Sentimentality

by efficacious humorosity

Companion of Two Is Better Than One and Inevitable. Sandy's memories from her seven years at Hogwarts with the three people she cares about most. Told in first person. Rated T for some use of language. AU

A/N: I don't own Harry Potter. But I do own Sandy. Please review!

Well, I know this seems like rewriting Two Is Better Than One and Inevitable. But seeing as Sandy is not a canon character, I thought it would be interesting to write the adventures of the four friends and her relationship with Ron from her point of view. Just as the scenes written in Inevitable were different from those in TWIBTO, so will the scenes in this story differ from those in its companions. This time, each chapter will present scenes featuring Sandy and one other person: Harry, Ron, or Hermione. Again, please review!

Chapter 1: Harry and Sandy

"Ouch!"

I yelped as Dudley seized my black hair and began to drag me up the stairs. "Dudley, stop!" I begged. As much as I wished I could claim that I did not fear my cousin, that would be a lie. I tend to be afraid of people who are twice my weight and have decided that I am good practice for his future career in bullying.

Ignoring my pleas, Dudley continued to haul me halfway up the stairs, until he stopped dead in his tracks. "Move, Harry," Dudley grunted. I looked up and saw my twin brother standing in Dudley's way.

"Leave her alone." Harry's voice was low and dangerous. If Dudley knew better, he would have let me go.

Unfortunately for him, Dudley is as stupid as he looks. "Move," he repeated.

"Leave. Sandy. Alone!" Harry commanded again, his voice rising with every syllable.

Opening his mouth to call for his mum, Dudley said, "Mu-"

He was interrupted by Harry shoving him down the stairs. As he tumbled backward, he loosened his grip on my hair and I hastily scrambled to my feet. Picking himself up off the ground, Dudley glared furiously at Harry. "I'm telling Mum!" he announced, marching off into the kitchen.

I turned to Harry, who quickly hugged me. "Are you okay, Sandy?" he asked, his voice full of worry.

"Yeah, I think I'm alright," I replied. "My head is just a little sore. Thanks." I looked at him fondly, before frowning. "You're going get hell for that, you know. Aunt Petunia is going to lock you in the cupboard for the night."

Harry shrugged. "It's worth it. I can't just let Dudley use you as a punching bag, Sandy." I sighed and sat down heavily on the stairs, looking sullenly out ahead of me. "What is it?" he asked, sitting down next to me and resting his head on my shoulder.

"I wish…" I started, sounding dreamy, "I wish that you didn't have to protect me. You shouldn't have to protect me."

"I know," he replied. "But that's my job."

SSSSSSSSSS

"Harry? What are you doing here?"

I was surprised to find my twin sitting on the floor of the common room in front of the fire on our first night at Hogwarts. "Is something wrong?" I pressed him, sitting on the squishy armchair closest to the fire.

"No…" he replied, "well, yes. Sort of." He frowned, his gaze still fixed on the dancing flames.

"Sort of?" I echoed, confused. "What d'you mean?"

"Well, I can't sleep," he said, turning to look at me. "And I think it's because I know you're not in the next bed over."

I smiled wanly at him. "Are… are you having that same problem too?" he asked me, looking surprised.

"Why do you think I'm here instead of asleep in my bed?" I asked, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "We're just so used to each other's presence…"

Harry got to his feet and squished himself into the armchair next to me. We were still so young and so scrawny that we could fit rather snugly together in the confines of the chair. I rest my head on his shoulder, and I felt his head lean against mine.

Within a few minutes, I had drifted off to sleep amidst the comforting sound of Harry's snores.

That was where Ron found us in the morning.

SSSSSSSSS

I nervously approached Harry, who was sitting on the edge of my bed, staring sullenly out the window in the desperate hope that Errol (or any owl for that matter) would appear, bearing a letter for us. "Harry?" I said, hearing my voice shake as I sat down next to him. "Can I talk to you about something?"

"Sure," he responded, tearing his eyes away from the window. "Anything to keep my mind off the fact that our friends have forgotten about us. What is it?"

"Um, as you have probably already guessed-" I started, but he cut me off.

