The Amazing Thing About: Trust. Chapter thirty-two.

Author's note:

I want to thank you all for making it this far with me. I know it's been long and hard and there is still so much further to go but having you guys reading is truly wonderful. Thank you so much. This is the end of this installation and we made it! I am so excited to introduce the next part. This was something I started on a whim but we will be finishing it together. Whoever sticks with me has my thanks from the bottom of my heart. To those of you who have messaged me, I love you. Your support means everything to me. (Even the ones who were disparaging and mean) I love all of you. Not everything is going to be fun and games with this story but you inspire me every day! I'm not stopping until this is done!

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The end of the year feast was supposed to have been a celebration of a year filled with the excitement of the Tri-Wizard tournament but there was very little celebrating to be done as students sat quietly talking. At the Ravenclaw table Fleur cried quietly wiping her tears away with the help of her friends but Eliza couldn't manage a single one herself.

Tears were hard to summon when she felt numb. The numbness was the worst part and when it came upon her she craved the grief because at least then she felt something. Her friends often asked her how she was feeling but it was hard to be honest with them when she didn't know herself. Sometimes it was as if she was shutting down but explaining that to them was near impossible. So she fought to stay present in the moments when she felt stuck in her own head.

As Dumbledore rose to speak Eliza kept her head down wanting more than anything to disappear. She wished she'd simply stayed in her dorm but Hannah and Kelly had talked her into coming down. That they didn't want her to be alone. A voice that sounded suspiciously like Connor's whispered in the back of her mind that it would be better if she were. That she should never come back. That she deserved to be on her own.

Her eyes wandered to Kelly's hand which was holding her own tightly. Her gaze then wandered to where their friendship bracelets settled against one another. Friendship. Was it worth it? To put her loved ones in danger was it worth it? Dumbledore said he didn't believe Connor would stop whether she cut her friends off or not but it was still a question that emerged when she was with them.

One down. Connor's words plagued her. How many more were there? She knew some of who he wanted to target but without knowing for sure it put a lot of lives in the line of fire. Fred, George, and Lee refused to acknowledge it as did Hannah and Kelly. But that felt foolish to her. How could they ignore it so easily? What kind of confidence did they have to be able to push it aside?

Having to stand to raise their glasses to those lost made Eliza's stomach cramp. The scraping of benches made her flinch and the words spoken for the dead echoed in her mind as if shouted down a long hall.

"Victor Duponte was an exemplary young man. He was what all Ravenclaws should hope to be. Clever, hard-working, and a role model to those around him. The wisdom he imparted to those around him was a gift that I hope you all treasure. His loss will be felt within these halls by those he touched. To Victor Duponte."

Eliza felt something twist in her chest as his name was muttered through the hall and Fleur began to openly weep. Eliza did her best not to stare. She envied her for being so open with her feelings. She made it look so easy. While Eliza felt like she was trapped in an echo chamber with her own, locked away, Fleur was able to openly grieve for Victor.

The words for Cedric were far more foreboding as the headmaster informed the school that his death had been caused by Voldemort. Harry said that he'd seen him return in some of their time together and Eliza had no reason not to believe him. In some of their brief talks, he described the night to her the best he could recall. It was odd to hear that while she was dealing with Connor Harry was fighting Voldemort.

Dumbledore then spoke of how they must stay united, now more than ever and Eliza couldn't help but think that Victor would have agreed. With the news of Voldemort's return she had no doubt that he would offer dueling lessons as often as anyone wanted. She held onto her necklace as the man went on. Eliza couldn't bring herself to eat during the feast and Hannah agreed to take her back to the common room when she asked.

As she left Fleur stopped her, her eyes red and puffy. Somehow even though she'd been crying she still looked beautiful. The girl took her hand and told her that she had her condolences as Victor's friend. Eliza felt something twinge at her hearing him being referred to as her friend. He'd been so much more. He'd become her rock, her constant. He was her love but she couldn't bring herself to say something like that to the other girl. So instead she hugged her.

