Her whole body ached the next morning as her eyes fluttered open to the bright sun pouring into the bedroom. She rolled over in her bed, away from the window and pulled the sheets tightly over her head, but it was no use. She wasn't going to fall back asleep.

Serena sat up in the bed and pushed the blankets off of her. Cool air greeted her skin as she looked around the empty bedroom. She honestly wasn't surprise to find herself alone that morning. When she had returned home extremely late last night, Parrish was already in bed asleep, and he had to get up early to go to the Ministry for his Auror training.

She moaned with pain as she stood up. Her back was killing her. She looked down at her bare shoulders and cringed at the thin white scar that had already formed on her flesh from last night's offense. She didn't bother to put on any pants and walked out of the bedroom in her tank top and underwear.

Kendra's bedroom door was still shut tight, and as she walked down the stairs the smell of pancakes greeted her nose. She smiled; Parrish was still home.

If there was one thing Serena had learned about her boyfriend over the last year it was that he was an amazing cook and put Serena to shame. He was standing in the kitchen when she entered it, leaning over the stove and flipping flap jacks while he hummed. Serena smiled and wrapped her arms around him from behind and kissed his tee shirt covered shoulder blades.

"Good morning Surry," he said to the stove. She squeezed her arms around him and then slide around his body, separating him from his cooking. "I'm going to burn your breakfast."

"It's alright," she said with a smile. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and stood on her toes to kiss his lips good morning. He smiled against her soft full lips and continued to flip the pancakes as they kissed tenderly.

"You were out late," he said once they had broken apart and Serena had left his arms to retrieve orange juice from the refrigerator.

"I know," she said pouring some juice into two cups. "Adhara and I caught Mick Glory."

Parrish looked at her.

"Did you?" he said. "Did you save the girl from your premonition?"

Serena frowned deeply. They hadn't, and the girl's death put another tally on Serena's lost-persons record, which out weighed her saved-persons record by a large margin. Serena had visions since she was in her third year at Hogwarts, and ever since she had only saved Parrish from death, twice. Of all the people she had seen die, tortured, and threatened she had saved one. It did not help her self esteem very much.

"It's alright, Serena," Parrish said seeing the looking in her eyes. "You're not meant to save everyone."

"You keep telling me that," she whispered going to the kitchen table. "But now I'm starting to wonder if I'm meant to save anyone…What about Amelia? Should I even bother to try and save her—"

"We've talked about that before," he said looking at her very seriously. "You haven't heard or seen Amelia since your vision on the platform a month ago. And you haven't had the vision since. Stop worrying about Amelia."

"I saw her last night, Parrish," Serena whispered softly. She put her head in her hands and then looked up again. "She warned Glory that Adhara and I were coming. We tried to catch her but she got away. I'm not really sure what to think of it."

Parrish sat down at the table and took Serena's hand.

"Amelia can take care of herself."

"If I had that vision I think I'm supposed to try and save her."

"Personally," said Adhara walking into the kitchen from the living room. Serena hadn't noticed her before, but assumed she had slept on the couch, like she often did. "I don't think Amelia can be saved. She's a Death Eater now."

"You don't know that for sure," Serena shook her head.

"She's closer then you would be," Adhara said. "I bet she's about to be tattooed with the Dark Mark."

Serena looked down at her own forearm and saw the Dark Mark on her flesh. It was faded, not nearly as dark as it had been when she first received it her fifth year. She blinked and looked at Adhara, who of course was wearing a black long sleeve blouse, covering her Dark Mark, and a black glove to cover the tattoo on her hand of snakes devouring each other. She always wore gloves. She argued that it made her job a little cleaner.

"I don't think you should waste your energy on worrying about Amelia," said Adhara. "You have more important things to worry about."

"Like what?" Serena questioned.

"Your training."

Serena rolled her eyes.

"Don't you think I proved myself last night?"

