A/N. Here's the last chapter, with very few minor additions to a previously posted version. Thank you all for reading and thank you to those who have expressed how much they enjoyed the story.
XXXXXXXXX
Chapter 32 - A Change of Plan
The thumping in her chest made its way up her throat and stayed there. There was nothing like being trapped in a room without an exit with a homicidal mad witch to get one's brain working at warp speed. Hermione was literally making things up as she spoke to Harry.
Stall. Talk to her while I try to break this jinx. She's dying for someone to listen. And we need a new plan to escape.
As Harry averted his gaze, she tried Legiventroliqy again without success. Too bad what happened at the University was a one time thing. It would have been better if they could talk without having to stare at each other.
"My dear Harry," Didler approached him, "You have to wait your turn!"
Hermione's heart lurched as Didler picked Harry up with a beam from her wand and flung him over her across the room against the opposite wall, making her squirm at the sound of bone on concrete. Didler attempted to revive Ginny as Harry gingerly picked himself up from the floor, his wand by his side. He winced, limping back to face Didler, putting himself between her and Ginny.
Didler waved her wand and sent Harry back off to the side, again slamming him into hard surface, batted away like an irritating fly. Harry got back on his feet, more slowly this time and with more effort.
When Hermione suggested for him to stall, this was not exactly what she had in mind. She caught his attention and he must have seen her concern.
I'm fine. It's not as bad as it looks.
Right. Well aware that the last time Harry had been in combat was eons ago, she thought it prudent to refresh his memory, just in case he forgot.
Shield charms?
Tried that. The ones I know don't seem to work.
Hermione could only conclude one thing. She's weaving her minor spells with the cardinals; lacing them with her negative emotions to be more powerful.
That's helpful to know. Any other advice?
He must mean aside from ducking out of the way. It was necessary to fight fire with fire.
We could start your lesson now.
Of course, they were both cognizant of the fact that it took Lyle a good few days to produce one and Didler a couple of months to perfect it. Harry was more realistic.
It may be too little too late. Let me try something else.
As Harry made his way back into Didler's field of vision, Hermione concentrated, feverishly working her way through her systematic method of breaking a jinx. If she could get Ginny's wand in her hand, she could do things a lot quicker and more effectively. For one, she might be able to help Harry defend himself. Also, she could conceivably clear space for them to Dissaparate just as she had done in the bedroom closet in her apartment.
Seeing Harry so unprotected against Didler, there was a definite need to hurry to get this done. All Hermione had to do was to take care that Didler would be oblivious to what she was about to do. That would depend a lot on how much and how intensely Harry could keep Didler engaged.
In the other room, smarting from his intimate experiences with the hardy confines of the barricaded quarters, Harry was also in a heightened mental state, thinking about how to get them out. Being on the receiving end of the dominant magic Didler was using, he figured that if they could not match that at this time, the only way out would be to give Didler what she wanted.
The only problem was that at the moment, what Didler wanted was to kill Ginny and to kill him. He would definitely not willingly give her that. But what did she really want out of all of this? He hoped she wanted something else beyond their deaths because if that was all she was after, then they needed a lot of luck to get out of the room alive.
"Hold on," he interrupted Didler in her continued attempt to wake the unconscious red head, quite prepared to use another inferior protective spell if need be. "Before you kill us, I want to understand why you're doing this."
Didler regarded Harry and curiously asked him, "Aside from delaying the inevitable, why do you want to know?"
Harry answered as truthfully as he could, "If I'm going to die today I'd like to at least know what this is really about." That and I want to know what I can give you in exchange for our lives.
"Fair enough," Didler replied, turning away from Ginny. She threw the question right back at him, "What do you think this is about?"
Harry didn't really expect that; he was hoping to get her to talk more.
"It seems to be about a lot of things right now, but it didn't start out this way for you, did it?"
Didler's emotion was unreadable; her demeanour distrusting. Harry had to start somewhere and Ron's memory of their encounter at the warehouse seemed like a good place to begin. He just hoped Hermione would not react as negatively as she did during her first meeting with Didler.
"It's understandable and it's nothing to feel ashamed about. We all have our heroes and heroines growing up. You're not alone, I mean, Hermione has done some very amazing things for magic, I admire her too," Harry said truthfully but left out the part about Didler going overboard with it as he heard a muffled cry of frustration from Hermione and hoped that reaction escaped Didler's attention.
He could imagine how it must have been like for Didler at Hogwarts; an impressionable young orphan, no family to call her own, finding someone to look up to and aspire to be. And at the time immediately after Voldemort's defeat, Hermione was every young witch's heroine. Her role in Voldemort's fall was more legend than written, and most of it was true. He was almost sure that at one point Didler wanted to be exactly like her.
"After Hogwarts, you asked for an appointment into the Department of Mysteries," he hoped Didler would join the conversation soon. He could only assume so much before he stumbled and fell flat on his face. "You were declined."
"Dorner said I wasn't good enough," Didler finally said, "So I became an Auror instead. The books about her said at some point she wanted to be one."
Despite the fact that Didler's fanaticism and admiration for Hermione had gone awry, Harry did not judge her harshly for that decision. It wasn't that uncommon, being inspired to go into a field of work by someone else.
Didler continued, "When I heard about Lumos and how I could help, I jumped at the opportunity to be involved."
"Gomez told you about Lumos."
"Miguel said Hermione needed my help to prove her theories," she chuckled, "Of course, I eventually found out that wasn't really true. Have you done the curses?"
