CHAPTER NINETEEN
"What do you mean we're going tomorrow?" Draco yelled, close to hysteria.
"Exactly what you heard Draco! We are leaving for the ministry tomorrow. We're ready, and we can't hold it off much longer."
"But... but..."
"But what?" Lara snapped. Harry, from his seat on the opposite couch to her, sighed deeply. He had fully recovered from the training accident a week before, and was healthier than he had ever been. Of course, the problem was, with his rapid healing process and Draco's mastering of Energy Magic, the date for their confrontation with Voldemort was moving closer.
"I'm... I'm not ready!" The blonde whined.
"We're as ready as we ever will be Draco! If it's not tomorrow than when? We have to fight him sometime!"
"I know... but I'm scared."
"Of course you're scared! So am I! So is Harry!"
"Well I'm not like you! I don't go off fighting battles and defeating evil every other weekend!" Draco yelled, standing up from the couch he had been sitting in.
"It's not like that Draco! We're not more prepared than you are or anything like that. Me and Harry are still just as scared, but we're going out there anyway!" Lara had stood up from her chair by now, and was facing Draco.
"We're going out there and fighting, because I don't know about you, but I won't be able to live with myself if I stayed behind with the knowledge that I could've done something but passed up the chance." Lara said, breathing heavily because of the emotional drain the speech had caused her.
Draco's tensed shoulders relaxed as her words washed over him, comforting him in a strange sort of way.
Here, in front of him, was Lara. But not the girl he had known, not the girl he had dated. No, in front of him now was the girl Voldemort had learnt to fear; and with her dark eyes the very picture of hope and her strong shoulders set in determination, it was not hard to see why.
***************
Draco left his final training session with Lara just as lunch was finished. They had finished early to give their bodies more time to relax and recooperate for the following day.
As he made his way out of their rooms, Draco's pace quickened as he headed towards the great hall. He had to catch Ginny, before she left for her next class. He needed to see her, to hold her, because it might just be the last time he could.
As Draco approached the entrance to the hall, he saw the same old bunch of Gryffindors burst from the doors, Ginny Weasley amongst them.
"Gin." He cried out to her amongst the babble of his fellow students. The red head turned at the sound of her name and spotted Draco coming towards her. Immediately, her eyes brightened and a smile invaded her face.
"Draco." She said happily, placing a quick peck on his check as he reached her.
"What class have you got next?" He asked her as they walked away from the Great Hall. Ginny pulled a face.
"Potions." She said wearily.
"Good, so you won't mind missing it then?"
"Why would I be missing it?" Ginny asked curiously as she let Draco steer her away from the passage to Gryffindor Tower, instead leading her towards the stone steps that connected to the Hogwarts Grounds.
"Because I want to spend the day with you." He said simply as he descended the steps and led her across the lawn.
"It's the weekend in two days. You can spend Saturday and Sunday with me then." Ginny said, grinning at her enthusiastic boyfriend as she tried to pull Draco back towards the castle.
"I might not be here then." Draco said softly. At those words, Ginny stopped in her tracks. Draco stopped with her, turning to face the red head.
"What do you mean Draco? Why won't you be here?"
"We're leaving tomorrow." The blonde said softly. And despite the vague nature of his words, Ginny understood exactly what he meant.
"So soon? But......... but you're not ready, you haven't finished training yet have you? And Harry... he hasn't recovered." Ginny said desperatedly.
"He has, and Lara says I'm ready."
"But... but I'm not ready to see you go." Ginny said weakly as tears began to well up in her eyes. Normally she would've fought to keep them back, but the situation was just too out of her control for her to bother.
"Gin, I know. I don't wanna go. But I have to. This is something bigger than you or me, this is about good and evil. I can't turn my back on it, not now." Draco said, averting his eyes slightly so Ginny wouldn't see the tears welling up in his own eyes.
*Malfoy's don't cry.* He thought furiously. Silently, Ginny reached out and took hold of her boyfriends hand, steering him away from the castle and towards the infamous tree beside the lake.
"Sit with me." She said simply as she sat herself down gently by the roots of the great tree. Draco sat himself down behind her, spreading his legs out so that Ginny could sit between them. Snuggling closer to her boyfriend, Ginny let more tears fall as he placed an arm around her waist and held her protectively.
"I don't think I'll ever be able to get up from here." Draco commented after a few minutes of peaceful silence.
"Then don't." Ginny said simply.
"You know as well as I do that I have to."
"Why can't Dumbledore go, he's more powerful than all three of you."
"The prophecy Gin." Draco said wearily, hating it now more than he thought it possible to hate anything.
"Screw the prophecy!" Ginny yelled out, a fresh wave of tears overcoming her.
