A/N: Exams are hitting hard so no new post next week. I figured I'd be merciful and give you the next chapter for this week but honestly, my studies have priority. Will try to post in at least two weeks' time.
Enjoy!
Tress Blues

Spiralling
Chapter Eleven
Murder Most Foul

The early morning light flitted in through the curtains and it astounded me that the world was still turning, that the light was still pouring in, that the sun was still shining, the bird still singing. It felt like everything should be shaken, terrified from the night's transgressions.

But no, everything was working the same way it always had. I felt a little nauseous as I realised how little had changed to everyone else while everything had changed to thing little amount of people.

I winced as Victoire picked the glass out of my heel with her wand, wrestling with the pieces that had been wedged in there. I felt like an idiot for taking my shoes off but I couldn't focus on the emotion for long. I was too confused, too shocked, too sad, too angry, too frightened. The hurricane left me sitting in the eye of the storm, neither here nor there, not peaceful, not stressed, just numb.

His name was Alejandro Montez.

He was fourteen.

He'd been in Ravenclaw like his father although he'd looked like his mother and both of them were now sobbing and crying into each other while their son's body was carted off by Autopsy Healers.

I remembered him. He helped people find books in the library sometimes and offered opinions of books others. I remembered a dead boy. A boy who had died tonight, here, in this mansion that now had blood on its floors.

I felt sick for thinking of my relief at not finding a shrieking Ginny, sobbing Harry and cold dead James Potter.

Alejandro had a family. A family who were now grieving and swearing revenge on his murderer. The murderer of a fourteen year old...I shook off the thought so I didn't hurl.

The adrenaline had well and truly worn off and I was stuck sitting among a bunch of other injured guests, with their formal wear in tatters and their loved ones seated beside them, hugging and kissing and whispering words of thankfulness.

Scorpius was wincing in unison with me but when the last piece of glass came out, he was immediately there, hugging me, furiously. Victoire's spells had finished the healing process apparently, all my wounds sewn up and only a few scars to tell the tale. Scorpius was fine too apparently although his face spasmed with pain every now and then from a headache or an ache or something.

"I'm getting sick of not being there to protect you Ly," he muttered, clutching me tightly. I hugged him back, my eyes burning with unshed tears.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

"C'mon. Rose and Al've been nagging me to bring you back. They're helping keep the kids calm with Hugo and Lily." He explained, drawing away. But I wasn't ready to be on my own just yet so I tugged his arm around my shoulders and he let me lean on him as we weaved through the remaining guests, Aurors, Healers and such.

The news would probably hit the Prophet tomorrow: HARRY POTTER'S NEW YEARS RUINED BY MASKED ASSAILENTS- DEATH EATERS? NEW DARK LEGIONS? READ ON TO pp33 FOR MORE EXCLUSIVE NEWS...

They'd probably have Alejandro and his family in there...pictures of the mourning parents...interviews...maybe a blow-by-blow description from eyewitnesses of how he'd died-

"Lyra, stop thinking about it, please?" Scorpius begged. I scowled and went to push him away but had none of the strength necessary.

"And do what? Just forget about it? They murdered him!" I hissed, guilt churning in me, deeper than anything before. Had we caused them to follow us? Had Narcissa sic them on us, to kill us? Who else would dare attack The-Man-Who-Killed-He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and his family and friends? Crazy people, that's who. And I knew six ways to Sunday just how psycho my grandparents could be...

"No Ly," Scorpius muttered, leading me down the corridors to the living room where Albus and Rose were. "Just put it out of your mind or else it'll cause more hassle than needed. We need to stay calm and we can't do that torturing ourselves over something we don't understand."

His words made a bizarre kind of sense so I tried to enter the room with as much calm as I could, struggling with my composure when all I wanted to do was scream and beg the Montez family for forgiveness and promise a slow painful death to my family members...not that it would ever be enough.

Lily looked up from where she was entertaining her family's younger generation with streaks of light from her wand and smiled, grimly at me. There was a hint of worry in her cinnamon brown eyes but it fell away at the sight of me. "Hey," she whispered, hoarsely. "How are you guys holding up?"

Scorpius led me to the couch and I sat down next to her, scooping up a crying Nattie and letting her pulls the pins from my hair to distract her. She looked at each one with fascination. "Alright." I murmured, looking around.

