Enternity Chapter 20 - part 1
The room shook, stones grinding together and the portraits around the room looked alarmed. Many of them had run off into other frames - some to the Ministry and others into family homes. The ones that ran off to the Ministry had yet to come back and many of the ones that went to various family manors came back with grim expressions or soft words about how no one could come to aid them. The door banged against its frame, the wood groaning and the few wards that had been placed on it glowed bright.
Hermione looked over at Ron, frightened despite herself, and found that her boyfriend looked just as apprehensive as she did.
The room stopped shaking abruptly and back inside the Great Hall a bellow sounded, loud and feral. She reached for Ron’s hand and tried not to shake. A burst of magic followed the bellow, familiar and comforting, and she heard Luna give a breathless laugh from behind her.
“Harry’s here.” Luna breathed out, sounding elated and hopeful. The ground trembled and Harry’s voice sounded through the door, muffled enough that she couldn’t make out any of the words but she could tell he was furious. His magic seemed to wash over her again, a cracking heat with a tendril of rage tucked in, and the students around her started to whisper excitedly. There was a deafening crash and then silence.
The wards on the door melted away and it swung open slowly. Harry stood in the doorway, eyes alight with a smear of something wet and dark on his cheek, and behind him Hermione could just make out the shamble of the Great Hall. The once grand room was littered with bodies and broken tables and smashed glass; there was blood on the floor and she thought she saw a chunk of flesh - too coarse to belong to a human - settled behind what was left of the Hufflepuff table.
“Are you all alright?” Harry asked quietly and Hermione turned her gaze from beyond his shoulder to his face. She wanted to throw herself into his arms and cling to him, demand that he make everything safe and better.
“We’re a little banged up and I think only a few of us need further medical care.” Eleanor said and her voice shook. Hermione took a deep breath as Harry stepped forward, letting their shoulders brush softly against each other, and she knew the time for acting like a child was over. He had too much to do for her to even think of giving him anything else to shoulder.
She let go of Ron’s hand slowly and turned to look about the room to assess the situation. They couldn’t stay here; the few students who had gone into shock were likely to lapse back into it with the Great Hall only steps away, never mind the claustrophobic feel of the room. One girl needed her leg set and most of them needed some pepper up if only to offset more of them going into shock. Most importantly, the castle was under siege and the students couldn’t be kept safe here - they needed their families and real safety.
“We should go to the infirmary, there’s a fireplace and potions that Eleanor could use.” Hermione said to Harry, who was kneeling before a Hufflepuff seventh year whose name Hermione couldn’t recall at the moment.
“There’s a side door that opens to a corridor close to it, we’ll use that. It’s behind that portrait.” Harry said, pointing to an empty frame. Its host must have gone to the Ministry.
Ron moved to push the portrait frame aside, reveling a doorway, and he helped little Christina Pyrites - one of the only first years sorted that year - to her feet and gently pushed her forward. Everyone shuffled out slowly, trembling or being led by friends or siblings. Neville picked up Rose Zeller, who whimpered and was crying by now, and carried her out.
Harry ended up leading them even though everyone knew the way. He had his wand at the ready and was tense, every step measured in a way that screamed to Hermione how upset and angry he still was. He had a way of moving when angry, as if all the rage inside his body was moments away from exploding out, and to tamp it down he held himself stiff. The castle was eerily silent and many of the portraits they passed were somber and some were openly weeping. A few of the painted figures were running through frames, talking to Harry quietly so as not to disturb the others, but Hermione could hear just fine that St. Mungo’s had fallen.
Harry pushed the Infirmary doors open softly and Eleanor rushed past him, gathering potions and directing students to sit down. Draco was one of the ones who needed medical attention, for a laceration just under his collar bone. Hermione herself was fine, so she went over to stand next to Harry, who was still near the now closed doors of the infirmary.
“We need to get these students out of here.” Hermione said.
“The Ministry has fallen, that’s why a lot of portraits in that side room were empty. If they moved to a frame that was broken or under rubble, they’d be reduced to just paint on canvas. London is in chaos, not just the Magical part. The muggles are rioting and Parliament has declared martial law and a state of emergency. We need to gather our forces here, for one last push, and these children cannot be here. I’ve allowed Tom to do way too much and this… I won’t allow this. This ends now, no more.” Harry whispered to her softly and Hermione nodded, not sure what she wanted to address first. She wondered if her mother had a boy or girl and if they were alright. They had to be alright, she needed to believe they were alright.
“Shall we leave the students to die with their parents? Many of them might be orphans now.” Hermione whispered back, once she got her emotions under control.