"But what if it's right Gin? What if I have the chance, along with Harry and Lara, to save everyone from Him?" The girl in his arms chose not to reply, instead snuggling closer to her boyfriend, as if afraid he might suddenly dissapear.
"Just be careful will you?"
"I have you to come back to. Of course I'll be careful."
**************
"Why did we finish so early today? I would've thought you'd use these last hours to train like crazy." Harry said as he sat curled up in the couch, immersed in a book of hexes and defenses.
"Well it was partly because of what I said to you before, we need to preserve our energy. But I also wanted to give Draco a bit of time with Ginny before he goes."
"We're coming back you know." Harry said, looking up from his book.
"I know we are. But just... just in case." Lara said, wincing at the finality of those words.
"Well what about us? Don't we get to spend the afternoon with our loved ones?" Harry asked.
"Of course we do. I've invited everyone over to our dorm tonight."
"Who's everyone?"
"Draco, Ginny, Hermione, Ron, and I asked Dad but he's off on ministry business. Said he'd drop by for a few minutes though."
"Yeah I know, I sent him a letter."
"Same."
"We don't need to do all this. We're coming back." Harry said.
"But if....if we don't, then I want to make sure. I want to make sure everyone I love knows it." Harry nodded in understanding, a comfortable silence settling over them.
The silence was shattered a few minutes later by a loud pop and the sudden appearance of Sirius in the middle of the fire.
"Hello." He said cheerfully, stepping out of the fire and brushing off his cloak.
"Floo Powder?" Lara asked questioningly as her father swept her up in a massive hug, spinning her around the room before depositing her gently back on the ground.
"Yep, Dumbledore told me your address. Mind you it wasn't easy, I've come all the way from Nigeria."
"What on earth were you doing in Nigeria?" Harry asked, rising from his seat and embracing his Godfather in a manly hug.
"Ministry business." Sirius said simply, obviously indicating he couldn't say anything else on the matter.
"So you're cleared now?" Lara asked hopefully.
"Completely. Which means when this is all over, we'll hire a flat in london. All three of us." Sirius said, bouncing happily on the soles of his feet.
"What?" Harry asked, the proposal obviously news to him.
"Sorry I didn't tell you Harry." Lara said sheepishly. "But at the time I didn't like you, and the idea wasn't particularly appealing."
"She was trying to convince me to rethink the idea." Sirius said. Lara glared at her father. Harry, however, was glaring at Lara.
"You really are rotten."
"Oh please, as if you wouldn't have done the same if our roles were reversed." Harry stayed silent at this, obviously thinking what he *would* have done in that situation. His continued silence made it obvious Lara's comment was right. "Thought so." She said, grinning.
"Well." Sirius said, clapping his hand's together. "I'm glad you two are finally getting along."
"Mind you it took a while." Harry said as he collapsed back onto the couch. Sirius sat next to him, and Lara plopped herself down on her father's lap.
"You're getting to old for this." He said, holding her close in an affectionate hug.
"I'll never be too old for this." She replied huffily. Sirius chuckled at his daughter but didn't dwell on her comment.
"So I've heard about what you're doing tomorrow. It's why you asked me to visit isn't it?"
"Of course it is."
"You're coming back guys."
"That's what I keep saying." Harry said, giving Lara a pointed look.
"But what if we don't?" Lara said softly, sighing deeply.
"You will. Mind you I'm still not liking this."
"Like we are." Harry said grumpily as he scooted across the couch, giving room for Lara to get off her fathers lap and sit on the other side of him, putting Sirius in the middle.
"I fought Dumbledore on it. It's ridiculous what he's making you do, all because of some stupid prophecy."
"Well what if it's right?"
"I know I know, you could save the world. But it's just a bunch of words. And he's risking two of the best kids in the world because of it."
"Three." Lara corrected.
"Huh?"
"Draco's coming too."
"The Malfoy Kid? You trust him?"
"She does." Harry said.
"Of course I do. He's risking his life as well."
"Good riddance to bad rubbish." Sirius said shrewdly.
"Dad! He's not like that!" Lara cried, defending her ex-boyfriend and current friend.
"Oh yeah, I forgot you dated him for a while didn't you?"
"Yes, I did."
"Okay okay, if you say he's trustworthy than I believe you." Sirius said, holding his hands up in mock surrender.
"Good."
"So have the two boys completed all their training?" He asked Lara.
"All of it. I made sure."
"Do you think your power's combined will be enough to bring him down?"
"I'd like to think so, but I really don't know. The power coming off Him once he'd extracted the demon's power, it was incredible. I've never felt anything like it." Lara said, shuddering at the thought.
