Chapter 3
It was three days sins Harry, Tonks, Ron, and Hermione had infiltrated Malfoy Manor.
Tension hung thick in the air of Hogwarts as the members of Dumbledore's Army and the Order of the Phoenix gathered in the Great Hall. The Order members looked like they had not slept in days, their eyes shadowed and movements sluggish from days of training.
"How do you guys do it?" Molly Weasley asked Neville, gently pulling Mr. Weasley's face out of the pudding into which he had just fallen asleep.
"We were all like you when we started, especially me but then the mass breakout of Azkaban happened, and being tied just didn't seem important anymore."
"You should have seen it, he went from the worst to one of the best in the group in a couple weeks" Luna interrupted, speaking with a mouthful of chicken.
Molly Weasley looked at Neville with a mixture of pride and sorrow. The toll of the war had forced these young witches and wizards to grow up far too quickly. She gently brushed a lock of hair from Mr. Weasley's forehead.
"Guys, Harry is calling on the mirror!" Sirius's voice broke through the tense silence, drawing everyone's attention. He held up a small, enchanted mirror, the surface shimmering with Ollivander's worried face.
Everyone in the Great Hall gathered around Sirius, their expressions filled with a mix of hope and anxiety. Molly Weasley placed a comforting hand on her husband’s shoulder, her eyes fixed on the mirror.
"Ollivander?"
Ollivander's face, framed by the shimmering surface of the mirror, looked haggard. "Yes, it's me. I'm supposed to ask one named Dobby to save me?"
"Dobby, we need your help," Sirius said, his tone urgent but respectful.
Crack.
With a loud crack, Dobby the house-elf appeared in the centre of the Great Hall, his large, green eyes filled with determination. He straightened up, ready to be of service.
"Dobby is here to help, sir," he said, his voice steady despite the gravity of the situation.
"Dobby, we need you to get Ollivander out of Malfoy Manor," Sirius explained, holding the mirror so Dobby could see Ollivander's face.
Dobby disappeared with another loud crack, leaving the Great Hall in a tense silence. The seconds felt like hours as everyone held their breath, waiting for any sign that the mission had been successful.
Crack.
Dobby reappeared, holding Ollivander’s arm. The old wandmaker looked exhausted but relieved. A collective sigh of relief swept through the room, followed by a round of subdued cheers.
"Ollivander is gone and none of my Death Eaters can tell me how," Voldemort growled, his red eyes flashing with anger as he surveyed the gathered Death Eaters in the dimly lit chamber of Malfoy Manor..
"He could have apparate—"
"YOU CAN'T APPARATE OUT OF MALFOY MANOR," Voldemort roared, his voice echoing through the chamber like thunder. His fury radiated off him in palpable waves, causing the Death Eaters to shrink back in fear.
"Then how did he escape, my lord?" Bellatrix Lestrange dared to ask, her voice trembling slightly.
Voldemort's gaze turned to her, his eyes narrowed into slits. "That is for you to find out, Bellatrix," he hissed, the threat implicit in his words.
"Wormtail."
"My lord, I think he might have fainted in fear."
"Then you bring me Nagini, Rodolphus."
The Death Eaters shuffled uncomfortably as Harry hurried to comply.
As he reached for the handle, the room echoed with the sharp, menacing voice of Voldemort. "Do not keep me waiting, Rodolphus."
Harry gave a curt nod and stepped out, closing the door behind him. The corridor outside was empty, and he quickly made his way towards the dungeons where he knew Nagini was often kept. His heart pounded in his chest, each step feeling like a countdown to disaster.
He reached the dungeon door and hesitated for a moment. Taking a deep breath, Harry pushed it open and stepped inside. The air was thick with the smell of damp and mould, and the darkness was almost suffocating. In the far corner, coiled in a large, ornate cage, lay Nagini, her eyes gleaming with a predatory glint.
"Hello."Harry said his voice echoing from the walls
"Potter."
"Nagini."
"Have you come to kill me?" Nagini hissed, her forked tongue flicking in and out of her mouth as she spoke.
"Yes, Nagini, sorry. I've come to finish what needs to be done," Harry replied.
"And what of you, Horcrux?" Nagini sayed, her eyes narrowing as she observed Harry intently.
"I will die," Harry stated, his voice steady and calm.
"But not today, today it's my turn and not before you listen to my story first."
Nagini proceeded to tell of the Circus, meeting Aurelius Dumbledore, Gellert Grindelwald, and the global wizarding war "but then I transformed for the last time and fled into the forest, so I don't know how the war ended, sorry."
"Nagini, I'm sorry for what you've been through," Harry said, his voice tinged with sincerity. "But it's time for this to end."
Harry held out a hand, and from finnair an arm appeared and gave him a sword.
With a swift motion, Harry swung the sword downwards, severing Nagini's head from her body in one clean stroke. The snake's body thrashed momentarily before falling still, lifeless.
As it lay there, it started growing and transforming, its scales shimmering and shifting until they formed the shape of a woman's corpse.
The air in the dungeon grew heavy with a mix of relief and sorrow as Harry looked down at the lifeless form of Nagini.
"Dobby get us out of here!"
With a sharp crack, Dobby appeared beside Harry, his large eyes filled with concern as he took in the scene before him.
