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TW: DEATH
CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEB!
— Limerence
" You murdered her Malfoy! "
EMBER HAD IMPROVED SINCE HER KIDNAPPING. Always surrounded by the ones she loved and addored. One of these people being her all-time best friend, Ophelia McKinnon. And yes, McKinnon. Ember was kidnapped in April, it was already May. In that small period between the two times, Ophelia and Malrene had gotten married.
Despite the married couple deciding on a courthouse wedding, they still loved each other very, very, very much. According to drunk Ophelia, "James and Ember could never, imagine actually giving birth? Imagine having an actual wedding. That's gross and cringe. That's how divorces happen."
Ember was pretty sure she and James were not getting divorced any time soon. Hopefully never.
Ophelia was writing every day about adopting a little boy named Ryland. She and Marlene both were very serious about adopting the boy.
Ophelia and Ember sat in the Potters' living room. Harry sleeping mindlessly on his god-mothers stomach. He had been clingy with Ember since her kidnapping but seemed more inclined to Ophelia recently. "He likes me more than you Em. I swear he does."
"Maybe he thinks you'll be a good mom!" Ember laughed from the kitchen, pouring a small glass of wine for her and Ophelia to share.
Ophelia giggled, brushing her god-sons messy hair back. "He truly does have James's hair." Then she looked up to Ember. "But he has-"
"My eyes?" Ember smirked, handing her bestfriend a glass of wine. Ophelia nodded slowly, "I get that a lot. God, I want another child, maybe one that actually looks like me. Just not now. Not during this."
Ophelia stared at her best friend with sorrow in her eyes. Harry was turning a year old soon. She could only imagine how Ember was feeling about her son growing up so quickly. "Ryland is seven... thank the lord. He'll know a little better when it comes to the war."
The air turned thick. The only sound being Harry's gentle snores. Ember looked at her son happily. "I can't believe he's gonna be a year old in two weeks. I want him to stay tiny forever." She groaned.
Ophelia laughed, brushing his hair back. "But then you would have to deal with poopy diapers and him crying over Valerie stealing stuff from him."
"Oh no the Valerie thing is never changing. It's crazy to think Remus and Sirius adopted a seer." She whistled lowly.
Valerie would be valuable one day. If not so as much as Harry. They would both have bounties on their head if the war didn't end soon. Luckily, it was looking good for the order. Not amazing... but good.
Time ticked with the two just laughing. Eventually, Harry waking up and playing peek-a-boo with them. Ophelia glanced over at the clock, "Shit! Oops, bad word... Ember I have to go, I'm staying with the McKinnons tonight."
Ophelia wiggled her eyebrows at Ember and the blonde gagged. She covered her son's ears and hissed to Ophelia, "Don't talk about sex in front of my baby!"
"He's almost one!" Ophelia laughed, walking over to the fireplace.
"I hate you."
"You love me!"
Ember rolled her eyes, "Be safe?"
"Told ya you love me." Ophelia giggled as she collected floo powder.
"Oh no, I hate you ver-"
Ophelia yelled "McKinnon's!" Before Ember could finish her sentence. Ophelia shot out of the Fireplace quickly. However, she had not expected the sight she saw.
A few chairs were turned upside down. Curtains ripped, windows broken. The black-haired girl reached for her wand, wide-eyed. She was an Auror. She was in the order. She saw this every day. However, it felt more real than it ever did. Her wand raised as she moved through the house.
Even the noise of her shoes creaking on the wooden floors rattled her bones. Ophelia's heart raced faster with each step. Her wand held out, ready to attack.
A few whispers were heard. Quietly, Ophelia snuck down the hall. Her wand pointed at the source of the nose. "Stay there issac, please. Don't move." Marlene whispered. Her voice was strong as ever.
"Marls what's going on?" Ophelia asked as quiet as she could get. Marlene jumped at the presence of her wife.
She rushed over to Ophelia, taking her head in her hands. "Death eaters," Marlene whispered, broken voiced now she was away from her brothers. Her strong facade finally falling apart. "They- they killed my dad, Ophelia... right in front of me."
Ophelia's heart wept in that moment for her wife. She stared at her with widened eyes and an agape mouth. "Marle-"
"No... Ophelia, you have to leave. They'll find us soon. They'll kill you... you cant die, Oppie." Marlene choked on her words. Tears falling freely. The built up composure she kept for her brothers leaving.
