"Grief"

intense sorrow, especially caused by someone's death

25 December 1997 [part i]

You really thought she could win?

In her final moments, she had left her necklace and rings with Fleur. The moment the Killing Curse struck her, they appeared in the blonde's hand. Her family ring found its way into her twin's hand in the same instant.

Atlas couldn't grasp that his other half was gone. Murdered right in front of his eyes.

Oh, Atlas.

He wasn't the only one struggling to accept this reality. The entire Wizarding World had witnessed her death. 

The most powerful witch in centuries had been killed by the Dark Lord.

Atlas fell to his knees, the weight of his grief too much to bear. Tears streamed down his face, silent and unending. Olivier rushed to his side, barely managing to hold himself together as he knelt beside his friend. Atlas stared blankly at the ground, unable to comprehend the loss. His mind refused to accept it. This couldn't be real. Athena couldn't be gone.

Then, as if mocking their grief, a letter appeared in their hands. It was from Athena, written in her familiar, elegant handwriting. Atlas's hands trembled as he opened it, the denial still clouding his mind.

She had been supposed to spend their entire lives together—they were twins.

She promised.

But promises meant nothing in the face of such darkness. And as much as Atlas wanted to deny it, the cold reality was that Athena was gone, and the world felt emptier without her.

Damon choked out an exhale, unable to accept that his younger sister had died before him. For years, he had been her protector; this time, he had failed. He couldn't be there when she needed him the most. His hands gripped the edge of the Receptionist's desk as he struggled to contain the rage and pain of losing his sister. He had only been able to witness her in her full self for a year.

That isn't fair.

The thought ran through his mind like a relentless storm, his anger building with every passing second. He clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white as he fought against the overwhelming sense of injustice. How could the world be so cruel? How could she be taken from him like this?

As his fury peaked, a letter materialized on the desk in front of him, its presence mocking him. He tore it open, his vision blurred with tears of rage.

Athena was supposed to play professional Quidditch with him.

She promised.

The promise echoed in his mind, fueling the fire of his anger. She had been taken too soon, robbed of the future they had planned together. And as much as he wanted to blame someone, anyone, he knew it wouldn't bring her back. The world felt unjust, and the weight of that injustice was almost too much to bear.

And Corvus hasn't heard that his sister has died. He was in the Amazon Forest with Charlie and Christopher—he was called back as they tracked down a creature. The three of them did not know that their favorite woman was murdered by the Dark Lord.

Camille, the very woman who had given Athena life, found herself powerless to protect her daughter. The Minister of Magic tried to maintain her composure in front of the other Ministers and her employees, forcing a stoic expression while her heart shattered.

But she failed the moment a letter in Athena's handwriting and her wand appeared in her hand.

The realization hit her like a tidal wave—Athena had been ready for her execution.

Camille fell to her knees, clutching the letter to her chest, her sobs breaking the silence. "Why? Why did it have to be you? My sweet, sweet daughter."

Chloe rushed to her side, wrapping her arms around Camille in a desperate attempt to offer comfort. The Department Head struggled to remain strong, but the loss of her youngest Captain, the most powerful witch in the world, was too much to bear.

Camille's cries became more frantic, her sobs uncontrollable as she buried her face in Chloe's shoulder. "It should have been me," she whispered through her tears. "Not her. Not my sweet daughter."

Her mind raced, grasping for any possible way to change the past, to bargain with fate. She would have given anything, everything, to trade places with Athena. To see her daughter grow and flourish as she was meant to.

But the reality was unyielding, and Camille's heart ached with the knowledge that no amount of pleading could bring her daughter back. The injustice of it all tore at her soul, leaving her shattered and bereft.

No mother should watch her daughter die.

Juliette looked down at the ground as her tears collided with it. She had done everything she could to protect her niece, going undercover to keep her safe. But despite her efforts, she had lost Athena again. Vanessa pulled her in for a comforting hug as Juliette silently sobbed into her shoulder. She felt numb standing in Vanessa's arms, painfully reminded that Fleur had lost those same comforting arms.

Athena's beloved, Fleur.

Apolline's arms were the only comfort she had, but she had expected them to be Athena's.

For Athena, leaving Fleur behind had been the hardest part. Fleur had been everything to Athena. This was the only she could keep Fleur safe, her death was the only way. Now, Fleur clutched Athena's necklace, with the Auclair family pendant and their engagement and wedding rings.

But the rings didn't feel the same anymore.

Fleur cried out, unable to hold back her pain like her in-laws did. She wasn't ready to lose her wife, especially not now when she was pregnant.

Athena had wanted to stay and let the world burn so that she could have a life with Fleur. But only with her death could Fleur and their unborn child be safe.

Athena hadn't meant to fall in love with the perfect woman that Fleur is.

Was.

Their entire family would never be the same after this.

Athena had broken the one promise she had sworn to keep: to come home to Fleur.

She promised.

And now, in the wake of that broken promise, all that was left was a crushing void, filled with grief and an unbearable sense of loss.

