All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

Chapter Twenty-Seven: The First Fallen of the New War

Hermione Granger – Present Day

January 6, 2000

"How was your NEWT?" Hermione asked Draco, as they walked away from the Slytherin common room and made their way to the apparition point outside of the Hogwarts grounds.

"I thought it would be harder, actually," he answered. "Now I just have to do Muggle Studies on Monday and then I'm finally free!"

"That's wonderful!"

"Where are we going?" Draco asked her.

"Well, we are finished Hogwarts now and we need someone where to live, so I, uh, I've secured somewhere safe for us and I thought I would show you."

"Oh, where?"

"You'll see shortly," she answered. "I've made sure it's comfortable for you. You'll have a full wing to yourself and a house-elf so that you don't go hungry."

"Thanks," Draco said smiling. Hermione said nothing and instead silently side-apparated through four apparition points until they were finally outside of Krum's estate. "That's quite the house, Hermione," Draco said, skeptically. "Are those Quidditch goal posts in the back?" he asked, squinting to try and see them better. "Hermione, you hate Quidditch!" Hermione stayed quiet as she lead him through the front doors, up the stairs, and towards the west wing. She was incredibly grateful that Viktor had a Quidditch match and therefore wasn't at home.

"Well, here we are!" she said, opening the door to the west wing. They walked into a dimly lit sitting room, complete with a couch, a fireplace, a bookcase, and some sitting chairs. "Your bedroom is through there," she said, pointing towards a closed door. "And there's your toilets." She then turned to the other end of the sitting room. "There's a table and a little fridge for you, but the house-elf can bring you meals whenever you like. His name is Rango; all you have to do is call him."

"Where are we, Hermione?" Draco asked her.

"This is the west wing," she said. "It's your home until the Ministry finally let's you off."

"That's not what I meant. Where are we? Whose house is this?"

"I-I'm going to the kitchen for a drink, why don't you look around?" She made to close the door, but he stopped her.

"Is this Krum's house?"

Hermione took a deep breath. "Yes, it is, I have decided to live with him and he has been generous enough to provide this entire wing just for you."

"Generous? Hermione, tell me this is a joke!"

"Why would it be a joke?"

"That means you and Krum, you're… Hermione, no!"

"Excuse me?"

"Hermione, please!" Draco was begging. "Anywhere but here! Let's go to Potter's! Or I can purchase any home you'd like! Bloody hell, I'll even go to the Weasel's, but please, not Krum!"

"What is the problem with Viktor?" she asked, taken aback.

"Hermione, please! He doesn't care about you the way that I do! Please!"

"Draco, I-"

"I love you, Hermione, please don't do this, not him!"

Hermione did not know how to react at that moment; she made another move to close the door, but Draco stopped her. "Draco, stop! I am living here, as are you. and now I am going to get a drink!"

"Please…" he whispered. She closed the door without another word, and leaned against it. Tears were rolling down her cheeks, yet she couldn't explain why. Before she could try and clear her head, she felt her pocket grow hot. She pulled out her galleon and read a message from Neville:

Someone's hurt, get to the Order

Shaking, Hermione ran out the front door and started to make her way to Grimmauld Place, fear almost paralyzing her as she stood outside of number 12. Taking the deepest of breaths, she placed her hand on the handle and turned, terrified to find out who had been injured.

Harry Potter – Present Day

January 6, 2000

Harry watched as Order members arrived, feeling relieved as more people appeared. Neville had explained to him what had happened, and so they had called everyone back to determine who had been attacked. Nothing could have explained the joy Harry felt when he saw every Weasley arrive unscathed. The Weasleys, after all, were his family, and he could not fathom losing another member. Another huge weight was lifted off of his shoulders when he saw Hermione walk in as well. As the Order members started to fill the room, Harry wondered if Grindelwald had been lying, simply to remove all the guards from the places they were protecting. He relayed his fears to Ginny, but she did not agree.

"If there's one thing I've learned about Grindelwald, Harry, is that he means whatever he says. I hate to admit it, but I think he really did hurt someone." The room was buzzing with whispers at this point, as everyone was trying to determine who was missing. There were cries of happiness as Minerva McGonagall walked in, and even an applause when Kingsley Shacklebolt joined the group.

"Harry, I think everyone is here," said Hermione, looking down at a piece of paper. "All the people that were on duty today are here with us."

