Khgirl08: Yay! I'm back!

Ellie: And she doesn't own it. Yes, yes, we are aware of this. Please, continue reading. =) Our reviewers were:

Danielle, TimelordEmoPhoenix, and Namiko

…and they all get Khgirl08's mom's cookies. These are not any ordinary cookies, mind. ^.^ Enjoy!

Khgirl08... Alrighty…

After an eventful and oddly entertaining lunch above the shop (during Neville turned into a canary and molted several times, Tonks began squealing like a piglet, and Alicia's hair turned bright pink, striped with neon orange and lime green), the four students departed with Tonks and Lupin once more. Tonks and Ginny tried several times to sneak into Quality Quidditch Supplies, to the amusement of Luna, Neville, and Ellie and the disgruntlement of Lupin, but the middle-aged man finally managed to shepherd the group into the Apothecary, where it was much quieter. He had transformed once again into the smelly, dirty man, and Tonks had turned into an older woman, with graying frizzed hair.

"Honestly, Dory, we're supposed to be their guard!"

Tonks smiled at him cheekily. "I was guarding them. I just want to guard them inside Quality Quidditch Supplies, that's all."

Lupin gave her an exasperated look before turning back to the others, who stifled their giggles under his stare. "Right. We came in here to get some refills, but I think Ellie should pick up her own cauldron and starter kit."

"Er…" Ellie looked around at the others in bemusement. "What is all of this stuff for, again?"

"Potions class, of course!" Ginny grinned at her. "You have the same schedule as I do, which means you're taking Transfiguration, Charms, Herbology, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Care of Magical Creatures, and Potions," she said. Looking around furtively, she dropped her voice to a whisper. "Of course, you're going to have a tough go of it, not having studied anything at the O.W.L. levels. I got through all mine just fine, only I barely scraped by in History of Magic and Divination, so McGonagall wants me to help you out."

I'm still a little nervous about this… "Alright. Help me pick a cauldron, anyone?"

"I will. Daddy recently did an exposé on certain brands, proving that they didn't work as well they should. I helped him, so I know all of the best kinds," said Luna, pulling Ellie over to the seemingly endless rows of cauldrons. Luna hemmed and hawed over all sorts of cauldrons, from ones big enough that Ellie could have sat in them to a few small enough that she could barely fit her hand into them, cauldrons made of solid gold, silver, brass, and what appeared to be diamond, cauldrons that were self-heating and self-stirring, and a cauldron that made potions when the user said the incantation (which Ellie was sorely tempted to buy). The wide-eyed blonde finally stopped in front of a stack of shiny, pewter cauldrons and nodded vacantly. "This is the best kind."

Ellie looked back down the row; she could see at least ten other piles of identical cauldrons. "Are you sure?"

"Oh, yes. The others have bottoms that aren't thick or thin enough, or else they aren't deep enough, and sometimes the top isn't wide enough. Yes, these are definitely the best ones."

Ellie shrugged and nodded. "Alright, then, I guess I'll take one of these." She stretched as far as she could and managed to pluck the top one. They rejoined the others, who were searching through barrels of powders, hairs, and animal parts, and picked out the best ingredients.

Then it was to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. Ginny, Tonks, and Luna browsed through racks and racks of robes while a bustling older woman slung set of robes over Ellie's head and began pinning them to fit her. Lupin and Neville opted to stand outside the shop and keep watch. "So, dear, first time at Hogwarts?"

"Yes."

"You must be excited to join your older sister. What was her name? Ginny?"

Ellie nodded slightly. "Weasley, and she's my distant cousin, not my sister."

"Oh, I see." Madam Malkin took a step back and sighed in satisfaction. "That's that, then. I'll have these all ready in a quarter of an hour. Why don't you look at some dress robes while you wait?" Ellie stepped off of the pedestal on which she had been fitted and took the robes off, trying unsuccessfully to keep the pins from stabbing her.

"AAAHH!!!" A woman's scream pierced the air outside of the shop, followed by a series of short blasts. Ellie dashed to the front of the shop, only to scream herself. More than twenty Death Eaters were firing spells at random, apparently not caring who or what they destroyed in the process.

"Clarice!" Tonks rushed into the shop, though Ellie had noticed her leaving, grabbed Ellie by the forearm, and dragged her behind a rack of robes. "Listen to me, you can't go out there!"

"This makes no sense! How on earth did they even know I was coming to Diagon Alley today?" she asked.

"I don't know, but you must remain in here, hidden behind something so they cannot see you. We can't allow you to be captured. Do you understand?" Tonks asked, shaking Ellie slightly.

"But, I can use Pure Heart!"

"Clarice! Give me your word that you will not try to help unless you have to defend yourself! For all we know, this is just a random attack, they might not even be looking for you!"

Ellie blinked at Tonks, whose hair was beginning to tinge red, and finally sighed. "My word, but what about Ginny and Luna?"

"They're already fighting. We'll be fine, just please stay here." Tonks rushed off without another word, followed by Madam Malkin, who appeared to have stopped only long enough to relieve herself of her ample necklaces and rings.

Ellie stayed true to her word, but the shrieks and loud explosions that drifted into the shop made her itch with the temptation to help in, or at least watch, the battle. This is insane! I should be helping them, not sitting here like a helpless child!

There was a horrible screech of pain just then, and a menacing voice laughed loudly over it. "Well, well, looks like you're down for the count, wench. Now, unless you want to tell me where Mason is…" The voice was chillingly familiar, but Ellie was more interested in the reply.

