If you prefer audiobooks, listen to the audio version created by Sam Gabriel below!
The fading sunlight spilt through the green leaves of the willow tree, falling in dappled patterns across white pebbles, sparkling clear water and glimmering crystal.
Fleur lifted the silver chain over her head, placing the little silver acorn and the gold band with its dark stone upon the tomb’s clear, hard stone. ‘Gabby and I tried again now she’s with me at Les Inconnus.’ She pulled Harry’s wand from her sleeve and a fist of emotion clamped itself about her throat. ‘But we failed again.’
A faint smile hovered beneath the crystal.
She rolled the wand between her fingers, listening to the echo of Harry’s magic within it. ‘Britain is still changing. The Ministry of old is all but gone, washed away in the wake of war, and a new country is rising. You’re a hero again.’ A brief laugh burst from her lips. ‘You’d’ve hated how they talk about you now. When Gabby and I succeed, we can laugh about it together, mon Cœur.’
No matter how long it takes.
Fleur clutched the wand to her chest and closed her eyes, burying herself in the soft murmur within it. ‘Why did you have to die?’ she whispered.
A soft hoot drifted down from the branches above.
An owl? Fleur’s eyes snapped up. How did it get through my wards?
A ball of grey-tinged, moulting, bedraggled feathers fluttered down upon the crystal tomb and a pale, knotted wand dropped to bounce across the tomb’s top.
Fleur caught it as it rolled off the edge. ‘The Elder Wand…’
Glazed, dazed amber eyes peered from beneath rotting plumage.
‘Hedwig,’ Fleur murmured. ‘You look awful.’
Hedwig let out a low hiss and dragged herself forward. Fleur snatched Harry’s wand and her necklace back out of the way as a raw, hoarse, rasp rattled from Hedwig’s beak. Tendrils of dark mist curled off her mouldering feathers as she flopped into the pebbles at Fleur’s feet.
Shadows coalesced above the tomb; shapeless, faceless dark.
Fleur’s breath caught and she clutched Harry’s wand to her heart. Don’t hope. She tried to crush the swell of it beneath the hammering of her heart. Don’t wish.
The shadow faded like morning mist before the sun and a soft breeze whispered through the willow’s leaves, rustling in the grass. Fish darted beneath the ripples of the river and gentle birdsong chorused from the trees and wildflower fields.
Fleur sucked in a gulp of air and let her heart sink, squeezing her eyes shut until tears trickled down her cheeks. ‘That’s why we don’t wish, Fleur, because wishes never come true.’
A slim crack snaked along the clear crystal, splitting Harry’s faint smile in half
Lethe’s Lament, the first part of A Taste of Ismenian Water, the sequel, ready and waiting…
Hope Harry remains Harry and not a mixture of him and Voldemort, which caused Harry years to remember who he really is, like in the alternative Epilogue for the OG.
And I am eager to read the sequel. When are you planning to post the first chapter?
The entire first part is going up on the 1st of Feb, then I’ll post some of the first chapters for my other stories I have knocking about (Harry/Katie one probably) and go back to chapter by chapter posts for the next part in March once I’ve managed to write enough to post!
Well wasn’t he always a little bit like Voldemort? Surely what happens at the final battle doesn’t just happen without the two people already being similar. Plus I think there were plenty of chapters that seemed to imply that as much as Harry disliked it, they were indeed similar people.
Being like Voldemort is quite different than being a mixture of both their souls and not even knowing who you are in the end, I am not a fan of sad ending but I would take it over something like the antagonist and the protagonist just merging together and forming a confused person who is not sure which one of them he is supposed to be. What I hope would happen is that the part of Voldemort’s soul that got assimilated with Harry’s soul when he tried to remove it in 4th year got detached when Harry made the elder wand a Horcrux for his soul and went back to its original place when Voldemort touched the wand and as that soul piece has been a part of Harry it gave Voldemort all of Harry’s memories and also led him to his death , so in the end it would show that Voldemort died because of himself just like years ago he lost his body to his own spell.
Brazy. Perhaps bonkers. Demented even.
I finally read your story, it was amazing and just in time for the first part of the sequel. I even became a patron to finish the story lol. amazing story and I look forward to reading more of your work.
Glad you enjoyed it! Your timing is excellent, as once I have time after work today, I’m posting the first part of the sequel, but do check out the rest of the site, I’m told my short pieces are my best work 😂
I can’t get access to read it. I’ve become a member and paid but still won’t allow me I’ve refreshed.
It may take a short while because at the start of every month, Patreon does its turnover, and it can take it a bit longer to process everything in this period.
Usually if you wait for a few hours it they get through their process and it all starts working.
If it doesn’t, I’ll chase the support system and see whats going on. Sorry for the delay, hopefully you’ll be reading soon!
I am unable to read the chapter you just posted on FFN on your website. Did you change the access rules or somthing, cause I’m not a patron
Should be working! I just double-checked the settings. Try swapping browsers if you’re on Firefox, occasionally some of the plug-ins don’t work on Firefox
On chapter 64 of remastered on FF it says that ‘if you hit a paywall you’re in the wrong place’. Is that still true or do you have to pay now?
There have actually been over 50 more chapters posted for everyone to read since I wrote that, so there’s a lot more content than there used to be, but if you’re not supporting me as a creator, I’m afraid you do have to read at my normal posting rate.
Very well done as always! I was trying to time my finish with the release of the final chapter of “Water” curse my unnaturally fast reading rate! Do you have any kind of time-line for it’s completion? I would much rather read your work as one smoothly flowing tale instead of broken pieces. Also, thank you for your wonderful work and for taking the time to answer every comment and question.
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
On the A Taste of Ismenian Water front, I have good news and bad news. The good news is there’s probably going to be a lot of story to read, my rough estimate of length is looking like about 600k words, but the bad news is that means it won’t be completed in the near future as there’s still a long way to go! I do have a whole load of other things written, shortpieces and so on, so hopefully some of those will help tide you over!
Certainly not what I wanted to hear but I look forward to reading your completed story!