A/N: I wanted to start this off by saying, thank you guys so much for the reviews on the last chapter. It really helps and it means a lot.

I wanted to clear up something that some of you have misinterpreted. I am NOT demotivated. I will continue to write this fic unless the reviews are so bad that they send me into a depressive spiral.

That being said, if I don't see a single review days after I post a chapter… it sucks to be honest, because I end up thinking that no one liked it, but didn't want to say anything bad.

I would like some sort of… I don't know… feedback? Yeah, that's probably it. It doesn't have to be just constructive criticism, nor does it have to be an in-depth review and analysis of the whole chapter, or the fic.

Just a simple "I liked this," or "I did not like this," would do, depending on whether you liked it or not. Just like what scrappy8 does, and if you're reading this, scrappy, then thank you for the constant reviews on pretty much everyone's fics. I can tell you that I'm not the only writer who appreciates it.

Anyway, sorry for rambling, here's the new Chapter!


A Song of Lightning and Fire

Arc I: Hogwarts

Part IV: The Last Wish


Marlene and Remus apparated to the Azkaban Boathouse as soon as Remus had deciphered the message in the Diary. On the way out of Grimmauld Place- which was where they'd been staying- Remus had told her that according to the notes there, the attack on Azkaban would have started five minutes ago. Remus had already sent a Patronus to Rufus Scrimegour, the new Head of the DMLE, who would hopefully send backup soon.

They'd left Kreacher with Sirius to explain everything. Marlene was surprised at how… nice the Elf seemed, now that he and Sirius were friends. House-Elves were really weird, in their own nice way.

Marlene still had her Auror's access band from back when she'd been an Auror. It was a really nifty piece of work, one that she greatly appreciated since it allowed her unrestricted access to the Azkaban Boathouse, and it allowed her to bring multiple people with her.

Unfortunately, upon entering the building, she wasn't able to find anyone there. "Bugger," Remus swore. "What now?" He asked. "Can we apparate? Or Portkey?"

"No," she said, shaking her head. "There are Wards. We can only use the boats."

"Do you know where the passwords are?" Remus asked urgently.

Marlene nodded. "Accio Boat Passwords!" She cried. A drawer behind a desk wrenched open, and a piece of Parchment came flying toward her, and she- ever the Seeker- caught it.

"That works too, I guess," she saw Remus mutter with a smile

"Come on," she said. They really didn't have much time, and it would take them Ten minutes to reach Azkaban, minimum.

They ran out of the boathouse and onto the dock, where there were two boats waiting. Remus and Marlene immediately climbed onto them, and she muttered, "Jupiter."

The password seemed to work and their boat started moving forward. It was at a decent speed already, but Marlene felt that it could go considerably faster, so she pointed her Wand at the boat, and cast the Propelling Enchantment, increasing the speed by a considerable amount.

They saw the tall tower that was Azkaban come into view a few minutes later, perched over a mountain top. Even from here, they could tell that something was wrong. Bright lights flashed on the island, leading Marlene and Remus to believe that the battle was still going on. As they got closer and closer, she could see that the Dementors weren't present.

Unfortunately, she couldn't think more on her observation, because two previously invisible ships shimmered into view, sailing over to a side of the Tower and firing their Cannons.

Marlene wasn't able to do much more than gape at the scene before her as she watched a good chunk of the upper half of the building get blown in. She was sure a cheer rang out on the island.

This was getting too similar to the Last War.

They were getting pretty close now, and Marlene decided to drink a Strengthening Solution. It would make her Spells more powerful, and she had a feeling she would need that.

Unfortunately- or Fortunately- the Potion didn't work on Warlocks, or Sirius would have been at their side in a heartbeat.

Marlene felt her Magic respond to the Potion, and she allowed the Liquid to strengthen her core, causing Magic to flow through her body more freely. She imagined this was how it would feel to be a Warlock like Dumbledore.

They were almost at the shore when Marlene jumped off and Remus followed her lead. They landed on their feet and ran towards some fallen Rubble, only to stop dead in their tracks when it started moving.

The Rubble slowly pieced together, turning into a humanoid figure bent at an odd angle. It rose up and straightened itself, revealing it to be a Stone Golem.

Stone Golems were creatures that were Enchanted out of Stone to do the Caster's bidding. The Magic used for it wasn't Dark, Dumbledore used it too, sometimes. But it was much more complex than, say, creating an Inferius.

It had no facial features, and its body was very similar to that of a Human, only made out of Stone. It was also very large, at least about 12 feet tall.

The Golem raised its arms and slammed it down on them. Marlene cast a Shield over them, as Remus dove to the side. "Reducto!" He shouted.

His Reductor Curse slammed into the Golem, causing it to stumble back slightly, and turn its attention to him. The Golem tried to stomp him with its foot this time, but Remus was able to avoid its attempts, all the while provoking it with more Reductor and Explosion Curses.