“I don’t know, but they can’t stay here. This place is no longer safe for them.” Harry replied. The Phoenix song sounded then, lifting the mood and sending warmth through the room. In a blaze of fire, Fawkes appeared on Harry’s shoulder with a rolled up piece of parchment in his mouth. Some people screamed in fright, but quickly calmed when they saw the firebird.
“Is that from Professor Dumbledore?” Ron asked as both him and Draco walked over to them quickly. Harry took the parchment from Fawkes, unrolling it to read what was written on it.
“Albus reports that he and members of the Order of Phoenix are coming to us.” Harry announced to the room at large and people cried in relief and praised Merlin. Harry lowered his voice as he continued to just them three. “I’ve already raised the battle wards around this castle; Fawkes is their only way of getting in here. The house-elves can get the students out.”
Hermione took a deep breath before straightening her spine to address Harry.
“Ron and I can welcome them and explain the situation. We’ll help them plan an offense while you and Draco get these kids out of here.” Hermione said and Ron nodded next to her, both of them looking to Harry. Fawkes trilled before he moved from Harry’s shoulder to Ron’s. Harry procured a quill and turned the note from the Headmaster over to write something on it before handing it over to Hermione.
“Have Fawkes give this to Albus; Draco and I will get the students out.” Harry said. Ron and Hermione left quickly and Harry turned to the room at large. Everyone was staring at him, knowing something was happening even though they couldn’t hear all of the conversation.
“The final siege for this war is going to take place here; it’s the last stronghold we’ve got. The Ministry for Magic has fallen, the building itself was raised to the ground.” At this point many people started asking questions, about survivors, about family members, about where they were going to go, and Harry raised his voice to speak over them. “I have to get you out of here, or you will die. If you want to stay and fight, I welcome you to do that, but don’t feel obliged. Many of you have homes to go to, wards to barricade yourselves behind. For those of you who do, I encourage you to reach out to those that don’t. Help each other because once you are outside these walls, I can’t help any of you. You’ll be on your own.” Harry said loudly.
The students looked around at each other, fear and uncertainty one their faces as clear as day. Draco and Eleanor were just finishing up on healing Rose Zeller’s legs when Harry called the house elves into the room. Eleanor was already moving on to other students, healing cuts and bruises, and making them drink some pepper up. Cassiopeia, Rose’s older sister, came over to make sure Rose didn’t try to stand up before she needed to. The house elves all popped in quickly, little faces serious, with Dobby in front of them all, armed with a long knife.
“You called for us, Mr. Harry Potter, sir?” Dobby asked and Harry kneeled down to talk to him as the students chattered behind him.
“I need a huge favor of all of you. We have to get these students out of here to safety. Can I trust you to help get them out of here and into their homes? Many of them lost their parents or guardians today.” Harry asked.
“We be happy to help. Many of the house elves will ask for bonds, but since we shall not coming back to Hogwarts it will be okay.” Dobby said in reply, not having to confer with the others. The fact that they could tell they wouldn’t be coming back to this castle made Harry want to scream and cry, but some things must be done for progress to happen. Harry nodded, standing up and facing the students again. Warren Vaisey was standing in front him, expression pinched and face pale.
“My mother and uncle are outside. I know they are.” He said softly and Harry reached up to grip his shoulder. “My little brother…” Vaisey chocked on the words, eyes watering.
“I know.” Harry said.
“My uncle is the Head of our house now that my dad is dead and I just… I don’t have anywhere to go.” He continued.
“Your head of house? He left you and your baby brother here to die - he knew his Lord would require him to lay siege to this place and he left you to rot here. He’s not worthy of the title of Head of Family. He didn’t protect his name or legacy.” Harry said vehemently, moving his hand from Vaisey’s shoulder to his cheek. “You are the Head of the Family, you’re the future and that man left you to die.” Harry continued and Vaisey leaned into his touch like a child. Harry pulled his hand away and breathed deep, centering his magic and calling up memories of inheritance rituals.
He didn’t need a ritual circle for someone to step up and take control of their family line and legacy, not if magic deemed them worthy enough to become the next Head. And in this case, Warren had a great case for him - his grief over his brother was real and the pain and rage in his eyes was sincere. His Head of Family wasn’t living up to the most basic of duties: safeguarding the bloodline and name. Warren was the only one worthy to be his family’s Head of house.
“Warren, would you prepared to take care of your family’s name, line, and legacy?” Harry asked quietly and Vaisey swallowed. He knew what Harry was doing, he was raised with tales of sons stripping their fathers of their roles in times of need. How could he not know?
