Chapter 16 The Bad Part of War
Thanks to darrelldeam and alix33 for looking this over. All mistakes are my own.
Hmmm, not many votes on my new poll, maybe it is the question. Oh well, I'll stop at fifty if it doesn't pick up. Anyway, there will be a bit of angst chapter.
Hphphp
Immediately after Tom died, Harry and Luna nodded to one another, raised their wands and set his body on fire. The smell was overwhelming, but they felt it had to be done. Someone cast a wind charm and the smoke blew in the opposite direction from the village. The light of the fire lit the courtyard; it was very late at night.
Harry looked through the flames at his injured girlfriend in a state of shock. He ignored the burning mess that was once the greatest Dark Lord ever. She looked bad, her once blonde hair was a mass of blood and gore, her face wasn't much better. Her clothes were torn and a mess. She however had a huge smile on her face and he was startled when she jumped the flames and ran to his arms. Using her good arm she latched on to his neck and threw her ratty jean covered legs around his waist.
"It is over, Harry, we did it. The Dark Lord Voldemort is gone," she whispered in his left ear. "He had too many nargles. They whispered things in his ears; promises they couldn't keep. His soul was so torn that there was little left. But we got him. You and I."
"Yeah, we did," he said hugging her back. "You are the best, Luna. I love you to death." If they had been anywhere else he would have kissed her, but he wanted their first kiss to not taste of blood. He was dreaming of Merlin's failed Avalon. That would be perfect, to take a week and just go there.
"Oh, Harry, you silly boy, this is not the time," she chastised as if reading his thoughts, though her smile was radiant as she raised her head and looked into his eyes.
Suddenly cheers rang out from those not too injured to stand, breaking the couple from their moment. People were starting his way to congratulate them. Harry groaned and hid his head in Luna's good shoulder. Luna just giggled and petted his hair as she lowered herself to the ground. "Don't fret so, Harry. It was a long war. Let them celebrate," she cooed.
Kingsley stumbled from one of the houses, his leg was in a splint and he was using a conjured cane. There were tear tracks on his face. Harry had a moment to wonder why, and then the man started barking orders.
"It's not over yet, people," the bald Auror bellowed, stopping everyone in their tracks. "Get to the wounded and get them in the houses. Neville, fire off a Patronus and let the people in the chamber know they can come out. Tell them we need the healers. Fred, George, get potions up here fast. Call the house elves if you have to. Kyle," he turned to the man who came out with him, "do a body count. Charlie, check on Hagrid and his brother. Bill, take some people and get the prisoners to the cells, including Snape. Make sure they get treated, grab one of the healers from the chamber. Use one of the potions labs; make bloody sure they don't have their wands or portkeys. Hermione, take some of the DA and check on the kids outside. If you are injured get to a healer. Get moving, people," the now more scarred man yelled.
Everyone started moving to do what they were told. Torches were lit and the sunlight spell anchored to the windows of the houses. Soon enough the shouts of denial were heard around the courtyard. The moaning wails of the injured joined the chorus. Many of the battle weary people had tear-streaked faces. There must be more citizens dead than Harry thought. He really hoped it wasn't too many, he wasn't sure if he could deal with that. He'd have to find out whom, as soon as he rested.
"Come on, Harry, we have to see the healers," Luna said as she put an arm around his waist and turned him away from the scene.
Harry was rather shocked that he was so wounded. In his fight with Tom he never noticed that he had a large gash on his left leg or a new wound on his face. Great, that's going to scar, was his wayward thought when the pain hit. He let Luna lead him to the nearest healer, trying not to put weight on his injured girlfriend. He was suddenly very, very tired. When he got to a bed, he passed out and didn't wake for hours. It's over, was the final thought when Morpheus took him.
The next five hours was mass chaos. The healers, the uninjured and the house elves were run ragged. They tended the wounded and tried to save as many as they could. Alas, more died. The hundred that fought on the walls was dwindled down to seventy-six. The ones that stayed in the castle or on the roof were uninjured.
One of the dead was Dick, which had explained why Shacklebolt was crying earlier. When Kingsley was brought in, once more injured, Dick ran from the castle and turned his wand to Harry, who was fighting Tom. Kyle, who had just come to and was watching the epic battle, spotted him and banished a knife to his head. He was dead before he hit the ground. He really had only tried to maim him, but he was too injured to see straight and missed. The man felt bad for his old friend, Shacklebolt, but there was no way he was going to let Dick kill Harry.
