Hello, everyone! We have one more chapter after this until Order of the Phoenix ends and Half Blood Prince begins; with that comes some very important notes for you that can be found after the chapter. Thanks to all my Twitter followers who encouraged me to get this chapter out earlier and everyone say a very Happy Birthday to Patricia! Happy Birthday, I hope you like this update. Thanks for always tweeting me when I'm up late and writing – you're awesome!

Enjoy :)


Chapter 55 – Battling Blame


Lord Voldemort's wand was undoubtedly pointed toward my brother and I, the point flickering back and forth patiently between both of our hearts. The Snake's red eyes were more vicious than I ever would have been able to imagine and I felt ever hair on my body stand on end while he slowly stalked closer toward us both.

"So, you smashed my prophecy?" Voldemort asked silkily, his eyes now turning to me. "No, Bella, they are not lying...I see the truth looking at me from within the boy's worthless mind...months of preparation, months of effort...and my Death Eaters have let these children thwart me again."

"Master, I am sorry, I knew not, I was fighting the Animagus Black!" Bellatrix cried, beginning to sob hysterically while she threw herself down near his feet. "Master, you should know-"

"You should know that she killed another of your Death Eaters, Nott," I told him, working hard to keep my voice strong. I would do anything that I needed so that we distracted attention from ourselves and placed the blame onto the woman sobbing on the ground. "He was the only one who heard the prophecy."

"Master, I didn't know!"

"Be quiet, Bella," Voldemort growled, cutting her howling off with no more than a hiss. "I shall deal with you in a moment. Do you think I have entered the Ministry of Magic to hear your snivelling apologies?"

"But Master – he is here – he is below-" but Voldemort wasn't paying any attention to what his devoted follower was warning him.

"When she says 'he is here' I'm going to assume she's trying to intimidate you by saying-"

"I have nothing more to say to either of you," he bit out, interrupting me while his red eyes glinted maniacally. "You have irked me too often, for far too long. AVADA KEDAVRA!"

"No!" I screamed, crumpling to protect myself, feeling Harry's arms wrap around me as well – as if that would possibly make it better. But it wouldn't...and it didn't, because but I didn't feel the sting of the curse at all. In fact, there wasn't any reaction, at all, to the curse. Instead, we dared to look over each other's tangled limbs to find that part of the fountain, what looked like a human but was headless, had sprung to life and moved to stand animatedly between us and the spell.

"What?" Voldemort thundered furiously, his eyes moving to the lift before he breathed a faint answer to his own question, "Dumbledore..."

Albus Dumbledore had taken the lift up to find us and it seems he had found us just in time. He still looked as furious as he had down in the depths of the stone-pit room, but now there was a new glow about him. It was a new form of command; the old man looked much more powerful – it was as if the power were emanating from him. And it seemed that Voldemort recognized this, as well.

Voldemort moved to attack Dumbledore again, another jet of green light soaring from the tip of his wand. But the spell was of little consequence as it was immediately doused with a fanning of Dumbledore's cloak. I could only assume that the old wizard had apparated to create that movement, because a moment later he was standing behind Voldemort, charming the other statues from the fountain to life. A witch, marbled and furious, ran after Bellatrix so quickly that she could do nothing more than respond with screams and curses that bounced uselessly off of the fountain-witch's chest. Bellatrix let out a more shrill scream when the statue pinned her to the ground. She spent her energy trying to thrash and escape – or even to free her wand hand – but it was as if the statue had lost its life now that its mission was done, leaving the full weight of the fountain-witch hanging overtop of Bellatrix. And something that heavy was not something that Bellatrix could move.

The goblin and the house elf from the fountain moved toward the fireplaces that lined the walls of the Ministry entrance, but I was easily distracted from looking at them as the statue of a one-armed centaur rushed toward Voldemort. In a moment the dark wizard had disappeared, but he was not gone for long, having reappeared beside the pool – far too close to us for comfort.

I grabbed my brother's arm roughly, yanking him away from the snake-faced man while Dumbledore advanced again on Voldemort, shaking his head slowly.

"It was foolish to come here tonight, Tom," Dumbledore said coolly. "The Aurors are on their way."

"By which time I will be gone," Voldemort spat dangerously. "And you will be dead."

He flung another killing curse at Dumbledore, but missed by inches. Instead, it flew past the old wizard and hit the security guard's desk, making it burst into flame.

Dumbledore gave another flick of his wand, sending a spell toward Voldemort which was so strong it seemed impossible it could have been conjured with such little effort. The spell was so strong, in fact, that Voldemort had to create a shimmering shield from thin air to absorb the worst of the blow, creating an eerie, low note to play from the vibration of his defences.

"You do not seek to kill me, Dumbledore?" Voldemort called with a sneer, not daring to look over the edge of his shield. "Above such brutality, are you?"

"We both know that there are other ways of destroying a man, Tom," Dumbledore responded calmly, as if he were speaking to the killer from across his office desk. "Merely taking your life would not satisfy me, I admit-"

"There is nothing worse than death, Dumbledore!"

"You are quite wrong," the wise wizard said simply, continuing to advance on Voldemort; with no shield, no protection, Dumbledore was left vulnerable. Yet I knew that he was anything but. If ever there were a match for Lord Voldemort, that match was Albus Dumbledore. "Indeed, your failure to understand that there are things much worse than death has always been your greatest weakness-"

Voldemort seemed to have had enough of that conversation because he sent another vicious killing curse around his silver shield. The centaur, who had been waiting by the sidelines for a reason that I hadn't taken the time to understand, galloped forward and took the curse for Dumbledore before it burst into a thousand pieces that scattered across the Atrium floor.

Dumbledore decided to try a new course of action, then. Holding his wand like the grip of a whip, he flung an angry string of flame to wrap around Voldemort – it looked like it was hurting the snake-man, before he was again able to take matters into his own hands. The whip morphed from an angry, orange flame into a vicious orange snake. It uncoiled itself from Voldemort's body and turned, hissing viciously to face Dumbledore.

Voldemort turned on his heel, vanishing into the darkness once again, while the snake coiled to strike at Dumbledore.

"Talk to it, Harry!" I panicked, grabbing at my brother's arm. "Tell the snake to stop!"

But Harry didn't have time to speak at all, nevertheless to remember parseltongue, because Voldemort reappeared in the middle of the fountain, his wand aiming a new killing curse at the old wizard.

But the killing curse never reached Dumbledore, for as it began to soar toward him another soaring flash interrupted it's progress as Fawkes, Dumbledore's brilliant phoenix, appeared from the rafters and swallowed the spell whole. Immediately the phoenix burst into flame and fell to the floor, a pile of ash and a sickly, withered fowl. I let out a gasp, feeling instantly terrified for the creature, before I realized that he would soon die and become a pile of ash – which he would rise from again, as every phoenix did. I was distracted as Dumbledore made a quick movement of his wand and the snake – which had been seconds from killing him – disappeared in a wisp of putrid-smelling smoke.

Voldemort let out a frustrated cry, but had no time to attempt another spell. With another flick of Dumbledore's wand, the water that was left in the pool of the fountain rose up and circled Voldemort like a cocoon. Even I was terrified as I moved away from the cage of liquid that must have slowly been drowning the wizard inside – but there was only a moment where he was encased before the water fell back across the Atrium's floor with a loud splash.

Voldemort was gone.

"Master!" Bellatrix screamed, still pinned beneath the still statue of the witch. Harry moved to go toward Dumbledore, nearly pulling him with me until he realized that I was still rooted to the spot out of fear.

