Chapter Twenty-One: Light Me Up

Now

Rose had never really understood what it meant to have your life flash before your eyes, but she figured that that's what had just happened. She saw Scorpius take small, careful steps towards her. He was glaring at her with his hands clenched, one hand holding his wand. Rose wanted to step back, but she held her ground. Some part of her mind told her that she'd only end up backing into the wall, which was never a good thing.

"You Confunded me," He said. Rose couldn't decide if he was in awe or angry at her. She also didn't know what she was supposed to say back. The last real thing she had said to him was that he was acting like a victim and then she had stormed off to McGonagall's where the Death Eaters attacked. Her dad had grabbed her and pulled her out of the office and sent a Patronus to Harry and the rest of the Order. Within moments both sides had supporters on the grounds and there was a full on war raging around them.

She looked at him. His face was smeared with sweat and dirt. His hair was sticking up in places. His clothes were ripped, covered in dirt and blood. He was staring at her and she tried to imagine what she looked like. Probably horrible. After all, she had rolled in the dirt trying to get away from him and then she had that awful duel with the Death Eaters.

"Do you know anything about a mirror?" She couldn't believe it had come out of her mouth. What had made her ask? And why to him? She was trying to beat him and his side and here she was asking for something that could possibly bring his side down.

She watched his reaction. Oh yes, he knew. And then she realized something else.

"You've been looking for it too." She gasped. She could tell by the way he looked at her that she was right. It blew her mind. They had both been looking for the same thing these past few months. And neither of them had found it. ... Right?

"No, I haven't found it," He snapped, like he could read her mind, "If I had, do you think I'd still be at Hogwarts?"

"The mirror is here?" She gasped, watching him with wide eyes. She thought of all the nights she knew he snuck out of the castle. Yes, he could have left whenever he liked. But he kept coming back.

She saw the distaste float across his features. "Yes, it's here. Do you even know anything about it?" He asked, glaring at her again.

"I know that we'll win the war if I find it."

"Not so fast, Rosie," He said, coming closer to her again. "I'm here to return the favor."

"What fav-" She realized just in time that he was about to Confund her. She jumped and the spell collided with the wall behind her. She gasped, looking up at him. "You- you... you just..." It was probably stupid, but she had never considered Scorpius a real threat. How could she, when she had lived with him for six years? The scariest thing Scorpius had ever done was hex a poor first year that spilled scorching soup on him during the feast to celebrate Slytherin winning the Quidditch Cup. It didn't scare her when he fought Avery or when she saw the Dark Mark on his arm. He had never harmed her, never pointed his wand at her.

And now he walked towards her- actually, it was more like a saunter. He stopped and extended his hand down. She looked wearily at it and then glared up at him. "Tell me why I should take anything from you,"

He smirked, "Because I said I was here to return the favor."

"Yeah and you just tried to-" She stopped short,"You never meant to Confund me." She whispered, watching him. He dropped his smirk and looked at her seriously. If he had meant to, he wouldn't have missed. And he had returned the favor, strictly speaking; he'd just missed. It felt like he was trying to tell her something in the way he stared at her, and the way his fingers twitched.

He finally settled on, "Come on, Weaslette."

She took his hand and he pulled her up. For not the first time, she wished none of this had happened. Or that he had picked the Order. She wanted to kiss him so bad, it hurt. She searched his face for any sign he felt the same way. Or that he at least wouldn't really Confund her if she did. He was looking down at her, and she had no idea what he was thinking. He was always so guarded, so intense. For a second she thought that he would lean down.

But then he dropped her hand and started walking away from her. "Lets go find that bloody mirror."

She watched him walk away for moments before following him. They were going to find the mirror... together? And they both needed it for their respective sides? How was this going to work?

Suddenly there was monstrous roar from outside. It was followed by screaming and Rose realized what it was. The dragons Scorpius had trained. She flinched as one of the dragons let out another ferocious growl that probably contained fire. She hoped no one she loved was facing that beast down.

"So Weasley," He said conversationally, like moments ago he wasn't about to- maybe- kiss her or they weren't in the middle of a huge war or that either of them weren't on opposing sides or there weren't dead bodies in the next room or that she wasn't in love with him.

"How much do you know about the mirror?" He asked. She caught up with him and noticed that he knew exactly where he was going. He used his wand as a light and she did the same.

