Harry Potter and The Fight of Logic vs. Love

Chapter 14

Enjoy!

Explanations and Readings: Chapter 14 

Molly and Arthur came running into the tent as Hermione fell when the shield charm disappeared. They stopped as they looked at the weeping girl on the floor, looking at her friend. Molly started crying and Arthur moved towards Harry's still body. He checked for a pulse and found none. He looked at his wife and shook his head, causing her to sob even harder. He watched as she walked to Hermione and grabbed her in a hug. "What... what happened... Arthur?" she said through her sobs.

"Exactly what we were most afraid of. The shift in his magical abilities was too much for his body to handle. I'm surprised he didn't take half the house with him." He looked at Hermione as she started to respond to his statement.

"The only reason he didn't was because he created a shield charm to protect..." but she couldn't finish what she was trying to say. He was trying to protect me, even until his last breath. How could he do that to me? 'Because you meant the world to him. He cared about you so much that even when his body was shutting down, he did his best to make sure you would be fine.' The voice was talking to her again. This caused her to cry even louder. He couldn't be dead, he just couldn't. All she needed to do was to get to him, to wake him up. She tried to leave Molly's hug to get to him, but Molly wouldn't let her go.

"No Hermione dear, you can't do that. You can't help him. If you were a healer then maybe you would have had a chance just after he passed, but it's too late for him." She was crying almost as much as Hermione was.

Hermione watched as Mr Weasley moved Harry's arms from their splayed out position, one reaching towards the door and the other towards her. He can't be dead. He just can't be. I just need to wake him up. He was protecting me until the end, how could he do that to me? I will never forgive him for this. She looked away as Mr Weasley closed Harry's blank eyes. She wouldn't accept it, she couldn't accept it. Accepting that Harry was dead would kill her inside. She couldn't live without Harry there to comfort her, and she could accept that now. What would I do without him? If he wasn't around how many times would I be dead? How many problems would I have? How would I be able to sleep at night? The voice in her head remained silent. She made up her mind that she needed to make sure Harry was dead for herself. Hermione finally managed to slip Mrs Weasley off of her and crawled to Harry's side. She grabbed his hand before Mr Weasley could stop her. As soon as she felt the cold skin on the back of his hand, she knew he was gone.



Harry was falling through darkness into a fog. As he landed, he felt nothing. Standing around, he could still hear the sobs from his friend. Looking up, he could see nothing but black, and looking around he couldn't see two feet ahead of him into the fog. He was left to his thoughts, and he knew he was dead. Looking around, he started getting frustrated. Is this heaven or hell? I thought that heaven would be brighter but hell should be hotter. Am I just stuck in between? Am I here to wait to see where I go? Has God not made his decision on me? He started walking around, his frustration growing with each passing second. "WHY THE HELL AM I HERE? HAVEN'T YOU GOT ANYTHING BETTER TO DO THAN MAKE ME WAIT? CAN'T YOU MAKE UP YOUR MIND AND GET IT OVER WITH?" he yelled to the darkness. He got even more frustrated when no answer returned to him except the sobs that were there from the beginning. He felt like he was in the fog forever, and it started driving him insane. Just when he thought he couldn't take it anymore, he felt a tingling on the back of his hand. When he looked down, part of it was shining in the darkness. Then, excruciating pain started from the glowing spot. His hand felt like it was on fire, and the pain was spreading. He grabbed his wrist, hoping to stop the pain somehow, but as the pain spread into his wrist, the light grew with it. As the light touched his other hand, it started to hurt as well. He was starting to panic and the pain was becoming unbearable. Next thing he knew, the fog was lifting and the darkness was starting to brighten up.



Harry opened his eyes, noticing a bushy haired woman on the ground next to him crying uncontrollably. He looked behind her and saw his "adopted parents" holding each other with their eyes closed. His mind was starting to clear and things were coming into focus. He started to remember what had happened that caused him to be lying on the ground.

Hermione was a mess. She couldn't stop crying. Her entire world was gone, Harry was really dead. He wasn't coming back. The world would fall to Voldemort, but she didn't care. All she cared about was that her best friend was dead. She was so lost in her crying and her thoughts that she didn't notice a soft glow emanate from the spot where her hand was touching Harry's and spread across his body. She didn't even notice the warmth spread into his skin. What she did notice was that familiar voice call out, but she didn't believe it until the pair behind her gasped.

"What's everyone so sad about? Did someone die or something?" croaked Harry. He watched as the Weasleys looked at him with shocked expressions. Arthur had his mouth agape and was slightly shaking his head in disbelief. Molly was just staring, and gasped. Only after this gasp came out did the brunette next to him look up. When he saw the chocolate brown eyes look up at him with tears streaming he smiled. Hermione was shaking her head, not allowing herself to believe it. "Is anyone going to tell me what has got everyone so upset?" he asked again, knowing full well the answer. He had died.

"How?" was all that Molly could manage. Hermione remained silent and shocked. Arthur looked puzzled.

"How what?" Harry asked.

"How are you alive?" Arthur asked, knowing Molly wouldn't be able to answer. "You were dead Harry. Completely dead for more than 5 minutes. How are you alive?" It was unbelievable.

"I don't know to tell you the truth. I just remember passing out and then waking up." He tried to sit up, feeling the aching in his body. Hermione had still not let go of his hand or said a word. "I mean it was weird though. One moment I'm here thrashing about; the next moment I'm floating through darkness and fog. Next thing I know, I feel something warm on my hand and it starts to glow, then it feels like it was set on fire. After that, I wake up here again." He looked at the spot on his hand where the glowing began, noticing that it was exactly where Hermione was holding it. He stared for a second, then looked into her eyes.