"No! I- I don't know!" Ginny's voice cracked slightly, and she coughed harshly. It sounded as though her attacker was choking her, and Ellie shook her head in horror.

This IS my fault! Ginny could be killed, any of them could! Ellie stood up and crept towards the shop entrance, taking care to stay behind displays as not to be seen. She peered over the top of the one nearest the door and almost fell over at the sight she saw. Porter was indeed choking Ginny, and her wand arm was hanging limply at her side, her wand on the ground below her. Not him! Ginny chose that moment to try and kick Porter, but he simply grabbed her leg with one of his ham-sized hands and twisted it until she screamed again.

"Well, well, it seems you're a bit feisty, aren't you?" Porter leaned in closer and placed his lips next to Ginny's ear. Ellie could barely hear him over the sounds of the battle still raging around them. "I guess I'll have to resort to other tactics, then."

After Porter smacked Ginny's cheek, he set her on her feet, grabbed her arm in a death grip, and turned around to force her into the shop, Ellie squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head violently. I cannot let him do this! And I have to save her wand, too… Wait! The Summoning Charm! She drew her wand from the side pocket of her bag and waited patiently for the door to open. The moment Porter banged inside, Ellie pointed her wand in the general direction of Ginny's and whispered, "Accio." To her astonishment and momentary elation, the wand rose and drifted into the shop at a decent clip, stopping in midair just in front of her.

"Let me go, you- Ah!" Ellie turned around and dashed to the back of the shop, where Porter was staring darkly at Ginny as one of his huge hands gripped her throat once more and the other yanked her hair.

Ellie hurriedly stowed the wands in her bag, set it on the floor, and jumped out from behind the rack of clothes. "Porter, let that poor girl go!"

Porter turned around and grinned lecherously. "Well, well, if it isn't the very girl I've been looking for! How are you today, babe? You're looking slightly less trashy, but… you'll always be my favorite little trashy girl."

Ellie threw off the comment. "What are you doing? I heard everything, but I've never seen that girl in my life! She isn't any friend of mine!"

Porter raised his brow. "Well, then, why don't you just willingly turn yourself in? Unless you want this innocent girl to get hurt? Trust me, I know how to hurt someone, and this one looks particularly fragile. You remember back on the islands… Do you want this girl to get hurt worse than your little friend Hope?"

"Shut it!" Ellie summoned Pure Heart and leaped at him. He jumped out of the way, but she anticipated his movements; she turned in mid-jump, hitting him on the head and bringing him to his knees. He started to get to his feet, but she hit him twice more, throwing him back to the ground ruthlessly.

"Stop!" Ellie and Porter looked around, but it was Ginny who cried, "Bill!"

The eldest of Ginny's brothers was standing in the shop, his wand pointing towards Porter and Ellie. "Incarcerous."

Ellie stepped away from Porter, expecting something to happen to the bald creep, but instead found ropes binding her arms to her torso and her legs together. She let out a cry of surprise as she fell over, wriggling desperately. Ginny gasped loudly. "Bill, what are you-"

"Be quiet, you stupid girl!" Bill turned his wand on his only sister as Ellie watched helplessly from the floor. "I saw you out there, hexing Death Eaters along with your precious school friends! Don't you realize that you're on the wrong side?!"

Ellie and Ginny both gasped loudly. "But, Bill, you-"

"I'm a Death Eater now, Gin. I intend to leave it that way, too, so don't try and cry me away from my decision." He kept his wand trained on his terrified sister as she struggled to sit up. "However, you've always been my favorite family member, so I'm going to give you a special offer before I go and visit the twins. Join me, Ginny, join the rest of the Purebloods, and do something good for a change. The Mudbloods and Muggles are taking us over, and that's not how it was meant to be. Not at all. I know you're close to that Granger girl, but she could easily taint our precious bloodline if we don't get her away from Ron. She is pretty, but nothing more. Kill her, Ginny, kill the Mudblood and make sure we all remain pure. What say you?"

Ginny was staring at Bill in horror. "Have you gone mad?! What are you thinking, of course I won't kill Hermione! What is wrong with you?!"

Bill sneered. "I tried, Ginny. You and I are now enemies. So be it." His lips curled into a deranged smile. "Crucio!"

Ginny's screams echoed all around the shop, drowning out all other sound. Ellie watched in sheer fright as her friend rose into the air, twisting painfully and unnaturally. Bill and Porter, who had managed to get to his feet, cackled madly at the sight. Finally, Ellie could no longer take the sight of the shrieking girl. "Stop it! Stop it, it's me you want!"

Her hair streaks and tattoo began to glow white once more, and Pure Heart rose from the floor of its own accord, also glowing slightly. Bill continued to curse Ginny, but Porter raised an eyebrow at the Keyblade, which had started to revolve. The weapon began to spin faster and faster until it began to blur in Ellie's eyes, at which point it flew at Porter and Bill, hitting both of them in the gut and knocking the latter over. Ginny crumpled onto a pile of robes and didn't make another sound. Porter cursed loudly and held out his hand. A portal of darkness, like the ones her dad and the king had used, appeared in front of it, and he stepped through it just as Pure Heart came by once more.

The sounds of battle had stopped outside, and Ellie took a deep breath. "HELP! HELP US, PLEASE!"

Lupin rushed into the shop. "Ellie?!"

