Dumbledore's post owl carrying Alina's O.W.L. records arrived late afternoon the next Wednesday. Much to Harry's surprise, she'd gotten almost the same results as Hermione, not to burn the fact into him that she'd muttered something about becoming an Auror to Fred, who'd asked. Although the previous week with her had been less than enjoyable, Harry came to find that she was a very silent, very loner, very shy young woman. Ron however, got the bad end of the stick, as did George, whom had taken it upon their leisure to attempt speaking with her. In both cases, the ending had come to the same means, a wand pointed in someone's face, and usually someone with a broken bloody nose. In Ron's case, he'd mentioned something about Alina speaking like Bellatrix, more a joke for Harry to hear than her, and ended up with an oozing ear full of spiders and puss. Meanwhile, George and Fred had attempted to jinx her while she crossed the front lawn to grab the brooms out of the broom shack for Ron and Ginny, and George had ended up with the broken nose, of which Mrs. Weasley had had to mend. Mr. Weasley had pulled her into the living room, setting her in a chair by herself, and had a very long discussion about the problems of endangering his children's lives, and that if she were going to continue pointing her wand as an underage wizard at his son's, that he'd send her back to Dumbledore. The entire conversation however, according to Harry, was actually just Mr. Weasley speaking to himself, since Alina never said a word. In fact, he was starting to wonder if she was ever going to speak, because she'd evaded him whenever she'd gotten the chance in the Burrow's halls. Hermione had taken to leaving her alone and staying well out of her path, while poor Ginny was forced to share a room with her. But, to Harry's surprise, Ginny seemed the least bothered by her at all.
"She's nice. She doesn't make a mess, makes her bed…she doesn't talk, so…it's not bad. Just comes in n' goes to sleep at night." Harry was currently sitting beside Ginny on the front lawn, watching the garden gnomes thrashing about each other, bustling to find worms and other food. He was so busy watching them and listening to Ginny's voice that he failed to notice the darkening clouds rolling overhead. Not more than a few moments had passed than Mr. Weasley had burst through the front door shouting for everyone to get inside. Ginny drug Harry up by the arm, hauling him inside and slamming the door shut. Hermione was standing in the kitchen with a horror struck facial expression, Ron just beside her looking paler than a piece of parchment, and the others standing huddled around the table, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley holding hands. The only person missing, Harry realized, was Alina. Harry looked to Mr. Weasley's expression and got the hint that something very very bad was about to happen.
"The Ministry's confirmed that someone's breached the protection boundaries further out in the forest. They're sending aurories to us right now, but they want us gone from here I n the next five minutes." looked from Ron to Harry.
"We don't need to pack anything; they'll send your things out to you at Hogwarts…" she seemed worried. "Towards the fire." She motioned ushering Ginny in front of everyone else.
"No worries mum. We'll be safe in Diagon Alley." Fred tried rubbing his mother's shoulder. George exchanged a glance with his father, and Harry got the feeling that they weren't safe anywhere anymore. Just as Ron was stepping through the hedge of the fireplace, the front door burst open…and to his utter horror…Harry found himself staring at the strangely glorified smile of Bellatrix Lestrange.
Mr. Weasley was first to act, pulling his wand, shouting some audible hex, but she was faster. Harry tried to push forward, over Ginny's arms which were shoving him towards the fireplace (along with George's), and pulled his wand aiming it at her wild grinning face.
"Thought those little spells would be enough to stop me eh'?" she cackled, throwing her head back. Harry was unable to tell what happened next because there was an eruption of light, to some unknown spell that he'd vaguely heard shouted, and Bellatrix was thrown on her back outside. To his astonishment, his eyes seemed fooled by what he saw, but Alina was standing (wand at the ready) where Bellatrix had just been standing.
"GO!" she'd screamed over her shoulder to Mr. Weasley, and although Dumbledore had asked them to protect her, Harry found himself shoved into the fireplace, cramped by Mr. Weasley, and he the next thing he saw was of Diagon Alley.
They'd arrived in the fireplace of Fred and George's joke shop, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Harry was slowly readjusting to the event in which he'd just been introduced to, while Tonks and Lupin were pulling them out of the fireplace. Tonks gave Harry a reproaching look, and she didn't seem herself either with her straw like mousy hair, but nevertheless he felt the odd sensation that everything was still about to go very wrong. He looked from face to face, to see the grave light reflected there, and started to grab his wand.
"I'm going back." He said turning on the spot into the ash. Tonks grabbed his shoulder yanking him back, and he lost his footing falling flat on his butt.
"No ye' aren't Arry'." She said hotly.
"Aurories are being sent there at the present moment Harry. Do not be fooled. Alina can fend for herself very well indeed." Lupin cut in helping Harry to his feet. He shook his head, but Ron got in front of him.
"Dumbledore said there was the best of the Ministry's protection. If she's still there, she's fine." He muttered sighing.
"If she's still alive when the Aurories get there Ron!" He shouted back.
"I'm sure Scrimuger has the place rigged…besides Harry…she risked her life to get us here. It wouldn't do her any good if you popped back in there." Hermione said looking him in the eyes. With the most defeated look he'd ever given, Harry moved toward Ginny who hugged him.
Before the night was over, when Harry laid asleep on the floor beside Ron's feet, a group of ragged looking Aurories arrived to intercept the Weasley family. Tonks turned over the door handle, letting them in, although no one enjoyed the news they had to offer. Harry had only known Alina Black for more than a week, but since she was a piece of Sirius, he found the current situation harder to swallow than dealing with the grief he felt. If he lost her to Bellatrix Lestrange…than it was no different than Sirius's death, all over again. He'd found that harder to sleep with than anything at all, which is why Hermione had whispered a sleeping spell over his shoulder only a few minutes ago. She was waiting beside the worried Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, holding Ginny's hand in hopes that the news would not be of a death. The youngest man to the right pulled back his hood of his cloak, to reveal worried wild eyes, straight from a fight. The girl to his right was less worried, drawn with wariness, but seemed more able to speak.
"It wasn't a good battle…we lost two men." She said simply. Hermione felt Ginny's small hand begin to shake, whether she was worried for Harry's mental state or just bad news, she didn't know.
"What happened to her?" asked Mr. Weasley hurriedly. The man in front looked to him, his hair falling drenched with sweat in his eyes, and shook his head solemnly.