Firstly, let me wish you all a Merry Christmas if you celebrate them.
Secondly, I have to apologise for this long absence of almost a month. I had planned to publish when I had announced, but due to changes in my job I've been incredibly busy, and believe me that fiction was pushed to the bottom of my mind, I've been completely away from it.
Fortunately, things are calmer now, and I've got a few days off next week, so I'll be able to publish regularly and — at last! — catch up with all the fics I read.
As always, many thanks to Kathy for her help and patience.
Enjoy the chapter!
PART III
TALES OF ETERNAL FIGHTS
Chapter 29
The Veil
For a while, it had almost felt like old times. For a few hours, it had been as if Ron had never left, Sbalkal had never existed, and they were just a family celebrating that soon would welcome a new member, even if it was not strictly blood-related. Ron had eaten, though not with his usual eagerness, and talked. The subject of his years alone, or what they had endured meanwhile, had been avoided. It was as if he had left because of work or a long holiday. Looking at his face, with perfect skin, without a single crease or imperfection, it was easy to forget he was now the oldest of the Weasley siblings.
It had been a nice dream.
But now, while she lay on her bed, still awake, those things wouldn't leave her mind. She had been tossing around for over an hour, but sleep refused to come to her. She couldn't stop thinking that Ron was back, her husband was back, after so long. It still felt a bit unreal, as if it had been a dream and she was still waking up and confused.
Once more, her thoughts wandered to the idea of having Ron with her in the bed. But he was still downstairs, in the living room. He had said he would go up later to his room, but she knew (and probably the others did too) that he was implying that he would stay there, as he no longer needed to sleep.
What would have happened if she had asked him to come to bed with her? Their relationship was now in an undefined state, to say the least. She wanted him with her. Yet, she also wanted to be alone. Would Ron have thought that she wanted sex if she had told him to come to bed? What was even more important: Would she have expected sex if she had asked him to come? She hadn't had any since that day before the trial, and thought that during the last months she had been too worried to think about that; Merlin knew she needed it. But could she have it? With Ron? Did she want to?
Then it crossed her mind that Ron, even if he didn't read her thoughts, maybe could sense her distress and doubts. She tried to push away those thoughts and empty her mind.
It was useless.
She tossed the sheets away from her angrily, and got out of the bed. Then she put a robe over her nightdress, checked that Rose was asleep and left the room.
The Burrow was in complete silence, and every light was turned off. She muttered 'Lumos' and, with the help of the light coming from her wand, headed downstairs to the living room.
Ron wasn't there.
Her heartbeat quickened, and she started to panic. Had he left again? Had he gone alone to —?
I'm outside.
She almost jumped, startled by the sudden intrusion, but then let out a sigh of relief. After a moment of hesitation, she opened the door carefully, trying not to make any noise, and got out of the house.
Outside, the garden was dimly lit by a full moon now partially hidden behind a thin layer of clouds. The only thing that disturbed the calmness of the night was a very light breeze. It was a bit cold, though, and Hermione wrapped her robe more tightly around her. She sought Ron with her eyes, and finally saw him, barely discernible in his black robes. She could only see his back and how the soft breeze ruffled his hair. He seemed to be looking into the sky, and Hermione just stood there, contemplating him, not knowing what to do, and feeling awkward and stupid. For heaven's sake, she had lived with this man for the last seven years!
Not him, her mind replied. A different — and much younger — version of him.
"Couldn't sleep, eh?" he spoke, breaking her line of thought.
"No," she answered, glad that he had talked first. She gave a few steps towards him. "What are you doing out here?"
"Searching for Sbalkal," he answered.
"Oh," said Hermione. "And ...?" she asked tentatively.
"I haven't found him yet."
"But you said that you could perceive him — that you could sense anything."
"And I can," said Ron. "But you don't have any idea of how big the Universe is, Hermione ... and that is just counting the three dimensions you can see. If Sbalkal were anywhere on this planet, or even in the Solar System, I'd have found him already, but he isn't."
