ACT FOUR, chapter sixty—seven :
i'm begging you to come
and pull me out the fire
come and save me like you did
when we were young

ϟ

Lili dreamt, sometimes.

When she laid back on the cold stone and closed her eyes, she could be absolutely anywhere. At Hogwarts, getting a good night's sleep before her NEWTs in the morning. At Spinner's End, exhausted from a day running round Cokeworth. At Duskwood, lulled to sleep by the sound of the waves on the shore. It was easy, as long as she ignored the sound of the rats scuttling, the endless ache of broken skin, the stench of mold and rot.

Every breath was a struggle.

Out... and in... out... and... and... in.

Distantly, Lili became aware: she was dying.

But this wasn't such a terrible way to go, was it?

Soft golden light flickered behind her eyelids. A red—haired woman, with spring green eyes, was smiling and beckoning her closer. Lili couldn't resist the call to move towards her, even if taking each step felt like moving through a bee's honey. She took this woman's hand, and it was very warm and soft, and when she drew her close, it was into a mother's embrace.

"It's so very nice to finally meet you, Lilium Snape," the woman whispered in her ear.

Lili clung that much closer, so relieved to have softness — any kind of softness — directed at her.

"I came to thank you, Lili, for loving him," the woman said, tightening her hold, "But I've changed my mind."

The embrace was taken away, but it wasn't so bad. The red—haired woman was still there, squeezing her shoulders and then her hands, while she gave her a kind and gentle smile. It was impossible for Lili not to smile back.

"Lilium?"

Looking at this woman now, she could see that she really wasn't that much older than her at all. Four years that separated them at most. For a moment, it almost seemed sad that they were both destined to die so young.

"Instead, I'm here to tell you to go back." the other woman called Lily told her softly, "Wake up, Lili Snape, just wake up—,"

"Oh Merlin, Lilium. Please wake up!"

Lungs inhaled. Lashes fluttered. World came into view.

Draco.

His familiar pointy face hovered on the other side of the cell door, pale and frantic and so, so worried. With a weak groan, she scooted as best she could towards the gate: each movement was a painful drag against hard stone. He reached one bony hand through the iron bars, and her knobby blood—stained fingers brushed his.

"I'm so glad you're awake... For a minute there, I—I thought—,"

Lili managed to shake her head just slightly. "No," she scraped out, "Still here."

"Good, that's good. I'm... I'm glad."

Lili stared up at the moldy dungeon ceiling, humming a song to herself, not even realising.

"Severus always asks me about you," Draco whispered after a few endless seconds, "He—He wants to get you out, but the Dark Lord has forbidden him from even being within fifty miles of here."

"He doesn't trust the bonds of family," Lili murmured hoarsely, the ceiling spinning overhead. "Don't tell Sev'rus, yes? Don't tell him what's become of me, Dray, all right?"

Tears were building in his grey eyes, "I—I wish I had run away with you when we had the chance."

"Don't say that," her voice was little more than a croak, "Else you'd be in here with me. Believe me, you wouldn't be able to handle torture and starvation as well as me."

Draco did not laugh like she perversely hoped. If anything, the tears grew heavier.

All at once, he started weeping, and through each gasping breath, she managed to discern these words: "I'm sorry, Lilium. I'm sorry I can't get you out, I'm sorry this all happened, I'm sorry—,"

"Hush. Dray, s'okay. 'M sorry about before, it... It's not your fault... not your fault..."

"I'm going to get you to the other cell."

"Yea?" She was being carried away now, in a dream, "An' what's so special 'bout this other cell, eh?"

"You'll see." He squeezed her few—fingered hand through the bars, "You'll see..."

His words stayed with her, even into unconsciousness.

Things went from bad to worse, and the red—haired lady didn't speak to her anymore — even if she always did linger out of the corners of her vision. Fever had taken fully over. Her sleep was restless and frightening while her skin was clammy and sweaty. Her limbs had turned to stone, stiff and too heavy to raise, and she could not eat nor drink. She no longer had the strength to even collect the water from the cracks in the stones, nor bring the cup to her lips even if she could.

This was really the end. She knew it.

