The Last
Harry and the group spilled out of the Pensieve. The adults all had looks of shock on their faces.
"He loved you for almost twenty years?" James finally said in disbelief.
"I can't believe it either," Lily replied in shock.
"But twenty years? Don't you think that's a little…weird and obsessive?" said James with incredulity.
"Oh so after almost twenty years of loving me, are you weird and obsessive?" Lily suddenly said with irritation.
"That's not the same thing!" James cried. "You never returned his feelings! You stopped being friends with him after fifth year! You weren't even friends the last four years before you supposedly died! Don't you think that after you died he might have moved on?" James asked putting finger quotations around the word 'died.'
"Would you move on after I died, James? Because if I remember correctly, you showed me similar attention up until seventh year and I didn't return your feelings until then. So you've felt similarly to me as he did for about the same amount of time. What if I died tomorrow? How long would it take you to move on?" Lily shouted.
"I…" James started and then hesitated, his anger deflating. "I'm sorry, Lil, but eventually, I would probably move on," he admitted quietly. "And I would hope you would too if the roles were reversed," he added. "I just don't understand how a person can spend so long obsessing over someone and it could be considered healthy."
"Who said it was healthy?" Lily asked in frustration.
"It wasn't so much as said, but the way you were acting…" he muttered back.
"James Potter, that man was my best friend up until you and the mutt over there attacked him. I'm not going to hold it against him that he, in his frustration, took his anger out on me. Why wouldn't I cry over the death of a person whom I once held so dear even if he had to walk a dark path and do such a dangerous job for so many years AND he had to do it all alone? Why would you even feel remotely jealous about that?" inquired Lily.
James stammered for a few seconds before Lily continued.
"And another thing, you saw how that man suffered for so long, doing everything he did, and your first thought is that a dead man loved me? How about having some compassion or empathy for him? You come out of that…that…bowl and instantly start judging him on one thing when that man protected our son for years, became a spy just to avenge me and so many other things that we didn't see! Do you not feel any regret at your actions toward him when he was alive?" she demanded.
"Of course I do!" James said in surprise. "I regretted my behaviour before we even got married. I felt absolutely horrible about how we treated him, but I can't go back and change anything. At the same time, I also can't not forget about how he treated our son during school, or how he abused the children he taught. Am I supposed to suddenly worship the man for the sacrifice he made, because, that's not going to happen," James admitted.
"You don't have to worship him, don't be dramatic James. You could at least show him more respect though," spat Lily.
"I respect him to a point," James said. "Doesn't mean I like him."
"How can you behave like that? I just don't understand! He sacrificed himself, he was tortured, and treated like shit for years. He was used by Dumbledore and never once was he thanked or treated with any kind of respect," Lily raged. "That man was a hero! You could at least try to treat his memory that way! If not for him then for me!"
With that, Lily stomped out of the room leaving a stunned group of people and a gaping James.
"I said I respect him," he finally said in confusion.
"Yeah, but you didn't have to add in that comment about not liking him," Harry said with irritation. He moved to follow his mum but paused at the doorway.
"Severus Snape may have been a bitter, stubborn, arsehole to me my whole education, but I hold nothing but the utmost respect for him. A whole hell of a lot more than I do for Dumbledore," he added before leaving them all in silence.
He wandered up to his mother's room and could hear her crying through the door. He knocked softly and waited.
"Go away James. I do not want to discuss it with you right now," she said bitterly through the wooden door.
"It's me, mum," he called out. A few seconds went by and he heard a click as the door unlocked. He walked inside and found her laying on the bed, curled up on her side hugging a pillow. He walked over and laid down on the other half of the bed so they were face to face. At least they would have been if hers wasn't buried in a pillow. Harry reached out and took her hand.
He wasn't used to initiating physical contact but he knew she needed some comfort.
"I'm sorry, Harry. For that…scene. I just…" she tried to speak but broke out into more weeping.
"I understand. Dad was a prat for saying those things."
They laid in companionable silence for several minutes while she continued to weep for her childhood friend.
"He was such a good friend when we were younger," Lily said tearfully. "A little stubborn and obnoxious about some things but still…he was a good friend." More tears fell on the pillow.
"Maybe sometime you could tell me about him. I'd like to get to know the man behind the abusive teacher and spy mask," Harry said. She smiled at him.
"I think I'd like that," she replied with a sad smile. "But I guess we should get back in there."
They stood up and headed back downstairs to the sitting room. When they arrived it was to a heated discussion between Ron, Hermione, and Ginny about Snape and Dumbledore and how the latter had chosen to inform Snape about Harry's fate.
"I mean, I knew the truth because Harry told us, but to see Dumbledore just casually talk about Harry needing to die was…eye opening," Ron whispered.
"Mmhmm, very enlightening," spat Hermione is a disgusted voice. "And to think we all used to look up to that man."
"I don't think anyone could have imagined that Dumbledore, the leader of the light, would sacrifice someone like that. Rita Skeeter hit it on the head when she talked about Dumbledore and his Greater Good in her book," Ginny added with a frown.
"Do you…Do you think he even tried to come up with a way to save Harry? Or did he just assume that this was the only way?" asked Ron.
"Who knows," replied Ginny.