"Interesting Harry. You said it was the hand that she is holding onto that started to glow?" Arthur questioned him. Harry nodded. As he nodded, many things happened. Hermione jumped up and grabbed him in a hug, and Molly burst into tears and wailed a 'thank Merlin' while grabbing Arthur in a hug of her own. Then, something else happened. Hermione backed away from a smiling Harry, and slapped him across the face with all the force she could muster. Harry didn't know what had happened, but looked back to see the pain in her eyes. He normally would have been mad if anyone had slapped him in the face, but he couldn't find himself mad at her. She let go of his hand and raced out the tent flap, running into the night. Harry looked at the Weasleys for their permission to follow and they understood. Arthur nodded, and Harry took off. He didn't feel the pain in his body anymore; he only felt the need to get to Hermione.

As he ran out of the tent, he looked around at the grounds. Where would she go? he thought to himself. His first instincts would be to the library, but he knew the Weasleys didn't have one. He then thought of Ginny's room, but knew that the pair weren't back on speaking terms yet. He couldn't think of anywhere else to go, so he let his feet do the walking. He started running, not really knowing where he was going. He was putting his faith into his heart to lead him to her. As he ran, he couldn't help but see that he was running to the field where he had stopped Dolohov. Please, let her be there. As he got closer, he stopped. It was pitch black out since the clouds were covering the moon. He could hear sniffles coming from somewhere in the darkness ahead of him, but couldn't find the source. "Hermione?" he called out with no response. Just as he was about to call again, the clouds shifted and the moon came out. In the light, he saw a woman sitting on the ground. Recognizing the hair, he walked over to her and saw exactly where she was sitting. He could see the small crater from the spell that had almost killed her not two feet from where she sat now. He walked up behind her, and sat down with his back leaning on hers. She relaxed and leaned against him, each using the other for support. As if the clouds had only moved for him to find her, the moon was covered again and the pair fell into complete darkness. They sat in silence for a few moments, neither one knowing what to say. Finally, Hermione broke the silence.

"How could you do that to me again?" Harry could hear the hurt in her voice. "I thought I had lost you. You promised you were never going to leave me." He heard her start to sniffle and knew she was holding back tears.

"I didn't mean to Hermione. I would never leave you of my own free will. I mean, I never want to hurt you. I didn't get a chance to tell you what I was thinking about in that abyss. The only thing I kept asking for was to be sent back here, to see you... guys again. I knew that I had made a promise never to leave you, and I didn't want to break it." He felt her shift slightly, and was relieved when her head rested on his shoulder.

"I was scared Harry. Not for myself, but for everyone. If you died, everyone would be in for a lot of trouble. Without you, Voldemort will win. Without you, I don't see a reason to keep fighting, I don't see a reason to live. When I saw you dead on the floor, my chest started hurting. I knew that I didn't want to go on without you. If you are gone there is only going to be pain and suffering. You are the only person who can put an end to it." She was starting to cry again, even against her mind's wishes. She wanted to stay strong in front of Harry; she didn't want him to see her crying again.

"I know that Hermione. The thing is, you can't die either. Without you, it's pointless for me to go on. Where would I be without you to guide me? How far would I have gotten in the past if you weren't there by my side, helping me every step of the way? You are just as important to beating Voldemort as I am. I guess it wouldn't hurt to have Ron there too." He smiled, hearing her give a small laugh. "I'm serious though Hermione. I need you and Ron to get through this. Without you, I won't win. My Aunt helped me to realize that the night I was ready to run. I was standing on the doorstep and everything. She told me that if I left I would hurt you, and she showed me that without you I wouldn't win." He could hear her sniffle as the tears she held back started to fall. He couldn't take it anymore, and started to move. He turned around and looked at the back of her head. "I'm sorry Mione." He watched as her shoulders shook and he knew that she was crying. He started to put his hand on her shoulder and hesitated. Should I just let her be? She doesn't like people to see her in this state. His question was answered for him as she turned to look at him. Even in the darkness, he could see the faint shadow of his friend and a few details. He could see the tears streaming down her face, and couldn't help but feel horrible. She stared straight into his eyes, and he could see the pain that she was feeling. He started to move closer to her, embracing her in a hug. She tried to struggle to get away for a few seconds, but gave in to her desires and hugged him back. She never wanted to let him go. They sat in silence again, just holding each other in the darkness. She finally spoke again, breaking the silence.

"I almost did the same to you Harry. The mark that would have been my life isn't too far from where we're sitting." She pulled away from him, turning to the small crater Harry knew was there, even in the darkness. "What would have happened if you hadn't saved me Harry? What would have happened if you weren't there?"

The clouds had parted again, and the silvery light illuminated her face. He could see the tears streaming down her face clearly now. The streams seemed to be shining on her already silvery looking face. He couldn't believe how upset she was, but he knew that it was because he had died. He couldn't help but let a tear go. He knew that he would be in the same state if she was the one who had died. Thinking about it, he actually thought he would be acting worse. "I don't know to tell you the truth. I don't think that I would be handling it as good as you. I would probably have killed every Death Eater I could get my hands on." She gave a shocked look as he said that.

"No you wouldn't Harry. You aren't a cold blooded murderer. I know that you would never-" Harry stopped her with a sad look on his face.

"You really don't know me that well do you?" he asked. "You didn't see me that night when I was looking for you. I mean you guys. Ginny was being attacked by some large Death Eater; he must have been a half giant or something because spells were glancing off him. He laughed when I tried to stop him and next thing I knew, he was bringing his wand over his head and purple flames were coming out the end. I don't know what happened next, but I remember seeing a reductor being shot towards him and catching him in the chest. I can hear the sickening sound of crunching bones even now." Harry's eyes had lost more and more of their glow as he continued talking about it. Hermione continued to stare, not knowing what to say. "When I saw him fly and land a ways off, I knew he was dead. I... I had... killed him." Harry practically choked out the last sentence.

