Marauder's Daughter (Eventual Tom Riddle X OC)

Chapter 70: Willing Sacrifice

Cleaning up after the war was more a job for the teachers and Aurors, so I stayed in the Great Hall to help where I could. I had made sure to offer my condolences to Neville and Alice for the loss of Frank. Alice was putting on a brave face though, focusing on healing others rather than mourning her husband, so I let her focus on that.

"Thank you so much." Charlie says sincerely as he pulls me into a bone crushing hug. "Fred just told us what happened. My little brother is alive thanks to you."

"Charlie!" I return his hug fiercely. "I'm so glad you're ok, I didn't even know you were here."

"I arrived late, but was able to help round up the Death Eaters in the end of the battle." He admits, pulling back to look at me properly. He placed his hand softly on my cheek to assess my face, analyzing my expression and making sure I was ok. "I heard you were quite the leader, and total badass, before I arrived. I'm proud of you." He leans forward and places a kiss on my forehead. Ginny joins us then and also pulls me into a tight hug.

"You're the best sister ever, Abby." Ginny says sincerely, tears in her eyes that she is ignoring while she puts on a brave face. I hug her back tightly in response.

"Could you imagine how dull your life would be without both the twin's antics?" I joke lamely.

"Triplets." She correct me sternly and I laugh loudly, nodding my head. "Much better of a sister than Phlegm." She adds, rolling her eyes at where Fleur is at beside Bill.

"Hey, I like Fleur." I defend the girl. "And she's good for Bill."

"When are you going to hurry up and marry Charlie?" She asks bluntly after said brother walked off to help some Auror's with burns they received. 

I look from her to Charlie, and realize only just in that moment I don't feel the same about him as I used to in the past. For so long, I held deep feelings for him, but buried them because of our bodies age difference, just waiting until I graduated. I always felt a warm fuzzy feeling in my heart in his presence, and unlike the rest of his family, I never felt a familial feel to him. I was always attracted to him, and gravitated naturally to him. But without realizing it, I had already graduated... and those feelings stopped forming for him. My hand twitches to my pouch again, where the diary is stored.

"I don't think I will be." I say quietly as I look over at Charlie again, and she tilts her head in confusion.

"But I thought you both had a crazy crush on each other, it's been building and obvious for years." She says, then looks deeply into my face as I frown while feeling the loss of those specific feelings I always held for my favorite Weasley. "There's someone else." She surmises. There's no heat or anger, just acceptance in her tone. "Who is he?"

"I can't say." I smile weakly at her. "Don't know if it's meant to be."

"Then fight for him." She says firmly. "You taught me to be a badass who doesn't back down without a fight. If he's worth it, then fight for him." I turn and give a surprised look to Ginny, her words passionate and eyes beaming with a determined smile. I feel my own grin growing in response.

"True, I am an all-powerful badass, I can make it happen." I say arrogantly, and we both burst into giggles together. "Now, Ms. Second Most Powerful Badass Witch, go give my idiot god brother a kiss before his puppy dog eyes over there become permanent." I nudge her towards where Harry has not so subtly been watching her from across the hall for a long time.

"You know, he saved my life earlier today." She admits softly, also looking at Harry. "Earlier in the fighting, he took on two Death Eaters that were overpowering me. You should have seen him, he was an amazing warrior in that moment. Not at all his usual dorky self."