The world has changed since I was young. People I once knew have changed. Places I once loved are gone.
I have always had an easy intuition about where my life will go. When I was young, I decided I wanted to save someone’s life, be saved by a dashing hero, play Quidditch, marry the dashing hero, and have at least one son and one daughter. I decided that someday I’d master a hex powerful enough to make even my brothers squirm. I decided that I’d make Mum and Dad realize I wasn’t just the youngest child, the only daughter.
I saved many lives, was rescued from Riddle’s diary by the saviour of the wizarding world, played Quidditch for the Harpies, for England, and for Puddlemere United, (that was brief and painful but necessarily noted) married the saviour of the wizarding world, had two sons and one daughter, mastered the Bat-Bogey Hex in third year, and led the DA like none of my brothers could and like neither of my parents would be brave enough to allow me to do. I achieved all my goals, lived life to the fullest, and still my life was dominated by grief, whether I be happy, sad, joyful, or defeated. Fred, Tonks, and Lupin haunted my steps everyday. Tonks, my good friend and mentor. Fred, my favorite brother. Lupin, Harry’s last connection to his father.
When news came to me from Harry that Ron was dead, I knew immediately that the two of us would have to be strong. Our grief would be powerful, but Hermione’s heartbreak would be crushing. Our brother was gone, though, and when we were alone at night, staring into each other’s faces, all we could do was hold each other close, trying to hold ourselves in one piece, sobbing into each other’s shoulders and breathing quickly to stifle the choke of lost peace.
I was just getting home that night from James’ game at Hogwarts when the post from Hermione came. Ron was alive.
The next post arrived soon after. Don’t come, we want to be alone.
The next post came the next morning. Ron was at St. Mungo’s, and Hermione was gone.
By the afternoon, Minerva’s owl from the school got to Harry and I. Rose was gone, and Scorpius Malfoy was with her.
A week after, there was another Quidditch game, but we decided not to go. It was a tie-breaker from one that had taken place last term, and we were in a mess about Hermione and Ron and Rose. Then, that evening, the final owl came, one that left Harry and I in the arms of one another, struggling to breathe, struggling to do anything but love and weep and worry.
Lily was gone, gone after Rose and Scorpius, and she’d taken Bill’s girl, Dominique, with her.
When I could open my eyes and stare about me and be calm again, Harry and I Apparated to St. Mungo’s, to Ron. We’d spent an entire day with him and two half days, and his condition hadn’t changed at all. He’d been hit with a curse of extreme paralysis of several organs and their functions, but the curse moved around within his body, so the Healers couldn’t localize the pain and the problems. They said it was only a matter of time before the curse reached his heart or his lungs, and there was little they could do.
They’d brought Hugo to the hospital and given him an armchair to sit in, and he spent the nights under Mum’s care at the Burrow. Percy’s daughter Lucy, who was nine, stayed there sometimes too, trying to keep Hugo company. Audrey worked as a receptionist on the Spell Damage floor, so Lucy came in with her.
He rose as we came in, and ran to Harry, who scooped him up in a warm hug. “Everything will be fine, buddy, I promise,” I whispered, coming up and rubbing his back like Hermione did.
Hugo’s face was alive with tears. His mum was kidnapped, his sister was off trying to play hero, and his father was here, with him, but dying.
“You can’t make that promise, Aunt Ginny,” he told me, turning to Ron.
I moved to my brother’s side, wishing I could scare him into a full recovery. “Damn it, Ronald, if you weren’t an invalid I’d hex you right now for making me worry about you so.”
Ron’s eyes opened and he smiled slowly. “I know. Any word on Rose?” he croaked, looking over my shoulder at his oldest friend.
Harry shook his head, sighing. “None on Lily, now, either.”
The familiar tone of Ron cussing rang around the room.
*****
Harry and I left the hospital late and went to the school, where we removed James and Albus from their Quidditch party and took them home, where they were under strict watch. I sent a Patronus to Lily, praying she’d receive it and do nothing rash. (Besides leaving Hogwarts in a time where the heirs of the Order were being stalked by a bloodthirsty, shockingly cunning, unpredictable ex-Death Eater.)
The news came the morning after that. Lily and Dominique had been found on the floor of Ron and Hermione’s parlor, force-fed the Draught of Living Death. There were signs of a struggle. Priori Incantatem showed that Dominique’s wand had Stunned someone.
We followed the girls to St. Mungo’s, happy they were safe but worried to death about their conditions. The Healers said that Lily had a better chance of awaking than Dominique did.
Harry’s face was slack the entire time. I remembered Hermione telling me that the first potion that the Half-Blood Prince helped him with was the Draught of Living Death. He’d won a vial of Felix Felicis for his achievement.
I held Lily’s hand and tried to breathe. Why was my world, so carefully constructed, so beautifully planned, falling apart?
****
ROSE’s POV
****
I watched in awe as Scorpius was hit again with the Cruciatus Curse, my stomach crumbling as he wailed for them to stop hurting me. He was the one being tortured.
We’d been brought somewhere together, Crabbe holding my arms pinned to my shoulder blades while Scorpius was slowly tortured by a faceless demon.
My face was cold and my heart was pounding. They needed Hugo and Dad, but they could still have some fun with us before they had my entire family.
I was still shaky from the same treatment earlier, and I sighed in relief when they release Scorpius from the curse and he lay on the floor, hyperventilating and recovering slowly. Crabbe released my arms, and we were left alone.
“Where do you think Lily is?” I asked worriedly, wondering where Lily and Dominique and my mother were.
Scorpius shook his head and pulled me closer. “Don’t worry. Everything will be fine. Draco will find us and your brother and cousins and mum will all be okay, I promise.”
My Brave Face by grangergirl35
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