"Oliver? Oliver, can you hear me?"

The muffled voice was what made Oliver flutter his eyes open, followed by a groan. He was met with Mary looking down at him, her face relieved once she saw he was awake.

"Thank Merlin you're finally awake," she said. "Are you okay?"

"Er...I think so," he replied, sitting up and feeling the pain that came from his head. "What happened?"

"There was an explosion," she answered. "All of us were knocked off our feet, blacked out after that." She paused, rubbing the back of her neck. "We all took a hard fall."

Oliver took a look around at the rubble surrounding them, where the entire courtyard and corridor was filled with nothing but crumbled walls and small fires. "Where's Jake and Liza?"

Mary's face went sad, taking a deep breath. "I don't--"

"Oliver! Mary!" The familiar voice of Hermione called out as she ran towards them. "Are you two alright?"

"Yeah, we're fine," Oliver said as he and Mary stood up.

"Where is everybody?" she asked in confusion.

"We don't know," Mary responded. "We just woke up after getting caught in a blast."

Harry and Ron came towards them, taking in the aftermath of the battle. For a moment, there was silence from the five of them, only the images of what happened replaying in their minds. The last thing Oliver and Mary remembered seeing was Eliza's horrified face before the explosion, then things got foggy after that.

The thought of the rest of the Fire Pack being missing made Oliver finally want to start searching for his friends. Before he could take the first step, Harry led them towards the Great Hall. The sound of talking and shuffling came from the other side of the doors, to which an uneasy feeling loomed over the five of them as Harry opened the doors and was the first to enter inside.

Oliver scanned his eyes from left to right, already getting overwhelmed at the sight of it all. He watched as teachers and students tended to injuries, along with friends and families saying their goodbyes to their loved ones before they were carried off. As he walked down what was the aftermath of the battle, he heard crying from every direction.

"Oliver," Mary said beside him, pointing towards the front of the hall. "There's Jacob."

He turned his head to see Jacob standing with the Hamiltons, where his eyes were red and swollen. It was obvious that something was terribly wrong as Oliver made a dash for his friend, pulling him for a hug. Jacob's cries went muffled once his face was buried inside Oliver's shoulder.

"Mate, it's okay," he assured him.

"No, it's not," his friend responded.

"Jacob, what happened?" Oliver asked him.

The Hufflepuff boy lifted his head and broke the embrace, staring at his friend. "It was after I woke up from the last. I came to look for you guys and I found..." He paused, more tears falling down his face. "Violet's gone. She was attacked by a werewolf."

Oliver's eyes went wide as he looked down at the body behind Jacob. He remembered seeing Violet in this state before the explosion, but it was only for a short moment. Now, as he stood above her for longer than a minute, studying her pale face and her wounds that she succumbed to, he felt his heart aching for her.

"Violet," he whispered, getting on his knees as a lump formed in his throat.

"She must've gotten ambushed while we were running and none of us noticed," Jacob stated, his voice cracking. "Merlin, we weren't there for her. She was all alone with the werewolf that did this to her..."

"It wasn't your fault," Mrs. Hamilton assured him, rubbing his back. "None of you are to be blamed for this."

The boys wanted to believe her, but all that was clouding their minds was regret.

Oliver's mind drifted to Hogwarts, and then thought about just him and Violet in the Ravenclaw Common Room. He remembered the late nights they had, ranging from cramming some last-minute studying to heart-to-heart conversations that never left the couch. The memories were all he had of her now.

Oliver took one last glance at his fellow Ravenclaw friend when he spotted another familiar face out of the corner of his eye. It didn't take long for him to make his way towards the other body on the ground that was his other best friend: Eliza.

"No," he mumbled, feeling his legs collapse from under him. "Not you, Eliza."

Oliver studied her, seeing her body covered in dust and blood, along with some places that were burnt from the explosion and a broken neck. All this from one blast, from one hit in the air and she was gone.

"Liza, too?" Jacob muttered as he squatted down and let his tears fall on Eliza's face. "The universe really hates us, doesn't it?"

Oliver didn't respond, only keeping his eyes on his deceased friend. The memories of them flooded into his head, thinking back to the times at her house, along with Andrew being there. It was those long summers with them that made everything bearable and his world happier, but it was all ripped away from him so quickly.

He hated this. He hated all of it. He hated war.

The touch of a hand fell upon Oliver's shoulder, to which he already knew who it belonged to. He sniffled and lifted his hand to place on hers, not wanting to look away from his friend.

"I'm so sorry," Mary spoke up. "Neither of the girls deserved this."

Oliver shook his head. "No, they didn't." He paused for a moment, taking a deep breath, then standing back up. "I'm sorry about Malfoy."

A few tears fell from her face as his name was mentioned. "Me, too. I can't find his body anywhere here." She held her breath when she realized what came out of her mouth. "I guess he's still where we left him."

Before he could respond, Jacob came over to them, wiping his eyes. "We better help around here, get some of these bodies cleared out." His lip quivered a bit as he shook his head. "This is all a nightmare."

