Palliation; Chapter 9: A World of Woes (Patreon)

Author's Note: Here you have it my lovely patrons family. Palliation chapter 9! Chapter one is on ffn and ao3.  I hope you'll like it!! And with this chapter, the fic officially ends. My God Tier patrons will get an alternate ending that will begin at the end of Chapter 6: Healing some scars. It will have Haphne and more fluff. But otherwise, this chapter is how Palliation successfully ends.

Thank you once again! <3

Important Note: This is Harry 'and' Daphne not Harry/Daphne. I am not going to make a love relation between a mentally 6 year old girl and a twenty six year old guy. Harry will be more like a guardian/parent figure along with friendship.

“I am Talking.”

‘I am Thinking’

Spells

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Death is not the greatest loss in life.

The greatest loss is what dies inside of us while we live.

~Norman Cousins

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Previously in Palliation:

There was no need for Teddy to read the article. He didn't need to know the news, he didn't need to know the groom's face, he didn't need to know the location or anything like that. He only need to do one thing….that was to infiltrate the building and run away with his sister at any damn cost!!

WARNING: This chapter has scenes which depict trauma. You will be reading it at your own risk, do not read if you don't prefer Trauma of any kind.

! You have been warned !

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Palliation

-Dev Sagittarius Black

~~Chapter 9: A World of Woes~~

.

Entering The Millennium Tower wasn't a hard thing. This time, Teddy knew he wasn't going to mess it up like last time.

How? Simple, by using the resources he had on hand. Teddy changed his appearance to that of a rich kid and wore his best clothes. He took the cab to the Tower and sneaked inside with another family that was going in.

This time, Teddy looked at the guards and felt his smugness at successfully infiltrating enemy territory. Now he only needed to find his sister and tell her everything. He patted his pants’ pocket and felt the family photograph that he had secured from his jeans. This time,he had proof too, so that the guards couldn't kick him out.

The eight-year-old boy with blonde hair and green eyes looked at the massive building in front of him. It was decorated with flowers, lights, and an assortment of baubles that he couldn't even name. Unfortunately, they seemed static, which meant that they weren't wizarding ones…and that meant that he'd have to be careful so that he didn't end up accidentally breaking the Statue of Secrecy.

Teddy casually checked around himself. There was a grand hall that was decorated with all sorts of flowers, and then there were men who wore three-piece suits and women with their frilly white gowns. It was one of the perfect weddings that he had seen in the movies.

He also saw that there was a large stage directly in line with the pedestal; that stage had all sorts of instruments on it. This was probably the stage that was set for the orchestra group. Teddy noticed that the guests were still coming, which meant that the bride and the groom were probably getting ready.

And that meant that his sister was still in one of the many rooms that he had yet to search.

Teddy grinned at the fact that he had already searched almost half of the tower the last time he had visited, which meant that his sister was probably in the other half. Now, the plan was perfect; all he had to do was check half of the tower, take up the face of one of the servants or maybe the assistants, then get his sister to a corner, tell her the plans, and sneak away from the wedding as soon as possible.

Yep, the perfect plan for a perfect rescue mission.

.

Hermione sighed as she filled in the details of the last meeting with the Department of Foreign Affairs. This was one of the things that she hated most: paperwork. It was actually a bane of her existence.

Still, it was probably something that needed to be done. She needed to note down the minutes of the meeting because these were definitely going to be used later by her boss to evaluate the relationship and trade that they had with other nations.

After the work, she had planned to go meet Harry once more before retiring for the evening. February was coming to a close, and her friend was still comatose. This wasn't looking good at all, but she knew that she had to stay strong, if only for the little bundle of determination that had taken residence in her home a month ago.

That reminded her that it had been exactly one month ago when she had welcomed Teddy into her home. Maybe she should do something for the boy to make his stay a bit more lively? She knew that she wasn't the best parent or guardian because her work life interfered with the time she should spend with Teddy. Still, it was the best she could do without jeopardising her work.

And she was really lucky that Teddy wasn't one of the attention-seeking types; no, in fact, it was the opposite; he was the type who preferred to be left alone to his devices. It was quite shocking because both Harry and Andy had told her that Teddy couldn't stay still and always wanted bedtime stories or games.

The Teddy she had been seeing for the last month wasn't anything like that. Maybe the loss of his grandmother and the absence of his godfather were affecting the boy and causing this change? Probably.

And that was why Hermione tried to spend every free moment—however less they were—with the boy and make him see the beauty of life and the fun it brought.

That was why Hermione wanted to show him some sort of appreciation for their continued stay of one month. 'Maybe a trip to the amusement park? Or the zoo?' She thought. 'The zoo would be good. It would be quiet and educational too.'

Hermione decided to book two tickets and keep her Saturday schedule free for their adventure in the zoo.

'And hopefully, this will also bring the boy out of his shell' Hermione thought before her eyes fell on the unfinished report in front of her, and she groaned. She knew she would have to finish up her already overloaded table so that she could take a break on Saturday. But she knew it would be worth it.

So, with that in mind, Hermione uncapped her pen again and started writing about the important points that had been discussed between the members of the department. She half wondered what Teddy might be doing right now. Probably sleeping on the couch or watching TV.

.

Teddy groaned a bit; he had already scanned half of the rooms that had been left, and he hadn't been able to find his sister in any one of them. He was currently wearing the dress of one of the waiters who had been assigned to the pantry.

Teddy had hit the big guy with a frying pan and knocked him unconscious, then he had tied the man and thrown him into the cupboard after taking his clothes and dressing up as him. He chose to become a waiter because that way, no one would ever assign him some big task, and he would have the privilege to roam around the entire state without a care.

"Martin! What the fuck are you doing here in the guest lounge area?" Someone shouted behind Teddy, and he turned to see a tall guy wearing a black coat with a shiny silver name tag with the title of 'Manager' walking furiously towards him.

"Why are you looking at me like you don't understand what I am saying?" The manager growled at him. "The musicians have been here for the last twenty minutes, and you had the job of offering them refreshments; they are about to go live! Go to room 5C and offer them refreshments. Go!"

