AVADA KEDAVRA
The three make their way back to the castle in peace, knowing that there's no threat back at Hogwarts. As they walk through the now empty courtyard, Millie narrows her eyes, "Where is everyone?"
Noah pushes open the doors and they march into the dimly-lit Great Hall, bodies are scattered all over it. Deceased, injured, and survivors. Millie and Caleb stop when they notice the family in front of them.
Charlie runs towards Noah immediately, glad his brother is alive, but the tears on his face show that something was clearly not right. He leads Noah to where the rest of their family is at and they all shuffle away from each other, leaving the body in the middle to be visible.
Noah lets out a sob as he kneels down in front of Jonathan's dead body. His cries wail across the hall. Noah's head is resting on his late brothers chest as Charlie stands next to him, inside the arms of his comforting mother.
Millie watches them from a certain distance, tears streaming down her dirty and bloody face. Her lips are quivering and it feels as if reality was finally settling in.
She feels her knees begin to buckle and she wraps her own arms around her body as if to comfort herself, knowing that Noah can't be with her at the moment because he needs his family.
Just as she's about to collapse, two smooth arms hold her up steadily, "Hey." He whispers to her. And at the sound of his rough but sweet voice, she allows herself to weep. Small whimpers escaping her lips as she wraps Finn up in a hug, glad that he's here and alive.
Finn doesn't hesitate to engulf her in his arms, knowing that's exactly what she needs. And he's forever grateful that they're in a more secluded space inside the Great Hall.
After all, he was still a death eater. And the sight of a death eater comforting a muggle-born that assisted the Boy Who Lived, would look extremely wrong in the Dark Lord's eyes.
Caleb shuts his eyes as he lets a few droplets of tears fall, he shakes his head as he tries to suppress the need to scream. From the corner of his eye, two bodies catch his attention.
Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks lie on the ground, hands clasped together in what seems to represent, forever. They were dead.
Caleb purses his lips and turns on his heels, marching out of the Great Hall and into Dumbledore's old office instead. He pulls out the pensive and takes a deep breath before pouring out Snape's tears in it and then diving his head inside it, ready to see exactly what Snape desired.
Two kids appear, a boy and a girl. They're sat by a tree, playing with the flowers happily, enjoying each other's company.
The second memory begins with two kids being at Hogwarts, getting sorted into their houses.
"Gryffindor!" The little girl contently marches towards the table and introduces herself, "I'm Lily!"
The Gryffindor boy next to her greets her with a grin, "James Mclaughlin."
The other boy, the one in the first memory, watches them from afar with weary eyes and is later on called up to the front, "Severus Snape." and he gets sorted into Slytherin.
As everything fades into a new setting, the scene changing, he hears the shaky and calming voice of his mother, Lily, "Caleb, be safe. Be strong."
And then he sees the flash of green coming from a hooded figure, he see's his mother falling to the ground. And then he see's someone else entering the house.
Severus Snape walks through the corridors, James is lying on the ground, and so is Lily. Snape's lets out a howl of heartache as he falls on his knees and clutches onto the lifeless body of Lily.
And then the scene vaporizes and changes into another one, the voice of a depressed Snape being voiced out, "You said you would keep her safe."
Dumbledore faces the man in front of him with a distraught stare, "Lily and James... put their faith in the wrong person, Severus."
"Rather like you."
"The boy survives."
"He doesn't need protection, the Dark Lord has gone." Insists Snape.
"The Dark Lord will return." Dumbledore urgently says. "And when he does, the boy will be in terrible danger!"
Snape looks down, tears falling from his eyes, "He has her eyes..." Dumbledore says, "If you truly loved her..."
"No one, can know." He stiffly responds.
"I shall never reveal the best of you, Severus." The old man sighs, "Can you risk your life every day to protect the boy?"
The scene changes again just as Snape turns around, "Don't ignore me, Severus. We both know Lord Voldemort has ordered the Wolfhard boy to murder me. But should he fail, I should presume the Dark Lord will turn to you. You must be the one to kill me, Severus.
It is the only way. Only then, will the Dark Lord trust you completely." Dumbledore states.
