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"Okay, okay," Scorpius said, trying to take a deep breath and not panic. He had to go check on the Burrow but Taran was still looking at him in confusion, he didn't feel comfortable leaving him so close to the inferi-infested town by himself, "Alright, Taran, it's not safe for you here and I need to go so I need you to go back to where you were before coming back here."

"I c- can't," Taran sniffed, wiping at his eyes.

"Why not? Didn't you say you went to see your boyfriend or something?"

"Yeah but I caught him cheating on me, we're through!" Taran snapped angrily and Scorpius sighed.

"Isn't there anyone else nearby you can go to?"

"No. My grandmother lives in another town and we're meeting her at the shelters, i- it took us longer bec- because we had to make sure it'd be okay to t- take our p- p- pets," Taran stammered out, fresh tears building in his eyes as the lost pets seemed to dawn on him too, "D- Do you think-"

"Have you ever seen someone die before?" Scorpius interjected and Taran's eyes widened in shock at the strange question but Scorpius was sure the boy had been able to see him before.

"Yeah, my grandfather but it was awhile-"

"Good, that'll make this easier," Scorpius interrupted again and sighed heavily but he didn't see any other choice, the way he saw it he could either leave the kid defenseless against any inferi who might spot him- and he still wasn't sure he trusted the kid to stay put anyway- or take him with him which might put him in danger but at least he could keep an eye on him. There was no time to wait for Lamb, seconds could be the difference between life and death for the Weasleys, "Alright, Taran, I'm going to have to take you with me-"

"Take me where?"

"To the Burrow."

"What-"

"Look there's no time, just shut up and listen to me!" Scorpius snapped at him and the boy visibly bit his tongue but his damp eyes were attentive, "I'm going to transform back to a thestral, just climb up and hold on tight, it won't be a long flight and afterward I'll make sure you're reunited with your grandmother, okay?"

"Okay," Taran took a breath as Scorpius straightened up, "Who are you anyway?"

"Scorpius. Now be quick."

On that note, Scorpius transformed back into a thestral and to his credit, Taran didn't gawk though he did look nervous as he climbed onto his bony back. Scorpius kicked off from the ground almost as soon as he felt the boy sit, Taran's cry of surprise was lost in the wind and Scorpius felt him frantically grab hold of Scorpius' neck.

He already knew where to go of course, with transformation came thestral travel instincts but as he evened out in the air and Taran loosened his grip, he noticed there was something hanging over the Burrow like a blindingly blue. It was the Shadow Mark, an azure skeletal snake with its forked tongue licking out above glowing letters reading 'Happy Birthday Harry.' He felt like his stomach had dropped out of the sky as he glided towards it, hoping desperately he wasn't too late somehow. He couldn't see the Shadow Master anymore, he wondered whether that was a good or bad sign.

He heard Taran choke on a sob on his back and wondered why for a second before sparing a glance at the town, not even a town anymore really. It looked more like an anthill writhing with bodies, bodies with jerky inhuman movements and crimson-stained hands. He couldn't see a single street that looked free of them, fires churning black smoke into the morning air seemed the only place they weren't standing. They hadn't stood a chance, would the Weasleys have?

Scorpius forced his eyes away but hope drained from him as he looked back to the Burrow, or where the Burrow should be. He was almost upon it now but instead of the towering lopsided but lovingly-made home, there was a bonfire blazing in its place and the ground around it was scorched and smoking. Ash drifted through the air like gray snowflakes that burned instead of cooled and as Scorpius set his hooves down on the blackened ground at the edge of the property, it hurt his feet like standing on beach sand baked by the sun.

Taran clambered off him and Scorpius transformed back, his wand in his hand almost as soon as he had a hand again. He took a deep breath, or as deep a breath as you could take with clogged ashen air, and started towards the Burrow through the fog of smoke.

"D- Do you know the people who live here?" Taran asked shakily and Scorpius was almost surprised to see the gangly teen scuttling after him, he'd almost forgotten he was there for a second, "The Wesleys I think."

"Weasleys," Scorpius corrected, his voice grim, "And be quiet. I need to be on my guard, there might be-"

Scorpius cut himself off as he heard a horrible wail that jolted him still for a second, Taran in contrast didn't pause but instead started running in the direction of the sound so that Scorpius had to scramble to catch back up while the wailing continued.

