Demigoddess in a Wizarding World: Half-Blood

14

Perci stared at her reflection in the long, gold trimmed mirror, her fists clenched tightly at her side. A long, deep, angry red cut stemmed from the top of her right ear to just below the corner of her mouth. There were dark circles under her usually bright green eyes. They were the color of the tops of the trees that stood tall in the Forbidden Forest. She raised a bony hand to touch her face, just below the slash, but winced as her mind flashed to the night almost two weeks ago where she had gotten this injury. It was early July now.

Perci heard footsteps from behind her and let out a small sigh and Fred stopped to stand behind her and encircled his arms around her. She shut her eyes tightly and focused on the feel of his heartbeat on her shoulder. She counted the beats and breathed softly. They stood like that for several minutes, Fred's head tucked into the crook of her neck from behind, her hand holding the back of his head gently, her other arm gripping the two of his against her chest. Perci ran her fingers through his soft ginger hair as he placed a small kiss on her collar bone. He let go of her slowly, and she turned to face him, her hands holding onto his shoulders. She took him in, in his black dress robes and dark green and purple striped bow tie. She smiled up at him and held his freckles face in one hand and straightened his eccentric bow tie in the other.

"Ready?" Fred asked, grabbing her hand gently and rubbing small circles on the inside of her wrist.

Perci nodded, smoothing down her school robes. "Ready." Fred gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and the two trudged down the steps from the girls dormitory, Harry, Ron, Hermione, George, and Ginny sitting in silence on the sofas. Without a word, Fred and Perci led them through the castle, out the large doors, and onto the grounds.

They filed into hundreds of seats by the Black Lake. Perci could see mermaids and mermen poking their heads from beneath the water. Carriages lined the grounds as Ministry officials stepped out. Perci saw Cornelius Fudge, Percy Weasley, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Mad-Eye Moody, and Tonks and Lupin. Hagrid came up to them, Madame Maxime holding tightly onto his arm. Fleur and a badly scarred Bill walked beside them with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley following closely behind. If the mood had been different, if the occasion had been different, Perci would've remarked how Bill and her were twins now, faces scarred. But Perci knew today wasn't the day for jokes. She gave Fred a quick kiss, telling him she was going to sit with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. She settled herself beside Harry and Hermione, grabbing Harry's hand and giving it a squeeze. He squeezed back.

Fudge walked towards the front rows with Dolores Umbridge in his wake as well as Rita Skeeter. Perci felt Harry jerk at the sight of seeing Umbridge's poor display of grief, but Perci held him back with a hand on his shoulder. She shook her head still looking ahead.

Dumbledore's body laid still on a white slate of marble. Harry gripped Perci's hand tightly as a small man with tufts of graying hair in black robes went to stand in front of the body. They were too far back to hear what the man was saying, only catching a few words here and there.

"Nobility of spirit...greatness of heart."

Perci stared forward as Harry glanced to his side, looking far off at the Black Lake, biting back hot tears. Perci hands ached from the force of Harry's but she did not tell him to ease up.

Perci did not notice the screams of shock or the white smoke and fire encasing Dumbledore's body or the appearance of the sealed white tomb or the arrows shot from the centaurs in tribute. She did notice the sudden movement of the people around her, standing up and beginning to leave their chairs to talk to those around them.

Perci sat in her chair staring at Fred as he smiled softly with George and chatted with his parents. She, however, did notice how beautiful he was, how perfect he was to her. Her heart swelled and her ears rang loudly. She could not look at anything else. Tears dripped onto her crossed hands in her lap as she watched him clap George on the shoulder. She could not lose him. She could not sit at his funeral and listen as a stranger talked about how wonderful of a person he was, how it was too soon for him to be taken. She could not never hear his laugh again, never see his mischievous grin, never see his eyes like swirling melted chocolate.

She rose from her seat and dodged several people reaching for her to stop her and talk to her. She headed straight for Fred, panic racing through her mind. It built and built until finally she was with him again. She met his outstretched hand and pulled him into her. He wrapped his long arms around her waist as she gripped his hair and neck, their hearts pounding against each other. Silent sobs racked her body, and Fred squeezed tighter, one hand detaching from her waist and entangling itself in her messy black hair.

"Don't worry, Perce," Fred began. "I'm not going anywhere." But Perci couldn't help the devouring feeling of anxiety that this was not true.

——

Weeks later Harry stood at the top of the Astronomy Tower, locket in hand, watching his sister sail away from Hogwarts, along with the other graduating 7th years on small boats on the Black Lake. Just as she had come many years ago, only 11 years old, unknowing of her true identity, her true family—she left the same way, much older, maybe not very much wiser, but knowing of her true mother and father, knowing of Harry.

He soon lost sight of her boat and turned towards Ron and Hermione.

"Do you think he would've done it?" Hermione asked. "Draco?"

Harry shook his head, "No. No, he was lowering his wand. In the end, it was Snape. It was always Snape." Hermione had told Harry several weeks ago about what Perci had seen in the memories she stole from Snape. It didn't surprise him much. A year ago he had seen a memory of Snape's during an Occlumency lesson. His father was bullying Snape and his mother had stood up for him. Figured they had known each other. He did not realize it was to the extent that Lily would've asked Snape to look out for Perci. But in the end it didn't matter. Harry now knew where his true allegiance lied. "And I did nothing," he spat.

Hermione and Ron stayed silent, unsure of what to say to that. Harry didn't mind, though, as he set the locket in Hermione's hand. "It's fake," he said. "Open it." Ron peered over Hermione shoulder as she carefully pried the locket open.

Inside lay a old folded up pice if parchment. She handed the locket to Ron and opened the paper. "'To the Dark Lord, I know I will be dead long before you read this, but I want you to know it was I who discovered your secret. I have stolen the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can. I face death in the hope that when you meet your match, you will be mortal once more.'" She paused. "R.A.B." The signature confused her and she looked up to meet Harry's eyes. "R.A.B.?"

"Who's R.A.B.?" Ron asked.

Harry shrugged, "Don't know. But whoever they are, they have the real Horcrux." He swallowed, "which means it was all a waste. All of it." The three of them stood in silence, watching the sunset in front of them. After several moments Harry spoke, "I'm not coming back. I've got to finish whatever Dumbledore started. And I don't know where that'll lead me, but I'll let you, Ron, and Perci know where I am when I can."

"I've always admired your courage, Harry. But sometimes, you can be really thick," she laughed. Harry sent her a confused glance. "You don't really think you're going to be able to find all those Horcruxes by yourself, do you?" Her thin eyebrow was raised, a smirk playing at her lips. "You need us, Harry."

Ron stood on the other side of Harry, the three of them looking out at the orange and pink sky as the sun set over the tops of the green mountains, the graduating boats now completely gone. The three watched as the loud cry of Fawkes rang out and the bird disappeared into the mountains.

"I never realized how beautiful this place was."