The Crossroads of Fate

Chapter 37: The Final Conquest

Albus had to take some time to recover. He was still getting used to the fact that he was allowed a second chance at life. In fact, he and Apollo had earned a second chance. It seemed almost incredible that after so much death, those who were most threatened managed to live. Albus almost felt guilty. A part of him felt that he should have walked the path with James. Life was not the same. He wondered if this was how a ghost usually felt. Albus knew he would need time to get back in touch with the world and come to the realization that he was indeed still alive. And this realization would have to come to a world without Rose or James, a world where Hugo was still distressed and borderline unhinged, and a world where Mark needed a serious break.

The injured came and went. Injuries were very drastic, some drastic enough to earn them trips to St. Mungo's which was one of the first places to reopen. Healers teemed in, some under free volunteer work, to help care for the wounded. The dead were buried of course and a funeral would be held for them only after everyone had recovered. Hogwarts was half destroyed, Hogsmeade was mostly destroyed, Diagon Alley was completely decimated, and the British Wizarding world, not to mention the Muggle world was still in recovery. There was a lot of work to do to bring everything back to the way it belonged and it would be very difficult to do so, not to mention take a very long time.

Two weeks after the battle, they had discovered a boy hiding in the ruins of Hogsmeade and when Harry brought him to the school at his request, Albus and Alexis had a shock. Looking battered and exhausted, it was Alexander Ackerly. Alexis, injured from her fights, was shocked and Alexander refused to talk with officials there. Harry just took his word for it and left him with Alexis. Albus was confused too. He gathered from Alexander that he had ran away after spending not even five minutes with his mother after ending up in the Portkey center, he just broke away from her hand, snatched a Portkey to Britain, and got to Hogsmeade by himself.

"How did you even manage?" Albus asked, basically asking on Alexis' behalf since she could barely speak.

"I got through Platform nine and three quarters and followed the tracks, stopping at villages along the way and nicking food," Alexander said honestly, not meeting anyone's eyes.

"Ale"- Alexis took a deep breath as she clutched her brother's hand. "That was- foolish. Idiotic."

"No, it was smart," Alexander insisted. "You should've seen how I got past the guard in the International Portkey center."

What shocked Albus, but apparently not Alexis, was the letter she got from her mother. The letter was so short and curt, it made Albus appreciate the parents he had, even his father who Albus was going through great lengths to avoid.

If you were going to live and Alexander to run away from me, why bother sending him to me in the first place?

"I'm not sure if that's her being her sassy self, or if she really, really doesn't care," Alexis sighed.

Albus remained in the hospital wing for weeks, rarely leaving the bed. It was not out of illness or fatigue that he remained, but out of habit and a serious lack of sleeping space. Madam Pomfrey was allowed to return now Incommodo was gone and Harry stayed at Hogwarts, watching over it with the few remaining teachers like Sorrow. It was not just Albus who remained in the hospital wing, many students stayed there. The castle was still damaged, many dormitories were still being repaired and some students still chose to study in the library. With so many dormitories under repairs, the few safe areas became sleeping quarters, from the library to even hallways. Mark for one slept against the wall by the hospital wing, sobbing into Alex's shoulder, sometimes going to bed sobbing, muttering Laura's name over and over, as if trying to make sure he would never forget her. Aries stayed by Mark's side as they waited for news on Eric who was armless. Even Scorpius was there. Scorpius had stopped snogging Lucy so much. Now the war was over and they realized they had their lives ahead, they started acting more like a normal couple.

What did not help the feeling of overcrowded was when the parents started rushing into the castle. For many students, it was the first time they saw their kids in a very long time. Melvin actually burst into tears when he hugged his own parents, who had apparently been stuck outside during a vacation when Incommodo shut the country off. The help that came was in the form of Albus' uncle Percy and his Aunt Hermione who looked distraught. Her daughter's death had devastated her. His Uncle Ron was actually silent as the grave, unsure of how to manage. Now Albus looked back, a few Weasleys ended up dead. His Uncle George, Molly, and Rose now.

