Hermione Granger quickly sprinted up the steep gravely hill. Voldemort quickly followed her as he had just thrust his wand out and aimed it at Hermione, yelling a curse. The spell skimmed Hermione’s outer clothing but left her unhurt.

Hermione ran inside what looked like a large house that was dark and rotting, creating the effect of a darkened graveyard. The gray wood boarding was nailed chaotically in criss-cross patterns, while random signs were plunged deeply into the ground with engravings of unselective words that were being eroded away by the pounding rain.

Voldemort entered the building, his menacing laugh echoing throughout the room as seventeen-year-old Hermione Granger hid in the shadows.

“I know you’re here, Granger,� Voldemort hissed.

Hermione took a step back deeper into the shadows, her legs were aching from the previous run. She placed her hand on her heart thinking that her pounding heartbeat would give her away.

Voldemort placed his wand back in his cloak and pulled out three daggers. He looked around the room with his piercing red eyes and he noticed a slight movement over on the far side of the room. He threw one dagger at the wall and it chopped off about an inch of Hermione’s hair. Her eyes widened as she saw Voldemort with two more daggers; he was staring right at her.

Voldemort threw the dagger only to have it slice through the wall and make Hermione scream and run farther into the shadows.

Hermione was standing in a closed room and silently, yet slowly, she sank to the floor, crumpling her knees and breathing quickly. All was quiet and Hermione began to stand up again. The door burst open and Voldemort came in carrying a dagger.

Suddenly, the floor crumbled beneath Hermione’s feet and she fell into a hole, screaming. After falling about twelve feet, Hermione was able to grab onto a piece of rock and held on to stop her fall. Wanting to see how deep the dark hole was, she knocked a small rock loose and listened intently to hear it hit the bottom. Hanging on for dear life and what seemed like forever, Hermione came to realize that the hole appeared to be an infinite abyss.

Hermione found her footing on a large rock another foot beneath her.

Voldemort threw the dagger down the hole, causing Hermione to scream as the dagger sliced into her arm. She placed her hand over the cut and pressed firmly to try and stop the bleeding. The hole’s interior started spinning as Hermione became dizzier and dizzier at the sight of all the blood. Soon enough, her eyes closed slowly and she fell into the infinite abyss, and the last thing she heard was Harry Potter send a brutal curse, that only Harry, himself could concoct, on Voldemort.

—

“Wh-What happened?� Hermione asked hazily, trying to open her eyes.

“I’m not quite sure,� Harry said, confused.

Hermione tried to push herself up but flinched. She looked at her arm and noticed a tight bandage covering her wound while blood was seeping through.

“What happened to me?� she asked.

“Well, all I know is that Voldemort chased you into what looked like an old, beaten down house. I’m not sure what it's called.� He responded. “Why was Voldemort chasing you, anyway?� Harry asked, impatiently.

“I think it best that you don’t know that at this time. There are some things in it that you wouldn’t understand.� Tears started to fall down Hermione’s bony face. “Harry, I’m just so confused right now, I don’t know what to do...� Harry pulled Hermione closer into him and patted her on the back saying, “Everything will be okay.�
—

Ron later entered the room breathing heavily. He had obviously just run a long distance. “Hermione, are you alright, no broken bones?� Ron asked hastily.

“Yeah, Ron, I’m fine,� Hermione said, “I’m just in a little pain, nothing serious.�

Ron managed a smile. “You gave us a quite good scare there.� The smile soon faded away as he noticed Hermione’s arm. She had lost a lot of blood.

“Harry, can you go get me some water please?� Hermione asked politely.

“Harry, it’s fine, stay here, I’ll get it!� Ron said, smiling at Hermione.

Hermione looked down in her lap and blushed.

“He likes you, you know... he told me ages ago...� Harry whispered so Hermione was the only one who could hear.

“I like him too,� Hermione said, blushing.

“Have you told him?� Harry asked, curiously.

“No.�

“Why not?� Harry obviously had been interested.

“Well, I’ve always wondered what would happen if Ron and I got together,� Hermione said, while staring into space. “You know what I mean, Harry?�

Harry laughed and said, “Would you like to find out?�

Hermione’s eyes widened and she smiled. “But, Harry, what about my arm? This wound obviously won’t be able to be cured with magic.�

Just then Ron ran into the room with a glass of ice cold water. He handed the glass to Hermione and in return received a “Thank you.� Hermione gulped down the water and wiped her mouth with her hand.

“So, Hermione, how are you feeling?� Ron asked desperately.

“A little better, but still in pain.�

Ron smiled. “The Order is coming here to ask you some questions about the incident. Dumbledore’s furious! You’re the last person he suspected to have been attacked.� Ron smiled once more taking a glance of Hermione before he left.

“Well, I should get going, the Weasleys hate it when I’m late,� Harry said with much ebullience.
Harry began to walk out of the room when Hermione stopped him, “Wait, Harry. I do remember one thing. I remember that when I fell into that infinite abyss, I remember seeing his face. His face behind the cloak. It was awful. It looked like something that came from a carcass or something from a grave. But when I looked into his eyes, I saw my worst fear.�

“What did you see?� Harry asked.

“I saw my dead body, Ron’s dead body... It seemed to be everyone’s dead body... everyone was piled up dead except for Voldemort. It was as if, he was the last person on earth, and the worst part was... was that lying on the ground next to Voldemort, was your dead body...�

Harry stood, shocked by Hermione’s sudden statement. “Hermione, that was probably just...but that couldn’t be...� Harry stood in the center of the room puzzled.

“Harry, I’m as puzzled as you are. It’s not like this is what really will happen...this is just my fear. But for one second, one second of my life, I had doubts...doubts that this may in fact be true.� Hermione looked into her lap, tears falling down her face. “Harry, you should go,� Hermione said, tearing up once more.

“But Hermione, I really think I should stay.�

“Harry, you don’t want the Weasleys to get angry now, do you? Just go,� Hermione sniffed and placed her head back on her pillow.

Harry took one last look and exited the room, and just minutes later the Order entered the room. Dumbledore was the leader at the moment and looked furious.

“Hermione, dear...� Tonks called out.

Hermione pushed herself up with one arm and she stared at the end of her bed where Dumbledore had just sat. “Hermione, why was Voldemort chasing you?� Dumbledore asked.

“I - I - Well Dumbledore, what you have to understand is - � Dumbledore hushed Hermione and asked one more time. “Hermione, why was Voldemort chasing you? This time, just say it.�

“Stone...� Hermione whispered. “...arch...power...�

Dumbledore turned back to the Order members, confused. “Hermione, what are you trying to say? Let’s start with stone...�

“I - I have one of the six stones.� Hermione said as she looked through the window to her right.

“Stone...would this stone be one of the Six Stones of Berfulema?� Dumbledore said calmly.

Hermione just nodded.

“So you have one of the six stones? One of the six stones that are formed into the arch on the cliff?�

“What’s the cliff called?� Kingsley Shacklebolt questioned.

“The Cliff of Crasilium... Hermione, and this is the cliff, that if you place all six stones on the arch correctly, you will gain power, to, well somewhere,� Dumbledore stated, obviously trying to hide the answer.
“Yes, yes headmaster. It’s all true, every last thing,� Hermione started to mourn.

“Hermione, dear, don’t cry, there’s nothing to cry about. You have one of the six rare stones. Which stone do you have?�

Hermione grabbed the stone from her pocket and handed it to Dumbledore. “I’m not sure what it is. I just know that it’s valuable.�

Dumbledore looked at the stone closely. “This would be the Fire Stone.� Dumbledore handed the stone back to Hermione.

“Headmaster, what are the other stones?� Hermione enquired.

“Well, there is the Ash Stone, Water Stone, Iron Stone, Gold Stone, Dragon Stone, and then the one you have here, the Fire Stone,� Dumbledore said proudly, remembering every name.

Hermione looked puzzled. “The Ash Stone? How is it the Ash Stone?�

Dumbledore answered the question quickly and precisely, “The Ash Stone is a simple stone that would be found in the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts. But it will be difficult to find, considering there is only one in existence...�

“Headmaster, that still doesn’t answer my question. How is it the Ash Stone, ash isn’t like a stone. Stones are hard and firm, ash is just the remains of something that has been burned. Such as someone at Hogwarts setting a curtain on fire after practicing a simple spell, or - �

“Hermione, trust me, there is an Ash Stone.�

Dumbledore and the Order started to leave the room when Hermione called them all back for another question she had just thought of. “Dumbledore, I have another question. After you retrieve the six stones, you said you will gain power to somewhere. Where is that somewhere?�

“Hermione,� Dumbledore looked around the room making sure that the door was completely shut and the windows were closed completely, “I advise you not to mention anything to your friends about what I’m about to tell you.�

Hermione nodded, anxious to know something that she thought was top secret.

“After you place all the stones on the arch correctly, you will gain power to an alternate world beyond the arch. Once you walk through, there’s no going back. Hermione, this may be too dangerous for you to handle. Hermione, I am telling you as an order not to go through that arch.�

Hermione’s eyes were wide.

Dumbledore quickly said with a smile. “Oh, and Hermione, that wound will heal soon. I’m sure of it.�
Hermione smiled and rested her head on her pillow.

—

“Ron, we should go to bed, it’s getting late,� Harry said, Ron walking through his bedroom at the Weasley household.

“Harry, I’m going to go to bed in a few minutes, you can go to bed if you want though,� Ron said with his face facing the floor, his voice wavering.

“Okay... Ron is everything alright?� Harry asked, taking off his glasses and placing them on the end table.

“Yeah, it’s just I’ve been thinking about Hermione lately. I hope she will be okay.�

“Ron, Hermione will be fine, she already said she was only in a little pain. Don’t you see? Hermione’s quickly healing,� Harry said with a smile.

“I know that, but I still hate to see her in pain. I guess I should go to bed, it may help me calm down...� Ron put on his pajamas and crawled into bed. “Harry, I’m still worried, what happens if Voldemort breaks into St. Mungos and takes Hermione,� Ron frowned at the thought.

“Ron go to sleep, you need rest,� said Harry.

—

The floorboards were squeaking, bright white light was jetting through the cracks in the door. He was here.

Harry groggily pushed himself up in his bed, put on his glasses, and covered his scar, the burning sensation becoming more intense. “Ron, Ron wake up!�

The door burst open and Harry saw the mysterious floating figure hover over toward Ron’s bed.

The figure gripped his wand and plunged it outward. Ron finally woke up and was petrified as he saw Voldemort placing his wand at his throat.

“Ronald Weasley...� Voldemort began. “So happy to see you for the first time...� Voldemort gritted his teeth. “I think you may have something of mine.... The Dragon Stone, maybe....�

“I don’t know what you’re talking about-� Ron started to move slightly under his covers, frightened.

“Of course you know what I’m talking about!� Voldemort shouted, furious.

Harry jumped up and pointed his wand at Voldemort.

Voldemort whipped around, sending hexes and jinxes before Harry could even open his mouth. Harry fell to the floor, yelling. “Now, give me the stone!� Voldemort bellowed, a bit annoyed.

“Bloody.... HARRY, HELP ME!� shouted Ron, rustling around in his bed.

Surely someone would hear all the ruckus that Voldemort had been causing by now.

“GIVE ME THE DAMN STONE!� exclaimed Voldemort, pulling his hood off from over his head.

Voldemort’s head had grown and had become brown and scaley. His eyes were a deep crimson red, showing the evilness within him. His nose seemed to be crooked and he had very few teeth. He had no more than five strands of brown hair sprouting from his rotting head.

The door suddenly burst open as Mr. Weasley had barged in.

“Petrificus Totalus!� yelled Voldemort, his wand now pointed at Mr. Weasley. Once the spell hit him, Arthur froze and fell to the floor.

Voldemort turned back to Ron, enraged. “GIVE ME THE BLOODY STONE!�

“DAD!� Ron screamed, tears beginning to flow from his face.

Voldemort gripped Ron’s collar and hoisted him closer to his face. “Give me the stone now or your father will no longer see the day...� whispered Voldemort.

“DAD!!� yelled Ron, his friend beginning to slowly stand up, trying not to make any noise.

“Expelliarmus!� Harry yelled. Voldemort’s wand flew out of his hand and onto the floor.

Harry pointed his wand at Voldemort, hatred flowing through his body.

“Leave Ron and his family alone!� Harry yelled. “Blood of a knight, flesh of an animal, air of a spirit, water from a river. Unite together to make the spell, the spell that only Merlin could tell!� A bright yellowish light zoomed out of Harry’s wand tip and made a tiny whizzing noise while flying through the air. Voldemort ducked and grabbed his wand in the process.

Voldemort was now pointing his wand at Harry. As if looking into a mirror, Harry had his wand pointed at Voldemort also. “Potter...� Voldemort said menacingly.

“Leave the Weasley’s alone!� Harry whispered, his face turning a pale shade of red.

“I will not leave until the stone is in my grasp!� Voldemort held his hand out, revealing his palm. His palm was rotting just as his head was, except for the circle in the center of his palm that had appeared to have been burned into him. “See this? This is meant for the stone.... The stone that I will get from them no matter what it takes!� Voldemort pulled his palm back to his side and remained holding his wand up in the air.

Ron poked his head out from under the covers, looking to see what was happening. Voldemort sensed his presence and sent a hex at him, making sure that he wouldn’t creep up from behind him and jinx him. Ron screamed and was squirming around under his covers.

“Idiot...� spat Voldemort, turning back to Harry who still had his wand pointed at Voldemort, regretting that he hadn’t hexed him when he had the chance.

“Let Ron and his family be,� Harry whispered with anger, trying not to have another member of the Weasley’s come upstairs and be hit with a spell just as Mr. Weasley had been.

“NOT UNTIL I GET WHAT I WANT! AND I WILL GET WHAT I WANT! I’M SURE OF IT!� Voldemort’s hand started shaking with frusteration.

—

Fred Weasley groggily got out from his bed, slowly walking to the door. Fred went out into the hall and knocked on Harry’s door. “Harry, Ron, is everything all right in there? Did Ron sit on one of me and George’s Finelly Fraters?� Fred laughed manically. “Oh man, I bet it smells so bad in there right about now! Just don’t set off more than five, they can be deadly if used wrongly,� Fred laughed loudly again. George entered the hall, his eyes baggy and barely open.

“Fred? What are you doing out here? It’s the middle of the night!� George said groggily.

“Ron sat on one of our Finelly Fraters, I can’t stop laughing. Ron must be so embarrassed.�

“Well, it couldn’t be that bad, considering Harry is the only other person in the room. Unless, Harry sat on one too!� Fred said happily.

Fred and George cracked up.

“Hey Harry, did you sit on one too?� Fred yelled through the door.

No one answered.

“Harry? Ron? Are you in there?�

Fred knocked on the door again.

“I’m gonna go back to bed,� George said sleepily.

“Okay, g’night.�

“They’re probably too embarrassed to speak,� Fred whispered to himself, giggling once more.

“Harry, I’m coming in now,� Fred said, beginning to open the door.

—

“FRED! NO!� It was too late, Fred had opened the door and slowly entered the room, stunned at the sight of Voldemort.

Voldemort whipped around, pointed his wand at Fred and yelled, “Petrificus Totalus!� A light blue light spewed from Voldemort’s wand.

“Protego!� Fred yelled quickly, a shield forming in front of him.

The sky blue light bounced off the shield and shot towards Voldemort. Voldemort ducked and Harry copied. The light hit the wall and shattered a vase filled with small glass pebbles. They crashed when they hit the ground and scattered across the floor.

“HARRY... WHAT IN BLOODY HELL IS HAPPENING?!� yelled Fred, concocting another shield in front of him as Voldemort sent another spell at him.

“HE SAYS SOMETHING ABOUT A STONE! BUT I HAVE NO IDEA!� Harry sent a spell at Voldemort. Voldemort quickly dodged the spell and rushed towards the window. As he turned back, he quickly moved his wand from Harry to Fred, “Wingardium Leviosa!� Voldemort bellowed, aiming his wand at Mr. Weasley.

Mr. Weasley floated over toward him.

“DAD!� yelled Fred, just noticing his dad had been lying in the room.

Ron poked his head out of his bed once more, trying to be as quiet as possible, not noticing that Voldemort had already been facing toward him. “GIVE ME THE STONE RIGHT NOW OR YOUR FATHER WILL NO LONGER BE IN YOUR PRESENCE!� yelled Voldemort, holding the Weasley’s father up in the air by his collar.

“I SWEAR I DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT!� shouted Ron, tears once more swelling up in his eyes. “DAD!�

“Not good enough....Not good enough at all.... Avada Kedavra!� A green light shot from Voldemort’s wand at Mr. Weasley it hit him in the chest and Harry, Ron, and Fred yelled.

“DAD! NO!!!� Fred yelled, tears began swelling up in his eyes too.

“Too late, he can’t hear you...HE’S DEAD!� Voldemort laughed menacingly.

“NO! DAD!� Ron shouted tears now flowing from his eyes freely.

Harry backed up one step and slipped on a glass pebble, falling over on the floor.

Voldemort laughed menacingly. “A little clumsy now are you?�

Harry’s eyes shot towards one of the pebbles which seemed to be showing off small amounts of yellow light. He grabbed it and looked at it closely. There was a small imprint in it of a dragon. Harry’s eyes widened. This was it. This was the Dragon Stone.

“What are you looking at Potter?!� Voldemort sneered.

“Nothing,� said Harry, trying to hide the fact that he had found the stone.

“What’s that, that there in your hand. What are you holding?� Voldemort became more curious at this.

“It’s just a small pebble,� Harry said stuffing it into his pocket.

“Legilimens,� Voldemort shouted.

Harry could feel Voldemort peering through his mind. He saw Cho kissing him in Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop, he saw the brain covering Ron with its tentacles, he saw the Dragon Stone in his palm, he saw sirius falling through the veil.....

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!� Voldemort exited Harry’s mind and Harry found himself on his knees, screaming.

“The stone.... I see that you have found the stone. Give it to me Potter.... NOW!�

Dumbledore hastily ran into the room. But to Harry it wasn’t that fast considering how old he was. He looked over at Harry and then looked over at Tom, his face calm. “Tom, I highly advise that you leave this house immediately. Aurors are heading over and they should be here any minute.� Voldemort stood there, his face filled up with fear. “Tom...�

Voldemort punched the glass window in front of him. The glass shattered and scattered indoors and outdoors. “I will get that stone...� Voldemort yelled angrily as he stared at his palm. The small circle burned in his hand was empty and he had been so close to finally filling that empty spot. But no matter what, he would get that stone...he would do it if it meant sacrificing his life.
He would die for that stone. That stone was his life... Voldemort hovered out through the window out into the blackness of the night sky.

“DAD!!� Ron shouted, jumping out from his bed and rushing to his dad’s side. A tear fell from Ron’s eye and landed in the center of Mr. Weasley’s chest. Many more tears followed when Fred had joined Ron at their dad’s side.

Mrs. Weasley opened the door. “Boys, what’s all the commotion?� Mrs. Weasley looked around the room. Her eyes locked on Mr. Weasley. “ARTHUR!� Mrs. Weasley rushed over to Arthur’s side just as Fred and Ron had done. “Boys, what happened?!� Mrs. Weasley said frantically, checking to see if her husband had a pulse. He had no heartbeat. “Arthur...� Mrs. Weasley was now speaking in a whisper, tears dropping from her eyes. She slowly bent down and embraced her husband in a hug, not wanting to let go. “Albus, what happened?� Mrs. Weasley’s tear-stained face was now pointing toward Dumbledore.

“It seems that Arthur has been hit with the Avada Kedavra spell. Molly, I am terribly sorry.� Dumbledore and Molly moved into the kitchen downstairs, Mrs. Weasley was mourning into Dumbledore’s robes.

