Io woke up in the hospital wing. It was bright, sunny, and warm much unlike the night before. It was hard to imagine that only hours prior, Hogwarts had been a small battleground, and now it was a sanctuary once again. Everything was hazy when she opened her eyes, and what she thought was blinding light was actually Aster's hair, pale and gleaming in front of her.
"She's awake!" Aster called out, and soon after, Madame Pomfrey joined them, drawing back the curtains halfway and revealing a room full of others being treated for various injuries. Aster had a fresh bruise on her cheek, and her forearm was wrapped snugly in gauze.
"What happened to you?" Io croaked as she sat up. Madame Pomfrey started to inspect her head before applying a pale blue potion that cooled down the fresh pain.
"Don't worry about it," Aster gave a small smile. "Broken glass is no one's friend, and I can handle a little blemish."
"Io." Altair stood before them with a serene look on his face.
"Uncle," Io reached out, and he sat to join her. "What are you doing here? When did you arrive?"
"Just recently." He adjusted his glasses. "I have been inducted into the Order per Dumbledore's request. Luckily the muggle who purchased my old home has since retired elsewhere. I shall look forward to settling down in London once again."
"But what about -"
"Ilvermorny will still be there when it's all over." He reassured them both. "Right now, I need to be here with my girls who, I might add, fought the good fight. I've already given Aster my praise for saving Mr. Weasley and the others from further damage. And of course, I regret the circumstances, but you were able to get the information we needed about Albus - God rest his soul. You and I will talk later, so we can extract your memory of last night."
"Mr. Weasley? Is Ron alright?"
Aster fixed Io's hair with a small brush. "Not him. His brother Bill is here. That werewolf, Fenrir Greyback, got his face… There was a lot of blood, but he seems to be doing well."
Altair pulled back the curtain fully, and Io could see the others who were being treated. Among them were people she'd never met though she could guess who they were just based on the familiar red hair.
One of them walked over, a taller gentleman with patches on his coat. "Io, it's wonderful to meet you. Harry and Aster told us all about you. Arthur Weasley." He motioned to himself then to a woman who sat at one of the beds. "And my wife Molly."
"You're Ron's parents." Io shook his hand.
He nodded. "And Ginny and Bill's. Thank you again, Aster, for your help."
Aster waved off the praise. "Of course, Mr. Weasley. I hope everything will be alright."
"He may be a bit… different from now on, but at least he's alive. That's all that matters."
Io swung her legs down from the bed. She could still feel the large bruise under her hair, but the pulsing was faint thanks to Madame Pomfrey's potion. "Where's Draco?"
The room fell silent. Aster fiddled with her fingers, looking to their uncle for an answer. Any conversation ceased as everyone tried to listen in. While not many of them knew what happened, they all knew one student did not return to Hogwarts last night.
After a few seconds, Altair cleared his throat. He put his hand on her shoulder with a small squeeze. "He's gone, Io. Harry saw Draco apparate with the Death Eaters in the Dark Forest. From what we gathered, Voldemort is using Malfoy Manor as a gathering place for them all."
"I can't believe he actually did it." Aster shook her head.
"He didn't." Io said firmly.
"But -"
"She's right." They were joined by another familiar face. Harry stood just behind Altair, looking solemn and grim. "Draco was lowering his wand. It was Snape who killed Dumbledore. If you don't believe her, you'll see it when you extract her memory."
"It was Severus?" Mr. Weasley interjected.
"I owe you an apology, Io." Harry spoke directly to her. She stood, and they walked to the other side of the room away from everyone else. "I didn't realize what was at stake for him. I shouldn't have doubted you."
"I accept and appreciate the notion, Harry, but I didn't give you much of a choice. You were right after all. Draco is a Death Eater. I'm sorry I put up such a fight, but I hope you understand."
"Consider us even." He gave half a chuckle. "Did he talk to you? After it happened."
"He did." Io took a deep breath. She couldn't bring herself to explain anything past that. In the absence of words, she pulled Harry close and hugged him tightly, allowing a tear or two to soak into his collar.
When Harry pulled back, he removed a small handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her. "Can I ask you something?"