"Rufus, quickly, it was Bill, he did this!" Ellie nodded to the red-haired man, who was still being attacked by Pure Heart. As she looked at it the blade stopped glowing and clattered to the floor, and Bill chuckled.

"Big mistake, girl! Stupe-"

Lupin beat Bill to the punch and waved his wand silently; Bill passed out completely, even though not a word had been said. Another wave of Lupin's wand and the ropes binding Ellie disappeared. She immediately rushed to the display table where Ginny lay and shook her roughly. "Ginny! Ginny, wake up!"

The girl stirred feebly and blinked opened her eyes for a moment. "Bill…" was all she said before she passed out again. Lupin walked to her and shook his head.

"What happened to her? She looks as though she has been tortured." Lupin looked her over for a moment longer before sighing.

"She was. Porter somehow managed to grab her by the throat and make her drop her wand, I think he broke her arm, and he forced her in here. He was still choking her, so I took over the fight for her. Bill came in just as I was about to completely knock him out and called out for us to stop, but instead of helping with Porter he tied me up." Ellie took a quick look at his unconscious form and shuddered. "He asked her to join him and the other Purebloods as Death Eaters, and then said that she had to kill Hermione, because she's a Mudblood, whatever that is. Ginny refused, so he used some sort of curse on her. She started to writhe and scream so loudly that I'm surprised you all didn't hear her. The only reason he stopped was because Pure Heart went crazy and started attacking them."

Lupin had gone extremely pale. "The Cruciatus Curse. The Bill Weasley I know would never have used the Cruciatus Curse at all, let alone on his own sister." He waved a hand over the elder Weasley, and ropes appeared around him. Another wave of his hand, without even his wand, and Bill's eyes flew open. "Bill, what is going on?!"

"Aren't you that Rufus character? Why would I tell you anything?" He winced in pain, and for the first time Ellie noticed the severe cuts on his arms and face. Lupin apparently saw them, as well, for he took a step back and shook his head.

"We'll have to get the two of them to St. Mungo's. Ellie, once I have taken Bill, go outside, find Dory, and tell her what's going on." Lupin picked up Ginny carefully and spun on his heel. Bill scowled angrily at Ellie as she picked up Pure Heart and kept it trained on him, but he didn't say another word. Lupin soon returned to take him away, and Ellie released Pure Heart, grabbed her bag, and cautiously stepped into the street. There were several bodies laying quite still, but most people in Diagon Alley were moving about or wailing in pain and fear. Ellie saw one of the twins leaning against a wall nearby, his head in his hands, and she ran up to him.

"Hey, are you alright?"

He looked up and managed a forced smile. "Yeah, fine. I'm just a little stressed."

"Stressed?" The other twin appeared out of thin air and clapped the first on the shoulder. "Fred, what do you have to be stressed about? It's a beautiful day."

Fred shrugged morosely. "I dunno, I guess…"

"What? Come on, out with it."

"It's just… I messed up my hair." Fred tossed his head, flipping his chin length hair around. "It was perfect this morning, but now… Well, look at it. It looks like I spent a couple hours taking styling lessons from Snape."

George and Ellie burst out laughing, and Fred soon joined in. When Ellie could get control of herself she looked back down the street. "Have either of you seen Tonks? The last time I saw her she was dressed up as an old lady."

George nodded. "She was down closer to Gringotts with Alicia. They were helping some first and second years find their parents, if I'm not mistaken."

"Thanks." Ellie turned to go, but Fred grabbed her arm and turned her back to them.

"Wait a second. If I remember correctly, I saw Gin-Gin get forced into that shop from which you just emerged, so I sent Bill inside to help her. I would have gone myself, but I was a bit too busy with the Death Eaters I was fighting. Why haven't they come out yet?"

Ellie hesitated. "Lupin took them to some place called St. Mungo's."

Fred and George paled. "St. Mungo's?"

"Yes, what is that place? Is it a hospital or something?"

George nodded. "It's the wizard hospital here in London, the only one in Britain at, in fact. Fred, we should go."

"Yeah." They nodded at Ellie before turning on their heels and disappearing. Ellie jogged down the street towards the bank, looking all around for someone she recognized. Finally she spotted a head of frizzy gray hair and slowed down.

"Dory!"

Tonks turned around and grinned in relief. "Oh, thank goodness! You listened to me!"

Ellie nodded. "Yeah, the battle kind of came into Madam Malkin's, so I never left." As Tonks made an exasperated noise she quickly continued talking. "Where are the others?"

"Alicia and I found Angelina sitting against a wall, bleeding quite a bit, so those two went to St. Mungo's. I was about to go looking for Neville, Luna, Ginny, the twins, and Rufus," she said. "I take it you have no idea, either?"

Ellie hesitated. "Well, Ginny, Fred, George, and Rufus are at St. Mungo's," she started. Tonks screamed in fright at the words, and Ellie hurriedly held up a hand. "Ginny's the only one who's hurt. I mean, they all had a few scrapes and scratches, but Ginny was tortured. That happened right after I got involved, because I was trying to help her. I guess I didn't do all that great of a job, though." Ellie smiled sadly.

"Well, in that case, we'll have to hurry and find Neville and Luna." Tonks whipped out her wand and said, "Expecto Patronum." A pair of silvery wolves erupted from the tip of her wand and flew down the street.

"Um…"

Tonks smiled at Ellie's confusion. "I forgot, you haven't seen that particular function of the Patronus Charm. You see, Patroni can be used to ward off Dementors and other dark creatures, but they can also be used as messengers. That takes a bit more practice, but I'm sure you'll get it soon. After all, you conjured the normal Patronus on your first try."