"Yeah, it's logical," said Hermione, thinking about it and nodding. "I mean, he wasn't able to find you ..." An idea struck her, and she looked up at him. "Ron, he never found you ... and you said he is getting stronger, and that his powers grow more quickly than yours. He only has to wait! What if — what if you can't find him?"
Ron turned round and faced her. With his back to the moon, his face was now in the darkness, but even so she could feel him staring at her.
"Throughout history, Masters of Essence built several places, by collapsing some of the dimensions of the Universe and closing them around themselves. Usually it's done to the first six. Those regions are no longer within what you'd call 'observable Universe.' They're like Black Holes, just that you can't perceive them. The Masters built them so they had places to rest, somewhere to be away from everything. In those places, it is much easier for us not to feel, and to shut out the noise of the world. That's why they are so far from Earth. They were good places for training, too, without affecting this planet and other people. There were just seven havens before Pyret, but he loved building them, and made hundreds during his long life. Sbalkal knew some; Ørsya and Anwar knew others. That's why Sbalkal couldn't find me, because during my training we were hidden in one of those he didn't know. After my accidental travel to the past, I landed in the most hidden of them all. He tried to explore the entire Universe to locate me. And though detecting us is relatively easy when we're trained and our powers are developed, because we are like a bright light in the darkness; due to the size of the Universe, his maimed power and the fact that those havens dim our light it was too difficult for him. And you see, while I saved you today, he escaped to one of those places, too. But the difference is that I've got Pyret's memories, so I know each and every one of those havens, and though it can take me a while, I'm fairly sure I'll end up finding him."
"And then you'll fight."
"And then we'll fight, yes. And only one of us will survive."
Hermione gulped.
"I'm frightened, Ron."
"So am I."
She stood silent for a while, not knowing how to ask the question whose answer she wanted and dreaded to know.
"Are you —" she gulped, "are you scared of death?"
Ron stared at her.
"I don't fear death," he said after a few seconds. "Not in the normal sense people do. I know what death is, and what it means. It is not the end. And yet ..." He made a small pause. "You know, Hermione, when we die, we lose our power. And there's so much to discover out there ... I might be fifty years old, but in a way I feel again like when I first began at Hogwarts and there was so much to see." He made a pause. "Hermione, if getting old means accepting you're gonna die, then I'm very old. We all are, I think. We all accepted that years ago. I think we can consider ourselves 'Masters of Death' now. But if getting old means you think you've lived a long life, then I'm still a very young child."
"But you don't have to die, Ron," she replied, and then added, "I will, though."
Ron looked at her again, and she blushed. Despite the darkness, she was conscious that Ron was aware that she was blushing, and that made her blush even more.
"I won't live forever, either. Even Masters of Essence must die. Eventually, we get tired. That happened to all the others, except those who are corrupted, like Sbalkal. For them, dying means the end of their power, and that's an idea they can't accept."
"You sound so mature now," she said, a hint of sadness in her voice.
Ron laughed, and despite everything, there was still something boyish, something incredible young in his laugh, and that made her smile. If he could still laugh that way, then maybe her Ron was not entirely lost ... or was she fooling herself?
"Well, it's bound to happen, isn't it? I mean, I'm a father now, ain't I?"
"You are, yes."
"I've got years to get accustomed to it, you know, and it still feels strange ... When I was training, I used to watch you both, to see and feel her in your arms. I missed that so much when I was sent back in time. After being a father, I was in a world where my daughter didn't exist, and that was horrible. Perhaps the worst of it all."
"I know," Hermione said. "When I thought Dolohov had killed her, I wanted to die."
"It's different," Ron said. "Rose can't stop existing now. Even if she dies, her soul is eternal and indestructible. Remember what I told you, Hermione. We created her, and even if we are dead and she is alive, or the other way around, we are connected, even through the veil. But before ... she simply didn't exist, in any way."
