WE MADE IT TO THE END OF YEAR FOUR! YAAAS! This was possibly the most intense chapter I've ever written for this story. Holy. COW. It was so much fun to write that I finished it just a few hours after the previous one, but granted this one is a couple thousand words shorter than the usual amount I do per chapter. I hope to have Book 5 up and running soon. Keep an eye out for updates. Love all of your reviews & support. Happy Friday!

The chirping birds and singing crickets were silenced the moment I crossed into the trees. I was no longer inside the world of warmth and life; I had crossed into the realm of darkness and death.

Lily kept pace as we jumped over branches and wove in and out of trees. Loki led on, moving silently through the thick undergrowth. The blood pounded inside of my ears as I ran through the misty world of shadows and trees, the air pungent with the odor of pine resin and decaying soil.

We had only been running for a few minutes when Loki stopped abruptly. His hackles rose, a deep, threatening growl escaping his jaws. Lily and I drew our wands in tandem, searching the dusky forest for any sign of movement.

"What is it, Loki?" I whispered, igniting my wand tip. A prickle of dread crept over my skin, and the awful sense of foreboding I'd felt earlier was stronger than ever. It was a tangible presence, like a ghost.

Loki lowered himself to the ground, growling deeper. Lily swore, trembling. "I wish he'd stop doing that."

"He's trying to warn us." I told her, scanning the foggy gloom between the trees. I thought I saw a hooded figure in black slip between two trees, but when I blinked, there was nothing.

"Let's keep going." I said quietly, adrenaline pumping hard and fast through my veins. "If we don't move, we'll never get to Remus in time."

Loki continued to glare in the direction of where I'd seen a moving figure, but after a moment, he began to glide through the trees again. Lily and I followed, legs burning, clothes snagging on twigs and brambles.

"Almost there." I gasped, remembering the circle of trees. A moment later, we ran into the dip of the hollow. A huge pine tree spread its gnarled roots out in all directions. Beneath it was a black space, a den for any kind of large and deadly creature.

But when we approached, it wasn't the snarls of a beast echoing from inside. It was the weeping of a scared girl.

Lily hurried forth, wand aloft. She peered inside, the iridescent light catching on an oval face. "Zoey?"

Zoey MacDonald let out a sob. "It's a trap! You have to get out of here!"

"What's a trap?" Lily demanded, while I whirled around, terrified, bracing myself for the appearance of a werewolf.

Zoey wept harder. "I was taking Remus to the hospital wing when he showed up."

"Who?" Lily said quickly.

"Professor Folsom."

Lily and I exchanged a look of horror. "How did he get into the castle?"

"I don't know!" Zoey wailed. "But he used some kind of magic on us… I don't know. I think it was the Imperius Curse. Or maybe he hypnotized me. I don't know. He made us come out here, and then he took Remus away… he said he needed to introduce him to his old friend. Fenrir something."

"Fenrir Greyback." I whispered. The one who had bitten Remus as a five-year-old and condemned him to a lifetime of pain and prejudice.

"They're out here, in the woods. Folsom promised me he'd send Remus to me, once the moon rose. But that's not all." Her dark eyes stared at me, overflowing with tears. "He said he was going to use Remus as bait. For you. He knew you'd come looking for Remus, but he said you'd get here after I died. After Remus killed me." She sobbed harder. "I don't know why Remus would."

"Because he's a werewolf." Lily said in a hushed voice. Zoey's weeping turned into screams of terror.

"It's a full moon! We're all going to die!" Zoey shrieked hysterically.

"Quiet!" Lily hissed, clapping her hand over Zoey's mouth. "Do you want every creature in this forest to know where we are?"

"It doesn't matter, does it?" Zoey sobbed. "We're all going to die, just like Angelina."

I stared at her, shaking hard. If I hadn't had the vision, if I hadn't known where to find them…

A twig snapped behind me. Before I could do anything to defend myself, I felt a curious tingling sensation sweeping across my flesh. Like every care in the world was gently erased. All that mattered was obeying the voice inside my head.

