Carvings

There it was, carved into the gnarled wood of the Whomping Willow, a haunting reminder of what he had found ... and lost. He bowed his head and let the tears run freely down his face leaving a clear trail against his dirty skin. It had been mere hours since it had all ended, not just the battle, but his whole world.

As he leaned forward to rest his forehead against the carving in the rough bark, his silent tears turned into racking sobs that were heaved from the very bottom of his soul. This was his fault, if only he had...

He reached out in the dark to find the face before him. They had to stop meeting like this, not only was it dirty and smelly in the closet, but he also couldn’t see his lover, damn Filch for not installing lights. As sweaty bodies moved rough and fast together, he became lost in the moment, thanking the heavens for bringing them together, despite their rocky beginnings.

As he came, he went into mental meltdown and shouted, “Fuck, I love you.”

The small closet was deadly silent. It wasn’t a topic they had breached before. So far, it had been a couple of fucks and a few secluded meals, but he had loved him long before all this. He worried that he had screwed everything up, that it would all fall apart and he would never see the boy again.

Said boy’s hands were still gripping his hips, although notably tighter.

“Oh God, I’m so ... I ... um ... it’s just ...” he blathered.

“I love you, too,” came the quiet reply. Then hungrily lips descended on his, shattering his shocked state.

He stumbled along the dark, cobbled path from Hogsmead, with a deep gash in his right thigh, a dark bruise forming around his left eye and a splitting headache. At least he wasn’t dead, that was something, as long as he remained alive, he was in with a fighting chance. The Death Eaters had sprung a surprise attack on the village and the school. He had apparated directly into the village from outside Grimauld Place and ran straight into a group of rogue Death Eaters who were looking for some fun. He staggered through the gates to Hogwarts and tried to concentrate on where he was going, but his mind kept slipping away.

“It’ll be okay, love. We’ve been prepared for this for months. We’ll come out on top,” his lover assured him.

“But what if it’s not enough? What if we lose? I don’t want us to be the downfall of the entire Wizarding community, everyone’s relying on us,” he whined. His boyfriend leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on his lips, not removing his fears, but distracting him from them for a few brief moments.

The boy grasped his hands and squeezed them gently, “no matter what happens today, babe, just remember that I will always, and have always, loved you.”

“I love you, too.”

He smiled sadly and turned away, continuing to pack his bag and lamenting what had almost been a lovely night. They had spent the night together, creating their own happy little world, forgetting the war and the evil that lay beyond their four walls, until reality had crushed their fragile home.

He tripped and fell, oozing blood onto the bright green grass. As he clambered uneasily to his feet again, he turned his head away, hating to see the colours clash. He ran to the school doors and paused, establishing where the heart of the battle lay. Naturally Voldemort had turned the Great Hall into an indoor battle ground, where he could monitor all proceedings from atop the stage. As he entered, there were hundreds of people fighting, each attempting to become victor in their own mini battles. It took him only seconds to spot his lover cornered near the stage, heavily in combat with a tall, dark haired Death Eater, and, as promised, coming out on top. He made his way stealthily towards Voldemort, ready to confront him.

The stage came into view, with Voldemort standing, casting his spells above the crowd to defeat unsuspecting members of the light. As he came within meters of the man, he followed the direction of the wand clutched in his bone-white hand, and his eyes landed on ... no.

“BBAAAABBBEEE!!!” he cried over the roaring crowd. The man of his life turned and smiled cockily upon seeing him, having just defeated another member of Voldemort’s army. The boy’s face dropped, however, when he saw his lover’s expression and outstretched arm, pointing at Voldemort’s wand. Before he could do anything at all, even raise his wand, the blinding green light hit his boyfriend’s chest and he convulsed. There was no slow motion, nothing froze, he just collapsed, the world kept turning and his tears started falling.

His wand fell from his grasp and he reached into his bag and withdrew the blade concealed there. His adrenaline reached an all new high and he rushed towards the murderer and stabbed him in the heart before he had even seen it coming. There was a roar of victory from on-looking members of the Order, which grew as the people of the light realised Voldemort’s defeat. The Death Eaters turned, shocked, and hurriedly began running from the hall before Auror’s managed to catch them. He, however, left the blade stuck in corpse and despondently drooped his shoulders, tears still streaming down his face.

He reached the body of his lover and sat there for hours, cradling the motionless cadaver until a faceless friend removed him, and covered the body, marking his clipboard that tallied the casualties of the battle.

His skin broke and blood flowed from his forehead onto the tree’s carving, forever tainting the image. He stood back and took a long look at the heart and initials carved in the tree, before walking back to the hall to assess the damage for himself.

Forever remained the image, marking happier times before the war that almost obliterated the Wizarding world. The heart containing the writing: H.P.& D.M. forever, served to remind the new students of Hogwarts, of the sacrifices made to allow them to be there today.

xMopple