You sit there,
on your side.
Don't blame yourself,
blame it on your family.
Self less,
enough to tell.
If you walk away,
then I'm not running after.

November 22nd, 10AM Tuesday

Sofia, Bulgaria

Ambassador Hotel

The sound of Draco's labored breathing filled the room. A scrumptious breakfast of bacon and eggs sat abandoned on the table. The food was cold while the once chilled orange juice had become warm and tasteless hours ago. My aunt had not stirred once since Lucius riffled through her memories the day before. She lay on the bed, her eyes were open and she stared blankly up at the ceiling.

Khalida had left the night before to dispose of Lucius' body. When I touched him he didn't disappear as Nymphadora had, instead his body remained where he had fallen. We assumed it was because he had already died once but we had no way of knowing for sure. It didn't really matter. Khalida still hadn't returned but as I wasn't worried about that as I knelt on the floor staring down at the newest issue of The Daily Prophet.

There were many exciting articles about the goings on in the wizarding world. The largest headline on the front page of the paper wasn't much of a surprise.

AZKABAN NO MORE!
Thirty Prisoners and Forty Aurors Presumed Dead

The article went on to detail what had happened at the prison. Apparently no one knew for sure who had bombed the prison. The Ministry assumed it was the AWG but the AWG denied it vehemently, stating that they certainly were not behind the attack and had no knowledge of it beforehand.

Two pictures were displayed on the front page like some kind of sick before and after images. The first one showed the prison as it had been days before the attack and the one next to it was an image of the space Azkaban occupied before it sank into the water. My eyes scanned the two pictures before moving down to the next article.

WIZARDING WORLD PREPARES FOR WORST

The picture that accompanied the article was taken at Diagon Alley. The place appeared to be completely deserted except for the occasional witch or wizard rushing quickly from one shop to the next as if being seen outside would make them a target. It was easy to understand their fear. The last war in the wizarding world had only ended twenty or so years ago and even those witches and wizards who had been children at the time would remember the fear and tension that gripped their world.

The last article on the front page caused my breath to catch in my throat and the room seemed to spin around me as I read each word. Tears formed in my eyes and I roughly wiped them away as I reread the article once more and then again after that. I barely noticed when the door opened and Khalida stepped inside.

"What is it Jenny?" she asked worriedly. I shook my head sadly as I stood and pushed the newspaper into her hands. I ignored her questioning look as I walked past her into the bathroom and regurgitated the small amount of breakfast that I had eaten.

The toilet seat felt nice and cool under my cheek. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath as I waited for what I knew would come next. A few minutes later a strangled cry sounded from the other side of the door and I knew Khalida had finally read what I had just finished reading.

After a few more minutes the bathroom door flew open and Khalida rushed inside, the copy of The Daily Prophet held tightly in one fist. Without a word she pushed me aside and vomited. I felt my empty stomach lurch as I watched the steady stream of red liquid escape past her lips. Watching a vampire throw up is definitely not a pleasant experience.

The newspaper fell from her hands and landed on the clean white tiles next to her feet. I attempted to avert my eyes but it was no use. For some reason they kept falling back on that same damn article and it seemed as if the writing was mocking me as I glared down at it.

HEAD OF DUAMC DEAD

At 11:59 PM on November 21st, Hermione Granger-Weasley the Head of the Department for the Understanding and Advancement of Magical Creatures passed away while under care at St. Mungo's Hospital in London. According to a spokesperson from the Ministry of Magic, the circumstances that led to Mrs. Granger-Weasley's death are being withheld from the public until a full investigation has been completed.

A reliable source from St. Mungo's did state that Mrs. Granger-Weasley was carried into the hospital on November 6th with severe trauma to the back and head. The result of her injuries was irreversible brain damage and paralysis from the neck down. Despite the best efforts of St. Mungo's most prominent Healers Mrs. Granger-Weasley passed away due to complications caused by her injuries.

Hermione Granger-Weasley is survived by her husband, Ronald Weasley, Keeper for the Chudley Cannons. She was also the daughter-in-law of the Minister of Magic, Mr. Arthur Weasley. The Daily Prophet and its staff would like to extend our deepest condolences to the Weasley family who could not be reached for comment at this time.

It should also be noted that Mrs. Granger-Weasley was one of Harry Potter's best school friends, along with Ronald Weasley. The three were often referred to as the Golden Trio.

"I'm cursed," I mumbled as I picked up the paper and threw it into the empty bathtub, "My whole fucking family is cursed that's what this is about. Both fucking families for that matter."

"Don't you see?" I asked Khalida mockingly, "Everything and everyone we touch dies. All of it crumbles and the harder we try and hold it together more drops through our fingers."

"That's not true," Khalida chided as she pulled me into her arms. I pushed her away roughly as I stood and then stalked out of the bathroom.

"You want proof!" I yelled loudly as I gestured toward the two prone figures lying in front of me, "There's your proof. My God! With Riddle and Potter blood in me I could probably destroy the whole fucking universe!"

I fell to the floor with a soft thud and silently cradled my face in the palms of my hands. Khalida took a step toward me but stopped suddenly. Her brow furrowed as if she were deep in thought.

"It's all about blood isn't it?" Khalida asked herself aloud, "Everything comes back to blood."

"So?" I growled in frustration. Khalida became lost in her thoughts for another moment before replying.

"I think its blood that keeps Riddle Mansion from being seen," Khalida stated thoughtfully. "Or at least it keeps it from being seen by anyone who isn't a Riddle," she added as her eyes met mine.