"Where's Rose and Albus?" Scorpius asked for me and Lily gestured to the room adjacent to us, the door firmly closed and silenced by the sounds of it.

"Talking with Dad and Uncle Ron about what happened," she explained, turning her huge eyes on me. Her mascara had run and her hair was matted with sweat and dirt and her dress was ripped along the bottom. She looked more like a scared little girl than the confident thirteen year old I'd dressed up earlier.

"Albus said-" she took a deep breath and Scorpius sat on her other side, looping an arm over her shoulder. The kids somehow knew it was time to be extremely quiet because they didn't make a sound as Lily let quiet sobs out before sniffling and turning toward me fearfully. "Albus said one of them tried to- to-" she broke out into tears again and Scorpius hushed her, filling in for Albus for a moment or two.

After she'd dried herself out, Lily coughed, drying her eyes. "Is it true?" she whispered. "Did they use the Killing Curse on you?"

I exchanged a glance with Scorpius who'd already been filled in, in the makeshift Infirmary of the Potters' downstairs rooms before I nodded slowly. "Yeah," my tongue felt too heavy and thick to say the word properly. "Yeah, they did."

Lily took his a shuddering breath. "Who were they?"

I leaned back against the squishy couch and I remembered the reception I'd had when I woke up, the way they'd all clambered around me frantically. It was now so empty, a big, gaping void that was conspicuously unfilled. "I don't know Lils. They looked like Death Eaters but I- I don't know." Scorpius stumbled over the words, at a loss.

I took in a deep, supporting breath and handed Nattie off to Lily, who clutched onto the little girl like a life raft. "I'm going to go see Mr Potter." I told Scorp who nodded and glanced at Lily.

She shook her head immediately. "No, no, go. It's fine- I'll be alright with the kids." She assured us rapidly and I edged toward the door, knocking softly on it.

Rose answered and I felt sick at the sight of the bandage stretch across her shoulder. She hugged me, tightly but gently and I hugged her back. "Rose, are you okay?" I whispered, fearing the worst but she just nodded and pulled away wiping tears from her eyes.

"Yeah." She murmured back, choked up. "Just...just a little terrified." She managed a watery smile and I looped one arm around her waist as she did the same for me, leaning on each other. Rose was like the sister I'd never had nor wished for but I found myself unable to picture life without her anymore.

Inside the office, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Albus and Teddy Lupin, Victoire's boyfriend, were hung over a desk, studying reports and analysis's from the Aurors who'd arrived on scene. Ron rubbed his forehead, stressed before spotting Scorpius and I and breaking into a grim smile, much like his daughter's. "Hello there Lyra, Scorpius. Take a seat, we'll be over in a sec," He greeted and Albus' head popped up, his eyes scanning us both over like x-rays as he scooted around the desk toward Scorp.

They exchanged low murmurs I couldn't catch while I helped Rose to the couch. It was easy to see she was shaken up from the evening's attack and I had to remind myself she wasn't used to people throwing curses at her. My mind instantly replayed the moment I tore Albus down from looking out over the crowd last night, claiming he'd be an easier target. I was too used to this kind of thing. It was worrying.

"Rose, do you need anything?" I asked but she just shook her head. "Is this about the attack or is there something else?" I asked after a moment, on a hunch. Rose avoided my gaze.

"It was hard." She admitted quietly as the boys took positions in arm chairs, Albus filling Scorpius in with a solemn expression. "Watching you and Scorpius come to the door on Christmas. But it was harder watching you just get up after that spell and even after the Killing Curse-" she choked on her words.

I let out a humourless chuckle. "I let my temper get the best of me," I told her. "I shouldn't have let it get to me."

"But that's just the thing Ly," she insisted in hushed tones. "It was all I could do to tug Scorpius away from the fighting and launch spells from behind that wretched table. You and Al- you guys started duelling right away and I know," she bit her lip and glanced at my brother. "that Scorpius would've been up there two if the wounds hadn't reopened. It was hard, knowing that in the middle of serious danger, I froze up."

"Rose," I started, slowly. "Everyone reacts differently to these kinds of things. Scor and I are freaks, you already know that. We're paranoid. Albus has had his dad to teach him always to be on guard."

