The battle raged on, and Ivy could feel the end closing in. Her body was bruised and bloodied, but she couldn’t stop. Not now.

She turned to see Harry in the distance, his face contorted with rage as he fought against the Death Eaters. He was doing everything he could to protect her, to protect them all. And for a moment, Ivy wished it could be different—wished she could be the one to save him instead of the other way around.

But she knew that wish was a lie. There was no saving Harry. Not now.

The curse came without warning. A flash of green, a searing pain. Ivy looked down, her breath catching in her throat as the world around her began to blur.

Harry stood over her, his eyes filled with regret. “Ivy... I didn’t mean to. I had to... I couldn’t let you choose him. I had to protect you.”

Ivy’s vision darkened, her body growing cold. “You killed me,” she whispered, the words barely a breath.

“I had to...” Harry’s voice cracked. “I had to protect you.”

Her body fell limp in his arms, her blood staining his robes. In that final moment, Ivy realized the truth—there was no place for her in this world anymore. Not with Harry. Not with Tom.

And in that moment, all that was left was the silence of death.

---