Ginny and Draco realized something very important at nearly the same time; it was Monday, and they were late for classes. Ginny scrambled over him, kneeing him in the stomach on accident, and raced to her room. Draco muttered curses as he was forced to forgo his usual shower and run through his lengthy routine. He was forced to tie his shoulder length hair with one of Ginny's discarded scrunchies, (thankfully it was grey) and pulled on a silk shirt and slacks (which were cotton, as silk pants were of poor taste). He grabbed his robe and school books as he sprinted out into the common room. What he saw froze him in his tracks, turning his blood to ice water. Ginny noticed his arrival and crossed the room to wrap her arms around his waist, laying her head on his chest.
Pansy, Alex and Millicent were huddled together in the middle of the long couch, welts and what looked like whip lashes littering their bodies. Millicent was sobbing hysterically; Pansy had her wrapped in her arms. Alex was staring ahead of her, pupils wide and unfocused. None of the males were present, although it looked like Pansy was wearing the shirt Damien had on the previous night.
Draco looked down at Ginny, puzzled. "Ginny, what happened? Where are Blaise, Damien and Greg?"
Ginny lifted her head slowly and looked him in the eye, "They're in the hospital wing, they don't think Damien's going to make it, he fell from the fifth floor... Draco, There was an attack on the school this morning. The boys were on their way back from potions when Snape called them back. He had managed to retain most of the Slytherins, but only three or four of the Gryffindors. My brother and Harry were still there. Snape led them out, trying to get past the Death Eaters. But they saw them….and…."
"Gods, whose dead Ginny? Who?" Draco was pale, trembling in anger.
"They swarmed the Headmasters office, they….they took Fawkes, and Dumbledore….he fell…and he didn't get up…" Ginny dissolved into sobs, pressing her face against his chest.
Draco felt sick, how could Dumbledore be dead? He was invincible damn it! And the others…god were they okay?
He dropped his books, which he had clung to during the whole story and closed his arms around Ginny tightly. He clenched his eyes closed against the tears, the burning of them almost too much to bear. He clung to Ginny, because he needed her to make him feel warm.
He heard rustling then a resounding bang as something heavy hit the wall across from him. Alex stood coldly staring at what used to be one of the many stone gargoyles that stood around the commons. She had thrown it in a fit of temper, her rage needing an outlet somehow.
"They took the damn collar. The controlling collar, and they took the phoenix. Damn it!" And she hurled another gargoyle across the room to hit the wall with even more force than the first one. Alarming Eirian, who had been standing close to her, causing him to bolt to the other side of the room. There he stood, quivering, his nostrils flared in panic.
Alex stood with her hands clenched at her sides, her eyes fixed on a point in front of her, "Damn them. Why couldn't they be cowards for once? Why couldn't they just stay in Snape's room, where they were safe? Why damn them!"
Her shoulders started to shake as she sank to her knees, her arms wrapping around herself tightly. "Damien, damn you and your honor, you could have been safe! You could have been safe…you damn idiot…"
Her voice trailed off brokenly, one hand coming up to cover her face. Pansy had quieted Millicent and was watching her with a mix of pity and horror. She realized that Damien was, next to her father, all she had left. Pansy bowed her head and wept quietly.
-.-
A few days later the boys came back from the hospital wing to find Alex pacing in front of the fireplace, her arms crossed over her chest, her shoulders hunched defensively. The little Thestral colt was napping beside the couch, his little wings tucked tightly against his body.
Damien eyed his twin apprehensively, putting out a hand to stop Blaise's approach. "Wait."
On her return trip across the room Alex saw them grouped by the door and she whistled loudly. The rest of the group came barreling in Pansy and Millicent rushing into their respective mans arms. Alex eyed the group for a moment before crossing to Blaise, leaning on him weakly. He closed his arms around her hesitantly. "Alex?"
"Blaise, not yet…please." She closed her eyes and turned her head against his chest, grateful to at last let go.
Blaise sighed and stroked her hair with one hand, his eyes locking with Damien's. The other boy nodded and came over, leading Pansy by the hand. Blaise pulled back from Alex and turned her to face her twin.
"Damien? Are you really…Oh God you are!" Alex sprang from Blaise's gentle hold to her twin's arms. "But I saw, you were there! They…you…you jumped! Out of a fifth story window! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING!"
Alex had started to beat his chest with her fists, and he took the blows tolerantly. He finally felt her getting weaker and pulled her in tight. "Alex have you slept at all?"
She shook her head, "I've fed Eirian and bathed. That's all. It's all your fault you twit, I thought you had DIED Damien! God do you know what would have happened to me? What almost did happen to me? I couldn't lose you, not after all that we've done. Not after Mother."