After Mrs. Weasley had been mourning for several minutes, Dumbledore left her to transport Mr. Weasley’s body that was to be taken outside. Ron, Harry, Ginny, Fred, and George all walked downstairs to comfort Mrs. Weasley. Bill and Charlie arrived later; Fleur holding Bill’s hand as they entered.

Dumbledore walked downstairs, Mr. Weasley’s body was floating down not too far behind him. Mrs. Weasley gasped and mourned into Charlies arm. Dumbledore placed Mr. Weasley outside with a gold and red blanket placed over his lifeless body.

Dumbledore entered the kitchen and placed a hand on Mrs. Weasley’s shoulder, she turned towards him and Dumbledore said, “I will make sure that he has a proper funeral. Where would you like it?�

“Next to our home is fine.� Mrs. Weasley broke out into more tears.

Harry took the stone out from his pocket and looked at it intently. He became enraged and threw the stone at the wall closest to him, causing a small dent in the wall to form.

“IT’S ALL BECAUSE OF THAT DAMN STONE!! THAT STUPID STONE IS THE REASON MR. WEASLEY IS DEAD!!�

“Harry, which stone of the six have you found?� Dumbledore questioned.

“The Dragon Stone. Wait a second, how did you know that I found one of the stones?�

Dumbledore gave a weak smile and turned his attention back to Mrs. Weasley. “When should the funeral take place?�

“Any time soon is fine.� Molly looked back to Mr. Weasley. Many more tears crept down Mrs. Weasley’s face. Mrs. Weasley had just began her journey as a single parent.
***
Mrs. Weasley, Fred, George, Ginny, Ron, Bill, Charlie, and Harry were walking down to begin Mr. Weasley’s funeral. Percy was still furious with his father and didn’t want to come.

Mrs. Weasley gave a shrill cry when she saw Mr. Weasley’s body lying on a long floating cushion; the red and gold blanket had been placed back inside the Burrow. She rushed over to Mr. Weasley, but was stopped by Ron pulling her back. All the Weasley’s and Harry sat down on the chairs that had been placed there for this reason. Tonks and Remus sat next to everyone while several other of Mr. Weasley’s good friends sat toward the back.

A man dressed in white and gold Apparated onto the Weasley’s lawn. He slowly walked over to Mr. Weasley’s side.

“Hello, everyone. We are here today for the burying of Arthur Weasley. He was the husband to Molly Weasley. And their seven kids: Ginerva Weasley, Ronald Weasley, Frederick Weasley, George Weasley, Percival Weasley, Charles Weasley, and William Weasley. They have suffered a great loss. And everyone who has lost a loved one will know that it is very hard to accept this, because only death will reunite them.� The man in white and gold sat down in a seat near Mrs. Weasley. Everything was quiet and still. The only thing you could hear was the rustling of the trees. Then, out of nowhere, a bright white flame burst around Mr. Weasley’s body and the long cushion began raising higher and higher, fogging the body. White smoke coiled into the air and made odd shapes. The fire had then vanished and in its place was an oak coffin, Mr. Weasley’s body lay inside. “Everyone, you may now step up to the casket and say your final words to Arthur Weasley.�

Mrs. Weasley walked up, her lip quivering. “Arthur, you have made my life worth living. Now that you have left me, I will no longer have a husband, and I will keep it that way. For you, my one husband, will never fade from my mind. Arthur, I love you.� Mrs. Weasley had began to cry once more.

***

Everyone had now said his or her final words to Arthur Weasley and the man dressed in white and gold flicked his wand at the coffin and floated it over above the hole in the ground. He slowly lowered the casket in the soft dirt and several other members of the funeral began to flick there wands at the dirt and have it fall on top of the casket.

When the coffin had been buried and the ground was now flat, Mrs. Weasley had the honor of placing the gravestone in the ground above Mr. Weasley’s coffin. The headstone read,

Arthur Weasley

1942 - 1993

Beloved husband
Loving father
Courageous fighter

Everyone walked passed the headstone and placed a rose in the ground. Molly left a rose and a few tears in doing so.
***
Dumbledore walked over to the table where Mrs. Weasley sat patting her on the back and saying comforting words while doing so.

Harry walked over to Ron who was slouched in the corner of his bedroom, staring at a picture of his dad, tears were falling down his face.

“Ron? Are you alright?�

“Yeah,� Ron sniffed, “I’ve just been thinking about my dad, that’s all.�

“Ron, everything’s gonna be alright. You’ll see you’re dad sooner or later. I’ve been experiencing what you are feeling now my whole life.� Harry walked over to Ron’s side and sat down next to him.

“Yeah? And what did you do about it?� Ron said, sniffing again.

“Well, I just tried not to think about it, I tried focusing on Hogwarts and my friends,� said Harry.

“Well, what did you do when Sirius died?� Ron said, turning his head toward Harry.

Harry looked into his lap. Sirius recently died just last year. “I haven’t forgotten about him. He was my godfather. I hardly ever had a chance to really actually talk to him. But when he died... When he died I also tried to forget about him, but I just couldn’t, and I still can’t.�

“Thanks for the talk Harry. Made me feel loads better,� Ron said sarcastically, walking over to lie on his bed.

“Ron, just try not to think too much about your dad. Just remember that one day you will be able to see your dad again. Just try to forget about it. This is as hard for you as it is for me.�

“Harry! HE’S MY DAD! YOU’RE MY FRIEND. I’VE KNOWN HIM FOR SEVENTEEN LONG YEARS AND YOU’VE KNOWN HIM FOR SEVEN!�

Harry turned away; this outburst from Ron triggered Harry to leave Ron alone for a little while to calm down.

Harry entered Fred and George’s room. Fred and George had been downstairs with Molly to comfort her. Dumbledore ventured into Fred and George’s room and had sat on the bed next to Harry.

“Harry, that stone that you found, where is it?� Dumbledore pondered.

“Probably lodged in the wall,� Harry sniggered.

“Harry, this is serious, where is the stone?� said Dumbledore.

“I’m serious! It’s probably lodged in the wall in me and Ron’s room,� Harry moved to the other bed away from Dumbledore.

“Harry, that stone, the Dragon Stone, it is an important stone in the six stones of Berf-� Dumbledore was cut off by Harry.

“I KNOW WHAT IT IS!� Harry became enraged. “THAT STONE IS THE REASON MR. WEASLEY IS DEAD!�

“Harry, now is not the time-�

“IT’S MY FAULT! I COULD HAVE GIVEN HIM THE STONE. BUT YOU BARGED IN AND SENT VOLDEMORT OFF. I’M THE REASON MR. WEASLEY IS DEAD, BECAUSE I WOULDN’T GIVE HIM THE STONE!� Harry breathed heavily.

“Harry, that stone is not just the Dragon Stone, that stone is the able to bring back the dead. That stone could possibly bring back your parents.�

A/N: Chapter 5 Spoiler: Dumdledore and Harry have a talk in Hermione and Ginny's bedroom that reveal some interesting information and an unsuspected visitor arrives.

Harry sat on the bed, speechless. “But Professor, how is that possible? To resuscitate the dead? Even for Wizarding standards, that can’t be likely?�

“The Dragon Stone is from one of the rarest species of dragons in the world. There are only two left, both male. They are being hunted by the Ministry and will soon be killed. Harry, if you wish to bring your parents back to life, we should act soon. Once both dragons are killed, the Dragon Stone will disappear.�

“But Professor, what about the Six Stones of Berfulema?� Harry pondered, lying down on the bed.

“Harry, how did you find out about that?� Dumbledore’s voice remained calm.

“Sir, please answer my question,� Harry said.

“Harry, please answer mine.� Dumbledore stared at Harry intently.

“Hermione told me,� Harry murmured to himself, his face tightened.

“I advised her not to tell anyone, me and her will have to have a talk later,� Dumbledore frowned.

“Sir, what about the Six Stones of Berfulema, if we use this stone to bring back my parents, then how will we use the stone for the Six Stones of Berfulema?� Harry questioned, his voice becoming a little bit louder.

“Harry, as I said, there are two stones out there. We can use one for your parents and one for the Six Stones of Berfulema,� Dumbledore watched as Harry got up from his bed and started pacing in the room.

“But if we can use the Dragon Stone to bring back my parents, couldn’t we use the Dragon Stone to bring back Mr. Weasley?� Harry continued pacing, but slightly faster.

“Harry, once the Dragon Stone has been used once, it can no longer be used again. The number of people you wish to bring back to life determines how many people you bring back to life—� Dumbledore was cut off.

“But, then couldn’t we just split it in three pieces?� Harry stopped pacing and stared at Dumbledore.

“No, if you split it in three pieces, all three of them either must be related, or a couple and their child. Harry you have options: One, bring back your parents and bring back Arthur. Two, bring back your parents and use the second stone for the Six Stones of Berfulema. And finally three, bring back Arthur and use the second stone for the Six Stones of Befulema.� Dumbledore stopped talking as Harry sat back down on the bed, thinking.

“Um...Sir, what happens if you have all the six stones placed on the arch?� Harry took a book from a shelf and began looking through the index for information on the Dragon Stone.

“Well, you will have power to an alternate world. But Harry, I suggest that you use it for your parents and the Six Stones of Berfulema. One thing that I did not tell Hermione is that when you enter the arch and enter the alternate world. That world— how can I put this simply—
is a time portal. You engrave the month date and year on the arch. It will sink into the arch’s inner layer and the portal will appear. You might may be able to bring back your parents and Arthur and still use the stone for the arch. But Harry, if one thing goes wrong, one simple thing. You will be killed.� Dumbledore breathed heavily.

“Professor, who is this Berfulema anyway?� Harry placed the book back on the shelf, finding nothing.

“Fredrick Alfonso Berfulema. Born in 1792 and died in 1848. He was an ancient ruler in the middle ages. He created the six stones and spread them throughout the wizarding world. He placed the arch on the Cliff of Crasilium and committed suicide on that cliff the very next day; leaving his soul behind to haunt everyone who tried to complete the arch. Everyone who’s has tried has failed, his or her body washed up on shore. His blood remains on the rocks sharp points and has been known to resuscitate the dead,� Dumbledore looked into his lap and back up at Harry, concern spread across his face.

“But Professor, how can blood bring the dead back to life?� Harry questioned. He began to fiddle his thumbs, hard in concentration.

“Not the blood of the dead. The blood on the rock. The rock is made of Crasilium. Crasilium is supposed to be a healer of some sort, heal broken bones, mend cuts, and much more. It’s also a liquid. The Crasilium is swishing around inside the rock while holes are made by the crashing waves. It seeps out through the rock and onto the person’s body, making them healed,� Dumbledore said, his voice remained calm and collected.

Ginny burst into the room, panting. “Harry! Hermione’s back!�

Harry smiled and looked over at Dumbledore. He smiled back at him and motioned for him to leave.

Harry ran downstairs almost tripping over his own two feet a couple of times.

“Harry!� Hermione smiled.

Harry rushed over to her and was about to give her a hug when she stopped him. “Careful, it’s still a little sore.�

Harry smiled and gave her a soft but meaningful hug. He pulled back and saw that she had already started over towards Ron.

A few minutes later after everyone got their share of hugs Mrs. Weasley motioned for them all to sit down for lunch.

***

Later that evening Hermione was found in her bed, reading a short novel by Jackie Frilan. She closed the book and turned over to see Ron enter her bedroom.

“Hi Ron,� Hermione said, surprised, yet happy.

“Hey. I just wanted to come in to see if you were ok,� Ron moved a little closer to Hermione.

“Yeah, just fine. Thank you,� Hermione smiled.

“Need anything?� Ron became a bit nervous.

“No,� Hermione looked around the room, “I don’t think so.�

Ron walked over and sat on Hermione’s bed, nervously.

“Um, hi,� Hermione smiled.

“Hermione, I’ve been wanting to tell you something. I think that I’m in—� Ron was cut off by Hermione.

“RON!� Hermione quickly pointed to the window where two prominent eyes were staring intently in. Hermione sent a hex at the window, frightened. The figure flew off of the windowsill and onto the cold hard grass below.

***

I ran so fast that I thought my legs were going to fall off. The world began to go black around me and I saw light. Was this...rain? I fell onto the ground and slid across the mud.

***

Harry ran over to the figures side, careful not to slip. He tore the hood away from the figures face and gasped.

“Draco?�

“Malfoy?�

Malfoy scurried around the ground trying to break free of Harry’s grip.

Harry whipped out his wand and shouted a spell. Malfoy quickly took out his own wand and fired a spell as well. The spells collided and time stopped. The world around Harry was still. The raindrops were visible and every raindrop was formed into a perfect tear shape. Harry and Malfoy were the only ones who could move. Harry walked through the raindrops, watching them disintegrate before his eyes.

A spell erupted from the ground. It grew wider and wider in size until Harry and Malfoy were sucked into the hole that was just made in the ground

***

Hermione looked out of her bedroom window and watched in shock as the earth closed over her friend.

She could see a faint glow moving towards her window. “What the...�

Hermione was cut off as the glow moved through her window into her bedroom. It was Fredrick Alfonso Berfulema.

***

Ron walked up the stairs to go to bed. Walking into Hermione’s room to say goodnight, he froze as Berfulema’s spirit flicked his wand at the door making it crash to the floor in pieces.

***

“Ron! Ru-� Hermione’s nose and mouth were suddenly covered in a thick goo that shot from Fredrick’s wand. A faint scream was heard as Hermione began to panic while trying to get the goo off. An idea popped into Hermione’s head. She took out her wand and began chanting a spell in her head. She stabbed her wand into the spirit’s heart saying the spell one more time. There was a blinding flash of light and the spell backfired on Hermione. Fredrick gave a cold and menacing laugh. Hermione was lying on the floor. Fredrick flicked his wand at her head. Many things than happened at once: Berfulema projected a strand of orange light at Ron, Ron fell to the ground with a thud, Berfulema disapparated out of the room, and Hermione’s eyes opened revealing her two eyes which were now red and after a short minute changed back to her regular brown eyes. A menacing smile still strewn across her face.

***

Harry and Malfoy landed on and the ground. Malfoy yelped and jumped up quickly as he saw that the floor they landed on was made of human bones. Malfoy looked at Harry, a smirk shown on his face. Harry was able to ignore the fact, as Malfoy currently wasn’t sending any spells his way and he was savoring the moment of peace.

“Potter! Where the hell are we?!� Malfoy shouted with a hint of anger.

Here we go, thought Harry. “And how should I know?�

“Well, you’ve been friends with that Weasley prat,� Malfoy sniggered. “Shouldn’t you know his own house Potter?!�

Harry ignored Malfoy and began to run his hand on the walls. “Lumos!� Harry lifted his wand up high in the air and began looking closely at the wall.

“What are you doing, Potter?! We should be trying to find a way out of this dump!� Draco began to lift his feet up one at a time looking down at the ground below.

Harry placed his wand tip on the wall and the light disappeared. He turned his wand once and a loud crack was heard behind Malfoy. The Slytherin jumped and cursed.

“Potter! What the hell are you doing?!� Draco looked behind him and noticed the crack that had now formed and began to open.

“Getting us out of here,� Harry said as he began to stride over to the crack that was now opening.

The crack opened up and Harry and Malfoy walked through it. Two long lines of flowing water were placed on each side of Harry and Malfoy. They ran into a small pool of water placed unceremoniously at the front of room. Harry walked forward, slowly, absorbing everything he saw. Harry looked up as he heard water trickle down from the top of a giant rock. He touched the rock and water began cascading down from the rock, knocking Harry off his feet into the tiny stream that he had just drank from. The water pounded down on him and he pulled himself out, leaving cuts and bruises. The water stopped flowing down from the rock and Harry looked at it again.

That’s odd, Harry thought. Why would it only start when I touch the rock?

Harry jumped over the stream and stood next to the rock. Malfoy just stood there watching lazily. Harry placed his hand in the same spot as before. The water began cascading down where Harry had been when he had gotten drenched. Harry took his hand off and the water stopped.


“Malfoy, come here,� Harry said with regret.

“Why should I, Potter?� The Slytherin sat down on the ground.

Harry turned around and fired off a spell that made Malfoy fall over into the stream. Harry gave a quick little smile and turned back to the rock.

“Okay, okay!� Malfoy got up out of the stream, spitting a string of water out of his mouth.

“What am I supposed to do?!� Malfoy became agitated.

“I need you to levitate this rock up in the air until I can see what it’s guarding,� Harry made sure not to touch the rock so he wouldn’t trigger another wave of water.

“Fine, then can we please leave!� The Slytherin scrunched his face up.

“Fine,� Harry agreed. “Ok, raise it up,� Harry said.

Malfoy shot a spell at Harry. “Whoops, I must have missed,� Malfoy laughed haughtily.

Harry got up and groaned. “Just lift it up!� he yelled.

“Wingardium Leviosa!� The Slytherin shouted. He lifted the rock up in the air and moved it over to the side, setting next to the hole in the wall.

“Bloody hell,� Harry said. He walked through the hole in the wall and was astonished as he entered a room with one giant table in the middle. Harry walked over to it and looked inside the table. He saw a small stone shimmering in the water. Harry tried to grab it, but a thin panel of glass covered it. Harry broke the glass with his fist and all of a sudden, the entry into the room closed tightly and water began rising up in the room. Harry quickly grabbed the stone and tried to find a way out. But there was nothing. There was no way out.

Hermione rattled her head around, feeling slightly dizzy from what had just happened.

“Ron?� Hermione whispered scratchily. “Ron? Ron where are you?� A small note was strewn on the floor with orange goo plastering it to the floor. It simply read: Hand over the Knife of Sudane if you ever want to see your friend again. There was a moving image at the bottom of the note. It was Ron. He was in chains and struggling for his life, a sinister wand placed temporarily at his throat. A spell from the wand was fired at Ron’s limp body. Hermione covered her mouth and a tear fell down her face as she saw Ron being tortured. The image kept on replaying and she kept on seeing Ron, bloody and beaten.

The door opened and George stepped inside.

“Hermione? What are you— What’s wrong?� George saw the tear stain running down Hermione’s face.

“It’s Ron... He’s been taken.�

“What?! By who?!�

“Fredrick Berfulema. He was just here and then I got knocked out, and I just woke up.�

“Hermione. We need to tell mum. Now!� George pleaded.

Hermione nodded and George helped her up with his hand. They walked hand in hand to Mrs. Weasley’s bedroom. They knocked on her door and it opened with a creak.

“Mum? Mum you awake?� George whispered into the dimly lit room. George jumped backwards as the door slammed shut. Hermione stepped up and knocked twice.

“Mrs. Weasley?� Hermione whispered dryly.

They heard nothing.

Hermione pushed opened the door with her spare hand and turned on the lights. She walked in and the door slammed behind her but she found no source of what closed it. She looked confused. She walked over to Mrs. Weasley’s bed and tapped the lump underneath. The lump rustled underneath the pillows and then disappeared. It was almost as if it had sunk into the mattress. Hermione lifted up the blanket and threw it off the bed. She gasped as she saw nothing. A hand shot out of the tattered mattress and grabbed Hermione’s throat.

A menacing laughed echoed throughout the room.

“George!� Hermione yelled but it only came out as a faint whisper.
“Hermione, is she there?� George asked but Hermione never answered. George knocked on the door and slowly opened it. “Hermione? You here?�

The hand shook Hermione around. “Silly girl, your nothing but a filthy little Mudblood aren’t you.