"I know that it's like the wizard version of Excalibur." She smiled at his quizzical reaction. He gritted his teeth and hissed something about Muggles.

"Excalibur is a sword. It was in a stone and could only be pulled out by the person destined to be king. Many people didn't believe and the strongest men went to try and pull it out. But they couldn't. One day, Arthur came along. He wasn't particularly strong and people laughed at him when they saw him attempt to pull out the sword. But he did pull it out. He became king. I read that the mirror can only be pulled out by the 'chosen one.'" Rose explained, following as Scorpius led her down many flights of stairs.

She nearly jumped as she felt his hand taking hers. His only explanation was, "The stairs get steeper,".

"Well, Weaslette," He began sometime after her long story about Arthur and Excalibur. "Someone did find the mirror. Except, that someone couldn't pull it out. So, they moved the plant it was entangled in somewhere no one would ever find it. You don't know the prophecy about the mirror, do you?" He didn't wait for her to reply. Rose watched the side of his face as he spoke, the light from his wand providing a ghostly glow. "Salazar Slytherin created the mirror."

Rose gasped. That couldn't have been possible. He was evil. Why would have made a mirror that could only do good?

Scorpius plowed on, "More accurately, he created the prophecy. Hogwarts was founded years after the mirror, his true nature still hadn't been publicly revealed. So, he fooled some wizards into thinking he wanted to create the most powerful object to fight evil on earth. When the time came to create the enchantment that would bind it to a person, Salazar Slytherin intervened and created a person, so complex, he needed two people.

"He killed all the others and was convinced that the mirror would never be used. He thought he was a genius. A god, almost. After all, he helped create the one thing that could destroy him and also made sure it could never be used."

"Scorpius," Rose cut in, nearly stumbling over a step. She squeezed his hand tighter, "What did it say?"

"Two people," Scorpius said quietly, he sounded like he was in a little trance, "two different people. One, good. Always been good. The other, a horrible, despicable person. Until, they meet and the horrible one is turned by love. Amazing, isn't it? Salazar Slytherin didn't believe in love. He truly thought that the mirror would never see the light of day. Anyway, once these two meet and fall in love, they will rise up with pure hearts and the intent of wiping away all evil- and they will."

He finally finished, and then stopped walking.

"But the book said one person. The Chosen One," She said, rather pathetically.

He turned, looking up at her. "Well obviously, the bloody fool didn't know what he was talking about."

She was standing two steps above him. She was taller. Then she walked down one step, making them the same height. She looked at him, and saw that he was still looking at her. Her heart felt like it was ready to explode. She hoped he had been insinuating in his story what she had thought he was.

He whispered, "Nox,"

And then his lips were on hers. She let lose a little moan, more in shock than anything, and kissed him back with all the intensity of the moment. She didn't even know where his hands were, they moved so fast around her body, trying to feel all of her at once. She wrapped one leg around his body, pulling him even closer as her hands frantically tugged at his hair. His arms were strong, they hugged her to him. He groaned against her mouth and then pulled away, breathing quickly. His lips technically never left hers. He was still there, not kissing, but his lips were just resting on hers.

She opened her eyes and looked at him. He was looking at her, with such beautiful eyes, she never wanted to leave. His eyes were all she could see because of the darkness. And then she kissed him again. This kiss started off just as wild and passionate as the other, but soon it faded into something softer and sweeter. She realized that he was smiling as he kissed her and she smiled back.

"Lumos," She whispered once they'd pulled away. He took her hand and they continued down the winding staircase.

He was who she thought he was. He always was. She remembered McGonagall's words the night they found the sketch pad. He was the man she wanted to believe still existed. The eleven year old boy was there, he just needed strength. Her heart was thundering and she tried to wipe the smile off her face- because they were in the middle of a war, after all. Bust Scorpius had picked her- he'd picked them. He believed in that prophecy and he thought it related to them. He... he loved her.

"Scorpius," She asked, moments later, "Who brought the mirror to Hogwarts?"

"Come on. Think, you'll figure it out." He urged, then added, "Watch your step, this one's pretty steep."

She did watch and kept thinking. The only answer she could come up with was a man she had heard nothing but good things about, who fought valiantly to end, who believed nothing was more powerful than love. Who had helped her parents and Uncle Harry through everything. And the Headmaster who was everywhere in this castle. So when she finally said, "Albus Dumbledore," she knew she was right.

