A/N: Just a slight warning: I will be putting lyrics in this chapter, but I have to, for the effect. And you must read the lyrics. Hope you guys don't mind, though. And, uhm, what else... oh right, I'm trying to make this chapter very sad since it's the end of my story and it's never been very cheery anyway. But don't worry if you don't burst into tears; I won't be hurt.
Chapter 49: The End
The next morning Mrs. Weasley woke all the children up rather early, at eight o'clock.
"Aw, mum!" groaned Ron as she opened the curtains and let sunshine pour into the room, blinding everyone as it reflected off of the orange walls.
"Up you get," Mrs. Weasley said, ignoring the complaints. "I've got some chores for you children to do. You know, Ron, you could make yourself useful for once, instead of sleeping in late every day and doing nothing at all." Ron just glared at her. "Now. You'll go downstairs to have a healthy breakfast first and then de-gnome the garden. It hasn't been done in ages and they're really getting out of hand, that lot." The three boys grumbled as they tried to sit up and she left the room to wake up the girls and Fred and George.
Fifteen minutes later the whole group was downstairs, seated at the kitchen table, enjoying the large breakfast Mrs. Weasley had prepared. Halfway through Mr. Weasley hurried downstairs in his bathrobe, carrying a tattered briefcase with all sorts of paperwork piling out of it.
"Hi honey," he said, giving Mrs. Weasley a hasty kiss. "Hi everyone." He waved at the lot sitting in his kitchen. "Emergency at the office," he explained before Disapparating.
"ARTHUR!" shouted Mrs. Weasley. A second later he appeared again, blushing.
"I don't think anyone saw me except the security guard," he said, before Apparating upstairs to change into his work robes. When all the plates were cleared Mrs. Weasley shoved them all out into the garden and then went back inside to clean up.
"Right. So the sooner we get this over with, the more time we'll have to do something more interesting," said Fred, peering around the garden.
"I think this is interesting," said Harry. Draco nodded.
"Yeah. I've never seen a de-gnoming. Dad always hired someone to get rid of them," he said. "Or he just tortured them until none were willing to come back," he added thoughtfully.
"I don't think I've seen a de-gnoming either," said Nora, holding Draco's hand. "We live in a Muggle area so we didn't get them very often. Maybe once or twice, but dad always called someone to get rid of them, because we couldn't really fling them over the fence into our neighbour's yard."
"So wait, you throw those poor, defenceless creatures over the fence!?" said Hermione. "I believe that's a horrible violation of gnome- rights." As she rattled on about S.P.E.W. Fred, George, Ron, Harry and Ginny began searching for the gnomes and when Nora and Draco had figured out how to do it, they joined in.
"This isn't that bad," Nora told Fred, watching her last gnome fly thirty feet into the air, before landing on top of another one.
"Well, it gets dull when you've done this your whole life," he replied.
"You have got to stop! I don't know why the Ministry of Magic doesn't make this barbaric exploit illegal," shouted Hermione, hands on her hips. But she was so busy talking about S.P.E.W. that she didn't notice one of the gnomes that had been watching the de-gnoming, sneak up on her. Hermione's shriek filled the air as she was bitten in her leg and she glared down on it with fierce eyes before kicking it as hard as she could.
"Wow, Hermione. That had to be at least forty feet!" said George impressed as he watched the gnome land.
"Feel any different about de-gnoming yet?" asked Ron grinning. Hermione didn't reply, though she did feel less sympathetic for the hideous creatures now that she had little teeth marks in her leg.
When all of the gnomes in the garden had been tossed over the fence, the eight of them went back inside.
"I can't believe that took a whole hour," grumbled Ginny, for it was now half past nine.
"Yeah, and I bet mum's got loads more chores for us to do, too," said Ron.
"Complete waste of precious time," agreed Fred. Of course, they lived in the Burrow, which meant their speculations were right, for Mrs. Weasley entered the kitchen and upon seeing them just sitting about, she said:
"Well, I assume all of the gnomes have left, but don't just sit there; I've got other chores for you to do, so whenever you finish one, you come look for me and I'll start you on the next."
"Mom, don't you think it's a bit cruel to make our guests work as well?" said George. "I mean, the funeral's in two and a half hours." His mother looked at him with strict eyes and just when he thought it wouldn't work, her look softened.
"You're right. You're completely right. I suppose I was just trying to keep your minds away from the funeral with the household tasks," she said, heaving a sigh. "All right. I'll give you one last chore and then you can do whatever you like until eleven thirty."
"Sounds good," said Fred. "What is it?"
"Weed the garden for me, please."
"Aw, mum! You can't possibly expect us to weed the garden for you today?" groaned Ginny. But there was no arguing with Mrs. Weasley and the whole group sauntered off back into the yard.
"I don't see what's so awful about weeding, though," said Harry.
"Neither do I," said Hermione.
"Oh come on. You both know enough about magical gardens by now. I mean, the gnomes and stuff. You can't possibly expect they have normal small weeds that just need to be gently pulled out and thrown onto a heap," Nora told them sceptically. Harry and Hermione remained silent for a few seconds.
"Oh."
"Right, so the trick is," said Fred, walking towards a tall, brightly coloured weed that looked like one of those flesh eating plants that fed on flies and other small insects, "you have to trick it into at least facing the other way with it's head, so you can grab the bottom of the stem with two hands and give it a large tug without getting bitten."
"Well, at least it's more interesting than de-gnoming," said George shrugging and he and Fred walked off to the corner with the most weeds.
"Right," said Ron, who hadn't done this very often. "I guess we should start, then."
"Yeah," agreed Draco. "The sooner we start, the sooner it'll be over, the longer we'll have to do something fun." Of course, none of them were very eager to come near the plants, except Ron who bravely faced one of the smaller ones before getting bitten in the hand.
"Ouch! Why you-" A whole stream of cuss words poured out of his mouth as he shook his hand to relieve it of pain.
"Ron! RON!" said Hermione, revolted by his language. "Where on earth did you learn that!?" Ron pointed straight at the twins, who gave their little brother a thumbs up.
"You learn well, little Ronnikins," said Fred proudly.
"I just hope mum didn't hear," added George, looking around.
"Right, so how about we weed in two's. One person will distract the... erm... mouth and the other will pull it out of the ground," suggested Hermione. "How does that sound?"
"Sounds pretty good," agreed Nora. Of course, it was still difficult weeding, because everyone feared they would get bitten. After a while Ron's hand had a large red boil on it where the weed had bit him. Hermione had a cyst on her arm and Nora one on her palm. The three weren't usually ones to complain, but at one point the pain became unpleasant enough that they had to go see Mrs. Weasley, so that she could treat them.
The weeding seemed to take forever, but when they were finally done it was only ten fifteen.
"Wow, fifteen minutes faster than the de-gnoming," said Ginny, bored.