Harry decided it best to tell her the truth. He shook his head.
"Believe me, that's actually a good thing."
"You mean, aside from the fact that I can't use it on you?"
Didler laughed, almost naturally. Had their lives not been hanging on a delicate balance, he would have thought that funnier, too.
A serious Didler elucidated, "They're horrible to conjure when you have to use your own emotion to fuel them," then she took it back, "No, that's not entirely true. Of notable exception, is lust, which is quite pleasant compared to the rest of them. Anger is the worst, and of the seven Cardinal sins, anger is what I have a lot of."
Hermione did say Lyle Franks had begged off because of this. Curiously, Didler never seemed angry to him. Then he thought about himself and how enraged he was after he found out what really happened to his parents. If he had to conjure an anger curse, that was exactly the experience he would draw from.
"Your mother was murdered. You're angry about that."
"Voldemort killed my mother, too. I was in the closet; my Mum hid me there just before he came. He knew and he wanted me to see it all happen," Didler said in a detached voice, as if the experience was not hers. Or maybe that was how she could live with it, her way of coping.
"He was your father."
The absence of a denial was ripe with meaning.
"Your mother loved him," Harry was just going on instinct, knowing that Didler's meeker side had to come from someone. "She died to protect you from him, didn't she?"
Didler finally answered, her tone full of guilt and remorse, "She begged him for my life and he said he would spare me only if she died in my place."
"It wasn't your fault."
"She died because of me!"
"No, Melissa. She died because of him. He was an evil man."
Harry could see the torment Didler was going through. Didler was crying inwardly, silently. Hermione was right. Didler did want to talk and the parallelisms between his life and hers made it easier for him to get her to converse.
Didler asked him, "Do you sometimes wish that your mother didn't get in the way? That dying was better than living a life without her?"
"A long time ago, I did," Harry answered honestly. "There were also times when I wished I died with her."
"You don't anymore?"
Drawing from his own experience, he said to her, "She wanted me to live. She loved me that much and who was I to deny her that? For a long time, hers was the only love I had known and thinking about her kept me going. Your Mum must have loved you very much to do that, too."
Didler spoke softly, slowly, "Nowadays, when I close my eyes and try to imagine her, all I see and all I feel is her disappointment in what I've become."
"You should know that she loves you anyway."
Didler seemed to be reminiscing about something and whatever it was it made her laugh suddenly. For a moment, everything seemed almost normal.
"What's so funny?"
"If not for the incessant fainting around you, we might have been able to talk about this back at Hogwarts. Madame Pomfrey couldn't figure it out but I suspect it was Voldemort's blood being revolted by the fact that I wanted to be friends with the person who killed him."
And to think the purpose of that particular Hogwarts exercise was to find him a girlfriend. He left the thought at that.
Didler shifted their conversation, perhaps now finding it uncomfortable, "My secret is out, isn't it? The Ministry knows."
Harry nodded.
"It's not too late, Melissa," Harry recognized an opportunity. "It's never too late to make things right. Put an end to this. Turn yourself in."
Didler found Harry's suggestion quite amusing.
"Do you really think I should?" she asked him, reverting back to her frosty, detached persona. "And what do you think will happen after? Do you reckon the Minister will hand out a full pardon for the poor orphan who was used by the bad powerful wizard?"
"I'll talk to him. I'm sure they will look at the circumstances…" Harry was cut off by Didler.
The opportunity went away as quickly as it presented itself.
"Let's ask Hermione what she thinks about that," and they turned to Hermione, who was clearly disrupted from intense concentration.
He noticed for quite some time that Hermione had been in a cocoon of deep thought and prayed she had another plan.
"Wasn't I clear about not wanting to hear any of this?" Hermione replied sarcastically.
That did not seem to hurt Didler.
"I'm sorry for interrupting. You've had sufficient time to come up with a good plan to escape. So have you?"
Harry hoped Hermione's Occlumency prowess could withstand Didler's Legilimency skill.
"As a matter of fact, I have, but Harry…," she looked at him, "…unfortunately, it's still a work in progress." Great job stalling. You need to get as close to Ginny as possible. The less the witch notices the better.
Ginny was about five feet to his right.
"Good luck with that," Didler replied, not concerned. "So? What do you think?"
"Oh, you actually want me to answer," Hermione feigned surprise. "Forgive me. I wasn't listening much to the drivel."
This was all very personal to Hermione; she would not hold back on her reply. He spoke so Hermione would look at him, hoping to persuade her, "We were talking about putting an end to all this and asking the Ministry for leniency." Work with me here and lie to her.
"I won't give her false hopes, Harry," she answered him. "We all know she'll rot in Azkaban for the rest of her life and that won't be justice enough for what she did."
"You don't know that," Harry replied, trying to prevent the situation from getting worse. Are you trying to make her kill us sooner?
She will kill us anyway! I refuse to let her think what she did was forgivable! "I'll make sure of it if that's the only thing I'll ever do for the rest of my life," Hermione said coldly as she stared into Didler's grey eyes and watched her expression turn from amusement to indifference.
A smirk formed on Didler's face even as Harry said, "That may or may not happen. And even if you do spend some time in Azkaban, the important thing is that you're sorry about what happened."
"Look at her, Harry. She's not sorry for the lives she ended nor the family and friends they left behind," Hermione pointed out to him. "Don't feel bad for her. She doesn't deserve it."