"Stay where you are, Harry!" Dumbledore bellowed, the tone in his voice took me by surprise. It was the first time that Dumbledore had ever sounded afraid. And not just afraid, but terrified. I moved forward, ready to grab onto my brother and pull him back to the edge of their make-shift battlefield, but after I took one step I fell into a crouch.

My head was bursting, flame trying to leak from behind my eyes and slither over my senses. I felt like something was trying to burn me from the inside out, that something was trying to clench around my brainstem and twist until I was left to die...

"Audrey?" Harry asked, taking a step toward me. Dumbledore said something to him, something that I could barely hear, before my pain seemed to dissolve away into the cool, frigid air...and my brother began to howl.

I stood, clutching my head and digging my palm into my temple while I stumbled forward. "Harry?"

"Audrey, stay away from him!" Dumbledore called again. But I ignored the old man as I took another step close toward my brother, who looked up at me...and I knew it was no longer Harry.

The eyes, while still green, were pupilled with a red, reptilian gash. His face...I had never seen that expression on anyone's face, nevertheless my twin brother's. Harry – or rather, not-Harrylooked at me with a sinister smile before those terrifying eyes moved to the older man who didn't seem to dare step closer.

"Kill me now, Dumbledore..." That was not my brother's voice. I watched his mouth move, but it was not his voice – it was higher and hissing like he was speaking in parseltongue but still using the English language. "If death is nothing, Dumbledore, then kill the boy..."

I shook my head in horror, moving back a step or two when I realized that Lord Voldemort had finally pierced through my brother's mind. After all this time, after all our practice, Voldemort had finally won.

I turned my pleading eyes to Dumbledore and watched him decide what he was going to do. It was clear he did not want to harm my brother, it was even more clear he refused to kill him, but he did not know how to handle a possession like this.

A possession. My brother was possessed by this animal. Possessed, like he was one of Voldemort's possessions that he could take his time to play with or to manipulate...or to destroy.

"Get out of his head," I snarled, finding a courage I didn't realize I had by moving forward.

"Audrey, do not move!"

"You couldn't get into my head, could you?" I asked darkly, ignoring Dumbledore's words of warning. My brother wouldn't hurt me, my brother couldn't hurt me – he was not a possession, I would not let him be controlled like he was a toy. Voldemort's angry expression was fixed on my brother's face. "You tried, but you couldn't get into my head. So you had to get into his."

I moved forward again, spying my brother's fallen wand and kicking it to the side. Voldemort would not get to play with my brother or his magic, either.

"Audrey," Dumbledore said again. I ignored him while I grabbed my brother's body which Voldemort was using to try and move away from me. I briefly heard Dumbledore whisper some sort of incantation, something that seemed to keep my brother's body still.

"I've kept you out before," I said to the snake, looking into his eyes while I pressed my sore and cut palms onto my brother's temples. "So I can push you out now!"

"You can't, little girl," Voldemort laughed, my brother's face moving into a dark smile that I had never seen cross his face. "You are no match for me."

"But I'm a match for my brother," I hissed back, narrowing my eyes against the bastardized mirror image in front of me. "And you don't have all your powers when you're in him...but I still have all of mine."

I felt him try to move away from me again, to fight against Dumbledore's spell – but I was right about what I had said. While Voldemort could have easily reenergized himself after being immobilized, Harry's body was not so experienced. I pressed my palms even more firmly against his temples, focusing on keeping him still as I dove through my brother's thoughts.

It caused an instant migraine; there was an instant splitting of my skull – I may have screamed, but I don't think I would ever really know. I knew that I could hear Harry screaming. Or perhaps it wasn't Harry screaming at all, perhaps it was the snake.

I could see everything that was in the forefront of my brother's mind: going back to when Nott was killed by myself or a spell meant for Sirius, remembering Ron being attacked by the brain, remembering the dream that had brought us here, remembering trying to yell to keep me calm as we rode the Thestrals, remembering when I yelled at him to remind him how this was likely a trap...

But then, I could see his thoughts: the fury towards his Death Eaters, the scrambling as he thought of who would replace Nott in his plans, deciding who to punish for the smashed prophecy, worrying about just how long he had been in the Ministry tonight...

"You are not stronger than me, Audrey Potter!" The creature screamed, his voice splitting my brother's vocal cords and making his voice hoarse.

But I didn't care to be stronger than Lord Voldemort, I didn't care to prove myself to him. I wanted to prove myself to Harry, to my own word – to the fact that I could push him out of my brother's mind because as much as Voldemort could control my brother, he could not control me.

It is still your fault he's here, a slithering voice hissed quietly in the back of my mind. I recognized the high, cool tones as Lord Voldemort's. I tried shutting it out, cutting off the access to my mind, but with the energy I was placing to rid my brother of him, there was no way I could also purge my own mind. Were you to have kept clearing your brother's mind, neither you nor he would not be in this mess.

There was no denying this; I should have cleared his mind last night after our Astronomy OWL. I should have forced Malfoy to leave me somewhere Harry would find me. And to make it worse, I should have ignored Malfoy this morning. Had I ignored him this morning, I would have been there to make sure that my brother and his mind were safe from Voldemort's persuasion. From Voldemort's influence...

You were with the Malfoy boy...Voldemort's voice hissed, sounding nearly melodic by how quietly it tried to cut into my conscience. You made your choice between he and your brother. Just leave your brother, now. Leave him again...

I hadn't made a choice between those two at all. And I didn't see the point to. I had been distracted and that was different. It had been because Malfoy and I were friends, he had helped me the day before, he had always been on my side because I don't pick sides. I never had to pick sides, even if no one was ever on mine.

You killed your friend's father, the high voice hissed. Theodore Nott will no longer choose your side. Draco Malfoy will no longer choose your side. But will you choose theirs?

If Voldemort knew what was good for him he would not threaten my friends while he was inside of my head. I could stop focussing on my brother and easily push him out, painfully push him out. He was already threatening my brother and his well-being, and that was enough for me to want to hurt him, too. He was trying to get into my head with these ridiculous, guilt-causing words...

Are they so ridiculous? You are a murderer, Audrey Potter. You want to hurt me as you hurt him because you are a murderer.

But that wasn't true. What I had done was in self-defence. And Bellatrix's spell was the one that had really hurt him.

You don't know that. You wanted to kill him. You wanted him to feel that pain, just as you want me to feel that pain...

But that was true. I had wanted Nott to feel the pain he had caused my friends, but that was not because I was a murderer. It was because I was a friend. It was because I was protecting myself and my friends and because it was life or death. Voldemort would never know anything about that. In fact, he knew too much as it was.

You are a murderer, Audrey Potter. You are just like me.

I needed him out of our thoughts. Right now.

I pushed harder, leeching into my brother's memories and trying to find what Voldemort had been able to latch onto. Was he in his consciousness, his sub consciousness, his memories? I didn't know where a snake would coil so that it could hide in someone. But now that I was focusing, it was not hard to find him, right in the forefront of my brother's mind – right near the scar that he had credited.

I screamed as I pulled him out from my brother's mind, as I felt him try to push back and against mine – looking for a host, looking for a weakness – but I would not give him one to find. Or at least, I thought I wouldn't...but I would never know as I let my own darkness, my own weakness, envelop me.


When I woke up, I didn't have the awareness to be scared. Though I felt as if I had only blinked my eyes after my tug-of-war with Voldemort for Harry's mind, I couldn't find it in me to feel surprised when I saw the high, familiar ceilings of Hogwarts. And not just any part of Hogwarts, either; I was in the hospital wing.

