Sirius and Daphne arrived at the bounties of Greengrass Manor. Her home looked majestic as always and she sighed in relief. Perhaps this was all just some misunderstanding? Unfortunately, fate was rarely that understanding and she should have known better than to hope it was. The next instant the illusion of her family being safe and unharmed was shattered. The roof of her home exploded from the impact of a very powerful curse. Her breath hitched when she heard the sounds of battle coming from inside her home.

If this was happening, them the wards should be down, but to Daphne's horror they were still up. She knew what that meant, and the building anger in her chest erupted. He should have known better. She grabbed Black's hand and marched the two of them through the wards as if they weren't even there. Once past the protective barrier of the Manor, she released his hand and pulled out her wand. Sirius grabbed her wrist and twisted her body so she was looking him in the eye.

"Did Harry teach you how to make a backdoor in the wards?" Sirius asked and she nodded. Daphne cast the necessary charms so that their backup would not be detained. With another affirming nod she told him it was done.

"Take us to your room. It's unlikely that it will be any activity there. We transform into our Animagus forms. If we are lucky, and they are very stupid, then they well think were just pets and won't openly attack us. We find your family and get them out. Rescue is our priority, not vengeance." Sirius advised her with a cold rage burning in his eyes. She was starting to wonder if he was saying that for her benefit or his.

"And if my family is already dead?" Daphne challenged while stepping up to him, so that they were nose to nose. This was her home not Hogwarts; he had no control over her here. She watched as something very deadly looked back at her. The Grim within was at the ready and hungry for blood.

"Then they all die." He told her in a gruff voice as he showed his fangs. She nodded in agreement, and grabbed his hand. The next instant they were in her room. As expected it was just as she left it. The door of her room was thrown open as Padfoot and Hellcat exited in search of the Daphne's family.

"Damn that girl is moving fast." Susan Bones expressed with amazement at the speed as Fury was moving through the halls of Hogwarts on the 3D Marauder Map. Due to it being a Saturday and the weather agreeable, the hallways were thankfully mostly empty. If any students did manage to catch a glimpse of a Tempest Jaguar running full speed past them it would most likely be just a blur. At the moment Fury's dot was hopping from moving staircase to moving staircase.

Susan moved her eyes to the room Astoria was in. Four other dots were in the room with her. Two she had expected, but the other two were a surprise. Cauldwell and Inglebee weren't even on the list of possible hostiles. It strongly suggested that they may be under an Imperio. Not that it mattered. Susan had heard too many of her aunt's stories to take that consideration into account. They would be treated as hostiles until after Astoria was safe and secure.

Again Susan's eyes moved over the 3-DMM to the Great Hall to see Hermione's dot surrounded by those of the Prefects. She was giving them her orders that would prove very useful for the Marauders. Once the dots moved in different directions so did Susan's eyes move to another area of Hogwarts. She saw the dots of many of her fellow Marauders heading to the Lair. It looked like Luna got the message out and as always it was quite mental and brilliant at the same time. Who would have thought that her skipping through the halls while using a Sonorus to sing the Pirate Song would work so well?

Rising the flag on the masthead
The sails and the ropes' holding tight
The gunners are eager to fire
Well prepared for the fight

Fight, flee or surrender
Defeat you can't deny
Better give up in the first place
Or drown in the blink of an eye

Gold, jewels and diamonds
The price we'll have to claim
Noble rogues are standing
We'll never quit in the game

We gonna ride the sea, we pray to the wind and the glory
That's why we are raging wild and free

Come sing along with the pirate song
Hail to the wind, hooray to the glory
We're gonna fight 'til the battle's won
On the raging sea

No way to move your deadlocked
Nailed down by feu-eclair
Lead is carrying fire
Victory's noble and fair.

To the unknowing person she was just being…well Luna. To those that knew and loved her, she was just the right combination of brilliance and madness. If Susan's ability to read body language was accurate, Tracey Davis saw something more in the girl. If Luna was aware of that or not she gave no indication one way or the other. But the girl was always a hard read. Now was not the time to dwell on that particular train of thought.

Susan now understood why her Aunt Amelia would get such a rush out of this. No one could multi-task like her, and thankfully she has passed on her knowledge to Susan. So many variables and decisions that would have to be made by her. She would only have scanty an instant to weigh her options and possible outcomes to her decisions. It was her good fortune that Ron Weasley was at her side. He was a brilliant strategist and his eyes were currently darting across the map rapidly from place to place, a plan was in the works, as his mind work out the variables. Susan had always hung onto every word her aunt would say when she told her one of her stories. Now it was her time and this would be her story to tell, but first they had to secure Astoria.

