"Either you help my sister and me reveal magic to the Muggles, or Isabella Swan dies."
Harry stared into Bella's dark eyes in fear. They had a slightly dazed look and he could see blood on the side of her neck. There was a red glowing handprint on her tear streaked cheek. Fury tore through him seeing the pain she had been put through by the Prestwicks. If they had used magic on her…
"Let Bella go," he demanded. "She has nothing to do with this!"
Prestwick just laughed. "No, Potter, you don't make the demands here, I do. Besides, it's far more amusing to see your anger and pain. Your pesky friends always were your weakness, and this one's even weaker than the others; at least Weasley and Granger could defend themselves. This one's pathetic even for a Muggle."
Harry watched as Bella began struggling to keep her eyes open; every few seconds her lids would begin to lower before snapping back open as the situation sank back in. Harry could feel his blood boiling at Prestwick's words.
"All I require of you is your assistance, Potter. Agree to a binding magical contract, help me liberate wizard-kind, and Miss Swan shall be released with no further harm."
Colour drained from Harry's face; a binding magical contract? To free Bella, Harry would have to sell his freedom to this woman hell-bent on revealing magic. There would be no choice – he would be contractually obliged to help her bring the inevitable downfall of the wizarding world, and he would have to live with that for the rest of his life. But who was he to sell Bella's life for his own freedom?
"Why can't you use someone else? There must be someone who shares your insane goals, you don't need me or Bella," Harry argued, trying to wriggle his hands behind his back but they were locked tight against him.
"Because I know how you work and that you would never let me go free," she replied frankly. "Anyone who ends up on your bad-side, Potter, always ends up on the wrong side of justice."
"Then kill me," Harry blurted, his heart hammering in his chest. "Get rid of me and I won't be able to stop you. Just leave Bella out of this." Prestwick stared at him for a long time, as though calculating what to make of him. The prolonged silence only made Harry's heart beat harder.
"No, I don't think so," Prestwick eventually said slowly. "Your pesky Order would be after me even more than they already are if I were to kill you. Best to keep you alive and on my side."
"But they'd be after the both of us if I helped you," he countered.
"But you have sway, Potter," Prestwick stressed, coming down almost to his eye level. "Think about what I can do for your tarnished image. With the Ministry on your side, I can grant you forgiveness. The public will listen to what you say; if you think we need to reveal magic then you can make them agree. Think of the peace of mind you could have if you were doing something that everyone could agree on?" She stared at him with her eyes shining, picturing what she saw to be a bright future.
Harry was at a loss as to what to do. He knew, and wasn't stupid enough to deny it, that it was usually at this point in time that some incredible form of luck occurred in the form of someone else saving the day, or some unheard of piece of magic taking place. If Harry were being honest with himself, it seemed unlikely that either of those would happen this time. He wondered where the Cullens were and how far he and Bella were from Forks. Would they be able to track them down? Harry wasn't sure seeing as magic had been used to get them both to the clearing. Somehow he was going to have to work this one out alone.
"Say I did help you," Harry blurted suddenly, "how would it work?" He had no idea what he was doing. He was buying time, but what for? There was a small sliver of hope burning inside him that the Cullens would find them. If he could just keep Prestwick talking…
"The two of us would return to Britain where I would exonerate you in front of the wizarding world. Once they know that you didn't murder Kingsley and you aren't the next Dark Lord they will hail you as the hero you are: the Chosen One who finally rid the world of Voldemort. From there I will take you under my wing, show you to the right crowds and the right people, steadily spreading our message about the need to reveal magic. Once we sow the seed of doubt, we'll have no problem in convincing the world the change must happen."
Harry shook his head in disbelief. "But I know how Kingsley died. You murdered him! Am I supposed to just let that go? To not be concerned that the Minister for Magic killed her predecessor in cold blood?" The thought of working with someone who had murdered such a great man sickened Harry to the core.