He just wished she would not make Didler more agitated, or at least say nothing if she couldn't keep herself from doing that.
Didler confirmed this, "She's right you know. Remorse was the first to go. The only thing I'm sorry about is that I am going to be exposed and that's something I never bargained for. I was supposed to remain anonymous, that I would go back to normalcy after killing you, knowing I had outsmarted the brightest witch of our generation, that I am better than her."
Harry picked up on that. Was this what this was about for Didler? Proving to herself that she was smarter than the brightest witch of their generation? That she was the brightest witch of their generation?
"You actually convinced yourself that you could stop?! That's naïve," Hermione said sardonically. "If you could, you would have done so like Lyle Franks! You would have done so when you felt horrible guilt after you killed the first Muggle! Don't kid yourself. The ones you do today will not be your last!"
"Miguel asked for my help!"
"Did it not occur to you that you had every right to say no?! Let me think. Harry's parents were murdered, he had as bad a childhood growing up with the Dursleys as you, but has he killed any innocent Muggles or wizards as you have? It's a choice. You had a choice. And you chose poorly!"
Did she really have to point that out at this exact moment?
"He asked for my help!" Didler reiterated. "I couldn't disappoint him! You don't understand. You never have had to prove anything. All my life I have never been good enough; not for my father, not for the foster parents who took me in, not for Dorner, not for Ginny, not for you and evidently, not for Ron!"
Hermione was about to blow her top off.
"Ron? You're the first woman he's made a commitment to in years! How can you say you weren't good enough for him?"
"That night he went to your apartment instead of you, he offered to die for you just so I would stop and leave you alone!" Didler told them.
"She was his best friend. Of course he would do that," Harry defended Ron's actions.
"I was his girlfriend! He said he loved me! How could he offer to die for someone else?"
"You revealed yourself to him," Harry realized.
"I made him choose and his answer was very clear. All this time he loved her more than he loved me!"
Hermione said to her, "You're delusional! Did you really expect him to support what you're doing?"
Harry agreed. Between murderous girlfriend and the friend she was trying to frame, Ron did not have much of a choice. Love would have had nothing to do with it. As he thought this he realized he was right beside Ginny.
Hermione noticed.
"It doesn't matter," Didler's tone was dangerously frigid and heartless. "Ron is sweet but I never loved him. It was all so I could get closer to you and spy on you."
Poor Ron; used and cursed when he finally found someone to really care about.
You have three feet of clearance around Ginny. On my signal, take her out of here. And don't splinch yourself.
"And despite your doubts, there will only be two, no more."
What about you?
I'm working on it.
"We've wasted so much time already."
She had uncertainty in her eyes. He hesitated.
It might be the only chance we get!
He did not want to leave her but he did not want to miss another opportunity to at least save Ginny's life.
Ron's room. If you're not there in one minute I'm coming back for you.
Just go!
"Let's finish this."
Didler took a step towards Harry and Ginny when an annoying high pitched vibrating sound emanated from Hermione's cell, drawing Didler's attention, disbelief etched on her face!
Hermione had Ginny's wand in her hand and the encasement she was confined in was rapidly expanding and shrinking, changing hues every second! He saw her nod. With determination to get Ginny out safely, he Disapparated with her just as the purplish bubble broke up into blobs of different colors!
In a split second, Harry staggered into Ron's room with Ginny, startling its occupants. The rookie Auror, Flint, and a few sentries were there. Good. And Ginny was regaining consciousness. A sudden swarm of humanity and voices asking questions closed in on them.
"Stop, please!" he exclaimed as the Healers took a still very weak Ginny away. "Melissa's the Cardinal and Hermione is still down there with her!"
"Down where?" Flint asked.
Harry told him. "Where's Kingsley? We have to hurry!"
Flint was jumpy, "He's putting the team together. They're having a briefing on what we're up against."
Harry was frustrated. This was taking way too much time.
"Where?"
Flint was red in the face, embarrassed, "I don't know where the briefing is. I was looking for it…"
She'll be dead and Melissa will be gone by the time Flint could finish his babbling! He was not waiting any longer.
"Just find him and tell him!" he snapped at them and before anyone else could say anything, he Disapparated back to the interrogation room just in time to break Hermione's fall from a considerable height by conjuring a mattress for her to land on. He helped her up.
"Thanks," she said, seemingly disappointed to see him. She transfigured the feathers inside the cushion into a huge flock of wild geese, which bursted from its seams and blocked Didler's path and sight. "Has it been a minute already?"
"Just about," he answered. From his quick look at her he saw a couple of new bruises and some bleeding from a deep gash on her leg. "Are you okay?"
Hermione nodded, "It's taking a lot longer than I thought it would. I just can't do any direct hexes at her because of the grey force field," then she thought of something, muttered silently and cast a prison like structure onto Didler just as the latter got rid of the geese. Didler walked through it, bending the bars out of shape. Harry arrived at the same conclusion Hermione had; it was not only impermeable, it was indestructible.
"Let's get out of here," he suggested.
"She re-conjured the anti-Disapparition jinx the second you left," Hermione informed him in a hushed voice. "Quite clearly, she isn't as fussed about someone Apparating into here compared to us Disapparating out."
And Didler would certainly keep them occupied so as not to be able escape that way again. Their one way out was through Didler, who just noticed Harry and was taking a breather from throwing curses.
"Harry, you've come back to save her," Didler said to him, mockingly, "How predictable and futile. We were actually waiting for you."
