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Harry Potter and the Ultimate Love	By : Christina_Potter_09 Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Harry/Hermione Views: 6805 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 16
- 17
- 18
- CHAPTER SEVENTEEN –
- The Final Horcruxes -
Hermione took a deep breath as the couple flooed back in their house, Harry was still holding her as she clutched her chest with her free hand. Harry looked at his wife in concern as she glanced at him before she could try to take another breath, the clutch on her chest becoming stronger.

‘I’m fine,’ Hermione only whispered as Harry sighed and helped her on a chair the moment Luna and Ron got in the kitchen, Luna rushed close to her friend and then close to a cupboard of the kitchen, she took out a vial and opened it before she could handle it to Harry.

‘Slowly,’ Harry said as he helped his wife with the recovery potion, she was still under treatment and they weren’t sure about the side effects of the potion she had consumed in the cave. After a few moments of Hermione gasping, she finally took a deep breath and sent a reassuring thought through the bond she shared with her husband. Ron and Luna sighed in relief as their friend seemed better.

‘How did it go?’ Ron asked and Harry nodded his head.

‘We’re back, accepted,’ Harry said and Ron nodded in understanding. ‘Anything new here?’ Harry asked and Ron shook his head. Harry looked at Hermione who was finally ok and she smiled at him.

It’s time for us to go to Dumbledore.

The soonest. Harry sent and Hermione nodded and stood up with a little effort.

‘Luna, please take care of the kids, don’t tell Lily we returned and left again,’ Hermione said and Luna smiled and nodded her head.

‘Where are you going?’ Ron asked and Harry this time replied.

‘Hogwarts, we need to have a word with Dumbledore the soonest possible.’ Harry said and his redhead mate nodded his head too. There were not many things to be said, they needed to move quickly now that the prophesy was right and known by both sides.

Harry hugged his wife tightly and apparated away.

The next moment they were right outside the Hogwarts grounds after all those months ever since the hunt and their fight with Bellatrix. They were shocked to see that whatever had been touched by the shield they had created was still pretty much burnt as nature had achieved little to recover the deeply burnt ground of the shield’s path.

The couple in silence got inside the grounds and moved straight to the building, there were some students close to Hagrid, examining unicorns and the couple was certain they were all terrified to be out there when the war was raging on. Hagrid saw his old friends and waved his hand once but then focused back on the students so they could finish the soonest. Harry remembered the afternoon he had visited Hagrid and the half-giant had told him about what he thought of him and Hermione, he smiled at the innocence and happiness he had felt back then when the war was over and it seemed that they were done fighting Voldemort and his followers, he had been mistaken.

The couple moved through the corridors they knew so well in their seven years as students and they finally reached the Headmistress’ office. They weren’t sure about the password but you didn’t have to a Ravenclaw to guess it.

‘Quidditch Cup,’ Hermione tried and the huge statue before the two Aurors started moving on its own, revealing the stairs. Harry smiled as another memory rushed back in his head with Hermione finding out the password years back.

Harry knocked on the door of the office and soon Minerva’s voice was heard in a reply. The coupled opened the door and got inside, Minerva was already standing with a small smile on her face. She looked at the couple and gestured for them to come closer. The couple did and soon the stern headmistress was hugging first Harry and then Hermione tightly. The couple was taken aback by the sudden gesture of affection but they smiled at Minerva who seemed obviously relieved to see them both alive if not completely healthy.

‘This potion can take your breath away at times, right, Mrs. Potter?’ Albus Dumbledore’s voice was heard and the couple looked at the portrait of the late headmaster. Hermione nodded her head in confirmation and Harry spoke.

‘We’re here for you, professor.’ Harry said as the couple and the headmistress sat down. The Headmaster smiled and nodded his head. ‘We destroyed the first Horcrux, we believe there are two more but we have no idea where to search next…’

Dumbledore’s figure remained still for awhile, and then sighed and spoke looking between his two favorite students.

‘Years ago, when you became a couple, you visited Sirius’ vault,’ Dumbledore started and the Potters glanced at each other and nodded at their professor, not sure what he wanted out of this. ‘There were three boxes there, two for you and one for Andromeda,’ Dumbledore went on and the couple nodded again. ‘ According our theory of Bellatrix having made her Horcruxes by killing her relatives, we have already a Horcrux destroyed, the mask was probably made by Sirius’ murder, after that, Bellatrix killed Nymphadora, and now Arthur, if we’re not lucky, she has killed Draco Malfoy before Arthur.’

‘So the question is, what Horcrux she made by killing Tonks,’ Hermione exclaimed and Dumbledore smiled at his old student as if she had figured out the answer in a class question.

