It surely is the apocalypse because I have updated twice in a month.

Or maybe I'm just feeling jolly because... Christmas.

So yeah.

MERRY CHRISTMAS LOVELIES! (And sorry that this is such a damn depressing chapter)

Goodbye by Secondhand Serenade

It's a shame that it had to be this way/It's not enough to say I'm sorry/It's not enough to say I'm sorry

Maybe I'm to blame/Or maybe we're the same/But either way I can't breathe/Either way I can't breathe

All I had to say is goodbye/We're better off this way/We're better off this way

I'm alive but I'm losing all my drive/Cause everything we've been through/And everything about you/Seemed to be a lie/A guiltless twisted lie/ It made me learn to hate you/Or hate myself for letting it pass by

All I had to say is goodbye/We're better off this way/We're better off this way/All I had to say is goodbye/We're better off this way/We're better off this way

And every, everything isn't only/What it seemed so hold these/Words that you never told me/It's time to say goodbye/It's time to say goodbye/It's time to say goodbye/Goodbye

Bye

Take my pain away/Tear it out/Tell me I was wrong/Tell me I was wrong

Take my pain away/Tear it out/Tell me I was wrong/Tell me I was wrong

Take my pain away/tear it out/Tell me I was wrong/Tell me I was wrong

It started around seven on the last day of exams.

I had finished my dinner and was feeling quite low. Exams were over, and the end of the year was near. So why was I so down? Perhaps because I had nobody to celebrate with.

So, I was wandering the halls that night, trying to shake my melancholic feelings, when I caught sight of four figures rushing out of the castle. Seeing who it was, I immediately knew that something was happening on this warm spring evening. Something dangerous.

And I was not about to miss out on it. Nor was I about to let six (for I was sure that the two others were going to be involved) underage children, my friends, stumble irrationally into danger, alone. And so, I rushed to catch up to them. Instinctively, I knew that I shouldn't get involved, but I was not sorted into Gryffindor for nothing. Irrational bravery was my specialty.

They were just up ahead a few paces now. "We've got to hurry," Ron called behind him. Ginny was marching along at the front of the group, Ron her close second. Behind them, Luna strode with her eyes on the sky and Neville clumsily trotted behind them, trying to keep up.

"They'd best not have gotten themselves killed," Ginny huffed and determinedly picked up her pace.

"Oh don't worry. If anyone knows how to take care of themselves, it's Harry and Hermione," Luna stated breathlessly.

"Oi, you four. Don't suppose you're just going for a midnight stroll, eh?"

All four figures stopped immediately, swinging around with their wands at the read. I grinned, putting my hands up in front of me innocently. "What mess have you lot gotten yourself into now?"

"Oh. Blayne. Blimey you scared us!" Neville placed a hand over his heart. I grinned at him and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Now fill me in on the way." I started to walk away, in the direction that they were going, only to realize nobody was following. I turned to see them staring at me agog. "Well, I'm coming with you. Obviously. Who else would make sure you ate your vegetables?"

Ginny just rolled her eyes and strode next to me. "Alright, there's no changing her mind. She's Fred and George's best mate, after all. Hurry! They need us."

On our jog into the Forbidden Forest, the moon shone ominously above us, and the four did indeed fill me in. Harry had a vision that Sirius was in trouble at the Ministry, they had been caught by the Toad and her cronies as they tried to check up on Sirius at Grimmuald Place, and Harry and Hermione had tricked Umbridge into following them into the woods.

I shivered. Knowing what had happened the last time that Harry had gotten a vision about an attack at the Ministry, I had no doubt that Sirius was, in fact, in grave danger. We had to get to him soon, or it might be too late.

With that knowledge in mind, we quickly found the other two in the forest. After some squabbling, it was decided to take thestrals.

Luna helped me to get on and ride mine. It was strange, sitting atop an invisible horse, and not falling off. I felt it's strong back beneath my legs, but when I looked, I was sitting atop air. Suddenly, I was jolted into the air. As I looked beside me, all six of my friends floated above the air with me, going higher and higher at an impossible speed.

I held my eyes shut tightly, embarrassed at the fear I was feeling. I should be braver than this. I should face this with no problem at all. I was a Gryffindor, for Merlin's sake! But my stomach had settled somewhere by my feet, and I resolved to think of happy things until I was safely on the ground again.

