The Saddest Day

It was the middle of the term, and the children were back to their routines at Hogwarts. As promised, James and Hyperion had forgotten about the night of the ball and were friends again. Neither mentioned anything about it to anyone. Draco hadn't told their parents, and they were all grateful for it. Not even the girls had found out about it. All three triplets were in the same class together and were in the middle of an exam when McGonagall came in suddenly. Slughorn looked alarmed, and she smiled weakly at him.

"I need to see the Malfoy children right away," She said as calmly as possible. Ara looked back right away, panic written across her face. Why would she need all three of them? What had happened. 

"What happened, Ma'am?" Scorpius was the first to talk once they left the room and followed her to her office.

"I am going to let your parents explain." She said simply. Ara thought at least they were alright. 

"Is it the triplets?" Hyperion said, panicked. Ara felt the tears come into her eyes, and she reached for her brother's hands. 

"No, they are alright," McGonagall felt bad for these children. They were so close to their grandmother, and this was all so sudden and scary. 

"Mother, what's going on?" Ara ran over to her parents when they entered the room.

Draco knelt and pulled Ara into a bone-crushing hug. She was going to be the most distraught about this. "Grandmother has gotten really sick, and we are going to take you there to see her." He said, trying to hold back the tears. She was fine yesterday, and now they were telling him that there was nothing they could do. 

"No," Ara said in barely a whisper. Her grandmother couldn't be sick.

"Mother?" Hyperion was in disbelief. Hermione just pulled her boys into a hug. She couldn't hold the tears back. Cissy had been like a mother to her all these years. After her own parents died, Cissy took care of her. She took her in as her own daughter, and she loved her for that. 

The five Malfoys flooed to St. Mungo's soon after and walked quietly to her room. Ara broke down in tears seeing her lying on a bed; she looked terrible. What kind of terrible magic was this? She was fine when they left back for school. 

The triplets sat in chairs next to their grandmother and just cried. She wasn't awake, and they overheard the healers telling their parents that she might not wake back up. Ara couldn't take it. Her heart was breaking soon after Hermione and Draco brought their younger triplets into the room as well so that everyone could say goodbye. 

Carina got up into Scorpius's lap, Nova into Hyperions' and Leo into Aras'. All 6 children were crying silently, telling their grandmother how much they loved her. 

"I love you, Grandmother," Ara whispered into her ear. She looked up to her grandmother so much; she couldn't imagine living in the Manor without her. 

"Ara," Ara thought she imagined it, but Cissy had fluttered her eyes open. 

"Grandmother!" Ara stood up and ran to get someone to help. Her parents and siblings had gone to get something to eat, but she couldn't leave her grandmother's side. 

When she came back into the room, she grabbed her grandmother's hand and rubbed it gently. 

"Ara, don't be afraid. It's alright." Cissy half smiled at her oldest granddaughter. She felt her time was near. 

"Grandmother, please don't leave us," She sobbed into the blanket. 

"Ara, darling. I have lived a wonderful life. It's alright. You are going to be alright. You just have to do something for me," Cissy smiled and took a sharp breath. Draco and everyone else was running back into the room. He let out a breath. They didn't think she was going to wake up; she could pull through. 

"What is it, anything," Ara was trying hard to be brave, but it wasn't happening. 

"I need you to remember to always cherish one another. You are a family, and you have to always be there for one another," 

"Of course," Ara smiled at her grandmother. She loved her family more than anything. 

"Another thing, you always follow your heart, no matter what anyone else says. Follow your heart, and always do what's right." 

Ara started crying again. This wasn't happening. 

"Mother," Draco knelt by her bed. "You cannot leave up yet."

"Darling, you are the best thing that ever happened to me. Don't forget that, alright. You are what got me through everything. Hermione," Cissy half reached out toward her daughter in law. She rushed to the side of the bed Draco was kneeling by. 

"Yes,"

"Take care of my baby for me," 

"I will; I promise, mother." Hermione felt the tears fall down her face. 

"And all of your wonderful children. They are going to great things." Cissy smiled, and the 8 of them watched as her eyes fluttered closed. 

"Mother?" Draco held her hand tight. He couldn't lose her; he wasn't ready. 

"Grandmother?" Ara sobbed next to her bed. Scorpius and Hyperion knelt with her and put their arms around her, and started crying as well. Why was this happening? The younger children stood next to their parents and hugged them tightly. They didn't want their mother and father to be crying. 

A healer walked in and started checking Cissy; she frowned to herself. She was far too young to have died. "I'm so sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy, she's gone." 

Draco started crying harder; his mother had done everything in her life for him. She was what got him through the war. Hermione hugged her three youngest tightly. They deserved more time with their grandmother. So did her older three. Scorpius and Hyperion pulled Ara into a hug. Her heart was broken. She cried hard. 

"This isn't happening," She whimpered into their robes. Scorpius felt the anger build up inside of him. Hyperion was feeling the same as his brother. His grandmother deserved to live out a long life after everything she had gone through. She didn't deserve this. 

Draco finally pulled his wife and all of his children into his arm, and they all stood there crying. The triplets went back to Hogwarts late that night. Scorpius and Ara followed Hyperion back to his dorm. They wanted to be together. They didn't care how many rules they were breaking. 

"Ara," James was waiting for them in the common room. They looked exhausted. 

Ara just ran into his arms and started crying again; she didn't know how she had tears left. 

James looked to his best friends as he hugged his girlfriend, "What can I do?" He asked the three of them.

"Just help her heal," was all Hyperion could say. He plopped his body down onto the couch and put his face in his hands. Scorpius copied his movements, and James wondered what could have happened. 

"She died," Was all Ara could get out after a while. Who had died? "I'm never going to Paris ever again," She cried into James. He sighed, knowing very well that it was their grandmother's favorite place. She was too young to have passed away. 

"What can I do, baby?" He kissed her head, holding her close. 

"I need her," She sobbed. James felt his heartbreaking. He would do anything to make this hurt go away. He just held her tight and rocked her back and forth in his arms. She started to calm down. He, at least, made her feel as if the world wasn't ending. She didn't know what she would be like if he weren't there.