‘And I think I know the answer to that, my dear Hermione,’ the figure said and the couple looked at him intrigued. ‘The box sent to Andromeda was made by my dear friend Minerva here, for Andromeda to keep, inside there were some stuffs of Remus and Nymphadora’s, one of them was Nymphadora’s ring, given by Remus. I’m almost sure that Bellatrix would separate her soul in an item expected to be buried with its owner. I don’t think Bella thought of someone taking off the ring from a dead woman, if the Horcrux was buried and forgotten, under the protection of a tomb and its location here in Hogwarts, she’d always be content knowing that a part of her soul is secured six feet under.’ Dumbledore said and the couple nodded their heads as their minds raced.

‘Now there is also the possibility of Bella wanting to make sure, and that’s why she attacked Meda’s house the night Arthur was killed, but either way, she didn’t reach the ring that Andromeda kept hidden for all those years so I’m sure you could go and find it, as far as I know, the Order has members taking care of Andromeda’s deserted house, right?’ he asked and Harry, as the leader of the organization nodded his head in confirmation.

‘We need to go back to Kensington and search Andromeda’s house, we need to talk to her first, learn where the box with the ring is, I can’t believe we actually had the box in our hands once,’ Harry said and Hermione nodded her head as they could remember the day they returned from Gringorts with the three boxes in their hands.

Harry looked closer and was almost shocked to notice that there were a few words on the boxes. Harry checked the first box with the phrase To Andromeda. The second box had the To Harry James Potter and Hermione Jane Granger phrase and the third box had The last enemy shall be destroyed is Death phrase on it.

‘All this is good, but even like that, even if the ring is simply at Andromeda’s house, we need one more Horcrux to destroy, how can we know about that? If it’s upon Draco’s death, we can’t possibly know what object she used, if it’s Arthur, the same stands in this case…’ Hermione said and stopped Harry’s hot-tempered action of almost running to Andromeda’s. Dumbledore’s figure nodded his head in thought and finally spoke.

‘In both cases, Bellatrix wanting it or not, is related to Draco and to Arthur… so the Horcrux will probably have to do with them as family members, or …’ Dumbledore’s figure paused for a moment and the couple didn’t waste time.

‘Or, professor?’ Harry urged on and the late headmaster pinned him with his eyes like he used to do, when alive.

‘What was Voldemort’s lethal mistake Harry?’ Dumbledore answered with a question and Harry looked at the portrait in wonder.

‘He thought as the Master of Death the wrong person,’ Harry answered and at the same time his eyes widened in shock as the truth was revealed before him. ‘She took Draco because he was the previous Master, it’s symbolic, she wants to kill all the masters before she can take over, you’re obviously dead, then it was Draco and then Hermione and myself!’ Harry said and he realized he had shot up from his chair the moment he stopped talking.

‘Bellatrix took Draco for his wand to be her last Horcrux too, he was useless for information to her as he would die if he dared to speak a secret of the department but he was the previous master.’ Hermione added for her husband as the epiphany went on. ‘But that means that he’s probably already…’ Hermione didn’t dare to finish her words.

‘Dead? Not necessarily,’ Dumbledore’s portrait talked with its turn and the couple looked at it again. ‘If Bellatrix was taught one lesson from the second war that was death is not always the end… something Tom Riddle himself never grasped in his head. There are chances of Draco being alive, we have his finger and his ear, she threatened to keep sending pieces, but she never sent more and she never sent a vital organ like the heart which for purebloods, is the most important organ as it pumps the pure blood around the body. She’s sinister, she could have killed Ginerva and her daughters as for her, they’re all blood traitors but instead, Bellatrix only took Draco. There are chances for him to be alive.’ Dumbledore said and the couple nodded.

‘That’s all good but where the Horcrux can be located?’ Minerva talked this time and the couple and the figure looked at her.

‘Another trap,’ Harry whispered and Hermione read his thoughts through the bond.

‘The Malfoy Manor, we know she’s probably hiding there but we didn’t manage to get through the spells and wards that are protecting it, just like she didn’t make it to get through Grimmauld with her army.’ Hermione said and Harry nodded and took a deep breath.

‘We need a plan, we need to take the last Horcrux from there.’ Harry said and looked at Hermione, their bond working as the perfect match. The decision was made; they were going voluntarily in Bella’s arms.

‘Be careful,’ Dumbledore said as the Keeper and the Leader of the Order moved close to the floo and rushed away in a burst of flames.

‘This time I will be there,’ Ron demanded and his best friends sighed in defeat as the redhead man didn’t take no as an answer.

