I AM SO SO SO SORRY.

Its been so long since I have written and updated and I apologize. I have been too busy in school, what with the midterms and finals so close together… All my research papers were due at the same time, leaving me with no moment to continue with my fiction. Not to worry though… I have not forgotten all the marvelous people who have emailed me and asked when I will update. Your enthusiasm is amazing.

Good news is that classes have ended, leaving me with more time to write. Hope you enjoy this one. Cliffhanger at the end so watch out.

READ AND REVIEW, TOO. PLEASE.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

THE PHOENIX SONG

"Incarcerous!" said Bellatrix, her eyes set deep within her face, shadowed by the darkness of the Riddle house. "You will be dead soon, just like your friend Alastor."

Ropes appeared out of thin air and started to wrap around Lupin, covering almost every inch of his thin, bony frame. He struggled but to no use. The ropes dug tighter to the point of which he almost could not breathe. Drawing short, quick breaths, he looked at Bella's eyes in the most angry way he could muster, unable to talk because one of the ropes was in his mouth, shutting it.

All he could do was look at the floor, at a lifeless figure, at a close comrade who died for the sake of the greater good. Alastor "Mad-Eye"Moody has given his life in the service of the Order of the Phoenix, in the service of all the wizards of the wizarding world. There he was, Moody, his eyes lifeless and unmoving. Even his magic eye didn't swivel. Staring at Moody's limp body, Lupin then closed his eyes and apologized to Mad-Eye silently in his heart. He said sorry for not being able to protect his friend from death.

"Locomotor Remus" said Bella, her wand twirling in the air gaily as though she was having the time of her life. She then walked, with her wand still twirling in the air, and looked forward, smiling.

The whole, immobile body of Lupin floated horizontally in the air and was now moving along Bella's wake. Bellatrix, whose good fortune of presenting her master with one of the integral Order members, was filled with exuberance.

"I wonder what the master will give me," said Bella as they approached the set of stairs that led up to the upper levels of the manor. "Haha, I hope it's something better than that metallic hand Wormtail's got. Maybe he'd make me higher in ranking than the other Death Eaters. I mean I did capture Remus Lupin, the werewolf bent on trying to sway the other werewolves against us Death Eaters. I can't wait!"

Lupin did nothing for he simply could not. He was floating, his front side facing the ceiling, and all he could do was look around, trying to memorize the place for his escape later. He saw the old, dusty banisters as they ascended the stairs. The ceiling was ornate with a beautiful chandelier, still gleaming amidst the thick layer of dust. The walls were adorned with portraits of the Riddle children beautified within rusty frames. The peeling wallpaper was fading but still had the marks of its former glory.

Finally, after around five set of stairs, Bella stopped. She ceased flicking her wand, halting the locomotor charm and causing Lupin to drop abruptly to the floor, sending a cloud of dust around his face. After coughing, Lupin looked around. They were in a dark hallway leading to a room. He looked to his left, the wall opposite the banister, and saw a skeleton laying on the ground, still clothed. This image sent chills to him. Was this the old muggle caretaker who used to tend to the manor?

Lupin then realized that Bella has left him and was walking towards a door. He saw her talking to someone but this someone was blocked by the door. It was an ominous sight, something out of a movie, something unreal. All he could do was strain his ear and listen to the ensuing conversation between Bellatrix and this other hidden person.

"Lupin is here, your Excellency," said Bella. "We caught him along with Alastor Moody, the former Auror. Alastor was killed though," Her voice seemed drastically different from when she spoke to Lupin and Moody. Her tone became submissive, almost fearful. The hint of dementedness was gone and was replaced with complete respect to the one she was talking to.

"Ahh, excellent," hissed the male, almost inhuman voice. "Why were they here though?"

"They were trying to get the Horcrux, master. From one of your muggle followers."

"Of course, they wish to get the parts of my soul. And did he manage to get it?"

"Yes, your grace," she said. "But not to worry, I will get it from him. He is now tied outside of this room as we speak."