"So you think I'd be able to find it?" I asked in disbelief.

"No, I don't think you'd be able to find it," Khalida said assuredly, "I know you'd be able to see it as plain as the sky above."

"But that's not true," I replied while shaking my head, "We were at Hogwarts and I never saw the mansion. If it's as close to the castle as Lucius said it was then I should've been able to see it."

"You couldn't see it then," Khalida responded with a small grin, "because you didn't know it was there."

November 25th, 10PM Friday
Forbidden Forest

"Do you think this was a good idea?" I asked Khalida as we watched the Dementors float off into the shadows. Khalida nodded in reply as she scanned the forest in front of us.

Draco and my aunt lay on the ground behind us. Both of them still lay dead to the world. Adrienne would make small grunting noises every so often but Draco remained still and quiet. Every day he remained unconscious I became more and more worried that he would never wake up again.

"Float them along behind us," Khalida whispered, "and stay quiet."

"Like I need you to tell me that," I hissed in reply. "Mobilicorpus," I whispered as I waved my wand at the two figures lying on the forest floor. Both bodies rose up and serenely floated a few inches off the ground.

"Let's go," Khalida commanded softly and I nodded in reply.

The forest was dark and deathly quiet except for the occasional snapping of a twig or growl from a nearby animal. A few times I stopped in my tracks in fear but Khalida would turn and urge me to follow as she scanned the forest in front of us with glowing red eyes that pierced through the darkness.

I sighed in relief as Hogwarts came into view but gasped a moment later as I noticed something that hadn't been there before. In the distance, perhaps fifteen or twenty miles away sat a gigantic building. More surprising then the building itself was the fact that I could see it as plain as day, even in the dark of the night.

"Khalida," I said slowly as I attempted to get her attention. The vampire ignored me as her eyes searched the distance. "Khalida," I said once again, louder then before.

"What?" she growled in annoyance.

"Can you see that?"

"See what?" Khalida asked in confusion.

"That," I replied as I pointed at the mansion off in the distance.

Khalida followed my gaze with a puzzled expression on her face. She stared for a moment before shaking her head.

"It's Riddle Mansion," I stated assuredly, "and I can see it from here." The vampire didn't appear to be convinced.

"I don't see anything."

"Well I do," I responded quickly, "and we need to move before someone notices us."

This time it was my turn to urge Khalida along. She didn't seem too happy about heading towards an unknown destination. We snuck silently past the castle and it wasn't until we were a good mile away that I became tired.

Two small thuds sounded behind us and we both turned to find Draco and Adrienne lying on the ground. Neither one seemed to have noticed that I'd just dropped them.

"We'll never be able to walk there," I explained to Khalida as I sat down on the grass. "And I'm too tired to keep levitating those two all that way."

"We need some form of transportation," Khalida said thoughtfully as she nodded in understanding.

"It's not like we can just find a car or something out here," I responded dejectedly. Khalida's lips turned up into a grin and I gave her a confused look.

"A car," she said happily, "that's exactly what we need."

"Have you gone nuts?" I asked in disbelief, "Where in the hell are we going to find a car way out here?"

"Let me handle that," Khalida replied as her grin became even wider, "I just need to pop back to the forest for a moment."

Before I could reply Khalida blended into the shadows and disappeared. I called out to her but received no reply. With a small huff I settled back into the grass and waited for her to return.

BEEP! BEEP!

"What the hell?" I exclaimed as I stood quickly. I raised one hand to shield my eyes as two bright lights sped toward me.

BEEP! BEEEEP! BEEEEP!

The lights came closer and for a split second I considered making an attempt to run. The annoying beeping became louder and it sounded slightly familiar. It sounded exactly like…

"A car horn?"

My jaw fell open as a slightly rusted and banged up Ford Anglia pulled up on my right side. The passenger's side window was busted out and Khalida's smiling face popped through the empty hole.

"Get in!" she shouted over the roaring engine of the beastlike vehicle.

"Where in the hell did you get this?" I asked without making a move to comply.

"The forest," Khalida explained, "Now get in before someone comes out to see what's going on. Dumbledore will recognize this thing instantly and it won't take him long to put two and two together."

I quickly levitated Adrienne into the car and Draco followed a moment later. I was careful not to bang his head as I lowered him into the backseat. After shutting the door with a loud slam I quickly jumped into the passenger's seat and the old car tore off across the grass.

"So you want to explain to me now where you got this thing?" I asked while holding onto the dashboard as tightly as possible. I wondered who taught the vampire to drive or if anyone had for that matter.

"Gilgamesh told me about it," Khalida explained, "Apparently it used to be Arthur Weasley's car."

"Wait, I think I read about this," I interrupted quickly, "This is the flying car isn't it?"

"This would be it," she replied with a grin, "but I don't think it can fly anymore. Now it just runs wild through the Forbidden Forest."

"So how much control do you have over this thing?" I asked hesitantly.

"What does this tell you?" Khalida questioned as she released the wheel and took her foot off the gas. The car continued to speed along as if it were being controlled by an outside source.

"Well that makes me feel a lot better," I replied sarcastically.

A moment later my stomach leapt into my throat as we flew over an extremely large bump. My grip on the dashboard tightened considerably when the wheels of the Anglia never touched back down.

"Would you look at that?" Khalida said offhandedly as she peered out the driver's side windows, "I guess this old thing can still fly."