"Distract him!" Remus shouted.

"I'm trying!" She yelled back over the sounds of her own Frantic Spellcasting. "Confrongo! Reducto! Expulso! Conviso Verto!"

The first three spells dissipated upon impact, and the third landed in a gap between the stones, causing small pieces of rock to go flying over her head.

Her Transfiguration, however, seemed to work. Turning the Stone of its feet into Iron, rendering the Golem unable to move, and causing it to look down.

This gave Remus the time he needed to grab a Strengthening Solution and drink it. She saw his golden eyes turn slightly animalistic as he drew out his Second Wand.

He pointed his left hand toward the Water, and ran forward along the shore, heading toward the Golem. The Water started following him like a wave that refused to fall. He ran till he was directly facing the Golem, who had now successfully cut off the leg, and was now finding another rock for itself.

She saw Remus bring his left and right arms around himself and point both his Wands at the Golem. The Wave of Water split into two, each part going around either side of Remus and hitting the Golem, causing it to crash against the Mountainside.

Remus had been obscured from view, but it didn't look like he'd let up. The Wave kept going until the Golem had been completely dissolved.

When the water stopped, she saw Remus get down on a knee, and he looked about ready to fall over so Marlene quickly rushed to help him, ignoring the sounds of Cannon fire behind her.

Remus consumed another Potion- probably an Invigoration Draught- and stood up just as Marlene reached him. "Are you alright?" She asked.

Remus nodded. "Yes. We should go help the others," was all he said before he sprinted away from her and toward the battle.

She narrowed her eyes after him, but joined in his chase, anyway. Something about the tone of his voice when he spoke wasn't… right. Was this what he meant by Diwand Duelling not being 'natural'?

Shaking her head off these thoughts, she noticed a large number of Prisoners getting off the Island and onto going toward the ships in numerous small boats.

"Cast that Wave Spell on them!" Marlene said to Remus, who pointed his Wands at the Water, but a Bludgeoning Spell hit him in the back.

Marlene whipped around to fight the offender and was surprised to see a face she never thought she would ever see again.

Barty Crouch Jr. stood atop a large boulder, holding a kind of Bottle. The Bottle was shaped like an inverted teardrop, and it had two handles, one on the left and right hand side of it. Marlene felt weird just looking at it, especially because it was calling to her. Like it wanted to be in her hands.

"Marlene McKinnon," Crouch greeted her like she was an old friend.

Marlene growled and sent a Silent Cutting Curse at the man, who erected a Shield, causing the Curse to dissipate upon impact. "Pity you weren't such an avid spellcaster before," he said, raising his eyebrows. "Maybe your parents would have survived."

She snarled and started casting the most dangerous curses she could think of at the man. Explosion Curses, Reductor Curses, Cutting Curses, and the like, all flew out of her Wand at a rapid speed, but Crouch kept dodging or blocking them.

When Crouch slashed his Wand and Deflected her own Explosion Curse back at her, she realized that she had been so focused on killing Crouch, she had completely forgotten about defending herself.

The Curse slammed into the ground, and the resulting explosion knocked her off her feet and threw her towards the water.

Crouch Jr. raised his Wand again, ready to cast a finishing Curse, but when Remus' Explosion Curse hit the ground, Crouch went flying back, dropping the bottle on the ground.

Crouch got up and aimed his Wand at Remus, and Marleme took that opportunity to hit him with a Bludgeoning Spell, causing the man's head to snap back. He wasn't dead, yet, but he would be out cold for a long while.

Turning to Remus, she saw him fighting two Talons on his own, all the while trying to stop the Prisoner laden boats that were going to the Ship.

Marlene shot a Reductor Curse at the Boat, and watched as the Spell dissipated the moment it made contact. So that was why no one had tried anything like that.

She ran towards Remus, casting a Cutting Charm as she went. The Charm dissipated when it hit the Talon's Robes. The Talon cast a Paralysis Curse toward her, but she Deflected it back at him.

He blocked it with a Shield and cast two Spells with a Purple Spell Trail. She raised her Wand and cast a Wall of Fire that destroyed the Curses before they could hit her.

She then jabbed her Wand forward, causing the Wall to turn into a Lance and shoot towards the Death Eater, who jumped to the side, giving Malrene the opportunity to Body Bind him before tying him up with ropes.

Remus had already taken care of his Death Eater too, and the Aurors looked like they were finally winning the fight.

But all of that didn't stop the fact that one of the ships had begun sailing away, while the other was providing it cover by shooting Cannons at the Aurors who were trying to cast a Ritual, probably to stop the ship and the boats.

