CHAPTER 33
BECAUSE IT IS
"I tell you Minerva, it feels as if I've lost control of everything," Professor Dumbledore was talking with McGonagall in the staff room, "First Harry and Aeryn, now ten members of the Order."
The door swung open as Snape, Flitwick, Madame Pomfrey and Sprout entered the room.
"The Dark Lord is gone," Snape said rolling up his left sleeve, "The Dark Mark is gone."
"When did this happen?" McGonagall asked.
"Just about a half hour ago or so."
"They did it!" Dumbledore remarked.
"There is also report of unusual magic in Sherwood Forest." Flitwick said climbing into his seat, which was stacked with pillows.
"Yes, that is where Voldemort was. I do hope they are ok though; I'd hate to see what young Mister Malfoy will be like if anything happened. You know how his father is." Dumbledore said sipping his tea. The door swung open a second time and she entered the room, her white robes flowing.
"Miss Potter!" McGonagall exclaimed, "How in the world did you get in here?"
Aeryn observed the room. She looked eyes with Snape, which made him understand what was going on.
"Madame Pomfrey, Harry, Sirius and Remus are in the Hospital Wing." She told the school nurse. Madame Pomfrey rushed out of the room. Aeryn turned back to the others in the room; she had an unusual glow to her, an almost peaceful look. "I thought the rest of the Order members that went with Sirius and Remus should go to St. Mungo's. Madame Pomfrey is an excellent healer, but I don't think she could handle eleven patients."
"What happened?" McGonagall asked.
"There was a slight lava eruption. You know the one where it slightly destroys a whole Forest. Some of them got burned pretty badly."
"How is it that you were unharmed? And managed to get yourself and the others out in such short time." Dumbledore questioned.
"Who said she wasn't harmed?" Snape said.
"I suggest we go to the Hospital Wing. My time is short." Everyone but Snape was slightly confused. Aeryn laughed to her self; it was her turn to be cryptic.
As usual Madame Pomfrey wanted everyone out of the Hospital Wing, she had work to do.
"Potter has no trace of anything that may have harmed him, but the other two. I'd give them a week before either one of them wakes up." She said to the four remaining people in the room. "I've tried to wake Potter, but nothing seems to work."
"That's because he doesn't want to wake up." Aeryn said quietly as she walked over to her brother's bed, "He feels that he has failed."
"Because he couldn't save you?" Snape asked.
"By the time he reached me it was too late." She whispered. Dumbledore and McGonagall seemed to catch on, however Madame Pomfrey didn't.
"Now, I'm done with these two," she said referring to the last of the Marauders, "I would like to make sure everything is ship shape with you." She said to Aeryn.
Aeryn let out a small laugh, "I can tell you now that everything is not `ship shape' with me. If fact I am far from perfect health." Madame Pomfrey looked bewildered, "Merlin, I'm dead. I have no body left, in fact I left it back in the cave where we were, which is but now overflowing with hot magma."
"How- how did it happen?" McGonagall looked as if she was on the verge of tears.
Aeryn looked towards the ceiling in thought, "It was after we defeated Voldemort, we did this big complicated spell invoking the spirits of the Founding Four, I became a spirit too. Well let's just say the whole spirit thing took a lot out of me. I told Harry to go find Sirius because I knew Harry missed him a lot when he was gone. I was left alone to recover. I was about to follow Harry when Lucius Malfoy came up behind me. He apparently missed the whole destruction of his master. He slit my throat. I would have been able to stop him but, well you know about my magical phobia; the bloody idiot had a jar of giants' blood with him. Of all the luck huh?"
"Why are you so calm about this," Madame Pomfrey said, "I mean you're dead."
"Yes and now I am what Snape here was when he died."
"Not everyone here in the room knows that." Snape said.
"Well I leave it to you to explain in now won't I? Anyway, I now have a chance to do some greater good; I'm now a guardian angel. I'm with my, our parents now." Aeryn explained.
"I heard it could be rather boring up there." Snape said, his mood seemed to have lightened up ever since his Dark Mark was gone.
"No wonder you jumped at the chance to be Harry's personal watchdog…"
"I never agree to be his watchdog." Snape snapped.
"Well we will leave it at that." Aeryn said with a sadden expression on her face; "Like I said before, my time is short."
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It was the next mourning, and the three of them were sitting in the common room.
"I feel as if something has happened." Hermione stated.
"Well I don't." Ron retorted with a yawn. Draco kept quiet.
"That's because you've just been sneaking around snogging Luna."
"Yeah, well I'm sure you can't wait to do the same when Harry comes back from saving the world."
