Gringotts – Three Weeks Ago
"You have my attention", Harry said to his new guests.
Had it not been for Ragnok insisting on Gringotts' no fighting personality, Harry would have drawn his wand and cast every spell in his arsenal at one of, if not both, of the women in front of him. The deranged and murderous Death Eater, Bellatrix Lestrange, and her sister/Draco's mother, Narcissa Malfoy. Bellatrix had an expression of pure loathing when she gazed upon him and the goblins, but didn't appear murderous yet, while Narcissa seemed both exhausted and determined and possibly even desperate.
"Lord Potter, thank you for meeting with us.", Narcissa said like a perfect Pureblood as Bellatrix said nothing and kept glaring at him.
Remembering his political training from Daphne and Pansy, Harry said, "Lady Malfoy, Madam Lestrange, I must admit I certainly wasn't expecting the two of you. I sincerely hope the two of you are not here to kill me and if you are, I recommend we do this away from the bank to avoid unwanted casualties."
Narcissa raised her hands in peace, "We are not here to fight, Lord Potter, only to make you an offer. One that could greatly aid you in your fight against the Dark Lord."
Harry narrows his eyes, "With all due respect, Lady Malfoy, with your husband's death, your son's imprisonment, and your manor and fortune raided and stripped by the Ministry, I doubt you have seen or heard from Voldemort in recent months, let alone know any of his current plans."
If Narcissa was offended, she didn't show it, "You are correct, Lord Potter, the Dark Lord, has left me to my own devices for now and will likely kill me when the opportunity presents itself, along with my son. You misunderstand; however, it was not I who wanted to meet with you, but rather my sister here."
Harry couldn't keep the shock off his face as he turned to Bellatrix in disbelief, "You're the mystery client that Ragnok says can help me?"
Bellatrix sneered, "I'm not doing this for you, Potter, I'm doing this to help myself."
Harry raised an eyebrow, "Call me skeptical, but how and why would Voldemort's most powerful and loyal Death Eater betray him to his worst enemy?"
Bellatrix's hateful gaze softened, but not for him, "My daughter."
Harry blinked dumbfounded, "What?"
Bellatrix growled, "My daughter, I'm pregnant with Voldemort's daughter."
Harry was speechless, "Bullshit."
Lestrange was about to rant, but Narcissa cut in, "It is not a lie, my lord, we've confirmed it with a Mediwitch, my sister is indeed pregnant with the Dark Lord's daughter."
The young Potter had seen and heard many impossible things over the last five years, but Voldemort reproducing…not bloody likely.
Harry leaned back with eyes full of doubt, "As much as I'm repulsed to even consider this…affair, why are you here instead of celebrating?"
Bellatrix went rigid as her expression darkened, "Because he'll kill my child again."
His eyes went wide, not at Riddle committing such an act multiple times, but rather why his own child, "What are you talking about?"
Narcissa spoke as Bellatrix went ominously silent, "Since you have been destroying the Dark Lord's horcruxes-."
Harry interrupted her, shocked, "You know about Voldemort's horcruxes!?"
The Lady Malfoy rolled her eyes, "You really think that I would allow mysteriously powerful dark objects given to my husband, sister, and cousin by You-Know-Who and not research to ensure my family's safety? Unlike my sisters, I spent years combing through the Black Library, learning as much magical knowledge as possible, including the admittedly few texts about Horcruxes. I thought very little about that particular piece of information until Regulus came to me a few years later asking questions."
"That's how he knew the locket was a Horcrux!", Harry said in realization.
Narcissa nodded, "After Regulus had been killed trying to destroy it, I kept the secret for my own safety, even from Lucius and Bella, despite having one in my home. I was finally able to convince Lucius to part with it when the Ministry raids occurred in between your first two years at Hogwarts."
Harry nodded and let her continue her story, "As I said before, since you've been destroying his horcruxes based on his current physical state, I assume you know that his ultimate goal has been to become immortal. What you do not know, is that Voldemort has also sought to prolong his life through other means, delving deep into dark magic and rituals from across the world. Most turned out to be dead ends, but there was one ritual, a buried secret from China almost two thousand years ago, one that was erased by its creators because it was so dark."
A chill went down Harry's spine as Narcissa spoke, "The blood ritual is rather fairly simple, though incredibly painful and potentially even fatal, the person in question transfers their soul into the living body of another, preferably someone younger. The horrible part of the ritual…is that you must take the body of someone you share blood with. The wizards and witches in China killed their own family members in masse to achieve immortality, their country was nearly destroyed until the remaining leadership buried all records of the ritual and it was lost to time until a young Tom Riddle traveled the world to learn dark magic."
