Trinity marveled in her thoughts. She never thought that her three friends could ever get this quiet. But as soon as she had told them about the prophecy, it became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop on the carpet. When she was beginning to think that they had been literally shocked into silence, Harry spoke.

"Why didn't you tell us about the prophecy earlier?"

Trinity glanced up at Ron. "I suppose part of me wanted to forget about it. It didn't make sense, you know, why I had to be the one to sacrifice myself for the cause. . . . And I was angry because, though I miss my parents horribly, I finally found something worth living for: you guys, my family. None of it made sense, but now it does. Anyone can kill me. If anyone else does, my body just becomes a shell for Voldemort's soul. . . . But if Voldemort kills me, he's basically killing himself. The spell will backfire and Harry will be able to destroy him."

Silence again. Hermione took a deep breath and said, "But, I'm not really sure – I don't quite understand how you became a Horcrux."

Trinity shook her head. "I think it was when Nagini bit me in the mansion. Somehow, she gave me a part of Voldemort's Horcrux."

Ron slammed his hand on the table. "This can't be happening. For all we know, it could just be one big mistake! There's no way that Trinity could be a Horcrux."

"But Ron," Hermione said, "the prophecy says –"

"Who gives a damn about the stupid prophecy? There was a prophecy that said Neville Longbottom could be the 'Chosen One' and yet look who it is! I don't know how you guys can sit here and act like everything's fine! Act like it's okay that there's a possibility that our friend is going to die!"

"People are going to die, Ron," Trinity said softly, not looking at him. "There's a big chance that Harry could die but if I do this then –"

"That's not good enough, Trinity! How can sit there and just act like this is normal?"

"Because death is normal, Ron! People die, People are murdered, people commit suicide! There's nothing we can do about it! But there's a good chance that I can stop a lot of people dying by letting myself get killed. What's one life compared to millions of others?"

Ron stared at her incredulously for a moment before his eyes narrowed. "One life is a whole bunch to me."

He spun on his heel and stormed out of the room. Trinity dropped back into her chair, her head in her hands.

Ten minutes later, she felt the table move slightly. "I'm going to go see if he's okay," Harry said.

"No," Trinity said, standing. "I'll go."

Not looking at either of her friends, she walked across the Common Room and out of the portrait hole.

She knew he'd be standing there, right were he found her that Christmas.

Quietly she walked up to Ron and stared out to the Black Lake, her arms wrapped across her chest. "I'm sorry . . . for getting so angry," she whispered after a moment.

Ron sighed, a pain laden breath that shook. "It's not fair."

"It's not," Trinity agreed. She knew he meant that their lives were not fair, that this world was not fair. People always said that live wasn't fair, but for one brief moment of happiness, couldn't life be fair? Trinity supposed she and Ron would have to wait for that fair moment. "Ron?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you remember last summer you told me that it was okay to cry, sometimes it helps?"

"Yeah."

"Do you mind if I do it now?"

Ron shook his head and held out his arms to her. She let herself be enveloped into his embrace, warm tears falling onto his chest. A moment or so later, she felt his own tears dripping softly into her hair. She wanted to look up, wipe the tears from his face but he held onto her tightly. He didn't want her to see him cry, she realized. He wanted to be strong for her.

Trinity shook her head slightly and muttered, "We can be strong together, Ron."

She felt him nod against her head as he tightened his embrace. For that moment, she knew she had something worth fighting for. This boy who bugged her constantly, picking and picking at her, trying to get her to smile and laugh, trying to get her to open up. This boy who, from far away, you could tell cared about her.

She decided she only leave him if she had to. Other than that, she wasn't going anywhere.