The murmurs from inside the Great Hall seemed soft compared to the loud shouting and explosions that were going on just moments ago. It had been an all-out war. Death Eaters had come in waves and preyed on the defenseless students who could hardly hold themselves together once people started to fall. The castle was in ruins. Rubble covered the halls and shreds of paintings hung to the select few still standing walls. It smelt of smoke and iron from the amount of blood that had been spilt.
Rav walked carefully forward. Somehow she'd lost a shoe during the night leaving her right foot exposed, covered in dust, and bleeding. She was tattered and in shock like everyone else. Her long black hair usually kept in a perfect bun on the top of her head now drooped to the side, hair sagging underneath it and falling out.
As Rav walked into the Great Hall people stopped and stared at her. She didn't belong there, not with this army. People began to block her movement without saying anything. Oliver Wood got off from his seat and limped over to stand in front of her. Rav stared at him, her eyes wide in confusion. Both too tired to create confrontation, Rav stepped around him only to be greeted by Lee Jordan. He was angrier than Wood was. "Get out of her, Chav."
The nickname that had once cut her so deep now seemed so mundane. It hardly registered. Lee Jordan himself hardly even registered to Rav. She pushed past him as well and was able to walk further into the Great hall uninterrupted.
Hogwarts had listen to Lord Voldemort and collected their dead. The deeper into the Great Hall Rav got the more stretchers with dead bodies began to line up. Rav eyes soaked in each one of their faces. Death did not discriminate. First years, second years, third, fourth, fifth and sixth years were cold and mutilated in unique ways. The pale face of Lavender Brown caught Rav's attention the most. She remembered catching her stealing ingredients for a Love Potion out of Snape's stores just last year. The surprised yet hell bent eyes that Rav's memory had for Lavender now lay half open grey. Adults were scattered amongst the group of dead. Faces she had never seen before. Mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters left to be nothing but an outer shell.
It was Slughorn who put a hand on her shoulder, "Unfortunately, my dear, I don't think you of all people should be here right now." His eyes were void with shock from the recent events but his manners remained intact. "I must ask you to leave."
"He killed him, Professor Slughorn," Rav mumbled, "he killed Severus." She wasn't looking for pity or understanding, she just wanted someone else to know. Know how she had found her half-brother dead in the boat house sitting in a pool of his own blood. "He killed him!" Rav voice rose in anger. "He killed him and he did everything right! HE PLAYED THE PART!" Rav felt warm tears begin to streak down her face again. "DUMBELDORE MADE HIM AND NOW HE'S DEAD!" Shaking all over Rav picked up her left arm and pulled up her sleeve. "He made both of us!" On her forearm was the mark of a Death Eater covered in large gouges from hastily made attempts to cut it out. Lines of half dried blood had trickled down to her fingertips.
Her face was screwed in to an awful expression of pain and anger. "My dear girl-," Slughorn tried to understand. He had admired Rav. Invited her to be a part of his club, though she refused, and was often in awe of her talents in potions. It was a great boldness to deface The Mark, even Slughorn knew that, but it was beyond him what Dumbledore had to do with the death of Severus Snape or the mark now engrained in to Rav's skin.
Out of the corner of her eye Rav finally saw what she had come here for. Huddled near the ground was the entire Weasley family. The older brother, Charlie, was watching her interactions with Slughorn along with Ginny. Without hesitation Rav moved towards the family and braced herself for what she would see there.
Charlie stepped forward to intercept Rav from interrupting this sensitive moment but it was Ginny who stopped him. "Wait," she said softly to her brother, "let her come." With a hand across Charlie's chest to keep him from moving, Ginny brought the entire Weasley family's attention to Rav. "She needs to see Fred."
Arthur Weasley pulled himself off his wife. Bill and Percy looked down at her with red eyes. Ron pursed his lips as he saw the Death Eater Mark on Rav's arm. George remained hunched down over his brother's body sobbing into his chest.
Rav stopped on the outskirts of the huddle and looked in. There on the ground was a face she recognized. A small smile still frozen in the corner of his lips. Fred eyes were closed. It looked like he was caught mid-blink before telling a joke.
Like a snake in a hen house, Rav stepped lightly towards Fred and knelt down next to him. Mrs. Weasley grew tense as Rav reached out lightly and stroked Fred's cheek. The cold skin piercing her fingertips sent a shiver down Rav's spine.
George looked up to see who now mourned his brother's death with him. Rav met his look and neither of them had anything to say. After years of torment and being the target of their practical jokes there was nothing to give besides a glance of shame from both parties. "Let me fix it," Rav beg George quietly. "Let me fix it."
Her face was strong now but her eyes still swam in tears, colors of light browns and greens glistened in fear. George's jaw hardened and his eyes went from Rav down to Fred's lifeless body. He wiped his cheeks and stood up from the body feeling utterly alone and hopeless.
Mrs. Weasley reached out and pulled her son in to her, "What's she doing, George?" She demanded to know as Rav turned her attention back to Fred.
"Don't worry." George croaked quietly. "She's a friend."
The word rang in Rav's ears like the bells of heaven. Friend. A fresh sob broke through Rav's lips and her heart felt heavy. How long had she waited for those words to be uttered by someone.
Letting the tears roll freely Rav began to take increasingly long breaths in and out. In and out. In and out. While breathing Rav pulled at a piece of chain around her neck to reveal a small black bottle of silver liquid that had been hidden under her clothes. In and out. Rav uncorked the potion and took the smallest sip then put the rest of it up to Fred's lips to pour it gingerly for him. In and out.
Rav's breathing had become so slow and rhythmic that it created a calm atmosphere, almost sleepy. The Weasley's felt their eyes begin to droop in exhaustion from the day, on lookers felt their heart rate slow, even Professor McGonagall who had come over to see what was happening slowed and felt displaced.
Finally Rav took one last deep breath filling every corner of her lungs. Maxing out their capacity to the point that it began to hurt her chest. Rav exhaled slowly and bent down to meet Fred's lips with hers. The air from her lungs smelled sweet but heavy, like there was more than just oxygen being pushed out.
George was the first to notice that the bits of Rav's skin were going grey. He knew what was being done and as a bubble of happiness rose in his stomach it was tainted with guilt.
Rav tried to support herself over Fred but her muscles began to fail and before long she was resting on top of him, just a sliver of distance between her mouth and his. The warmth was leaving her body. Her happy memories flooded through her and travelled out; the she came to Hogwarts, when she found potions, the day she figured out Snape was her half-brother, how proud she was of becoming and animagus, and finally falling in love with Fred. All she could think of was him. His smile. The small trinkets of affection he had snuck her before George found out. Being taken care of by him in the House of Black. The late nights of helping him with potions for Weasley Wizard Wheezes. All of the years of childhood torment and jokes were worth it for the last few years of safety and warmth that he had brought her.
Rav's breath began to run out and with it came a small ball of light that travelled from her lips to Fred's.
A collective hushed gasp came from everyone watching. It was old magic. Magic so ancient that it was thought no one knew how to accomplish the task anymore. A kiss. Love's kiss. McGonagall brought a hand up to her throat as she watched the ball of light sink into Fred.
His skin began to pink. His hair brightened in color and the corners of his mouth finally relaxed from his last smile. Fred's chest heaved in a great breath and his eyes flew open.
They were able to look at each other one last time before Rav's eyes slid shut and she replaced his spot by Death's side.
Tell me what you think / if you think it's worth to type out and post from the beginning.
Alison