"I doubt he would look for another way. Albus always believed that when he came up with an idea or plan, it was the best possible option and so stuck to it like Sell-O Tape on parchment," Minerva added from the side-lines. "But believe me, as Headmistress, I will be talking to that painting. And if I must I will cover it with a sheet for the rest of my career."
"I hope it'll be a dirty sheet or has something gross on it so it's all he has to look at," Lily said, making the group jump and spin around.
Harry thought about when he showed up in that ethereal King's Cross after the Killing Curse struck him and what Dumbledore had shared with him. He still wasn't sure if he wanted to share that memory with everyone, but it at least answered why Dumbledore would allow him to walk to his death in that manner. He sat in silence and debated internally whether or not to share that information while the others discussed other topics.
When James and Sirius finished their discussion and re-joined the group Harry still hadn't decided on anything, but was pulled out of his musings by James pulling Lily away from them all and apologizing.
"I'm sorry, Lils. I…was overly shocked by much of what I'd seen, specifically the Dumbledore stuff, and I chose to ignore that and go for the topic I felt I could deal with at the time. Obviously I was wrong about that too, but…I am sorry. I do respect Sn…Severus. More than I ever imagined I could. I also feel horrible that I cost you a friend back in fifth year. After seeing how close you two were my jealousy got the better of me, but I can see how much he meant to you, and you to him…I feel terrible," James finished, looking at his feet.
"James," Lily started and then sighed. "Your jealousy is going to be the death of me someday," was all she said before leaning in to hug him. They embraced and gave each other a chaste kiss, signifying that all was forgiven. Harry, not even realizing himself that he was tense, visibly relaxed. He was finally adjusting to having his parents back but seeing them fight was a completely new concept to him and he wasn't exactly sure how to react yet.
"So…" Sirius trailed off. "Snape killed Dumbledore because he was already dying." Harry had to chuckle at his godfather's method of bringing the attention back to topic.
"Yes."
"Here's what I don't understand, though. Why would Dumbledore put on the ring? Wasn't he strong enough to resist any compulsion charms or at least detect them so he could negate them? Why would he suddenly become sloppy?" asked James.
"We don't actually know if he put the ring on," Hermione pointed out. "We assume he did, because of how he was injured, but simply holding the ring in his bare hand could have affected him also."
"There was also the fact that the stone in the ring was more than just a stone," Ron added. Everyone looked at them in confusion.
"The stone also happened to be the Resurrection Stone from the Tale of the Three Brothers story," said Harry. "Dumbledore had coveted that stone since childhood. It was…an opportunity to speak to his deceased family members. He could ask Arianna whose spell it was that killed her and finally know the truth.
"My guess is that when he realized what the stone was, he missed a spell in his detection work from being distracted and when he finally got the ring out, the compulsion to put it on took over," Harry explained. "He would never tell me though in all our meetings though."
"Probably trying to uphold his all-mighty, oh-so-perfect persona," Ginny sneered.
"Which ended up resulting in an innocent man having to commit murder to save face with the dark lord," Lily spat.
"Well, Albus was dying. He also did leave it up to Severus. In the end, it was Severus who agreed to it," Minerva said softly.
"When did Sev agree to it? I do not recall him asking Sev if he would or not, or did I miss that entire conversation?" said Lily sarcastically.
"He said, 'You alone know whether it will harm your soul to help an old man avoid pain and humiliation.' He also mentioned that he would rather Severus do it rather than someone like Fenrir Greyback or Bellatrix. Then he allowed Severus to consider it for a few minutes, which Severus finally agreed," Minerva said, quoting Albus word for word.
"I still think he's an arse for even asking Severus to commit such an act," Lily muttered.
"I think we all agree with you mum," Harry said humourlessly. Everyone nodded along with him.
They all sat in silence for a few minutes and Harry wondered if there was more to discuss. So he asked.
"Any more questions?"
"Well…I have one. Maybe it's silly but have you been researching a way to get rid of the Horcrux in you?" James asked. "I mean, you're still here so I'm assuming that technically Voldemort isn't one hundred percent gone, since in order for that Horcrux to be destroyed you'd have to die…and you're…still here," James trailed off seeing the looks on the children's and Minerva's faces. Harry was stunned into silence. He had no idea what to say.
"Er…that's not…it's still, you know…in you. Right?" Sirius asked hesitantly.
"Harry James Potter! Answer that question right now!" Lily said shrilly, panic evident in her eyes.
"It's not…it's gone," he said softly.
"Oh thank Merlin," Lily sighed in relief. "But how did you get rid of it? Was there a spell somewhere? Did the Department of Mysteries help you?" she asked.
Ron and Harry shared a glance.
"You best just show them, Harry. Get it over with," the red-head muttered. James, Lily, and Sirius sat there with confused, worried faces looking between the teens.
"Get what over with?" Sirius asked finally.
"The memories…The war…" Harry said softly. "This should be the last trip into the past. The last of the memories."
They landed in the hallway in front of Harry's younger self. He was walking slowly towards the Great Hall in slow, halting steps as if he were forcing himself to continue walking. His face was hauntingly blank. His eyes made him look defeated and alone. Hermione and Ginny, who knew what was coming were already crying and Ron sniffled occasionally, his eyes red though no tears fell. Lily and James watched as their son moved closer to the Great Hall, Lily's mouth open slightly and her eyes wide as she looked around herself and towards her son and his younger self.
