Chapter 22

For the next week or so, tensions ran high in the group of Gryffindors because of the angst between Keri and Fred. Both members of the drama had tried to convince their twins that they were in the right, but Tori and George wisely stayed out of it. They figured that if their twins wanted to be idiots, that was their prerogative. Instead, they decided to avoid their siblings as much as possible. Usually, they spent their time hiding in the far corners of the library where not even Madame Pince found them.

It was on one evening spent reading through books: George actually studying for his N.E.W.T's and Tori was pretending to study for her O.W.L's while she was really looking through books trying to find charms to help her protect George from spells. "I found it!" Tori shouted before realizing it was the library and continuing in a near-whisper, "I found it! I found it! I found it!"

"What did you find?" George asked curiously as he leaned over to see what she was looking at.

Tori slammed the book shut, glancing at the page number as she did so. "Nothing!" she replied quickly. "Just a spell you wouldn't be interested in." George looked at her suspiciously. "What?"

He closed his books and sighed dramatically. "I'm beat," he told her. "How about we head back to the common room, sneakily, and go to bed?"

Tori smiled, "Sounds like a plan."

They both stood up and put away their books in a hidden alcove that they had discovered. Holding hands, Tori covered them both in a sight-shield as they headed back towards the tower. They had one close call when they passed by the Ravenclaw common room and saw Jake. He stared right at them before shrugging and turning away. George whispered in Tori's ear, "You're like my own built-in invisibility cloak." She giggled as they made their way into the Gryffindor common room.

Earlier that week, when they had both decided to avoid their twins, and consequently everyone, they had discovered that Tori could cover George with a sight-shield even when they were in their separate dormitories. So, with a kiss, they separated, each going, hidden, up their respective staircases.

Once back in her room, Tori called in the book she had been looking at in the library. She opened it up to the page she was reading before her outburst. She ripped the page out of the book and returned it to the alcove. "'The loving sleep,'" she read aloud from the page. "'Protects a person who the caster cares about from all harmful spells and charms. To cast the charm, simply cast the following spell with a twist flick of the wrist: Linel Shamor.'" Tori smiled slightly, thinking the spell was perfect for what she wanted. She dropped the page onto her dresser, hidden as a note from George, as she continued getting ready for bed.

Tori thought she found the perfect charm, but she failed to read the entire description, stopping when she got to the part she thought would be useful. The rest of the page read, "Linel Shamor meant 'beloved sleep' in an ancient, dead language. It would protect the recipient from anything sent at them by sending them into a deep sleep that appeared to be death. However, a portion of the spell would reverberate back to the caster because the spell's energy couldn't be completely deflected and must go somewhere.'

That night, after everyone in George's dorm was asleep, including George, Tori called her wand in and cast the spell over her sleeping boyfriend. While she noticed very little effect, she assumed it worked and vanished her wand before settling down encircled by George's arm and fell into the first restful sleep she had had in weeks.

* * * * * *

After what seemed like forever, the Christmas Feast was finally upon them. Tori and George had finally been cornered by their twins and forced to spend the day apart. When time came for the feast, Tori was waiting down in the common room for George so they could walk down together. Fred, however, came down by himself.

"Where is George?" she demanded of him.

"I thought he was with you," he answered.

"No, I haven't seen him all day. He has been with you."

"No, he hasn't. He left a little after lunch after he got a strange letter. I assumed it was from you. I take it, it wasn't?"

"No, it wasn't," she whispered darkly.

"Well, maybe he is already down in the Great Hall," Fred suggested.

"Maybe," Tori replied although it was obvious she didn't believe him.

They walked down to the Great Hall where they both searched for the errant Weasley twin. However, neither of them saw the familiar red hair on anyone other than Ron. Tori volunteered to find him and left the Great Hall and headed back towards the tower, heart plummeting.

Not finding her awol boyfriend anywhere in the tower Tori ran through the deserted castle to the front entrance where she pulled open the large doors and went into the frigid air. Just as in her dream, Tori raced across the snow-covered grounds and towards the forest.