"No," Adhara said. "I had to kill Glory. You should have been able to at least stun him."

"He was a full grown man, and a fully trained wizard! He had the upper hand!"

"You're not always going to come up against people you can beat Serena," Adhara said grabbing a pancake and going to the basement door. "You're not always going to have the upper hand. I'll be waiting."

Adhara disappeared down into the basement, pulling the door shut tightly behind her. Serena rolled her eyes and put her head in her hand.

"Doesn't she have somewhere deadly to be?"

Parrish smiled and stroked Serena's long brown curly hair.

"This is her job right now," he whispered. "But speaking of jobs, I have to get going."

"You're not going to stay and eat breakfast with me?"

"You got up too late," he said kissing her cheek sweetly. "I'll be home so we can have dinner together, alright?"

Serena nodded and cradled his face in her hands. She smiled and kissed his lips.

"I love you," she whispered.

"And I you," he said rubbing her cheek with the back of his hand. "Don't keep your aunt waiting."

Serena rolled her eyes again and stood up as Parrish pulled his cloak around him. She went to the counter and ate some quick breakfast, standing up. He came up behind her and kissed the back of her neck gently to say good bye.

"Be good," he said in her ear.

"You too," she said. "And be safe."

"I think I'll be safer then you."

"Don't remind me," Serena said.

"Good bye," he said.

"Bye."

Serena watched as Parrish went out the back door and made his way around the house on the garden path. She frowned slightly and finished her breakfast, then went upstairs to get changed. Adhara was waiting, and if she kept her waiting much longer she'd be impatient and harsh in their lesson.

When Serena arrived in the basement, Adhara was sitting in the middle of the room with her legs crossed under her and her hands resting softly on her knees. Her eyes were closed tight, and her brown hair, much like Serena's, was tied back in a ponytail. Serena looked at her aunt, wondering if she should take advantage of the fact that Adhara was very vulnerable at the moment.

"Why did you take so long?"

Adhara's voice was quiet, almost a whisper, and Serena had a hard time hearing her. She wrapped an ace bandage around her right palm and wrist as she looked at her aunt.

"I was getting dressed."

"Parrish left?"

"Yes," Serena said stretching her legs out. "He'll be back for dinner."

"Are you going to make it for him like a good little house wife?" Adhara's eyes opened and gave Serena a very teasing, rude, look.

"I'm not a house wife," Serena said. "I thought that obviously when he made me breakfast. And," she held her hand out in front of her. "I don't recall being married."

"Come on," Adhara said standing up easily. "We have work to do."

"Why?" Serena said slouching. "Can't we take a day off? We did just kill a vicious Death Eater last night…doesn't that count for training?"

"We didn't train yesterday," Adhara said strictly. "Because we were going to catch a vicious Death Eater. We have to make up for lost time…"

"Lost time? I wouldn't call yesterday lost time."

Adhara pulled a dagger from the belt loop on the back of her pants and threw it across the basement at Serena who barely ducked out the way. Serena stood up straight glaring at her aunt, looking at her like she was completely crazy.

"You should have seen that coming," Adhara said rubbing her hands together and massaging her palms. "If you were using your Legilimency powers like you were trained to."

"I don't like using them."

"When someone has you at their wand tip, and your life hangs in the balance, are you not going to kill them just because you don't like killing people?" Adhara said coldly. Serena didn't like the way Adhara was talking to her like she was stupid.

"I won't kill just to kill—"

"I don't do that," Adhara said. "It comes down to a survival, Serena. And I'd rather live then die, even if it means I have to kill someone else."

"Killing makes you no better then a Death Eater."

"Death Eaters kill for different reasons then I do," Adhara said softly. "It's the reason that makes them evil, Serena, not the action."

Serena rolled her eyes. The conversation with Adhara was making her more upset as it went on. She was almost tempted to turn and leave the basement; she didn't want to deal with Adhara and her crap.

