Aftermath

by Allicat9

But the past is just the same-and War's a bloody game...Have you forgotten yet?...Look down, and swear by the slain of the War that you'll never forget. The fallen fifty of the Battle of Hogwarts finally have their stories told. PLEASE REVIEW!

50. Jack Westenberg

There are no words.

Edna Manes nee Westenberg stands over the body of her nephew, willing him to move. But Jack, ever the rebel, remains still. His expressive face, once so open, is drawn. His skin, once tan, has taken on the paleness of death.

Jack Westenberg lies dead on the floor of a school dining hall and the entire House of Westenberg dies with him.

There are no words.

She still remembers how happy her father was when Greg married Pamela.

It's alright that she's a mud-blood. She remembers her father saying, As long as they have children, the House of Westenberg lives.

Her father cried on Greg's wedding day, his frail body shaking with happiness that his ancient bloodline would continue on. She is glad her father did not live to see this.

There are no words.

Aunt Edna, can I watch TV? She had no idea what a 'tv' was, but she let the five year old do what he wanted because, no matter what she said, she always had a soft spot for her brother's oldest son. Her husband promised that they'd have children after the war, but she knew, even then, that the war had only begun.

Aunt Edna, can I watch TV? She loved Jack like the son she never had, never could have, because war is messy and her husband played with fire. She loved her brother's children like her own. She was proud to see them carry on the family name, the family honor.

There are no words.

She thought nothing could top the pain she felt when she heard of her brother's murder. When she found out that Pamela, Kayla, Laura, and Merlin were murdered along with him, she fell to her knees. Then she asked after Jack.

He came to live with her in her flat. She pretended sometimes that he was her son. She pretended sometimes that Paul wasn't dead, that Greg wasn't dead. She pretended sometimes that it wasn't just the two of them. But other times, she was happy.

There are no words.

She walks out of the hall and down the steps. She runs when she gets to Hogsmede and can't stop. Her father is dead, her brother is dead, her poor young husband is dead and now her nephew is gone as well. Her House, her family is dead. There is no reason she should not join them.

When Susan Bones finds Edna Manes nee Westenberg, decomposing in what remains of the Three Broomsticks she screams and screams and screams as the last member of the House of Westenberg lies dead on the bar room floor.

Because there are no words.