The official last chapter of Visitor before the epilogue.. Not sure how to feel about it. i had considered splitting this chapter in two due to the length, but in the end thought it better like it was.
Thank you very much for all the support.
Enjoy,
A bit hesitant, Harry stood in front of the closed door that gave entrance to his friend's bedroom, and silently berated himself for feeling nervous in his own house. With determination, he finally raised his hand and knocked twice, the sound instantly being swallowed up by the thick carpet in the corridor. ''Yeah?'' he heard Ron's muffled voice, and the teen opened the door to peek into the room. In all the time that his best friend had lived in this mansion, Harry had actually never visited his room, feeling it would be a bit weird, instead preferring to talk to Ron when they met each other in the corridors or dining room.
''Good, you're here,'' he said, although that wasn't entirely how he felt. It might have been easier if Ron had been at the Twin's place, so Harry would have had to stew in his own problems without speaking them out.
''Harry! Come in, our Lord already said you'd drop by.''
''He... he did?'' Harry asked, puzzled. He hadn't told Marvolo anything about his plans to discuss the current situation with Ron, nor had they held much contact over the link. Perhaps the man's uncanny knowledge of Harry's feelings had played a role again. His fiancé had kept a closer eye on Harry ever since Death had given the tasks and made him immortal. Still, to be able to predict that he'd want to talk to Ron of all people... but maybe it wasn't so strange: before, he might have spoken to Narcissa about it, but ever since he'd stopped having therapy it would only feel like a relapse to go to her with this information, and anyone else he wouldn't trust to not instantly give him the answer 'If the Lord says you have to do so and so, you should,' because that was the core of his problems currently.
''Don't just stand there, you're making me feel as awkward as you look. I know I've been maybe a bit over-dramatic about the whole thing with you having a relationship with a man, but we did share a bedroom for four years, and sometimes even in summer. So man, chill.''
''Thanks,'' he muttered, closed the door and sat down on the only chair after dragging it over to the bed so Ron wouldn't have to stand either. With interest, he looked at the walls, which were covered in the same bright orange posters that had hung in his old bedroom. Had Ron gone back for all his belongings? Or had he put them here the first time he'd moved in? Harry had to admit that he didn't know that much anymore about what went on in Ron's life, another result of him not liking to talk much.
''So, another victory for the Cannons eh?'' Ron said, his smile looking a bit forced as he sat down on the bed. ''You're really doing a great job there.'' Harry swallowed hard, in his selfishness having forgotten the reason why Ron and he hadn't spoken for a while. With the trial of Kingsley, killing the Dursleys, and Death showing up, he had neglected to speak to his friend about the grief regarding Ginny. Harry was the reason she'd died, and also one of the two last people to see her alive. Yet instead of comforting her brother after, he'd just ran from the hospital room and not seen much of Ron since. Was this a good moment to bring it up though? His friend had always been the least sensitive out of their trio, but when it came to his little sister, things were a bit different.
''What happened, happened,'' Ron spoke gravely all of a sudden when the silence had dragged on for several painful minutes. ''I admit that I blamed you for a while... but then I realised that it wasn't your fault that yet another lunatic went after your life. Also, if it hadn't been for my sister, we would've been mourning for you.'' Ron's shoulders slumped. ''I'll get through it. So, what did you want to talk about?''
Determined, Harry pushed Ginny to the back of his mind again, glad that Ron was not putting any blame on him.'' I want to know what is going on with Hogwarts. There's not much time left before exams are over, and we want to storm the castle, right? I know plans have been in the making, but I would like to have some more details. As one of the main strategists, I figured I'd best speak to you.''
Ron chewed on his cheek in thought. ''Wouldn't it be easier for you to ask the Dark Lord directly? I mean, he surely has more details than I do. It's true that I am mainly responsible for how to deploy our troops, where and when to attack and such, but I don't know everything. Sorry, it just sounds odd to me that you'd rather ask me than your own partner.''
Sighing, Harry rubbed his neck. He'd hoped that Ron wouldn't have pointed that out. ''You know how he is whenever I bring up wanting to fight and go into dangerous situations. At the start he was fine with it: the raid at Grimmauld place and several other raids over the country, the battle of France... but ever since I nearly died he's been very hesitant to let me go out and put myself in danger, and I made the stupid move to pull away from politics and the war because I thought it would please him. And it's been great to have had some peace, build up the Quidditch team, not having to worry about life and death... but it doesn't feel right to me if I won't participate in taking over Hogwarts. My friends are there!''
''But you fought in London too, how were you able to convince him back then?''
''His opinion shifted a bit back and forth. I could fight as long as I stayed clear of the key battlegrounds. When Sirius was elected Minister and a surprise attack was waiting for us in the Ministry, I instantly went to the floors with less enemies and kept out of the Atrium for example. In London as well, I didn't go to the larger fights, and instead tried to fight stray targets. Also, Shay was with me nearly from the start, and I spent part of the fight safely inside the Muggle Ministry talking to the Prime Minister. I wouldn't really call that 'fighting'. At Hogwarts though, it would be hard to find a place for me to participate without becoming a target. I thought it best to ask you rather than Marvolo so he wouldn't be able to say 'no' when I decide to join the battle.''
''If that is what you feel you have to do, then I'll gladly help. It's not like you're a prisoner, and we've broken so many rules together at Hogwarts that it's become a bit of a tradition, hasn't it?'' Harry exhaled in relief and shut the link a bit more tightly so Marvolo wouldn't be able to see what he was up to. Although, with the man telling Ron to expect a visit, he might already know. ''So, do you have any questions up front?''
''First of all, how are we going to get in? Hogsmeade is still loyal to Hogwarts, and all the secret passageways we know of start there. We as a few kids with an invisibility cloak could use that, but an army is a bit much.''
''Actually, the one who found a solution to that was Malfoy of all people. Draco, not Lucius. A few months ago, Peeves was at it again and managed to get a seventh-year Slytherin named Montague stuck in a broken vanishing cabinet that was standing around in the castle. The guy apparently reported hearing the sounds of Hogwarts half of the time, and sounds of Borgin and Burkes, a shop for dark artifacts in Knockturn alley, the other half. When hearing that story, Malfoy came to the conclusion that a connection must exist. The Vanishing cabinet was moved after the incident to a version of the Room of Requirement, and Malfoy has been working to fix it all this time. He recently finished his little project and used the cabinet to send a Howler to Borgin and Burkes that went off in the Vanishing cabinet in the shop so the Dark Lord would be informed, since post from Hogwarts is checked so thoroughly.''
''Wow, I have to admit I'm impressed,'' Harry said. ''The ferret finally did something useful. As far as I know he wasn't very successful in his other task of trying to get more students on our side.''
''What did you expect? He's been a bully all those years, no-one's going to want to fight for a cause that has him as poster boy. I think Hermione's been doing a better job at that. When we were at Hogwarts last time she told me of that she tried making friends in the other houses and has also been introducing them to the viewpoint of the dark.''
''Good old Hermione, first the Goblins, then Dumbledore's book and now this. She can never give up can she?''
''Indeed,'' Ron said, smiling brightly, his thoughts obviously all pointed at his girlfriend. ''But yeah, so we'll all go to Borgin and Burkes and enter through the vanishing cabinet. The Room of Requirement is a perfect place to land in too since it's so huge and adapts itself to the wishes of those inside. It also wouldn't set off any alarms as we'll be inside the wards already, so no need to break through the outer defenses until later. We will though: The Dark Lord got into contact with Charlie again, and the dragons that remained here want to fight. Air support will be a huge bonus just like it has been the previous times. Since the fighting grounds will be a lot smaller than before, we'll leave most other races out of it, but the centaurs will guard the forest and we'll have a couple of werewolves willing to join the fight. Sadly the time after the exams don't fall near a full moon, but those who have been wolves for a longer time are physically stronger, and some can even half-transform as long as it's night.''
''How many people do we have that will participate?''
''Around forty, and that should be more than enough. Three of the staff members are on our side and can surprise the rest of them, several students are too, and with all the creatures supporting us it should be a piece of cake. The Order is dead, so they have no backup, and with the centaurs and dragons outside they'll have nowhere to run either. Apparition and Portkeys also don't work on the grounds, and Sameer will ensure that all the entrances to the secret tunnels will be blocked.''
''Why not wait until the summer holidays when the students are all completely gone? Then there would only be the staff.''
''We considered it, but having the students there has several advantages: Firstly, quite a large portion will fight for our cause, more than the ones who are against us. Secondly, the teachers can't fight all-out when they also have to protect their students. We also can't, but will have strength in numbers and can corner them without endangering any of our classmates and friends.''
''Forty still seems little,'' Harry said doubtfully. ''Even if we count all of the Slytherins fighting with us, there's three houses who don't like the dark so much, and the staff hasn't been chosen as teachers for nothing. Hell, they have probably taught most of the ones attacking and know their weaknesses.''
''Well, we have fifty if you count in the werewolves and the teachers who will fight for us. Also, much has changed since we were attending Hogwarts Harry, I heard a lot from Hermione last time we came here. Ever since the Dark Lord officially took over, students have not seen everything so black and white anymore, especially with the teachers trying to censor the information input. It's made a lot of students wary, since the lines are blurred now between what is good and not. Despite the information ban, people have smuggled Quibblers and Prophets in, and it paints a much different light on the situation our country is in than what the teachers want them to believe. Those with parents working for the government are also unlikely to fight against us as not only do they have a clearer view of the state of affairs, they don't want their families to lose their jobs either.''
''Since when did your vocabulary expand that much?'' Harry asked with an arched brow. ''State of affairs, really?''
Ron threw him a dirty look. ''Blame your boyfriend. Anyways, it's better to have the students there, and we don't expect much resistance from them. I imagine Neville trying to rouse up maybe a couple of people, but he was never very popular and without anyone to organise a group, I doubt much will come out of that. Also, while for us we know that every Slytherin of fifth year and over will help, I can imagine the professors from the other houses to only allow those who are of age to aid them.''
''Are you sure though?'' Harry asked, wondering about that. ''Dumbledore didn't have any problems with getting underage kids into dangerous situations, and apart from the students, McGonagall also can't count on much help.''
''We'll take it into account as a possibility, but not a likely one. So, for the facts: we'll have fifty people breaking inside the castle, and a confirmed amount of sixty-three more students who will definitely fight for us. On estimate about two-thirds of the students will not fight at all and stay away, the estimate being determined by age, proficiency with magic, and background. That leaves eighty students of whom we don't know the actions: they either stay neutral as well, fight with us, or against us. But even if all of them take the side of the staff, our numbers and power is greater. Our people are nearly all adults with an extensive training in magic, and then there is also the Dark Lord himself who counts for ten people at least. And if you come too, we have yet another fighter.'' Ron breathed in deeply after his rant and said in a slightly worried tone: ''I feel like Hermione.''