Turn around and face me, my dear… that's it…

"Amber!" Lily screamed. "Don't! Fight it!"

The tall, hooded figure in black that I had seen in the trees was standing at the edge of the hollow. I could see two scarlet eyes gleaming like cigarette cherries in the black shadow of the hood. The Imperius Curse was powerful, drawing me in like a moth to a flame. Come to me… my darling…

"Amber!" Lily screamed. The hooded voice pointed his wand at her and said, "Crucio!"

Lily's screams of agony made me remember what was going on. Who was under that hood. I will not obey! I thought furiously, and the dreamy sensation vanished. The full realization of what was going on and who was under the hood hit me, and I took up a fighting stance, jumping in front of Lily. The curse ebbed, leaving her and Zoey sobbing on the ground.

"Coward." I spat. "Come out and face me like a man, Mackenzie."

The hooded figure drew back its hood. The eyes blazed furiously, the pale skin white in the darkness. "You will die tonight, Amber Harkstone." said Folsom in his voice of deadly calm. "But first, you will watch your friends die by the hand of your beloved. Or should I say, 'paw'."

"I hope you have a heart, Mackenzie. Because if you do, I'm going to drive a stake through it!"

Folsom laughed derisively. "You think a mere wooden stake can kill me? Foolish girl. Only one thing may kill me, and you shall never guess what that might be."

"Only one way to find out." I said slowly, feeling the energy charging the air like electricity. "Besides, I don't need to kill you. Just incapacitate you. Lily, take Zoey and get out of here. Get out of the Forest and get help."

"I won't leave you!" Lily shouted desperately. "Amber, if I leave you…"

"It's me he wants. Not you." I told her, never taking my eyes off of Folsom. The blood surged in my veins as I saw Folsom draw his own wand, bone-white and evil-looking. "Don't worry about me. I can handle this."

I watched Lily help Zoey up from the corner of my eye. She had her wand out, backing out of the hollow slowly. Folsom's gaze never left my face. I relaxed slightly when I knew she had gone. I hoped that she could find help in time. But there was an odd peace within me now. At least, she would not die. Zoey and Lily would live.

I wasn't sure I would.

"How very noble of you." Folsom said in a voice of dripping sarcasm as he twirled his wand. "Such Gryffindor-like chagrin. I would never have expected that from a Ravenclaw."

I stared back into the cold face of the man who had slaughtered his entire family, except for Julian, who had died later anyway. He had paid the price of immortality with the blood of his children and lover. He was ruthless, evil, and the moment I had been dreading for the past two years was finally upon me. I tightened my hold on my resolve, my blood pounding a war drum in my ears.

"I don't know if you've been taught how to duel?" asked Folsom in his ice-cold voice.

"I have." I said, realizing I was probably about to die. Strangely, I felt no terror anymore. Just a calm resolve to at least die fighting. I would not go quickly or quietly, and I would take as much of this monster with me as I could. "Professor Smith taught me."

"Good." Folsom bowed to me. I bowed back, never taking my eyes off of him. "To the death, Miss Amber."

We circled each other, wands drawn, the silence spiraling horribly. I saw what he was planning to do in his gaze a split second before it happened, and reacted.

"Crucio!" Folsom screamed, as I shouted, "Protego!"

His curse exploded with the force of a bomb against my shield, which cracked but held. It vanished a second later. Folsom was already attacking again, wordless this time. It was another Torture Curse. I barely deflected it with a second Shield Charm. Folsom waved his wand, a look of malicious intent upon his snowy face. He was enjoying this, enjoying this sick entertainment as I duelled for my very life.

He lashed his wand like a whip. A huge, fiery snake erupted from his wand. It towered over me, as big as Willow's Patronus of a basilisk, hissing evilly. Sweat poured from my skin as I faced down the immense heat, burning like the surface of the sun.

"Aguamenti!" I bawled, terror sweeping over me as the water melted instantly into steam upon contact with the fiery beast. The snake roared and plunged toward me, and I saw nothing but flames.

The necklace twitched upon my chest.