Apollo disappeared. Aries was not saying where he went but it was clear to those who knew him well enough that he retired back to the North Tower which, thankfully, was still standing. Still, he showed up at night sometimes, when few were awake. The dungeons were still standing as well, being below ground and the Hufflepuff common room was untouched. Gryffindor tower on the other hand was cordoned off and Ravenclaw tower was deemed unsafe until efforts went underway to rebuild it. The surprising thing was that some parts of the castle started repairing themselves. Hogwarts showed a part of it that was never known before. A memento from the founders. Sorrow reported that every stone of the castle had a Rune Spell based on the Rune of Heritage drawn on it so if ever the castle was destroyed, it would renew itself, given time.

The entirety of the Hogwarts Guard was injured. Thankfully, the dead Albus knew of was the worst of it. Morpheus, Fora, Laura, Riley and Rose were dead but the rest were injured with severity ranging, some lasting and some not. Eric was without a left arm which thankfully was not his wand arm, Sophie, Alpha, Lily and Frank were all comatose and Seth's body did not seem able to decide whether it was dead or alive. Other members were cut, bruised or otherwise beaten. Albus himself sported burns from jets of fire, or cuts and scrapes, but he was one of the lucky ones. The only one in the hospital wing who remained uninjured was Alexander Ackerly.

The DA was beaten majorly. Being in the front lines the entire war, they were picked off one by one. At least their leadership was untouched, now it had triumphed, some of its supporters had left to the ruins that were their homes. Another thing that gave the DA something to worry about was Lancet. The boy never transformed back into a human after the full moon. He was stuck as a Werewolf, howling. Neil, who had gone through his first transformation, was strangely quiet about his new condition. It was not until a month after the first transformation when he turned back into a human, through pain and screams. As he screamed, the glass shattered, bedposts folded in on themselves, and a loud crack like a gunshot signaled someone's bone just snapped. Lancet was quickly taken away into another room for healers to examine.

So, everyone waited patiently as the castle rebuilt itself, some with supervision and some done by itself. Surprisingly, Lysander was prowling around with his wolf, still in possession of the Headmaster's office. Incommodo had never gotten it off him and it was just as well. The portraits were under no one's command and so did not visit other portraits to report to him, the Pensieve had only the memory of his Albus had provided, and the spiral staircase leading up was still half faulty. The Astronomy tower was also being repaired and the one overseeing was not a person but a ghost. Mortimer Ink, seven years old and still traumatized by the events of his life, sat by the repaired tower, bound to the Astronomy tower as the place he would reside when it was finished.

It was not until May when Lysnder gave up his position, sighing in relief. His twin, Lorcan, gave him a hug and whispered something Albus assumed was encouragement to him. Lysander smiled slightly, glad to see Lorcan was beginning to make a recovery from his own experiences. It was good to see Lorcan had recovered. It was better than Albus could say for Eric, who had lost an arm and was ordering a prosthetic from St. Mungo's. Alpha was beaten horribly, his face blue from lack of breathing and kept alive only by air spells being delivered into his open mouth constantly. Hugo was still in pain, still feeling the Cruciatus Curse's pain, no counter-curse able to lift it just yet. They said he needed time, not magic.

"Apollo," Aries said in a quiet voice one day.

Apollo turned to his sister. He still seemed the tiniest bit shaky but she considered him. Apollo was incredibly brave during the battle and with minimal help from Aries, he managed to live. Albus watched, curious to see what she had in store. A red-eyed, grieved Mark watched too, from over Alex's shoulder. Albus knew Mark was depressed again, the loss of Laura seemed to have hit him hard. Aries and Apollo were staring at each other until, finally, Aries bowed her head to take her Amulet off. Its glow was feeble, almost dead. She looked at it with a strange expression for a minute before handing it over. Apollo bowed his own head, allowing her to click it around his neck.

"It's yours," she said quietly. "I won't be needing it anymore." Apollo did not say a word. He just looked, Aries herself seemed torn but she did not ask for it back or anything. "It's just us now, we continue the line, and you- you'll be doing it far better than I ever could. I know that now, that you were always the future of our family. You're going to grow up and create something for yourself, make a name, and be known and loved, like Dumbledore did before you. You can see it, can't you, Apollo?"

"You will have to wait and see," Apollo said neutrally, expression forever remaining unsurprised.

