2 May 1998

The Battle of Hogwarts raged all around them as Joni Morrison dragged her younger sister Cassie into a small alcove under the school's main staircase.

"Cassie, stay here and wait for me to come find you when the fighting is over," Joni ordered. She was about to head out into the midst of the battle, but the voice of her sister stopped her in her tracks.

"No."

Joni spun back around and snapped, "I don't recall giving you a choice. Now. Stay. Put." Joni had one foot out of the alcove when Cassie said again, "No. Hogwarts needs everybody who is able to defend it to fight."

Joni felt her quick temper rise and the sharp words on her tongue but she swallowed them back and took a deep breath to try to calm herself down before trying to reason with Cassie.

Breathe in. Breathe Out. 1... 2... 3...

Once she felt like she had her emotions under control, she walked over until she stood facing Cassie, placed a hand on her shoulder, while using the other hand to tilt the shorter girl's face up so that they could look each other in the eyes.

"Look, Cass, I know that you think you have what it takes to fight and maybe if you were a little older..."

"I'm only a year younger than you," Cassie interrupted. "That's plenty old enough!"

"No, it's not," Joni said firmly. "Mum and Dad put me in charge of you while we're here at Hogwarts so that means that you have to do what I say. They'd go absolutely nutter when they found out I'd let you fight."

"Who says Mum and dad would ever need to find out," Cassie said, a mischievous gleam in her eye. "I won't tell if you don't."

"I wouldn't have to tell. They already receive copies of all the newspapers. All they have to do is flip through The Daily Prophet to come across any news of us. The last thing they need is to find your name in a list of the deceased, and the last thing I need is for your death to be on my conscience. Now, please for the love of Merlin, stay here!" Without waiting for Cassie's response, Joni ran out into the fray.

Cassie took a step further back into the alcove, watched and waited until Joni was out of sight before she made her decision.

"Sorry, Sis," she whispered, "but I can't have it on my conscience that I just stood by and did nothing while everyone else was doing their part." With this final thought, she whipped out her wand from the pocket of her robes and ran out into the open, firing off spells as she went.

"Stupefy!" Cassie grinned when she saw her spell take effect on the Death Eater headed in her direction.

"See, Joni, I am old enough to fight!" She thought triumphantly as she raced forward into the heat of the battle continuing to fire off spells left and right. Cassie joined up with several of her Gryffindor schoolmates who were working together to stun a giant before he could deliver any more damaging blows to the castle. Her hands trembled slightly as she pointed her wand at the giant.

"STUPEFY!" she screamed; a red light shot out of the end of her wand. It joined forces with the others which helped to strengthen the curse, and finally managed to bring the advancing giant to a halt.

Out of the corner of her eye, Cassie saw what her sister didn't. Joni was so caught up in defending herself against Bellatrix Lestrange that she didn't see the other Death Eater coming up behind her with his wand pointed in her direction.

"JONI, LOOK OUT!" Cassie tried to warn her, but Joni couldn't hear her over all the other noise. Cassie, now unable to focus on her current task, watched in horror as Joni was struck with what could be none other than the Cruciatus Curse. Cassie couldn't hear her sister's earsplitting scream above the noise, but she saw her face contort with pain and watched as her body crumpled to a heap on the ground.

Bellatrix stood over Joni, laughed maniacally and taunted her victim.

"Not so strong and tough, are we now? Try to fight me like the brave witch you think you are." Bellatrix, her eyes bright with glee, laughed again when all Joni could do was twitch as spasms of pain wracked her body. Bellatrix stooped down and whispered in Joni's ear, "Such a pity," she shook her head in mock sorrow, "there's no one to save you!" Joni only managed to whimper in response at her tormentor; she was in too great deal of pain to be able to do anything else. Bellatrix stood back up and acknowledged Antonin Dolohov's presence. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?"

"I was given orders to kill every Mudblood I lay eyes on!" Antonin snapped.

"NO! I was just getting started with this one. We were just getting to know each other, weren't we, my pet?" She got back down beside Joni, grabbed her arm, and with her wand, started to carve the word Traitor into  Joni's skin. Joni's screams rent the air, the sound finally loud enough for Cassie to hear.

Without hesitation, Cassie ran as fast as her feet could carry her until she was within close proximity to Bellatrix. "Expelliarmus!" she shouted. Bellatrix looked up with surprise when her wand flew out of hand. Her eyes narrowed when she spotted the young witch who was holding it. She quickly took an assessment of the girl's appearance: short with pale blue eyes and black hair. Her gaze flicked back and forth between Cassie and Joni and a light of recognition appeared in her eyes. A cruel smile slowly spread across her face and she said, "There are two of you! Come to save your big Sissy, have you?"

Cassie stood facing Bellatrix; her wand trembled in her clenched fist. "Well, go on then, kill me!" Bellatrix sneered. "Let's see what the itty-bitty, baby witch can do!"

