▌𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲-𝐒𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 ━︎━︎ 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐆𝐮𝐭 ▌

━︎━︎━︎━︎𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐏𝐄𝐑 𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐒 the sun crawled over the horizon. They had buried their dead, people were beginning to heal, and Hogwarts was a complete mess. Juniper turned her head to look at Neville who was standing outside in the courtyard. She watched as he looked in the distance and began to limp forwards. Juniper frowned, quickly walking outside after him only to pause when she saw Voldemort and his army coming towards them. When she saw Hagrid with them, being held like a caged animal, she felt anger trying to ignite in her. In his arms, Hagrid was holding a body. Instantly, Juniper knew it was Harry.

     Hermione and Ron came to her side. Hermione grabbed her hand, interlacing their fingers. Everyone inside Hogwarts walked out into the courtyard, waiting for the words that would fall from the Dark Lord's mouth. Ginny stepped forwards. "Who is that? Hagrid's carrying? Neville, who is it?"

     "Harry Potter. . . is dead!" Voldemort yelled.

     "No!" Ginny screamed, running forwards. "No!" Arthur grabbed his daughter, holding her back.

     "Silence!" Voldemort snapped, raising his wand. "Stupid girl. Harry Potter is dead. From this day forth, you put your faith. . . in me." He turned, looking at his army and raising his hands out. "Harry Potter is dead!" Immediately, they began laughing. Voldemort laughed himself before turning back to look at those against him. "Now is the time to declare yourself. Come forward and join us. Or die."

     No one moved. However, Lucius Malfoy's voice rang out. "Draco!" He hissed. Draco stared at his father.

     "Draco. . . come." His mother softly called. Hesitantly, Draco listened.

     He walked forwards and Voldemort held him in a hug for a quick second. "Well done, Draco. Well done." Neville began to slowly limp forwards and Juniper couldn't help the disbelief that fell on her face. "Ah, well, I must say I'd hope for better." They all laughed and Neville stopped. "And who might you be, young man?"

     "Neville Longbottom." Once again, Neville received laughs, and Juniper felt her anger growing more and more by the minute.

     "Well, Neville, I'm sure we can find a place for you in our ranks."

     "I'd like to say something." Neville interrupted him.

     Voldemort clenched his hand and jaw before relaxing himself. "Well, Neville, I'm sure we'd all be fascinated to hear what you have to say."

     "It doesn't matter that Harry's gone."

     "Stand down, Neville." Seamus warned.

     "People die every day." Neville argued, looking at him. "Friends, family." He nodded his head. "Yeah. We lost Harry tonight. But he's still with us, in here." He pointed to his heart. "So's Fred and Remus. Tonks. All of them. They didn't die in vain." He turned to look at Voldemort. "But you will. Because you're wrong! Harry's heart did beat for us! For all of us!" Suddenly he grabbed  the sorting hat he was holding in his hand and reached in, pulling out the Sword of Gryffindor. "This is not over!"

     Suddenly, Harry leapt from Hagrid's arms and pointed his wand at Nagini. "Confringo!" it didn't do anything to the snake, but the spell did rebound and hit some near by Death Eaters. Suddenly, Juniper felt that spark in her grow as a small smile started to pull on her face. Harry went running and immediately Voldemort started sending spells towards him. Some of the Death Eaters began to disappear, leaving the scene. Bellatrix was crying wildly at them, telling them to come back.

      Immediately the students and staff all ran back inside Hogwarts as Harry ran towards them. Kingsley set up a protective shield as Juniper, Hermione, Harry and Ron stood at the entrance. "I'll lure him into the castle. We have to kill the snake." He looked at Juniper. "Except you, June." Juniper met his eyes. "You do what you need to do." Instantly, Juniper understood.

     "You'll need this." Hermione tried only for Neville to run forwards with the sword and Voldemort immediately sent him flying backwards.

     "Neville!" Juniper yelled. She looked at her friends and her girlfriend. "Go! Be safe, all three of you!" The three nodded and immediately went running. Juniper pulled out her wand and popped her neck. "It's showtime, boys."

Immediately, Juniper went head to head with a Death Eater. They took turns throwing and blocking hits before Juniper sent his wand flying from his hand and into her own before she stunned him and killed him. She barely had time to turn before another one was on her. Again, she won. She kept fighting, and it seemed like all of the Death Eaters were gunning for her, but quite frankly she didn't care. Harry was alive, and he needed time, so time she would give him.

