The two seventeen year olds sat on the cold stone floor, embracing.

Cassia had sworn to herself she'd be strong, but as soon as Harry took her in his arms, she'd broken. She was sobbing right now, into his shoulder, her whole body shaking despite the strong arms holding her in place.

"I'm sorry," she cried into him. "I'm so so sorry, I love you so much..."

Harry just held her tighter, whispering. "I love you too."

"I can't lose you," Cassia sobbed. "I- you're the only person who actually makes me feel like I'm worth something, and i-if you go I won't be worth anything..."

She broke off into more sobs, her whole face covered in tears by now.

"Hey, hey," Harry murmured, pulling back and taking her face in his hands, gently wiping the tears away. "Don't cry," he told her, shaking his head. "Don't cry, please."

Cassia stared at him, her chest still heaving, as she desperately tried to stop.

"Listen to me," Harry told her, staring straight at her. "You, Cassia Malfoy, are worth everything. And that's nothing to do with me. You've been shot down so many times in your life, but you've always got back up. It's not your fault you were dealt a terrible family, Cass, it's totally not. You chose to be different, and you did it."

Cassia stared at him, shaking her head.

"And I know you don't believe this, but you have to try," Harry told her. "You have to continue living after I die, you have to do it for me. I know you think it'll tear you apart, but it won't be, I promise."

"B-but," Cassia stammered. "What if I can't live without you, Potter?"

"You will," Harry told her. "You're strong, Cassia. You're strong and you're beautiful and you're funny and you're the love of my life, so you have to listen to me."

Cassia gave him a wet chuckle, looking down as she told him. "You're the love of my life, too, Potter."

The previous time they kissed, Cassia knew it could be the last time.

Now, she knew it was the last time.

She tried to remember how it felt. To remember how his lips against hers felt, to remember how his tongue in her mouth felt, to remember how his fingers in her hair felt, to remember how her arms around his neck felt.

There were so many things she hadn't done with him. She wanted to move in with him, to make love with him, to have three kids with him (two girls, one boy), to grow old with him.

She wanted to experience life with him.

And now it would never happen.

"You have to kill the snake," Harry told her as they pulled apart, foreheads pressed together. "You have to kill the snake, and then all that's left is to kill him."

"I'm going to that forest with you," Cassia told him, shaking her head. "I- I can't just let you g-"

"No," Harry told her desperately. "No, Cass, you can't. He'll just kill you when he sees you're with me."

"I don't care," Cassia shook her head. "I don't give a sh-"

"No," Harry grabbed her hands, pulling away from her so he could look at her. "No, Cassia, you have to live for me. You have to live for me so I have a reason to die."

"You already have a reason to die, Potter," Cassia said, eyes welling up. "You need to, to be able to kill him."

Cassia pressed her lips together and squeezed her eyes shut.

"But I need you to stay alive," Harry told her, still looking at her. "I wouldn't be able to die if I knew you weren't living."

Cassia took a deep, shaking, shivering breath.

"I'll stay here," she eventually whispered to him. "I'll kill the fucking snake."

Harry chuckled slightly, but Cassia didn't. She couldn't.

"You mean more to me than you can ever imagine, Potter," she told him, looking down. "And I... I just really don't wanna lose you."

Harry nodded, using a hand to cup her cheek, running his thumb across her cheekbone.

"I don't wanna lose you, either," Harry told her.

Cassia fought against breaking down as they hugged for the last time.

Because it was just that.

The last time.

❦︎❦︎❦︎

Cassia was holding his hand, fingers intertwined (for the last time) as they walked down the rubbly stairs, seeing Ron and Hermione sat in each others arms at the bottom.

As soon as they made a sound, both of them turned, seeing the two and getting up.

"Where've you two been?" Hermione asked, voice soft.

"We thought you went to the forest," Ron added.

"He's going there now," Cassia muttered, eyes welling up.

"Are you mad?" Ron turned to Harry. "No! You can't give yourself up to him!"

Harry, however, had let go of Cassia's hand, and walked onto the flat ground at the bottom of the stairs. His girlfriend and two best friends followed him, standing around him, and he bit his lip, staying still.

"What is it, Harry?" Hermione asked, suddenly realising. "What is it that you know?"

Harry turned slowly, looking at all three of them, but at those two most of all. The two that had been by his side since the start.

"There's a reason I can hear them," he told his best friends, his eyes raw with emotion. "The horcruxes. I think I've known for a while," he swallowed. "And I think you have, too."

