A/N: Hello everybody! I would like to say two things before you read...

I have been trying to make a cool cover photo for this story, but it turns out that I suck at things like that. SO! I am going to offer you the chance of a lifetime! (Not really, but you know what I mean.) It would be SUPER AWESOME if someone could maybe make one for me if they're bored...? There's no reward except for recognition, but the offer's out there. If interested, just send me a quick PM :)

Also, the champion selection for the Triwizard Tournament was just on Accio Nox yesterday! Yaaay! So head on over to Accio Nox for awesome magic and tasks!

Enjoy the chapter :)

The image could not get out of his head, even days later. Whenever he blinked, he saw it, imprinted on his eyelids. It haunted his dreams, along with the voice of his twin:

"I'm holey, Fred, geddit?"

It made him shudder, just at the memory...

The doors to the hospital wing swung open, but he didn't notice until his mum did; she jumped up and ran towards them, her arms thrown out. "Ron! Harry! Hermione! Thank goodness you're all alright!"

He looked up and saw Ron breaking free from his mum's grip, running towards them, anger and fear evident on his pale face. Hermione was behind him, tears leaking down her face from the sight around them: every hospital bed full, victims lying everywhere. And then Harry, the only emotion showing at the time was guilt. And then extreme pain.

Fred knew that he should blame Harry for this, like anyone else would. Harry had caused this, but Fred couldn't bring himself to hate him. He was too drained, and Harry was too much like a brother to him. He had already lost Percy to hatred. And now this had happened to his own twin.

George stirred, and his head whipped around, leaning closer to his best friend. "Georgie," he whispered. "How ya feelin'?"

Fred almost thought he wouldn't answer, that he wasn't awake, or that he had lost hearing in both ears. But then, after a moment, his lips moved. "Saint-like."

His heart dropped to his gut. Was his twin... He couldn't bring himself to finish that thought. Instead, he whispered, "Come again?"

"Saint-like." George's eyes, identical to his own, cracked open. "I'm holy. I'm holey, Fred, geddit?" And he gestured to his nonexistant ear, which Fred knew was just a gaping hole behind the bandages.

Relief flooded into him, and though his sense of humor seemed to have left him with the warning patronus, he grinned. Stay strong for your twin, he told himself. He's the one who should be collapsing.

"In this wide world of ear-related humor, you go for 'I'm holey?!" He snorted. "C'mon, George, that's pathetic."

"Right, well, I reckon I'm still better-looking than you," George joked. "But now we can't switch places. Mum can tell us apart now."

He flashed his crooked grin towards their mum, who let out a sob and began to flatten his hair just for something to do with her trembling hands.

Dumbledore was weary. It was his fault, again, and he knew it. He had been planning on taking back the ministry, had even set a date-

Just two days after the wedding.

He should have known that he should have done it before the wedding. Now, it was too late, and his plans were pushed back until all could recover.

They had suffered because of him too many times, and especially Harry. He had to do better this time.

It may have been a sign. Maybe they were immortal. Perhaps it had been that gnome bite. Her daddy was right, it really was beneficial.

But it seemed, to Luna, that the Death Eaters had been avoiding her and her daddy. All around them, people had been falling and battling, but she had simply stood, in a bit of a daze, as countless Death Eaters flew right past her.

It had to be the gnome saliva. Maybe she should bring the Weasleys a gnome for George. And maybe a dirigible plum or two.

It was all ruined. It was supposed to be a day of happiness and bonding, and then it turned into chaos. She had even broken the borrowed tiara in the process. Even worse, the ends of her dress were in shreds.

She was just happy that her darling Bill was okay. Even though her new brother-in-law had gotten a very dreadful injury, at least no one from her newly extended family was dead. And her sister was fine.

But their small celebration in a time of darkness was ripped to shreds. Maybe England had no hope.

She was exhausted. Before Teddy, she could run forever and never run out of fuel. And now, a simple battle had extinguished her flame.

Remus was worrying over her, asking for healers frequently and never leaving her bedside. She tried to tell him that she didn't want healers, because that would be selfish; there were plenty of others who needed help. She just needed rest. But he gave her potion after potion, and instead of being annoyed, she admired his persistence.

But her heart would

not stop racing from the adrenaline. She had been terrified of losing him. Of losing both of them.

The casualties hadn't been nonexistant, which he was quite pleased about. But there had only been one death, and though it had been a good friend of Dumbledore's, it was not the boy.

IT.

WAS.

NOT.

POTTER.

His Death Eaters probably knew... Knew that the number of deaths would increase sharply by the time he was through with them.

Harry jolted awake. He had fallen into a restless sleep, tossing and turning for only four hours before he woke, and relief course through him for a second.

His nightmares had been horrible. Filled with screams and blasted off ears and flashes of green light, and surges of anger seemingly coming from the direction of the scar on his forehead. Filled with guilt and panic and, though it was selfish, half of the dreams ended in Ginny's death. The other half, capture.

Yes, relief coursed through him, but only for a second. Only until he realized that it hadn't just been dreams. It had really happened.

If this was war, then it was going to be a long, hard fight.

A/N: Woah, this chapter ended up being... different. I hope it worked out nicely.

Thanks, Tawny, for help with the charries! OMG you are amazing, Tonks, Luna, and Fleur worked PERFECTLY with the whole plot!

Thanks for reading and thanks to the reviewers!

~Breeze