My name is Lacey Winters, and I was in my seventh year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry during the last part of the Second Wizarding War. Snape was the headmaster, and being a prominent member of Dumbledore's Army put me on the bad side of the Carrow twins. Every chance they got, they tortured Neville, Ginny, Seamus, Lunna and myself, trying to get us to give up the DA. Most of my days were spent hiding in the Room of Requirement, when I wasn't helping Neville, and Seamus with the student rebellion or saving younger students from the Carrows. I had just had another run-in with Amycus, had been kept in a classroom and tortured for hours. It was Seamus who had come to rescue me. By the time he was able to get me out of there I was so weak that he had to carry me, bridal-style, back to the Room of Requirements. As soon as we came in, Neville and Ginny came rushing over.

"Oh my Merlin!" Ginny exclaimed as Seamus set me on one of the many beds. Neville ran to get me some herbs to dull the pain. Seamus turned to walk away from me, I reached for his hand, but pain shot up my arm. I screamed, making him turn back and rush to sit on the bed at my side.

"Lace, what is it? What hurts?" he panicked. I smiled up weakly at him, cradling my arm to my chest where there was a long cut from Amycus. I layed back resting my head back on the pillows, after Neville gave me a remedy for my injuries. "Rest now, Lacey," I wanted to protest, but I was too weak.

I was woken to Seamus brushing my hair from my face. It felt like I had only slept a couple of hours, "Sleep well?" he asked. I nodded, sitting up.

"What's going on?" I asked as I saw a crowd of people at one part of the room, near the portrait.

"Harry's back, it's starting." I stood from the bed and walked toward the trio. Harry looked at me with pain in his eyes.

"Oh Merlin!" Ron said, "What happened to your face?" Hermione elbowed him in the ribs. Harry stepped towards me, holding a hand out to touch my face. I could see the jelousy in Ginny's eyes. His finger traced along the gash on my face, I pulled away when my head began to throb with pain.

"Lacey, who did this?" he said, barely above a whisper. I looked down at my feet. Seamus spoke, knowing I wasn't quiete ready to talk about it.

"Amycus Carrow. Lacey went out the other night to distract the Carrows while I freed some students that were in the dungeons. By the time we realized she was missing, and had found where they were torturing her... She didn't even scream wen they cursed her, she was so weak. I should-" I cut him off.

"I was on the ground, writhing under the Cruciatus curse. I saw Seamus, and gave him the signal to not do anything," I explained, "I didn't want them to get him too." Harry put a hand on either side of my face and kissed the cut.

"She was under that curse for a long time, I'm surprised that she didn't end up like my parents..." Neville said. I turned to him, forcing a smile on my face, pulling him into a hug, wincing when he hugged too tightly back, "Sorry," he mumbled into my hair, loosening his grip.

"What are we waiting for? Let's do this!" I yelled, pumping one fist into the air.

"Are you sure you can do this?" Seamus questioned, concern lacing his voice.

"Yes," I nodded, "But Amycus is mine."

As events unfolded, Slytherins scattered as the rest of us fought to defend the school. I stayed close to Seamus and Neville for as long as I could, not tryingto go looking for Amycus until I was sure that I would have the strength to face him a second time today. Seamus kept a weary eye on me at all times, so that if I decided to spontaneously combust he could step up to help. I disarmed yet another Death Eater. Fighting beside me was a fellow student, Colin Creevey, who has always been obsessed with Harry. I remember when he was a first year, had a camera permanently attached to his head.

He was running after a Death Eater that looked twice his age, and he was barely of age. I ran after him to try and help make sure he didn't do anything stupid.

"Colin! Stop!" I yelled, "Get back here!" I was hot on his heels, wand at the ready. The Death Eater stopped suddenly, turning on Colin. Colin pulled up his wand, but wasn't fast enough.

"Avada Kaderva!" he cursed. I watched as Creevey went rigid and crumpled to the ground.

"NO!" I screamed, raising my wand, "AVADA KADERVA!" Until this moment, I hadn't killed a single person even having dueled half a dozen wizards that day. I heard a voice, Voldemort's voice. It sounded like he was talking over an intercom. The fighting was stopping, temporarily, so that we could collect the dead. Tears came to my eyes as I looked at Colin and the unknown man I had murdered. Sinking to the ground beside Colin, I placed his head in my lap and ran my fingers through his hair.

"Lacey! Lace, where are you!?" I heard Seamus and Neville yelling. I saw them running toward me, Oliver Wood not that far behind. Seamus was by my side in an instant, unnecassarily apparating the hundred feet between us.

