54 | ﴾ Epilogue ﴿

                                    

                                          
The sun completed it's digestion of the skull that hovered in the clouds above, and any remnant of the dark lord vanished with it eternally.
                          
In the newly liberated brightness of the afternoon, bodies could be seen strewn in varying levels of completeness across the Hogwarts courtyard and viaduct. Limbs and chunks of flesh scattered randomly around the gory setting along with unbelievable volumes of rubble and debris belonging once to the stunning castle. 
                          
Smoke continued to plume from untended to fires, blinding the survivors and forcing them to choke on the ashen element as they staggered around the disturbing setting in shock of what had just occurred. The shrill cries of several very wounded individuals echoed off of the hard surfaces sickeningly, prompting those more fortunate to run to their aid.
                          
The young Veela witch had single-handedly obliterated the entire Death Eater army by transforming the courtyard into a fiery oven, charring and cooking alive only those she deemed necessary. Piles of ash lay in wake of what was once living creatures. The resistance and the French army had been subjected to a terrifying experience of being enveloped completely by black flames, luckily unharmed but left emotionally distraught. The battle had ended in a startling flash, and most were still dazed and tripping on objects. 
                          
Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy sat crying emphatically next to their son's body as the smoke curled away. Narcissa had his hand in hers, rocking back and forth and practically screaming an ear splitting, gruesome wail that could have passed for a hag trying to lure muggles into a dark forest. 
                          
Beside the handsome boy lay the Veela girl with rivers of white hair all around her from where she had collapsed mere feet away.
                          
Minerva McGonagall shoved her way through the weeping Order members and French military that had clustered closely around the noisy display. With her wand outstretched she blithered harshly under her shaky breath at them to separate.
                          
Harry stood beside Lucius twisting the elder wand in his fingers with a bloodied face. He could hardly see through his extraordinarily damaged spectacles, but he knew enough based on the colors of their hair and the agonized cries of Narcissa. "I'm sorry, that we couldn't save them," he offered the Malfoy's in a strangled voice. Ron shifted next to him with silent tears falling to the ground at the tragic scene.
                          
When McGonagall reached the forefront of the gathering she paused in horror. Hermione had dropped beside Madeleine to inspect her state. "Come back to us Madeleine, don't let it win!" She shook the girl's shoulders desperately as her tears ran down her cheeks and dropped onto the comatose girl's charred dress. 
                          
McGonagall swiftly knelt beside Hermione and ran her hand over the girl's cheek, "This one - she's still alive. She's in some sort of trance. We need to get her to St. Mungo's immediately for evaluation." 
                          
The girl indeed was alive. In an uncanny and eerie display, she was laying on her back with wide, unblinking eyes, staring up at the blackened sky above as rain hit her in the face. Hermione peered closer at her eyes, which had gone so black one could not tell the difference between the pupil and the color surrounding it. She appeared seriously demonic as she lay there still as stone, taking in shallow breaths.
                          
In her hand, her Chestnut wand was cracked entirely up the middle and her fingers were blackened by the destruction of the powerful item. "She's being consumed by the poisoned Veela magic. She warned us this might happen," Hermione explained through sympathetic sobs. 
                          
McGonagall ran her quivering fingers over the girl's body, "I'm afraid miss Granger may be correct. We will just have to see what the healers can do." 
                          
Narcissa stopped choking on tears and her hand shot out like lightning to grab Madeleine's arm possessively, "No! You cannot take her. She belongs with us. They cannot be separated." Both women exchanged stern glances, McGonagall darting her eyes back and forth between the two young bodies before her in obvious outrage.