In her most recent dream, cool, slender fingers brushed aside Lili's damp hair. Here and now, safe in a dream, she allowed herself to cry. The salt of her tears burnt at her wounds, and she coughed on each sob that struggled from her chest.

"I don't want to die," she confessed into the dream.

She sounded coarse and hollow, and after months of mostly screaming and whimpering, for the first time, she realised that she no longer recognised her voice.

"I don't want to die, please."

When her head was tipped back, cool water was poured into her dry mouth. Then she felt a cloth gently stroke at her bloodied cheeks and eyes so her vision could clear and she saw someone so very familiar tending to her small and shaking body.

"Luna?"

Yes, yes, it was Luna Lovegood.

Her friend's dirty and bruised face, eyes bigger than ever, hovered above. Distantly, she'd realised that Luna had tried to wash her face and hands, had tried to clean out her open wounds. The other girl, her friend from what felt like another life, had tried giving her water with cupped hands, trying to keep her alive when all she had wanted for so long was just to die quickly. The girl smiled gently and stroked once more with a gentle hand, smoothing hair from her blood—dried and sweaty face.

"You just rest, Lili," Luna's dreamy voice whispered, carrying her away into unconsciousness, "I'll take care of you now..."

ϟ

Luna's dad was odd as always, and he told them of the Deathly Hallows which was halfway helpful... until everything went to complete sh—t. How shocking. The squeeze of Apparation eased when they arrived on a hillside far away from the Lovegoods' house, dusk settling in, Harry's friends barely visible in the rising darkness.

"That treacherous old bleeder!" Ron panted out first, furious, "Is there no one we can trust?!"

"They've kidnapped Luna because he supported me." Rubbing both hands over his prickly face, Harry softly murmured, "He was just desperate."

Harry wasn't sure if he'd do the same, but he did understand.

Ron said nothing for a moment, either agreeing or choosing not to argue. It didn't really matter. Finally, "I'll do the enchantments."

Ron was just reaching for his wand when Hermione raised her hand, stopping him. Her eyes rose. Her breath caught. Very slowly, full of dread, Harry and Ron turned to look. Clinging to the branches of the trees above, almost as if a part of the trees themselves, were... Snatchers. Harry inhaled sharply. A crooked wand bloomed just across from them, lighting up the dusk, illuminating the face of Scabior. Hermione's scarf, now faded and filthy, dangled from his neck. He pressed it to his grimy nose, inhaled slowly, and then grinned.

"Hullo, beautiful."

They ran.

Harry sprinted as fast as his legs could carry him, already knowing they were no match for the Snatchers chasing them — exhausted and malnourished as they were. But fear and adrenaline pushed them on through the trees.  The forest grew more dense, the shadows thickening. Spells splintered through the trees, ropes of light lacing the night. He could feel his friends all round him, even as they were separated, even as they dodged thick brush and jumped small streams. Heart pounding in his ears, he spotted Hermione again — stumbling into a clearing, but Ron was nowhere to be seen.

The air sizzled with magic.

Spells ricocheted off trees

The Snatchers were closing in.

Still running, Harry looked desperately to Hermione who had skidded to a sudden stop and whirled to face him. Suddenly, the tip of her wand glowed and her face bloomed in the darkness, looking mildly demonic before a burst of white light struck him in the eyes. As her wand went dark, he was thrust into a vision of Riddle, and when he came back out of it, he was flat on his back on the forest floor and gasping for breath. Harry blinked back to reality and in a swollen blur peered up at Hermione, whispering quickly:

"They exist. The Hallows."

Hurriedly yanking the glasses from his face, Hermione jerked round to stare at him in surprise.

He nodded sharply, his swollen and disfigured face shrouded in shadow, "But he only wants the one, the last one. That's what he's been looking for."

Eyes darting furiously to the trees, knowing they were surrounded, she whispered fervently, "What're you saying?"

"He knows where it is, Riddle does. He'll have it by the end of the night. He's found the Elder Wand."

Then, it was too late to say anything more. As Hermione stared in stunned disbelief, figures once more emerged from the dark trees to surround them at all sides. Ron was shoved to the damp ground nearby while the horde of Snatchers roughly pushed and stripped them of their wands.

