Prologue – A Broken Bond
Hello everyone! After about two years of discovering fanfiction and reading thousands of them, I've finally decided to write one of my own! This Harry Potter-themed fic features what is undoubtedly my favourite pairing: HONKS (Harry x Tonks).
I especially want to highlight the best HONKS fanfiction I've ever read: "The Rebel and The Chosen" by Chelseyb, truly a wonderful piece of work! What about you? Which one is your favourite?
I hope you find this story an enjoyable read, but enough talk, let's embark on this wonderful journey together!
A few warnings:
About myself: Although I know the basics, I'm not very proficient in English. Italian is my native language, and I thank Chat GPT for helping with the translations. I don't have a beta reader, so I apologize in advance for any errors! Lastly, I blind, so I apologize in advance for any logical inconsistencies or implausible scenarios. My experience is based solely on reading books; although I've listened to the movies, I don't have a visual reference for the scenes.
About the story: This story contains spoilers for all the Harry Potter books up to and including the Deathly Hallows. Additionally, this chapter may contain some phrases adapted from the aforementioned book by J.K. Rowling. In this fiction, there is a relationship between an adult and a minor (although mentally both characters are adults).
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter; all rights go to Rowling. Redistribution of this work on other platforms is not allowed without my explicit permission. This chapter contains scenes of mild to moderate violence, death, and suicidal thoughts, especially in the last paragraph.
A BROKEN BOND
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was in chaos. Multicoloured flashes darted everywhere; explosions echoed intermittently; shouts of victory, agony, pain, and death blended into an indescribable cacophony as the battle raged on. The Death Eaters, the terrorist faction led by Lord Voldemort, swarmed the castle, slaughtering the Hogwarts defenders. The of-age students, members of Dumbledore's Army, the Order of the Phoenix, teachers, even the desks and statues animated by Professor McGonagall, did everything they could to defend the castle.
Through a corridor, Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Tonks were rushing to get outside. They had just left the Room of Requirement, where the lost diadem of Ravenclaw, tainted by the Dark Lord's vile soul fragment, had been destroyed. Fred was dead. Harry couldn't stop thinking about it. The despair on the Weasleys' faces was something he would never forget. He thought of George: he would never be the same.
His increasingly depressing thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a terrifyingly familiar mad laugh echoing nearby. Images of his godfather falling gracefully through the veil, accompanied by that same laugh, flashed before his eyes.
"Bellatrix!" Dora shouted with hatred as she charged at the crazed witch. Wand gripped tight, hair turning an angry red, and a curse on her lips, the Metamorphmagus unleashed a barrage of multicoloured bolts at the other woman.
"Come play, Tonksie!" Voldemort's second-in-command taunted as she began to duel her niece.
Harry wanted to intervene, to fight alongside Dora and help her defeat the witch, but he knew she wouldn't want that. His beloved had many scores to settle with Bellatrix, and Harry knew exactly how much she wanted to kill her with her own hands. He felt it singing in his blood, his mind, and their bond: he would trust Nymphadora Tonks, his soulmate, to finally end the loathsome life of the woman before them, who had almost nothing human left.
Curses of all colours flew back and forth, riddling the floor, ceiling, and surrounding walls with holes and dents. Occasionally, a nearby portrait exploded. Other times, a breach in the wall revealed the outside, casting multicoloured lightning flashes into the night outside the school.
Like everything else, the battle had to end, and unfortunately for Harry, it wouldn't go as he hoped. Dora screamed as a particularly vicious curse bypassed her guard and struck her in the chest. She crumpled to the floor as a purplish substance began to seep through her clothes.
While Bellatrix howled in triumph, Dora, with a final surge of desperation, fired a curse that hit Bellatrix squarely, sending her flying out of the castle, lifeless. The most powerful witch in Voldemort's army was dead. Sirius was avenged… but at what cost?
Harry felt his heart shatter into a million pieces as he witnessed the last moments of his beloved.