Teddy knew that the man was furious at this 'Martin' fellow because he had failed to do the job of offering refreshments to the musicians. Unfortunately, Teddy didn't know that and had been moving around the whole building searching for his sister.

"Ye-Yes sir!" Teddy squeaked as he ran towards the room. He would have to make sure not to come into contact with the manager again.

"Where are you going, you dimwit?" The manager cried from behind him. "The room is in that direction. Come with me!"

And Teddy groaned, as he had no other option than to follow the manager. Maybe he could quickly offer the musicians some refreshments and be off? Then he would be able to search for his sister again.

The manager stopped right in front of a thick oak-wood door and pointed Teddy towards the door. "I don't think that the orchestra crew would be waiting for refreshments now. Still, it's our job to do it right, so go inside and do your best. DO. NOT. OFFEND. THEM. ANY MORE."

Teddy nodded as the manager whisper-growled at him before moving off. The eight-year-old gulped a bit before knocking on the door twice.

"Come in."

He slowly opened the door and peeked inside. There weren’t many inside the room—only five men—and they seemed to be finishing their ties and hair.

"Hello, sir," Teddy began. "Would you like to have some refreshments?"

"Now?" One of them snorted before shaking his head. "You guys are a bit too late, aren't you? The bride and the groom are coming in ten minutes. We have to be there in the next three."

The others agreed, giving finishing touches to their already impeccable suits.

"Well, we are really sorry to make you wait. It's just that we are a bit busy." He said while internally panicking. 'Bride and groom were coming in ten minutes?! This wasn't good—not good at all.' "Would you at least prefer a glass of water?"

"Unfortunately, no." This time, it was another one who stood up and was about to move out. "The only one who is still changing is our pianist, James. He is still in the washroom." He pointed at the attached washroom door that was closed. "Would you please tell him that we are already on the stage and that he should hurry up? It's said that the bridal pair is coming directly from the groom's house and with the groom's family."

Teddy stopped at that; that was a new thing. "You mean to say that the bride, Daphy—I mean, Miss Greengrass—isn't here?"

The man shook his head. "Of course not. She hasn't been here for almost a week now." He told the boy while opening the door. "They say that the groom took her with him because he took pity on the fact that the bride didn't have family or friends who would help her with the wedding."

And with that, the group left the room, leaving a shell-shocked Teddy Lupin behind, who fell to the ground.

'No family…?' Teddy thought as he tried to grasp the concept. He was Daphne's family! Harry was Daphne's family! They were there! She was never alone! Teddy would make sure that his sister never felt the need for a family ever again. He would fill her world with as much happiness as possible; he would...

There was the sound of the toilet being flushed that broke him out of his reverie. He knew this wasn't the time to feel emotional; therefore, he tried his level best to gather his wits and do the job that he infiltrated the tower for.

Teddy turned his head towards the washroom door that was being opened. And a plan started forming in his head. This would have to do. This would be the only way he’d be able to meet his sister. It was definitely very risky, and people might even confront him for doing this. But one thing was sure: if he succeeded, Daphne wouldn't marry this Magnus guy, and they'd be able to run away from this place.

'Alright…let's do this'

.

"You surely took your time, eh, James?"

James nodded at his fellow performer as he stepped on the stage. He went to stand near the organ that he was meant to play at this posh wedding.

"What took you so long, James?" The guitarist grumbled. "I was afraid you would miss the entry because of that pesky bladder of yours."

James gave an awkward laugh as he copied others' posture and how they stood. It would do well to stay undercover until it was actually the right time. It would not bode well for him to do anything that could cause a hindrance in his rescue mission.

The pianist of the orchestra, James, or as he was better known, Teddy Lupin, was standing alert near the grand piano; it had been a momentous decision, something that he was regretting now. But he was trying not to feel regret; this was the only way through which he would be able to capture Daphne's attention the most.

The boy still thought about the original James, who was still in the washroom. Knocked out and totally oblivious to what his face was being used for. Teddy made up his mind to meet with both James and Martin once this was done and apologise profusely to both of them.

Suddenly, cars started coming in the driveway, and all of a sudden, the atmosphere changed. Everyone looked towards the seven cars that had come. Each of them looked exactly like the one before them, completely black with chrome plating. The numbers on their number plate were also matching: 001, 002, 003, and so on until 007.

Teddy knew that his sister was beautiful, but it didn't compare to the angel that stepped out of the car that was numbered 003.

Blonde hair coming down in waves, a frilly snow-white gown that was hugging her curves at the right places, a necklace of pearls around her slender, swan-like neck. The light dusting of make-up accentuated her already gorgeous features. Teddy was mesmerised and had to admit it: Daphne Greengrass was indeed very beautiful. Probably the most beautiful woman in the entirety of Britain or even the world.

Teddy looked at the groom, Magnus Peralta. The metamorphmagus wouldn't lie; Magnus was a handsome man, probably one of the most handsome ones out there. Tall, fair, black hair styled back and a clean-shaven face that showed his strong jawline.

Still, compared to Daphne, it was like a baboon who got the grapes. He was totally undeserving of Daphne!

"James! What are you doing!" The conductor whispered angrily as he took the baton, and the first violin started to play. "Go and sit on the piano stool already!"

Teddy frantically bobbed his head and sat on the stool. But there was one major problem…..he was not James. He was Teddy Lupin. And Teddy Lupin hadn't spent his days learning the instrument or practising with the orchestra.

Hell Teddy only knew one song, the song that Harry liked. The one that his gramma had taught to both him and Daphy together. Teddy smiled at that; he got the idea of how he could get Daphne's attention.

.

Daphne was smiling as she stepped out of the car. She was happy today. It was probably the happiest she had been in years. Today was one of the most important days of her life, and she was relishing every moment of her marriage with her friend and to-be husband, Magnus.

She wouldn't lie; she was missing her sister and best friend. This was not how she had imagined the wedding to go. She had hoped that Tori and Tracey would have been with her, helping her get rid of the pre-wedding jitters and all that. Unfortunately, Tori wasn't here, and Tracey had left the British Isles more than a decade ago. Never to be heard or seen.

