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DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY OF THIS, EXCEPT FOR ANY CHARACTERS YOU DON'T RECOGNIZE. JK ROWLING IS JESUS!

CHAPTER 76

Sirius approached the familiar gargoyle statue and said "Sherbet Lemon."

Audrey was gone all day; I hadn't seen her after classes. I assumed that she was with Edgar, or practicing. I have never been one to have serious nervous issues. But I could feel something was terribly wrong.

"Mr. Black." Albus' voice came from around the corner, his voice was somber. Sirius felt unsettled.

"Headmaster. What's going on?"

"Sirius, you should sit down." Albus replied.

I couldn't move. I was rooted to the spot, and every possible fear I had began to race through my head.

"Please just tell me what's going on, Albus." Sirius' voice shook slightly.

"Audrey's parents are dead."

Sirius stumbled, losing his balance. Albus walked over and sat him down in an armchair.

I must admit to you, I did not know Isaac and Airleas Dalio very well. I did not know what it was like to have parents that weren't extreme bigots. I did not know what it was like to have a good relationship with the people who had brought me into this world. Though I had seen what it was like, through my friends, and of course, through Audrey.

I believe that the worst pain in the world is knowing that the one you love is in pain…and that there is nothing you can do to alleviate them. You witness their suffering, and feel it as though it were your own.

"Is that where she's been all day?" Sirius asked, in a whisper.

Albus shook his head. "I was alerted by the Ministry about 15 minutes ago, I immediately sent Audrey there with Ms. McKinnon. I have also sent Mr. Snape there as well, my owl took a little longer to find you than I expected."

"I was wandering around looking for Audrey. Something just felt terribly wrong." Sirius admitted. Albus nodded.

Albus tapped his wand to a plate nearby and it gave a blue glow.

"Are you ready, Mr. Black?" Albus asked, he had a rather mysterious glint in his eye that Sirius could not place.

Albus Dumbledore knew something that day, but I couldn't figure out what. It was only much later in time that I figured it out, and it was too late.

The office began to fade, and a familiar clearing came into view. In the distance, Sirius could hear yells, screams, and shouts of all sorts. Smoke was pouring from the trees.

Instinctively, Sirius looked up to the sky. It was there…

I had never seen it in person, other than on the forearms of some "family" members. The Dark Mark was the confirmation of times ahead.

And it was right over the Dalio's cottage.

Sirius sprinted towards the scene, the headmaster on his heels.

"MAKE WAY." Dumbledore shouted as they began to push through the crowd. Sirius noticed that everything around the Dalio's home was destroyed. The residents of the community were injured. How bad had it been?

I heard them all whispering as we passed.

As they got closer, Sirius noticed that half of the cottage was gone. That was where most of the smoke had come from. A bunch of creatures were trying to put it out.

He put his hand over his mouth to block out some smoke as he followed the Headmaster through the front door of the cottage.

There was blood everywhere, everything was disheveled. As we made our way through the rooms, I heard her. Or maybe I was listening for her…since I stepped foot in the colony, my heart was beating so hard I could hear it in my ears.

The house shook for a moment, and then there was a shaky breath. My throat was constricting.

"AUDREY!" Sirius yelled, coughing as he inhaled some smoke. He followed the sound of her cries.

She was in the living area, huddled over Isaac. Severus was next to her, rubbing her back. Marlene noticed Sirius and walked over to him.

"Hey." She whispered, giving him a quick hug.

"How long have you both been here?"

"About twenty minutes." Marlene replied sadly, looking over at the scene. "I think I'm going to get back to the school and tell the others." She looked at Albus over Sirius' shoulder.

"That would be a good idea, Ms. McKinnon." He said, taking a small object out of his pocket and tapping it.

"Thank you." Marlene replied, taking the portkey from Albus and disappearing.

Albus stood in the doorway next to Sirius.

"Ah, Albus. It's nice of you to come back." Said a gruff voice.

"Yes, Alastor. I had to retrieve some friends for Miss Dalio."

"This is hardly a time for visitation from friends." Alastor replied, looking around the wreckage of the place.

"Any idea who was involved?" asked the Minsiter.

"Are you serious, Minister?" Alastor replied, giving him a look. "This was a solo job. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named came for Isaac and Airleas on his own."

"Eldritch, would you mind if I looked around the scene?" Albus asked, looking between Alastor and the Minister.

"Not at all, Albus." The Minister replied, looking sadly at the scene. Audrey's shakes were becoming more apparent and many of the officials seemed to be getting irritated by the random quakes.

"Minister?" said one of the aurors, coming up to the group. "Could we remove the girl? The quakes aren't helping the investigation and I don't want to be rude, I feel terrible…but we're worried she might unintentionally tamper with the crime scene."

"Give her a few more minutes." Eldritch replied.

Sirius didn't want to hear anymore of their banter, he approached Audrey slowly, trying to keep his balance as the house shook. He could tell that she was trying to control herself, and Severus was trying to help her.

"Hey." Sirius whispered in her ear. It took her a moment to register his voice, she looked up and her eyes went white. She clung onto him tightly, the house had stopped shaking. But her body still shook.

There weren't any words between us. What could I say?

"Mr. Black." called Albus, it was time to leave.

"Come." Sirius whispered to her, picking her up from the floor. She was still shaking; her eyes fluctuated from black to red.

Severus followed, and Albus handed them a portkey.

Everything turned into a blur of debris, blood, wood, and water. And in a moment, it was all gone.

Audrey sat on the floor of the Headmaster's office. Sirius crouched next to her.

Severus stood there, not sure what to say. It was a rare moment in time that Severus and Sirius would not bicker.

I had no words, and no answers…the next days felt like weeks, the funeral felt like an entire year. I took a small hiatus from performing, I told all of my clients that I was terribly ill. I felt terribly ill… When my grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins had been murdered before my very eyes, I truly thought it was the end of the world. But now I saw that the end of the world was nowhere close to seeing my father lifeless on a floor. Everything he and my mother had fought for, came down to such a simple and terrible end. To have one's parents pass on to the next life before them is normality in all cultures. But not under these circumstances…it was not their time, and I felt it shake my bones.

I had no family, not one single living relative…and now I truly understood what it was like to feel alone. I was the last of my kind…the very last…and it scared me.

Audrey looked down at her stomach, and placed a hand on it.

"I must keep you safe." She murmured to her unborn child.

kick.