heyyyyy here's the final chapter.

so i disappeared for like FOUR YEARS there. i had this chapter written about 3 years ago and just never got around to post it and i randomly found this chapter when i was filing yesterday so i decided to post it! to everyone who followed this story - I AM SO SORRY IT TOOK THIS BLOODY LONG!

but we're finally here. you probably don't even care about this story anymore but i just had to finish this.

also, i'm sorry this story and chapter is quite badly written but i loved writing it when i was 14 and i hope you enjoy it if you take the time to finish it!

all my love to everyone who read and to those who faithfully commented on every chapter: FanFicLover32, Cap92A, Hp head, Nina 981555, readeverystory, katttiieeee

i rememeber absolutely losing my mind whenever you guys commented support so thank you for hyping up 14 year old me :))

enjoy :))

Chapter 32:

I saw Al flinch and heard James mutter under his breath. I surveyed the large woman on the pink, fluffy throne some more, confused out of my mind.

Why pink? Who is she? I opened my mouth to speak but no words came out – it was like the fear had risen to my neck and clogged my throat, preventing me from making a sound. Luckily, Xavier was always too brave for his own good.

"Who are you?" he asked, his voice clear and steady, his arm wrapped tightly around Eva's shoulders. His forehead was pinched in fear but his eyes held no fear and I saw the same expression mirrored on Eva's face.

I probably looked stupid. I was nearly wetting myself in fear, to be completely honest.

The pink lady's eyes twinkled and she giggled. "My name's Dolores Umbridge. You may have heard of me – I'm quite famous these days," she said, a condescending smile on her face.

I frowned. "Who?" I asked, the word slipping out before I could stop it. I quickly glanced at James who snorted and we shared a smile.

"Well, I'm glad you find this oh-so amusing. Take those ones away – I did not plan on them showing up," Umbridge said, sniffing and sticking her nose in the air like she was too good for us. Pah. What an asshole.

And then the guards holding me, Scorp, James, Al, Jo, Rose, Xavier and Adam yanked us to the side of the room, whilst the guards holding Maria, Hope and Eva started dragging them away. Alarmed, I struggled against the iron grip of the guards, knowing that it was no use and yet trying to escape anyway.

"Hey! What are you doing?" I yelled, suddenly understanding exactly what Umbridge planned to do with them. Everyone else did too, and soon we were all trying to escape, the room an explosion of yelling and screaming and chaos. To my surprise, Hope let herself be dragged away, a small frown on her lovely face. Maria, however was in hysterics, crying and screaming but limp in the arms of her guard. Eva was like a rabid dog – kicking and punching and snarling and biting at her guard, trying desperately to get to Xavier, who was doing the exact same thing. He was struggling against the guards, trying to wiggle his way out, his voice hoarse from screaming for Eva, every one of his muscles straining in effort. I struggled harder against the vice-like grip of the guards, but stopped as the scene seemed to turn into slow motion.

I could only watch in horror as Xavier miraculously broke free of his guard and ran for Eva, his handsome face twisted with desperation and panic. Eva started sobbing and shaking, seeing the ending of his story just as evidently as I could. And then the guard raced after Xavier, as quick as lightning, quicker than what should have been possible. His large, meaty hand wrapped around Xavier's throat and Xavier jerked backwards, fingertips away from reaching Eva. The hand squeezed as a sickening crunch filled the air.

My mouth hung open and tears bled down my face as I watched Xavier's body drop. I shook my head, the roaring sound of cries and screams and shouts dulling into a soft echo. Except for Eva's scream – her shriek hacked at me like a knife. She struggled harder to reach him, her usually soft and quiet face contorted with rage and despair. The three girls were finally dragged from the room and only the sound of Jo's sobbing filled the room.

I felt like someone had just kicked my chest open and scraped all the insides out. I felt hollow, only a deep hole of pain left inside me. Tears blurred my vision but Xavier's pale and frozen face was still stark in my mind. I told myself he was fine – nothing that Madame Pomfrey couldn't fix. Just a scrape! All he needed was a few stitches and a week in bed. But his body stayed limp and his eyes remained all too open.

He was dead.

"Well, that was a tad dramatic. Tyler, clean that mess up for me, please. You know how I hate mess. Now, where were we?" Umbridge said, her voice chiming like annoying bells. I stared up at her pinched face and trembled in rage. How could she call Xavier – beautiful, bright, smart, warm, friendly Xavier – a mess? It then hit me how he was never going to see his family again – not his older brother whom he hadn't seen in years but still loved dearly. Not his parents. Not Eva. Not any of us. His life had ended and it seemed like it had ended for nothing.

"You killed him!" Jo screamed, her voice sharper than I had ever heard it, spittle foaming from her open mouth. Too-cool and aloof Jo was in hysterics. Always smiling Scorp was sobbing silently and Al – ever hopeful and wonderful Al – was frozen, staring at Xavier's dead body.

In response to Jo's scream, her guard back-handed her across the face and she landed in a heap on the floor, unconscious.

I flinched, my head buzzing with too-many emotions and too-many thoughts. The biggest one – WHY? Why all of this? Why was Umbridge killing teenagers? Killing hundreds of innocents? What was the point to all of this effort and heartache and planning and killing? Was there even a point?

I opened and closed my mouth over and over whilst shaking my head. I just… couldn't even begin to comprehend what was going on. I didn't want to.

Umbridge giggled again. "The melodramatics of teenagers! I see that Harry's young spawn and their friends are no less dramatic than he and his merry band were. Well, let's get to it, shall we?" Umbridge said in a cheerful voice. I stared into her crinkled eyes and decided then and there that she was insane. She should be locked up in a mental institution for what she was doing.

