author's note
a trigger warning: this chapter will contain scenes with violence and death. read it only if you're comfortable. it will also be the longest chapter in this book. set off some time and enjoy. x

Here is the thing about war: when the last battle is approaching, your soul will ache. You will feel the end coming. You are already putting on your armor, asking the wind if you are going to commit yourself to dry earth or end in triumph.

Marina stood at the top of a staircase, glancing down. Under her, all of Hogwarts' students were marching toward the Great Hall. The children with hunched shoulders and bruised bodies were divided by their houses, Prefects leading their ways. She knew where the lost diadem was: in the Room of Requirement. But the room was enormous, and she needed help to find the little crown. The members of Dumbledore's Army couldn't help her now that Snape had called on them to meet in the Hall.

Perhaps she would be able to sneak past everyone, get to the Second Floor Girls' Lavatory, and whisper in Parseltongue without being seen or heard so she could find Nagini. Maybe the snake, who was a Horcrux herself, would be able to help her find the diadem.

A hand was smacked against Marina's lips. Turning, already bringing her knee up, she reached for her mother's wand in her pocket.

"Don't; it's me." It was a whisper, but her heart immediately understood who the owner of the voice was.

When you are ready for the final battle, your knuckles should already be bloody, your feet sore, and your throat cracked from war cries. She looked at him and understood that he was ready. He had already made up his mind and drawn his sword. Fear didn't exist in his bones. You see, he was already damaged and well familiar with hell. He had been forced to make hell his home when he was just a young boy. So she was afraid that he had come to make the hell that was war his home, too.

"They're here, aren't they?" she asked him, thinking about Tom and his followers. "That's why you're here. The battle is coming."

"The Order was called on. Harry is here, and You-Know-Who knows it." He looked down toward the Great Hall; Harry was in there.

"You can't be here, Remus," Marina whispered. "Tonks is pregnant. You need to be by her side. Imagine if you fight, and something happens to you. She needs you."

The corner of his lips tucked upward. "Tonks is here, down by the Great Hall. Teddy was born last month."

"Oh, Remus, that's amazing! Congratulations!" Both of them glowed when she said it. "I know you're going to be a great father."

He looked both proud and happy; Marina's heart filled with joy for him. His eyes moved from the staircase leading to the Great Hall to her. "Marina, I spoke to Ginny earlier. She says you are not ready to show yourself to Harry. I will not tell him that you are alive if you don't want me to, but understand that he can't live properly without you."

Suddenly, the floor became awfully interesting. "He needs to fight tonight. Don't you think he'd be upset and distracted if I suddenly arose from the dead?"

Remus began walking down the stairs. "Come with me." She followed, but with very, very short steps. "You are friends with death now. Look at your scar. Think about your family's history. You know the pain, the sorrow, the grief that death brings. Being left on earth when another is gone is probably the greatest misery. Harry has, for over a year now, carried that misery inside his heart. Don't you think that he will fight better without it?"

The staircase moved to the side, and they stepped onto another one. "Of course! But what am I supposed to do? Suddenly jump in front of him and go 'hey, I'm back'? I've been dead, Remus."

He almost laughed. "Go to him. He waits for you. When the battle is done, I want you to be Teddy's godparents."

They were at the bottom of the staircase now. Marina would have yelled and hugged Remus if they had not been standing in the hallway that led to the Great Hall. Guarding the entrance to the Hall stood two tall men dressed in black. They were wearing masks, so she could not see their faces. She found her mother's wand in her pocket. If she could get closer to them, she could stun them and knock them out without making too much noise.

Remus drew his wand, too. They hid behind a wall, and when they held their breath to be completely silent, they could hear the voices coming from the Great Hall.

"Many of you are surely wondering why I have summoned you at this hour." It was Snape's dark, monotone voice that chimed around the Great Hall. "It has come to my attention that earlier this evening Harry Potter was sighted in Hogsmeade."

Marina glanced down the hallway. The ones guarding the doors had not moved an inch. She looked past them; in the shadows, by their side, something was moving, but they didn't notice it.

"Should anyone, student or staff, attempt to aid Potter, they will be punished in a manner consistent with the severity of their transgression. Furthermore, any person found to have knowledge of these events who fail to come forward will be treated as equally guilty."

Tonks, with now bright, red hair, stepped out of the shadows. She met Marina's eyes, smiled, and waved her wand between them. Marina tugged Remus' sleeve, and they came out of hiding.

"If anyone in here has any knowledge of Potter's movements this evening, I invite them to step forward now."

They crept up on the guards. Pointing her mother's wand at the smallest of them, Marina whispered, "Petrificus Totalus," and out of the wand came a white light. The guard's arms and legs snapped together, and he became stiff as a board. Before he fell, Tonks made a line with her wand, and a blue light hovered right under him. No sound was made when he hit the floor.

Marina pointed her wand at the other man and repeated the spell, but the light did not reach him. Her mother's wand made a sound similar to the sound her old had made when it snapped. She stepped back, worried that she had broken another wand, and Remus pointed his at the guard and made him fall to the floor.

"What's wrong?" he whispered so quietly that she could barely hear him.

"It's not my wand," she told him. "I have borrowed it from someone. It doesn't always work the way I want it to."

Tonks hurried past the door, and she joined their side, throwing an arm around Marina and pressing their cheeks together. Just then, they heard people in the Great Hall gasp. Peeking into the hall, Marina discovered that someone had stepped out of the crowd.

"It seems despite your exhaustive defensive strategies you still have a bit of a security problem, Headmaster."

To think that she had dared to forget his voice; Harry had stepped forward and was now facing Snape.

"How dare you stand where he stood?" His voice was pure anger and hate. "Tell them how it happened that night! Tell them what you did! Tell them how you looked him in the eye, a man who trusted you, and killed him!"

Marina turned to Remus and asked, as if he still was Harry's professor, "Are you going to do something?"

"Wait until everyone gets here."

Snape drew his wand. Marina, Remus, and Tonks immediately reacted by pointing theirs at him, but before they could do anything, Professor McGonagall sprinted to stand in front of Harry. She moved faster than Marina could have believed: her wand slashed through the air, and a silver light rushed toward Snape. He was quick to cast a Shield Charm.

McGonagall lost her balance and stumbled backward. That was when Professor Flitwick stepped out of the Ravenclaw crowd, Professor Sprout out of the Hufflepuff crowd, and Professor Slughorn out of the Slytherin crowd. "No! You will do no more murder at Hogwarts!"

Marina heard steps behind her, and found several members of the Order of the Phoenix march through the hallway: Kingsley Shacklebolt was leading the pack, Arthur, Molly, Percy, Bill, Fleur, Charlie, Fred and George behind him, then Ron and Hermione. All turning wide-eyed when they saw her, she grinned widely, trying to shush them by pressing a finger against her lips.