"Judging by just how nervous you are, this must be about Ron. Am I right?" he asked, a knowing smile spread over his handsome face. "I'm your twin brother, Sandy. Of course I've known that you fancy Ron."

"R-right," I stammered, trying to reassert my dominance in the conversation. "So you know that I fancy Ron. Well… on the last day of term last year, he told me that he fancies me as well."

"Not surprising either," he chuckled. "Though I am surprised you hadn't figured that out beforehand. Ron is incredibly obvious about it." I glared at him and he did his best to look apologetic. As a peace offering, he said, "So… what happened after that? What did you say?"

I sighed loudly. "I told him that we should hold off on a relationship. First of all, I was eleven when he told me that. Second of all, you and I had just escaped Voldemort for a second time. It just didn't seem like the right time."

"If that's what you think…" Harry said slowly, "…then why do you sound so upset?"

"Because," I said, frustrated, "I'm not sure I did the right thing. I mean… I fancy him, and he fancies me. Why shouldn't we be together?" I buried my face in my hands.

He observed me for a moment, before hugging me tightly. "Because of the two reasons you just mentioned. You are both too young for a real relationship, and I think you both want whatever is between you to be real. And you and I have barely figured out who we actually are. I think is waiting is a good idea. Besides, I'm sure Ron took it well."

"Well, he seemed to," I said soflty. "But now he hasn't written either of us all summer…"

Harry bit his lip and pulled back so he could look me in the eyes. "Look, Sandy. I know it seems like Hermione and Ron have forgotten about us, but I can assure you that they haven't. Ron especially cares far too much about you to ever forget you. Trust me. He's my best mate. I would know."

SSSSSSSS

"Can we go back to the common room? Please?"

I looked up from my Transfiguration homework and met Harry's pleading eyes. Just as I opened my mouth to reply, I heard a girl at the next table over whisper to her group of Hufflepuff friends, "…I heard that they hated Mrs. Norris… and they've been caught sneaking around at night near where she was Petrified…"

My mouth tightening into a thin line, I slammed my book shut and stuffed it and my parchment into my bag. "Let's go," I said to Harry stiffly. Turning to Ron and Hermione, I told them, "We'll see you later in the common room."

At their questioning looks, I jerked my head at the table of Hufflepuffs, and both nodded their understanding.

Harry and I took off at a brisk pace toward Gryffindor Tower. "Sorry," he huffed, "I just couldn't take it anymore."

I scowled at my feet. "Did you hear what those Hufflepuffs were saying? That's complete and utter rubbish! Everyone hates Mrs. Norris! Bloody everyone! And we've never been caught out of bed near that corridor, not in our entire lives!"

"Everyone thinks we did it," Harry said quietly, shoving his hands into the pockets of his robes. "They think we're the heirs of Slytherin. They think we've petrified Mrs. Norris and Collin Creevey. They think… they think we're capable of attack, of murder."

"I can't stand the way people look at me," I murmured. He heard the tears in my voice and took my hand quickly, squeezing it, before letting go again. "It makes me feel like… I don't know. Like I'm some kind of monster."

"We are not responsible for this," Harry told me firmly. "We haven't attacked or killed anyone. Nor will we ever."

In about three years' time, his words would seem so naïve.

SSSSSSSSS

"Pssst! Harry! Are you awake?"

I hissed in hushed tones at my brother after ensuring that Percy was on the other side of the Great Hall, apparently taking a nap. Harry shifted in his sleeping bag onto his stomach so that he was facing me. "Yeah," he replied quietly. Cocking his head at me, he asked, "Can you sleep?"

I shook my head. "No. No, I can't. I'm… I'm scared."

His mouth pressed into a thin line. It wasn't often that I was truly scared, much less admitted it. "Me too. But I don't really know why. We've faced Voldemort-"

"But we never expected to come out alive," I pointed out. "Besides, whenever we've faced Voldemort, we haven't exactly had a choice. First, we were babies, then we went after the Sorcerer's Stone without even actually knowing who was trying to steal it, and then we had to go save Ginny last year. We've never actually known that we were about to face the wizard who tried to kill us when we were babies. I mean… it's so much scarier, knowing that Sirius Black is somewhere in this castle… don't you think?"