"Stay behind me!" Scorpius hissed at the boy who wore an odd expression partway between abashed and determined, "I'm the one with the wand."

"But someone could be hurt," Taran protested, "It sounds like an old lady crying."

It did, Scorpius realized, in fact he thought it sounded rather like the elder Molly Weasley. And it was, Scorpius soon confirmed as they made it through the charred remains of the Burrows' garden to the Burrow itself. She was on her knees before the blackened, burning heap that had once been a home, sobbing horribly while the feeble figure of little Vale stood by her side, patting her shoulder slowly but his eyes were on what was in front of him.

Between them and the bonfire where spikes skewering corpses, inferi corpses that were snarling and clawing in their direction as useless at it was when they stuck several feet off the ground with a spike from groin to shoulder holding them in place. Scorpius forced himself to look at the mostly red-haired corpses and then found himself frowning, it was hard to tell with the decomposition but he was pretty sure he recognized one of them as Percy Weasley and the wrinkled old one had to be Arthur, an even more rotted one might have been Charlie, a horribly mangled one was Rose… They were all Weasleys, he realized, but all Weasleys who were dead already not any currently staying at the Burrow.

"Are you alright?" Scorpius asked of his girlfriend's namesake as he crossed the distance between them and crouched beside her, she glanced at him with a wrinkled face, red and blotchy with tears but was still crying too hard to answer him, "What happened? Where is everyone else?"

"They went look at shelters," Vale answered and Scorpius spared a glance for the little blond boy, his voice sounded as lifeless as his hollow eyes looked, unblinking as the gazed at the inferi, "Shadow Master was angry just us was here… very angry, destroyed and crucio but letted us live, wants her and Harry to see their family die first for killing her mummy and daddy… let me live cause my daddy was a good bad man for her."

"So no one else was home?" Scorpius wondered, hope springing into his chest like a flower in bloom and Vale nodded in confirmation. He let out a relieved breath then glanced grimly back to the corpses before looking back to the other Molly Weasley, he swallowed, "I'm going to destroy them, okay? They wouldn't want to be like this."

She gave another despairing wail but nodded and Scorpius got back to his feet, his legs feeling suddenly shaky as he turned back to the assorted Weasleys. He tried not to look but his eyes found Rose again as if drawn by a magnet, his friend who had died because of him, because he had left Hogwarts. His eyes stung, not from smoke this time as he waved his wand and an inferno engulfed the bodies, a blinding blaze that turned the inferi into silhouettes that disintegrated into the flames.

"I'm sorry," Scorpius whispered inaudibly and waved his wand again, ceasing the abrupt burst of light and heat and leaving him blinking at the nothingness, he wiped at his eyes to clear them. He felt numb.

"Do… Do you think you could do that to some of the ones back in town?" Taran asked him nervously, "Maybe we could find some surv-"

Pop!

"Mum!" a voice cried before Scorpius and Taran had finished spinning around at the sound of the apparation, it was George Weasley and he was already hurrying over to his sobbing mother with only a slight pause to look at Scorpius and Taran. His expression was curious but he must've decided his mother was more important because he knelt beside her, offering soothing words as she opened and closed her mouth making inaudible sounds before crying into his shoulder.

Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!

Scorpius only glanced this time though Taran jumped, wide-eyed at the appearance of Harry Potter and several aurors which surprisingly included a haggard Professor Longbottom also dressed as an auror, they all dispersed in the opposite direction. The Head Auror looked disapprovingly at George, then his sweeping gaze took in Scorpius and Taran with surprise then grimly to the sky and finally to little Vale. Harry went over to the boy immediately, crouching and pulling him into a hug that Vale didn't respond to, his eyes almost looking as glazed as the inferi. Scorpius thought the poor kid could use some of Leebin's therapy.

"These are people from the Ministry, right? Or Gray?" Taran questioned in a quiet, nervous hiss that Scorpius acknowledged with a nod and the boy looked relieved and continued at a normal speaking volume, he seemed to have a faster than normal speaking speed though Scorpius was realizing, "So as I was saying, do you think you could do that fire on-"

"There's too many of them," Scorpius sighed, "And it's too late anyway."

