The world seemed quiet. Surreal, almost. There was a soft breeze that blew over the treetops of the Forbidden Forest, and students were saying their last goodbyes as they quickly packed for the train ride home tomorrow. Most were outside, enjoying the lovely weather and trying to make the most of their last day. But yet, there was a mournful mood in the air.
The world was sorrowful for the loss of Albus Dumbledore. He had been the best headmaster that anyone had ever seen. He was kind, and brave. Even those who didn't know him well (not many, at that) missed him dearly. The Wizarding World was at a loss of words to say, and numb from shock. The funeral had been that morning, and had been such a lovely procession. There had been many tears shed. But he was gone now, and there wasn't a thing they could do about it. Dumbledore probably wouldn't have wanted them to be sad and mope about, so they didn't do so.
But far away, up in the reaches of the Astronomy Tower, a boy tried to hide himself away from the world. His arms were resting on the railing as he looked over the grounds of Hogwarts, his first real home. He'd miss it here, he realized. But there was no coming back. He had a job to do, and he was going to do it. He wasn't even much of a boy anymore, really. He had seen so much, and had been through so much, that he couldn't be considered a kid anymore. He reached up a finger to gently nudge his round glasses up his nose, from where they kept sliding down.
"Harry." a soft voice said from behind him, the tone cautious but gentle.
Harry Potter turned his head to look over his shoulder, his eyes widening in slight surprise as he saw his two best friends, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, standing there. Hermione stood a little in front of Ron, her arm slightly outstretched as if she were going to place it onto Harry's shoulder. Harry firmly pressed his lips together, not wanting to talk. He didn't want anyone around at the moment, not even his friends. He turned back to the view, focusing on a few students in the courtyard below, and then back on the treetops.
There was a slight shuffling, and Harry was joined by Hermione. She gently reached her hand down, unfurling Harry's clenched fist and taking out the locket held within it. She examined it in the sunlight, then toyed with it a bit as she gazed out upon the horizon.
"Do you think he would've done it?" she quietly asked. "Draco?"
Harry thought on that a moment. Would Draco have really killed Dumbledore, if Snape didn't step in? Was he ever truly brave enough?
"No." he finally answered. "He was lowering his wand. In the end, it was Snape. It was always Snape. And I did nothing..."
Hermione frowned over at him, shaking her head. Harry seemed to have the weight of the world on his shoulders. And what was worse, was that he was always constantly blaming himself for every single little bad thing that happened. Hermione constantly tried to talk sense into him. But, she saw that it was useless at this point. Why would he listen now, when he had never done so in the past? She looked back down at the locket in her hands.
"Strange. Thinking this is a piece of Voldemort's soul..."
"Yeah, strange. Only... it's not. It's a fake." Harry told her, taking in her shocked expression before nodding. "Go on. Open it."
Hermione gently pried open the locket, removing the small square piece of parchment and unfolding it, beginning to read it aloud.
"'To the Dark Lord. I know I will be dead long before you read thisbut I want you to know that it was I who discovered your secret. I have stolen the real Horcrux andintend to destroy it as soon as I can. I face death in the hope that when you meet your match, you will be mortal once more. R.A.B.'" Hermione looked up at Harry after she finished, looking confused. "R.A.B?"
"Dunno. But whoever they are, they have the real Horcrux. Which means, it was a waste. All of it." Harry replied, heaving a sigh.
Hermione studied Harry's troubled expression, her mind whirring. Then she glanced behind her, over at Ron. Ron sat out of earshot, near the stairs to the Astronomy Tower.
"Ron's okay with it, you know. You and Ginny. But if I were you, when he's around, I'd keep the snogging to a minimum." she said, smiling faintly.
Hermione was only trying to cheer Harry up at bit. Harry merely nodded again and looked away, his attention presumably somewhere else at the moment. They stood in silence for a few moments.
"I'm not coming back, Hermione." Harry finally said, breaking the silence.
Hermione nodded, like she had expected it. "We reckoned. Ron and I, I mean."
"I have to finish what Dumbledore started. I'm not sure where that will lead me...but I'll let you and Ron know where I am...when I can."
"I've always admired your courage, Harry, but sometimes... you're really thick."
Harry was a bit surprised to hear that. He turned his head away from the sky to peer at Hermione, crossing his arms.
"You don't honestly think you can find all those Horcruxes by yourself, do you?" she asked, then leaned in to whisper, "You need us, Harry."
Hermione smiled at him, cocking her head to the side and trying to coax a small smile out of him. Harry gave in and smiled back at her, but it was only briefly before his expression faded back to blank again.
"Yeah. I do. Do me a favor, though." he said. "When I'm around, try to keep the snogging to a minimum."
Hermione reddened, glancing over to Ron. "Like that's going to happen. Besides, he's barking."
"Funny, he says the same about you."
"Yes, but I'm exceptionally perceptive."
"You're brilliant. You both are." Harry's posture relaxed, which Hermione was glad to see.
Harry then gazed off into the distance again, and Hermione followed her gaze. She was losing herself in the view. She had spent so much of her time here, at Hogwarts. She began to make a mental scrapbook, trying to remember all of the good times she had once had.
"Do you think...that we'll ever come back?" she timidly asked.
Harry looked over to see Hermione's eyes watering, as she tried to fight the onslaught of emotions. Harry struggled to fight back his own as well, taking a deep breath. He reached over and gave her hand a gentle squeeze, then released it.
"I don't know. But...I've never realized how beautiful this place is." he said quietly, his eyes roaming the grounds one last time.
There was a sudden mournful cry, and the three of them turned their eyes to the sky. Fawkes flew high above in the clouds, singing one last song to the world. Ron rose to his feet, joining Harry and Hermione at the railing. They all watched Fawkes as he flew away into the horizon. Even after that, they kept their gazes on the sky. They all knew that this would be their last time at Hogwarts, even though they hoped that it wasn't true. For now, they would have this one last moment of peace.
Nobody said a word.