Chapter 17

9th November 2006

"Too much is unknown at the moment to make any official statements. The Ministry of Magic has been closed down to only ministry heads, and the royal palace is protected by a blood magic ward that covers it completely and is preventing the press from waiting at the gates like they would normally do. Only one thing has been announced for sure: Doodsbedreiging fell to his death in the early hours of the morning; his body has been burnt at the same place where he was killed, the south of Spain, next to the residence of the abdicated prince, Harry Potter.

The wireless ran in the background as Harry and Lily sat in silence, looking absently at the big oak doors that separated them from their loved ones. Harry´s head was still a huge mess of emotions.

"Ginny. Take Max and hide! Quick!" He had shouted at her with the little strength he had. He could feel the magic slowly peal through him and it seemed like it was breaking his chest in. two. And if the magic was coming into him...but he couldn't think of that now, he had to protect his brother and his wife.

"Harry, you too. We need to go downstairs, make the spell and put up the blood wards!"

"You don't need me to do that anymore," Harry spoke quickly as he put on his clothes, pangs on pain coming closer every second. "My blood is in you now."

Ginny paused for a second, understanding. "But you have to come!"

"I have to Apparate to England…"

"Harry, please," Ginny begged

"Ginny, I..." Another pang of pain hit harder and at the same time Harry felt the distinctive sense of magic dominate the atmosphere. "They're here, Ginny!" Harry screamed. "Grab Max and hide downstairs, Now!"

He was sure he had never seen Ginny look so contrived in her life but, after a glance down at her stomach she looked towards the door and then at Harry. She took two steps towards him and kissed his quickly. "Ill see you soon, okay?"

Harry could tell she was trying to convince herself more than him but he nodded and went with it. "I love you," he whispered while she disappeared out of the door and he Apparated to the front of the house. He didn't even have his wand with him, he realized, as Doodsbedreiging stared at him, just a few metres outside of the property. This man was the reason he nearly lost Ginny and also the reason behind the power he was gaining...this man was going to die.

The sound of his mother's sobs woke Harry up from his daydream and he rushed to put an arm over her.

"Mum. Please, don't…If you can't hold it in neither can I," he tried to soothe her.

Lily looked at her son with tear-streaked eyes. "I was...I was so hateful, so horrible. It seemed like I didn't love him anymore, like he was just someone I was stuck with...he always feared that so much and he's...he's..."

"Mum, please, just...let's just think about anything else right now. Ginny should be here in a few moments, I don't want her getting any more emotional that she already is..."

Lily put a hand over Harry's. "I'm so glad both of you are okay, and Max and Lizzie and Federico...If anything had happened to you..."

"But it didn't, Mum, concentrate on that, please. And Doodsbedreiging is gone..."

Lily nodded slightly and then fixed her sight on the end of the corridor, where another red-head was walking towards them. Her hair looked a little life-less and the queen was sure she'd never seen Ginny Potter look so tired, but she was still as beautiful as ever.

Ginny tried a small smile as she approached them, but the memories from last night couldn't stop hitting her mind like lightning strikes.

She could feel magic coming from within her as the seconds went by, the blood spell was done but she could tell Harry hadn't left the house. She had never felt so lost as to what to do, and Lily's words to her: "The baby will protect you," kept circling her head.

"Max, stay here," Ginny told him.

"Ginny, what do you mean, you can't..."

"Max," the red-head repeated. "Your brother needs my help, okay, and I'm a lot more protected than you are. You need to stay here inside the blood ward, they won't be able to harm you here."

"If Harry had any say…"

"He doesn't…" Ginny spoke quickly before rushing to leave the room. She ran up the stairs and rushed to the front door only to find Harry holding back an energy force against more than half a hundred men that were surrounding the house.

"Your father only has a few more minutes to live, Prince, and when he passes your powers will be completely gone. Give me your brother and all will be done with, you and your wife will not be harmed…"

The black cloak on the man fell to the ground as different curses bounced on Harry's force and illuminated it.

"Ginny! Go!" Harry shouted without needing to turn back to know it was her.

Ginny had never acted on instinct as much as she would in that moment. As Harry's force began to deteriorate she reached for his hand, making the force fall completely and a hundred curses go for them at once. But just as quickly as Harrys force failed, a new force flew up through their combined hands. The lights from all the spells seem to be lost in the bright purple force that they had created, only to return a second later, directed at Doodsbedreiging. Ginny could swear she heard more Apparating sounds before everything went black.

"What did he say?" Harry asked, worried, standing up to greet his wife. "Is everything alright?"

