**Chapter Ten! Thank you for the new reviews! I love reading them! This chapter get a bit dark, and a little graphic. Just a warning. Thanks for reading! REVIEW!**

Out of the Ashes

10

This couldn't be happening. Death Eaters? Swarming Hogsmeade? The idea was absolutely ridiculous, but it was true. Through the clouds of black smoke, Rachel could see their ebony robes swirling in the wind as they apparated on the streets cluttered with Hogwarts students and Hogsmeade residents. She barely had time to draw her wand from her coat pocket and catch Sirius' wrist in her hand as he rushed towards the doors. He laced his fingers with hers and they walked together outside the sweets shop with their wands raised high.

Chaos: that was the word Rachel would use to describe the streets of Hogsmeade at that moment. People, students she recognized from school, were running up the streets with their hands firmly clasped over their heads for protection; as if that would stop the killing curse from killing them. Shopping bags littered the sidewalks, long forgotten in the pandemonium with their contents spilling onto the snowy pavement. A loud piercing scream reached Rachel's ears and she jumped, forcing herself closer to Sirius as she tugged on his hand. She watched his eyes survey the area, certainly wondering where his friends were in the midst of the commotion, and began pulling him back towards the door.

"We have to go back inside," Rachel pleaded as she shouted over the bangs and screams around them. "We're not safe out here."

"I have to find James and the others," Sirius replied shaking his head vigorously as he tried to unknot their fingers.

"No! Sirius, you can't go! It's dangerous out there. You're not an Auror, it's not your job to save these people," Rachel argued, pulling him towards her.

"Does it look like any Aurors are here, Rachel?" Sirius yelled. "I'm not going to wait around for them to come while James, or Remus, or Peter, or Lily could be hurt somewhere."

"But-"

"No, I have to do this!" he cried, glancing back at the fighting before kissing her hard on the mouth. "You go back inside. Use the passage I showed you to get back to the castle-don't! - Do as I say, Rachel, don't argue. Now, go."

With that, he pushed her back towards Honeydukes and ran into the crowd. Rachel cringed as she watched him dodge blinding lights that were certainly unkind, dark magic. He was right, Rachel knew he was, but that didn't make it any easier for her to run through the dueling after him. The moment her fingers found the door handle, a wave of shame crashed over her and she pulled back as if the brass had burned her. Without another thought, Rachel gritted her teeth and clutched her wand tight in her fist as she joined the battle.

Try as she might, she could not find Sirius' curly black hair through the crowd. She couldn't spot Lily's fiery red hair or her fierce emerald eyes. She didn't see Peter, not even cowering in a dark corner, hidden in the shadows. She was unable to spot Remus expertly shielding himself- and more likely than not others- behind his powerful shield charms. Rachel growled to herself as she deflected another curse shot at her. She had lost count after the sixteenth spell that hit her blue shield- a Cruciatus Curse, in fact. As she found herself caught up in a duel with one of the smaller, presumably newer Death Eaters, Rachel's mind wandered slightly.

Where were the Aurors? Why wasn't anyone responding to the desperate calls someone surely had to have sent to the Ministry for help? Didn't they know it was a Hogsmeade weekend for Hogwarts students, and that the small village was filled with children as young as thirteen? Was the minister sitting comfortably in his office with his feet propped up on his sparkling mahogany desk, ignoring their cries for help? Was he turning a blind eye to the destruction Voldemort and his Death Eaters were causing? If so, why?

"Confringo!"

What? Distracted by her angry thoughts, Rachel was unable to get her shield charm into place in time to block the spell. Aimed at her feet, she stepped backwards a couple of paces quickly. The ground erupted, sending her soaring through the air along with chunks of snow and ice mixed with some pieces of blown-away pavement. She felt her body collide with a sturdy stone wall, her neck whipping backwards and slamming her head into the building. Somehow, her arm had twisted behind her in her flailing, and was trapped between her back and the wall. She tumbled down the wall and landed hard on her side, hearing the grotesque crunch of something beneath her weight before the excruciating pain actually hit her like an electric rod from her fingertips to her shoulder blade. She cried out in pain, but forced herself to sit up and ready her wand for the next attack, ignoring the hot sticky liquid spewing down her torso as it appeared through her coat.

