It's beginning.
Mother's cord is severed.
I am falling.
Break free from dependence, down,
to take it.
I council whatever.
You take it and run,
60 Miles an hour.
And break, your way.
Trusting, holding the world in your hands.

November 2nd 3PM, Wednesday
Lovegood Mansion, Living Room

Draco,

If I remember correctly the initials M.W.P.P referred to James Potter and his little band of miscreant friends, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black. Otherwise known as the Marauders; Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs.

I ask you not to contact me again. You have made your decision and followed your own path and I must follow my own as well. I wish you luck in your future endeavors but I refuse to become involved in anything which might endanger this school or the man who I have trusted and respected for most of my life.

Respect my decision as I have respected yours.

Severus

The parchment shook in Draco's hands as he finished reading the letter from Severus. I wrapped a comforting arm around his shoulders and pulled him across the couch toward me. For a moment I was sure he was going to cry as he buried his face into my shoulder but he quickly regained his composure and crumpled the parchment with one hand. He eyed it for a moment before throwing it across the living room into the fireplace where it was immediately consumed by the flames. I watched silently as it slowly disintegrated into nothingness.

"I'm sorry for all of this," I stated as Draco leaned back toward me and I absentmindedly ran my fingers through his hair.

"It's not your fault," he replied obstinately, "He's right anyway. I made my decision and I have to deal with it on my own. I'm too old to be depending on others all of the time."

"You can depend on me though," I stated firmly.

"And you can depend on me as well," Draco responded with a reassuring smile as he slipped out of my grasp.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Khalida broke in and proceeded to make gagging noises as Draco and I both rolled our eyes in amusement.

Laid out on the table was Draco's current project. The small silver house was lying on one side while two gold copies sat on the other. I watched Draco work with quiet fascination. It seemed to be very delicate work but every time I commented on it Draco just shrugged and said it was actually quite easy.

"How can you make these things so easily?" I asked as I played with the bracelet hanging down from my left wrist.

"It's actually really simple," Draco replied as he waved his wand and muttered a spell, bathing the three charms in a soft glow. "My mother began teaching me how to create portkeys when I was quite young."

"Almost everything in Malfoy Manor was a portkey by the time I went off to Hogwarts," he added sadly, "It wasn't until after my mother passed that I found out the portkeys were only keyed to my magical signature which meant that I could use them to escape but…but my mother could not."

"Why do you think she did that?" I asked in confusion. Draco sighed loudly as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"My mother told me once that she would do everything in her power to make sure that I did not suffer for her mistakes," he explained, "or the mistakes of my father."

"I'm sorry about your mother," I stated sadly and Draco merely nodded in reply.

After a few minutes of silence I pulled out the envelope next to me and once again rifled through the information about Charles Smith. I was sure there was something we had missed, some clue that had been overlooked. The biggest mystery at the moment was what a lightning bolt, Weasley Wizard Wheezes, and the Marauders had to do with each other.

It was obvious that the lightning bolt pertained to my father, but what exactly was the purpose of it? The only thing that connected all three things was my father. Perhaps it was some sort of puzzle or riddle, in all honesty I had no idea what the hell the cryptic message meant.

"What do you think my father, the Weasleys and the Marauders have to do with Charles Smith?" I asked as I stared down at the bank statement in question.

"Who knows?" Draco replied with a shrug, "My best guess is that it's some sort of code or a password maybe. It was obviously something that Smith didn't want to forget."

"Why do I feel like we're not going to figure this out until it comes right up and smacks us in the face?"

"I've got an idea but you're not going to like it," Draco said as he finished his task and turned around to look up at me.

"Granger is a genius," Draco continued, "I think we should ask her to take a look at this." My jaw dropped in shock and for a few seconds I was completely speechless.

"Are you insane?" I exclaimed loudly, "Hermione works for the Ministry; she'd turn us in right away."

Draco graced me with a trademark smirk before standing and brushing off his robes. He reached into one pocket and pulled out a perfectly normal looking number two pencil. I gave him a questioning look and a low chuckled escaped his lips.

"She can't turn us in if we bring her here," Draco stated as he waved the pencil in front of my eyes.

"She won't…"

"She won't have a choice," Draco interrupted and my eyes widened in surprise as understanding dawned on me.

"You think we should trick her?" I asked disbelievingly and Draco nodded in reply. "You do know she'll kill us for that?"

"I'll take my chances," Draco replied with a shrug as he slipped the pencil back into his pocket. "But it will have to wait until later. For now I think we should deal with one thing at a time."

Draco picked up the three little charms and motioned for me to hold out my arm. I did as he asked and he slipped the silver house back onto my bracelet. He tapped it with his wand twice before attaching one of the gold houses to his own bracelet and repeating the process.

"The house is the only active portkey," he explained, "It will activate on the same word that we used before and it works both ways. If everything goes correctly it should take us to the field and then directly back to this room when the word is said the second time." I nodded in understanding and followed him out of the living room to track down Khalida.