"Where's Fleur?" Harry asked, looking around.

"She's safe, Harry," answered Bill. "She was with me at our cottage when we received the galleon message; I told her to stay behind since she was watching Teddy. They are safe under my fidelius charm."

"Why is she watching Teddy?" asked Molly. "Where's Andromeda?"

"She doesn't have a galleon so she probably doesn't know that we are all meeting here," offered Hestia Jones.

"Yes, but why isn't she with Teddy?" Molly asked again.

"She's not on duty today," said Hermione, glancing at the list again.

Ron gasped. "She was supposed to go with Essa to talk to Magdalena's parents, and Essa isn't here either!"

"Ouch!" said Neville; he forgot that he was holding his galleon in his hand when it turned hot. "It's a message from Essa!" he shouted.

"What does it say?" asked Harry.

"Help!"

"It's them," said Harry, already withdrawing his wand. "Professor McGonagall, you, Kingsley, Angelina, and I will go first and go directly into the house. Neville, you and Luna stand guard outside of it. Hermione, you and Hestia go to St. Mungo's and wait; we may have to bring them there. The rest of you stay here, we will be in touch."

"Harry, I'm going with you," said Ron.

"No, you're not, Ron. All Weasleys are to stay put."

"I'm coming, Harry, and I'm not fighting about it, either. Let's go!"

Minerva McGonagall – Present Day

January 6, 2000

After receiving the apparition points from Harry, Minerva arrived at the home of Magdalena's parents at roughly the same time as everyone else. Silently, Harry nodded to the group, and those designated to enter the house did so very cautiously. Harry, Kingsley, and Ron searched the bottom floor while Minerva and Angelina made their way to the staircase. Before they could ascend the stairs, however, they heard a small whisper from Kingsley behind them.

"This must be her parents," he whispered, standing over two bodies that were laying in the corner.

"Kingsley, are they-?"

"I think so," Kingsley said sadly. "There is blood around their heads. We can test it to be certain of course, but this was not Abracadabra."

"Avada Kedavra?" Harry asked quietly. Kingsley nodded. Sighing, Minerva placed her hand on Angelina's shoulder, silently indicating that they should make their way upstairs. As they reached the upper landing, Minerva had heard her before she saw her. Andromeda was laying on the ground, bleeding heavily. Minerva rushed to her side and shushed her as she tried to speak.

"Shh, easy now, it's going to be alright."

"Min… Erv… A… Ess… A…"

"Shh, I know. Ms. Johnson!" Minerva called out. "You and Mr. Weasley come here, quickly! Andromeda needs to be escorted to St. Mungo's immediately!" She stepped aside to allow them to lift Andromeda and carry her down the stairs. She had called out to Angelina since the girl was right there with her, but she had specifically chosen Ron to leave, so that he did not have to witness the scene that lay a few metres away, hidden in the shadows. Anger building inside of her, Minerva walked over to the dark corner and forced herself to look upon the body of Essa Delacour, where dead, scared eyes stared back at her.

"Oh no," came Harry's voice from behind her. "Is she-?"

"Yes, Potter, I am afraid so." She bent down and gently closed Essa's eyes.

"Is there a way to tell? Just to be certain?" Harry asked her. Without replying, Minerva bent down and attempted to draw blood from Essa. Instantly, blood started to flow out of the fresh wound that Minerva had inflicted.

"If she had been put under the Abracadabra curse, she would have been empty," she told Harry. "I am terribly sorry to confirm that Ms. Delacour is no longer with us."

"What do we do now, Professor?"

She looked into his sad eyes and frowned. He had to endure so much at his young age and she feared that it was only the beginning for him. "We must contact her family," she said. "Go back to the Order and speak to Bill Weasley privately. He will need to go inform his wife, who will in turn inform her family."

"What about Magdalena's parents? And Essa's…"

"Kingsley and I will deal with it; Take Neville and Luna back with you." Harry had obeyed, and soon it was just Kingsley and Minerva left at the little house. She felt Kingsley approach her and she dropped her gaze.

"How many are we going to lose this time?" she asked sadly.

He put his arm around her shoulders. "Too many, I am afraid, Minerva."