Behind the skull mask, she could imagine the young man smirking down at her as he crept closer. His wand was still aimed right at her face held steady in his fist. The man, cloaked in black, kicked the rubble from his blasting curse out of his path and watched Rachel raise her wand in defiance. She could see the unforgivable curse forming on his lips and her hands began to shake terribly. She glared up at him in spite of the terrified tears stinging her eyes and focused on steadying her wand-hand.

"Cr-"

"Petrificus Totalus!" she shouted.

She watched his limbs lock together as he tumbled to the floor stiff as a board. She scrambled to her feet, nursing her hurt arm to her bosom while her other pointed her wand down at him. Part of her was tempted to remove his hood and mask, to reveal his true identity, but the other part was too afraid she may know him. Instead, she kicked his wand away while his wide eyes watched her through the holes in his skull mask. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief and lower her wand ever so slightly. The battle around her was still going despite the duel she had just won, and she began searching for someone she could possibly help.

Snow was falling steadily from the grey sky, and Rachel squinted against the cold flakes in her search. Several feet away, on the path she remembered to lead towards the Shrieking Shack, Rachel saw him stumbling backwards as he deflected curse after curse. Even though she was quite far from where he was fighting, she could tell he was badly hurt. It was only a matter of time before he couldn't fight any longer. But Rachel was determined to reach him before that could happen.

She propelled through the snow, stumbling along the slippery pavement as she avoided spells and bodies, both alive and fallen. The Death Eater must have heard her coming as he whipped around and aimed a spell at her, which she somehow managed to divert. Soon, the husky man found himself involved in a duel with two sixteen year olds at once, though he still seemed to have the upper hand.

"Stupefy," the man shouted, and her companion fell to the ground stunned.

He seemed to laugh evilly as he turned his undivided attention onto Rachel. Her injured arm fell limp and bleeding to her side while she kept her wand steady in her right fist. They moved in a slow circle, a carefully timed war dance before she fired the first spell, a simple stunner to avenge her friend. He dodged it, however, and sent a curse her way. Rachel dropped to the ground and rolled out of the way of the sickly purple light before rising back on to her feet.

It was in that moment that the older man sent a knee-reversing hex at her, hitting her directly in her right leg. Her knee cap twisted painfully around until it was pointing behind her in an unnatural manner. She screamed in pain and put all of her weight on her left foot to allow her right to hover over the snow. Balance was never Rachel's strongest suit, and she fell clumsily to the ground, shrieking in pain once more. She was certain her opponent would kill her this time. But, still, she raised her wand in defense. Suddenly, however, he turned his head slightly and lowered his wand to his hip. He frowned to himself, his thin lips barely visible where his mask ended, and he looked down at Rachel.

"Until next time, little girl," he smirked hauntingly.

Then, the man disapparated, leaving his destruction in his wake. Before any other enemies could find them, Rachel shakily got to her feet and limped to her friend. Aiming her wand at his face and, muttering the counter-spell, awoke him from his stunned state. Tucking her wand into her coat pocket, she snaked her good arm around his and helped him to his own unsteady feet. Still drowsy from the stunner and whatever other curses he had faced, he swayed until Rachel caught him.

"Come on, we've got to move," she urged.

With her arm wrapped securely around his waist, she carried most of his weight up the snow-covered hill until she deemed them to be safely concealed by a few trees and thick bushes. Tears had begun spilling down her cheeks as she bit her tongue to keep a shrill cry from escaping her lips. She lowered him down on the snow to lean his back against the trunk of a large tree before collapsing beside him. Then, she did cry out as she touched her right leg with her fingertips. She whimpered to herself and wiped her tears away impatiently as she pulled her wand out once more.

"You're hurt," he noted weakly as Rachel struggled to crawl closer to him.

"I'll be fine, Remus. You're hurt, too," she said through her teeth.

"Don't worry about me, you're bleeding, Rachel," Remus pushed her wand down, seeming more alert than he had moments ago.

"I'm fine, Remus, please," Rachel gave him a pointed look.

"What are you doing?" he asked, watching her close her eyes until a faint smile came to her face.