"Yeah," he agreed, closing his green eyes lazily. "Hermione and Ron… they don't exactly get it."

"Well, it's not their fault," I replied. "They don't know what it's like to be us. They've still got their parents, and Ron has got more siblings that he knows what to do with."

"I suppose you're right…" he murmured, rolling onto his back and staring up at the starry ceiling.

Hermione suddenly shifted in her sleep, groaning a little and looking pained. Alarmed, Harry rolled back onto his stomach, looking at her with deep concern. "D'you think she's all right?" he whispered urgently.

I gave him an inquisitive look. "I'm sure she's fine, Harry," I told him slowly. "Probably just a bad dream. Nothing to get upset about."

He nodded, still looking agitated, but reluctantly rolled over onto his back once more nonetheless.

Something suddenly clicked in my mind. All the looks I had seen my brother giving my best mate, his new overprotective nature when it came to her…

Harry fancied Hermione.

I opened my mouth, thinking of bringing it up right then and there. Then I quickly shut it. Now was not the time, for we were both scared and feeling quite alone.

So instead I intertwined one of my hands with my brother's, and I somehow managed to drift off to sleep.

SSSSSSSSS

"Sandy! Thank Merlin you're okay!"

The first thing I was aware of as I awoke was my brother throttling me in a hug far too tight for someone who had just fallen Merlin knows how many meters off a broomstick. "Geroff, Harry!" I managed to grunt.

He released, stepping back and looking at me with a joyous expression on his face. "I was so worried," he said, sitting at the foot of my bed. "I've been awake for hours now."

"Really?" I asked, rubbing my head a little.

"Well, the team said that you fell farther than I did," he admitted, frowning. Then his happy nature returned as he teased me, saying, "Ron is going to be so upset that he wasn't here when you woke up."

"Shut up," I said, feeling my cheeks blush a furious red. "Where are Ron and Hermione?"

"Dinner," he said. "They were all for holding a candlelit vigil by your bedside until you woke up, but I forced them to go to dinner. I told them that neither of us would want them to starve."

"Bloody true," I agreed, nodding my head. I scooted over to the left side of the bed and patted the empty space next to me, indicating that it was for him. He smiled and inched his way toward me, until we were both lying on our backs, side by side. "Are you okay? Were you hurt any?"

He shook his head. "No, Madam Pomfrey fixed me up before I even woke. I assume she did the same for you. I'm just a bit sore."

"Same," I replied. Then I asked, "Are you as worried about the whole dementor thing as I am?"

He frowned, his happy mood dissipating rather quickly. "Yeah… this is the second time we've passed out. We're lucky Dumbledore was able to slow us both down before we hit the ground. But I mean… it's not even the life-threatening part. It's just downright humiliating. And depressing. To pass out in front of everyone and be subjected to hearing our parents die… it's horrible. I can see why prisoners in Azkaban go mad."

"No kidding…" I sighed. "Well, maybe we could ask Professor Lupin for help. He did make the dementor on the train go away…"

"Yeah, you're right. We'll ask after class tomorrow," he promised.

Just then, Hermione and Ron burst into the hospital wing. "Sandy!" cried Ron happily. "You're awake!"

I smiled and nodded at him while looking sideways at my brother, to see how his face lit up when he saw Hermione.

I suppressed the urge to chuckle. Harry was in over his head.

SSSSSSSSS

I was sitting in my favorite squishy armchair by the fire, staring blankly into the flames. It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon, so naturally, everyone was outside, enjoying the sunny weather. So I was alone in the common room, doing my best not to think about anything, especially Ron. At least, until Harry walked in.

I made room for him in the squishy armchair, and it was a much tighter fit than when we had occasionally slept in it during our first year. We sat, snuggled together and silent, for several long moments.

Then, Harry draped an arm around my shoulders and said, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Sandy."

"It's not your fault," I muttered, squeezing my eyes shut, trying to block out the memory of my row with Ron.

"I could have told R- him to leave you alone. Not to drag you into this. This is between him and me," he said, shaking his head. I was grateful to him for not saying the name, for me not having to ask him not to; he was my twin, after all.

