IMPORTANT! I don't believe an email went out for the last chapter, so I ask you to go back and make sure you've read the previous chapter before moving on to this one. Thanks!

Chapter eight

Snape and Luna pored over the ritual depicted in Moste Darke Arts. The instructions were clear – and horrible. Most of them entailed chanting and candles and magical circles, but there was one truly disgusting part – to bring someone back to life, another person had to be sacrificed. A life for a life. Snape surmised that there had to be a balance – people could not be brought back from the dead endlessly.

The other horrendous part was that, in order to destroy the Horcrux, they would have to stab Potter through the heart with Gryffindor's sword. Snape did not like to imagine the pain the boy would feel in his final seconds. But merely stabbing the boy would not be enough according to the book: he would have to be killed by someone who completely and truly loved him, and Harry himself would have to be completely accepting of his death.

Snape and Luna agreed quickly that the best person for the job was Granger, seeing as she loved Potter most. It seemed harsh to let the Granger girl suffer more, but after studying the instructions for hours, Snape knew that it was the only way.

And then there was the small matter that they could not be sure the ritual would actually work. Ollivander had seen it enacted, and Snape was fairly certain that it could work after studying the chants, but it no doubt remained risky. Still, the ritual was probably safer than allowing Potter to walk to his own death facing the Dark Lord. Piercing the boy through with a sword might be a thousand fold more cruel than using Avada Kedavra – if the boy returned to life with the Horcrux gone, it would all be worth it.

Now the only difficulty that remained was convincing Luna to let Ollivander go.

Luna still looked peaceful and serene when Snape made her pull up a chair next to Ollivander's bed and sat her down to talk, but by the time he had finished explaining that Ollivander would be the sacrifice for Potter's life, her cheeks had turned red and her mouth had turned into one tight line.

'No,' she said, her voice remarkably void of the dreamy quality it normally processed.

'My sweet child,' Ollivander began, speaking softly, 'It is only natural that I should be the one to die. I am old, I have lived my life. I will be dead soon enough anyway.'

'But why should you die in this way? You deserve to die peacefully, not as some sacrifice!'

'Luna,' Snape started, but she raised her hand to quiet him.

'You don't understand,' Ollivander sighed, searching for Luna's hand and finding it. 'This will give my death meaning. My whole life I've been a coward. My whole life I've hidden behind other people, taking no sides and staying out of the way. Now I can finally do something important.'

'But ...'

'Please, Luna, give me the chance to do this. I cannot think of a better way to die. I'll finally be able to do something in return for all the wizarding world has given me.'

Luna looked at Ollivander for a long moment. Then she squeezed the wandmaker's hand and nodded. Snape closed his eyes and let out an inaudible sigh. It was time to contact Potter and tell him about the ritual.

'Luna,' he said, his voice hoarse.

The girl looked up. 'Yes?'

'I think it would be ... prudent to contact Mr. Potter.'

'Yes.' Luna let go of Ollivander's hand, and reached into her pocket, taking out her treasured Galleon. She pointed her wand at the coin and muttered an incantation. For a fleeting second Snape saw words light up on the coin, then they disappeared.

They did not have to wait long for Potter to reply. When the Galleon burned, Luna turned it over in her hand and read the message.

'They're asking why we want them to come,' she told Snape.

'Tell them to just show up. This is not a matter that can be explained through coins.'

And Potter and Granger did show up, albeit grudgingly. Luna made them sit at the kitchen table and prepared tea. Only when everyone was seated at the rickety kitchen table with a mug of steaming tea in their hands did Snape allow Potter to speak.

'Why have you contacted us?' asked Potter, straight to the point.

Snape shook his head. 'In a moment. How many Horcruxes have you destroyed?'

'We destroyed all of them save for Harry and Nagini,' answered Granger.

'Good,' said Snape, 'for we have found a way that we think will help us get rid of Harry's Horcrux.'

A hush fell over the group. It was only broken by the sound of smashing china – Potter had dropped his tea cup. Snape repaired it soundlessly.

