She was racing down the hallways of Hogwarts. Explosions, screams and spells were going off everywhere; every corner she turned, every hall she entered; She had to dodge a few flying bricks as poorly aimed spells dismembered walls and doors. A few jets of red and green light flew by her, but she didn't care. She had to find Parrish, he was running out of time...
"Good morning," someone's voice was rather loud and obnoxious, making Serena want to lash out and yell at them for rudely awakening her from her dream. But when she opened her eyes and she felt a small body placed on hers she realized it was Amber, her older sister. Amber had wisely placed, Galen, her son, on Serena's chest so she wouldn't sit up and smack Amber for waken her.
"Oh," Amber said. "Maybe I should have knocked."
"Yea," Parrish said as Serena opened her eyes. He sounded a little annoyed, but when she looked at him she saw him roll over pulling the sheets up to his chest. Amber's pale blue eyes looked at Serena with a smile.
"I'll wait downstairs."
"Take your son," Serena said picking up the seven month old. Galen giggled and smiled at his aunt, and Serena couldn't help but smile back. Amber took her son from Serena.
"Sorry for interrupting," she smiled.
"No you're not," Serena said. Amber shrugged and left the bedroom. Serena looked around the sunlight room and smiled as she stretched out her arms and let the sheets fall off of her bare chest. She laid back down, pressing her body against Parrish's and wrapped her arm around his body.
"I hate your sisters sometimes," Parrish muttered.
"You and me both," Serena said with a smile. She kissed Parrish's shoulder. "Good morning."
"It is good isn't it," he said rolling over and looking at her. He brushed her cheeks and kissed her lips. "I wish I didn't have to go into work."
"Call in sick."
"Can't," he whispered. "You know that."
"I do know that," she said. "And it's selfish of me to beg you to stay here with me and my family."
"Not selfish," he shook his head. "I want it too."
"But you also want to be an Auror," Serena sat up and got out of the bed. Parrish remained in it and laid on his side watching Serena as she moved around the room to get dressed.
"Why don't you join the program?"
"They won't take me because I haven't finished school," she said softly. "And I'm underage."
"For another two weeks," he said slowly. He was watching her with smiling eyes as she bent over and pulled on a pair of black underwear and then a black lace bra. She moved from the dresser to the closet and disappeared into it, but she continued to talk as she went.
"You know better then anyone, Parrish, that they won't take me with out N.E.W.T.s," Serena said from inside the closet. She appeared in a tight red tank top, and plaid white and black short shorts. She went to the dresser and tied her hair up in a ponytail. "And I'm not going to have them."
"You're good enough that you don't need them."
"I don't know," Serena said kneeling on the bed. Parrish rubbed his hand on her smooth thigh and then kissed her flesh very softly.
"I know."
"Adhara won't let me, until she thinks I've completed her training anyways," Serena shrugged. "So what's the point of trying to get in now? When I'm as good as Adhara they'll have to take me."
Parrish nodded his head and kissed Serena's thigh again.
"Will you stop that," she giggled getting off the bed. She pulled the sheets off of Parrish's body and smiled at his gorgeous nakedness. "Time to get up. I'll make you breakfast."
She knew that would get him out of bed as she walked to the door.
"I'll be down in a minute!" he yelled as she left the room, closing the door. "Don't start cooking until I get down there!"
When Serena arrived in the kitchen she found Amber cooking breakfast already. She frowned; Amber was a good cook. She had gained all of the domestic talents the girls' mother had; Serena had inherited the Auror talents, and Kendra the kindness. Serena had worked that all out years ago…Amelia, well there was nothing of Alice Belle in Amelia. Serena didn't think there was anything of her Father in Amelia either.
Kendra was sitting at the kitchen table, laughing and playing with Galen who shouted with glee when Serena entered the kitchen.
"Hey baby boy," she said going to the table and taking Galen from Kendra. "There's the man of my life."
"I heard that," said Parrish walking in as he finished buttoning up his purple shirt. Serena liked that shirt on him and she smiled. He kissed her cheek and Galen moved in, pushing Parrish away.
