Disclaimer: I only own the plot of this story, but JKR ( the goddess of writing ) owns everything else.

Note: Well hmm this took forever to post, but not to worry…here it is!! Anyway there is another note at the end of this chapter, please give it a look over. Thank you for all of the reviews. I really really appreciate them…you have no idea how nice it is too read a comment after you have worked so hard on a chapter…ok enough…heres chapter 14.

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Chapter 14 ~ Welcome Home

Live every day as if it were your last, because one of these days, it will be.
~ Jeremy Schwartz

Krista held her breath as she flew high over the forbidden forest. Everything below her whizzed by quickly and for a moment she wished she thought before she acted. She remembered what Harry had told her about flying, but it didn't seem to help very much. There she was high above anything solid, and with that she gripped the broom tighter. She didn't know exactly where she was going, but she felt that's she was heading in the right direction. With each yard closer, her orb burned harder against her skin. IT was becoming almost unbearable but she refused to take it off. It was the only thing she had left now, the only thing that made her feel safe. Turning slightly she began heading north, passing over Hogsmeade.

' Why my parents, what do they have to do with anything? ' she thought

But it didn't matter, she needed to get to her destination…even if she had no idea where it was. They sky overhead grew dark and cloudy. Soon it would be completely dark and she cursed mentally. She knew she had probably just put herself in the most vulnerable situation possible, but it didn't matter, it was finally time to face the things she had been hidden from her entire life.

**********

Harry stood there and watched her disappear over the forbidden forest. His heart beat heavily under his robes, and for a moment he felt very sick.

" Accio firebolt " He yelled towards the school. He waited a moment and looked in the sky, nothing had appeared. " Accio firebolt. " he firmly stated again.

" Its no use Harry, Krista took your firebolt. " Ron ran up behind him with the piece of parchment still in his hand. " We found this on her bed, " he held out the piece of parchment, " Go on Harry, read it. "

" I don't need to, I already know what it says. " but he took the parchment anyway and began to read, " Your mother sends her love to you, she wanted me to inform you of this before I killed her. "

Harry ripped the parchment into pieces. " This isn't real you know, they just wanted her to come to them. It was a trick. " He looked towards the sky again " Hermione, you're a prefect, can you get me access to the broom shed? "

" Why Harry? " she crossed her arms. " I don't want you running off as well. "

" Hermione I need too, if any of this-- I cant fail my parents, Its all so- " he broke off and grabbed her hands " Please just help me "

She nodded slowly and they began walking back towards the school. Harry hoped that he wouldn't be too late when he finally went after her.

******

Ginny had waited patiently by Draco's side while he slept. She could see the conflict on his face and she figured he was dreaming again. Shaking her head she reached for a watermelon beetle that was on his table. She had sat there all night, and frankly her stomach felt very empty. There was a murmur from his lips and she looked down and gently touched his face. He was so beautiful, he had become so much too her, and to see how his father treated him made her sick. His eyes fluttered and he opened them slowly, the looked around the room frantically as though he was looking for something.

" Draco, sweetie, what's wrong? Everything all right? "

He didn't answer right away, instead he sat up and rubbed his eyes. " Where is Harry? I need to speak with him."

Ginny stood from her chair and leaned over his bed. " I don't know where Harry is, but if you really need him I can find him for you. "

" Yes Ginny, that probably would be the best " she turned to leave but he stopped her " If he refuses to see me, tell him I know where she is going. "

" Where who is going ? " she asked raising her eyebrows in curiosity.

" He will know. " Draco closed his eyes again and waited for Harry.

Ginny ran from the room and headed for Gryffindor tower, she wasn't sure if Harry would be there, but it was her best bet. Jogging up the long sets of stairs she thought about what Draco had said. What did he know and why would it be so important to Harry? She shrugged it off and decided it was between the two of them, and when the time was right she would ask him. She approached the fat lady whom had disappeared from the picture.

" Hello? I need to get into the dormitories………Hello? " There was a loud thump and soon the portrait door swung open. Harry bolted out and knocked Ginny to the floor. At first she was a bit taken back, he hadn't even stopped to apologize. " Harry!"

He turned around, still walking at a fast pace, : Sorry Ginny I have to go. "

" Wait! Draco wants to talk with you, he said it was important. " Harry stopped for a moment and then shook his head, " I don't have the time Ginny, when I come back tell him I will- "

" He said he knew where she was going " there was an awkward silence which made Ginny shudder. " Did you hear me Harry?"