‘It would be our relief if you staye-‘

‘It will be my relief, Harry, when I will be there with you, I stood back when you first asked me and I was rewarded by you returning in a mash of blood, pain and Infery injures. This time I will be there with you.’ Ron interrupted his best friend and Harry sighed as he looked at Hermione for support, this time, she gave none.

‘Let him come with us, he’s stubborn and we’re exhausted.’ Hermione only said and both men looked at her in surprise.

‘Thank you…’ Ron said in an obvious tone and Hermione just waved her hand, Harry knew what she was planning. She was right.

‘Ron, you’ll come with us for the ring,’ Harry said and Ron smiled brightly. ‘But then you’ll stay here while we’ll step in the Malfoy Manor and you won’t object this because someone needs to have our children under his protection,’ Harry went on and the previously cheerful face of his mate for more than fifteen years turned into an angry frown.

‘What?!’ Ron actually screamed and Hermione waved her wand for the kitchen door to close so her friend’s screams wouldn’t be heard.

‘We’ll plan an accident of misguided spying and she’ll capture us, she’s desperate since we destroyed the mask and she will be furious with the ring taken too. She will take us down for sure, it’s the only way for us to get inside the Malfoy manor and try to have Draco’s wand in our hands, and if we’re lucky enough, to find and rescue Draco.’ Harry said and Ron shook his head and moved away from his friends as he started pacing.

‘No no no, this is not right, you can’t just step in that bloody place, we all were there the last time, and the results were awful, you were tortured and Dobby came out dead.’ Ron said and Harry sighed and this time Hermione took over.

‘We’re Aurors, Ron, not those miserable, starved teenagers who lived in that tent for so long, we’re halfway to take her down and soon the odds will be with us. We can’t miss this chance, if you can’t think it like that, think of your sister who’s just a couple of steps from insanity.’ Hermione said and this time Ron looked at her and then at Harry.

‘I can’t believe this time you’re leaving me out,’ Ron said and Harry sighed and shook his head.

‘You need to understand that we had our reasons when we wanted you and Luna as Godparents to our children… we trust you, Ron, to keep them safe, and if something goes way too wrong and we… don’t make it, we trust you to keep up for them. Even if one of us dies, the other is doomed to die too, we explained how the Bond is working and you’re the only one we trust to keep up, so we’re not leaving you out, we actually bring you in,’ Harry tried and this time Ron sighed and muttered a small cursing word.

‘Fine! But when you come back you won’t do that to me ever again!,’ Ron said, Harry and Hermione smiled and nodded their heads.

The muggle neighborhood was really quiet when the trio got there. They looked around, all under camouflage spells, and moved inside the house where Arthur Weasley had fallen dead a few months back. Andromeda had told them where to search for the ring and the three friends did as they were told. They rushed upstairs and got inside Andromeda’s chamber, they opened the wardrobe that now was almost empty of clothes as the middle Black sister had rushed to leave the house with her grandson. Harry Lumosed the place and pointed his wand inside.

In the back of the wardrobe there was that same small box he once had taken from Sirius’ vault, all those years back. He took it the moment Hermione took her husband’s wand so she could keep the light. Harry opened the box and looked inside.

There were various little things, just like with the box given to Harry by Sirius. There was a moving photo of the Marauders, with James and Sirius elbowing Remus and Pettigrew standing close by. There were a few letters addressed either for Tonks or Remus, there was a small necklace with a waning moon held by a small chain and finally, a small bag of satin. Harry took the small bag in his hand and immediately felt the negative vibes from the object.

The trio looked at each other pointedly and after a moment more they apparated away.

The moment they were back in Grimmauld’s kitchen they could hear everyone from outside but only Andromeda was inside the room.

‘I can’t believe she used my dead child’s ring to store her soul,’ Andromeda said and Harry didn’t know what to say. ‘All those years that I felt the darkness, I thought it was because of Nymphadora’s murder… I never imagined my sister’s black soul was inside…’ Andromeda’s voice died down as she covered her mouth with her hand. Hermione rushed close to the elder woman and hugged her in comfort. Harry decided to get over with it and asked of Ron to take Andromeda out, only he and Hermione with the Elder wand should be inside. Their own bond protected them from the black magic of the Horcrux, or so they hoped.

When the door was closed and the couple of the Masters of Death were left alone, Harry took the ring out of the small bag and left it on the table. It didn’t move on the surface, instead, it fell on the tabletop with a heavy sound as if it weighed way more than a normal ring would. Harry and Hermione stood before the end of the table with the ring right in front of them. Harry took out of his pocket the Elder Wand and pointed it on the ring the moment Hermione snaked her own arm around her husband’s until her hand closed around his fist.