"Why are you doing this? What's the point?" Adam asked, wearily. I was surprised he even spoke up. For a Gryffindor, I always felt he fell into the 'stupid brave' category of the house and not the 'selfless courage' that other Gryffindor's fell in.

Umbridge tilted her head and pursed her lips. "Because the world is UnPure. And I need to let the world know that this cause is serious. If, per say, Harry Potter were to join my little group, then many others would be persuaded too. But see, I understand that while Harry would convince a lot of people, actually getting him in my group is a lot easier said than done. Therefore, who else holds sway over a large portion of the wizard population? Say, maybe, the Chosen One's popular children of whom the entire younger generation loves? Or maybe the new girl who has yet to discover just how much punch her Seer powers could deliver?" Umbridge said, grinning. The words replayed in my mind yet I couldn't register them. The loss of Xavier was still far too fresh to even try and understand the gravity of the situation. "Capturing Aurors is hard enough but capturing Harry Potter is harder still. But with his children devoted to my cause," Umbridge paused and raised a single eyebrow. "Well, he should soon be-"

"Why do you think that we'll join your cause? It's stupid and disgusting. No living being – wizard, human, half-breed, goblin, giant, whatever – deserves to be cut down and slaughtered. None of us here, not a single one, will stand with you," Adam said, glaring down Umbridge with an intensity that I'd never seen before.

Umbridge looked only amused. "Taser him," she ordered, as if she were stating the weather. The guard holding Adam shoved his wand into his solar plexus and muttered a spell. Adam convulsed and jerked before falling to the floor in a heap. I whimpered, scared out of my mind.

Umbridge clapped once. "Now, orders are orders, and I believe I asked Tyler to clean up the mess that is lying on my floor. Hurry along, Tyler," Umbridge said, waving a hand as I saw Tyler unlatch himself from the wall he was leaning on and walk down to Xavier's body.

"Don't touch him! Don't touch him you piece of filth!" James screamed but Tyler took no notice. He simply picked up Xavier's body like it weighed nothing, slung him over his shoulder and walked out the door.

"I need you looking clean, James. If I didn't, the punishments for speaking out of turn would have been severe for you," she scolded, sounding like a crazy teacher.

I saw James's defiant look and the set of his jaw and knew – he wasn't going down without a fight. I looked at Jo and Adam, both unconscious on the floor. I looked at Scorp and Al, whose eyes were locked on each other's in a silent battle against being pulled apart. I looked at Rose, whose eyes were closed and who was muttering a prayer or mantra under her breath. And finally, I looked at the spot on the floor where Xavier had died, fighting for Eva and freedom and love and for what is right. I remembered Eva's screaming and Maria's crying and Hope's look of utter defeat. I remembered the countless articles in the newspapers about the slaughters the Pure's had committed and I remembered their death toll. I remembered Teddy being attacked and AIM being hazed to the ground with fire. I remembered my family and my brothers and sisters and remembered what they had taught me – action in the face of adversity is the truest type of courage.

I decided I would fight. Though the tears still streamed down my face and body felt like it had been used as a punching bag and my heart – my poor heart – was breaking from the death of a truly wonderful friend, I would take action. Stand up. Fight.

My friends and I were probably going to go down. But we were sure as FUCK going to do it together – and in the truest Maddie way possible.

"Do you know you look like a fat old saggy sack of shit?" I shouted at Umbridge, my outburst surprising her, the guards, my friends and myself. I decided to take a stand and I said that? That? What the actual HELL is wrong with me?

But James, Scorp, Rose and Al looked to me, shock and surprise and maybe some resilience on their faces. Umbridge frowned and her knuckles turned white as she gripped the armrests of her throne.

"You're a filthy piece of shit and the pink aesthetic makes me want to projectile vomit! You're just a crazy old cat lady and we will beat you or we will go down trying! I shouted before she could say anything. The guards shifted uncomfortably.

Umbridge's face turned bright red. "Stupid brats! Take them away! Commence Plan #147!" she yelled, the guards hurriedly dragging us from the room.

The guards dragged us down the pink hallway and dumped us in – shockingly – a large, pink cell room. I was getting seriously sick of all these stupid pink cell rooms.

They locked the door behind them and I groaned, sitting down on the floor next to James. I leaned my head on his shoulder, the tears finally dry on my face.

"Xavier would have laughed at what you said," Scorp said, his voice small.

"Probably," Jo muttered from the floor where she and Adam had been dumped, a small smile on her face. I sighed with relief when she sat up, wincing. "Man, those guards are seriously strong."

"They siphon the power, remember? That's why they're fast and strong. So strong they can snap a guy's neck with one hand," Al said, his voice muffled. His head was between his legs and his breathing was heavy. Sounds of his muffled crying filled the cell.

Moments of silence passed.

"What happens now?" James asked, his voice dull, eyes empty.

"We fight. That's what Maria and Hope and Eva and Xavier would have wanted," I say, wiping at my face.

Jo glared at me. "Do not group Maria, Hope and Eva with Xavier. They could still be alive – we have no way of knowing."

"I know. I didn't mean… never mind. Let's just… well, first, let's try and wake Adam," I suggested, gesturing to a motionless Adam.

Jo kicked him in the side and he sat up, groaning. "What the… ow," he moaned, lying back down on the floor. "Getting tasered hurts like a bitch! I didn't even know there was a tasering spell," he muttered, shaking his head.

"Maddie's right – we need to fight," Rose said.

"How? They literally grabbed Xavier's neck with one hand – one freaking hand – and snapped it. Snapped it! They're strong and fast and their spells must be unbelievably powerful. A taser spell doesn't exist! They obviously created it!" Al screamed, his voice cracking as he started sobbing again.

"We were all there, Al! We all watched them kill him! He was as much as my friend as he was yours!" Jo yelled, and then the tears rolled down her angry face again.