For a moment, I didn't really know why I was here. I had assumed that in that moment of weakness I would have been killed, but I wasn't about to complain. I would never complain about living when I thought I was dead. Looking down at my feet, which felt contained and overheated, there was a cat. And a dog. No, not a cat and a dog; a kneazle and an animagus.

"Good, you're awake," I turned my head to the side, not willing to berate Sirius for being out in the open when he was staying in his dog-form to be close to me. In the chair at my side sat my potion's professor – he did not look pleased. In fact, he looked exhausted and pallid and furious.

"Harry-"

"He is fine," Snape said sternly. "He is in his dormitory resting, as you should be."

"Are you angry with me?" I asked immediately, hearing my voice sound at least five years younger than I was. He seemed as shocked by the change in my voice as I was and even though I knew he was lying, I watched his jaw clench and his head shake.

"Needless to say what you did was outrageously idiotic. And impulsive. And dangerous," of course, Hard-Ass Snape couldn't let everything go, "but no, I am not angry."

My chest seemed to deflate a bit, as if some of the poison that had wormed it's way in was able to escape with those words. The tightness in my chest still felt hard and angry, however, it still felt as if I should scream and try to rip at myself until I felt better. I heard a whining at the end of my bed and moved my foot against Sirius' stomach to pet him and comfort him. Circe, taking her chance, came up to snuggle closer up my torso.

"What happened?" I asked, my eyes moving between Snuffles the dog and Snape.

"After an audacious battle with the Dark Lord, you lost consciousness. In the time that it took to move you here, the Ministry has seen that You-Know-Who has returned, Albus Dumbledore has been reinstated as Headmaster, your friends have been cared for and are all in good health, and you will recover quickly."

"Fantastic," but it didn't feel fantastic. It felt dull and hollow, like something was eating at my insides. "And the Order members? The Death Eaters?"

"Most have been accounted for and are recovering in St Mungos or are under surveillance," Snape said carefully. "Within the Ministry walls, of course."

Most, but not all. Nott was unaccounted for – I doubt they even recognized him.

Sirius let out another whine when I did not speak and rested his head on my ankle for a silent form of moral support.

"I was asked by the Headmaster to get him when you'd risen," Snape said quietly. There was a moment where I nearly panicked, my mind still working as if Umbridge had infiltrated the halls – I was not ready to deal with her again – but when my brain caught up to the sentence, I nodded. "Do you feel well enough to stay awake to speak with him?"

"As long as you bring me a moonstone," I said vacantly, scratching Circe behind her ear who nuzzled against my neck lovingly – she could sense something was wrong. I didn't blame her, I could feel how unlike myself I was behaving.

Snape looked at me carefully. Shockingly, as if for some form of reassurance, his eyes slid over to Sirius' furred form. There was a moment where the two looked at each other – I couldn't tell how they were interacting, but something was being said that I couldn't translate from my fogged state.

"I shall go get him, then," Snape pushed himself up from the chair he'd situated at the side of my bed.

"You will come back, won't you?" I asked quickly. Snape looked at me charily, his face pinching slightly – I was sure that it meant he wouldn't, or that he didn't want to, but he did nothing more than nod before he swivelled on his heel and disappeared between the beds with a billowing of robes.

Sirius did not speak to me when Snape left, he continued to lay at the foot of my bed, his jaw resting on me while he watched me worriedly. Circe seemed to be giving off the same feel, her large, amber eyes watching me for any sign that I may shatter into a thousand pieces. It was tempting.

I didn't want to look at either of them, so I took the time to inspect the room around me. On the mahogany side table was a beautiful bouquet of white lilies that I had never recieved before. No other bedside table had a vase of flowers there. Not Ron or Hermione had flowers, both were in beds near me – but not too close. They were directly beside each other, yet there were three beds between myself and Hermione, who was nearest. Across from Hermione was a bed with the curtains drawn – surely some student who had been disfigured with one of Fred and George's products – and a young Hufflepuff student lay on the bed closest to the door whose head had swelled to the size, shape, and colour of a very ripe watermelon.

When Dumbledore came through the doors, he walked with a moroseness that immediately made my heart start beating faster – it looked like he was already in some sort of mourning. Snape was walking beside him, his walk more brisk and urgent. Without a word, when Dumbledore was close enough, Dumbledore flicked his wand to close the curtain around my bed and Snape made some sort of motion with his wand that I assumed was to keep our conversation between us.

"Audrey," Professor Dumbledore breathed with a relaxed kind of anxiety, "how are you feeling?"

"Like I was given a frontal lobotomy with a hot poker," I answered truthfully, my face trying to force a smile while Snape immediately produced and handed me a moonstone. "And how are you, Headmaster?"

"I find myself exhausted this morning," he said conversationally, as if he were speaking about the weather. "As well as overwrought with explanations."

"Explanations?" I repeated quietly, my palms beginning to sweat as the panic set in. "Do you mean my explanations?"

"No, Audrey," he said gravely. "My explanations for you."

"Explanations for me?" I repeated again. "What do you have to explain?"

"I have to explain to you, as I have explained to your brother, the happenings of last night and the events of the past. Also, the effect they will have on tomorrow...and all the days after."

"I've already been brought up to speed," I informed him. "Professor Snape told me what happened after I – er – took matters in my own hands."

"But not why you had to," Dumbledore said calmly. "You were wise, Audrey, when you warned Professor Snape of the happenings last night. When Harry gave Severus his cryptic warning, it was reason enough to fear – but your letter informed us where you had gone, who had gone, and what time you had actually managed your escape. Severus, using more reliable means of communication than a floo network, was instantly aware that there had been a mistake and contacted the Order at once.

"Kreacher, the elf who informed your brother that Sirius was gone, had lied. He had known to lie to your brother because he was in contact with the Malfoy's – the last respectable heir of the Black line; Narcissa and her sister Bellatrix. He was laughing as he told me that Sirius and the others had gone to find you in the Department of Mysteries, for he was – of course – aware what awaited you there. He seized his opportunity to consort with the others in the Black line after Sirius was rude and ordered him leave at Christmas. Though Sirius had only ordered him from the room, the elf took the insult as a higher banishment...and he ran straight to Lucius Malfoy's eager ear."

Sirius let out a ruthless sounding growl; I could only imagine what fate would await Kreacher when Sirius went back to headquarters – if Sirius had been cruel to the house elf before, I could only find it fitting that he end up beheaded like the rest of his family stuck on the wall of that house.

"It was only a matter of time before Voldemort learned of his connection to your brother," Dumbledore sighed gravely. "It was the cause of the Occlumency lessons, the cause of all the preparation against what would happen..."

"I should have helped him more," I whispered, feeling my eyes burn. "I never took his own need for it seriously – I was constantly making sure I made more time for myself than for him, even though I knew how much he was struggling-"

"No, Audrey, it was not your fault. Harry should not have had to rely on you for proper instruction when you, too, were merely learning," Dumbledore did not send a look to Snape, but Snape immediately reacted by hanging his head. It was quite clear who had let us down in that way, for his refusal to teach Harry had started the domino effect. "But this is where things become complicated, Audrey...this is where I owe you answers."

"What do you mean?" I asked, trying to fight back the burning behind my eyes. It was also creating a bothersome pressure in my nose and tightening of my throat that I didn't like and honestly, was no longer used to. I recalled the feeling, the feeling of loss and fear and guilt which had eaten away at me all last summer – but that seemed like a lifetime ago. It was a lifetime ago.

"Severus never should have been tasked with teaching you or Harry Occlumency," Dumbledore explained in a voice that was not as strong as I was used to hearing. "Your brother already explained to me how you noticed my distance this year – how the two of you noticed my absence before I had even left the school. It was because of Voldemort, not you, that this came to pass."