"There will come a time, when Caleb Mclaughlin, must be told something. But you must wait, until Voldemort is at his most vulnerable." He continues.
Snape furrows his brows, "Must be told what?"
Dumbledore inhales before breathing out his next words, "On the night Lord Voldemort went to Godric's Hollow to kill Caleb... Then, Lily cast herself between them... the curse rebounded. When that happened, a part of Voldemort's soul... latched itself onto the only living thing it could find... Caleb himself." He looks up to Snape, "There's a reason Caleb can speak with snakes... There's a reason he can look into Lord Voldemort's mind... A part of Voldemort lives inside him."
Snape observes the man in front of him with a look of fear in his eyes, "So, when the time comes... the boy must die?" Dumbledore nods, "You've kept him alive, so he can die at the proper moment?" Snape asks and then raises his voice for his next words, "You've been raising him like a pig for slaughter."
Dumbledore furrows his brows, "Don't tell me now, that you've grown to care for the boy."
Without another second passing, Snape casts a spell, Expecto Patronum, white light shoots from his wand and a happy doe bounces around the room. His doe matching Lily Mclaughlin's patronus. Dumbledore watches it with amazement, "Lily! After all this time.."
"Always."
Caleb pulls his face out of the pensive with deep, ragged breaths. He rubs his face with his cold, clammy hands and groans. The realization hitting him strongly.
The fact that his whole life he had been suspicious of a man who was protecting him all along due to his love for his mother, was really taking a toll on him.
Caleb exits Dumbledore's old office and silently walks down the corridor until he reaches the main stairs. He notices two huddled figures in the middle of it, whispering sweet nothings in each others ears. He sighs and marches down, making his presence known, "Where've you been?" Millie asks, standing up along with Noah, "I thought you went to the forest."
Caleb nods, "I'm going there now."
Noah's eyes widen, "Are you mad?" He furrows his brows, "No... You can't give yourself up to him."
Millie analyzes her best friend's haunted expression, "What is it, Caleb? What is it you know?"
"There is a reason I can hear them. The Horcruxes." said Caleb, glancing to the knowing looks on his comrades faces, "I think I've known for a while. And I think you have, too."
Millie's face scrunches up as tears begin to pool out of her eyes, "I'll.. I'll go with you." She says, her voice breaking.
Caleb shakes his head, waving her off, "No, kill the snake. Kill the snake, and it's just him!"
The two nod reluctantly before Millie runs towards him and throws her arms over his shoulders, crying into the crook of his neck. Caleb wraps his arms around her as well, making sure to make eye contact with Noah, who watches them with sympathy.
He sends him a nod, silently thanking him for everything. Noah purses his lips, wanting to stop himself from crying as well, knowing he has to stay strong for Millie.
Caleb untangles himself from Millie and doesn't look back as he walks away from them, only hearing Millie's sobs.
After a long walk into the Forbidden Forest, Caleb stops and pulls out the snitch he caught on his first quidditch game, the one Dumbledore left for him. "I'm ready to die." He mutters.
The snitch opens up at his words and and a stone, resembling a pyramid, pops out, floating in the air. "Resurrection Stone."
He closes his eyes as he holds the stone in his palm and when he opens them, he is greeted by the people he loves most. Lily and James Mclaughlin, Remus Lupin, and Sirius Black.
Lily gazes upon her son, "You've been so brave, sweetheart."
"Why are you here? All of you." Caleb asks, his eyes still watery.
James beams at the sight of Caleb, "We never left."
Caleb lets his curiosity get the better of him, not exactly knowing what else to ask, "Does... Does it hurt?"
"Dying?" Sirius asks, "Quicker than falling asleep."
James looks down at him with a proud smile on his face, "You're nearly there, son."
Caleb nods, "I'm sorry." He pauses, "I never wanted any of you to die for me." He turns to Lupin, "And, Remus, your son?"
Lupin grins, a hint of sadness running through his eyes, "Others will tell him what his
mother and father died for. One day, he'll understand."
Caleb nods understandingly, "You'll stay with me?"
Sirius smirks, "Until the end."
"And he won't be able to see you?"
James eyes his son and reassures him, "No.
We're here, you see."
