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The dust settled ever so slightly across the grounds. The castle still stood but rubble could be seen falling from the tallest tower. The early morning had never seemed to deadly; even in this reprieve. Bodies were lingering in the grass and stone, as students and anyone else who dared to fight collected them; carrying them into the Great Hall. She did not want to look at their faces because she was terrified of seeing someone she knew; terrified of seeing his face among the dead.
Caroline looked down at her dirty Ravenclaw robes and wondered if she would die in them; or if after today she would ever be able to step foot onto the Hogwarts grounds again. Hogwarts became her home for so long; her mother busy at the Ministry and her father having died years previously. This was the place that she felt she belonged and excelled. It was the place she fell in love and all at the same time, had her heart broken.
Yet, over the last year, Hogwarts felt nothing more than a prison designed to punish those for trying to do the right thing. Caroline had never considered herself a hero; always willing to see both sides of the coin. There was a reason why the Sorting Hat placed her in Ravenclaw and not Gryffindor. Caroline was not one to run blindly into chaos without a reason.
Suddenly, she was faced with a reason.
Caroline ran through the grounds, knowing that almost everyone was heading inside to see if their loved ones were alive…or not, but Caroline knew that if she would find him he wouldn’t be one who was gathered and brought to rest inside. She waited near the edge of the forest, searching. She was not sure if he had come but she heard the rumors; echoes from her friends who whispered what happened to him after he graduated the year previously.
“What are you doing here?” Caroline whipped around as his voice sounded from over her shoulder. She took in his dirty appearance and weary expression. His blond hair was tussled and not in the way she liked. His jaw clenched in anger and his robes had a few scorch marks that told her that he had been hit with a few spells. “You need to leave. Now.”
“Klaus.” She said in a low voice and stepped forward. It has been a year since she had seen him. She kissed him goodbye at the train station after Dumbledore’s funeral, thinking that they would have the summer and owls but none of that came; Caroline never heard from the young man she had grown to love during the entirety of her fifth and sixth year at Hogwarts. She reached and grabbed his left forearm and before he could yank it out of her reach, she pulled up his sleeve to reveal what she expected. “So, it’s true. This is why you haven’t contacted me in a year?”
The Dark Mark was etched onto his skin, burning a deep red as though it was on fire.
“Caroline-“
“Don’t.” She hissed at him. Hot tears pooled in her eyes and she couldn’t help as they slid down her cheeks. She dropped his arm and wrapped hers around her chest as though she was protecting herself from an attack. “Why? I get you were in Slytherin, but don’t you think this is a little clique? Especially for you?”
“I did this for you. For us.” Caroline gave a huff in disbelief. She could tell that he believed it, that he really believed that joining He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was in some way meant to help them. “Look around Caroline. The world as we knew it, that we loved is crumbling. Something new is coming and I want to ensure that we have a place in this world.”
“So, joining a cult that murders people is the way to do that?” Caroline asked him and Klaus blanched. “Have you done it? Have you used the killing curse? Have you actually taken someone’s life?” Silence hung between them, but Caroline could read Klaus far better than any magical textbook and she knew the answer. “What happened to the sweet boy who used to draw pictures for me? The one who loved me more than anything?”
“I’ll do what needs to be done to keep you safe.” Klaus told her and he leaned in, placing his hands on her shoulders. “We do not have much time but go to Hogsmeade and apparate out of here. I’ll come for you once this done and over. We can begin then. You and me. We can have that life we always talked about. A small house near the seashore and a brood of little witches and wizards. We can be happy. I promise.”
Caroline thought on it. She remembered every promise they had made to one another as they sat beside the Great Lake, dreaming about their life after Hogwarts. Klaus wanted to be a curse breaker while Caroline wanted to become a healer. Despite what the rest of the world thought of Klaus Mikaelson, bastard child of a pureblood witch; who was the optimum of a Slytherin, Caroline loved him. They had their entire life planned out; and then the Second Wizarding War broke out and Caroline was faced with a choice.
Joining the fight to stop a wizard who was going to kill them all or the love of her life.
It really wasn’t a choice.
“No.”
“No?”
“I can’t Klaus.” She whispered, hating the look of complete betrayal on his face. She picked up his hands, gripping them tightly in hers and kissed them. “I can’t run from this Klaus. People have died. People I know and if he wins, there will be no house near the seashore and children, how can we bring life into a world ruled by darkness?”
“So, you’re leaving me?” The pain in his voice was so pronounced that it tore at Caroline’s core. She wanted nothing more than to have that life they envisioned. To have that little peaceful existence they had carved out for one another but in such a world, she just did not know how. “You want to end things. Just toss me aside. Toss everything we built aside?”
“I love you Klaus, but I haven’t heard from you in a year. I was terrified that I would get wind that you had been murdered; but something worse happened. I heard you joined them.” Her throat turned raw and hoarse. The smell of smoke and ash was getting to her but the weakness she felt wasn’t from the remanence of the battle. “Look around you. Is this the life you want? To tell our children that you brought about death and destruction?”