The air around them became dense. Outside... at that moment death eaters were hunting for the remainder of the McKinnon family. "We can apparate-"
"We cant apparate Issac or Luke or Thomas! We cant get them all." Marlene cried. "I already lost my parents I can't lose them."
"Okay... then we'll fight. We will fight and win." Ophelia soothed. Brushing her wife's hair back. "Everything will be okay."
However, that proved to be a lie when the footsteps became louder. They taunted her openly, forcing her to go into action and not sit back.
Ophelia dropped down to under the bed, "Issac, Luke, Thomas, I need you to be quiet okay?" Ophelia whispered to the boys. Bringing a finger up to her mouth. "We're just gonna play a quiet game, the winner gets candy."
Though, Ophelia was scared. So scared for what may happen. She had hope inside that she and Ophelia would survive this. Everything would be okay. They would adopt Ryland in a few days. They would be shaken up but the happy seven-year-old would make them happy.
They would stay married. They would adopt more kids, survive the war. It was a prophecy made by the gods... right? The two were soulmates in every way. The only exception of love at first sight. They both god a sinking feeling of non-forgetting love around eachother it would be damn near impossible to remove that. No death eater could ruin their care for one another.
Expectingly, Ophelia took Marlene's hand is her own. "I love you." She said, certain, lovingly. All her love spilled out to Marlene McKinnon.
"I love you so much." Marlene smiled sadly despite their predicament. There were no 'too's' when it came to them. They never said 'I love you too'. It never made sense for them to say it. Ophelia loved Marlene, and Marlene loved Ophelia.
Though, Marlene's love was more deep-rooted than Ophelia's.
Marlene was always a playgirl. She slept around with men like Candy, dated girls like no issue. She held no standards for herself. She was opened to everyone and anyone. She was at rock bottom. But, after meeting Ember in the worst possible scenario, she met Ophelia. Never before had Marlene loved as she did with Ophelia.
They were soulmates, the two. No one could deny it. If they were to ever die, it would be with each other. By each others side. Never once leaving.
The footsteps increased, along with their beating hearts. Quietly, they walked down the hallway. Wands stretched out.
A man stepped forwards from the darkness, though the lights were flickering. chuckles left from in front of them. A death eater stood in front of them, tall as ever. "The famous Marlene and Ophelia McKinnon. Say, do you know how to dance?" He asked, a smirk hiding behind his mask.
"Not with you, bitch." Marlene hissed her wand standing firm.
"Funny. I would love to dance with you." They could hear the grin from under the man's mask. A red light shot at them, disconnecting their hands. Never again would Ophelia and Marlene lock their hands together and feel the warmth and safety they gave eachother. But they could. They could stop this.
Ophelia shot a hex at the death eater, however, more appeared. The battle between had begun. Somehow, Ophelia slipped away for a moment. "Expecto Patronum!" She muttered, a glassy-winged horse showing from the wand, running in circles. "Send a message to Ember White, 'McKinnons, I love you.'" Her voice cracked at the end, but Ophelia barely noticed.
She quickly and quietly snuck back, praying the Patronus got there quick enough. She could hear yelling and wails, some of it coming from Marlene. Right as she turned a corner she saw the McKinnon boys being held by the necks and Marlene pleading with the death eaters. So much happening in the short amount of time Ophelia had sent away.
"Ah!" A woman laughed, moving her wand from Thomas's head to Ophelia. "You gave Marlene here quite a scare. She supposed you left her to die! Where have you been Ophelia? Hiding off? Scared? Put on your big girl panties and join the show!"
"You stupid fucking bitch." Ophelia yelled, sending a spell to the woman. She reflected it quickly onto a nearby bookshelf.
"Travers, grab her." The woman demanded. Though she fought it, Ophelia was grabbed by the man. She thrashed around greatly. Even biting his gloved hand at one point.
"Run Marlene!" Ophelia yelled through her thrashes. She was becoming tired. Her mind was foggy and she was light headed from the fast moving.Yet, she could never give up. She wouldn't give up. Not right now.