Fury came to a stop at the foot of the stairs leading to the Owlery. The bottom few steps had melting ice on them, along with scuff marks that were probably made from someone falling. She smelled Astoria's scent right off and the direction it left. Down the hallway there were signs of battle. At the very least they left an obvious trail for her to follow.

"Fury to Lair" Ginny yelled after she transformed back into her human form, and tapped her enchanted earring. The idea was actually Luna's, and she used a charm that Lily had taught her to make it work. It was a good way to communicate with each other without drawing too much attention to themselves. She thought it was a lot better than the boy's enchanted watches, not that you could convince them of that. Harry had said it was a James Bond thing. Judging by the way Dean laughed and high-fived him, she knew it had to be another one of those Muggle things. The only problem was that they had only made a few of them so far. Only Team Leaders had them and this was turning out to be there first field test.

"Lair to Fury. My eyes hurt from trying to keep up with your dot." The voice of Susan Bones answered from her earring.

"It's a gift. How far away are they and what's their number?"

"They were in a room down the hall a few seconds ago, and originally there were four of them."

"Were? Where the hell are they now?" Ginny asked rather annoyed with this new development.

"First Owen Cauldwell's dot disappeared. A few seconds later Astoria and the other did as well. So either they are all dead, or they figured out a way to sneak out of Hogwarts." Ron told her next.

"Not bloody likely bro. I've gone up against Harry's wards remember. Only the Headmaster could Apparate or create a portkey to leave Hogwarts. I hate the old fart, but I know he wouldn't go that far off the trolley. " Fury reminded him.

"Then the only logical conclusion is that they have discovered a way to cloak themselves from the map somehow." Hermione added as she returned to the Lair.

"Wormtail was a Marauder and helped create the first map. Now he's a damn Bootlicker. Ugh! It makes me sick to think her pretended to be my pet rat." Ron growled out. Ginny shuttered at the thought that the wanker use to keep her company, in his rat form, when she used to bathe.

"Looks like I'm doing this the old fashion way." Ginny told them as she took off down the hallway.

"Enough!" One Death Eater yelled loud enough to make all the others freeze. His deep Baritone voice held confidence and authority. Even the female Death Eater that was trying to attack Gabriella stopped and even cowered a bit. He walked over to her and with a wave of his wand dissolved her mask to reveal the narrow face of the girl. She looked to be in her early twenties. He then pointed the tip of his wand directly between her eyes, causing the girl to swallow hard. His next words were cold and menacing.

"Stand down, or I will put you down. I will not spend ten hours in the Pitt because you can't control your emotions girl."

"But she- Arghhhh!"Laura protested before she screamed out in pain. He had put the tip of his wand to her cheek. When he pulled it away there was a burn mark on her cheek.

"We didn't come here for a Garden Party you twit! He got careless, and got himself killed. Probably wouldn't have lasted that long in our ranks in the first place. That's what you get for bedding a pretty-boy instead of a competent wizard. Choose better next time girl. He snapped before addressing the other Death Eaters. "You five go get that coward and her brat. You two go and get her something respectable to wear. We can't deliver her covered in blood now can we? He finished stepping directly in front of Gabriella. Her cheek exploded in pain when he backhanded her with enough force to snap her head violently to the side. Unlike Laura, Gabriella didn't cry out. She slowly turned her head to look at where he though his eyes might be behind his mask. She shot daggers of defiance at him. She would not be humbled quite so easily as the other girl was. He must have received her silent message, because he let out a small chuckle at her resolve.

"Behave yourself or my next curse will be in a place not usually seen…understand?" He stepped close to her and threatened. This time it was Gabriella that chuckled.

"Oh isn't that precious, you think I'm scared of your lot. Just so there is no misunderstandings, I don't make deals with dead men…Bootlicker." Gabriella taunted in a whimsical tone that unnerved the man a little though he didn't visibly show it.

"Woman you are in no position to be so patronizing!" He countered with a snarl.

"Let me teach the Blood Traitor some manners Devon?" the one he called Laura finished with a hiss. Gabriella threw her head back and laughed boldly. It was very unnerving to some of them, and their new leader took a step back in confusion. When Gavriella lowered her head, her eyes were deadly as ever even if her voice was still light and carefree. A combination that was very upsetting to say the least.

