"I'm not losing you"
Those words left Fleur's lips with a whisper that carried itself to a tired Tonks, as if the sound were part of the weak wave of the wind that began to cover the darkened grounds surrounding Hogwarts.
The sky was a dark blue with tiny specks of the soft light belonging to the stars, and somehow, to Tonks, everything appeared to have fallen into a deep silence, except Fleur's words, so full of hope and emotion that made the Auror lose what little breath she had.
Closing her eyes for a second, Tonks felt long fingers around her hand spreading much needed warmth through her injured fingers and she sighed softly, a fresh surge of pain climbed to her chest as Tonks struggled to stay awake. The wound at her side covered a very extensive area of the right side of her abdomen and stopped a few inches below her waist; a deep gash that poured blood with every breath the girl took, trickling slowly down her battered robes and making its way through the outer side of her right leg until it began to drop lightly on the floor.
Her eyes opened and a grin formed in her lips, Tonks took a painful breath and gritted her teeth defying the pain that invaded her body. Curling her fingers around Fleur's, the Auror swallowed hard and kept her eyes aimed at the entrance to the Great Hall, if more Death Eaters were coming, she would be waiting.
"Don't worry", she finally whispered, "we'll make it…all of us"
"Will we?", Fleur breathed and tightened her hold on the Auror's hand, "tell me, Tonks, 'ow about us… you and me, will we make it?"
Why am I worrying so much about zhis? We're fighting for our lives right now…I can't 'elp eet
Another second passed, and Fleur was rewarded with Tonks's silence, the Auror was obviously thinking of a way to answer or maybe she was just too worried to think about anything else but their upcoming battle.
Whatever it was, Fleur continued to stare ahead, her blue eyes narrowed slightly but her hand gripped Tonks's with renewed strength, unwilling to let go of the Auror, until it was absolutely necessary to do so.
Unlike Tonks, the French witch barely sported a scratch, maybe it was her graceful way of fighting or just pure luck, that saved her from any injury. The Inferi illusion had fooled her just as everyone else, and that made her blood boil in anger while the feeling of defeat invaded her senses with hot waves of irritation.
Noticing a slight tremor on Tonks's hand, Fleur glanced sideways at the girl's face but she found a small frown and a pair of narrowed eyes, it was not until she skimmed her eyes down the Auror's arm that she noticed a dark stain on the black robes that covered Tonks's torso.
"You're 'urt", Fleur whispered and raised her face, trying to catch Tonks's eye.
"Aren't we all?", the Auror replied, without looking at the girl.
Suddenly, a bright jet light entered the large chamber and made its way towards the group of wizards standing in the entrance, before another group of robed figures stepped inside with their hoods drawn down upon their faces.
Fleur was blasted backwards with a tremendous force, her hand abandoned Tonks's in a quick and furious frenzy; the French witch felt her body crash on the floor a few seconds later, sending spasms of blunt pain through her body. A rising ache began to invade her blonde head and Fleur had to close her eyes in order to stop the dizziness that began to grow.
Explosions and small cries began to rise around her; the smell of burning fabric reached her nostrils and made Fleur's head spin as she tried to sit up with painful efforts. Pushing with her throbbing hands, the French witch managed to steady herself and glance around the room with heavy eyes. Her breath caught in her throat as she took in the sight of a small figure clad in Hogwarts robes lying face down on the floor with hands and legs spread out, resembling that of a child that was carving snow angels.
A sour taste rose up from her throat as she stood up, never taking her eyes off from the body; Fleur braced her legs and took a deep breath as she raised the wand in her hand and shot a Full Body Binding Spell at a tall figure heading up the staircase.
The Death Eater emitted a small grunt and fell backward, with arms and legs glued to the sides as the body tumbled down the stairs.
There was nothing she could do now but fight, Fleur realized, and nothing mattered more than winning this war. Running towards battling couples, Fleur shot Stunning Spells at the few Death Eaters that had managed to make their way around the group of Hogwarts defenders and were now heading up the staircase.
Cries and surprised moans came from the Dark wizards as they began to crash into each other, like dominoes in the childish game we've all played, and rolling down the sharp steps, creating a new pile of black robed figures.
"Ron, no!", Hermione's voice was but a high scream as it reached Fleur's ears with a terrible vibrato before a green flash of light caught the corner of her eye.
The French witch turned and her heart stopped, as she contemplated the young red-head's body falling slowly into an unmoving heap. Time had stopped once again, as Fleur widened her eyes and gazed at Hermione running towards Ron, the brunette sported a painful look of disbelief and horror as she kneeled down and took his face in her shaking hands.
"Ron, please", the girl cried with flowing tears in her brown eyes, "wake up, please!"
A small sob began to form in Fleur's throat as she tore her eyes from Hermione and surveyed the room with wide eyes, her wand clutched tightly in hand. Dozens of fallen wizards littered the floor, some unmoving and some twitching with pain while many others were still raging in a deathly battle of bright jets of light.
The smell of smoke and the coppery odor blood was in the air; the wind picked up and howled through the wooden doors with an eerie atmosphere, making the hair on the back of Fleur's neck stand on end as she scanned the bodies on the floor, looking for the unmistakable shade of pink.
The pain was unbearable, even for an Auror, it flooded her mind and ensnared her senses until it was all she could think about, her body was injured in so many places that it would be hard to count the wounds.
Tonks crashed against a wall and all breath left her lungs as she began to slide down with her back to the wall, until her legs gave way and she fell into a sitting position.