Just then, Three more Talons came running out of the Fallen Tower, followed by at least a good two Dozen Prisoners. The Prisoners were headed toward the Aurors, Wands raised and vengeance filled in their eyes, when suddenly, a Ring of Fire surrounded them, trapping the Prisoners and the Death Eaters inside of it.

Another Ring of Fire sprang to life, this one much bigger, and surrounding the entire island. The heat of this new Fire was palpable, and it caused the Death Eaters and the Prisoners to take a step back.

Marlene had only ever seen two Wizards capable of casting this type of Magic. Lord Voldemort and Albus Dumbledore.

Sure enough, the sound of Phoenix Song filled the air only a few seconds later. Marlene suddenly started feeling a lot better, she felt like she was stronger, stronger than the Scum that dared risk the safety of innocent people.

The Phoenix Song suddenly turned into a Battle Cry, as Fawkes swooped down from the Air, body aflame, and struck the Second Ship with all his might, causing a Flash of Light so Bright, everyone had to cover their eyes.

Blinking away the spots from her eyes, Marlene saw that the Second Ship had been reduced to nothing more than Splinters in the sea, some of which were still on Fire.

The First Ship had already disappeared by now, and they were probably far away from here at this point.

They saw a figure on top of the Fallen Tower, standing with his Wand raised high in the air. "This is your Final Chance!" The voice of Albus Dumbledore boomed out of the Figure's mouth. He wasn't even pointing his Wand to his Throat, Marlene realized. "To all of the Death Eaters, and Talons, and Prisoners, peacefully surrender now, and you shall get a fair Trial. Fail to do so, and the Aurors will kill all of you. They have been given the right to do so. It is completely your choice."

The Talons and Prisoners seemed to hesitate, but when Dumbledore spun his Wand around himself like a lasso, causing lightning to crackle, all of them dropped their Wands.

It didn't take long for the Aurors and for Dumbledore to quickly Stun and Bind the Death Eaters. They were held in holding cells for the moment, but they would be going to a cell once Azkaban was either rebuilt or they would go to another prison altogether.

"Ms. McKinnon," she heard Dumbledore say after a few minutes.

"Dumbledore," she greeted him with a nod of her head.

"Might I ask what you were doing here exactly?" Dumbledore inquired, his blue eyes twinkling, even in the low light of the moon. "Azkaban isn't where one would expect to find an ex-reporter."

She stayed silent for a while, preferring not to say anything. Thankfully, Remus came over to help her. "She's with me," he said.

"Why, though?" An Auror asked her, completely ignoring Remus. Marlene didn't know if she remembered correctly, but he looked a lot like John Dawlish.

"We had a lead," Remus said. "It is a civic duty to help, is it not? That's what your rules say anyway."

"Stay out of this Werewolf," Dawlish said, looking at Remus with an irritated glance.

"Leave," Dumbledore said to Dawlish. She thought she heard a slight distortion in his voice. "Now."

Dawlish immediately complied and went away, leaving them alone with the Headmaster. "Now, we can start again," Dumbledore said. "How did you get the lead?"


AZKABAN BREAKOUT!? The Full Story.

By: Samantha Callis

Yes, you read the headlines right. Azkaban has been broken out of.

"How?" You might ask. Well, this is the doing of a Terrorist organization by the name of the Talons and the Death Eaters. Yes. The very same Talons who were widely known for being the best of the Dark Lord You-Know-Who's foot soldiers.

It has been a month since the incident, and the entire story of the investigation has just been released a few minutes ago. We here at the Daily Prophet did warn the readers about Potential Death Eaters lurking around the country in our article that came out a day after the attack. But for those of you who did not read it, or need a reminder, keep reading.

Every Single Death Eater in Azkaban has escaped, a total of 10. Along with every single Prisoner on the Third and Fourth Levels, putting the total numbers up to 47. The names of the escapees are given at the end of this article.

The attack had been long and brutal to the Aurors and the Ministry. The Dementors had abandoned their posts. Whether they did so by choice or whether someone forced them to, still remains unknown.

The Talons arrived with two ships and blew up the upper half of Azkaban with its cannons, allowing them to go in, take the Prisoners, and escape.

All was not lost, however. Albus Dumbledore had arrived on the scene near the end and blown up one of the ships with his Phoenix, Fawkes. Unfortunately, the other one escaped with Prisoners, but every other Death Eater, and Talon, and other criminals have been caught and are being held in the Ministry holding cells until Azkaban can be rebuilt.

More information on this case shall be released over time, and you can expect frequent updates from us as the information does come out.

The names of the Death Eater escapees are:

1. Bellatrix Lestrange

2. Rodolphus Lestrange

3. Rabastian Lestrange

4. Amycus Carrow

5. Alecto Carrow

6. Mulciber II

7. Augustus McNair

8. Credence Travers

9. Augustus Rookwood

10. Antonin Dolohov

Harry swore as he put down the newspaper, leaning his head back on the bench outside the Hospital Wing.