Out of the fifty Death Eaters, only ten survived, mostly the kids. Snape was treated and thrown into a cell. The old prisoners were despondent that they lost. They couldn't help but think that if they hadn't fallen for the trap it would have been a different outcome. Some of them yelled that they would get their revenge. No one listened to them. The rest were actually glad the madman was dead. The person they fought for in the first war with the Dark Lord was not the person that had come back. No, the madman they returned to was little less than an animal and, yes, they were glad it was over.
The dead enemies were piled in a clearing in the woods, near a small river and were burned. There was just too many of them to let the scavengers take care of it. The smell of decaying bodies alone would be bad. It took many magicals to tote them there, especially the trolls and giants, but needs must. It was a good thing the ones who protected the castle were uninjured and could lend their wands.
Harry finally woke, after those five hours, and he was cleaned up and healed as best they could. He would have scars on his leg and face, but at least he wasn't limping, unlike Kingsley. His new facial scar was a jagged one, just on his right cheek. It was almost a lightning bolt, but didn't quite make it as one, which, in Harry's mind, was too bad. If he was going to have a new scar, he really thought it should match with his old one. He went to find out what the results of war were. Putting a determined look on his face, he left the house.
Luna was by his side; her arm was in a sling, still useless. She might gain recovery in a few months, but right now there was nothing the healers could do; her shoulder was just too damaged. She was just glad it was her left arm.
Hand in hand, the couple stumbled out of the house, blinking in the bright sunlight of a new day, though it was cold, and went to find who they could. The first person they ran into was Hagrid.
"Hello, Hagrid. Are you okay? That looks like a werewolf bite," Harry asked as they came up to the man. The gentle half-giant had a very nasty looking bite on his right arm, near the elbow. Since giants were immune to magic, it would have to heal on its own.
"'Ello, 'arry. Yeah, I'm alright. Giants can't be turned into other creatures," the gentle man said, though there was sadness in his eyes. "Wouldn't that be an interesting thing?" he tiny eyes lit with interest, like it was something he could cuddle with.
Harry didn't think so, no, he figured a giant werewolf would be downright scary.
"How is Grawp?" Luna asked as she gave the big man a hug with her good arm.
"'E's not good. Those blasted wolves tore 'im up something fierce. 'E might lose a leg," Hagrid said, taking out a handkerchief and mopping his watery eyes. "'E's jest a baby. They don't make peg legs fer giants. I don't know what to do," the poor man wailed.
"Oh Merlin, Hagrid, I'm so sorry to hear that. I thought he'd be safe on the other side," Harry said, joining the hug.
"Twern't yer fault. Ya hear me. Ya didn't know," Hagrid stated, extracting the two teens and looking Harry dead in the face. "Ya did the right thing. We should've been more careful. We knew there was a battle 'ere. We jest didn't think," he stated firmly.
"Alright, Hagrid," Harry said, trying to smile at the man, but failing miserably.
"Hagrid is right, Harry, you cannot blame yourself for the wounded or dead. It was war and that happens," Luna chastised mildly, grabbing his hand and giving it a squeeze. She would make sure he didn't fall into survivor's guilt. It was going to be bad enough if he got Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. She would make sure he didn't, even if she had to drag him to a mind healer herself.
Harry took a deep breath. "You're right. I know you are, but it is something I battle with all the time. I'll meditate on it when we get our reports." He smiled at her and kissed her cheek then had a thought. "Hey, Hagrid, find the Weasley twins, they'll think of it as a challenge to make a leg for Grawp," he said and this time his smile was real. Those two would fix it he was sure. They were geniuses. If it hadn't been for them they would have never pulled off those traps.
"I'll do that," Hagrid said, a bit of hope in his eyes.
"Come on, Luna, let's go find Kingsley. Good luck, Hagrid, I hope it all works out," he said as he gently tugged his girlfriend away.
The couple made their way to the castle, many people cheered as they past. They got applause and thumps on the back as they walked by. It was a good thing everyone was busy, so the two could make their way mostly unimpeded. They checked the portal room and it seemed to be where the team leaders and a few others were. They all appeared to be in the middle of a meeting. So the two teens silently made their way to two open chairs. Harry noted a few missing people, but hoped they were just with the healers.
"… the Ministry," Kingsley was finishing up his talk.
"Harry!" Hermione shouted when he sat by her side, giving her friend a one-armed hug. She was excited to see he was up and around. Not to mention clean. She shuddered at the memory of how he and Luna were covered in wounds and blood. It had taken her twenty minutes to get the gore off herself, so she was glad the healers cleaned these two up.
