Nevermore, nevermore
Harry made his way towards the Common Room with Reva right behind. Students in the hall stopped to stare at the strange girl following Harry. The duo rounded a corner and found a vacant hallway.
"I never thought I'd be happy and annoyed people could actually see you at the same time," Harry muttered.
Reva remained silent. They finally reached the portrait of the Fat Lady however it was vacant. Harry swore under his breath and scowled at the empty frame. The duo waited several minutes before the occupant of the painting returned.
"Can I help you?" she asked.
"I'd like to get in if it's alright with you," Harry grumbled.
"Password?" she queried, nonplussed.
"Treacle Tart," the raven-haired boy said dully.
The piece of artwork swung forward to allow the boy and his companion entrance to the cozy Common Room. Harry strode in and spotted Ron and Hermione sitting at a table, leaning over books, quills poised in their hands. He walked over and took a seat in the unoccupied chair to Ron's left.
"Hi," he said quietly.
"Where've you been mate? Snape was furious," Ron said, looking up from his essay.
"I was in the library, figuring out that I'm not mental," Harry replied softly, trying to attract undue attention to their conversation.
"Harry. This morning you thought you were? What changed?" Hermione asked inquisitively.
"She did," Harry answered, pointing at Reva.
The ethereal girl summoned a chair and joined the trio. Hermione took the girl in with her sharp brown eyes while Ron stared, transfixed. The bushy-haired teenager finally had to elbow him in the stomach to make him close his mouth.
"Who is she?" Hermione inquired, addressing Harry as if the girl did not exist.
"Her name is Reva. She's the one I saw in the room and the one who has been taking me to meet my parents and Sirius," Harry explained, glancing between his two friends to gaze their response.
"You mean to tell me that you did in fact meet your parents and Sirius who are in fact dead?" Hermione questioned, unbelieving.
"Well yes. I mean they were spirits but still," Harry continued.
"And how come all of a sudden we can see her then?" Ron piped up for the first time since he'd seen Reva.
"Because I have chosen to show myself," Reva replied, piercing the redhead with her blue stare.
"Oh," Ron gulped nervously.
"So why are you showing Harry of this and why him?" Hermione probed.
"She's err…part of me," Harry orated, trying to gain control of the conversation.
"Excuse me?" Ron and Hermione gasped in unison.
"Err…could you explain it to them?" Harry asked Reva, who nodded in response.
"Upon the death of his godfather, he detached himself from his grief and anger. Thus, unknowingly he created me," she stated matter-of-factly.
"So you're a personification of Harry's anger and grief and hate?" Hermione concluded.
"Precisely," Reva answered, turning the edges of her blue hued lips up into a brief smile.
"How'd you figure that out?" Ron asked bewildered.
"It's not that difficult Ronald," the auburn-haired girl huffed with a roll of her eyes.
"So um, do you think I should go tell Dumbledore?" Harry asked of his two best friends.
"No. The Headmaster will be alerted to my presence on his own," Reva remarked curtly.
"Ok," Harry muttered slightly taken aback.
The four fell into an awkward silence punctuated only be the other people in the room writing on parchment or turning pages in books. Harry sighed deeply and found himself supporting his head with his left hand as he gazed around the table. Their boredom and silence was suddenly ended by a very loud scream, the wailing voice of Moaning Myrtle.
"What's Myrtle doing out of her bathroom?" Ron muttered.
"Invasion! We're being invaded!" She wailed, somehow echoing throughout the entire school.
Harry scrambled from his seat and rushed to the nearest window. He saw his worst fears confirmed. A swarm of black robed, white masked figures were descending upon the front doors of the castle.
"Death Eaters," he spat before rushing out of the Common Room.
Ron, Hermione and Reva followed after him hurriedly. They caught up with him some way down the hall towards the Headmaster's office. They were however intercepted by none other than Professor Snape.
"The fight is that way Potter. Where do you think you're running to!" He snapped venomously and pointing in the direction he was headed.
"I need to see the Headmaster," Harry seethed, trying to push past the surly man.