She thought of all the times she and Lily had stayed up late giggling incessantly about things they'd read in muggle magazines. She recalled quidditch matches with James, and study sessions with Remus, but none of it seemed happy enough for what she needed. Then, it came to her. She remembered holding Sirius' hand, kissing him for the first time, feeling his fingers roaming her entire body. She thought of all the wrinkled by his eyes whenever he smiled, and the sound of his barking laughter. A wide grin spread across her lips.

"Expecto Patronum," she said clearly.

From the tip of her wand, a wisp of silvery white light emitted. When she opened her eyes, a shimmering, hairy dog sat on its haunches with its long tongue dangling from its snout. Its tail wagged against the snow and Rachel grinned at the corporeal Patronus blinking back at her.

"A Rough Collie," Remus breathed. "One of the most loyal breeds of dogs there is."

"Brilliant," Rachel beamed.

Without saying another word, the dog leapt to its feet and began sprinting through the air back the way they came. Then, she turned to face Remus and surveyed his battered appearance. His bottom lip was severed down the middle and blood was dripping from his crooked nose. The two indigo puffs beneath his eyes confirmed her suspicions that his nose had been broken nicely. Rust-colored blood had dried and matted his hair to his forehead, solidifying all the way down to his jaw. Aside from damage done to his face, Rachel found one of his fingers had been broken and his shoulder seemed to be dislocated.

"You need to go to the hospital wing," she heard Remus say before everything went black.

"Help us. Follow the path to the Shrieking Shack. Help us. Please."

Rachel's voice called desperately through the open snout of the long-haired dog as Sirius stared down at it in amazement before it evaporated. He had no idea Rachel could perform such advanced magic and an air of pride radiated from him before a slight hint of anger bubbled in his chest. He had told her to go back to the castle and she hadn't listened. Now, she was hurt. His anger vanished instantly, overwhelmed by his worry and fear. By the time Rachel's Patronus had reached him, the last of the Death Eaters had disapparated. The battle of Hogsmeade was over, but the damage was done.

He glanced to his right where James stood with Lily wrapped beneath his strong arm. Peter was sitting in the snow at James' feet, panting and closing his eyes in exhaustion. The round boy bore no cuts or bruises, but his face was covered in dirt and debris which told Sirius he had not fought in the battle, but tried to find a good hiding place in the madness. Lily's fire engine red hair was frizzy and sticking to her sweaty face as she tried to wipe James' blood from her hands. The slit in James' torso was sealed up nicely, thanks to Lily, but it was still bright red and exposed through the tear in his coat and shirt. James swiped the back of his hand along his forehead and adjusted his broken glasses on the bridge of his nose.

"Let's go, they need us," James breathed heavily.

"I'll go," Sirius said. "You guys get back to the castle."

"You won't be able to manage them both, Sirius," James argued.

"I'll be-"

"What if they come back?" Lily added hurriedly. "If there's another attack, you won't be able to fight properly if they're both too hurt. We're coming with you."

"Right, fine. Let's go, then," Sirius submitted.

He jogged ahead of the group, despite the sharp pain in his ankle every time he landed a step. He could hear the snow crunching behind him, signaling James and Lily's close proximity. Over their heavy footfalls, he could barely hear the sound of Peter wheezing as he tried desperately to keep up with them. Sirius froze before his feet could carry him up the slight hill in front of him. The white snow on the ground was tinged pink. A long streak of red gleamed against the clean white sheet where someone had either fallen or been dragged, and Sirius knew one of them was badly hurt.

"Oh no," he heard Lily breathe.

"We have to move quickly," James stated.

The urgency in his friend's voice sparked something inside of Sirius. Desperation consumed him as he sprinted as best as he could up the hill, following the tiny droplets of crimson blood. His wand was drawn, just in case, when he finally found them. Remus was kneeling behind Rachel with her head rested on his thighs, her long knotted hair fanned out over his legs. Her eyes were closed and her skin was as white as the snow she was laying on. He was waving his wand slowly along her arm without uttering a single word, but it didn't seem to be helping.

"She's lost a lot of blood," Remus whispered, shaking his head as Sirius fell to his knees beside him. "We need to get her to Madam Pomfrey or…"

"I'll carry her," Sirius said.

