*Edit: Had to fix a mistake. :3

Getting so close to where I want to be… :o

Thanks so much for the reviews, CharlotteBlackwood, thewrittenword87, xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx, and Weasleytwinslover87! :D

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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 83

As the days, weeks, and months passed, the news of death, destruction, and war came more often now. Some nights we refused to read the Prophet, we would just burn the pages. Though burning it and denying the tragedies around us became a habit too. Sirius always said, "Life's too short to be sad." He was right…after all; we had bigger issues to face.

The prices on our heads weren't as apparent to the public, or to the Order for that matter until later on. We knew it was there, and they did too, but it wasn't as important yet. At the time, only a few of us had been selected by Voldemort for recruitment, capture, or death. But there would be more in the years to come, especially for the latter two. The Order was merely a small battalion…and rather than "fight" us, he would rather try to convert us. At least…that seemed to be the initial plan, judging from my experience, and the Potters' under a month after the theatre incident.

"He…what?" said Marlene, dropping her mug, there was glass all over the floor.

Remus waved his wand and the mug was restored.

"He tried to recruit us." James said, looking a little pale.

"Even though Lily's 'not pure'? " Audrey asked, doing air quotations.

Lily nodded.

"Merlin's beard." Sirius breathed, shaking his head.

"Did you tell Albus?" Remus asked, as Marly sat down beside him.

"Not yet, mate. It just happened." said James, running a hand through his hair.

"Has anyone heard from Sarah?" Lily asked, biting her lip.

"We did." said Sirius, pointing to his wife and himself. "She told us in her letter that the French Ministry is tanking faster than ours. Henri said France hasn't been this bad since the revolution."

"And they're safe?" Lily asked, nervous.

"Well, I'd assume so, love. Otherwise they wouldn't have written a letter." Sirius replied in a typical Sirius-Black fashion.

James spit out his tea, shaking with laughter. Lily hit him with a magazine. The couple looked at each other for a moment and burst out laughing.

"I don't understand why they're laughing…" Marlene said. "Did I miss something?"

"They're laughing because they're alive, Marls. We all are." Remus said with a grin.

Lily threw herself onto the sofa.

"I cannot believe we're alive." She breathed.

A week after what we had deemed as "The Botched Recruitment", I was called upon to entertain at the National Quidditch League's Fall Gala. It was just after Anastasia's second birthday, and the leaves were beginning to turn.

"I don't know why they have a bloody banquet for every season." said Serena, one of several dozens of performers who was in the women's powder room.

"Because half of these gits are single and just want to stare at something pretty." said another, waving her wand and fixing her hair.

"Or they want to bang." said Iris, rolling her eyes. "I always feel like an animal on display at these parties."

"I can just picture the signs on the cages! Please do not pet the violinist." said Audrey with a sly smirk.

There were murmurs of agreement from the other ladies in the room.

"Come on, girls. Let's go greet the lads." said one, opening the main door. They filed out in a line.

Audrey nearly froze up when she saw him.

That fall gala was different from the others…it was the first time I had seen him in nearly two years.

Karl Gregorovitch had grown quite a bit since I last saw him. He looked fantastic, though he wore a very blank expression. I didn't know what he was thinking about. Later in the evening, when Blake had left me for a moment, I stood behind a pillar and observed my old love.

"Are you observing the scenery, Ayla-san?" said a musical voice.

Audrey turned and looked over her shoulder, and there stood Hisoka, as one of her alter-egos, Amami. She almost didn't recognize her with the white make-up on her face.

"Yes, Amami." Audrey said, giving her former mentor a knowing look.

"I hope you are just observing, Ayla-san…Remember what I said a year and a half ago...he would not know who you were if he saw you now." She said, a serious look on her face, as she gave her a small bow and glided past.

Audrey sighed, she was right. Would Karl recognize her now? So much has happened since they last saw each other on the docks of the black lake. She wasn't Audrey Dalio now, she was Ayla David, and when she wasn't Ayla David, she was Audrey Black. Two new names and two new and different lives, neither of which included St. Petersburg, or the people who dwelled there.

One year later, at the very same gala…

Chaos.

A traditional night of camaraderie was turned upside down. Everything was destroyed; the floor was coated with glass. There was blood everywhere, and a battle was still raging onward.

It happened only an hour into the gala…I was dancing with Blake. They had come through the windows, the doors, and the skylight.

It all happened so fast.

Audrey observed her surroundings; duels were happening left and right. Blake was shielding her. She felt bad, she didn't need his protection, but he didn't know that.

