Endgame

Chapter 75

"Power is neither good nor evil, but it's user makes it so."

-Erin Hunter

***
Hallie's trip to the pensive was more than morbid. She had told Fred and George to keep fighting the evil that refused to give up, and decided to take this walk alone. Whatever the truth was, Hallie did not want to burden their minds with whatever she was going to see. As she made her way into Dumbledore's office, which had once been so bright and happy, she walked over to the table she had sat at so many times. Hallie lifted off the lid of the pensive and withdrew the small bottle Andromeda had given her in her last moments of life, before putting them into the vast bowl of liquid. She blinked once, and entered her memories.

Dumbledore's office turned into a graveyard which Hallie had never seen before. Standing there was Andromeda, who was kneeling beside it. Tears were cascading down her face, and she had created a bunch of flowers.

"Oh Nathaniel, Hallie is a beautiful, kind girl. She has a wonderful soul, and her energy is contagious," Andromeda smiled bittersweetly. "I wish you had had the opportunity to meet her."

"I promise you, your unfinished business won't be left forever. I know what sacrifices I must make to obtain your wish."

The air disapparated around Hallie and suddenly she was in a room she recognised: Andromeda's living room. A few boxes were still lying on the ground as Hallie drew attention to the conversation Andromeda and Ted were having.

"You have the powers of occlumency, my love?" Ted questioned

"I do," Andromeda nodded. "Nathaniel trained my mind. During the study lessons. He didn't just tutor me but he taught me defensive spells and strategies. Tell me what do you think of Hallie?"

"She's lovely, Andromeda," Ted agreed.

"Which is only going to make all of this much harder."

"What do you mean, my love?" Ted asked.

"I'm going to need to gain the trust of the Malfoy's," Andromeda continued. "Only Lucius knows the truth about Hallie, and that's where I'm going to have to get the answers from."

"What about us?"

"You know how important this was to Nathaniel, Ted. This mission was something he dedicated his life too."

"The Malfoy's are a hard family to please," Ted added.

"Lucius always said that love was a weakness. Well, Narcissa has a mother's weakness for her son."

"Love isn't a weakness."

"I know that," Andromeda sighed, grabbing his hand. "I'm going to make an unbreakable vow with the Malfoy's."

"Andromeda, I can't let you put yourself at risk like this! What if you get hurt? You could die!"

"Ted, please. Hallie is the only way the future of the Wizarding world could be good."

"What about Harry Potter?"

"Hallie is just as much of the puzzle piece as Harry is. I'm doing this for a future, Ted. For the younger generation. For everyone after us. To love without the fear of who you love, to live in a Voldemort free society. For hope."

Ted nodded, understanding what this meant to Andromeda.

"I will make an unbreakable vow with them to protect Lucius's family," Andromeda nodded. "Lucius won't even consider for a second that Hallie is still his daughter and protecting her isn't breaking any rules."

The memory cascaded into darkness once more. Now, Hallie was in the cold study of Malfoy Manor. She looked around to see Andromeda holding two mugs in her hand, more than likely laced with veritaserum.