A/N: I do not own anything
A/N2: I would like to thank Shade .of. Grey13 for taking some time off to read through the draft
A/N3: I would like to thank each and everyone who has followed this story from the very start. For someone like me, knowing that there are people reading the story is good enough for me to continue it.
TWENTY FIVE
Aboard the Vanquisher
Somewhere in Moray Firth, Scotland
A heavy battlewagon cut through the seas as her crew struggled to put as much distance as they could between themselves and the castle that they had just evacuated.
Anxious crewmen manned the anti-aircraft gun mountings of the ship as they scanned the skies while praying that they would never have to test the potency of 40mm. shells against the skins of dragons.
The anti-aircraft gunners scanning the sky, however, were not the only ones who were anxious; it was just that their anxiety was doubled because aside from the fact that they were anxious about being attacked by dragons, they are also anxious – as were the rest of the crew – about the fate of their leader, Alvin York.
The battleship was not fully manned, there was never a need to since it was modified with magic. Instead of the one thousand five hundred men that the Royal Navy needed to man HMS Vanguard in the 1950's,Vanquisher just needed two hundred, and almost exclusively for the weapons systems of the ship.
That gave them plenty of room to house any passengers should the mighty battlewagon ever find itself as a passenger ship, and that was precisely what the Vanquisher found itself to be right now.
Deep within the battleship, Harry, Hermione and their friends sat silently on top of the double-decked bunks that were fitted into the ship for the crew, eagerly and anxiously waiting for any news about Al.
Hermione sat beside her husband, their hands intertwined with one another as they silently stare at one another's eyes. Although they were not using their voice, everyone in the room could tell that they are communicating.
Neville sat with Luna, but unlike the married couple, this couple was just holding hands.
Fred and George were also in the room, as were Susan Bones and her friend, Hannah Abbot. The first two were clearly worried about Al – evidenced by their constant pacing within the ten feet room – while the last two were confused.
Susan was told that her aunt was in trouble – but she was not told what kind of trouble – in order to get her to come with the evacuation team that was sent into the castle to get her.
"I am sure that he will be fine" George – he was the more somber of the two – said, he nudged his brother and said, "Remember he survived that Falklands War and he spent five years as a dark creatures hunter in the East"
"He also kicked Dumbledore's behind" Fred said, agreeing – as usual – with his twin, he added, "And besides, anyone as ugly as Al cannot die, he'd cause a riot in hell"
"I think Irina would disagree with you with how Al looked" Luna said with a smile at her face. It was a tiny smile, but it was enough to bring a smile to the face of everyone – for even Susan and Hannah were somber – in the room.
Harry smiled and was about to say something but at the exact moment he opened his mouth, the door opened and Hec walked into the room. The second-in-command to Alvin York looked as if he had seen hell. He inclined his head towards the guests in the room before he turned his attention towards Harry and Hermione who had looked at him with expectant faces.
"He wishes to speak with you" Hec said, there was no need to say his name because everyone in the room – even Susan and Hannah – were already aware as to who 'he' was.
Harry and Hermione stood up, but they could see with horror the tone of resignation that Hec had used when he spoke with Harry and Hermione. Unable to stop herself, Hermione asked Hec, "Is there…?" she began.
Harry silenced his wife by placing his hand comfortingly over hers. Hermione looked at Harry with worry written on her eyes, but Harry shook his head, silencing his wife without a spoken word.
Hec nodded once, answering Hermione's unasked question. Luna's hand flew to open her mouth as she stared at Hec with an agape expression. Neville comforted her, though it was clear that the pureblood was disturbed by this pronunciation as well.
For once, the Weasley twins had no joke to lighten up the grim atmosphere that had suddenly enveloped everyone in the bunk.
"Let's go" Harry said, gently pulling Hermione towards him.
Outside the room, Hec led them through a maze of hallways, through several flights of stairs lower into the hull of the ships, and finally, to outside a closed door with a red cross painted on the door.