"You will if you want nothing to happen to Isabella," Prestwick sneered, pressing the tip of her wand once more into Bella's temple. His friend had just about closed her eyes, blearily gazing at Harry. Prestwick was supporting all of her weight by the scruff of her neck, Bella too weak to hold herself upright. Harry didn't know anything about head injuries except what he'd experienced himself at school. Frankly, he was impressed she was still conscious at all, but he knew that she would need medical attention soon, the longer she waited the worse her outcome could be.
"I could never work with a killer like you," he shook his head defiantly. "And you won't hurt Bella anymore."
"Confident are we?" She threw Bella down to the ground and his friend didn't move again. Prestwick began to pace. "You don't understand anything here, Potter. This is what it looks like to be completely at someone's mercy. I am the only one in a position to be making demands and ultimatums," she turned her back on him, and that was when it happened.
A sudden but silent breeze passed behind him, a quick jerk of his arms almost causing him to fall forwards. It was all over as suddenly it had begun, Prestwick noticing nothing, still talking with her back to him. It was only when Harry tried to settle himself again, did he realise his arms were free from their binding. He whipped his head to the side where his rescuer had sprinted, but could see nothing in the penetrating darkness of the trees beyond.
"– learn things the hard way, don't you?" Prestwick turned back to look at him, Harry quickly grasping the ends of the rope behind him so they wouldn't fall out of place. His heart was beating rapidly; the Cullens had found them. The final fight was coming, Harry could sense it.
"You just never give up, Prestwick," Harry said, confidence now filling him. "Don't you get it? You and your sister can't win; the bad guys never do and this time you're the bad guys. We will stop you, just like we have everybody else."
Prestwick's eyes narrowed in anger. She strode purposefully to where Harry still kneeled on the ground causing him to lean back in the hope she wouldn't notice the slack ropes around him. She didn't come down to his level, instead using her huge stature to tower over him. He refused to give her the satisfaction of craning his neck to look at her. Instead he fixed his gaze on Bella who was now behind Prestwick, still unmoving on the ground.
"Don't get cocky with me, Potter," Prestwick said coldly. "You're all alone with no one to save you this time, or did you forget that little detail?" Harry stared only at Bella, the subtle rise and fall of her chest the only sign she was still alive.
He couldn't feel the breeze this time, but he clearly saw the silent blur move from the trees to Bella's side. Edward came to a sudden stop by her side, the pain and worry evident on his face. He quietly gathered Bella into his arms and stood, giving Harry a reassuring nod before dashing back into the trees. Harry felt tension leave his shoulders; Bella would be safe.
"– and you will obey me, or shall I remind you of what my sister did to Miss Swan?" Prestwick turned around and froze in place. Harry took a deep breath, not sure what to expect to happen.
"What did you do?" She whispered. "What did you do?!" Prestwick spun around to Harry again and grabbed him by the front of his shirt, shaking him vigorously. He gripped the two ends of the rope as tightly as he could behind him; he still didn't have his wand. A white hot pain suddenly erupted on the side of his face as Prestwick slapped him and sent him sprawling to the ground, his glasses flying from his face. He couldn't help let go of the ropes, but Prestwick had turned to go over to where Bella had been lying.
"My wand is in her pocket," Harry whispered as he felt around for his glasses. He hoped that one of the Cullens was still around to hear him. He didn't know if Edward had been here alone or if the rest of them were hiding. If they were hiding, Harry couldn't help wonder what the hell they were waiting for. He felt his hand brush against his glasses and quickly put them back on, all pretence of still being tied up abandoned. Prestwick, having apparently found no sign of Bella, pulled out her wand and turned to look at Harry, more shock registering on her face at seeing him on his feet with his arms free. The shock was quickly replaced by fury as she lifted her wand into the air.
"Locomotor mortis!" Harry dove to the side, feeling the curse fly over his head. He scrambled back to his feet as Prestwick prepared to fire off another curse. Where the hell were the Cullens? He ducked as another jet of light passed through the air where his head had just been, Prestwick having switched to silent spells. Harry bolted into the tree line, trying to put as many trunks as possible between himself and Prestwick's wand.
