Someome suggested it, so I thought.. why not?
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINE: 𝐖𝐀𝐑 𝐈𝐒 𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑
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I looked around, a tired smile on my face as I saw everyone. They were all injured, but they're all alive.. it was a huge relief for me. For once, I didn't think of myself as a failure. I've managed to make myself proud for the first time.
I walked over to my friends who were reconciling from what happened, some of them were crying in joy. I felt my chest go heavy for a second, but I shrugged it off because I was eager to go to my friends.
Every step I took, my body felt heavier, and it felt cold. Every step I took, I couldn't ignore the buzzing sound in my ears. Every step I took, I couldn't ignore the numb feeling in my body.
I took a deep breath, adjusting my breathing pattern while I walked closer. Once Harry noticed me, the others did too as they looked at me with wide smiles on their faces.
I grinned at them too, walking a bit faster with all of my might.
I was almost in their arms, until my body couldn't take it anymore. I almost fell on the floor, but George was able to catch me as I laid on his chest.
"Love?" George cradled my head while I smiled at him, I could feel his hands on my head.
I could hear their heavy breaths, anticipating the next thing that would happen, the smiles on their faces were all gone.
"I'm fine.." I breathed out with a smile. "I'm just.. a little tired."
"Take your time, love. Catch your breath.. we're right here." George whispered, resting his lips against my forehead, I only heard his heartbeat, not being able to hear my friends' cries.
I averted my gaze and saw Harry's worried eyes. This made me smile a bit.
Harry was the first one I saw in the Wizarding World.. and he'll also be the last.
My eyes grew tired.. and so did my heart.
"Nicolette! C'mon, this isn't funny anymore!"
I opened my eyes, feeling the hardness on my back as I winced, slightly sitting up to relieve my aching back.
Though I was surprised when I saw who was in front of me.
"Dude, what the hell happened to you?!" Cam pulled me up from my laying position as I tried to register everything that happened.
What the hell happened?
"Cam? What the- what happened to me?" I frowned, looking around and realized I was on the road in front of the baywalk.
"I was supposed to pick you up, but Auntie Harriet told me she woke up and you were gone so I thought I should find you here, you're not even answering my calls! What the hell happened to you? You're literally passed out on the sidewalk earlier, you're lucky there were no officers roaming around right now." Cam raised an eyebrow.
"I dunno..?" I said quietly, still thinking about what could've happened.
I remembered walking out of the house, but I don't remember passing out.
"My God, don't tell me you've been using drugs- I swear I'm gonna be so disappointed-"
"Hey, I don't do drugs!" I protested, feeling a sudden headache form.
"Whatever, let's just get you home before someone catches us outside." Cam rolled her eyes, then looping her arm around me.
"What about Michael and the others?" I asked.
"Girl, you act like you haven't seen them since ten years ago." Cam snorted. "They're still at home, I heard Maya's mom has the symptoms, so Maya had to be quarantined in her room too. Then Rory.. still
grounded from the Julie situation."
"That sucks.. Rory would be with us right now if Julie wasn't being a bitch." I mumbled. "I swear I feel like something happened but I can't remember!"
"Probably stress, don't worry, I'm stressed out too now that we're not allowed to surf anymore." Cam sighed as we walked.
"Oh, I bet without Covid we're still not gonna be able to surf, especially because Julie's dad is friends with the coaches." I scoffed, wanting to walk over to Julie's house and slam her head against the wall.
"Well did you hear about Julie's new clique? Andre told me that Lou told him that she heard from someone that Julie's hanging out with these new girls from a prestigious school in Los Angeles, they're probably related to the coaches too." Cam whispered even though no one could hear us.
"She didn't." I gaped at her but Cam only nodded.
"It's not just that!" Cam lifted a finger up tensely, before she grabbed her phone and scrolled through it. "That little bitch has the nerve.. to unfriend us on Facebook!"
I scoffed when I saw Cam, Michael, Maya, Rory, and I were no longer at Julie's friend list.
"She wouldn't have survived high school without us. We're better off and happier without her anyways!" I scoffed with a small smirk.
"You bet!" Cam winked at me and then looped her arms around me. "Though we have to make sure we get into the team next year once the virus is gone."
"Heck, Julie's gonna break a limb if I found out she's done something to sabotage us." I pursed my lips. "Why is everything about money these days?"
"We all know Julie's just all money and talk, everything inside her blonde hair covered head is just air." Cam rolled her eyes.
