Sorry I couldn't get this up last week. Finals suck! And I suck at action scenes, but oh well. Enjoy.

Albus, Frank, and Lesley sat alone in the headquarters, now completely put in order. They should have been on the train to Hogwarts two hours ago. Albus looked over at Frank and Lesley.

"Well?" There didn't seem to be much more to say. The last week had been almost frightening in its swiftness. All their forces were laid out on the map, pulsing, multi-coloured dots surrounding those red, yet still hopelessly outnumbered. Now all there was to do was wait for Rose to make her move.

"I'm going to make some tea," said Frank. Albus nodded disinterestedly, looking back to the map. Then he closed his eyes, seeking to quell the panic that was rising within him. As sick as it was, he withed that Rose would just get on with it. All this waiting was making it impossible for him to think.

"I'm going to the train," he said suddenly. Frank and Lesley's heads snapped toward him.

"That's suicide!" said Lesley. Albus shrugged.

"I've died before," he said. "I'm going to get all the Slytherins out of there."

"Why don't you get one of the house elves to-" Frank began.

"I can't stand this waiting!" Albus shouted. "I can't just sit here, waiting for her to kill someone!" Frank opened his mouth to argue, but Lesley stopped him.

"No, let Albus go . He's taking it worse than we are. It'll give him something to do."

"It's still a stupid risk," Frank muttered.

"It was a stupid risk to have them go in the first place," said Albus. "They're all congregated in one place. How can that not go wrong?"

"Fine, go, you idiot," said Frank. "It's just the last for train cars, anyways, with the unofficial segregation and all."

"Exactly. I'll be fine." Frank reluctantly nodded, and Albus disapperated.

He reappeared in the first of the four cars occupied by the Slytherins only. Muttering a spell, he put his wand to the side of his neck.

"ATTENTION ALL SLYTHERINS," he boomed. Instantly heads poked out of compartments. "THERE IS NO NEED TO BE ALARMED. YOU WILL BE APPERATED TO HEADQUARTERS, AS IT HAS BEEN DEEMED TOO MUCH OF A RISK FOR YOU TO REMAIN AT HOGWARTS-"

"A fine decision," said a voice behind him. He whirled around and saw, hanging onto the railing at the end of the car behind him, the form a Rose Weasley, the wind making her hair fly around her like a flickering flame about to die out. He lowered his wand to point at her.

"Rose." She smiled.

"You certainly chose a time to turn up, Mr. Potter," said Rose. "This is becoming the norm, you showing up just a little too late to save your minions."

"I'm not too late this time," said Albus. Rose let out one harsh bark of laughter.

"No, you're just in time to die with them. Noble of you, I suppose." Albus was surprised to see tears in her eyes.

"Rose, what's-" She drew her wand, stilling him.

"I've tried to do this slowly, Albus, but it's not working. You don't know how I hoped you wouldn't be here. You may be evil, but you're still my cousin."

"Rose, you don't have to do this. You can still go back-"

"No, no I can't." She lowered he wand until it was pointing at the connector between the two carriages. "I'm sorry." With a sharp crack the connection was broken.

"Rose!" She didn't answer. A flick of her wand and a loud boom forced the end of the carriage into the air.

Albus fell toward the bottom end of the carriage, scrambling for a handhold. He grabbed the door handle of a compartment and hung on, though he was nearly jarred from it when the door swung open. In a manner almost like a chin-up he got his head about the door the see the Slytherins inside the compartment.

"Don't worry," he said, putting one arm over the door and pulling himself atop it. Standing precariously, he waved his wand and the train froze. Then it slowly began to creak downward. Albus looked up, and the train suddenly accelerated and crashed to the ground. Albus himself slid to the floor, almost falling over. In front of him was the reason he had lost control of the trains descent.

"Perhaps you're better than I gave you credit for, Potter," said Rose wearily.

"Perhaps," Albus said, closing the door he'd hung onto.

"Are you going to force this onto me? Do you want to die in a duel?" Rose's voice almost cracked with badly concealed desperation.

"A duel?" said Albus, and he laughed. "If we dueled, I know who would win."

"You know nothing," said Rose. "I've been taking lessons from the greatest duelist of all time."

"I'm not taking lessons; I'm good enough to be giving them," said Albus. "I had to be." Rose scowled.

"Your generation is dead and gone. You're all that's left, and a sad, washed-up Dark Lord you are."

"I know," said Albus. "And you know who I am. You know what I've done. Kill me and let these innocents live."

"Innocents? Don't make me laugh. An innocent Slytherin is just a Slytherin who hasn't been caught yet." Suddenly Rose gulped. She looked, for a second, as though she was about to cry. "Why did you have to do this, Al? Why did you have to be evil? We could have been brilliant together."

"Rose, it wasn't my choice to be Dark Lord or in this House. You don't have to kill us." It was strange, two enemies asking each other the exact same question: Why did you become this? Where did we go so wrong? Can I fix you? Their answers were likewise the same: No. No, because evil is total and absolute. No, because of complete delusion. Maybe, if either could have answered "maybe," the war could have ended right then and there.

The two faced each other, mirror images of darkness and hurt and heartache, mirror images who would forever fight yet wish there was some other way to play out their hellish drama. Rose raised her wand again, and Albus raised his. It was a salute of sorts, a salute to who she once was- his cousin, his friend, an over-polite bookworm that he loved with all his heart as a second sister.

"So this is it," he said. She nodded. He surged past her, gesturing out the front of the car. "Reparo!" The two parts drew together like giant magnets, but he wasn't watching his handiwork. He had turned to look at Rose, who stood as though petrified.

"You... You..." she stammered.

"Yes," said Albus, grabbing her wrist. "Me." With that they both disappeared.

So, there's that. I realize that Rose might be a bit OOC. Feel free to complain in that lovely little box right below. I would love some reviews.