Chapter 18
When Harry regained consciousness, he was careful not to move an inch. A few meters away from him, the Death Eaters crowded around their master, who had apparently fallen with him. He must have had quite a surprise. Anyway, now he got up, furious to have shown an unworthy weakness when he was supposed to have become all-powerful.
Now it was all going to be down to luck: Voldemort certainly wasn't going to believe that a mere lying body was enough proof. Especially now that his plan hadn't exactly gone smoothly due to his temporary fainting. He was bound to check himself or throw a Cruciatus at her. And then Harry would betray himself, because all it took was one uncontrolled movement and he was done. He vaguely hoped that he could deceive himself if he could calm his heartbeat…
But Voldemort seemed more suspicious now. Fearing a nasty surprise, he sent one of his Death Eaters to take care of the dirty work. Cowardly. But if Harry could manage to cast a Confusion Charm without a wand and without getting caught, then maybe he could manage to fool his enemies. It was a stupid plan, but he had no other.
He was surprised to feel gentler hands that didn't treat him with as much contempt as sadists like Bellatrix would have done. For a second, the finger rested on her neck, the veins throbbing with life. Then the woman bent her ear to pretend to listen to her heart and asked her in an imperceptible whisper if Draco was alive. Recognizing the woman as Narcissa then, Harry answered in the affirmative in the same breath.
Now there was hope: the group led by Voldemort would return, displaying Harry and Edward as gruesome trophies. No doubt now, the dark mage thought he had control over all the magic in this world, unaware that Edward was in control. But the latter would not intervene now. The snake was still protected and knowing him, he must have wanted to avoid being killed, this time for real by a luckier Death Eater than the others. It would be stupid if the plan failed because they were in too much of a rush.
So Harry stoically endured the spells Voldemort cast on him, Cruciatus and other spells turning him into a puppet. But Harry felt nothing. Was it because Voldemort's magic had become ineffective due to Harry's sacrifice or was it because Edward made sure that the magic touching him had no effect? Doesn't matter, really. The most essential thing was to behave like a lifeless body, not to flinch, not to cry out.
Now Voldemort had launched into a monologue about how futile what they had done was. Then he boasted loud and clear that he possessed magic, possessed power over all. The monologues, always the monologues... When a Death Eater, probably Lucius Malfoy, asked him why he himself couldn't use magic, Voldemort replied with cruelty and contempt that it was probably because he didn't deserve it. .
Then the Dark Wizard, whose megalomania had just overtaken the moon, had ordered a prisoner Hagrid to carry Harry's "body" while other Death Eaters would carry the cross Edward was nailed to, Nagini still around him. Voldemort said out loud that he would make it a symbol of the glorious day when the greatest dark mage of all time had conquered not only death, but magic itself. Edward Elric would be "honored" in this way, being the cornerstone of his empire and soon he, Voldemort, would show everyone that he held the life of every magical being in his hands, that he could control all that was happening on this Earth with a mere thought.
Except for that, Voldemort would need helpless witnesses to gaze upon the victory of the forces of evil and beg at his feet to spare them. At this point, the megalomaniac talk was getting a little long and Harry would have ended up heaving a sigh if he hadn't been worried about being outed. Hagrid continued to carry him, with extreme care, as one would carry a child. He wept unrestrainedly, even though at one point he had shouted at the motionless centaurs. Voldemort had merely declared that even those beasts recognized his power over magic.
But the Centaurs had to know the truth. After all, they hadn't put down their weapons and were just following them… A few House-elves were also watching them before walking away, as if they had received a silent order. Harry wouldn't have been surprised if Edward… was responsible.
The Death Eaters, drunk with their victory, did not wonder why they were gradually surrounded. They just cast sparking spells like kids while Voldemort looked at them with amusement, as if he was allowing them to use those childish spells out of sheer kindness. No Death Eater had understood that if Voldemort had truly controlled universal magic, then theirs would be no exception. After all, every bully fears being stabbed in the back.
Finally, as they emerged from the forest, a few feet from the main entrance to Hogwarts, Voldemort smiled upon seeing his snake which seemed to dislike his protective prison, even though it allowed him to encircle Edward and nearly crush him. . The black mage reassured his Horcrux, assuring him that from now on, no one could attack him anymore.
