Ch. 40: Hogwarts Horror

Song For Chapter: Crystal - Of Monsters And Men

for my very dedicated fans, this chapter will seem familiar to you. i used it from my chapter in the silver trio as a base, because I've been struggling with inspo -- sadly ;/

Hermione and I were rummaging through the library after dinner, searching for extra study materials.

"Have you thought about the future, Elle?" Hermione asked, watching me as I lifted myself onto my tiptoes, attempting to reach the top shelf, but with massive difficulties. "For heaven's sake," she rolled her eyes, "Accio Advanced Potions Volume Three."

"Hey!" I wailed, pouting as the book shot away from the tips of my fingers and to Hermione's waiting arms. "I almost had it."

My sister shook her head at my antics and tucked the book under her arm as we continued down the rows. "Of course you did. But in all seriousness, Elle. Do you think about the future?"

"Of course I do," I told her, keeping my eyes on the book shelves, trying to suppress the blush on my cheeks as I thought of Fred's voice. 'Marry me'. "I think about whether I will sleep at ten, or if I'll pull an all-nighter to study. What about you?"

Hermione scoffed. "You know what I'm talking about."

I played with the edge of my blouse, fingering the lace bits while we walked. "I guess. I mean, it's hard to do any serious planning with You-Know-Who on the loose. Who knows when the world will collapse? And, when it does, where are we going to go?" I bit out bitterly, feeling a flush of anger nip at my cheeks. "Hermione, what are we going to do?"

"I don't know," she murmured, worrying her bottom lip as we turned into the Transfiguration isle. "I'm worried for Mum and Dad."

I was quiet. Bile churned against my intestines as I contemplated how much of a dangerous situation they were in as Muggles. Muggles that birthed two witches into the world -- two witches that were friends with Harry Potter. "I am too."

I thought of Jane and Dan, my loving parents that I had only just begun to know fully. I had not had much time around them, but I did love them despite the gap of life we shared. Then, I thought of Trey and Alle, and baby Ed, and even Clarissa. Clarissa Roberts, of whom I had not spoken to since I walked out of her home.

That revelation brought a pain to my chest.

I did not even know if Clarissa was alive and well; Trey had made no mention of his mother when he had visited last summer.

Blinking away the dismal thoughts, I offered Hermione a lopsided, forced smile. "What do you think we can do to protect them? Any ideas?"

"I've been thinking about it," she admitted, face taut, "but everything that happens to cross my mind is bothersome and it frightens me, Elle."

"We'll think of something, 'Mione," I assured her, grabbing another book off the shelf before slumping down into a study table in a small alcove beside the walls and walls of reading materials. I couldn't wait for summer to come so I could crack open a good book. Not books chalked full of lessons.

A few hours passed, Hermione and I casually passing the shared books back and forth as we took notes. After a while, my eyes began to droop and I pulled my pocket watch from my satchel to glare at the time.

"Curfew is in a few minutes," I mentioned, stretching as I pulled myself from my chair, feeling as if my brain weighted a least twenty times heavier than before. "We should probably head back to the --"

The library door slammed open with an echoing bang, sounding throughout the quiet place. Hermione jumped from her seat, wand clutched awkwardly in her fist as she shot me a confused brow.

"Are any students in here?!" Madame Pince's voice carried through the practically empty shelves.

I glanced to my sister with a sigh of relief and a small air of irritation towards the librarian; she had scared us. Madam Pince, the librarian, was a thin, irritable woman who looked like an underfed vulture and I did not desire to be on her bad side, so I motioned for Hermione to put down her wand while I stepped out from the alcove.

"Yes, Madame Pince," I called, my eyes meeting her startled black ones. "My sister Hermione and I are packing up our things. Sorry for --"

"-- No, no you mustn't leave," she hushed us, eyes frantic as she stalked to the door, pulling it open only to crane her neck out and glance around before slamming it shut once more. "Hogwarts... Hogwarts has been infiltrated."

"What?" Hermione blurted, eyes wide. "But, how and why?"

Madame Pince shook her head, "I do not know why You-Know-Who does the things he does, but I do know that it is my job as an instructor here to keep you children safe. And, that means keeping you here."

I shook my head and grabbed my wand, leaving the books on the table in the alcove. I would not be needing them now. "There's no way you can expect us to just sit in here when we should be defending Hogwarts from Death Eaters."

