I have no idea what would happen if a ghost flew through the veil. After much thought, I've decided that my theory is that they simply go to where the rest of the dead go, the afterlife.

Wow, so much has happened since I updated last time, or at least it seems like it. I finally watched Stranger Things (and fell in love!), I saw Rogue One on the same day Carrie Fisher died (RIP my queen, #PrayForTheFishers), and it's almost a new year now. Hopefully 2017 will be kinder than 2016! Happy New Years, my friends!

~~~~

We're apparating, I realized, even as I hit solid ground and stumbled to my knees, trying not to vomit. My wand clattered to the ground a meter away. This couldn't be part of the task. They wouldn't take us out of the maze. Mr. Potter wouldn't have let them. Starting to panic, I glanced around and briefly caught sight of tall white pillars gleaming in the low light. I turned around to see who exactly had grabbed me.

Alistair Hellion, of course. The one who had been "going in," for reasons unknown. Well, known, now. And suspected for a while. To kidnap me. I shuddered, and quickly scrambled to my feet, reaching for my wand as I did so.

"Not so fast, dear," a bone-chillingly familiar voice said from behind me. I turned just in time to see Katreena Predatel summoning my wand, her stare focused on me. "Scared, are we?"

Terrified was probably closer to the truth, but I balled my hands into fists and tried to steady my breathing. I could be scared, but they didn't have to know.

"How sweet, isn't it, Alistair?" Katreena said, circling me. "She's such a stubborn child. Almost make you wish you had children?"

Alistair laughed gruffly, then said, "Not when I've seen your brat."

I caught Katreena glare at him swiftly, then turn back to me with a smile as sweet as any I would imagine Mrs. Potter giving one of her children. That in itself was more terrifying than anything else so far, and I desperately wished for my wand.

"Astra, sweetie, there's no reason to be afraid," Katreena said, gently placing her hand on my arm in a would-be comforting gesture. She ducked her head a bit so she was at my eye level. "You're safe here. We would never harm you."

"Come on," Alistair said from behind me, stomping forward. "He's waiting, isn't he?"

Alistair Hellion walked over to a smaller figure standing next to one of the white pillars that stood out against the darkness. It was a goblin. He had a dazed expression, I noticed, not seeming to see that someone had just apparated directly into what I now realized was the front hall of Gringotts. With a sinking feeling in my stomach, I watched Katreena use her wand to direct the goblin further into the bank. She placed her hand on my back and firmly pushed me forward, still acting much gentler than I'd ever seen her act. It was unnerving.

We walked through the bank, our footsteps echoing eerily in the empty hall. In the darkness, I could make out the shapes of the long, tall counters on either side of us. We quickly passed down the length of the hall, and I had to wonder what on earth had happened to the security. It was silent and empty except for our steps and breathing.

The goblin must've been under the Imperius Curse. He was obeying Katreena's slight motions with her wand, leading us into the bank, something no goblin in their right mind would do.

I kept up a constant prayer in my head, that I was wrong, that this was a coincidence, that Stillens didn't know the great treasure in my vault. There had to be another reason they'd brought me here. Surely...

Unfortunately, as we climbed into the carts that would take us farther down into the depths of the bank, Katreena held up a small key. "Look familiar, dear?"

Of course it did; it was the key to my vault. Perhaps not my key, which I (uselessly) hoped was still safe in my trunk at school, but one of the two. I swallowed, a sinking feeling in my stomach that had nothing to do with the imminent ride into the bank.

The question that now occurred to me was, if she had that key, why did she need me? As far as I knew, I wasn't necessary to open my vault, if you had a goblin and a key. I didn't think you even needed a key, honestly. I'd known they wanted me, and though I'd claimed to not know why, deep down, I always had a feeling it was for my vault. But it looked like I was wrong, and something far more sinister was at hand.

"Hate this part," Alistair said gruffly as the cart started to speed down the track.

"Shut up," Katreena growled, her gentle air dropping for a second.

I saw Alistair roll his eyes and mutter something under his breath. Katreena ignored him. I inched as far away from her as I could, pressing up against the side of the cart as it rounded a sharp turn. The farther away from her I was, the better.

We sped further and further into the depths of Gringotts. There was no sound except for the screeching of the wheels against the track. I considered attempting to jump out of the cart. Maybe I was better dead than facing whatever nightmare was waiting below. I wouldn't make it two inches, though. Katreena placed her hand on my arm again, and I tried to ignore the shiver running up my spine.

