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THE BROKEN LOCKET hung down from Harry's hand, as the three approached camp. Hermione came worriedly out, staring at red-head in anger. Her glaze moved to Aubrey, who apologetically smiled toward her. Even though Hermione was steaming with fury toward the Weasley boy, she was happy to see Aubrey. No matter how ruthless her confession was, Hermione knew she was on their side. She could see it in the witch's eye; she was telling the truth.

"Hi," Ron guiltily greeted, the sword of Gryffindor hanging at his side.

"You..." Hermione grumbled, hitting Ron repeatedly. "Are a complete ass, Ronald Weasley! You show up here after weeks and you say "hey"," the witch shouted.

"Technically, Hermione, he said hi," Aubrey spoke, earning a glare from the raging witch. Aubrey immediately closed her month, looping her arm around Harry's. Harry chuckled lightly, kissing the top of her head.

"Where's my wand, Harry?" Hermione insisted, turning toward the raven-haired wizard.

Harry moved away from Aubrey, hiding Hermione's wand behind his back, knowing she would use it to curse Ron. "I don't know."

"You give me my wand!"

"What happened to your wand?" Ron questioned at Harry.

"Never mind why he's got my wand," Hermione snapped.

Hermione stopped suddenly, glancing at the broken Horcrux in Harry's hand. "What is that? You destroyed it? And how is it that you just happened to have the sword of Gryffindor?"

"That's a long story," Aubrey sighed, running her fingers through her hair.

"How did you guys find us?" Harry asked, staring between Ron and Aubrey.

"It was Christmas morning, and I had been moving around through towns hiding out from Snatchers and Death Eaters, Ron and I both. We bumped into each other at this little coffee shop near London. We talked about what happened after we left you both, and we decided to rejoin you both again. And Ron was fiddling around with his Deluminator," Aubrey explained in detail.

"I heard your voice Hermione, and Aubrey heard Harry's from the Deluminator," Ron mentioned.

"And what exactly did we say, if I may ask?" Hermione asked, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Just our names, like a whisper. So, I took it, clicked it, and this tiny ball of light appeared. It flew toward us, the ball of light. So, we disapparated, and came to this hillside. It was dark, we no idea where we were. I just hoped one of you would show yourself, and you did," Ron finished off, as he looked over at Harry.

The evening came to a close, as the quartet snuggled into their sleeping bags inside the tent, falling asleep to the sound of nature around them.

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THE VERY NEXT morning, Harry had announced that he wanted to see Luna Lovegood's father, Xenophilius Lovegood. He mentioned that Dumbledore wrote a letter to Grindelwald, and the signature was marked with the same symbol that Xenophilius had on his necklace at the wedding. It was also the same symbol that was in The Tales of Beedle and the Bard book, and it was on the gravestone Hermione and Harry found in Godric's Hallow. The two wizards made sure to catch Ron and Aubrey up on what happened after they left.

The quartet stood in front of the Lovegood residence. Aubrey glanced around at the unusual, unique outdoor decor. Harry knocked on the door, hearing shuffling around inside. The door cracked open barely an inch. "What is it? Who are you? What do you want?"

"Hello, Mr. Lovegood. I'm Harry Potter, we met a few months ago. Can we come in?" Harry introduced himself and the others.

Xenophilius opened the door wider, anxiously letting them in. He took a quick look around outside, before he shut he door completely. Aubrey wondered where Luna was, considering Hogwarts was on holiday for a week.

"Where's Luna?" Aubrey asked concernedly. She had a bad feeling being here.

"She'll be along," Xenophilius vaguely said.

"So, how can I help you, Mr. Potter?"

"Well, actually...it was about something that you were wearing around your neck at the wedding. A symbol," Harry expressed.

Xenophilius took the necklace out from under his shirt, showing him. "You mean this?"

Harry nodded. "Yes, that's it exactly. What I wonder is...what is it?"

"Well, it's the sign of the Deathly Hallows, of course," Xenophilus mused.

"The what?" Harry said in confusion.

"The Deathly Hallows. I assume you are all familiar with the tale of the three brothers?"

"Yes," Aubrey, Ron, and Hermione answered, as Harry had said no.

Hermione had began to read the story about the three brothers from The Tales of Beedle and Bard. Once she was done, Xenophilius gathered the quartet over toward a table, drawing the symbol. He explained it was the master of death to hold all three items; the invisibility cloak, the elder wand, and the resurrection stone. Aubrey knew the symbol looked vaguely familiar. She remembered the Malfoy's telling her and Draco stories about the three brothers. But that's what Aubrey thought they were, stories-myths that parents told their children for bedtime stories.

"You are my only hope," Xenophilius pleaded, as he insisted they shouldn't leave yet. "They we angry, you see, because of what I've been writing. So, they took...took my child. My child." The man weeped heavily.

"Who took her, sir?"

"Voldemort," Xenophilius said.

"No!" Aubrey shouted, as a pack of Death Eaters attacked the house. They apparated out of the house, before they could get caught.

