It was a friged December night, one where you could see your breath in little puffs as you silently exhaled. The moon hung in the inky sky, a giant, silvery orb surrounded by a scattering of stars, glittering like diamonds.
A lone figure sat beside the frozen lake, wrapped tightly in her cloak and scarf, her long, curly hair flowing down her back like a waterfall. She stared out into the gloomy darkness of the Hogwarts grounds, numb and shivering but too lost in her thoughts to care anymore.
Suddenly, a noise sounded behind her, a soliatry twig snapping.
Jolted from her thoughts, the girl spun around, a startled gasp escaping from her cold, blue lips. Her honey eyes widened as Hermione Granger came face to face with the last person she would have ever expected.
"Edward!"
"Hey mom, long time no see..." Edward Ronald Weasley didn't have the time to get the rest of the words out, for his mother had thrown her arms around him and began sobbing.
"My boy..."
"Mom...."
Hermione drew away from her only son.
"Where's Jenny? and the others?"
"Jenny's alive, fate won't let her die, I don't know where the others are though...." Eddie trailed off and looked across the lake, "It was tough, but we won...."
"But your home now, my son, your home...."
Eddie Weasley gazed out across the lake.
His mother had long since left, gone to bed, or more likely to have gone to grieve. Dad was gone, as was Harry. Molly was barely a shell of her former self, now in her seventh year.
Jenny... no one knew where she was. Eddie knew she was still alive, he could sense it some how.
Salina and Thomas were alive also, Salina would be in St. Mungo's for a long time though.
Jon hadn't made it, he was cut down by a Death eater curse in the final minutes of battle.
Eddie paused in his thinking to gaze off into the sky. A shooting star streaked across it.
He had lost so much and yet......
Hermione looked out her window and watched her son. Who had finally come home to her. He needed to grieve. He needed to heal. And how was she supposed to help him do this when she was still reeling herself? Her chocolate brown eyes closed and a lone tear ran down her cheek.
****
Hidden in the shadows was a hooded man, his icy blue eyes cut through the darkness. So ROn's son had lived to tell his mother the truth. But what was teh truth anymore. Did anyone really know any more? After all who would have thought he would have played the roll he ended up playing? WHo would have thought he would have shed tears and actually mourned Potter and Weasley?
*****
Eddie turned and spoke to the shadows, "You should really drop the cloak and dagger routine. Isn't it getting a tad old -- Draco?"
THe hood fell revealing a worn out looking Draco, "WEll if both sides were hunting you down for questioning and Merlin knows what else you would be hooded too you know. You sound more and more like your father everyday. Haven't decided yet if that is good or not..."
Eddie grinned half heartedly, this man had saved his life so he could come here today to his mother and hold her once again. He owed him a debt that might never be repayed, but he was still Ronald Weasley's son. His temper was starting to flare when a voice cut threw the silence.
"Ron?"
Ron jumped and whirled around. A familiar figure stepped out of the shadows.
The tall figure of Thomas Eugene White appeared, His eyes narrowing upon seeing Draco Malfoy. He had never forgiven Draco or his son Derek about what they had done to Salina over the last eight years.
His own daughter... thought Thomas angrily. Salina had been so different from....this traitor... can't even pick what side he's on.
"White" said Draco, his voice suddenly cold, "So you are alive"
"No thanks to you, I don't care what the others think, I will NEVER trust you."
***********************
Salina Malfoy stared at the white ceiling of one of the wards of St. Mungo's hospital.
Behind her frozen grey eyes, wild thoughts surged about her head. Flashes of terror, of battle, and sometimes....less frequently, memories of better times.
Jenny pushing Eddie into the lake....Thomas and Eddie's competetive chess games....Jon's laughter at a joke...playing quidditch... Harry teaching them all something new.... Jenny playing her clarinet.... sweet memories
Salina couldn't move anymore, her body frozen for eternity. A permanent body-bind curse....Or, at least, that's what the healers figured.
Salina didn't know what was wrong with her, she had been hit in the back with the curse....
**********************
Jenny Hansen-Potter had walked for a very long time. She stumbled and collapsed in a doorway, too tired to go any further.
Her mind buzzed...who was she? why couldn't she remember anything? little pictures and faces ran quickly by her in the form of thoughts, but she couldn't connect any of the images to anything.... they were all wild and random. Her image had reflected in a few of the shop windows that she had passed. Her emerald green eyes were sunken and worn out and her long curly brown hair was matted and dirty. Cuts and burns criscrossed her body and face and her robes were ripped.
She fell asleep.