Seeing how they handled Hermione, Ron practically screeched, "Don't touch her!"

A fist hit Ron, hard, throwing him back to the ground. It was Greyback.

Harry jerked forward while Hermione shrieked, "Stop it!"

"Your boyfriend'll get worse than that if he doesn't behave, lovely."

The Snatcher painted her face with wand—light before casting it onto Harry who squinted, eyes swollen to slits, face horribly misshapen.

"What happened t' you, ugly?" Harry stayed bitterly silent, and the Snatcher rather painfully poked at his cheek with the tip of his wand, "What's your name?"

"Dudley," Harry blurted easily, the lies coming easier and easier to him, "Vernon Dudley."

"Check the list." The head Snatcher instructed before turning to Ron, "And you, ginger?"

"Stan Shunpike."

"Like 'ell you are; we know skinny Stan." The Snatcher smiled meanly, "Try again."

Greyback, his boot now on Ron's neck, pressed even harder.

"Weasley..." His best mate struggled under the weight, making it up as he went, "Barney Weasley."

"Weasley, eh? Wouldn't be related to that blood traitor Arthur Weasley, would you?"

"Piss off!" Ron seethed, thrashing harder now, "Arthur Weasley's ten times the wizard you are!"

Harry tried hard to send him a warning with his eyes, but Ron didn't pay any bloody attention to him, merely glaring up at the Snatcher hatefully.

"Worth ten times you if I can find him." The dirty wizard mocked, "Wasn't you that tipped him off, was it?"

This time, Ron stayed mercifully silent.

Scoffing amusedly, the Head Snatcher turned to Hermione and started to croon like a creep, "How 'bout you, lovely? What do they call you...?"

"Penelope Clearwater," Hermione was an even better liar than Harry himself, answering swiftly, "Half—Blood."

The Snatcher stroked the nape of Hermione's neck, then took her hair in hand to give it a sniff which made both Harry and Ron struggle again. The disgusting b—stard paid them no mind.

"You smell like vanilla, Penelope. I think you're going to be my favourite."

Harry really wished he'd gotten better at wandless and wordless spells that last year in Snape's DADA class.

Suddenly, from the side, another Snatcher looked up from his papers, "There's no Vernon Dudley on 'ere."

And... sh—t. Who would've thought they had a bloody list? Reluctantly, he turned from Hermione to face Harry.

"Hear that, ugly?" Greyback glared maliciously down at him, looking all too happy to repeat, "The list says you're lying. How come you don't want us to know who you are? Hm?"

"The list is wrong," he lied as evenly as he could manage, "I told you who I am—,"

The Snatcher instantly put a finger to his lips, silencing Harry, his wand probing his face more closely to find the strange and misshapen scar on his forehead. When horrid realisation dawned in his yellowed eyes, his words sent a chill of dread down Harry's spine:

"Change of plans, boys. We won't be taking this lot to the Ministry."

ϟ

Malfoy Manor was dark and in disrepair.

While he'd never seen it at the height of its supposed glory days, Harry strongly suspected it was hardly anything like this. Dark and dreary, empty of light and possessions and life. Holding him by his now shoulder—length hair, they'd bared Harry's mangled face at the gate to gain entrance, and soon none other than Bellatrix Lestrange was leading their procession into the crumbling mansion. Harry felt panic at having been caught and the same stirrings of rage in his gut at the sight of Lili's mum, but mostly he was feeling pure and blinding hope because...

Lili.

Along with the intense burning in his scar, he felt the familiar thrum of a heartbeat through the rune on his finger. As they were forcibly dragged into the drawing room, his blurry eyes were already desperately darting to find her — somewhere, anywhere. His friends seemed to be thinking the same thing.

Behind him, Hermione whispered, "I don't see her!"

"Where's Lili?" Ron hissed desperately, "Harry, do you see her?"

Heart constricting, Harry did not.

From across her shoulder, Bellatrix hissed a demand at her sister: "Get Draco."

The blonde woman, Narcissa, eyed her sister briefly, warily, then strode off towards the brightly—lit room ahead where Lucius stood to the side, cradling a nearly—empty wine glass with both hands.

"Why Draco?"

Pointedly ignoring him, Narcissa passed her husband without a word.