'That's brilliant!' breathed Granger.

'How?' asked Potter.

'I will explain it to you in a moment,' continued Snape. 'However, there are several things you need to know. There is a ritual that can bring the dead back to life, but in order to do that, you will of course have to die first.'

Granger gasped audibly.

Potter balled his fists. 'Die?'

'Yes, Potter. And you will have to be completely accepting of it. What is more, you will need to be stabbed through the heart.' Snape noticed he was rattling off the facts, as though by relaying them in the shortest time span possible he could somehow reduce their impact.

'Stabbed?' shrieked Granger.

'Yes,' Snape told her. 'With Gryffindor's sword. And you will need to do it, Miss Granger, that is imperative.'

Granger looked as though she might faint at any moment. Luna inched her chair closer to the quivering girl and put an arm around her shoulder.

'Is that all?' asked Potter, his voice betraying no emotion.

'No,' said Snape. 'There is a chance that this might not work. We think it will, but we cannot be completely certain.'

'I'm willing to take the risk,' said Potter fiercely. 'It's better than allowing him to finish me off without a second thought.'

Snape nodded. 'I expected no less of you, Potter. However, there is one last thing. In order for you to come back to life, someone will have to die in your stead. They will absorb your death, as it were.'

A silence fell over them once again. Then Potter loudly said, 'No.'

'Harry, listen,' Luna began.

Potter cut her off. 'No one will die for me. I won't allow it.'

'Harry Potter,' came an exhausted voice. Ollivander had stepped out of the shadows. 'I am willing to take your place.'

'No way.'

'Listen to me, you silly boy,' said Ollivander, advancing still. 'You are special. You are the only one who can save us.'

'Even so, I can't allow you to – '

'My dear boy,' Ollivander laughed weakly. 'I am already dying. I have another week, maybe two, at most. My body is deteriorating. I feel the strength slipping from me every day. I will not make it. Please do me the favour of making my death a meaningful one.'

Potter looked thoughtful for the first time. 'Well … Are you certain? Maybe you won't die!'

Ollivander shook his head in quiet amusement. 'I will die before the month is out, Harry Potter. It is as certain as the night that follows the day.'

Granger had put her hand over Potter's. 'Harry, he is right. He wants to help. Think about it: doing this will save your life and give meaning to his death. It's the right thing to do. It's the kind thing to do.'

Potter sighed deeply. 'Oh, very well then.'

'Good,' said Snape, sitting up straighter. 'We will need a home base. I will not perform this ritual out in these dangerous forests – it will be difficult enough as is. Do you know a place that is relatively safe?'

Potter looked doubtful. 'I don't think there …'

'There is,' said Granger, suddenly. Potter looked at her in surprise. 'Shell Cottage,' said Hermione stone-facedly. 'Bill and Fleur will have us.'

'But Hermione …'

'No, Harry, we have gone out of Ron's way long enough. I will not risk your life over some stupid quarrel.'

'Fine.' Potter looked resigned.

'Well, if that's settled, I suggest we waste no time and leave straightaway.' Snape got up from his chair. Potter looked shocked at the announcement, but stood anyway.

With so many extra hands, it did not take long to get packed. When they were ready, Potter took a hold of Ollivander, and Hermione took Luna and Snape by the arm. Together they Disapparated.

When they appeared again, Snape could hear the sound of rolling waves. He opened his eyes and discovered they were standing on a beach. He had to admit it: Shell Cottage was truly gorgeous. The little house was covered completely by shells of all colours. It was quite the sight.

Someone had walked out of the house at their arrival. By the redness of his hair, Snape surmised that the man heading toward them must be Bill Weasley.

'Harry, Hermione!' he said, as he walked toward them. 'I haven't seen you in so long!'

'Hello, Bill,' said Harry, shaking Bill's hand. 'How are you?'

'Fine, thank you. But to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?'

'To be truthful,' said Potter, 'we need a quiet place where we can perform a certain ritual.'

'A ritual?' asked Bill, concern crossing his face.