"Hello, Hermione. Alright?" Harry asked, looking his friend up and down and seeing no wounds.
"Yes, I'm fine. Just some cuts and bruises," she waved away his concern and smile at him for asking.
"Good, I'm glad you're okay," Harry said, removing his arm and turning to his girlfriend. He did have a fleeting thought to ask about Ron, pure habit of years of inquiry, but he decided she would tell him if Ron were injured.
"How are you, Luna?" the curly-haired witch asked, looking sadly at the useless arm.
"I am going to be just fine," Luna said with her radiant smile.
Hermione was about to reply when Shacklebolt interrupted.
"I'm glad you're here," Kingsley stated, his voice was firm, but his face was a mass of misery. "I was just about to go over the damage report." He turned to the paper in front of him. While he was glad the two saviors had survived, he was still mourning his brother and needed to get his mind off of that, not that giving this report would do that. When it was over he could concentrate on rebuilding the wizarding world. Only then would he mourn properly, but right now there were more important things.
"How many did we lose?" Harry asked the dark-skinned man, not really wanting to know, but knowing that he had to. It was going to take a lot of meditation to get over the guilt he was already feeling. He felt the squeeze on his hand and shot a weak smile to Luna.
"We were lucky; we only lost twenty-four. It is a sad number to be sure, but in comparison, we were very lucky," Shacklebolt reported, but it was with a heavy voice. "The Death eaters lost around forty, magicals most of them adults, but a few of the kids died of blood loss. That doesn't include all the dead werewolves or the rest of his army. Those animals are dead, all of them; the werewolves, the vampires, the giants, the trolls and all but the few Dementors that fled. His entire army was cut down to ten."
"That is wonderful news, though I had hoped more of ours would survive," Harry said with a sad smile as he looked around the room and knew from the drawn faces that people he knew had died.
"The wizards and witches that survived and the ones we've held here need to be taken to the Ministry to stand trial, but before we do that, we have to see just how bad the government is. I was just asking who wanted to go with me," Kingsley continued as he looked around the table at all the sad faces. He knew cleanup of the Ministry was going to be bad.
"I have to go," stated Kyle, knowing that because his was an Unspeakable he had to return. He only hoped there was something to return to. When they left there were only the bigots in charge, now most of them were in the cells or dead. He knew there were many Imperiused people and could only hope that now that Tom was gone they had fought the curse.
"Me too," said Mr. Weasley reluctantly, but he felt the need to do something.
"I'll go," came the voices of a few others.
"Good, I'm going to get a few more people. I don't want to walk into a trap. We're going to need about thirty or more. I need those who are going with me to find others who can fight," the bald man said as he put the reports to the side.
"I have to go and see if there is anything left of Hogwarts," McGonagall stated. The professors nodded as well. "The students have to stay here until we find out. We have no idea how the Death Eaters treated the castle after we left. I will also have to take the house elves with me." She turned to Harry. "We may need their help. We should return in a few days and get the students back to school. That is if their parents do not take them home. We may just have to close the school for the year and have everyone restart their studies next year."
Hermione, Neville and Luna all perked up at that. All of them hoping that they could complete their studies. None of them really learned anything this year with Hermione on the run and the Carrows teaching; it had been a bad year for academics.
"There is no problem with that. I'm going to stay here for a while, I have a few things that need to be wrapped up," Harry said. He really didn't care one way or the other; he had an entire library to learn from. Then he had a sudden thought. "Dobby, Winky, Tippy," he called and they soon popped in.
The three elves popped in and asked almost in one voice, "What can we do for the Slayers of the Dark Lord?" their faces beamed up at him in hero worship. They all turned as one and smiled harder when they spotted Luna.
Harry moaned at the name, while Luna patted his arm. "I need you to find all the house elves that now have no master. Bring them here, and bond them with Halstead for me, please," he said, hoping that with many of the pure-bloods dead there would be enough to help around the castle. They would all be looking for families.
"Yes, sir," they all saluted and popped away.
"Who did we lose?" Luna asked, once more gripping Harry's hand, knowing this part was going to be hard on him. Not that it wouldn't be just as difficult for her, but she had a good childhood, barring the death of her mother. However, she had had her father to comfort and love her.
"Molly," came the depressed voice of Mr. Weasley. He buried his head in his hands and started weeping. His dear Mollywobbles had been brought down by numerous curses. She didn't even know she was hit with a Dark curse until she died, right in the middle of a fight. Ginny had told him earlier, that she simply died. The poor girl was hysterical.