"I don't have time for this," Serena said. She turned and began to walk away.

"You don't have time to learn how to be an Auror?" Adhara questioned.

Serena ignored her and began to ascend the staircase. There was a weird feeling prickling through her body. She could feel something flying towards her, and she turned sharply at just the right angle as another silver dagger flew by her, and missed her right ear. The dagger slammed into the railing on the stairs, stuck in the wood. Serena turned glaring at Adhara.

"You could have killed me—"

"But I didn't," Adhara said pulling another dagger from her boot. She threw it at Serena, who managed to grab it by the blade, right out of the air and threw it back at Adhara. Adhara ducked down out of the way of the dagger. It hit the wall behind her and fell to the ground with a loud clang. Adhara looked at the dagger and back at Serena with raised eyebrows. Serena looked just as surprised as Adhara. She had never done that before; she hadn't even been taught to do it before.

"Where'd you learn to do that?" Adhara asked.

"I-I don't know, I didn't…" Serena put her hand to her throat. The weird feeling was still prickling through her body. She looked at her aunt with a frown. Adhara was looking at Serena with some concern.

"Are you sure you don't want to continue training today?"

"No," Serena said. "What were we going to study today?"

"Dagger throwing," Adhara said with a small sarcastic smile formed on her face. Serena rolled her eyes; it appeared that Adhara was still full of her usual sarcasm.

"Alright," Serena said shrugging off her anger. "Let's begin."

Adhara pulled out her wand and waved it in front of her. A series of daggers appeared in front of her in a long line, floating in arms reach. Serena moved towards them, looking at the long skinny daggers and the shorter fat daggers.

"This is a ballock dagger," she pointed at a long skinny blade with a detailed hilt. "Here we have a baselard, a quillion dagger, ear dagger, and a rondel dagger. They're rather ancient, and not many people use them today but they can be useful. You can have double edged daggers, like the rondel here…or single edged. It really comes down to a matter of preference—"

"How about stars?"

Adhara blinked and looked at Serena.

"Excuse me?"

"Throwing stars?"

"No," Adhara shook her head. "We don't use those."

Serena frowned and crossed her arms over her chest.

"One of my personal favorites," Adhara continued waving her wand. The daggers disappeared and two new ones appeared. "The sica, an ancient Roman dagger, is curved and hides well under clothing."

"You wear tight clothing, where would you possibly hide that?"

Adhara glared at Serena.

"Under a cloak, usually under my arm here," Adhara said taping the side of her torso under her arm and above the hip. "My other favorite, is this one." Adhara took the silver dagger with black hilt and held it in her hand. "The Winchester riot dagger. You of course don't need to use these, but we'll start with them."

Serena nodded her head and took the sica from its floating position in front of Adhara.

"You can throw this one?"

"You can throw any of them," Adhara said as she turned to face the wall of the basement. She waved her wand and a target appeared on the wall. Serena glanced at her aunt.

"Are you conjuring those?"

Adhara nodded. She held the Winchester dagger in her hand by the tip and threw it at the target.

"That's it?"

Adhara nodded. Serena frowned and took the sica the same way that Adhara had. She didn't think her aunt was the greatest teacher, in the least bit. Serena didn't know how to throw it.

"How do I throw it?"

"You just throw it."

"But how?"

Adhara looked at her niece with annoyance.

"What do you mean, how? You just throw it."

"Well, like a baseball, a stick, how do you throw it?"

"With some flick."

"With some flick," Serena repeated sarcastically. "Right, well that helps thanks."

"Just throw it and we'll go from there."

Serena threw the sica sharply, letting her anger out with the throw. The blade flipped through the air and slammed into the target, hitting the center. Adhara looked at Serena.

"Are you sure you weren't taught any of this?"

"Yes," Serena said crossing her arms over her chest. "My Mother wasn't the throwing dagger type. Maybe I'm just that good."

Adhara said nothing and looked at Serena very seriously.