" Yes………" and with that he took off down the stairs and headed towards the infirmary. There was another thud behind Ginny but this time she jumped out of the way before anyone knocked her over.

" Harry! Wait! "Hermione and Ron pushed past her and headed for the stairs.

" Would someone tell me what's going on? " she yelled after them

" Krista has gone off somewhere………it's a trap set up by Voldemort………" Hermione yelled back at her.

" Oh " She didn't ask anymore questions, instead she ran towards the stairs and prayed that Draco knew what he was saying.

******************

The small box shook violently which worried Lupin. The crystal grew darker by the minute and he knew that something just wasn't right. And to make matters worse he still had not received any word from Sirius and frankly that meant things were, well, serious. He picked up the box and looked at the crystal that lay inside. Black smoke swirled inside and it made Lupin cringe. There time was running short, if they didn't find out how to break the enchantment that James had performed Krista might fall to the dark. A harsh knock on his office door made him jump.

" One minute " he placed the box into his top drawer and sat back in his chair. " You may come in "

" Lupin, we need to discuss some things. " Snape sneered at him

" Discuss what? We never have anything to discuss. What are trying to pull on me Snape."

Snape walked over to an armchair and sat down, " A friend of mine- "

Lupin snickered, " You have friends?"

" A friend of mine, " he began again, " was recently bit by a dog, a rabid one at that. Now how can he be sure that he wont turn all vicious when under the full moon? "

" Why are you asking me? Im sure there are plenty of informational books that could aid you in finding the answers. "

" I was hoping you would have some. " Snapes eyes darted around Lupins desk.

" Are you looking for something Snape? " Lupin peered at him, " Why are you pretending we are such pals? "

" I was just wondering if you could look for a book. " He didn't look up, he continued to search the desk for what he was looking for.

' Where is the box? ' he thought, growing impatient.

" I don't trust your intentions. Please leave my office, I have more important things to attend to. " Lupin stood and pointed towards the door. " Do you remember the way out? "

" Yes…….." he said through seething teeth. He rose from his chair and headed for the door. " You know Lupin sometimes I- " but he cut himself off, he didn't want to give away his true identity. He turned quickly and slammed the door behind him.

Lupin stood there for a moment and stared at the door. Something definitely wasn't right, and one thing was that the man who had just left the room was not Severus Snape.

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Sirius hit his head against the dungeon wall and groaned. Whomever wanted to torture him was doing a wonderful job. After all he had been trapped with Snape for what seemed like ages. Tugging at his chains a sharp pain shot through his arm. Looking down he saw a few droplets of blood trickle to the floor. The cold metal chains dug deeply into his skin and he murmured some various curse words.

" Would you please keep quiet over there, Im trying to sleep. " Snape hissed on the other side of the dungeon.

" Oh well Im sorry, but I don't feel like being stuck down here with you any longer. "

Snape muttered something that Sirius couldn't hear properly so ignoring it he went back to pulling at his chains. A loud clatter sounded from across the room and Sirius froze. He could hear Snape fidget on the floor and he figured he was trying to see who had just entered. A shadowy figure slowly crept towards them and Sirius strained his neck to get a better look. There was a glimmer of silvery long hair and soon the shadow became clear. She was tall and slender with a face as angelic as the heavens. Sirius could hear Snape gasp.

" Don't stare at her Sirius she's a veela. " Snape stated firmly

" Well thanks buddy, I didn't think I would be able to figure it out. " he snapped in a dry sarcastic tone.

The veela moved over towards Sirius and began to slowly twitch her shoulders. Soon she was moving around the room, twirling in the most unusual fashion.

" Shes trying to seduce you Sirius " Snape breathed

" Jealous? " Sirius mocked.

" Yes extremely "

The veela continued to dance and then moved over to Snape whom tried to scare her away by yelling.

" You tell her Snapey. " laughed Sirius

" Shut up fool…"

Then the veela stopped and turned towards Sirius. She moved slowly, her eyes fixed directly on his and her long silvery hair blowing slightly behind her. She crouched down to his level and touched his face.

" He wanted me to bring you news, " she inched closer to his ear and whispered " Shes coming here, and soon the dark will engulf the light. " rising slowly to her feet she giggled. The air around them had become colder and stale. Sirius felt his heart beat quick, time was running short. Again he tugged at his chains, but as hard as he pulled nothing resulted. He looked up at the veela whom was smiling mischievously and then opening the dungeon door she disappeared.

