A/N: Just when you thought it was over…Now it begins. I just want to thank all of my faithful reviewers for hanging in there for so long! It was great to be able to reply to each and every one of you! I do appreciate the time you took to leave a review.
These characters are not mine, but we have all adopted them into our hearts.
Chapter 49
The Beginning of the End
"Get movin' yeh good fer nothin'" Hagrid said. "My bed is waitin' an' yer an hour late."
"Most humblest of apologies, sir," the little man simpered. "Perhaps this would make up for your inconvenience?"
He held up a bottle of firewhiskey to the towering giant. Hagrid glanced around quickly before grabbing the bottle and hiding it under his coat.
"Mind yeh don' let it happen again," he grumbled.
The little man bowed.
"How many crates tonight?" Hagrid asked.
"Forty-two," was the reply.
"Forty-two? That seems to be more than th' usual order," Hagrid said as he peered at the crates.
"I am but a simple delivery man," the little man replied. "I know nothing of the ordering of the food for the school. Perhaps a special function?"
"Maybe," Hagrid said as he gave one of the crates a thump with his fist, making it rock back and forth. "McGonagall doesn' confide in me like…" he trailed off, a pained look on his face.
"Never mind. Lets get these crates to th' castle. It's been a long day. Ruddy Blast-End Skewts burned me favrit' coat. Nuttin but a big hole in th' back."
He turned and led the first cart up the hill, missing the smug look that the little man gave him.
****** ****** ****** ******
Snape brushed his coat and straightened his sleeves. He had been mortified when a gleeful Bellatrix had explained how they would get into the castle. At first he had resisted being packaged in with boxes of cereal, but it was better than becoming a tossed salad like the elder Crabbe. Snape could see he was still brushing bits of lettuce from his hair.
The plan had been simple, yet effective. Bellatrix had kept babbling on about some Trojan horse and gifts.
`The time in Azkaban had really taken its toll on her,' Snape thought.
Snape watched as she modified the memories of the last of the house elves that had been unfortunate enough to witness their arrival. She had wanted to kill them outright, "just for fun," but Snape had refused to allow her to do that.
"They would be missed," he had said. "And the Dark Lord doesn't want our presence known just yet. You know how angry he gets when someone fails or disobeys him."
That stopped her.
Since Snape knew the castle so well, he was given the lead. He knew of several places that the students probably didn't know about. He longed to make a detour to his quarters, but refrained from doing so.
`Later' he thought, `when this is all over,'
He had been racking his brain, trying to figure out a way to get some kind of warning to Minerva. Unfortunately, Bellatrix had latched on to him and hadn't let him out of her sight. It had become quite unnerving and irritating.
He led the group; the Dirty Dozen as he thought of them, down towards the lesser used dungeon area. There were several rooms that were away from prying eyes, both alive and dead, where they could wait.
Snape sat in one of the comfortable chairs, intent on getting a few hours of sleep. There was no use getting worn down, and he knew Bellatrix was a very light sleeper. Azkaban did that to you.
****** ****** ****** ******
Harry woke up to another grey morning. He frowned as he looked out the window, sighing. He couldn't wait until spring. He dressed quickly, and went out into the common room to find Hermione. She was sitting at the table, as usual, which was covered in books.
"Good morning," Harry said as he gave her cheek a kiss.
"Good morning," Hermione smiled before burying herself in her books again.
Harry sat down at the table and pulled one of the books towards him.
"Being Familiar With Your Familiar," he read off of the front of the book. "Trouble with Crookshanks?" he asked.
Hermione glared at him for a moment before going back to the book in front of her. Harry just smiled. He really liked Crookshanks, ever since he had ousted Wormtail. Harry looked at a few more books.
"The History of Familiar Relationships, Who Chooses Whom: A Familiar Story, Using and Abusing, How Familiar Are You? Hermione, what are you doing?" Harry asked.
Hermione finished writing her notes before looking up.
"I've been thinking about the last Horcrux. The one I think he tried to make by killing you."
She pulled one of the books towards her and flipped it open to one of her markers. She scanned the page, tracing the words with her finger.
"Many witches and wizards form a bond with their familiar that is difficult to break, and as a result, a familiar will always be found in close contact with its master," she looked up from the page. "What if Nagini was with Voldemort the night he came to your parent's house? If the spell bounced off you and hit him, it's possible that his fractured soul attached itself to Nagini. We know he didn't die that night, since he had already split his soul five times. It would explain how he managed to escape."
"That's what Dumbledore and I talked about," Harry said. "We thought that Nagini is the last Horcrux."
"Was," Hermione said.
"Was what?" Harry said.
"The last Horcrux," Hermione replied.
Harry looked at her, confusion written all over his face.
"Think about it. Whatever piece was left in his body that night was killed by the killing curse. The fractured piece attached itself to Nagini, who fled from the house. She eventually made her way to Albania, where, in time, Quirrel found them and brought them back. When Quirrel died, Voldemort's soul fled back to Nagini, since that was his strongest bond. That's the fragment that Wormtail found and brought back to full strength in the graveyard," she finished.
Harry shuddered as the memory of that night flashed through his mind. It made sense, though.
"So you mean to say," Harry said, "that the ring, the diary, the cup, the tiara, and the locket have all been destroyed, and the soul fragment from Nagini has been…reborn?"
"Exactly," Hermione said. "That makes six pieces, and the piece that was left in Voldemort's body was destroyed, so that makes seven."
"Which means we don't need to…you mean we're finished?"
Harry sat back in shock. They had been doing this for so long, that it felt a bit anticlimactic. He felt a sudden chill go through him as the realization set in. The whole time that he was searching for the Horcruxes, he hadn't given the prophecy a second thought. Now it slammed into him.