Scorpius' silence confirmed what she had thought. But then something else troubled her, "Why would Dumbledore hide the mirror? Wouldn't he have searched for someone who could pull the mirror out?"

"I think he knew that the right people would find it in due course." Scorpius said, and then they finally reached the bottom of the stairs. He put his hands on her waist and then gently carried her off the last step.

That made enough sense to her and then she looked at where they were. They were surrounded by rocks. It was dark, the only light coming from their wands. Scorpius walked to a smooth wall of rock and then took out a pocket knife.

Rose took a step forward, she was about to ask him what he was doing. But then she stopped as he turned to her and gave her his wand. She took it shakily, and then watched as he unbuttoned his cuff. Then he rolled up his arm sleeve, revealing the Mark.

Rose's stomach turned and she felt like fainting again. But then she saw that he was raising the knife to the Mark.

"What are you-" She asked. The voice didn't sound like hers. She had never heard it before. Some bizarre cross between awe and shock. He ignored her and then slashed the Mark in two. Blood oozed from it and then he pushed his arm against the wall. He never winced, never showed any sign of pain.

He turned slowly and looked at her apologetically. The knife was dripping with blood and he looked at her arm. She understood what she had to do and took the knife from him. She cut a small wound with in one even stroke. She winced, but it was over in a second. She copied his movements from before and placed her arm on the rock.

"Blood magic," she said, as the cold rock burned against the inside of her arm. "Nasty little bugger."

And the rock wall split apart. Rose pulled her hand away and stepped back. Scorpius took her hand and led her through. She was amazed as it revealed a smaller room, made of stone, but this one lined with unlit torches. There was the mirror, wrapped in the leaves and vines, providing a dull glow whole room. It almost looked like a pure aura around the object. Rose blindly reached for one of the wands in her pocket, looking at the mirror. After all this time, there it was. She ended up with Scorpius' and shot fire onto each of the torches.

She pulled away from Scorpius and gently took his wrist in her hands. She wasn't the greatest at healing spells, as had already been proven, so instead she ripped a piece of her shirt, enlarged it, then tied it to his forearm. Plus, his wound probably need to be fixed with magic since the Mark probably wasn't go to go quietly. She looked up at him, amazed at how close he had moved to her. He was smiling down at her, his hair falling into his eyes. It was like he had momentarily forgotten where they were. She wanted to stop and kiss him, but they were in a war and pressed for time.

He moved to investigate her wound, but she stopped him. "It's fine. Come on, we're running out of time."

They walked into the room. The mirror was beautiful. As far as Rose could tell, it looked like a mirror from the Victorian era, with a gorgeous diamond encrusted handle. The mirror was silver and the glass was spotless. Like it hadn't been buried in the depths of Hogwarts for years.

Rose looked at Scorpius, who nodded at her. She grasped the handle and in seconds Scorpius' hand covered hers.

"One," He whispered, his chin resting on her shoulder.

"Two," She smiled, looking over at him.

He kissed the side of her head and together they counted, "Three,"

A light- so bright, so potent, so powerful- erupted in the room. Rose shut her eyes and turned her head towards Scorpius. He did the same, trying to shield her as best he could. The light was so strong they could still see it behind their closed eyelids. The room's temperature intensified and then in seconds it was over. The light dimmed and the room cooled.

Rose kept her eyes shut until she heard Scorpius chuckling. She cracked one eye and saw Scorpius looking at her. He murmured, "We did it."

At that, she opened both her eyes. She saw that he was right. Their hands were holding the mirror. The plant that had been holding it was now dying, gradually wilting, after years of caging it. She smiled and then started laughing, joining him.

It was unbelievable. She and Scorpius had found the mirror. She and Scorpius had, well, found... each other. And that was the only way they had found the mirror. She couldn't help the way her heart pounded anymore than the way she felt so giddy looking at him. She thought she would have fallen at any moment if he hadn't wrapped his other arm around her waist.

Never, did she ever think, since the moment Uncle Harry told her that he needed her to look after Scorpius Malfoy that day four months ago at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, that they would fall in love and be able to end the war together.

The war.