"You silly little twit of a man, in an hour your collection of wannabe's will be rotting in the sun. I on the other hand will be making passionate love with my man."

"What, that coward that ran and left you alone to fight us?" Devon laughed out his question. Gabriella's Animagus enhanced hearing could hear the sound of clawed paws on her hallway floors approaching in a hurry. She smiled sinisterly at her captors.

"Make that twenty." She added with a schoolgirl like giggle.

"No man's going to want you after this!" Laura howled as she hit Gabriella with an orange colored curse in her stomach. She screamed out in agony as her insides felt like they were on fire. Gabriella's legs soon gave out and she crumbled to the floor holding her stomach.

All the Death Eaters attention was on the sudden attack. Subsequently they didn't see the black furry figure round the corner and leap at the one attacking the love of his life. Padfoot's fangs ripped into the soft flesh of her neck. The momentum of his attack caused the girl to spin around and spray her blood on her fellow Death Eaters. Padfoot landed with a large portion of her ripped out throat in his fangs. He growled menacingly as he positioned himself between them and Gabriella.

"IT'S A BLOODY GRIM!" One of them cried out. The Wizarding Worlds omen of death, and the superstitious ones in the group took a large step back. The Grim was obviously protecting her. Only one in their ranks had the good sense to flee the manor and the cursed mission.

Devon was one of the few that didn't seem shocked by the growling animal in front of them. He aimed his wand at the new threat before them. Padfoot lunged at the same time his Killing Curse left his wand. The curse missed its mark as Sirius transformed back into human form step to the side of him and buried his wand into the man's gut.

"Denotate!" Sirius yelled and the short lived leader of the Death Eaters body exploded on his own troops. The two directly behind him body were cut to shreds as thousands of his bone fragments ripped though their bodies. The curse was in its origin, created to destroy the bodies of Inferi. It was believed that it would not work on a living thing. Not that Sirius cared all that much at the moment.

Hellcat came to a sliding halt next to her mum and turned back human. Not that Gabriella seemed to notice her presence at all, the pain in her stomach had not lessened that much. She was very pale and her eyes were starting to glaze over.

"Not today…Not…To …Day!" Daphne cried out as tears freely flowed out her eyes. With a shaky hand she reached inside the lining of Harry's trench and did as Ginny suggested. She wasn't sure what curse her mum was hit with, so she mentally asked for the most powerful healing potion available. The next second she felt a flask in her hand.

"Here mum drink this." Daphne encouraged Gabriella as she put the flask to her mum's lips. She drank it down in a daze. Almost immediately the pain started to subside and her eyes became their vibrant lagoon blue.

"My sweet girl," Gabriella said as she reached across and wiped the tears off her daughter's cheek with a half smile. Daphne brought up her own hand and inter locked their fingers.

"Don't scare me like that again." She scorned with a half smile of her own.

"Well it's not a party until someone gets cursed." Mother joked to daughter. Despite of the situation Daphne couldn't help but chuckled a little.

"COME AND DIE!" Sirius roared and both women looked at him. He was fighting like a madman against the Death Eaters. He buried a dagger into the mask of one of them while deflecting a curse into another one. He followed through by kicking the one that was directly in front of him in the chest. The force of the hit sent him over the railing of the balcony and he landed with a vibrant crack.

"There's my scoundrel." Gabriella almost purred as her eyes stayed glued to the man's every move. His hair was flowing as wild as her heart was now beating. Daphne's eyes stayed for a very different reason. He was fighting for her mum. She knew deep inside that if death claimed him, he would have no regrets. For he would have died protecting the woman that he loved. The simple act spoke so true and pure.

The man's cryptic answers made so much sense now. He had said that he had not fallen back in love with her mum, and that was because he had never fallen out of love with her. She looked back at her mum and her eyes said it all. Perhaps it was from spending so much time around Harry and Ginny that she was able to recognize the unconditional love radiating off her mum. That realization brought clarity and an overwhelming sense of guilt. She had been acting like such a child the last few weeks.

"If today proved anything, it's that life is too bloody short mum."

"What?"

"Follow your heart."

"But the-"

We'll deal… you just be happy."

"You've changed."

"Yeah, I've got some really good friends now." Daphne told her and her mum nodded in understanding. She helped her Gabriella to her feet.

"Well if that's all sorted. Why are we letting Suri have all the fun?" She asked her daughter as she moved her hair to the side, reached back and pulled her spare wand from the hidden pocket in her dress. Daphne's mouth dropped in shock, and then she shook her head smiling. She was going to have to get the name of her seamstress. Gabriella gave her daughter a wink.