Harry closed his eyes, realizing the implications, "Since Voldemort had begun successfully creating Horcruxes as a teenager, he likely had no intention of ever using this ritual, not with the risks involved. I'm guessing, though, that wasn't always the case?"
Bellatrix stiffened and gazed at the floor as Narcissa nodded, "During the first war, after the Dark Lord had learned that he had gotten Bella pregnant, he decided to let the child be born and attempt the ritual after he had learned of the prophecy. Only the most trusted of the Inner Circle was present, it seemed to be working despite the screams coming from the newborn boy, but then, something went wrong, the boy's body rejected his soul, and the ritual ended. The boy…died rather painfully."
Harry could barely hear Bellatrix whisper, "Arcturus…his name was Arcturus."
Narcissa eyed her sister before finishing the tale, "You know the rest, Voldemort finished creating his Horcruxes and tried to kill you that night along with your parents, but although his body was destroyed, he lived until his resurrection almost a year ago."
Harry was silent again for a minute or two until he addressed Bellatrix, "I know that your devotion to the Dark Lord has always been absolute, but I'm honestly a little shocked you let him get away with such an act, let alone get pregnant again."
Bellatrix gained a wistful look and said, "He is-was my master, the epitome of power and ambition and would bring about the Pureblood culture and magical traditions I've dedicated my life towards just as the rest of my family did. He was my everything, far better than my raping husband and his brother who forced themselves on me. I considered it a necessary sacrifice at the time."
Narcissa scoffed, "It was also what drove you mad, Bella."
Bellatrix hissed, "Don't tell the Half-Blood that!"
Harry's patience was growing thin, "Enough! I don't care about your madness, I already know you're a piece of garbage. I'm assuming you…got pregnant again a few months after escaping Azkaban?"
Bellatrix nodded and rubbed her barely noticeable baby bump and said, "The Dark Lord was stressed and, of course, I offered myself as his most loyal servant. Then, I found out about the article you had published and the truth about him."
Narcissa interjected again, "She was ranting it was all lies, until I finally snapped her out of her delusions and told her the truth. It's also when she found out she was pregnant again. With the majority of his Horcruxes destroyed and his weakened state, as well as his Death Eaters getting put six feet under by you and Minister Bones, we know he will be desperate enough to try the ritual again."
Hary leaned back and asked the one unanswered question, "Why do you think this time would be any different from the first ritual?"
"I have speculated that the first ritual was a failure due to the Dark Lord already having his soul fractured thanks to the Horcruxes. There is still no guarantee that it would work even if you destroyed all of them, but…", Narcissa trailed off.
Bellatrix spoke up, "But I refuse to give up another child, especially now that I know he is nothing but a fraud."
Harry eyed the two women with narrowed eyes, "What are you offering?"
Bellatrix curled her lips in disgust as Narcissa spoke, "We can provide you and the Minister the inner workings of the Death Eater network, both domestic and abroad. Believe me when I say that there are a few sympathizers to the Dark Lord's cause, trying to spread his influence, and the IWC will be very interested them. We can also lead you to the final two Horcruxes, we can even give you one today to destroy as a show of good faith. Helga Hufflepuff's cup, that is here in Gringotts in the Lestrange vault."
"WHAT!? You brought an unsanctioned dark artifact into my bank!?", shouted King Ragnok, causing Harry to jump slightly as he forgot that the two goblins were still in the room.
Narcissa just waived him off, "You're more than free to raid the Lestrange vault and keep everything as recompense, goblin, minus the Horcrux."
Before a fight could break out, Harry interrupted, "Alright, that's enough. Even if I were to consider this, I know you two want something, so spit it out."
Narcissa eyed her sister, who was glaring at nothing in particular, before she spoke, "I only want one thing, my son released from Azkaban and the two of us will leave Britain with a small sum of money. As for Bella, we understand that she cannot be allowed to roam free and with her past, she'll be given the Dementor's kiss. All she asks is that her child be allowed to live."
Ragnok decided to speak up again, "Lord Potter, as Lord Black and Lord Slytherin, the girl's future lies solely in your hands with her parents dead."
Harry leaned back, fully digesting everything he has just been told, and never has he felt the weight of such a decision is adventurous life before. Despite Bellatrix being one of the vilest human beings on Earth, and still not remorseful despite coming here, he believed she was telling the truth. Harry knew he was taking a massive risk should he accept, but it could also be the edge he needed to end this war before it even began. Salazar had told him that before this was over, he would be forced to compromise his values to win against Voldemort, but he never imagined it would come to this.
