Hello lovely readers! Okay, so I know a lot of you will probably hate me for this, but as I've mentioned in the author's note of the newly published "Blood of My Enemy", I am going through all my other stories to see where I've left off. Do not despair - I will not be discontinuing this story.

I'm currently re-writing the existing chapters. I have this different idea in my head - a slightly different direction from where the story was originally going. That and the fact that my writing style had sort of changed in the last year, and I wanted to experiment with it a bit more. You'll be seeing a few changes in some of the chapters - some glaringly noticeable and some so minor that you can easily miss it. Other details like dates and names will also be updated based on some recent content.

Other stories in the works include:

*Paying in Blood

*Behind Those Emerald Eyes

*His Witch, Trouble

*Blood Of My Enemy

Those are the main ones for the moment. I currently have a DiaLovers x OHSHC story in draft at the moment, but will not be publishing it until I have completed "Paying in Blood".

I cannot thank you guys enough for the continuous support of this story after all these years. So I hope to not disappoint and get this re-write done as best as I can.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter; it all belongs to J.K Rowling and Warner Brothers Inc. However, I do own Alex.

Pairings: Tom Riddle Jr./Alex Potter, mentions of Harry/Draco, Past!Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione, Blaise/Daphne and Past!Alex/Theo

Warnings: Language, Character Death, Mature Scenes, False Twincest, Sadism and Masochism, Dysfunctional Relationships

It was pure and utter chaos.

There was no other way to describe it.

Curses soared violently through the air, thick clouds of smoke rose as vivid flames burnt down walls and towers. Seventeen year-old Harry Potter could only watch, his chest tight with anguish as the once magnificent castle of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the place he had called their home for almost seven years, was reduced to nothing but rubble. But as his eyes dragged over the battlefield, the pain grew and his guilt seeped through his bones at the bodies that laid scattered and motionless on the pavement. They had lost so many.

Remus Lupin, who had been killed by Dolohov, and Nypmphadora Tonks, who had been taken out by Bellatrix were one of the firsts to go. Alex had been devastated at the death of her godfather — much like he had been when he lost Sirius. He felt horrible that unlike him, she had no time to mourn for someone she had considered a father to her, besides Snape.

Then there were the Weasleys. Fred had been crushed by a brick wall after an explosion, and his twin, George followed soon after he was hit by a stray killing curse. When Molly and Arthur had reconciled with their third son, Percy – all three perished at the hands of the Carrow siblings. Countless of his friends had been caught in the crossfire as well: Oliver Wood, Angelina Johnson, Katie Bell, Colin and Dennis Creevey, Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, Alicia Spinnet, Neville Longbottom were only a few that he could name. And Ginny... his Ginny had been mauled by Fenrir Greyback. He had asked her to marry him, after the war was over. He had been overjoyed when she accepted, but now...

"HARRY!" someone yelled, but it didn't sound like Ron or Hermione – if they were even still alive.

He turned, only managing to meet Voldemort's evil red eyes before a pair of familiar arms wrapped around him tightly and green light swarmed his vision.

Alex…

...

Alex Potter threw spell after spell, blood and sweat pouring down her face, and bile rising up her throat when a jet of green light whizzed just by her ear. She was exhausted, and her head was pounding in time with her thudding heartbeat. When the Horcrux inside them had died, her mind link with Harry had been severed – but that didn't stop her from trying. Alex hissed when a slicing hex struck her right arm. Their luck was quickly dwindling, and so were their numbers. The guilt was also slowly, yet surely driving her mad.

Her friends were dead because of her.

The first to go was Blaise Zabini, who had returned from Italy to aid them despite his family's neutral standing in the war. Daphne Greengrass, who had been her first friend, was hit with a Sectumsempra while fighting by her side. Many Slytherins, in fact, had turned to their side to help her and paid dearly for it: Marcus Flint, Adrian Pucey, Terrence Higgs, Astoria Greengrass, Millicent Bulstrode, Tracey Davies...

... and Theodore Nott.

Alex choked back a sob at the thought of her boyfriend. He had taken a curse that had been aimed for her when her back was turned. No amount of healing spells she knew seemed to work, and she cried out his name as he died in her arms.

Draco Malfoy was a wild card. She had formed a hectic, unstable friendship with him at the end of their third year, and the boy's allegiances were unpredictable. It shocked her to see him battle against his father, later learning that his mother had been killed. Unfortunately, the older Malfoy was far more experienced and possessed a vaster repertoire of dark spells, which he used to mercilessly cut down his heir for his defiance.

Harsh, insane laughter reached her ears, making her blood run cold. Voldemort. There was no mistaking it. The wizard was the reason everyone she loved was dead, why her home was destroyed. Every fibre of her being radiated hatred for the snake-faced being, and she wanted nothing more than to rid him from the world. She wanted the Dark Lord's head on a platter, so much that it scared her.

She had easily spotted his bald, pale head amongst the destruction, towering behind a figure with messy black hair and raised his wand.

No...

Alex bolted towards her twin, ignoring how much her legs ached and burned, the blood from her cuts mingling with dirt and her sweat, and seeping through the fabric of her shirt. It was like everything was in slow motion, and she could see the tip of Voldemort's wand glow an eerie green.

"HARRY!" she called out to him desperately.