At the same time, cries of terror resounded among the defenders who had just seen the bodies exhibited by Voldemort. Although just seeing the dark mage could also have caused such a reaction. A crowd began to gather, at a respectable distance from the Death Eaters who were forcing them to gather, tearing them from their dead, their wounded to witness the triumph of their master. Harry couldn't help but notice that none of his friends were there. Knowing them, it was for a good reason.
Then Voldemort…launched again into a cursed monologue whose aim seemed to be to discredit him by accusing him of having fled. Edward, on the other hand, was presented as an arrogant idiot who had thought he could play with them and who now guaranteed him absolute power over everyone, over their lives, their destinies and magic. Too immersed in his speech, he did not see the skeptical looks. No one believed his version.
And finally, the majority began to express their doubts rather loudly, provoking the rage of the dark mage who launched a general silence...But despite everything, there were still looks of defiance, combative attitudes and that they were ready to fight back despite the death of the one everyone had designated as the Chosen One.
Harry had never been so proud of them: all this time, the wizarding world had unilaterally designated him as their savior or their scapegoat depending on the danger that lurked. We had done it without ever asking his opinion, without ever giving him the choice. But paradoxically, at the same time, these people had never given themselves the freedom to fight for their own salvation. But now they did, even though they thought they were hopeless, that the hero, the guide was dead. The idea had survived but the individual…
Voldemort took it in a whole different way, because in a movement of rage, he freed Nagini from his useless prison since according to him, no one could attack him anymore. Harry lifted his lids very gently and saw Edward's eyes twinkle as he smiled.
A piercing scream rang out and a huge lion appeared to deliver a devastating kick to the snake, only to back away when the snake tried to retaliate. But already, the relief arrived, with a barn owl which slashed the snake's eyes. A fruit bat sent out a blast of ultrasound and further disoriented Nagini. A cat made a diversion behind the monstrous creature and finally, a mongoose arrived and with a bite, ended the snake's life.
If a Horcrux contained within an object needed disproportionate means to be purged of its soul fragment with basilisk venom or fiendfyre, apparently even a magical animal Horcrux could be killed rather naturally. Namely by being chased and shot by determined animals. And when his life ended, so ended the Horcrux...
To Voldemort's utter horror, his serpent had just been killed by five rampaging Animagus who once again became Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Luna Lovegood, Ginny Weasley and Neville Longbottom who looked at him with a sardonic expression. Voldemort seemed to lose his footing, but pulled himself together and said,
"I'm going to keep you alive for a very long time to make you pay with a thousand tortures for what you've just done. I know what you were planning to do, but it won't work. I now have all the power in this world!” Voldemort growled, raising his wand in front of the five unintimidated friends.
"Funny. I really don't see the proof. After all, I'm still able to perform my own magic,” Ginny said, casting a wandless spell, openly not caring about the dark mage's head.
"We don't depend on you or any universal magic to continue casting spells," Neville said before wiping his mouth with Nagini's blood, disliking the disgusting taste.
"And we just checked you… We're just leaving the fun of checkmate to someone else," Ron affirmed.
“Harry has beaten you before, but blinded by your arrogance, you don't even realize it,” Hermione added confidently.
“As if a being like you could control the magic of the world. In reality, it only gives you the illusion. When you kidnapped me and tried to sacrifice me, I saw the infinite power that this world holds… You cannot control it… But he… he uses it and will come to do justice. To pave the way for a new world, a better world,” Luna stated gravely.
“How dare you!” Voldemort threw a curse at the five teenagers while around them, cries of fear and resistance rang out again.
But there was nothing. They didn't even seem shaken by the spell. As if they had just undergone a mediocre tickling spell. The frightened cries became cries of victory and joyful cheers. Around them, the Death Eaters didn't know what to do and looked at their master, seeming to ask him what to do.
And for the first time, Harry saw that Voldemort was afraid. You don't need a Horcrux link to figure it out. He saw his plan crumbling before his eyes. Harry decided it was a good time to take refuge under his Invisibility Cloak. He glanced at the cross: Edward had already descended from it…
The assault began almost on its own, with Fred and George giving the signal to counterattack. Convinced that they could not use their wands, they had followed the advice offered by Edward during the first session of the Support Course. If the magical method doesn't work, then the Muggle methods are perfectly capable of taking over. Seizing halberds, they used them to ram Dolohov's leg.
Edward would probably have criticized their somewhat boorish style, but for a first try it was effective, especially when Fred attacked the Death Eater again by severing his hand. After all, an adversary without a hand couldn't use his wand... This bloody act seemed completely new when you knew the two pranksters. But the twins were still reeling from the loss of their father and they had no intention of leaving his death unavenged.
