Chapter 44

Ari's POV

It must be daytime again, because all I can see is blinding white light all around me.

Searing pain shoots through my body again as I try to get up from the soft, forest ground. As I return to sitting still, and another strobe of pain emanates from my back, I realize two things.

First, I'm not dead. The fact that I can feel this immense pain is proof of that. Unless death isn't as peaceful as I've imagined it, but I doubt that's the case. Maybe I'm in Azkaban... I mean, I did kill someone. Maybe I'm suffering the Dementor's kiss in Azkaban right now, and I don't even know it. Again, I doubt it though. I doubt the cell floors of Azkaban are as comfortable as the floor I'm lying on now. It almost feels like a bed...

Second, I realize that I cannot move any of my limbs. Well, it's not so much that I can't move them, it's more that I feel like something is holding all of my limbs to the ground. Just to prove this new revelation to myself, I attempt to lift my arms off the ground again, only to be met by pain and resistance.

It takes me a moment to remember how I got here, but when I do, when I remember what happened to James, I realize I need to go get help. I need to find a way to tell his family what has happened, to apologize to them all. But, more than anything, I just want to see his face one last time. I want to be able to tell him I love him and how sorry I am that I dragged him into this.

But that's not going to happen as long as I'm pinned to the ground, so I clench my fists and grit my teeth as I try my hardest to lift against the restraints that are binding me to the ground. An audible groan of pain escapes through my clenched teeth as the burning pain in my back intensifies, but I tighten my fists and fight through the pain, warm tears rolling down my face in a steady stream as the exertion makes the pain in my back flair up to a point where I almost want to give up. But I can't give up. I have to think of James, and his family.

So I continue to struggle, continue to fight, against the restraints, despite the pain that it brings. Another cry of pain bursts through my lips, and I resign, giving in to stillness again as I try to think of another way to get free. Suddenly my field of vision is filled by blonde, messy hair, deep grey eyes, a wide, toothy smile, and fair skin, all on a familiar face that I haven't seen in a very long time. "Hello again, Ari."

I groan in disappointment as I say, "Well now I know that I'm dead..."

My guest raises an eyebrow in confusion as he smirks and asks, "Now why do you say that?"

I roll my eyes and scoff, the answer to his question obvious. "Because, Carter, you're dead! You've been dead for over two years now!"

Carter's eyes widen and he gasps as he looks around and says, "What do you mean I'm dead?! I died?" He looks back down at me and, when he sees my look of misunderstanding, he adds, "I'm only joking. I know I'm dead, but you're not dead and I'm not actually here."

"I'm... I'm not dead?"

This time Carter rolls his eyes. "Does it feel like you're dead?"

I sit still for a moment then answer. "Well, no. It feels like someone is trying to remove my spine and ribcage from my body in the most violent way possible, and I feel like I'm pinned to the ground, but no, I don't feel dead."

Carter grins to himself as he murmurs, "Pinned to the ground... You'd be up by now if you weren't so bloody stubborn... There are no restraints, stupid! YOU'RE the only thing stopping you from getting up!" He then moves out of my line of sight, down to my left wrist and lifts it off the ground to prove to me that I've been free the entire time. Then he goes to my left leg, my right leg, and my right wrist and does the same, until he believes I'm finally convinced. I lie on the ground still, unsure if I should attempt to get up, until I hear Carter ask, "Why are you still lying on the ground?"

I take a deep, labored breath before admitting, "I'm a bit scared to get up... What if it hurts?"

Carter sighs loudly as he extends a hand down to me, offering me help up. "Of course it's going to hurt. But it's got to hurt before it gets better, right?"

I tentatively reach up and grab his hand, inhaling sharply when he pulls me up and pain shoots through my ribs and spine. I grasp his hand tightly as the pain radiates throughout my entire body, my eyes closed and my teeth clenched as I try to wait it out.

After a few minutes, the pain dulls to something almost manageable, so I open my eyes and release Carter's hand. However, when I open my mouth to apologize to Carter, I find myself looking at another blonde haired familiar face. "Bells?"

