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Ghost!AU. Warning for character death, and mentions of canonical character death. The word count is 775 words. I hope you all enjoy Shadow of the End.
Your death is an event that happens to everyone else. A fact that I hadn't considered the moment I went in search of the mysterious ghost was that was said to haunt the owlery. Many people had seen the apparition. But they could never tell who it was. All they could remember was that it gave them a feeling of immense sorrow and guilt.
Thus I made it my mission to find out who this mysterious specter was. Taking the risk I journey out to the owlery. The memories of Hedwig swooping down to greet me stung like hell. I could swear that I could still hear her hooting call even though she wasn't there.
"It's an owlery, Harry," I told myself. "Of course, you're going to be hearing owls hooting."
I tread the path that so many before me had taken. It was so well-traveled that one didn't even have to ask which way to go. One only needed to look down and follow the path that the others had made.
I walked through the straw and owl droppings making sure not to step in the latter too much. I had to know. I had to know who this spirit was that was haunting the owlery. I had to know why they always brought a feeling of immense sorrow and guilt with them when they appeared. But most of all I just wanted to know to fulfill my own morbid curiosity.
"Hello," I called, hoping that would bring the spirit out of its hiding. "Is anyone here?"
I wasn't too surprised when no one answered save for the hooting of a few indignant owls who had been rousted from their sleep. I sighed and leaned against the cold stone wall of owlery, feeling a shiver go down my spine.
"I'm sorry," I told them, causing them to hoot once more and tuck in for their nap. I folded my arms and waited some more. I looked towards the window that many say you can see the specter in during the evening time.
What I see there makes my blood run cold. The specter was there but it hadn't taken full shape yet. It was only blackish-gray misty that was swirling near the windowpane. The feeling of sorrow crept in on me like a stalker. I had felt this way years ago when the Battle of Hogwarts ended. When I had seen all the damage that protecting me had wrought on the people that I cared the most for.
"Who are you?" I asked, taking a step towards the slowly solidifying ghost. "Why are you haunting the owlery?"
The ghost didn't say anything. It only stared at me as though it could feel the sadness and sorrow and guilt that I still felt over the losses I had caused during the war.
The faces of the ones that had been lost during the war flittered past my face. Dumbledore. Fred. Remus. Sirius, Mad-Eye Moody, Tonks. Ted Tonks. And many many more after them. I even saw the faces of my own parents.
"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked, watching as the spirit cocked its head and watched me some more. "Why are you showing me these things? It's not like I don't feel guilty enough as it is. I don't need to see them to feel that way."
It cocked its head once more the features of its face slowly starting to take shape. The dark hair and tanned skin became more prominent as it resolved itself slowly but surely.
"Why won't you speak to me?" I asked, taking a step closer to the spirit. "Who are you? Why are you here?"
It looked at me sadly as what appeared to be glasses formed upon the face. Was this spirit my father? If it was why hadn't he shown himself before now? If not why would someone pull such a horrible prank?
I took another step forward and watched as the ghost took a step back. I took another step forward reaching out to stop them. I had to know. I had to know who this spirit was. The ghost shook its head and took another step backward. I followed suit.
But the thing I wasn't expecting was that my foot would hit empty air. It took me a second to realize my mistake and by that time it was too late to do anything. I looked up as I fell and a horrible dawning came to me as the face took its full shape and form. The spirit was me all along. A shadow of the future which had brought my end.
I hope you all enjoyed Shadow of the End as much as I enjoyed writing it.
