Destiny Reversed

I'm sorry it took such a long time for the update! The usual excuse: school. Projects just can't seem to leave me alone. Hopefully the extra long chapter will make up for it. Anyway, thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews; feedback really helps and sometimes fuels new ideas for this story, which I have not officially outlined on paper. Also, kudos to alen for giving me the idea for a scene in this chapter.

I also realize that the story's pace is sort of slow, but this was meant to be more character driven than action driven (though there will be action, especially towards the end, where the war really starts to heat up). But I'd still like to hear your feedback on whether or not the pace is too slow, or slow enough that you're starting to get bored, as well as any ideas or constructive criticism. Hope you enjoy the new chapter!

* * *

The bacon sizzled above the stove as Harry prepared breakfast, its scent filling his nose with familiarity. This wasn't a huge task by any means; he was used to making breakfast for the Dursleys. Still, it was nice to be able to cook without worrying about thin, disapproving lips screaming at him every five minutes. After all, nothing had ever been good enough for his aunt's ickle Dudders. He smiled; he didn't have to worry about that here.

"Thanks for helping out, Harry."

"It's okay," he answered distractedly, busy turning the bacon over. It hissed as the aroma released into the kitchen, grease and oil sizzling in the pan. What had once been a stressful affair actually seemed pleasant and calming when he didn't have his aunt breathing down his neck like a bony Hungarian Horntail.

Lily eyed him suspiciously. "I'm curious, Harry, to know when you turned into a chef. Only time you had showed interest in cooking was when we got you the Magic Desert Oven when you were five. Burned the cookies every time -you didn't cast a spell on yourself, did you?"

"What?"

"Just because you're of age now does not mean you need to use magic for everything! Honestly Harry -"

"What are we screaming at Harry about?"

Lily turned to acknowledge her husband, who had been running a hand through severely disheveled hair. "We are not doing anything. I am yelling, not screaming." She placed her hands on her hips. "Your son -"

"Oh, so when he's in trouble, he's just my son now, is he?" he teased, smiling patiently.

"Your son has been using spells on himself to enhance his culinary skills."

"But I didn't use a spell!" Harry groaned. "She's being paranoid! You're being paranoid."

Sparkling green eyes flashed dangerously as Lily opened her mouth to snap back -James decided it was best to intervene. "The bacon's burning!" he shouted.

Lily swiftly turned on instinct -sure enough, there was now a coal-like quality to the unsupervised bacon. She flicked an urgent finger in the direction of the stove; to Harry's surprise, the knob controlling the stove switched off on its own.

She can do wandless magic?

James nodded in approval. "I forgot how much of a magic booster pregnancy is."

Lily smiled "I didn't. Remember that time at Hogwarts when I was pregnant with Violet? When Harry got himself lost?"

"He wasn't lost, Lils, just picking up on that Marauder penchant for exploring -"

"-and worrying his mother so sick that she would have blown up some of Albus's possessions if her husband hadn't stopped her," Lily finished, gazing at James affectionately.

Albus's possessions -Harry blushed, remembering his own temper tantrum in Professor Dumbledore's office. Unfortunately, that occasion was not one to laugh about; the meeting had been very serious, concerning not Harry's physical whereabouts, but the placement of a great burden upon his shoulders -Harry, the Boy-Who-Lived; Harry, the Chosen One; Harry, not the person, but a fulfillment of a prophecy, an icon of achievement and of the past and future downfall of Lord Voldemort.

Although he had felt justified in his fury at the time, he still regretted his loss of control, of wearing his heart on his sleeve. He scowled, irritated at invoking Snape's words -Snape, the betrayer, the Death Eater. Dumbledore's murderer.

Fists clenched tightly, Harry had managed to disperse his scowl by the time Lily turned to face him. "Would you mind waking Violet up for breakfast?" she asked casually, but her eyes warned him -perhaps about her state of mind after the Dementor attack. His interest was piqued -just how differently had Potter family had fared through the years? Unfortunately, a direct question would be too suspicious; from the way they talked about it, Harry was expected to know exactly what had happened to his little sister, whatever it may be.

"Okay."

Still, when he found himself standing in front of her door, his fist remained suspended over the barrier, in the process of knocking. Instinct took over, and he put his ear against the door, wishing he had a pair of Extendable Ears on him. As hard as he tried, Harry couldn't hear anything; but he didn't really know Violet -he had no way of knowing whether or not his was a good sign.