"Guys!" I shouted, needing this to stop. "We need to calm down! Yes, Xavier is dead. Yes, Maria, Hope and Eva are god-knows where! And we are in a cell, about to be, I don't know, initiated into the Pure's or some shit! So we cannot – cannot – descend into chaos," I said, breathing heavily.

More moments of silence.

"This was such a shit day. A totally fucked-up day," James said before looking up at me, his blue eyes as steady as ever. "But you're right. So. What's the plan? You've been here longer than anyone with the most exposure. Tell us what we should do," he said, giving a small, lopsided smile. I was really grateful to have James there, in that moment.

"First, tell me and Al how you guys got tricked into coming here. If we know that, maybe it can help us," I said, thinking back on what we already knew about Umbridge's plans.

"Wait – can we please talk about Umbridge first? Because we haven't yet and I feel like I'm the only one a tad confused," Jo piped up, frowning. "I mean, who is the fat bitch?"

"She taught at Hogwarts when my mum and dad went to Hogwarts. She was horrible – fired all these people, tortured Uncle Harry, made life a living hell. She also got introduced to a troll and then taken away by a pack of centaurs all in the space of five minutes so I'm betting that explains her vendetta against magical creatures. Dad used to tell me about Umbridge – he always told me she'd disappeared before the Final Battle," Rose explained.

Oooooohhhhhhh. So that's who she was. Suddenly, things made sense. I felt James shudder next to me.

"So, she hates magical creatures. And steals their power. And wants them all dead. Is that it? What a sicko." Adam mumbled from the ground.

"Yep," James said. "And she tricked us into coming here. Well, first you and Al were taken. And it was…" he trailed, looking down at the ground. I thought about my time with the Pure's and thought about James's time without me or Al. James took a big breath. "Really bad. The adults wouldn't talk to us. Wouldn't tell us anything. Not even Teddy would. And I was out of my freaking mind. We all were. All we wanted was to find you guys… so we all met up, in the Room of Requirement every lunch and after school and night, after curfew. And we planned and tried spells to find you. And nothing was working.

"But then Rose tried a rudimentary tracking spell and it actually worked. So, we found the location on a map and it turned out to be this abandoned wand factory just outside of Hogsmeade. We got the floorplans, made a plan, and came here as fast as we could. Of course, we were so pleased with ourselves for finding you guys and so eager to get you back that we didn't even stop to consider if it was too easy – which, in hindsight, it obviously was. And, now we're here," James finished, his eyes still on the ground. His voice was surprisingly steady throughout and by the end of the story, my hand had somehow made its way into his.

Cheesy, I know. But in life and death situations like this, sometimes being cheesy was the only way to go. I squeezed his hand and he looked up at me, his vivid eyes holding mine. Thank you I mouthed. I know how much he would've gone through – and how much guilt he now holds for rushing into this plan and Xavier getting killed. Of course, it wasn't his fault.

I sidled up closer to James and pulled his arm around my shoulder. I nestled in, the feeling of warmth and comfort strengthening me to continue on with planning.

"So, Umbridge obviously wants us for the Pure's. To, A, get younger followers and B, to get Harry Potter to join. In order for that to happen, we all need to be a Pure. Does anyone have any ideas as to how you become a Pure?" I asked, sure that whatever the process was, Umbridge would force us to do it.

"A blood rite, maybe?" Adam suggested but Rose waved him off.

"No – too cult-like. This is a creepy and twisted organisation but Umbridge would never, ever aim to resemble a cult," Rose explained, a concerned look on her face, her bottom lip being bitten by her teeth.

Jo frowned. "Well, she's doing a pretty shitty job of that. The Pure's is literally a cult!"

"What about a tattoo? Voldemort and his Death Eater's had tattoos?" Al suggested.

"Nah – dad told me all about them. That was only a sign that you were a Death Eater and a summoning signal. The initiation was much worse, not that he would tell me what it was," Scorp said, shaking his head.

"Their hair colour! Maybe they'll dye our hair!" Adam said, grinning like he'd just discovered the answer.

I shook my head. "No, I don't think so. The hair is only a sign of rank but the-"

"The siphon!" Rose yelled, grimacing. "The siphon is the ritual! In order to be a Pure and gain their power, you have to siphon it from their power source – the massacres. I'd bet that that is what the process is," Rose explained.

I didn't really get it. I frowned and saw everyone else looked the same. "What?" I asked.

Rose rolled her eyes. "You guys! Listen! So, the Pure's massacre a bunch of people, right? And then the power of all that death and hate and violence is channelled into an object – like, an altar or a chalice or something like that. And then, you go to that object, speak the spell and pull the power from that object and into yourself. Once that happens, you can draw unlimited power from that object. But here's the catch – if that object runs out of power, so do you. So, the object needs to be replenished – hence, the many massacres. I reckon there have been hundreds, if not thousands, of sacrifices as well to power the object. Anyway, so because you draw power from the object, you become dependent on it. And if that object is owned by someone, they then have power over you. Power is intoxicating – no one could resist doing whatever that person told them to do. So, Umbridge must own the object and literally holds power over all of the other Pures," Rose explained yet again. And finally, it all clicked.

The siphon magic made all of the Pures powerful – stronger, faster, better. But they only had access to that power if Umbridge allowed it. And it made sense – she gave more brute strength to the Pures with black hair and as each rank goes up, more power must be given.

"How… how do you even know all of that? And why never tell us until now?" James said incredulously, staring at Rose with his mouth wide open.

Rose blushed. "Well, I only connected the dots between siphoning and the Pure initiation ceremony just then. But I thought you all knew how siphon magic worked! I literally wrote this all down and gave it to you guys to read, weeks ago!" Silence followed Rose's words. She frowned. "Really? No one read it? Jeez, I thought you guys knew all of this!"

