Say You Won't Let Go || Bill Weasley

Ninety Two: A Not-So-Happy Reunion

The world was burning.

At least, the world around her that she had lived and loved for so many years of her life. The castle walls were covered in scorch marks and blood. Spells were flying all around her, the mix of green and red lights creating a terrible rainbow in the corner of her vision. Shouts echoed on the stone as bodies fell. As Isabelle ran down the hall, she did not know why she was heading in this direction, away from the battle, until she caught sight of bright red hair in front of a door around the corner.

Before she could round the corner, she saw a bright flash, and the wall ahead explode, clouding her vision in dust and her ears with more screams.

"Isabelle!" she heard Bill's voice, and Isabelle sat up quickly, breathing heavily.

Bill instantly pulled her into his arms, stroking her hair and rubbing her back until she calmed down enough to speak.

"You- one of your brothers-" she tried to say, but kept stumbling on the words.

"Who?"

"I- I don't know- I couldn't see-" she said, her voice cracking more. "There was an explosion."

Bill held her tight. "We will make sure nothing happens to anyone. I promise."

It took a really long time of comforting and trying to work out the latest nightmare, but eventually, the couple fell back asleep, though the rest of the night was fitful and exhausting.

When Bill and Isabelle woke up the following morning, Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Griphook were all gone, as well as the supplies and new tent that Isabelle had left in their room, knowing they would leave without saying goodbye any day.

Dean and Luna were still there, though, wondering the same thing about what Harry would be up to. Isabelle and Bill knew that they were at the bank, but they were still unsure of the plan. It was no accident that Bill told him that it would be easier to break into the bank than to make a deal with a goblin.

It was that afternoon when the four of them were sitting in the living room, Dean playing with Lyra in his lap, when Isabelle noticed Luna take a gold coin out of the pocket of her pants.

"Luna, what- is that the coin from the DA meetings?" Isabelle asked.

"Yes," Luna said, inspecting it. "It looks like I have a message from Neville."

"From Neville?" Dean said.

Luna nodded. "Neville's still at Hogwarts. He thought they were going to kill him after they weren't able to take his gran, now he has the DA set up in the Room of Requirement. This is how we've been keeping in contact with Hogwarts."

"I thought you got a coin, too?" Dean said.

"I did," Isabelle got up from her seat and walked toward the bookshelf, taking the mall coin from the top shelf. "I didn't think they worked anymore." Sure enough, the coin in her hand held the same message as Luna's.

"Harry is at Hogwarts," Isabelle said.

"Whatever it is he's been looking for, it must be there," Bill said.

"It says for us to come immediately," Luna said.

"But how?" Isabelle asked. "Hogwarts is warded and I'm sure they will have some sort of magic placed on Hogsmeade that alerts them as soon as someone sets foot there."

"Aberforth Dumbledore's tavern," Dean said. "If you can apparate there, we have a passage between the tavern and Hogwarts that leads directly into the Room of Requirement, since they closed up the others at the start of the term."