She punched a man that was about to attack Blake from the side.

"I've been around Sirius Black for far too long." She thought to herself.

"Did you just punch him?" Blake asked, looking at her.

Audrey nodded, there was a five second delay, she then said owww and shook her hand, acting like it hurt.

"Thanks, love." He grinned, firing a stunning spell at his opponent and grabbing her hand.

They stealthily made their way through the crowd, and were so close to the fireplace when Blake was hit by a curse. There was a large gash across his arm that extended to the top of his shoulder.

I was not Ayla David at that moment, I was Audrey Black…and I was furious.

But I had to control myself, and I couldn't reveal my abilities. It was moments like this where I was lucky I had a wand for a prop…though I loathed using it. There is only so much one can do with a stick of wood, and I hated limiting myself.

Audrey grabbed Blake's arms and began to drag him to the powder room, away from the fray. It was deserted, save for a few other performers, including Edgar, Serena, and Iris. They were tending to the injured.

Audrey flicked her wand, and the door was barricaded. Iris began mumbling under her breath, casting protective charms.

"Any survivors out there?" She asked.

"Oh yes, the battle is still in full swing." Audrey replied, pressing her hands against the worst of his wound.

"Ayla…" Blake groaned. "You should go…leave, I'll be fine…just get out of here before they do anything else."

Edgar cast Audrey a glance that said, "He's right."

Audrey ignored it.

"I am not leaving until I've fixed this and you are safe." Audrey gestured to his wound; she was entirely out of character. Edgar gave her a look, and again she ignored him. But she doubted he would notice, he was in so much pain. Making a face, she then said, "I'm sorry, this might sting a bit."

She ran her wand over the wound a few times and soon he had stopped bleeding.

"How did you know what to do?" He asked, sitting up, rubbing his hand over the wound. He winced.

"It's still tender, I'd be careful." She said, rising gracefully and looking around the room. "How to get out is the question now…"

"You didn't answer my question." Blake said with a tiny smile.

"I originally intended on going into medicine." Audrey lied with ease. Well, it wasn't a complete lie…Audrey wanted to be a Mediwitch for a week or two when she was three.

"Well, it really came in handy tonight." He said, getting up and brushing himself off. "I don't know what would have happened if you didn't drag me in here and heal this."

Audrey blushed. "It's nothing, really."

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Edgar was intently watching and listening.

"Don't be modest…Ayla. If you ever need anything, anything at all…protection, shelter, anything…just ask me." He said, looking at her. There was something in his eyes that Audrey could not distinguish.

Was he serious? Did he care that much? She hadn't realized.

It was at that moment in my career that I had truly realized how wrong this could be. Tricking people into thinking that I am someone else. Hiding what I am…and who I am. A married woman with a three year old daughter! I had no place doing this…but what other choice did I have? This was a world where differences meant hostility, and had everyone known about me…I would not live. I wouldn't have been given a chance.

Audrey blinked some tears from her eyes. "Blake, you need to go…please. Go to safety."

"Not without you." He said.

"We can't dissapparate in here," said Serena. "I tried earlier. You're going to have to get out there somehow. The only safe apparition point is the way we entered earlier this evening."

Audrey looked at Edgar and Blake, they both nodded.

"You're going to risk it?" asked Iris, looking up from the woman she was tending to.

The three nodded, Edgar went to the door first. His wand ready, he kicked it open quickly. The three crept around the edges of the circular ballroom; they hid behind every pillar they crossed.

The battles were still going; Audrey scanned the room for Karl as they crept around.

It wasn't until they were near the main entrance that she saw him. He was battling three masked men at once, and cursing at them.

"Typical Karl." Audrey thought to herself, staying behind from her two comrades and hiding behind a pillar. She watched him stun two of his opponents

"Come and get me, bastard." Karl shouted, now battling only one of the three men. Audrey suppressed a laugh, Karl Gregorovitch hadn't changed that much.

But Audrey saw something coming that Karl didn't, the two men he had stunned had recovered rather quickly. They exchanged a look…Audrey didn't even want to know what they were up to. She quickly looked around the room, made sure no one was watching, and waved her hands. The stone debris in the room began to spin around the men. Each had a stone to the head, and fell.

"There you are!" Edgar said in relief, grabbing her arm and dissapparating.

As the room was spinning, I saw Karl looking around. He did not see me…Hisoka's words from the previous year echoed in the back of my mind.

He would not know who I was if he saw me now.