'Still..' Daphne looked at her fiance and smiled, 'Magnus had been a big help,'

She remembered how worried she had been a week ago when Magnus had visited her. She was at her wits end and was about to throw everything out the window of The Tower.

But then Magnus came, saw her state, and told her that she should not worry about anything. That he'd manage it all.

Daphne had complained, but he had instead packed her stuff in a bag and took her home, where his family welcomed her with open arms.

Daphne looked around and couldn't help the small smile that graced her features. Magnus had indeed done quite well. It was as if she wasn't the bride, but The Millennium Tower was. The entire tower was decorated, and everything seemed perfect. Just like the day.

She was about to step on the first stair to reach the pedestal when the music started. She looked at the grand orchestra Magnus had arranged. They were supposed to play her and his favourites, along with a few of the most famous ones.

But it all changed when the pianist sat on the stool and started playing. The tune wasn't on the list of music that was to be played at the wedding. Neither she nor Magnus asked for this song.

She looked at Magnus, who had a confused frown on his face, and then she looked at the orchestra crew. The conductor, along with other performers, were looking at the pianist with nothing short of shock on their faces. This confirmed her suspicions about the song being something that neither she nor Magnus had asked for.

But, even then, for some reason, she liked the song that was being played. In fact, it felt like she was actually familiar with all the notes—the sharps, the flats, and the chords. Everything.

And that was a weird thing in itself, because as far as she could remember, she had never, in her sane life, ever touched any of the musical instruments that were present in the Greengrass Manor. Daphne then noticed her movement and looked down at her fingers, they were moving on their own. She looked further and saw her right feet tapping in tune with the song's cycle.

Weird.

Teddy, on the other hand, ignored the crowd. He ignored everyone, including the other performers who were looking at him as if he had grown a second head. Everything around him had stopped when he started playing the notes of We Shall Overcome on the grand piano. His eyes were only fixed on one person—his sister Daphne.

He was happy to note that her fingers were moving on their own accord; this meant that she remembered Harry's favourite song and how they had learned it from his gramma, to celebrate his arrival before the new year.

No one said anything; the guests thought that it was probably part of the programme, while the Peraltas and Daphne thought that it was some mistake that would probably be rectified later. Unfortunately, that was not what the orchestra crew thought it to be.

"James! What are you doing!" The conductor shouted at him, his baton flailing angrily. "This was not the song we had practised for opening, you dunderhead! Stop this nonsense at once!"

But Teddy didn't listen to him. And why should he? The conductor wasn't his boss, and by the end of this, he wouldn't be playing for the wedding anyways because the bride would be running away with Teddy. The boy was actually waiting for Daphne to give some kind of reaction—any reaction. That she remembered this song.

Unfortunately, it never came. And instead, the conductor was the one who rushed towards him and pulled him by the shoulder. His brown eyes glared daggers at Teddy, who now finally looked at him.

"What. Is. The. Meaning. Of. This!!" The conductor grabbed Teddy by his collar and pulled him from his sitting position, the crowd gasped in shock at this behaviour. To them, everything till this point had been a supposed 'stage-show' to garner their attention.

Only now were they realising that it was way more than that.

Teddy looked into the brown eyes of the conductor and calmly stepped back. He didn't flinch when the conductor took a step forward and instead walked to the front of the stage. The eight-year-old looked at his sister, who looked back with a curious frown.

"How are you, Daphne?" Teddy began, ignored the surprised gasps from everyone, and continued. "I am sorry for being late. I really am. But you know, I tried to meet you before, but your guards didn't let me meet you back then."

Magnus frowned at that. What was this pianist hinting at? Was he some kind of friend of Daphne's? An acquaintance perhaps? He looked at Daphne and crossed them out because she looked as surprised as anyone, if not more.

"They kicked me out when I tried to meet you. If only they had allowed it, nothing like this would have happened," Teddy said and started moving towards the stairs. "You don't have to marry this Magnus guy. I am sure he has fed you some nonsense about marriages, but your brother is here now, and he will protect you from everything."

Daphne was confused when she heard the pianist speak about Magnus, but she was surprised when the boy came to the 'brother' part. She didn't have any brothers to the best of her knowledge, only one sister, and she had left the world two years ago. Then, what was this brother gobshit he was on about?

"What?" She asked him, speaking for the first time since this began.

"Yes, Daphy." Teddy said as he missed the wince on Daphne's face. "You don't have to marry this fool now. I am here for you; I will protect you from this guy. Whatever he has told you to convince you of this marriage is wrong and false. You don't have to marry him because he forced you to."

Daphne frowned at that, but Magnus was in front of her before she could have said anything. "A fool, you say?" Magnus said, "And who said about forcing anyone to do anything? Daphne is perfectly happy with this marriage, and in fact, we had planned everything for a month. If anyone is forcing anything, it's you."

Teddy glared at Magnus. "I know everything you did. You found her in one of the hospitals or somewhere after that accident, and since I and Harry were both unconscious, you took advantage of this situation and fed her lies about marriage and what-not!"

Daphne got confused more and more as the pianist introduced an accident and some guy named Harry.

As far as she remembered, there was only one accident she was associated with, the one that happened in her department about four months ago, and the only Harry she remembered was Britain's magical hero Harry Potter and the Prince of Great Britain, both of whom would never contact someone like her.

Teddy looked at the confusion on Daphne's face and got worried as to what would have happened if she couldn't even remember Harry. It was then that he remembered the major flaw in his plan.

He still wore James' face and body. Something that needed to be rectified soon. And so, amid the shocked gasps of the assembled crowd, Teddy took the greatest risk ever as he changed his face from James' to his own, complete with his signature turquoise blue hair and emerald eyes.

Daphne's eyes widened at the casual display of magic, and she fearfully took a step back. But the changes didn't stop there. The boy's body shrank, and soon enough, there was an eight-year-old boy standing in the suit and shoes of a twenty-eight-year old man.