Either way, he still had to wake her up; he gently turned the knob, prepared for whatever he may face in there.

The room was dead silent. The lump under the covers indicated that Violet was still sleeping, but it unnerved him that he couldn't hear her breathing. Harry shook his head; he'd roomed with four snoring boys for the past six years. It was more than likely that his sense of a normal breathing pattern became incredibly distorted because of them.

Ron. He winced at the thought of his best mate. He'd never wanted them to accompany him, to willingly walk with him towards certain death; yet Harry felt their absence most profoundly -it didn't feel right not to have them here. It was hard to accept that the two people who would never abandon him weren't here, not to laugh at his mistakes or spur him to research. No matter how hard he'd tried to push them away, they stuck to him. Harry smiled.

Like fungus.

"Er -Violet? Wake up." Harry poked the lump.

No response.

"C'mon, breakfast's up." Frustrated, Harry unraveled the blanket's layers to reveal a mass of auburn hair.

"Wake up!"

He frowned; there hadn't been a single reaction. By now, Harry had half a mind to just let her sleep, but considering how she'd holed herself in her room for the past week, he knew it was time to reappear.

Harry hated not knowing. All he knew was that she was reacting violently to whatever traumatic experience she'd seen that day at the graveyard -but he didn't know what. But he of all people knew what it was like to dwell on the past, to regret and mourn until he'd become so self-involved that he forgot what he was missing.

He didn't know her, but he felt obligated to give her a reality check. After all, Ginny had told it to him straight during that really low time in his life, when he had believed that Voldemort was possessing him; he'll always love her for that ability to know exactly what a person needed. Ginny had known that he didn't want pity, sympathetic apologies, or something to soften the blow. No, she had known exactly what Harry had needed -something that he himself hadn't been able to see.

It was an innate feeling, built into him despite the years at the Dursleys', despite the loneliness. She wasn't real; she wasn't really his sister, but he felt compelled to try nevertheless. Moving closer to the lump, Harry panicked briefly, fearing that she'd died. But as he inspected her closer, he realized with a sigh of relief that her skin was still warm, that she was indeed breathing, if just very quietly.

Surveying her room carefully, he tried to look for something that would help get her attention. Quidditch posters adorned the walls, from the Tornados to Hogwarts' own Gryffindor house team. Intrigued by that particular poster against his will, Harry found himself moving closer to the red and gold picture.

Harry saw himself zooming around the picture, scarlet robes billowing out behind him and eyes narrowed in concentration as he chased after the Snitch. As Poster Harry flew to the front, he caught a glimpse of the "C" embroidered on his robes. Apparently, the fact that he was captain had not changed here. Poster Harry caught the Snitch with a triumphant grin before letting it ago again, giving it a good few seconds head start, and tearing after it. He examined the rest of the poster to find some familiar faces: Katie Bell was attempting to score on Ron, who deftly saved the first shot, but missed the second one, scored by -

Violet.

Reminded of why he was there, he reluctantly turned away from the memoir of his favorite sport and looked around the rest of the room. There were definitely some alien girly touches to the room, especially the numerous moving snapshots of family and who Harry assumed were friends. Something drew him to slowly approach these moving visuals, if only to understand Violet better.

A picture of the Potters, smiling in front of the Hogwarts Express, stood confidently on the nightstand. Lily's eyes were brightly watery, and even James looked on the verge of tears -but proud tears at that. A very young looking Violet was smiling brightly into the camera, barely able to conceal her excitement. Harry, who was around thirteen, looked as if he was trying to appear bored with the family picture. However, the ghost of a grin tugging at his lips canceled out his attempt.

Despite himself, Harry felt a smile on his face. He looked at another photo on the dresser, surprised to see a recent picture of Violet and Neville, arms around each other in the backdrop of what looked like the Gryffindor common room. They were both laughing and looking like they were having a grand time, but Harry could see the shadow in both of their eyes.

There was one picture, however, that was not proudly displayed. He would've missed it if he hadn't been looking at the picture of Violet and Neville. One was turned down so that only the backing was visible, leaving the framed picture to be suffocated by the dresser. Curious, Harry had been about lift the picture back to its rightful position when he was filled with a sudden sense of doubt. This picture was hidden away from sight for a reason.

Curiosity had always gotten the best of him.

