Author: Darker_Rage
Story: Serenity
Rating: Teens
Setting: Pre-DH
Status: Completed
Reviews: 7
Words: 1,201
Serenity
This world was created by JK Rowling. I have the pleasure of being able to build my little holiday-home inside it. Firefly was created by Joss Whedon, produced by Mutant Enemy and 20th Century Fox, and is copyright to one or all of the above.
On the 20th of June, someone revisits the last hours of the war. Inspired by the Firefly theme song.
A/N: I have been watching an indeterminately huge amount of Firefly lately. Why they pulled the show, I have no idea, as it was so brilliantly wonderfully great. Anyway, I spawned this little plunny listening to the theme tune and I just thought “what if…?” It’s one of the two theories I’m favouring at the moment for book 7. The quote right at the very end comes from Serenity, the Firefly movie. Thanks as always to PirateQueen for beta reading for me.
Take my love, take my land,
Take me where I cannot stand…
The words ring cold and true as she walks. The part about land she isn’t so sure about; technically he – they – still own property in London and the country.
Love, that she is certain about. Love had beenwas ripped from both of them, pure hearted deep love, a match of the souls. It didn’t matter, though; true love transcended transcends all. She tries to take comfort in this as she trudges on through the brilliant sun, warm on her back as though trying to melt the leaden coldness she still feels after all these years. She knows he can’t stand where he is, but that didn’t matter either.
…I don’t care, I’m still free,
You can’t take the sky from me.
She stops walking, and rests her head against a wall, choking back tears. No matter how many times she comes, this always happens somewhere on the long walk. He was the sky; she still catches herself looking for him to fly from the deep blue. He was the sky; he always had been. Part of the final attack had been from the air. Trained attack dragons and Aurors on brooms had decimated the assembled ranks of the unsuspecting Death Eaters. In the end though, he became the sky.
Take me out to the black,
Tell them I ain’t comin’ back…
That was easy. He wasn’t coming back, that much was clear. The sky was black on the night he went away. It had to be, the force of Aurors and Dragons had hidden in the thick storm clouds, waiting, waiting for the signal to unleash hellfire and fury. Bright against the black, black sky, dragons like comets flashing down, magic flying like fireworks and lighting the ground, lighting up that black, black sky.
…Burn the land and boil the sea
You can’t take the sky from me.
The lake was gone; the water that hadn’t been used to create the storm clouds had been evaporated by the sheer magical potential in the air. The Forbidden Forest had never grown back; the land on which it had stood was still as black as the day the War ended, when fifty dragons had scorched it to the ground to take the last of the Death Eaters down. The Centaurs, Acromantula and other denizens of the woods had relocated long before the last battle. The merpeople and the Giant Squid hadn’t been so lucky. The empty bed of the lake had been filled in shortly after the end of the War. Nobody could stand to look at the grisly remains any longer than they had to. Only one part of the grounds had remained unaffected by the chaos. By the shore of the now dry lake, stood the white tomb. It was here that they had made their stand, for within the radius of Dumbledore’s final resting place, was serenity. Utter calm permeated the area around the tomb, and allowed the fighters to gather their thoughts for the last, decisive fight between the light and the dark.
There’s no place I can be,
Since I found Serenity.
They would have lost, and all would have been in vain, had it not been for Dumbledore’s last gift that he had provided the world in his wisdom. He had accepted his death long before it occurred. He was at peace with Life and, in his death, he had passed that peace on to those who were to fight for the world. With their backs to his tomb, they had been suffused with serenity, wisdom, and clarity of thought and purpose. With their backs to the tomb, they had been filled, for the last time, with phoenix song. Fawkes had returned to sit behind them and sing. He had sung his last song; he had sung until their hearts had burned with resolve and he had sung as he attacked Nagini the snake. He had sung as he took the last part of Voldemort’s soul, and he had sung as it consumed him in flames. The song had continued within each of them as Voldemort took up his wand. The song had continued as he pointed it at her. The song had continued as the Dark Lord whispered the words, “Avada Kedavra.” The song had continued as he jumped in front of her, blocking the Killing Curse with his own body, protecting her, saving her life once again. The song had continued as his living soul, removed from his body by the Curse, turned its power on Voldemort, multiplied a hundred-fold by the love he felt for her. The song had continued as Voldemort’s body was stripped of its horrific half-life. The song had continued as both bodies were consumed by the power, to scatter on the winds and fill the suddenly clear sky. Then the song had stopped. And the war was over.
But you can’t take the sky from me…
And no one could, for he was the sky. He was everywhere now, since that last battle. She started walking again. Not far now, just on the other side of the castle. Although the forest and the lake are gone, Hogwarts had been repaired, and once again, was the premiere wizarding schooling institution.
Her own daughter, his daughter, would be attending in a few years. Today though, Bethany is with her grand parents; some things need to be done alone. There, where the shore of the lake used to be, are two low, white shapes. Two tombs. She walks over to Dumbledore’s first, still unmarred by encroaching vegetation and unscathed by the battle of nine years earlier. She stops, and rests her hand on it, offering as always, her thanks. Then she turns to the next one. This one is engraved with two lines of simple, undecorated text, below which is a name.
I am a leaf on the wind
Watch how I soar
She took a deep breath. “Hi Harry…”
A/N – OK, that’s a lot of firsts for me. First one-shot, first tying in with a song, first that’s trying to explore sadness, first take on the end of the series. I’d be very grateful for any reviews, but constructive criticism is especially appreciated – tell me why if you hated it!