And then everyone started to make excuses, vaguely resembling sentiments like 'well, the document was really quite large' and 'the plot lacked enough action to keep me entertained' and 'there were too many words' before Scorp smacked the wall a few times. "Guys! Now that we know that the initiation process is some weird siphoning thing and that Umbridge plans to initiate us, can we please plan on how to stop it? Because I seriously don't want to be dependent on Umbridge for power and literally do everything she says!" Scorp said, his eyes wide.

"Agreed!" I said. "So, let's-"

And then the cell door swung open and the guards walked back in, yanking us to our feet. I was shattered – we couldn't even plan anything! Which meant, all of us would be improvising. Which meant, probable death.

And then I saw Tyler was leading the guards and I knew I could get him to reveal something about what was about to happen – he loved the sound of his voice too much.

"Tyler! What's happening?" I asked, wincing as the guard's hands clamped down onto my arms. The guards dragged us from the cell and we all began to walk down the corridor again.

Ugh.

I hated this! This stupid cell and hallway and walking and scheming nonsense!

"You'll see soon enough," he said in that irritating, know-it-all voice and then I was sprayed with pink mist. The world went dark.

I awoke, my brain fogging and vision blurry. I was on the ground, flat on my back, a body thrown on top of me. I looked up and my eyes met startling blue ones.

"James?" I murmured, confused. Just… confused.

"James! Take Maddie and go! Find the others!" a familiar voice shouted, the sound piercing my pulsing skull. The sound of fighting and explosions flooded my head but it was like the sound was turned low – it was all muted and echoing.

James lightly tapped the side of my face. "Maddie? C'mon, Maddie. You did great. Can you stand up?" he asked, his voice scraped and hoarse as he hauled himself off me. The weight of him was gone and I immediately missed him.

"James," I said again, wanting to say other words but only that one would come out. I sat up slowly and watched as Pures fought people in cool robes. Cool.

"Maddie, hurry, please! Snap out of it!" James said, slapping me across the face. Quite hard.

My head reeled and suddenly, BAM, everything was back. The sounds were deafening and the flashes too bright. I gasped and stared at James's worrying face. I quickly stood, holding my head in one hand to keep it from reeling too much. I saw stars and stumbled, only James's grip on my arm keeping me from falling to the ground again.

"What happened?" I asked, my mouth full of cotton wool. James yanked on my arm and we quickly ran out of the chaotic room.

"Well, they sprayed us with that sparkly mist. And then when I woke up, I was being held by the guards and you were sitting on the pink, fluffy throne and-"

"I was sitting where? And… and why?" I asked, frowning. The pink fluffy throne? Man, why do I miss all the weird stuff!

"Well, the throne is the mysterious siphon object thingo thing. They woke you up and asked you to read out the siphon spell and then you spouted this weird prophecy. Then you yelled 'DUCK' and you dropped to the floor. Then there was about a minute of confusion as to why you yelled 'DUCK' and then the room exploded. Hence, why, you said 'DUCK'. And then I landed on top of you and then my dad was there and well… here we are," he said, his breathing heavy from the talking and running. He led me down some corridors and it took me a few moments for my brain to catch up.

"I spouted a prophecy?"

"Mm-hm."

"Was it… did I say anything embarrassing?"

"Other than the story you told everyone of the time you first met me and you knew it was love at first sight and-"

I shoved him into a wall. He stumbled, cursing. And then laughing. And then I was laughing and then the tears were running down my face as the days content flashed before my eyes again.

We stopped outside of a door and James shouldered in. "This is the meeting room where-" he stopped short when we saw what was inside. All of us – Al, Scorp, Jo, Rose, Adam, Maria and Eva.

No Xavier. No Hope. My heart constricted and I gasped for breath. "No," I muttered but by the looks on their faces, I knew it to be true.

Hope – weird, wacky, chatting, annoying, wonderful, lively, kind, spirited, fierce, brave, beautiful Hope – was gone.

"She's with Xavier now," Eva muttered, her voice surprisingly soft. Maria and Eva looked a bit beaten up but nothing too bad. Al had a gushing cut on his head and looked pale. Scorp looked fine, Jo and Adam were sitting far too close for normal and Rose was holding her side, grimacing. I slumped to the floor, my head in my heads. James sat down beside me, his hand resting on my back.

"It's so fucked up," Adam said, shaking his head. "We're teenagers. Teenagers aren't supposed to be killed," he said, his hand gripping Jo's.

Had I seriously missed everything when I was out, spouting prophecies?

"What's going on now?" I asked, my voice small.

Al sighed and shook his head. "The adults came. The Aurors – nearly all of our parents. Teachers from Hogwarts. They rushed in and banished us to this safe room until one of them could safely apparate us back to Hogwarts. They're doing all the fighting now – we did enough, as they put it," Al explained, his face dirty with soot and voice sharp. Obviously, everyone was feeling the guilt of Xavier and Hope.

Eva started sobbing quietly, a stoic Maria wrapped tightly in her arms.

I looked up at James and gripped his hand in mine, steadied by his solid warmth.

"I need to join and fight – for Xavier and Hope and every other single person and magical creature slaughtered for Umbridge's fucked up cause," I said and I saw upon James' face the exact same decision.

He gave my hand a squeeze. "We're going."

I gave him a shaky smile yet I felt resolute and I knew if he was with me, fighting with me, I would be ok.

I feel ashamed in admitting it when so many had been lost, but I was so thankful that I still had him. His face was scratched up and was covered in soot. Blood and sweat and tears dripped down his face. His black hair was covered in soot and grey plaster. I was completely and irrevocably in love with him.

And then the room exploded. A-freaking-gain.

WHY? WHY DOES EVERYTHING ALWAYS EXPLODE AND STUFF? WHY CAN'T I EVER CATCH A DAMNED BREEEAAAAAAK?