Ellie nodded as a familiar blonde girl rushed up to them. Luna looked slightly worse for the wear; part of her ponytail had come loose and was frizzing about her face, and she was covered in small scratches and bruises. Her eyes had lost their dreaminess once more, and it was replaced with worry, an expression that looked as if it was rarely displayed in the wide silver eyes. "Dory, I just got your messages. Neville left for St. Mungo's just a few minutes before they arrived, so you don't need to worry about him getting there."

"What's wrong with Neville?" Tonks looked around quickly and lowered her voice. "Is he alright?"

Luna shrugged solemnly. "I'm not sure. His shoulder was dislocated, and I think his arm was broken, but the Healers should be able to fix him up in a flash. He was also unconscious, and I couldn't wake him up. One of the shopkeepers brought him in, I think. Unfortunately, I stumbled across a couple people who aren't so lucky. One of them, poor chap, his hand looks like it might never be the same, and there was a woman who the Death Eaters… I don't even want to think about it." Luna's eyes flashed with worry once more. "Where are Ginny and Rufus?"

"That's why we wanted you to come here. They are also at St. Mungo's," said Tonks. "Now, you two, please take one of my arms each." As soon as Ellie and Luna were grasping her arms, Tonks turned sharply. Although she had been expecting it, Ellie was still unprepared for the compressing blanket of darkness which was suspended upon her. When she was able to see once more, her first breath came as a gasp. Several rows of chairs were filled with people whimpering in pain and moaning in agony, and more of them lined the walls. Meanwhile, a pair of doors against a far wall couldn't quite stop the noises of fear and surprise coming from behind them.

"More patients from Diagon Alley?" A blonde witch rolled her eyes at them. "The emergency ward is closed off at the moment. Apparently one of the patients is under the Imperius Curse, and they're having a hard time controlling him. Just go and wait over there or something."

Tonks didn't miss a beat. "We aren't patients. We just need to see Ginny Weasley and Neville Longbottom."

"They're in the emergency ward. You'll just have to wait." The blonde witch jerked her thumb to the waiting crowd, and Ellie sighed.

This is horrible… How could I have caused so much damage, just by going school shopping?

Tonks rolled her eyes, as well. "Fine. We'll wait, then." When the group was out of the blonde witch's earshot, Tonks whispered, "Too bad I'm in disguise, or I could have made her let us in. I am an Auror, after all."

The doors to the emergency ward opened just as they made themselves comfortable next to the wall, and an exhausted looking man in lime green robes stepped out. "We are now accepting patients. If you feel you require medical attention, please come with me."

Most of the crowd immediately flanked the man, and Ellie, Tonks, and Luna found seats easily. As the crowd of patients disappeared through the doors, two familiar faces came past them. Before Ellie could even blink, Tonks and Luna had flung themselves across the room and into the arms of Remus and Neville. Tonks was crying softly into Lupin's shoulder as he stroked her hair, and Luna was chattering away to Neville as he looked down at her with a mixture of surprise and contentment.

Do Neville and Luna like each other? It certainly looks like it… Ellie finally stood up and joined the reunion, hugging both Lupin and Neville before looking between them in worry. "It was Bill, wasn't it?"

Neville merely looked at her in confusion, along with Tonks and Luna, but Lupin nodded sadly. "It was."

"What was Bill?" Tonks looked at her fiancé with incomprehension written all over her face. "Bill Weasley?"

"Yes. Bill Weasley." Lupin shook his head slowly. "It wasn't the Polyjuice Potion or some other disguise. He's definitely under the Imperius Curse."

"What?!" The cry of shock from Tonks, Neville, and Luna attracted the stares of nearly everyone left in the waiting room. Tonks shook her head violently and spoke in a whisper after a few seconds. "No. No, Bill can't be under the Imperius curse! He can't be!"

"But he is."

"That's rubbish!" Neville was also whispering, but his voice was filled with fury. "We only just saw him this morning, and he was fine!"

Lupin shook his head. "No, he wasn't. I knew something was wrong, because he took Ellie from Griphook's hands. Griphook is helping the Order, on the grounds that he gets a large portion of an treasure we acquire, and he was to tell Bill that this morning. Obviously, something had happened."

Ellie shuddered. "He could have killed me then and there. Thank goodness he couldn't get into my vault, or he would have locked me in or something."

Lupin groaned. "If I had known that he couldn't get in there, I would have taken you all straight back to Hogwarts and alerted Minerva. That vault is bewitched so allies of the family, and only true allies, people who can be trusted almost unfailingly, can get in. I have been inside several times myself. Obviously, Bill was being forced to the other side."

There was silence for a few moments before Tonks gasped loudly. "Wait, Ellie, didn't you tell me that Ginny had been tortured?!" Neville's and Luna's eyes flew to the small redhead, who nodded. "Tell us everything, please."

Ellie nodded and recounted the story. Neville and Luna, who had yet to let go of each other, clung to the other even more tightly, and Tonks was crying again. Lupin shook his head dolefully at the end and looked back towards the emergency room. "I think I should go back in there. Fred and George are about crazy with worry, and they haven't found out that Angelina is there, as well."

"I'll come with you," said Tonks. "You three, don't leave the hospital, understood?" The couple walked through the large doors, leaving Ellie, Neville, and Luna alone. Neville flexed his arm, which still bore several long scars, before turning to the stairs and sighing sadly.