''Not a bad thing, really,'' Harry laughed. ''Thanks for all the info. So basically, we have more power, have secured a way into the castle, and also made sure the castle's occupant can't flee... What about the castle itself? Numbers and powers are decisive on most battlefields, but the teachers know most of Hogwarts' secrets, and will definitely use it. Who knows how many dormant spells are on the walls or stairs, waiting to be activated by the staff. Remember how they locked the castle down against Sirius? The front door had some hefty mechanisms to keep people out. Who's to say there are no anti-intruder spells in the corridors and classrooms? And also, Hogwarts is large, they could go into hiding...''
''That's why I actually wanted to ask you for the Marauder's map, and the cloak too. Both would be incredible advantages to us. They don't have Moody anymore who could see through it.''
''No,'' Harry said, perhaps a bit too quickly. The words of Death had been going through his head the past weeks, and even though he hadn't been contacted afterwards, Harry wasn't about to break his word. ''I can't give you the invisibility cloak,'' he said apologetically. ''Sorry that I didn't mention that before, I'm not supposed to use it for my own purposes anymore.'' That wasn't the entire truth, he only was not allowed to utilize it if other lives might be ended through his use of the cloak, but bringing it to Hogwarts during the battle to gain an advantage was out of the question. What if that would influence the lives of people? ''The marauder's map is not a problem though, but keep in mind that not every room is shown on the map, only the ones the marauders knew about. You can't keep track of who is in the room of requirement for example.''
''It'll still give us a massive advantage as we'll know who is where. I'll stay in the room of requirement myself, so I know who is in there, and other hidden rooms such as the Chamber are unlikely to be used by teachers.''
''So where do you recommend me to fight?'' Harry asked.
''If you want to help while at the same time at least try to avoid danger, you'd best find the places where students fight, but teachers are less likely to show up. One of the common room entrances perhaps, such as in front of the Ravenclaw tower. Or you can go outside to the grounds and instead help with disassembling the wards to let the dragons in and looking out for unexpected enemies. I'm not sure what creatures Hagrid is currently breeding to be honest, but I can imagine him letting loose whatever cute fluffballs he has this year.''
''Hagrid...'' He hadn't thought about the man anymore since his urge to visit Hagrid last time, where he'd sat down under his invisibility cloak and watched the half-giant work in his garden. It had somehow slipped his mind that Hagrid would be there too, fighting against them. Harry wasn't so sure that he would be able to face the man who had introduced him to magic, who had always been honest, whether he'd wanted to be or not, and who had been a father-figure until Sirius had taken up that role. Still, fighting outside on the grounds where he could keep track of what was happening sounded better than going to a closed corridor and trying to take out resisting students. Besides, since he'd received lessons in the manor from Death Eaters and Marvolo himself, he'd also been able to at least get a bit into warding, and could probably help with the work there. ''So, any other info that would be good to know?'' Harry asked.
''Well, as for the timing: The last exams are held at the sixth of June, after which still one week is left before the end-of-year feast. We'll attack at the start of that week, at the ninth. We thought it best to attack in the evening, so students won't be everywhere in the castle and thus everything will be easier to control. Then the lower years won't be in danger either. So, we will all gather at ten pm at Borgin and Burkes and use the Vanishing cabinet. On estimate half an hour later, we'll all certainly be in the Room of Requirement, waiting to receive orders and further details. I'd also like to review the Marauder's map at that point and act according to where all the teachers are and who is on patrol duty that night, for we don't have enough information about that now. So, if you want to participate, be in Knockturn alley in time, else I can't guarantee that Borgin will still let you in. I heard he was not very happy about having to keep it open the entire evening and night as it will also serve as our emergency exit for the wounded.''
''Do we have any mediwitches or wizards with us?''
''Two from St Mungo's, who will come for medical aid and stay in the Room of Requirement. St Mungo's couldn't miss a whole lot of people on their shift sadly. I heard Mrs Malfoy and Mr Greengrass will also join and try to give first aid. Both have had basic training, but are no professionals. That's about all I can tell you about that, it's not really my specialization.''
''That's alright, you certainly told me more than I heard from anyone else. Do you know if Sirius will be there? I mean, this is not a raid or a coup or anything like that from Marvolo's personal army right? Keeping Hogwarts closed off and out of reach of the government is illegal... Surely the Minister of Magic should be there.''
''I honestly don't know about Sirius. I got the numbers of our fighters, and know that a couple of those are Aurors, so the Ministry is definitely involved, but I didn't get the details on all individuals. If you want more info, you probably should try to drag it out of the Dark Lord. He also mentioned having a plan with the portraits of Hogwarts but didn't give any concrete details. It's hard working with him sometimes as he only trusts his followers with half of the information he has...''
''It is good to keep people from turning against you,'' Harry shrugged. ''I can also understand that tactic.''
''Still, it's bloody frustrating. So, what have you further been up to? Just Quidditch?''
''Mostly,'' Harry shrugged. ''Marvolo has been thinking of where to propose to me publicly. It's getting so annoying for people not to know about our relationship and always throwing me looks as if wondering why I'm there during visits of important people.''
''Are you sure you want to rub it into people's faces though?'' Ron asked, then instantly looked defensive when Harry raised an eyebrow. ''That came out wrong... Look, I just mean, if you'd have been a girl they might have made the connection themselves. Since they don't, I get that you would want to make it more obvious, but some people will then think you're going overboard. For me as well, I've accepted that you're into guys, but I don't need to see it every time... Also, there's a different problem that I don't think you ever thought about. Harry, you're fifteen. Marvolo may rule this country, but up until now he hasn't changed anything about the age of consent, which in the UK still stands on sixteen in both the magical and the Muggle laws. You'll probably be sixteen when you marry depending on the date, but you can't just make an illegal relationship public! It's only accepted by the Death Eaters because they are scared of our Lord and because many think it's your problem but... it will be very bad for the publicity of you both. You'll have to make him realise that too.''
''You do have a point,'' Harry begrudgingly admitted. He tried to not let Ron's words rile him up. He would get nothing out of trying to agitate his friend now, and he was already glad that Ron at least wasn't openly insulting gay people anymore like he'd done only a few months ago, or had tried to talk him out of his relationship because of the illegal aspect of it. ''Maybe I'll have to be a bit more patient... The wedding won't be that far off anyways, so I guess it'll be made public then after I turn sixteen. Once we'll have Hogwarts it's the first thing Marvolo wants to celebrate. I just hope nothing comes in between... how are the relationships with other countries at the moment?''
''Strained. Britain is still getting blamed by both Magical and Muggle governments all over the world for breaking the Statute of Secrecy, but there isn't much they can do about it. It was a good move to allow magical refugees into Britain though: it makes other countries that much more hesitant to attack us because we have the highest density of magical population now in the world. It's almost four times as big as it was before, as hundreds of refugees from especially highly Christian countries such as Italy all immigrated here. It was made easier by that most of them could already speak English and thus integrate a lot faster than they would have been able to elsewhere. Thanks to all the new witches and wizards in Britain, we have better defense, a booming economy, and gained a lot of new information and skills from foreign countries. Despite the declaration of war when Sirius was elected, we haven't had any large open clashes since the Battle of France.''
''That's good, so then there'll be nothing to worry about in the coming months?''
''Probably not. We have a network of spies of course who will tell us if the wind changes, so if anything is up I'll tell you.''
''Thanks. Well, then I'll get going now. Take care.'' Harry stood up and cast a last glance at the poster-covered walls where brooms and snitches zoomed past. Would Marvolo kill him if he tried to do the same with their bedroom? He walked out, closed the door and opened the link, sighing in relief as the familiar presence of his lover connected with him again. Then, the hairs suddenly rose at the back of his neck when he found that presence was no less than five yards away from him. He whipped around and saw Marvolo leaning against the wall, reading a book. Even in his long, hooded robes, he looked so casual with one foot against the wall and his neck bent to read the small font, that it threw Harry off. ''What... what are you doing here?'' he blurted out.
Eyes that glittered with amusement fell on him and the book was closed with a dull thud. ''This is my house, you realise. And you have been taking up the time of my strategist. Well, under-strategist, I would say. I still do most of the work myself, but it's handy to have a second opinion to cover every possibility. But yes, I know...'' Marvolo continued, raising a hand as Harry opened his mouth to speak- ''That's not what you asked. To answer your actual question: closing the link is not very effective when I know exactly what you are up to already. I would have though you to have a bit more trust in me though. As Weasley just said, there are plenty of places where you can fight while avoiding the large battles.''
''You've been listening in!'' Harry accused the man.
''Yes.'' There was not a single scrap of remorse audible. ''It works both ways when you close off our connection... you also don't know what I am doing or thinking, so it was a perfect opportunity. Now then, I have to ask: what were you thinking?''
This time Harry got really angry. ''Well, if you would just let me do what I need to without trying to protect me every time, I wouldn't have to go behind your back about it, and-'' Arms snuck around his waist, and Harry found it very hard to continue his argumentation when cold lips pressed against his ear.
He could feel the lips curling into a grin, and the tip of the man's tongue wetted the shell of his ear. ~Why would I protect you?~ came a hushed whisper, confusing Harry further.
''What?'' he asked and turned around in Marvolo's arms. ''Don't play with me, what are you going on about?''
A deep sigh followed his question, and the smirk faded from the Dark Lord's face. ''Harry, you sometimes really are slow. This whole conversation with Weasley would not have been necessary if you had come to me in the first place. Why would I keep you away from fighting wherever you please? As of now, you are my best fighter. Not in skill, but for the simple fact that nothing can touch you. You can't die, and other than with me, it works in a way that fate itself is rewritten if anyone would even get the idea in their head to kill you. In battles, you are a ghost who can walk up to every enemy and kill them without them being able to fight back. Death needs its assassin in top shape, after all. What do you think would happen if a person pulled their wand on you with the intention to cast a deadly spell? Would it fail, would the person in question forget all about it, would it be redirected...? We don't know, but the one thing that is certain is that it would not hit you.''
''You are putting an awful lot of faith in something you didn't think existed before.''
''If something is powerful enough that only its presence in a dream-dimension physically destroys rooms, I tend to chance my opinion on the fact of its existence. Besides, through that, I found this.'' Letting go of Harry, Marvolo took a small piece of paper out of his robes and showed it. Only a few words were written on it, in what was undoubtedly Harry's handwriting. ''A house-elf found it in our room when trying to save what was left. It must have been lying under the closet for ages.''
