Title: The Boys Who Lived
Author: Shara Lunison
Beta: Batsutousai
Rating for this Chapter: T
Pairings: Harry/Henry (OMC), several others—none of them canon
Warnings: SLASH, twincest, slightly manipulative!Dumbledore, grey Harry/Henry, OoC-ness, major character death
Summary: The Potter twins are attacked by Voldemort and somehow defeat him. Now the Dark Lord has returned and they have to choose between light and dark. SLASH, Twincest, rated M for later chapters.
Disclaim Her: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
A/N: I've been watching an 90's anime called Marmalade Boy, which is full of drama and love triangles and craziness. So if this chapter reads more like a TV show than my normal stuff, well…hopefully that's a good thing. I'm also going to keep using the somewhat sparse style that I adopted for The One True King. I've got a lot of stuff to cover in these last few chapters, and I really only want to touch the highlights. Onward!
Chapter Thirty-Three—No. 12 Grimmauld Place
Harry stood close to the railing on top of the Astronomy Tower, staring down at the distant crowd of people who had gathered for Dumbledore's funeral. He hadn't been able to bring himself to attend, though he was wearing his best robes for the occasion. It all seemed so…impossible now. Dumbledore was dead. The horcrux was a fake, and they still had the real locket and the cup to find.
Did Voldemort create another horcrux after his return? Harry wasn't sure, but they would have to find out. It was possible that he hadn't, after finding out that Henry was his horcrux. Henry… That was another problem Harry had no idea how to handle. How could he remove the piece of Voldemort from his brother without killing him? His brother was down there on the ground somewhere among the mourners and their connection was stretched to the limit. Even at this distance he could feel the niggling worry in Henry's mind that was caused by his own absence.
But…he just didn't know where to start. What were they going to do next?
"Harry?"
Turning, he saw that Hermione had paused at the top of the steps with a surprised look on her face.
"Mione?" he asked. "What are you doing here?"
She laughed. "I was about to ask you the same thing." She moved to stand beside him at the railing and they both looked down on the crowd below. "I needed to think," she murmured softly, "and it didn't seem possible with all the tears and wailing going on down there."
"Wailing?" he asked, half laughing.
She smiled at him, then grimaced as she looked over the railing. "Ron and Draco got together that night." It left her in a rush and she heaved a sigh of relief after the words were spoken. "I know there are bigger things to worry about right now. It seems so petty to be upset about someone else's relationship with everything that's happened, but…"
"It's not petty," Harry told her softly. He put his arm around her shoulders and lightly kissed the top of her head when she rested it against his chest. "Our lives won't simply stop happening just because the Headmaster is dead."
She nodded mutely, closing her eyes and turning to hug him tightly around the waist. He folded her in his arms and stroked her hair soothingly. It was several moment before she spoke again. "It's just…" her hands tightened against his back, then relaxed. "It's not fair!" she whined.
Harry laughed, and she joined him a moment later, pulling away. "Thank you, Harry," she said sincerely.
"I didn't do anything," he protested.
She shook her head. "It feels like forever since we've just been together like this. The year has been so busy, and so much has happened…"
He thought over the past year and had to agree. He and Hen had spent a lot of time just the two of them, while Hermione, Ron, and Draco sorted out whatever had been going on with them. Most of the time he spent with his closest friends had been spent in a group rather than alone like this.
"I wonder what next year will be like," he said.
She sobered quickly, tugging on a hank of her unruly hair. "I've been thinking about that, Harry; I don't think we can come back next year."
"What!?"
Hermione spread her arms to gesture at the school behind her. "Don't you realize? The Death Eaters may not have stayed in Hogwarts but the wards have fallen. The Headmaster is dead. So many others lost their lives or their loved ones that it will take months for us to recover. The Dark Lord has brought the Wizarding World to its knees. One more blow will finish it."
He blanched. "And you think…"
"The Ministry," she said with utmost certainty. "This summer. I just wish I knew exactly when."
Harry turned away, leaning heavily on the railing that edged the tower. If the Ministry fell, Hogwarts would fall with it. And with the children under his control, no one would dare to fight Voldemort's regime. "We've already run out of time," he breathed, realizing that all of his problems were now a hundred times worse. Hunting down horcruxes in a world with Voldemort in control would be nearly impossible.