"But they were vanishing."

"Vanishing?" Scorpius wondered in confusing and Taran nodded.

"As we were flying over them they started vanishing, just like popping out of existence maybe like what these guys were doing- apparating, right? That's what it's called? Anyway maybe enough of them have gone-"

"I told you it's too late."

"If the inferi vanished then it's definitely too late," Harry confirmed as he strode back over, carrying Vale, "She transports the dead back- using the specters, not apparation- to join her army once she's done with a place, there's rarely anyone left alive."

"Rarely means that sometimes there is though, right?" Taran pressed desperately.

"If there is my people will find them. Who are you anyway?"

"He's a muggle from the village I found," Scorpius answered as Taran opened his mouth to respond and closed it again, Harry rounded on him instead and with a touch of anger.

"And what were you doing here anyway? Are there others from Gray here? You didn't think to alert any of us to the fact she was here so Alaric could implement his plan?"

"I didn't know!" Scorpius protested and Harry looked at him like he'd grown an extra head, Taran's rainy gray eyes were darting between them, "Lamb's family live here apparently, he said something was wrong and ran so I followed him and got side-along apparated, I didn't know where we were until Taran here told me after the town was overrun so I came straight here then you showed up. Everything happened so fast."

"Her attacks being so fast are why she's so hard to pin down, shock and awe," Harry sighed grimly and looked up at the blue lights in the sky for a minute before lowering his emerald gaze, scowling slightly, "Where'd this Lamb go?"

"He was injured saving his daughter, he went back-"

Pop!

Taran jumped again while he and Harry merely turned, expecting more aurors but to Scorpius' surprise he saw his girlfriend was the one now standing there. The fires of the Burrow's ruins were reflected in her sky blue eyes, she didn't look surprised merely grim like Vale but he saw she was trembling. He crossed the space between them quickly and touched her arm, she looked to him slowly.

"It's alright," he assured her gently and quickly, "They weren't home, they're all okay."

"What?" she wondered numbly, looking perturbed rather than relieved.

"Your family are okay, your gran and Vale are shaken up but she spared them and everyone else was out looking at the shelters. They were okay, everyone is okay," Scorpius reassured her again, she looked like she was having trouble processing what he was saying and then glanced back to the Burrow with unfocused eyes.

"I saw this in my vision," she mumbled, her voice sounding distant despite being right beside him, "It was like this, just like this… except there were bodies…"

"Scorpius burned the bodies," Taran piped up unhelpfully, causing them all to look at him sharply.

"Inferi bodies," Scorpius amended quickly and Molly looked back to him, her focus sharpening as if she actually saw him for the first time.

"So… My family are okay? Really? No more of them died?" Molly wondered, sounding as if she was afraid to hope.

"Yeah we're alright," George confirmed and Scorpius saw he was now on his feet, his mother leaning on him now, "Freddie was suddenly deadest on seeing these shelters so we all went to have a look except Mum and Vale holding down the fort, making lunch for when we got back, when we tried to return and couldn't we knew something was up so we told Harry and then suddenly we could apparate here again and now here we are."

"And you were supposed to wait for the aurors to check it out first," Harry grumbled, giving George a glare.

"I thought that…" Molly trailed off, sounding as if she was biting back tears, "I really thought that…"

"It's okay, your family are okay," Scorpius assured her again, attempting a smile and trying not to think of Mark's sacrifice or Taran's family or anyone else in the town he couldn't save.

"Where are you going, kid?" Harry asked abruptly and Scorpius glanced away from Molly to see Taran had been started to stride off.

"To help look for survivors," Taran answered as if it were obvious, a determined edge in his voice, "If the inferi are gone then it shouldn't be dangerous, right? I don't see why I shouldn't."

"Are you older than seventeen?"

"No… but I'm… almost sixteen."

"Then you're too young," Harry insisted briskly to which Taran scowled unhappily, "Wizards have an easier time finding survivors anyway and sometimes there are inferi left behind, stuck under rubble so it's not entirely safe."

"It doesn't seem like you have a lot of people looking though and- and I know the town," Taran pleaded desperately, "Maybe I can be useful."