The young lord then thought back to that last warning that Death had given him back in limbo, about keeping his enemies closer, and Harry couldn't help but wonder if the omnipotent being was referring to this moment.
Finally, his thoughts turned toward the unborn child, he would not kill the girl as he was not Voldemort, nor could he let the girl grow up without supervision, especially if her true identity was ever discovered. Sighing deeply, he comes to a conclusion he hopes he can live with.
Looking at both women, Hary commanded, "This is what will happen, after Voldemort is dead and the Death Eaters are gone for good, Narcissa will turn Bellatrix in after she gives birth in exchange for releasing Draco. Narcissa, you and your son will be exiled from Britain and his magic will be sealed, you can take a small amount of money with you to start over. Bellatrix, you will be executed, but I will take your daughter in and raise her as a Black. Only we, your trusted Mediwitch and my wives will know of her true origins."
The women looked shocked as Narcissa bowed deeply, "Thank you, Lord Potter, we will contact you again in secret when we have news."
Bellatrix, still refusing to thank Harry verbally, merely bowed slowly to convey her thanks, despite looking disgusted having to do it said, "I'll give the cup to the goblins to destroy the Horcrux inside."
Harry nodded, "Good, now to cement this alliance firmly, I will require an Unbreakable vow from you, Bellatrix."
Bellatrix looked outraged, but Narcissa merely silenced her with a look as the blonde took out her wand to perform the oath binding spell. Harry was internally surprised Narcissa was so agreeable to all this, but considering she was getting Draco back, he understood. Never let it be said that Narcissa Malfoy didn't love her son, it's why he didn't need a vow from her.
Harry and Bellatrix joined hands as Narcissa spoke, "Do you, Bellatrix Lestrange, swear loyalty to Harry Potter and his cause?"
Bellatrix looked like she swallowed a lemon, "I swear."
Narcisa turned toward Harry, "Do you, Harry Potter, swear to raise Bellatrix's daughter as your ward upon her death?"
Harry nodded firmly, "I swear."
Narcissa turned to her sister again, "Do you, Bellatrix Lestrange, swear to renounce your loyalty to Tom Riddle, also known as Lord Voldemort, despite that death is assured for both him and yourself?"
The elder black sister looked hesitant for a few moments, before lowering her gaze and whispering so low, she was barely heard.
"…I swear."
Voldemort was still in disbelief as he stared at his ever loyal and most powerful Death Eater, Bellatrix, who had just destroyed his final Horcrux as she looked back at him with cold indifference. Potter, meanwhile, was grinning like a cheshire cat as he gazed down at his mortal enemy's kneeling form after the Dark Lord fell to one knee breathing hard.
Harry tilted his head with a smirk, "What's wrong, Tom? You look like you just your soul ripped out by angry ex-girlfriend…oh wait."
Voldemort gained enough strength to snap, "WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS, BELLATRIX!? You dare to betray me!?"
Bellatrix growled in contempt, "You need to ask that!? I dedicated my life to you, because I believed in you, in your power and goals for a Pureblood society. I even gave the life of my child to you! Now, I discover you are merely a Half-Blood pretender, and you ask why!?"
Voldemort glared menacingly despite his weakened state, "So that's how Potter managed to destroy the Horcrux in your vault, you gave it to him willingly."
Harry nodded with a grin, "She did indeed, Tommy, and she assured me your last Horcrux would be brought here and destroyed. I kind of want to kick myself for not realizing it was your pet snake, but oh well. Bellatrix, is this the last of his forces?"
Bellatrix bristled at his command but replied, "Everyone not here or at Hogwarts are at our headquarters where Cissy is waiting."
Harry nodded, "Good, get rid of these guards and go back and kill them. You and your sister will then go to Malfoy Manor and will remain there until you know."
Bellatrix, for the first time since their partnership started, regained her manic smile, "Of course, Lord Black, they'll scream for days before they drop."
The crazed Death Eater laughed and jumped for joy as she rushed toward the guards before anyone could react. Voldemort attempted to stop her, but Harry flicked his wand and created an ice wall to separate himself, Voldemort, and Dumbledore from the massacre. That didn't stop the three of them from hearing the screams, causing Harry to almost feel bad for the wankers.
Riddle returned his glare back to Harry, "How?"
