Fate's Request: A Harry Potter FanFiction

Read the 'Author's Note' at the bottom once you've finished!

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"Master?" Mel asked in worry after hearing David curse.

David shook his head and said, "Its fine Mel, just something a little shocking. I need to read this again."

Mel wanted to know if he found any critical information regarding the Malediction but remained quiet as she looked at her Master intently while he re-read the journal.

Several minutes later, David finished his re-read of the passages pertaining to the Malediction and shut the journal with a loud snap.

"May I read it, Master?" Mel asked cautiously.

"You can't, it has security spells in place that only allow a Cross family member to read it," David explained.

Nodding in acceptance, Mel asked, "What did it say? Did you find the answers you were looking for?"

"Well," David said sighing, "I can cure Astoria easily enough. I won't even need the Greengrass diary for more information regarding my Malediction."

Mel listened on silently, taking it all in with rapt attention.

���But curing myself is going to prove a tad more difficult, Mel," David said after closing his eyes and thinking of his options.

David opened his eyes and saw the very worried look Mel was sporting and smiled at her, "Worry not, Mel. While it is a little more difficult, we can still do it. It's just going to take some time."

Seeing that she was still worried, David decided to tell her everything that was written in the journal.

---

"Beedle the Bard… I think we have an old copy back in the manor, I'll bring it immediately," Mel said after hearing that his cure lied with the Deathly Hallows, a children's fable.

"You don't need to Mel, I know where two of them are," David explained.

"Where are they, Master?!" Mel shouted in surprise.

David sighed because he knew she would want to take the Hallows now and deal with it as soon as possible. But that wasn't an option if he wanted to maintain the timeline he so carefully avoided ruining.

Harry would need the cloak to survive until the very end, the stone had to remain in Gaunt Shack for Dumbledore to stumble upon it and curse himself in his moment of d.e.s.i.r.e. And the wand needed to follow the headmaster's plan, for it was the only reason Harry managed to kill Voldemort in the end.

Without the Elder Wand changing its allegiance to Harry, Voldemort would have wiped the floor with him in their duel. The Elder Wand just refused to hurt its true master and as a result, Voldemort died thanks to the plan Dumbledore enacted with his death.

"The headmaster has the wand, naturally," David said looking at Mel intensely.

"We…" Mel mumbled, thinking of a plan.

"We what? Steal it? He's the most powerful Wizard in the world Mel," David said, rebuffing her before she could speak of an attempt in gaining the wand.

"We could ask…" she said eventually, following a lengthy pause.

"Yes… but I'll get the wand in the end, Mel. You need to trust me. I know it goes against everything you feel to leave the wand be, but you must. I don't give these often Mel, but that is an order," David said seriously, not liking having to give an order to the ever loyal and steadfast Mel.

Mel looked at David unbelieving, but she had her orders, she was to leave the wand alone. She could have looked at his words literally and searched for the other two items in secret, for she had massive clues to where they were. Aquilla had been quite obvious in that regard, but she was a good Elf and with a heavy heart decided to allow David to do as he wished in regard to the Hallows.

She was curious, however, how David knew that the Headmaster held the Elder Wand. A wand that if she researched would be very, very elusive but also left those thoughts unasked like so many she'd had before.

~Master will share his secrets when he deems fit… if ever~

Nodding her head, she bowed, and said, "As you wish, Master David."

"We still have to research ritual magic, Mel. Aquilla left no notes of the exact ritual we have to perform to overcome the curse," David said.

"Such books are rare," Mel said, agreeing.

"I suspect we'll find most of what we want in our vaults. I know you have a lot on your plate, but will you help me in going through the books that the Ministry has deposited in the vaults?" David asked with a smile.

"With p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e."

---

David slept peacefully, knowing that he finally knew how to cure himself, even if he had to wait until after the defeat of Voldemort to do so.

While it would have been nice to put the Malediction behind him, there was a chance he could die during the fighting and that in the end, as long as he cured himself after the War, it would all be fine.