Sirius Black – The Past

October 29, 1981

"I wish I had better news for you, James, but the truth is that we really aren't close at all! Voldemort and his Death Eaters have control over everything. The giants, the dementors, the bloody Ministry…"

James swore loudly. "I can't keep Lily and Harry locked up here forever, Padfoot! This isn't a life for my wife and kids!"

"The Order is doing everything they can, Prongs. We'll get him, I promise you that." Sirius winced as he leaned back into his chair.

"Sirius, what's wrong?" asked Lily, walking into the room with a tray of tea.

"It's nothing, Lily," he said, slouching the other way as she approached him.

"It is not nothing, Sirius Black! Let me see!" She forcibly threw him back and lifted his shirt to reveal a large gash in his side. "Sirius! Who did this? This needs to be mended!"

"Relax, Lily, I'm fine!" he answered, lowering his shirt.

"Padfoot, who did this to you, mate?" James asked his best friend.

Sighing, Sirius answered his best friend. "Death Eaters. I ran into a pack of them the other day." Noting the looks on his friends' faces, he added, "they look worse, believe me."

Lily knelt beside him and lifted his shirt again. "What curse is this? I don't recognize it."

"I've never heard it before; Rookwood casted it but he missed so it only grazed me."

"Only grazed you?" James repeated. "I would hate to see the outcome if it met you full on."

"I saw it; there was a muggle nearby and he used the curse on him. It cut him all up and there was blood pouring everywhere. It was like he threw a bunch of sharp blades."

Sirius felt Lily tense up beside him. "What did Rookwood say when he casted it, do you remember?"

"Nothing I've ever heard before. It sounded like sector central or something."

Lily gasped. "Sectumsempra," she whispered.

"Yes, that!" said Sirius. "How do you know that spell?"

Lily turned her head and was quiet for awhile. James walked up to her and placed an arm around her. "Lily?"

With tears in her eyes, she turned towards Sirius. "Severus created that spell," she said sadly.

"I should have known Snevillus had something to do with it. So, he went around Hogwarts making murderous spells, did he?"

James gave Sirius a warning look, then turned to his wife. "It's fine, love, Sirius is okay."

"But he could have been hurt, James, or killed! Why were you even near Rookwood anyway, Sirius?"

"Four of them came after me, probably looking for information on the Order."

"Or information on us!" Lily said, terrified.

"Either way, doesn't matter, does it? They would have to kill me because I'll never give it up."

"But they will kill you, Sirius! Severus would have told Voldemort how close you and James are; they are going to target you!"

"She's right, Pads, maybe you being secret-keeper isn't such a good idea."

"Even if I wasn't the secret-keeper, they are going to assume I was anyway, so I'm targeted regardless."

"That may be true, but if they perform legilimens on you, they won't be able to find us if you aren't the secret-keeper."

Sirius considered this for awhile. "Wormtail," he finally said. "Voldemort would never suspect him, they'll think him too weak!"

"I never thought about Wormtail…" James said, thinking.

"You think he would do it, James? And keep quiet?"

"Peter is one of my best friends, Lily. I trust him with my life; he would never betray me."

"I'll go find him," said Sirius, standing up. "I don't know why we never thought about this before."

"Where is he?" Lily asked.

"At Headquarters," answered Sirius. "He's too afraid to leave; he only goes out when he must."

"That's even better for us," Lily said. "The more he is hidden, the safer he is."

"I'll go now," he said, standing up. "When I get back, I want that quality time with my Godson; babies sleep way too much." With a laugh, Sirius left and made his way back to Headquarters, eager to make Wormtail secret-keeper and secure his friends' safety.

Author's Notes: Well, there you have it, our first victim. I'm sorry to say that there will be more, but a great story requires twists and unexpected occurrences. If everyone lived, it would be much too predictable and boring. This was a shorter chapter, but I good one, I think. I included the scene with Sirius because I wanted to explain why Sirius decided to switch secret-keepers. We know from Rowling's story that it was Sirius' idea, but I did not want it to seem that Sirius was a coward or chickened out, and so I thought up this idea and I'm pretty happy with it! (PS.. Keep your eye out for more Snape/Lily flashbacks!)

The next chapter isn't as shocking, however it is an important one, with a big bang towards the end! It is followed by a flashback from Harry, particularly the remaining scene of Fred's funeral that we have yet to see.

Please leave your reviews, I enjoy reading them! Thanks as always!