“Better than my uncle Ezra has.” Vaisey said softly and his magic swirled around him, lifting his hair and the air was thick with it. “I swear on my name, on my legacy, on my magic that I am prepared to take this responsibility from my uncle, for he has failed our family.” Vaisey continued and there were tears rolling down his cheeks to fade into soft white light. The boy’s magic settled around his shoulders like a robe and on his right hand a ring appeared, fading into existence with a finality that settled into Vaisey’s bones.
He looked no different from moments before, but the feel of him was telling enough. Vaisey covered his mouth, wiping at his face, and then he turned around.
“I can feel my manor’s ancestral wards now. I have enough room for three other people. It’s not much, but it’s what I got. I don’t care about your bloodline or your parent’s views or your name.” He announced and immediately Christina Pyrites walked over to him. She looked even smaller than usual next to him, her little hand tucked into his, and it was sobering to realize that she had truly lost everything. Eleven years old and her entire family was gone - even her twin.
Cassiopeia Zeller stood from where she was sitting next to her little sister Rose and helped the girl to her feet. Her leg was set and in ideal circumstances she wouldn’t use it for at least the rest of the day to make sure the bones stayed that way, but these weren’t ideal circumstances. Supporting her sister, they both went to stand over by Vaisey. All three of the girls that were choosing to go with him were half-bloods, two Slytherins and one Hufflepuff, and Cassiopeia was the oldest at 14 going on 15.
A house elf broke from the group and stepped up to Vaisey, looking up at him solemnly.
“Yous be concentrating on the wards, gets them to let us in. I do the rest.” Her little voice squeaked out and Vaisey nodded, reaching out to hold Cassiopeia’s hand and make sure she was still holding onto her sister. The elf gripped his robes and closed her eyes and before they popped away, Vaisey turned back to Harry.
“Thank you. I’m sorry I won’t be coming back.” He said and they were gone.
“I thought to claim your inheritance there was blood involved.” Nina Delnormia said faintly.
“Not if you’re taking the title from someone your family’s magic deems unworthy of being the Head of the Family. These rituals were used on rapists, child molesters, and the like; it was necessary to be able to take the title without being in the same vicinity. Thus no blood, just a straight-forward shifting of responsibilities.” Blaise said, as he had Amy and Valerie Moon standing with him. “My parents are behind the ancestral wards, have been since the summer. These two don’t have anywhere to go so I’m going to introduce them to my parents and then come back.” He explained.
An older elf wearing a clean tea-cozy and sporting a clipped ear stepped forward to take hold of Blaise’s hand without a word. The sisters grabbed a hold of Blaise’s robes quickly and the elf popped them away.
Nina Delnormia stepped forward and wrung her hands in front of her while Astoria Greengrass towed Ian Harper and Dennis Creevey over to a house elf. A rather old and round elf reached up to take Greengrass’ hand and they vanished with a loud pop. Harry knew as they left that Astoria was the new head of her family, her parents no doubt lying under rubble somewhere in London whereas her older sister was still in the Great Hall.
“I don’t know where my parents are, but I know they’re currently not in the country. I have my little sister to consider and I’m not wasting any more time by trying to get an elf to them so they can open the wards for us. They left us here, alone, in a war zone. I can forgive them for it, I can understand their reasons - they’re trying to make sure they have a place for us all - but right now my priority is my little sister. She doesn’t deserve to die here, trapped like a rat, because our parents are trying to act like they have more time than they do to make a safe haven for us.” She said quietly.
“I understand. But in this, you can’t give it back, you know that, don’t you? If you take this, it’s yours forever; are you willing to take those responsibilities unto yourself?” Harry asked, feeling magic run between them thickly.
“I swear on my name, on my legacy, on my magic that I am prepared to take this responsibility from my mother, for she has failed our family. I forgive her for it and hold no grudge but I cannot allow her to keep the title when our line is at stake.” Delnormia said firmly and her magic snapped against his, rolling back to push against Nina. Her cheeks gained a healthy bit of red while her hair deepened in color and when she breathed out, she stood straighter.
“Crux, come. Laura, Orla, you two as well.” Nina said with authority and her little sister rushed forward, Laura Madley and Orla Quirke following after her uncertainly. Nina curled one of her arms around Crux’s shoulder and reached her other hand out for an elf. Winky stepped forward and when their hands touched, Winky smiled and they were gone the next instant.
Amell Voultei hugged Ginny and Luna briefly before she went to a young elf that was wearing a colorful tea-cozy. Diana Dodderidge hugged Eleanor, whispering something that made the other girl tear up, before she rushed to Amell’s side. They popped away.