After waking up with a massive weight off of his shoulders, he made the decision to tell Hermione everything regarding the cure.

He hid a lot from her and would have to continue to do so as the years went by, always holding something back. But he hoped that being as truthful as he could regarding everything else absolved him of that a little.

He didn't know what the future held for the two of them, but he loved her and she him and didn't want to ruin that by holding things back when he didn't have to.

David knew Hermione would realise the importance of the Wand once Harry started obsessing over it during their task in looking for the Horcrux's, but she wouldn't jeopardise their mission for that he knew.

She would certainly inform him of it if she could, allowing David to search for it while she searched for a way to kill an immortal man that was going to kill most of them if he won the war. She wouldn't like it, but David knew she would stay with Harry in their quest.

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David and Hermione were locked away in a classroom as he told her what the journal revealed. He hid the names of 'Potter' and 'Gaunt' from her but told her the rest, of how the Aquilla believed the Hallows existed and how the wand was going to be his best bet.

She hid it, but she wasn't taking it well that even with knowledge on how to remove the curse, David still couldn't do so.

She resolved to read the tale later in the library for herself and begin research in those items.

"You can't tell anyone about this," David stressed.

"Yeah. I understand," Hermione nodded, sniffling a little.

"Not even Ron and Harry," David stressed.

"They can keep a secret," Hermione said with a pained laugh, but agreed, "But it is your curse. I won't tell me anything you don't want me to."

David smiled and squeezed her hand in thanks, those two didn't need to learn of the Hallows.

For one, Ron wasn't his friend and David didn't want him to know about any of his affairs.

Another was that Harry and Ron were security risks, especially Harry with his growing connection to Voldemort.

Neither was protected via occlumency like David and Hermione were, which he taught her the basics of years ago and she had a fairly strong grasp on it.

David was certain Snape looked at Harry's surface thoughts and Dumbledore probably peered deeper, to better understand the boy he was hoping would save everyone in Britain.

"Can I come with you to Madam Pomfrey from now on? I want to be there for you," Hermione asked, giving her reasoning.

"Umm… Astoria is usually there. I would have to ask, but I don't think she would have a problem with it," David explained, "But yes. I would love for you to be there."

Hermione kissed him on the lips following that and held him in a right hug.

---

David eventually broke off from Hermione, saying he had to go speak to Astoria and Daphne about the curse and the good news he had.

Returning to his dorm room, David wrote a quick letter and called for Mel.

"Mel, could you give this letter to either Astoria or Daphne discreetly?" David asked, handing her a folded scrap of parchment.

Mel agreed, "Of course," and popped away to deliver the message, hidden in the way House Elves were oh so very good at.

---

A couple of hours before dinner was to be served in the Great Hall, David was waiting in the empty classroom for Daphne and Astoria to arrive.

He thought about writing their father but decided the girls could handle that and they could have a conversation about it at a later date.

Hearing a knock on the door, David called out, "Come in."

"David!" Astoria greeted, happy to see him and eager to hear the news.

"Cross," Daphne said with a more subdued nod, hiding her excitement.

"Hey Astoria, Daphne. I have news, take a seat," David greeted and explained.

Both sisters did so, taking a seat across from David in the classroom, moving the chairs that faced the blackboards towards him.

"So… I got the journal," David said, getting to it.

Both girls eyes gleamed in excitement at that news, and Daphne was going to say something, but David continued, "I can give you the long version or the short version."

"Short," Astoria said.

"Long," Daphne requested, glaring at her sister.

Astoria only glared back at her.

"I can do both," David said with a laugh, "Okay. Short first, the journal is locked to anyone but a member of House Cross from reading it."

Daphne cringed at that, expecting it but hoping it wasn't the case. She'd discussed it with her father, and they talked about that possibility.

"I'm assuming you read it?" Daphne asked.

"Really, Daphne? 'I'm assuming you read it'," Astoria mocked, rolling her eyes, "Of course he read it."

Daphne just closed her eyes and breathed deeply centring herself and through gritted teeth.

