He thinks that we're finished,

He thinks that we're done.

He thinks that it's over,

His battle is won

HA!

He thinks that we're finished,

But we aren't through.

-Voldemort is Going Down by Starkid Company

Izzy's POV:

I continued through my classes in a trance. I still wasn't entirely sure how to feel about everything; I had become a little less upset about Marie, but I still missed her dearly. It was almost a physical pain, that loss, but it's size had decreased. Did this make me a bad sister, that I wasn't constantly mourning Marie? Was there something wrong with me?

Every so often, my mind drifted to Scorpius. It was strange that I hadn't heard about his mother before. And I sincerely appreciated his offer, I truly did, but I didn't really want to talk about what I was going through. I was a tough girl, and I didn't want to bother other people with my problems. All I'd get out of that would be pity. I didn't want pity.

A few months after the accident, we were all studying for exams, which would be after Easter Break. I didn't study quite as vigorously as others, but I still had confidence that I could pass.

"Hey, Izzy," Al greeted me as he plopped down next to me on the couch.

I looked up from my notes and gave him a smile that I hoped looked genuine. "Hey, Al. What's up?" I asked him, grateful for a distraction as I pushed my books away.

"Well, Easter Break is coming up," he began as he casually draped his arm over my shoulders.

"Indeed."

"Well, I know you need to be with your family," he cast a nervous glance. He understood how I hated this sympathy. "But, well, do you think you could spend maybe the second week over at my house?"

This time, my smile was real. "I'd love to."

"Really? Great. My family loves you."

I blushed slightly. "I'd love to, of course, but I have to owl my parents. They might not be so eager as I am."

"Well, we would love to have you." I gave him a confused glance. Al didn't usually talk like that. "In the words of my mother, of course," Al explained as he sensed my weariness.

"Oh, so you aren't so excited to have me, is that it?"

"What? No - er…I would be thrilled. My vacations usually consist of Lily yelling, James locking himself in his room, and my obnoxious family teasing me about-" Al cut off in mid-sentence.

Al's POV:

"Teasing you about what?"

I looked at Izzy's inquisitive face. Suddenly I was embarrassed. How could I tell her that I'm constantly berated with questions about me and her…getting together? My family is convinced that we're meant to be together forever. Which is a load of nonsense. We're best friends, and I can't even imagine being anything more…

Well, that's a lie. I can imagine it. I just don't think I want that.

"Everything," I told my friend. It was true, there probably wasn't one thing that the Weasley clan hadn't teased me over.

Izzy laughed. It was a nice laugh, a pleasant one. I smiled as she leaned her head onto my chest.

"Have you studied for potions yet?" she inquired.

"What's the point?"

"Well, I suppose there really isn't one."

Izzy's POV:

Dear Izzy,

Your father and I have talked about this, and we've decided that it would be okay for you to stay with the Potters the last week of break. You'll need time with your friends, and we know how much you love being around Al and his family.

We'll pick you up from the train next week and discuss the plans with the Potters then. If you need to contact us while you're there, I'm sure the family will understand.

We can't wait to see you, and give Trent our love as well.

Much love,

Mum

I quickly read the letter, then looked across the table at Al. He was stuffing his face with practically everything in his reach. Typical.

"Al!" he looked up when I yelled his name. "My parents say I can come!"

"Really? This will be great, then."

I grinned at him, and he gave me a small smile back.

"Sure will."

What did I do to get such an amazing best friend?

The first week of break went by rather quickly. On Friday, I had my whole trunk packed and waiting in the living room with Cheesecake perched peacefully in his cage.

"Mr. Potter will be here soon, dear," my mother cooed, and I nodded. "Now you be sure to thank Mr. and Mrs. Potter for letting you stay with them." I sighed softly as my mother rambled on. I'd gotten this speech about a million times. "Remember your manners while you're there, and if you need anything at all, owl us."

"I know, Mum."

She looked over me one last time. "I love you. Have fun there."

"I will," I assured her.

Dad walked over and engulfed me in a hug. "Love you, Izzy."

"Love you, too," I mumbled into his chest as I squeezed back tightly.

As I pulled away, a muscley figure with jet black hair toppled out of the fireplace and landed at my feet.

I giggled and held out a hand, which Al took. When he had regained his composure, Albus gave me a short hug, then turned to my parents.

"Nice to see you, Mrs. McCallum," he said politely. I stifled a laugh. Always the gentleman, I thought to myself.

"Oh, it's nice to see you too, Albus," my mother chirped as she pulled Al into a motherly embrace.

"Hello, Albus," came my father's deep voice.

Al walked over to him and extended his arm. "Hello, Mr. McCallum." A handshake followed, and it seemed as if my father was trying to say quite a bit through that gesture. I could see that he was squeezing rather hard.

I broke the awkward silence that had started to envelope us. "Well," I giggled, pulling Al away by the shoulder, "we should be going then."