"There are more here than arrived at this spot, we are stretched a little thin though," Harry said then turned his head to address the last to Scorpius and Molly, "She hit Surrey earlier, the street I grew up is a crater."

"Were the Dursleys…?" Scorpius started to ask but trailed off, not wanting to finish asking that question or think of Vern's remaining family dying too.

"They're fine, for a wonder Malcolm had convinced them to go to the shelters ages ago so they were safe."

"Speaking of which, we should get back there," George spoke up again while Scorpius felt a small bubble of relief and a small flame of concern alighting for his own family, "The others'll be worried and Mum could do with being checked out, so could Vale."

"Take Taran with you, if you could," Scorpius asked politely and noticed Molly straighten abruptly beside him, "He has a grandmother in the shelters."

"Taran?" Molly questioned sharply, looking at the teen intently, "Your name is Taran?"

"Yeah, Taran Silva," Taran answered uncertainly, puzzled at the sudden scrutiny, "Why?"

"No reason," Molly said quickly, too quickly, and averted her eyes from him, "Unusual name is all."

"Sure, I'll take him," Harry agreed before anyone else could say anything, "And you two might as well get out of here too, not much point you being here."

"I'll see you later," Molly nodded at her uncle but looked one last time at Taran as she took Scorpius' hand and disapparated them.

Taken slightly off-guard by the suddenness of it, the feeling of being pushed through a small tube was more uncomfortable then usual before Scorpius found himself standing outside Hogan's house, sucking in lungfuls of welcomely clean air and feeling a comparatively cool breeze after all that smoke and ash.

"What was that all about?" Scorpius asked of her as she let go of his hand and answered without looking at him.

"Nothing important."

"Oh Scorpius, you're okay," Myriam said with relief as she came outside to investigate the disapparation, "We were worried after what happened with Lamb."

"How is Lamb?" Scorpius wondered concerned, remembering the state he and his family had been in, "And his daughter? The mother-in-law?"

"Hogan is treating Lamb now, he already saw to the other two first- Lamb insisted upon it- but said it would be best to wait for them to come to on their own, you'd have to ask him for details but the gist is they'll be fine. Lamb's the one he's more worried but I don't think he's at risk of dying, he'll probably tell us more when Lamb's stable… Hogan may be insufferable but he is good at his job," Myriam answered with extreme reluctance at the last sentence while Molly started towards the door, "So what happened with you? We didn't get much out of Lamb before he passed out."

"I'll… I'll tell you in a minute, do you think you could do me a huge favor first?" Scorpius asked, running his hand nervously through his sooty hair and Molly paused to look at him in surprise, "Can you take me to see my parents?"

"Your parents?" Myriam blinked in surprise that was reflected on Molly's face briefly, "Weren't you waiting to hear their decision?"

"Look it's Harry Potter's birthday, the Shadow Master just wiped his hometown off the map and tried to wipe out his family too, took out the town they lived in instead. She will go after people for revenge, she's not messing around, when she decides it's time it's time and my family doesn't have a hope in hell then. My birthday's next week, I don't want to wait around and see if she has anything planned- and that's assuming she even waits that long!" Scorpius blurted out, surprised himself at the panic building the more he spoke but he couldn't stop how he felt, running a hand through his hair again to try hide the fact it had started shaking, "I need to talk to them, they… they need to understand and if they don't understand we need to make them understand, I don't think even I quite understood until today and I just… I just need to make sure they're okay…"

"Alright, alright, Scorpius, I'll take you," Myriam agreed and Scorpius felt the grip of panic loosen on his heart at her nod, a relieved breath escaped him and he mumbled his thanks, "Let me just tell Flan we'll be going."

"I can tell him," Molly chimed in.

"Thanks," Myriam offered before offering Scorpius her hand.

"See you in a bit," Scorpius said to Molly as he took the werewolf's hand.

Scorpius closed his eyes as she disapparated, the instant of being compressed through a tube felt like it lasted a long time as worry plagued his mind until his feet touched ground again and warm summer air brushed his face. It still wasn't until he opened his eyes and was greeted with the sight of Malfoy Manor standing there in all its stately glory that he allowed himself to breath in the fresh morning breeze, no fires, no inferi, no Shadow Master in the sky.

