Ron, Hermione, Teddy, Albus and Scorpius, who were watching Harry intently, gaped at what he had just said. Leach gave him a sharp look, a glint of suspicion in her eyes.
"What did you just say?"
"Oh, I was getting a little bored waiting," Harry replied, faking a curt voice. "If you're going to set up the machine anyway, why don't you start earlier?"
Seeing that Leach didn't have a straight answer, Harry felt even more confident in what he was about to do. Hermione shook her head, trying to stop him, and Ron stared blankly at his friend like he was looking at a madman. Harry glared at them to stay still, then silently snapped his fingers under the table to send a signal to the magical creatures to attack.
"I don't think this is going to work," said Leach quietly. "Because my boss, Mr. Eisenbein, has instructed me to run the plant with absolute precision at the time he specified."
"But why would he do that? Seems like a good idea to get the job done now and have a little celebration, and I think you've got some champagne over there . . . " Harry said, pointing to the fancy bottles of liquor on a bookshelf. "You'd rather not delay and risk losing the catch, wouldn't you? From what I hear, you've been robbed of the captured children by terrorists before . . . "
Though she didn't show it, Harry caught Leach subconsciously tightening her grip on her teacup. Now all that mattered was to convince her. Just then, one of the Dawn Breakers, who was talking to someone on the radio, approached and whispered something to Leach. Her expression immediately turned serious and she looked where the captives were through the glass.
"Did someone attack this place by any chance?" asked Harry casually, and Leach nodded.
"Yes, Potter's minions showed up on the outskirts of the factory. But they're not many, and the guards we have now should be able to handle them."
"But how can you be sure?" said Harry, giving her an uncomfortable look. "It could be a simple diversion. Who knows, maybe Harry Potter brought a whole bunch of wizards with him from abroad and they're hiding nearby?"
"Don't worry, Prime Minister, there's no sign of that yet," said Leach firmly. But Harry's keen observation caught the flicker in her eyes.
"I've heard that Harry Potter is a very dangerous wizard, and a very cunning one at that. . . . I'm afraid you're going to be running late again and ruining all the work you've done," said Harry impatiently. "Let's do as I say and get the machine up and running right away, what's the point in stalling?"
The key to victory was timing, and it was up to Leach to pick it. Harry deliberately let his face fill with fear and anxiety. Leach stared into his eyes for a long moment, as if looking for some hidden intent, but for once, Harry had managed to fake the Prime Minister's urgency and worry and show it to her.
In fact, to any reasonable person it would seem that acting on his word and immediately creating a large number of Dark wizards could not possibly be in the best interest of their enemy, Harry Potter. Besides, Harry had seen her go against Eisenbein's orders and torture children when he had infiltrated the fake Wizarding Factory before. . . . There was no reason to believe that she wouldn't disobey her boss's orders this time. Just then, her subordinate with the radio spoke again.
"They're over the outer fence now. We tried, but Eisenbein isn't answering right now. I think we'll have to send reinforcements, ma'am."
Kreacher and his fellow magical creatures seemed to be fighting very bravely despite their small numbers. Leach now looked obviously worried, her eyes darting between the chambers where the captured wizards and witches were being held and the massive machines filled with the blood that had been drained from them. Eventually Leach spoke.
"Set the start time forward. Commence the operation now."
"But ma'am, Eisenbein made sure that the facilities here were up and running at the exact time —"
"In his absence, I am in charge of this place," said Leach harshly. "I can't let these abominations get away with it again. . . . Concoct the miracle drugs and inject them into the soldiers, and wipe out Potter and his world once and for all."
Her henchman hesitated for a moment until Leach threateningly drew her own wand.
"You all heard Madam Leach, we need to activate now."
"All right, then we need to override the program," said a woman in a white robe, busily tapping away at her keyboard. Harry realized that she was Monica Cresswell, the manager of the Wizarding Factory. "If you approve the bypass, please enter the emergency password, Madam."
Leach walked over to the computer and hurriedly typed something on the keyboard. The computer gave a cheerful beep.
"Bypass complete. You are ready to dispense the drugs that will give all Muggles magical powers."
Monica tapped a few more times on the keyboard, and a side of the wall slid open to reveal a hidden compartment. A large red lever protruded from it, and Leach rushed over and grabbed it. Harry looked back to where his companions were and saw a mixture of desperation and embarrassment on the faces of the people they had stolen from. Ron had his hand tucked into the side where his wand was, and he looked like he was seriously considering whether or not to stop the nonsense that was about to happen. . . . In fact, from a normal person's point of view, Ron's concern was completely justified — right now, he was trying to convince the enemy to let tens of thousands of Dark wizards walk the earth. . . . But Harry had never been so sure of what to do as he was now.