"See him about what?" the double agent queried in a bored tone.
"Well…about why everything thinks I've gone mental," Harry said sheepishly.
"It's too late for that. Suck it up and face him Potter. It's time to fulfill your destiny," the Potions Master smirked and dragged the quartet along with him.
They arrived at the scene of destruction some ten minutes later. Ginny Weasley lay on the ground, nursing a fractured wrist, glaring harshly at Peter Pettigrew. He was giggling uncontrollably at the young girl as she tried to cast a spell and hold her wrist simultaneously.
"Levicorpus," Ron and Harry shouted at the rat anamagus and swung him into a nearby wall.
Ron rushed to his sister's aid while Harry watched as Snape sent Lucius Malfoy sprawling before him. He tried to make out what the dark-haired man was saying above all of the noise but couldn't. He saw several Order members dueling. He spotted Bellatrix LeStrange facing off against Tonks. He smiled but had to duck an incoming curse, taking Hermione with him. Harry looked and saw that Reva had been hit; yet all she did was stand there. She opened her left hand sent a green beam back at the sender who fell to the ground, lifeless. As Harry's emerald gaze followed the beam, he caught sight of Voldemort walking toward the boy wizard.
"Well Harry. The time has come for you to say goodbye," he hissed evilly.
"Goodbye to what? I'd gladly say goodbye to you," Harry snarled raising his wand.
"Tut, tut dear boy. You don't have it in you to kill me," the Dark Lord spat maliciously.
"Oh yes I do!" Harry bellowed, recalling what Reva had said about the need for him to meet his parents and see Sirius again.
He tried to will the killing curse out of his wand but it would not come. He tried to block out his nemesis's maniacal laughter. Suddenly he heard a familiar voice in his head.
"You are not meant to end him with that spell," it said.
"Well what else am I supposed to use," he muttered under his breath.
"Caedo casso abeo," it murmured, seeming to fade in and out suddenly.
"Err…abeo," Harry said with a swish of his wand.
Suddenly Voldemort disappeared into thin air. Everyone stopped and stared at the boy with the outstretched wand. The Death Eaters began to back away slowly, being quickly surrounded by Order members. Harry blinked and shook his slightly from side to side. Before he knew what was happening he fainted.
He woke up a half hour later in the Hospital Wing. Ginny was sitting next to him, her wrist good as new. Ron and Hermione were a few beds down, talking to Remus who had suffered from a large gash on his stomach.
"How's your wrist?" Harry asked, sitting up against his pillows.
"It's fine. I can't say the same for Pettigrew though. You and Ron messed him up pretty good with that swing," Ginny answered a smile on her face.
"That was brilliant Harry," Ron said, coming over to his friend, followed by Hermione.
"Uh…thanks Ron," Harry mumbled as he saw Reva approach the group surrounding Harry's bed.
"Don't congratulate him yet," She said eerily.
"What? What are you talking about?" Harry shot nervously, eyeing her suspiciously.
"You didn't say the spell correctly. You didn't kill him. Just vanishing him won't work," she began.
"What are you talking about? I've never even heard of the spell, Reva," Harry ranted.
"That spell is the kill, destroy and vanish the object or person it is cast at," she said in an exasperated tone.
"Oh," Harry stated blankly.
"So what happens now?" Ron questioned, his voice unnaturally high.
"Well he will come back and Harry will have to recite the spell in its entirety in order for Voldemort to be fully conquered," Reva explained, eyeing Ron oddly.
There was a scream in the hall before any of them could respond to what Reva had said. The members of Order who could respond to the cry of distress rushed out of the room and Ginny and Ron joined them. Harry leapt out of bed and began to follow when Hermione caught his arm.
"Harry please be careful," she said softly, leaning in and giving him a gentle, brief kiss on the cheek.
"I…I will," Harry murmured, amazed as he entered the hall.
There he found the Order and his best friends all crowded together, their wands collectively drawn and pointing at one single target; Voldemort.
"That was a lovely disappearing act you pulled Harry but I'm afraid it was rather second-rate," the snake-like man cackled upon seeing Harry.