"I- I can't. I won't leave you hear." Marlene broke my confessed. Her strong demeanor disappearing as she looked at everyone she loved. "I can't let you die." She muttered, staring wide-eyed at her brothers and wife. "Don't kill them please... you can kill me. I- Please don't kill them."
"Awh..." Travers cooed into Ophelia's ear. "She cares for you guys! Isn't that sweet?" His voice sent shivers through her spine. Oh, she wanted nothing more than to stick a needle in his eye.
"So sweet." The woman from earlier laughed manically. "However, we have places to be. Malfoy, grab her."
Marlene stepped back. "Malfoy?" She growled. "Never! I wouldn't let you touch me. Never." Her tears being replaced with a deep rooted anger.
"Shucks, and to think I was looking foreword to holding your hand and skipping." Lucius laughed. "That's really bad news." He held up his wand. "However, I have worse."
Everything slowed, even Ophelia had stopped thrashing, becoming limp in Traver's arms. Luke's cry's had vanished into thin air. All of them focused on the bright green light leaving Lucius Malfoy's wand.
They all stared. The light going straight into Marlene's chest. A bullseye into her heart. None of them thought for a moment. She fell to the ground so graciously. It looked so painless but as if it was the most painful thing.
Once upon a time, Marlene McKinnon laughed loudly at this time, on the same day. Around the people she loved. Last year she was helping Ember with moving around with a pregnant belly. Picking out baby clothes and arguing with James over cookies. Two years ago she was dancing in the summer rain with Ophelia. They were smiling and laughing happily.
Now she was taking a sharp intake of breath before her life flashed before her eyes. Moments with the ones she loved playing on a record before everything went black and deep.
Thomas, the eldest of the brothers broke first. "Marlene?" He whispered letting out a wail after the death eaters wand went harder into his back.
As the brothers came to their senses, all focus on their now-dead sister. Issac, the middle of the brothers stayed quiet. He didn't believe it to be true. Luke was the youngest, however, he let out the loudest scream.
Ophelia let silent tears fall. "Marlene..." she whispered. Her bottom lip failing her and quivering. "Marlene!" She screamed louder, thrashing helplessly under Travers. Marlene. Marlene. The love of her life — the person she found her heart breaking for every second she saw her in pain. Marlene. Dead. "Marlene!" She cried out once more, her voice cracking under the pain. "What did you do to her?! WHAT DID YOU FUCKING DO TO HER!"
Death rattled through the air. The entire extinction of the McKinnon name — and yet, the man holding Ophelia captive dared to laugh in the name of the loss. A cackle broke through his crusted lips. "Nearly all the McKinnon's dead! Shall we move on?" He was so unbothered by the dead around him.
"You bitch!" She screamed in agony. Her mind ran a mile around her throat. She felt as if she was dying. "You're a bastard Lucius Malfoy— a bastard! You murdered her in cold blood! You murdered my wife! You deserve to rot in hell for what you've done... you murdered her." Ophelia's voice began to break. "She was a mother. She had a son... I hope yours is next to near her same fate." The brunette growled under her breath, the previous lost turned to anger. "I hope your son fucking dies, Lucius. I hope you watch him die." Emotions flooded through her ears — she could not think.
Malfoy scoffed. It was none of the McKinnon woman's business of his home life or family. "Do you want to be next O'Conner?"
"It's McKinnon to you, Malfoy," Ophelia growled. Trying her hardest to ignore her dead love on the floor. She was slowly becoming paler - losing every proof of life ever existed in her - something Ophelia did not fancy seeing.
"Ah... very well then." Malfoy snickered. "Line them up, the dark lord is expecting us soon." He responded, bored.
Perfectly stood were the McKinnon's. The remainder of them all. Of course, Ophelia in front of the boys as much as she could be. "You can't!" She yelled. "They're children! Children! You've already murdered their sister and forced them to see witness to it. Let them go!"
No matter. They had no remorse as every single one of them was forced to watch Thomas drop down dead. Then Luke, Issac. Ophelia fought hard. Screaming each time a light hit one of the boys. Thrashing around Travers with such agile another death eater was called to hold her.
Never would Ophelia expect to feel so empty in her last moments. Never again would she ever feel so empty. However, hope tinged in her soul as she saw lights outside. People.
