Harry and Amelia Potter

7.34

Smoke drifts from the battered castle. Deserted. The flagstone stained with blood, strewn with broken wands. The four of us stand, looking.

"Where is everyone?" Hermione asks.

"Probably gathering in the Great Hall. Tending to the injured, comforting one another." I answer. She nods and we begin walking.

Following the corridor, we find the entrance to the Great Hall. Ron walks ahead, puts his hands to the doors and pushes them open.

Triage. The House tables have been pushed to the walls. The injured stand in groups, arms slung over one another, waiting to be treated by Madam Pomfrey.

Filch's arm gushes blood. Flitwick's face is laced with gashes.

Harry and I stand in the doorway, taking it all in, as if some invisible force prevents us from going further, our face a mask as we view the dead laid out in the middle of the Hall.

Among them Remus and Tonks, their blood-stained fingers clumsily intertwined. A heartbreaking son draws my gaze to George, who kneels over a familiar body, tears dripping from his eyes. My heart shatters at the sight.

I run up to the Weasley family, Ron was already over here, hugging George. They both turn and see me. Tears forming in my eyes as I look down at the man I love.

Both boys, along with Ginny, wrap their arms around me. My arms stay at my sides, pushing each of them off me as I drop to Fred's side.

His eyes remain closed, skin as cold as ice, color already began leaving his face. His expression is one of laughter, like someone had just told him a joke. Unmoving, unfaltering, as he lies motionless on the floor. My sobs are deafening as I lay down next to the man I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with. 

I grow quiet, stopping my tears. My eyes open wide as I sit up. The Weasleys eye me curiously, still crying themselves. I glance up at Arthur and Molly.

"When did it happen?" I ask, wiping the tears that previously stained my cheeks. "When?"

"Mia..." Molly grabs my hand and pulls me up from the ground. She cups my hands in hers and gives me a saddening look.

I pull myself from her grasp and question them again. "When did it happen?!"

"Only a few moments ago..." Arthur places a hand on my shoulder. "...during Voldemort's second speech."

I brush his hand away and begin walking towards the door. I move past Harry. He tries to stop me, but is unable to.

I keep moving until I reach the corridor just outside the Great Hall, finding a small, dark, corner. Reaching my hand into my hoodie, I pull out my bequest from Dumbledore.

The Time Turner.

I stare at it in my hands, vision still blurred in my hand. Just before I begin turning it, I hear footsteps walking towards me. I look up, seeing someone I didn't expect.

"Mia, I'm so sorry about... everything." Dracos voice shakes. "I know how much you loved him..." he trails off as he sees the object in my hand. "Is that a-"

"Yes. Now what are you doing here?" I look back down.

"You comforted me in my time of need, I thought I should return the favor..." he trails off again, unable to remove his gaze from the Time Turner. "Where did you get it?"

"Dumbledore left it to me." I tell him. "In his will. He knew back then that there would come a time when I'd need it."

"I guess he was tired of seeing the people you love get hurt, too." He says.

"He knew." I say, almost dumbfounded. "How could he have known?"

"He knew everything. Somehow, he always knew." I can tell he's thinking back to the night at the Astronomy Tower. The way Dumbledore spoke to him, like Dumbledore knew exactly what Draco was planning. Everything he was forced to do.

I grab my wand and lift the time turner up, ready to go back and undo what has happened.

"You know, bad things happen to witches and wizards that mess with time." Dracos words stop me.

"I'm aware, thanks." I raise my eyebrow. He snatches the time turner from my grasp, but it remains around my neck. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Let me." He says, not lifting his gaze from my eyes. "Let me do this for you."

"Why would you want to do that?" I question.

"We're friends, Potter. Whether I like it or not." He states. "And I protect my friends."

"Well, so do I, Draco." I tell him, snatching the time turner back from him. "No matter how big of a git they are."

"I'll go with you."

"I can't let you do that." I say. "This is my problem, not yours."

He sighs, looking down, then back up at me. "One turn should do the trick. We'd still be in the Room of Requirement."

"How do you-"

"You and Granger weren't the only brainiacs in our year."

"Thank you." I tell him. He looks me in the eyes.

"I expect to see you running towards me right after you disappear, smiling gleefully, Potter." He smirks.

I turn the Time Turner once, looking up at the Malfoy boy, who has changed so much over the years. Someone who started out as my tormentor, my enemy, then recently turned friend. "Time will tell."