"H-Harry..." that weak thought reached him through their bond. "I... love... you..." but death claimed even that final thought as Dora's eyes glazed over.
A searing pain tore through Harry's soul as the bond that intertwined with his other half's was suddenly ripped apart. Despair crashed over him like an ocean, an indescribable pain that no Cruciatus curse could ever cause tormented his body.
Something inside him broke and broke again, repeatedly. A bestial roar that was hardly human escaped his lips, and something snapped in his magic. A torrent of incandescent magical energy swelled around him like an aura as he charged towards the black-clad figures. He didn't see Ron and Hermione watching in terror; he didn't see Dora's lifeless body lying on the floor like a ragdoll; he didn't hear or think anything! The only thing driving his thoughts was destruction.
Nameless, pure-intent magic burst from his body against everything around him. His magic passed harmlessly through his friends and horribly mutilated his enemies, making them fall with horrendous screams.
One by one, the Death Eaters began to fall like flies as Harry, in a fury, made his way to the entrance hall. A sea of spiders awaited him there, ready to devour Hagrid, the gentle half-giant who had been Harry's first friend in the magical world. A powerful thud and most of the Acromantulas vaporized in explosions of blood and viscera; but Hagrid was gone.
Greyback the werewolf was biting a student. A well-aimed burst of magic and a crystal sphere from above left only a nondescript pool of the werewolf on the floor.
With a roar of fury, Harry rushed outside, just in time to see a monumental foot crash down on him. A powerful scream erupted from the seven-meter-tall creature as its foot was impaled by a spear of energy. The giant toppled over, its skull shattered by Harry's magic.
A second giant revealed itself with a furious roar, just in time to receive a jet of silver that bored a hole in its chest the size of its head.
Harry, followed by his two friends who had never abandoned him, approached the forest. A swarm of Dementors descended upon him: the image of Dora falling dead tormented his mind as the creatures tried to feast on his soul.
In response, Harry screamed all his despair until a sheet of silver energy exploded around him. For the first time, Harry heard a sound from the Dementors that wasn't their choking breath: were they screaming? It seemed the Dementors were being cut in half by a giant blade. When the magic dissipated, only tattered cloaks remained.
The young wizard fell to his knees, exhausted from all the energy spent. Turning to Ron and Hermione, he told them he had regained control and could head to the Shrieking Shack.
More than half an hour later, as he emerged from the Pensieve, Harry had a bitter expression on his face. Snape's memories had been heartbreaking: now he understood what his professor had felt, having loved his mother so much without being reciprocated. He would never fully comprehend the pain of unrequited love, but he knew all too well the pain of losing his beloved.
"Poor Severus," Harry thought. "Now… I will join you too." The thought was comforting: his parents, Sirius, Remus, Severus, even damned Dumbledore with all his manipulations, but most of all his beloved Dora—soon he would see them again.
Almost in a trance, he made his way to the forest, entrusting Neville with the task of killing the snake. He didn't have the courage to peek into the Great Hall: he didn't know how he would react to another sight of Dora's lifeless body so still on the bare rock... he directed his thoughts elsewhere before collapsing.
"I'm about to die," he whispered as the Golden Snitch opened, revealing the Resurrection Stone set in Marvolo Gaunt's ring. Letting it slip through his fingers as if guided by a long-forgotten instinct, Harry turned it three times and closed his eyes.
When he opened them, he saw the almost ethereal figures of Sirius, Remus, and his parents surrounding him. "Remus!" he thought with a pang. He had also died in this fateful battle?!
"I didn't want you to die," he whispered as a tear slid from his eyelids, rolling down his pale cheek. "We love you so much," his mother said gently as the others murmured softly in agreement. "We are... proud of you," James added.
"Does it hurt?" The question emerged before he could stop it: "Dying?" his thin, trembling voice whispered. "It's easier than falling asleep," his godfather replied.
