Chapter Seventeen: The Final Goodbye

Aaron just simply heaved a sad sigh while examining himself in the mirror to see how he looked in his new dress robes. That's when suddenly he could have sworn that he saw Bailey's reflection appear next to his and she was smiling at him just in the exact same way that he remembered and let out a rather astonished gasp.

"Bailey?" He questioned while widening his eyes but then he realized that his mind must be playing tricks on him and he quickly shook that thought out of his mind as he turned to leave out of the Gryffindor common room. Bailey was dead and she was never coming back. He just had to get used to it. That's when suddenly he felt something rubbing up against his legs again and he automatically realized that it must be Ginger when she started to purr.

He heaved another sigh as he sat down on top of the couch and placed her on top of his lap for the first time ever and started petting her. "I'm sorry Ginger, I haven't been fair to you. You probably miss her just as much as I do don't you girl?" He questioned her before he gently picked her up again and then sat her down on top of the floor.

"I have to go now though I'm sorry." He told her while getting back up onto his feet and started heading towards the portrait hole, but as he had Ginger started following him again and continued to meow. That's when suddenly Aaron stopped and turned back around to face her. "I have an idea." He said before he picked her up again and then started carrying her out of the room.

…

Once Aaron had reached the Great Hall he had gone up to Rickie. "Is Carly here yet?" He questioned him yearnfully, but Rickie just simply heaved a sad sigh and shook his head.

"No, sorry man she's still in the hospital wing." He told him before Aaron just simply hung his head in disappointment.

"Oh." He replied before Derek and Justin went to go catch up with the other two boys.

"What's Ginger doing here?" Justin asked him.

"I brought her to say goodbye. Where's Bailey?" He asked him back as Justin turned and pointed towards the front of the room where a small wooden coffin with a cross on the bottom of it was it. Another young girl with long red hair and bright green eyes was already standing over by it along with Rose. No doubt in Aaron's mind paying their respects.

"She's right over there." He told him. "Are you sure you want to do this?" He questioned as Aaron slightly shook his head back at him.

"No, but I have to say goodbye." He said while at the same time bumping into Jack and Max as they both went up to see the young witch who laid inside the coffin as well. As soon as he got close enough Aaron caught sight of his sister's body for the first time and it really looked like she was just simply sleeping.

A tear rolled down his cheek. He could hardly believe it. Even in death she still looked beautiful. Although of course her beautiful blue eyes were closed, but her rather long eyelashes were still obviously visible along with her rather long and beautiful light-brown hair. A white and pink striped blanket was covering her body and she was holding everlasting roses while a picture of her holding her cat Ginger (who was currently struggling to get out of her grasp) sat on the table next to her coffin.

Aaron sat the real Ginger down for a second. Bailey looked so life-like that he had to place his hand on top of hers just to make sure that she wasn't still alive. Just in case there was the slightest possible chance that she still was. However, when he touched her hand she was as cold as ice and that's when it finally hit Aaron like a ton of bricks. She truly was dead.

"Oh Bailey!" He cried before he started bursting into sobs. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry please forgive me!" He pleaded as tears poured out of his eyes once again and fell down his cheeks like rain still not letting go of her hand. He knew that she couldn't hear him but yet he still couldn't help himself. "It's all my fault! If I had of just been back when I was supposed to be then you would still be alive!" He wept before the girl with red hair turned to him.

"You mustn't blame yourself." She began. "My name Jessica Lane but Bailey just like everybody else loved calling me Jess or Jessie. Anyways, even though I'm in Hufflepuff instead of Gryffindor Bailey and I were really good friends and if there is one thing that she understood better than anything else is sometimes bad things happen and we don't understand why,.. but God always has a plan for all of us." She told him with a reassuring smile.

"Even though she didn't always show it and it might not have always seemed like it, she really did love you Aaron. She loved you more than I've ever seen a sister love their brother and she wouldn't want you hating yourself like this." She told him as Aaron just simply sniffed and then wiped his nose on the back of his hand.

"She also loved her cat more than I've ever seen any owner love their pet." Aaron began. "That's why I decided to keep her myself because I have a feeling that that's what she would want." He finished before bending over and picking up Ginger again and then turned around to see Justin standing right there before him.

"Sorry Justin, do you think Julie would understand?" He questioned him.

"Actually, as a matter of fact,.. I do." Justin replied while placing a comforting hand on top of his shoulder and resting it there. "You're right, it's what Bailey would want. And that way you'll always have a part of her to remember her by." He told him before Aaron sat Ginger back down for a second time and then Aaron burst into sobs again before the two boys threw their arms around one another and embraced each other.