He glanced at Ron with a slight nod, then back at Leach. With her hand on the lever, Leach hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath and pulled it down. The effect was immediate: Like a giant awakening from a long sleep, the machine outside the window spewed steam and began to move its many pistons and gears. A vast amount of blood, which had been lying quietly in a clear glass reservoir, began to bubble up in a vortex within it and flow through the pipes and tubes connected to it into the various parts. . . .
Inside the production facility, a substance was being created that the Dawn Breakers called a miracle drug. Unlike conventional medicine, it was made from the magical blood of over five hundred people and would allow even complete Muggles without wizard relatives in their families to use magic. . . . As the piston moved up and down, small amounts of other powders and liquids were added to the boiling blood, mixing with it and changing its color to a more transparent, ruby-like substance, which would then be distributed into ten thousand tiny tubes at the end of the machine, each to be injected into ten thousand mercenaries. . . .
At that moment, what Harry had been waiting for happened: the machine emitted a loud, shrill alarm that shook the entire factory. And the drug, visible through the clear tubes and hoses, noticeably diluted and lost its bright red color.
"What the hell is going on?" shouted Rich sharply, taking a look at what was happening outside.
"We-we don't know," Monica replied, looking confused. "The machine is malfunctioning. The chemicals in it seem to be diluting on their own."
"How could it do that on its own? You were the betrayer, weren't you, Creswell?" said Leach in a harsh voice, pointing her wand at Monica. "Crucio!"
Struck by the Cruciatus Curse, Monica Creswell screamed in agony and fell to the ground as other Dawn Breakers watched in horror.
"Madam Leach, this may not be Creswell's fault," her lieutenant said cautiously. "Why don't you come down with me and check out the equipment?"
Leach reluctantly withdrew her wand and, leaving Monica sprawled on the floor, walked briskly to the door with several of her men. Harry sat down at the round table and waited until Leach was out of earshot as she stomped down the iron steps, and when the footsteps were quiet enough, he didn't hesitate to pull his wand from his chest.
"Now! Stupefy!"
"Stupefy!"
The other imposters joined him in the attack, as if they had been waiting for this moment. There were still three times as many Dawn Breakers in the control room, but they were no match for Harry and his friends. . . . Within seconds of the red beams cutting through the air, all but six of them were knocked unconscious and fell to the floor.
"Harry, what in Merlin's name have you done?" cried Hermione, pointing her wand at each of them in turn, and with a snap, the effects of the Polyjuice, which had almost worn off, completely dissipated and they returned to their normal faces. "I thought you were out of your minds! Activating the machinery when you're supposed to be slowing it down or stopping it . . . "
"The answer was here," Harry said, pulling a piece of parchment with Faraday's clues on it out of his pocket. "Why Eisenbein needed to find the Deathly Hallows in the first place . . . the answer to that was the only way to stop him."
"What? I have no idea what you're talking about," said Teddy, utterly confused. Harry walked briskly to the stairs, leading the others.
"I'll tell you on the way down. . . . It has to do with the Fourth Curse I broke through the Machine of Reality, and I met Death in there."
"Death?" said Ron, alarmed. "The same Death from the tale of the three brothers?"
"Yes, the one who created the Deathly Hallows. Death existed, as did the Hallows," said Harry. " Death said that even with his powers, he couldn't break the Fourth Curse the way he wanted — he could only redirect it to target something else, and that's how I became a wizard again."
Harry tried to shake off the memory of his blissful week in Godric's Hollow, the life he'd had to give up in exchange for becoming a wizard again. Now was not the time to dwell on pleasant memories that would never be repeated. Scorpius, who had been listening to Harry in silence, spoke up.
"So Eisenbein needed the Deathly Hallows to break the Fourth Curse. . . . I think I understand now."
"What? I still don't get it. Besides, what does their damaged equipment have to do with Eisenbein?"
"Don't you see, Albus?" said Scorpius quietly. Everyone was paying attention to his voice even as they hurried down the stairs. "Eisenbein collected the Deathly Hallows to die . . . not to become invincible."
"What? I still don't get it," said Teddy. "Speak English, will you?"
