Epilogue

The teenaged boy and girl walked slowly, hand in hand, up the narrow pathway to the top of the little hill that overlooked the small, neatly-maintained cemetery. She was wearing the coat that he had gallantly loaned to her when she had been unable to shake the early morning chill that enveloped her. As they reached the top, he put his arm around her shoulders, sensing her discomfort caused by the brisk autumn air. They walked past the tall oak tree, which had stood for so many years on the little hill, and looked down upon the cemetery.

"It's so hard for me to believe that they're gone," said the girl, almost in a whisper.

"I know, I know. We were all friends for so long. We had been through so much together," replied the boy.

"Just when we had achieved victory... It just isn't fair!" She began to sob.

He held her closer now. She had lost so much: her fiancé tortured to death and many of her friends killed in the final battle against Voldemort. Of course, they had been his friends, too, and he missed them dearly.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked, tears still streaming down her cheeks.

"How it started out... just the three of us, so close, so dependent on one another. And then we became four and we were even closer. I guess I just thought that we would be together forever. And now, they're gone."

"It's my fault, you know. If I hadn't got myself in that position, she wouldn't have been struck down, and he wouldn't have had to try to rescue her," said the girl, crying almost uncontrollably.

He took her in his arms. "Don't say that. You couldn't have known. It wasn't anyone's fault. It was war. People die in wars," he said, his eyes beginning to mist.

They stood there silently holding each other for a long time before turning to once again gaze at the little cemetery.

"I'm going to have Mum and Dad's graves moved here. I think they would have liked it," she said, wiping her eyes.

"That will be nice," he said. "When the time comes, there will be room enough for us, too. We can be together for all time."

She nuzzled her head on his chest. "Thank you for everything. I couldn't have gotten through this without you. I love you so much."

"And I love you."

The breeze had picked up by now and it was becoming quite cold. They stood there for a few more minutes, looking down at the graves of their loved ones. The girl was starting to shake in spite of his jacket around her shoulders.

"We'd better go now. The cold isn't good for you," he said, with concern in his voice.

They both looked one last time at the graves down below them; tears misted their eyes.

"I miss you so much," she said.

Hand in hand, the couple started their long journey home.