Hermione didn't know what to say. The idea of an eternal soul was somewhat comforting; it always had been to her. Even when they were on the run, and death surrounded them, that knowledge had helped her to accept it. But regarding Rose, it was completely different. The idea of Rose dying was unbearable.
"You should go back to sleep. Tomorrow is gonna be a long day."
"Come with me." The moment the words left her mouth, she regretted them. It wasn't that she didn't want Ron in her bed ... but she wasn't sure she did want that, either. She could feel Ron's stare, and turned round, embarrassed. "Sorry, I —"
"Is that what you want?"
"I — I don't know what I want."
A few moments of heavy silence.
"You know I don't sleep."
"I know. Forget it. Keep searching," she said, talking very quickly. "We'll talk in the morning."
"Hermione —"
"It's okay," Hermione said, already walking towards the house. "Good night, Ron."
"Good night, Hermione," she heard him say before getting in the house and closing the door. The moment she did that, she ran upstairs, got in her room and threw herself on the bed face down.
What the hell was her problem? 'Come with me?' Just like that?
She sighed loudly, rolled over and stared at the ceiling in the darkness. Ron's words came back to her. You know I don't sleep. One of the things she had loved the most about being with Ron was to fall asleep and wake up beside him, or in his arms. But now — what? What if they got together again? Ron wouldn't sleep. Would she go to bed alone every night? Would Ron stay with her, but awake?
Don't think about that, don't think about that! she told herself. There are more important things to take care of now ... Like ensuring that Rose will survive ... and live in a free world ...
And she lost herself in dreams of a world in which Sbalkal didn't exist, Ron wasn't a Master of Essence, and they were a normal family with normal problems living a normal and wonderful life ...
— — o — —
Hermione woke up with a start, and she sat up instantly, feeling momentarily disoriented. She looked all around her and saw that Rose was also awake and apparently very hungry. She moved to get out of the bed, and she realised she had fallen asleep on top of the sheets.
"Well, at least we're in summer, not in winter," she said to herself while she got closer to Rose's cot. Once there she bent over and took her in her arms. "Hey, sweetheart," she whispered lovingly, cradling her softly. "Shhh, it's okay, Mummy's here and is going to feed you."
And while she breastfed her, all that had happened the day before came to her. Ron had come back when all hope was lost, and was immortal, and had to find and defeat an equally immortal enemy ...
She had to grip Rose harder to not let her fall.
"My head's a mess, Rosie," she said, more to herself than to her daughter, who, of course, didn't pay any attention and kept sucking hungrily.
Twenty minutes later, both dressed, they went downstairs. It was still very early, but it was a very important day and almost everyone was already up. In the kitchen, Mrs Weasley was busy preparing breakfast, with the help of Hermione's parents. Harry was at the table, with Bill and Fleur, and Ron was leaning against the doorframe of the kitchen. She stopped dead, and took a moment to drink in his presence. It still seemed unbelievable that he was there.
But almost immediately, he turned his head to look at her, and the moment was broken.
"Good morning," she said to everyone.
"Hi, honey," her mother greeted her. "Are you all right? Did you sleep well?"
"Yes," she said. She looked at Ron, and he shook his head.
"I haven't found him yet."
"Oh," she said. "Well, you — you will." She knew he had to find him, that the longer it took, the worse it would be. But another small, childish part of her simply wished he never did, so that they could live like this, safe, forever ...
"Let me hold Rose, so you can have breakfast," Ron said.
Hermione nodded and Ron took the little child in his arms. A big grin appeared on his face, and Hermione couldn't help but smile, too.
"Hey, my little Rosie!" said Ron, holding the girl by her armpits, raising her and pulling her towards his face until their noses touched. Rose let out a laugh and tried to catch Ron's long nose with her tiny hand. "Hey, that's Daddy's nosey!" he said. "And it's one of his most handsome features!"
