the boy who had no choice [d.m]

𝖋𝖎𝖋𝖙𝖞 𝖋𝖔𝖚𝖗

"El." Fred's voice was quiet in her ear.

Her brain sped up as she looked up at him.

"You sure you're okay?" he asked her, concerned, his lip split.

"Lucy's dead," she told him, not even knowing if he knew who Lucy was. Her mind reached back, yanked on strands of information that she had stored. "I watched her die."

McGonagall.

It struck her like a lightning bolt just as Fred let out a shaky exhale and pulled her into a bone-crushing hug, his hands coasting up and down her back.

Elara shut her eyes. Her back still stung - Hermione had only healed the acid wound on her side - and her shoulder was developing an ache that made it hard to concentrate.

But she had to - for Fiona, for Lucy, for Amelia and Freya. For all of her friends.

She pulled away from Fred, depriving herself of support, and straightened, looking at Hermione who was healing a nasty gash on Dean's arm.

"We have to find McGonagall."

Hermione's eyebrows furrowed as she looked over at Elara. "What?"

"She confiscated Thestral tears from Lucy," Elara explained, her heart aching at the name. "She has them in her office. We have to find her."

"What in Merlin do you need Thestral tears for?" Ginny asked, glancing between Hermione and Elara.

"It's a spell," Elara said, giving Hermione a pointed look. "It'll give us a fighting chance over the Death Eaters."

That was all Ginny needed to hear and she perked up. Elara looked away from Hermione's imploring gaze.

"I'll find her," Ginny said, firmly, already backing away. Immediately, Fred followed, sending a parting smile over his shoulder at Elara and Hermione. "Get to her office. I'll tell her to meet you there."

"Dean, you go too," Elara told him and he nodded. "We need those tears. Whatever happens, get to McGonagall."

Dean gave her a fleeting smile and then turned to jog after Ginny and Fred.

"Elara..."

She felt Hermione's hand slip into hers and squeeze it. "Elara, we can still find another way."

"There isn't any, Hermione," Elara said, tired. "You know that as well as I do."

She turned to face the Gryffindor witch. "Find Harry and - tell him it wasn't his fault. That this was my choice. Nothing he did would've stopped me."

A tear escaped Hermione's eye but Elara couldn't find it in her to comfort her. "It was an honour to be friends with the brightest witch of our age."

Hermione choked back a sob as Elara backed away. "You're going to save Hogwarts, Elara."

Elara wondered if this was the last time she'd ever hear her name. "No," she said back, giving her a small smile. "Lucy will."

With that, she turned, vanishing down the steps, heading for the Potions classroom.

She stumbled down the last few steps, her heart pounding, and turned the corner, her wand coming up on reflex to Stun a Death Eater who appeared in front of her. She killed him, swiftly, and pushed on, stepping over the motionless body of a Hufflepuff sixth year.

He had been in her Astronomy Class.

She swallowed the bile in her throat, avoiding the sight of his mangled neck where a werewolf had obviously got to him, and forced her feet onwards.