"Seven went that way so be careful, Jade's you priority now. Suri and I will deal with this lot."

"I love you mum."

"I love you too sweetheart, now go."

Peter ran into one of the Keeps that they were using to house and train their new recruits. He had half hoped that they were celebrating a successful mission. What he found were twenty or so recruits gathered around one with tattered robes. An obvious sign that Greengrass didn't come willingly.

"What happened here? Where is the woman?" He demanded of the lesser Death Eaters. They immediately parted a path for him. The one standing the closest to the one that returned spoke up first.

"Pettigrew, he just returned spouting something about the mission being cursed."

"Where's Avery?" Peter asked, ignoring the others and focusing on one before him.

"Dead! She killed him. Then she blew off the roof and killed another ten with a cyclone in her own damn house. We managed to capture her, but a bloody Grim showed up and ripped poor Laura's throat out. He was protecting her. I got the hell out of there. I'm not going up against that kind of Mojo!"

"Crucio!" Peter yelled and hit the pathetic excuse for a Death Eater with the Unforgivable. The man howled and withered on the floor in pain. Realizing he was wasting time Pettigrew released the halfwit. "That was an Animagus not a grim you idiot! I should have known that he would have shown up. He probably brought with him the bitch or brat." Peter said the last part to more to himself than the others. There was still a way that he could salvage this.

"Alright you lot! We have a new mission! We kill everyone and the spoils are yours to claim!" Peter yelled at the recruits and got a rowdy cheer of approval. Greed was such a useful tool. He didn't expect many of them to survive, but they were expendable. So long as he could bring back a primary target to the Dark Lord.

"Are you sure that this is going to work Blaise?" Millicent asked as she looked over her shoulder for the twelfth time.

"Relax will ya. Pettigrew said this spell will fool that damn map of theirs. Apparently he helped make the damn thing." Zabini told her not bothering to hide his annoyance at her worry or the question. It still irritated him that the reason Granger and Weasley were always able to catch them when they were out of bounds after hours were because they had that damn map.

Astoria Greengrass was under the control of an Imperius Curse and walking obediently in front of them. Her orders were simple and quite lethal. She was to throw herself off the Astronomy Tower screaming The Darks Lord's will be done. Bulstrode was happy to put her under the Unforgivable. A little payback for what she did to her at the Owlery.

"STOP!"They heard a feminine voice yell from behind them as they came to a stop at the stairs leading up to the Astronomy Tower. Astoria was already on the first step. With a few intricate waves of Blaise's wand a barrier was placed so no one could follow.

"So much for us having a viable alibi." Duncan growled out as he turned around to face who was yelling at them. He wasn't all that surprised to see who had found them. The girl always was a right pain in the arse.

"ASTORIA!" Ginny Weasley yelled at her fellow Marauder from the other end of the hall. Astoria looked back as her for just a moment before continuing up the stairs. Even at the far distance Ginny could see her eyes were hazed over. The most oblivious sign she was under an Imperius Curse, as well as what they planned for her to do. "Astronomy Tower!" Ginny yelled so her enchanted earrings could alert the others of her location.

"Just how did you find us?" Millicent asked with a scoff as she stood next to Duncan. She was followed by Zabini. The three of them stood shoulder to shoulder against the redhead. Ginny advanced with no visible signs that she was concerned about being outnumbered and alone.

"Found Cauldwell, the Dung Bomb was a nice touch, but I have six brothers." Ginny told them as she waved her hand in front of her nose as if disbursing a foul smell before continuing. "You'll have to do better than that, besides Bulstrode's stench is quite unique. Kind of a combination of Troll pits and arse. Milli are we not feeling quite fresh today?" Fury mocked with false bravado. She had pushed Fury hard getting there and was a little winded. Plus, the three of them were ready for her and she knew it. They were caught and they wouldn't be holding back. She had no idea how long it would be before her backup was going to get there. Ginny pushed that all aside; Astoria was her only concern right now. Daphne was counting on her, and by Merlin's left nut she wasn't going to fail her.

"Fuck you skank!" Bulstrode yelled as a Basting Curse shot towards Ginny. She sidestepped without breaking her stride. Ginny's Bat-Bogey Hex was sent at her with no real intent other than distraction and deception. It was what she was famous for, and they would underestimate her. Zabini threw up a shield and bought Ginny the time to conger a Gale Wind and sent it in their direction. Several suits of armor flew at them, and Zabini and Bilstrode were forced to destroy the metal projectiles.