Klaus was about to respond but a loud booming voice sounded through the air.
“You have one hour.” The voice echoed and a chill went down Caroline’s spine and even though she had never seen him, or faced him; Caroline knew that the voice belonged to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. “Dispose of your dead with dignity. Treat your injured. I speak now to Harry Potter, directly to you. You have permitted your friends to die for you rather than face me yourself. I shall wait one hour in the Forbidden Forest. If, at the end of that hour, you have not come to me, have not given yourself up, then the battle recommences. This time I shall enter the fray myself, Harry Potter, and I shall find you, and I shall punish every man, woman and child who has tried to conceal you from me. One hour.”
“Is that who you serve?” Caroline whispered. “A man who would be willing to sacrifice children? What if they were our children?” Klaus remained unmoving, his gaze pouring into her. “It’s not too late. Come inside the castle with me. Fight beside me. If we go down, we go down together.”
“I can’t Caroline….”
“Tell me, who do you love more? Me?” She asked, taking his hand and placing it on her heart. “Or the master you serve?” When he didn’t answer, Caroline had her answer. “Very well. I hope that it’s not too late for you Klaus. If I die tonight. Please know that I never stopped loving you. Even if you stopped loving me.”
With that, Caroline turned away from him and made her was back towards the castle, refusing to look over her shoulder. If she looked over now, then she knew that she would run to him and beg him to whisk her away from here; but she knew that she had to stay. This wasn’t just about her or Klaus but about something far bigger than either of them. When Caroline reached the entrance of the castle, she looked over her shoulder in time to see Klaus’s outline turning and walking into the forest.
Klaus just stood there and watched her walk away.
The hour reprieve ended quickly. Caroline stood in the back of the crowed, watching as the master of all things evil declare that Harry Potter was dead. Caroline felt a lump in her throat, realizing that she very well may die; but knew she had to continue to fight. Her hands gripped her wand while she searched the crowed of Death Easters, looking for one face in particular. She didn’t see him but knew that he was there. She wondered if he was searching for her in the crowed; just like she was.
However, her search ended when all chaos broke loose and the battle resumed; and suddenly it was like the fight had left her. She realized she couldn’t face another battle. Hope was restored and she saw the chance at the life she always wanted.
Harry Potter was alive.
Caroline darted through the crowd, dodging curses and jinxes as she went. She sent spells when she had to, but she was done fighting. The tides had turned, and they were winning. Whispers rung out around her as she ran, her eyes looking at everyone she passed; hoping to see his face.
Caroline was done pretending to be a hero. She was done fighting someone else’s war. A few hours were enough for her. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named would be killed and they rest of the world would fall into place; for those who fought for the right side. Caroline could move on with her life, but she needed to ensure one thing.
She needed to know that Klaus wasn’t going to be painted as the villain for the rest of his life.
When she reached the Great Lake, Caroline paused. The battle wasn’t as fierce as it was inside the castle and just outside the forest. She took a moment to breath, hoping to find him here. This had always been their spot, the place where they had made all their plans. If he was looking for her; wanting to know if she was alive, he would come here. She turned around in a circle, searching every face she could.
Then she froze.
Before her stood a man, she did not know but she knew he was no friend to her. The several fires surrounding the castle and the hexes being casted gave Caroline enough light to see him clearly. He was covered in dirt and blood from the battle. He had dark black hair and pale skin that looked almost luminescent; he appeared gaunt, as though his skin was stretched thin across his bones. He gave a nasty smile as though he was imagining all the ways he could torture her. Caroline went for her wand but was not fast enough.
“Crucio!”
Caroline could not even hear herself scream as the unimaginable pain engulfed her body. She felt as though her entire being was on fire and being stabbed in an immense pain. Every cell in her body was screaming. She did not feel when she hit the ground, nor could she hear anything; only the ringing in her ears. Her brain could only process the pain and when a flash of green light echoed around her and the pain stopped, Caroline thought she had died.
The pain was gone and all she could do was lay on the ground, waiting for the next life to begin. It took a few moments for her realize that she was not dead; the ache in her left wand arm confirmed that for her. Slowly, Caroline sat up in the grass and looked around her. The first thing she was the dead Death Eater lying on the ground with his eyes wide, staring at her. The next was the imagine of a very angry and unforgiving Klaus Mikaelson, who was also staring down at his dead comrade.
Klaus’s gaze shifted from the body to Caroline and his expression changed from anger to heartbreak in a second. There was so much he wanted to say but couldn’t. He looked worse for wear, but Caroline could not tell if it was because of the battle or the words she spoke to him earlier. He gazed at her for a few more moments, ignoring the people running around them; just checking that she was alive. That was why he had come to the lake, to ensure that she survived.
