A Cord of Three Strands

A Cord of Three Strands

By Cindale

Chapter 25

"Draco's Betrayal"

Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Ecclesiastes 4:12

Harry stood in place, stunned into immobility. He just couldn't believe that Draco was betraying him. Since Draco had been chosen as one of his spell casters, Harry had never doubted that Draco loved him and was committed to protecting him. Was it possible that Draco had decided to stop being his friend? Was it possible that the Pensieve had been wrong about Draco loving him? Had Harry been naïve to trust someone he knew to be the son of a Death Eater? Voldemort had compared him to his father, but at least James Potter had had no real reason to suspect Peter. Harry should have known better, especially after what had happened to his parents.

"And now, Harry Potter," said Voldemort, circling Harry like a tiger toying with its prey, "before you die, you will watch your 'friend' take my honoured Mark."

Draco stepped forward and rolled up his left sleeve. Harry searched Draco's expression frantically, desperate to see some sign that he wasn't betraying him, but Draco kept his gaze firmly on the Dark Lord.

"Before we begin, Young Draco," said Voldemort, "would you like the privilege of restraining my prisoner?"

Draco's eyes glowed with something that looked almost like hunger. "Can I hurt him first?" he asked, eager as a child on Christmas morning.

"Draco!" chastised Lucius.

Voldemort held up a hand, palm facing Lucius. "I will allow it," he said in a patronizing tone, "for now." He dropped his hand and turned his face toward Draco, but continued to talk to Lucius. "I find that his enthusiasm pleases me. He will, however, have to learn proper respect."

"Of course, My Lord," said Lucius, bowing his head deferentially.

"Draco?" said Voldemort, waving with his hand to encourage him to proceed.

Harry lowered his eyes, unwilling to watch Draco as he raised his wand to torture him. There was nowhere to run, and Harry wasn't sure that he could have managed it through his grief, anyway. He was wandless, he still had no idea how to kill Voldemort, and one of his closest friends was about to do the unthinkable.

For some reason, Harry's ears were hypersensitive to the rustling of Draco's robes as he stepped forward and raised his arm. Harry's entire body stiffened as he anticipated the pain of whatever curse Draco chose.

"Funis!" shouted Draco, and Harry's head snapped up in surprise.

"Tres!" shouted a female voice, and Harry looked up in astonishment to see the familiar silver thread emerging from the end of Narcissa Malfoy's wand. Before his mind could get past the shock to wonder how Draco's mother could love him enough to be one of his spell casters, one of the Death Eaters, the one who had not yet spoken, stepped forward.

"Restis!" shouted Snape, throwing back his mask and hood.

Harry barely heard Voldemort's howls of frustration as he stared around at the three spell casters. Draco's mouth was set in determination, but his eyes had softened and Harry easily read the apology there. But how could Narcissa Malfoy and Snape be casting the spell? Draco's mother barely knew him, and he knew the Potions Master hated him.

"YOU!" screamed Voldemort, his voice finally becoming loud enough to break into Harry's thoughts. To Harry's surprise, the Dark Lord was pointing his wand at Lucius Malfoy, who was cowering in fear. "Your wife and your son have BOTH betrayed me! You are an utter failure, Lucius! Crucio!"

Draco sucked in a sharp breath and turned his head away as his father writhed and screamed under Voldemort's wand. Oddly, Narcissa seemed to be unaffected by her husband's pain, but Harry still felt too stunned to wonder why. After a moment, Draco reached into his pocket with his free hand, pulled something out, and pressed it into Harry's hand.

"Don't miss," he said quietly. Harry looked at the object in his hand and gasped. It was a revolver.

"B-but I-I n-never ... I don't know how ... How do I ..."

Narcissa reached forward with her free hand and cocked the revolver for him. "Just aim and pull the trigger," she said. "This one should be easy enough to handle - I've read all about it."

Something in Narcissa's tone triggered recognition in Harry. "Hermione?" he asked, completely bemused.

"Just do it before he gets away!" Draco whispered urgently.