At that, we hopped into the fireplace, where Al stated his address. In a flurry of green smoke, we were sucked away.

My eyelids fluttered open and I glanced around the room. This was neither Hogwarts nor home. I looked down at the pleasant floral bed sheets and the cream walls, suddenly remembering it as the Potter's guest room.

I slid out of bed, feeling more well rested than I had in a while. Golden sunbeams played across the floor and bed. The birds outside chirped softly. I pulled back the curtain through which the light was sneaking it's way in. Suddenly, the room was filled with dazzling sun as I looked out towards the small, calm pond in the backyard.

Pulling myself out of my daydreams, I got ready for the day, then made my way to the kitchen. Surprisingly, I found that Al was already there.

"Good morning," he said cheerily. I flashed him a smile in return as I put a couple of sausages onto my plate.

"Uncle George and Uncle Ron's families are coming over today," James informed us from his spot on the couch.

"That'll be fun," I said, excited to see Rose again.

Al nodded his consent as he attacked the pile of food on his plate.

"I will never understand how any one person can stomach so much food," I laughed.

"Hey. I'm a seeker. You'd be surprised how fast I burn this off," he explained to me.

"Yeah," I chuckled. "If a girl were to eat like you, they wouldn't be able to that doorway."

James laughed as he walked up to us. "I'm afraid she has a point, my dear brother. You eat more than I do, you pig."

Al shot his brother a nasty look, but continued eating.

"Well, the party will be arriving soon. I'd better go pick up Celeste," James told us.

"All right. Seeya later, Jamie!" I called after his retreating figure.

"Well, at least it won't be my whole family," Al muttered under his breath.

"Albus, your whole family wouldn't fit into this house. Your family is so large, I don't even know the names of half of your relatives."

"Well, it's really not that confusing. There's Fred, Rose, Hugo, Molly, Lu-"

"Don't bother," I laughed. "I'll forget within the next minute."

"IZZY!"

I prepared myself for an attack. Sure enough, Rose tackled me from behind, nearly knocking me to the ground.

"Oh, hey Rose. Good to see you, too." I laughed as I pulled the petite redhead off of me.

"Oh, Izzy. I really need to talk to you," Rose whispered. She was obviously having a hard time containing her excitement.

"Oh, er, all right. I think we're sharing a room, we can talk there…"

"Perfect!"

Rose dragged me along behind her. I looked up to see Al getting ready to follow us. For some reason, I had the feeling that this wasn't for his ears, so I shook my head at him. He looked confused, and even slightly hurt, but he turned to his uncle anyways.

Rose fell down on the bed, dragging me with her.

"Well, what is it?" I asked. I was now slightly curious, even though I wasn't usually one for gossip.

"Scorp asked me out!" she squealed happily.

"Really? Oh, I'm so happy for you!" I told her. "I knew he would."

"Yeah…but don't tell anyone, okay? My dad…" she paused. "Well, he doesn't really…know yet."

Uh-oh. Ron Weasley hated Scorp's family. This relationship obviously wouldn't sit well with the family.

"Of course I won't tell. Not even Al." Rose looked relieved at this. "We should go now, or someone will get suspicious."

Al caught me in the kitchen later that day.

"So," he said casually, "what did my lovely cousin want?"

"Oh, Rose? Nothing much, really," I responded nonchalantly.

"Really? 'Cause that sounds like a bit of a lie."

"Izzy? Lying?" I turned around to see a tan boy standing in the doorway, a lopsided grin covering his face.

"I know! I'm hurt, Albus Potter. How could you even think that I would lie to you?" I turned my head away from Al dramatically. "I'm truly offended. I can't believe this. You know I wouldn't lie to you."

Fred chuckled as he ambled indifferently to me. Slinging an arm around my waist, he continued. "Izzy is a kind, honest girl. She wouldn't ever lie to anyone! I'm ashamed at your words, cousin. You're hurtful."

Keeping up the act, I pretended to cry onto Fred's shoulder as he patted my head, saying, "There, there."

"Oh, come on!" Al cried irritatedly, causing Fred and me to burst out laughing.

"Wonderful to see you again, Isabelle," Fred said regally.

"Oh, well the same to you Freddy," I giggled.

"Stop it Izzy! You're changing the subject," Al told me.

"Indeed. And I was doing a rather fine job of it, too."

"What's going on here?" Fred piped in, confused.

"Rose pulled Izzy off into their bedroom saying she had something to tell Izzy. They wouldn't let me go and I want to know what it was!"

"Oooh, secrets!" cried Fred. For being 19 years old, he could be quite immature.

"Exactly. And I need to know what she told you!" Al exclaimed.

"Oh really? And why is that?" I shot back sarcastically.

"Because…well, because we've grown up together and she's practically like my sister! It's like Lily and I!" he yelled angrily. Whoa, when did this turn into a fight?