Hec moved to open the door, but he found himself being stopped by Harry when the Duke placed his right hand on Hec's outstretched hand. Hec looked at the Duke just in time to watch as Harry asked, "Is there nothing that we can do for him?"
Hec sighed, "The dagger was a cursed item" he explained, "By rights, the commander should be screaming himself hoarse ever since he got stabbed, but it's nothing compared to the pain that he is suffering every day that he is alive, so he can control himself"
"What if we remove the knife?" Hermione asked as she clung onto her husband as if she was drowning in the sea, "Would that be effective?"
Hec shook his head, "Eventually, we would have to pull the knife out" he replied, "the pain notwithstanding, we cannot heal the wound without removing the knife, but we do know that should we remove the knife, the killing curse, stored in the jewel hilt of the weapon, will kill the commander"
"So what do we do?" Harry asked, desperation in his voice.
Hec shook his head, "The commander" he began, but then hesitated as he amended that to, "Al had decided what to do"
Harry and Hermione blinked and stared at one another for a few moments, before Hermione realized what Hec was trying to say. She shook her head as she said, "He cannot be thinking about pulling it"
Hec sighed, "I think that it would be for the best if he were to explain his reasoning to you himself, my Lord and Lady" he replied. Saying that, he pushed the door with the red cross opened, revealing the ship's infirmary.
Al was lying on a bed located at the far end of the room, hooked up to some machines and with a packet of blood hanging over his bed and connected to him by means of an intravenous tube.
Irina was hovering over Al, strangely, when Harry and Hermione looked at her face, she was not worried, or horrified, or panicked. In fact, she looked perfectly calm as she slowly caressed Al's hair.
Harry and Hermione approached the bedside and saw that Al's sword was lying horizontally on a table beside him while his gold-chrome pistol was beside it. There was also a strand of white hair beside the sword that Harry and Hermione instantly recognized as the core of his now destroyed wand.
"Harry, Hermione" Al greeted, opening his eyes – for they were closed before – and looking at them with a smile on his face, "Thank you for coming"
"Al" Harry said, "Hec" he inclined his head towards the American, " told us what you wanted to do"
Al laughed silently, "Indeed" he replied, he stopped laughing as he sighed and asked, "And I trust that you want to hear an explanation from me as to why I made that decision?"
Not trusting his voice, Harry nodded. Al sighed and looked at Hermione – who seconded her husband's request by nodding her head as well – before he said, "This is the way that it is supposed to be" before anyone can respond, he continued with a question directed towards Hermione, "I trust that you have been reading about soul bonds since you formed one with Harry?" Hermione nodded – clearly neither she nor Harry trusted their voices right now – and Al continued, "What would have happened if one part of the bond died?"
"There would be pain for the surviving partner" Hermione replied, "the soul bond meant that the couple share their souls, meaning, half of their souls reside in one another, if one of them dies, then the survivor would have lost half his…." She looked at Al with a questioning look, "soul" she finished.
Al smiled, "Correct" he replied, using the tone of voice that reminded Harry and Hermione – somehow – of the times that they had spent in Germany and Potter Island as the battle wizard drilled them in preparation for the year. The battle wizard continued and asked another question, "Do you recognize the spell that I used to destroy the dragons?"
"Expecto Curator" Hermione replied, taken aback by the information that Al had just revealed, "it was a guardian summoning spell"
"You know what happened right?" Al asked with a smile.
This time, Hermione again not trusted her voice so she just nodded. Al continued, "That spell was meant to summon the guardian spirit of a person, everyone has one" he said, "And soul-bonded couples…"
"Would have their partners as their guardians" Hermione said, her eyes widened as she realized what she had just said, or rather, as she realized the implications of what was just said, she looked at Al and asked, "How do you stand the pain?"
