Obliviate my Destiny {Book 5}

37. Lay me down

Finally, the truth was spread out in front of me, all of the intricate puzzle pieces falling into place. It was almost a comfort knowing what I had to do, what my purpose in life was. I used to think the purpose was to be happy, but instead it was to bring happiness to others.

With Harry by my side, we had to crawl into the jaws of death without a shout or a scream, or even a fight. All my life I had been fighting, told to survive, to live, to beat death itself. But in the end, I was a pig in the line of the slaughter house, a beast with a number branded onto it.

I had been bred to die.

The job that should have been accomplished in Godric's Hollow would be resolved, the prophecies tied up with a neat little bow. Neither could live, and I would make a choice so that my friends, my family, my lover could be safe with beating hearts.

Lying face-down on the carpet, where I had laid since the memories had ended, I could only hear the hollow beating of my heart. Soon, like everything else it would end, my body would decay, my life soon long forgotten.

A cold creeping feeling, as stealthy and mind-numbing as a dementor rushed over me. Would it hurt to die? Would it be as easy as falling asleep, or would it hurt, like how I'd seen countless people get stroke down?

"You need to be brave," I mumbled to myself, sitting up at long last, stroking the face of my mother's locket. "The bravest you've ever been..."

A gasp came from next to me, and I saw that at long last my brother had emerged from Snape's memories. His eyes looked heavy, his mind far away. I got to my feet.

"We're horcruxes...."

I nodded, and even that seemed like an effort as my body felt like a slowing ticking time bomb. "Mark actually loved me, Harry, in the end he cared."

A ghost of a smile came onto Harry's face. "Snape loved our mother."

Even though the shock shook at my core, explaining things, my mind wandered to other aspects of Mark's memories. Mark and Jenna had a long, deep-stetted tragic love that had ended far too soon. And Sam, Samantha of all people loved me.

If I'd ever explored who I was, deep to the very core, would I have ever felt the same? Would I have wanted Sam to hold me like Draco, to feel her touch and embrace? Would things have worked out differently?

"If only it could be different...." I whispered to myself. There had been so many points I'd been on the brink of death, or wanted to. Why couldn't I have ran into a car, or died to save a loved one—like Jia, like Sam, like Fred....

"Aurora....." Harry's voice was as soft as a heartbeat. "It's time."

And just like the first time we met, all those years ago in Diagon Alley, we hugged as if we weren't letting each other go. I could smell the soot and ash on his faded, rough jacket and feel the softness of his hair under my fingers.

We'd entered the world together, and now we were leaving together.

Finally prising apart from the hug, we grasped hands like children—that's what we were. Children caught up in a dangerous game, pawns to something I still didn't understand. The children of the wizarding war, we would soon be names on a memorial.

As we walked forward, I didn't even feel hurt that Sam had betrayed me. She was always a step ahead of us all, and she was so trusting, of course she would believe Mark would pass on the truth. But now I knew, and all there was left to do was walk the fragile line to the end.

This was a perfect solution though—Dumbledore, Sam, all of them—knew we wouldn't let anybody else die for us. We could stop further deaths; keep the fragile lives of our loved ones unbroken.