It didn't look all that remarkable to him. It was just a picture of Violet and another girl, apparently baking something -though it didn't look like they were getting much baking done. Rather, complete chaos and a massive food fight were getting underway. Violet had the bowl, and she was flinging huge amounts of batter at her friend, who was trying to defend herself with a pan in front of her face. Occasionally, the friend would grab stray batter clinging to the counter and walls and throw it back at Violet until they were both thoroughly covered in batter, flour, and sugar.

Harry smirked. They looked like they were having fun. But why would Violet hide this picture?

Something, a hint of magic in the air, attempted to answer his question. He stared at her dresser, sensing something amiss there. He hesitated for a moment before tentatively opening it, blushing furiously as he was bombarded with the sight of bras and underwear -he almost gave up on that nagging feeling right then and there. He'd only been sent to wake her up, not invade her privacy.

But he knew that this wasn't right. Though he could feel his face practically burning up, instinct and doubt inclined him to search more thoroughly; he gently pushed her clothes aside, only to find several empty and full potions bottles at the bottom of the drawer.

Feeling apprehensive, he picked up a bottle and read the large letters in the front: Dreamless Sleeping Potion: Strong Dose. Near the bottom was a warning label: WARNING: Extensive use of this product for more than four times consecutively without healer supervision or a counter-potion to counteract the negative effects of this product may result in an addiction or serious harm. Advised to use three times a week at most. If any suspicious side effects occur, contact your healer immediately.

Harry froze. So this is why she was out cold. "Extensive use of this product for more than four times consecutively...may result in an addiction..." This didn't bode well for Violet, especially since it had been more than four days since the Dementor incident. Silently, Harry counted six empty bottles -one for every night except for the first. But how did she get so many of these? Before he could muse over it more, a sharp, threatening hiss issued from behind him.

Spinning around, Harry gaped. How could he not have noticed that when he had first walked into the room?

The glaring serpent behind the glass cage eyed him with intense scrutiny, prompting him to hesitantly approach it. Why would Violet, a proud Gryffindor, want a snake for a pet? More importantly, why would James and Lily Potter, arguably the most anti-Voldemort couple in Britain, allow a creature so intimately associated with Voldemort reside in their home?

Harry froze. Violet couldn't be a Parseltongue, could she? No; that's impossible. There's no way she could have gotten that ability. Well, there was one way to find out. Taking a glance at Violet's still form, he made his way over to the snake, ignoring the suspicion in its fierce gaze.

"Has Violet ever spoken to you?"

The snake seemed taken aback, and its razor eyes, so like Voldemort's, expressed wariness. "You speak the ancient language of the serpents?"

"Yes, but I only found out I could a few years ago," Harry admitted. "Can Violet speak the noble language as well?" Flattery always worked.

"No, she cannot. But you've never spoken to me before either, and yet here you are, speaking in my tongue."

He decided to change the subject. "Why were you hissing at me?"

"You were invading my mistress's privacy."

"I was worried. She is taking a potentially dangerous potion."

Harry could have sworn he saw a flicker of concern in the snake's otherwise expressionless eyes. "Is there anything I can do to help?" it asked finally.

"You could help me wake her up," Harry suggested. "No biting, though." The snake nodded and inclined its head at the top of its cage. After he'd removed the ceiling of the snake's small habitat, all he had to do was stand back and watch. He wasn't exactly sure what it planned on doing as it slithered out of sight beneath the covers, but whatever it was, it worked. Harry had to clasped his hands over his ears as a high pitch screamed filled his ears. She must have been terrified, but he couldn't help but smile, feeling a slight vindication for Violet's earlier prank.

Violet immediately leapt out of bed and, upon seeing Harry, seized his shoulders and hid behind him. "Harry!" she shrieked. "There's a spider or something in my covers! I felt something slide past me! Get it!"

Harry frowned -snakes and spiders didn't move or feel the same. Apparently, Violet had stronger arachnophobia than Ron if she was convinced her own pet snake was a spider. "Relax, Vi, it's just your snake," Harry reassured her, pausing as he realized that he'd used her nickname.

But he didn't have long to ponder it because a very hard punch sent a throbbing pain through his shoulder. "Ow! What'd you do that for?"

"For scaring the living hell out of me."

"Sorry, but you weren't waking up." Which reminded him - "Oh, and I found this lying around." He waved the Dreamless Sleep Potion in front of her face. "Care to explain this?"