Harry held the gun up to his face like he had seen on television, aimed for Voldemort's chest, pulled the trigger, and then howled in pain as the revolver jumped back and slammed into his nose.

Voldemort was jolted into removing the curse from Lucius Malfoy when the bullet grazed his left shoulder. He gave a cry of pain and turned furiously toward Harry. "Your Muggle weapon can't kill me, Potter!" Voldemort's anger and frustration rolled over Harry like a tidal wave, and he almost collapsed to the ground under the pain in his scar. "Yes, you know that, don't you?" asked the Dark Lord, taking a step toward Harry. "Even if you managed to kill my body, my spirit will survive, and I will return. I am immortal, Harry Potter! I cannot be killed!"

Suddenly, Voldemort gave a primal cry of pain and bent over almost double. Harry heard Hermione gasp and managed to look up. Blood was dripping from a horrible gash in Voldemort's torso and Lucius Malfoy was shakily pointing his wand toward the Dark Lord. Voldemort pulled his hand back from the wound and stared at the blood for a brief moment, and then straightened his back with obvious difficulty and pointed his wand at Lucius.

"Avada Kedavra!" he gasped, and then leaned over again, grasping the bleeding wound. Harry heard Draco choke back a sob as his father stiffened under the green light and then lay still.

"Harry," Draco whispered, sounding as if it was taking supreme effort to speak, "I'll kill him if you don't - prophecy be damned!"

Harry took a moment to focus on the love of his friends, and then managed to hold the gun steady. Hardly realizing what he was doing, he emptied it into Voldemort, hoping at least one of the bullets would hit something vital enough to kill him.

The silence was deafening after the last echoes of the gunshots had faded away. Harry stared through the colours swirling around him; Voldemort was lying on the floor, apparently knocked down by the force of the bullets. However, Harry could still feel his overpowering rage and had to focus on the circle of friendship surrounding him to stay conscious.

"Is he dead?" whispered Snape. Harry glanced at the Potions Master, and then whipped his head around to look at him fully. Snape's hair was turning red.

"No," Harry told him.

And then the pain hit, pain that made the Cruciatus Curse feel like a tickle.

Harry wasn't aware that he had fallen to the floor and curled into a fetal position, howling at the top of his lungs. He was only aware of the pain: it was a living thing, going beyond a mere physical presence. His very soul was in agony, and he wanted nothing more than for it to end. If he could have managed it, he would have begged one of his friends to end his life, but he was no longer human enough to speak. For a few agonizing moments that seemed like hours, the two souls warred within him, vying for dominance. Finally, when Harry knew he could no longer take the anguish, it abruptly ended, and he began to sink gratefully into nothingness.

A sharp pain on his cheek pulled him unwillingly back to consciousness. "You've got to do it now, Harry!" shouted Draco, slapping him again, harder this time. "Wake up, you prat!"

Harry managed to open his eyes and look weakly at the three faces crowded around him. Draco pressed his wand into his hand and Hermione said, "The incantation is Cor Annihilare, Harry. Do it NOW!"

Harry looked at her stupidly for a moment, and then Draco slapped him again. "NOW, Dammit!" Harry waved his wand and murmured something just before everything went black.

**********************************

Harry woke to an odd roiling motion, sort of like the rocking of a boat. It made him feel queasy.

"... didn't have to hit him so hard you wanker!" said a male voice Harry didn't recognize.

"You know he would have never forgiven us if he hadn't managed to get rid of him!" said a voice he knew. "He'll thank me - you'll see," Draco continued.

"Harry?" said an unfamiliar female voice. Who were these people? He finally managed to open his eyes a crack, even though he was certain the lids weighed fifty pounds apiece. The woman leaning over him appeared to be Narcissa Malfoy with a curly brown wig. He managed to wince when she grabbed his shoulders. "He's awake!" she said. "Harry, can you hear me? How do you feel?"

Harry blinked twice and struggled to pry open his dry mouth. "Wh-" he breathed. "Wh-who?"

