A/N: Now that I'm really writing this again I can see how the plot has changed in my mind and how things are really different from when I began writing this. I'm trying to ease into the plot changes and still keep everything the same. I'm not sure how this is going to compare to what DH was really like in the end. Most of the deaths will be the same though so we'll have to see how true I keep it...

I sit at the now single long table that served as seating for the students that opted to stay for the Holidays. I knew some didn't have an option through the grave look on some of the faces, well most of the ones that were left behind since there was only about twelve of us and each I knew had lost a family member or members in the last six months. Christmas had been yesterday and the Carrow's had been absent since then, not that any of us students or remaining Professors were complaining. Severus had been disappearing on and off since the students had left, and my Christmas had been spent alone except for the few moments I had spent with McGonagall where she more or less lectured me before saying Happy Christmas and patting me on the head like a five year old.

I had almost hoped that someone would stay back for the holidays but no one had that I really cared about, even Neville had looked happy to leave, though I didn't blame him.

There had been something truly heartwarming about watching Neville Longbottom smile from where I had sat in the Great Hall that day. The students who would be returning home for the break, wore looks of relief on their face as they trudged towards the doors and down to the carriages. I knew that some of them may not be coming back to school, either going into hiding or well.. that was the only option at this point but the heartwarming thing about seeing Neville smile, was the fact he was smiling at me.

The person who stood by long enough to see him be tortured and yet there he was, striding towards the door in such a confident way that I wondered when he had grown up and then he looked back, smiled and disappeared in the crowd. To say I was shocked at his behavior was an understatment, the last time I had seen him he had be denying the need for the Hospital Wing, and passed out before I dropped him onto a bed and called for Madam Pomfrey.

"Victoria! Lizzie! What ever the hell your name is just let me get back to the tower, I'm fine!" Neville insists through his gritted teeth. I almost laugh at him as another aftershock rakes through his body and tears spring to the front of his eyes as he bites down on his lip. Fine my arse.

"Yeah you look fine, your cheek is bleeding along with the back of your head. Also those tremors, yeah they're surely from pleasure. Shut up, you're going and that's that."
"Lizz-"
"Look, I couldn't get you out of there right away and now let me fix it, okay? Come on, Neville. You can barely stand for Merlin's sake!"
"What if someone see's you helping me?" he mumbles looking down as I continued to support his weight down the long corridor.

I lock my eyes with his managing to give him a weak smile, "Piss on em, we Potter's don't leave anyone behind."
He rolls his eyes at this and bites down at his lip once more as a shudder runs through him, his head falling to his chest, his muscles giving out.

"Oh yeah, Neville" I mumble to the now unconscious weight that was half on the floor, "because dragging your body to the Hospital Wing looks so much better then just assisting you. Bugger!"

It had been nice to see that he could still be so happy and that smile had been better then any Christmas gift or Happy Christmas that I had received this year. To say my Christmas pile was smaller then last years was a great understatement. I had received a bottle of Potion from Severus, I could only guess what it was because it wasn't labeled and he was not around to ask. I had a feeling however that it would reverse the effects of the Potion that was currently keeping my Glamor's in place. I honestly couldn't wait to be back as I should be, when I was tired I'd still jump a little at my on reflection in the mirror. For that reason I kept the Potion in the pocket of my robes, and kept transferring it day to day.

I missed the Weasley jumper that I got every year and had somehow hoped that I would still get one. I didn't or course and McGonagall wasn't going to let me dig through my old trunk in order to fish one out either. I swear it was like some big conspiracy around here to make sure I didn't do anything stupid. I may have felt like I was alone but with everyone hovering around me when they could I don't know why I felt that way.

"Sooo, Where are we going?" I ask happily as Severus led me out of the castle, I was thankful to be leaving as I had started to feel a bit like a prisoner but the sever expression on his face had me slightly worried.
"You need not know, I will be requiring you assistance however."
"Assistance with wh- Woah! Why'd you bring that with you?" I ask seeing the gleaming sword in the moon light. What was he doing bringing that thing out, didn't he have it locked up for a reason? I could have swore it was still in the case when I went up to his office earlier...

"Just hold on, I will answer your questions when we return."