Bellatrix scoffed in mocking humour, crooning, "Just sit back and watch, Lucius. Hm? Pour yourself another glass of wine."

As she passed, Bellatrix flicked her finger off the rim of her brother—in—law's glass with an annoying pling! To Harry, Lucius Malfoy looked smaller than ever, and seemed to make himself only smaller at this. In a swirl of matted black curls, Bellatrix turned to fully stare at Harry, Ron and Hermione with pure evil in her eyes.

"Where'd you find them?"

"In the North Forest," the Snatcher replied a little too proudly.

Harry resisted the urge to start shouting when he saw Wormtail quietly skitter into the room from the staircase leading into what could only be the dungeons. Was that where Lili was? Not free, not safe, but trapped and imprisoned and hurt?

Just then, Bellatrix paused in front of Harry's face, studying his misshapen scar again. Not looking away from him, she commented over her shoulder, "Lovely scarf, Scabior. Though I'm not sure it's your colour."

Grumbled: "It's not mine."

"Oh, you don't say." Harry tensed when Bellatrix's eyes slid to catch him looking at Hermione. "Fancy my daughter's little friend, do you, Scabior? Maybe we'll work out a little reward for you, hm? That is, assuming all is as it appears."

Hermione sucked in a sharp breath but didn't dare speak.

"Oh? Does that appeal to you, dearie?" Bellatrix taunted, a breath from Hermione's face, "Or perhaps it was the mention of my daughter dearest?"

Harry couldn't help but shift restlessly at that. In his veins, his blood coursed the colour of Lili's eyes — black, with silver flecks, like star drops poured into her irises. His heart beat the sound of her name: Lili, Lili, Lili. He needed to see her, to hold her hand, to kiss her just one more time. Where was she?

"It is you, isn't it, Potter?" Bellatrix craned her neck to look at him, grinning her crooked and blackened teeth, "You wouldn't react that way, if you weren't. Perhaps it will bring you comfort, how loyal she was to you. Even as we tortured her, she only ever screamed your name."

Harry was going to kill her. He was going to Crucio her into oblivion. He was going to beat her until she bled. He was going to rip her tongue out. He was going to—

Someone tripped at this, feet scuffing.

Out of the corner of his blurry vision, Harry saw it was Draco emerging from the shadows at the far end of the room, separating from Narcissa to tread cautiously forward. Harry swallowed hard and refused to look at him, while Draco seemed to do the very same thing. Briefly, Harry wondered if his school rival of seven years was... ashamed.

"Ah, Draco. Come here, darling." Bellatrix ushered her nephew forcefully forward, her cheek practically pressed with his, "My friends here say they've got Harry Potter. Seeing as he's an old school chum of yours, I thought you could confirm the fact for us."

Wide—eyed, paler than ever, Draco stared at Harry.

"Well...?"

"I can't..." He stuttered breathily, eyes darting everywhere but Harry's face, "I can't be sure."

Lucius swept forward, wine glass sloshing while he gripped the back of his son's neck tightly.

Draco flinched, still refusing to meet his eyes.

"Look closely, son," Lucius hissed at his other boy, "If we're the ones who hand Potter over to the Dark Lord, everything will be forgiven. Don't you understand—?"

Greyback growled, in a soft and menacing tone, "Now, we won't be forgetting who actually caught him, I hope, Mister Malfoy?"

Harry wished he could enjoy Lucius' fear more than he was currently capable at the moment.

"Of course not," Bellatrix sang in response before her eyes hardened and she spat, "Narcissa. Tend to your husband."

Lucius staggered back nervously next to his wife.

With that, Bellatrix gripped Draco's arm and pushed him 'til he was only inches from Harry's face. "Don't be shy, sweetheart. Get up nice and close."

Draco eyed him tentatively, chest heaving with every breath. "W—What's wrong with his face?"

"What is wrong with his face, Scabior?"

"He came to us that way," The Snatcher — Scabior apparently — replied, "I reckon he picked it up in the forest."

"Or ran into a Stinging Jinx." Bellatrix, eyes flashing, released her nephew and stepped up real close to Hermione. "Was it you, dearie? Give me her wand. We'll see what the last spell was."