Draco narrowed his eyes at Thomas, "You have no idea what you are talking about White. Hold your tongue. I did not do what I did to be insulted by the likes of you."
Thomas though of Salina and growled, "And what of your daughter? What of the curse you hit her with?"
"Like I said you do bot know what you are talking about. She is safer in Mungo's than she would be at my side. I had to hurt her to keep her alive you daft fool." Draco said stepping up to the younger man, his eyes a molten silver in fury.
"Well, she is MY friend, even if she is YOUR illegitemate daughter. Merlin knows she deserves better than you!"
***
Hermione turned and walked away from her window. her eyes fell on her wedding picture. She smiled at the sight of her and Ron smiling for the camera. He looked so happy, and her smile was so bright. It was only if you looked deeply at her eyes that you saw the hidden sorrow.
You would never have known she was 8 months past giving up her daughter so she would be safe. Goodness knows she wouldn't be safe with her if anyone knew who the father was!
Her eyes then looked at all the family pictures she had around her room. The memories flooded into her mind. The laughter and the shouting. The quiet moments when she could have sworn they were happy. And no one ever knew they weren't. No one knew that...not even Harry had known.
***
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Molly awoke screaming.
The battle replayed itself over and over in her mind. She remembered the chaos, her friends falling before her eyes. Ron had thrown her into a rut in the ground.
He told her to stay where she was, not to move, not to give herself away. Molly Weasley had sunk into the hole, and hid, like a coward.
Visions of Voldemort extinguishing her father's life danced before her eyes.
I could have done something.... I could have....
Molly's room-mates, Laurie and Alyson, tried to comfort her. Molly was almost gone though. She didn't attend classes anymore and stayed curled in her bed, nightmares dancing about her anguished mind.
Laurie tipped a goblet of sleep potion down Molly's throat and shrugged helplessly. It was all she could do. Alyson sighed, pushing a strand of black hair out of her eyes and they both watched as one of their best friends drifted off to sleep once more.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Heather Matherson opened the front door of her shop to find a young woman - sleeping.
The girl was bruised and bloodied, her eyes closed and her dark brown hair ruffled slightly in the slight breeze.
Heather bent and shook the girl lightly- afraid to injure her more.
"Wake up" she said, her light voice heavy with concern.
The girl didn't stir. Heather noticed the odd clothing she was wearing.... a worn looking black cloak and a blue rode like dress, both torn and stained.
"Wake up...."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A lone figure sat beside the frozen lake, wrapped tightly in her cloak and scarf, her long, curly hair flowing down her back like a waterfall. She stared out into the gloomy darkness of the Hogwarts grounds, numb and shivering but too lost in her thoughts to care anymore.
Suddenly, a noise sounded behind her, a soliatry twig snapping.
Jolted from her thoughts, the girl spun around, a startled gasp escaping from her cold, blue lips. Her honey eyes widened as Hermione Granger came face to face with the last person she would have ever expected.
"Edward!"
"Hey mom, long time no see..." Edward Ronald Weasley didn't have the time to get the rest of the words out, for his mother had thrown her arms around him and began sobbing.
"My boy..."
"Mom...."
Hermione drew away from her only son.
"Where's Jenny? and the others?"
"Jenny's alive, fate won't let her die, I don't know where the others are though...." Eddie trailed off and looked across the lake, "It was tough, but we won...."
"But your home now, my son, your home...."
Eddie Weasley gazed out across the lake.
His mother had long since left, gone to bed, or more likely to have gone to grieve. Dad was gone, as was Harry. Molly was barely a shell of her former self, now in her seventh year.
Jenny... no one knew where she was. Eddie knew she was still alive, he could sense it some how.
Salina and Thomas were alive also, Salina would be in St. Mungo's for a long time though.
Jon hadn't made it, he was cut down by a Death eater curse in the final minutes of battle.
Eddie paused in his thinking to gaze off into the sky. A shooting star streaked across it.
He had lost so much and yet......
Hermione looked out her window and watched her son. Who had finally come home to her. He needed to grieve. He needed to heal. And how was she supposed to help him do this when she was still reeling herself? Her chocolate brown eyes closed and a lone tear ran down her cheek.
****
Hidden in the shadows was a hooded man, his icy blue eyes cut through the darkness. So ROn's son had lived to tell his mother the truth. But what was teh truth anymore. Did anyone really know any more? After all who would have thought he would have played the roll he ended up playing? WHo would have thought he would have shed tears and actually mourned Potter and Weasley?
*****
Eddie turned and spoke to the shadows, "You should really drop the cloak and dagger routine. Isn't it getting a tad old -- Draco?"