"Ok. So now we have like, what, about an hour before we have to get ready for the funeral?" said Harry, looking at the others.
"Not sure. I suppose," said Hermione. "But how are we arriving there. And where is it anyway?" she asked the rest. They all shrugged. Now that they had finished both tasks they did not know what else there was to do.
"For some incredibly disturbing reason I don't feel like playing Quidditch," said Ron slowly.
"Me neither," said Harry. "Besides, I don't have my broom here."
"Well, we'd love to stay and chat," said Fred.
"But unlike you lot, we've got business to do," added George. They both Disapparated, leaving the others wondering what to do now.
"Ooh! I know! I know!" shouted Ginny, taking the others by surprise when she stood up so fast that she nearly toppled over. "Oooh. Head rush," she said, rubbing her eyes. "How about we go for a swim in the lake? It's nearby and hidden from view by a forest. I don't think any of the Muggles know about it." The others shrugged and nodded; what else was there to do? They agreed with Hermione that she would cast them into their swimsuits later, and headed down the road towards a small forest.
Ginny and Ron led them into the woods and immediately the sweet smell of the trees wafted towards them. Gazing at the beauty around them and listening to the singing of the birds high above was definitely something to remember, and it was only a short walk further in the cool shade that they saw the small lake suddenly in front of them. The water was a cool light blue and looked incredibly inviting, so Hermione muttered some words and there they were, ready to dive in.
"Somebody has to keep an eye on the time, because we have less than an hour before we should at least head back to the Burrow," said Nora, looking at the others.
"I will," said Draco and he set the alarm on his watch to go off fifty minutes from now.
"Race you," said Ron and he sprinted off towards the lake, diving in at full speed. Harry and Draco quickly followed, splashing water all over the shore. The three girls tested the water first and when their toes said the lake was a bit too cold for their liking they remained firmly on the shore.
"Aw, come on! Don't be such wimps!" shouted Harry.
"Well, it's too cold!" shouted Ginny.
"But there's no point standing here forever. We only have about forty- five minutes left," said Nora reasonably and she too dove into the water with a large splash. Hermione quickly avoided the water flying straight at her, but then bit her lip and waded towards the others with Ginny, trying to ignore the cold.
"You should have dived in as well," said Nora, laughing. "It's wonderfully refreshing when you do." She was pretty much right, for the water felt just as cool and fresh as it looked.
"It's been ages since we've last swum," said Ron, looking around at the familiar surroundings of the lake.
"Yeah," agreed the others.
"So, any one know any fun water games?"
"Do we always have to play water games? Can't we just swim for once?" asked Hermione.
"Nope," answered Ron after pretending to think it over.
"Fine. How about 'Marco Polo'?"
"Oh please, that is so passé," he said, looking as if that was the most obvious thing in the world.
"You probably don't even know what 'passé' means," scoffed Hermione. Ron glared at her.
"Well, Lavender used it to describe your clothes, so I'm guessing it means: out-of-date," he replied coolly. Hermione uttered a snarl in offence.
"Right. Now, I don't think we came here to argue," said Harry. Nora, Ginny and Draco shook their heads. Hermione folded her arms and Ron just shrugged.
"So, any one know any fun water games?"
Five minutes later they were all simply swimming in the small lake, unable to come up with anything better to do. But swimming wasn't bad either, because now they could concentrate on the beauty that surrounded them.
"You know, being around nature really isn't that bad," said Ron, floating around on his back.
"Nature is good," agreed Draco, who snuck up to Ron and pushed him under water. Ron came back up gasping for air and looking hurt.
"And I thought I could trust you," he said. Draco grinned.
Of course Ron didn't mind having yet another fight with Hermione, it was one of his hobbies, but Hermione wasn't like him at all, and so she was complaining about him to Nora, who sighed and put up with it.
"He is such a five year old!" snarled Hermione.
"Oh come one, Hermione. You're not acting any older," said Nora, following Hermione's gaze and seeing Ron trying, in vain, to push Draco under water.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means that you should quit whining and just ignore everything he says. We all do it," said Ginny. "Except Harry, of course." Hermione chuckled, but sighed afterwards.
"I'll try."
Gradually, as the sun made its way to the highest point in the sky, it began to get warmer and warmer making the coolness of the lake all the more welcome. Unfortunately, just at the point when they were all floating about in the fresh water, wishing they could stay in there forever, Draco's watch alarm went off.
"That sucks," said Ron as they all swam to the shore and let the sun dry them for the most part before getting dressed again.
On the way back to the Burrow they met Percy, who had come back from work early and had been sent to come and bring them back so they could get changed for the funeral. Percy hardly said anything during the walk home, which may have been because Ron loudly talked over him whenever he did want to say something.
"Thank you, Percy," said Mrs. Weasley when they entered the Burrow.
"There was no need to send me, mother. They were already on there way over when I went to fetch them," said Percy before he headed upstairs. The female half in the hall all thought he looked slightly hurt, but of course none of them mentioned it, though Ginny did have in mind to tell Ron he should stop being so mean to Percy.
"All right, dears. Now I've laid out some clothes on yours beds for the funeral. You can choose from those what you want to wear, but anything else is out of the question, understood?" she said sharply, looking at her two children, the only ones she could actually instruct how to dress. "You have till eleven thirty to change, so hurry up." They all trudged upstairs and hurried into their rooms to get dressed, since they had less than fifteen minutes.
"Hey, aren't these mine?" said Nora, looking at the black clothes that were neatly lying on her bed.
"I think our parents may have sent them over," said Hermione, inspecting her own clothes. The three girls got dressed into orderly black skirts with graceful black shirts and black high-heeled shoes and then quickly did their hair.
"All right, how do I look," said Hermione, unenthused.
"Honestly?" asked Nora. Hermione nodded hesitantly, not liking her friend's reaction. "You look anorexic."
"Well, I can't help it, black makes you look thinner." Hermione sighed. "I don't like funerals."
"No one does," replied Nora, trying to find something with colour that could brighten things up a bit without being offensive to the whole black ensemble. Ginny came back from the bathroom looking horror-struck.
"I can't go out like this!" she said. Hermione and Nora saw her point immediately, but could think of nothing to solve the problem.
"Oh wait," said Hermione. Ginny gave her a hopeful look. "You could dye your hair?"
"Yeah, that'll work," she said darkly before heaving a sigh as well. "Black and orange just don't go together. It's too Halloween."
"Well, at least the rest of your family will look the same," said Nora consolingly. "Besides, it's not that bad. Black looks good on you. Aha! I've found stuff," she added smiling, dangling a small velvet bag from one hand.
"What stuff?" asked Ginny, trying to see what exactly what it was that Nora was holding.
"Stuff to wear. I can't believe I forgot all about my jewellery. I haven't worn these for ages," she said, putting her silver and blue watch on and her silver bracelet. Then she picked up a little box and took out the silver choker with the gold heart hanging from it that Dean had given her. She smiled, read the words I (heart) You on the back of the heart and put the necklace on.
