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TWENTY-TWO GET FREE

(OUT OF THE BLACK...)

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       ... AND HOLLY OPENS HER EYES, finding herself in the same place she had been for the first time months ago, when the drawing room in Malfoy Manor was still reflecting a green light around her body, her heart stopping for the first time of many. She looks around, expecting it to be Durmstrang — but it isn't anymore. Her mind thinks back to her revenge on her old professor and she presumes that's why this place has changed. Durmstrang no longer has a hold on her; she hasn't thought the words Do you not have the stomach for this? in months. It was the professor that brought them back, and then she severed the ties, like she's been dreaming of doing for years.

       Instead, the white space turns into somewhere else. It fades into the house she grew up in, the house belonging to Gus and Eugene, the place she hasn't seen for almost two years. Holly chokes out a sob, the sheer memory of the place she last saw her father enough to bring her to tears. She misses him, so much. She wants this all to be over. She wants to see him again.

       Holly looks around, at the photos on the walls, pictures of herself and her dad beaming brightly. There's a remain of what the space used to be, a small Deathly Hallows mark etched into the skirting board, but Holly doesn't care. She'll always have a piece of Durmstrang lingering, but this place proves that she's moved on for good.

       She has a thought. "Why am I here?"

       "You said you wanted to return."

       Holly thinks back to the last hour or so, talking to Atticus and Draco. When did she say that she wanted to go back? She said she thought she was going to, but that's completely different to wanting to...

       A memory appears in her mind: her telling Harry that she'll personally get him back from the afterlife if Voldemort kills him. Holly frowns, and thinks aloud, "Is Harry dead?"

       "Currently."

       Currently? The frown stays on her face, as she looks around. So Harry will come back to life, and this place knows this... She supposes that makes sense, in a way. Seers exist, of course the afterlife will be omniscient.

       "Can you tell me the future?" she asks.

       "Yes, but you will be forced to forget."

       "Why?"

       "It is murder knowing the future... Having knowledge of it whilst in the mortal world would kill you, slowly... Why do you think Seers suffer like they do?"

       "Fair enough... Why didn't I forget Death saying that I'll die old?"

       "Knowing you will die, many decades in the future, is not the same as knowing the outcome of a war, the names of your children... You do not know any specific details, just a small idea of when you will die. You may be sixty-four, or ninety-eight. Dying of old age is a death many receive, but it varies so much it is barely knowing the future."

       "OK, I guess..." So she tries it. "Does Voldemort win?"

       "No."

       Holly breathes a sigh of relief. A wave of thoughts fly through her mind. I can see Dad... Draco won't be in danger, like he is right now... Everything will be fine... I can see Dad!

       Another idea comes to mind. She looks around, a mischievous smile on her face.

       "What happens after the war, to me?"

       The wall next to her becomes covered with picture frames. There's a framed newspaper clipping, saying, Holliday Potter Becomes Chief Witch of the Wizengamot. Underneath, it states, the first woman to hold the title since 1835. Her heart jolts for a second at Potter, and thinks it through. Holly Potter doesn't sound that bad, does it? She likes it.

       Next, there's photos of Holly and Harry, one of them cradling a baby. Her eyes widen, and her mind pictures a scene: she's in her twenties, sitting at the kitchen table in a London flat she rents with Harry. And she looks up from the kitchen table, at Harry, and says, "Don't shit yourself," before telling him that she's pregnant.

        Then it fast forwards a couple of minutes, where he's now hugging her tightly, a massive smile spread across his face. And Holly's laughing, tears falling down her cheeks for no reason, as she says, "Earlier Draco made me a cup of tea and I full on sobbed because at one point he could've died."

       Harry grins at her. "So you can't look at me for the next nine months?" he asks. "Since I actually died."

       "Stop being an arse," she laughs.

        And then it fast forwards again: she's a year older, and she's holding little James Sirius in her arms as she walks outside the restaurant, onto the deck looking out at the lake. Her dad walks outside and gives her a warm smile, telling her that he'll hold onto James for a couple minutes.

       "I can't believe I've sat and had dinner with Malfoy," says Harry, as he stands next to Holly, holding onto her hand as she looks out at the lake. Holly grins at him. "Things have changed a bit."

       "Like what, having your kid's godfather be Draco Malfoy?" says Holly, raising an eyebrow as she smiles at him, lightly kissing him. Harry nods, a smile on his face. "Well, the deal was that Ron's next..."

