𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐥𝐞 | h. granger

xcii | the fallen

CHAPTER NINETY-TWO
the fallen

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𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐄𝐆𝐀𝐂𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝐌𝐄𝐓 𝐔𝐏 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐇𝐀𝐃𝐋𝐄𝐘 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐎𝐍𝐊𝐒 on their way back to the Great Hall. Voldemort had called off his forces for a one hour armistice, ordering Harry to meet him in the Forbidden Forest during this time or else he'd kill everyone that tried to conceal him from him.

They paused just outside the doors. No one was ready to see what was behind them.

"We'll. . .we're gonna find out sooner or later," Aliyah said quietly. "Might as well rip the band-aid off now." She took a deep breath before pushing the large doors open.

Hadley clung to Tonks's arm as they walked inside. Her heart shattered when she saw her family huddled around a body on the floor. When George spotted her and Ron, he ran to them, wrapping them both in a crushing hug.

"I-I couldn't find you guys!" he cried. "I thought that you had died, too!"

"Wh-Who is that?" Hadley asked, her voice breaking as she slowly approached her family.

Ron knelt down next to Fred's dead body, Hadley falling to her knees beside him. A sob slipped past the youngest triplet's lips. She leaned forward, resting her head on Fred's chest, hugging his shoulders, willing his arms to wrap around her and tell her that everything would be okay like he had throughout the whole war.

This wasn't real. It just couldn't be real.

"Sirius!"

Lyra and Harry ran towards Sirius. He was kneeling over Remus Lupin's dead body.

"He saved my life," Sirius whispered, holding his hand. "Mine, Hadley, and Dora's. . .I wish I could've done the same for him."

"I'll kill whoever did it," Lyra declared, her own tears filling her eyes as she watched her older cousin cry quietly.

Sirius looked up at her. "Then you'll have to kill your sister. It's Bellatrix who did it. She was aiming for me. Hadley lost her mind when it happened. She and Dora were able to hold her off long enough for me to move his body in here. Bellatrix was about to finish them off when Voldemort called off his Death Eaters."

Lyra looked down at her hands at this information. She had thought that something inside of Bellatrix had changed that day at Malfoy Manor. She thought that maybe she was beginning to turn good, but she had just attempted to kill her family mere minutes ago.

And now Remus was dead. He was the first professor she had that gave her confidence in her magical abilities. She felt safe when she was in his class. It felt like losing Ophelia all over again.

Harry suddenly stood up and left, ignoring his friends as he called after him. Hadley ran out too, George right behind her.

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Dakota's head rested on Hermione's shoulder as they sat on the marble staircase with their friends. She had tried to find Harry when he left the Great Hall, but he was nowhere to be found. She had assumed the worst and broke down crying. Her tears were all gone now; all she felt was numb.

She looked up at the sound of footsteps. She turned around, relief washing over her when she saw Harry walking down to them. "Where were you?" she asked quietly, her voice weak from crying.

"We thought you went to the forest," Ron added.

"I'm going there now," Harry said, walking past them.

"No, you can't!" Dakota gasped.

"Are you mad?" Aliyah frowned. "No. Harry, you can't give yourself up to him."

Harry stopped walking. He slowly turned around to face them. "There's a reason I can hear them. . .the Horcruxes. I think I've known for a while. And I think you guys have, too, Hermione, Ali. . .Kody."

"I-I'll go with you," Dakota said, her voice breaking. She couldn't help the tears that sprung to her eyes. She couldn't bear the thought of losing Harry for real this time; not after all the times she'd almost lost him in the last 7 years.

"No. Kody, it's too dangerous. Stay with the others. Kill the snake. Kill the snake, and then it's just him."

Dakota ran forward and gave her cousin a tight hug, a heart-breaking sob escaping her lips. She kissed his cheek, clinging to him tighter and not wanting to let go. "Please be safe," she whispered. "I. . .I love you."

"I'll try," Harry replied, sighing. He was quiet for a moment before adding, "I love you, too."

Dakota watched as he walked away for the last time. She fell down to the floor, the arms of her friends wrapping around her as she sobbed. Her cousin would be dead by morning, and there was nothing she could do to save him.

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Narcissa Malfoy approached Harry Potter's supposedly dead body. The Dark Lord had successfully cast the killing curse on him, but it resulted in knocking him off his feet as well as Harry. When he regained consciousness, he ordered for her to check and see if he was dead.

Narcissa knelt down beside the boy, using her body to shield him. She leaned down and saw that his chest was rising and falling slowly. "Are they alive?" she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Draco and Lyra, are they alive?"

Harry moved his head ever so slightly in a nod. Narcissa let out a relieved breath. She stood up and turned back to the Dark Lord.

"Dead."