The Primrose Tree: A Harry Potter Story {COMPLETE}

Chapter 12: "It's Time."

CASSIDY'S P.O.V.

When we got back to the Great Hall, we were greeted by numerous hospital beds that supported the dead and chairs that supported the injured. Ginny's mother was tending to Ginny's fresh cuts and a broken hand. I glance over at one of the tables to find Hermione sobbing into Ron's shoulder. Their faces were completely covered in dirty cuts and purple bruises. Harry and I ran over to them. They jumped in startled surprise when they saw us but hugged us immediately.

"Oh my God!" cried Hermione. "Cass! Harry! You're alive!" She had her arms around both me and Harry.

"We were so worried," said Ron, kissing my head. "We thought you guys were dead."

"Where's Snape?" asked Hermione. "Did you find him?" But the answer suddenly became clear to her when she gasped in utter horror and disgust.

She'd noticed my trembling hands, which were dripping blood onto the broken floor.

Tears immediately began pouring out my eyes. I fell to my knees and started sobbing heavily into my hands. I felt Harry's hand stroke my back.

"We did everything we could," said Harry sadly. "We were too late. We couldn't save him."

"Correction!" I cried. "If Bellatrix had been dead before I had to stab her in the chest, then he'd still be alive!"

"You what?!" gasped Hermione. "You stabbed Bellatrix?"

Harry told them the entire story how Severus gave up his life to save ours and how Bellatrix wasn't completely dead after Severus had stabbed her. He explained why I had to finish her off myself.

"Cassidy, that's not like you," said Ron. "How could you have done something like that?"

"She needed to feel the pain," I sneered menacingly. "I wanted her to suffer, to die a slow and painful death so she would understand what her victims went through when she killed them! She deserved to die!"

"Cassidy, listen to me," said Hermione as she sat next to me on the floor. "You are not an assassin. You are not a murderer. You only did what you thought needed to be done. You did it out of anger."

"How do you know what I am and what I'm not?" I shouted at her. I quickly rocketed up from the floor. "I'm going for a walk. Don't wait up for me. Don't follow me!"

----------------------------------------

The sidewalks are like broken dreams to me. Every brick or rock that lined those walkways had been crushed to dust...just like my dreams.

I had dreams. Dreams of being a writer. Writing magical novels. I had dreams of the perfect family. To be married with a nice house and a husband to kiss me when he came home. My children, giggling and smiling when they looked at me.

I had dreams of love, courageousness, bravery, friendship.

I was leaving all that behind so others could live them instead. Others would live my dreams while I just watched; doing everything I could to make those dreams their reality. I thought being in such a magical place with amazing friends would be the perfect life. The perfect dream.

It would be the perfect dream to someone else.

To me, it was a nightmare.

A nightmare I would never wake up from.

As I continued down the broken sidewalk humming the song Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day with the rain pouring on me, my eyes found the primrose tree. Miraculously, the tree was still intact, but its flowers that were once young and beautiful had finally turned brown and dead. Its petals were crusty and wrinkled.