Recalling what Joni had told her about the Unforgivable Curses, Cassie mustered up all her strength and courage, screaming loud and clear words she'd never thought she'd utter, "AVEDA KEDAVRA!" A short, green beam of light shot out of her wand, but it died seconds after it appeared. "Is that the best you can do?! You have to really mean it for the Killing Curse to work. Here, let an expert show you how it's done!" Bellatrix nodded towards Dolohov who was only too happy to oblige. He pointed his wand at Joni. "AVED-"

"NOOOOOOOO!" Cassie screamed as she flung herself in the pathway of the oncoming curse.

"-A KEDAVRA!" Cassie saw a flash of green light and then nothing.

THUD. Cassie's body fell to the ground, lifeless.

"Cassie," Joni whispered. The last thing she remembered before passing out was the sound of her sister's body hitting the ground.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Meanwhile, in the Transfiguration corridor...

George and Fred Weasley had gone off with their older brother Bill in the pursuit of the Carrows. They had chased them over the school and had split up when Amycus had run down the Transfiguration Corridor and Alecto had headed towards the Astronomy Tower. Bill had gone after Amycus and the twins, thinking that two were better than one, chased down Alecto.

The twins were no longer students themselves, but they had recently received a letter from their little sister Ginny filled with details on how the Carrows were putting the students through hell. The words from her last letter were still vivid in their minds:

The older students have been ordered to use the Unforgivable Curses, both as a demonstration and as punishment, on First Years. I, along with many of the others, have refused. Our refusal has caused us to be the victims of the Cruciatus Curse. We are being made examples of for what happens to those who refuse to do The Dark Lord's and his servants' bidding. PLEASE HELP! - Ginny

"When I get my hands on that git, he's going to regret the day he was born!" Fred fumed.

"You can say that again," George agreed.

"When I get my hands on tha-"

"You don't really have to say it again."

"I live to please!"

"Live to please my-"

"Shhh," Fred whispered. "I think I hear something." He stopped walking and glanced around, paying close attention to the shadows shifting on the walls around them.

Fred had stopped so suddenly that George accidentally bumped into him.

"Oomph!"

Forgetting to be quiet, Fred shouted, "Hey, watch it!"

"I thought we were supposed to be quiet," George whispered.

Fred glared over his shoulder at his brother, who had the audacity to smirk in response, and kept walking.

"Freddie, do you know what we're gonna do if we actually corner Amycus?"

"I have some idea, yeah," Fred answered.

"Would you mind filling me in?"

"Not out here, I can't!" Fred quickened his pace and walked over to the nearest classroom; he peeked in the doorway to make sure it was empty. Seeing it was all clear, he waved George over and then ducked inside. George ran over into the classroom and was sure to shut the door quietly behind him. He saw that Fred was already seated with his feet propped up on McGonagall's desk.

"I've always wondered what the room would look like from the Professor's point of view."

George walked over to stand beside his brother and looked out over the rows of empty desks and said, "I expect it doesn't look much different from our point of view."

The twins looked at each other and said in unison, "Boring!" before bursting into laughter. After their laughter had subsided, Fred got up and followed George to two desks in the back corner of the room. Once seated George asked, "So, you have a plan, do you?" Out with it!"

Fred leaned in close and lowered his voice as if were to reveal some great secret, "My plan is to win or to die trying!"

George stared at Fred silently for a moment before speaking, "Really, Mate! That's the best you've got? I'd think trying to win would be rather obvious!"

"That's what makes it so brilliant!"

"By the way, you were acting, I'd thought you'd come up with something a bit more complicated than that!"

"I'd like to see you come up anything better!" Fred challenged. It's a war, Man! The Carrows have proven that they don't give a damn about rules, so why should we? I say we play by their rules. Give them a taste of their own medicine! Anything goes!"

"Just as long as we don't go to Azkaban, I'm game," George agreed.

"And besides, there's only one Carrow and two of us, we've practically won already!" Fred said confidently.

"That's what you two think," a gravelly voice said from the front of the room.

Both boys jumped; their eyes widened when they saw both Alecto and Amycus had entered the room undetected.

"How'd you two get in here?" Fred asked; his hand went immediately to the wand sticking out of his trousers pocket.

"Apparition, of course," Alecto answered.

"Hermione would have a Hippogriff," George muttered. He grabbed his wand from where he'd placed it on the desk and pointed it at Amycus. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to hear a few things," Amycus answered; his thin lips twisted into a cruel smile. "So you two think you can beat us at our own game, do you? Question is do you even know what game we're playing?"

"Is he really going to start monologuing, Freddie?"

"I really hope not. The sooner we can beat his arse, the sooner we can get back to the joke shop."

"Oh, you two aren't leaving," Amycus said. He looked towards the door.

CLICK!  The sound of the door locking echoed in the silent room.

George pointed his wand towards the lock, "Aloho-", but before he could complete the spell, his wand flew out of his hand.

"You didn't think I'd make it easy for you, did you?" Amycus asked.

"No," George coughed nervously. "What would be the fun in that?"

