Long Chapter. It will make up for the next one which may be a short one.

Chapter 19: So, This is How War Really Begins

Daphne sat on a wooden bench, wind flowing through her hair, staring into nothingness. A memorial for her boyfriend had just ended here in Godric's Hollow. A empty casket was placed in an area near Harry's Parents which had been chosen by Sirius. So many people had attended the memorial consisting of students, professors, other witches and wizards whose lives were effected by Josh or those who supported him. It was a crowded funeral, maybe too crowded as Daphne felt suffocated that she had to leave and find a clear space to catch her breath. She found this secluded spot in the graveyard and had cried again for Josh. She couldn't believe this was happening, or that it had happened. To the eyes of her and her friends, Josh seemed to be able to survive almost anything. He was strong and clever, knowing most spells others didn't. He was good at thinking under pressure and quick witted. It didn't make any sense, but it was the truth. The man who had her heart, was dead, and there was nothing she could do to bring him back.

Daphne let out a shaky breath, turning her eyes to the gray clouded sky. The weather matched her mood as the sky lowly rumbled, signaling that it was going to rain soon. Someone sat next to her. It was Josh's mum, Sandra. She placed a hand on Daphne's and gave it a squeeze. Daphne looked at her and noticed he sunken and depressed look. Yes, Daphne was hurting, but she couldn't imagine how Sandra was feeling, losing her first born. "A parent should never have to bury their child," Daphne sniffed.

"No, they shouldn't," Sandra croaked, "But it happens in times like these. I just never thought I would be one of them. I always imagined that I would be on my deathbed and I would be looking up to an older Josh, my grandchildren - " She looked Daphne in the eyes. " - And his wife." Daphne gave a small sad smile. "I remember the first time you two were introduced. You two were a perfect match. His eyes were so full of passion when he told me everything about you. I'd be proud to have you as my daughter in law. Even though he is gone, to me, you will always be like a daughter to me." Tears began to form in Daphne's eyes. "And you know that I won't ever be a replacement for your mother, but I hope you can think of me as a surrogate mother." Daphne nodded and quickly hugged Sandra who began to cry. Daphne cried too, into Sandra's chest.

The funeral was soon over, as everyone had left, Sirius was the last one standing at the base of his son's grave. He had his hands in his pockets, staring at his son's name. At this moment, he didn't care about anything but his son. He didn't care about going to another country to convince others to fight for them. He was hurt and angry, once again feeling like taking his wand and running out there to kill death eaters. His son needed to be avenged but what would that have helped? "I'm sorry," he said with a shaky voice. "I failed you, son. I should have been there from the beginning. I should have always been there, but I failed you. As a father, I failed you, like I failed my best friend. I put my trust into the wrong people, and I end up losing the people I care about. I am sorry, son. I am so sorry."

"You're not a failure." Sirius looked behind him to see Remus and Harry standing behind him. The two had never left Sirius and were listening to what he had said. Harry and Remus walked up to each side of Sirius. "You're not a failure, Sirius," Harry repeated.

"He's right," Remus agreed. "We've all made mistakes and we learn from them. You came back into your son's life and became the best father you could be. To Josh, and to Harry, not to mention Draco, Rina, and now, Alphie." Harry nodded in agreement. "You've changed so much since school. It still amazes me to this day. James and Lily would be so proud. I know I am."

"I am too," Harry said. "You're the best father figure I have. I wouldn't ask for anyone else. Trust me when I say my parents chose right in having you as my Godfather. But let me tell you something. Josh did not die in vain. His death has meaning to us and everyone who showed up to pay their respects. He changed our lives."

Remus nodded. "This should give you even more motivation to go out their and convince others to join our cause against Voldemort," he said. "Convince them to fight so our children and theirs won't have to. That's what this is all about, isn't it?"

Sirius nodded. "It is." Someone spoke. Everyone turned around to see Leif Nielsen standing with his hands behind his back. "Sirius," he began, "I am truly sorry for your loss. I can't imagine how it would feel to lose a child nor do I want to feel that pain. I will travel back home, not to run away, but to try and convince my people to aide us in this war. I will do what I must. Will you do the same?"

Sirius looked back at his son's grave. No one should ever have to feel the pain of losing a child, especially in war times. Parents are the ones who were supposed to fight so their children wouldn't have to. That's what his mission was all about. "I will," Sirius sniffed and turned around to face Leif. "I'm heading to Spain in the morning."

Meanwhile, the other students who attended the memorial; consisting of Draco, Tracey, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Ginny, Dean, Seamus, Pansy, Nott, William, and Astoria, had left the Graveyard to a nearby pub to get some food and drinks. Draco was sitting next a window, staring out of it as something was weighing on his mind. It was what Craven had told him Josh was dead. It was in his eyes and mind. Draco was a beginning Legilimens and he could tell that Craven was lying about something about what happened to Josh. After Draco's mind was clear of grief for the most part, he had been rethinking about it for a couple of days.

"Everything okay?" Draco looked up to find his Slytherin housemates joining him. Pansy was the one who asked the question as she sat next to him. Nott and Tracey sat across from him.

Draco nodded. "Just thinking about something," he sighed as Nott placed a butterbeer in front of him.

"About Josh?" Nott asked.

"You could say that," Draco answered and then took a sip of his drink. He looked at his friends. "I'm going back to the Program, tomorrow."

"What?" His friends said in unison. "Why?" Tracey asked. "So you can work off some vendetta?" Draco didn't say anything. "Your time is up, so is mine. There's no point in going back."

"Exactly," Pansy said. "Let's just head back to school. Where it's mostly stress free and all you have to worry about is school work - "

" - And maybe a small attack on your life," Nott drawled out, but yelped when Pansy kicked his leg. "I'm only kidding."

"It's not that I don't want to go," Draco began, "I just have some unfinished business."

"He just doesn't want to miss out on time with his new girlfriend," Tracey added in. Pansy squeaked as Nott raised a curious brow towards Draco.

"She's not my girlfriend," Draco sighed, "but yeah, maybe you're right." Though, the real reason Draco wanted to go back was he wanted to have the freedom to check some things out.

"Speak of the Dragon," Tracey said, nudging Draco and nodding towards the doors of the pub. Draco and the others turned to see a beautiful auburn haired woman, dressed in a black dress and blazer.

"She sure knows how to dress," Pansy said, looking her up and down. "Though she could do better with the shoes." Everyone looked down at her shoes, which weren't heels or dress shoes, but flat shoes for running.

Sophia's eyes searched the pub until her eyes landed on Draco. She smiled and waved. Draco waved back and Sophia began to make her way over him. "You should leave," Draco said to the others.

"No way," Pansy said, "You have to introduce us."

"She kind of looks familiar," Nott noticed. "She graduated last year, didn't she?"

"She did!" Tracey exclaimed, "She was in Hufflepuff if I recall. She came to our secret DA meetings last year."

The conversation died down when Sophia approached the table. "Hi, Draco," Sophia greeted. "Draco's friends."

"Sophia," Draco nodded. "This is Theodore Nott, Pansy Parkinson, and well, you know Tracey." Sophie waved at Draco's friends. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, well, I heard your cousin's funeral was today," Sophia answered, "I just go out of the program and thought I'd stop by. See how you were doing?"

"Er," Draco glanced over at his friends who quickly turned away, trying to act casual. "Excuse us," he said, leaving his seat to another table with Sophia. "Actually," he started as the two sat down. "It hasn't been easy."

Sophia placed a hand on Draco's. "Would you like to talk about it?" She asked.

Draco sighed. "I didn't find out Josh was family until my third year of Hogwarts," he said. "I always thought we had similarities and he always felt familiar. Which is probably why I was easily able to confide to him my fourth year. Josh showed me that you didn't have to be judged based on what family you came from, that you didn't have to follow their ways. His father, Sirius, showed that too. I never defied my father because of fear. I think it's because of Josh that I found the courage to do so. I wanted to be better. To prove to the world that the Malfoys could be a great family without having to use fear or dark magic to influence others. i wanted be like Josh and we became friends for a few years. But now he's gone, and I feel part of me is gone and that I'm not even sure what to do next. I feel lost, lost without him."