"Faraday asked us if you could kill a dementor before he left the message, and we told him you couldn't," said Scorpius. "I think he realized then that if the Fourth Curse made the dementors immortal, wouldn't the same be true of Eisenbein, who was under the same curse? That begs the question of why the already invincible man would seek the Deathly Hallows, and that's why he wrote that question in the note and left it for us."
"You're a quick thinker, Scorpius. I figured it out too, thanks to Faraday's clue. Come to think of it, Eisenbein didn't die from the Killing Curse I put on him before he became Master of Death," said Harry. By now they had descended all the stairs and were approaching the cages where the prisoners were being held. It was fortunate that they were able to move unnoticed, as almost all of the Dawn Breakers were flocking to the malfunctioning machine.
"In the end, Eisenbein had to collect the Hallows for the same reason I did. . . . Not to avoid death, but to accept it. Only by completely erasing his own existence could he prevent the Fourth Curse from being passed on to something else."
Harry suddenly realized why Eisenbein had been so obsessed with knowing how to counter the Fourth Curse during their last confrontation: it was the key to undoing his entire plan. Hermione, who had been listening to the conversation in silence, clapped her hands and looked back at the machine, which was now howling and belching steam like a monster in agony. The red liquid inside was now almost transparent, and the tens of thousands of trainees who had been injected with the ineffective drug lay on the floor, many in shock from the sudden drop in blood sugar, while the Dawn Breakers tried to revive them with AEDs or magic, but to no avail.
"So the Fourth Curse on Eisenbein was transferred to . . . the drugs, then?" said Hermione. "That's why the drugs were ineffective! And that's why Eisenbein had his followers time the creation of the drug exactly to the sunrise, because according to his plan, the Fourth Curse would have been lifted with his own destruction by then!"
"Exactly, Hermione. That's why I tricked Leach into operation the facility ealier than the plan," said Harry. "I had to get them to create the miracle drug before Eisenbein could end his life and destroy the effects of the Fourth Curse, because once it was complete, it would be the source of his greatest happiness, and it would cease to exist in place of his physical body. Before that could happen, Eisenbein would have to use his powers as master of Death to die and thus destroy the Fourth Curse with him, probably by pointing his Elder Wand at his own head and casting a Killing Curse. . . . Death told me that his master has the privilege of not dying when they should, but the reverse is also possible: they can die when they should not, as Eisenbein tried to do."
While everyone fell silent, trying to process what had just been explained, Harry remembered how he had sacrificed the world his parents had lived in to become a wizard again. His heart ached with a terrible pain as he thought of all the people he had loved and lost forever. Harry had given up the world that had become the greatest source of happiness for him, and in return he had gained magical abilities that seemed so insignificant in comparison.
Eisenbein must have felt the same way; if everyone in the world turned into a wizard as he wished, he would have felt such happiness that the loss of his physical body would have been incomparable. Therefore, he was destined to disappear before the new world he so desperately wanted could be born. And that was the punishment Eisenbein had said he would inflict on himself. . . . Now that Harry knew how far the Boy Who Vanished's mad belief in making everyone a wizard could go, he felt an awe almost amounting to fear for his nemesis.
They finally reached an area that was fenced off from the rest of the factory. Up close, the place where the prisoners were kept was even more horrifying. . . . The narrow chambers that held so many prisoners were arranged in rows along both walls like the compartments of a beehive, and in each glass-enclosed room were huddled men and women, young and old, dressed in baggy gray uniforms. A shiver ran down Harry's spine as he remembered that in Eisenbein's new world, this was where those born with the bloodline of witches and wizards were supposed to be locked up for the rest of their lives.
"Hey, who are you?" said a Dark wizard standing guard outside the cage door. Without giving him time to react, Harry shot a Stunning Spell at him, knocking him to the ground.
"Relashio!" cried Hermione, casting a spell against the chains holding the door shut, and it shattered with a loud crack. There were stunned men everywhere; Harry looked back to see that the Dawn Breakers were still busy with their colleagues who were now having seizures. Hermione crouched beside one of the fallen mercenaries, her wand hovering just above him as she checked his pulse. "Looks like the faulty potions they used knocked him out cold. His blood pressure's dropped, but nothing life-threatening. He should come around in a few hours."
Ron, standing nearby with his arms crossed, grumbled, "You actually care about the health of these blokes? You've got a heart of gold, Hermione, honestly."
"Hurry up, we need to get as many people out as possible before they notice," said Harry. He saw a large black crate just outside the cage and opened it with his magic. As he expected, it was filled with hundreds of confiscated wands. Just then, a group of gray-uniformed Dawn Breakers patrolling the holding area caught sight of them and started running toward them. There were at least a dozen of them. . . .