Harry, who had taken another dose of the draught, was standing next to his mum and Ginny. He wasn't feeling any distress about witnessing this set of emotions. He knew, though, if he hadn't dosed himself with the potion he would be an inconsolable puddle eventually.
As Harry walked through the Entrance Hall they could all see into the Great Hall and the sea of dead and injured laying amongst the weeping living. Though none of the Weasleys were in view.
"I wanted to see you all, one last time, but…" Harry said softly to Ginny.
"We were all helping out around the castle and grounds. The only ones still in there was mum and George and they were back by the teacher's platform," Ginny muttered back, a tear falling onto his shoulder.
Minerva, Filius, and Pomona were surrounding Remus, while Tonks had several Auror friends around her. Several students were paying their respects to their deceased Professor as well though not straying too close to the weeping McGonagall. Just as Harry started to gesture towards the doors leading outside, Neville came in with Oliver Wood carrying Colin.
"Oh Colin," Ginny wept into Harry's shoulder. He placed his arm around her and squeezed her tightly.
"I didn't know Neville and Oliver did all this," Hermione said softly. "I can't even imagine…" she trailed off. Ron nodded, silently.
Harry gestured that they should follow Neville so the group wandered outside. Just as Neville was about to pick up another body, Harry pulled off the Cloak giving the other man a fright.
"It's all part of the plan. There's something I've got to do. Listen – Neville –"
"Harry, you're not thinking of handing yourself over?" Neville said in horror. Harry's response made him think of visiting Neville and apologizing for lying to him.
"You lied…" said Lily. It wasn't a question. Harry looked at his mother for a moment before nodding. She closed her eyes, shuddered, and then took a deep breath before steeling herself and opening her eyes again. Harry wondered if he should verbalize what was about to happen or if he should just let them watch it unfold. Now Lily knew a vague idea of what was coming and she was visibly preparing herself. Harry stayed silent, pondering what to do.
"I might be out of sight for a while. You know Voldemort's snake, Neville? He's got a huge snake…Calls it Nagini… It's got to be killed. Ron and Hermione know that, but just in case they –"
The look of dawning comprehension appeared on Ginny's face.
"Kill the snake?" Neville asked.
"Kill the snake," Harry responded. As he went to put the Cloak back on, Neville said one last thing.
"We're all going to keep fighting, Harry. You know that?"
After their exchange Harry put the cloak back on and continued to walk across the grounds. Finally he came upon another person, but remained Cloaked.
"You passed me?" Ginny asked in shock.
"I…couldn't bring myself to…" Harry started but couldn't finish the sentence. Ginny had a fresh wave of tears as she watched the scene.
"But I want to go home. I don't want to fight anymore!" the girl cried to Ginny.
Ginny buried her head into Harry's shoulder, shaking.
"She died. A few minutes from now. In my arms as I helped Neville carry her inside," she finally said. "Her name was Mary Paulson."
"She was one of the students who had been home-schooled previously," Minerva added with a sad look.
Harry didn't say anything. Just held his girlfriend tightly.
"So much death," James said softly. He was looking around the grounds and seeing bodies upon bodies, some writhing in agony, others still and eerie. A few people moved around the area, searching for survivors to carry inside. Occasionally, calling out for help. Harry could see Neville running towards them. The memory was fading so he started to gesture to everyone to keep moving.
They walked into the forest a moment later and then stopped when Harry indicated they should halt. They couldn't see the Harry they were following so he explained what was happening.
"I realized at this point what the Snitch meant. The one Dumbledore left to me in his will. I open at the close," he said. He glanced toward Hermione who was waiting with bated breath. Her theory, that he was in such distress he had hallucinated seeing his parents, Sirius and Remus, was a confusing one. They weren't sure what would happen now. If he had hallucinated the apparitions who had accompanied him to death would they show up in the memory or not?
"I am about to die," they heard Harry whisper in the darkness. James flinched but no sound escaped him. Harry could see tears on Sirius' face as well.
"The snitch opened up and inside was the Stone from the ring Horcrux. The Resurrection Stone," Harry said quietly.
As soon as he finished speaking, a rustle was heard. Almost like the wind blowing leaves around them, and the group would have believed that if they didn't suddenly see the four adults standing in a circle around an invisible Harry.
Everyone but Harry gasped. Sirius stepped backward in shock. Hermione looked as if she wished she could have brought a notebook into the memory with her. She was looking from face to face of the apparitions in front of them.
"You've been so brave," said the fake Lily.
"How? How is this…?" James asked suddenly. He fell silent though as soon as his doppelgänger spoke.
"You are nearly there. Very close. We are…so proud of you," said fake James.
Lily stood close to Harry, shaking her head in confusion.
"How is this possible?" she whispered. "We weren't actually dead."
"Does it hurt?" asked Harry causing the entire group to either gasp, sob, or suddenly shift closer to the real Harry and physically touch him as if to reassure him.
"Dying? Not at all. Quicker and easier than falling asleep," said the fake Sirius.
"Or falling through a curtain," Ron said under his breath. Harry snorted. Hermione slapped Ron on the back of his head, but other than the four teens, no one had heard Ron's quip.
"How?" Lily asked quickly and a little panicked.
"Mum, it's okay. We have an…explanation of sorts," Harry said glancing at Hermione.