Finally, we slid to a stop. Katreena attempted to help me out, but I shoved her hand away and climbed out on my own, glaring at her. She didn't seem fazed, taking the opportunity to command the goblin out of the cart.

"You won't get past the dragon," I said suddenly, then blinked in surprise at myself. I hadn't meant to say that, but now that I had, i squared my shoulders and crossed my arms. "It's guarding my vault from people like you."

Katreena and Alistair exchanged a look, then started laughing as if I'd told a joke. I glared at them, not sure exactly what was funny. Their laughter didn't just make me indignant, though. Why would they laugh unless that wasn't a threat?

We walked towards the large entrance, Alistair still chuckling a little. We rounded the corner, and I closed my eyes and braced myself for a blast of fire.

Nothing came.

Slowly, I opened my eyes, and immediately wished I hadn't. A horrible sight met them. The giant, bloody carcass of the dragon was being levitated away by two wizards. Its pale skin had been slashed by powerful, awful magic, all over its body. I stopped to stare in disbelief and dismay. They'd killed he poor thing. A dragon that had done nothing to anyone except suffer down here in this stupid bank its whole life. And they slaughtered it.

"Come," Katreena said, her tone more stern. She tugged on my arm, but I wrenched away from her.

"Get away from me!" Before she or Alistair could do anything, I turned and started to dash back towards the cart. I could probably get it running. I'd seen goblins do it enough. If I could just get back to the surface, I could find someone in Diagon Alley to help me.

All these thoughts flashed through my mind in the instant that Alistair and Katreena were too shocked to react. I'd hardly made it ten steps before Alistair shouted, "Hey! Get back here!" and took off after me. I could hear his heavier footsteps behind me, and it only pushed me faster. I had to make it to the cart. I had to get away.

Ten steps. Nine. I was almost there.

Seven. Six. Just a few more meters.

Five. Four. I heard Alistair gaining.

Three. Two. I reached out for the cart, as if I would be safe just by touching it.

My fingers brushed the side as Alistair grabbed my other arm, jerking me to a painful stop. I immediately lashed out, whirling to try and hit him with my free hand. Alistair dodged it easily and grabbed my free arm, pulling both of them painfully tight behind my back. I struggled, kicking at him as he practically carried me back to Katreena, who looked quite disappointed in me.

"Let me go!" I shouted, hoping someone would hear me. There had to be someone here. There had to be people above. I tried to turn, but to no avail. Alistair held me in a death grip.

"Hello, Astra Lestrange."

The voice that had spoken was rather friendly, to my surprise. I stopped struggling and glanced in the direction it had come from, directly ahead, in front of my own vault. A man was standing there, whose face didn't match the voice at all. I knew because I'd seen him before, seen him raging and manipulating and torturing. He was Henry Caymus Stillens.

Alistair let go of me, and I dropped to the floor limply. The fight had gone out of me.

Contrary to all the dreams I'd seen him in, Stillens had a cordial smile on his face, and was holding his hands out in a welcoming gesture. His gray hair and friendly smile made him remind me of someone's harmless old grandpa. If I didn't know better, I'd say he looked kind. However, I did know better, and glared at him. "Why am I here?"

"Don't be afraid, child," he said, smiling warmly. "You're quite safe."

"I'm not afraid." I stood up stiffly, brushing myself off.

"Wonderful." Stillens smiled. "We have some things to discuss."

I stared at him for a minute, caught off guard by everything I'd seen since he'd first spoken. Apparently, this is where Wren gets her amazing acting ability, I thought, then chided myself. Now wasn't exactly the time.

Stillens seemed to be waiting for me to do or say something. I had no idea what he expected, but for now, I had a feeling it would be a good idea to play along. Or I would end up like that dragon, which was still being moved. "Um... Okay..."

Stillens raised an eyebrow, then beckoned me forward. "Come along. Let us go somewhere more private." Alistair shoved me forward, while Katreena commanded the goblin to hurry ahead. I had no idea what exactly Stillens wanted to discuss. Did he just want me to find the wand in my vault? I didn't know where it was any more than he did.