Bill pulled him into a hug with his own tears running down his face. Charlie sat off to the side, and his face was grim. None of the other Weasleys were there. Harry only hoped that they were together.
"Tonks," was Remus's equally saddened voice as he cuddled his newborn son to his chest. He knew she was at risk, they fought over it daily, but she would not be swayed. She kept claiming that she was an Auror and trained to do this, it was her duty. She fell to a Killing Curse while she was fighting an unknown Death Eater. Hermione was the one that brought that man down. He glanced at the guilt-ridden face of the young witch and knew he'd have to talk to her.
"Dick," Kingsley replied, cutting a look to Kyle, who was not ashamed of his action. The Auror knew he only did what he had to, but Dick was his brother, and it was going to take a while to come to terms with that. However, if his brother had killed Harry they would have lost, he had no doubt about that. He just wished Kyle had injured him, but the man explained that he was still woozy and was aiming for the shoulder. It was a tragic accident.
A twenty-one more names were called out, but Harry and Luna didn't know them well.
"Oh Merlin, I am so sorry," Harry said, tears running down his face as he buried his head in Luna's shoulder.
"No one blames you, Harry," Arthur stated, looking at his adoptive son. "We all knew what could happen. However, it was much worse until you brought us here. No one was fighting back, not even the Order and we were losing. Then you found this wonderful place, where we learned to defend ourselves. If anything it was your actions that prevented a slaughter. I don't want you to feel bad about this. Do you hear me? You are not to blame," he said firmly, tapping his finger on the table in front of him. Bill and Charlie nodded in agreement.
"I'll try, Mr. Weasley. That's the best I can promise," Harry gave the man a watery smile.
"That's all I ask, son," the redheaded man said, returning an equally sad smile.
"Snape is demanding to speak to you, Harry," Kingsley said, getting back to the debriefing and running a finger down his scar in his new nervous habit.
"What the fuck could that traitor want with me? He tried to give me to the Dork Lord," the dark-haired teen spat, ignoring Hermione's and Luna's "Language, Harry". That man can burn in hell for all he cared. If he never saw him again, it would be too soon. While he did give the man the benefit of the doubt, he could not put aside years of animosity.
"He didn't say, but he is not answering any questions until he speaks with you. You don't have to. We'll try him along with the rest and they will all be given Veritaserum. So, if you don't want to talk to him, don't," the dark-skinned man sighed. He wasn't going to push Harry into doing any more for this war. The boy had done his part and won. He earned the rest, along with Luna. Kingsley really hoped that she would be good for the teen. So far it looked that way.
"That bastard can rot in hell," was the spiteful response, echoing his earlier thoughts. "Fucking traitorous bastard, greasy-haired git, it will be a cold day in hell before I talk to him."
"Okay, I'll let him know. Now, now that that is over, back to business. We've cleaned up most of the mess, now it's time to get back to civilization and do the mop-up there. We're going to have to use some of the money from the cache. I'll make sure it is replaced when everything is settled," Kingsley said as he stood and started to leave. "I'm leaving in thirty minutes. Anyone who is coming with me meet me here," he threw over his shoulder as he limped out of the room.
"We have to go as well," McGonagall tiredly stood and nodded to her coworkers. "Might we use the portal as well? It would be easier to send one person to open it," she asked, looking at Harry, who was still gathering his wits.
"Of course," he answered, taking a deep breath and releasing it, letting his anger go for now.
"Thank you. I have to go and gather the rest of the teachers. I will return in a few minutes," she said as she left.
The meeting dispersed and Harry, Luna, Neville and Hermione were the only ones left. They looked at each other and stood.
"I'm going to meditate," Harry said as he walked towards the door. "If you need me, I'll be down in about two hours."
"Alright, Harry," Neville stated, clapping his friend on the back. He was going to go and check on his parents and Hannah. Hannah had been in the fight and he wanted to make sure she was okay. When he saw her last, she was limping to the healers. If he hadn't been busy with the cleanup he would have been by her side. His wounds had been taken care of rather quickly. He had a few scars on his arm, but other than that, he was fine. He was proud of himself; he had taken down the animal known as Greyback. He just hoped that no one noticed, he didn't want the notoriety.
"I'm actually going to bed," Hermione said with a huge yawn. "Some of us didn't sleep for five hours," she teased gently with a kind smile, then her face turned hard. "Harry, be careful of Ron. He blames you for his mum. The twins and Ginny have him corralled, but he was really ranting last time I saw him," she warned, giving him a quick hug.