Caleb smiles sadly at his deceased loved ones, "Stay close to me."
Lily's beautiful eyes flutter as she stares at her son, the son she died for. And with one simple glance around the circle of ghosts, she states a word that will stick with Caleb for the last few minutes of his life. "Always."
Caleb glances back, toward the Forest's Edge, takes a last look at the castle in the distance, then sets off. Dozens of dementors drift amongst the smoking trees, but his guides insulate him, and they merely peel away.
He walks on, his legs driving him, until light splinters the trees ahead, and a clearing comes into view. A fire burns, its light flickering over the throng of death eaters present. Lucius and Narcissa Wolfhard, weary with fear, sit apart. Bellatrix paces in and out of the shadows, muttering madly.
And then there is Voldemort, who stands with his head bowed, his skeletal hands folded over the Elder Wand. Nagini lays in a heavy coil at his feet. Yaxley enters the clearing. "No sign of him, my Lord."
Voldemort nods, unmoving. "I thought he would come. I was, it seems... mistaken."
"You weren't." All eyes shift to Caleb, standing at the clearing's edge. He lets the Resurrection Stone tumble from his fingers and James, Sirius, Lupin and, lastly, Lily all vanish. Caleb steps into the firelight, noticing a large figure in the corner.
Hagrid. "Caleb! NO! WHAT'RE YEH DOIN' 'ERE!" He is trussed to a tree. The branches shake violently as he tries to break free.
Voldemort takes a step forward and the flickering flames wash over his pale skin. He tilts his head to the side. A smile curls on his mouth. "Caleb Mclaughlin. The Boy Who Lived. Come to die."
Nagini hisses behind her protective guard of death eaters. Caleb's gaze shifts to her when Voldemort raises his wand. Scarlet flickers in his eyes.
Caleb's mind travels back to Millie and Noah, his heart beat speeding up at the thought of his two best friends. Every moment flashing through his mind. The Hogwarts Express. Getting sorted. The troll. The Chamber of Secrets. Time Traveling. The Triwizard Tournament. Dumbledore's Army. The hunt for Horcruxes.
Every moment defining an everlasting friendship.
And then Caleb thought inexplicably of Sadie, and her blazing look, and the feel of her lips on his.
"Avada Kedavra!"
Then a bolt of green light shatters the night and all is dark.
Caleb lies face down, Narcissa's face swimming in the dawn's muted light, eyeing him with a strange intensity
Voldemort glances toward Narcissa, toward Caleb. Bellatrix detects the wary glint in his eyes. "The boy. Is he dead?"
Caleb's eyes shift, meet Narcissa's once again. Something in her expression, he closes his eyes. She places her fingers over his heart and whispers, "Is he alive? Finn?"
Caleb hesitates and then nods, so subtly it's barely perceptible. Narcissa withdraws her hand, turns to where Bellatrix stands alongside Voldemort. She gives them a nod, "Dead."
Gaten, battle-scared and weary, perches atop a fallen statue in the chill dawn air. He kicks through the rubble. One could reconstruct the history of Hogwarts from the detritus before him; spell books, trophies, potion boxes. But his expression remains stoic, unsentimental.
He's seen too much in the last 12 hours. Gaten crouches down and studies the Sorting Hat. Reaching out, he wiggles it free, slaps it against his thigh to chase the dust.
He ponders it, regarding its ragged surface, singed and torn, then pops it on his head, a beaten jester. Again, his face remains blank. He squints, peering vaguely into the distance. As he gaze falls on the bridge, he stops. An odd procession approaches.
Hagrid lurches forward awkwardly, clutching a body in his arms, ropes extending in three directions from his neck as a trio of death eaters—one in front, two behind— jerk him along like a tethered beast.
From Hagrid, Gaten's gaze drifts to Bellatrix and Narcissa and then to Voldemort himself, dark, fierce, before settling on the most unnerving sight, a giant wending snake.
"Who's that?" Gaten turns, sees that Sadie has come out onto the broken steps and is staring at the procession. "...Hagrid's carrying?"
Gaten just stares, mute. Her eyes shift then, to him, and he sees they are glistening faintly. Her voice, when she speaks, nearly gets lost in the dawning breeze "Gaten, who is that?"
