𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐑

the one with the lost handshake

“Between the beats of
his heart, her soul
crumbled to ashes.”

•

"DO YOU KNOW," I said to Harry after five days, speaking to him for the first time since the incident. I stood beside him as he sat on the armchair next to the fireplace with Hermione and Ron. Harry immediately huddled to his feet when he saw me. "Do you know when the fatal mistake was made?"

"What?" he asked, clearly confused.

"When Voldemort attacked you as a child," I stated blankly. "All he had to do was throw you off the roof, and you'd have been dead."

"Skylar," Hermione gasped loudly.

"I'm just saying," I said, not looking at Hermione, "That Voldemort is the dumbest wizard to exist in this world."

"Excuse me?" Ron sniggered nervously. I sat down, leaving Harry standing, still looking confused.

"I've not forgiven you for what you did to Draco," I said to him, motioning him to sit. He sat down almost instantly. "But I have a Prophecy as well. And without me, you're dead as a doornail."

"What are you trying to say?" Hermione asked calmly.

"I've finished writing every detail in this book," I said, handing Hermione my diary. "Do not open it now. Open it when this year ends. When we're all back at Ron's house. Harry," I turned to him. I winced as all I could see when I looked at his face was Draco's bloodied body. "There are seven Horcruxes. The diary, his Snake Nagini, Gaunt's Ring, Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem, Helga Hufflepuff's cup, Salazar Slytherin's Locket and Voldemort himself. The only two Horcruxes still remaining are Helga Hufflepuff's cup, whose whereabouts I didn't know of previously. And Nagini. When you three are out," I said addressing them all, "You'll Helga Hufflepuff's cup in Bellatrix Lestrange's vault in Gringotts. The details of how you'll get in and out is all in the journal."

"Where will you be when we're out?" Ron asked.

"I'll be in this school," I said. "The school would be in danger too. And I have a duty to the school."

"What about your Prophecy?" Harry asked finally. "About protecting me?"

"You've misread my Prophecy," I said looking at him. "Just like Voldemort. Everyone thinks my Prophecy is about me throwing myself in harm's way to protect you ass. It's not that. The Prophecy says that no one can hurt you as long as I'm alive. I can be miles away from you and you'd still be fine."

"Then why did you put yourself in harm's way all these years?" Harry asked.

"Because all these years you didn't know I was from the future. All these years, you three just knew that I was a girl who knew way too much," I sighed. "But now you know. And you must destroy the last two Horcruxes. My plan," I smirked slightly, "is to let Voldemort know that he's cornered. He has no more Horcruxes backing him. He has nothing left because he's be a mortal. Just like us."

"It all sounds brilliant but," Ron said, "Wouldn't it be dangerous?"

"It's a war, Ron," I said. "People will die. People we care about will die. Death Eaters, people on our side and veterans alike. It's going to be a bloodbath," I said enunciating every word firmly. "This is the thing about war. People fight for what they're for without knowing the harm."

"The mortal mistake was," Harry said quietly. "My father giving up on his sister when she was sorted into Slytherin."

I looked at him. He had a blazing look in his eyes behind his glasses. He looked at me firmly and continued, "Dumbledore told me there was no Horcrux we'd be chasing. He told me about you going up there and having a row with him. And since then, I couldn't help but think," he sighed sadly. "We're very much like our parents. And it shouldn't be like that," he added quickly. "We shouldn't be stubborn and reckless like them. We can change the mistakes they made, Skylar. I don't want to lose you."