Chapter 2

Where there is no struggle, there is no strength

And so as the Christmas holiday drew to a close I prepared to return to school. Grateful to be getting away, to have somewhere to go where I could immerse myself in normality. Thankfully not many people knew of our marriage.

Despite this it was with a heavy heart with which I returned to school. I was sat in a compartment by myself finishing off a transfiguration essay, which I hadn't got round to doing over the holiday, when the compartment door opened I lifted my head up, and gave whoever might be entering my best slytherin glare, but I broke into a grin when I saw who it was. 'Pansy' I laughed as I jumped up to hug her 'Sorry about not meeting up over the holidays, I had a lot going on'

She smiled and nodded sympathetically, and whispered 'I know'. Pansy is probably the only person who I had told about my current circumstances. I knew that Theodore would have told Daphne. But I also knew that she wouldn't dare to say anything, so it didn't seem worth acknowledging that problem.

I sat down with pansy and relaxed it had always been me and Pansy since our first year, all the other girls latched onto us. Pansy revels in it, I didn't mind. I never needed a lot of people to feel happy with myself, I still don't, but I guess pansy likes the power that it brings. Blaise tagged along with us sometimes; it used to be us against everyone, we were all the family that we needed, but Blaise would have been with the boys then bragging about their holiday conquests. It makes me laugh when I look back on how we were. It makes me happy to know that some things haven't changed, namely Blaise.

We sat in a comfortable silence occasionally remarking on those who walked passed our compartment. The darkening outside was speckled with spots of white as it began to snow as we came closer to the school we changed into our robes.

As we clambered into our carriage I noticed how many empty ones there were, it appeared that many students hadn't dared return after realizing how the school was to be run. I didn't blame them they didn't have the security we had, back then we felt invincible, everything was ran to our advantage, now I can barely believe their arrogance and my foolishness and naiveté, I was taken in by it all. Fool that I was.

And so the new term began, and more and more students started disappearing, many tried rebelling against the Carrows, aided by Longbottom who was eventually targeted and had no choice but to flee. Thing settled for awhile, there were still the odd stunts but they were few and far between, many had lost their nerve and their faith. With Potter out of the picture and believed dead by many the school took on a mood of stoic resignation.

Until one night as summer was approaching we were roused from our beds and told to congregate in the great hall, apparently the castle was under attack. I know I'm breezing over a lot of the year but it's irrelevant to my story. As eventful as it was for other people all I can recall is a blur of days, weeks and months.

We evacuated into the Hogs Head were the younger students were to be taken to safety by sidelong apparition, assisted by older students. But as I stood there I realized that my sister was missing, she was a Ravenclaw in the youngest Weasleys year and she had the tendency to march to the beat of her own drum. Hardly believing what I was doing I turned back into the tunnel, as young a she was I knew she had stayed behind to fight.

With the bile rising in my throat I raced passed the Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors frantically searching for my sister as I approached the great hall I heard bangs and screams. The battle had begun.

Barely thinking I ran into the great hall, wand raised screaming my sister's name as I searched desperately for my little sister. I beam of light shot towards me and I deflected it stunning the death eater that has cast it. I smiled at the irony that too late I was standing up for myself and going against expectations. At the last hurdle I decided that I would not stand by and allow oppression and hate to win. All this thanks to my sister's courage. I had to find her. Casting the best jinxes I could think of I ran through the castle my heart in my mouth as I stumbled over a body partially covered by shadow would I get there in time. As I rounded a corner I saw Ginny dueling two death eaters, she was outnumbered, without thinking I aimed at stunning jinx at the one to her right just as she took out the one to her left. She spun round to see who has aided her. She saw me and frowned in confusion.

'What are you doing here? Why are you fighting for us? Shouldn't you have fled with the rest of the scumbags?' overwhelmed by her questions I hardly knew how to answer, or even which question to answer.

I barely acknowledged the insult as I gasped desperately 'My sister? Have you seen her? Have you seen Emmeline' I was frantic, even her hostility towards me couldn't reduce my desperation. She shook her head…and my worry increased I turned to leave...until I heard

'I think she's in the grounds' I nodded my thanks and kept going, I only just heard what she shouted after me. 'Thank you for helping me, for helping us'

As I raced down the hallways, everything came to a still, Lord Voldemort's voice rattled though the school demanding Potter and promising death if he was denied. As I reached the entrance hall I saw the wounded and dead being brought in, my heart twisted and dropped as I saw Katie Bell half carrying my sister into the great hall.

'Emmeline!' I sobbed as I raced towards her. She raised her head exhausted and looked at me, surprised.

'What are you doing here?' she gasped, I moved to help her but she shook me off and sat on one of the unbroken benches.

'I came for you'

'Well then you can leave, I've chosen a side and I'm sticking with it, so you can run off and join them, I know you want to.' I crouched down so that I could look into her eyes and she regarded me with distrust, curiosity and was it possible…with hope.

I took her hands in mine and said 'I'm with you, you're my sister and I love you, no really I do, we might not always see eye to eye but I'm not going to let anything happen to you and I'm not going to let anyone be governed by prejudice and hate simply because of their beliefs, Its stupid' I finished lamely. I couldn't resist smirking as my sister gapped at me.

'I didn't know you thought like that'

'I didn't until recently'

She smiled at me and I leaned forwards to hug her awkwardly. She winced and I stood back to inspect the damage of the wound. It was deep but it wasn't anywhere fatal, thank God, a simple healing charm would do, I helped her over to Madame Pomfrey, confident that she would be all right I left to help with the wounded. Almost too soon the hour was up and we prepared for battle to start again as we waited we heard the voice rattling through the school again.

It was over we had lost. Potter was dead. Despair howled through us and I clutched my sister's hand, I hardly had time to wonder what would happen now before the fighting broke out anew. Now more fierce than ever, both sides duelled with no restraint. This was to the death, I realized this now. But still in my heart I was glad that I was fighting because I chose to, not because some madman had forced me to, like poor Draco. Suddenly cries of 'he's alive' 'Potter's alive' rang through the hall, I turned and there was Harry duelling Lord Voldemort, and before it had even begun it was over. Voldemort had been defeated by Harry Potter, The boy who lived, the chosen one, the saviour of the wizarding world. Cheers filled the air as everyone rejoiced, wept with relief, hugging each other ecstatic to be alive. I simply sighed and clasped the wall, my legs turning to jelly as the adrenaline left my body, we had won and I had survived although to what I did not yet know. My parents had played their hand to soon and I felt myself turn cold as I remembered that I was still married to the son of a death eater but I pushed the thought from my mind. Emmeline and I were alive and my family would not be persecuted as blood supremacists thanks to my sister.

Breathing in the jubilant atmosphere of people who have escaped death and overcome a tyrant I allowed myself to believe that everything would work itself out …