At that moment, everyone threw themselves into battle. The centaurs had fired volleys of arrows and the House-elves were armed with their cookware. And they were truly formidable at wielding the frying pan or throwing boiling oil… The Acromantulas were killed by a mysterious fire while the Giants had suddenly sunk into the earth until only their heads were visible.
Voldemort was casting spells back and forth, not realizing that none of his curses were having any effect. His Death Eaters themselves could no longer defend themselves other than by using Muggle techniques. Bellatrix looked fearsome even at that, but Molly Weasley had quickly put a stop to her actions by using the same weapons as the House-elves, namely a good cast iron frying pan which shattered the faithful servant's skull. Never underestimate a housewife….
In reality, the fight quickly took an extremely favorable turn for the defenders of Hogwarts who marveled at seeing their respective wands come to life in jets of sparks. The magic was back and they welcomed it, like a very dear friend they had thought lost forever. At that moment, it was a tidal wave of magic that finished razing the ranks of Voldemort, unable to believe in such a turnaround when they were singing their victory a few minutes earlier.
Soon, only the Dark Mage remained in the courtyard of the castle who let out a cry of rage mixed with madness. He had seen the disappearance of Edward and Harry and now the latter reappeared. Harry gestured to his allies and they all stood in a circle, without intervening. They were probably all aware that the battle was already won and therefore left it to their savior to defeat the Dark Mage once and for all.
"Look at them ? Do they really believe you're gonna save them again?” Voldemort scoffed, almost frantically.
“They are perfectly capable of saving themselves. They would have crushed you, with or without me. I'm just here to end our story,” Harry stated.
“They could never have killed me, I am immortal, I have magic and the most powerful wand in the world. I'm invincible!” To Harry's ears, Voldemort sounded completely in denial. But Harry was going to make sure he could face the truth before he was defeated...
"You are no longer immortal. You have never been the rightful wielder of the Elder Wand since I defeated its last rightful wielder in the person of Draco Malfoy. You never even managed to possess magic. It was just an illusion,” the Boy Who Lived said pitifully.
“No, I took it. None of your allies could cast spells anymore. I had won!” It sounded like a child repeating that it wasn't fair, that Harry had cheated. Who would have thought that Voldemort was actually a child who refused to be told no?
“From the moment Edward surrendered himself to you, willingly, and you used him in this sacrifice, you were your undoing. Only two things were missing: that I die and that Nagini dies. By surrendering myself to you, by sacrificing myself for everyone here, I have given them the same protection my mother gave me sixteen years ago. You won't be able to kill them, or torture them, or even touch them. Didn't you notice that your spells no longer had any effect?” Harry explained.
"How did you do, Potter?!" How did you manage to take what was rightfully mine? I'm the one who set up the ritual so that the magic belongs to me! I followed all the lines of the ritual to the letter. I sacrificed the boy specifically named in this prophecy for this. I should be master of all magic!” accused the dark mage.
“Oh, that? It was never me. It was Edward. I'm sure you performed this alchemical ritual to the letter. It was chemistry, right? I took the lessons last year and one of the points that struck me the most was the notion of sacrifice. "
“Well I did!" snapped Voldemort.
“Edward is a much better alchemist than you. He knew how important the notion of choice was in a sacrifice, as well as the value of what you sacrificed. Doing the rituals is not enough, there had to be equivalence."
“The prophecy designated him as such!" "
“And you made exactly the same mistakes as in my case." First, that of having believed too much in the prophecies. The last time, by wanting to prevent it from happening and in this case, by trying to accomplish it. Then you made the exact same mistake: you relied on an incomplete prophecy. Edward was the only one with the full version. Which led to the third and final error: even when our lives seem dictated by fate, human freedom remains paramount. And love."
“Again that endless speech from Dumbledore that love is the greatest power. I have never seen anything like it!” Voldemort squealed.
"Truly? Because if you are in this precise situation, it is because you do not understand the power of love,” Harry stated.
“Love or freedom have nothing to do with the ritual I performed!” Roars the black mage, furious that one dares to spit on his skills.
“On the contrary, they had everything to see. You tried to sacrifice Luna, then Edward, in order to seize unlimited power. But you place no value on human life so this exchange could never have been equivalent. The less you valued life, the more lives you would have had to sacrifice. But that's not the point, because Edward beat you to the post. "
“He didn't even resist my power," Voldemort boasted, his eyes narrowed.