"What is it, Neville?" Luna finally disengaged herself from his arms and stared at him in concern.

"It's just… I know we're here for Ginny and everything, and we don't have much time to waste once she recovers, but I… I want to go visit Mum and Dad." Neville blushed and turned away from the girls completely. "I haven't gotten to see them since the beginning of break, and since I'm here now…"

Ellie was about to ask why he would visit his parents while the three of them were supposed to stay in the hospital, but her fireside conversation with Ginny drifted back into her thoughts. "Oh, no…" Ellie whispered. "So his parents are dead, too?"

Ginny shook her head sadly. "Unfortunately, no. They're still alive and relatively healthy, from what Neville told us, but they're insane. They don't know anything anymore." Ellie placed a hand on Neville's shoulder and squeezed it slightly.

Luna also seemed to understand what was upsetting her friend, but she didn't let it bother her; rather, she took a few steps towards the stairs and grinned at him. "Come on, then. I'm sure they'll be pleased to see you, regardless of the reason you're here in the first place. Let's go."

Neville nodded, still not meeting either of their eyes, and took the lead, traveling up the portrait-covered stairs in silence. Ellie felt so many emotions rolling from her new friend that she nearly cried, yet he managed to keep his composure regardless. Luna brought up the rear, humming to herself and seemingly oblivious to the boy's pain. When they reached the fourth floor, Neville took a deep breath and opened the first door they happened upon. A bed right next to the entrance was empty, but obviously home to someone a bit messy and careless. Several broken quills were scattered on the bedside table, and dozens of posters of a smiling man plastered the wall around the bed.

"Oh, does Professor Lockhart stay here?" asked Luna. Neville nodded mutely, and she sighed. "I never liked the man. The first day of classes in my first year, he decided to tell me how horrible my father's magazine was, all because Daddy had come out with an article that his stories were fake. It turns out that he was right." Luna wrinkled her nose at the nearest poster, which winked in return.

"Come on, you two. I'll introduce you to my parents." Neville had moved to the end of the ward, which seemed to be unoccupied save the mysterious Lockhart and the curtained off section Neville had ducked into. Luna and Ellie approached it quietly, as Neville was now speaking tentatively. "Hi Mum, hi Dad."

"Oh, hello," said a light voice. "Lovely weather we're having, isn't it?"

"Oh, quite," said another voice, far deeper than the first. Ellie and Luna both walked through the curtains and stopped short. Neville was sitting in a chair in between a man and woman who were obviously his parents. Alice Longbottom was thin, but her face was still round, just like her son's. Frank's hair was exactly the same shade as Neville's, and his eyes were reminiscent of the younger man's. However, both of them looked dull and weak, and their eyes had little life left in them.

"Mum, Dad, I would like you to meet a couple of friends," said Neville shakily. He was obviously upset about Luna and Ellie seeing his parents like this. "This is Luna Lovegood, a sixth-year Ravenclaw, and Ellie Mason, a sixth-year Gryffindor." He gestured to his friends vaguely before looking down at the floor. "Luna, Ellie, meet my parents, Frank and Alice."

Ellie merely nodded shyly, but Luna bounced forward and took Alice's thin hand, smiling serenely. "Hello, Mrs. Longbottom. How are you?"

"I'm doing quite well, thank you. You know, my Neville is going to be a Gryffindor when he grows up. He's so brave." Alice's eyes were hollow and empty, even though her voice was so enthusiastic. "He and Harry are both going to find themselves as Gryffindors, you mark my words."

Ellie looked at Neville, who was still staring at the ground resignedly. Poor thing… His parents don't even realize that he's a man now. They still think he's a baby…

Luna grinned. "Of course he will, they both will, and they'll make lots of new friends while they're at Hogwarts."

Frank was the one who answered. "Yes, they will. By the way, did you hear about Harry Potter defeating the Dark Lord? Incredible!"

"Yes, Dad, we heard about it." Neville finally looked up; his eyes seemed hollow and his mouth was thin.

"Alice and I are going to talk to Dumbledore tomorrow, you see. He sent off little Harry to live with Muggles, but we want to keep him. After all, he is all but family to us." Frank nodded. "He and Neville are such good friends already."

Neville clenched his eyes shut and tightened his fists. Luna's eyes were slightly wider than usual as she sat on Alice's bed, and Ellie had thrown both hands over her mouth. Neville's parents wanted to adopt Harry? Oh, my…

"Oh, yes, I have your gift right over there," said Alice, pointing to a table beside Ellie. The slight girl picked up a plastic bag of what appeared to be gum wrappers and took them to the frail woman. "Thank you so… Oh!"

Alice had latched onto Ellie's hand with surprising strength. Her eyes, which had seemed so vacant just moments before, were now gleaming happily. Ellie tried to pull away, but the woman held on. Neville got to his feet and placed a hand on his mother's shoulder. "Mum, you have to let go of Ellie."

"Ellie? No, dear, Ellie's just a baby," said Alice. "You must be mistaken, Ellie Mason is a few months younger than my Neville, just turned a year old."

Ellie's jaw had dropped. "H-how do you know me- er, Ellie?"

"Becca, I know you and your games quite well." Alice's face shone with happiness, and her smile took up nearly half of it. "You know perfectly well that I was there when your daughter was born. You didn't bring her over much, because your Uncle Albus was worried that the Dark Lord might attack you while you were weak, but you came to Neville and Harry's birthday party, right? And you came over just a few days ago, just before Ellie's birthday."