The crowd screamed in surprise and shock, with a few going so far as to pull their cell phones out to record the incident. Daphne looked around herself; this wouldn't bode well for her or the magical world. Whoever this boy was, either he was a metamorph or someone had given him an ageing potion, or maybe a polyjuice potion?

Neither case sounded good; it seemed as though the boy had come into contact with a magical or was a magical himself. Unfortunately, this realisation didn't help the fact that the kid had single-handedly jeopardised the entirety of wizarding Britain. Daphne knew that she'd have to salvage the situation soon enough. Therefore, she did the only thing that could be done at the moment.

She pulled out the invisible bracelet that was used to contact other members of her department. She activated it with a tap. "Ancalagon, it's an emergency. Track me and ask Minister Shacklebolt to dispatch a team of obliviators. At least 20, as soon as possible."

Once she heard the 'ping' which told her that the message had been received, only then did she look at the blue-haired boy who was openly crying now, 'That damn little thing…he has spoiled my entire wedding!'

"Daphy, please. Now you recognise me, right?" Teddy asked, and tears openly streamed down his face as he looked at his sister. "I am Teddy, your elder brother. I am here to save you from this marriage.  Just leave him and run away with me, please." He begged her as he rushed towards her.

Daphne frowned at the boy. Even though he had committed a crime, she couldn't bring herself to be angry at the boy for some reason. So, she did the only thing that was reasonable, according to her.

"Guards," she announced, "throw this boy out of here and close the door so that no one else enters or exits The Tower."

Teddy's eyes widened as he saw three heavy-looking guards, two of whom had kicked him out last time, run towards him. What was happening? This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. Daphne should have recognised him, hugged him, and they should've faced the guards together as they ran out of this wretched place.

But here, his own sister, his very own Daphy, the girl who had hugged him when she cried and had begged him to always stay with her…was kicking him out of the place. The very same person for whom he did the entire thing.

Everything flashed before Teddy's eyes in the moments that passed. The news article that showed the marriage in one month, his first attempt, sneaking around the entire building, being thrown, his cries of helplessness, the letters he sent her every day via Diana, her bunny plushie Thea, which he had sent a few days ago, and lastly, the promise he had made to his uncle about getting Daphne back.

Every moment of the past month flashed before his eyes, and Teddy realised that he was going to lose another one of his family.

The boy screamed, throwing his arms and legs as he was being lifted. He tried his level best to hide and run away, but the guards didn't let him. He even went as far as to pull out the photograph that he had in his pocket.

"Daph!! Daph!! Look at this!" The young boy cried. "Just look at this, Daph! It's our family photo, Daph! It's our family photo that you asked me to keep safe for you!!" He cried, his cheeks a constant stream of tears and his mind full of pain.

Daphne looked at the crying boy and couldn't help but feel the pain that he had on his face. Even if the boy had spoiled the most important day in her life, she didn't have it in her to feel the anger that she should. Instead, all she felt was confusion and bewilderment at what was happening right in front of her eyes.

Teddy turned his head to look at his sister. He saw the confusion on her face, but mostly he saw the coldness in her eyes, and that broke his heart. Those eyes sucked out every last drop of motivation that he had.

It didn't seem like Daphne was kept here and forced into marriage. It seemed like she was here and was getting married on her own free will, and that didn't bode well with him. He didn't want to admit it, though, because that would mean he had accepted his defeat and had failed the promise that he gave his comatose godfather.

None of the guards listened to the boy's cries of anguish as they dragged him towards the main gate. The crowd watched; some even shed tears at the pain in the innocent eight-year-old's voice, but none of them stood up to stop Daphne or the guards as the boy disappeared from their view and his screams slowly dulled to nothingness.

The guards literally threw the sobbing boy out of the Tower's large iron gates and closed them behind him.

"And this time, stay outside!" The first guard from last time said as they moved back towards the wedding hall.

They completely ignored the kid who was crying his heart out as he tightly clutched the photograph of his 'family'. Teddy, on the other hand, was a complete wreck. He banged his hands on the iron gates, screamed to be let inside, and literally begged the guards on the gates and the gods out there.

But no one came to his rescue.

Soon enough, he saw a team of similar-dressed men in black and blue apparate on the campus of the tower and enter the hall. Within minutes, the entire hall was silent, and just a few minutes later, the large overhead speakers placed inside the tower's campus blared with music as Teddy heard the beginning of marriage.

The boy was uncontrollable as he banged on the cold iron gates, and he noticed that the weather wasn't forgiving either. Slowly, snowflakes started to fall from the skies. Still, the boy didn't care; he needed his sister right now. She was going to make the worst mistake of her life, and even if she didn't understand it now, Teddy knew that she would regret it later.

And he would be damned if he let that happen.

In the end, there was nothing he could do. The boy sobbed as he heard an elderly voice announce "And with this, I congratulate you both, Mr. and Mrs. Peralta, for a happy and prosperous future filled with joy and warmth. May you both have a long and prosperous life ahead."

Teddy sank on the footpath. His bloodied hands were hanging helplessly at his sides. His face was marked with dried tears, and his voice was hoarse because he had been screaming for the past hour.

Slowly but surely, Teddy got up. This was like a nightmare for him, and he wanted it to end. He wished the nightmare to end and for him to wake up in his gramma's lap, sleeping beside his sister Daphne as Harry told them bedtime stories.

The boy lost all his hope. He had been shocked, he had lost his grandmother, then he had lost his godfather, and now he had been kicked out by the very person for whom he had been working relentlessly for the past one month.

It was as if the gods, or whoever was watching him, were playing a cruel prank on him. It was as if his life was just made for their entertainment, and they were getting a kick out of it by throwing one torture after another.

Teddy tried to rub his eyes, but his hands stopped midway. He wasn't crying. Not because he didn't want to, but because he couldn't cry anymore. He had lost everything, including his will to fight and his willingness to cry. He just didn't know what to do as he trudged towards the common path towards his current residence, and the snow fell around him.

The pedestrians gave him weird looks, and he knew that he looked weird. After all, how many times did one come across an eight-year-old boy who wore an extra-large suit and had a crumpled photograph in his bloodied hand?