"Hey, that's right. Silver isn't an offensive colour at funerals at all, is it?" said Hermione, slightly relieved.
"Nor is gold," added Ginny. Finally done they hurried downstairs as fast as their high-heels would let them.
"Aha! Faster than the boys for once," said Nora, smiling proudly, hand on her hips. Of course, there was no way that would happen.
"Hi there," said Ron, walking out of the kitchen with Harry and Draco.
"Damn it."
"FRED, GEORGE!" shouted Mrs. Weasley, from the bottom of the stairs, peering up to see if they were coming. The twins Apparated right beside her with a pop but, unlike the others, Mrs. Weasley didn't jump in shock. "All right. Let's just get this over with, shall we? Accio!" But nothing flew out of their pockets, or anywhere else for that matter, and she looked at them for explanation.
"Mother, please. We don't crash funerals," said Fred, shaking his head.
"Only parties," added George grinning.
"Very well. I trust you two. Arthur!?"
"Yes, yes. I'm coming," said Mr. Weasley, who was wearing a very neat, black dress robe and hurrying down the stairs with Percy, who was also wearing a black robe, like Mrs. Weasley, but unlike the others.
"So how are we getting there, dad?" asked Ginny.
"Well, first we take the car to a little secluded plane and from there we'll travel to the place of the funeral by portkey with other families from the area," Mr. Weasley explained as they all headed out of the house and clambered into the waiting car.
As the car drove on at its fast pace, the area all around them slowly changed from all kinds of shades of green to yellows and browns as they passed farmlands. When the car stopped and they got out, they saw that more people were arriving and heading towards the small group a few yards away.
"That trash can would be our portkey," said Mr. Weasley as they walked through the tall grass of the meadow. Harry saw with a lurch of his stomach that Cedric Diggory's parents were there as well, looking cheerless. "The portkey is set to leave in less than five minutes, so we're just in time," Mr. Weasley told his group. "If you would all take a hold of the trash can?" They did as they were asked and put a finger somewhere on the grey portkey. Some of the other people near them followed their example.
"I don't see why Percy has to be here. He can Apparate," Ron complained to his father.
"Percy's here to keep an eye on things. He'll be watching the Portkey leave," replied Mr. Weasley.
"Oh, that's right, because Percy's a 'Ministry Official'," Ron said, with an obvious mock in his voice. Harry thought it was weird to see Ron being so unsympathetic towards Percy and that the twins were now pretty much leaving him alone, which was the opposite only a year ago. Speaking of the twins...
"So what are you guys doing here? You can Apparate, too," he said to Fred and George.
"Well, yeah," said Fred.
"But we don't trust ourselves with long distances yet," added George.
"And we don't know for sure where this funeral is."
"So we might leave some parts behind." At that point Harry felt the uncomfortable tug at his bellybutton and then, not a moment later, he was landing roughly on a dark, unkempt patch of grass in an unknown place.
"Aha! We knew it," exclaimed George.
"Ah. Hogwarts, good old Hogwarts," said Fred with a sigh as Percy Apparated beside him.
"What!?" exclaimed everyone younger than them, who had no idea where they were. They looked around, frantically searching for the familiar castle.
"I don't see it," said Ginny, frowning. "Are you two sure we're at Hogwarts?"
"Sure we're sure," said Fred.
"Wouldn't say so if it wasn't so," George told her.
"But then where-?" began Ron, but he'd already spotted the large turrets and towers, for he had turned around and gazed over the lake, a good couple of miles below, and looked down onto the castle, which seemed darker than he could remember it.
"Oooh, so we're on the other side of the lake," said Hermione. "We've hardly ever been here, haven't we?" The others shrugged, not really remembering.
"So this is where the funeral's being held?" asked Nora, gazing around.
"Yup," said George, walking up beside her. "Dumbledore's been preparing this place even before the Second War." The others walked over as well and only now did they look properly at their surroundings. In front of them and aligned with Hogwarts was something like a gazebo but much larger. In front of it were chairs for people to sit, probably during Dumbledore's speech. Even though it was noon and the sun was high in the air, there seemed to be a shadow covering the whole area.
"Wow, look," whispered Hermione. Of the hundreds of people that had already arrived, large black masses were walking on the brick paths that had been laid. Every few feet there would be a marble tile, left and right, leading to one of the graves. As the group followed one of the paths they saw how beautifully the graves were decorated. Each in a similar way, yet different enough to make each one special. There was a headstone at the head of every one of them and behind that a large tree had been planted. But different ones for different graves. Birch trees and oak trees were the most common, but there we many more sorts, most of them unknown and exotic. On the left side of the graves a row of ever blooming flowers, spaced evenly apart, had been planted and on the right side were two small shrubberies's with in between them a single flower, which was once again different for most graves.
"I'm guessing the flowers on the left are us," said Nora quietly as they walked along the graves.
"Yes, and the single flower on the right is the deceased person," agreed Hermione in a hushed voice.
"Why are we whispering," whispered Ron.
"So we don't disturb the other people around us, you moron," said Ginny. Ron looked at her with a questioning gaze; there had been no need for name-calling.
"Wow, Dumbledore really worked hard on this," said Draco, looking around, holding Nora's hand tightly.
"Yeah, apparently he had a hard time with all those deaths at Hogwarts," said Fred.
"So he made this for them. Rumour has it he sanctified this cemetery," George told them.
"Wow, look what he called it," said Harry, pointing at the large gazebo-like area, for on it was written in gold letters: 'Garden of Remembrance.' "He sure knows how to put a dramatic touch to things."
"And this graveyard is only for those who died at the hands of Voldemort or his Death Eaters, right?" asked Ron.
"Yup," said Fred.
"Oh, there's Lavender. I'll see you guys later," Ron said hurriedly before he sprinted off towards Lavender who waved him over.
"Hermione?" The group turned to the direction from which the voice had come from.
"Terry!" shouted Hermione happily, giving her boyfriend a hug. Terry smiled and greeted the others when she finally let him go. "I wasn't sure if you were coming."
"Well, I wasn't sure either, but I knew you were coming and I wanted to say my last goodbye's to some of them," he replied, indicating towards the graves. "Besides, my parents made me," he muttered. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"
"Sure," said Hermione and the two walked off, holding hands.
"Aw, they're so cute together," said Ginny.
"Right. Well, we've got things to discuss with Lee," said Fred.
"So we'll see you guys later," George told them and they walked away.
"Well, I guess I'll go find my friends, too," said Ginny and after a short awkward silence she turned around and left, too. Of course, now that there were just the three of them, Harry felt like a third wheel around Nora and Draco, so he said he'd go look for Neville.
"You don't have to go, Harry," said Nora. "We don't mind."