"Well you are going to be amazed this time around," Harry sneered.
"Oh really? What are you going to do? Swing me around like a pi�ata?" the evil man snickered.
"Caedo casso abeo," Harry spoke clearly, giving his wand a downward flick and sideways swish.
Voldemort's red slit-like eyes opened in shock as he was hit was hit was a black beam. The beam expanded and engulfed the wizard and went right through him. It appeared that the beam was tearing him apart within itself. Just as suddenly as it had all began, the beam and Voldemort vanished into thin air. Harry stared and gulped loudly, lowering his wand.
"He's gone this time for good," he heard Reva from behind him.
"Thank god," everyone breathed.
Snape walked up to Harry and extended his hand. Harry stared at it a moment before shaking it. He eyed the tall man curiously.
"That was to prove I'm on your side," he muttered before walking off.
Harry just gawked, as did many of the other people in the hall. Ron had to stifle a fit of gut-wrenching giggles as the black cloak swished around a corner. Harry suddenly felt very tired.
"I'm going to go take a nap," he announced and headed back to the Hospital Wing.
He awoke the following morning. Breakfast was waiting on his side table and he munched contently on a bit of toast, enjoying the relative silence of the room. He set his empty tray back on the table and turned his head. There standing beside his bed was Reva, silent as ever. She looked at the occupants of the other beds before waved her hand and the curtains around Harry's bed closed, encircling her.
"Morning," Harry said cheerily.
"You did well," Reva murmured, sitting down on the edge of the boy's bed.
"Thanks. I couldn't have done it without you. You were right. Being able to draw on the experiences with my parents and Sirius gave me the courage and confidence I needed to defeat him. Thank you," Harry answered.
"It is time for me to go," she said, a look of almost sadness in her blue eyes.
"Go? But you're a part of me! You said I'd eventually be able to feel what you represent," Harry gawked, slightly annoyed.
"You will. By my leaving, you regain control of these emotions. It won't hurt. Just close your eyes," she instructed quietly as she took his hand in hers.
Harry closed his eyes and took a surprised gasp in. One moment her hand was firmly grasped in his and then the next he held nothing. He opened his eyes and looked around. The drapes were still pulled shut but he was alone. He felt something thud against his chest. He looked down to find he was wearing a pendant. He saw it resembled Reva's ring; except now it was a flat disk with the five-feathered arrow. Just as he pulled the hangings aside, Hermione, Ron and Ginny appeared.
"How are you mate?" Ron asked, beaming.
"I'm fine. You're happy. What for?" Harry wondered aloud.
"I…well Hermione and I are…together," Ron explained proudly as Hermione blushed and nodded.
"Harry. That kiss yesterday, it was you know like a brother-sister thing," she said sheepishly.
"Oh of course," Harry said, waving it off.
"Harry could I talk to you alone?" Ginny piped nervously.
Harry nodded and the other two went off to go visit Remus again. Ginny fiddled with her hands before sitting down on the edge of Harry's bed.
"Harry. I…I like you. I always have and you know that," Ginny stammered, blushing to a shade that matched her fiery red hair.
"Gin. Yes, I'll go out with you," Harry said, leaning over and giving her a delicate kiss on the lips.
She smiled wide as her brother and Hermione returned. Ron looked from Harry to Ginny and back again before bursting into a grin of his own.
"Treat her good mate," Ron said with a nod.
"Where's Reva gone to? I haven't seen her since last night,' Hermione remarked, looking around.
"Well you remember how she was a personification of my feelings?" Harry began, the other three nodding.
"Well she err got I guess absorbed back into me," he finished, pointing at the pendant.
"Oh wow. What did it feel like?" Hermione wanted to know, sitting down next to Ginny.
"Well nothing really. She was there one minute, her hand in mine. Then she was gone the next," the victorious wizard said with a shrug.
"I just hope it never happens again. I mean it was kind of nice to not feel grief and stuff but I'd rather have all my feelings in tact," Harry said with a chuckle as the foursome prepared to enjoy the rest of the day and the year, Voldemort-free.