Well, this is the rewritten version of "Return from Avalon" Hope you enjoy!

Prologue

It was a testament to just how bad things had gotten.

Not really caring what she packed, she grabbed whatever was nearest. She had to leave. Now. Her child, barely a year old watched her with unfocused eyes, as half-hysterical, she packed a bag she hadn't used in a long time. She looked in the mirror. She was a mess and hadn't slept well for the better part of the year.

Yes, it would be better if no one could recognize her. She didn't even recognize her reflection.

Thinking of what her friend would say in this moment, her eyes watered and she lost focus for a minute. Then, she closed her eyes and raised the scissors to a point just above her ear and snipped, the blonde locks that were her trademark both here and…there fall to the floor. A few more snips and she was done, slinging the pack over her shoulders and grabbing her baby.

She walked quickly, not daring to take in the last sights of her home, not daring to look back. She blinked away tears that seemed to come faster and faster now. She was doing it. She was really leaving. She reached the edge of the wards and Disapparated with a quieted pop.

Reappearing on the lake's edge, she clambered into the boat and it set off by itself. The mists grew thicker, the closer she came to her destination. Upon reaching the middle of the lake, she could make out the old monastery and knew she was close. She took a deep breath, willing the mists to part and they did, revealing the Tor and Avalon.

The last time she had been here, was for her funeral. Her child was currently with her father but, it didn't make it any easier, thinking that her husband would be frantic.

Her husband would no doubt question everyone from the Minister of Magic to the first years at Hogwarts. Her friends…would treat it like an everyday occurrence.

Pushing those thoughts out of her mind, she looked ahead at the figure on the pier. "Welcome to Avalon," she whispered to her child.

Chapter 1

Avalon operates independently of any Wizarding Ministry. As such, they see their authority, mandated by Merlin in AD 804, superior to that of any country's. Because of this, the Avalon Ministry does not have a legal responsibility to or for other ministries.

Rule of Avalon, page 351

It was something of a mystery that had never been solved. October thirty-first 1981 had led to the disappearance to a relatively unrelated group of people. Narcissa and Draco Malfoy had just vanished, seemingly into the dark. Neville Longbottom's grandmother, Augusta Longbottom had said that her grandson had been playing with people who weren't there the night before he vanished. Harry Potter had not been found amongst the rubble that was once his home. Sadly, his parents' bodies had, as with that of Tom Riddle, Lord Voldemort. Peter Pettigrew, when questioned (as he had been the Potters' Secret-Keeper) and had denied any involvement. Ginny Weasley, was perhaps the saddest of these losses. She was barely two months old, and her mother had put her to bed only to find her gone, and a note that simply didn't make sense.

Hidden deep within the mists,

Triumph over darkness still persists

Once again, his story will rise

To dispute all your myths and lies

Beware, those who dare to dare

To find more than our treasure there

Take me back to the days of Yore

And let me climb the sacred Tor

No one, not even Dumbledore could decipher its meaning.

And so, the mystery remained for another fourteen years. Every so often, a false sighting would bring hope-however brief, until the Aurors cleared their desks of the old, well-worn files and moved on. For the families, however, ten years after the incident brought the tragic realization that, had they been here, their loved ones would be attending Hogwarts. Each letter was delivered to an empty house in Lincolnshire. No response-affirmative or negative-ever reached Hogwarts.

All the families had to go on, was that the ledger of students' names-crossed out in the case of students' deaths-never changed, year after year. In this way, time passed, and the families attempted to put the tragedy behind them, but as every parent knows, you never forget your children.

The horses galloped down the winding road. The riders wore the navy blue robes of the Avalon Guard, sworn to protect the Avalon line and its heirs. The news they carried would have a profound effect on security at the hideaway. The clatter of hooves resounded against the cobble of the courtyard as stable hands came out to meet them. The riders dismounted and stomped their way to the main hall where the Regency Council was in session. "There's been a breakout at Azkaban." the guard said. "Bellatrix LeStrange and her husband were among them."

The seat at the farthest end of the hall scrapped against the ancient wood as Narcissa Malfoy stood up. "Has this been confirmed?" she asked sharply. It was an open secret at Avalon that she had been the one to level the Act of Attainder against her sister. The guard nodded. "The Minister has yet to be informed, however, it's a good guess that Dumbledore already knows."

The unspoken horror reverberated around the room.

It was only a matter of time before the dark made another bid for power.

Well, well, well. Mysteries and mysterious accounts. Let's see each other next week, yes?

Respectfully,

R2-D2106