       And it fast forwards again. Younger Holly looks at the photos, at the wedding, and another two children. Albus Augustus, Lily Luna. She stares at the pictures, at the one of her son being best friends with Draco's, and a smile creeps across her face.

       "This is the issue with showing the future."

       She turns around.

       "Once you start, you can't look away, and then you never truly live."

       Holly looks over her shoulder, and the pictures have vanished. She remembers seeing something, but already, she can't remember what. Her brows furrow.

       "What do I do now?"

       "What you said you would."

       She remembers this part vividly. If you die, I will personally talk to Death and get you back.

       "Please let me see Harry."

       Everything goes bright. She closes her eyes to shield them from the light, as she opens them, she isn't at Durmstrang, she isn't at home. Instead, she's standing in Kings' Cross.

       She spots him ahead. "HARRY!" she shouts out, and before she knows it she's bolting towards him, stopping at a small distance, remembering what she's been warned about, about souls touching in the afterlife.

       Harry smiles at Holly. She isn't sure who moves first, but before she knows it, she's kissing him, her arms wrapped around his neck and his arms hugging her, keeping her close.

       "Is this — is this place real?" he asks. "Or am I just dreaming it?"

       Holly steps back from him. "I don't know," she says with a shrug. "I suppose you'll have to ask me about it, when we both go back."

       "How do I go back?"

       "Will it to happen," she tells him, and she kisses his cheek. "I'll see you later."

       She thinks, take me back, and her surroundings go bright again, her eyes forced to close shut. And, just like that, she's drifting again...

       She opens her eyes, her head resting on her step-dad's shoulder again. She bolts upright, frowning, as she hears roars of laughter coming from the distance, closer to the forest. Holly stands up, and immediately she frowns, cries coming from around her.

       "He was killed as he ran away, trying to save himself while you lay down your lives for him. We bring you his body as proof that your hero is gone," she hears Voldemort's voice say, echoing throughout the school.

       "The battle is won. You have lost half of your fights. My Death Eaters outnumber you, and the Boy Who Lived is finished. There must be no more war. Anyone who continues to resist, man, woman, or child, will be slaughtered, as will every member of their family. Come out of the castle now, kneel before me, and you shall be spared. Your parents and children, your brothers and sisters will live and be forgiven, and you will join me in the new world we shall build together."

       They all walk outside, into the courtyard, as Voldemort walks into the school, his Death Eaters behind him, Hagrid holding onto Harry. Holly stands next to Draco and Atticus, both of them standing on the other side to Ron and Hermione.

       "It is over!" shouts Voldemort. "You see? Harry Potter is dead! Do you understand now, deluded ones? He was nothing, ever, but a boy who relied on others to sacrifice themselves for him!"

       "HE BEAT YOU!" shouts Ron.

       Others begin to shout, too; Voldemort becomes angrier.

       "He was killed while trying to sneak out of the castle grounds," said Voldemort. "Killed while trying to save himself—"

       Neville runs forwards. Holly shouts, "DON'T!" but he's already been Stunned. Neville crashes to the ground, and Holly wishes she had gotten back a couple minutes earlier, to explain to at least someone that this isn't the end, Harry isn't dead.

       "You are a pureblood, aren't you, my brave boy?"

       "So what if I am?" says Neville.

       "You show spirit and bravery, and you come of noble stock. You will make a very valuable Death Eater. We need your kind, Neville Longbottom."

       "I'll join you when hell freezes over!"

       "Very well," says Voldemort.

       He's going to kill him, Holly thinks, and she tries to jump forwards, but Ron and Draco, without even looking at each other, grab onto her, stopping her.

       Voldemort places the Sorting Hat on Neville's head, and sets it alight. People begin to shout in anger, Hagrid's brother Grawp appearing and running towards him. The giants on Voldemort's side begin to run towards him, the ground shaking beneath them.

       And then, like that, Neville gets free of the Body-Bind Curse, the Sorting Hat falling off of his head. He reaches into the sword and pulls out the sword of Gryffindor — but as he does so, a stampede of centaurs charge into the school grounds, giving Neville the chance to behead Nagini, the final Horcrux.

       Voldemort lets out a shriek.

       "HARRY!" shouts Hagrid, realising suddenly that he went missing during the chaos. "HARRY — WHERE'S HARRY?"