I twisted around in the armchair so that I could gape at him from a better angle. "Are you kidding me?" I asked him incredulously. "This is not between him and you! This is between him and both of us! Don't you see?" When he shook his head, I sighed and explained, "He's jealous and insecure. He's jealous of all the glory that both of us, but mostly you I think. He feels overshadowed by you and like you get all of the attention and credit, even though he's usually there when we do something dangerous. When it comes to me… I think he's just insecure. And somewhat jealous. And definitely upset. He's kind of jealous of how much attention I get, but I think he's mostly just insecure about us. He doesn't know where we stand, and neither do I, to be honest, and that scares him, makes him angry. I've seen the jealous looks he gives whenever a bloke other than you or him hugs me. And he's upset… that I told him that I wasn't ready yet at the end of last year. Maybe it's my fault…"

He scoffed at me. "Don't be ridiculous, Sandy. It is no way your fault. You told him explicitly that you do want a relationship, just not right now. He has no right to push you like that, or to be angry with you for taking your time going into something you both consider very important."

I managed to flash him a small smile. "Thanks, Harry."

"Anytime."

SSSSSSSSSS

"Why didn't you ask Hermione to the ball?"

I felt that I probably already knew the answer to my question, but I chose to ask anyway. Ron and Hermione had long since retired to Gryffindor Tower; Hermione to cry without any unkind eyes watching her and Ron to sleep, for our dancing had tired him out. Harry and I were taking a walk around in the garden, avoiding snogging couples as best we could and discussing the night's events.

He sighed, looking upward rather than at me. "Because," he said finally after a moment's hesitation, "I was scared. I am scared. Of rejection. Her rejection, specifically. If she were to reject me, that would crush me, Sandy. I- I think I love her."

I smiled brightly, approvingly at him. "Harry, I know you do."

He sighed again, then continued. "Besides, the resulting awkwardness would totally throw our dynamic out of whack. It would screw things up, not only for her and me, but for you and Ron as well."

"I think it's worth the risk," I told him. "I think you should ask her out sometime. You obviously care enough about her. Besides, your friendship is stronger than that. Ron and I survived our huge row this year- and we're still best mates. More than that, even."

"Speaking of you and Ron, did you have fun with him at the ball?" Harry asked, eager to change the subject.

Because I was so eager to share my evening with someone (and I guessed that Hermione would not want to hear exactly how brilliant my evening had been), I allowed him to change the direction of the conversation. "Well," I said, feeling my smile grow wider, "it was damn well close to bloody perfection. It was brilliant, Harry. He's brilliant."

Harry smiled for the first time during our walk. "I'm glad to hear it."

"We actually-" I said, pausing as my voice faltered in my nervousness. Harry gave me a moment to collect myself, and the short silence was filled only with the rustling of our dress robes. "We actually almost kissed."

He turned to me, smiling and raising a single black eyebrow. "Oh? Please don't tell me I have to beat up my best mate, Sandy," he said teasingly.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Of course not, Harry. I doubt you ever will. We were actually talking in the garden, right after I yelled at you for being a tosspot." At this, he snorted, but said nothing, still smiling. "And we were talking, and he just said that he cares a lot about me… and we were about to kiss when Snape walked in."

"Ouch," he commented sympathetically, wincing as though he had been hurt. "Snape is a definite mood-killer. I'm sorry about that."

I shrugged. "It'll happen soon enough, I think."

"By the way, the whole 'caring a lot about each other' is total rubbish. You both love each other, and you know it."

SSSSSSSSSSSS

"Unnnngh."

I awoke, groggy and sore, wondering why the room was dark. Hadn't it been daytime only a few hours ago? I glanced over at the digital clock on the nightstand Harry and I shared. "Bloody hell! Half past nine?" I gasped, sitting up quickly. After the sudden rush of blood from my head forced me to lay back down, I began to wonder exactly how long I had been sleeping. Come to think of it, I couldn't even remember going to sleep.

Just then, the door creaked open and Harry stepped in. "Sandy!" he said, sounding genuinely relieved. "You're awake! You're okay!"