“George, help me!� Hermione whispered once more. Hermione waved her arms around wildly and was helplessly trying to get George’s attention. George was staring directly at her, but he didn’t seem to notice her. “George, I’m right here!� Hermione began to get annoyed, her breathing slowed as the hand began to choke her more and more. Her head dropped and she began to doze off. She looked down at her nightgown. It wasn’t the normal crimson red color, but blue. She looked at her arms, they were blue. Everything was blue. She tried to get the hand off of her neck but her own hands when through them. It was almost as if Hermione was a ghost. Hermione took out her wand and was happy to see that her wand had turned ghostly and would not fall out of her grasp. She fired a spell at the mattress and watched as it raised up in the air and she saw who it was. She didn’t recognize him but it must have been some sort of follower of Voldemort.

Hermione stared at the young man and the man saw Hermione’s persistent glare and turned away. “Look at me!� Hermione raspily yelled. The man looked toward her and smiled evilly. He let her go and gave a little wave. The man sunk below the mattress and disappeared from the room leaving Hermione in her ghostly form. Hermione’s eyes turned red and a strange sounding voice erupted from her mouth. Hermione turned back to normal and her eyes turned to normal.

George saw her and ran over to her side. “Hermione, where were you?� He picked her up and brought her into her bedroom. She tucked herself in and watched as George left the room. When the door shut she turned her light on and grabbed a book from the shelf looking in the index hastily.

“Knives, knives, knives,� she said to herself. She ran her finger down the column and stopped as she saw Knife of Sudane. She turned to the page and looked at the picture with pure fascination. It was almost as small as a dagger but a little bit larger. It had strange markings on the front and gems on the back. She read about the Knife of Sudane and was fascinated.

The Knife of Sudane. Founded in 1834.
The Knife of Sudane was an ancient relic found at the base of the Cliff of Crasilium and was originally used to vanquish the stone arch. With just one tap of the Knife of Sudane on the arch, the arch would collapse and shatter and all the Six Stones of Berfulema would vanish. Whoever obtains this knife will have the power to stop who/what is trying to enter the arch. There is only one Knife of Sudane to date and has been lost for centuries...

The next day Hermione and George woke up bright and early to find Mrs. Weasley sleeping on a chair in the kitchen with a bloodied lip.

“Mrs. Weasley!� Hermione shouted.
Mrs. Weasley woke up suddenly and touched her lip leaving a dot of blood on her finger. “I guess I scratched my lip in the middle of the night...� Mrs. Weasley said aloud. She gave a little giggle and turned towards Hermione and George. “Why Hermione, hello!� Mrs. Weasley said happily. “Hermione, can you and George please go out to the garden and fetch me some apples. I feel like some nice apples for breakfast.�

“Mrs. Weasley I need to tell you —� Hermione was cut off by Mrs. Weasley.

“Apples dear,� Mrs. Weasley gave a quick smile and went to get a wet rag to stop her bleeding lip.

Hermione rushed out into the garden and picked some apples. She began to feel rushed and sat down to calm herself. After a few minutes rest she fell through the wall and landed on the hard floor. Her hair was covering her eyes and she pushed it off with her hand. “Oh no,� she thought to herself. “I’m blue again.� Hermione walked through the wall and into the kitchen. She grabbed a chair and it turned invisible. She gasped and let go of the chair making it become visible again. “Whatever I touch—� She grabbed the chair again. “—turns invisible... But how did I become blue again?� She walked through the wall outside and looked around the garden seeing no sign of Voldemort’s followers. She turned back to normal and grabbed the apples. She rushed inside the house and gave the apples to Mrs. Weasley.

“Now, what was it you wanted to tell me, dear?� Mrs. Weasley said gesturing to Hermione. “Oh, before that Hermione, can you call Ron down for me?�

Hermione looked over to George with a slight frown on her face. “Mrs. Weasley, that’s what I’m trying to tell you. Ron’s been taken.�

The knife Mrs. Weasley was using to cut apples slipped and cut her finger. “What?! Ron’s missing?!� Mrs. Weasley said while taking out her wand and healing her finger.

“Yes. I found a threatening note in my room last night. They say they want the Knife of Sudane,� Hermione croaked out.

“The Knife of Sudane? I’ve heard of that before. But who would want a knife like that?� Mrs. Weasley wondered pacing around the kitchen.

“Fredrick Berfulema,� Hermione said slowly.

Mrs. Weasley stopped walking and turned toward Hermione. “Hermione, you can’t give him that knife,� Mrs. Weasley shouted.

“Why not?! He has Ron!� A tear fell down Hermione’s face and George patted her shoulder.

“You can’t give him that knife because... Well Fredrick Berfulema...he was a murderer. And with that knife, he could kill anything or anyone. Hermione do not give him that knife.�
“I have too! If I don’t he will kill Ron!� Hermione ran upstairs and ripped the note away from the orange goo. She ran downstairs and showed Mrs. Weasley the note.

“Oh my goodness,� Mrs. Weasley said. Her eyes watered up and tears began to flow down her face.

“Mrs. Weasley, we need to find that knife and give it to him,� Hermione said impatiently.

“No need.� One last tear fell down Mrs. Weasley’s face. She walked over to one of her cabinets and opened it up. She grabbed something from inside a bowl and closed the cabinet. She walked over to Hermione and placed something on the table. It was a key.

“Mrs. Weasley, what’s this?� Hermione questioned, picking up the key.

“It’s the key to the drawer. The drawer in the dungeons at Hogwarts.� Mrs. Weasley was about to grab the key back but stopped and thought for a moment, letting her arm fall back to her side.

“What’s in the drawer?� Hermione asked.

Mrs. Weasley answered the question with four simple words. “The Knife of Sudane.�

---------------------------------------

A/N: Teaser for the next chapterHarry and the rest of the gang leave for Hogwarts! Before they leave, Harry finds a cryptic note that makes him confused. But he knows it could only mean one thing. Death.

The water was rising hastily, leaving Harry and Draco in quite a predicament. The chilling water slowly crept up their robes, sending jitters down their spines.

“Well?!� Draco cried. “Way to go, Potter. What are you going to do?! Saving the day is obviously in your vocabulary,� Draco yelled trying to find some way to stay above water.

The round table in the center of the room erupted. A swarm of water flooded out of the gap filling the room up quicker than before. Harry pulled out his wand and cast a spell at the jet of water which had sensed Harry’s defensive spells. The water gyrated itself into a thin line and whipped away Harry’s wand.

Water continually spurted out of the hole and it was at their wastes.

“Potter! Drop the stone and let’s try to find a way out of this dump!� Draco spat.

“Draco, we have to bring the stone back to save the lives of my parents, Sirius...and Mr. Weasley,� Harry croaked out.

“Who cares about your ghastly parents or that mediocre godfather of yours,� Draco shouted unable to take part in Harry’s remotely dangerous charge.

“DRACO, I KNOW WHAT I’M DOING!� Harry cried out.

“OBVIOUSLY YOU DON’T YOU FILTHY PRAT!� Draco squalled in resent. He lashed out his wand and aimed it at Harry’s heart. “METAMULE MANORPHIUM!� Harry suddenly stiffened and fell into the water, his eyes half open. Draco watched as Harry’s eyes closed and his arms fell to the ground, limp and blunt. His withered body was being tossed around and Draco watched Harry dying in front of him. “Avada Kedavra!� Draco yelled. A green light slashed through the water and into Harry’s body. Harry was dead. He had suffered a quick death, but a painful one. The door into the room opened quickly and the water poured out of the room. Draco turned around to see no one there. The door had just opened. Draco was relieved and laughed haughtily as Harry’s lifeless body slithered down the hole in the center of the room never to be seen again.

***

Harry woke up in his bed. Beads of sweat were rolling down his face and his palms were wet with water. What happened? Harry thought to himself. I died. Draco...He killed me. Was it all a dream? Just then Harry felt three lumps under his pillow. He cautiously lifted up his pillow and pulled out three stones. What? The three stones? Harry counted them off and flipped through them naming them off. Fire stone, Dragon stone, and the Water Stone. Is this all in my imagination? I must have been dreaming. But it was all so real. So if im not really dead. Does that mean that Mr. Weasley isn’t dead? Did Hermione every have an encounter with Voldemort? Did I ever see Draco? Just then the door flew open and Mrs. Weasley gasped and ran over to Harry’s bedside giving him a giant hug. “Mrs. Weasley, what happened?� Harry pondered.

“Well you’ve been asleep for the past three days, we’ve all been worried sick!� Mrs. Weasley alleged.

“Is Hermione injured?� Harry prompted quickly.

“Hermione? Oh heavens no. She has been helping me around in the kitchen lately. She’s a fine young woman she is,� Mrs. Weasley finished casually.

“Mr. Weasley? Is he alright?� Harry responded with a worried expression.

“Well, I’m afraid Arthur has had a bit of a run in with some Death-Eaters at the Ministry yesterday morning,� Mrs. Wealsey finished with a bit of a choking sob. “He has been paralyzed from the neck down. The Healers have only given him two weeks—� Mrs. Weasley grabbed a tissue and blew her nose. Tears began to avalanche onto Harry’s bed leaving water stains on the embroidered cover. “—two weeks to live.� Mrs. Weasley finished with a cry.

Harry gasped and wondered if in the near future he would meet Draco, if in the near future Hermione would be injured.... Would this even happen? Harry thought to himself. If I have all the three stones that have so far come up in my bizarre dream...what events would happen to cause these tragic events? What will cause them? If I have the stones that have been through tragic wars and events then what could possibly cause it? Harry suddenly thought of the answer. The other three stones.

“Mrs. Weasley, I’m sorry,� Harry said comfortingly.

Mrs. Weasley looked over at the wall clock and noticed it was half past eleven. “Oh dear, Harry. It’s time to go. The train is leaving at one.�

Mrs. Weasley hoofed down the stairs and began to call out to all the Weasley children that it was time to leave for the Hogwarts Express. Harry got out of bed and put on his clothes and walked quickly downstairs to see if he could snag a quick bite to eat. Hermione was sitting next to the door ready to leave and when she saw Harry, she erupted with joy and ran over to him to give him a hug. “Harry! I’m so glad you’re finally awake! What happened? Why were you asleep so long?� Hermione asked, stepping out from the hug.

“Fred and George must have slipped me a sleeping potion,� Harry lied. He didn’t want to sound like a complete idiot and say that he had a dream about her, but Hermione saw right through him.
“Harry, are you sure it was just Fred and George?� Hermione said, disregarding the fact that Harry was shaking.

“Yeah, I’m sure. What else could have caused it,� Harry laughed. Hermione just figured that he wouldn’t tell her yet and ignored his lies.

Mrs. Weasley walked in and addressed for Harry and Hermione to enter the living room. The Weasleys were all in there and Harry noticed the fireplace. “Mrs. Weasley, are we using Floo Powder again?�

“Oh good heavens no!� Mrs. Weasley exasperated. “We are going to use brooms.�

“Oh, well my Firebolt is still upstairs. One second.� Harry raced up the stairs and walked into his room. On the bed was a letter. He picked it up and read aloud to himself:

Dear Harry,
I have a feeling I shall go mad. I cannot go on longer in these terrible times. I shan't recover this time. I hear voices and cannot concentrate on my work. I have fought against it but cannot fight any longer.

Harry looked up and was confused. He couldn’t worry about this now. He grabbed his Firebolt and ran down the stairs placing the letter in his pocket.

“Harry, what took you so long?� Hermione wondered.

“Just tripped on my way up, sorry.�

“Well, come on then!� Mrs. Weasley prompted for Hermione to step out the door. Hermione stepped out and everyone else followed. They all kicked off from the ground. Hermione was unsure about the whole flying on a broom bit but she kept her balance ignoring her fear of flying.

***

Later, they approached Diagon Alley and purchased all their new supplies. They hurried to Kings Cross Station and stood between platforms 9 and 10. They walked through the wall into platform 9 and 3/4 and hopped aboard the Hogwarts Express. They all said their goodbyes out of the windows and the train started with a screech. Hermione, Ron, and Harry all walked through the hallways to find an empty stall. They walked in one and sat down. Harry closed the door and sat quietly for the rest of the train ride to Hogwarts. He wasn’t ready yet to show Hermione and Ron the note. He just wasn’t ready.
----------------------------------
A/N:Teaser for next chapterA deadly fire engulfs the Hogwarts train and a tragic death claims the life of a loved one. Meanwhile, a full moon casts over Grimmauld Place and this could be Remus' worst transformation yet.

Hermione, Ron, and Harry had all changed into their best school robes and were anticipating their return back to Hogwarts. Every one of them had that feeling that they wanted the year to start, but they never wanted it to end. It was their last year at Hogwarts and that meant it would be their last year together. They would keep in touch but it would be awfully hard to keep in touch because of the Dursleys. What had happened to them anyway? Harry thought.

***

"Step back! Away I tell you!" Uncle Vernon spat angrily. He cast his oversized hand toward the intruders. "LEAVE MY HOME AT ONCE!"

The Death Eater drifted backwards calling for his other Death Eater patrons. Three more had entered the room and Aunt Petunia was motionless. Her body was as fragile as that of a piece of glass. She stepped backwards next to the wall, motioning for Dudley to stand next to her. They had all been enjoying a nice dinner when the Death Eaters had assaulted their home.

A Death Eater precariously took their wand out of their black satin robes which were drifting in the invisible breeze. "Vernon... Is it? You've caused a great deal of trouble," a Death Eater hissed.

"Vernon, what's he talking about?" Petunia pondered. She took a few steps closer to Vernon and discovered he was petrified, standing as still as a log. What had he done? "Vernon , dear, Have you done something?"

"Petunia, step out of the way you filthy half-blood! Your filthy muggle father and your putrid wizard mother won’t be able to save you this time." the Death Eater from the corner yelled angrily. "All we want is Vernon!"

"Why?! What did Vernon do?!" Petunia wailed. She began to cry and she shook slightly being scared out of her wits.

"He is an escaped convict of the Dark Lord. Twenty years ago he was somewhat of a guinea pig to the Dark Lord. He tested out all of his evil schemes on him. The Dark Lord has given us orders to scope out and kill Vernon Dursley," the Death Eater growled angry and took out his wand and began yelling out several spells which all seemed to seep into Vernon's thick skin.

"Vernon!" Petunia wailed. Uncle Vernon had fallen over and his face was like a corpse. His pale skin was contrasted by his eyes which were giving somewhat of a death glare. She felt for a pulse. Nothing. " VERNON!" Petunia wailed, crying at his side. Petunia stood up, her mascara was smudged from her tears and her heart had been broken as her husband had just died. She moved quietly over to the front door and walked up the stairs with a face that could scare even the bravest of people. The Death Eaters seemed to be enjoying this little taunting to Uncle Vernon and began firing hexes and jinxes at him even though he was already dead, not noticing the stealthy Petunia. She walked into her bedroom and opened her dresser drawer. I swore to myself that I would never use this, she thought to herself. She pulled out a wand. Seventeen inch with a maple trim. All this time, I had been a witch. Just like my sister. I didn't even know it. But now that I am a witch, even though it is the worst of disciplines, I can have vengeance on those you have killed my husband. Murdered him. All my confusions began when I received the howler two years ago. She walked down the steps and stared angrily at the dullard Death Eaters. You killed my husband. My husband. The only person I had loved. Why did you have to kill him. You should never have killed him. You're filthy little Dark Lord will never see you again when I murder you. Yes, murder. I will share with the world my murderous tale at how I had killed three Death Eaters from the wizarding community. I will be a legend. A hero. But all your little sneers and smirks will be wiped away when I kill you, Petunia thought ravenously to herself.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" A Death Eater had noticed her on the first step and killed her with a grin the moment he had noticed the evil gleam in her eyes. Her need for vengeance was ruined. Her life was gone and so was her husband's.

Dudley stood still. He looked terrified; his mother, his father, dead. The Death Eaters turned toward him. "Well, we were only supposed to kill your father, but what's the fun in just two? Three deaths will please the Dark Lord greatly."

Dudley was always a bit of a baby and began to cry. His final time on earth. "Wait! Before you kill me, can I please just ask you one question?!" Dudley choked out trying to spare him a few more moments to live.

"Why not!" a Death Eater spoke. "The longer the wait, the slower the death." The Death Eaters enjoyed taunting young ones. They were much more fun to see die.

"Two years ago. I saw these...these things. My brainless brother told me they were Dementors —" Dudley was interrupted by the Death Eaters scaly voice.

"Yes, yes. Dementors. Get on with it prat!" The Death Eaters began to get agitated and wanted to kill him right here and there.

"When I looked into their faces...I saw.....I saw myself. I was there. It was my face. I was dead," Dudley finished weakly.

"Well, if you're done now, we can eliminate you and that little vision you had with a Death Eater will come true after all." The Death Eater flung his wand at Dudley and Dudley dropped to the floor with a loud thud. His limp body was thrown against the wall and back onto the floor. "That filthy half-blood," a Death Eater said with malice.

The Death Eater turned to the one who was insulting the Dursleys and asked, "He's a half-blood? I just thought his mother was."

"His mother's genetic traits were passed down to him. He's part wizard."

The Death Eaters strode outside the Dursley's home and one of them flicked his wand at the top roof. A jet of green light projected from his wand and at the top of the home was the wizarding symbol that was most feared. The green serpent was slithering out of the skull's mouth and curling around in the night sky telling the whole word that the Dark Lord has returned.

***

The train was chugging along at a quick pace. They were bound to be at Hogwarts in an hour or two. But in the meanwhile, Harry looked out of the pale window. He was so tired of the quiet ride there that he just had to show them. He had to show them the note. The cryptic note that had him thinking. Who was it from? What did they mean by they couldn't fight any longer?

Harry pulled out the piece of paper and threw it on the ground in front of Hermione's feet.

"What's this?" Hermione asked picking it up with her fragile hands.

"Read it..." Harry said resting his head on the window.

Hermione began to read but Harry interrupted quickly. "Aloud. Read it aloud so Ron can hear it too."

"Okay," Hermione said, starting over from the beginning. "Dear Harry, I have a feeling I shall go mad. I cannot go on longer in these terrible times. I shan't recover this time. I hear voices and cannot concentrate on my work. I have fought against it but cannot fight any longer."

Harry looked up at them and they looked back at him with a confused look. "Harry, who's this from?" Hermione queried.

"I don't know," Harry said, thinking to himself. "The envelope didn’t say anything."

"Harry, this handwriting…it seems like it was quickly written. Like they were in some sort of a hurry. But it is more like an adults. But sloppy all in the same way."

Suddenly it hit him, his father’s lifelong friend: Remus.

"Remus. It must be him. It has to be him. The handwriting. The tattered and burned encasing it came in," Harry said.

"What is he going to do?" Ron asked with a worried face.

"I don't know, but it doesn't sound —" The train suddenly stopped abruptly and the windows shattered. The train began to shake and the stall's doors flew open.

"Bloody Hell!" Ron yelled. "What's bloody happening?!" Ron shouted once more trying to stabilize himself in his seat.

Harry stepped up carefully and walked out into the hall. Other faces peeked out of the stalls and they all saw an engulfing fire that was creeping slowly down the aisle way.

Draco Malfoy stepped out into the aisle and smirked at the moving fire. He used the extinguishing spell but nothing happened. He tried the spell over and over but all that he caused was for the fire to enlarge.

Harry jumped back into his stall and shut the door trying to stay alive.

"Hermione. Do you think you could replace the broken glass on the stall's window with steel?"

"Why steel? Harry, what's happening out there?" Hermione's voice wavered and she began to become scared.

"Hermione, please...quick. Anything fire proof!" Harry shouted.
"Fire? Harry, there's a fire on the train?" Hermione began to panic as her life was in danger but she took out her wand and replaced the stall's window with a fireproof piece of metal.

"Okay, that's good. Now we need to somehow melt the top and bottom of the stall door so the fire won't be able to get through."

Hermione knew exactly what to do and she sent off spells and charms and it was finished. It was now steaming hot inside the train and they could hear the cracking fire roaming down the halls. Luckily with Hermione's handy work they were alright, but was everyone else safe?

