Chapter 17
Edward had slipped away like he was used to: making another exit in a wall and taking great care to close it once he got out. He hadn't intended to reveal to his friends what he was going to do: it was between him and the Truth.
The Truth… The prophecy she had sent him was as clear as possible on his role to play. Edward wasn't in the habit of blindly following a few predictions dictated by a higher power, but in this case, he was going to. If only because Luna was in grave danger.
Well, to be completely honest, the entire magical world was in grave danger. Voldemort had tried to deflect the power of the Gate for his one and only benefit by using Luna and for a few minutes it had worked. But Luna was an imperfect vector: even though she must have glimpsed the Gate during her mother's attempt to bring her brother back to life, it wasn't enough.
If Voldemort and Rockwood persisted in using it like this, it wouldn't kill Luna… After all, in this kind of ritual, the sacrifices tended to survive when some megalomaniac sought to seize the power of the Gate. In his home world, Edward, along with the other sacrifices had been among the only ones to survive, along with those directly above them, because they were in the eye of the storm.
The problem is that Voldemort, unlike that megalomaniacal Father, wouldn't be able to contain that power. You could say what you wanted about the Homunculus, he had thought and formed this plan over hundreds of years to be sure he had enough power via the sacrificed souls to contain such power. To be able to replicate nuclear fusion.
Voldemort didn't even hold a Philosopher's Stone within him, he didn't possess the energy of millions of souls necessary to seize that of the Gate. Worse, he had broken up the one he owned. Worst of all, he didn't even know what the Gate was! To him, it was just all the magic in the world. In reality, he had contented himself with seizing on the fly an idea that suited his monumental ego, too delighted to hold a divine power.
Edward estimated that it wouldn't take him more than a day for the dark mage to be tempted to reproduce physical phenomena by magic like nuclear fusion to show his omnipotence... And thus bring about the annihilation of the humanity by losing control. Science, nature, physics never forgave this kind of error... And the response was equal to the forces involved.
Didn't Voldemort realize what might happen if he tried to do the unthinkable? Then again, maybe that was exactly what he wanted: to eliminate all life and be the only one on Earth. He was no doubt persuaded to survive beyond death via his Horcruxes. Or else the fragmentation of his soul prevented him from keeping in touch with reality. It could also be that.
But Edward had been through the Gate, he knew intimately the equivalent exchange, the risks if this principle was not respected. Finally, he knew the most crucial element when one had to negotiate with the Truth: one should never seek to be arrogant by believing to know better than anybody. Nothing prevented, however, from being creative, as Edward had been able to do by trying to exchange his Door against the life of his brother. You just had to respect the Truth when negotiating with it.
Edward took a deep breath as he reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest. He knew it by heart from having gone there for two years to fight. However, the Dementors who lurked were no picnic. Silently, Edward summoned his Patronus and his silver serpent coiled around him as he moved forward. In the distance, he saw a lone centaur staring at him.
Edward then began to reminisce about the prophecy:
As the last day of this century passed, he was born, shining with light.
He was born on December 31, 1899, a date that could be traced to the calendar of this universe. Also, her golden hair and eyes could refer to light. That didn't mean he didn't find the name a bit bombastic. But after all, we didn't choose his prophecy…
Child sacrificed to seize infinite power
The darkness will never cease to seize him
To see him sink forever
Engulfed in oblivion without return,
That wasn't the most optimistic part. But then again, that didn't mean he wouldn't survive it. After all, he had survived the Promised Day, even having been used as a sacrifice. Just because the darkness was trying to get hold of him didn't mean he was going to let it.
His coming can bring about both the end and the survival of this world.
He sometimes wondered what would have happened if he hadn't been tossed into this world to fix things there. He had moved the anthill just by his presence, by being adopted by Flamel. Was it this element that gave Rockwood the idea to turn to alchemy? Would Voldemort have followed his plans the same way if he hadn't intervened?