Before he can answer, others begin to spill out of the castle. Finn, standing next to Luna and Seamus. Cho. Arthur Schnapp. Noah and Millie emerge and, seeing the procession, know. Millie draws a sharp breath and something about it, the unadulterated sense of loss contained within it, causes those around her to look and know as well.
Gaten starts to speak but falters and then, simply because he can't bear to look at Sadie's face and the faces of the others looking to him for something, anything, he turns his gaze to the Hat dangling in his hand. And as he does, something glints within.
Voldemort and the others, moving with them, as they draw near. Voldemort surveys the ruins of the castle and the beaten posture of the throng assembled upon its steps. He smiles faintly, with cruel satisfaction
Noah, Millie, Sadie and the others stand silently as the procession comes to a halt before them. All eyes drift to Hagrid and what lays in his arms. Sadie shakes her head, "No... NO!"
Her primal cry echoes over the grounds as she rushes towards Voldemort, but Arthur steps between and wraps his daughter in his arms, letting her struggle briefly before pulling her tighter, closer, safer.
"SILENCE!" Voldemort glares, "Stupid girl. You cry for that?" Voldemort gestures to the body lying still in Hagrid's arms. He addresses al, "Tell me. These last few hours, as you collected the dead and tended your wounded, was he by your side?"
Voldemort surveys the throng, who stand mute. He nods, as if their silence were answer enough. "While your hands ran dark with the blood of mothers and sons, fathers and daughters, brothers and sisters, his were clasped in prayer, but it was a prayer for one and one only."
He smirks, "While you battled courageously, until you could no longer will yourself to stand, he had long since fallen to his knees. While you cursed me until your voices grew ragged, he begged me for mercy in a voice as meek as a child's."
Voldemort's eyes narrow. "So do not cry for that. He's not worthy of your tears. And do not despair of his betrayal. You were never in his heart. Not for one single solitary beat."
"Caleb Mclaughlin is dead!" The death eaters cheer at his words, "From this day forward, you put your faith in me or suffer the consequences." He pauses, "CALEB MCLAUGHLIN IS DEAD!"
Nagini hisses madly as Voldemort, looking a touch mad himself, rakes his eyes over the students and staff. "Now is the time to declare yourself." There is a nervous murmur among the crowd
Lucius raises his arm and motions for his son to come over, "Finn." He says expectantly, and at the sight of him not moving, he repeats, "Finn!"
Millie's breath hitches as she hears his name being called from across the courtyard, his parents almost pleading him to change sides, but he was standing still.
Finn Wolfhard, the youngest teenage death eater, wasn't moving from the side Hogwarts was residing in.
His adam's apple bobbed lightly as he looked around to the people around him, his classmates and most specifically, the girl that couldn't seem to leave his mind.
He didn't want to leave.
His parents called him again, this time, their voice sounding more urgent as Lucius reached his hand over to him, despite the difference.
Finn looked over at Millie, making eye contact with her softening eyes, not missing the fact that she seemed to understand exactly what he was about to do. But he still caught the hint of disappointment that rushed through her expression.
He gulped before looking down and sauntering down the steps, walking smoothly through the courtyard, not looking back to his friends, his real family, to the place he truly called home.
The brunette takes a step back and feels her heart clench inside her chest. Noah grabs her by the arms, holding her stable, not questioning her reasoning as to why she's even almost breaking down.
"Good job, Finn." Voldemort states, wrapping his arms around the boys stiffly. Finn tenses at his touch and doesn't even bother to hug back.
Once Voldemort releases him, Finn sulks over to his mother, who engulfs him in a hug immediately.
His tender eyes feel wet and he forcefully pushes the sob thats rising up his throat back. He turns around with his mother to face the other side's crowd.
And his eyes instantly travel to meet hers. Her warm, ember glazed eyes filled with tears makes his heart swell. He couldn't rip away his stare, and neither could she.
He would have never changed sides if she would have given him a reason for him to stay. To hell with his parents, he just wanted to be happy for once. She was the key to that.