"Yeah, it was an ingenious plan. It's been attempted before, but I don't think anyone's actually pulled it off." Sirius said thoughtfully.
"Why?" Harry asked.
"They could never kill the demon."
"But I did." Lara growled, cursing herself for her stupidity.
"Don't kick yourself up over it, there's no way you could've known."
"But I should've realized what he was doing, I could've stopped the full transfer of power."
"It's done now. Don't dwell on it. Just focus on tomorrow and getting yourselves back home in one piece." Lara nodded as she leaned against her father, hugging him tightly. Harry repeated the action on his Godfather's other side.
"You two can be the most mature teenagers I've ever met, but sometimes you act just like two years old." Sirius said, smiling slightly as he put his arms around his daughter and godson.
"That's the beauty of this age. You can be either." Lara said, grinning into her father's chest. She felt rather than heard Harry chuckle from Sirius' other side.
**************************************************************
"How long are you staying?" Harry asked after a few minutes of silence.
"I have to go soon. Acutally..." Sirius said, removing his arm from around Lara and checking his watch. "I have to go now." Groans from the two teenagers in his arms suggested that they didn't want him to leave.
"Don't go." Lara whined, holding on tightly to her father.
"I have to sweetheart." He said softly. "The other aurors are expecting me."
"So you're officialy an auror now?" Harry asked, reluctantly letting go of his godfather as Sirius made to stand up.
"Yep, I finished my training just after I was cleared and I'm now one of the top aurors in the ministry." He said, rising from the chair and making his way over to the fire place.
"Goodbye." Lara said softly, getting up from the couch and joining her father by the fireplace.
"Goodbye hunny." Her father said softly, embracing her. Harry got up and joined his godfather next to the fire place, also receiving a warm embrace.
"Goodbye Harry." Sirius said, smiling at the two teenagers before reaching inside his pocket and sprinkling it's contents over the fire.
"I will see the both of you very soon. Good luck." He said as he stepped into the now green fire and yelled out his destination. In a huge whoosh the fire rose up to meet him, engulfing his body. Seconds later, Sirius was gone.
And it was then that the whole situation just got too much for Lara. Her body, which had suffered a lot of strain over the past weeks, finally gave way and she collapsed onto the floor. The tears she had been holding back finally gave way, until they were streaming in torrents down her face.
"I can't do this." She cried out between sobs.
"Yes, you can. And you will." Harry said, reaching down and picking Lara up. Struggling, he carried her across to the couch before dropping her rather ungracefully on it.
"Oh Harry!" She cried out, reaching out and hugging him tightly.
"Y....yes?" Harry gasped, his air supply cut off by Lara's iron hold.
"Oh, sorry." She sniffed, letting go.
"It's alright." Harry said, massaging his neck slightly. "Now listen to me. Whatever happens tomorrow, I'm with you to the end. And I'm pretty sure Malfoy is too."
"If something happens to me, I want you to get the hell out of there." Lara said said, her sobbing halting breifly as she stared at Harry determindly.
"I can't give you a promise I don't intend to keep." Harry said softly, before getting up from the couch and making his way to his room.
Suddenly, the door burst open, halting Harry's path to his room.
"We're here!" Draco yelled in a sing song voice, entering the common room with one arm around Ginny. Hermione and Ron followed seconds later, his arm also around her.
"Looks like something out of Days of Our Lives doesn't it?" Harry said, grinning. Lara laughed, familiar with muggle terms after having spent the first years of her life in an orphanage.
"Shut up." Hermione said huffily, although not moving away from Ron's embrace. The others simply looked confused at the comment, obviously not understanding the muggle term.
"So who's got the booze?" Draco said cheekily as he sat down on one of the smaller couches, Ginny making herself comfortable on his lap.
"Har har." Hermione said sarcastically as she took the other couch, Ron sitting on the floor by her legs. Her hands intinctively went to his hair, enjoying the feel of it's smooth texture.
Harry headed back towards the couch, postponing his intended visit to his room. He sat on one edge as Lara stretched out, putting her head in his lap (much like he had done to her not long ago.) Harry then began to stroke Lara's brown curls, watching them spring back as he pulled lightly at them.
At this gesture, Draco and Hermione snickered, knowing the real reason behind it. Lara gave them both a pointed glare but decided not to dwell on it.
"So, I don't know about you but I don't feel like talking about Voldemort, death, battles or anything remotely sinister. How about we talk about Quidditch?" Harry said, smiling. The girls groaned at this.
"Please no." Hermione said painfully. Lara laughed at Harry's attempts at lightening the situation, not ignoring the fact that is was working.