Seriously. It's unfair.

My ears were ringing loudly and my head felt like someone had stomped on it. Repeatedly. I blinked my watering eyes free of dirt and coughed, my chest hacking up dust and grit. I was lying flat on my stomach the ground so I sat up slowly, groaning. My whole body ached and I could hear my bones creaking in protest. I'd been thrown around like a doll for the entire day and nothing was larger than my want to just lie back down on the ground and sleep. I nearly did, except for a tiny voice in my head telling me that if I have a concussion (which, with my shitty luck, I probably did), lying back down is the worst idea.

So, I hauled myself off the floor, squinting through the hazy and dust-filled air. I saw the others sitting around, all dazed and covered in white plaster powder. I shook my head and watched as more white dust fell from my head. I coughed some more and looked around wearily.

"Al? James?" I croaked, my voice hoarse and thick from the dust in my scratchy throat. I wiped more dust from my eyes and took deep breaths, trying to clear my pounding head.

This was just really not a good day for me.

"Found them," an unfamiliar voice said and then I was being picked off the ground and thrown over someone's shoulder. I cried out in pain as a sharp feeling vibrated through my shoulder. I hissed, dazed and confused. What the hell was going on?

The man carrying me walked through many corridors, each step jolting my shoulder. Tears stung my eyes and I bit my bottom lip to keep from crying out. The man carried me back into the pink throne room where we'd first met Umbridge. The room was pretty much destroyed, a mess of pink rubble and dust and blood. Only the pink, fluffy throne went untouched as it stood there, in all its tacky glory. The man threw me on the ground and I cried out from pain. Could people PLEASE STOP throwing me around? I glared up at the man and confirmed my suspicions – he was a Pure, his face covered by the mist that the Pures loved oh-so much.

I cradled my right arm in my left arm, nursing my sore shoulder. I looked around, noticing that all of the people in the so-called 'safe' room (that had just exploded) were here, too, sitting on the ground and guarded by a large, burly Pure.

All except James.

I felt my heart stop. Is he… was he… did the explosion…? I scanned the room frantically, the sudden movements making my head pound even more. My breathing quickened and when I was certain he wasn't here, my stomach plummeted. Tears dripped down my face once more and suddenly I was angry. Angry at the stupid Pures and stupid Umbridge who had such DERANGED and IMMORAL ideas and thoughts. Angry at Xavier and Hope for getting caught up in this and angry for Maria and Eva who were left behind by their loved ones. So, so angry that James might be…

I couldn't even think it. I refused to believe it. James wasn't dead, because if he was, I would have known.

But then a Pure walked in, holding a struggling and a very alive James in a tight grip.

I felt my entire body relax and sigh. I tried to catch his eye but he was looking firmly ahead, a defiant and determined look on his face. He was all scratched up, worse than before, and his hair was smoking (no seriously, like it had actually been on fire) and in any other circumstances, I would've laughed and teased him. I guess I'd known how important he'd become to me and I knew how much I cared for him. But… I didn't really know just how much. And then, in that moment, when I thought he was dead but he was most certainly alive, the feelings and overwhelming emotions that had flooded me told me exactly how much James Sirius Potter meant to me.

And yes, it scared me. I'm only 17 for Christs' sake! I'm not supposed to be madly in love with a boy who has crazy hair and a crazier attitude and who also happens to live TEN BILLION TRILLION MILES AWAY FROM WHERE I LIVED!

Did I even know what love is? Was I just being a stupid, hormonal teenager?

And yet, I knew I loved my family. I loved Al and Scorp and Jo, like they were my own siblings. I've loved Sadie and Able and Max since before I can even remember. I loved the Potter family and Maria and Eva and maybe even Rachel. I loved Hope and Xavier and I would miss and remember them.

So, I definitely know what love is. I love a whole lot of people and I know they love me back.

So why was it so different when it came to James? People often discredit or belittle the love that teenagers feel. They call us naïve or too young to understand what love is.

But I know what it is. And I feel it with James. Being a teenager has nothing to do with it – I just love him. It's as simple as that.

And then the Pure threw James onto the pink fluffy throne (again, I'd have laughed if it were under different circumstances). Looking at him, bloodied and bruised and battered, these… words came back to me. They sounded like an echo, ringing through my mind. I focused on them and the whisperings soon became shouting, loud and clear:

The descendant of the Chosen One will be the one tasked with the final blow… But She will not go down without taking another along with her… As the End near approaches, Time is running out for the Snake and the Lion… if the Snake does not put aside the past She will forever reign… it is the descendant's choice…

A prophecy. It must've been the one James said I randomly blurted out earlier. I felt like I should've understood it completely, as if being a seer allowed me to decipher and understand the prophecies that I randomly spouted.

Nope.

I seriously had no clue what the prophecy was going on about. I tried to understand and went through the lines word by word until I'd committed it to memory. But, still nothing. It was all mumbo-jumbo. No epiphany about what the prophecy was actually telling me.

'Lion' and 'Snake' was probably Gryffindor and Slytherin. 'She' was most likely Umbridge. 'Descendant of the Chosen One' was easy – James or Al seeing as how Lily wasn't here. I looked up and saw James still sitting on the throne and decided that it was James the prophecy was talking about. 'Snake' could be Al or Scorpius… who was 'the lion'? But how the words fit together… it made no sense.

The large, pink doors flung open before I could try and understand it anymore. Umbridge flounced in, a small, pouty smile on her face. All the Pures in the room immediately bowed their heads.

