The next few weeks were spent worrying about what was happening to her parents, and poor Jade searched the Daily Prophet, well, daily. She couldn't concentrate on anything, doing her schoolwork automatically. The only thing that she didn't do automatically was fly.

The first flying lesson she'd returned to had been a disaster. She'd gotten within one foot of the broom, and frozen. She broke out in a cold sweat, and her legs refused to move any further.

"What's the matter, Jade?" Wood had asked her.

"I-I…I can't." She said, and fled. It had been a source of great amusement for the Slytherins, and they'd teased her ever since. Chris Zabini is especially harsh in his teasing. She thought bitterly, as she stabbed a piece of cauliflower with her fork.

"Are you ok?" Mandy asked.

"Hmm? Wha?" She replied, coming out of her daze.

"You've been trying to murder that cauliflower for 10 minutes now. I hate to tell you, but it's already dead." Mandy teased lightly. Jade forced a smile.

"I'm fine." She said, "Just, you know,"

"Worried?" Mel asked. Jade nodded.

"Don't worry, Jade, your Mum and Dad are accomplished in the ways of magic. They defeated Voldie, right?" Siss said comfortingly. Jade smiled.

"Yeah, you're right. They can handle some Dark Wizard wanna-be." She said.

"I wouldn't be so sure, Potter." A quiet voice said. Jade turned around, and saw Zabini standing there.

"What do you want?" She demanded. He smiled sinisterly.

"Just to tell you, watch out, things aren't always as simple as they appear. Muerte is just as powerful as the Dark Lord was, if not more so. He was a Death Eater. And he's out for your familys' blood." Zabini smirked, and walked off. Jade's brow wrinkled up, as she contemplated Zabini's words."

"Ignore him. He's ce'est impossible!" Mel exclaimed.

"Totally." Mandy agreed, scowling.

***

"Silence!" Professor Chang yelled. Jade turned around, and looked at her attentively. "2 points from Gryffindor for ignoring me, Potter." She snapped. Jade sighed. That made a total of 20 points gone because of her this week! Whenever she had Potions, Chang always made sure she lost points. Jade had no idea what Chang had against her, it wasn't like she'd ever been anything but nice to her. "Today we will be making a shrinking solution. I shall be putting you into pairs." She said with a malicious smile. "Let's see…hmm…Miss Warren, Miss Perks, Miss Weasley, Miss Armadella, Potter, Miss Malfoy…" She kept going, but Jade stopped listening, and looked over to Lucy, a small smile on her face. She walked over, and sat down.

"Hi." She whispered.

"Hey," Lucy returned softly. "I've got some more information about Muerte."

"Oh?"

"He's one of Voldemort's old Death Eaters, one of the ones who went free. Supposedly, he wants to get revenge on the whole Potter clan, because of something that happened between your Dad and Him, a while ago." Jade nodded.

"Ok, I'll mention it to Dad in one of my letters." She replied.

***

"Look, here comes the mail!" Jade said in a delighted voice. She grabbed the letter from her Auntie 'Mione. A poisonous green envelope dropped down in front of Mel.

"That's odd," Mel said, "I wasn't expecting anything. She opened it up, and Jade went back to her letter.

'Dear Jadey,

Hi sweetheart, how are you? I'm quite fine, and so are my babies. I'm having twins! Yes, I have my notes from my first year of Hogwarts, and I'm so pleased to see that you're so interested in your academic future…'

Jade scanned the letter, and finally, on the fourth page, the babble about her education ceased, and her aunt moved onto the rest of her letter.

'…I'll be quite happy to send them to you. Yes, I'm afraid my first Transfiguration lesson was rather boring as well. We also only wrote notes. I hope you've recovered from your accident on your broom, I've always felt that brooms were rather dangerous…'

Once again, Jade skipped two pages of her aunt's letter.

