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𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄 𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐄

and the backs of my eyes hum with things i've never done

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In the end

Even the stars

Choose destruction

Over life.

— d.j.

·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

𝐋𝐄𝐓 𝐌𝐄 𝐓𝐄𝐋𝐋 you a story.

Since before the creation of the universe, there were souls. Bodiless, thoughtless beings that wandered aimlessly through a higher plane of existence. After an extended period of time, one of these souls stumbled upon a single thread of light. In an instant, they collided and the first Star was born.

This Star gathered a few other souls, effectively adorning the name Orion. Orion shared her light with the others, causing the birth of the Universe and all its Stars. They rejoiced twinkling softly throughout the cosmos.

The Stars that had been made into Constellations formed a council with Orion at the head to protect their beloved Universe. Alas, not free from emotion, they found their efforts fruitless and unrewarding — and humanity was born.

Their clueless Children entertained the Constellations. The wonder in their Children's eyes when they discovered something new or when they finally found their Fated gave the Constellations what they had been looking for.

However, not even the Constellations of the great Galaxies were free from the seeping shadows and the tiny cracks in which Darkness dwelled. Humanity fell. War, chaos, evil, death, disease, and famine ravaged the Universe. Unsure of what to do or where to turn, the Constellations did the radical. The unthinkable.

They tore a tiny bit of themselves and gifted it to humanity.

Oh, how enchanted they were. The things they did with magic delighted the Constellations greatly. Beautiful illusions, breathtaking spells, and the amazing willingness to work with the creatures the Constellations envisioned. Schools, communities, governments, and societies began to take shape.

Those that were untouched by the Constellations feared what they did not understand. They sought to kill and destroy, driving the gifted into hiding. More division in an already so divided world.

The Constellations stepped back. Their choices seemed to do more harm than good. They withdrew themselves, swearing to only step in when they see no other way. For thousands and thousands of years, it remained that way. The Constellations watched from afar, detached from their beloved creation, broken.

They very rarely interfered with the course of time, and after, they withdrew back to their tiny section of the cosmos.

That brings me where I need to be.

There was a great Darkness, watching, waiting, undetected. The Darkness knew it had to wait for the perfect moment. It struck when least expected. The Vessel it had chosen automatically amassed a following, causing the gifted to live in fear. A prophecy about a child who would stop him alerted the Constellations. Knowing the Darkness would not end its attacks, the Constellations argued for days.

Ultimately, they chose to send a vessel of their own. A girl granted with powers of her own, born in the same unsuspecting way the other vessel was. The Constellations watched her closely.

They watched as the girl crossed paths with the child who was accidentally caught up in all this. They watched as their vessel grew into her role, displaying signs of grit and strength, never wavering in her resolve. They watched as she fell so madly in love, as she expanded her trust and learned to rely on others.

From afar, they saw her broken expression as she learned who she truly was. They watched as she pushed through the anchor of her mind and persevered through the death of one of her mentors. They were with her as she exhibited the greatest displays of power during pressure.

They were beside her as she strode, powerful, into the arms of Death.

Peace.

That's the one feeling Elara could discern. It shook her to her core. She had gone so long without this magnificent weightlessness that bolstered her spirit.

She knew she was dead. Everything in her said to go ahead, sleep, become as the Stars are, accept. However, there was something else in her that clung so tightly to the fractured remnants of her life. She could remember her name, for a voice that felt so much like home uttered it in her head with such a tenderness that Elara would do anything to hear spoken aloud.

The honied voice willed her to save the tiniest bit. That it needn't be much, to just save it. Just a spark. Save it.

Elara couldn't remember much. All the faces that might have meant anything to her were hazy. The memory of the tender voice fought with her heavy eyes, the void around her a gentle, caressing solitude. The sweet promise of eternal peace persuaded her like sin tempting the weakest of humans.

Slowly, she fell. She could feel her peaceful soul wandering deeper in the void. In a matter of seconds, light exploded. A strong sense of comfort fell over Elara like a blanket.

Her heavy eyelids became light. A ground seemed to form beneath her, one that felt and smelled like sweet grass, a scent that flamed that tiny spark she saved. Eyes wide, Elara gazed at the world above. Billions of Stars danced around her, decorating the purple and blue cosmic dust.

Elara pushed herself up to find that the ground beneath her was, in fact, only a feeling, as below her was nothing but more Universe.

A sensation of brilliant power slammed into Elara. She whirled around to find ethereal beings behind her. No fear struck into her heart. Instead, the feeling one might get when greeting old friends settled over her.