"In a way," Hermione agreed. He turned to find her hugging herself as the wind picked up. "But that doesn't mean it's too late."
Harry nodded. When will it be too late? he wondered. He thought of all the Order members. Of Madame Bones and Professor Slughorn. Of Ron and Draco and Hermione. It would be too late when none of them were left to do anything about it. Until then…
"We need to make plans for when the Ministry falls," he said.
She sighed. "I'm glad you believe me, Harry."
He stared at her. "Why wouldn't I believe you? You're the brightest witch I know!"
She blushed and turned away to descend the stairs. "Because I was once a know-it-all first year that no one could stand to be around. I just want you to know how much I appreciate your friendship."
He caught up to her and put his arm around her shoulders again. "You'll always be my friend, Hermione," he said. Then he couldn't resist adding, "Even when you're married to Ron and Draco and popping out little blonde and ginger babies!"
She turned bright red, ducked out from under his arm, and smacked him on the back of the head. "Harry!"
He laughed all the way down the tower steps. It felt good to laugh, and he thought Dumbledore would appreciate that more than the well-wishers flinging themselves at his tomb.
-o-0-o-
"Lucius…" Voldemort hissed. The man prostrating himself on the floor of the Malfoy ballroom cum throne room twitched. "I am very disappointed in you."
"My lord, I…"
"Silence!" Voldemort snapped. "Not only did you fail to kill your son, you didn't make any apparent attempt to find him in the first place! Are you trying to make me angry, Lucius, or are you simply a blathering fool!?"
"H-He's my son, my lord," Lucius protested. "My heir."
"HEIRS CAN BE REPLACED," Voldemort roared. He raised his wand as if to cast a spell, then visibly calmed himself down. "Luckily for you, I have need of an…assistant."
Lucius looked up in trepidation.
Smiling nastily, Voldemort held out his empty hand. "I require your arm, Lucius."
Standing slowly, Lucius rolled up the sleeve on his left arm and extended it warily toward the Dark Lord.
Voldemort stabbed his wand into the mark and said, "Duo universus!"
Lucius stared as an ugly black nimbus surrounded him. The magic of the dark mark erupted from his skin and he screamed as that dark cloud shrunk in on him in a wave of terror and pain that was the stuff of nightmares.
A moment later, the magic cleared. Where once had stood Voldemort grasping Lucius' wrist stood Voldemort alone. The Dark Lord smiled, elated. His laugh started softly, low in his chest, and then he was cackling madly in the middle of the empty ballroom. It had worked. It had worked!
-o-0-o-
Sirius traced the elegant letters of the note for the thousandth time. He would have recognized the writing anywhere, even without the signature at the bottom. His little brother, Regulus, had stolen the Dark Lord's horcrux. It was…unbelievable.
He thought back to the day he learned of his brother's death. Already estranged from his family, he had heard the news almost in passing from Narcissa Malfoy. From what he knew, the family had had no warning. Regulus simply went missing, and then they noticed that his date of death had appeared on the family tapestry.
There had always been rumors that Regulus had died at Voldemort's own hand, but they were just that—rumors. Sirius had never been able to bring himself to believe them. Regulus had been too indoctrinated into the Death Eater culture. Their parents had been so proud…
So to think of Regulus as some defiant hero trying to bring down the Dark Lord was…it was…
"Siri?"
His head snapped up, pupils dilating in the darkness of the room as he looked at Remus. How long had he been sitting there? Wasn't it still mid-afternoon when he sat down?
"Siri, it's time to go," Remus said gently.
"Already?" Sirius asked dumbly.
Remus nodded.
Sirius looked down at the note in his hands again, touching the writing one more time. He would never know what kind of person his brother really was. He would never see the man Regulus might have become.
"Siri…" Remus was right in front of him. Sirius hadn't even heard him move. Gentle fingers pulled the note from his hands and tucked it in a pocket out of sight. "Maybe when we get to Grimmauld Place you'll find more answers."
The thought brought back a surge of life Sirius hadn't realized he was missing. "Yes. Grimmauld. Are the children ready?"
"We're just waiting for you," Remus confirmed.