"Harry. You don't really know for sure that you caused it."

"It came from my hand Mione. I know that it was me."

"Well you were only protecting your own. You had to save Ginny. If it was any other person, I doubt that you would've reacted the same way. When people you care about are in danger, the first instinct is to react and then sort out the consequences. Don't worry Harry." Her tears had long since dried as she looked into his dark eyes. She could see a change in them; they weren't the innocent eyes she remembered seeing for the first time nearly 6 years ago on a train headed for Hogwarts. She remembered that day like it had just happened.



Hermione had just run into a worried boy. He had asked her if she had seen a toad, and when she replied she hadn't, he asked her to help him find it. He said the toad was always getting away from him, and he needed to find it. He took off in a hurry, thanking her for agreeing to help. She sighed, not really having agreed but decided she might as well. She turned, knocking on a few compartments and asking the occupants about the toad. She was shooed out of a few of the compartment by older students who laughed at her for asking about a toad. One boy even said that 'If I had a toad, I would be glad to be rid of it, then I might be able to get a better pet." She was about to give up when she noticed a couple boys that looked to be first years like her. She mustered up the last of her courage and poked her head into the compartment. She looked at the red headed boy, taking in his appearance. She noticed that he seemed to be a person with hand me downs. He was tall, even though he was sitting and he seemed to be a little unsure of himself. Looking at the other occupant, she noticed that he seemed to be a little malnourished. He was extremely skinny, wearing clothes that seemed to be much too large for him. He could possibly have been wearing hand me downs as well. She looked at his face, noticing something hiding under his messy raven black hair. She looked at the glasses he wore, taking in that they weren't stylish, but they suited him. She even saw that they were being held together with tape. She piped up as they turned to look at her. "Have either of you seen a toad? A boy named Neville has lost one." She looked at the redhead when they both replied no, and saw he was holding his wand and pointing it his rat. "You're doing magic? Let's see then." She watched as he tried a spell, and nothing happened. She decided to try and make a good impression. "That isn't a real spell is it?" she asked as she sat down across from them to awkward stares. "I've only tried a few simple spells, but they've all worked for me. For example, Oculus Reparo" she said as she pointed her wand at the raven haired boy. He looked terrified, and then relieved as his glasses were repaired. She smiled at him as his face shifted to a grin. Only then did her eyes shift above his glasses and see the scar on his forehead. She was shocked. "Holy Cricket. You're Harry Potter! I'm Hermione Granger, and you are?" she asked, turning to look at the last person in the compartment. She had noticed Harry's face turn a slight crimson at the mention of his name.

"I'm Ron Weasley" he said through a mouthful of chocolate. She was slightly appalled by his lack of manners.

"Pleasure" she said sourly. She turned back to look at Harry, "you two better get changed into your robes. I expect we'll be arriving soon." She got up and started to leave the compartment, noticing dirt on Ronald's nose as she did. "You've got dirt on your nose by the way. Just there." She pointed at it and left the compartment. As she turned down the hall, she couldn't help but look back into the compartment. She smiled as she continued her search for the toad. Thinking back, he was still the same boy he was when she saw him that day, just slightly more mature.

Hermione was brought back from her thoughts by Harry's voice. "I don't know Hermione. I think I've changed from when we first met." He was staring into her eyes, and she had the feeling that he was reading her mind. "I mean, I know that I wouldn't kill unless necessary, but I would kill. I'm not as innocent as I used to be. I know that if it came down to it, if you were in trouble, I would kill if it meant saving you." As Hermione looked into his eyes, she knew he was telling the truth. His eyes couldn't lie to her.

"Harry, I know that. That doesn't make you a bad person. It makes you a person who would do anything to keep their friends safe." She stared at him, and noticed that his eyes started to brighten slightly. They were becoming the eyes that she loved to look at again. "It's the same idea as you wanting to run for it. Your reasoning was that if you had nothing to do with us, then we would be safe. I know you better than you think Harry." She saw a tear escape his brightening eyes.

"So you aren't afraid of me then? You aren't afraid of what I will become, what I've already become?"

She could see the need for an answer in his eyes. "I've never been scared of you Harry and I never will be. As long as I live, I know that you will always be the same kid that I met on the train six years ago. The one that was terrified when I stuck my wand in his face." She smiled as he visibly relaxed and his eyes returned to their normal brightness.

He returned her smile, noticing yet again that they were still in each other's embrace and that the distance between them was almost non-existent. Just do it and get it over with. You know you want it, and you know that she would have no objections. Just kiss her already. He started to move in closer, closing his eyes.

Hermione panicked. Is it really going to happen this time? Wait, I can't do this. No, not now, he will think that it's because he just came back to life that I'm doing this. He won't forgive himself for taking advantage in my state. She quickly backed away from him, breaking the embrace and making him open his eyes. "Maybe we should get back to the tent Harry. I'm sure Molly and Arthur will want to check you out. It really is a miracle that you are alive." It was in this moment that she saw his sadness and a slight hint of anger. He didn't look mad at her, just mad in general. She could only imagine the thoughts going on in his head. She realized that as soon as the anger popped up, she felt a hint of power coming off of him. Has his magic increased that much? I've heard of magic maturing and revealing itself even more when a person turns 17, but this is an incredible jump. He's easily 10 times stronger than he used to be. The only time I felt any power like he's giving off right now is when he was fighting with Dolohov. He needed to be extremely angered to register even this amount. She got up and he followed her silently back to the tent.

