Hullo guys, so sorry for the long wait! senior year has been stressful ever since it started; too many activities and schedule complications.
Also, this chapter contains a Ron x Pansy moments! (I just love Pansy ok?) tadaa!
Chapter 48 Grief part 1
"Fools! Your efforts are futile. Fighting me would cause anguish to all of you. Blood will be spilled, many lives will end. I am giving you the chance to retreat your plans and surrender me Harry Potter, be loyal to me and you shall be rewarded" The hair at the back of Luna's neck rose with goosebumps. As much as she tries to remove Voldemort's declaration away, it kept her from blinking her eyes; it made her fear for the possibility of imagining Draco pale and lifeless at the back of her eyelids. She knows that it wasn't true. The dark lord doesn't trust anybody, he will use his so called death eater to transform them as damaged as possible and would throw them away with just a flick of his bony wrists.
But she knows that as hard as he tries to consume Draco, he couldn't, never. Draco wasn't fully consumed like the other death eaters. He never was. He was always been in the light, just strangled temporarily with the dark lord's darkness, but Luna is certain that he could manage. She had always seen it inside him, his reluctance of the darkness, the spark of refusal in terms of giving up. He had always had it inside him, though he hasn't realized it yet.
She sat on the last step of the entrance of the Astronomy Tower, staring blankly to the magical defense that has been set all around Hogwarts. Below to the grounds, she heard voices uttering blocking spells over and over again. She sighed, forcing her missing optimism to make it's appearance. She knew that they were about to come-or maybe they already had. With that negative notion-with also, a thought that says nothing would ever stop the death eaters from entering, she also knows that Fate, where-ever it is, would be kind to them. Her people has suffered too long that she almost felt as if the pattern of life is taking it's course; she remembered a saying her mother used to say: "After the calamities come the rainbow, Luna", and today, every death will be certain not to be noted as vain.
There was a loud explosion that echoed all around the castle. She ran clumsily to the edge of the grills, clutching the cold metal as the magicked protection opened with a damaged crack.
"There's no time of thinking about your worrying heart, Luna" she whispered to herself, her eyes transfixed to the burning orange around the hole, watching horror-streaked. Without another word, her toes lifted their way to run down to the chaos from below.
As soon as the shield had been destroyed, the death eaters wasted no time to attack. They thrusted their field forcefully inside; almost killing Longbottom from the ruined bridge, and almost setting the whole school on fire. As the force entered the safety of the corridors, the final fight to death has began. Swirls of black clothing and lifeless bodies painted the magical school, some were from the cold and living death eaters, while some were from the innocent students of Hogwarts.
Pansy clenched her wand tightly in her fist, hyperventilating as the nerves struck inside her system. Her bottom lip quivers with unstoppable force, her tears went pouring down hotly against her dirty cheeks. She felt so trapped, so alone, so sad..With the deaths of her only friends, how could she outgrow the loss?.
Behind the armor she is in, acting as her shield from the outside world, she clenched her other hand to the opposite wall against her, asking for guidance as she felt her knees began to wobble.
She fears for her sanity; it was as if it is at the end of her wand as she tries so hard not to let go.
"No!-" she whisked her head to the furthest of north. Beneath every alternating exchanges of spells, the scream of terror from a bloody blonde haired girl caught her attention. Wand against the sweaty palm of her hand, instinct has immediately helped her erase the fear from swelling up, instead, it evaporated down to rearrange energy spikes to her toes.
She leaped from the armor and pointed her wand ready to strike.
"Stupify!" she shouted with such force, the twisting firework-like energy reached it's way to Fenrir Greyback's body. When the werewolf growled with shock, he turned around to look for the culprit of the uttered spell. She bowed down hurriedly from below, her eyes seeking for something to knock the powerful creature down.
"Rot in hell, you dimwit!" She grabbed the shield from the armor behind her, clutching the heavy metal as it almost yelled at her to be thrown. Flexing to her side, she threw the shield with force and it went circling to the air. "Incendio!" she conjured a fire to alight the sides of the shield, it dances ablaze with speed of the impact and went landing right on the middle of the werewolf's abdomen. Her movements, too fast, too soon for him to be able to respond. Instead, he unknowingly received the flames of the metal as it travels to the thick skin of his body.
"Lav?-" Pansy heard a strangled voice close to the blonde girl's pale body. She came closer, feeling her heart break a million of times for the loss of this shattered man. There were still some dueling happening around the bloodied body, but nobody has the heart of interrupting Pansy and the said man from grieving.
"Weasley" she chocked back a sob, touching the redhead's quivering shoulder as she stared down to the dead girl's eyes. She wanted to look away, her stomach lurching with the remains of her digested food that seem to be stuck in her throat. But she doesn't have the heart to do so, instead, she kneeled down.
