Chapter 9: Hurtling Towards the End
Harry, Ron, Hermione and Rose stood on the beach by Shell Cottage, smiling gratefully down at Dobby.
"You have somewhere safe to go?"
"Yes, Harry Potter!" the elf squeaked.
Harry smiled down at his friend. "You've more than proven yourself a free elf, Dobby. But this is the last time you save my life, you hear me?" he winked jokingly, and Dobby giggled. Rose, who drew about even with the elf in height, embraced him.
"Thank you, Dobby."
"My pleasure, Mistress Weasley!" And with a CRACK! he was gone.
"All right," Harry sighed. "Rose, get into Uncle Harry's backpack. Griphook, on my shoulders. Hermione?"
Hermione nodded, and threw back the Polyjuice Potion in one go. Harry threw the Invisibility Cloak over himself, Griphook and Rose. Once Hermione had transformed into Bellatrix Lestrange, she and a disguised Ron joined the invisible group and Disapparated to Gringotts.
Breaking into Gringotts was probably even more dangerous than breaking into the Ministry.
Harry had to use an Imperius Curse to allow his group back into the vault. They entered the Lestrange trove, and quickly recovered Huffllepuff's Cup. But in their moment of victory, Griphook betrayed them so he could ensure that he got his hands on the sword of Gryffindor, as Harry had recklessly promised him in exchange for his help. Only Hermione's ingenuity saved them, as she boldly commandeered a dragon - an actual dragon! - and the band of outlaws made their escape on its back, destroying half the bank in the process. When the dragon flew low over a lake, the quartet dropped off its back and swam for shore.
Entering Hogsmeade Village by Apparating, alarms were set off immediately. Harry and his family were rescued in the nick of time by an old innkeeper hustling them into his pub, who turned out to be Aberforth Dumbledore, Albus's brother. His bar, The Hog's Head, had a portrait hole passageway that led right into the Room of Requirement, and soon, an extremely battered Neville Longbottom had arrived to escort the quartet there.
Most of Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw houses were waiting for them. They all readily agreed to help Harry search for an object that belonged to Rowena Ravenclaw. Ron and Hermione offered to go down into the Chamber of Secrets and destroy the Cup. That left the question of what to do about Rosie. Harry knelt in front of his niece.
"When the Battle starts, you find a safe place to hide in this room, and stay there."
"Sure," Rose replied, a little too casually.
"And stay there!" Harry warned.
Voldemort and his forces began to descend on Hogwarts. Spells and advancing armies bashed the ancient structure. With Luna's assistance, Harry found the lost diadem of Ravenclaw and was just meeting up with his family in the Room of Requirement when -
Draco and his cronies attacked them. Hermione fired spells while shielding Rose with her own body, and in the confusion, Goyle set the whole room on fire. Hand in hand, Ron and Hermione fled with their daughter, Harry right behind them. Coming across some brooms, the foursome flew out of the Room of Requirement, reluctantly rescuing a trapped Malfoy and Goyle in the process. The diadem was consumed by the Fiendfyre, which just so happened to be another substance that destroys Horcruxes.
Harry wheeled back through the list of Horcruxes in his head: the diary, the ring, the locket, the cup, the diadem - all destroyed. There was just one more - Nagini, the snake.
Running through the chaos, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Rose made their way down to the Boathouse, where Harry had seen a vision of Voldemort. Just inside, they overheard the Dark Lord talking to Snape, venting about how the Elder Wand - the first of the Deathly Hallows - refused to do his bidding. Declaring Snape a rival, Voldemort ordered Nagini to kill him and vanished. Harry broke into the boathouse, comforting a dying Snape, who strangely used the last of his strength to give Harry some of his memories.
The four returned to the castle to find the Weasleys in agonizing grief over the death of Fred. Leaving Ron, Hermione and Rose to be with the family, Harry proceeded up to Dumbledore's office and the Pensieve. Diving into Snape's memories: he discovered shattering truth after shattering truth: Snape had been a double agent working for the Order all along, because he had been in love with Harry's mother, and that Harry was an accidental seventh Horcrux, which in order to be destroyed, meant -
Harry took his time walking through the quiet castle. He found Ron, Hermione and Rose on the steps of the Great Hall.
"Where have you been?" Hermione asked in relief.
Harry just gulped, choking back the tears. "There's a reason I can talk to snakes. That I can hear the Horcruxes. See into Voldemort's mind. I've known for a while... and I think you have too. I have to face him."
Hermione threw a hand over her mouth to stifle the sob. "I'll go with you!" she moaned, rushing into his arms.
"No," Harry shook his head. "Kill the snake, and then it's just him! You and Ron can get married, live happily with Rosie."
"Mate..." Ron began.
Harry smirked. "If I'm going to die for my little niece, I want her to have two parents who can tell her stories about me." He kept his voice low, so as not to worry Rose, who was playing with her shoes. The little girl now stood and approached her uncle.
"Where are you going, Uncle Harry?"