"How about we talk about... the Yule Ball?" Ginny said, getting another groan out of the boys.
"No seriously..." Harry said. "Who is everyone taking?"
"Isn't it obvious Potter?" Draco asked, motioning to the red head in his lap and then over at Hermione and Ron.
"Just checking." The dark haired Gryffindor said. "For all I know you could've asked someone else."
"Sometimes you're too thick for your own good Potter." The blonde retorted. Harry was about to open his mouth and retaliate when a pinch from Lara shut him up.
"Fine." He said huffily as he began to trace the lines of Lara's face.
"So who are you guys taking?" Hermione asked, grinning.
"Each other." Lara said simply.
"As friends." Harry added.
"Yeah."
"Oh I see." Draco said, snickering. It was at this point in which Ron finally cottoned on to exactly what Draco and Hermione were snickering about.
"Oh! I get it. You guys are laughing cause Harry's..." Hermione clamped her hand around her boyfriends mouth, shutting him up instantly.
"Sometimes Ron, you're really tactless." She said. The orange haired boy flushed a brilliant red as Hermione removed her hand. Lara was all but ready to get up and murder the couple on the couch, each (in her opinion) being as tactless as the other.
"Anways!" Lara yelled loudly, turning the conversation around quickly before it got out of hand. "Have you guys had dinner yet?" She asked.
"No." Ron replied. "Which reminds me, I'm starving. When's you're dinner going to get here?" He demanded.
"Soon."
"How soon?" The red head whined. At that moment, his plea was answered by the sudden appearance of food on the table in the centre of the couches.
"That soon."
**********************
"Are we staying the night here?" Hermione asked suddenly, after several hours of eating and chatting.
"Well you have to now, considering it's past curfew." Lara pointed out.
"Thought so, just checking." The bushy haired girl replied, living up to her fear of breaking school rules.
"Well we'd better be getting to be anyways."
"Who's we?" Draco asked shrewdly.
"You, me, Harry." Lara said simply. "I trust I don't need to tell you why."
"Fine. Where am I sleeping?"
"Anywhere you want. Just tell me and I'll magic up a bed."
"Can I sleep with Gin?" He asked enthusiatically, eyes lighting up. The red head next to him slapped him playfully on the arm.
"Sure you can, since Dumbledore placed a spell over the rooms to detect any sexual activity."
"That's an interesting spell, I wonder how you do that?" Hermione asked curiously, ignoring Draco's crest fallen face at this news and Ginnys sigh of relief.
"So, where are the happy couples sleeping?" Lara said brightly.
"The study's back there isn't it?" Draco asked, knowing the layout of the rooms due to prior visits.
"Yeah, you want me to turn it into a bed room?" Draco nodded as Lara headed across the common room the to the study. Standing at the doorway, she made a few gestures with her hand before returning to the couches.
"That was quick." Ginny said, obviously impressed.
"And Hermione, Ron?"
"Just turn the couch into a bed, it'll do." Hermione said, watching with fascination as the couch stretched out into a double bed after a few gestures from Lara.
"How do you do that?" She asked.
"When I come back, I'll teach you."
"You mean I can do all that wandless stuff too?"
"It's energy magic, what I've been teaching the boys." Lara said simply. Hermione face lit up at this, her sponge-like brain always eager to soak up a bit more information or one more skill.
"So yeah, goodnight I suppose." Lara said, suddenly feeling akwardly. After the lighthearted nature of this gathering, the real reason behind it suddenly came crashing down on her heart.
"We'll see you when we get back." Harry said, not entirely supressing the slight croak in his voice.
"What do you mean? We'll see you tomorrow before you leave!" Hermione said worriedly.
"Er....no you won't. We're leaving early."
"Then wake us up." Ginny said determindly.
"I'm...I'm sorry but we can't. I think I speak for all of us when I say we'd rather leave the farewells to tonight. I don't need another reason for me to stay tomorrow." Lara said softly. "And besides." She said, trying to sound cheerful. "It's not goodbye forever. It's just for now."
Suddenly, the atmosphere of the common room became oppresive. No one wanted to move, no one wanted to bring tomorrow any closer.
"I wish we could stay like this." Ginny said softly. "Just like this, forever and ever. And at times like this I wish there was no evil, only goodness and kindness. But then I remind myself that without suffering, there can be no compassion. Love and happiness are made all the more sweeter by the bitter taste of pain and death that can surround them." Ginny paused, tears streaming down her face. "And when it comes down to it," she continued, her voice hoarse with emtion, "I don't think I'd have it any other way."
Later that night, when they had all said their goodbyes and gone to their beds, her words could still be heard echoing around in their minds. It was not something they could easily forget, nor something they wanted to.
