Author's note: Hey guys, I started this update yesterday and finished it off today. I am slowly falling back into a routine of writing for this story and now that the end is near, I am really feeling the excitement again. There's something happening in here that I've been thinking about for some time and I originally meant for it to happen in a different setting. I tried rewriting it twice but somehow this one turned out to be the best. It is something that needed to happen, that's been lurking in the shadows for some time. Enjoy.

Chapter 18

Memoriam

Andromeda ran as fast as she could. The snow underneath her feet was slippery and loose and she staggered a few times. Her warm breath was forming little clouds in the crisp winter air and her lungs pressed against her ribcage. The sound of her footsteps was muffled by the snow but she became aware of someone running behind her as in the distance the Black Lake loomed up. She dared a glance over her shoulder and saw Bellatrix coming towards her. Her pale cheeks were flushed pink and her dark eyes were alive with fire.

"Incarcerous!" Andromeda shouted and aimed her wand over her shoulder. She heard Bellatrix swear and dared another glance. The chains had wrapped around her arm and she was desperately trying to shake them off.

"Crucio!" Bellatrix cried and Andromeda felt the jet sear past her head before it crashed into the snow towards her right. Immediately it melted, revealing the scorched patch of earth and sand beneath. She glanced back at Bellatrix. She'd manage to shake the chains from her am and had increased her pace. She was brandishing her wand like one would a knife and her eyes were fixed on Andromeda.

"You won't get it!" she yelled. "Crucio! CRUCIO!"

The red jets came rushing towards her and Andromeda only had one choice. She threw herself forward into the snow, holding her breath, and immediately rolled onto her side. The snow was cold against her skin and it immediately seeped into her bones. She leapt back to her feet as the curses Bellatrix had cast crashed into a nearby tree and spun around. Bellatrix was only a few feet away from her now and Andromeda flicked her wand.

Bellatrix lost her footing and fell backwards, landing in the snow. The spell didn't last long because she jumped back to her feet, snowflakes tangled in her raven manes and fire in her eyes. She sprinted the last few metres and Andromeda attempted to hex her again but Bellatrix knocked every single one of them out of the way. When she reached her sister she placed her hands against her chest and punished. Together they fell over and rolled through the snow, fighting for control and dominance.

Andromeda clawed across Bellatrix's skin and felt the warm blood seep through her fingers. She lay pinned down underneath her sister and Bellatrix's blood began to drip down onto her face. Bellatrix's eyes were ink blank and she was panting heavily. Andromeda felt her warm breath against her flesh. Bellatrix's fingers closed around her wrists and she pinned her arms down into the snow above her head. Her thighs pressed down against Andromeda's waist, keeping her on her back.

"You can't stop this from happening, Bellatrix," Andromeda said. Her eyes caught Bellatrix's and for a moment she was taken back to the summer when she had been sixteen and Bellatrix had kissed her for the first time. She had known with her whole heart what they did was wrong and yet she still didn't push her away. Now that she stared up into those insane black eyes she remembered that feeling but this time she wasn't weak or powerless. This time she could fight back.

"I can stop it and I will," Bellatrix hissed. She was so close that Andromeda could feel her lips graze across her cheek. The cold of the snow was numbing her body and her robe and cloak were wet. Strands of cold, damp hair stuck to her face as she attempted to writhe free from underneath Bellatrix's body but her sister wasn't moving. The unexpected arching of Andromeda's back in an attempt to shift Bellatrix's weight opened up the soft flesh of her neck and Bellatrix attacked it.

"NO!" Andromeda cried when she felt her sister's hot lips suck down on her pulse point. "No, you don't get to do this! Not again!"

Bellatrix pushed herself up and her hands slipped from Andromeda's wrists. The younger sister was now free to move her arms but she couldn't shift Bellatrix's body. The older woman straddled her sister with ease and looked down at her writhing form in amusement. She remembered the nights they had spent like this when they were young. Andromeda had been so beautiful in the golden candle light that filled their bedroom.

"You always were the first," she whispered as she ran her fingers across Andromeda's jaw. The burgundy drops of blood were a sharp contrast against the paleness of her skin and Bellatrix smiled to herself. "You were never able to deny me."

"I denied you by walking away," Andromeda bit back.

"Look where that got you," Bellatrix chuckled. "A world in ruins, a dead husband and a soul mate who has chosen someone else." She shrugged. "Should have stayed when you had the chance."

"And live with you?" Andromeda sneered. "Not a chance!"

"Tsk, who taught you how to speak with such a foul mouth?" Bellatrix whispered and the childish chuckle that followed sent a shiver down Andromeda's already cold spine. Bellatrix let a hand wander across her sister's torso and encountered the soft swell of her breasts through her cloak. Underneath her touch Andromeda stiffened and her eyes widened when Bellatrix circled the spot where her nipple was. She fought with all her might but the soft bud hardened under the touch anyway and Andromeda stared up at her older sister in shock.