"Maybe it's because his part for you is over," Sophia said, "Sorry, I didn't mean for that to sound dark, but what I meant was, that maybe it's now for you to continue on this path and figure it out on your own. Even if he was still alive. I mean, you've done amazing during this Auror Program. And all the stuff you've done, you did on your own."

Draco smiled. "All of that stuff I did," he said, "I learned from him."

"And I think that is a good way to keep his spirit alive," Sophia returned. "Using his teachings, remembering his words, the stories you've told me about him, all of it. It keeps him alive, here." She pointed to his heart. "As long as everyone remembers, he his never truly gone." Draco smiled, squeezing Sophia's hand. He glanced over at his friends who were making kissing faces towards them. "Your friends are quite entertaining."

Draco smiled. "Yeah, they are." And it was at that moment, that Draco had decided that not one more of his friends was going to die in this war. He turned back to Sophia. "I have to go back to the Auror Program. There is something I have to do."

An hour passed and Tracey wanted to check in on Daphne. She left the pub but stopped when someone caught her eye. It was McGlaggen who was at the corner of a street talking to some Ministry figures who had come to Josh's memorial. McGlaggen was dressed for the occasion, but what was he doing here? He didn't like Josh and as she understood, Josh did not like him at all.

"What are you doing here?" Tracey suspiciously asked as she approached McGlaggen.

"Ah, hello, Davis," McGlaggen greeted, "I am here for the same reason you are. To pay my respects to young Joshua."

"Cut the dung, McGlaggen," Tracey hissed, "You and I both know Josh didn't even like you and I'm pretty sure the feeling is mutual."

McGlaggen smiled. "Why Davis, I am not sure what you mean?" he said. McGlaggen turned to other men he had been talking to. "It's been a pleasure catching up. I must head back to school." The two men shook McGlaggen's hand and went on their way. He turned back to see Tracey glaring up at him with her arms crossed. "Run along to your little friends, Davis, or you'll know what's good for you."

"Is that a threat?" Tracey glared.

"Of course not," Mcglaggen replied with a smirk. "I just think you should just go about your business is all." He turned, but stopped and turned back. "Oh, and one more thing. Stop following me around, or else - "

"Or else what?" Tracey asked. McGlaggen only smiled, turning and walking away. Tracey watched as the older Gryffindor leave, thinking that Josh may have been right about it. She thought that the only way to help avenge Josh's death was to reveal the truth of what McGlaggen really is up to. She looked back at her friends but decided to leave them out of it and pursue McGlaggen on her own. She hid in the alley, disillusioned herself, came out and began to follow after McGlaggen.

Astoria walked through the corridors of Hogwarts, still dressed in her black dress from Josh's memorial. She didn't see Shaun at the memorial and wanted to check in on him. He wasn't in the Great Hall and even asked if he was in his the common room but he wasn't. She could only think of one other place he could be in, and once she arrived on the seventh floor, the doors were already there. She entered and was surprised to see the room was an entire mess. Furniture as broken, mirrors and glass were shattered everywhere, and books and pillows were strewn across the floor. As Astoria walked in further, she found Shaun sitting on the floor, next to a broken table, his head resting on his knees. He was wearing a black suit. She noticed his wand on on the floor a few feet away, and that his knuckles were bloody. She glanced around until it was a wooden dummy with a splintered head.

Astoria looked at the younger boy sadly. "Shaun?" She called, but he didn't move. She walked over to him, kneeling and placing a hand on his head. He slowly opened his blue eyes. "The memorial is over, why didn't you go?"

Shaun slowly lifted his head. "I couldn't go," he said. "I couldn't...face it." Astoria nodded. "I came here instead and I got so angry, that I lashed out. After a bit, I stopped using magic and used my fists. I don't understand, but the pain my fists were feeling, felt good? I just kept punching in anger." Shaun looked into Astoria's eyes. "He abandoned me. He was supposed to be there for me, but he abandoned me. Just like my mother when she found out what I really was."

A tear flowed out of Astoria's eye but she shook her head. "Don't think like that. Josh did not abandon you," she replied. "He was taken from you, like how my mother was taken from me." Shaun sniffed as more tears formed in his eyes. "It made me angry too, like how you're feeling now. And I decided to use my anger for vengeance."

Shaun sniffed. "What if I'm not strong enough?" he asked.

"Josh was twelve when he faced down Voldemort with Harry," Astoria told him. "Did you know that? The year after that, those same two boys faced a Basilisk, and then a hundred dementors the next year."

"What are you getting at?" Shaun asked.

"It doesn't matter how small or how strong you are," Astoria told the younger boy. "Magic isn't the only thing at our disposal. We are Wizards and Witches with access to lethal potions and items. They are other ways to fight death eaters."

"Like what?"

Astoria smiled. "I've been thinking about it, and I was going to bring it up to Josh before he..." She cleared her throat. "Well, I have a few ideas. Would you like to help?" Shaun smiled and nodded eagerly. "Good! Let's get started!"

Draco entered back into the Auror Camp with a simple bag and a mission. He strode through, ignoring the curious stares and glances as there was only one person he could speak his mind about Josh and his untimely death. Passing some Aurors, Draco entered an Operation Lead's tent where Eric Everheart was looking at a map on his desk. The man glance up when Draco entered.

"What is it, Malfoy?" Everheart asked, glancing at Draco and then back at the map. "Shouldn't you be back at Hogwarts?"

"Sir," Draco started, glancing over his shoulder. "I've been thinking. Something about Craven's story about Josh doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I don't think he was telling the whole truth."

Eric looked up at Draco. "That is a heavy accusation, Malfoy," he said, "Do you have any evidence of so?"

Draco shook his head. "I don't, but I just know," he said. "I want to investigate Josh's death."

"It's an open and shut case, Malfoy," Eric said, "What happened to Josh was a terrible loss. He sacrificed himself to save others. That's all."

"I don't deny that he sacrificed himself to the death," Draco said, "I feel like there's more to this. His assignment was supposed to be a simple catch and release, but it wasn't. Either those death eaters they were pursuing were elite fighters, or - "

" - Or what?" Eric asked, with a suspicious brow.

"Or it was an ambush," Draco finished.

"You're not implying what I think you're implying, are you?" Eric asked. "Because if you are, there's no going back, especially with a name like yours."

"I understand, sir," Draco nodded. "But something is telling me in my gut that Auror Craven left a few important details of what happened that night. Look, I know it may be stupid - "

" - It's not," Eric said, as he suddenly waved his wand around the room that glowed blue for a moment. "Let me tell you something, Malfoy. There is something going on around here. And there are only a few people I trust here, one of them is Sirius Black. I can tell you now that I have no trust for Pius or Craven or even Scrimgeour himself. Something is telling me that - "

" - The Ministry has already been infiltrated?" Draco finished.

Eric gave a nod. "Being an Auror, you learn to read people," he said. "Read them for who they are. Now, Craven is no death eater, but he can be easily persuaded because his mind is weak. I never trusted him along with a few others in this department."

"What conclusion have you come about me?" Draco curiously asked.

Eric sighed and leaned back in his chair. "I know of the Malfoy family and what they supported," he began. "But you turned out different no matter what you were taught by them. You're understanding and open minded. You give the benefit of the doubt."

Draco nodded. "There was a time i would have followed my father and his words blindly," he said, "But it was because of another family member who showed me what it was to be a good wizard or a decent human being. Josh was more than just my cousin or my friend. He's my brother. I will do whatever it takes to find out what really happened, even if it means dismantling the Auror Offices."

Eric smiled. "Good," he said and stood to his feet. "Then I'll give you my assistance." Draco smiled in thanks. "We should begin at the place of death."

Isaac Underhill heaved a bag over his shoulders as he strode through a knee high grass field. He was walking over to a 'off-the-books' transportation method so no one could find out where or what it was that he was up to. Sirius was supposed to join him, but as it turned out, his son was killed by death eaters. Isaac understood that Sirius wouldn't attend with him and that he probably wanted to go fight on the front lines. It was all up to him to convince the Spaniard Ministry of Magic to aide them in this war. He wasn't the only on. Leif Nielsen and his wife went back to Denmark, Archer Sayre traveled to America to gather whatever allies he could, Octavia had gone to talk to the Ministry of France, Kirley and Meaghan left for Iceland. Now the time has come for Isaac to make his way into Spain.