" What did she say Sirius? " Snape asked from across the room

" Were going to die " he muttered. Leaning back against the wall he closed his eyes.

' Come on Moony, help us get out of here. '

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Harry never knew how fast his legs could carry him but as he ran through the corridors he was certain that he could outrun even the fastest Olympiad. He could hear the footsteps behind him, which he was sure were Hermione and Ron but he didn't slow down. He needed to speak with Malfoy, he needed to know where they had her. Pushing past the doors of the infirmary he ran directly into Madam Pomfry.

" And just where do you think your going in such a hurry, this is a medical wing not the Quidditch pitch young man. " Madam Pomfry gave him a stern look.

" I need to speak with Mal- Draco please, its important " he huffed trying to catch his breath.

" I will give you ten minutes with him and that's all, he needs his rest. " she turned and left him standing there, her ugly white robe bellowing behind her.

Harry strode over to Malfoy's bed and pulled back the drape that was concealing him. He sat there, bruises still plastered on his face. He looked up at Harry and if he wasn't mistaken tried to smile.

" Ive been waiting for you to get here Potter. " he whispered before choking back on his words.

" Where is she Malfoy, how do you know. " he didn't have time for games, he needed to get to her before she found Voldemort.

" Easy Potter, you have plenty of time before they do anything. They need her alive to do the switch. "

" What switch…what are you talking about…please just give me all the information I need. " and for the first time Harry pleaded with Draco Malfoy.

There was another slam through the doors as Hermione, Ron and Ginny ran into the room. Madam Pomfrey gave them a stern look but turned back to her work in her office.

" Harry what's going on? " Ginny asked, approaching Draco's bedside.

" Hold on Gin…go on Malfoy…tell me. "

" Its hard to begin…but they have known about her for all these years. They knew that Lily, your mother, had her before she had you…but when they gave her away they figured that it was over. But when my fath- Lucius found out that she would be summoned back they decided that she would be vulnerable, that they would be able to use her blood to revive the Dark Lord to his highest power…They don't want to kill her Harry…they want to use her blood and bring her to the dark side. Her power is quite strong and with her on their side…well, it would surely do a lot of damage. When she began to show signs of realization of her past they had to take things to a higher level, they wanted me to bring her to them. I couldn't…and now its just a matter of time…her eighteenth birthday has past, her powers are peaked now…they can perform the transfer at any given moment, but they wanted to be sure by checking the counter crystal…I believe Lupin has it. "

" Why would Lupin have it…and why would he keep this from me? " Harry questioned.

" For this reason, he probably doesn't want you to run to the Dark Lord and face him. " Malfoy continued. The others had remained completely silent, mouths hanging opening disbelief.

" Where is she heading? "

" To Malfoy Manor…they all are heading there, all creatures of the Dark Lord…they know that time is upon them, they are ready to storm into battle as soon as the switch takes place. "

" How do I get there? "

" Its no use, they have wards all over the castle, one wrong move and you'd be a goner…Im going with you. " Draco sat up in his bed.

" No IM going alone….." but Malfoy cut him off

" Don't be stupid Potter, they are only expecting her, once she arrives the wards will be placed on again and it will be impossible to get through, I know all the secret ways of my manor…Im going…" he sat up in his bed and grabbed his robes from the adjacent nightstand.

" We are going too Harry…" Hermione chimed in from behind them. " You will need all the help you can get. "

" You are not jeopardizing yourselves, you will remain here! " Harry helped Draco up out of his bed. Draco fastened his robes and turned to Harry.

" Listen the only chance we have is bringing as many people we can to help, there is no possible way we can do this alone Potter…" he turned to Ginny, " Gin go distract Madam Pomfrey for a moment, then meet us in the Owlry. " Ginny nodded and walked over to Madam Pomfreys office. They watched and waited until she was inside and the door was closed and then they ran for the door.

" I don't like this Malfoy, I don't want anyone getting hurt. "

" Oh shut up Harry…for once I agree with Malfoy! " Ron was running behind them, " First of all she is my girlfriend, the one person whom I love…I will not be left here to wait on the sideline. " They slowed down to a brisk walk.

" I understand Ron, but you must realize we are not facing a chess board this time, we are going to be up against the…well its going to be hard. "

" Im tired of this Harry, you cant actually believe that I wouldn't go and save her with you. " His face was red with fury and he kicked the corridor wall. It made no sound but it had obviously hurt beyond belief. Ron bit his tongue hard to fight back an array of curses that had

" Hes right Harry, we are all in this together…" Hermione spoke up.