       The centaurs make the Death Eaters scatter. Without a word, Draco and Holly run back into the castle. Holly steers Draco towards the Death Eaters after Ron and Hermione, casting a shield charm between them. Ron and Hermione stare at Draco in shock, and Holly grins, shouting back at them, "I'll tell you later!"

       She ducks, dodging a Stunning spell. They continue to fight, running further and further into the castle, cornering Death Eaters. She sees George Weasley and Lee Jordan finishing off Yaxley, and she spots another Death Eater trying to sneak up on them; she stuns the Death Eater, and for a split second she shares a look with George and Lee, who nod back at her.

       Ahead, Holly and Draco duel two other Death Eaters, two she remembers seeing in Malfoy Manor, ones her mother knew. Both are knocked off their feet, but someone nearby casts a shield charm in between them, giving her enough time to shout, "SUSANNAH!" and for the ghost to appear, diving and attacking the Death Eaters after herself and Draco.

       And then she sees, in the corner of her eye, Mrs Weasley duelling Bellatrix. Holly watches the final curse leave Mrs Weasley's wand, killing Bellatrix.

       Holly holds back her grin, spotting the horror on her cousin's face.

       "Come on, we need to keep on fighting," she says, pulling herself and her cousin off of the floor.

       Voldemort lets out a roar, and raises his wand towards Mrs Weasley.

       "PROTEGO!" shouts Harry, pulling off the Invisibility Cloak.

       There's shouts all around her. She stands close to her cousin, but jumps when someone grabs onto her from behind.

       Holly spins around, Lucius holding onto her. Narcissa holds onto Draco, and shouts, "What are you both doing? You could get killed!"

       "Holly was protecting me," says Draco.

       "We were protecting each other," she says.

       Narcissa kisses Holly's head. "We thought you had died!"

       "Are you all right?" says Lucius, and Holly's eyes widen. "I don't care about this anymore — we're leaving. I'm not fighting for anyone, I just want my family safe."

       Holly stands back, as Atticus rushes towards them, grabbing onto her, as if to protect her from Lucius. "I need to fight for mine, though," she says. "My dad — he isn't a wizard."

       "Oh," says Lucius. "But—"

       Atticus raises his eyebrows at his older brother.

       "You're still our niece," says Lucius.

       Holly can't help but smile.

       "Father, I'm not leaving," says Draco.

       Narcissa's jaw drops. "You're fighting?"

       Draco glances at Holly, and nods.

       "Holly's family is our family," he says.

       Lucius looks at Atticus. "Me and Narcissa, we don't have wands."

       Atticus hands them spares, as if he was hoping this would happen, and he grins at his older brother. "I knew you'd come around eventually," he says. "Right — protect the children. Draco and Holly can look after each other."

       But suddenly, behind them there's a massive blast, and the hall lights up with golden flames. Holly turns around, where Harry and Voldemort are duelling. She freezes on the spot, pleading with Death, God, whoever, to make sure that Harry doesn't die, that he survives this time. She hears Atticus and Lucius and Narcissa, fending off the final Death Eaters attempting to kill Draco and Holly whilst they're distracted.

       And then, Voldemort falls backwards, dead.

       Everything slows down for a moment, and Holly stumbles backwards, as Atticus pulls her into a hug, grinning brightly as he says, "He's gone! He's finally dead!"

       She snaps out of it, looking up at Atticus. Her eyes begin to gather with tears, as she makes the final realisation. "I can see my dad," she lets out. Tears roll down her face. "I can see my dad, I can see my dad!"

       Susannah appears, giving Holly the mirror. "You know," says Susannah, smiling weakly. "I don't think you need me anymore, Hol."

       Holly looks at Susannah with shock, as she moves forwards, with a determined attempt to hug her.

      "I thought ghosts were stuck here—"

      "I was," says Susannah. "I just liked hanging out with you."

       Holly smiles at her best friend. "I'll miss you."

       "I know you'll be dying to see me again," Susannah says with a wink, before disappearing for the final time. Holly watches her ghostly glow fade away, one last time, and she stumbles backwards, a new set of tears falling down her face.

       She holds up the mirror, and says, "Where's my dad?"

       A house in Greece appears, and Holly stares at it enough to visualise it in her mind, before she squeezes her eyes shut, Apparating. She feels her body being twisted and contorted, until she's hit with hot air, a warm sun shining down.