There was a pop. Isaac snapped around, wand in hand. He was surprised to see Sirius had apparated a few feet from him. His face was sunken and pale, though his eyes were full of fire. "I wasn't sure you were coming," Isaac said.

"I wasn't at first," Sirius said, walking up to Isaac. "But I was reminded of why I had to do this. When my best friends died, I chased after the man who sold them over. Biggest mistake of my life. Now something similar has happened, and the right thing to do, is make my son's death mean something."

Isaac nodded. "Let's go to Spain."

The two men continued on their journey through the fields and through the valley, soon coming upon a beach. A lone man stood next to a tiny shack, staring into the sea. He turned to Sirius and Isaac when they approached them. "Skewer?" Isaac asked.

"Aye," the man named Skewer confirmed.

"How much to Spain?" Sirius asked.

"Sixty galleons," Skewer answered.

"Sixty?!" Isaac exclaimed. "I thought it'd be thirty?"

"Price changed," Skewer simply said. "Fifteen per man. And thirty to provide secret passage to one Sirius Black." His eyes landed on Sirius.

"That's extortion!" Isaac cried.

"It's alright, Underhill," Sirius said, reaching into his pocket to pull out the money. "It'll be worth it." He hovered his hand over Skewer's hand. "And you will not tell anyone you've seen me?"

"Aye, unless they pay me," Skewer honestly replied.

Sirius hesitated for a moment. "At least your honest," He sighed, dropping the money into Skewer's hands.

Skewer pocketed the money and the pulled out a broken piece of rope, handing it to Isaac and Sirius. "You have five seconds," Skewer said. Isaac and Sirius took a hold of the rope and grippe it tightly. In five seconds, the two men were pulled by their navels and violently transported to the outskirts of the city of Madrid, Spain's capital.

"Welcome to Madrid, Sirius," Isaac said as the two dropped the rope. "Ever been here before?"

"I've been to Barcelona," Sirius answered as the two began to walk through the streets of Madrid. "While I was on the run a couple of years ago. A beautiful place." The two men began to walk deeper into the city. They had to make their way towards the center which was where the Ministry of Magic was located which was under Cybele Palace. Sirius and Isaac turned into a street. Sirius happened to glance behind him to see a couple of men dressed in black suits walking behind them with their heads lowered. He ignored it and continued on their way.

"We should get a car," Isaac suggested. "Maybe we'll lose the company we've acquired."

"You've noticed that too," Sirius said. Isaac nodded. "Let's split up, meet at the Ministry by the next hour."

"Understood."

The two men turned into a tight street where tables and chairs were orderly strewn about in front of their restaurants and cafes. Isaac and Sirius walked to the end of the street. Sirius was able to look though a reflection to see that two men had turned into six. As Sirius and Isaac reached the end of the street, the two suddenly split off running in opposite directions. Sirius heard shouts from the men that were behind him and knew they were giving chase. He took the chance to glance behind him to see the three men running after him.

"Look out!" Sirius turned forward. His eyes widened when he noticed tables sitting in front of him, but it was too late. He violently flipped over a table, toppling it over. He grimaced in pain and sat up.

"Halt! Komm hierher zurück!" One of the men chasing screamed.

"German?" Sirius groaned as he stood to his feet and then continued to run. "Great, Voldemort has the Germans on his side." He turned into an empty alley and ran as fast as he could. He blue spelled whizzed by his head. "Bloody hell!"

"Blutsverräter!"

"Blootsverator back at ya!" Sirius shouted back and sent a stunner back to the three men who dodged the spell. "Damn." Sirius looked ahead to see that he was approaching a crowd. He pocketed his wand and ran into the crowd. He quickly made his way over to a vendor. "How much for these?" He asked, pointing at a bucket hat and sunglasses at a clothing stall.

"Fifteen, together," the vendor replied, holding out his hand.

Sirius reached into his pockets, pulling out muggle money and placing it into the vendor's hand. He snatched the hat and glasses. "Keep the change," he spoke hurriedly and walked away just as the vendor inspected the money which happened to be a twenty Pound Note.

"¡Oye! ¡Regresa aquí! ¡Estos no son euros!" The vendor shouted after Sirius, but he was already too far gone. Sirius tied up his hair and put it under a hat while putting on the sunglasses. He looked around to see where the three German men were. They were easy to spot since they were wearing dull gray suits and fedoras. Sirius lowered his head when they glanced his way, but they didn't recognize him. He turned and began to briskly walk in the direction of the Spanish Ministry of Magic. He turned into a street where he could see the Palace a few blocks away.

Sirius glanced around and began to quickly move through the crowds. He suddenly heard a shout. He turned to see a white light soar into the sky. It suddenly stopped and a ward began to appear overhead. His heart began to quicken as Sirius began to make a run for it. He had to make it before the magical ward hit the ground. As he pushed through the crowd, he ran as fast as he could, screaming at the muggles to move out of the way. Though, he could see the edge of the ward moving closer and closer to the ground. As he was merely feet away, Sirius jumped, only to fall right in front of the ward just as it hit the ground. "Damn it," he hissed and stood up to his feet. He turned around to see the all the muggles had stopped moving.

Confused, Sirius walked over to a random muggle and waved a hand in her face, and then poked her in the cheek. She didn't flinch or say anything. She sort of felt like stone to the touch. This was Magic he had never seen before. "Oye!" Sirius snapped over to a man walking over to him. "¿Es esto lo que haces?"

Sirius looked at the Spanish man in confusion. "What?" he asked.

The Spanish wizard walked up to Sirius. "I said, did you do this?" he spoke in a thick Spanish accent. "I have to get to work."

"No, I didn't," Sirius answered, "Have you seen magic like this before?" He asked, waving his friend in front of a random frozen muggle.

The Spanish wizard shook his head. "No, but I've read about it. This is old magic," he answered. "Witches and Wizards would use this ward to use magic in front of the Non-Magicos without them knowing. Easier ways have been created, but magic like this. One would have to be strong."

Sirius swallowed and pulled out his wand. "Finite," he said, jabbing his want towards the ward but to no effect.

"You need a stronger spell," the Spanish wizard said. "Or more than one person casting."

Sirius sighed. "Damn. I have to get out of here. I need to get to the Spanish Ministry. It's important." He looked at the Palace. It was right there, right out of his reach. Muggles could be seen walking about, though they seemed oblivious to the magic that was happening.

"The only way we can get to the Ministry is if we knock out the caster," the Spanish man said as he too looked at the Ministry. "This magic as to be reported and whoever did this, needs to be arrested."

"I'm sure they'll be here any moment," Sirius muttered, turning to the man. "I hope you're ready for a fight."

The Spanish man looked on in confusion, "What do you mean?" he asked.

"The men who are responsible for this ward are after me," Sirius answered, "They're trying to stop me from getting to your Ministry."

"Why?"

"There is a war happening in my country. A powerful Dark Lord is taking over the country," Sirius said, "I am here to ask for assistance in this oncoming war. I believe it's the only way we can defeat Voldemort, by gathering outside help."

The Spanish man didn't give any kind of expression, instead, he said, "I don't know if my Ministry will help you, probably not without anything in return. If your ministry is the same as ours, they'll want access to your secrets for our help. Though, I'm sure you could find a handful of people to take back with you. I know a few buddies of mine are always itching for a fight. A war for the good might be something they'll be interested in."

Sirius nodded and took note to ask him about his friends later. He held out his hand. "Sirius Black," he introduced.

The Spanish man shook Sirius's hand. "Arlo Cortez," he introduced. Sirius caught movement behind Arlo, and then there was a flash of light.

Sirius pulled Arlo forward and brandished his wand. "Protego!" The spell struck Sirius's shield, bouncing off and striking a muggle who instantly fell to the ground.

"I've found him!" A death eater shouted in a German accent. There were shouts as more German death eaters began to push over the muggles and run towards Sirius and Arlo.

"Death Eaters," Sirius told Arlo, "Servants of the Dark Lord. You should go and run. This isn't your fight. They're after you, not me."

