The Letters
Viopathartic
A/N: Yes, I folded under cyber-peer pressure. So here's the next chapter…happy? ;)
Madam Pomfrey shook her head as she waved her wand over Neville. An anxious McGonagall stood besides her, her expression stoic.
"Poppy, will Mr. Longbottom be okay?"
"The chances are slim but if he lives, his life will be difficult." She pocketed her wand and scanned the room from any others who needed her help. Seeing that everyone was quiet, she turned back to her old friend.
"Minerva, will you be alright?"
"Potter...Harry is out there, Poppy. He's finally going against You-Know-Who." said the headmistress in amazement. The healer nodded understandingly. Harry Potter, their Harry, was finally battling the terror that had plagued his life for seventeen years. Now, he will either defeat He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named or...
"He'll survive, Minerva. Remember the times he retrieved the Sorcerer's Stone? And in second year, when he came back from the Chamber of Secrets with young Ginny Weasley in his arms? And third year with Sirius Black. There was so many times where we thought he was done for. But then, Harry came back and proved us wrong."
"But dear Poppy, You-Know-Who is at his worst. His power is not like last time. He's much more powerful then last time."
The aged healer was about to say something but the sight of Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley made her stop.
Hermione held a piece of parchment in her left hand, tears streaming down her face. Ron stood beside her, with blood-shot eyes but showing no emotion.
"Ms. Granger," said Madam Pomfrey sympathetically, wrapping a blanket around her shoulders. The girl rushed into her arms, crying. She looked over at Mr. Weasley, but he said nothing.
"Mr. Weasley. What happened?"
"Harry's--" His voice was unclear, "Harry's will."
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Remus Lupin, along with his girlfriend Tonks, stood on top of the hill, dumbstruck by the view before them.
Hundreds of Deatheaters were sprawled across the grass, their bodies still and limp. One minute ago, Remus struggled to find his way around the battle field of Aurors against Deatheaters. Now, only the good guys remained. Tonks voiced his reaction by saying,
"Bloody hell." Aurors began to walk down the hill, curious to inspect the bodies that had literally dropped dead. The rain had finally calmed down, allowing Remus to see again. A wisp of warmth wrapped around him and when he looked down, he found himself dry and clean. He turned around and saw Tonks.
"It seems as if it's over, my love." said Tonks, a smile forming on her face. Remus couldn't help but smile back. He brought her into his embrace and placed a warm kiss onto her forehead.
But was it true? Was the war finally over? Was Voldemort finally vanquished?
"Oi, Remus!" The two separated and Remus strained to see who the voice belonged to. He saw a guy waving his hands in the air and when Remus sprinted over, he saw it was Kingsley Shacklebolt.
"What is it?" The senior Auror pointed to the figure lying on the ground. Remus kneeled down and carefully flipped the body over.
The distorted face of a traitor was recognized as Peter Pettigrew. A wave of emotions passed through his body as Remus saw his former friend on the ground before him. He almost felt sorry for the poor guy. Almost. With one strong kick to his "friend's" rib, Remus spat on Pettigrew, wishing he killed the man, who betrayed his best friend and his wife, himself. The body moved but there was no other reaction.
"Alright, Remus. We'll take him now." Shacklebolt called over a few of the remaining Aurors.
Tonks asked, "Kingsley, what happened?"
"Voldemort's gone." he stated matter-of-factly. The two stared at him in disbelief.
"W-what? How are you sure?" Before Peter Pettigrew's body was discarded, he lifted sleeve of his left arm revealing nothing.
"No Dark Mark?" Remus managed to ask.
"Meaning no Voldemort. See, Deatheaters, once they get initiated, have a mark permanently tattooed to their arm, marking their dedication and life to Voldemort. If their master is gone, they cease to exist. I suppose that's what happened to everyone here." Shacklebolt gestured to the mass of bodies around them.
A breathless Auror ran up to them and said, "We've identified McNair, Malfoy, and Nott so far. Clair and Benson are checking the east direction while Fort and Sufi are scanning west. Further instructions, sir?"
"Continue as before, Betes," Shacklebolt commanded, "and make sure you check very carefully."
"Yes, sir!" The young man quickly departed, spreading the instructions to his other mates.
"Has anyone seen Harry?" Fred Weasley suddenly appeared, along with his twin. Remus was surprised; he forgot all about him!
"Well," he began excitedly, "Harry's alive right? Voldemort's gone. So he'll be back soon."
"We'll find him." Before anyone could say anything, he pulled out a remote-like device. With a few complicated combinations of buttons, a red light beamed from its front.