Hermione was mesmerised by the scene. And she realised, suddenly, that everyone had stopped doing what he or she was doing and was watching them. But a second later, Mr Weasley opened the door and walked into the house, breaking the magic of the scene.
Hermione sat down beside Harry. Ginny, Percy, Audrey, George and Angelina joined them almost immediately, and soon they were all eating, while Ron played with his daughter. Nobody talked much. Hermione knew that it was partially due to the fact that today was a critical day, but the main reason was that they were just watching Ron.
When breakfast was over, Ron asked all of them to join him in the living room. Silently, they followed him. Almost at the same time, the fireplace lit up with green flames, and Neville and Hannah came out of it.
"Neville ...?" asked Harry, surprised.
"I told him to come," explained Ron. "Soon, people will begin to arrive at the Ministry. The Prophet will be delivered, and people will know that Sbalkal's men are imprisoned. However, not all of Sbalkal's supporters are in prison. There are others. And I won't let you be in danger."
"You'll come with us," said Harry.
"No, I won't."
"No?" asked Harry, surprised. He frowned. "Why not?"
"The Ministry is your thing, Harry, not mine."
"You're an Auror!"
"Not anymore."
"But —"
"It took me time, Harry," interrupted Ron, "but I've accepted what I am. And my obligations go beyond that of the Aurors. I can't commit myself to one Ministry or one government. Besides, I've got more important things to do. If I don't stop Sbalkal, what you're doing today will be useless." He made a very brief pause. "What I meant is that I'll make sure no one harms you."
"How?" asked Percy.
As an answer, Hermione felt a sudden and strange tingling sensation on her skin that vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
"What was that?" said Ginny, looking at her hands. "I felt something."
"Me too," added Mr Weasley.
"I've changed the vibration of the Essence that constitutes you. Basically, you're protected against any attack. No curse or weapon can damage you now."
"You mean we're indestructible?" Hermione asked, amazed.
"Not exactly. This won't protect you from Sbalkal, but no one else will be able to hurt you."
"Well, that'll make things easier, though I hope we don't get to the point of needing it," said Harry. "Thanks, Ron," he added, although it was evident that he was disappointed because Ron wouldn't go with them. "We'd better get going."
"Will you take care of Rose?" Hermione asked her parents and mother-in-law.
"Of course," said her mother. "Be careful."
"Well, we don't need to be careful, do we?" she replied, with a quick glance at Ron.
The fireplace burst into green flames.
"Connected to the Ministry," Ron said.
"Let's go," said Harry, determined, and without more delay, walked into the flames and vanished. Neville went just behind him, then Percy, Mr Weasley and finally, she.
The moment she stepped out of the fireplace she was hit by the noise of a thousand conversations. She looked all around and observed that the Atrium was crowded. Many of them were holding The Prophet, and she could see the headline on the front page: 'DEATH EATERS IMPRISONED. SBALKAL FLEES.'
For a while, they watched the scene, until people started to notice them. Someone shouted their names, which were then echoed among the crowd. And as the news of their presence there spread, a tense silence fell over the room.
"Is this true?" someone asked out loud, raising the newspaper.
"Yes," said Harry, walking forwards. "Sbalkal has fled. The Death Eaters he rescued from Azkaban are now in Hornwall." As he said that, the other Aurors that had had to hide for having taken part in the raid of Sbalkal's manor appeared in the fireplaces and surrounded Harry, backing him. "It is necessary to appoint a new interim minister that will establish normalcy again."
Some people cheered and clapped. Others, however, looked wary.
"And where is Wilson?" asked a young man. "He is Chief of the Auror Office."
"He and another two Aurors were murdered by the Death Eaters," explained Mr Weasley.
"What!?" another man in Auror robes asked. "He was loyal to them!"
"And when has that been a reason for the Death Eaters not to kill anyone?" yelled Hermione. "That's proof that under a regime like that one, even with promises of freedom, no one is safe! We must rebuild the Ministry like we did after the other war. We all worked so hard to make reforms, and to build a fairer system!" No one dared to contradict her. "Harry was the true Chief of the Auror Office before Sbalkal took over, and I strongly suggest he should be considered to fill that role now and lead this transition." Harry threw her a surprised — but not too much — look.
