disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, just Arabella. Sorry this took so long, but here is finally is, the second to last chapter! Now, this chapter is a little all over the place in terms of Arabella's feelings, but I tried to do it justice, given everything that's happened in her life, the last chapter, and the beginning of this one.

I hope you all like it!

Bellatrix

Bellatrix's robes whipped out of sight ahead and they were back in the room where the brains were swimming. She aimed a curse over her shoulder and the brain tank rose in the air and tipped. Arabella's fur was now drenched in a foul liquid that reminded her of spoiled milk. The brains slipped and slid around her. Arabella began jumping and dodging them as she headed towards the door. She passed a groaning Luna, near-unconscious Ginny, giggling Ron, and an unconscious Hermione as she ran into the circular black hall. The door slammed behind her and the walls began to rotate again.

Arabella changed back into her human form and stared at the blue streaking light. "Where is she?" she shouted. "Where is the exit?"

The room came to a halt and a door behind her opened. The corridor towards the lift stretched out in front of her and she took off. The lifts were just ahead of her and when she rounded the corner, she slammed her fist against the button. The grills slid open and she dashed inside, hammering the Atrium button. The door slid shut and she was rising, her heart beating faster than the lift. She forced her way out of the lift and looked around. Bellatrix was making her way towards the telephone lift at the other end of the hall. Her arms were in the air as she jumped and swung her hips in joy. Anger boiling over, Arabella quickly transformed into her Animagus form and charged after her. Bellatrix looked back and aimed a spell at her. Arabella ducked behind the Fountain of Magical Brethren, took a leap off the foot, bared her teeth, and sunk them into Bellatrix's shoulder.

Bellatrix screamed in agony and collapsed to the ground. Arabella slid a few feet away from her and changed back into her human form. She was going to make Bellatrix pay and she was going to do it as Arabella, her human form. The last face Bellatrix will ever see will be hers, not the face of her coyote. Blood began pouring out of Bellatrix's shoulders and Arabella wiped the corner of her mouth, the metallic taste making the hairs on her neck stand up. Bellatrix let out a small whimper, reminding Arabella of wounded animals left on the side of the road as she curled up on the polished floor. Arabella had never felt more in control. Finally, it was Bellatrix at her feet bleeding and crying and looking for help. Arabella was no longer a helpless little girl begging and weeping for her mother.

No. This time around she felt powerful. She felt good. This time around, there was something she could actually do. She finally had a purpose. She was finally going to get her revenge and she was going to get justice for her parents. For once, her anger felt good.

Arabella slowly stood on her feet, her legs shaking and her heart beating wildly against her ribs. Bellatrix reached for her fallen wand, but Arabella was faster.

"Crucio!"

Bellatrix screamed but Arabella was not satisfied. Her body did not twist and turn and writhe in pain as Arabella's did all those years ago.

"Get up," growled Arabella. Her voice was unrecognizable. "Pick up your wand."

Bellatrix's fingers reached out for them, but Arabella kicked it away. The wand rolled a few feet away from them.

"Pick up your wand," Arabella repeated.

Bellatrix crawled towards it for a moment, her hair dragged on the floor. Arabella stepped over her and kicked her wand again. Bellatrix did not allow Kassandra to have her wand. Why should Arabella?

"Pick up your wand and fight me," snarled Arabella. She then grabbed Bellatrix's face and dug her nails in. Their faces were pressed together when Arabella said, "I want to see the light leave your eyes when I kill you. I want the last face you see to be mine and mine alone. I want you to understand that this was want I've wanted for years and years and years!" bellowed Arabella, her grip on Bellatrix tightening. She then threw Bellatrix to the ground and delivered a swift kick to her stomach. "Get up! Get up! GET UP!"

She stomped hard on the bite wound and Bellatrix screamed again.

"Get up and fight me!"

But Bellatrix did not get up or even attempt to reach for her wand. Instead, she began laughing and looked Arabella in the eyes. Her own grey eyes cackled with madness and there were deep red marks on her cheeks.

"You would have made a good Death Eater," Bellatrix said simply.

Arabella's body was trembling with rage and she was momentarily distracted by her words. Bellatrix took advantage of this and kicked Arabella in the legs. She fell to the ground, her chin bouncing off the floor, and Bellatrix dashed towards her wand.

"Crucio!" bellowed Arabella.

Bellatrix deflected the spell and it blasted off the fountain. The spell hit the head of the golden wizard on the fountain and its head was completely blown off. It landed twenty feet away from them with long scratches gouged into the floor.

"Never used an Unforgivable Curse before, have you, poppet?" snarled Bellatrix. "Been though them before, yes, yes you have, but never used them… you need to mean it! You need to really want to cause pain! You need to enjoy it –"

"I did!" snapped Arabella, her jaws clenched. "You were – you were lying on the ground in front of me and I enjoyed –"

"Let me give you a proper lesson then," said Bellatrix, raising her wand. "Righteous anger won't hurt me for long – I'll show you – Crucio!"

"Protego!"

Arabella dodged the worst of the spell, but fell backwards and crashed against the marble floor.

"Stupefy! Confringo! Reducto! Bombarda Maxima!"

But Bellatrix dodged all her spells with a flick of her wand, causing them to crash everywhere. The fountain water was now all over the floor, the mantlepiece above the fireplace closest to Bellatrix blasted into tiny pieces, and the floor exploded and cracked, as though hit by a wrecking ball. Bellatrix was unfazed by her spells. In fact, it looked as though she was enjoying it. She clapped her hands together and began laughing.