November 2nd 3:45PM, Wednesday
Empty Field, Unknown Location

"Well at least it's not raining," I said as I thought back to the dream I'd had early that morning.

"I wish I knew where the hell we are," Draco stated as he scanned the barren field surrounding us.

"I know where we are," Khalida responded cryptically before slowly walking away from us.

Draco and I shared a confused look before following along behind her. As we crested a small hill Khalida suddenly stopped and stared off into the distance. We came up along side her and followed her gaze to a small white farmhouse with a large red barn next to it.

"That's it," I gasped.

"I recognize this place," Khalida stated as she continued on, Draco and I following obediently a few steps behind, "It's the farmhouse where Gilgamesh and I went to for his seventeenth birthday."

"Do you think the same couple still lives here?" I asked.

"Only one way to find out," Khalida replied with a shrug.

As we neared the small, cozy looking house I scanned the area around us. The first thing my eyes were drawn to was a large, white gas tank a few feet away from the house. I pointed it out to Khalida and Draco and they both nodded in understanding.

An old, brown pickup truck sat in the driveway and various machinery was scattered about the lawn. I glanced over at the barn as we walked up the steps to the front door. My feet suddenly flew out from underneath me and I went careening into the cement steps, landing with a loud "oomph".

"Are you okay?" Draco asked in concern as he helped me up off the steps.

I nodded my head in reply just as the door flew open in front of us and we found ourselves looking down the barrel of a shotgun held by a very angry middle-aged farmer in blue jean overalls. His hands shook slightly as I looked into his pale, blue eyes.

"What do you want?" he asked in a gruff voice. Khalida opened her mouth to reply but I interrupted before she had a chance.

"The lightning bolt on your barn, how did you come up with that?" I asked curiously. Draco gasped in surprise as he glanced over his shoulder at the barn, noticing the large white lightning bolt for the first time.

"My father painted it there when he owned this farm," the man replied, relaxing the grip on the firearm slightly as a gentle breeze ruffled his short, auburn locks.

"Was your father's name Andrew?" Khalida asked hopefully and the man nodded his head.

"Did you know him?" he asked.

"I met him twice," she replied sadly, "he and his wife were very kind."

"That they were," the man agreed with a smile, lowering the shotgun down to his side.

"My name is Khalida List," Khalida said with a smile, "and these are my friends, Jenny Riddle and Draco Malfoy."

"Don't think I've ever heard the names before but it doesn't surprise me none," the man replied thoughtfully, "My father and I didn't get along the best."

"I'm sorry," I said sadly.

"Nothing to worry your pretty little head about," he responded with a grin.

"Where in the world are my manners," the man stated as he moved out of the way and motioned us inside. We slowly walked past him into the small kitchen beyond the doorway. The man scanned the horizon before quickly shutting the door and locking it. I gave Khalida and Draco a questioning look but they merely shrugged in reply.

"You still haven't introduced yourself," Draco stated in a suspicious tone.

"Suppose I haven't," the man replied, setting down his shotgun on the dilapidated kitchen table. I released the breath that I had been holding in a soft sigh of relief.

"Nathan Evans," he stated with a tight smile and suddenly I couldn't breathe again.

November 2nd 4:30PM
Lovegood Mansion, Living Room

"Well that was pointless," Draco huffed as he threw himself onto the couch. "We're lucky that hillbilly didn't shoot us."

"I just wanted to warn him," I stated as I plopped down next to him.

"And that was a great idea," Draco drawled. "Excuse me sir but I had a dream and in said dream your house started on fire because of a wayward spell connecting with your gas tank."

"I did not say that!" I exclaimed loudly. Khalida shook her head in amusement as she gracefully sat down in the chair to my right.

"It wouldn't have mattered what you said," she broke in with a chuckle, "No one in their right mind would believe the story anyway."

I glared at her as I silently rose from the couch and stalked over to stand in front of her. I bent down until I was staring directly in her eyes. She leaned back into the chair slightly as I moved closer.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I hissed and she shook her head in confusion.

"I don't know what…"

"His name," I exclaimed as I pushed myself away from her and began to pace back and forth in front of the coffee table. "His fucking last name is Evans and his barn just happens to have a gigantic fucking lightning bolt painted on the front. God, why do I feel like I'm getting majorly jerked around every freakin' second of the day?"

"The lightning bolt wasn't there when Gilgamesh and I went there the first or second time," Khalida stammered nervously, "and if the farmer and his wife ever told us their last name I truly don't remember it."

Draco watched anxiously as I continued to pace. The air around me began to crackle and spark as my magic began to materialize. Khalida noticed what was happening as well and she slowly stood, attempting to try to calm me the best she could.

"Stay away from me," I said in a threatening tone and she stopped in mid-step.

"Why do you call him Gilgamesh anyway?" I asked in a suspicious tone, "The story and the dreams, all of it, it all seems too much of a coincidence. What aren't you telling us?"

"I'm not keeping anything from you," Khalida responded as she frantically waved her hands in front of her. I glanced at Draco and noticed that he too was studying her reaction closely.