"You say that the Death Eaters are imprisoned," commented a middle-aged witch Hermione knew worked in the Department of International Magical Cooperation. "But what about ... Sbalkal?" she asked, saying the name in a tone so low it seemed a whisper. "The Prophet says he fled. Who made him flee?"
"S — someone made him flee," said Harry.
"Who?"
"Someone," repeated Harry, his tone indicating they shouldn't ask more.
"But how do we know he won't come back?" added the woman. "He will punish us!"
"He doesn't care about any of us," said Harry. "And yes, he will come back, but it is not in our hands to stop him. The one that can is already taking care of that."
"Well, sorry, Mr Potter," intervened another man. "I can't speak for others, but what you say doesn't make me feel very safe." Several whispers agreed with him.
"No one can assure your safety," admitted Harry. "But serving him won't, either, and as Hermione said, Wilson is the proof. Anyway," he added, raising his voice, "safe or not safe, we will fight for what is right."
"As it must be," said then Mrs Addler, Hermione's boss. "Though this time there hasn't been a repression campaign like during Voldemort's reign, I've got to say I'm ashamed of what happened. And as the highest ranked official in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, along with Harry Potter, and a member of the Wizengamot, I will convene an extraordinary session to appoint a new interim Minister."
"Okay, then," said Percy, speaking loudly. "Everyone go back to their jobs. We must regain normalcy! The highest ranked officials in every department must join us in the Wizengamot offices."
Some people lazed about for a bit in the Atrium, but, slowly, the crowd began to dissolve.
"I'm glad to see you're all right," declared Mrs Addler when she reached them. "Especially you, Hermione."
"I'm glad you're okay, too, Mrs Addler."
"Can you summon every member of the Wizengamot?"
"Of course."
"We need a candidate for Minister," said Aldus Humpton.
"Well, I've got mine," said Mrs Addler, as they began to walk towards the lift.
"Who?" asked Mr Weasley.
"You, Arthur," was the response.
— — o — —
"Is everything all right?" her mother asked her the moment she walked out of the fireplace. She was sitting on the couch with Rose in her arms.
"It is now," Hermione answered with a smile. "The Ministry is again what it must be. There's a new minister."
"Who?" Mrs Weasley asked, coming out of the kitchen.
"Mathilda Addler," answered Hermione. "My old boss."
"Why her?" asked Mrs Weasley.
"Well, she wanted to appoint Mr Weasley —" began to say Harry.
"— But I refused," Mr Weasley finished.
"Why?" Hermione's father asked. "I think you'd make an excellent Minister, Arthur."
"Thank you," Mr Weasley said. "But I've never wanted to be Minister, and I'm too old for that."
"You aren't," replied Percy, serious. "I told you you should have accepted, Dad."
"I'm happy with what I do, son," said Mr Weasley with determination. "Forget about it. Mathilda will do the job perfectly well."
"Where is Ron?" asked Harry, looking all around.
"He left a while ago," answered Ginny from the stairs. "He told us he would be back soon. Hi, Harry," she added, kissing Harry on the lips when she reached him.
"He didn't say where he was going?" asked Hermione.
Ginny shook her head.
"He'll be okay," Mrs Weasley said, more to assure herself than the others. "He — well, he is so powerful now, isn't he?"
Nobody knew what to say, and a heavy silence filled the room until Ginny broke it.
"Did you have trouble at the Ministry?"
"No," said Harry. "Everything went rather smoothly. Some are still frightened by Sbalkal still being free, but knowing what had happened to the Death Eaters, that Sbalkal had fled and that some of the Aurors that worked for him had been murdered by his own men, made everything much easier."
"So you haven't had to test your invulnerability?" asked Ginny.