As he walked back, Harry was chastising himself over and over. You are such an idiot. Shows how much you know about girls. You thought that she was going to fall all over you just because you are THE Harry Potter? Seems she may not fancy you as much as you think. How could you be stupid enough to try and kiss her now? She obviously just wants to be friends. You may have just jeopardised that friendship beyond repairs. As he entered the tent, he found Molly and Arthur sitting on his bed talking in hushed tones. They turned to look at him and Hermione as the pair entered. Molly got up and gave Harry a huge hug. "Don't you ever scare us like that again Harry. If you try, even you won't scare me enough not to yell at you." She smiled, a smile of relief. Harry stared at her, not really taking anything in.

"What happened to me?" Harry asked. He needed to know the answer. "I was dead. I didn't think that it was possible to come back? And what exactly killed me? I just remember the incredible pain and feeling like my body was trying to release something. It was like a million knives were trying to burst out of my skin. I had to push Hermione back and create a barrier, and I think I did it just in time. The knives felt like they were flying everywhere. Can see that she isn't hurt, so I must have done something right didn't I?" Arthur decided to try and explain.

"I am not Dumbledore Harry, but I will try and hazard a guess at what happened. From what you and Hermione have said, it seems like that problem I was talking to you about earlier was a little more serious than I thought. The power that matured in your body was too much for it to handle. It needed to be released and that was the pain you were feeling. It was trying to escape. It's a good thing you created the barrier. I felt the surge when it happened, and that was an incredible amount of power. If you hadn't made the shield, we would probably all be dead. The power trying to escape was enough that it probably would have blown half the house away. You would have killed yourself along with Hermione and Charlie. I think Ginny, Ron, and the twins might have been alright. I'm not sure how the kitchen would have fared, but if it had gone Molly and I would have been dead too. I would like to thank you for that Harry." Harry understood that he had saved them, but he really hadn't meant for the Burrow. He was more concerned with Hermione's safety. Mr Weasley continued. "As for the death, the body was just too far burnt out. You were killed by your own magic. I don't have any specific reason for your abrupt rebirth. I don't think that there are too many of those in recorded history, but I will see what I can dig up at the Ministry. You haven't performed any powerful binding spells that would bind you to this world have you?"

"What kind of spells do you mean Mr Weasley?" Harry asked.

"Well I would have to say something that would make your soul live on even if the body died. A spell that would tie your soul into something here." Before Harry had a chance to think his answer through, he blurted it out.

"You mean like a Horcrux Spell?" he started getting angry. How could they think he would perform a dark magic spell like that?

"Well sort of. It seems like a different spell though. If you had created one, I doubt that it would be that easy to bring you back. From the rumours I've heard, Voldemort tried that and look what happened to him. He was wandering as a spirit for nearly 11 years. This seems to have been a more transitional spell. It's like you were bound to something in this place, that you weren't allowed to leave it." Hermione's eyes lit up at this realization. No. It couldn't be, could it? There's no way we? No. That is just silly. Her heart dropped when he said his next lines. "I mean, if the spell was performed, even a promise could bind you to something. It's like an unbreakable vow, only in much stronger. With the unbreakable vow, the person dies if they fail. The people who make the promise in the spondeo charm are more bound together than bound to the act. They don't need the spell to kill them if they don't fulfill the promise because it knows that they will not give up unless the promise is fulfilled. I've never heard of it being strong enough to reach into the afterlife and bring someone back. It usually breaks the spell when one of the involved passes away."

"Well I can't think of anything like that. I haven't performed any spells since the attack, bar my spell frenzy a little while ago." Harry stopped as he looked at Mr Weasley. Arthur had stopped talking at the sight of Hermione. She was chewing her bottom lip, looking extremely nervous and pale. Harry turned his attention to who Mr Weasley was staring at. He saw Hermione's state, knowing that she was hiding something. "Hermione?" he asked, watching her jump at the sound of her name.

"Hermione, what do you know about this?" Arthur asked. She grew even more pale.

"Well I don't really know for sure. I mean I can guess, but that wouldn't be a good idea."

"Guess anyway" Arthur said in a stern voice.

"Ok, Harry, do you remember that night in your kitchen?" she asked, looking at him. He nodded. She was becoming quieter each time she spoke. "Well do you remember what we had said that night?" She remembered everything, including the smells. He did too, since he nodded his agreement again. "Well do you remember how high our emotions were and how stressed we both were?" Again, only a nod. "Well you know how magic can be activated in times of heightened stress or emotions right? We may have inadvertently triggered the spell." He looked stunned. Arthur spoke first.

"What are you talking about? Did you two promise anything to each other?" The teens looked at him and nodded. He was sure that there was no way they could have performed such an advanced spell at their age. He tried to disprove it. "Well there is no way that you triggered the spondeo charm. If nothing else, you two would need a witness, much like the unbreakable vow." Harry spoke up.

"Would a muggle count as a witness to the charm?" he asked.

"Well I guess it is possible, though highly unusual. They would need to know that each person meant what they were promising. That is one of the main reasons that the charm doesn't work; no one can be 100% sure that the people mean their promises" Arthur started to explain.

"Well my Aunt was there when we made the promises. It's possible she knew how we felt when we were making the promises." Harry responded.

"Well, it would take an incredible amount of commitment." Arthur tried again.

"There was plenty of that Mr Weasley." Hermione blushed when Harry said it. She couldn't help it.

"There also needs to be a great amount of power to create this spell. That is my strongest reason why you two wouldn't be able to create it. I mean there are very few wizards in this world that could create a spell that powerful, and even then it would leave them temporarily robbed of any powers. They would be extremely drained. I know that Dumbledore could have created it, and possibly Voldemort if his soul wasn't so dark. He wouldn't be able to create one, because one needs to be passionate and care about the promise they make. His soul is so dark that he would never be able to make one properly."