When she looked back into the Great Hall, Snape was in full flight, Flitwick, Sprout, and Slughorn all thundering after him. McGonagall cried, "Coward! COWARD!"

He cast one final look around the room, then waved his wand around himself, disappearing in black smoke. McGonagall turned to the students of Hogwarts, and the moment she parted her lips to speak to them, Marina felt someone wrap their arms around her and hug her from behind.

"Little one," George whispered as he pulled her close. She turned to face him and couldn't hold back her smile. Next, she threw herself into Fred's arms.

Ron stood still, his jaw dropped. "Hold on. You died."

She pulled away from Fred, and walked up to him. "Yeah, it didn't stick."

Moving on to hug everyone she could reach, she heard McGonagall's voice coming from the Great Hall, "...evacuation will be overseen by Mr. Filch and Madam Pomfrey. When I give the world, you may calmly find your way to evacuation point. Prefects will lead the way."

A boy stepped out of the Hufflepuff crowd. "And what if we want to stay and fight?"

There was a smattering of applause.

"If you are of age, you may stay. We have already placed protection around the castle, but it is unlikely to hold for very long unless we reinforce it. I must ask, therefore, to move quickly and calmly, and do as-"

McGonagall's final words were downed as a different voice echoed throughout the Hall. It was high, cold, and clear: there was no telling from where it came; it seemed to issue from the walls themselves.

"I know that you are preparing to fight." There were screams amongst the students, some of whom clutched each other, looking around in terror for the source of the sound. "Your efforts are futile. You cannot fight me. I do not want to kill you. I have great respect for the teachers of Hogwarts. I do not want to spill magical blood."

Marina pulled away from Mrs. Weasley's motherly hug and covered her ears in panic.

"Give me Harry Potter," said Voldemort's voice, "and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter, and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter, and you will be rewarded. You have until midnight."

Every head turned Harry's way. A figure stepped out of the Slytherin crowd, and it took Marina barely a second to find out who it was: Pansy Parkinson.

She pointed at him, "He's there! Someone grab him!"

Marina didn't even realize she had aimed her wand at Pansy before Percy put his hand over hers and made her aim at the floor instead.

Suddenly, there was a massive movement. Ginny stepped in front of Harry, and following her came the Gryffindors, Luna and the Ravenclaws, then, finally, the Hufflepuffs joined in, and they all faced Pansy and the Slytherins.

"Thank you, Miss Parkinson," said Professor McGonagall in a clipped voice. "Mr. Filch, will you lead Miss Parkinson and the rest of the Slytherin House out to the evacuation point?"

Marina let out a loud groan. She looked at the members of the Order, put her finger up to her lips again, then pointed Harry's way, so they understood that they were not to tell him about her return. Before Filch could stumble out of the Great Hall, she had walked down the hallway and found her way out of the castle to the evaluation point in the courtyard.

Blue and green lights formed a circle of protection around Hogwarts. Statues of stone had come to life and jumped down from their places on the walls; they were now kneeling on the ground, ready to fight for the castle.

Marina was scared. She anticipated what was about to come. Death Eaters would break the Protection Spells and march into Hogwarts. She would have to fight men two or three times her size and women who knew a hundred ways to slit her throat. They had trained years for this, and she was only a child. But she was putting on a brave face because if someone acts brave, others will follow.

She remembered what her mother had told her. Sometimes, she forgot who she was. Marina was darkness, chaos, and fire; determination, ambition, and cleverness; a weapon. It had never been in her nature to go down without a fight, and she was never afraid to be cruel. As long as Nagini was alive, she could not die. It was now her duty to lead those like her into battle.

So when the Slytherin House, which was lead by Filch, stepped out of the castle, she prepared to be their war drum.

She pointed her mother's wand at Filch, and a simple "Stupefy" was able to throw him against the wall. Now, she was standing in front of her own house, her palms sweaty and her knees weak.

"Is that Black?"

Some students began babbling. She took a step forward. "Are you actually preparing to leave the castle?"

Her eyes flickered around the crowd. She could see Blaise, Pansy, and Millicent turn to each other.

"The other houses have painted a picture of us. In their eyes, we are weaklings. They say we are evil; that we are the villains. Don't you understand that if you evacuate now, they will keep believing those lies?"

Behind her, Death Eaters were firing spells to break every Protection Charm created by the Order and her professors.

"Voldemort and his followers have taken away our youths. Because of them, we have witnessed brutal murders and been left with scars inside our heads. The rest of the Wizarding World believe that we are like him; that we are following his footsteps and taking his orders. I know that many of you have family members fighting for Voldemort. I know that many of you have been thinking about getting Dark Marks and follow your parents' footsteps. But you need to understand: you are not your parents. You are you. Think like you. When your parents and the students inside this school expect you to be a Death Eater simply because your uniform is green, it is understandable that you fool yourself into thinking you are one. Tonight, we have the chance to prove that we are not assassins. You can leave, and be the coward the Gryffindors think you are, or you can stay, and fight for your house, your friends, and your reputation. And I'm thinking that many of you won't have any problems with battling your foolish Death Eater family. They're the reason why people think you're terrible."

She paused. Her heart was beating in her ears, blocking out the screams of fear coming from inside the castle.

"Three years ago, Louis Thomas Allen was the newest member of our house. He was the most ambitious and determined boy I had ever met. When you slept, he was up learning spells. He had the power to change the world, to change the reputation of our house, but Voldemort murdered him only weeks after he had turned twelve. You want to know why? Because he was half-blood, like many of you are. If you want justice for Louis, I dare you to stay here when Death Eaters break into the castle. Face your family members, face Voldemort and Bellatrix Black, who pretended to be my family for years. Your house is your family now. Look around you; these people are your brothers and sisters. Tonight, we stand together as one."

A loud bang was heard - the Death Eaters had broken the Circle of Protection. The blue and green light which protected them faded away.

"Stay and fight. Be brutal. Rebel. Punish those who have wronged you. Don't back down and don't concede. Let's show everyone who we really are. If there is one thing I have learned from being a part of this house for all these years, it is that we Slytherins will do what needs to be done. Use your power now. If we are going down tonight, we are doing it as savages. We are going to bleed and burn, but we won't fear. Fly away now, or fight for your home and family."

Some responded with yells. A few threw their hands up in the air. She had little time to see their reactions to her words. She ran into the castle again, needing to get to the Chamber of Secrets as fast as possible.

Speeding down the hallway, she locked eyes with several people from other houses that were too young to fight for the castle. They were evacuating, some shaking in terror, others mad they were forced to leave. She heard movements through the hallway all around; running footsteps, shouts...

Turning a corner, she nearly collided with Neville, who was followed by a dozen others, all of them wearing earmuffs and carrying large potted plants.