Violet's expression immediately hardened at the sight of the potion. "That's none of your business."

"It becomes my business if you're addicted to these things," Harry countered, pointing at the warning label. "Or did you not bother to read it before chugging it for six nights straight?"

Violet's lips twisted. Leaning close to Harry, he could see her eyes change from mischievousness to absolute viciousness. "You keep my secret, and I'll keep yours," she growled. But there was a hint of hurt in her voice that paused his tongue. But -

Harry looked at her in confusion, slightly worried. What secret was she talking about? Was it concerning this place's Harry, or him?

"Listen," he said, trying to pacify her anger. "I'm sorry, all right? I was just worried when you wouldn't even respond to anything; I'd thought you'd died!"

The fury dissipated from her face, morphing into apologetic regret. "Sorry, Harry, I didn't know."

Harry sighed, reigning back in his emotions. "It's okay. Just -just promise me that you won't take this stuff anymore, or I'll tell Li -Mum." He bit his lip. He knew he probably won't be here much longer once he finds out a way to get back to his own world. Though he was reluctant to get close to these people, it seemed that he was still managing to do a good job of getting to know them.

Damn.

"Mind getting out of my room before I change, you prat?" Violet asked with a hint of her usual mischievousness.

She laughed heartily at his expression. Rolling his eyes, Harry left the room feeling as if he'd helped her in some capacity, and closed the door softly behind him.

But the moment she heard the door close, Violet's smile disappeared.

* * *

Tap. Tap.

"Let the owl in, will you, Harry?" James asked without looking up, thoroughly engrossed in the Daily Prophet.

He obliged, but he couldn't hide from himself the slight leap of hope that Ron, Hermione, anybody familiar had owled him saying that they too were confused, that they didn't know what was going on, or even better -that they did know what was happening. But he recognized the owl immediately, and unless a member of the Hogwarts staff had been transported here as well, the envelopes the owl carried would be purely business.

And sure enough, the barn owl dropped one thick envelope in front of Violet and held the other out to Harry, who stroked the owl's head affectionately. He felt a sudden pang of nostalgia for Hedwig, missing her familiarity. She'd been his first friend in the wizarding world, after all.

"Hogwarts letters!" Violet immediately tore hers apart.

Harry too opened his, albeit a bit more ceremoniously. Inside was the usual letter, but with an additional paragraph at the end:

Due to recent events and possible Death Eater threats, we understand if you choose not to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this year. This decision is at your discretion; however, please keep in mind that this decision will affect your education in the future, and though you are welcome to come back after the war is over, we recommend that you learn as much as possible about defending yourself. Thus, our curriculum this year will emphasize self-defense as well as counter-jinxes/curses. Please be sure to owl with your decision as to whether or not Hogwarts shall expect you come September 1^st.

Professor Minerva McGonagall

Headmistress

Headmistress? Harry mused. But, that means -

It means that Dumbledore's dead here too.

His heart sank. Could this get any worse? He was hoping that Professor Dumbledore would be able to help him here. It looks as if he's really was on his own after all. There aren't any reliable people Harry can turn to now; McGonagall might, but really, how could he be sure? He'll just have to rely on himself for now, and pick up information on the way. As Dream Sirius had said in that one disturbing nightmare: "Sometimes you just have to be patient and let things run its course."

"Well, we'd better stop by Diagon Alley today to buy all your supplies," Lily said, taking the supply list from her daughter and examining it carefully.

Harry wasn't listening; he was too busy staring at something -well, two somethings. He smiled at the shiny Quidditch captain badge, but his eyes went wide when he also gingerly plucked another golden badge; this time, it had "Head Boy" engraved in it.

Even though this wasn't his world, he couldn't help but be pleasantly surprised about this. Unfortunately, before he could process the implications of the advantages he would enjoy while trying to figure out this mystery, Violet had leaned over and noticed the badge as well.

"You got Head Boy?" she exclaimed, clearly as surprised as he was. "But who in the right mind would make you an authority?"

"Well, your Mum and I were Head Boy and Girl when we were in Hogwarts, and I was one of the worst pranksters around," James reminded her. "Which wasn't that long ago, mind you."

Violet looked thoughtful, but then seemed to come upon a disgusting sort of revelation, for she wrinkled her nose and said emphatically, "Ew."

But Lily was too busy tightly embracing Harry with bright eyes to notice, beaming at him in pride. "Congratulations on making Head Boy Harry! I'm so proud of you!"