Hermione was nudged in the corner of the stall and Ron was close to her, comforting her and protecting her. Harry suddenly heard an explosion outside the stall and heard screams.

"What happened?" Hermione asked, hoping that Ginny and all the other Weasley's would be safe.

It was still. Everything was quiet.

"Is it over?" Hermione asked, her voice was vacillating now and she was breathing in short intervals.

Harry heard voices that were outside the stall. They weren't screaming voices so he knew it was over. Someone or something must have put the fire out. Harry blasted open the metal protection and looked outside the car. Three stalls down was where the tragedy had happened. The wind was blowing inwards as Harry looked at the gaping hole in the train where a stall had once been. He looked up and saw five Death-Eaters hovering away and out into the distance. Ginny ran down the hallway when she saw Harry.

"Where's Ron?! Is he all right?!" she asked hastily.

"Ron's fine. He was with us. We are all fine," Harry said giving Ginny a quick hug. When he let her go she was blown over by a strong gust of wind which came through the empty hole on their car.

"What happened?" she asked, running over to the hole.

"Well, I heard an expl —" Harry was interrupted by Ginny's voice. She was crying. She knew someone in that stall.

"What? What happened?" Harry asked quivering in the breeze.
"Stall twenty-seven. My friend was in that stall. No one could have survived that fall." Ginny's tears were streaming down her face and she ran into Harry's chest and threw her arms around him.

"Who, Ginny?" Harry asked.

"Harry, do you remember fifth year?" She sniffed and wiped away her tears which never seemed to stop flowing.

"Yeah, why?" Harry asked, stepping back for a minute.

"Well, do you remember who you met? A girl, about my age?" she asked.

Harry knew who it was. He now knew. "Oh, Ginny. I'm so sorry." He hugged her and wouldn't let her go. Hermione walked out of their stall and saw Ginny.

"Harry, what happened?" she asked, stroking Ginny's flaming orange hair.

The conductor of the train was running down the train's cars finally managing to rummage into theirs. "What in bloody hell happened down here?" the conductor said. He saw the large hole in their car and was wondering frantically who was in that car and how he would explain it to their parents. "Oh, well we had a bit of a run in with some Death-Eaters and your son and/or daughter has been killed," the conductor thought to himself. No. That's layin' it on too thick. "I'm sorry, but your son and/or daughter has been killed by a group of Death-Eaters that attacked our train not long ago. I am so sorry for your loss. The school will be hosting a memorial service for them shortly." Yeah, that's good. That's real good. The conductor said with a pleasant grin on his face knowing that he had achieved what he had wanted. "Who was in the car? Did any of you's know them?"

Ginny looked up and nodded her head. "I knew one of them." She sniffed and moved from Harry to Hermione.

"Who was it Ginny?" Hermione asked again. Her fright began to rise as Ginny said she knew this person. Hermione knew most of Ginny's friends and was ready for the worst.

"It's Luna. Luna is dead," Ginny said sniffing. Hermione gasped and began to comfort Ginny again. Luna Lovegood had been a cheery young lady. She was a bit on the odd side, but that never covered up her ability to care for anyone even if they didn't care for her in return. The conductor suggested they moved into a car that hadn't been burned. They all walked to a new car. Once in the new car, the Hogwarts Express started up again leaving the destroyed cars in the dust and leaving horrible memories imprinted in their minds that would never leave them.

***

Harry, Hermione and Ron were quiet as they saw Hogwarts come into view. They couldn’t talk about what had happened only an hour ago. The train's remaining cars halted to a stop at Hogwarts. The students exited the train and watched the full moon as it drifted through the night sky. Harry was wondering what was happening to Remus at the moment; he was worried.

***
Remus looked out the pale window inside Grimmauld Place and saw the full moon caressing around his living space. He looked back inside the home and was ready for whatever was going to happen.

The transformation was beginning.

His sheer cries of pain erupted through the house and outside onto the dark and shadowy landscape.

Screaming. Yelling. Any form of pain was happening to Remus. Although, this time it was different. The transformation lasted much longer than normal. His back was more hunched and his claws were longer. Growls were heard from outside the home. His transformation was complete.

No one was accompanying Remus inside Grimmauld Place making sure that he was secure inside the home. He was all alone. Him. Only him. This could cause problems.

Horrible, horrible problems.

***

Everyone was invited inside Hogwarts and Harry, Hermione, and Ron all walked into the Great Hall to be welcomed by their headmaster. They sat down at the Gryffindor table and began to whisper to each other about the events on the train.

Harry suddenly remembered something. Something from his dream. What had happened to the Knife of Sudane? Harry thought to himself. In his dream Hermione had obtained the key to receive the Knife of Sudane. Did she still have the key? Harry contemplated.

"Hermione," Harry began, "Hermione, did Mrs. Weasley ever give you anything before we left?"

"Yeah. Why?" Hermione asked pulling what Mrs. Weasley had given her from her robe pocket.

"So you have it. The Knife of Sudane!" Harry ended abruptly as he saw what she had taken out of her pocket.

"The knife of — what? All I got from her was this pocket watch. She said that I needed to keep better track of time," Hermione laughed showing Harry the old and tattered pocket watch.

"Oh. Never mind then." Harry had looked down in his lap and began asking himself questions. Well, if she hasn't gotten the Knife of Sudane yet, will she get it soon? Mr. Weasley is in St. Mungo's. In my dream, though, Mrs. Weasley had given her the key. If she is at home, who is going to give Hermione the key? Does the Knife of Sudane even exist? Harry had to end his train of thought when Dumbledore stood up in front of everyone and began his speech.

"Hello everyone and welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! This year Hogwarts has a new Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher. Everyone please give a warm welcome to Masaria Lanear!"

Masaria Lanear stood up from her chair and waved to everyone as they applauded back to her. She gave everyone a welcoming smile and sat back down.

"Doesn't seem too bad, does she?" Harry whispered to Ron.

"No. Not too bad," Ron replied.

"Everyone who has been here for more than one year knows the rules, but I will explain them for the first years. The Forbidden Forest is prohibited for all students, and no magic will be used in the corridors between classes. Everyone should be able to follow these rules since there are only two of them, but if you attempt to break one, you will have detention with Mr. Filch. Now, it's time for the sorting!"

Professor McGonagall brought the Sorting Hat up and placed it on the wooden stool. A face emerged from the fabric and all the first years gasped at what had happened. The slit where the mouth would have been opened and the Hat began to sing.

Once the song had ended, everyone burst out into applause. The Sorting Hat smiled back out at them and the Sorting had begun.

"Sue, Betty," Professor McGonagall shouted while reading from a list of first years. Betty walked up the steps and quivered as she saw everyone staring at her wondering what house she would be put in. She sat on the chair and bit her lip, nervous as ever.

The Sorting Hat began to speak, "Bossy, likes a challenge. Yet, you think you're better than everyone else. Better be...Slytherin!"

The Slytherin table clapped and cheered as she had been placed into their house. Professor McGonagall read aloud the next person's name, "Woods, Ashley." Ashley Woods was a little braver then Betty had been when walking up to the stool. She didn't once look at the group of faces looking back at her.

"Hmm. You are funny, smart, and brave. You enjoy helping people, but don't ask for anything in return. You are thoughtful. Better be Gryffindor!" the Sorting Hat called out. Ashley walked over to the Gryffindor table which was clapping and cheering for Ashley.

Later, when everyone had been sorted into their houses, they were all dismissed into their common rooms for a good night's sleep.

***

Remus was lashing through the house, clawing through doors, and breaking down walls. He growled angrily as drool drained through his mouth landed on the rough, wooden floor. His endless growling began to get louder and louder with each time. Grimmauld Place was being destroyed and it was about to get worse as Mrs. Weasley entered it.

***

The crisp fire in the Gryffindor fire room was cracking and Harry walked up the steps to go to bed, but before going to bed, Harry stayed behind and called for Ron and Hermione to stay behind with him. After everyone had gone to bed and they had been alone, Harry broke the silence.

"Ron, Hermione. I think I had somewhat of a premonition. The whole time I was asleep, I suppose that I was having a dream. Or a nightmare some would call it. It started with Hermione. She had been badly injured by Voldemort which led to this long story about something called the six stones of berfulema." He finished the story off with discussing his deadly encounter with Malfoy.

"So, everything that you dreamed of will happen...?" Ron asked.

"You're going to be killed? By Malfoy?" Hermione pondered in her own little world.

"That bloody git will never know what hit him when I'm through with him," Ron wailed quietly.

"No. No. I probably won't be killed. By Draco at least. Hermione never got injured. That's the bright side of things." Harry gave a weak smile and began to think that there would be no easy way to lighten the mood.

Harry took the three stones he had managed to grab out of his robe pocket. "I have three of the stones. Three more are still out there, though. The Knife of Sudane might also be a key thing in this vision."

"Harry. I have read about the Cliff of Crasilium before and it is on the far side of Ireland. It's in Antrim, Ireland. How are we going to be able to get there?" Hermione asked.

"By broom of course," Harry said as Hermione gave a sullen look.

***

Back at Grimmauld Place, Mrs. Weasley closed the door behind her and stopped dead in her tracks as she noticed the full moon outside. The inside of Grimmauld Place had been destroyed. That could only mean one thing. Remus' transformation. She stepped back outside before Remus would have the chance to kill her. She quickly walked away from the home and found a quick route back to the Burrow which was very far away from Grimmauld Place.

***

Meanwhile, inside, Remus was hunched over; baring his fangs. He ran at the front door and it shattered leaving an empty space for Remus to wander. He quickly ran out into the open air and he looked down the road each way; a hungry look on his face. He howled in the nighttime darkness and saw a young girl in the road walking toward her home. She turned around as she heard the howl and screamed as the werewolf came into view. She began to run. Remus sprang forward and tried to nip at her clothing. He missed. The wolf was right behind her. Her fear was rising as his hunger was growing. The young girl quickened her pace as she neared her home. Her warm, safe home. Remus launched himself at the girls leg, but the little girl was quite agile for her young age and ran left into the forest. Remus proceeded after her. The little girl was running now. Her breathing quickened as she was in what seemed to be like an obstacle course. She turned around to see where the werewolf was. There was nothing there. Nothing was behind her. She gave a quick smile as tears began to roll down her face. She had escaped from the werewolf.

"I made it," she said to herself. "I made it through." The young girl began to slowly walk back to her home trying to steady her breath. Then in the next moment, everything happened so fast it was all a blur to her. Remus sprang out of the trees snatching her arm and dragging her into the forest. The young girl's cries of pain echoed through the trees and out into the darkness. Her death was imminent. The day before was the last time she could see her mother, her father. The last time she could see her younger brother. The last time to do anything.

***

The next morning Remus woke up on the forest floor noticing the dead girl at his side. He jumped up and was horrified at the side. He touched his teeth and looked at his hand. Blood. There had been blood on his hands. He had killed the girl. The murderous werewolf had killed the young girl.

"No... NO! What have I done?!" Remus shouted out. He picked up the girl and placed her in the crevice of his arms. He noticed a small locket around her neck and took it off of her laying her gently back down on the cold and hard ground. "This locket. It looks familiar," he muttered to himself in confusion.

He flipped over the locket and looked on the back. Etched in a playful kids writing were the letters R.L. He flipped it back over and read the inside:
Dear Sisster,

I luv yu soo much! I am gladd yu ar mi sisster.

Yor brother,

Remus

The spelling errors and mistakes had been that of a child's. But the name. Remus. It was his. A few tears racked down his face. He brought the girl to her home. If his suspicion was right, he knew where it was. He knocked on the door and a woman answered.

"Hello. Who are you?" The housekeeper asked in confusion.

"I'm Remus. Remus Lupin," Remus replied with a few tears.

"Lupin? Remus Lupin? Oh my goodness. REMUS!" The woman sprung forward to give him a hug. "It's me, Rachael!" She was crying now. This was the happiest moment of her life.

"Rachael? Is it really you?" Remus was in awe. This was his sister. He was crying again. He looked down into his arms and handed her the child. Her bloody face had concealed her identity and Rachael hadn't known it was her own daughter.

"What's this?" she asked, taking the child from him. She looked down at the face and was still confused.

"It's your" — he sniffed and finished what he started to say — "it's your daughter."

"Olivia? OLIVIA!" She fell onto her knees and was weeping into her daughter's coat. "My baby! My beautiful baby!" She looked up at Remus and he couldn't help but go onto his knees and comfort his sister.

"That's a beautiful name," Remus said. He was trying to help but nothing could help at the moment. He handed her the locket.

"Oh!" She sniffed and took the locket from him. "I gave this to Olivia. You gave it to me when you were about" — she wiped away her tears and finished her sentence — "about five years old. Where did you find her?" She moved into the living room and placed her on the couch looking at her bloodied face.

"On the forest floor next to your home. Please forgive me, Rachael," Remus pleaded.

"Why. What did you do? I should be thanking you for bringing her to me. If you hadn't done that she would have been out in the forest cold and alone," Rachael finished, looking back at her daughter.

"I killed her, Rachael. On accident. I transformed into my werewolf form and it all happened so fast. I don't have much recollection of the incident. I'm so sorry," Remus said with guilt in his.

"Remus! You killed my daughter?!" Rachael screamed, tear stains still on her pale face.

Just then Olivia's eyes opened. "Mommy? What happened? I'm scared." Olivia sat up and hugged her mother. Remus was amazed and so was Rachael. Olivia was alive. When the blood was wiped away they had discovered, amazingly, that there had only been a few scratches. Only one serious cut had been on her arm.

"Olivia? Olivia you're alive!" Rachael gasped in excitement.
Remus gave a quick smile to Rachael and left their home. He walked back to Grimmauld Place and saw all the damage he had caused. He walked up the steps into his bedroom and in there was Mrs. Weasley.

"I noticed the full moon last night and thought I would stop by to see how you were doing," Mrs. Weasley finished lamely.
"Considering I almost killed my sister's daughter, I'm not doing too great," Remus went and sat on his bed and began to think of all the things that had happened in the morning.

"You found your sister? Remus, where did you find her?" Mrs. Weasley turned toward Remus with a smile forming on her face.

"She lives just down the street from here, it wasn't the best reunion," Remus completed turning toward his wall.

"Can I go see her? I mean, can we go see her?" Mrs. Weasley asked with curiosity in her voice.

"Well, I'm not so sure, if we don't get invited in, it won't be a surprise." He walked down the steps and out into the cool morning air. Mrs. Weasley followed him out into the street and walked to his sister's home.

Once there, he knocked on the door and a man answered. "Hello, may I help you?" the man asked.

"Hello, is Rachael Lupin there?" Remus asked, a slightly excited Mrs. Weasley standing next to him.

"I'm sorry. Rachael Lupin and her daughter, Olivia, died three years ago," the man finished with confusion. Why had they been asking for her?

"But, that can't be! I just talked to her a few minutes ago!" Remus cried.

"I'm sorry about the incident. Did you know her well?" the man asked.

"Yes. Very well. She was my sister," Remus said beginning to walk down the steps.

"I'm sorry that you just heard about this and in such an abrupt way." The man closed the door and Remus and Molly walked back to Grimmauld place with confusion written all over their faces.

----------------

Teaser for next chapter: A quick flashback to how it all began gives lots of information...but not all of it can be good news....can it?

The next evening, Harry lay in bed, going over recent results that had played a big part in the events he was sure would come.

***

~Rememberence Moment Start~

Harry had just escaped from the treacherous house on Privet Drive. A woman had stopped in front of him and held out her hand, “Come,� she said, her hand shaking slightly in the cool night air.

“Who are you?� Harry asked, dragging his trunk as he grabbed her hand.

“Rachael, Rachael Lupin. I’ve been ordered by Dumbledore to escort you to the Weasley’s estate.� Rachael finished opening the boot of her Muggle car and motioning for Harry to place his things inside

“Why couldn’t any of the other Order members escort me?� Harry asked curiously.

“Dumbledore thought that I should bring you over to the Weasley’s home because he wants us to get closer.�

Harry froze, wondering what that had meant. “W-what do you mean by that?� Harry stuttered.

“Oh,� — Rachael laughed at this — “silly boy. He means to get closer as in friendship wise. He wants us to become acquaintances with each other. He says that for future references, which I can’t tell you right now. Let’s just say that I have powers that no one else has. Powers far stronger than Remus, Kingsly, and all the others. I’m somewhat special.� Rachael wiggled her fingers, motioning to Harry that she had been able to accomplish the tricky technique of wandless magic. Rachael shrugged as she saw Harry struggling with his trunk. “Here, let me help you.� Rachael took Harry’s trunk away from him and walked with it to the car.

“So you’re Remus’ sister? Wait — hold on, you’re a muggle?� Harry asked staring at the muggle vehicle. Dust scattered in the back as the heavy object was placed inside. Harry coughed and waved the dust away while closing the boot for Rachael.

“Yes and no. I am Remus’ sister but I’m not a Muggle. This is just my friend’s car. He’s in the back seat, but be careful. He’s not that right in the head.�

“Well, I handle Ron, so he should be no problem,� Harry laughed to himself as he stepped inside the car. The man was wearing nothing but a large sack and his eyes seemed to be two different sizes. He had all but a few measly strands of hair on his scaley head.

He smiled goofily and waved at Harry. “Hello!�

“Umm...hi there?� Harry seemed a little uncomfortable sitting next to this man.

“What’s your name?� the man asked, still waving.

“Harry, Harry Potter,� Harry began to wonder what would happen when he heard his name; he wished he had lied about his name because the man’s reaction was the weirdest one yet.

“Harry Potter? Harry Potter?! HARRY POTTER?! My llama’s name was Harry Potter. I taught him to fly. One fateful day, however, he ran into the roof of my home. He died...� The man suddenly fell over on his side and snored a few times. He quickly hopped back up and stared at Harry. “Hello there! What’s your name?� The man smiled at Harry and Harry had the chance to lie.

“Umm...the name is Ronald Weasley.� Harry smiled happily as he knew his reaction would be different.

“Ronald Weasley? That’s my name!� The man seemed to become quite hyper at the moment and Rachael stopped the car.

“Umm...your name is Duncan,� she said with confusion.

“That’s what I said! Ronald Weasley!� he said waving his arms about.

“Duncan! Your name is Duncan!� Rachael became agitated. Stopping the car, she stepped out of her side door and opened the back one. “Duncan, this won’t hurt a bit,� she said taking out her wand. “Silencio!� Duncan’s mouth continued to move but he was unheard. She stepped back into the driver’s seat and drove on. “Ahh, much better,� she smiled to herself. “Harry if he starts to tap you, just ignore it. It only means that he is bored.�

“Did you just perform magic...on a muggle?� Harry asked extravagantly.

“He’s no muggle. He’s a wizard himself! This car is just his way of getting around in the muggle areas.�

Duncan began tapping Harry, agitated by the sudden silence. “So Harry, how have you been?� Rachael asked turning a sharp corner.

“I’ve been better,� Harry said protecting himself from Duncan’s annoying finger.

“Why? What’s wrong?� Rachael asked stopping the car at a corner.

“Just the Dursley’s. They’re awful. What are you doing?� Harry asked curiously as he saw her press a button. A small screen popped up showing a picture of the Burrow. She tapped the screen with her wand and the inside of the car filled up with light. The car began to spin rapidly. Harry’s life flashed before his eyes. The last memory that he had seen was Sirius falling through the veil. Sirius... Harry’s eyes watered up as he saw Sirius’ face swell up with shock.

“Harry! Hold on!� Rachael was experiencing nausea. The spinning of the car made her sick to her stomach. Harry shut his eyes and held on to the seat in front of him.

The car flew up into the air causing Harry to be forced down into his seat. Everything stopped only a moment later. Harry looked out of the window and he saw that he was at the Burrow — the Weasley’s home.