"It's Hermione," she said in a voice that was definitely not Hermione's. "I put salamander blood in the Polyjuice Potion to make it last longer, so it's taking us forever to change back."

"I hope our voices go back soon," said the male voice, which Harry concluded must be Ron. "I'm tired of sounding like Snape." Harry managed to turn his head slightly so he could see his best friend. He looked like Ron, but with Snape's enormous nose.

"It's the nose," said Draco. "It's distorting your voice. Quite an improvement, actually."

"Shut up, you pillock!" said Ron, giving Draco a shove.

"Stop it, Ron!" Hermione yelled in alarm. "We're hundreds of feet off the ground!"

"And your point is?" said Ron without missing a beat.

"Look!" said Draco urgently.

All three suddenly became silent and Harry vaguely wondered why they were up in the air and if they could stop the motion before he vomited.

"We've gotta get down there!" shouted Ron.

"Not until we take Harry to the hospital wing!" argued Hermione. "Can you avoid it, Malfoy? We don't want Harry to get hit with a stray curse."

"Of course," said Draco, "but hang on to him."

Harry felt four arms grab him as his body lurched to one side. He had the vague impression of multi-coloured lights flashing some distance away before everything went black again.

**************************************

Harry was jolted awake by motion even more violent than before. After a moment, he realized one pair of hands had him under the arms and another was holding his legs; he was being carried awkwardly by two people. "Ah-" he managed to say, trying to warn them.

"Damn you to hell, Harry!" yelled Draco as Harry turned his head and vomited all over Draco's robes. Despite his anger, Draco was gentle as he and Ron laid Harry on the ground. "Go get help!" Draco barked.

"You go get help!" Ron protested. "I don't know why we can't just levitate him to the hospital wing."

"I told you, Ron, I don't think we can manage it after holding the Trilixicis Charm so long," Hermione said impatiently. "By all means, go ahead if you don't mind dropping him or bashing his head against a wall."

"Madam Pomfrey is probably in the hospital wing," said Draco. "She can levitate him the rest of the way. Go on, Weasley."

"Why me?" said Ron.

"Just do it, Ron," pleaded Hermione. "We don't have time to argue."

Harry heard a set of footfalls stomp angrily away. As they faded, Hermione said, "Scourgify!" several times.

"Thank you," said Draco.

"You're not a bad sort, Malfoy," said Hermione after a moment. "Why do you have to pretend you are?"

"Why did you send your boyfriend away, Granger?" Draco countered. "Did you want to be alone with me?"

Hermione gave a snort of derision and then said, "Yes, Malfoy - I wanted to be alone with you so I could clean your robes."

Draco gave a small chuckle and said, "You're not a bad sort, either, Granger. I suppose it's not your fault your parents are Muggles."

"Shut up, Malfoy!" Harry managed, albeit weakly.

"He lives!" said Draco in a mockingly joyful tone, but when he leaned over to peer at Harry's face, his eyes were concerned.

"How do you feel, Harry?" asked Hermione.

"I don't know," Harry breathed. He didn't know. He still felt queasy, and his entire body was sore, but he also felt an odd emptiness he didn't understand. He wasn't sure if it was in his chest, his head, or both. After a moment, he realized why his vision was blurred. "My glasses?"

Draco patted his chest, and Harry could see a small bulge.

"What happened to him?" asked Madam Pomfrey from some distance down the corridor.

"Nothing big," said Draco. "The Dark Lord's soul was ripped violently from his body - I'm sure he'll get over it."

Madam Pomfrey gave a snort of disapproval, said an incantation, and Harry felt his body floating again. "NO!" he said. "I can walk!"

"You are in no state to walk, Mr. Potter!" said the nurse.

Harry sighed, shut his eyes, and pushed his lips together in an effort to keep from vomiting again as he floated down the corridor. Fortunately, the hospital wing was not far and he was descending onto the stability of a bed only a few minutes later.

"Get out of here, you lot!" Madam Pomfrey ordered.

"We'd like to stay with Harry," said Hermione in a firm voice.