'Yes, I'll explain in a moment,' said Potter. 'I hope we're not intruding on your hospitality, though …?'

'No, you're more than free to stay,' said Bill. 'And of course you can perform that ritual here. Anything to help you …'

Bill turned to Snape, Luna and Ollivander. 'Severus Snape,' he said.

'Yes. I am not what – '

'I know,' Bill interrupted. 'McGonagall's been spreading the word. Of course, we all pretty much knew when you freed them,' he nodded towards Luna and Ollivander. 'You're all more than free to stay.' Bill shook Ollivander's and Luna's hand, then invited them all inside.

They entered into a living room, bright, pretty, with light wooden floors and a merry fire of driftwood. A pretty girl came drifting out of a room that was probably the kitchen. Snape recognized her as Fleur Delacour, one of the contestants in the Triwizard Tournament.

''Arry!' she exclaimed, hugging Potter thoroughly. 'I am so 'appy to see you. All of you,' she said, turning to the rest. 'But what are you doing 'ere?'

'They need somewhere to stay, Fleur,' said Bill quietly. 'They need a quiet place to perform a ritual.'

'A ritual?' repeated Fleur.

'Look, why don't we all sit down, and I'll explain,' said Potter.

They did as he had asked them to. Once they were settled, Potter began to tell about the mission Dumbledore had left them, about the Horcruxes and which ones they had destroyed, how he himself was a Horcrux (here Fleur had gasped and Bill had paled) and that they were going to get rid of it through the ritual.

'So, that's the whole story,' concluded Potter, looking at Bill and Fleur. 'Are you still willing to help us?'

'Mais oui!' exclaimed Fleur. 'You saved my sister's life, 'Arry, I do not forget.'

Bill nodded in agreement. 'Anything we can do to help. We want that bastard down as much as the next person.'

Potter looked touched. 'Thank you, I –'

There was the sound of a stair creaking, and a hush fell over the group. All eyes were on the door, which slowly creaked open to admit Ron Weasley.

'Hi,' said the redhead.

Potter jumped up. 'You! What are you doing here?'

Weasley looked sheepish. 'Well, I couldn't really go home after I left you, now could I? That would've looked stupid.'

'Oh yeah, real stupid,' spat Potter. 'Not that we didn't think you were stupid, anyway, leaving us out there like that!'

Weasley looked at his feet. 'I'm sorry,' he said, almost inaudibly.

'What's that?' demanded Potter, furiously. The rest of the room watched the confrontation breathlessly.

'I'm sorry!' repeated Weasley, looking up.

'And?' asked Potter.

'I was stupid!' Weasley wailed. 'I was selfish and a whiner and an idiot, and I should have never walked out on you! I regretted it the moment I left! I splinched a nail trying to Disapparate!'

'Oh, you splinched a nail, didn't you?' said Granger, speaking for the first time. 'Imagine losing fingernails, Harry, that really puts our suffering into perspective, doesn't it? Well Ron, while you were mourning your nail, Harry and I destroyed nearly all of the Horcruxes, Harry almost died' (Weasley's mouth fell open) 'but was saved at the last moment by Professor Snape, only to discover that he needed to die anyway, because he's a bloody Horcrux!'

Snape didn't think he had ever seen Granger look so dangerous. She was positively crackling with anger. Apparently, Weasley thought the same thing, for he took a step backwards.

'I … that's … that's awful!'

'As awful as losing fingernails?' asked Granger sarcastically.

'Look, I know I'm an idiot,' said Weasley, desperately. 'And I'm not worthy of being your friend. But you have to believe me when I say there's nothing I regret more than leaving! If I have to spend my whole life making things up to you, I'll do so, gladly! I've been so stupid. Can you find it in your heart to forgive me?'

Granger still looked furious, but Potter sighed deeply. 'Ron, this won't be fixed in a day. But if you are as sorry as you say you are, I'm willing to give you a second chance.'

Weasley perked up visibly. 'I won't waste it!'

'You had better not,' sniffed Granger.

