For the first time in my entire life, I was scared of going to school. I stayed in my dorm at Ravenclaw Tower way more than I should. It was after Easter, the date May 1st.
Exactly two days until the Battle of Hogwarts would begin. But I didn't know that at the time, because I was probably the stupidest Ravenclaw in Ravenclaw history. I was cold, despite the black cloak and the heavy covers of my bed. I finally got up and reached toward the fireplace and laid down on a couch.
The flames seemed to dance merrily around the dying logs in the fireplace, it felt almost taunting, yet warm at the same time. Even the black Hogwarts cloak couldn't make me feel warmer. I gingerly stretched out my arm towards the warm flames, craving for warmth. It was better than writhing in my bed for another three hours. The only sound in the room was the flickering of the fire and the ragged sound of my breathing, making the common room sound almost haunted and eerie.
I didn't think that Hogwarts could be anymore miserable than this. I was dead wrong.
Then I reminded myself that I wasn't going to get any younger, so I made a Sleeping Draught and fell asleep on the couch by the fire. "Lie," a voice whispered as a hand prodded me. "Charlie."
I rubbed my eyes from my little siesta and forced myself to blink my eyes. "Look up." The voice commanded.
"Cho?" I asked when Cho smiled at me. "What-what are you doing here?" I asked as I embraced her.
"No time to talk. Come on, Padma and Parvati and hosting a meeting right now." Cho whispered. I nodded and got up from the bed, I fell asleep wearing my uniform.
There were hanging hammocks and bunks beds scattered around the room as the rest of the DA was gathered. Celia and the twins met us later. "I take it my sister is paying us a little visit?" Celia gritted her teeth as Cho was talking with a few Ravenclaws.
"She was the one who woke me up and brought me here." I yawned. "How was your Easter?"
Celia shrugged. "Boring. How was Easter with the Malfoy's?"
I silently flinched when I thought of what happened at Malfoy Manor. "Eventful."
"Things are pretty awkward after what happened after fifth year, is it?"
I tightened my grip on my arms. "Yeah."
"Does he... know that you're here right now?"
"Pretty much. 'Specially after Cho snitched on us and the Inquisitorial Squad found our location." I muttered the last few words under my breath. Cho giggled with a few other Ravenclaws and whispered like hissing snakes. "I'm surprised she still has the guts to show up here."
"Guys look, it's Harry!" A member of the DA shouted as the rest of the DA shouted and clapped. Show-off.
He told us that he needed help finding some small object that might be a horcrux, which Celia explained to me later.
"Great to see you, Harry! So glad you're here, Harry! Will you marry me, Harry?" I mimicked with a high pitched voice before scoffing.
"What is it?" Longbottom asked Potter.
"We don't know." He answered.
"Where is it?" Longbottom asked.
"We don't know that either." Potter replied.
"So you expect us to help you find something you have no idea where it is, let alone what it is?" I asked out loud.
"I think it has something to do with Ravenclaw," I'm listening, "It'll be... small, easily concealed. Do any of you guys have any ideas?"
We turned silent.
"There's Ravenclaw's lost diadem." Luna muttered.
"What the bloody hell is that?" Weasley asked. This guy's dumber than an orange. Haha, Orange.
"The lost diadem of Ravenclaw?" Luna asked again. "Hasn't anyone heard of it? It's quite famous." I patted her shoulder.
"Yes, but Luna, it's lost. For centuries now. There isn't a person alive who's seen it." Cho answered. The rest of us lowered our heads, including me.
"Excuse me, can someone tell me what a bloody diadem is?" Weasley asked. I groaned and face palmed myself. He has the brains of a red panda.
"It's a sort of crown, you know, like a tiara." Cho answered. A door opened, revealing a girl with very familiar hair.
"Harry?" The girl asked.
"Hi there." He introduced himself. His girlfriend.
Weasley muttered something under his breath and Finnegan said something I couldn't quite here. I couldn't here anything, in fact, my head felt like it was underwater. "Charlie?" Luna looked at me. I gasped as I tightened my grip on Luna's arm, before witnessing another vision.
I sighed. "I'm fine."
