Fic: Brave New World (26/28): Harry Potter
Title: Brave New World
Author:
patriciatepes
Artist:
twisted_slinky
Fandom: Harry Potter
Chapter: Prev | Next
Rating/Contents: PG-13
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters. Making no money here, as they all still belong to their prospective owners.
Summary: Partially DH compliant, most AU. Voldemort arrived at Malfoy Manor quicker than expected, and like that, the war was over. Now, Hermione is Snape's "assigned companion," and as determined as ever to stop Voldemort and save her friends. But that's hard to do in Voldemort's new world…
Chapter Twenty-Six: The Death of Harry Potter
They apparated back to the safe room above the Hog's Head, and almost immediately after arriving, felt their bodies transforming back into their true shapes. It was painful, but not as much as changing from their bodies. Hermione was the first to finish, and she found the robes on her were not quite the right size anymore. With a quick wave of her wand, she fixed it, turning to see that Snape had done the same.
They exchanged a silent glance as Hermione bent, reaching into the pocket of her discarded jeans, and lifted the coin Neville had given her. She knew that Neville, Luna, and a few others were probably very near, but there were some she knew needed to hear this that weren't waiting in the pub just below. With an encouraging nod from Snape, she activated the coin.
It took just seconds for those nearest-Neville, Luna, Ollivander with his wands, and Draco. And it took several minutes more for the rest to arrive. Ron arrived with his brothers and sister in tow, and several of the wandless younger witches and wizards followed soon after that. For a long moment, as they all stood crowded in the room, no one spoke. Snape seemed to leave the floor to Hermione, and, for her part, she didn't trust her voice for the moment. She took several deep breaths, grateful that no one was pushing it. Finally, feeling the tears spring to her eyes even before a word could escape, she spoke.
"Harry's going through with it," she stated.
As one, the group around her seemed to suck in air as a hiss through their teeth. Hermione turned, trying to meet as many eyes as she could. Ginny had moved to bury her face in Draco's shoulder, and the rest of the Weasley brood was eyeing the floor.
"He… He made me swear not to stop him. Not to stop Voldemort from…"
But Hermione couldn't say it. She couldn't openly admit that she was going to stand idly by and let the darkest wizard of their time kill her best friend. The people around her knew, though. They all nodded, and they all looked grateful that she hadn't spelled it out for them. Snape gently pushed his way through the crowd, stopping at her shoulder. He laid a gentle hand there, and she reached to clasp it. It was a small comfort, and to hell with anyone who wanted to say anything now. Ron's eyes now looked as if they were trying to forcibly make him look backwards at the door with a minimal head turn. Others looked a little surprised, but, again, to hell with them.
She turned and gazed up at Snape. What she said next, she said loud enough for everyone to hear, but she truly spoke it to the man whose hand she held on to for dear life.
"I'm not going to let him be alone. I want to be there, even if I'm in hiding. He doesn't deserve to… He doesn't deserve to go through that alone."
"You're absolutely right. I'll go with you," he said.
Her chest felt just the tiniest bit lighter. She always prided herself on being independent and smart, but sometimes it was just nice to have someone to comfort you. Especially when she could already feel the guilt gnawing away at her stomach.
"We'll all go," Neville put it. "It's time to end it."
Hermione's eyes flew to his. "What? What about the other two Horcruxes?"
Fred managed a small smile and a dismissive wave with his hand. "Psh. We destroyed those ages ago."
Her gaze narrowed in on the Weasley family. "We?"
"Yeah," Ron said, kicking at nothing on the floor. "We faked our way into the Chamber to get the fang to destroy the cup. Then we cast Fiendfyre for the diadem."
Hermione was sure her face looked rightfully alarmed. "Ron! Do you know how dangerous that spell is? That's why I never even suggested it! It's so easy to grow out of control!"
"Well, we contained it, and it's done," Ron replied defensively.
"Barely," George murmured.
"I heard that," Hermione said.
The twins both shrugged. Neville shook his head.
