Harry's Point of View
My hand, clasped in Kat's, was clammy and trembling. I could hardly contain the nerves in my body as we made our way towards the Forbidden Forrest. Her hand still held mine firmly, unafraid of my weakness. It was so perfectly like Kat, to anchor me in my time of anguish.
We passed the Great Hall, and I couldn't help but peak at the many people in there. Some were receiving much needed medical attention, some resting, but most were grieving over the loss of their loved ones. I didn't look too hard, afraid that I might see more people that I recognized.
She didn't turn her head, but kept us moving forward.
I could hear her sniffle, and shift to wipe a stray tear, but her face didn't crumple in grief. She was the strength I desperately needed at this moment. I squeezed her hand, and she lifted her head to look at me, flashing a wistful smile in my direction.
She had grown so much in the last year. Her dark hair was scraggly, tied back in a messy braid that had been messed up hours ago. She had smudges of dirt on her face, and one of her sleeves was singed off. Yet she looked incredibly beautiful to me. The flush creeping up her pale skin, the silent tears clinging to her dark lashes, her small, feminine fingers clutching mine; it was all incredibly striking when I took the time to dwell on it.
In this moment, I appreciated life so thoroughly. What a miracle it was, to not just have a brain, and nerves, and bones, and senses—but to use these gifts to appreciate her. To have someone love me so thoroughly, that she not only accepted my fate, but was walking with me as long as I'd let her.
I had been foolish in not seeing this coming. Of course this was always to be the conclusion of my fate. Dumbledore had known it all along. A brief anger flared within me that he had never shared this with me, but I did not want my end to be consumed with useless rage. I looked at her once more, confident that between her, and Ron, and Hermione, that the snake would be killed before the sun rose over the mountains in the distance. Whoever's hands Voldemort's death was at would have an easier job because of my sacrifice.
Ron and Hermione… it now made sense that Dumbledore had set up confidants in this endeavor. So that they may finish this journey in my absence. I trusted they would do a fine job. They would understand why I did what I was about to do.
My heart beat wildly on in my chest, so loud I wondered if she could hear it. She gave no sign of hearing it however. Although I desired her to stop me, to drag me back upstairs by the collar, I knew it was for the best that she was leading me onwards. We walked past the entrance of the castle, and began to go down the stairs. The only light source once we were outside the castle was the cool, bright light of the moon overhead. It lit the way to the forest.
The only sounds I heard were our feet against the cold, damp ground, the erratic beating of my heart in my ears, and the slow breaths I could see her forcing herself to take. I felt the wind against my face, delighting in the way it felt soft among my face. My trainers clung to the wet earth beneath them, squishing slightly with each passing step. I mirrored Kat's deep breath, sucking the cool night's air in through my nose and feeling it fill my chest.
"I don't know what to say," she said quietly, almost too quiet to hear.
"You don't have to say anything, Kat," I whispered. "I'm just so glad you are here."
"Me too," she breathed.
As we approached the Forbidden Forest, I felt the familiar chill that only meant one thing: Dementors were nearby. I was unsure I had the strength to summon up a Patronus with my hands shaking as fiercely as they were, but I didn't have to worry.
"Expecto Patronum!" Kat had her wand out and perfectly cast the spell. Her Patronus, a ewe, bounded, determined, in the direction of the Dementors and effectively scattered them.
"Good work," I said.
"I learned from the best," she replied, looking at me and smiling. I thought back to last August, when I taught her how to do that. It was such a fond memory now.
She looped her arm through mine, and we closed the distance between us and the edge of the forest. She looked to me for direction, but I wasn't ready to say goodbye yet. I led us in a little further.
"Fuck!" she exclaimed, holding her sock clad foot. Blood seeped through the toe of her sock. She hissed in pain, and used me to balance as she took her sock off. A large thorn had pierced her big toe. I slipped off my shoes and handed them to her. "No, no, it's okay."
"I don't need them where I'm going."
