Half-Blood Princess Book Four

Chapter 19 - Goodbye

Third-Person POV

28th June 1995

The Great Hall is packed with every student and staff member, including from Beauxbaton and Durmstrang. Tilly is sitting next to Draco, holding hands as she rests her head on his shoulder. Dumbledore stands addressing the hall, looking very melancholy.

"Cedrick Diggory was, most importantly, a fierce, fierce friend. So, I think you have the right to know exactly how he died." Dumbledore raises his voice. "Cedrick was murdered by Lord Voldemort. Cedrick Diggory will not have died in vain." Tilly sighs, trying to stop her mind from racing with what will happen when she has to come face to face with him again. A group of students behind Tilly start to whisper about The Dark Lady.

"Do you think she was there?"

"I bet she did it; she sounds stronger than him." Tilly tried to ignore their words, but when one of them raises their hand. "Sir, Cedrick was my cousin. I want to know, was The Dark Lady there? Did she have something to do with all this?" Dumbledore sighs while Tilly and Snape hold their breath.

"From what I gather, no, she wasn't there...but she is just as responsible for Cedrick's death as Voldemort is." Tilly felt an awful feeling fill in her gut at Albus's words. "We shall remember Cedrick Diggory, who was kind and honest and brave and true right to the very end." Tilly couldn't sit there any longer and got up from her seat, running out of the hall shaking as she went to pack her things up.

Harry had run after his sister wondering why she ran off. After finding her, he takes her up to his room.

"Why'd you run?"

"I couldn't sit there and listen to everyone morn a boy I tried to save and...failed. Like Albus said, it as much my fault as it is Voldemort's." Harry chuckles lightly.

"You're not The Dark Lady, and you did what you could. You were tortured for a very long time, Lill. We did what we could." Tilly nods as Dumbledore walks into the room. Harry and Albus begin to have a conservation, but Tilly doesn't listen very much until she hears something important.

"You both have friends here, and each other, you're not alone. Don't forget that." With his last words, Dumbledore left the two.

The hustle and bustle of students saying goodbye to their new friends as the two-school leave Hogwarts. Tilly and Harry walked around, watching as new and old friends say goodbye and promise to write to each other.

"Gramps is right, James; we'll always have a family here." Harry nods, smiling at his sister as he stops his two other best friends amongst the crowd. Tilly sees her Dad talking to Minerva, an almost smile on his face. And Draco smirking at her while leaning on the wall opposite her. Tilly smiles back, realising she will always fight for those she loves. Oh my god, I love Draco. Tilly's heart felt like it was going to burst out of her chest, but having Harry next to her, glaring at Draco, made her heart slow.

The Hogwarts students make a tunnel for the others to walk down, with Harry and Tilly waiting at the end. "Au revoir, Fleur. Au revoir, Gabrielle. Stay safe." Fleur and Gabrielle hug Tilly kissing her cheek goodbye. "Victor, safe travels. And remember, I'm a better seeker." Tilly smirks until she's thrown over Krum's shoulder and all his friends cheer as he carries her away. Everyone else laughs with Tilly as she's whisked away.

"Bring back my daughter," Snape calls, and the boy's put her down. All of which kisses her quickly and then leave on their ship. Draco came next to her, pulling her body into his.

"So protective and jealous." Tilly laughs.

"You haven't seen protective let alone jealous." Draco smiles, pecking her temple quickly before anyone sees.

Draco left to grab their bags as Tilly walks over to talk with her friends.

"Do you think we'll ever have a quite year?" Ron asks, smiling.

"No." Harry, Tilly, and Hermione answer making them all laugh. The boys start to walk off, but Hermione doesn't follow.

"Everything's going to change now, isn't it?" Tilly and Harry to at each other and walk over to Hermione.

"Yes." The twins said flatly. Neither wanted to lie to Hermione but didn't want to sound as if the world was ending. Hermione nods and walks with the other linking her arm with Tilly.

"Promise you'll write this summer. Both of you." Hermione directed at Harry and Ron, as Tilly always sent Hermione letters when she got the chance.

"Well, I won't. You know I won't." Ron says as Hermione sighs.

"Harry will, won't you?"

"Yeah. Every week." Harry says, very obviously lying. The four laughs as they wave off there new friends.

2nd July 1995

Tilly let a breath of air as she knocks on Riddle House's front door. Wormtail answer the door, bowing to the young girl in black robes, similar to her Dad's and Voldemort's. Her pale skin with the black robes made her stand out even it that dead of night. Tilly is lead to a room where some of Voldemort's closest people are with him.

"Dear one, so nice to see you again come here." Tilly walks up to the man she will never fear. Voldemort sighs, looking at the girl, not wanting to do what he has to. "I may have excepted you, but as you aren't getting the mark, our follows need something to prove yourself." Tilly nods and turns to a slightly smirking Lucius. "Lucius proposed the idea, and everyone agreed. So, you have to withstand 24 hours of The Cruciatus Curse by everyone here. For the whole time."

"Lucius was in Saint Mungo's for weeks after his incident, and the one cast the spell wasn't even near him. This could kill me. Powerful witches and wizards as yourselves." Tilly sighs, taking off her coat. "I'll do it, but after this, no one will defy me, or they'll suffer." Tilly turns away as everyone surrounds her.

Voldemort nods, and Lucius takes the first hit. Through her body, the pain course, but Tilly doesn't flinch; she even smirks at Lucius, knowing he's giving everything he has. After 12 hours, all six Death Eaters had cast the spell, and now it started to take it tole on Tilly, but she didn't let them know. Voldemort refused to hurt Tilly, which surprised everyone, including Tilly. At the 24-hour mark, Tilly is lying on the ground unmoving from the pain but was OK beside some aching.

"Lucius, take Tilly back to your house where Narcissa and Snape are waiting." As Lucius goes to pick the girl up, Tilly stands on her own, glaring through the pain. "Dear one, why did you use the spell on Lucius?" Tilly sighs, slowly walking over.

"He hurt his son. I'd had enough." Voldemort smirks as his second.

"I can see you're never going to bow to me, so please call me either Voldemort or...Uncle Voldy if you'd like." Voldemort grins, trying to look welcoming but comes off her creepy. Tilly nods, looking past the smile.

"Goodbye, Uncle Voldy. I'll see you soon." Tilly nods and goes over to Lucius, who takes her hand and apparates, once outside, to Malfoy Manor.

The jump and the torture had tired Tilly until she collapsed into Lucius before they entered the house. Lucius carries the girl inside, only to have his wife helping her in five seconds.

"Severus is on his way. What happened?" Lucius explains everything to Narcissa, including how it was his idea, knowing Tilly would tell them when she woke. Narcissa yelled at Lucius for the first time, not seeing Draco at the door. He's heard everything his Father had done to Tilly and is ready to kill him, almost as much as the anger radiating Snape.

"Lucius!" Snape hits the man watching him fall to the ground.

"How could you, Father? Mother, I can look after her while you three chat." Draco turns to Snape after taking Tilly in his arms. "I will call you the second she wakes up." Snape nods at his godson, thanking him.

Draco lays Tilly on his bed, having a few pillows under her head and a light blanket over her waist down. Draco sat next to Tilly, giving her kisses on her forehead, praying she would wake up soon.

"Please be ok. I love you so much to lose you." Draco sighs, tears fall from his eyes, scooting to lie next to Tilly, holding her into his side, as he drifts off to sleep, hoping she'll be awake soon.