"And I thought you wanted to fight me, poppet!" she shouted. "I thought you wanted to play."

Arabella's shoulders slumped and her hands fell to the ground. Power and control were something she felt for only a few short moments. She was foolish to think that she ever, especially against someone like Bellatrix, would ever feel that way. How was she supposed to finally get revenge if she was weak? How was she supposed to avenge her father and her mother if she, Arabella, was outmatched? She let out a small sob and covered her face with her hands. She was a foolish, idiotic child playing in the same battlefield that Bellatrix excelled in. She had no chance.

"Weak," snapped Bellatrix. "You're weak just like your father and mother, both unworthy of carrying the Black name. Your father was worthless and your mother couldn't even save her child –"

"You took her wand away from her!" screamed Arabella. "You tied her up and tortured her! What, were you scared of what she might do to you – scare – scared that she would have finished you –"

"Don't be preposterous!" snarled Bellatrix. "She wouldn't have won against me! You can't even stand up and fight me! I was and am the Dark Lord's most loyal servant, I learned the Dark Arts from him, and I know spells of such power that you, a pathetic little school girl, can never hope to compete me! I will give you one chance! Get me the prophecy – get it from Potter – and I may spare your life for the sake of our family!"

"Well, you're just going to have to kill us then, aren't you?" roared a voice from behind the statue. "It's gone! It's gone and he know!"

Arabella looked towards the fountain and saw Harry emerge behind it. His face was pale and there was a mad laugh coming from his mouth.

"What? What do you mean?" cried Bellatrix, and, for the first time, Arabella heard panic in her voice.

"The prophecy smashed when I was trying to get Neville up the steps!" called Harry. "What do you think your old mate Voldemort will say about that, then? He's not going to be happy with you, is he?"

"LIAR!" shrieked Bellatrix. "YOU'VE GOT IT, POTTER, AND YOU WILL GIVE IT TO ME – Accio Prophecy! ACCIO PROPHECY!"

Harry laughed again and waved his empty hands in the air. Bellatrix snapped her head towards Arabella with a furious expression on her face. She raised her wand and screamed, "CRUCIO!"

Arabella screamed, her throat caving in. Her bones were on fire and her body was twisting and turning in every direction. She wanted the pain to stop. It was beyond imaginable, past endurance and unbearable. She screamed for it to stop, she screamed for Harry, she screamed for Kassandra… More than anything, she screamed for Sirius. When Bellatrix lifted the curse, Arabella was lying on her back, staring up at the ceiling and panting. Her face was covered in sweat and tears, and her heart seemed to have slowed down. But she was alive. She was alive and there was proof – her weak heart, her lungs inhaling and exhaling, her twitching fingers, and her eyes that will always be her fathers – she was alive and breathing, but despite all this, she didn't want to be. She didn't want to live if living meant watching her loved ones die. She didn't want to live if she was going to be the last one standing.

"Kill me," Arabella whispered, a lump in her throat threatening to choke her. "Kill me and end it all. Do it. Please… do it."

Bellatrix rolled her eyes. "Weak. Just like your father." She stood over Arabella and pointed her wand directly over her heart. "One last chance, Potter, get me the prophecy or watch your girlfriend die."

But as much as Arabella wished Bellatrix had done it and ended her misery, she knew what she had to do. She's known for years. It was no longer a child's desire to end it all, but a woman's desire to take Bellatrix down with her no matter what it took. Arabella understood it as she laid on the ground, staring up at Bellatrix, and a flame leapt inside of her, searing in her throat. Her mother was tied up to a chair and, yet, she fought and she fought to the bitter end. Sirius, her father, risked everything just to see her and protect her. So how could she, Arabella, just give up like that? How could Kassandra and Sirius's child just roll over? She had to be strong like them. She had to be. Arabella curled her fingers around Bellatrix's boot and slowly got up to her knees. She leaned against Bellatrix's legs for support, grabbed a chunk of her robes, and brought their faces close together. Arabella could see the imprint of her nails on Bellatrix's face.

"Didn't you hear what he said?" Arabella whispered. "It's fucking gone."

Arabella wacked Bellatrix's wand away, grabbed her by the neck, and slammed her down to the ground. Arabella's own wand was lying next to her, but she didn't need one to kill Bellatrix. She wrapped both hands around Bellatrix's throat and squeezed. Arabella squeezed as hard as she could, wanting to destroy the woman that destroyed her family. She wanted Bellatrix to feel as helpless as she did when she was a child watching the light die from Kassandra's eyes. She wanted Bellatrix to feel pain and loneliness and despair just as she did when Sirius disappeared behind the veil. She wanted her to pay and she was going to make it happen.

Bellatrix, with all her might, was clawing at Arabella's face, trying to fight back as she choked and gasped for air. But Arabella's hold was strong and unyielding.

"One day, I will die," whispered Arabella, "but… but I will be remembered and I will be loved. You… no one will remember you. You will be –"

Arabella stabbed her finger inside of Bellatrix's bite wounds. Bellatrix screamed and shrieked, trying to twist away, but Arabella pinned her to the floor. Arabella dug her fingers deeper into the wound and licked the corners of her mouth.

