Smoke hung thick in the air. There was rubble scattered everywhere. The sound of crying echoed through the corridors. Elaine Weasley rubbed at a deep cut on her pale forehead. It was over. The battle between good and evil had played its course. While they had won, the battle had caused many casualties, including one from her own family.
Elaine couldn't begin to express how she was feeling. Her older brother Fred was dead. While Elaine had always been closer to her twin Ron and Ginny, Fred still meant the world to her. He was family. He was always able to make her laugh, even though the bad times.
Elaine felt a pair of arms wrap around her midsection. Without even looking to see who it was, she leaned back, knowing who the arms belonged to. A chin rested on the top of her head and Elaine closed her eyes, feeling safe for the first time that day.
"I love you."
"I love you too, Ced," Elaine whispered back.
Cedric Diggory had been her rock the last few years and she was glad that hadn't been a casualty of the way. She didn't know what she would have done if he had been one.