We continued to walk until we reached the house, thankfully, Mom didn't scold me for leaving.
The next hour arrived and Michael did too, entering the house with a loud voice.
"I'M HERE BITCHES!" Michael sauntered over to us, raising the bag of chips he brought and placed it in front of the sofa.
"Don't stand in front of the TV, your face makes me uninterested to watch." I motioned for Michael to walk away.
Michael raised an eyebrow at me and Cam only shrugged.
"She's been like that for hours, it's probably the surfing sickness." Cam said, sharing a look with Michael.
"Then I'm glad Julie's not here anymore or else she's gonna feel even more bitchy today." Michael snorted, earning a glare from me.
"Hey, Mike? Shut the fuck up." I scoffed, leaning back on the sofa.
"You know what will make you feel better? KARAOKE!" Michael cheered, jumping on the sofa which made my heachache worsen.
"Oh my God, yes! It's been a while since we had a karaoke night!" Cam gasped, then she jumped on the sofa too.
"I swear I'll push you two off my bed and I don't care if your heads will crack open." I groaned as I massaged my temples when another headache formed.
"Very violent, Coley!"
My eyes shot open and I looked at the two, a tinge of familiarity rushing through me. "What did you just say?"
"I said, you're very violent! Geez, I don't know what happened yesterday but you've gotten more weird! It's like you watched Endgame again." Cam rolled her eyes.
"Oh, I definitely didn't forget when you ignored us for a whole day when Tony Stark died so you can sulk!" Michael burst into laughter.
"Can you two leave now? I'd like to get a moment of peace." I deadpanned.
"No can do, baby girl! We're not leaving until your mood is as high as Julie's fake hair!" Michael exclaimed, pulling me up as Cam cheered, beginning to set up the karaoke in the TV.
A few moments later..
"B-B-BABY C'MON OVER I DON'T CARE IF PEOPLE FIND OUT!" The three of us sang louder in chorus, we didn't even need to look at the TV to read the lyrics.
"DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA!"
"They say that we're no good together and it's never gonna work out!" I sang, screaming into the mic.
I don't care if we're loud, I hope we're loud enough to smash Mrs. Goodman's window to pieces.
"But baby, YOUUUU! You got me moving too fast!" Michael danced.
"'Cause I, know you wanna be bad!" Cam followed.
"And girl, when you're like that! I can't hold back!" I added.
"CAUSE YOU, YOU'VE GOT THIS SPELL ON ME! I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO BELIEVE! KISS YOU ONCE NOW I CAN'T LEAVE!" We screamed into our microphones.
"Nicolette Serpenai Cullen! Think about the neighbors!" We heard Mom yell from upstairs.
Michael, Cam, and I looked at each other, before shrugging.
"CAUSE EVERYTHING YOU DO IS MAGIC! BUT EVERYTHING YOU DO IS MAAAGIC!" We continued singing with silly grins.
Harry looked around the people he fought with, a relieved feeling in his chest that he hadn't felt since lots of years ago.
They won the war, they were able to save lots of lives though they still lost some lives.
But Harry felt relieved.. he felt the accomplishment he has ever wanted to feel.
Fred, Tonks, Remus, Colin, Lavender, and everyone else were badly injured, but they lived. Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy were nowhere to be found, but he was glad Draco Malfoy showed a last minute reconciliation with him by giving him a look he could understand; "It's all up to you, Potter." His sudden death was sad. Sure, Harry despised him for years, but he was yet another victim of the war, and he didn't deserve to die. Draco shielding him from his own psychotic aunt's killing curse meant a lot to him, and now he knew he'll always owe Draco Malfoy.
The other Slytherins were somehow fighting alongside him too, much to his surprise. Daphne Greengrass was crushed under the wall of the castle, as brutal as it sounds. Theodore Nott was murdered in the hands of his own kind, the very same Death Eaters he was branded with. Blaise Zabini stood among the survivors, seemingly lost with the countless deaths of his peers.
Relieved yet still exhausted, Harry looked for the only people he wanted to see at the moment, and he saw them sitting just by the entrance of the Great Hall.
"It's me," he muttered, crouching down between them. "Will you come with me?"
They stood up at once, and together he, Ron and Hermione left the Great Hall.
Somewhere in the distance they could hear Peeves zooming through the corridors singing a victory song of his own composition:
"We did it, we bashed them, wee Potter's the one, And Voldy's gone moldy, so now let's have fun!" Peeves sang happily.