I don't know how long I flew on the wind, over London's skyline, flying and falling all at the same time. But then, I was diving down, down, and I gave a shriek as my body lurched and fell through the sky in earnest this time. I was falling, dying, going so fast I would surely hit the pavement and see no more. This was the end, it was-

I was still. Was I dead? I cautiously opened one eye, then the other, to find myself laying almost horizontal in the air. Oh yes. Still holding onto the invisible thestral. Right.

With shaking limbs, I slid off the horse and stood on the ground. Sturdy. The earth was solid.

Throwing my shoulders back, I tried to muster my strength. It was over, and there was important work to do now. For Merlin's sake, a man was being tortured. It was time to fight.

We entered a telephone box. I would follow Harry to the ends of the earth, but a telephone box? How on earth was that supposed to help us?

But it did, indeed, help us. It was a tight squeeze, but we managed. I received a badge identical to the others' and stared at it.

Andromache Tonks. Rescue Mission.

Right. Bloody Ministry.

Attaching it to my robes, I looked around me as the box gave a lurch and fell into the earth. I held my wand tightly, preparing for whatever would be found at the Ministry. Preparing to fight. Preparing to die.

In those few quiet moments before we entered our battle, I thought back to the memories I held most dear. Quiet nights with Mum and Dad and Tonks. Blowing stuff up with Fred and George. Kissing Fred. Dinners at the Burrow. Last Christmas Eve, when I lost my virginity. Winning the House Cup. I used these memories to strengthen me. I let the love of my family and my friends flow through me, and I was going to fight for Sirius, fight for my friends, fight for safety. I was going to fight for a world without Voldemort.

When the doors opened, we found a startling lack of chaos. It was quiet, peaceful almost, in the Atrium. Harry led us through another elevator, the Ministry ebbing and flowing, and rushing past us. We stopped, abruptly, at a big black door. The Department of Mysteries.

Harry tried one last time to rid himself of us, to try to save us, but nobody would go. "Harry, you're wasting time. We're sticking by you." I gazed at him determinedly, wondering when he would realize that we were all here to back him.

We walked through the door, and found ourselves in a circular, ominously black room. The walls were rotating, and doors were placed at even intervals around the room. We patiently waited for Harry's instructions. As soon as the walls stopped rotating, we realized we could not find our way out. Well, at least that eliminated the possibility of anyone chickening out. Not like they would.

Harry seemed just as nervous as I felt, though he was trying to be brave. He had no idea which way to go, and instead, we tried doors at random. The first room was full of brains, and I shuddered helplessly. Seeing the naked brains floating around made my stomach lurch and my mind race with questions. Brains, Ministry, really?

We left the room to enter another, with a black tattered veil. Harry became entranced with the veil, and only after much persuasion and fear on the part of Hermione, Ginny, and me, did we get him to back away and leave the room.

The next door was locked. After trying to open it, we gave up and tried another. At this one, Harry exclaimed, "This is it!"

Holding my breath, I walked through the door behind Ginny. What was "it"? At the entryway, there was an egg that turned into a hummingbird, and Ginny stopped to stare. I found it beautiful as well, staring at the bird as it twittered around our heads. Harry told us we had to go, but I wanted to defy him just this once. But Hermione pulled me away with a firm jerk and I shook my head, remembering what we were here for.

We walked through the room, following rows and rows of bookshelves. Harry said something about row 97, but something was drawing me to row 89. Something about it called to me, beckoned me. It was imperative that I found that row. Something there was important to my future.

I broke off from our group, mindless of the danger I was putting myself in. I found my row, wandered down it, and about halfway down the row, my heart jerked to the left. In a trance, I turned to my left, and my eyes fell upon a beautiful crystal globe. It looked like every other globe next to it, but attached to this one was a tag with the words "?Andromache Blayne Tonks and ?Husband".

I reached out and grasped the ball, lifting it from its holding place and cradling it to me. It was important. I had to protect it. Lifting my wand, I tapped the ball with an unbreakable charm and then shrunk it. I put it in my robes, close to my hip, and, feeling satisfied, I hastened to find the rest of the rescue party.

When I found them, they were staring at a ball identical to mine. Harry went to pick it up, but Hermione was trying to persuade him not too. It was dangerous, she said. I guiltily touched the edge of my robes and walked towards them. I stood next to them now, and Harry grabbed the ball anyway.

And somewhere, from the abyss of darkness that nearly swallowed us whole, a voice slithered and swirled around us, as if ironically congratulating us for making a fatal mistake. "Very good, Potter. Now turn around, nice and slowly, and give that to me."