"I cannot believe the plan worked perfectly! We have quite a few very important people held now in custody. I never anticipated for Harry, Ron and Hermione to come for these children! How… touching," she said, her eyes glinting. God, I hated her. "I still can't quite believe that Harry Potter was no match for my Pures. Once word gets out that the Pures are a real threat who not only hold Mr Potter himself, but also his lackey's and children? Why, the Ministry will be ours in no time," Umbridge said, surveying the room. Her eyes landed on James in the throne and her smile widened. "Perfect! Our first conversion must start with Potter's boy. What a message that will send! Get the projecting ready," Umbridge said as she picked up a fallen over chair and sat in it, giggling. My heart sank – the adults that had come for us had failed. The power of the Pures was too strong.

"No! I'm Potter's boy! Use me instead!" Al shouted, his voice scratchy and desperate. His eyes were wide and I saw Scorp start to thrash against the Pure that was holding him.

Umbridge turned around and looked at Al with utter contempt in her eyes. "I need a strong boy. Not a puny wimp. Besides, the entire world knows that James is the favourite son – good looks, charm, talent. Converting him first would be much more effective. Not to mention, he's a Gryffindor. You're a Slytherin," she spat the word out and turned her nose up. She glanced at Scorp, her lip curling. "You're also an abomination. Nearly as bad as those horrible, impure magical creatures themselves. After I've finished wiping out them, the Pures will come for your kind, too," she said before turning back to look at James.

I felt sick. I stared at Al who looked like he was about to be sick. Scorp looked angrier than before and kept on struggling, hissing and grunting in pain. I couldn't believe she'd said those things – to his face. I've always known that Al's deepest fear was that he would never be as good as James or that his dad wouldn't love him as much. Having Umbridge spit those words out at him… horrible. Al already resents James, even just a small bit, for having his entire life laid out at his feet

"You're absolute trash. Forgotten and unknown. No one cares about you – and no matter what you do to me, I will never, ever, ever become as twisted and as hate-filled as you," James said, holding his head high and eyes hard on Umbridge. "My brother is more a man than all of your Pures put together," he said, his eyes flickering to Al's for a brief moment.

Umbridge didn't even react. "Begin," she said.

I felt my heart lurch again – they were going to convert James to their Pure cult and I was just sitting there! I scrambled to my feet and ran for him, but a Pure was on me before I could get close. I craned my neck to see familiar silver hair. Tyler. I knew he was heartless and awful for being a Pure – but I had to try something. And begging and pleading for James's life seemed like the only option for me.

"Tyler," I whispered. His iron grip on me tightened. "Please. I am begging you – begging – let me go to him. Let me save him. Let me try and stop this madness!" I whispered, tears once again pooling in my eyes as I watched James's face fill with fear. He was going to become filled with immense power and then be controlled by Umbridge and I couldn't even-

An idea formed. Surely not every single one of the Pure's believed in the cause. Some must have been converted unwillingly, like James was going to be. I prayed that Tyler was one of those people.

"Please! You can't want this – some part of you must resist what Umbridge is making you do! The power has corrupted you, but I know you can fight it. Resist it. Please! Let me try and stop this!" I pleaded, my voice so quiet only he could hear.

"My entire family was killed by giants. My Hogwarts friends couldn't understand. The Pures are the only people I have left," Tyler hissed back and while his words were not what I was hoping for, I persisted, my eyes still on James's face.

"What is taking so long? I said, begin! I need James converted!" Umbridge yelled and relief flooded me – nothing had happened to him just yet.

"The hurt you felt when your family died? The pain? I felt that pain. I'm feeling that pain! When the Pures killed my friends and now, when the Pures are about to kill all that is good about James. Tyler, I know you're mad and angry. But this killing? What the Pures want to do? It will only lead to more hurting. You have the power to make a choice-"

I was cut off by Tyler's grip squeezing me harder and I gasped, choking. "I don't have a choice! I do whatever She wills! You're being naïve – a stupid teenager," he whispered back, his voice sharp.

"Tyler…" I choked out before he loosened his grip ever-so slightly. I glanced down at the hand gripping my throat, a silver glint catching my eye – a Slytherin signet ring?

The Snake?

The Snake?

"Tyler – you don't have to do this. I know – I know – that you can be a part of ending this damn thing if you could just see beyond your past, please, I-" I abruptly halted as James started screaming, his body locked and frozen into a position on the throne.

My heart pounded and my breathing quickened. I knew the conversion had started. "Please, Tyler!" I whispered desperately, right as Umbridge was thrown off her chair. I whipped my head around to see Al holding a pink wand in his shaking hand. He pointed it right at Umbridge's chest and looked around the room.

"Stop the conversion or I'll end her," he demanded, his voice surprising steady and clear. I felt Tyler stiffen and freeze. I smiled, loving my best friend even more so in that moment. Umbridge was way off when she said that Al wasn't strong – he was one of the strongest people I know.

A few moments passed as all the Pures stared at Umbridge, waiting for her command. Her eyes were wide with fear, staring at Al's determined and hard face. I felt a surge of pride for my friend.

"I said, stop the conversion!" Al repeated, louder this time. "And let my friends go," he said, his eyes still trained on Umbridge.

After a moment's hesitation, Tyler released me and I stumbled forward before sprinting to a still screaming James. I hovered over him, unsure what to do. Suddenly, he slumped in the throne, quiet and still.

"James?" I whispered, oblivious as to what was going on behind me. All my focus was on making sure that James was alright.

His midnight blue eyes snapped open and I sighed in relief. "Kill all impures!" he said in a robotic voice and I laughed, throwing my arms around him.

"You're an idiot!" I said, my voice muffled from my head being tucked into his neck. His arms enveloped me and he hugged me tightly. I pulled away, smiling at him.

"I love you," he said and I couldn't help but laugh. "What?" he asked, concerned.

"Sorry! It's just," I said, taking a breath to stop the laughing. "You tell me you love me while we're sitting on a pink fluffy throne?" I said and suddenly James is laughing too.

