✔️ 𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐓&𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 → 𝑓. 𝑤𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑙𝑒𝑦

63 | P L A N S

•••
so close no matter how far;
couldn't be much more from the heart.
•••

   "I know, that you're up to something, Harry", Lynnea said quietly, stepping beside her brother, as he was standing at the shore of the black lake after the funeral of Albus Dumbledore. "And I know that you want to keep me out."

   He just smiled down at me, softly shaking his head.

   "You broke up with Ginny", Lynnea talked on. "You know, that's stupid. As someone, who had been left to be saved, I can tell you, this is the greatest bullshit you could do. Well, I don't think, Ginny will do the same mistakes that I did, therefore she's way to strong. Nevertheless it's foolish to leave her."

   He still didn't reply, but his smile had vanished.

   "And I know, why you did it", Lynnea said after a short pause. "You will leave for something dangerous, won't you? You and Ron and Hermione. You will leave. And you'll leave without me."

   He sighed, laying his arm around her shoulder, pulling her carefully closer, her wounds weren't completely healed yet, but he took care not to hurt her.

   "I won't leave you. I'll stay at the Burrow over the summer, there's Bill's and Fleur's wedding upcoming. But I won't return to Hogwarts, and neither will you", Harry said. "It'll be too dangerous. But for now we should just try to enjoy the summer as long as we can. Without Dumbledore it'll be just a matter of time til hell breaks loose."

   "I love your optimism", Lynnea chuckled bitterly. "Well, I'll have to let you know, that if you'll leave without me, I'll find you and kick your ass."

   He laughed and ruffled her hair. The twins sat by the lake for a long while, until it was finally dawning. Harry had to go back to Privet Drive for one last time, and although Lynnea wanted to join him, she let him persuade her to stay with Fred at the Burrow.

   "I'm glad there's you, Harry", she said quietly while they walked back up to the castle. "I really hope you're not up to something stupid, I couldn't deal with loosing you."

   He froze on spot and stared at his sister, in his eyes lay a deep sadness and that was when she knew he would indeed leave me alone.

   "Lynn, see ...", he said with a sigh, rubbing his neck. "This is - well, I told you about the prophecy. You know, what I have to do. Sooner or later I will have to face him and I need to do it alone, it has to be me killing him. I can't promise you, that everything will be fine, I wish I could, but I can't. Dumbledore gave me a mission. And I don't want you to be endangered."

   "What mission?", she asked and his face turned into a grimace. "Harry, please, don't lock me out, you're the last bit of family left to me, and I can't see, why Dumbledore's so keen on locking me out. If you're going to risk your life, I've got the right to know what for. I want to help you."

   "I don't want you to come with me, I need to know you're safe, as I need to know Ginny is", he said and frowned. "Dumbledore wanted me to find something. I have to find the parts of Voldemort's soul. He made Horcruxes. That's why he didn't die back then when he tried to kill me. So before I'd face him, I need to make sure, there's every bit of his crippled soul destroyed."

   Lynnea felt like Harry had thrown me in ice cold water.

   "When do you leave?", she asked in a whisper.

   "I don't know. Really!", he added, as Lynnea gave him a doubtful look. "I'll join the wedding. Then we'll see. As long as I have the trace on me, there's nothing I can do." They started walking again, the sun was rising beyond the Forbidden Forest, but the warmth of the new summer morning didn't reach Lynnea's skin.

   The ride on the Hogwarts Express she spent with her friends and Harry, they had almost reached London, when a soft knock on the window caused her to look up. A barn owl was rushing along the running train, carrying an envelope in her claws. Lynnea got up, opening the window to let it in, but it just threw the letter through the windowsill and vanished.

   As she noticed her name written on it, Lynnea already had a guess who it was from, so she quickly opened it.

   Dear Lynnea,

   I am unable to find the right words for everything I need to tell you. You need to know, I didn't want anything of this to happen, he threatened to kill my parents, I had no choice ... And I couldn't tell you. I just couldn't. You were my one true friend and I knew you would reject me, if you knew.

   I would tell you, that I'd love to see you again someday, but that would mean that you'd be in the greatest imaginable danger. Lynn, please don't do something stupid. If you find a safe place, stay there and don't leave it. Dark times are upcoming and he won't miss any chance to get you. Stay safe.

   Love,

   Draco

   Lynnea clenched my fist around the parchment, hiding it in her hand.

   "Who was it?", Harry asked, raising an eyebrow.

   "Oh, just Remus inviting me to visit Tonks and him during summer", she lied, smiling. Lynnea knew, Harry would explode if he'd find out who wrote me. And she herself was not sure what to think of the letter. So she put it in the pocket of her jeans and decided to think about it later. Much later.

   Fred's soft lips greeted her at King's Cross under the still sceptical looks of Remus, who hugged her seconds later.  Tonks seemed highly amused about Lynnea's godfather's glares and chuckled.

   "Promise me to come to the Burrow, okay?", Lynnea whispered in Harry's ear, when they pulled each other in a tight embrace to say goodbye. "Don't run away ..."

   "I promise", Harry mumbled back, and as they left into the Muggles' World, she felt my heart getting heavy while she left with the Weasley's, watching Harry walk away with Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia. Fred's arm rested around her shoulder, seeming to be the only thing that kept her from falling apart.