“Them first." Dobby wasted no time in obeying Harry's command. With a quick flick of his ears and a determined expression, he reached out his arms towards Hermione and Ron, who were still hidden beneath the invisibility cloak.
crack.
Dobby, Ron, and Hermione disappeared with another sharp crack, leaving Harry alone in the dimly lit dungeon.
"Rodolphus, what are you... who is the woman, and where is Nagini ?"
"Expelliarmus."
With a flick of his wrist, Harry disarmed Voldemort, sending his wand flying across the room. Voldemort's eyes widened in shock and fury as he stumbled backward, temporarily defenceless.
"Who are you?" Voldemort hissed, his voice laced with venom as he regained his composure.
crack.
Dobby appeared beside Harry.
crack.
Harry and Dobby apparated back to the safety of Hogwarts, leaving Voldemort in a furious state in the dungeon of Malfoy Manor. They landed in the Great Hall, where the members of the Order of the Phoenix and Dumbledore's Army were anxiously waiting.
"Harry transformed back."
The room erupted into a mixture of relieved cheers and murmurs of concern as Harry appeared. Molly Weasley rushed forward, wrapping Harry in a tight embrace. "Harry! Thank goodness you're safe!"
"Kime Kladia is gone," Harry announced, pulling back and looking around at the assembled group.
"Kime Kladia, that's a name I have not heard in a long time," Dumbledore mused, his voice echoing through the silent hall. He stroked his beard thoughtfully, a faint frown creasing his forehead. "A friend of Aurelius, So she turnt into Nagini."
Dumbledore paused, his eyes reflecting a deep sadness. “It seems that the connections between past and present are more intertwined than we ever imagined. Aurelius Dumbledore, my nephew, had a significant impact on many lives, including Her.”
The room fell silent as everyone absorbed the gravity of Dumbledore's words.
"Headmaster, what do we do now?" Neville asked, his voice steady despite the uncertainty that hung in the air.
Harry: "Next up we wait, he will want his wand back and maybe Nagini" Harry replied.
Hermione: "What do you mean by, he wants his wand back and Nagini?"
"He wants his wand back because I disarmed him and so own his wand," Harry explained, his tone grave. "And Nagini turned Into a woman after death, I don't think he recognized her."
Molly Weasley's grip tightened on Harry's arm, her worry evident in her eyes. "What do we do, Harry? How do we protect ourselves from him?"
"We are an armed group in a fortress, here every man is worth ten, you here are worth a hundred, I say we have about 3 days before they're here."
Magni spoke up "Dumbledore how about you give Harry the ring.
"Do you think that will help?"
"Sometimes you just have to do something for the symbolism."
The Great Hall fell into a thoughtful silence as Dumbledore considered Magni's suggestion. After a moment of contemplation, he nodded solemnly.
Dumbledore considered Magni's suggestion. After a moment of contemplation, he nodded solemnly.
"Very well, Magni. The symbolism may indeed carry weight in these dark times," Dumbledore replied, his voice carrying a sense of gravity. With a wave of his wand, he summoned the Resurrection Stone from the depths of his robes and handed it to Harry.
"How does it feel?"
"It feels heavy,"
"Not that, to be master of death."
"What?"
"That is the Resurrection Stone," Dumbledore explained gently, his eyes filled with a mixture of sadness and wisdom. "And now you possess all of them."
Harry put on the ring.
Pop pop.
Two figures appeared behind Harry, covered in golden armour carrying a set of Weapons with openings in which were a couple of wands.
Sirius jumped up "James, Lily!"
The appearance of James and Lily Potter, not as spectral figures but seemingly in the flesh and clad in gleaming golden armour, caused the entire room to fall into stunned silence.
"Either I just got really lucky or you did something."
James Potter, his eyes gleaming with pride, stepped forward and placed a reassuring hand on Harry's shoulder. "It only took about twenty favours between the two of us."
"Harry, it's good to see you," James said, his voice filled with emotion. "I could finally ask in person, how did it go."
"Triwizard champion!"
"I knew it, hey Padfoot did you know he found the chamber of secrets?"
"Yes , Prongs, I heard all about it," Sirius replied, his voice filled with pride as he looked at Harry. "Our boy's been keeping busy."
"To get you guys up to date, Voldemort is back, I'm the last horcrux, and I expect an army at our doors in three days."
"Two more than we need," James said.
"Three days?" Lily Potter's eyes narrowed with determination. "Then we have work to do. We must prepare Hogwarts and its defenders for the coming battle."
"Neville, update," Harry asked.
Neville stood up, "R... right w... we we have spread out traps North of Hogwarts until Hogsmeade and the forest, we have sabotage the Crowley Aleister bridge, it will not support the weight of the train, and the south bridge has been rigged to blow once the Death Eaters attempt to cross. We've also fortified the castle walls and stationed guards at strategic points. The House Elves have been mobilised to provide support and assistance wherever needed.
We've also fortified the castle walls and stationed guards at strategic points. The House Elves have been mobilised to evacuate Hogsmeade once this starts, the order's teamwork is at the level we were at the Battle of the ministry, not what we hoped for but it will have to do."
"And the students? Are they prepared?" Lily's voice was firm, her eyes scanning the room for answers.
Magni spoke up "they are the opposite, individually weaker but as a group they move as one." Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully, absorbing Neville's report. "Excellent work."