Harry took the paper and read the words with a frown. ''This is from last summer when I went to the attic. I forgot about that completely since I also found the Tales of Beedle the Bard there. This here is what the tarot cards showed me. I tried to lay them myself, but then the layout changed.''
''My pack of self-laying tarot cards yes... I banned them to the attic after my resurrection. Since the whole thing with the prophecy went wrong I didn't think much of divination anymore. Still, I might have been a bit presumptuous. These cards were hard to come by and without fail predict what is going to happen... he only problem is that they can still be interpreted incorrectly by the reader.''
''I know tarot since I had Divination, which is why I tried to lay them in the first place, but I didn't recognise the spread nor the cards since they did not display the Arcana numbers.''
''They do, in their own way. At Hogwarts you only learn this type of numbering in seventh year, since it is supposed to be a traditional secret that is taught when coming of age and receiving a magical watch. You may not have noticed, or thought it to be only decoration, but there should have been rings with planets at the bottom. Certain planets and stances stand for numbers. In any case, it's quite fascinating that from a tarot deck of major and minor arcada, you drew only major ones... Come, let's go to the study, then I'll tell you the meaning. It's quite... fascinating, considering the year we had.''
''Is it still relevant then?'' Harry asked. ''It was in August that I drew those. So much time has passed, so much happened. It feels as if I was in a completely different era back then. Should not most of the advice from the cards have been for the me in the past?''
''I did not say it was still useful, only fascinating. I always knew the cards worked, but divination is so much up for interpretation... It's interesting to see them especially now, after so much time has passed, and conclude that I can interpret them correctly. Perhaps I should make use of them more if I don't have to doubt my abilities.''
''When do you ever?''
''Rarely, but divination is... not a favourite of mine. Understandably, I hope. To come back to usefulness, the advice for the future might still be relevant, and so are the final outcome or influence cards.'' Marvolo pushed lightly against the door of his study to open it and took place in his office chair, a large piece of dark wood with intricate decorations on the legs. Harry always had wondered how in the world anyone could use furniture that looked like it belonged in a museum for most uncomfortable objects. The man lay the piece of paper on the desk and beckoned Harry close as he took a quill and ink with his other hand.
''So, an ellipse spread... if I can remember correctly you told me about these cards back then, that they changed the spread on their own?''
''Yes, I had tried a Celtic cross, it was the most advanced one I knew.''
''Then there must have been something crucial that is shown in this spread that is not in the other. The thing is, different spreads tell completely different things. The basic cross takes your current situation and sketches around that what your next step would be. The ellipse takes a wider view instead of only your current problems. It might not have shuffled at all had you tried the full cross with ten since it's closer in meaning to the ellipse, but that's only a side speculation. Of course, several cards tell the same thing.'' He pointed his finger at the first three. ''Past, present and future are all in the cross and the ellipse. Here it may be noteworthy to say that in this case the cross tells more, since it also has a card for your current problem, not merely the present in general. The rest is completely different. Cards for advice, influences, hopes and fears, and the final outcome are all not described in the basic cross, though some of those are in the full one. Are you following me still?''
Harry hummed, concentrating on the explanation. It wasn't often anymore that Marvolo had time to teach him anything at the current time, and he was grateful to be able to both spend time with his lover and see a glimpse of the man's knowledge. He felt enthusiasm about the subject being explained from both himself and the other side of the link. Any other person would have been jumping around the room with this amount of sheer passion for teaching, but none of it was visible as Marvolo slowly moved his finger over the paper and inked the barely visible pencil lines, changing Harry's scraggly handwriting with fluid loops and curls which, ironically, reminded a bit of Dumbledore's cursive writing. His expression was one of pure concentration, and Harry was glad for the fact that while they had a mental connection, mostly active thoughts were exchanged between the two of them even when Harry looked through the man's eyes, for he doubted that he'd be able to comprehend the entirety of Marvolo's brain and complexity of thought. How much did the man need to dumb down his explanations for Harry to understand? And what did that say about his qualifications as a teacher? A talent that was wasted on someone who had never done more than average work to pass his exams.
''Concentrate, Harry, your thoughts are spiraling away.''
''Yes... I'm sorry. So, what does all of it say?''
''It all circles around this card.'' He pointed at the words on the paper. 'Erumpent, upside-down.' ''Reversed temperance for the future. It means that the balance between two opposing elements goes wrong. In my interpretation, the elements are magicians and Muggles. A stability was maintained before through peace by hiding, and recently we broke that balance. It is enlightening in the way that this card usually predicts a dreadful turn of events.''
''You don't seem too concerned about that.'' Harry noted.
''I am not. Balance is usually the preferred state of this world, with anything. The planet itself stays stable because of its inner balance. The pressure that is just enough to have a fixed crust, but not so much that it collapses in on itself. And think of the balance between the moon and the earth: if the moon would not be there to keep the planet stable, we would have a completely different drift, and possibly not even exist, can you imagine? But balance also has a different side: it ensures that we do not evolve further. Once the moon was in place, the earth stabilised, and now? It is going the same circle over and over again, as it has from that point onwards. I am not concerned, as the state of imbalance itself is dreadful according to nature, for it means a forced change. But isn't that exactly what we wanted?''
''That sounds like a philosophical question rather than a situation we are dealing with right now.''
''The question will be for whom it is dreadful. As I just explained, in nature any imbalance is a horror. But we are magicians, we can control anything. Both of our existences are unbalancing life, and when you look at how many people I killed that only adds more to it. Still, we are here and cannot be touched by death. You are even favored by it. If a breaking of the previous equilibrium will be negative for anyone it will be the Muggles. That is not a mere speculation on my part. Look at the next cards: Hermit for Advice and Death for external influence.'' The tip of the quill moved back and forth between the words Demiguise toThestral. ''From what we know, I think we can take Death quite literal here, although the figurative interpretation would also fit: transformations and new beginnings. The hermit indicated that you were advised to do some soul-searching, which you did by taking therapy, strengthening your resolves perhaps even more solidly than you think. So, in logical conclusion, you followed the advice of looking within yourself and found justification for becoming more dark and fighting harder against your fate and your past. You were able to let go and start over. Death influenced you and made you immortal, so like that as well, the future is imbalanced. It all hangs together, see?''
''But can't it be interpreted in so many ways?'' Harry asked doubtful. ''Even now you said that the imbalance could refer to me or even to the situation in the country. And with the time-span that was covered between then and now, I think it even could mean Dumbledore dying, leaving an imbalance between the Light and the Dark, not necessarily Muggles and Magicians.''
''But death had no direct influence on that. It wasn't meddling yet, so the future the cards told of could not relate to that.''
''But couldn't it be that one card predicted something that happened before the other?''
''How long did you have divination for?'' Marvolo suddenly asked.
''Erhm... just over two years. Trelawney wasn't very good though, and we only touched tarot briefly. She said she wanted to keep the rest for the 'gifted' ones who could pass their OWL's in the subject.''
''I'm glad she was killed. I'm not certain if her successor is much better however. It is true that centaurs are great at divination, but in their own way. I doubt he'll teach them about crystal gazing and tarot. Once we take the school we really will have to tighten the curriculum so teachers cannot just teach what they like. In either case, all events on the cards work together with each other. It is how you can read them in the first place, by making connections between events. In this case, if the external influence as described is not there yet, none of the other cards except for the past and present are relevant yet, certainly not the future and final outcome. One has to be present for the other events to be triggered in a way. Only the Advice card is a bit harder to place in timeframe, because it depends on your own actions.''
''Just a quick question before you continue your explanation. You mentioned OWL's. What is happening with the OWL exams this year? And the NEWT's? Aren't those supposed to be regulated by the Ministry? All other exams can be made by the regular teachers, but the fifth and seventh years will have a problem, won't they?''
''Already taken into account. Hogwarts does not recognise the Ministry. Therefore, they make their own exams this time for fifth years too. For the seventh years who need to have a valid diploma, McGonagall indirectly agreed to have Ministry examiners over as long as they are the same ones who held those examinations before the... 'fall' of the Ministry. I agreed since I know we'll have Hogwarts soon, and I don't wish to have the students be at an inconvenience. Lucius tracked the old examiners down. They are all people who have been irritably on Dumbledore's side before, but who were too old or too comfortable to actively fight against us. Well, at least I know all of them are fair when it comes to the students. But we are getting side-tracked again. I've explained several of the cards now, but still a few remain. The past and present are not so important.'' He ticked on the words 'Runespoor upside down' and 'Centaur' ''But to briefly explain: the reverse high priestess and the Chariot tell you that your past was full of kept secrets and false promises, and that you were following the wrong instincts. The present card shows that last August you were already taking control of your own life. And indeed, that was the time where you finally broke away from Dumbledore's manipulation. No new information there. The next one is more difficult though, because apparently you wrote down the wrong creature.''
''Wait, what?'' Harry asked, looking at the paper. ''Mermaid... I'm pretty sure that was correct. How many half-human sea creatures with a tail are there?''
''Only one... and it's not merpeople. Those are beings Harry, and no beings are included in this deck. The creature you are looking for is a Selkie: half human, half seal. They are quite rare, and look a lot less like humans than most pictures would have you believe. Their intelligence is also very low, which is why they were nearly hunted to extinction in their seal-form, which they prefer. So, Selkie, here represent the Wheel of fortune. That sadly also doesn't tell us much as card for your hopes and fears regarding the rest of the cards. It only means there will be a variety of them, which is logical during a period of such turbulence. Then, there is the final card, the outcome of it all, and this is what gives me most confidence in my interpretation of the future: Hippogriff, or Judgement. It tells that truths will be revealed to you, and that it all ends with a leading responsibility.''
''And does that refer to me personally or what? You said the ellipse spread doesn't deal that much with current problems but the wider view of things?''
''Exactly. In a full cross spread I would have interpreted this card as your role as Death's assassin, but in this one, I am certain that it shows the outcome of you, me, and the country in general. Magicians will take the responsibility and rule.'' Harry wasn't completely convinced -it wouldn't be the first time since divination had nearly been his end- but Marvolo looked determined, and Harry tended to believe the man. ''So,'' his lover said, leaning back. ''All of this tells me that we have been on the right track, and will continue to do so. To be certain, self-reflection is an important thing to keep in mind still, and I will be careful that the balance will not be tipped too much by, for example, the destruction of Muggles. Also, it shows that I no longer need to be concerned for your safety.''
''Sorry, but I don't follow.''
For the first time, Marvolo showed a hint of impatience and tapped on the paper. ''The Thestral. Death. Everything you do now is influenced by it, and it can't touch you. I would be a fool not to let you fight. I could have told you all of this before had you come to me.''