Hermione's eyes were also teary as she said. "I'll go with you-"

"No," Harry shook his head. "I've told Cassia- you need to kill the snake. Kill the snake, and it's just him."

Hermione rushed forward, hugging Harry tightly. Ron, too, advanced forward, and Cassia moved back slightly, allowing the three of them to have their moment, the same way she and Harry had had theirs.

As her boyfriend headed off down the stairs, Hermione hugged her, as well. Because she was crying, Cassia knew it was only a matter of time, and soon, the both of them were crying into each others shoulders.

There was such an unspoken bond between them as they held each other.

Hermione was losing a best friend.

And Cassia was losing a lover.

❦︎❦︎❦︎

"Cassia..."

Cassia was already fragile as she entered the great hall with Ron and Hermione, where everyone was still milling about.

But seeing Poppy Patil, with Neville and Sophia and some of the other first years, just completely broke her.

She was already sobbing as Poppy ran towards her, hugging her tightly.

"I- I-" she stammered, not able to even piece words together.

"I'm so glad you're alright," her best friend whispered into her, tears also shining in her eyes. "I love you so much, Cassia."

Cassia just took another gulping breath as she pulled back, just looking at Poppy.

"Harry-" she began, before the sobs wracked her body again. "H-he-"

"Where is he?" Poppy asked, when Cassia wasn't able to continue, looking around for him. "He's not..."

And then she trailed off, her eyes going wide with understanding for where Harry was, and why her best friend was in pieces before her.

"Oh," escaped her mouth. "Cassia..."

Cassia nodded, another tear leaking down her cheek. "He- he had to," she told Poppy. "He just had to."

She couldn't explain the reason right now. In time, it would come out. That Harry was a horcrux, and that he had to die should they want to defeat Voldemort. That he was the bravest person in the world, and that he was leaving her in a way she would never dare leave him.

"Cassia... that was so brave of you, to let him go," Poppy told her, a tear leaking down her cheek now.

Cassia shook her head, wiping her eyes and trying to pull herself together. "I'm not brave."

Poppy chuckled slightly, tears still filling her eyes.

"I think everyone in this hall would disagree."

She stood to the side to let Sophia in, running at Cassia to hug her tightly.

"I was so worried about you," she told the girl.

"Me too," Cassia nodded, trying to hold the tears back in front of this brave, brave girl. "I thought you'd evacuated the castle, I didn't know you'd stayed."

"We couldn't leave," Sophia shook her head, looking up at Cassia with a slight smile. "And you never said your boyfriend was Harry Potter."

Cassia shook her head, her lips pressing into something of a smile as she tried not to tear up at the mere mention of his name.

"No, I didn't," she said, shaking her head. "It's just, um... when you have a family like mine... let's just say, I'm not allowed to date someone like him."

Sophia shook her head. "I just can't believe you kept it a secret."

"Yeah," Cassia nodded. "We just had to. There was a reason for it."

There's not really much reason to now, though.

❦︎❦︎❦︎

"Come here, dear, come here."

Molly Weasley was the mother Cassia had always wanted, really. She'd grown up hearing about how the Weasleys were blood traitors, and how they were absolutely terrible, and how they were dirt poor and an embarrassment to the wizarding world.

But none of that really mattered in the end, did it?

Because it was a Weasley that was standing in the middle of the great hall hugging her. It was a Weasley that was stood, letting her cry into her shoulder, despite just losing her son. It was a Weasley that Cassia had always, always wanted.

"Thank you," she whimpered slightly, as Molly held her tightly. "Thank you so much, Molly."

"No problem," Molly said, her voice warm.

"And I'm... I'm sorry about- about Fred," Cassia told her, pulling back.

"It's... it's okay, dear," Molly said, blinking away tears before they came. "He... he died whilst laughing, didn't he? At least he died the way he lived."

Cassia nodded, wiping her own tears as Molly continued. "And Harry's the same, Cassia, I assure you. He... he loves you so much. So, so much."

Cassia nodded, wiping yet more tears away. "Thank you, Molly. You... you're pretty much the mother I've always wanted."

Molly smiled at her, a watery yet happy smile.

"Well, I'd have no trouble welcoming another daughter, dear."

❦︎❦︎❦︎

"Is he alive? Draco, is he alive?"

Harry's whole body burned with anger as Narcissa Malfoy leaned over him and asked whether her son was alright.

She didn't care at all for Cassia, that much was clear.

But he also knew that he needed to stay alive. He needed her not to give him away.

So he nodded his head slowly, and prayed for his life.