Al smiled, "It's always there, a constant reminder of my failures, a constant reminder of my sins" he replied, his smile turned ironic now as he continued, "That is the reason why the torture curse, or any other curse that is supposed to cause you pain, does not affect me"
Al sighed, he looked at Irina and then nodded before he turned his attention back towards Harry and Hermione and continued, "Irina told you that every single person that I made the mistake of falling in love with is dead, and I am sure that you have already made the connection between this curse and my relationship with Nica"
Harry and Hermione nodded, "It was Luna who made the observation" Hermione replied.
"Indeed?" Al asked with delight in his voice, and then he started laughing as he said, "Then you should know that I wish to leave this realm of reality more than anything else"
Harry nodded, realizing that this was true. Hermione followed suit a few moments later, "I understand" she replied, she unconsciously took Harry's hand in hers, "We understand"
Al smiled, "Lesson" he said, his eyes bore straight into the jet black eyes of Harry and the chocolate brown of Hermione, "Being soul-bonded means that the two of you are one, means that should one of you die, the other would follow, and therefore, neither of you must die before time"
"Al…" Harry began.
"The prophecy that we spoke about the first night that we met, Harry" Al began, "the prophecy that is about you and Voldemort, it is done, and I bet that the prophecy sphere in the Department of Mysteries would have turned black by now, but…" he looked exclusively at Harry, "there is another prophecy concerning you"
Before Harry or Hermione could say anything, Al looked at Irina and she nodded towards Al as she said, "They would be made aware of it as soon as possible Al"
"Thank you Irina" Al replied, he closed his eyes and said, "This is the better way out of this mess"
"Al…" Harry began again.
Al opened his eyes, "That same night that we first met Harry, when we spoke about the prophecy, who did I tell you was I related to?" he asked.
Harry blinked, "Professor Trewlany" he replied.
Al nodded, "Correct" Al said, seeing the look on Hermione's face, Al laughed before he continued, "No, I am not a seer, but I…" he smiled, "Like all nine-tailed foxes, Nica can see the future, and when she died, this gift passed onto me, coupled with the fact that I am descended from Cassandra Trewlany, well…." He shook his head as he added sadly, "If I had the courage to kiss her, then this would have passed onto me during that time, and I would have known what would have happened that night" he shook his head as he removed the regrets from his head, "No" he said, "The time for regrets has long passed, I did what I had to do" he said the last defiantly and toward Harry and Hermione.
"One of yours would have died had I not chosen this route" Al suddenly said, seeing the look on the face of Harry and Hermione, Al added, "No, I am not sure who it is, nor would I want to know who it is in the first place" he sighed and said, "This way, Harry, you grant the wish of a foolish man who wanted death more than anything else while you save a friend who could probably help you in the long run better than I could ever do"
"Al, you are one…" Harry began, but then he shook his head as he came to accept the decision that he had made. He looked at Hermione who was still having a hard time accepting what Al had just said. Harry locked hands with his wife and she finally nodded as Harry subconsciously helped her come to terms with the decision that their teacher had made.
"Good" Al said with a smile, he shook his head as he said, "There is nothing more natural in life than death, Harry, Hermione, it is something that must never be feared, but rather, something that must be understood" he looked at Harry and said, "For someone like me, who has lived his life as a sinner who had yearned for release, dying is actually a favor, something that I look forward to."
"Al" Irina said as one of the machines that was connected to him began to emit a strange loud wailing sound, "It's nearly time"
Al nodded. Harry and Hermione stared at Irina, amazed by the calm that she was showing even as the man that she loves wastes away before her.
