The seconds bled into minutes, and minutes into hours. Willow simply laid on the floor of her cell, motionless, unable to fall asleep, but unable to penetrate the thick layer of fog that veiled reality from her. Thoughts of her mum flooded her mind every time she became aware of the cold locket on her chest. Happy and sad memories alike only brought her further depression. Everything appeared with a somber tint to it. Willow eventually remembered that Buckbeak's trial was occurring today, but not even that gave her the energy to sit up and fight back. She'd never felt more alone in her life.

Every once in a while, the guards would pace the perimeter of the dungeon. Willow watched them without comprehending as they strutted about the empty space, hitting her cell bars to try and get a reaction out of her, then grumbled when she didn't even twitch. She hardly heard the searing ring in her ears. Willow was buried too deep in the past, had forgotten about the present, and had abandoned the future. She was stuck on memories long buried that she no longer had the strength to keep at bay. There was no reason to fight anymore, she reasoned, because her life was ending soon anyway.

Willow had become aware of a burning, odd sort of pain in her wound after some time. She immediately knew it was infection; there was no way the caster of the suturing spell would have cared enough to clean the wound. Willow came to the conclusion that she had about three days before the infection would consume her. She let out a sigh, but didn't know whether it was relief or stress. She began to wonder why she didn't just use the wand she'd confiscated to end her misery already...it wasn't like her death three days from now would be any less pitiful...

"Willow? Are you there?"

"Please, we've called you four times already, pick up the damn name tag!"

"WILLOW!"

She groggily pushed the name tag further into her robes, effectively silencing it. Fred and George didn't need to see her so low. They would see her at her funeral, and their tears would be a little less painful to bear. Tears for someone who is alive are wasted tears, Willow thought. Then again, they wouldn't be any more useful after the fact.

"CONTESTA EL TELÉFONO, PENDEJO!"

Willow's mouth opened slightly. She was so shocked to hear Spanish that she managed to roll into a sitting position and fish the name tag out of her pocket. Paige, Lee, Fred, and George had all crowded in front of the screen, but Paige was definitely the one that had yelled at her. The older girl covered her mouth when she saw Willow's face.

"Oh my God- you're alive! You're literally alive! Oh my God- I thought you were dead- " Paige bit her lip, a tear running down her face. "What did they do to you? I knew I should have stayed behind- my grandfather was fine- but now you're not- "

"I'm okay, Paige," Willow said, creasing her features in a fake smile.

"Bullcrap! Have you seen yourself? You look like you tried to die, but Death left you behind."

"I think Death has some sort of vendetta against me dying," Willow joked. Her expression faded. "Has Buckbeak had his trial yet? I've been stuck underground for God knows how long."

"He hasn't. It's a little after two in the afternoon. Please tell me they fed you something?"

Willow shook her head. "They made some budget cuts on prisoner meals. Any word on Sirius?"

"No, he's still gone. I'm sorry, Willow." Paige angrily wiped her face. "We're coming after you, you know. The Ministry can't stop all four of us, especially when all four of us happened to be extremely pissed off."

"What? No, don't get yourselves in trouble, you'll only make it worse- "

"Willow, the last time I saw you, you were bleeding out. If I let you spend one more minute without Madam Pomfrey's potions, I'm going to lose my mind."

Willow shifted her sitting position as her stomach throbbed again. "I'll get help eventually..."

"Well, eventually is coming sooner rather than later. See you in less than an hour, whether you like it or not."

"Paige, wait- "

The name tag went dark. Willow cursed half-heartedly in Spanish, then shoved the name tag back into her pocket. The numbness of the cold dungeon enveloped her body once more, and she slouched where she sat, asking God why in the hell her stubbornness had rubbed off on her friends. Now they were going to get caught, and all of them were going to be in trouble. It was going to be a huge mess, and it was all her fault...

Footsteps approached her cell once again. Willow still didn't jump when the guard clanged his boots against her cell door, but this time she happened to trace where his steps were headed. Her ears automatically tuned into his conversation with another guard, which was so bland at first that she thought she would pass out from boredom. Then, it took an interesting turn. Sirius Black was mentioned multiple times. Willow grew somewhat angry at their condemnations of his false accusations, but it still wasn't enough to give her the energy to fight back. She only lost hope as they further described how many aurors were after one of her best friends.

Arguing voices suddenly marched down the stairs, making a beeline towards Willow's cell. She quickly sat up as she recognized one of them, kindling a fire in her soul that was way more than enough to get her blood flowing. Lucius Malfoy and the Minister of Magic hissed back and forth about something apparently urgent until they stopped dead in front of her cell.

"Miss Guerrero, we need to take you in for further processing," the Minister announced. "The memories contained within your head are of vital importance. Black is a slippery fellow, but he trusts you. Maybe there's something, buried deeply inside your head, that could tell us where he's run off to. You must understand how important this is- "

"Screw off," Willow spat. "I'm not helping you."

"Miss Guerrero! You should know by now that cooperation- "

"Will only result in further torture?" The Minister took a step backwards as Willow rose to her feet. "You've already broken me. You freaking tortured my mother in front of me, not to mention the unnecessary video of what I've done. I cooperated quite enough by letting you see where Sirius Black last was."

Lucius snorted. "You fought back and lost. Don't try to deny it."