"So what now?" I questioned and the tension in the room lowered immediately. Khalida sighed in relief as she backed away from me and crumpled into her chair.

"We wait until nightfall," Draco replied as he leaned back into the couch, his arms crossed over his chest, "and then we save that stupid muggle before he's blown to bits."

November 2nd, 11PM Wednesday
Empty Field, Unknown Location

As the night wore on I began to wonder if my dream had been simply that, only a dream. But I couldn't shake the feeling of dread in my stomach as the rain began to fall and thunder began to rumble through the sky. A bolt of lightning crashed toward the ground and I was temporarily blinded by the bright flash which followed.

"Let's go," Khalida whispered and I was reminded of my dream once again.

Footsteps sounded in front of me as Draco and Khalida tore off toward the farmhouse. I snapped out of my thoughts and rushed to keep up with them. Another bolt of lightning ripped through the darkness and I could see the faint outline off the small house up ahead.

We all came to a stop as Khalida sniffed the air. Draco and I gave her a confused look as we did the same. There was definitely a strange smell in the air.

"What is that?" I asked softly and Draco shook his head in reply.

"I'm not sure," Khalida responded as she continued to smell the air around us, "but I first smelled it a few feet back and it keeps getting stronger as we get closer to the house."

I glanced around, squinting through the darkness in an attempt to find the source of the odd scent. Another flash of lightning blinded me for a moment but something white caught my attention. I shivered in fear as I pointed toward the side of the house.

"It's gas," I stated fearfully.

"Stop right there!" a voice called out behind us. Draco and Khalida turned immediately but I remained rooted to the ground as a flash of red zipped past my shoulder.

"Get down!" I yelled. I spun around as fast as I could and pushed Draco and Khalida to the ground.

Draco began to protest but was interrupted when a huge explosion sounded behind us and the darkness surrounding us disappeared in a bright red glow. After the blast, I slowly pushed myself up off the ground and motioned for Khalida and Draco to do the same. Four aurors lay on the ground a few feet away.

"Great Merlin," Draco said in an awed tone as the three of us turned to watch the farmhouse being eaten alive by a gigantic wall of flames.

Without a thought to my own safety I rushed toward the front door. Khalida easily caught me around the waist and held me back as I struggled to free myself.

"Let me go," I pleaded, "He might still be alive in there."

"He's not," Khalida responded sadly, "and you know it."

"Let me go!" I screamed, "Don't you understand, he might be the only family I have left!"

"Forgive me," Draco said sadly as he stepped in front of me and pulled me into a hug.

"Enkidu," he whispered softly and I cried out as the burning house spun away, replaced with the black and red living room of Lovegood Mansion.

"How could you?" I growled as I pushed Draco away, "How could you do that to me?" I pulled out my wand and pointed it Draco's throat.

"Take me back," I spat threateningly, "Take me back right now."

"No," Draco responded calmly, "I can't do that."

"Yes you can!" I sobbed as I furiously waved the wand in my hand, "Take me back! Take me back!" My words trailed off into incoherent babbling as I slowly sank to my knees.

Draco knelt down beside me and began to gently rock me in his arms. I could see Khalida move to do the same but Draco shook his head and she nodded in understanding. A moment later she quietly left the room.

"I'm so sorry Jenny," Draco said apologetically as he rubbed my back, "but I can't let anything happen to you."

"It's all my fault," I stated, "It's my fault he's dead."

"No," Draco replied, shaking his head fiercely, "You tried to save him."

"I…I…" I fought to form the words that I was trying so hard to say but a memory suddenly interrupted my thoughts.

"There are many dreams that we may study," Luna whispered as she directed her gaze into the depths of the clear crystal ball. "Perhaps we shall find your dreams."

"And do what?" I asked bitterly, "Will my dreams show us the future?"

"Of course not," Luna replied as she shook her head slowly, "Dreams don't show the future, they are the future."

"Dreams become reality when we make them so," she explained, "From the moment the dream takes root in your thoughts it changes your destiny forever."

"But…"

"There is no going back," Luna stated calmly, "There is only the future."

My breath caught in my throat as I realized the depth of Luna's earlier comments. My entire body shook as understanding hit me. Draco pulled away and gave me a look of concern, a look I didn't deserve.

"What is it Jenny?"

"I did it," I hissed angrily, "I killed him. I didn't try to save him, I murdered him."

"I don't understand."

"The dream," I replied slowly, "My dream. If I wouldn't have had that dream we would have never gone there and that man would still be alive."

"Now do you understand Draco? Everything that happened tonight happened because of the events I set into motion." Draco's eyes widened in surprise and a small gasp escaped his lips as the realization hit him full force.

"What if…?" Draco began to ask something but hesitated for a moment, biting his bottom lip nervously. "What if someone is sending you these dreams? What if someone is orchestrating everything that's happened?"

"You mean someone could be messing with my head and making me see things or feel things?" I asked and Draco nodded in reply.

"Well Draco," I replied slowly, "if that's true then I think we have more to worry about then the Americans or the Ministry."