Alex sniffled and backed away from him slowly, "Hufflepuff lost eight students last night Damien. Slytherin is down ten, Gryffindor the same."
Damien's eyes closed in pain, "Who?"
Alex shook her head, "I don't know, five of them were second years, two first years and a seventh year. They were on the way back from a herbology study."
Draco swept into the room, his eyes blazing in cold fury. The black cloak he was wearing was thrown across a chair and he dragged a hand through his hair harshly. "I just got word that Fudge has declared that the school will stay open, with Minerva taking over as Headmistress, She's made Snape Assistant Head, and parents of the dead students are furious. Alex, they need you in Ravenclaw double-time. Damien the Hufflepuffs are in the greenhouses with Professor Sprout. I'm glad to see you are all back and in decent health."
Alex made to go past him to the door, but he grabbed her arm, "Alex, Ravenclaw tower was destroyed. It's the closest to the Headmaster's office and they used it as a diversion. The only ones who escaped were those in classes. I'm sorry."
She nodded curtly and called for Eirian, he looked up at her whistle and trotted over to her. "Where are they?"
"Professor Flitwick has them in the charms classroom." Draco passed a hand over his eyes, feeling Ginny come to press herself into his side.
Alex seemed to crumble for a minute, then straightened her back and strode out and down the corridor. Damien hugged Pansy again tightly before following on the way to the greenhouses. The remaining Slytherins looked at each other before gathering around the commons, looking at their Prince to tell them what to do.
Blaise followed as he crossed to stand in front of the fireplace. "Those of you who are leaving, I will miss you. I understand why you're going, and I don't mock you for it. Those of you who are staying have a choice, we can stay aloof during all of this, or we can prove that we are as good as the rest of them. We lost ten of our number this morning to those bastards, and we will not lose anymore! There will be defense training offered every night from now on. I am sure you all remember Potter's group, Dumbledore's Army? I am joining. Dumbledore protected us through all of our school years; he gave himself to help anybody who needed him. I will be proud to fight under his name. All in favor say Aye."
There was a resounding yell as they stood, bowing their heads to the memory of the late Headmaster.
"The funeral is tomorrow, on the grounds by the lake. All of you are required to attend, and please procure a silver or white rose. Carry this with you until his casket is lowered, then one by one we will place our monument beside his." Draco pinched his nose. "But until then the teacher's need help in clearing up the ruble from Ravenclaw's tower. Shall we go and help them?"
Everybody to a man went and helped to move the heavy stones, they uncovered over fifty bodies, mangled and broken. And each one of these were lifted reverently and lay down beside their fellows on the grass away from the rubble. The remaining Ravenclaws showed up fifteen minutes after Slytherin did and everyone, including the teachers, backed away and let them work in solitude for a while.
They worked steadily and uncovered the rest of the dead, each live Ravenclaw placing a black feather in the hair of their dead comrades. Then they stood back and watched as the rest repaired the damage to the castle.
Alex suddenly started to sing, a song full of such mourning that the workers paused to listen. Pansy crossed to stand beside her and joined her in song, Cho joined them in counter point.
"Fare thee well,
My Own true love,
Fare well for awhile
I'm going away,
But I'll be back
Though I go ten thousand miles
Ten thousand miles
My Own true Love
Ten thousand miles or more
The rocks may melt
And the Seas may burn
If I should not return"
Pansy and Cho trailed off, and Alex pitched her voice to carry across the fields, to where Minerva Mogonagall knelt by the body of Albus Dumbledore, her head pressed to the linens beside his still hands. She lifted her head when she heard it, and a fresh set of tears started when she processed the lyrics.
"Oh don't you see
That lonesome dove,
Sitting on an Ivy tree
She's weeping for
Her Own True Love
As I shall weep for mine."
One of the Ravenclaws summoned a violin from the music room and joined them, playing a solo for a few minutes. By now even the people inside of the castle heard the song, and were coming to the windows to pay their respects. Hermione, Harry and Ron leaned on each other as they stood at the window of the Hospital wing, tears in their eyes.
"Oh come ye back
My Own True love
And stay a while with me
If I had a friend
On this earth
You've been a friend to me."
Alex stopped singing as the violinist continued to play, "I don't understand, I don't understand how this all happens, how we go through this and keep living. I don't understand how people could do this to each other and not hate themselves for it. We lost good friends, we lost good siblings, and we lost our greatest Protector. But we will live on, because if we don't we let them down. We let them die in vain. As long as one of us still stands to fight, then they aren't truly gone. I won't say that we must move on right now, because we all must grieve for the pain to lessen, and it will. Soon you will all remember the good times, and this pain will lessen. So for now…we rest…we just have to rest."
-.-