"That could be the reason we both slept so well that night. We were both out for quite a while" Harry replied. Mr Weasley couldn't find anything else to disprove his theory.

"Well then I guess it is possible. If you were both passionate about the promise and if the witness knew that, even a muggle could make it work. I will let both of you get some sleep now, but we will need to discuss this further tomorrow. I need to know exactly what the promises made were. I am going to do some more research into this to see exactly what kind of effects this spell will have. Goodnight." He stood up from his seat, and steered Molly out of the tent, leaving two confused teens in his wake. Harry immediately turned to Hermione.

"So explain it to me now. I know that you probably know more about this than he does." Harry didn't try and make his way around it. He needed to know. He watched her squirm under his gaze.

"I really don't know what else to say Harry. I mean I told Mr Weasley all I really knew about it." She was nervous. She had read other things as well, things she didn't want to admit.

"Mione. Remember what has changed with my senses." Harry said, giving her a stern look. She had forgotten that he could sense lies.

"Uh. Well, there may have been one or two more things that Mr Weasley may not have known about. I remember reading about the spondeo charm last year. They were talking about binding spells in Flitwick's class. He had said the spell needed to be formed in a moment of passion, not really commitment. It's a rough translation from the original spell in Latin." She paused, trying to think of how to word what she had to say. "There needs to be a bond between the pair to begin with as well. The spell needs some sort of connection between the pair for it to build on." She paused again, squirming under his gaze and avoiding his eyes. "It needs to be a strong connection. The connection can't be one of just friends." Harry's eyes widened. "I mean, since we are best friends then that could be enough of a base for the spell to build on." She hoped that Harry couldn't tell that she wasn't completely sure of that.

Harry listened to her explanation, not being able to find a lie in the rest of her speech. The last part she said made his stomach move slightly. It wasn't big enough to constitute a lie, but he assumed that she wasn't sure if it was the exact truth or not. A bond stronger than friendship? he thought. What is that supposed to mean? He looked at Hermione, noticing her start to blush. "So how long is this promise thing supposed to last?" he asked her.

"Well from what I read, it really wasn't specific. It just said that it would end either when one person died or the promise was fulfilled. So my guess would be that the death would nullify our bond. It would cut the spell off." She looked at him, still not completely sure about the spell. "We shouldn't worry about this tonight Harry. Let Mr Weasley do his research and see what comes of it. Let's just get some sleep ok?" she asked.

"Alright Mione. If that makes you feel better let's just get some sleep." He crossed the room as she got into her bed. He crawled in behind her, and noticed that he forgot to put his glasses away. Where is my wand? he thought. He groped around the bed for a minute before finding it. I thought I left it on the nightstand? He let the thought out of his mind as he levitated his glasses across the room. For some reason, he thought his vision had improved slightly; nothing was quite as blurry as usual. He shrugged it off as a mind trick, and turned back over to fall asleep with Hermione in his arms.

When Harry woke up the next morning, his body felt heavy. He figured that it just needed some time to recuperate. After all, he thought, coming back from the dead isn't an easy task. It should take a bit of a toll on the body. He opened his eyes and smiled at the sight that awaited him. Hermione, it seemed, was already awake and watching him sleep. "Morning" he said groggily.

"Good morning Harry. How are you feeling?" She had a look of concern in her eyes as she asked him. He smiled.

"I feel like I just died and came back to life." He chuckled as she smiled and smacked him playfully. "Really, my body is just a little tired. I think it just needs some time to get back to normal. What about you?" he asked.

"What do you mean how do I feel?" she looked at him with a questioning glare.

"Well you seemed pretty shook up last night. Are you better this morning?" he looked at her with the same caring stare that she gave him.

"I guess that happens when your friend dies in front of you. I am feeling a lot better knowing that it wasn't just a dream that you're alive again." She smiled at him. "If you are so tired, why don't you get some more sleep? I don't mind laying here a while longer."

"As much as I would love to stay here for another couple hours with you, I think we should probably get up. The more I move around, the better I will feel."

"Fine, I guess we could get up. Besides, I'm sure there are a bunch of people waiting to wish you a happy birthday. Not to mention the reading of the-" she stopped herself mid sentence as his smile fell from his face. "I'm sorry Harry. I know this isn't going to be the best birthday, but I hope that we can make the most of it." He looked back into her eyes and smiled again.

"As long as you're here to spend it with me, I can see it being a great birthday." She saw the brightness in his eyes and smiled back at him. "Now come on Mione. Let's go and see everybody." He got up out of bed. He changed into some other clothes, not caring if she was looking or not. When he turned back, he could see her finishing changing herself. He cracked a sly smiled as she turned around, a bit of a flush creeping up her cheeks. She was ogling. She walked towards him.

"I um forgot to say thanks for last night Harry." He looked at her with confusion spread across his face. "You know, for saving me. I mean for not letting me get hurt last night. Even in your state, you still thought of me and made sure that I was safe. I just needed to say thanks." She blushed even more as she said this, avoiding his eyes the entire time.

"Mione, you really don't need to thank me." Before he could say anything more, she moved closer and kissed him on the cheek before giving him a hug. This stopped all thoughts in his mind, and he drew a blank. He regained his senses after a few seconds, and decided that he wouldn't let himself be over shone. He looked down, moving Hermione away from his body slightly. She looked up and he smiled. "Well I guess I need to thank you as well Mione." She started to shake her head in protest. "No Mione. You saved my life. Without you, I would have died last night. What would I do without you? I told you before you are more important than anything." He watched her blush even more. "So thank you Mione." He leaned in, moving towards her lips but caught himself at the last moment. He moved his head to the side of hers and kissed her on the cheek. As he backed up, he could see her get visibly flustered much the way that he was a few moments ago. He smiled as she looked anywhere but his face. "Now that we have those awkward moments out of the way, let's go Mione." He let her out of the hug and grabbed her hand, dragging her along as he left the tent. She reluctantly shook his hand off at the last second, just as he opened the door to the kitchen.