"But I should've been able to help," Rose muttered. "I want to be able to help next time."

"Next time?" I quirked an eyebrow. "Are you predicting any impending battles to the death any time soon, Miss Weasley?"

"Oh shut up," Rose snapped at my impression of Professor Trelawney from the Divination Department but a smile curved its way across her mouth.

"How's the leg?" Scorpius asked Rose, his face worried. The redhead looked at it, grimacing.

"Doctor Vickie told me to go easy on it but it should be fine." She sent Al and Scorpius an irritated look. "Because I'm the one who does death-defying stunts all the time."

I rolled my eyes back at her, smirking. "It's not their fault. Beaters have the smallest percentage of brain cells on average. They don't know any better," I explained, mock-sadly.

The fact that both our respective family members played Beater on the Gryffindor Quidditch Team was a sore spot with both of us but we bonded over the fact that we'd just have to be the smart ones in the family when they got hit too hard to remember 1+1.

Albus scrunched up his face. "Scorp?"

"Hmm?"

"I think they're mocking us for our stupendous Quidditch skills."

"Why yes, I believe they are." Scorpius drawled.

I cocked my head and sent a forced smile at Rose. "Bright aren't they?"

"If you were an inkpot Scorpius, you and Al would be black." Rose said, dryly. "The colour of tar- dense and thick."

Albus hissed, holding his chest, martyred-ly. "Oh Rosie, you wound us so."

I giggled just as Rose's dad came over and took the seat beside his daughter, one arm looped protectively across her shoulders. She smiled at him and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Hey daddy."

"Hey petal," he murmured. It always astounded me how affectionate Rose and her father were. I always thought fathers were cold, indestructible, detached creatures but Ron was warm and funny and he loved Rose to bits, just as much as Hugo.

Once we'd all explained what had happened, with Luna and the duelling and the Killing Curse, Ron sent me a grave look. "These guys...we don't know but there's the theory that they were sent from your darling grandparents-"

"To Twins, enjoy the murderous Death Eaters, with love, Nanna and Pa." I grumbled.

"I'd rather a nice sweater," Scorpius muttered back and Ron cracked a small smile.

"Well, it's just a theory." He conceded. "But it's possible. Which means you're both going to have to be on the look out when you get back to Hogwarts. Narcissa and Lucius have left Malfoy Manor, no one knows where to, probably one of their old hideouts from Voldemort's days." Ron Weasley, who used to flinch at the Dark Lord's name, didn't even falter in his gaze now. "But if they're as twisted as I remember, they'll be looking for an excuse to finish you off, if it was them who sent these wizards."

Rose frowned. "If? Who else could it be?"

Ron's ears went bright red. "No one Rosie, no one at all. We're just looking at some other options." He scrambled, hastily.

Albus narrowed his gaze, suspiciously, still dressed in his white dress shoot, the tie loosened around his throat. Scorpius had been allowed to change but I doubted Albus had left his father's side since the attack. "There's either no one else or other options, Uncle Ron," he accused. "Which one?"

Ron grunted. "Give it a rest Al, I'm not budging on this, you're too young to be dealing with Auror cases." He stated and Al groaned; Scorpius looked disappointed as well. He gestured to the door. "You'd better get out of here, we need to hold another meeting," he added in a firm tone.

I chewed my lip anxiously before I stood up with everyone else, pausing before I reached the door. "Mr Weasley-"

"Ron, Lyra, Ron. Mr Weasley's in the kitchen, helping his wife." He chuckled.

I looked down at my bare feet. "Do you know why they killed the Montez boy?" I asked, bluntly. Ron sighed, rubbing his forehead, tiredly with lines of grief buried deep at the corners of his eyes.

"Not yet, Lyra." He replied, although his ears went a little pink and I had to wonder if perhaps he knew something else.

-''-''-''-

The following days went by like a kind of foggy memory, so much so that I couldn't recall what I'd done or spoken about or eaten the next day. The day we arrived at King's Cross, Albus and Scorpius were already trying to decide whether to colour the Slytherins red or pink for the first day of classes, Rose was desperately trying not to kill Hugo, who had already stolen her owl several times and was attempting to turn her trunk into a pack of mice (and nearly succeeding) and I was stuck with my stomach constantly jumping around as I kept an eye out for Death Eaters or a glint of Malfoy blonde hair.