"If anyone else is here to help me, now would be a perfect time to show yourself!" He hissed into the darkness. He vaguely remembered that Prestwick still had his invisibility cloak, that with a silencing spell she could sneak up on him with him being none the wiser. His wand was still back with her as well and it was going to be hard to get it back if he had to keep running away to safety.
The silence of the forest was unsettling, every rustle and snapping twig making Harry whip his head around. He knew the Cullens could be perfectly silent if they wanted to be, and Prestwick could as well. Harry wondered how many eyes were watching him sweat.
He froze as the tip of a wand dug into his neck.
"Move and it will be the last thing you ever do," Prestwick purred into his ear. He could see nothing so he assumed she was using his cloak. "Turn back and march." And Harry did as he was told. As he walked he considered turning around and trying to fight her, but she was far bigger than him and she had her wand. He'd be dead in a heartbeat.
Far too soon they were back in the clearing. Prestwick forced Harry to his knees and held her wand at the back of his skull. He knew that Carlisle or someone would have stepped in by now if they were here, proving to Harry that he was just as alone as he felt. There was no two ways around it:
Harry was going to die.
His teeth began to chatter as the fear set in. It was this revelation that truly made Harry aware of just how much he had improved mentally since arriving in Forks; he no longer begged for death as he had to Carlisle in the forest so many months ago. Since then he'd found friends in Edward and Bella, and a real confidant in Carlisle. He'd come to Forks running out of fear and anger, only to be reminded that there could still be good in the world and that he did not have to blame himself for the world's devastation. He had learned that there was always something to live for and now, faced with death once again, Harry knew he wasn't ready to die.
"It's unfortunate that it's come to this, Harry," the use of his first name sent another chill down his spine, "but you've proven that you're too much of a nuisance to keep alive. It's a shame, really. I know we would have made an unbeatable team. I don't know how you managed to save Isabella, but I'm sure that last thought will comfort you in death. So let me give you another one to ponder.
"You haven't been told everything about that day at the Final Battle when you left and apparated to America for the first time. Haven't you wondered why everyone died? Why suddenly they weren't protected by your sacrificial love? When you abandoned them the love protection you had put on everyone broke. There was nothing left to stop those curses from killing all of your friends – nothing to stop my Obliviate from wiping the mind of that silly girl Granger. So if you've been wondering, Potter, about whether it was all your fault, then let me answer that very simply for you. Yes. So tell me, Potter, why do you deserve to live?"
Harry's blood ran cold at Prestwick's words. Was it true? Had his leaving really been the reason for everyone's death? He squeezed his eyes shut and willed his body to not tremble. He tried to recite the words of his innocence in his head, but he found himself unable to remember how they began. Maybe he did deserve to die…
"He deserves to live," said a voice from Harry's right, "because he is a remarkable young man with his whole future ahead of him." Despite Prestwick's warning to keep still, Harry couldn't help whip his head around to watch Carlisle stride into the clearing, his hands clasped behind his back.
"And who are you, leech?" Harry could sense the hint of trepidation in Prestwick's voice; Carlisle's presence and immortality had caught her off guard.
"My name is Carlisle Cullen," he replied kindly as though introducing himself to a new patient. "As I understand it your name is Prestwick." Harry could still feel Prestwick's wand pressing into his head. He wondered why Carlisle didn't just take the wand off her.
"It's Minister Prestwick, actually, but I'll forgive the slip of the tongue just this once."
"It wasn't a slip," Carlisle assured, the kind smile never leaving his face.
"I was unaware of vampires in these parts. Certainly not ones that were a part of the magical world," Prestwick said, Harry sensing her determination at keeping the situation in her control.
"Yes, well, Harry has been an eye-opening addition to our town, that's for sure. But I also know your sister quite well, having worked with her for a short number of years now." The wand pressed harder into Harry's skull at these words. "Suzanne is quite a talented nurse, I've always thought so. Very good with patients, you know. I suppose her lack of magic meant she didn't recognise my family and me for what we really are, which is a shame for you, I'm sure." If Harry hadn't known him so well, he was sure he would have missed the tension in Carlisle's voice and his posture, telling Harry that there was indeed something he was stalling for. He just hoped that whatever it was wouldn't take much longer to arrive.
