I've been gone a long time, I know, I know. I'm just so close to being done that I've hit a road block! Now that I've gotten a writing jag for a day, I've got a little more done. I just am trying to fill in some areas between now and the baby's birth.

By the way, I love the new cover feature! If anyone wants to draw a picture for me, I would gladly consider using it as my cover!

Disclaimer: I only own Leigh Ann, her family, and my respective OC's.

Infiltration

Leigh Ann Nelson
June 6, 1996
Noon
The American Academy of Magic – War Room

...At exactly one-twenty-two a.m. on the morning of June fourth, twelve known Dark Wizards broke free of Guantanamo Bay. They killed eighteen good Wizard Policemen, twenty civilian Muggles, and seven more fellow Dark Wizards. The government is keeping this down as much as possible. Known escapees are as follows.
Thorfinn Rowle
Owle Bullock
Selwyn
Greengrass
Yaxley
And many others.
There is no information currently on the whereabouts of these Dark Wizards or if they are or will be involved in the many attacks on Muggleborns in large cities. Those cities affected include New York, Seattle, Atlanta, and recently, our own capital. At almost midnight of June fourth, an attack was placed on the Capital. Four senators have been left dead, as well as three Unspeakables, a Councilwoman, and the Vice President of the UWS. All were Muggleborn. It appears that the Dark Wizards were trying to infiltrate the Hall of Prophecies. One of the Wizards was left, demented and crazed, having a seizure on the floor. He was dressed in the traditional garb of the Wizarding Ku Klux Klan. He refused questioning, breaking a pill in the back of his mouth filled with Doxy vemon, killing him instantly.
Once again, this is Taylor Nelson reporting on the mass breakout of Dark Wizards from GITMO. I would advise that Muggleborns stay out of large cities and schools. The government has yet to issue an official statement. Leighton W. Smith Jr. stepped down as the head of the North American Treaty Organization because of criticism of his involvment.

The war room was silent except for the buzzing of the overhead lights and the flickering fire. I couldn't get the idea out of my head that my mother could have been one of those killed. That many of her and my friends had been killed last night while I slept.

I picked up the phone again and tried to call her. Finally, I heard the tired voice of my mother on the phone. "Office of the Under Secretary, this is Rene Nelson speaking. No, we are not answering questions about the attacks, nor are we giving out information. How may I help you." She sounded dead and like there was no hope in the world.

"Mom," I breathed, fully relieved.

Suddenly there was a noise, as if she were casting spell on the other side. "Leigh Ann! Have you heard?"

I nodded, then realizing that she couldn't see it. "Yes. Aunt Tay posted an article in Wizards and Witches of America."

"Damn my sister!" she shouted, a crash coming over the receiver.

"Mom?"

"Damn it, that was my favorite paperweight..."

"Mom!"

She sighed and I could just picture her massaging the area between her eyes. "Yes, I know. I'm fine. Well...not really. My partner was killed. We had to promote the Speaker of the House, such a fucking idiot, into office to replace Buchanon. I just...I just ate lunch with him last week..."

"Mom. You need to come to the Academy. It's the safest place right now."

She laughed sarcastically, kind of hurting my feelings. "No offense, sweetheart, but the Academy's been attacked more times than all the outside attacks combined."

"Less people have been killed."

The line was silent as she thought that over. "I...I'll be there in a week. I've got to get everything cleaned up out here. In the meantime, you need to clean up your own mess."

I wasn't sure what she was talking about. "What?"

"Look at today's newspaper. I've got to go, baby. Be careful." She hung up before I could say anything. I pulled the receiver back and looked at it quizzically, putting it down and reaching for today's paper. What I saw made me instantly get a headache.

I held my head and tried to stop the pounding between my eyes. Everyone knew we were together now. I'd tried to warn him—even though his war was over, mine wasn't. And now they were after him.

Viktor and I were on the front page. It showed us holding hands and walking in front of the baby store. A full side view showed me obviously very pregnant. There had to be something I could do...something to protect him. But I didn't have time.

