"Where the hell is he?"

"I don't know Ron!" Hermione said again, hurrying down the hall.

"We've checked the common room, all the dorms, the den, the kitchens, the library, the entrance hall, the great hall, the dungeons, the Transfiguration, Defense and Charms classrooms, the Astronomy tower, the infirmary, the Owlery... We haven't checked is Madam Trelawney's tower, but trust me, he's not up there."

"What about Hagrid's hut? Or the greenhouses?"

"But didn't he run up towards the castle?"

Hermione let out a frustrated sigh. "This is hopeless, the castle is huge!"

"Shit, where the hell did he go?"

Hermione took a deep breath, trying to calm down. Something about the way Harry had ran from them- she didn't like the fact that he was alone. "Okay... Where haven't we checked?"

"The other common rooms, the teachers' offices, the-"

"Places Harry can get into Ron!"

"Oh yeah, okay- I dunno."

Hermione's eye's suddenly widened. "That's it Ron, you're brilliant!"

"Wha- I am?"

"Dumbledore's office!"

Right! But Herm- how do we get there?"

"The Marauder's M- oh my God... We could have used it the whole time!"

"Doesn't take a genius to figure that out Miss Druid... And isn't there a spell you could use to find him?"

"Oh shit... Yeah. Well, let's just go get the map and find him..." Her voice was tired, and she sounded so defeated.

Ron pulled her into a hug. "Come on Herm, chin up..."

She sighed. "I just have this feeling... I'm afraid he's going to do something... a bout everything..."

"Hermione? Ron? What are you guys doing up in this corridor?"

Minerva McGonagall's voice lacked it's usual, stern edge, but she stood there behind them, nonetheless.

"Oh, well- we were just trying to find Professor Dumbledore's office..."

"Oh for God's sake, why didn't you just ask? It'd take you forever to find it and you still couldn't get into it. Go down the hall, up the staircase on the left, don't forget to step over the sixth step. Turn left at the top until you come to stone gargoyle, and say the password, Ice Mice."

"Thanks Professor..." They hurried down the hall.

"Hermione... what if he's not up here?"

"I don't know Ron..."

"Herm, watch out you're going to-"

Too late, she had stepped through the trick step.

"Dammit, Ron, get me out of here."

He pulled here out and they went on, coming to the stone gargoyle.

"Jesus, how many stairs are there?" Ron moaned as they entered the passage.

"I don't know.... Just climb..."

They reached the door and Ron opened it without knocking.

"Oh my God... It's so empty... Last time I was in here-"

"You've been in here before?"

She nodded.

"Harry?"

"Harry, are you in here?"

Hermione heard a faint sound from behind the empty desk and walked around it, marginally aware of Ron just behind her. She found Harry on the floor, hugging his knees to his chest, a piece of parchment crumpled in his hand as slow tears ran down his face.

"Harry... What happened..."

"Herm..." Ron handed her a letter off the desk. It was addressed to her in the Headmaster's beautiful loopy script.

She ripped it open just as Ron did the same with his. Hot tears streamed down her face as she read it over...

"No... Oh my God, no..."

She slid to the ground next to Harry as Ron let out something close to a whimper, having reached the end of his letter.

"This can't be happening.... This can't be happening..." She rocked herself back and forth, squeezing her eyes against the tears.

"Dammit!" Ron slammed his fist against the desk, and Harry and Hermione jumped. "God why does this always happen! NO matter what we do, how many people die... It always has to be one more... One more person we need, one person that's important... one more person... I'm fuckin' sick of it!!!"

"Ron... stop..." Hermione pleaded.

"NO! My sister is dead, Hermione! You were dead! Harry's parents... Cerdic... Shit the list is fuckin' everlasting! Now this... This- it's too much! I hate it!"

Hermione squeezed her eyes shut once more, and concentrated. When she opened them again her ring was flashing, and it seemed as if some kind of smoke was coming from her. It floated through the air and enveloped Ron, hiding him from view for a second, and then it disappeared.

"What was that?" He asked her quietly.

"Just to calm you down... You were scaring me."

"Sorry," he croaked.

They sat in silence then. Hermione, still on the floor next to harry, leaned her head on his shoulder and laced her fingers through his one free hand, the other one held tight his legs. Ron had sunk into the Headmaster's chair.

The air was heavy around them, just suspended. The silence was suffocating, but none of them could bring themselves to break it.

For lack of something to say.

Or, something important enough, worthy enough to say.

Who knows how long later, the thick quiet that surrounded them was broken. The Deputy Headmistress entered the office, through some sort of secret passage, right in front of them.

She stopped as if she had run into a brick wall.

She met their gazes, one at a time, but for no more than 3 seconds. Then she ran across the room to the fireplace, starting a fire and throwing in a handful of floo powder in seconds.

"Sirius!!! Get in here, NOW!"

There was an apparent note of panic in her voice, and Sirius jumped out of the fire within seconds, giving Professor McGonagall just enough time to get out of the way.

"What happe-" He didn't even bother to finish, looking around at the office, things packed up... It was tidy... seemed almost empty. He surveyed it in silence.

Everyone jumped as Fawkes let out a sound from his perch in the corner. He looked sickly, and suddenly just fell to ashes on the ground.

The room's attention turned to the Phoenix, waiting for it to be reborn.

But nothing happened.

McGonagall's voice shook as she spoke. "It's never taken this long before..."

"He's not coming back."

Harry found his voice for the first time since Hermione and Ron had entered the office.

"He's not coming back. And he knew it. Everything's packed. He wrote letters... He got sick of waiting..."

Everyone bowed their heads at this thought.

"He's not coming back."

They looked up at the sound of the voice.

Lily Potter stood there, faded, but becoming more solid by the second. Her face was tearstained, eyes bloodshot, shoulders shaking.

Sirius walked forward and pulled her into his arms before she fell.

"Sirius, he's dead... For me... he did this for me... How can I live like that... How..."

"Shh... It's okay..."

"How can I forget..."

"You don't. You don't..."

And behind them, Fawkes was borne again.

And his master lived again.

Through death.

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Sorry for the wait... You have no idea how busy I've been. I swear... there'll be about two more chapters and I'll be done them within the next 2 weeks. Promise.

This chapter is dedicated to all the victims of September 11 attacks, all the war veterans... Any one who's fought for the people... For the peace. We owe you everything and anything. All the fighters, those remembered on Remembrance Day, and those not.

Thank You and God bless.

Lest We Forget...

~Danie