Chapter Sixty One

Tracy rolled her pale blue eyes and smiled at him. She'd never smiled at him before, smirked yes. Glared, often. But she'd never smiled.

It was a deep smile, one filled with sadness and sympathy which was all together a very strange look coming from Tracy Davis.

"Yes Potter, after all these years you finally learnt my name. Congratulations." She said.

Harry glared at her, unbelievably confused at this change of attitude from someone who bullied him for six years, "I don't have long to hang around. What do you want Tracy?"

The smile slid from her face, "I'd have thought that was obvious. I want to come with you."

Harry's confusion only grew, "What? I… I don't know what you're talking about." he lied, "I'm not going anywhere."

"Of course you are. You're going to sacrifice yourself, to try and save everyone, everyone who's survived this long anyway." Tracy said simply.

Harry ran a hand through his hair, "What are you even doing here?" he snapped, "Why didn't you leave when everyone else was evacuated? Why didn't you leave last night?"

"Got caught up in the wrong line I guess." Tracy shrugged, smiling slightly, "Ended up staying to fight."

Harry looked her up and down, confused at her actions. There was no chance she had simply gotten mixed up with those not leaving the school, no one made a mistake like that.

She was pretty really, wearing her white dress, her long, pale blonde hair caught up in a white lace snood. Harry remembered how she hated her hair showing while wearing her white robes, she'd been so young then, fully a little girl rather than the young lady who stood before him now; he must have been that little as well, although it confused his mind to think about it.

"Don't tell anyone I'm going." Harry whispered, "I… they'd try and stop me."

Tracy shook her head, "No, they would stop you. Even if it meant locking you in a cupboard somewhere. You know it likely wont work, giving yourself to You-know-who."

"I have to try." Harry said, willing her to understand and wondering why on earth it seemed to mean so much to him that she understood, this was Tracy Davis! He'd never cared what she'd thought before.

"I get that." Tracy nodded, "It's the honourable thing to do."

"So what do you want?" Harry snapped, feeling the time ticking away.

Tracy smiled again, something that was really starting to freak Harry out, "I've already told you, I want to come with you."

"Why?" Harry asked, throwing his arms up in frustration.

Tracy's face fell, she looked genuinely upset, "Because no one should have to walk to their death alone."

Harry felt his shoulders relax and nodded. He couldn't deny it would be a huge relief to have someone with him, and so far Tracy had said nothing snarky or nasty that would suggest she would make his last few minutes that much more unbearable, maybe it would be for the best.

He and Tracy fell into an easy pace towards the forest, a surprisingly comfortable silence between them.

"So… this year was pretty rough for you, huh?" Harry said, just as they reached the trees, "For everyone, I mean."

Tracy nodded thoughtfully, "Yes, it was. What happened to Daphne was awful. I caught a glimpse of her arm once… I think my own arm burned from it."

"Did you…?" Harry asked.

Tracy shook her head, "No, not with that quill thing. I missed a few meals and had a fair few detentions with the Carrows which were certainly bad enough. I was so very pleased to see them run off like little children." she smirked.

"My sister would never run off." Harry laughed, "She would have stood up to just about anyone."

"Is she… I heard she was hurt at the end of the last school year." Tracy asked carefully, "And your parents are here…"

Harry smiled, "Yeah she was. And she's fine, she's safe."

"I'm glad." Tracy said, earning her a snort from Harry, "I'm serious!"

Harry stopped for a moment, turning to face her, "You have… you bullied and hated me and my family and my friends for seven years…"

"Six years, Potter." Tracy corrected, "You haven't been here for the last year."

Harry rolled his eyes, "Ok… six years. So what's changed?"

Tracy chewed her lip, thinking of the best way to explain what must appear to him as a rather sudden change.

"I… I think I was wrong." Tracy shrugged, "My… my father can't have children, I will be his sole heir."

Harry frowned in confusion, "Ok…"

"He's my step father really, but he raised me." Tracy continued, "Like you and Professor Snape."

Harry nodded, "Yeah… I guess that's something we have in common… but…"

Tracy interrupted him, "He's a Death Eater now. He was… he joined so that our lives could be better. So that we could preserve our lives, our culture that mud… muggle borns were just coming in and taking with no understanding of how important these things are to us."

Harry fought the urge to roll his eyes.

"But You-know-who doesn't care about the culture either!" Tracy almost yelled in frustration, "They banned wearing white robes this year at Hogwarts… I don't know how to deal with the idea that everything I ever knew, everything I was ever taught by my family was… is, wrong."

Harry looked at the technically perfect girl before him. She was slim but curvy, the figure most girls would kill for. Her hair was palest blonde with bright but pale blue eyes. High cheek bones, flawless skin… Harry wouldn't of been surprised if she was part Veela.