"Really gives a feeling for the scope and tragedy of the thing, doesn't it?" said Ron, pushing open a door to let Harry and Hermione through.
Since he had last seen it, the gargoyle guarding the entrance to the headmaster's study had been knocked aside; it stood lopsided, looking a little punch-drunk, and Harry wondered whether it would be able to distinguish passwords anymore.
"Can we go up?" he asked the gargoyle.
"Feel free," groaned the statue.
They clambered over him and onto the spiral stone staircase that moved slowly upward like an escalator. Harry pushed open the door at the top.
He had one, brief glimpse of the stone Pensieve on the desk where he had left it, and then an earsplitting noise made him cry out, thinking of curses and returning Death Eaters and the rebirth of Voldemort.
But it was applause. All around the walls, the headmasters and headmistresses of Hogwarts were giving him a standing ovation; they waved their hats and in some cases their wigs, they reached through their frames to grip each other's hands; they danced up and down on their chairs in which they have been painted: Dilys Derwent sobbed unashamedly; Dexter Fortescue was waving his ear-trumpet; and Phineas Niggelus called, in his high, reedy voice, "And let it be noted that Slytherin House played its part! Let our contribution not be forgotten!"
But Harry had eyes only for the man who stood in the largest portrait directly behind the headmaster's chair. Tears were sliding down from behind the half-moon spectacles into the long silver beard, and the pride and the gratitude emanating from him filled Harry with the same balm as phoenix song.
At last, Harry held up his hands, and the portraits fell respectfully silent, beaming and mopping their eyes and waiting eagerly for him to speak. He directed his words at Dumbledore, however, and chose them with enormous care. Exhausted and bleary-eyed though he was, he must make one last effort, seeking one last piece of advice.
"The thing that was hidden in the Snitch," he began, "I dropped it in the forest. I don't know exactly where, but I'm not going to go looking for it again. Do you agree?"
"My dear boy, I do," Dumbledore spoke wistfully while his fellow pictures looked confused and curious. "A wise and courageous decision, but no less than I would have expected of you. Does anyone know else know where it fell?"
"No one," Harry spoke, and Dumbledore nodded his satisfaction.
"I'm going to keep Ignotus's present, though," Harry said and Dumbledore beamed.
"But of course, Harry, it is yours forever, until you pass it on!"
"And then there's this."
Harry held up the Elder Wand, and Ron and Hermione looked at it with a reverence that, even in his befuddled and sleep-deprived state, Harry did not like to see.
"I don't want it." Harry shook his head.
"What?" Ron exclaimed loudly. "Are you mental?"
"I know it's powerful," Harry replied wearily. "But I was happier with mine. So..."
He rummaged in the pouch hung around his neck, and pulled out the two halves of holly still just connected by the finest threat of phoenix feather. Hermione had said that they could not be repaired, that the damage was too severe. All he knew was that if this did not work, nothing would.
He laid the broken wand upon the headmaster's desk, touched it with the very tip of the Elder Wand, and said, "Reparo."
As his wand resealed, red sparks flew out of its end. Harry knew that he had succeeded. He picked up the holly and phoenix wand and felt a sudden warmth in his fingers, as though wand and hand were rejoicing at their reunion.
"I'm putting the Elder Wand," he told Dumbledore.
Dumbledore, who was watching him with enormous affection and admiration, "back where it came from. 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."
Dumbledore nodded. They smiled at each other.
"Are you sure?" Ron asked. There was the faintest trace of longing in his voice as he looked at the Elder Wand.
"I think Harry's right," Hermione quipped quietly.
"That wand's more trouble than it's worth." Harry said. And quite honestly," he turned away from the painted portraits, thinking now only of the four-poster bed lying waiting for him in Gryffindor Tower, and wondering whether Kreacher might bring him a sandwich there, "I've had enough trouble for a lifetime."
"So what now?" Ron asked, eyeing the wand which was returned back to its box on Dumbledore's past table.
"We'll continue living. That's what's left to do anyways." Harry said, giving them a relieved look.
The three of them grew up and faced the horrible reality of the war, but they were still kids at the end of the day. They still have lots of things to do.
"Why.. do I feel like we forgot something?" Hermione narrowed her eyes, looking at the empty space in front of her for a second, trying to recall something.
"You always do, Hermione. Honestly, relax for a minute, we just won the bloody war." Ron nudged the girl, though this time it was with an affectionate look Harry has never seen before.
They were going to continue their lives now, and Harry's making sure that scar of his will never hurt again.. well at least until another decade.