Disclaimer: I own nothing harry Potterish

Thanks to: Ceyxa, Risi, Paula and Pi (for chapter 21)

A.N. Sirius is by no means forgiven. They are just going to be civil at first, cos of Amaya. Remus is going to make Sirius grovel, a lot.Trust will come eventually, but Sirius will have to work hard for it. I'm sorry that my last chapter was not up to my usual standards. o.k., i'll admit it, it was crap. I just didn't realise how much. I just had a picture of a nice afternoon with the three of them and, yeah enough excuses. I'm sorry. When I get chance, I'll change it.

To pi, I'm not getting rid of Sirius because A) I like him, he's an interesting character and B) he's still important to the story.

To Dante Lewis: this chapters for you hun cos you are my 200th reviewer.

To x.crimeofpassion.x: I'm glad that you like the plot. Its good to know. I'm sorry that you think that Amaya is a terrible Mary Sue especially as i was trying to make not to make her one. As for my characters, well Hermione doesn't bungle wand movements ordinarily, but due to the bubotuber pus her fingers were swollen, so she wouldn't have got it right. Also,i know that the Weasleys are a love everyone family, but I'm getting tired of reading that and i don't suspect that I'm the only one. Anyway, it is AU, so in this universe, pretend that Hermione and Ginny are prejudiced. Or if you like, imagine that they are jealous of how Amaya always has Harry's attentions.

Sorry that this has taken so long to update. It was ready for upload on Friday, but because chapter 18 'Authoress' Indecision' was an infringement of upload rules, I was banned until today. Sorry. That's why chapter 23 may not have loaded, cos chapter 18 got deleted and everything moved up.

Yeah, hope this chapter is better than my first.

Draco's thoughts

Enjoy:


Dropping onto the stone bench, Amaya flexed her sore fingers. Half listening to Pansy as she spoke excitedly about the newest boy group to hit the WWN (Wizarding Wireless Network), she reflected upon her potions class where she worked next to Millicent, who turned out to have a surprising skill at potions. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Draco as he spoke angrily to some burly seventh years that were standing in a rough semi-circle around him. Her nose twitched at the elusive stab of anger she felt make its faint way to her senses. Shaking her head, she tried to concentrate on what Pansy was saying, but failed as another jolt of pain ran down her hand. Hermione's fingers were still swollen, albeit only slightly but she accidentally put too much armadillo bile in the Draught of Peace she was making, botching her very first potion in Snape's class since she arrived at Hogwarts, causing Snape to smirk in pleasure. The only downside was that when the cauldron exploded, Amaya who was working on a table next to her was splashed. The redness and itchy scabbing had died down now thankfully. The sores had healed remarkably quickly. Snape had looked surprised when he examined her hand, before nodding with approval at the potion she was making.

Theodore Nott was complaining over the cold and why they had to stand outside during their break, but Amaya, having spent so much time outdoors, thought the weather mild. She was enjoying the fresh air while she could before the storm that she could sense on the wind arrived. Since turning sixteen, she had noticed her senses becoming more attuned. She could almost taste the upcoming rainfall on the air, the dampness running tendrils across her face. She could also sometimes sense people's mood, particularly when directed at her. Ginny's was like falling into a cactus or rose bush, spikes of jealousy prodding her relentlessly. Pansy and Millicent emitted waves of liking, which Amaya was glad to feel, comforting those spike wounds. Draco was a mixture, of liking, annoyance, amusement and something more that made Amaya's nose twitch and wrinkle in surprise. Looking directly at him now, she saw him sigh in resignation and nod reluctantly before one of the taller men shoved him roughly into the wall. With a silent snarl she stood, and marched over to them. Seeing her approach they halted whatever they were saying and looked down on her. Draco tried not to rub his shoulder.

'What do you think you are doing?' squaring her shoulders, Amaya folded her arms and readied herself for an argument.

'What's it to you?' one spoke aggressively, looming over her, pock marked face carrying a sneer. The other taller students were like older versions of Crabbe and Goyle; one was broad and muscular, massaging his knuckles meaningfully. The other had a thin, mean face. Amaya arched her eyebrow at the attempt to intimidate her.

'He's my boyfriend that's who.' Draco groaned. Dammit Amaya, I hadn't told Father about you. Now he'll know and want to meet you. 'Now back off.' Amaya flared at their mocking laughter.

It was Pock Marked who spoke to her with the confidence of someone used to getting his own way. 'Listen pixie, our little chat was between grown men. Nothing for you to worry your pretty little head over.' Amaya snorted. 'Now go and join your little friends,' he gestured to where Pansy and Millicent were stood staring at them, 'and go amuse that pretty, empty head of yours with make up talk and new shoes.' He added before kissing her lightly on the mouth. Enraged, Amaya stepped forward, grabbed hold of his penis and yanked hard.

'Now I don't know who you think you are, but you DO NOT talk to me like that.' She punctuated her words with sharp tugs as his eyes rolled back into his cratered face. 'Now, take your moronic cronies and crawl back under whatever stone you came from.' Letting go, she kneed him in his already tender area. Bending close to his ear, she muttered 'That's for shoving him into the wall.' Nodding her head with a satisfied smile, she yelped as Draco dragged her away.

'What in Merlin's name do you think you are doing?' he hissed 'Do you have any idea who they are?'

'Yeah.' Amaya retorted angrily, 'Idiots who think they can push younger and smaller people around. Well they can't. Anyway, what were you doing letting them? What's wrong with you?

'Nothing's wrong with me.'

'You're not acting like it. You were gone for a few days, I didn't know where and I was worried. You haven't been the same since. You snap at people, you ignore me. What's your Father made you do now?' Her statement was so close to the truth that Draco panicked.