But he didn't pay them any attention. The thought about the photograph made him look at the crumpled and bloodied image in his hands.

Teddy looked at Daphne's grinning face as she stood beside him and they held their hands. His vision blurred again when he noticed that his gramma had her hand around his shoulder while Daphne grabbed Harry's hand on the other end.

Tears fell when he saw the smile on his family's face, that was the last day they had smiled together. The last day when his world was sane and complete, not ripped apart from the centre and burning from the edges.

He missed it. He missed his past life. He missed his family; he missed his gramma and her hugs, he missed her cooking and her scolding, he missed his godfather's laughter that made him relax, he missed his bed-time stories and the piggyback rides. He missed his sister, who introduced him to Thea, he missed his sister, who had cried behind him and sought his protection when others bullied her, he missed her hugs and he missed her excited smiles.

He missed everything. And he missed the hope that he had felt in himself. He missed it all. It had been far too long, and he was too tired now. He just wanted everyone back, and he wanted to wake up from this nightmare.

'Why did you leave me, gramma…why? Why did uncle have to go into a coma, and…and what happened to Daphy-Daphne….what happened to Daphne?? Why is everything like this..Will I ever get anyone back? Will I ever-' Teddy stumbled a few steps as he fell on the footpath.

He wiped his tears on the overly large sleeves and looked up to see as some stranger hobbled away in the snow. He was probably another one of the homeless people who tried to get shelter when they faced the bad weather.

The boy slowly got up again, and his eyes widened when he noticed that the photo wasn't in his hand anymore. He frantically looked around himself and sighed in relief when he saw the photograph lying just a few metres from him.

Teddy walked towards the photograph. He distantly heard a screech as if two unpleasant things rubbed against each other. He bent down to pick up the photograph and wiped it with his sleeve as he tried to get rid of the blood and dirt on it.

There was another screech, and someone screamed. There was a bright flash of light, and the last thing the eight-year-old saw was a pair of huge headlights before his body felt pain and his mind went blank.

A few men ran towards the boy; the truck driver fled the scene immediately. One of them bent down to check the boy's pulse. He then checked the boy's breathing and sighed. He looked at other pedestrians and gave a single shake of his head as he closed the boy's innocent emerald eyes.

The boy was no more.

They watched as a photograph slowly floated down and fell on the boy's chest, right where his unbeating heart was.

It was a sad day.

.

~Six months Later~

St. Mungo's Hospital

There was a knock on the door, and the nature and frequency indicated that the matter was urgent.

Head healer Lamming signed the latest bills that were given by the potions department; they weren't much, but they were needed in almost every case. It was just a good thing that the magical potions didn't have tolerance effects like some muggle medicines that he had read about.

"Come in," he said out loud, and he kept on reading the report when the door opened and healer Michael stepped inside. His breathing was frantic, and he was sweating profusely, as if he had run here all the way from his office on the ground floor.

"Healer Michael, what happened, are you-"

"No time, Sir!" Michael said, "It's a miracle; you have got to see it!"

Lamming frowned at Michael's happiness, this was probably the most happy he had seen the healer. Hell, he wasn't this happy when he was accepted at the hospital or was promoted to Senior Healer rank.

"What's it?"

"Harry Potter..he's awake! Healer Mathew is with him right now, I came-"

Lamming didn't hear the rest of it. He jumped out of his chair and rushed towards the door. Why didn't they allow the healers to apparate again? At least allow that to the head healer for Merlin's sake!

This was probably the best news in the entire year. Harry had been comatose since the beginning of the new year. The boy was like a son to him, and Lamming couldn't wait to see the boy laugh and smile again.

Together, both Lamming and Michael entered the Magical COMA ward of St. Mungo's and looked at the sitting form of one of their very best healers. He looked quite pale, with sunken cheeks and drooping eyelids.

But there was a small smile on his face as he talked with his friend, Healer Mathew. The man had been almost inconsolable when he saw Harry's prone form. Mathew even took a small break from hospital work, yet he would come to visit Harry every day.

"Harry," Lamming began as he came close to the man.

Harry looked at the head healer and gave another smile before he waved. "Hello sir, how are you?"

Lamming couldn't help but chuckle at that. Trust Harry to wake up from an eight-month-long COMA and then ask someone else how they were. It was Harry, alright.

"I am good. How are you, young man?" Lamming said and stood near him, flicking his wand out for a general check-up. "Feeling anything wrong with yourself?"

Harry frowned a bit, probably to concentrate, before he shrugged. "Nothing yet. I just have stiff muscles, but I am assuming it's bed sores and nothing special."

Lamming nodded and looked at Mathew. The man had definitely cried, as was apparent by the almost liquid sparkle in his grey eyes. He might even be the happiest man right now.

The healers chatted for some time as Harry learned how long he had been in COMA and all that had happened in the meantime. He relaxed a bit when he came to know that they had contacted Hermione, as she had been a frequent visitor and had asked them to contact her as soon as he woke up.

It was then that he asked the question that Lamming had dreaded this whole time.

"Hermione visited me regularly? That's a good thing. Guess I should probably give her a treat or something for that." Harry grinned before he looked at Mathew, "What about Andy and Teddy? Did they not ask you to tell them? Oh wait, it's good you didn't tell Teddy, he might be at school right now."

Harry chuckled a bit, but he frowned when no one, not even Mathew smiled at his humour. Instead, quite the opposite happened when Mathew looked at Michael and Lamming, both communicating through their eyes.

The green-eyed healer knew something was wrong when he saw the pitiful eyes of all three healers land on him. "What happened? Is everything alright?" He asked them.

"Harry…" Mathew began, "About Andy and Teddy…"

"What happened to them? Where are they?" Harry asked his friend, and his confusion slowly turned into doubt as they pitied him more.

"They…." Mathew tried.

"They are no longer with us, Harry." Lamming helped his colleague, and he waited to see how the man would take the news. At first, he didn't want to tell him, what with the fact that he just came back from COMA, but he was sure that it'd probably be better if they told him right away rather than hide it from him.