The anxiety gripping his heart still didn't let go though and he hurried through the grazing albino peacocks, trying to walk as fast as he could without running and realizing he'd failed when he heard Myriam calling for him to slow down. He practically threw himself at the front door the second he reached it, hammering against it as hard as he could. No answer. A rational part of his mind tried to tell him not to panic, the house was so big it took time to get to the door, he knew this yet he still found himself blasting the door open magically and rushing inside.

"Geez Scorpius, you scared me half to death!" his mother burst out, she was halfway to the door and looking rather startled.

"Mum," Scorpius breathed with relief, crossing the distance between them and pulling her into a tight hug. He was taller than her now he realized idly, she only came up to his shoulder, and he could remember a time he barely even came up to her waist, "I love you so much."

"I… I love you too, sweetheart, is everything alright?" she wondered worriedly and he gave her a final squeeze before breaking off the hug, she looked up with concerned brown eyes that strangely reminded him of Lamb's, he shook his head of it and supposed the guy was just on his mind right now, "Why are you covered in-"

"Myriam!" Sol's excited voice cried and Scorpius turned to see his little brother hurtling past him to get to her as she walked into the house, he was bouncing up and down excitedly, "Is Lysel with you?! Is he here?! Is he?! Is he?!"

"No, sorry," Myriam offered gently and Sol slumped, pouting unhappily.

"I'm fine, don't worry about me," Scorpius told his mother, turning back to her and leaving Myriam to talk to the toddler, "It's you I'm worried about, you can't stay here."

"Oh Scorpius, we still haven't finished discussing it," his father said as he came into the hall then frowned when he saw him, "What-"

"Well you need to finish discussing it!" Scorpius snapped at him, giving him pause, "You can go to the shelters or you can go to Gray but you can't stay here."

"Why?"

"Why?! Because the Shadow Master will kill you is why!" Scorpius yelled, the panic bleeding into his voice again, he couldn't even bring himself to worry that he might be scaring Sol by shouting, "She has it out for me just like she has it out for Harry Potter and the only reason he still has any family right now is that they were with us or in the shelters! It's not a matter of if she comes it's when she comes and when she does it'll already be too late so you have to listen to me! You have to!"

"Scorpius," his father sighed, not looking remotely convinced, "We've been over this and-"

"Alright," his mother cut in, catching Scorpius' eye and nodding seriously, "We'll go."

"Astoria!"

"Draco," his mouth said warningly and his parents exchanged a glare, "You and Narcissa can stay here by yourselves if you would really like but I'm going to go with Scorpius and I'm taking Sol with me."

"You hear that?" Myriam said to Sol, whose small head was swiveling between them all in confusion, with a smile, "You're going to get to come with me to see Lysel."

"Lysel, really?!" Sol wondered, a toothy grin splitting his face and he started jumping up and down excitedly, "Yay! Yay! Yay!"

"No one is going anywhere!" his father insisted though it was partially drowned out by Sol's whoops of joy as he started to run around them in circles, "This is ridiculous, we're not Harry Potter and there is no reason-"

"There is every reason!" Scorpius insisted in frustration while his mother grabbed Sol's arm to stop him running around crazily, it didn't stop him from being all smiles though.

"Scorpius, why don't you and Myriam go drop Sol off so he can play with Lysel while your father and I discuss this while we pack?" his mother interjected quite smoothly and rationally, his father glared as she guided her youngest son over to her friend, "There's really no reason why he needs to be here for this."

"Okay," Scorpius agreed with a nod, "It'll be a good idea to warn them you're coming anyway."

"Alright then, we'll be back in a few minutes," Myriam also agreed, taking hold of Sol's hand.

"See you in a bit," his mother offered, exchanging smiles with them as Scorpius, Myriam and Sol left.

Scorpius heard sounds of shouting the second his mother finished closing the door behind them, he sighed, he wasn't sure whether his father or grandmother would be convinced but he didn't think his mother was going to back down now, with any luck that'd force their hands and even if they weren't convinced they'd go just for the sake of the family staying together. Sol slipped his other hand into Scorpius' and started to skip between them happily and obliviously.