Ron made no attempt of shrugging his shoulder away from her grasp. He stared blankly to the body below, his eyes clouded with sadness and regret. "That jerk, he did deserve to die cruelly" she attempted to lighten or even just make him respond, pretending not to notice the smell of blood that has formed underneath the huge gash imprinted on the girl's pale neck.
"Her name's Lavender" she nodded in response, not meeting his eyes as she was certain she would see his dark orbs so broken.. so lost. Even if she enjoys torturing him with annoying banters, she can't find herself enjoying this version of Ronald Weasley. His sorrowful eyes alone can make the whole place gloomy.
"Well, we have to end this war won't we? She will not die in vain" she grabbed his hand unto hers, the act alone made the ginger jump in surprise with the sudden soft act. Without giving it a second thought, she placed his hand on the side of Lavender's pale face, and the man next to her nuzzled his hand gently upon the pale and cold flesh.
"I believe it's time for you to rest" Giving Pansy a hesitant glance-upon which the raven haired girl replied with a comforting side smile, he finally grew the courage to place a soft peck on the tip of Lavender Brown's nose.
"Thank you for everything Lav" choking back the raw sob unto his throat, he placed his fingers to the lids of the lifeless brown orbs that belonged to his late ex girlfriend. There was a shiver that anticipated within him, feeling dreadful by Lavender's tragic end. She was quite a quirky little sun, who's smile can brighten his sad, sad day, and to think of not taking a glimpse of it, even for just the friendly kinds of one for the rest of his life, made a spark of anger boil inside the pit of his stomach way up to the energy spikes of his eyes.
He laid her eyelids to rest, closing her eyes and sealed them with a promise to fight harder for this war.
Pansy was right. She will not die in vain.
Luna ran off to the Great Hall, pushing off student by student as some strangled cries can be heard throughout the whole echoing area. When she arrived breathless to the crumbling archway, her heart tugged painfully inside her chest. She moved like a dead man walking, stunned and disbelieved, straight to the grieving family infront of her face.
She went straight to her best friend, enveloping her from behind as the redhead's heartbroken sobs break her heart. She cannot believe this. The bitter reality of death, knocking upon doors and not caring if people were good or not. She wanted to do something, wanted to give life to the unmoving bodies of Fred, Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, Dobby, and for everybody who had lost their lives because of the war. But instead, her weakened knees gave in and she left tumbling down to the ground with her head bowed down.
Ginny came kneeling beside her, clutching her brother's hand as if it was her own sanity. The two friends went silent, letting their grieving tears say and shout everything they wanted to do. They were too silent, the pain enveloping around them as they did not make any attempt to focus upon the grieving state of the other Weasley's, or even the Golden Trio.
Ron wailed brokenly for his brother, his tears landing like waterfall upon the ruined shirt that Fred was wearing. It was visible in his eyes, the anger and the grief that had enveloped unto him far too much. The pain from the loss he must've felt. But nobody dared to even stop him. Not even Molly Weasley who was clutching unto Fred's cheeks so desperately, begging for her son to come back and make playful remarks with his twin-with twin George, who no longer has a half anymore. George who has the most haunting expression of them all.
Luna closed her eyes deeply, trying to stop the pain as she fought to look at the heart breaking scene with the Weasleys, and also to Lupin and Nymphadora's heart breaking state. It was all too much to handle, cannot barely think about poor, poor Teddy. Cannot bare to think about the child's face waking up every single day without his mummy, or his daddy.
She squeezed unto Ginny harder, praying inside her mind, hoping that the dedicated lives upon the ground tonight shall not be death in vain.
When Luna had successfully helped her bestfriend stand up, a man's voice came buzzing unto their ears as it repeatedly seeks for Ginny.
Upon the entrance of the Great Hall, Blaise Zabini came striding right at them. Ginny gave a weak smile upon the ash covered man, a relief and a small spark of hope inside her hazelnut eyes.
"You're alive" Blaise wrapped his arms around her, burying his face unto her knotted set of red hair.
"You too" a sigh of relief was heard inside the confines of Blaise's arms. After a second of a pregnant pause, a sob came from Ginny's mouth.
Ginny clutched unto him tightly, wrapping her arms as she squeezed rather harshly, fearing that he might let her go. "Fred he's d- and you- I can't take this!"
"Oh Ginny, I am so so sorry"
"Don't die on me okay Zabini? Just. Don't. Leave" she chocked back her tears, controlling the fear that bubbles within her as the thought of another loved one dying came to mind. She cannot bare that. "I won't okay? Never"
Ginny inhaled and exhaled, trying to crack a smile upon the fragility of her ruined heart. Upon seeing her attempt, Blaise welcomed her back into his arms, clutching her as if there was no tomorrow, and without any surprise, the two on and off fires rekindled with burning light.
I'm so sorry if it took me this long to update! I hope you guys aren't angry with me. Senior year is just too time consuming and stressful. And yes, the writer's block was really powerful this time :(. So sorry :(.
Reviews are appreciated x. Hope you guys haven't given up on this story!.