"Well done!" Voldemort repeats, a twisted smile on his face. Slowly, Gaten begins to walk forward from their side, limping with a bloody forehead and the sorting hat in his hand. Voldemort grimaces, "Well, I must say I'd hope for better." The death eaters laugh, "And who might you be, young man?"
Gaten embraces the daggers his friends are shooting at him, completely heart broken that he appears to be changing sides, "Gaten Matarazzo."
Voldemort's smile fades as he recalls his name, "Well, Gaten, I'm sure we can find a place for you in our rank."
Gaten straightens his posture, "I'd like to say something."
Voldemort scowls at him but nods nonetheless, "Well, Gaten, I'm sure we'd all be fascinated to hear what you have to say."
"It doesn't matter that Caleb is gone."
Seamus shakes his head, "Stand down, Gaten!"
Gaten faces him and glares at him, "People die everyday! Friends, family. Yeah...We lost Caleb tonight." He takes a deep breath as he looks back at the crowd, tears in their eyes, "But he's still with us." He points to his heart, "In here."
"So as Jonathan, Remus, Tonks... All of them. They didn't die in vain." Gaten turns back to face Voldemort, "But you will.
Because you're wrong! Caleb's heart did beat for us. For all of us!" He looks down to the small gleam that shines from the Sorting Hat, "It's not over!"
He reaches his hand down and pulls the Gryffindor Sword out of it, the slashing sound astonishing the crowd. Not only from that, but from the boy who has fallen out of Hagrid's arms.
Millie, Sadie and Noah gasp, Caleb is alive. Alive and with no way to defend himself.
Finn, instantly pulls his wand out of his pocket and runs over to his old enemy, "Mclaughlin!" He yells, throwing him his own wand.
Caleb catches it with ease and thanks him with a curt nod before swishing Finn's wand towards Nagini, who resides next to Voldemort, whose jaw is dropped wide open in shock, "Confringo!"
The lethal curse causes an explosion to occur next to them, not particularly harming anyone but surely distracting them long enough for Caleb to dash towards his friends.
Voldemort looks over to his followers, who had begun disapparating out of the courtyard and abandoning him.
Finn, without a doubt, shoots one last glance at his family and grabs their hands, dragging them over to the other side. Noah smiles at him, "Well done, Wolfhard!" He yells, then takes a moment to take in his words, "I can't believe I just said that."
Millie smiles and begins to walk backwards to the entrance of Hogwarts, along with everyone else. Their fight is not over and everyone knows it.
As Caleb arrives at the doors to the Great Hall, he finds Noah, Finn, and Millie there. "The snake! We've got to kill the snake!"
The three nod, uncertainty filling their faces at whats behind him. Caleb instantly turns around and tightens his grip on his wand.
Voldemort stands upon the walkway now, cloak swirling madly as the hem unravels and cloth vipers slither across the walkway and up Caleb's body. Before he can react, Voldemort flicks his wand and snaps the cloth tight, reeling Caleb toward him. "Why do you live?!"
As Voldemort's face looms close, eyeing Caleb like a curious specimen, Caleb looks up. "Because I have something worth living for."
Voldemort stares at him. Confused. And suddenly, in this moment, it is Caleb, beaten and bloody, who seems in control. He smiles, then presses even closer, his voice quiet, vaguely taunting, "Come on, Tom. Let's end this the way we started it..." Caleb grabs Voldemort's cloak in both hands. "Together." And then he falls back, pulling them both, hurtling downward, toward the center of the courtyard below.
Gaten, appearing out of nowhere, steps into the breach, sword in hand, and with one mighty swing, severs Nagini's head. Voldemort freezes, watching Nagini's body thrash madly for a time before going still. The great snake's head tumbles end-over-end.
Voldemort bellows in pain and turns to Caleb, "This changes nothing. Nothing can save you now, Mclaughlin."
As the two stand in the center of the courtyard, the battling around them stops and all attention is towards them. Noah crosses the courtyard discreetly, to his family, wrapping an arm around Sadie protectively.
Millie watches him go and shudders as she feels Finn's presence next to her, but she looks up to him admirably, and he weakly winks.
"I know things you don't know, Tom Riddle. I know lots of important things that you don't know. Want to hear some before you make another big mistake?"