"It's the Finder. George and I developed it three weeks ago. It's guaranteed to work." The group of Aurors exchanged unsure glances. A few minutes later, the red beam turned off and Fred turned back to the group with a triumph smile.
"Harry's somewhere in the east direction. See?" He showed the device to his group and they saw a blinking red dot among lines of green.
"It's not moving though," Tonks pointed out. She was right; even though the dot was blinking, it stayed in the same area.
"Not moving...hmmm…then that means he's not moving." Realizing what he just said, the smile was wiped off of his face.
"Let's find him now!" exclaimed George, following Remus who, despite his age, took off in the east direction with urgent need.
"His will? But that would mean--" Minerva did not finish but everyone knew what she was going to say.
"He said six hours. Six hours he would be back..."mumbled Hermione, tearfully as she was still in the healer's embrace. Ron closed his eyes, ignoring the pain he felt every time she said that. The words of his best friend still ran through his mind. Sorry Ron...best mate...I love Hermione...Hermione...
His best friend was in love with his girlfriend.
"Ms. Granger, let me see that letter." Pomfrey placed at hand on the parchment and pulled. But Hermione wouldn't let go. She pulled it back and held it against her chest, like a precious artifact.
"No." The girl said the word with finality and they knew she wouldn't change her mind. Ron glared at the letter. Harry told Hermione that he loved her in that letter. Harry told Ron's girlfriend that he loved her.
He shook his head, not letting his anger for Harry to continue. His best friend was dead and he shouldn't be mad at him. Hermione suddenly went still.
"Hermione? Hermione, love, what's wrong?" Ron came to her side and nudged her shoulder. Hermione looked like she was listening to something, so everyone stopped what they were doing and listened as well. For a moment all Ron could hear was the blood pounding in his ears. Then, he separated the noise and heard a faint shout from outside.
"Obey...the...lord?" suggested Minerva, straining to hear the words from outside.
"No it's more like Token of Board..."
"No...it sounds like--
"Open the door!"
Hermione nudged her way out from the group, sprinted towards the door, and not caring what she was doing, she performed the charm to open the Hogwarts door. Multiple people quickly ran to her if she needed protection. But they found it was not needed.
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Remus Lupin quickly entered Hogwarts, a body levitated behind him. Kingsley Shacklebolt, Tonks, Fred and George Weasley followed behind them.
"Quick, Poppy!"
Immediately switching back to healer mode, the witch pulled out her wand and transferred the body to an empty cot. Hermione, who was in a moment of shock, slowly took steps toward the cot which was quickly surrounded by healers and volunteers. The people, seeing Hermione, parted for her to pass through.
His left temple had a long red gash running down to his cheek. His hair was matted with blood, rain, and dirt. His face sported amounts of bruises and cuts, covering his once handsome face. His eyes were closed, giving the impression that he was sleeping.
But Hermione didn't care. With a great sob, she threw herself onto his body, embracing him tightly. Harry...Recognizing the man that lay beneath her, her heart suddenly felt cold and numb. Her mind completely shut down. Her best friend was dead.
Flashes of childhood memories swam through her mind. Harry as a naive eleven -year-old, jumping on the troll just so he could save her. Harry as a fourteen-year-old, riding his Firebolt, dodging the Hungarian Horntail. Memories of a brave boy--no, man. The Man-Who-Lived and Hermione Granger's closest friend.
"Hermione. Leave in, let Poppy deal with his body," said Remus' soothing voice. His body. They sounded so sure that Harry was dead.
"No...No, he's not!" Hermione said, quietly with her head against his chest. Remus looked away, understanding how hard it will be to convince Hermione.
"Love, please," Ron begged.
"He's not dead." Hermione repeated, but in an even quieter voice. The people surrounding the girl froze as her words were spoken. The witch lifted her head, her eyes staying trained on Harry.
"Stop it, Hermione!" Ron yelled, showing the first signs of anger. His ears were red at the tips and his fists were clenched at his side. "He's dead...accept it." Hermione acted as if she didn't hear and grabbed his left hand. Now confused, Ron was slowly brought to Harry's side. His hand was placed on the body's chest. Suddenly, his eyes widened.
"What? What is it, Ron? Hermione?" asked Remus, anxiously. Ron turned around to face his former teacher, his complexion pale.
"He's--He's not dead."
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:gasp: Shocker, right? Yeah, this chapter was kind of ruined by me saying in the reviews that Harry was still alive…but hey, I'm getting there.