An inexplicable surge of power rushed over me. Distantly, I heard phoenix song, like Fawkes had flown overhead from the treetops. And then, for a moment, I thought I heard a soft, familiar voice whisper, "I am here". Then, it was gone. But I was different. I wasn't me anymore. There was another within me, more powerful and more deadly than any Dark Magic. I was waving my wand and the great snake bucked and cowered. I was using wordless magic.

I had the odd sense that I was not alone in controlling my body. It was as if another had taken over, as if I was merely a puppet on strings. The intoxicating sense of power filled me until I thought I would explode with the amount of energy inside of me. I waved my wand again, jabbing it like a whip, as the snake turned and bore down upon Folsom, allegiance shifted. The vampire gaped in disbelief, brandishing his wand. The snake hissed and burst into a cloud of ash.

I took the offensive now. Lumos solem! I thought, as a huge beam of blinding, hot sunlight blasted from the ash wand and engulfed Folsom. The vampire screamed in pain, but when the light receded, he was alive. Badly burned and panting, but alive.

"You… it is impossible…"

"Petrificus Totalus!" The voice in my head thought, and the vampire went oddly still. His scarlet eyes burned in the darkness, hot as flames. "Avada-"

"Stupefy!" A harsh voice shouted.

I gasped as the spell hit me - hard - from behind. The second presence departed. I rolled over, scrabbling for my wand, but the second attacker who had Stunned me stood on it gingerly with huge boots. I slowly looked up.

A grizzled face grimaced down at me. "Hello, my pretty. You smell delicious."

"Fenrir Greyback." I whispered.

"This was my duel, Greyback." Folsom snarled, already moving again. He advanced, but Fenrir held up a filthy hand. The werewolf was young, in his mid-twenties, but he had an aura of lawless corruption and mindless animal passion that made me more afraid of him than Folsom. I half-lay, half-crouched in the dirt, paralyzed by a mixture of shock and fear.

"But you were about to lose." Greyback rumbled in his oddly rasping voice. "Therefore, I intervened. Now, she's mine to do with what I will."

I reached for my wand slowly, hoping the werewolf was distracted enough not to notice. He grinned down at me evilly, his pointed yellow teeth ghastly.

"You won't be duelling anymore, my sweet." he said, and stomped down hard.

My wand gave a tiny shriek like a dying bird as it snapped in half. All of the time seemed to stop as I stared at the indent where his massive boot had come down, where my precious wand, which had survived so much and saved my life countless times, lay in two pieces. Horrified, numb with shock, I was motionless.

"Cruel, Greyback, very cruel." Folsom sighed. "That was a lovely wand."

"And now it's not." Greyback said indifferently, stowing his wand. The werewolf looked pained. "You'd better get out of here, Folsom. I'd like to eat alone."

"I've already claimed her. Her blood sings for me."

"Like I said. You lost the duel. Now it's my turn to deal with her."

Folsom gave him a disgusted look. His eyes flickered to me, ice-blue once more. "Very well. But don't kill her, Greyback. Lord Voldemort wishes to question her first. I'm sure he'll allow you to finish the job once he is satisfied with her."

"I'll try to stop." Fenrir said casually, doubling over. "Leave, Folsom, or I'll come for you instead."

Folsom sighed. "Pity. She put up a very good fight, especially in the end. Good-bye, Amber Harkstone. Say hello to your sister for me." I watched, numb, as the vampire turned into a bat and flitted off into the forest.

"All alone." Greyback rasped in a predatory tone. I stared up at him, utterly helpless. "But don't worry. The party hasn't started yet. I wouldn't want to spoil the fun and kill you in my current form."

My mouth went dry. "What… what do you mean to do?"

Greyback grunted in pain again. The hollow was growing brighter. I dared to look up through the canopy of pine trees. Just barely, I could make out the full moon, emerging from behind a bank of black clouds.

Fenrir roared. I screamed, throwing my arms up instinctively to protect myself. The werewolf grinned at me again, and this time his eyes were tawny-yellow.

"Start running, my sweet." He breathed. "It'll make it more fun for me when I catch you."

