A/N: And here's the final chapter. Thanks to those who reviewed, especially those who did it consistently, you're the best :)

This will probably be my last multi-chapter fic for the foreseeable future, but I usually do some drabble/one-shot type things on my Tumblr. Just search Massivedrickhead to find me if you're interested.

I do not own Pitch Perfect or Harry Potter or any of their characters

Epilogue

Beca arrived back in Hogsmeade on the night before the one year anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts. Hogwarts was hosting a memorial service honouring those who had fallen and celebrating the victory they'd won. Beca still wasn't sure how she was gonna face it.

She felt sick and shaky as she walked around the picturesque village. She had a room booked in the Hog's Head booked for the night, and she was eager to get there so she could have a drink and settle her nerves. It took a glass or two of Firewhiskey to get her through the day now.

As she made her way to the inn she passed by a new statue that had been erected in the centre of the village square. The statue showed what appeared to be a Hogwarts student with their wand aimed at some unseen foe. The student's long hair was flowing behind her, her face held an expression of determination.

She didn't remember it being that way, but she figured no one wanted a statue that showed children cowering behind a broken pillar.

The student was stood on a plinth that had 'To those who fought and died at the Battle of Hogwarts' engraved on it. Below was a list of names.

Beca found hers quickly. Her eyes filled with tears as she reached up to brush her fingers against the engraved gold lettering.

'Chloe Beale, 17.'

The list was made up of over 50 names with their ages, all of them had died fighting against Voldemort and his followers. There were no Death Eaters memorialised on this statue, she saw.

She wiped her eyes on the back of her hand and made her way to the Hog's Head.

She really needed that drink.

The inside of the Hog's Head was dark and grubby and busier than she'd like, but it she knew it was still considerably quieter than the Three Broomsticks would be. She was in too much danger running into people there, and she wasn't ready to face her friends yet.

"Hey, I have a room booked for two nights," Beca said, approaching the bar.

"Name?" The gruff barman asked, opening a large book and looking down at the list of names.

"Beca Mitchell," she replied.

His eyes flicked up from the book.

"Student?"

"I was. I'm not now," she said. She could feel her hands sweating and her stomach turning.

He grunted and seemed satisfied. She let out a sigh of relief. She was tired of people asking her about the battle. She had to relive it every night in her dreams, she didn't want to talk about it when she was awake.

He dropped a key on the bar in front of her. "Room 12," he said.

She pocketed the key but didn't leave the bar. "Can I get a double Firewhiskey?"

He poured out her drink. "On the house," he said.

"Why?" Beca asked, her hand in her bag, ready to pull out her money.

"Kids that fought in that battle don't pay for drinks here," he said.

"How do you know I fought?"

"You've got that look in your eye," he said.

She drank the Firewhiskey in one swallow and felt immediately better. The fire spread down her throat and into her stomach, burning away the sickness and anxiety that had settled in her since she'd arrived.

He poured another for her. "Take it easy with this one," he said, screwing the lid back on the bottle and replacing it on the shelf. "Carry on drinking it like that and you'll do yourself some damage."

"The damage is already done," she said, tipping the glass back. "Thanks for the drinks."

She climbed down off the barstool and made her way up to her room. Carrying her trunk and empty owl cage with her. Newt was out hunting and Beca didn't expect to see him for a few nights. He always found where she was though.

It was only 10pm but she changed into some pyjamas and climbed into bed. The bed was small and the mattress was lumpy, but Beca didn't mind.

The Firewhiskey had done its job, and Beca found she could think about Chloe without it causing her too much pain.

She pulled a photograph out of her wallet, and curled up on her side watching it.

It was a photo of her and Chloe, taken during that first blissful summer they had spent together.

The two were laughing and hugging and just basking in the joy of being together.

"I miss you," she whispered, wishing Chloe could hear her. Wishing she could respond.

She woke up the next morning with a stiff neck from the bed, and a dull ache in her head from the Firewhiskey.

