14th June (cont'd…)

Minutes passed as I bashed the door with my fists and screamed until my throat was raw. Realising no one was coming, my body instinctively went into survival mode as the walls were threatening to close in on me. My childhood memories crept in. I covered my ears to rid myself of the shrieking voices telling me that they want me dead, telling me that I'm not good enough, a waste of space. Sliding down the wall, I rested my head on my knees as I tried to control the overwhelming emotions threatening a full blown panic attack.

Roughly wiping my tears, I focused on the facts. Draco told me what was going to happen. Death Eaters have penetrated the walls of Hogwarts. My life is in great danger. He locked me in here for my own safety. He kissed me. I let him.

I found myself leaning against a table, reaching up and touching my lips, trying to process what had just happened. I feel drawn to him; I can't deny that. I feel compelled to guide him through his pain, to help ease him out of his prolonged suffering. He has been ordered to kill Dumbledore. He's on his way to do that now. And I am stuck here. I need to come up with a plan to get out, I need to save him from making another terrible decision.

Zoning back to reality again, hearing the echoes of a rising battle on the floor above, of spells ricocheting and frantic shouting brought me a moment of clarity. My friends are up there. Filled with a renewed sense of purpose, my hand reached for my wand, but grasped at air. Where the f*ck is my wand? I searched everywhere. Every pocket on my person, the floor, the tables, I tore the classroom apart from top to bottom, but there was no use, I couldn't find it anywhere. I tried and retried to open the door in desperation, I peered out of the window for an escape route and felt around the brick walls for secret doors.

I was forced to come to the conclusion: Draco took my wand as he left to protect me. I knew, in the end, if I was able to open the door unaided, Draco was dead.

But… little did he know, I don't need a wand.

I could have kicked myself. But there was no time for that. I mustered all of the strength I could gain. I rebuilt myself, using all the techniques Maura had taught me to calm my mind and still my thoughts as I considered every inch of my body and each of my heightened emotions, ignoring the developing sounds of shouts and screams from the floor above me. I rid myself of the pain of the past and the fear of the unknown. I have to be in the right state of mind to fight this, to defend myself before I can protect those I love.

"You can do this…" I whispered to myself powerful affirmations, "you are strong, you are capable, you are in control…" closing my eyes, I tried to make myself invisible. I completely focused on the task at hand, letting go, drowning out every sound, every intrusive thought, every negative feeling. I gently reached out my hand to touch the door, it wasn't there. Taking a step forward, I opened my eyes in the empty sixth floor corridor. In the hand of the suit of armour opposite, laid my wand.

Oh Draco.

He left it for me, he knew I'd need it when I managed to escape. But I don't have time for sentimentality. I need to act now, I had to go. I pointed myself in the direction of the stairs and made a run towards the unleashing hell. Climbing the set of steps, two at a time, my heart raced in a controlled trepidation. Nobody could see me; nobody could hear me. I rounded a corner, following the noises of exertion, the sounds of crumbing building, explosion after explosion. The windows were smashed before my eyes and the lights extinguished, the residual dust impeding my vision.

People were coughing, someone cried out. Loud footsteps dulled as they ascended the staircase. I stood witnessing the unravelled chaos before me. A sound resembling that of a static shock saw a figure fall to the ground to the left of the steps that lead up to the Astronomy Tower.

"They've blocked the stairs – Reducto! REDUCTO!" I heard the not-so-distant yells of Remus coming from what seemed like part way up the spiral staircase.

The fallen figure was rising from the floor a few metres in front of me. Recognising the cardigan, I hurried over to shove rubble off his body, to give a hand to pull him into a seated position. I carefully wiped the dust off his face, "Are you okay?" I asked him, checking his body for any obvious injuries, "Neville?"

"Kathryn? I can't see you!" there was a rising panic visible on his face.

"I'm invisible," he doesn't know I'm in Invisibilia, I told him quickly, pulling him out of the way of a stray bolt of red light coming from an unfamiliar blond Death Eater duelling Tonks, "Where's Draco?"

Neville's eyes darted around the room, looking for me, his eyes and ears working out roughly where my disembodied voice was coming from. "He went up to the Astronomy Tower ages ago! The rest of them must have followed him – there's a spell blocking the way," he indicated his bloody nose, "there were maybe three of them that went up there with her."

My heart lurched in my chest.

I glanced around the room, "How many are –?"

"One of them, and Bill got taken out by the hairy one."

Greyback. I desperately searched the blood stained floors for red hair but with the carnage, it was impossible. Smells of dust, sweat and blood filled the tight space as my feet stuck to the floors in my hunkered position. I thought I caught a hint of movement just ahead of me, so I tried moving shards of glass and chunks of rubble when Neville called out.

"Kathryn? Are you still there?"

"What about Snape?" I asked, I looked over my shoulder when there was no response, "Have you seen him?"

Neville gulped looking nervous, pointing at me, "There he is…"

Snape walked through me. It was such an uncomfortable feeling, having something or someone go through you unawares.Pushing past the other members of the Order of the Phoenix blocking his way, Snape managed to evade the invisible barrier that had struck Neville, striding though it, like it wasn't there. It wasn't unlike my ability to cross the invisible barrier blocking unwanted visitors into Malfoy Manor.