Willow pretended that her blood wasn't on fire as she turned back to the Minister. "Look, if you want to chuck me in Azkaban, do it. But I'm not helping you. And don't bring my friends or family into this; they had no clue what I was doing."

Fudge's face reddened. "You will help us find Sirius Black now, whether you're willing to cooperate or not! He is a danger to our very society! Miss Guerrero, do you have any idea what Azkaban is?"

"A physical manifestation of my mental state, give or take a few severity levels."

Lucius visibly gritted his teeth. "Minister, I'd advise for you take her to the secure room immediately and search for the memories before she regains much strength."

"Afraid of me, are you?" Willow teased, much to the rage of Lucius. She smirked at his reaction. "Good. I was wondering when reality would penetrate that thick skull of yours."

"That's enough of your sharp tongue, Miss Guerrero, or we will have to silence it," Fudge warned.

Willow rolled her eyes. "Just take me to this stupid secure room already."

With a flick of his wand, the Minister of Magic opened her cell, and six guards immediately rushed in to surround her. Willow put her hands up as they patted her down. Unfortunately, they found the confiscated wand, but the name tag remained safe. Willow couldn't help the victorious grin that spread across her face when she overheard theories of how she'd gotten the wizard's wand. They ranged from close to the truth to complete conspiracy. It was quite the comic relief, if she had to say so herself.

The guards arranged themselves into a two by three formation, keeping Willow in the very center. She couldn't believe the precautions they were taking, but then again, she was a Gryffindor. She was liable to detonate at any given time. The Minister and Lucius walked in front, wands comfortably at their sides while their guards had theirs at the ready. Willow felt like a porcupine, with the amount of wand points being jabbed into her sides. She was getting fed up rather quickly.

They cleared the dungeon stairs, then began a long march down a hall that appeared to have no end. Every step sent a vibration through her body that twinged her wound. The infection was spreading at an incredible rate. Sparks seared through her like a heated knife. Willow hoped that Lucius had not purposely done something to sabotage her wound, but then again, a determined Malfoy was hard to stop, especially when they had their mind set on the kill.

As the end of the hallway finally emerged from the obscurity of the darkness, Willow's powers began firing electrical signals again. Tiny beads of fire pricked her skin just below the surface. They electrocuted every part of her body, causing her hair to stand on end. Something wasn't right, but it wasn't dangerous, it was more like...chaotic good. Willow was about to ponder what on earth was happening this time when the first firework exploded less than a meter away from her.

The guards instantly locked down their position, aiming wands at empty space. Fudge and Lucius drew their wands as well.

"What in the Devil- !"

Suddenly, the Minister vanished in a cloud of smoke. In fact, several small explosions covered the entire area in a thick, dark fog. The guards scattered, coughing and hacking, desperately calling to one another in an effort to regroup. Willow seized the chance to run. She sprinted like a bat out of hell, tearing across the space and emerging from the smoke cloud within seconds. She had no idea where she was running to, of course, but all she knew was that it was now or never. Willow pushed her burning muscles to go faster. Her lungs ached, her wound throbbed, and her brain screamed at her to stop, but she kept running. She imagined that she was back on the Fawley's lawn two years prior, dashing for her life with her father by her side. There were spells raining down all around her- the Fawleys cackled above- they were almost there- her father needed her to move faster-

The adrenaline kicked in, the pain numbed, and Willow was streaking across the Ministry. Her feet barely touched the ground. Doorways blurred past. Meters upon meters were conquered by her pounding feet. Picture frames shook when she flashed by. Willow instinctively knew that she was sprinting at superhuman speed. She'd never run this fast before in her life! An inevitable beam spread across her face. Willow was free. She cold almost taste the freedom in the air. In mere minutes, she would reach Lucius's fireplace- she could floo travel back to Hogwarts- she could save Sirius and escape with her friends- she would finally be free!

"Hey! A thank you would be nice!"

Willow turned her head mid-run. "Oh my God, guys! What are you doing here?"

Paige, Lee, and the twins raced towards her on four Nimbus two-thousand and ones. They caught up to her after a few seconds. Fred and George winked at her as they each tossed a firework far down the hallway.

"What does it look like we're doing?"

"We're rescuing you, of course!"

Willow grinned at them when the firework exploded into multiple smaller bursts. "That's a new trick. How did you manage to get those broomsticks? I thought only Slytherin has that many."

"Had that many."

"We decided that borrowing them for a life-or-death situation was necessary."

"Blimey, how are you keeping up with us?"

Willow glanced down at her feet. Their turnover was a blur, unbelievably quick. She shrugged. "I'm a soccer player. We're pretty much superhuman."

"There's superhuman, then there's you, Willow," Paige remarked. "You're something special."

"She's definitely something special, alright," Lee said. He tossed a very grateful Willow her wand, then pointed to the end of the corridor. "Up ahead! Lucius's office is about four hundred meters away. We've got only one shot at this, so don't blow it!"

"Aw, but explosion are all part of the fun!" George protested.

Lee rolled his eyes. "You can joke when we get back to Hogwarts! Let's focus on getting back in one piece for now!"

