Another Year at Hogwarts

“It’s so quiet,” Hermione commented as we made our way back to Hogwarts from the Whomping Willow.

“Where do you think everyone is?” Ron asked.

But that question was soon answered as we made our way into the Great Hall. As we walked through the doors, the room of fighters went silent.

“Harry,” Professor Slughorn greeted while Madam Pomfrey tended to a wound on his hand.

“Mum!” Ron shouted as he saw his parents at the end of the room. He hurried over to them, followed by Hermione, Harry and me.

“Is that—” Harry began as be looked at the two bodies lying next to Fred.

“They’ve passed, Harry,” Mrs. Weasley said as she turned around and faced us. Her eyes suddenly widened, though, when she saw me standing beside Harry. “A—Arthur!” she stuttered as she reached her hand back and grabbed onto Mr. Weasley’s jacket.

Mr. Weasley turned around with a gloomy look on his face, but when his eyes fell upon me, it turned to one of astonishment. “V—Violet? Is that really you?”

“Yeah, it’s me,” I replied with a small nod. “I’m so very sorry for your loss.”

Tears immediately began to well up in Mrs. Weasley’s eyes as she glanced back at her son’s lifeless body. She soon burst into tears and buried herself in her husband’s arms.

Mr. Weasley sighed heavily as he turned his attention away from his wife and to me. “What happened to you, Violet?” he asked. “We all thought you were dead.”

“It—it’s a very long story,” I said.

“Then why are you back?” Ginny asked as she rose from beside George, who was still weeping beside Fred’s body. “How did you come back?”

“Snape,” I said plainly.

“Snape?” Mrs. Weasley gasped. “But why would he—“

“I’m sorry,” Harry interrupted, “I can’t be here right now. I—I have to go somewhere…” He then turned and began walking towards the doors.

“Harry!” Hermione gasped as she glanced at Ron and me. We call perused him into the staircase before Hermione asked if he was planning to go into the Forbidden Forest.

“No,” Harry said shaking his head. “I’m…just heading to the Headmaster’s office.”

“We should go with—” Ron began.

“It’s all right, Ron,” I assured.

Ron and Hermione turned back to look at me, and I knew that they didn’t want to let Harry go off on his own. However, they did allow Harry to leave.

When Harry was gone, Hermione turned to me and asked, “Violet, what did you mean it was Snape who brought you here? Didn’t you say that you showed up at Diagon Alley and then found Snape?”

“That…wasn’t exactly the truth,” I hesitantly confessed.

Ron scrunched his eyebrows together. “You lied to us?”

“It’s not like I wanted to lie to you,” I said.

“Then why did you do it?” Hermione questioned. “Was it to protect someone—to protect Snape? If it was then why would you do something like that?”

“Because Snape’s isn’t the bad guy here!” I exclaimed. “This—all of this is so much more complicated than it seems!”

Hermione scoffed. “After everything he has done, how—”

“This is me you’re talking to, Hermione!” I reminded. “You know perfectly well why I couldn’t tell you before that Snape wasn’t a bad guy! It would have interfered with things, and that obviously couldn’t happen again!”

“Well, could you tell us now?” shouted Ron.

I sighed heavily and ran my hand through my hair. “Last year…Dumbledore asked Snape to kill him because he was dying, anyways.”

“W—what?” Hermione gasped in horror.

“He had discovered one of Voldemort’s Horcruxes and it contained a curse. Snape was able to restrain the curse to Dumbledore’s hand for a short while, but the curse was going to spread—giving Dumbledore a limited time to live.”

Hermione and Ron exchanged a look of disbelief. Hermione then turned to me and said, “That—that can’t possibly be true. Snape’s—”

“Just think about it, Hermione!” I exclaimed while talking a step towards her. “Snape had always been there for you guys, whether you knew or not! He killed Dumbledore so that he could protect the students against ruthless Death Eaters like the Carrows! He wanted to protect Harry. That’s why he kept asking Voldemort to allow him to go look for Harry. Snape gave up his life in search of Harry so that he could tell him all of this!”

“Ron! Hermione!” someone called out. We gasped as we looked to the bottom of the stairs and found Ginny standing there. “Can I have a moment with, Violet?” she asked, still waiting at the bottom of the stairs.

“Uh,” Hermione said as she glanced from Ginny and then back to me. She sighed disappointingly then said to me, “We’ll have to finish this talk.”

I nodded. “Of course.”

“Come on, Ron,” Hermione said as she hesitantly turned away.

Ginny then came up the stairs as sat down at my feet. “Sit,” she said.

“What’s this about?” I asked as I took a seat beside her.

“So, you were Victoria all along,” she said with a heavy sigh. She then turned and glared at me with angry eyes. “You…how could you do something like this to us—to my family, Hogwarts, Harry?”

