Disclaimer: I don't own it.

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Chapter Ten: Goodbyes are Always Hard

Hope awoke to something jumping on her bed. She squinted her eyes and caught a flash of white and black fur before she felt a rough tongue on her face. She sat up while pushing the animal back and glaring at her father, who was laughing in the doorway. The animal leapt up and tried to lick her face again.

"Sasha, stop!" Hope said, as she heard another person laughing at her doorway.

Sasha growled at Hope and settled for licking her hand. After a few seconds, she curled up in a ball on her owner's lap and fell asleep. Hope shook her head and turned toward the door, where Draco, Harry and her father were all standing.

"Not that I'm upset, but why is Sasha here? Hagrid is supposed to keep her all summer."

Severus entered the room and walked over to pet the miniature white tiger.

"Hagrid was leaving for a mission Dumbledore sent him on," he informed his confused daughter.

"Oh, but you don't want her in your house," Hope remarked quizzically.

"Sasha is better than the twins, and it isn't fair for me to ban you from having your pet here. I just didn't want you distracted while we were training."

Hope smiled and hugged her father, causing the animal to growl again in frustration at being jarred.

"Oh, quit whining, Sasha," Hope exclaimed, exasperated at the animal. "If you have something to say, say it!"

Sasha just purred and curled up into a tighter ball on Hope's lap.

Hope looked up at her father and asked, "What are we doing today?"

Severus shrugged. "I don't have any plans, other than reading a book and assisting with funeral arrangements."

Hope winced. "What book are you reading?"

"You know very well what book. And I believe Harry should be in on this conversation. Since you think that we are weak wizards."

"I do not! I just don't want to risk it. Besides, it wouldn't have to be you two. It could be anyone else, like the headmaster, or Hermione."

Severus pulled the book out of the pocket of his robe. He opened it to a page and began reading out loud.

"Self healing requires a lot of energy from the person who is attempting the self healing. It takes the healing energy that was used to heal the person, and pushing it back into the healer. Because of the physical toll taken on the persons being healed, the healer should use the strongest of the people being healed. One is required to have been healed during the past month, and another who was healed before the past month."

Hope looked at him curiously. "What are you trying to prove?"

Severus sighed. "Hope, name all the people you healed before a month ago."

Hope bit her lip. "Harry, minor injuries on Hermione and Draco while we were practicing, a kid on the Quidditch team who broke his arm, that's it."

"And out of all of those, who actually had to be healed to prevent death?"

"Just Harry," Hope sighed.

"So only Harry would have enough healing energy inside of him to do you any good."

"True, but Harry's an extraordinary wizard. He wouldn't be harmed in the healing process, but what if we're attacked afterwards?"

"Trust my wards not to fall."

Hope shook her head. "Even if Harry is strong enough to do it, that doesn't mean the other person is."

Severus looked offended. "Are you telling me, you believe a seventeen year old wizard to be more powerful than myself?"

Hope looked confused. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, I'm the one you put most of your healing powers into recently. That would leave me the best choice for the second half of the healing."

Hope looked at him in shock. "No way. You almost died because of me once. I refuse to let it happen again."

Severus cupped Hope's face in her hands, forcing her to look at him. "I will not die. None of us will, except for you, if you ignore this."

Hope shook her head. "I'm not going to die."

Severus turned the page and pointed to a paragraph. "Read this out loud, Hope."

"Healers are very vulnerable to specific curses and hexes. They are resistant to potions, so they do not have the means necessary to heal certain spells that are deadly for wizards if not treated. One of the worst curses known to healers is the Cruciatus curse. It slowly tears down the healer's body, making it vulnerable to even muggle diseases. Any weak curse thrown at the healer during this vulnerable state would cause the healer to go into shock and result in death."

Hope looked at Severus. "Why are you doing this to me?"

"To get you to realize the truth. We can't wait much longer. We're going to do it after the funeral, the day after. I can't risk losing you, Lea. Please tell me you'll do it."

Hope closed her eyes against the coming tears. She nodded reluctantly and felt her father squeeze her hands. Harry squeezed her shoulder before standing up. She felt her father release her hand and stand. Hope curled up against Sasha and closed her eyes, letting her tears fall.

Hope stood nervously outside of the entrance hall, waiting for the Weasleys to arrive. She felt someone standing behind her and smiled sadly at Hermione.

"You ready?" She asked.

Hope shook her head. "I don't know how they will react to it. I mean, first I get their son killed, then save their other son, and then I go up to them with a pillow to remember their son by? I have got to be crazy."

Hermione pushed her into the room. "They will appreciate it. Now go, there is only a couple minutes left before the funeral starts."

Hope sighed and allowed Hermione to lead her over to where the Weasley parents were standing near Dumbledore. Hope went up and stood next to Mr. Weasley. When he turned to look at her, she pushed down her nervousness and held out the pillow.

"Hermione and I made this for your family," Hope said as he took it. She pulled out her wand and activated it. "It's programmed to only work for Hermione and my wands right now, but you can add certain wands. All you have to do is activate it and touch the person's wand to the pillow and it will be able to work with a touch of its wand. We thought it might be helpful to have something to remember him and everything he stood for."

Mrs. Weasley grabbed Hope and Hermione into a huge hug while crying even harder.

