Redemption

1

I remember crawling over to his lifeless form after Harry had left the Shrieking Shack. I can recall seeing his dark obsidian eyes and the last of the light fading from them. Puncture marks in his neck were still heavily bleeding and that was when I realised I could still do something in an attempt to save him.

I had cast a few spells I'd learnt from Madam Pomfrey and cleaned the wound with some Dittany. I had an anti-poison in my bag that I'd completely forgotten about until that point.

Hurriedly, I uncorked the phial and poured some between his pale lips, knowing that I was probably too late and my effort was for naught.

I don't remember much after that.

Someone had come to get me. Wrapped their arms around me and carried me away as I cried. Everything is blurry after that. The only thing I remember is being held as I cried for my teacher's death.

I had hated him, there was no doubt. However, there was a part of me who believed that the damaged, dark and cruel man had some good in him. He had watched over the three of us for years. Always helping Harry, even though he had always been hateful towards him.

Harry told us everything he saw in the Pensieve a few days after.

I couldn't believe it.

I was thinking about it as I made my way down the aisle in the backyard of the Burrow.

More specifically, I was thinking about him the sullen and snarky Potions' Master we'd known as children and the man we discovered him to be years later.

I tried to change my thoughts and focus on what was happening in front of me.

For the love of sugar spun quills, I was getting married!

Weddings.

They reminded me of Bill and Fleur's wedding.

Seeing everyone so happy.

I didn't know back then that it would have been the last time I saw any of them that way.

But it was, and that was then. This was now.

And I was walking down the aisle towards the boy I'd loved for many years.

I saw his eager face and my eyes made contact with his blue ones. The classic Weasley eyes.

That's when I stopped walking.

I suddenly felt like my ears had popped after being on an aeroplane.

I heard everyone around me.

"Why isn't she smiling? It's her big day?"

"What is she doing, why did she stop walking?"

"About time that they get married, the boy's been chasing after her for years."

"I always thought she had her eyes on the Potter boy."

"Isn't she the one who attempted to save Snape?"

"Is that the Muggleborn girl who was smartest in her grade?"

"I heard she used Polyjuice to become Bellatrix Lestrange on their quest to destroy You-Know-Who."

Molly and Arthur stood and Ron leaned in my direction. Harry made his way through the chairs toward me and Ginny followed closely behind him.

I turned and made my way back towards the Burrow, dropping my bouquet. I felt hot tears on my face and furiously wiped them away as I started running back to the house.

My shoes fell off and I welcomed the soft, dewy grass beneath my aching feet.

I couldn't marry Ron.