"Now, Hermione, get that crate inside! The rest of you, follow me to get the people out of the cells!"
"I'll put a Cushioning Charm on the floor!" shouted Teddy, darting into the cage one step ahead of them.
"Relashio!" Harry shot a spell at the first cell he saw, and the glass door on that side creaked open.
"Relashio!"
Albus and Scorpius followed suit and began opening the doors of the next cells.
"Listen up, everyone!" Ron's voice boomed, amplified by his magic. "We're going to cast a Cushioning Charm on the floor, and when the door opens, jump down!"
At his command, the wizards and witches jumped from wherever the door opened and landed softly on the floor. Meanwhile, Hermione, who had floated the black crate inside, cast a spell and a number of wands flew toward their freed masters. Harry, who was initially fighting dozens of enemies while dodging incoming Killing Curses, found things much easier once the freed witches and wizards joined him. Professors McGonagall and Flitwick faced off against a dozen Dark wizards, taking them down one by one, and everywhere they looked, freed students from every House joined them, fighting as one.
Harry went from place to place, helping those in need, and when they saw his face, they chanted his name with excitement.
"Harry Potter! The Chosen One is here!"
Running from place to place to help those in danger, Harry spotted the red-haired captives and ran over to them.
"Dad, there's our family over there!" shouted Albus, who was standing next to him, looking at the spot a little further away. "I'll go get them."
One by one, Harry magically opened the doors to each cell, which were packed tightly together from top to bottom, freeing the Weasleys trapped inside. Arthur and Molly Weasley, who had jumped down, looked weak from age and blood loss, but when they saw Harry, they rushed over and hugged him as hard as they could. Harry hugged them back — it felt like he was seeing his parents again.
Ron had saved his two children, Rose and Hugo, and they were joyfully reunited with their parents. A short distance away, Ginny, James and Lily, who had been rescued by Albus, hugged each other. Harry started to run over when he saw Ginny smiling brightly and pointing to the section where other wizards and witches were still trapped. He smiled back and nodded. Just then, Percy Weasley, who had just been rescued, spotted Ron and Harry and came running up to them, panting. Percy had never been much of a laugher, but his pale face was more serious than ever.
"Ron, Harry! We're in trouble!" said Percy breathlessly. "George — he was in the cell next to mine —"
"What?" exclaimed Ron, breaking free of his family's embrace. "What about George — where is he now?"
"He was taken by the dementors! He fought back against the guards, so Leach had him taken over there to make an example of him . . . " Percy pointed to the dark depths of the unlit factory, biting his lip as if he didn't even want to imagine what could have happened there. "There's a place where they extract the souls of rebellious prisoners. . . . There's probably a bunch of dementors down there too."
"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? WE'VE GOT TO SAVE GEORGE!" Ron sprinted off, and Percy followed not far behind.
Ron and Percy charged through the factory like a pair of lions. The Dawn Breakers blocked their way and shot curses at them, but nothing seemed to stop the brothers. . . . Every time Ron shouted, an intense beam of red light poured from his wand as if to channel his rage, and every spell he cast struck down his enemies without exception. Percy fought as fiercely as his brother, and each time they were struck by his jinx, the Dark wizards collapsed to the ground in agony, tiny spikes erupting from their bodies like sea urchins.
Even Harry, who was so used to fighting, couldn't keep up with the Weasley brothers. . . . The two kept charging forward, undeterred by the Killing Curses, and their backsides receded fast until they finally disappeared into the darkness that enveloped the rest of the factory. Falling behind, Harry ran with all his might to subdue the remaining Dawn Breakers. Harry subdued the last of his enemies and stepped into an area that was completely dark, with no lights at all. Pitch blackness surrounded him as far as the eye could see, but the bone-chilling cold and air-sucking grunts gave him a clear indication of what lay ahead. . . . Harry was about to light his wand when Ron and Percy's voices shouted ahead.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"
Two beams of blinding light shot out and the darkness instantly lifted, but the black wall created by the dozens of dementors surrounding them remained. The bright silver Jack Russell Terrier that Ron had summoned, despite its small, cute appearance, charged at the black wall with the ferocity of a bulldog. As Ron's Patronus tore at the horrible creatures, several other dementors swerved to the side and lunged at the Weasleys. Then, from the tip of Percy's wand, came a beam of silver light — not quite an animal-shaped corporeal Patronus, but just as bright — forcing the foul creatures to retreat. Soon the dementors were scurrying away, unable to match Ron and Percy, and they all disappeared into the darkness without Harry having to use his magic.
