Harry showed up a few moments later, he looked terrible. He was deathly pale and his scar was standing out darkly against his forehead. His hair was sticking out everywhere and his eyes were blood shot and wet with tears. What had happened, and where was Dumbledore? He asked about Bill first, showing his worry for him immediately. Remus filled him in while Sirius moved to his side, examining Harry with touching care. Then Harry said two words that stole the air from everyone in the room.

"Dumbledore's dead,"
"No!" Remus bellowed, looking wildly at Harry. Sirius clutched Harry to him holding him tightly as Remus collapsed into a chair, his hands on his face. Tonks was by his side in a moment, holding him to her chest as he wept. I clutched onto George desperately, turning into him and burying my face in his chest. Luna swayed dangerously and Ron grabbed hold of her, the two of them clutching each other in an attempt not to fall over. Ginny grasped Bill's bed, rocking forward on her heels, and supporting all her weight on her arms. Fred was cradling Angelina to his chest, his blue eyes filling with tears as Angelina wept into his shirt.

"How did he die?" Sirius whispered, holding Harry tight. "How did it happen? Are you alright?"
"Snape killed him," Harry said, his voice emotionless. "I was there, I saw it. We arrived back on the Astronomy Tower because that's where the Mark was. . . . Dumbledore was ill, he was weak, but I think he realized it was a trap when we heard footsteps running up the stairs. He immobilized me, I couldn't do anything, I was under the Invisibility Cloak - and then Malfoy came through the door and disarmed him -" My hand flew to my mouth as George held me to him. Snape, Snape had betrayed us and I'd had the chance to stop him! I should have trusted Harry, I, it couldn't have happened! No, not now, not ever! How could we win now?

Merlin help me, I'd trusted the wrong man. I'd believed him because he was a professor. How could I have been so naïve? I could have stopped him, I could have saved Dumbledore. Oh God, I could have saved him, could have spared Harry!

"- more Death Eaters arrived - and then Snape - and Snape did it. The Avada Kedavra." Harry stopped, his voice breaking. Sirius pulled him back into a hug, rubbing his back comfortingly as tears filled Harry's eyes. Sirius' own eyes were filled with unshed tears as he sought out Remus' gaze. He rose from the chair on shaky legs and walked over to Sirius. He grabbed Sirius, pulling him and Harry into a hug. Tonks got up from where she had been sitting next to Remus and walked up to Ginny. She grabbed the trembling girl to her, both openly crying as they held onto each other.

Nobody could talk, we were all too distraught. Professor McGonagall showed up and told us what was going on, and then the doors of the hospital wing burst open, making us all jump.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were running up the ward, horror on their faces. Fleur was right behind them, her terrified eyes finding mine and seeming to see my very soul. She ran up to the bed and stopped next to me, clutching my right hand with her left and Bill's right with her right hand. She looked down at him in shock, tears streaking down her porcelain face.

"Bill," Mrs. Weasley whispered as she saw her sons ripped face. "Oh, Bill!"

"You said Greyback attacked him?" Mr. Weasley asked Professor McGonagall distractedly. "But he hadn't transformed? So what does that mean? What will happen to Bill?"

"We don't yet know," Professor McGonagall, replied looking helplessly at Remus.
"There will probably be some contamination, Arthur," .Remus answered, rising from the chair on shaky legs. "It is an odd case, possibly unique. . . . We don't know what his behavior might be like when he awakens. . . ."

Mrs. Weasley took the ointment from Madam Pomfrey and began dabbing at Bill's wounds. Fleur was shaking next to me and I removed my hand from hers, wrapping my arm around her instead. Tears were falling down her perfect cheeks as she looked at her love.
"And Dumbledore ..." said Mr. Weasley. "Minerva, is it true ... Is he really. . . ?"

"Of course, it doesn't matter how he looks. . . . It's not r-really important. . . but he was a very handsome little b-boy . . . always very handsome . . . and he was g-going to be married!" Mrs. Weasley murmured, stroking Bill's hair. I froze at her words and snapped my eyes up. Fleur grew still next to me, and we both spoke at once.

"Was going to be married?" I hissed.
"And what do you mean by zat?" Fleur demanded loudly.

Mrs. Weasley raised her tear-stained face, looking surprised at first Fleur and then me. "Well -only that-"

"How can you still think that?" I asked, my own voice finally breaking. How could she not see? How could she not tell that Fleur loved Bill, she didn't care about his looks. She loved him. There were handsomer men out there, it wasn't his looks that kept her by his side. Wait a minute, did she think the same of me? That I'd leave George if he was hurt? A sense of fear filled me and I found myself clutching him tighter. Not because I thought I'd leave him if he got hurt, but because I was scared Mrs. Weasley would treat me like she did Fleur.