"As I was saying, it's time. We'll all go, the whole resistance. Voldemort's got loads more followers, and I use that term loosely, so if we all keep our faces hidden, we should be fine. When… when it's done… we'll swarm and attack. Tomorrow night will be Voldemort's end as well."
A small comfort, like any of the others before. But at least Harry won't have died in vain. Hermione was really having a hard time staying positive at the moment. Snape moved, just a bit, locking eyes with Draco.
"Remember what we've told you, about the Elder Wand. It won't act against its Master, that's why the Dark Lord is so desperate to control it. It has to be you, Draco. You're the only one who can strike the final blow against Voldemort, once Potter is…"
Draco sucked in a breath. "I didn't sign up for this, you know."
"Neither did Harry," Ginny and Hermione said in unison.
They met each other's eyes for a moment before looking away. Draco patted Ginny gently. "I know. I'll be there. I'll do it."
"I'll aid you in any way I can," Snape said.
Draco nodded stiffly.
"Then it's settled then," Neville said, no sense of joy or triumph in his voice. "Tomorrow night."
"Tomorrow night," the rest echoed back.
##
The next night was windy and a bit damp from a promised rain. Snape and Hermione-his face covered by a Death Eater's mask and hers by her overlarge cloak-entered Malfoy Manor, swept along by the throng of chattering people, silently. Once they were in the ballroom-decorated in deep greens and black, like it was somewhere in between a wake and a birthday party-they made their way to the spot farthest from the stage. They found that some small platforms, for further standing room, had been erected along the walls. They took their space on one of them.
The crowd around them was alive with a nervous excitement, so much so that the room seemed to hum. Hermione felt sick, like her knees might give out any moment and she might heave upon the floor. She leaned heavily on Snape, who kept a strong arm wrapped about her waist.
"I can't believe we're doing this," she whispered so low that she barely heard herself.
Snape said nothing, replying only with a single squeeze. The crowd around them were dressed in their Death Eater best, as Snape guessed they would be. Hermione pulled down the hood of her cloak a little farther, wanting to make absolutely sure no one would recognize her. She knew that the rest of the resistance was there, but she couldn't distinguish them from the loyal followers at the moment… which, she supposed, was a good thing.
It seemed to take ages, but finally, the golden cage housing the Boy Who Lived-to die, apparently-slowly descended from somewhere near the ceiling. Voldemort was sweeping onto the largest of the erected stages, his face the only one clearly visible-save for Harry's own. Hermione gripped Snape's arm so hard that she was sure she had to be hurting him, but he said nothing.
"My most loyal followers," Voldemort called out to the crowd.
Murmurs of adoration followed in response. He silenced them with only a stare. He gestured to Harry, who looked as if he had been put in fresh robes for this occasion. Harry stood in the center of the cage, his eyes searching the crowd. He's looking for us, any of us, Hermione thought with a twang in her heart.
"Tonight is a most auspicious occasion. Tonight is the night I finally kill Harry Potter!"
Cheers all around. Hermione wanted to sob. Voldemort continued to drone on with overly-dramatic flair, detailing his hatred for Harry. It was nothing that Hermione hadn't heard before, but it caused her heart to beat faster, the anticipation of what was to come was almost too much. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Voldemort held both his hands aloft. In one, his wand.
"Without further ado, I give to you, my Death Eaters, the Death of Harry Potter!"
He whirled, facing Harry directly, and Hermione knew what she had to do. She swore she couldn't stop this, and she knew, in her heart of hearts, that Harry's death was the only way they could fully destroy Voldemort. But she was going to help Harry in the one way that she could. She was going to let him know that he wasn't dying alone.
Just as Voldemort's back turned to the crowd-whose attention was solely upon the Dark Lord and Harry-Hermione dropped her cloak's hood. And somewhere, in the audience, she saw a single red head pop up out of the sea of black-Ron. Harry looked past Voldemort. And he smiled.
His mouth moved, and Hermione couldn't read the silent words. Instead, all she could see was Voldemort's wand moving, and those terrible words spill from his snake-like mouth.
"Avada Kedavra!"
A flash of green, and then the thud of a body that sounded too heavy. Hermione pulled her hood up with closed eyes, unwilling to look at the murder scene before her just yet.