Ellie paled. Is this for real?! I knew Neville and Harry as a baby?! "Um… Of course, Alice. It's great to see you again…"

"Come here, lovey, and give me a hug." Ellie reached down and hugged Alice weakly before turning around and hugging Frank, who was grinning broadly at her and holding out his arms expectantly.

"We… We'd best be going now," said Neville shakily. He hugged both of his parents tightly, grabbed the plastic bag, and whispered something to them before leaving the curtained area as quickly as he could.

"It was nice to meet you, Alice and Frank." Luna smiled happily at the couple. "I hope we can meet again!"

"Yes, and the same goes for me," said Ellie, grinning uneasily. "Until we meet again!"

"Goodbye, dears!" Frank and Alice waved cheerily at the pair as they ducked through the curtains and left the ward, only to find Neville sitting against the wall, his head in his shaking hands.

"Neville!" Luna knelt beside her friend and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Neville, what is it? Was it Ellie?"

"Ellie got more of a reaction than I did." Neville looked up at Ellie with tear-streaked cheeks and bloodshot eyes. "I'm their son, but they almost came alive at the sight of someone they didn't even know, and they made up that story to boot-"

"Neville…" Ellie knelt beside him and Luna, tears forming in her own eyes at the sight of his pain. "Maybe they were serious."

"Serious?! Ellie, they're insane, and they thought you were some random girl named Becca! How can that be taken seriously?!" Neville was bordering on hysteria, and Ellie felt her tears begin to flow down her cheeks.

"My- my mother is Rebecca Swallow Mason, but she's been called Becca since she was born." Ellie paused to wipe her eyes with the back of her hand. "I know that she was best friends with Harry's parents, and if Harry's parents were friends with your parents, then they probably did know each other. If our parents were friends, then we probably hung out as babies a few times." Ellie smiled kindly at him. "Have they never talked much before?"

Neville gave a great sniff. "Well, they weren't talkative at all until a year ago. After Gran came in and read them a short article about my involvement in a Ministry of Magic duel, they started talking more and more. Earlier this summer was the first time that they revealed that they thought it was still 1981. But none of that explains why they were so happy to see you, Ellie. You aren't your mother."

Ellie blushed slightly. "No, but I look exactly like her. The batty old people around Maple Brook always thought that I was her, either because they couldn't see or they couldn't remember anything before the '50s." She grimaced apologetically. "I guess your parents looked at me and saw Mother."

Neville wiped his eyes hurriedly and sighed. "I know, it's just… I wish they were always like that…"

"Well, if just being around Ellie made them so bright and cheerful, why not bring back other friends of theirs?" Luna stood up and smiled dreamily. "Obviously they don't remember your Gran, and they remember you as a baby, but maybe their fellow Order members would be enough to help them."

"Yeah!" Ellie jumped to her feet and grinned broadly. "And guess who's downstairs just sitting around?"

"Lupin!" Neville leaped up and started down the stairs two at a time. By the time Ellie and Luna caught up to him, he was standing in front of the open door to the waiting room of the emergency ward.

"What are you doing sitting around here? Come on, Nev." Luna pushed her way past him and gasped. "Oh…"

"What's the matter?" Ellie squeezed around the pair, and found that it was her turn to gasp. A large section of the wall had now been covered with posters proclaiming that Harry, Ron, and Hermione were fugitives. "'Potter, Weasley, and Granger are wanted for the planning and murder of Albus Dumbledore and the attempted murder of Minister Scrimgeour on the afternoon of August 18th. Anyone who is known to be close to any of these three will be brought in for questioning immediately.' August 18th? But that's today! They couldn't have-"

"Shut up, right now." Neville clamped a hand over Ellie's mouth and pulled her back into the stairwell, shutting the door immediately. After looking up the stairs for a few moments, he released her and leaned against the wall once more, shaking in anger. "Ellie, I'm sorry, but you can't let them know that you know where they are. Look at it this way; the only two people on this entire planet who know how to get to those three are you and Professor McGonagall."

Ellie raised an eyebrow. "As neither of us are prone to giving up the people who help us fight or we consider friends, I don't see the problem."

Luna spoke up, looking uncharacteristically nervous. "Ellie, there are ways to get someone to talk. Professor McGonagall is a very powerful, very experienced witch, and while you have proven you have huge stores of magic in your blood, you don't know how to block your mind. If they discovered you, the king's base could be blown wide open."

"Exactly. The only person who we should be at all worried about is Ginny. The rest of the Weasley's will be interrogated, obviously, but they weren't at school with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, nor were they romantically linked to any of them." The trio gasped as Lupin stepped out of the shadows, looking very distracted. "Tonks is with her now, but as soon as Ginny is proclaimed well enough she has to be taken to the Ministry."

"How long have you been here, Remus? You nearly gave us heart attacks!" Neville, who had jumped forward in alarm, resumed his former position against the wall.

"Just long enough to hear the three of you discussing something to do with myself, Frank, and Alice, and while I would love to be of assistance under normal circumstances, I'm afraid that right now isn't the best time. They want to interrogate the two of you, immediately." He nodded solemnly at Neville and Luna, and Neville swallowed deeply. Luna, on the other hand, smiled dreamily once more.

"It's not that bad. I expected it from the moment I saw the sign. However, maybe it will be a little easier if you Confund us, Remus. You know, make it so we're a little confused, as if we didn't know that Harry, Ron, and Hermione had even left."

