Sophia Holmes and the Search for Horcruxes (Harry Potter Fanfic) *Completed*

Chapter Thirty

We walk quietly back through the grounds up to the castle, smoke spiralling from its towers. The trio may not have liked their potion's master, but his death has clearly had a profound impact upon them.

The flagstones in the courtyard are stained with blood and strewn with broken wands, but there's not a person in sight, leaving it feeling eerie and thick with death.

"Where is everyone?" Hermione asks, breaking the heavy silence. Nobody replies, but we head up the stone steps into the Entrance Hall and Ron pushes open the door to the Great Hall.

The noise hits us immediately. In the brief reprieve of the battle, the students, teachers and members of the Order have retreated to the Hall to be treated. The injured stand in groups, some holding each other up as they wait to be treated. Among them I spot Filch, the caretaker, with his arm gushing with blood and the smaller teacher whose face is laced with gashes.

I remain in the doorway, unable to move forward as I see the rows of bodies on the cold stone floor. More dead bodies than I have ever seen in my lifetime of solving murders. A young couple lie among them, their bloody fingers clumsily entwined and the woman's belly still raised from giving birth a few days ago. So many children.

I notice Hermione and Ron run forward towards the Weasleys, but I don't follow. I don't know these people. Everyone else has someone to console them, but I'm alone. I may have made three friends this year, but I have never felt so alone. Harry remains behind as well, and we watch as the Weasleys and Hermione embrace and cry together. It looks as though they all made it out alive, but many overs didn't.

Suddenly, Harry turns and walks out and I quickly follow behind. His face is such a mass of anger, grief and guilt that I dare not talk to him as we walk all the way up to the top of the castle and up even further into the Headmaster's Office.

Harry storms straight in and flings open a cabinet, snatching out a large,  shallow bowl and slamming it onto a nearby old desk. He then fishes his hand into his pocket and pulls ouy the vial of tears from Snape, pries the cork out with his teeth and tips the silvery-blue liquid into the basin. I watch in amazement as the bowl begins to swirl, and I realise this must be a pensieve - a receptacle for watching back old memories.

As Harry plunges his face into the basin, I walk over a join him and hesitantly lower my head into the bowl.

I open my eyes, but all I can see is darkness. Eventually, the black clears to reveal a dark village and the sound of a baby crying. Looking to my side, I realise Harry is stood beside, looking behind me. I turn and see Snape, breathing heavily as he looks up at something.

The picture fades to black again, before the silence is interrupted by a girl's voice.

"Lily! Come out of there! Now!"

As the scene changes, I see a girl emerging from some brush, a flower apparently growing out of her palm. I realise as she comes closer that she has the same bright green eyes as Harry. This must be his mother.

As Lily comes closer to her sister, Petunia stares at the flower before knocking it away. "We're going home," she tells her, taking Lily's arm. They turn, but then she stops.

I turn to see at where she's looking and see a skinny boy with dark, greasy hair and pale skin sitting beneath a tree, watching them and I realise this must be Snape. Without a word, he opens his hand and a leaf flutters from his palm like a butterfly, circling Lily once, before drifting away. Lily smiles, but her sister eyes the Snape fearfully and pulls Lily away. As Lily looks back, the scene fades away again.

When the next scene appears, I realise we're back in the first memory. Snape must be remembering his time with Lily. I look around for him and spot him walking up the garden path towards a nearby house. Harry's house in Godric's Hollow.