"You will be forgotten," Arabella continued in a rush. "You will be forgotten as just another one of Voldemort's lap dogs. No one will remember your name and I promise you I will make sure that happens. I will not rest until you are forgotten. I will make you pain for everything you've done – are you listening to me?" Arabella demanded, shaking Bellatrix.

"MASTER!" cried Bellatrix, twisting and turning underneath Arabella. "MASTER, I TRIED, I TRIED – DO NOT PUNISH ME –"

"Don't waste your breath!" called Harry. "He can't hear you from here!"

"Can't I, Potter?"

Behind Arabella came a familiar high, cold voice. Arabella froze for a moment and looked at Harry. He was paralyzed and staring beyond her. She glanced at her wand and quickly grabbed it, wanting to strike first, but Voldemort threw her off of Bellatrix with ease. She was sent flying into the air and skidded to a halt beside Harry. Arabella, with one hand wrapped behind her head, looked up. Voldemort was standing in the middle of the hall, his terrible face white and grunt, and his scarlet eyes fixed upon Harry and Arabella.

"So, you smashed my prophecy?" Voldemort said softly. "I see the truth staring at me through your worthless mind… Months of preparation, months of effort… and my Death Eaters have let Harry Potter and a bunch of school brats thwart me…"

"Master, I am sorry, I knew not, I was fighting the Animagus Black!" sobbed Bellatrix, one hand clutching her wound as she crouched next to Voldemort's feet. "Master, you should know –"

"Be quiet, Bella, I shall deal with you in a moment. Do you think I have entered the Ministry of Magic to hear your sniveling apologies?" Voldemort's tone was dangerous as Bellatrix cowered beneath him. "I have nothing more to say to you, Potter. You and this girl have irked me too often, for too long. AVADA KEDAVRA!"

Harry touched her hand as a jet of green light spiraled towards them. Arabella closed her eyes and her mind went blank. There was no more fighting, no more resisting… just numb resignation. But the impact of the spell did not arrive. Instead, the headless golden statue of the wizard sprang alive and landed on the floor between them and Voldemort. The spell bounced off its chest as the statue flung out its arms.

"Dumbledore!" breathed Voldemort.

There he was, standing in front of the golden gates with his wand held in his hand. Arabella's heart clenched as she once again saw her old headmaster wearing a brilliant blue cloak. Voldemort raised his wand, sending another jet of green light at him, but Dumbledore disappeared with a whirl of his cloak and reappeared in a second behind Voldemort. He waved his wand towards the remainder of the fountain and the other statues sprung to life as well. The witch ran towards Bellatrix and pinned her to the floor. The goblin and house-elf dashed toward the fireplaces and the centaur charged at Voldemort, who vanished and reappeared beside the pool. Dumbledore and the centaur advanced on Voldemort as the headless wizard pushed Arabella and Harry away from the fight.

"It was foolish to come here tonight, Tom," Dumbledore said calm, acting as though they were back at Hogwarts. "The Aurors are on their way –"

"By which time I shall be gone, and you dead!" spat Voldemort.

He sent another Killing Curse at Dumbledore but missed. It hit the security guard's desk and burst into flames. Dumbledore sent a silent, colourless, and powerful spell towards Voldemort, who had to conjured a shining silver shield to protect it. Whatever that spell was, it didn't seem to cause any visible damage, but an odd chilling sound vibrated in the air, causing Arabella's body to shake.

"You do not seek to kill me, Dumbledore?" called Voldemort. "Above such brutality, are you?"

"We both know that there are other ways of destroying a man, Tom," Dumbledore replied calmly. "Merely taking your life would not satisfy me, I admit –"

"There is nothing worse than death, Dumbledore!" snarled Voldemort. Arabella could hear the fear in his voice. What was there to be scared of in death?

"You are quite wrong," said Dumbledore. "Your failure to understand that there are things much worse than death has always been your greatest weakness –"

Another jet of green light flew towards Dumbledore. The centaur threw itself in front of Dumbledore and shattered into a hundred pieces. Before the pieces could fall to the floor, Dumbledore drew his wand. A long thin flame flew from the tip and wrapped itself around Voldemort. For a moment, it seemed as though Dumbledore had won. The shield had vanished and nobody was coming to Voldemort's aid. But then the fiery rope became a serpent. It relinquished its hold on Voldemort and turned immediately to face Dumbledore. Voldemort disappeared and the snake reared from the floor, ready to strike. Quickly, Dumbledore waved his wand in a long, fluid movement. The snake flew high into the air and turned to smoke with an echoing scream. Voldemort reappeared standing in the middle of the pool where the statues once stood.

"Look out!" yelled Harry.

A jet of green light was hurtling at Dumbledore, but just as Harry shouted, a burst of fire appeared above Dumbledore and Fawkes appeared. He swooped down in front of Dumbledore, opened his beak, swallowed the green light, and burst into flames. The phoenix fell to the floor, wrinkled and flightless like a newborn. Dumbledore made another long motion with his wand and the water in the pool rose up. It encircled around Voldemort and began turning in midair. Voldemort looked as though he was suffocating, thrashing in the water, desperately clawing at nothing – and then he was gone. Dumbledore withdrew his wand and the water crashed back into its pool.

"MASTER!" screamed Bellatrix.

Arabella was sure Voldemort was gone. No one was coming to his aid and Dumbledore had the upper hand. Licking her lips, Arabella moved from behind the statue guard, wanting to check around the pool –

"Stay where you are!" bellowed Dumbledore.