A bright beam was sent by the Elder Wand straight to the ring that provoked a dull sound and then a bright light. After that, Harry and Hermione were before the black smoke that once was part of Bellatrix’s soul. The smoke remained in the air for a few moments and then rushed close to the couple with the intertwined arms. Both Harry and Hermione’s bodies jerked in the force but held their arms together.

Flashes of Cho trying to kiss Harry, months back right before the attack in Andromeda’s house, Draco being abducted, Ginny out of her mind because of the loss of her father and husband, Hermione’s father being tortured the night the new Dark Mark showed up for the first time, Luna losing her child, Arthur dying, Hermione drinking the awful potion in the cave as she screamed and begged to be killed. Hermione injured and almost dead on their bed, Harry splinched after their apparition that night close to Voldemort’s house with Hermione trying to save his life. All the images flashed inside their Bond and caused them mental pain as the black smoke washed over their already exhausted bodies in waves of torture.

They held on to each other until Hermione screamed in agony and the couple felt another wave of pain that started from their hearts and pushed out of their system the black smoke that withdrew its power until it was out of their bodies and right before them once again. The Potters pointed the Elder Wand and another beam was sent at the black smoke and it burst into nothingness as a sinister scream of furry echoed through the room and the entire house, causing all the windows of the kitchen to shatter and the entire house to shake for a few moments.

After that moment that felt like playing before them in slow motion, both Harry and Hermione felt their knees going weak and they both fell down, their arms intertwined pushing one another on the marbled floor. The door opened with a thud and everyone rushed close to the couple who was gasping for breath after the mental and physical torture. They knew it was their Bond that saved them and pushed out the spirit of the Horcrux. They knew they had to get through this once again…

‘Lets start,’ Hermione whispered as they looked at the old manor from afar, Harry nodded his head and took out his wand. It was a day after the destruction of the ring and the Potters couldn’t wait to get inside Bella’s headquarters, their plan seemed flawless but if it was proven otherwise… they didn’t want to think about the possibility. Before Harry could cast the spell, he smiled at Hermione and stole a kiss from her lips.

‘I love you,’ he whispered and Hermione smiled at him as they remained hidden.

‘I love you too, Harry, always,’ she whispered and Harry smiled.

‘And forever…’ he added and Hermione grinned before he could raise the fake wand and miscast the Inflamare that they supposedly would use for a small fire as they spied out of the manor.

The trick worked and soon many apparition sounds were heard and hooded people captured the couple that brought no resistance as the Neo Death Eaters disarmed them.

They were taken inside the manor and Harry could feel the fear in Hermione’s fear as they got in the place she had been tortured and they were about to encounter her torturer and the murderer of so many people they cared about.

‘Potters! Welcome, welcome!’ Bellatrix’s hysteric voice was heard as the couple was brought before her in a big room of the manor. The couple immediately spotted the two wands in the Death Eater’s hands and Bellatrix spoke as she noticed.

‘You think I don’t know your plan of bluffing?’ Bellatrix asked but the couple remained silent, infuriating her. ‘I’m a woman of tradition, and when I have you here, in my brother-in-law’s house, I want to keep traditions,’ Bellatrix said and smiled sinisterly at Hermione. ‘Take him in the dungeons, let the Mudblood here, we have a lot to say.’ Bella said, expecting the Potters to start screaming and protesting for the separation and Hermione’s fate. However, the couple didn’t utter a word, they just stared into each other’s eyes for a moment and then Harry was forced to move with his guards.

Buy some time.

Find Draco.

Harry was taken downstairs and from the moment he was away from Bellatrix’s sight his eyes started scanning the place. They reached the dungeons he once was in with Ron, Luna and Olivander. The guards opened one of them and forced him inside. Harry remained still for a moment and then a violent shiver ran down his spine as he felt the cold trail only one creature could leave at its wake. Out of the dungeon, a dementor patrolled the cages. Harry tried to keep his mind clear as he thought of his children and wife in instinct, as to keep away the feeling of cold and despair.

‘Scarhead? Is that you?’ a rough voice was heard and Harry’s head snapped at the direction of the sound, in a corner of the cage, there was a very tortured and exhausted Draco Malfoy. Harry rushed close to the man whose once silver-blonde hair now couldn’t be recognized because of the dirt and blood covering them.

‘Draco… you’re alive,’ Harry whispered in enormous relief as the man before him, even in that awful state was functioning.

‘Please tell me that you’re not all captured, tell me that my children and Gin are OK,’ Draco begged as his full of dirt and blood hands clutched on Harry’s robes.