''Okay, look, I'm sorry about that, but you have to admit that all previous times you were very over-protective. I can't judge what is going to change your mind and what isn't. Apparently even getting a bodyguard wasn't enough so... Becoming immortal without knowing yet the how's sounded too vague for me to be able to convince you.'' Harry wondered why he was even talking against it. He'd been allowed to fight where and how he wanted, basically. Why was he so stupid to try and convince the other now otherwise?
''I always believed that when I attained the status of an immortal man, I would be above all, above judgment, and did not have to answer to any besides myself, for whom is worth listening to if they are all magically beneath me? I would be a hypocrite if I would not look at you in the same light. According to the prophecy, I marked you as my equal that Halloween night. Perhaps it was meant to be that you became the Hallow's master.''
Before Harry could answer, a familiar rushing sound went through the room -or was it only in his head? His knees gave way and hit the floor painfully, knocking the breath out of him. In the distance he registered Marvolo saying something about his eyes, and cold fingers were shaking his shoulders. Then, clear as if spoken directly into his ear, he heard:
''Neville Longbottom. Give me Neville Longbottom.''
The evening was far too warm for long cloaks and masks, Harry found. Nervously, he fidgeted with his 360 degree seeing eye-band which was now utterly useless: even though the Twins had developed the tool to perfection, they had not had the time to figure out how long the enchantments would work for, and every Death Eater had found out as they prepared for this battle that the spells had long faded since the last time the eye-bands had been used. They would all have to do with normal vision tonight. Marvolo had been livid at the Twins, but there wasn't much to do about it now, and the Weasleys could not have known that their invention would only last a couple of months. It was well-known that objects could only be enchanted temporarily, such as with invisibility cloaks, so they were able to avoid severe punishment. Harry had still brought the eye-band with him as a sort of good luck charm since it had helped him so much last time.
He missed having Shay at his side this time too. She had told him that technically, she could get into Hogwarts as she had learned how to recognise anti-Muggle spells, but it would be hard to fight in a place that looked like rubble to her even if she knew it was a castle. He looked behind him, to the rows of people that were pressing themselves into Knockturn alley, evening mist ominously curling around black hooded figures with skull masks. Harry had not kept track of all the new recruits after the Ministry had been taken over, but it seemed like Marvolo had more than been able to make up for the losses in his ranks after France and London. Of course, how many were actually marked was a different story.
The row started moving slowly: the first person must have gone into the Vanishing cabinet. In thirty minutes, all fighters would be in Hogwarts. Keeping his head down to not show his glowing eyes, Harry shuffled with the movements of the mass around him. To not tempt fate too much, Harry had decided to alter his appearance slightly so he would not instantly be recognised by his former peers, only his close friends or those who would look at him more closely, but since the order of Death to remove Neville from this plane of existence, the glowing of his eyes had intensified so much that even Marvolo's glamour spells could not reduce the blaze.
Another few steps forwards... the cloak of the person in front of him was pushed into Harry's face by a gust of wind, and the teen impatiently pushed it away again. He hated waiting, he realised. His unwillingness to wait had probably been a major factor in most of his decisions: from flying to Hogwarts with a car rather than send an owl and wait or even waiting for Ron's parents to return, to rather saving another hostage in the black lake than wait for their champion to show up. Now too, he could feel impatience gnawing at his bones, and his teeth gnawed with them, biting on his lip until he tasted iron. He reached out to Marvolo, who should have entered the Cabinet first and already be at Hogwarts to give further instructions. The man did not react to the probing, but Harry could vaguely notice that he was speaking. The first group must have completely arrived then.
His thoughts drifted to the upcoming wedding somehow, maybe so he had something to plan. Marvolo had agreed with Ron in the end about when to make their relationship public, and also did not wish to cause an uproar by changing a law for clear personal gain. Harry really hoped that nothing major would happen between now and August, which was the month they had chosen now. Harry's thought shifted again, now trying to concentrate on the far-way voice of his lover that echoed through his mind, and on the tasks that lay in front of him. Since two of his goals overlapped now since Death had given him a target, Harry was here as both a normal wizard and as master of the Hallows. His Holly wand was in his back pocket like always -none had ever been able to get him out of that habit-, and the Elder wand with which he had to eliminate his target was strapped to his leg so he could not accidentally mistake it for his holly one and kill the wrong person.
For the thousandth time since he had received the name of his target, he wondered: Why? Why Neville? Harry had been under the impression that Death would only ask him to interfere in natural timelines when it was about individuals that could negatively affect many people, mass-murderers and the like. Neville, a good-natured but mediocre student without much to stand out with did not fit that image at all. He had not even been given any reasons for the choice, and could only obey the voice... a voice telling him to kill a friend. For while he and Neville had never been very close, the boy had laughed and ate with the rest of them, cheered on the Gryffindor team, been an overall pleasant person to be around in classes, and had helped Harry on several occasions. He couldn't fathom his first job being this cruel.
His feet hit wooden floor, and the teen jumped slightly as he was pushed into the dusty shop for dark artifacts. It was clear that business was blooming now the restrictions on dark magic were slowly being overturned. The interior had had a make-over since the last time Harry had seen it, and gold and silver objects shined from all corners of the room. The showcases and cupboards had been pushed aside to allow more room for people to stand in, and Mr Borgin was nowhere to be seen. The absence of the slimy little man was a huge improvement too, Harry admitted. Then, the person in front of him stepped into the Vanishing cabinet and closed the door. A whooshing sound later, the door opened again and the cabinet was empty; a large, black, gaping mouth waiting to swallow Harry whole. Getting more nervous, he stepped inside and pulled the door close, wondering what would happen. Magical transportation had never been a favourite of his, but this was the first time travelling like this. The sound of wind filled his ears, and an uncomfortable, queasy feeling settled in his stomach. Just before the stomach acid could rise too far up his throat though, he landed with a thud and the door flew open.
''That was horrible,'' he muttered, already fearing the journey back. Groups of mostly masked people were waiting at the sides of the Room of requirement, having received their instructions already. Harry joined the people still waiting in the middle, kneeling before their Lord. Not wanting to stick out, Harry sank to his knees as well despite it not being necessary, and once again waited until their group would be complete. Looking over to the others, Harry noticed both Remus and Sirius, who were conversing in hushed voices and sitting against the brick wall. Harry had thought that with werewolves joining, Greyback had been meant, but now he thought about it, it made sense for Remus to take back the castle where he had taught, and meanwhile trying to protect the students inside.
''Hey,'' he heard a voice whisper in his ears. Surprised, Harry turned to the side and was met with two identical grins. It looked like the Twins had recovered from Marvolo's tirade. ''Same group as you eh?'' the other said, and gave him a subtle shoulder bump. ''We'll watch your back!'' Harry just smiled and nodded, but then realised that he was showing too much of his face as George's -he thought it was George- eyebrows shot into his hairline. Instantly, Harry tried to shield his damned eyes with the hood of his robe again. The one facial feature that he wanted to hid even more than his scar, and he couldn't even do so under the mask...
''Now, group seven. You are in charge of the higher parts of Hogwarts, from the Astronomy tower to the entire seventh floor. Those who used to be in Gryffindor will guard the Gryffindor tower and force the students there to stay put or fight those who resist. Known Purebloods are not to be killed. Others preferably not either, but if it happens it can't be helped. Those who used to be in Ravenclaw do the same with the Ravenclaw common room. As so many students reside in this part of the castle, you can request backup from the Room of Requirement, where medi witches and wizards are waiting, and a group of fighters ready to go where needed. Still, I hope I do not need to remind you to not waste resources for nothing. These floors are most unlikely to have major resistance since the teachers do not come here often. I expect that a few students should not pose that much of a problem.'' The threat about failure hung clearly in the air. ''All of you answer to Travers. Now then, we are nearly complete, so stand aside for the next group to arrive.''
They hurried to move away, and the first person of group eight stepped out of the vanishing cabinet. The middle gradually filled again, and Harry used that time to try and find anyone he might recognise. Despite the masks, he noticed Lucius' blond strands spilling from his hood, and Ron's lanky stature was also hard to miss. Most of the Death Eaters he had known were dead now though. Perhaps some of the last members of the Elite Fighters were here... after half of them had died, he hadn't seen the others in the manor for a long, long time. Sameer was here at Hogwarts, the werewolf Ryder was probably busy with the packs, and who knew where Devaki had gone off to. It was a shame, he thought. Last summer he had felt as if a friendship between them had started, but then he'd gone back to Hogwarts and the war had started, and now that bond was dead and gone.
The eight group was here now, who were briefed about their task of guarding the grounds. Apparently Marvolo indeed had not told Ron everything, because now he also spoke of that the group would work together with Dementors that would form a ring around the grounds to discourage anyone from fleeing. The ninth and last group then came in, consisting of the emergency backup and medical care. Harry noticed that his group was one of the largest with twelve of the fifty people, possibly because they had to deal with both Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, and also make sure that no-one was hiding in the towers. Other groups were only made up of three to six Death Eaters.
''Well then, now you all have received your individual instructions, here is the general plan,'' Marvolo spoke up. He raised his wand and a table rose from the ground. Out of nowhere, large parchment rolls appeared and draped themselves over the table. From it, coloured lines shot in the air and formed a model of Hogwarts, as if the Marauder's map had suddenly become three-dimensional, minus the moving dots. Which reminded him that he still had to ask Ron for the map in case Neville was not in the common room. With interest, he watched the lines that showed both the outer and inner rooms in all its complexity, making him dizzy when trying to see through the half-transparent whole.
''You have all been divided into groups that will go to key points in the castle. First and foremost are the common rooms to aid students who wish to join us, and make the rest stay put. This will have a major impact in the size of the fighting forces on both sides. Secondly, the hospital wing, which we need to take over as early as possible to ensure our enemies cannot get medical care. Thirdly, there are the teacher's offices. Our spies within Hogwarts will each try to invite a teacher into their chambers for a talk and overwhelm them there, instantly heightening our chances of success, but as we cannot be certain that this succeeds and quite a few teachers will be left, group three will go to each office and check, including the Headmistress' office. In case the password changed from yesterday, try to find Phineas Nigellus: he will try to aid us from the portraits and has access to the office. Fourth up is the Great Hall, which often serves as a gathering point for student and teachers alike. The last main point of interest are the surrounding grounds, as I just explained to the last group.'' With each point Marvolo had mentioned, parts of the castle had lit up, clearly showing their coverage.