"No!" said the healer, making shooing motions with her hands. "Out! Out!"

"No," said Draco in a quiet but inflexible voice. "Harry needs us here. We're staying." Madam Pomfrey opened her mouth to protest again, but they were all startled by a shout and the sound of running footsteps.

"Harry!" shouted Remus as he skidded to a halt at the end of Harry's bed. "What happened? Where have you all been?"

"It's done," Harry murmured.

Remus looked as though his eyes might pop out of his head and he grabbed the railing at the end of the bed, presumably for support. "You mean ... it's over? He's gone?"

"We think so ..." began Hermione.

"Yes," said Harry firmly.

Remus looked into Harry's eyes for several moments as if he were trying to see his soul, which he probably was. "Are you okay? How do you feel?"

"I was just trying to determine that!" said Madam Pomfrey. "You people have to go!"

"No," said Remus, turning to meet the healer's eyes with a determined expression. "Harry needs the people closest to him to stay with him right now."

Madam Pomfrey narrowed her eyes at him as if to intimidate, but Remus held her gaze. "Fine," she said after a moment, and began to examine her patient.

"While she's doing that," Remus said, lowering his voice slightly, "you can tell me what happened."

Harry was very curious to hear about the events which led up to the confrontation with Voldemort, but a more urgent question was pressing on his mind. "Where's Ginny?"

Ron and Hermione both turned to Draco, Ron with an expression that was almost amused and Hermione with annoyance that bordered on anger. Draco, to Harry's surprise, was flushing as if embarrassed. "Is she okay?" Harry demanded.

"I suppose that's the point, isn't it?" said Ron, grinning a little and sliding an arm around Hermione's waist. Hermione glared at him but allowed the contact.

"Where is she?" Harry demanded, his voice reaching the timbre of a shout.

Draco took a deep breath and said, "I locked her in the Room of Requirement."

Remus gave a humourless laugh. "I don't envy you, Draco."

"Why did you do that?" Harry asked Draco.

"Well you only needed three of us to cast the spell - Ginny would have been in the way," Draco explained with a shrug.

"Shouldn't you let her out?" said Harry. "I want to see her!"

"I'll go," said Hermione. "She's less likely to hex me. I'll explain to her why Malfoy behaved like such a prat."

"Ta, Granger," said Draco.

"You might want to hide before she gets here," said Ron with a smirk in Draco's direction.

"Well," said Madam Pomfrey, turning toward them, "I can't find anything physically wrong with him except that he's extremely fatigued. He needs rest! Can't this wait until tomorrow?"

"No!" Harry protested. "I want to know RIGHT NOW what happened back there. Why didn't you tell me?" Harry vaguely thought he should be angry with his friends for leaving him out of their plans, especially when they revolved around him, but he was having trouble feeling any emotion at all, and was only demanding answers because he knew it was expected of him.

"Yes," Remus agreed. "I'd like to hear this, too. You didn't tell Harry?"

"We couldn't!" said Ron, shooting Harry an apologetic look. "The Legilimency and all - Voldemort would have known."

"Harry had to believe," Draco swallowed, "that I was betraying him. It was crucial to the plan."

"But how did you know when? And where?" Remus asked Draco.

Draco sighed heavily. "My father tried to put me under the Imperius Curse right after he escaped from Azkaban. It's a good thing Shacklebolt had taught the D.A. members how to fight it off, or ..." Draco swallowed again.

"You said you didn't see your father last summer," Harry accused.

"I lied," said Draco, looking at him apologetically. "I'm sorry about that, but I couldn't tell you. I wasn't sure what I was going to do yet, and you had just told me the Dark Lord could sense your emotions. As soon as you told me that, I knew I would have to hide everything from you." Harry nodded and tried to glare at Draco, but it had no emotion behind it.

"Anyway," Draco continued, looking away from Harry as if the glare pained him, "I had been ordered to take Harry to the Dark Lord, so naturally I was notified of the time and place. I persuaded Harry to go. Weasley and Granger had already taken an extended version of the Polyjuice Potion that Granger had developed, so they were already there."