'Good, now zat is out of the way,' said Fleur, standing, 'are you ready for dinner?'

There was a murmur of agreement, and Fleur swept into the kitchen. After a moment, Granger got up and followed Fleur, closing the door behind her.

'I'm taking a walk,' Potter announced abruptly. Moments later, he had stepped outside and closed the door behind him. Weasley looked sheepish again, and disappeared upstairs quietly.

'Mr Weasley?' began Luna.

'You can call me Bill,' said Bill, kindly.

'Is there anywhere Mr Ollivander can rest? He's very tired.'

'Of course,' said Bill. 'There is an empty room upstairs, Ollivander can stay in there. Shall I take you upstairs?'

'Oh no, we'll find it, for sure' said Luna, grabbing Ollivander's arm. 'Thank you!'

And with that, they disappeared up the stairs slowly. Snape was grateful to Luna – he knew instinctively that she would stay upstairs with Ollivander for a while, giving him the chance to talk things through with Bill.

'About this ritual …' began Bill.

'Yes,' said Snape.

'What are the chances of it working?'

'I'd give it about eighty percent.'

Bill looked troubled. 'That's quite the gamble.'

'I know,' admitted Snape. 'But it's better than sending Potter to his death facing the Dark Lord. This way, he'll at least stand a chance.'

Bill nodded. 'What preparations are required?'

'Not many. A stone circle will have to be laid, some candles are required, and the women will need to learn the chant.'

'Just the women?'

'Just the women. Some rituals work like that – female voices have different qualities and powers than male voices.'

'And Potter needs to be stabbed with the sword?'

'Yes. And Granger has to do it, that's imperative.'

'Why her?' inquired Bill.

'It needs to be done by someone who truly loves him,' said Snape.

A look of understanding passed over Bill's face. 'I see.'

'Will any of this be a problem?'

'No,' said Bill, immediately. 'As I said, we'll do anything to help. This is the least we can do. Fleur will help you with the preparations for the ritual, she's good at those things.'

Snape nodded his thanks. Just then, there was a creak on the stairs – Luna had come downstairs again.

'Is Harry back yet?' she asked, looking around the room.

'No,' said Bill. 'He's still outside.'

'Oh,' said Luna, looking thoughtful. 'I had better go speak with him.'

And without another word, she disappeared outside.

Bill looked troubled. 'Is she sure that's sensible?'

'Yes,' said Snape, trying to not let the smile that was tugging at the corner of his mouth show. 'She'll know just what to do.'

Luna found Harry where she had expected him to be: on the shore, looking out at the rolling waves. His hands were deep within his pockets, his nose was red, and he wore a frown. Luna knew that Fleur would take care of Hermione. But someone needed to talk some sense into Harry too, and she was just the person.

'Hi, Harry, are you looking for Kelpies?'

Harry turned abruptly, his face tense. His expression relaxed when he saw her. 'Hi, Luna.'

She went to stand next to him, and joined him in looking at the waves. 'He doesn't mean any harm, you know,' she said, not taking her eyes off the sea.

A slight shift on her right suggested that Harry was looking at her. 'Who are you talking about?'

'Ron. He means well.'

'He's got a funny way of showing it.'

'Ron is not very sensitive,' she said, still not looking at Harry. 'He gets hot-headed. He forgets that other people have feelings too.'

'True.'

'But he's your friend, too. And he's a funny boy.'

'I'm not laughing right now,' said Harry bitterly.

'No. But he's still your friend, and even though he's made a big mistake, he's desperate to make it up to you. We can't all be calm and reasonable. That would be boring.'

'I suppose.'

'But that's not what this is about, is it?' Luna turned to look at Harry for the first time, just in time to catch a fleeting look of surprise.

'What do you mean?'

'You're afraid of what will happen when he finds out you're dating Hermione.'

'I –'

'Don't deny it, Harry. I know.'

Harry sighed deeply. 'It's just … you know … well, he fancied her! And … and so did I. I just didn't know until – '

'Until he left.'