Willow pushed her legs to go faster than they've ever run before. Her powers latched onto the adrenaline in her system, coursing through her veins, powering her muscles to a level she'd never thought possible. Lucius's office was so close! This was the final push! Willow could have sworn she would have outrun a horse, with the breakneck pace she was pulling. They were three hundred meters away- now two fifty- now two hundred- now one fifty- only one hundred meters to go-

Willow suddenly skidded to a stop, her eyes widening. Lee nearly tumbled off his broom as the four fifth-years halted mid-air. They all stared in horror at the scene before them.

"Let's end this, shall we?"

Molly was back, but this time, she wasn't alone. An entire host of dark-robed wizards stood behind her, wands held in the center of their chests. She gave a sign, and they shifted into a deadly-looking formation. They were all instructed to train their wands on the closest enemy in front of them- Willow herself. Her heart skipped a beat as nearly fifty wands aimed directly for it. Molly's face broke into a hideous smile.

"You may fire when ready."

Willow hardly had time to think as she threw herself backwards, shoving her friends to the side as she did so. Spells rained over their heads as they darted behind a small artifact. Willow and Paige each cast a shield charm, but Willow's was weak and hardly gave them any protection at all. The wall chipped away, chunks of the ceiling collapsed, and the floor yawned with gaping holes. Willow's mind raced to give her options, but came up with the only option she couldn't choose.

"We can't hold this position much longer!" Fred shouted.

"What should we do?" Lee yelled.

"I don't know! Paige? Anything?"

Paige gritted her teeth, sweat trickling down her forehead. "I'm a bit preoccupied with saving our arses at the moment!"

Willow panted, her mind racing. She couldn't use her powers because that would waste everything her family had fought to protect. She couldn't fight back because they were far outnumbered. She couldn't run because the Minister would catch her. That left her with only one option...and she knew that there was no way out this time. Willow swallowed hard. She knew what had to be done...but it was going to be the hardest thing she'd ever done in her life.

"Hey guys?" Willow croaked. Her four friends looked at her. "I'm...I'm really glad you decided to let me into your life. It's been a blast, literally and metaphorically. I appreciate your friendship so much more than you'll ever know. I'm sorry it had to be cut short."

Another spell struck the ceiling behind them, sending a portrait crashing to the floor. Fred stared at her oddly. "What are you talking about? Why would it get cut short?"

Willow bit her lip. "I love you all."

George's eyes widened. He reached out and tried to grasp her arm. "No, Willow, don't- NO!"

It was too late. Willow rolled out from their hiding spot, casting a feeble shield charm about herself. She kneeled down, lowering her head, and put her hands in the air. Molly shouted for her army to stop firing. She marched towards Willow, confiscated her wand, then dragged the younger girl by the throat towards her army. Willow was sent sprawling into the ground at the feet of many dark-robed wizards. Instead of fighting back, however, she simply raised herself into a kneeling position. Molly glared daggers at her.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you," she spat.

"Because I have something very valuable that I could give you." Willow forced herself to maintain eye contact with the vile woman. She had to win over Molly, and that meant hiding the fact that she was tearing herself apart heartstring by heartstring. Willow drew a steely veil over her expression and continued. "My power is far beyond those in my year, even some of those in the seventh year. I have an uncanny ability to shift into my animagus form, and my retention of knowledge is unmatched except by the top witches and wizards in the world. You need me."

Molly scoffed. "We don't, but I'm intrigued."

"You know how much of an asset I'd be. It's why you didn't kill me yesterday. I've got insider knowledge and a close bond with every person you've ever needed to know about. I would be the most valuable spy you've ever invested in."

"And how do I know you wouldn't turn on us?"

Willow stared hard at her oppressor. "Because I have a lot to lose, and you know that, too, which is why I'm offering you a deal: leave my friends and family alone, never set foot near Hogwarts, and I'll give myself to you willingly."

"Willow, no! Don't do this!"

"You can't give yourself up to them!"

George and Paige fought to get near Willow, but Fred and Lee held them back. Their guttural screeches remained in her eardrums for minutes afterwards. They clawed at the floor, strained against Fred's and Lee's grips, tears pouring down their faces, but they couldn't get close enough to Willow. She wanted to break down sobbing and run straight into their arms, but she couldn't.

Willow wrenched her eyes away from George and Paige. As calmly as she could, she instructed her powers to tone down her sense of hearing. It took several deep breaths to remove the ringing screams out of her ears. Then, Willow cleared her mind, emptying it of all emotion, and blinked hard as she fixed her gaze on Molly. This was her only chance to secure her friends' safety. If she messed this up now, they would forever be looking over their shoulders. Willow cleared her throat as she prepared her final offer.

"I will never dessert, I will never turn, I will do exactly as you say, without question, so long as you hold to this deal. I promise."

Molly raised her eyebrows. "Will you make the unbreakable vow?"

Willow nodded stiffly, her heart shattering ice shard by ice shard. "I will."

Molly whistled, and a wizard came running. They whispered back and forth between themselves for quite some time. Willow hesitatingly glanced at the spot where she'd left her friends. Paige and George were sobbing, screeching themselves hoarse, but Lee and Fred were holding them back for their lives. Willow swallowed the lump in her throat to keep her emotions at bay. She had to be strong for them. They would have to move on now, but she would sleep easier at night knowing they're okay. Willow ripped her gaze away from her friends as Molly approached her once more.

"I accept your offer. We will complete the vows, and forever afterwards, your life will depend on adhering to it."

Willow closed her eyes and nodded. "I understand."

