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"May the joy and peace of Christmas be with you all through the Year. Wishing you a season of blessings from heaven above. Happy Christmas!"
Harry took a step closer to Dumbledore. Courage, recklessness abandon, anger and a fierce protectiveness towards Tom sang though his blood and fuelled him,
"Let him go."
Dumbledore retreated, and Harry couldn't help but look down at his blackened hand and smile,
"You fear me. You're afraid that I'll burn you again."
A wicked grin twisted Dumbledore's features and he stepped closer to him once again,
"No, Mr. Potter. You are the one that should fear me..."
Dumbledore raised his hand and the fog began to swirl around him, turning darker and darker…suffocating him, steadily making it difficult for him to breathe. He struggled to draw in air…his lungs screamed, and his knees gave out, bringing him crashing down on that floor of pure black. Dumbledore's malicious laughter echoed around the space and steadily grew deafening. But somewhere buried underneath Dumbledore's laughter were Tom's scream and they lent him the courage he needed to fight. He struggled against the smothering darkness and finally managed to draw in a deep, rasping breath.
The laughter vanished…so did the screams…there was only silence as he lay curled on the ground and drew air into his starved lungs. Finally, Dumbledore's hateful voice broke the silence,
"I am beginning to see why you are not dead"
Harry opened his eyes and pushed himself up into a sitting position,
"I'm not dead?"
Dumbledore leaned over him,
"You were a vessel for a piece of his soul. He did not kill you…"
Harry covered his mouth his with hand. A piece of his soul…inside himself? The shock was overpowering, and he felt perturbed as to how that come to be. Had Voldemort known? Surely, he mustn't have. If he'd known, he wouldn't have tried to kill him. Maybe Dumbledore was lying…Maybe he was merely trying to unsettle him. But something about Dumbledore's words rang true and made sense. He finished Dumbledore's sentence through numb lips,
"He killed himself."
Harry rose to his feet and looked at Tom's tiny quivering form behind Dumbledore. He felt nothing but compassion for that child. Nothing that Voldemort had done to him mattered in the face of what Dumbledore had done to him and continued to do to him. Tom was trapped… Dumbledore was holding him captive. That day when Tom had murdered Dumbledore and his colleagues, Dumbledore had latched onto him through his darkness and had continued to live on. He had leeched away all the kindness, all the love and innocence that Tom must have had as a child…He had influenced his decisions, compelled him kill and perform unspeakable atrocities…It had all been Dumbledore and his darkness…It had always been Dumbledore and his darkness…
"I will get him back. I will free him."
Dumbledore picked Tom up in his arms and he instantly began to flail and cry. His screams of terror rended the hazy fog but Harry could just there and watch helplessly as the darkness poured out of Dumbledore's mouth and consumed him. Soon enough Tom had disappeared completely, and Dumbledore laughed,
"You may have survived once…you will not survive again. Tom will murder you again and this time I shall ensure that he does it in the most painful way possible."
Harry was about to retort when the fog began to enclose him. He didn't fight it because he knew it was taking him back...back to Bella…back to Voldemort...He was getting one more chance…
He came to with a silent gasp and the first thing he registered were Bella's mournful screams. He felt the weight of her head on his stomach and her tears soaking his shirt. The cool ground felt soothing underneath his back. He tried to speak but nothing came out. He tried again and a low rasp escaped his lips. Bella's head instantly lifted and she regarded him with puffy red eyes and flushed cheeks. Her black curls were in disarray and she looked shell shocked, awfully terrified and slightly deranged,
"Bella…"
She clamped a hand over his mouth and closed her eyes,
"This isn't real…he's not alive…I've lost my mind…I've finally lost my mind…"
Harry pushed her hand away and forced himself to a sitting position before pulling her to his chest,
"You're not crazy…you haven't lost your mind...I'm here, Bella…I'm really here…"
She remained still in his arms and Harry continue to reassure her, weaved his fingers through her dishevelled curls and comforted her. Finally, she stirred in his arms and pulled him away. Her dark gaze ran all over him and drank in the sight of him greedily. Her hand came to rest on his chest as she felt her heartbeat. It didn't seem to be enough for her because she suddenly had her ear against it, listening eagerly to his heartbeat. He allowed it. He allowed her to do whatever she wished to do to him to reassure herself that he was really alive. She pulled her head away from his chest and gripped his wrist, feeling his pulse,
"I'm alive, Bella…I'm alive…"
She brought her hand up to her lips and kissed his knuckles,
"You're alive…"
Harry pulled her back into a hug and this time she wrapped her arms around him and held him tight,
"You're really alive."
