CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX:
( unknown escapees! )

▂✫⌒*･ﾟ

             ALTHOUGH ONE CAN WISH with all their heart to be free of any trauma, nothing can take away that feeling from their system. It can be buried deep inside the memories longing to be forgotten, or it could rest on the front of your mind repeating itself at any chance it gets. In order to not dwell in the horrid thoughts, Spencer forces herself to remember that she is not the only one who has gone through something. Everyone around her, they have all suffered through the war. And it is easy to notice it as well.

             Molly Weasley continuously glances at the clock where her family's pictures rest on the spoon. It is a reflex no one misses especially when she lets out a sigh of relief. She spends her time occasionally mothering everyone around and always gives them a hug when they arrive and leave. By now she spends her time supporting the twins in their business knowing how unsupportive she was before.

             Arthur handles himself better, but Spencer is not blind to his own sufferings. She can see the restlessness in his eyes, the way he has to look around his surroundings every five minutes and makes sure that his family is protected. It takes her a minute to realize that he is abruptly expecting something to happen because he has lived through two wars.

             Remus and Tonks are still surprised to find themselves in the living world, but they shift their attention all toward Teddy Lupin in hopes that despite all the lost they have endured, that their little child would have the chance to grow up with both his parents and equally as loved. Spencer still has not been used to being left with Teddy when the others are busy. She had no experience with babies beforehand, all she did was carry him and have some intense eye staring competitions. It is safe to say that she has won approximately five times while the (many) rest was won by him (Teddy is extremely good at it!! Though... Ron told her that a bunch of children keep their eyes open until hours later when they remember to blink).

             Her brother seems capable more than any other considering that he has experienced a load of trauma; starting from the age of eleven since their parents were the origin of everything horrid. Spencer is thankful that he is not alone, however. He was alone before— this is something that barely dawned over her. Young Daniel Montague struggled through his Hogwarts years alone never having his own Ricky, never having a stable relationship except that of Flitwick and Estela Gray. He had his team with his work of being a profiler, but the Weasleys have become his family as well. Spencer is not blind to it, really. The first person he had become friends with after spending his time in the United States was Remus. And Daniel is a loyal person who puts others first rather than himself (which she cannot say anything on since she does the same). When he saw Remus in trouble he did not hesitate to fight for him. It was Remus that even allowed for Spencer to meet Daniel in the first place! Imagine that...? If Remus and him were not friends then Daniel would not have a reason to go to the Weasleys apart from the Order meetings. But even then they would not have met until a later time period meaning they would not be close.

             Any who, the point is that while her brother is handling things well, she knows he remembers everything and takes care of it on his own way. And then there is also the fact that he needs to attend those sessions his work requires him to do so they can get back to work with a mentally healthy mind (or one close to it).

             Now, she can go on about how Ron suffers within his state of sleep and wakes up in the middle of the night, looking around the room in order to spot anything familiar. The way that Hermione flinches at any loud noise that erupts from a sudden silence. How Fred wakes himself with sweat dripping from the side of his temples, the fear of death closer to him that had approached; George hides the way he makes sure Fred is by his side for the fear of losing him. Theo scratches his Dark Mark— sometimes he writes over it with a marker. Blaise flinches when he spots a fire before he calms down. And of course, one of the worst that deals with all the consequence is Harry Potter himself. The Boy Who Lived... Again. Nightmares, memories, the present— they all scare him. One would be a fool if they did not think Harry was not suffering. Some assume all his worries suddenly disappeared. Spencer knows him better. She knows that he cannot leave a room without assuring himself about who is inside and what exits are faster in any case of attack. Instead of focusing on himself, he masks his own trauma and helps others because as much as he is oblivious, Harry is too much of a caring person.

             Sometimes, Spencer wonders if life would be better if they were not able to feel these powerful emotions. If at one point everything just becomes... numb. Or maybe if there was a way that she can take away all the trauma her loved ones have. All to herself so no one else can take the damage.

             Unfortunately, life does not work that way.

             Back in her fifth-year, Ricky would make Spencer talk about what worries her. It did not heal her within days, but as time passed, she was able to realize her worth with his help. He has always been there for her. A shoulder to cry on, a person to hug. Ricky Adams never once was apart from her even in the days where they were separated.