"We don't get much action a lot of these days," Arlo smirked, turning to face the Death Eaters, "Besides, it is my duty as an Auror to take down the, how you say, bad guys." Sirius smirked as well.

As the Death Eaters were mere feet away, Sirius and Arlo jabbed their wands forward and sent stunners towards the death eaters, taking two of them out in an instant. Multiple spells and curses soared towards the two men who dodged out of the way. Sirius hissed when he felt a cutting hex strike his shoulder. He jumped up and quickly sent more stunners towards the Death Eaters. Arlo expertly shielded himself from half of the other death eaters and instantly stunned them. Sirius rolled out of the way until he was suddenly struck in the eye by a punching hex.

"Seriously?" Sirius hissed in annoyance as he faced the death eater who was a younger man, probably fresh out of school. "A punching hex? Really?" The young man swallowed in fear. It was obviously his first time in an outing like this. Sirius shook his head and stunned the boy.

"Look out!" Isaac shouted as he appeared from behind some muggles and shouting spells towards the remaining death eaters, knocking them unconscious. As soon as the last death eater fell, the ward around them withdrew and the muggles continued to move on their way as if nothing happened at all. Arlo, Sirius, and Isaac gathered around as some of the Muggles looked at the unconscious men and women, not helping them out.

"Auror Cortez," Isaac nodded.

"Isaac, good to see you," Arlo said with a smile. "Welcome back to Spain."

"Good to be back, Arlo," Isaac responded. "I apologize that we're meeting under dire circumstances - " Arlo waved him off. "But we require an Audience with your Minister."

"Of course," Arlo nodded, "Let's head to the Ministry."

The trio finally made their way to the Ministry where Arlo ordered some Aurors to pick up the attackers from outside the Ministry and called a meeting with the Minister and his aides. It was an hour later that Sirius and Arlo stood in a meeting room with Arlo who was the Head Auror, the Head of the DMLE, as well as heads for the other departments, advisers, and the Minister of the Spanish Ministry, Diego Gonzalo.

"We are here, Cortez," Gonzalo spoke after moments of silence. "Why is it we have been called to this meeting?"

"Minister," Arlo bowed, "May I introduce Isaac Underhill and Sirius Black from London. I am sure you are familiar with what is happening in the United Kingdom as of late." Gonzalo nodded.

"So what is it that brings you men here to the Spanish Ministry?" Gonzalo asked.

Isaac looked over at Sirius and gave a nod. Sirius stepped forward. "Minister," he bowed. "I am here today to inform you what is really happening in our country."

"We know all about your Dark Lord," a man spoke in his Spanish accent. "Our Ambassador has already informed us."

"Yes, well, has he told you about every detail?" Sirius asked, but no one answered. "Our forces are being overwhelmed as Voldemort lays siege to our country. My Ministry is forcing the aid of children to do their bidding and to fight skilled dark witches and wizards, and not just from our country. It has been revealed to us that Voldemort has been recruiting outside the country. Romanians have joined his cause as did the Germans who I've just learned about. Who knows how many other countries have joined his cause. More and more dark witches and wizards flock to his side - "

"What does this have to do with us?" Another man asked. "And what is it that you want? I suspect you aren't here to really inform us of your oncoming war."

"Right," Sirius sighed, his heart pounding. "I am here to ask for you aide in this oncoming war." There were many whispers throughout the room. "Right now, not only are men and women being dragged in to fight this war, but so are our children. They are being pulled out of school to fight against the threat!"

"That is to be suspected," The same Spanish man said, "It would be only a matter of time before the war would hit them, but why wait? You Ministry thought it was a good enough idea to draft them now. I agree."

"Children are not immediate soldiers!" Sirius argued, "They are the future, to rebuild after the war, to make the world a better place. Better than their parents ever did." There were more whispers, sounding like they were against Sirius. "How many of you in this room have children?" Nearly everyone raised their hand. "Well I had a son," Sirius said. "He was only seventeen when he died. He was drafted into this war like many others and I was unable to be there with him. I wasn't there to prevent his death as were many other parents who were separated from their children in separate battles. I call upon the Spanish Ministry to join our fight against Voldemort! To aid us in winning this war! So that our Children can live and rebuild a better future!" Sirius stared hard at the Minister. "I do not come at the desperation of my Ministry, but as a father who let his son down, filled with guilt, and had to watch as he was buried. I plead, no, I beg of you! Please, join our cause. Help us against the fight. Save our future." Sirius's eyes pleadingly looked over at the Minister who had yet to say a word. All he could think was that it was over if he couldn't get them to help. He didn't know what would happen if they were to say no, but he had to believe. For the greater good.

Harry sighed heavily as he stared at his potions essay which only got him thinking about the memory of Slughorn. How the hell was he supposed to get it? He had no clue and it was bothering so much. It felt like a lot of pressure Dumbledore put on him. He sighed again and plopped his head on the table. He felt a hand on the back of his head.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked while caressing his head. Harry shook his head into the table. "Why don't you ask one last time and explain to him the severity of problem?"

Harry lifted his head. "Don't you think I've tried that?" he heaved out. "It's no use. He thinks I'm using him like Riddle or Dumbledore did. But it's possible that he's so guilty and shamed of this memory that he wants no one to know what it is. I guess I'd understand too if I unknowingly helped out a young student who would turn out to be a dark lord in the future." Hermione smiled sadly and caressed Harry's cheek. He leaned into it, loving the feel of her touch.

Ron suddenly plopped next to Harry. "So, no luck with Slughorn then?" he asked.

"Luck?!" Harry repeated and then the realization of something came to his mind. He jumped up. "Luck!" he nearly shouted. "That's it! Ron, you're a bloody genius!" He tripped on his feet out of excitement yet stepped up and ran to his dorm.

Ron looked confused and turned to Hermione. "What did I say?" He asked, scratching his head.

Harry soon came running down the stairs with something grasped into his hand, making his way over to Ron and Hermione. "Felix Felicis!" Harry said, showing them the bottle of the luck potion. "This is exactly what I need to get Slughorn's memory."

"Harry, are you sure about this?" Hermione worriedly asked. "I mean, we're not sure if it's going to take you down the path you want. It will take you down the path that you need, which probably would be for a way to defeat Voldemort."

"Maybe the two tie in together," Harry suggested, "There is only one way to find out." Harry uncorked the potion and took a gulp out of it. He swallowed and closed his eyes.

Ron and Hermione shared a worried glance. "Harry?" Ron called.

Harry opened his eyes, suddenly feeling very euphoric and light, as if he could float into the air. He had a goofy grin on his face, staring past the confused expression of Ron and Hermione. "How do you feel?" Hermione asked.

Harry snapped his head towards his girlfriend. "Excellent!" he grinned. "Really excellent!"

"What time is it?" Hermione asked Ron.

"It's six o'clock," Ron answered with a quick glance at his watch. "I reckon Slughorn must be on his way to dinner. You should go intercept him."

"Okay," Harry nodded. "I'm going down the Hagrid's."

"What?!" Ron and Hermione exclaimed. "Hagrid's? But why?" Hermione continued.

Harry shrugged as he put on his coat. "I don't know. I just feel that's the place I need to go. Or just the place I need to be," he answered. "Trust me, or Trust Felix." Hermione and Ron shared a worried glance and watched as Harry left the common room but not before accidentally bumping Parvati into Dean's arms.

Harry made his way through the castle with a goofy grin upon his face, ignoring all the weird stares and comments that were directed at him. Harry suddenly stopped yet he didn't know why. "Look out!" someone shouted. Out of nowhere, a ladder fell inches in front of Harry as a blue banner fell behind him.

"Sorry about that Harry," A Ravenclaw said, as he and a few others ran over to check on Harry. "We didn't mean to scare you."

"It's quite alright," Harry grinned, waving at them and then continued to leave the castle. Though he didn't just take the easy route out of Hogwarts, he wanted to take his time and enjoy the walk. He suddenly pulled out his wand and held it up to create an umbrella as he entered the Greenhouses. He didn't know what compelled him to do it, it just seemed right to him. He turned and saw Slughorn looking through a window. He slowly approached the teacher to see that he was clipping Tenactula leaves into a tiny container.