"Mrs. Potter, we believe…I believe that because Harry was under so much stress at this point he used the Stone and saw you four because he was believed the Stone's story, and then when he used it he saw you four, but in reality you never showed up. He's imagining this," Hermione started.
"You'll stay with me?" Harry said, bringing their attention back to the memory.
Ginny and Lily were both crying. James had tears in his eyes as well.
"We are part of you. Invisible to anyone else," said the fake Sirius.
"See, everything the four of you has said could just be what Harry wanted or needed to hear in order to accomplish his, er, goal. What was said has made it easier for him to continue on. He needed to know it wouldn't hurt, that you were proud of him –"
"We are proud of him!" James said fiercely.
"And that you would be with him until the end," Hermione finished sadly. "He needed the reassurance because he knew there was no other option."
Lily and James were openly sobbing now as they watched Harry moving towards his end. Lily kept whispering in jagged breaths, "He's still alive, he's still alive." James would nod every time she'd say it. Sirius was standing next to James and taking gulping, shuddering breaths, though his eyes were dry and wide. Minerva placed her hand on Sirius' shoulder and gave off a calming presence. Soon he was able to breathe normally, though his eyes were still wide.
They walked on for several minutes until they heard people talking.
"Time's nearly up. Potter's had his hour. He's not coming…Better go back."
"Little did they know…?" Ron muttered to Harry who silently smiled. They followed Yaxley and Dolohov back to the Death Eater camp.
Ron suddenly shuddered. "Think they know they're heading toward the spider's den?" he asked.
"I think so. Remember they recruited the Acromantula to their side," Harry said.
"How the hell did they even accomplish that?" asked Ginny.
Harry shrugged. "My guess is that once Aragog was gone, the spiders were free to do what they wanted. Daddy wasn't around to tell them no," he said.
Lily, James, and Sirius were all crowding around Harry now, gripping his arms or shirt. Ginny decided to step to the side and let the adults be near him. They needed that contact more than she did.
"I thought he would come. I expected him to come." Voldemort said. Now that Harry was focusing, it almost sounded like Voldemort was sad or exhausted. All the Horcruxes being destroyed had made him more and more unstable, and while he didn't know at this point what Harry had done to them all, he sounded like he needed a nap, as if he was physically exhausted as well as mentally.
The group saw him take off the Cloak and shove it, and his wand, into his group saw the four fake adults vanish suddenly.
"I dropped the Stone," Harry said to their glances.
"You weren't," Harry said with a ringing tone.
The clearing was silent for a moment before suddenly all the people and creatures gathered started screaming, talking, and hollering.
"HARRY NO!" Hagrid shouted. Harry winced at the sound of Hagrid screaming. The next minute went by slowly for Harry. Lily was gripping his arm so tightly he was losing feeling in his hand, James was shaking his head in horror, and Sirius was looking between the younger Harry, Voldemort, the current Harry and then back through the loop.
"Harry Potter. The Boy-Who-Lived."
"TAKE OUT YOUR BLOODY WAND!" Sirius suddenly shrieked.
There was a rush of green light that enveloped Harry's younger self and the memory went black.
"WHY DIDN'T YOU FIGHT BACK?!" Sirius screamed at him.
"There was no use, Sirius. Even if I did fight back, we all knew what had to be done. Why put it off by fighting back?" Harry asked with a shrug.
"But…You didn't even have your wand out!" exclaimed Sirius. "You could have at least had it out!"
"I didn't want the temptation to shield myself right there in my hand. If was going to die, I wanted it done quickly. Get it over with," Harry snapped.
"There was also the possibility that if he had it out, it could have been snapped by a Death Eater or Voldemort later," Minerva added.
The space around them was lightening up, going from black to grey, then grey to lighter grey.
"What's going on?" Ginny asked. There was a flash and they were standing in, "King's Cross?" she asked. They all turned to look at Harry who was pale, and staring past them at the flayed looking infant. He'd skipped the very beginning of the memory when Harry was laying naked on the floor to when he was robed.
"What exactly is going on? Where are you and why is it all white?" Lily asked in a panic. "Did you…" she didn't want to say the words that everyone was thinking.
"No. I didn't die. Not really," Harry said.
"Eurgh! What is that?" Ron asked, spotting the slice of Voldemort under the bench.
"You'll see," Harry murmured.
"You cannot help," said Dumbledore behind them. Hearing his voice suddenly, even though it was a softer voice, they all jumped at the sound.
"Bloody hell!" Ron yelled.
"Oh my god!" Lily shouted. "You died! You did die! How else could he be there with you?" she shrieked.
"Harry. You wonderful boy. You brave, brave man. Let us walk."
"Wait…he sends you to your death and just treats you like it's totally fine?" Ginny said indignantly.
"Just watch," Harry breathed.
Dumbledore led them away from the whimpering, blackened infant-like thing and attempted to explain what was going on when Harry asked if he was dead.
"On the whole, dear boy, I think not."
Lily and James both looked simultaneously relieved and angry.
"But I should have died – I didn't defend myself! I meant to let him kill me!"
"And that will, I think, have made all the difference."
Sirius was visibly growing irritated. "Why can't he just answer with a straight answer?" he muttered.
"Because he's Dumbledore," James replied, equally annoyed.
Several minutes went by as Harry and Dumbledore chatted, or rather, Harry was given prompts and he came up with his own answers as to what had happened. This caused some grumbling amongst the viewers, but they, for the most part, remained silent as they watched.
