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(A/N: As I said before, I might not update for a while. Life is quite hectic. Also, anyone who has viewed this story, please try to follow of favorite... I find it weird that I have 250 hits but only 5 follows and favorites. Review and tell your friends! Until we meet again. Peace.

'A boy stood on the stairwell

His life a living hell

No parents

No love

No happy stories

No doves

He knew that

In some form

He would eventually

Find home

Share some love

Don't laugh and tease

Release the doves

Share some peace.

The crowd in front of us whispered frantically, gathered around the statue of a witch, wizard, centaur, house elf, and goblin in the Ministry of Magic. The centaur's head had been severed, and the words half breeds will fall was written on its torso in a dark red material... possibly blood. The dead body of Umbridge lay in front of this disgusting centerpiece, in a pool of her own blood. A dark red slash was visible on her neck, possibly from a curse of knife. Kingsley stood to the side, concerned, and Ron, Hermione, Ginny and I made our way through the crowd. Hermione gasped at the sight in front of her, covering her eyes soon after. Ron patted her back gently as she spoke.

"I knew she was horrible to us, but I thought she had died after we came here for the locket... This is just... inhuman."

Ginny simply stood there in shock, mouth agape, as Mr. Weasley stood behind her. "Um, dear... should you be seeing this?"

She turned around hotly. "Yes, I am of age, and have the right to, no?"

Arthur put his hands up in defense. "Just be grateful you're here. The train for Hogwarts leaves tomorrow. Just don't let this bother you."

She chortled. "If anything, seeing this witch dead makes me all fuzzy inside."

Mr. Weasley grimaced. "Yes, I suppose so... she was quite horrible, taking Mad-Eye's eye like that."

Ginny's eyes widened. "What?"

As he explained, I turned to walk over to Kingsley, who was not joined by Seamus and Gareth. They spoke with their hands clasped, talking softly. Grillan seemed to be more animated, however, since he must not have had the displeasure of meeting Umbridge. Kingsley halted the conversation as I approached. "Do you know anything about this?" he asked.

I lowered my eyebrows. "She trapped us in the basement, forced me to make an Unbreakable Vow, and did this." I held up my hand, where the newly opened scars had stopped bleeding, and now seemed to be etched in red.

Seamus shook his head. "The basement... must be rank down there. I bet some fireworks would lighten the place up."

Gareth smiled pointedly. "I take it this woman was quite horrible, then."

Kingsley nodded absentmindedly, still inspecting my hand. "What did she make you promise?"

I hesitated. "To relay any information I got from the Hogwarts case."

Surprisingly, the tall man looked unfazed. "I figured. Not every day a witch comes back from the dead, soon to appear... well, dead." He looked up. "Do you also happen to know how she managed to hide from the entire Ministry in its own basement?"

"She somehow Obliviated the entire staff, and Fideliused this piece of paper." I pulled the note out of my robe pocket.

"We never knew she was that good... whoever murdered her must be extremely powerful."

Seamus spoke up. "Unless the death was suicide."

Grillan shook his head no. "We found a knife someways down the corridor, near the Floo tunnels. It had different fingerprints on them. I have yet to check who's they were. Unfortunately, the Ministry refrains from using Muggle tracking methods to locate suspects, so we don't exactly have a database to begin with."

Kingsley waved a hand dismissively. "We'll get on that. First, however, I need all of you to remain on the Hogwarts case. The safety of our students is priority."

Grillan nodded softly in resignation. "They are the next generation, after all."

There was one thought that still bothered me, however. How could the murderer have known where she even was? Under that powerful Fidelius charm was certainly an advantage. And how did they know where she would appear? On second thought, why did she appear? What would she get out of it?

A second part of my brain entered the conversation. Maybe she Fideliused the idea of herself in the present… to the point where she was almost wiped from existence, or driven insane.

What if no one was able to see her until she was dead? So, no one knew who the attacker was… Since she pretty much wasn't there.

"Oi, mate?" I raised my head to see Ron waving his hand in my face. "Anything you need to share?"

I stood up straighter. "What if Umbridge Fideliused the idea of herself in the present… everyone could remember her past, but not what happened after the war. She just… disappeared. Has something like this ever happened before?"