She smiles warmly at me as she tucks a loose strand of her shoulder length hair behind her ear. "You okay now?"

I shake my head, my mouth agape. "Er... Are we sure I'm not dead? Where'd Carter go?"

Bella laughs cheerfully. "I promise you're not dead. As Carter said before, he wasn't actually here, and neither am I."

"You're... You're not?"

She shakes her head, a grin on her face. "No, I'm not. I imagine you've thought me up to cope with the pain of what's really going on."

I look around at the completely white forest and sigh. "And I guess we're not really in the Forbidden Forest?"

She shakes her head again, the grin on her face showing she's clearly amused. "No. Again, probably like me and Carter, another one of your coping mechanisms."

I look around again and quietly ask, "And what am I coping with, exactly?"

She shrugs, her expression turning grim. "Your guess is as good as mine, although, I assume it's bad if you needed me more than you needed Carter..."

Suddenly, another bout of pain shoots through my body. I let out a gasp before falling to the ground in a sitting position, my eyes squeezed shut as I whimper and try to control the pain. I open my eyes again when it seems that keeping them shut doesn't help with the pain and see Bella sitting across from me with her legs crossed and her hands placed delicately in her lap as she waits patiently for my pain to subside.

After a few minutes, the pain dulls again. Bella seems to notice because she clears her throat before asking, "So how's Freddie been?"

I take a deep breath before saying, "He's better now. He took your death harder than the rest of us, but he's better now. He's, er, actually sort of dating someone else."

She raises an eyebrow. "Oh really?"

I nod awkwardly. "Er, yes... She's really great. She actually reminds me of you a lot. She's not afraid to tell us no when we get too carried away in a prank, not that we've done a lot of that lately, and she's extremely brave. Plus, she puts up with me so she's got to be tolerant."

Bella nods thoughtfully while saying, "She sounds brilliant. What's her name?"

"Brittany. She's from America, actually. She's one of my oldest friends, and basically my sister."

She gives me a perplexed look. "How are they dating if she's from America?"

I take a preparatory breath then tell her about how Landen is actually good, how James lost his memory, how McGonagall sent James, Freddie and me to America to follow "Caledon", how we set a Denver forest on fire then disapparated to the Franklyn's flat, how we got back to Hogwarts then went to James' house for Christmas, how I got captured by my dad and figured out he wasn't actually Caledon, how we got back to Hogwarts and figured out Andromeda was recruiting students for my dad's army, how Alec was one of those recruits, how he lead us to the recruits meeting place, which was a trap, how we fought my dad, along with his recruits AND his Death Eaters, how my dad turned out to be my uncle, how it wasn't me who killed my mother, but my uncle, how James was murdered, how I couldn't save him, and how I killed my uncle. Bella sits listening in intent silence as I recount the events of our seventh year at Hogwarts, waiting patiently when I have to take a break and deal with my sudden surges of pain.

She taps her chin thoughtfully before saying, "What are you going to do now that it's over?"

I shrug my shoulders and say, "Honestly, I don't know. It's going to feel strange to not have to plot ways to foil my uncle..."

She grins at me mischievously. "I'm sure you'll find some way to keep busy..."

I let out a chuckle as I say, "I've sure missed you, Bells. Things just haven't been the same without you."

She shrugs nonchalantly. "I'm sure everyone has managed without me."

"Yeah," I say with a nod, "But just barely."

She rolls her eyes and grins as she changes the subject. "How've you been dealing with Monroe? Break any more of her bones?"

I laugh and nod as I remember the summer camping trip. "Yes, but only once more. It was when we wen-"

Suddenly the bright white forest gets noticeably dimmer and Bella's face turns somber as she looks at the watch on her wrist. "It looks as though it's time for you to wake up and time for me to go..."

I shake my head frantically and reach for her, trying to stop her from getting up. "No! Please don't leave!"

She sighs before saying, "I'm sorry, I can't stay. As I said before, it's time for you to wake up."

I can feel my breathing getting more frantic as I watch her leave. "But... Wake up?"

She covers her mouth with a hand as she giggles. "Yes, wake up. Take care of Freddie for me? Don't let him get into too much trouble, okay?"

