Disclaimer: All characters belong to J.K. Rowling. I'm not make a cent off writing this.
SPOILER WARNING: This was written directly after the last event of Deathly Hallows (sans the Epilogue). If you haven't read it, and don't want to spoil certain things for yourself, please don't continue reading.
"That wand's more trouble than it's worth," said Harry. "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."
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows US Edition p. 749
Several of the portraits joined the laughter that was being shared with Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
"Yeah, I'll say!" said Ron.
Harry waved at Dumbledore's portrait and led the way out of the office. The busted gargoyle was still groaning as they walked on together in silence.
"I reckon I should go back down to the Great Hall," he stopped short of saying, 'I should get back with my family."
As if knowing his exact thoughts, Hermione linked her arm in his and Harry patted him on the shoulder. A grim expression set on his face as the adrenaline from the early battle and victory turned into a time of grieving and fatigue.
Harry followed the pair down despite an overwhelming hunger and urge to sleep; something or someone was calling to him, letting him know that he had unfinished business to attend to before he gave into his desires.
Sounds of joy, tears, and shout of victory reached their ears as they stepped off the grand staircase. Quickly, Harry took out his Cloak and swept out of view. He could reach his destination without the inevitable confrontations he'd face if he were still visible.
Muttering a quick goodbye, he watched as Ron and Hermione joined Ginny and her mother. They were now surrounded by Percy, Bill, Fleur, Arthur, Charlie, and George. Harry was tempted once again to go over and stand with them, to comfort Ginny, but he turned away. They needed to mourn as a family and he was looking for...something.
He continued on while watching the gathered families. The deceased were still being moved from sight. His heart tugged as the realization Tonks and Lupin were dead. While he'd known for hours that they had died, it now occurred to him that only he and Andromeda were around to care for Teddy now.
As Harry continued on, he realized what he'd come down to do: at the other end of the Hall, gathered around what could only be a dead loved, Narcissa Malfoy was kneeling. Lucius had one arm on her shoulder and another arm clutching firmly to Draco's robes. His eyes seemed to be wondering around the hall desperately looking for a sign that someone had noticed they were still there.
Harry quickened his pace. He tripped up on the ends of the Cloak, and frustrated, he tore it off and stowed it back into his pocket as he continued toward the Malfoys. Silence was washing over the hall as people began to watch him hurry along.
"What's up, Harry?" said Dean Thomas.
Ignoring him, Harry walked the remaining stretch until he was only a few feet from Narcissa. Lucius glared at him but remained silent. Draco fidgeted and turned to avoid Harry's eyes. Narcissa took no notice. She was hovering over one of the only bodies that still remained in the Great Hall.
Bellatrix Lestrange.
A deep-seated hatred burned within him, but it faded away almost as quickly as it had come. She was dead now. There was no point in being angry with her anymore.
Lucius cleared his throat in an attempt to capture his wife's attention. His eyes were darting across the hall, clearly wondering when someone would act against his family. However, everyone in the hall was now silently watching The-Boy-Who-Lived, waiting to see what he was going to do with the notorious Death Eater family.
It all went ignored as Narcissa continued to watch her unmoving sister. Harry peered over her shoulder to get a better look. Bellatrix's face still had a shocked look. Violet eyes were popping out from beneath her heavy lids, her mouth contorted in a cross between shock and anger.
Harry's brow creased. His side wasn't the only one facing casualties; even Bellatrix Lestrange had people who cared for her.
The crowd was watching silently, eagerly awaiting whatever Harry had to say, some with a kind of worrying desperation about them. He wanted to say he was sorry for her loss, something, but he couldn't find the right words. Instead, he chose what he'd wanted to say back in the forest.
"Thank you, Mrs. Malfoy." Sincerity rang from his voice. Narcissa started at being addressed and turned to face him. Soft murmurs began throughout the crowd, rumors and questions starting almost immediately, but were hushed as everyone wanted to hear the rest of the conversation.