"Marvelous, Bella. If I think of it, he is now exactly where that old caretaker of my filthy muggle father used to stand before death. That Frank Bryce character. Well, like him, Remus will have to die in my hands."

Lupin knew who Bellatrix Lestrange was conversing with. Lord Voldemort. He had to find a way to escape or else he would be killed by the Dark Lord himself. He started to struggle but to no avail, only causing the ropes to dig in and bruise his skin. The ropes were too tightly bound. He felt panic now as beads of sweat started to form on his temples. He wriggled harder but still, he was bound tight.

He looked towards the Voldemort's room and saw Bella bowing, ready to go out from the room to fetch him. He knew he had to get out and escape quicker. His mind raced. He searched his brain for every possible way of escaping, he even tried disapparition but the manor was magically prohibiting him from doing so.

He saw Bella turning towards the door and was now starting to walk out of Voldemort's room. She was a mere ten steps away from him. He had to think of a way faster. How he wished Moody was alive. Moody would save him, but he was not. He was alone. He was alone with nothing to do, like a dog cornered by the dog catcher. All hope was lost.

Lupin was beginning to lose the will to live. Is this how everything was to end for him? He was starting to accept his fate, his destiny to die right then and there. He rested his mind, now not frantically searching for a means of escape. His body relaxed, not struggling to fight the ropes that tied him down. He was submitting himself to the final liberation: death. Maybe dying in this floor, beside Frank Bryce, in the darkness, was his ultimate fate.

Just then, as Bella was 5 steps away from him, he felt something. He felt a sensation so peculiar yet beautiful: as though it was giving him chills yet was drowning him in strength and hope. He heard something only he could hear at that moment. A song, a song that was now filling his body with energy. Every bit of him was brimming with strength, like a car being refilled with fuel. All he could see in his vision was this beautiful light embracing him and warming his heart and body. He was hearing the phoenix's song.

"Thanks Albus," whispered Lupin, now full of fervor. He knew he had his wand right by his back pocket. All he had to do was to say a spell to set him free. How? Wizards, if they concentrated enough, were able to cast spells with their wands not directly touching their hands. Lupin closed his eyes and concentrated.

The thought of dying here alongside Frank was out of the question. It was not an option. He mustered every bit of his being towards the spell in which his life depended on. He kept his eyes shut, remembering how Dumbledore used to do spells with his wand on the table out of reach. Even Voldemort does it. It was the time to do it himself. With every particle of his bound body in full concentration, he performed a spell.

"EVANSESCO!" he thought strongly yet without a sound nor a movement of his mouth. A non-verbal spell—something that will be in his advantage as to not alert anyone but Bella, who has stopped in her tracks in shock while she witnessed the ropes that bound Lupin disappearing into thin air.

Once the ropes have vanished, he stood up, making the dust on top of the floor to rise. He had no time to cough and mind the dust and so, he made a run for it. His feet immediately moved, turning him around towards the stairs.

As he ran, he pointed his wand towards Bella and shouted "Stupefy!" A red beam spurted out of his wand tip and shot straight to Bella but unfortunately, she successfully blocked it with Protego.

"Oh no you don't!" hissed Bella maliciously, with her wand at the ready. "Crucio!"

Lupin heaved his body to one side, narrowly missing Lestrange's spell, but causing him to get off-balanced on the stair steps. His body started to fall, collapsing towards the floor, rolling down the next four sets of stairs. Bump, bump. His body was getting a good beating as he fell and rolled step after step, hit after hit. He just closed his eyes withstood the pain as he heard parts of his body crack here and there. "No matter," he thought to himself. "This is nothing to what Moody has been through. To be killed like that, helpless, cheated."

Now alerted by all the noise caused by Lupin's disastrous fall, the other Death Eaters emerged. Lupin stood up after he landed on the ground floor and saw that everyone was there except Voldemort. Even Lucius Malfoy was present.

"Lupin, the werewolf, what a pleasure to see you," said Lucius, his blonde hair glistening amidst the moonlight. He stepped closer to Lupin, who was standing transfixed, clearly outnumbered.

