As the afternoon advanced, a few Order members came to the Marauder's lair, but looking at them, it was obvious that they weren't there for a party, but to be ready to leave at the first warning of an attack. Bill was there, along with his girlfriend Fleur who was happy to see Harry again. She hadn't known Rose well for the time they had shared at Beaubaton, but she was nice to her anyway. She was planning on joining the fight.

Fred and George wanted to join the fight tonight, because they were adults now, but their parents refused to let them go. Sirius is the one who convinced them to stay.

"We think this is a safe place, but if we're wrong and they manage to come here, we need more capable wands to fight, defend everyone. You wouldn't want to leave your sister, your brother or even Rose alone here, would you?" Sirius had asked them and he knew that, with this argument, he had convinced Fred.

"Using their little sister and Fred's girlfriend against them was very Slytherin of you, Sirius." Narcissa whispered in her cousin's ear with a smirk.

"Well, it's in my blood, the Sorting Hat did hesitate a bit before he sent me to Gryffindor." Sirius replied.

"You don't think they'll find this house though, do you?" She asked him, a bit worried.

"Of course not, don't worry. You and Draco will be safe and Voldemort will still think you're hidden away while Draco plays his role." Sirius reassured her.

"I worry so much about him... If something happened to me... Who would take care of him? Lucius would never switch sides and I don't want my son near him anymore." She whispered.

"Don't worry Cissy. Nothing will happen to you and if something does, I promise you, I won't let Lucius get his hands on Draco once more. We'll protect him, hide him even, if we have to." Sirius promised his cousin who smiled at him, nodded and gave him a small kiss on his cheek.

They all tried to pretend that this was a normal birthday party. They ate cake, sang songs, opened presents, played games, laughed... Everything seemed fine but if you looked close enough, you'd see the adults looking at the clock often.

When 6pm and 7pm passed without any warning of a fight anywhere, they were more tense than ever, wondering if they had been wrong to think they were safe when, suddenly, at 8:30pm a ghostly phoenix, Albus Dumbledore's Patronus, appeared and spoke with the old man's voice.

"They're attacking Azkaban, the Goblins are out because of some potion. We need reinforcement as soon as possible, the Aurors aren't enough. They have dementors too."

Everyone moved quickly.

They were prepared.

Sirius had warned Harry and Rose that if it happened, there would be no time for goodbyes. One nod to the ones who'd stay behind and they were all gone. Fred, George and Narcissa were the only adults left in the house along with the kids and Kreacher.

As he left, Sirius noticed that Kreacher went to stand by the door, keeping watch. This old House elf had truly changed. He was happy to serve them now, determined to keep them safe if he could.

.

"I'm surrounded by idiots." Voldemort said to Nagini as he watched his Death Eaters trying to organise themselves to start the attack in such a chaos that they had to delay themselves.

"Come with us tonight Nagini, you'll help keep them in check." Voldemort added to his snake who agreed.

They were already 1 hour late on their schedule because the potion to put the Goblins to sleep that Nott had make was still in the cauldron, instead of the thin glass vials Voldemort had demanded so they could break them with more ease. Now, they were stupid enough to mistake right and left. Couldn't they understand that when their leader said "go right" it meant HIS right, and not theirs?

Finally, after a few well deserved cruciatus curses, a little after 8, they finally arrived at the prison and they could start their attack. The deep and cold river surrounding the fortress had been a challenge, but it was solved quickly. Some of them swam, other flew, and others used boats. All concealed with different charms.

The dementors had come, like they had promised, and they were trying to distract the wizards while the Death Eaters broke the doors and put the goblins to sleep.

"One of them sent a Patronus away! They're getting reinforcements!" Nott screamed.

"It doesn't matter! Find my followers and break them out of here!" Voldemort ordered before he sent a death curse on a human guard that was already fighting someone else.