"Padfoot, your ankle," James frowned. "I'll carry her."

"No, I-"

"Sirius, she needs to get there quickly. You're hurt, too, it'll only hold her up," Lily argued gently.

He frowned and nodded, watching James quickly bend down to scoop Rachel's limp body off the snow. Remus rose slowly to his feet, brushing snow from his tattered trousers and he laid a comforting hand on Sirius' shoulder. Sirius wanted to shrug him off, but he found himself grateful as Remus supported his weight and helped him to keep up with James' quick pace.

"Merlin," Remus gasped as they re-entered the village.

Sirius tore his eyes away from James' back as they each slowed their pace to observe the battlegrounds. Shop owners were peeking out of their doorways before rushing out into the streets to tend to the fallen victims. Bodies littered the street, some moving while others were still as stones. Sirius tried not to focus too hard on their faces, fearful that if he recognized anyone he'd collapse altogether. He could hear Professor McGonagall's voice just ahead and looked up to find her kneeling beside a small boy, stroking his hair in a motherly way. She was speaking hurriedly to another woman, clearly instructing her to help students back to the castle right away. She looked up when she heard them approaching and slowly rose to her feet, her wrinkled face paling further.

"Mister Potter, what has happened to Miss Riatt?" she asked, laying her fingers on James' shoulders.

"I'm not sure, Professor," James replied sadly.

"She's been bleeding for a long time, now. No spell I tried was able to stop it," Remus explained, frowning down at Sirius who cringed.

"She must get to Madam Pomfrey immediately. Take a carriage up to the castle and head there straight away. Professor Dumbledore has been alerted. I will meet you once I've…" Professor McGonagall trailed off as her eyes fell on the numerous others sprawled out along the village streets.

"Yes, Professor," Lily whispered, pulling James to walk again.

"Madam Pomfrey!" Lily cried loudly as she burst through the hospital wing doors.

"Miss Evans! Oh goodness, lay her down here. Quickly now, Mister Potter," Madam Pomfrey commanded, and James obeyed placing Rachel down on one of the mattresses.

"Is this a result of the massacre in Hogsmeade?" Madam Pomfrey asked, nodding her head as though she already knew the answer.

"Yes," James dragged a hand down his tired face.

"Have you been trying to heal her?" Madam Pomfrey asked as she began stripping the soiled clothes from Rachel's frail body.

"I'd been trying to stop the bleeding, but nothing seemed to be working," Remus replied, shaking his head.

"Right," the woman sighed. "I'm going to have to ask you boys to leave while I tend to her. Miss Evans, you may stay and help me."

"Yes, Madam Pomfrey," Lily replied dutifully, rolling up her sleeves as she pushed the boys away from the bed.

"Lily, please…" Sirius pleaded shakily.

"I know, Sirius. I'll do everything I can to make sure she's alright," Lily smiled sadly and drew the pale blue curtains shut around the bed.

Sirius was glad they had not been asked to leave the wing completely. At least just on the opposite side of the curtain, he could still hear what was being said. He sat down heavily in one of the chairs nearby while his friends each dragged a chair over to join him. Sirius dug his elbows into his knees and cradled his face in his hands while he tried to regulate his breathing. Beside him, James reached out a hand to squeeze his shoulder supportively.

The sound of heavy denim hitting the floor drew his attention back to the bed where he knew Rachel was being undressed and assessed. Beneath the drape, he could see her blood-soaked jeans piling on the floor along with her soaked shirt and her coat. Again, he focused on inhaling and exhaling to avoid hyperventilating. Peter must have seen the bloodied clothing, as well, considering he had turned a bit green and seemed to gag behind his chubby fist.

"A knee-reversing hex," Lily's voice said surely. "That must have been extremely painful."

"Aye," Madam Pomfrey agreed. "But not as painful as this…"

"Oh, dear Merlin," Lily gasped loudly, and Sirius wished he could see what she was seeing. "How could that have happened?"

"I don't know, but Miss Riatt was lucky her arm was not torn off completely," Madam Pomfrey said, sighing heavily.

"That must be where all the blood came from," Lily noted, and Sirius could hear her pouring a potion into a glass.