He seemed to realize this at the same time she did. They detached themselves from each other and Rose handed him back his wand. He took it, in fact he reached for her wand also and immediately turned on their wand lights. She kept the mirror and they silently hurried up the steps, hand in hand.

They were both breathing quickly by the time they reached the top. But the fighting that they could hear going on outside was enough to spur them on.

By the light of the moon, the book she had read said. They needed to turn the mirror in the direction of the moon's light.

There were people in the Great Hall. Rose could hear them, fighting. It had to be the Order and other Death Eaters that had shown up when they saw that the ritual hadn't happened. Scorpius looked at her and she looked back at him. Something passed silently between them, although she had no idea what it was.

"We need a plan," He spoke her thoughts. She nodded quickly and choked. She was breathing so fast.

He pulled her into the closest corner and they began thinking. "I have no idea how to use this," He said, his hands on her shoulders, pushing her into the wall, bracing her there.

"I don't know much. From what I read, it said we have to angle the mirror part towards the moon and the back to want to destroy." Rose said.

"What do we want to destroy? The ashes?" Scorpius asked, sounding just as confused as she felt.

"That was my idea." She said, and then realized something. "But the ashes are gone," She whined, throwing her head back against the wall. Scorpius quickly let go of one of her shoulders and cradled her head. He shushed her gently and then asked her what she was talking about.

"When I was fighting with the Death Eaters," She began, trying to think straight. "One second there were six of them and the urn and there only five and the urn was gone."

Scorpius swore under his breath. "What are we going to do?" Rose asked, "Do you have any idea where they could have taken it?"

"Besides somewhere in the Manor?" Scorpius asked, "No."

"We need to find Uncle Harry," Rose decided. "He'll know what to do."

Scorpius didn't object. He grabbed her hand, "Would he be in the Great Hall?"

"I think so." They ran, faster than they ever had before, into the Great Hall. The room was a mess of people, flinging spells back and forth. Rose spotted Uncle Harry immediately and then paled when she saw who he was fighting with. She looked at Scorpius, who had gone even more pale when he saw his dad engaged in combat with Harry Potter.

"Merlin's balls," Scorpius said, which pretty much echoed Rose's own sentiments.

She found her own parents. Her mom was fighting off Bellatrix. A sinking feeling arose in her chest. Last time she saw Bellatrix, she was fighting with James. James had told her to keep going, and she did. He couldn't have been... but then why was Bellatrix fighting with her mom now? James had to have been... she should have stopped. She should have helped James. And now he was probably dead. And she had just run away.

Her vision was beginning to blur with tears as the realization slammed into her. Scorpius turned to look at her. She realized she was shaking and that had to have been what triggered his response. He frantically grabbed her shoulders and pulled her to him. "What?" He asked, looking at her with such an intense expression that she realized she couldn't cry. They didn't have time.

"I-I-I think," She whispered, "Bellatrix killed James,"

Scorpius' hands squeezed her shoulders, like he was trying to give her strength. James couldn't be dead, she thought, she would know. She would have felt it. He couldn't have just left the planet without her knowing. Maybe he was just off fighting someone else. Scorpius' eyes bore into her, his lips set in a grim line.

"Come on." He said and then took her hand, pulling her forward.

Moving forward, she found her dad, fighting with Blaise Zabini, not far from where her mother was dueling. She could tell he was frantic and was trying to reach her mom as quickly as he could.

"Father," Scorpius said, coming to a stop in between the pair: Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter. Harry, startled, looked at Rose and her hand that was entwined with Scorpius Malfoy. He opened his mouth and then stopped when he saw that her other hand had the mirror.

"What-" Draco sputtered, and then saw their hands, "What is the meaning of this?"

Scorpius seemed at a loss of words for a moment. He looked down at his hands and then at Rose. He faced his father and said, "This is me, making a choice."

That was the last thing she expected to hear come out of Scorpius' mouth. But she didn't really know what she was expecting to hear him say either, since this whole situation was so strange and it felt unreal.

Draco Malfoy was silent. His eyes bored into his son's. "You once told me," Scorpius began slowly, "That what made Malfoys different from them," He nodded his head in the direction of the Death Eaters, "Was that we know what is expected of us. I've done what's expected of me my whole life. Now I'm doing what I want."

Draco's face softened, "It won't be easy. Are you sure she's worth letting everything go?"