Aries got up and left, looking very humbled and changed. She looked strange without her Amulet but it was admittedly a welcome sight. "Hey… you told me I would die, right? You really had me going. So, was this a trick or were you fooled?"

Apollo blinked. He might have never been talked to this way before. He remained staring at Albus for a time, looking curiously before finally saying, "I foresaw the concoction being made, I foresaw a boy running out to fetch some blood before falling to Dementors, and I saw you dying, I saw you facing the crossroads. I made the logical assumption that you had died and you did. You chose to take a second chance up but your soul was still expelled. That is called death." Albus blinked unconvinced. Had Apollo made a mistake? Was he wrong?

"So… you made a mistake," Albus noted.

Apollo blinked again, surprised again. "My visions do not make mistakes… I saw this one in the crystal ball. Those futures are always uncertain." He drew closer slightly and said, "You should not test death. You are lucky to have escaped."

"I thought death was a friend," Albus yawned.

"It is a friend," Apollo said. "And you should not test or disrespect friends."

"I won't," Albus assured him. "Trust me, I've made peace. You sort of forced me to."

Apollo gave him a final look before walking out of the hospital wing. He walked so freely now, Aries tightly beside him, embracing him, keeping him close. Albus knew that the boy had a long life ahead of him, longer than most, and the boy would have his own adventure to take. He wondered what sort of a Wizard he would make, what sort of life he would lead, and how he would die. Perhaps Apollo knew, perhaps he did not. He did not know everything. Albus was still not convinced. He had been told before that Apollo was never wrong… yet, Albus lived. Perhaps the boy also possessed pride. An inability to admit he had been wrong. He smiled to himself as he fell asleep.

The war was over. It truly was over and Albus had a life to live. Hopefully a long one with Alexis right beside him. And the Hogwarts Guard, it would never split up. He would make sure of that. They were no longer needed but they had become friends. It was clear now that they would grow up and make lives for themselves and they would keep in touch and see what sort of futures they could make.

This by no means meant that everything was ok. Things had changed a great deal. The Reservation left in the Ministry was holed up there but they were putting up a good defense. Rumor had it someone new had tried taking charge and was leading their defense of the Ministry's underground headquarters. They held little to no influence though. The Reservation members around the country were being rounded up and the Arsenal had fled to different areas. It was well known that Knockturn Alley had become a hotbed for Arsenal members to hide and open fields were another area for them to hide encampments before arranging safe passage out. Even a month later, there was still no sign of Aramaster or his small gang of three.

With no real Ministry, the Wizarding world finally descended into a state of anarchy. Muggles had begun rioting, having kept their anger in until after the war for being lied to. Albus was still wrapping his head around the fact that Muggles knew now, and a war with them seemed likely. Wizards would have to adapt and just disappear, never show themselves again, and live within Muggle repelling charms. The only ones keeping the peace were the DA, who had suffered so many losses they were beginning to find it difficult. Nobody took charge as a Minister except Percy and few were willing to help. As Albus constantly heard from his father, Neil Nott, and Lucy Weasley whose father was a major contender for Minister, nobody had the guts to get involved in anything political, out of fear it would turn against them.

"Truth is, the last few Ministries were nuts," Scorpius said with a casual air. "Abused their power and stuff. So, everybody's scared that if they tried, especially if they're not known as well, they might be accused of the same thing. And the fact that my grandfather was some freelance law enforcer does not help."

What Scorpius said held some merit at least. If anybody was doing what he could, it was Lucy's father. Albus' Uncle Percy was still alive and kicking and so was her mother. His power was limited but he was the best one for the job. Still, without a place like the Ministry of Magic itself, it made things very difficult. "He's trying his best," Lucy sighed when Scorpius asked her one night. "We're not miracle workers and Azkaban is still being dealt with. All the Goblins are holed up there now and Dementors too. It'll be very difficult to retake that place without suffering more losses so we're thinking about setting up a new prison and leaving the Goblins and Dementors there to rot."

"Fat chance," Sierra sighed. "They'll regroup there and then wage a united rebellion against us."

Albus, Scorpius and Lucy did not answer to her statement. Instead, they looked at her concernedly and curiously, "How-how's Seth doing?"