In the common room she was greeted by a girl that Eliza didn't know. She'd seen her around oftentimes she was alone or she was tucked into one of the corners of the room. She was a quiet girl but when she approached Eliza it was with a friendly yet dreamy smile. "I'm sorry you lost your friend." The girl said leaving Eliza stunned. "He said 'Hi' to me a few times. Seemed nice."

Unable to formulate words Eliza nodded and the girl continued on her way leaving Eliza staring after her. "Who was that?" She asked Hannah.

"You don't know Luna? She's a third year. Bit odd but nice enough."

Eliza packed her things in a haze. As she put her things away she stopped when she got to the Gryffindor robe on top of George's sweater and she thought about returning them. She bundled them together so that when she unpacked at home she'd be able to set them aside to send off. She couldn't imagine they cared much if she kept them but she just couldn't come up with a reason to do so.

The trip down to the train was a long one. The sky was clear and the sun was bright. It was a perfect summer's day but in Eliza's heart there was a storm. She looked back at the castle and thought about how she'd come back to the school that year. There had been worry but she'd been glad to be with her friends. There had been jokes and laughter. Now there was only mourning.

Finding an empty compartment Eliza avoided the eyes of other students. The whispers were deafening and she tried to focus on anything else. The colors around her. The smells. While she moved along she kept Rikki to her chest and her head down. The ferret squirmed but she didn't let him down until she was closing the door of a compartment behind her. While she could still hear other students the whispers were locked outside. They couldn't reach her there.

After some time Tasha joined her and there was very little talk. Eliza missed Cas and not having her with them on the ride left a heaviness in the air. Tasha tucked herself against Eliza's side and took a nap while Eliza stared out the window watching the world slip passed. She wondered if Victor had enjoyed watching the sights on the way to or from the school. She'd never sat with him during the ride and it made her curious about all the things she'd missed. The things he did when she wasn't with him. He had an entire life with friends that she didn't associate with. What was that like? What did they know about him?

Amelia had been a wreck after Victor's passing and Eliza wished she'd been able to comfort her but she couldn't even come to grips with his death herself. It still felt unreal that she would never see his charming smile again. If she tried she could imagine that she wouldn't see him anymore because he'd finished school but their relationship was soaked into her very being now. He'd wanted a future with her and now he had none at all.

Her friends checked on her from time to time but Eliza put a finger to her lips to let them know to stay quiet to as not to wake Tasha. She'd cried for Cas and no doubt worried for her best friend more than anything and she looked exhausted. She was too young to have the bags under her eyes that she did. If she could get some sort of comfort from clinging to Eliza Eliza would make sure no one disturbed her. She deserved to rest.

Fred and George sat for a bit but they couldn't sit still and so they left her there to get out some of their pent-up energy. She didn't blame them. They had their own ways of dealing with things and she wasn't much up for fun and games. She pulled her necklace out from her shirt and looked down at it. She thought about what it would be like to be home.

Home. The word made her want to escape there where she could be away. Just away. She wanted the comfort of her bed and to be alone. Would her mom and dad let her have that or would she have to fight for it? There was a split in her in wanting to be with them and wanting to lock herself in and be by herself. She'd regretted pushing her parents away before and didn't want to make that mistake again but would she be able to hold herself together around them? Would she be able to reassure them that she wasn't breaking?

Tasha shifted and let out a little noise causing Eliza to look down at her. The fact that she'd chosen to be next to her made Eliza take a deep breath. The way she seemed to need her brought something to the surface. She was needed. Not wanted. Needed. Tasha could have chosen to sit with anyone else. Could have confided in anyone else. She'd chosen her. Cas chose her. Cedric had asked her to be there for Cas and she couldn't do that if she was falling apart. These two young girls had leaned on her and if she gave up wouldn't she let them down?