"No, no. That's fine. I wanted to talk to Neville anyway," Harry assured her. He turned around and after a short hesitation walked straight ahead, thinking Neville might be with his grandmother who was likely to be somewhere where the crowd was. On the way over though, Harry was held up by Parvati, who, he couldn't help but notice, looked extremely beautiful.
"Hi," Parvati said.
"Hi," Harry replied, his face expressionless. He was still angry that she had broken up with him in a letter for the most stupid reason.
"I wanted to talk to you a while ago, but you kept avoiding me."
"I wonder why," Harry told her coldly.
"Look, I'm sorry for the letter, but I just got so scared that I couldn't handle it anymore. I was terrified and it seemed like the best solution at the time. I'm terribly sorry," Parvati said, her eyes begging him to forgive her.
"Yeah, well, you should have thought about the consequences first."
"Please, Harry, we can still be friends. I'll make it up to you. Really, I will. You just have to understand. It was becoming too dangerous for me." Harry watched her with a look of well-then-you-should-have-just- toughened-up-and-put-up-with-it-like-I-had-to. "Harry, please. I'm not as strong as you. I wasn't prepared for all that danger as you were." It was hard to stay angry with her when she looked so small and helpless and soon Harry's look softened.
"Fine. I forgive you," he said. Parvati looked uncertainly at him.
"You do? Oh, thank you Harry. You're wonderful. I'm sorry if I really hurt you that badly." She gave him a big hug, her eyes filled to the brim in tears.
"It's ok," he said, wishing she hadn't broken up with him at all. It pained him to see his friends so happily with their other half when he was all alone. However, he just tried to ignore his feelings and continued: "But I have to talk to Neville now. You don't happen to know where he is, do you?" Parvati pointed in the direction of where he had landed with portkey.
"Thanks." After a couple of minutes of searching Harry found Neville, looking extremely bored while his grandmother talked to some Ministry people.
"Hey Harry," Neville said, walking over to him.
"Hey Neville. Listen, I... erm... wanted to talk to you. Do you... is that ok?" Harry asked awkwardly. He avoided Neville's questioning look.
"Of course. About what?"
"Erm... well..." stuttered Harry as the two of them walked away from the crowd and into the shade of the graves' trees. "I mean, you pretty much lost your parents at age one too, how did you deal with it?" Neville didn't question Harry at all and instead began talking at once.
"Well, I had to figure it out by myself, because grandmother wasn't much help. She always avoided the questions about my parents. But I always talked to them when we visited the hospital, and I told myself that they could hear me and that they understood what I was telling them. I don't really remember how I got over the fact that they had been driven into insanity... I guess it became a kind of routine: visiting them, talking to them and then my grandmother would always somehow force me to not think about them by giving me chores and such... But it's different for you of course, because your parents were murdered. They can't come back... mine can, someday. Grandmother told me they were researching cures for the Cruciatus curse in the Ministry of Magic, in de Department of Mysteries. You know... down where we fought the Death Eaters?" Neville whispered the last sentence, as if he wasn't sure if Harry wanted to be reminded of that night.
"You're lucky then," muttered Harry darkly. "Do you know if they've gotten far yet? I mean, it'd be incredible for you if you got your parents back."
"Yeah," replied Neville sadly. Harry wondered what it was like to be him, always ignored and thought of as a near-squib, unable to do anything. "Grandmother told me they might be done in a few years, perhaps. Unless they have a sudden breakthrough. But funding is low, because of Voldemort and stuff." Harry nodded in understanding. The two walked on in comfortable silence in the shade of the trees, Harry feeling sorry for Neville, who must've led just as bad a life as he had.
"I wish they were researching the veil. Maybe they could find a way to somehow bring Sirius back," he said softly.
"I don't think they can," Neville said truthfully, a pitiful look in his eyes. "He's dead; it's irreversible. I don't even think Dumbledore would be able to bring him back." There was another silence. "Sorry. But you have to trust me; you'll feel much better some day. And you'll be glad you had the chance to know Sirius the way you did. There are lots of others out there who have never known a great friend like him."
"I know," said Harry, barely being able to talk with the large lump in his throat. He sighed. "It... it just hurts so much."
"It'll pass. Trust me. Some day, it'll pass." Neville reached into his pocket and took out a small, azure pendant, saying: "Take this. It's my lucky amulet. It'll protect you." Harry carefully took the pendant.
"Thanks," he whispered.
"I have to go now though," Neville said, just knowing that Harry would want to be left alone now. "Grandmother doesn't know where I went and I don't want her to worry. I'll see you Harry. I'm glad we talked. I feel better." And with that he turned and slowly walked away with a small smile on his face. Harry felt better too, but somehow he also felt worse. Carefully putting the indigo pendant in his pocket he walked among the graves, reading their names and dates, looking for Sirius.
What he was not expecting to find though, was two graves closer together, which Harry had found out meant that they were family, and seeing the names of his parents. His heart had skipped a beat in shock and his breath got caught up somewhere in his throat. Carefully stepping onto the marble tile that led up to them, he blinked hard to stop any tears trying to break free. When Harry had confirmed that the two graves really did belong to his parents he fell onto his knees, crying. Sure he had always known they were dead, but seeing their graves and their headstones bearing their names somehow made it... official. He could not bear to think that his once loving parents were lying only a few feet below him. This was the closest he'd ever been to them for sixteen years.
"Alone at last," said Draco, when Harry walked away.
"Yeah. It's been ages, hasn't it?" asked Nora smiling, putting her hand in his. Draco kissed it before they started walking again.
"So... it'll be a while before we see each other again," he said softly. "We're all going back home tonight."
"I know." Nora sighed, nodding. "But we'll owl and we can visit each other," she added hopefully. Draco smiled and gave her a kiss.
"Definitely." As they wandered underneath the tall trees between the graves, the people around them began to thin out until soon they were all alone except for a rotund figure stomping towards them.
"It's Pansy, isn't it?" asked Nora dully. She turned out to be right, because seconds later Pansy stopped in front of them with a big leer on her face.
"Sorry to bother your pleasant stroll," she said sweetly, though her sneer said otherwise. "So I heard via a reliable source that the happy couple is getting married? Is this true?" she demanded, her sweet look vanishing.
"What? Where on earth did you hear–" spluttered Draco, but Nora already had a good idea of who the leak was.
"Ron. He probably told Lavender and we all know she can't keep her mouth shut," she snarled.
"Very good!" said Pansy, clapping her hands. "I assume your reactions are a 'yes'? But seriously Draco," she sighed, shaking her head in disappointment. "I always thought the day you ran off with a mudblood would be the day the earth died. But I don't blame you... well I do, but I blame her more. She always was good in potions. I just know the filthy mudblood–" Draco was on the verge of really punching her lights out, hard, but Nora was one step ahead of him. She slapped Pansy across that ugly face of hers as hard as she could. At first she had thought about pummelling her, but slapping was a bit more lady-like. And it caused way more embarrassment. The right half of Pansy's face slowly turned bright red and she whimpered in pain when touching it.