Sirius stood, making sure that his shrunken trunk was still in his pocket. "Let's go."
He joined Remus in the sitting room of their quarters. His pups were there, along with their friends: Ron, Hermione, and Draco. Draco was staying with them permanently and Hermione was going to see to the safety of her parents before joining them. Ron had asked permission from his family to stay with them as well, and they had given their blessing, asking Remus and Sirius to give them frequent updates regarding the health of their children. (They considered Draco, Hermione, and the twins to be part of the family, now.)
The twins gave him tremulous smiles, and he gave them a grim one in return. Remus held up their portkey, a length of sturdy rope, and everyone gathered close.
"To No. 12 Grimmauld Place," Sirius said once they were all touching it. With a stomach-wrenching lurch, they disappeared from Hogwarts for what might be the last time.
-o-0-o-
Severus stalked through the halls of Malfoy Manor, trying to ignore his silent shadow. Finally, he stopped dead outside the door to his personal potions lab and asked shortly, "Why are you still following me?"
Barty moved to stand in his peripheral vision, head cocked to the side. "The Dark Lord hasn't given me new orders yet. So for the time being, it's still my job to protect you."
Severus turned his head so fast his neck popped. "I do not need protection," he hissed.
Barty stared at him for a long moment, head still cocked. Finally, he wet his lips with a quick dart of his tongue. "I think you need it more than you think. Last night, for instance…"
Severus flinched, opening the door quickly and stalking inside. The Dark Lord had been very…enthusiastic about celebrating their victory and Dumbledore's death. The first night, he had nearly wept with relief at how gentle and caring his lover had been. But then, last night…
"I'm sorry," Barty whispered, almost below hearing.
"For what?" Severus snapped, picking up a size three pewter cauldron and slamming it on the work table with a heavy bang.
"I…never mind," Barty sighed.
Severus turned his back to the unwanted presence and began setting up everything he would need to brew a batch of Pepperup Potion. It was simple, but time consuming. Exactly what he needed right now.
He worked in peace for almost an hour before Barty spoke again.
"You know," Barty said conversationally, "I joined the Dark Lord because of you."
Severus stiffened, hands almost forgetting to stir before years of training took over and he continued before the potion could be ruined.
"He also promised me things that I wanted, of course, but I never would have gone to him if it weren't for you."
"Having second thoughts?" Severus growled.
"Every single day," Barty stated blandly.
Severus turned his head, eyes wide and incredulous. Was he mad, admitting that to Severus of all people!?
Barty stared back calmly. "I often ask myself if you were worth it. Somehow I always convince myself the answer is yes, even though you've never given me the time of day."
Severus cast a hurried stasis charm on the cauldron and turned to face Barty fully. "What are you getting at, Crouch?"
Barty looked away, a slight flush appearing on his cheeks. "Surely you can guess?"
Severus inhaled deeply, panic rushing to fill his chest. He's mad. If the Dark Lord finds out…
Barty looked at him again. "I…"
"STOP!" Severus cried, raising one hand as if to ward off the words.
"…love you."
-o-0-o-
Once they had settled into their various rooms in the narrow, dark house, everyone gathered at the kitchen table to discuss what they should do next.
"So we have two horcruxes to find, possibly three, and we need to find the new focus of the prophecy," Remus said. "Am I missing anything?"
Harry and Henry exchanged looks. They had kept the new prophecy a secret from their friends and had not ever found the time to research and find out who it might be referencing. Grimmauld Place was the safest place they would find, now. Dumbledore had even helped Sirius update the wards before he died, and it was under the Fidelius Charm with Sirius as the Secret-Keeper.
Taking a deep breath, they spoke together, "The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches, born to those who have thrice denied him, born as the new year dies. And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal and he will have power the Dark Lord knows not. And either must die at the hand of the other, for neither can live while the other survives. The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the new year dies."
The others all gaped at them for a long moment, before demanding that they repeat it again. Hermione had the sense to grab quill and parchment to write it down on the third repetition, and made duplicate copies with a short wave of her wand. They all stared at it for several minutes before Harry spoke.
"We heard it from Trelawney the summer after second year. We never told anyone, because we didn't want Dumbledore to use this person the way he tried to use us. The only problem is…we never got around to figuring it out. So much happened this year and we rather…forgot." He gave them a sheepish look, while Hermione scowled at them both.