Kingsley shook his head. "Only one person has accomplished a feat like that and survived… Gellert Grindelwald. He was virtually wiped off of the map until he made his 'comeback' appearance in America. Everyone else had been driven to insanity from the power… or killed themselves."

A silence ensued for a few minutes before Seamus spoke up. "What if the old hag didn't do it herself?" Gareth looked up sharply. "What if, rather than a murder, this was more of an execution…"

"…since Umbridge wasn't able to complete something!" Ron continued. "She wasn't that powerful, and I doubt she could Obliviate the entire Ministry…"

"…what if she's in cahoots!" Gareth finished. The rest of us looked at him questioningly. 'American term. It means she was in league with someone."

Kingsley spoke softly. "That happens to be a lot of 'what ifs'… I'll have the rest of the Aurors look into it. For now, you need some sleep until tomorrow. And I, on the other hand, need to deal with the press." He waved us away to the Floo tunnels.

Ginny and Hermione caught up to them. "We heard bits and pieces," said Ginny.

Hermione nodded. "If I'll be working with you, I'll need all the information I can get."

Ron explained as Seamus and Gareth branched off into separate tunnels. He stopped as we all stepped into one of the halls, threw down a fistful of nearby green powder, and yelled "The Burrow!"

We appeared in the Weasley's living room in a flash, startling Crookshanks, who lay lounging on a couch. Ron sat down and continued to explain to Hermione, as Ginny turned to face me. "You still haven't given me an answer…"

I thought back to last week, when she offered to start our relationship again. I loved her plenty… the way her long, red hair fell in a fan around her face, the way she flushed after playing Quidditch, and the curious scent her hair always seemed to have…

In a moment, I leaned in and kissed her, feeling her soft lips against mine. I pulled back. "Is that an answer?"

She laughed. "Sure, Mr. Potter." We walked hand in hand to the kitchen, where Mrs. Wealsey was muttering to herself while putting a kettle on.

"Honestly, they can be so stupid sometimes… running off at moment's notice… that too, with Arthur…"

Ginny cleared her throat. "Who might you be speaking of?"

The motherly witch turned around with tea leaves floating beside her. "Oh, thank goodness. Where's your father?"

I looked around. "Do you know, Ginny?"

She nodded. "He said he needed to stay back to handle any Muggle regulations that might follow."

Mrs. Weasley's eyebrows furrowed. "Follow what?"

I spoke this time. "The murder of Umbridge."

She gasped like Hermione had, and launched into a much similar rant. When finished, she noticed our hands and smiled. "I assume some other things have been going on, as well…"

Ginny blushed and I felt the back of my neck grow warm. She tutted. "I expect that the boys will speak to you soon. If only Fred…" She suddenly stopped, seeming shocked, and carried on with her business. I turned over to Ginny, who had tears in her eyes.

I hugged her tightly. "He was too young," she whispered. "I shouldn't have been him…"

I felt tears welling at the corners of my eyes. "He died for a good cause… he did it for us."

She began to sob, and I patted her back softly. Ron chose to walk into the room at that moment, and was about to speak until he saw us. His ears turned red at first, and he gritted his teeth, but soon resorted to a smile.

I shushed him quietly. He nodded and stepped out of the kitchen.

Ginny looked up. "Can we take a walk?"

I nodded as Mrs. Weasley replied softly, "Don't come back too late."

We walked into the cool September air, as a soft breeze ruffled the trees. "I just…" Before Ginny could finish, she tilted her head. A beautiful sound was filling the air. The melodious song somehow combined sadness, grief, and happiness into one rhythm.

Hermione had walked outside. "It's the phoenix lament again… what could cause it?"

The sound grew closer, and we broke out of our trance. An orange shape flew over the field surrounding the Burrow. It swooped low to the ground and halted in front of us in a burst of flame.

"Fawkes," I whispered, recognizing the distinctive gold markings around his eyes.

He cawed, and gestured with his beak to a note tied to his leg. I fumbled with it, and managed to remove it eventually. I read it out loud.

"A phoenix does not necessarily choose one caretaker in its immortal life. It normally takes thousands of years for one to move on, unless the new person chosen has proven to possess great character. This person is caring. This person is reasonable. This person is loyal. To whoever receives this note, and the trust of this phoenix, must have heard a lament before reading this. Their song it not only one on endings; it is also one of beginnings. With warm regards to your future…" My voice cracked. "Albus Dumbledore."