"TIES THAT BIND"
1.
He sat behind a makeshift desk, rubbing his temples. Contemplating. The survival of the magical and Muggle worlds depended on two people. Still children, no matter how old they were. Both had to grow up at a tremendous pace and now whilst one continued to protect, the other must age more than anyone and defeat a great evil. Their friend's death had taken its toll, but they pressed on. Determined to end the war, not for revenge, but in memory of one Ron Weasley.
--
She sat quietly on her cot, writing to her parents. A farewell letter, in case she did not return from the battle at daybreak. She was to protect Harry and get him as close as she could to Lord Voldemort. She could not risk failing this mission and it would determine the outcome of the Second War. As long as Harry reached Voldemort, they stood a chance at finally ending all the bloodshed. They stood a chance of avenging Ron, making his sacrifice worth something. She folded the letter and gave it to an owl and it flew off, melting into the black sky. As she sat back, trying to chase away the butterflies in her stomach, she was completely unaware of two others preparing themselves to protect her. Each had a reason, and each knew nothing of the other. Only one man knew, and he would not tell a soul.
--
He silently paced the perimeter of the camp, ignoring the jeers coming from the numerous fires around which the hooded figures chatted casually. Only their forced laughs and grim faces revealed they were masking their nervousness, their fear. Thoughts raced across his mind of what he was only hours away from facing. The betrayal that his deed would cause, the chaos his plan would create. Thoughts of the unspeakable shame it would bring to his family fused with the rest. And all this for a girl. In his eyes, nothing else measured up to the importance of her survival. The betrayal, a mere scratch; the chaos, only slight confusion; the shame, naught but a useless emotion to be wasted upon him. Her mysterious hold over him had driven him to the brink of insanity until he finally gave up asking himself why and how, and instead, accepted the fact that it just was. He continued pacing as he waited for the minutes crawling by to turn to hours, slowly dragging him through time to the point where his true loyalties would be revealed. He had a promise to keep.
--
Leaning against the sturdy tree, he stared out across the field. The fires flickered from each end of the wide expanse, only spots of light from where he sat. The branch on which he perched was hard and cold, yet he took no notice. All he could concentrate on was the mission he was to fulfil. A mission he'd burdened himself with. A mission only he could carry out. His family had been adamant about not taking part in the war. Whatever the outcome would turn out to be, it wouldn't affect them. He had ignored his mother's quiet weeping when she discovered his intentions, he acted as if she didn't matter and yet she covered for him until there wasn't a chance his father could intervene without declaring support for one side or the other. A grim smile crept onto his face. His dear mother would mourn his death, but she would understand once she found his letter. All he could do now was sit and wait.