“Harry, we’re here.� Rachael stepped out of the car and took the silencing charm off of Duncan.

“What about the muggles? Wouldn’t they have seen that...that light?� Harry took his trunk out of the back.

“I put an invisibility charm on the car before we left. If the Muggles saw it all they saw was an extremely bright street light.� Rachael smiled at Harry, closing the boot with her wand. “Harry, get inside. You wouldn’t want to catch a cold now would you?� Rachael stepped back into the car and sped off.

“I guess she couldn’t stay,� Harry muttered to himself. Harry ran to the door, knocking politely before entering. Mrs. Weasley answered the door .

“Oh, Harry, dear! How are you?� Mrs. Weasley exclaimed giving him a hug and welcoming him inside.

“Good, good. That lady sure was nice.� Harry exclaimed with a jolly tone, glad to be back.

“Keep it down Harry, the family’s all in bed,� Mrs. Weasley whispered with a smile. “Would you like anything to drink?� Mrs. Weasley asked while walking over to the refrigerator.

“Pumpkin juice, please. That is, if you have any,� Harry chirped, sitting himself down in a chair.

“Yes, of course we do!� Mrs. Weasley took out a brightly colored pitcher of Pumpkin Juice and Harry watched as it changed from orange to blue to red to yellow, repeating the process over and over. “So, how has everything been lately?� Mrs. Weasley inquired while handing over his pumpkin juice.

“Not that bad, actually,� Harry answered, accepting the beverage with ease.

Later, after Harry and Mrs. Weasley had chatted away, Molly had helped Harry settle into his bed upstairs by helping him bring his things up to his bedroom and help unpack. “You better get to bed. It’s almost eleven.� Harry looked up at the wizarding clock and saw that it was a little before eleven.

Harry crawled into bed and was lulled to sleep by the peaceful quiet of the night.

***

The next morning, Harry woke up to the pouring rain that was pounding against his window. With every drop that caressed the window pane, a faint shadow flew across the floor. Thousands of these shadows had raced across the floor, each ending in a neck in neck race. He looked over to his bedside table and was greeted with a note. He picked it up and opened it carefully. It read:

Harry, head downstairs for breakfast when you wake up! I whipped up a mighty good meal! Hope your hungry!

Mrs. Weasley

Harry sat in his bed for the next few minutes, avoiding the note that was left in Mrs. Weasley’s reminiscent handwriting. Harry grabbed the small parchment and toyed with it. He flipped it over and noticed words that Mrs. Weasley had most likely erased earlier. They read:

Dear Harry,

Come on downstairs for breakfast, Harry. Ron’s busy and he asked me to leave you a note.

Mrs. Weasley

He hopped out of his bed and froze as his bed creaked loudly. He hoped not to trigger anyone to come racing up and give him a welcome, causing a conversation.

Harry started to dress himself after a while of standing still, hoping he never woke anyone up. But in the end, it ended up being nothing. While pulling his shirt over his head, he heard the faint chirp of Hedwig bring him his daily mail. On the front was his name is slim black ink. He ripped open the parcel and took out the paper. It was burned as if fire had overthrown it. He quickly looked at the end of the note to see who it had been from. Harry was frightened as he saw the long name of Hermione Granger. He began to read the note:

Dear Harry,

I don’t have much time. Voldemort is close behind. Harry, he’s chasing me! I don’t know why but he’s after me. Please help me. I’m heading to Baley Estate. Bring your wand. Please. The house is old and abandoned. No muggles lived there, and probably never had. Harry, I think he’s coming. I have to go. Have Hedwig help guide you to where I’m located. Help!

Your friend,
Hermione

Harry rushed around the room, collecting his wand and some other assortments of magical weapons or defenses for that matter. He read through the letter once more and grabbed his broom in the right corner of the room.

***

“Ron, go check on Harry. See if he’s awake yet. He’s been asleep for a long while now,� Mrs. Weasley proclaimed solemnly.

Ron nodded and wiped his face free of all his breakfast food that had been left behind. His face was clean now but with the rain still pounding against the Burrow, tons of tiny grey stains were streaming down his face giving him a sullen appearance.

He walked up the stairs and saw Ginny about to head downstairs.

“Hey Gin! Head down quick, breakfast’s just about gone!� Ron smiled to himself as his sister raced down the stairs to try and gobble up a quick helping of the meal.

Ron finished walking the rest of the way up and knocked on his bedroom door. “Harry? Harry, you in there? Breakfast’s just about gone, mate.� Ron opened his bedroom door and was confused as he didn’t see Harry in there. He looked out the open window and saw a small fleck in the distance. With one swift move, the fleck had disappeared. Ron looked around the room a little bit more and noticed Harry’s broom was missing. Ron shut the windows quickly and cleaned up the water that had been scattered throughout the bedroom floor. “He’ll be back. He won’t survive long in this weather.�

***

Harry swooped down low and came to a halt. He set his broom on the ground and ran up the gravel hill listening for any sign of danger.

A faint voice was heard in the background. “I know you’re hear, Granger.� The menacing voice of Voldemort chilled Harry to the bone. Harry heard Hermione scream — a horrible scream, a deathly scream. Harry ran into the house, taking out his wand. He yelled an extreme curse at Voldemort who then fell on the ground, twitching in Harry’s presence.

Harry quickly raised Hermione out of the hole she had precariously fell into and wiped the dirt away from her face. Harry quickly brought Hermione to St. Mungo’s and sat by her bed waiting for her to wake up. Hermione woke up a little while later which led them to their long conversation leading to the Cliff of Crasilium and the six stones.

~Rememberence Moment Over~

Harry switched back to reality, noticing that he had been day dreaming for the past hour. He smiled quickly and turned over on his side, sleeping until the next morning.

***NEXT MORNING***

Harry woke up from the shaking of his bed. “Bloody hell, Ron. I’m trying to get some sleep here!� Harry pulled the covers over his head angrily.

“Harry! HARRY! You have to wake up! The school’s under attack!�

“Voldemort?� Harry asked stupidly.

“No, but it’s one of Voldemort’s followers. They’re called Matnado-somethings. They kill you just by staring at you!!!� Ron shouted in a feared tone.

“So it’s somewhat like the basilisk in our second year?� Harry pondered making his first steps out of his bed, still not realizing the importance of the situation.

“Yeah. Yet, instead of being Petrified, you’re killed, even if you don’t look directly at ‘em Bellatrix is here with them. She seems to be the one who’s controlling them. A few people have been killed, Harry. You should come down, and quick.�

The Matnadorians roamed Hogwarts’ halls. Their hunched backs and their odd stances made them hideously terrifying. The fur covering their body was singed together and burned. The nails on their hands and feet were as sharp as knives, piercing the ground with a loud crack. The atmospheric essence surrounding the castle turned into a humid earthy smell awaking the students from Slytherin to Gryffindor sending them rushing into their common rooms. In the Gryffindor Common Room Harry stood out from all the rest, ready to defeat whatever Voldemort had in store for him.

But something stopped them. Something stopped each house — Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor. Each one was stopped dead in their tracks.

“Who are you?� one of the first years from Gryffindor asked obliviously.

“There’s no time for that now. Don’t leave this —,� He was interrupted by Harry himself.

“Who are you?! We would like to know,� Harry began to get agitated, taking his wand out quickly. He fired off a quick spell toward the newcomer. The spell hovered through his body and Harry had just noticed that he was hovering a few inches off the ground.

“Are you going to kill me, Harry?� The ghost laughed to himself ominously. “You can’t kill me, silly boy. I’m already dead.�

***

Meanwhile, in the Ravenclaw common room the same matter had been going on.

“But, why can’t we leave our common rooms? What’s going on out there?� one of the third years recalled back to the recent “lock-ins� per se and thought about the possibility of Voldemort being in the castle.

“How can we trust you? You’re just a ghost, anyone can see that. Your no different from anyone else. What’s your name? I’m going to tell Dumbledore about you, about how you got us all scared to pieces because of some silly prank!�

“This is no prank! My name is Rowena Ravenclaw. I am the founder of your house.�

The students stood in shock as they watched her ominous eyes pierce through their bodies with ease.

Her jet black hair quaintly covered the tops of her shoulders, giving her that extra touch of beauty. Her blue eyes were surrounded by thin lines of makeup creating a black barrier of charcoal. Her ghostly transparent skin was shimmering proudly in the dimly lit room.

“Do not leave the common room. Bellatrix’s Army is here.�


“What’s Bellatrix’s Army?� a second year asked.

She laughed to herself quietly in a strangled voice. “Why, it’s the worst army there is. The evil surely shows.�

***

Meanwhile in the Gryffindor common room, Harry watched the baleful figure float in the humid air.

“Death is a silly thing,� began the house ghost, “and you never can avoid it.� Godric Gryffindor floated toward Harry. “Except one. The-Boy-Who-Lived if I won’t be mistaken. Also known as Harry Potter.� Godric gave a small chuckle and gave a short glance around the room, “Avada Kedavra...two simple words, one incredible ending. Killing the innocent that, sometimes, helped protect us during our day-to-day activities.�

As Godric finished his sentence, two ghostly images appeared behind him. It was Lily and James Potter.

“Mum? Dad?� Harry walked over to them, seeing his parents face to face.

“That’s not them, only three-dimensional pictures,� Godric finished by waving his hand in a gloomy clockwise motion. Harry’s parents disappeared. “But now back to the real danger. What are we going to do with Bellatrix’s Army?�

“Stop them o’ course!� Seamus yelled triumphantly.

“I thought we couldn’t go outside the common room...� Neville finished lamely by seating himself near the fire.

“Well, that’s what Dumbledore said, but I have other plans.� Godric gave everyone a quick wink and vanished from the room. An envelope shattered into existence sending silvery sparks gyrating toward the ground. On the front in red translucent writing was one word — ‘Army’.�

***

Meanwhile, in the Hufflepuff common room, Helga Hufflepuff was floating direly above the children. Her curly blonde hair was like a waterfall, cascading down her back in a lush menagerie of yellow. Her placid eyes looked around at the cowering children with love and compassion bursting forth. She just finished finishing her little talk with the same words Godric had finished his speech with, but this time when the envelope fluttered down onto the ground, on the front read the words ‘Bellatrix’s’. One of the students walked over hesitantly to the envelope and took the crippled paper out from inside. He began to read aloud:

The army that will take you down,
cannot be stopped until one found.
They are chosen from the four,
fighting until one will walk through the door.
The door to death will be near,
even making the brave cower in fear.
But in the end one will stand out from the rest,
bringing out that one person who is indeed the best.

The Hufflepuff student lowered the letter and looked confused. “But, what does the word ‘Bellatrix’s’ on the front have to do with this?�

“Maybe it’s some type of riddle. Is there anything we could decipher?� a third year asked.

“Well, we know one thing,� the reader of the letter stated, “the one found is none other than Harry Potter himself.�

***

In the Slytherin common room, Salazar had just vanished from sight, but strangely no letter had appeared this time, but something did appear. A green snake slithered out of the floor leaving no trace of entry. A loud hiss echoed throughout the room. The snake coiled itself up and sat there, it’s head dangling in the center. One of the first year students jabbed the snake with his wand, watching as it still sat there, motionless.

***

In the Ravenclaw Common Room, Rowena was giving everyone a shaky nod before vanishing from her spot. The third and final letter flittered down to the ground with the word ‘Defeat’ etched into it with fancy writing. A fourth year opened up the letter and read the one word that was imprinted on the afflicted paper aloud, “Surprise...?�

Two more copies of the letter swam out from the ceiling and were sent crashing through the wall and the floor, making small “mail slots� through the cement.

***

The snake in the Slytherin common room removed its head from the hole in the center and stretched it out, craning his neck out while opening his mouth. Two more snakes slumped out, looking just as venomous as the original. They moved up the walls and into the ceiling. The two holes that had formed from the snakes entry melted shut giving no sign that they had ever been there.

***

Everything seemed to have multiplied by two. Two more snakes, two more envelopes from the Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, and Hufflepuff common rooms, but two more returning to each one. Each common room now held a snake, and three envelopes. In each house, the snake whipped its tail around, moving the three envelopes into the correct order. The snake shot out a sticky residue from its mouth, sealing the cards together in a permanent bond. The three words in the end read “Defeat Bellatrix’s Army�. All the three cards had become one giant envelope. In the Gryffindor common room, Harry flipped over the giant envelope and took out the letter which, when unfolded, had been equally as large.

“Matnadorian...� Harry read quietly to himself.

On the paper had been a detailed picture of a Matnadorian, fangs bared and claws pointing hazardously outwards. The hideous figure turned his head, and only to Harry’s surprise, had a thin black strip covering its eyes.

“Looks like you can’t even look at a picture of them,� Harry finished lamely while folding the paper up and placing it back inside the envelope.

“Can’t look at who?� Ron asked, stepping up to Harry’s side.

“The Matnadorians, I suppose.� Harry pointed at the envelope and described every detail of how they looked to Ron. “Just don’t look at them. Their stare is deadly, killing the most powerful of wizards, able to kill me. At least, that’s what I think.�

***

Far away in Grimmauld Place, Remus and Mrs. Weasley stood there reminiscing in conversation

“I just don’t get how I could have seen her and now, we find out that she has been dead for three years!�

Grimmauld Place’s framework shook as a lightning bolt struck overhead. Remus and Molly looked over toward the window as they heard a slight pecking sound. It was Hedwig holding a letter inside her beak. They let her in and watched as the majestic bird glided toward the oak surface of the table.

She chirped a few times before letting the letter free from her mighty jaws. The birds beak left an imprint on the envelope. Remus looked on the front and saw his name in thick black ink, scribbled in Harry’s handwriting. He tore open the envelope and read it aloud:

Dear Remus,

I saw your sister today! I couldn’t believe it! I thought that you had lost her or something like that... I was just wondering if you had personally already found her, because if not then I have made a great discovery! — Remus smiled at this— Please reply back with any information that you may have. Hope to hear from you soon! By the way, I got your letter. You know, the one with the first sentence starting with “I have a feeling I shall go mad�. Whatever you are going to do, please, please don’t do it.

Sincerely,

Harry

“That’s odd,� Remus muttered to himself quietly, skimming through the note again.

Remus ran to the nearest counter and took out a piece of parchment from his left coat pocket. He took out a quill and began to hastily write a reply back to Harry.

Dear Harry,

That’s great that you have found my sister! Never thought that I would have found her...which is exactly my point. Today, I found my sister. She only lives a few houses down from Grimmauld Place. Yet, when I went to bring Molly along with me the owner of the home said she had been dead for three years, and I just saw her in that same house a few minutes earlier! It’s all somewhat confusing to me at the moment. Well, speaking of my sister, where did you see her? Did she say anything about me? Did she seem fine? Well, I don’t even see why I am asking these questions because she is, supposedly, dead. Harry, I think this will be something we have to talk about together... Maybe later. By the way, that note... I never sent you a note with a sentence beginning like that. Whoever did send you that, however, doesn’t sound like they mean anything good by it. Anyways, hope to hear from you soon!

Sincerely,

Remus

Remus slapped the letter onto the table once he was done writing it and pulled out a brand new envelope, slipping the message inside. He wrote “Harry Potter� on the front and put the letter in Hedwig’s mouth. He watched the bird as she soared into the stormy sky. Lightning bolts seemed to be blazing all around her, but an invisible shield had protected her from harm.

“There, that should clear things up,� Remus whispered into the air. A wave of cold rushed into the room, surrounding them in ice. The ice froze over all the doors and windows, closing them in.

Remus fell onto the ground, Molly watching in fear as his body was shook madly.

Memories ejected from his head and melted into the ice, creating small casings for each memory. The ice shattered suddenly, encasing the memories in their own individual grave. Remus’ memories were gone. His main basics were still there — Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Herbology, etc.. They all were still there. But Remus... Remus had no more memories. No memory of James, Sirius, Harry, Molly... No memory of anyone.

“Remus!� Molly shouted while rushing over to his side, “Remus! Remus are you okay?� Molly wiped up a small blood spot on the back of his head from the previous fall.

“Who are you? Where am I?� Remus stuttered.

Suddenly, Remus’ eyes closed and his body arched up. In a loud, raspy voice, Remus began chanting:

“Death of the boy,
Life of the evil.
Amazing power,
Relieved from his soul.
Blood will be spilt,
From his lifeless body.
Voldemort is coming,
Voldemort is coming...�

“Everyone remember what to do?� Harry yelled out to everyone, disrespecting Godric’s orders. Harry took a step forward, mainly to his friends and confronted them one last time before going out into their school...their home. Bellatrix and her army were wreaking havoc throughout the entire school and no one had cared the least about confronting the students besides the founders of their temporary homes.

“Are you ready?� Harry asked, putting his arms around his friends as if in a huddle. Harry gave them each a pat on the shoulder and stepped back. “Guys, if anything happens out there, anything at all, I just wanted to let you know that, well, I love you guys. You’re my best friends! The best friends anyone can have! I’m just so sorry I had to put you through all this. This is all my fault! If I hadn’t been here would Bellatrix and her army have ever come here?�

“Harry, if you had never come to Hogwarts, we would never have met you. Even with all the battles that we have, we fight together. The only way we could have won was with our friendship. Our love. A triumphant victory is our gift to us. Harry, we have to risk it sometimes. And with risk comes reward. Well, most of the time anyway.� Hermione finished while gripping Harry tightly in her shivering arms.

“Thanks, Hermione,� Harry smiled at her and watched as she backed away with a smile placed on her own face as well.

Everyone exited the Gryffindor common room and walked out into the halls, making themselves vulnerable to Bellatrix’s Army. A third year took a step down the hallway and was sadly confronted by a Matnadorian. The Matnadorian gave a loud shriek and watched as the third year fell to the floor, dead.

Hermione gasped and took a step back farther into the crowd. Her fear grew as she was shrouded in the group of Gryffindors. Her cold and limp body fell to the floor. She was on her knees, her teeth clattering and her hands shaking. “No,� she whispered to herself, feeling as if she was isolated, her breathing coming to a minimum, “not again. Fredrick, don’t do this.� No one was aware at what was going to happen next as Hermione’s eyes flicked open to reveal the blood red iris that had happened only days before. The menacing smile was strewn across her face with her hands in fists which were shaking furiously with power. She stood up, her fear drained out of her.

Harry, Ron, and the rest of Gryffindor house ambushed forward, sprinting down the corridors, wands at the ready. Hermione casually walked behind them. Part of Hermione had still been in her, residing with Fredrick’s soul.

A Matnadorian walked down the hallway, spotting Hermione’s clothing. He gave a loud hiss and began sprinting toward her body. Hermione slipped her wand up her sleeve, preparing for a surprise attack. She placed the cuff of her sleeve over her mouth, muttering a mystical spell into her wand. She swung her arm to the side, her wand flying straight toward the Matnadorian. The wand flew threw its body, making a small bullet shaped whole in the Matnadorian’s heart — that is if he even had one.


The Matnadorian gave a loud shriek that death itself would have run from. The shriek reverberated around the castle’s inner skeleton. Hermione’s wand made a quick u-turn, flying itself back up her sleeve. “Foolish creature,� she hissed angrily. She walked over to it, avoiding the temptation to look at it. “You and all your little misfits can all just go back to your master unless you all want to turn out to be dead...just like you.�

She gave it a swift kick in the stomach before walking off to join the others.

Harry was running down the halls, looking for his friend, Hermione. He rounded a corner and spotted her cloak billowing in the relentless air.

“Hermione! There you are! You had me and Ron worried sick! We thought you’d be dead by now, all the Matndadorians roaming the castle and whatnot.� She didn’t respond. “Hermione?� He took a step closer to her, placing his hand on her shoulder. “You okay?� Her head jerked backward as she felt Harry’s clammy hand touch her shoulder.

