Voldemort rose from the cauldron of roiling black fluid once more. He floated down and touched the floor shrouded in his black cloak. He took a single step towards the table where the spare wands sat… Before the whole building he was in was instantly destroyed.
From far above Balthazar eyed the crater where the house and Cauldron had been a few seconds ago with a critical eye. Just for good measure he sent one more explosive spell into the rubble to make sure that both Voldemort and his resurrection cauldron were destroyed. Luckily the cauldron seemed to have been linked to Voldemort’s horcruxes, so with its destruction Voldemort should experience the true death.
Balthazar remained hovering above the house for a few more minutes waiting for a sign of movement in the rubble. There was nothing.
Balthazar apparated away. Ginny was having him over for dinner at her house and her mother would be cooking them lasagna. He had to make sure that he’d be properly presentable for something as important as that. Ginny had assured him that the food would be spectacular, and he was looking forward to trying it.
Balthazar was glad that Ginny had been able to have some healing of her strained relationship with her mother. Breaking the walls between them with their shared grief perhaps. One could only hope that their renewed closeness would last when all of the family's heightened emotions faded away back into their normal life...
— — —
“How were your final exams?” Balthazar asked the red haired young woman before him.
“Not too bad,” Ginny said, “I’m sure I did well. Can’t believe that I’m graduating from school already. It feels like just yesterday that I first got on that train. And also forever ago.”
“It is funny how time passes like that. At a crawl and in rapid bursts at the same time. Do you truly think you’re ready?”
Ginny nodded firmly, “I am. I’ll officially go through the ceremony to assume full control of Teregatt. Become the Queen. Now that I’m graduating from school, I don’t see any more reason to wait.”
Balthazar hesitated, “Are you sure? You do not want to delay any more?”
“No, I just want to finalize it. So I can get used to the responsibility of it as I grow older,” Ginny said shaking her head and not noticing Balthazar’s discomfort. He was good at hiding his expressions but sometimes she still surprised him with how well she was able to read him.
“Then let’s do so. Do you remember the throne room? I do not think we have been there since the very beginning.”
Ginny grimaced, “No, I guess not.”
The two of them walked through the shrubbery and grasses of the field outside the great tower. With more magical energy available the land outside the tower had been able to flourish and grow again as it used to before Teregatt’s long journey isolated and alone in the void.
They went to the blank surface of the tower and Ginny Weasley raised her arm and a door appeared and swung open. The two of them walked inside and Ginny looked around with a thoughtful and slightly sad look on her face.
“Everything looks so much smaller,” she muttered, “Harry thought everything was so large when he first came here.”
The two of them stood on the circular platform at the end of the hallway. Ginny cocked her head to the side and her eyes went distant for a moment before the platform hummed to life and began to lift and take them upwards to the throne room.
They both stood there in silence as the platform rose to the throne room at the top of the great tower.
Ginny looked thoughtful and wistful as she took in the sensations and compared everything to the distant feelings Harry had felt all those years ago, Balthazar was sure.
Balthazar’s mind and emotions were in turmoil, the moment he’d dreaded for a long time rearing its ugly head at last. The final choice, the one he had agonized over more and more often as the years passed. That had plagued his dreams and played out whenever he closed his eyes on the backs of his eyelids.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
They reached the top of the lift and there it was. The great throne of Teregatt. The two of them walked down the throne room over to the large throne. Both stood there staring at it for a moment. Balthazar was brought back to the moment that he’d first seen Harry. First met him. He had thought he’d be cruel and indifferent like the others given time. How wrong he’d been.
Ginny turned around and sat on the large throne, shifting slightly to move backwards on it and putting her arms on the arm rests. With a twisting of shimmering light, the crown of Teregatt and Ginny’s bone necklace appeared around her neck, its red gem hanging down right at her collar.
“So, I’ve memorized the speech,” Ginny said as she stared at Balthazar, “Should I just go? Is there anything else that I should do before?”
Balthazar shook his head wordlessly.