"It made Harry hate you," I whispered, pulling at a loose thread in the blanket covering me.

"No," Dumbledore said slowly. "Harry's anger would certainly spike those times that he was rarely in my presence – but it was not because of his own hatred for me. It was because of Voldemort's hatred when he saw me through Harry's eyes...Harry said that you had warned him of this, early on."

"I did," I said slowly, my eyes moving over to Sirius. "At Christmas...we got in an argument. He told me that I needed to stop spying on Umbridge because I was losing myself and I told him that he was losing himself to Voldemort's own emotions – I told him that he'd never been so angry and bitter before..."

"And you were quite right," Dumbledore explained, a wry smile pulling at his lips. "Your brother has not been himself with Voldemort's influence constantly plaguing him. So I distanced myself further; I tried to keep his mind safe from Voldemort, hoping that if Voldemort knew nothing that he could use against him, he would not try penetrating his mind. But I was wrong.

"You see, there was one thing that Voldemort wanted from him, whether or not Harry knew what it was..."

"The prophecy," I said slowly. "Because only Harry could retrieve it."

"Harry or Voldemort himself," Dumbledore corrected, steepling his fingers pensively. "But he did not dare take the chance to enter the Ministry."

"Not until Harry saw me smash it," I realized, closing my eyes in horror. "He saw through Harry that I had smashed the prophecy – that's why he came, isn't it?"

"He came because he saw that people had been near enough to hear what was said...of course, the one who was close enough was a casualty of the battle."

Bile rose up my throat from the pressure of my stomach knotting angrily. I closed my eyes against my burning sinuses and clenched my fists against the guilt. The fact that he was a casualty of battle was a lie – Nott had been a casualty of my own temper...a casualty of my lack of control, or rather, my overwhelming control against others.

"The prophecy," I said carefully. "Would it have changed the war, would it have changed our lives, had Voldemort gotten it?"

"It has already changed your life, Audrey," Dumbledore closed his eyes solemnly. "And this is why you should have known sooner. When you were eleven, your brother asked me why Voldemort had tried to have you both killed...but you were both so young. Though having proven yourselves against his advances that year, you were both so young – did you need to know the gravity of what I needed to tell you? No, I had thought you did not. Not then.

"And then at twelve, you met Lord Voldemort again. You were bewitched by him and his ideas, as Ginny Weasley had been, as your brother had been – and when you were brought back after being petrified, I wondered if that was the time to tell you. But you had still been so young and so afraid – you were confused and beside yourself that you had been fooled by the harmonious words that Tom Riddle has always spoken...I told myself then that you were not ready to hear the very reason, the very thing which had forced his hand.

"And at thirteen, after you had saved Sirius: you were so proud of your work. You had fought against your brother, your mentor," he looked at Snape who turned his head to watch the white curtain surrounding us. Sirius whined at my feet again, moving his head from side to side to remind me that he was still here for me. "To ensure Sirius Black's safety. I was so proud – you were coming into your own, fighting for a cause that you did not yet understand: but it was for love. And that was something that, until then, I had feared you did not fully identify. So I delayed my tale again, hoping that maybe – when you understood and were yet more sensitive to other's plights – you would be ready for the news I had to give you.

"But last year, when you had finally glimpsed into caring for another, being cared for as you'd wanted – when Cedric came from that maze and you were told of his death, I saw that you understood the idea of love more than I'd believed you had. And I was devastated, for now you also understand loss – a loss that losing those you sadly cannot remember does not quite justify. You were torn, frenzied, and who was I to tell you how to behave? Why you had to listen to me? You had been broken and I knew my words would do anything but fix you.

"It was this year when I knew I must tell you both. When you gave the Order all the information we needed, I could see your maturity – the readiness for whatever it was you believed was coming. But how was I to tell you when I could not tell your brother? As soon as he looked at me I could see Voldemort peaking through the cracks – so I delayed once again. And now, I have no more excuses. Now, you must know."

If I could have been sitting on the edge of my seat, I would have. My heart was pounding in my ears and a part of me worried that after all of his lead-up, I would not get to hear whatever it was he had to tell me. But Dumbledore was a wise man and after clearing his throat, he spoke with shamed, heavy eyes.

"Voldemort tried to kill you when you were a child because of the prophecy you saw last night. The prophecy made shortly before your birth. He knew the prophecy had been made, though he did not know its full contents. He set out to kill you and your brother both, when you were still babies, believing he would fulfil a destiny without consequences. Of course, he discovered that he was mistaken when the curse to kill Harry backfired. And so, since his return to his body, and particularly since both you and your brother's extraordinary experiences with him last year, he has been determined to hear that prophecy in its entirety. This is the weapon he has been seeking so assiduously since his return: the knowledge of how to destroy you."

"He could have destroyed me easily," I said quickly, looking to Snape who was now sitting with his eyes closed. "He could have tried as soon as he found out I smashed the prophecy – smashed it on purpose, no less."

"Because he does not know what the prophecy says about you," Dumbledore said simply. "And the last time he tried to kill you, it did not succeed either."

"He didn't use a curse to rebound on me," I told him. "There was no time for me to bleed out, Hagrid found us first-"

"That is not true," Dumbledore said slowly. "Audrey, the day your parents died – you were his leverage."

"What?" I asked, my brows furrowing while I looked at Sirius who whined and looked away from me as if he felt as queasy as I suddenly did. "What do you mean?"

"Your father was killed before Voldemort found and threatened your mother. By chance, you happened to be accessible in a way that Harry was not. Your mother, having known what the prophecy foretold, knew that she had to protect Harry at all costs – even as he grabbed you and tortured you, slowly, in front of her very eyes."

My eyes watered – there was such an intense mixture of emotion I could not even tell what I was feeling. Was I wounded that she had not protected me in the way she had protected my brother? Or did I feel sympathetic for my mother, having to watch her daughter be killed in front of her very eyes? I could not tell, but the rigid and knotted feeling in my chest worsened.

"She still said no?" I asked, knowing that I was really asking if my mother had allowed me to die, while I had been held in Voldemort's arms. While he had held a blade to my neck...

"And that is why she died," Dumbledore nodded.

"So this prophecy," I said slowly. "If my mother knew what it was and my father, he knew what it was...and the last person to hear it is gone...then it's lost forever."

"The last person to hear it is not lost," Dumbledore said calmly. "On a cold, January night sixteen years ago, I had gone to see an applicant for the post of Divination teacher. This woman appeared not to have any talent in what I had already thought was a pointless subject of teaching – it was when I turned to leave that I was reformed. You see, Audrey; I was the first to hear the prophecy."

"You're joking?" I asked with a scoff, my jaw clenching. But I could tell he was not, I could see it in his dull, blue eyes while he shook his head. After all this time, after everything that had happened...the answers had been in front of us the entire time. "What did it say?"

Dumbledore cleared his throat. Sirius moved his head to my feet again, looking at Dumbledore with his head cocked to the side – it seemed he was shocked that Dumbledore was about to say the prophecy aloud. Snape, quite determinedly, remained fixed on the draping around the bed.

"'The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches'..." Dumbledore repeated in a calm, even voice. "'Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies...and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but there will be power the Dark Lord knows not...and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives...the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies.'"

"That prophecy is only about Harry," I said slowly, looking at Dumbledore who looked at me with a calm certainty that made me nervous. "Why did he try to kill me?"

"You were merely leverage."

Merely leverage. That's all I was.