Duncan was caught off guard by the massive wind, and was thrown back into the protective barrier. Ginny was hoping that would happen. He screamed out bloody murder, as the flesh of his body started to rot away. Fury repressed the rising urge to empty her tummy of breakfast, and closed the gap.

"Forget him! Kill her before the rest of them get here!" Blaise Yelled at Millicent as he shot a Killing Curse at Weasley. She had to roll under it to keep from getting hit; then dive to the side to avoid Bulstrode's curse. Thankfully Harry had trained her on how to avoid being hit. She wasn't going to waste time and precious magic on a shield when she could easily out maneuver them. Drawing on Fury's speed and reflex's, Ginny stood up and marched down the hall out in the open.

The two Slytherin's just laughed and opened fire on her. Ginny danced around the certain death they were sending at her with surprising ease. The closer she got to them the more erratic the curses became. While Bulstrode desperation had started to cast more unreliable and with little too no luck, Zabini chose to change tactics. He summoned several lethal snakes and sent them at her. Thinking swiftly Ginny conjured a wall of fire that the snakes were all caught in. She dropped to her knees as one of Bulstrode's curses left a gash on her leg. Where the bloody hell was her backup?

"Finite!" Millicent called out and the flames dissolved away. They both took a step back as the sight of two redheads before them. Lily Potter was helping Weasley to her feet without taking her eyes off them.

"They Imperiused Astoria, I think she going to jump off the tower." Ginny told her in a frantic voice, as she healed the wound on her leg.

"Who casted the barrier?" Lily inquired of her son's girlfriend.

"That wanker over there." Ginny told her as she pointed to Zabini.

"He's mine," Lily said in a cold and deadly tone. The two spared a quick glance at each other. They both seemed to be having the same idea. As two Killing Curses headed their way, a Lioness and Tempest Jaguar charged under them. The two Slytherin's were caught completely off guard by their sudden transformation and speed.

Fury found her prey first and pounced on her. She released an electrical pulse through her paws and the Millicent convulsed under it. Blaise pointed his wand at the silver jaguar with a Killing Curse on his lips, but Pride transformed into her Hybrid form and snapped his wrist with relative ease. Her other clawed hand gripped him around his throat and lifted him off the floor. She had forgotten the primal side of this form and it was taking all of her control not to rip his head off. Fury must have sensed that and transformed back into a human. Bulstrode was still conscious, but twitching on the floor and no longer a perceivable threat.

"Lily! He's the only one who can cancel the barrier." Ginny pleaded with Lily and got a low and threatening growl as her response. On some level she must have gotten threw because she transformed back. As Blaise dropped down, Lily's knee went up and caught him in his boy's. His eyes bulged out before he dropped on the floor holding himself.

"Oh quit you crying, it's not like you used them all that much to begin with." Ginny snapped at him before addressing Harry's mum. "How do we get past the barrier?"

"I have an idea." Lily told her with a smirk as she pulled the sleeve of Zabini's shirt back to revile the Dark Mark. She pulled him to his feet and shoved him into his own barrier. He yelled out in pain. Keeping a hold on him, Lily was able to pass through the barrier unharmed. She looked back a Ginny with a shrug.

"Will that work for me?" Ginny asked as she moved towards the barrier, but Professor Potter held out her hand for her to stop.

"Let's not risk it. I'll go." Lily advised before running up the stairs.

Sirius and Gabriella were fighting side by side as Daphne left to find her sister. In her room she found what remained of a small House-elf that most likely died protecting Jade. The trail of destruction wasn't to terribly difficult to follow. If she wasn't mistaken it was leading to her family's vault. If she knew her dad, he was probably trying to get the two of them within the safety of the magically fortified room. Thankfully Daphne knew a shortcut to the vault. When she got there the door was open and Jade was trying frantically to pull the door shut. Her father was hiding behind a desk firing stunners wildly at the group of Death Eaters. He wasn't even getting close to them, but they were for the moment detained from advancing on their position.

She remembered George telling Harry about him improving his portable swamp grenade to have some shocking results. She reached into Harry's amazing coat and pulled a grenade that said Shocking Swamp. Daphne pulled back and threw it at the Death Eaters. It landed a few feet short and the group of them laughed at her bad throw. Then the thing exploded and the hallway was filled with a swamp that they were trapped in. A few of them gawked in disgust before the second delayed grenade hidden inside of the other one went off. The swamp water was pulsating with electricity, and they all were fried six ways to Sunday.

