A/N: So I know that I've not offered an explanation as to why it took so long for me to update this story and to be honest I was planning to lie to you guys and give some BS like my family have arrived for some family gathering but I wont do that because I feel, I know that you all deserve better than some bull crap lie. The gist of it is basically that I've been struggling more than usual with my depression and lost all of my creative flow and gave up on a lot of things (and people) but now I and back and I hope that you're all still with me and enjoying this. Without further adieu here's chapter 23.

Chapter 23: The hunt.

It was still morning when Chris walked back into his shared room, intent on finding his wife. The birds that usually tapered off when the morning gave way to the afternoon, but for now they seemed perfectly content to announce that it was still in fact early morning, 10 Am, in the street. Chris walked into the bedroom, expecting to see his wife still curled up in bed. She wasn't a morning person and would sleep quite happily throughout until the afternoon, while he himself was most definitely an early riser; he usually had to wake her up. But now he found her sat Indian style on the bed covers, her own book of shadows open on a page detailing some demon or other, and a world map lay out in front of her and a scrying crystal clutched in her hand.

He didn't' announce that he was watching her but continued to do so, quietly so she wouldn't notice. She twirled the crystal around the map, her face screwed up in concentration and when the crystal landed she took a bingo pen, with a flat circle tip, and pressed a dot to where the crystal pointed.

For Chris, he was horribly reminded of when Sirius had passed and she had been obsessed with the int. Scrying for any and all demons no matter what level they were. Looking at her now, the pad next to her, he feared that she would do the same again in their pursuit of the source. He made his mind up, and coughed softly.

"Scar" He said softly walking in fully as she dropped the crystal and looked at him fully and didn't say anything until he spoke again "What are you doing?"

"I found a list of demons that helped the last source and well…I've been looking for them" She answered

"Are you sure…are you sure that's a good idea?" and inside he winced as her eyes narrowed

"What?"

"Well…it's just last time when you did this you..."

"What!" She snapped standing up and he noticed that she had in fact dressed "Turned evil? Tried to destroy the world"

"No! That's not what I meant, I was going to day that you didn't care abut yourself"

"So you're saying that I look like a slob!"

"What! No! Scar…I...Just" He babbled to her "I didn't mean to say that"

"No, what you mean to say was that you're worried about me turning evil again or becoming a human stench again!" She snapped at him and she stood and pushed past him

"Scar! No, I was just worried because after Barbas"

"What's that got to do with anything" She snapped again, feeling very much like she was pushed in a corner

"You're dream…I don't want to lose you"

"And I don't want to lose you either but I need this to be over Chris"

"I know you do, and I do too it's just I don't want you losing yourself"

"Lose myself! Chris I'm not made of glass, I'm not going to break simply looking for demons that could help us find the duo"

"I know you're not…it's just after the dream" She sighed angrily, why did he keep bringing that up? It was nothing but a small nightmare, that didn't mean anything.

"It was nothing Chris...Why can't you just let it go" She grabbed her jacket and stormed out of their shared house leaving Chris to smack his forehead and call himself a variety of names.

Scarlett sighed again for what seemed the millionth time today as she tugged her jacket closer to her. It was fairly chilly when she had stormed from her house and she wished she had grabbed her coat instead of her thin material cardigan, but she couldn't o back just yet.

No, she had to cool off for now. She wasn't too angry with Chris to be honest, but she couldn't stand people treating her like glass or have them push her into a corner. She generally only had one response, lash out either with words o with her fists. It was one of the things that bugged Hermione about Scarlett, she was easy to talk to when she wasn't angry but once she was, all sound reason let her and she was incapable of being reasonable with anyone. Including her husband.

She suddenly thought back to her friends that she had left behind in England, Cedric and Cho were still dating and if Cedric's letter where any hints, soon to engaged. Hermione was a much more forward letter writer, she spoke of her trepidation of transferring to France to attend beauxbatons, bit she spoke of becoming friends with one of the students, Fleur's younger sister Gabrielle. She had a sudden longing to visit them and see how they were, mostly Hermione. Cedric and Cho would act unbearably couple like around her, not that she minded too much, but her youngest friend had somehow always meant more to her than anyone else. Maybe because she acted like a surrogate younger sibling, rather than her own brother.

Making her mind, she ducked into an alley and with only a faintest crack, apparated on the spot.