Standing up, she offered her hand for Molly to take. The witch gripped her arm with a reputable force. Willow couldn't bring herself to make eye contact with Molly as the wizard initiated the process. A gold light began to glow, encasing her's and Molly's arms. Willow internally screamed, but there was no more to be done. She had to do this to protect her friends.

"Will you, Molly Smith, vow to never set foot near Hogwarts, and to never touch the Guerreros or their friends?"

"I will."

Molly's steely gaze burned into the side of Willow's face as the wizard spoke again. "Will you, Willow Guerrero, follow every command without question, carrying out deeds for the Fawley family and all associated with them?"

Willow hesitated. Her voice box seemed to break. She tried to open her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Willow's throat dried out, like a cotton ball had been stuffed in it. Molly grew increasingly furious with every passing second.

"Well come on, then, spit it out! Agree to the terms!"

Willow tried to speak again, but in vain. She wet her lips and cleared her throat. Forcing her mind to focus, Willow finally managed to choke out a sound.

"I- I- "

Without warning, the wizard gasped. Willow whipped to her left to see him freeze, then collapse to the ground. The glow between her and Molly vanished. Willow peered into the corridor behind him to see who had cast the spell. When she finally locked eyes with the person, her entire body exploded in fireworks of joy.

"It's rude to leave your friends behind when you're going on an adventure, Willow," Mandy said, smirking.

Lisa, Sue, and Padma panned out behind her. Then came the Smith twins, then Cypress and Oliver. Lavender, Mia, and Fay followed them. Neville, Dean, and Seamus hustled into view. Finally, Ginny Weasley and Colin Creevy materialized beside their fellow Gryffindors. Every single one of them leveled their wands at Molly, wearing the fiercest expressions Willow had ever seen on a group of Hogwarts students. Molly staggered a few paces backwards.

"Wha- how- when did this- ?"

"It's called friendship, Mum, you should try it sometime," Sally spat.

Willow wanted to fall to her knees and sprint to her friends all at once. Her heart palpitated with the intensity of the emotions coursing through her veins. Every single one of these people came to save her. Here they were, in the most critical moment of her entire life, aiming their wands with determined faces at her doomed future. Tears welled up in Willow's eyes. Had she really affected that many lives?

"Traitor!" Molly screamed, snapping Willow back into reality. "You should be standing alongside me! You should be ruling over the Dark Lord's followers by my side!"

Sam scoffed. "And become an arsehole like you? No thanks."

Willow chose that moment to speed-walk over to her friends. The Weasley twins, Paige, and Lee quickly followed suit. Mandy greeted her with open arms, and it was then that Willow realized something different about her. For some reason, her hair was tied back, shaded a darker hue of red, and her robes fit more loosely. When she had spoken, her voice had been deeper. Mandy noticed her staring and explained.

"Yeah, the shift happened again, but I'm not afraid of it anymore. I think that my stronger muscles might be useful in this situation."

Willow grinned. "That's awesome! How on earth did you manage to get everyone here?"

"Fred and George told us what happened, so we decided to get a crew together. Cypress persuaded those who were only seventy-five percent committed, and the rest were already grabbing their wands."

Willow glanced at the swath of people standing before her. "I'm going to have to send you all Christmas cards from now on."

Multiple people chuckled at that. Willow was glad she could make light of the situation, but now that her nerves were out, it was time to buckle down and get to business. Her facial features tightened, and she slowly turned to Molly, who was still arguing with her children. Willow whispered something in Mandy's ear, and they seized the distraction to snatch Willow's wand back. With a flash of red light, her wand was sailing through the air. Mandy caught it with ease and handed it to her friend. Molly halted mid-conversation to gaze at Mandy with burning eyes.

"How dare you! That filthy blood traitor doesn't deserve that wand!"

"She deserves the entire universe compared to you!" Mandy shot back.

Molly's face contorted with horror. "You're one of those disgusting mudbloods, aren't you? And your- your voice, it's all wrong! Sally told me about you once- your name is Mandy- you're supposed to be a female- "

"So? Who cares what I am, so long as I'm not a bigot like yourself."

"I CARE! YOU'RE A FREAK! You're supposed to be a girl! Mandy is a girl's name!"

Mandy gritted her teeth. "My name is Miranda, and I'll kick your arse no matter what gender I happen to be."

Without giving Molly a chance to think, Miranda volleyed a series of spells at the woman that blasted her across the room. He called for the advance, and with a war cry, the students of Hogwarts charged the dark-robed wizards. Willow and Paige shot to the front, casting protective charms and throwing the army backwards with a few offensive spells. Multicoloured jets of light cascaded upon the wizards, pushing them further into a retreat. They weren't about to back down, however, and soon the spells were flying both ways. Miranda called for the Hogwarts students to fall in behind Willow and Paige, casting a shield charm above himself as well.

Molly returned to the front of her ranks and ordered them into a tight formation. Willow's heart skipped a beat when a spell almost rammed into Padma. She yelled for her friends to close ranks even tighter, but the wizards were advancing quickly. They had years of experience that the Hogwarts students lacked. The wizards' precision and knowledge of both defensive and offensive spells was tenfold theirs. Willow knew that her only strength was in force of will, as was the rest of the students'. If they were going to get out of this alive, they had to find a weakness in their opponent. Willow searched her enemy's ranks, testing them with spells, until she finally found a solution.

