~Chapter 2~

1996

It was cold windy night, calm and quiet as could be. To the muggles in the surrounding area it was a perfectly normal, though particularly lovely, evening. But to the witches and wizards assembled in Grimmauld Place, it was merely the deep breath before the plunge, the dark forces surrounding them growing stronger and more powerful day-by-day. Not just with Voldemort. Oh no. If anything, he was taking the back seat these days. No, the Ministry of Magic and all other witches and wizard's growing fear was that of a new force: A witch who seemed to have appeared from nowhere, with no allegiances to good or bad. That was probably what terrified and attracted them the most. An amazingly powerful witch, who would be an incredible asset to either side, yet played on her own part of the battlefield completely for herself. It was this mysterious witch who was the focus on the Order's mind this night.

"How? How could she break into Durmstrang? It is completely unheard of!" exclaimed a baffled Mad-Eye Moody, pacing around the room, occasionally glancing at Professor Dumbledore for answers.

"The strongest protection spells known were placed upon Durmstrang. Not to mention all the aurors assigned there. Perhaps it wasn't the witch. It could have been Voldemort. It seems something he would have done." Suggested Arthur Weasley hopefully. He, like all the others in the room desperately tried to convince themselves that it was the dark lord's doing. Not the witch that no one knew nothing about.

"No. It had to be her. It couldn't have been Voldemort. The dark mark was no present and the assassinated victim's causes of death do not match the victims of Voldemort and his followers. Voldemort prefers a quick, clean death. Occasionally with a cruciatus curse, depending on his mood or victim, but that's it. He goes no further. The Durmstrang victims all had slow, agonizingly painful deaths. Almost as though it was done by an expert. Whoever this witch is, she knows the best ways to kill someone and appears to enjoy it." Kingsley conjured a few photos of the crime scene and the victims. Sure enough, all victims had clearly suffered till their last places. Some had limbs scattered everywhere, their faces mutilated beyond recognition, at least, those who still had faces.

"She's also quite the expert at breaking into buildings. She managed to lift all protection charms long enough to slip in through a window. She knew exactly where the spells would be the weakest and even managed to place stronger wards around the castle to prevent reinforcements from coming in. This is not a witch we should cast off to the side so lightly. Our focus should be learning her identity and gathering all the information we can about her. Added Minerva, from her usual place by Albus' side.

"What did she steal?" asked Mundungus, his curiousity at a peak.

"We're not sure yet. The other aurors and the Durmstrang headmaster are still trying to figure it all out." Tonks replied.

"And you're positive she isn't one of Voldemort's followers?" asked Hermione from the corner of the room, where she sat with the other teenagers.

Snape rolled his eyes. "Are you deaf or just thick, Granger? I've just said this not five minutes ago." He turned to the adult members of the Order. "This is what happens when you allow children to be part of the Order." He smirked as he noticed the four teens glaring at him.

Minerva glared at Severus venomously while Albus placed a hand on her leg underneath the table, calming her down, proceeding to answer Hermione's question. "Yes, . Voldemort is just as baffled at this new witch's appearance as we are, although he is quite impressed by the tasks she has accomplished in the two weeks since her first appearance. I am quite sure that in the event he does come across her, he will make her an offer she will more than likely not refuse, which makes it even more imperative that we find her before he does.

Remus conjured a map of the U.K. on the blackboard in front of them. "From what we've gathered so far, this mysterious witch has a liking for hard liquor late at night." He filled in dots of popular pubs and bars.

"Well who wouldn't want a nice drink after murdering a mass of people?" said Mundungus jokingly, recoiling when all pairs of eyes in the room glared at him.

"I say we all spend our evenings canvassing these bars and the neighborhoods around it. Someone may have spotted her or know something about her." Suggested Remus.

"Haven't they seen a picture of her yet? I mean, wouldn't the Prophet have a added a photo of her to the Break-In article?" asked Harry.

"The Ministry wouldn't dare allow news of the break-in to leak to the public. Not when Voldemort's gaining power. It would cause to much of a panic. Why, they haven't even reported the mini break-ins she's done in the Ministry. The public doesn't even know the mysterious witch exists." Stated Kingsley

Harry gaped and was about to say something quite nasty about the Ministry when Remus cut him off.

"It could be quite advantageous on our side. Knowing that no one knows of her existence, the witch won't feel the need to disguise herself, opening many possibilities of answers for us."

The clock chimed three times signaling that it was now ten o'clock. Dumbledore stood and raised his hands and all side chatter ceased. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I think we'll close the meeting here. Now, the pubs where her presence has been detected the most have been 'The Three Broomsticks' and 'The Leaky Cauldron'. We shall all take shifts canvassing. With any luck, we'll at least be able to find out a name." After deciding that it will be Tonks, Moody, Arthur, and Mundungus in charge of canvassing for that evening, the Order called it a night and went their separate ways.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

While the threat of the mysterious witch lingered heavily on the rest of the Order's mind, two members at Hogwarts had it pushed to the back of their mind, for they had more pressing matters occupying their minds for the time being.

"I can't believe this is finally happening. After all those years of trying, and all those potions and spells…." Said Minerva as she sat on the bed with her back resting against the headboard, lost in thought.

Albus changed into his nightwear and slipped under the covers next to her, laying on his side so he could look straight into her eyes. He reached for her hand and brought it up to his mouth, kissing it gently. "It is a bit unexpected but to be honest my dear, I'm couldn't be more thrilled that this happened."

"Albus, if it were any other time but now, I would be ecstatic. But Voldemort is growing stronger than ever and we've got the threat of this new witch hanging over our heads. The timing just couldn't be any worse." Minerva tore her gaze away from Albus and focused on her hands folded delicately on her lap.

Albus sat up and cupped Minerva's face, forcing her to meet his gaze. "Minerva we tried diligently for thirty years with all sorts of potions and spells and were unsuccessful. Now, without any sort of aid and just our love, we managed to fulfill our greatest wish and desire. I think there's a reason for that, Min. Yes, the timing and circumstances aren't the best but it does not matter. Yes, it will be difficult, probably one of the hardest tasks we have ever faced, but we can do anything together. I truly believe that."

Minerva looked at him for a moment and smiled, leaning over to kiss him. "You're right, as usual, love. It's just, I'm so worried about everything, all the darkness threatening to surround us…."

Albus placed a finger on her lips, gently silencing her. "Minerva, we can't let our fear control us. That would be giving in and that's exactly what Voldemort wants." He laid a hand on her abdomen. "This child is a tiny miracle, a candle in the darkness."

Minerva covered his hand with her's. "Our little miracle." She whispered.

"Indeed." Albus declared before capturing her lips once more.

Little did they know the fate destined for their "miracle". For in the near future, they would learn that their miracle was anything but that and would reveal to be more of a curse and would be their downfall. It was only a matter of time.