"Shite," Harry said, running his hand down his face. "That's the last thing I need." And it was, he knew that Ron wouldn't let it go for a very long time, if ever. Stupid stubborn bastard, he thought, all thoughts of giving his ex-mate another chance flew out the window.
"Don't fret so, Harry. We will make sure he does not hurt you," Luna said, kissing her boyfriend on the cheek.
"Oh, I'm not really worried about being hurt, but the last thing the Weasleys need is their hot-headed son and brother causing trouble," he sighed as he started towards the tower. Luna was still latched on to his hand. He was going to ask her why, but simply shrugged it off. Perhaps, she wanted to do a guided meditation. She was very good at it with her dreamy voice and kind disposition.
He was correct, she guided him through his guilt and sadness and soon he was feeling much better. Then, while he was still deeply under she instructed him to take out the snitch and told him so say, "I'm about to die". He did and the snitch clicked opened. She made him come back and see what was inside.
When he came to, he looked at the large cracked black jewel that was inside. "So this is the Resurrection Stone, huh? It looks harmless," he said as he examined it. It was rectangle and had a design etched in it; a circle with a triangle with a slash.
"Do not be fooled. Many people have withered away because of this stone, not to mention the souls that were tortured because of someone's guilt. You need to be very careful on how you use that," the blonde stated, closing the snitch with her good hand.
"I have all the Hallows now. What should I do with them?" the dark-haired boy asked. He really didn't want the power they were said to have.
"If it were me, I'd give them back to Death," she answered with a shrug.
"Yeah, but how? I mean, I can't just call a deity, who we don't even know is real, and say, 'Here you are.' Besides, I really don't want to give up my cloak. It belonged to my father," Harry asked, still looking at the snitch and wondering if he could call his parents down. Would they be proud of me? he asked himself.
"You only have to destroy or somehow get rid of one, there is no need lose your cloak. And I know what you are thinking, believe me I want to call my mummy and ask the same. But, Harry, don't. According to the legend they will suffer," Luna said gently.
"Yeah, you're right, as always. I should go and find Ashliegh. We might be able to get him free," the male teen sighed and put the snitch back in his Mokeskin pouch.
The two teens rose and made their way out of the tower, but they didn't know where to look for the ghost. He had not been seen since the final battle, and they didn't think he'd be hiding in the key room. Tippy was still gathering new house elves, so they didn't bother calling her. As they walked they did note that there were far fewer people around and most of them were students.
The calls of congratulations followed them and they made sure to greet everyone they knew. It impeded their search a bit, but it was important not to blow anyone off.
After searching for an hour, Luna suggested he may be in the chamber, so they turned their feet in that direction. Going down the now clean tunnel, they came into the room and sure enough there was Ashliegh pacing back and forth, as if he was thinking heavily.
"Hello, Ashliegh. Are you okay?" Harry asked as he conjured two chairs for the humans.
"Seeing battles always makes me weary," the spirit answered, turning to the two teens a sad look on his face. "I have seen too many in my life, and death. I just want to rest," he sighed and floated closer. Harry conjured a chair for him, and the ghost sat. "Until Salazar came there was a battle here about every twenty years or so. So it saddens me to see it. I was hoping that Halstead could be transformed into a thriving village of magicals."
"You never know, kind sir, it might be once again. Perhaps even before you go on you next adventure," Luna said mysteriously.
"Well, I have the Stone now, so maybe we can call Merlin and see if the old coot died," the teen offered, pulling out the snitch and whispering the passphrase. "How do you think I should do this?" he turned to his girlfriend.
"Just lay the Stone in your hand, twist it a few times and call out the full name of the person you want to see. Make sure you have a picture in your mind as names tend to be recycled," she added with a grin.
"Ummm, what is his full name?" Harry said sheepishly as he tipped the Stone into his hand. It was just something he never thought of. He always thought the man was just plain Merlin.
"His druid name is Myrddin Emrys," Ashliegh offered. "Perhaps you should try that one."
"I would try the more popular Merlin Ambrosius first," said Luna, as she gazed intently at the Stone.
"How about I just say both," Harry said and twisted the Stone in his hand calling, "Merlin Ambrosius, also known as Myrddin Emrys, come to me."
At first nothing happened and they were just giving up hope when a small funnel cloud started in the middle of the room. Then stepped out the man they called.
Hphphp
I hemmed and hawed at who to kill off, all but Dick, he had to go, and finally settled on those two and many unknowns. It's what took me so long to write this chapter up.
The next update might take some time. I have a new puppy that is demanding my attention when I write.