“Of course not, he didn't struggle. After all, he was willingly sacrificing himself. And a voluntary sacrifice to an incomparable power compared to when one sacrifices others whom one does not even respect. Edward has offered everything and in exchange, this incomparable power will not be controlled by you."
“You are wrong, Potter, and I will prove it to you!".
The sun was rising in the distance, illuminating the scene with its orange glow, almost blood red, the color of the occasion. This appearance of the sun was like a starting signal… or an end. Voldemort cast the Avada Kedavra while Harry cast the Expelliarmus. The killing curse ricocheted and it was the dark mage who fell as Harry caught Elder's wand. Voldemort's body crumbled like a lifeless puppet.
The battle was over.
The tumult then exploded, the spectators throwing themselves into each other's arms, crying with joy, loudly proclaiming their victory, marveling that they were still alive. Harry was soon surrounded by hundreds of people wanting to thank him, congratulate him, carry him in triumph. Harry felt a little tired as they escorted him to the Great Hall to the cheers of young and old alike. Adults wept openly at the end of a nightmare, students howled in joy at the dissipating darkness.
No one had really bothered to sit at their old tables: the latter had been moved. Slytherins, Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, Gryffindors… No, it didn't matter anymore. Even Hogwarts. It was just men, women and children who had resisted. Humans, endowed with magic, but driven by the same desire for freedom, justice and hope as their Muggle compatriots. No more ghosts, however, as if they had given way to the living.
Now there were only people who had fought against Voldemort, although one might wonder about the presence of the Malfoys, tucked away in a corner and trying not to be noticed. Draco was crying miserably and so were his parents, hugging him like a treasure they had nearly lost. It could have been. Harry still didn't know how he was going to determine their fate considering that they had been supporters of the regime. Given that Narcissa had lied in her favor, perhaps they would be entitled to clemency…
But there were still so many things to do: meet the relatives of fallen fighters, comfort the wounded, free the prisoners of the Death Eaters from their jails, ridding the places of collaborators' powers, ensuring that the Ministry gets back to normal functioning. Then in the near future, to organize trials that are fair and just, that are not motivated by revenge, to pass new laws, to ensure that a new dark mage can never rebuild such a movement, to build new relations with magical peoples and with the Muggle world. The work of a lifetime.
He thought he could use Edward's help: he still remembered everything he had told him about magic, Muggles, during those unreal moments spent in this place between worlds. He had to figure out a plan to build that future, to keep his promises with the Goblin people, to get some guidance…
But when he asked Fred where Edward was, he asked who he was talking about.
For a moment, Harry thought he was joking, but those he was talking to didn't remember the young boy...even though Harry had made quite a speech about it less than a quarter of a year ago. 'hour ! When he asked questions, everyone worried, which was very nice of them... But no one seemed to know who he was talking about. He wondered how it was possible: Edward was...unforgettable, by his arrival during school, by his genius, by his teachings at CS, his hot temper, his appearance…
He met his gaze de Luna and she answered him, without his even needing to ask the question:
“They have all forgotten him… The members of the Circle still remember him and perhaps rare individuals. But his name and his existence have been erased.”
Luna looked both terribly sad, but also somehow resigned, as if accepting something that was inevitable. As if she'd known for a very long time that Edward wasn't meant to…stay.
"But why ? "
“Maybe because he doesn't really belong in our world. We were given him to help us and now he has to go home, I guess,” Luna stated logically.
"I have to go see him…" Harry muttered, half panicked. It couldn't end like this, not after all this suffering, these trials, these sacrifices to obtain this victory. He couldn't leave them like this.
"I'll create a diversion and we'll join you. We have the right to say goodbye to him…” The young Ravenclaw muttered sadly before pointing a finger at an Enormous Babilles, allowing Harry to hide under his cloak to leave the place.
Harry looked for him at Ravenclaw Tower, went down to the Chamber of Secrets, walked along the park where Edward had his training during his schooling. He even approached the Forbidden Forest. It was Ginny who showed him where he was by pulling out the Marauder's Map. A small fuzzy spot, half-erased was there, in the room where the prisoners had been gathered, as well as their remains, separated from the bodies of those who had fought against them.
