The night was deceptively quiet. A cold breeze whispered through the trees surrounding the safe house, rustling the leaves in a soft, rhythmic dance. Inside, the Order remained on high alert, but something about the stillness made Sirius uneasy.

He sat near the fireplace, absentmindedly running his fingers along the edge of his wand. The tension in the house had eased slightly since Frank's revelation since they had agreed that Bellatrix was fixated on Harry alone. It gave them a targeted threat rather than an unknown one, but that didn't mean they were safe.

Sirius' gaze flickered toward the staircase. Harry was upstairs, resting under the careful watch of Doctor Stevan. The boy was still healing, still too weak to defend himself if Bellatrix made her move now.

And Sirius had a gut feeling that she would.

A low crack split the silence.

Sirius was on his feet before the sound had fully registered.

A moment later, the wards shuddered.

Remus burst into the room, his eyes flashing amber in the dim firelight. "She's here."

Outside, the darkness shifted.

Shadows moved unnaturally along the treeline, curling and twisting as if the very night itself had come alive. Then a scream.

The wards erupted in a cascade of golden sparks. The house shook as defensive enchantments clashed violently against dark magic.

"She's breaking through," Kingsley said, already moving toward the door.

Frank and Neville stood side by side, wands raised. "We hold her off as long as we can," Frank said firmly. "Harry is the priority."

A terrible, high-pitched laughter rang through the night.

Bellatrix had arrived.

Harry jolted awake at the sound of the explosion. Pain pulsed through his body as he pushed himself upright, breaths uneven. He could feel it the magic shifting, the air growing heavy with malevolence.

Doctor Stevan was already moving. "She's coming."

Harry's heart pounded. He struggled to get out of bed, but Stevan placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "You are not in any condition to fight."

"I don't care," Harry said, his voice hoarse. He gritted his teeth against the pain as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed. "I'm not going to just sit here while she"

The room shook violently. A blast of raw magic surged through the walls, shattering the window. The air turned thick with smoke and dust.

Then footsteps on the stairs.

Stevan's wand was already raised. "Stay behind me."

The footsteps stopped just outside the door. A long, tense silence followed.

Then, a familiar, sickly sweet voice slithered through the cracks in the wood.

"Poor little Harry Potter… hiding away like a frightened child."

Bellatrix.

Stevan stepped in front of Harry, wand gripped tightly.

Bellatrix giggled, her voice carrying an eerie delight. "I do hope you're not planning to make this difficult." A slow, deliberate pause. "After all… you still owe me a proper goodbye."

The door exploded inward.

Stevan sent a curse flying instantly, but Bellatrix dodged it with a gleeful spin, her wild eyes locking onto Harry. "There you are."

Harry barely had time to react before she lunged.

The fight had fully erupted.

Sirius and Kingsley were locked in combat with Rodolphus and Amycus, spells flashing in the darkness. Neville had forced Alecto back with a well-placed Stupefy, while Frank stood firm beside him, his expression set with quiet determination.

Remus tore through the fray, his movements swift, precise. "We have to get to Harry now!"

Alecto snarled, sending a slicing hex toward him, but Frank intercepted it with a sharp Protego. He stepped forward, gaze steady. "I'll hold them here."

Sirius shot him a look. "You sure?"

Frank nodded. "Go."

Sirius didn't waste time. He bolted toward the staircase, Remus close behind. Another explosion rocked the house as Bellatrix's laughter echoed through the walls.

They were out of time.

Harry barely dodged as Bellatrix's curse slammed into the wall behind him. He stumbled, his limbs sluggish, but his mind was clear he had to fight back.

Stevan moved swiftly, deflecting Bellatrix's next attack with a powerful shield charm. "You won't take him."

Bellatrix clicked her tongue. "Oh, darling, you must know how this ends."

She slashed her wand forward, and the shield shattered.

Stevan staggered but didn't fall. He raised his wand again, unwavering.

Harry gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stand. His vision swam, but he held his wand firm. "You won't win," he rasped.