Letting out a terrified, strangled sob, I lurched unsteadily to my feet and sprinted out of the hollow. My heartbeat pounded in my head, and I wondered if it was counting down the last few minutes of my life. Behind me, I could hear the wailing and snarling noises of the werewolf as he transformed into a monster.

"HELP!" I screamed, unable to protect myself, my wand broken and dead. "SOMEONE HELP ME! PLEASE!"

A scream of pain behind me abruptly turned into a howl. Blood chilling, I pushed myself harder, blinded by sweat and tears. I knew my friends were out here, knew that Kettleburn was as well. But how far away were they? How would anyone be able to help me in this massive and wild forest?

I knew I was being watched, knew I was being stalked at this very moment. Gulping back sobs, I raced to a pine tree that had branches low enough for me to jump to. I scrambled to climb as high as I could, daring to tempt even the flimsiest of twigs. I was nearly thirty feet above the ground when I heard him coming for me.

I held as still as possible, forcing myself not to gasp for breath. For a moment, it was silent. An owl hooted nearby. I thought of Soren, how I might never see him again. The painful thought brought hot tears to my eyes.

Then I heard the crashing of the undergrowth, and I bit back a scream.

Thirty feet below me, pushing his way through the bracken and thickets of the forest floor, was a huge black shape. The size of a small horse, the werewolf moved slowly, sniffing, following a scent trail. My scent trail.

A bead of sweat rolled down my face and dripped down, falling to the forest floor. I clutched at the tree trunk, praying that Greyback would move on.

The werewolf stopped at the base of my tree. Slowly, very slowly, the massive head turned upwards. The yellow eyes reflected white in the moonlight, and the wolf let out a savage howl of triumph. He began to scale the tree.

If I could ever become an Animagus, it needs to be NOW! I thought desperately. Oh, God! I'm going to die!

I pelted branches at the werewolf, which was advancing. The monster roared in rage, his cruel claws digging in the trunk. I jumped hard on my branch, slamming down with every bit of pressure I could muster. The branch cracked and fell, catching on the head of the werewolf. The beast howled and slipped halfway done the tree, trying to wipe the flecks of bark from its eyes.

I noticed the nest of doxies on the next branch as I held onto the trunk for dear life. Slowly, I manuevered over and grasped the papery nest. It was heavy, like a Bludger. Squeezing my eyes shut, I ripped it off its hanging of doxie saliva and hurled down upon the werewolf as if I was throwing a Quaffle through a goal hoop.

The doxie nest burst like a dungbomb upon impact, and a horde of furious, venom-fanged doxies swarmed upon Greyback. The black beast roared in agony and plummeted twenty feet onto the forest floor. The doxies swarmed like a hive of angry wasps, biting and scratching with their razor-sharp teeth and claws. The werewolf blundered away, crashing through the undergrowth back from where it came.

I let out a sharp gasp of pain as I felt a stinging pressure on my wrist. A single doxie had remained and had bitten me. I whacked my arm with the attached doxie against the tree trunk, and the dazed doxie flew drunkenly away after its kin.

I crept down the tree, still in shock. My wand. I knew wands rarely outlived or outlasted their masters, but the fact that my precious ash and phoenix feather one had been snapped after just three years of useage felt like losing a loved one. Like losing Virginia.

I hurried through the thick tangles of undergrowth, every sense on high-alert as I sped through the forest back towards the castle. I had never felt more alone or more vulnerable in my life than I did at that moment. My sole form of protection was a silly little necklace, and it hadn't done anything other than allow my wand to be broken in two.

The familiar and unpleasant sensation that I was being watched by hungry eyes persisted as I ran for my life through the woods. My heart leapt with hope as I caught sight of a familiar shaggy black dog in a small clearing just ahead, bathed in the silvery light of the full moon.

"Sirius!" I gasped as I stumbled into the clearing. The great black dog turned and fixed its great yellow eyes on me, its lips pulling back over its razor-sharp teeth. Blind panic and relief had turned my brains to jelly.

Because it wasn't Sirius. It was Remus.

A fully-fledged monster.