"Who were they disguised as?" asked Remus.

"My mother and Professor Snape."

"Oh, Severus will love that," said Remus.

"He knows," said Draco. "I needed him to keep my mother out of the way."

"And we needed a strand of his greasy hair," said Ron with his nose wrinkled in disgust.

"Severus didn't try to stop you?" asked Remus, surprised.

"He couldn't," said Draco. "It was too late. Besides, it would have given him away if he had refused to let me go."

"I would have tried to stop you," said Remus.

"I know," Draco said softly. "Aren't you glad you didn't, though?"

Remus, apparently ignoring Draco's question asked, "Where's your mother now?"

Draco's hands balled into fists at his sides. "Snape's got her locked in his quarters," he said, looking at the ground as if he was struggling to keep his emotions under control. "I've got to go and tell her about my father," he said in an almost inaudible voice.

"I'm sorry, Draco," said Harry, hoping it sounded sincere.

"No, you're not," said Draco, looking straight into Harry's eyes, "but I understand."

"What happened to him?" Remus asked in a quiet tone, as if he had guessed.

"Voldemort killed Lucius Malfoy," said Ron, "but not before the old bastard got a mean curse in on Voldemort!"

Remus's eyes widened in surprise. "Your father was helping you?" he asked Draco.

Draco swallowed and looked away. "No," he whispered, "it was only self defence."

"I'm sorry Draco," said Remus, laying a hand on his shoulder.

Draco's eyes widened slightly in surprise as he glanced at the hand on his shoulder, but he made no move to shrug it off. "Yeah, well, it would have been a bit awkward if he had lived, I suppose. I just wish ..." He gave a heavy sigh and shrugged. "Never mind."

"Harry!" screamed Ginny's voice from the door, and Harry struggled to sit up as she ran toward him. "Harry!" she said again as she flung her arms around him.

"Ginny," Harry whispered as if saying a prayer. His arms went slowly around her, and suddenly his heart began to feel as if it was filling his chest, crowding out the emptiness that had been there before. "Ginny," he whispered into her hair, hoping she understood, since that was all he could manage. He clung to her, afraid he would slip back into the aching void of no emotions if he let go. After several moments she shifted around without pulling out of his arms so she could sit beside him on the bed.

Harry barely listened while Ron and Hermione told Remus the rest of the story. He just sat there, clinging to Ginny and revelling in the love he was feeling for her. He felt as if his heart had only just begun beating again, and emotions filled his body as if blood was slowly returning to his limbs.

After a while, Harry realized Draco had been silent for some time. The Slytherin was sitting in a chair, looking at the ground as if he would find the answer to a puzzle there. Even though he had hated Lucius Malfoy, Harry felt badly for Draco, imagining that Draco's grief was similar to Harry's when he had lost Sirius.

Suddenly Draco's attention snapped to Remus, who was saying, "I could have sworn I saw an illegal magic carpet flying toward the castle during the battle."

"You must have been mistaken," said Draco with a shrug.

Remus raised his eyebrows in obvious disbelief.

"Wait a minute!" said Harry as he realized exactly what Remus had said. "What battle?"

As if in answer, Professor McGonagall burst into the room, levitating an obviously unconscious Ernie Macmillan in front of her. "I think it was just a Stunning Spell," she said as Madam Pomfrey rushed over, "but it looks like he hit his head on something when he fell."

"Are there others?" asked the nurse.

"Yes," said McGonagall. "Arthur and Hestia are tending to some outside, but Ernie appeared to be the worst ... at least the worst of the injured."

"Is it over?" asked Remus, taking a few steps toward McGonagall.

"Almost. Kingsley, Molly, and some of the others are rounding up the last of the Death Eaters." McGonagall seemed to suddenly realize Harry was in the room and her eyes widened. "Harry?" she asked in a hushed tone.

"It's done," said Remus, "and Harry seems to be okay."