Harry's struggling eyes darted to Hermione's suddenly nervous face, and while the Snatcher stepped forward to obey, Bellatrix suddenly froze and turned the entire room icy cold as well.

"What is that?" The woman's tone was quietly murderous. Practically seething, she shoved past Scabior and Greyback to reach another Snatcher who had Hermione's beaded purse dangling from one hand and in the other... the Sword of Gryffindor. She shrieked madly, "Where did you get that?!"

As the scene turned wild and violent around them, Draco suddenly leant close to Harry.

"She's here, Potter."

Harry's eyes darted wildly back to the other boy's face.

Draco's voice was a fervent whisper.

"Lilium's here, in the dungeons. Please, take care of her."

Harry barely had time to process this before Bellatrix was kicking everyone out of the drawing room, Greyback and the Snatchers and even Harry and Ron whom she hurled viciously at the very skittish Wormtail.

"Put these two in the cellar!" The woman shrieked madly, spinning back to get within mere centimeters of Hermione's pale and frightened face, "I want to have a little conversation with this one. Girl—to—girl!"

ϟ

Lili must've been dreaming, still.

Suddenly there was noise and light and chaos beyond her world of darkness. 

Whimpering softly, the girl raised a few—fingered hand to shield her eyes from a light. It took a while to remember where she was, why she hurt so badly, why she was so very cold. Before, there had been the mad screech of the cell door and many unexpected scuffling footsteps. It took her several heartbeats to remember that she wasn't alone and several more to realise it wasn't a guard. Luna, yes. Luna and Ollivander and Griphook, her fellow prisoners. It must be them.

Lili barely managed to think this through the syrupy tangle of her mind before she forced her eyes open. She blinked slowly and sluggishly, trying and failing to get used to the brightness for several minutes. Someone called her name from far away, but she could not place the voice, not until her vision cleared. Basking in the light of what could only be Dumbledore's old Deluminator stood none other than...

Harry James Potter and Ronald Billius Weasley.

"Lili?"

Right above her, Harry was wide—eyed and terrified, looking like he'd just come out of a story—tale adventure and into Lili's own personal hell. Untameable long hair, plush chapped mouth, thin face, Avada green eyes. This face was the most familiar and beautiful thing Lili had ever seen, but it was also not real. It could not be. Because Harry did not belong here, no. He could not possibly be here.

"Oh God! F—ck, Lili, what did they do to you?"

Lili wanted to hide herself with shame, riddled with the stench of vomit and blood and sweat, adorned with cuts and burns and bruises, blood covering more of her frail body than what used to be her clothes. Though he was merely a dream, Harry looked as if he wanted to cry. His calloused hands cupped her near unrecognisable face, and she couldn't help but into the touch — the first gentle touch she'd felt in ages and ages and ages.

"Lili? Can you speak?"

After a moment, Lili slowly parted her chapped lips and tried, but other than some horrible croaking noise, nothing came free. Not yet. She could speak, just not yet. The shock, and the pain of it all, had rendered her mute.

"Okay, that's okay." Harry soothed her with a kindness that made her ache. "It's fine. This is good, Lil, really. Can you sit up?"

Slowly, she shook her head, and against her will, her eyelids began to flicker closed and she started to fade once more. What a strange, wonderful dream...

"No, no—, stay awake, you have to stay awake!"

Lili reluctantly obeyed, fighting the dark and forcing her eyes open, and once she did, she gasped. Harry was here, still. The shock of seeing him hit her again, all the more keenly.

"Lili?" His voice was hushed and fearful while he cupped her cheek. "Do you recognise me?"

"I'd know you, anywhere, always," she finally managed to speak, merely a rasping sound through a thick throat. "You're... alive."

He sputtered a wet laugh, eyes sparkling with tears in the dim light, "I'm alive, Lil, yea. I just can't believe you're alive, love... God."

Lili shakily touched her cheek where Harry's hand just was and found warmth there. Tangible proof that Harry was not merely a figment of her imagination. Harry was real, she tried to convince herself. Harry James Potter was real as he was holding her.

