Hogwarts, A History, Chapter 631: Harry Potter and the Fall of Hogwarts
or "It's All Just A Little Bit of History Repeating"
Teaser: The First and Second Battles of Hogwarts were remarkable for more than the sheer numbers of the crippled and slain. They also marked the Second Rise and Second Fall of Tom Marvolo Riddle, a.k.a. Lord Voldemort, commonly known at that time as "He Who Must Not Be Named." Coincidentally, they also marked the second fall and second rise of Harry Potter, commonly referred to as "The Boy Who Lived" and later as " The Defender of Britain" by Muggles and Magicals alike. - Lily Anne Potter, 15th Revision of the 312th Ed., Hogwarts, A History, (312th Ed. originally edited by H.A. Granger-Potter), ©2035, Lovegood Publishing, LLC.
(XhaLe's Note - now, you have to picture a bit of this in your head. The following is an excerpt from the above mentioned edition of Hogwarts, A History. I picture HAH as more of an encyclopedia than a mere history book. Just as not all entries in an encyclopedia are written by a single person, Hogwarts, A History was written by many people and edited by many more. If you like, picture it in your head as being read aloud, a voiceover in a Ken Burns documentary, with the images on the TV screen of your mind filling in the blanks. I picture the voiceover being done by David McCullough; if you don't recognize the name you probably recognize the voice - he did the voiceovers in "Seabiscuit" and is most well known for his PBS work, including the aforementioned Ken Burn's Civil War. Considering this is a largely biographical article rather than scientific, and is being written for the clearly more left of center and subjective wizarding world, there's a good bit of editorializing being done by the writer - just go with it. A few more notes (and an explanation about the letter) at the end.)
As an aside to the following article, I should mention that I am a Muggle. The first, in fact, to ever have an article published in any addition or revision of Hogwarts, A History. I will not say it is an honor and that is all you need to know.
In the time not so long ago, when the vast majority of people still thought magic was not merely fantastic but fantastical, when history was in the past and not made every day, the Witches and Wizards of the world feared only one thing: evil incarnate. He Who Must Not Be Named, a cold blooded killer, a racist and fascist the likes of which had not been visited on this world since Hitler's pogrom against the Jews.
While he was feared by most if not all of the wizarding world, few stood up against him. Most prominent during Riddle's first war for power was Albus Dumbledore and his Order of the Phoenix. Despite his efforts, Voldemort's power grew beyond any hope of captivity - it is only through what is still one of civilization's greatest mysteries that Lord Voldemort was defeated that first time by the infant Potter, the answer perhaps known only by Dumbledore's shade, Harry Potter himself and his deceased parents.
The world was stunned by Dumbledore's private memoirs, published posthumously - the magical feather at the heart of Voldemort's wand, as well as the core of Harry Potter's own had come come from a single bird - Dumbledore's own pet phoenix. The ancient myth of the reborn phoenix, now known to be true, is an apropos allegory of both the lives of Tom Riddle and that of Harry Potter. A more contemporary and perhaps cliched explanation would be that evil never dies, and you can't keep a good man down.
Harry's own Aunt and Uncle, both Muggles, were brutally disfigured and murdered in front of their only child, just home from University (where he'd graduated Cum Laude, of course) two days prior to the First Battle of Hogwarts. The young gentleman was left alive, but with a message for Harry carved deeply into his chest. The challenge had been given - and two days later, on the evening of May the 15th, Harry Potter passed beyond the Veil, not even leaving a body behind.
The very next day the Secret of Magic was revealed to all mankind as Lord Voldemort began his campaign to exterminate all Muggle-born wizards and their families and to take over England.
It is of trivial importance but a matter of historical record that six months to the day of Harry's passing, the final edition of the London Times was published. For the first time ever a magical photograph was shown in a muggle publication - it was of course a picture of Harry Potter, taken by the late Colin Creevy at Harry's graduation ceremony. Accompanying the picture was the following letter, written to his wife Hermione.
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May the 13th, 2009 Canterbury,
My very dear Hermione:
The indications are very strong that we shall move in a few days -- perhaps tomorrow. Lest I should not be able to write you again, I feel impelled to write lines that may fall under your eye when I shall be no more.
Our movement may be one of a few days duration and full of pleasure -- and it may be one of severe conflict and death to me. If it is necessary that I should fall on the battlefield for my cause, I am ready. I have no misgivings about, or lack of confidence in, the cause in which I am engaged, and my courage does not halt or falter. I know how strongly Civilization now leans upon our triumph, and how great a debt we owe to those who went before us through the blood and suffering of the struggle for peace. And I am willing -- perfectly willing -- to lay down all my joys in this life, to help maintain the balance, and to pay that debt.