"Albus Severus Potter, you know me well enough to understand that I never tell anyone about someone else's personal business," I lashed out. It was true. "Rose told me this information in secret because she knew I wouldn't tell people like you. I would never betray my friend's trust. Never."

Albus and Fred both looked taken aback. "Charming," Fred muttered.

"I…I'm sorry. You're right. But, Izzy, listen." Listen? I was fuming now. Al was really pushing my buttons here. "If what she told you is going to harm her, you have to let me know." Al was pleading with me now, and he looked sincerely worried. "Please."

I softened a little bit at his words. I knew Al really, truly cared about Rose. "Al, she didn't tell me anything that would hurt anyone. Including herself."

He looked relieved at this, but was still wary. "Okay…but if it turns bad-"

"I'll tell you." I grasped his hands in mine. "Promise." I offered him a small smile, and he then pulled me into a hug.

"Touching," Fred whispered, and I saw that he was dabbing at his eyes.

"Boy, has Hogwarts been quiet without you, Fred," I laughed.

"I can imagine. Everyone must be devastated after my departure!"

"Ha," Al scoffed. "You wish."

"Your girlfriend obviously misses me!" Fred yelped defensively.

I stood there in silence for a moment, before I realized what Fred was accusing Albus and me of. "Oh, no no no. You're confused, Fred. Al and I are not going out. Not at all." I was blushing now, completely flustered from his comment.

"No. Not yet," the dark-haired boy said cryptically. He winked at us, then left the kitchen.

"Well," I said, trying to fill the awkwardness.

"Yup."

All of a sudden, there came a terrified shriek from the front yard. Al and I shared a look, then darted towards the door. Just as we arrived at the entry way, Roxanne and Hugo came bursting in, Roxy being on the verge of tears.

"What's wrong?" I asked as the adults came rushing down the stairs, Mr. Potter in the lead.

"There…there are men…outside…" Roxanne gasped between sobs, clinging tightly to Fred's leg.

"What? Who?" Al's father questioned sharply.

"I don't know." This time, it was little Hugo that spoke. "They were…they were in masks and dark cloaks. They had their wands out and they looked really mad."

We heard yelling outside, a deep bellowing voice.

Mr. Potter looked out the window, then jerked his head back. "Dammit," he muttered, causing the younger children to gasp.

Al and I rushed to the window to see what was happening. To our surprise, there were about two dozen cloaked men wearing plain, black masks. They all had their wands drawn and they were progressing on the house.

Mrs. Potter rushed to her husband's side, and Al and I backed away from the window to where James was standing.

Mr. Potter looked distressed, but there was a slight calmness that probably came from being Head Auror. He muttered something under his breath while he thought.

"What?" James asked his father.

"Dúnmharú," he said, louder this time. I drew in my breath. Albus grabbed my hand while James put his arm around my shoulders protectively. Celeste held onto her boyfriend's hand, squeezing slightly.

"Harry, what are you talking about?" Mrs. Potter asked. The panic was finding its way into her words.

"He…he made a threat. He threatened Ron and I…"

Al's Uncle Ron, who held another high Auror position, picked up here. "We didn't see any real danger, he's been threatening everyone lately. We didn't think he'd look for us, much less try to attack us."

"Attack?" Ron's wife yelped. "Will we have to fight?"

Mr. Potter was back in control of things. "Probably. He and his men look ready to duel. I can call in for back up, but they might be a bit." He looked stressed, as would be expected in this situation. "Dammit! This is my fault. Kids," he turned to James, Al, Fred, and I, "you all go upstairs."

"No." Fred stepped forward defiantly. "I'm 19, I've been of age for two years now. I'm fighting."

"No. Fred, take your sister and cousins upstairs. Now," Fred's father commanded. "Someone needs to be in charge, and Roxy needs you. So go."

Discontentedly, he grabbed his sister's hand and led us all upstairs.

"Now." I could still hear Mr. Potter as we trekked up the stairs. "We'll have to fight."

Dun dun dunnnnnnnn!

So, you like? I thought it needed some action…I know the plotline is kind of a mess right now…but, you know.

Is the whole 'new dark wizard that we have to take down' thing too cliché? I feel like a lot of stories have that…but what are your thoughts? I'd love to know!

Sorry for taking so long to update! I just didn't have the right inspiration and energy. I think it's a good thing that I didn't try to write a chapter then, 'cause it would've been crap, to be honest.

Oh. I might write another story. It'll either be the parallel to this one about James and Celeste, or a sequel about Izzy and Albus in the future. Or, if you want…both? I don't really have many ideas for either, so review or message me some plot ideas!

I've looked at my story stats, and just in June, I've had 153 hits and 53 visitors. So…PLEASE REVIEW! REVIEWS MAKE ME SOOOO HAPPY! Like, siriusly. I check my email ALL THE TIME for reviews and other little alerts. And when I finally get one, I can't stop grinning like an idiot for about and hour. Or all day. So…make me a stupid grinning fool?

P.S. Who liked my song choice? ;)