Al looked towards Harry and Hermione again and regarded them with a smile, "When I was younger, I used to say, 'I am not afraid of death, what I am afraid of is dying without accomplishing my purpose', and as I look at the two of you, I can say with certainty that I have accomplished that purpose" he nodded once towards them and smiled, "It's time for me to leave this plane of existence and go to the higher plane where all those who loved me and all those whom I love is waiting for me" he looked towards Irina and added, "And for me to begin what I could only hope would be a long wait for those whom I love and am going to leave behind"
Whatever kind of control that Irina had that had prevented her from crying as Al wasted in front of her was broken by what Al had just said as the tears overwhelmed Irina and fat droplets of her tears started to fall from her beautiful eyes. Unnoticed by anyone but by Al and Irina, her grip on his hands – dying as they were – tightened.
Al gently moved his free hand – his left – towards Irina's face and, using his thumb, he wiped away the tears that are dropping from her eyes before he gently moved the few strands of hair that had managed to obstruct Irina's face to behind her ears.
"You are the last person that I found myself in love with, Irina" Al said. Unknown to everyone else in the room, this was the first time that Al had told Irina that he loved her, though given the fact that Irina had informed everyone about the curse that Al had, everyone could guess that this was the first time, "And I am happy that you will survive me"
Al motioned towards his sword, "Ceded in perpetuity to me in exchange for the deed that I had done against Dumbledore" he began, "I, Alvin Charles York, last of the York family, leave this weapon in the capable and worthy hands of Irina Engels and hope that when the time comes, she will give this weapon to her son, Klaus Engels, so that he may continue the noble office that the York family had held since the beginning of time" he closed his eyes as the sword seemed to glow for a few moments, "So mote it be" he said.
Al started to cough blood as he opened his eyes, "Al" Irina said, this time, she panicked, and looked at Harry and Hermione, "His magic is the only thing that is keeping him from doing that, and it almost already left his body"
"A few other things that need to be done, Irina" Al replied with a smile, though he looked like a vampire when he smiled, seeing that his teeth had been stained by his own blood. The commander of the Potter bodyguards looked towards his second in command and said, "Hector William Boones, by the trust given to me by the Potter family, and as my last act as chief guardian of the Potter family, I do hereby name you, Hector William Boones, as my successor in both name and magic to continue the noble office of chief guardian of the Potter family" he again closed his eyes as a glow surrounded both him and Hec, "So mote it be".
"So mote it be" Hec echoed.
"One final thing" Al said towards Irina with a smile, he turned his attention towards Harry and Hermione before he said, "As Alvin Charles York, last of the York's, and as my last and final wish, I hereby open the Library of the York family to Harry James Potter and Hermione Jane Granger-Potter and anyone else whom they deem worthy" he looked at the two, "So mote it be"
Harry and Hermione echoed his last words.
The machine was now wailing as loud as a banshee, but now, it was joined by the wailings of several other machines that were connected to Al. With a smile, Al said, "Tell Sirius and Remus that I am sorry that I could not wait for them" and then he turned towards Hermione, "Tell your father, I apologize for not being able to share one more round of his exquisite single malt whiskey with him"
Harry and Hermione nodded and watched – half with horror and half with awe – as Al gripped the jeweled hilt of the knife that was sticking between his ribs, "With this, the last of the York's give his life for a cause that he deemed worthy of spending his life for" he closed his eyes, "evermore and to the last breath, tenacious of justice" so saying, he pulled out the knife, and as the knife was wrenched free from his ribs, everyone in the room heard the battle wizard utter his final words, "Nica"
His body seemed to glow for a few moments, and then the machines stopped wailing, replaced a few moments later by a flat tone as the heart of Alvin Charles York stopped beating.
For a few moments, there was silence as the single strand of hair that Harry and Hermione recognized from his wand glowed again. It was a golden glow, much like the color that they had both seen when they watched the memories of Al and everyone else had gained during their initial bonding.
Out of nowhere, a voice – clear, melodic and sweet, yet so tiny that even though everyone heard it, it still gave the impression that it was spoken by someone so far away – was heard, "You're late" it said, seemingly coming out of every nook and cranny in the infirmary.
Al's voice was heard next, and it was also tiny "You know that I always come back when I smell your cooking" he said, and then, there was silence save for the flat tone of the machine that monitored Al's heart activity.