"He took your blood and rebuilt his living body with it! Your blood in his veins, Harry, Lily's protection inside both of you! He tethered you to life while he lives!"
The adults and Ginny all gasped.
"So…he basically turned himself into a Horcrux…for you? He is your Horcrux?" James asked in disbelief.
"I wouldn't necessarily call it a Horcrux, but…if there was a positive form of one, then yeah…he did," Harry replied.
"Gross," Ron said, making Harry laugh.
"But, does that mean that my, er, protection was…protecting Voldemort too?" Lily asked.
Harry gave her a strange, confused look for a moment, thought about it, and shook his head slowly.
"No?" he said with uncertainty. "I don't really know," he added.
"I don't think it was protecting Voldemort too. Because he was eventually killed. Your protection was for Harry only," Hermione interjected.
"He took upon his body a tiny part of the enchantment your mother laid upon you. His body keeps her sacrifice alive, and while that enchantment survives, so do you and so does Voldemort's one last hope for himself."
Everyone looked at each other with confusion.
"And you knew this? You knew – all along?" Harry asked.
"I guessed. But my guesses have usually been good."
"Wanker," James said suddenly.
"Wait…does that mean he knew that if you sacrificed yourself, that you'd live?" Ginny asked.
Harry pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. "I really don't know," he muttered. "I would guess yes from what he just said. But, with Dumbledore, who knows what he means," he finished.
Several minutes went by and Harry could see comprehension on several people's faces as they listened to the conversation about Harry's wand shooting golden flames, the Hallows, Dumbledore's obsession with obtaining them, finally having two of the three, and his history with Grindelwald and the death of Ariana.
"I had learned that I was not to be trusted with power."
"But he was probably the most powerful wizard in our entire country!" James cried suddenly. "He claims he wanted no power, but he had the most power of everyone! He was the headmaster at our only real school. He had the power to influence all those kids for decades. Even if he didn't have the favour of the Slytherin, he still had seventy-five percent of the population favouring him," he finished.
"It is a curious thing, Harry, but perhaps those who are best suited to power are those who have never sought it."
Everyone sat in silence for several moments.
"Well, that actually makes sense. You are a wonderful leader Harry," said Minerva.
"Definitely a better leader than old batty over there," Ron added jerking his thumb towards Dumbledore.
"Agreed," James replied with a dark look.
"Dumbledore had his moments," Lily said, garnering looks from everyone. "Remus," she said shortly. "Saving us," she added.
"Saving me," added Sirius. "Though I do agree, he made a lot of mistakes, I don't exactly think we can lump him in with Voldemort on a scale for evil."
"No one said Dumbledore was evil, just a moronic, secretive bastard who never kept anyone informed," Harry spoke firmly.
"I am afraid I counted on Miss Granger to slow you up, Harry."
Hermione jumped at the sound of her name being said and everyone turned back to the memory.
"You are the true master of death, because the true master does not seek to run away from death. He accepts that he must die, and he understands that there are far, far worse things in the living world than dying."
"So," James began hesitantly, "Because you were willing to sacrifice yourself for the greater good that means that you are now the master of death? What exactly does that mean?"
"That he can come back from the dead?" Sirius suggested.
"I don't think it means anything," Harry stated."It's not like I have any special powers or anything. I only survived this whole…mess because Voldemort was essentially my Horcrux. Once I returned and left that," he gestured towards the blackened infant, "There, I vanquished Voldemort and now I can die just as easily as anyone else. Not to mention I don't have the wand anymore, and the Stone has been proven to us not to work anymore. The master of death is just a concept, nothing more," he ended.
"If you planned your death with Snape, you meant him to end up with the Elder Wand, didn't you?"
"Poor Sev," said Lily, mournfully shaking her head. James reached over and squeezed her shoulder, their argument still fresh in their minds.
"I've got to go back, haven't I?" asked the younger Harry.
"That is up to you," replied Dumbledore.
"What? You could have…chosen to die?" asked Ginny. Hermione and Ron, who knew a little about what happened were also surprised.
"I think that if you decided not to go back, you would be able to…let's say…board a train."
Everyone stared at Harry for several moments in shock. After everything that had happened to him, he still decided to be a hero and save them all.
"Oh Harry," Ginny said as she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. They stood that way for several minutes.
"Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living, and, above all, those who live without love. By returning, you may ensure that fewer souls are maimed, fewer families are torn apart."
At this point, everyone had placed a hand or some fingers on Harry's shoulders, arms, and back. Whether it was to support him during this moment or to receive some sort of comfort from him, no one knew. For the next several moments no one spoke and they simply absorbed their surroundings and what was going on.
As the whiteness around them was brightening they heard Harry as his final question. Dumbledore's answer, "Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?"
The memory went white and then faded to black around the silent group. Everyone was silent and if they had been in a room, a pin dropping could have been heard clearly.
Finally, Harry sighed deeply and steeled himself just as the forest was appearing around them. The memory was a little fuzzy because Harry had kept his eyes closed, but they could clearly identify certain characters around them. Voldemort was laying on the ground, Bellatrix crouched nearby trying to revive him.
Harry was laying perfectly still and barely breathing, though they could see his eyes shift occasionally as if in a REM sleep. They watched as Voldemort finally sat up and looked around, getting to his feet slowly.