''Those who have not been ordered to a specific point may roam the floors in search of students who are enjoying the late evening and either get them to join or send them back to their respective dorms. Remember, we are freeing this castle from the forced isolation the Order of the Phoenix has brought it in. Having three teachers on our side will show the students that we are not forcing our way in, and I want that image to remain. Today is not a time of unnecessary bloodshed: we wish to get the education under control and allow parents to contact their children again. Violence towards students is only allowed after an ignored warning. Teachers are free game unless they openly surrender. Now you all know what to do: go. I myself will go to the Great Hall to meet up with our inside supporters. Send any students willing to join either there, or here to the Room of Requirement for instructions.''
An affirmative 'My Lord' came from all corners of the room. Harry's group, in charge of the floor the room was on, exited first to ensure the coast was clear. Travers led them: an unsympathetic, large man with dark hair and beard. The horrors of Azkaban were still visible on his face and in his constantly flickering, suspicious eyes. ''You heard the instructions,'' he barked. ''All Ravenclaws to the Ravenclaw common room, and Gryffindors to theirs. I don't expect much support from either, so keep them at bay and kill if they make a ruckus. I wouldn't be too worried about purebloods in either of those houses, the good ones all end in Slytherin anyways.'' He grinned a grin full of rotten teeth, making Harry shudder.
''You know that over half of our group are purebloods that belonged to either of those houses, yeah?'' Fred spoke up in a scoffing tone. ''So I'd be careful if I were you, or we'll make you have wizard wheezes as you choke on a rubber wand.''
''Careful boy,'' Travers sneered. ''Don't forget who our Lord made leader here. You won't talk so big after he will have you under the Cruciatus again for failing. So, the others will follow me to take care of the towers and scout out the classrooms for naughty students. Send a messenger if you need help.''
''Git,'' George sighed as the group split into three. The Twins and Harry were left with one other member, who introduced herself as Lucille and had graduated Hogwarts nearly twenty years ago. For more information was no time, for they had to concentrate on their jobs, Harry more than one while still fighting with himself over what to do with Neville. He knew there was no choice, but his conscience wouldn't leave him alone. In silence, they walked through the familiar halls and corridors, past sleeping portraits who had not been alarmed yet. It wouldn't last long, but they still had the element of surprise. Finally, they turned the corner and saw the portrait of the Fat Lady. George removed his mask and stowed it away as he walked up to the canvas. While most other statues and portraits would have accepted a password from anyone, on the way the Twins had mentioned that she was a bit more fickle. Hopefully a portrait that was so old and had let generations of Weasley into the tower would not have noticed that the Twins hadn't passed her for months and wouldn't be suspicious.
The other three stayed back a bit, glad that she wouldn't be able to see them if they stayed close to the wall. Harry suddenly worried about the password, but George seemed to know what he was doing. When questioning Fred about it in whispered tones, the other explained: ''Hermione. The Dark Lord sent her a coded letter, which was accepted as regular post and got through. Of course she was smart enough to recognise and decode it, and sent another letter in the same form of code back containing the password.''
''Smart as always,'' Harry smiled. George had managed to get the portrait to swing open and waved for them to hurry as long as she was turned away to the other side. ''How do they get the ones for the other houses?''
''Draco for Slytherin, I guess. Both Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff don't have a traditional password though, so we don't have to worry about those. Anyways, come on.'' Reluctantly, Harry followed the others through the portrait hole, drawing his wand as he landed. The Common room was still full, because even though the curfew was at ten, hardly anyone went to bed that early apart from a few members of the Quidditch teams who wanted to train in the morning before classes started. The screams he had expected did not come: only an uncomfortable silence settled down as they were noticed. Maybe it helped that George, and now Fred too, had taken off their masks. They always had been popular. Harry half expected the twins to have a grand and funny opening sentence to lighten the mood, but both stayed silent, conscious of whom they represented. It was Lucille who took the lead and spoke to the students, ignoring the fact that most had drawn their wands:
''Fellow Gryffindors. We have come to free this castle from the oppression it is under. Your teachers have tried to cut their ties from the government that sustains them, and this can go on no longer. Hogwarts is a place of education, not a battleground for the High Minister's enemies to fight on with you as hostages. I am sure you all know that what they have told you is not the truth: information is being omitted, our families who are eager to speak to you are not allowed to beyond letters that hold no news. I commend you for staying at the school, but it is time that Hogwarts goes back to its old ways.''
''Its old ways?'' a voice spoke up. Colin Creevey of all people stood in the middle of the room, arms crossed. ''The old ways were when we had Dumbledore to protect us! And you lot killed him!''
''Albus Dumbledore actively fought against our Lord and also tried to kill us,'' she calmly answered. ''His death was no cold-blooded murder. Now, we wish to ask who will join us in the fight to reclaim Hogwarts for its students, to make it a school again and no hide-away for criminals. Those who wish to have nothing to do with it are free to stay here in the common room.''
''And if we want to fight you instead?'' Dean Thomas this time, also getting up and pointing his wand, eyes narrowed. Harry groaned, having expected the hostility.
Fred stepped in now, saying: ''Look, if you want to fight us, you can give it your all, but I can guarantee that none of us are eager to fight any of our friends and housemates. The current Ministry isn't evil, and we're not going to slaughter the teachers if that's what you think we're here for. Dumbledore was a manipulative man, but I also know that McGonagall for example really thinks that what she's doing is best. We want to try and convince her otherwise, because no matter what side you are on, it sucks to not even be allowed to talk to your family freely, right? You have to realise something is wrong with that.''
''He is right,'' a familiar voice spoke up, and Harry's face split into a wide smile as Hermione descended the steps of the sleeping dorms. ''We've been deceived for long enough now. I know that all of you have struggled with the new rules and restrictions. The fifth years will even have trouble getting their exams recognised because the teachers did not allow the regular OWL's. Hogwarts is a mess, and we're all trying to defend it?''
''As if anyone would listen to your propaganda anymore Granger. We all know you are on the dark side ever since Potter and Weasley fled,'' Dean threw back.
''Seeing what is the right thing to do in the face of oppression is not dark, Thomas,'' she retorted. ''It's clearly noticeable: as long as we are here, we're forced to pick the side of the staff. Anyone who has ties with the Ministry is silenced, anyone who even thinks that what is happening is not correct is silenced as well. Many books in the library have been removed, the teachers refuse to tell us what is going on outside the castle... There even has been talk of that we wouldn't be allowed to leave this summer 'for our own protection,' just like with the Easter holidays. You think Padma and Parvati were just allowed to leave Hogwarts? And so many others whose parents wanted their kids to come home? They had to either sneak out at night or belong to parents who were in good enough standing with McGonagall that they were deemed 'fit' to have their own children back!''
''Nice speech Granger,'' Fred complimented here, giving an impressed whistle. ''Well then, whoever doesn't want anything to do with it can stay, but they might have to switch houses to Slytherin for cowardice. Those willing to fight with us to take this school back, follow me!'' Tumult broke out, with Dean and Seamus each firing spells at the Twins, while a few other students drew their wands against the aggressive boys. Yelling started, with everyone wanting to have their opinion be heard. Harry had to duck to avoid a curse that smashed part of the plasterwork on the wall behind him, and he stepped forwards to duel Demelza Robbins, a fourth year who had sometimes watched the practise of the Quidditch team. She was better at dueling than he'd expected, knocking him back painfully for a moment and slashing his leg open, until he got the upper hand and locked her legs together, right after which he also bound her arms. So far for Death protecting his assassin, harry thought sourly. Apart from anything really deadly he could still be hurt and hindered, it seemed. Jumping around, Harry tried to find Neville, but didn't see the boy anywhere. Using a dust cloud caused by an explosion on the carpet as cover, gave him the opportunity to go around the room and up the stairs to the boy's dorms, only to find them completely empty. Where was Neville?
Cursing, he went back down again, finding the room to be in slightly less of a chaos than before. Dean, Seamus, Lavender and four other people from lower years who Harry only vaguely knew were all lying on the floor, either tied with ropes, frozen or shocked. A few students had joined the Twin's side, among which his former Quidditch team members: Angelina, Alicia and Katie. The latter looked slightly unsure though, and kept looking to Angelina as if for guidance.
Lavender struggled with her ropes and shouted in a shrill voice: ''You can't stop us!'' Before Harry could do anything, she exclaimed: ''Terrorum Aktiv.'' At once, a sound as from a thousand banshees was released, and Harry had to press his hands against his ears to make sure nothing was damaged. Slowly, the alarm faded, but he could hear it echo throughout the floors. ''Our professors will not let you get away with this. They are only trying to protect us from the most dangerous wizard of all time! The Order of the Phoenix will take this country back and turn it away from the dark.''
''The Order of the Phoenix?'' Harry couldn't help but speak up with a scoff. ''The only remaining Order members are here in this castle, a handful of people. The rest who survived the war are either imprisoned or came to their senses and cooperate now with the Ministry. Did McGonagall make you believe that the Order is still operative?''
The faces of Lavender and Colin, the only other person to be bound instead of unconscious, turned to confusion as they took in the news. ''That's... that's a lie!'' Colin spoke with a tremor in his voice. ''We were told that we'd been chosen to bring the light back, to bring Dumbledore's ideal world back.'' Lavender hushed the younger boy, but Harry understood that something more was going on here than individual rebellion. It looked like McGonagall had tried to gather trustworthy students around her and prepared them for this day, just like Marvolo had done via Draco and Hermione for their side.
''Anyone else who still wants to fight?'' Lucille said, unperturbed by the alarm that was still audibly echoing. ''No? Good.'' She turned towards the Twins. ''Best if one of you stays here with me to make sure no more rebellion comes up here. The other should lead the ones willing to fight for us downwards. And you... you do what you have to,'' she concluded, mustering Harry. Marvolo had informed everyone well, it seemed. Fred crawled out of the portrait hole, having about ten people with him, among which was Hermione. Lucille stood guard at the entrance, her eyes shooting over the remaining students, wand drawn. Harry felt quite useless, and in any other case he would have helped with both the speeches and more of the fighting, but he had different priorities and had been clear about that to Marvolo, who had agreed with him that Neville came first. Neither of them wished to piss off Death, for that was perhaps the only way for Harry to actually die. Harry only regretted that he now could not be the ideal fighter Marvolo had envisioned.
Suddenly, he got an idea and rushed over to the entrance again before everyone could leave. ''Hermione!'' he said, grabbing her shoulder just before she wanted to go through. Surprised and looking affronted, the girl turned towards him.
''Get your hands off of me! I... Harry?'' she broke off her sentence when he quickly removed the mask and just in case showed his scar in case she would not recognise his slightly changed features within seconds.
''Yes yes, it's me, I don't have much time to chat though. Do you know where Neville is?''
