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Hermione was grimacing, but she did not speak up to object. Even she saw the necessity. "This makes me want him defeated even more," she declared. "This ends now."
"Yes," Tom said, "it does."
The group stood as one and prepared to do battle.
Tom had lifted the anti-Apparition ward for people who had been admitted to the castle, which enabled them to Disapparate and take strategic positions outside immediately. Attempting to keep their Disapparition as simultaneous as possible, the group of defenders disappeared from the great hall in a very loud pop—with a few scattered pops immediately before and after in the space of a second. They swirled into being outside the keep, surrounding Malfoy, Umbridge, Macnair, and the sly-faced elves in a ring.
Tom instantly cast a powerful shield to protect himself. "Malfoy," he called out, taunting. "We expected you, so thank you for obliging us! I have something you might find interesting." He tossed the disarmed Horcrux into the air and sent it flying toward Malfoy with a spell. It clattered to the ground and rolled before his feet.
Malfoy hissed in fury at the sight of the ruined goblet. "Half-blood barbarian," he snarled. "This is a heavy blow to me, and I won’t deny it—but you will be the fuel for my replacement!"
"Oh?" Tom said. "And how is that? You know I believe in meeting fire with fire, Malfoy—and you know what I mean by that, too. How do you plan to kill me?"
Malfoy bared his teeth, his red glass eye gleaming red from within. Hermione was quite a distance away, but she could still see it. It was horrifying. He does not have a real eye in that socket, but I still see red light when he is angry. That means that when Tom’s eyes do that, I am actually looking at a damaged edge of his soul, she thought. The idea was terribly sad and distracting, so she instantly pushed it out of her mind and gripped her wand tighter. The battle should begin any second now—
"I could kill your Mudblood instead," Malfoy mused. He turned to Hermione in a fraction of a second, still grinning that shark-like grin.
She reacted instantly. With a quick twist, she Disapparated to the other side of the battlefield. She was gone from the spot before the jet of lethal green light struck the stone that had been behind her, chipping it.
Tom gave a roar of outrage. With that, the battle was joined.
A pair of elves disappeared and then reappeared with pops behind Regulus, shouting invective at him for the collusion with Dobby. He was not quite fast enough. With malicious laughter, they snapped their fingers, sending him flying. He landed facedown with a terrible thud—and did not get up.
"Regulus!" exclaimed Sirius, rushing to his brother. He stooped to his knees and tried to heal his brother’s injuries, putting up a powerful shield charm.
Harry was concerned for Regulus, and he intuitively understood that there were enough defenders—despite the surprise of the house-elves—that not everyone had to be engaged in combat. That was a nasty fall that Regulus took, and it might be best to treat it as quickly as possible. Still, Sirius was almost undefended. Harry hurried to his side, keeping his wand drawn and eyes fixed on the battlefield.
Lady Umbridge was sending torture curses and cutting hexes at everyone in range. Her beady gaze darted frequently to Lucius, whom she apparently regarded as a traitor, but she also sent frequent hexes at Harry and Sirius. Some of them struck target.
Harry let out a yell and dropped his wand as his hand suddenly erupted in blood. Sirius grabbed the wand immediately and stood up, but another wizard rushed in front of him.
"I’ve got this, Padfoot," said Remus Lupin. He directed his wand at Umbridge and engaged her in magical combat immediately, allowing Sirius and Harry to rest and recoup their strength.
Across the field, Armand Malfoy was fighting Tom, Hermione, and Severus with a rapidity and ferocity that could only have come from consuming unicorn blood. He was also swearing fluently in his native tongue—which all of the combatants engaged with him understood. Tom’s normally pale face was vividly pink in fury at what Malfoy was calling him.
"Now you suffer the just fate of traitors!" shouted Lucius Malfoy, taking down Macnair. Tom, Hermione, and Severus heard his voice carried on the wind, but they had the presence of mind not to let themselves be distracted even as the fall of one more foe brought hope to their hearts.