THe hood fell revealing a worn out looking Draco, "WEll if both sides were hunting you down for questioning and Merlin knows what else you would be hooded too you know. You sound more and more like your father everyday. Haven't decided yet if that is good or not..."
Eddie grinned half heartedly, this man had saved his life so he could come here today to his mother and hold her once again. He owed him a debt that might never be repayed, but he was still Ronald Weasley's son. His temper was starting to flare when a voice cut threw the silence.
"Ron?"
Ron jumped and whirled around. A familiar figure stepped out of the shadows.
The tall figure of Thomas Eugene White appeared, His eyes narrowing upon seeing Draco Malfoy. He had never forgiven Draco or his son Derek about what they had done to Salina over the last eight years.
His own daughter... thought Thomas angrily. Salina had been so different from....this traitor... can't even pick what side he's on.
"White" said Draco, his voice suddenly cold, "So you are alive"
"No thanks to you, I don't care what the others think, I will NEVER trust you."
***********************
Salina Malfoy stared at the white ceiling of one of the wards of St. Mungo's hospital.
Behind her frozen grey eyes, wild thoughts surged about her head. Flashes of terror, of battle, and sometimes....less frequently, memories of better times.
Jenny pushing Eddie into the lake....Thomas and Eddie's competetive chess games....Jon's laughter at a joke...playing quidditch... Harry teaching them all something new.... Jenny playing her clarinet.... sweet memories
Salina couldn't move anymore, her body frozen for eternity. A permanent body-bind curse....Or, at least, that's what the healers figured.
Salina didn't know what was wrong with her, she had been hit in the back with the curse....
**********************
Jenny Hansen-Potter had walked for a very long time. She stumbled and collapsed in a doorway, too tired to go any further.
Her mind buzzed...who was she? why couldn't she remember anything? little pictures and faces ran quickly by her in the form of thoughts, but she couldn't connect any of the images to anything.... they were all wild and random. Her image had reflected in a few of the shop windows that she had passed. Her emerald green eyes were sunken and worn out and her long curly brown hair was matted and dirty. Cuts and burns criscrossed her body and face and her robes were ripped.
She fell asleep.
Draco narrowed his eyes at Thomas, "You have no idea what you are talking about White. Hold your tongue. I did not do what I did to be insulted by the likes of you."
Thomas though of Salina and growled, "And what of your daughter? What of the curse you hit her with?"
"Like I said you do bot know what you are talking about. She is safer in Mungo's than she would be at my side. I had to hurt her to keep her alive you daft fool." Draco said stepping up to the younger man, his eyes a molten silver in fury.
"Well, she is MY friend, even if she is YOUR illegitemate daughter. Merlin knows she deserves better than you!"
***
Hermione turned and walked away from her window. her eyes fell on her wedding picture. She smiled at the sight of her and Ron smiling for the camera. He looked so happy, and her smile was so bright. It was only if you looked deeply at her eyes that you saw the hidden sorrow.
You would never have known she was 8 months past giving up her daughter so she would be safe. Goodness knows she wouldn't be safe with her if anyone knew who the father was!
Her eyes then looked at all the family pictures she had around her room. The memories flooded into her mind. The laughter and the shouting. The quiet moments when she could have sworn they were happy. And no one ever knew they weren't. No one knew that...not even Harry had known.
***
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Molly awoke screaming.
The battle replayed itself over and over in her mind. She remembered the chaos, her friends falling before her eyes. Ron had thrown her into a rut in the ground.
He told her to stay where she was, not to move, not to give herself away. Molly Weasley had sunk into the hole, and hid, like a coward.
Visions of Voldemort extinguishing her father's life danced before her eyes.
I could have done something.... I could have....
Molly's room-mates, Laurie and Alyson, tried to comfort her. Molly was almost gone though. She didn't attend classes anymore and stayed curled in her bed, nightmares dancing about her anguished mind.
Laurie tipped a goblet of sleep potion down Molly's throat and shrugged helplessly. It was all she could do. Alyson sighed, pushing a strand of black hair out of her eyes and they both watched as one of their best friends drifted off to sleep once more.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Heather Matherson opened the front door of her shop to find a young woman - sleeping.
The girl was bruised and bloodied, her eyes closed and her dark brown hair ruffled slightly in the slight breeze.
Heather bent and shook the girl lightly- afraid to injure her more.
"Wake up" she said, her light voice heavy with concern.
The girl didn't stir. Heather noticed the odd clothing she was wearing.... a worn looking black cloak and a blue rode like dress, both torn and stained.
"Wake up...."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~