Author:
patriciatepes
Artist:
twisted_slinky
Fandom: Harry Potter
Chapter: Prev | Next
Rating/Contents: PG-13
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters. Making no money here, as they all still belong to their prospective owners.
Summary: Partially DH compliant, most AU. Voldemort arrived at Malfoy Manor quicker than expected, and like that, the war was over. Now, Hermione is Snape's "assigned companion," and as determined as ever to stop Voldemort and save her friends. But that's hard to do in Voldemort's new world…
Chapter Twenty-Six: The Death of Harry Potter
They apparated back to the safe room above the Hog's Head, and almost immediately after arriving, felt their bodies transforming back into their true shapes. It was painful, but not as much as changing from their bodies. Hermione was the first to finish, and she found the robes on her were not quite the right size anymore. With a quick wave of her wand, she fixed it, turning to see that Snape had done the same.
They exchanged a silent glance as Hermione bent, reaching into the pocket of her discarded jeans, and lifted the coin Neville had given her. She knew that Neville, Luna, and a few others were probably very near, but there were some she knew needed to hear this that weren't waiting in the pub just below. With an encouraging nod from Snape, she activated the coin.
It took just seconds for those nearest-Neville, Luna, Ollivander with his wands, and Draco. And it took several minutes more for the rest to arrive. Ron arrived with his brothers and sister in tow, and several of the wandless younger witches and wizards followed soon after that. For a long moment, as they all stood crowded in the room, no one spoke. Snape seemed to leave the floor to Hermione, and, for her part, she didn't trust her voice for the moment. She took several deep breaths, grateful that no one was pushing it. Finally, feeling the tears spring to her eyes even before a word could escape, she spoke.
"Harry's going through with it," she stated.
As one, the group around her seemed to suck in air as a hiss through their teeth. Hermione turned, trying to meet as many eyes as she could. Ginny had moved to bury her face in Draco's shoulder, and the rest of the Weasley brood was eyeing the floor.
"He… He made me swear not to stop him. Not to stop Voldemort from…"
But Hermione couldn't say it. She couldn't openly admit that she was going to stand idly by and let the darkest wizard of their time kill her best friend. The people around her knew, though. They all nodded, and they all looked grateful that she hadn't spelled it out for them. Snape gently pushed his way through the crowd, stopping at her shoulder. He laid a gentle hand there, and she reached to clasp it. It was a small comfort, and to hell with anyone who wanted to say anything now. Ron's eyes now looked as if they were trying to forcibly make him look backwards at the door with a minimal head turn. Others looked a little surprised, but, again, to hell with them.
She turned and gazed up at Snape. What she said next, she said loud enough for everyone to hear, but she truly spoke it to the man whose hand she held on to for dear life.
"I'm not going to let him be alone. I want to be there, even if I'm in hiding. He doesn't deserve to… He doesn't deserve to go through that alone."
"You're absolutely right. I'll go with you," he said.
Her chest felt just the tiniest bit lighter. She always prided herself on being independent and smart, but sometimes it was just nice to have someone to comfort you. Especially when she could already feel the guilt gnawing away at her stomach.
"We'll all go," Neville put it. "It's time to end it."
Hermione's eyes flew to his. "What? What about the other two Horcruxes?"
Fred managed a small smile and a dismissive wave with his hand. "Psh. We destroyed those ages ago."
Her gaze narrowed in on the Weasley family. "We?"
"Yeah," Ron said, kicking at nothing on the floor. "We faked our way into the Chamber to get the fang to destroy the cup. Then we cast Fiendfyre for the diadem."
Hermione was sure her face looked rightfully alarmed. "Ron! Do you know how dangerous that spell is? That's why I never even suggested it! It's so easy to grow out of control!"
"Well, we contained it, and it's done," Ron replied defensively.
"Barely," George murmured.
"I heard that," Hermione said.
The twins both shrugged. Neville shook his head.
"As I was saying, it's time. We'll all go, the whole resistance. Voldemort's got loads more followers, and I use that term loosely, so if we all keep our faces hidden, we should be fine. When… when it's done… we'll swarm and attack. Tomorrow night will be Voldemort's end as well."
