Elusive // The Weasley Twins

The Battle of Hogwarts

Cosette turned to face the castle, ignoring the sharp pain imencing from the side of her face where she had been struck. Debris from the stone walls lined the courtyard on either side of her and she nearly tripped over the wreckage as she started to make her way towards the entrance.

Her steps were slow, cautious of the people around her who were in worse shape than she was. Cosette was having a little difficulty focusing out of her left eye but she wasn't about to complain about a bit of blurry vision when others weren't even lucky enough to stand, let alone survive.

She wiped her forehead with the sleeve of her shirt, trying to ignore the calls of people who needed immediate assistance. As much as it was killing her not to turn and offer help to someone in need, Cosette had to make sure that her loved ones were okay.

The only reason Cosette was alive right now was because Voldemort's sickening voice seeped into everyone's mind, alerting his followers to stand down and called upon Harry Potter directly to face him.

There was an overwhelming sense of dread and despair as she pushed open the doors to the Great Hall. The place where she once sat with her friends and felt most at home had fallen to rubble. There was no peace there. Especially knowing, he was still still out there and the battle was far from over.

The hall was dark. Not many people were speaking and if they were, it was in hushed whispers. Cosette heard a lot of crying and she saw too many bodies being placed on stretchers and carried away.

Cosette's body started to shake, not yet having found anyone she was looking for until finally she spotted Neville, a student a few years younger than her sitting on one of the benches. His head had fallen into his hands and as Cosette stepped closer, she could make out the faint sobs escaping his lips.

"Neville," she breathed out, reaching forward to take his hand in hers. When he lifted his face up, Cosette could see how puffy and red his eyes had become. She wondered who had lost during this battle.

"Cosette!" Neville was relieved when he realized who was standing in front of him. "How did you- I saw you on the bridge before it collapsed. How did you make it out of there?"

"I ran like hell."

Neville cracked a smile at her response. It was probably the first time in weeks too. Cosette tried to return it but there were more pressing matters on her mind. She kneeled down in front of him, still holding tightly onto his hand.

"Do you know if-" Cosette couldn't bring herself to finish her question. It pained her too much to think about the possible fatalities. She even debated turning around and heading back outside because it would hurt less if she didn't see the bodies of the people she loved.

Neville's entire demeanor changed, causing Cosette's stomach to drop. He knew something. She was struggling to control her breaths when she saw the agony reach his eyes.

"I think he went looking for you."

"Who went looking for me?" She choked out, already feeling the tears well up in his eyes. Cosette raised her voice, "Who went looking for me, Neville?"

But he couldn't bring himself to speak. Salty tears started to stream down her cheeks, stinging the cut horribly but the last thing on Cosette's mind was tending to her own injuries. Cosette stared up at him, desperate for an answer but praying it wasn't the one she was expecting.

"Cosette."

She looked to the left and saw Bill Weasley standing a few yards away from her. He had his wand at the ready, but knowing him he probably never put it down after the Death Eaters retreated.