Ten escaped Death Eaters…

The worst part about this was everything that Sirius had told him about. It was so much worse, and so much bigger than what the Prophet reported.

Sirius had called him at the start of October and told him about his… Adventure/Mission, and Harry had had no idea what to feel about it at first

On one hand, he felt resentment for the man for chasing such a selfish goal without even discussing it with Harry first, but on the other hand, he knew that this line of thinking itself was a selfish one. Harry would not be faring any better if it was him that had been suffering from a hole in his memory.

Sirius losing a hand was a manor shock to him. The man could conjure Thunderstorms, for God's sake, how could he lose a body part? It was a moment of realization for Harry, that even the more Powerful Wizards can take losses. Your Power did not define you.

Sirius had also told him about the fact that the evidence of the attack was currently being investigated at the Labs at Hogsmeade Branch of the Auror Department, something he was quite excited to see when they would visit the town today.

Harry wanted to become a Curse-Breaker, yes, but growing up to be an Auror seemed to have an appeal to him as well. Catching Dark Wizards was something he was good at, after all…

Just then, the door opened and Ginny stepped out, looking over at the spot he was sitting at and giving him a smile.

Harry got up and walked toward her. "Alright?" He asked.

Ginny nodded. "Yeah," she said.

She'd just had her first period a few days ago, so she'd decided that it was finally time to go for a checkup. Naturally, she'd asked him to accompany her since her parents weren't here and her brothers… well, the less said about them and their experiences with such things the better.

"You sure?" Harry asked, trying to recall everything Sirius had taught him about periods. "It doesn't hurt?"

"Well," she said, hesitating. "It hurts a little. But it's manageable. And… come on, we're getting late."

She started walking toward the Staircase and he followed suit, taking her word on it for now. "I can't wait to see Honeydukes," she said wistfully.

"What is it with you Weasleys and Honeydukes?" Harry asked, shaking his head. "Ron was the same last year."

"We like our Chocolate," she said, folding her arms as they reached the stairs. "Sue us."

"Do I get free chocolate?" He asked, bumping her shoulder with his. "You know, in the spirit of celebration and just for being your best friend in the whole wide world and all that."

"Sure," she replied with a chuckle. "You can have a pack of Cockroach Clusters. I've heard they're really fun."

"No thanks," he said, shivering as he remembered the foul things. "I'd rather eat Dragon Dung."

"I can arrange that too, you know," she said as they reached the Entrance Hall and joined the long queue.

"Where were you two?" Hermione asked. "We've been waiting for ages."

Harry furrowed his brow. They hadn't made any plans as far as he could remember, and from the look on her face, neither had Ginny. Frankly, they were kind of hoping to slip away and explore the town on their own like they did back in Diagon Alley during the first summer that they met.

"Harry was just helping me with homework," Ginny said, probably not wanting to reveal where they'd been. "He really knows his Transfiguration."

Harry nodded along, and it was a plausible lie. Harry was easily the best in their class at the Subject, both in the Practical and Theory, and everyone knew it.

Hermione nodded in acceptance of the answer, but Devonand Jessica furrowed their brows at him. Harry shook his head, hoping they'd understand that he wasn't going to talk about it.

Eventually, it was their turn, and Harry and Ginny walked forward to get their names checked. Filch's tendency to read slower than a tortoise had not improved, so Harry jabbed a finger at his and Ginny's names, causing Filch to grumble something unintelligible, but undoubtedly rude, and mark their names, allowing them to go through.

"Finally, dear Merlin!" Ginny exclaimed as they made their way out of the Castle and onto the Snow-covered Grounds. He assumed Hagrid had made a bit of a path toward the Gate.

"I know right," Harry said. "It's bloody infuriating. I don't know how everyone puts up with it."

Harry and Ginny complained about Filch for a little while longer, their topic then shifting over to tell tales of how Mrs. Norris had almost caught them both when they were out at night without each other.

Ginny had a particularly hilarious one where she'd hid behind the Statue that he and Ginny had Enchanted to yell rude words at bullies every time they passed the statue, and made it fall over to startle the cat, while she made her escape. The Statue and the cat were both fine, though, so it wasn't as bad as it sounded.

She slowed down for a second, and clutched her stomach with a hand, grimacing. Harry's worry immediately heightened. "Gin?" He asked.

She took a deep breath. "Yeah," she said. "I'm fine."

"We can go back," he offered. "Hang out in the Room of Requirement, maybe?"

She shook her head. "Thanks, but no," she said, smiling at him. "I really do want to visit. Besides, Sirius is coming over."

"He'll understand," Harry said.

"I'll feel bad," she said. "Besides, I think I should get myself some… you know, girl stuff."