"Mandrakes! Going to lob them over the walls - they won't like it here!"

She responded with a nod. "Have you seen the rest of the Army?"

"Huh?" He couldn't hear anything she was saying with the earmuffs on. "WHAT?"

"Just forget it!"

The whole castle shook; one girl nearly dropped her plant. Marina patted Neville's shoulder, then ran away again. She passed several paintings, the people in them screaming and stepping into portraits that did not belong to them.

Suddenly, Aberforth Dumbledore stood in front of her. Gritting her teeth together, she thought about Christmas, when he had yelled at her. He put his hands on his hips. "Where's the evacuation point? Tell the kids they can evacuate through my pub!"

She pointed behind her to the hallway she had just fleed from. "You've got to hurry if you're going to help all of them. The whole corridor is packed with students trying to leave."

"It never occurred to you to keep a few Slytherins hostage? Take a few kids from your house? They are kids of Death Eaters."

She could feel her face turn red of anger. "Watch your mouth, Dumbledore. Those kids are fighting their parents tonight."

He grunted and tore away in the opposite direction. Perhaps she should have asked him where Darya was. But it was too late now.

In front of the staircase that led to the second floor, stood half of the Weasleys. Above them, owls were flying everywhere. Marina ran to grab Ginny's shoulder, and she turned around alarmed.

"The diadem is in the Room of Requirement," Marina panted. "See if you can gather some people from the Army. We need to find it quickly. Luna knows what it looks like."

Ron turned. "You know where the diadem is? We've got to find Harry and tell him, he's looking for it!"

"I'm going to the Chamber of Secrets! I need to get something from there. You find him and tell him!"

"Wait - you need to be careful if you find the diadem. A Horcrux is the complete opposite of a human being. It won't help to rip, smash, or crush it. Listen, Harry's been thinking about this. He stabbed Riddle's diary with a basilisk fang, right? See if there still are any in the Chamber."

Were there still any basilisk fangs left? There had to be. They never did anything to the skeleton of the basilisk.

"Okay, try searching the Room of Requirement, and I'll join you once I've got the fang." She looked at the rest of the Weasley family, "And please, please promise me to be careful and stay alive." There were so many of them, and they were all courageous fighters. She feared that not all of them would survive.

Fred smiled. He was hidden behind his sister, his hands in his pockets. "You too, little one."

"I can't die," she answered, "so don't worry about me."

And now, instead of rushing up to the second floor where the entrance to the Chamber was, she sped down the staircase that led to the basement. In a broad stone basement corridor, she found the painting of a bowl of fruit and reached out to tickle a pear. The pear giggled and turned into a large green door handle, revealing the entrance to the Hogwarts kitchens. She had seen the room before, but she was still surprised at its size; it was a gigantic, high-ceilinged room with tables identical to the ones in the Great Hall above; quantities of pots and pans heaped around the stone walls; a large brick fireplace at the other end of the hall from the door.

The house-elves were working, scrubbing dishes as if they were completely clueless about what was going on outside the castle. Surely, they must have heard Tom's voice echo in the Great Hall; the kitchens were located right under the Hall. Marina stumbled past the lot of them until she found the familiar face of Kreacher.

"They're here," was all she managed to press out, "the Death Eaters are here."

He attempted to put the plate he was scrubbing down on the table beside him, but it slipped, fell to the floor, and broke into several pieces. The sound of the shatter made all the house-elves in the room turn to them.

"I know I told you that we were just staying here until I had found the Horcrux, Kreacher, but we need to stay and fight. They are about to enter the castle."

Similar to the way she had spoken to her house, he turned to his fellow house-elves, and said, "We must gather and fight!"

The small creatures stopped what they were doing to gather around him when he jumped to stand on the table. Marina recognized Dobby in the large crowd.

"Fight! We need to fight for Mistress Marina Black! Fight the Dark Lord, in the name of brave Regulus! Fight!"

Kreacher went on to tell everyone about what was happening above them. If Regulus could have seen the house-elf now, she was sure that he would have been proud of him. He looked and sounded like he was ready to lead the house-elves of Hogwarts in the final battle against Voldemort and his Death Eaters. The name of her father made Marina's chest go warm, especially since Kreacher was bringing to mind that, although he was a Death Eater, he had died fighting Voldemort. She looked down at her arm, where her Dark Mark was. Like Father, like Daughter, she thought and turned her attention back to Kreacher.

She waved good-bye to him, ready to leave the room, but then she remembered that he could be dead, flat-out dead, in an hour, and went on to hug him instead.

"I'll see you after the battle. We'll go back to Grimmauld Place, if you'd like that."

When she reached the staircase to the second floor again, the Weasleys were gone. The stairs were still crowded. It was not midnight yet, but many couples were kissing farewell before they separated and went to fight on different sides of the castle. Supporting words were whispered, some cried, all of them ready to die violent deaths if it came to that. "I love you" didn't mean "I'll see you soon" or "I'm coming back", but rather, "I'll die before you get hurt".

One woman, however, stood alone, looking around confused. She was elderly, her hair grey, and her body crooked. When Marina passed her, the castle shook again, and the woman nearly fell into her arms. She helped her get to her feet, not letting go of her until everything was calm again.

"I have seen you in the paper!" the woman said when she saw Marina's face. "I know you, Black."

Marina was afraid she was going to hate on her because of her last name. Maybe she had been one of those who loathed Sirius or associated her family with Tom. Taking a step back, she mumbled, "I'm sorry, I don't have time..."

"I knew there was something mysterious about your passing." She adjusted her hat and brushed her coat. "Have you seen my grandson, Neville Longbottom?"

"Oh!" Marina puffed, realizing she was talking to the woman Neville had spoken so much about. "Yeah. I saw him a few minutes ago. He is helping the Herbology Professor prepare for the battle. He's going to fight tonight."

"Naturally," said the woman proudly and closed her eyes for a few seconds. "The Herbology classroom, you said? I shall go and assist him."

With surprising speed, she trotted down the stairs.

Marina determined that if Bellatrix had come to battle tonight, she would help the Longbottoms find her so they could finish her off together. The woman seemed impossible to kill: she had already tried to bring her down a few times when her anger had gotten the best of her, but no matter how much she bled, she had always been able to breathe and hear her heartbeat again afterward. She would probably need more help to finish her off once and for all.

If Sirius had still been alive, he would have been first in line to kill her. He would have been inside Hogwarts, probably fighting beside Harry, going out in the battle glad. She could almost hear his yells. Entering the lavatory where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets was, she wondered what he would have said if he knew that she had been a Horcrux - a part of the man who wanted to kill his godson - all along.

The lavatory was the gloomiest, most depressing she knew of. It smelled horrible. The floor was damp and reflected the dull light given off by the stubs of a few candles, burning low in their holders; the wooden doors to the stalls were flaking and scratched and one of them was dangling off its hinges. Marina kneeled down by the snake-engraved sink tap.