''What is with your eyes?'' shock coloured her voice, but then the shook her head as if to get rid of Nargles buzzing around her ears. ''Nevermind that. Neville is often not here anymore, there are rumours that he has extra lessons from McGonagall. I assumed it was because he's failing Transfiguration and wants to do everything possible to pass the exams... with what Lavender now said though, I'm not so sure if there isn't more. I'm so sorry I didn't notice anything before, or I would have mentioned it.''
''No big deal... but do you know where these lessons could be held? The classrooms are all closed at this time, even the teachers don't use them.''
''Her office would be large enough,'' Hermione replied. ''Anyways, the rest is waiting for me. Good luck. Is Ron alright?''
''He's fine. I'll give him greetings when I see him.'' And he definitely would have to search for Ron first, for he needed to check the map now. It wouldn't make sense to run through half of the castle only to later find out that Neville was somewhere else or that his lesson had ended. He really had hoped the boy would have just been in the common room; Ron was busy enough without Harry taking the map away for even a few seconds. From Marvolo he had heard that a system of monitoring and control would be set up between Ron, Marvolo and the group leaders using the Marauder's map and several two-way mirrors. Perhaps it would have been easier if he'd checked the map right before leaving...
Harry ran all the way back, now met with quite a large group of Ravenclaws hurrying to the stairs leading downwards, followed by a masked Death Eater. It was uplifting to see how much support they received from the students, and how few were running around fighting back, certainly now Lavender had released that alarm. The quick invading of the castle had given them many advantages, of which the element of surprise was the main one. He hoped the other groups had also been able to use it to the fullest before their invasion had become clear. The door to the Room of Requirements was closed: even though the emergency care was here, so was the rudimentary command center. Being found by the staff would be disastrous. Although, as they had first secured the upper floors, it would be unlikely that any teacher would be able to or even get the idea of fighting their way upwards.
Just before he made the door appear, Harry heard several loud explosions from below, and the floor shook. The castle was fully awake now. A second wave of the banshee alarm reached him, and once more he tried to block out the sound with his hands. His scar stung painfully, and he realised that for Marvolo's heightened senses, such a sound must be hell. Slipping through the door and instantly closing it behind him, Harry took in the room. Marvolo's description of his plan had not looked as magnificent in Harry's head as it did in reality: Ron, Lucius and Rookwood were sitting around a table with the marauder's map fully spread out, which was made difficult by the many layers. Above it, in front of Lucius, hung a large mirror, through which Harry could make out flashes of the great hall moving. In a circle around their backs hovered nine smaller mirrors, their reflections creating dancing flecks of light. Ron had turned around to one of them and was having a heated discussion with whoever was at the other end. Lucius peered into the large mirror that probably belonged to Marvolo, and Rookwood studied the map, muttering important pieces of information he found.
''A large group of Hufflepuffs just left their common room without any of our people with them. Those are still in the common room, seemingly surrounded by students. Only the team leader is somewhere else, following the student from a distance, but closing in,'' the man informed the others. ''Contact with group two?''
Lucius instantly turned around, grabbed a mirror and brought it to his face. ''Woodcroft, are you there? What is your position?''
A rather frantic face looked into the mirror. ''The Hufflepuffs are definitely not on our side. They didn't even let us finish speaking before we were caught in an array of spells. The problem might be that all of us graduated years ago and thus they don't know us. In any case, around two dozen of them loudly proclaimed their loyalty to the castle and their teachers, and are now going around blaring that out with voice-amplifying spells. I was the only one who could escape, the other three have been taken hostage.''
''You couldn't take out a couple of teenagers?'' Lucius hissed.
''One-on-one, certainly. Even one-on-five we would have easily managed. However, we were not able to convince a single student, and thus our chances were less than one-on-fifteen. Give me some credit for escaping!''
Feeling awkward for having to interrupt them, Harry tried to go up to the table with as little ruckus as he could manage. By now, Ron turned around though, done with his angry rant. ''Harry! What are you doing here?''
''Need to check the map,'' he spoke, out of breath. He really couldn't in good conscious take it away though, which he would have preferred since the map sometimes showed a needed password. If Neville really was in the Headmistress' office, he'd first need to find Pineas Nigellus apparently, and who knew where he was running around among the hundreds of portraits? Without waiting for further permission, he came closer to the table and frantically searched. The office was empty, and so was the Transfiguration classroom. McGonagall wasn't there either. ''Think!'' he said to himself. Where else could Neville be? Greenhouses? Gryffindor tower now after all? Corridors?
And then he saw the dots of both Neville and McGonagall, not in her new, but her old office. ''Thanks,'' he hurriedly said. ''By the way, Greetings from Hermione, she's fine.'' He sprinted away again. On the way downwards, he felt the wand holster on his leg. He'd need to switch them out soon. But what to do with the Headmistress? This was giving him a headache... The stairs were broken, partially smashed away by spells, and without thinking he jumped over them and landed heavily on his good leg. It didn't matter, he felt invincible. Perhaps the deal he'd made with Death had changed him more than he'd thought, because he did not recognise the feelings that rose within him: a thrill of hunting, a sense of invulnerability.
The trip through the castle felt like only seconds to him before he stood in front of McGonagall's office where he'd only been a few times in his life. He usually had gotten in trouble with Snape and occasionally other professors too, but never dared to get too much in the way of the intimidating Head of his house. And even then, she usually was too busy to give the detention herself, often delegating it off to other teachers since she had also been deputy to Dumbledore. Did she even teach the students herself now she had the added responsibility of being Headmistress? But she must be, since they had not heard anything about another new teacher...
Taking a deep breath and calming his thoughts, Harry pulled out his second wand, regretting that he had never pulled through with his distant idea of trying to become proficient with dual-wielding. Now he actually had two wands that he should be able to use simultaneously against different people, it was a bit too late to start practising. Well, as long as he didn't kill McGonagall, it should be fine, right? Quickly, he checked in on Marvolo, whom Harry sensed was enjoying himself.
I'm stopping those foolish students from Hufflepuff. There were none who dared enter the Great Hall anymore after I took down Flitwick and Sinistra.
Are they...
Sinistra is dead, Flitwick unconscious. I heard from Eyolf that your old charms professor didn't wholly agree with everything that went on here, and only followed Minerva's lead since he did not wish for her to lose the support of yet another friend. Be careful when you go up against Minerva... she's most likely desperate, and a damned good fighter. The main problem will probably be that she won't try to kill you, so whatever else she does, from stunning to binding to burning, will still affect you like it normally would. Get rid of that rush in your head, my love, and concentrate.
''Right,'' Harry said out aloud to the both of them, holding the Elder wand over his head, ready to shoot a spell at anything that moved. But before he could open the door, it already did, and he stared into the white face of his Transfiguration professor. Despite all of his training, the sudden move caught him off guard and he stood still for a second too long: the suits of armour next to each side of the door came to life and tried to stick their spikes through him. With a wave of intense heat, Harry melted the statues and stumbled backwards. Once he found his footing, he shot forwards, determined to not let his attention slip again. He tried to use spell after spell on her, all meant to put her out without seriously hurting the woman, since accidentally killing her now would be disastrous. She had trouble blocking his assaults, and Harry realised that he had another advantage: the Elder wand was not a usual tool. If he could believe the stories, no duel could be lost with it. Did that also still count for when he didn't try to take his opponent's life?
''Stay back, you fool!'' McGonagall hissed at someone behind her, and Harry realised that it had to be Neville. ''And you, Death Eater... don't think that you can take our home from us. I will protect each and every student here until my dying breath!''
''Your students don't need protection from us as long as they don't resist,'' Harry countered. ''We want this castle to become a real school again, not a prison where only one side of magic is deemed correct and the rest thrown out of the window. The only thing you really want is to convince yourself that Dumbledore was right. But you know what? He was an awful human being, and none of you noticed!''
''No-one insults Albus like that,'' his professor said in such a low, almost growling voice that Harry was surprised she hadn't turned into her Animagus form yet. He had to dodge several conjured objects, and only in the last moment jumped away when he noticed she had transfigured the floor under his feet to quicksand. It wouldn't do any good now to try to talk to her, Harry decided. It was far too late for that. Even if she would miraculously see his point, her case was even less stable than Kingsley's, who had not rebelled after the government had been taken over. There would be no defensive points to argue for the woman who tried to lead the remaining few Order members in Hogwarts and rallied her students against the Ministry. Thus, he fought with all his might, finding that all his spells were much stronger when cast with the Death Stick, and she couldn't win any ground from him.
Then, just as Harry had a good opportunity to paralyze her, Neville shot out of the door opening, using the opportunity of the two fighting people having drifted away from it by a few yards. Instantly, Harry switched targets, not wanting to lose the boy. He'd already spent too much time on this, and knew that he would not be able to hold out against the Headmistress for much longer. He heard McGonagall cry in outrage as he sprinted after Neville, who had one hand clamped around his wand, and in the other he held the sword of Gryffindor, rubies glittering in the hilt. Neville was thankfully slower than Harry, but catching up was still difficult: not only had Neville had a head start, but the Headmistress had also managed to give Harry a few nasty cuts and burns.
Pointing his wand at the wall left of them, Harry managed to stutter out a 'Bombarda'. The stone exploded, forcing Neville to a halt as he tried to make sense of where he was going through the dust. Having still some momentum, Harry jumped and tackled Neville to the floor, panting hard from exhaustion. Fearful eyes met his. It seemed that his own eerily glowing ones struck terror in his friend. Classmate, Harry corrected himself, forcing down all his previous thoughts of Neille helping him. He would never be able to kill a friend for his own gain. Steel flickered in the light, but Harry wrestled a bit more to gain control of the arm that held the sword, and with a clanking sound it fell down.
''I'll... I'll stop you...'' Neville said with a trembling voice, trying to sound brave. ''I am destined to...''
Harry blinked and cocked his head. ''Destined?'' he asked. He didn't have many good experiences with 'destiny,' but this sounded like the start of an explanation as to why Harry had to do all of this in the first place.
''It has to be me,'' Neville whispered, and started struggling again, but Harry held him tight on the ground, wondering what to do. If he released the other to get up and point his wand, Neville could grab the sword again or run away now the stone rubble had settled. If he stayed like this though and tried to get more information, at one point other people would run across them, and there was a high chance those wouldn't be friendly to him, with the Hufflepuffs trying to rile up the whole student body. The best option was to try and get the sword away, Harry figured. He knew Neville couldn't fight well with magic. He had no idea about how the situation would be with a magical sword instead of a wand. Harry himself had, after all, been able to take out a Basilisk with it when he'd been twelve.