The silence – broken only by the flat tone – was then pierced by the wails of Irina as she threw her arms over Al's body.
A few moments later
Harry and Hermione found themselves upon the stern of the battleship, their fingers intertwined as they watched the setting sun as their ship started to make its way eastward.
"I will miss him" Harry said after a few moments.
"We all will" Hermione replied
Neither Potter bothered to wipe away the tears that were flowing down their faces that started but a few moments after they realized that Al was gone.
"Did he really have to die?" Harry asked.
Hermione shook her head, "I don't know" she replied truthfully, "but he went the way that he wanted to go Harry, and he said it himself, that his purpose was accomplished," she looked at her husband and said, "In the end, I think that he is happy the way he went"
Harry nodded; "Yeah" he replied lamely, "I am sure he is"
Hermione understood her husband far better than anyone else, though that was not surprising since they shared their souls, and she knew exactly what he was thinking of when he said that, "This was not your fault Harry, just as Cedric's death wasn't either " she said, talking some sense into her husband, "Al's death was caused by Dumbledore, Cedric's was by Voldemort and we have avenged Cedric, we need to avenge Al, and you will not be able to do it if you will continue to mope around and blame yourself for his death"
Harry nodded, but he was still unconvinced, so Hermione continued, "Do you think Al would have wanted you to blame yourself for his death?" she asked rhetorically, "Do you think he would have wanted you to drop everything that he had asked you to do just because he is no longer around?"
"Hermione…" Harry began; he turned to face his wife, only to find renewed tears upon her eyes.
"I will miss him, Harry, I miss him even now" Hermione replied as she threw her arms around her husband and silently asked him to hold her, "And the others miss him, Sirius, Remus, my father, my mother, Hec, his men, but most of all, Irina"
Harry nodded, "I know" he replied, "I know"
"Don't blame yourself, Harry" Hermione pleaded as she threw her arms over her husband, "Please, don't blame yourself"
Harry nodded, he gently pushed Hermione away at arm's length and said, "You're right" he paused and then added, "You're right, Al would not have wanted me, would not have wanted us, to mope around just because he is no longer with us"
Hermione nodded, "We need to regroup" she suddenly said as her great mind began working again, "We need to tell Sirius and Remus,"
"First, we need to talk with Hec" Harry said, kissing his wife on the lips so that she would shut up and give him the chance to speak, "He is the new commander now"
Hermione nodded, "But we need to do it as soon as possible" Hermione said, "We do not know how many of the Old Man's men have entered the United Kingdom, and we know what he will do next now that Voldemort is gone"
"I am hoping that he would not be made aware of that information until we are ready for him" Harry admitted, remembering the latest intelligence report that Al had given them just two days ago, "but I am not going to be foolish enough to bank my plans on that hope, especially considering that Dumbles is still powerful enough to wield influence in the Ministry" he shook his head for emphasis, "I agree with you, love, we must consolidate our camp as soon as possible"
Harry looked defiant as he added, "I would have his head for what he did to Al, and for what he tried to do to us, them and anyone who would dare get in the way"
Hermione nodded, she reached out to her husband. Harry knew what she wanted even without being told, he tilted his head towards her and their foreheads met in the middle. For a brief few seconds, that was enough for the two of them, to just stare and lose themselves in each other's eyes, but after a few moments, it was not enough, Harry removed his forehead from Hermione's as his lips moved towards hers. A few moments later – against the backdrop of the setting sun – Harry and Hermione kissed as their hands held each other.
The battle had just begun.
PS1: There would be a sequel, I just do not know when I would start with it since I am probably going to focus more on my flagship project for the time being. Nevertheless, I would not abandon the wonderful world of Harry Potter fan-fiction anytime soon.
PS2: With this, Project 11A529(Harry Potter: Duke of Gryffindor) is done.