A shout erupted across the battlefield as a team of Tom’s noble allies brought down the elves who had injured Regulus. The noise momentarily distracted Malfoy. Tom, Hermione, and Severus instantly had the same thought while Malfoy’s head was briefly turned. As one, they cast stupefaction curses at him.
In that moment, it seemed that everyone on the field had slowed their spellcasting. Armand Malfoy was stunned. His one human eye widened in shock. As if time itself had slowed down, he toppled backward, hitting the ground with a thud.
Tom grabbed his wand out of his aged hand and tossed it aside. Glaring furiously into Malfoy’s living eye, he forced his way into Malfoy’s mind. His face hardened and his eyes narrowed. Then a smirk bloomed across his face.
"You can do it, Hermione," he said to her. "The silver goblet was the only one." He backed away, keeping his own wand directed at Malfoy’s forehead in case the latter showed any sign of movement. Across the field, scattered groups were still fighting the elves, but the central focus was on the small group, the lords of Parselhall, who had taken Malfoy down.
Hermione unsheathed the Athame of Morgana and approached Malfoy. She breathed deeply and placed the edge of the blade against the side of his neck, where the blood vessels visibly pulsed. The prospect of doing this deed suddenly revolted her. It was one thing to use a magical spell such as the Killing Curse. That was bloodless and somewhat impersonal. This was deeply, violently personal, and Hermione found the idea appalling. Will I be able to do it? she thought. Will I? Or will I let someone else do it at last?
Malfoy could still move his eyes. He fixed his gaze on Hermione with utter hatred in his one living eye. Because of the spells, he was unable to speak.
Suddenly, Hermione felt a surge of the courage and resolve that she had been lacking. Was it the blade? The curse had not yet been lifted... or had it? Whatever it was, she suddenly realized that she could do this after all.
"You lie on this ground because of your own choices," Hermione said to him, her teeth clenched. "You are the one who chose to make war against this family for four years. You are the one who usurped power to yourself alone, antagonizing the Black family. You are the one who attempted to abolish English wizarding culture and make witches live like Muggle women by force. You are the one who then turned on your own family, ultimately driving them to join with us for the good of the magical population. Killing an enemy in battle is not what I ever wanted to be doing at age seventeen... but you have left me with no choice. Know that, now that the end has come for you."
Defiant to the last, Malfoy glared at her with his one eye as she drew blood.
She backed away to avoid the violent spatter, clutching the athame in hand, as he bled out his life. Tom stood up, placing a hand gently on her shoulder to support her.
Even dying, Malfoy was very magically powerful. He struggled, but at last, he threw off the stupefaction hexes just enough to speak.
"I deserved more," he retched—though only Tom, Severus, and Hermione could hear.
"Finally, we agree on something," Tom retorted. "Unfortunately, we have more important things to do."
In the final second, Malfoy glared back—but then his human eye became unfocused, and the red light behind the glass marble one faded.
Hermione turned to Lucius and Narcissa, who were staring at the proceedings with very mixed feelings on their faces, Lucius’s especially. He was visibly relieved that his grandfather was finally dead, but... Hermione was relatively sure he was not entirely happy that she had done it. Well, he will have to come to terms with it, she thought.
Narcissa whispered something to him, which jerked him out of his focused contemplation. "Elves!" Lucius commanded. "I am your master now, and I order you to stop fighting these people!"
The command worked. Across the open space, the elves who were still on their feet froze in their tracks and dropped any weapons that they were carrying. Several of them glared hatefully at Lucius, but Hermione—to her surprise—could not muster any sympathy for them.
"I must go inside the castle," Severus said to Tom and Hermione. "If all has gone as it should, Merope has awakened. I should be there—and so should the twins."
"Of course," Tom agreed.
Severus departed the battlefield, entering the castle through the gates. Tom took Hermione’s arm and made his way with her across the field, meeting with those who had taken injuries. The worst appeared to be Regulus Black’s. He still had not awakened by the time that Tom and Hermione reached him. Sirius and Harry were standing grimly over his form.