For all his faults, Neville did not lack in his perception of people, or of his own abilities. Barely having started trying to come up with a solution on how to get the sword away, his thoughts were interrupted when Neville made a sudden sharp move by turning his whole body and desperately grasping for the weapon. ''Depulso!'' Harry shouted in the last moment to sent the sword flying away, and stomped down on Neville's wrist, keeping the boy in place. ''You're not going anywhere...'' Harry bit his lips and the wand in his hand trembled so much that he had to press it in Neville's neck to steady it. Come on, he thought to himself This isn't by far your first kill. There have been so many who fell by your hand...
But it had never been like this before. He'd either killed in the heat of battle, or he'd killed those he hated like Umbridge and the Dursleys, and both times Marvolo had been there with him, and dark magic had hung thick in the air... Now, there was none of that, and Neville looked up to him in fear and desperation. He'd never been the bravest Gryffindor, and the fact that both Harry and Ron had left Hogwarts, two of the only people he regularly talked to and who tried to up his self-esteem, must not have helped. ''Tell me what you meant with destined,'' Harry said, poking the wand a bit more painfully. ''Quickly.''
The boy clamped his mouth shut and shook his head, eyes opened wide. A wide array of spells for torture came to the forefront of Harry's mind, but he squashed those thoughts. If he would cause Neville any more pain than necessary, he would not be worth anything for the rest of his entire endless life. Taking a deep breath, Harry opened his mouth to end it. Tears slid down puffy red cheeks, and a barely audible whisper drifted into Harry's ears. ''Luna, I love you.''
Something on Neville's chest glowed blue and Harry realised that it was a butterbeer cork. A Portkey... one that wouldn't work here since they had disabled all ways out of the castle for the staff. Neville had loved Luna? Maybe even been together with her if he had a Portkey to her? Harry hadn't known, and regretted even more that he never talked so much with his friends when it wasn't about emergencies and adventures. Luna would never forgive him... but he had to pull through.
''Diffindo,'' Harry said, steeling his voice and slicing open Neville's throat. Listening to the gurgling sound of the dying boy, Harry pondered on the method he'd chosen. It was ironic that the first person he wanted to give a quick, painless death, he couldn't give it to: the necessary hatred for the Killing curse was and stayed absent. He stepped away from Neville now there was no threat anymore, and kept watching. It would be unfair and dishonourable to just walk away and leave the trashing boy behind as life seeped away. The jerking of the limbs became weaker and weaker, and finally stopped altogether. The Master of the Hallows had done his first duty.
''Aargh!'' Harry suddenly screamed out as his head felt as if on fire. Another scream was torn from his throat, and the crumbled corridor swam, overlapping with other visions in front of his eyes.
The Hogwarts grounds became visible with a figure running in the distance, gleaming sword in hand. A pale face turned around and Harry saw Neville run into the Forbidden Forest, having dodged fire-spewing dragons and the cold touch of Dementors both.
A much older Neville was sitting in a pub, all roundness in his face gone and hard lines blooming around the eyes. He looked like he'd been starving himself, and wore patched up clothes that reminded of Remus. A plain sheath was at his hip, unmistakably holding the sword of Gryffindor. He chatted with a few other people, their heads stuck together in a secretive conversation.
The sword swung, and landed on a very familiar locket with an S engraved into it. A dark, angry cloud bled out, but Neville stood in front and only laughed bitterly as an image of Luna formed.
Ravenclaw's diadem screeched and melted as the tip of the sword broke it in half. Neville had to be in his late thirties now, and a large ring of people stood around him and watched, holding their breaths.
Neville was running now, running through Diagon Alley with Aurors hot on his heels. It looked very different than how Harry knew it, with many different shops and a much scarcer public, but he still recognised Broomstix and the Magical Menagerie as they passed in a flash. The man fired curses behind him, and several of those giving chase were hit.
They were back at the pub, which by now was completely filled with people wearing travelling cloaks, all listening to the man standing in the middle on a table. ''Don't give up hope! We shall take our country back and get the same rights for everyone! No longer will Muggleborns be put down by Purebloods. No longer will Muggles be pushed out of the good jobs or even lose their lives to this messed up system. Voldemort and his puppets have had this country for too long, but he is nearing his destruction, and Potter will go down with him!'' Cheers sounded all around, out of synch at first, but finally Harry understood what they were chanting: ''The Chosen one will fight for us. The Chosen one will fight with us!''
When Harry came to, he was on hands and knees, and he knew without looking that beneath the mask, his face was white. Were those memories? Memories of what could -or would- have happened had he not taken Neville down? Harry shivered, trying to sort his head out. What had happened though, to make the visions stop? Neville had apparently managed to destroy two Horcruxes and gather a larger group of new rebels than the Order of the Phoenix had ever seen. So many questions came up: What was this about Neville being the Chosen one? Where had he been between escaping Hogwarts and first showing up at that pub? It had looked like Neville had been about a decade older there already, at least. And what would have happened after this?
Harry, I can't concentrate, and neither can you. I saw those visions with you, but don't dwell on them so much now or I'll be forced to close the link and I don't want that. Ronald informed me that Professor Vector is on the same floor as you are, she put up quite a fight and took out a handful of our people on her own. Either get away from there if you are in no condition to fight anymore or chase after her.
Sending a confirmation and trying to forget about what he'd just seen, the teen took the corpse of his classmate and dragged it to the side, over the rubble and into an alcove. Leaving it in the middle of the corridor was too disrespectful, he found. A wave of nausea hit him, and Harry decided that he really needed a pause if he were to still be of use to anyone. Seeing as he was on the first floor, Harry made his way down a hidden staircase and stumbled out near the Entrance hall. He could hear shouting coming from all directions, but the hall itself was empty. The Slytherin glass with house points was shattered, showing the scars of a fight that had taken place not too long ago, and scattered emeralds glittered on the floor. Ducking his head, Harry headed out of the main doors for some fresh air. Of course, the ground were no safer than the castle, but with fighting everywhere, that didn't matter much to him. Better to fall unconscious in a place where breathing was easier.
Dark shapes of dragons were only visible against the night sky through their movement and the bursts of fire illuminating their mighty limbs. Harry pressed close to the walls, not wanting to get caught in a pillar of flames. The wind was strong and much colder than before, tugging at his clothes, so Harry took deep gulps of the night's air to keep his head cool and calm his racing heart. He narrowed his eyes as a flicker of silver could be seen in the distance. Someone was fighting the Dementors with a Patronus... someone trying to get in, or out? His head now clearer and stomach settling, Harry decided that as Marvolo's fiancé, he had a certain amount of responsibility, he ducked further down and ran towards the light. Whether it was a friend who needed help or an enemy that tried to cause trouble, there was a job waiting for him.
XxX
The Dark Lord stood in a crouched position, holding up a large part of damaged ceiling with one hand, and with the other held Firenze under control, pushing the centaur further and further down on the floor. ''Why are you fighting?'' he growled. ''All of your kind is helping us.''
The Palomino's legs mowed through the air in a last attempt to struggle before he had to give up. ''Dumbledore... gave me... this chance. I have to protect... the Chosen one,'' he wheezed, giving Voldemort a hateful glare.
''There is no Chosen one,'' the man dispassionately answered. ''Avanda Kedavra.'' He flung the corpse away and finally let the ceiling fall, burying the Centaur beneath it. Stepping over the stones, he took a few seconds to let Lucius advise him where he was needed next, and at the same time pondered over the visions Harry had seen.
The Longbottom boy... it couldn't have been. It was true that Longbottom had been the second choice to the original prophecy, but he had chosen Harry instead, and the Prophecy had been fulfilled, he knew as much since having checked the Hall of Prophecies. Had McGonagall perhaps come across the memories of Dumbledore since she took his office and drawn her own conclusions? It would make sense, since she gave him the Gryffindor sword and raised her own little army without informing any of the other teachers. But how had she known of the Horcruxes? He had seen no definite proof in Dumbledore's memories that the old fool had actually known about them. No, it couldn't be that, he concluded. When analysing the memories, far too much time had passed between the boy fleeing Hogwarts today and destroying a Horcrux for him to have received that information from the Headmistress. She must only have told him about the Prophecy and given him a tool that by coincidence could also destroy his vessels. Far-fetched with the sword perhaps, but it could also be that McGonagall just hadn't wanted to let the last heirloom of the Founders fall into his hands.
In either case, it was a closed future now, and thinking it over for too long would not matter. Instead, he concentrated fully on taking over the castle. The small Hufflepuff rebellion had been bothersome, and a loss considering he'd had to kill more students than expected through it, but it had by far not been enough to halt their progress. All houses had been secured by now and only three teachers were left: Hagrid, who had disappeared into the forest; Vector, whom none had been able to defeat yet and who had posed a surprisingly strong opponent; and McGonagall herself. Well, there was also Binns, but they couldn't do anything against the ghost, and the ghost couldn't do anything against them either, so Voldemort had decided to just leave that one alone.
He was very pleased about the results of this evening, but he had also expected no less: They had the advantage and covered every tactical step that needed to be taken: the element of surprise, cutting off supplies, cutting off an escape route, tackling key points, excellent communication and intelligence, backup and medics, numbers... They seriously overwhelmed the castle's inhabitants with their plan of infiltration, so the chances of losing were infinitesimal. With the resources and time they'd had to come up with this plan, he would have been incredibly disappointed if it had been otherwise. As such, he was not overly set back either with Harry now not participating anymore, and while it was a shame, the visions he'd seen certainly showed the importance of the part the teen had already fulfilled.
''Imprecatio!'' he shouted, having noticed the tremor of heavy feet behind him. Unimpressed, he looked into the face of a Giant, one that was not on their side and quite a bit smaller than most he'd seen. The creature howled and exclaimed something that sounded like 'Hagger.' As it sounded nothing like a word of surrender, the Dark Lord repeated the curse after flinging another that weakened the Giant's skin. Three Gryffindors turned a corner, all with their wands out, halting when spotting him.
''My Lord,'' they all hurriedly mumbled, and ran further. It seemed he'd taken their prey, or they at least pretended that he did. That was probably the most difficult part about recruiting the students: while most were proud of who they sided with, some were actually smart enough to pretend to be on their side when in reality they were not. Still, it would come out in the end, and he would not allow anyone to remain here who had tried to sabotage them. Legilimency would be necessary once the main fight was over and he would call everyone to the Great Hall. Voldemort made quick work of the Giant, knowing their weak points since he had studied those to know how to reinforce his own Giants during the Battle of London. It must have been Hagrid's work, he assumed. The Half-Giant was the only one with the connections, and he knew that Dumbledore had sent him out to try and recruit some.