"I expect you to do as I say," Madame Pince stewed, wand pointed at the door as if she anticipated it to be broken down any minute.

Hermione touched my arm lightly and we shared a fleeting glance of the same knowledge. "Sorry Madame Pince, but there's no bloody way in hell I am going to stay here."

"No way that we," Hermione corrected me, "are going to stay here."

My sister pulled me by my sleeve and we ran through the library, past Madame Pince who was currently conflicted with what to do about our insolence. "I am sorry," Hermione apologized, cheeks red at the rude behavior I had shown the librarian. I imagined her and Madame Pince were rather close.

"No, you're right...," she offered us a brisk nod, "go help the others defend Hogwarts. I shall make sure there are no other students inside before joining you all. Good luck, and stay safe girls."

Almost immediately after we left the library, we could hear the sound of a fight inside the castle.

Heart pounding, I felt the vibrations of my feet slapping against the cobbled stone halls as Hermione and I raced to only God knows where. The sound of glass shattering and curses bounding and rebounding off walls was almost surreal.

'This shouldn't be happening. This shouldn't be happening.' I kept repeating to myself as we ran, dodging a hue of red as it whizzed past my ear. However, instead of running away from the sounds, we were knowingly rushing towards them.

Stupidity of Gryffindors, I guess.

We reached the hall where the House Points were held, but the hourglasses filled with jewels had been long since shattered, the remains of colored gems, glass, and blood from a few mangled students mingled on the floors.

I tried not to linger too long on the pale faces, not wanting to recognize them. I was not sure if they were dead or unconscious, but I knew they did not have much time either way.

Hermione and I caught our breath, and I felt my hands shake. 'This is really happening.' It couldn't be contained. This was real. Clutching my wand tightly, I spared Hermione a small smile, remaining close by her side.

So far, it seemed we had outrun the problem, but who knew how far off the Death Eaters were.

Swallowing the rising bile of anxiety, I dropped down to my knees beside the few mangled students, seeing that one was a Hufflepuff and the others were Ravenclaw. Poking the Hufflepuff's wounds with the tip of my wand, I murmured Vulnera Sanentur under my breath a few times before moving onto the others. Slowly, their wounds began to heal, and their color began to return from the pale shade of death.

As I did, Hermione sent a message through the old D.A. coins that we had used last year for our secret meetings, trying to warn whomever had no idea of what was happening at this moment in Hogwarts.

"Well, look what we have here," A vile, squeaky voice sounded from behind us and I only stuck tighter by Hermione's side. For a fleeting moment, my mind traveled to Jenna and Lana. Where were they? Were they alright? My stranded thoughts were pulled back by the Death Eater, a pale, sickly looking fellow with a few missing teeth and a scraggly beard. "Two lost, little girls, looking for a fight."

"Bombarda!" Hermione yelled, not wanting to stick around for the small talk, and hit the wall next to the Death Eater, causing rubble from the explosion to knock him unconscious. I pulled the unconscious students to the sides of the halls, wondering if that would be enough to keep them out of harm's way.

"Nice thinking, 'Mione," I said, watching the crumpled Death Eater with a hallow eye. I took in his face, wanting to know if he looked familiar.

"Don't mention it," She breathed out, tugging roughly onto my hand, reminding me yet again that this was not some dream. "Let's get out of here."

"Where are we going to go?"

She shrugged as we ran, leaving my question unanswered and merely leading me around the castle. As we neared the Great Hall, the sounds of the struggle were greater, and the booming sound of jinxes, hexes, and curses were at a dull roar.

Jenna and Lana were in the midst of the room, along side Neville, Luna, and Ron. But, where was the rest of the DA? Defensively raising my wand, I rushed towards the others and aimed towards a few of the swirling mists of black.

A few choice spells were shouted from our small cluster as we formed a sort of protective circle. Each of us were covering someone else's back. A Death Eater hit Lana with a curse and sent her flying, but Seamus was there to cast a wicked jinx at him before he could do any further damage.

McGonagall gathered up her strength and began smashing the invaders with everything she had. Spells flew so fast from that woman that I was taken by surprise. The teachers formed a strong team, and began pummeling the Death Eaters back.

I could feel sweat pebbling my brow as the room became hot with the fighting. I couldn't understand why the Death Eaters felt that they would be able to win this battle. There was so few of them and so many of us.