I spun around, grasping my wand tightly, and made to move in front of the younger kids. Lucius Malfoy slithered out of the darkness beside me, piercing me with his icy blue eyes and halting me with an unspoken spell. I cursed. I glared at him fiercely, turning my head to see the underage wizards and witches behind me. My mates, the people I had grown up with. Neville looked petrified.

The spell lifted from me and I set my shoulders, knowing it would do no good to try to protect them again. Shifting my stance wider, as Harry had shown me in the DA meetings, I clutched my wand until my knuckles went white. All around us were black shadowy figures, looming ominously with a mad glint to their eye.

"To me, Potter." Malfoy held out his hand and I looked to my left, to my right, my mind furiously calculating the odds and the escape routes. What did Malfoy want with the bloody thing anyway?

Harry asked where Sirius was, and the air filled with mocking laughter. I felt a shiver go down my spine and reached over to clasp Ron's hand in mine. His face had more emotions splayed on it than I had ever thought him capable of. Ron just shot me an indigent look.

"The Dark Lord always knows!" a sickening voice cackled. I felt my pointer finger twitch. Something about that voice rubbed me the wrong way, and I hadn't even seen her face yet. Something about that voice, that person, was off.

"Always. Now, give me the prophecy, Potter."

"I want to know where Sirius is!"

"I want to know where Sirius is!" The sickening voice mocked Harry and I felt the baby hairs on my neck stand up. Leave Harry the bloody hell alone!

Suddenly, the Death Eaters were so close, too close. I took a startled breath and raised my chin. If this was the end, then by Merlin, I'd go down fighting with my mates and my family.

More talking, more mocking, more of Harry begging for Sirius. Ron stirred beside me, and Harry told him "not yet"… more mocking. Harry looked like he was slowly going insane, his need to be a hero and save Sirius constricting his every breath. Bellatrix, Malfoy called the cackling voice. Bellatrix, my brain screamed at me. The very name that Mum had used to make me eat my vegetables. The same person that my mother had warned me to flee from if I ever even saw a lock of her hair. Dangerous. A sadistic baby-killing bitch, Nymph had said. Evil, Dad had said.

And she was here. She would kill me. I wouldn't get out of this alive. But as long as the other's did, that's what matters, I told myself. Get Harry back to Dumbledore. Get Ron back to Molly. Neville's gran would be heartbroken. What would Mum do when she heard that I would not be home for summer holiday?

I tried to concentrate on the last conversation I would ever hear. But my heart was constricting with fear and my mind was shutting down as I thought about my family's sorrow. And George, how would he grieve? Would Fred collapse to the ground in regret?

But then Malfoy threatened to use wands, and I raised mine instinctively and defensively and aggressively. I could see, out of the corner of my eye, the other wands raise.

Malfoy kept asking for the prophecy, the little orb. Harry laughed harshly, said something sarcastic, and Bellatrix, the epitome of evil, screeched "accio" and Harry countered her spell. He held onto the globe, but I was protective now. They were starting to make their move. I raised my wand and spared a glance at the others. Neville still looked shaky, but as if something had sparked his anger, his brow was set and his mouth a grim line of determination. Ginny looked the picture of a Weasley lioness, startling me in her resemblance to the twins, and I could practically see Hermione going over spells in her head. Ron appeared simply angry, but there was a hint of fear and a hint of Charlie in him, and it made me proud to know the man he had grown into. Luna looked every bit as loony as she always did.

Malfoy yelled at Bellatrix, and she walked forward menacingly. I could see her face now, and my sister had been right- it was the face of bitch epitomized. Her features made my skin crawl and my motherly instinct kick in. I would not let that face be the last thing that these barely-fifteen-year-olds would see. They deserved better than that.

She threatened to torture Ginny, and I nearly jumped on top of the redhead, I was so protective. The time had come to die for someone I loved. I lifted my chin and shoved Ginny behind me, as Harry stepped in front of me.

"You're not touching her, you vile cockroach," I spat at the insane shadowy figure.

She just cackled at me and tossed her hair over her shoulder. "You think you can fight me, little girl? You don't stand a chance!" She raised her wand and I raised mine, waiting for her to make the first move. Instead, Harry cut the tension with a reminder that she would break the orb if she attacked. Harry asked about the prophecy, trying to distract or come up with more knowledge that he could use against them.

