When I opened my eyes it was dark. I sat up quickly, surprised to be in Hogwarts' hospital wing, and looked around the dark ward with wide eyes. I rubbed my head and moved to the edge of the bed. The head ache was still throbbing from the back of my neck to the front of my head. I touched my temple gingerly and cringed with pain.

I hadn't had a connection to my father like that in years. I couldn't even remember the last time I had felt his emotions. Why all of a sudden did I feel such joy? What was happening today that would make him happy enough to bring me to my knees?

I jumped out of the bed at the thought of what Carrigan had warned me about. She had overheard Divinity and Haiden fighting—Haiden had been trying to warn Gabriel that something was happening, but Divinity was sure that whatever Voldemort had set into motion could not be stopped. If Voldemort was happy enough for me to pick up his emotions through our blood bond, then I was sure that whatever he had set into motion had taken effect.

I raced forward through the ward, heading straight down between the beds for the door. As I reached it, it swung open and Gabriel marched in.

"Gabriel!"

"I just got word," he said quickly. He took hold of my arms to stop me from moving so he could look at me. He lifted my chin up to look me in the eye, making me feel like a child, like he so often did despite the fact that we were married now. "I'm sorry it took me so long to get here. What happened? Where is Carrigan?"

"I'm fine," I insisted pulling away from him. "I had a connection to my father."

Gabriel's eyes opened wide. "What? That hasn't happened in years—"

"I know," I responded. "Where is Carrigan? I need to speak to her—"

"I thought she would be with you," Gabriel said. "If she's not here, I don't know where she is. I can't find Benjamin, Harry, Hermione or any of the Weasley's."

"Oh for Merlin's sake," I snapped as I passed him. He turned and followed me out of the ward quickly. "They've gone to stop whatever is going on."

"What?" he asked confused as we started down the stairs.

"Something has happened," I said quickly. "Carrigan wanted one of us to come here because she heard Divinity and Haiden arguing about Voldemort setting something into motion. Haiden was trying to send you a vision to warn you about whatever it was…they must have figured it out and have tried to stop him."

"You're not making much sense," Gabriel said as he followed me.

"You're sure they're not here?"

"Positive," Gabriel nodded. "Let's find Snape, he may know what's going on."

"Snape? You can't be serious."

"He's the only member of the Order still here," Gabriel said taking the lead and guiding me down another staircase. I sighed with aggravation. I knew he was right, I just didn't like it.

We were practically running by the time we reached the dungeon floor. Gabriel came to a halt outside of Snape's office and banged loudly on the door. I held my side, as it pinched, and tried to catch my breath while we waited for Snape to answer. Abruptly, the door was yanked open and Snape looked down at me from his long pale nose.

"What the bloody hell are you two doing here?" Snape questioned sharply, with such a tone you would have thought we were his students that he was scolding bitterly. I glared at him.

"Do you know where Carrigan is?" I asked quickly, ignoring his tone. "And Harry?"

Snape rolled his eyes. "I just spoke to Black and Lupin in the fire," he motioned behind him. "Potter seems to think that the Dark Lord has Black in the Department of Mysteries."

"Damn!" I shouted in frustration. I pivoted and began to race away from Snape's office door. Gabriel and Snape came running after me. Harry had fallen for Voldemort's trick. It was just as Dumbledore predicted—he was always right—Harry didn't close his mind properly. Voldemort realized there was a connection and took advantage of Harry's vulnerability. He sent a vision of Sirius needing to be rescued, hoping that Harry's hero-complex would kick in, which it did.

"Umbridge had Potter and his friends," Snape yelled as we ran down the corridor heading for the entrance hall of the castle. "I'll go back there to see what—"

"They're gone already," Gabriel said quickly. "I went to her office when I first arrived. She isn't here either."

"I know where they are!" I said sharply. "Thanks for your help, Severus. You've done enough."

"What the hell—" Snape yelled at me. I stopped in my tracks and turned to him, grabbing his collar and slamming his body back against the wall of the dungeon corridor.

"You shouldn't have stopped his Occlumency lessons," I raged. "You've put him and my child in danger because of your own damned pride!"