"Yes, from her arm," Madam Pomfrey agreed. "It also seems she's cracked her skull right in the back here, you see?"

"Yes, I see," Lily said.

"Will she be alright?" Sirius asked through the curtain.

"She should be alright, Mister Black. Inject her with some of the blood replenishing potion," Madam Pomfrey directed Lily.

"Let us cover her up and make her as comfortable as we can, Miss Evans. She's in for a long recovery," Madam Pomfrey said over the clinking of medal and glass. "I will go get the bandages, you may let them in."

Before much longer, Lily stepped out from behind the curtains and Sirius leapt to his feet. As he went to move past her, Lily's small hand pressed against his chest. He stared down at her and frowned in confusion. Lily shook her head slowly and ignored the tears hanging from her long eyelashes.

"I must warn you all," Lily began sadly. "It isn't pretty. She doesn't look very well at all. I'm sure you heard…her arm…"

"Just let me through, Lily," Sirius begged and Lily nodded, stepping aside and pulling back the curtain.

It was gruesome at best. Although the blood had been cleaned off of her porcelain skin, the gash near her shoulder was uncovered. Sirius stared at the wound, wondering if the white bit he could see in the center was, in fact, her bone. A nod of Lily's head confirmed that it was. Her muscle tissue was a deep scarlet and seemed to be pulsating, and the skin surrounding the open lesion was riddled with thin blue-green veins, reminding Sirius of a muggle film he had seen once about something called 'zombies.'

He reached out a hand and stroked the side of her bruised face with his fingertips. He brushed some of her chestnut hair back onto her pillow. That was when he noticed the blood staining the white cotton beneath her head. He frowned deeply, crinkling his eyebrows in despair as he caressed her swollen cheek once more. The flesh covering his hand was dark against her white skin, something extremely rare; her complexion was always just a shade or two deeper than his.

He felt a small hand fill his free hand and he turned his gaze sideways. Lily, once again tucked beneath James' arm, watched him closely with her tear-filled emerald eyes. She tried to smile, but she only managed a grimace before a sob escaped her lips. She gave Sirius' hand a firm squeeze which he returned while James rubbed her bicep soothingly. Sirius moved his eyes away from Lily before he could start crying himself.

James frowned sympathetically before glancing back down at Lily who buried her face in his chest and gave Sirius' hand another squeeze. Remus was standing at the foot of the bed, frowning so hard it seemed almost painful. Tears were falling silently from his face, staining the white sheets covering Rachel's little feet with little grey circles. Even Peter was notably upset, sniffling into the sleeve of his coat as he determinedly kept his eyes off Rachel's arm.

Before the tears could freely escape Sirius' eyes, Madam Pomfrey returned with a hefty supply of white gauze bandages. She frowned sadly at each of the students and set to work wrapping Rachel's nearly severed arm. Sirius shifted his weight slightly, wincing as he took the weight off his swollen ankle. Once Madam Pomfrey was done tending to Rachel for the time being, she eyed him skeptically.

"Come, Mister Black. I'll take care of that ankle of yours," she gestured him over to a cot beside Rachel's.

Lily released his hand, allowing him to move. When he didn't, he felt each of their gazes fixed on him, but he focused on Rachel. Her skin was cold beneath his fingers, despite the sheen of sweat shimmering on her forehead and on her throat. Her chest was barely rising and falling beneath the crisp sheets Madam Pomfrey must have cleaned after their work.

"Sirius, go ahead," he heard James say softly.

"I'll be fine," Sirius shook his head, not moving his eyes from her face.

"It'll be a long while before she wakes, Mister Black," Madam Pomfrey said regretfully.

With a sigh, Sirius closed his eyes and stroked her cheek again. His fingers lingered over her blue chapped lips before returning his hand to his side. He limped around his friends and sat heavily on the mattress before swinging his legs onto it, as well. The nurse rolled up his dirty pant leg and gently pulled his sneaker off his foot and began muttering to herself. She was waving her wand slowly and began wrapping something around his ankle, but Sirius wasn't really paying attention. He was watching Lily comb her fingers through Rachel's tangled hair, her lips moving as she whispered something to the unconscious girl.

"How long?" Sirius asked, dreading the answer.