Harry shrugged and smiled, "Let's just say someone important told me to keep my friends close, but my enemies closer. How fortunate for me you're a cruel madman, even toward your own supporters."
Dumbledore finally regained his composure and said, "It's over, Tom, your army is destroyed, the government and people of Wizarding Britain are no longer frightened of you, and your Horcruxes are destroyed. Your days of rule are at an end."
Voldemort gazed at the two in contempt, "You think I need any of that to defeat the two of you? To achieve my goals? I began with nothing and almost conquered the country in less than a decade. I shall start over once I have finally disposed of the two of you."
Harry finally took an offensive stance, "You're welcome to try, Tom."
Albus stepped in front of Harry first, "Harry, I will go first, but I will not likely last long, it will be up to you to finish this."
Harry wanted to protest but nodded as Voldemort sneered and said, "How noble, until the end."
As Voldemort raised his wand, the air seemed to hum with an ominous energy. Shadows gathered around him like living creatures ready to strike. Dumbledore, with a calm determination etched into his every movement, summoned a shield of golden light that shimmered like the dawn. The two forces clashed, sending waves of raw magic rippling through the room, shaking walls and splintering stone.
Harry watched, gripping his wand tighter, the weight of destiny pressing down on him like a physical burden. Every strike Dumbledore made seemed to chip away at Voldemort's patience, yet the Dark Lord countered with savage precision, as if feeding on his own hatred to fuel his power.
"You'll regret standing against me!" Voldemort hissed, unleashing a torrent of fire serpents that twisted and roared toward Dumbledore. But the old wizard, with his unmatched elegance, dissolved them into harmless sparks with a flick of his wrist.
Harry knew Dumbledore's strength was waning; the elder wizard's breaths grew heavier, his movements slower, yet his resolve never faltered. Taking a deep breath, Harry stepped forward, summoning a gale of icy wind that interwove with Dumbledore's magic. Together, their combined spells forced Voldemort to retreat a step—a rare sight—for the Dark Lord never yielded ground easily.
"Your arrogance blinds you, Tom," Dumbledore said, his voice unwavering even amidst the chaos. "But Harry is not the same boy you underestimated years ago. This time, you face something far greater."
Harry seized the moment, firing a blinding arc of silver light straight at Voldemort. The spell struck his shield, cracking it like fragile glass. For the first time, Voldemort's expression faltered, and Harry saw the flicker of unease behind his serpentine eyes.
"Is this the best you can do?" Voldemort spat, his voice dripping with venom. But Harry only smiled—a quiet, confident smile—as he prepared the spells that would bring their duel to its climactic end.
Voldemort, regaining his composure, let out a chilling laugh that echoed through the shattered room. His wand flared with dark energy as he launched a streak of emerald lightning directly toward Dumbledore. The elder wizard raised his golden shield once more, but Voldemort's spell pierced through its weakening glow, striking him with devastating force. Dumbledore staggered backward, collapsing to one knee, his breathing labored and his face pale.
Harry felt a surge of fury and desperation. "No!" he shouted, stepping forward as Voldemort turned his attention fully onto him, his serpentine eyes gleaming with triumph. The room seemed to darken around them, the air thick with the weight of their impending battle.
"You should have fled when you had the chance, boy," Voldemort hissed, his wand aimed at Harry like a poised dagger.
Harry didn't respond with words. Instead, he summoned a burst of power, hurling a spell that collided with Voldemort's defenses, scattering sparks and shaking the foundations of the Atrium. The duel began in earnest—raw magic erupted between them, lighting the space with flashes of brilliance and shadow as spells ricocheted off walls and pillars.
In the chaos, Harry spotted one of the grand statues towering above them, an ancient depiction of a warrior with a sword and shield fighting a dragon. Inspiration struck like lightning, and with a swift incantation, he cried, "Draconifors!"
The statue shuddered and groaned under the spell, its stone form glowing and reshaping itself with a deafening roar. In moments, it transformed into a small dragon, its scales shimmering like molten gold.
The dragon lunged at Voldemort, its fiery breath scorching the air. Voldemort snarled, quickly conjuring a barrier to deflect the flames, then countered with a spell that struck the dragon in its chest. With a mournful screech, the creature collapsed, its body crumbling back into lifeless stone.
Harry gripped his wand tighter, refusing to yield to despair. The duel resumed with even greater ferocity. Magic surged between them in waves, each spell more deadly and precise than the last. Harry's determination burned brighter with every strike, and though Voldemort's power was immense, Harry felt the strength of everything he was fighting for—his friends, his loved ones, the very future of the wizarding world—guiding his hand and fueling his resolve.