I dodged a few misguided spells, and let a couple of my own fly. The Death Eaters were making their way through the castle, and I felt myself beginning to worry about the children sleeping in the dormitories.

Suddenly, the Great Hall doors burst open with reinforcements. A sigh of relief passed my lips as I noted that the people were the Order of the Phoenix. My eyes travelled, passed absently over every bland face, until I caught sight of a tall redhead with a wicked smirk standing beside his twin. 

The small group of Death Eaters watched with angst as Moody, Tonks, Fred, Bill, and the others filed in, forming a more complex offense than they, the Death Eaters, could handle on their own.

In my distraction, a Death Eater hit me with a cutting jinx and my cheek was sliced into, a steady flow of sticky blood trickling from the wound. A pained cry stretched my injury further and I cupped a hand around my cheek, turning my attention back to the fight at hand.

In the middle of the room, I recognized Bellatrix Lestrange as she let out a howl of a scream before fleeing the scene after the majority of the other Death Eaters had bailed, screeching about how cowardly they were being, but fleeing none-the-less.

There was a moment of calmness, like the shattering, empty sound one hears after a noisy thunder storm, as every one merely watched one another, the same thought on all of our minds. 'Was this really over for now?'

Slowly, people allowed themselves room to breathe once more, and I let out a low sigh, shoulders sagging as I let my guard down for now. "What the hell happened?" I bit out, once I felt it was time for someone in the small group to talk.

"How did they get in?" Neville questioned, eyes flickering over all of our faces as if one of us could have possibly known the proper answer.

Beside Hermione, Ginny appeared, holding Harry's invisibility cloak in her fists. "It was Malfoy," She swallowed, eyes wide, "Harry told me that... D-Dumbledore is dead."

"What?" I hissed out, clutching my bleeding cheek where a Death Eater had nicked me. I turned towards the gathering crowd of students and staff, eyes trailing over each face, looking for the Chosen One. "Where is Harry? I need to hear it from him."

 Ron stepped forward, face contorted and his fist clenched tightly, "What are you talking about?! What do you mean, Dumbledore is dead? What happened, Ginny?" 

"Just shut up!" Ginny interrupted her furious brother, eyes sizing up the sudden look of mourning that crossed Hermione and a few other listener's faces. "I only know what Harry told me. He was a bit too preoccupied to explain, Ronald."

"Do you know where Harry is now?" Hermione prodded, a scared gleam still staring back at me in her eyes.

"I don't know," she trailed off, gaze flickering towards the doors of the Hall, watching as the members of the Order began helping injured staff and students. "Harry told me... Harry told me that Headmaster Dumbledore fell from the Astronomy Tower." 

It was as if the whole congregation in the Great Hall took a deep breath at once, not wanting to believe those words to be true. I knew that I didn't want them to be real. McGonagall shook her head, placing a trembling hand over her mouth to stifle her outcry.

McGonagall, clad in her emerald bed robes, led the student body out into the brisk night air. Even if she had wanted to stop us from following along, she wouldn't have been able to; we were a force to be reckoned with.

I'd like to imagine that the majority of the students went out to pay their respects to our late headmaster, but I knew that wasn't the truth. Many were merely moved by morbid curiosity. They didn't know Headmaster Dumbledore as well as a lot the older students.

Hermione gripped my hand tightly as we walked through the moist grass, taking the long journey around the Hogwarts castle. Our breath clouded up into grey mist, evaporating only to be replaced by more breath as we trudged onward, curiosity getting the better of us all. 

"Elle, look," Jenna whimpered beside me, tugging lightly on my cloak sleeve and motioning to the cloud covered skies. There, twisting and coiling mercilessly in the horizon was a vivid Dark Mark, looming ominously over Hogwarts. 

And, as we neared the base of the Astronomy Tower, I had to swallow the gargled sound of horror that threatened to breech my lips. Instead, I settled on gripping Hermione's hand even tighter, clamping my eyes shut from the sight. But, even when I closed my eyes, I could not keep them away from the sight for long.

It was a horror I could not turn away from.

Tears clouded my eyes as I gazed down at the broken figure of Dumbledore. He seemed so fragile and weak, as if he'd been through an even greater ordeal than just being tossed off a tower. His long, white hair pooled around his head in a silvery halo and I found myself wishing that he had closed his eyes when he had fallen. 

Those blank, hollow eyes would haunt my dreams. This was certain.

