𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐬 | l. lovegood

xlviii

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐑 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑. 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐖𝐎𝐍. Good had overpowered evil, and the wizarding world was finally at peace.

Everyone who had fought in the Battle of Hogwarts was gathered in the Great Hall for drinks and food. The aftermath of everything that Dorothea had been through over the last several hours hit her like a ton of bricks as she sat with her mum, Luna, Neville, and a very grumpy Bellatrix, who Andromeda had tied up so she wouldn't escape.

"Hey, um, Dorothea?" George Weasley approached them. Dorothea looked up at him and quickly wiped away the silent tears streaming down her face. "Uh, I-I just wanted to say that I'm sorry about Tonks."

"Thanks," Dorothea whispered, rubbing her thumb against her palm. "I'm sorry about Fred."

"Thanks," George replied. He stood there awkwardly for a moment before adding, "Look, uh, on behalf of both of us, I wanted to apologize for how Fred and I treated you in our youth. We were mean and unfair to you, and I'm terribly sorry. I just hope that you'll be able to forgive me...Us. Cause you're actually a pretty cool girl, Dorothea."

Dorothea smiled softly. "I guess you're pretty cool yourself, George. And it's Thea...You can call me Thea." She stood up and extended her hand to shake his. "And I accept your apology— I-I mean, you're forgiven— Or, um...it's okay?" She looked to her mum, lowering her voice to a whisper. "Which one am I supposed to use?"

Andromeda chuckled and rubbed her daughter's arm. "Any of those work perfectly, darling."

As George walked away, Harry approached. "Thea," he said. "Can you come with me for a minute or two? There's something I want to give you."

Dorothea turned to her mum again, who gave her a nod to tell her she could go. She followed Harry out of the castle and down towards the forest. When they reached a clearing surrounded by trees, he handed something to her. Dorothea took it and examined it curiously before gasping softly.

It was the Resurrection Stone.

"Harry, h-how did you...?"

"It was inside the Snitch that Dumbledore left me," Harry told her. "I thought that you might want to use it...So you can say a proper goodbye."

Dorothea smiled tearfully and hugged him. "Thank you, Harry," she whispered. Once she was alone, she held the stone tightly in her hand and closed her eyes. When she opened them, she was greeted by the faces of her dad, sister, and cousin.

Sirius smiled. "Hey, there, Thea."

"Hi," Dorothea whispered, choking up at the sight of their ghostly appearance. They were here, but not completely mortal. "You can't stay long, can you?"

"No," Ted answered, slowly shaking his head. Dorothea nodded in understanding and wiped away a tear. "I'm so proud of you, Thea. You were so brave tonight." He glanced over at Tonks. "You both were."

"Teddy's gonna need someone to look after him," Tonks said, smiling sadly. "As his aunt, I'm expecting great things from you."

"Make sure he's a little rebel like his cousin." Sirius grinned, and Dorothea laughed, sniffling.

"I wish you were here to do that yourself," she whispered, looking between Tonks and Sirius. "As much as people say I'm like you guys, I-I'm not either of you. Teddy needs his mum and dad here to take care of him. He needs his grandfather to take him to the music store, a-and for his older cousin to spoil him rotten with sweets...It would seem like I'm replacing you if it was me doing all those things."

"You're not replacing us, Thea," Ted reassured her. "You're just...filling the gaps."

Dorothea reached up to hold her necklace. "O-One day when he's old enough...I'm gonna get him his own pendant, like this one, so that he'll know you guys are with him...Especially you and Remus," she said to her sister.

"I know he'd love that." Tonks smiled sadly. She reached out to touch Dorothea's cheek, but her hand only went through her. "I know it doesn't seem like it, but you're going to be okay, Dottie."

"No, I'm not," Dorothea whispered, not bothering to wipe away the fresh tears that had fallen. There would just be more, anyway. "I've followed you around since I could walk...But now you've gone to a place I can't follow without causing pain to everybody else."

"I'm gonna need you to stay strong, okay?" Tonks requested. "No matter how helpless it seems. It's you Teddy needs now. And Mum...I think she's suffered enough loss for one lifetime...Promise me, Dottie. Promise me you won't give up."

Dorothea sniffled. "I-I promise." She shut her eyes tight to blink away the tears. When she opened them again, they were gone.

She took her time walking back to the castle. When she finally reached the Great Hall, she stopped in her tracks at what she saw, blinking a few times to make sure that her eyes were working properly – she hadn't had any sleep in over 24 hours, so she wouldn't be surprised if she had started hallucinating.

Andromeda and Narcissa were having what looked to be a civilized conversation. They were smiling, crying, and hugging each other.

Dorothea slowly approached them. She looked up at Draco, her brows scrunched together in confusion.

"It was my idea to come back and reunite them," he told her. "Figured now that Moldy Voldy is gone, it was time for a long overdue family reunion."

Dorothea smiled and hugged him tightly. "Thank you, Draco. You have no idea how happy this makes me."

"You don't have to thank me, Thea." Draco smiled at his cousin before nodding to Bellatrix. "So, what are we gonna do with that one?"

Dorothea looked at her. Bellatrix glared.

"Give me back my wand, you beastly child," she growled.

"You have her wand?" Draco asked, frowning.

"Yep." Dorothea grinned. She took it out of her pocket and waved it tauntingly in front of Bellatrix's face. "Is this what you want, Auntie Bella?" She smirked mischievously before putting it in between her teeth. "Come and get it!" she challenged before shifting into her animagus form and hopping away.

"You brat!" Bellatrix shouted. She used a wandless spell to undo the restraints Andromeda had put on her before running after her niece.

Narcissa turned to Andromeda, whose jaw was dropped. "I'm guessing you didn't know your daughter could do that?"

"I...think there might be...a lot of things that I don't know about her," Andromeda replied.

Luna, Neville, and Draco had joined in on this new game. They ran around the Great Hall, passing Bellatrix's wand to each other like it was a rugby ball. Bellatrix was growing more furious by the moment as she chased the teenagers, and Andromeda and Narcissa watched with amused smiles.

When Bellatrix was finally worn out, she gave up and sulked back to her sisters. She crossed her arms and slouched down in her seat. "Andy, I hate your child," she grumbled, narrowing her eyes at Dorothea when she pretended to snap her wand, a devilish smirk on her face. "How in the name of Salazar is she not a Slytherin?"