Victor wouldn't let them down. He'd be strong for those who relied on him. If she broke down then she'd be doing him a disservice and the way he'd thought of her. He'd thought her strong and worthy. To be any different would be wrong. She brought the pendant to her lips and held it there for a moment before letting it fall to her chest and wrapping her arm around Tasha. Her pendant felt heavy but from it she gleaned strength. Even though he was gone she could use that. He'd been her light in the dark before so what was stopping him from continuing? His memory wasn't going anywhere.

She woke Tasha when they were close and the girl sat up rubbing her eyes. Rikki was curled up next to her and he popped his head up when she moved. The younger girl yawned and peered out the window before hunching a bit. "Can't believe I slept the whole way." Her voice was sleepy and her eyes took some time to focus.

Eliza offered a small smile. "You needed it." She said brushing a stray curl away from her face. Tasha took a moment to make eye contact but when she did there was no mistaking the concern in her gaze. There were questions there and there was a hesitance to ask them.

"Is everything going to be okay?" She asked quietly and the way she asked it made Eliza's breath hitch. She sounded so desperate and lost. Was she supposed to tell her what she was thinking or what she believed to be the truth? Honesty was the only thing that she could rely on.

"Maybe not immediately." She said with trepidation. "But I think as long as we hang on we'll get through whatever comes." She took Tasha's hand and held it firmly. "As long as we have each other we've got strength." Her voice wavered but she meant every word. She tapped on Tasha's friendship bracelet and held up her own. "Any time you feel weak just remember you have people to rely on."

Tasha's eyes watered and she wiped at her face before throwing her arms around Eliza. Eliza returned the hug and rested her cheek atop her head. "Cas is going to need us, Natasha." She whispered and the girl nodded when she pulled back. Usually, the girl would point out how much she hated being called by her full first name but let it slide.

She gave Tasha another hug as they stepped onto the platform. She tried to communicate all of her love and support with it before the girl went to greet her parents who looked at Eliza with uncertainty. That was to be expected. How many parents would hear about everything that happened and not point fingers or place blame? She didn't let it get to her and took a deep breath before following Rikki to where her mother was waiting.

"Izzy!"

She turned to see Fred, George, and Lee jogging her way and she looked to her mother who only nodded and picked up Rikki.

It was awkward when they stopped in front of her but Lee had no shame in pulling her into a hug. "Gonna miss you, Iz." He mumbled and she rubbed his back. "It's only a couple of months." She said but there was something he wasn't saying and she was glad for it. A tearful goodbye wouldn't do anyone any good and when he pulled back she kissed his cheek and told him to have a good summer.

"We're just a page away." Fred said when he hugged her. "Don't make us worry." He added as he stepped back and she shot a smile his way as she hugged George. Smiles were hard but not impossible. She'd decided to be strong and she was going to stick with it.

"Don't. That's my job." She said.

"You've earned a vacation." George said with a small smile and she inhaled slowly. It was such a strange feeling saying goodbye to them so she tried to cut it short. She was looking forward to having some alone time to focus on what she wanted to do. She had a plan formulated in her mind and she was going to need to prepare.

"Try not to drive your mom crazy."

"No promises with the little gift Harry just gave us." Fred was grinning and it was good to see it. There was only so much of the somber look that she could take without it digging at her. George was quick to explain that Harry had given them his winnings and Eliza looked around them to see the boy talking to their mother.

"Sweet little angel child." Eliza said before her mother called for her. Their time was up. It was time for things to move forward. There was no lingering allowed anymore. Everything was changing and she had to move with the tide. "Gotta go." She said with a half-smile.

"I mean it. A page away. You need anything just write." Fred said and she watched them go with a deep breath. The love she felt for them was overwhelming and only solidified her wish to keep them safe.

Her mom put her arm around her as they pushed her luggage along. "Are you alright, sweetheart?" She asked.

Eliza thought about it for a moment and shook her head. "No." She said before looking up at her mother. "But I will be." Her birthday was just around the corner and she had a lot of work she had to do. Without the trace on her she would be able to really dig in and make it so that the next time she saw Connor he wouldn't be getting away.