Okay, guys, I know this is bad, but I promise things will get better...just listen to Albus... I think I just gave too much away, but it's the wrath of Alicia that I'm afraid off...lol! Please read and reply!!!!!

Chapter 30 part 2

Albus threw the paper back on the table irritated.
“You’re all brainless, that’s what you are”, he said with his eyes still fixed at the picture of his father on the first page of Daily Prophet.
“Al?”
“I’m in the kitchen”, Albus yelled back to his brother.
James came in and Albus thought that if he hadn’t heard his voice he might not have recognized him. When their father had returned from Austria bringing James back, the boy seemed so unlike himself that Albus was scared for him but now it was ten times worse. His eyes were blood shot and with black bags under them and the air of confidence and pride he had, was all gone. The black clothes he wore were only making the paleness of his face seem worse.
“James…” Albus whispered looking at him concerned. “When was the last time you ate?”
The boy either ignored him or wasn’t paying any attention and didn’t hear him.
“Al, you need to get…” he stopped looking down at the newspaper on the counter. “Throw that in the thrash”, he said with a weary voice.
Albus raised his head and looked at him startled. Could it be? Had James finally believed him?
“Why…?”
“We can’t have mum seeing it”, he said then and Albus exhaled frustrated. Of course he hadn’t believed him. Nobody believed him; but he knew he was right. He knew it no matter what everybody else said. “You need to get changed”, James added with a hollow voice and made to walk out. Albus grabbed James’ wrist before he did though.
“James…”
But he hardly knew what to say. How could he convince him?
“Get changed, Al”, James sighed looking so drained that Albus wondered how he managed not to faint. “We can’t be late”, he added and then patted Albus on the shoulder and left the room.
Albus looked down at the paper once more and made his decision. He wasn’t going anywhere.

TWO DAYS EARLIER
It was impossible. Hermione tried every spell, every incantation she knew but she couldn’t break through Fiendfyre and get inside the shop again to help Harry find George. She and Ron were safely out but Harry and George were inside and the fire was only getting bigger and bigger as the minutes went by.
Hermione was in the verse of panic. Ron was still unconscious and there was no one else around to help her; she had already send a Patronus to the Aurors but she knew that by the time they’d get there it would be too late. Just as she started thinking she should just threw herself into the fire and then, if she survived, look for her two brothers-in-law, a loud bang on the left side of the shop made her jump.
Hermione hesitated for a moment, looking at the unconscious form of her husband, but then deciding that he would be okay for a few minutes, run to see what caused the small explosion. As she turned the corner she saw George’s broken figure lying there upon the street.
“George!” she screamed. She knelt beside him and took his pulse. He was alive. She turned to look at the shop. There was a big hole at the side of it, probably blown up by someone. “HARRY!” she yelled and for a moment she thought she saw Harry’s black hair and the shine of his glasses through the fire. But then George moaned and she turned her eyes at him and when she looked up Harry was gone. “Harry?” she repeated confused standing up, her relief vanishing.
And then the entire building started collapsing as loud explosions started breaking it down. The force of the nearest explosion threw Hermione on the air and she fell hard on the ground. The hit on her head made her faint and she stayed there unconscious.