Scorpius nodded.

"Well," Harry broke in, "Looks like we're related now," Draco looked dubiously over at Harry. "Well," Harry amended, "Not yet, anyway."

Rose smiled, "Uncle Harry, how do we use this?" She held up the mirror.

Harry smiled, "Come with me."

Before they did, Scorpius and his dad hugged. "Go," Draco encouraged, and Rose remembered the way Draco had asked Scorpius about his studies that early morning she was spying. He was a father, he did care about his son. In a weird, messed up way, she saw. But he wasn't trying to stop them.

"Uncle Harry," Rose began, was they ran through the hall, "How will we use it? The ashes are gone."

"You think that, do you?" Harry smiled, looking back at the couple. He ducked as a jet of green sparks flew passed them and then they were in the safety of the corridors. They made for the moving staircase and didn't stop to look back and see if they were being pursued.

"Yes." Rose said, "One of the Death Eaters got away from me, with the urn."

Harry didn't say anything until they reached the Gryffindor Common Room. The portrait opened happily as soon as she saw him. The Fat Lady scowled at letting two Slytherins in, but McGonagall had told all the portraits to obey Harry.

"What are we doing here?" Scorpius asked, disdainfully, looking around the room. Harry said nothing, only signaled them forward.

"A Death Eater didn't get away with the urn, Rose." Harry said. He stopped walking and looked at the coffee table surrounded by couches. Sitting there in the common room, Rose saw, was the urn. Looking at it up close, she could see it was made of silver and had a green snake painted on it. "I did," Harry finished.

So many thoughts raced in her mind. Uncle Harry? Why didn't he tell her that he was going to be there? Why did he tell her that it was all up to her when he had been there? Oh my gosh, she had hit him with a table!

Harry chuckled as if he had read her mind, "It's okay, Rose. You did a great job."

Scorpius looked at the urn. He wasn't sure what he was feeling. He had spent years being told by his father that they were better off now that the Dark Lord was gone. But when those Death Eaters came knocking at the Manor's door, Draco let them in. Now here he was, looking at the ashes he had worked so hard to bring back, and then now he was about to destroy.

Rose squeezed his hand. "I think our best bet is the Astronomy Tower."

Harry nodded, "I do too. Lets go."

Together the three of them headed for the Tower. Harry had the urn, Rose the mirror, and Scorpius made sure that no one was following them. Anyone that made it into the school from the battlefield had to go in the Great Hall and join that battle. No one had made it out.

Once they reached the Tower, the group quickly angled the urn as best they could so that moon shown brightly on it. "Okay," Harry muttered, and nodded.

Rose nervously stood in front the urn. Her tension melted away the second she felt Scorpius behind her. He pressed himself against her and placed his hand on the mirror over hers. Breathing quickly, the pair raised their hands to catch the moon. It looked almost as if they were holding a baseball bat.

Nothing happened.

Rose looked at Harry who shrugged, looking troubled. Rose jumped when she felt Scorpius' lips at her ear. He kissed her gently and then whispered three words that made her knees shake, "I love you,"

She looked at him, no easy feat, since his front was pressed up against her back. She smiled up at him, "I love you, too."

Everything happened quickly after that. The mirror began to shake and glowed, that same bright light that illuminated the room when Rose and Scorpius pulled it free. Rose shut her eyes and turned her body towards Scorpius.

When the light disappeared, where the urn used to be was just smoke. There was also silence. Harry was the first to move. He walked to the edge of the Tower and looked down at the battle. No one was moving. Everyone, no matter which side they were on, was staring up at the Tower. Harry raised his wand and erased the Dark Mark from the sky.

It took seconds for the Order of the Phoenix to rejoice. Harry turned and gestured for Rose and Scorpius to join him. They approached, hands clasped, and looked out at everyone. It struck Rose as that classic scene from The Lion King when Simba was presented to the animal kingdom. She doubted Scorpius had seen it, but her mom had shown it to her many times.

Harry took their joined hands and thrust them into the air. And then the cheering grew.

Rose smiled at Uncle Harry and then at Scorpius. Scorpius smiled at down at her. And then she knew, it would be all be okay.