I nod and grab onto his arm tightly bracing myself for the unpleasant feeling of being sucked through a straw and turned inside out. I don't care what anyone said I was never going to go for my test because I had no desire to legally do that. I'd just Side-Along for the rest of my life. Opening my eyes I see we're standing in a forest, a frozen pond only a mere few feet away from where we landed. I feel Severus let go of my arm as he strides towards the frozen water only pausing briefly to allow me to catch up. I could hear a faint noise in the darkness, it sounded like someone yelling but I couldn't quite put a finger on what they were saying they were too far off.

"Potter does know how to swim, correct?"
"More or less... why?" I question feeling my eyes narrow as he waves his wand, the sword disappearing from sight and the ice breath us shaking slightly. I stare up at him in horror, "What did you do that for!" I shriek.
Does he know what he just did? For Merlin's sake! I think he's finally lost it!
"Potter needs the sword-"
"So you couldn't just hand it to him like a normal person, you hide it at the bottom of a frozen pond!" I whisper loudly staring down at the frozen ice, I couldn't even see the friggen thing how was my brother suppose to find it?

"We're going to hike up to the top of that far hill" Severus points, "and we are going to use a Disillusionment Charmon ourselves. You are to cast your Patronus and lead it back to here, Potter can then retrieve the sword. Once he has obtained it, we will take our leave."

"We couldn't have just set it against a tree or something? Why do I even have to be here? He's not stupid enough to come out of hiding and follow a my Patronus, it could be a trap!"
"You doubt his stupidity?"
"Well, yes" I say bluntly following behind him, tapping my head with my own wand feeling the charm take effect. Keeping one hand on his disillusioned robes, I follow behind him quietly thinking of everything that was wrong with this plan. I highly doubted that Harry would follow my Patronus, surly he would know better then to do that. It could easily be a trap, someone could have the same one I mean his was a stag and mine was a doe. I'm sure that in the world other people have those same animals. Or someone could be forcing me, it's not like he knew where I was exactly, it could be happening under duress. It doesn't take us long to make our way to the top of the hill, the shouting that I had heard before that was coming from this direction had long since stopped.

"I am going to make my way back down to the pond, you are to move slowly down the path we just took until Potter follows. I will erase our footprints on the way down, keep the Patronus ahead of you and do not speak to your brother. Keep out of sight because I cannot be seen and if you do something rash I will be forced to leave you behind and I will not be happy if I am forced to do that. Understand?"
"Yes"
"Elizabeth" his warning tone comes from my left, and I can feel his hand grasping my shoulder tightly. "I said I got it, no talking to him, he can't know you're here, blah blah blah. As much as I hate school I have no desire to go camping". I mutter hoping that he didn't detect the longing in my voice. I could see Harry? I would get to see my brother?
"Very well, if you keep your word and remain unseen I will meet you at the pond, just at the edge where we arrive."
"Got it" I snap feeling his hand remove from my shoulder, the soft crunch of his feet on the snow retreating. Does he honestly think I couldn't follow instruction? At all?

I wait where he left me for a few moments giving him time to make his way back down to the pond, it had been a fair walk a good twenty minutes at least and somehow I got the feeling that tonight was going to be a long one if I had to walk down this hill and through fifteen more minutes of flat land before getting back to the pond. I shiver against the cold for five minutes before decided he had enough of a head start before taken a deep breath and casting my Patronus. Charms of any kind had always come easy to me, it was back in Third Year when I heard what Remus had been teaching Harry that I took it into my old hands to teach myself the charm. I smile softly as I walk down the hill slowly watching my doe prance around the trees and snow 15 feet ahead of me. I keep my footsteps quite, quite that the snow wasn't deep here just a thin coating on the frozen dirt. Enough to leave foot prints but not ones you could see unless you were looking.

I walked and I walked, I could feel the cold now nipping at my face as I struggled to keep my slow pace, finally I heard a twig snap and paused slightly letting my eyes drift to the left. I hold back a groan seeing my brother following the doe with determination. Where the hell did he come from, and really, how could he be so stupid. If I had another wand I swear I would just curse him to teach him a lesson. I stay back further now, letting the doe continue forward towards the pond which I could now almost see in the distance. Harry was now looking side to side, his wand held out in front of him. He really couldn't put his cloak on at least?

I hear some shuffling on my right and stiffen only to see a sleepy eyed Ron moving to straighten out of his sitting position at the base of a nearby tree. What on earth was Ron doing out here? I squint at one of my best friends as he pick up his pack and moves to follow my brother causing me to have to wait even more to keep the distance between us. I watched as my brother came to the pond ahead, Ron occasionally blocking the view I was getting from so far back. I concentrate briefly focusing the energy from my wand and send it into the ice hoping to show the way to the sword. Dropping my wand to my side I quickly make my way around Ron, my eyes trained on my brother as he cracks open the ice.