The three of them stood up and decided to go to breakfast. As they exited the portrait hole they were surprised to find Professor Dumbledore.
"You'd be please to know that Harry has come back, unfortunately he is in the Hospital Wing." Dumbledore needn't have said anything more as the three Gryffindors bolted towards the direction Dumbledore came from not before Draco gave Dumbledore a look with question. Dumbledore sighed to himself.
~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~
Hermione rushed to Harry's side as soon as she saw him. She held on to his hand tightly never wanting to let go. Harry was still unconscious, refusing to wake.
"What's wrong with him?" Hermione asked Madame Pomfrey as she was tending to Remus and Sirius again.
"Nothing," another voice called out from the other side of the room. Aeryn was looking out the window. She then walked towards them; Draco had not yet entered the room. "He should wake soon." She walked up to Hermione and gave her a hug, "I hope you understand why we left they way we did."
"I do, I am still a little upset, but I'll get over it, you are both safe." She didn't see Aeryn's saddened expression as she turned to Harry again.
"So You-Know-Who is…" Ron started.
"Gone? Yes for good this time." She answered Ron. Aeryn turned back to Hermione, "You take good care of him, he's going to need you."
Hermione was about to ask her what she meant when Draco entered the room. Aeryn quickly ushered him out. She heard Harry then start to stir.
"Mione?"
"Oh Harry, I've missed you soooo much." She said as Harry sat up and Hermione immediately wrapped her arms around him. "Don't you ever do that to me again, do you hear me?" Harry remained silent. "Harry what's wrong?" She asked pulling back from him; she could see tears in his eyes.
"She's gone, I couldn't save her."
"Who?" Hermione asked concerned.
"Aeryn, she's gone."
"We just saw her just a second ago," Ron said, "She looked fine to me."
Harry looked back and forth between Ron and Hermione. It started to rain outside.
~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~
"I am so happy you are ok." Draco said to Aeryn as he pulled her into his arms. When they pulled back Aeryn refused to meet his eyes. Aeryn never knew saying good-bye was this hard. She leaned in and gave him one last kiss. When they parted Aeryn's eyes still looked to the ground.
"Why did that feel like good-bye?" Draco whispered. Tears rolled down Aeryn's angelic face as her eyes met his. It started to rain outside.
"Because it is." She said realizing it was a mistake to say good-bye like this. Draco didn't want to let go of her as she said those horrific words to him. She kept looking into his eyes as she transformed into white swirling orbs and ascended to the sky. Draco stood there with a black expression.
~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~
"I saw her, she dead." Harry tried to explain to them.
"Look, I'll prove it," Ron said as he started for the door, "She's outside probably snogging the Gryffindor ferret." The door burst open before Ron could reach in. Draco came rushing in; in search for the nearest bucket his could find and throw up his non-existing breakfast. Not caring who was watching Draco Malfoy cried.
~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~
The school year was over, and everyone was packed up and aboard the Hogwarts Express. The past month and a half just seemed to wiz by. Hermione was leaning on Harry as they sat together looking out the window. Draco said across from them looking out the window as well.
It was just a few days ago that Harry and Draco worked together to pack up all of Aeryn's belongings. It was very hard for the both of them, but they managed to get it done.
Now here on the train Harry had Aeryn's copy of the photo album. Along with the pictures of their parents, over the year Aeryn had been adding pictures. There was a picture of Aeryn and Draco dancing at the Halloween Dance that Colin Creevey took as well as other events that happened. He'd only just found his sister, his twin sister and now she was gone.
As being the one to defeat Voldemort, Minister Fudge actually listened to Harry when he told him about Wormtail and Sirius. Sirius was now a free man.
Harry didn't want to say good-bye to Hermione as they got off the train as Kings Cross. He really needed her at his side. But in was inevitable, he had to go back to the Dursley's and Hermione had to go back with her parents.
Draco was going back to his delusional mother, back to Malfoy Manor. And he prayed his father would show up. He told Dumbledore that he wouldn't be held responsible for his actions if he ever came across his father again. Dumbledore understood.
They all said good-bye and after getting a lot of hugs from the people around him, except Draco of course, Harry trudged over to the waiting Dursley's for the last time.
THE END
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Well that's it. This is my first story that I have ever completed that was this long. Thank you for all my reviews they mean a lot to me. I will try to get the first chapter of `Change in Time' up by tomorrow. I love summer vaca!! I know this chapter is kinda sad but it had to be done.
And the whole Snape thing which I'm sure you are wondering about will be explained in the future so just hold on to you snitches!!!