So the three helped with Violet and Eliza's bodies first, with pits falling at the bottom of their stomachs. Their goodbyes were said before they made their way around the Great Hall and helped out in any way they could, no matter how painful it was to see the good side defeated like this.

Once the trio did their rounds, they left the Great Hall. Oliver noticed that Harry, Ron, and Hermione were no longer there, and he wondered where they headed off to next. Then, his mind went to thinking about Malfoy as he glanced at Mary beside him, and all he could see on her face was hurt. He hated seeing her this way, he really did, and although he couldn't take away her pain, he wanted to ease it somehow.

"Come on," Oliver spoke up, taking Mary's hand, then motioning Jacob to follow.

"Where are we going?" Mary asked.

"We're going to get Malfoy," he replied. "He may have been a prick to us, but I know he meant a lot to you, so the least we can do is let him rest peacefully."

Mary gave him a sad smile and a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you."

Jacob was the one who ended up leading the way back to the seventh floor where his body was seen last. The climb up the stairs made their legs ache, even as the trio went at their own pace without having to worry about Death Eaters chasing after them this time. They looked at the crumbled castle, finding it hard to believe one of the safest places in the Wizarding world was in shambles. The school took a hard hit, there was no denying that.

When the three reached the seventh floor, everything was just about the same when they were running down the corridors as the battle began. Finally, Malfoy was ahead of them, motionless.

Mary was the first to stop as the boys started to slow down. Oliver could feel the sweat coming from her hand, which only made him want to grip it tighter. But she let go of his hand as she took a deep breath.

"Are you ready to do this?" he asked.

She nodded her head. "I think so." There was a short pause, then she continued. "Is it okay if I can have some time with him alone? I know that sounds weird, but he was my friend and I just..." She let her sentence linger as her lip trembled.

Oliver positioned both hands on each side of her face and gave her a reassuring look. "Take as much time as you need." He leaned in and placed a kiss on her forehead, hoping that it would bring some comfort to her. "Jake and I will wait here."

A weak smile formed on Mary's face as she sniffled and headed for Malfoy's body. The boys turned away and stood by the wall, their feet scraping along the dusty floor.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this," Jacob said. "You know, our friends should all be standing here with us." He stopped talking for a moment, then continued on with his rant. "Vi and I talked about moving in together once this war was over and we came back to Hogwarts for our final year. We had all these plans together, and our parents were so excited when we told them about it."

Parents. Eliza's parents.

Oliver completely forgot about her parents. The thought of their only child being dead hurt Oliver even more. Then, he realized that as far as they knew, Mr. and Mrs. Pearce didn't have a daughter. It became unbearable as he kept thinking about it.

"We have to tell Liza's parents," he stated.

The realization came over Jacob as his face fell. "Bloody hell, we do. Do you know where she sent her parents?"

He shook his head. "I don't remember." The two discussed their destinations, but after almost a year of sending their parents away without memories of their own children, it slipped his mind, knowing that they were safe, while there were other things about this war he had to worry about.

"You think the Order would know?" Jacob asked.

Oliver shrugged. "Maybe. I'm sure we can get the Hamiltons to track them down once this is all over."

Jacob nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah, we'll figure something out. They need to know."

They looked over at Mary, who was still next to Malfoy. After another moment, she looked up at the boys, signaling that she was ready to take his body away. The boys headed her way and with their wands all three of them levitated Malfoy in the air and took him back down seven flights of stairs and into the Great Hall with the others. Professor McGonagall was the one to take his body from them, to which she held a shocked and sad expression on her face.

The hours dragged on for the rest of the night as everyone cleaned up what was left in the Great Hall. There were talks among the students as to what Harry was going to do next, and it was then Oliver and Mary found out through Jacob that You-Know-Who offered him the proposition of turning himself in at the Forbidden Forest.

"You two were unconscious from the explosion when it happened," Jacob said.

"Do you think he's actually going to do it?" Mary questioned. "It's basically suicide."

"Knowing that it's Harry Potter, he'll go," Jacob stated. "For all we know, he has a reason behind it, and it might be one that will save the Wizarding world."

Oliver was really hoping that was the case. Otherwise, Harry's sacrifice would have been for nothing. All of the blood that was shed would have been for nothing.

It was when the sun was rising and an army of Death Eaters were coming their way that everyone made their way out to the front entrance. The feeling of defeat loomed over the castle when they spotted a lifeless Harry Potter in the arms of Hagrid.

"Neville, is that...?" Ginny Weasley began to say, but she let her question trail off.

"HARRY POTTER IS DEAD!" You-Know-Who shouted, his voice echoing all around.

"NO! NO!" Ginny cried out, running to go after him, only having her father grab her before she could go any farther.

"SILENCE!" he yelled. "Stupid girl. Harry Potter is dead, and from this day forth, you put your faith in me." There was a pause as he let the stillness linger in the air for a moment. "Harry Potter is dead!" The Death Eaters howled with laughter, followed by You-Know-Who's own chuckle. "Now is the time to declare yourself. Come forward and join us, or die."