"I have... another mission, Rosie. And it's a long way away, and will take a very long time. Uncle... Uncle Harry's not going to be home for a while." He hated lying to her, but he also felt an unconscious need to protect her, had since the day she was born. Harry hugged Rose fiercely and kissed her forehead. "Goodbye, honey." His voice broke. "You be a good girl!"
And then, turning away from the only family he had ever known, Harry left for the Forbidden Forest, to face his own death... and Voldemort.
When Hagrid gathered his body up in his arms and funeral marched him to the castle, he waited. Amidst the screams of anguish, Ginny's loudest of all, he waited. Voldemort was droning on about his victory, Neville was shouting a brave last stand... and still he waited.
There was a CLANG of a sword, and Harry elbowed Hagrid hard in the arm, forcing the giant to let go of him and he dropped to the ground.
With a roar of fury from the Dark Lord, the Battle of Hogwarts resumed. Now clean of the Horcrux part of his soul, Harry squared off against Voldemort for their final showdown.
Ever eager to help the Dark wizard whom she worshiped, Bellatrix felt the need to get in the way. "I will kill him for you, Master!"
Harry ducked a Killing Curse from Bellatrix, plunged a hand into his robes, rushed forward and sent Bellatrix's own knife into her chest. "That was for my goddaughter!" Harry snarled through bared teeth, as a stunned Bellatrix expired.
The loss of his most faithful lieutenant distracted Voldemort just long enough for Neville Longbottom to rush into the fray and chop off Nagini's head with the sword of Gryffindor.
With no more Horcruxes, Harry and Voldemort circled each other, engaging in a fierce duel. But the Elder Wand could never defy its true Master - Harry Potter himself - and with one shout of Expelliarmus, Voldemort's Killing Curse rebounded and hit him instead.
The celebration was raucous. Ron and Hermione reached Harry first, and Rose leapt into her beloved uncle's arms. And then Ginny was by Harry's side, and together, the couple shared a long, relieved kiss. Naturally, Rose made a face.
"Uncle Harry, yuck!"
"Quiet, Rosie!" Harry laughed.
Harry, Ron and Hermione sat with Rose at the Gryffindor table, Hermione gently cutting up some of her daughter's breakfast into little pieces for her. Just then, Kingsley Shacklebolt, the Acting Minsiter for Magic, approached.
"Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger... I am pleased to inform you that your daughter, Rose Hermione Weasley, has been nominated for Order of Merlin, First Class, for acts of outstanding bravery or distinction in magic, namely for becoming the youngest individual in history to survive the Cruciatus Curse. If confirmed, she will be the youngest Order of Merlin recipient in wizarding history."
Ron and Hermione looked at each other over the head of their daughter, speechless. Ron nearly fell off the bench.
"Bloody hell! That's... thank you, Minister!"
Rose looked up at the towering man. "Do I get a medal?" she squealed. Harry snorted into his pumpkin juice, Ginny trilling out a laugh.
Kingsley smiled kindly at her. "We'll see, Rose." After he had left, Ron suddenly had a thought.
"Hang on! An Order of Merlin nomination can only be filed by someone who was present at the outstanding event! You said that first year," he said to his girlfriend.
Hermione blinked. "That's... that's right, I did."
"So... someone who was present at Malfoy Manor had to have nominated Rosie. And if we didn't do it, then... who did?"
A small voice behind them answered. "I did."
The Golden Trio wheeled around in shock to find Draco Malfoy studying the little family, looking the meekest they had ever seen him.
"Malfoy?" Harry stared.
Draco cleared his throat. "Ron... Hermione... Rose..." the three visibly jumped at Draco actually referring to them by their first names. " I showed Kingsley my memories of the Manor. What... what my aunt did was wrong, and I'm glad she's dead." He now reserved his words and gaze for Rose. "You're worth more than anyone gives you credit for, little one. I'm just sorry I didn't intervene, the way I should have."
Ron was rapidly opening and closing his mouth like a fish. Hermione's eyes were welling up with tears. She dared to take Draco's hand and squeeze it. "Thank you. I forgive you."
Draco gave her something that looked like a genuine smile and slipped away. Ron scowled, jamming a fork angrily into his potatoes.
"Well, I'm never forgiving him."
"Ronald! He nominated our daughter for an Order of Merlin..."
"... which she never would have needed if hadn't sat on his ass and let her be tortured!" Ron finished in a hiss.
"You know, he does have a point," Harry conceded.
"Thank you!"
Hermione and Rose just rolled their eyes. "Honestly!" mother and daughter echoed.
A few weeks later, it was a glorious summer's day, with the skies a brilliant blue. Under a simple marquee, Hermione was in a white wedding dress, facing Ron in a devilishly handsome tuxedo. Minister Shacklebolt smiled down at them both.
"I now pronounce this couple husband and wife. You may kiss the bride, Mister Weasley."
Ron took Hermione in his arms and kissed her full on the lips. The entire congregation cheered, led by Harry, who had Rose balanced on his hip and was standing by Ron's side as the best man. Squirming, his niece reached for her now-married parents and flew into their waiting arms.
"Mummy... Daddy..." she purred, as the three nuzzled together. They were safe, and they were a family.