"Er -thanks." Harry replied uncertainly, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. It wasn't like he'd actually done anything here, especially if the prophecy had been reversed.

James grinned, noticing the look on Harry's face. "I think Harry here is a bit embarrassed, Lils."

"That's too bad, because we're going to have a nice celebration -James, you ought to invite Sirius and them."

Harry's stomach sank, definitely not looking forward to that part. He wasn't sure if he could deal with seeing Sirius again, especially after that dream. And he seriously doubted if he could control himself if Pettigrew came; it would take a lot of self-control to not hex him right then and there.

But that'd look a tad suspicious.

Meanwhile, Lily was reading Violet's Hogwarts letter, frowning. "Looks like we'll have to tell Minerva you're still coming," she said. With a wave of her finger, she conjured a quill, a bottle of jet black ink, and a piece of parchment, inscribing her letter.

Violet giggled as Lily rolled up the parchment magically.

"Forgot to add the reassurance that we'll behave, did you?" she teased, grinning widely.

Lily gave a deliberate, long suffering sigh. "Well, can't very well guarantee that any longer, can I? Not a baby anymore." She pinched Violet's cheeks playfully.

"Mum, the guarantee ended when I started first year," Violet pointed out. "Harry hovered around me too much for my own good."

"He's just being protective."

Harry looked up, frowning. Was he overprotective and overbearing like Ron? Did he get angry when Violet dated people? He cringed, remembering Ron's outrage when Dean Thomas had been dating Ginny. Of course, he himself hadn't exactly been innocent of that either -

Still, he believed that he'd had an extremely justified reason for resentment towards Dean -it hadn't really mattered that he was a perfectly nice guy the rest of the time, when he wasn't with Ginny romantically.

He felt comfortable, reluctantly finding himself at ease with this family routine that had become a part of his life. However, he couldn't help but be bothered about how normal Violet seemed when the night before she had been taking a Dreamless Sleeping Potion. This, like many things here, didn't feel right.

Harry sighed and took a bite of his toast. Sometimes things were better off left alone.

* * *

Harry clutched his wand tightly in his right pocket. Diagon Alley had never looked so painfully desolate.

He remembered last year, when he went shopping with the Weasleys; despite the fear then, it hadn't been as bad as this. It wasn't the forlorn atmosphere that bothered him -on the contrary, it was quite busy. No, it was the way people huddled in packs, the way everyone had their heads bent down, trying not to draw attention. It was way no one stopped to greet friends and acquaintances because they didn't dare look up in fear of seeing a Death Eater, out to torture, maim, and kill.

It was the way that fear engulfed them all.

Aurors patrolled the streets, occasionally stopping "suspicious looking blokes" and questioning them. Not once did the Potters get stopped, although when they passed by the other Aurors, they waved to Lily and James, greeting them. Harry did a double take when he spotted Tonks, who was as effervescent as ever, the only smiling, confident person in the entire alley. He smiled to himself, wondering if Tonks and Lupin were together here.

Despite looking as if she were on Auror duty, Tonks still made her way towards them once they had been noticed. "Wotcher Potters," she said cheerfully.

Harry grinned despite himself. It was nice to hear something that was familiar to him.

"Hey Tonks. On duty?"

She nodded grimly. "Yeah, but it's hard to see how much a wreck this place has become. You never hear any laughter anymore."

James nodded. "I know -it's almost unnerving. How's Remus doing? I wish I could've been there with him but Auror duty got in the way -"

Tonks glanced around to make sure no one was too close to them and dropped her voice considerably. "He's fine. He had a few pretty bad cuts, but it was able to mend no problem. With Snape -you know- gone, he's had to readjust to nights without Wolfsbane."

Harry glanced quickly at his sister, her unsurprised expression telling him that she, too, knew Remus's secret. Although, he remembered, it probably wasn't much of a secret anymore, considering how that traitorous bat had revealed it third year.

"Well, better get back to patrolling before Kingsley gets on my arse for 'idling around.'" She glanced around reluctantly, grimacing.

"We'll see you later then, Nymphadora."

"Only Remus and my mother can call me that, Prongs." Smirking, she turned on her heel, throwing back a wave behind her.

Watching Tonks's retreating back, Harry suddenly had a burst of inspiration. "Can we go to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes?"

