Chapter 35: One Diadem… One Hand
Having the gift of prophecy was also a curse. Curious merfolk followed the group of friends through the ocean. As they walked toward the far end of the beach, where they agreed to destroy the diadem, Luna felt the fog, as she had taken to call it, cloud her senses. Without her normal awareness, she fell to her knees. Neville was immediately beside her, calling out for Harry and Hermione, who were walking a few meters ahead. The couple went back and watched with concern how Luna's all-white eyes were crying, and her expression was one of pure horror. She started shaking and was covered in a cold sweat.
"Is there something we can do to stop this… safely?" Harry asked with a deep frown.
"No," Neville replied in a concerned tone.
"Has she had any vision this… emotional before?" Hermione asked.
"Not that I know of," Neville rubbed Luna's forearms, trying to warm her.
Luna screamed and grabbed her chest, "Noooooooooo! No, no, no, no, no, no, nooooooo!"
"Luna! Come back to us! LUNA!" Harry knelt next to Neville. He had never seen Luna so scared or crying so much. Not even right after what happened in Malfoy Manor.
"Stoooooop her!" Luna's hands were covered in energy, and she started flailing her arms in front of her, almost hitting Neville.
Neville waved his hand in front of her face, "Please, Luna! You are safe!"
Hermione said, "We love you, Luna! Come back to us!"
Suddenly, Luna fell limp against Neville's frame with a loud yet shaky inhale. She was never sure if what she saw was a vision or a trauma-fueled nightmare, but she couldn't risk it. Just as quickly, she stood up with his help and grabbed Hermione, pulling her close to her face with desperation.
"Luna, what's wrong?" Hermione asked, grimacing a bit at how tightly Luna held onto her.
"H-Hermione, y-you s-shouldn't be h-here," Luna replied, tears still running freely down her cheeks.
"What? What do you mean?" Hermione frowned slightly.
"I… I s-saw something… I… If you p-put it on, it will p-possess you. It will u-use your b-brain against you and a-anyone you love. P-Please go back to the house," Luna begged, her wide terrified eyes showing she was in earnest.
"Use it how? Why would I even put it on? I-"
"L-Listen to me! Within l-less than 10 m-minutes of it r-resting on y-your head, this i-island will be utterly d-destroyed. We will a-all be dead. Humans and creatures…." Luna tried to take a deep breath but failed, "K-Killed by you in the m-most awful w-ways imaginable. Complete and absolute d-destruction. You must leave with me! Please!"
Harry and Hermione shared a long stare. They nodded. They trusted Luna. "If you think it's best. That's what we will do."
"You c-can't do it e-either, Harry," Luna added.
"Why not?" Harry frowned.
"Your core is still tired, and you will… need your strength in the coming days," Luna replied cryptically.
"I'll do it," Neville nodded.
"Are you sure?" Hermione asked.
"Neville, I can't ask you to do this. It… It will attack you and hit you where it hurts most," Harry warned. "It will offer the impossible, play with your mind and your feelings. It will taunt you."
"It's a good thing you didn't ask, and I offered, then," Neville shrugged. "I know it's a hard task… and I know I'm not well… you."
"No, Neville… That's not what I meant at all. You are strong and capable. I just… Those things are vile, and they will attempt to make you destroy yourself with doubt and self-hatred."
"Well, I've been bullied most of my life. Perhaps I am better prepared than other people," Neville tried to joke, but no one laughed. "Please, Harry. Let me do this."
Harry placed his hands on Neville's shoulders, "If you can't… If it's too much… Call for me with your bracelet."
"Of course. Please take Luna back to the house. Help her calm down. Keep her safe," Neville requested. Harry and Hermione nodded immediately.
"Nevy, no. You c-can't do this a-alone," Luna protested.
"I don't want any of you here, Lu," Neville shook his head. "Prophecy always exhausts you, and I will not have that thing hurt any of you."
"Dobby?" Luna said.
"Yes, Missy Lovely?" Dobby asked with a bow.
Luna smiled at the moniker, "Please b-bring Draco here."
"Draco?" Harry and Hermione replied in unison.
"He needs to be p-part of Riddle's destruction to heal… Please?" Luna pouted a bit.
"You think he can handle it?" Harry frowned.
"Yes," Luna nodded as she dabbed her tears with a handkerchief Neville handed her.
"Alright. If he's willing..."
"Harry, you summoned me?" Draco nodded at Harry.
"He didn't… I did."
Draco turned around and hugged Luna when he noticed her reddened eyes, "What happened? Are you okay, sweetheart?"
"I… I am… W-What would you s-say if I told you that you can h-help kill Riddle?" Luna asked, hugging him back.
Draco squeezed her gently, "Anytime, anyplace. Just tell me what to do or where to go."
Neville stared at Draco with narrowed eyes. She's not your sweetheart, arsehole.
Luna turned to the other three, "See? I told you."
"Okay… Draco… We have Rowena Ravenclaw's lost diadem. It's a Horcrux," Harry lifted the container.
Draco's face lost all color and then went green. He swiftly pulled both Luna and Hermione behind him in one smooth move, stretching himself to cover them as much as possible, "How did you get that?! How do you know about that?! That shit is dangerous as fuck!"
Hermione smiled at his protectiveness and patted his shoulder, "We know."
"Oh? Oookay… Wait. You want me to help you destroy one of those? Do you even know how?!"
"Yes. There are several ways to destroy a Horcrux that we know of so far. Fiendfyre, basilisk venom, and the sword of Gryffindor," Harry replied.
Draco gaped and repeatedly blinked at the options.
Hermione added, "None of us can control Fiendfyre. Not even Headmistress McGonagall. We asked. The potential risk for destructive side effects is too high."
"We couldn't procure the venom… I mean, we bought it, but customs kept it retained… Despite our efforts," Harry motioned, rubbing his index and thumb to signal money, "It hasn't been freed to our ally squib in London, and we can't afford to send a team to retrieve it. We have the sword of Gryffindor, and it was imbued by basilisk venom when I killed Salazar's pet," Harry replied.
Draco blinked slowly and closed his very open mouth, "And you want me… a Slytherin of all people… to wield Godric's sword?!"
"No, dumbass. They want you to babysit me," Neville rolled his eyes and stared pointedly at Draco's hand that was still on Luna's waist from when he pulled her behind him.
Draco immediately let go of her, "Sorry… Okay. What does babysitting him entail?"
"You have to ground him. Horcruxes are master manipulators. They will try to twist his mind. You must keep him focused on the task," Harry explained. "Right his head when the Horcux attacks. If all else fails, distract the Horcrux while Neville gets back on track."
"Alright, I got this. You go do whatever you need," Draco nodded.
Luna placed her hands on his cheeks and pulled him down to kiss his forehead, "Thank you, Drakey."