"I did tell her we could have started without you but it seems she can only kill someone if she has an audience," Hermione said to him, trying her best to insult Didler.
What are you talking about?
Just wait. She'll tell you herself.
He didn't like the bittersweet look she was giving him.
"Is it too much to want history written right? It's my last two murders. I can't leave it to the Aurors to piece together what happens here on their own. Harry will be a reliable witness," Didler expounded, then she addressed Harry matter-of-factly, "A slight change in plan. As I said, I never wanted for anyone to know that I did all this. I can't go to Azkaban and I have no desire to hide for the rest of my life. The second murder tonight will be my last one and it will be my own."
"At least that's what she keeps telling me," came a skeptical Hermione side-comment.
He knew what it meant. If he was the witness who was tasked to report on what was about to happen and there were only three of them in the room, it was not hard to guess who the other murder victim was going to be. Hermione was seemingly avoiding his gaze.
In contrast, Didler was chatty, "I had to improvise when you and Ginny left, and it's actually a better plan. Hermione even agrees that it is. Don't you think it fitting if the creator and the executor each died from one of the two remaining Cardinal curses to wrap it all up? A grand finale of sorts; to end it with a bang. "
"No!" Harry said to Didler as he stepped in front of Hermione, providing a physical shield which was more symbolic than functional.
Hermione put a hand on his shoulder as she tried to calm him down, "It's okay, Harry. It is better this way."
"Don't think for a moment that I'm going to sit back, watch you do this and not do anything!"
Didler was enjoying it all and not hiding her pleasure one bit, taking every opportunity to mock Hermione, "Aw, that is so touching. He loves you. I can see why you would prefer him over Ron. And I understand why you could not fall in love with Ritchie. Tell me something. I'm curious. Were you just using Ritchie to fill your sexual needs? Was it Harry's face on him each time he fucked you? And last night, between him and Harry, could you tell the difference who was inside you? Who's better? Or do you need more time with Harry to make a fair assessment?"
Harry could sense Hermione struggling not to dignify that with a caustic retort.
"Fine. I guess you don't feel like having a little girl talk right now. Well, Harry, if you get in the way, I'll just have to restrain you."
There was the familiar familial glint of excitement in Didler's eyes that Harry had seen way too many times.
"You should just stop this!" Harry was infuriated at his helplessness in what was about to transpire.
Hermione said to him, "She can't stop. She has to do the seven and she needs two more. The question is will she follow through and do the last one or will she change her mind again."
This can't be happening! He had to talk to Hermione, to come up with a plan, but she had not broken eye contact with Didler!
"You're just going to have to trust me on that," Didler answered Hermione's challenge.
"Maybe it's just me, but I'm having a really difficult time trusting a murderer."
Harry concentrated hard. Stop talking crazy and look at me!
"Let him leave," Hermione said to Didler as she finally looked at him. I'm not going down without a fight but the odds are kind of stacked up against me. I want to say goodbye, just in case.
I'm not saying goodbye! Just tell me what the plan is!
"You don't need him. Leave a memory of whatever it is that you want remembered. Your version," she said to Didler as she conjured a phial, levitating it gently onto the floor right beside Didler. This is the plan.
"I'm staying!" he said defiantly. They were openly looking at each other, not caring about what Didler would think. What do you mean this is the plan? This can't be the plan!
"Hermione is right, Harry, there is no point, unless you want to watch her die," she taunted.
I would prefer you weren't here to see that happen if it did.
"No one has to die!" he answered back, knowing it was just a pipe-dream trying to convince Didler not to complete the seven. Let's talk about this rationally!
Didler spoke with finality on the matter, "There are seven curses, I need two more."
I started this. I can end this. Let me end this.
Not like this! "You'll get your two, just not today. Give us more time to make it a fair fight! Give me time to learn the curses!" Help me convince her!
She has no time.
Didler laughed, "I'm sorry Harry, it has to be today. As I said, I have no wish to be a fugitive. At least this way I can prove to everyone that I am a better witch than she is."
She was really hung up on others thinking she was not good enough and she had it in her mind that by completing the curses, the people who thought she was lame could eat their words. This was about proving she was better than everybody thought she was.
We can come up with something! You always come up with something!!
"So Harry, are you leaving or staying?" Didler asked him as Hermione seemed bent on doing this on her own.
I'll always love you. If…when I go, I expect you to know better than mope around.
You're not going anywhere!
Last night, this morning was amazing. I've never been happier.
Don't do this by yourself!
I don't have a choice.
Yes, you do! We can do this together!
She'll kill you, too. I'd rather not have that on my conscience.
We've been through this countless times. I am not going to watch you die!
Then leave. If you don't, she will make you.
"I'm staying!"
"Don't you think that is just so sweet?" Didler said to Hermione sarcastically. "You should see what I'm seeing right now. You two, looking at each other like this, I can never imagine anyone looking at me like that. It makes me more envious; good men wanting to be with you, friends who believe in you, a wizarding world awed by your amazing gift. You take it for granted that you have everything."
"It's sad though, actually tragic, that you won't get the chance to grow old with Harry as you hoped. And Harry will have to live with the guilt of not being able to save you. He could have learned the curses by now if not for last night."
Hermione merely shook her head, motioning him not bite the bait and ask the question
But Didler did not need to be asked as she continued, "Surely, had you spent more time learning the curses last night rather than shagging each other senseless to the point of exhaustion, things would be quite different right now."
