Prologue: Nina Spencer
It was a dark, cold night in Russia as Nina Spencer looked outside her bedroom window. She should be used to this weather now, having lived here almost two years, but sometimes the difference in this weather and what she was used to struck her and she became homesick. This was ridiculous because Nina didn't have a home. Not really. Growing up she spent all her time at boarding school, which moved around all the time. Even after she left school she didn't stay in one place for too long. Until Romania. But she wasn't going to think about that because it brought up too many memories.
She knew that she should be sleeping right now, but she was a little too nervous to sleep. This was preposterous. She had no reason to feel nervous. She was just going back to England tomorrow, somewhere she hadn't been for two years. She didn't really want to go back, but she didn't have a choice. She had to meet with Professor Dumbledore to discuss her new role and position. They needed her, he had told her in his last letter. Nina sighed as she laid her head on her arms and knees. It was more like they needed her powers and abilities. Harry Potter would need her training if he was defeat Voldemort.
She didn't know all that Dumbledore wanted her to do. But she had a fairly good idea based on his last letter. He had hinted at offering the Defense Against the Dark Arts teaching position as well as private lesson with Harry and his friends. But she also knew there was more. Nina looked down at the papers that were beside her on the windowsill. A training schedule for Harry and his friends; although it was only a training schedule for through the summer. Once school started she would make up another schedule for them, but that was after she knew what her schedule and theirs would be. Another piece of paper with the books that she wanted to use in each year of her defense classes; along with other defense books that she would assign throughout the year. Nina had a feeling that the headmaster would ask her to help out with the D.A. At least she hoped it was to only to help. She didn't want to lead it; that was all Harry's job. So, she had written ideas down on what to teach to the club. The final decision would, of course be Harry's, but this way he had some new ideas and theories to teach. And of course, there were pages and pages of the research that she had done on the Cave of Merlin. She knew Harry was the Chosen One. She just had to get him to accept the fact and then they could begin the search for the Cave.
Nina wondered how she would manage to do it all. Nina knew she had no choice, she knew Dumbledore wouldn't ask so much of her if there were others who could do it; which meant that there wasn't anyone else. She sighed again trying to hold back her tears. "Well," she said aloud, "at least with me being so busy I won't be able to think about anything else." And with that said, she extinguished the lone candle by her bed and tried to catch a few hours of sleep.
She knew she was dreaming, but she could do nothing to stop the dream. It always was the same. She was back in Romania, somewhere she had been the happiest, waiting for her boyfriend to return. They had been dating for several months now and she was waiting for him to come home. Then suddenly she heard screams and crashes. She rushed out into the village that they were living in and nothing could have prepared her for what she saw. She saw chaos and the whole village burning. Nina's instincts took over at that time and she was rushing around firing spells at the death eaters while trying to get the villagers to safety. Then Voldemort showed up holding him. She stopped fighting when she saw them. Where you could see his face, it was very pale. It looked like he had been tortured for hours. Voldemort shoved him to the ground in between her and himself. He started to tell her how worthless she was and that she would never escape him; but Nina barely heard him; she was busy trying to get to the crumpled figure in front of her. But no matter how hard she tried she couldn't get to him; there was a shield around him. Then Voldemort sent the killing curse to finish him off, although not before she heard the figure whisper, "I'll always love you Nina."
She woke up screaming his name like she did in the dream. She clutched her chest while trying to catch her breath. She looked at the clock near her bed; she had only been asleep for four hours. But she didn't lie back down. She knew that she would never be able to get back to sleep; besides she had to be up in a couple of hours anyway to prepare to leave. She walked back over to the windowsill wrapped in a blanket and sat down thinking about the dream. She remembered the first time she had it. She knew it was only a matter of months till Voldemort returned and she was terrified that her dream would then come true. So, she left that night. She didn't tell him she was leaving; she just packed up and disappeared a couple of days before he returned home. She did leave a note, but it was pitiful; she said that she had "business" to take care of and she left. Nina hadn't seen or talked to him since.
She regretted her decision every single day since she left. But she could not change what was done. All she could do was move on with her life. And as she watches the sun rise over the cold grounds of Russia, she began packing for her journey home.