The Last Horcrux

Dawn

The rain poured steadily down. It rained on the icy face of Narcissa Malfoy, beautiful in death. Draco knelt beside her, staring into her face which looked as if it had been carved from stone. Very gently, someone reached around him and closed her eyes. It was Dudley. Draco fell into him. His body radiated warmth, radiated aliveness in the freezing cold rain. Dudley's arms went around Draco and he squeezed hard.

"I got you back," Dudley whispered fiercely.

Draco put his head on Dudley's shoulder and let the tears flow. "I.....I needed more time with her," he sobbed.

"I know," said Dudley. And he held on to Draco as if he was never going to let him go.

At the edge of the world, the gray rain clouds were stained with pink. The sun was starting to rise, putting an end to this endless night. All around the sodden, charred courtyard, people were picking themselves up, finding each other, embracing. Draco was surrounded by people who loved him, who wanted to console and help him. Dudley was a furnace beside him, radiating life and love. Andromeda was there, holding the hand of her dead sister, with tears streaming down her cheeks. Professor Mcgonagall stood beside her quietly. Lupin laid a consoling hand on his shoulder. Harry, who had become a kind of brother to him, put an arm around him and whispered "Sorry."

But none of them really mattered. His mother was dead.

From across the courtyard he heard crying, the inconsolable wailing of a small child. Oakley was sobbing bitterly in Snape's arms. In a daze Draco went over to them.

"What's wrong?'' he asked huskily.

"She's gone, she's gone," Oakley cried. "Delphi's gone!"

"I know,'' said Draco, and he held out his arms. Snape handed Oakley over and the little boy clung to him and buried his face against Draco's neck until at last his sobs quieted.

********

Riot and his uncle Antioch stood and talked for a few moments in the pouring rain. When they were done speaking his friends gathered around him.

"Is your name really Eldariot?" Amanda wanted to know.

"Of course," replied Riot.

"And that man was your uncle?" asked Tori.

"Yeah," said Riot, looking after Antioch who had hobbled across the courtyard and was talking to Mr. Sev.

"What's he like?" asked Amanda.

"He's all right," said Riot. "He said I can stay with him during the holidays."

"What about your dad?" asked Amanda. Riot shrugged.

"Do you want to go stay with him?"

"Maybe, '' said Riot. He turned to her. "I thought I was going to stay with you."

"Okay, '' said Amanda. "That would be great. I..... I just have to ask."

Mark was looking at the horizon. "Morning's coming," he said. "The storm is ending." The rain seemed to be slowing down, the thunder rumbled gently in the distance, moving away from them.

"The Animagus charm," said Mark, regretfully. "This would have been the perfect storm to complete it."

Amanda touched her tongue to the mandrake leaf which she had held in her mouth through all of this long night. "There will be other storms," she told Mark.

Celia and Marco were standing near them, looking at the devastated courtyard, the overturned cauldron, the burned out tents, the wounded and the dead, lying about.