She nodded, wiping away the dampness on her cheeks.
"That man… who was he?"
Io knew he was talking about Dolohov. Without going too far into how much she knew, she did her best to find a way to explain her extreme reaction. "He tried to hurt my mother a long time ago."
"I see..."
"If you hadn't stopped me, I might've killed him."
Harry looked at her with concern but managed to hide it. After all, he'd felt the same rage whenever he saw or even heard of Bellatrix Lestrange who murdered his godfather. For now, he knew they were both tired, having a mutual harrowing experience. The tension between them had dissipated, and they were now able to stand together as friends.
Altair joined the Weasleys who were all gathered around Bill's bed. Bill's face sported large gashes down his cheek, firmly padded with cotton and gauze. "Please, let me supply you with something to ease the effects of the curse. You as well, Remus. I will ask Professor Slughorn to allow me access to the ingredients storage. If there is anything else I can do, just say the word. I've been away for far too long, and I'd like to help."
"Thank you, Altair." Remus shook his hand. "We're very glad to have you join us. You've trained Aster and Io well, and many of us are here to prove it. I can see why Dumbledore called on you."
"Minerva," He turned to his old friend. "I think now would be a good time to -"
"Consider it done, Altair." McGonagall held up her hand. "Hogwarts will be happy to welcome you back to your previous position. I will send for the Three Broomsticks to have your things delivered this afternoon, and should you need any assistance with anything else, one of the house elves will be available to you."
The rest of the morning was spent with friends checking on each other. The Slytherin students and many others heeded Aster's warning and stayed inside all night, only going out when they learned of Dumbledore's fate. Hermione had minor cuts, so did Ron, Ginny, and Luna. Neville had the most serious of the injuries, but he was fine when dawn rolled around. Aster and Io were introduced to other members of the Order who were already picking Altair's brain due to his close friendship with Dumbledore.
Hermione and Aster sat together, looking at each other's wounds and tending to them carefully, and Ginny enthusiastically joined, asking for help on nonverbal spellcasting.
"Altair, girls, we must insist you join us for Bill and Fleur's wedding this August." Molly Weasley approached them warmly.
"We'd love to, Mrs. Weasley." Aster looked at Bill's future bride who was quietly stroking his hair while he rested.
Fleur looked at the twins, squinting her eyes slightly. "Do we know each o'zer?" She spoke with a thick French accent.
Io shook her head, but Altair chuckled beside her. "You might know a cousin or two of theirs, Ms. Delacour. The Visage family has yet to stop expanding their lineage. You attend Beauxbatons, yes?"
Fleur's eyes lit up, and she dashed over to them. "You are Beauxbatons?" She spoke to them in her native tongue.
"We would have been." Aster smiled.
Io held out a hand to Fleur, and they took each other with fondness. "It's been a long time since we spoke French. We'd love to learn about Beauxbatons if you have time."
"Of course!" The three girls continued their banter as the others watched on in confusion, not understanding a single word.
Altair and Arthur grinned at each other. Molly wiped a tear from her cheek. "That settles it. You all will attend the wedding."
Fleur briefly regaled them with stories of her encounters with the boys of the Visage family. There was Aloïs who was captain of the Quidditch team; brothers, René and Rainier, who were known as the troublemakers in their years; and Matis who had several classes with Fleur during his time in school. By the time she had gone through only some of her stories, Fleur insisted they write to her as often as they could if only to maintain a close relationship.
Before Professor McGonagall could leave, Io ran to her.
"Professor, can we speak to you for a moment?"
"Of course." She lowered her spectacles. "I understand you two were in the fold last night. While I fully expected Mr. Potter, Ms. Granger, and Mr. Weasley, I must admit I was a tad surprised to see you both."
"We -"
"- I assume Professor Dumbledore knew you would be involved."
The twins looked at each other before Aster responded. "He did."
"Very well. Albus had many secrets, but he held you two in very high regard, you must know. What is it you wish to tell me?"
"Professor Dumbledore gave us a task." Io spoke slowly. "It's not… we haven't completely finished it, is what I'm trying to say."