The carriages to take them up to Hogwarts were leaving Hogsmeade station at 11am, so Beca showered and dressed and made her way back down into the bar.

She didn't feel ready to do this. She didn't want to see Hogwarts again, and she wasn't sure if she was ready to see her friends again. The last time she'd seen them was at Chloe's funeral, and although she'd replied to the occasional letters they'd sent, she knew she should have made more of an effort to keep in touch.

"You after some breakfast?" The barman from last night asked as Beca sat up on a stool.

Beca shook her head. "Can I get a coffee?"

He nodded and flicked his wand. The coffee maker in the corner started rattling and a few seconds later a cup of lukewarm coffee slid across the bar and stopped in front of her.

She took a sip and tried not to grimace at the taste.

The bar had a few people in it, but it was pretty quiet so she easily heard the tinkle of a bell as the door to the inn opened.

"Beca?"

Beca turned and saw Stacie standing there.

"Hey," Beca said, feeling a rush of anxiety mixed with a sudden desire to cry. She had missed Stacie a lot, but she was afraid she'd be mad at her for not keeping in touch.

To Beca's relief, Stacie crossed the room quickly and pulled Beca into a hug.

"Shit, it's good to see you," Stacie said, closing her eyes as she felt Beca hug her back, tightly. "I've been worried about you."

"Sorry," Beca said, not ready to let go yet. "It's… It's just been hard, you know?"

"I know," Stacie replied.

"How did you know I was here?"

"I didn't," Stacie said, their hug finally ending. "But you weren't at the Three Broomsticks with the others so I figured if you were anywhere it would be here. Now," she placed her hands on Beca's shoulders so she could look into her eyes, "how are you?"

Beca gave a small laugh and shook her head. "I'm fucking terrible," she said.

"Yeah," Stacie said with a sigh, "I figured as much."

"How are you?"

"I'm okay," Stacie said. "I get nightmares a lot. The occasional panic attack. You know, you're standard PTSD stuff. But I've been working through it all with my therapist, so it's better than it was. Plus I got a job at St Mungo's and they're training me to be a Healer which is pretty cool."

"That's awesome, Stace. Not the PTSD stuff, but the therapist and the Healer stuff. I'm so proud of you," Beca said, genuinely happy for the first time in a long time. Stacie had always wanted to be a Healer throughout their school years, but since none of them had been able to take their N.E.W.T.s it was harder for them to get the jobs they wanted. She knew Stacie and Aubrey had gone back to do their exams but Beca hadn't wanted to. She wasn't really sure what she wanted to do anymore anyway.

"Thanks," Stacie said, grinning. "What about you then? What have you been doing with yourself?"

Beca looked down at her watch and saw it was 10:40. "We should get going," she said.

"You'll fill me in later?"

"Yeah," Beca said. "There isn't much to tell though."

"I still wanna hear about it," Stacie said as they walked out of the Hog's Head and towards Hogsmeade station. "Aubrey and the others are meeting us there."

Beca nodded but was starting to feel sick and nervous again.

She wasn't ready to see the castle again.

She wanted to turn around and walk back to the Hog's Head. She wanted to grab her stuff from her room and disapparate. She just wasn't sure where she wanted to go. She still hadn't found home.

But as her steps began to falter, she felt Stacie put a hand on her back.

"It'll be okay," she said, as if she was reading her mind. "I was really freaking out before I went back to do my N.E.W.T.s but it was fine. Just focus on all the good memories you had there, not the bad ones."

Beca nodded again, because she didn't have it in her to answer.

She didn't want to say that the happy memories hurt just as much as the bad ones because they reminded her of what she had lost.

Just past Hogsmeade station she saw crowds of people who were waiting to be taken up the castle. Hagrid was there, helping groups of people into the carriages which would be pulled along by the Thestrals.

With a jolt in her stomach she saw a group of people with red hair before realising they were Weasleys.

She needed a drink.

She greeted Aubrey and Jesse and her other friends without even being really aware of it. She didn't feel present anymore. She felt like she was watching from the sidelines as she climbed into a carriage beside Stacie and the others.

