Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and the FF universe.
I am tired.
I had lived my life in sorrow and in pain and it just won't go away. I had lost count on the years that had passed since I lost her. But it was too long.
Lana. My princess. My life. All taken away from me by the dark. The dark that is now consuming me. Little by little it consumes me. Hatred, anguish, pain... I have come to know these as my companions in life. The life that I detest.
But I have realized that hope can still be found. In the hearts of the children. In the hearts of the chosen ones. The dark flees when I see them smile. When I seem them laugh. When I see them love.
Then I realized that I could hope for the future again. Hope that light will still shine in the darkness. I see it in the smiles of the children. I wish I could see it more.
But I regret that my time is almost near. My body is frail and my soul is tired. All I wanted is to sleep. To rest. To die.
That time is nearing.
The time that I will no longer be tired.
** ** **
Ginny and Shiva were walking in the school grounds. Cherishing the peace that they had until the time had come for war. By Leon's calculations the enemy's army will reach them in three days. And in three days, all hell will break loose. The people of Hogsmeade had been evacuated into the school. Professor Dumbledore tried to get word to the Ministry but no answer came.
And morale was in the lowest.
Everybody feared the upcoming battle. But what use is it? More than ten thousand creatures of the dark against a measly few hundred of them? No one in their right mind would go against such odds. And Ginny was seriously considering being a permanent resident of St. Mungos. She was even thinking of reserving five more wards IF they survived the battle.
Big IF. She didn't know how they could defeat them all. And she still needed the Vassal. And heaven knows where he was.
"Shilling for your thoughts," Shiva asked as she saw through Ginny's frown.
"Shilling? Oh! Right. Muggle money." Ginny smiled but it suddenly faded. "I don't know Shiva. Us against all of them? We'd be lucky to survive five minutes."
"Doubt is a path towards destruction," Shiva smiled at her. "Relax, Ginny. I would even bet that you four would come out of this unscathed." Frown was Ginny's first reaction to her words.
"Four?" Ginny asked. But the blue-haired lady smiled and walked away. Ginny followed her until they reached the lake. "Shiva, why four?"
"The wind sings a fine tune today," Shiva said as a gentle breeze caressed her body.
"You're avoiding the issue," Ginny frowned, making Shiva smile more.
"Yes I am."
"Shiva," Ginny gave her a warning tone. Shiva laughed which added music to the air. Shiva breathed the calm air. But her smiled suddenly dropped when her eye caught a green flash beyond the woods.
*** ***
Professor Leon Hart suddenly broke the glass he was holding and leaned on his table to steady himself. He felt something ha hasn't felt in a long time. It felt like pain. It felt like sorrow. It felt like he lost a piece of himself.
In a panic, Leon ran out of his office all the while praying that he was wrong.
*** ***
"Ginny! Move!" Shiva pushed Ginny aside as a green flare sped towards her. It happened in a split second but to Ginny, it felt like a lifetime.
As Shiva pushed the young witch away, just as a green flare almost touched her. Ginny rolled unto the ground, unaware of what had happened. From the corner of her eye, Ginny saw her friend dropped lifelessly on the ground.
Screaming in panic, Ginny immediately went to her friend. She cradled the blue-haired girl in her arms as tears ran down from her cheek. Shiva lay there, peaceful and unmoving. Ginny felt for her pulse, but there was none.
The impact of Shiva's death was immeasurable that Ginny screamed in agony. A scream that was heard throughout the school.
An armored horseman suddenly appeared by Ginny's side and had a look of pure sorrow in his features. A wave of anger overtook him and with a roar of a battle cry, he went to the forbidden forest.
Ginny was cradling Shiva in her arms caressing her fine hair. Not paying notice of a cry of agonizing death that came from the forest.
"Shiva!" someone cried out. It was Leon. He rushed to their side. Ginny looked at him through her tears and what she saw frightened her.
In shock, Leon fell to his knees. He had failed her. He had failed her again. It was too much for him to handle. He roared his agony. It was no human roar that he uttered. It was monstrous, like a beast caged within. Ginny's tears slowly stopped as she looked at him. His agony was far greater than hers. She felt it in her heart. And her heart was saddened more when she saw his tears.
They were made of blood.
*** ***
"Are you sure he's alright?" Ron said as he paced the common room floor. It had been hours since the incident and still they couldn't believe it.
Ginny was sitting on the couch, lean on Harry for support. Harry had his arm around her, hushing her with words of comfort. He saw that she was clutching a silver band and when she shifted it in her palm, he saw it was the ring Shiva had been wearing as a pendant for her necklace. His sorrow deepened when he saw it. He would never live it down.