"Ten galleons a leaf to the right buyer," Slughorn happily muttered to himself. He closed the container and put it in his pocket, turned and jumped in fright when he noticed Harry. "Harry! You nearly scared me to death! What are you doing?"

"I'm going for a walk," Harry answered, still grinning, "And then I'm going down to Hagrid's. He's a dear friend and it's been a while since I had one of his rock cakes. So if you will excuse me, I will be going."

"Harry!" Slughorn called. Harry turned back to Slughorn. "Clearly I can't let you out of the Castle, it's nearly nightfall."

"Then by all means, come along sir," Harry said and then turned around to leave the castle. Slughorn confusingly glanced around and then followed after Harry.

"Harry!" Slughorn called after grinning Harry. "I have to ask you to return to the castle with me!"

"That would be counter productive, sir," Harry said, stomping down the hill towards Hagrid's.

"What makes you say that?" Slughorn inquired.

Harry stopped for a moment. "No idea," he said and then continued down to Hagrid's hut. Harry and Slughorn were greeted with an interesting sight at the edge of the Forest. Hagrid was standing next to an enormous dug out hole and next to Hagrid was the biggest spider that Harry had once met before back in his second year of Hogwarts. "Hey there, Hagrid," Harry said, stopping next to the sniffling Half-giant.

"'Arry," Hagrid sniffed, "Glad you could make it. What about Ron or Hermione?"

"You know Ron's terrified of spiders," Harry said, "Hermione didn't seem comfortable with it, but I'm right here, buddy," Hagrid gave a teary smile.

"Merlin's beard!" Slughorn exclaimed, appearing from behind Harry. "Is that an actual Acromantula?"

Harry pointed, "I believe it's a dead one, sir."

"However did you manage to kill it?" Slughorn asked.

"Kill it?! Me oldest frien' he was," Hagrid said.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't - "

" - Oh it's okay. You're not at Fault," Hagrid sniffed. "Seriously misunderstood creatures spiders are. I reckon' it's the eyes the unnerve some people."

"Not to mention the pincers," Harry added, and then made clicking sounds with his tongue.

"Yeah, I reckon' tha' too," Hagrid agreed.

"Hagird!" Slughorn said, "The last thing I want to be is insensitive here, but if I may say, Acromantula venom is very valuable to the right buyer of course. You wouldn't mind if I...?"

"Well, I don' suppose it's gonna do him any good!" Hagrid sniffed and wiped his eye.

"My thought's exactly!" Slughorn replied as he then reached into his pocket. "I always have a vial or two on such occasions as this." Hagrid sniffed as Harry curiously watched Slughorn bled Aragorn of its venom. After doing so, Slughorn stood back up next to the too. "Should I say a few words?" Hagrid nodded, his eyes full of tears. "I assume he had a family?"

"Oh yeah," Harry said with a smile.

Slughorn cleared his throat. "Goodbye..."

"Aragog," Hagrid cried.

"Aragog! Slughorn repeated, "King of the Arachnids. Your body will decay, Your spirit will live on. You will be remembered by your great friend Hagrid as well as your hundreds of children who would have eaten you without a second thought. May you dream of endless beasts to trap and eat as your spirit lives in the other realm of life. Thank you."

"Beautiful," Hagrid sobbed, covering his eyes with his hand.

"Beautiful," Harry nodded with a smile.

After burying Aragog, Hagrid, Slughorn, and Harry went into Hagrid's hut where Hagrid and Slughorn drank ale and Harry happily listened to the stories they were telling and the song they were singing. "Aragog was given to me nearly fifty years ago," Hagrid told. "He was no bigger than a pekingese and I loved him the day I first laid eyes on him."

"That's nice," Slughorn drunkenly said. "I once had a fish. His name was Francis." Hagrid gulped down his ale, burped loudly, and then fell back unconscious, snoring lightly. Harry turned to Slughorn who looked up at Harry. "Francis was a gift, you see. One day, I came down from my office and there on my desk was a fish bowl filled with a bit of water and a lily floating in it. Once I toughed the bowl, the bowl filled with water as the lily turned into a fish that would swim around happily. It was amazing magic. A sight to see." Harry leaned in, very interested in this story. "It was your mother, Lily. She was the one who gifted my Francis. I loved him dearly, until one day, he vanished. I came down one morning, and he was gone. It was the day after your mother lost her life. An exceptional woman."

Harry looked up, and something inside him told him that this was the moment. "Professor," he said after not having spoken since the funeral.

Slughorn turned his eyes to Harry. "I know what you want," he spoke but shook his head. "But I can't help you. It'll ruin me."

"You know why I survived, Professor?" Harry said. "It was because of her. She sacrificed herself to save my live. It was her magic and love that kept me alive. It was more powerful than the magic of Voldemort - "

"Don't say his name," Slughorn pleaded.

"I'm not afraid, Professor," Harry said, and then stood to his feet. "I'm going to tell you something. Something that only a handful of people know, that only some people have guessed at. It's true. I am the Chosen One. I am the only one who can defeat Tom Riddle, but in order for me to do that. I need to know what it was that you told Tom Riddle all those years ago. I have to know. Be brave, Professor. Be brave for my mother, otherwise you disgrace her. Otherwise, she died for nothing."

Slughorn looked up at Harry, his face full of emotions, mixed with fear, sadness, and worry. He swallowed and pulled out his want, pressing the tip to his temple and pulled out the memory. "Please, don't think badly of me when you see it. You have no idea what he was like, even in those times." He placed the memory in a small vial and handed it over to Harry, clasping his hands over Harry's. "Forgive me. I don't think Lily would."

Harry nodded. "For what it's worth, I think she does." It was a few minutes later that Slughorn too feel asleep. Harry grasped the memory and hauled it all the way to Dumbledore's tower.

Draco and Eric stood in front of a where the warehouse where Josh was led to. It was the same one that had allegedly fallen and collapsed on top of him. Parts of the building had been swept aside by the construction vehicles that sat next to it. The two walked where it would have been the inside the center of the building. "Any ideas?" Eric curiously asked, turning to Draco.

"Just one," Draco said, and the held his wand up to his mouth. "Appare Vestigium!" He blew on his wand like a trumpet but nothing happened. He confusingly stood up straight. "I don't understand. That should of have worked."

Eric nodded in agreement. "It should have, but why didn't it?"

Draco glanced around. "There must be some kind of magic here blocking my spell," he suggested, "To keep us from seeing what really happened here."

"Interesting theory," Eric said, "But what could be doing this?"

Draco looked pensive. "Maybe a ward, or a..." He glanced over to a standing wall that was still up. He tilted and squinted his eyes at it. It looked like that wall had been altered somehow. "Or a rune." He finished walking over to the wall. Eric smirked and followed the young man. The two men approached the wall. "This would be a perfect spot for a rune, but if i can't use magic to break it, then how do I break it or even see it?" Draco asked himself.

"If I remember from Runes class," Eric said, looking around, "There are several muggle objects - "

"That can reveal the rune! Of course!" Draco said excitedly and looked around. "There maybe some paint around here somewhere." His eyes darted around, he saw a trailer that had been parked nearby where there were a few paint cans sitting outside of him, along with paint spray cans. Draco ran over and grabbed a black spray can, quickly running back to the wall. He spray the black paint all over the wall where a blue rune began to reveal itself. It was a trapezoid with an S written the inside. "There it is. All we have to do is break the seals of the Rune and it's magic should be lifted."

"This could do." Draco turned to see Eric holding a sledgehammer.

Draco suddenly looked at Eric in suspicion. "You had this all figured out, didn't you?"

Eric smiled and have a nod. "I did suspect this when your magic didn't work, but I thought you should figure it out. Think of it as a teaching moment for me." Draco smiled and reached out for the sledgehammer. A spell shot of out nowhere and struck the sledgehammer, disintegrating it. Draco and Eric snapped over to see a handful of men running their way dressed in muggle clothes. "Death Eaters," Eric glared.

"Must be desperate if they're attacking in the daylight in front of the muggles," Draco said as spells zoomed their way. The two men jumped behind the wall that couldn't be destroyed by magic. "How many did you see?" Draco asked.

"Maybe about seven," Eric said, peeking out, but swept back as a spell whizzed over his head. "Any ideas?"