Because he knew that Harry would probably learn about it in the next twenty-four hours, and it would be better for him to learn it as soon as possible rather than frustrate him by hiding something this sensitive from him for a long time.

Unfortunately, what happened wasn't something either one of them had expected, even in their wildest nightmares.

.

"Potter! Oi Potter! Don't die on us, Potter!"

The door was banged thrice.

"Wake up, Potter! Or Lamming will kill us!"

The thick metal door banged again.

Dull green eyes slowly opened as they took in their surroundings. The pupils were dilated, which indicated that the owner was still not focused, as was usual for him these days.

Harry slowly got up from the hard floor that he was lying on and tried to sit straight with the support of the wall. Tried to, because his hands weren't free, they were tied across his torso as he was put in a strait jacket.

Yes, Harry James Potter, the best healer in the world, the man-who-won, the most powerful wizard, was a patient of the mentally disabled ward in St. Mungo's hospital. He had been for about one and a half years now.

The guards looked at Harry as he panted from exertion, he was as frail as a stick and would probably die if his body suffered anymore than it already had. The guards pitied him, he was once the best healer out there who worked for the betterment of society. This guy was not even a shell of the powerful wizard that they had known about two years ago.

This guy was a broken man, someone who had lost everything in the world and was nothing more than a living, conscious wraith who was constantly plagued by nightmares and hallucinations. Something that was only controlled by the draught of dreamless sleep or by stupefying him.

Even then, he would have multiple seizures and night terrors that would be severely detrimental to his health. This was why Harry was placed in a strait jacket and was helped with the daily routine to help with his survival.

There were two nurses and three guards that had been posted for the man, so that he could survive and not just kill himself to get rid of the pain that suffocated his very life and tormented him endlessly.

Harry sighed as he looked at the blank wall ahead. The room had no windows and only one thick metal door with a small opening and bars on it. This was more like a prison cell than a room, but he knew that he would have to endure it.

He wasn't mad. He hadn't lost his marbles, like some assumed. He did have intelligent thoughts and moments of coherent syllabes. They were just getting more infrequent now. He still remembered almost everything about his old life.

The smiles he had shared, the friends he had—he missed them now. Ron, Hermione, Nevile, Luna, Dean. He missed them all. Even though none of them came to visit him anymore. Last he had seen them was…an year ago? Two years ago? He couldn't remember.

It didn't matter anyways, none of it did.

The only thing that mattered was him, his wavering consciousness, the fluctuations in his pain, the constant throbbing in his skull, and him.

Harry sighed when he felt a slight chill in the surroundings. He didn't know if it was actually the atmosphere or if it meant that he was here to visit him again. The mage prayed that the chill was the fruit of their current weather and not his arrival.

He saw a small snowflake floating in the room. It shone in the little amount of light that came from the small opening in the metal door as it descended languidly towards the stone floor beneath him.

Soon enough, more followed the single snowflake. Harry looked on in bewilderment as the snowflakes danced in the cramped-up cell, as if they had a tune of their own. The snowflakes didn't come from the ceiling, though; they came from the right corner of his living area.

Harry turned his eyes to that corner and stiffened. There he was, the person he dreaded. The person who had visited him almost every day for the last two years.

Small in height with pale cheeks and green eyes, he wore an overly large black suit that was stained with blood. Some of it spilled on his turquoise-blue hair too.

"Hello Uncle." The boy smiled. "How are you?"

His godson, Teddy Lupin, was here again.

Like always, Teddy stood in the corner. He never moved, just stood there in his blood-soaked, extra-large black suit, with a smile on his face and snow falling around him. The only thing that told Harry that it wasn't Teddy was the hollowness of his green eyes. They looked at him, but there was a hint of coldness in them, they weren't the warm ones that his godson had.

"Teddy…" Harry whispered as he looked at his godson, who smiled in response. It didn't reach his cold green eyes, but then it never did.

"I asked you a question, uncle," Teddy said. "How are you?"

Harry shook his head; he knew how this was going to end. This was how it always started, and there was only one way it always ended: him crying on the floor. Sometimes the prisoners would get tired of his voice, or maybe they took pity on him and would stun him to prevent his tears.

"I don't know what you want, Teddy…why are you here?" Harry asked.

"Why, uncle, I just came to visit you. I am after all a good godson who cares about his uncle, and a good godson should visit his uncle in the hospital, right?"

Harry didn't say anything, he knew what Teddy was doing, and he didn't want that to happen, not again.

"Right uncle?" Teddy asked again as his smile dropped. "RIGHT?"

"Yes.." Harry muttered, "You are a good godson, Teddy, the best I could have ever asked for."

Teddy smiled again, satisfied by his answer. But Harry knew that this wasn't the end. In fact, this was the beginning. The beginning of another one of his sessions.

"Then you won't mind me telling, exactly, how good of a godfather you were, right, Uncle?" Teddy asked him.

Harry whimpered at that, he hadn't exactly been a good godfather. He had tried his level best, but a good godfather wasn't someone who wasn't there for you when you died. That was one of the very first rules that they had established.

"..I am not a good godfather, Teddy."

"Exactly, Uncle, I am glad that you remember it." Teddy smiled, pleased with his response. "Now, where did you go wrong?"

Harry shook his head. "I don't know."

Teddy tutted and made an innocent face. "You went wrong where you could have saved them, uncle, we've been over this many times now."

Harry shook his head. "No, I couldn't. It's not my fault they died."

"Oh, but it is," Teddy said, his face splitting wide with a grin. "You know deep down that it is your fault, uncle."

Harry rapidly shook his head as images started plundering his mind. Images of Cedric's dead body in the graveyard, images of Sirius leaving him in the ministry Hell, he didn't even know where his first best friend Hedwig's dead body was.

"Exactly!" Teddy crowed. "You didn't deserve her loyalty! You know that too! She gave her  life uselely!!"

Harry frantically shook his head at that. "Noo…NOOo.."

"Yes! Everyone died because of you! Admit it, Uncle! Your pet Hedwig, the elf who loved you the most, remember him? Dobby?"