'Yes. And I tried to ignore it, because, you know, he's my best mate. You don't do a thing like that.'

'But then she fell in love with you too,' continued Luna.

'I think she's always been in love, just like me,' sighed Harry. 'And in the end, we just couldn't keep those feelings at bay anymore.'

'It's not your fault,' she said, seriously. 'Things like that happen.'

'Doesn't stop me from feeling bad,' Harry sounded troubled.

'Ron made a choice when he walked out,' she said, calmly. 'He will have to accept that his walking away means things will have changed forever.'

'But I can't help but wonder what would have happened if he hadn't left.'

'The same, I think, eventually.'

Harry looked up in surprise. 'Really?'

'Ron is a funny guy, and a good man, but he's not the one for Hermione. They'd get bored with each other, eventually. They'd be happy for a while, five years, ten, maybe fifteen. But eventually, it would end. And this won't.'

'Is that what you really think?'

Luna met his eyes, saw the hope, friendship, and said, 'Yes.'

A smile appeared on Harry's face. 'Thank you,' he said, quietly. 'I didn't know I'd been waiting to hear that until you just said it.'

Luna smiled back. 'It's okay. This, together, feels like having friends.'

Harry's expression turned solemn once again. 'We are your friends, Luna. All of us.'

'I'm glad,' she said, smiling.

'Let's go back inside,' said Harry, looking considerably more cheerful. 'It's getting quite cold.'

Luna couldn't have talked to Potter for more than a quarter of an hour, and yet, when the two of them returned, Potter looked considerably happier. He even joked as though he did not have a care in the world – indeed, he seemed to have forgotten his impending death. Though hopefully that death would be temporal.

Fleur served them the most delicious dishes, and the atmosphere at the table, though somewhat tense, could have been much worse. Still, Snape was glad for Luna's carefree talks of imaginary creatures, especially when Fleur tried her hardest to deny the existence of those creatures. She could not hold her own against Luna.

'Fine,' Fleur said at last, stacking up the dishes. 'I will grant you zat. But I still do not zink zey are lethal.'

'But they are,' said Luna, seriously. 'Rivas are extremely poisonous.'

Snape helped Fleur take the dishes to the kitchen, despite her loud protests. He felt that it was the least he could do as a token of gratitude for their hospitality.

'Thank you,' he said to Fleur, as they brought the last of the dishes to the kitchen.

'What for?' inquired Fleur, waving her wand and sending the dishes to the sink.

'Having us.'

'Ah, do not mention it. It is a pleasure to 'ave you.'

'I would hardly think so. A bunch of fugitives, dangerous people to be around. Not to mention we're crowding up your house.' Snape wondered vaguely when he'd started to care about what effects his presence had upon other people. He supposed it must be somewhere around the time he'd ended up on the run with Luna.

'Oh, zat is all relative. We are all fighting for ze same cause. Zis is no discomfort to us.'

'Still. Not to mention that your cooking is very fine.'

Fleur flashed him a brilliant smile before shooing him out of the kitchen.

It turned out Bill had been right about his wife: Fleur proved to be an irreplaceable help indeed. She laid the stone circle for the ritual, prepared the candles, made the girls study the chants. Any thought Snape might ever have had about Fleur being useless was dispelled within moments.

After two days, everything was set for the ritual.

'That looks really good on you, Mr Ollivander,' said Luna, as Fleur straightened Ollivander's robes.

'I told you zat it would,' said Fleur, satisfied. 'Now all zat is left to do is comb 'is 'air.'

And putting the deed to the word, she produced a comb out of thin air and began to straighten Ollivander's hair.

Ollivander hadn't looked this well in quite some time indeed. He was clean, dressed neatly and he appeared somewhat more rested. However, no amount of beautifying from Fleur could dispel the dark circles beneath his eyes, nor the sickly pallor of his skin.

Ollivander did not seem concerned about the ritual or the fact that he was to die in the least. Rather, Luna imagined that he rather looked forward to it. She supposed it had to be better to be rid of the pain and tiredness than to battle on for several more weeks – suffering all the while. That did not lessen the pain she felt at the prospect of losing her friend, however.