Draco looked pensive, but then smirked. He stuck the tip of his wand out the wall. "Nebulus," He whispered. Fog suddenly and quickly spewed out of Draco's wand to cover the entire area and to obscure the death eater's vision.

"Fog! Spread out and kill them on sight!" A death eater shouted.

"Good one, Malfoy," Eric complimented.

"Josh showed me this one," Draco replied, remembered back when Diagon Alley was attacked. "Josh did this when we were outnumbered. It seemed to do the trick. He also magicked his eyes to see heat. But I didn't learn that one. You don't happen to know that one, do you?"

"No, but I can do this," Eric said, and then pointed his wand into the ground. A wave of magic shot out. "This will show them in dark shadows, but it will also show our figures."

"At least it's something," Draco said. "But maybe we can use this as our advantage."

"What were you thinking?" Eric asked.

"How good are you at Transfiguration?"

"Wasn't my best subject, but I'm adequate," Eric answered.

Draco nodded and pointed over to a large piece of ply wood. "Can you give that plywood some legs?"

Eric nodded, pointed his wand at the plywood and magicked it some legs. Draco did the same to a nearby piece of wall. At once, the two objects stood up and began to run through the fog. "There!" Shouted a Death eater.

"No, over there!" Shouted the other. Draco and Eric took their moment and jumped out of their hiding spot, sending stunners and knocking out every person they could see.

"Look out!" Draco shouted when he noticed someone behind Eric. A red spell zoomed and struck Eric's wand arm. He winced and hissed in pain, dropping his arm. Draco quickly stunned the death eater in retaliation and sucked up the fog into his wand. There were many bodies on the ground, unconscious. Eric was kneeling on the ground, nursing his arm. Draco briskly walked over. "Are you alright?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm alright," Eric answered. "Bone breaking hex." He grabbed his wand with his left hand and mending his arm, making a large cracking sound. He growled in pain when the bone snapped back together. He then conjured a sling for his arm to let it rest for a bit. "You break the run and I'll tie these men up."

Draco nodded and searched around for something to break the Rune. He found a crowbar by one of the construction vehicles and walked over to the rune. Eric had tied all of the death eaters and piled them next to one another. Draco grasped the crowbar and struck the stone the Rune was drawn upon. He hit it many times until the stone cracked right though the Rune. There was a large purple glow, as Draco could feel a magical surge disappear around him. He took out his wand. "Appare Vestigium!" He blew on his wand like a trumpet causing golden glowing dust to flow out and spread through out the clearing where a scene played out.

Draco's eyes widened when he saw Josh pointing his wand into the air, preforming some kind of spell, the sleeve of his wand arm singing away. One of his teammates standing next to him holding up a shield. Two Death Eaters were standing next to him, a death eater he's never seen, but there was a man he was familiar with and the man was Craven. Draco watched in horror as Craven was the man who struck the building with a blasting hex, causing the building to explode and collapse on top of Josh and the man he was with. Within a minute, the scene of was over.

Anger surged within Draco, especially towards the man who had lied to his face about what happened to Josh. Draco spun around with his wand tightly in his grasp. "Where is he?" he angrily asked.

"Who?" Eric asked, turning from the bodies he had piled up.

"Craven!" Draco barked. "He's the real reason Josh is dead! I just saw it! He was the one who collapsed the building on Josh and one of his teammates. It was him!" Draco began to angrily walk away.

Eric quickly ran after him. "Whatever you think you're going to do Malfoy, I suggest you don't," He said, stopping Draco his his tracks.

The younger man glared at Eric. "You can't be serious!" Draco hissed. "That man killed my best friend. He needs to be avenged!"

"Trust me, I understand what you're going through," Eric spoke, "But now is not the time to let your anger control you. I must ask you to be patient."

"You can't be serious!?" Draco screeched, "That man is roaming around free, as a spy for the Dark Lord. He needs to be taken out!"

"I know, but we shouldn't just go barging in," Eric replied. Draco clenched his teeth in annoyance. "For now, you should return to Hogwarts - "

"What!"

" - And I will keep an eye on Craven!" Eric finished in a loud, stern voice.

Draco let out a heavy sigh and rolled his eyes. "You can't expect me just to return to school when the man who killed my best friend roams free?"

"Yes, I can and you will return to school!" Eric said. Draco cursed and turned away from Eric, rubbing the back of his head in frustration. "Look, now we know, and he doesn't know that we have the information. We need to use it to our advantage, alright?" Draco turned back to Eric, looking skeptical. "Let me take care of Craven for now. I will keep you up to date with everything I learn, alright?"

Draco sighed and nodded. "Fine," he said. "I want to know ever little detail!" Eric nodded as the two men shook hands in agreement, and then took the handful of Death Eaters back to camp to be processed and thrown into Azkaban.

"What are we doing in a dusty old classroom?" Shaun asked as he skeptically looked around. The classroom they happened to be in was full of dust, debris, and old furniture. Cobwebs littered the ceiling as the windows were covered with thick dust, unable to let in the sunlight. Dusty cauldrons and torn schoolbooks also littered the classroom along with vials and beakers.

"It's an old Potion's classroom," Astoria answered, walking further into the room. Shaun followed, stepping over a broken chair. "Slughorn led me to this room when I asked if there was a place I could practice making very advanced potions which would have the potential to explode. I told him it was to further my studies. But this place does have potential to be a lab of sorts."

"I'm sorry, potions with the potential to explode?" Shaun said, "Are you telling me you want to make bombs?"

Astoria nodded. "Well, there was this idea I had and Josh thought it was a good idea," she said, "I was thinking if the castle or when we were all home and these places were attacked, some of the younger students or kids would be helpless. I figured they would need means to defend themselves from death eaters. Be it bombs or flash powder or whatever I can think of."

Shaun looked impressed, "That's not a bad idea," he said, "I could actually use something like that since I still have a lot to learn and can mostly disarm someone. Even then, it's not so reliable."

"Exactly," Astoria smiled. "Let's start getting organized!"

"Wait, what?" Shaun said.

"We have to clean and get this place ready," Astoria replied, picking up a chair.

"I thought you'd just wave a wand and it'd clean itself?" Shaun said.

"If I knew that can of magic, then I would have done it already," Astoria replied with a roll of her eyes. "Plus I'm not the best at Charms."

"Well," Shaun said, grabbing the leg of a table. "Have you thought of asking someone older to help?"

Astoria shook her head. "No, not yet," she answered, "You're the first person who I asked to join me. I haven't decided who else I want to join us."

"I may have a couple of ideas," Shaun pensively said. "Wait right here!" He said, dropping the leg and quickly leaving the room.

"Wait!" Astoria called out, but it was too late as Shaun was gone in a flash. She sighed and continued to move broken furniture to one side of the room into a pile. Half an hour passed as Astoria smiled at her pile of broken furniture that she had gathered.

"I'm back!" Shaun announced, entering the classroom. "And I've brought friends."

Astoria turned in excitement, wondering who Shaun had decided to recruit and also hoping they were familiar and good with magic. Her face dropped with Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood entered the classroom, curiously looking around. "This is a very interesting place," Luna said, "I wouldn't be surprised if this area was infested with nargles."

"What are nargles?" Neville asked.

As Luna answered Neville, Astoria dragged Shaun away from the two to speak privately. "Longbottom and Loony?" She whispered to Shaun. "That's who you thought was a good idea to bring?"

"What?" Shaun said, "Neville knows everything there is to know about Herbology and Luna, may be a little different, but she's super smart and amazing at Charms. She's surprisingly interesting too. Did you know about the Wrackspurts? Crazy."

Astoria rolled her eyes. "Wrackspurts don't exist," she heatedly whispered and then turned to Neville and Luna. "Neville...Luna. Welcome."

"What's going on?" Neville asked as Astoria explained her ideas to Neville and Luna.

"Well, what do you think?" Astoria asked after she was done explaining. She looked between the two apprehensively.

"I think it's a great idea!" Neville exclaimed.

"it will give the younger students and even their parents who are muggles a fighting chance," Luna spoke. "I'd be glad to help. I'll help with the potions and mixed powders."