'There is nothing wrong.' Draco yelled. Thunder rumbled ominously overhead.

'You're not acting like it.' Amaya shouted back, 'I'm your girlfriend dammit. Tell me what's wrong.'

Draco's temper snapped. 'I'll tell you what you are. You're…' But what she was, Amaya never got to hear as a terrified scream behind them cut off their furious argument. Whirling, their faces drained as wave upon wave of Death Eaters cascaded through the gates and into the grounds, raining curses upon students as the went.

Snapping out her trance, Amaya shrieked at her friends to join her as she began to herd younger students inside, and into the safety of the Great Hall. The first few tell tale drops of rain began to fall. Looking back, she saw Draco sprinting off in the opposite direction. Screaming his name between spells, Amaya called to him, but he kept on running, until his robe whipped out of sight around the building. The doors crashed open as teachers who were preparing for their next lesson and Remus who was staying to be close to Amaya spilled out and began duelling the Death Eaters. Amaya hardly noticed as groups of first years, under the cover of spells from Madame Pomphrey and Professor Sinistra ran inside. Instead she focused on clusters of first and second years valiantly trying to hold off their attackers with the limited spells they had learnt. The thunder drowned out her furious scream and lightening danced from her hands as her magic leaped beyond her control. Fat heavy droplets of rain peppered her skin as her temper made strips of lawn ripple and send Death Eaters flying. Thanking her Papa for her tuition, she sent hexes at the remaining masked attackers and gestured to the remaining students to run inside. Levitation charms moved the unconscious into the safety of the hall. The gates crashed open once more as men and women swamped into the grounds led by a dark skinned man she didn't recognise, with purple stripes on the sleeves of his white robes, James with blue, and Sirius with green. With them were also men and women in scarlet, with flames wreathed on their arms, including Lily.

James, Sirius and the dark skinned man led their squadrons into a three-pronged formation, arcing round the Death Eaters. The masked figures, attention divided four ways began to feel the weight of the curses as figure after white masked figure fell to curses. Glancing over to the left, Amaya saw with grudging admiration, the skill with which Harry held up in his fight with several masked Death Eaters, often as not duelling with those fighting Hermione and Ron as well as his own assailants. A jet of red light took out Hermione, and Ron fell with a howl to a jet of purple, which slashed, across his chest. Distracted by the falling of his friends, Harry didn't have time to dodge the cruciatus. He writhed screaming on the floor, yells increasing in volume as a second and a third were placed on him. In her rage, Amaya sent out balls of scorching fire into the faces of his attackers. Lightening from her fingers connected with the wet robes the rest were wearing and shocked them. Standing on shaking legs, Harry nodded at her before hurling himself on Death Eaters who were attacking beleaguered Order members, including Lily, who were steering remaining students into the sanctuary of the school.

The air resonated with screams, hexes and bloodshed as masked Death Eaters fought grim faced Aurors. James and Sirius stood back-to-back, bellowing curses and felling attackers with each spell, fired in rapid succession. Wiping blood from a cut above her eye, Amaya spat out a mixture of curses, jinxes and spells as soon as they touched her tongue and combined with the spells emerging from the senior students, they dealt out chaos in giant sized doses as a storm raged over their heads.

Lightening forked and danced, white-hot bolts of death that cut through the black clouds echoed by deafening thunder. Slytherins stood undecided, some fighting for their school and the light, others for the Death Eaters, battling alongside who could be safely assumed to be their parents. The tide was turning on the Death Eaters as more and more of them fell. Still battling, Amaya and other students began to back into the hall as Order members gave them cover. As they walked backwards to the school, Amaya saw prone bodies of the dead, many of them young students, lying immobile on the ground. Filthy curses spewed from her mouth at the thought of the dead, much to the surprise of Harry who stood at her side. Reaching the shelter of the hall, Amaya shook herself vigorously. Lightening hit the sky again, and she saw a small figure run past, Death Eater hot on her trail. Ignoring the shouts, she ran out to help.

Pelted by the rain, and buffeted by the winds that howled around the Astronomy Tower Amaya ran toward the Death Eater. The storm had ripped his mask away and as lightening lit up the sky, Amaya saw that it was Pock-Marked who was leering and advancing upon the small girl, wet pig tails dripping down her back as she pressed herself into the tower wall. The ground beneath his feet swelled and rippled sending him flying into a large tree, a stately oak with its rots spread wide in defiance of the elements. He impacted with a satisfying thud.

Lightening hit the top of the Tower. The pig-tailed girl froze as the brick crunched ominously before the top section broke off and fell to earth. Amaya, seeing, the danger dove at her and knocked her aside. The girl bumped to the floor in indignation just as the roof impacted with a loud squelch.

The Death Eaters had fled. The arrival of the Aurors and the students who battled had severely depleted Voldemort's numbers. People trudged toward the school, stretchers floating ahead of them. Lily pulled away from her husband, to walk over to her tawny haired friend.

'Remus? Aren't you coming inside?'

'In a minute, I just want to check that everyone's inside. That there is no one left out.' Nodding, the weary and shivering adults made their way inside.

Remus looked around, quickly scanning the grounds with his sharp eyes to see if any one was left. Finding no one, he turned to enter and find his daughter when a figure caught his peripheral vision. Near to the fallen tower, stood a small figure. Feeling of foreboding increasing, Remus sloshed across the drenched lawn, soaked trousers becoming sodden.

'You should be inside.' Remus spoke to a young pig-tailed girl who were standing ankle deep in a puddle. She turned to look up at him, with wide haunted eyes before returning them to the rubble. Remus eyes followed hers before he crumpled, heart in his throat beating harshly against his Adam's apple as he crawled toward the stone. Hand out stretched and fingers trembling, he touched a few strands of damp dark gold where they rested against wet slate.


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