For him it was just another corpse to step over once he was done, the sluggish blood pooling over the floor, staining his naked feet. Looking over the mirror he asked Lucius: ''Tell me where McGonagall is, it's time for me to take care of her. Let group five and the wandering ones of eight find Vector. I don't want to wait much longer. If Hagrid is caught, tell him his giant is dead, that ought to be enough to emotionally cripple that oaf.'' A sound of protest came from the other side of the mirror, and he raised his eyebrow. ''I don't care if you agree, Weasley. Hagrid will always stick with Dumbledore and needs to go. Harry as well will need to accept that. Now, give the orders according to my words.'' He flicked the mirror away so it would soar behind him, making sure Lucius could warn him if anything approached from behind before he noticed. He needed to put his strength in other things now, such as killing the largest traitor of this country.
XxX
Having evaded a stream of friendly fire and a stray curse, Harry finally saw the caster of the Patronus, which had the distinct shape of a leaping hare. Skidding to a halt, his stomach turned again, this time with guilt, as he was met with the sad face of Luna. ''What are you doing here?'' Harry yelled at her in panic. ''You could get hurt!'' He ripped his mask off to show himself, but she only looked back with dull eyes.
''Neville is in trouble,'' she said. ''My emergency Portkey glowed, but he didn't appear. Have you seen-'' her eyes glazed over slightly and she looked at him with a far-away gaze. ''You look different from the last time Harry. Your eyes are not from this world.''
''Luna, I...'' he started. How in the world was he supposed to tell her about Neville? How could he do that to his sweet, typically so cheery friend? ''You can't help him... McGonagall recruited Neville into some sort of student rebellion, I think. Not only is he not on our side, but he's fighting against us.''
''I'll convince him otherwise, I know I can!'' she cried in desperation, hair clinging to her teary face. ''I'll make him stop and return to the common room, and...''
''It's too late!'' Harry screamed, crying himself now too. Who had he wanted to fool when he tried to put the stamp 'classmate' on Neville over the one of 'friend'? ''Because of me, he won't have a choice now anymore. He's dead Luna, he's dead! Go home, please!'' Harry sank to his knees in the grass, the burden too heavy to bear. The memories he had seen did not matter. They didn't justify this cruel death for what might have been. Pressing his face against his knees, Harry cried out his guilt and shame, until a pair of small, thin arms wrapped around him.
''Tell me?'' she asked with a small voice. ''Tell me why?'' Not able to deny her, the words rushed out. He'd never vowed to keep it a secret after all. When he was finally done, his tears had dried up. The first thing he noticed were the Dementors floating past them. There was no happiness left for them to suck out at this moment. Luna pressed her forehead against his back, her hug having become stronger as he spoke. ''Death dislikes me, it seems. My mum, my first and best friend, now the one I love... No, I shouldn't think that,'' he could hear a small smile creeping back on her face. ''Everyone lost a lot of important people, you included. And it's not fair but... the only thing we can do is trying to make life better.''
''Do you hate me now?'' Harry whispered.
''I can't. It wasn't your decision either way.''
''So you believe me? About Death, and everything?''
''Of course. You have a lot of bad qualities, but lying isn't one of those.'' Harry didn't know whether to be affronted or flattered by that comment, but the familiarity of having that feeling around Luna made him relax. ''Can Neville get a statue too? They made one for Ginny in the town, did you know? She's officially a heroine now. I'm sure she's proud of that. I want to make Neville proud of himself too, wherever he may be now.''
''I'll have to ask about it,'' Harry muttered. They changed positions now he dared to look into her eyes again, and found them full of forgiveness even if they still had lost a spark of life that had always been present before. Now both our eyes look different, he thought, finding a sense of comfort in that thought even if the meaning behind the change was harsh. Side to side, they watched the dragons and the castle. As long as Luna was close to him, Harry figured, nothing could happen to her. He didn't even know why he had avoided the fire and the spells when trying to reach her, for nothing deadly could touch him in the first place.
Marvolo's irritation could be felt over the link, but Harry could not bring himself to return and leave Luna in danger. She was as old as he was now, having had her birthday last February, but she was a year behind him on Hogwarts education, and even much further considering his training. He did not trust most older Death Eaters to not confuse her for a rebellious student with her tear-stricken complexion. ''How is your father?'' he asked out of the blue.
''Dad is fine. Really pleased with how popular the Quibbler became. He said it's a shame that the Prophet also brings actual news now, but I think it's good so he can concentrate on the real important articles.'' She smiled vaguely into the distance and grabbed Harry's hand with an iron grip that conveyed all the pain her face wouldn't show.
A dragon roared loudly into the night, and the attacks of the mighty creatures stopped at once. Harry narrowed his eyes to try and peer through the darkness. After the blinding fire had lit up the castle, it was hard to see anything now. ''Come,'' Harry said. A feel of calm settled over his entire body and mind, assuring him that it was over. Heavy thuds sounded left and right where the dragons landed. He looked around to see if Charlie could be spotted, but his sight wasn't good enough to recognise Xaphia among all the moving black masses.
Hand in hand, Luna and Harry walked down the main path towards the entrance doors, of which one side was splintered now. The hallway still looked the same with emeralds everywhere, but two students lay on the marble staircase now, their eyes seeing nothing. One had her wand out, the tip still pressed against the marble at the end of an unfinished carved message: 'Fight Against Opp.' Then death had broken it off, but Harry could imagine how it should have ended and averted his gaze. Luna walked up to the students - A Hufflepuff and a Gryffindor Harry didn't know- and closed their eyes.
Movement drew Harry's attention, movement from behind the doors of the Great Hall. Carefully, he approached them and peered through the crack, which was a few centimeter wide since they had not fully been closed. Most of the space was filled with a single dragon whom Harry recognised as Xaphia. The rest of the hall was occupied by students, a few teachers, a handful of Death Eaters and, in the middle of it all, Marvolo. He opened the door a bit further, enough to slip in without making any sound. Turning around to Luna, he wanted to hold out his hand again, but she shook her head and walked into the opposite direction, back out. Harry hoped that she would be able to make her way out safely. It was a miracle that she'd even been able to enter the grounds without dying.
Harry shuffled alongside the wall, not wanting to disturb Marvolo's speech, which told of victory and promises of a better and freer future. Considering how many people Neville had supposedly been able to rally together in that possible future, Harry doubted that all those promises would come true. Now they knew about it though, perhaps Harry could ensure that his visions would not happen.
He'd reached the Gryffindor table, where Ron and the Twins had sat down, holding up Hermione and trying to take care of a large slash that went up her arm and nearly reached her neck. The Twins also had not escaped unscathed: One had a bandage covering his leg, and the other only had one stump where his hand should have been. At least they were both alive, Harry thought in relief. Since so many Death Eaters were not present, he did not think that those who weren't here were all dead. Most likely, they were taking care of the bodies, the injured, or were waiting in the room of requirement.
''And so,'' Marvolo concluded, his head held high. ''Hogwarts shall undergo changes coming year. Appointed as your current headmaster will be Sameer Atiyeh.'' Harry blinked at the choice, having expected either Snape or Marvolo himself to take that position. Perhaps it was only for the time being? ''The Deputy Headmaster will be Severus Snape.'' Pained groans sounded through the hall, and Harry understood why Snape hadn't been a choice for the main position. It was just like Ron had said about Malfoy: who would want to join the dark with him running up front? At least Sameer was a good teacher. ''The last week at Hogwarts for this year, several Aurors will guard the castle, and other Ministry workers will help rebuild the damaged parts, which will continue over the summer holidays. You will all be informed per letter about the curriculum changes at the end of the holidays, as there will be new elective courses for the third years. Of course, those who already have electives as OWL's or NEWT's will be able to continue taking those until they finish school, but several will not be eligible for new students anymore. Details will follow.''
Harry was impressed by how matter-of-fact Marvolo was stating it all, as if they did not stand in the middle of chaos. Harry let out a long sigh, finally realising that it really was over. The last major internal conflict had now been taken care of... He looked at the few teachers that were left: Apart from their three spies, there were only Flitwick, Hooch, Pomfrey and Grubby-Plank, who had covered for Hagrid a few times. Harry hadn't even realised she was still there. The rest of the teacher's were probably dead, then, and he realised with a shock that that must include Hagrid. Closing his eyes, Harry said a silent goodbye to the good-natured man, and was glad that he'd never had to confront Hagrid himself.
In his sorrow, he had missed the last words of the speech, and was confused when the students got up from their tables and silently marched out, only those who were wounded remaining. One of the medics and Mr Greengrass, who had been in the room of requirement before, now went to the injured students, only to be shushed away by Madame Pomfrey, who was shooting dirty looks everywhere. ''Just take them to the infirmary. Now, Hurry!'' she barked in the end, and with a resigned nod from Marvolo, they did so.
''So you're not becoming headmaster then?'' Harry finally asked his lover when most people were gone. He quickly raised up a hand to Charlie, who delegated Xaphia out. A large steel ring that hadn't been there before shone on one of the claws of the dragon, and a much smaller one glinted on Charlie's finger, making Harry smile.
''Perhaps in time... I admit that it is tempting, but we have so much to do still... Opposing countries won't stay still for much longer and I need to be ready.'' A hand came up to caress Harry's mask. ''Well done today. You've deserved some peace now.''
''Did anyone on our side die that I know?'' Harry asked anxiously.
''A few, but the only one I think will matter to you is Tonks. We didn't lose too many people though. Our opponents did not try very hard to kill, thinking it beneath them or not being able to. Only Vector and McGonagall did quite a bit of damage.''
''Tonks,'' Harry muttered. ''She didn't deserve it... I'm surprised, she was an Auror and a Metamorphmagus...''
''McGonagall saw her and hunted her down since she was a traitor to the Order. Against that, she had no chance. Remus also nearly died, but Sirius saved him. Both are under medical care but will pull through.''
''Good,'' Harry sighed in relief. ''Very good.''
''Now go. I'll have information to discuss with the old staff and our new Headmaster. We'll keep in contact.'' Both keeping the warning words of Ron in their minds, they did not share a kiss before parting, only mentally embracing each other briefly.
Walking out, Harry was torn between feeling victorious or not. They had won, easily, but the losses on the other side touched him just as hard as the ones on their own. He didn't want to see who was dead or not, but was forced to since their way back was in the room of requirement. He hurried through the castle, glad that the corpses had been removed, but also knowing that probably meant that they were collected in the room he was heading to. And indeed, the stench hit his nose the moment he walked through the doors. There were still less than he'd expected, but from what he could count, all in all over forty people died, friend and foe. He walked straight up to the Vanishing cabinet, but before the doors closed, he met the accusingly staring eyes of Neville one more time
I hope you are all satisfied with this chapter. As said before, the only chapter left now is the epilogue.
Another thank you to everyone who supported this story by reading or leaving a review, motivating me to write this story to its end. I might have long broken it off if not for that.
Please leave a review to tell me your thoughts!