“Don’t touch me!� she yelled. “Don’t get near me! Leave me alone!� Hermione thrust her arm forward, throwing Harry against the wall. “Serves you right. I’ll just let you rot away. I’ll let everyone see what powers I, Fredrick Berfulema, have as they walk by your rotting corpse. Harry Potter...dead. That’ll make the headlines, won’t it?�

Harry sat up, rubbing his head vigorously. “You’re not Hermione, you, you imposter. Where’s Hermione?! What have you done with her?!�

“She’s right here, standing in front of you. Her personality has changed a bit, hasn’t it? For the better most likely.�

A shriek was heard running toward them. The Matnadorian rammed into Hermione, sending her flying into the cement wall. The Matnadorian hovered over her, its beady eyes staring right into hers. Her body shook for a moment before everything became limp and motionless. Death’s second victim. Hermione’s body floated up in the air, Fredrick’s ghost lying on the ground, dead. The Matnadorian erupted in a cloud of ash which rained on Fredrick’s ghostly corpse. Hermione was stood upright and put against a wall. Her eyes opened in a flash and her breathing quickened.

“HERMIONE!� Harry ran over to her. “I thought we’d lost you!� Harry grabbed her in his arms and held her tightly. “Don’t ever scare me like that again! Got it?�

“Scare you like what? What happened to me?� Hermione asked feeling a bit woozy.

“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you about it later. I think it involved someone by the name Fredrick Berfulema.� Hermione’s eyes widened.

“I — I know him. He took Ron! A long time ago,� Hermione announced.

“Well, that happened in my dream, but you said none of those things happened...Did they?� Harry asked, confusion filling inside of him.

“Well, Harry. The truth is, all those things...they did happen. Sorry I didn’t tell you, I thought you might be stressed over all of these things happening! Mr. Weasley dying, Sirius, your parents...�

“Wait, Mr. Weasley dying? I thought he was at St. Mungo’s?� Harry asked; his untruthful friend began to tell Harry everything she knew about what had happened in the past weeks.

“Harry, that was just a back up story...for the same reason. All the stress,� Hermione finished lamely while guiding her and Harry through a dingy corridor.

Ron ran down the nearby staircase, happy to see Harry and Hermione. “I’m glad I found you! Everyone’s going crazy! All the other houses joined in on the fight, but no one can seem to find Bellatrix. Do you guys have any ideas?�

Harry looked up at the door they were approaching. “I have a hunch.� He pointed up at the name plate which read “Potions�.

“Well, before we go in, Ron, is there anything you would like to say? We may not come back, alive...� Harry asked moving his eyes from him to Hermione and back to Ron with a slight smile on his face.

“Well, no. Not really.� Harry gave Ron a “tell her!� look and gave him that extra push.

Ron turned toward Hermione and hesitated for a moment he looked around nervously before hugging her. Ron, with his fear of girls still spilling out of him, whispered a few words in Hermione’s ears.

“I — I — I love you, Hermione. Don’t forget me,� said Ron backing up for a second and then kissing Hermione on the cheek.

She blushed and said to Ron in a small voice, “Ron, I’ll never forget you. Never. Will you remember me?�

“Of course I will, Hermione. I love you. Do you love me?� Ron looked at her for a reply.

A sudden bang erupted throughout the hallway’s wall sending the kids into a sudden shock.

A thick green vine erupted toward Ron, entwining itself around his feet. It gripped tightly and pulled back. With a sudden jolt, Ron was thrown backwards, slamming into the wall. His body was bruised and bloodied.

“RON!!!� Hermione screamed in terror, endless tears beginning to fall. She ran over to him with her wand sticking out of her tightly balled fist and checked for a pulse. “No.. NO!� Hermione cried out. “Harry! He’s — he’s gone!�

Harry ran over to his friend in anguish. “No, he can’t be! He just hit his head! Nothing Madam Pomfrey can’t fix!�

“Harry, I know this stuff. He’s — he’s gone, nothing a simple potion can fix...� Hermione teared up and held Ron’s shoulder. She bent over and hugged him and while hugging whispered her answer, “Yes, Ron. I love you too.� She kissed him compassionately before backing away.

“Hermione, there has to be some way that — that I can fix this.� Hermione couldn’t stand to look at him. It was too hard for her.

“There is one thing I can do.� Harry said, taking his wand out of his side pocket.

He pointed it at his heart and whispered an incantation. He then placed his wand on Ron’s heart, imitating what he had done with himself. Both of their bodies lit up, a blinding flash flooded the room. Harry fell onto the floor with a loud thud while Ron stood up, seemingly unscathed.

“RON!� Hermione rushed over to him and grasped him in a hug. Her arms wove around his body, fitting perfectly into his back.

“I love you, too,� Hermione replied once more.

***


Harry’s eyes burst open revealing that he had been lying in a lush green field. He stood up and fell through the earth into a new layer of humanity.

“Harry, it’s us. Your parents.� Harry looked around, trying to find the source of the voices. “Up here, son.� Harry looked at the clouds, his parents’ faces glistening in the sunlight.

“Mom, Dad? Where am I? I thought I died. I thought I gave my life to Ron,� Harry finished while sitting himself down in the dirt.

“You are in the cemetery where your father and I were buried.� Harry watched as gravestones began lining up around him, his mother’s and father’s on either side of him. “You gave your life for your friend, and so we will give you yours back.� Lily lifted up her hand and thrust her hand out toward Harry, touching him on the shoulder.

***
“Ron, Harry, he gave his life for you and now — now he’s — dead,� Hermione sniffed and wiped her eyes on Ron’s cloak.

Ron walked over to Harry and looked into his friend’s eyes. “Thanks bud, you’ve always been there for me and well, you’re well—,� Ron’s eyes began to water up, “you’ve always been there for me and you gave your life for me. I just really wish that I could have talked to you one more time, thanked you for all the tough times that we’ve gone through. Harry, I’m sorry.�

Harry’s eyes flung open and light sprang out from them. “Harry?� Ron asked, pondering his friend’s sudden burst of energy.

“R-Ron?� Harry stuttered.

“Harry!! Harry, you’re alright!� Ron pulled him into a hug. “Thanks. Thanks for always being there for me.� He pulled away and walked over to Hermione, Harry joining them.

“Well, I guess this means it’s time to go in.� Hermione said pointing at the door.

“Yeah, I guess so.� They all stepped through the door at once, noticing Bellatrix’s evil glare coming from the dark corner of the room.

“So glad you could finally make it.� With a flick of her wand the door closed and locked behind them. “We wouldn’t want anyone knowing I’m here now would we?�

“Why didn’t you attack us before? You’ve known we’ve been here all this time.� Harry questioned.

“Like I said...wouldn’t want anyone to know I was here...�

Harry threw away that thought and suddenly became enraged. “Expelliarmus!� Harry shouted, getting straight to the point. Bellatrix countered the spell and sent a spell of her own Harry’s way.

Hermione cast an incredibly painful curse her way. The curse wrapped itself around her body, strangling her tightly. She screamed in agony and pain.

“We don’t need to kill her...we just need to get her out of our way,� Harry said enthusiastically.

Before Harry could send another spell her way, she Apparated...vanished. On Snape’s table was a box. Harry walked over to it, curiously opening it with his wet hands. “Ron! Hermione! Look! It’s the Gold Stone!� Harry took the stone out of its casing and held it in his palm.

Hermione suddenly screamed out in pain as the Gold Stone flew from Harry’s palm into her own. The gold substance slowly drained into her bloodstream sending gold waves of color through her body. The gold slowly faded away and Hermione began to return back to her previous state.

“Harry, what just happened?� Hermione asked, rubbing her palm intently.

“I don’t know. I really don’t know.�

Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked out of the Potions room with confusion stained on their faces. Hermione was rubbing her palm and watched in awe as tiny droplets of gold emerged from her fingertips and made small puddles of liquid gold on the cobblestone floor.

Bellatrix emerged in front of the confused seventh years and gave a deathly laugh at the children. “You don’t think that I would let you escape that easily without putting up a fight, would you?� She noticed the puddles that had been crawling their way toward her and she raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Oh? A little liquid gold...draining from the fingertips of a—� she looked at the three children’s hands and finished, “—a mudblood.�

Hermione shoved her hand in her pocket and her face turned from that of a brave Gryffindor to that of a desolate one. She waved her wand at her hand and the draining ceased immediately. Her sadness quickly turned back into bravery as she sent a curse flying into Bellatrix’s direction. The curse skimmed her outer clothing sending a tuft of cloth into the air.

“Is that the best you have?� Bellatrix mocked tossing her wand in the air in a kid-like manner. “You’ll have to do far more than that to even scathe the surface of this witch.� Bellatrix threw her wand at the ceiling and watched as it pierced the surface. “Vinécorthia,� Bellatrix mumbled to herself while casting her scaly hand toward the ceiling. Her wand fell gently back down to her hand and a vine slowly coiled its way down from the ceiling and sunk into the ground below. The cobblestone floor rippled violently below their feet and the vine erupted from the floor and wrapped around Harry’s ankle, throwing him violently to the ground.

Hermione dismissed her friendly reaction of “are you alright� and quickly sent a spell at the vine’s direction. The spell sawed through the vine with ease and Hermione grinned to herself in accomplishment. Harry was freed and slowly steadied himself. An idea popped into Hermione’s head, causing her to react quickly. “Ron, throw me your wand!�

“Why?� Ron asked while in his spell-firing stance.

“Just trust me!� Hermione held out her hand, waiting for the throw to be made.

“Fine.� Ron sighed to himself and threw his wand into Hermione’s awaiting hand.

“Oh no you don’t!� Bellatrix shouted at Hermione who now had Ron’s wand in her grasp. She sent a curse at Hermione who just barely dodged it. A small section of the wall erupted in dust and debris as the curse came in contact with the age-old stone. Hermione was tucked away in a small nick in the corner, safely protected from Bellatrix’s dark magic.

Hermione placed the two wand tips together and muttered a short little chant. The two wands meshed together to form one. She stuck the end of her wand into a small crevice on the wall’s outer coat and rotated Ron’s wand in a clockwise motion. The sense of turning a hand crank intensified after Hermione had made seven full rotations. The two wands split apart and Hermione watched as her wand slithered into the wall’s surface and escaped from view. A small fleck of light was seen swarming through the cracks in this ancient stone. A sudden eruption burst forth through the walls, throwing Bellatrix soaring through the air. A small shriek was heard as Bellatrix slammed into the wall.

Ron ran over to Hermione’s side and grabbed his wand, aiming it in the direction of Bellatrix’s limp body. Harry found his way over to the two and unsteadily pointed his wand in her direction.

“You — you little . . . devils!� Bellatrix shouted, her voice just barely escaping the cracks in the rubble. “Debrisiné!� A bright brown light erupted through the seams of the stone and ceased immediately after. Everything was still for a few seconds until suddenly a loud BANG reverberated throughout the room. The trio was thrown backwards and Bellatrix was free. “Like I said . . . you didn’t think I’d let you escape that easily now did you?�

Hermione, Ron, and Harry stood their guard and stared at Bellatrix before firing off spell after spell after spell and occasionally threw a curse in there just to add a little excitement to the whole ordeal.

Bellatrix laughed to herself mockingly, “Too easy.� A spell out of nowhere smacked Bellatrix square in her back, knocking her unconscious.

“Dumbledore?� Harry questioned to the headmaster who quickly walked over to Bellatrix’s side.

***

“Remus . . . Remus it’s me. It’s me, Molly.� Molly cried out. “How could you not remember me. We’ve been friends for —� She calculated in her head quietly to herself, “— for God knows how long! Do you remember anything?�

“What are you talking about?� Remus asked in a gravelly voice.

“Do you remember what happens every full moon?� Molly asked with a worried tone.

“Every full moon? You make it sound like some sort of werewolf problem!� Remus croaked, smiling brightly.

“Oh dear,� Molly whispered to herself, “this could cause trouble.� She thought about what would happen the next full moon when Remus would turn into a werewolf without even knowing it would happen. “I’m Molly Weasley,� she said, trying to bring back any stray memories that may have been left in his head. “You are close friends with Harry Potter —�

“Pish posh!� Remus declared loudly. “That’s absurd! How could I know someone so famous!�

“You remember him? You remember Harry Potter?� Molly asked, her faith in memories becoming stronger by the second.

“Who wouldn’t know him! He’s a legend!� Remus’ drunken personality began to annoy Molly who had been on her knees next to him.

“Can you follow me?� Molly asked doubtfully, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“ ‘Course I can!� Remus stood up and walked to Molly’s side. “Where are we going?�

“To the couch to sit down,� Molly finished lamely. She led Remus to the couch and sat him down. “Remus, do you remember anything at all?�

“Well, I know I’m a wizard!� Remus pointed his wand at a crystal glass bowl that was filled to the brim with water, “Wingardium Leviosa!� He had his wand aimed at the bowl which was hovering a few feet in the air. He looked toward Molly and gave a small smile. The bowl suddenly crashed down loudly onto the floor, water draining through the wooden floorboards.

“Oh dear. This will take longer than I thought,� Molly said to herself.

***

“Dumbledore? How did you know we were down here?� Harry enquired, placing his wand back into his pocket.

“I have my ways.� Dumbledore chuckled and looked at the unconscious Bellatrix with his glistening eyes. “Follow me.� Dumbledore led them through winding passageways and dark halls which soon enough led them straight to Dumbledore’s office. “Honeysuckle yellow,� Dumbledore said. The staircase began to wind upwards with the kids standing on them patiently. The staircase stopped at Dumbledore’s office and they all entered. “I hear you have found another stone.� Dumbledore said serenely while sitting down at his desk.

“We’ve actually found a few more,� Harry added.

“Yes, yes, I’m aware of that, but you found one more stone today?� Dumbledore asked, twiddling his fingers.

“Yes, we did,� Hermione finished, looking at the palms of her hands. “The gold stone.�

“Ahhh. The gold stone. May I see it?� He asked, holding a hand outwards.

Ron nudged Hermione forward. “There it is.� He had a doubtful expression on his face while saying so.

Dumbledore looked at Hermione, his face still as calm as always. “I see. Miss Granger, your palm please.�

Hermione held out her palm and Dumbledore placed his palm on hers. He closed his eyes and began to squeeze Hermione’s hand intently. Hermione’s eyes widened, pain began to sear through her arm but as soon as it had started, it ended. Dumbledore released Hermione from his painful grip and watched as she rubbed her hand furiously. She looked at Dumbledore with a “What-was-that-for?!� look and continued to rub her hand.

Dumbledore began press his hand down on his desk, harder and harder. Suddenly he withdrew his hand and sitting on the desk was the gold stone. It was no longer liquid gold but it was now a stone.

“How’d you do that?!� Ron asked in amazement.

“The gold stone protects itself with its own defense mechanism. In this case, it conceals itself in the body of a seventh year.�

After a while of talking the trio left Dumbledore’s office and walked back to their common room.
“Um, guys,� Hermione said anxiously.

“Yeah?� Both of them said in unison.

Hermione held out her palm and Harry was the only one who reacted. “K.O.S!� Harry shouted. “It is true!�

“It’s the hand that, I suppose, that Dumbledore got the stone from. But Harry, what’s K.O.S.?� Hermione asked.

“K.O.S. is the Knife of Sudane. I dreamt about it when I was asleep for all that time! This is just another thing that is happening!� Harry stared at the letters that were seemingly burned into Hermione’s hand. “Wait. Hold on. Hermione! Check your pockets!�

Hermione felt around in her right pocket and nothing was there. “Check your other pocket!� Harry exclaimed. She checked her left pocket and pulled out a note.

“What’s this?� Hermione asked. “I don’t remember receiving a note from anyone.� Hermione unfolded the note and read it aloud

The Fat Lady

“That’s all it says.� Hermione folded the paper up and before she even could place it in her pocket Harry was on the run to the door. He left the common room and was face to face with the fat lady.

“Password?�

“What do you know about the key?� Harry quickly questioned.

“How do you know about the key?� The fat lady questioned. She shifted in her seat and looked at him with question in her eyes.

“I’m Harry Potter, I know lots of things! Now what do you know about the key?� Harry kept persistent with the same question until she told him everything.

“The key is an ancient artifact that only one person is known to have in their possession —�

“Mrs. Weasley?� Harry asked, trying to stay true to his dream.

“No. The person who is known to have it is actually — or shall I say was actually . . . Sirius Black. Your godfather. Now that he is dead, it is said he passed it on to you. So you should actually be the one who knows where it is.� Harry felt around in his pockets but found nothing. “Your saying you don’t know where it is? Have you checked everywhere?�

“My trunk!� Harry exclaimed. “Solifare!� The door swung open to reveal Ron and Hermione standing there with expressionless faces. Harry ran up the cobblestone steps and dropped onto his knees in front of his trunk. He opened it up and began to dig through it, but nothing was there. He had emptied his whole trunk and to no avail, had found nothing. He placed the first thing back in the trunk when he noticed that the floor of it was slanted, somewhat in a teeter-totter fashion. He took out the article of clothing and felt around the bottom of it. He found a loose corner and lifted up the wooden floor of his trunk, revealing a large key that had been collecting dust for the past two years. He picked up the key and looked at the small engravings that were on it. K.O.S They were the same symbols that were seen on Hermione’s hand. He put the key in his pocket and filled his trunk back up with all the items that had previously been residing there. Ron entered the room without making a sound.

“Harry? What are you doing?�

“I found the key, it’s been in my trunk this whole time! Now we just have to go down to the dungeons. That’s where the drawer is.� Harry closed his trunk and started to walk down the steps with Ron at his side.

“The dungeons?! What if Snape’s down there?� Ron argued.

“The knife is far more important than losing house points or getting a detention.�

“What do you even need the knife for?� Ron asked while entering the common room.

“That’s what closes the gateway between our world and the other world. This may all be confusing to you right now but please don’t ask questions.� Harry finished while walking over to Hermione.

“Harry, what’s gotten into you?� Hermione asked curiously.

“I found the key. I found the key to get the knife of sudane!� Harry took the key out of his pocket and showed it to her.


“Harry, how did you find this? There’s only one in existence!� Hermione exclaimed while examining the key.

“Sirius passed it down to me I suppose. But that’s not important, we need to get down to the dungeons . . . now.�

“Harry, are you mad?!� Hermione exclaimed.

“No, it’s just something I have to do.� Harry smiled and snatched the key back from Hermione’s hand and placed it in his pocket. “If we want the knife, we need to leave to the dungeons. Now let’s go!�

“Bloody, Harry. I know you saved my life back there, but this is insane!� Ron shouted, throwing his arms in the air dramatically He sat down on one of the chairs and looked toward Harry.

“Ron’s right, Harry. We have to go down eight floors while avoiding teachers and Prefects! Harry, it’s almost impossible, even with the invisibility cloak. We can’t make it down eight floors with the cloak covering us completely the whole time! One of us could step on it, revealing all of us! It’s just too risky.� Hermione crossed her arms and finished. “I’m not doing this. We’ve done crazier things in the past, but Harry, it’s our last year here. I don’t want to be known as ‘the girl who sneaks out at night’.�

“Hermione, please. Just trust me. Would you either sneak out of our Common Room and have fun, or come with us—�

Harry was cut off by Ron’s rude remark, “Whenever did I say I was going?�

“What are you talking about Ron?�

“I never said I was going to go!� Ron stood back up, his face seemed to tell Harry the answer of if he was going or not.

“So this is what it’s come to? You both abandon me. Is that what you want? Fine then!� Harry grabbed his invisibility cloak and strode off toward the door. “Go have fun snogging in a bloody closet.� He viciously opened the door and closed it while concealing himself with the cloak.

“That was awkward,� Ron said in low undertones.