"I wish you had told me when you were asking for help with that potion," she said. "I could have researched it when I had spare time."
"Hermione," Henry admonished, "You were busier than three of us put together this year. I find it hard to believe you had time for anything other than studying and homework."
She blushed, but didn't argue.
"I just hope this doesn't refer to someone who will literally be born as the new year dies. We'll be in trouble if we have to wait for a child to grow up and defeat Voldemort," Remus said seriously.
They all grew quiet at the thought.
"If that's the case, there's hardly anything we can do," Sirius said reasonably. "I'm glad you told us about this, pups. If we can figure this out, it will go a long way to finding the person we need."
"Just promise we aren't going to send them to fight Voldemort whether they want to or not," Harry said, a worried frown marring his face.
"Of course not!" Remus cried. The others objected loudly.
"We'll go down fighting with them," Draco said simply, expressing the sentiment they were all feeling. "No matter who it is."
Everyone nodded in agreement and they studied the parchments in front of them again.
"It's no use," Ron moaned several minutes later. "Whether it's horcruxes or a hero, it's like looking for a needle in a haystack."
"Well, we definitely need to find people born at the end or beginning of the year," Hermione mused. "It can't be too many people, right? There aren't that many wizards in Britain."
"But can we rule out any wizards from other countries?" Remus asked. "Who's to say it's not some random student from Beauxbatons or Durmstrang?"
"There's no way for us to make that kind of list off the top of our heads," Draco said.
"The Ministry would have the information we need," Ron said, perking up. Everyone looked at him, and he shrank in on himself a bit. "Every wizard is added to the records when they purchase their first wand, regardless of country."
"Almost like a wizarding census!" Hermione exclaimed. "Can we just send in a letter asking for the information we need?"
"That would take too long," Harry said, frowning. "If the Ministry is in danger from Voldemort any day now, we need to get the info as soon as possible."
"Madame Bones could get it for us," Henry said.
Sirius snapped his fingers, and a miserly old house elf suddenly appeared beside the table. The elf was wringing its hands around a golden necklace of some sort, looking at them with wide eyes. "Master has called Kreacher?"
"What have you got, you wretched elf?" Sirius snapped, seeing the necklace and forgetting for the moment why he had called the elf.
"Kreacher was listening to the blood traitors talking," he said. The elf hesitated before proffering the necklace to Sirius. "You are trying to destroy the Dark Lord's horcruxes?"
Sirius took the necklace with a puzzled look, rubbing his thumb over the stylized 'S' on the front. "A locket?"
"Slytherin's locket!" Harry and Henry exclaimed in unison.
Everyone started speaking at once, asking Kreacher how he had found it, why he had it, and why the elf was being so helpful. Finally Remus put two fingers to his lips and whistled loudly to silence them all.
"Why don't you start at the beginning, Kreacher," he told the elf gently.
The elf sneered at being addressed in such a manner by "a filthy werewolf" but told his tale nonetheless. They all listened with rapt attention to how the Dark Lord had used him to test the protections on the cave where the locket was hidden. When Sirius heard that Kreacher had returned to the cave with Regulus, he made an odd strangled noise in the back of his throat.
"Master Regulus insisted on drinking the potion," Kreacher sobbed, fat tears rolling down his wrinkled face. "He ordered Kreacher to make him keep drinking, no matter what. When the basin was empty, Kreacher took the locket. Master Regulus was too weak to leave and he ordered Kreacher to escape. Kreacher tried to stay, but then the inferi came…" The elf covered its face with its hands and continued to cry. It wasn't hard to imagine what came next.
Harry and Henry shuddered. It was possible that one of those bodies they had fought in the cave had been Sirius' dead brother. It was a horrifying thought.
"Siri…" Remus whispered.
Sirius pushed away from the table abruptly, dropping the locket onto it with a dull thump. "I need to be alone," he said. He turned and left the room. They all remained silent as they listened to his retreating footsteps.
"Thank you for telling us, Kreacher," Draco said. The elf perked up, seeing a "proper" master in the young Malfoy. "Do you think you could deliver a letter for us—it's very urgent."