"Are you okay?" Seamus asked, pulling me to my feet and into a hug and wiping my tears.

"He's- I-" I couldn't even tell him. Neville knelt down beside Collin.

"It's Colin Creevey," he told Seamus, "We've got him, you take her back up to the castle." I was swept up and carried for the second time today by Seamus. As we entered the Great Hall, I saw all the dead lined up and everyone standing around, mourning. I recognized a face here and there. Seamus set me down then sat next to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. I leaned in.

"Colin-he-he ran off after a Death Eater, and I w-went after him," I stuttered, "He wasn't fast enough to block the curse, neither was I... I killed a man, Seamus. I'm a m-murderer..."

"Shh..." he pulled me closer. We stayed like that for awhile, then we heard that Harry had gone to face Voldemort.

When we saw Hagrid, crying and holding Harry's lifeless body. Time seemed to stand still as I stood there, Seamus' hand in mine. Neville stood at the front, taking the role of head as he had when Harry had left Hogwarts the previous year.

"You show spirit and bravery, and you come of noble stock. You will make a very valuable Death Eater. We need your kind, Neville Longbottom," Voldemort said, more like hissed.

"I'll join you when hell freezes over! Dumbledore's Army!" Neville yelled. We all shouted our support . From there thing happened so fast, Neville pulled the Gryffindor sword out of the sorting hat he had been forced to wear for defying Voldemort. With one stroke of the sword, he killed Nagini, Voldemorts giant snake, further weakening him. Harry was gone, no longer in Hagrids arms. He was alive! And the fighting commenced. I saw Amycus in the crowd of Death Eaters. I headed straight for the Carrow that had taken pleasure in torturing me every chance he got during this past term. He rose his wand to try and stop me, but I was already upon him.

"Expeliarmus!" his wand flew from his hand, "Stupify!" I yelled curse after curse, making him feel my pain. "Crucio!" I watched as he writhed in pain, screaming in agony. I held the curse, not nearly as long as he deserved. Raising my wand to him one last time, I said the killing curse, ending him forever. He could no longer hurt me, or anyone else for that matter.

"You bitch!" heard Alecto scream at the sight of her brothers limp body on the courtyard floor. Before I could raise my wand in defense, she had cursed me.

"Crucio!" I fell to the ground, it felt like all my bones were breaking and the inside of my body was on fire. I fought back a scream, not wanting to give her that satiosfaction. This only angered her released me from the curse, only to shout another.

"Sectum Sempra!"

It wasn't the curse I had expected. My skin split open all over my body. My breath caught in my lungs for a second as I lay there still on the stone of the courtyard floor. I felt each cut feel like it every cut got deeper with every breath I took. Alecto walked over to me, pulled me up by my hair.

"You don't deserve the quick death, that the killing curse provides," she whispered in my ear, and threw me back onto the stone. My head collide with the ground. I was dying, slowly bleeding out. I needed the counter curse...

"Lacey!" I heard Seamus yell, my vision was starting to get fuzzy. I felt him pick me up and pull me into his lap, cradling me like a little child that woke up from a nightmare, rather than living it. "What curse did she use?" When I didn't answer he cupped my face with one hand, "I can't save you unless you tell me!" I began to cough, a wet cough. I felt the blood on my lips.

"Se-" I kept coughing, "Sectum-" more blood, "Sempra." I knew he didn't know the counter curse, only one person that I could think of knew the counter curse, and he was dead. Snape...

"Stay with me, Lacey," Seamus whispered, "This is gonna hurt," he picked me up again and ran for the great Hall. Seering pain surged through my body with every step he took. Its amazing that nothing hit him, no curse or hex... We entered the Great Hall, Seamus was yelling, begging for help. He layed me on the ground, brushing the hair out of my face. He was covered in my blood, I felt weaker, then he rose to his feet and ran for help. Madame Pomfrey was practically dragged to me. They were talking, but I couldn't make out the words. I was shivering, the blood loss was making me cold, but not numb. I felt Seamus holding my hand. Slowly I faded into darkness...

I no longer felt any pain. I felt warm, no longer cold and tired. I felt Seamus' hand. Opening my eyes I saw a light, after a few seconds my eyes adjusted and a saw Seamus smiling down at me.

"Am I dead?" He laughed at me, shaking his head, "Thank Merlin, because that would mean you were too."

"We won, Lacey. Voldemort is dead. I killed Alecto too," he told me. I smiled, sitting up quickly. The blood rushed to my head, Seamus pulled me into a hug as a way to steady me.

"You always save me," I stated.

"I always will," he smiled, not letting go.