"We're gonna go see, Lysel, we're gonna see him now," Sol started to sing loudly off-key in a tune that seemed to resemble a different nursery rhyme every line, "I can't wait to tell him, all the stuff he missed, like what I had for brefast, wonder where the peacaws gone, we're gonna play lots of games, Lysel always has the best ideas, I can't wait to see him, we're going to see him now, this is the going to see Lysel song!"

"Lovely singing," Myriam complimented his brother before he could start another horrible verse and came to a halt at the edge of the property line, Scorpius offered her his hand to make it easier for her to side-along which she took so they stood in a circle, "Now we're going to apparate, do you remember what to do?"

"Hold on estra tight and don't let go."

"Very good," she offered and Scorpius' felt Sol's grip tighten, "Do you want to count us down from three?"

"I can count all the way to seven now," Sol told her proudly to which she gave an exaggerated gasp of surprise.

"Wow, all the way to seven? Why that's almost close to ten!" Myriam said, feigning looking impressed to which Sol beamed, he looked about ready to burst with pride. Scorpius looked about impatiently, keen to be back and thinking it seemed unusually quiet, "Alright then why don't you count us all the way down from seven then, if you think you can hold on tight enough for that long."

"Don't worry, Myriam, I can do it!" Sol promised her, puffing up his chest and looking focused as his grip tightened again, "Seven… six… five… four… three… two… one!"

Myriam disapparated them on his count just as Scorpius had time to realize he couldn't see any of the peacocks, they must have all gone around the back but he was sure there'd been some at the front when he'd gone in and they didn't usually move that fast. He didn't dwell on it as he again felt himself dragged through a tube, reappearing outside of Hogan's house.

"Oh Lysel! I have a surprise for you!" Myriam called loudly after they materialized, letting go of their hands.

There was a frantic scrabble of small feet from inside the house and a moment later, the young werewolf appeared in the doorway. Upon catching sight of Sol he can an ear-splitting shriek of delight and barreled towards him, Sol ran to him to or rather ran into him but neither seemed to care as they crashed into a hug and started jumping up and down excitedly while still hugging. This proved not to be the most stable position so they both tumbled to the ground, laughing and then both started rapidly and loudly talking at once as soon as they were upright.

"They agreed to come then?" Molly asked, poking her head out the doorway with Maurene beside her, evidently having come to see what was going on.

"Mother did and she said to take Sol while she packs," Scorpius told her quickly, feeling uneasy and already wanting to get back, "Father remains unconvinced and if he is then Grandmother is but we'll have to see."

"Well if it's just her and Sol we can probably squeeze them in here but if it's the whole family they'll need to go to the base."

"They might also want to split up," Myriam chimed in, "Narcissa might be more comfortable in one of the bases but Astoria will want to stay with you, she won't mind fighting. No idea what Draco would prefer, I can never figure that guy out."

"Well we'll know when we can talk to them some more," Scorpius pointed out and offered his hand to Myriam, "Can we go back now?"

"Already?"

"Please, I'm worried. Did you notice the peacocks were gone?"

"They probably ran off chasing a mouse or something," Myriam said dismissively then smiled lightly, "One time Astoria and I were having tea in the parlor when a whole load of them started running in a line, chasing after a squirrel, Sol and Lysel were in stitches laughing-"

"Then let's hope it's something like that but we won't know until we go back to check," Scorpius cut her off, "Please."

"Alright," Myriam sighed and took his hand, Scorpius braced himself but nothing happened besides a sweeping look of concern filling her face. He opened his mouth to ask what was the holdup but then she answered and Scorpius' blood ran cold despite the summer heat, "I'm sorry, Scorpius, I can't."

"Can't what?"

"Can't apparate, someone must have put up a ward."

"Astoria, this is ridiculous!" Draco burst out in frustration as his wife continued to grab clothes from the wardrobe and fling them into the large suitcase open on the bed.

"You saw how freaked out Scorpius was!" Astoria insisted stubbornly without stopping what she was doing.

"Of course he was freaked out, he signed up to fight in a war! If anything we should be trying to convince him to give it up and come home where he'll be safe with us instead of stressing out over this, risking his life…" Draco trailed off, his anxiety rising internally as it always did when he thought of Scorpius in danger out there. Astoria still didn't halt in her packing.

"Scorpius didn't seem to think it's safe here."