The others were talking loudly but Beca couldn't focus on what they were saying. She was thinking about all the other journeys she had taken in these carriages. With the exception of the one after the battle last year, Chloe had been in all of them.

Always happy, always excited, always endlessly chattering.

Tears filled her eyes as she stared out of the window, trying to forget.

She felt someone tapping her foot, and she looked down to see Aubrey sitting across from her, tapping her foot lightly with her shoe.

Beca's eyes met Aubrey's and she saw they were also full of tears.

"I miss her too," she whispered, just loud enough for Beca to hear. "Every day."

Beca nodded and swallowed, trying not to cry properly. She felt immensely guilty that she hadn't reached out to Aubrey this whole year.

Chloe had been Aubrey's best friend since they were little kids, they'd grown up together.

"I'm… I'm sorry," Beca choked out, her voice barely audible.

The others seemed to notice something was happening and fell silent.

"I'm sorry," Beca said, louder this time.

"Stacie, switch seats with me," Aubrey said, her voice wavering. "Please."

With difficulty, Stacie stood and swapped seats with Aubrey, so the blond was now sitting beside Beca.

Aubrey took Beca's hand and squeezed it tightly. "Don't say sorry," Aubrey said. "You don't have to be sorry, this wasn't your fault."

"I tried to keep her safe," Beca said, crying hard now.

"I know you did," Aubrey replied.

The memorial service passed by in a blur. Professor McGonagall had stood in front of them all and had talked about the battle.

She spoke about the victory they had won, but also about the losses they had suffered.

She read a list of the names of everyone who had lost their lives and then a two minute silence was held which even Peeves had observed.

Other professors and even the Minister for Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt made speeches, but Beca wasn't really listening.

She wanted Chloe. She needed her. It was so unfair… so monstrously unfair that Chloe wasn't here anymore and Beca couldn't stand it. She'd spent the last year travelling around the country, using the money she'd made from selling her family home to stay in pubs and inns and even some muggle B&Bs, trying to outrun these feelings. She'd kept herself numb with Firewhiskey and whatever other alcohol she could buy, and had become adapt and mixing up sleeping draughts so she could sleep without fear of dreaming.

But now she was sober, and back in the only place she had ever called home, and she couldn't run anymore.

She wasn't the only one in the room who was struggling to hold it together, she knew that. The Great Hall was full of loss. Heavy with it. It touched everyone in the room. And Beca tried to remind herself that she wasn't alone. She still had friends that cared. Friends that didn't blame her for what had happened. Friends who felt the same pain she did.

But despite all of this she felt alone.

She had grown up without any kind of love in her life. She'd never gotten anything but cold disdain and hatred from her father and she'd never had friends until she'd gotten to Hogwarts.

Chloe had been the one to show her what love really felt like. Not just romantic love, but the love that comes from friendship and acceptance. Stacie had shown her too, and so did the rest of the friends she'd made, but Chloe was the one who'd singled her out on that first journey to Hogwarts. She'd recognised her surname, known what that meant, but befriended her anyway. Without Chloe she knew Aubrey wouldn't have spoken to her. She wouldn't have joined Flitwick's choir and wouldn't have found herself a group of friends that felt more like family than her own father did. Chloe had shown her what home felt like.

And now Chloe was gone.

Suddenly people around her started applauding and Beca realised the last of the speeches had finished.

"Hey Becs?" Stacie asked from beside her.

"Yeah?"

"Can we go outside? Please?"

"Yeah," Beca said, noticing the way Stacie's breathing was a little quicker than it had been. "Yeah of course." She took Stacie's hand and guided her through the crowd of people that were beginning to stand up from their benches and mingle with each other.

They made it out of the Great Hall and into the grounds and were soon sitting on the slope of grass beside the lake.

"Sorry about that," Stacie said, trying to regain control of her breathing. "I'm not big on crowds and being back in there was rough. Sort of brought it all back."