‘She’s fine, and the girls, in Grimmauld, for months now, we’re not captured, Hermione and I are trying to destroy Bellatrix’s Horcruxes…’ Harry tried to explain but Draco’s eyes widened. ‘Long story, in short, we need to rush before she starts the Cruciatus on Hermione,’ Harry said and this time he felt the panic feeling his own heart as he felt Hermione’s own fear, maybe she wouldn’t be able to keep Bella for long. ‘Can you stand?’ he asked and Draco nodded but frowned in pain the moment Harry tried to make him stand.

Harry took out his actual wands and with a Reducto, the door of the cage was turned into pieces. The dementor tried to attack but Harry’s Patronus was formed in a heartbeat and the silver stag advanced on the awful creature. Harry helped Draco and the two men started running out of the dungeons. Harry gave Draco his Phoenix wand as a weapon and kept the Elder Wand, for an instant, the fact of both of them being at least once the Masters of the powerful weapon flashed inside his head.

‘You know the house, how can we reach the-‘ Harry’s words were died down as he screamed in pain the same moment Hermione’s screams of agony were heard. Draco looked at the raven haired man in wonder as he couldn’t understand why he felt the pain his wife felt but they didn’t have time for explanations.

Harry felt his heart breaking as he heard Hermione screaming again while he shut her out of the Bond, it was their deal, someone had to risk Bella’s furry and someone had to find Draco. He heard his wife screaming again and again but he couldn’t feel the pain as the bond was shut down and Hermione was on her own. Harry still out of breath nodded at Draco and the two men kept running through the dark place where Draco was leading them through old, secret passages and doors.

‘We need to take back your wand, it’s our only chance to take her down,’ Harry said to Draco as they stopped before a rocky wall as Hermione’s screams were heard again, her full of pain hollers causing Harry to lose focus momentary as his other half was under such pain. He could remember how Voldemort was getting in and out of his mind the last time he was in that place and he tried to do the same now, shut down everything as to save her. Draco nodded his head and tapped the Phoenix wand’s tip on the wall three times, and then the rocky wall moved slightly on the left.

‘Accio Wand!’ Draco said as clearly as he could and his wand flew from Bellatrix’s hand to his the moment the two men burst in the room where Bellatrix was torturing Hermione with both wands. The Death Eater screamed in pure furry as she turned around and looked at the two men. She screamed something about them being supposedly disarmed but she wasted no time as she pointed her wand at Hermione who had the little strength to raise a shield before her.

‘Expeliamus!’ Harry screamed but Bella ducked and avoided the spell.

‘Avada Kedavra!’ Draco this time screamed but Bellatrix raised a shield of her own this time. Harry and Hermione locked gazes for a moment and opened their bond as Hermione’s tearful eyes filled with hope at the sight of her husband and friend. Draco and Bellatrix dulled in furry as the blond man covered Harry so he could reach his wife. The moment the two held hands Harry felt his own energy being transferred to his other half and Hermione gasped as if she had suddenly breathed in air that was blocked so far. She stood up on her own and before the army that was heard approaching could reach the chamber, Harry and Hermione rushed close to Draco and the three people apparated with the last Horcrux in Draco’s hand, leaving Bellatrix screaming in range.

The moment they apparated back in Grimmauld, Ginny’s scream was heard before the three people could even realize where they had apparated themselves. Harry felt Hermione loosing the energy she had felt moments before and with her he felt the same but he held her in his arms’ protection as Ginny, who was in the living room of Grimmauld with her mother and sister-in-laws stood up, looked at her tormented husband for a few moments and then rushed to his arms as Draco hugged her back tightly. The two kissed and caressed each other and Draco only moaned when Ginny’s hand touched his cut and semi-healed ear.

Ginny’s eyes were full of tears as she finally had her husband back and Draco could only breath in relief a last time before he could collapse before his wife, causing the couple to kneel down. Luna and Fleur with Molly snapped out of their stupor and ran for the kitchen as Andromeda and Narcissa moved down the stairs. Andromeda moved in the kitchen as to bring something for the Potters while Narcissa hugged her semi-fainted son along his wife.

Harry and Hermione looked at each other in exhaustion as they shared a small kiss right before Andromeda could move close to them with strength potions for both. In the older woman’s eyes there was only one question.

‘The Horcrux is here, we’ll fight her as equals.’ Harry answered the unspoken question before he could look at his wife again.

They knew the time was approaching, he had fulfilled his destiny before with the first prophesy; now the time had come for him and Hermione to fulfill the second prophesy, or die trying…
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Harry Potter and the Ultimate Love