June 12, 1997

Dumbledore is dead.

I can't believe he is gone. With all the pain and loss I have experienced, he just seemed untouchable. He was the brick wall that would never come down. But he fell.

That murderous, evil, backstabbing, snake! Dumbledore trusted him! They all trusted him! I am ashamed to say that even I trusted him. After all he did. After all he said to Sirius, my last true friend. After all he did to Harry. After giving the information to Voldemort to go hunting after James and Lily! I was happy to know he was on our side. I knew he was evil. I knew he loved the Dark Arts too much. But I looked past all of that. I didn't want to see what I knew was right. I wanted to believe that he was on our side. And now I have paid the price for my blindness.

I have lost almost everyone I cared for. I am a wolf and I have been rejected by wizard and wolf alike. And those few who accepted me are falling fast. I am a wolf and a wolf needs his pack. I lost my Alpha the night James died, and now Sirius and Peter are gone too.

I am the last Marauder. There just isn't much left in my life to live for. All our hopes are fading. For me there are only a few lights still shining in all this dark. And oh, how dim they are. But whether they shine bright or not, they are the toughest flames I have ever seen.

One of these flames is Harry. He has suffered as much as I have. But he keeps going. I remembered the last words Dumbledore spoke to me, as I was staring at that white tomb under the afternoon sun. He told me that Harry is the last hope we have. That I need to trust him. Even if there was nothing else to live for, I would follow Harry and do everything in my power to help him. He is so like his father. I will trust him no matter what happens.

The other light is Dora. I never thought I would find love, being what I am. And I feel so guilty. She deserves better. Someone young and whole. But she can't stop her feelings for me any more than I can for her. She is the one I can turn to now…now that my life seems to be unraveling. It seems almost impossible that something so wonderful can happen in the midst of all the pain.

Dumbledore is gone, but life keeps going. We will keep moving on. Every day we will be trying our best to move that much closer to finding a way to end the suffering. No matter what happens, we will always have hope. And no one, not even Voldemort himself, can take it from us.

Just a short little thing I wrote for Leaky Cauldrons June contest. I didnt win, but I still liked what I wrote. Hope you liked it! And feel free to leave a comment! They help me a lot! Thanks for reading!

-Yvonne