Harry thought about that as they continued to discuss the battle. Everyone seemed to think he was okay. Was he okay? He tightened his grip slightly on Ginny and she turned to him with a smile. Maybe he would be okay as long as Ginny never left his side again.

**************************************

Harry hardly noticed the clear blue sky and sparkling sunshine that were more reminiscent of spring than late autumn. If he had, he might have been annoyed that the weather chose to seem joyous on such a solemn occasion. Only the biting, chill breeze testified that November would soon close and winter was almost upon them.

He crossed the lawn silently, flanked by Ginny and Draco and followed closely by Ron and Hermione. It seemed that Draco had hardly left his side in the weeks since Halloween, much to Ginny's chagrin, but Harry had persuaded her to tolerate his presence. Not only had Draco's father been killed, but after the Battle of Hogwarts he had found himself living alone in the seventh year Slytherin boys' dormitory. Draco never talked about it, never expressed emotion about the people he had lost, but Harry suspected that he drew comfort from the mere presence of his new friends.

The quietly murmuring crowd silenced completely as the five friends made their way to the make-shift stage next to the newly built monument near the lake. Harry could feel all eyes upon him, but he kept his gaze on the ground as they took their seats opposite the stone monolith.

As soon as they were seated, Professor Dumbledore struggled from his chair and made his way awkwardly to the podium. Hogwarts' wards had been reactivated as soon as the Death Eaters had been defeated early on the first of November, but Dumbledore had remained unconscious for almost two weeks afterwards. It seemed that the headmaster's ordeal with the wards had permanently affected his health, and Harry knew that he had secretly transferred his physical link with the wards to Professor McGonagall soon after he had awakened. Harry feared that Dumbledore was anticipating not only his retirement and McGonagall's subsequent appointment to the headmaster position, but also his own death.

Dumbledore's blue eyes twinkled as he smiled benignly over the crowd, however, and at that moment Harry found it hard to believe that the powerful man would ever die.

"Today is a celebration," Dumbledore began, his voice requiring no amplification. "The threat has been destroyed, and the war has ended. This war has been unique in that Hogwarts students have distinguished themselves in unprecedented ways, and we are gathered here today to honour them. We will begin by the dedication of this memorial to those students who lost their lives in this war."

The headmaster paused for a moment to pull a small roll of parchment from his pocket, and Harry reflected with satisfaction that his opening remarks had been brief and to the point. Harry's insistence that Cedric Diggory's name be listed first on the monument to the deceased students had apparently cooled Minister Diggory's resentment toward him, and Harry had found himself in a position to influence the agenda of today's ceremony.

The faces drifted through Harry's mind as Dumbledore read the names, and he bit his lip in an effort to keep his composure. A similar monument would be erected in the new Ministry building as soon as it was rebuilt, and the plans for it had been revealed in a dedication ceremony the week before. The first name listed on the other monument would be Sirius Black.

Harry was startled by the applause and realized that Dumbledore was hobbling toward his chair, apparently finished with his remarks. Harry belatedly joined in the clapping, a bit annoyed with himself for letting his mind wander.

Minister Diggory rose and strode purposefully to the podium to award the Order of Merlin to no less than twenty Hogwarts students. The Minister had wanted to award Harry's Order of Merlin, First Class, in a separate ceremony with much pomp and press, but Harry had threatened to refuse the award altogether if his friends weren't honoured with him. The first three were awarded posthumously.

Seamus Finnigan. Harry drew in a sharp breath as the pain of losing his dorm mate hit once again. Seamus had fought in the Battle of Hogwarts alongside Neville and Dean, who had refused to discuss the battle, revealing only that Seamus had been hit with a Killing Curse from Vincent Crabbe. The friends had been collectively dubbed the "Gryffindor Three" because someone had happened to snap a photograph of them leading the students into the battle with their wands drawn. The photograph had appeared in the Daily Prophet the next day and had circulated to almost every major wizarding newspaper around the world, becoming an icon of the final battle.

Gregory Goyle. Goyle had surprised everyone by insisting on fighting to defend Hogwarts against the Death Eaters, and had also been felled by Vincent Crabbe, his former best friend.