             Which is why she does not hesitate to bring him into her arms when he just collapses. Spencer always realized the times when Ricky was afraid. He was never closed off about his emotions. His parents made sure that he knew he was loved despite anything that he told them. That is where they differ in each other. He knew emotions were a development to his life— that it was not a weakness or something to be ashamed of. On the other hand, she was taught that showing such emotion would guarantee her vulnerability. She would bring nothing but 'shame'.

             Still, watching her best friend crumble in front of her is not something she ever wished to endure. Then again, it is best that he comes to her for help rather than deal with it on his own.

             Her hand gently trails on the back of his neck, reassuring him that he is with her and not some place else. That he is safe and that they are not separated. She always feels safe on his arms, it only makes sense that he might feel the same way.

             "I'm right here," Spencer assures quietly, the words being clear in the midst of the solemn environment. Ricky is clutching onto her shoulders, his tears being soaked into the loose blouse she is wearing. "You were incredibly brave through every step, Ricky. I cannot heal you, but you must see how incredibly far you have come. You are one of the most bravest and kindest person I know."

             He does not say anything and instead buries his head deeper into her neck.

             "Whenever you're ready..." she murmurs, not bothering to finish her sentence knowing he understood. And finally, with those words, Ricky backs away from her warmth and lets himself lean on her while they sit side-by-side. He stays quiet for what feels like the longest time. Spencer does not mind. She waits patiently.

             Her attention focuses solely on him once he let out a small sigh. There is a short pause of complete silence before his voice is audible. "When I close my eyes..." he begins, sounding like if he is miles away from her, "I feel like I'm back at Hogwarts where everyone is fighting. The bright lights, the bodies on the ground, the smell of fire and explosives— sometimes, I feel like I can't breathe."

             Spencer does not dare to speak knowing he has more to say.

             "How do you do it, Spencer?" Ricky questions, his tone being one of pure distraught. She furrows her brows in confusion, not saying anything as she waits for him to elaborate on what he means. "How do you continue on knowing you can remember every detail of what happened? I-I don't even have an eidetic memory and I remember Bellatrix holding me down and she— I couldn't—"

             He cannot finish his sentence because another sob escapes his mouth. Spencer gulps down hoping she can get rid of her own sadness. Just enough to focus her attention on him. Despite the fact that he is one of the most open person she knows, he never took it as far as this.

             "It never stops hurting," Spencer reveals honestly. She does not miss the crestfallen expression on Ricky's face due to her words. She wishes she can tell him that it would, but in all reality, she knows it is not possible. "The pain, it lessens, but it never goes away. Slowly, we come to notice that while it does not fade away... we are not alone. I have always had you. I did not know it before, but you provided the help I needed. Our friends, the love we share for each other. That helps. It does not fix everything in a matter of days, but it's comforting to know that we aren't handling it alone."

             "Ever so the wise," Ricky mumbles, his cries dialing down while he listens to her words.

             "What can I say? I have a brother with ten times the experience... and a best friend who has always taken care of me, so now I will be returning that same sentiment," Spencer voices clearly. When she spots the tiny smile growing on his face, she lets her thoughts take her into ways of making him feel better.

             The two of them grew up living different realities. While he was able to understand what it is like to be a muggle, Spencer only read a minimum about them growing up and depended on the daily lives of pureblooded wizards. With her parents having been like how they were, Spencer never had a chance to know how muggles worked. She knew they must have good childhoods (well, better than how she spent it considering her family never did anything fun even in the Wizarding World basis). There are many activities in the muggle world that she has no experience of— oh!

             Noticing how he was starting to calm down, she nudges him on the side with a simple grin on her face. Ricky's eyebrows furrow not knowing what she was thinking. A smile filled with confusion reaches his lips while he waits for her to elaborate.

             "You told me once that you knew how to drive, right?" Spencer questions calmly, a glimmer appearing in her eyes when she notices him slowly understand where she is getting to. Ricky nods his head as his answer.

             "Brilliant!" She exclaims brightly. "I want to learn too!"