He closed his eyes with a smile and then nodded, "You are welcome, Luna. I will keep him safe."
Neville rolled his eyes, "Come on, snake. We have a job to do."
"Whatever you do, do not wear it," Luna shivered. Harry and Hermione wrapped their arms around her shoulders and waist. She felt very cold to the touch. They needed to get her warm as soon as possible.
Draco walked carefully. He was carrying the box containing the Horcrux as if it could explode at any moment. As soon as he touched the box, he felt a darkness that he hadn't felt in a long time… The last time he had felt it, he was… At his father's house. Behind him, Neville kept grunting something under his breath. Was the Horcrux already messing with him?
"Stop, Longbottom," Draco stopped walking. "What crawled up your ass? I thought you were okay with me being here... You have even been friendly-ish to me since you've been on the island. We must do this, and we must do it right, so… tell me what's wrong or what I did wrong, and let's clear the air before a powerful sentient evil object tries to get you to run me through with that sword, alright?"
Draco placed the box down and turned to Neville with his hands on his hips. Neville placed the sword down behind him so it would not be close to the box.
"Fine. You want to clear the air? Good. Let's do that... I don't like how close you are to my girlfriend, Malfoy," Neville replied with a grunt.
Draco stared at the Gryffindor and blinked slowly several times as he processed that. He wasn't used to people who were this direct, honest, and open. His issue was so laughable that he had to bite the inside of his cheeks not to break his poker face, "Longbottom, are you… jealous of me?"
"Should I be?" Neville lifted a contemptuous brow at him. He crossed his arms over his chest.
Neville looked properly like Heir Longbottom now. Strong, steadfast, and protective of what was his. Draco still remembered the awkward shy kid chasing a frog who put up with a lot of shit from students and professors. Draco chuckled. This is more Slytherin of you, thank Merlin. I can handle Slytherin, "Listen, there are numerous reasons why me and Luna getting together is an impossibility."
Neville frowned, "Namely?"
"First of all, I am not anywhere near her type," Draco pointed up and down and Neville and then at himself.
Neville cocked his head to the side, "Perhaps. But she is yours."
Draco spluttered, "W-What? How did you come to that conclusion?"
"I knew Daph better than most people at Hogwarts... We grew up in the same circles, as you very well know, and when you didn't return to Hogwarts, we got close… Platonically, of course, with the PA and all. They have a lot in common."
Draco winced when he heard Daphne's name. Then he sighed. Both were stunning in their own ethereal ways and were crazy smart as well as intuitive and perceptive. "True."
Neville frowned deeply at this. "I knew-!"
Draco raised his hands, motioning for Neville to stop before he began berating him or pulled out his wand, "However, I do not favor incest, Longbottom."
"Wait… What?!" Neville's jaw was hanging.
Draco smiled, "Luna did me the honor of accepting me as a brother. I accepted her as a sister. That's why she helped me so much when Daphne passed. I kept telling her that you would get upset that she was spending so much time with me. She would shake her head, shrug, and tell me, 'It's what sisters do. If you are hurt, the world stops, or so I'm told'…"
Neville stared him down to see if he broke, but there was nothing except honesty. It was something Luna would say for sure. He trusted her completely, so he took a deep breath, "Fine. I believe you… Sorry for being an arse."
"Longbottom… I… Look, Luna is rarer than a unicorn. She deserves the best. As far as I know, you are the best for her, you hear me? You are not the chubby, awkward, scared kid that went to Hogwarts with an inappropriate wand and an escapist frog," Draco placed his hands on Neville's shoulders and looked into his eyes. "You are a warrior, a rebel, a leader, a role model, a badass, and a kickass boyfriend… according to Luna. She would have never even begun to overcome what happened to her without you by her side."
Neville blushed, "Thanks… I just try to be what she needs and what she deserves."
"You do, and you are… You know, one time she asked me to help her with her hair… Back when she had just got here. It was all knotted up. I detangled it with my family's secret hair recipe and offered to braid it. I knew what had happened in the basement of my house… We got to talking while I braided. I called her beautiful," Draco explained.
Neville lifted his other brow at this.
"Come off it, Longbottom! Objectively, she is a beautiful girl… I wanted her to feel better. She had been through a lot. You see, most girls smile and say thank you when they are called beautiful, maybe even blush, or compliment you back. Luna… She started crying. You see, she was so scared that you would think she was used goods -her words, not mine-" he added right away when Neville's eyes glinted dangerously. "I told her you would not think that and that what happened would make you more protective and loving… I have never been happier to be right," Draco smiled. He echoed Mrs. Weasley's words to him to Neville, "You are one of the good ones," and lowered his hands.
Neville sighed, "Thanks... What she went through… what she survived… I only feel lucky that she still trusts and chooses to love me. It was very difficult for a while, but I think she finally believes that I am serious about my feelings and my intentions… I am very aware she's way out of my league, but she's… I… She's the love of my life," Neville shrugged with a small smile and a blush.
Draco smiled softly, "I am happy to hear that… Finding love in times like this is remarkable. I should know… Now, so that the Horcrux can't mess with us that terribly… Let's set some things straight, Neville."
Neville nodded, "I'm listening, Draco."
"I may not be your cup of tea, and that is perfectly fine. I am like the finest firewhiskey… An acquired taste for discerning palates."
"Keep telling yourself that," Neville snorted.
"Come on, a woman here tried to eat me not so long ago…"
"We both know that bite doesn't count!" Neville laughed dryly. "She wasn't sampling the goods! She was trying to rip your jugular and missed!"
Draco rolled his eyes hard at that but chuckled, "Fine. Whatever… I want you to know that we don't have to be besties," Neville's brows disappeared behind his fringe, and his eyes widened comically. Draco shrugged, "We don't have to be casual friends, even, if you are uncomfortable with that. However, I am her brother, and that means it is both my right and duty to warn you of what fresh hell awaits you if you decide to do something stupid," Draco said, turning deadly serious, "If you break her heart, you will wish you were never born."
Neville swallowed hard and nodded repeatedly, "I know, Malfoy. I would never-"
"Zip it. You listen to me now," Draco's icy eyes turned deadly, "You ever hurt Luna… The world will stop for me, and my new goal in life will be to destroy you. Xeno and I will set all kinds of plagues upon you. Even if I have to hunt them myself by hand, I will throw all the Moon Frogs, Blibbering Humdingers, and Crumple-Horned Snorkacks of the United Kingdom at you. Then, I will train armies of Heliopaths to attack you mercilessly for as long as you live. Packs of Aquavirius Maggots will appear in your bathtub out of the blue. I'm talking hordes of Umgubular Slashkilters, hives of Nargles, swarms of Gulping Plimpies… They will all come for you… and as Merlin is my witness, I will find the nastiest curses in the Malfoy grimoire, and I will fuck you up for the rest of your miserable life! Am I making myself clear?"