Moaning Myrtle was sitting on the tank of the end toilet. "Oh, it's you again."

"Hey, sunshine," Marina answered, then turned to the tap again, and a loud hiss escaped her.

The Parseltongue made the tap glow with a brilliant white light and spin. Next second, the sink began to move; the sink, in fact, stooped right out of sight, leaving a large pipe exposed, wide enough for her to slide into.

"There's someone behind you," Myrtle said.

Tom must have seen through Nagini's eyes and understood that she was in the Chamber of Secrets, for it was a Death Eater that stood behind Marina.

"Crucio!"

Marina jumped to the side. The red light hit one of the sinks behind her and flew up in the air before it vanished.

Another curse. He lunged forward at the same time as she did, both wanting to get to the entrance of the Chamber before the other. For a brief moment, they stood face-to-face, wands pointed at each other, and then he coughed, splattering her face with blood.

He fell forward, collapsing on the floor beside her. That was when she saw the deep gash in his back, stretching from his shoulder blade and down and around to his hip. It was, without doubt, the result of Dark Magic, and there was no way Myrtle could have done it. Marina looked around the room in search of her savior, metallic blood dripping down her chin.

Blaise Zabini. He was the one who had cursed the Death Eater. 

"You stayed," she whispered.

When he opened his arms, she didn't hesitate to go into them. His body was familiar to her, the smell of vanilla, his chest rising - but this was the first time she had really felt it.

"Hey, no blood on my uniform, please." He laughed as she pushed her body against his, her head resting on his chest since he was much taller than her. He stroked his hand through her hair. "I almost didn't recognize you as a blonde, you know."

"Don't you like it?" she snickered with him. "Think I'd look good as a Malfoy."

"I don't know if blondes are my type." His laugh was soft and gentle. She pulled apart from him, but their arms were still tangled. "You were really heroic out there, Marina. The speech made so many of us turn and join the fight."

She smiled widely. "Tell that to the Gryffindors!"

"Hey, we still don't mess with them, they're crazy! We're just sticking with them until the battle is done."

Over her shoulder, she saw it: two masked Death Eaters running toward them. She pulled out her wand. "Sectumsempra!"

"Protego!"

Blaise turned to join the fight, "Confundo!"

Why were there so many Death Eaters in the castle? There were still many minutes left until midnight. Marina ducked; a green light missed her by an inch.

"Expelliarmus!"

Blaise's wand fell out of his hand.

"Levicorpus!" Marina screamed and pointed her mother's wand at the Death Eater closest to her. He flew up in the air by his ankles.

She turned to the other man. Her muscles tensed up as they did before a kill: he had grabbed Blaise by the neck of his uniform and was using his body as a shield, digging his wand into the slightly smaller boy's side. He shoved off his rotten teeth when Marina aimed at him, projecting arrogance and brutality.

"Curse me and I'll kill him, girl!"

If she sent a spell his way, it would only hit Blaise. She seemed frozen. Nervousness seeped into terror.

Blaise realized that she could not act, so he moved: he reached his arm out to the side and then drove his elbow into the Death Eater's throat, moved his foot behind the man's, kicked the back of his knee, and they both fell to the floor with immense power. The Death Eater's head met the floor, creating a bloodbath, but Blaise fell on top of him, leaving him without any injuries.

He got up again and then pointed behind her, his eyes widening. "Marina, behind you!"

"Sectumsempra!" the Death Eater that hung in the air cried, copying what she had done just a moment before. She fell to her knees, watching a light fly past her.

Blaise screamed. The Death Eater's curse had hit him.

"Avada Kedavra!" She aimed at the Death Eater. The green light hit him right in his stomach, and his whole body drooped.

Moaning Myrtle came flying to hover over Blaise's body. She looked at him, tilted her head, and moaned before she flew through him and the floor, which was covered in blood. Marina couldn't tell if it was Blaise's or the first Death Eater's.

She hated Snape and his stupid curse. She hated herself for memorizing it and showing it to the Death Eaters. She knelt beside Blaise. He was sobbing. There was blood coming from everywhere: his stomach, his mouth, his nose, his chest which she had just been resting against, his arms...

"Blaise? Blaise, can you hear me?"

His eyes were glued to the ceiling. Panicking, she pulled off her cloak and pressed it to the wound across his torso. He gasped when she laid pressure on it.

What was it that Snape had said to remove the curse from Bellatrix? To make all the blood flow back into her body? There was no way she could remember. He had mumbled many sentences in Latin.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

As the words repeated, he laid his hand on top of the one she had clasped over his chest and her cloak. His skin was cold. His sobs became weaker, but they never stopped, so his breathing became more rapid and shallow.

Finally, he looked at her. There was fear in his eyes, she could tell. He was scared of the pain, of the blood, of the possible end.

Blaise parted his lips, and with a very weak voice, and in between groans, he whispered, "It's okay."

"No, no, don't say that, it's not, but it's going to be... We're going to stop this bleeding, and you're going to be fine in no time. Just- just let me-"

He shook his head. With the little strength he had left, he pushed her hand away from his chest: he had accepted his end long before her.

"Hey," he whimpered, and she looked at his face through tears. He looked so weak it hurt her. "You're so beautiful."

This wasn't the end Blaise Zabini deserved. He who had always been there for her, kind and helpful, deserved to live a long and happy life.

"Blaise, please... Don't give up..."

She couldn't see anything anymore because of the tears, but she could feel him reach out. He tapped a finger under her chin. Head high. And then another sob. A gasp for air. Full of agony.

"I love you, Marina."

It took several seconds for her to process his words. When she blinked her tears away and looked at him, he was looking at the ceiling again. Only this time, his eyes were empty.

Her mother's words echoed in her head: "we're not mermaids; we have not been born with a great love for the ocean. We're sirens; those who fall in love with us are doomed to die violent deaths. Our powers are warnings."

For five minutes, she sat there, watching her tears drip down on Blaise's hand and wound. Slowly and quietly, as if she could wake him, she eventually stood up. She waved her wand around his body to make a bed of roses for him. He was no longer resting on a cold floor covered in blood; he was laid on red flowers, symbols of love and grace.

Revenge what was she wanted; to run outside and take down as many Death Eaters as she could. But she needed to find the diadem first. Destroy it. So she walked to the sink, lowered herself into the pipe, and let go.

The slide seemed endless. She could hear her wails bounce against the walls. Smacking a hand over her mouth, she shot out and landed on a floor of stone. There was still blood from the first Death Eater on her face. She brought the sleeve of her jumped up to her nose and began to scrub it away, each wipe getting harsher.

"Lumos." Light came out of the end of her mother's wand.

