See! I told you I'd make it up to you. Two chapters in one day! Yuss! x)

Chapter Twenty-Five - Departures.

"I know that you are preparing to fight. Your efforts are futile. You cannot fight me. I do not want to kill you. I have great respect for the teachers of Hogwarts. I do not want to spill magical blood. Give me Harry Potter, and they shall not be harmed. Give me Harry Potter and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter and you will be rewarded."

"You have until midnight."

Jessica's blood ran cold. She, just like every other person in this new place - the great hall, as far as she could tell, packed with panicking students and teachers alike, a desperate-looking McGonagall trying to keep a lid on it all - looked upwards to the roof, her eyes growing wide in horror as she realized who was speaking. Nobody - future or past - broke the ringing silence currently smothering the hall.

So this was it.

The Second Wizarding War.

Everybody from the past was looking at seventeen-year-old Harry Potter, who was staring to the front. Suddenly, they all turned to the direction where a girl at the Slytherin table had jumped up and started shouting.

"But he's there!" she yelled, desperately gesturing Harry, "Potter's there! Someone grab him!"

Jessica's eyebrows fell. The girl was mad. If there was one thing Jessica now knew about her new-found family, they didn't give up without a fight.

Everybody else seemed to agree, as table by table every student stood to face her, wands raised, Harry the only one left seated. Behind Jessica, Ron scoffed.

"As if."

"Thankyou, Miss Parkinson," McGonagall said, staring straight at the girl, "You can leave first, with Mr. Filch. The rest of your house can follow."

The students began to filter out. At least, some of them did.

"Why isn't everyone leaving?" James asked. Albus shot him a look, but Harry answered before he could say anything.

"They're staying to fight," he said, simply.

It was as the hall began to clear that Jessica saw the additional people dotted around the room. The entire Weasley family (including Percy, still missing Ron and Hermione) sat together on the Gryffindor table, accompanied by Harry and Remus Lupin. Teddy, however, did not slip into his now familiar daze. His face was set in stone, staring at his father with steely eyes.

Kingsley Shacklebolt stood at the front of the hall now, addressing his army. He split them up to fight in different places, and as they all began to stand, the scene melted away.

"Please," Lily said weakly, "please tell me that's it."

Nobody said anything. Shivering, Jessica took that as a no.

"Why do we still have to watch this?" Fred asked, looking around the adults, "I mean, there's nobody to force us anymo-"

"I get to find out about my name-"

"Shut up, Albus. Noone cares."

Albus looked to Fred with fiery eyes, but Hermione cut in before the arguement could unfold. "We can't take any memories out anyway. We already said that." She looked to the floor as the scene began to reform.

Now Harry was back in the room where Percy had rejoined his family, along with Ginny, Tonks and a woman Jessica didn't recognize. As the old woman spoke, Jessica heard Teddy sniff. She risked a glance at him - he was fighting tears, his brow furrowed, his expression angry. She turned back around, not knowing what to say.

The woman was leaving now, and Harry was facing Tonks.

"I thought you were meant to be with Teddy - at your mother's?"

"Yes," Teddy growled, causing people around him to back away, "you should be with your son."

"I couldn't stand not knowing..." her eyes were full of fear and panic, darting in every direction before settling on Harry, "she'll look after him - have you seen Remus?"

"He was planning to lead a group of fighters into the grounds-"

Tonks ran away. Teddy let out a noise somewhere between a gasp and a sob.

"No," he said softly, tears beginning to fall, before screaming "No!"

Nobody spoke. Nobody moved.

"Is that the last time we see them?" he said, looking directly to Harry. Harry looked at him, lost for words, his eyes soft and glittering with building tears. Teddy began to cry. A few other people felt tears run down their cheeks as they realized that this was, infact, the last time they'd see Tonks alive. Jessica felt empty. She couldn't imagine either Remus or Tonks dead. They just seemed so ... strong.

"No."

The drawling voice took everyone by surprise. Gently stood, his face blank, not looking at anyone or anything in particular. All at once, Teddy's tears stopped.

"What?" he said, breathlessly, stunned into all but silence.

"I said no. This is not the last time we will see her."

Before anyone else could speak, the younger Harry spoke again.

"Sorry," he said to Ginny - the last occupant of the room, "we need you to leave, and then you can come back in-"

Ginny sped off, looking delighted. Harry shouted after her, panic across his face. "And then you can come back in!"

"Oh lord."

It was the older Ron who had spoken, to everyone's surprise.

George frowned. "What's up?"

"I just know what comes next."

Jessica swallowed in an attempt to slow her heart as she turned back around. That didn't sound good. Lots of people had lost their lives in the battle - it was only a matter of time before she witnessed one.

Younger Ron was speaking now. "Hang on!" he said, sharply, "We've forgotten someone!"

Hermione, whose arms were full of what seemed to be large teeth, frowned. "Who?"

Ron turned to her. "The house elves. They'll all be down in the kitchen, won't they?"

As younger Hermione's eyes began to widen, older Hermione entwined her fingers in her husband's.

"What?" Seventeen-year-old Harry asked Ron, confused, "You mean we ought to get them fighting?"