"And I thought you didn't mind being called a 'mudblood'," said Draco when Pansy had run off. He took Nora's hand in his again and then continued to walk, looking at his fiancée with love-filled eyes.
"I don't," replied Nora. "I just really felt like hitting her." She grinned and Draco kissed her, unable to stop himself.
"You know, I love you," he told her when they began walking again. Nora put her head on his shoulder and sighed in contentment.
"I love you too."
"A part of me is glad all of this happened, because otherwise we may have never gotten together and then I'd just be a lonely Slytherin hated by everyone." Nora hugged him, feeling so comfortable and safe in his arms that she never wanted to let go. But a sniff on her left caused her to see what the noise was and then she saw him sitting there, crying.
"Oh my god! Harry!" she exclaimed, letting go of Draco and hurrying as fast as her high-heels would let her over to the sobbing boy, sitting on the ground, looking so small and vulnerable. She let herself fall on her knees in the dirt and Draco kneeled down on the other side of Harry, a sorrowful look in his eyes when his eyes slid over the headstones.
"Poor him," he muttered.
"Harry? Harry? Harry!" said Nora urgently, trying to get a reaction from him. But all Harry did was cry and whimper things to himself. "Oh Harry." Nora pulled him into a hug and finally he reacted, for he put his arms around her, though he continued to weep.
"Should I get Hermione? Maybe the Amulet will help him feel better," offered Draco. Nora nodded.
"Excellent idea." Draco was already running away when an idea entered his head. He shouted:
"Accio Amulet!" and a few moments later Hermione's Amulet was in his hand. He touched it with one finger and the slight feeling of tiredness vanished.
Hermione was talking to Terry and some of his friends when the Amulet was ripped off her neck, flew into the sky and zoomed off in a specific direction. She was considering actions, like shouting or running after it, when she felt feelings and thoughts pour into her. A particular thought said: 'I've got the amulet' and another one told her: 'Harry's in trouble'. She immediately said goodbye to Terry's friends and asked if Terry would come with her.
"Sure," he replied as they headed towards the graves. "But where are we going and why?"
"I have to get my Amulet back," Hermione replied as she darted this way and that, searching for Draco. Fortunately, his thoughts had given her some direction so she knew mostly which way she had to go.
"Hermione!" She ran with Terry towards Draco, who was waving them over.
"What's wrong with Harry? It sounded horribly urgent," panted Hermione; she'd never been good in sports.
"He's over here. You'll understand when you see him," Draco replied gravely as he led them towards Nora and Harry.
"Oh, Merlin," said Terry softly as Hermione gasped before falling on her knees beside Harry.
"What do we do with him?" she asked, looking at the others. "I mean, we can't just leave him here like this? Maybe Mrs. Weasley knows how to make him feel better."
"I don't think Harry wants her to see him like this, though," said Draco. "If you're going to make him talk to someone, you'd better make it Professor Lupin."
"He's completely right," said Nora, smiling at Draco. "Lupin knew his parents better than any one else. But where can we find him?"
"Well, if he isn't here, he's probably at Sirius' grave," said Hermione.
"We'll get him," offered Terry, indicating at Draco and himself. The two boys quickly turned around and sprinted away.
"Well, where is he? Is it serious? How is he?" asked Lupin as he ran with Terry and Draco towards Harry. He uttered a little moan of sympathy when he saw the poor boy in complete ruins.
"We'll leave you two alone. It'll be easier for him," said Hermione as she got up, tears in her eyes. Nora let go of Harry and stood up too, her t-shirt wet on the right shoulder from where Harry had cried on it. They all said good-bye and left Harry and their former Professor alone, feeling disheartened.
"Harry," said Lupin softly to the boy. "Harry, what's the matter?" Harry just sniffed in reply, shaking his head. "I know you miss your parents and Sirius, but you must remember that they're not really gone." Harry uttered a noise as if saying 'yeah, right'. "No, Harry. Listen to me. There are ways." This took Harry's attention in both hands and he looked up, his eyes red and puffy, his face completely wet with tears. "There are ways to speak to them. The Department of Mysteries found them long ago, but they are not official. Please cheer up. They wouldn't have wanted you to feel this bad."
"But I miss them," said Harry coarsely. "How am I supposed to cheer up when I know that I won't ever be able to hold them again?"
"No, but you can hold others. There are still so many people out there who care for you. Your friends, for instance. You still have your friends. And such good friends are incredibly hard to come by." Lupin took a deep breath, his eyes filled with misery and the pain of being betrayed. "I had such good friends once. And then in one day they had all left me."
"I'm sorry," said Harry, looking into Lupin's dark, grave eyes.
"Don't be. It's not your fault. It was Voldemort's, but he's gone for good now." Harry wiped his tears away, took a deep, shuddering breath and tried to smile.
"Thanks. I really feel much better." He paused. "Will you teach me how to talk to them?" Lupin stood up and then helped Harry up too.
"I don't know the ways myself. But I do know where to get them and one day, when you're ready, I will show you. I promise." Lupin put a hand on Harry's shoulder and said: "Come, the others are probably wondering if you're ok." He was right because not far off the others stood waiting anxiously and all let out an audible sigh of relief when they saw that Harry was feeling so much better.
"Harry, I heard what happened," said Ron, who had been fetched by Draco. "You're ok now, right?" Harry nodded smiling, remembering what Lupin had said; at least he still had his friends.
"Now, come. I bet your parents are searching for you," Lupin said to the children. He led them back to the area with the Gazebo and the group broke apart to find their families. When Nora saw her mother, she immediately ran over to her and gave her a big hug.
"Honey! There you are. I've been looking all over for you," Mrs. Glassyd told her.
"Yeah, we're so glad you're all right," Mr. Glassyd said, giving his daughter a hug, too. "Excited to go back home tonight?" Nora nodded; she couldn't wait to sleep in her own bed in her own room again.
"When we get back home you'll tell us everything you've been up to, won't you?" Nora nodded again.
"Definitely. So where's Lily? Didn't she come?"
"Of course she came. We offered to let her stay home, but she insisted on coming. She's over there," Mrs. Glassyd said, pointing towards Lily, who stood alone, looking bored. "It became too dull for her to stay with us while we were talking to some of the other grown-ups. Perhaps you can keep her company?" Nora knew it was a rhetorical question and that she didn't actually have a choice, so she nodded and walked over to her little sister.
"Hi," she said.
"Hi!" Her sister's eyes immediately lit up, now that she had someone to play with. "Are you going to help me bake cookies tomorrow? Mum said you'd be home then."
"Sure. Why not?" said Nora, shrugging. "So you're bored, huh?" Lily nodded.
