Chapter Fourteen: Too Soon to Say Goodbye

A/N: Thanks for the reviews, everyone! This is a sad chapter, especially for one of the main characters. Maybe you can guess what happens from reading the chapter title. Things will be announced; one good, the other bad. Just read to find out what happens. ^_^

Disclaimer: I only own da plot…yo.

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Her delicate whispering trickled softly into his ear. Harry carefully held her small, soft hand as they ran off into the distance. They both grinned at each other, laughing brightly. They went to the top of the green hill, running as fast as they could. They both sat down on a grassy patch and looked deep into each other's eyes. Harry noticed that she had deep, pooling light brown eyes. They were the most enticing things in the world. Harry couldn't help but stare into them. He could feel the warmth inside of his heart. He felt for this girl like he had for no other. He smiled warmly at her. In a split second, their lips met. Harry caught her in an intoxicating, passionate kiss. And in a few long moments, the kiss had ended.

The truth was, dare he say it: He was in love with this girl. Who was she? Where did she come from? Would he ever see her again? He was about to say something but she put a finger up to his mouth to silence him. He didn't mind in the least. He looked at her for a moment before kissing her forehead. Harry looked back at her and saw tears rushing down her delicate face. He was instantly confused, but somehow understood. She stared into his green eyes one last time before getting up. She looked at him and then started to run down the mountain. Again, Harry was confused. But this was what she had to do. Instinctively, Harry ran after her, running as fast as he could. The run down the hill seemed to take only a few mere seconds.

There was a steep cliff. She walked to the far edge of it. She knew that Harry had run after her. She looked back at him. She mouthed the words 'I love you' to him. He looked at her desperately. He needed her. He needed her to be with him forever. In a short moment, she fell off the cliff. Harry didn't dare look down the cliff. Somehow, he knew she would be safe. That she would be okay.

Harry awoke from this dream, sweat pouring down his forehead. He had this dream the night before. Who was this girl…the girl that seemed to captivate him? The girl who loved him for him? The girl who was only in his dreams…? Harry looked out of the partially curtain-covered window, sitting up in his bed. The sun peaked through the cracks, dimly lighting the fifth year boys' dormitory. Harry looked over to his bed-stand and took his glasses and put them on. The thing you would last expect from Harry was a committed relationship. He was known for being with a lot of girls and dumping them soon after. Harry considered himself and Devon just friends. He didn't consider them a couple and she shouldn't have either. It was completely and utterly platonic and friendly. Nothing more than that. Or so he hoped.

Two nights ago, he had collected all of the letters he had received over the summer and re-read them. He noticed one particular one that had come from Sirius. He had written that Dumbledore had told him that Fleur Delacour would be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. This was obviously false, seeing as Wood had turned out to be their teacher. Harry had sent him a letter, telling him this. The next night, Sirius had written back, apologizing for misleading Harry. It turned out that Delacour had gotten a job as a curse breaker for Gringotts Wizarding Bank. He would've chosen Fleur over Oliver any day.

Harry quickly got dressed, running a hand through his messy dark brown hair. He put a few books and his schedule into his book bag and walked out of the boys' dormitory. Harry walked down the stairs and into the commons. Much to his surprise, the common room was filled with people. It was usually quite empty during the morning. He saw the large group of people surrounding the bulletin board. He curiously walked over to the bulletin board, an eyebrow raised. A large, bright poster was pinned up. Harry read:

All classes at Hogwarts will be postponed until further noticed. Please remember to travel in groups of two but no more than five.

He looked around for anything else that the poster might say but that was all that was written on it. He had completely forgotten that rule about traveling in groups but it seemed as if the rest of the school had as well. Harry highly doubted that someone would just come out and jump on him if he was walking along an empty corridor.

Harry felt somebody tap his shoulder. He turned around and saw Saffron and Lillie before him. They looked just as confused as he did, and that was saying something.

"What's that all about?" Lillie said, confusion in her voice. Harry shrugged his shoulders. He was just as clueless as she was.

"I wonder why classes are being postponed," Saffron said, her eyes on the bright poster. "There has to be a pretty good reason, wouldn't you say?" Harry simply nodded his head. The three walked from the group of people, who were making a huge buzz in the Slytherin common room. After a few moments, Draco and Tristan emerged from the boys' dormitory, both looking extremely tired. Tristan headed over to the bulletin board while Draco walked over to the group of three.

"What's happening?" Draco said thickly, peering over at the large group of people. Saffron glanced at him for a moment before looking away. Draco's eyes stayed on Harry.

"Classes have been postponed..." Harry replied, his voice drifting off slightly. Draco looked confused. He raised both of his eyebrows, blinking a few times.