       She looks ahead, at the house, situated in the middle of nowhere in Mykonos, looking over the ocean. It's the sort you see in travel brochures, with white walls and a blue roof. She hears Elvis playing on a radio, her dad's voice coming from the garden, hidden by a brick wall. The sound of her dad's voice makes her burst into tears again, running to the front door and pounding on it with her fist.

       Gus' voice gets louder. "I'll be back in a minute, it'll probably be—"

       He opens the door, and he stops. He looks down at Holly, his mouth widening in surprise. Holly continues to cry, as he pulls her closer, shouting out to Eugene, "SHE'S HERE! HOLLY'S HERE!" She can hear her dad crying, as she feels Eugene hug her, too, saying, "Oh my God, oh my God!"

       "Voldemort's dead!" says Holly, smiling wide as Gus and Eugene pull away, their cheeks wet from tears. "He just died — Harry stopped him." Gus hugs her again, as she says, "So much has happened! I—I was the Slytherin Quidditch Captain, I would've become head girl but I was murdered! But it's fine because — because I'm best friends with Death now — and — and I went on the run — and—"

       The door bell rings behind her.

       Holly frowns. "Who's—?"

       "Pizza," says Eugene.

       "Trust you to show up the day we order pizza," says Gus, laughing.

       Holly lets out a laugh, and Gus walks her into the house, as Eugene talks to the pizza delivery man, quickly following them with two cardboard boxes in his hands. She wipes the tears from her face, as she shows her dads the mirror in her hand, explaining how it works. In the most jumbled way possible, she tells them everything, stopping and starting stories randomly, her mind trying to catch them up as quickly as possible. They sit down, waiting for her to do the same.

       She thinks of her friends, of the rest of her family.

       "I need to go back, for a few minutes," she says.

       Eugene stands up, and hugs her. "We'll leave you some pizza."

       Holly grins back at him. "See you soon."

✧

       "SO YOU DON'T WANT the Elder Wand," says Holly, her eyebrows raised as she looks at Harry. Behind him, Ron nods, looking just as surprised as she feels.

       Harry shrugs. "I've had enough trouble for a lifetime," he tells her, and she smiles back at him, as he steps forwards, hugging her tightly.

       "I'm so proud of you," she says, hugging him back. "Oh, yeah, and, I've got some news." She turns to look at Ron and Hermione, too, as she says, "You know that Draco fought on our side, right? Well, Uncle Lucius knows about my dad and he doesn't mind?"

       "Really?"

       "I know," says Holly, grinning. "Today's a day of miracles."

       Hermione lets out a laugh, and she walks forwards to hug Holly. 

       "What are you lot gonna do now, then?" says Holly, looking around at the three.

       "Sleep," says Ron, without hesitation.

       Holly and Hermione laugh.

       "I think I'll go and finish school," says Hermione.

       Holly nods. "You know, I think I might join you," she says, smiling softly. A thought appears in her mind, and she jumps on the spot, holding onto Hermione again. "Oooooooh, do you think we can share a dorm?"

       Hermione grins back at her.

       Holly glances back at Harry. "What are you gonna do, then?"

       "You know," he says, smiling over at Ron. "Sleeping does sound nice."

       Holly snorts.

       The entrance to the office slowly opens, and the four of them exchange a look. Hesitantly, the person steps into the office. Holly looks at Pansy, who looks past the other three, straight at Holly.

       "Hi," says Pansy. "I—I didn't mean—"

       "I know," says Holly, and she walks forwards, quietly embracing her best friend. She rests her head on Pansy's shoulder, and she holds Pansy. She stands there, hearing Pansy snuffle, pulling away from her. Holly watches Pansy, her brows furrowing.

       "Granger," says Pansy. Hermione turns away from Ron, looking at Pansy suspiciously. Next to her, Ron frowns, ready to defend Hermione at all costs. "I'm sorry."

       All that leaves Hermione's lips is, "Oh."

       Harry and Ron exchange a look. Holly smiles at them.

       "See?" says Holly, wrapping an arm around Pansy. "She's not really evil!"

       Hermione lets out a laugh, just as Pansy rolls her eyes, smiling at Holly.

✧

       THE NEXT FEW DAYS seem like a century, as Holly returns to her dad, staying up the whole night explaining everything that happened. Atticus arrives after a couple days, excusing his lateness with the fact that he had to tell his older brother a lot of things, all starting with the fact that, at one point in his life, he was hopelessly in love with Sirius Black. But now, he stays with Holly and Gus and Eugene, letting Holly rest for the first time since last summer.