“Okay.”
Ginny puffed out her chest and took a deep breath and started speaking.
“As Queen of Teregatt I pledge to defend its citizens…”
As Ginny recited the long oath, Balthazar reached behind his back and curled his hand around the black dagger designed for just this moment. Ginny’s body was frozen by the magic of the throne as she recited the oath and it prepared to accept her as Teregatt’s ruler.
No matter what Balthazar did, he could not move the dagger. It remained fixed behind his back. Yet he could not let go of it either.
If he took the dagger out and struck Ginny down with it, then the bindings holding her to the throne of Teregatt would be severed. Unbound. Balthazar could claim those bindings when they were scrambling for a target to bind to. Make himself the ruler of Teregatt. Never have to follow the orders of a tyrant or be bound by Teregatt any longer. But be its ruler and control its mighty power for himself.
If he didn't seize Teregatt for himself, then Ginny would have absolute power over him. Always able to force him to obey with a single command for eternity. It was built into Balthazar's original contract which as Inheritor she would have no power to change as a mere Heir. Even as Queen, Balthazar had no idea if she would be able to change it and alter his contract. If she wanted to. The contract was quite restrictive and would be entirely skewed in her favor. And the old master had been secretive about the details of the mechanics. For all Balthazar knew there was no way to free himself ever if Ginny Weasley gained full control of Teregatt.
He could not let go of the dagger, and he could not move it from behind his back as Ginny kept speaking the oath and the bindings of Teregatt swirled around her like a growing storm.
He had a flash. A little girl with red hair hold a plate with a slice cake on it held up to him, eyes expectant and eager.
A little girl, eager to learn magic and believing that he could do no wrong.
A girl that had poured all her feelings, all her troubles, every moment of her day on him gladly. Trusting that he always would be there to help her, had her best interests in heart.
A girl, proudly handing him a toy she had bought from her brother Fred and George’s joke shop. Delighted when she saw that he still had it several months afterwards and that he hadn’t forgotten about it.
A young woman, taking him to meet the wolf-kin that he had helped. Smiling slightly as she saw his slightly awkward response to their effusive praises for him.
A young woman that trusted him, respected him. Who was kind to him, and pushed through all the terrible things she’d been through in her life to still manage to let herself be happy and enjoy her friendships and family.
In a burst of intense shame, Balthazar released his grip on the dagger behind his back with a sharp breath and let his hand fall to his side with the blade remaining in its sheath.
He had always known the right choice. He had just been too scared to take it. Afraid that he had misjudged her, that she’d turn into a petty tyrant when she was given full power over Teregatt. That she'd abuse the absolute power she had over him once she became fully aware of it.
But he was foolish. He knew her, and even more surprisingly, she knew him. He’d help her if she started steering onto a darker path. Her friends, her family would help her. Balthazar let his hands fall to his side in an open grip. She wouldn't become like the others.
“And so as how as the Heir of Teregatt I have learned to cultivate my own magic and power,” Ginny finished the oath, “As Queen I shall cultivate the magic and power of my people. May Teregatt prosper under my rule.”
The throne pulsed with magic that weaved through Ginny’s body and the crown that sat on top of her head.
She sat there for a few seconds staring into space.
“Whoa…” Ginny breathed, “There’s so many options now. I had no idea Teregatt could do even a quarter of these things…”
She stood up from the throne and looked at Balthazar.
“Balthazar? Are you okay?”
Balthazar let out a slight smile as he felt his welling emotions take over and break his usual neutral expression.
“Yes. You’ve come so far. I’m very proud of you.”
“I… Thanks, Balthazar. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“Lead the way, my Queen. Into a brighter future for us all.”
“I’ll try,” Ginny said with a grateful smile, “With you helping me the whole way, I’m sure we’ll find the right way to go.”
“To make a better Teregatt.”
“To make a better world for everyone,” Ginny corrected.
“A better world…” Balthazar agreed, “A better world for everyone, indeed.”