The American. (George Weasley)

Thirty-Three.

We decided it was best to split up since we had such a big group. My mom and dad went with Remus to the grounds. My brother and Luna went to Ravenclaw tower with Flitwick. And Neville and Irina went to a secret entrance. George and I were headed for one of those secret entrances as well.
   
We said goodbye and good luck to Fred and Genevieve, and George and I kept together, like we said we would. We dueled Death Eaters only when we needed to. Which was actually quite often considering that they were trying to sneak into the castle through the secret entrances.
   
We felt a big explosion about half way through the battle. We couldn’t tell where exactly it had come from, but we knew it was on a high up floor. It shook the whole Castle. George asked me if I was okay about a million times.
   
Not long after that, the high, cold voice of Voldemort spoke to us again in a whisper like he did when we were in the Great Hall. “You have fought,” he said, “Valiantly. Lord Voldemort knows how to value bravery. Yet you have sustained heavy losses. If you continue to resist me, you will all die, one by one. I do not wish this to happen. Every drop of magic blood spilled is a loss and a waste. Lord Voldemort is merciful. I command my forces to retreat immediately. You have one hour. Dispose of your dead with dignity. Treat your injured.
   
“I speak now, directly to Harry Potter. You have permitted your friends to die for you rather than face me yourself. I shall wait one hour in the Forbidden Forest. If, at the end of that hour, you have not come to me, have not given yourself up, then battle recommences. This time, I shall enter the fray myself, Harry Potter, and I shall find you, and I shall punish every last man, woman, and child who has tried to conceal you from me. One hour.”
   
Everything instantly calmed down after that. George took my hand in his, and we walked back to the Great Hall. It wasn’t a very happy sight in here at all. It was filled with the dead bodies.
   
We saw a group of people with red hair all standing together. We headed to George's family that was standing with mine, and as we got closer we saw that they were all standing around one of them.
   
"There they are," says Charlie as we approached.
   
Percy was standing there, tears in his eyes. He hugged George quickly, and he said, "Georgie. There was an accident. An explosion. I tried to save him, but he was standing too close. I'm so sorry."
   
"What are you on about, Perce?" Asks George. It's then that I see him. My best friend. Fred Weasley. He was dead. He was lying on the ground, Mrs. Weasley was holding onto his head, cradling her son. Next to him was Genevieve, who also had her eyes closed. Irina was crying over her dead body. My eyes became clouded with tears at the sight. I'm on my knees in front of them now.
   
"What happened?" George demanded to know.
   
"There was an explosion," Percy explained, "Fred tried to get Gen out of the way, but the wall came down on both of them."
   
"They went out with the one they loved," my mother said, trying to make their death sound poetic or something like that.
   
George is next to me now, and we hold each other as we both cry. George had his head in the crook of my neck, soaking my shirt with his tears. I stroked his hair, trying to comfort him. He cried for a good ten minutes before he pulled himself. I let him cry as long as he needed to, and he needed to let it out. I wouldn't let him keep it in.
   
It was a few minutes later when Harry, Ron, and Hermione came over. Harry started looking around. I followed him with my eyes. He was looking past the crying Weasley family. I looked in the direction he was and I gasped. It was Remus and Tonks. Their son was so young, just over a month, and now he was an orphan.
   
My father had gone to help Neville gather the other dead bodies. After a minute, George had stopped crying. My mother was hugging Irina tight. Keeping her quiet. The other girls from our dorms, Katie, Leeanne, and Devon, all made their way over to us to say goodbye to Genevieve. We all cried together.
   
Harry was nowhere to be seen, but I was too busy to notice. Hermione asked if I had seen him, but I hadn't seen him since I noticed Remus and Tonks were dead. Hermione got upset. She said he must have gone to give himself to Voldemort.
   
Then we heard the sound of Voldemort’s voice again. “Harry Potter is dead. He was killed as he ran away, trying to save himself while you lay down your lives for him. We bring you his body as proof that your hero is gone. The battle is won. You have lost half of your fighters. My Death Eaters outnumber you, and The Boy Who Lived is finished. There must be no more war. Anyone who continues to resist, man, woman, or child, will be slaughtered, as well every member of their family. Come out of the castle and kneel before me, and you shall be spared. Your parents and children, your brothers and sisters will live and be forgiven, and you will join me in the new world we shall build together”
   
There was a still silence in the grounds as he spoke.
   