'Zere,' said Fleur, removing the comb from Ollivander's hair. 'All done.'

'Thank you,' said Ollivander politely.

'And not a minute too soon,' added Fleur, looking out of the window. ''Ave you learned your chants, Luna?'

'Yes,' said Luna, nodded. 'And so has Hermione.'

'Very well zen, you can go get your coat. I'll escort Mr Ollivander downstairs.'

Snape watched as the door to Shell Cottage opened, and a thin strip of light fell onto the ground. Then the door closed again, and he could only dimly make out the shapes of four people.

As the small group neared, Snape's eyes drifted over the spot where the ritual would take place. A large stone circle had been laid, and candles had been placed between the stones at strategic intervals. Fleur had done a fine job indeed. Now, if only the girls had learned chants properly …

The group had at last reached the stone circle, and Snape noticed that Ollivander had been dressed neatly for the occasion. The women had no doubt felt that it was not proper to send him to his death in his ragged old clothes, and Snape had to admit that they were right.

Luna and Fleur helped Ollivander into the stone circle, where he laid down onto the sand. When he was comfortable, Potter stepped into the circle too, and took his place on the ground next to Ollivander.

Granger looked pale, and her eyes were red-rimmed. The sword of Gryffindor hung loosely in her hands. Snape hoped she would have the strength to do what she was supposed to do, or all would be for nothing.

'Do not cry, 'Ermione,' said Fleur to the girl. 'Zis is for ze best. If you show courage now, all will be over in a moment.'

Granger still looked doubtful. 'What if I mess up?' she whispered.

'You won't,' said Harry, confidently. He was lying on his back, looking up at Granger. 'I have complete faith in you. You've never failed to do anything you set your sights on.'

Granger smiled weakly and nodded.

With the sound of the sea all around them, they gathered around the circle, standing at regular intervals.

Ollivander was lying very still, looking up at the night sky above. The stars were reflected in his eyes, and Snape thought that he looked completely calm and in harmony with the world as he listened to the sounds of the waves and watched the stars.

He glanced around. To his left, Luna looked pale but determined. Next to Luna stood Bill, and next to Bill stood Fleur. On Fleur's side was Ron, and next to Ron Granger. He himself was on Granger's left, completing the circle.

Luna was standing closest to Ollivander, and he saw her bend down as the old man attempted to say something to her. Straining his ears, he could just make out the words.

'I can't imagine a more beautiful way to die,' the old wandmaker said.

'Nor can I,' agreed Luna.

'Are you ready?' asked Fleur, her slight nervousness making her French accent thicker. There were murmurs of assent. 'Good. On ze count of zree. One, two, zree!'

The girls began to chant. The words were in Latin, and to Snape, the chanting sounded otherworldly, almost as if the women were singing in voices not from this plane of existence.

Granger was chanting too, though her voice wasn't very loud. Tears were running down her face as she raised the sword. Snape hoped that she wasn't too blinded by her tears to aim for Potter's heart. It would be disastrous if she somehow managed to not stab him through the heart.

He need not have worried. After another nod from Potter, who, just like Ollivander, looked completely calm, Granger raised the sword, then brought it down rapidly. She pierced Potter straight through the heart.

Potter's horrific scream tore the night asunder. There was not a member of their group that did not look completely horrified, and Granger even forgot to chant for several moments. Luckily, as Fleur and Luna carried on, she remembered her task, and began to chant once more, dropping the sword of Gryffindor into the sand, turning the grains red.

Snape watched as the life left Potter's eyes. The boy's breathing became shallow, and at last, stopped completely. Granger's voice broke, but she continued to chant. For several moments, nothing happened, even though the women continued to chant.

Then the miracle occurred. Before their very eyes, the little colour that was left began to leave Ollivander's face, and the old man's breathing grew slower. As the wandmaker became paler, Potter's cheeks once again began to regain colour, though he was still not breathing.