She saw a solid wall ahead on which two entwined serpents were carved, their eyes set with great, glinting emeralds. Another hiss in Parseltongue, and the serpents parted. The wall cracked open, and she stepped inside the Chamber of Secrets. Towering stone pillars entwined with more carved serpents rose to support a ceiling lost in darkness, casting long, black shadows through the odd, greenish shadow that filled the place.

Every footstep she took echoed loudly when she walked to the statue at the end of the room. There, in front it, laid the skeleton of the basilisk. She blinked away more tears, walked up to it, and pulled a fang out of the it. It took a lot of strength to do it; she nearly fell backward but gathered herself before it was too late.

Nagini came creeping out from a corner. Marina hid the fang under her jumper; it felt cold and wet against her skin, so she gave a great shiver.

"I need your help," she began in Parseltongue. When she spoke in the language of the snakes, she sounded less weak and fragile. She blinked away the final tears. "I know who you were - or are. You are a woman, aren't you? Trapped in this body. I think I saw it in a vision, a memory of Tom's. He made you a Horcrux."

Nagini slithered to her side. "He's coming," she hissed.

"And that's why I need you by my side. You're still his Horcrux. I am not. You have the ability to sense other Horcruxes. He has hidden one here in the castle, and I need you to find it."

Maybe Tom was looking through Nagini's eyes as they spoke. There was a possibility that he was watching her right now. She imagined Tom panicking when he saw that she was alive and heard that she knew about the diadem.

"We belong together." Nagini circled her.

"You're my Horcrux. I will protect you. You will protect me. We just need to win against Tom."

Marina knew that Nagini needed to die if Tom was going to be defeated, but she wouldn't tell her. What would happen to her if Nagini died? Would she die, too? The snake was the only reason why she was still alive.

She bowed down. Nagini wriggled up her arm, and rested on her shoulders, her body twirled around her neck; she was extremely heavy. Marina walked out of the Chamber, and used a spell to turn the slide into a staircase so they could get up again.

She couldn't look at Blaise's body when they passed him. They stepped out in the corridor, and it was clear that the situation in the castle had deteriorated severely. Dust filled the air, and people were running around like headless chickens. Marina caught one of them yelling, "It's midnight! They're inside the castle!"

Obviously, some Death Eaters had been inside the castle for quite some time now: at least twenty minutes must have passed since Blaise had been killed. There were just more killers around them, now.

In fact, one of them was at her side.

"Avada Kedavra!"

The green light missed her. The other students ran out of the corridor and up the stairs.

Nagini slithered down to the ground. The Death Eater took a step back; Marina replied with taking a step forward. The masked criminal fired a spell at Nagini when she came slithering up on him, but it was to no help: it only hit the floor and bounced right back. Marina didn't need to do anything, for Nagini was able to attack him before she had even found her wand (and the snake had gone many days without food). She went right for his hand so his wand dropped to the ground, and Marina turned away before she saw any more red.

She wondered if Tom had sent him to enter the Chamber and find Nagini, or simply destroy the castle and hurt students. If the answer was the first one, he would probably send more of his followers to the lavatory right after he realized the one on the floor had died. She was about to tell Nagini that they needed to leave when she heard a scream coming from down the corridor.

"Expecto Patronum!"

Automatically, she followed the voice. The further down in the corridor she walked, the heavier her breath became; something was squeezing her lunges. Again, the owner of the voice tried the Patronus Charm, this time more desperate.

Marina abruptly felt very cold. She was about to round a corner when she saw it: shapes coming out of the darkness. There were at least ten of them, moving in a great wave to the person screaming, their faces hooded and their breath rattling.

She drew her mother's wand. It was clear that the person that was encircled by the many Dementors could not produce a Patronus.

She hid behind a wall, and then said the charm, thinking of her family. Immediately, a silver doe flew out in the air. Her head poking out in the hallway just in time to see the doe meet with the Dementors, she watched them fell back and scatter into the shadows.

The person in the hallway was gasping loudly now. Marina turned away, thinking she had done enough for them. But before she could return to Nagini, the person said, "Who's there?"

Her heart didn't believe it was him. He was able to cast a Patronus Charm - he had even taught her how to cast hers. He wouldn't have needed her help. But there was no doubt who the voice belonged to.

"Harry."

"Who's there?" he repeated. "I saw the doe. I know someone's there."

She heard him stand up and take a few steps closer to her. In the last months, she had convinced herself that she wasn't to show herself to him, but when she heard his voice, she knew she couldn't hide anymore.

Marina took a step forward, rounding the corner, revealing herself to him.

Before he even got the chance to wonder if she was a Death Eater dressed like her, she spoke, "the first time I cast a Patronus Charm was after the last D.A. meeting before Christmas during our fifth year. I had been struggling with it. After everyone had left the room, you offered to help me. I successfully cast a Tigress Patronus. When I told you that I thought about you when casting it, you kissed me. That was our first kiss."

There was no way any Death Eater could have known that. She walked so close to him that she could see his face. He looked tired - that was the first thing she noticed. His eyes were puffy, his cheeks rosy. His hair had grown long, and he, a bit taller. There were dirt and large cuts on his face. This was the boy she loved; a little messy and ruined, just like her.

"January last year, I was murdered. But Tom had made me a Horcrux, so instead of dying, I fell into a deep sleep that lasted until autumn. When I woke up again, my Patronus had changed to match yours. And on Christmas Eve last year, I sent you the doe that led you to the Sword of Gryffindor." She stopped in front of him. Her voice had become thinner and softer for every word spoken, but she still pressed out, "I've been in the castle looking for Ravenclaw's diadem since."

She was now standing right in front of him, her heart beating out of her chest.

Harry's eyes glistened when he brought his hand up to her cheek. With his thumb, he traced the pink lightning the Killing Curse had marked on her cheek. And like always, his eyebrows knit together when he saw her scars; and like always, his touch made her whole body warm.

"It's you," he whispered. "It's really you."

Marina leaned her face in his hand. Merlin, had she missed his touch. Neither one of them spoke for a minute. They simply looked at each other, scanning each other's faces, both shaking slightly.

Then, they collapsed in each other's arms, and he leaned in to kiss her. It was as if they were kissing for the first time. Still, she heard their souls whisper welcome home. Just the feeling of his lips pressed against hers, and his scent of pine, took her back to days and nights when they had forgotten about everything and only focused on their love. She dared to compare the moment to a dream - but it wasn't. The boy she loved was really right in front of her. She put her arms around his neck and pushed him even closer. He responded with taking a grip around her waist, and before she knew it, he had lifted her off the ground, and they were spinning; she could feel his smile against her lips.

When he repeated her name, along with a soft darling, she threw her head back, a giggle escaping her. Somehow, the moment made up for all the months she should have been at his side, supporting him, kissing him, and hugging him. Her heart was finally full again.

