Willow Song

XVII. Farewell to Hogwarts

The next several months were crammed with preparing for NEWTs. Serena's vision decreased by such imperceptible increments that she didn't notice how much darker the shadows were getting or how much closer the horizon was encroaching.

NEWTs were difficult, but Serena did well. After they were over, McGonagall suggested that Serena might be allowed go to Hogsmeade to celebrate if she were in Minerva's company.

The final Hogsmeade weekend of the term arrived. Serena walked down to the village with McGonagall, Neville, and Luna. While they were looking at the Shrieking Shack and discussing how easily having a lycanthropic student was misunderstood as haunting, three third years came running up with the news that several Death Eaters were attacking the Three Broomsticks. McGonagall directed Neville, Luna, and Serena to hide, and then get back to the castle as quickly as possible, then disapparated to help at the inn.

Moments after McGonagall disapparated, three Death Eaters apparated near where the three were standing. Using the Shrieking Shack for cover, the three defended themselves as best they could against the Death Eaters. Serena suddenly found her wand flying out of her hands and heard the word, "Crucio!" Excruciating pain coursed through her spine, causing her back to arch and her body to spasm. She could hear Neville and Luna still throwing curses and fighting the other two hooded men through her pain. The pain suddenly stopped as quickly as it started. Someone cried, "Stupefy!" She heard Neville and Luna cry out, then become silent as they were stunned. "So you're my daughter, the Seer. The Dark Lord has great need of you to defeat Harry Potter."

"Never!" cried Serena defiantly.

"Crucio!" shouted the masked Death Eater, as another wave of pain surged through her spine and caused her to spasm again as she screamed. "I will train you to serve the Dark Lord!" he shouted, holding the curse for another long minute before raising his wand.

"Which of you three is my father?" Serena asked between her pained pants, buying time.

Dolohov removed his mask. "I am."

Lestrange removed his mask as well. "Originally I was going to sire you, but I couldn't be unfaithful to my Bella, so Antonin decided to sire her baby instead."

Serena thought about the irony in the word 'couldn't' and stated, "Bellatrix Black was your first kiss." She tried to smile, but only grimaced.

"What has that got to do with anything?" he snarled.

Serena had to make some more time--anything to give her a chance to act, a chance to get herself and Luna and Neville away. "Why did you choose Tatienne?" she asked Lestrange.

"She was talented, beautiful, and pureblood. I needed a special child for my Bella. It's a shame you aren't as beautiful as your mother, but I have great hopes you share her talents."

"And when you couldn't find me you murdered my mother?"

"And your grandparents." Lestrange smiled evilly.

Serena had been slowly edging her hand towards her throat. She finally reached the compass and rubbed it.

The third Death Eater spoke. "Not only will the Dark Lord use you to defeat Potter and Dumbledore, but we'll start breeding the next generation of our Lord's supporters in you. Of course, you won't raise them. My son will honor you as the sire of your first baby."

Draco stepped from the shadows screaming, "No!" Then he pointed his wand at his father and yelled, "Crucio!" As his father writhed in surprised pain, Draco yelled, "I hate you! You can't control my life any more. I'm not so incompetent that I can't do things for myself!"

A loud pop turned Serena's attention from Draco. Charlie appeared and stunned the other two Death Eaters in rapid succession before enervating Neville and Luna. He gave Draco a puzzled look, then stunned Lucius as well. "You stay here," he instructed Draco.

Charlie grabbed Draco's green and silver scarf, dropped it on the ground, pointed his wand at it, and commanded, "Porteous!" Neville, Serena, Luna, and Charlie touched the scarf as Charlie called, "Hogwarts Hospital Wing." With a tug from her navel that reminded Serena of being a fish hooked on the end of a line, she was pulled away with a nauseating whoosh.

While Serena lay in her hospital bed, being checked for any lasting damage, she sent her legilimens to first Neville then Luna to make sure they were all right. She was relieved to find no major damage to either of them. Charlie stood by Serena's side, looking anxious. "Charlie, I'm okay."

"Serena, come marry me today. I'll keep you safe. I could protect you so much better as your husband."

