Mary and Violet had only been at the new safe house with the rest of the Hamilton family when they received a message from Jacob through his Patronus. He explained what happened at Malfoy Manor, along with where he and everyone else escaped to safety. Mrs. Hamilton did not hesitate to gather her family and head over to Shell Cottage, and Mary was quick to follow suit.

When they arrived, figures were scattered on the beach, as well as a few on the front porch of the cottage. Mary instantly recognized one of them as Jacob, to which he came running down the beach towards Violet.

"Oh, Merlin, you're okay!" he exclaimed in relief, wrapping his arms around her. "How did you two escape from the Snatchers?"

"Some members of the Order set up a trap," Violet explained. "My mum found us and we left with her."

Jacob pulled away, sighing. "Well, I'm glad you two are safe. The others just got here."

"Come on. Let's go see them," Mary said, dashing towards Oliver and Eliza. When she approached them, she noticed the wet and swollen eyes, along with the smell of smoke coming from their clothes. "Are you guys okay?"

"We're fine," Oliver coughed out.

Jacob and Violet frantically looked around, then back down at their friends.

"Where's Andy?" Violet questioned.

That was when Oliver and Eliza exchanged looks of sorrow, as if there was something only they both were aware of. They looked up at their friends and stood up, already having more tears fall down.

"Guys, where is he?" Jacob questioned this time, growing more worried.

Eliza's breath hitched. "He didn't make it."

Mary felt her heart drop as she shifted her eyes back to Jacob and Violet. "What?" she spoke up.

"I cast a Fiendfyre and then Lucius Malfoy interfered with us leaving, so Andrew fought him off so we could go."

"We were determined to not leave him behind, but he insisted," Oliver added. "Then, he threw himself and Malfoy's dad into the fire."

"No," Jacob replied, shaking his head in disbelief. "No, he can't be dead. He just can't be dead!" His face became red, followed by sobbing.

"Jacob..." Violet said calmly, fighting back tears and wrapping her arms around his waist.

"This wasn't supposed to happen!" he shouted, giving into his weeping.

Oliver and Eliza were next to join the embrace, letting out small whimpers. Mary took a step back and let her own emotions take over. She could feel her eyes water up and a small lump form in her throat at the thought of Andrew being gone for good. It made her heart ache knowing that the two left things on a bad note, and the regret came to her like a punch to the gut.

Wanting to give the group of friends some space, she turned around and watched a burial by Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger. She wasn't sure who they were burying, but Mary mourned for them as well. She hated the fact that two lives were taken too soon, and she wished that she was there to prevent their deaths.

Mary strolled towards the cottage with the rest of the Hamilton family. She was welcomed by a ginger-haired man, to which she assumed he was another Weasley, and a slender woman with silvery-blonde hair, who held out a mug of tea for Mary to take.

"Thank you," she said, sipping from the mug and plopping down on the couch in the living room. She tried her best to get comfortable, shifting in her spot until it felt right.

"How are you feeling?" the woman inquired with a subtle French accent, sitting down next to Mary.

"I'm okay," Mary replied. "It's been a long few months, and with hearing about what happened at Malfoy Manor..." She took a deep breath. "It's a lot to process."

The woman nodded. "Yes, I understand. We all 'ave been through many struggles just to survive."

But even all of those struggles can lead you to death, Mary thought.

"Fleur!" the ginger man called from the kitchen. "Are the other rooms ready?"

"Not yet, William!" she called back, standing up from her seat on the couch. "I must go and get ze rooms set up. Please let me know if you need anything...?"

"Mary."

"Mary. Do not hesitate to ask for whatever you need."

Mary gave her a small smile. "Thank you."

Once Fleur left the living room, Mary looked down and swirled the tea around in her mug, trying to occupy herself from anything else. When she heard more footsteps enter the house, she slowly looked up to see Jacob, Violet, and Eliza walking inside, where they sat around the kitchen table. Then, Oliver was the next one to stroll in, and Mary felt her heart skip a beat. His face remained blank as he merely stood by the door.

Mary, although apprehensive, stood up from the couch and finished the rest of her tea, placing it in the sink. She remained still for a moment before turning around to face him. He locked eyes with hers, and it seemed as if no one else was in the kitchen. She remembered the times they passed each other at Malfoy Manor, where the feeling of guilt was becoming familiar once more.

When Mary opened her mouth to speak, no words escaped her lips. But even if she managed to say anything, Oliver didn't give her the chance as he hurriedly left the kitchen and headed for the stairs leading to the bedrooms.

