Chapter Sixty
Hogwarts, May 2nd1998
War had dominated Hazel’s life for so long, it was odd to think it had all come to this point. She had been in the castle for four hours, helping as much as she could – but could not find Harry. Someone said he was one place, but when she got there he had already moved on. It was past midnight now, and Hazel was running frantically through the castle.
It was just as she skidded into the great hall that she fell to her knees, a pain in her head suddenly blinding her.
‘Hazel …’ Severus’ voice penetrated her mind, and she relaxed ‘Hazel, please come…’
How he did it Hazel did not know, but she had a sudden flashed image of the Shrieking shack. Scrambling to her feet, Hazel fled the great hall, running down the hill past the green houses and Hagrid’s hut, stunning the whomping willow with a quick flick of her wand.
‘I’m coming Severus,’ she thought, heading towards the tunnel ‘I’m coming.’
The battle was raging, fire was everywhere – and Andrew had spotted Sonia in the crowd.
“Charlie, look!” he cried, pointing to where Sonia was running down the stairs. Her jeans were torn and her face was bloody, but in that moment she had never looked more like Hazel. Andrew was furious at her, couldn’t understand what she was doing – did she not care for her own safety at all?
“What are you doing here?!” he roared, pulling her down as something exploded behind them. Charlie had pulled her to him, and was holding onto her tightly as they moved to hide in a secret passage. Andrew felt overwhelmed as he truly got a good look at Sonia; she was visibly showing now, and her hands went to protect her bump.
“I’m not letting my brother and my husband fool around here while I sit at home waiting to hear –”
“Sonia, you’re bloody pregnant!” he shouted over the sounds of war outside the secret passage. “Did you not hear what Mamma said? You can’t just think of yourself! You trip just walking down the hall, you can’t fight a battle!”
Eyes fiery, Sonia glared at him “Speaking of our dear mother, where is she?”
Deflating a little, Andrew could barely look his sister in the eyes “We … we haven’t been able to find her.”
“You lost Mamma?”
“I didn’t lose her, I just can’t find her!”
“Andrew you idiot! She’s sick, you can’t just let her go off into a fight like this-”
“HEY.” Charlie shouted, and the twins stopped. “Sonia, I know you won’t listen to me and go home – but please wait in the room of requirement. Please Sonia.” He said again as she glowered at him.
“Fine she huffed.” Crossing her arms “Lovely wedding night, don’t you think?”
Chuckling, Charlie pulled her close and kissed her hard and fierce, hand resting on the bump that was his baby. “I’ll make it up to you, just…be safe, okay?”
Andrew tugged her away from her new husband “Come on Sonia, I’ll take you.”
The twins left Charlie, Sonia holding tightly to her brothers arm.
“If I ever have a son,” she said as they neared the room of requirement “I hope he’s a lot like you.”
Andrew chuckled “What, nerdy and awkward?”
“Yes.” She said “And sweet and a guy who loves his mother, not like me – you always took care of Mamma, and I … I was horrible. What if my kid hates me too?”
“They’ll love you, don’t worry Sunny.” He reassured her “Now go on, I’ll come back for you later.”
Standing in front of the doors, Sonia stared at her brother for a second, then launched herself at him. “I love you Andy, I really do.” She said “Thank you for being such a good brother.”
“Love you, too.” He whispered “Now go take care of yourself.”
Disappearing into the room of requirement, Sonia hoped that if she did have a son, she would live through the night to actually meet him.
The tunnel was small, but Hazel ran, her mind set on one thing.
Severus.
Her Severus, the man she loved more than anything. The father of her children, her best friend. How had she ever let him get away?
Scrambling up the steps, hazel found herself on the ground floor. “Severus?”
‘Hazel.’ His voice was in her mind again, faint – she rushed up the stairs, suddenly knowing where he was.
“Severus!” she saw him, lying on the dirty ground, barely propped up against the wall. Falling to her knees, Hazel’s hands fluttered over his face, down his neck to the bites on his face. “Oh Sev…”
“Ms. Bowen?” turning, Hazel saw Harry standing in the shadows.
“Hello Harry,” she said, wiping her eyes “Are you okay?”
“You loved him.” He said “How did I never see –”
“No one did, Harry.” Stroking Severus’ face, Hazel’s tears dropped onto his chest. “Your mother though…she saw. She always saw.”
“Did he love you?” he asked.
Tracing Severus’ jaw, she gently closed his eyes. Standing, Hazel stood in front of Lily’s son, tears streaming down her face. “Oh he loved me,” she said, casting a backwards glance at Severus “But not the way I wanted him to.”
“Ms. Bowen – Hazel?”
“Yes Harry?”
,
“My mother … would she have been here tonight, if she hadn’t died? Would my Dad?”