Harry had gathered her weak and bleeding body close as she shivered, one hand over her heart, as if counting each beat, as if making sure it still beat at all. And somehow Lili was alive, trembling in Harry's tight and cradling arms, knowing he was shielding her with his own self. They shared his body heat.

Lili was afraid — so, so afraid, and she tried to sound calm when she asked:

"Still together?"

"Always, always, always." Harry pressed his lips to her ear and whispered, "I'm going to get you out of here."

Despite where they were, despite their circumstances, despite all reason, Lili believed him.

Her fading vision turned to the other newest prisoner, and she managed to croak, "Hullo, Ronald. Having a brill holiday?"

"Lilium Salazar Snape," Ron replied hoarsely, eyes shining, "I'm so happy to see you, I could kiss you."

That was when a horrible scream echoed far and wide through the manor.

Lili trembled at the sound of it, murmuring, "Who—Who's screamin'?"

Ron's face was a white as milk when he breathed, "Hermione."

Utterly horrified, Lili didn't even have time to respond to this before a familiar house elf suddenly materialised before them.

"Dobby." Harry breathed with relief, shifting Lili against his chest, "What're you doing here?"

The house elf happily squeaked, "Dobby has come to rescue Harry Potter, of course!"

Oh, thank Merlin. Still, everyone could only stare, stunned. Harry glanced in amazement at the mirror glittering in his free palm, one Lili hadn't realised he was holding 'til just now.

"D'you mean to say you can Apparate in and out of here? And take us with you?"

"Of course." Dobby shrugged almost awkwardly, "I'm an elf."

Lili weakly smirked while Ron shrugged too, "Works for me."

"Right. Dobby, I want you to take Lili, Luna, and Mister Ollivander to—,"

"Shell Cottage on the outskirts of Tinworth," Ron cut in, nodding when Lili and Harry glanced at them, "Trust me."

"I'm not—," Lili interrupted weakly, one hand leaving Harry's to grip the nearby wall, "—Going."

"What do you mean you're not going?!" Ron cried just as Harry burst, "Of course you are! You can't even stand!"

Lili couldn't refute that. She just nodded in agreement, but still she willed herself to stand up and face whatever happened next. "I'm not leaving without you. We're together — always. And there's no way in hell I'm leaving without 'Mione."

Ron deflated while Harry clenched his jaw, clearly wanting to argue more, before giving in. Even in her bruised and battered state, her stubbornness was just as strong as his own.

So, with a sigh, Harry turned to Luna, "You'll see to Mister Ollivander, Luna?"

"Of course," the blonde girl replied seriously before smiling gently at Lili, "I'll leave you in far more capable hands now, Lili, until I see you again."

"Thanks, Lu," Lili replied raspily, whole—heartedly, "See you soon."

She then turned her full attention to the house elf, "Whenever you're ready, sir."

"Oh!" Dobby blinked, blushed, and then grinned, "I like her very much." Then, just before they all disappeared, he told the remaining trio, "Meet me at the top of the stairs in ten seconds."

Only seconds after they'd vanished, Wormtail had reappeared just to collapse forward, stiff as a board, tumbling in a heavy heap on the dungeon floor. Lili, leaning heavily into Harry, peered up to find Dobby waiting for them at the top of the stairs.

With Wormtail's wand in his tiny fist, Dobby asked, "Who gets his wand?"

The next few minutes were lost to Lili's flickering consciousness, and by the time she was fully awake again, she found Hermione was lying at Bellatrix's feet and Griphook was being slashed across the face by a blade that had split Lili's own flesh too many times. As a deep gash opened on his cheek, Griphook barely flinched, instead there was a hint of a smile playing on his lips. Even Bellatrix, in all her madness and cruelty, looks mildly unnerved by this.

"Consider yourself lucky, Goblin. The same won't be said for this one."

Slowly spinning on her heels, Bellatrix poised the dagger right over Hermione's quivering body.

Lili's shaking hands clenched into fists.

"Like hell!" Ron growled. And then he was launching away from Harry and Lili, sprinting as fast as he could topwards Lili's mother, shouting, "Expelliarmus!"

Bellatrix's dangling wand burst free, tumbling end over end... right into Lili's outstretched hand.

Being practically carried by Harry, the girl cried out a familiar incantation, "Stupefy!"