             "It's not that easy considering your circumstances..." Ricky trails off. The talk from moments before began to head in the back of their mind with this new conversation being brought on.

             Spencer waves off his (most likely correct) assumption. "I can do it... it can't be too hard!"

.･:*:･ﾟ'✫,'✫'ﾟ･:*:･˙

             "WE ARE GOING TO DIE!" Ricky shrieks. He closes his eyes tightly as if that will help him avoid the situation. His hand is clutching toward the sides in case Spencer finds some way to go flying off. With her being one of the smartest persons he knows, he would not be surprise if Spencer somehow finds a way to actually cause them to go flying. And not in the magical way but rather the 'we are going to die' type. It turns out, driving is certainly not easy when it comes to a figure of a pureblooded family.

             Spencer, having no utter clue what is wrong with her driving, only presses into the gas pedal further. She lets out a laugh amidst Ricky's yelling, her hair flying back due to the windows being open. The muggle radio is turned on to a medium level where the music blends in with their own voice.

             "That was not—" Ricky whimpers in fear as Spencer realizes the first thing she pressed on was not the one she wanted and had abruptly stepped harder into the other one. "I need a new best friend," he gasps quickly as if that was it.

             "This is so odd!" Spencer exclaims.

             "I should have told Theo that I loved him," Ricky mumbles, breathing heavily in relief when Spencer surprisingly moves to the side in order to relax. While he seems to be restless, his best friend does not notice the problem that occur and instead takes a look around their surroundings.

             Ricky is starting to be thankful that he led them to an area where there was space to practice. Muggles were out of sight allowing them to be safe from Spencer's horrid driving. Cars do not tend to pass unless they were leaving elsewhere, but thankfully it was not too many that they have seen. Or else Spencer would have caused an accident by then. Well, kind of. She stays in her road but she has no decency in how much gas to step on or not. All she does is press onto the pedal and lets the car speed away.

             "Let's do it again!" Spencer laughs, and Ricky instantly pales. Before he has a chance to disagree, his best friend already began pressing onto the pedal and began racing toward the road. Again, he holds onto the sides, keeping one eye open just to get a view while the other is closed in fright. One would think they would be better off since they went through war, but by the looks of it, Ricky would rather not experience what Spencer recommends ever again. Or at least, nothing to do with driving!

             In the midst of having no clue where they are, Ricky opens his eyes and his mouth opens in shock when Spencer passes a car that was resting on the side. He opens up his window, taking out his head to get a clearer look (which is impossible with how it appears as a blur) and then turns back to Spencer in fear.

             "THAT WAS A POLICE!" He yells at her immediately. Spencer was about to ignore his cry before remembering exactly what muggle police do. She makes a face of understanding when they hear the alarms behind them go off. "How the fuck were we in Ravenclaw?" Ricky mumbles in defeat.

             Spencer slowly begins pressing down on the brakes as she gives Ricky and guilty look. "I've done something horrible, haven't I?" She questions with a frown.

             Ricky is about to agree without hesitation before noticing her expression. With an exhausted sigh, he shrugs his shoulders. "Well, now we can say we've gotten arrested," he comments carefully.

             While that would be interesting, Spencer does not think it will look good when she has wizard profilers checking out her files... nope, definitely not okay. Seeing no other way out of this (and now the police is getting closer!), Spencer takes out her wand and points it at Ricky.

              She casts a nonverbal spell that makes Ricky's appearance change. His hair turns into a black shade, longer from the side making it reach his shoulders. The nose of his enlarges as well as his eyes changing into a shade of brown rather than the colored ones. She motions for him to put on his light sweater before she does the same routine toward herself.

             Once they notice that the police is walking toward them, the two of them do not look like themselves and are under disguised. Ricky is quietly biting his lip nervously, his hands fidgeting in place while Spencer is gently tapping her feet (not on the pedal) with a guilty smile.

.･:*:･ﾟ'✫,'✫'ﾟ･:*:･˙

             THEY WERE PUT ON cells, though, that might be because Spencer thought it would be best for them to leave. Apparently, the two of them were not allowed to leave because the car they had does not have a license plate. So, now they are accused of stealing a car plus driving madly (which that is fair since she did do that).

