It had been three weeks since they left, three weeks of being kept in the dark about everything going on outside the safe haven of the school. The general feeling around the school was tension and anxiety, since a single decision made by the hands of two teenagers could decide the fate of their entire world.
Students milled around the Great Hall discussing the state of things in somber looks and even more depressing voices. No one laughed or smiled anymore, not with their future on the line outside and they had no say whatsoever.
The Headmaster looked on at the proceedings before him with sadness in his eyes. This was not the way things should be, this is a school for goodness' sake, and students should not be worrying about the outside world. Their life should have school and their life there as the main concern. But it was too late for that now, events have gone beyond his control no matter how hard he tried to postpone it or stop it.
Rising out of his chair he addressed the students, "Students, as many of you may not remember Halloween is fast approaching; so in an effort to lift your spirits we shall have a dance to commemorate this event in school, this shows the world that no matter what happens the world goes on and not one person can not have full control over everything, that in spite of everything people do, they cannot command complete submission from everyone."
At first there was complete silence as people soaked in the wise words coming from the Headmaster, but soon as news of the dance of the soaked in completely excited chatter broke out from all corners of the room and sly glances were exchanged as people considered who to invite. The small intricacies soon absorbed most of the population of the Hall and for the first time since Harry and Draco left the prevalent tension and anxiety broke.
The Headmaster sat back in his chair with a satisfied smile on his face, he nodded to himself, yes this is as a school should be, even if to forget the outside world exists at least for the time being and to be reawakened from this wonderful dream tomorrow morning is a small price to pay.
With the upcoming dance to take minds off the war raging outside, things regained some semblance of normalcy at least normal for the days prior to a dance. Guys asked girls to the dance, new dress robes were ordered, owls flying around delivering messages and decorations going up around the school. The world outside the halls of the school was put on hold at least for the moment, for most it was the last chance they had to savor being a teenager in this world.
On the eve of the dance the chattering in the Great Hall reached such heights, to the point that the teachers had to conjure a privacy charm to be able to speak without shouting. They had come to the general conclusion that there was no point of trying to quiet the students, this was the first real burst of energy they had seen in a long time. No one had yet noticed the ominous swirling of clouds on the ceiling of the Great Hall. That is until a streak of bright lightning struck from the heavens straight to the center of the Hall.
Conversations ceased immediately and everyone: students and teachers drew their wand facing the smoke rising out of that point. Nothing happened and some people looked ready to sit back down again when another streak of lightning struck in the same spot.
"Lightning never strikes twice in the same place, the probability of that happening is like one in a millionth of a chance," whispered a voice that carried throughout the silent Hall.
When the light finally dimmed so the inhabitants of the castle could see, there were two black-robed figures leaning on each other as though for support. Instantly every single wand was trained on these two swaying figures.
The taller figure shook himself as though making sure of his surroundings. Glancing around the Hall a raspy voice filled with pain finally asked from under the hood,
"Which one of you is Albus Dumbledore?"
No one answered, except for one,
"Why do you need to know? Whatever you need to tell him you can say it to Hall, I'm sure word will reach the Headmaster somehow," said a voice from the Gryffindor Table.
"I have an important message and package that he and only he can understand," replied the figure
"But how do we know you're not a Deatheater, sent to capture Professor Dumbledore?" questioned another voice.
"If we were Deatheaters, according to the new wards set by Dumbledore himself we couldn't have been able to come into the school let alone the Great Hall," replied the figure.
The crowd parted like the Red Sea before Albus Dumbledore, as he came to address the two strangers.
"Hello, I am Albus Dumbledore, what can I do for you?"
At this the second figure perked slightly, reaching into his tattered robes he drew out a long thin package wrapped in a red cloth. He braced himself on the first figure and tossed the package at Dumbledore. He said only one thing which threw Albus Dumbledore in shock which had not been done since he himself was a child,
"My task is done."
This being done the two figures collapsed finally running out of whatever had kept them up till then, the toll of their journey and getting into the Great Hall through a slit in the wards had caused a serious depletion of their magical resources as well as their physical energy.
As though without thinking Dumbledore levitated the two strangers before they could hit the ground as he caught the package. He waved his hand at Madam Pomfrey and she took over the care of the two strangers and leading the way to the Hospital Wing.
Slowly unwrapping what he thought was a red cloth, was in reality a blood-soaked remnant of a T-shirt that had been forced to act as a bandage, within the package were the splintered remains of a very familiar wand, a wand he never thought he'd ever see again. And with that all the pieces of the puzzle clicked together and he rushed out of the Great Hall, leaving behind curious students, to the Hospital Wing.