I abandoned my attempts to find Bill, I'm sure he would understand, I had to use my ability for good, "Neville, listen to me." I made sure I had his attention, "Find Bill – I think he's in there – and get him onto a make-shift stretcher. If he's actively bleeding, use the Ferula spell to bandage him up before getting help. Mobilicorpus will transport him a few feet off the ground, if you don't have help."

"Where are you going?"

"To break through that barrier."

I abandoned Neville with my instructions before he had the chance to react. I pounded up the staircase and found myself level with Remus before taking the step beyond the magical force field. It was eerily quiet on the other side and so in that split second, I made the decision to choose asking for help because with some things, you need support.

"Remus," I called out over the din on the other side of the force field, still invisible, hoping he'd know it was me, "give me your hand, so I can try to pull you through."

"Ka-?" recognition spread over his face, he blindly reached out without further ado, and I took his hand in mind, making him invisible. Hauling him through, we hurtled up the rest of the spiral staircase. I raised my wand to match his stance.

"Whatever you do, don't let go. I can protect you." Was the last thing I told him as I prepared to take us through the ajar door before Snape emerged, holding a very pale and shaky Draco by the scruff of the neck, dragging him down the stairs, walking right though us.

Remus tugged on my hand, careful to maintain his grip on me, pointed with a finger towards them, with an inquisitive expression on his face. Greyback, was followed by the brother and sister duo that tortured me in Knockturn Alley and Bellatrix led from behind, cackling in delight.

"Don't even think about it." Remus spoke in a warning tone as he pulled me close, not allowing me to let go and pursue her, "Stay here. She is not your responsibility. She thinks you're dead, Kathryn, we want to leave it that way, to protect you."

Draco's words flashed back to mind, he didn't want me to be here. He didn't want me to fight. He did what thought needed to be done and he had just killed Dumbledore. I swallowed back the growing lump in my throat, pushing the thought to the back of my mind, as Remus let go of my hand and joined the battle raging on below. I was hot on his tail.

I stumbled down the last stair as the blond bloke's spell ricocheted off the ceiling, causing it to fall down in front of me forming another huge cloud of dust in the room. As the debris settled, my eyes scanned the area: Tonks was still duelling the blond bloke, trying to contain him and his technique of 'point and shoot'. McGonagall was duelling the crazy psychopath sister I recognised from torturing me in Knockturn Alley. Where you saw one, you often saw the other… Ginny was duelling her brother. Next to her, I saw a flash of Ron's red hair in the corner. To my left, Remus was duelling Bellatrix, she was enjoying herself, making him look like easy work as though she was eating him for breakfast. But where were Harry, Hermione and Luna? The space was so tightly packed with people that I couldn't make heads nor tails of the moving figures.

"It's over, time to go!" Snape announced as he and Draco turned the corner, out of sight. I was going to go after them when a stray blot of red light went straight through my middle. I expected to feel the sting and heaviness of a Stunning Spell trying to evade my body, instead I felt a dull throbbing sensation where it had gone through me. I pushed forwards to incorporate myself into the battle when Greyback leapt at a figure behind me.

"Petrificus Totalus!" I aimed the non-verbal curse at the werewolf and dragged Harry out from under him, "You okay?"

"Get Snape." Was Harry's desperate instruction to me as he scrambled to his feet. I watched as he battled his way thought the crowd, as I sent an Impedimenta Jinx at Bellatrix who seemed to be gaining the upper hand of Remus, as Harry also sent an Impedimenta Jinx at the brother Death Eater's chest, who happened to be trying to Crucio Ginny, who was dancing on the spot, avoiding him. Harry and I were instinctively covering each other, back to back, firing jinxes in defence of the Order.

"Take that!" McGonagall screamed at the evil sister as she and her brother made a run for it after Snape and Draco. Harry launched himself in their direction, but fell flat on the floor, on top of Neville, who was now drenched in blood, but seemingly not entirely his own.

I pulled Harry up onto his feet, "Go. I'll follow when I can." I sent another Impedimenta Jinx at Bellatrix, as it was the only one I could think of in the moment that wouldn't be immediately detrimental if it hit Remus.

"Neville?" I put my hand on the body below me, careful to keep my eyes on Bellatrix, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he groaned as he moved, "M'alright. Got Bill to the Hospital Wing."

"He's alive?"

Neville stayed quiet for a little too long, "Things don't look great." He swallowed hard, "They've put the Dark Mark above the Astronomy Tower."

Bellatrix backed Remus into a corner, firing a spell into the air, causing more rubble to fall from the ceiling, trapping him. Glancing around the room, she realised her fellow Death Eaters had all escaped and she looked to be making a run for it.

I couldn't just watch her get away.

"Help Remus," I instructed Neville, "I've got her."

I bolted down the corridor, I thought my eyes were deceiving me, finding Bellatrix hurrying down the staircase, her long dark curls dishevelled from the fight, her black corseted outfit covered in dust. Did they not use the Vanishing Cabinet? No one else was in my immediate vicinity. Harry must have caught up with Draco and Snape by now.