"Just give him some time," Eliza spoke up. "Honestly, I think we all just need some time to ourselves, given the last few months we've had to endure."

"Yeah, and we might as well take advantage of this place before we overstay our welcome," Jacob added.

William let out a chuckle as he walked through the front door. "You all stay as long as you'd like. My wife and I would be happy to enjoy some company for a while, even if the circumstances aren't ideal."

It grew silent once more when the realization of why they were here hit them again. It was almost as if for a brief moment that one other person was missing from their table, and that was enough for emotions to rise even higher.

"I should go find my family and tell them that we're staying here for now," Violet said, slowly getting up from the table and heading outside.

"I think I'm going to go get some rest," Eliza stated, getting up from her chair as well.

"Sounds like a good idea to me," Jacob added, following Eliza out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

Mary huffed a sigh as she was left alone with William. She turned her head towards the window and spotted Harry, Ron, and Hermione still at the grave on the hill.

"They buried Dobby the house elf," William explained. "Knife wound from Bellatrix Lestrange."

Mary felt her hands clutch the counter behind her. That evil woman. "We can't let them get away with any of this."

"We won't," he responded. "But for now, just rest. You need it."

With that, Mary relaxed her hands and decided to rest, despite knowing that pain and grief would linger for quite some time and do nothing but haunt her dreams for the days to come.

*******

Mary kept a close eye on her friends for the next week.

The first night, as all the girls were piled in one room, Mary found herself unable to fall asleep. For a while, she sat by the window and watched the waves form and crash once they reached the shore. Then, she noticed a figure walking back towards the cottage, realizing that it was Oliver. She watched him closely as he kept his head down for a moment, then looked up right at her window, to which she held her eyes on him, and he did the same for her. It was obvious that grief was plastered all over his face. All at once, it took over him and the rest of his friends, and it hurt Mary to see the pain so visible for all to see.

On the second night, it happened again, except Oliver had someone else with him. Seeing that Eliza was missing from the bedroom when Mary woke up again, she was able to spot her on the beach that night. Eliza was having a harder time with holding herself together during the long days, keeping a blank face whenever she was anywhere outside of the bedroom, always remaining quiet around everyone. Mary could tell that she was feeling mostly guilty about what happened, seeing as she was the one who started the Fiendfyre. Mary understood the feeling too well, and while it took some time for her to deal with what she had done herself, she just hoped that Eliza was strong enough to do the same.

Jacob joined them next on the third night, strolling between Oliver and Eliza. He would kick up the sand in front of him, while his hands remained inside his robe. The three looked more lively as they were around each other, though it still didn't outshine the mourning they continued to do.

By the fourth night, Violet was the last to join the nightly walks. The more Mary watched them, the more sadness she felt with the thought that their group would never be complete again. She sometimes wondered if Andrew was still with them in spirit, laughing alongside his best friends, despite no one else being able to see him. It was a nice thought, one that should always be held close in order to help with the grief.

During the fifth day, while Oliver and his friends were up on the hill by Dobby's grave, Mary spent some time with Luna Lovegood and Violet's sisters, Ruth and Annabel. The blonde-haired girl was telling them all about Nargles, which Mary had no clue what they were, but she was too scared to ask Luna about them.

On the sixth day, Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton decided to leave Shell Cottage, planning to find more members of the Order as well as get the youngest daughter to safety for the time being. Violet was determined to stay with her friends, to which her parents agreed as long as she was careful with whatever she and the rest of her friends were going to do next.

Finally, by the evening of the seventh day, just when the sun was about to set, Mary made the choice to talk to Oliver. After dinner, once everything in the kitchen was cleaned up and everyone scattered around the cottage to do their own thing, Mary mentally prepared herself to confront him. But when she tried to catch him after dinner, he already hurried out of the house and down the beach. Huffing a sigh, she plopped down on the front porch swing, letting each minute go by as she waited for Oliver to return.

"Has he been gone long?" the voice of Hermione Granger rang on Mary's right.

Mary turned her head to face Hermione and nodded. "Yeah, he's been gone for a while. It's been that way for the past week."

Hermione took the empty spot next to Mary. "Well, we can't blame him for needing some time alone, especially after losing his best friend."

"Right," Mary replied, looking at the waves in the distance. "I know Andrew and I were hardly ever on great terms, but he didn't deserve to die. He should still be here."

"Well, that's war for you," Hermione said. "There's a lot of things that happen during a war that we can't control, and it's totally unfair. You understand that, don't you, Mary?"