"It's not time yet."

Charlie's lips tightened with suppressed frustration, but he held his tongue.

Dumbledore came into the room, handing each of them a lemon drop. "Madame Pomfrey tells me that you three have suffered no lasting physical damage, and she's taken care of the temporary damage. Thank you, Poppy. Charlie, that compass was a good bit of charm work; nicely done. We've got some other students needing the hospital wing shortly, so you two may return to your common room." He nodded to Neville and Luna. "Serena, Charlie, I need to talk to you in my office as soon as I finish talking to young Malfoy. Please wait for me there."

Serena let Charlie take her hand, and they walked to Dumbledore's office. "Canary Cream," said Serena to the gargoyle, and the office opened. She sat down to wait.

"Serena," Charlie began, standing by her chair, but she just shook her head no. Charlie began to kiss the back of her neck instead. She responded to the gentle kisses with a mental picture of a leafy grotto where waters from both a hot spring and a cool stream mingled together and cascaded from a small waterfall into a clear warm pool. Soft ferns and trees with hanging moss surrounded the grotto. She saw herself and Charlie slip into the waters together and make love behind the waterfall. She sent the image to Charlie's mind. "Wow," he whispered softly. Then he moved from her neck and began to kiss her mouth. The portraits on the wall began to complain in both mock and real outrage, so they pulled away from each other sheepishly. "Where was that place?"

"I don't know, but I want to spend our honeymoon there."

Dumbledore came in and the portraits began protesting, saying Charlie and Serena's behavior was most unbecoming for in the headmaster's office. Dumbledore tried to look appropriately stern and disapproving, but his eyes twinkled at the two.

"I suppose you're wondering why I called you here. Serena, the Order of the Phoenix needs you. Are you willing to become one of us, now that you are leaving school?" Serena nodded her assent. "Good. We have two options where we can use your talents and keep you safe from Death Eaters. You can spend another year here at Hogwarts, as a kind of teaching assistant, a graduate researcher, so to speak. You'd be given your own quarters, not a dormitory, and treated as a junior member of the faculty. Or, you can live at headquarters. This year without Sirius at 12 Grimmauld Place has been most difficult. Remus lives there, but he is often gone on Order business. We really need someone there to coordinate things. And it would be the easiest place to keep you safe from your father and his friends."

Serena pictured the whispers and pity she'd get at Hogwarts as her eyesight continued to fail, then realized that Dumbledore was making eye contact with her and had an eyebrow raised. She'd forgotten he could legilimens too. "Grimmauld Place," said Serena.

"What?!" exclaimed Charlie. "You won't marry me yet. You don't want to stay at Hogwarts. You choose imprisonment in that horrible place! That should be your third choice, not your first."

"I can fix the horrible part, if you'll let me, Headmaster."

"Of course. What do you need?"

"Paint, fabric, tools, the use of a couple house elves for a month should do it."

"Very fine idea. Make a list of what you need, and I'll send it over with the house elves."

"Surely, Professor, you see how the happiest answer would be for her to marry me now and let me protect her?" pleaded Charlie.

"Charlie, she has chosen wisely. The time for marriage and family will come soon enough for you two. Support her in this choice. Now, the leave-taking feast is tonight. Please stay and be our guest tonight and then you can accompany Serena to Headquarters.

"Serena, when did you last have your eyes checked?"

"Christmas."

Dumbledore lit his wand tip and held it up to Serena's eyes. "Why didn't you come and tell me about this?"

"I didn't want to be pitied."

"I have known. It isn't the kind of thing Professors Snape and McGonagall would keep from me. Severus told me of his suspicions before Christmas. I must ask you to trust me, Serena. You may go. I need to talk to Charlie about dragon security measures. He'll meet you in the common room shortly."

Serena went to leave, then stopped. "Professor, the other Hogwarts students, the ones in the Three Broomsticks, are they all right?" She saw in Dumbledore's mind a picture of Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Seamus, Dean, Lavendar, and Pavarti, ragged, weary, but sound. "Thank you, Professor." She left.