A small comfort, like any of the others before. But at least Harry won't have died in vain. Hermione was really having a hard time staying positive at the moment. Snape moved, just a bit, locking eyes with Draco.
"Remember what we've told you, about the Elder Wand. It won't act against its Master, that's why the Dark Lord is so desperate to control it. It has to be you, Draco. You're the only one who can strike the final blow against Voldemort, once Potter is…"
Draco sucked in a breath. "I didn't sign up for this, you know."
"Neither did Harry," Ginny and Hermione said in unison.
They met each other's eyes for a moment before looking away. Draco patted Ginny gently. "I know. I'll be there. I'll do it."
"I'll aid you in any way I can," Snape said.
Draco nodded stiffly.
"Then it's settled then," Neville said, no sense of joy or triumph in his voice. "Tomorrow night."
"Tomorrow night," the rest echoed back.
##
The next night was windy and a bit damp from a promised rain. Snape and Hermione-his face covered by a Death Eater's mask and hers by her overlarge cloak-entered Malfoy Manor, swept along by the throng of chattering people, silently. Once they were in the ballroom-decorated in deep greens and black, like it was somewhere in between a wake and a birthday party-they made their way to the spot farthest from the stage. They found that some small platforms, for further standing room, had been erected along the walls. They took their space on one of them.
The crowd around them was alive with a nervous excitement, so much so that the room seemed to hum. Hermione felt sick, like her knees might give out any moment and she might heave upon the floor. She leaned heavily on Snape, who kept a strong arm wrapped about her waist.
"I can't believe we're doing this," she whispered so low that she barely heard herself.
Snape said nothing, replying only with a single squeeze. The crowd around them were dressed in their Death Eater best, as Snape guessed they would be. Hermione pulled down the hood of her cloak a little farther, wanting to make absolutely sure no one would recognize her. She knew that the rest of the resistance was there, but she couldn't distinguish them from the loyal followers at the moment… which, she supposed, was a good thing.
It seemed to take ages, but finally, the golden cage housing the Boy Who Lived-to die, apparently-slowly descended from somewhere near the ceiling. Voldemort was sweeping onto the largest of the erected stages, his face the only one clearly visible-save for Harry's own. Hermione gripped Snape's arm so hard that she was sure she had to be hurting him, but he said nothing.
"My most loyal followers," Voldemort called out to the crowd.
Murmurs of adoration followed in response. He silenced them with only a stare. He gestured to Harry, who looked as if he had been put in fresh robes for this occasion. Harry stood in the center of the cage, his eyes searching the crowd. He's looking for us, any of us, Hermione thought with a twang in her heart.
"Tonight is a most auspicious occasion. Tonight is the night I finally kill Harry Potter!"
Cheers all around. Hermione wanted to sob. Voldemort continued to drone on with overly-dramatic flair, detailing his hatred for Harry. It was nothing that Hermione hadn't heard before, but it caused her heart to beat faster, the anticipation of what was to come was almost too much. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Voldemort held both his hands aloft. In one, his wand.
"Without further ado, I give to you, my Death Eaters, the Death of Harry Potter!"
He whirled, facing Harry directly, and Hermione knew what she had to do. She swore she couldn't stop this, and she knew, in her heart of hearts, that Harry's death was the only way they could fully destroy Voldemort. But she was going to help Harry in the one way that she could. She was going to let him know that he wasn't dying alone.
Just as Voldemort's back turned to the crowd-whose attention was solely upon the Dark Lord and Harry-Hermione dropped her cloak's hood. And somewhere, in the audience, she saw a single red head pop up out of the sea of black-Ron. Harry looked past Voldemort. And he smiled.
His mouth moved, and Hermione couldn't read the silent words. Instead, all she could see was Voldemort's wand moving, and those terrible words spill from his snake-like mouth.
"Avada Kedavra!"
A flash of green, and then the thud of a body that sounded too heavy. Hermione pulled her hood up with closed eyes, unwilling to look at the murder scene before her just yet.