"So it was preordained," I said slowly. "It was fated that Harry would always be fantastic and I would always come second. It was fated that we will always have to keep running until we can't run anymore."

"It was fated for Harry to do so, yes," Dumbledore nodded. I nearly wanted to lash out at him myself and I knew it was not because Voldemort was angry. Harry was fated for that, was he? But not me. No, I was never considered in anything that was a part of my twin brother's life, or that was a part of how I lived and grew up – spending my time protecting him, lying for him, helping him, keeping him out of trouble...

It was fated for Harry and not for me?

What a load of bollocks.

"So that's why he tried to kill me?" I asked, moving my shoulder so that I could feel the skin move around the scar on my neck. I could feel just how jagged the mark was. "Because the prophecy was all about Harry? Because I happened to be laying at the wrong end of the room?"

"Because Voldemort did not hear the entire prophecy," Dumbledore corrected. "An eavesdropper was aware of the prophecy being made that night, sixteen years ago. An eavesdropper who, to a stroke of good fortune, was detected only a short way into the prophecy and happened to be thrown from the building."

"A short way into the prophecy?" I asked carefully. "How far in?"

"He only heard the beginning, the part foretelling the birth of a boy in July to parents who had thrice defied Voldemort. He did not hear the warning of marking him as his equal – and he did not hear if there was a warning said about you."

"So he cut my jugular with a dagger," I said slowly, my eyes and sinuses burning again. "The power that the prophecy talked of – it was Mum dying for him?"

"Yes," Dumbledore said. I tried not to show how much it hurt, that it was her dying for him.

"And-and you said something else...something about the two of them and not surviving, er – or if they do survive..."

"'And either must die at the hand of the other, for neither can live while the other survives'," Dumbledore quoted. My chest and the knotting in it froze in realization.

"Harry has to kill Voldemort?"

"Or Voldemort will have to be the one to kill him," Dumbledore nodded, his eyes tearing up as well.

"But-" I shook my head. "Professor, couldn't you do it? You're the only one strong enough-"

"Either must die at the hand of the other, it cannot be my task," he quoted again with a solemn shake of his head. "Nor can it be yours."

"But-" I shook my head, the tears finally spilling over my lashes. "But...it has to be me. Harry...Harry can't – he wouldn't be able to...to live with..."

"To live with what?"

"The guilt," I responded, my throat nearly closing with emotion. "Professor Dumbledore...P-Professor Snape, S-Sirius I..."

The tears flowed a little more strongly as my head shook. Snape finally looked at me, Sirius took his head off my legs so that he could look at me fully, his head quirking to the side.

"Audrey?" Dumbledore was calm, I would not doubt if he knew what I was about to say to him, even though I wasn't sure if I would be able to say it at all.

"I did it," I said, my voice thick. "I-I killed Nott."

"I know," Dumbledore said, but Snape clearly had not. His face was pinched into such pain that I thought I may have cursed him as well – the thought brought on a new wave of tears as the thoughts, the memories, began to bombard me again.

"Please," I sobbed, pushing the moonstone harshly against my skull which felt ready to burst from the pressure behind my eyes and my sinuses. "Please, I n-need to tell Theodore. I n-need to be the one to tell him w-what I've done..."

"I will let you do whatever you wish, Audrey," Dumbledore said calmly. "But not until you get more rest."

"B-but he'll hear before-"

"Theodore has other things on his mind," Dumbledore was still composed, as if he were speaking of a misplaced chair. "He has an OWL to write and a day to live before he worries about the information you must bring him. This news can wait until you've rested."

I nodded, fisting my hands in my sheets.

"I think Voldemort was right," I whispered, shaking my head to correct myself. "No, he was right – I wanted to kill him..."

"Audrey," it was only the second time I had ever heard the potions master say my first name. And like the last time, when he was telling me that Cedric was dead, it was filled with so much tragedy that it only made everything more real. "You are not a killer..."

"I am, I am!" I wailed, pounding my hands against the bed at my sides. "I wanted him dead – I wanted to kill him, Snape...so I did. I killed him and was glad!"

"Lord Voldemort put those ideas into your mind, Audrey," Dumbledore said slowly. "He did that to try and bring you to his level, to try and turn you against everything you know...towards everything he controls..."

"You're wrong!" I screamed, the vase filled with flowers on the side table burst, spilling water over the sheets that had begun to sizzle under my hands while I felt the control slipping from myself. "You weren't there, you weren't there when it happened – when I had a hold of him; I wanted him to burn until there was nothing left, I wanted him to feel the pain that he had brought onto everyone and I was proud when I had done it!"

"You were panicked," Snape tried to rectify, fear shining in his eyes as plain as day.

"I'm just as bad as he is," I corrected. "I'm a monster."


When I woke up from the 'necessary rest' that had been forced upon me via sleeping potion, the sun was sinking below the tall infirmary windows again. Circe had disappeared. Snape was no longer here comforting me, likely because I had scared him to never want to come near me again after my confession and display of everything he'd taught me not to do. Sirius, the great black dog, was no longer at the end of my bed either. Instead he was sitting on the floor between the chair and I, spread out and snoring quietly.

Instead, at my bedside, was my big brother – his head hanging back and inspecting the ceiling above him. He looked better than he had in the Department of Mysteries, he had cleaned up and showered, fixed the break in his glasses and his cuts were being healed by murtlap essence. On the table beside him were three vases of flowers – a replaced vase of white lilies that I had shattered, a vase full of purple petunia's that I knew were from my brother, and another vase that had been knocked over, but still held wilting blue and purple orchids. I looked at them all for a moment, smiling wryly at the array of beautiful colours before I turned my eyes back to the boy in the chair.

"Hi, Harry," though my voice was lower and more quiet than I had meant it to be, my brother nearly jumped out of his seat, waking Sirius in the process.

"Hey," he said quietly, as if afraid he would startle me. "I didn't know you'd woken up."

"Well, you seemed preoccupied."

"I just...er, thought you might want some more company." He said awkwardly, shifting his weight in his seat. "At least, I figured I'd be better company than your other visitors."

"Which were?" I asked vaguely.

"Well, Snuffles hasn't left," he nodded to the dog who had now taken to sitting up so that his head was level with the edge of my bed. "Snape was here for a while, then your good pal Malfoy didn't like being thrown out of the wing and-"

"Malfoy came?" I asked, my eyes widening. It was not like I hadn't thought of him – I'd thought of him loads of times in the past twenty-four hours, but hearing someone else say his name felt strange. Perhaps it was because it had always been a secret until yesterday, but it felt wrong to talk about him and not insult him for the secret's sake. "When?"

"A few hours ago," Harry answered bitterly, taking a deep breath. "He brought you those."

He pointed towards the orchids, painted in blue and purple – the most expensive of the flowers there. Also the flowers that were in the knocked over vase.

"Did you knock them over?" I asked, raising a bored eyebrow.

"I tried to get rid of them, but when he saw I was trying he used a sticking charm," I added, giving the flowers a mutinous glare. "The petunias are from me."

"I'd guessed," I told him vaguely, not caring enough to ask about the lilies.

"So...you and Malfoy, eh?" He asked, sucking on his teeth bitterly.

"Me and Malfoy," I repeated slowly, "what about it?"

"Do I need to be worried?" He asked, his eyes narrowing.

"I doubt it," I answered with a shrug.

"But you snog," he said, as if getting his facts straight.

"You snog Cho," I pointed out with a sneer.

"I did snog Cho. Once," he added, point at me accusingly. "And she's not your enemy."

"She might as well be," I corrected. "And Malfoy isn't your enemy, either."

"Yes he is!"