“Yeah, kind of was.�

“Hermione, he just saved my life, I really think I should go.�

“No, Ronald.� Hermione leaned in and gave him a peck on the lips. “You still shouldn’t.�

Ron’s eyes widened. “I didn’t actually believe Harry about the snogging bit, but—�

“No, no snogging. Just a little kiss. From girlfriend to boyfriend.�

“Boyfriend?! No! No way! I’m not ready to be someone’s boyfriend! Even if you are Hermione!�

“Why are you talking about me in the third person?� she asked, stepping back. Her face coiled into a frown.

“Well, I usually refer to the love of my life like that?� Ron finished, questioning if the thoughtfulness of his words would really overcome somewhat of an insult.

“Aww, aren’t you sweet. Maybe the love of your life should finish her essay on Murtlap now.�

“Hermione, you’re overreacting! It was just a simple word? Don’t get mad at me over that!� Ron exclaimed taking a few steps closer to her.

“What are you talking about? I’m not mad at you . . . and I really do need to finish this essay, it’s due tomorrow.� She began to focus on her parchment and began writing.

“Oh, well that settles that then.�

***

Meanwhile, Harry had just stepped onto the sixth floor. He hadn’t noticed anything living on this floor which meant it was possible to just be able to casually walk to the next level which is exactly what he did.

After easily walking down two levels Harry had appeared on the fourth floor. This was where the library resided which meant that the librarian had been here as well.

He carefully took one step at a time, trying to be as quiet as possible. But this had been proven hard considering there were some paintings that hadn’t completely fallen asleep yet which meant trouble for Harry.

“Harry Potter, go back to bed!�

“Turn off that bloody light, boy!�

“A little late for a stroll through the school, isn’t it?�

Those were only a few of the things he heard calling out at him.

“I have to get off this floor before Madam Pince hears,� Harry muttered under his breath.

His pace quickened and he neared the next staircase.

“Is someone out there?� Madam Pince called out into the darkness of the night.

Harry stopped dead in his tracks, covering his mouth with one hand and making sure he was completely shrouded under the cloak with another. He backed up into a corner and slowly slid down.


“Lumos!� Madam Pince waved her wand around vigorously. After numerous times of looking and numerous times of failing, she waved her wand once and whispered, “Nox!� Her light seemed to disintegrate as if it was being covered by a piece of cloth. He heard a few footsteps and the sound of a door closing.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief after she walked back into the library.

He continued on his journey to the dungeons and narrowly escaped several prefects and teachers. But his cautiousness had proven well and he had made it down to the dungeons. He felt his pocket to make sure the key was still there and walked up to door that he had been at recently before. He opened up the Potions classroom and gently walked inside. He looked around the room, stumbling upon numerous amounts of drawers, all needing to be opened by a key.

The invisibility cloak flowed gently to the ground and he began what he came here to do. He tried the first drawer, and a small click was heard. The drawer flew forward toward Harry, revealing all that was inside.

A bottle of firewhiskey, several books, and a quill. That was no help.

He shut the drawer quietly and moved on to the next one. The same as before, a few useless items, except one thing did catch his attention. There was a letter in there and thick calligraphic handwriting on the front which read “Severus Snape�. It was a woman’s handwriting. He lifted up the flap and noticed that it had already been read many times before. He opened up the letter and read it to himself.

Dear Severus,
We can’t see each other anymore,
things are getting too confusing between
us and I just can’t take the pressure. I’m
terribly sorry about this but I don’t think
we should be seeing each other anymore.
I still love you and I still want to see you,
but the Dark Lord knows about us,
he’s going to kill you Severus.
Please understand that I’m doing this
for the best.
Love,
Laila

He noticed small blotches in the note which could have been caused by tears. How could someone love such a vile man so much? thought Harry.

“Snape had a girlfriend? I didn’t know he had it in him!� He pocketed the letter and moved on to the next drawer.

Faint whispering was heard in the back of his head but he ignored it and continued. The whispering grew stronger and Harry quickly looked around the room. The whispering stopped and everything was still.

But suddenly, the world began to spin, and Harry became dizzy. Stars seemed to explode right before his eyes and the world went black. His limp body fell on the floor.

“Never look in my drawers again,� Snape’s low voice echoed throughout the chamber and he walked over to Harry’s side, taking the letter from his pocket. “And I’ll be wanting that key if you don’t mind.� He grasped the key in his bony hands and placed it in his desk drawer. “Wouldn’t want you getting the Knife so soon would we?�

***

“Hermione, Harry’s been gone for an awfully long time. Do you think he’s alright?� Ron questioned while pacing across the room.

“Ron, he’s Harry Potter. I think he can handle a teacher or two.� Hermione went back to writing her essay.

“Hermione, you’ve changed. What’s gotten into you? It’s like you don’t even care about Harry anymore!�

“What are you talking about? Harry’s my best friend! But I love you more.� She walked slowly over to Ron with a smile strewn across her face.

“Hermione, stop! You’re taking this way too far! I’m going to help Harry. Have fun writing you bloody essay!�

***

Grimmauld Place had been a mess ever since Remus had lost his memories and things were getting worse by the second.

“No! Remus! Put the cat down!� Mrs. Weasley called while running awkwardly over to where Remus was.

“A cat? I thought this was you! Sorry!� Remus dropped the cat onto the ground. It hunched its back and hissed loudly at him.

“Bloody! You have a scratchy voice!�

“Remus, that’s not me! Goodness! I’m right here!� She grabbed his shoulders and looked directly into his eyes.

He slouched away from her grip and walked around the home.

“What is this curtain doing here? It’s covering up such a lovely painting!�

“REMUS, NO!�

He pulled the curtain off and it revealed the horrid picture of Mrs. Black.

Horrible screeching echoed throughout the home awaking all of the other portraits causing them to scream as well.

“That’s better!� Remus smiled and walked away from the screaming Mrs. Black.

“Better?! You’re barking mad, Remus! We can never get her to shut up!�

“Yeah, she really should shut up. It’s quite annoying, who would ever even uncover her?�

“You did!�

“Really? Well, it’s a marvelous painting!�

“Argh! Remus, help me quiet her down!�

“But, she somewhat scares me. It’s that awful screaming noise!�

“Remus! Help me!�

“Fine, but I don’t know why you even uncovered her in the first place.�

“Remus, just go sit on the couch . . . please.�

***

“So, Potter. Rummaging through my stash are we?� Snape hissed, his greasy black locks shrouding his face.

“Give me back the key. It’s mine!� Harry shouted, standing up nervously.

“Oh is it now? And who gave it to you? The key fairy?�

“Shut it, Snape, you and everyone else knows who bloody gave it to me! My godfather gave it to me. That’s who! Now give it back!�

“Oh, your godfather? He’s dead now, right?�

Harry suddenly released a vicious spell which skimmed Snape’s pocket, causing the key to fall onto the floor.

“Accio Key!� The key flew into his hand and he threw it up in the air, letting gravity do the rest.

“A simple spell? That’s all you have?� Severus threw his head up in laughter.

“Well, I’m conserving energy for when I have to face the Dark Lord. . . . It looks like I’m not the only one who will have to do that now. I read your letter. The letter from your so called girlfriend, Laila.�

“Oh please, Potter. That letter was from nine years ago! Laila’s a thing of the past now.�

“Sure she is, so you wouldn’t mind if I took the letter along with me?� Harry sneered waving his wand around in a kid-like fashion.

“Why not, take it. Show it to your friends. Burn it. Like I care.�

Harry seemed confused. He made a quick turn and strode out the door.

“My invisibility cloak!� Harry shouted.

The door slammed shut and locked behind him. He threw all his weight against it but it didn’t budge.

“Oh, you want back in now? We’ll arrange that tomorrow in detention.� He walked further back into the shadows of the room and sat lazily on the chair at his desk, awaiting for morning to arrive.

Snape took the letter out of his pocket and read it to himself.

“I love you too, Laila. I love you too...�

***

“Now, Remus. This—� she picked up an old wand, “—is a wand.� She handed the wand to him and observed his actions.

“I know what a bloody wand is! It shoots fire from the tip and makes things explode!� Remus smiled proudly as if he knew everything.

“Not exactly. A wand shoots spells from the tip, not fire. And it doesn’t make things explode, it makes things do whatever the spell does. Such as before you used the Wingardium Leviosa spell on that—that bowl... which is now broken.�

“That was a spell? Blimey! I thought it was some sort of chaotic life enhancer type of thing!�

“We have many things to talk about...�

The main door erupted open suddenly and there were three cloaked figures hovering there. It was almost as if Death hovered before their eyes.

“No. No, not them.�

“Who is it? Are they friendly?� Remus asked dumbly.

“Far from friendly. They’re Death Eaters. We have to leave, now.� Mrs. Weasley finished her statement in a worried tone. She grabbed Remus’ wrist and stood up rapidly.

The back door erupted open, glass shards flying everywhere. One Death Eater hovered in and said barbarously, “We wouldn’t want you leaving now, would we?�

“Remus, come on!� Mrs. Weasley grabbed his hand and Apparated up to Sirius’ room. They hurried through the cluttered floor, slid into the closet, and quietly latched the door shut.

Four loud cracks were heard through the thin paneling.

Their breath intake quickened.

“We know you’re here,� a Death Eater hissed, his smoldering breath penetrated the air.

“I’m he—�

Molly quickly covered Remus’ mouth and motioned for him to stay quiet.

The closet door slid open viciously; a Death Eater’s piercing gaze tore through them.

“I would have expected more from you. I guess they have less of an imagination when they get older...�

He noticed that Mrs. Weasley and Remus were closer than normal, but although she really was protecting him, the Death Eater thought different.

“Ah, is he your new toy? Already making new—friends—so soon after Arthur’s death? It’s a shame how love struck you witches are these days, � the Death Eater mocked . He grappled his hand around Mrs. Weasley’s wrist, and dragged her out of the closet.

“You will watch this,� he growled, staring into Remus’ ominous eyes. He threw Molly onto the ground with a loud thud. She was surrounded by the other Death Eaters and she looked over at Remus, a saddened expression grew on her face as Remus sat there, bewildered and confused.

“M-Molly?� Remus asked, craning his neck forward, vaguely remembering her name. He brought his hand forward but was stopped by an invisible barrier that glowed red when touched.

“M-Molly, w-what’s happening?� He began to get teary-eyed.

“Remus, p-please, do-don’t wa—� Breathing became a problem for her as she had been hurled to the floor only moments before. However, her sentence had finished all too soon. She was still alive, but the Death Eater had cut her off by a vicious curse.

“Crucio!� Molly began violently struggling for her life on the floor.

She screamed. Although she was a great witch, she was helpless. Her life was in the Death Eater’s hands which were closing up, ending her life ever so slowly.

“Molly!� Remus finally understood what was happening. He finally understood the circumstances. “STOP THIS! STOP THIS RIGHT NOW YOU BEASTS!�

The Death Eater turned its scaly head toward Remus. “Beasts?! Who’s the one who turns into a werewolf every full moon?!�

“W-Werewolf. I turn into a murderous creature? But I would never kill anyone!� A silent tear flowed down his face. “I would never kill anyone....� His voice faded away.

“Aww. So terribly sad, isn’t it? Well, suck it up! I mean come on! One spell to her and you’ve had enough already? Well, aren’t you tough?� Mrs. Weasley was motionless on the floor. The spell ceased.

“Dicarious!� A red line cut up Mrs. Weasley’s leg, sending her into sudden shock and pain.

“NO!� Remus shouted, banging his fists against the invisible barrier. “STO-P DOING TH-IS!� He tried to say it clearly, but with all the information and abusive torture he had just soaked in, it came out as more of a dry cry.

The line continued cutting up Mrs. Weasley’s leg until it stopped at her torso. It felt like several knives were stabbing her repeatedly. It was the worst feeling you could imagine.

“Dicarious!�� A second line, slightly larger than the previous, began to inch its way up the opposite leg.

“R-REMUS! HELP ME!� Mrs. Weasley screamed out. She tried to not think about the pain that she was enduring, but her life had to end someday and that day could be today.

“ST-OP T-HIS!� Remus pulled out his wand and began saying random spells, some of them real, some of them not even heard of, and some of them unclear from his tears.

“There’s no way you can get out of there, not without us removing it.� The Death Eater pulled Molly up from the ground, dangling her from her feet. He threw his fist across her face. Several more blows to the face shortly followed.

Remus turned away. He couldn’t watch this abuse any more and the worse part for him was that he couldn’t do anything about it.

***

Every footstep he took echoed in the hallways; although, not very loud, it sounded different to Harry. It sounded like several pieces of glass were crunching beneath his feet, making him even more cautious with every step he took.

“Hello?� A Prefect’s voice sounded through the hall. “Is someone there?�

Harry backed up into the shadows of the walls. Without his invisibility cloak, he could easily be noticed in the dim room.

Footsteps started off toward him.

Harry slid his back down the wall, crouching down on the ground. He held his breath as the Prefect was standing directly in front of him.

“Lumos� The Prefect’s wand lit up and he pointed it directly at Harry. “Sneaking around at night, are we? Well, I’ll have to take you to Dumbledore for this one.�

The Prefect reached his hand out and a sudden wave of energy filled the room.

Harry whipped his wand out of his pocket. “Stupefy!�

Nothing happened.

“My wand, it doesn’t work!� He looked directly into the eyes of the Prefect, who wasn’t moving. Harry sidestepped around him and watched as he made no visible movement. His torso was twisted mildly and his left forearm extended toward the wall. Harry tapped him on the shoulder and there was no reply. Still the same position.

“Bloody hell... Time stopped!� Harry was wide-eyed. Confusion was the only expression shown on his face. “But, I didn’t do anything, how could time have just...stopped?!�

He shooed off the question and began to run back to his Common Room before the time stopping spell had worn off. He turned a corner and stopped in his tracks. There was a second Prefect. Although he was also as still as ice cubes, they were gripping the top of Ron’s shirt and pulling him along.

“He came to help?� Harry questioned. He disregarded the fact at what Ron had done earlier, but he had now understood that he was actually coming to help him. Harry grabbed onto the Prefects hand and tilted their wrist upward.

Several booming cracks shot through the room. Harry looked around, wondering if anything was happening or if the time spell was wearing off. But it was none of those. He realized that it was actually the Prefect. His wrist was cracking profoundly, almost as if Harry were moving the bones of a corpse.

He grabbed Ron and stood in front of him. “Merlin, I hope my wand works.� He placed the tip of his wand on Ron’s temple. “Firsoteda!� A faint brown — almost burn-like — mark appeared. Shortly following, orange bursts of light flowed through his body which faded away at his ankles. The brown patch faded away and a heavy breath intake from Ron shortly followed.

“What the bloody hell happened?!� Ron gasped out, evening his breathing.

“Long story, short time to explain.� Harry grabbed Ron by the shirt and pulled him along before he was able to start running on his own.

After a while of chaotically running through the castle to their Common Room, a second sudden energy flew through the room.

“What was that?� Ron stuttered out.

“Ron, just get into the Common Room, I’ll explain there.�

Footsteps were heard walking toward them.

“Ron, run!�

They both frantically ran up the last staircase and up to their portrait.

“Pas—�

“Solifare!� The portrait swung open before even finishing off the one word she said numerous times every day. The portrait closed quickly behind them and they both walked inside, breathing heavily.

“Harry, Ron, what’s taken so long!� Hermione exclaimed running over to them.

“Harry...Harry, did you hear that?� Ron inquired.

“Hear what? The sound of a desperate girl, longing for her boyfriend to return?� Harry replied, laughing while doing so.

Ron coughed and said quietly under his breath, “I’m not her boyfriend.�

“Harry, Ron, why have you gotten so rude lately!� Hermione baffled.

“Us?! Hermione, what about you! You didn’t even care about Harry at all, and you were totally trying to get me to, well, snog you!� Ron replied.

“Oh, Ron, like I would ever want to snog you! You’re just a lazy arse who sits around all day!� Hermione’s face crumpled up.

“HERMIONE!� Harry shouted. “What has gotten into you?!�

“Nothing you’d be interested in.� She coughed out, strutting back toward her chair. She heavily sat down on the chair and crossed one leg over the other.

“Yes, we would be interested in it!� Ron paced forward and stopped near where Hermione was sitting.

“Well, Berfulema, or shall I say, myself, is still here!� An eerie laughter filled the room.

“But, but I thought that when that Matnadorian saw you, it killed Berfulema, well, you, and not Hermione!�

“Ghosts can’t die twice! What are you, a first year?!�

Ron raised his hand slightly, “Well, I — I might be considered one....�

Harry turned his head to Ron. “You aren’t that dumb.�

“Hey!�

“Well, you kind of said it yourself!�

“I would have thought you would have backed me up! Wait, hold on a second. You kissed me earlier! A — A GUY KISSED ME?! Oh bloody hell. AND BEFORE! YOU’VE BEEN A GUY ALL THIS TIME?!� Ron retorted.

“You two really are idiots,� Berfulema bellowed.

He held his palms out and shot a stringy substance at the two. It threw them on the walls, vibrating the room.

“Life’s a cruel temptation that people, like I, will follow.�

***

“Well, no use for this barrier any more,� a Death Eater spat. “She’s almost dead anyway.�

The barrier seemed to melt away as Remus clutched it with his hands. He ran out, tears were racking his face. He fell onto his knees and placed his head at Molly’s side.

“What in Merlin’s name happened?!� Remus asked, dumbfounded. His memory was regaining very, very slowly but shakily.

“We tortured her, beat her! She’s almost dead!� The Death Eater kicked Molly’s foot viciously, a singe of pain erupted up her leg.

“STOP IT! DON’T TOUCH HER!� Remus shouted. “PLEASE JUST DO SOMETHING! DO ANYTHING WITH ME; JUST BRING HER BACK, PLEASE!�

“Well, there has been something the Dark Lord has wanted us to do, but we were going to do it later, once we had some more things — cleared up...but we could do it now. Drink this.� The Death Eater held out a small flask which held a dark orange liquid inside.

“Will it bring Molly back to life?�

“Of course!� With Remus’ memory, he really would have believed anything at the moment.

He drained the flask and dropped it onto the floor.

“What is this?!� Remus asked, clasping his throat.

“You will find out all in due time....� The Death Eater strode off to the dark corner of the room, watching Remus’ movement.

His back hunched over, an enlarged spine tearing up his shirt. His fingernails turned into black arrows, sharp as daggers. An overly loud yell was sent hurling through the house. The flask had obviously been a potion for having the subject, in this case Remus, turn into a werewolf.

A vicious growl streamed through the room. The transformed Remus pounced forward, yellow eyes taunting the night with their glowing desires. The Death Eater barely missed the vicious monster.

“Why did you even turn him into a werewolf? Why didn’t you just do as you were told!� A second Death Eater asked.

“This way is more entertaining for us.� He smiled and aimed his wand in the direction of the werewolf.

“Avada Kedavra!� A stream of green light erupted from the Death Eaters wand, hitting Remus square in the chest.

A shrill howl was heard right before the creature fell to the floor, cold and tormented.

“R-Remus?� Molly called out weakly.

“REMUS!� A loathing cry entered the room.

The lifeless creature was lying on the floor, sprawled out with his hair in clumps.

The world already seemed less bright without him. Less bright without the last Marauder.

The Death Eaters Disapparated from the room, leaving Remus dead, and Molly barely alive.

“R-Remus! R—Remu—� Molly’s voice slowly faded off as her eyes drifted shut.

Two bodies now cluttered the floor. A putrid smell emanated from the room.

Several cracks sounded throughout the room. Numerous workers from St. Mungo’s keeled down toward them and examined them.

“The werewolf is dead. She is just barely alive,� one of them stated while running their hand on the werewolf’s palm.

“Are you sure it’s dead? I don’t think that a werewolf would die, because what about the original person, they shouldn’t die too, should they?� Another one of the workers walked over and kneeled at his side.