"He doesn't like to share," said Amber serving eggs onto three plates on the counter. "I didn't cook you any, Serena."
"Thanks," Serena said with appreciation. She hated eggs. The smell of them made her sick.
"The hash browns will be done in a second," Amber said turning back to the stove. Parrish poured himself a cup of coffee and a glass of orange juice for Serena. She thanked him as he handed it to her, and he sat down at the kitchen table.
"What are you doing here?" Serena asked bouncing Galen on her hip as Kendra got up and got her own glass of orange juice.
"Kendra wrote me this morning," Amber said. "And I had the day off work, I was going to stop by anyways."
"You wrote her?" Serena raised her eyebrows.
"About what happened last night," Kendra nodded sitting down.
"She's not my Mother, Kendra."
"Thanks for reminding me," Kendra said sitting down.
"She would have told me anyways," Amber said putting hash browns on the plates, and then strips of bacon. She managed to carry all four plates to the table at once and put them on the table. She sat down and Galen leaned towards her in Serena's arms. Amber smiled. "He knows who feeds him."
Serena let Amber take the baby and sat down next to Parrish who began to eat.
"But you're okay, Serena?"
"Yea," Serena nodded. "I'm fine."
"What did you see?"
"Nothing out of the ordinary," Serena said. Parrish glanced at her recognizing the wall she was putting up. "Death, destruction."
"That's not funny," said Amber.
"I didn't say it was."
"I wish you'd take these things a little more seriously," Amber said feeding Galen some eggs. "If you saw someone die you should warn them, or try to save them."
Serena looked at her older sister with dangerous eyes.
"I do take them seriously, Amber. And I do my best to keep those that I see in danger safe," she said defensively. "I don't see how they're really any of your business."
"If you see our Father, my godfather and my brother-in-law dead, I think it would be my business."
"How much did you tell her?" Serena looked sharply at Kendra.
Kendra shrugged in defense of herself.
"I told her when she got here that you had a vision of people dying at Hogwarts in a battle," she said. "I didn't realize that I shouldn't tell her. I thought she had a right to know that Father, Remus, Adhara and Fred were potentially going to die."
"I don't know if Father and Adhara were dead," Serena said. "I couldn't find them—" Her voice caught in her throat and she blinked. "Just like I couldn't find Parrish."
Parrish squeezed her hand.
"Nothing's going to happen to me," he said looking at her seriously. "Just like all of your other visions…I'm going to be fine." He smiled and pinched her cheek affectionately. His confidence did not comfort Serena. She had seen too many people die; too many get hurt, and too many murders to believe that everything was going to be okay.
"Either way," Amber said. "The point is you shouldn't be mad at her for telling me."
"I can be, because it was my vision. I should tell who I want to."
"You weren't going to tell me?"
"That's not the point, Amber."
"I think this argument is pointless," said Parrish.
"You obviously never had a sister," Amber said.
The whole kitchen went silent except for Galen who was moaning and sighing for more food. Serena glared at her older sister and Amber looked pale and regretful.
"I'm sorry, Parrish," she said quickly as he stood up. "I didn't mean—"
"It's alright," he said. He was too much of a gentleman to defend himself to her. "Don't worry about it. Thank you for breakfast." He put his plate in the sink and came back to the table, giving Serena a kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you later tonight."
"Bye," Serena said.
"See you, Galen," Parrish said pinching the boy's cheek and walking down the hall. He disappeared up stairs to finish collecting his stuff, and when he came back down he went out the front door. Once the door was shut Serena looked at Amber sharply with harsh eyes.
"That was rude," she said.
"It just came out," Amber said. "I didn't mean to insult his deceased sister."
"Well you did," Serena stood up and put her own clean plate in the sink.
"I think we should be concerned about who attacked you last night," Kendra said changing the subject.
Serena frowned. She didn't want to think about who had attacked her last night. Obviously it was a Death Eater, but why? Why would a Death Eater want to force a psychic vision in Serena, if he couldn't see it? Did he know it was going to happen and wanted to send her a message?
"There isn't much to go on," Serena said leaning against the counter and crossing her arms over her chest. "Someone forced a vision in me by magic from the sounds of it. What else is there to really know?"
