The Epilogue : Part I - The Shadow Army

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Misty Duels

    Many bodies were lying down on the floor, most of them burnt beyond recognition in the courtroom where heated fights was about to reach its end. Harry and Hamilton finally managed to take down the few remaining deatheaters.

    He then confusedly walked around: The crimson and golden fire had vanished as suddenly as it appeared. The whole room was burned, and a strong smell of wood, iron and flesh was persistently flowing in the air.

    At the feet of the Wizengamot high benches, Sykes was lying unconscious. Here and there, some people stood out behind a light smoke. Every time a person appeared, Harry hoped to see his children, Ron, Hermione, or anyone he knew.

    Ron emerged from the back of the room with Rose, Hugo and Lily who looked traumatized. As soon as he saw him, Harry ran to them and took them in his arms.

    "Have you seen Hermione, or Ginny?" Ron asked afterward, but Harry's sorrowed face answered for him.

    Around them Aurors, flabbily stood up and gathered, trying to rescue those who could still be helped.

    Hermione appeared at last, and walked with difficulty toward them. She hugged Harry, looked at Ron and kissed him. During this short beautiful instant, it seems like these last few months of tensions had never existed, and everything was well.

    "Have you seen Ginny?" Harry asked to Hermione who was holding her children in her arms.

    She looked up to him, and gave her a apologising look that made Harry's heart sink. Slowly, he looked across the room looked at the person around him, desperately hoping to see her but the more time passed, the more Harry began to consider a terrible thought he refused to believe possible.

    Both Hermione and Ron searched around the room, and ended up finding Ginny: her flaming-red hair was falling on her marble-looking face covered with ashes. Leaned against the wall, her eyes wide open and barely conscious, confusingly calling for James.

    "Ginny... Ginny, look at me..."

    Her face covered with blood and ashes, she seemed to be stuck in a kind of delirium phase.

    "I'm sorry Harry... James... He... I couldn't stop him..."

    "What happened Ginny? What about James? Tell me what happened?" said Harry who started to panic.

    "James followed her... she followed Cassiopeia after..."

    "After what?" hastily asked Harry. "After what?"

    Ginny seemed to slowly coming back to her senses, her eyes widened and, suddenly she turned her head toward the chair at the Center of the room.

    Draco was kneeling next to his wife, his forehead sank into her chest, crying silently. Few meters away, Scorpius was looking at his two parents, perfectly unmoving apart from his eyes which closed at times, tears falling down his pale face. Albus stood next to him and awkwardly held his hand, knowing perfectly that it wouldn't be enough to ease the silent and indescribable pain he was feeling at this moment.

    Drago raised back his head and looked around him.

    "Cassy!" he screamed, his voice shaken with tears.

    Instead of the answer he expected, Harry came to him and told with a painful embarrass what Yaxley did, and that Cassiopeia went after him.

    Draco seemed to hesitate between staying here and finding Cassiopeia for a minute, but he decided to follow Harry out of the court, after laying a caring kiss on her wife's forehead.