Neville's jaw had fallen at the mention of the first creature, "Yes, Draco… You are."
"Good, Neville," Draco's evil countenance fell straight away. "Let's do this."
Neville blew out the air he was holding. He grabbed the sword and nodded, "I'm ready when you are."
Draco nodded back and opened the box. He levitated the diadem to a rock. "Here goes nothing…"
A mist came out of the diadem and formed the foggy figures of Alice and Frank Longbottom, "Look, Frank! It's our son…."
Neville froze, but he tightened his hold on the sword. He didn't even remember his parents' voices.
"How can so much potential be so… wasted?" His father sneered, looking down in distaste.
"Neville! Don't listen to them! It's not real!" Draco grunted. It upset him to see Neville's courageous expression start to rupture.
"Your mother and I were tortured into insanity because of you… What a waste!" Frank laughed sarcastically. His expression would remain etched into Neville's nightmares for years.
Alice added, "What a disappointment you are! A son who couldn't even wield his father's wand properly!"
Frank's figure moved closer to Neville, whose eyes began to fill with tears, "You should have been honored! You should have kissed my mother's feet!"
Neville took a step back. His hands began to sweat profusely, and his hold of the sword weakened. Draco frowned. He needed to do something. Potter wanted a babysitter. Fine. I'll put Mary-fucking-Poppins to shame!
"NEVILLE! Focus! This isn't real! They aren't here! They need you to get them out of St. Mungo's!" Draco yelled.
"Stay out of this! Death Eater wannabe!" Frank growled over his shoulder.
Draco narrowed his eyes and stretched his neck to both sides. He grabbed his wand tighter. This was going to need more elbow grease.
"Shame on you, Neville! You abandoned Augusta! An elderly woman! To fend for herself in a bloody war!" Alice added. "Oh, but you couldn't leave Hogwarts! Could you!? Not even having that blonde girl kidnapped moved you! You, who claimed you loved her! You let them take her away and use her like that!"
Neville struggled to keep holding the sword. It felt ten times heavier. His heart squeezed painfully.
"My mother did her best to raise you to our standards! She did right by you!" Frank's voice boomed, and dry lightning cracked across the up-to-this-moment clear skies. Birds flew away from the shore and deep into the island. The merfolk swam to deeper waters. Draco looked around and tried not to panic. This was not normal.
"We should have known you would never amount to much," Alice exclaimed bitterly. "And this is our heir… A soft, weakling of a man who begged another house to protect him from his frail grandmama!"
Neville felt his body start to grow cold. Years of insults from Augusta, from Hogwarts students, from Snape echoed in his mind. The bullying, the laughs behind his back, the mockery. His breathing got shakier. He could hear Bellatrix cackling inside his mind, and it made him want to stab his ear canal from one opening to the other so he wouldn't have to hear her again. His mother's face contorted into Bella's, and his father's specter faded away.
Behind the rock, Draco's eyes widened. Oh, hell to the fucking no! Fuck this shit! I must distract the Horcrux, but how?
"Itty, bitty, baby Longbottom… It was such a shame I couldn't get to you! Baby flesh is so-" Bellatrix licked her lips slowly, "Decadent," the specter licked the palm of her hand with a demented moan of delight.
Neville felt like throwing up. He wanted to say something, but his lips felt glued together.
Draco threw a strong slashing hex at the diadem to get it to change focus. The diadem jumped in place.
"That's enough, you crazy bitch! Talk to me! I talk back!" Draco growled through gritted teeth.
The ghostly figure turned to Draco sharply with a murderous stare, one he had been on the receiving end of for years, "Nephew?! You? Here?! Oh, how the lowlifes have fallen even lower than scum… You could have stopped McLaggen from sullying himself with both the blonde and the Asian one… and yet, you didn't. You could have been a trusted lieutenant, exulted above most. You would have been awarded honor and riches beyond your wildest dreams! Take me home to the Dark Lord, Draco, and I will make sure he is… merciful on account of your youth and stupidity!"
The distraction had worked. He was the new target. Hopefully, Neville would recover and destroy the blasted thing soon.
"NEVER!" Draco grabbed his wand so tightly that his knuckles were practically transparent.
"What will you do to me? Someone like you can't handle Fiendfyre! Your heart is too squeaky clean for that! Or… it could have been clean, except… You couldn't even keep Daphne safe! She was passed around from dick to dick like a cheap rag doll! I have seen literal mudblood whores and kidnapped muggle children treated better than that. One, two… even three Death Eaters raw-dogged her at a time while My Lord crucioed her. You can't imagine her screams… They were delicious," Bellatrix laughed darkly and twirled an errant curl with her index.
Rivers of tears fell from Draco's eyes. He felt all-consuming shame and regret. The specter projected images of Daphne's brutal rape and torture, and Draco froze in all-consuming horror. He felt his body shudder and shiver, and a wave of nausea hit him. He tried his best to keep his stomach in check despite his muscles protesting painfully.
A few meters beyond Bellatrix's ghostly figure, Neville kept his still-crying eyes away from the projection. It wasn't something he would ever want to see, and it felt disrespectful and ten different kinds of wrong. Daphne had been a friend, and she didn't deserve to have her worst moments displayed like this. He shook his head, wiped his sweaty palms down his pants, and grabbed the sword once more. He had to overcome this. It wasn't real. He needed to stop this scene before Draco cracked.
"All of this, she endured hoping you would save her… She was a feisty one… She fought the most… But it was quickly beaten and fucked out of her. And you… You pathetic excuse for a man did nothing. You were safe and sound here, sunbathing with my treacherous harpy of a sister and bloody Harry Potter… At least, Daphne would have been a worthy Lady Malfoy… Now look at you… Lord Malfoy through patricide… the nastiest patricide at that. I should know," she cackled. "Then, you are carrying blood traitors, helping mudbloods, consorting with the enemy… so, I shouldn't be surprised. You are not worthy of the blood flowing through your veins! Praising a glorified squib-" Bella turned back to Neville.
"This squib will end you, bitch!" Neville ran and brought the sword down with one smooth motion that carried so much strength that the sword destroyed the Horcrux, and the rock underneath the diadem split in half. Black smoke screeched loudly and vanished.
Draco bawled into his shaky ice-cold hands. The images of Daphne being raped were now burned into his brain forever. Neville called for Dobby and told him to bring both the sword and the former Horcrux back to Harry. His own eyes were still red from crying. He sat next to Draco, pulled him in, and held him tightly. Draco was pretty out of it for a while, but when he reacted, he only moved to return the hug. Both he and Neville were ugly crying by now, and weirdly enough, somehow, they knew no one could understand what happened to the other except for the two of them. It took them about fifteen minutes to let each other go slowly. Both young men pulled out handkerchiefs, dabbed their eyes, and blew their noses.