"I wonder if he went somewhere like I did." Harry suddenly asked. Everyone looked at him like he was crazy. "What? He obviously fainted like I did. Even if it was some backlash from killing his own Horcrux or from activating my…er, Horcrux in him, do you think he ended up in some weird Kings Cross station like me?" This thought caused him to start giggling uncontrollably. "I wonder who would meet him on the other side," he muttered with a chuckle. Everyone just watched him as if he had lost his mind momentarily.
No one had time to answer, even if they could have verbalized something, as Voldemort took that moment to speak.
"I do not require assistance. The boy…is he dead?" asked Voldemort once he was again standing. Harry watched as Voldemort pointed to someone and instructed them to check on him. As this person got nearer, she became clearer.
"Cissy?" Sirius asked suddenly.
"Uh…Sissy?" Harry asked looking at his godfather.
"Her nickname as a child. Narcissa…Cissy…"
The Malfoy matriarch bent over Harry and examined him. The entire group, minus the trio, held their breath.
"Is Draco alive? Is he in the castle?" she asked in the faintest whisper. Lily gasped.
"Oh Cissy," said Sirius sadly.
"Yes," whispered Harry in the memory.
"He is dead!" Narcissa's voice rang clearly through the woods. Lily looked as if she could relate to the Malfoy woman. James and Sirius were staring at her in a whole new light.
"She saved your life," said Ginny, dumbfounded. "That's why you…helped them at the trial. I never really understood why. You just said that she helped you during the final battle, risked her own life to help you. You never explained why," she said slowly.
"I didn't know what would happen if anyone found out what exactly she did for me. Technically, I could say that Draco might have tried to save my life too, back at the manor when he wouldn't identify me. Technically, that's why I did what I did for them. Notice I didn't do anything to help Lucius," he added with a frown.
"NO!" Lily suddenly screamed when she saw Voldemort cast a Cruciatus curse at Harry. Everyone gasped as it hit him, expecting the whole facade to be ended. But then they all were even more shocked when Harry was able to remain limp and continue to pretend being dead. His body was lifted in the air and flung around the clearing, torture curses cast on him, and thumped into trees and the ground.
"How the bloody hell did you manage that?" Ron finally asked in awe.
"His spells didn't affect me anymore. All I really had to do was remain limp and not make any noises," shrugged Harry.
"All you had to do? Oh, that's just all he had to do," Ron mimicked in disbelief. "All you had to do my arse," he mumbled under his breath. This caused Harry to grin and chuckle.
"You carry him. …Pick up your little friend, Hagrid. And the glasses – put on the glasses – he must be recognizable –"
"Bastard!"
"That's why Hagrid was carrying you?"
"Oh poor Hagrid!" cried Minerva.
Hagrid was crying silently due to the spell on him, but they could see his whole body shaking, as he carrying Harry back to the castle.
"I'm getting a dragon for Hagrid," Harry said suddenly."Even if I have to buy a huge plot of land for him to keep it in. I feel so bad about doing that to him. He deserves a dragon," Harry said shaking his head. Tears were in his eyes as he looked up at the half-giant man, who carried him to the Muggle world, rescued him when he was eleven, and finally carried his limp body from the forest.
"Oh please, don't. Hagrid with another dragon is terrifying," Hermione replied. "Get him something not as dangerous."
"A Nundu would be kind of cool," Ron added.
"Oh dear Merlin please, I beg of you, do not get him a Nundu," Minerva said weakly. "For goodness sake…a Nundu at Hogwarts," she murmured to herself, shaking her head and shivering slightly.
"Harry Potter is dead. He was killed as he ran away,"
"What?!" James shouted.
"We bring you his body as proof that your hero is gone."
"Why would he think anyone would believe that?" Sirius asked.
"That he was dead, or that he died trying to scarper?" asked Ron.
"Scarper. He had the body right there, not too hard to pretend that wasn't happening," clarified Sirius.
"No one really believed Harry would abandon us. We, at least, I immediately knew Harry had gone to give himself up. He's too much of a hero for anyone who really knows him to believe he'd do a runner," Hermione added in.
"NO!" The group started as Minerva in the memory screamed from the front steps of Hogwarts.
"Oh dear," she said from behind the group.
Lily, Hermione, and Ginny all had tears in their eyes as they watched everyone finally realize what they were seeing. Ginny had latched onto Harry and was holding him so tightly he was having difficulties moving. He rubbed her back and whispered in her ear that it was all over.
"Just a memory now," he said softly.
"Just a memory," she repeated.
"SILENCE!" screeched Voldemort, casting a silencing spell on the crowd. "Set him down, Hagrid, at my feet, where he belongs!"
This riled up James, Sirius, and Ron. Voldemort spoke for a few minutes, revelling in his assumed victory. Until, Ron himself broke through the enchantment.
"He beat you!" Suddenly, the crowd was able to scream and yell at the Death Eaters.
"What just happened?" asked Lily.
"It happened with Hagrid back in the forest too. When Bane showed up," James reminded them.
"Who has volunteered to demonstrate what happens to those who continue to fight when the battle is lost?"
"Oh Neville," Hermione moaned as the man ran forward.
"I'll join you when hell freezes over! Dumbledore's Army!" he shouted, causing the crowd to suddenly be able to yell again.