"Well, I've been trying to tell you all day but I've been a bit preoccupied and-" I cut him off with a kiss, hard and fast, before pulling away.

"I love you, too. Now, let's go help out the others," I said, pulling James out of the throne. He winced and I frowned, taking in his appearance. "Are you hurt?"

"Oh yeah. That conversion thing hurt like a bitch!" he said, threading my hand through his and giving me a grin. "But I'm fine now."

"Now, don't do anything stupid – I can't lose you, too. Promise me?" I asked, holding his gaze.

He gave me a soft smile. "I promise if you promise."

"Deal."

And with that, we surveyed the room and found a full on BATTLE going on. I looked at a confused James.

"How… how did we miss that?" I asked him and he shook his head.

"Beats me."

We ran down and I caught Scorp's eye, who was battling a Pure with Rose. And they had their wands!

"Wands!" I yelled at them and Scorp motioned to the corner of the room where they were lying in a heap. I looked at James. "That's convenient," I said before we ran over and grabbed our wands.

I saw Maria and Eva burst through the doors with all the adults, led by Harry, Ron and Hermione. I felt relief – they would know what to do.

"We brought them!" Maria yelled, grinning, as the fight intensified. There were a lot of us and only a few amount of them – I wondered where the rest of the Pures were, seeing as how I knew that their numbers were larger than what anyone had thought.

I didn't have time to ponder it before we threw ourselves into the fray. I ended up fighting alongside Jo and Adam. Three against one Pure seemed to be the best way to fight them. We took him down and as I was catching my breath, I looked around for James. I saw him and Al and Harry all fighting Umbridge, their combined spells strong, fast and powerful. Still, they were losing. Umbridge had all of the siphon power at her disposal and was faster, stronger and more powerful. It was a weird sight, watching that fat old woman run around like she was an Olympic sprinter. I saw her gain the upper hand and then she was on the attack, pushing the three of them back. They were all sweating and breathing heavy, while Umbridge looked perfectly fine. I cursed and tried to squeeze through the crowd of fighting bodies to reach them and help them, but someone beat me to it.

Tyler.

I expected him to join Umbridge and end the fight quickly… but he didn't. He stood beside James and joined their defence, boosting the Potter's strength. The tide had changed and now three powerful wizards plus one extremely powerful Pure fought against the all-powerful Umbridge. And the fight turned even. I watched, entranced as spells found their mark and completely hooked on Tyler's extremely fast movements. He was like a… a ninja out there. And soon, they'd backed Umbridge into the corner of the room. I surged forward, eager to help out with capturing her once and for all.

But then one of Umbridge's spells slipped past their defence. It was headed straight for Harry. I watched in slow motion as James screamed and Al froze in horror. We could all see the ending coming – except it didn't end the way we thought. Tyler leaped in front of Harry and took the spell, grunting as he stumbled back.

"You traitor! I treated you like a son and you betrayed me!" Umbridge screamed as the Potter boys finally enclosed her and captured her. Most of Umbridge's capture went unnoticed by me as I surged forward and raced to Tyler. He lay on the ground, his breathing shallow, blood seeping his chest.

My eyes widened as I sat down beside him and looked him in the eyes. The bright, aqua colour of his eyes intensified, right before my eyes, from aqua to the colour of shallow water and aquamarine. His beautiful face was drained of colour and was now ashen and grey.

"Tyler," I said, staring down at his face.

He gave me a weak smile. "They would've been proud of me. Thank you, for reminding me…" he stammered out between short gasps of air. I felt my chest ache – I felt so sorry for him, for a boy who'd lost his family and then lost his way. He did the right thing, in the end. I gripped his hand and gave it a light squeeze.

"They're so proud of you," I said softly, the sounds of the finishing battle disappearing from my mind as I watched his last moments.

And then he stilled. I closed his beautiful, aqua eyes one last time and wiped the tears from my face. He was arrogant and cruel and had made some wrong choices – but he was only human. It broke my heart that the Pures had ruined so many lives – this boy's included.

"Tyler Gateman," a voice said from behind me. I spun around to see Teddy, his hair a sombre blue and eyes sad. "He was in my year at school. Slytherin, I think. Good kid. Great friend. He disappeared one day and… well, now I guess we know where he went," Teddy said, his voice soft. He pulled me away gently and I started sobbing.

"So many lives were taken. And for nothing!" I whined, my voice cracking.

"They died doing what they thought was right. No one can hope for any more than that," he said, rubbing my back as I sobbed.

I sobbed for Tyler and Hope and Xavier. And all my friends who were going through the same thing I was. For the adults, who had to save us all, again. For myself. I just needed to sob.

"I'm sorry – I'm not strong or a hero," I said, wiping my eyes and shaking my head.

Teddy pulled my face so that I was looking at him. "Maddie – you are certainly strong and a hero. To me and to many others. You've endured a lot these past months. Being a True Seer and the Pures and Enrico and then being captured? Watching as AIM was attacked? The fact that you're still here, crying over a Pures dead body shows just how strong you are."

I paused, frowning. "That doesn't make sense."

He sighed and shook his head. "I'm very bad at this, please excuse me. What I'm trying to say is that… oh, bollocks! You're brave and kind and empathetic. You're a hero to me," he said, giving me a small smile.

A shout caught my attention and I swung my gaze around to watch as James and Harry held Umbridge back, Al standing in front of her, wand pointed at her chest and arm shaking.

"You monster! I should end you!" Al shouted, tears tracking down his face. "I can do it – I'm Slytherin, through and through. But I want to hear you beg for your life first."

"Son…" Harry murmured in caution as Umbridge began pushing back against James and Harry, her strength slowly but surely rising as James and Harry struggled further to hold her back.

"Beg me," Al hissed.

"Al, just think a bloody moment," James grunted back, digging his heels into the ground to keep Umbridge at bay. Teddy and I moved in tandem to help James and Harry immobilise Umbridge.