I nod as tears fall down my face again. "I'll try..."

She points an accusing finger at me and grins. "You promise?"

I nod again, unable to speak this time. The forest is so dim now... And it sounds nothing like the forest. I can hear the faint sound of voices that I don't recognize, and the sound of heels clicking against stone. I can smell traces of blood mixed with rubbing alcohol in the air, and I scrunch my nose at the scent.

"Hey! I think she's waking up! Someone go get the Potters!"

That voice I recognize immediately and I can't stop myself from acknowledging him. "Lan?"

I hear rapid footsteps get quieter as the person gets further away from me, probably to do as they were instructed and go get the Potters.

One of my hands is squeezed as he responds. "Yeah, Ari. It's me."

I barely open my eyes and realize that, as I look at the stone ceiling and the metal bar on the end of my bed, I'm in the Hospital Wing. At this realization, my eyes immediately snap open and I squeeze Landen's hand tightly as I try to sit up. The effort, however, brings on a new bout of pain, so I lie back down. "What am I doing he-"

Before I can finish my question, Landen is hugging my head, inducing pain in my spine again. "Ariana Elizabeth, I'm so glad you're alright. You gave us quite the scare."

I try to hide a wince as I say, "Not that I'm not ecstatic to see you, but... You're sort of hurting me..."

He releases my head with a satiated grin. "Sorry! Sorry... Just glad you're alright, is all..."

I look around, barely moving my head to avoid inducing pain, and ask, "What am I doing in the Hospital Wing? Where is everyone?"

He ignores my questions as he yells over his shoulder, "Madam Pomfrey! She's awake!" He looks back at me and asks, "How's your back feeling?"

I attempt to move and immediately wince. "As if it's being violently ripped out of my body."

He nods thoughtfully while glancing over his shoulder to see if Madam Pomfrey is coming to see us. "That's probably Madam Pomfrey's healing potion... Your vertebrae have to reconstruct and get put back into place again. Plus your ribs have to fix themselves and your lung has to reform, since one of your broken ribs punctured it. She said there isn't much she can do about the scars on your face, since they were caused by dark magic, but they don't look that bad so I wouldn't worry about it if I were you."

My eyes widen as I think of the battered state of my body. "Is it... safe for me to move?"

He nods with a small grin. "Of course! It's just going to hurt a bit. Your back was so bad that they were going to take you to St. Mungo's to heal it, but Madam Pomfrey didn't want to move you too much. So she kept you here. Now that her potion has had time to work, you should be fine to move. How's your head?"

I delicately place a hand on my forehead and sigh. "It's spinning, actually..."

Landen nods again, this time examining my face more closely. "That will probably be your concussion... Do you remember what happened?"

I open my mouth to answer but, before I can, Ginny and Harry Potter come rushing into the Hospital Wing, running over to my bed when I wave weakly at them. Ginny is the first one over to me and she immediately grasps my head and plants a kiss on my forehead before pulling my head into a tight hug. "Oh thank Merlin you're alright!"

I wince again, squeezing Landen's hand as I say, "I won't be if everyone keeps hugging my head like this..."

Ginny releases my head with a laugh and an apologetic look. "Sorry, love."

I look over at Harry and ask, "Who told you I was awake?"

"Al did..." He answers warily.

I manage a shaky sigh before I say, "Alright well, I was hoping he would be here to hear this, but I guess I can apologize to him later..."

Ginny looks at me questioningly. "Apologize?"

I nod, wrenching my hand free from Landen's grip, and awkwardly twiddling my thumbs together. "Yes, apologize. I just wanted to say that I'm so sorry I couldn't stop my uncle from killing James... I really did try, but I just wasn't fast enough..."

Ginny gets a worried expression on her face. "Oh dear... You must've hit your head harder than we thought..."

I look from her to Harry to Landen then back to her. "Wait... What are you talking about? You're not mad?"

She frowns when she sees the solemn expression on my face, placing a comforting hand over my own hands. "Harry and I are going to go talk to Madam Pomfrey. If you need anything, yell for me." She looks at Landen and adds, "If anything happens, come get me immediately."