For the first time, he sounded frightened and Arabella did not understand. The hall was empty but for themselves. Harry was being guarded by the statue and Arabella's wand was just a few feet away from her. Bellatrix was rendered useless as she sobbed underneath her statue and Dumbledore won. Arabella took a small step towards her wand when –

"Kill me now, Dumbledore…"

Arabella whipped around and saw Harry in pain. He was pinned against the wall by the statue and his body was twisting gawkily. His head was rolling and his neck as stretched out with veins popping out. He looked as though he was under the Cruciatus Curse and it was killing him. He began screaming, his voice hoarse, and Arabella could feel his agony.

"If death is nothing, Dumbledore, kill the boy…"

Dumbledore waved his wand and the golden statue jumped aside. Harry fell to the floor screaming, but the moment his head made contact with the floor, he fell silent. Arabella was paralyzed with fear. Was he already dead? Did Voldemort somehow manage to finish him off without using a wand?

"Master," whispered a voice behind her.

Arabella whipped around. Voldemort blasted the statue off of Bellatrix in front of a dozen or so Ministry workers. Several screamed and jumped back in fear, while others stared at Voldemort, as though unable to comprehend what they were seeing. Voldemort and Bellatrix disappeared into thin air just as more workers began appearing in the Atrium. Arabella quickly grabbed her wand as Dumbledore leaned Harry against the wall.

"He was there!" cried a man, pointing to where Voldemort and Bellatrix had been. "I saw him, Mr. Fudge, I swear it! It was You-Know-Who and he grabbed a woman and Disapparated!"

"I know, Williamson, I know, I saw him too!" snapped Fudge, panting heavily. "Merlin's beard – here – here! – in the Ministry of Magic! – great heavens above – it doesn't seem possible – my word – how can this be?"

"If you proceed downstairs into the Department of Mysteries, Cornelius," said Dumbledore, striding forward, "you will find several escaped Death Eaters contained in the death Chamber, bound by an Anti-Disapparation Jinx and awaiting your decision as to what to do with them."

Several of the Ministry workers raised their wands at him in fright, while others simply looked amazed at his appearance. Fudge jumped in the air and his hat nearly fell off his head.

"Dumbledore!" gasped Fudge. "You – here – I – I –"

"Cornelius, I am ready to fight your men – and win again!" thundered Dumbledore. "But a few second ago, you saw proof, with your own eyes, that I have been telling you the truth for a year. Lord Voldemort has returned, you have been chasing the wrong men for twelve months, and it is time you listened to sense!"

"I – don't – well –" Fudge looked around, hoping someone would come to his aid and tell him what to do. When no one did, he said, "Very well – Dawlish! Williamson! Go down to the Department of Mysteries and see… Dumbledore, you – you will need to tell me exactly – the Fountain of Magical Brethren – what happened?"

"We can discuss that after I have sent Harry and Arabella back to Hogwarts."

"Harry? Arabella? I don't –"

Fudge spun around and stared at Harry and Arabella, both now standing next to the fallen statue that had been guarding them during the duel.

"Why – what's all this about? Why are they here?"

"I shall explain everything," repeated Dumbledore, "when they are both back at school."

Dumbledore walked towards the wizard's golden head that was laying on the floor. Fudge gave Arabella a tentative look as Dumbledore pointed his wand at the head and muttered, "Portus." The head glowed blue and trembled for a second before halting.

"Now see here, Dumbledore!" said Fudge. "You haven't got authorization for that Portkey! You can't do things like that right in front of the Minister of Magic, you – you –"

His voice faltered as Dumbledore surveyed him magisterially over his half-moon spectacles.

"You will give the order to remove Dolores Umbridge from Hogwarts," said Dumbledore. "You will tell your Aurors to stop searching for my Care of Magical Creatures teacher so that he can return to work. I will give you…" Dumbledore pulled a watch from his pocket, "half an hour of my time tonight, in which I think we shall be more than able to cover the important points of what has happened here. After that, I shall need to return to school. If you need more help from me you are, of course, more than welcome to contact me at Hogwarts. Letters addressed to the headmaster will find me."

Fudge goggled worse than ever. His mouth was open and his round face grew pinker under his grey hair. Dumbledore turned his back on him and walked back to Arabella and Harry with the head.

"Harry, Arabella, take this Portkey."

He held out the golden head of the statue and the two of them placed their hands upon it.

"I shall see you in half an hour," said Dumbledore quietly. "One… two… three…"

Arabella felt her navel jerk forward. The Atrium, Dumbledore and Fudge were disappearing and she was flying forward in a whirlwind of colours and sounds…

Her feet hit solid ground again and her knees buckled. The wizard's head fell to the floor with a loud clunk and they were back in Dumbledore's office. The room was lit with candles and a few dim lamps. The portraits of the headmasters and headmistresses were snoozing in their frames, some occasionally letting out a sudden snore. Arabella got up and made her way towards the doorknob. She seized it and turned. It did not open. She tried again, but it was locked. She was lock in Dumbledore's office with Harry. She was trapped.

Arabella leaned her forehead against the cool door and let out an unsteady breath. She then began punching the door, banging her fists and pulling on the doorknob with all her might. She didn't want to be trapped anymore. She had been trapped inside Grimmauld Place all summer, inside Hogwarts all term, and she was tired. She was exhausted and weak and she wanted to scream. She wanted to scream until her throat went hoarse and began to burn. She wanted to smash everything in the office and rip those portraits apart. She was angry and it was better than tears and weak shoulders.