Oh, and my wand having been stolen from me by a certain irritating raven-haired wizard.

"Al, come on," I begged, pouting a little. "Please?"

"Don't do it mate," Scorpius warned, smirking. "She'll just do something even more drastic."

"Y'know, usually I'd hex them for you Ly but you do look a little tense." Rose chimed in and I tossed her a dirty look which instantly made her look away, red faced.

"Oh sure, side with the lover and the cousin," I whined. "What about me? This isn't fair, it's my wa-"

"I've had enough now I want my share!" Scorpius and Albus broke out into song in unison as the rest of Al's cousins were kissed by their various family members. The scarlet, steam-blowing Hogwarts Express was waiting patiently for the remaining meandering students to board and the last clingy parent to be detached.

I groaned. "Oh shut up-"

"Can't you see?" bellowed Albus.

"I wanna live!" Scorpius sobbed, theatrically.

Rose's eyes closed in irritation. "Why Lyra, why?" she muttered, pulling her trunk to the disordered pile of baggage to one side where I'd already dumped mine. I just growled at the boys.

"If you-"

They kept on bellowing, drawing odd but amused looks from the surrounding students. "But you-"

"-don't shut up-!"

"-just-" A pack of flighty little Fourth Years broke into giggles at the sight of the two handsome pranksters, blatantly ignoring me. I shot them a dirty look and they ran off squealing.

"Nicely handled." Rose complimented.

"I certainly thought so." I tried again. "I'm going to stick Bartholomew-"

"-take more-"

"-in your rooms-"

"-than you-"

"-overnight!"

"GIVE- wait, what?" the prats suddenly snapped, horrified. I smirked and ran a hand along my new little kitten Rose had been saving to give to me for my Christmas present, knowing he'd meet an untimely end should she try to send it. He was all white, except for little black socks around his paws and he had tawny golden eyes like his father's.

Little Bartholomew was one of the kittens from Ron and Hermione's cat, Crookshanks' litter and he'd already made it very clear that the only people that had his allegiance were me and occasionally Rose. The first night I had him, after the New Years Attack, Rose had given him to me, claiming she was going to do it on midnight but of course, that came and passed while the world was falling to pieces around us. I left him in my room and he immediately sniffed me out before heading down the corridor of the Potter home and leaving little...er, presents on Albus and Scorpius' pillows.

Needless to say, it was among the one of the only things that hadn't slowed to an unintelligible blur over the past few days.

"You can't do that!"

"It's inhumane!"

"It's not even a cat!"

"I think it's part goblin."

"Definitely mean enough for it."

I smiled, innocently and held out my hand. "Wand then please?"

Albus looked hesitant. "You know we were just messing around right Ly?" he said, nervously.

"Yeah," Scorpius added, cautiously. "No need to retaliate. You looked a little..."

"Tense?" I suggested, dryly. "Wand Albus. Now."

Albus handed it over quickly and soon I kissed Harry and Ginny on the cheek before boarding the Hogwarts Express with Rose laughing beside me and a pair of irritated teenage boys growing bright blue antlers behind me.

"You shouldn't have done that," Rose muttered although she was smiling. "They just wanted to tease you and now they'll end up slaughtering you."

I shrugged. "Al's too nice and Scorpius wishes he could pull something on me but he won't because I'll just torment him more. I've lived with him for his entire life save two minutes," I leaned in conspiratorially. "I know what makes him tick."

Rose snorted. "Other than dungbomb in his pocket?" she asked, wryly. I sighed, impatiently.

"You're missing the big picture Rosie," I sniffed, haughtily. "The point is, I know all of his ticks but he can't be bothered using mine."

"What do you mean, what are yours?"

"Well, unless you suddenly see Narcissa and Lucius running around Hogwarts," I muttered, sarcastically. "Then you'll know he hasn't used them, won't you?"

Rose shot me a sympathetic look that I struggled, deep, deep down, to accept as sympathy not pity. I hated being pitied. "Sorry Ly," she consoled, throwing open the doors to a compartment to our right and shoving her carry on bags on to the top shelf. "Didn't mean to bring it up."