The hairs on the back of my neck rose as I took a shaking step backwards. The dark brown werewolf came closer. It was the same monster that had attacked me months ago, when I had Apparated to save Severus. This time, there was no wand to help me. There was no way to Apparate, no way to use a Charm or spell. This time, I was utterly and completely defenseless, at the mercy of a mindless beast that wanted nothing more than to rip me to shreds.

"Remus." I pleaded, raising my hands in a show of surrender, desperate for him to find that inner piece of humanity. "Remus, please. It's me, it's Amber. Remus?"

But there was no sign of memory in the eyes of the monstrous creature looming towards me. Its ears pricked forward, its jaws dropping open as it let out a huge snarl. A black shape hurtled out of nowhere, and for a fleeting moment of overwhelming relief, I thought Sirius had at last come to save me.

The black wolf ripped viciously at the dark brown werewolf. I wanted to cover my ears at the horrible sound of tearing and snarling as the two fought, rolling in the grass and slamming into the trees. The full light of the cold moon revealed that the new attacker wasn't Sirius, either.

It was Greyback.

I took advantage of the two wolves fighting over their prey - over me - and ran into the trees again. I looked for a place to hide. Anywhere. But there was nothing. There was no hollow that would shroud me, no tree I could climb. There was no stream or river that would conceal me, no wand to assist me. The two werewolves would be able to follow my scent, no matter where I went. I felt like I was trapped in a nightmare, another vision, except this time, there would be no waking up. This time, I was truly going to die.

I knew my only chance of survival depended on how quickly I found help. I ran, the sounds of the fighting werewolves fading as I fled. The chilling sound of a howl echoed through the forest, followed by an answering call from another wolf. They sounded hellishly close.

"Stupefy!"

The Stunning Spell hit me squarely in the back. I collapsed in the dirt, fighting to stay conscious. The voice shouted, "MORSMORDRE!" and I watched through blurred eyes as a giant green skull erupted over the trees, a serpent crawling through its mouth. I could hear another crash, and a moment later, I felt hot, putrid breath stinking of blood and sweat at the back of my neck. Reflexively, I threw my arms behind my head, shielding my neck. A thrill of horrified realization swept over me a moment before I felt the savage jaws clamp down on the back of my neck and fling me like a rag doll into the nearest tree. I crumpled, feeling warm blood gush from the wounds on my arms. The dark shape lunged again, claws tearing at my face, my arms, my whole body shredding beneath its violence. Each flame-hot slash of teeth and claws was like a serrated knife into my flesh. I screamed again and again as the werewolf ripped me to pieces. First my clothes, then my very skin. Another colossal shape barreled into the attacker, and I watched weakly as the two werewolves fought yet again. My vision was too hazy to see which werewolf grabbed my left leg, sinking its fangs so deeply into my flesh and muscle that I screamed louder still in agony. It tried to drag me away into the trees, but the other wolf attacked again, dropping me to the ground. I could feel the warmth draining out of me as I lay bleeding on the forest floor, strangely numb as I watched the two monsters snapping and clawing at each other. Over me. Over my body, which was just another piece of meat to them.

"They're over here! HURRY!"

Then I heard James' voice shouting, "Reducto! REDUCTO!"

Two smaller dogs joined the fight. Sirius and Loki leapt into the fray, launching themselves at the werewolves. Then a gruff male voice yelled, "STUPEFY!" and a strong jet of red light collided with the two werewolves. They both broke away, Sirius chasing after one, Loki after the other.

I was hardly aware of the fact that I was no longer alone. All I knew was that I was not going to make it.

"Amber?" the gruff male voice said. "Merlin's beard…"

"She's dying, isn't she?" James choked out. "Is she?"

I blinked up at him slowly. His eyes looked evil, like the wolves, as they reflected the wandlight opaquely. I exhaled, each breath ragged and heavier than the last. I shakily removed his glasses, clutching them in one hand.

"I'm so cold." I whispered. I was shivering violently, but for some reason, I did not care. Nothing seemed to matter anymore. In fact, I felt strangely at peace.