Alistair pushed me along until I was standing right next to Stillens. I tried not to cower a bit. He didn't look at me. He was watching the goblin as it opened the vault door. I remembered Mr. Potter's words to me last year with a grimace. Astra, I want you to promise me, right now, that you will never give anyone access to your vault. I'd failed. But there was nothing I could do.

The door swung open. "Shall we?" Stillens offered me his arm. I stared at it in disgust for a minute, but took it.  We walked inside the vault.

It was as full as ever. In the low light, the gold seemed to shine more. Stillens walked over to an antique table and pulled a chair out for me. "It's always better to sit when conducting business, I've found," he said as I slowly sat down, watching him warily. To my surprise, he simply walked around the table and sat in the chair across from me. "Wouldn't you say?"

"I don't know."

"Of course not." Stillens smiled. "You're just a child."

"I'm not a child," I bristled. I was turning fifteen soon.

"Right, right." Stillens laughed. "We all go through that stage, Astra. Worry not." He smiled again. "Now, I suppose we should start with introductions. I know who you are, but I doubt you know who I am."

"Of course I do." Wow, did this guy know how to be patronizing. "You're Henry Stillens."

A look of disgust crossed his face for an instant, but it quickly slipped away. "I prefer Caymus, my dear. My middle name. It's much better than that filthy muggle name."

I stared at him. "All right, Henry."

His eyes turned cold. "Insolent as ever, I see. Well, I'm sure I should have expected that."

"What do you want?" My initial terror was slowly fading, replaced by anger. I didn't know what he wanted, but I knew I couldn't give it to him. I also knew I didn't want to be here. I'd been kidnapped, for goodness sakes. I deserved some righteous indignation.

Besides that, this was the man who'd destroyed my friend. The one who I had watched torture her, a twelve-year-old. He'd locked her for hours on end with dementors. She was only just now starting to recover from the psychological damage, and who knew if she'd ever be the same. If everything else filled me with anger, what he'd done to Wren replaced it with hatred, intense loathing for this monster.

"What do I want?" Stillens mused. "Many things. For one, I know the Elder Wand is here."

"It's not," I lied, looking away.

Suddenly, my head started moving of its own accord, as if some force were turning it back towards Stillens. It was like an invisible hand was pushing it. I resisted, but it didn't do any good. My eyes wide, I found myself staring at him again. Before I could react, though, something else happened.

Suddenly, my mind began whizzing through the past. I saw Albus and Wren running through the stands in front of the maze, then Marcus waving at me from across the common room. Colette practicing her spells. Albus and Wren casting Patronuses. James dancing with Ciara at the Yule Ball. Nico Jasper casting Sectum Sempra on me. A basilisk flailing about as I hit it. And, finally, Mr. Potter, his voice echoing, Your vault is where we decided to keep it. The Elder Wand.

Suddenly, I was back in the chair, clutching my head and staring at Stillens. I was close to hyperventilating. "What... How..."

He smiled, though this time, his eyes remained cold. "I'm sure you know."

I did know. Legilimency. Though, of course, I knew he'd been very obvious about it. If what Colette told me was true, natural Legilimens could enter someone's mind completely undetected.

"Get the wand," he said, motioning to the piles of treasure around us. "It won't come with a summoning charm. Once that is found, we can talk more."

I stared at him, still shaken. He'd just seen into my mind. And now he expected me to calmly sift through piles of stuff to find a wand?

Stillens sighed when I hadn't moved after a few moments. "Hellion, Katreena, find the wand. Astra needs a few minutes."

I glanced over my shoulder and saw the two still standing near the door, with the goblin. At the word from Stillens, though, they quickly started searching. Stillens turned his attention back to me.

"While they're looking, then, I'll tell you why we brought you here. I know you're wondering about that."

I didn't answer, simply frowning at him as I calmed down. A level head would help me more than anything right now, I suspected.

"Astra, you're a very powerful witch," Stillens began, leaning back in his chair. "You know that, of course. I hear you've even had private, accelerated lessons with Harry Potter himself, hmm?"

My blank stare must have been answer enough, because he nodded, continuing. "I've known for a long time that there would be a very powerful child arising. I didn't know much about you, of course, or I would have found you sooner. It was quite a bit of luck when that blasted niece of mine became friends with you. She wouldn't tell me anything except the names of the students in her year, but even that was enough to let me know you were there."

"And you didn't just use Legilimency?" I asked skeptically.