"Because he's a Slytherin, or because I've snogged him?" I asked, watching out of my peripheral as Snuffles, the great black dog, looked from Harry and I – back and forth – while we spoke, his tongue lolling out happily.

"Because he's a bad person. And a prat!" Harry added loudly.

"A 'bad person' that I happen to enjoy the company of," I responded, looking back up at the ceiling. "You know, when he's not being a prat."

"You still snogged him," Harry shivered in disgust.

"I did," I sighed, trying hard to fight the dark smirk that was trying to creep up my face. "A load of times."

"Really," He scoffed derisively, "is that necessary?"

"Probably not," I smirked with a shrug.

"Well next time you decide something isn't necessary, don't tell me."

"Only when you don't ask me unnecessary questions," I answered back, looking at him with a raised eyebrow. He frowned at me, looking away as he tried to take in the information I had just offered him.

"So..." he drew out the word again. "Are you two...dating? Because I don't approve."

"No," I laughed, rolling my eyes. Sirius, still looking back and forth between us, barked out a laugh with me. "He's just a good snog."

"And you've only snogged? Because I definitely don't approve of-"

"Yes. We have only snogged," Harry took a deep, comforted breath that I felt need to shatter in my own spite. "We have onlysnogged against every flagstone of this school."

"Oh, Merlin!" He hissed, shaking his hands as if something slimy had touched him. "He's vile!"

"Not at snogging."

"I don't need to know that!" He yelled, shaking his head as if to rid himself of the memory and information I'd just forced onto him. As much as I had always feared Harry finding out at Malfoy and I, this was exactly what I needed now – someone that wouldn't talk to me about what had just happened, about what I had just done. Someone who could feel misery and distract from my own sorrows...

"Then you should stop mentioning it," I said in a monotone.

There was a long silence, one that I knew was slowly changing the carefree conversation we had just been having: the one that I had appreciated so much. It's not like I didn't know that certain conversations needed to be had, I just didn't know if I was ready to have them. I didn't know if I was ready to admit everything I had just learned – that my brother may die, that I had nearly died for my brother when we were babies, that everything was about to get so much worse...

And even though I feared the conversation, it was me who cracked under the silence first to begin it.

"So..." I started slowly, in exactly the same way he had. "You have to kill Voldemort."

"Yeah," he breathed out, trying hard – as I did – not to show any emotions about it.

"And Voldemort's been the one making you a hormonal bitch," I stated.

"Yeah," he said again, this time with a frown.

"And you have yet to admit that I was right," I added, looking at him with a raised brow.

"Right," he said with a sigh, adjusting himself in the chair so that he was facing me more directly. "I meant to do that."

"No time like the present, then."

"You were right," he said with a wince. "You know...about everything."

"As always," I added. He nodded with a sigh.

"As always," he agreed, his voice low and pained. It still sounded hoarse from Voldemort's use of it, but it was nice to hear my brother's voice again, even if it was saying things I didn't think I was ready to hear. "So tell me this...do you think I'm going to die?"

"I think we're all going to die," I told him honestly, looking back up to the ceiling. "But I'll try to keep you alive as long as I can. Which I doubt will be very long."

"You always help me," he admitted softly.

"I don't know how great my luck will be with keeping you alive now that I'm a murderer," I told him quietly. "You might have to rely on your own luck from now on. I think I cursed mine away."

There was a long moment where he didn't say anything, but of course he wouldn't stay silent forever. My brother had to save everyone, even from themselves.

"You didn't kill him, Audrey."

"I did," I argued, my voice a croak. "I killed a human being."

"A Death Eater," Harry corrected.

"Who was a human being in a mask," I elaborated, feeling the guilt rise through my chest again. It was just months ago that I was arguing how Death Eaters were humans, how they and their children were people – and now I had put one down as if he were some rabid animal.

"A human being in a mask who was trying to kill you."

"A human being in a mask who was trying to kill me but failed...and was my best friend's father," I added on with a shake of my head. "I killed him, Harry."

"Bellatrix Lestrange's spell hit him, you don't know if that was what killed him..."

"Actually I do," I said softly, looking back up to the ceiling again. "Because I was touching him when it happened. That spell may as well have hit me – and I'm not dead."

"Spells aren't like circuits," Harry argued, leaning forward over where Sirius was sitting so that he could rest his elbows on the edge of my bed. He pushed his hands into his head as if he had as bad a headache as I did from just remembering what I had done. "It could have killed him and you wouldn't have known it."

"But I did know it, because I did kill him," I shrugged, trying to keep my voice steady. "It's alright, I'm trying to come to terms with it. If you keep arguing it, it will just take longer."

"I'm arguing it because it wasn't your fault..."

"Stop trying to be a bloody hero. I killed him," I told him, surprising Sirius, Harry and myself when it came out as a snarl. "I could have overwhelmed his senses and knocked him out. I could have frozen him, or petrified him, or stunned him...I chose to burn him. I chose to make him scream and writhe. And I chose for him to die. So yes, Harry. You can be the hero, but in the end I'm not: I killed him."

"You did what you had to, Drea," he tried again. But I was getting annoyed with this conversation. I was annoyed of sounding as if I were a martyr – I was not a martyr. I wasn't trying to have people tell me how I was wrong...I just wanted them to admit that I was right. I wanted them to admit that yes, I was a monster. Yes, I had murdered someone. And yes, eventually there would probably be consequences...

Harry seemed to catch on at last and he stayed quiet, so I turned my attention to my brother again – this time asking something else. Something he wouldn't give me the nice answer for.

"Do you believe what Dumbledore said?" I asked him quietly, turning to look at him. "Do you believe that there is a fate worse than death?"

Harry looked away from me as he thought about it and it seemed like he didn't want to answer. I didn't know if that meant that he did or he didn't – because now we were thinking about how we would have to fight to evade death, how we would have to face it before our time...

"I thought there would be when you were stuck in that veil," he said quietly. "What was it?"

"I don't know, I forgot to ask," I told him quietly. "To be honest, I don't think I want to know."

"Why did it suck you in?"

"They wanted me," I answered immediately. "They said they wanted me."

"Who said that?" He asked, his expression guarded as his eyes flickered over to Sirius worriedly.

"The voices," I answered quietly, looking at him and hoping that I looked as sane as I knew I didn't sound. "The people who have died."

Harry didn't seem to want to argue that. He also didn't seem to be able to.

"I have to go see Neville," Harry said after a while, standing. "He's waiting for me in the common room to go down for dinner."

"I'll come with you," I told him pulling off my covers. Sirius let out a few barks of warning as my bare feet touched the cool flagstone under my feet. Harry held up his hands, shaking his head with narrowed eyes.

"No bloody way, you still need your rest."

"No one can make me stay in this bed," I scowled, my eyes narrowing as well. Sirius barked again, as if that was at all intimidating.

"Please, Audrey?" Harry asked, giving a dramatic pout. "You don't really want to go down there anyway, do you? Just sleep."

"Fine," I hissed after a moment, crossing my arms over my chest. "But I'm walking you to the doors of this wing. My legs are stiff."

"All right," he agreed with a triumphant and cheeky grin. I was happy he was taking the time to feel proud, because he would never win an argument so easily again. I walked him to the large oak doors that shut me off from the corridors outside – and was suddenly glad he had convinced me not to come. He was right, of course; I didn't want to face everyone yet, I didn't want to have to go down and see Theodore's face yet...

Had he already found out about his father? Had someone told him? Had the paper announced it?

Or, more terribly, were they still unable to recognize the body?