She was hurting, he could see that. The last year had been difficult on nearly everyone but it suddenly hit Harry how difficult it had been for people like Tracy, caught in the middle, realising their whole world was a lie.

She'd watched everything she believed in, everything she had been raised to stand for, everything she hoped for the future crash down around her. She had nothing left.

That's why she'd gone out of her way to walk with Harry, it was the last thing she was sure needed doing, sure was the honourable and right thing to do.

"They'll kill you for coming with me." Harry said kindly, "You can't do this, I shouldn't let you."

Tracy shook her head, "I'll head straight back just before we get there. I'll be fine."

"Tracy they…" Harry started.

"They wont hurt me." Tracy said, kindly but forcefully, without a hint of doubt in her voice, ending the subject.

They walked on a little further before Tracy started talking again.

"Was it nice? Having a little sister?" She asked.

Harry smiled, happy memories of Danica flooding through his mind, "Oh yeah, I loved her from the minute I saw her, from the minute mum and dad told me I was getting a sibling. She was a huge pain sometimes but… it was nice. You don't have any siblings then? Sorry, you said your dad couldn't have children."

"No need to apologise, I forgive your mind from being a little distracted right now." Tracy said demurely, "I always wanted a little brother, I used to pretend I had one named Morse when I was lonely, bored playing by myself or the nanny."

"Morse?" Harry laughed, "Really?"

Tracy rolled her eyes, "It was a name from a book I loved!"

Harry grinned and nodded, he'd loved seeing Draco and Neville, it was important to have others your own age to play with but there was a bond you got with siblings that was a different sort of never being alone, even if you sometimes wanted to be.

He'd always make sure his chi-

Harry stopped suddenly and felt another wave of sickness flood through his already completely empty stomach as he realised there would never be any of his children. Danica might have his nieces and nephews who would never know him as anything more than a story.

Cho might even have her own children, it was probable really; but they wouldn't be his. He would never have children of his own.

"Are you all right?" Tracy asked, worried at how pale Harry had suddenly become.

Harry forced himself to take a couple of deep breaths and pulled his lips into a smile, "Yeah… it just, it just keeps hitting me…"

"I really am very sorry it's come to this, I know we've never been friends… but I never wanted this." Tracy said, giving Harry's hands a tight squeeze before dropping it quickly.

Harry shrugged and coughed, "I think I always knew it was deep down. There was this… stupid, feeling I always got towards the end of last year, something Dumbledore said, just before he died."

"What did he say?" Tracy asked.

Harry allowed himself have a little laugh, it was strange Tracy would be the only person he'd ever tell what he'd heard the night Dumbledore died, "He said he'd been fattening me up like pig."

"Charming." Tracy said snorting a laugh, "I never did think much of the man."

She let out a small squeaky cry as her snood caught on a branch, tugging at her hair. Tracy mumbled a few choice swear words before unpinning the thing from her head, letting her pale, golden locks tumble down her back.

"Stupid thing, stupid trees!" she grumbled, "I never did like nature!"

Harry forced himself not to laugh, "It's a shame, that was a neat bit of lace." he said trying and failing to untangle it.

"Thank you." Tracy smiled, "I made it myself."

"You made the lace?" Harry asked, eyes wide in shock.

Tracy nodded, "You needn't look so shocked."

"That's so cool!" Harry grinned.

"Thank you. Harry… how do you know where we're going?" Tracy asked, looking around the thick trees that all looked the same to her.

Harry's face fell, all thoughts of how exactly lace was made wiped from his mind in a second, "Voldemort and I have always had this weird sort of connection… I couldn't point to it on a map but I know which way to go, I even know how close we are."

Tracy lowered her eyes to the ground and nodded, "It's all very strange how things have worked out isn't it?"

"Gods yes." Harry agreed, "Thank you. For walking with me."

"If there's anything I can do to make up for… the previous actions of me and my family, I feel that I should." Tracy said, almost uncomfortably formally.

Harry gave her a small smile and nodded. He wished there was something he could say that would bury the hurt that would always lay between them, he couldn't pretend he'd always been kind to Tracy either. It all seemed so petty now but he didn't have time to fix it, just one more regret he'd die with.

"We're getting close." Harry said, stopping suddenly, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end, "You should head back."

Tracy nodded, peering through the trees in front of her, she couldn't see anything up ahead but Harry seemed sure, "Yes… good luck Harry."

Harry nodded, pulling her into a hug before she could object. She stiffened in his arms for a moment before relaxing down and hugging him back.

"Thank you." Harry said, "I mean it. You made this so much easier, I've enjoyed your company."