"Not good," Sierra sadly. "Still the same. Still shaking, still muttering- like he's gone mad. He won't tell me what he heard. Not at all."

They did not need to ask any more questions. Albus could already fill in the blanks and when Harry Potter came in to the hospital wing to talk to Albus, (and anyone else with him), things seemed clear. The Wizarding world was destroyed. There were still Wizards but their world itself was destroyed and the Muggle Prime Minister still knew, the army knew, and though they managed to mitigate the spread outside Britain, mass rots were making it difficult to enforce with threats abounds until someone gave a good explanation. Five reserve members of the DA were killed in an ambush attack and the Prime Minister was facing mutiny for failure of honesty and transparency.

Speaking of a lack of transparency, Harry was still being rather secretive. "Your Uncle is working on it," Harry said to Albus as Lucy gave a smirk of pride. "What matters is what we've decided to do with Hogwarts. The DA started here and what's left of it will end here. We have decided to keep the school year going. Students are still studying and we've decided that we'll give out the exams. The ghost of Mortimer Ink showed us where he kept them so we'll take advantage of that and let it go on."

"Why are they studying?" Scorpius asked. "You'd think they would descend into anarchy like the rest of the world."

"I think it's a sort of humbling effect," Harry suggested. "This is the only place in the Wizarding world with anything resembling order. They're so used to studying under strict conditions, just being advised to do so is enough. Plus, we're sort of encouraging them and offering them their confiscated items back if they continue. It's important that we continue this year. Having something to build from makes recovery all the more easier. Letting it come to a halt in the middle of term is a little sad."

Seth muttered something in his sleep from two beds down. His muttering was incomprehensible but he looked very pathetic. He was skinny now, his face very gaunt and deadened. If not for Sierra, Simon and Sophie, Albus knew Seth would have died weeks ago. He was on a constant Potions regime that some Healers made and Simon oversaw. Lancet was given wolfsbane as the next full moon showed up and thankfully, miraculousy, nothing happened beyond Neil's expected transformation. Lancet did not transform. They were kept in a room just off the hospital wing. Albus could hear Neil screaming in pain just last weekend when the full moon came and he felt horrible for him. The transformation was very painful. Beyond the transformation, Albus did not know how Neil would take it.

"Any idea what's wrong with him?" Lorcan asked Harry. "Lancet, I mean?"

"We… don't think he can use magic as well," Harry explained. "Whatever happened to him, the hybrid venom in him keeps transformations back. He can turn on his own, but doing so during a full moon becomes permanent, and we're guessing he turns when he's exposed to blood. And it seems that whenever he turns, erratic, uncontrolled outbursts happen, and when he's human he can barely do any magic. We're not sure but he might not manage as well as his peers when he comes to Hogwarts."

"Yay, I have a friend," Alexander said in a casual, monotone voice.

Harry continued looking at Seth and sighed, "We're passing him through fourth year… but he's going to be expelled."

Albus' stomach sank slightly. He did not respond to his father but he still felt iffy. Seth, expelled. He knew he probably deserved it but he wanted to talk to the boy first. A part of Albus was beginning to think that whatever the Dementors did to him was punishment enough.

"How will we take Azkaban?" Lucy asked curiously.

"Well, we're stopping Dementors and Goblins from joining them for starters," Harry explained. "As much as the anarchic state is troublesome, the hunters are doing pretty well in this regard."

"Hunters?" Scorpius asked interestedly.

"Goblin hunting," Harry said seriously. "And vampire hunting. Werewolf hunting. Just about any beings that wanted us destroyed are now being hunted. I'm not happy about that but again, it's hard to stop."

"Why doesn't father just become Minister and end it?" Lucy suggested.

"I daresay that's the endpoint," Harry answered as he turned. "He's the closest thing we have now. He'll probably become interim Minister for a few years while we clean Incommodo's mess, clean Dubium's mess, clean the Goblins' mess, clean everyone's mess really, and then we'll discuss a permanent Ministry again. We still have to find the kids that were kidnapped from the Leaky Cauldron. There's been no hint of them."

"Few years?" Scorpius said incredulously.