Halfway there, Tori was wracked by horrible pain jolting through her heart causing her to fall to the ground, panting. Forcing herself up, Tori ran through the pain as hard as she could. Somehow, she knew that George had been attacked. She had to find him.

Not really paying attention to her surroundings, Tori raced along the path she followed in her dreams. She stumbled into the clearing from her dreams and began to scan the area. Finally, she spotted what she was looking for: a crop of red hair.

Running to George's side, Tori fell to her knees, tears silently falling down her face. He wasn't breathing.  He was dead.  But, there was that spell.  It should have worked.

She wasn't sure how long she knelt there sobbing before she heard a voice echo through the trees, "Silly girl. I am powerful enough to override your little spell." His laughter ringed in her ears long after his presence left the forest.

Tori rested her head on George's chest in a vain attempt to find a beat. When she found none, she leaned down, tears freely running down her face, and kissed George one last time.

"Damn you, George!" she screamed at him as she pounded her fists on his chest. "You can't leave me!" Tori closed her eyes but didn't stop banging on his chest.

Suddenly, hands wrapped around her wrists and held them close. Startled, Tori's eyes flew open. She stared in disbelief at George, whose eyes were wide open. "Stop it," he whispered. "That hurts." Somehow, without letting go of her wrists, George pulled Tori down on the ground next to him and held her while she sobbed tears of relief. They didn't know how long they lay there, but both were too worn out to move.

Eventually, Keri and Fred showed up. They explained that they had this sense of foreboding about their twins and came rushing out to find them. Apparently, twins have a mind link of sorts and could sense some things. Taking one look at the couple lying on the forest floor, Keri leaned down and grabbed both of them. Looking over her shoulder she said to Fred, "If you want to come, grab onto me." He put his hand on her shoulder, and she immediately teleported them all directly to the hospital wing. Madame Pomphrey took one look at Tori and George and ordered them to bed. With a clack of her wand, she changed them into pajamas. She hustled their twins out of the room, saying that they could return in the morning. She grabbed a potion off of the shelf and poured some into two glasses. Handing one to each of them she said, "I am not sure what happened to you, but this will calm your nerves and keep you from dreaming. Drink it all now." She stood over them until they finished their potions and then she turned out the lights and left them to sleep.

Once she was sure the nurse wasn't returning soon, Tori stole out of her bed and into George's, where he had been expecting her. They planned on talking, but there must have been something in the potion Madame Pomphrey gave them to induce sleep, because, no sooner had they gotten comfortable, than they had both fallen fast asleep.

The next morning, Tori and George were released from Madame Pomphrey's care with instructions to take it easy for the rest of the break. Eager to get out of the hospital wing, they accepted her stipulations and high-tailed it back to the Gryffindor common room. However, by the time they got there, they were both exhausted from the long trek because they were still recovering from the ordeal from the night before. For some reason, none of the other Gryffindors were in the tower, so George and Tori decided to wait for them. They curled up on one of the couches, planning on staying awake, but they still fell asleep.

They woke up again, when they heard a commotion outside the portrait hole. They sat up and rubbed their eyes, trying to appear at least partially healthy. The portrait swung open and in trooped all of their friends, laden down with food. Walking over to where the healing couple, they dropped all of the food at their feet and sat down on other chairs.

Seeing Tori and Georges' inquisitive looks, Kayla shrugged, "Well, we went down to the hospital wing to see how you were doing, and Mme. Pomphrey told us she released you. But, we figured you were probably hungry, having missed dinner last night, and breakfast this morning. So, we went to the kitchens and asked the house elves for food. So, eat," she commanded, pointing at the food. Glancing at each other, they dug into the food, saying nothing of their experience, and nothing more was said about it. No one forgot about it though.

Soon, the break was over, and everyone was returning to the school. George and Tori seemed to grow even closer to each other (Tori didn't stop sleeping in George's bed), Fred and Keri still weren't talking to each other despite their cooperation in rescuing their twins, Harry and Ginny somehow managed to become a couple despite her brothers, Ron and Hermione pretended otherwise, but everyone knew they were together anyways, and Kayla and Jason continued practicing with Hope on their swordsmanship. And, they all still had Quidditch practice. When classes resumed, they all fit their work in around their classes.