Harry tried not to get his hopes up too high. It wasn't likely that Ron and Ginny would be there at the exact same time Harry was, but at least he could try to get some info from the twins, who would surely be there.

Lily's sharp green eyes stopped scanning the area to rest on Harry, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, did you say? Never heard of it."

"Never mind," Harry said quickly. "I think Fred and George were talking about opening up a joke shop or something. Sorry, must have gotten mixed up."

"Yeah, I remember them mention that too," Violet piped in helpfully. "Too bad they couldn't get the gold to actually open it, though. The stuff they were selling on those order forms was brilliant."

"Which, of course, you didn't buy."

"Yeah, of course," Violet added quickly, catching James's eye and grinning.

"For Merlin's sake, James, you didn't order them too!" Lily said loudly, attracting stares from passerbies. If Diagon Alley had been whole and full of noise, nobody would have noticed. However, with the atmosphere full of a fearful silence, her indoor voice sounded like Bagman's booming commentary projected with the Sonorous Charm.

To respond, Lily irritably glared at the people staring. "What, you've never heard a scolding before? Shove off before I arrest all of you!"

At Lily's threat, the halting groups went back on their way, their swift steps significantly quicker now.

"Lily dear, didn't you read the section of the Auror manual about, er -'the abuse of your position as an officer of justice?'"

"You remember the exact line from the manual?"

"Not exactly. But that was the gist of it." James eyed the street warily. "We'd better get a move on, then, if we're going to finish all this shopping," he explained casually. But Harry knew better.

Even the tinted sky looked foreboding.

* * *

Purchases weighing down their bags considerably, they stepped out of Flourish and Blotts with their new school books, every box on Lily's checklist marked off.

"Ready then?" James asked, eyeing the steadily darkening sky. Attacks weren't frequent in Diagon Alley, but he couldn't help but be grateful that nothing bad had happened.

CRACK. A bolt of red flashed past James and hit Flourish and Blotts, sending a few bricks crumbling to the ground.

"GET DOWN!" James bellowed as he pulled his wand out, shoving Harry behind him.

"We have to get to the Ministry for backup!" Lily said urgently, sending a stunner in the direction of the approaching hooded figure.

James swore loudly, torn between getting the severely needed reinforcements, helping the screaming shoppers fleeing in terror, and ensuring the safety of his children.

But before they could decide what to do, a powerful dust cloud swept them up, separating the Potter family. James cried out in pain as he was thrown into a wall, the bricks groaning in protest. He fell to the floor hard, but struggled to get up, wand out and attempting to blink the dust out of his distorted vision. Luckily his glasses had managed to stay on the bridge of his nose.

"Protego," he muttered, trying to buy himself some time while his vision sorted out. As the blurred figures became sharper, James found a masked Death Eater fruitlessly trying to break his shield.

James grinned, feeling a rush of adrenaline pumping through his veins. Despite their inhuman masks, it was only a man beneath the dark robes -a man who was in the way of him finding his family, an obstacle.

Well, he won't be one anymore.

* * *

"Accio Harry!"

Harry's stomach lurched as he felt himself lifting up from the ground and being summoned towards the voice. Suddenly, the spell dropped him down abruptly. "Ouch," he muttered, extending the wand clutched in his hand towards the shadow above him.

"Sorry, big brother, but seeing as you were an unconscious lump of a log..." Violet apologized, giving him a hand up after putting a shield around them.

"How many?"

"I dunno -maybe twenty?"

"Twenty? Just for Diagon Alley?"

"Yeah, but not in this area. Lot of 'em scattered to chase down people and trash the shops I guess."

Suddenly, the shield faltered, its bright light flickering until it died away. Harry turned to ask what happened when he noticed Violet's ashen expression. The only time he had seen her like that was -

Harry felt it too, prickling at the back of his neck. Without thinking, he spun around and sent Prongs out to chase the lone Dementor away.

As the slight mist cleared, Harry was able too see three Death Eaters headed their way.

"STUPEFY!"

Harry saw the returning curses coming -he pushed Violet to the ground as a Cutting Curse sailed above their heads, scrambling to get back on his feet again.

With the blink of an eye, the Death Eaters Apparated right in front of them. Harry cursed as he flicked his wand, thinking Levicorpus in his head, but he was a split second too late.

"Expelliarmus!" BANG. Before Harry could react, the second Death Eater's wand flew out of his hand and he was hanging upside down in the air, appearing to be caught in a hook on his right leg.