"Sorry?" she whispered. Her face was a mess of emotion. The once haughty, superior look had disappeared. Harry watched a tear slide down her face that he didn't bother trying to hide.
Lucius was still glaring at Harry, but his nervousness at being surrounded by the enemy unarmed was clearly seen. Draco was watching the interaction between his mother and school rival in awe.
The obvious question was consuming everyone. Why was Harry Potter thanking Narcissa Malfoy, a known Death Eater, of all people?
"Thank you, for what you did in the forest." He watched her face scrunch up. "Who knows what would have happened if you told him I was still alive..." Harry trailed off, unsure of what else to say.
She stood up, her hand sliding away from her outstretched sister's, and faced him. "I didn't do it for you."
Harry nodded. He briefly glanced at Draco before turning back to Narcissa.
"In any event, I'm glad you care more about your family thanwhether Voldemort--" He furrowed his brows as most of the room gasped or shuddered. "--won the war. Whatever your intentions were... you saved my life."
The silence in the room changed. Where before the room had been anxious and eager for an explanation, it was now a stunned.
She was frowning. Why did she understand? Harry felt compelled to make her understand the importance of what she did.
"You lied to Voldemort. He asked you if I was alive, you asked me where Mal- where Draco was, and you told him I was dead." She stared at him. "You could feel my heart beating! In case you haven't noticed, dead people don't answer questions! I lived to make it to the castle – to outwit Voldemort – because of you!"
Lucius was looking at her with both eyebrows raised. Draco was looking back and forth between the pair with an uncertain look on his face.
"Thank you," he said, his voice pleading, trying to make her understand his need to make her aware of what she'd accomplished. She turned again to focus on her sister with a muttered, "You're welcome."
Finally, thought Harry.
Still, he felt there was something that still needed done.
"I'm, er, sorry about your sister." Narcissa turned her neck so fast to look at him he was sure she'd given herself whiplash.
"Why?" Her tone was demanding. Her grey eyes, another feature setting her apart from her sister, were filled with apprehension.
Probably wondering what I'm playing at... Harry shrugged, his thoughts confusing, wondering himself what he was saying. Suddenly, it made sense.
"Well, I know what it's like to lose a loved one, don't I? Not that I particularly cared for your sister or anything, given that she killed my godfather and tried to do me in, but you obviously care about her."
Someone in the crowd shouted, "Who'd love that!" among plenty of cheers and jeers. Harry glared around at everyone in the hall, whether he agreed or not, and silence fell.
She nodded slowly, too tired to counter his logic. "She wasn't always like this, you know. There was a time before the Dark L-" she stopped mid-sentence as she was interrupted by Harry.
"Voldemort," he said, encouraging her to do the same.
"There was a time before V-Voldemort where she was relatively sane. Andromeda would be able to tell you. They were once extremely close, much closer than we were, and we were close." Lucius made a hissing sound at the mention of her 'blood traitor' sister, but she didn't show that she'd heard.
"I- oh. Well, that explains a few things. Erm, maybe she should be moved?" Harry was now uncomfortable. Despite his need to thank her, he never intended to talk about her or her family. He was also pleasantly surprised to see that she was seemingly being polite and had used Voldemort's name.
"I can't," she sighed.
"Sorry? You can't?" Harry's confused expression was clear: he couldn't understand why she couldn't move her sister from the hall, perhaps bury her among her family.
Narcissa shook her head without saying anything. Harry looked down at Bellatrix once more, before making up his mind and walking around her. He took his wand and started to levitate her, before hurriedly setting her body back down. It was hard to move her away from the spot with her limp head hanging, mouth gaping, eyes staring at wide at him.
Stowing his wand back inside his robes, he bent down and carefully shut her mouth and eyelids. He also moved her extended arms to rest at her sides before carefully sliding his under hers and lifting her gently.
His mouth curved unintentionally, because he didn't really want to be the one doing this, but he couldn't leave her there. Even with everything she'd done, every crime she'd committed, he couldn't leave her body exposed. He figured most people were more decent than that, but she'd had a lot of enemies, and he wasn't going to chance it.