On the way, he grabbed the guard's wand. His followers would need wands since the new law was that all the wands from convicted Death Eaters would be locked at the Ministry, somewhere his spies hadn't been able to locate yet.

The Dark Lord had appointed himself with a special mission. While his followers were broken out, he'd do some recruiting. Already, as he walked, he could hear some prisoners begging to be let out, promising allegiance to him. He didn't waste any time on them, his Death-Eaters would take care of freeing them. He needed to recruit someone more important.

Two trolls guarded another door, a strong enough curse and they were down. Then, here she was. Jenny Collins.

"You?" She asked in a raspy voice, wondering if she was dreaming.

"I was under the impression that you'd like to help me rid the world of Rose Potter and her brother." He declared, scanning her mind as he did.

She was half crazy, he realized, like Bellatrix, without the need to torture people. He'd be able to use this to his advantage.

"I would, yes." She nodded nervously.

"No need to be nervous, if you truly want to help us out, and I can see in your mind that you do, then you'll find your place among my followers." He told her, opening the door of her jail while they could hear curses and spells all around them.

"The little bitch ruined my life, I want to destroy hers and everything and everyone she loves. I'll do anything to achieve that." Jenny vowed.

"Then welcome among my followers." He said, handing her the guard's wand.

He guided her back through the corridors and she tested her wand by using a stupefix against an Auror.

"Is it working well for you?" he asked her.

He did his best to speak to her as kindly as he could, he needed her to not be afraid of him, he needed her to want to help him on her own. Maybe she'd agree to help him with his special plan, she could replace Bellatrix.

"It's not as perfect as the one they took from me, but it'll do the job." She smiled.

"Dumbledore is here! So is the Order!" Someone screamed and soon, Voldemort had to jump back in the fight.

"Try not to die, will you? I have special plans for you. As soon as you can, go to Malfoy Manor. We'll all meet there. Decline your identity and the doors will open for you. Or better yet, find a Death Eater and tag along with them." Voldemort ordered Jenny before he walked faster.

As the fight raged all over the jail, patronus fighting Dementors, curses of all kinds crossing each others, it became obvious that all the doors of the cells of the prison had now been opened and it was chaos. The escapees had stolen wands from unconscious wizards but they still didn't have enough.

Sirius was fighting hard the Lestrange brothers who wanted revenge for Bellatrix' death and he was barely holding on when Remus joined him. The fight was even once more but Tonks arrived, running after Peter Pettigrow. The rat hadn't been able to find a wand yet and a spell had been place on him, which prevented him from changing to his animal form. She was about to petrify him when two curses met above their heads and caused an explosion just above him. A large rock, bigger than the traitor, fell over his head, crushing it completely and killing the man.

Satisfied with this end for her husband's old friend, she rushed back in the fight. She found her husband again and the Lestrange brothers were gone.

"Where are they?" She asked.

"Umbridge arrived, caused a distraction big enough that we lost track of things. They left. What about Peter?" Remus asked, checking her over to make sure she was fine.

"Dead." She replied before they all rushed back in the fight.

All around them, Death Eaters were trying to find ways to leave the jail, jump into the sea so they could apparate away.

Protections spells had been lifted by Voldemort, though he had done it smartly. He knew that the protections would be the first things the Ministry would check, so he only destroyed them about a foot over the sea surrounding the prison. Above that, the protections were intact. All his followers had to do was get under this protection and they'd be able to leave.

Remus growled when he saw Jenny Collins leave along with Nott and several other Death Eaters. He tried to stop her but he failed.

"Lucius! Where do you think you're going?" Sirius called out while Remus ran, trying to stop more Death Eaters.

Surprised to be called out like this, the man stupidly stopped in his track and prepared to fight with the wand he had stolen from an unconscious Auror.

Without answering, Lucius started to fight. Sirius tried to distract Lucius, to make him speak but the man was determined and looked very angry.

"He's coming this way! You know who is coming this way!" An Auror screamed as he ran their way.

