Que Sera Sera

Chapter One: Treasure of Mine

"I've given up," said Irina, "and I'm not afraid. Only there's something I would like to understand. And I don't think anyone can explain it. You see, I know it's the end for me. I know it, but I can't quite believe it, I can't feel it. It's so strange. There's your life. You begin it, feeling that it's something so precious and rare, so beautiful that it's like a sacred treasure. Now it's over, and it doesn't make any difference to anyone, and it isn't that they are indifferent, it's just that they don't know, they don't know what it means, that treasure of mine, and there's something about it that they should understand. I don't understand it myself, but there's something that should be understood by all of us. Only what is it, Kira? What?" --We The Living By Ayn Rand

The Horcrux hunt is coming to an end much sooner than I thought it would--we now only have one more left to find. And now I can't seem to stop the growing anxiety over the inevitable battle that looms ever nearer on the horizon. I don't really know if I'm ready for it.

Ron and Hermione are here with me, but they don't understand. They couldn't possibly understand what it means for me: the end of this trip, the coming battle...

When Dumbledore first explained to me about the Horcruxes, I knew...and suddenly it all made sense. What I had to do. The reason for it all. And it bloody well terrified me. It's all happening far too fast. If I had interpreted the prophecy right... 'The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord...'

"How d'you think it'll happen?" Ron asked, coming up behind me on the hotel balcony where I had been standing, contemplating my fate.

(I had told my friends about the prophesy and Ron was positive that I would kill Voldemort and that would be that.)

"I expect it will be the killing curse," I replied softly as my hands tightened their grip on the railing turning my knuckles white.

"D'you think that'll work on him?" Ron asked, completely oblivious to the thoughts running through my head.

"No one has ever survived the killing curse."

"Except for you, Harry!" he said, slapping me on the back with a grin.

I made no reply to that as I stared sightlessly out at the night sky. Was I ready?

At that moment Hermione came running in, interrupting my thoughts.

"We've found it--the last one, we've finally found it!"

We found the last item--a pendent that once belonged to Godric Gryffindor at Godric's Hollow. It was buried somewhere in the rubble of the charred remains of a burnt down house. My parents' house. The sheer irony of it was overwhelming.

Of course, I had meant to visit Godric's Hollow when we had first started out on the Horcrux hunt--but hadn't quite gotten around to it. I told myself that it was because I was just far too busy with finding the Horcruxes, but the truth was that I couldn't quite bring myself to go back there.

And now I was back where it had all began. A shiver ran down my spine and the hairs on the back of my neck prickled as I gazed at the ruin. I was back full circle and half expected Voldemort to pop out and off me right there... He didn't of course. I half wished he would.

I can't put into words what it was like sifting through the remains of that house. My parents had lived there. Had talked, laughed, and breakfasted there. Had fought, screamed, and died there. It was the place where they would have raised me had things not gone so terribly wrong.

Now there was mostly just dirt, stone, and other building materials; but every so often we would uncover something else. A scrap of fabric. A part of a shattered figurine. A broken plate. An empty potion vial. A twisted hair clip. Each and every one a part of a past that I would never know.

I wished that Voldemort would come to finish it. I wished that a horde of Death Eaters would come so that I could fight and scream and curse. I wished that anyone or anything would come to break the awful silence that encased the area like a shroud. The only sounds were that of the three of us sifting through the rubble--using both magical and Muggle means. None of us dared speak.

I think we all felt a bit like grave robbers. This was a sacred spot. An important place for all wizardkind for historical reasons. An important place for me for more deeply personal ones. And here we were digging through it like some grubby-handed scavengers looking for a bit of treasure.

My throat tightened as I thought of the items that may have once been in the house. Things that had been taken by the thieves who had descended on the house like vultures after Voldemort's first fall taking anything and everything they could. Taking things that should have been passed on to me. Taking things that I now would never get to see or even know about. And now all that is left are scraps; shattered bits and pieces that create mere glimpses of what once was.

I don't really know how long it took us to finally find it. However, I was relieved when we did. It looked so small and innocent; glittering despite the dirt that covered it. I knew what it was as soon as I saw it. The last one we had to find. For some reason it now felt appropriate that we should find it here.

Muttering a spell and thrusting the magical dagger through it, I watched as it shimmered briefly as my hand grazed it. Afterwards it sat dead and lifeless in my hand. Dropping it to the ground where I stood, I turned and walked away-- never once glancing back.

Next stop: Riddle Manor. Surprisingly, I wasn't afraid anymore.
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We met up with the rest of The Order outside Little Hangleton. The tension was palatable in the air. We silently got into our positions that we had practiced --putting into action the strategy that had taken us weeks and weeks to develop. We had changed and revised it countless times and had practiced and practiced till everything was near perfect. But this wasn't practice and we knew that the battle to come would make previous ones seem like mere tiffs. This was it--the final battle. All or nothing. The end to the prophesy...one way or the other.

There was no element of surprise: they had been expecting us. I don't know how many Death Eaters there were--I had lost count. I didn't know where the others were--my focus was elsewhere. I went through the actions, acting on pure instinct...but it all was a bit surreal. Curses and shouts seemed muffled, the flash of lights and sight of others duelling far away. My eyes kept searching the crowd for a glimpse of the one I had come here for. I knew he was there-- my scar throbbed painfully.

It seemed forever till I finally spotted him. As I made my way through the crowd I could see that I had caught his attention. His narrowed red eyes focused on me and I steadily met them with the green of my own. This was it-- no turning back now. My gaze was steady, my steps sure. I wasn't afraid. I was ready for what was to come.

The final fight between me and Voldemort is a bit of a blur. I don't remember how many curses were fired, how many spells were dodged. But I do remember that moment. The moment I had been waiting for. The moment I knew would come. The moment when it finally ended in a flash of green light and a triumphant cry.

"Boy-Who-Lived indeed," Voldemort hissed as he checked to make sure that yes, I was in fact dead. Voldemort chuckles grew louder and louder as he turned to address everyone who had paused in shock at Voldemort's cry of triumph. Everyone's attention was on Voldemort as they tried to comprehend what they were seeing. (I don't think that anyone had actually expected me to die--and certainly not as quickly or easily as that.)

No one noticed as I stepped out of my body and collected the last Horcrux touching my body's arm with a shimmer and I didn't notice what was going on around me. It was all a bit surreal. Not to mention odd...and not just a bit unsettling. So, I don't know who finally cast the killing curse--I wasn't really paying attention. But, Voldemort had such a shocked look frozen on his face when I collected the last and final part of his soul--this time from his dead body. He had been so sure of victory. I dare say it must have been quite a shock for him to discover that he in fact wasn't immortal after all. Not to mention the fact I wasn't even the one to deliver the killing blow.

It had all descended into complete chaos after Voldemort had been killed. And of course no one had noticed my actions. As I walked away--unnoticed and unobserved, a slight smirk tugged at my lips. 'The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord...'