Another person had grabbed her legs, and looking up, Harry saw Neville.
"Let me help you, Harry." He too cringed unintentionally, a maddened look appearing on his features before sliding away. He started talking to her, "My parents never deserved what you did to them. Sirius Black didn't deserve what you did," he stopped and nodded to Harry, who was watching appreciatively. "You tortured me, my friends, and countless others. You're a monster."
The crowd roared as loudly as they had when she had fallen by Molly Weasley's hand.
They quieted at once seeing that he wasn't done. "But I forgive you." A sob escaped Narcissa. It was quite clear she wasn't sure how to handle everything that was happening. She'd wanted her family safe and it had happened – with the exception of Bellatrix. She couldn't understand how Longbottom was so quick to forgive. She'd never be able to respond that way.
"I forgive you, too, for Sirius and Dobby." Harry shifted her weight as he spoke. Narcissa watched as the two boys – no, the two men- began to carry her dead sister from the Hall.
"Why are you doing that?" Both of them stopped, stunned, and Harry said, "It's the right thing. It'd be easy to throw her aside and mock her in her death, but it wouldn't be right."
Ron clapped him on the back, as he had done earlier, and said, "That's just Harry and Neville. They're good guys," he focused in on Narcissa, "Thanks for saving my best mate. Don't know what we would have done if he was really dead." He didn't wait for a reply from her as he walked around and grabbed Bellatrix's back. "I forgive you too and you know what you did." They heard Hermione squeal from her spot standing next to the Weasleys.
"I don't reckon she'd appreciate this, of course. Us being a bunch of filthy blood traitors and you being who you are, Harry." Harry smiled at Ron as they continued to walk, followed by the Malfoys and every pair of eyes remaining in the hall.
Harry showed a knowing grin with Neville before saying, "We know."
They carried her body outside the Hall and gently set it down next to Voldemort's. Harry figured that was where she'd want to be and any other plans for her body would now have to be carried out by her remaining family. He turned to Narcissa and silently said, "You may not have lost your child, but your sister was not so lucky."
A quick pained expression flitted through her eyes before her face became impassive. She looked back at her sister once more and whispered a goodbye before latching her arms around her son. Harry caught Draco's eye, gave a simple nod, and turned to walk back with Neville and Ron. He could only hope the family would start fresh, perhaps with Narcissa going to her sister.
"Thank you." Harry turned once more and acknowledged her by saying 'You're Welcome' before continuing on.
He stopped at the doors of the Great Hall. Several heads had peeped out to see what was going on, including Ginny's and most of the Weasleys'. Harry shared a look with her, they'll be time to talk later, and she nodded knowingly.
He smiled at everyone looking at him before calling for Kreacher. The elf appeared by his side at waited for instruction. The elf nodded eagerly and popped out of sight again.
"Would you mind bringing me a sandwich? I'd really appreciate it." He saw Ron and Hermione shake their heads and he waved as he began his trek to Gryffindor tower. He couldn't believe it was all finally over. He'd have time to mourn those lost and celebrate with everyone later. Right now, he needed sleep before he passed out from exhaustion.
A brilliant smile lit his face as he climbed the tower stairs and entered his old dormitory. The Fat Lady hadn't even asked for a password, but had merely applauded him. He collapsed on his four-poster and closed his eyes.
Kreacher had appeared with his sandwich, placing it on his bedside table, before dismissing himself.
Everything was finally changing for the better. He reached his hand and traced his scar before lying quietly.
It was finally over.
A/N: There ya go. I wanted to do something between them, because I didn't feel it was covered well. This probably wouldn't happen, but then, that's why I wrote a fanfiction. I would have liked to see something like this.
R.I.P. Bellatrix - yeah, I'm insane. I feel bad that the psycho died.. lol.
For anyone who is waiting for a new chapter of Descending Darkness.. well, you might have to wait a bit. I'm thinking where to go with it and Deathly Hallows won't stop fucking with my mind.
Anyway, thanks for reading!