Voldemort did not speak but prowled in a circle, and Caleb knew that he kept him temporarily mesmerized and at bay, held back by the faintest possibility that Caleb might indeed know a final secret.
"Is it love again?" Said Voldemort, "Dumbledore's favorite solution, love, which he claimed conquered death, though love did not stop him from falling from the tower and breaking like an old waxwork? Love, which did not prevent me stamping out your Mudblood mother like a cockroach–"
"Riddle.." Caleb begun.
"You dare—?" Voldemort sneers at him, the use of his real name clearly bothering him.
"Yes I dare." said Caleb, "Because Dumbledore's last plan hasn't backfired on me. It's backfired on you, Riddle."
Voldemort's hand was trembling on the Elder Wand, and Caleb gripped Finn's very tightly. The moment, he knew, was seconds away. "That wand still isn't working properly for you because you murdered the wrong person. Severus Snape was never the true master of the Elder Wand. He never defeated Dumbledore."
"He killed–"
"Aren't you listening? Snape never beat Dumbledore. His death was planned between them! He intended to die undefeated, the wand's last true master! If all had gone as planned, the wands power would have died with him, because it had never been won from him!"
Caleb smirks, "Possessing the wand isn't enough. Holding it, using it, doesn't make it really yours. Didn't you listen to Ollivander? The wand chooses the wizard.. The Elder Wand recognized a new master before Dumbledore died, someone who never even laid a hand on it. The new master removed the wand from Dumbledore against his will, never realizing exactly what he had done, or that the world's most dangerous wand had given him its allegiance..."
Voldemort's chest rose and fell rapidly, and Caleb could feel the curse coming, feel it building inside the wand pointed at his face. "The true master of the Elder Wand was Finn Wolfhard."
Millie glanced to the boy to her left, watching as Finn's widened eyes traveled down to meet hers. Without thinking about it, her hand reached down and wrapped around his, covering them lightly with the people in front of them.
Blank shock showed in Voldemort's face for a moment, but then it was gone. "But what does it matter?" He said softly, "Even if you are right, it makes no difference to you and me. You no longer have the phoenix wand; therefore, we duel on skill alone.. And after I have killed you, I can attend to Finn Wolfhard..."
Finn tightened his grasp on Millie's hand, and she returned it with a squeeze. Caleb shook his head, "But you're too late," Said Caleb, "You've missed your chance. I got there first. I overpowered Finn weeks ago. I took his wand at Wolfhard Manor."
Caleb twitched the hawthorn wand, and he felt the eyes of everyone in the Hall upon it. "So it all comes down to this, doesn't it?" He whispered, "Does the wand in your hand know its last master was disarmed? Because if it does.. I am the true master of the Elder Wand."
A red-glow burst suddenly across the sky above them as an edge of dazzling sun appeared over the mountains. The light hit both of their faces at the same time, so that Voldemort's was suddenly a flaming blur. Caleb heard the high voice shriek as he too yelled his best hope to the heavens, pointing Finn's wand..
"Expelliarmus!"
"Avada Kedavra!"
The bang was like a cannon blast, and the golden flames that erupted between them, at the dead center of the circle they had been treading, marked the point where the spells collided.
Caleb saw Voldemort's green jet meet his own spell and saw the Elder Wand fly high, dark against the sunrise, spinning across the courtyard's air toward the master it would not kill, who had come to take full possession of it at last.
He caught the Elder Wand with his free hand and instantly threw a green jet of light towards Voldemort.
Voldemort crumbled up, his entire body shriveling and turning into ashes, fading away with the current of the wind, leaving every one of his mistakes behind.
He was dead.
And Caleb stood with two wands in his hand, staring down at where his enemy last stood. A victorious look on his face as the crowd around him cheered loudly.
Millie smiled at Finn and he nodded, letting go of her hand and watched her run over to Noah, who stood with the rest of his family off to the side.
Noah caught up to her and the two dashed towards Caleb, Sadie running along behind them. Caleb opened his arms up to them and allowed them to crush him in a hug. "I'm proud of you Caleb." Millie whispered to him.
