"Molly? Alice?"

Calming herself, Cordelia hoped to have found her friends in their dormitory. They seemed to have disappeared.

"Cordelia? Are you there?"

A soft, wail came from under a bed. It was Alice, her long hair with its golden color dulled to brown. Tears were falling from her eyes.

"What's wrong Alice?" Cordelia asked, sitting beside her.

"It came…moments ago… My mother… she said he was proud… of me…"

Alice's half whispered words made no sense. Yet the paper she gave Cordelia explained everything.

'Dear Alice,

Your, father, Neville was a victim in several attacks on Thursday. He Who Must Not Be Named murdered him after your father rescued a hostage from an uncovered Death Eater hide out. I will send for you when the funeral date is set.

Love,

Mother'

It was tear-stained and short, all the more sorrowful.

"Your dad was such a great man. I'm sure he was glad to be a hero," Cordelia whispered into Alice.

Alice shot up, her eyes flashing.

"A hero! For how long? Five seconds and he was dead, Cordelia! His life was wasted!" She roared, unlike her innocent self.

Cordelia bit her lip and swept over to her trunk. She took a small traveling bag out and began stuffing small valuables into it. Alice let out a cry and thrust her hands out to try and separate the bag from Cordelia.

"It's too much. I'm leaving, Alice. You can't stop me!" she yelled.

Alice fell to the ground sobbing as Cordelia raced out, clutching her invisibility cloak.

Far from the gates, Cordelia shivered with fear. All she knew was the way to Voldemort's castle from what she saw through her blindfold. Even the broom she had left up in the Gryffindor Tower couldn't have carried her to it. Her only choice was to apparate to the place where she had been captured, Knockturn Alley.

Taking a deep breath, Cordelia apparated. It was so strange she couldn't describe the sensation. In seconds, she was far from the road near Hogwarts. Yet she wasn't in the dimly lit streets of Knockturn. Her new scenery was a gloomy, plain area with endless view of a moor.

Cordelia's breath became ragged as she started walking. What was she going to do? She was out in the middle of no where. Apparation wouldn't help her now.

"I heard something over there."

"Lupin, did you hear something?"

"I think Moody's right, Harry."

From the moment Cordelia heard the words, she knew who the persons were.

"Harry! Harry! Where are you!" She screamed, happily.

"Cordelia? Help me, Lupin!" Harry's voice cried.

An incantation was said and two lights loomed near her. Cordelia raced toward the lights and straight into Harry's arms.

"Harry, what have I done?" She whispered into Harry's ear.

Harry held her tight and Cordelia finally felt safe.

"Cordelia Granger. More trouble than Hermione ever was," Lupin said with a bark of a laugh.

Cordelia smiled in the gloom and followed Harry to a small hut like structure. It looked terribly dirty as did Harry and his companions. Harry long needed a good shave as well as Lupin. Their clothes, especially Moody's, needed cleaning.

"How did you get here?" Harry asked.

"I apparated. I thought I would end up in Knockturn Alley to tell you the truth!" Cordelia explained.

They spoke no more, since all knew magic hadn't worked right since Voldemort returned.

"I'm going for a walk."

Cordelia arose and stepped out of the hovel. The full moon had risen and the air was oddly stale. The environment around her was morbidly plain and the night sky was starless.

"Hurry back, Harry…" came Lupin's voice.

Cordelia turned and saw Harry had followed her. His eyes stared profoundly into hers, giving her chills.

"I just thought you needed company," he said sweetly.

Cordelia's smile was bleak and the curves of her lips barely reached her cheeks.

"I just wanted to walk and think a little…" she whispered.

They stood together, breathing silently, and suddenly from the distance, came a shriek of triumph.

"There, my lord!"

High in the air, a sinister shape was drawing closer to Cordelia. It swooped low toward her and arms flew from its wings. It was a large hippogriff with Lord Voldemort riding on its back. Arms grasped Cordelia's waist and swung her onto the hippogriff's back.

"Come, my love! We ride!" said Voldemort, deflecting Harry's spell.

Cordelia swung wand towards Voldemort's head. Her spell, Expliarmus, missed.

"You are with me my love!" Voldemort's triumphant voice cried, as he snatched her wand away.

Cordelia growled and scratch blindly at his head. Someone had placed a blindfold over her eyes.

"Master, I urge you to use her as bait for Harry Potter!" said the mysterious person, cold and envious.

"Quiet, Bella," Voldemort hissed.

Cordelia heard no more.