Sirius knew that he wouldn't win this and he couldn't die, not now. Still, he couldn't let Lucius escape without doing something. Even if he stupefied the man, Voldemort would take him with him. Smirking, Sirius had an idea that would have made James proud, one that would probably inspire the twins for a new product.

As Lucius ran away, Sirius cast one last curse at the wizard. He was running away and didn't even realize what was happening, there was so much noise, he probably didn't even ear the spell used on him. After he got his white strand of hair, Sirius had looked at a lot of hair coloring spells and even though none of them worked on his white strand of hair, he had remembered one, a permanent one. The spell itself had to be spoken but you had to visualize the color yourself and it was almost impossible to get rid of.

This is how Lucius Malfoy, proud man who always took great care of his appearance and of his hair, ended up with bright pink hair that rivaled even Nymphadora Lupin's hair. His cousin had never been able to achieve such a color on her own.

Sirius was proud of himself.

The fight had been long, and bloody.

There had been death and severe injuries on both sides, but he decided that this little action had made the entire day worth it.

.

Sirius had sent a quick message at the house to let everyone know that it was over and that they were still accounting for everyone. He told them to get some sleep, not to wait up for him.

"You didn't tell them about Jenny, right?" Remus asked his friend.

"No, this will have to be done face to face." Sirius shook his head.

"I hope this won't shake Rosie too much." Remus frowned.

"She's strong, and we'll be with her. She'll be fine." Sirius tried to convince himself as Albus walked towards them.

"Who's injured on our side?" Remus asked Albus.

"Nobody's dead in the Order. 1 Auror and 3 guards are dead. A lot of injuries, they seem to use a lot of cutting curses now. Post Doloris potions will have to be taken by several people as well. And chocolate of course, though nobody got their soul sucked by dementors, so that's good." Albus frowned.

"Nobody's dead in the Order... Is someone injured?" Sirius asked, catching on to how exact Albus had been with his words.

"Several. Fleur Delacourt has a small cut that will be completely healed by tomorrow, Bill has a larger one. It will take longer but he'll be fine too. Probably won't even leave a scar. Augusta Longbottom is fine but tired. She received a doloris and she'll be fine with the potion but she needs her rest. She'll come and pick up Neville tomorrow as planned, probably later but I'm sure you won't mind much. Arthur is busy helping the ministry and Molly is by Bill's side, probably won't leave until he's fully healed, especially since she knows the others are safe at your place. Xenophilius Lovegood on the other end, needs to go to St Mungo's hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. He got into a pretty fierce fight with Lucius Malfoy and later Umbridge. He's worried about Luna. He's passed out for now but he'll have to be awoken in an hour to take a few potions. This leaves us enough time to decide who will take care of his daughter until he's fine again." Albus spoke.

"She can stay with us, of course, for as long as it takes." Sirius assured.

"Thank you, I was hoping I'd be able to count on you. Would you mind going to St Mungo's to reassure him once he wakes up? They should also tell you how long he'll have to stay and when he'll be able to have visitors." Albus told Sirius who nodded.

"Did we catch any of the escapees?" Remus asked.

"A few, but not many, and nobody important. We caught the ones who weren't part of his followers, the ones they let out only as a distraction. Jenny Collins did escape though, she was seen leaving and nobody was able to catch her. The trolls will be fine too." Albus shook his head.

"What about the Goblins? What happened to them?" Sirius asked.

"They're being transported to St Mungo's as well. They're under a sleep potion. It's extremely hard to make and rare, we didn't know to expect this. Most of them will be fine. One is dead and several have broken bones, but fortunately this incident won't hurt our new alliance. They're more determined than ever to get their revenge on Voldemort for daring use this potion. It's old and they thought they had destroyed all the copies of the recipes that existed." Albus explained, looking very tired.

"Why didn't he ask Severus to make it?" Remus asked and Albus was glad that they didn't immediately jump to the conclusion that Snape had betrayed them.