"I suppose that's what happens when society is misguided and sisters are separated, isn't it? I do apologise, Mr Cullen, but I've grown bored with this conversation, so if you're here to kill me and save the day, I ask that you get on with it." Prestwick and Harry both watched Carlisle carefully, but he didn't move. Harry felt the wand lift off from his head.
"Incendio!" Prestwick shouted.
"NO!" Harry cried as he watched the streak of fire blast towards Carlisle. The vampire watched it calmly before casually blurring out of its path. Prestwick growled in anger, casting nearly a constant stream of fire preventing Carlisle from getting any closer to them. Furious that she was not hitting her target, Prestwick cut off the flames and dragged Harry to his feet, pressing the tip of her wand underneath his chin. Carlisle's shoulders tensed but he still did not move from his position across the clearing, a smouldering ring of fire blocking his path.
"You're wasting my time you parasitic leech. Avada –" Harry closed his eyes as a sudden breeze leapt the flames and flew past him.
"– Kedavra!" Nothing happened. Harry opened one of his eyes, seeing Carlisle smiling smugly. Alice poked her head out from behind him, grinning widely and sending a quick wink at Harry.
"You're looking for this, aren't you?" Alice asked, twirling the Elder wand in her hand. Prestwick swore.
"You dare steal a witch's wand, you filthy creature? No matter, I still have –" she cut off abruptly as though to catch the vampires by surprise and whipped Harry's wand from her pocket. As quickly as she pulled it out, a large lasso of fire curled around her and Harry, adding to those already surrounding them. The heat was intense, sweat already causing Harry's glasses to slide down his nose. All he could hear was the roar of the firestorm, and Prestwick howling in triumph beside him. She controlled the flames with poise, letting them spread outwards to form a wide ring surrounding her and Harry. She shoved Harry to the ground in front of her, never once letting the flames waver.
Harry slowly pulled himself to his feet, sweat now pouring out of his whole body. He watched Prestwick closely, unsure of what to do. He knew she couldn't cast any other spells while she kept the firestorm raging around them, but she could easily divert them to target him if he were to try and attack her. The Elder wand was outside the ring of fire with the Cullens; he couldn't even hear Carlisle or Alice anymore, the roaring and crackling of the fire too great.
"We have reached an impasse, Potter," Prestwick shouted across the gap. "What say you and I apparate out together and leave those leeches to deal with these flames?" She grinned at him manically, the insanity within showing in her eyes for the first time. Harry took a step back but immediately regretted it as the flames licked at his feet. He heard a muffled cry from behind him through the flames before something hard thunked into the back of his head.
"Ow!" Harry turned around to see what had hit him only to see the Elder wand lying in the base of the flames. Harry gasped, watching on helplessly as the flames licked around the slender piece of wood. Before Prestwick could change the trajectory of the fire even more, Harry figured he had one option; he thrust his left hand into the flames, letting out a guttural cry as the fire burned his skin. His hand was in and out as quickly as possible, but the skin was still red raw once he pulled it out with the wand in his grasp.
Harry leapt to his feet, cradling his left hand to his side and pointed the wand at Prestwick.
"Expelliarmus!" He cried, watching on as his own wand flew from Prestwick's hand, the flames cutting off instantaneously.
"Flipendo!" Prestwick was knocked backwards several feet, sent sprawling on the ground. Harry strode up to her, breathing heavily, and thrust the Elder wand in her face. He could feel the wand's power pulsing in his hand, calling to him to unleash it on this woman in front of him. This woman who had ruined his life.
"Harry," a gentle voice came from behind him, but he did not turn to look at its owner.
"You made me leave," he whispered. His voice carried easily down to the woman still lying in the dirt. "You made the protection break. It's your fault they're dead. All of them. You murdered Kingsley." His voice never rose above a whisper, but it didn't need to. Carlisle's hand lay on his shoulder, but he ignored its offered comfort, his mind blank from everything except the woman in front of him.