Hermione lounged on her bed flicking through the book that Madame Maxine had sent her, since she was unable to shop in France for her supplied the headmistress was kind enough to do so for her and then send them to her, her parents preferred this to walking through an unfamiliar area. She had been reading a lot these past few days, the French magic school was certainly different from Hogwarts, instead of care of magical creatures; it was simply a magical creatures class that covered every known species and even offered a club. She had been interested with learning this news and soon all her insecurities of going to a foreign school vanished and she felt better than had been before this. Now she couldn't wait for the term to start in a month.

Outside she heard a large crack; she shook her head, Poor Mr Jenkins. Mr Jenkins was a very nice old man that loved down her street and was always in some sort of bother, whether it be gas leak or water pipes leaking. It must be his car, from the sound of it. She sighed and wished she could help him and then vowed that on her seventeenth birthday she would do just that. It wasn't until a knock on her door startled her that she even considered a witch or wizard showing up.

She grabbed her own wand and walked down the stairs, suddenly sad that she didn't go to the car boot sale with her parents. She gripped her wand firmly and prayed that whatever was knocking was nice.

It wasn't until she reached the handle that it occurred to her that if it were a dark wizard, they wouldn't have wasted the time to knock. Still she thought they could be trying to catch me off guard and moved her wand out of sight and prayed the time she badgered scarlet to teach her would be enough to defend herself at least adequately.

She pulled open he door and peered out and gave a small girlish squeal that she would later deny ever came form her mouth "Scarlett!" and grabbed her best fiend in a fierce hug. She did love Cedric and Cho very much, they were some of her dearest friends but Scarlett meant a lot to her, she was the first friend she ever really had and while she cherished her friendships with Cho and Cedric, if anything did happen to end their friendship, she wouldn't mind as much if she and Scarlett fall out. She loved the older woman as though she were a sister.

"What are you doing here" She asked when she pulled back long enough to look at her friend. Her hair was her normal wacky style and she looked happy and the slight sadness that always followed her, courtesy of her 'parents', had all but gone. She looked at the two new rings on her fingers.

"I missed you" She said hugging her back just as tightly and Hermione smiled warmly at her. Soon the two girls were chatting as though they had never left each other sides.

"Mione" Her mother called from the front door

"I'm in the living room mum" She called back and soon the smiling face of Mrs Granger appeared and when looked down on a seated Scarlett siled more

"Hello Emma! She said

"Hello Scarlett dear, how have you been"

"I've been good, just adjusting" She said and when Emma looked on her finger and saw the rings smiled softly "What's his name"

"Chris" Scarlet smiled brightly and twirled the rings round her finger "His names Chris"

"That's lovely, Now are you staying for tea?"

"No actually…He's supposed to be taking me out for dinner" She said standing to her feet and slipping her jacket back on.

"Okay dear, stop by again soon and bring Chris with you next time, we'd be glad to have you over" She said and her husband, David, nodded and smiled and helped his wife in the kitchen

"So, what's going to happen" Hermione asked

"What do you mean?"

"With Voldemort and the source" She said

"I don't know Mione…I just don't know" She sighed

"It's not worth your life you know" Hermione said suddenly

"What?"

"Stopping them…It's not worth your life to stop them"

"I need to stop them Hermione…For everyone" She said softly

"I know but not if it's the choice between your life and them "

Scarlett didn't say anything but instead hugged her friend one last time and leaving through the door and into the cool air outside. She started to walk down the street, not yet ready to go back to her home in the US.

Maybe, maybe Chris was right. Maybe she was raking it too far again. She sighed again, why was it so hard. She knew what Hermione was saying and she got why.

She didn't want to die, she didn't want to leave anybody behind but she couldn't be free while they still reigned. But maybe, she didn't have to do it alone this time.

She apparated back to her home landing on her feet in the hall feeling much calmer and quieter than she had done. She walked into the front room and saw Chris hunched over a cup of coffee. "Chris" She said

"Scar" He said jumping to his feet and grabbing her face in his hands "God, I'm so sorry"

"Don't be…I'm sorry….I just kind of lost sight of what's important" she said kissing him softly

"I shouldn't have said" She placed a finger on his lips stopping him before he could speak more

"Yes you should have. I'm sorry that I've been distant and not really talking with you"

"I think we both screwed up" he said

"Yeah…Yeah we did" She agreed "But the point is…we're together"

"Together"