She looked at me in complete shock, her brown eyes wide and un-believing.

"Isn't it obvious?" She asked, hesitatingly, looking like she couldn't understand my siding with Fleur.

"It's obvious that Bill can see more clearly than you. Fleur doesn't love him for his looks, he wasn't as handsome as some of the Veela from her own country. She is so much more than a pretty face." I said, moving my eyes from Mrs. Weasley to Bill. His face was drawn tight, and even though he was sleeping , he looked like he was in terrible pain.

"You thought I would not weesh to marry him? Or per'aps, you hoped?" Fleur questioned, her eyes dark with anger and her back straight. Mrs. Weasley was looking frightened, and I was thrilled beyond words at it. I wanted to step in terribly bad, but I wanted Fleur to finally say everything she had been holding in for so long. "What do I care how he looks? I am good-looking enough for both of us, I theenk! All these scars show is zat my husband is brave! And I shall do zat!" she finished fiercely, pushing Mrs. Weasley aside and snatching the ointment from her. I had to fight the urge to cheer when she started dabbing Bill's wounds. It was amazing, at her touch you could actually see Bill's face relax. He no longer looked to be in pain, he was even leaning into her gentle, loving touch.

"Our Great-Auntie Muriel," Mrs. Weasley said, causing me to jump a little and move my eyes back to her. "has a very beautiful tiara - goblin-made - which I am sure I could persuade her to lend you for the wedding. She is very fond of Bill, you know, and it would look lovely with your hair."

"Thank you," Fleur said, her lip wavering."I am sure zat will be lovely." And then Mrs. Weasley grabbed her in a hug, and both were crying. Finally, Mrs. Weasley realized that Fleur loved her son. Finally she excepted the veela as more than a pretty face.

She accepted her as a daughter.

-
Everything was suspended. The lessons were stopped, the exams suspended. People poured in from everywhere for the funeral, every witch and wizard in the world seemed to show up. All wanted to show their respect for who had been the greatest wizard. Harry, Ron, Ginny, Luna, Neville, and I spent all of the time before the funeral together. Several students were sent home before it, but most stayed. We all wanted to say good bye to our headmaster, the best headmaster Hogwarts had ever had.

Harry told us about the locket, that it was a fake and that Dumbledore had told him to find and destroy the rest. He, Harry, actually thought that Ron and I wouldn't go with him. Actually thought that we would let him go on his own. Silly boy, how could he ever think we'd leave him? We promised to stick by him through thick and thin, no matter what the end. What more, I knew of several other people who would be more than determined to see things through to the end. Did he really think Sirius and Lupin would let him go off completely alone and unattended? For that matter, did he think that every single Weasley wouldn't be willing to follow him?

No matter what, I knew one thing for dead certain. I would not leave Harry to face Voldmort alone, no matter what the cost. All I had to do now was make sure my parents would be safe. I'd have to make sure that they would be alright if, if I didn't come back. I'd have to wipe their memories and give them a new identity.

I'd never done anything harder in my life. It took all of my strength to wipe their memories. Watching them pack up, oblivious to the fact that they had a daughter, that I was their daughter, was the worst thing I've ever felt. No pain had ever compared.

I arrived at the Burrow at the end of June. I was crying openly as I neared the house, unable to see through the never ceasing tears. George was the first to see me. He ran out of the house and grabbed me, pulling me into his strong arms and comforting me as I wept. Him and Ron were the only two I had told about my plan. He murmured comforting words to me as he held me, patting my hair and stroking my back.

"It was so much harder than I thought it'd be." I said, my voice breaking as I spoke. He held me tighter as I heard more footsteps near.

"You are so strong, I'd have never been able to." He whispered, kissing the top of my head.

"Oh 'Mione." A voice said to my left, and then I felt Ron's lanky arms hug me too. A moment later Ginny and Fred joined in, and George, Ron and them surrounded me, wrapping me in a cocoon of love and safety. I got a grip on myself and managed to still my tears. I pulled away after a few minutes and smiled at them all gratefully. Together we walked into the house, each of us arm in arm.

As I ate dinner that night at the over crowded table I let my gaze linger over each face. This was every bit as much my family as my parents were. This was the reason we could win the war. We had something Voldmort only ever dreamt of, something he didn't even realize was a factor. We had love, and trust, and hope. We had each other. The faith that we could pull each other through, that we could overcome anything together. We would never stop fighting, we would never betray each other.

That's why Harry would be able to beat Voldemort. Because he'd know he wasn't alone, know he would have someone to help him. Voldemort couldn't trust anyone, and in the end, that would be his downfall.

In the end, it would be because of Love.