"No. I preferred to give my niece a chance to come to the truth on her own." He shrugged, emotionlessly. At least Katreena and Isaac acted like they cared one wit about Wren. "It turns out, she was more delusional than I'd given her credit for, hmm?"

"You're the delusional one."

Stillens didn't react beyond a thoughtful nod. "You're certainly more daring than I would have guessed." He chuckled. "Anyway, back to what I was telling you. You know Isaac and Katreena attempted to take you two years ago, and failed. After that, I decided to bide my time. You're powerful, but I don't believe you've discovered the extent of it yet."

"How did you know about me in the first place?" I asked. This all sounded strange. It was all stuff I could have figured out on my own, but that one question remained. I didn't like it.

"Simple. It's quite a big deal when the son of Voldemort defects from his cause. No matter how hard he tries, he'll be easy to track, if you try hard enough."

My mouth had gone dry. The son of... What? That wasn't possible. My father... He couldn't... No way...

Stillens raised an eyebrow. "I see Potter has protected you from those rumors, has he? I suppose you don't know what people said about Orion Lestrange. His mother boasted that he was he son of the Dark Lord."

"That's a lie." My voice wavered a bit, betraying the fact that I wasn't sure I believed that.

"It's only a rumor," Stillens conceded. "However, I have to say that I believe it. It would explain your power, and your father's. A child born from a man with a soul as shattered as Voldemort's will have certain... oddities, about them. Your father never discovered how powerful he was. He was too close to the source, though. Being the son of Voldemort should have given him great psychological problems. It's a surprise the broken nature of his father didn't destroy him.

"You, however, are a generation removed. Muggle blood runs brought your veins, Astra. You've retained the power, but you didn't receive the negative effects of being fathered by a man who created a Horcrux. You're, essentially, the perfection of your father."

It was getting hard to breathe. This couldn't be true. I wasn't the granddaughter of Voldemort. It wasn't possible. It was just a stupid rumor.

But... My dreams... Maybe that explained it. Maybe a father who had created so many Horcruxes had similar effects on a child as a mother who was on drugs while she was pregnant. But... More magical.

I shook my head. This wasn't true. I didn't know what Stillens wanted, but obviously this was some trick to get it. "Why are you telling me this? What do you want?"

"Well, that's quite simple." Stillens smiled. "I want to help you. I want you to discover how powerful you can become. I want to help you to greatness."

I narrowed my eyes. "And what else?"

"Well, obviously, in return I expect you to help me." His smile turned greedy, and his eyes glinted. "You could be a very strong weapon, Astra."

"You want me to help you.... Fight against the Ministry?"

"That's part of it," he said, "but it won't stop there. MACUSA has already fallen, Astra. After the British Ministry, we move to other countries. All over the world."

"World domination? So you're basically Hitler?"

Stillens looked confused for a second. "Oh. That muggle dictator in Germany eighty years ago? Not really. You see, I plan to succeed."

I stared at him, my head swimming with all this information. The MACUSA had fallen. I was a weapon. He wanted world domination. It sounded like some crazy plot out of a YA novel.

"So, what do you say?" Stillens smiled as if he'd simply asked me to choose a flavor of ice cream to eat. "Will you help? You could be great."

I didn't even need to think about it. "No."

"And why not?" He only looked mildly concerned.

I balled my hand into a fast underneath the table. "Because you're a monster."

His brow creased in (fake) concern. "Why would you say that?"

"I've seen it. I know."

"You've seen it?" Stillens leaned forward, suddenly intrigued. "What are you talking about?"

Crap. If there was one person who didn't need to know about my dreams, it was the one sitting before me now. I quickly backtracked. "What you've done to Wren. She's told me. She's told me everything. I've seen what she is now."

I couldn't tell if I'd convinced him or not. I didn't feel him probing around in my mind, though. Stillens nodded after a minute, though, sitting back. "You can't believe everything Wren says," he said after a moment. "I'm sure you know she's an adept liar."

"Thanks to you!" I exclaimed, scowling. "You expect me to help you when I can see exactly what you've done to her?"

Stillens sighed. "There's a war coming, Astra. It's bigger than one little girl, a girl who betrayed you, I might add. You need to make sure you're on the right side."

"So, any side you're not on? Done."