"You took Hermione's mind! And Ron is dead because of you!" His voice rose with his anger. All of the hatred and agony he had been directing at himself now had a real target, and it was pouring out in waves. "Everything that has gone wrong for me this year, is because of you!
"I should kill you," he whispered, pointing the tip of the Elder wand at Prestwick until it was mere millimetres from her face. "I should end your miserable existence right now, just like you did to my friends." His hand shook and he could feel his eyes popping from his head. He had never felt such hatred before, poisoning the blood that ran through his veins.
"Harry," the voice said again, this time more pressingly. Still Harry ignored it.
"Do it, Potter," Prestwick sneered. "You're right, I've taken all your miserable little friends away from you for the sole purpose of breaking you. I left you abandoned and alone on the other side of the globe where you could wither away into a shell of your former self. After all, a defeated man is so easy to manipulate. So go on – end it, Potter. Muster together that Gryffindor courage and end my life. Could you do it? Could you look me in the eye and actually murder me?"
Noise began to interrupt the silence in Harry's head. Prestwick's words rolled around without making sense. Because they didn't make sense. He had been abandoned. He had been so lonely that he had broken. For months he had lived as a shadow, never breathing in the life that was around him. But Prestwick had never been able to manipulate him. She never stood a chance once Harry had found friendship and healing.
Because that's what he properly understood now. Bella and Edward. Carlisle. They had all been there for him, helping him break free from his all-consuming despair. He could never express enough how thankful he was to them for not giving up on him in all his times of bitterness and hatred. He would never forget their friendship, and he could never let them down like this.
Slowly, the wand in Harry's hand lowered.
"It's alright, Harry," Carlisle spoke softly from behind him. "She's not worth it."
"Pathetic," Prestwick spat. "Your weakness is what will get you killed one day, Potter. I only hope that I'll still be around to celebrate it."
Harry ignored her threat, calmly casting a summoning charm to bring his own wand back into his hand. He looked down at her in pity; he wasn't finished with her.
"You're wrong, you know? I'm not broken. I was. For a long time I didn't care about anything and I would have gladly welcomed death. But not anymore. You sent me far away from anyone who ever loved me, but you sent me to a group of people who grew to care for me despite my past." He straightened, and pointed his wand at her once more. "Voldemort's murder does not define me, but bringing you to justice will.
"Incarcerous!" Thick ropes erupted from the end of his wand, tying themselves tightly around Prestwick's midsection.
"This isn't over," she cried. "The world can still witness your magic online!"
"Could witness," Carlisle corrected her. "My family has already seen to that issue. Your video no longer exists anywhere – for good this time," he added, giving Harry a warm smile. Harry could only nod his appreciation, his thanks caught thickly in his throat.
"And my sister? You think she will stop until we achieve our dream?"
"Your sister is presently in custody with two of my children," Carlisle told her. "It was foolish of her to return to her office tonight. I assure you she has come to no harm, though a good bit of fear was injected to find out where you were holding Harry and Bella. She was quite forthcoming with the information, really. Why, we only mentioned you and it was as though your whereabouts appeared in the forefront of her mind for us to see clear as day." Carlisle winked at Harry.
Prestwick let out a pitiful moan as though finally accepting that she had lost.
"Mark my words, Harry Potter. You have branded yourself this day as an enemy of the Unseen. You and your revolting vampires alike." She spat on the ground at their feet, eyes glowing in hatred.
Harry looked at her with narrowed eyes. "The Cullens are far more human that you could ever be. Stupefy!" And Prestwick slumped where she sat, gone to the world.
It took all of Harry's strength to stop himself from sinking to the ground alongside her, the exhaustion in his body finally hitting him as he realised he was safe at last. As it were, he staggered slightly, only to be supported by strong, cold hands on his shoulders.