I waved my hand dismissively. "S'alright. I'm just touchy, y'know? I keep thinking about the Montez boy and what they killed him over. He was just another Ravenclaw, his folks probably worked in the Ministry somewhere." I said, feeling like there was something I was missing.

Rose sighed again just as Scorpius slid into the seat opposite her, beaming, his antlers gone. I clicked my fingers, mock-disappointedly. "Oh damn," I told him, cheekily. "I was hoping they'd last until Rhonda Witherby saw you."

The curvy, dumber-than-a-post blonde was the subject of much of my torture over Scorpius since last term although something in Rose's expression tightened whenever she was mentioned and Scorpius usually got more embarrassed than I'd ever seen him.

Scorpius scowled at me abruptly. "Stop bringing her up, Ly." He moaned. "It was one time-"

Albus went bright red as though trying to hold his laughter in and Rose snorted, a mix between a frown and a smirk curling at her lips. "Not what I heard..." she hummed, in a sing-song voice.

"You'd listen to petty gossip over me?" Scorpius demanded, weak but indignant.

"No," I cut in, bluntly. "I'd listen to the Hufflepuff prefect who caught my brother and the school slag snogging in the broom closet..."

"One ti-"

"...six times in as many days." I continued, shaking my head at the twat. Scorpius and Al were both popular with the girls at school although it was usually Scorpius who went for Broom Closet Snogs and In-Between-Classes Girls.

Albus remained obstinately single most Hogsmeade trips, on the other hand, occasionally taking a girl for a while but then getting abruptly bored with the 'prissy way she talked' or the 'piercing little squealing giggle she had'. I sometimes wondered if he was gay but Scorpius assured me this was not the case. As it was, Albus broke out into guffaws of laughter while Rose merely wore a canary feather smile.

Scorpius only moaned.

-''-''-''-

"I don't see the point of it," Albus insisted as we piled off the train, stretching and soaking in the sight of the Hogwarts castle twinkling up on the hill before us.

"What don't you see in it Al?" Rose snapped. "It describes a popular muggle conspiracy surrounding the bloodline of Jesus Christ, the muggle saviour of the Catholic Church, what more is there?"

"But why?" Al insisted.

Scorpius rolled his eyes, looking about a second from smacking his best friend over the back of the head. Rose and Scorpius, the book nerds they were, had read the muggle book The Da Vinci Code over the Winter break (Scorpius under the cover of darkness, having received it and hidden the book from our grandparents) and Albus was failing to see the 'point' of writing the novel.

"It's a novel Al," Scorpius explained, slowly. "It's a fiction story."

"But why'd this Bran Down bloke try to mess with their religion?" Albus pressed. "Seems like a rotten thing to do."

"Because it was a fictional novel and a good way for Dan Brown to make millions of dollars!" Rose hissed. "Now. Let it. Go."

I chewed my lip, trying to contain a laugh. "You're all certifiably insane, you know that right?" I checked. "You're arguing about the motives of an author here. Merlin only knows what they are!"

Rose pressed the heel of her palm into her eye sockets, exasperatedly. "I vote Lyra's right and we stop this whole mess right here." She stated as we were shepherded to the carriages.

Scorpius looked ready to protest but one look at the confused Albus' face and he caved, along with the great lump of a best friend himself. I acted shocked. "You mean I'm unanimously right?" I clarified, eyes wide. "Seriously? I'm amazed!"

"Really? Here I was thinking you were Lyra." Rose stuck her tongue out at me as we came to the front of the masses of people entering the carriages.

I was about to snap back a playful retort when I bumped in to Albus who was standing, three inches taller and ramrod straight, in front of me, his gaze locked on to something before him. "Al?"

"Albus? Mate?" Scorpius shook his arm and then turned, suddenly freezing as well. Rose frowned, impatiently and pushed around the two much taller teenagers and froze as well. I felt panic bloom in my chest before I turned and saw exactly what had caused them all to become so paralysed.

"Thestrals." I whispered, stunned.

I knew, logically, that the carriages weren't drawn by themselves. But I'd never imagined the ghostly, skeletal horses that could've been leading me to Hogwarts every year with silent steps. There were two to each big black carriage and the light sprinkling of rain slid down their leathery hides and made them shake their skulls with irritation. "H-how are..." Scorpius couldn't finish the sentence but we could all understand.