"Looks like you've missed me more than you want me to know," Bellatrix mused as her left hand joined her right and she circled the round curve of her sister's chest. Dipping down across her stomach made Andromeda's back lift up from the snow and Bellatrix grinned softly. Her touches were feather light, almost teasing, but the reaction was instant. Even surrounded by ice cold snow Andromeda's body still responded the same way it had always done.

"Don't do this," Andromeda whispered when she felt Bellatrix hook her fingers behind the top button of her cloak. "Please, Bella…"

The raven haired woman smiled and she let her fingers ghost across her sister's exposed neck. The tip of her tongue wet her lips and she leant in. Soft lips pressed down against Andromeda's in a kiss that whispered a forgotten story of desire and loss. Andromeda kept her lips firmly pressed together but groaned unexpectedly when Bellatrix's hands found the swell of her breasts again. Before she could fully register what happened, her sister had pulled her robes up, leaving her legs bare in the snow. Andromeda opened her mouth to object when Bellatrix's fingers slipped behind her knickers.

"No," she whispered and managed to push her hand down between her legs and grab Bellatrix's hand. "You're my sister! You can't do…" Her voice trailed off when Bellatrix's index finger flicked over her hard bundle of nerves before sliding through the slick wetness between her folds. Her mind said no when her body screamed to be touched.

"For old times' sake," Bellatrix whispered before sliding two fingers inside her sister. Andromeda's body arched up and she wrapped an arm around Bellatrix's neck in support. Every cell in her body objected to the touch but her mind lost itself in the sweet sensation of lust. She had not felt these hands for many years and although she had tried to tell herself, make herself believe, that she had not missed them, she knew that she had. This had been a part of her for so long and she couldn't deny it any longer.

"Touch me," Bellatrix whispered when Andromeda's hand slid down to her waist.

Andromeda's hands had a mind of their own as she slowly and unceremoniously hoisted up her sister's dress and revealed the bare legs underneath. Warm, exploring fingers trailed up along the inside of her thighs before encountering the soft silk of Bellatrix's knickers. She pulled them aside and felt Bellatrix's arousal under her fingertips before sliding deep inside of her. The raven haired woman threw her head back, coarse curls cascading down her back, as Andromeda softly started pumping in and out of her.

"I hate you," Andromeda whispered in Bellatrix's ear when she felt her sister's fingers curl inside of her. "I'll never love you."

With that she slipped over the edge of an unexpected orgasm and her body shook and trembled against her sister's supportive frame. Bellatrix's free arm supported Andromeda's back as she pressed her sister against her own chest. Andromeda's ministrations didn't stop and Bellatrix felt her own orgasm building up inside of her. Sharp, long nails dug into Andromeda's back, leaving red scratches even through the layers of clothes. The rough outcry of desire fell from her lips just as her body exploded and the taste of blood and sweat on her tongue was intoxicating.

When Andromeda felt Bellatrix relax she pulled her hand back and shifted her body weight once again. In her moment of weakness Bellatrix lost her balance and slipped off her sister, landing on her back in the snow. Andromeda didn't waste a second and leapt to her feet, pulling her robes back down to cover herself as she did so. She towered over Bellatrix and stared down at her, a mixture of guilt, regret and love flickering in her eyes.

"I never should have let you come near me," she whispered as she rolled her wand through her fingers. "I knew you would poison me the second your lips touched mine and nothing has changed." Her eyes filled with tears. "I have a chance, Bellatrix. I have a chance to make all the wrongs right again and I'll be damned if I let you and your crazy antics stand between me and that goal."

"You'll fail," Bellatrix whispered. A sly smile played around her lips. "You are still as weak as you have always been. You never had enough strength to fight me."

"Liar!" Andromeda cried and her wand slashed through the air so fast that Bellatrix didn't have time to respond. Burgundy blood began to pool into the crystal white snow, painting it into a macabre shade of red. Bellatrix's eyes widened when she felt the blood flow from her chest and her hand reached for the wound. Within seconds her fingers were covered in blood and the pain began to register in her eyes. She looked up at her sister in confusion.

"What have you done?"

"What I should have done a long time ago," Andromeda whispered and watched how the blood spread through the snow. Bellatrix's flesh was quickly drained from its colour and she felt her own heart shatter in her chest. "I should have ended this before all of this happened but the time is here now. I have once chance and I'll take it."

"She'll never come back to you!" Bellatrix said weakly as Andromeda turned around and began walking away from her. "Hermione will never come back to you!"

"As long as she doesn't stay with you, the world will be safe," Andromeda answered without looking back. She couldn't bear the image of her sister bleeding in the snow, knowing that if no one came to help her she would surely die. Her wand had fallen out of reach and the loss of blood made her limbs weak. The cold of snow numbed her fingers and Bellatrix was a prisoner of death, trapped as life slowly flowed away from her. Andromeda couldn't witness how the light in her eyes slowly faded. With tears streaming down her face she increased her pace, running further and further away from her bleeding sister, lover, in the snow.