"Me too!" Neville said, "I know which plants to start replicating and I can get hands on whichever ingredients you need!"

Astoria's face lit up in excitement. "Excellent! But before we get started..." Astoria waved her hands around. "Could you help me getting this place cleaned in ready? Set up some stations and tables?" Neville nodded as he and Luna pulled out their wands. Soon enough, all of the furniture was repaired and equipment were repaired, all of the dust and cobwebs have been removed, and all of the windows were cleaned, letting in the bright sunlight, really lighting up the room. A few tables of cauldrons were set up on one side of the room where the potions were to be brewed and shelves were empty, waiting to be stocked with books and potions ingredients.

"It looks better than I imagined," Astoria said, turning to Neville, Luna, and Shaun. "Now all we need are the ingredients, plants, and extra potions books."

"I'm sure we can spare some of our old books," Neville said.

"And I can replicate so of the books from the Library," Luna said, "I can get away with it because Madam Pince happens to like me."

"And I bet I can as the Room of Requirement for any books it might have to spare along with some ingredients," Shaun said in excitement.

"Take this," Astoria said, handing Shaun a girly bag.

"Um, no thanks," Shaun said, grimacing at the back. "I'll use my own."

Astoria rolled her eyes, "It's inside has been magicked to hold a lot more," she said, "You might need it." Shaun sighed and grabbed the bag.

It was a few hours later and the sun had already set. Part of the room had been stocked and most of the cauldrons were lit and brewing. Astoria and Luna were watching over them, adding ingredients here and there. Shaun was sitting against a pillar, a hand in the girly bag, head leaned back, and lightly snoring. A hand appeared next to his face. It waved in his face and then poked him in the cheek.

"Poor little fella," Neville said, and took the bag from Shaun, sitting it on the table. "I think we should call it a night," he announced to the girls. "Shaun's out like a lamp."

Astoria nodded. "You should go ahead too, Luna," she said, "I'm going to stay and watch over the potions."

"Are you sure?" Luna asked. Astoria nodded, holding in a yawn. "Okay, I'll come check on them in the morning." Astoria nodded and bid her new friends goodbye. She looked around and smiled about the work she and the others did today. It was a good thing they were doing, even if it wasn't her main idea in her mind. She still wanted to avenge her mother's death, but right now, she figured this was something she could keep her mind occupied and to keep Daphne off her back.

She sighed. Daphne, her sister, was now grieving for the loss of her boyfriend. She couldn't imagine how much her sister was hurting. Astoria could only feel more anger, for her sister and because of the young man she loved. She wasn't going to let his death be in vain, which was why she came up with this idea to help the younger students and their muggle parents. No one was going to be unprepared anymore.

Harry slowly strode into the empty common room, sitting down in front of the fire. All the information he had just received was overwhelming and everything he thought he knew was just the tip of a gigantic ice berg. "Harry?" Harry turned to see Hermione in her robe hugging herself and walking over to him. "Is everything okay?" she asked.

Harry sighed, sitting up in his chair. "No, nothing is okay," he answered, and then explained to Hermione what exactly a horcrux is. "That's how he survived, Hermione. That night, when he killed my parents." Hermione had no words, though her expression was grim. "Destroying Voldemort is going to be a lot more difficult than we originally thought, and without Josh, it might be nearly impossible."

"You still have all of us, Harry," Hermione said, placing a hand on Harry's back. "We will be right here with you, continuing to fight. You're not alone in this. You never were. Me, Ron, Neville, Ginny, Tracey, Daphne, and so many more are always with you. We're going to figure it out and we will come out on top."

Time slowly passed over the next week at Hogwarts. Nothing too eventful had happened since the deaths of the students. Draco had returned to Hogwarts in a mad attitude, though he wouldn't tell anyone why. Tracey just figured he was still in his anger phase of his grief. He wasn't the only one. Daphne still wasn't speaking, attending her meals, or even her classes. None of the Professors asked about her because everyone knew why she was holed up in her bed, unable to face the corridors of Hogwarts. Tracey was surprised to see Blaise, Josh's Phoenix, appear by her side one night. She figured He was left to Daphne after his death. Her other friends were becoming busy as well. She learned of Astoria, Neville, Luna, and Shaun's secret lab, brewing potions and breeding plants for the young ones to use. Tracey approved of what they were doing. Ron had been busy as of late as well. She had barely seen him all week as he, Harry, and Hermione had been doing things in secret. Tracey figured it had something to do with Dumbledore and his secret meetings with Harry. She didn't mind Ron being so busy, she just want to spend a little time with him.

And it was not as she wasn't busy herself. She had been keeping an eye on McGlaggen over the last week, following him around, and watching him disappear into the Room of Requirement. She tried to enter after him, but the room wouldn't let her. Which she found most curious. McGlaggen was really hiding something and she had yet to figure out. Outside of disappearing into the Room, he was normal. He didn't do anything suspicious. He was pretty good at laying low. Though Tracey was waiting for him to slip up.

That evening, Tracey was able to finally have dinner in the Great Hall with Ron, though it had to be cut short. "I am really sorry we haven't been spending a lot of time together," Ron said after he had quickly finished dinner. "I've been helping Harry with things."

"I understand," Tracey sighed, "But I'm glad we were able to have this little time right now." Ron smiled, taking her hand in his. "When is Harry leaving?"

Ron took a look at his watch. "In about an ten minutes," he answered. "I'll say goodbye, and then I'll come back and we'll spend the night together."

"Promise?" Tracey pleaded.

Ron smiled widely. "Promise. I'll meet you in the courtyard in an hour and a half, that sound good?" Tracey nodded. Ron then kissed her on the lips and took his leave. Tracey sighed as she watched him leave but was surprised to see William running up to her.

"Tracey!" He huffed. "Have you seen Pansy?"

Tracey looked confused, but shook her head, "Last time I spoke to her, she said she was going to meet you for dinner," she said.

William shook his head. "She never met up with me," he replied, "I waited for over an hour and now I'm getting really worried."

"I'm sure she's okay," Tracey assured, "She probably got caught up with a friend."

William shrugged, though he could feel something was wrong. "It's possible, but could you come with me? Help me look for her?" he pleaded.

Tracey nodded. "Sure," she agreed and then tapped Nott on the shoulder. "Come help us look for Pansy."

"But I'm not done," Nott said with a mouthful of cake.

"Bring it with you," Tracey said, tugging on Nott's robes. He rolled his eyes, grabbed the cake and a napkin and left the Great Hall with Pansy and William.

The Trio started with the dungeons and worked their way up through the floors of the Castle. They had yet to find her and were on the sixth floor. Tracey glanced at her watch and saw they had been looking for Pansy for over an hour, and knew she was going to be late with her date with Ron. She was supposed to meet him in about fifteen minutes.

"Where is she?" Nott groaned, "I swear if she locked herself in a closet, I will be so angry!"

"Look, this is getting very worrisome," William said, "Something's happening and I don't like it." He looked into a dark alcove, seeing nothing. "This isn't like her."

"No it's not," Tracey agreed, peeking into an empty classroom. "She has to be around here somewhere. I saw her a couple of hours ago and she's not old enough to leave the school grounds."

"Maybe she snuck out," Nott sighed, "Or maybe she's going to come around that corner because she knows we're looking for her." He pointed ahead down the corridor, but at exact moment, Pansy rounded the corner with a blank expression, walking their way with a small package in her hand. "Well, what do you know? I do take after my Aunt Gladys."

"What the?" Tracey whispered, looking at the glossy look in Pansy's eyes.

William quickly ran over to her. "Pansy!" he cried, stopping in front of her. "I was worried sick about you. Where've you been?"

"Busy," Pansy nonchalantly said and then walked around William, ignoring him. William suddenly looked hurt and confused.

Tracey walked up to her friend and followed next to her. William and Nott followed after them. "What do you mean busy?" she asked, "Busy with what?"

"I have a package to deliver," Pansy answered mechanically. "I cannot wait. I need to give to Dumbledore right away."

"But Dumbledore's not even here," Nott muttered.

"Deliver?" Tracey repeated in confusion. "You mean that?" She pointed at the package Pansy was holding. "What is it and why do you have to deliver it?"

"Because I do," Pansy said. "I have to. It was my task to handle."