"What do you mean we're going tomorrow?" Draco yelled, close to hysteria.
"Exactly what you heard Draco! We are leaving for the ministry tomorrow. We're ready, and we can't hold it off much longer."
"But... but..."
"But what?" Lara snapped. Harry, from his seat on the opposite couch to her, sighed deeply. He had fully recovered from the training accident a week before, and was healthier than he had ever been. Of course, the problem was, with his rapid healing process and Draco's mastering of Energy Magic, the date for their confrontation with Voldemort was moving closer.
"I'm... I'm not ready!" The blonde whined.
"We're as ready as we ever will be Draco! If it's not tomorrow than when? We have to fight him sometime!"
"I know... but I'm scared."
"Of course you're scared! So am I! So is Harry!"
"Well I'm not like you! I don't go off fighting battles and defeating evil every other weekend!" Draco yelled, standing up from the couch he had been sitting in.
"It's not like that Draco! We're not more prepared than you are or anything like that. Me and Harry are still just as scared, but we're going out there anyway!" Lara had stood up from her chair by now, and was facing Draco.
"We're going out there and fighting, because I don't know about you, but I won't be able to live with myself if I stayed behind with the knowledge that I could've done something but passed up the chance." Lara said, breathing heavily because of the emotional drain the speech had caused her.
Draco's tensed shoulders relaxed as her words washed over him, comforting him in a strange sort of way.
Here, in front of him, was Lara. But not the girl he had known, not the girl he had dated. No, in front of him now was the girl Voldemort had learnt to fear; and with her dark eyes the very picture of hope and her strong shoulders set in determination, it was not hard to see why.
***************
Draco left his final training session with Lara just as lunch was finished. They had finished early to give their bodies more time to relax and recooperate for the following day.
As he made his way out of their rooms, Draco's pace quickened as he headed towards the great hall. He had to catch Ginny, before she left for her next class. He needed to see her, to hold her, because it might just be the last time he could.
As Draco approached the entrance to the hall, he saw the same old bunch of Gryffindors burst from the doors, Ginny Weasley amongst them.
"Gin." He cried out to her amongst the babble of his fellow students. The red head turned at the sound of her name and spotted Draco coming towards her. Immediately, her eyes brightened and a smile invaded her face.
"Draco." She said happily, placing a quick peck on his check as he reached her.
"What class have you got next?" He asked her as they walked away from the Great Hall. Ginny pulled a face.
"Potions." She said wearily.
"Good, so you won't mind missing it then?"
"Why would I be missing it?" Ginny asked curiously as she let Draco steer her away from the passage to Gryffindor Tower, instead leading her towards the stone steps that connected to the Hogwarts Grounds.
"Because I want to spend the day with you." He said simply as he descended the steps and led her across the lawn.
"It's the weekend in two days. You can spend Saturday and Sunday with me then." Ginny said, grinning at her enthusiastic boyfriend as she tried to pull Draco back towards the castle.
"I might not be here then." Draco said softly. At those words, Ginny stopped in her tracks. Draco stopped with her, turning to face the red head.
"What do you mean Draco? Why won't you be here?"
"We're leaving tomorrow." The blonde said softly. And despite the vague nature of his words, Ginny understood exactly what he meant.
"So soon? But......... but you're not ready, you haven't finished training yet have you? And Harry... he hasn't recovered." Ginny said desperatedly.
"He has, and Lara says I'm ready."
"But... but I'm not ready to see you go." Ginny said weakly as tears began to well up in her eyes. Normally she would've fought to keep them back, but the situation was just too out of her control for her to bother.
"Gin, I know. I don't wanna go. But I have to. This is something bigger than you or me, this is about good and evil. I can't turn my back on it, not now." Draco said, averting his eyes slightly so Ginny wouldn't see the tears welling up in his own eyes.
*Malfoy's don't cry.* He thought furiously. Silently, Ginny reached out and took hold of her boyfriends hand, steering him away from the castle and towards the infamous tree beside the lake.
"Sit with me." She said simply as she sat herself down gently by the roots of the great tree. Draco sat himself down behind her, spreading his legs out so that Ginny could sit between them. Snuggling closer to her boyfriend, Ginny let more tears fall as he placed an arm around her waist and held her protectively.
"I don't think I'll ever be able to get up from here." Draco commented after a few minutes of peaceful silence.
"Then don't." Ginny said simply.
"You know as well as I do that I have to."
"Why can't Dumbledore go, he's more powerful than all three of you."
"The prophecy Gin." Draco said wearily, hating it now more than he thought it possible to hate anything.
"Screw the prophecy!" Ginny yelled out, a fresh wave of tears overcoming her.