"Yeah, I did. Look its simple. I know how to remove the curse from Astoria here. I can either do it today, right here and now," David explained and both girls eyes bulged at this.

Before they could pester him with a million question David held up a hand and continued, "But there is a safer option. Aquilla said that if we wanted to be absolutely sure it would work, we should do it on the seventh day of the-," David explained, but Daphne finished for him.

"Seventh month… of course. That would make perfect sense," she mumbled out loud.

"Huh? What do you mean? Why do we have to wait until July?" Astoria asked.

Daphne went on a spiel about the ritualistic importance of the seventh day on the seventh month and how it would only be more important for them because the whole issue originated from seven family's cursing David tying their fates together and things like that.

"It's all inter-related you see," she finished, having studied quite a lot about ritual and such in the past few years.

"Oh. Makes sense, I guess…" Astoria said, nodding.

"So, what would you like to do?" David asked them, "I vote, you owl your parent's and involve them in this."

"Yes, we'll do that. I'll send an owl after supper to father," Daphne said with a nod.

"Okay… but what do we do regarding our journal if only David can read it? Ours doesn't have those kinds of measures enchanted into them, right?" Astoria asked.

"Well, Aquilla knew quite a lot about the curse, more than I or your father suspected," David explained, "She wrote about her own theories on how to remove it but it would seem most of the simpler ways of doing it ended when she wiped out those families."

"Are you saying you can cure me, but can't cure yourself, David?" Astoria asked with worry.

Daphne matching it for a second, before schooling her features and watching David intently.

"Yeah…" David mumbled.

Seeing the despair on Astoria's face, he added, "Wait, wait. There's hope though. She left he notes on the subject but before she could do anything about it, the curse had progressed too far."

Astoria looked to Daphne imploringly.

Daphne turned to him, "Once you cure Astoria, I'm sure father will do almost everything in his power to help you if you ask for it, David. And you only need to ask Astoria or me and we'll do the same."

David smiled and nodded, "Thanks. I appreciate that."

After some more chat about what was most likely going to happen and the slightly edited full contents of the journal, David left the two sisters to it and made his way to the Great Hall alone.

---

David got a letter from Cyrus late into the night, apologising for the late owl, but he just couldn't wait and wanted to confirm everything with David.

He thanked David for sharing the information with them and told him how with the matter with the Ministry mostly over, he wouldn't be allowed back into Hogwarts unless it was a legal matter of severe importance.

He said he could fabricate something, but he and his wife discussed it and decided they will wait until July to lift the curse, but they would be arriving at Hogwarts before the Third Task would begin, for parent's and families were being allowed in and they could probably convince Dumbledore to allow them entry.

He gave David a copy of the notes from the journal, knowing David's vow's did not permit him from lying regarding matters of Astoria's health.

He promised to bring the actual journal with him but didn't trust it with an owl, preferring to hand over the piece of family history himself.

There was no mention of the offer Daphne had given him, of support in curing himself, but he suspected they were saving that conversation for June when they could speak to him in person.

David penned a reply, thanking Cyrus for the notes and to looking forward to their meeting later in the year and promise to curing Astoria when the time came.

"Master," Mel said popping into his room with a couple of books in her arms.

"Hey Mel, what do you have there?" David asked, tying a letter to the Greengrass owl that was waiting for the reply David had written.

"The first books I've found regarding rituals. I had a quick look and they are promising master… but they contain some very foul and dark magic," Mel explained with disgust on her face.

David nodded sombrely, knowing that House Cross was not some paragons of virtue and were probably similar to the Black and Lestrange families in their beliefs.

From her journal, while Aquilla didn't go out and hunt muggles or attack muggle-borns, she clearly thought herself better than them and preferred to avoid them, but David knew she was probably not the norm in that regard.

"I suspected as much. I'll be careful and I'll call you to take these backs to the manor before I sleep. Best not to leave such books in Hogwarts," David assured her.

Mel nodded, placed the books next to him on the table and left in a pop to return to sorting through the Cross-family memorabilia, jewels, library and whatever else the Ministry had stolen.