She fought, killing a Death Eater every time she turned, taking a few hits herself but none of them damaging enough. She struck down another Death Eater before she snapped her head towards a familiar laugh. She spotted Bellatrix in the distance, advancing towards Ginny. Instantly, Juniper apparated in front of Ginny, pushing her back and towards Molly.

     "Nice to see you again, cousin." Juniper commented. Immediately, she threw a spell at her. Bellatrix blocked and Juniper sent another, and then another, and then one more before shouting, "Expelliarmus!" The wand went flying from Bellatrix's hand and Juniper hit it away. "Incarcerous!" Juniper shouted. Suddenly, thick cords appeared from nowhere, wrapping around Bellatrix's neck and arms and legs.

     Juniper stalked towards her, making the cords tight. "That was for Remus. Sectumsempra!" Cuts opened all over Bellatrix's body as she began to heavily bleed. "That was for Hermione." Juniper held her wand, holding her chin up. "And this is for my mother you bitch. Avada kedavra!" The spell hit her in a green flash and Juniper watched as Bellatrix fell to the ground dead. She stood there, taking heavy breaths.

     Juniper turned to look at Ginny. "Ginny, are you alright?"

     Ginny nodded. "I'm good. Go."

     Juniper nodded and jumped over a pile of rubble before spotting Neville who had just sat up. She threw a spell at a Death Eater that tried to surprise him, quickly running over to the boy. "Neville, are you alright?" Neville nodded, his eyes focused on something else. Juniper followed his eyesight, spotting the sword. "Get that sword, Neville. Get it right now. You have to go save Ron and Hermione."

     Neville quickly stood, grabbing the sword. "Are you coming?"

     "I need to stay and fight. Go!" Juniper yelled and Neville listened.

Juniper watched him go, holding her wand tightly. But before she could turn, she felt the spell hit her. She heard it even. And suddenly, she was on the ground.

Nagini had beaten them to the ground, and now Hermione and Ron laid there, thinking they were going to die, only for Neville to step forwards and kill the snake with the sword. Harry turned from where he had been fighting Voldemort, watching as the last horcrux was finally destroyed. Harry looked back at Voldemort and realized that it was just him. Immediately a stream of red power fell from his wand, matching with Voldemort's green. Easily, Harry began to push harder as Voldemort's wand began to break. The power stopped from both wands and quickly Harry shot the wand from Voldemort's hand and into his own.

In front of him, Voldemort began to die. Pieces of his skin breaking apart from his body before he turned to dust, and then into nothing. Voldemort was finally dead. Harry turned at the sound of a voice, Sirius Black's voice to be specific.

     "Hermione! Hermione, you need to come quick." Sirius yelled. Hermione stood, sharing a look with Harry and Ron before running inside. Ron and Harry didn't hesitate to follow her. Sirius lead her to Juniper and Hermione immediately fell to her knees.

     "Jay?" Hermione asked, gently shaking her. "Juniper? Can you hear me?" Tears pooled in her eyes as she looked at Harry and Ron, both of which were standing in shock. Out of everyone they thought would ever lose in this battle, Juniper had never once made it on that last. "What happened?" Hermione cried. "What happened to her? Juniper! Juniper, please!" She cried and shook her head. "Please. Wake up. Wake up!"

Juniper stood there, her surroundings completely in white. She looked around, furrowing her brows completely confused. This wasn't Hogwarts. She walked forwards, her footsteps echoing in the silence. There was no one there. No one at all. Just her. Until it wasn't. She spotted a bench in the distance, a woman with long brown hair sitting on it. Juniper walked forwards slowly, coming to a stop.

     "Who are you?" Juniper asked, looking around as her voice echoed.

     "I haven't been gone that long, have I?"

     Juniper watched as the woman turned and tears sprang to her eyes. "Mom?"

     Anastasia stood, smiling at her daughter. "Oh, my beautiful girl. Look how much you've grown." She took a stand in front of her, brushing the hair from Juniper's face. "You shouldn't be here, darling."