Apolline couldn't do anything but hold her daughter close, unable to imagine the pain her best friend was feeling. She watched Camille completely break down in Chloe's arms, while her sons, Atlas and Damon, were barely holding on. The Veela felt even worse when she thought of the Ashryver and Auclair families, so far from home.

"Charles!" Apolline called out, trying her best not to break down in front of her daughter, for her husband who didn't know how to comfort Damon. "We need to—to inform Christopher and Corvus. I don't think they know."

She managed to get the words out, tears slowly flowing from her eyes. Charles smiled softly and quickly rushed to Apolline's department with David, who needed to be the one to tell Corvus, having taken care of the oldest son since he was young. He barely held it together.

Meanwhile, Johnny, who had a closer relationship with Athena than David, sat outside Athena's office, his head hung low, tears falling to the ground. His sister, Elaine, sat beside him, letting herself cry. They both mourned for their Captain, who had been one of the few joyous things in their lives and somewhat of a little sister to them.

No one knew how to help Athena's people because she had always been the one to comfort them. They were so used to having her around and were not prepared for her to be gone so quickly.

The Ministry of France had expected Athena to take over for Camille when she ran for Supreme Mugwump. That would have happened in a few years, since Dumbledore's death.

Athena would have been the youngest Minister in history.

She would have been the Minister, guaranteed because she was well-loved and respected in the Headquarters. She had taken care of so many people ever since she joined them.

Lucian stood dumbfounded in the center of the British Ministry, his best friends beside him, unable to do anything. No words, no noise, nothing.

He just stood there, as shocked as anyone else, having witnessed his daughter's death.

He had watched through the projection, seeing Voldemort and his followers celebrating her death. The Dark Lord had smiled at the projection, showing his pleasure before the screens went dark.

A father should not bear to lose his little girl.

Tonks, who was beside Lucian, fell to her knees, in denial that her cousin was gone. She cried for her cousin, thinking of ways to bring her back.

But even Death himself couldn't bring her back. No matter how much he favored her.

Mackenzie bawled her eyes out in her father's arms. He knew how much the Ashryver meant to her. She had looked away from the projection when Athena was hit by the Killing Curse and fell off the cliff.

There was no way to bring her body back.

No one knew where she was.

She had been supposed to meet her best friend; they were on their way to the French Ministry.

A silver hawk landed on her shoulder, and Lucian finally broke. That hawk had belonged to his daughter, and it would be the last time they heard Athena's voice.

"Hey, Kenz." The hawk nuzzled into Mackenzie's neck before placing a ring on her finger. "I know, I know, I didn't mean to ditch your wedding. I'm your maid of honor. I didn't expect it to be this early, but I am sorry. I am so sorry that you have to mourn me this early. Take care of my dad, will ya?"

"Of course, I will, you fucking idiot," Mackenzie muttered.

"My sweet daughter."

Mackenzie froze after hearing Lucian. She wanted to comfort him, but she couldn't as Lucian broke down even further when the hawk went to him. He could only let his tears fall as he listened to his dead daughter's voice.

It would be the last time.

Corvus was confused when his sister's owl landed on the table in front of him, despite Athena having said he would receive a letter in a while.

He took the letter from its beak and froze after seeing a different wax seal on the envelope. Athena never strayed from the usual things. He quickly opened it, tears spilling from his eyes.

"Brother."

That was the last thing he ever wanted to see in a letter from his younger sister, as Athena had always joked that if she died on a mission, that would be how she would address him.

"No, no, no—" Corvus muttered repeatedly, reading the letter before he fell to the ground after seeing the phrase, "Live a good life." Angel ran over to find her husband shouting the same word over and over, clutching the letter to his heart. "My sister's dead."

"What?" Angel scoffed. "Nothing can kill our sister."

"But he did."

Christopher flipped a table, screaming after finding and reading Athena's letter that had miraculously appeared on his map. The uncle looked over to his nephew, finding him in a broken state, while his wife was utterly in denial that something or someone could kill her sister-in-law.

How was he supposed to tell Arthur that the woman who gave him a family was dead?

Athena Minerva Auclair had been supposed to bring destruction to the Dark Lord.

Not the other way around.

Christopher was in the worst state of grief he didn't know he could feel. The beautiful soul with the kindest heart had been taken from their lives. He had always thought that Athena was vicious when it came to dueling, and if ever she was faced against him, she would be the one walking away with her life.

How could the Dark Lord twist the prophecy when the Sacred One couldn't?

Voldemort had always wanted Athena since the beginning of his destruction.

Professors at Hogwarts and Beauxbatons alike could not comprehend the death of their former students. She had been one of the best or worst they had ever had, but with her, teaching had been more enjoyable.

Watching her grow with her family and friends had been a privilege.

Watching her execution was a curse.

Professor McGonagall couldn't grasp the idea of losing another student.

There was no way Athena Ashryver could escape her death. She had been promised to him, whether by his side or through her death.

No situation would be good for the Wizarding World.

Not even one where her death could not be foreseen.

There was no acceptance.

Except for Athena—she accepted her own death the day Voldemort murdered her Cedric Diggory.

The prophecy that was set in stone before she was even born is the reason.

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