Bone of the father, unknowingly given

Flesh of the servant, willingly sacrificed

Blood of the enemy forcefully taken

The Dark Lord shall rise again


Mad Eye looked down at the white face of the young girl whose head laid in his lap.

Her breath was heavy as she heaved.

He was trying, he was pressing his hand into her side tightly, trying to stop the bleeding but it looked as if the damage had been done.

"Just a little longer Las," he whispered.

He felt her head move, "Harry," he heard her murmur.

"Rest," he tried to calm her, "don't worry about nothing for now."

She stilled soon after that, She was running out of time.

He had been locked down here a lot longer so what was to say she would die down here before anyone found them.

His ears perked up when he heard the sound muffled voice from the outside world.

He said his eye's looking hopefully up, "Just a little longer."

He heard loud voices, and what sounded like struggling, could this be it. His ears pricked at the sound of locks of the chest turning and he let out a sigh of relief when the top cracked open.

Light flooded into the dark chest, they were not too far down but far enough that he could not see the faces above them clearly.

"Alastor?" He recognised the voice, Dumbledore.

"Albus quickly," he said, placing his hand on her head feeling a rhythm of breathing.

"There someone else down there," he heard Minerva say.

"There's a girl Albus," he said looking back up, "she needs help."

Dumbledore looked away and then walked away from the chest.

"Who is it!" He could hear Dumbledore demanding of his imposter.

It sounded as if he had spat the words, "Atria Black."

"Severus quickly," he heard Albus say.

"Atria?" A Boy Asked


She heard voices around her, Soft but they gradually got louder as she blinked her eyes open.

Her vision was surprisingly blurry, she could make out some figures around her but not all of them, there was someone in a chair next to her and there was a woman standing at the end of the bed.

"Sirius," said the women. It was Andromeda.

She blinked once more. The person beside her moved in front of her, and she came face to face with her father. His eye darted nervously all over her face as he brushed her hair out of the way. "Oh my girl," he said as he pulled her head against his chest and held her for dear life.

"Are you okay?" He asked, pulling back to look at her.

"Sirius give her some space," Andromeda said, making Atria Jump.

"Androm.." She looked around, She could see the Weasely's, Dora was watching on as was Remus, they were all there. She looked back to Sirius as if to ask.

"They know," he answered.

Atria looked back to Andromeda.

"Dumbledore explained everything," She said, she looked rather stiff as she walked stoically to Atria's side of the bed, Atria's mind run wild at the very idea that maybe andromeda felt betrayed. It wasn't everyday you found out the girl you have been looking after has been harbouring her convict father, "Now, how do you feel?"

Atria's brow furrowed before she remembered. Her hand flew to her side and lifted up her pyjama top. She paused at the sight of her skin, she ran her finger over the silver scar that now rested just below her ribs. "I feel fine," she whispered.

"Crouch?" She asked looking up.

Sirius's jaw tightened,"Taken care of," he said before his eye zoned in on her angrily, "Now, What were you thinking, going in there alone," he asked sternly.

"I wasn't looking for him," Atria said anxiously, she hadn't meant for him to find her, "I was just looking for proof," she said quietly. "And then he came in and."

Atria touched her side where she had been stabbed. She looked up at the sound of heavy footsteps running across the hospital wing coming towards them.

She watched him come around the corner of her curtain, his eyes set on her, "Atria," he rushed over to the bed and wrapped his arms around her. Atria reacted stiffly, shocked at his brashness and worried that maybe after the shock her wound would start to hurt but she felt so comfortable as his head rested on hers. "Harry," she said pulling away but something was wrong, his eyes were rimed red almost bruised, he was covered in filth and bits of dried blood had dried all over him, her face dropped, "what happened?" She asked.

She watched Harry who looked over to her father, Sirius tried to be subtle as he shook his head. Atria looked between them, "What?" she asked.

"How are you feeling," Harry asked as he moved to sit beside her, changing the subject.

"I mean, I feel fine," she said, because shockingly enough she did, It had been so painful but now it almost felt as though it had never happened.

"Well Phoenixes do come in handy," Harry said, "You can thank forks for that."

She smiled as she felt Harry squeeze her hand.

Everyone lifted their heads at the sound of more footsteps coming from the entrance.

"Sirius," Andromeda's warned, ready to give the signal for Sirius to transform.

"Don't worry," Remus said, "it's just Dumbledore and Snape."

All thought process stopped, the steps approaching slowed down as it all began to collide.

Lucius, Rodolphus, Snape.

Snape came around the corner slowly almost as if her mind had slowed every movement as he moved into her sight. In an instant he was all she could see. A blind rage blew over her, all she saw was red and in the middle was him. Crouch's words played over and over again in her mind, on replay. She felt like she had been given the strength of a hundred men and before anyone had the time to stop her or could even realise what she was doing she felt herself fly over the bed to the man standing at the end of it.