"Girls, thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me. Your parents must be extremely proud of you."

Hope sighed and turned away once she was released from the hug. She went and sat in the second row, saving seats for her father, Harry and Draco. Hermione sat down a seat away from her and smirked. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"

Hope sighed. "I guess not."

Hermione looked at her. "What's wrong, Hope?"

Hope turned toward Hermione, showing the tears in her eyes. "How many more funerals are we going to have to attend, Hermione?"

Hermione immediately understood. "Hope, we're in a war. People die. It's inevitable."

Hope lashed out at her friend. "This is only the first person you've lost in this war. I lost both sets of my parents. I had to watch my adoptive parents be murdered right in front of me! I had to watch as muggles were killed because I wouldn't bow down. Draco almost got killed, my father almost died, and now Ron. Who else?"

Hermione let her eyes fill with tears for her friend. "Hope, I know it's hard. That's why we're training you so hard. If we don't, then Voldemort will just keep killing the one's we love."

Hope nodded but refrained from replying as her father came over to sit down. Harry sat in between Hope and Hermione, while Draco chose to sit beside Hermione. Her father sat on her other side.

Severus and Harry kept watching Hope closely during the service. They understood how hard she was taking the guilt of Ron dying. They didn't expect what happened at the end of the service.

Dumbledore waved his hand and a white candle appeared on a gold stand. He continued to explain what it was.

"This is an eternal candle. After being lit, it will continue to burn on forever as long as there is someone who cares for the person who it was lit for." He turned toward the Weasley family. "Being the remaining family members of Ronald, you are to choose who will light the candle."

Everyone watched as they collaborated quietly. Finally Mr. Weasley stood and whispered into the headmaster's ear.

Dumbledore turned to the crowd once again. "Hope Collins is to light the candle. Hope, if you would please come forward."

Hope stayed rooted to her seat as tears came to her eyes. She tried to blink them back, but they fell uncontrollably down her face.

"Hope, please, go," Hermione whispered, nudging her.

Hope slowly stood, using her crutches and made her way to the front of the room. She accepted the smaller white candle from Dumbledore and brought it down to the wick of the other candle. She turned toward the casket and whispered, "Rest in peace, Ronald. We love you."

She turned and hobbled out of the room completely. She kept going until she reached her father's quarters in the dungeons. Needing just a little bit of time to herself, she curled up on the couch and watched the rain falling outside.

Severus searched the castle three hours later, trying to find his daughter. They had gone home after the funeral, hoping she had gone there, but was surprised to find the house empty. After allowing everyone else entrance, he floo'd back to Hogwarts to search for the girl.

Running out of ideas, he went down to his quarters to find a tracking potion. He walked toward the living room and saw his daughter sitting against the window sill, watching the storm rage outside.

He went and put a hand on her shoulder and she turned her head to look at him. He was shocked at her tearless face.

"It's like the storm can understand how I'm feeling. The rain represents the tears for the sadness at the loss, the thunder at the anger for the way he was killed, and the lightening for the vengeance that will be dealt out. Three emotions all in one."

"Hope, you need to come home."

Hope shook her head. "I want to stay here. It's not storming at home. It's nice at home. It's not supposed to be nice. Not during a war."

"Hope, come on. You're tired, you're not thinking straight. The curse is causing you to lose focus on the real world. Come home and sleep so we can heal you tomorrow."

Hope locked eyes with her father so he would know she was perfectly sane. "The curse doesn't make someone lose their mind, Dad. I know what I'm thinking. I just don't know how someone could be so evil."

"Nobody does, Hope. He had a bad childhood. Come on, you will need your sleep tonight."

Hope sighed and made her way over to the fireplace. She leaned against her dad so she wouldn't be spit out of the fireplace and do further damage to her leg.

Severus escorted Hope upstairs before going to his room to get something. Hope hobbled into her room and sat on the end of her bed. She lazily flicked out her wand and waved it so her clothes changed into comfortable pajamas. She pulled out her journal and wrote a quick entry, finishing just as Severus reentered, holding a purple jar.

Hope eyed the contents warily as he handed it to her. "What's this?"

Severus laughed. "An amplified Dreamless Sleep. Tomorrow will take a lot out of you. This is ten times the normal strength, so it should at least provide a few hours of sleep."

Hope nodded and locked eyes with her father. "You do realize that after tomorrow, I'll never be able to use a potion again?"

Severus nodded. "Are you worried?"

Hope shook her head. "I just wish I knew how it was going to work. I understand that Draco is going to be helping, and the headmaster is going to be overseeing it all. The book doesn't explain how it works."

"Basically, Albus will walk you through the spell. He went through it with your mother, so he knows what he's doing."

Hope nodded. "I guess I just have to trust him, huh?"

Severus laughed. "I guess, you just have to get some sleep. I'll wake you up early."

Hope shook her head and laid down while her father walked to the doorway. Hope spelled off the lights; not knowing her father stood there and watched her with a smile while she slept.

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A/N: Hey everyone!!! I hope it's all going well. I'm on spring break this week!! Yay!! Okay, I've got the majority of the story planned out, but if you want anything to happen, let me know. I'm also planning a Severus adopts Harry story after this. Okay?
Review,
Kayla