"Ah… Harry Potter…" drawled a cool voice. "And what brings you here in the early hours of the morning? The office is supposed to be barred to all but the rightful headmaster. Or has Dumbledore sent you here? Oh, don't tell me… Another message for my worthless great-great-grandson?"

Arabella seized one of Dumbledore's silver instruments from the closest table and flung it across the room. It shattered into a hundred tiny pieces against the wall right under Phineas Nigellus's portrait. Several of the pictures let out yells of anger and fright.

"What is the matter with you, girl?" demanded Phineas Nigellus. "The nerve of you –"

"If you say another word, I swear I will destroy –"

Arabella took two steps forward, wanting to rip Phineas Nigellus's portrait into shreds, but Harry stepped in front of her and seized her around her waist. She shoved him away quickly and put as much space between them as possible. She backed up against the door and took a deep breath. He looked hurt and wounded, but she didn't care. She didn't want him to touch her. Not now, not after what happened.

"Arabella," Harry began softly, his hand reaching out towards her.

She slapped his hand away and turned around, fumbling with the doorknob. With every ounce of desperation in her, she wanted the door to just open. She didn't want to hear Harry's explanations or excuses or anything he had to say in the matter. She didn't even want to be near him.

"I am so…" breathe Harry, struggling to find the words.

Silence followed his short statement and Arabella continued to tug on the doorknob.

"I don't want to hear anything you have to say," Arabella said over her shoulder quickly. "I – I – I – I –"

"You what?" Harry asked simply, his voice deprived of any sign of life. He seemed dull at moment.

Arabella bite her lips and shook her head. He placed his hand on her shoulders and she spun around, unable to help the strange feeling in her chest. She wanted throw him off and, yet, she wanted to bury her head in his chest and never let go. But the feeling to shove him away was greater after all they had been through. She was trapped not only in this room with Harry, but inside her own head and body, unable to stop thinking of Harry, Bellatrix, Voldemort and Sirius…

The empty fireplace burst into emerald-green flame. Dumbledore's tall frame unfolded from the fire and the portraits jerked away. They welcomed him back into his office applause and happy cries.

"Thank you," Dumbledore said softly. Dumbledore walked over to the perch beside the door and placed Fawkes gently on the tray of ashes beneath his post. He then turned to face Harry and Arabella. "Well, you two will be pleased to hear that none of your fellow students are going to suffer lasting damage from the night's events. Madam Pomfrey is patching everybody up now. Nymphadora Tonks may need to spend a little time in St. Mungo's, but it seems that she will make a full recovery."

Arabella continued to pull on the doorknob.

"I know how you are feeling, Harry," Dumbledore said quietly.

"No, you don't," said Harry, his voice louder and stronger than earlier.

"You see, Dumbledore?" Phineas Nigellus said slyly. "Never try to understand the students. They hate it. They would much rather be tragically misunderstood –"

"Shut up!" snapped Arabella, spinning around. "Shut up! Don't you just ever stop talking, you worthless weasel? Just shut up and –" She then stopped herself and took a deep breath. "Open the door," she told Dumbledore.

"Arabella –"

"I don't care what you have to say," she said in a hush. "I don't care what you have to say or what you have to say," she added, pointing at Phineas Nigellus, "or even what you have to say," she looked at Harry. She turned back to Dumbledore and said, "Let me out or I will scream. I will scream and wake this whole castle up – try me."

She slapped her palm against the door and heard a soft click. Turning the handle, Arabella raced out of the room, running as though her life was depended on it. The corridors were deserted and everything was a blur. Her footsteps were ringing in her hears and a few short seconds, she was standing on the stone steps towards the grounds. Her gut told her where she needed to go and she followed, cautiously making her way towards the Whomping Willow.

There was a cool line of pale green alone the horizon. Dawn was slowly approaching and the Whomping Willow stood out on the quiet, chilly grounds. The silence and stillness of the ground was only broken by the occasional ruffle of her feet. She stood in front of the tree for a moment, raised her wand, and whispered, "Wingardium Leviosa." A thick branch froze in midair just as it struck the ground. She moved forward, crawled inside the gap in the roots and slid down the earthy slope. She went down the passage, her back bent as her fingers grazed over the earthy walls. The tunnel began to rise and there was a small opening. She headed straight for the stairs and pushed the upstairs door open.

"Lumos."

Her wand lit up and she could see the room clearly. Everything was still covered in dust and left exactly as it were all those years ago when she finally met Sirius. She closed the door and looked at the same spot where she first saw him. His handsome face was hollow and his hair filthy. Back then she wanted him dead, like a foolish child thinking that he was dangerous, that he wanted to kill Harry in the name of Voldemort. But he didn't. He wanted to protect them. He wanted to see her after so many years and after all those years, she had hope. She had hope that her family would be whole and complete. She was still missing a mother, but she got her father back and would have been enough. A piece of Kassandra's heart went to Azkaban with Sirius and when he returned, everything seemed right. Everything was slowly falling into place and she was finally, finally going to get the timing right. She almost had everything. Almost…

Tears were now streaming down her face. It took her a few minutes to realize that her throat went dry and her shoulders were trembling. Her face was now shiny and her nose runny. Arabella slumped down on the magnificent bed and curled within herself.

