Sophia Holmes and the Search for Horcruxes (Harry Potter Fanfic) *Completed*

Chapter Thirty Three

A light breeze blows over the damaged grounds as we drift off into the Great Hall. By now, the news has spread and the Death Eaters have retreated, and yet the Hall is silent. Everyone has congregated in the Hall, huddled in small groups as they nurse their wounds. There are no tears, just quiet laughter and low conversation. I see Madame Pomfrey so she can heal my snakebite, but ask for her to leave the scar. I always keep something from my cases.

Once I'm done, I make my way past the different groups sharing their stories over goblets of something strong and over to the trio as they wait for me by the door.

When we're together, we silently head outside and through the courtyard onto the viaduct then sgop, looking back at the battered castle.

"Not exactly leaving the place better than we found it, are we?" Ron says.

"Can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs," Hermione replies, and Ron looks at her, confused. She shakes her head wearily and frowns. "Something my mum used to say."

"Why didn't it work for him?" I ask, watching Harry turn Voldemort's wand over in his hand. "The Elder wand."

"Because it answers to another," Harry replies.

I frown. "But I thought it belonged to Snape?"

"When he killed Snape, he thought the wand would become his. But the thing is ... it never belonged to Snape. It was Draco who disarmed Dumbledore that night on the Astronomy Tower. From that moment on, the wand answered to him. Until the other night..." he looks up. "... when I disarmed Draco."

"But that means..." Ron trails off and Harry nods.

"It answers to me."

"What do you reckon we should do with it?" Ron says, watching the wand.

"We?" Hermione repeats, pointedly.

"I'm just saying. That's the Elder Wand! It's the most powerful bloody wand in the world! With that, we could, we could -" Hermione raises her hand and Ron stops, seeing that her eyes are fixed on Harry, who is staring at the wand, his concentration total. She studies his face for a long moment, and then, as if coming to understand something, begins to nod.

Harry peers down at his hands, takes the ends of the wand and breaks it in two. Ron stares, stunned, but Hermione smiles. Harry, his face a mask, simply turns and pitches the pieces over the edge of the viaduct.

For a moment, we stand in silence. Finally, Harry glances off at the ruins of the castle, smoldering in the distance, then looks at me. "Well, it wasn't boring, was it?"

I smile back at him. It certainly wasn't.

"So what will you do now?" Hermione asks, reaching out to grab Ron's hand.

"Go home, I suppose," I reply with a shrug before looking knowingly at Harry. "I have a father to find."

"I thought you said he was dead?" Ron says.

"I thought he was," I admit. "Until I used the Resurrection Stone to say goodbye and he didn't turn up." I look over the viaduct at the expansive view. "He's out there somewhere. I think it’s about time he came back home."

Hermione nods understandingly. She's the only person who could understand. "If you need our help, you only need to ask."

I nod in response. "If someone could give me a lift back to London, that'd be great."

Harry laughs. "No apparation inside Hogwarts." I raise an eyebrow in light-hearted disbelief. At least something from Hogwarts: A History has sunken in. "But I suppose I can walk you to the borders."

"Thank you." I look back at Ron and Hermione as we start walking across the viaduct towards Hogsmeade. We've all changed so much over this last year and spending so much time together has made us close. It's going to be odd being apart again. But when you're close, nobody is every too far away.