"I will be your brother, too, if you will have me," Neville offered with a watery smile.
"Hell yes," Draco smiled back.
Neville chuckled, "Just one thing…"
"Yeah?" Draco frowned slightly.
"Never ever say besties again, mate. It's so fucking weird coming from your mouth," Neville groaned.
"Can I call you Nevy, then?" Draco pressed, barely containing his mirth.
"Hell no!"
Both laughed among their shed tears. Friends could be found in the most surprising place; if you are lucky, you can even find family. On legs that were shaky still, they walked back to the house, dragging their feet from exhaustion that was both magical and emotional.
"I am so proud of you both!" Harry hugged them. They looked like they had been put through the wringer. "Thank you for this! It means the world! Truly."
Dobby took the broken diadem and took it back to the chest where they were keeping the destroyed Horcruxes. Once he locked the chest, he allowed himself a little dance. Hopefully, this time next year, his master would be on the island to have fun with friends or for his honeymoon.
"Now, off to get some rest. You must be exhausted," Hermione kissed their cheeks.
They nodded and yawned at the same time.
"Here," Luna handed them sleeping draughts and calming draughts. "Come to the hammocks. I will do some aromatherapy on you, and you will sleep it off."
"Yes, mom," Draco chuckled.
Luna simply poked her tongue out at him and took one of his hands and one of Neville's, pulling them away.
"We have to go to the castle," Harry said.
"At least we have some good news to share," Hermione smiled.
In a different drafty castle, Riddle woke up in pain… again. He had felt an immense pull on his core. If it hadn't been for all the magic that he had been leeching off his soldiers, he would have died… Or, well, lost this body that he went through so much work to obtain. His junior Death Eaters were looking for the diadem still. He focused, tried hard to feel his link to his soul bits, and kept falling short. He had done this exercise before, but now, he only felt one was left. It was time to rain hail and fire over the muggle cities, with the biggest resistance to distract Potter before he found Nagini. If he lost the war because of Snape, he would rip the simp's heart out and eat it raw. The distractions had to be… drastic.
They needed to shock the world, to make people afraid to leave their houses, to make world leaders panic. If they failed, Potter could find the last missing piece, and he would be rendered mortal. He had already tried to create more Horcruxes. He failed. Not for lack of trying, but apparently, as one of the few useful paintings -an old Healer- informed him before Peeves destroyed them, he had already reached his peak magical potential, and he had overspent his lifeforce creating his Horcruxes and in other rituals. Now, he wanted Potter to know no peace until they faced each other again.
"Selwyn!" he growled.
"My Lord?"
"Get me my robe."
Selwyn knew better than to ask which one.
"Call them," Riddle grunted as Selwyn helped him up and dressed him.
"My Lord?"
"All of them," Riddle clarified, seeing the blank vacant look of a person relieved of intelligence in Selwyn's eyes.
"Europe too?"
"What does all mean, Slewyn?"
"Europe too."
"Now!"
Riddle paced as he waited for the last call with one of his regional leaders. The more people he talked to, the more he felt Snape had to be in America. That's where the trail went cold: bloody Florida.
"Pyrites!"
"My Lord. How can I serve you?"
"Do you remember the list of targets we discussed two months ago?"
"Yes, My Lord."
"Are you ready to attack?" Riddle asked with a smirk.
"Absolutely, sir."
"Good. I will oversee Target 1, of course. You will be nearby attacking Target 2."
"Target 2?! Thank you, My Lord! We are honored. You will not regret this gift you are bestowing on us. We will make you proud, sir."
"You better. I do not have to tell you what will happen if you don't succeed," Riddle warned.
"No, My Lord."
"I will send you the details in writing. All times are in UTC, Pyrites. I don't want to hear any excuses. You have to be punctual and merciless. Don't make me regret this."
"You won't, sir."
Riddle decided to hit five different places at once. His foot soldiers had done incredible work at recruiting and fundraising (Robbing? Imperiusing? Committing fraud? Torturing?… He didn't care at this point.) Losing his daughter and Bellatrix had hit him a lot harder than he would ever be willing to admit publicly. He felt… empty. He was starting to fear he really did love them. All the pain was clouding his judgment. Now, all he wanted to do was kill Potter and get this over with before he lost his last remaining tactical advantage.
Not knowing Nagini's precise location had him anxious. The recurrent thought that Severus managed to kill his daughter, his… daughter's mother, and kidnapped his snake right from beneath his metaphorical nose was too much. He should have heard Bella. She never trusted Severus. Fucking Dumbledore meddling like a fool… Riddle smirked. He had always heard Harry Potter was too kind and forgiving for his own good. That was why Dumbledore wanted to raise him like a pig for slaughter. The kid was too noble and too prone to guilt trip himself. Riddle conjured a dagger and apparated to the dungeons.
"Vernon Dursley… I hear you like it rough. Let's see if that wimp you call a nephew has some balls left to come and get what's left of you and your Mrs."
Vernon was a shell of his former self. He had lost at least half his body weight. He looked almost normal in that regard. His head was bald. His skin was greyish from lack of sun exposure. His eyes looked gaunt, and they were bloodshot, swollen, and red.
"W-What? He will n-n-never c-come… We n-never w-wanted him! I b-beat him as m-much as I could! H-H-Hell will f-freeze before h-he comes for m-me, you f-freak!"
Riddle sighed. "I will grant you that you have some courage. You are a slow learner, though. The time you spent here should have helped you learn never to talk back. Crucio!"
Vernon trashed violently. Petunia whimpered next to him. Her wobbly knees were against her chest. Her dress had turned into rags with the humidity, the rats, and the torture. The rags both wore were covered in her and her husband's own filth. The older lady had been taken away. They thought it was to patch her up after she was tortured when the unknown person caused the crazy woman to miscarry. But she never returned. She was probably dead. They couldn't care less. They just wanted their own agony to end.
"I know you are getting used to the physical pain. However, it wasn't you I was going to use to tempt Potter. I think his mother's blood will work better. Don't you think so, Petunia?"
Petunia grimaced and tried to make herself smaller.
"NO! Leave her alone!"
Riddle undid one of her shackles. Her left arm fell limply, and she groaned in pain. Tom grabbed her hand and cut it off with one smooth motion of the dagger on the wrist joint. Her screams were delightful.
"Pet! No! What have you done to her?!"
"We will see if blood is indeed thicker than water… I bet your nephew can recognize this ring," Riddle showed Vernon his wife's severed and bloodied hand. Vernon turned away to throw up. "I heard you were the worst sort of muggles, but Merlin, you are also cheap. To wear a dead couple's rings… A dead couple that you detested… Especially when those rings were meant to go to his son and his future bride… Well, that is simply distasteful. Ugh," Riddle grimaced. He stood up and did a cauterizing charm on Petunia's bloodied stump. She had fainted from the pain. "We will see where Potter's priorities are," he smirked at Vernon, who broke down crying and vanished.