"The world is not the same, it's destroyed," Harry said simply. "And while it's easy to destroy, it's a lot harder to build. Hogwarts is lucky to be moving, it's lucky a student managed to retain the Headmaster's office for so long and limit Incommodo's sight, it's lucky to have had a dueling tournament to keep everyone's capabilities high, we're reaping what few benefits Incommodo gave the school. We're still without School governors, we're without a Ministry to select them, we're without the most basic services. We don't even have gold anymore and the only ones who know how to enchant those metals are Goblins so in the very end, we'll have to deal with them too. Bring them back into the fold. And I honestly do not know how we will manage that."

The door opened and in came Hermione. "Harry… Percy wants to see you. He's in the Headmaster's office."

"Ah, right, I'll be there," Harry said cheerfully. "Ok, you all take care and please, for the love of God, don't decide to become the Global Guard and hunt Werewolves or something. We have enough problems."

Scorpius and Lucy watched him go with slight amusement but Albus caught Harry's final look from him. They were not done talking. Harry had not yet talked to Albus about the battle, the war, or the souls or how Albus lived. Albus knew they were going to talk eventually and it would not be pleasant. Harry was furious enough when Albus spoke to him at the end of sixth year, telling him about Incommodo, Herpo, and James' death. Now Albus would have to explain what had happened while Harry was imprisoned. One could only hope things went well after that. Harry turned out to be right. If Albus had trusted those around Incommodo a little bit more, things might've turned out better. Or not. Tyro was still on Incommodo's side and had nearly killed a few students during his reign. Lex was worse. Lex. Zandar Lex. Good riddance, he thought.

"Anarchy evolves," Aries said as she came in next, taking a seat a little off Albus' bed. "It'll disappear naturally. People like power, someone somewhere will eventually try claiming it. Worse comes to worse, we'll have different Ministers vying for influence but even that'll evolve to a single Minister. I just hope Percy manages before we have to go down that path."

"I hope so too," Scorpius yawned. "I'm trusting a Weasley. I don't believe it."

"That Weasley is keeping your sister for you while you finish Hogwarts," Lucy retorted.

Albus discharged himself from the hospital wing a day later, deciding it was best to get his talk with Harry over with as soon as possible. It felt weird walking the school after so long a time away from it. He saw Percy many times directing students, probably getting back in his role as Head Boy as he once was. He also saw Neville and Hannah. Alone, the Longbottom family managed to get away unscathed and Albus heard from a forlorn Frank that they were watching over the Mold Manor to look after orphaned kids until Luna got out of recovery. It was slowly filling up but they still had yet to find the kids the Reservation kidnapped, let alone learn their fates. Albus also saw Neil who walked slightly better now. For one thing, he was not hunched nor did he look sad. He talked to Sierra very actively now. Albus wondered if it was a positive effect of his Lycanthropy or the war lifted off his shoulder… or perhaps a bit of both.

Classrooms were filled, dormitories studying together, some studying alone, everyone reading from textbooks as Percy directed them. The school was amazingly quiet. Albus considered visiting Apollo but the North Tower was under Aries' guard and there was no way she was letting anyone through. From what Albus heard, Apollo had sobbed very hard when he recovered. Aries insisted Apollo was not taking his life that hard so it was something else. Albus had a feeling Aries did not know though, which meant it had something to do with the future. Apollo had seen something.

Albus also saw some students sitting alone, talking quietly, some of them were shaking, the younger ones traumatized, and some were just silenced. It made Albus recall what he was told upon him reentering Hogwarts. Lex and Incommodo had kept a tight control of even speech. Many phrases were Jinxed, those who used them were tortured, continuous use earned being locked up in a small, cramped, pitch black dungeon room. Incommodo even attempted to brainwash some students, to bring their minds to his way against free will. Many students simply developed a fear of the dark and stayed in areas as well lit as possible. Many kept their wands alight through the night in case they woke up for a glass of water. Some were scared to drink unless ordered to. It took a while for Hogwarts to recover. After a month, it did mostly but some were still keeping with the old instilled habits enforced by Incommodo. Albus was happy the war was over. Now, to talk to his father and possibly fight a war with him next.