"We've got to scatter them!" she shouted to Paige. "If Molly isn't commanding them, they'll break off and run! Most of them are cowards! We've got to take her out!"

Paige nodded. "Miranda, Cypress! Get up here and cover for us!"

Miranda and Cypress rushed to their aid, casting replicas of their protective charms. "Good luck!"

Willow and Paige tensed their muscles, exchanging a final glance, then launched themselves in front of their lines. Paige held a shield charm in front of them and deflected most of the blows as Willow surged behind her. Molly tried to dart away when they reached her, but Willow powered off of one leg and landed an inhuman distance away, blocking the woman's path. She lowered herself to the ground and flung out her legs when Molly was about to pass by, tripping her. Willow barely gave her a chance to land before she was on top of her, locking her legs around Molly's, wrestling her arms behind her. Molly fought back with a steel vengeance, though, and Willow only managed to get one arm pinned down. The woman scratched and bit, screeched and yelled, even fired off a death spell that came within millimeters of ending Willow's life. Paige finally arrived on the scene, and upon seeing Molly's spell, her eyes ignited into a fiery rage.

"Petrificus Totalus!"

Molly's body suddenly went rigid. Willow instantly confiscated her wand, holding both it and her own at the woman. Molly's eyes attempted to burn a hole through Paige's head as she knelt down next to her.

"Try killing her again, and I'll make sure you regret the day you were born."

Willow put her hands on her hips. "Paige! I wanted to do that!"

The older girl rolled her eyes. "We can't both be heroes. Come on, there's no need in dragging this out, let's go raise some hell."

Willow smirked, and together she and Paige charged back into the battle. They fired disarming and stunning spells on their run back to friendly cover. Wands flew out of multiple wizards' hands, clattering far behind the Hogwarts students, and a good number fell like dominoes when the wizards in front of them were stunned. Willow and Paige finally made it just behind Miranda's and Cypress's shields. They began instructing their fellow students on which spells to fire and when, and suddenly the tide began to turn in their favor. Swaths of wizards began falling, and some altogether disapparated. Willow was beginning to think they were winning when Neville was struck with a spell.

"NO!"

Neville collapsed to the ground, unconscious. Dean and Seamus dragged him into the middle of their ranks, where there was the most protection. Willow fought her way through the crowd and kneeled down next to him. A tiny bit of red trickled from his mouth, but she knew better than to think lightly of that.

"No, no, no, Neville, wake up!" Willow cried.

He remained on the ground, limp and lifeless. Willow ordered Dean and Seamus to cover her as she placed her hand on Neville's chest. With a soft glow, the blood retreated, and Neville's heart began pumping normally again. Willow wished she could heal him enough to wake him up, but it wasn't going to happen. Her body trembled violently as she rose to her feet. Get yourself together, he's not dead, he's not dead...

"Dean, Seamus, your job is to protect Neville," Willow suddenly barked. "Don't let a spell get near him."

The boys nodded, and Willow forced her way back to the front. Right as she passed the third row of Hogwarts students, a spell veered towards her left, and a chunk of wall exploded, covering her in dust. Willow coughed and hacked to get it out of her system. Her eyes stung with an intensity she'd never felt before. She couldn't see through the cloud of particles. Willow drew her wand.

"Aguamenti!"

With a flick of her wrist, a small wave of water dashed everyone within a five meter radius. The dust cleared, and Willow managed to wash it out of her eyes. She rejoined Paige at the front of the group once more, still wheezing. The Hogwarts students had pushed back on the wizards enough to cause at least half of their numbers to disapparate or lay unconscious. Hope kindled a larger flame in Willow's chest. They were winning! If they knocked back just a dozen more wizards, they'd have the opportunity to escape back to Hogwarts!

"Come on, guys! This is the final push!" Willow called. "Throw everything you've got at them!"

With those words, the spells from the Hogwarts students were volleyed at such a rate that the wizards couldn't defend themselves from them all. A multicoloured cloud of light rained iridescent raindrops of spells on the wizards. They began to fall, one by one. Willow fired off another disarming spell, and Paige stunned a wizard. There were two more down- then three- then five- only a few more to go-

"That's ENOUGH!"

Willow's brain barely registered Molly's form aiming her wand at them before the biggest explosion she'd ever heard shattered her eardrums. She glanced up only to have her vision sent to black. Glass, wood, stone, and iron rained down on them. Chunks of the ceiling smashed them. The entire army of Hogwarts students disappeared beneath a barrage of dust and building materials. Willow shrieked as her arm snapped beneath a section of stone. Her entire body was pancaked beneath the collapsed ceiling.

When the sickening sound of crumbling and heavy impacts finally ceased, all Willow could hear were the groans and cries of her friends. She strained her muscles against the stone, but it didn't budge. She tried again, and still it wouldn't move. Willow called upon all her powers and all her strength, puffing hard, and pushed against the stone with all her might. The massive section of ceiling overturned, landing with a thud to her right. Willow slowly rose to her feet. She yelped in pain and almost fell to her knees when her left arm spasmed, rivaling her stab wound. Willow was reminded how little time she had left to see Madam Pomfrey once again, but ignored it, suddenly becoming aware of how many of her friends were still trapped beneath the rubble. She raised her wand with her good arm.