Vernon bawled like a child. His wife could now die from an infection or from blood loss. Petunia had always been slim, but now, she was barely skin and bones. She looked like the survivors of the concentration camps. He whimpered. Potter wouldn't help them. Vernon was positive he would probably laugh, maybe taxidermy the hand to keep as a decoration. Why would he come for them? But this monster seemed to think the boy would. Why? Did he know something that Vernon didn't? Probably. No matter. We will die down here… and our son will never find us.
The first stop for Harry and Hermione was the castle's Infirmary to see to the injured. The Grangers had insisted to come. Mr. Granger, as a veteran, could relate to them. Mrs. Granger could provide some empathy as well as her own father had been killed in battle. The doors swiveled open slowly. The fallen soldiers' bodies were in the back, ready for transport and under stasis charms. The elves stopped their work and bowed toward them. Harry and Hermione shook their heads. They bowed deeply back at the elves and at the injured soldiers, who looked at them with apprehension. Together, they approached each bed. Mr. and Mrs. Granger started by paying their respects to the fallen soldiers.
"Thomson, right?" Harry asked.
"Yeah…" Half his face was bandaged, covering burns.
"I feel this is a very stupid question but… How are you?" Harry asked.
"It's not stupid," the man answered in a thick Scottish accent. "Many a person runs away from other people's pain… They are too afraid to even ask."
"How are you, Thomson?"
"Hanging in there…" Thomson shrugged with just one shoulder as the other arm was in a sling.
"We are sorry for your injuries and your losses… Beyond words," Hermione placed her hand atop his.
"I know… Thank you for saying it…" he replied in a tone that screamed 'Your words don't make anything better.'
"What can we do to make things better? Anything at all," Harry sat next to the man.
"I… want… I have to go home."
Harry nodded. There was so much pain in the man's voice. "Do you know… Is your family okay?"
"No, sir… My family… My family was my brother… and he's over there," Thomson pointed to the back of the infirmary.
Hermione covered her face with her hands. Oh my God. Tears fell rapidly from her eyes.
"Fuck… I can't even say-"
"No more apologies, please. I have heard plenty. Such is the nature of war… We knew the risks. All I want is to bury my brother in our homeland," Thomson replied. "I know it's very risky, but that's what he wanted."
"Excuse me… Lord Potter, Minister Delacour wants to speak to you."
"Floo call?"
"Yes."
"I will call him back."
"But sir-"
"Is it an emergency?"
The elf looked a bit confused at that but shook his head.
"In an hour. Please."
"Yes, sir."
"Thomson, have the healers told you when you will be able to travel?"
"In three days."
Hermione took out a notebook and wrote the details. "We are having a logistics meeting later. We will prioritize you and your brother. You have my word."
"Thank you, Lady Potter."
Hermione smiled. "It's the least we can do."
Harry and Hermione moved bed by bed, asking questions and taking notes. They cried with the soldiers. Hugged or held hands with the ones who welcomed it. They apologized to each of them for the disaster that Gringotts had been. They did their best to join with the ones who wanted to pray and got to the back of the room. They stood next to the blanket-covered bodies holding hands tightly, their heads bowed. Tears fell from their eyes. War was always real to them. This, however, took it to another level, though. Around them, several warriors looked at the teens with a bit less anger and contempt. There, doing their best to cry quietly over the dead soldiers, they actually looked their age. This made others around them realize that children were being lost to war in more than one way. That this nightmare was unfair to everyone and that the children had been doing remarkably well leading these efforts considering their age and lack of experience.
Hermione lay her free hand on what she imagined was someone's foot. "Your sacrifices will not be in vain."
"We promise," Harry added.
Jing had been standing near the door watching this visit unfold. The soldiers looked much better, just like he hoped. In purposeful large strides, he got next to the teens.
"Harry, we need to talk logistics and-"
Harry cut Jing off by giving him a tight hug. The man froze for a second but then remembered this young man could have been his son-in-law or just his son in another life, and he returned the hug. Jing could feel Harry's hot tears on his shirt… and his heart.
"I'm s-so sorry for your l-loss, Jing. I don't e-expect you to forgive me for the role me and my people played in this, b-but I just need you to know that I will a-always be sorry… Daiyu was an inc-incredible strategist and fighter, and she will be missed by all of us."
"May we speak to Chyou and Longwei? We would like to offer our condolences," Hermione squeezed Jing's arm and discretely pulled Harry away.
"They are training. You can see them after the meeting."
"Of course."
"Alain!" Sophie yelled from the living room of their cabana. "Tu dois voir ça !" [You have to see this!]
Gabrielle and Sophie were holding each other, jaws hanging in complete horror as they saw the news.
Chaos would seem to be a big enough word for what they were seeing. Hell was perhaps a better metaphor to encompass the true devastation of the scenes.
"Putain de merde !" Alain sat next to his wife, who was crying silently. [Fucking hell!]
"Alain, notre fille," Sophie wiped tears away. [Alain, our daughter]
"Elle sera en sécurité tant qu'elle sera avec Potter," Alain replied. [She will be safe as long as she's with Potter.]
"Papa, tous ces gens... Nous devons les aider," Gabrielle pouted a bit. [Daddy, all those people… We have to help them.]
There was a knock at their door. Alain rushed to open it, "Oui ?" [Yes?]
"Un télégramme urgent pour vous, monsieur," [An urgent telegram for you, sir]
"Merci." [Thank you]
Alain's eyes scanned the document for the important message, and he felt dread settling in his stomach.
"Vigipirate: Scarlet. Bikini: ambre à rouge. OTAN: Scarlet. [Vigipirate: Scarlet. Bikini: amber to red. NATO: Scarlet]
Milliers de blessés. Dizaines de morts. Besoin d'aide. [Thousands injured. Dozens dead. Send help.]
-L. J. *"
"Papa ?" Gabrielle tried to get his attention. [Daddy?]
"Allons-y ! Allez chercher vos sacs d'urgence !" [Let's go! Go get your emergency bags!]
"Où allons-nous?" [Where are we going?]
"Vos sacs, maintenant !" [Your bags, now!]
Sophie had never seen her husband so agitated, so she pulled Gabrielle away, and they ran to open the safe. In under five minutes, they were ready to go, and Alain activated a portkey.
"I wish I could beat you to a pulp for what you did! But I owe you a fucking life debt for getting me out of Malfoy Manor, so I can't even do that!"
Sirius stood up and took a step toward Chyou, "I, Lord Black, Head of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black, hereby request payment for Chyou Chang's life debt owed to me for my role in securing her freedom." Longwei gasped and looked ready to attack him. Sirius continued, "I will consider the debt paid if she punches me as hard as she can right now."