"You don't have pads?" Harry asked in surprise, causing Ginny to start in surprise and shush him.

"Tell the world about it, why don't you?" She snapped at him in a whisper.

He raised his hands in defence of himself. "Sorry," he said in the same volume. "But… don't you guys usually have this stuff? Sirius told me you did."

"Most of us do," Ginny muttered venomously, though he was sure it wasn't aimed at him this time. "I don't because my mum insists on treating me like a baby, and waiting till I actually get my… you know."

Harry nodded in understanding, but he was genuinely confused by her next question. "Why are you so… cavalier about this?" She asked. "Not that I don't appreciate it. It's kinda nice to talk about it with someone who doesn't dance around the subject."

"You can thank Sirius for that one when you see him today," Harry said after a moment. "He's made me this way."

"Good man," she said with a chuckle.

"Aren't other guys like this?" Harry asked, genuinely curious. It should be a perfectly normal thing to talk about, he thought.

"No," she said, letting out an incredulous laugh at the very thought of it. "You should have seen Dean when Parvati mentioned it to him. He refused to believe it was real and he still dances around the subject. Now, can we please get off the subject of periods?"

Harry blinked. "Bugger. I'm so sorry," he said. "It just seems absurd is all. I mean, it's all natural, isn't it?"

Ginny stopped dead in her tracks, and he did too, after taking a few steps. Slowly, a small smile bloomed on her face.

"Never change, Harry Potter," she said, grabbing his arm, taking him with her as she walked ahead towards the village.

He didn't know what he said that made her so happy, but he wasn't about to complain. Happy Ginny was very cool. "So," he said, throwing an arm around her shoulders. "Which team do you think will win this year's Championship Cup?"

That prompted another five minute discussion about why she thought the Harpies had a good chance this year because of their new Seeker, Laura Scammander, while Harry listened patiently

Ginny was a big fan of hers, going so far as to even admit that Scamander was her favorite player, and even he had to admit, Scamander would destroy the Hollows Seeker, Cosby, on any day. She was also Newt Scamander's granddaughter, apparently. That had thrown him a bit, since Harry had never even thought that the man had children.

"Would you rather… fart very loudly when you laugh, or laugh hysterically when you fart?" Harry asked her on a whim.

"What?" She asked, laughing. "You're mad."

"With all the shit we've faced? I'll take being mad," Harry said. "But you didn't answer the question."

"Erm…" Ginny trailed off in thought. "Laugh hysterically when I fart. It's easier to pass off. Now my turn…" they played this game for a few more minutes before they reached a spot from where they could see the Village. They still had a good five minutes to go, but they'd decided to take a break here.

The Village could be called a town due to the sheer size of it. From here, they could make out a stadium, a large building that had to be like a Town Hall or something; the Post Office, because of the fact that there were literally flocks of birds coming and going from the building; and an old looking Building that couldn't possibly be anything other than the Shrieking Shack.

The birds at the Post Office weren't just owls, though. He could see all sorts of birds. Owls, Ravens, a few tropical species of birds, along with a few eagles and even a Vulture. He saw an Occamy too, when Ginny pointed one out to him.

They resumed their trek, and sure enough, after five minutes, they reached their destination. They were met with a large arch with the words 'Welcome to Hogsmeade' on top of it.

The snow-covered path stretched in front of them, leading toward various buildings that looked like they had come out of a Mediaeval Movie.

The Ground floors of the Houses were made completely out of Stone, or at least it looked that way; the Second Floors had white walls, with wood supports stretching across them, forming an 'X' sort of shape.

The path was wide, though. Wider than the one at Diagon Alley even, making it easier for everyone to travel comfortably. There were quite a few shops as well, and they all shared the same building theme, more or less.

They caught sight of a bakery as they walked along the path, and slightly further down the road, they came across an Antique Shop and Karlie's Karaoke. Harry made a mental note to buy one for Sirius and Mrs. Weasley later.

The Magical Menagerie was here too, and loads of little children- younger than Hogwarts age- were screaming and running out of it as a black cat was chased after them. Harry and Ginny had a hard time controlling their laughter at the scene.

They turned a corner and saw a huge well come into sight a few metres forward along the path. Harry assumed this was the place he'd read about where people came to pay their respects to both the dead and the living.

Harry and Ginny walked over to the well and dropped a Sickle in there, as was tradition, apparently. They looked around and saw that they were near the Town Hall now.

There were a few more shops here too, Florean Fortescue's was next to another one that had a sign that just read, 'Homemade Potions here'. The rest of the Houses just sold other food items, and pastries, or they were restaurants, or they were just… Houses, without any shops or anything.

"What's our list for today again?" Harry asked.

"Get me my stuff, visit Honeydukes, see what the Firebolt looks like, and as you suggested, see the Shrieking Shack and the Auror Department," Ginny explained, listing everything on her fingers.