       "Hol," says Gus, a few days after the end of the war. She's sitting outside, playing cards with Eugene, as Atticus helps Gus prepare lunch. "Someone's here for you."

       So Holly stands up, walking back through the house to the front door. The sound of her flip-flops echo around her as she reaches the corridor, spotting Harry at the front door. She runs towards him, her arms wrapping around his neck. He lets out a laugh, before he kisses her, his arms wrapped around her.

       They pull apart, and she closes the front door, holding onto his hand still. "Sorry I disappeared," she tells him.

       "It's been mad at home, I don't blame you," says Harry. He smiles down at her. "So, um, do you remember when I died...?"

       "That we, uh, saw each other in the afterlife?" she says.

       He nods. "Didn't you say that when souls touch in the afterlife, they'll be connected, forever?" he says.

       She nods. "Guess you're stuck with me."

       "I wouldn't change it for the world," he says, and he kisses her again. She sees his gaze move down to her neck, where her necklace used to be. "Um, your dad said that Susannah left."

       "Yeah," says Holly. She smiles weakly. "But it's fine... The other night I went back to the afterlife and saw her there, so she isn't truly gone." Then, she pauses. "I still miss her, appearing out of nowhere, but I can still see her... It's not that bad." Holly smiles again. "At least my dad's got a birthday present idea, since I don't have the necklace anymore."

       "Well, uh, I don't think you'll have to ask your dad for one," says Harry. Holly looks at him with surprise, her smile brightening, and he pulls out a box from his pocket, handing it to her. "I hope you like it."

       Holly opens the box, finding a silver necklace sitting inside, with a 'H' charm hanging from the chain, alongside another charm, of a small diamond. She takes it out of the box, holding it, and kisses him. "I love it," she says. "Thank you!"

       Harry grins back at her, helping her put it around her neck. "I thought the diamond would be nice, because your old necklace had one," he says. Holly thinks she might cry with joy. "I'm glad you like it."

       She kisses him again. "You're amazing," she tells him. He smiles back, as if to say, "well..." and she rolls her eyes playfully. "Is this why you're here, then?"

       "Can't I be here, visiting you?" says Harry.

       "Well, if we're soulmates now, I guess so," says Holly, and she winks at him. "But seriously, why—?"

       "Gus asked if I wanted to, just while it calms down at home," says Harry.

       Holly grins, and begins to say, "You're gonna love it, I've been meaning to go to the beach, and—" She stops herself, and remembers what Harry said a minute ago, about Gus telling him that she doesn't have the diamond necklace anymore. "Hang on." She opens the front door, and calls out to her dad, "Uh, since when did you start talking to my boyfriend?"

       Harry shrugs. "Guess I'm the favourite now."

       "You arse," says Holly, giving him a look. Harry grins back at her, and Holly smiles back, holding onto his hand still.

       He was right.

       She wouldn't change this for the world.

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The End.

—✧—✧—✧—✧—

first of all, i hope you enjoyed the ending to this. it's taken a year and a half for me to finish writing about holly, but i'm so happy. even with the fact that i struggled to write a great deal of the deathly hallows, i'm so so happy with how it turned out. in the five years i've been on wattpad, i've never finished a sequel. i know that briar and bones are sequels to blue, but i don't count them as proper sequels, you know? holly's the first time i've had a character been the protagonist of two books. but i've finally managed to do it, and that alone makes me so so happy.

there won't be an epilogue, the reason i featured that stuff from the afterlife was because i thought it would be dead-weight, including a long epilogue after a nice ending like this. but, if you want me to answer any questions, feel free to ask me here, and i'll reply :-)

finally,, i need to make a couple of thank-yous. first of all, to mickey, who puts up with all of my bullshit, from the very very start of this, a year and a half ago, to now. secondly, to lyrabarnes, who translates all of my fics into spanish. i can't imagine the amount of work it takes to translate this, and i'm so thankful that she allows my stories to be read by a wider audience. finally, thank you so much to everyone that has read this. i see every comment and i'm still amazed that this story took off the way it did, because i really did not expect it to get popular like it did. so, thank you so much for reading my bullshit, it's meant the world xxxx

(also i'm sorry susannah went to the afterlife!! she was originally going to 'die' at the end of goblet of fire sooooooooo xoxoxoxoxo don't be mad THANKS)