"No, it wasn't necessary," answered Harry.
Hermione saw something move outside through one of the windows, and moved towards it.
"Those Death Eaters are still in Hornwall?" she heard Bill ask, but she didn't hear the answer. She had got near the window and now could see that Ron was back, and had brought something with him.
The Archway.
"Ron's back," said Hermione, and moved towards the door.
"What?" Mrs Weasley asked, but Hermione didn't bother to answer, and stepped out of the house.
Ron was in front of the archway, contemplating it. He didn't acknowledge Hermione's presence, but it was obvious he knew she was there.
"You went to retrieve this?" she heard Harry ask from behind her. She didn't look at him, though, because she couldn't tear here eyes away from the swaying veil that hung from the archway. The other time she had seen this, all those years ago in the Department of Mysteries, she hadn't noticed it, but now she did. She could hear the whispers, the sound of voices on the other side, incomprehensible and yet they seemed to call her, to tell her to get close and cross the veil ...
She gave a step forwards.
"Focus, you all," she heard Ron say. She shook her head and tried to clear her mind. What had she been about to do?
"We all have lost somebody," Ron explained, looking at them. "That's why you feel attracted to the Archway. Don't listen to the whispers." He turned round again and looked at the old object. "Kuros was the first to call the barrier between the two sides of Dimension Zero 'The Veil'," he said, "because it made our perception of the other side 'veiled.' Pyret loved that comparison and that's why he put a veil in the Archway. This ragged veil represents the barrier, and makes it weaker, so, through it, we have an access to the other side we wouldn't have otherwise," Ron finished, and then fell silent.
"That's very interesting," said Harry after a few moments of silence. "But why have you brought it here?" he asked. "It's dangerous."
"I brought it here because — because there's something I need to do."
"What?" asked Hermione, who didn't like how that sounded.
Ron didn't answer. Instead, the veil began to move more violently, as shaken by an imperceptible stream of air, and Hermione felt a shiver run down her spine.
And then, suddenly and silently, a figure appeared just in front of the veil. The figure of a girl with short dark hair, a girl whose face Hermione had thought she wouldn't see ever again ...
"Julie!" she heard Ginny shout in shock.
Julie's ghost, or image, or whatever it was, simply looked around, as if she didn't know where she was or why she was there. She looked exactly like the last time Hermione had seen her, all those months ago (had it happened just seven months ago? It seemed unbelievable), except that she seemed to be greyed, or veiled.
"Ron," she said, somewhat surprised. "What am I doing here?"
Ron looked at her, his eyes shimmering, and dropped onto his knees in front of her.
"Julie, I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't do this. But I — I had to, Julie. I needed to talk to you — to tell you how sorry I am."
"You don't have to be sorry, Ron."
"I do!" he almost shouted. "Two times I watched you die, Julie, and none of those times was I able to save you."
"You couldn't have saved me."
"Not the first time," said Ron. "But when I went to the past I knew what would happen. I could have prevented you from going there."
"You know that's not true," Julie replied in a soft and calm voice. "If you had done that, I wouldn't have died. And if I wouldn't have died, how would you know you had to stop me from going?"
Ron opened his mouth, as if trying to look for an answer.
"Even so, I'm sorry. You were too young to die. You didn't deserve to die."
"I was too young," agreed Julie. "But I was killed because you cared for me. And I think it's better to be killed for being loved than for being hated."
"I miss you," Ron said.
"I know. I miss you too." She looked at them all, who were watching the scene with eyes the size of saucers, as if they couldn't believe what they were seeing, and finally focused her eyes on Hermione. "I'd have loved to have met your daughter."
"Oh, Julie ...!" Hermione moaned, feeling her eyes well up.
"You have been so brave, all of you," Julie continued. "I'm so proud that once you considered me family."
"We still do," Hermione said.
"I don't understand what's happening," Fleur said, astounded. "I mean — 'as — 'as Ron brought Julie back to life?"