Lupin protested immediately, but Neville talked over him. "It's a great idea! That way we can't let anything slip through on accident. It'll wear off eventually, so you'll have to make it a pretty strong spell."

"I-" Several sets of loud footsteps clattered towards the door, and Lupin grabbed Ellie and dragged her into the shadows underneath the staircase just before three men opened the door.

"Longbottom and Lovegood! Such a cute couple." Ellie felt Lupin raise his wand next to her and saw something ripple the back of her friends' hair like a strong gust of air as Yaxley stepped forward. She cowered behind her godfather, trying to make herself as small as possible. If that monster knew she was in the room, he wasn't showing it, but that didn't stop her from being frightened of him.

"What do you want?" Neville stood straighter and moved in front of Luna.

"Oh, relax. We aren't going to hurt you and your little lovebird. We only want to take you in for interrogation. I'm sure you've heard about Potter and company?"

"No, we had not, at least not until we saw those ridiculous posters in the lobby. And Neville and I are no more than friends. Furthermore, I will never tell you anything, you Blibbering Humdinger!" Whatever a Blibbering Humdinger was, Luna obviously meant it to be a great insult, and Yaxley certainly seemed to take it as such. His eyes narrowed and he pulled out his wand and trained it on the friends. The other two wizards did the same, and Ellie saw Neville swallow deeply.

"Hands up, and come with us. Miss Lovegood, you've just earned yourself a little bit extra interrogation." Yaxley circled behind Luna and grabbed her by the back of her dress, forcing her forward. When Neville grabbed for her, another one of the men cuffed him around the head and pushed him forward roughly. As soon as the third man had exited the stairwell, Ellie let out the cry she had been holding in.

"Remus, we can't let them do that! Those monsters will kill those two!"

Lupin shook his head as he stepped out from underneath the stairs. "No, they won't. Neville comes from a very respectable pure blood family, even if his parents were openly pro-Order. Luna, on the other hand, is completely innocent in their eyes, and is probably only being taken in because she was a member of Dumbledore's Army. They probably have no idea that Luna is good friends with them. If my Confundus Charms worked correctly, Luna and Neville will be under the impression that Harry, Ron, and Hermione are in Australia and Florida, just like the Department of Magical Law Enforcement is claiming. They'll be fine."

"What about Ginny? Will they go so easily on her?"

Lupin shrugged uneasily. "I don't know, Ellie. In the meantime, I need to get you back to Hogwarts-"

"Hey! Bring that girl back here, Yaxley!" Lupin and Ellie jumped at the sound of Tonks' screech of fury before dashing to the door of the stairwell and peering through the window. Yaxley had a person in his arms, and Ellie's hands flew to her mouth when she saw the shower of bright red hair flowing from the person's head.

"So sorry, Auror Tonks, but they asked me to bring her in." Yaxley was grinning broadly, and his two friends were laughing heartily beside him. Neville looked horrified, while Luna looked slightly angry. "Don't worry, we'll take good care of her. The Healer in charge of her… Well, he felt the impulse to release her, so she should be perfectly capable of answering questions."

"That Weasley girl hasn't even woken up yet, and you don't even work for the Ministry!" A woman with pale skin and spikes of hair so scarlet that it matched a fire truck stormed up to him, holding her wand less than an inch from Yaxley's nose. "I will not allow the three of you to take these children anywhere!"

"Au contraire, Nymphadora. You know quite well that my two friends are also Aurors, albeit rather new Aurors, so they have just as much authority to take these kids to the inquires as you do." Yaxley was now laughing, as well. "And if you so much as hit me with a spark, I will have them throw you in Azkaban for assault."

"You- you!" Tonks was now shaking so hard with anger that she couldn't keep her wand still. She took a step back and glared at the greasy man. "I will be filing an official report on this, it's preposterous!"

"Stick to your job, Nymphadora." The man holding Luna finally spoke up. "This has nothing to do with you."

"I was assigned to watch that girl while she was in recovery, she was tortured earlier today! She's obviously not fully recovered from it, so leave her alone!"

"Auror Tonks, you are already being watched. I suggest you take a step back and let us do our jobs, unless you want to end up like this poor child." Yaxley grinned menacingly at her before Disapparating, his friends going with them. Neville's eyes met Ellie's for a split second before he was taken, and they were full of fear.

"Well!" The man in bright green robes from earlier shook his head disdainfully. "Leave it to the Ministry of Magic to think they have the right to do whatever they please with just the flash of a badge. I never signed Miss Weasley's release forms, and she was obviously in no condition to be interrogated. And before they pulled that particular shenanigan, they waltzed on in and took her brothers, one of whom had just come back to his right mind." He sighed loudly before going back through the swinging double doors, and Tonks collapsed into a chair, her head in her hands.

"Dora?" Lupin opened the door and crossed the room in two seconds flat, kneeling in front of his fiancé and taking her hands in his. "Will you be alright?"

"I couldn't stop them, Rufus." Tonks eyes were unnaturally bright when she looked up at Remus and Ellie, who had followed Lupin to her side. "They just swept in and took her, and I couldn't do a single thing about it. Not to mention the Longbottom and Lovegood kids."

Why is she talking like she doesn't know them? Ellie was about to question Tonks' choice of names, but Lupin stood and pulled Tonks to her feet before she could ask.

"Let's get you and Clarice back home." Lupin took Ellie by the elbow and turned on his heel; after a few seconds of unexpected Apparation, she landed in front of Hogwarts' gates with a loud huff.