She exhaled loudly, leaning back in the chair. "Yes, I do. Although, I'll admit, I'd rather not understand any of it. Because if you understand it, then that means you have to accept things the way they are, accept the way they become your new normal, and then move on from it."

"You mean, like grief," Hermione added.

"Yes, exactly like grief." Mary paused for a moment, then went on to speak once more. "War causes pain and grief. That's all it's good for."

Hermione let out a small chuckle. "I think some good things come out of a war."

Mary scoffed in response. "Like what?"

A grin came across her face. "I think you know exactly what I'm talking about."

Then, as if the timing was set up perfectly, Oliver was walking back towards the cottage. Before Mary could respond to Hermione's comment, the bushy-haired girl was already out of her seat and back inside. She turned her head and looked at Oliver once more, who slowed down his pace once he reached the steps and stared at Mary.

"Hey," Mary spoke up.

"Hi," he replied, standing in place. "Do you mind if I join you?"

Mary shook her head, motioning him to sit down next to her.

He slowly made his way in the spot next to hers, getting himself adjusted before sighing. "The sunset is beautiful."

"Yeah, it is." She watched as the colors of orange and yellow mixed together, along with a hint of purple beginning to blend in. For a while, all she could do was gaze at the scenery. Then, she spoke up once more. "I'm sorry about Andrew."

Oliver let out a shaky breath. "Me, too. We made a grave for him. It's next to Dobby's. It's the least we could do for him."

Mary didn't respond right away, but took a moment to glance at Oliver. "Did my parents--"

"Yes. Malfoy and his mother and aunt got out as well. His father and Andrew were the only ones who didn't make it."

Relief came over her, even though the thought of her parents being on the run and could potentially find the cottage and invade it caused worry.

Just when Mary was beginning to think the tension was slowly coming down, it spiked up again, becoming apparent that it was there between them. Something else was off with Oliver, but she couldn't put her finger on what it was.

"I really am sorry, Oliver," she repeated.

"It's not your fault," he assured her. "We're getting through it. The walks on the beach help a lot."

Mary eyed him, swinging the bench back and forth with her feet. "I can't imagine what you all went through at Malfoy Manor, especially my parents."

"I hardly saw them, actually. But your dad did want to talk to me once."

Oh, no. "What happened?"

Oliver shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "He mentioned you a lot, along with us being together and how you're too blind to see that I'm just Mudblood scum."

Mary shook her head. "You know that your blood status doesn't change the way I feel about you, Oliver."

"You're right, but your parents don't see it that way," he retorted, rolling up one of his sleeves and revealing a scar with the word Mudblood etched across his skin. "Eliza, Hermione, and I were branded, pretty much."

"Oliver, don't say that."

"Well, what else would you call this?"

"Torture, that's what," she retorted. "None of you deserved what you all had to endure at the manor, and whatever else my dad said to you doesn't matter, and it never will."

Oliver sighed, keeping his head slightly down. "He's a real prick."

Mary chuckled. "Yeah, he is."

He looked over at her. "I'm glad you're not like him."

She nodded her head. "Me, too."

He let his fingers intertwine as he placed his hands on his lap. "Still, I know it's hard to not have family that'll be there for you no matter what."

"My family has beliefs that I will never agree with. Cutting all ties with them is what I need to do." Pausing, she leaned back on the bench. "Besides, just being around all of you for almost a year now, I feel like I've found my new family. That's if you guys will still keep me around."

Oliver perked up a bit. "Of course we will." He took her hand. "You've done so much for us, even when some things didn't go the way we wanted it to." He squeezed her hand, being careful not to hurt her. "You mean a lot to us. You mean a lot to me, Mary."

Her heart skipped a beat. "You mean a lot to me, too, Oliver."

The two exchanged gazes at each other, feeling the intensity slowly decrease around them. Mary found it calm, just sitting here with Oliver, after being separated for three months, despite both of them being at Malfoy Manor. He was back being close to her, so close that she could fall into his embrace like she did when they were in the woods. She missed how blissful being with him made her feel.

Oliver let go of Mary's hand and lifted his own, cupping her face and pulling her in for a soft kiss as he closed his eyes. She did the same and kissed him back, remembering the way her lips molded perfectly with his.

For a moment, all of the pain and grief subsided, and contentment took its place. The world around them seemed to slow down, and that was exactly what they needed.

~~~~~~~

A/N: Well, after re-writing the last bit of this chapter twice, I can finally say I'm happy with it.

Song above is Flightless Bird, American Mouth by Iron & Wine.

Comment, vote (PLEASE COMMENT), next update will be on 8/23.

-A