“Harry, would you think me a coward if I left?” Susan Bones asked quietly as she stepped up to stand before him, shaking and pale. Harry took her hands gently before answering her.
“No. And even if I did, screw what I think, you do what’s best for you. If you have other options, you should take them.” Harry told her and she squeezed his hands.
“I’m the Head of my family now. My aunt was no doubt defending the Ministry… Anyway, I can feel that my manor here is gone, its been razed to the ground. But there’s something small and mine in Russia. I’m taking Su Li with me. I just wanted to say thank you, for thinking of us, for devising a way to get us out of here.” She said and let go of him to go to Su Li who was waiting for her with an elf; they left without a backwards glance.
Blaise popped back in, a battle axe attached to his hip and wand at the ready. The house elf that went with him walked back to the remaining circle of ten or so house elves that were left.
“Last call to leave, this goes for you lot too.” Harry said, directing the last bit to the house elves. Ginny and Luna didn’t even look at him, already too engrossed in gathering potions in smaller vials for the upcoming battle and making sure they were secured to their robes.
“My entire family is outside.” Sadelle Fawcett said softly, catching his attention. She didn’t look scared. “I don’t want a title, I just want them dead.” She continued in the same soft voice, expression blank. He wondered if she was planning on outliving them or not, and then decided he couldn’t think about that.
“I’m not going anywhere.” Ernie MacMillian said simply. Five house elves popped away, hiding their eyes in apparent shame.
“Hermione and Ron took the Order of the Phoenix to the transfiguration classroom. Guess we should go meet them.” Draco said. Harry took his hand and for a moment the unnerving silence of the castle seemed alright.
But only for a moment.
XXXXXXXXXX
Harry broke off from the group at the door to the transfiguration classroom. He had to seek out the Bloody Baron as he would know the answers to some of Harry’s remaining questions - like where Voldemort’s last horcrux was.
Once upon a time, Harry taught the Baron as a boy. He was among the second set of children accepted into Hogwarts, one of Godric’s many nephews. He took his mother’s title of Baron when he reached his majority and was going to marry Helena, Rowana’s eldest daughter. In an argument that Harry no longer remembered the root of, Helena ran off with her mother’s diadem, the crown she had been given by some centaurs (the very same clan that spawned the current clans of the centaurs in the forbidden forest), and her mother sent the Baron after her. He killed Helena and then killed himself in a flight of grief, coming back to Hogwarts to haunt her halls as punishment for his crime. And ever since, he always knew where the diadem was - even the few times it fell out of the Ravenclaw family line.
He found the Baron in front of some windows on the third floor, staring out with a grim expression.
“Please tell me Rowena’s diadem is somewhere in this castle still. Or even better that it was never used as a grounding piece for a ripped apart piece of soul.” Harry said, coming to a stop behind the ghost.
“Of course it was; you know just as well as I do that boy wouldn’t be able to resist the urge to throw a piece of himself into it in his desperation.” Baron Hector said softly. He turned away from the window, floating closer to stand before Harry. “It’s not here, Saldis, hasn’t been since it was taken by Horde Kara in 1906. And I’m sorry to say this, but it looks like you have more pressing matters to attend to, such as the army on this castle’s doorsteps. The castle has called Peeves back, as it does when war comes to her doors - Riddle is outside, markings on the ground and power in the air. You’re out of time.” He said, bending down to look Harry in the eye.
“I have watched you come through these halls for centuries now, always with a different face - different skin, different blood, different gender, different names, for centuries you have returned to these halls, drawn here like a moth to a flame. I thought I was destined to linger here forever, to always be near Helena but never see her again, tortured by her presence, her closeness. But over these last ten centuries I have come to pity you a great deal, former teacher of mine. You are just as trapped here as I am. You are out of time - and when Riddle’s forces wipe you all out, you will come back to these halls with a new face, a new name, a new ethnicity and try again, won’t you? Of course you will; you’re unable to do anything else.” Hector said, taking a mean kind of pleasure in his words.
Harry turned away from him, walking quickly back down to the ground level, Hector’s laughter echoing behind him. He was wrong, if that diadem was outside as Harry fears it was… if Tom got that last piece of himself back, Erus would rip through him and awaken, nothing else holding it back. He’d destroy everything, starting with this castle because it would hurt Harry the most and Erus existed to hurt him now. Erus would hollow out Voldemort’s corpse, sweep his magic in front of him like a veil and kill everyone in sight. It was his nature to destroy and feed off of it, he knew nothing of limitations or sustainability - he would eat and eat and eat until there was nothing left.