"That's okay," Beca said. "You don't need to be sorry. Are you okay?"

"Fine," Stacie said. "This just happens sometimes. Thanks for getting me out of there."

"No problem," Beca said.

"You keep disappearing," Stacie said. She tapped Beca on her forehead. "In there."

"Yeah," Beca said. "I don't mean to. I try to stay out of my head as much as I can but it's been hard today. She's just everywhere, you know?"

"I know," Stacie said. "She was really special person. And I know she loved you as much as you loved her. And I can't pretend to know how much it must hurt, but I just wanted to say you aren't alone, Beca."

Beca wiped her eyes and nodded, trying not to cry fully.

"I mean it," Stacie continued. "You're my best friend. I love you and I miss you. And I'm here for you, okay?"

Beca swallowed hard. "Thank you," she choked out. "I miss you too, Stace. And I love you too. I'm sorry I've been such a shit friend this year. I just ran away. I thought it would help. I'm sorry." And she started crying again but this time more from the guilt of abandoning her best friend for the past year. Stacie put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close.

"Hey, shh, it's okay," she said. "Don't apologise. You're grieving Becs, there's no wrong or right way to do it. Listen, where are you staying now?"

"The Hog's Head?"

"No, I don't mean like, right now. I mean, like where are you living?" Stacie asked.

"Oh, um, nowhere I guess," Beca replied

"What do you mean?"

"I've just been traveling around the country this year. I tried to find my Mom's family but from what I've found out they all died before I was born. I guess that's why she was alone when she died and why I ended up in a foster home," Beca said. "But I found her grave at least, and some pictures." Beca sniffed and wiped her eyes again before she continued. "I don't really have a home anymore Stacie. I've just been staying in pubs and inns trying to figure out what I want to do."

"So what do you want to do?" Stacie asked.

"Get wasted mostly."

"Beca," Stacie sighed.

"I know. I know, it's fucked up. I know it isn't healthy. But I just… I miss her so fucking much. And when I drink enough I can stop thinking about her," Beca said, her voice sounding ragged now. "I just want her back."

"Of course you do," Stacie said, squeezing her close again. "Look, I wanted to ask you something."

"What's that?"

"I want to move out and get a place of my own. I love my parents and everything, but I feel like it's time to, like, take the next step. And I wanted to know if you wanted to move in with me?"

Beca was so taken aback she pulled herself out of Stacie's arms so she could look at her. "Wait, what? For real? Why would you want to live with me?"

Stacie let out a slight huff. "Loads of reasons. Number one, you're my best friend." She started ticking them off on he fingers. "Number two, I miss you and I miss living with you. Number three, you're suffering and I hate that you're doing it alone. Number four-"

"Okay," Beca said, cutting her off. "Okay, I get it. Are you sure about this Stace? I don't have a job or anything yet, and I have money from my dad but it won't last forever and… I'm not the same. I'm… I feel so angry now. I don't want you to see that side of me."

"You think I'm the same as I used to be? I'm angry too, Beca. And I'm scared. A lot. I get panic attacks and nightmares. Did you know that during the battle Aubrey, Jesse and I ended up trapped in a corridor in the pitch black with a bunch of snatchers? One of them had used that Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder without realising it would stop them from seeing too, and they started just throwing out killing curses in a panic. They killed each other but it was only pure luck that they didn't get us. I need to sleep with a fucking night light now," Stacie said, looking angry for the first time all day. "None of us are the same anymore. The battle fucked us all up."

"I'm sorry Stacie," Beca said, feeling immensely guilty again. "I didn't know."

"It's okay," Stacie said. "So, what do you think? I can't do this alone, and I want to do it with you."

Beca hesitated. "Are you sure about this?" She asked.

"More than sure," Stacie said.

Beca took a deep breath. "Okay," she said, allowing herself a smile.

"Yeah? You want to?"

"I want to," Beca said.

How could she say no? Stacie was offering her what she'd been searching for. Stacie was offering her a home.

The End.