"He had a cracked skull," Sirius said, "and I was able to repair that, but...." He trailed off unhappily, gazing at his brother’s face.
Tom and Hermione could tell that Sirius was feeling regrets over issues that had little to do with Regulus’s injury and, very likely, everything to do with his own estrangement from the family and unnecessary antagonism toward his younger brother for years. But these matters could be resolved later. For now, Regulus’s health was more important.
"He should be carried inside immediately," Hermione told them. "There are all kinds of potions. He should be made to awaken as soon as possible, though, if he suffered a head injury. This is not good for him."
Sirius was visibly worried as he and Harry levitated Regulus inside. Hermione hoped that Merope was already awake and that Severus was seeing to her, but she also hoped that someone would provide the needed potions to Regulus. A concussion was a serious injury.
The Malfoys wanted to leave as quickly as possible and take Armand’s body with them, to which Tom had no objection. If they wanted to bury the body of someone who had drunk cursed potion all his life on their own grounds, that was their affair. Tom, for his part, had read enough about cursed earth in his studies of Celtic magic that he wanted the body off the grounds of Parselhall as quickly as possible. He would have burned it with swift dispatch if Lord Lucius—no, Lord Malfoy now—had not requested to take it to the tombs of Malfoy Manor with the family.
I suppose that despite all his evil acts, he was still their family, Tom mused as he and Hermione gathered the allies together to return inside. I doubt I will ever forgive him for what he did in his life, but I do understand loyalty to one’s family even if they do evil things.
They were at the gates of Parselhall’s keep now, at the head of the small army. He took Hermione by the hand and pulled her close, kissing her forehead and then her hand. He wanted to do more, but now was not the time, before all these people.
They took a deep breath and entered the castle, victors at last.
Merope was indeed awake. That was the first news that they heard from those who had remained inside the castle. She was not yet able to leave her bed—even though her stasis had not harmed her health, it had deprived her of several months of exercise, and her legs were weak—but she was awake, and Severus had brought the twins to her.
"That means that he has already told her about how the battle went," Tom said, vaguely disappointed.
"You wanted to do that?" Hermione asked him.
He sighed. "I... suppose he is the right person... but yes. I did." Aware that all the people who had come to Parselhall were in the great hall, Tom ascended the high seat of Parselhall—the last time I will do this for many years... I hope, he thought—and magnified the sound of his voice with his wand.
"My friends and loyal allies," he announced to them. "As we have all seen, the battle and war are over, and we are triumphant. I have learned that my lady mother has awakened at last from the vile curse that Malfoy put on her, and I must go to her—but I urge all of you to remain here or go to the grand banquet hall if you require food and drink."
"I have felt something different about this blade," Hermione remarked once they had closed the large doors behind them and were walking the halls.
Tom smiled. "That means that the curse is lifted! What is it like?"
"It’s powerful," she said. "I felt something begin on the battlefield, when we had Malfoy stunned on the ground. I wasn’t sure I could go through with it... and then, all of a sudden, I realized that I could." She frowned. "But how could that be the "Wisdom of the Ruler’?"
"A ruler must be able to administer justice," Tom said.
"That is true," she agreed.
They reached Merope’s room. The door was already open. Tom burst into a real smile as he met his mother’s eyes. They rushed into the room and got on their knees by her bedside.
"Severus told me what happened," Merope said, her smile weak but there. She was holding the two twins close, as though she never intended to let go of them again. "It is strange to me that the last thing I remember was being cursed by Lestrange... but it is over now, thanks to the two of you." She regarded Hermione fondly. "I am proud of you. You deserve everything that will come to you as a result of this."
"We’re going to reinstate the Wizengamot," Tom explained. "Repeal Malfoy’s laws. After that... we shall see if the wizarding nobles even want another high lord."