Chyou glowed blue and stood up, prepared and decked Sirius with such strength that he fell backward and broke the coffee table behind him. Longwei sat back down. This payment was acceptable to him.
"Bloody hell! You hit harder than a man!" Sirius spat the blood that got in his mouth, as it was falling in rivers from his nose, and stood up. He made no effort to protect himself when Chyou came at him and started punching him everywhere she could reach. She kneed his junk and threw him off the table and to the ground.
Longwei let his sister vent. Sirius deserved the beating up. He could add more punches, but two against one wasn't fair. However, losing their mother wasn't fair either. Before he could jump in, the door to the library opened.
Harry and Hermione pushed the door open and stared at the scene with gaping mouths. Lord Chang took a deep breath and sighed. He should intervene, but then again, he wanted to add his own punches as well. It had taken a lot for him to keep his murderous desires in check.
Sirius could feel in Chyou's punches how weary she was growing. She kept berating him in Mandarin. Once she slumped against him, he wrapped his arms around her, and she started bawling against his chest while her punches lost speed and potency. "I will never stop apologizing, Chyou. I wish I could do something to ease your pain."
"You can't," Lord Chang replied, pulling his daughter up and into his arms instead. Longwei motioned behind Sirius, "Thank you for ending the life debt, though."
"I never considered it necessary, Jing. Once again, I will never forgive myself for what happened."
"You will have to live with your actions. There is nothing that can be done now," Longwei said with a pained expression.
Harry cleared his throat, "I'm sorry to interrupt… whatever this is. At least, I think I am. We need to plan logistics, and it will be in all our best interests if we work together."
"What about the-?"
"The diadem was destroyed by Neville with Draco's help."
"Finally, some good news!" Longwei threw his arms up.
"Chyou, the whiteboard, please," Lord Chang nodded at her with respect.
"Yes, father," she smiled genuinely for the first time in days.
"Our friends in the military are willing to help us," Mrs. Xu peered into the room.
Tonks marveled at how despite all the madness around, all she cared about was her beautiful son. Her husband wrote to say he was slowly recovering. The baby was healthy and strong. She was slowly feeling better from her ordeal. But she wanted no more children. Her grade two tears would take days to heal.
A soft knock made her look up, "Come in."
Harry and Hermione walked in. Hermione did a disinfecting spell on both of their hands and forearms while Harry conjured masks.
"Isn't that a bit overkill?" Tonks smiled at them.
"Well, we have been around a lot of people and don't want to risk either of you."
Hermione hugged both Tonks and the sleeping baby.
"What are you going to name him?" Harry asked as he hugged them as well.
"I haven't been able to talk to Remus yet."
"How are you feeling?" Hermione squeezed Tonks' shoulder.
"I am fine… considering. I did tear up a bit, but my mom insists everything will go back to normal soon enough," Tonks replied.
Hermione grimaced, "Oh, no…"
"Yeah, oh, look… He's up," Tonks stared at the baby.
Yellowish eyes looked up at them.
Harry and Hermione looked at the baby, peering closer at him. His left eye turned emerald green, and his right eye turned chocolate brown. Both teens lifted their faces to look at Tonks questioningly.
"We still don't know," she said. "We should see some signs in the coming months."
"He may be like Remus or like me… or like both…"
"The latter would be the most concerning, right?"
"Yes, because we wouldn't know how both skills would combine or if being a metarmorphmagus would have consequences to his being part werewolf… or the other way around. So far, he's a happy calm baby."
"Please let us know what happens, Tonks."
The baby wrapped his hands around one of Harry and Hermione's fingers.
"I know there's a lot going on. And it would be better if Remus was here, but can you please do the godparent oath," Tonks requested.
"Of course. Just let us know what to do."
"Ruki?"
The elf appeared, "Yes, Mrs. Lupin?"
"We will do the godparent oath. Can you be our witness?"
"I would be honored, madam," Ruki bowed.
"Please, stop this torture. I have already been punched many times today, and I would rather you do your worst now so I can recover from both, Ruki," Sirius begged.
"You don't get to choose your punishment or its timing," Ruki replied. "Just know that it's coming."
"You are terrifying."
"Good. I will wait until this crisis is over," Ruki replied.
"Maybe Magic will spare me, and I will die in battle," Sirius sighed.
"Your melodramatics don't impress me. I will make sure you don't, so you pay me what you owe me," Ruki narrowed her eyes.
"Fine. But you must always choose to save Harry over saving me. If I die, I'll pay my dues in hell, okay?"
"Yes. Master Harry is my reason to live. Don't tell me how to do my job. Just don't thwart my efforts," she frowned and vanished.
Sirius sighed. He felt like the worst person on Earth. His foolishness had caused incredible damage, and he was finding it hard to live with himself. Harry still had to rip him a new one too. Better get it over with.
Harry heard his godfather quietly. Once he was done, Harry stood up.
"I had a whole outline of what I was going to say. You did something really bad. It was with the best intentions, but the consequences were harrowing, and the cost in humans and creatures was too great. I can see that you understand that they will not forgive you, at least not now."
"Sirius, the Horcrux was destroyed," Hermione said. "That was the one good thing that came from your actions. That and the fact that Anord and some of her goblins survived."
"I know. Vice carries its own punishment. I am punished every time I see Chyou or Longwei or any of the others who have lost their loved ones at Gringotts. But I will continue to fight if you let me," Sirius replied. His head hung.
"Look at me, Pads," Harry sat on the coffee table in front of his godfather.
Sirius looked up. His face was full of grief and pain. "Yes?"
"We love you. Nothing will change that, but we can't rush into situations alone nor keep everyone out of the loop. That's why there's a chain of command… To avoid things like this," Harry grabbed his godfather by the back of the neck and kissed his forehead.
"I love you too… Thank you for not kicking me out of this fight."
Hermione hugged him, "We need you as much as you need this."
Once the plan was ready, Harry and Hermione went back to see how preparations were running for their 'Trick.' They had been making sure the armor was complete and ready to go. Harry stopped and wondered. How to avoid their trick to end up killing the prisoners at Hogwarts.
"Where's Neville?" Harry asked Hermione.
"Nev is gathering some more weapons. He says that if his grandmother is indeed alive, she may not survive much longer because of her age and previous health condition, and he's probably right… Harry, with everything that happened at Gringotts and the Trick… I… Are we going to try and rescue the Dursleys at the same time?"
"Considering everything else-"
A loud gasp nearby made them jump as they thought they were alone, "You… You said the… the Dursleys?!" Dudley asked, his face was ashen. "M-My parents are a-alive?!"
FUCK, Harry thought. God, if you are indeed there, you have the worst bloody timing, damn it!
"Dudley, before you lose it, please listen… Luna had a vision a few days ago… She saw Neville's grandmother and two non-magicals, who she thinks are your parents, kidnapped at Hogwarts," Harry said. "A spy helped us confirm that they may really be there."