Everyone seemed to have followed suit outside. Where we saw Voldemort, his Death Eaters, and Hagrid holding Harry’s limp body as they approached us. The Dark Lord was glad to greet us. There was an outcry of screams when we saw Harry’s limp body, but I didn’t say anything.
   
Voldemort started spreading lies, saying that Harry was trying to save himself and leave the school, which anyone that knew Harry would know that was a lie. Neville shuffled forward, dragging an injured leg behind him slightly as he got closer to the Dark Lord. Bellatrix told Voldemort who he was as he approached.
   
“You’re a pureblood, boy, aren’t you?” Asked Voldemort.
   
“So what if I am?” spat Neville.
   
“You show spirit and bravery, you come of noble stock. You will make a very valuable Death Eater. We need your kind, Neville Longbottom.”
   
“I’ll join you when hell freezes over. Dumbledore’s Army!” hisses Neville and thrusts his fist into the air, causing an uproar of cheers that Voldemort silenced right away. Seconds later, what looked to be a misshapen bird flew out of the castle window. It dropped the sorting hat right in front of Neville, who picked it up. Voldemort said that Neville was going to make an example of what happened when people continued to defy him.
   
Neville kneels down, and takes something out of the hat. It was the sword of Gryffindor! In one, fluid motion, he swings the blade and cuts the snake’s head off. Voldemort screams. Harry then jumps out of Hagrid’s arms and makes a break towards the castle. He wasn’t dead! He was alive!
   
We all follow him back into the castle, fighting alongside him. George and I started fighting next to each other in the Great Hall. He and Lee took on Yaxley while Hermione and I jumped on a Death Eater named Dolohov, who I was told killed Lupin and Tonks. We blocked everything he sent our way. He got fed up with this and his killing curse rebounded and shot back at him. We had avenged the loved ones that we lost, by killing the person who killed them
   
“Serves ya right,” I spit in his face and give him a swift kick in the face as well.
   
Ginny, who was supposed to be in the Room of Requirement, was trying to take on Bellatrix Lestrange herself. Bellatrix even brought up how Fred was dead, but then Mrs. Weasley got in between them shouting, “NOT MY DAUGHTER YOU BITCH!” and shot her own spell back at her.
   
The battle didn’t last much longer than that. George ran over to me as soon as the battle was over, picking up, spinning me around, and he placed a big, long, kiss onto my lips in celebration.
   
George asked Harry to use the Elder Wand on me to try and bring my memory back,  but it didn't work. My old memories were gone. I wasn't getting them back, but that was okay. George and I were back together and we were happy.
   
We headed home then. We got some sleep and woke up around noon. Mrs. Weasley had made us one last meal together. During lunch, George asked Ron and Harry if they wanted to move into the flat above the Joke shop because he just couldn't stand to be there any more. They declined, saying they were going to move into Sirius Black's house that he gave to Harry when he died.
   
Then Harry asked George if he'd like to move in with them if he didn't want to be at the flat anymore, which George accepted right as he was asked. Harry also said I could come, if I wanted to.  I don't remember ever staying at the House of Balck but from what George told me it was definitely big enough for all of us. So I accepted his offer.
   
Over the next few months, Harry attended all of the funerals of everyone that passed during the battle of Hogwarts. Fred's funeral was a rainy day, George seemed to take the loss of Fred the hardest. That was his best friend since before they were born. I couldn't imagine if I lost William or Irina.
   
That night, when we got home, George headed upstairs to our bedroom. I followed him. He was changing out of his funeral clothes when I reached our room. He had his suit jacket off, and he was taking off his tie when I walked up to him and wrapped my arms around him from behind. It was like Genevieve once told me, George and I just knew what the other needed. Right now, I knew he needed a hug. So that's what I did.
   
He let out a light chuckle, and then he said, "I love you, too, darling."

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Here's part 33!

This is the last chapter!

There will be an Epilogue, and then that's it!

-Emily Winchester.