How were we seeing them?

It's well known fact that only those who have seen someone die can see thestrals. They can't be viewed any other way, no instrument or spell or enchanted mirror would ever show you the gentle skeletal horses.

"Your hearts...they stopped beating," Rose choked in a low voice. "Me and Al...we were in the room...you both died...we saw it."

"But how come we can see it?" I questioned, confused. "We didn't watch each other die, we were unconscious."

"Yeah, but you both were legitimately dead for almost a minute weren't you?" Albus murmured. "Maybe it's only the dead and those who've seen the dead that can see them."

It hadn't settled in before that moment but this surreal image before me shocked it into me with fierce vengeance as I slowly tugged Rose toward the carriages, Al and Scorpius in tow. I was dead. I was dead, stone cold, unbeating, unbreathing. They killed me.

The trip up to Hogwarts thawed the silence between us all but we were all too shaken by the cold, nerve wracking sight of the thestrals to really force ourselves out of it.

They killed me.

The Welcome Back Feast was exactly the same as it always had been, with the exception of a pause of silence for Alejandro Montez. We took our seats and Headmistress McGonagall made a speech about the school's rules and cast a particularly scrutinizing eye over our section of the table when she mentioned the consequences for pranking this term.

The I-know-you're-planning-something-boys-and-I-know-I'm-not-going-to-like-it-so-give-up-now-before-I-give-you-detention-for-the-rest-of-your-lives look was sadly lost upon the pair.

By the time the food had arrived, I was ravenous and I fell onto the vast selection of food like a Hippogriff on ferrets. Once they were finished, Albus and Scorpius started a game of Toss which pretty much consisted of trying to catch as many grapes in your mouth at once, as thrown by your partner.

I was in stitches when Albus slid off the bench trying to catch one while Rose just shot a quick Scourgify at the mess he'd made on his robes from the spilt pumpkin juice. He beamed at her, displaying the grape in his mouth, proudly. "Shtill go' i'." He crowed and Scorpius tossed a piece of bread at him to make the grape drop off his tongue.

"Yeah, pity you lost your brain instead." Rose muttered, darkly.

"You should've been a Claw with that attitude, Rosie-Posie," Scorpius commented casually, starting a whole new barrage of bickering between them. While Scorpius and Rose argued, Albus acting as an amused mediator between the two (although he usually spurned them on more just for amusement), I could feel eyes on my back, skimming the base of my neck, making the slight curls there raise on instinct.

I glanced around but everyone seemed to busy exchanging details of their holidays to be looking at me. I tried to focus in on the ridiculous nature of the argument between my twin and best friend but something nagged and teased at the corner of my mind. I hated feeling like something was just out of reach, some dot I hadn't yet connected.

The mystery of Alejandro Montez's murder had been driving me insane all the way to Hogwarts. Something was taunting me, just out of reach and I couldn't help but think why? There were plenty of other targets to choose from, plenty of moments where a Killing Curse could be used on a Weasley or a Potter or another war hero. But no. The only ones who'd been aimed to be killed were Alejandro and me.

If my grandparents were behind it all, why didn't they aim for me and Scorp specifically? It would explain why I was aimed for but not why they killed Montez. If they were Death Eaters, why go for the ruined-but-pureblood-nonetheless-Malfoys? We were- it made me gag just thinking of it- one of them at some point. Surely that would've earned us a place above so many other war hero targets in terms of priority for sparing.

You will die.

The mouthed words from the Death Eater sent tingles across my fingertips and again, I looked up, trying to see if anyone was glancing this way, scanning the Staff Table in case McGonagall or Professor Longbottom was watching, as he often did. He'd never been keen on either of us really and he barely let Tyler, Alice and Frankie play with me when I was over at the Potters.

But there was no one, not a single person glancing this way-

My eyes suddenly locked with a pair of dark navy eyes and my gaze narrowed automatically.

Antoine Goyle smirked across the hall and, as if he was reading my mind, mouthed the words. Good holiday?

Sweet Circe.

There. Everyone breathing again? Oh good. I got so many reviews from people, begging me to tell them if James dies. No. Not yet. He's safe.

For now.

T Blues.