"It's cruel that I got to spend so much time with Kassandra and so little with you, but know this: I never stopped thinking about you, my dear…"

The last image she saw before falling asleep was the look of hope on Sirius's face.

When Arabella woke up, she was no longer in the Shrieking Shack, but rather the hospital wing. She slowly sat up and blinked a couple times. Her eyes were stinging and her arms ached. She could hear soft voices behind her curtain but could not hear what they were talking about. She grabbed her wand from the beside table and opened the curtain. Madam Pomfrey was nowhere to be seen and she saw her chance to sneak out without being detected. Arabella pulled her robes closer to her body and made a beeline for the doors. She was just a few feet away from leaving when she saw Professor Umbridge.

She was lying in a secluded bed near the window and staring at the ceiling. She didn't seem to be in any harm, but her usually clean hair was now untidy with bits of twigs and leaves in it. Arabella contemplated what she was going to do next when something deep inside her growled. That woman spent months torturing her for telling the truth and look where it got her. Sirius is gone and Umbridge will never pay for what she's done. In the end, Arabella's choice was easy.

She muttered a heating charm under her breath a couple times and her wand began to burn. It did not set on fire and she didn't need it to. Her wand, that had always been connected with her, seemed to understand what she wanted to do. She didn't know if it was somehow possible for one's wand to be so connected with its owner, but she didn't have time to dwell on the matter.

She stalked her way towards Umbridge's bed, her footsteps soft against the stone floor. Arabella made a soft, clicking noise with her tongue and Umbridge snapped right up. Before she could scream, Arabella grabbed a fist full of Umbridge's hair, stretched out her neck and pressed her heated wand against the skin. Umbridge gave a yelp of pain and fright, but nobody came to her aid.

"Burns," whispered Umbridge, her eyes watering. "Please… you're hurting me."

Arabella pressed her wand deeper into Umbridge's neck and was satisfied to see the woman wince.

"I know," snarled Arabella, her voice hoarse and rough. "It's supposed to hurt… You forced me to carve words into the back of my hand for months. You punished me for telling the truth. You slapped me and threatened to torture me… I should kill you. I should just kill you and get it over with. Who's going to miss you? Who's going to mourn someone like you? Not even your precious Minister will even shed a tear for you."

Arabella dug her wand deeper into Umbridge's skin for a moment before suddenly releasing her.

"But death would be too sweat for someone like you. Honestly, you're just another worthless loser and you're dead to me anyways. I'd be wasting my time with you."

Arabella took one last hard look at Umbridge, her jaw fixed with a scowl. Umbridge cowered underneath her graze, making Arabella livid. She gave Umbridge one last shake of her head before spitting on her. Umbridge gave a shrike of surprise as it landed on her cheek, forehead and the edges of her mouth. Her eyes began to water and she began shuddering, not daring to do anything while Arabella was still standing in front of her.

Arabella's mouth turned into a grimace. She wanted to smile, but there was nothing to be happy about. She turned to leave the hospital wing when she saw them. Hermione and Ron were in hospital beds with Ginny, Neville, Luna and Harry surrounding them. Somehow, they all seemed fine and unscratched. Neville's nose returned to its normal size, Ginny's ankle was mended, Luna was aloof and reading a copy of The Quibbler, and Harry was… he seemed unaffected as he sat by Ron. They all seemed surprise to see her, as though forgetting she existed and she was in the same room with them for what must have been hours. None of them sat by her bed. None of them came to visit her.

"Arabella," whispered Hermione, setting The Daily Prophet down. "We – I –"

"Save it," Arabella said quickly.

Arabella turned around and walked out of the hospital wing. She heard someone's footsteps behind her, but didn't bother to see who it was. As far as she was concerned, she was all alone in the corridor with sunlight streaming through the windows. Outside she could see people flying over the Quidditch pitch and swimming in the lake. They all seemed happy and content with the school year coming to a close. That was supposed to be her…

She rounded the corner of the corridor into the Entrance Hall and came face to face with Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle. Arabella stopped dead in front of them and knew the person behind her did the same. Malfoy glanced around, making sure no teachers were around.

"You're dead," he told Arabella in a low voice.

"Did you think she was going to stop walking around?" called the voice behind her that could only be Harry's.

Malfoy was beyond angry. His pale face was contorted with rage as he said, "You're going to pay. I'm going to make you pay for what you've done to my father –"

"Do your worst," snarled Arabella, moving closer towards Malfoy until their chests were touching. "Come on, Malfoy, you want to make me pay? Hit me then. Come on – walking around here, acting like you own the place, acting like you're some sort of tough guy when in actual reality you're no better than that pathetic father of yours –"

"Don't you dare talk about father," snapped Malfoy. "You think you're so big, Black. You wait – I'll get you – You can't land my father in prison –"

"I already did," said Arabella, poking Malfoy in the chest, "and I'm going to make sure you get a nice and cozy cell next to that scumbag, you hear me? You wanna fight me, Malfoy, then you better come at me with all you've got. 'Cause your threats are just as empty as your mother ever reuniting with her husband again –"

Malfoy's hand flew towards his wand and Arabella watched him for a moment, her eyebrows raised. Harry stood next to her with his wand already out and he looked ready to strike.

"Potter!" Snape's voice rang across the Entrance Hall as he emerged from the staircase leading down to his office. "What are you doing, Potter?"

"Trying to decide what curse to use on, Malfoy, sir," Harry said fiercely.