Albus arrived at Lycah's old hut which was now empty of everything but a curtained portrait of Hagrid. "Come in," Harry said solemnly, opening the door just enough for Albus to walk in. It shut behind him, giving Albus a sense of déjà vu. They were in this very hut when they fought. Once again, they faced each other. Albus noticed his knees were shaking. Albus had believed that he was doomed to death, he never anticipated this talk with Harry. He did not think it would happen. Now, Albus was faced with the daunting task of opening up once and for all, explaining what had happened to him and why, including what used to be the two souls inside him. At least this time, he had a happy ending.

"Ok, I want you to explain to me everything," Harry said seriously. "Clearly and holding nothing back. And I warn you, Al, I will know if you're lying this time. I won't tell you how I'll know, but I'll know. So, spill it and spill everything."

Albus looked his father in the eyes, green on green. He hated being talked to like that, like he was being put on trial. Still, all desire to fight his dad just evaporated. He was tired of fighting, he just wanted out. Maybe after this talk, he would cease talking to him and live alone. Maybe Harry would finally sympathize with him and get over himself. Albus didn't know.

He took a deep breath before opening up, once and for all. As he spoke, he slowly realized the entire plan. How it all came to fruition. Even what Soto had wanted. He realized it all. So, he told his father everything, from start to finish, and all began with his accursed second year. It was not his first year fighting a crazed Dark Lord over a Philosopher's Stone, but second year doing as told and looking after exchange students. He explained, reminded more like, how he was tasked to look after the student his own age. He spilled everything this time. How easy it might have been without James' interference, Mark's interference, and Soto's interference. He explained how Mark was after Riley, how Albus kept Adam entertained, and how James bullied Mark, how it all culminated in an extensive duel between James and Malcolm and how that ultimately led to their capture by Soto and the exchange students leaving.

Albus explained further how a spell was cast to show the way to the Reservation for the truly curious, and how Albus' curiosity, the curiosities of all of them, had gotten the better of them. Rose was curious too, Albus remembered, even if she never showed it. Even she had a streak of bravery. He explained how, after extensive efforts, they had finally got in through the forest, the vampires housed them for a bit, Alex solved sphinx's riddle, and how they met Putus Dubium who proceeded to fight them, how Albus was cursed upon his entrance, how Mark and Lily were cursed when they fought back. And this time, Albus explained the curse for all of them. How Lily would suffer illusion attacks, how Mark would be decayed little by little, and how Albus would have two souls.

He explained how this all made itself known. He explained how Soto had used him, Mark and Lily to get him what he wanted. Lily would be his hostage, Albus would be his stooge through his son, and Mark would be his backup. He explained how Soto let Alexis and even Lily, eventually, go when Albus offered the map, the Amulet and the Prophecy Trelawney had spoken, to Soto and freed Alexis, and how Soto ultimately let Lily go too. Albus went on to his fifth year, and how Harry used him next to find the Enchanter's Princess, how Albus made deal after deal with Seth, how Seth had manipulated Albus to discover all the Heirs, not just Merlin, and how Albus raised an entire network to gather information. Seth had been a hero in his own dark way. He explained how ultimately, they had freed Harry by turning Albus in, getting himself tortured, and flaunting his own knowledge, how he saved Hogsmeade residents but how Alexis was fooled and Imperiused, and she was controlled by Seth. Seth had become a fallen hero.

It all came to a head in sixth year, when all curses made themselves known. Albus explained how he found the Relics, just alerting the Heirs to them were enough, that they would take their duties from there. Harry himself had found and used a Relic, even Neville did, in their years at Hogwarts. Albus also explained how Mark was saved by Aries, Scorpius and Seth, and how all who had journeyed across the forest remembered their adventure. Albus explained in full how he had talked to Merlin in his sleep, how Incommodo's identity was revealed, how Tyro had been about to kill Harry before Albus threatened to expose Incommodo. He explained how he needed to talk to Incommodo about being Herpo, about how he was safe to begin with, how he was forced to empower Voldemort in order to live and pass the message on, how the Reservation invaded with the intention of killing the Headmaster, the Deputy, and the Heads of Houses and how Albus went back in time to save at least the students which included Lily.

