"YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED ALONGSIDE LOST!!!" The clearing went silent. Who had spoken the words? I looked to Nova, and saw guilt. I looked to Hawthorne, and saw hurt beyond belief.
"How- you...- our- my baby boy! Lost was my baby boy, Nova. It was your...
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The following morning, we all headed toward the lake in our Houses, though I kept to the back, holding Shade's hand and clutching my kittens tightly. I was dressed in my finest Slytherin robes, though Shade merely wore his only set of clothes - his bloodied, torn shirt and washed, ripped jeans.
It was a solemn, yet beautiful summer's day.
Nearby, dozens of chairs had been laid out, parting in a middle aisle, the end of it adorning a marble table. There were various people of all ages sitting in the most-front chairs, including Dolores Umbridge, much to our absolute disgust, who seemed very afraid of Firenze who stood at the lake-shore like a sentinel. We all sat down in our seats, and I hushed my kittens when they began to complain that they couldn't see. I didn't want them to see.
A strange, otherwordly singing rose from the lake, and I spotted merpeople just under the surface of the lake, singing for the death of Dumbledore.
Hagrid walked up the aisle, a purple velvet covered figure in his arms, the material almost silky and spangled with gold stars - Dumbledore's body. A lump rose in my throat and I squeezed Shade's hand, to which he kissed my cheek and uttered that his spirit and memory would live on. Hagrid laid the body on the marble table, and then retreated to a seat a distance away, where his half-brother Grawp sat with his head bowed.
The merpeople peeped out of the water as a speech began, and I even spotted the herd of centaurs at the edge of the forest, silent and shadowed. Dumbledore had been friends with so many creatures, and yet there was so much I should have asked him, and I would no longer get the chance to because he was gone. I silenced a sob and buried my head in Shade's shoulder.
The small man in black finished his speech, and after a moment of silence, Dumbledore's body burst into dazzling, white flames. They rose high, so high, and obscured the deceased Headmaster completely, creating strange sounds and dancing images. A phoenix called somewhere in the sky, and then the flames died, creating a pale tomb, encasing both the table and Dumbledore's body. The centaurs fired some arrows in their tribute, the sharp and yet stunning display landing short of the audience, and then they turned tail and fled the scene, as did the merpeople back into the lake.
Shade and I shifted, and padded down the aisle, Snowy and Tobias following with small mewls. I stopped at Dumbledore's tomb and gave a mighty roar, my wings spreading and my muzzle pointed to the sky. Shade joined me, and after a couple of attempted-roars from Tobias and Snowy, I bid Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, James and Jenny (for those who question her relationship status, she sent off a letter to Draco, which I personally knew he got, stating that she wanted no more to do with him) goodbye and my family and I left the school with a promise that we'd be back for Bill and Fleur's wedding.
* * *
Shade pressed his flank to mine as we left our kittens at our Clan with a swift greeting to Nova, and then traversed up the mountain - the first, but not last - and gazed out onto the land.
"I promise you, Shadow, that I shan't ever let anything happen to you." Shade said, staring straight into my eyes.
I nodded, "I trust you, Shade, and if you ever die without me, I'm coming into the Underworld after you just to bring you back to life and kill you myself. To the end, my love."
"To the end, mea umbra."
AAAAAND SO THERE WE HAVE IT!! THE END OF ANOTHER BOOK!!
These last few chapters were incredible (incredibly hard to write) and I sure hope that you all enjoyed them as much as I did writing them. Shadow Claw: The Life Story #6 is possible the very last book of Shadow Claw's adventures, and it makes me sad to admit that it is almost over. Though, the last one has more DracoXJenny moments than ever, more kittens than the internet, more love than Twilight, and I honestly will probably cry when I have to write certain death scenes of certain people.
I'm afraid certain people must die, if Shadow's life is to be complete, but I'm almost 100% positive that nobody will like the ending that has been planned for years. Yes, years. In fact, this book/fanfic was based on mere ideas created by my two best friends, (and added things from my next best friend, who I only met three years ago, while I have known my first two for fourteen years) while we were very young. It has taken me so very long to write these books, and I have missed some scenes, however I value our dwindling imaginations over anything, and for all of this, I thank them for being so darned amazing.Plus, a special thanks to another friend of mine, whom I no longer see much of, for inspiring Snowy's character. ^-^
Shadow Claw: The Life Story #6 will be up soon, I hope (less than a month) and I'm going to weep when it finishes, though at the end of it, you shall all receive some BONUS CHAPTERS!! :D Everybody loves a good bonus chapter.