Landen nods silently and the Potters leave. I wait until they're gone and, once I can't see them anymore, I turn to Landen and ask, "Where is everyone?"

He holds up his hand and counts everyone down as he explains. "Freddie is in class, Eli is in the bed next to you and, now that I think about it, this is the first time he's been quiet in two days... Odd... Anyways, Brittany is packing in the Heads common room; she's been here with you and Eli since you two got here, and Al has been switching between going to class and staying with you and Eli."

I raise a questioning eyebrow at Landen. "What about you?"

He shrugs his shoulders indifferently. "I just got out of class about twenty minutes ago. I'm on my free period now."

I roll my eyes, sighing when I see Madam Pomfrey coming over. The moment she gets over to me, she begins taking my pulse and checking my pupils. "How's your back feel, honey?"

"Feels perfect..." I lie, clenching my teeth when she moves one of my arms.

Landen, the poor sport that he is, chimes in. "She just told me that it felt like it was being ripped out of her body." I shoot him a dirty look but he continues. "She's only saying she's fine so she can get up and walk around."

Madam Pomfrey gingerly lifts me into a sitting position and rubs her hand down the length of my spine. "I think that would be alright. It feels like the vertebrae are almost completely back in place. Walking around might help the last few straighten out. Do you know how many times you hit your back, dear?"

I close my eyes as I try to remember. "Two or three, I think."

She nods. "Okay... Would you like to get up and walk around a bit? You've been in this bed for two days now. I'm sure you're ready to get up and move around..."

I reciprocate her nod, a hopeful grin on my face. "Very much so."

She smiles at me as she helps me slide my legs over the edge of the bed. "Landen will help you around, won't he?"

Landen nods, allowing me to drape one of my arms around his shoulders, wincing as my bones and muscles contract and move. "Of course. I know exactly where we'll go first."

Madam Pomfrey shakes her head while setting a pair of white slippers on the stone floor. "No, Mister Franklyn needs his rest."

I slide my feet into the slippers and give her my best puppy dog face. Madam Pomfrey, however, isn't having any of it. "No, Miss Brighton. You can visit him later. For now, I want him to sleep."

I nod, a frown on my face, and let Landen guide me out of the Hospital Wing. Walking is hard at first since, with every movement, a new stab of pain shoots through my bones. So I lean my weight against him and, once we're into the corridor, I quietly ask, "So where are we going?"

Landen shrugs as we slowly make our way through the quiet corridor. "It's up to you."

"I want..." I pull him to a stop and chew on my cheek as I think about what I want. "I want to go to class."

I can feel Landen laughing before I hear it, so I smack him in the arm and ask, "What's so funny?!"

He tried unsuccessfully to stifle his laughter. "I'm sorry, it's just... You skip class all year and then, after one near death experience, you feel the need to be scholarly!"

I roll my eyes and am about to respond when I hear two familiar voices echoing throughout the corridor ahead. I glance over at Landen and see that he recognizes the voices too, so I grin as I say, "How about we mess with them again? For old time sake?"

He grins mischievously at me. "There's the old Ariana..."

I remove my arm from around his shoulder and grab his arm instead, leading him out into the corridor. The moment the two girls see us, scowls form on their faces. I stifle the urge to laugh as I say, "Monroe. Ashlynn."

Monroe looks me over before saying, "I thought you were gone for good..."

I smirk at her as I respond. "I find it adorable that you thought you could be rid of me that easy. Unfortunately for you, I'm not going anywhere, Monroe."

She frowns then scowls as she says, "You look absolutely ruddy, slag..."

I shrug my shoulders, still smirking. "I'm sure that's true but, compared to you, I look like a bloody princess."

Monroe's eyes widen and she scoffs loudly before grabbing Ashlynn's arm and dragging her away. I look over at Landen and we immediately break into a fit of laughter, barely able to contain ourselves.

After a few minutes of laughing, I say, "Glad to see some things are never going to change..."

Landen smirks at me as he tries to compose himself. "You don't think you'll ever end up getting along with her?"

