-Harry Potter-

I died a little, seeing Dobby's crumpled body covered in blood. He was that one string which connected me to the old times- that of equally hazardous. But he had dedicated his life to saving me against his masters devoted to ending me. How bad I wished that he kept his promise in the second grade about never trying to save me again. 

Every second was vital for him, although all I managed to do was to shout Hermione, "There must be something useful in your bag. Please. Please..." My voice faded in the tears shed. Hermione had shown equivalent emotional reaction- still no actions necessary were taken. Even the brightest witch of our age had nothing to avoid the unlucky fate that awaited our little friend now- a liberal house elf, who had searched for improved rights, a muse to her childhood society.

"Harry Potter," he sought. I ran into his arms, ready to give the compassion no one truly had in his life time, placing him on my lap. 

I replied my requests of aid, however, Dobby commented on the beach we had landed on, as if he was completely oblivious to what was happening. "It's such a beautiful place...to be with friends. Dobby is happy to be with his friend," he struggled to complete his sentences now. 

"Harry Potter," he finally breathed, before his soul quitting for a freer world, eyes shot open.

I flinched with the sudden pat of Luna, who the previously passed away elf had brought to Bill Weasley's house, along with Ollivander.  "We should close his eyes," she whispered as she gently closed his eyelids with her two fingers. "We can make a grave too," she suggested.

"I'll dig one myself. In muggle fashion."

+++ 

I walked down the hill, looking one last time at the modest grave- the following craved on the tombstone: Here lies Dobby, a free elf.  My friend.

Then I greeted Ron and Hermione, we had to confront Ollivander. He lodged in a bedroom at the top of the cottage. 

"Sir, could you see if these wands are safe to use?"

After a small inspection of the wands, he handed me them, including a note. "Perhaps Draco Malfoy's wand's allegiance has changed."

"Mr Ollivander, you talk with wands... as if they have feelings," I blurted out.

"The wand chooses the wizard, Mr Potter."

I felt slightly embarrassed about this simple phrase, but decided to pop the significant question anyways.

"Sir, what do you know about the Deathly Hallows?"

"It is rumored there are three. The Elder Wand, The Cloak of Invisibility and The Resurrection Stone. Together, they make one master of death. But if you believe that such objects exists-"

"Do you?"

He looked hollowly for a second. "Well, I see no reason to put stock in a old wives tale."

"You're lying," I stated, reading through his mocking face trying to brush it off. "You know one exists. You told him about The Elder Wand and where he could go looking for it."

"He tortured me," he admitted, wrecked. "Besides, I only conveyed rumors. There's no telling whether he will find him."

It was time to break the bad news.

"He has found it, sir."

"We'll let you rest," Rosalind interfered, her eyes challenging me to say something of opposite sorts. 

"If it's true, what you say, I'm afraid you don't stand a chance," called out Ollivander as we quitted the room. 

"Scaremonger," Ron smirked. 

We headed down the stairs. Luna was playing with the shell bells. "It's beautiful here," she commented almost identically to Dobby.

"It was our aunt's. We used to come here as kids. The Order now uses it as a safe house," Bill replied.

"I need to talk to the goblin," I said, careless about their interaction. So we were lead to his room. The small creature was settled on the armchair, possibly meditating, yet his face still looking grumpy.

"How are you?" I asked.

"Alive."

"You probably don't remember that-"

"That I showed you your vault, the first time you came to Gringotts? You're famous, even among goblins, Potter." Then his eyes landed on where he truly paid attention- The Gryffindor Sword.  "Where'd you get him?" He demanded.

"It's complicated. Why did Bellatrix think it should be in her vault at Gringotts?"

"It's complicated."

"The sword presented itself to us in a moment in need. We didn't steal it."

"There's a sword in Madam Lestrange's vault identical to this one. But it is a fake."

"And she never suspected it was fake?"

"The replica is very convincing. Plus, only a goblin would recognize that this is the real sword of Gryffindor."

"Who is the acquaintance?" Hermione asked.

"A Hogwarts professor. As far as I know, also the new Headmaster."

"Snape? He put a fake sword in Bellatrix's vault? Why?" Ron was clearly surprised. 

"There are more than a few curious things in the vaults in Gringotts."

"And in Madam Lestrange's vault as well?"

The goblin rubbed his hands, his front wrinkled as he seemed to be thinking of a plan.

"Perhaps," he replied with a grim look on his face.

"I need to get into Gringotts. Into one of the vaults."

"This is impossible."

"Not with you. Name your price. I have lots of gold."

