Shortly after Snape's passing, Voldemort's amplified voice projected itself upon the students at Hogwarts. It was louder and piercing this time, and Hermione immediately dropped to her knees, covering her ears with the palms of her hands. Though Ellie wanted to do the same, she crouched beside Hermione and clutched the sides of her girlfriend's head, bringing it to her chest in a protective embrace.

"You have fought valiantly... but in vain. I do not wish this. Every drop of magical blood spilled is a terrible waste," Voldemort echoed. "I therefore command my forces to retreat. In their absence, dispose of your dead with dignity."

Hermione whimpered as she tried to block out the voice, her eyebrows upturned in fear. Ellie continued to embrace her, whispering words of reassurance so that Hermione didn't hear him.

"Harry Potter, I now speak directly to you. On this night, you have allowed your friends to die for you rather than face me yourself. There is no greater dishonor," the voice continued as Harry looked to the sky. "Join me in the Forbidden Forest and confront your fate. If you do not do this... I shall kill every last man, woman, and child who tries to conceal you from me."

The voice stopped, and Ellie reassured her girlfriend it was safe to uncover her ears. The Hufflepuff helped Hermione up slowly, immediately embracing her, her arms flung over the Gryffindor's shoulders.

It was quiet, and not one of the friends dared to speak. After the lovers finished their embrace, the quartet began making their way back onto the grounds. Hermione and Ellie walked hand in hand, their expressions full of worry as they noticed the weight Harry carried.

They entered the deserted courtyard, walking down the long aisle to the Great Hall. The castle was in ruins, and the rubble was strewn across the ground. Small fires were the only source of light in the dark setting, its raging blazes illuminating the blood splattered on the rocks.

"Where is everybody?" Hermione questioned as they neared the massive doors.

Ron pushed the doors open, revealing the misery inside. A small number of survivors sat in various places, awaiting for treatment to their wounds from a frantic Madam Pomfrey. Professors sat on the sidelines, comforting distraught students despite their injuries. The worst part of the room were the bodies. Dozens of fallen defenders laid upon the floor as their loved ones crouched over them, grieving their losses. The remainder of the able students aided in transporting the bodies, their emotions seeming to be drained from their faces. It was horrifying, yet the quartet advanced slowly.

Ron strode in front of them, halting immediately as he saw his family hovering over a fallen red-head. Ron was immediately embraced by one of the twins, his tears drenching his shoulder.

Ellie moved aside to get a better view of who laid there, Molly clutching onto the corpse with shaking sobs. She recognized the body, causing Ellie to let go of Hermione's hand as the Hufflepuff stared at Fred in shock. Ellie started to feel her throat tighten, and her heart shattered at the sight of the lifeless Weasley.

Ellie turned on her heel and ran out of the Great Hall with stumbling steps, leaving everyone behind. The rest of the group stood there, Hermione distraught over which party to comfort first. Hot tears ran down Ellie's cheeks, blurring her vision. She wanted to get away from the wretched room as far as she could. Yet, her feet stopped her just outside the Great Hall, the open doors behind her. Ellie's knees gave out underneath her, causing her to fall to to the rubble, her knees slashed open from the shards of broken windows. Ellie sank down, bringing her head in despair as her body shook, violent sobs overtaking her.

"P-Please... Fred..." Ellie croaked, her chest tightening as the image of his corpse re-entered her mind. "Freddie... Tell me this is a prank... Please..."

Another wave of tears filled Ellie's eyes, and she didn't bother to wipe them as they splattered to the ground, darkening the stone before her. The tears were an unbroken stream, and Ellie shakily pressed her hands to the ground in front of her, the sharp glass bits piercing her palms. Her ash-dusted cheeks were wiped clean by the continuous rivers emerging from her eyes.

Ellie's wails were disturbed by the sound of gravel crunching underneath one's boots. She didn't bother looking up to see who it was as the footsteps drew closer, stopping in front of her. The boots were splattered with blood and covered with soot.

"Ellie," the voice spoke hoarsely.

"Father," Ellie spat, her head still pointed downwards as she recognized the voice. "If you've come to mock me-"

"I'm not here to mock you," Steven interrupted coldly. "I owe you a proper explanation. To everything."

"I-I don't care about your apology nor do I need your pity," Ellie muttered through her gritted teeth, her voice shaky from her cries.

"I don't have much time, Ellie," Steven urged. "So you're going to listen to me, whether you like it or not."

Ellie didn't say anything as she buried her hands into the smaller pieces of rubble, grinding them to a fine dust.

