A/N: I have no idea what came over me - blame the plot bunnies and their madness! All I wanted was to write a one-shot, and this is what happened. I hope someone out there likes this.
Disclaimer: I own only the plot.
Ebony
It wasn't supposed to end this way.
She walked the narrow pathway past the wrought-iron gates that marked the passage to the realm of a forgiven soul. Here was a place she'd never wanted to return to, yet here she was, alone and grieving for a loss that no one would forget.
Walking on a bit more, she rounded the pond, careful not to slip in on the muddy banks. It had been nothing but rain for the past week. The grass around her ankles was higher because of it. Lifting her robes above her ankles as she passed the pond, she continued walking, and then looked up.
He was there. She remembered the spot so well. It was away from the water below, right here on top of this hill. Here grew dragon snaps and dandelions, buttercups and bluebells. She looked around at the scattered trees, noting the silence of living things. An omen of change.
She sat near a large willow tree, hidden from the view of the entrance gates. Her skinny legs were tucked underneath her body. A soft wind blew past, ruffling her hair into her wet eyes. She had been crying for days, unable to ebb the flow. Her heart hurt so much. Oh, how she'd give anything to bring him home!
The memory cut through her soul, stabbing like an icy blade. She knew very little of the events that had brought her here. Everything inside her head was swirling, aiding in nightmares and agonizing moments of anguish that she could never escape.
And what was it worth? The pain, the horrific memories, the nightmares that made many a sleepless night? What had she done to deserve such a price? What had any of them done? Those that had been faithful had blamed the ones who had held doubt after the evil had returned. The devout ones had held him in honor because there was no hope if he was not there. There wasn't any hope now. The poor wretches wandered a lost and doomed world.
She reached out a hand and touched where he lay. The stone felt warm under her fingers. Marble and ebony letters. A single tear slipped down from her closed eyelids, landing in the tall grass. Silver sparkled in the sunlight from her outstretched hand. A finger traced the lettering, copying the curves and corners that would forever mark the end of everything she once knew.
He'd been carried back in the arms of those that loved him. Limp and cold, his always shaggy mass of hair swayed across the scar that marked misfortune. She'd gasped at the sight, frozen where she stood. She'd been unable to cry until she had been entirely sure of the truth. No one believed it at first, saying it was impossible. But the truth was that their savior boy was just that: a young and innocent life taken brutally.
A strong gust of wind blew through the willow nearby. A ray of light suddenly illuminated the spot where she sat. The letters in the stone sparkled, highlighting his name, and the tragedy that was his shortened life.
He'd been so strong-willed, so determined, so wonderfully worshipped. He'd come back pale and bleeding. The scars she had when he had been taken from her would never be seen. Nor would they be undeniably healed.
The sun suddenly vanished, disappearing behind a mass of clouds. She looked up, watching as they grew darker as they vanished towards the horizon. The end had come and gone. It was not what anyone had expected.
She watched the shadows creep along the stone in front of her. The slab of marble was all that was left of him in this world. She cried all the harder at the thought. Ever so slowly, she traced his initials, reading the words as she did so.
Here rests the soul of Harry James Potter. 1980-1998. May he find peace in death.
She didn't know how long she lay there in the swaying grass, the wind picking up violently as she cried. Her mournful calls were lost in the howl of the wind. Her body wrecked with fatigue, she stumbled to stand, leaning on his gravestone as she stumbled down the hill, away from his resting spot.
Here lies her heart, broken and bleeding, clenched in the fist of the damned as she walked away from where her love lay forever asleep.
She walked straight into the water, not caring that it was cold even in summer, or that it was muddy and murky. Weeds tangled around her ankles, but she walked on, kicking up dirt and sediment as she went. The water wasn't even up to her waist. She walked to the center of the pond, the wind picking up to a monstrous roar as she stood there in the center of madness. Her hair whipped around her shoulders, stinging her checks as it flew about her. She lifted her arms skyward and screamed.
The sound permeated the silence. It wasn't until the wind had died down and a spot of sun had appeared that she stopped her cry of pain. She realized that the light shone on her. With a little thread of hope, she swam out of the lake, falling onto its muddy shores in a heap of salty tears and watery weeds. The sunlight faltered for a moment, as did her hope in that instant. But a breeze, this time gentle, caressed her check.
She looked up at the hill, watching the swaying of the willow branches. His gravestone stood alone, a mark of solitary heroism that he had never wanted. Yet that's exactly what he'd always been. A boy born to change lives and protect the ones that mattered. He had not failed them. He had faltered, but he had not failed. No one failed when they tried.
Wiping at her tears, she stumbled to stand, her wet robes sticking in clumps to her skinny legs. The sun was not out entirely, but she could see its light. The tears she struggled with did not stop, but one day they would, when the pain had lessened they would cease altogether. Here was a beginning. There was a long road, and it may not be a happy or a long one, but what mattered was to make that road livable for any who should follow after her.
It wasn't supposed to end this way. Shewould make sure that it didn't.
A/N: Please review? I am still trying to ponder where this idea came from. Anyway, I hope you liked it!