Disclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 138: Burials
One week later. The ruins of Camelot, England
The field was green and quiet, dotted with wildflowers that swayed in the breeze.
Nothing remained of the great castle that had once stood here. No towers, no walls, and no throne room where the king had once planned his battles and poets had sung about the Knights of the Round Table.
Now, there was only grass, the sky, and the distant sounds of birds.
Harry stood at the top of a small hill, looking out over the land that had once been his home. Excalibur was strapped to his back, its runes now dim and peaceful.
Beside him, Morgan held a small container in her hands...the ashes of her brother, King Arthur Pendragon.
"It doesn't look like much," Morgan said quietly. "Just another field."
Harry nodded. "That's what time does. It buries everything."
Morgan knelt down on the grass. She opened the container and looked at the grey ash inside.
"I never thought I would be the one to do this," she said. "I always imagined Arthur would outlive me. That I would be the one scattered to the wind."
Harry knelt beside her. "Life rarely follows our imagination."
Morgan took a handful of ash and let it fall through her fingers. It was caught by the breeze and carried across the field, spreading over the land where Arthur had been born, had ruled, had loved and lost.
"You were a fool, brother," Morgan said, her voice soft. "A stubborn, prideful fool. But you were also brave. You wanted to unite Britain, bring justice to a lawless land, and…for a time, you did."
She took another handful of ash.
"That cursed stone took you from us. It twisted your heart and poisoned your mind. But in the end, you came back for a moment. In the end, you were Arthur again…that is the brother I will choose to remember."
She scattered the ash. The wind carried it higher now, toward the sky.
"I forgive you," Morgan whispered. "For everything. I forgive you."
"Rest now. Your war is over," Harry added.
Morgan emptied the rest of the container, scattering the last of Arthur's ashes across the hilltop. They flew into the sky until they vanished from sight.
They stayed kneeling for a long moment, side by side, saying nothing.
Then Morgan stood. She pulled out her wand, something she rarely used, and pointed it at a large, flat stone half-buried in the grass.
"Lapis Sculptio."
The stone reshaped itself, smoothing out, flattening. Words carved themselves into the surface:
ARTHUR PENDRAGON
KING OF CAMELOT
BELOVED. BETRAYED. FORGIVEN.
MAY HE FIND THE PEACE HE NEVER KNEW IN LIFE
Harry looked at the marker. "It's perfect."
Morgan wiped a tear from her eye. "He would have wanted something grander, like a monument or a statue."
"He would have," Harry agreed. "But I feel that something simple is better in this case."
Morgan nodded. She turned away from the grave and walked back down the hill. Harry followed, leaving Arthur behind at last.
<><><><><><><><><><>
The next day – Rannoch Lake, Scotland
The underground training arena beneath Rannoch Lake had served its purpose. Harry had practiced magic and learned to wield Excalibur there.
However, the arena would now serve a different purpose.
Harry stood in the center of the massive stone dome, the black book in one hand and a small lead box in the other. Inside the box, sealed with three different wards, was the last remaining shard of the black stone...the fragment he had kept as a reminder and a warning.
Morgan stood at the entrance, her arms crossed. "Are you sure about this? Sealing them away instead of destroying them?"
Harry looked at the black book. Its leather cover was worn, its pages yellowed with age.
Al Azif…the source of so much knowledge and…so much danger.
"I considered burning it," Harry admitted. "Throwing it into a volcano or tossing it into the Mariana Trench. But destroying it might be worse than keeping it."
Morgan raised an eyebrow. "How so?"
"The book contains knowledge about things we can barely comprehend...about dangers that lurk in the darkness, like the black stone," Harry said. "If I destroy it, then that knowledge will be lost for good. And if one day we have to face something like that again…we will be blind."
Morgan went silent for a moment. "So you still want to keep it as a weapon? After what you have learned?"
"I want to keep it as a last resort, that is all…"
Morgan did not respond. Her opinion on the topic had been clear from the beginning.
Harry walked to the far wall of the arena, where a small alcove had been carved into the stone. He placed the lead box inside the alcove and then set the black tome on top of it.
"Now we seal it," Harry said.
Morgan joined him. Together, they raised their staffs.
Golden and silver light intertwined, flowing into the alcove, covering the book and the box in layer after layer of protective enchantments.
"Sigillum Aeternum," Harry intoned, the Eternal Seal.
"Obex Obscurum," Morgan added, the Dark Barrier.
The runes carved into the alcove glowed brightly, then faded. The book and the box were no longer visible...only smooth stone, as if the alcove had never existed.
Harry placed his hand on the stone. "Only those who have faced the darkness and survived may open this vault. All others will be consumed."
Morgan placed her hand next to his. "Let's hope this is never opened again."
They stepped back. The arena was silent.
"Now for the rest," Harry said.
They walked to the center of the dome. Harry raised his staff and tapped it against the floor. The stone began to tremble. Cracks spread across the walls. The enchanted orbs that lit the arena flickered and died.
Morgan raised her staff as well. Together, they channeled their magic into the structure, collapsing it inward. The dome crumbled, the walls fell, and the lake above them began to descend.
Water poured into the arena, cold and dark. Harry and Morgan Apparated to the surface just as the last of the chamber was swallowed by the lake.
They stood on the shore, watching the water settle. Ripples spread across the surface, then faded. The lake was calm again, as if nothing had ever been beneath it.
"Some knowledge must be guarded, not forgotten," Harry said quietly.
Morgan looked at him. "Let us hope you are right."
Harry nodded. "Thank you, Morgan. For everything."
She gave him a rare, genuine smile. "We're not done yet…there is much to do."
Harry looked out over the lake and at the setting sun. "One thing at a time," he said.
They stood together in the fading light, enjoying a well-deserved moment of peace.
The war was over.
But life, as always, went on.