`Either must die at the hands of the other, for neither can live while the other survives…'
When he looked up, Hermione was watching him. Her face had an expression of fear.
"I wish you didn't have to," she whispered.
"Me too," Harry said after a moment. "I guess we need to have a meeting with the Order."
Hermione nodded, and Harry could feel the sadness coming off of her in waves.
"Come on," he said as he stood up. "Let's go down for breakfast. Nothing's going to happen today anyways, since I'm going with Neville to hear his Grandmother's will.
Hermione stood up and hugged Harry. "I hate this," she said.
Harry hugged her back and dropped a kiss on the top of her head.
"So do I, but it will be over soon, and then all you'll have to worry about is the N.E.W.T.s," he said.
Hermione snorted. "After dealing with a nasty, old, evil wizard, they'll be a snap."
"That's the spirit," Harry grinned as they headed for the door.
They moved down the stairs, and Harry noticed that the portraits on the wall were unusually quiet. The further down the stairs they went, the more troubled Harry felt. Finally, he stopped just outside the Great Hall and looked around.
"What's the matter?" Hermione asked.
Harry scanned the walls and the stairway.
"I don't know," he said. "It's quiet. It almost feels like…like the castle is holding its breath…waiting for something."
Hermione looked around, and then shivered.
"Maybe it knows something that we don't," she said.
"Maybe…" Harry said as he looked around again.
"Let's go inside. Maybe someone has heard something," Hermione said.
They moved into the Great Hall, and Harry scanned the head table. The professors seemed relaxed enough, so maybe he was imagining things.
As the day wore on though, Harry's unease began to grow. He took to skipping classes and wandering the halls, and at one point he thought about getting his Marauders' Map back from Neville. He finally chided himself for being so paranoid. He told himself that he was just being edgy after the conversation with Hermione this morning, but by the time he was supposed to meet Neville to go to the Ministry, he hadn't shaken the feeling that something was brewing.
Neville arrived at their common room just before two o'clock.
"Ready Harry?" he asked. "Professor Tonks said we could use her floo."
Harry grabbed the little golden snitch he had been playing with, put it back in the little case Dobby had given him, and went over to where Hermione was sitting. She stood up, and Harry hugged her. The nagging feeling was still there, and he was having a hard time ignoring it. He looked down at her, cupping her cheek and caressing it with his thumb.
"If something happens while I'm gone…"
Hermione put her hand on top of Harry's.
"We'll be fine, Harry. I'm more worried about you."
Harry smiled. "I've got Neville. I'll be fine," he said.
He kissed her quickly and moved away, before he changed his mind. As he headed towards the door, he passed Ron and Luna who were on their way in. He put a hand on Ron's shoulder as he went by.
"Keep her safe, will you?" he said quietly.
"All right," Ron said. "But who's going to protect you though, when she finds out you said that."
"Prat," Harry said as he slapped Ron on the back.
Neville and Harry moved quickly up towards Tonks' room. Harry kept looking around as he went.
"Neville, do you have the map with you?" he asked.
"Sorry, Harry, its up in my room. Do you think we should get it?"
Harry considered for a moment, before shaking his head.
"No, I just feel on edge today," he said.
They arrived at Tonks' office, and after knocking, entered upon her greeting.
"Wocher, Harry, Neville. Didn't see you in class today, Harry. Did you get your assignment from Hermione?"
Harry nodded. "Yes ma'am," he said, not explaining his absence.
"Good afternoon, Professor," Neville said.
"As you know from our discussion in the beginning of the school year, we have tightened up the security, including the Floo Network. My contact in the Floo Regulation Panel has arranged for the Floo to be open for the next half hour, and it will be open again between five-thirty and six o'clock. I don't think it should take any longer than that," Tonks explained.
"Thanks, Professor," Neville said before stepping into the fireplace. With a flash, he was gone.
Harry headed for the opening, and gave one last quick look around.
"Something wrong, Harry?" Tonks asked.
Harry shook his head. "I don't know. I just feel something's not right," he said. "Keep an eye out, will you?"
Tonks grinned at him. "It's my job," she said.
****** ****** ****** ******
Ron and Hermione headed down for dinner. Harry had said he would meet them there, so Hermione was surprised he hadn't arrived yet. They found a spot at their table, and began to serve themselves. Hermione kept glancing at the door, frowning. It wasn't like Harry to be this late, and she was beginning to worry. Before they had a chance to touch their food, Ginny came in. She looked around, puzzled, before coming over to sit with Ron and Hermione.
"Where's Harry?" she asked as she reached for the pumpkin juice.
"He's at the Ministry with Neville," Hermione said. "Why?"
Ginny dropped her glass and stood up, and Hermione could see the fear in her eyes. It made her heart skip a beat and she was now feeling more frantic.
"Something's wrong…"
"No!" Ginny cried. "I didn't tell him! We have to find him!"
"What?" Ron asked, dropping his fork before his first bite at the sound of his sister's fear.
"I was so angry at him," Ginny said, looking around frantically. "This is my fault."
"Ginny, what have you done?" Hermione asked, standing up. Her fear was squeezing her heart, making her chest hurt.
Suddenly there was a loud crash and Hermione whirled to look at the head table. Several of the teachers had collapsed. She saw Hagrid stagger to his feet and stumble backwards before sitting heavily on the floor. Hermione gaped at them in shock.
"There's going to be an attack on the Ministry," she heard Ginny sob, and turned to face her.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm so sorry. I should have said something sooner…"
I think we have our own problems," Ron said as he stood up.
Hermione looked around as she saw students collapsing all over the Great Hall, and her heart lurched again. Harry had been right…
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