"I have no interest in gold. Give me... that." He pointed the sword with his clearly never cut, dirty nails. I looked back at Rosalind, her eyes were in sheer horror. But then, she nodded, as she came to an understanding of the importance. There had to be a Horcrux in the vault. On the other hand, as we needed to give the sword to him, I didn't have an idea about how we were going to destroy the Horcrux.

"So we have a deal. But the thing is, you can't walk straight into Gringotts, even with my assistance, as yourselves. You are wanted, clearly not in a good way. Polyjuice potion is needed."

"That's not a problem, I have all the ingredients mixed, instead of..." Hermione pulled out a hair from Rosalind's collarbone. "This."  It was black and curly. Must have been Bellatrix's.

"Are you sure it is hers?"

"Positive," Rosalind replied, her voice shaking. Hermione put it in the vial and handed it to Rosalind. She drank it up without hesitation. "That bitch shall be put into it's place."

She immediately changed into Bellatrix's appearance: cheekbones still prominent yet a shorter face, much curvier with plump lips. Despite all this, it was an anatomy of a hideous villain.

"Ron can make up a personality and Hermione and I could hide in the cloak."

"So we are all set, but Griphook, let me keep the sword for now," said Rosalind faking the voice of the death eater (we all cringed). Griphook gave up the sword, unwillingly.

"We rely into you Griphook. If you get us past the guards and into the vault, the sword is yours."

And we apparated into Gringotts after putting on the cloak. Hermione, Griphook and I didn't dare breath as we followed Ron and Rosalind. She was trying hard to imitate.

"Ahem ahem," she cleared her throat.

The goblin in the back of the pulpit raised his head from the writing. "Madam Lestrange," he yelped in awe. 

"I don't like to be kept waiting," she felt the need to add, as the goblin left his seat and went off.

"They know," groaned Griphook under the cloak. "They know she's an imposter." My eyes wandered around the goblins, who were not so secretly glancing at us. "They've been warned."

"Harry? What do we do?" Ron asked desperately, seeing the guard moving towards us. And then the goblin came with another goblin. Double trouble.

"Madam Lestrange, would you mind presenting your wand?"

"And why should I do that?" She essayed to keep her cool, eyebrows still raised.

"It's the bank's policy, I'm sure you comprehend given the current... climate," insisted the goblin.

We were about to get busted. Without a second thought, I mouthed the unforgivable: "Imperio."

He looked as if he entered to a trans for a second and then stepped of his pulpit. "If you will follow me."

The rocky train road to the vaults was all too well until we went under a waterfall. Rosalind and Ron were back to normal. A stick with an orange light arose and started buzzing, and we fell onto the grounds- almost, I must correct, we stopped by an inch thanks to Hermione. "Arresto Momentum!" Then fell again, but a few centimeters off the ground didn't hurt really.

Yet, things were about to get messier. The train with the alarm went back, still screeching. 

"The Thief's Downfall. Washes away all enchantments," Griphook remarked.

"What the devil are you doing here?" Shouted the other goblin before I shot him with another Imperio.

Griphook gripped a chain of keys from his pocket. "From here." And a roaring was heard in the same direction. The owner of the voice was seen after a few steps. A gigantic dragon. Grey scaled skin, horns of at least three meters through his back, and possibly a breath hotter than a volcano. 

"Bloody hell," Ron retorted his famous line. "That's a Ukrainian Hornbelly." 

Griphook started shaking a rattle, with a sadistic smile on his face. "He's been trained to expect pain when he hears the voice." The dragon was truly backing away. 

"That's barbaric," Hermione hissed. It was true, I shivered at the sight of his bloodshot eyes as we passed by him, reaching the vault's door. Griphook pressed the other goblin's hand on it, and it slided to a vault full of gold. 

"Lumos."

"Can you feel anything, Harry?" Inquired Ron.

I tilted my head to where the faint snaky whispers came. It came from a gold goblet in the top of an antique pile.

Rosalind gasped. She had bumped into a copper cup. It started reproducing itself.

"They've add the Gemino curse. Everything you touch will multiply!" Shrieked Griphook.

"Give me the sword, the Horcrux is up there!" I pointed the goblet. Rosalind threw me it. Struggling to climb up as we were about to drown in matter, I finally reached the top, my sword grasping the Horcrux from it's handle. "Got it!" I jumped down. Griphook pulled it from my hand. 

"Hey!"

"Sword for the goblet!" I gave up the sword, he tossed over the goblet. "I said I would get you in, but I never said I would get you out." With that, he pressed the cursed goblin's hand to the door once more and disappeared with the sword.

"Griphook!" I shouted behind his back but it was no use.