The very thought was terrifying.
He came to an abrupt stop at the bottom of the last set of stairs and realized he had no idea what to do.
Hermione looked over at Ron, frightened despite herself, and found that her boyfriend looked just as apprehensive as she did.
The room stopped shaking abruptly and back inside the Great Hall a bellow sounded, loud and feral. She reached for Ron’s hand and tried not to shake. A burst of magic followed the bellow, familiar and comforting, and she heard Luna give a breathless laugh from behind her.
“Harry’s here.” Luna breathed out, sounding elated and hopeful. The ground trembled and Harry’s voice sounded through the door, muffled enough that she couldn’t make out any of the words but she could tell he was furious. His magic seemed to wash over her again, a cracking heat with a tendril of rage tucked in, and the students around her started to whisper excitedly. There was a deafening crash and then silence.
The wards on the door melted away and it swung open slowly. Harry stood in the doorway, eyes alight with a smear of something wet and dark on his cheek, and behind him Hermione could just make out the shamble of the Great Hall. The once grand room was littered with bodies and broken tables and smashed glass; there was blood on the floor and she thought she saw a chunk of flesh - too coarse to belong to a human - settled behind what was left of the Hufflepuff table.
“Are you all alright?” Harry asked quietly and Hermione turned her gaze from beyond his shoulder to his face. She wanted to throw herself into his arms and cling to him, demand that he make everything safe and better.
“We’re a little banged up and I think only a few of us need further medical care.” Eleanor said and her voice shook. Hermione took a deep breath as Harry stepped forward, letting their shoulders brush softly against each other, and she knew the time for acting like a child was over. He had too much to do for her to even think of giving him anything else to shoulder.
She let go of Ron’s hand slowly and turned to look about the room to assess the situation. They couldn’t stay here; the few students who had gone into shock were likely to lapse back into it with the Great Hall only steps away, never mind the claustrophobic feel of the room. One girl needed her leg set and most of them needed some pepper up if only to offset more of them going into shock. Most importantly, the castle was under siege and the students couldn’t be kept safe here - they needed their families and real safety.
“We should go to the infirmary, there’s a fireplace and potions that Eleanor could use.” Hermione said to Harry, who was kneeling before a Hufflepuff seventh year whose name Hermione couldn’t recall at the moment.
“There’s a side door that opens to a corridor close to it, we’ll use that. It’s behind that portrait.” Harry said, pointing to an empty frame. Its host must have gone to the Ministry.
Ron moved to push the portrait frame aside, reveling a doorway, and he helped little Christina Pyrites - one of the only first years sorted that year - to her feet and gently pushed her forward. Everyone shuffled out slowly, trembling or being led by friends or siblings. Neville picked up Rose Zeller, who whimpered and was crying by now, and carried her out.
Harry ended up leading them even though everyone knew the way. He had his wand at the ready and was tense, every step measured in a way that screamed to Hermione how upset and angry he still was. He had a way of moving when angry, as if all the rage inside his body was moments away from exploding out, and to tamp it down he held himself stiff. The castle was eerily silent and many of the portraits they passed were somber and some were openly weeping. A few of the painted figures were running through frames, talking to Harry quietly so as not to disturb the others, but Hermione could hear just fine that St. Mungo’s had fallen.
Harry pushed the Infirmary doors open softly and Eleanor rushed past him, gathering potions and directing students to sit down. Draco was one of the ones who needed medical attention, for a laceration just under his collar bone. Hermione herself was fine, so she went over to stand next to Harry, who was still near the now closed doors of the infirmary.
“We need to get these students out of here.” Hermione said.
“The Ministry has fallen, that’s why a lot of portraits in that side room were empty. If they moved to a frame that was broken or under rubble, they’d be reduced to just paint on canvas. London is in chaos, not just the Magical part. The muggles are rioting and Parliament has declared martial law and a state of emergency. We need to gather our forces here, for one last push, and these children cannot be here. I’ve allowed Tom to do way too much and this… I won’t allow this. This ends now, no more.” Harry whispered to her softly and Hermione nodded, not sure what she wanted to address first. She wondered if her mother had a boy or girl and if they were alright. They had to be alright, she needed to believe they were alright.
“Shall we leave the students to die with their parents? Many of them might be orphans now.” Hermione whispered back, once she got her emotions under control.
“I don’t know, but they can’t stay here. This place is no longer safe for them.” Harry replied. The Phoenix song sounded then, lifting the mood and sending warmth through the room. In a blaze of fire, Fawkes appeared on Harry’s shoulder with a rolled up piece of parchment in his mouth. Some people screamed in fright, but quickly calmed when they saw the firebird.