"It hurts so much!" Harry cried, thinking of Dora's death, tears beginning to flow. "It's terrible what you've been through, son," James' voice was low, deep, and comforting like an ancient mountain wind. "We can't fully understand such great suffering," Lily continued. "I should have been there with you," Remus murmured with gentle remorse, but Harry immediately interrupted him, "No, you can't blame yourself for this, Remus."
"We love you so much," Lily repeated as Harry approached the Death Eaters, and the spectral figures withdrew to their plane of existence. Instead of letting it go, Harry slipped the stone under his robe along with his wand and cloak.
Emerging into the firelight, he faced Voldemort.
"Avada Kedavra!" As the green light rushed towards him, he almost felt an ethereal image of Dora enveloping him in her arms, gently pressing her lips to his before vanishing.
Break
In the limbo between life and death, Harry met Dumbledore. He raged at him, vented his anger on the headmaster, demanded to know everything the old wizard knew about the Hallows and his relationship with Grindelwald, and finally discovered he had the chance to return. He was so tempted, so terribly tempted to move on and join his loved ones, but he was too noble to let Voldemort and his followers reap the magical world like a harvest of ripe grain.
Feigning lifelessness, he awakened among the Death Eaters. Narcissa Malfoy declared him dead, and the Dark Lord and his remaining followers rejoiced. Leaving a sobbing Hagrid to carry him, Voldemort led his army up to the castle. After a brief exchange of words, the courageous Neville killed the last of Riddle's Horcruxes with Gryffindor's sword, reigniting the battle with intense fury. Centaurs and house-elves joined the ranks of the Hogwarts defenders.
In no time, most of the Death Eaters were neutralized, and Harry emerged from hiding, ready to face Lord Voldemort in a final duel worthy of legend. After a prolonged exchange of words in which Harry managed to push the Dark Lord into a realm of endless madness and a few spells, the Elder Wand, shooting into the air, was caught by Harry. Tom Riddle, on the other hand, fell dead like a discarded puppet.
The people rejoiced: Voldemort had fallen, and his reign of terror had finally ended. Everyone wanted to shake, touch, and hug the Boy Who Lived. But Harry didn't care: his nemesis was dead, and now he felt he had nothing left to live for. How he longed to join Dora! He craved to embrace her, to kiss her... even if just for a moment.
As days passed, Harry noticed something strange about people. They seemed to adore him, but there was an undertone of fear in their eyes. Even Ron and Hermione looked at him differently since his magical outburst after his soulmate's death.
He buried his beloved with his own hands: her parents had died during the war, ambushed by Snatchers, and he knew well that Dora would have wanted to be buried with them. Having completed his task, he joined Kreacher, the last friend he had left in this world, embarking on a new journey. He would find every last Death Eater and erase them from existence.
In the meantime, he decided it wouldn't hurt to learn some new tricks, starting with the library of the noble and most ancient house of Black.
Only later did he realize that the cloak, the stone, and the wand had completely disappeared. In their place, the symbol of the Deathly Hallows appeared on his chest like a tattoo, and he instinctively felt he had the power of all the Hallows; he just had to figure out how to master it.
Break
Years had passed since he had defeated the Dark Lord known as Voldemort, and Harry had changed. He grew taller, more muscular, and his features matured. The biggest change, however, was in his magic. His magical core had begun to grow, expand, and grow! Now he probably had more raw magic than wizards like Dumbledore, Voldemort, and Grindelwald.
He travelled the world from top to bottom: from Europe to the Americas, from Asian countries to Africa, immersing himself in the study of all the magic he could find. Hundreds if not thousands of spells had been added to his repertoire, and he had learned to duel: not only in non-lethal duels (having been a multiple-time world dueling champion), but most importantly, he had learned to overpower his enemies to the death.
He underwent numerous rituals, taking great care not to do anything that would compromise his body or his magic (he did not want to become another Voldemort), and he discovered several sources of magic still unknown to the world.
He had even learned an interesting space-time spell that allowed him to create a small personal dimension he could access from anywhere, from which he could emerge anywhere else, and in which he stored all the artifacts, books, and money he had recovered during his travels. In the dimension, he also had a large training room and other spaces to spend his time or use as lodgings.