He was a Catalyst, someone who, for better or for worse, was going to change things. That's what defined him.
But if this sacrifice, alone in its soul and conscience
Does not accept the risk of being swallowed up
Then all will see the world sink into violence
And the magic itself will end up drying up and dying.
It was already starting. Using Luna, Voldemort had already managed to briefly sever the wizards' connection to the Great Universal Flow. No doubt it was also felt by the other Beings born of magic. An extremely worrying situation. Magic might be a deep source of inequality on this planet, where the alchemy of his world was accessible to all, it was nonetheless wonderful. As if something was shining in secret, making things more beautiful.
Edward didn't want to see her disappear.
Sent from the Gate, in the service of Truth, to this enigma, you already possess the key.
And if this sentence was not addressed directly to him…
To live, you will have to die,
To protect, you will have to offer yourself,
But know that the survival of those you love
Will require that you forget yourself.
He had the answer and now he stood before Voldemort and the rest of the Death Eaters. It was extremely difficult for him not to fight as it was inscribed in his character. Nevertheless, he succeeded as they grabbed hold of him and dragged him to a circle.
They hadn't tied his hands, a mistake that would have been fatal under any other circumstances. But he shouldn't fight. He was starting to feel excruciating pain, feeling like his insides were tearing apart. To give himself the strength to overcome this ordeal, he spoke to the Truth within himself:
Take and receive all my freedom, my memory, my intelligence, all my will…
But allow me to protect them.
Receive all that I have, all that I possess, it is you who gave me everything and to you I give it back.
But allow me to protect them.
Everything is yours, dispose of it according to your entire will, but give me courage, that alone is enough for me.
But allow me to protect them.
He felt himself leaving and when he opened his eyes again, he was in a white space.
Harry had just heard Voldemort's ultimatum, his triumphant tone, while at the same time they were suffering another magic cut, but this one much longer. The young boy felt his insides knot. He hoped with all his heart that Edward wasn't dead.
Few could defend themselves if another attack were to arrive: the only solution left was for him to surrender and die, then hope that the other members of the Circle survived both to eliminate Nagini and then to kill Voldemort. This last point was likely to be problematic considering that no one could cast spells with their wand anymore.
This had terrified the defenders to the point of sinking them into deep despair. If Neville hadn't yelled at those nearby to dodge or use other methods, they would have let themselves be killed like sheep delivered to the slaughterhouse. His friend had set an example by sending a halberd flying into a Death Eater's skull.
As he passed through the ranks, Harry counted the dead with a heavy heart. Colin Crivey had paid with his life for his commitment, as had Tonks, killed by Bellatrix. Remus had only survived because a rock fall had killed Dolohov, but he suffered from multiple curses. Lavender had been disfigured by Greyback, Professor McGonagal had lost his arm but continued to watch. Professor Snape pretended to be fine, but an observant person would have seen that he had lost sight. So much pain…
He hadn't said what he was going to do: he hated goodbyes. Harry had left instructions with the Circle on what to do next. Maybe they had already figured out what he was planning to do. As he walked towards the forest, he saw a sick barn owl heading towards him. Harry felt a deep hope as he recognized his friend's form.
No sooner had she landed than Luna became human again to burst into tears in her arms. As Harry had already guessed, Edward had gone to sacrifice himself for her. Believing her about to die, the Death Eaters had thrown her into a corner of the forest and she had managed to change into an owl to flee and join her friends. When Harry asked her if Edward was… She answered with a terrible expression:
"He is beyond everything.".
Harry placed her in Neville's arms before heading back to the Forbidden ForestSeeing the Dementors and knowing that his time had come, he brought the Snitch to his lips, whispering that he would soon die.
He didn't know if his parents and Sirius were real. Part of him couldn't help doubting: would loved ones really seek to encourage him to die? Was this an effect of the Resurrection Stone that was meant to trap those who cling too desperately to their departed loved ones? Harry didn't care because another part of him only wanted comfort in his final moments.