Lucius (the coward) dropped instantly to dodge her spell, his wine glass shattering in a burgundy bloom on the rug, spreading and spreading. Narcissa and Draco drew their wands, and the trio all prepared to fire, but before a duel couldn't even begin—

"Stop or she dies!"

Lili, Harry, and Ron froze to find Hermione held hostage against Bellatrix, a blinding grin on her mother's face. Lili caught her breath, overwhelmed by ice—cold terror, watching her best friend gasp with the dagger at her throat where her pulse was flickering wildly.

"Drop your wands." The three members of the Golden Quartet exchanged a nervous glance before Bellatrix hissed and pressed the blade closer to Hermione's jugular, "I said drop them!"

Begrudgingly, they flung away their stolen wands.

"Well, well, look what we have here." Bellatrix cooed, cocking her head over Hermione's shoulder, "Harry Potter. All bright, shiny and new again. Just in time for the Dark Lord, isn't that right, Delphi dear?"

No. No, no, no—

Lili pressed in closer to Harry's side, her entire body trembling in his hold.

"Oh, how brave your loverboy was, Delphi, to come and rescue you... But doesn't he know you're damaged goods now? There's hardly anything left of you to save..."

Harry straightened up taller even as Lili made herself smaller against him.

Her mum giggled before ordering, "Call the Dark Lord, Draco."

Eyeing Lili and her friends, Draco clearly hesitated.

But Lucius didn't, pulling up his sleeve and hovering his hand to the Dark Mark on his forearm. At her side, Harry suddenly hissed and grimaced in agony, one hand shooting up to his scar. Lili shuddered at the sound of Bellatrix's maniacal cackles, her knife pressing harder against the tender flesh of Hermione's neck where a bead of blood bubbled.

And then, overhead, a squeaking noise could be heard.

Lili nervously glanced up at the chandelier tinkling and trembling rather precariously. All at once, the chandelier burst free of the ceiling and plummeted. Screaming in shock, Bellatrix bolted back and Hermione staggered clear, falling into Ron's waiting arms and shooting a weak smile Lili's way.

Lili took only a second to gasp in relief. Safe, safe, safe.

The girl called up all the rest of her strength to summon a wordless Shielding Charm overhead, protecting her friends from the glass exploding into razor—sharp slivers. Meanwhile, Harry leapt forward to wrestle the blood—soaked wands from Draco's hands and, wheeling, pointed all three at Lucius.

"Stupefy!"

This time, Lucius had no time to dodge and instead, flew off his feet and dropped in a heap on the other side of the room.

Looking utterly appalled, Bellatrix screeched at Dobby, "You could have killed me!"

"Dobby never meant to kill," the elf confessed, squeaky and defiant, "Dobby only meant to maim or seriously injure."

Despite everything, despite it all, Lili f—cking cackled.

"For Merlin's sake, Cissy," Bellatrix hissed furiously, refusing to turn her baleful glare from her daughter, "You've got a wand! Use it!"

Lili's aunt, too, hesitated now.

And before she could make a decision, Dobby had waved his list fist and with a snap, Narcissa's wand flew from her hand into his own. Brill.

"How dare you take a witch's wand!" Bellatrix bellowed, a sound that would forever haunt Lili's nightmares, "How dare you defy your masters!"

Dobby stood tall and proud, pronouncing, "Dobby has no master! Dobby is a free elf, and Dobby has come to save Harry Potter and his friends!"

In an instant, Harry had tossed Ron a wand, wrapped both arms round Lili, and joined the others in the center of the room.

To the Malfoys, Lili's boyfriend said, "Give the Dark Lord our regards."

With that, the drawing room began to spin away. Lili's mother's face twisted into an ugly blur. Her arm raised, an all too familiar dagger in hand. There was a flash of silver. Then... 

All went black.

For a long time.

Then, Lili recognised a familiar sound: the sea.

They were at the sea.

When her eyes opened, Lili was looking at a dark and dawning sky. A sky she hadn't seen in months. A sky she hadn't thought she'd ever see again. Her blood—crusted fingers curled into the damp sand, and her shoulders shuddered with each strangled breath — she couldn't tell whether she was laughing or crying. Everything hurt. Everything, everything, everything. Was she dying? It seemed likely. Merlin, but she didn't want to die — not anymore. She was crying, this she knew for sure now.