As I was walking back to my bed, lost in my thoughts, I was distracted by a distinct mewing sound. I looked around the room – my curtains were still drawn, but I hadn't seen Circe since I had woken to find Harry with me and I immediately worried that she was upsetting whoever was in the bed across from Hermione.

"Circe," I called quietly, sucking on my teeth to call to her as I walked toward the curtained bed. "Circe, sweetie, come out here..."

Finding no response besides another meow, I pulled open the corner of the curtain and gasped at the sight in front of me. All up and down the walls were the images of kittens trapped on decorative plates. The hospital bed, which had been decorated with pink comforters and accessories, was made tidily and in the corner she stood.

She was dressed in a hospital gown as I was – but she was still, undoubtedly, Dolores Umbridge. Her hair, though messy, was still in a coiffed beehive and her makeup was startlingly sweet but heavily applied thanks to the thick bags around her eyes and the murtlap smothering all of her noticeable wounds. As soon as she saw me, she raised her gaudily ringed finger.

"You!" She shouted, her voice furious. "What are you doing here? Out! Out!"

I didn't know how to respond, I was still in a bit of shock – with everything that had happened I'd completely forgotten about Dolores Umbridge: carried away by a herd of centaurs. When had she come back to the hospital wing? When had she been found?

I hoped it wasn't too soon after she'd been abducted.

"Traitor!" She shouted again, her voice even more shrill. "We do not accept traitors here, Miss Potter, you will end up just like the rest of your brother's little club. Out, out, out of the school!"

"You have no authority here anymore, Dolores," I hissed, my temper coming back three-fold as I looked at the woman who had made it so impossible for my brother – impossible enough that he hadn't been able to check on Sirius at all. Impossible enough that I had had to sneak around and lie and neglect my brother all year. Would last night have been different, were I able to see my brother freely? I didn't know. But I was more than willing to pass the blame onto this cow. "You can't hurt anyone anymore."

"Liar!" She shouted, jumping forward to grab hold of my arm. My arm, which still felt strained and the muscles felt pulled from how they had been held by the veil screamed in protest as her rings dug into my skin.

I made to push at her, just to get her away from me, but instead my fingers gripped themselves around her precious necklace – the golden one with an 'S' engraved on the front, which she always bragged about – and I took hold of it while she stepped back and it ripped it from her swollen neck. Umbridge yelled out in shock and hopefully in pain when the chain snapped from around her neck and the locket fell into my hands.

I couldn't believe the pain that the necklace cost as it tore from her throat – it was like it was melting to my hand. I hissed in pain but held tightly onto it from reflex – I had seen this before. I had seen that I would grasp this locket and that it would burn me. I remembered knowing that this woman wanted it back from me – then and now, I didn't want to give it to her. So I didn't. Even when she took her grubby hands off me to try and reach for the necklace instead, I held on while it burnt my skin.

"Give that back here, it's mine!" but I didn't surrender the locket. What was once spite was now torture – the burning of the locket felt just like what Nott's face must have felt under my fingertips and the memory itself made it impossible to let go. I winced from her nails scratching at my hand, not because her nails hurt but rather it jostled the necklace in my hand and moved it slightly to melt more of the skin on my palm. I growled at her and held it up above my head – this toady woman was far shorter than even I was. There was no way for her to reach it up here. "It's mine, I say! It is a Selwyn family heirloom that has been handed down-"

"Liar!" I rumbled back, gritting my teeth to be able to speak past the burning of my skin. I tried to make my face as impassive as I could – feeding into the hollowness of the guilt, even as my skin was being eaten away by it, while she jumped to reach the locket. "That necklace may be ugly enough for you, but I can promise that no one in your family has ever been talented enough to put that kind of curse on it."

The squat woman's enraged scream filled my ears and it took me a moment to realize that Sirius – er, Snuffles – had grabbed onto her ankle and pulled her slightly away from me. His eyes looked furious as he pulled and pulled, just as he had done to Ron back in Third Year when he was holding Scabbers, to keep the danger away from Harry and I.

"Snuffles, no!" I gasped, throwing down the locket at my feet. Umbridge dove for it while Sirius let out a bark that sounded unmistakably like a gag. Umbridge grabbed the locket, holding it to her chest while her beady eyes looked at me with contempt.

"I'll have that dog put down!" She shrieked. "I'll kill it!"

"No you will not," I hissed back, standing a little bit closer to her and revelling in the moment when she took a step away. It seemed that the look in my eyes was much more intimidating than it used to be, because she took a step back and yelped when she collided with the edge of her bed.

"You – you," she hissed, her voice quivering with anger while she pointed a finger at me. "You are a monster! A lying, traitorous, monster!"

"I am," I told her honestly, hearing as her howling stopped. She looked at me with wide eyes as I leaned forward, smiling at her in the same disgusting way she had smiled at my brother all year. "So you'd best stay out of my way...or I'll kill you, too."

And she began to scream because she must have believed, like I did, that one day I just might.


IMPORTANT NOTE: So, this is the second last chapter. Chapter 56 will be the last chapter in the Order of the Phoenix segment, which means things are about to change when it comes to updating. As some of you older readers may remember, I took about a month's break between the Goblet of Fire and The Order of the Phoenix; I will be doing this again between The Order of the Phoenix and The Half Blood Prince. This will let me get a head start on chapters and hopefully make it so that I can update more frequently.

In the meantime, I will not leave you barren! I plan to continue updating Audrey Potter's Prelude, which is the series of one shots about Audrey's first to fourth (now fifth) years. If you have a moment you want me to write about (or a specific POV) please let me know. I may not get to all of them, but I definitely want to write them down for you so that you can understand the story more. So if you have any ideas, please leave them in a PM, review, or tweet so I can try writing them for you!

Now, to my fantastic reviewers of the last chapter:

VanillaSnowdrops: Thank you, I'm glad that you liked the last chapter. Yes, I decided to save Sirius, I have plans for him later on. Audrey does have a certain affinity towards death, doesn't she? You will never actually know whether or not it was Audrey or Bellatrix who finished off Nott senior – it is half of the reason Audrey will forever live with it weighing on her conscience. Hopefully this chapter was as intense as you thought it would be!

AlyCat143: Sirius is alive, yes :) I'm glad that you liked the last chapter, hopefully you liked this one, too!

Little Old Anonymous Me: Aw, well I'm glad that you like it enough to continue reading – even if you don't read many fanfics now. I really warred over whether or not to save Sirius, but I have a plan for him later that I really want him involved in and I wanted Audrey to 'murder' someone in this sequence to help with my plan for the next book. We will find out how Theodore responds to this next chapter, we will find out about the voices in the veil much later on in the story :) Also, never apologize for a long review! I love them. I hope you had a good Easter, as well.

Shiningheart of ThunderClan: I thought about having more hatred between Audrey and Lucius, but that wouldn't really mix well with what I have planned for HBP and since I wasn't about to kill off Lucius, it made sense that Audrey spend more time with the person she would be facing-off with. Yes, Sirius did survive and now Theo is an orphan...it definitely spurred a lot of change for the upcoming book. It was the only death, Moody was stunned in the books and unable to fight but both he and Tonks recovered at St Mungos. I hope you had a nice Easter as well, thanks for the review!

Annaismyname: Well, happy late birthday! I'm glad that you liked the chapter and the change in Sirius' fate. Thank you for the review and I hope you liked the new chapter :)

booklover526: Yes, Sirius does still live...for now. I do still have the ability to kill him off later and as I'm still debating the very end of this series, I would not rule it out. I'm glad that you like Dark Audrey, you're going to be seeing a lot more of her in the next book. Thanks for reviewing!