Bellatrix's smile widened. "Haven't I already?"

Before Harry could react, she whispered an incantation and the air around him turned ice-cold.

Dark tendrils of magic coiled around his chest, squeezing the breath from his lungs. His knees buckled, and he hit the ground hard, vision flickering.

Bellatrix stepped forward, eyes gleaming with triumph. "This time, Potter… I won't leave you breathing."

Then a roar of magic.

A spell slammed into Bellatrix, sending her crashing into the far wall.

Sirius stood in the doorway, wand outstretched, fury burning in his eyes.

"Get away from him."

The room was a whirlwind of motion.

Harry struggled to breathe, the dark magic still coiled around his chest, constricting his ribs like iron bands. His head spun, his body weak, but he refused to let it drag him under. Not now. Not when she was here.

Sirius advanced with deadly precision, his wand aimed directly at Bellatrix's heart. "Step away from him," he growled.

Bellatrix, still leaning against the wall from the force of his spell, let out a breathless laugh. "Oh, cousin," she purred, licking the blood from her lip where she had hit the floor. "Is that any way to greet family?"

Sirius' face darkened. "You lost the right to call yourself that a long time ago."

Bellatrix flicked her wand lazily, sending a jet of green light streaking toward him. Sirius dodged, rolling to the side as the curse shattered the chair behind him.

Doctor Stevan didn't hesitate. The moment Bellatrix turned her attention to Sirius, he lunged forward, wand cutting through the air. "Stupefy!"

Bellatrix spun at the last second, deflecting the spell with a sharp twist of her wrist. "Tsk, tsk." She smirked at Stevan. "Playing hero, are we, Doctor? How noble… and how very, very foolish."

She whipped her wand sideways, and a shockwave of raw energy blasted outward.

Stevan was thrown backward, slamming into the far wall with a thud.

Harry forced himself to move.

His arms felt like lead, his body screaming in protest, but he refused to stay down. He gritted his teeth and raised his wand.

Bellatrix turned to him just as he let out a hoarse, breathless "Expelliarmus!"

The spell was weak but it was enough.

Bellatrix's wand jerked in her grip, throwing her slightly off balance.

Sirius seized the moment.

With a sharp, precise flick of his wand, a crimson hex shot toward her. Bellatrix barely had time to react before it struck her shoulder, sending her reeling back.

She hissed in pain, clutching her arm, her wild eyes darting between them. "You're all so bothersome," she spat.

She flicked her wand a burst of purple light streaking toward Harry.

Sirius lunged.

His body collided with Harry's, knocking him aside just as the curse hit. It narrowly missed Sirius' shoulder, grazing the wall behind them in an explosion of splintered wood.

Sirius hit the floor hard, rolling to absorb the impact before scrambling back to his feet. His breath was ragged, but his wand remained steady.

Bellatrix scowled, dusting herself off. "Well," she huffed, "this isn't quite going how I imagined."

Her gaze flickered toward the open window, and before Sirius could stop her She Disapparated.

The air cracked with the force of her departure, leaving behind only the lingering scent of burnt magic.

Silence settled.

For a moment, no one moved.

Then

"Harry?"

Sirius turned just in time to see Harry slump forward, the last of his strength leaving him.

Sirius caught him before he could hit the ground, lowering him carefully. "Hey...hey, stay with me, kid," he said, shaking him slightly. "Come on, open your eyes."

Harry's breath was shallow, his body wracked with exhaustion.

Doctor Stevan was already pushing himself up from where he had fallen, shaking off the impact of Bellatrix's spell. He hurried forward, kneeling beside them. "We need to get him stabilized," he said, already casting a diagnostic spell.

Sirius barely heard him. His focus remained fixed on Harry his godson, who had just barely survived yet another encounter with Bellatrix Lestrange.

And she wasn't finished yet.

Sirius clenched his jaw, looking toward the shattered doorway.

This wasn't over. Not by a long shot.