"Lili? Lili!"

It was Harry, rushing towards her again, staggering through the sand and swirling stars. The girl gasped softly when he scooped her up and cradled her close to his chest once more. She collapsed completely into him, face burying into his chest, feeling his heart beat wildly against her cheek.

"I've got you," his voice was a breathy thing, hoarse and weak, "I've got you, love."

"—Mione—," Lili croaked, fisting a hand into his dirty sleeve, trying to force herself upward, "'Ermione?"

With Lili still in his arms, Harry whirled them round so they could both see Ron holding Hermione gently. Tears on both of their faces. If not well, at least — alive, alive, alive.

"It's all right, Hermione, you're safe," Harry croaked across the distance, holding Lili closer, burying his face in her hair, "We're all safe."

Hermione didn't respond, nor did Ron.

Then, softly, so softly: "Harry Potter?"

Dobby stood alone, a strange little smile on his face, hand over his heart, the hilt of her mother's silver dagger sticking from between his fingers.

"Dobby..." Lili whispered, "No..."

Lili let Harry go so he could rush to the elf, who immediately crumpled into his arms, his huge eyes rolling up to the stars. Lili bit back a ragged whimper when she forced herself to her feet, stumbling through the sand to be closer — if only, to hear better.

"It's okay..." Harry was desperately consoling, eyes scouring the rapidly dying body, hands useless to stop the flow of blood, "Here, just hold on, Dobby, I'll fix you. Hermione, your bag — you must have something, Essence of Dittany, something... Lili will know a healing spell!" The boy whipped back to face her, crying out, "Lili, say a spell, just a spell please — Lili, help me!"

Lili could only watch, too weak to conjure a thing, tears streaking down her blood—stained cheeks.

"Such a beautiful place... to be with friends," the dying elf managed to whisper out, "Dobby is happy... to be with his friend... Harry Potter..."

Dobby's small body then gave a little shudder and then went entirely still. The others simply stared, mute and breathless, listening to the waves thunder against the sand. As Lili only stood and watched, Harry reached out and, as gently as he could, pulled the dagger from Dobby's chest. He then shrugged off his jacket and wrapped the elf's body. Slowly, his shoulders began to shake. Only Luna dared to step forward.

"We should close his eyes. Don't you think?" Luna reached out at Harry's side, tenderly placing her fingers upon Dobby's eyelids and closing them. "There. Now he could be sleeping."

Harry's body still trembled with his silent tears. Lili could only sway and stare.

"It's all right..." Somewhere far away, Luna was whispering serenely, "That it hurts. That's what reminds us how lucky we are to be alive."

Lucky. How very lucky.

Lili's eyes drifted up from her friends in the sand to the stars, still bright in the breaking dawn sky. She caught her breath when they began to spin above her head, threatening to crash down on her head while she staggered and tried to regain her balance. Somewhere, even further away than before, someone was calling her name again, but she could not respond, not when she was spinning off the earth and falling into the sky.

How lucky I am to be alive.

The world disappeared in a sea of black.

ANNIE SPEAKS

ϟ

in summary: they're together again!!!! bellatrix is the freaking worst. harry is a lili simp, and i love to see it. poor hermione. and goodbye dobby, rest in peace. now, it's time for some healing, and sweet sweet reunions :) 

this chapter was a bit shorter this time around but it felt like the natural place to end this! i'm dying to hear your thoughts. i hope you're still enjoying this story! 

CHAPTER SIXTY—EIGHT :

They all looked so incredibly tired.

When Hermione and Ron sat at the end of the bed, Harry very carefully perched at her side. He was looking her over from head to toe as if confirming that she was, in fact, here and alive and sitting in this bed fully awake and staring back at him. Still sore and achy, Lili tried not to squirm under the intense scrutiny. No one spoke for a really long time.

In the silence, Lili's mind drifted. Drifting, drifting, drifting, then—

"Oi, mate," Ron broke the silence first, making her jump. "You look a bit sh—t."

aaaand my meme for this chapter:

it's true, i promise ha ha ha