Hey sorry for my inability to update at regular times, I am a horrible person I know, sorry! So this chapter is downright depressing.

Disclaimer; You guys know the drill! Don't own blah blah blah….

I smiled sadly as Jasper came forward and wrapped his arms around me, his chin resting on top of my head, my arms came up on their own accord and wound like vipers around his waist as I buried my face in his granite shoulder.

I tensed when his arms moved and slowly unhooked my arms from around his body and whispered in my ear, "You have Charlie, Minerva, the others, you'll be fine. Won't even notice I'm gone."

I bit my lip in an attempt to stifle a sob and wiped the tears from my face, letting out a strangled laugh when I heard Charlie cry out in fake anguish, "No! Jasper, no don't leave me, after all we've been through. It can't end like this, no!"

"Charlie!" Jasper cried in agony that was so over-dramatic it was surreal. I fumbled to grab my phone from my pocket to film them. The boys pretended to be running in slow motion toward each other, they embraced and began to pretend to cry all over each other's shoulders. By now I was crying afresh but now from laughter instead of sadness and people around us were beginning to stop and stare.

After a while they stopped there useless blubbing and they hugged properly before Jasper kissed McGonagall's hand and was then off. We watched as he walked to the terminal, Minerva smiling proudly and Charlie was wrapped around me as I cried silently against his shoulder, sneaking glances every so often at Jasper's retreating back.

When he finally disappeared out of eyesight I let out a shaky breath and smiled when Charlie wiped away my tears and kissed my forehead, I turned to Minerva as we began to leave the airport, "Why did you come along, I thought you didn't know him that well?"

"Jasper cropped up occasionally in my office to either ask me something or just to sit and read. I often asked him questions and we played some chess. He even helped with some of my paperwork."

"When?" I asked bewildered.

"During the night when you were asleep, he wandered around the Castle a lot and often ended up at my office, I invited him in and usually he would sit there quietly, he sat so still." She shook her head. "Like I said, we would talk a little, he would read whilst I worked, he would help me with my work when the pile of unfinished was great or play chess. He has been at the Castle much whilst you slept at Rosemerta's."

I just nodded and held tightly to Charlie's hand as we made our way towards where we had arrived, a dark sheltered place away from Muggles. "What do you want to do when we get back to Hogwarts?"

"Actually I was thinking heading to…" I trailed off and felt Charlie squeeze my hand in understanding.

"I'm coming as well Bella." Minerva murmured softly, I nodded and held onto their arms and thought of my blackened childhood home.

MINERVA POV

The three of us landed with an echoing pop, the gates that once stood tall and proud at the front of the Mansion were now weather worn, vines of ivy, tresses of other plants and branches of trees were wrapped around the large metal, a sure sign of desertion.

Bella pulled her hand from Charlie's and stepped forward to the gates, using all of her strength she pushed them open; the heavy metal groaned, vines snapped and branches splintered as the gates revealed the grounds behind them.

The gravel pathway crunched beneath our feet and I could help but stare; the once vibrant green grass was now burnt black, it stretched from the gates all the way to house and beyond, black ivy like plant stretched out over areas of grass before fading away and the starting again. The ash had settled and looked like innocent snow, except it wasn't; as we walked it swirled slightly in little clouds at the disturbance.

The Mansion; or what was left came into sight and I heard Bella's sharp intake of breath; the remains of her childhood home stood to about knee-height, black and burnt, half of a wall stood on our left side as we came to stand in front of what was now a memorial. Inside of the house was all soot and ash and parts of the building that hadn't completely burned in the fire, beams and bits of wall, the fireplace could still be seen standing at the very back, slight bits of wall surrounding it. A burnt chair and loveseat, a destroyed dining table, the summer sun lit everything, made it naked to the eye for everyone to see and yet there was not warmth only a hollow coldness that seeped through us as we stood and stared.

Bella removed her wand from her pocket and conjured a wreath of flowers; the base of the wreath was thick and tightly entwined black roses, wound around the entire wreath were small electric blue orchids, woven in amongst the entire thing were blood red roses, ivory tulips and purple almost black calla lilies. She laid it silently against the blood stained floor, it seemed that not even the rain could wash away her brother's blood, nor could it bring life to the dead grounds, everything just ceased to exist without the home and its family.