He walked like this, surrounded by his family, almost serene under his Invisibility Cloak. He only heard the sound of the leaves crunching under his feet. He saw the Centaurs in the distance and remembered that one of them had been convinced that he should die here. In the end, he had been right…His destiny had always been to die. Even Dumbledore had known that.
He tried not to think of Ginny, whom he would leave alone, of Aletheia, who, like him, would grow up without her father. But she would have uncles and aunts, by family or adoption… She would never feel so alone and devoid of love as he had been with the Dursleys. His friends would know how to go on without him, to defeat Voldemort, to rebuild a fairer wizarding world for all its peoples. They would see to it.
Eventually he reached the clearing where Voldemort and his entire camp of Death Eaters stood waiting for the ultimatum to be completed. But what horrified Harry was seeing Edward's body, his eyes closed and his face contorted in pain. In a simulacrum of a symbol Harry had seen on some of his clothes before, he was crucified to a cross and Nagini was wrapped around him. Everything was protected by a powerful protection that Harry knew he couldn't break.
Harry could do nothing but accept his friend's sacrifice and try to ward off the pain that seized his soul seeing him like this, humiliated by being transformed into Voldemort's symbol of victory. But like Edward, Harry had one last mission to accomplish. Hiding behind a tree, he placed his Invisibility Cloak in his pocket and the stone in the other.
Then, before he had time to change his mind and flee, he went to confront Voldemort. The latter wasted no time with a long speech before throwing him an Avada Kedavra. Just before being hit by the Death Curse, Harry was struck to see that despite the fact that his features were frozen with pain, Edward had given a small smile.
Then everything disappeared in a green light.
Harry was in a white space, naked as a worm and he no longer felt any pain, fatigue or discomfort. It was, all in all, quite relaxing. The clear mist that surrounded him, far from obscuring the place, seemed to shine with a soft light. Harry sat up and wondered where he could be.
Suddenly, he heard moans coming from somewhere. Almost without thinking, Harry conjured clothes onto himself, out of sheer modesty. Around him, the scene was beginning to change, taking the form of a deserted but less noisy King's Cross station, much cleaner and more beautiful than he remembered. He could also see another being in this place which should have remained deserted.
He cautiously approached the thing. It looked like a baby, except a baby would have had an aura of innocence and purity that this creature definitely didn't have. Harry, despite his compassion, his desire to help, could only feel revulsion and rejection of this thing. He didn't really want to touch her.
"You really can't help it, you know…"
Harry turned to see Edward's familiar figure. The latter wore his favorite red coat, his hair braided. There was no trace of the suffering inflicted by Voldemort. In fact, he seemed quite satisfied.
"Edward? Am I… dead? "
“And why are you jumping to such a quick conclusion?" his friend asked with a mocking smile.
"Well…I just saw your crucified body with Nagini holding you in her rings. If you're dead and I see you here and like that, then we're both dead,” Harry answered, very logically from his point of view.
"Don't write me off so quickly, please! If I were to die every time I visit this place, I'd probably be a worse fairground freak than I already am,” Edward looked a bit unhappy to be considered dead.
"Because you're going to King's Cross?"
“Oh, is that what you see? It stands, somewhere, a place of passage, like an identical symbolic door, I suppose,” Edward said, looking around.
"Are you really sure you're not dead? You’re alive?” Harry asked.
“Well, more like between life and death. Not much of a novelty, in itself...”
“We're not really at King's Cross,” Harry said.
"Nope. Rather a place where you have the choice between continuing your journey or turning back. Sometimes you have troublemakers who come to talk to you to show you the Truth or people who come to offer you a chat. I might have kicked Dumbledore at some point,” Edward explained.
"You kicked Professor Dumbledore," Harry repeated.
“Hmm? Yes ? Uh... maybe you wanted to talk to him? I'm sure he will be happy to explain or answer all your questions.”