"Cadence," Gabriel said in a soothing voice. He grabbed my arm when I didn't release Snape and pulled me off of him. I glared viciously at the pale, greasy man. He made me sick. He couldn't pick a side. He was for my father and then Dumbledore only when it was too late. He didn't turn spy until Voldemort killed Lily Potter—I knew that was why he changed his mind. He was a coward. He was selfish.

I turned on my heel. I was wasting time blaming Snape.

I dashed forward into the entrance hall and made my way for the great oak doors at the front of the castle. I was going to ring all of their necks when I got a hold of them. Carrigan and Harry for being so stupid to fall for Voldemort's trick—Benjamin for not stopping them—all of them. What did they think they were playing at going off and trying to save someone on their own?

I didn't stop running until I was at the gates of Hogwarts. Once outside of the gates, I turned to see Gabriel right behind me. Before I could Disapparate, he grabbed me, holding me in place and looking at me very seriously.

"Where are you going?"

"To the Ministry," I said instantly. "If I know Harry, he'll have found a way there—Carrigan would have gone with him. They're walking into a trap. If Dumbledore is right about that stupid prophecy that Thrett was so worried about, then only Voldemort or Harry could remove it from the department. There is no freaking way my father is coming out of hiding yet—he needs Harry to get the prophecy."

"Concentrate on Carrigan," Gabriel said with a nod. "Concentrate on her. I bet you can Apparate right to her. I'll go back to Number Twelve and get the others. Please, be careful."

I nodded. "You too."

I stood on my toes and threw my arms around his shoulders as I kissed him deeply with all my love. Without a second thought, I stepped back from him and Disapparated, thinking only of Carrigan. I had never Apparated to a person before, only a physical place. I just imagined Carrigan and I desired being wherever she was. Every part of me ached as my body was pulled apart and rushed through space to reach my destination.

I Apparated into a war zone—a green light came darting at me right when I appeared. I ducked down, crashing to the harsh ground, quickly.

"Mom!" Carrigan shouted in surprise. I was just as surprised that it had worked. Carrigan and I shared a strong bond because of our blood, perhaps we were able to Apparate right to each other, just like we were able to connect to each other with Legilimency and Carrigan's telepathy skills.

Carrigan was a few feet from me. I looked at her with ease, but complete anger. She ran towards me as stone steps over her head exploded and went flying. She dived forward and landed next to me. We were in some kind of meeting room; at the base was a large stone dais with an archway and a curtain hanging form it. The room was designed like an auditorium with stone steps for seats going all the way up to the top of the room which was lined with door ways.

"Are you crazy!?" I shouted at her as spells and explosions erupted around us.

"I'm sorry!" she yelled back. "We thought Dad was in danger!"

I peered over the edge that we were hiding behind and saw other members of the Order in the room fighting against Death Eaters. Sirius, Remus, Tonks, Kingsley and Mad-Eye were all there—they must have headed over as soon as they heard from Snape. I sighed with desperation.

"Carrigan," I said quickly as I looked at my daughter, taking her appearance in for the first time. She was mangled; her hair was messed up and face bruised. Her bottom lip was split and there was blood on her white tee shirt. "Who's blood is that?"

"I don't know," she responded. "I killed one of them…" Her voice shook as she replied.

"Where is Benjamin?"

"Carrigan!" screamed Benjamin's voice. The kid had good timing, I had to admit. Within a moment, Benjamin came hurling over the edge of the dais and landed next to us. He pointed his wand at me and grabbed my collar, but when he realized it was me, he released me.

"You both have to get out of here," I said before Benjamin could say a word. "Just go. Run. We'll get the others—"

"Mom, Harry has the prophecy," she said quickly.

"Alright," I said even though I didn't care. I didn't care about the prophecy, I just cared about getting all of the kids home—who knew how many of them had come with Harry. "Carrigan, tell me who is here."

"Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Luna, Ginny, me and Benjamin," she said.

I sighed with disappointment. "Alright. Get out of here. Don't look back, just get out." I grabbed Benjamin's collar. "You don't stop for anything."