Albus also explained who killed the Walladers. Soto, on orders from Incommodo, leading Goblins, to pick the Amulet up and the location of the Black Orb. Soto had broken Harriet, found the Orb and gave it not to Incommodo but Dubium.

Seventh year was worse to explain. Albus had raised the Guard again, they took the fight to the enemy, for a time ignored the Arsenal until Albus told them not to and how, out of loyalty and love to him, they agreed. He explained how it all went to Incommodo, his plans for dominance, his change, his ascension, and his near victory, a victory that might have never been achieved if they had never found the Black Orb and took advantage of their memory when they stole the Orb, Seth making it possible by dueling Reservation members in West End and later giving a command to the few loyal to him to kill as many as they could, weakening their effort. And how they used it, they planned the use of the Relics to beat Incommodo, and how it helped to tip the war in their favor. How the war had been won by the Relics fighting Incommodo, destroying the ship, weakening Dubium, and allowing Aries to finish Incommodo off. And Albus explained how he lived through his illness, how Voldemort was bested and destroyed once again by Maria's efforts, and how Seth killed Albus to destroy Incommodo, which only weakened the latter and left Albus alive. He tried backing out but he came through in the end.

For half an hour, Harry listened to the story. He did not interrupt and Albus explained everything, without leaving anything out. Harry asked for clarification how Albus managed to live and how he knew what might happen and Albus explained Alexis' book and how it had played a part, how Scorpius played a part and how Seth actually proved to be a good Alchemist. The story was over. Albus braced himself but he did not see any anger in Harry's eyes. No fury. Just pity, sadness, and regret. No one, even from second year, could have guessed how drastic things would become. That they would end up fighting a war for their very existence. It seemed incredible that somehow, that war, The Great War of Existence, was over. Not only over, Albus was living.

The hut was silent as Harry took it all in, absorbed everything Albus had told him. Albus could not discern his expression. Was he mad? Did Albus mess up again? Eventually, Harry nodded, "Ok, now, what I'm going to do is explain to you everything. As you gave me the full story, I will give you the full story. The first thing you need to know is why the exchange students came to begin with. First things first, they were the children of Muggle-born witches and wizards who fled during Voldemort's reign. We hoped to bring them back but Otto and I hoped that bringing them back would also serve to provoke someone to come out of hiding. Ever since the Walladers were murdered, we knew someone was afoot and had an agenda.

"We hoped to lure that someone out. Our mistake was just that. You remember when Phoenix arrived and yelled at me for provoking tensions? If I had listened to him, things may have gone a bit better. Ironically, Phoenix was right. He had a good intuition and sensed more danger than I did. Otto and I did not listen. Nonetheless, as an ally, he did as we asked. When they were captured, Incommodo demanded the students go back to their countries and Phoenix relented, deciding to go by his own gut. Had they stayed like Otto and I argued for, things would've been far worse. See, Al, the more power a man has, the bigger his mistakes tend to be. Dumbledore used to tell me that and you can keep that in mind throughout your life.

"The exchange students, instead of being a symbol of hope were instead used as pawns for Soto and Incommodo to further their agendas and Soto was very shady. There I was, thinking he had little to do with the Walladers' murders and I was wrong. He had everything to do with it and my mistake cost Mark his mental health, and it cost us lives… it cost me James. Soto was on the Reservation's side. Admittedly, he was better and would not have been as destructive if his agenda had come to pass but he was still out to destroy us. Soto had spied for Dubium, and he spied on Incommodo and Phoenix and wormed his way in easily. He knew of Incommodo's two souls for a while, probably even planned to send another person with two souls after him.

Al, the Reservation gave you a second soul in hopes of trumping Incommodo. Killing Ridge unmerged the essence from you and allowed it to grow on its own accord. Soto told me they took Voldemort's essence from Hufflepuff's cup, an old Horcrux of his, long ago. That the venom that destroyed it got rid of the initial fragment but a small essence was left. They let it fester in you and that was why you did not change outwardly upon its entry. It was introduced to you slowly yet dangerously. It caused your jinxes. That, I believe, was why he had such an interest in you and why he had you cursed. Had you stayed true to their plan of you doing the job and not Aries, who they wanted dead, it would've cost you your own soul and your own life. And unlike me, Soto already had an inkling of who the Princess was."