“Is that from Professor Dumbledore?” Ron asked as both him and Draco walked over to them quickly. Harry took the parchment from Fawkes, unrolling it to read what was written on it.
“Albus reports that he and members of the Order of Phoenix are coming to us.” Harry announced to the room at large and people cried in relief and praised Merlin. Harry lowered his voice as he continued to just them three. “I’ve already raised the battle wards around this castle; Fawkes is their only way of getting in here. The house-elves can get the students out.”
Hermione took a deep breath before straightening her spine to address Harry.
“Ron and I can welcome them and explain the situation. We’ll help them plan an offense while you and Draco get these kids out of here.” Hermione said and Ron nodded next to her, both of them looking to Harry. Fawkes trilled before he moved from Harry’s shoulder to Ron’s. Harry procured a quill and turned the note from the Headmaster over to write something on it before handing it over to Hermione.
“Have Fawkes give this to Albus; Draco and I will get the students out.” Harry said. Ron and Hermione left quickly and Harry turned to the room at large. Everyone was staring at him, knowing something was happening even though they couldn’t hear all of the conversation.
“The final siege for this war is going to take place here; it’s the last stronghold we’ve got. The Ministry for Magic has fallen, the building itself was raised to the ground.” At this point many people started asking questions, about survivors, about family members, about where they were going to go, and Harry raised his voice to speak over them. “I have to get you out of here, or you will die. If you want to stay and fight, I welcome you to do that, but don’t feel obliged. Many of you have homes to go to, wards to barricade yourselves behind. For those of you who do, I encourage you to reach out to those that don’t. Help each other because once you are outside these walls, I can’t help any of you. You’ll be on your own.” Harry said loudly.
The students looked around at each other, fear and uncertainty one their faces as clear as day. Draco and Eleanor were just finishing up on healing Rose Zeller’s legs when Harry called the house elves into the room. Eleanor was already moving on to other students, healing cuts and bruises, and making them drink some pepper up. Cassiopeia, Rose’s older sister, came over to make sure Rose didn’t try to stand up before she needed to. The house elves all popped in quickly, little faces serious, with Dobby in front of them all, armed with a long knife.
“You called for us, Mr. Harry Potter, sir?” Dobby asked and Harry kneeled down to talk to him as the students chattered behind him.
“I need a huge favor of all of you. We have to get these students out of here to safety. Can I trust you to help get them out of here and into their homes? Many of them lost their parents or guardians today.” Harry asked.
“We be happy to help. Many of the house elves will ask for bonds, but since we shall not coming back to Hogwarts it will be okay.” Dobby said in reply, not having to confer with the others. The fact that they could tell they wouldn’t be coming back to this castle made Harry want to scream and cry, but some things must be done for progress to happen. Harry nodded, standing up and facing the students again. Warren Vaisey was standing in front him, expression pinched and face pale.
“My mother and uncle are outside. I know they are.” He said softly and Harry reached up to grip his shoulder. “My little brother…” Vaisey chocked on the words, eyes watering.
“I know.” Harry said.
“My uncle is the Head of our house now that my dad is dead and I just… I don’t have anywhere to go.” He continued.
“Your head of house? He left you and your baby brother here to die - he knew his Lord would require him to lay siege to this place and he left you to rot here. He’s not worthy of the title of Head of Family. He didn’t protect his name or legacy.” Harry said vehemently, moving his hand from Vaisey’s shoulder to his cheek. “You are the Head of the Family, you’re the future and that man left you to die.” Harry continued and Vaisey leaned into his touch like a child. Harry pulled his hand away and breathed deep, centering his magic and calling up memories of inheritance rituals.
He didn’t need a ritual circle for someone to step up and take control of their family line and legacy, not if magic deemed them worthy enough to become the next Head. And in this case, Warren had a great case for him - his grief over his brother was real and the pain and rage in his eyes was sincere. His Head of Family wasn’t living up to the most basic of duties: safeguarding the bloodline and name. Warren was the only one worthy to be his family’s Head of house.
“Warren, would you prepared to take care of your family’s name, line, and legacy?” Harry asked quietly and Vaisey swallowed. He knew what Harry was doing, he was raised with tales of sons stripping their fathers of their roles in times of need. How could he not know?