"You have done so well," whispered the tallest and brightest, "my sweet Star Child."

"Who was I?" asked Elara, the memories of her old self slipping through the cracks of her mind like granules of sand.

The beings seemed to smile warmly at her.

"You wore blood for one so gentle," said another with a voice similar to thunder. "It was always your nature to give light in the dark, to shatter when needed, despite being so headstrong and reckless."

The words swelled Elara with pride.

"Yes," said the youngest of them all, "But you were not the heaviness inside you. You were not the battlefield and you were not the sound of cannons shattering the sky. You were what happens after war."

War.

Thousands of memories pierced her like hot knives. A tidal wave of pain and loss crashed over her. The feeling of grieving what she couldn't remember drowned her. Salt water filling her lungs as she clawed through the water desperately, searching for the life she used to know.

A voice pulled her from the depth of the raging ocean.

"It seems some memories have not left you, child," lamented the brightest.

"I can't — I can't feel anything else but war," stammered Elara, unshed tears glimmering in her eyes.

The brightest bowed her head, and from the light emerged a woman, clothed in a flowing dress, hair distorting the stars behind her.

"Who are you?"

The woman smiled.

"I am Orion," she replied, "Your Guardian and Your Maker."

"Why?" asked Elara, voice hoarse. "Why am I in so much pain?"

"You were cursed from the start," answered Orion, an ancient melancholy swimming in her Star strewn eyes.

Elara's lips quivered as Orion reached out her hand and caressed Elara's face.

"I am so proud of you, my sweet Star Child."

Tears spilled out of Elara's eyes. She was so, so close to home. Every atom that built her war-torn body brimmed with love.

"You gave up so much for a world that looked at you with great disdain for so long."

Silence. Elara couldn't speak. Her mind was tearing itself in two. The haze that covered her life in a mysterious mist battled against that tiny spark.

"Elara?"

Her name whispered aloud sparked a wildfire. Millions of memories flooded her senses. She remembered names, people, feelings, places. She remembered laughing with Ron until her sides hurt. She remembered wreaking havoc with Fred, George, and Aurora. She remembered relentlessly flirting with Ginny. She remembered Ted's never failing words of encouragement. She remembered Andromeda allowing her to sleep in her bed after night terrors.

She remembered Bill and Charlie enchanting mundane objects to fight. She remembered Hermione finally breaking the rules. She remembered climbing trees with Draco at a young age. She remembered Mr. Weasley's hilarious obsession with Muggles. She remembered the fabulous food of Mrs. Weasley. She remembered Nymphie teaching her how to Metamorphose. She remembered holding her nephew, Teddy, in her arms for the first time.

She remembered Harry.

The one that knew her so well that knew she was angry before she did. She remembered their late nights in the Common Room, talking about the future and what it may bring. She remembered all the times they fell asleep in each other's arms. She remembered all the times they fought side by side. She remembered the first time they kissed.

She remembered all the times she caught him staring at her as if she had painted the sky all it's wonderful colors. She remembered loving him as Icarus loved the sun, as flowers love the breeze, as waves love the storm, and as fire loves destruction.

"I was happy."

"This is your destiny, Elara," inisted Orion. "You can rest now."

Elara looked Orion dead in the eyes.

"I don't believe in destiny," she announced, daring any of the Constellations to interrupt. "No,I grabbed my fate with my bloodied hands and molded my war-torn life. I corrupted my own soul with anger and temptation. My mistakes are my own. You may have sent me down there to die, but you did not map out my life, I forged my own path. I rule my outcome, not the other way around. I breathe in your light and inject your dust into my veins, as I live, as I continue to fight, continue to breathe, to hurt, to mourn, to love.

"I would walk through hell with my hands bound and my eyes blind rather than have my fate controlled by someone other than myself."

As the last words rung in the air, Elara plunged down through the Universe, flying past asteroids, old and new Stars, undiscovered galaxies and planets. She fell down, and down, and down until she landed on that familiar sweet grass.

Another burst of light flooded her closed eyelids. This light was different. It was astounding and awe-inspiring like the Constellations'. This was warm, a gentle caress of a summer's day. Warmth filled her body. The air filled her lungs intoxicatingly as she drew several breaths. Faint hoofsteps approached. Unwilling to stop savoring the sunlight, Elara's eyes remained closed.

"Elara Tonks?" came the voice of Ronan. "How are you here?"

"Hm?" hummed Elara, sitting up.