Don't let her ruin such a beautiful memory, Harry.
It was too late. Didler had a point. If only he had learned the curses.
Hermione continued, I'm sure it would have been wonderful growing old with you.
We're going to grow old together or not grow old at all.
He didn't know how else to tell her this was not debatable.
"Harry, can you make sure that's in your memoirs? Say something about how fate has been cruel to you, finally finding love only to have that quashed by Voldemort's daughter. Historians love that stuff. You can't make that up," Didler suggested and then finally sighed. "Well, folks, all this has been fun but we should really get this over with. Ministry procedure warrants a team briefing and a definite plan of action. So, I'm guessing the Aurors will be coming soon."
Not soon enough. Harry wondered how long Didler could sustain that shield of hers because with it on, they did not stand a chance. He would do anything to get a curse past the grey mist.
Right beside Harry, Hermione was thinking the very same thing. Despite her telling Harry what she needed to just in case things didn't go her way, she was determined to find a way to defeat Didler. She had been scanning through her knowledge of shield charms, the theory of their creation and how to break them down. She had already tried every trick in the book but she suspected that there was a component in Didler's shield that wasn't in any reference. It would not surprise Hermione if Didler conjured it with a Cardinal curse.
Unfortunately, she was not able to leave when Harry and Ginny did, as she did not have enough time to create a second area to Disapparate. She wasn't even certain she could completely break the containment jinx, as it had taken her forever to create a hole into it large enough to get Ginny's wand through. And when she did break it, Didler had realized what had happened and closed off her exit.
What occurred next was really forgettable. Didler basically toyed with her, punishing her physically, so she wouldn't be able to hatch another plan to escape, killing time, while waiting for Harry's return. She had hoped he wouldn't or wouldn't be able to, but she knew that would just be wishful thinking.
In the brief moment that they were on their own, Didler had come up with the idea to kill her instead. Really, Hermione thought better her than someone else. She had every intention to take matters into her own hands, to control destiny, to end this and not leave it up to Didler to keep a likely empty promise to kill herself.
The one positive thing about the cursing she and Ginny had received from Didler that afternoon was that it now gave her an idea of how to get through the grey shield. She would have at least one chance, possibly just one if she could not block the curse intended for her, and maybe a second or two to do something that she was certain had never been done before. Well, given the circumstances, she was sure the Ministry would be lenient if she were to experiment with something new without following usual protocol. She hoped Ginny's wand was up to the challenge.
Didler was now doing a monologue of what she was about to do. Hermione reckoned it would be a good idea to listen. It was odd that all she could think about at this time was why did villains do that? Why did they share their devious plan and spoil the surprise? She guessed she should just be thankful.
"There are two curses left. I get to choose because I have the power around here," Didler was giddy with excitement about this.
"I'll be lust. I do have a few choice dreams about me and Harry that would be perfect for the occasion," Hermione shuddered involuntarily at the thought of Didler with Harry. "Don't be surprised. We do have that in common. I've fancied him since Hogwarts and imagined myself in your place; all those adventures together, falling in love with him, writing those notes to him, wallowing in pain after he left. Had we had more time I probably would have done something to make some of those lustful dreams became reality. But who am I kidding? He probably will suck because he's so in love with you. Love potions are so pedestrian and Imperusing men in bed is just no fun. I'll stick to my dreams."
Her best idea today, so far. Keep your evil hands off him.
"And you'll have to be anger, I'm sure you hate me enough to have a lot of that. It's rather unpleasant. The Muggles I did it on soiled themselves, just to forewarn you."
Hermione pondered the Cardinal curse she was going to be up against. Anger...great! Aside from the perseverance she had with her work, she was the least patient person she had ever known in her life. The only thing she could remember being patient about was waiting for Harry to come back and she knew only too well she didn't even have enough patience for that.
"Well, I'm ready. Are you?"
Didler looked at her expectantly. Did she really want her to answer? She had Ginny's wand in hand and was as ready as she could ever be. She could not get herself to look at Harry.
"No answer? I guess you are. So, Harry," Didler was not quite ready after all, "Do I need to disarm you or can I trust you not to interfere?"
From Harry's last words it was quite clear he would not stand by and just watch.
"I'm fighting with her," Harry declared, raising his wand up beside her.
Of course Hermione could jinx him again to get him out of harm's way but that would not be necessary. She was sure Didler would do the same thing anyway.
"Harry," Didler said in a condescending manner, "I don't want to hurt you, not anymore. I'm asking nicely. Please step out of the way. Let somebody else be hero."
That word. Why did Didler have to say that word?!
Hermione sensed the idea come to Harry the moment Didler mentioned 'hero' even before he put his wand down and turned to talk to her in private.
"Melissa, I have a proposition for you."
I think she'll go for it.
"Don't even think it!" Hermione said out loud.
Why not?
It's not a good plan!
Any plan is better than yours.
You promised! You promised not to get yourself killed!
And I'll do my best not to. I can't feel this way about you and not try to save your life.
"I can't imagine what you could say that would interest me," Didler answered. "I have made up my mind. There will be two more."
"Or maybe more," Harry said to Didler, and had her attention, "I hate to tell you this but your assumption is flawed. People are not going to think you're better than her. If you do it your way, she will still be thought of as the greatest witch of our generation, probably even become more famous dead. And you, you'll just be thought of as Voldemort's daughter who could kill because of an unfair advantage. You'll be a mere footnote in history. Don't you want to prove that you're better than what others think you are? Don't you really want to prove that you're better than her?"