"Of course," she said.
"I admit," Tom said wryly, "a part of me hopes they do not. I am not sure they would be ready to choose... us... when we’re so young yet."
Merope laughed, though it was weak and hoarse. "You may be right for a different reason! After Malfoy’s "reign,’ what noble family would want to cede power again?" She smiled again, but it faded quickly. "I am sure there will be much that you will want to tell me of what happened while I was... asleep. Severus has hinted at some of the major details."
Tom instantly knew what she was talking about. He shot Snape a glare.
"The story of the war, as it relates to actions that the two of you took, is yours to tell," Merope said. "I explained to him that I wanted to hear it from you." She gazed at Tom’s eyes. "We all must make hard choices in difficult times."
Tom swallowed, nodding. He wondered if it really had been necessary for him to create a Horcrux. Yes, Malfoy had struck him with a Killing Curse after the battle of Castle l’Etrange, but perhaps he could have avoided that if he had been more careful and observant. Perhaps it had not been inevitable. Perhaps—but no, this was not productive. I will never know, he thought, and it does no good to speculate on what might have happened.
"Hermione was always by my side, and I by hers," Tom managed.
Merope looked satisfied. "Then it is as I hoped from the beginning."
The infants began squalling, so she held them close. "I will always regret that I missed any of their early days," she said unhappily.
"At least you did not miss as much as you might have," Severus said. "They will not have any missing memories of you."
"That is true," she conceded.
Tom and Hermione seemed to understand that Severus and Merope needed to catch up in private. They linked arms again and left the room, pulling the door closed, before descending the stairs to return to their many guests.
Regulus Black awakened that evening. He was disoriented and weak, but they all believed that he would recover in due time.
"I don’t intend to use Armand Malfoy’s method of healing my injury, to be sure!" he exclaimed to wide laughter. The Riddle-Snape family—now happily all present and reunited—sat at the head table in the dining hall with Lord and Lady Black, Regulus, Sirius, and their families. The rest of the guests occupied the other tables.
"I heard from Lucius—the new Lord Malfoy," Tom said, holding a letter. "He, Lady Narcissa, and Sir Percival Weasley are going to be here tomorrow to... negotiate."
Widespread jeers and boos echoed across the room. Tom put his hand up for silence. "All right, I understand, but let’s not do that. If not for Lord Malfoy’s family, we would have been unable to truly defeat the old lord today. The Weasleys have not fought with us, and I have no intention of rewarding them—especially the ones who entered such a foolish alliance—but neither did they actually fight against us. It is important to speak to them, since they have the ear of the Muggle king. We have a plan for countering that influence, though."
This statement was met with applause.
"In addition, the king has to either acknowledge a new High Lord of Wizards or dissolve the position. In the absence of a High Lord who can speak for the king in wizarding matters, he also must be the one to restore titles to any families who had those titles stripped by Armand Malfoy. If we reinstate our ancient governing body instead of having a High Lord, we will need his approval. We must deal with the Weasleys. I look forward to it," he concluded.
Hermione noticed a hint of malice in his words, which she knew was because of the fact that Tom intended to blackmail and extort them with their deal with the goblins, but she could not bring herself to care—either about that or much else, at least on this night.
The next day, Percy Weasley did appear at Parselhall with Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy. He was scowling bitterly—as well he should, Tom thought as he admitted the young knight. He and Hermione were still occupying the high seats, since Merope remained weak and tired. Tom found that he was not especially looking forward to the end of his regency. He felt guilty about it, since it had only happened because of his mother’s curse, but so it was. He and Hermione had assumed leadership in the war—they had, in that series of events, truly become adults, he realized—and it would be difficult to surrender it now. He was definitely intending to angle for seats on the restored Wizengamot for everyone in the Riddle-Snape family who wanted them. Hermione did, he knew—and she should have one. She was the slayer of Armand Malfoy, the breaker of the Curse of Mordred, and the symbolism of her being on the Wizengamot was too important for her not to have a place. Tom was not certain, though, if Severus and his mother actually did want seats. His mother had always been content to rule Hangleton....