Harry did, he remembered the tiny creature who had tried to rescue him and had helped him numerous times throughout his Hogwarts years, and then at the Malfoy manor, he remembered the elf's last words and how he had smiled when he finally died.

"You couldn't even avenge his death!" Teddy cried. "That woman died by the hands of a HOUSEWIFE! Instead of you, the great HARRY POTTER!" He spat.

"It wasn't in my power to do that, I was fighting Voldemort at that time." Harry begged as his vision blurred and tears pooled in his eyes.

"A likely excuse. Nothing more than that! You should've been strong enough to save them, they trusted you with their lives." Teddy's voice was slowly rising now. "But you knew that you wouldn't be able to save them, didn't you? Why did you let them fight? WHY?!"

Tears fell from his eyes as he shook his head. He hadn't asked anyone to fight. Hell, he had asked them to stay safe, but they hadn't listened.

"Because of the trust they had in you!" Teddy screamed, "My mother, my father, and even my grandma, they trusted you! Aren't you proud to single-handedly make me an orphan? Did you only come into our lives so that you could finish off the task one day?"

Harry fell to the floor as he shook his head in denial. Tears fell rapidly from his eyes as he looked at the boy in front of him.

"You are not only responsible for me but for all other war orphans out there, you freak!" Teddy screamed. "Your own mother died, and your father died for you! Your godfather died because you were stupid enough to fall into a trap! YOU DON'T DESERVE ANY OF THEIR DEATHS!!"

Harry screamed in pain as he curled in a foetal position and tried to cover his ears.

"How does it feel, Uncle?" Teddy taunted. "How does it feel to single-handedly kill these many people? How does it feel to take that breath when you are responsible for so many last breaths?"

Harry wailed loudly, not wanting to listen to Teddy anymore. He started to bang his head on the floor. This way, he could fall unconscious and stop the words. Even though it would be nothing more than a small reprieve.

"You are responsible for the death of my mother, for the death of my father, and my grandmother too! How does it feel, Harry? How does it feel to kill the ones who treated an orphan like you as a family? You are worse than Voldemort! At least he never killed his servants with false hope, unlike you, Mr. Man-who-won!" Teddy's voice was the only thing he could hear, and he didn't want to hear it anymore. He just wanted the sweet release of death.

He begged for it.

"You won't die, Uncle, not now and not ever! Your death would make their sacrifices a mockery of what it is. No, you will live, you have to live! LIVE AND TAKE THE DAMN RESPONSIBILITY!" Teddy shouted.

"I didn't kill anyone…I didn't want anyone to die…" Harry repeatedly banged his head on the floor, he saw some blood as he did but didn't stop.

"No, you did. You are the one responsible for EVERY DEATH! INCLUDING MINE!" Teddy cried. "Daphy married someone, my gramma DIED THAT DAY! I DIED ANOTHER DAY!! JUST BECAUSE OF YOU! ALL YOU!"

His vision blurred as his head spun. There was pain in his head, but he didn't stop; he banged his head harder.

"You are the killer, uncle, you will always be the one responsible for my death! I blame you! I will forever blame you for killing my entire family!" Teddy cried. "You should've died in their places!"

Blackness crept on his vision and he heard some distant cries of 'Potter!' and 'Oh no, not again!' But Harry didn't care. His head fell into the small pool of his blood as he panted and looked at the form of Teddy that glared at him.

"You know this won't work," the boy said. "You have tried it before, and you have failed. I will come back again." He slowly started disappearing along with the falling snow. "Until next time, Uncle."

And with that, the boy vanished into nothingness while strong hands grasped him. Harry didn't care anymore. He just closed his eyes, and blackness surrounded him.

.

The next time Harry opened his eyes, he wasn't in the strait jacket; instead, he was on a stretcher. Being levitated outside of his cell at the hospital. He knew what would happen; hell, he had treated many cases like this in the past.

There would be a healer, they would knit the cranial artery that had ruptured, they would then pull the clotted blood and knit his skin. Then his skin would be washed, an analgesic would be given, and he would be put under Mage-ray for a scan.

And then they would bind him again in the strait jacket and place him back in the cell. The place that he hated most, but there was nothing he could do about it anyways.

Harry looked at the almost empty corridor. He had been shifted to the topmost level about a year ago. That was done because his cries were too painful and were preventing the treatment of other patients, that was why he was placed here. In the untreatable ward of the hospital.

They had given up on him, he was just a liability now. Harry looked at the light that was streaming through the window. It was cloudy outside, dark grey clouds hovered over the hospital.

He was about to turn his head to the other side when he noticed it, or noticed them.

Snow-flakes.

Harry squinted his eyes and saw the snowflakes that were falling from the sky. They were nothing like the ones he saw every time on Teddy's arrival. They were beautiful. They looked like little diamonds that were slowly descending from the heavens, like God's gift to humanity.

And for some reason, they called out to him.

Harry knew that it was impossible. Snowflakes never called out to anyone, at least Teddy's didn't. But for some reason, he felt that the snowflakes were indeed calling for him. They wanted to meet him, to touch him, and to make him feel alive again.

They wanted to tell him that they were real and that there were many more like him. That the world had many more like him and that he wasn't alone.

Harry wanted to feel all of that. He wanted to feel the touch of fresh snow, he wanted to feel the coldness they brought, he wondered if their coldness might be warmer than the one he felt inside him. Was it cold anymore? Or was he dead inside?

The man didn't know, he just knew one thing: snowflakes, and the urge to feel them around him.

And Harry did just that.

The guard, who had been levitating the stretcher, suddenly felt it was lighter than it should be. He turned his head to look behind him, and his eyes widened at what he saw.

Harry Potter was running towards one of the windows.

"Potter!" The guard screamed, but Harry didn't answer. He kept on running towards the window. He wobbled a bit, likely from the injury on his head but that didn't stop his sprint. The man ran like he was chasing his freedom. Like this was the only thing that mattered in life.