One day, while visiting the cemetery in Godric's Hollow, he happened to examine the grave of Ignotus Peverell and found a strange book: it was apparently written by Death itself, and contained instructions for an ancient ritual.
After sacrificing his old wand, his family album, the Marauder's Map, and other things closely tied to his past, he suddenly learned to understand his magic in unprecedented ways. All the magical knowledge that had passed through the Elder Wand was granted to him, and he could now use his magic without a wand as if he had one, perhaps even better. He could render himself invisible, undetectable by any protective spells, just as if he were under the cloak with a single thought, and he could summon the spirits of the dead, or at least he knew he could, but he had never tried.
He did not wish to disturb the rest of the deceased, and deep down he knew that speaking with Dora would only make things worse. Yet, he missed her as if carrying a mountain on his back: numerous women, even some men, had tried to get close to him, but he had rejected them all. He would never betray his soulmate in any way, even though she had been dead for years.
At some point, even Kreacher died, old age taking him gently in his sleep. He had been a constant companion for the early years of Harry's travels, and his death added another weight to what was left of Harry's shattered heart.
Break
More than twelve years had passed since Dora's death. It was July 31, 2010, when Harry succumbed to the torment of life. A soulmate could not survive the other, after all, he had learned this from various sources. He was almost surprised he had survived her for so long. But the desire to join her was unbearable, and he knew he would not live another day.
He was content: he had completely eradicated the scourge of the Death Eaters. The few survivors were rotting in Azkaban and would not emerge anytime soon. Others had redeemed themselves, like the Malfoys. Harry owed Narcissa, and as much as he detested Lucius, he managed to save the family. Although he had been his enemy in school, Draco had ultimately repented for what he had done and proved it.
After years, magical Britain seemed nostalgic as he Apparated to Hogsmeade.
In the castle, the students were thrilled to meet the famous Harry Potter, and Headmistress McGonagall was delighted to have him give a speech in front of them.
But it was finally over; he was alone. He stood exactly in the corridor where his bond had been severed, leaving him a wreck of himself. That very morning, he had been to Dora's resting place and had placed a wreath of hellebore on her grave.
"I'm coming, my love," he whispered softly, then silently climbed up to the Astronomy Tower.
Inside him grew a feeling of emptiness. The despair that had gripped him all these years was now tearing at him: it was no longer a raging ocean tossing in all directions but was as placid as an icy trickle of water, which drop by drop, inexorably erases everything.
He looked down. The grounds seemed so distant from here, yet so close. One step... and it would be over.
He looked up, aiming at the stars. The many spells around Hogwarts, among other tasks, isolated the sky from Muggle pollution. It seemed like years since he had seen such a pure starry sky.
The moon, with its silver face, had been losing its fullness for days now. Harry could lose himself in the vastness of the black that enveloped him; yet the desire pounded almost incessantly within him, like a pendulum ready to strike its hour.
He leaned forward as if diving off a cliff into the open sea, and fell into the void.
The wind whipped his hair everywhere as for a moment he lost his sense of direction. Some images of his life began to flash before his eyes. Hagrid bursting into the hut on the rock, the first time he saw Diagon Alley, numerous episodes at Hogwarts, the Philosopher's Stone, the Chamber of Secrets, the moment he met his godfather, the maze and Dumbledore's Army. Dora, their kisses, their secret dates, all those beautiful moments they had spent together... all of a sudden the realization crashed over him like a hammer as he opened his eyes wide and saw the ground that seemed so close, as if it were a step away. If he reached out, he could almost touch it... and yet at the same time, it seemed so far away, as if it would take an eternity to reach it.
Suddenly everything became muffled, as if consciousness was drifting away, before Harry felt himself floating in nothingness and everything turned black.
Author's Note:
That's it for today, I hope the story has planted a seed of interest in you! Let me know what you think through reviews or PMs.
Regards from Landar!