"Why they did it?" Kendra suggested.
"Unless you have an idea of who, I doubt we'll know why," Serena said. "I'm not worried about it. I don't think you two need to worry about it also."
"Fine," Kendra shrugged.
There was a silence around the kitchen as Amber and Kendra finished eating and Serena drank her orange juice. Amber spoke next.
"Kendra, I've been writing back and forth to Grandpa and Grandma in Ireland," she said slowly. "They want you to come back there to finish school."
Kendra blinked and looked at Amber with bewildered eyes.
"Why won't I go to Hogwarts?"
"Hogwarts isn't safe this year," Amber said softly. "With Dumbledore gone, Grandpa and Grandma don't want you to go to school there."
"Have they decided on a new Headmaster?" Serena asked.
"I would assume, McGonagall would take charge at Hogwarts," Amber said. "But there is no guarantee of that. If the council is headed by mostly Death Eaters, you can bet that Snape will be taking charge. Anyways," she looked back at Kendra. "I think it's a good idea for you to go there to finish your schooling. Voldemort isn't active in Ireland at all, neither are the Death Eaters."
"But aren't we afraid that they'll come after me and Grandma and Grandpa because of Serena?" Kendra asked.
"They didn't last summer," Serena whispered.
"You can't just send me away."
"Father can send you away," Amber said very softly. "I've been in contact with him, he said that he'd come here to speak to you about it first. He wants to do what is best for you, and safest for you."
"Even if he sent me away to school, why wouldn't he send Serena away also? She has one year left!"
"She's training with Adhara," Amber said.
"That's not fair," Kendra snipped. Galen looked at her with wide eyes, then went back to playing with the eggs on his mother's forgotten plate.
"I don't make the rules, Kendra," shrugged Amber.
"Why are you telling me all of this?"
"I didn't want you to be blindsided when Father shows up here to talk to you about it."
"Well, gee, thanks," Kendra said standing up. She began to walk out of the kitchen and stopped, turning sharply and glaring at Amber. "You're not Mum you know, right Amber? I'm not your responsibility."
"I'm not acting like Mum! Grandpa and Grandma just wrote to me and I talked to Father about it—"
"—it's really known of your business. I can't believe that you would go to Dad before even telling me about it."
Kendra turned on her heel and marched up stairs, slamming her bedroom. Serena's eyes left the ceiling, where she was looking and stared at Amber.
"You sure know how to clear a room," Serena said.
"Oh, shut it," Amber snipped. "I didn't want to be the one to tell her."
"You didn't have to," Serena whispered. She blinked and thought about everything that was happening. Her family was divided: her mother was dead, Sirius, her Father, living in secret so everyone thought he was dead, Amelia was a Death Eater and practically married to Draco Malfoy, and now Kendra was going to be sent to Ireland. This is how Voldemort won his battles, he divided and conquered families. Serena bit her lip and glanced at Amber.
"When is Father coming?"
"I don't know," Amber shrugged. "Soon, I would assume. It's the beginning of July, and the Academy in Ireland starts at the end of August."
"She's right you know," Serena said sitting down with a sad frown. "It's not fair at all."
"No," Amber agreed. "It's not. I would want her here, but if she's safer in Ireland, I'd rather her be there. I'm sure Father feels the same way."
Serena nodded her head.
"Our family is divided, Amber," Serena muttered. "This is how Voldemort wants us…divided. The Weasley aren't sending Ginny away."
"They're sending her to Hogwarts," Amber whispered.
"They are? Then why don't we send Kendra to Hogwarts too?"
Amber shrugged.
"Ginny doesn't have any where else to go like Kendra does. We should just leave it up to Father."
Serena nodded.
"It's not really our choice anyways," she whispered. "You know, something odd happened yesterday."
"Oh yea?" Amber questioned with raised eyebrows.
"Kendra was defending Amelia, almost," Serena said. "I don't know if defending is the right word…"
"What happened?"