You're a little liar. You've been playing me for a fool this whole time, Mr. Wallader.

That was why Soto wanted Mark. Mark played the role of Merlin's Heir, he was covering for his fiancée. And Soto believed him until Aries dueled him and showed her power. Albus knew what Harry was talking about.

"The truth is, you were used," Harry said regretfully, his voice almost cracking. "By the Reservation, by Soto, by Incommodo and even by me, hence your anger towards me. And for that, Al, I deeply apologize. I would have asked someone- anyone else- if I knew what sort of danger you were under."

Albus moved his head back shortly. An apology. Somehow, Albus did not expect one. "It's ok," he said quietly. He guessed it was, now it was all over. At least Harry understood. In fact, he understood better than anyone now. "I guess I was a prat anyway."

"Had I known what was truly happening with you, we might've saved the situation. In fact, luck is what won us the war because while Soto knew of Aries, he knew little of Apollo who alerted us to the Relics, he knew little of the Amulet's true power which he handed to you in hopes of hyping Goblins up, and he knew little of how the Wizarding world truly worked. The Reservation's ignorance when they tried placing Hogwarts under siege worked against them. And if you had not ventured through the forest, as dangerous as that was, we would have never been able to face the Reservation. It was thanks to Mark's powerful intuition of tremendous danger that he demanded you talk and when you did, we were able to prepare in advance. I had your Uncle Percy talk in secret to the Muggle Prime Minister and mobilize their army for when it was needed. It was because of them that we won, because of them that we managed, and I regret we can never truly thank them."

"What do you mean?" Albus asked quickly.

"They can't stay knowing about us," Harry said simply. "We're preparing a massive Memory Potion to slip in their waterways, irrigation systems and wells that will make them forget everything. Wizards must remain hidden. We can thank the Prime Minister but not the populace. And now, Al, if you will hear me out, I have one more job for you." Albus almost grinned but he kept a straight face. "I want you to become Minister for Magic."

"You never stop needing me, do you?" Albus asked shortly.

"It's the next generation we need," Harry told him. "And you led the next generation. And so, I am asking you first and foremost. For three years, you learn from the best. Uncle Percy would give you special training and when you become twenty-one, you'll take the"-

"Sorry, I'm no Minister," Albus rejected. "Best thing is to probably ask Scorpius. He'd kill for that. I want a break. And after this mess, if I don't deserve a break, no one does."

"Then allow me to propose something else," Harry said calmly. "Why not work with Scorpius? Why leave him to it? Perhaps having two partners working together to rebuild this world isn't such a bad idea."

Albus sighed and shrugged, "I'll think about it. My break comes first."

"And now, we have one more problem to talk about," Harry sighed, looking out the window. Simon Far was out there, silent and forlorn, thoughtful, glancing towards Hagrid's hut but not saying or doing anything yet. "Seth Lean. He needs to be arrested."

Albus did not know how this would come about. Azkaban was still under Goblin and Dementor control. Harry said that by June, they will have retaken Azkaban but even if they did, Albus was not sure he agreed with Seth being imprisoned. He was sort of split about it. There was no question that Seth deserved a life sentence. Some might even argue for the death penalty. Seth was a murderer, a sociopath, and he felt no guilt… until recently. Albus knew that at night, he was sobbing into his pillow. He did not understand fully why, but he knew it had something to do with hearing not his own thoughts of traumatic memories, but his victim's. Did that play a role?

Albus was even more convinced in his right to a life when he heard Simon talk to him at night. Seth had his eyes half open, looking weakly up, like he was dying. "Why're you here?"

Simon looked with sadness before saying in a low voice, "I can't leave."

"Don't you hate me?" Seth asked weakly with a small, faded voice.

"I don't hate you," Simon admitted. He sighed, "But I don't like you either."

"Then go away," Seth moaned, turning away. "I don't need sympathies from you."

"I told you, I can't," Simon said, his voice breaking. "I've been your friend for years, and a good soldier never leaves a man behind."

"Why?"

Simon sadly chuckled as he gave his weakened, gaunt friend a hug, "You're my friend, Seth. You always will be. And I may not like you but I'll always love you. But my trust is something you'll have to earn back."