"Well, if you already know how to do it," Adhara said. "Then we're done for today."

"What?"

"I have nothing else today," Adhara repeated. "I have some of my own work I have to do. So, we'll continue when I get back."

"What are you going to do?"

Adhara looked at Serena very seriously. The look on her face said flat out that what she was going to do was really none of Serena's business. She crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'm going hunting," she said flatly.

"For?"

"Death Eaters," Adhara said turning and grabbing her stuff. She put her daggers in their holsters, and in her boots and made her way to the stairs. She pulled the last dagger out of the wooden railing with force and slid it into her boot.

"I can't go with you?"

"No," Adhara said flatly. "I'll be back in a couple of days."

"Well bye."

"Bye," Adhara said walking up the stairs.

Serena frowned deeply. She was happy to see her aunt go, but she thought Adhara had left a little too quickly for comfort. The whole situation had been weird from the moment Serena caught the dagger and threw it back at Adhara. She looked at her hands and frowned slightly. Was something wrong with her?

"Serena?" came Kendra's voice from upstairs. "What are you doing down there?"

"Nothing," Serena called back. "I'm coming up."

She crossed her arms over her chest and looked around the basement, then slowly mounted the steps and began to walk up them. Her mind was still on Adhara and her sudden exit. She wondered why Adhara had left so quickly. Did it have anything to do with Serena's sudden, quick skill, or was it just mere coincidence?

Kendra looked at Serena from the kitchen counter where she was pouring herself some milk as Serena closed the door tightly behind her. She sighed and brushed her hand through her hair.

"What were you doing down there?" Kendra asked as she batted a fly away from her head.

"Just training," Serena whispered. "Throwing daggers around…you know, same old, same old."

Kendra nodded slowly.

"Adhara left already?"

Serena nodded and sat down at the kitchen table.

"How'd it go last night?"

"Alright," Serena said softly. "Amelia showed up."

"Why was she there?" Kendra sat down across from Serena with her glass of milk and looked at her older sister with concern.

"She's a Death Eater, Kendra," Serena whispered. "She came to warn Glory that Adhara and I were coming."

Kendra frowned.

"I still think there's some good in her."

"I don't know so much anymore."

"I don't think we should give up on her."

Serena shrugged and said nothing. The silence between the two sisters was awkward, as most silence that followed a conversation concerning Amelia often did. The only sound in the kitchen was that of the buzzing fly, zipping by their ears. Serena looked out the near by window and watched as the summer sun beat down on the field behind the house. Kendra's voice brought her mind back to the inside of the house after a few more moments.

"Have you had anymore visions of her?" Kendra's voice was soft, almost a whisper, and Serena knew that she was referring to visions of Amelia's death.

"No," Serena said. "I haven't."

"Well that's good then, isn't it?"

"Just because I don't have many of them doesn't mean it's not going to happen Kendra," Serena said very carefully.

"Are you going to save her?"

Serena wasn't surprised by the question, but her insides squirmed and she took too long to answer. Kendra frowned at her silence and Serena sighed.

"Of course I'm going to try and save her," she whispered. "You know that I'd try."

"When it comes to Amelia, I'm not so sure," Kendra stood up with her glass of milk and walked down the hall heading towards the stairs. Serena frowned and put her head in her hands. She didn't like that life was so stressful. Her body was filling with anger about Amelia, and at Kendra for thinking Serena should save Amelia no matter what.

The sharp buzz of the fly reached Serena's ear and she batted at it in annoyance. The fly seemed to taunt her and flew away from her, across the kitchen. Serena stood up and went to the drawers of silverware. She pulled out a steak knife and stood still, watching as the fly flew around the kitchen. She waited until she could see him clearly, then threw the knife swiftly. It hit the wall and stuck in the wood. Serena moved forward and pulled the steak knife out of the wall forcefully. She looked at the tip and smiled with satisfaction at the bug guts on the end.