             "It was Johnny! I'm telling you... he was here last time for stealing from Annie's—"

             Spencer internally groans to herself when she spots Officer Smith (the one to have rudely taken them to their cell) motioning them to stay put while he heads off to do whatever cops do. Unfair, Spencer thinks to herself, but once her eyes meet Ricky's, she knows it is better to stay quiet. While she would have loved to have punched the man to have at least made it fair to end up being so, Spencer also knew it best to leave it alone.

             "We have a phone call," Ricky murmurs to her. "I can call my father... he'll be less strict than Mum."

             Spencer chuckles bitterly. "Ricky, your parents are currently in France," she points out.

             "Daniel...?" Ricky offers. Spencer widens her eyes and shakes her head in defiance.

             "No! I have the interview occurring next month— imagine having a criminal record?" Spencer winces. "Daniel will kill me... And you know what? He can probably get away with it because of all he has learned."

             Ricky leans his head back against the wall and frowns. "Arthur does not know how to do this. Hermione is the same age as us. Mrs. Zabini would help us, but—"

             "—Blaise will be making fun of me for ages," Spencer groans. Ricky scoffs. "Blaise? He would take blame of it himself! Theo is never letting this go. On either of us," he corrects with devastation.

             Silence overtakes the two of them. Spencer taps her chin in a thoughtful matter before she stands up and glances around the room. Huh, she thinks to herself. Busy people meaning they're less likely to pay attention... Spencer glances down to what she has on and then at Ricky. The two of them are still in disguised which can help them get out (that was actually not a problem... she already knew of a way to get out but she won't be mentioning that to Ricky)! She brightens up immediately, heading right beside Ricky once more.

             "You want to have some more fun?" Spencer questions her best friend.

             Ricky hesitates to answer before replying, "Last time you said that— a few hours ago, by the way— we ended up in a mess."

             Spencer waves off his answer. "This one is simpler," she tells him. There is a simple grin on her face that troubles Ricky further. "If we don't get caught."

             "You've been hanging out with Harry too much," Ricky mutters to himself before nodding her way. She takes one last look around the room before taking out their disguises. Their faces return back to normal and the sweaters they wore are vanished with a simple spell. Spencer shrugs at Ricky before pointing her wand at the lock of their cell, Alohomora!

             The cell opens up within seconds, and with no one spying on them, Spencer grabs Ricky's hand and pulls him to escape. They are not sure how they actually did it, but once they are more than a block away from the station, the two Ravenclaws stopped with a breath of relief. They share a glance before ending up in a bundle of laughter— while it is not unusual, moments like this is always a pleasure to remember.

             And then, Ricky curses.

             Spencer glances at him in confusion. Her eyebrows raise in question while Ricky glares at her (though, a small restless smile was on his face). Her face pales when her best friend retorts, "We could have Apparated! This is why people don't believe us when we tell them we're Ravenclaws."

             Once he is faced with the silence of the girl beside him, Ricky narrows his eyes at her suspiciously. "Spencer..."

             "Okay," she sighs out. "I might have knew that already... Look, I promise we'll never do anything like this again, but you smiled! Laughed! You had fun!"

             With those words, Ricky instantly steps back in surprise and glances at her curiously. "We committed a crime because you wanted me to smile?" His voice switches to one of amusement.

             "Getting locked up was not a part of my plan so I definitely had to improvise, but I figured we deserved to feel normal for once," Spencer offers quietly. Her eyes soften and she gazes at him carefully. "Was that alright?"

             Ricky grips his hand with hers and smiles. "That was perfect."

.･:*:･ﾟ'✫,'✫'ﾟ･:*:･˙

             FRIENDSHIPS ARE DIFFICULT TO secure in the daily life of teenagers. Fortunately, Ricky Adams did not have that problem in his own life. At the age of eleven, he befriended Spencer and since then has always been with her. Once he return to Hogwarts, everything will be different considering Spencer will not be doing so. Either way, he knows their friendship cannot break or bend. Certainly not after surviving a whole war, beating some noseless wizard, and escaping their cell from British authorities. Since they were under disguised, their escape was easy to do and despite being considered 'escapees', the drawings that they did of them does not look like them. Well, apart from some few distinctions, but that is alright.