"Why?" Draco said, letting out a small yawn. He had somehow managed to slick his hair back with gel, making his hair look perfect styled. Harry shrugged again, sighing. He really wanted to know what had happened.

"Let's just…let's just get to breakfast," Lillie said finally, after a few awkward moments of silence. They all nodded and walked out of the common room. The group walked to the Great Hall, heading for the Slytherin table. Sounds of conversation were much louder in the Great Hall than in the Slytherin commons. Everyone seemed to be just as confused as everyone else. Harry noticed that Dumbledore was looking particularly grave.

Harry took only an apple and nothing else. He was filled with curiosity, wondering what had happened. Why had classes been postponed? What horrible thing had happened at the beginning of the year? Harry took a bite of his apple, his eyes staying on Dumbledore.

In a matter of minutes, the Great Hall was completely filled up. Much to his liking, Dumbledore finally stood up, as if he was going to give a speech. The whole school would finally know what had happened. They would finally be told everything…

"May I have your attention, please?" Dumbledore said loudly, but calmly. Everyone in the Great Hall immediately stopped talking, directing their attention to Dumbledore.

"By now, I'm sure you are all curious as to why all of these safety precautions have been established," Dumbledore said, looking out in them all. "The reason was not put onto those posters this morning because I wished to be the person who told you all."

"The truth is, as I have said before, something horrible has happened. Over the past summer, people have been murdered mercilessly by Lord Voldemort. Some of you might even have had a friend or relative who was murdered over the summer and now, you might know why."

"Five people, people who are closely connected with students here at Hogwarts, were murdered last night," Dumbledore continued, in a loud, grave tone. There were gasps and outbreaks of conversation all over the Great Hall. Dumbledore raised his hand to silence him. The hall became silent once again.

"Much to my dislike, I will be the one who will tell you all which persons have passed away. Christopher Radan was one of those five who passed away last night." Harry looked over at Saffron helplessly. Her eyes were wide, staring right at Dumbledore.

"I'm so sorry, Saffron," Lillie whispered to her. Tears started trickling down her cheeks as she lowered her head to the table. Her arms cradled around her head. Draco looked over to Saffron. He felt so bad for her. He knew how she felt, even if he hadn't experienced that pain before.

From across the hall, Ron Weasley had turned so that his eyes landed on Saffron. He could see her crying, which made his heart drop. He couldn't stand to see the tears falling down her face. Everyone in the Great Hall was looking over at Saffron but she paid no attention. None at all.

"Amanda O'Flaherty was the second of that group of five to have passed away last night," Dumbledore continued.

"Tha-That's me aunt," Seamus Finnagin said hollowly, his eyes wide and glassy. "Me mam's sister." Hermione looked over at Seamus, a concerned look on her face.

"I'm so sorry, Seamus," Hermione said in a hushed voice. A frown appeared on her face as she awkwardly patted his back, as he was sitting next to her at the Gryffindor table. Ron, Dean, and Neville frowned, looking over at Seamus.

"Brian Macmillan also passed away last night, at the hands of the Dark Lord," Dumbledore said, continuing on with the list. A loudly audible gasp could be heard from Ernie Macmillan at the Hufflepuff table. Susan Bones and Hannah Abbot could be seen comforting him.

Sobs could he heard from Saffron at the Slytherin table. She had kept her emotions hidden so many times before that she had finally cracked. She had spent years trying to bottle everything up so no one would ever see her get emotional. She didn't care anymore. She just didn't. Her dad had died. How would she ever get over this? She didn't know if she ever would…

"Nathan Corner was one of the five that was murdered last night," Dumbledore said, his eyes still looking over the students. "And, lastly, Leila Boot was the last of the five murdered last night."

"These five people were all murdered for one reason," Dumbledore said. "They all knew something that was vital to Voldemort's plan."

"Classes have been postponed for reasons you might know by now," Dumbledore said. "The deaths of those five people have affected five students at this school greatly. They will now have enough on their mind to worry even more about classes and assignments."

"Before the beginning of term, two people from the Ministry were murdered," Dumbledore said, pausing for a moment. "These people worked in the Department of Mysteries. It is not yet known why these Unspeakables were murdered. But, the Ministry and others are hard at work to find out why."

"My deepest sympathies to those who lost a loved one last night. Please always remember Christopher Radan, Nathan Corner, Amanda O'Flaherty, Brian Macmillan, and Leila Boot, for they were good people who just happened to hold information that was valuable to Lord Voldemort. Remember them with all of your heart and soul."

"Remember them."

***

Saffron sat under the large apple tree by the lake. So many thoughts and emotions were going through her mind. The sorrow she felt was incomparable. She felt so alone, so helpless. She missed her father so much. She had never lost a loved one before. She hadn't known what it felt like until this moment.