His mouth twisted into a frown. Before he could say anything, though, there was a loud crash from behind him. I jumped, and Stillens started out of his chair. "What are—"

"Found it!" Alistair shouted, pushing out from under a pile of gold galleons he had apparently knocked down. He waved a wand above his head as he stumbled out of the pile. My blood ran cold. I'd been holding onto the hope that somehow, they wouldn't find the wand.

"Perfect timing," Stillens said, standing up. "It seems our guest is in need of a little persuasion." I stiffened. Persuasion couldn't mean anything good.

Alistair hurried forward to hand over the wand, but stopped about a meter away from Stillens. Slowly and dramatically, he placed the Elder Wand in Stillens open palm. I watched Stillens' eyes light up with excitement and greed. "Finally," he whispered. "After all this time, it is in my possession."

"You deserve it, Uncle," Katreena said, stepping up behind Alistair. "You—"

"Quiet!" he snapped. Katreena stepped back, blinking as if she'd been slapped. "I have other things to do." Stillens turned back to me, turning the wand over in his fingers. It looked like an ordinary wand. Perhaps a bit more ornate than average, but I never would have guessed it was that special.

"I suppose you'd like to hear your options, wouldn't you?" Stillens said. It took me a moment to realize he was addressing me, because he was still staring lovingly at the wand.

"I'm guessing you're not really giving me any."

"Smart girl." Stillens pushed his chair in, still standing. "You're almost correct. You have the option of accepting my offer, and becoming a great, powerful figure in my new order. You also have the option of being forced to help me. I can assure you, that way is much more painful. And when your purpose is served, I will dispose of you."

"How do I know you wouldn't do that anyway?"

"I am not a man without morals," Stillens said indignantly. I'd actually offended him. "I reward those who are loyal to me."

"I think you've got a really messed up idea of what morals are."

"Or perhaps you do. Has it ever occurred to you that you might be wrong?"

"The people who are wrong are the ones who torture children," I said, shaking my head.

Stillens raised an eyebrow. "I'm afraid you're mistaken, Astra." He smiled, but his eyes glinted with malice. "If you accept my offer, I will reward you greatly. If you refuse, though, you can rest assured that the rest of your life will be misery and pain."

"I'll kill myself before I join you." I stood up quickly, and my chair clattered to the floor.

"You might be more willing to negotiate after this." Stillens raised the Elder Wand towards me. I had enough time for a jolt of fear to jump through my mind before he shouted, "Crucio!"

I had never felt this much pain. Everything was pain. I could see nothing but burning lights in my eyes. I couldn't even tell if they were open or closed. Everything burned as if I was on fire, but that wasn't all. It was indescribable. I wanted to die. Maybe I was dead. This felt like Hell.

Suddenly, it stopped. I was on the floor, tears on my face. I let out a moan. The echo of the pain lingered.

"Get up," Stillens said. "Now."

I honestly didn't know if I was capable of that. When I didn't move, Stillens apparently grew impatient. The same invisible force that had turned my head a few minutes ago now jerked me to a standing position.

"Now, are you willing to reconsider?" Stillens asked, his eyes dancing. This was all a game to him.

"Go to Hell."

His features twisted into a sneer, and Stillens flicked his wand again. Pain overtook me once more.

This time, it seemed longer. Though time didn't seem to exist. It could have been hours or only a few seconds. When it stopped, however, Katreena was standing over me.

"Are you thinking, Astra?" Stillens called. I stared up at Katreena. There was something sticking out of her pocket. My wand...

I immediately started to cry. "Stop, please..." Katreena's impassive expression melted into motherly concern, and she quickly knelt down next to me, helping me sit up. I kept up the act.

Stillens seemed pleased. "Had enough, then?"

I nodded, forcing myself to lean into Katreena when all I really wanted to do was get away from her. My hand slipped down to my side. If I could just grab my wand...

"Well, would you like to accept the offer, then?" Stillens frowned at me. "Stop crying."

I kept crying. "I'm sorry, I just..." I felt the wood in my hand. Katreena hadn't noticed yet. I grabbed it tightly. "I need to say..." I jumped up, my wand in my hand. I turned it on Katreena and silently disarmed her. Next was Alistair, who I knocked out. By the time I'd trained it on Stillens, though, he'd recovered from the shock of seeing me with a wand and was pointing the Elder Wand at me. He almost looked impressed.