"Wingardium Leviosa!"

Sections of rock and wood defied gravity, slowly rising to reveal the crumpled bodies of Hogwarts students. Willow struggled to control her breathing as her mind and body strained to lift the heavy rocks. Paige, Lee, Cypress, and Sally rushed in to drag their classmates out of the wreckage. Willow watched in extreme pain as her friends were rescued one by one. Oliver, Neville, and Lisa were completely unconscious. The rest were beat up badly, sporting cuts, bruises, and rug burns on every square centimeter of exposed skin. When the final person was saved, Willow fell to her knees, and the rocks smashed into the ground once more, sending up an extra plume of dust.

"Everyone's okay! We're all alive!" Lee cheered.

"Not for long," Paige remarked, turning her friend's head in the other direction.

Willow shifted her position only to wish she had remained under the section of ceiling. Molly was advancing with her troops, and fast. They all bore murderous expressions. Willow's breath caught in her throat. There wouldn't be any mercy this time. She scrambled to her feet, organizing her remaining friends behind her.

"Anyone that's scraped up pretty bad, protect the ones that were knocked out. Everyone else, wands at the ready!"

Paige and Willow cast their protective charms once more as the wizards advanced. Molly held up her hand to halt them a mere twenty meters away. Sweat beads formed on Willow's hairline. Nerves chaotically exploded all over her body. Blood pounded in her ears. This was it; if they didn't end this, and right now, there was no going home.

"Willow Guerrero! Your foolish actions have hurt enough of your friends; surrender now, and I'll spare their lives."

"There's no way she'd hold to that promise," Fred panted.

"She hurt Oliver," Cypress growled. "I say we destroy her and her entire army where they stand."

"I'm not going to stoop to her own murderous level," Willow protested. "We- we just have to fight back, make a final stand. That's the only option we've got left."

"How long are we going to last, though?" Lee pointed out.

Willow bit her lip. "I don't know."

Molly tapped her foot. Willow could tell that she was losing patience quickly. Their time was running out. Her mind scrambled to create some sort of battle plan, one that favored their numbers. They couldn't split up, that was for sure, but how long would they last as a compact unit? It had already cost them so many casualties; would those turn into fatalities if they didn't go for a last-ditch, insane run at the enemy? Willow glanced at each of her friends' ashen faces in turn. If one of them died, she didn't know how she could bear it.

"Alright, you're not surrendering," Molly concluded. "Fire at will!"

"CLOSE RANKS!" Willow ordered.

Cypress, Paige, and Miranda stepped out and cast shield charms, deflecting an agonizingly close round of spells. Willow noticed with a sinking heart how many green jets of light bounced off the shields. Her stomach threatened vomit. If a single one of those spells grazed one of her friends, they were dead. Willow fired back as many offensive spells as she could muster, but she was losing strength fast. Her mind clouded with each passing second. It seemed as though the names and wand movements for spells had drifted beyond reach. Willow knew it was the infection spreading, but what could she do about it? She was in the middle of a battle. Her powers were keeping the infection at bay the best they could. There was nothing more to be done.

Padma fell to the ground when a red spell slashed her arm. Willow caught her, closing the gash up as best she could with her powers, but the strength it sapped from her was beginning to become too much. Padma drew out a potion and treated herself as Willow staggered to her feet, rejoining the battle. She barely lasted two seconds before another spell came rocketing through, and this time it struck her. Willow fell to her knees, for a moment terrified that it was the death curse, but soon figured out it was something equally as horrible. A massive, deep cut trailed its way down her fractured forearm, causing Willow to cry out in pain. She tried to muffle her voice, but the agony was hard to ignore. Willow fell to her knees. Her vision tinted red as she accepted her defeat, and she sank deeper and deeper into darkness.

"I'm so sorry, guys," she whispered, closing her eyes.

Just then, the spells abruptly stopped. Fervent whispers and gasps from the opponents were clearly heard. Willow's eyes snapped open, and when they finally registered what was causing the commotion, her mouth dropped open.

"Step. Away. From my niece."

Deandra stood just outside Lucius's office, Paige's grandfather behind her. They both held their wands at Molly and her army, expressions livid. Half of the wizards shrieked and disapparated. Willow could hardly believe the sight.

"You- You're supposed to be dead!" Molly squeaked, eyes wide.

Deandra smirked. "It takes a little more than brainwashed idiots waving sticks to kill me."

With a wave of their wands, the two Terrells conjured a massive wave of water. An array of water horses were shaped out of the current. Rearing up and neighing fiercely, they leapt into the wizards's ranks, dragging them one by one into the swirling body of water. Molly screamed as she was helplessly thrown into the waves. Paige's eyes brightened.

"They're distracting them for us! Everyone, it's time to go!"

Dean, Cypress, and Sue each grabbed an unconscious student, then carried them as fast as they could across the room. The rest of the students half-limped, half-ran to Lucius's office. Willow ushered everyone inside and urged them to floo travel faster. Two by two, the students escaped, but time was running out fast. The Terrells were struggling to hold their spell, and the remaining wizards were firing desperate spells every which way. Paige and Willow fought back with everything they had left. By the time the last two students disappeared into the fireplace, the Terrells were lowering their wands. Willow watched with wide eyes as the mass of water smashed into the ground, temporarily crippling the army. Deandra ushered them all inside.