"Yeah." She looked around carefully, before continuing with a whisper. "Can I see the graves? Mum wouldn't let me go there by myself, so I thought you'd take me. After all, you have a reason to. You could tell people we're going to visit Dean." Nora was shocked. She hadn't even thought of visiting Dean, but then again, a part of her was kind of afraid to. "Please?" Nora took a deep breath and nodded. She took Lily's hand in hers and led her into the shade as her sister looked around in frightened aw. Nora guessed there had to be some sort of system, and she noticed that the graves were lain in alphabetical order; Dean would be somewhere on the other side.
"Look at all the people," whispered Lily. "Are Harry's parents here too?" Nora nodded, trying hard to prepare herself for seeing Dean's grave. She wondered in she would burst into tears just like Harry had.
"Yeah. Everyone who was murdered at the hands of Voldemort or his Death Eaters is here." Nora was very aware that every step on the brick path took her closer to Dean's body. With a slight shock she realised they were already at 'T'. "Lily," she said, turning to face her sister and kneeling down so that she was at eye-level with her. "Is it all right if I go to him by myself? So I can say good-bye?" Lily nodded and let go of her sister's hand, showing that it was all right that she went. "Thank you."
"Go," Lily said smiling. Nora stood up and tried hard to smile back. She took a deep breath and then slowly walked forward, a breeze rushing past her, and Nora felt as if it was comforting her, telling her everything would be all right. She read the names on the graves and when she saw 'Dean Thomas' she closed her eyes for a few seconds before opening them again and stepping onto the marble tile in front of his grave. Kneeling down on the ground her eyebrows formed a sad frown as tears ran down her cheeks. But it was soon replaced by a smile as she sniffed. She picked a maple leaf up from his grave and laid it gently on the grass beside her. Trying to picture Dean in front of her again, she realised with a lurch of her stomach that the man in her prefect dream two nights ago had been him. Though she knew that that dream would never come true, she did know that it would always be Draco and her, forever. She put her hands in her lap and tried to think of something to say.
"I never got to say good-bye to you, but now that I have the chance, I don't know what to say," she whispered. "I hope you know I miss you. I always will." Nora knew he wasn't there, but she talked to him as if he was. "You're probably wondering about the engagement ring on my finger." She fidgeted nervously with it. "It's Draco. I love him, just like I loved you. But you broke my heart and when I gave you a second chance you left me. You may not have meant to, but you did. And then all of a sudden there was Draco. He was sweet and caring and he managed to unlock my heart." She smiled at his grave, knowing he would understand.
"But I have never forgotten about you. I never will." She reached for her skirt, which had a small pocket on the inside, and took out a small Amethyst rock, which she laid in an open compartment in his headstone where you could light a candle. "I don't need my lucky talisman anymore, which is why I'm giving it to you, so that you'll always remember me." She wiped away the tears that had been streaming down her cheeks. "I'll always miss you. Maybe you could visit me in my dreams? Like you did just after you died? I wouldn't mind so much now." She laughed dolefully to herself before getting up, knowing she'd never see him again. "Goodbye," she whispered, wiping more tears away. And he would never know she had been so close to him again.
Hermione had found her father swiftly and they were now both standing in front of her mother's grave. Her father told his wife that he had not meant to hurt her and that he had been under the curse of Voldemort. He said how he hoped she did not hate him and that one day they would see each other again. When her father had finished in tears, Hermione spoke to her mother next.
"I'm sorry I did not see right away that daddy was under the Imperious curse. If I had, I would've been able to save you and you'd still be alive. I'm so sorry," she whispered, a hand on her mother's grave. "But you were a wonderful mother, the best I could hope for, and I'd rather have known you for only this time than have a horrible mother for my entire life. You were great. You'll always be great." Hermione sniffed and angrily wiped her tears away, because she didn't want to cry again. "I love you. Goodbye... I'll visit you as much as I can." Her father hugged her and then the two of them quietly walked away.
"I love you, honey," he said. "You know that, don't you?"
"Of course I do, dad. I love you too. And I want you to know that I don't blame you for mom's death. I know you didn't mean to. And I know you would never be able to throw the Imperious Curse off, especially because you didn't know what it was. Not many people can escape it."
"Thank you, sweetheart. I'm glad you don't blame me. And I'm thankful that you were able to kill him. I was terrified the whole year that he would take my other love away. I thank God every single day that you're still here."
Draco stood with his mother before Nymphirah's grave. He did not cry like his mother, but instead he thought of all the memories he had of his little sister. He wondered how people would react when they saw 'Nymphirah Malfoy' on the headstone, for not many of them knew that he had had a little sister. His parents had thought it safer to keep her hidden, for she was small and therefore weak and therefore an easy target for the enemies.
"I saw her," he said to his mother as they stood in front of the grave.
"Excuse me?" asked Narcissa, not understanding.
"I saw her," Draco repeated. "Before the Second War. Nymphirah, I saw her. She visited me, to help me."
"Honey, –"
"No, it's true. I cried out for help to the stars. I was desperate and then all of a sudden she was beside me." His mother looked at him, blinking the tears away or carefully dabbing at them with a handkerchief. "She told me to tell you that you should stop crying over her." Narcissa uttered another sob.
"I'll try," she said. They turned away from the small grave, Narcissa holding her son in both arms as they walked down the path. Draco wondered what it was like to be dead. Was it scary? Or just very frustrating, because Nymphirah had shown him that, apparently, you kept your mind and were therefore still able to think, but not do anything. What did people do in the afterlife? He shuddered at the thought of living forever, partially. What happened when the sun finally blew up? Would they continue to live in complete darkness for eternity? They couldn't die with the mortal humans, since they were ghosts and thus already dead. What happened to them? As his mind wandered off into more and more horrifying thoughts, Draco suddenly realised he was mortified of death. He did not like the idea at all, but on the other hand, he didn't want to live forever either... why did life always have to be so complicated? He wished he had never pondered this; now his thoughts would haunt him forever.
"Are you all right, honey?" asked his mother, looking at him in concern. Draco nodded; he did not want to share his thoughts and terrify her as well.
"I'm fine. Just a little tired."
"Yes, so am I," his mother said, before sighing. "I had hoped so much things would turn out better for you and Nymphirah. But your father... people warned me I was mixing with the wrong crowd when I met him." Another sigh. Narcissa kissed him on the forehead. "The only good things he gave me were you and your sister and a decent house to raise you in."
When Nora turned around to walk back to Lily, she jumped a little in shock on seeing Dumbledore beside her. He was wearing completely pitch- black robes with a hat in the exact same eternal dark colour.
"I have only just gotten here," he assured her. "A word, if you please?" Nora nodded, peering behind him to see if Lily was still there. "I have asked her if she would be so kind to let me talk with you for a moment. Lily went back to your parents."
"Oh, ok, then."