"Why did this have to happen?" Saffron said softly through the tears rushing down from her eyes. The person she most wanted to talk to at this moment was Draco. He had helped her through so many tough, horrible moments before. Why wasn't he here? Helping her get through this? When she needed him most, he wasn't there. Saffron was so stricken with sadness and frustration. Why did her dad have to die? Why did You-Know-Who have to murder him?

Saffron buried her face in her hands, letting the tears fall freely. She didn't want to be alone. She wanted someone to be there for her. Whenever she was down, her dad had helped her become happy again. He had always tried to make her smile and laugh. She really missed that. Saffron was filled with pain. She felt horrible.

"Uh...Saffron?" said a voice from above her. It was Draco! It just had to be. But it wasn't his voice. The voice belonged to someone else. That someone else was Ron Weasley. Saffron didn't realize that it wasn't Draco though. All she could hear was Draco's voice in her head. She looked up, her eyes blinded with tears.

"Why?" Saffron said, through her sobs. "Why did he have to kill my dad? It's just not fair..." There was a silence, broken by Saffron's crying. Ron awkwardly patted her back, crouching down next to her. He felt horrible, hearing the news about Saffron's dad. Seamus's aunt had been murdered by You-Know-Who as well. Saffron closed her eyes, stifling the tears. Ron merely looked at her, a frown on his face. He wanted to make her feel better. But how could he do that?

"It's too soon to say goodbye," Saffron whispered.

Still thinking that she was talking to Draco, Saffron continued.

"You've always been there for me through thick and thin," Saffron said, wiping away her tears. "Whenever I needed someone to talk to, you were always there." Ron was confused. He hadn't helped her through anything before. Maybe she thought she was talking to her dad or something. Ron didn't care about that though.

"I'm so sorry that we fought," Saffron said, sobbing loudly again. She looked up through blinding tears.

"It's, uh, OK?" Ron said, in a confused voice. He had to take advantage of this moment. He slowly, and awkwardly, wrapped his arms around Saffron, hugging her. Saffron felt so good in what she thought was Draco's embrace.

Draco walked out of the Hogwarts castle, prepared to go search for Saffron. He wanted to help her through this time. He had helped her so many times before; this time would be no different. Draco looked around and finally saw Saffron…in the arms of someone else. A bemused look appeared on his face. She was hugging someone. A certain red-haired someone. Draco's jaw dropped. She was in the arms of Weasley! He walked closer to the couple. She was crying onto Weasley's shoulder. What the hell was she doing with Weasley?!

Before she knew what she was doing, Saffron tilted her head up, her lips landing on Ron's. Ron was immediately taken by surprise. But he didn't fight it. Draco watched them, his mouth gaping open even bigger. Without a thought, he walked away. After a few moments, they stopped kissing. Saffron wiped the last of her tears.

"Thanks so much, Draco," Saffron said, smiling weakly. Ron's eyes widened, She had thought he was Malfoy the whole time!

"I'm not Draco…I'm Ron…Ron Weasley," Ron said slowly. Saffron looked up and finally saw the clear image of Ron Weasley with his arms around her. Saffron looked so surprised. She immediately shoved his arms of her. She quickly got up and ran away from him. Poor Ron was left there, on the ground, dazed and confused.

***

Had it just been him or had Saffron hugging and kissing Weasley? Draco stood in the middle of an empty corridor, thoughts rushing through his mind. This was absolutely chaotic. No, this couldn't have happened. Saffron would never have even touched Weasley, if she were in her right mind. Maybe she didn't know that she was in the arms of Weasel. Maybe she thought that he was someone else…

Like me…Was it possible that Saffron had mistaken Ron for Draco? She had never known signs of liking Weasley, or any of the Gryffindors, in the least. This was why he was confused. Draco bit his bottom lip, chewing on it slightly. He started walking, quickening his pace. He walked out of the dark, windowless corridor and walked down a long staircase. The staircase led to another corridor that was lit with candles. He sighed impatiently. He didn't know where he was going. Even after four long years at Hogwarts, he still didn't know his whole way around the castle.

He heard someone humming. Then, he heard the same person begin to sing. From the moment the first word escaped from the person's mouth, Draco knew that it was a girl. He couldn't see her though. And, judging by the way that she was singing so freely, she couldn't see him either.

So I'm a little left of center

I'm a little out of tune

Some say I'm paranormal

So I just bend their spoon

You get me

When nobody understands

You come and take my hand, baby…

Draco listened to the girl sing, not making a sound. He didn't want her to stop singing. She has a beautiful voice…like an angel, he thought. Please don't stop…Draco listened patiently, standing still. He peeked around the empty corridor and saw the girl's head. She had straight, slightly wavy brown hair that cascaded down below her shoulders. He didn't recognize the head of hair. Desperately wanting to know who the girl was, Draco walked slowly, approaching the girl. He lightly tapped her shoulder. The girl jumped, immediately turning around.

