Chapter Forty-Seven: Love You, Mum

I coughed loudly as I exited the fireplace. Coal dust always seemed to enter my lungs whenever I decided to travel the by Floo Network. After I finished my coughing spout, I looked around my living room. Nothing had changed much since I left last Christmas. The place seemed cleaner though, which was reasonable since Mum liked to clean when she was upset or bored.

"Mum? Are you home?" I shouted as I walked into the empty kitchen.

I heard a loud bang upstairs and I quickly ran up the large set of stairs. Was something wrong? And why the hell were there so many bloody steps?

"Mother?" I yelled a bit louder than last time as I entered her bedroom. I heaved a huge sigh of relief as I saw that she had only knocked down a the items on top of her side table when she stumbled at the shock of hearing my voice.

"Sophie! It's wonderful to see you." she exclaimed with tears in her eyes as she ran to give me a bone crushing hug. Then she stepped back with a happy yet confused look on her face, "Why are you not at Hogwarts? You didn't get expelled or anything, did you? What happened to your cheek?"

I shook my head at her conclusions and ignored her question. She didn't need to know about the werewolf attack anytime soon, "Not at all. I had just came back from a meeting at Gringotts. The reading of Grandma's will. Did you know that she left James her house? I thought that I would drop by and give you a visit. Thought that I was better now than later."

Though I hadn't seen Mum in only a few months, she looked completely different. Her pretty, dark hair was now graying and she had more wrinkles on her once young face. You could tell that the stress on Dad's death was getting to her, along with the war and Grandma's passing. I bet even my running away was taking a toll on her too.

"Oh, that's so nice, darling, for you to drop by," my mother answered and managed to completely ignore the topic of her mother-in-law. "Do you want some tea?"

Five minutes later we were sitting on the couch in the living room. It was so silent and awkward. Well, I guess it's time for me to do what I came here for.

"I sorry," I mumbled quietly after taking a sip of the hot tea I was holding. "I shouldn't have ran away or got into all of those fights with you."

She looked at me in shock for a minute before responding, "Sweetie, it's alright. I should be the one to apologize. You were right to be mad at me. My sister and her family are a bunch of stuck-ups and I had no idea why I was agreeing with them. Vera was always such a prick when we were little now that I think about it too."

"I love you, Mum. Even if I don't tell you enough, I just want you to know that. No matter what I say otherwise," I said after her reply.

"I know, honey. I love you too," she answered me with a loving look on her face. Then she wrapped one arm around me and squeezed my shoulders tight with a quick kiss to my cheek

"Oh, and Mum? I was thinking about coming home for summer. Maybe for the second half?"

Her eyes got so bright I thought she would cry again, "Oh, darling, that would be just wonderful!"

For the longest time that I can remember, I finally gave my mother one of the first genuine smiles that I rarely had upon my face, which she happily returned. We had both been through hell and back in the past year and I was glad that I had finally managed to suck it up and act like a mature person enough to apologize.

If only I had done so earlier.

BANG! The door had been blasted open by a group of Death Eaters. Next thing I knew our tea cups were shattered on the ground and my mother and I were up with our wands out. I was now in my battling mode and these bastards were going to pay.

"Stupefy!" I shouted as my wand hit the nearest masked man. They fell to the floor unconscious. One down, six to go.

My mum wasn't that far behind me in taking down the dark wizards, "Expelliarmus! Deprimo!"

Although the last one missed the Death Eater by a hair and blasted a giant hole in the wall, it clocked him with a chunk of wall in the head. Make that six left.

"Sir, the Potter girl is here!" one of them shouted to another, who was obviously the leader.

He just laughed bitterly, "More the merrier, Gibbon! Diffindo! Avada Kadavra! Why not wipe the entire family out? I've always loved a good killing!"

I tried to ignore the cut that appeared on my left shoulder and took my anger out on the fucking asses that were trying to murder me. Why the hell were they here?

"Sophie, I want you to get out of here," Mum said strongly as she swished her wand at another wizard and caused their insides to fall onto out now heavily stained white carpet.

I shook my head, "Hell no! You'll have no chance if I leave. I am staying to help get these fucking bastards!" I yelled back as I took another on down. For Death Eaters guys were pretty easy to defeat.

"Oh-ho! Little Potter's got a mouth on her!" the masked man I was dealing with shouted. After I got rid of him there was only two left.