She pulled him away and kissed his head, his cheeks, his hands, his forehead,
"You're alive…you haven't left me…"
Harry buried his face in the crook of her neck and couldn't stop the tears that flowed from his eyes. How had he ever come to deserve someone as special as her? He felt like the luckiest person alive,
"Why would I ever leave someone as special as you?"
Bella hugged him tighter and then whispered,
"You must."
Harry struggled to pull away from him, but she held him tight,
"You have to leave…you have to go…he'll kill you…"
Harry shook his head,
"No…I can't, Bella…I can't leave…He needs me to save him…"
Bella gripped his shoulders tightly and shook him slightly,
"Have you lost your bloody mind? I will not let you sacrifice yourself again…That man does not deserve your love…your light…he'll squander it again. He'll crush you again…"
Harry was about to speak when Bella spoke,
"Harry, I love you. Please, don't do this… He doesn't value you at the moment but there will come a time when he will realize what he has done and he will regret it."
She smoothed a hand through his hair and kissed his forehead,
"You're too pure and innocent for this castle…too selfless…too good…You can't stay here. I won't let you."
Harry rested a hand on her shoulder,
"I can't leave even if I want to…You know that I can't…"
He pulled away from her and ran a hand over his throat. There was no cut,
"Did you heal me?"
Bella nodded.
"I couldn't…I couldn't bury you like that…I just couldn't…"
Harry wiped her tears away. He unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off, expecting to see the bruises that criss crossed around his torso but there was nothing. His pale skin was smooth and flawless…there wasn't even a sign of them left. Bella traced the skin where the bruises had once been and a triumphant look crossed her features,
"They're gone."
Harry knew what that meant. He could leave…He could probably leave but he didn't want to. He couldn't leave without saving Tom first. He looked up and met Bella's joyful gaze,
"You can leave."
Harry fingered the locket and thought about what Bella had said. There was logic in her words. Voldemort would kill him again if he went to him now but maybe with time, he would regret his decision…maybe with time, the guilt and remorse would overpower the darkness and weaken it…
Bella pulled him up to his feet and Harry finally took in his surroundings. He was in the forest and Harry saw a hole dug there, which was probably meant to be his grave. He only had one chance left and he needed to be wise about it. He buttoned his shirt back up,
"Don't think too much about it. You have to go now."
She was about to hurry him to the edge of the forest when she paused,
"You'll need supplies."
She pushed him into the trees and spoke,
"Don't move a muscle. I'll be right back."
Harry wrapped his arm around himself and waited for her to come back. Somewhere the wolves howled, and Harry reconsidered his decision. Ten minutes passed, and Bella was back, holding a rucksack,
"This has everything you'll need."
She handed him the rucksack and Harry nearly fell down because it was far heavier than he had imagined,
"What's in it?"
Bella grabbed his wrist and began pulling him through the trees,
"We don't have time to talk."
When they reached the border, Bella hugged him again,
"I'll find a way to talk to you. We'll stay in touch…We'll see each other again but only when the time is right."
Harry nodded and held onto her tight,
"I'll be back, Bella. I swore I would save you…I still stand by it…I'll always stand by it…"
Bella kissed his forehead and spoke,
"Go now. Take care of yourself. I love you…I love you so much."
Harry kissed her forehead and wiped away her tears,
"I love you too, Bella."
He felt unsure as he stepped out of the forest…almost expecting the barrier to stop him, the pain to flare up, the bruises to appear again but nothing happened…nothing stopped him. Once he'd crossed, he turned around and saw the happiness on Bella's face. She waved him goodbye and Harry waved back before turning back around, steeling himself and walking away. He felt like this was the beginning of another adventure and that both thrilled and terrified him.