"She asked me if I had anymore visions of Amelia's death," Serena spoke the last word awkwardly and ringed her hands together. "I haven't, and I told her that. And so she asked, if I would try and save her. I didn't answer right away, and when I finally did, I said of course I would try." Amber looked grim at Serena's answer. She looked as grim as Kendra had been. "She said," Serena paused, bothered by the words. "Well, she said, when it came to Amelia she wasn't sure if I would try. And then she said that she thought there still had to be good left in her."
"And that's weird?"
"Kendra gave Amelia the cold shoulder more then we ever did," Serena said. "She didn't even recognize her as our sister a year ago. I just think it's odd that she's changed her mind so suddenly. That she's willing to accept, and possibly forgive Amelia."
"I don't think so," Amber said. "I mean it isn't a sudden change. She's had time to think it over and consider that maybe she doesn't really hate Amelia. What came off as hatred at first, and complete disowning of Amelia may have just been a rash act of rage. Maybe she's realized that her efforts are better spent hoping that Amelia is good deep down, and perhaps helping Amelia see that."
"You think Kendra is trying to help Amelia?"
"No," she said. "I don't see how she could…but the point is that she's probably not as bitter as she used to be because she's older and not as rash as she used to be. She's growing up."
"So I'm not?"
"You're not as bitter as you used to be either," Amber said. "Well, you're still ruthless to Amelia's face, but I can see it sometimes that you want to save her. You want to forgive her, even if it's not for you or her but for Mum and Dad."
Serena nodded and bit her bottom lip.
"Yea," she whispered. "I guess that's it."
Amber nodded.
"I know it is."
There was a crashing sound that broke the silence of that had fallen between Serena and Amber in the kitchen. Galen let out a shrill cry at the sound of breaking glass, and his mother jumped up pulling her wand from her robe pocket. Serena pulled her own wand out of her back belt loop and looked around the kitchen.
"You don't use magic unless you have to," Amber said in a warning tone. Serena rolled her eyes and nodded. Serena motioned for Amber to pass over Galen, so she could got down the hall first to where the noise had come from, and Amber did so. Galen squirmed and cried in Serena's arms as his mother moved slowly, like a cat, down the hall leading to the front entrance of the house. Amber let out a sigh when her eyes fell on something in the sitting room of the house.
"Parrish," she said dropping her wand hand to her side. "What are you doing?"
Amber's eyes grew large and she dashed forward into the living room. Amber's expression stamped fear into Serena and she moved down the hall quickly.
In the sitting room, Parrish had Apparated and landed on the glass coffee table. Amber moved into the room as Serena looked at her boyfriend with some panic. The white carpet of the living room was covered in bright red blood. Glass and wood lie around Parrish's bleeding and bruised body. His head was tilted to the side and his eyes barely open. Kendra appeared at the foot of the steps behind her.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"Take Galen," Serena handed the crying boy over to her sister and moved forward as Amber knelt next to Parrish. Serena knelt down next to her sister and boyfriend and leaned over him, looking at him closely. Panic struck her—it looked like last summer, before her sixth year when Parrish's Father had hit him with a spell that had split him open…there was so much blood and it was staining the white carpet, Amber's pale pink shirt and Parrish's pale skin.
"We have to get him to St. Mungo's," Serena whispered. "We have to…Amber…we have to go!"
Amber nodded.
"I'll take him," she said. "You follow. Kendra stay with Galen."
Kendra nodded.
Serena looked at Parrish and brushed his wet hair from his face as tears filled her eyes. Parrish was looking directly at her, his purple eyes gleaming with love and trust. Serena felt his hand touch her knee and it squeezed gently, hardly squeezing at all. He opened his mouth as if to say something and gasped.
"AMBER!" Serena screamed in panic.
She touched Parrish's cheek as tears filled her eyes. Amber grabbed Serena and Parrish's hands and before Serena could let her tears leave her eyes there was a pull on her stomach. Everything was being squished, tight and close…and then relief—but the sharp pain of hitting a floor smacked her body.
Serena closed her eyes tight. This wasn't happening again….she wasn't at St. Mungo's because Parrish was cut open…she wasn't covered in his blood…people weren't staring at her like she was a freak show…no…it wasn't happening…