"Lucius," whispered Lupin, his body and hair askew, in pain. He tried to take a step far from Lucius but felt a sharp pain in his right leg. It was broken from rolling down the stairs. He was limp and helpless with five Death Eaters surrounding him.

"Ahh," said a female voice emerging from the stairs above. It was Bella. "Thought you have escaped. I see you've met everyone. Party time."

Lupin looked up at her, his mouth twisting in pain from his fractured leg. He inhaled a deep breath and by instinct, touched his pant pocket.

Alas! Where was Hufflepuff's Cup? He distinctly remembered placing it in his pocket. He looked around subtly as to not get the attention of the Death Eaters and found it right behind the right foot of Malfoy, who did not know that the precious Horcrux was so close. The golden cup was tilted on the floor, glinting in the darkness, weakly, just as weak as Lupin's chance of escape is.

The next events happened so quickly Lupin didn't even know how he managed to do it all. As heeyed the other Death Eaters, their murderous glances and stares taking him down, his body twitched for action. It was as though an ignition key was turned and that the engine of his body was ready for a long journey. He was starting to feel a rush, a sweat rush of energy.

His arm lifted from his side, wand on grasp, and waved it, shouting "Accio Cup!"

The glinting cup levitated for a split-second and zoomed towards Lupin, as well as a barrage of spells from the Death Eaters.

Green flashes zoomed simoultaneously from the Death Eaters' wands, speeding towards Lupin mercilessly, ready to cause sudden death. Strangely, Lupin knew what to do as he raised his wand, a spell formed in his mind.

"Protego!" screamed Lupin, causing a Sheild Charm to protect him from the succeeding stream of spells and curses. He sprinted out of the hallway as fast as his legs could take him, constantly casting the Protego Charm for defense.

The cup was in his hand, glinting against the darkness of the house. Footsteps echoed behind Lupin as he ran for his life, turning left towards the unused kitchen. The Death Eaters, he knew, were at his tail although he did not dare to look back. He did not have to because all he had to do was to keep his mind focused on running and getting out of the Riddle House, out of harm's way.

"Crucio!" screamed Lucius as Lupin turned around the corner towards the rubble-filled living room. A jet stream of light spurted out of Malfoy's wand tip, narrowly avoided by Lupin. "Remus, fight like a man and don't run away like a coward!"

Lupin did not reply as he was now racing through the room used for keeping various boxes: the storage room from which he and Moody entered. He was far from the other Death Eater for he was near the exit of the manor. His breath was short and shallow yet quick. His broken leg, surprisingly, did not cause him pain, allowing him to run. His sweat was still beading at his forehead but now not out of fear of death but an anticipation for escape and safety. With a few more big steps, he reached the exit door, yanked it open, and went out.

Now outside the enchantment that made apparition impossible, he stood at the grassy, overgrown lawn, and with a crack, disappeared. His heart leaped with joy, joy for retaining his life and escaping. Joy for getting the final Horcrux.

He appeared just outside the Weasley's house, panting heavily and breathlessly. He stooped down for a minute, trying to catch his breath, his arm wiping sweat off his forehead. Without warning, he collapsed on the floor. The throbbing pain of his right leg seemed to have returned.

"Oh, the adrenaline rush has gone," whispered Lupin to himself, explaining the sudden absence of pain while he ran for his life a mere few minutes ago. The joy he felt from his escape was quickly doused down by a sudden shower of sorrow. Heentered the Riddle House a few hours ago with Moody and exited only by himself. Moody was gone. The time for mourning has begun, leaving him helpless against the guilt that started to eat through his heart.

He crawled slowly through the grass, causing scratches on his bare arms, until he reached the Weasley's front doorstep. He heaved his body on the wall of the house and tried to stand, balancing on his unbroken leg, and knocked on the door, looking forward to handingthe Orderhis victory, a victory that caused Moody's life,the whole ofthe WizardingWorld'svictory: the successful acquisition of the final external fragment of Voldemort's soul.

END OF CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR