"Child,"
"Hullo, Time." Harry sighed. "Do you know if they'll ever stop being mad at me for running to find Neville?"
"No, child, I don't think they will." Time took a sip of his tea, moving to tweak with one of the watches on his wrist. "You have this odd ability, you seem to forget you have other friends."
Harry had the decency to flush in embarrassment.
"You're a lot like me in that aspect, child. And your father."
"Wait, really?" Harry asked, taking his seat at the table. He poured himself a familiar orange tea, and took a sip. Orange Lemon tea, a delightful taste. "He was like that too?"
"Indeed." Time flicked another watch, sighing. "I do not bring you tonight to talk. I have decided to share the last of the news I have."
"What is it?" Harry asked, placing his teacup down.
"The last horcrux, it is like you. A living horcrux."
Another living horcrux? Like him? Well, it wasn't as if Harry had qualms against killing things. He could kill another person, if he had too. Ron wouldn't like it, though.
"Do not worry, it is not entirely like you."
"What do you mean?" The young man questioned, watching as the deity played with one of the floating clocks. Time doesn't stop, even when they talked.
"It is living, yes, but not human. The snake."
The snake? Harry raised an eyebrow. What snake? Then, it hit him. Nagini. That snake.
"I can kill Nagini," Harry vowed.
"I believe you can, child." Time looked at the biggest watch on his wrist. "Now, off with you, I will talk to you soon."
"So, is everyone ready?" Harry asked, picking up the small velvet bag and tying it to his waste. It had clothes and other things folded neatly inside, just in case something happened and they couldn't get back to Diagon alley.
"Yeah, I am." Neville nodded, standing next to Harry. "Hey, tuck that inside your pants so it's not dangling. It'll be safer that way."
"Oh, okay." Harry did as Neville advised, tucking the bag into his waistband. It wasn't that uncomfortable, Harry figured he could ignore it. "You guys?"
"Gonna leave us if we aren't ready?" Hermione asked scathingly.
"Merlin, Hermione! Not this again!"
"Yes, this again!" She said, crossing her arms. "I don't trust you!"
"Then don't go!" Harry challenged, not missing the look of hurt on her face. "Look, I know I hurt you guys by not telling you, and I'm sorry, but we have something so much bigger than that going on right now!"
"Do you understand that it hurts, or are you just saying that?"
"Of course I get it! If you had done it instead I'd be upset too, at first! But it's been a week!"
"Guys," Ron interrupted quickly, their recent voice of wisdom. "Let's drop it for now, okay?"
"Yeah, I agree with Ron," Neville said, looking pointedly at Harry. "We have to work together on this, okay? If not, they'll see through our plan."
Hermione and Harry just grumbled, looking away. Ron and Neville shared a look. The redhead smiling and offering a shrug. They'd forgive and forget, eventually. Hopefully.
Neville couldn't say anything. He understood exactly where Hermione was coming from. If Harry had run out on him to save her, he'd be pissed. But Harry had saved him, had come for him, and then they even shared their… ugh, it was better not to think about it. It was far too awkward. Maybe in another life.
"Come on, guys. We should go."
The apparition to the bank was silent and tense. Harry's hand squeezed Neville's bicep so hard the man thought his arm would fall off. Neville understood why, though. He'd have done this same if he was in Harry's shoes.
"Do we have everything?" Harry asked, the four of them hiding in a back alley. The streets were empty, fitting for war time. Hermione and Ron nodded, showing their illusionary lockets. Good. Harry pulled out his cloak, covering himself and Neville with it. Hermione and Ron shared a quick kiss before pressing a button on their lockets. Quickly their looks were covered with a fog. Harry blinked it away as best as he could, but it was no use. He squeezed his eyes shut.
When he opened them again, Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrenge were in front of him.
"This is so bloody weird," Ron mumbled, looking at his reflection in a puddle on the ground. Hermione nodded in agreement.
The four moved inside, Harry and Neville sticking close together, moving as quickly as they could under the invisibility cloak, although that didn't do much. Hermione and Ron kept their pace slow and steady for them, their gazes full of fake loathing and dissatisfaction as they looked at the surrounding goblins and small piles of gold and paper.
"My vault," Hermione told the teller. "Now, you wicked beast."
"Your key, Mrs Lestrange."
"You know who I am and yet you dare ask for my key?!" Hermione pulled out her wand with a scoff, pointing it at the creature. "Ava-"
"Mrs Lestrange!" A new goblin said, stepping between them quickly. "No need to be so hasty now, Mrs Lestrange, please, follow me."
"No, I think I'd much rather-" Ron pushed her forward with a huff, making the woman follow the goblin. The teller at the desk mumbled underneath his breath. Harry and Neville stopped, Harry pointing his wand at the goblin, whispering a quiet 'Obliviate'. The man slumped over, confused. The pair hurried to catch up with their friends.
"Imperio," They hear Ron cast. They pull off the cloak, Neville stuffing it into his bag as Harry rushes to Ron.
"What happened?" Harry asks, voice quiet. Ron sighs, pointing to their lockets.
"He could see beneath the lockets. He tried to corner us." Ron explained. Hermione, still wearing the face of Bellatrix, looked sick.
"I'm sorry…" Harry told them both.
"I wonder if the other goblins could tell." Hermione whispered, looking around.
"Well, if the teller did, Harry knocked him out." Neville said, joining them. That wasn't what happened, but Harry wasn't going to correct it openly. No need to tell Hermione what he actually did and make her feel worse.
"Do you know where we should go?" Ron asked, looking at Harry. He shook his head.
"I assume not this way. Can't you ask the goblin?"
"I can try. Ahem," Ron cleared his throat. "Goblin, show us the way to Bellatrix Lestrenges vault."
The goblin slowly began to move forward, the group following him. They took a few twists and turns, but after a while, they approached a familiar track.
"Summon a cart," Ron demanded, wand still pointed at the creature. The goblin pressed a few buttons, supposedly doing that. They waited, and a squeaky cart arrived. The four piled in, Harry leviating the goblin into the cart with them when it refused to budge.
"Is it resisting the curse?" Neville asked. Ron shrugged.
"No clue. Only ever seen Harry do it."
Hermione was silent. And then she wasn't.
"This is wrong," She said, her arms crossed. "This is illegal and wrong and we are no better than Death Eaters."
"Hermione, now isn't the time to try to have a moral compass. You know exactly why we're doing this, and the Imperius was a last resort."
"We should have just asked him!"
"Hermione, don't be dull." Harry shot back, anger rising. Neville laid a hand on his shoulder, stopping him from going further with his insult.
"Sorry, I'm just not okay being mini Death Eaters!"
"Lower your voices," Ron said suddenly, and the group shut up. The cart passed another empty cart, and they all sighed, thankful. "Come on, guys. We can debate later. Look, I think we're here."
They were.
As the cart pulled to a stop, all of them looked around the grandiose golden door that was Bellatrix Lestrenge's vault. It was stunning and intricate, likely due to the amount of locks on it.
"She must have paid a small fortune for it to be locked up this tight," Neville mumbled, leaving the cart. "Tell the goblin to open it up."
Ron nodded, commanding the creature to do so. It took a moment, but with a jerk from Ron's wand, the goblin moved to the door, unlocking it. Harry watched as each individual lock clicked open. One by one they parted, revealing the bright gold underneath. Harry and Neville shared a look, Harry nodding at Neville, who readied his own wand.
"Are you ready for this?" Harry asked quietly. Neville nodded.
"Ready as I'll ever be." He breathed deeply through his nose, squeezing his eyes shut. He inched closer and closer to the open vault, his wand steady.
"Pestis Incendium," He said, voice like steel. The bright flame shot out of Neville's wand, rushing into the open vault, their flickering flames melting everything that came across it.
Neville didn't even have time to admire the destruction he caused before Harry was yanking him by the back of his shirt, ushering him to the cart again.
"Get in!" Ron shouted. Hermione followed, jumping in with a yelp.
"Fiendfyre?!" She yelled.
"Not the time!" Ron reminded, starting the cart. He pushed a button, and it shot off, moving backward against the way it came.
"Yes it is the time! It's going to destroy Gringotts!"
"And the horcrux!" Harry yelled, the alarm sounding. "Fuck!"
"Can we apparate in Gringotts?!" Neville yelled, gripping Harry's hand tightly. If they did apparate, he wouldn't let go! He linked arms with his friend.
"We can try!" Ron grabbed Harry's collar. "Come on, Hermione!"
Hermione quickly grabbed Ron's hand, a familiar pull suddenly starting in all of them. Harry felt his pulse quicken, still holding Neville tightly. No, no, no! If they did this, he could lose Neville again, and then-
With a tug and a twist, they were gone, the now empty cart still speeding down the tracks. They missed the sounds of the screams as the fire took over everything in the lower area.
Well, at least the goblins who say them wouldn't be able to come forward about who caused this all.
They land on the ground, sand instantly surrounding their adrenaline filled body. Harry reached around, but Neville wasn't there. Harry felt his heart stop.
"Neville? Neville?!"
"I'm here, I'm here," Neville said with a gasp, grabbing Harry's face. "I'm here, Harry."
"You- you could have- I wouldn't- and then-"
"He's here, Harry," Hermione said softly. "We're all here."
Harry blinked, looking at his three friends. Ron, Hermione, and Neville. They were okay. They were safe. A tear fell from his eyes.
Instantly, he was surrounded by the others, all of them clutching each other tightly. Right now, all they needed was each other.
"Where are we?" Neville asked, voice muffled by Hermione's hair.
"Bill's new place. He told me about it at the wedding, should we need it. It's just on that cliff above." Ron pointed up, and they all looked. Indeed, a small house was settled on the cliff side, looking quite quaint. After a moment of catching their breath, the four got up, starting the trek from the beach to the cliff above them.
"I'm exhausted," Ron muttered, leaning against Hermione, who held him tight. "Thanks, 'Mione."
"I've got you, Ron." She said quietly, rubbing his hand as they walked up the cliff.
"Almost there, guys." Neville told them as they edged closer and closer to the blue house. "Maybe Ron should go up there?"
"Probably for the best," Ron sighed, depletion obvious in his body. He muttered to himself as they moved closer. "Come on, Ron, keep moving."
Once there, Ron knocked on the white door. No one came. He knocked again.
"Bill, I'm dead tired, open-"
"Ron!" The door tore open, revealing Bill, his wand raised. "Wait- no, tell me only something Ron would know?"
"You shit yourself when you were twelve and blamed it on moms beans. Open the damn door."
Bill flushed slightly and opened the door, letting all four in.
"You guys look…"
"Yeah," Harry agreed with a sigh. "Good to see you, Bill."
"Good to see you too, Harry. Were you running from Death Eaters?"
"Something like that." Ron muttered, flopping onto the couch, his eyes fluttering closed. Hermione said a quick hello to Bill and rushed to her boyfriend's side.
"Sorry to crash in on you like this, Bill." Neville said, shaking his hand. "How is everyone."
"Not the best, but still fighting. Intel from Hogwarts said it's been overrun."
"Snape?" Harry asked. Bill went still, but nodded.
"I don't know much about you, Harry, but you can trust Snape. He's doing this for a reason, and-"
"I know," Harry quickly interrupted. He took a seat at the dinner table, the plush chair feeling great on his bones. "I know we can. He's a good man."
Harry only wished he could see him soon.
Whispers surrounded him wherever he walked. Draco knew that. He knew that it was his fault that they followed him, too.
"Move it, Mudblood." he spat at the girl. She was young, no older than a third year, and here he was, cursing her out like she had done something wrong to him. At first he had enjoyed the high life of power. Snape, the traitor, was in charge and usually left him alone. The people in Slytherin were loyal to him. Others feared him. He was living the high life and it was great.
Now, he wasn't so sure.
"I'm not scared of you!" The girl puffed out her chest, her scrawny arms on her hips. She was defiant. Draco wasn't a fan of that, but he could respect it. Slightly. Just a little. He'd never admit it out loud.
"No, Jessie!" A young boy pulled at the girl. "Just move!"
"No, if he-"
"Move it." Draco glanced up, seeing a grinning Crabbe. "Or I'll kill you."
The two kids ran off with a squeak, the girl even leaving a shoe behind. Crabbe blasted it with a laugh. Draco's stomach turned.
"Crabbe."
"Malfoy, just the man I needed. Come look at what we found!" Crabbe turned and walked the other direction, his steps loud and cumbersome. Gone was the boy that would listen to everything that Draco said. Now, Crabbe was the torture student in Alecto's class, and he was more than happy enough to share his knowledge. He wasn't scared of Draco anymore.
Draco still followed.
As they neared an open door, a foul smell hit his nostrils, and he wrinkled his nose. His stomach twisted the closer they got.
"Crabbe, what the bloody hell are you trying to show me? It reeks!" Crabbe kept laughing, the lights in the room coming on after a few moments. As the flames flickered to life, Draco gasped, his blood going cold.
"See? It's absolutely hilarious! Wonder who got to him? Wish it was me," Crabbe walked over, kicking it with his foot.
The body of Argus Filch made an odd squelching sound.
"He's been dead for a few days. When I found him, the rats were eating at him, and so was his cat.
Draco felt his mouth go dry. Here he was, on a Wednesday afternoon, staring at the dead body of a man he knew for almost seven years. Not that he liked the man, but…dear merlin.
He looked feasted upon, his body puffy and pulled apart where his clothes didn't cover. Dried blood covered the floor, and the smell was absolutely horrendous.
Is this what waited for him after death? Would he too look like this in his grave? Was this the aftermath of war?
"Fuck…" the crude word was all Draco could mutter.
"Wicked, innit?" Crabbe laughed, kicking the body. Draco was going to be sick. "Heard from the twins that there's a few students that look like this. Wanna go find them?"
When did 'the twins' change from the Weasley to the Carrow? When did pointless bullying turn to defiling a dead body?
"Malfoy?"
"Sorry, I've gotta study." Draco said, swiftly turning around so his…classmate didn't see his disgusted face. "Maybe next time."
"Shoulda known you were the squeamish type! Ha!" Crabbe kicked it again, the sound etching itself into Draco's mind.
He was going to be sick. He didn't want to be the villain anymore.