"Don't forget the ice cream," Harry reminded her.

"Ooh, yes. Of course," she said. "Knew I was forgetting something."

"You get your pa- Er… stuff, and I'll get the ice cream," Harry said. "Yeah, yeah, mud chocolate with extra chips. I know," he added when Ginny opened her mouth.

She smiled. "Thanks," she said, walking over to the Homemade Potions Store. He had no idea if they even sold that there, but he assumed Ginny knew what she was doing.

Harry went over to the Florean Fortescue's, and placed the order, which he received really quickly. He had just paid the bill when he caught sight of Ginny coming over to him with a bag in hand.

"All done?" Harry asked, handing her the cone.

"Yep," she said, promptly taking a bite out of it. "Even got some Pepper-ups for the inevitable fever I'm going to have."

Harry snorted. "Smart move," He said. "Firebolt first?"

"Definitely," she replied.

"Do you know where the Aeros outlet is?" Harry asked, licking his ice cream.

"Do I look like a walking map to you?" She asked, lips twitching upward in amusement as he rolled her eyes at her.

They asked the shopkeeper at Florean Fortescue's for directions, and made their way over to the outlet. As it turned out, they weren't the only ones here for a peek at the World-Class Racing Broom.

There was a huge gaggle of people outside, most of whom were students. This did not stop Harry and Ginny though. They pushed their way through the crowd, and caught sight of the broom.

It looked… well, like a broom. But there were other things that made it stand out. Like the fact that the Twigs looked different, shinier, and the Iron on the foot rest looked like it was made out of the highest quality, even the handle seemed to positively glow. There was a board next to the broom which gave more details about it. It read:

'This state-of-the-art racing broom sports a streamlined superfine handle of ash, treated with a diamond-hard polish and hand-numbered with its own registration number. Each individually selected birch twig in the broomtail has been honed to aerodynamic perfection, giving the Firebolt unsurpassable balance and pinpoint precision. The firebolt has an acceleration of 150 miles an hour in ten seconds and incorporates an unbreakable Braking Charm. Price on request.'

Harry would have bought the broom right then if it wasn't for the 'Price on Request' part of the statement. He was sure it would be some insane amount that would most likely empty his Vault.

Besides, he had the Nimis 2004 that Sirius gave him, and he actually enjoyed flying on it. It wasn't quite the 150 miles per hour that the Firebolt gave, but 110 miles per hour was good enough for him.

They stayed there for a while before going over to Honeydukes, which was in a different lane from the one in. They also found a map of the village on the way there.

Upon entering the shop, Harry and Ginny went wide eyed. The store was huge, bigger than any sweet shop either of them had ever been too.

There were shelves upon shelves of the most succulent-looking sweets imaginable. Creamy chunks of nougat, shimmering pink squares of coconut ice, fat, honey-coloured toffees; hundreds of different kinds of chocolate in neat rows; there was a large barrel of Every Flavour Beans, and another of Fizzing Whizzbees, the levitating sherbet balls that Ron had once mentioned. Along yet another wall were 'Special Effects' sweets: Drooble's Best Blowing Gum (which filled a room with bluebell-coloured bubbles that refused to pop for days), the strange, splintery Toothflossing Stringmints, tiny black Pepper Imps ('breathe fire for your friends!'), Ice Mice ('hear your teeth chatter and squeak!'), peppermint creams shaped like toads ('hop realistically in the stomach!'), fragile sugar-spun quills and exploding bonbons.

Harry and Ginny stuck to buying a bar of Honeydukes Finest for now, both of them were a bit overwhelmed from all the choices.

They made their way out of the shop and went to see the Auror Department, which was literally right on the edge of town, and they could take the same road to visit the Shrieking Shack, which was a fair distance away from the village.

The Auror Department was a large building that looked more like a viking house than a House in Hogsmeade. The wall that had the entrance door was facing them, and it had a logo above the doorway of an M being crossed by two Wands. There were three large, arched windows on the wall that were the size of a grown man.

The left and right hand sides of the building, however, were curved, but they still maintained the trend of having the windows. He assumed the back would be a lot like the front.

Overall, it was the one building that looked like it did not belong in the village. But that look in and of itself was something that screamed 'Magical World' so loud that it looked good on the whole.

Harry and Ginny then went to the Shrieking Shack, having already finished their ice creams. There was a fence there that prevented them from going too near the Shack, but that was okay with them.

The Shrieking Shack was a two story wooden building that looked like it was abandoned decades ago. There were cracks in the wood and large gaping holes in the walls and wood.

Ginny was checking out something on the Fence while Harry was just standing at a spot with his hands shoved in his pocket when he heard her yell his name. "Harry!" She called.