She jumped up and dove onto his back, she couldn't even think, she felt like she had been possessed. She didn't realise what she was doing when she wrapped her arms around his neck in a chokehold but she knew she wanted to hurt him. Her grip tightened trying to squeeze until she felt his neck snap. It all was so clear in her mind as if this was the reason she was still alive.

She was going to kill Severus Snape.

She heard people screaming and shouting.

"ATRIA STOP!"

She felt Snape trying to throw her off, he backed up against the wall and threw himself back against it and her with it, but her grip was too tight. She felt the veins in his neck pulsing and tightened her grip to the point she felt her arm would break.

But the hands grabbing at her grew stronger and it wasn't long before she was pried off of Snape and held her in a vice grip as to not let her go.

Snape's eyes were wide as they locked with hers his face slowly turning back to his usual yellow tone.

Snape had seen the look in her eyes before, many times he had seen the psychotic psychosis or anger or drive the death-eaters had as they carried out there task. And the girl Remus lupin was currently holding back was not the one he had known. A deadly vengeance had filled her as tears burnt out of her eyes, her anger locked on him in a deathly stare that shot out a hundred knives.

"Atria what?" She heard Andromeda try to ask but she screamed over the top of her.

"YOU LIAR!" She screamed.

"YOU WERE THERE! YOU SAW HER! YOU LET HER DIE!" She screamed in Remus's arms. Snape's eyes had gone wider and she hoped it was fear she could see dancing in them.

"I WILL KILL YOU!" She screamed at the man, "I WILL RIP YOUR HEART OUT OF YOUR CHEST YOU BASTARD."

She felt hands grip her face a Sirius stepped in front of her.

"Atria what are you talking about?" he asked, his grip on her face tight as his eyes locked with hers.

"HE WAS THERE! She screamed, a sob breaking through her chest, "HE WATCHED AS LUCIUS KILLED HER AND HE DID NOTHING!"

The room stood still at those words, all eyes landed on Snape, even Dumbledore had stilled.

Atria's tears blurred her vision and all of a sudden the arms around her let go as she dropped to the floor.

She could hear screaming, lots of screaming and when she wiped her tears away she caught sight of every adult in the room trying to pry Sirius off of Severus.

She watched as fist after fist came down on the potions master face. She blocked her ears at the sound of the screams.

But then it went quiet.

She looked up as Sirius flew across the room, he hit the floor hard with a groan. Atria looked back to Snape who was laid on the floor pointing his wand out.

Her father was up in an instant.

Remus and Arthur rushed in front of him as he charged forward again.

"I SWEAR TO GOD I'LL KILL HIM," Sirius cried his face red as his eyes watered with rage.

"I DID NOT KILL HER!" Snape shouted wiping the blood off his face.

"NO, YOU WATCHED!" Sirius said trying once again to lunge through the two men holding him back. "AND DID NOTHING, AS THEY KILLED HER, YOU DID NOTHING AS THEY TOOK MY WIFE AND CHILD FROM ME!"

"ENOUGH!" A great booming voice echoed through the hall, all looked to Dumbledore who stood stone still his face the angriest Atria had ever seen.

"Severus out!" He commanded.

He looked to Remus, "Get him out."

Andromeda walked quickly over to atria and crouched beside her taking her in her arms, "Sweet Heart it's okay"

Atria had broken out in full sobs barely able to get the words out, "He was there and he did nothing." She cried.

McGonagall who had been standing shocked up until this point finally spoke up, "Albus?" She asked.

Dumbledore looked down with a nod, "It is true."

Atria let out another sob at the words, So it was all true Lucius had killed her mother and Snape had done nothing, she held back a wail as her heart splintered."Severus had just come to our side," Dumbledore explained, "There was nothing he could have done without giving himself away."

"SO HIS LIFE WAS WORTH MORE THAN HERS!" Atria screamed up at the man, the veins in her neck straining, "THAN MINE!" She screamed.

"Miss Black that is not what I meant," he said gently looking pitifully down at the young girl, "If he had fought it they would both be dead."

"I want him dead!" She yelled coldly, meaning her words.

"Atria," Andromeda said softly.

"NO!" Atria snapped at her, her chest heaved with sobs as she said, "It not fair, it's not fair, what about my life," she said her words broken up between cries, "what about what happened to me what about her Life, why where we left to die."

"You were not," Andromeda said taking her face in her hand, tears of her own, building up, "I know it's not fair sweetheart." She said, "But this is not the way."

Atria's head dropped as she cried, but Andromeda held her tightly in her arms.

The room remained still as Andromeda rocked Atria lightly, but Atria could not be consoled.