A minute later, Harry found himself in a room where the Death Eaters were there, unconscious. A solitary figure with golden hair and the familiar red coat stared at Rockwood. For a moment, Harry considered attacking him by surprise to finally have a victory on him but gave up this childish gesture. Instead, he asked jokingly,
"Are you really going to leave me with all these obligations?”
When he turned around, Harry shuddered. There was such tangible power emanating from his body that Harry felt truly intimidated. However, one fact quickly dawned on him: it wasn't actually Edward behind those glowing golden pupils. His friend's eyes always showed how human he was, whether in his moments of contemplative calm, in his moments of exuberant joy, or in the raging tenacity that determined him. But here, his gaze was… not really insensitive, but too wise, too omniscient, too omnipotent. Not human.
He smiled as he addressed them:
“What were you doing?” Ron asked, slightly suspicious, knowing it wasn't Edward in front of him.
“Several little things. I deprived these individuals of the power to access magic for having had the temerity to believe that he could seize it for their own benefit... The ghosts of this world had a second chance to pass from the other side and the deceased will no longer have the option of returning. I banished the Dementors to their home world, healed a few people, fixed some small details that I could never have done without owning a body in that world, and destroyed the traces so that this problem would not happen again. "
“Reassure me, are you going to give him back his body?" Neville asked.
"Sure. Otherwise it will destroy itself. I was never meant to be locked up in a prison of the flesh,” the entity replied with a hint of irony.
"And now ? Hermione questioned, insistent.
“You belong to this world. Not him. It is time for him to return to his own.”
“Will he come back?" Ginny asked, in tears.
“Even I don't have an answer to that,'' replied the Truth.
“I promised to give the Deathly Hallows. Here,” Harry said, parting first from the wand, then from the Stone and finally, much to his regret, from his family's Invisibility Cloak. The Edward-looking being accepted them gravely and said,
“That was a very wise act on your part. I'll make sure you get an equivalent to what you just sacrificed to me,” muttered the entity through his friend's mouth.
Harry said that he didn't need it.
The body seemed to convulse, light seeming to seek to escape from him, like when Edward was trying to master magic. The power waves even seemed to be felt by those gathered in the great hall. All the members of the Circle looked at him with a worried look, seeing the body seeming ready to dissolve into luminous particles for a moment.
"It's time to go. Otherwise, I would risk damaging its envelope. You can accompany us to the Portal…”
And instantly, they found themselves in the Chamber of Death, facing the veil. Hermione didn't even ask how they had Apparated here: this being was far more powerful than any wizard. Human laws did not apply.
“I'll let you talk to him a little more. But don't hold it too long. Such power cannot be contained by a human for more than a few minutes before the body collapses in on itself. Other people are waiting for him at home.”
Neutral features faded, giving way to exhausted features; a relieved smile and happy eyes.
"Thanks again, guys…these three years have been fun…"
"I really don't know what we're going to do without you…" Ron muttered, patting him on the shoulder, hesitantly, at first, as if he risked being burned by the power in Ed.
"You will continue to move forward, to progress, to grow..."
"As far as growing is concerned, it is especially valid for you..." Ginny joked, smirking and wiping her eyes.
"Idiots…don't make me lose my temper or I might accidentally blow up the place…" Edward replied with a weak smile.
“Why do others have to forget you? It's not fair: We wouldn't have made it without you! "
“Of course it is. Differently, no doubt, not with as much class, that's for sure, but you already had the seeds within you that would have enabled you to defeat Voldemort. You had the courage, the determination, the altruism, the wisdom… All these qualities in you. You would be different, but not that much. And for the rest, we grow from our encounters: it is the bonds we forge that allow us to become the people you are now. "
“Do you really believe that we can succeed in changing this world? Like you told me at King's Cross?”
“Of course. It will take hard work, wisdom, courage and ambition…”
“We have all of that at Hogwarts. Hermione completed with a sniffle.
" That's right. I've already changed this world by coming here… but now it's up to you to keep it going. To transmute this society, to make it better.”
A shiver ran through him and he whispered:
" It's time. I must return home.”
“Ed?”
Edward froze before turning around:
"If ever... you have the opportunity to come back to see us, then don't hesitate: We will always be happy to see you again. You are a member of the Circle and a broken circle...well it's not the same,” Harry said.
"I will do my best. I’ll see you later, my friends.”
And he passed the veil, leaving the five alone.
There were many tears. But it was Luna who gave everyone hope by saying:
"He didn't say goodbye to us.”