Blaise Zabini. The Head Boy had been the one to lead the Defence Association students to Professor McGonagall, insisting that those who were of age be allowed to fight. No one seemed to know exactly how Zabini had died, but it was presumed that he had killed the two Death Eaters who had been found near his body.

The other Order of Merlin recipients met Minister Diggory at the podium as they were called. Harry couldn't help a small feeling of pride as he listened to the Minster list the contributions of the Defence Association members he had trained. It was noted that Ginny Weasley, at sixteen years of age, was the youngest recipient in history. She received the Order of Merlin for her part in protecting Harry from Voldemort on the train at the end of his sixth year.

Finally, after Ron, Hermione, and Draco were each awarded an Order of Merlin for their part in conquering Voldemort, Harry was called to the podium. He forced himself to smile slightly and look at the audience as they applauded wildly, resisting a strong urge to bolt from the stage. The parents of Muggle-born students had been allowed on Hogwarts' grounds for this ceremony, and Harry's gaze rested for a moment on Mr. and Mrs. Granger. Hermione hadn't been exactly forthcoming about the war to her parents for fear that they wouldn't allow her to return to Hogwarts, and Harry noticed their expressions were somewhat bemused.

Fleur Delacour's shining hair caught Harry's attention and his heart warmed as he saw how her hand rested familiarly, almost protectively on Bill Weasley's back. Bill was leaning heavily on a cane; he had almost lost his left leg when he had led the assault that had liberated Gringotts from Death Eater control. Harry was looking forward to attending this generation's first Weasley wedding on Christmas Day, and sometimes couldn't help wondering if his two best friends would be following soon after.

Harry's eyes travelled down the row of Weasleys and widened as they fell on Remus and he realized the identity of the woman next to him. Petunia Dursley was clapping politely and Harry was shocked to see a look of pride in her eyes. Harry had not spoken to his aunt since his uncle's death and wondered at the transformation. He made a mental note to interrogate Remus about her as soon as he had the opportunity.

Finally the applause quieted and Harry pulled a small roll of parchment from his pocket. The speech Remus had helped him prepare had completely left his mind, so he was extremely glad that Remus had insisted he transcribe it.

He took a deep breath and began, his voice wavering only slightly as he read from the parchment. He greeted everyone, thanked the Minister for the award, and acknowledged by name those who had committed to defend him with the Trilixicis Charm, though he omitted details about the charm itself. It also seemed appropriate to thank Professors Dumbledore, Flitwick, and Snape for helping him to vanquish the Dark Lord, even though he hoped the specifics of what they had done for him would never be publicly known.

Harry paused and laid the parchment down on the podium, gazing over the audience for a long moment. For some reason his eyes rested on Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, both beaming up at him like proud parents, and their apparent confidence in him bolstered his courage.

"As much as I appreciate your acknowledgement of my part in this war, I don't think I'm being too modest when I say that I don't believe I am the true hero here today. This fate wasn't my choice - it chose me. I believe that the true heroes are the ones who chose to protect my life or to defend this school. Each of these other Order of Merlin recipients chose to risk their lives out of love for me and love for this school, some at great personal sacrifice. A few paid with their lives."

Harry's gaze drifted to Seamus's mother, whom he had spoken with earlier in the day. She was tearless and grim, and though her expression made Harry ache for her pain, it also strengthened his determination to finish his speech.

"I hope this monument will remind all future Hogwarts students of what was lost because of hate, and that it will encourage them to choose love and peace. I also hope that they will remember that anyone can make a difference, even a student."

Harry acknowledged his audience with a nod and hurried from the podium as they applauded him once again. He smiled at his four closest friends as he took his seat: two who had been with him from the beginning, one who had always been loyal to him, even when he didn't realize it, and one who had chosen friendship over family when it had really mattered. As Ginny squeezed his hand firmly and he turned to smile at her, it occurred to him that the hope conveyed by the spring-like weather had been perfectly appropriate to the ceremony.

THE END