As Ron's Jack Russell Terrier barked and ran forward, the darkness rapidly cleared, revealing a figure hidden in it: a restraint that resembled an upright steel bed in which a man with a single ear and reddish hair stood, chained to it. George's face was as pale as a corpse's, and tears froze like frost beneath his wide-open eyes. His tall stature and the baggy prison uniform over his body made him look much thinner than usual, as if he had lost even more weight in that short time.
"No. . . . wake up, brother!" Ron shouted, running toward him. "Relashio!"
With that command, the chains that held George tightly together broke with a clang. But even as his body was freed, George lay motionless in the same position. Harry's heart turned icy and a familiar fear filled his lungs like a rising tide. He remembered with painful clarity Fred Weasley's unfocused eyes, the faint trace of his last laugh still on his face. . . . Percy staggered toward George, sobbing miserably like a wounded animal.
"Not you too . . . this can't be! You can't do this to me . . . "
Percy grabbed George's stiff shoulders and shook him. But George's blank stare didn't move an inch, as if he couldn't see his brother at all. Harry remembered a picture he'd seen in his Defense Against the Dark Arts class, of a man whose soul had been stolen by a Dementor's Kiss. The expression on the man's face was frighteningly identical to the one in front of him now.
Ron joined in, grabbing George's other shoulder and shaking him, but there was no sign of life there, except for the arm flailing helplessly in its restraints. Ron bowed his head helplessly, and the Jack Russell terrier whimpering pitifully beside him disappeared, plunging them back into the darkness. But Percy hadn't given up.
"No . . . no. . . . Don't do this to me!" Percy sobbed, wrapping his arms around George. "No, we've come all this way . . . Wake up, George!
"I'm not . . . George . . . I'm . . . Fred. . . ."
The faintest of voices escaped George's trembling lips. Percy jumped back in surprise and joined Ron and Harry in examining his face. In the light of Harry's wand, they could see a faint blush on George's cheeks, which had been completely white. Then, very slowly, George's wide-open eyes came back into focus. He slowly turned his stiff face to look at Ron and Percy, who were watching him anxiously, and then he finally broke free of his restraints and struggled to stand in front of them. Hot tears streamed down his cold face, melting the tiny ice crystals that had formed like frost beneath them.
No words were needed; the three brothers embraced. Even the darkness around them seemed to recede for a moment at the invisible light they radiated as one.
By the time Harry, along with Ron and Percy, carried George out into the light, the battle was almost over. D.A. members led the way, shielding people with protective charms and driving the Dawn Breakers toward the factory gates. As the countless victims of the faulty drugs tainted by the Fourth Curse lay helpless on the ground, those who remained either fought desperately among their fallen comrades or turned and fled. But the onslaught of Robby Leach, who held out in the center with dozens of her most fanatical followers, was so fierce that Dumbledore's Army could advance no further.
Leach relentlessly tormented them with Cruciatus Curses, sending Killing Curses flying in all directions, whether at approaching enemies or fleeing subordinates. The massive machinery for drug production, scorched and pierced in places by the many missed curses, began to spew smoke and steam furiously. The underside of the machine, where the thick wires were connected, turned red like melting iron. . . .
"THAT THING'S GONNA BLOW!" shouted Harry. "EVERYONE, MOVE AWAY!"
No sooner had he spoken than there was a huge explosion. Harry's body was lifted off the ground and sent flying into the distance along with countless others. His arms throbbed as his shoulders slammed into the tin walls, but he struggled to his feet. All the power in the factory went out, extinguishing the fluorescent lights that flickered from the ceiling, and in the darkness he could hear panicked screams and shouts of people calling each other's names.
One by one, those who came to their senses lit their wands to reveal a factory in ruins, illuminated by the glow of orange flames licking hungrily at the remains of the destroyed machinery. The ceiling on the other side of the building had been torn away by the explosion, revealing a dark, starless sky. A cold wind blew through the hole, sending acrid smoke rapidly from the epicenter of the explosion. Harry looked around at the people on the floor, expecting the worst, but fortunately few seemed to be seriously injured, as the protective charms cast on the machine had sent most of the debris flying into the sky.
It was then that Leach, who had come to her senses and stood up, took advantage of the chaos to lead her men in a counter-attack, and there was even more havoc than before as people scattered in disarray and spells flashed everywhere in the shock of the explosion that hadn't yet worn off. Turning to help the D.A. members, Harry heard an ominous creaking sound from above and looked up. A support beam in the ceiling, badly damaged by the earlier explosion, had buckled, sending chunks of rebar and cement crashing down on them. To make matters worse, the towering chimney was leaning over and slowly tilting toward him.
"GET OUT HERE!" bellowed Harry in a magically amplified voice. "DUMBLEDORE'S ARMY — TAKE THEM OUT!"
His friends did as he commanded and in unison they picked up those still down and carried them to the safety of the rear. He could see Bill and Arthur making their way to the back, dragging a struggling Molly Weasley, who was still determined to fight, by the arms. Harry stayed where he was with those brave enough to still fight, desperately trying to hold back Leach and her men as they tried to unleash their Killing Curses on the backs of those who retreated.
A cool, damp breeze blew in from outside, dousing the flames that had scorched the broken machinery, and the Wizarding Factory gradually grew darker. Chunks of cement fell from the crumbling ceiling, adding to the chaos, and beams of green and red light flashed through the air. The two sides were no longer in formation, but were shuffling about haphazardly, firing curses based purely on instinct.
"It's Malfoy!" came Leach's triumphant voice from the darkness, undaunted by the debris falling to her left and right. "Make way, he's mine!"
She blasted Exploding Charms at everything in her path, as if the collapse of the entire factory was the least of her problems. . . . Harry ran to stop her, but then Albus was caught in the blast of blue light she fired, sending him flying into the distance. Albus's body hit the tin wall and fell to the floor; Harry turned and ran to his son.
"Albus, are you all right?" Harry rolled him back to his feet. His face was purple and blood was dripping from his torn lip.
"I'm . . . okay . . . " said Albus weakly. "Quickly — Scorpius —"
Harry nodded and turned to help his son's friend, when with a bang, one of Leach's spells hit the ceiling, sending a large chunk of reinforcing concrete crashing down right next to them. Harry quickly looked up to see the ceiling and chimney above them rapidly collapsing, closing in on them.
"Protego!"
Harry whipped his wand upward, casting a shimmering shield. The protective spell flickered into place, but even its magic wasn't strong enough to fully stop the avalanche of rubble above. The collapsing chimney groaned as it broke through the barrier, slowed but still descending, threatening to crush them both beneath its weight.
"Albus, can you get up?"
"I think so . . . ARRGH!"
Albus pushed himself to his feet with his hands on the ground and fell back to the floor. The injury seemed worse than it looked. Harry didn't even have time to cast a simple spell to help his son; he kept casting defensive spells upward, hoping to hold off the chimney a little longer before it hit them, but they only managed to keep the dripping bits of metal and cement out of the way, and the biggest chunk of the chimney kept coming closer.
A low chuckle echoed through the chaos, and Harry's eyes darted to the side. Almost everyone — whether members of Dumbledore's Army or the Dawn Breakers — had scrambled out of the way to avoid the collapse. But Leach moved calmly through the debris, her wand poised with a cruel intent. She stopped in front of a boy kneeling on the ground. Scorpius, clutching his stomach, was coughing up blood, his face twisted in pain. Leach's grin widened, her eyes gleaming with a twisted satisfaction, as if she was savoring every tortured detail etched on Scorpius's face.
"There, Malfoy, the end has finally come," Leach said with glee. "I don't care if I lose everything. . . . I don't care if I'm finished, as long as your fate is the same as mine."
Harry turned his wand toward Leach to help Scorpius, but just as he did, the chimney fell with a loud crack. Only at the last moment was Harry able to stop the debris from falling with a quick defensive spell, but it was now only a few feet from his head. Gritting his teeth in helplessness and despair, Harry looked back at Leach and Scorpius.
"This is how justice is served, Malfoy . . . " Leach grinned maniacally and pointed her wand straight at Scorpius's face. "The line of Malfoys shall end by my hand!"
At that moment, a golden beam of light shot out of nowhere and flew toward Leach. She raised her wand in time to block it, but was momentarily knocked back by the force. When Harry's vision returned, briefly blinded by the strong light, he saw a witch step out of the darkness and stand in Scorpius's way.
"I won't let you," said Hermione.
Leach lunged at her. The duel between the two witches was fierce: neither gave an inch, shooting blinding beams of light from their wands and the ground around them cracked and smoldered with heat. Leach stood her ground against her opponent, relentlessly sending Killing Curses in Scorpius's direction, and Hermione moved distractedly to block her view, causing her to miss again and again.