"Could you please warn me next time?!" She turned to glare at her godfather, only to see his skin bubbling and his face transforming. When he stood up straight, his hair was dusty brown and wavy once more, and he looked far more handsome than his homeless alter ego. "Oh… I guess you realized you were about to transform again?"

"Exactly." Both of them whirled around at the sound of Tonks showing up behind them, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"How could they?! How could they go that far?!" The Auror let out a wail of anguish and collapsed against one of the stone pillars of the entrance, sobbing. Her hair turned a rather ugly shade of brown and lengthened slightly, flopping lifelessly around her shoulders. "They're going to hurt her, I know it! They couldn't care less that she was nearly killed by her older brother, they are going to continue to torture her until they get some sort of information out of her!"

"Remus!" Professor McGonagall was suddenly part of the group, looking harried and angry. "What are all of you doing out here, you were supposed to Floo back!"

"We didn't have time, Minerva." Remus shrugged. "When Diagon Alley was attacked-"

"EXCUSE ME?!?!" McGonagall's voice was so shrill that Ellie, Tonks, and Lupin jumped and put their hands over their ears. "What attack?!"

"You haven't heard, then?" Tonks stood up and wiped her eyes on her arm. "The Death Eaters took it by storm this afternoon, at least thirty seven of them according to the Ministry. They destroyed several shops and managed to injure several people severely. I don't know if there were any deaths, but there were definitely permanent repercussions. Neville and Ginny were both injured, so we took them to St. Mungo's, and then we saw those posters…"

"How badly are they hurt?" McGonagall seemed to have recovered from her shock and was looking more stern than ever. "And why would the Death Eaters choose today of all days to stage an attack?"

"It was Bill Weasley, it had to be." Lupin looked at the ground as he spoke. "Someone placed him under the Imperius Curse, and when we went to the bank-"

"No! Oh, that will kill Molly and Arthur…" Minerva shook her head in despair. "I assume that he escaped?"

"No, he didn't," said Ellie, finally speaking up. "This Death Eater who keeps attacking me, Porter, caught Ginny during the battle and was trying to force her to give away my location. Tonks wouldn't let me fight, so I was inside Madame Malkin's shop, and Porter brought her in there to try and squeeze the information out of her. I fought him with Pure Heart until Bill came in and told us to stop. When I did, he tied me up and tried to get Ginny to join the Death Eaters. He told her that she should kill Hermione, because she's a Mudblood. I don't even know what that is, but Ginny got really angry, so he started torturing her. I couldn't stand it, and I somehow managed to summon Pure Heart and make it attack Porter and Bill without touching it. Remus found us shortly after Porter escaped and took Ginny and Bill to the hospital."

McGonagall's hands were covering her mouth, her eyes wide. Remus nodded at her expression. "I know how you feel, Minerva. Ginny and Bill have always had that special connection that I just can't put my finger on, but he was forced to torture her."

"He wanted to die when he found out what he had done." Tonks sniffled slightly. "As soon as he managed to snap out of the Imperius Curse he burst into the ward she was in and threw his arms around her, sobbing. I don't believe I've ever seen Bill cry, even when he found out that his face was permanently mangled he just laughed, but he certainly cried today. When Yaxley and company came in to collect him, I thought they were going to have to duel him."

"Collect Bill? Yaxley?" Professor McGonagall raised one eyebrow. "Why would you let Cyrith Yaxley take him anywhere?"

"He is working for the Ministry at the moment, collecting people who are known to be close to Harry, Ron, and Hermione." Remus clenched his fists. "That's the worst part. They took Bill, Fred, and George in for questioning at first, then came back for Neville, Luna, and Ginny. Neville had suffered a broken arm during the battle, but he was fine when they took him in, and Luna hadn't been hurt at all. Ginny, on the other hand, was still unconscious from her encounter with Bill and had yet to be released by a Healer. That monster wouldn't listen to reason and just took her anyhow, even though Dora here tried to stop him."

"Speaking of the Ministry, I'd best be getting back to work. I'm officially still on the job, and I'm sure somebody will have mentioned that I wasn't there during the battle, even though I was." Tonks grimaced. "You'll get my report later today, Minerva. If I see Fred and George while I'm at the Ministry, I'll tell them to send the bags of school supplies by Floo. I'll talk to you all later." With a quick kiss on Lupin's cheeks, Tonks turned on her heel and Disapparated.

Ellie looked at her godfather in confusion. "Wait, how come you aren't going in for interrogation? And you, Professor McGonagall? Aren't you both known to be close to the trio?"

"I have just come from my interrogation," said McGonagall, straightening her spectacles. "As far as the Ministry knows, however, my relationship with Harry, Ron, and Hermione is simply that of a teacher and her students. They only asked me in because I am their Head of House, and they only questioned me for about fifteen minutes, just trying to pin down some information on their personalities. I was as vague as possible, and they let me out relatively soon after."

"As for me, many people only believe that I knew the three of them for one year, while I taught Defense Against the Dark Arts here at Hogwarts. They know that I was friendly with Harry's parents, but they have no way of knowing how deep my friendship with Harry, Ron, and Hermione runs." Lupin smiled slightly. "Besides, I'm a werewolf. If they asked me in for interrogation, they would somehow find a way to arrest me and throw me in Azkaban. There is no way that I would run to help them out."

Ellie nodded solemnly. This isn't how I wanted my first day to go…

Khgirl08: That's it for now! Review, review, review, and happy reading! =D