Snape gazed around at the circle. The men were looking in astonishment at the thing that was happening before their very eyes. Weasley's mouth had dropped open. Bill looked at his wife, who continued to chant in a tongue that became more and more unreal. Snape realized that they were no longer chanting in Latin – this was a different language altogether, though he could not place it. The power of the words rippled through the group.

Ollivander wilted before their very eyes. His face became more lined, his hair began to fall out, and he grew more and more pale. His eyes became more distant, and it took Snape several moments to realize that the man was turning blind. The stars, however, were still reflected in the pale blue eyes.

The chant swelled to its climax, and, after one last, painful breath, Ollivander's chest stopped moving, his eyes closed, and his heart ceased to beat.

A tear leaked from Luna's eye.

As the last traces of life left Ollivander, Potter took a sudden gulp of breath, choking. As he coughed, the last colour returned to his face. Snape watched the incredulity, the relief on Granger's face. The blood disappeared from Potter's shirt, and Snape knew instinctively that the wound that killed Potter was gone.

The chant slowed, then finished altogether. After the last few words, Granger dropped onto her knees and pulled Potter into her arms, the latter of which did not appear at all uncomfortable with this gesture. The youngest Weasley did look somewhat uncomfortable, though Snape noted with some relief that the boy did not appear particularly jealous. Another drama was about the least they could use.

Bill and Fleur had appeared next to Luna and him.

'Do you want help? Burying Ollivander, I mean?' asked Bill, with some concern.

Luna shook her head. 'No. Severus and I will do it ourselves.'

Fleur nodded and took Bill by the hand. They followed Potter, Weasley and Granger, who had already gone back to Shell Cottage.

Luna was looking down at Ollivander's body, her eyes still somewhat wet. Snape reached for her hand, found it, and squeezed. She raised her eyes to meet his, and smiled weakly.

'This is how he would have wanted to go,' she said.

'Yes,' he agreed.

'I cannot think of a more beautiful place to bury him,' she said, quietly.

'Nor can I.'

They removed the stones around Ollivander's body, and Snape took the old man into his arms and carried him to a pretty spot beneath some trees. Then he conjured two spades, and they began to dig. Luna did not dig quickly, but she worked steadily. After several hours, they had dug a hole deep enough to put Ollivander into. As Luna climbed out of the grave, Snape lowered Ollivander into it. Then he climbed out himself, and stood next to Luna.

'Do you want to say something?' he asked her.

Luna nodded. 'Goodbye, Mr Ollivander,' she began, quietly. 'You've been a real friend, and a true hero, too. You will be missed. Goodbye.'

'Goodbye,' echoed Snape, unable to find the words to say more.

They picked up their spades once again, and began to cover Ollivander with earth.

When they finally finished, his hands were sore and his skin was broken, and he was certain that Luna couldn't be any better off. Still, she summoned a large, flat rock, and placed it on top of Ollivander's grave.

Flicking her wand, she made words appear on the stone. Snape was impressed by the neatness of the carvings – Luna truly knew her magic. Well, she was a Ravenclaw, after all.

When she was finished, the stone read: 'Here lies Ollivander, a friend and a hero'. As he watched the stone, Snape privately thought he agreed with Luna – he could not think of a more beautiful place to be buried. Here Ollivander would remain, for the rest of time, and he would be remembered by his friends and admirers, always.

This time, it was Luna who reached for his hand. However, she did not stop there. She tugged Snape closer, and, when he stood facing her, a smile appeared on her lips. 'What did Ollivander tell you, back in the tent?'

'He said he was sorry,' said Snape, slowly.

'What for?'

'For something he told me a long time ago.'

'And you forgave him?' she inquired, calmly.

'Yes.'

'Is that all he said?'

'No.' Snape hesitated for a moment. 'He told me not to break your heart.'

'I don't think you can,' she said, confidently. Then she stood on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his lips. Snape was too stunned to react, but Luna did not appear to have expected him to. Rather, she took his hand, and led him back to Shell Cottage.