Snape stared at him for a moment and then said, "Put that wand away at once. Ten points from Gryff –" He then glanced at the giant hourglasses on the walls and gave them a jeering smile. "Ah… I see there are no longer any points left in the Gryffindor hourglass to take away. In that case, Potter, we will simply have to –"

"Add some more?"

Professor McGonagall, in all her glory, had just stumped up the stone steps into the castle. She was carrying a plaid suitcase and leaning heavily on a walking cane.

"Professor McGonagall! Out of St. Mungo's, I see!"

"Yes, Professor Snape. I'm quite as good as new. You two – Crabbe – Goyle –" She beckoned them forward and thrusted her suitcase and cloak in their arms. "Here, take these up to my office for me."

They turned and stumped away up the marble staircase.

"Right then," continued McGonagall, looking up at the hourglasses, "well, I think Potter and his friends ought to have fifty points apiece for alerting the world to the return of You-Know-Who! What say you, Professor Snape?"

"What?" snapped Snape. "Oh – well – I suppose…"

"So that's fifty each for Potter, Black, the two Weasleys, Longbottom, and Miss Granger," said McGonagall, and a shower of rubies fell down into the bottom bulb of Gryffindor's hourglass as she spoke. "Oh – and fifty for Miss Lovegood, I suppose," she added, and a number of sapphires fell into Ravenclaw's glass. "Now, you wanted to take ten points from Mr. Potter, I think, Professor Snape – so there we are…"

A few rubies retreated into the upper bulb, leaving a respectable amount below nevertheless.

"Well, Potter, Black, Malfoy – I think you ought to be outside on a glorious day like this," said McGonagall. As she made her way forward, she took a pause beside Arabella and gave her shoulder a tight squeeze. "If you ever need to talk, Black, my door is always open."

Arabella didn't say anything as she made her way towards the Gryffindor Tower. Before she even reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, Harry grabbed her arm.

"Don't touch me," snapped Arabella, shoving him away. "Just… just…"

"We didn't know you were there," Harry said quickly. "If I had known, Arabella, I would have been by your bedside –"

"It doesn't matter," said Arabella, her eyes beginning to water. "Right? It just… none of this matters anymore, does it?"

She closed her eyes for a moment and wished that everything around her would vanish. That when she opened her eyes again, she would find herself alone in the castle…

"Don't say that," said Harry, his voice small. "I mean, what does that even mean, 'none of this matters'?"

"It means…" began Arabella, opening her eyes and giving him a small shrug of her shoulder. "I means I don't want to be here anymore."

"Here?" asked Harry, his eyebrows raised. "Here in this corridor or here with… me?"

Arabella licked her lips and nodded absentmindedly. "Yeah… yeah..."

As quick as she could, she entered the deserted Gryffindor common room and ran up the stairs to the girls' dormitory. She crossed the room towards her trunk and opened it. It took her a moment of rummaging through her things to finally find what she was looking for – the blanket Sirius got her for Christmas. It was only a blanket, a harmless little thing, but it was Sirius's blanket, something that nobody could ever take away from her. She held it close to her for a moment, marveling in the softness of the cloth and how Sirius risked everything, everything, and never got to walk the streets as a free man.

Arabella crawled into her bed and threw the blanket over her. For a moment, she stared blankly at Parvati's bed and realized how isolated and lonely she was. The loss of Sirius was still fresh and, somehow, the loss of Kassandra began to weigh upon her once more. At the moment, she could no longer muster any great sense of fear or anger. It had been, as it always was, her fault. She could not save her mother as a child and now, with all her knowledge and skill, could not even save her father. It was still sunny and she could hear the distant sound of students laughing and cheering. She felt as though she never truly belonged with them. Her life was different from theirs, her mind working in strange ways that even made her uncomfortable, and her scars… oh, her scars… She was never meant to lead a normal life, Bellatrix, Barty Crouch Jr., and the Lestrange brothers made sure of that, but she had always hoped…

The sun had fallen soon enough and Arabella laid on her stomach, her pillow catching her tears.

Arabella did not leave her bed for three days. Parvati and Lavender tried their best to get her out of bed from pleading with her to threatening to get Professor McGonagall. They tried to cheer her up by telling her that the Ministry cleared Sirius's name and finally acknowledged that Voldemort was back, but it was not enough. They tried their best, they truly did, but at the end of the day, neither one of them knew how to actually handle her. So, they gave up and brought her food after each meal. On the third day, Hermione finally entered the girls' dormitory. She could hear the sighs of relief from Parvati and Lavender, both knowing that if anyone could handle Arabella, it was going to be Hermione.

"Parvati's told me you've been crying at night," Hermione said softly. "Have you left this room?"

Arabella closed her eyes and moved her head closer towards her pillow. In all honestly, she barely left her bed.

"You haven't been eating," commented Hermione, glancing at her bedside table. "Harry's been giving Lavender and Parvati food to give you. You shouldn't let them go to waste."

When Arabella didn't say anything, Hermione got up and left the room without another word. Arabella let out a sigh and rolled over, bringing the blanket up to her face. It was quiet in the room and that's all she really wanted. No distractions, no nagging or worries or anything like that. Just silence…

But that did not last long. Soon enough, Hermione re-entered the room with Ginny in tow. They seemed to have devised some sort of plan and, by the looks on their faces, they were determined to see it through. Hermione pulled the blanket off of Arabella as Ginny stood in front of her with a small smile.