" Well that was wonderful, for the first time I am actually enjoying the company of the Mudblood and Weasel. " Malfoy grinned

" Oh drop it Ferret " Ron snapped

They rushed down the corridor, past many students and up flights of stairs and suddenly Draco stopped in his tracks. He was staring at a door, Lupins door. He knocked softly and pressed his ear to the door. There was no answer. He looked over to Harry who shrugged his shoulders. He nudged the door a bit and it opened partially. They all exchanges nervous glances. It was not like Lupin to keep his door wide open when he wasn't in the room. Draco peaked his head in and looked around. His face dropped and he pushed the door wide open. The inside of the room looked as though a hurricane had swept unnoticeably through Hogwarts. Books, papers and quills were tossed everywhere and his large chair had been turned over completely. Harry pushed past Malfoy and stared in horror.

" Lupin! Lupin? Are you in here? " He moved around the room and looked over by the desk. Lupin lay sprawled out on the floor, unconscious. His desk drawers were torn apart and Draco huffed loudly.

" They have the crystal…" Draco turned and headed back out the door.

" We cant just leave him lying here. " Hermione shouted checking to make sure that Lupin was still breathing. She sighed when she felt his chest rise and fall in steady rhythm.

" He is fine Hermione, but we on the other hand are running short of time. " leaving Lupin on his office floor they continued back towards the Owlry.

Pushing harder and harder they reached the owlry, and as Harry looked around he yelled. " We forgot about the brooms! How are we going to fly without brooms. " he threw his hands in the air.

" Calm down Potty, remember Im Draco Malfoy, I knew exactly where we can get anything. "

He pointed out towards the forest" Accio brooms " and then three shadows bolted straight up into the air. They zoomed quickly towards the owlry and soon right in through the owlry window. Malfoy smiled and tossed one to Harry and Ron. " Ginny will ride with me, Hermione you have your choice of either gits. "

They mounted their brooms and waited for Ginny to arrive. Time past slowly and Harry grew antsy. Finally there was a loud noise outside the door and Ginny pushed through. She ran over to Draco and hopped on, grasping his midsection. Hermione pulled closer to Harry, and Ron smiled. He didn't have to lug anyone around. They kicked off the ground and took off towards Malfoy manor.

Harry looked back over his shoulder and watched Hogwarts shrink smaller and smaller until eventually it was gone. His head spun with various thoughts of Krista. He hoped that wherever she was she was safe. If Voldemort dare do anything to harm her, Harry just wasn't sure what he would do to retaliate. Then there was Ron, for once something Ron had all to himself, and now something jeopardized it from being taken away. He felt Hermione press against his back. Then there was Hermione, and it took all of his strength not to yell out how much he loved her. He glanced over at Draco and Ginny. Ginny clung onto him with a relaxed smile. He watched as Draco reached back and brushed her leg with his hand. He felt his heart lurch, what if he died today? What if he only had this one opportunity to tell Hermione how he felt. It wasn't exactly the most romantic way to express it, but if he could finally tell her, then maybe she would finally see how much she really did mean to him.

" Hermione? Can you hear me. " Harry asked, making sure his voice wasn't too loud.

" Yes Harry, I can. " she whispered in his ear.

" Hermione I just wanted to let you know, that if today should be the last day Im here…if anything should happen to me…" he felt her place her hand upon his shoulder.

" Just say it Harry…for me…"

" I Love You Hermione Granger…I love you with every fiber of my being. Ive loved you since the troll incident. " she giggled and Harry continued, " You are everything to me, and without you I don't know where I would be. "

" Harry…" she whispered again in his ear.

" Yes…"

" Lets wait until this is finally over…then you can tell me exactly how you feel. " her breath lingered warmly in his ear, and Harry smiled. Yes, he would tell her when everything was finally over. Hopefully they would all be alive by then.

*****************

Krista brought her fingers to her orb and felt the burning sensation once again. She wanted to cry out in pain but instead she retracted into her own thoughts. She was close now, she could feel the dark energy floating around her. There was a flicker of light far ahead and when she caught glimpse of it her orb surged. Gripping onto her broom she steadied herself. Her face was hot with sweat and worry but she continued further, she was almost there. The light grew closer now and Krista hunched further over her broom. Picking up speed at a astonishing rate she dipped lower towards the ground and touched down onto an open field. Looking up towards the light she gasped. The house was enormous, in fact there was no possible way for it to be called a house…it was a manor…a castle. She looked around the grounds quickly, eyes darting around her. The field was empty, and it set an eerie tone to the land.