"I don't understand," he said, and her feet met the floor again. "You were gone. I saw your grave."

She held his face in her hands. His gaze spoke: how did you survive? How long did they make you suffer? How much did you bleed?

"I'm still alive for you, love."

Another kiss; then one on her cheek; on her chin; on her forehead; on the tip of her nose.

They heard a crash coming from down the corridor, and Marina was reminded that they were still in the middle of a battle. Harry bowed down and picked up the Invisibility Cloak from the floor. He threw it over them, and they walked to the source of the sound, both drawing their wands.

Turning the corner, they found Ron standing there, meters away from Nagini, terror in his face, and a wand in his hand. She jumped out from under the Cloak. "Expelliarmus!"

"Hey!" His wand flew to her. She caught it with her left hand, and he realized who had Disarmed him. "No, Marina, we have to kill her! This is Voldemort's snake-"

"She's mine!" she declared. "Nagini is the only reason why I'm still alive; she's my Horcrux!"

"What?"

Nagini slithered away from Ron. When she reached Marina, she crawled up to her shoulder again and hissed. Ron let out a cry. Marina looked down at her. "Quiet, Nagini."

Harry threw the Cloak off him. "You made a Horcrux?"

"No!" she answered quickly. "I told you: Tom made me one. He did it so I couldn't die, for then he'd lose a part of his soul."

"But she's his Horcrux, too, right?"

"Yes, so-"

Before Marina could answer, Ron cleared his throat. "Guys, you're speaking in Parseltongue."

Both she and Harry looked surprised acknowledging that they had hissed to each other for the past minute.

"I'm sorry, Ron," Marina said, this time making sure she wasn't speaking in Parseltongue. "I told Harry that Tom made Nagini my Horcrux so that I couldn't die because then he'd lose a part of his soul. I went to Malfoy Manor and picked her up when I found out about it. Now, she needs to stay by my side. I don't want Tom to have her."

"It was you!" Ron exclaimed. "It was you who burned down Malfoy Manor!"

She only nodded.

"How did you get them to think it was me who did it?" Harry asked.

"Polyjuice Potion. Got a strand of your hair one time you hugged me. I showed your face to the Death Eaters before I burned the thing down... and I told one of them to run to the Ministry and say it was you who had done it..."

"Yeah," Ron huffed, "you definitely made some headlines there."

She only looked at Harry. He wasn't mad at her. Rather, he was smiling softly. "I'm sorry I made them think it was you," she said, just in case. "But Tom doesn't know that I have risen from the dead yet. I wanted to get revenge, but I had to do it as someone else, and I thought that Tom would've expected you to be the one to burn the Manor down and free the prisoners there."

"Kinda genius," Ron said. "Do you know how many Death Eaters you got that day?"

As if it was some kind of game. Marina reached under her jumper and found the fang from the basilisk. "We've got to hurry."

Under the Invisibility Cloak, they hurried down the corridor and up the stairs.

"The others are still in the Room of Requirement." Ron said in a hushed tone. He was speaking to Harry. "They're looking for it."

Marina glanced Harry's way. He had known that the diadem was in the Room of Requirement; Ron had told him. That meant that he had no reason to be on the second floor. "Then what were you doing down there?" she asked.

"I was going to the Chamber of Secrets. I saw that the snake was there."

She had forgotten that he could see visions of Tom's Horcruxes. Now, she was thankful that she had entered the Chamber and found Nagini before he had. He would have killed the snake without a doubt.

"And then you were suddenly attacked by Dementors and forgot how to cast a Patronus Charm?"

He didn't want to meet her eyes when he said, "I haven't been able to produce one since you disappeared."

It took them a few minutes to get to the Room of Requirement. People were running around the school, mostly students, but occasionally they would spot a few Death Eaters who soon got stunned. Not many had managed to get inside the castle, she thought. The others were probably blasting up things outside; the Quidditch Pit, Hagrid's hut...

Marina was glad to be by the boys' side again, but she didn't tell them because they were focused on the battle. She squeezed Harry's hand, and he looked at her to see if she was okay.

Hermione, Ginny, Luna, Dean, and Seamus were the only ones in the Room of Requirement, spread all around while looking for the diadem. Marina asked them to gather by the door so that Nagini could find her way to the diadem without disturbance. There was no doubt that the snake scared them, but she still let her slither around on the floor, between the forest of legs.

"Use your abilities now," Marina spoke in Parseltongue. "You have a connection to the other Horcruxes. Try to find Ravenclaw's diadem. It's here in this room."

Dean and Seamus looked at her. Their faces were pale, and she could hear the anxiety they were trying to hide. The hissing traveling past her lips scared those who weren't familiar with it.

"Is it going to look for the Horcrux?" Ron asked. "Can it find it by itself?"

She nodded. Nagini had disappeared into towers of old furniture, banners, and lost treasures. It seemed like she had determined that Tom needed to be stopped.

"But we're still missing a Horcrux," Hermione said. "Salazar's locket."

Marina was taken back to the day the Death Eaters had fooled her and brought her out in the woods. When the fake Ron had asked her to give him Salazar's locket, she had happily given it to him. She couldn't even look at the real Ron when she thought about it. She had been so close to destroying a part of Tom. Now they needed to struggle with the locket again because of her foolishness.

"I can try to look for it," Harry nearly whispered. He coughed, "I can try to see inside Voldemort's mind and find out where it is."

"Be careful," Marina said lightly.

She recalled the pain she had felt when attempting to look into Tom's mind when she was his Horcrux. Was. That was right. Harry was still a Horcrux. Hermione spoke about how they only had one Horcrux left - the locket - so it was clear that nobody knew Harry was a part of Tom. She needed to tell him. But when was she going to do it?

Seconds after Harry had closed his eyes, he grunted in pain. The sound twisted Marina's stomach into a knot of unpleasant emotions. He stumbled backward, and now it was his time to squeeze her hand. Blood poured down from his lips to his chin, and she realized that he was biting his lips in an attempt to not cry out in agony. Seeing him in pain was somehow ten times worse than death itself.

He opened his eyes, and she could breathe again. "It's here in the castle. I- I think it's in Dumbledore's office." He meant Snape's. "It doesn't sound right, but I think it's there."

"It doesn't sound that strange," she answered. "The Sword of Gryffindor was in the office before I gave it to you. A Horcrux might be hiding there as well."

Tom trusted Snape, she thought. He had watched him murder Dumbledore. Maybe he had trusted him to hide a Horcrux after that. Nevertheless, she had to admit that it was odd that two Horcruxes were hidden in the same castle. It wouldn't hurt to check the Headmaster's office, though, just in case something was there.

"We'll go there, then," said Ron before she could. "How long time does the snake need before we have the diadem?"

