "Where the hell have you been?!"
Daphne shook her head slowly. "I'll tell you everything later," she said. "I…haven't been myself for most of this night. Just give me some time. But…"
She hesitated and then looked from Ginny, to Ron, and then back. "But I…if you want to…if it would…make things easier…I have a way you can…say goodbye. To Fred, I mean."
She reached into her pocket and briefly showed them the Resurrection Stone.
"Is that…?" Ginny asked.
"The Resurrection Stone, yes. I…I spoke to Gemma, and Dad…and Snape. I sort of made peace with their deaths. I mean, it still hurts, but…I got to say goodbye, you know? I got some closure. And that's what the Stone is really for, according to Dad. I'll let Mum use it too…say goodbye to Dad too, you know…"
She looked at Harry, accepting yet more expressions of gratitude. The morning wore on, and at long last, with some help from Luna, Harry got a chance to talk to Daphne and the others.
"I didn't see you anywhere," Harry said. "I thought…"
Daphne shook her head. "I followed you into the Forest," she said. "I saw everything. And I have the Resurrection Stone. I want to give the people who lost friends and family in this fight a chance to say goodbye."
Harry nodded slowly. "I used it to enable my own sacrifice. I saw my parents and Remus. Maybe we should give Sirius a chance to use it, too…"
Daphne pulled him close and kissed him, and then drew Ginny into the embrace as well. She wasn't really sure why, only that it felt like the right thing to do.
"We'll have more than enough time," she said.
Harry smiled at her. "Yeah. I need to go and talk to Dumbledore's portrait for a moment, to tell him I'll be returning the Elder Wand to his tomb…and then I want to find a bed…and though I want you and Ginny in it with me…all I'll be doing is sleeping, preferably for a week."
"I hope you mean that," Ron said suspiciously. "Because it'll have to be in our dorm, since we can't go the girls dorms but they can go to ours, and everyone knows about the Room of Requirement now…"
"Don't worry," Hermione said. "You won't be alone, either…"
Daphne laughed. Despite everything that had happened, at that one moment, everything felt normal.
So that's it. The final chapter of the real story. The epilogue remains, and I'm going to write and post that right away, as well. It wouldn't feel fair to keep everyone waiting for only that another whole day. It'll be up, soon, and also much shorter than this one. Just a bit longer.