They had put her to bed, but she would not sleep. Her fingers played gently with the line on her palm. A long and happy lifeline her aunt had told her. What a joke, her life was not happy. No, she told herself, you still have Sirius, you have Remus. But another voice echoed through her head, but you don't have her, it said.

The curtain pulled back, she looked up as Sirius walked into the room, his eyes matched her own, both swollen and red.

"Hi sweetheart," he said with a sad smile.

She tried to hold back a cry but she couldn't.

Sirius signed as he made his way quickly to the bed and took her in his arms, "It's okay," he said running his hand over her hair, "I'm here."

"What am I going to do," Atria said softly.

"What do you mean?" Sirius asked, "You don't have to do anything."

Atria nodded before tightening her hold on him.

"Just think, Now that Andromeda knows, think of how much time we can spend together," He said, trying his best to comfort her, "we have all holidays now."

Atria laughed, "Yeah, that is nice."

"Yeah, it is," He said, trying not to let his own anger and bitterness show. He had to be the bigger person, his head needed to be clear, he needed to be here for her.

"Where's Snape?" She asked the tone in her voice severe.

"Atria," Sirius reprimanded said softly.

"What?" She snapped as she pulled back.

He stood up, "Listen to me," Sirius said sternly, "Yes, he is a slimy bastard who deserves a lot more than what he will get. But-"

"But what?" She said angrily.

"But," he said trying not to snap, "Wars a messy and complicated and I trust Dumbledore's judgment-"

"How can you say that," she said angrily, the sob in her throat building back up, "His judgment has ruined everything for us, it's not fair."

"I know, I know," he said. Atria could see the conflict in him, he was trying to be wise, trying to do the right thing, but she saw the anger in him, one that twinned her own. "But we have each other don't we?" He said

Atria looked down at her hand once more. A long and happy lifeline. She nodded.

"One day Snape will face up for his crimes," Sirius said, coming up and running his hand over the top of her head, "but in the current situation we need him,"

"Why?" She asked.

Sirius closed his eyes as he remembered, he sat down on the edge of the bed taking her hand in his, "Atria you missed a bit."

Missed a bit. What could she have possibly missed? "What?"

The curtain was pulled back again, this time, it was Remus who walked in.

"The Triwizard Cup was a port key and it took Harry to.." Sirius tried to explain.

"To what?" Atria asked, looking between Remus and Sirius.

Sirius wiped his eyes as he looked to Remus as if begging him to say it.

Remus bowed his head, "Voldemort," he said. "has returned."

Atria let a huff, "He's dead," She said.

"Atria you cannot deny this any longer," Remus snapped,"he is back that is the world we live in now."

Atria flinched, she felt her anger and she went to say something, but she stopped. She looked at the two men in her room, it almost looked as if this night had aged them another 30 years, she couldn't be another problem for them tonight. She shook her head, not Tom. This wasn't right, this wasn't the way this was suppose to go. Tears burnt her eyes, "I should have gone to get help," she said looking at Sirius, "I could have stopped it."

"Don't ever blame yourself," Remus said, "You are not to blame."

"We are," Sirius finished looking back at Remus.

"What?" Atria asked laying her hand over her father.

Sirius looked away.

Remus looked down in contemplation, "Pettigrew was there," he said.

"And so was Lucius, " Sirius said.

Atria's gaze fell onto the blanket, it felt like nothing could affect her anymore like too much had come to be. She felt nothing, could feel nothing, even if it made the worse even worse.

"Now I need to go and talk to Andromeda for a bit, okay, but then I'll be back," Sirius said before standing and leaving her alone in the room with Remus.

Atria picked at the quilt nervously, "I'm sorry I attacked him, " She said shakily.

Remus smiled, walking closer to the bed, "Don't worry," he said as he walked over to the side of the bed, "You get it from your father's side of the family." He kissed her on the head, "Now get some sleep," he said before turning and leaving, closing the curtain behind him.

But she did not sleep, she could not.

Lucius had done it, it had been Lucius. Lucius had killed her mother, then he had taken her, he had raised her and she had been too stubborn to see it. All the signs had been there, everyone had told her.

"Or at least he won't until Lucius Malfoys wand is examine."

She through herself back on the pillows as the tears came back.

"Stupid," she whispered to herself.

Her eyes became fixed on the white ceiling, as pain washed over her. She felt like she was going to suffocate as the weight of the evening settled in, everything was about to change, everything. The Dark Lord had returned and Lucius had been there and Lucius had... She couldn't, she needed to stop thinking about it. But no matter what she needed it wouldn't stop.

But as time passed she found that the more she laid there, the more she thought, the more numb she became with every discovery she made. With every comment or sign she had missed or overlooked the more her anger at the people who did it faded away, and as she slipped into a dreamless sleep the only thing she felt was nothing.


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