Right. Nagini was still searching. "I don't know. Probably some time." She looked at Harry. "I'll stay here and help her."

Ron was already drawing his wand and reaching for Harry's Invisibility Cloak. "Well, let's go! We'll find the locket fast, and then we'll destroy both Horcruxes before he gets into the castle."

But Harry didn't move or take his eyes off Marina. "I'm not leaving you again," he muttered. "I can't."

She grabbed his face and kissed him again, tasting and smelling blood. She assumed speech would be impossible after hearing his words, so she surprised herself when she answered back in a steady voice, "Go, Harry. I'll be right here the whole time. When you come back, we'll be together again. We just need to find the final Horcruxes now." He still wasn't convinced. "If you're not back in thirty minutes, I'll come look for you, okay?"

Her head throbbed with every beat of her heart when he nodded and let go of her. The Golden Trio huddled under the Cloak and walked out of the room.

After all this time, she couldn't imagine living a day more without him. She wouldn't let him die, but she knew he would sacrifice himself if he found out that he was a Horcrux. Maybe they could take down Tom while he still had one Horcrux? They didn't even need Tom to die. They just needed to weaken him so he could never kill or hurt anyone again. And they could put him in Azkaban or move him to another country.

She snapped out of her thoughts when Nagini came sneaking toward her, a silver diadem around her body. She kneeled and took it off her, thanking her at least five times. Then she found the basilisk fang and laid the diadem on the floor.

Seamus poked her side. "Well, destroy it! What are you waiting for?"

What was she waiting for? Why couldn't she bring herself to destroy it? Something didn't feel right. It wasn't her job to destroy the Horcrux.

She looked at Ginny. "I want you to do it."

"What? No!"

"Listen, Ginny: I know you still feel pain from your first year; I know you still have nightmares about what he did to you. He treated you like a toy. If anyone is to destroy a part of him, it is you."

Marina still hadn't told anyone but Draco about how Tom would make her train her killing technique on Ginny when she was younger. Every night, he would enter her nightmares, bring her to the Chamber of Secrets, and make her torture and kill the younger girl, over and over. And if she didn't listen to his orders, he would make her watch as he tested the Torture Curse. Every time she looked at Ginny, she saw her lifeless body and heard Tom's voice. She wanted Ginny to destroy the Horcrux, but Ginny hesitated; she stood motionless.

"Go on, Ginny," said Dean.

Luna's soft voice whispered, "I know you can do it."

Then, Luna did something very unexpected: she walked to stand in front of Ginny, and then she locked their lips together. When they pulled apart, Ginny's cheeks were as red as her hair, and she was smiling wide. There was no doubt adrenaline was shooting through her.

Marina handed her the basilisk fang. She sat down on the floor with her, brought her arms over her head, and then jabbed the fang into the diadem's blue sapphire. Immediately, the little crown flew up in the air. A scream which could only belong to Tom traveled through the Room of Requirement. It seemed like it would never stop; they looked at each other and understood that they had to leave. So they did.

Marina threw one last glance around the room before she closed the door. The Horcrux was definitely destroyed, for black fog came out of it and it had nearly snapped in two. Take that, Tom, she thought, hoping he would somehow hear her.

They entered a duel at once. Three masked Death Eaters were firing spells at a short Hufflepuff girl. Dean, who had already drawn his wand, aimed at the criminals. "Arresto Momentum!" He hit one of them, and as a result, they slowed down, using many seconds to take a single step.

Seamus pointed his wand at the next Death Eater, yelled, "Colloshoo" and smiled proudly when it made the person's shoes glue to the floor so they couldn't do anything but pass out when he continued, "Stupefy!"

Marina drew her mother's wand. "Everte Statum!"

The third Death Eater was thrown backward and into the wall. She repeated the spell and pointed toward the one who had been slowed down.

Once sure everyone was down, she walked to the one closest to her, and stole their wand. It looked similar to her old - a hawthorn wand. She threw it to Luna. "You're still missing a wand, right? Take it. It is great for curses."

Luna put a Sleeping Charm on the Death Eaters instead of a curse. Next, they were speeding down the stairs, being just able to get to the bottom of the staircase before it got hit by a red light and blew up. The loud bangs that came when the staircase fell to the floor ten meters down made Marina's ears ring. A gush of wind and smoke rose from the floor and nearly knocked her over.

She turned to the others to see if they were alright, and found a new light speeding toward Nagini. An invisible shield jumped out of her mother's wand when she dived in front of the snake.

It was a white light that collided with the shield. The person who had created it had not wished to harm Nagini; then the light would have been red or green. She looked around in search of the person. A new light flew her way. Ginny grabbed her by her jumper and pulled her to the floor. The light missed her by an inch. This one was green.

The third floor was filled with people. Men dressed in black were battling children in school uniforms. Not a second passed without someone yelling out in pain. The small part of Dumbledore's Army joined the fight, Marina firing spells at every man she could reach. Impediamenta, Obscuro, Oscausi. There was no time to judge if a move was the correct to make. When there was a wand pointed at her, she acted or crumbled in pain.

"Crucio!" The voice belonged to a female.

Suddenly, Marina was laying on the floor, feeling knives and swords that weren't there stab her everywhere. The pain was blinding and instantaneous. She could hear herself cry out. The suffering was familiar, yes, but it had been so long since she had felt it. Her head was banging against the floor when the woman pinned her arms down and sat on top of her stomach.

The Torture Curse was finally lifted off her. She tried to catch her breath, and sobbing, she pressed out, "Get off me!"

The woman took her mother's wand from her and threw it away from them. Marina got a look at her face now: it had scars all over, the pink lines straight and curled at the edges, and for a second, she wondered if she had made them herself. "We don't need your wand now! You're not planning on being difficult! Any girl who goes to such lengths to live isn't going to be interested in rebellion in exchange for a snapped neck."

Marina gathered blood and salvia in her mouth and spat it in the woman's face.

The Death Eater jumped back in shock, and Marina was able to free her hand. She brought it to the side of the woman's head. With as much strength as she could, she pulled the woman's hair. The other hand, she used to push her chest, and when she fell backward, she brought both her legs around her neck. It didn't take long before it was Marina who was sitting on top of her.

The last thing the woman saw before eternal darkness was Marina cock her head slightly to the side and smile while Nagini slithered toward her.

It was a Slytherin student who helped Marina up from the floor. She did recognize him, but she could not remember his name. He was not of age, that was certain. She thanked him, and he smiled in return, then sped past her, yelling and pointing his wand at something or someone.

She picked up her wand from the floor again, feeling lucky it hadn't snapped in two yet. Allowing her hand to tentatively caress the spot on the back of her head that had banged against the floor when she was tortured, she discovered a large lump. No wound, fortunately. She just felt a little dizzy. Come to think about it, she had plunged to the floor the same way that the Death Eater had when Blaise had killed him. The same thing could have happened to her: bashing her head and bleeding out.