"Go, quickly! We don't have much time!"

Paige and her grandfather each grabbed a handful of floo powder, disappearing in a matter of seconds. Willow watched the emerald embers fade with an odd feeling in her gut. It wasn't from her infection, though. She turned and looked outside the office door to see the Minister and Lucius emerging from the tunnel at last. Molly and her army disapparated in a split second.

"Willow, we've got to go now!" Deandra shouted.

Willow grabbed a handful of floo powder as Deandra stated their destination. Right before the emerald flames enveloped her, Lucius snapped his head in her direction. His eyes glowed an icy, chilling blue. Willow barely saw him point the Minister to his office when the floo network swallowed her up, and the scene was jolted away. Within no time, Deandra pulled her onto a certain grate, and they tumbled out of the fireplace. Willow coughed and sat up, brushing herself off.

"Come on, Madam Pomfrey's already gotten to everyone else, she's waiting for you," Paige urged.

Willow shook her head. "Tell her to wait, I've got to get to Sirius before the Ministry does."

She made for the exit to McGonagall's office, but right as she was about to leave, her stomach spasmed, and it brought her to one knee. Willow's chest heaved as she gripped the door frame, slowly rising to her feet. Paige tried to help her, but Willow waved her away.

"No, no, I'm fine- I've got to get to Sirius- it's just a cut- "

Her stomach spasmed again, and this time, Willow was sent tumbling to the ground. Her consciousness was enveloped in a red-tinted shell of agony, and she cascaded into darkness.

Willow was swimming in the abyss for what felt like an eternity. Then, as suddenly as she had fallen into it, she was yanked out. She surfaced with a surprisingly clear awareness of her surroundings. Willow sat bolt upright in her bed, frantically glancing around for a clock. Of course, Madam Pomfrey refused to keep one in the hospital wing, so she was stuck estimating time by the position of the sun. Willow guessed that it was about five in the evening. Her heart stopped when she realized how close Buckbeak's trail loomed. Throwing off her covers, Willow dropped her feet to the floor and attempted to sprint away, but found herself yanked backwards.

"Ouch! What the- Pomfrey!"

She was literally chained to the bed. Willow's face grew hot in her fury. How dare Pomfrey! Sure, she'd escaped a few times, but she never left while she was still on the verge of death! Of all times, this was the time that she needed to get out of there!

"Miss Guerrero, get back in bed, now!" Pomfrey ordered as she appeared from her office.

Willow glared at her. "Let. Me. Go."

"I'm afraid I can't do that. Your body is still recovering from that infection- a nasty one, that was- and if you leave now, you could damage your wound even further!"

"If I don't leave now, two innocent people are going to be executed!"

Pomfrey shook her head. "That's nonsense, you're hallucinating from your injuries- lie back down now- "

"Willow! Oh my God, guys, she's awake!"

Willow's head snapped in the direction of that voice to find her army of friends pouring through the hospital wing's doors. Relief and frustration coalesced into a very confusing, burning sensation in the pit of her stomach.

"Merlin's beard, you scared us again!"

"It wasn't as bad as the last time, but still- "

"How is it that you're always trying to die on us?"

"Guys, really, I'd love to chat, but- " Willow began.

"-but she has some resting to do before she exerts herself," Pomfrey cut in. "Run along, now, you can visit her later- "

"I am not resting!" Willow protested. She began pulling at her chains, only managing to burn her wrists in the process. She changed tactics and placed her foot on the bed and pulled at her chain with her left hand. "I've got something very important to do- a couple of lives to save- got to give Draco a message for his father, too- "

"Willow, you should really rest," Lisa suggested.

"Yeah, we don't want you getting sick again."

"God only knows how far you'd let that go."

Willow grabbed her wand off her nightstand. Madam Pomfrey's eyes widened as her patient pointed it at her chains. With two spells, Willow blasted them off, leaving only dangling chains from her secured wrists.

"Look, I'd love to stay, but I've really got to get going- "

There was a sharp pain on the back of her shoulder. Willow glanced behind her to see Madam Pomfrey tapping her foot, needle in hand.

"Of course you'd keep a Muggle sedative around just for me..." Willow grumbled.

She sank to her knees. Her body went numb, and she tumbled to the ground, unconscious for the second time that day. Willow was again swimming in an endless sea of nothingness. It felt like moments later that she began to come to, but it took an agonizingly long time to fully wake up. Willow groggily sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. When she opened them, she could have sworn that she was still dreaming, because everything was dark.

That's when she realized it was night.

Willow sprang out of bed. This time, the chains were magically fastened to her wrists, and instead of physically yanking her backwards, she ran into an invisible wall. Willow tumbled to the floor, wincing when the wrappings around her stomach shifted. She went to grab her wand again, but it was also protected by some magical force field. She let out a frustrated sigh.

"Willow? Is that you?"

She whipped around to find Harry and Hermione staring at her from the darkness. Their bruised, cut faces lit up at the sight of their friend.

"It is you! You're back!"

"What happened to you?"

"The usual, Lucius being a dick, Fudge wanting me in Azkaban for life, my mum breaking my heart, you know how it goes." Willow waved away their surprise. "What happened to you guys?"

Hermione grinned. "Lots, but it all ended well."

