mother of wands (d.m) part two

XXIV

I awake on a beach, my hands digging into the sand under my body as the sky spins above me.

I feel someone touching my arm but it's only a slight pressure, I hear my name being called and a small cry but it's difficult to make anything out.

My cheeks are squished together and a warm liquid is poured down my throat. I cough as it burns, sitting upright and hacking blood into my hands.

I snap back to reality as whatever Hermione gave me starts to take, Athena's tear stained face in front of me.

I heave again, but thankfully this time it's dry. Ron rubs my back comfortingly, one hand on me and other wrapped tightly around Hermione.

Athena leaps forward into my arms, sobbing into my shoulder. "Oh Everett, I'm so sorry. I should have stopped her."

I shake the thoughts from the Manor out of my mind, my eyes wandering down to my now healed fore arm. My stomach turns as I stare at the blankness, the branding to the dark lord gone.

Athena continues to whisper in my ear while I watch Hermione's spell do it's work, my skin tightening over the wound. My red muscles disappearing and being replaced by my pale pink flesh.

Suddenly, there's a whimper from Harry as he stands, a pile of wands at his feet. "Hermione, Everett! You're both safe... It's alright. We're all safe."

He joins in on the group hug we've created, his arms draping over Athena and myself. I breathe deeply, resting my head in his shoulder with a new sense of trust between us. We sniffle as we realize we all survived but our attention is shifted by a small voice.

"Harry... Potter..."

Dobby, another Malfoy house elf I was aquatinted with, stands a few feet in front of us, his tiny hands wrapped around a knife protruding from his chest.

The same knife of Bellatrix's that had just been in my arm.

Harry stands quickly, followed by Athena as they rush to his side, catching him as he falls. He takes the knife out, placing it next to the them, the blood staining the damp sand.

"Hold on... Hold on okay?" He whispers nervously. "We'll fix you, Hermione will have something in her bag..."

He turns back to us, his eyes swelling with tears. I feel Hermione shift next to me, her shoulders shrugging as she tries to speak, nothing comes out.

"Hermione?" He asks, but he already knows she used whatever she had left on me.

I lower my eyes shamefully, guilt washing over my entire body. Athena lays herself on Harry's back, her hair flowing in the light breeze over his jacket.

As much as I'm sure he wants to, he can't look back at the house elf in his hands, his eyes glued to the three of us.

"Come on... Help me!" He shouts, this time far more desperate.

Dobby's head lifts slightly. "Such a beautiful place, to be with friends. Dobby is happy to be with his friend, Harry Potter."

Athena and Harry begin to cry, their tears falling onto the small grey tunic Dobby wears. My teeth start to chatter as I feel overwhelmed with sadness, my mind only starting to process everything that just happened.

His tiny body goes white and rigid in Harry's arms, Hermione and Ron choking up beside me as Harry looks longingly to the sky as if to say, "How could you do this to someone so innocent."

Luna emerges from behind us, sitting herself on Harry's right. Her mouth is pursed but she doesn't cry, she feels the pain but knows this is how life goes.

"We should close his eyes, don't you think?" She says tenderly, her warm nature calming Harry as he nods.

She reaches over and lightly lowers his lids, "There. Now he could be sleeping."

Harry shakes, his body fighting back the sobs as Athena and Luna both hold tightly to him.

"We should bury him..." Another voice calls from behind us.

I whip around to find Dean Thomas, a Gryffindor boy, standing with Griphook. If he was with us now he must have been locked in the Manor cellar with Luna.

Another thing Draco had failed to tell me about, of course.

My attention is averted back as Harry stands, curling Dobby's lifeless body into his chest. He looks to Ron, who nods and joins him.

We all follow as they make their way up a small hill over looking the sea, a small cottage not far in the distance.

Harry kneels down and begins digging a grave with his hands, pushing the mushy sand away until there's a divet.

He rests Dobby's tiny body in the hole, covering him up as he whispers. I can make out what he's saying, a ringing in my ears blocking out most noise.

Luna finds a stone and props it up like a grave as Dobby disappears into the ground. Everyone cries but I can't bring myself to tears, the feeling of shock still overwhelming me.

Instead, I watch as Harry grabs a familiar wand and carves into the stone. 'Here lies Dobby, a free elf."

The others begin to crowd around Harry, offering little things to the grave, herbs and small stones, but I can't take my eyes of the 10' inch hawthorn wand in Harry's hand.

And if Harry acquired this the way I think he did...

He was now the rightful owner of the Elder Wand.

****