"Um, yeah," I said, eyeing him suspiciously. "Why wouldn't I be?" When he didn't answer right away, I pushed him, saying, "Harry, tell me what happened. I don't even remember going to bed, but now it's half past nine."

He sat down next to me on my bed, making the mattress sink under his weight. "You don't remember anything?"

I shook my head. "The last thing I remember is getting caught hiding in Aunt Petunia's hydrangeas."

He sighed wearily, rubbing his face with his hands. "Sandy… after we got caught, we started walking around the neighborhood. We ran into Dudley and his gang, and you got real hocked off. You threatened him with your wand, and it went really cold and dark. Dudley's friends took off, and Dudley thought you had changed the weather. But…"

"Dementors," I gasped, my memories flooding back to me quickly. "We were attacked by two dementors."

Harry nodded, seeming relieved that I wasn't suffering from amnesia. "They went after you and Dudley first. One caught you off guard, and you were passed out on the ground and it looked like it was about to… to k-kiss you." He swallowed, seeming to gather his courage. "But I chased it away with my Patronus. You were weak, really weak. But somehow you managed to conjure up a Patronus to run off the dementor that was about to kiss Dudley."

"No wonder I feel like rubbish," I grumbled, sitting up slowly. He grabbed my arm and helped me up gently, propping my back up against the wall. "So how many hours have I been out?"

He bit his lip, not looking at me. "Sandy…" he said slowly, "I had to carry you all the way back here. And you haven't been out for hours… the dementor attack was two days ago."

I nearly choked on my own spit. "What? Two days ago? That's impossible- there's no way I've been passed out for that long!"

He shrugged. "You have. About twice a day I'd manage to make you conscious and help you to the loo, but other than that… nothing." He grimaced. "Don't worry, you haven't missed anything. The Dursleys have been keeping up locked up in here. But they're out tonight- something about the award reception for the All-England Best Kept Lawn Competition."

I chuckled humorlessly. At least they were out of the house.

"You gave me a right good turn," Harry said quietly, after a few moments. I looked over at him and I was surprised to see that he had genuine fear plastered over his handsome face.

"Oh, Harry…" I said quietly, giving my twin a tight hug. "You don't need to worry. I'm fine. I pulled through, didn't I?"

"I know," he said, attempting to sound happier. "But I was so terrified you wouldn't. I am so terrified that one day you won't, and you know how often we both get hurt. Sandy… I can't make it without you, not with Voldemort back. Bloody hell, even if he wasn't back, I wouldn't be able to make it without you. You're my twin sister, you're all the family I have left. You can't leave me."

I squeezed him tighter in my arms. "Don't worry, Harry. I'll never leave you. We're in this together."

SSSSSSSS

"Harry?"

I mentally cursed my twin brother; it was his fault that I was out of bed at three in the morning without our Invisibility Cloak, likely to be caught by a member of the Inquisitorial Squad or Umbridge herself. I held the lit tip of wand aloft, creeping quietly through the dark, deserted corridors, and I glanced down at the Marauders' Map. "Harry!" I hissed again. "I know you're here, so please… please just show yourself."

A sudden pop of black in the corner of my eye caught my attention, and I whirled around to see Harry slumped on the floor, several tears trailing down his face. "Harry…" I said gently, sitting down next to him against the wall. I gently took the Invisibility Cloak, which was bunched up in his hands. He reluctantly loosened his grip on it and I threw the Cloak over both of us, extinguishing my wand. He leaned on my shoulder, crying more earnestly now. "Harry," I said again, hugging him. "Harry, what's wrong?"

"Everything is wrong," he replied through his tears. "This entire year so far has been nothing but a bloody nightmare."

I sighed, lifting him up and forcing him to look at me. "Why don't you tell me what this is really about?" I said. "Because this entire year has kind of sucked, so I know you're not just breaking down about it now. There must be something else."

He sniffed and looked away. "Hermione and I… we had a row earlier this evening."

"About what?" I prodded him gently.

He sighed, wiping some tears from his face. "About how you and I should tell Dumbledore what Umbridge is doing to us in detention. She was really hocked off when I refused."

"I'm so sorry, Harry."