But, my dear wife, when I know that with my own joys I lay down nearly all of yours, and replace them in this life with cares and sorrows -- when, after having eaten for long years the bitter fruit of orphanage myself, I must offer it as their only sustenance to my dear little children -- is it weak or dishonorable, while the banner of my purpose floats calmly and proudly in the breeze, that my unbounded love for you, my darling wife and children, should struggle in fierce, though useless, contest with my love of country? I cannot describe to you my feelings on this calm summer night, when two thousand men are sleeping around me, many of them enjoying the last, perhaps, before that of death -- and I, suspicious that Death is creeping behind me with his fatal dart, am communing with Merlin, my parents, Ginny, and thee.
I have sought most closely and diligently, and often in my breast, for a wrong motive in thus hazarding the happiness of those I loved and I could not find one. 'Mione, my love for you is deathless, it seems to bind me to you with mighty cables that nothing but Omnipotence could break; and yet my love of Light comes over me like a strong wind and bears me irresistibly on with all these chains to the battlefield. The memories of the blissful moments I have spent with you come creeping over me, and I feel most gratified to Merlin and to you that I have enjoyed them so long. And hard it is for me to give them up and burn to ashes the hopes of future years, when Merlin willing, we might still have lived and loved together and seen our children grow up with honor around us. I have, I know, but few and small claims upon Divine Providence, but somethingwhispers to me -- perhaps it is the final wafted spell of my Mother's -- that I shall return to my loved ones unharmed. If I do not, my dear Hermione, never forget how much I love you, and when my last breath escapes me on the battlefield, it will whisper your name.
Forgive my many faults, and the many pains I have caused you. How thoughtless and foolish I have oftentimes been! How gladly would I wash out with my tears every little spot upon your happiness, and struggle with all the misfortune of this world, to shield you and my children from harm. But I cannot. I must watch you from the spirit land and hover near you, while you buffet the storms with your precious little freight, and wait with sad patience till we meet to part no more.
But, Oh Hermione! The dead can come back to this earth and flit seen and unseen around those they loved, and I shall always be near you; in the garish day and in the darkest night -- amidst your happiest scenes and gloomiest hours -- always, always; and if there be a soft breeze upon your cheek, it shall be my breath; or the cool air fans your throbbing temple, it shall be my spirit passing by. Hermione, do not mourn me dead; think I am gone and wait for thee, for we shall meet again.
Harry
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Like "We shall overcome" was in the days of the American Civil Rights movement, from the day the letter was published forward, "We shall meet again" became the mantra of the oppressed, muggle and magical alike.
In the darkest days, as the War for England ended and the War for Europe was set to begin, it was love that saved the world. By that time Voldemort declared himself ruler of all the Britains and had disbanded the British government and either killed or imprisoned all remaining members of the royal family as well the members of the House and Parliament. He'd also moved the seat of government from London to Hogsmeade. Slytherin Castle, formerly Hogwarts, had always been a fortress, but its wards against Apparition and being Unplottable made it virtually impossible for Wizards or any foreign muggle governments to attack. Voldemort's head death eaters had been given great power- Lucious Malfoy was declared Prime Minister and Peter Pettigrew, commonly known as Wormtail, had been appointed as the Liege-Lord of London.
And so it was: after five years of death and the revelation of magic and it's harrowing power, England had fallen. The world looked on in horror as something as ludicrous as a little stick and a whispered incantation could levitate a tank, deflect a missile attack and kill with a mere word or two.
Hope slipped away when it was discovered that many of the able bodied Magicians had long ago aparrated to England to fight the Dark Menace and failed, and most of those who hadn't joined the cause had gone underground, leaving the vast masses largely undefended.
Five years after Harry's death the impossible was made possible again. Rumors abound that Harry Potter had been betrayed by a former schoolmate at the First Battle of Hogwarts, but that has never been confirmed. What is certain is that on the night of October 20th, using an unknown spell, suspected to be of Dark origin, Ronald Weasley crossed through the Veil and returned with Harry Potter and Sirius Black. Use of the spell drained most of his body's life energy and Ron Weasley died a few hours later. He is buried near the edge of the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts, and his epitaph, unusual for one of wizarding descent, reads, "I once was lost but now am found. I was blind but now I see."
This author once had the chance to ask Mrs. Granger-Potter her opinion on the matter of the coincidences involved in her husband's repeated death and ressurection. The response: "Hogwash. You know, Hogwarts Two was fought on St. Crispin's Day - the day King Harry, Henry the Fifth, fought and won at The Battle of Agincourt. That's not arithmancy, it's not even bad numerology; that's divination," she said, smiling sadly.
Article © 2027 Dudley Dursley Revision © 2035 Lily Anne Potter
End
(XhaLe's additional notes. My first HP fic. I'm working on a longer, hopefully lighter piece. Dunno when it'll be posted. I don't do WIPs and I write slow. I take no credit for the letter - aside from my changes, it's taken verbatim from a U.S. Civil War letter written by a soldier. Special thanks to Mimic for stepping out of her own fandom to beta, since I couldn't find one here. You'll probably never see this note, but you rock, mims.)