At it happened, a Death eater had attacked and his target was Ginny. There was nothing left for the teachers to question for the assailant was... Harry sighed. Odin was a vengeful soul. But he had probed the Death eater's mind before he.... killed it. the army will come in two days and with morale down to zero, it was impossible for them to win.
But his concern now was his beloved teacher. He had taken the death of Shiva the hardest. There was nothing left of his tattered soul but sorrow and vengeance. Harry saw his eyes. It was the eyes of a person who had nothing to loose.
Silently he prayed for a miracle. For the professor and for all of them. He kissed Ginny's forehead and sighed in despair.
*** ***
"Professor Hart?" Hermione called as she looked at her teacher with much concern. Leon, since the attack, had been sitting in his room looking at Shiva's dead body, which he carried and laid in his bed. It was disturbing but she felt it was warranted. Harry told her about his talks about regrets and now he might be reliving it.
"She's so beautiful when she's asleep," Leon said as he caressed Shiva's face with the back of his hand. "She's really tired. She needed her rest."
Deep inside, Hermione wanted to cry. She wanted to cry out that Shiva was dead but she didn't have the courage. No one should bear to be alone. Leon did and it was eating him inside.
"Ashes to ashes, Dust to dust," she said softly, remembering the phrases in a funeral. Leon frowned and looked at her.
"What did you say?" At first, Hermione was afraid but when she saw the life returning into his eyes, she relaxed... a bit.
"Ashes to Ashes, Dust to dust," she repeated. Then she saw it in his face. Determination. A reason to live.
"Dust," he said as he got up, finally leaving the body of his beloved. "Where's the Pride?" he asked. Hermione pointed to the tome that she left on his desk. Opening it she shifted through the pages. When he finally found the page he was looking for, he smiled in triumph.
"Soil," he said. Hermione was puzzled but the professor's smile was both comforting and scary at the same time. Looking at her, he pointed to a passage in the tome that she read. Finally understanding, Hermione looked at him with the same smile of triumph he had.
"Can we do it?" she asked.
"We have all the conditions and the equipment, why not? What do we have to lose?"
Looking at him, Hermione sighed.
"Let's get started."
End of 21
I am tired.
I had lived my life in sorrow and in pain and it just won't go away. I had lost count on the years that had passed since I lost her. But it was too long.
Lana. My princess. My life. All taken away from me by the dark. The dark that is now consuming me. Little by little it consumes me. Hatred, anguish, pain... I have come to know these as my companions in life. The life that I detest.
But I have realized that hope can still be found. In the hearts of the children. In the hearts of the chosen ones. The dark flees when I see them smile. When I seem them laugh. When I see them love.
Then I realized that I could hope for the future again. Hope that light will still shine in the darkness. I see it in the smiles of the children. I wish I could see it more.
But I regret that my time is almost near. My body is frail and my soul is tired. All I wanted is to sleep. To rest. To die.
That time is nearing.
The time that I will no longer be tired.
** ** **
Ginny and Shiva were walking in the school grounds. Cherishing the peace that they had until the time had come for war. By Leon's calculations the enemy's army will reach them in three days. And in three days, all hell will break loose. The people of Hogsmeade had been evacuated into the school. Professor Dumbledore tried to get word to the Ministry but no answer came.
And morale was in the lowest.
Everybody feared the upcoming battle. But what use is it? More than ten thousand creatures of the dark against a measly few hundred of them? No one in their right mind would go against such odds. And Ginny was seriously considering being a permanent resident of St. Mungos. She was even thinking of reserving five more wards IF they survived the battle.
Big IF. She didn't know how they could defeat them all. And she still needed the Vassal. And heaven knows where he was.
"Shilling for your thoughts," Shiva asked as she saw through Ginny's frown.
"Shilling? Oh! Right. Muggle money." Ginny smiled but it suddenly faded. "I don't know Shiva. Us against all of them? We'd be lucky to survive five minutes."
"Doubt is a path towards destruction," Shiva smiled at her. "Relax, Ginny. I would even bet that you four would come out of this unscathed." Frown was Ginny's first reaction to her words.
"Four?" Ginny asked. But the blue-haired lady smiled and walked away. Ginny followed her until they reached the lake. "Shiva, why four?"
"The wind sings a fine tune today," Shiva said as a gentle breeze caressed her body.
"You're avoiding the issue," Ginny frowned, making Shiva smile more.
"Yes I am."