"Of course he didn't, nowhere seems safe when you're fighting in a war!"

"Draco," Astoria finally stopped and sighed, turning to face him with an expression of steel, "I'm done talking about this, I'm going to go be with my sons and you can either come with us or stay with your mother but-"

She was cut off by a scream, a horrible ear-splitting scream.

"Mother?!" Draco called, bolting immediately to go check on her with Astoria on his heels, "Did you-"

"Come now, Aunt Narcissa, is that any way for you to greet your own flesh and blood?" an unfamiliar voice asked, a woman's voice and Draco felt his blood turn to stone.

He wasn't sure what he what he had expected or envisioned when people spoke of the Shadow Master, the daughter of Lord Voldemort but as they skidded to a halt at the top of the stairs, and he gazed down at the woman at the of the staircase with his mother, he was sure that wasn't it. She looked so ordinary, pretty even, and of a similar age to him. She was pale with wavy jet black hair and dark eyes, he was reminded of her brother, that Calderon fellow more so than Voldemort. She was dressed very plainly but all in back and the smile she was giving to his mother lacked the false warmth of her words. And then everything happened too fast.

Astoria didn't hesitate.

Draco barely had time to register the fiery spell that shot past him down toward at the intruder, a strangled cry of no escaped him far too late to do anything but the Shadow Master merely looked amused as she held up her arm. Astoria's spell deflected like it had hit a shield charm, bouncing from her target and hitting the wall instead, it burst into angry flames.

The Shadow Master clenched her fist and there was a sickening, crunching kind of sound from beside him. He turned and thought he heard himself scream as he saw his wife's body being crumpled up like a wad of discarded parchment, pain oozed out of her twisted expression before an abrupt snap wrenched her neck at the wrong angle and the light left her eyes.

Numbly Draco reached out to her but her body was thrown unceremoniously sideways, tossed away as if she was nothing. Her eyes seemed to still be staring at him though, telling him he should have listened. His legs felt like water and he grabbed onto the bannister to steady himself, an idle thought drifting by telling him that if he was going to die then he was going to die on his feet.

"You killed my wife," Draco breathed, unable to take his eyes away from Astoria's.

"Well my husband left me, it seems only fair you should lose your wife," the Shadow Master stated casually and Draco glanced back down to her in turn to see she was shrugging, "She did also just try to kill me and all. Where's your son? The little one? Sol?"

"Not here!" he snapped fiercely, rage erupting from his pain and his hand clenched on his wand in his pocket, "We sent him away, far away, you'll never find him!"

She laughed at this- laughed!

"What do you want?!" his mother demanded, thinly veiled terror audible in her voice, "We've done nothing to you!"

"Nothing?" the Shadow Master repeated, her laughter ceasing abruptly and her eyes shifting very darkly to his mother, Draco clenched his wand in his pocket wondering when would be the best opening, "I don't think that's true, Aunt Narcissa."

"Stop calling me that!" she shrieked but then seemed to think better of it from the dangerous look that flashed across the Shadow Master's face and her tone became more pleading, "Please, at least let Draco live. Whatever your issue with Lucius or I, Draco has no part of it, he never even knew you existed. Please let my son live, he's innocent."

"And Tommy and I weren't?" she questioned coldly but is mother didn't answer. She smiled again, a smile that didn't reach her eyes, "And don't worry, Aunt Narcissa, I intend to let him live. Let both of you live, in fact, you're to be my guests."

"Your guests?" Draco wondered, so surprised he loosened the grip on his wand and the Shadow Master looked at him again.

"Yes, my guests, I wouldn't want you to accidently hurt now, would I?" she said and gave a twirl that seemed to fan Astoria's flames as they followed the arc of her movement, spreading across the hall and the front doors and then the walls on the other side, "England's a dangerous place to be these days and you are my family, besides Aunt Narcissa always had doubts I would amount to anything so now I wouldn't want her to miss seeing what I've amounted to."

"We're not going anywhere with you!" Draco spat and grabbed his wand again, she smiled.

"I don't think you can stop-"

She stopped suddenly, distractedly and her head tilted like she was seeing something that that wasn't there, he thought he heard her mutter something like 'Lazarus' before a shadow came over her and then she was gone.