Before they knew it, it was the spring vacations. There had already been another 2 Quidditch games. Hufflepuff lost to Ravenclaw. And Ravenclaw lost to Gryffindor. The other houses were surprised with the skill levels of the new players. All people knew about them were that they were from the states. It was still a secret that they were from the international high school Quidditch champs. To everyone but their team, it was a surprise that the Gryffindors won. The only match left was the Gryff- Slythie game that wouldn't take place until after the break.

This break wasn't quite as peaceful as the winter break as everyone was busy preparing for their respective tests, the OWL's for the fifth years and the NEWT's for Fred and George. They all tended to study together, and it was during one of these sessions when George threw his quill across the table in a huff. "I'm tired of this!" he exclaimed when everyone looked up at him. "I have been studying to death. I want out! I am going to play Quidditch. Who wants to come with me?" Unsurprisingly, everyone was willing to take a break except Hermione, but even she was convinced with a little cajolery from Ron.

So, Fred, George, Ron, Harry, Hermione, Ginny, Kayla, Jason, Tori, Keri, James and Jake returned to their dormitories to change and met on the Quidditch pitch 20 minutes later where they divided into two teams of 2 beaters, 2 chasers, a seeker, and a keeper each.

After an hour, the game was winding down, but Harry and Kayla (who was playing seeker because both Ginny and Ron wanted to play keeper). Finally, Kayla saw the snitch. She turned her broom and raced after it, her cousin on her tail. They were both good, and each seeker was evenly matched, but Kayla's hand was the one that grasped the snitch first.

As soon as it was enclosed in her hand, a bright red light flashed. When the light faded, the 12 students found themselves in the middle of a forest clearing. Everyone was looking around, trying to figure out where they were, when, suddenly, Kayla, Tori, and Keri gasped in unison, "Mother Tree!" they exclaimed. Somehow, they had all been transported to Mother Tree's clearing. However, it being winter, she was asleep still so they couldn't ask her any questions. Kayla, in her foresight, tried to send a message to Hope, Mother, we were in the Quidditch pitch, and- Somehow, an outside force blocked her message.

A sick laughter filled the air and both Harry and Tori paled. A tall man walked into the clearing and walked over to the group of friends. "My dear, I wouldn't advise trying to contact anyone else by your methods, as any attempts, no matter how guarded will be intercepted by me. I don't believe you want me to know what you are telling people.

"Most of you might be wondering who I am. Well, except for Harry. He has known me for years. For the rest of you, I am Lord Voldemort."

Ron and Hermione gasped while Fred and George gulped. The others all shifted into fighting stances, without calling in their weapons. At the slightest provocation, they would have weapons in hand and be ready to defend the group. This was what they had been training for. The others were just to scared to move. The musketeers shifted imperceptibly to better positions to protect to British students. Harry however, just stood there. He was afraid, but he knew, that in a duel, he could defeat this enemy. He was only worried about his friends who he wasn't sure could defend themselves.

"You my dear," Voldemort said, approaching Kayla, "have been causing a lot of problems. I have no clue who you are, but Charles wants you gone."

Chin up, staring straight into his blood-red eyes as she replied, "And just why does he want me gone?"

"He didn't specify, child! He just told me to finish you off with the boy for good measure. So, I am going to do what I promised, and what I started 14 years ago. And, I might as well destroy the witnesses as well. Once I finish that, Charles has promised me rule of part of the world."

"Since when have you taken orders from another!" Harry challenged.

"Since he is the hereditary ruler of the magical forces of the world! He could do whatever he damn pleases. I am nothing in comparison to him!" Voldemort glared at Harry. "Say goodbye kiddies, I will certainly miss you Harry-boy." The musketeers all called in their weapons and Harry brought up his wand as Voldemort raised his wand and opened his mouth to curse them.

Suddenly, his wand flew out of his hand and into the forest where someone caught it.

