He fell.

Her hero, her knight in shining armor, the one who promised to always protect her from anything, even himself. But he fell.

Everything was blurry. People running, green lights flashing, chunks falling from the ceiling. People falling, collapsing to the floor in agony, in fear, in death. So she ran.

She ran through the castle. There was the gryffindor common room. People trying to escape the madness. There was the Room of Requirement where she had entered. A burst of green flames. There was the library. Books, wonderful, old, new, beautiful books, falling, falling to the floor, burning. There were the dungeons. Those fallen being stacked like firewood, the stench unbelievable, but still she welcomed it. For these were the soldiers, the ones that died protecting her, and her child. Among them, thank Merlin, was not the man she was looking for. Her soldier. Her husband.

She ran out of the castle, but people were still fighting. Here, in the crisp may air, near the beautiful lake and mountains, beautiful. People were still fighting, people were still falling.

And there he was, with her Aunt Bellatrix. Her blood. He stood by the lake, in his patched robes, his sandy hair over-grown, flying everywhere. He was moving his wand intricately, and he mouth was strained shut, his grey-blue eyes were squinted, and fixed upon her black ones. She stood across him, cackling madly, waving her wand violently, and joyously in a way.

Suddenly, everything was clear and crisp as the air in the mountains. Time moved slowly and she saw it happen. One step by one step.

His eyes flicker to the side, he sees her, his mouth drops. He told her to stay home, how could she have done this? But still, he is glad to see her, even if he is upset to see her here. The quick glimpse of her beautiful face gives him strength. He once promised to protect her, for he was her husband, her man. He needed to be there to protect her from everything. From herself, tripping and falling over flat surfaces and her own feet. From himself, turning into a ruthless monster once a month, effaced of any human emotion or memory. From the world, for how can someone so perfect be touched by anything? How can he let her be damaged in any way? He needed to protect her, to give her light. To love her. He turns to face the wicked woman who's tainted blood once was the same as the blood of the girl he loved.

He didn't have a chance to put to use his new found courage, for he couldn't see the face of the woman he would have killed, he saw a blinding green light.

Then he fell.

She watched it all happen. She felt the tears fall with him. Her hero. She screamed. She put her face in her hands, screaming, crying, falling. Falling to her knees in agony. Her face was on the cold, wet ground when a foot, a boot came from under it and lifted her chin. She met eyes with the woman that broke her mother's heart, that killed her husband, that broke her own heart. Her eyes flared red.

"Now, now, love. Don't be too upset. You'll be joining him soon."

The woman cackled, threw back her head and howled in laughter. Brought her wand to her niece's face.

The black hair turned a mousy brown, the red eyes turned a dull brown, her legs shrunk in length, and her skin paled considerably. She muttered through thin lips "My family", and she fell too.


A/N Please review. It would make me so very happy.