It was Granger.

Surprised looks appeared on both of their faces. Draco looked immediately disgusted. He had touched a shoulder of a Mudblood; Granger, no less. A nasty look overtook the surprised look that was on his face. How could Granger have such a beautiful singing voice?

"What the hell?" Draco said almost immediately, his eyes narrowed at the girl. "What do you think you're doing here? Singing in the corridors?"

"Well, I wanted some privacy," Hermione said scathingly, her eyes narrowed at the Slytherin. They remained for a moment, glaring at each other. Hermione's light brown eyes pierced Draco's cold silver ones. "And it's nothing to you if I enjoy singing, Malferret." Draco gave Hermione a nasty look. How could such a beautiful singing voice come from the mouth of a filthy little Mudblood?

"Don't fuck with me, Mudblood," Draco snarled, his intense silver eyes in slits. Hermione looked slightly offended. Looking away for a moment, her head jerked back to Draco. With one last piercing glare, Hermione lifted her hand up and slapped Draco across the face, much like she had done in her third year. A wide, pink mark was imprinted onto Draco's face. Hermione huffily walked away from Draco and out of the corridor.

"Bitch!" Draco muttered under his breath. Draco quickly walked out of the corridor, his robes swaying along his legs.

***

Harry had spent all of the time after breakfast in the Slytherin common room and the fifth year boys' dormitory. He didn't leave the two areas until it was time for lunch. He had absolutely nothing to do. He knew how horrible Saffron was probably feeling. After all, he had lost his father and mother. At least Saffron had gotten the time to get to know her father. Things were different with Harry. He hadn't gotten to know his parents at all.

Harry, clad in his black school robes, walked out of the commons. He walked past the different rooms of the dark, eerie dungeons. He reached the staircase that led to the ground floor and walked up them. Walking past the entrance hall, Harry soon reached the magnificent Great Hall. He walked past the Ravenclaw table and the Hufflepuff table before reaching the Slytherin table. Saffron wasn't there. Lillie wasn't there. Draco wasn't there. No one was there…

Except Devon.

She was sitting alone, poking at her turkey sandwich with a silver fork. The most solemn of looks was on her usually bright, smiling face. She picked up her heavily mutilated sandwich with her hands and took a small bite. Her crystal blue eyes looked up, landing on Harry. Her expression remained unchanged. With a deep breath, Harry sat down across from her.

"Hey," Harry said simply, taking a bacon sandwich from one of the plates of sandwiches. He took a large bite. Perhaps it would prevent him from talking. Harry had nothing to say. And from the looks of it, neither did Devon. She merely looked at him sadly, her eyes blank. After a few minutes of silence, Devon finally spoke.

"Did you ever feel like your world was ending?" Devon said, looking straight through him. "Did you ever feel so depressed that you felt like taking your life?" Harry stared at her blankly. Was she talking about committing suicide? Why would she do that? She was always perfectly happy. Harry took another big bite of his bacon sandwich. He didn't know how to respond that. So, he didn't say anything. He merely looked at her through his glasses and slowly shook his head. She was acting weird. There was no doubt about that.

She looked at him for the longest moment and then looked away. She got up from her seat and quickly walked out of the Great Hall. Harry watched as she did this, not bothering to stop her. He ate his bacon sandwich, without a single sound. Harry gulped down half of his glass of pumpkin juice. He had been hungry before he had starting eating. But now that he had eaten, he felt even emptier inside…

Harry waited a few moments after eating, looking around for his friends. He would've even settled for Crabbe. But no one was there…no one came to eat at the Slytherin table. Harry decided to wait no longer. He rose from his seat and left the Great Hall.

***

Ron fell back into one of the large red armchairs in the Gryffindor common room. He had just come back the enormous tree by the lake. Saffron had mistaken him for Malfoy. He didn't know she could've though…they weren't anything alike. Everything from their voices to their smiles were different. But then again, she had been sobbing pretty loudly, crying her eyes out. That might've distorted her hearing and vision…

His mind was busily bustling with thoughts. She had freaked out when he had told her that he was Ron, not Malfoy. He remembered it like it just happened. But, technically, it just had. It made his stomach twist and turn just knowing that the girl he had liked for two years liked someone else…and that someone else was his enemy.

Just then, Ron remembered something that Saffron had said while they were both by the lake. It described how he was feeling at that exact moment.

"It's too soon to say goodbye…"

***

A/N: So, how was the chapter? Good, bad, horrible? Excellent? Please tell me by reviewing! ^_^