Hermione was sitting in a chair at the hospital just outside Ron’s room. She had her head inside her hands and through her fingers she had her widened in shock eyes fixed on the floor. It was impossible. What had happened was impossible. It just couldn’t have happened because it was so impossible.
The Aurors arrived but she already knew it was too late when they did. It took them about half an hour to get Fiendfyre under control and when the fire was finally out, the entire building was wrecked and burned. Yet they searched it three times if not more. They all hoped to find something, anything that could tell them that Harry Potter had managed to get out, that Harry Potter wasn’t among the ashes. But there was nothing to find, not even a body. Harry Potter was dead, burned alive.
She kept repeating the words to herself but she still couldn’t comprehend it. How could she comprehend that Harry was dead? Harry was dead.Harry was dead. Her best friend from when she was eleven was dead. He died trying to save her and Ron and George and he did it; but he couldn’t save himself.
Hermione hadn’t even notice the tears that run down her face. Ron was still out, so he didn’t know but some of the Aurors had left almost forty five minutes before to take the news back to Ginny. Hermione knew that she should be the one to do it but she couldn’t find enough strength inside her to tell Ginny that she was never going to see her husband again. Ginny lived and breathed for Harry; Hermione knew that she wouldn't be able to handle a life without him. And what about James or Albus or Lily? What about Hope that would never know her father?
“Hermione!”
The hurried footsteps and the sound of Ginny’s voice made Hermione look up startled. Ginny and Teddy were running towards her. She got up and they stopped in front of her out of breath. Just a look in Ginny’s face made Hermione realize what was happening. Ginny hadn’t believed the aurors. She still hoped that it was all a mistake, a joke and apparently Hermione couldn’t escape the task to tell her the truth.
“Hey, Gin”, Hermione mumbled wiping the tears from her face.
“Hermione, tell me what happened”, she said with a blank face and a cold, distant voice.
“What do you know?” Hermione asked her but it was Teddy who answered.
“Two Aurors came and wanted to talk to Ginny and me”, he said. “They told us that Ron and George are hurt and that I need to get back to the hospital and…”
“They told us there was a fire”, Ginny cut across him.
“Yes, there was a fire”, Hermione nodded.
“Hermione, where’s Harry?” Ginny asked her and then looked around like expecting to see her husband appearing from some door.
Hermione took a deep breath, then sat back down into her chair and started describing to them everything that happened with a low, almost whispered voice; she was afraid that if she said it out loud it would become more real than it already was. She told them how they found Ron, what Artemis and Dolohov said, how Artemis casted Fiendfyre and how Harry told her to take Ron outside, while he stayed to look for George. Then her voice failed.
“And then?” Teddy asked with a hollow voice. Ginny didn’t have to ask. Everything she needed to know was there written on Hermione’s face. She felt like the world went cold, everything around her stopped as Hermione raised her head and looked right into her eyes. And then she said the three words the Aurors said but she didn’t believe them.
“Harry is dead”.