He turned to her and saw that she was waving him over urgently. He went to her, and asked, "Are you okay?"

She nodded and pointed at the fence. He squinted and could make out some odd shaped scratches on one of the posts. Upon further observation, he saw that they were not scratches, but initials. The words J.P, R.L, P.P, and S.O.B were visible, and Harry felt his breath hitch. "Holy shit," he breathed, dropping to his knees, and just staring at the words.

He ran a finger over the initials J.P, and closed his eyes. He didn't know how long he knelt there, but his reverie was broken when he heard his stomach grumble. He wanted to stay a bit longer, but he hadn't really eaten anything, so he got up.

"Alright?" Ginny asked, looking at him with a

"Yeah," he said with a small, sad smile. "Thanks for showing me."

Ginny gave him a small smile in return, and the two of them set off towards the village. On their way there, however, they heard something on the side of a thicket of bushes. It sounded like someone was panting.

Harry and Ginny decided to investigate, drawing out their Wands and slowly entering the thicket. They saw a man lying on the ground that looked like he'd been through hell and back.

He had a black beard and black hair, both of which had a lot of Dirt and small Twigs stuck in them. The man's face was covered in dirt, and he was bleeding from his knee.

The man went for his Wand when he saw them, but quickly relaxed once he seemingly recognized who they were. He abandoned everything else that he was doing at that moment, and gave them a rectangular metal box.

"Take this," he said. "Take this, and hide it somewhere far away. No one can find it. It's far too important."

"What is it?" Harry asked. "And who are you?"

"I am an Evidence Investigator at the Auror Department here in Hogsmeade," the man quickly replied. "John Smith. You can check my badge, it's on my shirt."

Sure enough, the man did wear the badge of an Auror, and the Auror badges were such that they glowed when someone who wasn't an Auror wore them.

"As for what this is," he said, gesturing to the box. "I cannot tell you that answer. It is far too dangerous. Trust no one! This goes farther than you can ever imagine. Just hide it away. Please, I beg of you."

Harry was about to tell him that they could take him to Professor Dumbledore and get this all sorted out, but just then, a figure in Dark Robes jumped into the thicket.

The Investigator's eyes went wide. "RUN!" He yelled, pointing his Wand at the figure.

But he was too slow. The man had already begun waving his Wand and yelled, "Lacerus!"

A silver, crescent blade of Magic went flying through the air, towards the Investigator, who died immediately after the Curse hit him, his chest slashing open.

Harry cast a Peteificus Totalus at the man who blocked it and ducked under Ginny's Bat-Bogey Hex. Harry followed up with a Stinging Hex, and Severing Charm, which would cause the man's skin to itch horribly, maybe even cause some internal damage.

The man blocked them both and shot a blood-red colored Spell at him, which Harry Deflected into a tree while the man kept dodging the Spells Ginny cast on him, all the while keeping Harry on the defensive.

Harry tried to calm his raging emotions, channelling them into his Magic and forming the Blue Fire in his hand. He pointed his hand at the man and released a jet of fire.

But the man just caught the fire, and pulled it out of Harry's grasp. He turned it into a whip and slashed it at Ginny, but Harry- knowing that the Fire was still technically his own- made it vanish before it even hit her. Fire was definitely a Huge No.

Harry could barely duck, dodge, and weave his way through the flurry of Spells thay the man sent at him, and eventually, a Blasting Curse got too close to him for comfort and he went flying back, hitting a tree.

His head hurt now, and he was sure something had gone into his back with the way it was Stinging. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to dwell much on it, for at that moment another Cutting Curse came at him.

Harry dived to the side and fell flat on his stomach, wincing pain as the Stinging feeling in his back increased. He was still grazed with the Curse on the back of his thigh, causing him to groan in pain.

Ginny, apparently, had enough of this and started casting with a newfound vigour, forcing the man to go on the Defensive now.

She was not giving him an opening to strike back, though. She looked like a Goddess of War, her face filled with anger as she kept flinging her Curses at the man with a speed that scared even Harry.

The man looked surprised, and he was starting to sweat profusely. Harry found himself unable to keep his eyes off of the whole thing. Especially when Ginny spun around and thrust her hand out toward the man.

But even Harry could tell that her emotions were unfocused, and whatever Magic she'd released was… raw. That didn't make it any less powerful, though. But it probably didn't have the same effect as she intended it to.

The man's knee was shattered, and he screamed in agony. Agony which was further heightened when Ginny cast an Everte Statum on the man, causing him to fly back and hit a tree. She followed it up with a Bat-Bogey Hex, which caused green bats to come out of his nose and start clawing at his face.

The man looked like he was about to dissipate the bats, but Ginny held her hand forward and almost clenched it shut into a fist.

Immediately, the man's hands went to his Throat, and he rose up into the air, not of his own accord. Ginny tightened her grip around him as the bats continued their relentless clawing.