"That's not it. Not only is my girlfriend mad at me for keeping silent while we're being tortured, but I'm helpless… I'm helpless to do anything to protect you from Umbridge. I t-tried, but you stopped me. Sandy, I hate seeing you be tortured," he murmured. "And we're not learning Defense Against the Dark Arts, and everyone thinks we're liars and no one is paying attention to the fact that Voldemort is back. HE'S BACK, DAMMIT! And no one is fucking listening."

"Harry, Harry!" I hissed, fearful that his shout had drawn the attention of any trolling teachers. "Harry, shut up. Listen to me- you and Hermione will make up, I know you two will. You both care a lot about each other, and I'm bloody well sure that you two love each other, even if you aren't ready to admit it to each other yet. And Harry… it's not your fault that Umbridge is a torturous old bat. You aren't always going to be able to protect me. I know you hate that, but it's true. And don't you think that I hate seeing you be tortured by her as well? And Harry… not everyone thinks we're liars. Those that honestly do are the ones that say so to our faces. But the others- they're just scared. Scared of defying the status quo, scared that maybe the nay-sayers are right about us. And it sucks. It definitely sucks. But… we have each other, Harry. We have Hermione and Ron. We have Sirius and D- the Order. We will pull through this, just like we always do. So long as we're together. We'll pull through. You have to believe it. Because I do."

SSSSSSSS

"Hullo, Sandy."

Harry walked into my dark bedroom that I shared with Hermione at the Burrow and laid down on Hermione's bed. Ron and Hermione were currently helping out with dinner, so Harry and I had time to talk alone. "How did Hermione take it?" I asked, almost sullenly.

Harry shrugged, despite the fact that I couldn't see him. "As well as can be expected, I guess. There were some tears at the beginning, but after that, she got that determined look on her face that she gets whenever she's set her mind on figuring something out. She said she'll do whatever it takes to help us survive." He hesitated for a moment, then asked, "I saw Ron before he went downstairs to help his mom. He didn't seem all that upset."

I turned to look at him in the darkness. "What d'you mean? He was practically crying in here when I told him."

"Well, he seemed I-just-found-out-my-girlfriend-and-best-mate-may-die upset, but not my-potentially-dying-girlfriend-just-broke-up-with-me upset. Did you…?" he said, sounding uncertain.

"No," I replied, shaking my head. "I was ready to do it, I was about to bring it up. But he knew what I was doing, and he said he'd be worse off if we weren't together. And I… I couldn't do it after that, Harry. He seemed so miserable already, and I didn't want to make it worse. Besides… I don't think we could stay away from each other."

"I told you that you wouldn't be able to do it," he told me, not arrogantly, but gently, reminding me that sometimes he knew me better than I knew myself. "But I thought you didn't want him to get hurt if… if we don't make it."

"I know," I sighed heavily. "But he said it's too late for that. And Harry- I need him. He and I circled each other for four years, Harry. I love him. He's stood by me, even when I was possessed in that elevator at the Ministry and I bloody attacked him. I… I don't think either of us have the strength to stay away from each other."

"Sandy, I think you made the right decision, staying with Ron," he told me firmly. "You deserve some happiness, in spite of all horrible things that happen to us. And I know he makes you happy, Sandy. You were so miserable fourth year when you two were fighting. I think… and I know Ron thinks… that it's more than worth the risk."

SSSSSSSS

"Harry, why the bloody hell are you crying?"

I felt horrible as my eyes fluttered open, but I was far more concerned about the fact that my twin was crying at the foot of my bed than my pain. He looked up when I spoke, surprised. "You're awake," he said, rather stupidly. "Y-you're awake. D'you… d'you remember what happened?"

I frowned and nodded. "That's not important, Harry. Why are you crying?"

He looked at me incredulously. "Why am I crying?" he echoed. "Why am I crying? I thought you said you remembered what happened!"

"I do!" I answered hotly. "You and Malfoy were dueling in the bathroom, so I came in to help you. But then you used that awful 'sectumsempra' curse, so I pushed Malfoy out of the way."

He gaped at me. "How can you not be mad at me, Sandy? I cursed you. Don't you get it? You would've died, had bloody Snape not saved your life!"