He arrived at the Hospital Wing a few moments after Madam Pomfrey and her two guests. Walking into the room he had to share the news with someone and she needed to know this information anyways since she would be treating these two teenagers.
"Poppy, poppy you won't believe this, it's over the one thing we have worked for since like almost 20 years ago…."
Poppy stared at him,
"What in the world are you talking about Albus? And why are you jumping up and down like an idiot?"
Before he could answer her, a whispery voice called out,
"Prof. Dumbledore, there is letter addressed to you in the pocket of my cloak…."
He fell back onto the bed and was unconscious once more. The headmaster retrieved the letter and sat down besides the bed and began to read.
Dear: Prof. Dumbledore,
If you are reading this, it means Draco and I have reached Hogwarts after the Final Confrontation with Tom. Seeing as we made it back alive, at least enough to get through to you that it was us and reading this letter which was under a specific charm that I tell you about it face-to-face. It's a new charm that Draco invented that in this case is very useful. But I hate to be the bringer of bad news however as Madam Pomfrey may have already told you, there is nothing really wrong with us except for those superficial injuries and depleted magical reserves. Appearances can be deceiving as we are in what muggles call a coma, we will not wake without the help of external means. In this case we need a particular potion, the Elixirus Reconvare. As I'm sure that you are already aware of what circumstances require that potion, so there is no need for explanation, you are also aware of the pros and cons of giving us the that potion as well as the consequences that Draco and I have acknowledged already in casting the spell. Not the legalities but the consequences to us and our identity and what make us who we are or were in this case. The potion is fairly simple to make at least if you use who I think you will, I spared him and his fellow spies but don't tell him that for he hates me enough as it is. Draco and I trust you and him enough to give you our lives and you decide what to do with us.
Sincerely,
HJP
P.S Draco and I thank you and all the other teachers who have helped us in some way because it may be most likely that we won't be who we were and hopefully you won't mess up as badly this time.
Folding the letter and placing it in a secret pocket in his robes he turned to Madam Pomfrey,
"Poppy meet Harry James Potter and Draco Lucius Malfoy back from the dead finally completing their task."
Leaving the shocked nurse he walked toward his office, on autopilot, his mind still on the letter. Upon reaching his office he shook the feeling off to the back of his mind he had a war to end and there will be time enough to deal with emotions later on.
The war was over but at a huge terrible cost in the forms of the many lives given or taken away from both the magical and muggle community, as well as the deaths of many students who strayed or were killed seeing as they were a threat to the reign of Lord Voldemort.
Rifling through the list of contacts he found the one for the Minister's private office, throwing a pinch of floo powder he yelled, "Office of the Minister of Magic." Opening a channel he waited for the Minister.
"Hello Albus, what an unexpected surprise I thought I would see you tomorrow at the Ball your school Is holding to discuss the state of things."
The headmaster nodded,
"That is what I thought too until tonight I found some very surprising news, this is not a personal call, the war with Lord Voldemort is over you can call off the Aurors from their duties and now search out all the stragglers it is to my knowledge that Lord Voldemort wanted not one of his followers to celebrate his downfall. So go inform your public that it is now over."
With that he closed the channel and sank back in his chair and finally let go of the tight hold he had over his emotions. He cried, cried for all the people lost in this dreadful war, the fact that he had just seen too much. He thought with the last dark lord there wouldn't be any one more terrible than this one. But time and time again each dark lord got more and more dreadful and gruesome with his tactics. Each time he saw villains rise and heroes sacrificing everything to keep the world safe. Oftentimes it was he who sent out the heroes trained to be killing machines. Each time heroes would rise and fall as others took their place and people sacrificed themselves over and over for what was a noble cause but no one was doing anything to stop it from happening again.
He took out a picture he usually kept hidden from the locket around his neck, there was his family the last time he saw them alive. The picture was only taken a day before Grindelwald ordered them killed as he stood by unable to do anything, immobilized by a charm he himself made to contain him. It was watching his family suffer and the last words that his wife said to him were, "Albus even if you forget me and everything else remember that I don't blame you and I have and always will love you, just promise me one thing I want you to try and change the world, so this doesn't happen again." He had promised and killed Grindelwald that day but he hadn't fulfilled his promise to his wife he had failed her. Yet again the cycle of a rise and downfall of a dark had come again and it had been fifty years already for the unfulfilled promise.
This was how Snape found him two hours later when he came back from the Deatheaters gathering and people had fell all around him and only a few select people who were spies were left. There were no one in the halls so he came to the Headmaster.
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