Disclaimer: See chapter one.
A/N: Last chapter! As an author, I've been lax about updating my other WIPs, but at least I finished Nightingale's Song before I started posting it. It's not my best work, I concede, but I spent a good portion of time on it and I hope that you've enjoyed it (and that you will enjoy the last chapter).
If possible, please drop a comment after you read this - I understand if you don't for the other chapters, as I am guilty of reading as a lurker too, but I will greatly appreciate for any advice you can give. Even though this will be the last H/Hr fic I'm writing, this certainly won't be the last story, and if it weren't for all the advice that I got when I was younger, I never would've been able to gain confidence as a writer.
Thanks to everyone!
Five
Song of the Beginning
Hermione felt as if a bucket of ice cubes that been dropped on her head. Judging from Ron's expression, he felt similarly.
It turned out that the Death Eaters attacked Hogsmeade early in December and, just before the start of winter holidays, moved to besiege Hogwarts. Ginny and a few students from the former Defense Association had tried to get students out through Hogwarts' secret passages.
"But since Wormtail knows about the passages too, not all the escapes were successful. I was lucky to have gotten out. The last I heard," Ginny said, "the remaining professors are still holding them off. Mum said that the Order is planning a counterattack soon, I wasn't lying about this part."
Harry listened. His face was impassive, had been impassive ever since the Horcrux was made. When Ginny was finished, he said, "I bet Voldemort is there. I am going to Hogwarts tomorrow."
"You mean you're going to fight him, now?" Ron said. "But it's too soon!"
"I will have to fight him sooner or later," Harry said. "Delaying it won't make me any more ready than I am now. Besides," he reminded them, as if it gave him pleasure. "I don't have much time to lose myself."
Hermione felt a dull pain in her chest. "But Harry," she reminded him, though she understood what he meant, "we are still missing one Horcrux."
"That," Ginny said, "I have taken care of. There are two reasons why Voldemort is attacking Hogwarts. One is to lure Harry, I'm sure, but the other…" She had withdrawn a loosely wrapped parcel from her bag. "This is my present to you. I found Ravenclaw's portrait."
As Ron and Hermione gasped in unison, she unwrapped it.
The portrait was, unlike the magical portraits Hermione had seen, not moving. It was painted in a different style than most of the paintings she had seen. The woman portrayed was in no way glorified; she wore the coarse clothing of a peasant that made her body appear bulky. Nevertheless, as she gazed into the intelligent grey eyes of the young woman, Hermione had no doubt that this was Rowena Ravenclaw.
"I suspect it's a Muggle painting," Ginny said. "And look." She turned the painting over, and Hermione could see large slashes on the canvas. "Neville and Colin helped me with those. We used knives. I didn't know how to destroy a Horcrux, but I know it must take really strong magic to do so. Since none of us is that powerful, we chose a more primitive way."
"It might've been dangerous," Hermione said. "You could've been seriously hurt."
"You're right." Ginny held up her hands. Looking closely, Hermione saw small burn marks on her palms. "But it's worth it," she said. "I feel as if I were finally getting revenge on Voldemort."
"Where did you find this?" Harry said.
"The Chamber of Secrets," Ginny replied. "It was very cleverly concealed, in the statue of Salazar Slytherin. I should've guessed sooner, but I was only inspired to look there when Nearly Headless Nick told me that Slytherin hated Ravenclaw." She laughed ruefully. "It was hard to get down to the Chamber again, because Dumbledore tried to seal it. The statue was even harder to blast apart."
Ron was shaking his head, but he was smiling. "This is unbelievable."
"Thank you, Ginny," Harry said. He sounded neutral.
Hermione turned to the window. Six Horcruxes down, and one Voldemort to go. It would be dawn soon. She knew that as soon as the morning comes, Harry would head toward Hogwarts. And even if they all followed him, they would not be able to protect him, not in all the chaos that was sure to come.
"Let's all get some sleep," Ron suggested. He had stood up himself. "Tomorrow…"
His voice trailed off. Hermione shuddered. It was supposed to be Christmas.
Harry followed Ron to the staircase. Just before he started up the stairs, he turned and smiled at Ginny. While Ginny smiled back, he gave Hermione a long look.
She tried to decipher its meaning, and soon she wondered if it had any meaning at all.
-
Early in the morning, Harry sent a message, through the fireplace, to Remus Lupin. Lupin showed up an hour later, when they were eating breakfast. He brought with him the Order members who had not already gone to defend Hogwarts - Tonks, Charlie, and Fleur.
"Wotcher," Tonks offered, but nobody returned her greeting.
From the way they were all staring at Harry, Hermione thought, he might as well have been dead already. But she suspected that Harry must've had a confrontation with them already, because nobody tried to dissuade him from going. Perhaps they realized the sacrifice he'd made. Or perhaps they were all so desperate for the war to end that they were willing to risk anything. It was nearly impossible to believe that just three years ago, everything had been calm and peaceful.