             Their little adventure is a story for themselves (seeing as telling Theo and Blaise will only guarantee them humiliation). That was what they first promised, but honestly, it was impossible not to tell the twins about what they did. One would assume telling them would ensure that everyone would find out. However, George and Fred realized that in doing so it might jeopardize Spencer's special position of heading toward the Academy of Wizard Profilers so they promised not to.

             If Ricky had to be honest, he never would have believed if someone told him that he'd end up dating Theodore Nott. Despite not knowing that his father was a Death Eater, Ricky was not acquainted with him until his fifth year. He knew that the Slytherin was a pureblood, but he also noted how he was closed off. A mysterious loner with a charm to woo countless of girls. In no way did he assume that Theodore would swing for his way.

             And yet, Theodore became friends with Spencer. Anyone who can become friends with her is automatically good on his behalf because she has actual good judgment. Ricky thinks it is because she spent majority of her life surrounded by bad influence making her aware of any wicked signs. Spencer does not see it that way, but she would never admit to it despite all the signs being there.

             Any who, Theodore. Ricky can go on about him for ages. Their friendship began simple. Spencer was their choice of conversation and none of them minded since it is Spencer. Then there was the time where Spencer slowly shut herself out from everyone and she somehow grew close to Blaise Zabini. Upon noticing their friendship, Ricky was surprised, but he acknowledged how she would sometimes smile when talking about him (there was once she revealed that Blaise's favorite planet is Venus which oddly confused him as he had asked, 'oh, he told you?' and she replied, 'no, but he always stares at it!'). With Spencer going off on her own little world, Theodore and Ricky grew close.

             Theodore talked about his mother with sincere thoughts and fondness. He explained the upbringing of purebloods (of course, never mentioning that his father was a Death Eater which had left some problems that are now fixed) and how he swore once to himself never to marry an actual relative of his. Ricky had asked if he was related to the Montagues— interestingly enough, they are not! The Montagues are not considered part of the Sacred Twnety-Eight, but they have become purebloods after some time. Their reputation, however, will not be as pure as the Blacks or Malfoys (and truthfully, this makes Morgana and Mordra purely ridiculous).

             Basically, it was impossible for Ricky and Theodore not to become friends. And with his crush of Harry fading away once he began to hang out with the Slytherin, it became clear to Ricky that he was doomed to fall for Theodore Nott. Of course, they had a moment of pure devastation with the whole deal of 'Theodore Nott is a Death Eater!', but at the end, there is no one else Ricky can see himself with.

             Even amidst Theo's constant deprivation of himself.

             "It's cursed. I'm cursed," Theodore scoffs, scraping his left arm even harder as if that will take away the Mark imprinted on his skin. Ricky instantly swaps away his boyfriend's hand and wraps his own gentle one on top of the tattoo. Theodore flinches at his touch before slowly relaxing under his touch.

             "Don't do that— you'll only hurt yourself," Ricky frowns, his fingers carefully going around in circles in hopes to make him realize that it will be okay. Theodore gazes at him quietly before he catches Ricky in surprise when he connects their lips together. Ricky holds on the back of his neck while returning the same sentiment of lust.

             At one point, Theodore parts from their make out session and his fingers fumble around as he takes something out of his pockets. Ricky ignores his movement and continues pressing kisses among his face. At least, until Theodore lightly puts his finger on Ricky's lips to shush him up. Ricky stops as requested and his gaze heads down toward the object on Theodore's hand. His eyes widen in surprise and he glances alarmingly toward his boyfriend.

             "It used to be my mother's," Theodore whispers. He holds up a beautiful symboled pendant. "She gave it to me on her last day. A family heirloom of sorts. It bears her sigil right on the middle."

             Ricky goes to open his mouth before deciding against it. There was something in his boyfriend's eyes that makes just pay attention rather than interrupt and assume something else. Theodore grabs Ricky's hand and opens his palm. With gentle hands, he places the object inside. Theodore's hands does not leave Ricky's and he instead squeezes them in comfort.