"His spells aren't working," Minerva said in awe. "I was so focused on what was happening, I never even noticed."
"Yeah, me either," said Hermione.
"I was too focused on Harry," said Ginny, who still had her face buried in Harry's jumper.
"Neville here is going to demonstrate what happens to anyone foolish enough to continue to oppose me," Voldemort said, waving his wand towards the frozen Neville, where the Sorting Hat burst into flames.
Harry waved his wand and slowed the memory down slightly.
"Whoa," Ron said as he watched an arrow shoot through his chest from behind. They all watched as Harry whipped his Cloak around his body, disappearing from sight. From behind the Centaurs were shooting arrows, to their sides the giants were battling, from the castle the crowd was running outside towards the Death Eaters, and right in front of them, Neville broke free from the Body-Bind and wrenched the Hat from his head, pulling a sword from it.
They all watched as in a matter of seconds, so much happened around them, ending with Neville beheading Nagini. The final Horcrux was destroyed.
They all gasped as the snake's head fell to the ground with a thud. At that point Harry let the memory go back to its normal speed.
"HARRY! Harry – WHERE'S HARRY?" screamed Hagrid.
Chaos reigned around them as everyone began fighting vehemently. Screams rent the air, and spell fire zipped past and through the memory viewers' bodies, and the longer they watched the more they realized, the Light was winning this battle.
As they headed towards the doors into the school everyone was surprised to see the House-Elves rushing the bad guys with kitchen cutlery, Kreacher at the front lines.
"Fight! Fight! Fight for my Master, defender of house-elves! Fight the Dark Lord, in the name of brave Regulus! Fight!"
Sirius was dumbfounded.
They entered the Great Hall and stood in the entrance just watching all their loved ones, or themselves, fighting.
"Oh nice one Ron!" James said as they watched Ron and Neville take out Greyback.
"OH! Hagrid! Did you see what Hagrid just did?"
"Oh Merlin. Look at Voldemort! He's one on three and still winning!"
"Whoa! Minerva, good hit!"
"I can't believe you three took on Bellatrix alone."
"Ooh…that had to hurt."
Several seconds went by, feeling like an hour, before they saw the Killing Curse whiz past Ginny. Lily gave a yelp and reacted by gripping Ginny's shoulder. Harry reached over and hugged her.
"That was so close," Ron gasped. He too was squeezing Ginny's shoulder to comfort himself.
"NOT MY DAUGHTER YOU BITCH!" screamed Molly.
"Yeah!" Sirius shouted as he punched the air.
"Go Mum!" Ron and Ginny both yelled.
They watched for a moment as Bellatrix and Molly duelled.
Harry glanced at Voldemort and was surprised to see the man was barely fighting. Slughorn, Minerva, and Kingsley were working so hard to fight him and he was batting their spells away like annoying flies. Voldemort was paying more attention to Bellatrix than his own opponents.
"You – will – never – touch – our – children – again!" screamed Molly.
"Oh my god…" Sirius said in shock as he watched a Killing Curse finish his cousin off. "I can't believe she had it in her…"
"Don't ever mess with a woman's children. Especially, if she just lost one," Lily said darkly.
"Oh no!" someone cried as they watched the trio fighting Voldemort get blasted across the room.
"Yes…that did twinge a bit," Minerva replied.
"Protego!"
"What did you think that would do?" asked Ron. "You know that wouldn't have worked against a Killing Curse."
"I know. I just needed something to distract him. That's what came out first," Harry replied with a shrug.
"I don't want anyone else to try to help. It's got to be like this. It's got to be me."
The viewers all fell silent as they watched Harry and Voldemort circle one another.
"You think it will be you, do you, the boy who has survived by accident, and because Dumbledore was pulling the strings?"
Harry scoffed, "He doesn't know how right he was on that point."
Harry watched himself calmly discuss the events with Voldemort. He could remember feeling intense hatred and desire to end the war. But he was also shocked at how calm he looked. He looked eerily confident and almost serene as he stood in the centre of the room, shouting back to Voldemort about how he was going to die.
Another thing Harry noticed was how scared Voldemort looked. He was positively panicked. His eyes were wide, his stance was rigid, and his voice shrill. How had he not noticed any of this the first time around? Voldemort was terrified of him.
"You won't be able to kill any of them ever again. Don't you get it? I was ready to die to stop you from hurting these people –"
"But you did not!"
"—I meant to, and that's what did it. I've done what my mother did. They're protected from you. Haven't you noticed how none of the spells you put on them are binding? You can't torture them. You can't touch them."
"I can't believe how calm you are right now," James muttered.
"Yeah, me either," Sirius added.
Harry just nodded and kept his eyes on Voldemort.
"If it is not love that will save you this time, you must believe that you have magic that I do not, or else a weapon more powerful than mine?"
"I believe both."
"Whoa…"
"I can't believe you just said that!"
"That was bloody brilliant, mate!"
"Look how scared he is!"
Everyone was amazed at Harry's daring behaviour. Even the ones who had experienced it the first time. Harry was starting to see what others had spoken about. Seeing it second hand like this, even he couldn't deny how scarily brave he was behaving.
"Severus Snape wasn't yours!"
As they discussed Dumbledore and the true loyalty of Severus Snape, Harry watched Voldemort. The more they talked he could see that Voldemort was trying to garner some extra time, he was glancing around the room looking for help.