“Let’s bring them both back to St. Mungo’s for further examination.�

The second worker nodded and motioned for the others to take hold of Molly while they took hold of the werewolf. They all Disapparated from Grimmauld Place and only moment’s later they were in St. Mungo’s.

The workers walked up to fellow workers and stated the case

“Two patients. One under the name of Molly Weasley and the other under the name of — erm. Let’s just use Werewolf.�

“Wait, isn’t that Remus Lupin? He turns into a werewolf in the moonlight, but there is no full moon...neither is it night time.�

“We’ll have to do an intricate examination on him then, won’t we?� The worker cocked an eyebrow and stared into the eyes of the person that had been absorbing all of this information.

The workers put them on separate stretchers and pushed them through the double doors.

They brought them both into one room which was separated by a gossamer curtain that was laden with blotches of a black residue.

“Do some healing on the woman; I will take care of him,� one of the Healers said, while placing a hand to the werewolf’s forehead.

A bright light filled the room spontaneously, and it evaporated just as quickly. The werewolf had turned back into its original form.


The Healer quickly grabbed Remus’ hand, checking for a pulse.

“He has a pulse!� the Healer exclaimed. “But just barely.�

“Let him rest. We should wait until he wakes up,� the other Healer yelled through the curtain.

The Healer on Molly’s side ran his hand up and down the cuts and bruises that seemed to embellish her body.

Subtle rays of light emitted through them; the cuts and bruises faded away slowly. He removed his hand from the surface of the skin and it appeared as she had never even been scathed by the fiercest of curses. He took out his wand and tipped it in her mouth. A thin line of blue liquid emerged, which slithered down her throat. Her body glowed blue and she woke up abruptly.

“REMUS!� The immediate reaction of Molly yelling startled the Healer. He rushed up to her side and calmed her down.

“Remus is alright, he’s right next door, don’t worry.� He lightly pushed her shoulders back onto the bed. “Go to sleep, you need rest.�

A faint smile spread across the Healer’s face after finally realizing that he did a job well done.

“Remus, Remus, Remus, Remus —� Each time Molly had chanted “Remus� she slowly got quieter as her eyes drifted shut.

Next door, on Remus’ side of the room, the Healer was reading some papers that covered Remus’ medical record.

A sudden increase in heart rate triggered the doctor to run up to Remus’ bedside with a sudden spark of panic. He pressed a few buttons on the machine rapidly and waved his wand toward Remus’ heart. His heart rate settled back to normal and the Healer breathed a sigh of relief and calmly sat in his chair. He took out a quill and put a check next to a sentence that read,

Heart rate increase.

He put the quill back into a small column filled to the brim with ink. He sat down in his chair and kept a watchful eye on the weakened Remus Lupin.

***

A middle aged woman shifted around her entryway with seemingly alarming anticipation and worry. She clicked her feet against the wall and began to bite her nails. Nearby, outside, a grotesque man dressed in black silken robes began treading toward the old abandoned shack. With a swift kick to the door, it was blown open. He lunged forward, and grappled his hand around the woman’s plump neck who was standing mere feet from the doorway.

“Give me what you owe me,� he hissed out, clawing his nails deeper into her flesh.

“Never,� she growled out in disgruntled undertones.

The cloaked man threw the woman against the wall where she collided against the interior and fell to the ground. The man began searching through the cabinets and drawers, throwing things every which way.

“IT’S NOT HERE!� The man ran up to the woman and pulled out a dagger. “TELL ME WHERE IT IS!�

“Fine, kill me. I’m the only one who knows. If you kill me, you’ll never find it.�

A roar of anger burst forth through the man as the dagger was thrust downwards. The moment before the dagger made contact with her throat, the world seemed to morph into a completely different scene. A horrid scene. A scene out of a nightmare.

The woman was now standing in a forest. A vicious growl sounded behind her. She turned around with a quick spin of her foot. Two yellow eyes became larger and larger as they came closer and closer to its prey. A sudden pounce forward made the woman launch into a breathtaking run. The creature tried to hurl itself at the woman again but the woman dodged the animal as it clawed through the air. A loud thud echoed through the forest as the creature hit the ground. The creature lifted up its head and a loud roar soared through the trees. Death taunted the woman cruelly as the werewolf began to awkwardly sprint forward. Several short grunts sounded in the ethereal scene as the world seemed to be shrinking smaller and smaller around the woman as she buried herself deeper and deeper into the forest. She tripped on a stray tree branch that seemed to latch onto her ankle, pulling her to her death. The werewolf neared her and with a swift pounce, landed on her. It slashed its claws toward her face. The razor sharp claws frightened the woman. Her eyes became large as the claws made contact with the side of her face.

Mrs. Weasley bolted upright in bed. Sweat racked her face, as she had just encountered a dream that would not soon be forgotten.

“Remus? R—Remus, are you there? I just had the weirdest dream! Quite frightening actually, but—�

Several Healers rushed up to her side. “Calm down, you need to rest.�

A faint voice was heard in the distance, “We need a pretty powerful charm here. He’s going into shock.�

A tear seemed to stain Molly’s face. She fought and struggled to get up out of her stretcher, but to no avail.

“R—REMUS?! REMUS!� she yelled out in a choke-sob tone.

She flailed her arms around, trying to get loose from the Healers’ grips. One of the Healers sustaining

Another voice.

“Something’s wrong. He’s not responding to our spells.�

“NO!� Molly called out, crying in agony. “REMUS!!�

The Healer placed a wand to Remus’ heart. A jolt of energy was sent through his body which seemed to pulse his body upward with each treatment.

“Again,� the Healer hissed.

The wand was placed on his heart once more and a second jolt of energy was sent.

“James! Come on! Give me the ball!� Sirius whined.

“You’ll have to catch me to get it!� James scurried through the field, dodging spells that were thrown his way by the annoyed Sirius.

“Come on guys! Let’s just settle this! Let’s all play with the ball!� Remus finished. “Let’s make up a new game, or something!�

“How ‘bout ‘GIVE ME THE BALL’!� Sirius apparently screamed out.

Remus grabbed the ball from James’ hands and threw it on the ground. “I’m gonna destroy this if you two don’t settle down!�

“BUT HE WON’T—�

Remus cut him off with a quick movement of the wrist.

“—GIVE—�

Another quick wrist movement.

“—ME—�

“SHUT IT!� Remus yelled.

“—THE BALL!� Sirius sprung forward and tackled James to the ground.

Remus fell backwards onto the grass and settled his back against a large tree. The tree seemed to come alive only moments later. A large branch slashed its way to the ground, denting the earth. A second branch, three times larger than the first, shortly followed. It nearly missed Remus, who began frantically running every which way.

Sirius and James watched amused. It was almost like watching a rat running away from its predator...the snake.

“Don’t let it ‘whomp’ you!� Sirius joked.

“IT’S THE WHOMPING WILLOW! WHAT DO YOU BLOODY EXPECT?!� Remus shouted out, scurrying away from this lethal tree.

Remus finally made his way out of the vicious plant and casually walked over to his friends like nothing had just happened.

“You almost got killed by a tree and you just act all cool?!� James shouted, throwing his hands in the air. “You really are the coolest person I know!� James smiled and threw his arm over Remus’ shoulder in a friendly manner.

“Hey!� Sirius shouted, sending a ‘what about me’ look toward James.

Remus grabbed the now deformed ball which had been brutally smashed and battered by the Whomping Willow and threw it up in the air, nonchalantly catching it in his hand. “No big deal! This isn’t my first near death experience.� Remus laughed and took out his wand. He pointed it at the ball which blew back up and formed itself back into its original shape.

Remus’ wand and the ball flew out of his hands. It seemed as if an invisible force was pulling him backwards into a nonexistent void. James and Sirius quickly turned to Remus who was being pulled backwards savagely.

“What’s bloody happening?!� James’ questioned loudly holding on to Remus’ ankles. Sirius’ reply had been a quick instinct of holding onto Remus’ ankles as well.

“Help me—� Remus gasped out. A crack in the ground opened up, revealing an apparently endless pit. Remus’ body was limply dragged into it. One last cry for help was the last thing that James’ and Sirius heard from him.

Remus hit ground almost seconds after falling. The ground shrouded over him, concealing him in this barren wasteland.

“Hello?� Remus called out, rubbing the back of his head.

A loud thump was heard next to him. He quickly turned to the left, looking into darkness.

“Who’s there? Where am I?�

“Death has come of you, my child,� a low, booming voice resounded through this empty void.

Remus made a quick turn and looked at two large red eyes which stared back at him with envy.

A Healer called out to one of the others that had been holding Molly down, “Come here, NOW! Something’s happening. We don’t know what.�

Remus’ body was shaking violently. His heart rate shot upwards.

“We’re losing him,� one of the Healers said in response to the quick rise of his heart.

The Healer started the treatment again. He pinpointed the location of his heart and sent a jolt of energy through Remus’ body.

Don’t look back,

A second jolt of energy.

Don’t blame yourself,

A third jolt of energy.

Come visit me,

A final fourth jolt of energy.

Now.

Remus’ heart rate suddenly slowed down with no stop in sight. One final, never-ending, beep sealed the deal.

“Oh, bloody hell,� Molly whispered to herself, tears beginning to form. “REMUS! NO, NO PLEASE NOT YET! REMUS!!�

The last Marauder was dead, his peaceful body now laden with the tears of many.

“No, not yet,� Molly whispered, falling back onto her pillow.

The Healer covered Remus’ body with a white sheet and scrawled several words on a piece of parchment.

“Time of death, 8:13 pm.�

“LET US GO!� Ron yelled, struggling to break free. He got a better grip of his wand, which was, coincidentally, in his hand, and aimed toward the ‘possessed’ Hermione. He chanted a quick curse and flicked his wand in an upwards motion. Sadly, a good grip is key when doing wand work. His grip was terribly low and his wand was thrown to the ground in an abrasive toss.

“Pity,� Berfulema cooed quietly while slightly smirking. He took a few steps toward Ron’s wand and picked it up with ease. With a swift movement of his wrists, the wand was broken in two.

“NO! Not again!� Ron whimpered quietly. He wrestled against the goo which, miraculously, held them up quite well. Almost like cement, it had been hard in an instant. Maybe some sort of wizarding cement? The wall cracked behind it, testing its own strength. A large crack erupted behind Ron’s head, sending him in a violent jerk forward.

“This school’s as old as a rag these days. As sturdy as an old rag for that matter.� The wizarding cement hardened a bit more, turning to an off green color. “So, shall you beg for mercy or put up a fight?� Berfulema questioned kicking a piece of rubble across the floor.

Two quick words followed.

“MERCY!�

“FIGHT!�

They had almost been said at the same time. Mercy had been from Ron and fight from Harry.

“Separate thoughts now, do you? Why don’t you talk this over? Your pain will be well worth the wait.� Berfulema began to pace back and forth as Ron and Harry bickered annoyingly.

“WHY THE BLOODY HELL DO YOU WANT TO FIGHT?!� Ron shouted angrily.

“WELL, WHY THE BLOODY HELL DO YOU WANT TO BEG FOR MERCY?!� Harry spat back in reply.

“If we beg for mercy we’ll live!� Ron replied while struggling to break free.

“If we beg for mercy, he’ll enjoy our begging and we’ll be killed! If we fight, we’ll at least have a bloody chance! TELL ME NOW! WOULD YOU RATHER DIE OR DIE TRYING?!� Harry suddenly yelled, outraged. “AND DON’T BLOODY TELL ME YOU’RE AFRAID! I KNOW YOUR FEARS! YOU KNOW MINE!� Harry’s fury seemed to be pouring out, all seemingly aimed at Ron. Life had never been too pleasant for Harry and it never would be until Voldemort was killed.

“Shut up! You might as well die trying. I’m bored, quite frankly, and I want to do something!� Berfulema spat throwing one half of Ron’s wand in the air. He quickly threw up the other half, and muttered a quick chant. Ron’s wand mended back together. A thin stream of light burst forth from its seam. The wand landed gracefully back in Berfulema’s hand and he threw it toward the disgruntled Ron who continued to struggle on the wall. Harry breathed heavily through his nose, as he, too, continued to struggle.

“Accio Ron’s wand!� Harry shouted. Ron’s wand flew directly into his hand and Harry wrapped his hand around it.

“I didn’t know you could do wandless magic!� Ron gasped in awe.

“Neither did I!� Harry replied while awkwardly tossing Ron’s wand into his hand. Berfulema gave a flick of his wand and the cement-like mess liquefied and dribbled onto the floor. Although their clothing remained covered in the mess, they were free from the now clean wall. They dropped onto their hands and knees with their heads drooping to the floor.

“You’re sick, do you know that?!� Harry yelled raising his head a little bit. He stood up charily and firmed his grip making sure he couldn’t easily be disarmed.

Footsteps sounded outside the room.

“Hear that?� Berfulema pointed Hermione’s hand toward the portrait door. “That’s the sound of evil roaming the halls. That’s the sound of victory for our side. Voldemort’s side. Although, our side —�

“Hold up,� Ron expressed loudly, “his side? I thought you were pretty much your own little party of evil people. You work with Voldemort . . . as a ghost?�

“Of course! Everyone’s on Voldemort’s side! Who isn’t?! Well, besides that git of a headmaster. Dumbledore, I think his name is? More like Dumblebore. CAN HE EVER HAVE A GOOD LAUGH OR A FIREWHISKEY?!�

Harry and Ron took an awkward look at each other and turned back to face the menace before them. He rambled on and on about how Dumbledore was a bore to him. Finally, Harry stood up. Head throbbing and arms pulsing.

“Expelliarmus!� A bolt of red light erupted from Harry’s wand. A faint whiz was heard streaming off of the spell. Tiny red sparks flew in all directions as Berfulema was caught off guard and was hit dead center by the curse. He was blown off his feet and he slammed into the wall. Breathing heavily, he steadied himself back up and rubbed the back of his head.

“Lucky shot, but try to get by this. Tol son!� A florescent blue light hovered at the tip of his wand momentarily before it streamed toward its target. Oddly, its target had not been Harry nor had it been Ron. The florescent light took an extremely sharp angle to the ceiling where it hovered near a light fixture that hung from the ceiling. Pristine light bulbs that had flourished its circular perimeter began to erupt in violent explosions. The light, which had caused this damage, now began to move from side to side in an almost entrancing pattern. The florescent blue light itself erupted into small shards of electricity that were sent hurling toward the twosome. They dodged their way around the flaming shards, but that was proven hard as they had almost seemed to be following them wherever they moved. The electric charges finally had a mind of their own and they sent themselves toward the two hastily. They seemed to melt into them as they grasped their prey. Screams and yells were heard from them as the electricity surged through their bodies. A blue light shimmered in their eyes, almost a crystal essence simmered in the air....

“That’ll keep you by my side, for, oh, say, a half an hour or so?�

Ron and Harry looked at him with blank eyes.

“Do what I say,� Berfulema gritted through Hermione’s teeth.

Their faces still remained expressionless.

“Go get me Dumbledore.�

Ron and Harry left their Common Room and were off to Dumbledore’s Office in a whirlwind of imperius-like situations.

***

“R-Remus is . . . d-dead?� Molly choked out, sobbing into her coat sleeve. I was just talking to him the day before! How could this h-happen?�

A Healer rushed up to her side and quickly answered her question. “He died trying to save you.... When he saw you get abused like that, he would do anything to stop it. He drank this fluid which they said would heal you. What we don’t quite know is...why he drank it in the first place! He’s a smart wizard and he should know those things!�

“H-He actually had been suffering memory l-loss at the time. I was h-helping him r-remember.� She suddenly broke down in tears. Her body lay across her bed, tears seeping into the fabric.

“That’s a shame. If he hadn’t suffered from that memory loss...he probably wouldn’t have died. Speaking of the memory loss, how did he even lose his memory?� the Healer questioned while stroking his chin.

“I really d-don’t quite know what r-really happened! The room s-suddenly filled up with this really cold air. It froze to the walls and locked us into the k-kitchen at Grimmauld P-Place. The kitchen almost t-turned into a world of ice. His memories were s-sucked into these blocks of ice and they e-erupted. H-He lost his memories s-seconds later.� Mrs. Weasley took a large breath intake and tried to calm herself down. Tears still flowing for the continuing chatter in the other side of the room next door.

“W-Wait, h-how did you know that he drank that f-fluid?�

“We did a quick autopsy. The wizard way, not the muggle. The wizard way is much quicker than the Muggle way. We just use a spell which turns the stomach of the person invisible and we examine the insides of them. The drink turned him into a werewolf. The fact of how scared he was, he seemed to have done anything to help you. We removed the fluid from his system, but that did nothing. They killed him with the killing curse which, as you know, is irreversible. I’m sorry, but —�

“Wait! H-Hold on! If they turned him i-into a werewolf, then killed him with the k-killing curse, wouldn’t h-his werewolf form only be d-dead?�

“That’s what we assumed, but no. His werewolf side was definitely gone. That’s for sure, but the liquid did something to him. We’re testing it at the moment so we can determine the true cause of death. They should be done any time now, actually.�

Just then, a second Healer walked across the room’s divider and whispered something in the other Healer’s ear.

“What? But that’s impossible!� the Healer exclaimed, his clipboard dropped to the ground.

“W-What? What’s impossible?!� Mrs. Weasley exclaimed, gripping the side of her bed. “I-Is Remus alive?!�

One of the Healers gave her a concerned look and both walked over to Remus’ side of the room. Mrs. Weasley heard faint murmurs and small gasps of excitement. She heard faint words, some of which were, “Does — we — breakthrough?� With her peak of interest growing, she quietly placed one foot on the ground followed by the other. She tiptoed to the room divider and listened intently.

“If we understand what is in this, we could cure millions! We might even — hold on!� The Healer just noticed Molly’s small feet which were dangerously close to their side. “Molly! Back into bed, will you?�

“I r-really would like to know. Could whatever y-your talking about heal R-Remus?� Mrs. Weasley asked with a hint of excitement in her voice.

“I’m afraid not. Like I said before, nothing can heal the killing curse. Now back into bed!�

***

Dumbledore peered over his half-moon spectacles as there was faint knocking on his door. “Come in,� he said calmly.

The door opened and in came Ron and Harry.

“Dumbledore, one of Voldemort’s followers is in our Common Room! We need your help! Come quickly!�

“But the school was rid of them when Bellatrix was sent off. Surely there couldn’t be more.�

“There is!� Ron cut in. “They’re hideous! Tried to kill me a little bit earlier!�

“You seem a little calm to almost have been killed. I’ll just come to take a look.� Dumbledore placed his papers in the corner of his desk and walked toward the twosome who had grins on their faces.

“Come quickly!�

***
“Remus, you’re home,� said a faint voice in the distance.

Remus seemed to be in an ethereal world. He was walking in the clouds with birds fluttering by. Rays of light shining off him with every step he took.

“W-Who’s there? Where am I?�

“You’re home,� the calming voice replied.

“WHAT HAPPENED TO ME?!�

“You’ve passed on, son. It was your time to go. If you hadn’t died trying to help Molly Weasley now, you would have died as one of Voldemort’s followers.�

“I would never become one of his followers! NEVER! I would never sink that low!�

“You can think what you want, but if you ever want to face the sad truth, just know that you have died a better life than what was to come.�

“Who are you?!� Remus yelled, spinning around in circles.

There was no answer.

“Is anyone there? Someone please answer me! I need to know what’s happening!�

Suddenly, the fog hovering over the ground seemed to part ways. A small hole emerged from the smoggy earth with steps leading down below.

“Go,� the voice said while an invisible hand nudged him forward.

Remus hesitantly took his first step into the world beneath. After completely emerging underneath the stony walkway, the earth covered its tracks by concealing the hole. A world like this would not soon be forgotten.