"Stop it, Harry. When she kills me, she is better than me," Hermione knew she was going to regret telling him about this.
"Will you be really?" Harry asked Didler, "How challenging is it to kill someone who can't do the dark magic that you do? Historians will see that; any idiot will. You may kill her but you'll be no better than the bully that Voldemort was."
Didler was listening attentively, looking from Harry to Hermione as she asked, "What are you saying, Harry?"
"You can prove you are better only if she can do the same curses you do."
"You want to die for her so she can be enabled," Didler was not dumb.
"I do," Harry looked at Hermione as she sulked. Those two words certainly would now carry a whole different meaning for her. Hey, brighten up. We get a chance to test your third counter-curse.
Brighten up? Had she not been clear enough? It was not a real theory! There was absolutely no proof it could work! Was this the best he could do to not get himself killed?
"It doesn't work that way," Hermione interrupted. "You don't know for sure that you can enable me!" And you don't know for sure that you can disable her!
At least one of those happening would be enough. Both would be good. "It's worth a try. What does she have to lose?"
"There's nothing to gain by having her take another life!" Do you realize that you have to be dead for either to happen?!
"Guys, stop bickering. At least one of you is about to die…" Didler was laughing in the background and they took the opportunity that she was distracted.
Face it Hermione. Do you trust her to kill herself when she's done with you? What makes you think she's not going to kill me anyway, continue her rampage and become bigger than Voldemort was? It's either disable her or fight her on the same playing field. I can't do the latter, not today. But you created them, and you learn spells quicker than anyone else. You have the best chance to end this, but only if you can fight her fire with fire.
"You really shouldn't be fighting, not when you are on the brink of a tragedy of enormous magnitude…"
She's my problem. It is not fair for you…
Are you saying that it wasn't fair for you to risk your life when her father wanted to kill me? You didn't leave my side to fight him on my own. Don't expect me to abandon you now. We're in this together.
"…you should be crying and kissing, saying goodbye, you know the romantic stuff…"
Harry, this is different!
No, it's not!
She's going to kill you!!
"It's just odd, the both of you, arguing over who gets to die first…"
Not if I can help it. Unless you have a better plan or break her shield, I'm going with this. You know I'm right. And she's right. Let's not argue. If she goes for this, I'm not going away easily. Just tell me how you would do it!
There was no dissuading Harry from going through with this if Didler would allow it. Fine. They were in this together. While the decision was really up to the witch, she had to tell him as briefly as she could how she was planning to defeat Didler, because either way the knowledge would help. Didler's amusement was fading away, fast.
You need to get a spell through her shield.
"So, Harry, do tell me more about how you think this should go down."
Um, we can't. We've tried that. "We all know she doesn't have a chance against you unless you play fair. I'm sure my dying for her will enable her. You need two to complete your seven. I'll be number six and either you or her will be the seventh. And if she becomes the seventh, what you do after is your business. Neither of us would be around to care anymore."
Didler was silently considering his proposal and they had a window of opportunity to talk about what to do.
We haven't tried it at the exact moment we should. Her shield has a theoretical weak point every time she throws a spell.
Harry knew what she meant.
At the point where it exits. But how can I tell when that exact moment is and where exactly that point is on the shield? She's been hexing me and so far I have not seen it come through.
A Cardinal curse packs a lot more energy than other spells. If it's a cardinal, you will see it come through. The green flash of light in your dream is the spell beam and for the cardinals, it's at least ten times as big and lasts at least twice as long compared to ones documented. The size and duration depends on witch skill and wand properties.
Didler was almost done thinking, "I admit, it's a very interesting proposition."
"It's the only way to prove that you are better than her." Hermione, skip the details. Tell me what I need to know.
I've noticed that her Cardinal curse beam is at least a two second stream and roughly an inch in diameter. It will exit the shield close to where her wand tip is. Best to go into the shield at an angle from the side of the beam because splicing through it directly will be difficult, if not impossible.
So tell me if I got it right. We need to get a spell in through the point where her curse exits the shield, an opening roughly the size of a Muggle quarter, within a two second time frame, at the same time displacing her curse and before she hits us with one.
Yes. I guess I should mention that it's close to impossible to do and a mere theory so the assumption about the shield weakness may not be true at all.
Thanks.
Meanwhile, Didler was assessing, yet again, another alternative. Why can't she just make up her mind!
"You can be lust and we can be anger…but the risk…she could survive…"
Then Harry said something that sealed the deal, "Have a little decency and be fair. Even if you can't prove that you are better than her, at least prove to yourself, prove to your Mum, that you are better than the ordinary murderer that your father was."
At the mention of the comparison, Hermione could see Didler's expression cloud with anger and hate. It was a foregone conclusion what Didler was going to do. Right about now, she was feeling the same thing that Harry felt a moment ago. She would not be able to watch and not do anything.
The shield. She had one other idea to break the shield or at least render it neutral. If they couldn't shoot a spell into it without Didler sending a Cardinal curse out, they certainly could conjure one from within it. If she knew what Didler's wand was and could wield it, this could work.
The wand had to be Ollivanders'. She was scanning for all possible combinations of wood and core that Ollivander could have used and for each tried conjuring a spell off the wand in Didler's hand. Tedious but…
Without warning, a sudden burst of energy blew her across the room to a corner and was trapped in the same purplish cell she was earlier! If she ever survived today she would hate that color for the rest of her life!