She reached the Black Lake after what felt like an eternity and found the water wasn't frozen. Her eyes darted around the still surface. The golden sunlight reflected of the water, creating specks of light that sparkled like diamonds. She felt her heart swell when she discovered the White Tomb. She had never seen it before until this day. She'd heard stories about Dumbledore's funeral but she had not been there when it took place. Now, as she stood at the shores of the Lake, she felt an immense sense of gratitude towards the wizard who had died to protect them all.

Andromeda carefully walked towards the tomb and dropped to her knees beside it. Her hand caressed the cold white marble and she swallowed hard. "I'm sorry about all of this, Albus. This place, the castle that was your home, isn't what it used to be." She glanced over her shoulder back at Hogwarts. It looked nothing like the beautiful place it had once been. "I thought they would have destroyed your tomb after everything that happened but here you are; still as proud as you always were. Untouched and untainted by the evil that was unleashed into this world after your passing."

She brushed the tears from her cheeks. She cried for Bellatrix, for Hermione and for Narcissa. And she cried for Albus, whom she had admired and respected. He had seen the difference in her compared to her sisters all those years ago.

"I feel responsible for what happened to the people we loved," she spoke softly. "I made a choice that fateful night and I chose Hermione over Harry. I let my heart rule my head and our friends have paid the price for that. I tried to keep them all safe but I failed. Now most of them are dead and what did they die for? A love story gone wrong? Some twisted sense of magic and people's sheer dumb arrogance?"

The sudden sound of a phoenix song made her look up and her eyes widened in surprise when she saw the bright coloured bird circle over her head. It's song grew louder and louder and eventually died out when the bird landed on top of the tomb and titled its head to the side as if to study Andromeda's face. She smiled as she remembered the stories she'd heard about this bird.

"Fawkes," she said softly and reached out to pet the phoenix's head. "Harry said you left the castle after Dumbledore died." The phoenix bowed his head as if to acknowledge her words and spread his wings again. Graciously it took off into the air and she watched it circle higher and higher into the sky until the sunlight blinded her and she could no longer see. When she looked back down at the tomb she found a golden snitch lying on top of it.

Andromeda took it and turned it over in her hand. Nothing happened. With a sense of disappointment she slipped it into her pocket and focused on the tomb once again. Fawkes' song could still be heard in the distance and it filled her with joy, easing away some of the pain she felt over doing what she knew she had to do.

"I'm sorry to disturb your peace, Albus. I wish there was another way but there isn't. If you were here, you'd understand why I had to do this. The wand now answers to me. I now understand why you never told anyone about it. You wanted the deaths to stop, you wanted people to stop dying for greed. You wanted this wand to be used for the good things in this world." Andromeda stood up and drew her own wand. Carefully she let it run along the length of the tomb and under her incantation, the marble began to split until it was cut into two halves. She flicked her wand and the two halves rose up into the air almost ceremoniously before landing in the snow covered grass at her feet.

Albus Dumbledore hadn't changed. His skin was pale and cold but as she looked at him Andromeda was struck by the thought that he could be sleeping. For a moment she willed him to wake up, to make this nightmare end, but when her fingers grazed across his rigid cold hands she knew that her thoughts were useless. Albus Dumbledore was dead. He couldn't help her here today. She was on her own and she had to do this if she wanted to put this to an end. Her fingers closed around the wand. He held it with both his hands but she managed to free it with ease. The second her fingers touched the wood she felt the warm sensation creep up her arm. The Elder Wand had found its new master.

Andromeda took a shallow breath and flicked the wand to replace the pieces of marble. It felt strong and powerful and she was surprised by how comfortable it was to hold. The wand bonded with its new owner almost immediately and the strength and power began to seep into her body. She took her time to replace the two pieces of marble and put them back together until not a single crack remained. The surface looked as smooth as it had done when she first arrived at the tomb and she took a step back. In the distance, Fawkes circled over the Black Lake.

"I'm going to make this right," Andromeda whispered to the snow covered world around her and rolled the Elder Wand through her fingers. "This is going to end today."

She turned around and started making her way back to the castle but stopped when she came across the spot where she had left Bellatrix. The snow was drenched in blood but her body was nowhere to be found. Immediately Andromeda's eyes snapped around. There were no footsteps leaving this place but Bellatrix was gone. The sudden silence, with Fawkes' song having died when she left the Lake, was uncomfortable, and her eyes were drawn to the castle.

She increased her pace and started running through the snow. The side entrance through which Severus had helped her escape was still open but his body was missing. Clutching the Elder Wand, Andromeda stepped back into the Great Hall to find it shrouded in darkness. The candles and torches had died and all that remained were the shadows.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she stepped further into the darkness. Her breath caught in the back of her throat when she sensed another presence in the room and pressed herself against the nearest wall. The footsteps were quiet and muffled but they were coming closer, like they knew exactly where she was.

She didn't get a chance to scream when hand closed around her throat and squeezed. Her eyes widened in fear and she reached around to hit her attacker. A second hand grabbed her wrist and pinned her harder against the wall. Her eyes slowly adapted to the darkness and she began to recognise the contours of a face. She knew those eyes.

Hermione stood right in front of her.