Ginny nodded and caressed Harrys arm. "Everything's perfect, Harry. My magic levels have already gone up to far beyond normal and I'm just feeling tired…"

"Maybe you should go rest," Harry suggested; he was confused as to what to feel right now. On one side he was furious, so angry that she had left the blood wards and put herself and their child in danger, but on the other hand, he was so full of relief that she was okay, that he couldn't help but want to avoid any anger.

The look Ginny gave Harry was enough to shut him up. She moved around him and sat next to her mother-in-law. "Any news?" she asked.

They both shook their heads in time for the doors to open and the doctor to appear. As he did, Lily could just think back to the moment in the Wizengamot room; maybe if she had been quicker...

"Take this Portkey! Put it on, it will protect you both!" One of the two agents assigned to protect them shouted as they both became aware of the danger and everything went from calmness to hell in a matter of seconds.

James took the ring without thinking, wrapping his arms around Lily and placing it on his hand. Just before he was about to place it on his finger Lily caught a sight of the agent and saw his eyes turned, only white remaining, obviously possessed.

"James, no!" she shouted, but it was too late. James had already placed the ring on his finger and given out the first scream of agony.

A wave of energy surrounded them at the same time, obviously coming from the monarchic power, now that the threat had been truly perceived. But it was too late.

"The artefact must have been centuries old," Severus Snape, the most skilled potions master the queen knew, spoke. "The encircling of his finger made the poison spread through his magic in seconds. I stopped it before it reached his heart, but it did reach his blood-stream."

"And what does that mean?" Harry asked. "I haven't felt any more power since Doodsbedreiging fell...that means he's still got some left."

"Yes, he does, his magical reserves have just halved; he's still the most powerful man in this room. Yet, the poison has damaged his organs to such an extent that it's impossible to stop the poison, I've only been able to slow it down. And it won't only kill his magic, it's destroying every organ in his body.

A tear fell down Lily's face. "How long?" Was the only question she asked. They all understood.

"Six months minimum, a year at most," the man answered, having to look away as Lily let out a gut-wrenching sob and turned to cry into her son's chest. Even after all these years, Severus Snape could not stand seeing the girl he had loved platonically since the first time he saw her in pain.

Ginny could just place a hand on her husband's arm as she tried to keep her own tears from falling.

"How is he?" Elizabeth's broken voice was the first to sound as Lily, Harry and Ginny entered the living room. There, Elizabeth, Federico, Max, Sirius and Remus, stood, awaiting news.

Lily had to try her hardest not to start crying again as her only daughter came up to her, searching her eyes for answers.

"Oh, no, no," Max started muttering as his mother failed to give an answer.

"Dad's alive," Harry let them know before they could start thinking the worst. "He's resting, but he'll be up in a few hours.

Elizabeth moved to hug her brother with a relieved sign.

"Prongs alright?" Sirius asked, his eyes also showing signs of shed tears. "Then what are you all like this for?" He exclaimed happily. "The monster's dead and the King lives. What more could we-?"

"He's dying, Sirius," Lily couldn't help but slightly shout at the man who had become a best friend to her just as much as he had been to her husband. "A year…a year!" she continued shouting as Sirius rushed to her and gathered her in his arms.

"A year? A year what?" Max asked to the room, hoping for a coherent answer.

Harry breathed in. "A year to live, Max," he spoke softly. "The ring poisoned Dad's magic, it's halved his magical reserves..."

"He'll live without magic then, he might have to give up the throne, but he can live that way," Remus tried to make sense of the situation.

"The only way to get a king's magic to leave his body unless he abdicates it himself is to kill him," Federico offered. "I'm guessing the poison leaked his magic to his blood and probably infected his organs."

Lily and Harry nodded.

"But, there's…There's got to be something we can do. He's the most powerful man in Europe, probably in the world…A ring can't kill him!" Max shouted.

"Max," the queen let go of Sirius to walk towards her youngest son. "We're not invincible, you know that. He was attacked by a traitor, he took the threat willingly…when we're attacked that way, we're no more powerful that anyone else."

"But, there's got to be something the rest of us can do, Mum," Elizabeth said. "Harry, you've got half of his magic now, maybe…"

"We've talked it through with the doctor, Liz…the poison is unstoppable, it's been created with dark magic, laced with his blood…There's nothing we can do against that…"

Elizabeth crumbled down against Federico at that point, who held her to him, soothing her with gentle strokes on her hair.

"Can we see him?" Sirius asks quietly. Ginny took a look at him and almost gasped at the expression of desolation on the man's face; she had never seen Sirius Black look anything like he looked right now.

"Give it a few hours," Lily told him and the rest of the room, gulping a little after each word. "He won't be awake for a while…"

"Hi guys," Ginny said as she entered Ron and Hermione's living room. It only took a second for her brother to rush towards her and wrap her in an embrace. Having been so close during their whole lives it was incredibly difficult to imagine they'd ever hug each other like this, because of the distance between their homes.

