Sadness, Deep Sadness

Harry gasped. "Lord Voldemort?"

"Yes," Eve said. "He had a magical fairy wand, like in a fairy tale, but it did horrible things."

Harry gulped. "It...wasn't a fairy wand. It was an evil wand."

"How do you know about Lord Voldemort?" Eve asked. "Did he destroy your village, too?"

"Not exactly," Harry said. "He...destroyed my parents."

"I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," Harry replied. "It's okay. What we need to worry about is getting you away from Greta."

"But I told you, our slave law says that we can't escape," Eve said. "There would be many strong men after me if I did."

"What about me?" Harry asked her. "What if you left with me?"

"But...I wouldn't be allowed at your destination, would I?"

Harry had forgotten about Hogwarts. He had a sinking feeling in his stomach. "Well, I guess you wouldn't. But I could find you a loving family that could take you in on my way there."

"I guess..."

"It'll be alright," Harry assured her. "You just need to get away from here, and so do I."

***

"Ron, this isn't right," Hermione was saying.

"It's not?"

"No. We need to be looking for Harry, not sitting on top of the roof."

"But..." Ron didn't want to leave.

"We could get caught up here anyway," Hermione reasoned. "I mean, how many students are up here at three in the morning talking to boys?"

Ron looked around. "Quite a few, to be honest with you."

He was right. Along the vast roof and towers of Hogwarts, couples could be seen chatting or kissing. Most of them were kissing.

"Then we need to be serious about Harry from now on, starting now," Hermione said.

Ron leaned over and kissed her. She pulled away after a few seconds. "Or we could start that in a minute."

Ron looked at her slyly. "Or two minutes."

They kissed again, as Hermione thought 'Or three minutes. Or tomorrow. Or next week...'

***

For the next few days, Harry worked harder than he ever had, including the summer before his second year, when he had to work his butt off for the Dursleys' dinner with the Masons'. Not to mention that had been his birthday as well.

Eve had begun to get closer with Harry over the next couple of days. She was smiling at him constantly, and sitting too close to be absolutely necessary. But Harry was doing the same thing, in spite of himself.

After they had finished their chores, well past sundown, Harry poked his head inside Greta's vast food chest. There was bread, cheese, fruit, meat, everything. This was the night Eve and Harry were to escape. He had grabbed an empty chicken-feed sack earlier and now began to quickly stuff it with food. He found a few old empty bottles (that had once held whiskey) nearby and filled them with water. He would not have been doing any of this if the town had followed through with their 'provisions'. But they hadn't given him anything for the trip, and were not keen on his leaving anytime soon.

They feigned sleep in Eve's room for a few hours until Greta was snoring. They crept past her, Eve with another sack, filled with her spare dress and two thin blankets. She had hardly any money, but she brought the little money she did have.

They disguised themselves as best as they could, Harry discarding his wizarding robes he had come to the village in (and which everyone found 'disturbing'), and put on some old trousers and a plaid shirt of a field worker, which he had 'found'. He felt a little guilty about taking the clothes, but they had to get away from Tern safely.

Eve, owning only two alike dresses, covered her blonde hair with a cloth over her head. "Wait," she said urgently. "I forgot something. I'll hurry back."

Eve crept back into the hut and there was crashing and a scream from inside. Eve's scream.

Harry panicked. Greta came out of the hut triumphant. "Aha! My slave girl was trying to escape!" She was holding Eve's arms behind her back, which looked painful for Eve.

"Harry!" screamed Eve. "Go on! She'll make you her slave as well!"

"Harry Potter is escaping, too?" Greta asked her. When Eve did not reply, she shook her violently and repeated her question.

Eve still did not answer Greta. Greta dragged Eve over to the horse's drinking trough and plunged her head underwater.

Eve, not expecting that type of torture, was not ready and was drowning. Her coughs could be heard even though she was underwater; her lungs were quickly filling with water.

"Potter!" Greta yelled. "Come save your Eve! I'd say she has about 30 seconds left before life is drowned out of her!"

Greta yanked Eve's head out from the trough by her hair and she screamed in pain and terror.

"Harry!" Eve choked out. "Go on, I'll-I'll be okay." She was close to unconsciousness.

Greta did not know where Harry was; he had hidden behind a barrel.

She dragged Eve behind her by her arms towards...

She was dragging Eve to the pond! She was going to drown her! Harry had to save her.

But was Greta had already plunged Eve completely underwater, holding her head down. She couldn't escape to the surface.

"Noooooo!" Harry yelled. He couldn't take it; Eve couldn't suffer for him. "Take me instead."

Greta was still holding Eve underwater, but she turned to see Harry expose himself. "What?"

"Take me. Let her go and take me instead."

Greta considered this for a moment. "Are you saying for me to let this half-dead creature be free and make you my tortured slave?"

"Yes."

Greta held out her hand. "Deal." She shook Harry's hand, then pulled him underwater as well. "Die, both of you!" Greta shrieked madly.

The last thing Harry did was reach out and clasp Eve's cold, but loving hand.

***

Ten years later.

Ron and Hermione walked through the graveyard, holding hands and shivering in the cold.

"Hermione, we should just give up," Ron said, rubbing her arm. "We've been searching graveyards forever, looking for Harry's grave. It's been ten years since he disappeared."

"I'm not giving up," Hermione said, crying softly. "I know he's buried somewhere."

She kept walking, though Ron stopped and stared after her. "Hermione..." She'd come back. He sighed and looked down at his wedding ring. He remembered how beautiful Hermione had looked on that wedding day...

"Ron!"

He jerked out of his thoughts. "What? Hermione, I'm coming!"

He ran as fast as he could. Hermione could be in trouble.

As he reached her, he found she was in no trouble at all. "Ron," she said excitedly, "I found it!"

Ron was awed. "You found Harry's grave?"

"Yes!" Hermione whispered. "Look!"

Ron looked at Harry's gravestone.

Harry Potter

? -1996

Drowned in a lake,

Attempting to save a slave girl,

And died holding her hand.

"Wow," Ron said. "What girl?"

"Ron!"

"Sorry, but is she buried here?"

They looked around the old abandoned graveyard of Tern.

Hermione saw a simple stone next to Harry's grave. It was...inscribed. "Ron, look!"

They looked closer at the stone. It was large, but lying flat on the ground.

Eve

1981-1996

Drowned in a lake,

Attempting to escape with

Harry Potter.

Died holding his hand.

"That's so sweet and so sad," Hermione whispered. "You think they were drowned...on purpose? I've heard that the village of Tern was small with little order, but they killed any escaping slaves."

"Probably..." Ron said.

He smiled through his tears. "And you said we needed to stop our relationship until we found Harry."

"Yes, but...we could have found him..."

"We wouldn't have, Hermione. Fate is cruel. Some git drowned him for trying to escape from the village with a girl. We wouldn't have found him in time. Tern wasn't even on our map."

"I suppose so..."

"We should leave," Ron said. "Do you think the villagers had the courtesy to bury them holding hands? They're awfully close together..."

Hermione smiled. "I'm sure they are."

And indeed, they were.

The End