The school year was over, and, with the latest attack, the Academy was now preparing for full-on war with an enemy we couldn't see, track, understand, or follow.

Merlin help us.

The room was completely empty except for the crackling of the fire near me. The Officer's meeting room had been changed into the War Room for the effort. It may have set some minds at ease to think that things were getting done, but, in reality, nothing was happening. That stupid pig Special Agent Joshua Gloria wouldn't let me in on anything and he'd done nothing. My opinion was that he was working for the KKK and was killing everyone from the inside.

Suddenly I heard a noise. I looked over to the fire, which was churning and bubbling. I stood up quickly, wand in hand, hand over stomach protectively. My wand was pointed at the fireplace, just waiting to hex some damn Member...

"Oi!" came a voice, sounding vaguely familiar. "Nelson!"

I stepped closer, looking into the fire, and I recognized Ginny Weasley made completely out of fire. All I could see was her face—and what an angry face it was. "Ginny?"

"Yes, Ginny, who else you nit?" I was surprised at her menace, replacing my wand and bending down next to the fire.

"Ginny, what—?"

"Pregnant?" she yelled over the floo call. "Bloody hell, Leigh Ann...why didn't you say anything? When was the wedding? We were at Jason's!"

Behind her, I could hear her loving mother yelling the same things. Fred, George, Ron, even their father were asking what had happened. When they heard, they started asking questions, too. My brain hurt just thinking about it.

"There was no wedding," I said simply, rubbing my temple and my stomach. I'd started to do that when things got bad. "Viktor and I are still engaged."

"What?" If she could have reached through the fire to hit me over the head, I was sure that she would. "You're too smart for that, Leigh Ann! Bloody twat... And you didn't even tell me!"

"Ginny, I couldn't tell anyone!" I finally shouted, wishing that the pounding in my head would go away. The baby squirmed uncomfortably in my belly. "I was scared and Viktor was gone and then there's this war..."

Suddenly Mrs. Weasley appeared in the floo, her red hair made even more comical by the flames. "Leigh Ann, is there anything you need?"

"A miracle," I said simply, feeling too old for my body. "How are things going over there?"

"Not any better than on your side, dear. No one believes Harry. An old witch has taken over Hogwarts and Death Eaters have escaped Azkaban."

I nodded, understanding how that went. "We had a breakout at Guantanamo Bay. So far there have been over fifty deaths in two days. There was an attack at the Capitol..."

"Is your mother alright?" she asked, panicked. Her wide eyes flickered in the fire.

"Yes, she's fine. Worn-out, upset, but fine. She's coming to the Academy next week to help with the war effort. Now that the Capitol has been attacked, there's no way that it can be ignored. We're at war. Not that we know a lot about the enemy..."

"Why are they attacking?" Molly asked, the silence of the room making it uncomfortable. I didn't know how to answer, so it was a moment before I spoke.

I shook my head and sat down on my knees, the kneeling position having become uncomfortable. "I don't know. I really don't know. But...I plan to find out."

"Don't do anything irresponsible," she said softly, looking at me with a mother's face. "We care for you and we don't want to see anything happen to you or the baby."

I smiled wearily at the older woman and kissed my palm, sending it to her. "Thank you, Molly. I'll be careful."

"Good. Take care."

"I will. You too."

June 17, 1996
6:53 P.M.
War Room

"What do you mean, there's another Wizarding War in Europe?" my mother asked frantically over the phone. I could vaguely hear the Prime Minister arguing with my mother over the phone. Why he had called my mother and not the President was confusing to me. "You want us to send troops? Prime Minister, if you haven't noticed, we're in a bit of pickle over here as well!"

There was more arguing for a few minutes. I looked around at the few others in the room, wondering why I had as much clearance as them. Special Agent Gloria looked at me with a raised brow when he caught me staring. The other Special Agent next to him, a weasel-looking Asian man, was looking around suspiciously and glaring at everything. The General looked as though he was paying special attention to the phone call. The two Marines in the room looked off, highly alert. Leah Sampson was standing next to me, looking at me questioningly.