"George I'm so going to snog you the next time I see you," Daphne said out loud as she watched the sight. Jade came running up to her as Marcus looked on at the disarray caused by what just happened.

"How the hell, never mind we need to lock ourselves in the vault before more get here." Marcus said as he came up to his daughters. He wasn't sure how Daphne got here, but he was just grateful that she was.

"The wards won't keep them out. They're here to make an example and more could be on the way. We need to get to Hogwarts now!" Daphne corrected as she picked up her little sister and handed her to him. He gave his daughter a nod before carrying his other daughter down the hall. Daphne followed close behind to cover their backs. As they reached the destroyed front door, the house was void of the sounds of battle. Daphne looked to where Sirius and her mum were fighting to see the bodies of fallen Death Eaters sprawled all over the place. Marcus covered Jade's eyes to spare her the gruesome sight. In the middle of all the carnage of a viciously fought battle were Sirius and Gabriella. They were back to back, but when their last enemy fell they slowly turned to the other.

Gabriella cradled his faced in her hands, as his arms wrapped around her. The silent and poetic moment held a purity and truth that was undeniable. She was wearing his Basilisk skin trench coat, and it bore the scorch marks of curses on it. Sirius' refined cloths had gashes and burn marks on them. They were also stained with what Daphne hoped was not his own blood. She suspected he was in a good amount of pain, but he showed no sign of it at the moment. The two lost lovers were finally in the others arms.

"I knew you would come for me." Gabriella told him in a tone that barely contained her emotions.

"Always" Was all Sirius had managed to get out before their lips met in a passionate kiss that made the destruction around them melt away. Sirius hand went to the back of her neck. It was smooth and he felt no trace of the evil rune there. He didn't know how but she was free. That was all that mattered, plus the feel of her inviting body pressed up to his was simply brilliant. He never wanted to end.

Marcus's regret for how he had wronged them made him turn from the sight. He was no more than three steps out of his house when he saw a large group of Death Eaters heading toward him. On instinct he turned and threw Jade at Daphne.

"DAPHNE!" He cried out as his youngest flew to his oldest. Daphne caught Jade and was forced to look on as the form of her father was illuminated by the green light coming from all the Killing Curses heading their way. Everything seemed to slowdown for the two girls as they watched the last seconds of their father's life play out. He was struck in the back and teetered for a bit before falling dead on the steps of his own home. Daphne screamed out but no sound escaped her mouth. She barely registered Sirius and her mum rushed past her and fired curses back at them.

She looked down to see Jade clinging to her leg while crying. It seemed to shake Daphne from her haze. Daphne removed Harry's trench coat. She still didn't know how the thing worked, but she was willing to put her faith in it. Daphne made a silent plea for it to keep her sister safe, and placed it around Jade. The child sunk into the lining just like Harry's motorcycle did the first day of school. Daphne just shook her head as she put the coat back on.

"Where's Jade?" Gabriella asked between ducking and firing curses.

"Safe and sound inside this coat for now, but we have to get the hell out of here mum." Daphne told her as she fired a Reducto and took satisfaction when her target exploded.

"Nice shot sweetie, a suggestion would be lovely right about now." Gabriella answered rather cheekily as she sent another curse at their unwanted guests.

"We were supposed to have backup arriving." Daphne told her as they both ducked to avoid a purple colored curse.

"Pup likes to be fashionably late, but he always shows up at the right time." Sirius shot over at them.

"IIIEEEEEEE YAYAYA!" From the behind the Death Eaters they heard a Goblin battle cry.

"Told ya."

A Death Eater turned around to see what made that noise, only to be cut in half shoulder to hip by a flying female Goblin. Hesta landed past him rolled and cut the legs off of another Death Eater at the knees. He fell to the ground and was decapitated with a quick slash of Hesta's razor sharp blade, before she kicked the head at her next victim. The female Death Eater caught the head in her hands, then screamed and dropped it. Not far away three more of their ranks were cut down by rapid fire from a Muggle weapon firing small metal projectiles.

"Oh I love this thing!" Fred yelled at George.

"Quit showing off for your girlfriend and clear a bloody path already." George yelled as he revved Harry's motorcycle. Fred concentrated on a area. Death Eaters were diving out of the way to prevent getting hit by the bullets.