"Shiva," Ginny gave her a warning tone. Shiva laughed which added music to the air. Shiva breathed the calm air. But her smiled suddenly dropped when her eye caught a green flash beyond the woods.
*** ***
Professor Leon Hart suddenly broke the glass he was holding and leaned on his table to steady himself. He felt something ha hasn't felt in a long time. It felt like pain. It felt like sorrow. It felt like he lost a piece of himself.
In a panic, Leon ran out of his office all the while praying that he was wrong.
*** ***
"Ginny! Move!" Shiva pushed Ginny aside as a green flare sped towards her. It happened in a split second but to Ginny, it felt like a lifetime.
As Shiva pushed the young witch away, just as a green flare almost touched her. Ginny rolled unto the ground, unaware of what had happened. From the corner of her eye, Ginny saw her friend dropped lifelessly on the ground.
Screaming in panic, Ginny immediately went to her friend. She cradled the blue-haired girl in her arms as tears ran down from her cheek. Shiva lay there, peaceful and unmoving. Ginny felt for her pulse, but there was none.
The impact of Shiva's death was immeasurable that Ginny screamed in agony. A scream that was heard throughout the school.
An armored horseman suddenly appeared by Ginny's side and had a look of pure sorrow in his features. A wave of anger overtook him and with a roar of a battle cry, he went to the forbidden forest.
Ginny was cradling Shiva in her arms caressing her fine hair. Not paying notice of a cry of agonizing death that came from the forest.
"Shiva!" someone cried out. It was Leon. He rushed to their side. Ginny looked at him through her tears and what she saw frightened her.
In shock, Leon fell to his knees. He had failed her. He had failed her again. It was too much for him to handle. He roared his agony. It was no human roar that he uttered. It was monstrous, like a beast caged within. Ginny's tears slowly stopped as she looked at him. His agony was far greater than hers. She felt it in her heart. And her heart was saddened more when she saw his tears.
They were made of blood.
*** ***
"Are you sure he's alright?" Ron said as he paced the common room floor. It had been hours since the incident and still they couldn't believe it.
Ginny was sitting on the couch, lean on Harry for support. Harry had his arm around her, hushing her with words of comfort. He saw that she was clutching a silver band and when she shifted it in her palm, he saw it was the ring Shiva had been wearing as a pendant for her necklace. His sorrow deepened when he saw it. He would never live it down.
At it happened, a Death eater had attacked and his target was Ginny. There was nothing left for the teachers to question for the assailant was... Harry sighed. Odin was a vengeful soul. But he had probed the Death eater's mind before he.... killed it. the army will come in two days and with morale down to zero, it was impossible for them to win.
But his concern now was his beloved teacher. He had taken the death of Shiva the hardest. There was nothing left of his tattered soul but sorrow and vengeance. Harry saw his eyes. It was the eyes of a person who had nothing to loose.
Silently he prayed for a miracle. For the professor and for all of them. He kissed Ginny's forehead and sighed in despair.
*** ***
"Professor Hart?" Hermione called as she looked at her teacher with much concern. Leon, since the attack, had been sitting in his room looking at Shiva's dead body, which he carried and laid in his bed. It was disturbing but she felt it was warranted. Harry told her about his talks about regrets and now he might be reliving it.
"She's so beautiful when she's asleep," Leon said as he caressed Shiva's face with the back of his hand. "She's really tired. She needed her rest."
Deep inside, Hermione wanted to cry. She wanted to cry out that Shiva was dead but she didn't have the courage. No one should bear to be alone. Leon did and it was eating him inside.
"Ashes to ashes, Dust to dust," she said softly, remembering the phrases in a funeral. Leon frowned and looked at her.
"What did you say?" At first, Hermione was afraid but when she saw the life returning into his eyes, she relaxed... a bit.
"Ashes to Ashes, Dust to dust," she repeated. Then she saw it in his face. Determination. A reason to live.
"Dust," he said as he got up, finally leaving the body of his beloved. "Where's the Pride?" he asked. Hermione pointed to the tome that she left on his desk. Opening it she shifted through the pages. When he finally found the page he was looking for, he smiled in triumph.
"Soil," he said. Hermione was puzzled but the professor's smile was both comforting and scary at the same time. Looking at her, he pointed to a passage in the tome that she read. Finally understanding, Hermione looked at him with the same smile of triumph he had.
"Can we do it?" she asked.
"We have all the conditions and the equipment, why not? What do we have to lose?"
Looking at him, Hermione sighed.
"Let's get started."
End of 21