"No," said Harry, his eyes fixed on Julie. "This is — this is like what I saw when — when I used the Resurrection Stone." He looked at Ron. "Did — did you find it?"
"I don't need to," explained Ron, who had got to his feet. "The stone was originally part of the Archway. But I know how it works, because I've got Pyret's memories, so I can do what the stone did. And you can see Julie because you all loved her — and because I want you to."
"But I don't belong here," added Julie. "Ron, you know that. You've got to let me go. This is not my place and I don't feel okay here. My soul is on the other side, and my conscience must be there as well."
"I know," Ron said. "But I've got something to ask you. But before that —" He extended his arms, and Rose appeared suddenly in them, barely awake. "You wanted to meet her," Ron said as an explanation.
A wide grin appeared in Julie's almost transparent face.
"Oh, Ron! Merlin, she's so beautiful," she said.
"Yeah," Ron said.
Julie moved her hand until it was an inch away from Rose's face, and then stopped. She knew she couldn't touch the child. An odd expression of longing appeared on her face.
"I'll never have children," she said.
Hermione felt her heart ache for Julie, for she was not ready to die when she had, and she would never have or experience so many things.
"Julie ..." she said, moving towards them.
"It's okay," Julie said, forcing a smile onto her face. "On the other side, you learn to accept things ... what's important here is not important there. She's really beautiful, Hermione."
"Thank you."
"You've got to protect her, Ron."
"I know," Ron said. "Julie, you are right. There're lots of things you'll never get, and that's so unfair." he added, guilt visible on his face. "Help me, Julie. Help me find him."
Julie looked him in the eye. "I don't know where he is, Ron. We don't know everything, on the other side. We can see, in some way, the people we love and care for, but it's not easy to watch others."
"I know," repeated Ron. "But he killed you. His soul sent yours to the other side, and that — that corrupted him. There is sort of a connection between you and him, Julie. With your help, I can find him more quickly, before it gets too late."
Julie didn't say anything, but just stared at Ron.
"Will you do it?" Ron continued. "He told me you were nothing, and that the fact that you were alive or dead wasn't important. Show him that's not true, Julie. Show him what a mistake he made by killing you."
"If I can help, of course I will. But I don't know how, Ron."
Ron smiled fondly. "I do," he said. "Thank you, Julie."
"Do I have to stay on this side?" she asked.
"No."
"Better," she said, looking relieved. "I loved seeing you all; I really did. But I don't belong here, and I don't feel comfortable."
"I'll let you go," Ron said with sadness. "Join Terry, and Kingsley, and all our friends he killed."
Julie nodded.
"I'll never forget you, Julie," Ron added.
"Neither will I," she said. "Despite everything ... I wouldn't change the moment I was assigned as your trainee. Hermione and you — well, all of you," she corrected herself, glancing over at them all, "made me feel like a part of your family. I'll always be grateful for that."
"I'm sorry, Julie," said Hermione, taking Rose from Ron's arms. "So very sorry."
"I've seen you with your daughter," Julie told her. "I'll go back with a very happy memory." She smiled at them, and then walked — or rather, glided — towards the veil. But before crossing it, she turned round once more. "Your brother is all right," she said, looking directly at George. "And he's happy for the way you're living your lives, and because you are all right and fighting."
Hermione saw George grab Angelina's hand tightly, and she put her other hand on his shoulder. Mrs Weasley, her eyes were shimmering with tears, let out a sob.
"Tell him we miss him," she told Julie.
"He knows," Julie said, and looked at Ron. "You look so different now," she told him. "I hope that deep inside you're still the same idiot I met, though," she added with a smirk.
Ron let out a laugh that was half a sob. "I can't lose my best traits, can I?"
"You'd better not," Julie said, and then, with a smile and a goodbye nod, she crossed the veil causing her image to dissolve.
I hope you liked having Julie back as much as I did. I loved writing this chapter. The next one should be published before New Year.
Again, Merry Christmas to you all.