Hope had been preparing her lessons for the following week when she heard Kayla's frantic call, Mother, we were in the Quidditch pitch, and-. She dropped what she was doing when the message was cut off. Kayla! she cried mentally, but her thought was deflected as if by a mirror. She groped after the connection and got a firm location for where Kayla and the others were located. Recognizing it, she blanched. Knowing that she wouldn't be able to do anything on her own, she ran to Remus' rooms where both he and Sirius were.

"I need your help," she said as she barged into the room. She quickly outlined what must have happened to the children and what kind of danger she knew they were in if they were in that particular forest clearing that used to be the hangout for Charles' group of friends. When she was finished, they were only too eager to help. Hope dragged them down to the dungeons where she knew she would find a willing ally in the potions master as he had become very close to Kayla in the months he had known her, despite her being a Gryffindor. Snape, too, wished to help defeat the evil that had the students in his grip and willingly agreed to get along with Sirius for the time needed to do this.

Somehow, Hope managed to hold onto the three of them and teleported to the forest where she knew Kayla was. They got there just in time to hear someone go, "Say goodbye kiddies, I will certainly miss you Harry-boy." Before the voice could curse the 12 teenagers, Hope teleported his wand to her hand.

Wand in hand, Hope stepped into the clearing. Sirius, Remus, and Severus flanking her. Voldemort turned his blood-red eyes towards her in a glare. "Hello, Tom," Hope said coolly. He paled perceptibly. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

"Hope! What are you doing here?"

"Can't you guess? I am protecting these innocent children who have done nothing but be born to the wrong people," she replied calmly.

"You turned on Charles! You meant everything to him and you left! He was a broken man for a long time after you left. I cannot forgive you for what you did to him, but, if you help me now, I might not kill you."

"I can't do that, Tom. I left Charles because his plans for the world were wrong. I did not agree then, and I don't now, and I will do anything to remove him from his position of power and put someone else on that seat."

"Just who, pray tell, are you planning to put in charge of the Tower? Yourself maybe?"

"Oh, good heavens no! I am no person for that job. I was thinking Kayla would be better suited."

"The girl?" Voldemort looked genuinely surprised. "What about her? Does this have to do with why Charles wants her gone?"

"Yes, I'm afraid it does." The whole time they had been talking, Kayla had been ignoring the looks from everyone else and had been easing up, silently, until she was right behind the evil wizard. At this time, she called in both her swords and brought them down towards his back, attempting to finish him off once and for all. However, her plans were foiled as he called in a sword of his own as he turned around and blocked what would have been a killing blow. They were moving so quickly, they appeared to be blurs to every one else. Not wanting to accidentally hit Kayla, no one did anything to help her.

Harry was standing there wondering why no one was helping Kayla as he watched his archnemisis battle his cousin. Finally, he decided that it would be possible to stun Voldemort and then kill him. Before anyone could stop him, he held up his wand and concentrated on hitting the evil wizard while whispering with conviction, "Stupefy!" A yellow ray of light shot out from his wand and headed toward the rapidly moving bodies. When it cleared, Kayla was panting, and Voldemort was lying on the forest floor.

Sirius walked over to the body, and said to the crowd. "I'm going to finish this once and for all. You might want to turn away."

"I am going to watch. I want to make sure the man who killed my parents is sufficiently dead. I need to see this," Harry announced. Sirius nodded and waited until everyone else had walked off before he pointed a borrowed wand at Voldemort and muttered under his breath the killing curse, "Avada Kedavra." A flash of green light filled the clearing and when it cleared, all that was left of the terror of Britain for 50 years was a pile of ash. He was finally gone.

"Goodbye, Voldemort. I will certainly not miss you," Harry told the dust as he turned his back, hoping that maybe now he could have some semblance of a normal life. One that didn't involve being protected by everyone from a wizard that wanted his blood.

He and Sirius turned away from the ashes as a gust of wind came and blew them away. The two hurried to catch up with the others before they all headed back for Hogwarts for what they hoped would be a more peaceful life.