I shrug my shoulders and return his smirk. "If I had to guess, it's not likely, but you never know." I gesture ahead of me and ask, "Shall we go to class now?"

He nods with a grin, leading me down the corridor. After a few minutes of walking, I release Landen's arm and decide to give walking on my own a try. Landen seems a bit wary at first but, after I've walked alone successfully for a moment, and I turn around and give him a triumphant grin, he backs off.

After walking for a bit more, my stomach growls loudly. I turn around and look at Landen pleadingly. "Can we please go get food from the kitchen instead?"

Landen nods with a grin. "Yes please! I'm starving! Besides, Azuri will be glad to see that you're okay. She was quite worried about you, you know."

I frown at him before leading us toward the kitchen. "I feel bad that I haven't gone to visit her much..."

"Don't beat yourself up too much. She knows you've been a bit busy." He says from behind me.

We continue to the kitchen in content silence. Once inside, Azuri rushes over and hugs my legs. "Azuri is so happy that Miss Ariana is alright!"

I pat her on the shoulder with a grin. "You and me both, Azuri. Has Landen been treating you well?"

She nods, an exuberant grin on her face as she thrusts plates of food at the both of us. "Oh yes! Master Landen has been most gracious to Azuri. He visits often and makes sure Azuri has everything she needs."

I glance over at Landen and grin. "Good. If he's ever mean to you, you let me know. I'll put him in his place for you."

Azuri laughs happily. "Oh thank you Miss Ariana, but I know that won't be necessary. Master Landen is most kind to Azuri." She glances back into the kitchen. "Azuri is very pleased to have seen you again, Miss Ariana, but I must get back to work. Let Azuri know if you need anything."

I nod with a smile. "Thank you, Azuri."

Landen and I eat our food in silence, finishing our plates and calling Azuri back for seconds before either of us does any talking. After finishing his second plate, Landen clears his throat and uses his fork to draw designs into the gravy on his plate, his eyes focused on his artwork. "So..."

I look over at him and sigh, rolling my eyes in the process. "What, Lan?"

He glances up at me and purses his lips, as if he's trying to figure out if he should answer my question. Apparently curiosity overrules his fear of me, or maybe he's not as scared of me anymore since I'm injured. "So what all do you remember?"

I let out another sigh and furrow my brow together as I answer. "Erm, it's still all a bit hazy, I guess. I mean, I remember my uncle killing James and then I remember killing my uncle... That's about it..." I quietly add, "I'm just trying really hard not to remember it... It hurts too much... So much worse than the others..."

Landen nods his understanding as he grabs our plates and hands them to Azuri. He stands up and extends a hand toward me while saying, "Where do you want to go now? Still want to go to class?"

I shake my head, gratefully accepting his outstretched hand, and stand, releasing his hand once I'm up. "Can we go see Brittany?"

He nods, visibly happy that I'm not asking him to take me to class. As we leave the kitchen and walk toward the Gryffindor Heads dorm, another question comes to mind. "Hey... What happened to Eli? Why is he in the Hospital Wing?"

Landen grins again as he mentally recounts what happened to Eli. "Oh, your brother, that plucky git... He tried to shoot a spell at a Death Eater, but his spell ricocheted back and he hit himself instead."

I chuckle and nod. "That sounds like Eli..."

We, once again, go back to walking in content silence, both lost in thought. We're almost to the common room when I ask my next question. "Did anyone else get hurt?"

Landen shakes his head. "Nothing too bad. Lots of cuts, scrapes and bruises, maybe a broken bone or two, but nothing that couldn't be healed right away. You and Eli had it worst."

I nod again, murmuring, "Not worst..." before speaking the password to get into the Gryffindor common room. Once inside the empty common room, we walk over to the portrait that leads into the Heads common room, and I say the password to get in there as well.

The portrait swings open and I immediately see Brittany crouched in front of her suitcase, her curly brown hair pulled up into a messy ponytail, a checklist held in her hands. She has a few small cuts along her face and neck, but she looks mostly unscathed. A smile spreads across my face as I walk into the room with her.