"Now, I have been around students long enough at this point to understand them just through observation," Dumbledore said as he began walking, Nora joining him perplexed. "I know usually their most troubling thoughts and how they feel at the moment by looking. As a headmaster, I should not have favourites, but you five are very special and have become rather dear to me during the past few months." He stopped at a cross between two paths and Nora saw Ron waiting. He looked just as confused as she was.
"I have, after some thought, decided to talk to you both, for you two need some reminder of just how special you are. It seems as though both of you don't realise that even though the Second War is over, you will always remain elite. The other three know about themselves as being remarkable... Harry, well, he's constantly reminded of it. Draco, too, has people around him who establish that he is no ordinary boy; he has the white skull on his arm to prove it. And Hermione, she has her knowledge that is simply extraordinary. But you two, you feel like their overshadowed sidekicks." Nora and Ron could not believe how Dumbledore knew all this, but he gave them no time to wonder.
"But what you two do not know, is that you, too, have something to remind you of your uniqueness." He looked seriously at both of them and smiled as two pairs of wide-eyed eyes met his.
"What is it?" asked Ron, almost in a whisper.
"Your Patronus'," came Dumbledore's simple reply. "Have you never noticed how other people always seem to have Muggle animals as a Patronus? For example Harry's stag, or Hermione's otter, or Draco's stallion. However, you two have magical animals. Nora, you've a Unicorn and Ron, yours is a fire-breathing salamander. Those two animals are proof or your distinctiveness." The two children gazed at him, feeling now that they were indeed not ordinary, as they had believed. "Now, with this little pep-talk, I believe you are ready to sing, Nora?" She nodded. Ron looked at her, bewildered.
"Sing?" he asked as they walked back to the open area with the gazebo. "When? Where? And heavens why?"
"Hush," Nora said, holding up a hand to silence him. "I'm nervous." They walked into the open area right beside the gazebo. Hundreds of people in black were standing there, talking to each other. All the seats in front of the portico were taken and there were more arriving, after having visited the graves.
"Nora!" said Hermione, hurrying over to the two.
"I'm dead nervous. Maybe we shouldn't after all?"
"We have too," said a 7th year girl, walking over with two boys, one a 7th year as well and the other a 4th year.
"What on earth is going on here?" said Ron, not liking being left completely in the dark.
"You'll see, Ron. Go sit with Harry and Draco. Don't tell them about this, though," Hermione told him. Ron shrugged and walked over to his two friends, of course planning to tell them about the whole thing. Dumbledore, in the mean time, had placed himself in the middle of the gazebo on a little platform.
"I thank you all for coming here. It took much courage to do so and I honour every single one of you for it. I worked day and night to create this 'Garden of Remembrance' as I named it, and I hope all of you look at it with high regard. Too many deaths have fallen at the hands of Voldemort, but I thank the good Lord that he is finally gone, so we may live in peace." He took a deep breath and sighed. "I had a whole speech formed in my mind... but it all seems ridiculous now and I know none of you are anxious to hear it. Instead there are five Hogwarts students who have found all of the sorrowful words and emotions in a song. And I always say music is the strongest magic of them all. Please, come," he finished, indicating to Hermione, Nora and the other three. They all took a deep breath and walked up to Dumbledore, who nodded and left them alone on the platform in the gazebo. Nora stepped forward, her eyes fearfully scanning the massive crowd in front of her, all their eyes on her. She quickly found Draco, by means of his white/blond hair, which could be used as a beacon, and she obtained some inner strength in his smile.
"I have felt miserable many times this year," she said, her voice carrying all the way over the crowd. "Enough to last a lifetime. But what always helped me feel better was music. But instead of just hearing it myself this time I wanted to share it with all of you and maybe help you feel better, too, for we're all in this together... There were of course millions of songs to choose from, but there was one particular song that was perfect. Runaway Train, by Soul Asylum. I hope it'll help." Nora herself thought her speech had been a bit lame, but, hey, no one had booed her, so she looked at Dumbledore, who turned the music on, and with Hermione and the others she began to sing with all her heart, always looking at Draco.
Call you up in the middle of the night
Like a firefly without a light
You were there like a blowtorch burning
I was a key that could use a little turning
The words rang clearly and carried for long distances. The black mass in front of them listened intently, moved by the young girl's words and her wish to make them feel better. It was with such caring that tears filled their eyes as words and song surrounded them.
There was a large silence when the song had finished, but soon everyone had stood up and was clapping loudly. The five who had sung were still trembling as they walked off the small stage, unable to speak. Dumbledore congratulated them all and it was only a second later that Harry, Ron and Draco arrived.
"You were brilliant," said Draco, pulling Nora into his arms. She smiled weakly and just closed her eyes, loving the way he held her. Harry, however, was not as happy as his friends; he would be going back to the Dursley's this summer and at the thought of not having a decent family member to return to, he almost burst back into tears.
So tired that I couldn't even sleep
So many secrets I couldn't keep
I promised myself I wouldn't weep
One more promise I couldn't keep
As the five split up to go back to their families, Harry staying with Dumbledore, the unbearable feeling of loneliness crept into them with every step they took away from each other. And soon they were led even further away as each travelled home with their family. They tried to feel happy, relieved that Voldemort was gone, but somehow, they couldn't, they were stuck.
It seems no one can help me now,
I'm in too deep; there's no way out
This time I have really led myself astray
Nora looked at her parents who were arguing about which highway exit to take. Lily, beside her, was watching the scenery change swiftly.
"So, mom, can... erm, can Draco visit during the summer?" Nora asked. Lily immediately turned her head to watch interestedly.
"Why would he, dear?" asked her mother, turning to look at her oldest daughter.
"Because we're... uhm, kind of... er... seeing each other?" she replied uncertainly. Her father nearly slammed the breaks in shock, but luckily he managed to avoid a collision by means of letting out his anger in yelling angrily:
"WHAT!?"
"Honey, calm down," Mrs. Glassyd said. "You just watch the road." She looked back at Nora. "You two are dating?" Nora nodded. "And you want him to come visit?" she nodded again. "You want Draco Malfoy to come visit. The boy you've been complaining about to us every summer for the past five years?" Nora nodded again, hopefully. "We'll see." Her mother sat straight again and Nora glared her parents, knowing they were most likely to say 'no'. They would never stop treating her like a little child. She felt hopeless once more. It seemed as if her train of progression, which had been chugging on smoothly ever since she was born, had derailed.
Runaway train, never going back
Wrong way on a one-way track
Seems like I should be getting somewhere
Somehow I'm neither here nor there
Draco entered his home with his mother, who immediately hurried into the kitchen to speak with the house-elves, but he just stood in the hall, staring straight ahead of him. Being in this dark house reminded him of all his dark years and he definitely did not like it. Every single thing around him only reminisced his father and his little sister and those thoughts never brought any good... only sadness and pain. And as those dark memories rushed back to his mind, it was as if he was living it all over again and a little smirk appeared on his face. Draco walked into the grand living room, scanning it all. He sneered at the thought of his father. It went involuntarily and he didn't like it; he wanted to be like Nora, who smiled and laughed... like he had done in his younger years.