TWO DAYS LATER

“Lily, come on!” James yelled and then walked to the living room to find it filled with red-heads. They were all dressed in black like he was.
“Hey Nana”, James told Molly and she looked up from her handkerchief. She was crying but she managed to give him a watery smile.
“Where’s Albus and Lilly?” Ron asked him.
“Lily is almost ready and I just send Albus to get ready too”, James replied sitting next to Rose.
He looked around. Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur were already there as well as Dominique and Louis. Victoire wasn’t there and James thought she must be somewhere consoling Teddy. Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione were there of course with Rose and Hugo. His grandparents that had just arrived and next to them, holding his mother’s hand, was Uncle Charlie. Uncle Percy and Uncle George would probably meet them there with their families.
“James, honey”, Molly said standing up and walking to him. “You look really starved”, she said. “Do you want me to make you something to eat before we leave?”
“No, Nana, I’m fine, I don’t want anything”.
“But, honey, you need to eat something”, she insisted. “I’ll go make you some eggs just the way you like them, okay?”
James nodded just because he didn’t want to hurt her feelings. Stuff like eating and sleeping felt unimportant to him. Not when his entire world has come crashing down in one moment; not when he knew that his father was dead, not when he was waiting for everyone to get ready so they could go to his funeral. A funeral they would have to hold, without actually having a body to burry, because there was nothing left of him. And there it was, the suffocating feeling shutting down his lungs once again and for a moment he couldn’t breathe as a huge lump climbed up his throat. He bit the inside of his cheek and bug his nails in his palm to suppress the sobs that wanted to make their way up his lips because he couldn’t allow himself to break down now; not when he was the only one still standing of his family.
He had barely seen his mother ever since Teddy and Aunt Hermione came home holding her up, bringing the horrifying news with them. Lily was crying over breakfast, she was crying over lunch, she was crying over dinner, she was crying herself to sleep; just like Hope did. His grandmother and his Aunt didn’t seem to be able to soothe her the way his dad could. And Albus…Albus was another story…
“James, maybe we should go check if Lily and Albus are ready”, Bill said and the boy looked at him for a whole moment before he understood what he said, then he gulped the lump in his throat and nodded.
“Yeah, sure”, he said and got up. Moving was better than sitting down and thinking anyway.
Both he and his Uncle climbed up the stairs silently. James made himself walk past his parents’ bedroom.
“What about mum?”
“Your grandpa will get her; don’t worry”, he said with a stern voice; it was obvious that he, Bill, was worried.
They banged on Lily’s door, but there was no answering.
“Lily?” Bill asked. “She’s not inside?”
“She’s inside alright”, James sighed and opened the door. Lily was inside wearing a plain, black dress and had her hair in an untidy ponytail; she was also sitting on the floor, holding an album of photographs and sobbing.
“Lily...” Bill mumbled hardly knowing what to say. James shook his head and walked over to his sister. He scooped down and pulled her up; taking a glimpse of the page the album was opened at. Christmas, one year ago. He swallowed the soreness once again, forcing himself to look away and looked at his sister instead.
“Lills, come on”, he said. “We have to go”.
That only made Lily sob harder and James hugged her.
“I don’t want to go to daddy’s funeral!” she said from his shoulder. “I don’t want to say goodbye to him! I want him back!” That was too much for James, who in spite his best efforts, couldn’t hold back the hot tears that run down his face. Bill walked over to them and hugged them both.
“Nobody wants to say goodbye, Lily”, he said. “We have to though”.
“Come on, Lills”, James said letting go of her and wiping the tears off his face. "Come on, grandma and grandpa are downstairs, and Uncle Charlie has come from Romania and..."
"Is dad with them?" Lily asked him shrugging his arms off.
"No".
"Then I really don't care", she retorted and turned her back at them.
"Lily, I know that if we go it will become more definite, more real but dad wouldn't want us to break down, Lills", James said with a hoarse voice and Lily turned to look at him again, breathing hard. "Or look bad at his funeral", the boy added wiping her tears away.
Lily gave him a watery smile and then after a few seconds she nodded, just like James knew she would.
“Okay”, she said. “But I don’t think that daddy was ever so vain as you are”.
“And she’s back to herself!” Bill smiled as James frowned at her. “Come on, let’s get Albus”.
The three of them walked to Albus’ room and James opened the door. Albus was lying on his bed staring at the ceiling with his arms under his head.
“Albus!” James exclaimed. “I told you to get dressed half an hour ago!”
Albus was wearing his old jeans and a white T-shirt, just like he did when James told him to change for the funeral. The boy sat up slowly and looked at them.
“I am not going”, he said in a definite tone.
“What do you mean you are not going?” James asked.
“I’m not going, James, it’s as simple as that”.
“Albus, you have to come”, Bill said confused. “I mean it’s your father’s…”
“My father is NOT dead, Uncle Bill!” Albus snapped. “So there is no need to be a funeral and there is no need for me to come”.
“Oh, Al, please don’t keep this up”, James pleaded with a tired voice. He had enough to deal with already; he could do without his brother’s denial.
“He’s not dead, James!” Albus exclaimed standing up. James rolled his eyes.
“Albus”, Bill said in a soothing voice. “I know you want to believe that but…”
“Uncle Bill, please listen to me”, Albus implored him. “I know dad isn’t dead; I would feel it if he was dead and I’m not. I know he is alive!”
“Then where is he?” Lily snapped letting go of James’ hand.
“I…I don’t know, but…”
“Daddy would do everything to be with us, don’t you think so Albus?” Lily cut across him.
“Yes, but...”
“Then why would he let us suffer like that, thinking he was dead, if he was alive?”
“Lily, I know he is alive!” Albus said. “Maybe he’s imprisoned or maybe he’s hurt or…”
“Or maybe he’s dead, Albus!” James exclaimed.
“He’s not!”
“Albus, for God’s sake, you are not a five year old!” James shouted. “Nobody wants him to be dead but he is! There’s nothing we can do about it!", he said, his own words feeling like sharp stabs to the heart. "We can only say goodbye".
“No”.
“Albus”, Bill said before James could start yelling again. “I know that it’s easier to deny it, but you have to accept the truth”.
“I am”, Albus said. “You are the ones, who cannot see the truth”.
“ENOUGH!” James bellowed. “I can’t deal with this”, he said shaking his head and left the room.
Albus grunted and turned his back to his sister and his uncle.
“Al, please come”, Lily said in a soft voice.
“Lills, I can’t”, Albus said. “I can’t go to that parody of a funeral”.
Lily walked across the room to stand in front of her brother.
“Please, Al”, she said taking his hand. “I know you’re still in denial but…”
“I’m not in denial!”
“Okay”, Lily said soothingly. “I didn’t want go either; but then I thought that James couldn’t deal with it by his own and neither could mum. What about mum, Albus?”
Albus couldn’t respond to this. He only swallowed.
“I know you think that daddy is alive”, she said and then tears started running down her cheeks again. “But we need you there! I need you there!” she said between sobs. “And what if you’re wrong, Albus?”
“I’m not…”
“But what if you are?” Lily cut across him. “You want to wake up one day knowing that you didn’t say goodbye to your father because you made a wrong assumption?”
Albus breathed hard, his eyes welling up as uncertainty washed over him. He wanted to keep believing that his father was alive but…but…There was that huge But that he could not ignore. That huge But his mind was forming, ignoring what his heart was telling him. He sighed.
“Fine”, he gave up. “I’ll get ready and be down in two minutes”.
As his sister and uncle left his room, he closed his eyes. Lily was right. Their father would do anything to see them, to be with them. And everyone said that there was no chance he survived that fire. Maybe he just had to accept that his father was dead.

-Angie-