He nodded in understanding and moved to my other side, taking Carrigan's hand. He peaked out over the dais and then lead her away quickly, running forward to mount the stairs and climbed the tiered seats out of the room. I watched for a few moments as they headed for an exit. When they were about half way up the stairs, a Death Eater advanced on them, I stood up quickly and shouted a stunning spell with my wand extended from my right hand. The spell zoomed through the air and hit the Death Eater sharply in the side. He didn't even see it coming. He collapsed in and fell to the side, then tumbled down the stairs. Benjamin and Carrigan paused for a moment to look at him. Relief came over Benjamin's face and he bowed his head to me, knowing that it was me who had stopped the Death Eater.

"Cadence!" yelled someone's voice.

I turned just in time for Sirius' body to collide with mine. He knocked me to the floor and a green light flashed in my direction again. I huffed heavily as the air was knocked out of me, then began to rise as Sirius moved off of me. He helped me up before peering over the edge of the dais.

"Nice of you to join us!" he yelled with a bright grin on his face.

"Of course you're enjoying this!" I shouted at him. "Our daughter is in the clutches of death and you're having a ball!"

"Carrigan is fine!" Sirius yelled back, still smiling. "Besides, there is nothing better then saving our daughter—and godson!"

Sirius ran off before I could say another word. I watched as he ran across the sunken floor of the room and intercepted a Death Eater, tackling him and punching him across the face. The Death Eater shoved him off and then they both began to duel, their wands expelling spells of multiple colors. I turned away from Sirius' fight just in time to dodge a stunning spell that was sent my way. I dropped to the floor again and brandished my wand at the attacker, but they were closer then I anticipated and kicked my wand straight out of my hand.

I lunged forward, balling my fist, and slammed the punch into the Death Eater's groin. He whirled cuss words at me and fell backwards, his wand falling from his hand as he grabbed himself in agony. I jumped up, held out my hand to call for my wand, and once it was clenched tightly in my palm, I stunned the bastard.

When I looked up towards where Sirius had run off to, I saw that he was no longer fighting a Death Eater, but talking to Harry on the other side of the room. Some relief entered my system when I saw that Harry was alright, but there wasn't time to be relieved for too long—another Death Eater came at me, yelling the killing curse. I jumped back and dived down, just barely dodging the spell. When I jumped back up, I jabbed my wand in the Death Eater's direction. He went flying backwards across the room's floor and crashed into the lowest level of seats. I was pleased to see that the Death Eater didn't stand back up.

Shouts of wild laughter caught my attention; I stood up straight and looked up at the dais before me. Sirius was dueling Bellatrix LeStrange, his cousin, who had once been imprisoned in Azkaban.

"You can do better then that!" Sirius shouted at her as he dodged a red jet of light from her wand. All other fighting seemed to stop. I looked around frantically, perhaps she was the last Death Eater—but it wasn't true. The others were simply scattering like ants because Albus Dumbledore had entered the room. He had charged down the stairs from the door he entered, zapping spells at the Death Eaters as they tried to run.

I looked back to the dais and advanced, ready to help Sirius fight off his cousin as a burst of green light jetted from her wand and hit Sirius square in the chest. He was still laughing, but his eyes opened wide with surprise and he fell backwards into the curtain of the archway that was at the center of the dais.

My body froze and chilled as I watched Sirius fall back into the archway, but he didn't fall out on the other side. I cried out in shock as I leaned forward, about to jump onto the dais.

"DADDY!" bellowed Carrigan from behind me. I stopped mid-jump and landed back on the floor of the room. I turned to look up at Carrigan who was starting to make her way down the stairs towards the dais. Benjamin caught her and pulled her back, tackling her the ground. I turned back to the dais, half of me hoping Sirius would stand up from the archway, but knowing full well that he would not. He was gone. He was dead.

"SIRIUS!" yelled Harry's voice causing me to blink and look in his direction. "SIRIUS!"

Remus nearly tackled Harry and held him back from running after Bellatrix, who had dived off the dais and was racing up the steps towards an exit. I pulled my eyes away from Harry as he fought Remus and screamed. Without a second thought, I tore after Bellatrix—who to my horror, was heading up the stairs right towards Carrigan and Benjamin.

"CARRIGAN!" I screamed as I pelted up the steps behind Bellatrix.