Ron shook his head, as if this were the stupidest thing he'd ever heard. Hermione's eyes grew ever wider. "No," he said, "I mean we should get them out - we can't order them to die for us. We don't want any more Dobbys-"

There was a loud clattering as the teeth in Hermione's arms fell to the floor. Ron wheeled to face her as she ran towards him, flinging her arms around his neck and attacking him with the most passionate kiss Jessica had ever seen. Ron threw the broomstick he was holding and responded with such enthusiasm that he lifted Hermione clean off her feet.

There was a loud cheering from the future adults, a loud retching noise from the boys, and a loud 'aaw' from the girls. Even Teddy joined in, finally regaining his voice, if a little shakily. Jessica beamed, relief washing over her as she realized this is what Ron didn't want to see. George giggled at the blushing couple, still holding hands.

"About bloody time!"

Meanwhile, the younger Harry looked on at his friends in amazement. He seemed to not agree with George. "Is this the moment?" he asked, weakly.

But they just held each other tighter and began to sway slightly. As Harry's temper snapped, the future party laughed.

"OI!" he shouted, "THERE'S A WAR GOING ON HERE!"

Ron and Hermione finally broke apart, their arms still around each other, staring deeply into each other's eyes.

"I know," Ron said, dazed, "so it's now or never, isn't it?"

Hermione smiled, lighting up her whole face. Ron smiled softly back, his eyes glittering. Harry still stood, awestruck.

"Never mind that!" he shouted, "What about the horcrux?!"

"The what?" Nick asked. Jessica was hoping for an answer as everyone from the future looked at him. He gulped under the stares of everyone present. She didn't get an answer, however, as many adults spoke simultaneously.

"Nothing."

"Shut up, Nick."

"Never mind."

"It doesn't matter."

"Just watch."

Jessica frowned. Whatever this 'horcrux' was, it seemed it was going to be kept a secret. For now, at least, as the scene around them melted away.

Smiling as she saw Ron and Hermione, who were still blushing, Jessica turned to see the next scene, her heart leaping to her throat at the sight and her smile immediately dying.

At the back of the corridor, against a wall, lay a body.

"Oh god."

A blonde boy - who Jessica recognized as Malfoy, Scorpius' father - was crouching over the boy's body, Ron, Hermione and Harry staring down at him.

"C-crabbe..." Malfoy choked.

"He's dead." Ron said harshly. But Malfoy didn't cry. He just stood as some ghosts charged past. Again, relief washed over Jessica. She didn't know a 'Crabbe'.

Harry spoke next. "Where's Ginny?" he said, panicking, "She was here - she was meant to go back in the Room of Requirement..."

"The what?" Jessica asked, looking to any adult who would answer.

"Room of Requirement. It doesn't even matter what that is, Jess. I don't even think it's there anymore." Ron said, never taking his eyes off his seventeen-year-old self and his friends. Jessica followed his example.

Harry was holding what looked like a tiara in his hands. He looked down to it in apparent amazement, brushing some soot off it with his fingertips. Nick spoke before Jessica could.

"What's that?"

Again, many people started shouting.

"God, Nick!"

"Nothing!"

"Haven't we already told you, it doesn't matter?"

"Keep your nose out of other peoples business, man!"

"Just stop interrupting, will you?!"

Nick looked at them all, wide eyed, as they turned away from him. He quickly looked to Jessica, a look which said "I was only asking." Jessica briefly shrugged - not wanting the adults to turn on her, instead.

Suddenly, there was a crash. Jessica wheeled around to see what had happened, staggering at the sight.

It was chaos.

Absolute, unimaginable, utter chaos.

People were fighting in all directions, Death Eaters and others alike, dodging and diving away from every hex and curse fired - not all of them forgiveable. There was noise of shouting, banging, screaming-

One of the twins and Percy backed into view, the future Percy paling to a pure white.

"Percy? Percy - are you okay?"

But Percy didn't answer his wife, still staring at the scene. The other adults were in a similar state.

Meanwhile, the younger Percy was duelling alongside his younger brother, and - Jessica had to look twice - smiling?

Jessica didn't see anything remotely amusing about the situation. At all.

"Hello Minister!" he bellowed at the man facing him, sending a hex his way and seemingly causing the man a lot of discomfort as he tried to claw the pain at his chest, "Did I mention I'm resigning?"

"You're joking, Perce!" his brother shouted back, as the Death Eater facing him collapsed. The two brothers looked at each other, ecstatic.

"No, but you really are joking, Perce," the twin, who Jessica still didn't know the name of, said, more seriously, "I don't think I've heard you joke since you were-"

It all happened at once.

There was a deafening bang, and the wall to the right of the family collapsed inwards with a crash as the air around them seemed to explode and life itself was blocked out by dust and soot from the fallen wall.

Silence followed, only broken by a sob from - again, Jessica did a double take - George?

Jessica's insides disappeared. No...

The cold night air from outside whipped around them as the air began to clear. Harry staggered to his feet, blood dripping from his head, as Hermione was struggling to free herself from the wreckage, as a painful, heart-wrenching scream ripped through the air...

"No..."

Three redheaded men were grouped where the wall had fallen. The first was the one who had let out the scream, his glasses broken next to him and tears running down his blackened face. The second was crouching desperately over the third, sobbing, shouting, clutching at his brother's chest...

And the third was Fred, his last smile forever etched upon his face, staring up at his brothers with glassy eyes that could no longer see.