Then Leach, who had dodged all of Hermione's Stunning Spells in a frenzy of rage, began to unleash a barrage of Exploding Charms overhead. Harry, realizing he could not hold out any longer, grabbed Albus by the ankles and lunged forward, dragging his son with him. A force he hadn't known existed allowed them to dodge out of the way together, and with a bang, the spot where Albus had just been was completely buried in the shattered remains of the chimney. Almost simultaneously, the rest of the ceiling collapsed entirely from the multiple explosions that had hit it, sending chunks of concrete, large and small, raining down on them like rain. Harry, acting almost instinctively, flicked his wand to clear the falling debris, then knelt down beside his son in a cloud of dust.
"Are you all right, son?" Harry said worriedly, wiping the dust from Albus's face.
"Yes, Dad," Albus replied, smiling weakly.
A large chunk of the ceiling was now completely gone, leaving the ashen sky that would soon meet the rising sun exposed. Harry pulled Albus to his feet and slowly made his way to where the two witches had just duelled. It wasn't easy, with Albus limping badly and the countless pieces of cement with twisted rebar sticking out of them blocking their way. Eventually, the heavy dust was lifted by a stream of air that moved up to the open ceiling, revealing the figure of a woman wrapped around someone who had fallen. Hermione carefully raised her head once she was sure Scorpius was unharmed, smiling as her eyes locked with Harry's.
Then they heard a grunt not far from them — it was Robby Leach. . . . She was lying under a large piece of cement — several rods of rebar had pierced her stomach and thighs, red blood oozing from the deep wounds. She was reaching desperately for something, as if she didn't care about the injuries — her wand was not far from her fingertips.
"Oh, no. . . . Hang on, I'll help you."
Without the slightest hesitation, Hermione ran over and knelt beside Leach, first trying to magically lift the chunk of cement that was weighing her down. But as the pressure on her body eased and more blood flowed from the sharp rebar, she let the rubble float in place and pointed her wand at the wound. Hermione hummed a healing spell that sounded like a song as she ran her wand over the wound, while Leach struggled to reach for her own wand.
"Don't move," Hermione said in a sobbing voice. " You're only deepening the wound . . . "
True to her word, the deep gash in Leach's stomach and leg from being pierced by the rebar widened with her violent struggles, and the blood that spilled out stained her gray uniform and the floor around her in red. All the while, screams of rage rather than pain erupted from her mouth, her blurry eyes fixed on Scorpius's terrified face. Hermione continued to heal the wound with spells, until finally, when the injury was irreparably worse, she crouched down beside Leach.
"I'm sorry, there's nothing more I can do to save you," said Hermione feebly. "But I can still help you. . . . If you let me, I can erase the horrible memories that are haunting you."
The color drained from Leach's haggard face, but her fingers moved closer and closer to her wand. The curved walnut wand that had once belonged to Bellatrix, the one who had taken Sirius Black's life, brushed the tips of her fingers.
"I'll leave you nothing but happy memories. . . . If only for your last moments, I'll make it easy for you . . . Please . . . "
The wand was now held between Leach's thumb and forefinger. But Hermione didn't interfere, just watched her struggle to lift it with a tear-stained face. Suddenly the wand rattled out of Leach's hand and she stopped struggling and closed her eyes, nodding almost invisibly. Hermione carefully placed the tip of her own wand against Leach's head and whispered, "Obliviate."
All the anger, hatred and pain vanished from Leach's face in an instant. When she finally dropped her head down, her empty hand hanging limply in front of her, a faint smile played across her peaceful face. Scorpius limped over and looked down at Leach's lifeless body in disbelief. The knowledge that his family had played a part in her death seemed to bring unbearable pain to the innocent boy. It was then that Albus left Harry's side and stood beside his friend, his arms wrapped around the sobbing Scorpius's shoulders. It would be hard enough to shake off the ghosts of the past that were haunting him right now, but Harry had no doubt that Scorpius would do it one day, with the help of his dearest friend.
Harry stood with Hermione beside the two boys and held a moment of silence, hoping that Robby Leach's soul would find peace in death. The silence was broken by the cries of those who had taken shelter in the depths of the factory to escape the collapse. Witches and wizards, wands drawn and wary, slowly approached, cheering at the sight of Harry and Hermione. Leading the way through the crowd were Ginny, James, Lily and Teddy. They surrounded Harry, Albus and Scorpius before anyone else, and around them gathered Ron and Hermione, Luna, Bill, Percy, George and their families. Many of them had red hair, and Harry felt as if he were in a roaring fireplace, and his heart grew bright and warm, like he was really basking in the fire.