"Because the making of this potion leave a very potent smell on the maker. Now, I've heard a rumor going around pretty fast and I want to make sure... Is it true, Sirius, that you cursed Lucius' hair pink?" Albus asked with a small smile.

"I plead guilty." Sirius chuckled.

"How long will it last?" Albus asked, sparkles in his eyes.

"It's permanent. One of the strongest spells I tried on my white strand. I decided to memorize it, thought it could be useful eventually." Sirius replied.

"Oh, we absolutely HAVE TO leak this information to the press." Albus declared before he walked away.

"I'll go and see Xenophilius with you before we go home to tell the kids." Remus declared.

By the time they arrived, Xenophilius was awake, though they were warned that it wouldn't last long. He wouldn't be able to get visitors before at least 3 days and he'd have to stay at least 2 weeks before he was allowed to leave. He was worried about his daughter but of course Sirius and Remus promised that she'd be fine, that she could stay with them for as long as needed. She'd be safe, and surrounded by friends. They also promised to bring her for a visit as soon as they could and it reassured Xenophilius enough that he was able to relax.

.

When the fight started in Azkaban, Albus had been tempted to use this opportunity to go to the Gaunt house and see if there was really an horcruxe there, so, after sending his warning to the Order, he left and went to the deteriorated house, calling Fawkes to help him. He arrived quickly enough and saw that there was no guards. Everyone must have been send to Azkaban tonight.

With a few spells he got rid of the magical wards and it didn't take him too long to find the box, in which was the ring. He could feel the dark magic all around it, it was an horcruxe but it wasn't all. The stone that made the ring, Albus was sure that it was one of the Deathly Hallows.

The resurrection stone.

Finally, he held the resurrection stone.

He was about to take the ring in his hand when his Phoenix cried out.

"I know, you're right, now isn't the time." He nodded, closing the box and locking it back up.

"Take this to the office, will you. I have to get back to the fight." Albus told his Phoenix who took the box and flew away while the Headmaster went back to the fight to help the Order and the Ministry win.

He arrived to see chaos.

The first thing he did was cast his Patronus against the dementors, then he joined the fight but the Death Eaters were already leaving. Albus saw a group of them going underwater, swimming away. Another group jumped on a boat. Acting fast, Albus immobilized the boat and, when they realized that it wouldn't be able to sail away, they jumped in the water and swam away again.

Then he saw Voldemort leaving the fortress and, before Albus could cast a spell, the Dark Lord flew away, taking a pink haired man with him.

"Alastor, are you alright?" Albus asked his old friend when he saw him catching his breath against a wall.

"I will be after some rest. Dolohov got me but I'll be fine. I got him too and he lost a half of his right ear." Alastor replied, waving it off and directing Dumbledore towards more gravely injured people.

Much later, when he went back home after the fight and everything else had been taken care of, he was so tired that he went straight to bed. He had noticed the locked box, placed by his Phoenix on a side shelf, out of immediate sight.

He'd leave it there for now. The next few days and week would be busy, he'd take care of the ring later.

Something inside him prevented him from destroying the ring right away. If this was really the resurrection stone, then he'd be able to see Ariana and his parents and so many people he had lost over the years, but since it was an Horcruxe, he needed to destroy it before he used it. But would destroying the Horcruxe also destroyed the stone or would it still work? He needed to think about this first.

Most of all, at the moment, he needed to sleep and get some rest. His brother was right, he wasn't that young anymore and after a certain age, you couldn't run around a battlefield and be completely fine. Sleep was essential.

What did you think of this?

Lucius's pink hair was my sister's idea. I asked her what she thought his fate should be (and by that i meant should he die or live?), she said she didn't care as long as he ended up with permanent pink hair... I figured it would add a bit of humor to this fight. I'll let her know what you think of her idea ;-)

Review please

Lorelei Candice Black