When they made it back into the Great Hall, Rose remembered something. "Uncle Harry!" She gasped, turning to look at him. "James...?" She let the question hang there. All Harry did was look down, which was enough to confirm her worst fears. Rose gasped and was thankful that Scorpius was there to support her, literally. He caught her waist as she went down and let her lean against him as the tears fell. He turned her body and crushed her to him, whispering promises of comfort into her ear.

Rose couldn't believe it. James. James Sirius Potter. James, her big brother, in a way. The guy that always had a joke, always had Quidditch on his mind. He was in his last year at Hogwarts. He was, just like Uncle Harry, the definition of a Gryffindor.

"Rose!" It was her mother's voice. Rose picked her head up, but didn't move an inch from Scorpius, nor did he release her. She saw her mother hurrying over to her. Hermione Weasley was covered in dirt and her hair was incredibly puffy. She stopped just short of the pair, and examined them quizzically.

Scorpius let go, allowing Rose to hug her mom tightly. "Mommy," Rose murmured into her mom's shoulder, shaking. "It'll be okay," Hermione said, kissing her daughter's head. It finally hit her, all the fatigue. The day had began normal. She had breakfast, went to class, and then Potions changed everything.

Scorpius looked away when he saw his own father approaching. Harry went off in search of Ginny and his children.

"Granger," Draco Malfoy greeted. Rose pulled away from her mom and took Scorpius' hand, her fateful night at the Manor flashing in her mind. She didn't know if she would ever forgive Draco for what he did, but they would have to coexist since she was madly in love with his son.

"I'm Weasley now." Hermione sneered, eyeing him.

"You'll always be Granger to me," Draco said, looking down at her, as she was pretty short compared to him. Rose felt sick watching the exchange and remembered the way Draco had touched her cheek. She wondered not for the the first time how he truly felt about her mom.

Ron Weasley appeared moments after, stepping in front of Hermione. He was glowering at Draco, who, in response, smirked back lazily. "Malfoy," He greeted, "Shove off."

"Tsk, tsk, Weasley. In case you missed it, our kids are in love. Better watch your attitude. We're gonna be in-laws one day. Just think, Christmas, our grandkids' birthdays..." Draco smirked as Ron's ears turned red in anger.

Instead of exploding at Draco, Ron turned to his daughter. His face turned livid when he saw his daughter holding hands with Scorpius. "Rose Weasley-" Ron began, but stopped when Hermione placed her hand on his arm.

"Ronald," She said, "Not here. And you didn't see them when they were at the top of the Tower."

"Dad... just..." Rose faltered, she looked down at her feet. Scorpius squeezed her hand but said nothing.

She looked around, and found Uncle Harry hugging Aunt Ginny, Albus, and Lily. Her heart broke. James was gone. It was just the four of them now. She looked for her own brother and when she couldn't find him, looked at her parents.

"He was rushed to St. Mungo's. He um... he was... well, remember Uncle Bill?" For the umpteenth time, Rose's vision blurred and she was thankful Scorpius was there. "We're on our way now. Rose, did you want to come?"

Ron gaped at Hermione. "Of course she does! It's her brother."

Hermione glared at Ron, "We'd understand if you're not ready. It won't be easy to see him. And..." She looked at Scorpius. "Well, Scorpius, you're welcome to come if you want, but I'm sure you must have your own family to be with." She looked at Draco and stomped on Ron's foot when he opened his mouth to say something.

"No, no," Rose began shakily, "I'll come." She looked at Scorpius, who looked at his father. Draco and Scorpius communicated silently, before Scorpius said that he'd see Rose later. He kissed her gently and then he and his father left the Weasley family alone.

The three of them made their way to the Potters. Everyone took turns embracing and then exchanged the news. Harry and the Potters agreed to meet the Weasleys at St. Mungo's as soon as they could.

Reaching the Apparation point, the Weasleys hurried to St. Mungo's. Once they were there, the family was directed to Hugo's room where they were told he was stable and had good odds of making it.

Do you have a light?
Can you make me feel alright?
There's plenty of light to go around
Do you think its right when you hit me to the ground?
Well, light me up when I'm down
Light Me Up, The Pretty Reckless

A/N Well then, yes, that was the big finale. Besides the last chapter, anyway, but the war has ended :D The mirror and the ashes and Rose and Scorpius! I hope you liked it and it was everything you hoped it would be. Reviews are appreciated. We're reaching the end now and each one means so much. Cheers, guys :D