Alice Trelawny knew that Lord Voldemort was after her.
She'd always known it would come down to this: Her hiding with her long-term boyfriend Oliver Wood and their baby girl, Angel, who wasn't even a year old, in a beaten-up old shack in the middle of nowhere.
What she hadn't expected was what would happen if Voldemort found them.
"Oliver, just go!" Alice sighed, patting Angel's back.
It was the same thing every morning: Oliver would be half way out of the door to go to work when he'd get worried about his girls and try to stay home. As much as she'd love for him to stay home with her, Alice knew that they needed the money and besides, the Order had placed enough protection around their "house" that if Death Eaters did come knocking down her door, she'd have enough time to call for help before they got to her.
"Alice, I love you, you know that, don't you?" Oliver asked, frowning slightly.
"You only tell me all the time." Alice smiled, warming up a bit.
"Good, so you know that I only do this because I love you and want to protect you, not to purposely irritate you, right?" He confirmed.
"Yes, I know." Alice told him wistfully, looking down at the worn and moth-eaten carpet.
"Good. I'll be back before you know it. I love you." Oliver kissed Alice's forehead and Angel's cheek before reluctantly heading out of the already open door.
"I love you too!" Alice called after him, feeling sad. She hated this part of the day.
From over her shoulder, Angel started crying.
"I know baby, I miss him already too." Alice sighed, before going into the living room to change Angel's smelly nappy.
The hours passed slowly in Alice's house. She had nothing to do. All the cleaning had been done, there wasn't any major cooking to be done as it was the middle of August and she's read all her books ten times over recently.
Alice cursed her aunt silently as she lay curled up on the shabby sofa, watching Angel sleep in her travel cot. If only she'd made the new prophecy to someone else, anyone else, but no, Sybil Trelawny had to make the new prophecy about the downfall of the dark lord when she was visiting at the end of the summer. Now she was hiding in a beaten up shack in the middle of a forest that even she didn't know where, nor did Oliver for that matter. One of the Order picked him up every day to take him to either Puddlemere's practice grounds or the office where he was helping write a new book of Quidditch tactics.
It was easy to understand why Voldemort was after her. She knew all about the new prophecy AND where her aunt was currently hiding. If he found her, he'd surely get at least one of the two pieces of information out of her. But at what cost?
Alice was awoken from her day-dreaming by a high-pitched wailing sound.
"What the hell?" Alice jumped up from her seat and instinctively went over to Angel, who was now crying.
Carefully she picked her up and held her close.
"He's here for me baby." She whispered to her daughter quietly.
Picking up her wand from the sofa, she tried to focus on a happy thought. She was running out of time! Angel… Angel being born. After the pain she was so happy… yes, that was it!
"Expecto Patronum!" She whispered to herself.
A silver hawk flew out of the end of her wand tip.
"He's here. Send help for Angel." Alice spoke quietly before it disappeared, flying out of the window. "Now Angel, I need you to be a good girl for me. Remember Daddy and I love you, okay? Everything is going to be okay." She now spoke directly to her daughter, who was whimpering in her arms. She clutched Angel closed to her, as though trying to merge her into her chest, where she'd be safe again.
"I know you're in here. There's no use trying to hide from me!" A high, cold voice called out.
Alice bit down on her lip and squeezed her eyes tight shut, fighting the urge not to scream in fear.
"Turn to face your lord and master, girl. Bow down to your Lord." Voldemort commanded, sweeping into the room.
Slowly, Alice put Angel down in her cot and turned to face her biggest fear.
"You are not my lord and master and I will never bow down to the likes of you." Alice fumed, glaring at the man who would end her life.
"Bow to me girl!" Voldemort shrilled. "Imperio!"
The Imperius Curse was not a wonderful feeling. It hurt, like electricity was running through her veins, taking control of her body. She could vaguely hear Angel bawling in the background but a different voice invaded her thoughts.
Bow to me Voldemort's voice hissed inside her head.
No!
Bow to me… the voice cooed.
"N-no." Alice rasped.
"Bow to me now girl or I'll crucio you!" Voldemort wailed.
"No." Alice's voice was becoming stronger despite the feeling of agony.
"This is my final warning girl!"
"I. Said. NO!" Alice bellowed, fully throwing of the imperious curse.
Voldemort let out a wordless shriek of anger and smacked the girl across the face, sending her into a wall.
"Bow to me or your girl dies!" Voldemort screamed.
Without hesitating Alice swept a low bow, looking over to Angel who sat up, staring at her mother with wide eyes.
"Good," The dark lord dragged out the word. "Now where is your wand?" He asked, raising his own.
"I'm not-"
"GIVE ME YOUR WAND OR THE GIRL DIES!" He shrieked.
"You leave her alone!" Alice yelled, stepping in front of her baby.
"GIVE IT TO ME!"
"NEVER!" she cried out defiantly.
"CRU-" he seemed to go into slow motion suddenly as Alice panicked.
"OBLIVIATE!" Alice screamed the first spell that came to her mind, pointing her wand at his snake-like face.
The spell hit him with such a force that he was thrown backwards into a wall, a black-framed mirror crashing down on top of his head. Alice stared at what she'd done, unable to tell if he was dead or not. He was definitely unconscious. Thoughts raced through Alice's head, scenarios where he woke up and killed everyone she loved as punishment.
Scared out of her wits, Alice snatched Angel up into her arms and ran out of the room and up the stairs to hide away from the man who would undoubtedly end them both.
"ALICE!" Oliver bellowed, crashing through the front door and scrambling over all the junk that blocked up the hallway.
"Oliver stop! He could still be here!" Remus cautioned, following him quickly.
"No! ALICE? ANGEL?" Oliver ran into the kitchen first.
It was exactly as he'd left it this morning. Spotlessly clean and incredibly green (Alice's favourite colour oddly enough, even though she was a Hufflepuff) with everything in its place. Of course it would be like this, he thought, she never goes in here. She would never hide in here. Not wasting another second, Oliver ran into the living room without waiting for the other Order Members to catch up.
"Well He's obviously still not here." Kingsley said as they followed him into the living room.
"Wrong."
There was a sharp intake of breath from the small crowd as they took in the semi-destruction of the living room and it's only remaining occupant whose head was still bleeding profusely from where he was unconscious against the wall.
"Is he dead?" Oliver's voice wavered, noticing some more blood on the sofa.
"No, just unconscious." Kingsley clarified, daring to venture close enough to find out.
"What do we do?" Mr Weasley asked, from by the door way.
"Kill him." Oliver growled, glaring Voldemort and trembling with anger.
"You don't know. She might still be alive. They both might." Remus put a reassuring hand on Oliver's shoulder.
"Killing him does seem like the appropriate thing to do though. We could end the war now." Tonks piped up.
"No. No. This doesn't seem right. It isn't supposed to end like this." Kingsley shook his head.
"Think of all the lives we could save." Tonks reminded him.
"No." Kingsley shook his head again. He couldn't believe it. They had the chance to end it all but it just seemed too… surreal to be real. Too impossible to be possible. No. Just no. Everything he'd thought of and prepared for, this big epic battle Dumbledore had warned him about and got him to plan for, it had to happen. It would happen. Someone would ensure it would, that was for certain.