Noah nodded, "I think the whole bloody school is proud of you!" He chuckled before pulling Millie back with him and giving his own sister a chance to reunite with him once again.
Sadie grabbed Caleb's arm and placed her lips over his, a smile never leaving her face, "I love you." She mumbled to him, as they separated.
Caleb grinned, his cheeks turning bright red. This girl really never fails to make him smile. "I love you too, Sadie." He leans forward again, kissing her more passionately this time, but it comes to a stop once they hear someone clear their throat.
The two turn towards the other two observers, "That's my sister you're snogging there, mate! I'd appreciate it if you kept the public affection to a minimum." Noah stated, his arms crossed.
"Oh shut it, Noah." Millie rolled her eyes and nudged him, "Give them a break, the boy just defeated Voldemort."
After the war, the remaining survivors were huddled inside the Great Hall, their injuries were being tended to and pleasurable small talk was being made. Finn was leaning up against a wall, sitting down on the ground, his parents were both next to him, holding onto each other.
He felt proud, because even if he did walk over to the dark side for a few minutes, he had made his way back to the right side, the side he always wanted to be a part of.
As he thanks Cho Chang for handing him a cup of hot chocolate, she sent him a small smile, and he returned it. At least people had noticed that he helped them in the end. And perhaps they also noticed how he hesitated to switch sides when it really came down to it.
He hears his mother giggle on his side and turns to see Caleb grinning at her, he'd have to ask her about it later.
Finn follows Mclaughlin's steps with his eyes until they halt, he looks over to see what he was staring at and surely, there stood Millie and Noah holding hands with red cheeks. He notices how Caleb was looking down at their joint hands with a goofy smirk.
He watches as Caleb takes off his jacket and motions his head to the doors, seeing the three friends walk out. "Your mum killed Bellatrix, did I tell you?" Millie tells Noah.
Caleb chuckles, "Thats surprising."
Noah cringes and rubs the back of his neck, "You did tell me. She was protecting Sadie and even had the fantastic opportunity to call her a 'bitch' and thats not a very Molly Schnapp thing to do."
The trio walk together, then stop, look back at the battered castle in the distance. Noah puts his hands in his pockets, "Not exactly leaving the place better than we found it, are we?"
Millie crosses her arms with a smile, "Can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs." Noah gives her a screwy look. She shakes her head wearily, frowns. "Something my mum used to say."
Caleb studies her, absently playing his fingers over the Elder Wand. She looks over, nods to it just as Noah stares at the wand. "What do you reckon we should do with it?"
Millie turns to face him with big eyes, "We?" She scoffs.
Noah lifts his hands up in surrender, "I'm just saying. That's the Elder Wand! It's the most powerful bloody wand in the world! With that, we could, we could..."
Millie raises her hand and Noah stops, sees that her eyes are fixed on Caleb, who is staring at the wand, his concentration total. She studies his face for a long moment, and then, as if coming to understand something, begins to nod.
As Caleb peers down at his hands, Noah and Millie do as well, watching as he takes the ends of the wand and, snap, breaks it in two.
Noah stares, stunned, but Millie simply smiles. Caleb, his face a mask, turns and pitches the pieces over the edge of the viaduct. For a moment, the trio stand in silence, as if words would bring the bridge crashing down. Finally, Caleb glances off at the ruins of the castle, smoldering in the distance. "Well, it wasn't boring, was it?"
Noah turns, ready with a reply, but whatever words were there, briefly, are gone before he can utter them. They all stare into the distance, giving themselves over to the silence. Then, tentatively, tenderly, fingers reach out, Millie's, and brush Noah and Caleb's.
They look over. See that her eyes are closed, as if she were committing the moment to memory. They glance briefly at one another and then tentatively, tenderly, interlace their own fingers with Millie's, looking off and like her, closing their eyes.
—
Confrontation part was taken from the books so credits go to J.K. Rowling.
There we have it ladies and gents! Now we can start on our own story! Next chapter will be coming out in a few days!
feedback please!
LMK what your favorite part was of the chapter and if you're ready for whats to come. AKA romance and even more shitstorms! The kids are back for their seventh year at Hogwarts, but not all is well.. yet.