Willow shot to her feet as she suddenly came to a realization. "Sirius! Please tell me the Ministry didn't get him!"

"No, we managed to save both him and Buckbeak," Harry explained. He furrowed his brow. "Hang on, how do you know him?"

Willow's blood ran cold. "I, uh- well, you see- it's very complicated- "

"You've been hiding him all this time," Hermione declared.

Willow sighed. "I'm a terrible liar...yeah, I have. He broke into the castle around Halloween, and I caught him, but he explained himself to me, so I've been trying to keep him safe ever since. He's great company, really, full of humor. Thank God he didn't get caught, that would've been the end of the line..."

"Well...his name isn't cleared yet. That's a whole other story. We'll tell you about it when Ron wakes up."

Willow's expression drooped. "Oh. I guess...at least he's safe. Still, it sucks that he has to be on the run." She noticed Harry staring at her oddly. "What? Did I do something?"

"I thought that Sirius had killed my parents for a half a year, Willow. My own godfather! The fact that you didn't tell me about him kinda hurts."

"Harry, why would I tell you about Sirius when I didn't even understand his story myself? I didn't know he was your godfather, for the record, and you do have a tendency to run off and attack people who have wronged you."

"He did attack Sirius before he explained himself," Hermione remarked.

"See, it would have been a big huge mess! I spared you from a lot of trouble!"

Harry considered her point. "Okay, understandable, I guess."

Exclamations suddenly flared up outside the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey's voice cut through several arguing men, as if she were defending herself from something. When Willow listened in, she finally caught a few sentences, and her blood ran cold. Fudge, Lucius, and a unit of body guards were all trying to force entry into the hospital wing.

"Guys, I have to get out of here, now," Willow said quickly.

Hermione and Harry shot her odd expressions. "Why? What happened?"

"It's Sirius. The Minister of Magic found memories of him in my head; that's why he wanted me in Azkaban. I refused to give up Sirius's location, so they tortured me for it. They're still after me- understandably, considering both Sirius and I got away- but that's not helping either of our situations."

Hermione's eyes widened. "If they find memories of us telling you that Sirius and Buckbeak are safe..."

"Stuff is going to blow up, literally and figuratively." Willow yanked on her chains. "One of you, grab your wand and blast this bed, quick! I think that should destroy the current spell."

Hermione snatched her wand off her bedside table. "Bombarda!"

With a loud BANG!, Willow's bed exploded. The chains were ripped off, and the invisible force field disappeared. Willow snatched her wand off her bedside table. She pointed it at Harry.

"I'm sorry about this, but it has to look like you tried to stop my escape," she explained hurriedly. Willow cast a spell that gave Harry a huge bruise on his forehead, then did the same to Hermione's shoulder. "That doesn't hurt too bad, does it?"

Hermione shook her head. "Never better. Harry, grab your wand, it will stage it a little better."

Amid ever-louder shouts from outside, Harry grasped for his glasses and wand. Willow's heart drummed against her chest. She glanced at Hermione.

"Write to my dad, please, and let him know what happened. I'll have to fight for months to get the Ministry off my back, but I'll end it eventually. Where is Sirius heading now?"

"South, but he's probably still flying over the Forbidden Forest. You should be able to catch up with him."

Willow nodded. "Thanks, guys. You're the best." She backed up, sizing up a window across the room. When she was certain her path was clear, she saluted her friends. "See you next school year!"

Sprinting at the window, Willow lowered her shoulder, then burst through the glass. It shattered around her as she fell through the crisp night air. She spread her arms, willing herself to shape-shift. Feathers replaced hair, wings sprouted from her back, and talons took the place of her nails. Hippogriff-Willow pointed her beak upwards and soared towards the stars. She was soon rocketing over the Forbidden Forest, sailing above the clouds, circling around mountain peaks. It wasn't long before she found Sirius, sticking just below the clouds on his progress south. Willow flew directly behind him and let out a shriek.

Sirius nearly tumbled off Buckbeak's back. "What the hell- Willow! Don't scare me like that!"

Willow transformed back into herself and landed behind Sirius. "Sorry, I had to!"

Sirius shifted his position to face her, then wrapped her in a huge hug. "I thought you were gone for good! There were Ministry officials everywhere- your friends told me you'd been captured- they said you might be going to- to Azkaban- "

Willow tightened her arms around Sirius. "I'm okay, I'm not at Azkaban. I got away."

He sat backwards, and to her surprise, tears were shimmering in his eyes. "Why would you take the hit for me? You could have gone away for good, and all because you wouldn't tell where I was! Do you have any idea how horrible Azkaban is? I barely survived twelve years, and you would have been stuck there for life! Why would you do that for me?"

Willow smiled sadly. "Because that's what I'd do for family."

A tear trailed down Sirius's face as he hugged her again. "I'll never understand that, I never will. You're too good to me, Willow."

Tears welled up in her own eyes as her mum's voice whispered in her ears again. You do have a big heart, Willow. Someday, you're going to take that love and do a whole lot of good. Willow forced the voice out of her head and took a deep breath to calm herself down.

"It's okay, Sirius, we'll be okay," she reassured him. "We'll figure this mess out."

"It's been a hell of a night..." he said, voice muffled on Willow's shoulder. She sighed.

"It has been one hell of a night..."

Buckbeak flapped his wings, and they soared in silence below the stars.