Tom forced his thoughts to return to the present and the people who stood before him.
"Sir Percival," he said formally but coolly. "I am pleased to see you."
"Yes, my lord," Percy managed.
Tom briefly thought about offering a chair to Percy, but only briefly. "As you know, I summoned you here today to discuss the future of witches and wizards in Britain—particularly in England. Your family swore an alliance to the Malfoy family, but Lord Armand Malfoy is now dead, and the new lord supports the cause that my allies and I fought for: the reinstatement of the old Wizengamot and the restoration of prior law." He gazed hard at Percy. "It is in your family’s best interest that you remain loyal to the Malfoy family and therefore to us. We can protect you from the goblins."
Percy grimaced, and a slight, almost inaudible groan escaped his mouth. He quickly recovered himself and nodded to Tom. "Yes, my lord," he said. "That is very good of you."
Tom met eyes with Lucius, satisfied.
The guests kept arriving. The next one was Albus Dumbledore, who was eager to have official permission to change the policies Armand Malfoy had made that affected Hogwarts.
"Most especially the one that prevents witches and wizards of Muggle birth from attending," he said, his blue eyes gazing at Hermione as he spoke. "It is not as the Founders intended... at least, three of them."
"And the fourth was wrong," Tom said in a low voice.
Dumbledore studied him with interest. "Yes," he said.
"Slytherin was wrong about other things too," Tom said grudgingly. "He was wrong to befriend Armand Malfoy in order to have "revenge’ against Gryffindor."   He sipped a cup of wine. "I have been in discussions with the Blacks—and Lord Malfoy—about what should become of Gryffindor’s castle. I do not want to give it to James Potter. He did not fight with us, and he abandoned his wife."
"He opposed the Weasleys’ ill-considered alliance," Dumbledore reminded him.
"That may be," Tom said stubbornly, "but he did not fight with us."
"The new lord of Castle l’Etrange did not fight with you either," Dumbledore pointed out, "and you offered that lordship to him."
"He was in service to our allies the Blacks. James Potter was serving himself from the start. Even his opposition to the Weasleys’ alliance with Armand Malfoy was self-interested, since he wanted his son to marry their daughter. Making peace is one thing, but I don’t want to reward people who did not help us. I have discussed this with Lord and Lady Black, and I think that the castle should go to Sirius Black and his family. One of his children is probably going to wed one of ours someday, and another might end up being the heir of House Black, so he does not want to be separated from his family for the children to be raised noble. Having a castle where he was master would make it easier for him than having to live with his brother."
Dumbledore considered that. "That is a noble offer. I just hope that it does not create a rift in their friendship."
"That friendship is already riven due to James Potter’s own actions," Hermione cut in. "We had nothing to do with that. The castle of Gryffindor never belonged to the Potters—even when they were titled, they were knights in his service—and it is unfair to Sirius, who has been by our side throughout the war, to deny him a reward in order to placate a man who turned out his wife over a relationship that she had before they were married."
"It is none of my affair, of course," Dumbledore said. "I did not realize that the state of the friendship was that poor. I hope they can reconcile. I hope they can all reconcile."
Hermione was not sure if she hoped anything of the kind, at least unless James Potter humbled himself before Lily for his behavior. She had never met the man, but he seemed far too arrogant—and far too old to change his ways—for that to be likely. As she exchanged a quick glance with Tom, she realized that he felt the same.
This was to be a momentous day for most of the magical people of Britain. In most cases, it was because of the fact that someone—or several—in their family were leaving the following day for a grand castle in Scotland. Pupils were beginning a new year of instruction at Hogwarts. The war had been concluded in the summer, not interfering with the Hogwarts schedule after all. Today would be the last day that families would have to spend time with their children, at least until the Christmas-Yule intermission in the winter.