"One pathway coming up." Harry yelled from behind them and touched his wand to the ground. Two massive wall of stone spikes shot out of the ground seven feet high and ten feet deep. It made a clear path to the front door of the house. He mouthed you owe me to George and pulled his Moonblades out, and ran into the fray. George wasted no time and raced forward. Fred and Hestia took one side of the pathway while Harry took the other side.

Sirius saw what his godson was going for. It was a Transfiguration Charm of James's design. He leaned into Gabriella and for a second she thought he was going to kiss her their lips were so close. He reached into inside his coat and pulled out a long Muggle RPG Rocket. "Thanks luv." He whispered in her ear and gave her a wink before aiming it at the biggest collection of Bootlickers.

"Say hello to my little friend!" Sirius yelled like Scarface before firing it at them from his hip. It rocketed at the group and a curse met it two thirds of the way there. It made little difference as ten or so Death Eaters were blown up. Gabriella couldn't help but laugh. She had almost forgotten how much he liked doing impressions.

The beauty of Harry's Moonblade's was that not only did they cut through Bootlickers like butter, but he could channel his magic through them as well. The hilts that were carved Basilisk fang ensured it. The one in his left hand glowed like a Protego, and the one in his right crackled with electricity. Neither charms required wand movement so they were the perfect combination to use in battle. He used both to their full advantage as the first group recruit fatally discovered. The first fell when Harry's cut open his gut and deflected a curse that would have killed him with his other blade. The curse hit another Bootlicker that was standing next to the caster of the lethal curse. While this was going on George came to a squealing halt at the foot of the steps.

"Hey Blondie! Want to go for a ride." George yelled up at Daphne with a wink.

"Is this a trick question?" She asked while running down the steps and hopped on the back.

"I could go for a ride myself." Gabriella suggested with a playful smile at Sirius. He reached inside his coat again while making sure he rubbed up against her in the process. Gabriella rolled her eyes in mock protest. She was enjoying it as much as her scoundrel was. He pulled out his own motorcycle and enlarged it. Sirius hopped on and Gabriella climbed on after him. She wrapped her arms around him tightly. By the smile on Sirius's face he was enjoying the feel of her breasts against his back. He and George shared a look that told Daphne he was taking delight in the feel of her breasts against him as well.

"Will the both of you quite perving and get us out of here. We're in the middle of a battle, or have you forgotten?" Daphne scorned.

"Boys will be boys and that's why we love them." Her mum giggled out and winked at her as they both took off.

Peter ordered the remaining recruits to attack Potter then transformed into a rat. He saw the way this battle was going. The goblin was to small and swift for his men to get a clear shot at. Her attacks were lethal and she wasn't above using them as shields. The redheaded boy was using a Muggle machine gun with devastating results. A Protego worked but it was only as good as its user. They weren't fighting like Aurors do and that was what they had been training the recruits for. His only chance was to get close to Potter and curse him when his guard was down and he was exposed.

Harry watched as Sirius and George raced off. The remaining Bootlickers were Apparating out. He cancelled his charm and put his Moonblades away. Only then did he let out a sign of relief. They got lucky. These ones were not as well trained as the ones he faced at Diagon Alley with Sirius.

"Well this was fun." Hesta told Harry as she walked up to Fred and gave him a suggestive smile with an obvious eye brow wiggle. "Fancy some more?" Fred grinned and looked to Harry.

"Go, were done here." He chuckled and waved them off. They didn't need to be told twice and Apparated back to Fred's house for some hot sex. Harry turned his back to the lawn full of dead Bootlickers to do the same. Peter swiftly turned back into a human and fired a curse at Harry's back.

For some reason that Draco still couldn't understand, he did not leave the Astronomy Tower after the sunrise. That was his usual routine, but for some reason he lingered today. He just had a feeling that he needed to be here. He spent the time looking at the students going about their Saturday without a care in the world. He wished he could have their delusions of a carefree life for an hour or so. Or perhaps meet someone that could make him laugh and remind him why he got up every morning.

So in this deep thought was he that he barely heard the soft steps coming from the stairs. It was when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye that he was aware someone was even there. A Slytherin fifth year girl passed him by with not so much as a nod of recognition. If he wasn't mistaken that was Daphne's little sister.

"Astoria?" Draco called out and hoped he got the name right. Without breaking her stride she looked over at him with a blank look. Draco eyes widened as he saw the glazed over look in her eyes. She was under the Imperius, and heading for the ledge. Just as he feared she started to climb up on it with no sign of logical fear.