' This is it…' she thought placing Harry's firebolt on the ground.

Walking towards the castle she shook her head. What exactly was she going to do…walk right up to the front door and head on in. It just didn't make any sense. Why do something so stupid.

" Cause I have no other choice " she spoke to herself.

Approaching the front door a giant chill rushed through her body. She tilted her head back and looked up at the heavens. The stars twinkled brightly in the distance. A tear fell from her eye, it might just be the last time she saw those stars. Taking a deep breath and regaining her composure she pushed the front door open.

The main hall was full of priceless items and ceiling to floor paintings. Krista's mouth gaped open when she looked at the painting closest to the door. A five year old Draco Malfoy hung smugly on the wall.

" You better not stand there, they will find you. " he laughed and then ran from the painting.

' So this is Malfoy Manor. ' she thought taking it all in.

She watched the young Draco run through the other paintings, all the while laughing a terribly evil laugh that gave her goose bumps. Her shoes clunked on the tiled floor and she immediately stopped moving. She wanted to be sure of her surroundings before anything pounced on her. A tall grandfather clock chimed from behind her and she turned in fright. Her orb still burned around her neck, but the pain had subsided.

" Leave now…there going to get you…" the painting whispered.

" Whose going to get me ? " she asked the painting, watching him run from portrait to portrait.

She didn't know what she was looking for, who she was looking for, but figured once she saw it she would know. A giant chandelier hung from the ceiling and Krista watched as the crystal lights formed beautiful shadows on the walls. She brushed her hand against the side of her robe and checked to see if her wand was in place.

' Yes, everything is fine. '

" Hey come here…." she glanced over her shoulder to see the young Malfoy beckoning her to him.

" What is it? " she whispered, her face unnervingly close to the picture.

" They're going to kill you….your going to die…" he hissed.

Krista felt a heavy force push down on her shoulders. Everything around her became dark and scary, and her eyes began to well with tears. She was scared, more than that she was terrified.

" Whose going to kill me? " she whispered back to the painting.

But before he could answer a door opened behind her and she whirled around, and finally there he was. The shadow from her dreams, the one who had been tormenting her every thought . She stood there and watched the shadow glide towards her slowly. A small cry formed in the back of her throat but she was to frightened to let it escape her mouth. She blinked hard, hoping to wake up from a dream, but when she opened her eyes it was still there and now it was even closer. She stepped back and stumbled over her own feet, it just didn't seem possible, she wasn't ready to die. She turned to run but there was another man standing behind her. If she didn't know any better she would have sworn it was Draco Malfoy but by the age of his face she guessed it was his father.

" Ahh Krista, we have waited so long to finally meet you. " he smiled eerily and turned her around to face the shadow, " But he has waited even longer. "

" Welcome home, Krista. " the voice hissed through the hood.

She looked into the hood of the shadow and screamed.

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Sirius let out a long yawn and rubbed his back against the wall. His rear had become numb from the long hours of sitting and his stomach ached with emptiness.

" Hey Snapey…do you have anything to eat over there. " Sirius groaned

" Yes Ive been holding out on you this entire time. " he mocked

" Hey you don't have to be so crude, Im starving over here. " he heard his stomach grumble again and moaned in agony.

There was silence for a moment and he could hear the short staggered breaths of Snape from across the dungeon. They started off low and almost unnoticeable, but they continued to grow louder.

" Hey can you calm down over there! " Sirius choked

" You know Im sick of you and yo- " but a piercing scream awoke the entire manor. There was silence, Snape's breathing had stopped. Sirius cursed and closed his eyes.

" What was that? " Snape asked, the first time in his life a waver in his voice.

" The beginning…" Sirius whispered, " Only the beginning…"

YEAH CHAPTER 14!!!!!!!!!!!!

Note: Wow yeah I finished this unbearable chapter !!! It feels like I have been working on this chapter for one hundred years. Ok heres the new deal: Since the end is so terribly close I am not going to post any teasers. Now you will have to wait and see what's going to happen. It will be a complete surprise. Its almost done!!!! Please review when your done reading this…it makes me feel good…comments, complaints and critiques all welcome!!

HOORAY FOR CHAPTER 15!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!