Finally, my mother said some choice words into the phone and hung up, rather loudly, if I said so. She braced herself on the table and breathed deeply, pushing her bangs out of her face before standing back up. "Alright. We have no help from England."

"What happened?" Leah asked, standing with one hip cocked and both arms crossed over her chest.

"There was an attack at the Hall of Prophecies there, as well. The Ministry of Magic was infiltrated. Many important figures were killed. A few Death Eaters were arrested and sent back to Azkaban."

"There was a breakout a while back," I spoke up, seven sets of eyes instantly one me. "What?" I asked when they didn't say anything.

"How did you know that?" my mother asked, wringing her hands in front of her. She only did that when she was nervous. Behind her, Gloria looked very suspicious.

I wasn't sure why it was such a big deal. It was known all over England. "I have contacts in England. Things are pretty bad over there."

My mother laughed hysterically, sarcastically, for one moment. "That's an understatement! And you know what puts the icing on the cake?" None of us said anything as we shifted uncomfortably. I knew that my mother was at her breaking point. "Cornelius just stepped down as Prime Minister!"

Everyone in the room cursed except me. I wasn't exactly sure what that meant, but obviously it was bad. Instantly, Gloria and my mother started arguing. He was insisting that it was her fault the Prime Minister stepped down. Then Leah stepped in to defend my mother. One of the Marines sided with Gloria. The General just sat back with a large frown on his face and the Asian looked rather sick to his stomach.

I rubbed my hand over my face, getting a headache again. I then burped, the baby moving uncomfortably in my belly. My burp turned into bubbles that popped into fireworks. One hand flew to my mouth as the argument was interrupted for the participants to look directly at me. "Ah...sorry. Indigestion."

The General's face was the only one that wasn't incredulous. Actually, he looked almost angry for a moment before he wiped his features. I only had a moment to notice it before the door was burst open.

Alana O'Malley, my nemesis, was standing there, her chest heaving. Her perfect hair was messy and her uniform was unkempt. "Come quick!" she shouted before anyone could chastise her. "Hurry!"

We all gave a look to each other before we all pushed out the door, following her down the hallway. We rushed to the mess hall, coming into a bloody scene.

Blood was washed all over two of the four tables. The walls were splattered, there were drag marks all over the floor, as if people had continued to go even when injured. Bodies were lying on the ground...the bodies of some of my classmates who had stayed to support the war effort.

Viktor was on the ground by four dead KKK members. He was bleeding from his shoulder where he'd been shot. His left arm was also burned from a curse. He was cursing and helping the other injured students. When I finally got his attention, I ran over to him. But someone stopped me.

She was bleeding out from the stomach. Her long, silky black hair was bloodied and matted to her hair from a hit to the head. The stomach wounds were from guns, not magic. But the black welts on her legs were from one of the ugliest hexes I had ever seen. I raced over to her and knelt. My white maternity pants were instantly covered in red as I pulled Alex's head into my lap, my hands shaking.

"A-Alex!" I cried, pulling her head up to mine. "N-no!" I screamed and hugged her tighter, tears falling from my face. Viktor was behind me, hugging me to him and hushing me. He rubbed my stomach and kissed my head, trying to comfort me. It didn't work. I pushed him away and gathered up my best friend, sitting her in my lap and cradling her head against my breast. I rocked back in forth, trying to get rid of the pain.

"What the hell?" my mother screamed, sending a hex into the wall. "How did those fuckers get in without us noticing! Viktor! What the hell happened!"

Viktor stood up, holding one hand to the bullet wound on his arm. "I do not know. I vas vatching over the students. One of them said something about the attack on the Capitol and then ve vere attacked. One of them got avay."

