DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY OF THIS, EXCEPT FOR ANY CHARACTERS YOU DON'T RECOGNIZE. JK ROWLING IS JESUS!

CHAPTER 36

Audrey quickly rolled over and sat up, backing away quickly as Vladimir Morozov, the wizard Audrey and Sven had run into some number of years ago in an alleyway, was advancing towards her.

"Why are you here?" Audrey whispered in the dark, staring up at the man. He looked no different then the last time she saw him.

Sven quickly grabbed Sirius by the arm and pulled him against the wall, Vladimir hadn't seen them, fortunately. Sirius was about to run out and save Audrey when Sven held him back, giving him a look that said 'Be quiet, stupid.'

Sven pointed to his wand, looked at Sirius, and mouthed. "Get ready."

"Why am I here?" Vladimir asked, crouching now, just above her. He let out a small laugh, stoking her face. "I am here to see you, Printsessa. Only you. But I have to take care of some things first."

Sirius' stomach dropped, he wasn't sure who this man was. But he noticed how clear Audrey had made it that she preferred to speak in English to this man, and he spoke back. Perhaps so Sirius could understand what was happening…

Sven could just barely see Audrey's face in the darkness, her eyes were black but he could sense a slight fear coming from her. Something he could only sense after knowing her for so long…he supposed that she was so fearful because only her great uncle had called her Printsessa, Princess. They had always thought it was a name of endearment but the way Vladimir said it, he wasn't sure now. Sven was creeped out, and he knew Audrey had to be too.

Sven was about to give Sirius a signal when Vladimir raised his wand at Audrey, about to strike. Before the three teenagers could react, someone else had entered the room and shouted.

"YOU STAY AWAY FROM HER!"

Vladimir was blasted into the opposite wall, and Ivan Dalio, Audrey's great uncle appeared, looking enraged.

He pulled Audrey up onto her feet easily with one arm, and then threw her behind him, shielding her.

"Uncle Ivan…no…" Audrey said, struggling against one of his arms.

"Silence, Audrina. There's something you should know-" Before Ivan could finish, a jet of light had blasted him away from her and onto the ground. He sat up angrily, cursing in Russian.

One of Vladimir's associates entered the room, firing curses. Ivan had gotten up quickly and began to fire back, Sirius and Sven joined the fray, as well as Audrey as more of Vladimir's associates began to come in from all entrances of the hall.

"Don't harm the girl, leave that to me!" Vladimir shouted to his followers.

Out of one of the many entrances to the main hallway, Edik came running in, firing curses and screaming at them.

"GET OUT OF MY HOME!" He roared, dodging a killing curse.

It was my first real duel, honestly…not counting all of those duels around the castle I'd had with Snivellus but that's beside the point. I could only understand half of what was going on around me with the language barrier. I saw Audrey's eyes glowing yellow in the darkness. But then I saw more sets of eyes glowing…all the same…they were all just like her.

Audrey fired a stunning spell at one of her attackers just as someone had bumped into her.

"JACQUES!" Audrey yelled over the booms and yells in the room.

"Audrey, how did you get here?" Jacques said seriously, taking his cousin by the shoulders.

"I-I was at the Yule Ball, I was about to grab my handbag, then it turned out to be a portkey. Sven and Sirius had seen and grabbed on…where are Hans and Peter? I haven't seen them since the dance began."

Jacques eyes turned red and his face contorted into an expression of anguish. His voice turned serious. "Dead."

Audrey's wide eyes went blue. "How…?"

"I'm assuming they brought them here the same way they brought you here." Jacques said, sending a vase on a jet of wind, which knocked into an unsuspecting victims head.

"By portkey?"

Jacques nodded.

"Audrey, they want something from us…they want us dead, all of us. I got here and I found Hans and Peter dead in the entrance hall. Audrey, you're the youngest, and the only one who needs to know-"

Jacques never finished his sentence, he began to gasp, Audrey looked down at his chest.

Someone had pierced a sword into his back…

Audrey tried to scream as someone had forcefully grabbed her by her neck, Sirius saw in the distance and stunned him, running to her. Her eyes were white as she ran into his arms without question, sobbing, as Sirius sent a hex at someone.

"Shh…" Sirius said consolingly, managing to punch a man who was less then two centimeters away from them. Had this situation not been so grave, he would have melted, she had never hugged him in such a way. She had never thrown herself at him, but this was hardly considered throwing herself at him at a time like this.

"Audrey, we need to get you out of here." He whispered, she shook her head.

"I can't, Sirius. My aunts, uncles, and grandmother are still somewhere in the castle." She said, her wide eyes turning a peculiar purple.

"Audrey, you can't. you have to forget them-" Before Sirius could finish, Audrey clasped her hands tightly over his ears, leaned over his shoulder at a man who had his wand at Sirius' back, and let out a piercing shriek. He feel backwards unconscious.

Audrey quickly took her hands off his ears and set off into a sprint, back into the fray.

I was so awestruck and perplexed as I turned and noticed my attacker on the ground unconscious. There was more mystery to her then I had realized…

Sven was battling Vladimir directly, Audrey noticed how fierce he was. Despite worrying that Sven would somehow become evil when he was first accepted to Durmstrang, she had been proven wrong.

Sven was using the dark magic he had picked up at Durmstrang in defense against dark magic. Now, Audrey was worried about the consequences for him should either side's curses go wrong.

She noticed Ivan floating in the air, firing hexes at unsuspecting men below. Audrey flew up as well, though she didn't like flying without a rock, it had to do.

"Uncle Ivan, what is going on?" Audrey asked, as he continued to fire hexes.

"Audrina, they know about us. We knew it would be inevitable to hide from them, we've been running for years. They know, and they want to destroy us. They've already murdered your cousins." Ivan spat angrily.

"Where is Nanna, Sophia, and Alina?" Audrey asked, her eyes wide.

"I don't know, Printsessa. But you must know the truth, it is in this very palace. Run, find it, before it is too late…I don't know how much longer we can keep them off." Ivan said, blocking a curse. "GO!" He roared.

Audrey flew down quickly, carefully dodging a spell and sending a curse towards one of the men Sirius had been dueling. She knew it had hit well when Sirius shouted thanks.

I remember sliding quickly through the side door, and sprinting down the empty hallway. I don't remember how long I was running, but I had slipped on something far down the hall…

Audrey fell face first onto the cold wood floor, she was sure she didn't slip on her dress. she got to her knees and looked at her hands, and down at the front of her dress.

Blood…

I had slipped in blood…

Audrey got up, horrified, and kept running, she didn't even know where to look. Now she could only vaguely hear the bangs and shouts from the main room.

I didn't know where to even begin, what had my family been hiding from me? The age old question! What was so important that they had held it off until this very day? My heart and mind were moving at the same speed, my stomach was twisting up. I remembered the previous summer, when I had arrived and heard my grandparents talking in hushed voices in the study.

Audrey's eyes widened in realization.

That was the first place to look, and I picked up my speed once I saw the two gold plated doors of my grandfather's study coming into view.

She sped up greatly, and threw open one of the doors. Perhaps it was in here, whatever it was. The study was huge, there were stories of shelves with thousands, or even millions of books.

She began tracing her fingers along the bindings of the books, some of them were older than her grandparents.

An echo resounded in the large room.

…the door had closed.

"You are such a fool, Audrina." said a voice.