Can you help me remember how to smile?
Make it somehow all seem worthwhile
How on earth did I get so jaded?
Life's mystery seems so faded
Harry stood in front of the Dursley's house. Dumbledore had Disapparated again. He opened the door and stepped inside the neat hall. There were no Dursley's there to welcome him home.
"Predictable," he muttered under his breath. Harry closed the door and entered the kitchen to grab a snack and show them he was home. Only Dudley was in the kitchen and he replied Harry's silence with a silence of his own. Harry grabbed an apple and went upstairs, locking the door to his room when he had shut it with a loud bang. He plopped onto the floor in the middle of the room, looking around. He hated his relatives with their narrow-minded minds. They never understood him and they never bothered to. Tears fell down his cheeks. Harry had never cried much in his life but it seemed as if all those sad and lonely times were now catching up with him. He wept, his apple lying forgotten beside him, unable to think of anything but the awful ordeal he had lived his life through... it had all begun with Voldemort but somehow it did not end with him.
I can go where no one else can go
I know what no one else knows
Here I am just a-drownin' in the rain
With a ticket for a runaway train
Hermione stayed inside the house most of the time, always a book in her hands. Her father was worried about her, but his little girl was very bright, so he assumed she knew what she was doing. Hermione did know what she was doing: drowning out her miserable thoughts by sinking into the fantasy world of her books. And everyday she would come down with another book in her hands, ready to read it straight through. Hermione predicted it was not healthy but she did not want to show her feelings and cry. She wanted to get rid of them and reading helped. Just like watching television, but it had too many commercials, so reading was the best option. And to do her father a favour and as not to worry him, she sat outside in the sun, too, and at times she would look up from her book and not believe how dreadful she felt.
And everything seems cut and dried,
Day and night, earth and sky,
Somehow I just don't believe it
His entire family praised Ron when he arrived home. They were all admiring him and hugging him and saying he had done brilliantly. The mirror of Erised would show Ron something different if he were to ever look in it again. It would show him wanting to be left alone. His father was being praised at the Ministry now and he was treated much better than before and this pleased Ron, but once the glamour had worn off he was happy to be treated just as 'Ron', though he wished he were left alone more often.
Runaway train, never going back
Wrong way on a one-way track
Seems like I should be getting somewhere
Somehow I'm neither here nor there
At the beginning everything seemed to be at least a bit normal, but the longer they were in their familiar homes, the more it began to show. Hermione and Ron were still interacting with their families; Hermione would do things with her father and Ron with his whole family, but it was very clear they wished to be left alone. Draco and Nora however were doing worse; Draco was desperate to get out of his horrible house forever because it felt as if it was oppressing him, just the way his father had done and all the happiness seemed to vanish. He wished to be near Nora; she always made him feel as if he could take on the world. And Nora wished to be near him, because now that her parents knew they were together, they had not stopped inquiring about him to the point that Nora began avoiding them and she knew that being near Draco would make her feel so much better than she felt right now.
Harry, however, was doing better than the others, for the Dursley's did not know what had happened in the Wizard world and therefore they treated him just as usual, giving him chores to do and yelling at him when he tried to argue. And the chores took Harry's mind off the things he did not want to think about and the yelling let him relieve himself of the anger that kept bottling up inside him. And for once Harry was glad he lived with the Dursley's and the other four envied him as he had envied them the years before.
Bought a ticket for a runaway train
Like a madman laughing at the rain
A little out of touch, a little insane
It's just easier than dealing with the pain
Dumbledore observed the five and guarded over them but he did not like what he saw. It seemed to him that the longer the five were left like this, the more they were falling into isolation; set up by themselves without knowing it. But there was nothing he could do. They would have to learn how to cope with it for it was a thing that could not be taught. He sighed as he stroked Fawkes and waved a hand over his glass sphere. The images inside it of Harry vanished. The five had always thought of their headmaster as someone who knew all the answers and had not a care in the world. To them he was eternal. But Dumbledore was not. He sighed again and put his fingertips to his temples, relieving himself of the headache that had started to form.
"Fawkes," he said. The brilliant scarlet coloured phoenix looked at him with its round eyes and trilled, as if reading its owners mind. "I am afraid I have gotten too old." Fawkes trilled again and cried on Dumbledore's hand. "Tears will not help me now."
Runaway train, never going back
Wrong way on a one-way track
Seems like I should be getting somewhere
Somehow I'm neither here nor there
In much anguish and pain Dumbledore continued to watch his five students, noticing that with every move they made it was another step in running away.
Runaway train, never coming back
Runaway train, tearing up the track
Runaway train, burning in my veins
I run away but it always seems the same
The old man sighed, a wrinkled hand on Fawkes' brilliant red head. He sighed again, as he often did nowadays. The bird trilled.
"Yes," he replied. "It was a horrible thing to have put them through. I wished it could have been different, but alas." He looked out of his window. The day was a bright one, as it should be in the summer, but despite the cheerfulness around him, a tear rolled down Dumbledore's cheek as he thought of the five students, and he told Fawkes, who continued to cry, in vain, on his owner, trying to heal the wounds within: "Deep inside they will be forever broken."
A/N: I hope this was at least a bit sad, because it really has to be. ... But I can't believe its finished. I'm all sad now. But I hope you liked the last chapter. I really worked my best to make it enjoyable to read. Sigh It's all over now... well, not really, because I have to edit all my chapters, especially the first ones since they're the worse ones. But I hope you guys all enjoyed reading my story! And please read the Author's Note that will soon follow this chapter.
Dumbeldave – Yeah, the previous chapter was supposed to be sad as well. And thanks! I have been enjoying myself now... well, I'm pretty much just watching TV and playing computer games, but I'm resting my brain after all that hard work =D Thanks for reading and reviewing. (Very much appreciated.)
(ES) – thanks for the honesty; I'll try to make the previous chapter better when I edit my story. I hope you liked this chapter as the last one. Oh and if you have any suggestions to improve something, tell me, after all, you're the reader and you know best. =D Thanks for reading and reviewing.
Funness – Yeah, this story does have its ups and downs but I'm glad you like it anyway. If you have any ideas on how I can improve it please tell me and I'll try to fix it as soon as possible. Thanks for reading and reviewing.
Sapphirelion – Pushy, aren't you? Well, you can calm down because I updated and answered your questions. The Parvati and Harry thing I explained somewhere and the mysterious guy in Nora's dream has also been revealed. I tried to put some action in here, but I'm very bad at writing action scenes. But the Nora slapping Pansy scene was supposed to be a bit of action, just for you. I'll bet you overlooked it though, because it's a small incident. Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing! =D