"But what if it's right Gin? What if I have the chance, along with Harry and Lara, to save everyone from Him?" The girl in his arms chose not to reply, instead snuggling closer to her boyfriend, as if afraid he might suddenly dissapear.
"Just be careful will you?"
"I have you to come back to. Of course I'll be careful."
**************
"Why did we finish so early today? I would've thought you'd use these last hours to train like crazy." Harry said as he sat curled up in the couch, immersed in a book of hexes and defenses.
"Well it was partly because of what I said to you before, we need to preserve our energy. But I also wanted to give Draco a bit of time with Ginny before he goes."
"We're coming back you know." Harry said, looking up from his book.
"I know we are. But just... just in case." Lara said, wincing at the finality of those words.
"Well what about us? Don't we get to spend the afternoon with our loved ones?" Harry asked.
"Of course we do. I've invited everyone over to our dorm tonight."
"Who's everyone?"
"Draco, Ginny, Hermione, Ron, and I asked Dad but he's off on ministry business. Said he'd drop by for a few minutes though."
"Yeah I know, I sent him a letter."
"Same."
"We don't need to do all this. We're coming back." Harry said.
"But if....if we don't, then I want to make sure. I want to make sure everyone I love knows it." Harry nodded in understanding, a comfortable silence settling over them.
The silence was shattered a few minutes later by a loud pop and the sudden appearance of Sirius in the middle of the fire.
"Hello." He said cheerfully, stepping out of the fire and brushing off his cloak.
"Floo Powder?" Lara asked questioningly as her father swept her up in a massive hug, spinning her around the room before depositing her gently back on the ground.
"Yep, Dumbledore told me your address. Mind you it wasn't easy, I've come all the way from Nigeria."
"What on earth were you doing in Nigeria?" Harry asked, rising from his seat and embracing his Godfather in a manly hug.
"Ministry business." Sirius said simply, obviously indicating he couldn't say anything else on the matter.
"So you're cleared now?" Lara asked hopefully.
"Completely. Which means when this is all over, we'll hire a flat in london. All three of us." Sirius said, bouncing happily on the soles of his feet.
"What?" Harry asked, the proposal obviously news to him.
"Sorry I didn't tell you Harry." Lara said sheepishly. "But at the time I didn't like you, and the idea wasn't particularly appealing."
"She was trying to convince me to rethink the idea." Sirius said. Lara glared at her father. Harry, however, was glaring at Lara.
"You really are rotten."
"Oh please, as if you wouldn't have done the same if our roles were reversed." Harry stayed silent at this, obviously thinking what he *would* have done in that situation. His continued silence made it obvious Lara's comment was right. "Thought so." She said, grinning.
"Well." Sirius said, clapping his hand's together. "I'm glad you two are finally getting along."
"Mind you it took a while." Harry said as he collapsed back onto the couch. Sirius sat next to him, and Lara plopped herself down on her father's lap.
"You're getting to old for this." He said, holding her close in an affectionate hug.
"I'll never be too old for this." She replied huffily. Sirius chuckled at his daughter but didn't dwell on her comment.
"So I've heard about what you're doing tomorrow. It's why you asked me to visit isn't it?"
"Of course it is."
"You're coming back guys."
"That's what I keep saying." Harry said, giving Lara a pointed look.
"But what if we don't?" Lara said softly, sighing deeply.
"You will. Mind you I'm still not liking this."
"Like we are." Harry said grumpily as he scooted across the couch, giving room for Lara to get off her fathers lap and sit on the other side of him, putting Sirius in the middle.
"I fought Dumbledore on it. It's ridiculous what he's making you do, all because of some stupid prophecy."
"Well what if it's right?"
"I know I know, you could save the world. But it's just a bunch of words. And he's risking two of the best kids in the world because of it."
"Three." Lara corrected.
"Huh?"
"Draco's coming too."
"The Malfoy Kid? You trust him?"
"She does." Harry said.
"Of course I do. He's risking his life as well."
"Good riddance to bad rubbish." Sirius said shrewdly.
"Dad! He's not like that!" Lara cried, defending her ex-boyfriend and current friend.
"Oh yeah, I forgot you dated him for a while didn't you?"
"Yes, I did."
"Okay okay, if you say he's trustworthy than I believe you." Sirius said, holding his hands up in mock surrender.
"Good."
"So have the two boys completed all their training?" He asked Lara.
"All of it. I made sure."
"Do you think your power's combined will be enough to bring him down?"
"I'd like to think so, but I really don't know. The power coming off Him once he'd extracted the demon's power, it was incredible. I've never felt anything like it." Lara said, shuddering at the thought.