"Pansy, you're not making any sense," William said, "We were supposed to meet for dinner, remember?" Pansy didn't answer which Tracey found strange. "Pansy!" William grabbed Pansy by the arm where she instantly snapped around.

"Don't touch me!" She hissed, glaring daggers at a shocked William, Tracey, and Nott. The package had accidentally flew from her grip, falling to the ground. She turned to the package which happened to tear open. Tracey saw black felt with part of a symbol that looked familiar. Pansy bent down to pick it up.

"Pansy," Tracey called, "Don't touch that!" But it was too late.

As soon as Pansy's fingers touched the black felt of the package, Pansy was violently pushed back and lifted into the air, her arms wide open as she began to scream so loud that Nott, William, and Tracey had to cover their ears. She jerked around in the air and then suddenly fell to the ground, twitching with her eyes wide open. William instantly ran to her side.

"What the hell was that?" Nott spoke in shock. He looked over to the package and knelt over it, pulling out his wand. He looked up at Tracey. "Whatever it is, it's tainted with Dark Magic."

"What happened to her?" William said, touching Pansy's cheek which was ice cold.

"She's been cursed," Tracey answered, "She wasn't acting like herself. I've never seen her yell like that. But whoever gave her that package knew what it was and that it was dangerous. Didn't want to risk getting hurt themselves and decided to use someone else to do their bidding."

"But who gave her the package?" Nott asked

There was blurry movement out the corner of Tracey's eye. She quickly snapped around and thrust her wand. "Finite!" The spell flew and hit someone who was thrown back and their disillusionment charm was removed to revealed a surprised McGlaggen.

"Stupefy!" McGlaggen cried, sending a spell towards Tracey who shielded herself and her friends. McGlaggen quickly jumped up and began to run away.

"Get Back here, McGlaggen!" Tracey shouted at the top of her lungs. She gripped her wand tightly and ran after him.

William and Nott shared a look. "I'll stay with Pansy, get her to the Hospital Wing," William said. "Go with her." Nott nodded and quickly followed after Tracey as William picked up Pansy in his arms, kicking away the opened package and setting it on fire so no else would touch it.

Nott and Tracey up the stairs of Hogwarts, running after a laughing McGlaggen. "Stupefy!" Tracey and Nott shouted, trying to stun McGlaggen who dodged or used a shield to protect himself. He was chased all the way up to the familiar corridor of the seventh floor. He had been breathing heavily and wished for the door of the room of requirement to appear. As soon as the doors appeared, a spell whizzed by his ear, cutting it.

"Damn you, snakes!" McGlaggen cursed Tracey and Nott who had caught up with him. He turned to face them with a smirk. "I hope you all have your affairs in order seeing as this is going to be the last night you'll be alive." He jabbed his wand forward, sending the killing curse. Nott quickly tackled Tracey to the ground, dodging the green curse. McGlaggen laughed and entered the room. The two Slytherins quickly got up to their feet and entered the room a minute later.

Nott and Tracey stopped once they were inside the room of requirement. The room was filled with so much junk consisting of all kinds of furniture, statues, school supplies, and all kinds of random or lost things. "How the hell are we supposed to find him in here?" Nott huffed out.

"Homenum Revelio!" Tracey cleverly said, cast the charm throughout the room. There was a gong like sound coming from some feet away. "Over there!" Tracey hissed and ran forward with Nott on her heels. The two Slytherins continued to make their way through the junk until the found a small clearing and a rather tall and large black cabinet. "This should be where he is," Tracey said, "Keep Ready."

Nott nodded as he raised his wand, staring at the cabinet. "He could be in there," he suggested. Tracey gave him a nod, standing in front of it with her wand at the ready. Nott slowly walked toward the cabinet, grabbing the handle. Tracey had a stunner on the tip of her tongue. Nott quickly yanked the door open and his eyes widened as black smoke began to seep out of the cabinet. Not only that, flashes of lights soared out of the cabinet. Tracey quickly rolled out of the way as Nott was struck by a random spell, sending him flying into a pile of furniture.

Confused, Tracey peeked out of her hiding spot. There was a high pitched cackle that sounded nothing like McGlaggen, though she thought it sounded oddly familiar. A dark figure obscured by the smoke began to appear out of the cabinet causing Tracey to quickly duck under the place she was hiding. "Come on out, little girl," spoke a manly voice that also sounded nothing like McGlaggen. "Show yourself and your death will be quick."

Tracey's heart was beating fast so now as she suddenly realized something horrible. The cabinet was a pathway, wherever it led to, it was bringing in death eaters. She chanced a peak to see a large man with fangs and dog like features. He sniffed the air snapping his head towards where she was. "There you are, love," he grinned.

"Tracey, run!" Nott shouted, suddenly jumping out with a wooded table leg, striking the man on the shoulder. It didn't do too much as the man, who Tracey recognized as Fenrir Greyback, turned his attention towards Nott and grabbed him by the neck. Tracey's eyes widened in horror was about to strike when a few more figures appeared out of the cabinet including McGlaggen, all of them known death eaters.

"Stay here, Fenrir," the death eater known as Yaxley ordered, "Wait for the others to come through. Once enough have come through, begin the assault on Hogwarts. We have a date with an old headmaster."

There was another cackle as a new figure appeared out of the cabinet. It was none other than Bellatrix Lestrange. "I underestimated you McGlaggen," She said, patting Cormac on the face. "Let's see if you continue to do so and killed that blood traitor headmaster of yours." Cormac, who seemed uncomfortable by Bellatrix, gulped and nodded. She then turned her attention to Nott who was being held up by Fenrir. "Oooh what do we have here?" she said, hopping over to them. "You look familiar. Have we met?"

Nott gritted his teeth and tried to struggle against the werewolf. "This one's mine, Lestrange," Fenrir growled causing Bellatrix to feign sadness. "There is a little girl over there." He added, pointing to where ever Tracey was hiding.

Bellatrix turned her excited eyes over to Tracey who was peeking from behind her hiding spot. "Oh, i see you there," she said, "Come on out and let us play!"

Tracey was frozen, unable to move out of fear. It wasn't until another person appear out of the cabinet. A tall langly and ugly looking man entered. He had a silver hatchet attached to his belt. Anger boiled inside of Tracey like never before. She stood up and jabbed her wand forward. "Avada Kedavra!" She screamed, but nothing happened.

The Death Eaters suddenly laughed. "Oh sweetie," Bellatrix said, "You have to mean it. You have to want to kill, to murder. Your heart's just not in it. Which makes you useless!" she finished with a growl, and thrust her wand forward sending a curse at Tracey who jumped out the way where her hiding spot that exploded into fire. Tracey took this time to run as fast as she could and out of the Room of Requirement. She had to warn someone anyone she could find. Spells whizzed from behind her. She did her best to dodge them. She turned a corridor to see a few younger students walking her way.

"Get back!" Tracey shouted causing the students to stop in confusion. "Death Eaters! Here! Run!" The students rolled their eyes and didn't believe her until a couple of them appeared from around the corner firing curses their way. "Get help!" Tracey ordered to them, "Tell everyone you can!" She snapped around and shot out stunners to give the younger students time to run away. She had to act fast and the closest place was the Gryffindor Common room where Hermione and the others would be, hopefully. She turned into another corridor, seeing the portrait of the Pink Lady. She quickly made her way to the portrait. "Please!" she pleaded. "Let me in! There are death eaters in the castle and they're chasing me!"

"Not with out the password," the Pink Lady replied.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me!" Tracey growled out in anger. There were shouts as she turned to see the death eaters had grown in numbers and were gaining in on her. "Is that enough for you to open up!"

"My goodness!" Pink Lady cried. "I must warn everyone!"

"Wait, no!" Tracey cried, but it was too late as the Pink lady left her portrait. A spell whizzed by her head. She quickly took refuge in an alcove sending back spells and trying to find a way to get inside and hope those other students found some help. She was suddenly overwhelmed by the spells shooting her way that she couldn't send back any spells. She was trapped.

"We've got her now!" Said one of the death eaters. "It's over love! It's time to die!" Tracey peeked out to see a few wands, pointed her way, their tips glowing sickly green.