Aria Ashborn and the Deathly Hallows (A Harry Potter fanfic)

Chapter 21: The Elder Wand

Everything hurt. That much she knew. Lying on her back, the only movement Aria could manage was the rotation of her head as she pivoted it slightly to get her mouth away from the blood that was slowly oozing from her torso and onto the ground. Her vision was extremely hazy. She could not see much of the nearly abandoned courtyard.

She closed her eyes and when she opened them again, there were two people out in the center. She could make them out barely as Harry and Lord Voldemort, circling each other, wands drawn.

"H-Harry?" she tried to say but her throat was tight and she could taste blood. How could Harry be here? He was dead. She had seen his body. She closed her eyes again. When she opened them she saw large bursts of light flooding from both wands. Draco's wand which Harry held produced a red light met by the green light of the Elder Wand. Both Harry and Voldemort were on their knees. The sound was like a muffled cannon blast, muffled because Aria could hardly hear a thing. Her eyes began to droop again and she watched through her lashes as the beams ceased and the Elder Wand flew from Voldemort hands.

She blinked again. Now Harry held the Elder wand in his hands and Voldemort began to gasp for air, his own curse having had rebounded. The pupils in his red eyes grew smaller and smaller until he dropped to the ground.

Dead.

Aria closed her eyes, coughing. Each cough rattled her broken ribs. She opened her eyes again. There was someone leaning over her. Her eyes had to adjust as he was directly in front of the sun, like an angel. But then she could make out his lightning scar and his circular glasses.

"If you're here--" she uttered, "I'm dead?"

"No, it's really me." said Harry. Aria could not tell if it was sweat or tears upon his face as they slid down upon his cheeks amongst dirt and blood.

"Then you did it!" she smiled, through blurry eyes, "You defeated him! But--how??" He did not answer but grinned widely and kissed her on the lips as if it would heal every wound. When they broke she coughed again.

"Woah." he said, "We need to get you to Madam Pomfrey."

"I'll be fine." she smiled, "Just like I said I would be."

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    Hours later, Aria was stomaching the last bit of Skele-gro she could muster from Madam Pomfrey. She had bandages around her ribs, that needed time to grow completely back, and she had a cast on her right forearm. Madam Pomfrey had mended her legs which had only been fractured. Other than this, she was okay. She sat in the Great Hall amongst friends.

    War stories were being shared even though the war had only just ended. The dead were being celebrated and their stories told as well. Drinks had been passed around and the rest of the injured were beginning to get drinks themselves. Aria could hear laughter, something that brought much more of a warm feeling over her than Firewhiskey.

Aria saw Oliver Wood and Aberforth clinking goblets, McGonagall chatting with Hermione and Ron, Neville taking a seat next to Luna, who looked at peace, Ginny was hugging her mother tightly, and Slughorn's exaggerations of events could be heard louder than the rest. Aria allowed herself to smile. Then, next to her, Harry took off his Invisibility cloak and she jumped.

"It's me." he said, "Will you come with me?"

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    Aria, Ron, Hermione, and Harry sat on the steps to the entrance hall looking out at the destroyed courtyard and listening to the distance sounds of bubbling conversation. There was a cool breeze that rustled through their hair. Voldemort's body had been moved by Hagrid, away from that of the bodies of Tonks, Lupin, and Fred. Aria looked up at the Astronomy Tower.

"Not exactly leaving the place better than we found it, are we?" Ron said, grinning. Hermione sighed quietly.

"Harry." said Aria.

"Hmm?"

"What is it you saw in the pensieve?" she asked, "How did you know the Elder Wand wouldn't work for him?"

"Snape never beat Dumbledore." Harry said, and Aria could see Hermione out of the corner of her eye, listening intently, "Dumbledore's death was planned between them. Dumbledore intended to die, undefeated, the wand's last true master. If all had gone as planned, the wand's power would have died with him, because it had never been won from him."

"Snape?" said Ron, "After all this time, he was on our side?"

"He was the one who sent the doe, as well." said Harry.

"Blimey."

"And he died thinking we all hated him." Hermione said.

"Hold on a minute," said Ron, standing, "who does the wand belong to now?"

"Well, it was Draco who disarmed Dumbledore that night in the Astronomy tower." said Harry, standing as well, "From that moment on, the wand answered him. Until I disarmed Draco at Malfoy Manor."

    "So, that means..." Aria started.

    "It's mine." said Harry pulling the tall wand from his pocket.

"What should we do with it?" asked Ron.

    "We?" Hermione scoffed.

    "Just saying, that's the Elder Wand." Ron replied, "The most powerful wand in the world. With that, he'll be invincible."

"I don't want it." said Harry, "I'm happier with mine." he then pulled his broken wand from his pocket, a phoenix feather the only thing holding the two bits together. With one flick of the Elder wand, however, the wand was as good as new.

"I'm putting the Elder Wand back where it came from." said Harry, "With Dumbledore. It can stay there. If I die a natural death like Ignotus, its power will be broken, won't it? The previous master will never have been defeated. That'll be the end of it. "

"But you're going to keep the Cloak right?" Ron asked.

"I don't see why not." said Harry, "I'll pass it down like Ignotus."

"I think that's a good idea." said Hermione, standing, "We don't want any Hallows falling into the wrong hands."

"Exactly." said Harry, "That's why I left the Resurrection Stone in the forest."

"You had the stone too?" Ron said excitedly.

"Yes," said Harry slightly irritable, "but it's gone, Ron."

"Gone..." Aria repeated. Her left hand found her pocket and felt the bulge of the small stone still tucked away.

"Are you sure about the wand, though?" Ron asked again, "I mean, that's the Elder Wand." The trio had begun to walk and Aria stood up and followed close behind.

"Would you rather me break it?" joked Harry.

"No," Ron chuckled, "that seems a bit extreme."

"But--why did Dumbledore have to die?" Aria asked as they walked along the stone bridge, "How did he know he could trust Snape? I still have so many questions."

"It's a long story." said Harry, taking her good hand in his, "I could just show you the memory. Or I could tell you. Feels like we've got all the time in the world, doesn't it?"

"It does feel that way." said Hermione, as they reached the end of the bridge, "Strange, but in a good way." They stopped and turned to gaze back at the battered castle. Hermione tentatively took Harry's other hand and soon after, Ron took Hermione's free hand. Aria closed her eyes as if committing the moment to memory. The gentle breeze rustled through her hair.

"Well it wasn't boring, was it?" said Harry.