"Oh, come on, now," said Ginny, placing her arm under Arabella's and lifting her into a sitting position. "That's it. Wasn't that hard, was it? Come on, stand up."

Arabella was pulled to her feet, her knees wobbling, and Ginny gave her an even bigger smile. She supported Arabella and guided her into the bathroom. Hermione turned on the shower and helped Arabella out of her clothes. For the longest time, Arabella stood underneath the hot water, her hair plastered to her face and quite aware of how oily her skin felt.

"Are you done?"

Arabella turned the water off and took the towel from Hermione. She dried herself and changed into the clothes Hermione placed on the counter. She did two things in the last three days and she felt exhausted. But she knew Hermione and Ginny wanted her to head down to the Great Hall for breakfast. If she did this one thing for them then she can head back to bed.

As they made their way to the Great Hall, Hermione and Ginny were determined to act as though this was just another normal day and they were just following some sort of regular routine. But Arabella didn't feel normal and when she entered the Great Hall, she knew nobody else regarded her as normal. So many people turned to see walk towards the Gryffindor table, many whispered to their neighbours as she past them. Alfred Clemens lifted his hand in a small wave and Luna gave her a bright smile, but Arabella kept her head down. As she approached the middle of the table, Harry and Ron finally spotted them. Harry stood up quickly and, in the process, dropped some pumpkin juice on himself. He swore under his breath and quickly wiped it away.

"How are you?" he asked quickly.

Arabella shrugged and sat next him. Hermione and Ginny, both across from her, began placing trays of food in front of her.

"Toast?"

"Bacon? Eggs?"

"Porridge?"

Arabella shook her head and took a small sip of coffee.

"You have to eat something, Arabella," urged Hermione, looking as though she was close to tears. "Please, please, please, eat something. You haven't eaten in three days. This is not healthy. Just a little bit of toast."

Arabella signed and gave her a small nod. Hermione, relieved, placed four pieces of toast on her plate and two scoops of marmalade. Arabella spread some marmalade on the toast and took a small bite.

"Heard her father kicked the bucket," whispered a voice behind her.

"The murderer?" whispered another voice.

"Didn't you hear the Prophet? He apparently didn't do it."

"Who did it then?"

"No clue, honestly."

"Poor girl."

Arabella felt Harry tense up beside her and turned to say something when she heard someone else whisper about her right behind Ginny.

"Some sort of family feud, I suppose. Her aunt or cousin or whatever did it in the Ministry right in front of the Minister."

"Did she see it then?

"Dunno, do I? Unlucky family, ain't it?"

"Calling them a family is bit of a stretch, mate."

Ron, flushed and angry, turned around and said, "Piss off."

But that didn't stop the whispers coming from the Slytherin table, nor the handful of ones from the Ravenclaws or the stares from the Hufflepuffs, or even the Gryffindors unable to look her in the eye. Arabella took a deep breath and slowly stood up.

"You haven't finished your toast!" said Hermione.

"This was pointless," Arabella said simply. "Thank you for trying, but it didn't work."

Arabella left the Great Hall, ignoring the whispers and the stares and Hermione's faint protests. She slowly made her way over to the girls' bathroom and hunched over the sink. She began heaving and soon found her the contents of her stomach in front of her. There was a strange, sharp sensation in her chest and she looked up at the mirror.

Everything she hated about herself, she saw staring right back at her. From her grey eyes to her damp hair to the strange boniness of her shoulders from not eating for days… she hated everything about herself. She chose to go to the Ministry, she chose to believe that Voldemort had somehow gotten his hands on Sirius… everything she did, she did on her own accord and Sirius was dead because of her.

And finally admitting it to herself made something inside of her snap. Her face contorted into a half-snarl, half-growl, and she screamed. She screamed as she kicked the basin, slammed her palms against the sink, and then began punching the mirror over and over again until it finally cracked and her skin broke. She screamed despite her shortness of breath and the pain in her chest rising. She punched the mirror against and pulled on it until the screws came undone and she shattered it on the floor, the shards scattered everywhere. Her head began to spin and her skin slick from sweat, but she could not stop screaming and she could not stop herself from slamming her fists on the next mirror... Days of pent up frustration and anger and self-hatred was coming out the only way it could.

Soon enough, someone came sprinting into the room and held her around her waist. Arabella could not see who it was, they were right behind her and pulled her close to their chest. She was shocked momentarily, her screamed died out, and something was terribly, terribly wrong. The pain in her chest was excruciating, her vision was blurry and her knees were giving out under her.

"Arabella?"

She knew the voice was right behind her, but somehow it was distant, as though it were miles and miles away. She fell to her knees and tried to hold herself up with her elbows, but they were just as weak as her legs with numbness spreading all over her body. Her chest felt as though someone was sitting on it and yet squeezing it at the same time. The pain was unbearable and bile began to rise in her throat.

"We're going to get some help. Hang in there, Arabella – don't close your eyes!"

The last thing she saw were beautiful emerald irises staring right at her before everything went dark.

Thank you so much for reading!

In regards to the last bit of the chapter, I'm going to make it more clear with, obviously, Harry's POV in the next chapter to give more detail as to what was happening to her. Also, I do hope that Arabella's feelings and actions in this made sense given the fact that she did lose Sirius to Bellatrix, her constant foe. I mean, it's always Bellatrix, isn't it?