The Battle of Hogwarts had concluded just hours before. Despite Harry's attempts to sleep, he couldn't. Something inside told him he needed to do one last thing before he slept. So, trusting his instincts, he went back downstairs. Everyone else who had lived through the battle was now in the Great Hall in a semi-sleep state. But Harry felt himself drawn to another chamber. The room he ended up in was three chambers from where Tom Riddle's body lay.
Despite not a single candle burning in this room, it was bathed in pristine white light. He glanced inside and saw a stranger swathed in robes whiter then fresh snow crouched over what remained of Voldemort's serpent, Nagini. The fact the robes weren't ripped or stained suggested this strange hadn't been in the battle. Yet something told Harry that whoever this individual was had been there throughout the conflict. His brilliant green eyes widened when he realized the individual before him was crying as they held the snake's body in their delicate hands.
He drew his wand as a precaution before asking, "Please tell me who you are and what you're doing here?" The individual gasped before gradually turning and pulling down their hood. Harry was startled to see a captivating woman, likely in her early sixties or seventies, yet retaining a timeless beauty.
She looked of South Asian descent, and her long, silky hair matched her pristine white robes. Her hair seemed to shimmer with an ethereal glow, casting soft, radiant light around her, making the dim room feel almost sacred. The woman spoke with a peculiar accent while addressing him. "Harry Potter, it's lovely to meet you finally. I only wish Neville Longbottom could join us, as I've to thank you both," she said, tears streaming down her face.
"Who are you?" Harry repeated though he lowered his wand. His instincts told him this woman, whoever she was, wasn't a threat.
The woman gave a heartbreaking smile before replying.""My name is Shabu Eirlys Dumbledore," she said, her voice trembling as tears filled her eyes. "But I prefer being called Snowdrop as it was the nickname my mother gave me for being born with hair so white it made the fresh snow pale in comparison."
Harry lowered his wand, a mixture of disbelief and curiosity washing over him. "Wait... you're a Dumbledore? This woman was part of Dumbledore's family?! But how could that be? Even with all he had learned in the last 24 hours, he still hadn't heard anything concerning this woman!
Snowdrop wiped away her tears before speaking, "Sorry, I see that you are confused. Let me clarify. You've heard of Gellert Grindelwald, yes?"
When Harry nodded, she continued, "Grindelwald wielded power over my father, Aurelius Dumbledore, through emotional and psychological manipulation.
My father's name growing up was Credence Barebone. He was abused by his adopted mother and developed a dangerous condition. A magical parasite called an Obscurus. I recommend you ask my grandfather about it, as my father, his son, and my great-aunt were also one."
"Wait? Are you saying you are the great-niece of Albus Dumbledore and the granddaughter of Aberforth?" Harry looked almost speechless by this revelation.
The white-haired woman nodded, "Yes, and I'm also the daughter of Nagini and Aurelius Dumbledore. You see before my mother became a serpent and enslaved to Voldemort, she was a Maledictus or an individual who carries a blood curse that will transform them into a creature at one point forever. Once stuck in their cursed form, they lose all recollections of their humanity. They become purely whatever their cursed form is, devoid of any memory of being human.
I was the first female descendant of my mother's lineage not to inherit the curse," she gestured to her snow-white hair, "My mother believed I didn't become one because of my unique parentage, and if God exists? Then, He wanted me to have a happy life so that something good could be left behind after my parents' miserable lives.
This was so much to adsorb at once, and Harry couldn't help but sputter, "Wow, so you're saying?"
"Yes, I have to thank you and Mr. Longbottom for releasing my mother from both her curses: that of the snake and of being an involuntary Horcurx. She led a tragic life before she became a serpent, and I'm delighted that her tragic tale has ultimately concluded."
"But there something you desire from me? I know I was drawn here for a reason. So what do you want?" the Boy Who Lived asked Nagini's daughter.
"I want you to tell the world who my mother truthfully was before her curse consumed her. She was a caring woman who indeed loved my father, who passed before finding out about me. I want you to tell both their stories and mine. I would also like it if you would thank Mr. Longbottom on my behalf. I don't desire that bitch Skeeter decimating my family any further then she did already regarding my great-uncle."
Taking out her wand, she tapped her forehead and let her memories come out before filling a magically conjured flask. She then offered them to Harry: "Please tell my parents' true story. Make sure my mother is remembered as who she truly was, not what she was forced to become."
"I promise, Snowdrop," as he accepted the flask of her memories.
"Thank you. Now, I'll be taking my mother's body. She'll be laid to rest alongside my father as she should be. Again, give Neville my thanks, and thank you, Harry, for helping end my mother's tragic story."
With another wave of her wand, she and her mother's remains evaporated into pure white light. Harry knew he'd have to return to the headmaster's office to view the memories later. Yet, he felt he should locate Aberforth before viewing them, as they belonged to his granddaughter. Indeed, after this battle, many tragic tales had now ended, but everyone had only begun to grieve for their fallen loved ones—even one who'd been a snake.