OddPotato: Yes he is! Sirius is alive and he will be alive for a while...I have a certain part in the story I really want him around for and he will be safe until that time – and possibly after. I'm glad you liked that she could perform an unforgiveable and hope that you liked her interaction in this chapter with Voldy. Thanks for reviewing.

klara: Thank you, I'm glad that you like Draco/Audrey and hope that you enjoyed the chapter :)

4u5514B4b3: I hope you had a good Easter as well and that you liked the chapter, thank you for reviewing!

InvincibleShadow: I'm glad you liked this chapter so much! I actually think that these past few chapters have been some of my favourite to write, so I'm glad that the last was your favourite to read. Hopefully this chapter wasn't a let-down after the last!

Blue Luver5000: Ha, yes Sirius did live! It's good that you're so enthusiastic about it, I know that it will change a lot. Hopefully you liked the newest chapter and thank you for the review.

BOOMitsMegan: Thank you, I'm glad you liked the last chapter so much. These past few have been my favourite to write. Audrey's darker side will definitely be making more appearances in the next book, so it's good that you're already taking a liking to that side of her. Hope you liked this newest installment and thank you for reviewing :)

kaaayyytteee: I'm glad you liked it, hopefully you enjoyed this one as well!

the corridor hogger: Thanks for the review – hopefully you liked this chapter as much as the next. I definitely do plan on some twists and turns, as you said. Hopefully you enjoy them!

Guest: Sirius does live! Thanks for the review.

Angel of the Night Watchers: Thanks, that was a really fun (though difficult) chapter to write. This one made me cry as I wrote it – it was almost sad when my Mom turned to me on Easter and said "what's wrong with you?" but then again, that's family love. I was wondering if you would be willing to listen and help me start sorting out what will happen in the Half Blood Prince portion, as it's only a chapter away? If you have time, I'd love to get your thoughts on it :)

wemaketheperfectteam: I'm glad that the last chapter took you by surprise, hopefully you liked the few reactions that you got to see in this chapter. You'll sadly have to wait until you hear more about the veil though! Thanks for reviewing :)

RoseyPoseyPie: Thank you, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! You'll get to find out what Nott thinks about the whole situation in the next chapte.

Melo: Bonjour! Je parle un peu de Français. Your English was very good though, so don't worry at all :) I'm glad that you like the story and Audrey, hopefully you liked this chapter as well. Merci pour votre critique :)

rosesxBubblegum: The twins will be at the beginning of the next book, don't worry, they'll be here again. I'm glad that you liked the last chapter, hopefully you liked this one as well. Thanks for reviewing!

StealthElf23: I know that when you read a story that says "over five hundred thousand words!" it can be intimidating, but I'm glad that you like it anyway. Audrey is much more clever than I am, though technically it all comes from my mind I am not as quick as I write her. Nor am I as openly aggressive when it comes to things like that. I'm glad that you like how I changed Sirius' fate and if I told you what was behind the veil...I might have to kill you, ha! But seriously, if I told you, things would be ruined for later chapters. Hope you liked this chapter and thanks for the review!

xXMizz Alec VolturiXx: We are going to see Theodore's reaction in the next chapter, we will also find out the answer to your questions about what he thinks and the consequences of him being underage afterward. Hopefully you liked this chapter!

Mischief and Magic: Thank you! It's nice that you could feel the eeriness of the Department of Mysteries and that you think Audrey's anti-hero personality keeps things different. Audrey is definitely going to have a hard time dealing with her guilt – she may have fought Death Eaters, but it wasn't long ago that she was defending them. Sadly I can't yet answer the questions about wands and why they do or do not work for her, but they will be answered eventually! Hope you like newest chapter and thank you for the review. Happy Easter :)

Jordan Lynn 7: Well, not everyone said "sorry you were right," but Harry did so hopefully you felt better about that, ha. Thank you for the review!

Ella710: Alright, let me start off by saying that I forgive you for not reviewing the last chapter. And now let me thank you for your amazing review (as it's always an amazing review) and also for your hilarious Twitter comments.
Yes. I did save Sirius. I knew that you would have a memorable reaction to that – and you did. It was well worth the wait, haha!
Audrey did kill Nott senior, or she did play a huge part. She will have a lot of guilt to live with and it is definitely going to change the lives of the Slytherin trio next year. Whether it was necessary or not, could you forgive someone who killed someone you depended on, even if you didn't like them?
Draco and Audrey will definitely have a lot to talk about when they get to...which will be next chapter. And then, of course, all next year. Which I'm so excited for it's not even sane.
Harry makes most people mad, but that's what I want. When I read the books of course I loved the hero but I kept thinking "he's so immature. He's so impulsive" so it's fun to write it from the point of view of someone who is not impulsive at all. It shows his faults, but next book we'll see a lot of his better qualities again. Aaaand Sirius' better qualities as well – because he's going to know just how much this messed her up. He knows what it's like to think they killed someone, Sirius will be a good comrade to have in this time. I really wanted him for something in one of the other books, it will be interesting to see if I can write him well and insert him into the story as I have done for Audrey. He will not be free – because even though Voldemort is now out in the open, they still believe Sirius killed Wormtail – but he's not dead, so...
Snape is fantastic. Writing him in this chapter brought me to tears, just knowing what he was thinking about as everything was being said. And you have to know that the guilt is just tearing him apart...and seeing a Lily-look-alike can't help. Oh, Snape! :(
Hopefully your exams go well, I know how much it can suck to study for them. I hope that this brought a nice break from it...even if it wasn't a fun or super-exciting chapter.
Anyway, I love your reviews. I love your tweets. And I love you. K, awesome.

Guest: Thank you! I'm glad that you think Audrey is an authentic Slytherin. I try :)

lifethroughanotherseyes: If I do kill Sirius off, it will not be for a while. Hopefully that's comforting. The veil part was a lot of fun to write, so I'm glad that you got so into it. Theodore's reaction will come in the next chapter. I'm honoured that you could stick with this story for so long – thank you so much!

Colette Hyuga: Thank you! I'm glad you liked it, hopefully you liked this one as well.

WORMoverBOOK: Thanks :) I try to keep it as close as possible – other than saving Sirius, of course. Hopefully you liked this chapter and the twists and information that came with it...thank you for reviewing!

Nicky-Maree: I'm glad that you could see the effort I took with the last chapter. Hopefully you could see the emotion in this one, as I did cry while I wrote it. I won't deny. Yes, I am more excited for HBP than I am for anything besides the Malfoy Manor scene and the final battle. In fact, I was more excited for this upcoming book than anything when I began writing this story. I have a lot of high expectations for myself, as I know you readers must. I am still debating on another death and save. I am debating between killing off two characters, I won't be able to decide who I get to save until I decide which of those two will die. You will get to see how she'll interact with Narcissa in the next book – I hope you liked this chapter!

Amber Rose Black: Yes, Sirius has been saved! I'm glad you liked it :)

Anon: I have changed it with Sirius being saved, of course, but hopefully not any more drastically than adding a random twin-sister into the story, ha. Hopefully you still like the story and liked this chapter.

xxz0eyxx: Thank you, I'm glad you liked the last chapter – hopefully you liked this one as well!


Thank you for your awesome response for the last chapter, everyone. Remember what I said up in that notice: I am going on break to get a head start on the Half Blood Prince, like I did for this section, and in the meantime will release one-shots for Audrey Potter's Prelude, so if you have anything you want to see from first to fifth year, including in different POVs, let me know!

Please REVIEW!

-Egypt

Follow me on twitter at EgyptsLegend :)