Harry thought about that for a moment. For several months he had been tormented by the revelations about Dumbledore. Sometimes a good man, sometimes someone who had almost turned black, it was difficult to get a fair idea of such a person. So many discordant voices, so many secrets, so many things he was curious to know.
And finally, Harry thought that it really didn't matter anymore. No one could boast of being perfect and Dumbledore had been imperfect. He was dead and could no longer influence his life except through the memories Harry would have of him. Moments that had shaped him, but that belonged only to him. Only he could determine the weight they would have in his life.
And Harry wasn't sure he wanted to give him more.
"Nah, It’ll be fine. I prefer to chat with you."
“Oh? I'm flattered that you care so much about enjoying my company," Edward teased before turning serious again, seeing that Harry was staring at him gravely.
"Edward? Why did you sacrifice yourself? Voldemort will have even more power now! No one can do magic with their wand anymore! No one will be able to fight and...”
“And yet you were perfectly capable of casting spells without your wand and so were our friends and the few wizards who could draw from their souls the power necessary to use magic. I've always thought the wand makes people lazy,” Edward sighed.
"But Voldemort…"
"Voldemort has only cut you off from the flow of magic that runs through this Earth. It's one of the definitions of magic, you know: an energy emanating from life and present everywhere on this globe. Technically, you are part of this flow, but you are also a flow of magical energy in your own right. One is All and All is One. Everyone is a source of this energy, including Squibs and Muggles, even though this energy cannot express itself through magic like the rest of you,” explained the young Alchemist.
"So why isn't everyone able to do magic?" Harry asked.
“Short answer? Mutation and natural selection."
“And the long answer?" “
“Because wizards have mutated and evolved, become more accustomed to tapping into universal energy than their own forces via artifacts. It made sense: it's less painful, it requires less energy, less effort. I believe you all got a glimpse of it last year when we were learning wandless magic, or becoming Animagus. Those are difficult magical acts because they tap into you. But it is also thanks to this that you can use the magic, even once your access to the mainstream has been cut off."
“That doesn't answer my question about Muggles and Squibs not being able to do magic," Harry pointed out.
"I'm coming to that, but I'm proud you asked the question- As everywhere, there are people who are more or less strong in magic, just as there are people who are more or less strong physically, intellectually or mentally. It's in the genes or it happened because of your environment. This does not mean that we would have less value because of this. Only…” Edward paused for a moment.
“Only?"
“Wands and other artifacts have a...paradoxical effect. It helps people access universal energy as long as there is a certain amount in the person. Otherwise it would be too risky. This allows wizards to cast their spells more easily. But it dismisses those considered too weak magically… Except that these people could have learned to harness their own energy and not that of the universal flow. They could have become full-fledged wizards, with more effort, time and willpower, of course. But they would have succeeded eventually.”
Harry’s eyes widened: this had the potential to change…absolutely everything. But how could Edward be so sure?
"How do you know ? "
“Harry, when I came here no one identified me as a wizard. It's because I've always been used to working with my vital energy flow and not the universal one. But I learned to use it.”
It was more complicated than that, but Edward had no intention of explaining to Harry that in his world, the alchemists of Amestris were restrained. He had unknowingly used his energy to offset the Homunculus-controlled alchemy throughout the land. There was a reason after all for his exhaustion and not just the fact that he ate and slept for him and Alphonse…. It was only on the Promised Day that he first experienced a wholesome energy that was much stronger than anything he had been used to.
But that, the wizards would have had no way of knowing. It was only after regularly coming into contact with people with wand access like Harry and using alchemy in this world that he had been able to "appear" on wizarding radars.
"Edward? Where are you from ? What era are you from?” Harry asked.
Edward sometimes forgot that Harry had been able to read part of the prophecy that concerned him. Knowing that he was designated as born at the end of a century, his question could be understood. Fortunately, Truth had granted him permission to reveal a little more.
