The Half-Blood Princess

Death Holds Dominion

There was a beat of complete and total shocked silence, broken first by Harley as she shrieked in such a manner she had never thought she'd be capable of. Her legs would no longer hold her up and she found herself on her knees besides Fred's body, her heart trying to catch up on what her mind already knew.

"No...no-no, this can't..."

Harley was aware that George was speaking behind her, but she couldn't make out the words. Percy was yelling. Hermione and Ron were crying. She processed none of it as she stared down into the face of the man she'd loved since she was fourteen, frozen in his last moment of happiness.

She wanted to cry, but nothing would come forth. Her mind wasn't connecting with the rest of her body. She felt weak and shaky all over. It was only when her trembling hand brushed his and she felt no life within him that she completely broke down, taking his upper body in her arms and letting her tears fall, never knowing how her father had held her mother's corpse this exact same way on Halloween, 1981.

Sobs burst from her chest; she felt as though she could not breathe. She wished she could not feel. She had been Marked by the Dark Lord, poisoned, hexed, tortured; none of it compared with the pain she was feeling now. None of it. Dizziness was overtaking her, and she wished for oblivion. Anything, even death itself, had to be better than how she was feeling at that moment.

Harley felt hands on her shoulders. For all she knew, it could have been an enemy and she could not have fought them off. It was George, pulling her away from Fred's body and wrapping her into a hug, seeking comfort as much as giving it.

"No no no," was all he kept repeating. His eyes were wide and unblinking, shock was setting in.

Her mind was bringing her back into reality, and it was not a pleasant place to be.

"Guys, the Death Eaters are getting closer, and I feel Dementors," Harry said, and his voice wavered. "We need to get out now."

"No way. Not without Fred being in a safe place," Percy said. "I won't leave his body here for them to desecrate it. I won't!"

Harley took a few breaths against George's chest, trying to swallow her pain. Yes, she was grieving, but this was the middle of a war. She had no time to grieve right then. Moving away from what should have been her future brother-in-law, she said, "I never thought I'd say this, but I'm with Percy. I refuse to leave Fred here!"

"Right. Right, of course we can't," Ron said. Harley had never seen him look this bad, not even when he had Splinched. "Harry, help me, damn it!"

Harley leaned back against George as she watched the two boys carry Fred's body around the corner, placing him behind the same suit of armour that they'd hid behind under Harry's Invisibility Cloak in her sixth year, when they'd snuck out to meet Sirius. He'd be safe there for now. She turned away, unable to think about her love stuffed back there like a lifeless doll.

"All right, we need to--" Harry stopped short, his face becoming fearful.

Harley felt the chill in the air. Dementors. "They won't hurt me," she said. No, they could not. Not now. Not when she was already living her worst nightmare. No Dementor could make her feel worse than she was right then.

Death Eaters were appearing through the hole in the wall, and Percy and George went ahead to confront them. Harley, Harry, Hermione, and Ron were left to contend with the Dementors.

The Trio sent out their Patronuses, but Harley just stood there, her wand held aloft. Was she even capable of casting this Charm anymore? Was she going to be capable of happiness again?