"I see you still have that battle in you! I've wanted to duel you since after I killed your father back in Diagon Alley. Too bad the apparation wards had been restored by then or you might not be standing here today," the wizard I was currently fighting sneered.

I growled in anger and only fought back harder. This was the fucking bastard who killed my dad and I was going to have my revenge. "Accio mask!" I muttered and the veal covering his face flew of and I was faced with Yaxley.

He looked a bit surprised at the reveal, but then smiled cruelly, "Just had to see the gorgeous face who was going to kill you?"

My reply was cut off by the loud groan of pain from my mother. I turned worriedly to find her clutching her stomach in pain before falling to the ground on the broken pieces of glass from our cups earlier. I could see blood seeping at an extraordinary pace into her light blue shirt.

"Mum! No!" I screamed in pain and anger right before shooting a curse at the man who did this to her. He fell to the floor dead. Then I ran to her side. This couldn't be happening again. We just made up with each other. "Mum! No, no, no!" I said while sliding on the floor next to her. Not even a care in the world that my legs were getting cut up.

"Aww, even if this is touching, I have to get going. I would help end your life too, but were would be the fun in that without a fight?" Yaxley explained evilly. I had even forgot that he was there.

My eyes turned to the man, "You're going to pay for this. I know that this was your idea and I will find you. You are going to regret your actions when that day comes you fucking bastard!"

He just chuckled and apparated away after he shot the dark mark into the sky.

I turned back to my mother. Her stomach was bleeding heavily so I applied pressure to it.

Her brown eyes found mine. Tears were pouring out of them. "Sophie, I'm dying," she mumbled quietly to me.

I shook my head, "No you're not! What spell did he use? I can heal you or the healers can when they get here. Someone had got to notice the giant hole you blew in the wall or the Dark Mark."

"No, sweetie, he used dark magic on me. I am going to bleed out before the healers get here," Mum said sadly. She then lifted her shaky hand to my face and wiped away the tears I didn't know were falling. "Now, remember what I said earlier? Don't forget it. Tell... Tell your brother that I love him."

I nodded frantically, "I will, Mum, but I can't loose you. I just lost Dad and Grandma. Not you too. You're going to pull through. You can't die. I won't let you!"

Her eyes were beginning to get hazy and her hand had dropped from my face to grip my own, stopping my from putting pressure on her wound. As she spoke, her voice got weaker and her breath became lighter. There was also more space between her sentences, "I'm sorry, dear. It's my time to go... I'll tell them that you said hello... Daddy and Grandma... Wherever we end up going to... I love you, Sophie. Remember to.. never forget that. I'm... sorry. Goodbye... my darling." She then closed her tearful eyes and her head went slack.

"No! Mum! MUM!" I cried as I shook her, trying to wake her up, though it was hopeless.

Then the pressure in my hand was gone and that was when I knew. She was gone. Never to open her chocolate brown eyes again.

I began to sob uncontrollably. Why did they always have to kill everything that I loved? My mother was dead, along with my father and grandmother. All gone because of this stupid war. I was never going to give them hugs or a kiss on the cheek. I was never going to hear their advice, praise, or words of discipline. I was never going to tell them that I loved them ever again. And it shattered my heart into tiny fragments that could never be put back together.

Then I became angered. Voldemort was the reason that my family was dead. He out that bastard, Yaxley, up to this and I was going to make sure to finish it. Like I said before, they were going to pay for what they did.

I heard a lot a pops, which meant that the Ministry was here. I soon felt a hand on my shoulder shoulder, signaling me to move away from my dead mother's body. I shook my head, by the man pulled me away.

"It's okay, Potter. You'll be okay," a slightly familiar voice said to me. I looked up to see Mad-Eye Moody. "Now, I'd hate to ask you this, but do you think that you could tell me what happened here?"

AN- I am so sorry for the long wait. I didn't really know how to write this chapter until it totally came to me the other night.

Summer has finally begun, so I should begin to update more frequently. That is until Marching Band Camp begins... Twelve hours five days a week for three weeks... Fun.

Also, I would like to thank my reviewers, rockinBallerina, Neko.MF, Blue Luver5000, and those two Guest reviewers. I wouldn't be able to write this story without you guys.

Until next time (which is hopefully soon). -Laura