"You should know I went through a lot of trouble to get you here," Draco said as he and Chris walked through a graveyard.
"I know and I am very grateful," Chris replied with a small smile.
It was very early in the morning, the sun was barely up and thick fog covered the tombstones.
"I am surprised you didn't bring Potter," Draco said casually, shrugging of Chris's thanks. "I thought you were doing this together, visiting these . . . graves and paying respect and stuff."
"We are," Chris nodded. "We visited many graves last week, we were on Adrien's father's grave just yesterday. But this . . ." Chris's eyes swept around the very old graveyard. "This . . . Harry thought it would be better if I did this alone."
Draco nodded in understanding but abruptly stopped walking and Chris also stopped, looking at him, confused. But as soon as Chris followed his gaze, she realized why they stopped.
A tall guy was standing over the grave they were about to visit. Probably, hearing them, the guy looked up and stared at them with a bitter smile.
"And here I thought if I got here really early nobody would see . But I am guessing you are trying to do the sa," the guy said dryly.
"Theodore," Chris said, surprised. "I haven't seen you –"
"Since last year," Theodore supplied.
It was true and Chris noticed how tall he had gotten. He suddenly looked like the tallest guy she knew, with his old features, like his wavy dark brown hair, similar to Chris and sharp nose and jaw. His eyes looked tired as always and now there was a tinge of red in them as if he had recently cried his eyes out.
"How are you?" Chris asked.
"Like as you, I assu," Theodore said, gesturing towards the gravestone he had been standing on before.
Chris stepped forward and finally saw it. The grave she was there to visit.
JASON FAWLEY
(1981-1998)
A Loving and Caring Son
A lump ford in Chris's throat and her heart started aching, but she tried not to cry and looked for sothing that she could divert her attention to.
"All of the people who had died in the war had 'the bravest hero' written on their tombstone," Chris observed.
"And that is why Mrs. Fawley refused to get it on Jason's grave," Theodore answered. "She refused to believe that her son had gone and died stupidly in a war that he could have easily avoided."
"His death wasn't stupid!" Chris snapped but then got quiet, as she rembered it was Jason, who once told her that there was a thin line between being stupid and being brave. And now he had gone and crossed that line and it had truly cost him his life. "I never ant for it to happen."
"I know," Theodore sighed. "But Mrs. Fawley . . ."
"Blas ," Chris finished his thought as her yes started to burn. "I know. And can you bla her? I am the reason her son is . . . dead."
"You know it's not that simple, Chris," Draco spoke up. "We all made choices. Tough choices to fight despite knowing the risks."
"Yes, even if it doesn't change anything, Malfoy is right. He chose to do this," Theodore grimaced. "Even if that choice led him to . . ."
Theodore trailed off and all of them beca quiet. Taking that mont, Chris bent down and put the flowers, she had brought, on Jason's grave.
"You brought muggle flowers," Theodore observed. "Mrs. Fawley is going to be very upset if she saw these flowers wilting. She would know they are muggle flowers and maybe think you are trying to disrespect Jason."
"I'm not," Chris was surprised. She almost forgot how common it was for wizards to conjure flowers with long-lasting freshness. "I just – I just wanted to bring him sothing and this is the only type of flower I could –" Chris sighed. "Sorry, I didn't think about it. I will take back the flowers. Mrs. Fawley doesn't deserve that."
"Or you could just enchant them now," Theodore suggested, looking confused.
"I can't," Chris said, trying to sound casual. After telling all of her friends, her father and then the Order mbers again and again, she was starting to get used to it. "I am not a witch anymore."
"I'm sorry, what?" Theodore looked at Draco as if Draco would scoff and say that Chris was joking, but when Draco just kept looking serious, Theodore turned back to Chris in disbelief. "You are kidding!"
"Not really," Chris shook her head. "I lost my powers after fighting that day."
Theodore just stared at Chris for a few more seconds before mumbling, "Wow." He looked at Draco again.
"She is not kidding, is she?"
"No," Draco answered.
"Wow . . . so what, you are a muggle now?"
"Not exactly a muggle," Chris tried to explain. "I can still see magic and magical things, just can't use magic."
"So you are a squib?" Theodore said and imdiately looked pale. "Sorry, I didn't an it – I –"
"It's alright. My mother was a squib. I don't think it's a bad thing," Chris smiled and Theodore sighed.
"Still, I am sorry. It's hard to leave the judgental attitude you grew up with."
"True," Draco agreed and Theodore nodded glancing at him. An understanding passed between them.
"How is Astoria doing?" Chris asked after a mont, since she was very worried about her. Jason was her everything, Chris couldn't even realize how she must be feeling.
"Bad," Theodore looked at Jason's grave. "Since . . . the battle, Astoria's health has deteriorated much more. With her curse and –"
Theodore froze mid sentence and looked at Draco and Chris, as if he had said sothing he shouldn't have.
"I know about the curse in her family," Chris reassured, realizing what Theodore was thinking.
"Really?" Draco asked looking surprised. "I an I knew since she told but –"
"He told ," Chris looked at the tombstone.
"Right," Theodore nodded. "So yeah, stress and grief aren't helping Astoria's curse, she is getting sicker day by day and Daphne is going crazy. She had beco more obsessed with finding a cure to her sister's curse. She is ready to do anything except spend ti with her grieving sister."
Theodore opened his mouth to add sothing else, then closed it and looked away. However, the realization struck Chris instantly. Theodore has not just lost one of his friends but everyone. Chris had heard that Mr. Nott, Theodore's father, also died fighting for Voldemort and now in a way all of his friends were gone too, leaving him completely alone.
Chris stepped up and hugged Theodore, catching him off guard.
"Chris, what –?"
"Theodore, I hope you know, we are friends. Maybe we aren't that close. Maybe we weren't that close before but I hope you know, I consider you a good friend," Chris said and after a second, Theodore returned the hug.
"Thanks but –" Theodore hesitated when they broke the hug. "I am still a death eater's son, Chris. It wouldn't look good if people saw us being friends."
"Theodore, how long have you known ? Since when do I care what people think?" Chris smiled at Theodore reassuringly before pulling a face. "Unless you don't wanna be friends with a squib?"
"You can't – did you just do that?" Theodore looked at Chris, shocked before finally cracking a smile. "I can't believe you did that. But you know what I think I know you enough to know you really don't give a damn about random people. Fine, we friends."
"Good," Chris smiled and squeezed his arm before letting go.
Theodore just shook his head as if he was trying to shake off his feelings.
"I will get going now," Theodore said as he bent down and enchanted the flowers Chris had brought.
"Thanks," Chris smiled gratefully.
"I will wait for you outside, Chris," Draco said, about to follow Theodore out of the graveyard. "I need to talk to Theodore."
Chris nodded and watched the Slytherin boys walk away, knowing very well that they were just trying to give her so ti alone.
[To be continued]
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