Gwenna and Ginny stepped foot into Hogwarts with their arms linked up.
"I haven't seen Luna or Ben," Gwenna commented.
They found McGonagall speaking with a group of students, looking very uneasy. They made their way to her as the other group walked off.
"Professor, where is Luna Lovegood and Ben Walker?" Gwenna asked.
She shifted on her feet, "I'm afraid I don't know. It seems as if... many students went missing on the train ride here."
"Oh no."
McGonagall nodded sadly, "Go off to your dormitories before you're late."
At the Malfoy Manor, the dungeon Zoya was kept in crept open and two people were shoved inside before it slammed shut again. She was lying down on the hard floor in a corner, mind too boggled from the interrogation that took place an hour prior to register the voices.
"Zoya? Are you there?" Luna softly asked, sitting down next to her.
Ben looked panicked as he stood in the dungeon. He slowly made his way to the two, "What did they do to her?" he questioned worriedly.
Zoya peaked an eye open, looking up at Luna.
Luna brought Zoya up on her lap, looking down at her.
"It hurts," Zoya whispered.
"How long have you been here?" Luna questioned in her usual soft tone.
A tear slipped from Zoya's eye, the first one to fall since she was captured. She looked up at Luna through heavy eyes, "I'm tired," she whispered.
"That's okay, you can sleep," Luna said.
Some weeks later, more people joined the three in the dungeon. Garrick Ollivander and Griphook.
But Zoya couldn't bring herself to care, let alone register who they were.
And the weeks passed on by. Zoya said nothing, nor did she move unless it meant to look at her compass that wasn't taken from her. Her weight dropped and she stopped eating the meals given to her. Those weeks turned into months, and before they all knew it, it was April.
The door swung open and they all heard footsteps and quiet chatter from two people. Luna stood up and left Zoya's side, peaking over a wall.
"Ron? Harry?"
"Luna?"
"Zoya is here," she said.
The two scrambled in Luna's direction, walking to the very back of the dungeon where she was laying down. The two knelt beside her, ignoring Ben.
"She hasn't said much, I don't think she can."
Harry looked up at Luna, "What have they done to her?"
"Interrogation, she hasn't said a word. I think they've been using Crucio, along with other methods..."
Harry sighed as he looked back down at her, "Zoya, I'm so sorry. Th-This wasn't supposed to happen."
They heard screams echoing from above, those screams being Hermione's.
"We have to do something!" Ron said.
"No, there's no way out of here," Ollivander said, "We've tried everything! It's enchanted."
Harry lifted up his pant-leg, taking out a broken mirror.
"You're bleeding, Harry. That's a curious thing to keep in your sock," Luna commented.
He stood up and looked into the mirror and Ron took away the light with his deluminator when Lavinia walked down the stairs and unlocked the gate. Ron walked to it, "Let her go," he gritted.
"Shut up, get back," she warned, aiming her wand at him.
He obliged and Lavinia opened the gate, walking in. She aimed her wand at Griphook, "You. Goblin. Come with me," she ordered.
Griphook walked out with her. Lavinia took one last look at the group before shutting the gate and walking back up the stairs.
With a whoosh, Dobby appeared in the dungeon. He looked around wildly, "Dobby?" Harry said.
He turned to Harry, "Ah!"
"What are you doing here?"
"Dobby has come to rescue Harry Potter, of course. Dobby will always be there for Harry Potter."
"Are you saying you can apparate in and out of this room?" Harry questioned, "Could you take us with you?"
"Of course, sir. I'm an elf."
Harry turned to Ron, "Works for me," Ron said.
"Okay, I want you to take Zoya, Ben, Luna, and Mr. Ollivander–"
"Shell Cottage on the outskirts of Tinworth," Ron interrupted Harry. He turned to Harry, "Trust me."
They walked back to Zoya, kneeling beside her, "You're getting out of here, Zoya," Harry said.
In the blink of an eye, Zoya was staring up at the sky. Something she hadn't seen in months.
Water rushed over her back and she saw Dobby disappear again. Luna and Ben knelt over her, "Come now, Zoya. Let's get you shelter," Luna said.
Zoya shook her head, "No. No, I... I just wanna look up."
And so she laid there in the water, waiting. Ollivander looked down at her, "She's too weak,"
"She'll pull through," Luna whimsically said before tilting her head down at Zoya, "But if you don't, that's okay too. You've done enough."
Minutes later, the other four apparated to the beach. From the corner of her eye, Zoya could see Harry holding Dobby in his hands. He was dying.
More time passed, and Harry was slowly standing up, wiping tears from his eyes. Ben took Dobby and carried him to the Shell Cottage with care.
Zoya's best friends knelt over, "Zoya, can you hear us?" Hermione asked.
She gave a stiff nod, closing her eyes as pain wrecked through her bones from the weeks of torture. She opened them again, "I-I didn't–"
"We know. Thank you, Zoya. You saved our lives by giving yourself up, but it shouldn't have happened in the first place," Harry sadly said.
Tears streamed down her face as the cool water hit her back again, she sighed in contentment.
"Do you want to move away from the water?" Ron asked.
"No," she whispered.
"Zoya, just- hang on. Please," Hermione said.
She felt a hand over hers, recognizing it to be Harrys.
"After this darkness is drowned out, w-when the sun comes up and the dust settles, I reckon I'll rest well when I see that it will all have been worth it."
That was the most she had said in months. All the pain and torture didn't matter to her anymore, her friends were safe.
"Tell Fred I love him, yeah?"
Harry shook his head, "Tell him yourself."
"I don't want to have to do that for a long time," she said, her voice breaking.
"What?" Ron asked, "What do you mean?"
"She's dying. Has been for weeks." Ollivander spoke up.
"I shouldn't have left you. I'm sorry, Zoya," Hermione cried.
She turned her eyes to Hermione's and gave her a weak smile, "Don't be. Win this for me, yeah?"
"We need you," Harry pleaded.
"I'll be there."
Then her eyes stilled, her breathing hitched, and then... nothing.
Harry's eyes widened as Hermione cried into Ron's shoulder, "Zoya? Zoya!" Harry screamed.
Bill and Fleur ran down the beach and Bill pulled Harry back when he tried to shake Zoya awake. Fleur gently pulled Ron and Hermione away as Luna began to cry.
"She's gone, mate," Bill said as Harry struggled against his grip.
After minutes of Harry wailing and thrashing against Bill, he finally stilled. He stared at Zoya's lifeless body. He carefully stepped out of Bill's grasp, kneeling next to her. He closed her eyes gently, "Take her to the Burrow. Bury her with her parents in that little graveyard not far from there. They'll know where it is," Harry said as bitter tears slipped from his eyes, "Bring Aurora when you come back."