The Forest of Dean stood in front of them, as they walked back to camp, stunned at what just happened.

"Treacherous little bleeder!" Ron hissed, "Is there no one we can trust?"

"They kidnapped her, because he supported me. He was just desperate," Harry implied.

Hermione was about to do enchantments around the camp, when she came face to face with Scabior, smirking at her. "Hello, beautiful."

The brunette made a run for it, as did the rest. Aubrey zapped spells back at them, hitting a couple of them. But she didn't outrun them, she was caught. Aubrey noticed a stinging jinx was put on Harry, Hermione gave her a look, and she realized the bright young witch stun him to make Harry unrecognizable.

Harry had made a comment to the trio that Voldemort was after one of Hallows that was buried with Dumbledore, and he was too have it by tonight. Aubrey didn't think the Hallows even existed, but alas, they were.

"What is your name?" Scabior glared down at Harry.

"Dudley. Vernon Dudley."

Scabior turned to Aubrey, smiling sinisterly. "We already know who you are, Aubrey Thomas. The Dark Lord's famous second-in-command turned blood traitor. Such a pity."

"Scabior, The Dark Lord's royal Snatcher turned pathetic git. Such a pity," Aubrey mocked, her glaze narrowing down at him.

Scabior grumbled to himself. He took his four hostages, and the rest of his pack of Snatchers and apparated to Malfoy Manor. Once there, Draco was to identified if Harry was Harry Potter, seeming as Aubrey, Ron, and Hermione with him.

Draco was sure it was Harry, but he didn't say anything. Aubrey was grateful to her brother for that. She knew there was a part of him that was good.

Narcissa stared at her daughter in empathy, wishing things were different for all of them. She was happy that her daughter was able to get out of the life she was apart of. Narcssia didn't want this life for Aubrey; she wanted her daughter to be happy, and not consumed with evil.

Bellatrix's eyes drifted to the Sword of Gryffindor in Scarbior's hands. Her eyes widened, marching over to man. "Where did you get that from?" She spat.

"It was in her bag when we searched her," the Snatcher answered, pointing over to a shaking Hermione.

"Get out! Cissy, hold those boys in the basement," Bellatrix ordered, "I'd like a conversation with this one, and this little traitor, girl to girl." She yanked onto their arms, pulling them toward the center of the room.

They couldn't fight back, their wands were taken. Harry and Ron were screaming after the girls, but there was nothing they could do. Bellatrix shoved them to the ground, screeching at the top of her lungs, where and how they got the sword. Hermione hysterically cried, as Aubrey was yelling back at the evil witch's face, denying they ever stole the sword from her vault.

When Bellatrix had enough of not getting information out of them, she used her favorite method to pry information out of others: torture. She carved 'mudblood' into Hermione's arm, and 'blood traitor' into Aubrey's arm with her knife.

Aubrey screamed out, her vocal cords stung with pain. The sharp knife scrapped through her flesh so effortlessly, the red liquid dripped down from her wound. Her body felt so numb, but she could feel a sense of hurt coarse through her system. Aubrey felt helpless. Her body lay unmoving, curled into a ball, tears streaming down her face, as blood kept oozing out of her newly carved tattoo.

Hermione and Aubrey remained on the floor, but too much in pain to move a muscle. Their eyes locked, seeing the pain glimpsing in the whites of their eyes.

Bellatrix had been talking to Griphook about breaking into Grindgotts, when Harry and Ron thrashed into the room, using Expelliarmus to get back their wands.

"Drop your wands," Bellatrix ordered. "I said, drop them!"

Harry and Ron slowly dropped theirs, as Draco had hastily picked them up.

"Well, well, well...Look who we have here. It's Harry Potter. Whole bright shiny and new. Just in time for The Dark Lord," the witch cackled.

"Call him," she commanded, as Lucius had gotten his fingers ready to push onto his Death Eater tattoo.

The chandelier from above dropped down onto the floor. Aubrey had pushed herself and Hermione out of the way, just before it shattered to the floor. Aubrey hissed in pain, as Ron helped both girls to their feet.

"Stupid elf!" Bellatrix barked at the house-elf, Dobby. "You could've killed me!"

"Dobby never meant to kill. Dobby only meant to maim or seriously injury," the house-elf persisted timidly.

Aubrey smiled lightly at him. She always liked Dobby.

Bellatrix swished her wand at the elf, but Dobby snapped his fingers, making her wand fall into the hands of the house-elf. "How dare you take a witch's wand? How dare you defy your masters?" Bellatrix screamed.

"Dobby has no master! Dobby is a free elf...and Dobby has come too save Harry Potter and his friends," Dobby boasted in triumph.

Everything happened way too fast. Bellatrix had grew even angrier by Dobby's words. She took her knife, throwing it at the group. Everyone moved closer together, and apparated to a beach, where the Weasley's safe house was located at.

"Is everyone okay?" Hermione asked, looking around.

Aubrey stared down at the house-elf with the knife pierced into his stomach, tears glistening in her eyes. "Not everybody."

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