'But enough about that. Yes, your cousin Sean is engaged. I'm told that Penny is delighted, although Percy wishes that Sean had waited until his career at the Ministry was established. He refuses to believe that Sean wants to be a magi-marine biologist, not the next Minister Of Magic. Poor boy. His girlfriend is a lovely African girl. Her name is Tamilia. She's very pretty, and very sweet. Gossip says that she's pregnant, but you know how that is.

Albus has retired to Antarctica? I never thought he was that odd. Although, he does say the weirdest things. Why I remember in my first year…'

Jade passed over the next bit, and sighed, Auntie 'Mione sure does like to talk. She thought with a sigh. Just as she was about to go back to her letter, a strangled sound from Mel stopped her. Jade looked over, and saw that her friend was fighting tears.

"Mel?" She asked gently. Mel pointed to the letter. Jade picked it up, and read it.

'MUDBLOODS AND MUGGLE-LOVERS WILL DIE! HOPE YOU DIDN'T LIKE YOUR FAMILY MUCH, WARREN. YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS ARE NEXT. HOPE YOU ENJOY MY GIFT

MUERTE'

Jade picked up the envelope, and tipped it up. Out came a few strands of hair, much the same colour as Mel's, and a bloodied finger. Mel fainted dead away, and Rowan Bark only just managed to catch her in time…

~*~

It was over the Christmas holidays that it happened. Emily had been playing dolls with Ami, when the door was blasted open. She looked up in surprise, and gulped, at the sight of the hooded, masked men.

"A Potter." One of them hissed. He grabbed her, and threw her against the wall. She yelped in pain. "Bidnili ropus." He jeered. Emily struggled against the ropes which suddenly bound her, but to no avail. She watched in horror, as Greg and Marie Facade were brought in, struggling vainly.

"Welcome, muggles." The same man mocked. "My name's Muerte." Emily froze in horror. This was the man who'd taken over for Voldemort! "Now, I guess you didn't realise that you'd taken Potters into your house, therefore, you were a target. You see, the Potters are witches and wizards, and by taking these three," Emily realised that one of the Death Eaters was holding the twins! "You have immediately volunteered to die. So, shall we begin? Crucio." Emily closed her eyes against the sight, but she couldn't block out the screams. They went on for what seemed like ages, but was probably only minutes. Emily could feel tears running down her face.

"Stop it." She whispered.

"Stop it? Did you just tell me to stop?" Muerte laughed. "Tsk, tsk, Miss Potter, you should never tell your elders what to do. I think you need to learn a little respect. And what better way than by the pain of someone else. Bring forward the child." Emily opened her eyes, to see Ami being dragged forward. Her parents were being restrained by two other Death Eaters.

"Leave Emily alone!" She shrieked.

"You are just as disobedient as your friend. Crucio." Emily closed her eyes again, but Ami's pain-filled screams shattered through her defences. She shook her head wildly.

"STOP IT!" She yelled. Suddenly, Ami stopped screaming. Emily opened her eyes, and retched. Ami was dead. She could tell. There was blood seeping out of her mouth and nose.

"Hmm, you have quite a bit of magic, there." Muerte taunted her. "And look what it did. You killed your best friend. And look, you've killed her parents too. You know what they say about Potters, though, anyone that gets close to them dies. Everyone knows that. Looks like you've taken up where your father left off."

"No, no, I didn't do that." Emily whispered, horrified.

"Yes, yes you did. You did it all. It's all your fault. If you hadn't been here, we wouldn't have been here either. Now, let's see, hmm, best make a clean job of it, I suppose. Next, we'll do your brother." He motioned for the Death Eater to bring forward Marc, and Emily struggled against the ropes, not noticing that they began to fray.

"No! Leave him be!" She yelled. The ropes snapped, and she leapt forward.

"Avada Kadavra." Muerte hissed.

Ooh, it looks like Muerte has begun to make a name for himself. Poor Melinda, her family's dead. L And what's going to happen to Emily?