"Don't die, Amber." James pleaded. "You can't die. You've got to live."

"I feel fine." I lied, oddly immune to the pain I had felt so keenly earlier. Now, I just felt weak and light. Like a dried autumn leaf, I felt so feathery and small, like the slightest breeze would lift me up and carry me away from here.

"She's dying!" James said in a half-strangled voice. "Do something, Professor!"

"These are cursed wounds, Potter. Werewolf bites. I can't heal them. We have to get her back to the castle as soon as we can."

"But Madam Pomfrey can heal her, can't she?" James asked fervently. "Can't she?"

"I don't know. This might be out of her hands. She probably need St. Mungo's. Come on, we've got to be quick or we're going to lose her."

James scooped me up into his arms. I looked up into his pale, strained face. When had he become so tall and strong? He looked like a young man now. He wasn't the rude little boy in glasses all those years ago.

"Stay with me, Amber. Talk to me. Come on. Stay with me."

I thought of Virginia, the look of peace on her face as she lay in her soft, cushioned coffin. Angelina's glazed expression of frozen fear and surprise in the forest. I wanted to die smiling, peacefully, so that it would look like I was merely asleep.

I touched James' face gently, not caring about the crimson stains it left on him. "I'm so glad we're friends, James. You were the best toe-rag I ever knew."

"Don't talk like that." He said tightly as he ran through the trees, Professor Kettleburn keeping pace. "You're going to live."

"I don't think so." I said slowly, so cold now that I no longer felt it. Now, I felt an odd, spreading warmth, like golden sunlight was spilling over me. Like dawn was approaching after a long, cold night.

How foolish I was. I thought sadly as James rushed through the black trees. I was going to die at fourteen years old. Hadn't I wanted to make the most out of my time? Hadn't I imagined playing Quidditch professionally, working with dragons, marrying? Hadn't I even considered children? Grandchildren? Growing old with someone that I loved? Having a whole lifetime of adventures?

The problem is, we think we have more time. Then, it runs out.

What would I have done differently, had I known I was going to die tonight? Would I have told Mum and Dad how much I loved them? What if I had been able to hug Naomi once more, or finally kiss Sean? If Lily could have been my sister, I would have made it official, as permanent as black ink on paper. I would have studied less, spent more time with the ones I loved. I would have made Remus change his mind, made him realize how foolish we'd been. That we belonged together, and anything less than that was a half-life. Did the answers to my questions really matter? Who cared if my necklace had Seer powers? My life was in the present, not in the past.

Most of all, I wished I had had more time with Virginia. The fact that now I would see her again, after hearing her voice say, 'I am here', made my heart lift in joy.

Horcruxes. The prophecy. The necklace. Vampires. Werewolves. Questions. Answers. Life. Death. In the end, what did it all matter? I was in James' arms, dying, my body torn to shreds, and all I wanted was to see Remus one last time. Not as the monster who had fought with his sire, but as the young man who I had loved for so long.

"She's so cold, Professor. I don't know if we can make it."

"We've got to try. Run, Potter. I'll catch up with you later. Get her to the hospital now. Go!"

The wind blew over my face, but all I could feel was the growing warmth, burning to the tip of my nose and my fingers and toes. I could see the golden sun through a canopy of green oak leaves, feel my heartbeat slow as my soul drifted from earth into eternity. The dark presence that had followed me for so long was gone. I had faced my destiny. I had faced Folsom, and won. I had faced Greyback and lost. The price of that loss would be my life.

"No! Don't you dare let go, Amber! Keep fighting! Don't let go!" James shouted as he sprinted up the castle steps, covered in red stains. "You're stronger than this, Lionheart! Don't you dare give in."

"James," I rasped, eyelids closing, a smile spreading on my face, "thank you…for everything..."

I felt the necklace tremble once on my chest, and then it went still. I'm coming, Virginia.

I let out a gusty breath of air, and sank gratefully into the dark waters that had lapped at me for several minutes. Whether it was unconsciousness or death, it did not matter. Wherever I was going, it was warm, pain-free, and clean.

Wait for me.