Well at least he wasn't entirely stupid.

The weeks began to pass by quicker, the students had long since returned from their break and the permanent worry once again etched on their faces.
"I've got it!" Lisa exclaims suddenly startling Padma to the point that she rolled off her bed. I look up curiously as the blonde rushes over to assist her friend and return to my book. Mandy hadn't returned after Christmas, I didn't mind much because being glared at continuously didn't make for a comfortable living environment but I hadn't brought up the subject to ask. Only nodding when Lisa had offered the information saying that she wouldn't be returning this year.

'Several charms can be applied to the parchment, though the parchment itself must be durable and be able to absorb the magical signature of the caster.' I tap my quill on the parchment I had been making notes on, sometimes I wished I was still having those hallucinations so I could just ask my father how he and the others had made the map. I couldn't contact Remus who would usually be the first person I went to and had be relying solely on Library materials. I was sure that they had created the Marauder's Map at school so Library resources weren't so bad it was just hard to find the books they had used for their own research. I had been lucky with some of my selections, the books not being very popular (afterall who wants to work on parchment charms) often had my fathers name or the messy script that Sirius had often written with in his letters with crude names such as Master Bator.

The bulk of the map had been done, the drawing complete that alone had taken me a few weeks. Initially I had only intended to put in main hallways or rooms that the Carrow's frequented, that soon became a worst idea when I realized that they had a habit of changing their patrol rotations in hopes to catch students out of bed. It didn't seem fair now that Harry had the original map, I didn't know enough to add charms to wipe it clean like the Marauder's Map and I was sure I would have another week of research ahead of me before I could begin to spell the parchment. The only thing I had missing from the map was the Hufflepuff Common Room, I had seen them more frequently making their way down now, but all I could guess was that it was by the Kitchens since I had never really taken the time to study Harry's map.

"Shh she can hear you know"
"Oh hush, she has never said anything remotely rude to either of us and doesn't even speak half the time. She really can't be that bad can she?"
"Look at who her Dad is, then think about what you just said"

"You are correct, I can hear you. Either talk to me properly or take you conversation elsewhere I am trying to work." I interrupt their whispering argument noting down another spell that I would most likely have to use. I was beginning to think the map wasn't even a real thing, then again four minds had been working on it before not just one.

"How do you do that" Lisa breaths staring up at me from her spot on the floor in wonder. I frown from over the top of my book before answering her, "Do what exactly?"
"Keep so calm, you always have this, calm, determined, stony look to you. I swear you and McGonagall always have the same expression it's like nothing phases you anymore. You're quite, you don't rat anyone out to the Carrow's ever and I know for a fact you've had chances to. You don't speak with anyone really other then a few Slytherin's but even then you remove yourself from them as soon as you can. How are you not going absolutely mad?"

I laugh at this lightly putting my book down on the bed beside me, both their faces looked shocked that I was laughing and now glaring and yelling at them. Maybe I was better at hiding my emotions and acting the part then I thought I was. "You couldn't be more wrong," I admit moving to sit down on the floor in front of my bed with them, "I'm tired, so tired. I have to urge myself to get out of bed every single morning. It's only when I remember that the day will still go on, people will still get hurt that I get out of bed. I'm not as emotionless as I look, but practice and necessity is what keeps my expression neutral."

"But your father-"
"Isn't my father, I'm adopted haven't you heard? Look, you're right I do have opportunities to get people into trouble but I'm not going to do that. You don't have to tip toe around this room like you're living with Snape himself, I don't talk to him frequently nor do I make a habit of spying on my classmates."

Lisa seems to think about what I said for a moment before smiling and elbowing Padma who didn't look convinced, I didn't blame her really. I wasn't here to make friends, frankly I didn't really know why I was here at all other then to subtly make sure Neville, Ginny and Luna didn't get themselves killed. Well, I had failed on one part seeing as Luna had been taken off of the train on her way home for Christmas apparently. I could only hope that she was okay, her presence had been the only constant in my life this year and now she was no longer there, quietly sitting and reading.

Standing I plop back into my bed grabbing the book once more and setting it down on my lap.
"What are you doing?" Padma asks curiously, I look up briefly marking the page with my finger. "Trying to make something that will help all of us."