Two days before winter break was when she was found, Luke was about to leave the Common Room when the portrait hole swung open and he came face-to-face with James and Sirius. The grins on their faces turn his to one of confusion and suspicion.

"We found her," was all Sirius said before turning and leaving with James again.

"Wait. You can't just say that and leave!" Luke said and ran after them, ignoring the Fat Lady's muttering. "Where is she? Is she okay?"

"We were out on a run when we saw Mulciber walking back across the frozen lake, so we think she is on the island in the lake. We wanted to tell you before we went to see." James explained as they took the stairs two at a time.

"You think? So you don't know for sure." He pointed out, easily keeping up with them going down the stairs.

As they reach the ground floor Sirius turns to face Luke. "Go back. We have this. We will get her and bring her back."

"No! I am coming with you and you can do nothing to stop me!"

"Harper this is not a game! Her life is in danger and the longer we stay here the closer to death she could be. Go back."

"This is my girlfriend, Black! I am helping." He snapped at him. He pushed them out of the way and ran out the front door and in the direction of the Black Lake.

Mary was shook awake by rough hands and she instinctively flinched away, she relaxed when her eyes come to rest on Erik's face. He was working on taking the chain off her ankle and she looked at him with a confused expression. "What's going on?"

"I heard your captors talking. They intend to kill you." He lied to her, making his voice sound rushed like he had been running from someone. "I couldn't let them do that to you so I am getting you out of here."

She leant closer to him and kissed him. He kissed her back but quickly pulled away and draped his Slytherin robes over her shoulders. He helped her put on the pair of shoes he had brought with him and helped her to stand then he pulled her toward the mouth of the cave.

He hoped that they hadn't been able to get to the island as fast as he could, but he was met with a partly expected encounter. He watched the three Gryffindors closely and he did the only thing he could think of to try to get them to leave him alone. He kissed Mary once before shoving her in toward the forest. "Run Mary. I will hold them off. If they catch you they will kill you. Hide in the forest. I will find you again."

Sirius stared in disbelief as the scene that just played out replayed in his head. She had kissed Mulciber back. He had broken her and reformed her to his liking. He turned to Luke who looked like he wanted to punch something and shoved him toward the direction Mary had run. "Go after her. Don't let her get lost in there again. We can take care of him. Be her knight in shining armor this year."

"You have lost her forever," Mulciber said with a smirk, his wand in hand.

"You underestimate Luke," James says as he walks straight up to him and punched him in the face. "Git."

"Mary!" Luke yelled out as he ran through the forest, following the fresh shoeprints in the untouched snow. His footsteps faltered as the prints began to be joined with blood and after a moment he came across Mary.

Her back was to him and the Slytherin robes were tossed to the side. Her head was down with her eyes closed. The wind blew snow against her skin, but she didn't flinch at the cold. In one hand she held the knife Erik used to cut her with, the other hand held loosely at her side as blood dropped off her fingers and splashed onto the untouched snow beside her feet. She opened her eyes and quickly turned to face Luke. Her eyes hard and determined she presses the knife against her arm again and cuts into her skin. "You can't kill me if I am already dead!"

Luke acted on instinct as he ran and tackled her to the ground. He quickly disarmed her and tossed the knife to the side. He stood up and took a hold of her arm as she tried to run away again. His face showed hurt at how beat up and broken she was. It only took two months.

"Let go of me! I won't go back! You will have to kill me here!" She yelled as she struggled to escape from his grasp.

"Mack. I'm not going to hurt you. Please." He said with his voice soft. When it doesn't help he pulled her closer to him and kissed her gently.