Gloria crossed his arms over his chest and stared at the scene of destruction with hatred on his face. "They were already here. Planted." He then walked over to a dead Member and yanked off her hood. Penelope McPherson, one of the two other girls who had been in my DADA class, stared up with dead blue eyes.

Every teacher in the room either threw something, let loose a curse, or cast a hex at the wall in their frustration. My mother punched the wall next to her and then held her knuckles. Gloria looked murderous. The Asian...I couldn't see him.

My mother instantly yelled, "The damn prophecy doesn't make sense!" Gloria glared at her, but she yelled, "I don't care, Gloria! Nothing makes sense anymore. There isn't a protocol for this. We can't pin anyone, we can't accuse anyone of anything yet—"

Suddenly I was being pulled to my feet. The Asian Special Agent suddenly had his arm around my neck and a gun pressed into the side of my belly. The entire room went silent. "Where is the prophecy?" the little man asked, his voice shaking, as was his gun hand. He was petrified to be holding me at gunpoint.

I was petrified of losing my baby. I looked over at Viktor to see the same fear in his eyes. I whimpered, trying not to lose control. What do I do?

"Jeong," Gloria said menacingly, his gun and want both held up, "don't do anything stupid. That's a pregnant woman."

"She's the one in the prophecy, isn't she?" he asked quietly, his hold around my neck tightening. I sputtered and no one answered his question. "Isn't she?"

My mother, who also had her gun and wand out, asked, "Why does it matter? Let her go!"

"I've been following you, Nelson," he said to my mother, his force wavering, letting me breathe once again. "Following you, seeing if you were the girl who had a baby who would end the war. But it's not you. It's her! We have been after her for months, but we haven't been able to get her. We aren't allowed to kill her...only He is. I just have to take her to him..."

"Let her GO!" Viktor yelled, his wand shaking from anger. I'd never seen such a fire in his eyes. I'd also never been more afraid.

"I can't, don't you see?" he yelled, pushing the barrel of his gun deeper against my abdomen. I bit my lip to keep from crying out. "I'll be labeled as a blood-traitor! I don't want to kill a pregnant woman...but I will if I have to! Don't come any closer!"

"You're surrounded, Jeong," voice from behind us said. Jeong yanked me around to stare down a dozen sets of wands and guns, each pointed at his head. He started backing up, putting his back to a wall and placing my head in front of his.

"If you shoot me, you kill her, too. It only takes a second to pull this trigger." He then moved the gun from my stomach, starting to bring it up. I took that split second of a moment to bring my head forward and throw it back, connecting with his nose In the instant that I rolled down and onto the floor, away from any gunshots or magic, thirty bullets were put into his skull and body, as were multiple curses and hexes.

I laid on the floor, flat on my back for a moment, staring at the ceiling. Cogs were whirling in my head, plans forming, questions being asked and answered. A few people were leaning over me, Viktor, my mother, Gloria. All of them were asking questions, but I couldn't hear anything except a high-pitched squeal.

I was helped to sit up, slowly, and then picked up to my feet. I laid my head against Viktor, able to hear his heart over the squeal. I glared at Gloria until my hearing returned.

"...What do you mean by bringing that Klan Member here?" my mother was shouting at him. He looked angry and confused, staring at the mutilated body of his partner.

"He was screened, monitored, and checked every step of the way," Gloria said simply, his jaw tight from anger. "I don't know how he got through."

"Maybe because you let him through," the General said simply, glaring at Gloria.

Everyone started to gang up on him. I, though, suddenly yelled, "Everyone, stop!" They all turned to look at me, tear-stained and scared out of my mind. "What the hell was that? What was Jeong talking about?"

My mother looked frightened, her eyes widened. "Leigh Ann...it was...ah..."

"It was what?" I stepped away from Viktor, my legs wobbling, and held a hand over my stomach. "I just had a gun held to my baby. My best friend is dead. I deserve some answers."

Everyone was silent. No one would look at me.