Harry turned to meet the end of Voldemort's wand, just as Alex's body slammed into his, her arms wrapping around him tightly and shielding his body with hers. There was a bright flash of green as the killing curse engulfed them both. Alex felt herself falling, Voldemort's mad cackles slowly becoming deaf to her ears as her world blurred, and everything went black.

Alex's eyes fluttered open and winced. The light was almost blinding, and painful. But as her vision had finally cleared, she had to blink again. Everything was white – it didn't look like she was at Hogwarts anymore. Where was she? Where was Harry?

Her hand automatically reached for her wand in her pocket, only to find it missing. Her brows furrowed.

"Confused, my dear?"

Alex turned. There before her, stood a beautiful woman. Her bright amethyst eyes contrasted brilliantly with her fair skin, long auburn hair falling elegantly down to her waist. Her brilliant white dress clung to her well-shaped bust and hips, the skirt flowing down to her ankles. She had an ethereal glow that seemed to surround her, giving her an air of divinity.

Laughing at the Potter girl's stunned expression, the woman strode towards her with magnificent grace and stopped in front of the seventeen year-old. She was much taller than Alex, and stared down at the teen.

Alex's eyes narrowed in suspicion, "I'm sorry, but who are you?"

The woman chuckled, "My dear, I am Fate. And I am here to offer you a second chance."

"Second chance?" Alex choked when realization dawned, "Y-You mean that I'm –?"

"Dead?" Fate sighed, "I'm afraid so, my dear. But alas, it is not yet your time to go. You see, without you and your brother, darkness has taken over your world without any good to balance it out."

"Voldemort won." Alex whispered brokenly.

"He was not meant to win, my dear." Fate stated, "There is what I call a soul bond. Where there is good, there will always be an evil counterpart; where there is light, there will be darkness lurking. One cannot simply exist without the other. So far, there have only been five true soul mates in existence, all beginning from Merlin and Morgana."

"Then what does that have to do with me?"

Fate gave her a pointed look, smiling knowingly. Alex's eyes widened in sheer horror.

"No... No way! Are you telling me that Voldemort and I are supposed to be soulmates?" she squeaked in disbelief, "How on earth is that meant to work?! The man tried to kill us as babies!"

Fate chuckled, "It would have been either you or your brother, but I'm afraid he already had his counterpart."

"Who?"

"I believe you know Draco Malfoy."

Now, Alex was really at loss. Harry and Malfoy? Soulmates? She couldn't help but shudder in disgust – the image would forever haunt the depths of her mind. While she had nothing against relationships with the same gender, there was just something about the thought of her brother and her friend that kept her from further entertaining the idea.

"You see, my dear girl, not everything is set as stone as one may believe. Your choices determine your fates. You and your brother were primary candidates for Tom Riddle's counterpart, but it was not determined who. After your brother had refused young Malfoy's hand in friendship, whereas you had accepted, another soul bond was formed between them. Likewise, this choice has tied you to Tom Riddle. That is why I cannot send him." explained Fate, "Funny how these things work, yes?"

In a twisted way, she supposed that it did make sense.

Alex bit her lip in thought. She wanted to set everything right, but she didn't know where to start or what she needed to fix. Voldemort was a loveless creature who only desired power, and would go out of his way to get it – that included killing her and Harry and countless others who fought with them. "Then if what you're saying is true, then why did Voldemort win the war?"

"There was another soul bond, one that did not turn out as I had planned it – Gellert Grindlewald and Albus Dumbledore." Fate lamented, her amethyst orbs clearly expressing her regret as Alex sputtered at her words, "Albus was not as light as I anticipated. While his intentions were meant to be for the greater good, fame and glory had changed him. As you mortals may say, 'the road to hell is paved with good intentions.'"

"But Dumbledore – "

" – was willing to risk your life to rid the world of a dark wizard he had intentionally created." snapped Fate, but then her gaze softened as it rested on the frightened girl, "I'm sorry, Miss Potter."

Betrayal flooded Alex like a tidal wave. Dumbledore, the man she had looked up to since she was a mere eleven year-old child, had used her. Of course, there were times when Alex thought the man to be mad in some way, but he had been her hero. It just shows how foolish she had been, mindlessly following orders of a man who never even explained things to her, purposely kept her and Harry in the dark about everything. Now, Alex understood why.

"You must know, that there would be nothing that could stop the darkness lurking in Tom Riddle's soul." Fate hastily continued when Alex opened her mouth, "However, you can stop him from falling to the brink of insanity, and completely tainting it beyond redemption."

"If it will save them all, then I'll do whatever I can." Alex declared determinedly, "Even if it costs me my second life."

"Then, I wish you luck." Fate smiled sadly at the girl, and lifted a hand. Suddenly, Alex felt as if all the wind was knocked out of her, and she collapsed, eyes bulging, chest rising and falling rapidly onto the floor. The world began to spin around her, blurring into a mass of unsightly colors before the pain came crashing down on her.

It was worse than the Cruciatus. It was as if her bones were shifting breaking from the inside, crushed, piercing, prickling onto her flesh. Alex screamed loudly, drowning out the voice desperately calling her name.

Reviews are always welcomed and appreciated. Next chapter coming up soon!

~Cassandra