"Harry, you didn't curse me," I told him, shaking my head. "You were trying to curse Malfoy. I mean, I may hate the git, but I don't want him dead. I didn't exactly intend to step into the path of the curse, but if I wanted to push him out of the way, it was inevitable."

"Sandy, I… I don't think I could ever forgive myself," he said, closing his green eyes tightly. "I almost killed you. You mean the entire world to me, Sandy. You're my twin sister, you're my family. And I almost killed you. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

I sighed, looking at him sympathetically. "We all fuck up. You didn't curse me. You were trying to curse someone we both hate and who we're pretty sure is working for the most evil wizard of all time. You made a terrible mistake, and I tried to save you from it. I know that you feel much worse about cursing me than you would about cursing Malfoy. And I'm sorry for that. But now people won't know you as the boy who cursed his enemy in the boys' loo. This will just be an accident to them. But… I am sorry. I didn't mean to get hit by the curse. But please. Forgive yourself."

SSSSSSSS

"Harry, I need to tell you something."

Harry and I were sitting on the couch in the sitting room in Grimmauld Place. Ron and Hermione were searching for the cleaning supplies, and I had asked for Harry and I to sit out, so that I could finally inform of him of my engagement to Ron. "What is it, Sandy?" he asked, looking at me with concern. I was never nervous around my brother, but all the same, I fingered the engagement ring on my left ring finger anxiously.

"I- I… oh, bloody hell. Look," I said finally, holding up my left hand so that he could see the ring.

"Is that…?" he asked, a look of comprehension spreading over his face.

I nodded. "Ron asked me to marry him. At Bill's and Fleur's wedding. There was no time to tell you, what with-"

I was suddenly cut off by Harry enveloping me in a huge bear hug. "Sandy, that's fantastic! I'm so happy for you! But he certainly took his time, didn't he?"

I pulled away slightly, confused. "What do you mean 'he took his time'?"

"Oh," Harry said, realizing that I had no idea what he was talking about. "Well, the first day we were at the Burrow, Ron came to me asked to have my permission to propose to you. I gave it, of course, I just imagined that he would ask a lot sooner. I suppose he was nervous."

"He asked your permission?" I echoed incredulously, happily. I had never imagined that Ron would do something as old-fashioned as ask my brother's permission to propose to me, yet I found it sweet and endearing.

"Yeah, I suspect he was a lot more nervous about asking me than asking you," Harry laughed, his green eyes twinkling. "I suppose it's because I've threatened to kick his ass numerous times, if he ever breaks your heart."

I smiled sideways at him. "Well- thanks for giving him your permission, Harry. It means a lot to me to know that we have your blessing. It really does."

"Well, of course I gave it to him!" he snorted. "You two have been together for years, who am I to deny him the pleasure of having you as his wife? Besides, if you found out I had denied him permission, I bet you would have beaten me to a bloody pulp." He smiled; it was all in jest.

"Damn straight, Harry James Potter. Damn straight."

SSSSSSSS

I struggled to keep a straight face as Harry and I walked hand in hand into the Forbidden Forest. He squeezed my hand tightly and whispered, "It's going to be okay, Sandy."

I nodded, not voicing my doubts. We were handing ourselves over to Voldemort. We were leaving Ron and Hermione behind.

"We didn't even get to say good-bye," I whispered, a few tears trailing down my cheeks. "It's not fair."

"No, it isn't," he said, slowing our pace so that we would have time to finish our conversation. "But has it ever been?"

"I just…" I murmured, searching in vain for the appropriate words to voice how I was feeling at that moment. "I just… I wanted to say goodbye. To see him one last time."

"I know," he replied, pressing a brotherly kiss to my head. "I wanted to see her, too. But… you know if we were with them, we'd never be able to pull ourselves away. We'd never be able to do what we have to do in order to end this war. And we have to do this. This is what we've been destined for, since the very start."

I nodded, wiping the tears away from my face. "I… Harry… I never would have been able to make it this far without you."

"And I, you," he murmured.

We stopped, standing just on the outskirts of the forest. "Are you ready?" I asked him, feeling my hand shake in his.

"So long as you're by my side."