"It will help Master to defeat the Dark Lord?" Kreacher asked hopefully.
They all nodded.
Kreacher's eyes filled with tears once more. "Kreacher would do anything. Kreacher tried many, many times to destroy the locket as Master Regulus ordered, but Kreacher was unable to do it. Kreacher is a bad elf!" He started twisting his ears and Draco hurriedly stopped him.
"It's all right, Kreacher," he said. "You did try. We'll take care of it now, we promise."
Kreacher looked at them all with hero worship in his eyes. "You give Kreacher letter, and Kreacher will deliver it right now!"
Hermione hurriedly scribbled a note on her parchment and addressed it to Madame Bones before handing it to the elf.
"Give this directly to Amelia Bones," Draco ordered. "And don't let anyone else see you deliver it or read the message."
"Yes, yes! Kreacher will do as Master asks!"
With a pop, the elf disappeared.
The remainder of the group stayed around the table, staring at the locket in the middle. Henry twitched once, sure he heard faint whispers coming from it.
"How does once destroy a horcrux?" Hermione finally asked.
"Dumbledore told us you could only use either basilisk venom or fiendfyre to do it," Harry said. "We could get some venom from the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets."
"Too bad we didn't know before we left," Remus sighed. "You two come with me and we'll destroy the locket in the chamber."
The twins stood and the trio flooed back to Hogwarts to take care of Slytherin's heirloom. In the Chamber, the listened to the screams of the dying soul as the venom ate through the casing to the interior. Remus grimaced, filling several vials with more venom they could use on the remaining horcruxes. These he entrusted to the twins.
The destroyed locket remained in the chamber, a now pock-marked relic of a time long past.
-o-0-o-
Voldemort panted as he entered the safety of his rooms in the Manor. His magic had been trembling within him for the last hour. He had tried to cast crucio on an errant Death Eater and his magic had spasmed just after the spell hit, cutting it off abruptly. The fool had luckily run away before he could realize there was something wrong with the Dark Lord himself.
He moved to look at himself in the mirror on the wall and found nothing out of the ordinary. So what was wrong?
A spasm in his magic caused an echo in his body and he doubled over, gasping. He tightened his control over the magic, to no avail. Within moments a cloud of it had seeped out of his skin in a dark and oily shroud. Then, with a snap, his magic surged out and back in again. He was suddenly so very, very exhausted. It felt like he had used all of his magic up, which was impossible. Looking up, he stared in the mirror in surprise. On the floor behind him was the wide-eyed form of Lucius Malfoy.
Turning, Voldemort surveyed the other man in contemplation. Was there a time limit on the magic? That was unfortunate, to be sure. Especially with the side effects he was currently feeling. He moved a few steps closer to Lucius, curious to find out how the other man was faring.
"No…" Lucius whispered, eyes going, if possible, even wider.
"You dare?" Voldemort hissed.
Lucius shook his head, scrambling away from the approaching Dark Lord with weak limbs. "N-No! D-don't!"
Voldemort's eyes narrowed and he raised his wand, not even remembering when it came into his hand.
"NO!" Lucius screamed. "NO~!"
Voldemort stopped, staring. Lord Malfoy had been reduced to hysteria by his mere presence. It was flattering, yes, but inconceivable.
"Calm yourself," he ordered.
Lucius continued screaming.
Reaching down, Voldemort took Lucius by the front of his expensive robes and lifted him bodily off the floor. "SILENCE."
Lucius kept screaming, his eyes rolling into the back of his head. Within moments, he had fainted dead away.
Grimacing with disgust, Voldemort dropping Lucius back to the floor and wondered what to do with the man. It was unclear if the man would ever be able to function normally again. Pity.
Grabbing some random trinket placed on a side table, he cast portus on it and tossed it onto Malfoy's still form. Let St. Mungo's deal with him, then.
Turning to his bed, Voldemort slowly disrobed and climbed between the sheets, silently casting nox on the lights. It had been an interesting experiment, but it clearly needed some work. There must be a way to cast the spell without experiencing such unfortunate side effects. Perhaps there truly was something to the compatibility of magic. He grimaced. No, the dark mark should compensate for that. He would figure it out. He always did.
-o-0-o-