"That wouldn't be any fun at all," Fred agreed. "Say, all this chit-chat has gotten boring." Fred feigned a yawn, and then continued, "How about a little action, eh?"

CRACK!

The Carrows apparated from the front of the room to the back. The twins felt warm breath on the back of their necks and wand tips pressed into their backs.

"Now, I consider myself a fair wizard", Amycus said. "Wouldn't you agree, sister?"

"Yes, Brother, you've always been fair," Alecto agreed.

"So, I will make you an offer: "Tell us where Harry Potter is and we'll let you live. Refuse and we'll kill you!"

"Well, George, I don't see how we can refuse such a generous offer!" Fred said brightly. He gazed up at the lights in the ceiling intensely as in deep thought.

"I believe you're right Fred, George agreed. He too looked up into the lights as if they were the most fascinating thing he'd ever seen.

"Well, what's your answer?" Amycus demanded impatiently.

"Hold on, brilliant minds can't be rushed," Fred told him still staring at the lights.

As if on cue, the twins' noses scrunched up. "Ac- Ac- Accio-choo!" they sneezed in unison.

"Merlin, bless you, Fred!"

"Right back at ya, George!"

"You two are trying my patience," Amycus snarled.

"We've never tried his patience before, have we Fred?"

"No, I sure could go for a free sample though!"

"ENOUGH!" Amycus screamed. Taking a deep breath, he lowered his voice and said, "Your. Answer. Now."

Just then, there was a noise on the other side of the door.

THUMP. THUMP.

THUMP. THUMP.

BANG!

CRASH!

Two broomsticks burst through the door and whizzed straight towards George and Fred.

"We'd love to stay and chat, but our rides are here, George said. They hopped on their brooms and flew for the window. "REDUCTO!" They shouted, shattering the glass, and flew out the window.

"Oh, no, they got away. Whatever are we going to do now?" Alecto asked sarcastically.

"We stay here," Amycus, answered.

"You're going to just let them escape?" Alecto asked incredulously.

"No. I'm going to make them think they've won." Amycus watched as the twins flew over the courtyard, headed to find the rest of their family. A cruel smile spread slowly across his face.

The twins flew over the courtyard keeping an eye out for anyone who needed their help.

"Your idea was brilliant, Fred!"

"All in a day's work, George, Fred said modestly. Did you the look on old Carrow's face?"

"Ya mean this one?" George flew in front of Fred, widened his eyes until they seemed to bulge from his head, and let his mouth hang open.

Fred laughed and said, "Or how about the fish face Alecto was making. He mimicked her by pursing his lips in an O. They laughed, and George flew back alongside his brother.

Out of nowhere a strong wind blew up which knocked both twins for a loop. They held on for dear life and finally Fred was able to regain control of his broom. George wasn't so lucky. His broom seemed to take on a life of its own, and it was determined to buck George off of it. His knuckles turned white; he gripped his broom handle so hard. His broom continued to jerk wildly around like a demon had possessed it. George felt his grip weakening.

"Fred, HELP!"

Fred flew downward and reached for George's hand. George grabbed hold, but just as he was about to try to get on Fred's broom behind him, another strong gust of wind blew knocking the boys apart.

"HOLD ON!" Fred yelled. "I'VE GOT YOU!" He tried again to grab hold of George again, but the wind seemed to laugh as it continued to blow, making his attempts at rescue futile. The wind would have the final say. One final blast tore the twins away from each other and sent them spiraling in different directions. The noise of the wind muted their screams.

___________________________________________________________________

By the time Fred had managed to land his broom on the Quidditch pitch, he noticed a small group had gathered. Fred couldn't tell from that distance what everyone was staring at, so he hopped off his broom and ran over to get a closer look. As got closer, his heart filled with dread when he saw the somber looks on everyone's faces. Percy stepped to the side to make room for Fred to stand between him and Harry. Fred felt his world give way when he saw his mother kneeling beside the still form of his brother; the mangled remains of his broomstick lay beside him

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Fred screamed in a voice that didn't even sound like his own. He ran over and fell beside his mother, tears streaming down his face. "George, wake up! Please wake up!" he cried desperately. He reached over, grabbed George's shoulder, and shook him trying to get a response.

Molly looked up at Fred with pity in her eyes. "My dear, you must be in shock! You're not dead. Fred is! You're very much alive, Sweetheart!" She tried hugging him, but Fred pulled away and looked at his mother incredulously. After all this time, Mum, and you still can't tell us apart?"

"Of course, I can tell you two apart!" Molly cried.

"Then look at me. Really look at me. Who am I?" Fred demanded.

"Molly looked him dead in in the eye and said with finality, "George."

This pronouncement, along with George's death left Fred feeling completely dead inside. He looked helplessly over at Percy whose empty gaze reflected what Fred felt inside. He looked back at his mother who looked at him like he was her only hope in the world. He made up his mind then and there. If it's George she needs me to be, then that's who I'll be!