"Yeah, it was an ingenious plan. It's been attempted before, but I don't think anyone's actually pulled it off." Sirius said thoughtfully.
"Why?" Harry asked.
"They could never kill the demon."
"But I did." Lara growled, cursing herself for her stupidity.
"Don't kick yourself up over it, there's no way you could've known."
"But I should've realized what he was doing, I could've stopped the full transfer of power."
"It's done now. Don't dwell on it. Just focus on tomorrow and getting yourselves back home in one piece." Lara nodded as she leaned against her father, hugging him tightly. Harry repeated the action on his Godfather's other side.
"You two can be the most mature teenagers I've ever met, but sometimes you act just like two years old." Sirius said, smiling slightly as he put his arms around his daughter and godson.
"That's the beauty of this age. You can be either." Lara said, grinning into her father's chest. She felt rather than heard Harry chuckle from Sirius' other side.
**************************************************************
"How long are you staying?" Harry asked after a few minutes of silence.
"I have to go soon. Acutally..." Sirius said, removing his arm from around Lara and checking his watch. "I have to go now." Groans from the two teenagers in his arms suggested that they didn't want him to leave.
"Don't go." Lara whined, holding on tightly to her father.
"I have to sweetheart." He said softly. "The other aurors are expecting me."
"So you're officialy an auror now?" Harry asked, reluctantly letting go of his godfather as Sirius made to stand up.
"Yep, I finished my training just after I was cleared and I'm now one of the top aurors in the ministry." He said, rising from the chair and making his way over to the fire place.
"Goodbye." Lara said softly, getting up from the couch and joining her father by the fireplace.
"Goodbye hunny." Her father said softly, embracing her. Harry got up and joined his godfather next to the fire place, also receiving a warm embrace.
"Goodbye Harry." Sirius said, smiling at the two teenagers before reaching inside his pocket and sprinkling it's contents over the fire.
"I will see the both of you very soon. Good luck." He said as he stepped into the now green fire and yelled out his destination. In a huge whoosh the fire rose up to meet him, engulfing his body. Seconds later, Sirius was gone.
And it was then that the whole situation just got too much for Lara. Her body, which had suffered a lot of strain over the past weeks, finally gave way and she collapsed onto the floor. The tears she had been holding back finally gave way, until they were streaming in torrents down her face.
"I can't do this." She cried out between sobs.
"Yes, you can. And you will." Harry said, reaching down and picking Lara up. Struggling, he carried her across to the couch before dropping her rather ungracefully on it.
"Oh Harry!" She cried out, reaching out and hugging him tightly.
"Y....yes?" Harry gasped, his air supply cut off by Lara's iron hold.
"Oh, sorry." She sniffed, letting go.
"It's alright." Harry said, massaging his neck slightly. "Now listen to me. Whatever happens tomorrow, I'm with you to the end. And I'm pretty sure Malfoy is too."
"If something happens to me, I want you to get the hell out of there." Lara said said, her sobbing halting breifly as she stared at Harry determindly.
"I can't give you a promise I don't intend to keep." Harry said softly, before getting up from the couch and making his way to his room.
Suddenly, the door burst open, halting Harry's path to his room.
"We're here!" Draco yelled in a sing song voice, entering the common room with one arm around Ginny. Hermione and Ron followed seconds later, his arm also around her.
"Looks like something out of Days of Our Lives doesn't it?" Harry said, grinning. Lara laughed, familiar with muggle terms after having spent the first years of her life in an orphanage.
"Shut up." Hermione said huffily, although not moving away from Ron's embrace. The others simply looked confused at the comment, obviously not understanding the muggle term.
"So who's got the booze?" Draco said cheekily as he sat down on one of the smaller couches, Ginny making herself comfortable on his lap.
"Har har." Hermione said sarcastically as she took the other couch, Ron sitting on the floor by her legs. Her hands intinctively went to his hair, enjoying the feel of it's smooth texture.
Harry headed back towards the couch, postponing his intended visit to his room. He sat on one edge as Lara stretched out, putting her head in his lap (much like he had done to her not long ago.) Harry then began to stroke Lara's brown curls, watching them spring back as he pulled lightly at them.
At this gesture, Draco and Hermione snickered, knowing the real reason behind it. Lara gave them both a pointed glare but decided not to dwell on it.
"So, I don't know about you but I don't feel like talking about Voldemort, death, battles or anything remotely sinister. How about we talk about Quidditch?" Harry said, smiling. The girls groaned at this.
"Please no." Hermione said painfully. Lara laughed at Harry's attempts at lightening the situation, not ignoring the fact that is was working.
"How about we talk about... the Yule Ball?" Ginny said, getting another groan out of the boys.