"At least we got Bogrod," Ron said and we all realized that he was a merchant of doom as the angry dragon roasted Bogrod the goblin in front of us.

What's even better, security guards starting throwing hexes at us. "I've got a mad idea. Reducto!" Hermione blew away the wall, jumping on the dragon. "Come on! Relashio!" She aimed at the chains connected to dragon's neck.

We jumped on too, leaving a bunch of goblins and guards behind for a hell of a ride.

+++

"We should hop off now!" Rosalind shouted. We were flying over a lake at a decreasing speed, having passed the city center. 

Although the water was unbelievably cold, my mind was elsewhere. I could see Voldemort, his bare foot stepping on the corpses of goblins, shattering Gringotts into pieces with his scream. He knew. 

Ravenclaw's flag and a woman's ghost appeared-it couldn't be irrelevant. The next Horcrux.

I reached the water's surface, swam to a small island along with my friends. "He knows," I panted. "You-Know-Who knows we broke into Gringotts, what we took and that we are hunting Horcruxes."

"How is it you know? You let him in? Harry you can't do that!" Scolded Hermione, worried.

"I can't always help it. But, there's more. One of them is at Hogwarts."

"You saw it?" Rosalind inquired.

"I saw it and Rowena Rawenclaw. We have to go there now."

"We can't just break in! We have to plan!" Hermione resisted.

"When have our plans actually worked out? We plan, we get there, hell breaks lose."

"He's right. On the other hand, Snape is the headmaster now, we can't just walk right in," Ron supported.

"We can take the secret passage from Honeydukes," Rosalind offered.

+++

"What the fuck?" she reacted at the alarms screeching the second we arrived at Hogsmeade. We headed for a patio. Men were shouting behind us.

"They're here! Search everywhere!"

Two men were getting closer to the table we hid next to, looking under the covers. Luckily, just then, they were summoned by another one. We had to run while we still had the chance.

The street was isolated, maybe it could get us somewhere. However, as always, my hopes went down when we reached a fence. We forced it. No movement. 

Unexpectedly, a door opened and an old man called us in. I wasn't sure if it was an illusion, but he looked like Dumbledore. "In here, Potter." We got in without interrogating, the voices of men were getting closer.

His home was a stone basement, with nothing more than a gas lamp, table and a magical painting of a teenage girl. 

"Harry? I can see in you this," she said, astonished, holding a broken glass.

The old man came back before I had the chance to examine it. "You fools, what were you thinking?" Then the realization hit me.

"You're Aberforth, Dumbledore's brother. You're the one who sent Dobby!"

"Where have you left him?"

"He is dead."

"Sorry to hear it. I liked that elf."

"Who gave you that mirror?" Interrogated Hermione.

"Mundungus Fletcher, about a year ago."

"He had no right to steal it-"

"Sirius. Albus told me. He also told me that you'd likely be hacked off if you ever found out that I had it. Still, ask yourself, would you still be alive if I hadn't?"

 A moment's silence.

"We need to get to get in Hogwarts tonight. Dumbledore gave us a job to do."

"Nice job? Easy?" He mocked.

"We've been hunting Horcruxes. We think the last one's in the castle, but we need your help getting in."

"That's a suicide mission!" Aberforth exclamated. 

"Dumbledore trusted me to see this true?"

"What makes you think you can trust him? In all the time you knew him, did he ever mention her name?" He pointed the painting.

"I'm not interested in what happened between you and your brother. I don't care that you've given up. I trusted the man I knew. And we need to get into the castle tonight."

Aberforth turned to the painting, with a resentful look on his face. "You know what to do." The young girl nodded and walked away in the greens. 

"That's your sister, Ariana, isn't it? She died very young," pointed out Hermione.

"My brother sacrificed many things, on his journey to find power, regardless of what, or who it may have been. He gave her everything. Except his time." His face darkened with angst and he left the room.

"He saved our lives twice, kept an eye on us from that mirror... Doesn't seem like he has given up, really," Hermione commented. 

And then we saw Ariana Dumbledore coming back, a boy next to her. 

The painting opened like a door. We were facing Neville Longbottom now.

+++

Let me know what you think of this one! I admit it was a bit long, but the war chapters just don't seem to end, considering I follow up almost the same pace as the movie! 

I'll probably give it another somewhat long war chapter before the finale- you didn't think I would leave you wondering about whether Hermione is still cheated on, or the identity of her intimidator would I? Almost forgot- the future Harry is also still in hardcore depression about love.

Excited about it? Great :)

Love you and good luck to all writers in Wattys,

wildie xx