“I was actually born in 1899, and I lived in a place where what Voldemort is trying to do happened in yours. Since where I come from, our megalomaniac was beaten in part by me and my friends, it was felt that I could potentially do the same job. Oh, and maybe also help you change the way you think about magic. I would apparently have a tendency… How to say… to stir up the places where I end up,” Edward explained, though the Truth had used less diplomatic terms.
Harry burst into a laugh that was clearly mocking and Edward joined him. Then they calmed down and Harry asked,
"What exactly happened, as far as I'm concerned?" "
“Well… Basically, Voldemort cast a killing curse on you. A killing spell that killed his own Horcrux, as we intended,” Edward replied.
"But did it kill me?" "
“Apparently not. Voldemort having apparently taken your blood in which your mother's protection would flow, it would have formed a kind of anchor that keeps you alive as long as he is alive. Basically, it's based on your mother's sacrifice running through both your veins and Voldemort's. As long as he's alive, you have a chance of survival, which is pretty handy, but only against him. "
“So if he had just ordered one of his Death Eaters to kill me, he would have won long ago?" Harry asked, stunned.
Edward let out a chuckle,” Yep. I love it when megalomaniacs bring their own downfall all because they insist on taking down their enemies personally. If I want to become master of the world one day, remind me to delegate the job: it will be less risky and less tiring for me!”
"So...I'm alive?" Harry confirmed.
“Given what happened, yes. Even if at this stage, I honestly didn't fully understand the explanation, nor how it would work scientifically... But yes you are alive- Congratulations, you're still alive, which means you'll still be able to marry Ginny, get a job, and pay your taxes!"
“That’s great...But how are we going to beat him now that he has all the magical energy in our world?"
“Oh, if that was the case, we'd have a good chance he'd blow up the planet because he's ignorant and arrogant to the rules he’d need to follow."
“But that's not the case?" Harry pressed.
Edward's expression grew pained,
"I sacrificed myself, Harry, voluntarily, of my own free will to prevent this from happening." It also happens that because I'm apparently used to sacrifices, I'm the only one who can contain this energy without causing a cataclysm. I'd let Voldemort think he's in control when in reality…”
“You'll be in control? Harry exclaimed excitedly.
Edward burst out laughing, as if what his friend had said was hilarious.
"Of course not. Such power could never be wielded by a mere human and that is what I am, again and always: a mere human being. But I sacrificed myself to allow… someone else to do it for me. To allow him to do justice and prevent something like this from happening again.”
“Who?” Harry asked suspiciously.
"Remember Snape's alchemy lesson? You could call it a divine precept like Nature, Life, Truth, or God… It will always remain a mystery that you can only solve by passing through the Gate without returning… Or in your case, by taking a train to an unknown destination,” Edward stated.
"And that doesn't scare you? What if it possesses you?”
“I would have sacrificed him knowingly and with my consent. But I don't think my skimpy body will interest him..." Edward cut himself off abruptly before groaning...
"Did you just say your body was..." Harry began to be pleased at the occasion.
"NO, I DIDN'T!” Edward became calm again. Then he said, "I have a request for you from him, however, regarding the Deathly Hallows. Can you entrust them to me? "
“For what?"
“To destroy them. They only sow destruction by pretending to bring a false answer to Death. But to overcome death, you simply have to accept that it is part of the life of each of us. This is the obligatory passage for all of us to meet again one day.”
There was a long silence. Then Harry said,
“You know what you're asking of me. It's my father's cape, the last thing left of my family. I know they will be in my heart and not the pale copy offered by the Resurrection Stone.”
"I know. "
“I'll give them to you. I trust you,” Harry said solemnly, with a nod.
"Might be time for you to come back… Play the game until the right moment. Normally, none of our people should die. Your sacrifice will see to it.”
“And yours too…”
“We find ourselves on the good side!"
“Edward? If you can't see King's Cross, does that mean this isn't real?"
“From my experience, I can tell you that every moment I spent here was very real. But don't rely on me and trust what you perceive. No one but you has the right to think that what is happening in your soul is real!”
And everything faded away.