At the sound of us entering the room, she looks up absentmindedly. When she sees that it's me and Landen, a big smile spreads on her face and she jumps up off the ground, sprinting toward us.

She wraps me in a tight, slightly painful, hug then releases me, a devious grin on her face. She looks over her shoulder and yells, "SHE'S HERE!"

I give her a puzzled look and grab Landen's arm, my confusion only growing when I see a black haired, hazel eyed boy walk out of his room. "James?!"

He waves sheepishly at me. "Hey..."

Before I can realize what I'm doing, I've released Landen's arm and I'm standing directly in front of James, my hand reaching out and hesitantly touching his face. "What're you doing here?!"

James buries his hands in his pockets and shrugs. "I'm sorry... Al just got me out of class a few moments ago. I only came to my room to put my stuff away, then I was going to visit you in the Hospital Wing. I didn't think you'd come looking for me..."

"What I, er... Well, I... What I mean is..." I look at him warily, as if I'm imagining him being in front of me. "But you're really here?"

He nods, a slight smirk on his face. "In the flesh. Is it really so hard to believe?"

I nod as I realize this is just another figment of my imagination that I'm using to cope with James' death. I let out a sigh and thoughtfully say, "This really is an elaborate dream... I almost believed it was real!"

I hear Landen laugh and watch James roll his eyes and chuckle as he shakes his head and murmurs "So stubborn..." He then carefully grabs my face and kisses me and, though it's only a brief kiss, it's as good as I remember. When he releases me, he smirks as he asks, "Did that seem like a dream?"

I nod again, a slight smirk on my own face. "Actually, yes. Dream James would definitely do that."

Behind me, Landen scoffs. Then I'm spun around and I'm kissed again, this time by Landen. It only takes me a nanosecond to realize what's happening before I manage to angrily swing a punch, his lips leaving mine when my fist comes in contact with his jaw. "LANDEN!"

When I realize that not even dream Landen would do that, I spin back around and look at James again through wide eyes. "So I'm not dreaming?!"

James shakes his head with a laugh. "No, you're not." He looks past me, at Landen, and adds, "Although I'm sure there was another way to convince her..."

I breathe a sigh of relief before grabbing his shirt and pulling him into a kiss, this one more ardent than the first. This kiss lasts as long as the first kiss did, much to my dismay. James reluctantly pulls away and sighs. "You're okay?"

I roll my eyes as I answer. "I'm fine. A little confused, but fine nonetheless." James looks at me questioningly, so I explain. "I thought you were dead. What happened in that forest?"

He grabs my hand and guides me over to one of the couches, pulling me to sit next to him, our hands never leaving the security of one anothers, as he says, "A lot, actually."

Brittany and Landen sit on the other couch, Landen still massaging his jaw. Brittany crosses her legs and grins at me. "You really did miss a lot..."

I look at both of them before impatiently asking, "Are either of you going to tell me what exactly I missed?"

James grins and says, "Yeah, sorry. Well, I ran into the clearing to help you deal with your dad but, when I got there, you were laying on the ground. I actually thought you were dead. All the surrounding trees were completely fallen and you were just lying there, while your uncle was getting up. So I called for help; just someone to get you out of there while I dealt with your dad. Apparently your uncle called for help as well, because about a dozen Death Eaters flew into the clearing and started firing spells at me. That's when Brittany got there. She-"

Brittany squeals excitedly. "Oh can I please tell this part? Pretty please?!"

James smirks and nods, and Brittany grins as she begins telling the story. "So I hear James yell for help, right? So I disarm and stupefy the Death Eater I was fighting and run to help him, since I was the only one available at the time. When I got into the clearing, I saw James was severely outnumbered. He yelled something about moving your body, so I looked around for you. When I saw you lying on the ground, blood on your face and neck, I was sure you were dead. I was absolutely enraged! So, rather than move your body like James asked, I gripped my wand and marched right through the crowd of Death Eaters, stupefying a few of them on the way, until I found your uncle. At this point, the rain had stopped completely so, the moment I saw him I fired a spell at him, not even giving him a chance to say anything. He-"

James holds up his hand and says, "Hold on. Let us not fail to mention that the spell was the Reducto spell..."