I smirked and shook my head. "Unbelievable. Well, if you won't tell me, then I'll have to figure it out myself." They all tried to follow me, but I turned and glared at them. They called out for me, asking for me to come back so that they could talk.

I walked fast to my room, ignoring the call of my mother and everyone else back in the room. I locked the door that led from the war room to Viktor's hallway and then ran into his room, packing a small bag of clothes. I made sure to pack my prenatal vitamins and everything I would need—ID's, money, passport, even a few fake ID's just in case.

The government could no longer be trusted. I was alone and needed to figure out what the hell was going on. Viktor couldn't know where I was going—neither could anyone else.

Alex...Alex was gone. Those bastards had killed her. What would I do without her? How could I live, knowing that she'd been killed right under my nose? And Viktor...

Viktor... I thought with tears in my eyes, placing a fist against my mouth to keep from crying out. I can't...I just don't know...

"Leigh Ann." My head flipped to the side to see Jessica leaning up against the door frame, looking at me as I grasped Viktor's picture in my hands. I kissed it and set it down as she shifted uncomfortably in the doorway. "...You really plan on going, then."

I made a disgusted sound and glared at her. I had to keep packing. I didn't know how much she knew or how she knew what she knew, but I really didn't care. "What else am I supposed to do? They've threatened my friends, my school, my job...it won't be long until they come after my family! In fact...they already have. I can't sit around and do nothin' while murderers get away. I can't let my unborn child be in danger."

Finally my sister pushed up and walked over to me, grabbing me by the shoulder and turning me around to face her. "You don't know what you're doing." For the first time in a long time, I looked at her face. She was only seventeen and yet grey had begun to show at her roots. Deep black bags were under her beautiful blue eyes which were quite dull at the moment. Her skin was sickly and pale, her lips cracked and dried.

I pulled away from her, worried but uninterested. "That's the problem. I don't know why they want me or why they are attackin' the school." I grabbed a few more clothes and stuffed them into my bag hurriedly. "The government can't be trusted. I'm going to find something that I know can be trusted."

She growled in frustration and threw her hands up in the air before running them over her face. "Leigh Ann, these people are more trouble than you think they are. Anyone with Muggle blood down their line just needs to get out before they're targeted. And with Dad being so close to our Pureblood line, we're the first targeted, to get us out of the way, to show everyone a lesson. We need to get out of here."

"Shut up!" I shouted, my eyes narrowed in anger. "Don't you bring dad into this! He's safe for now over in Bosnia."

"Leigh Ann—"

I gave her another glare. "They've made this personal by killing Alex. I'm not goin' anywhere. Not until these people are in Azkaban or GITMO where they belong."

Jessica's eyes were pleading as she got down on her knees in front of me, her hands clasped as she begged me not to leave. "You have no idea what you're talkin' about! They could show up anywhere, at the school, at America's Quidditch pitch, and just snatch you out of the air! They already have! Leigh Ann—"

I took a deep breath and grabbed her arm, pulling her back up off of the ground. I made her look me in the eye. "Jessica, if you try to tell me that these people are dangerous one more time, I'm gonna slap you. I'm not gonna run at the first sight of danger. The damned Wizard KKK isn't enough to scare me away from everythin' I love, and neither are you, even if you are my sister."

Without warning, her eyes narrowed in anger and she clenched her jaw shut. I'd never seen her look quite so...evil. "...We warned you, just remember that. We warned you."

A quiet dread fell over me as I played back the words I'd just heard. "We?" I asked, taking a step back from her. My hand instantly went to my stomach. "Jessica, who is we?"

She didn't answer, just looked at the ground for a moment. Then she turned and left, slamming the door behind her. I tried to ignore what she'd said as I continued packing. I had a trip to Washington D.C. to plan...and no one, not even my family, was going to stop me.

They killed my friends.

They terrorized my school.

They tried to kill my child.

I had a prophecy to find.

I really want to hear if you like this chapter! I want to know your thoughts on the death, the escapes from GITMO, and the talk of a prophecy.