Harry glanced around as well and saw that the majority of the room's occupants were from the Light side. Those supporters of Voldemort's were either restrained, or stupidly watching the fight going on. Harry watched as two Aurors, Ellen and Marco, stealthily Stupefied a pair of Death Eaters who were gaping at their master. They bound them in magical rope and attached a Portkey to them, sending them off to where ever they sent prisoners. They then moved on to another masked person, bringing him down with almost no effort on their part. Harry watched as they moved around and took out several more enemies.
He was amazed that they were still working while the battle between him and Voldemort raged in the room. He made a mental note to mention it to them next time he was in the office. Or at least to Ellen. Marco would probably scoff at him and give him extra drills.
"That wand still isn't working properly for you because you murdered the wrong person. Severus Snape was never the true master of the Elder Wand. He never defeated Dumbledore."
"Oh!" Lily exclaimed. She took a deep breath and looked excited suddenly. James was frowning but his wide eyes were glued to the scene. Sirius had a strange half smile on his face as he occasionally glanced towards his dead cousin.
"If all had gone as planned, the wand's power would have died with him, because it had never been won from him!"
"Oh Merlin," James suddenly whispered. Sirius gave him a strange look then re-focused on Voldemort and Harry.
"The wand chooses the wizard…The Elder Wand recognized a new master before Dumbledore died…" Harry glanced around the room and located Malfoy standing near his parents watching with rapt attention. He didn't look as if he knew what was about to happen. "Someone who never even laid a hand on it. The new master removed the wand from Dumbledore against his will, never realizing exactly what he had done, or that the world's most dangerous wand had given him its allegiance…"
Harry could see dawning comprehension spread across Malfoy's face.
"The true master of the Elder Wand was Draco Malfoy."
"WHAT?!" Sirius suddenly screeched. James and Lily looked slightly confused as well. Harry chuckled. He'd had a brief interaction about this with Malfoy several weeks after the battle. It was an interesting conversation to say the least.
"But you're too late. You've missed your chance. I got there first."
Now everyone but Ron and Hermione looked confused.
"I overpowered Draco weeks ago. I took this wand from him."
"The wand chooses the wizard," Lily whispered.
James glanced at his son in awe. "How the bloody hell did you figure all this out?" he asked. Harry just smiled and continued to watch events unfolding. He glanced at Malfoy who looked almost excited, happy even. Malfoy knew what was about to happen now.
"So it all comes down to this, doesn't it? Does the wand in your hand know its last master was Disarmed? Because if it does…I am the true master of the Elder Wand."
"YES! MERLINS BLOODY BALLS! YEAH! DIE YOU BLOODY BASTARD!" Sirius suddenly blasted, startling everyone. Harry chuckled.
Harry watched with a satisfied grin as the two duellers cast their final spells at each other. He watched from the corner of his eyes as Lily and James hugged each other, Sirius jumped around, cheering and pumping his fists, and Minerva wiped tears from her eyes, a fiercely proud look on her face. The teens were smiling and crying as well.
Harry watched as the golden light faded and Tom Riddle dropped to the ground. The Elder Wand spun end over end towards the younger Harry who caught it out of the air like so many of the snitches he had caught in the past.
James and Lily both burst into tears and turned towards their son, who tearfully embraced them both. The three Potters stood crying into each other's shoulders as the memory faded and they all appeared back in the Drawing Room of Grimmauld Place.
Harry laid down for bed that night and stared at the ceiling. They had quickly covered the months between the end of the war up to the day his parents were woken up. They had very few questions about the war or what had happened in the last few memories, for which Harry was grateful.
Harry lay still for several minutes revelling in the relief of finishing the memories. His whole body felt lighter and freer than it had felt before. Seeing the memories had given him closure like he couldn't imagine. Yes, there were things that had happened he could have done differently, but it had all worked out in the end. They had lost people they loved and there was never going to be enough closure for them regarding those losses, but overall he felt as if his life was correcting itself. The world was right-side up again and he couldn't be happier for it.
Harry laid in bed for an hour before finally getting up. He could finally imagine his future in a positive light. He could see himself going on real dates with Ginny, traveling the world, working as an Auror and possibly making the Ministry a better, more equal place for all British magical citizens, and most importantly, getting to know his parents. He was finally able to move on and be happy. With this thought, Harry fell asleep with a smile on his face.
:)
A/N: There is one more chapter after this! An Epilogue of sorts. I know this chapter might have mixed reviews because of the beginning but I struggled so much with the Snape memories that I ended up just skipping them and going for the response. I had to do what I felt was best and out of the 17-20 memories Snape gave, only three were worth sharing. I just couldn't figure out how to only show those three since they were spread out so much it would have too much stuff to fill up time… So I'd appreciate it if you let me know what you think of how I did it. I don't think I'll be coming back to write those memories, at least not any time soon, but I still like to know people's opinions.
And who knows, maybe someday after I finish my degree I'll actually have the time to sit down and do a series of one shots to include memories I left out that people really wanted to see. So if there was a memory I did not include that you wish I had, let me know of that too. If I do a one shot series, I'll come back to this chapter and read the reviews for ideas.
Thanks to Teufel1987 for beta'ing this chapter!
I am so glad these memories are done! My only excuse for this chapter taking so long, despite being written, is that I think subconsciously I don't want this to end…I love all of your reviews!