"Catch him!" The first guard shouted and the two who were near him got in Potter's way, only to be kicked out of the way by the deranged wizard. They even pulled their wands out and started shooting stunners and body-binders after him, but shockingly enough, Potter dodged them all on instinct and kept running towards the window.

Harry felt another spell coming his way, his magic was leaking out of him and saturating the corridor, he jumped to the right and the spell whizzed past him.

The snowflakes were calling for him. It was his time to finally meet them, why couldn't they understand it?

Harry saw the window come closer, he knew that the glass wouldn't let him meet the snowflakes. And there was only one way to meet them. Probably this was his only way of achieving his freedom.

Freedom from the past, freedom from the pain, freedom from the life of an insanity. This was his truth, this was his moment, it was something that would free him from endless torment.

The window came closer and there was another spell that whizzed past him, there were footfalls behind him. But Harry didn't care, he didn't care about anything as he jumped towards the window with full force.

There was a resounding smash and someone cried his name, but all that mattered to him was the feel of the fresh snowflakes that touched his skin. They were indeed calling him, but they weren't here to tell him that he wasn't alone.

They were here to tell him that it was time to not be alone anymore. That it was time…to join others. The ones who have been waiting for him on the other side.

And for the first time in years, Harry's face split into a huge smile even as tears fell from his emerald eyes. Somewhere deep down inside him, there was a part that screamed at him to not die. To live and fight back.

But that part was silenced by the one that wanted him to finally leave everything and release himself.

His life flashed before him as the ground came closer. He smiled at all the memories he had, at all the smiles and laughter he had been responsible for, tears fell when he remembered the deaths. But he would honour them, they were martyrs who gave up their life for the bright future of their closed ones.

Harry was approaching the ground rapidly and his smile widened. He thought of his friends: Hermoine, Ron, Luna, Nevile and others. He thought of the parental figures in his life, he even thought of his enemies and wished them a peaceful afterlife.

Harry was smiling and crying at the same time. Smiling because he knew that he would soon get his freedom and crying because he knew that his close ones would miss him a lot.

He looked up at the sky and smiled when he saw a snowy white owl with amber eyes. She hooted as if greeting him after a long time, telling him that she had been waiting for this moment. That she had been waiting all this time, just to look after him and to reunite with him.

Harry smiled at that, his first best-friend was here. She had again waited all this time to enter another world full of wonders with him. And he was thankful.

He was thankful to everyone who had been in his life and gave him a purpose to live, he was thankful to his parents for giving him a chance at life, to his godfather for being there when no one else was and to everyone else who had been there for and with him at some point of his life.

Harry closed his eyes when he saw the ground a metre away from him. 'Thank you…' he thought and he heard another hoot.

There was pain, before everything was silent again.

.

Daphne Greengrass sighed as she wiped her brow. Shifting was sure a tough task, certainly not suited for someone like her. But she had to do it herself, to start her new life with her husband. She looked at her servants who were helping the packers and movers.

She had been married for about two years now, and they had finally decided to start a small family of their own. She was thankful that Magnus had supported her through everything including her resignation from the Department of Mysteries.

Croaker hadn't been happy but there was nothing he could do to stop her. She had finished all her projects and had finally resigned. She was finally ready for children and wanted to be there for them. She wanted them to be proud of their mother.

Daphne looked towards the open window. Snow was falling again. She smiled at that, the snow reminded her of her moniker from Hogwarts years 'The Ice-Queen'. She wondered if she'd give birth to another girl who would be called 'The Ice-Queen'.

'No' she thought, 'I had to wear that mask because of my mother. I would never force my children to be the way I want. They can be anything they want, it'll all be up to them.' She decided.

Daphne squinted at the snow, for a moment it had seemed like there was a man floating amid the snow, but it was ridiculous, right? How could someone fly in the snow? She shook her head and looked again.

Daphne gasped when all of a sudden, a very familiar face came into her view. Black messy hair, green eyes and a small scar on his forehead, 'Potter..?' She took a step back when Potter smiled at her and accidentally hit one of the packers who was carrying an open box titled 'Letters'.

"Sorry." She said without even looking at them, her eyes instantly moving towards the window but there was no Potter. In fact, there was no one there. 'Probably my imagination…' She thought before she looked down.

There was something that was lying on the floor. Daphne bent down and picked it up, it might have fallen from the box which the packer had been carrying. But the weird thing was that the box was named 'Letters' and the thing that she had picked was a plushie. A bunny plushie to be exact.

Daphne immediately felt a wide range of emotions hit her, as if the plushie was really important to her for some reason. But for the life of it, she couldn't remember exactly when she had brought the plushie or if someone had gifted this to her.

She turned the plushie and saw a tag around it with the name 'THEA' written on it in a crude handwriting, along with that there was a small bundle of envelopes that were tied to the plushie's side.

Daphne frowned as she picked one of the envelopes from it, weirdly enough she had never received any of these. In fact, this might be the first time she was even seeing them.

The names on the envelope were even more weird. Because written in a really crude handwriting, as if it was from a child, were the words:

To,

My little sister,

Daphy Greengrass Potter

...

From,

Her elder brother,

Teddy Lupin Potter

"....What?"

~~End~~

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Ending Note: And there you have it my patrons, the last official chapter of Palliation. The first fanfic that I successfully completed. Thank you for your support. The next fic which will be completed is Innovator.

With 10,000 words: This is the longest chapter I have written till date for any of my fanfics. But I think, the last chapter deserved it. 

I am going to write a special chapter that will be exclusive to my God Tier patrons, that chapter will have the alternate ending. It will have the fluff that had been shown in the first six chapters of the fanfic. 

I hope you do comment how you felt reading this. I am waiting for your comments and constructive criticism, if there are any. 

Those who have joined my discord server, please tell one of the mods or me about it in the server to get the patrons role, I am most active in my server so you can freely ask anything there.
Link: https://discord.gg/Gcbcv4dxGx

Name: Dev Black's Empire

But you’ll have to tell me or one of the mods in the server, that you are my patron and tell your patron account name.  

Thank you for reading and comments.  

With regards,

Dev Black