“Better than my uncle Ezra has.” Vaisey said softly and his magic swirled around him, lifting his hair and the air was thick with it. “I swear on my name, on my legacy, on my magic that I am prepared to take this responsibility from my uncle, for he has failed our family.” Vaisey continued and there were tears rolling down his cheeks to fade into soft white light. The boy’s magic settled around his shoulders like a robe and on his right hand a ring appeared, fading into existence with a finality that settled into Vaisey’s bones.
He looked no different from moments before, but the feel of him was telling enough. Vaisey covered his mouth, wiping at his face, and then he turned around.
“I can feel my manor’s ancestral wards now. I have enough room for three other people. It’s not much, but it’s what I got. I don’t care about your bloodline or your parent’s views or your name.” He announced and immediately Christina Pyrites walked over to him. She looked even smaller than usual next to him, her little hand tucked into his, and it was sobering to realize that she had truly lost everything. Eleven years old and her entire family was gone - even her twin.
Cassiopeia Zeller stood from where she was sitting next to her little sister Rose and helped the girl to her feet. Her leg was set and in ideal circumstances she wouldn’t use it for at least the rest of the day to make sure the bones stayed that way, but these weren’t ideal circumstances. Supporting her sister, they both went to stand over by Vaisey. All three of the girls that were choosing to go with him were half-bloods, two Slytherins and one Hufflepuff, and Cassiopeia was the oldest at 14 going on 15.
A house elf broke from the group and stepped up to Vaisey, looking up at him solemnly.
“Yous be concentrating on the wards, gets them to let us in. I do the rest.” Her little voice squeaked out and Vaisey nodded, reaching out to hold Cassiopeia’s hand and make sure she was still holding onto her sister. The elf gripped his robes and closed her eyes and before they popped away, Vaisey turned back to Harry.
“Thank you. I’m sorry I won’t be coming back.” He said and they were gone.
“I thought to claim your inheritance there was blood involved.” Nina Delnormia said faintly.
“Not if you’re taking the title from someone your family’s magic deems unworthy of being the Head of the Family. These rituals were used on rapists, child molesters, and the like; it was necessary to be able to take the title without being in the same vicinity. Thus no blood, just a straight-forward shifting of responsibilities.” Blaise said, as he had Amy and Valerie Moon standing with him. “My parents are behind the ancestral wards, have been since the summer. These two don’t have anywhere to go so I’m going to introduce them to my parents and then come back.” He explained.
An older elf wearing a clean tea-cozy and sporting a clipped ear stepped forward to take hold of Blaise’s hand without a word. The sisters grabbed a hold of Blaise’s robes quickly and the elf popped them away.
Nina Delnormia stepped forward and wrung her hands in front of her while Astoria Greengrass towed Ian Harper and Dennis Creevey over to a house elf. A rather old and round elf reached up to take Greengrass’ hand and they vanished with a loud pop. Harry knew as they left that Astoria was the new head of her family, her parents no doubt lying under rubble somewhere in London whereas her older sister was still in the Great Hall.
“I don’t know where my parents are, but I know they’re currently not in the country. I have my little sister to consider and I’m not wasting any more time by trying to get an elf to them so they can open the wards for us. They left us here, alone, in a war zone. I can forgive them for it, I can understand their reasons - they’re trying to make sure they have a place for us all - but right now my priority is my little sister. She doesn’t deserve to die here, trapped like a rat, because our parents are trying to act like they have more time than they do to make a safe haven for us.” She said quietly.
“I understand. But in this, you can’t give it back, you know that, don’t you? If you take this, it’s yours forever; are you willing to take those responsibilities unto yourself?” Harry asked, feeling magic run between them thickly.
“I swear on my name, on my legacy, on my magic that I am prepared to take this responsibility from my mother, for she has failed our family. I forgive her for it and hold no grudge but I cannot allow her to keep the title when our line is at stake.” Delnormia said firmly and her magic snapped against his, rolling back to push against Nina. Her cheeks gained a healthy bit of red while her hair deepened in color and when she breathed out, she stood straighter.
“Crux, come. Laura, Orla, you two as well.” Nina said with authority and her little sister rushed forward, Laura Madley and Orla Quirke following after her uncertainly. Nina curled one of her arms around Crux’s shoulder and reached her other hand out for an elf. Winky stepped forward and when their hands touched, Winky smiled and they were gone the next instant.
Amell Voultei hugged Ginny and Luna briefly before she went to a young elf that was wearing a colorful tea-cozy. Diana Dodderidge hugged Eleanor, whispering something that made the other girl tear up, before she rushed to Amell’s side. They popped away.
“Harry, would you think me a coward if I left?” Susan Bones asked quietly as she stepped up to stand before him, shaking and pale. Harry took her hands gently before answering her.
