The battle was over. Marlena had never been so tired in her life, wanting nothing more than to find a place to curl up and sleep for a while, but there were a few things she needed to do first, chief among them being retrieving her cousin's body from the Shrieking Shack. She had had no choice but to leave Severus where he died due to the battle that raged on around them, but she wouldn't leave him there any longer. Along the way, she saw couples hugging, families reuniting, and happy students rejoicing that they had played a role in the defeat of the Dark Lord. She couldn't help but smile herself. Despite everything, the atmosphere was happy. She was shaken from her reverie when she walked through the Great Hall.

The bodies of the dead were all around her, and it shook her to her core. This place of learning and happiness had become a desolate warzone in mere minutes. Remus Lupin and his wife Nymphadora were laid side by side, looking to the world as if they were merely sleeping, and not dead. Lavender Brown looked nothing like her former self, having had her throat ripped out by the werewolf, Fenrir Greyback. Death was everywhere, and she almost started running to try and escape its cold grasp. As she continued down the row, the sight of Fred Weasley's pale and motionless body nearly brought her to her knees. She ran towards the cot, coming up short when she saw his heartbroken family surrounding it. She stopped then, not knowing if she would be welcome at the moment. Suddenly, as if they knew someone was watching them, they all turned to face her. Ron, Ginny, and George all smiled at her despite their sorrow. Ginny stood up and threw her arms around her, crying into her shoulder.

"Harry told me what he did...how he saved us all...I'm so sorry you lost him, Marley."

She was talking about Severus. She didn't know for sure if she'd ever be able to talk about him without feeling a deep ache of regret, but she pulled Ginny closer and sighed.

"I'm not the only one who's lost someone today, Gin...Fred...I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. He deserved so much better."

Ginny nodded into her shoulder.

"They all did."

It was all she could say before her tears rendered her speechless. The youngest Weasley pushed herself out of their embrace then, turning to be comforted by her father. When Marley made eye-contact with the Weasley patriarch, he answered her unspoken question.

"He's looking for you."

She nodded and turned to leave, but was kept from her task when Molly Weasley grabbed her hand. She looked down at the usually strong woman and saw a mask of sorrow and anguish that made her kneel down and pull the woman into her arms.

"He'll be back. Stay with us, dear. I think I need you all to stay close right now..."

The distraught mother had come so close to losing everyone that Marley understood the impulse, but she had made a promise, and she intended to keep it. She pulled away from her just a little bit, though, saying something that made the older woman tense.

"Molly...I need to go get Severus..."

The Weasley matriarch nodded, her sadness resolving into stern acceptance.

"Of course, dear. Harry told us what he did... and he was the only family you had left. To be snuffed out like that...I'm so sorry, dear..."

Marley took the older woman's careworn hands in her own.

"He wasn't the only family I had Molly. I have you, don't I? But I promised him I wouldn't leave him. He's down in the Shrieking Shack..."

Looking the woman in the eye, she squeezed her hands and made a promise.

"I'll be back as soon as possible. I promise. If I see Charlie, I'll send him this way, let him know you're asking for him."

Molly laughed.

"If you see Charlie, he'll be going with you. He was worried sick when he couldn't find you...thought the worst, he did. I'm glad to see he was wrong."

Marley sighed. She hadn't been willing to admit that after losing Severus, she had worried that she would lose Charlie too, but knowing he was alive lifted a weight off her shoulders she hadn't realized she was carrying. She hadn't lost everyone that mattered to her, just one person. She pulled Molly into her arms and held on as tight as she could for just a moment longer, offering the woman what little comfort she had to offer. When she let go, Molly cupped her cheeks and kissed her forehead.

"Go. Bring him back, sweet girl."

She stood up and turned away from the family, ignoring every impulse she had to turn back and stay by their side. Instead, she squared her shoulders and walked out of the Great Hall, forcing herself to keep going. If she went back, she was breaking a promise. They'd be there when she was done, and then they could grieve together.