             "I was never sure of anything throughout my life as I was terrified they would leave me," Theodore begins. "And then I befriended Spencer meaning right away that I befriended you as well. Merlin, Ricky, I love you. More than I ever imagined someone can be loved. My mother once told me that I would find someone who loves me as much as she does. And that when that time comes, this sigil can be passed down as a promise of love."

             "Theo, are you...?" Ricky barely breathes out, confusion and warmth spread among his face. Theodore gives him a slight grin.

             "Proposing? Not yet," Theodore murmurs. A laugh escapes him when he catches the blush rising on Ricky's cheeks and ears. "That'll be a grand moment. I know we can't get married in the muggle world yet, but in the Wizarding World we can. You won't be able to invite every family members of yours apart from your parents, but I'll make it amazing. This, however, is me giving every part of me to you. One day, Ricky Adams, you and I will be intertwined until death do us apart and even afterwards. That is... as long as you'll have me."

             "I'll always have you," Ricky agrees. And with that, their fate was sealed.

.･:*:･ﾟ'✫,'✫'ﾟ･:*:･˙

             ...FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE. Spencer opens her eyes once her pinky raises up. All the dead Hogwarts students, every name, house, age. Memories embedded inside her brain forcing her to remember that they are not just victims, but actual people that fought with courage in their system. The young girl leans her head back against the wall of the front house. She does this every day for a couple of peaceful moments. Not to torture herself, but rather to assure the universe that they will not be forgotten.

             "You okay?" A sudden voice from beside her makes her turn her head. Spencer is unsurprised to see that it is Harry. He sits next to her and keeps his eyes focused onto the lilies, head tilted curiously as if it is a way to communicate with his mother.

             Spencer raises an eyebrow and frowns. "Are you?" As expected, he does not answer. He never does and yet, he expects everyone else to do so. And see— they do! Everyone handles these types of situations differently, but Harry has never been one to truly speak on his feelings because of the expectations that everyone held of him. Spencer had gone to Daniel about it and he answered, 'He won't admit that he is not okay in fear that people will look at him in disappointment. I'd talk to him about it, but he doesn't need a profiler. He needs a close friend.'

             "I was talking to Blaise," Harry mentions quietly, leaning back on the wall while his eyes stayed in the same place. Spencer lets him talk and glances at him to see what he has to say. "He's cool. I like him. He was telling me how he never had a problem with me, but that he was just annoyed at how many times Malfoy would talk about me. I think he had an obsession..."

             Spencer chuckles in amusement. "Harry, you were not any better," she points out. "'Did you see Malfoy? I think he's up to something!' 'Malfoy was on the way!' 'I'd recognize that voice anywhere!'"

             Harry makes a sound of disagreement. "He was up to something! Did I ever tell you that he immobilized me back at the train? I bet he would have been happy if the Hogwarts Express left with me on it!"

             "You almost killed him—"

             "Okay, yeah," Harry sighs. He has a twitch of grimace written on his face. "I didn't want to almost kill him... God, that curse is horrible."

             Spencer scoots closer to him. "I know, Harry. You did not know what the curse would do— which was stupid, by the way. However, your heart is good and instead of running, you stayed. A bit frozen, but that is because you did not expect him to start bleeding everywhere."

             "We spent six years hating each other and yet..." Harry scoffs, shaking his head while he just trails off. Spencer wraps her hand on his. The unsaid words of 'when it came to the actual war, we were just two boys in different part of the spectrum' echo through their mind. "You should have seen Blaise's face when he told about Malfoy. It looked like he exposed his greatest secret. You know when his right eyebrow raises—"

             "—and his jaw clenches to stop himself from smiling?" Spencer laughs out knowingly. She gives him a grin. "He thinks it was amusing. It's just his own pride— not Slytherin pride, mind you, that stops him from saying so."

             Harry shakes his head with little exasperation. The two silence them slowly, staring out toward the lilies. Spencer forces herself not to speak about the flowers. Not yet. See, she knows Harry. Right now he was hoping to get her to smile (which he succeeded!), but does not allow himself to do so. This, in her opinion, means she has to do it his way. Finds distraction before going to the real part.

