Author's note: I just wanted to thank all the wonderful people who reviewed: I swear I never got so many reviews for a story!
A special "thank you" to my wonderful beta-reader Daughter of Olorin, for all the her work. THX!
And now, let's start with the last act…
The man ended here his tale, but it wasn't enough to me.
So Draco became a ghost. But that girl…Victoria Cross…what happened to her? I asked hesitantly, fearing his answer.
The old man's gaze was lost far away. She left this world long ago.
Oh.
I lowered my eyes on my hydromel. Listening to his story had been incredible. Through his words I had almost lived that story…It was like hearing it from someone who had lived it personally. Who could he be? Not a simple schoolmate of the protagonists, but one of them.
Does he often play tricks like that to the travelers? I asked, remembering how scared I had been.
The man shrugged his shoulders. No, not very often. Truth to be told, he doesn't go around very much. He's a quiet ghost, he prefers to stay alone.
Then why…
He answered my question before I could finish it. Even ghosts needs company, sometimes.
I see… I murmured.
My eyes fell on my watch. O mon Dieu! It's really late! I got up and started to put on my coat Thank you for telling me this story.
He cast me a half-smile. Thank you for listening.
I paid for my drink and we left the pub together.
Do you need a lift? I asked him.
No, thank you. You've already done a lot. Another half-smile and he started to go away. He turned around one last time to wave slightly at me. His eyes sparkled in the light coming from the pub. Gray blue-veined eyes, like two pools of liquid mercury. He couldn't…could he? I stood there frozen, watching him as he walked away in the dark.
He entered the circle of light thrown by a streetlamp and I startled: he wasn't an old man, but a blonde sixteen boy. He waved at me one last time and then he left, swallowed by the shadows he belonged to. I stayed there, stunned, unable to return both the wave and the distant smile. I don't know how long I stood there, staring at the circle, maybe expecting him to reappear suddenly. The church clock struck the hours and the bells' ring reached me, awaking me. I got in the car and drove away, but I couldn't stop thinking about the story he had told me. His story. Suddenly, I realized that nobody knew that story, nobody else but me. Its protagonists and occasional extras had died long ago or they had gone missing in the windings of life and probably they wouldn't be so anxious to divulge it. I wondered if this was the reason why Draco had come to me -- so I'd tell his story. I thought a lot about this. Finally, I decided I'd tell the rest of the world his story. So I did, and this is nothing but the truth.
Josephine Carol Rowland.
Final author's note: Well, my friend, this is the end… More or less. There will be a sequel about Victoria coming out soon.
Thank you again for reading and reviewing.
See you soon.
Lilya