Ginny's wand had been knocked off her hand by the sheer force of the hex. Just as she got up she saw Harry dodge a Cardinal curse and try what she had told him. However, his timing was off and his curse bounced off the shield, finding the room lights, sending them into total darkness.
Didler must have missed totally as she heard a piece of the ceiling above her crumble. Pressing her face against the walls for a better look, all she could see was an outline of Didler's humming grey field.
Frantic to help, she scanned for Ginny's wand and found it in the area where she and Harry had stood. A summoning charm got it as far as the purplish walls of her cell would allow it and she tried bursting the bubble again. She couldn't, not without the wand in her hand and it would take some time to do that.
Another green flash of light filled the room and briefly illuminated the confined space, revealing the combatants almost within arms reach. Harry's quick reflex made Didler miss again, and his counter missed his minute target too, as she heard both curses impact somewhere else. She didn't expect it to be easy.
"You can't hide forever, Harry," Didler taunted as she lit her wand.
Harry was a few feet in front of Didler, to Hermione's right, wand ready, waiting, concentrating. There was definitely no time to get Ginny's wand in her hand. As she looked over to Didler on her opposite side, she saw on the left arm an unmistakable stain, a skull and a snake, as intense and as alive as she had ever seen one before. It was Voldemort's dark mark, explaining the fate of the piece of flesh carved out from Professor Snape. She could only think that despite the hate, Didler mostly needed her father to accept her as a daughter. Didler desperately wanted her father's love.
The wand! Voldemort's?
Yew and phoenix feather core! Yew and phoenix feather core!
"What!" Didler gasped, surprised.
Hermione felt a rush of triumph as the room fell into darkness again! It was Voldemort's missing wand and she had successfully turned off its light from where she was!
As she was about to stop the grey shield from working, she heard Didler's chilling voice utter a spell she regretted ever creating.
"Utile Luste!"
"Contra Luste!"
Harry countered and from where she was she saw two beams collide and connect at a point exactly midway between them, the green from Didler's and the blue from Harry's, neither moving in either direction, a stalemate, the sheer brightness illuminated every crevice in the room. From the moment the jets connected her subsequent attempts to manipulate Voldemort's wand were unsuccessful.
A thin cloud of haze now surrounded both Didler and Harry. Priori Incantatem. The feather core used in both wands came from the same phoenix. Harry was on his own. All she could do was sit tight in the confines of her purple cell.
And as she waited she felt Harry's emerald eyes on her. He was smiling, comforting as he gave her a reassuring wink. Her thoughts were suddenly filled with memories of their past together; their first meeting on the train, her rescue from the troll, protecting the Philosopher's stone, the first time she hugged him, her petrified image in the Hogwarts hospital wing, saving her and Sirius from the Dementors, her unquestioning support and loyalty during the Triwizard tournament, protecting her from the centaurs in the Forbidden Forest and from the Death Eaters in the battle in the Department of Mysteries, her warnings about the Half Blood Prince, their search for the Horcruxes, Voldemort's defeat, their unexpected tryst at Madame Puddifoot's, their first kiss on graduation day, the first night they spent as a couple, the days that followed as they rekindled their friendship and finding out about her true feelings for him not a few hours ago.
All were memories from Harry's point of view and with each came overwhelming emotions of bliss and contentment, an unbreakable bond they would share forever, his undying love, needing nothing else but her acceptance that he would do anything for her because of it.
It was then that Harry's blue wand beam pierced through and split Didler's green at its center! It crept closer to Didler, penetrating her grey shield exactly where the green jet exited, and at the same time, Didler's now hollow beam enveloped Harry's and moved in the opposite direction towards him! As both beams reached their intended targets at the same time, an explosion coming from their fusion rocked the entire building, knocking all three of them away from the blast!
A few seconds elapsed before the light from Ginny's wand showed that the haze in the room cleared. The confinement jinx had snapped and it appeared that the grey shield had dissolved. The deafening silence that filled the space was broken as Hermione picked herself up, a dread washing over her as she noticed that everything around her was still.
Quickly, she went over to Harry's unmoving crumpled figure and turned him over to face her. His eyes were closed and on his mouth was the reassuring smile he had as he showed her his memories. She could not tell if he was breathing.
"Don't you dare die on me, Harry! Not now! Don't you dare die on me!" she sobbed as she tried to wake him up.
He was not dead! He couldn't be! She had to do something!
Summoning Ginny's wand into her hand and thinking only about her love for him, she conjured the healing spell that she had done for Ron a few times before. An orange beam encased Harry and lifted him up in the air, only this time, it was one of blinding intensity, with a vividness and richness she had not conjured before. The brilliance forced her to shut her eyes and she tried hard to remember him as he remembered her.
The spell waned and set Harry back down on the floor. Hermione could feel he was just as lifeless as he was before. Disappointed and distressed, she tried again but as she did, her subsequent ones fizzled out into a thin spray of orange mist. After numerous failed attempts of which she lost count, she knew it wasn't working. She knew it wasn't going to work. It was a healing spell and no magic could bring one back to life.
"Harry…" she embraced his limp body as she cried, "I'm so sorry…I'm so sorry…"
"Is he really dead?"
Hermione did not notice that Didler got up and was now standing behind her.
"Did I really kill the great Harry Potter?" A derisive laughter came from within Didler and it was not much different from Voldemort's.