Hazel moved towards Harry, hugging him; she was still tiny and Harry was much taller, but Harry felt closer to the mother he never knew than ever before.
“They would have been right by your side, Harry. Lily…” faltering, Hazel held Harry tighter “Lily would have been so worried, and James … James would have been right in the middle of the action.”
“Would they…would they have been proud?” he asked, voice shaking slightly.
Kissing Harry’s forehead, right on his scar like she had all those years ago, Hazel smiled “So very proud.”
Once Harry had left, Hazel quickly followed. She was going crazy, she knew that – but what was a world without Severus? For years she thought that if he died she would finally be free, but she only felt more trapped.
Hazel walked back through the tunnel, taking her time. Safe in the knowledge that her last words to her children where loving, that Harry knew that Lily and James were proud of him. There was no fear in her, no regret; Hazel was calm.
The trek to the forbidden forest was quiet, the battle echoing behind her. She thought of Molly, how she had helped her so many times over the years, taught her how to be a mother. Sonia and Andrew wouldn’t have turned out so well without Molly’s help.
Sonia and Andrew … her world, her children; they were the good in her, the only thing she had really given the world. Her goal since they were born was to keep them from Voldemort, and she had succeeded.
The forest was dark, shadows flitting around her with fevor; they were hands, reaching out to grab her. There was no moonlight, so Hazel used her wand to light her way.
The deeper she went, the colder it got; soon she heard voices, could make out the cackling laugh of Bellatrix Lestrange. Suddenly Hazel felt six years old again, pampered and cleaned, waiting for him in the ballroom.
All was quiet, then a voice yelled: “HARRY! NO!”
“NO! NO! HARRY, WHAT’RE YEH — ?”
“QUIET!”
Hazel stood behind a large tree, closed her eyes quickly and took a dee breathe before peeking around it. Harry was standing before the Death Eaters and Bellatrix was looking eagerly from Voldemort to Harry, her breast heaving. The only things that moved were the flames and the snake, coiling and uncoiling in the glittering cage behind Voldemort’s head.
Coming into the clearing, Hazel stood tall. “Tom,” She called “I believe you owe me an explanation.”
Turning his glittering snakelike gaze on her, Voldemort sneered “Hazel Bowen.” He said, raising his arms “I believe it is you who owes me the explanation.”
“I owe you nothing.” She said “You stole my life, my love and my purity. You took everything.”
“I gave you power!” Voldemort hissed, and then smiled evilly “As long as you have that mark on your arm, you are mine.”
Pulling up the sleeve of her left arm, Hazel smiled slowly “I have not been yours for many years, Tom.”
Her arm was bare, the skin snow white and Dark Mark free.
“How?” he hissed, stumbling back as if Hazel had physically shoved him “It is not possible.”
“Oh it is,” Hazel moved down the small slope “It is possible because you never stole one thing from me, didn’t break every part of my soul – you left me with one ray of hope in my dark world.”
Voldemort raised his wand, eyes like slits.
Hazel gripped her wand tightly “You gave me one thing to hold on to, to believe in.”
“And what is that?” asked Voldemort, taking one grand step forward.
“Severus.” She whispered, and Voldemort froze. “You gave me Severus Snape, and although he never loved me like I loved him, I held onto that feeling for years.”
Voldemort was silent for a few moments, then practically glided towards Hazel. With one long finger, he lifted her chin, but Hazel jerked away.
“Then I have finally taken everything,” he said quietly “Your little friends, your parents, Morton … and Severus Snape. I took him too.”
“You didn’t though,” spat Hazel “He left behind two children, two children that live on – and you will never touch them.”
Trailing a finger down her cheek, it left a thin slit, blood blooming. “I may not be able to touch them, but I can kill their mother – after all this time.”
Gliding backwards, Voldemort raised his arms. Raising his wand, he spoke loudly “Are you ready to die, Hazel Bowen?”
“Yes,” she said “But not at your hands.”
From somewhere within her jacket, Hazel pulled out the pearl hilted knife she had considered suicide with all those years ago, raised it to her breastbone – and slit her throat.
The last thing she heard as her sight flitted was Voldemort’s cry of rage, Bellatrix Lestrange’s menacing laugh and Harry Potter’s cry as he saw the blood pouring from her neck, the knife inches from her fingers.
Hazel Bowen died in peace, at her own hands – knowing that in the end she had kept her promise to her best friend.
A/N: Well ... that's that then. I've had this chapter written for over a year. And just to be clear, I've always planned on Hazel killing herself like this - at her own hands, in her own time, to knock Voldemort off is game to give Harry a better chance. I hope you're not all furious with me...
Question: Was that a surprise? I've been hinting at it lately, in the past few chapters and in my video. What do you think will go on in the third book, and in the epilogue?
Alright, that's me ... epilogue up soon, but not today. I've been writing all day.
Rose<3