In the dark, I felt an unexpected warm hand clasp onto mine as I stood there, peering down at the scene. Sniffling, I jolted and glanced up, sob on my lips. There, standing with my hand in his, Fred Weasley was mourning as well. He spared me a forced smile, but the mood couldn't have been lifted even by his joyful nature.

"Fred," I managed to choke out, finally able to tear my eyes from the horrific scene laid out for all of Hogwarts to see.

"You don't know how happy I am to see that you're alright, Letter," His mouth formed a wobbly smile. It hurt to see how it didn't reach his eyes, and I knew I couldn't form a proper smile either -- not under these conditions. 

Trying to force some words to form, I found that I could not bring myself to break my silence. Instead, I quickly wrapped my arms around his shoulders, pulling him tight against me, not wanting to let go until I felt safe. Fred stiffly hugged me against himself, as if communicating that he understood what I meant, and allowed myself to cry.

I would never feel safe again. Voldemort had beaten Dumbledore. The one man that stood between You-Know-Who and the world, he was dead. 

What did that mean for Muggle-borns?  Nothing good.

Hot trails of tears gleemed on everyone's cheeks, and one by one, shots of white, hot light were shot into the sky to rid us of the vile Dark Mark that clouded our horizon. In the corner of my eye, I watched as Harry broke through the crowd, horror etched onto his face as he stared down at his mentor, falling into step beside Ginny who was sobbing next to McGonagall.

'This shouldn't be happening,' I thought once more, but this time it was different. It was a prayer. I repeated it over and over, hoping that if I wished hard enough, it would go away. But the way Fred's hand tightened in my own, showed me that the world had changed this night.

No matter how hard I willed for it to disappear, it wouldn't.

Clearing my throat as people began to disappear from the scene, one after the other, I turned to Hermione, roughly rubbing against the stains on my cheeks, "where's Ron?" I questioned, realizing that I hadn't seen Ron since the Great Hall ordeal, and he had not been in the safest of moods. It seemed odd that he was not here with Hermione and Harry. Not here to mourn with us.

Bile churned in the pit of my stomach as my eyes flickered from face to face in the crowd. Gaze landing on Ginny, I prodded the question once more, tearing her attention off the mourning figure of Harry Potter, "Gin, where's your brother? Have you seen him?"

She took a small while to gather her thoughts, and I didn't blame her. Everything was chaos. "I-I," She blinked a few times before finding her voice, eyes widening, "I haven't seen him."

There was a moment of silence, then George cropped up beside us, face solemn. "Freddie, Gin," he started, eyes clouded over. "It's Bill. He's badly injured." 

Fred and I glanced at each other with dismay and nodded, as if we had shared the same thought subliminally. Letting go of his hand, I ignored the sudden, cold sensation it gave me, and I gathered up Jenna, Lana, and Hermione. Fred, in turn, grabbed Harry, Ginny, and George.

"What's going on?" Jenna sniffed, swiping under her tear stained eyes as the crowd of teenagers followed Fred and I up to the Infirmary. "Is everything alright, Elle?"

"It's my brother, Bill," Ginny twisted her hands together nervously, eyes dancing around with anxiety. I was unsure if Jenna and Lana should be visiting the older Weasley brother. They didn't know him too well -- hell, I didn't know him too well. However, I felt wrong leaving them outside to gawk at the Headmaster's body. 

Every step felt heavy as we finally made it to the Infirmary. Inside, Madame Pomfrey was flittering about, tending multiple students' wounds and reassuring the friends of those who had been injured. Harry grabbed Ginny's hand and asked her who else was dead, she assured him that no one else had been killed tonight, but there were a few injured people.

I walked through the rows of beds and noticed the group of students that had been attacked earlier. They were the same ones I had pulled away to the side of the halls. Neville was in another bed, his face was bruised and bleeding a little, but other than that he seemed fine. 

Jenna and Lana broke off from the group to join Neville's bedside, where Luna was sitting, stringing Butterbeer corks into a necklace. I chuckled at the meek smile that over took Neville's face when they joined him.  

Crowded around a bed near the back of the Infirmary was the woman I recognized as Nymphadora Tonks, she had healed me a bit during my last encounter with Death Eaters at the Ministry of Magic the year before. Also, Ron and an older man with a weathered and tired expression were hovering over the bed frame. 

As Fred and I approached the bedside, I could overhear Ron asking the man a question. "Will Bill be a werewolf now, Lupin?" 