Oliver let his fingers intertwine with Mary's as no one spoke up for stepped forward. He scanned the crowd of Death Eaters and spotted her parents, along with Malfoy's mother standing next to them. He couldn't help but let his heart ache for the Malfoy family.

But he felt his heart sink to his stomach when Narcissa Malfoy raised her voice. "Draco!" A moment passed, and when no one responded, she spoke up again in a softer tone this time. "Draco, come."

Still nothing. With each second going by, the Malfoy woman waited for Draco to show up, her hope was fading away as her face fell.

All of a sudden, another voice chimed in. "Mary?" Mrs. Fowler called out.

Mary's head lifted up in surprise, and she kept a firm grip on Oliver's hand.

"Mary, come join us," her father added. "You belong with us. Come on now."

She didn't move. It seemed as if her whole body was frozen, shocked that after all this time they still wanted her back. But Mary was done with them, and she was ready to stand her ground.

When it seemed like the tension was only rising, a boy unrecognizable to Oliver from where he was standing limped his way to the front so that he was seen by You-Know-Who and his followers.

"Well, I must say that I had hoped for better," he stated, making his Death Eaters laugh again. "And who might you be, young man?"

The boy raised his head up and said, "Neville Longbottom."

The Death Eaters cackled.

"Well, Neville, I'm sure we can find a place for you in our ranks," You-Know-Who responded.

"I'd like to say something," Neville quickly added.

You-Know-Who was reluctant, but he motioned him to speak. "I'm sure we'd all be fascinated to hear what you have to say."

Neville was quiet for a moment, looking as if he was trying to get his thoughts together. Then, he opened his mouth once again. "It doesn't matter that Harry is gone."

"Stand down, Neville!" Seamus Finnigan shouted.

"People die every day!" he shouted back. "Friends, family...yeah, we lost Harry last night, but he's still with us, in our hearts. So are Fred, Remus, Tonks, all of them. They didn't die in vain."

Oliver thought of Andrew, Eliza, and Violet, knowing that they didn't die in vain, either. He didn't want that for them, not after the sacrifices they made.

Neville then faced You-Know-Who, his expression turning angry. "But you will, because you're wrong! Harry's heart did beat for us, for all of us! This isn't over!" Just then, a sword appeared in his hands, to which everyone around him was surprised.

But when Harry Potter miraculously rose from the dead as he fell out of Hagrid's arms, it became even more of a shock from both sides. Neville was right, this fight wasn't over.

As the battle kicked off once again, everyone scattered in different directions, along with spells flying in the air. Oliver still had Mary's hand as they headed back inside the castle, with Jacob running beside them. Adrenaline began to pump through his body like before, and he was certain everyone else was feeling the same way. With his wand out, all he did was throw spells left and right at any Death Eater within his sight.

Suddenly, the familiar face of Mary's father came into view, making the three halt along the scurrying people around them.

"Oh, no," Mary mumbled.

"You can't hide from me forever, Mary!" Mr. Fowler yelled, inching his way towards them. "And your Mudlbood boyfriend can only protect you from so much!"

"Stop calling him that!" Mary snapped, shooting him a glare. "You don't know him, and you sure as hell don't know me!"

"You're making a huge mistake!" he shouted, pointing his wand towards Oliver. "You'll regret choosing him over your family."

"She has a new family!" Jacob spoke up. "One that cares about her!"

Mr. Fowler's face turned red and let a spell fly out at the end of his wand right at Jacob, to which the dirty blond boy flew backwards before he could dodge the spell.

Without another thought, Oliver let go of Mary's hand and positioned himself to fire a spell. He could feel the rage boil in his blood and flow through his body until it reached his fingertips. But before he could cast a spell with his wand, Mary beat him to it, which caught her father off guard.

That was when flashes of red and blue were all that was seen next from the three. From blocking to stunning, Oliver and Mary did all they could to prevent Mr. Fowler from winning this duel. Every last of Oliver's energy went into each wave of his wand, getting to the point where his arm was sore and his body was almost ready to admit defeat. However, Oliver wasn't going to admit defeat and to let Mr. Fowler win this fight.

So, with one more spell up his sleeve, he lifted his arm for one last spell, pointing it up at the ceiling above them. "Confringo!" A loud blast came from high up as the ceiling crumbled down between the couple and Mr. Fowler. "Run!"

Mary obliged as the two spun around and made a run for it down the corridor through the fighting between good and evil. As they turned the corner, it was nothing but more struggles for everyone. Nevertheless, Oliver and Mary continued to tread on, despite the exhaustion from this battle making its way to them.

Then, out of nowhere, there was a loud scream that rebounded all over the corridor, and it was as if everyone slowed down all at once. But the next words that were shouted came to a shock that left everyone quiet:

"Your precious Chosen One has perished! Harry Potter has been defeated once and for all!"

Judging by the stillness of the castle and the glimpse of the motionless body that remained on the ground in the middle of the corridor, it was certain that Harry Potter was not going to wake up from this like before, and he was, indeed, gone from this world for good.

~~~~~~~

A/N: I'm sorry. Don't hate me, please.

Song above is Ashes by Céline Dion.

Comment, vote, one more chapter and the epilogue left!

-A