“No. And even if I did, screw what I think, you do what’s best for you. If you have other options, you should take them.” Harry told her and she squeezed his hands.
“I’m the Head of my family now. My aunt was no doubt defending the Ministry… Anyway, I can feel that my manor here is gone, its been razed to the ground. But there’s something small and mine in Russia. I’m taking Su Li with me. I just wanted to say thank you, for thinking of us, for devising a way to get us out of here.” She said and let go of him to go to Su Li who was waiting for her with an elf; they left without a backwards glance.
Blaise popped back in, a battle axe attached to his hip and wand at the ready. The house elf that went with him walked back to the remaining circle of ten or so house elves that were left.
“Last call to leave, this goes for you lot too.” Harry said, directing the last bit to the house elves. Ginny and Luna didn’t even look at him, already too engrossed in gathering potions in smaller vials for the upcoming battle and making sure they were secured to their robes.
“My entire family is outside.” Sadelle Fawcett said softly, catching his attention. She didn’t look scared. “I don’t want a title, I just want them dead.” She continued in the same soft voice, expression blank. He wondered if she was planning on outliving them or not, and then decided he couldn’t think about that.
“I’m not going anywhere.” Ernie MacMillian said simply. Five house elves popped away, hiding their eyes in apparent shame.
“Hermione and Ron took the Order of the Phoenix to the transfiguration classroom. Guess we should go meet them.” Draco said. Harry took his hand and for a moment the unnerving silence of the castle seemed alright.
But only for a moment.
XXXXXXXXXX
Harry broke off from the group at the door to the transfiguration classroom. He had to seek out the Bloody Baron as he would know the answers to some of Harry’s remaining questions - like where Voldemort’s last horcrux was.
Once upon a time, Harry taught the Baron as a boy. He was among the second set of children accepted into Hogwarts, one of Godric’s many nephews. He took his mother’s title of Baron when he reached his majority and was going to marry Helena, Rowana’s eldest daughter. In an argument that Harry no longer remembered the root of, Helena ran off with her mother’s diadem, the crown she had been given by some centaurs (the very same clan that spawned the current clans of the centaurs in the forbidden forest), and her mother sent the Baron after her. He killed Helena and then killed himself in a flight of grief, coming back to Hogwarts to haunt her halls as punishment for his crime. And ever since, he always knew where the diadem was - even the few times it fell out of the Ravenclaw family line.
He found the Baron in front of some windows on the third floor, staring out with a grim expression.
“Please tell me Rowena’s diadem is somewhere in this castle still. Or even better that it was never used as a grounding piece for a ripped apart piece of soul.” Harry said, coming to a stop behind the ghost.
“Of course it was; you know just as well as I do that boy wouldn’t be able to resist the urge to throw a piece of himself into it in his desperation.” Baron Hector said softly. He turned away from the window, floating closer to stand before Harry. “It’s not here, Saldis, hasn’t been since it was taken by Horde Kara in 1906. And I’m sorry to say this, but it looks like you have more pressing matters to attend to, such as the army on this castle’s doorsteps. The castle has called Peeves back, as it does when war comes to her doors - Riddle is outside, markings on the ground and power in the air. You’re out of time.” He said, bending down to look Harry in the eye.
“I have watched you come through these halls for centuries now, always with a different face - different skin, different blood, different gender, different names, for centuries you have returned to these halls, drawn here like a moth to a flame. I thought I was destined to linger here forever, to always be near Helena but never see her again, tortured by her presence, her closeness. But over these last ten centuries I have come to pity you a great deal, former teacher of mine. You are just as trapped here as I am. You are out of time - and when Riddle’s forces wipe you all out, you will come back to these halls with a new face, a new name, a new ethnicity and try again, won’t you? Of course you will; you’re unable to do anything else.” Hector said, taking a mean kind of pleasure in his words.
Harry turned away from him, walking quickly back down to the ground level, Hector’s laughter echoing behind him. He was wrong, if that diadem was outside as Harry fears it was… if Tom got that last piece of himself back, Erus would rip through him and awaken, nothing else holding it back. He’d destroy everything, starting with this castle because it would hurt Harry the most and Erus existed to hurt him now. Erus would hollow out Voldemort’s corpse, sweep his magic in front of him like a veil and kill everyone in sight. It was his nature to destroy and feed off of it, he knew nothing of limitations or sustainability - he would eat and eat and eat until there was nothing left.
The very thought was terrifying.
He came to an abrupt stop at the bottom of the last set of stairs and realized he had no idea what to do.