Epilogue

Classes had started for about three months, Abiageal had not spoken to any of her friends, she stayed alone in her corner and refused to talk to anyone. People looked at her strangely, but that did not matter to her, she was used to it, the other students had always found her weird, so a little more or a little less, it was not going to change anything in her life.

She felt Theodore's gaze rest on her at times and never leave her for long minutes, until she decided to look in his direction and only then did Theodore turn his head the other way. His beautiful blue eyes held such sadness that Abiageal had to stop herself from going to see him. Every time she was about to give in, she reminded herself that it was Theodore who had decided that they should no longer be friends, she had just asked for time over the summer to think and please her parents ; for her, the situation was not supposed to be definitive, but Theodore had decided otherwise.

Abiageal was still having nightmares, she flinched every time someone walked too close or brushed against her, she screamed in terror as soon as there was a noise a little too loud. She had asked Mrs. Pomfrey for a potion to help her fight the nightmares and the state of terror she was constantly in, but it had no effect and Mrs. Pomfrey was not allowed to get her a stronger potion, so she slept about two hours a night — that was only when she was lucky.

The only thing that had changed since she had been released from captivity was that she no longer cried; she was physically incapable of it; she had emptied her body of tears. And that in itself was not so bad; Abiageal felt that otherwise she would spend her days lying in bed crying herself to exhaustion.

In other words, Abiageal Raglan was a shadow of her former self, and it seemed that Theodore was no different. She had heard Draco and Blaise talking a few days ago, saying that he did not laugh and joke as much as he used to, and his eyes had never looked so "dead" as they did now, and he did not talk any more than she did.

They were both falling into darkness at the same time and they had no one to bring them out. They were always saving and protecting each other, but not this time, they were in this state because of each other.

February had arrived, Abiageal was returning from Hogsmeade, she needed a few school things. She ran into Theodore, so she bowed her head before continuing on her way. Theodore had decided otherwise; he blocked her path.

"Okay, I'm tired of playing cat and mouse. You said no contact until September, and I respected your wish. But it's February now, and you still haven't said a word to me, not even a glance in my direction. Why?"

Her last statement was false, she had looked at him, she was doing nothing but that, unable to look away from him.

Instead of answering, Abiageal took out the letter she had been carrying. She refused to leave the dormitory unless she had her wand and the letter with her. The piece of parchment was slowly starting to tear where it had been folded. From the constant folding and unfolding, Abiageal read the letter at least ten times a day — if not more. She then handed it to Theodore.

Theodore had not needed to read the contents; he knew perfectly well what was written there. It was the letter he had written one night after drinking too much. Abiageal should never have known about it. Adrian must have sent it without him noticing.

"I can explain everything to you, Abby. Please."

"No," her voice was hoarse and raspy; it was the first time she'd spoken in seven months.

"I'm begging you."

"Everything was said in the letters we sent each other. Like you said, we have to move on."

"Abby...please...don't..."

Theodore pressed his forehead to Abiageal's, and it was the first time Abiageal had not flinched when someone touched her; it was also the first time she had not feared another's touch. She closed her eyes to appreciate this very last moment with him; it would never happen again. Abiageal realised they were both silently crying.

"We need to let go...we're not good for each other, there are your words..."

"Stop quoting me, please. I didn't mean anything I wrote that night."

"I think you do, Theo, that's why you've written 'em to begin with..."

Abiageal inched her face towards Theodore's before crushing her lips against those of the boy in front of her. She kissed him for the first and last time.

The kiss was nothing special; their lips were simply pressed together, the salt of their respective tears on their mouths. Abiageal's lips fitted perfectly with Theodore's, as if they had been tailor-made for him.

Abiageal herself broke the kiss before speaking.

"I love you."

"I love you."

"In another life?"

"Yeah...in another life..."

Abiageal and Theodore both took a single step back. They looked at each other, sad smiles on their lips, before heading in opposite directions.

Abiageal turned her head slightly to look over her shoulder, Theodore had the same idea, unable to resist, Abiageal turned around and ran towards Theodore before jumping into his arms.

As she was in Theodore's arms — finally finding that sense of security she had missed so much — she knew their separation was for the best. And even though she had just lost her best friend, the person she loved most in the world, she did not regret the choices she had made — quite the opposite, in fact. If she could start all over again, she would make the exact same choices she had made. She did not doubt it for a moment. She may have put her own life in danger, but she had saved Theodore's, so there was nothing to regret. And she hoped that when war broke out, Theodore would take advantage of the gift she had given him to run as far away as possible and never look back.

And, she hoped they would find each other agin. In another life.

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A/N : Another Life is officially complete! Thank you for reading, voting, commenting.

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