             "Ricky and I were arrested," Spencer blurts out. Since not many people know about what happened (and seeing as it is a bit humorous), Spencer figures this might be amusing to Harry. As expected, he looks taken back by her words and is staring at her in confusion. "He was teaching me how to drive and apparently, muggles have a speed limit! Can you believe that?"

             A smile grows on Harry's face and he raises his eyebrows as he waits for her to continue. Spencer grins at the memory and motions forward with her hand. "I was pressing on the pedals harshly and Ricky was almost crying. You would think I ran over ten kids with that type of reaction!"

             "You're joking!" Harry denies, his hand placing itself on her arm as he stares at her in amusement.

             Spencer shakes her head furiously. "I'm not! I was going so fast I passed an officer on duty! We had those blinding lights behind us before Ricky yelled at me that running away from the police was illegal."

             "Everything you did was illegal," Harry laughs. Spencer widens her smile and shrugs.

             "You are the one that started a group against our own Ministry so really, Harry, you've become an influence," Spencer points out. "Given the chance, I think you and I can overthrow the government. If Hermione, Ron, and Ricky joins us, we'll be unstoppable."

             Harry rolls his eyes. "You and Hermione can take over the world without a sweat."

             "Good thing we choose not to," Spencer voices. With Harry's small nod of agreement, Spencer then quietly adds, "Just as you had a choice too, Harry."

             Perhaps catching him off guard, Harry only flinches and says nothing to defend or argue with that statement. Either way, Spencer does not let him have a chance. "While you could have been the only person to stop Voldemort because of the prophecy, you did not have to sacrifice yourself for us. You had this pressure on you, Harry. Since the age of eleven, everyone already expected you to lead a path of greatness."

             "There was never a year where you were free of any danger. The people either admired you, or they hated you. I care about many, but I do not believe I would have the same courage as you to last this long," Spencer admits. She gazes away from the garden in front and looks at him carefully. "You took every hit. Every judgement, every slander, every threat. All of it without fully giving up. You have been rightfully angry, but you cannot blame yourself for all the loss that we had during this war. This is not on you, Harry. You were not the wizard that chose to kill."

             "You, Harry Potter, were the seventeen year old who chose to use love as his weapon," Spencer continues firmly. "And yes, all of us are traumatized, but so are you. We won't be the same as before. We never will be— that is okay. Look at where you are. Right now we are sitting in front of the Burrow where inside the house are our family."

             Noticing the ways his green eyes are watering, Spencer gives him a slight chance of privacy as she faces the lilies once more. With that in mind, she voices gently, "You see all of those lilies? All the different colors have meanings." Spencer points to the white colored one. "White lilies are seen as innocent. They are the flowers of rebirth. It provides the chance of a new life with a clean slate. Meanwhile, the light-colored yellow ones you see there," her voice lowers as she points to the ones beside the white, "they have the meaning of friendship and thankfulness. While Molly only has those two colors, there are also ones that are red and others of a light pink. What I am trying to say..."

             She pauses, trying to find the right words knowing she was rambling.

             "They remind you of your mother," she stares surely. "From what I have heard, Lily Potter was a woman surrounded by friends, by love, and every bit amount of passion. I don't know her, but sometimes I feel like I do because the way Remus describes her... Harry, it reminds me of you. You don't see it, but you have one of the kindest and purest souls. Your love for others overpowers the hate and abuse that you have faced. We do not blame you for the war. We do not blame you for anything. You were not the one doing the killing. In fact, I think we are thankful for you. Thankful that despite everything you have endorsed, you chose to defend and fight for love."

             Again, silence stilled in their area. At least, it did until Harry finally released the first sob since the end of the Battle of Hogwarts. And there was that same reminder: all of them still hurting and yet, clinging onto each other as if it would be the last time of them being together. 

▂✫⌒*･ﾟ

AUTHOR'S NOTE:
currently crying cuz wtf imagine how much this
whole thing affected harry???? also, there was
no blaise but i have a chapter specifically for
him and spencer & then our goodbye <3