Harry opened the door to a kitchen full of redheads. "Happy Birthday Harry!" they all cried out. He was greeted with a bunch of hugs. Looking around, he knew that this was where he belonged. He smiled at everyone, thanking them all. There were three Weasleys missing from the gathering. He looked around, knowing that Bill was still on his honeymoon, and that Percy was probably somewhere with the Minister. The one he didn't know was Mr Weasley. He walked to Mrs Weasley and asked her about it quietly.

"He's out checking on that little incident we discussed last night." She didn't say any more about that topic and got him to sit at the table. She followed, levitating a giant cake in front of her and setting it on the table in front of him. "Make a wish dear." She smiled at him and he looked around the table at the expectant faces. He last rested on Hermione's face.

I wish that she was happy. That she is going to survive this. He smiled and looked back at the cake. Everyone clapped and Mrs Weasley gave everyone a piece. "This will be the only time that you are all allowed to eat cake before noon." She smiled at everyone and left them to their cake. The family chatted while they ate their cake, and Harry took off to take a shower. As he came back down, he heard Mr and Mrs Weasley talking.

"There was no real information on the spell. Nothing that we didn't already know anyway. Anything more important seems to be locked up in the Department of Mysteries. There is no way I am going to be able to get any more information without involving our Ministry contacts. Do you think that we should try and get Henry involved? I think we can trust him, what about you?" He noticed Harry come down the stairs but made no attempts to hide his conversation. "One way or another we will need to find out more about the spondeo charm. We need to find out any other side effects that may occur with a soul bond."

"Mr Weasley, how are we sure that the spell was actually done, apart from my revival of course. Wouldn't that have registered as underage magic with the Ministry or something?" Harry asked, still not completely sure of the spell.

"Well it may have. Since the charm requires three people, it is a difficult thing to track. Depending on who initiated the spell, they may not have registered it as underage magic. If you had triggered the charm then they would have registered it. If Hermione triggered it, they wouldn't have registered the magic since there is no tracer on her. Without the tracer, they wouldn't have any idea that the magic performed was from an underage person. The tracer is able to be fooled though. If there were enough people around doing magic, such as at the Burrow, then it wouldn't detect that the magic was from the child, but magic in general. It can sense the people around it and tell that there is magic being produced. It just can't tell who is producing it. But really, that is enough talk about that. We need to get ready to go to the reading. Are you ready to go?" Harry nodded. "Well let's be off then. The portkey is waiting. We will need to go to the Ministry to get your apparition licence as well. That will be for another day though." Arthur led the way to the kitchen where a chip bag was sitting on the middle of the table. He approached the bag, but Harry stopped.

"I thought Ron and Hermione were supposed to be going with us?" Arthur looked at him.

"They will be meeting us there in 10 minutes. They are going to apparate rather than take the portkey. We think it may be safer with less people arriving at once." Harry didn't know if he wanted to go alone, but decided that he would be fine if he went by himself. He walked forward and touched the chip bag next to Mr Weasley. He felt the tug behind his naval and was immediately pulled in a flurry of light. When it all stopped, he looked around and saw rough stone walls. This didn't look like the main hall of Gringotts. He turned to Mr Weasley as a goblin came walking toward them. "This is just a more secure part of Gringotts Harry. Much safer than to appear at the entrance to the bank."

Harry looked at Mr Weasley, and noticed a tightening in his chest. It was getting hard to breathe, but he wasn't sure why. His head started spinning and he leaned on the wall to stop himself from falling. Mr Weasley rushed over to him, but Harry could barely hear him. It was like Mr Weasley was in another room or something. The sound was muffled. Harry's vision started spinning and soon he was blinking to try and get rid of the darkness in front of him. Then, as suddenly as it started, it stopped. He could hear everything normally again and the room had stopped spinning."I'm alright Mr Weasley. I must still be a bit weak, that's all. I'm sorry for worrying you, I just felt like I was going to be sick." He tried to sound as convincing as possible, and it seemed that he had succeeded.

"Don't scare me like that Harry." He looked to his left and saw Hermione and Ron walking towards them. "There are the others."

Harry turned and saw Hermione and Ron walking, followed by others. Mrs Weasley was walking next to Minerva McGonagall and Hagrid brought up the rear. Harry smiled at the group as the two newcomers wished him a happy birthday. They entered the room behind the goblin after they had made their greetings. There were eight chairs set up for the group in front of a desk. The goblin walked around to the other side and sat in his chair. The others followed suit. "I believe that we all know why you are here?" he asked. Everyone nodded. "Then the reading will begin." The goblin unfolded a piece of parchment onto the table and made a hand movement over it. A voice started that choked everybody in tears.

"I, Albus Dumbledore, of sound mind and body, though not in the eyes of some, do hereby read my will to the beneficiaries. I would first like to hope that everyone I had invited to this occasion was able to come. I do not know how events will play out so I am unsure of how many of you will be there. My regrets go out to you, and I wish that I was still with you. I would hope that you would never forget me, because even death will not allow me to forget any of you. I know that some may think I do not know you very well, but I have always had my eyes on you. Now we get to the part where I give out my goodies." The voice of the previous headmaster perked up at this part, making everyone smile through their tears.