Brittany glares at him, shutting him up instantly. "Anyways! Your uncle didn't even see it coming! My spell hit him in the chest and he exploded! It was a huge mess, chunks of your uncle flying everywhere, but it terrified the Death Eaters, so they ran away. James immediately brought you to the Hospital Wing and you've been there ever since. Madam Pomfrey wouldn't tell us what happened to you, but Landen did some eavesdropping and told us. How's your back?"

I shrug calmly. "I mean, I've had two days to heal so it feels fine now... Bri, I'm so..."

She grins again. "I know, right? Who knew I had it in me!"

James squeezes my hand and quietly says, "Who knew the prophecy was talking about her instead of you..."

I nod in agreement, smirking as I whisper, "Don't tell anyone, but I'm honestly a bit glad that it wasn't referring to me, although it would have been nice to know that a little sooner. It would have prevented a lot of unnecessary stress..."

Brittany interrupts my whispering by asking, "Have you seen Eli yet?"

I shake my head. "No, he was sleeping when I woke up and Madam Pomfrey refused to let me see him while he was sleeping."

She laughs and rolls her eyes. "That boy... You know he's been milking this for all it's worth! You know how lazy he is... I'm sure he was fine after the first day and has been faking the rest of the time, just to get out of packing!"

I look at her somberly. "Do you two really have to leave?"

She nods, a sad expression on her face. "Unfortunately, yes. I'm sure mom has been worried sick about us. Plus, I miss her. This is the longest I've been without seeing her and I hate it."

"What about Freddie? What are you going to tell him?"

She laughs at my attempt to get her to stay as she answers. "We've already talked about it. He was upset, but he understands. Don't worry though, we won't leave until Madam Pomfrey releases Eli."

I let out a defeated sigh and ask, "Do we know what happened to Andromeda?"

James grins while looking at Brittany, who is also grinning. "Dad actually found her hiding outside the forest. He's already sent her to Azkaban, where she'll stay for quite some time."

I let out a relieved breath and nod with a grin. "Okay, good. It really is finally over, isn't it?"

James nods with a laugh. "Yes, it really is..." Then he leans over and kisses me again, letting me know that, while things may not be perfect right now, things are definitely going to be better, before smirking at me as he quietly says, "I do believe I owe you a dinner..."

I return his smirk as I respond. "What are you talking about?"

He rolls his eyes, his smirk turning into a grin. "We made a bet, at the quidditch match at Landen's place, that if you caught the snitch before I made ten goals, I would owe you a dinner..."

I think back to what he's talking about and laugh. "Ah, yes. I do believe we agreed it would be made without magic, though."

He chuckles softly then says, "Yes, well, I know it's not handmade, but will a dinner in the Hogwarts kitchen do?"

I tap my chin in pretend thought, trying to make him wait for my answer as long as possible. "I'll meet you there at midnight."

He raises an eyebrow at me and laughs again. "You do remember that we are, in fact, still Head Boy and Head Girl... We have duties to perform tonight."

I roll my eyes at him. "We've literally blown them off the entire year, what's one more night?"

James smirks at me again and nods. "It's a date."

Alright y'all! I'm sad to say that this is the end! I do have a few things to say though.

First, I want to thank EVERYONE who took the time to read this story, to add it to their alerts, and to leave a review. You all will never know how grateful I am for you. When I first started this story, I honestly did not think it would make it to a second story, let alone a third. You readers are truly stupendous and I want to be sure that you know that I really do appreciate each and every one of you.

Second, if y'all feel there are any questions that were left unanswered, or just have anything you didnt understand, feel free to message me. I will be more than glad to answer y'alls questions!

Third, I was wondering if y'all would want me to write up an epilogue for this. Just food for thought. If I have enough people who DO want that, I will gladly type one up and post it as another chapter. Just let me know if that's what y'all want! :)

Finally, I want to let you know that I have another Harry Potter: Next Generation story that I'm working on called Misadventures at Hogwarts. I would love for y'all to check it out and let me know what you think!

Thank you again for everything! :)

-Txstate1992