Klaus turned to leave but Caroline pulled herself from the ground and called out to him.
“Klaus!” He paused, his back tense but he stayed still; waiting to hear what she would say next. “Don’t go.” Caroline walked over to him and placed her hand on his back, and she could not help but smile at how he relaxed at the feel of her hand against him. She leaned forward and kissed the valley between his shoulder blades. “I keep wishing I could forget this past year. That we could go back to the stolen moments we had before this war; a war that neither one of us should be fighting in. I keep wishing I could forget all the terrible things you’ve done because of it.”
“But you can’t, can you?” His voice was raw, and Caroline chose to believe that it was because his emotions were getting in the way, not acknowledging of the chaos around them; a hoarse voice caused but dark spells he had cast. “I’m a villain Caroline. A dark wizard.”
“Not to me.” It was nothing more than a whisper, but he heard it. He turned around to face her, eyes wide with an emotion he dare not name. Caroline leaned up and kissed him lightly on the lips; it was nothing more than butterfly touches. Klaus, unable to help himself, wrapped his arms around her and deepened the kiss. Neither cared that people were screaming and that a fire broke out in the tree beside them; they could only feel this one last kiss beside the lake where they made their plans for the future.
“Sweetheart-“
“Shh.” Caroline placed her finger on his lips. “I was wrong before. I’m not a hero. There is a reason I wasn’t sorted into Gryffindor. I’m a girl who had her head in the clouds and fell in love with a boy who everyone told her was bad news; but they did not see you like I do. You’re not a villain Klaus. Not to me. You’re not the villain of my story.”
“Funny, because you’re certainly the hero of mine.” Klaus whispered to her. He placed his hands on both sides of her face, kissing her deeply again. When he pulled away, he rested his forehead against hers and looked into her ice blue eyes. “You asked me before, who I loved more. You or the master I served. I should have answered you then but watching you walk across those grounds to join a fight that was not yours, I knew that it would always be you. No witch or wizard, no matter what they promised, could compare to how much I love you.”
“Then why did you let me walk away?”
“Because I thought I’d lost you.” Caroline could see the tears slowly fall down his cheeks. She leaned up to kiss them away. “I thought all I had left was the darkness I fell into this past year. I joined to secure a place for us in this world. I never thought that I’d lose you in the process.” He kissed the top of her head. “When the fighting started again, I had to find you. I had to know if you made it out alive.”
“Great minds think alike. I was searching for you too.” They shared a smile between them, one that was reserved for lovers. That secret smile that happened in a glance when they knew the other was thinking of a moment shared in the past. Lost in the moment, neither noticed the footsteps running past them or the excited voices echoing around the grounds.
“It’s happening!” A voice called that neither heard. “Harry and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named are dueling. It’s almost over! It’s happening.” Loud bangs could be heard in the distance and hundreds of people crowed in the Great Hall to watch a duel that would go down in history; all but two people who stayed on the grounds, lost in an embrace. No one noticed them or missed them. They were just two people lost in the chaos.
Neither a hero nor a villain; just two ordinary people caught up in a world where they didn’t belong.
“Come away with me.” Caroline whispered and Klaus looked at her confused. She knew what was to follow. The world would rebuild but fingers would be pointed, and she couldn’t see Klaus locked away; even if he was guilty of the crimes he was accused of. “Come away with me. We will leave here. Leave England. Start over. Far from here.”
“But your mother-“
“Will think I died in the chaos.” Her voice broke slightly but she pressed on. “It won’t be much of a change. She’ll mourn me and then go right back to work like she always had.” Caroline leaned up and kissed him again. “They will put our names on the list of the dead or the missing and we can move on.”
“What about becoming a healer? You had all these plans. Dreams.” Klaus was looking at her imploringly. He knew what he would face if they stay. There was a chance he would serve a life sentence in Azkaban for the things he had done but he would cling to the imagine of Caroline living her life the way she had always dreamed; just without him by her side. It wouldn’t exactly be a happy dream but maybe it would be enough to survive the Dementors. “What about the house by the seashore?”
“I can become a healer somewhere else. I just won’t be Caroline Forbes. Just someone else.” She placed her hands on his face. “We’ll make new names. A new life for each of us.” She kissed him again. “Besides, there are a thousand seashores in the world. I never said it had to be an English one.” Klaus gave her a smile that showed his dimples and she smiled right back at him. “Run away with me Niklaus. Run away with me and never look back.”
When the dust settled and the war was over, hundreds of names were immortalized forever on a stone constructed as a reminder of what occurred; and to prevent it from happening again. Two names were listed among the dead. One viewed as a hero who fought alongside her fellow students to protect her school. The other portrayed as a villain, a bright young boy who turned to the dark side.
Thousands of miles away, along the northern California coast, Nicholas and Clair Michaels lived in a small cottage; watching the waves roll in along the seashore.