"You're eyes grew red, Charlie. I don't know everything, but I'm pretty sure other people's irises don't turn red." Cho replied.
"I'm fine." I lied.
"What is it Ginny?" Someone asked.
"Snape knows that you're here." Ginny answered.
***
"It has come to my attention, that earlier this evening, Harry Potter was sighted in Hogsmeade." Snape announced. Murmurs had quickly filled the air.
"Now," Snape continued, the murmurs stopped, "Should anyone-student or staff- aid Mr. Potter, they will be punished, in a matter inconsistent with the severity of their transgression furthermore. Any person found to have knowledge of these events- who fails to come forward, will be treated as equally gifted."
Everyone was silent.
"Now then, if anyone here, has any knowledge of Mr. Potter's movements this evening, I invite them to step forward." Snape walked ever so slowly while looking at the rows of heads facing down. "Now."
Everyone was at a loss for words. It was too quiet. So quiet that it gave you that sickening feeling like during bedtime, when the monster from under the bed would come up any second and gobble you right up, for the monster believed that you had fallen asleep.
Potter stepped forward.
Everyone gasped, instantly turning their heads. Including me.
"It seems despite your exhaustive defensive strategy, you still have a bit of a security problem, headmaster." Potter announced, the doors opening to Hermione, Weasley, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and a few others I couldn't recognize. Wittle Hawwy Potter thinks he's so tough and brave, standing up to Snape.
"How dare you stand where he stood. Tell them how it happened that night." Potter ordered Snape, not one eye off Potter. "Tell them how you looked him in the eye-a man that trusted you- and killed him. Tell them!" Snape's face was somehow frozen. He raised his wand, before McGonagall defended him and flew spells at him.
Snape vanished into a blob of murky black smoke before flying into the air and punting a hole in the glass window. "COWARD!" McGonagall shouted.
I had nearly lost my voice from cheering on McGonagall as the flames had returned to their positions on the walls. "It's good to see you." McGonagall said to Potter before the two went separate directions.
The next few minutes became utter chaos.
Potter had discussed something with Weasley and Hermione as me and Celia had ran down the stairs. Luna had ran off the Potter as she chased him. "Luna?" I shouted to Luna. "LUNA! Where are you going?" I chased after Luna, Celia eventually following.
Spells skyrocketed into the sky like neon lights, and they had formed together like a neuron. Forgive me if this was a time of war, indeed but the sky had looked so beautiful that night. Professor Flitwick had looked at me in a queer sort of way as he cast a spell to protect the school. "Evening, Miss Lysander. I hear your mother has recovered. Very lovely of her to do so. You remind me of her so much, and you have your aunt's eyes." He spoke to me. How wonderful it was of that man to had spoken about my mother when it was a time of war.
"Er, yes, Professor Flitwick. Thank you very much for saying so." I curtsied to him and ran towards Celia.
"You're talking to your teachers while we could be killed this very night?!" Celia screamed at me.
"Well, yeah, we could die this night like you said. Might as well say some last words to them, right?" I shrugged before wincing. I began panting as I took a firm grip on Celia's arm.
"Charlie! Oh no, is it happening again?" Celia took my shoulders as I continued to pant and wheeze.
"Gah! Take.... me.... to Draco..." I said in between breaths.
"What?" Celia emphasized.
"Take me to him.... he... they're... my father's... here...." I gasped before falling in her arms.
"Charlie! CHARLIE!" Celia's muffled voice cried.
Celia ran as fast as she could as I leaned on her shoulder gasping and screaming. My forehead throbbed under the pressure of the sounds of the spells that pelted Hogwarts's forcefield. "GET INSIDE! GET INSIDE!" McGonagall shouted. I screamed again in response.
"Charlize Evelyn Lysander, what were you thinking to be outside when there're Death Eaters attacking the school as we speak?!" Celia lectured me.
"Now's not really the time to be complaining, Celia!" I groaned as my forehead throbbed.
"RIGHT! ...Sorry." Celia dragged me up the stairs. "Wait! We need the twins! Where are the twins?!"
"They're outside somewhere!" I throbbed from my visions.
"Charlie!" A voice screamed as a pair of arms embraced me tightly. All I saw in front of me was a blur of white hair and more visions.