Exhausted, she still had to end what she started. She put Harry down gently and decided it appropriate to use his wand to do what she had to do. Didler was still laughing as Hermione stared her down with uncontrollable rage, on the verge of a major outburst.
"Can you believe that? Me, killing Harry Potter! People will talk about that for…"
"Shut up!"
Didler just smirked at her, "You might want to hide a bit of your emotion. That really could kill you."
She didn't care. "Just shut up and fight. By the way, unless you kill me, you won't have seven because I will not be using the anger curse on you."
Almost at the same time, both witches cursed each other. Didler using Hermione's anger; Hermione using Didler's envy.
"Utile Ira!"
"Utile Invidia!"
An eerie stillness followed, neither wands did what they were supposed to do. Not one flicker of green light escaped either.
"Utile Ira!"
Didler said again, and still, nothing happened. A sadness filled Hermione's heart. It could only mean that Harry had proven her impractical third counter curse theory true. Harry's act did not enable her, but it disabled Didler.
Didler had panic, incredulity in her eyes.
"Avada Kedavra!"
"Protego!"
Surprisingly, no killing curse came to shield herself from either. Didler tried other offensive hexes against her but to no avail. Didler could not do magic, at least at that moment.
At any other time Hermione might have felt a sense of victory over this, but without Harry she couldn't care less. It was a hollow conquest; the battle was won but the war was lost.
Feeling numb all over, she summoned Voldemort's wand from a still confused Didler. As her fingers wrapped around the piece of yew, she felt a pulsating heat shoot up her arm, and without thinking, pointed Voldemort's wand at his unwanted daughter's heart.
Seeing this, Didler expressed amusement. She wasn't disturbed.
"It feels different, doesn't it?"
Hermione knew what she meant. The anger that she felt for the witch that was before her was eating her up inside, egging her, begging her for some release.
"It has known evil, it craves evil, it wants you to do something evil…" Didler smirked at her. "It won't stop until you do."
Kill her! Kill her!
Hermione wanted to, but it was wrong to murder.
"Is it telling you to kill me?"
She killed Harry! She deserves death!
Hermione could not agree more. Her hand that was holding Voldemort's wand was shaking.
"Don't fight it. Just do both of us a favour and do as it says."
Avenge his death and make the pain go away.
Hermione could not envision how this feeling would ever go away. She had lived through losing him once before and the finality of never seeing him again this time was unimaginably unbearable.
"I beg you, Hermione. I cannot go to Azkaban. Kill me, please."
Avenge his death and make it better. You won't regret it.
"Avada Ke…"
Her voice trailed off. She wanted to but she couldn't. She just couldn't.
Amid Didler's protesting screams, Hermione made sure Didler was not armed and put her in a body bind jinx just as the now unsealed door to the interrogation room opened. Kingsley, Tonks and other familiar faces went into the room. Everything around her was in slow motion. It was surreal.
One of the first to come in was Ritchie and as she met his gaze he must have seen it in her eyes. He was beside her in an instant and she wept, burying her face in his chest. She couldn't get herself to look at anyone else, or talk to anyone else. She could just stay where she was and slowly die.
Fate could not be more cruel. It was fickle-minded, letting her know affection she had never known before then talking it away twice in her lifetime. With the finality of his death it served her a sentence to live the rest of her life knowing it was her curse that took the life of the man she would always love.
Then she felt Ritchie tense up and they were interrupted by an unexpected voice.
"I know I asked you to do this but I'm not quite dead yet. May I?"
Harry!? Hope that she heard right and dread that she had gone absolutely mad surged through her as she stepped away from Ritchie's embrace and turned towards where his voice came from.
It was Harry! Harry with the raven black untamed hair, the bright green eyes that now bathed her with open warmth and fondness, the same smile on his face that she would always remember him with, looking back at her, and taking her from Ritchie as the latter muttered an affirmation of his request.
Overwhelmed with a joyous emotion, she ran to him, almost toppled him over and gave him one of the tightest embraces she had ever given anyone. Harry returned it in kind.
Satisfied, she pulled away and scolded him, "Don't you ever do that again!"
"What?" he asked poker-faced, as if he didn't know what she was talking about.
She couldn't believe he was teasing her at a time like this.
"Save my life like that!"
He chuckled, "Only if you promise not to get yourself in such trouble ever again."
They were definitely not finished with that conversation.
"But how? Why?"
The questions just came streaming from her brain directly out her mouth. Harry shushed her.
"No. Not now. Just kiss me and make me believe all this is real."
With nary a thought, she obliged, ignoring the whistles and teasing from the now packed interrogation room.
As they paused for some needed air, he said to her with a grin, "I'm surprised. You're breaking your one rule about kissing and it doesn't seem to bother you."
She smiled back, "And why would that be a surprise? I'm with Harry Potter and he never follows rules. I figure I have to live with such reckless abandon forever."
And to prove that she didn't mind, Hermione kissed Harry more provocatively just before they Disapparated to a more private place, to begin doing what he said they would do; spend the rest of their lives together.
XXXXXXXXX
A/N. The previous posted version of the story has an Epilogue solely about Ron and I had feedback about how that seemed unnecessary. At the conclusion of writing this earlier this year I wanted to leave it quite open just in case I had a burning desire to write a sequel. As that seems to have fizzled, I am toying with the idea of writing another Epilogue, one about Harry and Hermione. Let me know if you would like something like that or prefer to just leave this as is.