She gazed around the clearing. Sunbeams filtered through the canopy. The familiar surroundings of the Forbidden Forest filled her view.

"Did you see what happened?"

"I did," replied Ronan, eyeing Elara with awe and a little bit of fear, "There was a great ring of fire. All who fought for The Snake were incinerated to nothing but ash. When the flames extinguished, there was Harry, standing over The Snake's body. You were gone."

"Firestorm Creation," mumbled Elara, "One use only."

"I imagine you want to rejoin your friends?"

She nodded. Ronan whistled and a few moments later, a Thestral trotted into the clearing.

"The Constellations were not wrong when they said you were a powerful one, Elara Tonks," concluded Ronan as Elara hoisted herself up onto the bony back of the Thestral.

The wild air on her face and the wind coursing through her air as the Thestral climbed further up into the air provided Elara an unimaginable sense of peace. Two years ago, she was clutching to Harry as they soared through the skies of England, and here she was now, returning home, arms outstretched, savoring the feeling of flying.

Hogwarts quickly came into view.

The dilapidated state of the castle only registered in Elara's mind as she flew closer towards its boundaries. Walls were crumbled, the ground was destroyed, windows were shattered. The Thestral landed in the middle of the courtyard. It was flecked with piles of ash that had been scattered by the light morning breeze.

She slid off the back of the bony creature, about to turn to enter into Hogwarts, when she was attacked by a mess of wild, bushy, hair.

"ELARA!" screeched Hermione, tackling her in the tightest hug Elara'd possibly ever received. "How — What — How — "

"Long story," replied Elara, wrapping her arms around her closest confidant.

"If you ever scare me like that again, I'll — I'll — "

"Bloody hell, 'Mione, she just came back from the dead and you're gonna kill her again," came Ron's sarcastic voice, who in no way seemed fazed that Elara had literally just come back to life.

"You seem fine with the fact that I've just resurrected like that bloke Jesus," said Elara, smiling as she hugged Ron.

"That fire trick you pulled has ruined any chance of me being surprised ever again," teased Ron. "Come on, people'll want to know you're not dead."

The three made their way to the castle. It seemed Elara's arrival was not secret, as everyone who was able flooded out to greet her. There was tears, screaming, hugging, yelling, and laughing. Mrs. Weasley worried over if Elara was truly well or not, Fred, George, and Aurora would not stop calling her Jesus, Corrine screamed like Hermione had and threatened Elara's life if she did anything like that ever again, Luna hugged her for a solid three minutes.

Draco had even come over and wrapped Elara in a hug.

"Thank you," he whispered, "for saving me."

"Don't mention it."

"You don't feel ill?" fretted Mrs. Weasley.

"Seriously, I'm okay."

And she truly was. Death had healed her cuts and bruises. No longer was her face scarred or her arm tainted.

"You might want to go find to Harry," said Ron quietly. "I don't think he knows you're alive."

"Where is he?"

"Don't you two have telepathy or something?"

"You're an idiot."

"I know!" called Ron as Elara walked off in search of Harry.

She was stopped a lot along the way by peers and people she didn't recognize, thanking her. The majority didn't seemed fazed, like Ron. Her death must have been truly grandeur. Even she had no idea she was capable of such power, the ability to destroy life with only a few flames.

Great chunks were missing from the marble staircase, part of the balustrade gone, and rubble and bloodstains occurred every few steps as Elara climbed. Somewhere in the distance she could hear Peeves zooming through the corridors singing a victory song of his own composition:

We did it, we bashed them, Tonksy and Potty's the ones,

And Voldy's gone moldy, so now let's have fun!

Elara smiled to herself. She had a vague idea of where Harry might be. She climbed the stairs up to the Astronomy Tower to find Harry sitting, his back to her, his legs dangling off the tower. Elara opened her mouth to say something, but she didn't know what.

What do you say to someone who thought you dead?

"I'm here," said Elara softly.

Harry's head whipped around and he did a double take before scrambling up and crossing the tower faster than Elara had ever seen him move. His arms were around her. One was in her hair, and the other was tucked around her waist.

"You're alive, You're alive," repeated Harry over and over again, his face buried in her hair.

"I told you," she said, pulling back to meet his eyes. "Until every last star in the galaxy dies, you have me."

·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

AUTHORS NOTE

— I REALLY HAD YALL CONVINCED HAHAHHAHHA

— ANYWAYS JUST THE EPILOGUE AND THE FINAL

THANK YOU YOU GUYS IM SO FUCKNG SAD

Written: December 21, 2020

Published: December 22, 2020