McGonagall, Flitwick, and countless other students from every House rushed in with shouts of joy, followed by more commotion as Kreacher, who had faithfully fulfilled his role of disturbing the Dawn Breakers outside, brought house-elves, goblins, and centaurs to join in the celebration. But as more and more people embraced Harry, the gaps between them became more apparent, giving him a sinking feeling. Neville, Kingsley, Faraday, Draco, Aberforth, and so many others who had given their lives to help win this war . . . his parents, Sirius and Lupin. . . .
Harry felt a pang of loss stab deep in his chest as he remembered that all the dead who were no longer here were alive and well in the alternate reality he had left behind. Yes, until the day he closed his eyes, the faces of the people he had lost would never leave him. But now, surrounded by all the family and friends he'd saved, Harry had no regrets about the choice he'd made as he blew out the candles on his birthday cake in another world. On his eleventh birthday, as Albus Dumbledore had said, he had made a choice he would never regret.
He looked up suddenly, and the sky outside the huge hole in the ceiling was a cold, whitish shade of ash. It was almost time for the sun to rise. . . . As much as he wanted to lie in the warmth of the sun and believe that it was all over, that the people he loved were as safe now as they had been at the end of the last war, his mind hadn't lost its cool. Hermione must have felt the same way, and when she turned to face him, there was a steely glint in her eyes.
"Now, everyone, please stand back," said Harry. "This isn't over yet!"
The place quickly quieted down and the others backed away from Harry, Ron and Hermione.
"So, Harry, what about Eisenbein — what happened to him now?" said Ron, breaking the silence.
"That's completely unknown territory . . . " said Hermione uneasily. "What we do know is that now that the Fourth Curse has been transferred to the drugs, he ought to have regained his lost body by now."
"Would that have made him stronger?" said Scorpius anxiously.
"Perhaps. Or the opposite," said Harry. "In any case, he still has the Deathly Hallows, and there are three unused prototype potions in his possession. . . . Eisenbein used only one of them and easily defeated all of us. We're not out of this yet."
The crowd stirred nervously, glancing at the ground, which was littered with shattered debris and dead bodies, as if Eisenbein might rise from the earth at any moment, just as he had in the battle the day before. Then Professor McGonagall stepped forward, pushing her way through the students.
"Harry, are you saying that he can still hurt us — hurt my students?"
"Yes, if he sets his mind to it. His original plan to turn everyone in the world into witches and wizards with our blood has totally failed, but he may still have the strength to seek revenge."
A faint cry erupted from those who had been listening. They had been on the verge of victory the day before, only to be defeated by Eisenbein's intervention, and they couldn't afford to make another mistake.
"Then we need to evacuate everyone before he gets here," said Hermione firmly. "Everyone get out of here, we should be able to Disapparate once we're off the factory."
"The Ministry is completely destroyed, so I think it's best if everyone stays at Hogwarts. I'll have my professors get people there," said McGonagall. "Where do you think Eisenbein is now?"
A scene flashed across Harry's mind: A square in the center of a crumbling city with a giant willow tree overlooking it . . . and a man in a cloak leaning against its thick trunk, hidden in the shadows beneath the many leaves. . . . The Boy Who Vanished, the one who lost his sister there so long ago, must have planned to end his own life in the same place. . . .
"I think I know where he is," said Harry quietly. "I'll go and confront Eisenbein, and maybe we can put an end to him once and for all, now that he has a body. Or at least I'll buy some time until everyone else has taken refuge."
"You don't have to go alone, mate. We'll help you," said Ron. "We just happen to have nothing better to do."
Albus and Scorpius looked at Harry and nodded, their faces full of trust, before shuffling off with their friends. As the students, including the two of them, and countless parents streamed out of the ruined factory, Harry took a quick look around at those who were still with him: Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Teddy, Professor McGonagall, and the surviving D.A. members, led by Luna, George, and Angelina. . . .
"Okay, so this may be the last mission we, Dumbledore's Army, take on," Harry said solemnly. "You're going to have to risk your lives for this — do you still want to come with me?"
"Come on, Harry," Ron said with a scowl. "You know you don't have to ask."
As if in response to his words, the people surrounding him in the dim light nodded with faint smiles. Harry nodded back at them and looked up at the sky, where the sun would soon be rising, and then he made his way to the town of Mould-on-the-Wold, where it had all begun and where it would all end.