Dumbledore's funeral was the next day. It was held by the Black Lake and all of the students and teachers of Hogwarts attended. There was so much that he had left for us to know. But now he was gone. What were we supposed to do now? He had all the answers to destroying the Horcruxes. We had no idea how to destroy them. But I guessed it didn't matter right now. Harry told me that the locket was fake. Someone left a letter inside of it, explaining the whereabouts of the real locket. The initials R.A.B. were left at the end of the note. So we made no progress whatsoever. On top of all that, it turned out that Snape was the Half-Blood Prince from the Potions book.

As soon as the funeral was over, I watched Harry and Ginny by the Black Lake. He was breaking off whatever thing they had together. It was obvious they had feelings for each other, and despite the fact he was telling her his feelings now, I was sure Harry thought it was for the best.

After a few minutes to myself, Harry, Ron, and Hermione approached me.

"Do you think Draco would've done it?" Hermione asked us.

I shook my head. "No. I know Draco. He wouldn't have done it."

"It was Snape," Harry added. "It was always Snape. But neither of us did anything about it." Harry took out the locket and gave it to Hermione. "It's fake. There's a note inside it."

Ron and Hermione read the letter, not saying a word. Once they were done, she gave the locket back to Harry and looked at us. "The real Horcrux is still out there, isn't it?"

Harry nodded. "Which means that all of last night was a complete waste."

The four of us were all silent until Hermione spoke up. "Ron's okay with it, you know. You and Ginny and Draco and Max."

"Yeah. You didn't have to break off things with her, mate," the ginger said.

"I had to, Ron. It was for the best. After all, Max and I need to focus on finding these Horcruxes. We're not coming back to Hogwarts. We've got to finish what Dumbledore started."

"We'll let you guys know where we're at," I added.

Ron huffed a sigh. "You know, even after all these years, you two still don't get it."

Harry and I shot him a look of confusion. "What do you mean?" I asked.

"We've always admired the courage you two have," Hermione commented. "But sometimes, you two can be really thick. Don't actually think that you two will be able to find all those Horcruxes by yourselves. You two need us."

"And we'll be there for you two. No matter what," Ron stepped in.

Harry and I finally gave in. It was official. The four of us were going hunting for Horcruxes. Hermione was right. We did need them. They were our best friends. So the four of us were going to stick together, no matter what the consequences were.

*******

As I finished packing up my trunk, I thought about Draco. He never left my brain ever since he left with Snape last night. It was almost like the night Cedric was killed. Except Draco left me because he had to. Cedric didn't leave me willingly. He was killed by Wormtail, because Voldemort told him to do it.

Voldemort.

I hated him. I wanted him dead more than ever. He was the reason Draco had to leave me last night. There was a chance that I would never see him again. What if I didn't? I didn't want that. I wanted him with me. I wanted him by my side. He made me feel safe and secure. Draco was my sense of comfort and I missed him already.

"Max?" Hermione came in. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, I'm ready," I replied, picking up my trunk.

"I'm sorry about Draco. I know everything. Harry told us. He'll come back for you. I know he will."

"I hope so, Hermione." I looked around the room one last time before following Hermione down the stairs.

*******

The four of us got into an empty compartment when we boarded the train. Hermione was going back to her parents, Ron was going back to the Burrow, and I was going back with Harry to the Dursleys. We were going to miss Hogwarts. It was our home. I never considered Malfoy Manor my home, even if Draco and Narcissa were the only good things that came out of that place.

"So when do we start hunting for Horcruxes?" Ron asked us.

"We have to get through the summer first before we start," Harry answered. "I think it's best if we did that."

"I agree," Hermione said.

"Me, too," I added.

"The problem is that we don't know where to start," my brother said.

"We'll figure it out," I assured him.

The entire ride back home was quiet. No one said a word about the Horcruxes after that. Once we arrived at the station, we said goodbye to Ron and Hermione and grabbed our trunks.

"At least we're not saying goodbye this time," I attempted to lighten the mood.

Harry slightly smiled. "Me, too. It'll be the first summer we share together."

We went through the wall, meeting with the Dursleys. They were not happy that I was with Harry.

"I'm guessing she's coming with us?" Uncle Vernon spat out coldly.

"Yes, she is," Harry replied.

"Very well, then. Let's go."

We followed the family back to the car and sat in the backseat, not letting a single word come out of our mouths. Once we arrived at their house, Harry and I headed for his room upstairs.

He plopped onto his bed while I sat across from him on the floor. "So what's going to happen now?"

"A lot of things, Max. You know what this means, right?"

I nodded. "This means war."

END OF BOOK FOUR

~~~~~~~

A/N: It's done. Closer to Love is over.

Wow. I want to thank everyone who has been with me since the beginning of the series for sticking with me this far. I would've never made it here without your endless love and support! I don't feel sad for finishing this book, but it's crazy that I actually made it this far! After 2 long years of devoting my time to this series, it's been a long journey. But it was worth it.

So, which book is your favorite so far? Personally, I really enjoyed When Twins Strike Back. Anyways, do you think Max has grown as a character? Are you excited for the fifth book?

So comment, vote, and thank you for sticking with me and Max for this long. I love you all! <3333

-A