"HEY!" I screamed at the top of my lungs at Bellatrix who had now started spouting curses left, right and centre, destroying portraits and suits of armour as she raced towards the exit to the grounds. She really loved to cause destruction everywhere she went.

Bellatrix stopped in her tracks, her abrupt cessation of motion nearly causing her to topple down the remainder of the stairs, "Katy?" she called out in panic. Her eyes were searching for the source of the voice. I was still invisible. Bellatrix must have thought she was hearing voices, as she launched a handful of curses up the staircase, generating enough of an illusion.

"Miss me?" I yelled, walking out from within the mess she'd created, making myself visible to her and only her, raining jinx after jinx in her direction, "Surprise."

"You should be dead." Bellatrix fired curse after curse back at me, but I was overpowering her from my superior position above, "I killed you." A hint of confusion rang in her voice, she didn't believe it was me, that I was alive. I knew now that I controlled this battle.

I laughed heartily, mimicking her usual cackle, "Don't look so shocked, Momma." I mocked her, "Your baby girl has been keeping a low profile," I said in her voice, firing jinxes on repeat, "but that Dark Mark was too hard to resist. I had to return the favour from our last encounter."

"You've no one here to help you this time, Katy." Bellatrix jeered, "Look around." She cockily waved her wand about, although she didn't see the group of Hufflepuffs behind her, taking refuge in the Great Hall, "This time, you're dead. I'll make sure of it." Her spells became more powerful, more destructive, she no longer wanted to maim me, she was aiming to kill.

She has nothing to lose.

"I'll have to send my deepest regrets to the Dark Lord," I told her, "didn't I have you out of action for weeks last time?" I was playing with fire, but somehow I knew exactly how to get under this woman's skin, "Poor Bella… He won't have been happy with you." She was trying to be unreadable as she stood on the flat ground between one staircase and the marble staircase down to the Entrance Hall, but I knew I had irked her.

"I should have killed you years ago."

I laughed, "Ooooh fighting talk." I blocked another one of her curses, "You see, loads of people have tried to do that and none of them have had any success."

Determination fuelled me. I wanted to mess with her head, to give her a taste of her own medicine. I was doing this for Neville, for all the people's lives she had ruined. She had hurt Remus, she put Tonks in hospital, she put me in hospital and I was consumed with this energy, eager to annihilate her. I wasn't afraid. Not anymore. Enraged, I blasted holes into the ground on either side of where she was standing, causing her to leap back in shock, lose her footing and land in a heap on the Entrance Hall flag stone floor.

"Avada Kedavra!" she screamed in frustration, I easily stepped out of the way of that one, but it gave her time to stand and re-calibrate herself, "Avada Kedavra!" she repeated menacingly, her chest heaving, I noticed blood running down her forehead, "Avada Kedavra!" I blocked her attempts, though her desperation was rising and I was in increasing danger, "Avada Kedavra!" she tried to kill me once again and I knew I was quickly running out of options. I had to mean it. I really had to want to do it. "Avada Kedavra!" she cackled as I had to do a bit of a hop to dodge her advances, "Come on Katy, Mummy wants to play. Avada Kedavra!"

The spell missed me by mere centimetres and I felt the skin on my cheek burn. In that split second, a switch was flicked in my brain, and I thought with all my might, pointing my wand at her and wordlessly performing the incantation, "Crucio."

Backing off towards the great oaken doors, Bellatrix Lestrange was knocked off her feet, screaming and writhing in pain. It was as though all of her joints seized as she jerked robotically on the spot. A surge of emotional energy powered the curse, I could feel a force try to stop me, but I was stronger, angrier, more determined. She was lying in a pool of rubies: the contents of Gryffindor's damaged hour-glass, desperately trying to regain control. I went through years of hell when she left me with the Pinks, and she treated me no better, leaving me in hospital and in great pain for weeks on end having tried to take my life. I don't need her, just like I didn't need the Pinks. After a full minute, I broke the connection, not because I pitied her, but because I was sickened by having her in my field of vision.

"Well, that wasn't very nice of you, was it? Look what you made me do." I pointed my wand at her, always on guard for her next move.

Bellatrix blinked, a hint of fear presenting itself in her eyes. Rubbing the back of her head, her hand was covered in bright a red liquid which was now puddling on the floor beneath her, "Katy? Are you there?" she looked up at the flights of stairs behind me before finding my face again. Was she concussed?

"Oh Momma, I'm just a figment of your imagination." I said, taking full advantage of her confusion, towering over her, "You didn't really think I was alive, did you? Sweet dreams." I disappeared from her sight. Fear rose in her eyes and she scarpered.

Relief bestowed itself upon me as I watched her vanish into the darkness. I had nothing left to give; my strength was completely depleted. My head was light, sweat was dripping off me and I felt like I was going to vomit. I knew I was flickering, I couldn't help it, I couldn't maintain the demands of being an Invisibilia. My body shook, adrenaline no longer effective and I felt myself fall…