Acromatulas wreaking havoc over the piles of rubbish.
Isaiah and Regina running from an acromantula.
Great fireballs the size of the acromantulas plummeting onto the school.
A very scared Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy searching for their son and future daughter-in-law.
My head throbbed from the screaming and the aftermath of the vision I just had. My legs ached from running. I couldn't stop now. "Draco, your parents are worried sick! Please, you have to get to them! Draco, you're not listening to me!" I screamed as I stopped to help Celia from off the ground.
"Wait... where's Isaiah?!" Celia screamed.
"Celia, I-"
"Where is Isaiah?!" Celia screamed louder. My forehead throbbed again and I nearly fell.
"He's with Bellatrix." Celia scrambled up and ran the opposite direction. "Celia!" I screamed again, but she was already out of sight. "Celia, you went the wrong way!" Celia tripped again over a piece of debris and tried to get up.
"Draco, I... You..." I said as I panted and choked from the smoke and the heat. "Please, get to your parents."
"What?" He trembled.
"Draco, please, go to your parents. They're frantically looking for you!" I begged Draco.
"I can't, Char. I can't. I'm not leaving without you." He screamed at me as tears streamed down his face.
"Draco, please, just go-" I begged before a pain like no other had pierced my chest, sending me flying and hitting a pillar. My eyes widened and looked at the hell of what the school had become before taking one last breath.
"Charlie?" Draco asked me.
"Celia!" Isaiah embraced Celia as Celia embraced back.
I blinked again and looked at my surroundings. It was just a dream. Without thinking, I had ran upstairs to find Regina, Draco following me.
"Well, if it isn't little Regina Black. I will never forget that dumb look on your father's face when I killed him." Bellatrix cackled as Regina's shaking arm pointed a wand at her.
"I'm not afraid of you." Regina's voice broke.
"Oh, but you should be." Bellatrix smiled amusingly. "It's funny, you have your uncle's face but you're just like your stupid father. Of course, both of them suffered the same fate. Oh, don't cry, you'll visit them soon."
Bellatrix laughed, "Of course, when I mean soon, I mean right now!" She flicked her wand and a bright green flash of light aimed toward Regina.
"Regina! No!" I tackled Regina, the spell just missing my hair.
"YOU! You're that annoying girl from the Department of Mysteries!" Bellatrix recognized me.
"It's always nice to meet a fan." I bit my tongue.
"And to think that you're the daughter of Voldemort!" Draco helped Regina up as Regina ran. Draco came at my side. "Oh, and look at this! You stole my nephew as well!" Bellatrix looked scornfully at us.
"Oh, Draco, the Dark Lord had such large plans for you!" She clicked her tongue disapprovingly. "And you chose the filthy half-blood."
"What do you plan to do about it?" Draco snapped.
"I almost forgot. You'll thank me later. Avada Kedavra!"
***
Someone pulled my heart out and threw it into a volcano. Pain radiated out and crashed into my nerves like a tidal wave. A little tsunami was created in my body, and it came to stay. But instead, the tsunami's water was replaced with burning lava.
I had somehow been blasted into a window and fell outside, where I landed into a pile of rubble. "Charlie!" Draco screamed.
His face went from shock, to anger, to a mixture of sadness and anger. "I'm sorry." I croaked. At least I thought I said that.
His hands reached my face, my neck, and then my forehead. Then finally his hands stayed in a position, his left hand on my neck and the other hand cradling my body. His hands were like hot coals on my back and neck.
He was crying, more than the average human should. "Please don't cry, I hate seeing you cry. It's like my mom said, crying does nothing but tire the eyes." I weakly commanded him. "Your parents need you."
He shook his head. "No. They don't need me. All I need is you." Draco's voice broke. I weakly smiled and gingerly raised my hand to his cheek.
"I'll see you in hell." I laughed weakly. Great, now I was crying too.
He mumbled something I couldn't quite hear. Suddenly I couldn't feel the warmth from his face. I couldn't feel the hand that fell from his cheek.
I closed my eyes and let my hands fall. I inhaled one last breath of the ashy scent of smoke and fire.
I'll see you in hell... Father.
And just like that, I was out of time.