It was almost dark.
The sun was sinking toward the distant horizon, setting the sky ablaze in deep, burning red.
Rows of waves rolled toward the shore, their crests flashing in the fading light. The glittering sea, the blue sky, and the white clouds drifting through it were all stained red by the last glow of sunset.
A few seagulls wheeled freely across the sky. Out in the water and along the beach, Muggle tourists laughed and played, soaking themselves in the fine sand and warm seawater. Not far away, two Muggles in beautiful wedding clothes seemed to be taking photographs, their smiles bright and carefree.
Everything before her was beautiful.
Everything looked happy.
Except for the lonely girl standing at the edge of the beach.
Astoria stood beneath the sunset, her hands clenched tightly around the hem of her skirt as she lifted her gaze toward the distance. There was no joy on her face. Every now and then, she bit down on her lip.
This was already the second day since she and her sister had arrived in Athens. Ever since they left that forest, they had received no news of Jon Hart.
Yesterday, Mrs. Weasley, the Auror named Tonks, and several of the Weasley children had stayed with them in Athens. But today, they had suddenly announced that the vacation had been canceled early, then left Athens in a hurry, leaving only the Greengrass sisters behind.
Before leaving, of course, they had asked whether the sisters wanted to go with them.
Astoria had refused.
Because she was worried.
No matter how many times her sister tried to comfort her, she was still worried.
Before they had left the forest yesterday afternoon, Jon and Harry had mysteriously "disappeared."
On top of that, the members of the Order of the Phoenix had insisted on taking her and her sister somewhere safe. Even if Astoria had been foolish, she would have known something unexpected must have happened.
Still, she had come to Athens.
She did not want to hold Jon back, and she did not want him to worry about her.
But after waiting in this seaside city for more than thirty hours with no word at all, panic had begun to creep in.
Where had Jon gone?
Had he run into danger?
Should she have stayed yesterday and gone to look for him?
Astoria felt as though her heart had been pulled into knots, tangled tighter and tighter until she could barely breathe.
Soft footsteps came from behind her.
They had lived together for so many years that she could recognize the person behind her from the sound of those footsteps alone.
"Sis?" she said quietly.
"Stop looking." Daphne wrapped her arms around Astoria from behind. "It's getting late. Let's go back and have dinner. I heard they're serving the best local seafood tonight."
"I'm sorry." Astoria gave her a weak smile. "I'm not very hungry."
"Stop worrying," Daphne said softly. "Nothing will happen. The two of you already got through such a painful time together. This won't be any different."
"I want to wait a little longer," Astoria whispered.
"Why won't you listen?" Daphne's voice rose slightly. "Even if you want to wait, we can eat first and then."
Her voice cut off.
Astoria had suddenly turned around and reached up, gently touching the corner of her eye with her small hand.
"What are you doing?" Daphne asked, her voice shaking.
"You're worried too, aren't you?" Astoria forced a small smile and looked straight into Daphne's eyes. "Right? The corner of your eye is still red."
"This... I... no..." Daphne stammered, suddenly losing all her composure. "It's just... I got some sand in my eye."
The sisters stood face-to-face, staring at each other in silence.
Then, from not far away, a familiar voice drifted over.
"Excuse me, have you seen two girls? They both have blonde hair, they're British, and they're about seventeen or eighteen..."
"It's Jon!" The worry on Astoria's face vanished in an instant, replaced by bright, startled joy.
All the fear and unease she had been carrying was thrown away in that single moment.
...
Jon had only arrived in the ancient city of Athens a few minutes earlier.
It was not that he had meant to be late.
The aftermath of killing Voldemort had simply been far more troublesome than he had imagined.
He had been prepared for some of it. He had even brought a tent with him.
But in the end, he had killed another wizard with his own hands in a foreign country. Even if that wizard was a notorious Dark Wizard, it was still a serious incident, one that required him to provide sufficient proof to the local Ministry of Magic.
Fortunately, the title of Headmaster of Hogwarts still carried weight. Several wizards from the Order of the Phoenix also had enough reputation across Europe to vouch for him.
After more than thirty hours, he had finally completed every necessary statement and verification.
Ten minutes earlier, in Tirana, the capital of Albania, he had finished the last bit of paperwork and immediately hurried to Athens.
He first went to the Muggle inn where Astoria and Daphne were staying, the one they had booked in advance, only to find it empty.
The innkeeper told him the two British girls had gone out that afternoon and had not come back since.
A little worried, Jon left a letter behind and began searching the surrounding area for the Greengrass sisters.
When he finally reached the seaside, a soft body suddenly "attacked" him from behind and hugged him tightly.
"Huh?" Jon froze.
"Jon..." Astoria's voice came from behind him. "You're late again."
Jon turned around. A faint smile touched his face as he pulled the girl firmly into his arms.
"This is the last time," he said solemnly. "I swear. It really is the last time."
And it was true.
Voldemort was dead. The true threat to the wizarding world had disappeared. The promise he had made to Albus Dumbledore had been fulfilled.
Now, nothing mattered more to him than the girl in his arms.
"You're lying," Astoria whispered, burying her face against his chest.
"I'm definitely not."
"Liar."
"I'm really not."
"Then pinky promise?"
"Okay."
Two hands reached out.
Then their little fingers curled around each other, quietly locking together.
"Are you two finished yet?" Daphne gave a soft cough, her timing rather awkward.
"My dear sister, the person you were waiting for is here now. Can we go have dinner?" she asked calmly.
Astoria hid behind Jon, her cheeks already flushed bright red.
"Okay..." she murmured, her voice barely louder than a mosquito.