Carrigan held her ground in front of Bellatrix and raised her wand, ready to attack, but Bellatrix was much more experienced with a wand and shouted the killing curse again.

"NO!"

My heart stopped when I saw the spell head for Carrigan, but she raised her hand and the green light split around her. It zoomed by either side of her and jetted on, hitting the stairs behind her. The stairs exploded when the curse made contact and sent Benjamin and Carrigan flying forward. Everyone seemed to stop in complete shock at what Carrigan had done. She had deflected the killing curse with her bare hands.

I didn't waste a moment, I advanced forward ready to snatch Bellatrix, but she hadn't stopped moving either. She ran past Benjamin and Carrigan who were lying uselessly on the floor of the tiered seats. Bellatrix stopped at the top of the stairs, turned with her messy black curls whirling around her in a dramatic fashion, and shouted the killing curse straight at me. I jumped back, to dodge the curse and lost my footing on the steps. I sailed backwards, tumbling down the stairs. My body seized with each sharp impact of the stone steps.

I smacked onto the harsh sunken floor of the room at the foot of the dais. I tried to move, but felt like a heavy stone was squishing my entire body. Every piece of me hurt—my bones, joints….my heart. I forced myself to sit up in time to see Harry and Carrigan running out of the room, one right after the other, chasing after Bellatrix LeStrange.

Before I could get up, I groaned in pain and grasped my side. Hot blood soaked my hand. When I looked down, I saw that my side was split open—cut from the abrasiveness of the steps as I fell.

"Cadence," called Remus as he knelt down next to me. "Try not to move." He pressed his cloak against my side, hoping to slow the bleeding.

"Carrigan went after Bellatrix," I muttered with a dry mouth. "Go—"

I shoved him away from me, hoping he would go after Carrigan and Harry.

"Dumbledore went after them. Dumbledore will get them back, let me help you!" he said in anger. I looked up at him as tears welled up in my eyes.

"Remus," I sighed as I laid my head on his chest and started to cry. He clung to me, holding me tight and whispering that he knew…it would be okay…

"It's not going to be okay," I said roughly, as I pulled away. I started to stand, using Remus to help me up. "Until I know Carrigan is safe."

Remus stood up next to me. "Cadence, you're injured."

"My daughter is in danger!" I shouted loudly.

I moved away from Remus without another word and limped towards the stairs. I mounted them and moved as quickly as my body would allow up them. I clenched my hand over my side, but it didn't stop the aching or the bleeding.

About three-fourths of the way up the stairs, Benjamin's body was lying on a row of seats. I stopped and altered my path to make sure he was okay. His body was lying still, but his chest was rising slowly. I sighed with relief when I touched his throat and felt a pulse. I moved on once I knew he was okay.

The journey through the Department of Mysteries seemed to take forever. I passed through curious and strange rooms, but didn't pay much attention to their contents. I needed to find Bellatrix, Carrigan and Harry. When I emerged from the department, I made my way to the lift and took it up to the first floor of the Ministry. Where else would they have gone? They could be anywhere in the Ministry.

I arrived in the atrium of the Ministry of Magic just in time to see my father, Lord Voldemort, swooping over Bellatrix LeStrange as she cowered on the floor beneath a giant gold statue that appeared to be pinning her to the ground. Voldemort pulled her to her feet as she clung to another body, which was limp in her arms.

"NO!" I screamed loudly as I dashed forward out of the lift. Bellatrix was holding Carrigan's body in her arms. Her brown curls were hanging over her face as she laid across Bellatrix's arm like a rag doll.

Voldemort looked up from where he stood and stared me in the face with his scarlet red eyes. A triumphant smile spread across his thin lips as he wrapped Bellatrix in his arm and Disapparated with a crack that could be barely heard over my screams.

I stopped dead and stared in petrified shock as the atrium rang in silence for a split second, then chaos erupted around me as people flooded from the fires. People were yelling that they saw him—that Voldemort had returned—but the only thing I could think of was Carrigan. The spot where Voldemort had stood holding Bellatrix and Carrigan was empty, and I could only stare at it as the great tragedy sunk in.

They were gone. Sirius and Carrigan were gone.

Fin.