Together the four girls lined up to leave for Hogsmeade, arms linked and giggling as they gossiped. Filch scowled at them but allowed them to leave, reluctantly. Grumpy git.

"I want to get Tulip something again this year, she hates that she can't come to Hogsmeade with us," Lily said to Ivy, looking past Robyn. She was only in her second year, next year it would change, and she'd join them shopping.

"What about Bertie Botts every flavour bean? She likes them." Hannah suggested, as they were heading towards Honeydukes.

"Sounds good to me," Ivy replied smiling brightly. "She'll adore it here once she can come!"


Lily and Ivy had gotten the beans for Tulip and were waiting patiently for Hannah to get her chocolate. Robyn it seemed was talking to some guy; Ivy craned her neck to get a look at who it was.

"No bloody way," Ivy exclaimed, shocked at what her pretty green eyes saw.

"What?" Lily asked confused looking in the direction Ivy was, craning her neck over a few kinds bunched in front of her.

"See Robyn, look who she's talking to!" Ivy whispered furiously, pointing at their friend.

Lily spotted Robyn and looked at the guy she was talking to; he was tall, with longish black hair, handsome, grey eyes and a gorgeous body.

"Oh dear." Was all Lily could say.

Neither Lily nor Ivy could believe that Robyn Dunne was talking to Sirius Black! Of all the people to play friendly with she picked that git.

"Hey I'm finished," Hannah said from behind the twins, making the pair jump.

Robyn turned around and caught Ivy's eye just at that moment and gave a small wink, like she was up to something, and knowing Robyn Ivy didn't doubt it.

"What the hell does she know that I don't!" Ivy exclaimed infuriated.

In that moment Robyn sauntered over and giggled, she knew something, and she was going to dish out the goods. It was written all over her face, with the mischievous smirk.

"Guess who likes who?" Robyn said in a sing song voice, absolutely giddy with the information she held.

"Who Robyn?" Hannah asked interested.

"Remus likes Hannah, Sirius likes Ivy and James likes Lily!" Robyn sung out. Well Lily and Ivy nearly dropped dead with the terrible revelation while Hannah looked positively delighted.

"Oh wow, I have liked Remus for ages. Do you think he might ask me out?" Hannah whispered excitedly as the girls walked towards the quill shop.

"I'm sure he will eventually, he's a bit shy though. Nothing like Potter or Black." Lily said smiling brightly at Hannah's happiness, she was happy for her friends, she however wasn't so lucky.

"Sirius isn't really that bad," Robyn said, eyeing up Ivy carefully.

"Sure," Ivy said sarcastically.

The girls walked into the warm shop, the bell rung. They took only a few steps before they heard a horrific boom. The whole of Hogsmeade shook. The girls screamed as they were thrown to the floor, they could hear screaming form outside the store, looking at each other they weren't sure what to do, scared and confused they scrambled to their feet and moved towards the dusty window.

"What!" Ivy screamed as she looked out the window and paled. She could she Hogwarts in the distance, smoke was billowing from the building

Thick clouds of black smoke were rising into the blue sky, staining it. There was something else though, a green haze behind the smoke, as the harsh winter wind whistled, pushing the smoke it became obvious. A large glittering emerald skull hovering above the school with a snake weaving from its mouth, it looked foul and was etched into Ivy's brain as the terrifying image seemed to watch the horror below it. Nothing she'd seen before had been so heart stopping, breath taking, terrifying. She blinked, her vision blurring, she hadn't even realised she was crying.

And then a single horror inducing thought, something that could possibly be the most petrifying thought she'd ever had. Her lungs tightened, and her head spun. Tulip.

Ivy bolted out of the shop, almost ripping the door form its hinges Lily, Hannah and Robyn right at her heels. The four girls tore along the streets, shoving their way through the mass of scared student who had gathered to witness what was happening, towards the school.

There was no oen at the gate as per usual, but there was something else altogether. As they neared the building their worst possible fears were made real.


Madame Pomfrey ran about, her white robes covered in black smudges, she was attending to various students who were sprawled out on the grass, which was slowly turning red, there were screams from around them, and cries still coming from within the building.

Lily scanned the group but couldn't see her young sisters ginger hair among the crowd. Flitwick and Madame Pomfrey were tending to the injured while other teachers ran in and out of the building carrying bodies of students, though looked exhausted and covered in blood and soot.

Ivy dashed towards the building, pushing past some random teacher who was in her way, ignoring all calls for her to stop. Lily was not far behind her sister, she nearly tripped over a body, but didn't for a second let it slow her down, as she ran with her sister. Together they climbed over lumps of rock blocking their way, and under the great hall doors which had fallen down, until they were standing in the great hall. There was that moment where absolutely everything is still. No one breathes, hearts stop thumping, wind stopped blowing, the smoke stopped billowing, it was just still.

Then again the movement started, blurring together, there was noise behind them in the corridors, familiar teachers voices, cries and movement.

But here in this place, Lily was horrified by what her eyes saw. Surrounding the twins was a mass of bodies, most of which were bleeding heavily, some she realised were dead. She felt something rise in her throat, and let out a strangled cry and her hands flew to her face, wiping away tears as they fell from her eyes.

"Oh no!" She struggled to breathe as the devastation surrounded her.

There were a few small groans; however they were fading into the darkness that was their death. Lily tried to help one girl that was severely burnt, but she just stopped breathing, her lifeless eye looking up at the redhead.

Ivy scanned the room, she had to focus, there were flames around, and it would be easy to miss her sisters ginger hair, it was as she stepped over a table that her eyes fell on the one person she had wished she wouldn't find.

Past the table the roof had caved in, revealing the beautiful clean blue sky above, however there was a mass of rubble on the floor, she first saw the Gryffindor banner on the floor, and then her eyes found the small body of a young girl, she was no more than twelve years old, her angelic face was splattered with blood that stood out so much against her otherwise white skin, hair that she knew was once a beautiful shade of ginger like a sunset orange was now covered in a deep red that caked her body.

It was unmistakable to ivy who it was.

She fell to the floor, her knees banging against the harsh stone, her platinum blonde hair fell forward as her head bowed, and tears leaked in heavy droplets from her eyes, and without warning a scream bubbled form her chest, and echoed around the room as she threw her head back, pure anguish hitting her, as if she'd just been stabbed in the heart. The sound was heart wrenching.


Lily jumped to her feet, and ran to the sound, stumbling over rock and tables to reach her sister, she too fell to her knees, and crawled blinding towards her younger sibling, as best she could she pulled the body onto her lap, and stroked back her hair, and tried to wipe away the blood, her skin was cold to the touch. Droplets fell think and fast onto the young girls pale skin, and Lily looked up, expecting to feel raindrops on her face, and feeling nothing but the sharp sting of tears on her cheeks, she looked back down at her sister.

"Wake up, wake up!" She croaked, rubbing her sister's face, and wiping away the blood, but her eyes were close, and her lips blue…

They didn't want to believe it, but there was no mistaking it.

Tulip Evans was dead.