"GIN, STOP!" Harry yelled, not appreciating where this was going. It reminded him too much of Vernon, and while he didn't regret doing that- he probably never would- he did regret his thoughts during the encounter.

His voice seemed to break her out of her state, and she immediately let go, bringing her hands to her mouth in surprise.

The man immediately straightened and raised his Wand, releasing a burst of Fire that incinerated the bats. He pointed his Wand at Ginnyz who was still in a bit of a state of Shock, and was about to utter a Curse when Harry hit him with two Full-Body Bind Curses.

He ignored everything else, limping over to Ginny. "You alright?" He asked gently, grabbing her by the shoulders.

He shook her when he got no response. "Gin!" He exclaimed.

She started and opened her mouth, but nothing came out so she swallowed. "What did I just do?" She asked in a whisper, looking at her Wand as though disgusted with herself for using her Powers so poorly. Harry knew that feeling very well.

But that did not mean that the threat was fully neutralized. Harry let her be for now, casting another Petrificus Totalus at the man, and walking over and kicking him in the face three times. Just for good measure.

He walked back over to Ginny and looked her in the eye. "You're not a monster," he said. He had no idea what he was meant to say, but he was just going with what he would have liked to hear back then.

She shook her head. "Maybe not now, but…" she trailed off, eyes glistening with tears.

"You won't be," Harry said confidently. Seriously, Harry had a better chance of getting his Parents back.

"You haven't done something like this, Harry!" She cried, looking away from him. He did see some of her tears fall, though.

"I have," Harry said. There, he'd done it. One of his darkest moments was about to be laid bare. In front of the one person that meant the most to him no less.

"What?" She asked, snapping her head around to him.

So, Harry told her. He told her about what happened when Hagrid dropped him off at Little Whinging on the evening of his birthday, he told her about sneaking into the house to get his School Uniform, which seed extremely dumb now in hindsight, but he couldn't exactly change what happened. He finished his story off by saying exactly what he'd done and said to Vernon.

"So yes," Harry said. "I have done something like that."

She swallowed. "I'm sorry-" she started.

"Don't," he said. "I'd rather never ever talk about it again unless I absolutely have to."

She nodded in acceptance. "What do we do with that?" She asked, pointing at the box which he'd dropped during the fight.

"We check it out?" Harry asked more than said.

"He told us to hide it, didn't he?" Ginny asked.

"I want to see what it is, though," Harry said. "Who knows what we might be hiding."

Ginny shrugged, but didn't deny his opinion. He got up and went to the box, aware of Ginny following him. He reached out and flipped open the lid.

Inside the Box was a Bottle shaped like an inverted teardrop with a handle on its left and right hand sides. The Bottle was calling to him, and he felt a sudden… possessiveness over it. Like it was his

Theirs, he amended, looking over at Ginny. He knew, somehow, that she was feeling the same pull as she was. He closed the lid, causing them both to frown as some of the feelings went away.

"What the hell was that?" She asked.

"I don't know," he replied worriedly. "But we better find out," he added, pulling out his Trunk and storing the Box in it.

Just as he finished repocketing his Trunk, a few Aurors arrived, Wands out and faces determined. "Where is-" one of them shouted but was interrupted as the others gasped. "Merlin," he said. "You two took him out?" He asked, pointing at the Dark Robed man.

Harry and Ginny nodded. "It was a group effort, so to speak," Ginny said, shivering as she saw the corpse of the Evidence Investigator.

Harry himself was barely able to keep down his nausea, but he settled for pulling her closer, and breathing in the smell of Wildflowers that was so uniquely… Ginny.

"Who was he?" Harry asked, nodding at the Dark Robed man.

"A Talon," the man said, causing Harry and Ginny to go wide-eyed. "Aye, the very same. Except this one was a spy. We thought he was one of us. The second he found what he wanted, he turned on us. He used to be Smith's partner too."

The Aurors interrogated Harry and Ginny about the fight a bit more, and they tried to keep their answers as vague as possible without being a hindrance to their investigation, besides keeping the Bottle hidden.

Eventually, they were allowed to go free, and they immediately set for the pub named 'The Three Broomsticks'. They ordered some Butterbeer as they waited for Sirius to arrive.


A/N 2: Please Leave a review on this chapter. Is there something that sucked? Is there something I should change in the future? Even if you don't have constructive criticism, you can just say that you liked the chapter and leave it at that. But I want to know if people liked it, or hated it. And I'd rather prefer words than follows and favorites, even though I do like seeing them from new viewers. NOT saying that you *have* to, mind. But just… yeah.

Also, I've got a Tumblr if you're interested. My username is Curse-04.

Thank you so much for reading, and I'll see you in the next Chapter!

Byee!!