As their battle raged on, the room bore the marks of their fury: shattered stone, scorched walls, and an air filled with the echoes of spells and the clashing of wills. Harry knew the end of this fight would come soon, but whether it would be his victory or his downfall remained to be seen.
Eventually, both withdrew temporarily and panted heavily as exhaustion settled in. The duel was a perfect dance of Harry's youth, strength, and power against Voldemort's experience and arsenal of spells. Finally, the two knew they had to end this battle now, especially Voldemort whose body was growing weaker, so they raised their wands to cast one final spell each. Harry knew he needed something powerful to finish this, a spell of his own creation that wouldn't be possible to use without the Elder Wand.
"Avada Kadavra!"
"Viresco!"
Voldemort's wand unleashed its usual streak of green, while Harry's unleashed a bright streak of gold as the two spells clashed. The struggle between the two spells was intense as the ground beneath them cracked, but suddenly, Harry's spell began to grow stronger as Riddle's killing curse grew weaker. Voldemort could barely react before Harry's spell erupted in a golden flash of light and hit him, obliterating his wand and much of his arm. The impact also sent him flying back as almost bone in his body was broken, his lung punctured, and his face swollen with cuts bruises.
An exhausted Harry limped toward his downed foe and smirked, "Wow, Tom…you look even uglier than you did before, and that's saying a lot."
Voldemort was barely conscious as he glared up at his nemesis, "What…was...?"
Harry smiled as he began dragging Voldemort away and explained, "The Viresco curse, a spell of my own creation, I designed it to absorb the power of any spell sent toward me and send a powerful blast back toward my opponent. It's far too dangerous to use in a spar or duel, both for me and the person it's meant for, but I have no feelings of guilt for you. It's over, Tom, as much as I would love to let you bleed out, I'm taking no chances."
Harry kept dragging the Dark Lord into an adjacent corridor that led into the mostly abandoned part of the Department of Mysteries, and Voldemort paled further when he realized where they were. Potter had brought them into the chamber that contained the Veil, a gateway between the land of the living and the dead and once a person steps in, there is no escape. Harry had just enough strength in his legs to drop Voldemort in front of the Veil, before kneeling next to Tom.
Riddle spat blood at him, "You think this will stop me, Potter!? I am Lord Voldemort! I am immortal! Not even Death himself could stop me from ruling forever!"
Harry smiled, "I'm glad you think that, Tom, because I've actually met Death and he is very angry with you. I wouldn't hope for a peaceful afterlife if I were you."
Voldemort kept cursing at him until Harry regained enough strength and lifted his nemesis one last time, "I just want you know, Tom, that outside of a single page in the history textbook at Hogwarts, I'm going to erase every single aspect of your life from society. No more Pureblood mania, no more dark wizards carrying on your legacy, no more dark lords rising to power. You are nothing and you will remain nothing! Goodbye, Riddle, this is for my parents."
With all his remaining energy, despite his arch enemy thrashing and yelling, Harry threw Voldemort into the Veil, and he had never felt more satisfaction than watching the cause of all the wrong in his life disappear into nothingness. After about a minute, his mind realizing that Tom was finally dead, Harry gently limped back toward the Atrium to check on Dumbledore.
After a couple of minutes, Harry had finally got back to where the battle had taken place and Harry grimaced as to how much of the Ministry he had destroyed, he knew Amelia would be barking mad. He finally managed to get to the old man and his eyes widened at the sight of his former headmaster; he was bleeding from different puncture wounds across his torso and a lot of his body had severe burn marks.
"We need to get you to St. Mungo's, Albus. They might be able to save you.", Harry said somberly.
Dumbledore waived him off, "I told you before, Harry, this is all meant to be. I'm merely glad that I held on long enough to know that the wizarding world is safe and in good hands. Harry…don't lose…your way, look after them…all of them. They can be a great people…they just need a better man to lead them. Good luck, Harry…I'm sorry for everything…"
The familiar twinkle in the old man's eye dimmed and his aged body slumped, signaling that Albus Dumbledore was finally gone. Unlike with Voldemort, Harry didn't get any satisfaction looking down at the dead wizard, Harry may always hate the old professor for the rest of his life, but now, he all he could do was mourn the man who he once admired like no other. Harry just sighed and closed Albus' eyes and leaned against a pillar to rest. Harry didn't really know what his life and his family's life would be now that Voldemort and Dumbledore were finally dead, but he did know one thing.
He was finally free.