She could survive. Ophelia could survive the massacre! Ember had called people to save her. Everything would be better, soon. She would be broken over Marlene's death but Ember and Lily would be able to help her fix herself back up. She could still don't Ryland, though he would have to wait for Ophelia to overcome Marlenes death.
"Bloody hell." A death eater in the corner whispered.
"She's seen too much." The woman smirked. Readying her wand.
Ember knocked down the door. Her wand in the air and ready to fire. She didn't allow herself to stare at the bodies on the floor. She wouldn't allow herself to get lost before she started.
Bellatrix let the killing curse leave her wand and disappeared.
A protection charm Ember made herself left the wand she held.
Both of their worlds spun as Aurors apparate around them. All of them now focused on one of their own. Someone they cared for deeply.
The green light hit her neck. Cutting her off from life. The protection charm only hitting her seconds after. Behind his mask, Travers winked. His body disappearing. The last death eater stood defeated, Ember swore she heard an 'I'm sorry, Lia' leave his mouth.
Ember stared at the scene. She saw the life leave Ophelia's dark eyes, a gasp leaving her mouth as she was hit with the curse. No goodbye. No I love you. Nothing before she crashed to the ground like a bag of weights.
She was putting Harry down for bed when she got the Patronus. Immediately she called the order and the Auror department and apparated. How did it go so bad... so fast.
A hand touched her back. She jumped away quickly. Not taking notice of her husband. Ember stood still, her arm falling slowly as her eyebrows furrowed.
Ophelia.
Marlene.
dead.
OPHELIA.
MARLENE.
OPHELIA.
MARLENE.
The silence was deafening. No one could believe that they were dead. They couldn't be dead. Why are they dead. It was a prank, surely.
No.
Ophelia.
Marlene.
Dead.
Ophelia was dead. Marlene was dead. They were dead. It wasn't a prank, it wasn't a dream. She could feel her tears, she could feel his hand. A scream left her mouth, loud and clear. She let her greif out. She caught up on whag just happened. She watched her bestfriend get murdered whilst her other was dead on the floor. James wrapped his arms around her, stopping her from running over to Ophelia. More people gather around, all of them focused on a dead friend.
Ember kicked around James. "Let me go!" She screamed. Her own wails cutting her voice off. "LET ME GO!" The girl cried. Thrashing around in James's arms. "JAMES LET ME GO. I CAN HELP THEM JAMES PLEASE!"
"OPHELIA!" She screamed out her best friends name as if it would reverse the last hour. Like she would be sitting back at the Potter manor, drinking wine and laughing again.
"I can help them..." she choked.
Though tears were also falling down his face, he allowed Ember to lose herself in that moment. Ophelia and Marlene were her best friends. The girls were there for her when no one else was. When James couldn't be there, when Lily, Remus, Kaylee, when they couldn't be there Ophelia and Marlene were by her side. Her maid of honor, her bridesmaid.
Now, they are dead. Dead in a war that would take endless life's with no remorse. It was a demon in the night, blending in with every dark tree. A blown out candle that had lost its wax long ago.
James whispered nothings in her ear. Calming her down slightly as they cry in each others arms. "They can't be dead." She whispered, her voice cracking. "My last words to Lia were that I hate her, James. She can't be dead." Ember mutters, lifting her head from her husband's chest to see the wands raised in the air. Along with the dark mark shining bright in the sky.
Ember couldn't decide which one caused her more pain.
ASHLEE SPEAKS!
... honestly I had been planning for Ophelia to die since the beginning of the book. But writing her actual death broke my heart. I would love to change it but their deaths are a big reason tagt Ember keeps going and fighting in the war :)
Like dude I got too attached- and then Marlene :( mg poor babes. I had to do it though. It's for the plot, I swear.
I don't want you to hate me or stop reading, this was always meant to happen. I don't want death threats or something. Usually, I would go like 'oops Ophelia and Marlene are dead lmao' like I did when Ember 'died' but they are actually dead.
Ember didn't die, Marlene and Ophelia did
I'm okay with "I'm gonna break in ur kneecaps" or "I'm gonna tickle you to death 👺"
In other news, I hope this made you cry <3 (this is the time where you can say you hate me and take your anger out on me, I promise this section only is the place I won't allow it to hurt me.)
Ashlee out :)
(Fucking comment you bitches. 43 views and no one has commented? 😡)