He relaxed his arms, noting that Tracy stayed in his embrace for a few more moments before pulling away.

Tracy opened her mouth to say something, tucking a loose hair behind her ear when a flash of bright, sickly green light lit up the trees around them.

Harry watched Tracy's face grow blank a second before she started to fall. He reached out, managing to catch her; although the action sent him crashing to his knees, her weight resting on his lap.

"I told you to come alone Harry…" Voldemort drawled.

Harry pulled his eyes from Tracy's pale face to see Voldemort towering over him, the remaining Death Eaters arranged behind him, looking down at Harry, cradling the dead girl.

He looked between the emotionless masks, Tracy's father was one of them, he was shocked to have seen his daughter, that he'd loved and raised, killed so mercilessly, for nothing.

"She was leaving!" Harry spat, his loud voice echoing around the trees.

"Her death was… regrettable. As it is always regrettable when a good pure-blood is lost." Voldemort continued, "But her death is truly on her and your hands Harry."

Harry ignored Voldemort for a moment, knowing it was pointless to argue over who's fault it was.

He lifted Tracy from his lap, laying her on the cold, damp forest floor, wishing he had a blanket or something to lay her on. He took the time to close her eyes, laying her hands softly across her chest. She looked peaceful, not afraid or in pain at least.

"She hated her hair showing…" Harry mumbled.

Voldemort twitched behind him, just enough to remind Harry he was there. Harry clenched his fists and spun around to face Voldemort, forcing himself not to show the level of anger he was feeling.

"It's strange really." Harry said, his voice dangerously low, "You seem to kill a lot of pure-bloods when it's so regrettable, when they die."

Voldemort didn't react, but both he and Harry were aware that several of the Death Eaters behind him did. The uncomfortable truth they had been noticing finally heard out loud.

"Well… the boy who lived has come to die." Voldemort said after a moment, choosing to skip to how he'd wanted this to play out. This was his big moment, something he'd been working towards for years, something he'd quite literally died for, he wanted Harry to feel as scared as he had at times.

Harry let his sarcasm take over and let out a snort, "Practice that in front of the mirror much?"

Voldemort's eyes burned into Harry's stubborn face, "Bring him."

Two of the Death Eaters stepped forward and grabbed Harry's upper arms, keeping their wands fixed firmly on his face. He shrugged them off, batting their arms away knowing full well that they wouldn't dare curse him, Voldemort wanted the pleasure of killing him personally.

"I can walk perfectly well myself thank you." Harry hissed, walking forward, clutching his hands into tight fists to stop himself from shaking. He could feel his wand tucked in his pocket, little good it would do him against so many though.

Voldemort led Harry into a large, barren hollow. He looked around and recognised where he was, it was the old Acromantula lair, they must have fled when the Death Eaters attacked.

Voldemort took his time seating himself where Aragog used to lay, the Death Eaters spread around him like a court and their king. Hagrid was chained to a sturdy tree nearby, a thick wad of cloth covering his mouth tightly.

Harry stood proudly before them, trying to stop himself from looking back out into the trees where Tracy had been left. Not one of the Death Eaters had stopped to move her or cover her up, they left her there like she was nothing but rubbish.

"She was a good person." Harry said, every word ending with a harsh snap, "Tracy Davis was a good person! And there was no reason for you to kill her! She was leaving!"

Voldemort looked at Harry, smirking nastily with his red eyes glowing with amusement, "Oh Harry… it appears that you will never learn. Being a good person means nothing. Power! You must fight for power. Take it whenever and from whomever you can. Your pathetic step father found that out as well this evening. He too failed to learn this most primal of lessons before he died."

It felt like someone had punched Harry in the chest, all the wind was sucked out of him in an instant.

"Wh… what?" Harry said, the panic addling his mind, he'd not managed to see his parents before he'd had to leave the castle, but he'd assumed they were OK.

Voldemort smile widened, pleased he'd found something to break through the proud exterior Harry had been showing them all.

"Severus was killed, by my lovely Nagini… I must say I am indescribably pleased that I could be the one to tell you." Voldemort almost purred.

Harry felt painfully hot tears form in his eyes, anger filling every inch of his body, "You… you're pathetic you know that." he said, shaking his head, "You're nothing. A scared little boy afraid of dying because Maggie had a baby!"

Voldemort's eyes narrowed at the shock of hearing Harry say Maggie's name. The Death Eaters around him standing as still as they could, glad they had their masks to hide their confusion over having no idea who Maggie could be.

"You're nothing and you will never be anything!" Harry said forcefully, "And you!" he said, referring to the Death Eaters, "Just remember, you follow a scared, cowardly, pathetic little half…"

Harry saw the surprisingly painless flash of bright green fill his vision, before everything went black.