Notes:
I originally published this story in French (my native language) many years ago on . I have been wanting to translate my fanfictions for a while now – and hopefully improve , I will also edit and republish the original story in French.
Let me know what you think – all feedback is very much appreciated.
It's just the two of us now. Around us, the battle seems endless. Our friends have fallen. Screams and blood and tears. As Lestrange aims another spell at me, I stare at him. The man they love.
They despise me. They hate me. And they have for so long. And yet …
I knew we'd be friends the instant I met them. And when I set my eyes on them, I fell in love. Nymphadora.
We belonged to different houses, but we were inseparable, always getting in trouble with our friends. Stan, falsely sent to Azkaban … Emily and Ethan, killed by the Lestrange shortly after graduation … Damian, who went missing and is presumed dead … Today, there's only us left. And they hate me.
A spell nearly hits Remus, bringing me back to reality. We are in the middle of a deadly battle. We might not make it this time. They are safe at home with their child. It is likely that by the end of the night, they will be the only one left. My life does not matter anymore, it hasn't in years – I am a weapon for the cause, I am a shield for my loved ones. I would gladly perish so that people like them, like their child and their husband, could live freely and fully. I will not see another morning rise on Hogwarts lake. Tonight, there will only be one of us left …
Our first four years of school were some of the happiest times of my life. The six of us were infamous for our mischief, and loved by everyone – we excelled at all we tried, be it classes, Quidditch or pranks. Things started to change when Emily and I became Head Girl and Head Boy. Dora would often joke that the only thing that prevented them from joining us was "the capacity, or willingness, to follow at least some of the rules". This was one of the many reasons why I loved them. I did not know how they felt, not until my first victory as Gryffindor's captain, when they jumped in my arms in the changing room and kissed me. They were not a sore loser. And they loved me too.
The Death Eaters' attacks become more aggressive, more targeted. I will not survive this fight, but I can take many of them with me to the grave. Soon, I will be free. I remember those three blissful years with Dora. Those beautiful memories ease the fear I can feel building in my soul. Tonight, there will only be one of us left …
Words cannot describe the bliss of those years with Dora. We were inseparable, with big plans for the future. We would train as Aurors and together we'd hunt down practitioners of the Dark Arts and build a safer world for our children.
But …
A purple spell hits Remus in the heart. In an instant, he is on the floor, screaming in agony. No one has ever survived Dolohov's curse. I am helpless as my friend lies dying. In the distance, I hear a scream. Dora…
A mane of blue hair breaks through the human wall of Death Eaters to throw itself at Remus' shaking body. The few colours left on his face disappeared when he recognised them. They should not be here. He whispers a few words to their ears, with great difficulty, and begs them to leave. His eyes close, slowly, as they scream his name. I am helpless to their suffering. I want to drag them away, take them back to safety. I hear my own voice shouting at them to flee, to go back to their son, to Teddy. Because tonight, there will only be one of us left …
On our last night in Hogwarts, I was holding them in my arms, our naked bodies intertwined under the blanket. Their head was on my chest as we were gazing at the starry night of the Room of Requirements. I had received a job offer, something I could not turn down. My lifelong dream, a life of adventure, danger, and dragons. As they lean to kiss me, I told them about it. I knew the Nymphadora Tonks I loved was not the kind of girl to compromise their future for a boy – their future was in England, as an Auror. Mine was far away from them. Giving up on them was impossible, but this offer, this future … They simply told me to choose what I thought was best for the two of us. A life of adventure in Romania, or a life of regrets with them. I made the wrong choice.
They notice me. That sparkle in their beautiful brown eyes is gone as they cling to their husband's dead body, rocking him against their chest. Do they even recognise me? Have they forgotten about me? What I see in their now grey, empty eyes terrifies me: they have lost their will to live.
Bellatrix steps closer as her husband starts casting green spells at me again …
I've often thought about the choice I made and the life I could have had with them. Every day in Romania was a new adventure, but I should have been sharing it with them. I learned from Emily that they were heartbroken – and so was I. I nearly flew back to England, to them, many times during those six years. Of course, there were others. That boy with golden eyes who could tame a dragon like no other. The girl from the Scamander Institute with skin as dark as a Hebridean Black. Fleeting dalliances.
I learned about my friends' death, one by one. Stan's imprisonment. My father and brothers' injuries. But I refused to come home – if I did, I might never have the strength to go back to Romania. And yet …
When I saw them at Bill's wedding, I nearly gave it all up. Fuck dragons, fuck adventure, fuck dreams. They were just as I remembered them – mischievous, smiling, so beautiful no matter the face they took. And now married to another. So I left again, far from them and their life without me. It could have been my life too. A terrible mistake …
They stare at their aunt with the eyes of a broken soul. The shell of the Dora I knew. They aren't fighting anymore. Tears roll down their cheeks, drawing the perfect shape of their face. Their hair returns to a plain mousy brown, nearly grey. At this moment, they are more beautiful than ever. The Death Eater raises her wand, a cruel smile on a cruel mouth. A green light, a thunderbolt, hits my love in the heart before they fall on Remus' lifeless body. A peaceful smile on their perfect lips. My mind shatters as reality doesn't quite hit me yet.
The Death Eaters mark shines on their arms, a summon from their master. They ignore me, leave me behind, maybe spare me in a final act of cruelty. There are worse things than death.
I rush to their side. Their face is calm, peaceful, and so beautiful. They did not fear death. And tonight, there is only one of us left.