"Tricky, tricky. I'm afraid a wand won't help you, Astra." Stillens smiled.

Katreena was running after her wand. Alistair was out cold on the floor. Stillens was expecting me to fight. If there was ever a time to run, it was now. I turned and made a mad dash for the vault door.

I heard Stillens cursing, then yelling at Katreena to grab me. I prayed no one would be out there to stop me as I burst through the door into the relatively lighter area outside the vaults.

The blood was still all over the floor, but the wizards moving the dragon were nowhere to be seen. I would have shouted for joy if I hadn't been running for all I was worth.

"Impedimenta!" someone shouted from behind me. I tried to dodge the spell, but I felt it hit my back. A moment later, I stumbled. Well, actually, full out fell flat on my face. The next second, someone grabbed my collar and hauled me to my feet.

"You're not a smart kid, that's for sure." It was a witch's voice speaking. I squirmed in her grip, and caught sight of her face. It was vaguely familiar. I felt like I'd seen her mugshot with Isaac's and Alistair's. Vane Hellion, then. Alistair's wife, I thought. She smirked at me. I must have run past her without noticing.

I could feel something warm on my face. I reached up to feel my nose. My fingers came away, covered in blood. The fall might've broken it, though I was too scared to tell if it hurt that much or not.

"I'm beginning to see why Wren took to you," Stillens said, leisurely strolling out of the vault. "You're both cowards, who try to run whenever they can."

Katreena and a revived Alistair followed him out. Alistair circled around so he was behind us as Vane finally let go of my collar and shoved me forward.

"Unfortunately for you, there's a price for trying to run," Stillens said, a cruel smile spreading across his face. "Crucio."

Once more, pain. I could hear screams. My screams. You'd think you'd get to used it after three times, but let me assure you, you don't. If anything, it's worse.

Finally, it was gone. I was on the ground again. My wand was still in my hand. Maybe I could block the spell next time he cast it.

"Have you reconsidered yet?" came Stillens' voice.

"No," I said automatically.

"Katreena," Stillens' voice said, "how would you like to try your specialty?"

I turned my head, so they were in my view. Katreena looked surprised, then a smile crossed her face. My breath quickened as I realized what she meant to do. The freezing charm. I sat up, pointing my wand at her.

Katreena flicked her wand, and I shouted, "Protego!" with the little strength I could muster. I felt her spell hit my shield, and it took all I could give to hold up.

Before Katreena could shoot it again, there was a strange noise. We all looked up. It was the sound of a cart whizzing down the tracks.

Katreena and the Hellions all looked uncertainly at Stillens for further instructions. Stillens appeared to be just as confused as they were. I slowly rose to my feet, daring to hope that this was my rescue. Surely someone had noticed I was gone from the maze by now, right? Or, even more likely, Wren and Albus had found Mr. Potter. Maybe Mr. Potter was bringing in a whole task force of aurors.

There was a loud clang as the cart hit the one we'd already had down here. Stillens narrowed his eyes. "What are you waiting for? Check it out!"

The Hellions jumped, then both hurried over, out of sight, to go see what was happening.

We waited in tense silence. After a few moments, Vane's voice filtered back. "It's empty! There's nothing there!"

"Someone must have sent it down!" Stillens called. "One of you go check on that!"

There was a scuffling sound. I frowned. Were they fighting? Now wasn't exactly the time.

I heard a cart along the tracks, speeding away from us, then heavier footsteps walking back. I'd hoped Alistair would be the one to go check above. I liked my chances with his wife better than with him.

Alistair was not the one who appeared around the corner. In fact, it wasn't either of the Hellions. I almost didn't believe my eyes, but the rush of joy and relief spoke enough on its own. The one who stepped out was none other than Professor Pouri.

~~~~

Long chapter to make up for the short one from last time. Sorry about that, again! I just couldn't pass up the cliff hanger...

Question of the Day: What would you think of when casting a Patronus?

That question is pretty personal so I get it if you don't want to answer. However, I just thought that everyone might appreciate this chance to reflect on good times and happy memories as this crazy year comes to a close! Vote and comment and I'll see you guys next year!

Haha, get it? Cause, like, I won't update again until after New Years? And... It'll be... Next year... Heh heh... Okay, okay, sorry...

~Ellie