The man named Lupin shook his head and leant against the four-poster bed's rail, a frown etched over his lips. "No, I don't think so Ron. But, there may be... traces. Since the Death Eater Greyback wasn't transformed at the time of the attack, he won't be infected. However, he may be... contaminated with the bite."

"Contaminated?" Fred interrupted, crossing his arms over his chest as he took a stand beside Ron. I stepped up to the left side of Bill's bed and peered down at the disfigured man laying there. He face was carved with long slashes from talons. I compared this man with the one I had seen on a few occasions over the last two years; he was practically marred beyond recognition.

Lupin nodded. "Yes, I'm not quite sure how it works with cases like these, but he may act a bit differently than before. He may have stranger tendencies."

"But, he will be just fine," Tonks spoke up, offering the group a sweet smile. I noticed the way Lupin shifted uncomfortably beside her reassuring gaze. "How is the castle fairing?" 

I stiffened and glanced around the group of people I had come inside with, wondering who would break the news of Dumbledore's death to the couple. After a silence filled with a solemn air, Ginny stepped forward, tucking a long strand of red hair behind her ear. "Headmaster Dumbledore... he is dead." 

Tonks' breath caught and Lupin's knees gave out from under him as he collapsed onto the empty bed beside Bill, cupping a hand over his eyes and keeping his emotions in check. My hand found Fred's and he quickly squeezed it in a reassuring manner. 

"H-How did this happen?!" Tonks asked Ginny, eyes swimming in tears.

"It was Snape," Harry bit out. I craned my head around to watch as Harry glared in anger at the thought of what he had witnessed. "Snape betrayed Dumbledore. He betrayed us all." 

Hermione shook her head, face contorted into a mask of disbelief and pain. "No, Harry -- he was part of the Order, can you be cert--," 

"--Yes, Hermione," Harry cut her off, voice quiet and laced in heavy sadness. The pain that emanated in his eyes was only amplified by the low, melodic tune of a bird's song on the horizon. Being caught off guard by the sound, I glanced out the window to see a brilliant red bird -- a phoenix, taking flight across the castle grounds, screeching it's mournful song. I had no idea where the bird came from, or whom it belonged to, but I felt that it had a purpose for it's cries.

"It was Snape. Malfoy had Dumbledore on the Astronomy Tower, but Dumbledore knew that Malfoy would never kill him; Malfoy would act tough, but even I could see him faltering. Then, then Snape, he -- Dumbledore pleaded with him, but Snape killed him anyway. Dumbledore trusted him! Dumbledore trusted Snape and he stabbed him in the back."

Hermione tugged on strands of her hair as she tried to pry more information out of Harry; however, it was useless. Harry didn't seem to know what he'd seen himself -- all he knew for sure was that Snape was a traitor. 

There was a low echo as the door to the Hospital Wing flew open, three people running into the room with faces stricken in fear. I recognized Fleur's long, billowing, silver locks as soon as she rushed into the low lit hall. 

She was pale and her eyes were puffy from crying. "Where iz 'e? Iz 'e awake?" She asked, flustered as she swiped the tears from her eyes. Even without makeup, Fleur was one of the most beautiful girls I had ever met -- just like Lana. 

Molly and Arthur Weasley were just behind her as the group around Bill's unconscious figure parted, allowing them to get through. Fleur screamed when she saw Bill's face. Molly cupped a hand over her mouth, and Arthur hugged his wife closer to himself at the sound of Fleur's sobs.

"Oh, Bill," Fleur managed to choke out.

Anger flashed across Molly Weasley's face as she watched Fleur's reaction to Bill's disfigurement. "I suppose you'll call off the wedding now that he's been slashed to bits," she sniffled. 

Fleur's cheeks flared red with rage as she glared at Mrs. Weasley, taking a seat beside Bill's bed and taking his hand as he lay there. "Do noz be ridiculous," she huffed, turning her gaze onto Bill with a loving tone. "Zee wedding will never be cancelled... I love him. It matters not what he looks like." 

"I must warn you. He was attacked by a werewolf, Fleur," Lupin calmly told her, watching her carefully. "He won't transform, but he may act differently during the lunar cycle."

"It does not matter," Fleur sniffed, sitting up in her chair and fixing her stray hairs. "Zat can not change zee way we feel for each ozer."