"It's alright, Harry. It's over." Carlisle spoke quietly in his ear. Harry vaguely registered Alice talking to someone at rapid pace nearby. All he could do was stare at the woman who had been controlling his life for so long.
"I wanted to kill her," he admitted softly. He knew Alice would still hear, but he meant the words only for Carlisle. "I really did. But she was right – I couldn't look her in the eye and do it. I am weak."
Carlisle moved around to stand in front of Harry drawing his attention away from Prestwick and onto the man's golden eyes. He never removed the strong grasp on Harry's shoulders.
"Weakness is not lacking the strength to kill somebody, Harry," he said quietly but firmly. "On the contrary; it took great strength to take the higher ground and walk away despite the horrific things she has done to you. As you told her: that is what defines you."
Before he really knew what he was doing, Harry found himself wrapping his arms roughly around Carlisle's shoulders. He tried to communicate as much thanks into the hug as he could, not trusting himself to speak. The man froze for only a second before he returned the gesture, giving Harry a comforting squeeze in return. Harry barely noticed the cold, the night air around them having frozen him long ago, but he could feel a stirring of warmth inside his heart.
Suddenly, Harry pushed himself away, gasping, "Bella!"
"She's alright, Harry," Carlisle assured him. "She has a nasty concussion and is quite shaken, but there will be no lasting damage. Edward is with her – he wanted his apologies passed on for not staying to assist you.
"We're quite a ways from Forks, and he got to you well before the rest of us," Carlisle explained, looking over at Alice who was still rambling on the phone. "He took Bella away to safety, sensing in Prestwick's mind that she didn't intend to kill you." Carlisle's eyes wrinkled in pain. "Her intentions were only ever to break you. Edward saw that she would do anything in her power to drag you into submissiveness, but never meant to go so far as to end your life. Obviously we were mistaken, and it was nearly my doing that pushed her to change those intentions. I had anticipated someone joining me earlier, but it was fortuitous that Alice arrived when she had. It was a great personal risk for her to leap the flames as she did. I'm sorry it took us so long to finally help you; you must have wondered if we'd abandoned you."
Harry shook his head. "Don't worry. I'm fine – or at least I will be." A sudden stinging from his left hand drew his attention away from Carlisle. His hand was bright red and blazing hot from putting it in the fire. He hissed in pain as the burning seemed to grow exponentially now that it had his full attention.
Carlisle rested the back of his hand against Harry's glowing palm, the cold from the vampire's skin immediately giving relief.
"It's not a serious burn, Harry. It'll be fine."
Harry nodded. The pain now subsiding slightly, his thoughts went to Prestwick's final words. He wondered what she meant by 'the Unseen', dreading the possibility of another single-minded group of wizards. Were there more like the Prestwicks who wanted to reveal magic to Muggles?
Harry closed his eyes and let out a long breath. He didn't want to be thinking of this right now; those were concerns for the future. For now, he knew that it was time for him to return home, and this time he felt he might actually be ready. Someone would have to bring Prestwick to the Order, and Suzanne would have to be dealt with also. Harry smiled at the thought of seeing Teddy again. And the Weasleys. It was time for him to apologise to them. Time to go home.
"You're ready now, aren't you," Carlisle interrupted his thoughts. It wasn't asked as a question; the resolve was clear on Harry's face as to what he had to do.
"I think I've run for long enough," he murmured. "Time to face those I left behind." He turned to look at Carlisle. "Thanks for not giving up on me."
Carlisle smiled, "Never. And I hope we'll see you again sometime?" Harry could sense the uncertainty in the man's words, and was warmed knowing he would always be welcomed back in Forks.
"You know," Harry smirked, "it was the vampires that made me never want to live here in the first place. Now it seems strange imagining not having you guys and Bella around." Carlisle smiled warmly at Harry's words, both of them content to know this wouldn't be the end of their friendship.
"Right now, though," Harry admitted, "all I need is my bed in Forks."
Finally finished speaking with the others, Alice came over and wrapped them both in a tight embrace.
"Come on then, you two. Let's go home."
A/N: And thus the end is reached. An epilogue to follow...