Harry was distracting them, confusing them, making Bellatrix outraged that he dare say "Voldemort" out loud. I wracked my brain for a way to get out the situation. I tried to access the weak spots of the insane witch, counting on fighting her when the time came. Harry would take Malfoy and the one that stood closest to him, the one with fur on his face and teeth sharp enough to slice through metal. I would take Bellatrix and the skinny one to her left. He looked like he would be fast and slimy. Oh Merlin, we hadn't had enough time to prepare for this- not enough duels, no Defense class this year, not enough practical magic taught in all the years I'd been slaving over books. Maybe if I used that spell that Harry had taught us two weeks ago, the one that sliced-

Commotion erupted around us and two orbs fell to the floor after Bellatrix attempted to attack Harry. Prophecies floated out of them. Suddenly Hermione was whispering "what?" at Harry urgently and I had no idea what was happening. But I heard Harry say "smash shelves" and "when I say go" and I had to say, that was a brilliant plan. I knew there was a reason he was our leader. Though Harry was occupied, he was caught up in the lies or in the truths that Malfoy was spewing, and I found myself begging him silently to let it go, help us get out of here. I waited with baited breath, waited for him to give the signal, waited to smash and to help. And it did come.

"NOW!" Harry screamed, and I lurched to the left, knocking down the shelf closest to me and shouted "reducto!" at the one behind it. Wood and glass exploded into the air, and Harry screamed to RUN! and we did. I grabbed Neville close to me and threw a shielding spell above us, protecting us from the shards of glass that rained down on our heads. I ran, weaving myself between shelves that I collapsed behind me, and praying that my friends were alright, were running with me. I idly thought that it was ironic that I was no longer clumsy when I was fighting for my life.

A body wedged its way between Neville and I, and I heard the boy shout "stupefy!". We did not stop to think and turned right. I looked around and saw Luna with a gash down her face. "Hurry Luna, come on! We're ahead now!" I tried to be as encouraging as possible as I saw her begin to get lost in her head. That would not do.

We were in a room, protected for a moment, and Hermione locked the door behind us. We were not protected for long, and soon, everyone was shouting and Neville was trying to help and I shouted "stupify" so many times I was losing count. The Death Eaters were everywhere. We were outnumbered, but I let myself hope that we would get out of this. We had to.

I lost track of what was happening, worried only about saving Harry, Neville, Luna, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. I screamed at Harry when I saw Hermione fall to the ground, and he screamed her name in turn. Neville's face was bloody and he collapsed next to her body at the same time I did. I reached out to find her neck, touching for a pulse, begging Neville to watch my back.

"Harry, that's a pulse. She's got a pulse, Harry. She's alright!" Harry looked so relieved he could cry. "I've got her. We've got to get to the others."

With a flick of my wand, Hermione's body was floating along in front of us. Neville moaned about his gran killing him because he broke his wand, and I nearly started shouting at him. He broke his wand? At a time like this!

When we found the others, they were nearly delirious. I laid Hermione gently down. I was really worried about Ginny's ankle- it was swollen and looked badly broken. She was breathing shallowly, and I fell to the ground next to her, wracking my brain for a healing spell. Oh Merlin, why hadn't I paid more attention in class?

I came up with a spell that would at least lessen the pain, and quickly said it over her. She glanced up at me and smiled weakly. "That's so much better, I feel like an angel…"

We all got up to go and seconds later the Death Eaters rushed in once again. In the ensuing chaos, I saw Luna fly through the air and lay still on the floor. Not another one! I had to help her, had to-

Next Ginny fell. The only ones who were left were Harry, Neville, and I, as Ron was held in the brain's tentacles. I ran over to him, shot "diffindo" again at the bonds, pulled at them helplessly. Ron's eyes were going to the back of his head.

No, no, nonono, not Ron. Not him, please no. Mrs. Weasley will be devastated. The twins… oh Merlin, no!

Pain bloomed hot and unexpected across the back of my skull. I had just enough time to look up and see Bellatrix looming a few yards away, smiling cruelly and triumphantly. At least I was the only one who saw her face last, I thought.

I let myself fall, succumbing to the pain, to the heaviness of my limbs. It was peaceful in the dark, and my vision frayed at the edges. Hermione would be okay, at least. Hermione, and Harry, and Neville…

I regretted that I would not have enough time to kiss Fred one last time, to tell him I forgave him.

I fell, and fell, and the darkness closed over my head.

Goodbye.