Having lost what appetite she'd had, Hermione headed over to the window. The snow had stopped. The Muggle street outside could pass for a picture in a Christmas card. If everything went well, perhaps she would live to see New Year.
"It's time to go." Tonks looked at Hermione, Ron, and Ginny questioningly. "You three -"
"Oh, we're coming along!" Ginny said, so firmly that not even Charlie argued.
King's Cross Station was sparsely populated. A few Muggles shrank away at the sight of their large group, and a police even tried to detain them. Soon, they were through Platform Nine and Three Quarters, where the Hogwarts Express, scarlet as always, was waiting.
Ron was impressed that the train was here, and said so.
"We will have to get off at an earlier station," Lupin said, as he ushered them aboard. "Hogsmeade isn't safe anymore."
Usually, Hermione felt that the trip to school took too long. This time, however, she felt that the train went too fast. Almost before she could recover her wits, they were at the predetermined station. They were somewhere in the Scottish suburbs. Lupin led them off, where a few Order members were already waiting.
"How is it?" Lupin asked.
"I can't tell yet," Mr. Weasley said. "Some of them got inside the castle. We've already lost two on our side, but I believe they lost at least ten last night."
"And here…" Lupin glanced at them.
Mr. Weasley let his eyes roam over his children, Harry, and Hermione. It was clear that he did not want them to be involved. He only sighed. "Just be careful," he said, and gestured for them to follow.
Ginny and Ron went to join their father and brother, and Hermione was left to walk with Harry. She hoped his nerves weren't fraying, like hers were. She tried to say something soothing, but found that anything she could think of had a morbid connotation.
Finally, she asked bluntly, "Are you afraid?"
"Yes," Harry said, surprising Hermione with his honesty, "but that isn't going to change anything."
No, Hermione had to agree, it wouldn't. They walked on, shoulders almost touching, and then Mr. Weasley stopped them.
A Dark Mark hung over the castle. They were now at the Whomping Willow. From behind its thrashing branches, Hermione could see figures in black robes on the Hogwarts grounds. She knew that they were not Hogwarts students. Spells crisscrossed the sky; an explosion sounded in the distance. Ginny uttered a small cry of alarm, and Charlie hurriedly shushed her. "Don't let them hear you!"
The tree froze. Mr. Weasley emerged from within its branches and faced them. His face looked sweaty, even under the dim light.
"Wands out. As soon you get out of the tunnel, be ready to shoot Stunners. If you can't handle it, go to the hospital wing or the headmistress's office. Let's go."
Hermione had gone through this particular tunnel only once, and it had not ended pleasantly. Hopefully, she thought, this would not be a repeat of last time. As they neared the end of the tunnel, Hermione prayed aloud, "Please, just let the end come as soon as possible!"
And then they emerged into the castle, where they scattered to fight what Hermione's Muggle books would call "guerilla warfare," for the Order members took full advantage of the twisting passages and secret rooms of the ancient castle.
Hermione stayed with Ginny. The talk they had did not jeopardize their friendship, as she had feared. They crept together through the corridors they knew well. Ginny had brought a handful of the joke shop's merchandise, and she and Hermione laid them where the Death Eaters were sure to pass along.
The day stretched on. Hermione's prayers were answered near dusk. After nearly a day of fighting, they had gathered in the hospital wing to take a short rest. Madam Pomfrey was tending to two cuts on Hermione's cheeks when Fleur burst inside.
"The North Tower," she said, and that was all she needed to say.
Ginny tore outside. Hermione twisted free of Madam Pomfrey and followed closely.
The way to the North Tower was practically littered with dead bodies. A few Death Eaters, guarding the North Tower to make ensure no distraction, tried to stop Hermione and Ginny, but an almost supernatural power had possessed Hermione. When she saw all the unconscious bodies later, she confessed she couldn't even remember throwing these spells.
Harry and Voldemort were still duelling when they arrived. Their robes were smoking and the hallway smelled of smoke. Hermione was reminded of the Horcrux ceremony.
Apparently, so was Voldemort. While he shot another curse, he said, "Even if you were to beat me now, you will never achieve immortality. You will achieve the exact opposite!"
"He doesn't want immortality!" Ginny shouted. Hermione tried to shush her, but realized that Ginny was trying to distract Voldemort.
Harry turned slowly, as if puzzled that they managed to get here when he was still alive. He was about to say something - probably to tell them to clear off - when Hermione realized that he had dropped the head of his wand slightly, leaving himself open for a Killing Curse.
"Impedimenta!" she shouted, aware that Ginny had cried the same spell.
The spell did not immobilize Voldemort completely, but he did hesitate, giving Harry to shoot a Conjunctivitus Curse. It was the same curse he'd used to destroy the soul inside the locket. Voldemort roared and his hands flew to his eyes.