“It’s like I had a choice in the matter,” I explained. “Things weren’t going correctly and joining the Death Eaters—”

“That’s not what I mean!” she shouted as she rose to her feet. She spun away and clutched the railing as she continued. “No…everything was going correctly…until you showed up again.”

“What do you mean?” I asked as I slowly stood.

“I hate you!” Ginny bellowed as she spun around. She let out a soft scoffed and said, “You take everything away from me.”

“Ginny—”

“Last year, when you first arrived my entire family practically fell in love with you. They all opened up to you so easily—taking you in, buying you clothing and supplies so that you could attend Hogwarts. Treating you just like a daughter. Then at Hogwarts, all I ever heard was your name. There was always something about you to talk about—how pretty you are, how talented and smart you are for a Muggle, that you and Harry—” she stopped and wiped away a tear that had slid down her slim face.

“There’s nothing romantic between Harry and me, Ginny!” I exclaimed before she could continue on her false rampage. “We’re just friends.”

“And that’s why I hate you so much,” she growled. “When you were gone—when you left him devastated and heart-broken, I was the one who was there for him. And after a while, he was finally able to look at me with those beautiful green eyes and see me as someone more than his best friend’s sister. But I see the way Harry looks at you, and it’s much different than how he now looks at me.”

“So you’re just angry that Harry fancies me?” I questioned.

“I hate you because he is in love with you and that you don’t return his feeling!” she shouted, more tears were now running down her face. “I’d rather see him be in love with someone who will actually love him back, rather than what I see him doing with you.”

I scoffed. “Harry knows that I don’t share his feelings. He is perfectly aware of that I’m not the girl for him. So, how about you stop complaining and actually do something about it?” I snapped. “Don’t come complaining to me about how much Harry loves me, just so I would return his feelings. I love someone else, and I’m not going to pretend to love Harry just for your satisfaction. Harry deserves better than that. And if you really do love Harry,” I said, “then show him why you’re so much better than me. Prove to him that you are the one worthy of his love because you are, Ginny Weasley.”

With those final words, I descended the stairs. After a conversation like that, though, I didn’t want to head towards the Great Hall where everyone would probably be. Instead, I wondered the school to clear my mind. However, I didn’t get too far away before someone called out my name.

I gasped and immediately spun around. I smile formed onto my face as I paced back towards the person. My pacing quickened and soon I was running down the hall towards him.

“Draco!” I exclaimed as I jumped into his opened arms, wrapping my arms around his neck. “I’m so glad you’re all right!”

I heard him sigh as he wrapped his arms around me as well. He pressed me even closer to his body as he said, “I never thought I’d see your beautiful face again. I’ve missed you so much.”

“I’ve spent almost the entire year with you,” I laughed.

“A part of you did,” Draco whispered. “I’m so glad you’re finally yourself again, Violet,” said Draco as the two of us parted.

“Before you left the Death Eaters, you called me by my name,” I said. “How? How did you know it was me? How long have you known?”

Draco smirked. He caressed my cheek and said, “I’ve known since the moment you and I had that confrontation in my hallway. Snape was being too obvious, which I think was intentional.” Draco then stared deeply into my eyes as he said, “But I wasn’t sure until Victoria and I broke up. When you agreed that you were a Muggle-born.”

“What difference did that make?” I asked. “Bellatrix was always calling me a Mudblood.”

“Because she didn’t like you, and for good reasons,” Draco grinned. “No…but that was the final piece of the puzzle. Admitting that you were a Muggle-born. I had already pieced together everything else: having the violet eyes, the love for chocolate, arguing with me whenever you had the chance, your stubborn, head-strong attitude, the initials VB.”

“So you got me on a technicality. How very much like you, Draco Malfoy." I smiled up at him. "I told Snape he was being a bit too obvious."

“Yeah, he was,” Draco agreed. With a smile still on his face, Draco slowly began to lean in for a kiss.

“Before you kiss me,” I quickly interrupted, “I have to tell you something.”

“What is it?” he asked.

I swallowed hard. “Once this is all over…I’m going home.”

“…I know.” He leaned in closer.

Tears were forming in my eyes. “I don’t want to leave. But I have to.”

“I know.”

“After everything we’ve been through, we should be together. We deserve to be together!” I cried. “But—”

“This isn’t where you belong, I know,” Draco finished while placing his forehead against my own. “This isn’t your world, and it would be selfish of me to keep you here. You’re family is probably worried sick about you, and I know how important they are to you. I understand… It doesn’t mean I like it. But I understand.”

“You’re not making this very easy for me,” I whispered with a small smile.

“Good.” A smirk fell upon Draco's face as our eyes locked. He then leaned in and placed a kiss on my lips.