I watched the glow of pure love spread in a meek grin across her cheeks and her pale face bloomed with a rosy hue. Fred reached an arm around my waist and hugged me against his side. "Mom, there's something I have to tell you," he began, glancing down at me. 

My stomach froze up, suddenly thinking about what had happened at the very beginning of Fred and I's relationship. I remembered how Fred had told his mother, 'I'd like you to officially meet my girlfriend, we may be bad for each other, but we work things out in the end,' before he had even asked me if I would. I shook my head at him, trying to tell him not to tell his mother that we were engaged before I even had the chance to make up my mind about whether I wanted that or not -- it was too much pressure.

"What is it, Fred?" Molly asked, rubbing her red nose.

Fred sighed and glanced at Fleur. "You're being too harsh on Fleur and Bill. They love each other, and I am sure nothing will change that." He hugged me against his side and his mother offered the two of us a simple, understanding smile. 

"I am sorry, Fleur," she offered.

Molly and Arthur took a couple of chairs opposite Fleur's position beside Bill's bed and they began conversing lightly between themselves. I felt a small tap on my shoulder which was followed y a meek smile from Hermione. 

"Elle, can we talk? It's important," she prodded.

I glanced up at Fred, but he didn't seem to mind. With a non-verbal wink, he merged over to George and began talking animatedly with Neville, Jenna, Luna, and the others crowded around the little cot. I intertwined my fingers together and matched Hermione's pace as she led me from the Hospital Wing. 

Once the thick doors closed behind us, my sister toed the cobbled stoned flooring and cleared her throat. "I... Dumbledore is dead." 

"He is," I sighed, letting her words leave a cold weight in my bones. We both knew it to be true -- we had seen it with our own eyes. But even now, away from it all, it was easy to imagine that it was just a horrible tale. A fictitious lie. Admitting the fact only flamed the depression inside of myself. 

Hermione frowned and pursed her lips together in a contemplative manner. I knew that she was struggling to form the important, private, words that she needed to share with me. "I am not returning to Hogwarts next year. I think it would be wise if you...," her breath caught in her throat.

" 'Mione?" 

She snuffled, wiping her nose with the back of her dress robes. "Sorry," she apologized, clearing her throat, "I think it would be wise if you returned back to America." 

"Wha--" 

"Hold on, just listen to me, Elle," Hermione pleaded. "You, Jenna, Lana?  None of you are forced to be involved with the mess surrounding Harry and You-Know-Who. It's too late for Ronald and I, but not for you three -- they don't know about you. You could be safe in the Republic of Magic."

My response to her words were immediate and harsh. "Shut the hell up, Hermione."

"That's a bit ru--"

"No, it's your turn to listen to me," I spat out. I could feel myself acting a bit melodramatically, but in that moment I was furious. I didn't care how much my words stung; I only wanted her to understand what she was asking of my friends and I. "Look at Jenna and Lana and tell me what you see," I murmured, pushing open the Hospital Wing door and gesturing to the opposite end of the room.

I followed Hermione's gaze and smiled softly at the scene of the Twins laughing with Neville, Luna, and Jenna while Seamus and Lana talked between themselves, hardly breaking eye contact. I saw something that warmed my soul and brought a fire to my heart. 

Before Hermione could retort, I told her the truth. 

"Let me tell you what I know. I know that I have never seen Lana and Jenna having that much fun with other people besides myself. Before Hogwarts, it was just the three of us. We didn't have the leisure of conversing with others freely, Hermione. But, after these couple of years, something has changed. We've grown better. We've become more developed as people. We have made permanent friendships here."

I chuckled wryly and shook my head at my sister. "You expect us to give up everything we've accomplished just so that we can feel safe?" Hermione flustered at my words, eyes downcast. "I've gained so much here that I would never forgive myself if I ran now. I have you, a sister, for one. I gained friends. Fred, Blake, George, Ginny, and -- yes, even Ron. How could I ever face any of you again knowing that I ran because I was afraid?" I sighed, pulling my arms around myself; trying to keep my cold bones warm as the strength seemed to leave my body with a single most truth:

 "There is no safe place for us to go, Hermione; not anymore. Not now. We're in this until the end."

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T   H   E      E   N   D

Hey guys! wow, sorry that took so long. the epilogue, the q&a, and the sequel information will be posted soon. i can't believe this book has finally finished -- it's been a crazy ride, and i can't wait for the final book to begin; 2/3 done -- crazy right?!

love ya, Jess