"DAYS AGO?! Fucking days ago?! And you didn't tell me?! What the actual fuck?!" Dudley asked, turning red in anger.
"I didn't want to get your hopes up in case it wasn't really them… Dudley, you already mourned them. It wouldn't be fair, I-" Harry couldn't finish the sentence because Dudley punched him harshly in his mouth. Roots flew up from the ground in the blink of an eye and trapped Dudley's legs up to his hips. The island was protecting its heir once more.
Harry staggered several steps back and winced. All the training they had done meant that Dudley could now really hit hard. Years ago, he was slow, and while he was strong even back then… Now, God damn, his punch hurt like a bitch.
"Dudley!" Hermione jumped in front of Harry protectively. She was so shocked that the echoing pain from Dudley's punch was the least of her concerns. Red sparks were coming out of her hands.
"Hermione, don't! He's right to be upset!" Harry didn't defend himself at all. He stood up quickly and pulled her behind him. He took a step toward his cousin, ignoring the bleeding down his chin. Many elves appeared and were ready to smite the young man to protect Harry Potter. "Everyone, stand down! NOW!"
Everyone lowered their hands and wands but didn't move, just in case. "Please go back to what you were doing. Dudley and I need to talk. It's a private conversation. We will be fine," Harry waved everyone away. They left after some hesitation.
"How could you do this to me?! I have done nothing but support you and all you and your people are doing for months! I have cleaned up vomit and emptied out bedpans! I have done inventory, fishing, hunting, cooking, and repairing! I have carried your dead and tended to your injured! I have been beaten and burnt and cut fighting this war for YOU! I thought we were past shit like this! I thought we were finally FAMILY!"
Harry's eyes filled with tears, "We are family, Dudley! I promise!"
"Then, how could you do this to me?!" Dudley's tears cascaded down his cheeks.
Harry stepped toward Dudley and placed his hands on his cousin's shoulders, "I am so sorry I didn't tell you at once. Okay? My reasons may not be enough for you, Dudley, but I was trying to avoid you getting hurt… We already had false news of Hermione's parents' death, and I almost lost her to that. In the end, her parents were alive, but she suffered enormously unnecessarily. I didn't want you to have hope to then have it ripped away from you…"
Dudley sobbed into his hands for a while. The roots started to recede. "W-What are you g-going to do?"
"What do you mean?" Harry asked with a frown.
"I… I k-know my p-parents treated you like a s-slave... I know they h-hurt you horribly. I know we did more than enough to e-earn your hatred and your i-indifference… I don't think what I have d-done here has in any way d-diminished my fault on the n-nightmare you lived g-growing up… But… If… if you are not going to h-help them, I need you to t-tell me now. And I also need you to help me g-get close to where they are so I can t-try… Because I h-have to try… I…" Dudley dissolved into sobs.
Harry grimaced. He pulled Dudley into a hug and squeezed him tightly. "Dudley, breathe. I will help them."
Behind Dudley, Hermione's expression was one of absolute shock. We will? Why? Why expose more of our friends and allies to die for those… those monsters? And I mean Lady Longbottom too!
Because Dudley is family, Harry mind spoke back to her.
Hermione sighed, I'm sorry. You are right. He is family, and he deserves it.
"Listen to me, Dudley. Whatever they did to me, they are your parents. You are my family, not them. I would go to war for you… and for Neville, as his grandmother is supposedly locked up with them. However, you need to bear in mind that they are being kept, if it really is them, at Hogwarts. That's where Riddle lives."
"T-Thank you."
Harry shook his head, "Whatever happens, we are family. Never doubt that. We have an attack planned. The idea is to trick Riddle. Let me show you the maps and walk you through it. If you have any ideas, you stop me anytime," Harry pulled Dudley toward the table as the young man wiped his tears with the back of his hand.
Everyone was coming down to the beach carrying all they needed for the mission. Harry went over the map again. Hermione was in the house talking to her parents.
"HARRY!" Dudley ran to him. He was followed by Draco, the twins, and Neville.
"What happened?!"
"Attacks! All over!"
"Buckingham Palace!" Dudley was ashen.
"L'arc de triomphe !" Malfoy added with horrified eyes.
"London Bridge!" Fred exclaimed.
"The Coliseum!" George added.
"What about them? What happened?!" Harry urged them as they caught their breaths.
Hermione apparated right next to him as she felt his anxiety increase through the metaphorical roof. She immediately held his hand in support. Her parents had asked the elves to bring them muggle newspaper. True, they didn't speak Spanish, but they had a dictionary and patience. In any case, photographs talked explicitly. Alain had given her an earful in such rapid French that she understood a third of all the things he said.
"They carried out massive attacks on all of those places at once!" Dudley added
"Fleur's dad is on the mirror," Hermione handed him the compact. "He's furious."
"Alain?"
"Why the hell didn't you call me back!?" Minister Delacour growled in his thick accent. "I called you about this hours ago!"
"We were planning an attack to destabilize Riddle and-"
"Mon Dieu, garçon… Forget it. You are too late! You should be watching the non-magique news! This is like World War II, but worse! Thousands are hurt. Dozens died in the supposed gas 'explosions' that are now being considered terrorist attacks! England, France, Italy! OTAN is on scarlet alert. That alert is used when an enemy attack is expected within minutes, and that means more is coming! The UN called an emergency meeting. The ICW called one too!"
"Bloody fucking hell!" Harry groaned.
"We are in the Safe House you gave us the address to. We need someone to bring us to your island… Whatever you are doing, we are helping you."
"Of course, Ruki?"
"On it, Master," the elf nodded and vanished.
"Neville, Draco," Harry turned to them. "Are you rested enough?"
They shared a look and a nod, "Yes."
"Get our fighters ready to leave. I will call General Xu and Jing."
"Harry-" Dudley began.
"I know. I won't forget them. Go put on your armor."
Once they left, Harry turned to Hermione.
Final stretch? Harry asked.
Final stretch, Hermione nodded.
Are you with me? He pulled her close so they could face each other properly.
Always, love. Are you ready? Hermione smiled up at him with conviction.
No, he shrugged. But who could be ready for this?
Fake it til we make it? Hermione kissed him softly.
As we always do. May Magic help us.
Their staffs flew to their hands, and the mirror rang once again.
"Your Majesty?"
Queen Anord was pale and looked much older than the last time they saw her, "Lord Potter, I won't ask how things are because I am sure you heard of the attacks. I imagine you are about to leave. However, this can't wait. You were sent a package to Gringotts."
"Is it cursed?"
"No. We checked it extensively before we brought it inside.
"What is it?"
"It's… Um… It's a woman's hand."
"What?!"
"The hand is wearing your late mother's wedding ring," Anord replied.
"How? Who? I- What?!" Harry said in his shock and confusion.