Before we could reach there, a green flash of light assaulted my eyes, the low hiss 'avada kedavra' shocking me – did Al really do it? Kill Umbridge? The thought made me uneasy – I wanted her dead and gone, but I didn't want it to be Al who would have to live with that.

When my eyes refocused, confusion spread as I saw Umbridge was… perfectly fine. She was sagging in James and Harry's arms, all strength lost. My eyes flicked to Al, whose wand was aimed at the pink throne – the now smoking throne, split in half down the centre with a great fissure. Al's arm slowly lowered, his head remaining high.

It was over – without the throne, the Pures had no strength.

The words from the prophecy drifted back…

The descendant of the Chosen One will be the one tasked with the final blow… But She will not go down without taking another along with her… As the End near approaches, Time is running out for the Snake… if the Snake does not put aside the past She will forever reign… it is the descendant's choice…

It was Al who was the descendant of the Chosen One and… and Tyler was the Snake. Tyler had to let go of the past in order to make that final difference against Umbridge. And it was Al, not James, who had to choose – kill Umbridge or end the Pures at their very root with that goddamned throne.

And Umbridge had taken… taken Tyler with her…

My throat closed up, tears spilling down my cheeks. I ran forward to wrap my arms around Al but Scorp had beaten me to it. I gave them a moment, Al sobbing profusely and shaking in Scorp's arms, his previous rage gone, before I threw my arms around the both of them.

"I nearly did it… nearly ended her…" Al croaked, voice rough and strained.

"It's ok. It's ok. It would never have mattered to me if you did or didn't. It's ok," Scorp soothed.

"And you saved us all – you fucking saved us all," I added, tightening my grip on them.

Another set of arms wrapped around me and I knew without even seeing that it was James.

"You did it. You're fucking amazing," James whispered to Al and Al could only nod into Scorp's shoulder, burying his face deeper and deeper.

We stood like that for a few minutes before finally pulling away, but I made sure my hand still gripped James'.

The rest of the day was a blur – my adrenaline had finally crashed and I felt bone achingly tired and like I could sleep for the next month. James supported me through most of it, though I don't even know how he managed to do so.

There were arrests made and all of us kids were apparated into Hogwarts' hospital ward, the school's wards dropped to make our return as quick and painless as possible.

We all were relatively fine with only some injuries, such as broken wrists and concussions and a few broken arms here and there. I was surprisingly unscathed, save a pulled a muscle in my shoulder and this ghastly gash across my abdomen. James was fine, too, and he had a matching wound across his own stomach.

He was happy about it and refused Madam Promfrey's attempts to heal it before it could permanently scar.

"No, Mads, I want the scar, you see. It adds to my manliness and overall rugged, good looks," he said, all arrogance and charm.

I shoved his side before wrapping my hands around his neck, looking up into his gorgeous face. "If you say so. I think it'll make you look like a pirate."

"An attractive pirate," he said as he winked.

I laughed, leaning up to kiss him. "I love you," I murmured against his lips, tangling my hands in his hair.

"Hmm, I knew you loved me. All along, I bloody knew it," James replied, before capturing my lips with his own. His arms wrapped around my waist and tightened, his palms spread across my back. I curved into him more, craving to be near him. The Battle had only solidified what I already knew – I was utterly in love with him and he was absolutely mine, for as long as I wanted. And I knew that it would be a long, long time.

There were multiple services for those lost at that battle, but the ones that hurt the most were Xavier's and Maria's. I'd never gripped James' hand so tightly before and surprised myself with how much I cried – I didn't think it was possible for someone to cry this much.

And then before I even knew it, it was the end of the school year. I was standing in the Slytherin common room, tugging at my uniform that felt… wrong, without my green tie and Slytherin robe.

"But… but if I get put into Gryffindor?" I asked, worrying my bottom lip.

Jo only shook her head. "If you don't end up being in Slytherin, it'll be fine. But I seriously doubt your crazy ass will be put anywhere else," Jo assured.

Rachel placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. "You'll be in Slytherin, no doubt."

"Just ask the Sorting Hat – he'll take what you want into consideration," Eva added. It seemed strange, but she spoke more now that Xavier passed. We'd asked her a few weeks back why and she'd said that it was what he would've wanted for her, that he was always trying to get her out of her shell a bit more. I knew she was shattered by his death and it would linger with her, but her eyes seemed brighter now, her steps less heavy and burdened.

Scorp and Al rushed from the boys' dorms, Al holding my Slytherin tie and my robe draped over Scorps arm.

"We're coming!" Al yelled as they ran down the steps and over to us. "We had to make sure we brought Maddie's things – she can't very well be missing these when she gets sorted into Slytherin," Al said, shooting me a grin. He and Scorp were confident I'd be sorted into Slytherin but I was still unsure, still scared that I wouldn't be.

But, I had to be sorted. It was McGonagall's requirement – I could attend Hogwarts for my final year, but I had to be sorted properly by the Sorting Hat.

"Let's bloody hope I get sorted with you lot," I said as we all walked to the Great Hall. I had to linger outside alone, though, so I could walk down the hall and be sorted 'properly' as McGonagall had said.

I wouldn't mind too much if I was sorted into Gryffindor – James and Rose were there and it would great to see them more…

But I wanted to be in Slytherin more. Al and Scorp and Jo and Rachel and Eva… they were where I belonged when I was at Hogwarts.

I had a great sense of deja-vu as the doors opened and I made my way down, all eyes on me. I only had eyes on the Sorting Hat, all nerves and sweaty palms as I sat on the stool all students at Hogwarts had.

The Sorting Hat barely touched my head before it called, "Slytherin!"

Cheers welcomed me and I grinned.

Hogwarts, here I bloody come.

THE END