Charlie conjured a small bouquet of red calla lilies and white roses. I did the same except there were purple lilies, white tulips and red roses. We placed our bouquets each side of the wreath and from my position at her side I could see Bella was crying; she stared at the remains of her home, blue eyes filled with tears that spilled and created silent pathways down her tanned face.

I turned my eyes back toward the charred memorial and couldn't stop my own eyes from filling with tears, Cassandra Fenwick had been my best friend, we had gone through hell and high water to get there and then she had been taken from me, I had played a huge part in Bella's upbringing and was asked to be her godmother before her birth along with being Benjy's godmother also.

I watched from the corner my eyes as Bella's blurred form was cradled in Charlie's gentle embrace and I couldn't help but wish for my own lover's arms to be wrapped around me. As if he could hear me the gates creaked again but none of us paid attention lost in our own thoughts as me and Bella cried and Charlie blinked back tears.

I felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist and I turned and buried my face in his shoulder, one of his hands stayed around my waist, the other Albus brought up to rub my back gently. All four of us stayed that way for quite some time, I was wrapped up in Albus' embrace and Bella wrapped up in Charlie's. Eventually I pulled back and allowed my lover to use his thumbs to wipe away the tears whilst I pulled my hair back up into a bun.

Bella pulled back after I did and both she and Charlie wiped away each other's tears, they kissed and I felt Albus' soft lips against the back of my neck, I turned round and pressed my lips to his before taking his hand and walking back towards the gates.

BELLA POV

I looked the remains of my home and watched as another bouquet appeared on its own, fading into existence. I let out a shaky breath and looked into Charlie's chocolate eyes, he placed a kiss on my forehead and the wrapped his arm around my shoulders; I curled my own around his waist and we followed Minerva and the Headmaster's retreating forms down the gravel pathway.

Eventually we caught up to them, Dumbledore was still holding Minerva's hand and I cracked a weak smile at the tiny display of affection, the two of them disapparated, Charlie held tighter to me and we both landed hard on the cobbles of a rainy Hogsmeade, "Were going back to mine." I said over the rain the pair of them nodded, the Headmaster and his Deputy walked along the road back up to Hogwarts whilst I forced myself to apparate me and Charlie to my manor.

I pulled out the silver key with vines wrapped around it out of my pocket and unlocked the gates before removing the various defensive spells, once me and Charlie were safely inside I replaced the spells and relocked the gates. My home was large, not as large as my childhood home had been, but big enough that myself, Charlie, Minerva, Dumbledore, Snape and the entire Weasley family could live comfortably with our own bedrooms if we wanted.

The pathway I had made sure was to be stone not gravelled and the grass was a lush green sprouting small clusters of flowers. I unlocked the door and my boyfriend held it open for me whilst I walked through and called for a house elf to light a fire in my rooms. With that I pulled Charlie through the marble entry way to grand staircase and off to the left where the master bedroom was.

The Master bedroom was painted the colour of red wine with the back wall as American black Walnut panelling. Resting against the back wall was a queen sized, black leather four-poster bed, the sheets were white and a red coverlet was folded neatly at the end of the bed. A chest made of the same wood as the panelling sat at the foot of the bed inside it was filled with various shoes. To the right of the door was a grey-stone, open hearth fireplace already lit, dotted along the mantle were various photos framed in black leather, the walls also had various pictures along them. A large moving, picture of my graduation day hung above the fireplace me and my classmates all jumping and hugging it wasn't a proper picture but it was my favourite. To the left of the room was a pair of doors that led out to the balcony which overlooked the grounds however the white silk curtains were drawn covering the view. Next to the door me and Charlie currently stood in were large sliding mirror doors which lead to my built in wardrobe.

There was a wicker chair with white padding in the corner and I shrugged of my robes to throw them on the chair, toed out of my shoes and stripped down until I wore only my loose fitting red top and a pair of lacy knickers. Charlie followed and stripped till he wore only a pair of white boxers and then climbed into my bed beside me, I felt his muscled arm settle over my body, hand resting on my heart as the rest of his body flooded me with a pleasant warmth. I fell asleep listening to his soft breathing as he held me close.

So I decided that Minerva is only in her early 50's and the Dumbles is in his 60's. This chapter was quite sad, if you didn't catch on it wasn't actually the families death anniversary, because that happened during the school year, it was in actual fact Cassandra's birthday (Bella's mum).

Drop a review and I will give you a cookie?