Harry turned to them again. "Ginny, I need your wand! Now!"
Ginny's eyes widened, but she threw him her wand all the same. Hermione understood. Voldemort was using the bond between the two wands to his advantage. Harry couldn't shoot the Killing Curse with his own wand.
"Avada kedavra!" Harry shouted, but only a green wisp of smoke burst from the end of Ginny's wand. It diffused in the air.
Voldemort had recovered; he reached for his own wand. Harry turned to Hermione. He didn't need to ask. She threw her wand.
In a daze, Hermione watched as her wand sailed toward him. He raised the wand and spoke the incantation. The green light flew from the end of Hermione's wand, strong and true, right into Voldemort's own wand and then, through his body.
The ground began to shake. Cracks appeared in the wall. Hermione and Ginny clung to each other. There was the terrible sound of screaming, and then, a strange silence.
"Bloody hell," someone said into the ensuing silence.
To Hermione's surprise, it had not been Ron who swore. It was Lupin, staring down at what seemed to be two identical dead bodies.
-
Hermione stared down at Harry's slumbering face, unable to believe that everything was over. Voldemort was finally gone, and Harry would soon recover. For now, at least.
"Hermione."
She looked up. "Ginny."
The young woman had entered the hospital wing. She came over and took a seat beside Hermione. "How are you?" she said.
Hermione had been wounded in the lingering battles that followed Voldemort's death. She brushed her neck. A Death Eater had tried to use a diffindo on her, but she'd set up a protego at the last moment. "It doesn't hurt anymore," she said, "although Madam Pomfrey said that the cuts on my cheeks would scar. What about the curse that Pettigrew shot at you?"
"I'm awake, aren't I?" Ginny sounded cheerful. "And anyway I had my revenge. Bill told me that our firecrackers and bombs got a few Death Eaters."
Hermione laughed. "Yes, he told me. He pretended to be impressed that I went along with it. But it is a clever idea."
Ginny smiled at her. "We are rather different, but it never stopped us from being friends." She sighed. "Though to tell the truth, I was always a bit jealous of you. You and Harry and Ron are always together, and I'm always left on the outside. And even after he became my boyfriend…I don't feel as if I belong the way you do. I wonder…if he'd been yours all along."
"No, Ginny. He doesn't belong to anyone."
"You understand what I mean," Ginny said. "He used your wand to kill Voldemort."
Hermione did not understand. "He can't use his own. His wand and Voldemort's, they're brothers. Voldemort wanted them to connect, like they did last time, but -"
Ginny shook her head impatiently. "I know. But it takes a certain bond to be able to use someone else's wand for the Unforgivables." She put her hand on Hermione's shoulder. "That he could use your wand for the Killing Curse - and not mine - it means his bond with you is stronger than his bond with me. You…do love him."
The pieces to the puzzle seemed to fall together. Hermione tried to say, "Thank you," but it didn't seem right at the moment. Instead, she placed her hand on top of Ginny's. "Will you be all right?"
"I have no choice, do I?" Ginny tossed her head. "Of course I will be fine. And anyway, he's still going to be my best friend." She laughed suddenly. "Seems like we've switched places, Hermione. You're his girlfriend and I'm his best friend. Ironic, in a way. I always knew that I will have to fight with someone for Harry, but I'd never planned her to be you."
Hermione had not wanted things to turn out this way either. "Things work out in strange ways," she said. "In some way, I still think you deserve him more. Unlike you, I feel I took him for granted too often."
"Hmmm," Ginny said thoughtfully, "perhaps that is what Harry needs. Maybe…he sees the attention as a burden."
Hermione had not thought of it this way. Maybe Ron needed someone like that too, she thought, someone who didn't take the relationship too seriously. Whenever she and Ron were alone together, they were always far too aware of what they were doing to truly enjoy each other's company. She suddenly wanted to talk to him again, as a best friend. They had been too busy, chasing out the remaining Death Eaters, to speak to each other much. She missed his company.
Ginny stood up. "I'll visit when Harry wakes up. I need to go check on Charlie now…take good care of him." And she was gone.
I will.
Hermione looked out the window. It was a sunny day. She fancied she could still smell the lingering scent of Christmas. It had only been two days, and already everything had begun to change for the better. Very soon there would be reporters, pestering Harry for interviews. He would probably point at his fading scar and make a few obscure comments to satisfy several headlines.
Then the professors and students would return, and Hogwarts would reopen for the upcoming fall, and Hermione planned to go back and finish her studies. And after that…the future stretched out before her, before everyone. Even before Harry, because she was now certain that she wanted to train to become a mediwitch and she wasn't going to rest until she proved The Splitting of the Soul wrong.
Her heart felt full. She reached for Harry's hand and squeezed it.
Out of reflex, or perhaps not, his fingers curled more tightly around hers.
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