"I understand, and I don't need to know anything else." McGonagall nodded. "After the funeral, students will be dismissed, and should we need to discuss anything until then, it will have to wait."
"Please, excuse us, Professor." Aster took Io's hand and guided her out of the room.
The twins walked in silence towards the Room of Requirement, and when the doors opened, Io was met with the sight of their parent's living room. The velvet green couch, and the lush red carpet. The fireplace mantle was littered with framed photos of their small family. It was all there - just like the memories.
Aster sat down, patting the empty space beside her. "I think we should talk."
"I think we should." Io joined, and Aster rested her head on her sister's shoulder.
"What happened with Draco? Or… do you not want to say?"
The ghost of a smile made its way to Io's face. Despite the nightmarish tone of the previous night, Draco's words echoed in her head like a beautifully sad song. After all, that's what he was - especially to her. A melancholy melody that only she could hear.
"He said he loved me."
"Oh, God." Aster straightened her back, turning to see Io's face more clearly. "I'm so sorry. I'm torn - Pansy and I thought it'd be at least another year before he'd really confess to you, but now…"
"This isn't over, Aster." Io shook her head. "I'm still leaving. I need to find him… bring him back."
"And if he won't? What if he can't be convinced?"
"Then I don't know." She shrugged, feeling an invisible weight on her shoulders. "But I owe it to him to try, don't I? He isn't expecting me. It was one of the last things he said to me, that he'd find me when it's all over. The way he spoke, it's like I'm a ghost that haunts his dreams."
"I know we're being serious right now, but I never expected someone like Draco Malfoy to be so poetic." Aster giggled. "Well, about as poetic as one could be in a situation like this."
"Do you think you're ready?"
"Last night was… Well, I won't say it was practice. But if that's what we're really up against, I'm a bit out of my comfort zone."
Aster kept quiet about all she saw last night against the Death Eaters. Seeing her friends and even those she'd just met at the mercy of the most evil people imaginable made her feel sick. Through all of it, she managed to ignore the wretched feeling in her chest, doing all she could to fight for all of them. Truely, it was exhausting. She was tired. Her bones ached, her muscles were pulsing. But every time she played it back again, Aster knew she could do better. Fight back more furiously, anything to keep them all safe.
"Dueling has never been about hurting someone - you know that. It was about feeling strong, being strong, being above the others. Y'know. Proving myself. And now, it's kill or be killed, and I don't know if I'm ready for that."
Io played with Aster's hair, leaving small braids scattered by her ear. "Maybe think of it differently. It isn't kill or be killed - you're saving people. Don't forget that. You heard Mr. Weasley. If you hadn't been there, Bill could have died, or worse. He might've been fully lost to the werewolf curse and attacked his family or Fleur. This is more than just dueling. It's surviving."
"You've got a lot of confidence in me."
"When don't I? You're my sister." Io chuckled. "Papa said it himself 'ambitious above the rest and the courage of thousands.' And he didn't even have to survive your teenage years to know that."
Instead of the brief laugh Io expected, Aster lowered her head and stroked the soft fabric of the couch with her finger. "I can't believe this is really it. You're really leaving."
Io took her sister's shoulders, holding her close. She kissed the top of Aster's head and whispered, "Do you think I'm being foolish?"
"Of course not. You don't realize how many people would kill to be in love with someone as much as Draco is with you. And to know that you love him, too, is everything. I know the term 'soulmates' would normally make me vomit, but everything we've done until now has led to this point. He needs you, Io. You can save him."
"What are you going to tell Hermione? I mean, before she leaves."
"I won't tell her anything. I need to just accept it. We're friends, and maybe I've been misreading not only myself but her as well. I can be content to have her as a friend. I only wish that I could be there for her."
"I don't think you've misread anything." Io sighed. "But I do think you should tell her."
"That we're friends?"
"That you care."
Silence fell on the room. Though it had only been a brief memory, minutes with their parents in a house they'd never once set foot into, it felt warm and familiar. They felt no need to explore, no urge to look around. Instead, they felt solace just being there to pretend like their mother and father would arrive at any moment.
The twins sat together in each other's arms, comforted by the scent of home.