"No seriously..." Harry said. "Who is everyone taking?"
"Isn't it obvious Potter?" Draco asked, motioning to the red head in his lap and then over at Hermione and Ron.
"Just checking." The dark haired Gryffindor said. "For all I know you could've asked someone else."
"Sometimes you're too thick for your own good Potter." The blonde retorted. Harry was about to open his mouth and retaliate when a pinch from Lara shut him up.
"Fine." He said huffily as he began to trace the lines of Lara's face.
"So who are you guys taking?" Hermione asked, grinning.
"Each other." Lara said simply.
"As friends." Harry added.
"Yeah."
"Oh I see." Draco said, snickering. It was at this point in which Ron finally cottoned on to exactly what Draco and Hermione were snickering about.
"Oh! I get it. You guys are laughing cause Harry's..." Hermione clamped her hand around her boyfriends mouth, shutting him up instantly.
"Sometimes Ron, you're really tactless." She said. The orange haired boy flushed a brilliant red as Hermione removed her hand. Lara was all but ready to get up and murder the couple on the couch, each (in her opinion) being as tactless as the other.
"Anways!" Lara yelled loudly, turning the conversation around quickly before it got out of hand. "Have you guys had dinner yet?" She asked.
"No." Ron replied. "Which reminds me, I'm starving. When's you're dinner going to get here?" He demanded.
"Soon."
"How soon?" The red head whined. At that moment, his plea was answered by the sudden appearance of food on the table in the centre of the couches.
"That soon."
**********************
"Are we staying the night here?" Hermione asked suddenly, after several hours of eating and chatting.
"Well you have to now, considering it's past curfew." Lara pointed out.
"Thought so, just checking." The bushy haired girl replied, living up to her fear of breaking school rules.
"Well we'd better be getting to be anyways."
"Who's we?" Draco asked shrewdly.
"You, me, Harry." Lara said simply. "I trust I don't need to tell you why."
"Fine. Where am I sleeping?"
"Anywhere you want. Just tell me and I'll magic up a bed."
"Can I sleep with Gin?" He asked enthusiatically, eyes lighting up. The red head next to him slapped him playfully on the arm.
"Sure you can, since Dumbledore placed a spell over the rooms to detect any sexual activity."
"That's an interesting spell, I wonder how you do that?" Hermione asked curiously, ignoring Draco's crest fallen face at this news and Ginnys sigh of relief.
"So, where are the happy couples sleeping?" Lara said brightly.
"The study's back there isn't it?" Draco asked, knowing the layout of the rooms due to prior visits.
"Yeah, you want me to turn it into a bed room?" Draco nodded as Lara headed across the common room the to the study. Standing at the doorway, she made a few gestures with her hand before returning to the couches.
"That was quick." Ginny said, obviously impressed.
"And Hermione, Ron?"
"Just turn the couch into a bed, it'll do." Hermione said, watching with fascination as the couch stretched out into a double bed after a few gestures from Lara.
"How do you do that?" She asked.
"When I come back, I'll teach you."
"You mean I can do all that wandless stuff too?"
"It's energy magic, what I've been teaching the boys." Lara said simply. Hermione face lit up at this, her sponge-like brain always eager to soak up a bit more information or one more skill.
"So yeah, goodnight I suppose." Lara said, suddenly feeling akwardly. After the lighthearted nature of this gathering, the real reason behind it suddenly came crashing down on her heart.
"We'll see you when we get back." Harry said, not entirely supressing the slight croak in his voice.
"What do you mean? We'll see you tomorrow before you leave!" Hermione said worriedly.
"Er....no you won't. We're leaving early."
"Then wake us up." Ginny said determindly.
"I'm...I'm sorry but we can't. I think I speak for all of us when I say we'd rather leave the farewells to tonight. I don't need another reason for me to stay tomorrow." Lara said softly. "And besides." She said, trying to sound cheerful. "It's not goodbye forever. It's just for now."
Suddenly, the atmosphere of the common room became oppresive. No one wanted to move, no one wanted to bring tomorrow any closer.
"I wish we could stay like this." Ginny said softly. "Just like this, forever and ever. And at times like this I wish there was no evil, only goodness and kindness. But then I remind myself that without suffering, there can be no compassion. Love and happiness are made all the more sweeter by the bitter taste of pain and death that can surround them." Ginny paused, tears streaming down her face. "And when it comes down to it," she continued, her voice hoarse with emtion, "I don't think I'd have it any other way."
Later that night, when they had all said their goodbyes and gone to their beds, her words could still be heard echoing around in their minds. It was not something they could easily forget, nor something they wanted to.