"Please tell me you went to The Burrow? Mum's been having crisis all morning wondering if you were alright," Ron told her in a worried voice.

"I've just been there," Ginny let him know. "Bill was also there and they've sent owls to everyone else, so that they know we're fine."

"Is everyone else fine?" Hermione asks quietly, dreading the answer that could come.

Ginny looks down and then around. "How safe is this place to talk?"

Hermione's face turns to a no-nonsense expression. "As safe as the palace. The Floo is connected directly so it has the same security rank. The Floo connection was cut when I was substituted but the wards are still in place. I could've Apparated to the palace, but I didn't think it was my place."

"That was probably a good idea," Ginny added before sitting down on the nearest chair. Ron and Hermione took a seat too. "Everyone is fine, not even a scratch. Everyone, except James that is…"

"Oh, Merlin, is the King…" Hermione started but Ginny shook her head.

"They've managed to stop the spreading of the poison that was killing him, but it will only be retained temporarily...They've…They've only given him a year to live at most, probably less."

"Bloody hell," Ron sad as he ran a hand through his hair. "He's so young…He's so much younger than Dad and Mum."

Ginny nodded sadly.

"And what about Max?" Hermione asked. "He can't have the intake in a year, he won't be 21, he's too young."

Ginny nodded. "There's something I've just been given permission to tell you. Dad knows and is telling Mum at the moment, I'm telling you, Hermione, because you already signed an unbreakable secrecy vow when you started working at the Palace. As her husband, Ron, she is not forced to keep secrets from you so I can tell both of you…This will most probably make its way to the news soon enough. You see, when Harry and James took the Unbreakable…

"He'll start waking up soon enough. It'll probably be best if he's really calm before you let your children in, they are sure to make him more emotional in the moment…"

Lily and Sirius nodded as the doctor left, and they looked at each other as they waited for James to open his eyes.

"He's so young…younger than his parents were when…" Lily murmured as she ran a hand through her husband's hair. Sirius looked at her helplessly.

"Lily, I…" Sirius tried but he was interrupted by the sound of James's coughs.

They both turned to look at him as he blinked a few times, looking from Sirius to Lily and then back. Their grief stricken faces made James's heart accelerate.

"T-The k-k-kids..?" he mumbled as he could, tears already striking his eyes.

"The kids are fine, James," Lily spoke quickly, caressing his cheek. "Harry and Ginny killed him, James…They did it. They used all the power his followers were using to attack him and sent it right back at him, they destroyed him in a moment. Max was protected inside the house and Federico and Elizabeth came here the moment you were attacked. Annabel didn't even have to wake up from her sleep. Everyone is fine…"

The last sentence couldn't come out of Lily's mouth without her voice cracking, and she couldn't help the tears that began to fall as she saw James laying there, a small smile on his face as she relayed that her children were safe. How? How in Merlin's name was she ever going to be able to live without this man?

"Lils," James croaky voice sounded again. "What's wrong then? If we're safe, there should be a celebration!" he exclaimed as enthusiastically as he could manage. Lily could only look at him with despair as she continued caressing the sides of his face. "Sirius?" James asked his best friend. "What is it?"

Sirius placed a hand on his friends shoulder, looking at him with a sad smile. "The ring you put on, James, it…It started taking away your magic by releasing poison into your blood; it started killing you…"

"I don't think I can go in there…" Max spoke out loud as he waited outside the room with his siblings. "I can't see him, after how I spoke to him last, after…"

"Max," Elizabeth said softly, hugging her younger but taller brother to her, "It's alright, it was completely justified…He knows that."

"He was only trying to protect me," he spoke again. "And I acted like a fucking kid…"

Harry walked towards his brother and held both his shoulders so that he was facing him. "You are a kid, Max, you've got every right in the world to act like one. It was unfair of Dad and me to keep things from you, but…If there was ever a time to grow up, it's now, Max…"

As the prince spoke those words, the doors opened and Sirius came out. He looked at the three kids he loved like his own and wrapped a comforting hand around Elizabeth as he faced the two brothers. "He's awake, he's almost talking normally now but we have just told him everything…"

"Everything?" Harry asked.

Sirius nodded. "Yes, he knows everything Sniv-Snape said and he does seem to be pretty fine right now; I guess, considering he thought he was dying last night, any extra time is welcome."

The siblings nodded in understanding but the words do nothing to take the frowns of their faces.

