Chapter 98: Farewell and Resolve
When Alyssa led Hector back, only a mess remained in the clearing. The wizards were gone, leaving behind nothing but broken branches and bloodstains.
Alyssa staggered to a patch of earth stained with silver blood and collapsed beside it, trembling. Her chest tightened as she whispered, "Charles..."
Hector stood motionless, his large frame casting a shadow over the wreckage. His voice was heavy with guilt. "It's my fault, Alyssa. I never should have told you about humans. I painted them as kind... but they're liars. Monsters."
Alyssa lay silent, her body shaking as silent sobs wracked her. Tears soaked the earth where Charles' blood lay. Her mind replayed the moment again and again—the flash of light, the fall, his final words.
Hector's tail slammed into the ground, leaving a deep crater. "I'll find them," he growled. His wings unfurled, powerful and massive. "I'll make them pay."
He launched into the sky with a roar that shook the trees. But when he returned hours later, exhausted and defeated, Alyssa was still lying in the same spot, unmoving.
"I couldn't find them," Hector said softly, his voice cracking. "I couldn't..."
Alyssa's body tensed, then she began scraping at the dirt, covering the bloodstain with trembling hooves. When it was done, she leaned down and kissed the earth. "It wasn't your fault, Hector," she whispered, her voice fragile. "It was mine... all my fault."
"Alyssa..." Hector's shoulders slumped. He wished she would scream at him, curse him, blame him. Her forgiveness felt like salt on his wounds.
"Take me away from here," Alyssa murmured, her eyes empty. "Take me somewhere far from humans... where they'll never find me."
Hector hesitated. "Do you want to go to my home?"
"No," she replied quickly, shaking her head. "No humans... not ever again."
After a pause, Hector said, "I know a place... a tribe that will protect you. They don't trust humans either."
Alyssa looked at him, her eyes swollen and red. "Take me there."
Hector lowered his wings, allowing her to climb on his back. "Hold on," he said gently.
Alyssa tightened her grip around his neck, burying her face in his mane as they took off, the wind stealing her tears away. Beneath them, the clearing grew smaller, the earth swallowing the last trace of Charles.
Not long after arriving at the horse tribe, Alyssa gave birth to a little unicorn, Charles' child. The foal was her only light in the darkness that had engulfed her.
One day, while wandering near the tribe's border with her child, Alyssa spotted a castle in the distance. Little wizards played on the grounds, laughing and casting harmless spells. She watched them quietly from behind the trees.
There, she saw Hagrid for the first time—a giant of a man with a tangled beard and eyes as gentle as a summer sky. Though Alyssa was wary, she noticed his kindness. He treated magical creatures with care and spoke to them as equals.
Still, she kept her distance, always staying hidden. But she felt drawn to him, her heart aching with longing. She wanted to believe, just once more, that not all humans were monsters.
But her hope was shattered when she met him.
Voldemort.
His crimson eyes were cold, his voice a whisper of death. She had no chance to run, no chance to fight. His curse struck her down, her body collapsing like a broken doll.
As her vision faded, she thought of Charles. Of his smile. Of his last words.
"Protect our child."
Alyssa's eyes closed for the final time, her heart breaking as she left her little unicorn behind.
David woke with tears on his cheeks. The memory lingered, searing his heart. He could still feel Alyssa's pain, her sorrow. She was gone because of them... because of him.
He swore to avenge her. To make them pay.
But first, he had to learn the truth.
Dumbledore's voice broke the silence. "You're awake."
David turned to see the Headmaster standing beside his bed, concern etched on his face. Next to him stood Newt, his grandfather, his eyes red and weary.
"Where am I?" David asked, his voice hoarse.
"The school hospital," Dumbledore explained. "You've been unconscious for a day and a night. Miss Granger stayed by your side the entire time."
David looked over to see Hermione asleep beside his bed, her head resting on her arms, her face pale from worry.
"She refused to leave, even after Mrs. Pomfrey insisted," Dumbledore said with a soft smile. "It seems you're quite important to her."
David felt a warmth in his chest, a flicker of light in his darkness. He gently picked Hermione up and laid her on his bed, tucking the blanket around her.
Turning back to Dumbledore, his expression hardened. "You owe me answers."
Dumbledore nodded solemnly. "Then come with me. It's time you learned the truth."