"Astoria! What do you think you are going?" Draco asked as he advanced on her. The brunette looked back at him. She looked so content and at ease that it sent a chill down his spine. She was now standing on the ledge with one foot extended.

"The Dark Lord's Will, be done." She answered in a soft voice that for a brief second held a sliver of panic to it. Somewhere deep inside she must have known this was wrong. She was fighting against it. That much she was certain. A tear escaped her eye as she turned back around to finish her task.

"Astoria wait! Remember last Christmas in the common room. You tripped and I helped you up. Then one of your friends conjured some Mistletoe over us." Draco reminded her as he inched closer to her. Her lips curved up slightly as she remembered her first kiss.

"I know I never said anything, and acted like it was a bother. But the truth is that it was really nice. Your lips were really soft." He continued and her unhurried smile broadens. He chanced a few more steps towards her.

"And I really liked it when you slipped me the tongue." Draco lied and hoped it would have a certain effect on her. She snapped her head back at him with an indignant look on her pretty face.

"I did no such thing!" Astoria scorned.

"Welcome back beautiful." Draco cheered and found that until now he didn't realize how accurate what he said was. Astoria blushed a little before the reality of where she was standing set in. It was followed by a death gripping fear that made her freeze. "Stay still! I'll get you down."

"You do that and you won't need mistletoe to snog me." Astoria told him in a very shaky voice. She had never noticed just how windy it was up here until your life was on the line. She was having a hard time keeping her balance.

"My days looking up already." Draco joked as he closed the gap and extended his hand for her to take. Just as she was about to take it her foot slipped and Astoria fell. Not having time to think about it. Draco acted on instinct and lunged for her arm. He caught it, but wasn't prepared for her weight and was pulled down as well. He just managed to lock his arm and one of his legs on the ledge.

"I don't want to die!" Astoria cried out as she looked down at the height she was dangling from. She hardly noticed a small group of first years returning from the Greenhouse. They all ran to get a professor, save one.

"I got you!" Draco reassured her and secretly wished that he had taken Black's advice about doing more pushups. He started to pull her up but ended up losing his foot hold instead. Astoria screamed as he slide out so only his one arm was holding them up.

"Draco you can't hold both our weights." Astoria told him after realizing it was only a matter of seconds before it was over for the both of them. Maybe it wasn't her fate to survive the day? Was she really going to take Draco with her? She looked up at him with perfect clarity. Their eyes met and he realized what she was planning before her hand let go of him.

"NO!" Draco yelled as he tightened his grip on her wrist. He wasn't going to let her go. For once in his miserable life he was going to do the right bloody thing. Unfortunately, for him Astoria mind set was on a similar goal, but in a completely different direction. She pulled her leg up as she reached down with her free hand. Her fingers slipped the shard of glass from her shoe. The irony of the whole thing was she hid the glass there so it could passable save her life. Now she was using it to save Draco's life while ending hers, and he was the bloody enemy.

"Let me go." She asked of him in a completely calm and decided tone. A tear ran the length of her cheek before continuing its long journey to the ground below.

"We just have to hang on a little bit more. Someone will come." He pleaded with her. She knew the ones that were most likely to come, and they would kill him for helping her. She had to do this. Astoria slashed his forearm with her shard of glass. Draco cried out, but didn't release her. She hit him again and again and then again, but he wouldn't let her go. His blood was running down his arm and onto hers. She never in a million years thought that Draco Malfoy would do such a noble thing.

Astoria knew that it was time for her to do the noble thing as well. She pulled back with the intent to stab him in his forearm, but the glass was blasted from her hand. She looked beyond Draco to see Professor Potter. She tried to pull them both up, but their combined weight was too much for her. She used a Feather-light Charm on them and started to pull them up.

Either it was the sudden movement or all the blood Draco had running down his arm. Neither of them would ever truly know. What they did know was that Astoria slipped from his grasp and plummeted down. Lily and Draco fell back on the safe floor of the tower. He was the first to scramble to his feet and run to the ledge. They could hear Astoria's screams growing rapidly distant. Lily felted that he was going to jump after her and pulled Draco back.

The next thing they saw was Astoria flying up and over the ledge to be followed by her hovering three feet over them in the arms of a small Succubus. She lowered Astoria to the floor gently and released her. She stepped away from her savior and the three of them looked at the Succubus in utter shock and amazement. Her hair was the same shade of blond as her birth mother, with piercing emerald eyes that matched the only family she had left. Her face was her own and that represented her. With a small and timid wave Emma greeted Lily. "Hi mum."