"We believe the hand to be your aunt's," the queen replied.
Harry stared at the mirror, dumbfounded.
"I can show you," Anord offered.
"Fuck. Okay," Harry replied. Better me than Dudley, he thought to Hermione, who was staring at him like he grew several additional heads.
Anord pushed the mirror back and levitated the bloodied hand in front of it.
Harry gasped. The nails were stained from the cigarettes she used to burn him with. It was the ring she always wore. He saw flashes of his punishments, and he could almost feel the burns on the inside of his arms and the back of his legs. He could smell the smoke and the skin burning.
"Is it hers?"
Harry nodded, "I t-think so."
"Did any message come with it?" Hermione asked in his stead.
"Yes… Please know that this is designed to get you to act irrationally. You cannot give him what he wants."
"The message, Anord, please," Harry grunted in between ground teeth.
"I shall read it verbatim."
Harry James Potter,
I hope you are having an… interesting day. I will be brief.
I have your aunt and uncle. This is proof of life. I also have Augusta Longbottom. I imagine you and the two little piggies you are keeping safe want them back. When you are ready, come and get them. I will be waiting for you. Do come alone unless you want everyone who comes with you dead.
Lord Voldemort
Harry stared at the paper for about two whole minutes.
"Harry," Hermione began. Don't let your saving people thing derail our mission, please. This is in every way awful, but it is not your responsibility.
"No. It's not about that, Hermione. We have to. I can't not-"
"Before you run into a disadvantageous situation," Daniel was in front of him.
"Yes?" Harry looked at Daniel, lost.
"Let us non-magicals take care of this. We were attacked. Not you," Daniel said. "You have a great group that needs to take care of your own and your plan. Us muggles have the military, the navy, the police, the intelligence agencies… They are all working on this."
"We promised Queen Elizabeth-" Harry began.
"Did she call you?"
"No."
"Then she doesn't need you. She has been kept informed, I am sure," Emma nodded at him.
"We have to keep calm and carry on with the original plan. If you can point me to the radio the Changs have been using, I will have a summary ready for you when you come back," Daniel nodded at Harry.
"But those people-" Harry began.
"Harry, look at me, son. You can't save everyone. Police, firefighters, paramedics, doctors, soldiers, volunteers… They are all working on this together," Emma added.
"My parents are right. We need to carry out the plan we had," Hermione squeezed his hand.
"But the Dursleys-"
"Mr. Potter," Minerva said. He hadn't noticed she was even there. "Harry… I may be overstepping here, but I see you as a son."
"That honors me," Harry replied with a conflicted smile.
"You are too young and too worthy to die trying to save people who wouldn't have moved a finger to help you, even if it benefitted them," Minerva reminded him. "I know your kindness and your decency say otherwise, but you don't have to do this. You don't owe them anything."
Harry nodded gratefully at the Headmistress, "I know that. However, I owe Dudley. I owe Neville. They have done right by me, by all of us, and I will not let them down."
"Then, delegate, son. Let me do it," Sirius said. "We need at least two of us per prisoner. They are in deplorable condition, I am sure. They will probably need to be carried."
"We'll go with you!" Fred and George said immediately. "We'll get to say we worked with a Marauder!"
Sirius nodded and tried not to pout. It was his fault Percy was dead, but the twins nodded at him as if to say they understood.
"I'm coming too," Neville said. He handed Harry the sword of Gryffindor. "You have a job to do, Harry."
Harry nodded. They had a plan and another Horcrux to destroy.
Luna intertwined her fingers with her boyfriend's, "Me too."
"If you two are coming, I'm coming with you," Draco nodded at Neville.
"Are you all positive that you want to do this?" Harry asked.
"Yes," they replied in a chorus.
Harry took a deep breath. Daniel, Emma, and Minerva placed their hands on his shoulders, and Hermione squeezed his hand three times. Fear for all the people involved strangled him. His conscience repeated like a ruined tape, 'Those are six more people who will die because of you.'
Harry looked so conflicted that everyone froze, waiting for his determination, "You have your six, Sirius. Please come home. All of you."
"I have to go with them," Dudley said as he returned armed to the teeth.
Harry turned to face him, "Dudley-"
"Harry, please don't try to keep me here. I-"
"No, Dudley. I just… Please be careful and come home," Harry nodded at his cousin and kept his head down. He didn't want to cry right now.
Dudley stepped forward and lifted Harry's face, "I will try my best, Harry. The kindness you and Hermione have shown me was undeserved. Whatever happens today, I want you to know it is not your fault, and you have my eternal gratitude, no matter the results. Your willingness to help after everything we did to you… I… You… I love you, cous. Thank you."
"Don't you fucking say goodbye to me, Dudley."
Dudley shook his head. "I'm not. I promise. I just needed you to know-"
"I love you too, Dudley."
They hugged tightly.
Sirius' group said their goodbyes, and with the help of a French portkey, they were gone.
A crack of apparition made them all turn.
"General Xu?" Hermione's eyes widened. He had just arrived with his wife.
"Yes, General Granger. I've been officially released by Healer Tonks."
Harry felt a wave of relief hit him, "And you can-?"
General Xu smirked, "I can and I will… Let's Trick this motherfucker, shall we?"
A/N: Thank you for reading! I hope you are safe and happy wherever you are.
I have several notes:
1. I have had people complain that there's too much going on, and they can't keep up with it all. I was hoping to end this in Chapter 40 at the most, but I'd like your thoughts. Do you want 5 more chapters as jammed-packed as this one or smaller chapters with less going on? But if I were to do this… It could extend to 50 chapters, but those chapters would be 3-4k words. Let me know. Some readers have said it feels chaotic. That's on purpose. War is chaos. I have stories that are much slower if you want to check those out. Some are made of only one shots.
2. I had the weirdest dream. If you caught it, Draco's line, "Talk to me! I talk back!" comes from a T-Pain's song called "Buy u a drank." It was quite popular in TikToks for a while, and for whatever reason, I had a dream where Draco was dressed like a gangster, grill and all, and he was saying that. My brain is a strange place… I know. I decided to include it because it felt appropriate in the context. Sorry if it made you cringe.
3. Some additional information for those confused by the telegram:
Vigipirate: France's national security alert system. It was created in 1978 through interministerial sessions and falls within the responsibilities of the Prime Minister.
Bikini: The Bikini state was an alert state indicator previously used by the UK Ministry of Defence to warn of non-specific forms of threat, including civil disorder, terrorism, or war. According to the Ministry of Defence, the word "bikini" was randomly selected by a computer, and I think that's hilarious.
NATO or OTAN (Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord): NATO had a "Counter-Surprise" Military Alert System to mobilize its military forces.
L.J.: stands for Lionel Jospin, who was Prime Minister of France from June 3rd, 1997 to May 6th, 2002.