She looked up at me and pursed her lips, before reaching and taking them from me. She slipped them on, and we trudged forward. I was not ready to say goodbye to her, though I knew I could take her no further. I had already brought her too close to danger.
She sensed my hesitation and stopped. "It's… it's time, isn't it?" she asked, her eyes filled with fresh tears.
I looked up at her and nodded, the motion taking its time in travelling from my brain to my body. She wrapped her arms around me tightly, her embrace full of longing. I lost myself in the moment, taking in the scent of her hair, the way her body fit so nicely against mine. I waited for her to pull away.
"I love you more than you'll ever know," I told her, as she took a half step back from our embrace.
She nodded, doing her best to keep herself together. I could see it all over her face, but I couldn't allow myself to dwell upon it. She leaned up to kiss me. "I love you too, Harry."
There was nothing else to say. There was everything to say; we could have talked for hours, long past sunrise, yet we did not have that luxury. It ended here, so I slid the Invisibility Cloak all the way off my shoulders and handed it to her.
"Please be safe. Go back to the castle and find Ron and Hermione and do what needs to be done," I said, my voice wavering. My chest felt impossibly tight as it was so hard to walk away from her.
She wrapped the cloak around her shoulders. "I guess this is goodbye," she said, her voice high and tight. "Good luck."
"Be safe, Kat."
She nodded, turned, and disappeared into the dark night. I took a deep breath, and began to walk forward towards my fate.
Kat's Point of View
Saying goodbye to Harry was one of the hardest things I had done. We'd had eons more closure than I ever would have imagined, but it still felt impossible to leave him. I had to obey his wishes, and return to the castle, despite my heart's desire to not let him walk towards his own death.
It simply didn't work like that.
The cloak, wrapped around me tightly, spelled of him. I made it about twenty paces from our departure spot before turning back to look at him. My eyes struggled against the darkness of the dense forest, relying on the small amounts of moonlight filtering in. I could still see him, a couple hundred feet away. He had stopped, and I wanted to watch. I put my hand on a tree to steady myself, my foot throbbed below me from stepping on a thorn.
It was impossible to make out exactly what he was doing, though it seemed important. He stopped for a minute at most, before beginning his march once again. Before he disappeared completely from my sight, I saw him turn back and look in my direction, though I knew he wouldn't be able to see me. Then he went up, over a small hill, and I could see him no more.
When I was positive he was gone, I turned and began to walk back to the castle. In an effort to keep calm, I took deep breaths. I would have plenty of time for grief later. There was too much to do now, before this awful day could be over.
My feet swam in the shoes that Harry had given me, but it was more comfortable than walking in just my socks. With each step, my toe throbbed, and my already wet left sock made a squishing noise. I could hear nothing, outside, aside from a light breeze rustling the leaves behind me and the water from the lake lapping gently along the shore. It was peaceful here, which just felt so wrong in contrast to what I was sure was going on only a short distance away.
Was Harry still alive? I hoped they would not prolong anything. The idea of him being tortured to death made my blood turn hot. I hoped he would find peace in the quickest way possible. He deserved that.
As I made it back to the castle, I could hear the hubbub that was surely going on inside the Great Hall. I decided I should head there first, to find Ron and Hermione. We needed to figure out how to end this. The only thing remaining between us and the ability to rid the world of Voldemort was to kill the snake and then kill him.
I wasn't quite sure what I would say to Ron and Hermione. I didn't want to lie to them, but at the same time, it seemed impossible to admit I had just walked Harry to his death. I feared they would not understand, that they would be angry I hadn't tried to stop him.
I guess I was afraid everyone would think that.
As I stood on the top step of the courtyard, I turned to look at the direction from which I came. Through the tops of the trees, I saw a bright flash of green. My stomach dropped, my chest clenched, and tears streamed fiercely down my face. It felt like all of the blood in my body was hot, pounding against my temples, causing sweat to collect there. I struggled to breath, gasping for air, as if I couldn't get any oxygen.
Harry was dead.