Her head hung as she tried to keep the tight grip on her wand, waiting for another violent attack.
Fortunately, the Death Eater that had blasted her away thought that Tonks was definitely unconscious, so he strolled forward with an enormous confidence, eager to finish her off with the infamous Killing Curse.
"Fooled ya", Tonks groaned and raised her face, with a swish of her wand the Dark Wizard's arms were painfully bound and he fell face-first at Tonks's feet with a heavy thud.
"Aagh", the Auror winced and try as she might, she could not pull her legs back, away from the fallen form of the Death Eater, and the blood loss had finally taken its toll on Tonks. Her eyes closed, and her breathing slowed down in an alarming pace as Tonks's mind played with visions of white-blond hair.
You never had a chance to say good-bye. Why am I so afraid of her?
No, you're not afraid of her…it's what she represents, isn't it?
Love, you're afraid of it…why? You're not a child anymore…
And within a second of these thoughts, Tonks opened her eyes and a warm flame was born in her chest as realization hit: what happened to Fleur when she was blasted back?
Their hands had been torn apart with the spell that took them both by surprise, leaving a horror-stricken Tonks standing with an empty hand.
Using every bit of strength she had, the Auror pushed her body up and prayed that her legs would hold until she found Fleur. Tonks planted her feet firmly and balanced her body with cold hands pressed on the wall behind her, she scanned the Great Hall with narrowed eyes and an enormous wave of relief washed over the Auror as her eyes came to rest on Fleur's body, the French witch was standing with a painful look in her fair face as she held her own wand in an attacking stance.
Tonks noticed the sorrow in Fleur's blue eyes and followed with her own, the trace of such feeling that made the French witch sob softly; emitting a small gasp of grief, Tonks's eyes fell upon the form of Ron Weasley and the crying face of Hermione as she held his face.
"No", the Auror whispered and her heart skipped a beat, before returning her eyes to the blonde witch, who was now scanning the room with wide blue orbs. Tonks let out a small sigh and she knew what Fleur was looking for before their eyes met; a mixture of sadness and hope was imbedded in both, soon to be replaced by the honest uncertainty of an unknown ending.
Tonks felt a strong impulse to make her way towards Fleur and embrace the French witch tightly against her own battered body, hoping to soothe the feelings reflected in the blue ocean that the blonde's eyes carried.
Tonks's breathing became slow but strong, and her heart was filled with warmth as she kept a fixed gaze on Fleur's eyes, taking in as much as she could from the girl.
Fleur was losing herself inside Tonks's eyes; her mouth was dry as were the tears that had been flowing a few seconds ago. A new rhythm took over her heart, and the beats quickened considerably as Fleur took a step forward, never removing her eyes from the Auror.
If I die…let eet be with 'er
Breaking into a quick stroll, Fleur stepped over broken bodies of friends and foes, over puddles of fresh blood and bits of rock and wood that rained from above as the battle raged on with the few survivors that stood with wands held high, defending what they believed in with fiery passion.
The French witch ducked her head as a jet of white light was aimed at her from a fallen Death Eater, but she never tore away from the Auror's eyes and her pace did not slow down when she waved her wand and immobilized the Dark wizard.
Tonks felt a stronger surge of pain at her side, and winced slightly as she tried to step away from the wall that her hand clutched for support. Closing her eyes for a second, the Auror hung her head a few degrees and opened her eyes, still transfixed with Fleur's passionate stare.
The blonde witch stepped in front of the Auror, her blue gaze was still alive with determination as she moved closer and looked up at the Auror's face.
Fleur swallowed hard as her eyes scanned the injured face of the older girl, she had never seen so many cuts and bruises; raising a pale hand to the Auror's cheek, Fleur ran her fingers over dust-covered skin and returned her icy eyes to Tonks's with a longing look, pushing her body closer.
What would 'appen if we kiss? Do you know, Tonks?
We've done so already, 'aven't we?
A deep breath from a silent Tonks, and that was all Fleur needed to remove her hand from the Auror's face and raise it to the back of the girl's head; her hand kneaded through pink strands as Fleur raised her face and captured the Auror's lips with her own in a passionate kiss.
With closed eyes, Tonks's felt an elegant hand playing with her hair as she leaned back into the wall, pulling Fleur along with her with a hand in the younger girl's wrist.
Their lips were pressed together firmly in a soft lock as the Auror felt another tug of pain in her side; ignoring it with another wave of defiance, Tonks pulled Fleur closer and ran her hands down the French girl's small waist, trailing the smooth curve with careful fingers as the Auror's back was pressed against the wall.
And it happened, the loudest explosion yet, sending a heavy rumble throughout the stone floor, dust made its way down and cries were heard, bearing fear and pain, anger and joy.
A light had appeared, flooding the Great Hall with warmth that rivaled that from the Sun in its best days, spreading from above like a blanket of golden rays that soothed their hearts and killed their pains with a loving glory.
Tonks pulled away gently from the kiss with a smile as she felt the lovely warmth on her exposed skin, her eyes filled with immense peace as she raised her gaze from Fleur's half-closed eyes.
The Great Hall was filled with wizards, young and old, they all stood facing outside, staring up at the sky, which was now beginning to fade into light blue, signaling the birth of a new day. And a soft melody rose from within, a voice that did not sound human but it was filled with love and hope draped around a fiery bass that brought tears of happiness to the young Auror's eyes.
No, it's not the end! Reviews please!