"To Hagrid, the keeper of my dearest Hogwarts. I wish you to have the set of tea kettles that are in my office. I believe that after all our meetings for tea, you will recognize them. I also wish to leave you section of my personal library devoted to magical creatures. I am sure that many of these will interest you. As the last thing I would like to give you, the old Dumbledore cottage in northern Wales is to be yours. I believe that you may find a few interesting friends like Norbert around that area. I wish you best of luck." Hagrid cried even harder as the voice read out what he was given. McGonagall patted him on the arm, she couldn't reach his shoulder. The voice started again.

"To Minerva, one of my dearest and oldest friends. I mean that in the nicest possible way, I assure you. I would like to leave you my collection of chintz armchairs. I know how you have those terribly hard chairs that you always conjure, but you need to get something nicer. I hope that you will use them well. Additionally, I would hope that you would take all the items that currently reside in the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts, minus a few select ones that will be named in this will. You will also have the option of calling Fawkes. I have made it known to him that if I am gone then he is to become yours as the new Headmistress. After you pass out of the Headmistress position, he will disappear. I hope that you will take care of him, he does need some looking after on his burning days." She nodded to the voice, not being able to contain the tears.

"To Arthur and Molly Weasley, those who have supported me from the beginning. I would like to leave you with 100,000 galleons to do with what you need. It will be transferred to your vault by the goblins at the end of this reading. Please, use the money to help your family. Do not worry about supporting our extracurricular activities; Minerva can take care of that. I want you all to have the life you deserve. I will also leave you with an extra 10,000 galleons for each of your children. You cannot use the money, but you can see fit as to when to give it to them. That includes 10,000 for Ms Granger as well, seeing as how she is just as much a part of your family as Harry is." Hermione's eyes started welling up along with Mrs Weasley's. Harry put his hand on her shoulder to comfort her, not noticing that it helped considerably.

"To Mr Ronald Weasley, the best chess player that Hogwarts has ever seen. I would like to leave you a few books, though I know you do not like them. I think that these few will interest you. I know that you like to play chess, so these books on strategic moves throughout history may be a fun read for you. I would also like to leave you a map of Hogwarts. I hope that you may find a use for it in the coming days." Ron looked shocked that Dumbledore had recognized him.

"To Ms Hermione Granger, the brightest witch ever to have graced my sight. I know your love for books both magical and muggle. I would like to leave you with my entire personal library. I know that even with the volume of books there, you will probably finish them in less time than I predict. I only hope that you will find some that you enjoy. I know there are quite a few there that aren't found in just any shop. I hope that they will help you as they always have, and they can help your friends as well." She started to cry once more. Harry gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze, and it helped her calm down again.

"To Mr Harry Potter, the best Quidditch player I have seen in many years. I would truly like to give this to you, but it has been yours since you were born. I leave the sword of Godric Gryffindor to you, and I know that it will be of great service to you in the coming days. Your task may seem impossible, but I assure you it is not. The sword has served your family faithfully for generations, and I know that it can help you on your task. You will need to be careful when using it, lest you lose a part of your body to it, possibly your hand." Harry read between the lines, knowing what Dumbledore was telling him. That is what had caused Dumbledore to have the blackened hand. He used the sword to destroy the Horcrux. "I would also like to leave you the Dumbledore cottage in northern Britain, as well as the cottage in southern Ireland. I hope that there you could work undisturbed if you needed to. As well, I know that you do not need any more money, but I hope that an extra 250,000 galleons could help you support your journey and make it a little easier. Think of it as all your future birthday presents. There is one last pair of items that I must give to you as well. Sirius left them in my possession in his will. He gave me your parents' wedding bands and your mother's engagement ring. He was told by them that if they ever passed away he was to give them to you. They said that they should be for the one that you love, and they would want you to be happy." Harry let a tear stream down his cheek, not caring who saw. He knew that Dumbledore was gone for good now, and he couldn't help but feel sad. He would never see the twinkle in the old man's eyes or hear the joy in his voice. He wished he could see the man just once more, if only to ask him why he had seen socks in the Mirror of Erised. He would give anything just to see his mentor back again. He knew that it was impossible.

"And finally, to my brother Aberforth whom I have wanted to apologize to for a long time................." The goblin waved his hand, silencing the parchment.

"We must give the parchment time to speak this part without our knowledge, since he is not present. It will speak again once it has gone past this part." The parchment seemed to take a rather long time, but the room remained silent. The only sounds were those coming from the sobbing Hagrid and the odd sniffle from everyone else. After what seemed like an eternity, the parchment spoke again.

"Now that the main part of it is done, there is only one last thing to do. Minerva, I am leaving the remainder of my gold to you. I trust that you will use it for the extracurricular activities I mentioned before, as well as for the students' protection at Hogwarts. Now, as my final act, I must insist that you all take a bag of lemon drops. You all seemed so reluctant to have one while I was offering before, so may you have many now that I am gone." The voice was cheery and it made everyone smile again. "I wish you all the best of luck in the future. I know that you will all prevail. I am just sorry that I will not be there with you to celebrate our victory. Goodbye to you all." And with that, the voice was silent.

"The money has already been transferred into your accounts. If you would all like to collect your belongings, some have been brought here. The rest have been left at Hogwarts under the request of the Late Albus Dumbledore. You may retrieve those at your convenience." The goblin pointed to a few books, a medium sized velvet box, two smaller sets of velvet boxes, and a roll of purple silk. He walked over and grabbed the first stack of books. "Mr Weasley Junior." He passed the books as Ron stood up, and then grabbed the roll of silk and the two small velvet boxes. "Mr Potter."