"The ring. It's a family heirloom. Been passed down for generations through the men of the family. We were expecting a son for me to pass this onto, but you came along. It's not that I don't love you any less, but I wasn't planning for your mother to give it to you," Steven started. "You see, it can be traced. Infused with the Evans bloodline, it makes it easier for the oldest living owner to track it. That's why when you wore it, I felt something."

"That's an invasion of my privacy," Ellie hissed, her eyes flickering to the ring that sat on her finger.

"But it helped you, hasn't it? How do you think that owl knew where to send that invitation to visit the manor? Hm? Do you think it magically broke through your pathetic enchantments? I've only been trying to protect you, Ellie," her father reasoned.

"Then why invite me to the manor? Why have have me tortured for weeks? Are you ashamed of me?"

"I had to do what was needed. I told Bellatrix not to hurt you, but she did anyways. I couldn't stop her. They would've killed me if they knew I wanted to help you. But I did help you escape. I sent a letter to Draco's window, telling of the ring's whereabouts, completely anonymous. I didn't expect Narcissa to intercept it, but I'm glad it was her than anyone else."

"You're a liar," Ellie spoke in a seemingly disgusted tone, though the evidence lined up perfectly.

"Nobody else would have known this information," Steven answered calmly. "Besides, the Dark Lord awaits my presence, and I'm already late. Just trust me, that's all I ask."

Ellie heard the sound of his robes flapping, and the black smoke hindered her vision temporarily. The sickening image of Fred's body flooded Ellie's memory once more, causing the Hufflepuff to stifle her cry. Her heart broke ten thousands more, the remains of it shattering into millions of pieces. She shut her eyes tightly, hoping that it was all just an illusion her mind had created. Her throat was burning with the urge to cry once more, and Ellie finally gave in as she sank to the floor.

Another pair of footsteps approached Ellie, though this time, it was much softer. Through her peripheral vision, she noticed the crease of their shoes, indicating that they had crouched at her level. Ellie finally looked up, expecting that her father had returned to give more excuses.

Kneeled in front of her was a familiar face, his usual snarl much softer and holding a kind expression. His black suit was dusted with evidence of fighting, or perhaps, fleeing.

He didn't speak, but instead took a deep breath, his eyes flickering to the grieving family of red-heads just inside the Great Hall. For the first time, he willingly wrapped his arms around the Hufflepuff, pulling her to his chest. It was unfamiliar feeling, though Ellie didn't mind as she leaned into him, resting her weight on the boy.

"D-Draco," Ellie greeted weakly, her voice cracking.

Draco pulled his friend closer, not caring if the entire school saw him in that position. He didn't care if his tough facade had finally broke, that people would consider him as weak. He didn't care about the crowd of Ellie's friends that had rested their eyes on the tender moment, their expressions shocked. Though it was an attempt to reassure the grieving girl, it seemed that Draco needed a hug just as much as she did. Ellie sank into his chest, releasing a wavering wail as her body shook with pain.

"Draco..." Ellie cried out as the boy's stony features brought a sense of comfort.

"I'm sorry, Evans," Draco mumbled, closing his eyes as he took in the moment.

"I c-can't take this a-anymore," Ellie hiccuped as she clutched the black blazer with her fingers. "Please... t-take the pain away..."

"I can't do what you ask," Draco spoke quietly.

"P-please..." Ellie pleaded before dropping her voice to a whisper. "Take it away. I-It hurts... so bad."

"I won't do it," Draco replied simply. "I'm sorry, but no one will do it for you. Forgetting won't bring him back."

Ellie stayed quiet as she pondered her wishes, realizing that she had been too blinded by Fred's death. After careful reconsideration, she realized that if Draco had done it, she would've left her girlfriend in despair. It was selfish, yet Ellie wanted nothing more in that moment. The continuous stream from her eyes had slowly reduced to broken tears, eventually turning into occasional sniffles.

Draco took notice and slowly rose to his feet, bringing Ellie up with him. He made eye contact with Hermione, and she gave him an appreciative smile. Draco broke their gaze as he refocused his attention to the Hufflepuff, brushing off the idea that he no longer hated Ellie's friends.

"Thank you," Ellie smiled weakly as she watched Draco plaster his usual snarl back onto his face.

"I have to get going. Your girlfriend's waiting for you," Draco replied as he adjusted his suit, brushing dust off of his black blazer.

Draco disappeared as quickly as he came, taking long strides into another part of the school as he sent menacing looks to the nearby witnesses.

Hermione took a few steps forward, closing the distance between her girlfriend as she engulfed her, placing a loving kiss on the Hufflepuff's forehead. Ellie held on tightly, resting her arms at Hermione's waist as she buried her face in the crook of her girlfriend's neck. They embraced in silence as Hermione comforted the losses they had all experienced that night.