     Juniper swallowed. "I'm dead, aren't I?" Anastasia didn't answer but Juniper didn't care. She hugged her mother and Anastasia laughed, holding her daughter tightly. "I've missed you so much. So, so much."

     Anastasia nodded. "I know, sweet girl. I know." She pulled away, smiling and wiping away Juniper's tears. "But, you're going to have to miss me for a little while longer."

     Juniper frowned. "What? What, no. No. I'm not. . . I'm not losing you again. I―︎"

     Anastasia shook her head, placing her hands on her daughters shoulders. "You have never lost me, Juni. I've been here, watching you, keeping you safe. Just as I always have. Just as I am now." She placed a hand on her daughters cheek. "It's not your time, sweetheart."

     "Well, mom, I hate to tell you, but that's kind of how death works―︎"

     Anastasia chuckled. "You always did have your father's attitude. No, darling, it is not your time to come home to me. Not yet. You still have things to do."

     "Like what?" Juniper asked. "Bellatrix is dead. Voldemort is too. What more is there to do?"

     "Live." Anastasia said simply. "You have been fighting since you could talk. It's time to take the armor off. It's time for you to live your life."

     Juniper's eyes filled with tears. "I don't want to leave you."

     "You have other people that need you." Anastasia softly said. "Do you hear that?"

     "Wake up! Juniper, please, wake up!"

     Juniper looked up. "Hermione." She looked back at her mom. "What if I don't want to go back? What if. . . what if it never gets better?"

     Anastasia pressed a kiss to her daughters forehead before softly saying, "Trust your gut."

     Juniper's eyes opened. Heavy breaths left her lips as she looked around. Someone had their head on her chest and was crying. Two other people were standing around her. "I thought we won? Why are you crying?"

     Hermione's head shot up, eyes red as she looked at her girlfriend. "Jay!" She pulled her into a hug and Juniper let out a groan but hugged her back. She pulled away and then Hermione hit her on the shoulder.

     "Ow, woman! What was that for?"

     "Don't you ever do that to me again, Juniper Illysa Black!"

     Juniper scoffed. "Honestly, I'm surprised I lasted this long." Hermione helped her stand up. "Oh, my head." She looked at Harry and Ron. "So, what did I miss?" Immediately, they all began laughing and even Juniper managed a small smile. "Where's my dad?"

     "He's right there." Hermione said, pointing.

     Sirius was approaching them when Hermione pointed at him and when he made it to them he immediately pulled Juniper into a tight hug. "Oh thank Merlin."

     "No, thank mom." Juniper answered. "She says hi, by the way." Sirius pulled away and gave her and confused look. Juniper smiled. "I'll explain at home."

As the others began to clean up, the group of four walked along the bridge. Harry had the Elder Wand in his hand, Hermione and Juniper were playing a game of jumping over the rubble and trying not to fall, and Ron was simply watching them completely amused.

     Juniper turned her head to look at Harry who was standing on the ledge. "Hey, if you did all of this just to jump, I'll kill you myself."

     Harry cracked a small smile and shook his head. "I'm not going to jump." Harry looked down at the Elder Wand, letting out a sigh.

     "Why didn't it work for him, the Elder Wand?" Hermione asked.

     "It answered to somebody else." Harry said. "When he killed Snape, he thought the wand would become his. But the thing is, the wand never belonged to Snape. It was Draco who disarmed Dumbledore that night in the Astronomy Tower. From that moment on, the wand answered to him. Until. . . the other night when I disarmed Draco at Malfoy Manor."

     "So, that means. . . " Ron trailed off.

     "It's mine."

     "What should we do with it?" Ron asked.

     "We?" Hermione scoffed.

     "I'm just saying, that's the Elder Wand, the most powerful wand in the world. With that, we'd be invincible."

     Juniper gave him a blank look. "Do you not understand the entire reason for the war we just had?" In response, Harry snapped the wand in half, throwing the two pieces into the river below. Juniper pursed her lips. "Well, if only all of our problems went away that easily. We'd be seven years less traumatized."

Harry walked away from them, stopping a few feet away and staring ahead of him. Hermione walked over to him first, followed by Juniper and then Ron. The four of them stood there together in the silence and for the first time in years, they finally felt the stress fall from their shoulders, and they took in a breath of fresh air and accepted that from here on, the world was going to be completely different.