"I'm heading off to the Ministry. I swear I am going to discover how in Merlin's name they got through, I won't rest until I know whose fault this is, kids, I promise," Sirius swore with vengeance clear in his voice. "You should probably head in. He wants to see you all. When he woke up and he said your mum's face and that you guys weren't there, he thought the worst…"

Elizabeth nodded and went straight in, followed by Max. Harry stayed behind just a few seconds, sharing a look with Sirius: His eyes read "don't let this go unpunished" clearly. Sirius nodded in understanding and moved along, allowing Harry to freely walk into the room.

His father looked extremely pale and exhausted but a small smile decorated his face as he held a crying Elizabeth in this arms. Max stood beside their mother, looking helplessly at his father and holding back any tears that were left. And it all hit Harry suddenly, like a lightning bolt hits the sky when you're watching through your window and you know that the thunder is coming. Just like he knew the times when he would see these four people together, his family, were now counted. Everything seemed to set into place as his father's brown eyes stared up from Elizabeth and met with his with force.

"I don't think you fully realize what you did a few hours ago," the king suddenly spoke to his eldest son. "You've killed a man who has destroyed thousands of families, homes, lives…You're really a hero now, son."

And as those words came out from his father's mouth, the tears began to fall from Harry's eyes. How could he ever do this? Live knowing that his father wouldn't be able to tell him off or feel proud of him again? How could he live knowing he'd never argue with him? Live knowing that his son would grow up missing his grandfather?

How could he live knowing he never truly lived up to his father's expectations and didn't follow through at his time of need?

"I'm sorry, I…" Harry muttered before leaving the room. This was too much, simply too much.

Lily stood up quickly to follow him, but James raised his arm to stop her. He knew his son needed space right now.

"Harry!" Ginny exclaimed as she saw her husband rushing through the hospital room. He looked up at her, and as soon as she was able to see his eyes she knew something was completely wrong. That knowledge deepened when he looked back down and didn't stop when he reached her.

10th November, 2006

Harry rubbed his hands on his robes as he rose. In front of him, the members of the Wizengamot, and around him journalist reporting for magical media from all over the world.

He pressed his finger against his throat, making sure he would be heard perfectly.

"Good morning," Harry started. "As most of you have already been informed, two nights ago the dark wizard Doodsbedreiging attacked King James. The same evil wizard then transported himself to the residence I share with my wife in the south of Spain, to end my brother's life, before he could gain my father's magic.

Due to this threat, when I signed the abdication papers, my father and I agreed that the Unbreakable Vow ceremony would wait until my youngest brother and only possible heir to the throne was 21 years old, and therefore, ready for the infuse of power that the king's death would mean."

There was a lot of murmur in the room, Harry could already begin to hear protest about the lack of sincerity that the crown had shown. He tried to shut the off quickly.

"The only reason this wasn't shared with the public was because we knew that, in the case that the king was attacked, that would leave me and my brother completely unprotected. That is why Doodsbedreiging decided to attack us that night and, thanks to our decision, my wife, Ginevra Potter, and I were able to finish the murderer once and for all."

Various people in the room took a second to applaud the abdicated prince. The so called Boy-Who-Lived, for being the survivor of the killing curse the night that his grandparent were killed trying to protect him, had once again helped get rid of a danger to the world. Harry waited a few seconds before continuing.

"Unfortunately, Doodsbedreiging did manage to damage the monarchy before his death. He infiltrated traitors into our own ministry, which allowed them to poison King James." Harry's voice broke slightly, the image of his father's future funeral making a way into his mind. "The best healers and potions masters in the world have been tending to him and will continue to do so, but we are afraid that the King of Magical England has been given under a year to live."

The commotion in the room was loud, especially that of the main members of the Wizengamot. They all suddenly understand that the monarchy situation might have gotten a lot more complicated.

"Therefore, his death will be before Max Potter's twenty-first birthday, which will mean a great danger to the heir's life. As most of the Wizengamot is figuring out right now, you must understand that this will leave England in a state of no royal protection, and if Max Potter were to die, without a royal family."

"This is why we have decided to review the decision taken with my abdication. That decision was taken under the supposition that my marriage with Ginevra Weasley, now Potter, would not be accepted by the magical population of England. However, the situation has become more complicated and the taking of an Unbreakable Vow to certify the abdication could mean a danger to England.

This is why, in two days, there will be a Suffragium Magicae. A magical referendum that will decide if the Unbreakable Vow will be taken and Max Sirius Potter will become the king at eighteen, or if Magical England decided that I, Harry James Potter of Godric and Gryffindor and my wife, Ginevra Weasley, become the future king and queen."

A/N: Well, guys, only one chapter left. Hope you enjoyed it! And please, remember to review if you liked the chapter :) And please remember the story in the next trinkets :D