Great. Now she was thinking about Blaise. Feeling grief enter her again, she tried imagining getting revenge... Killing Death Eaters... Destroying Tom... Vengeance would taste sweet. She twisted her body around, now beyond furious, and picked up a new duel with a new Death Eater.

Tom's followers lost the fight on the third floor. They either laid on the ground or hanged by their ankles within thirty minutes.

As if he had seen what the students of Hogwarts had done to his followers, he made his voice reverberate from the walls and floor again. "You have fought, valiantly. Lord Voldemort knows how to value bravery."

Every student in the corridor put their hands over their ears. But they couldn't block out his voice. It was high and cold. The residents of Hogsmeade must have been able to hear it, too.

"Yet you have sustained heavy losses. If you continue to resist me, you will all die, one by one. I do not want to wish this to happen. Every drop of magical blood spilled is a loss and a waste."

Marina looked out. She could see the Quidditch Pitch burning far away. Walking closer to the window, she saw people combatting in the schoolyard. The fighters didn't care about Tom's speech. Things were burning, blood was spilling, and jinxes were flying.

"Lord Voldemort is merciful. I command my forces to retreat, immediately. You have one hour. Dispose of your dead with dignity. Treat your injured."

She pointed her wand at a giant running toward a little girl. It took three rounds of the Killing Curse to make him fall. The other students behind her saw what she was doing, and joined her.

Luna, who had never even stunned someone outside D.A. meetings, made a man blast into tiny bits; three Gryffindors and two Ravenclaws on her side worked together to make another giant fly up in the air and then pass out; Seamus and Dean put out a fire before it reached a student and went on to kill large spiders Tom had sent to fight; Ginny made at least six men fall to their knees. Not before Tom's followers left the schoolyard with their heads held low did they stop.

The castle had turned silent. You could hear a pin drop. For the first time in hours, there were no screams or heavy steps. The ringing in Marina's ears become much more noticeable. She began to suspect she had lost her hearing, but Luna made a comment about the silence, and she heard her words perfectly.

Dean looked at her. "You don't think Harry has given himself up, do you?"

"No." She answered quickly, but wasn't sure anymore. Had he found out that he was a Horcrux and sacrificed himself because he knew he needed to die? She shook her head in hopes to clear it. "Let's just go and find everyone."

They walked out of the corridor. The castle seemed completely empty. It felt as if the world had ended, and they were the only ones who had survived.

"Where are the others, then?"

Nearly Headless Nick came out from a wall and approached them. He led them to the Great Hall. Nagini stayed behind when they entered it.

Marina's body seemed frozen. The sight before her was enough to make anyone mad, sick, hysterical. Every time she turned, she found someone who was sick or dying. She felt their souls, their fears of the angel with black wings. She watched their loved ones either try to keep their tears trapped inside as if turning off their emotions did something, or break down, whimpering or wailing.

"Where's my daughter?" She heard someone - a mother - yell. She eventually found her. People were holding her back. The pain in her voice could be felt when she screamed, "No! It's not fair! Why didn't they take me?"

Greyness covered the row of lifeless bodies that belonged to small boys and girls. There had to be fifty of them.

For them, death was forever. Violence had been their last memories. They would never grow up, finish school, settle down, marry, and make families; see lines on their faces and grow old. Marina couldn't imagine how it would be for their parents to see her: the girl who died, but is still able to hear her heartbeat and hug her loved ones. Turning again, ready to walk out, she wanted no one to see her. But then she heard Ginny scream.

In the corner of the room laid Fred's body. His family surrounded him: George kneeling at his head, Ron clutching his hand, Mrs. Weasley lying across his chest, trembling, Mr. Wesley stroking her hair while tears cascaded down his cheeks. Ginny ran to them, and Bill and Percy embraced her.

Fleur and Hermione looked at Marina without saying a word when she stepped closer and found Remus and Tonks, pale and still, on the floor beside Fred.

She felt herself fall to her knees. She wanted to scream, but couldn't; horror had paralyzed her and squeezed her throat. Her hands gripped Remus' jacket. The very Death Eaters that had raised and trained her could be the ones who had killed him.

She looked at Tonks. Then at Fred. "You said you'd stay alive," she whispered as if they could hear her. "You said you were going to stay alive..."

The shock and frightfulness didn't stop there. When she turned, she found the members of her house gathered around dead bodies, their arms around each other's necks. She took a step forward to see who laid there. Blaise. Millicent. Luella, a girl from Louis' year. Everything turned black for a second; she knew she was going to pass out if she didn't calm herself. She needed to get out.

"Harry, Hermione," she gripped her shoulder, "where's Harry?"

"Dumbledore's office," she muttered. "His vision of the locket was a trap. The Horcrux was there, but it was around Voldemort's neck; he was killing Snape in his own office. Harry's got his memories in the Pensieve."

Marina nearly collapsed when she got out of the Great Hall. She had to lean on the wall when she walked down the corridor. What was little Teddy going to do without his parents? How would George go on without his twin? Would Blaise's mother be able to live without him?

Nagini found her again and rested on her shoulders while she wept. Marina looked at her and whined, "See where Harry is. Is he still in an office?"

It took several seconds before she hissed yes, and they set off to Dumbledore's office. Marina was in the middle of explaining how important it was that she stuck by her side when they spotted a Death Eater lurking in the shadows beside the entrance to the office.

"Hand over the snake, and you won't get hurt."

The voice reminded her of her childhood - dark years when she had been naive, ignorant, and full of hate.

"Take off the mask when you speak to me," she said, voice full of fury. "You raised me, Lucius, don't you think I remember the sound of your voice? You can't hide."

He took off his mask, and revealed a shocked look on his face. "There's no way..."

He hadn't been aware that she was alive. Well, he was now, and he didn't exactly look happy. He was still just shocked. So she changed the subject. "When did you get out of Azkaban?"

"I'm not here to chat with you, Marina," he said with a steady voice. "Give me the snake."

"No. Is it Tom that sent you?" He nodded. Lowering her voice, she dared to ask, "Does he know I'm alive?"

Slowly, he shook his head. She had been around three of Tom's Horcruxes just in the last hours, and he still hadn't felt her presence. Well, that was if Lucius was telling the truth. "He saw her in the castle," he gestured toward Nagini, "not you."

"Go back to him. You won't get the snake." She looked away from him. "I was going to tell you to go back home to your wife and son, but then I remembered I burned down that home months ago."

"You?" His voice cracked. "It was you? Don't you realize what you have done?"

She only petted Nagini. "Weaken Tom. Your Dark Lord and his followers were outnumbered today."

Then the world stopped spinning.

"Marina, you killed Narcissa."