When Harry took them, he felt a surge of something. He put the two small boxes in his pocket, determined to look at them that night. He unrolled the silk, revealing the sword. When he grasped the handle, he felt a warm rush spread through his body. He slid the sword out of its sheath slightly, just to admire the blade. This was the blade that would help him win the war. He knew that this was going to destroy Voldemort's soul fragments. He slid it back in and rolled the silk back around it. He closed his eyes and thought about his mentor. Thank you professor. Even in death you have a plan to make sure everything works out properly. One day I will get to thank you in person, but I truly hope that it will not be for a long time. He let the tear fall, not ashamed of it. He knew that he needed to be strong, but he also knew that he couldn't hold everything in. He picked up the wrapped sword and turned to face the others. He swallowed hard. "Well we better get going. No need to dwell on the past. We need to plan for the future." His voice sounded too calm, even to him. The others didn't say anything, they just nodded. He followed the group out into the waiting area. He found an unwanted visitor awaiting them.

The Minister stood to greet them. "Hello everyone, I trust that the reading was a closing to a chapter of your lives. We must all move on from the hardships of the past, and strive to make the present that much better. If I could have a word with you Mr Potter?" He nodded off to the side of the room, and Harry followed. "Now Mr Potter, would you like to explain what you were given?" The Minister was looking intrigued, and Harry didn't like it.

"No, I would not." Harry replied curtly. He added as an afterthought "Sir." The Minister looked stunned for a moment, then recovered.

"That was not a request Potter. Why did Dumbledore give you the sword? It was never his to give; the sword belongs to the school." The Minister started to look aggravated.

"The sword belongs to the descendants of Godric Gryffindor Minister, not to the school." Harry kept his manner polite and didn't raise his voice. This only seemed to aggravate the Minister more.

"The Gryffindor line ended hundreds of years ago Potter. There is no line to which you are referring. The sword was given to the school when the last Gryffindor died. It was Klavian Gryffindor nearly 400 years ago. He was the last of his line, and he didn't have a wife. There were no children, so the line ended with him." The Minister was visibly angered now.

"Perhaps Klavian had a secret marriage, one that no one would know about. Maybe his line survived under the guise that it had ended. Maybe the Gryffindors wanted people to believe their line was gone so they could live normal lives rather than being one of the 'pure blood' families." Harry gave a good argument, and the Minister nearly lost it.

"There is no line of Gryffindor surviving. It is not possible Potter. Get that through your head." His face was getting red, and he couldn't contain the anger in his voice.

"Perhaps. But Dumbledore did say that the sword had helped my family line for generations. I do not know for sure, but it seems like it may be a family heirloom." Harry let the words sink in, watching as the Minister paled. "Perhaps the line survived in secret. I do not claim to know for sure, but it is a reasonable guess that I may be part of that line, since my father was a 'pure blood' as many like to put it. He could easily have descended from Godric. Whatever the truth is, the matter is over the sword. I believe that if you check with any of the goblins you will find that the sword belongs to me now. If you don't mind, I am going to be leaving now. Any other discussions of ownership should be discussed with the goblins. I don't have time for any more of this."

As Harry turned and walked away, the Minister lost it. "You are going to regret this Potter. I will find out what you are doing. You will be in trouble and I will not help you out. WHEN YOU HAVE NO WHERE TO GO YOU WILL NOT FIND ANY AIDE FROM THE MINISTRY!!!" With that, he stormed off. Harry walked back towards the shocked looking group.

"Well that's done. I guess it's time to go home?" Harry asked. Mr Weasley nodded to him. He led the way back to the main entrance to wish McGonagall and Hagrid goodbye. As they were about to leave, McGonagall turned back to the family.

"I almost forgot you three. I have your school letters. I assume that you will all be joining us to finish your last year?" She gave them a look that meant business. Harry smiled.

"Of course Professor. We wouldn't dream of missing your nice comfy chintz chairs when we come to visit you in the Headmistress office." Everyone chuckled.

McGonagall gave them one of her rare smiles as she passed the three letters to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "I think that you will get a surprise in there, as you know the Head Boy and Girl are chosen from the seventh years. I hope that you will enjoy the rest of you summer. Good day." Hermione had blanched at the last words. Harry couldn't help but smile at her nervousness since he knew it was completely wasted.

"Alright everyone. You know how you are getting home, so can you please move to where you should be?" Arthur started getting everyone moving, and moved Harry towards a corner. "Harry, we will be taking the portkey back in the corner and meet them at home." Harry looked over his shoulder at everyone at the apparition point. They seemed to be standing around an awful long time. He started feeling weird when he saw them give confused looks to each other. Just as Harry and Arthur reached the corner nearest to the apparition point, Harry heard Hagrid try and yell something. Arthur touched the portkey, moving Harry's hand onto it as he did. Just as the portkey activated and Harry felt the tug behind his naval, his blood froze. He heard screams and saw part of the building explode. Next thing he knew, he was back in the Burrow with a worried looking Arthur Weasley.

"Mr Weasley, we need to get back there now." Harry said frantically.

"I know Harry, but you need to stay here. I can't reactivate the portkey now that it is done. I am going to apparated back there, but I need you to go get Kingsley out of the tent outside. Tell him to get as many Order members to make it to Gringotts now!" Arthur turned on the spot, but didn't disappear.

"What's going on Mr Weasley?" Harry asked, starting to panic. His breathing was getting hard again. He could feel dizziness setting in, and was worried about blacking out.

"I don't know Harry. I can't disapparate back to Gringotts. There must be anti-apparition wards in place." He looked worried. He started to make a move to the door and Harry beat him to it.

"I'm going to get back one way or another Mr Weasley." Harry said through his gasps of breath. Harry watched as Arthur turned to look at him. He pictured the stone steps leading to Gringotts. He could see the stone pillars and the walls perfectly. He started to see black spots as he turned on his heels and felt the same type of surge as he did when he side along apparated with Dumbledore at the end of the school year. He prayed that this would work. He knew his friends were in trouble, and the only thing he could think about was getting to the brown haired witch.