"Accio wand!" Violet shouted shakily. It had been she who had disarmed the Death Eater. Once the Death Eater's wand flew into her hand, she efficiently snapped it in half, ignoring he Death Eater's strangled cry. "Serves you right," Violet spat. Harry spotted the third Death Eater fleeing into an alleyway -he quickly sent a Stunner towards him, but missed. He made to go after him, but Violet's hand clenched onto his arm firmly.

"There's someone else."

Distant screams echoed from behind him. Harry quickly spun back around to see a new, taller Death Eater glide over to them gracefully, her robes billowing out behind her. There was something feminine in the way she carried herself, and he easily recognized the arrogance in her walk -she was a far greater threat the others.

"Ah. Potter spawn."

Harry gripped his wand, his suspicions confirmed. He knew that voice, the sadistic laugh that had crowed at seeing his godfather fall -

There was no way he was going to allow Bellatrix Lestrange to kill again.

Sectumsempra! But Bellatrix negated the Half-Blood Prince's curse with a wave of her wand. "Tsk, tsk, baby Potter, I can read your moves like an open book. Weak and emotional, like your interfering parents and cousin of mine."

He hated that stupid falsetto baby voice with a passion, but he also knew that she was lying. He had been working especially hard on his mental shields ever since he got here, and he hadn't felt anyone reach too far into his mind. Maybe she had gotten past his defenses for a single spell, but no further.

He smiled.

"Expelliarmus! Protego! Stupefy! Impedimenta! Diffindo!" Harry shouted, one after the other in quick succession, his feet moving on their own as he maneuvered past the light of her spells. His last curse hit Bellatrix squarely in the chest, slowing her movements before Harry sent a Cutting Curse directly at her.

Bellatrix recovered from the spell in time to lessen the lethal slice of magic aimed towards her face. Still, diffindo had cracked her mask down the middle, the lingering magic finishing the curse with a touch of melodrama. It split into two equal parts and delicately fell off her face, kicking up stray dust as it hit the ground.

"Bellatrix Lestrange?!"

Harry saw Violet's shocked, angry face out of the corner of his eye. A cruel smile twisted Bellatrix's sunken features, the sadistic glint in her eyes negating any kind of beauty she may have retained. He frowned as he felt Violet's feet shuffle beside him, surprised at the charge of magic surrounding her. His sister had most likely never met Bellatrix -if she had, she would have recognized her distinct voice immediately. Where was this rage coming from?

"Bitch!" Violet sneered as she threw her own Cutting Curse at Bellatrix. But she wasn't focused, and her target was able to dodge the spell with ease.

"Aww, did I make little Potter mad? You're not going to throw a tantrum on me, are you? Perhaps chuck a stuffed animal in my direction?" Bellatrix's lips curled as she soaked in the desired effect she was having on Violet, who was practically boiling with rage.

Levicorpus! Harry thought while Bellatrix was distracted. BANG! Harry turned around and sent Violet a warning look. After he had disarmed Bellatrix, Harry demanded, "Why are you lot here? Looking for some fun, were you?" His fingers were itching to cause her pain, but he suppressed the urge. He wasn't going to sink to her level.

"You'd like to think that, wouldn't you, baby Potter?"

He didn't like her tone. Her carefree arrogance suggested that she was in charge, that they were at her mercy and not the other way around. Feeling unnerved, he forced himself to stay cautious, to keep his ears open to approaching footsteps and dangerous spells.

"Maybe the blood's rushing to her head too fast," Violet suggested coldly. "Can I fix that?"

"No."

"Please, Harry?" she asked again, though her steady steps towards Bellatrix meant that she didn't really care for Harry's permission.

"Don't make me stun you!" Harry shouted warningly, making his first fatal mistake by turning his back completely on his captive. Violet's eyes widened and she had already shouted the incantation before Harry had time to react.

"CRUCIO!" Violet screamed, sending Bellatrix backwards and knocking away her wand yet again, which she had recovered using Wandless Magic.

Harry had about one and a half second's relief. When he had attempted that curse on Bellatrix out of vindicated fury and grief, it had only thrown her backwards because, according to her, he had to like causing pain and watching others suffer for the fun of it.

But his relief suddenly turned to horror as he witnessed Bellatrix writhing on the ground, her muffled screams and long, yellow fingernails tearing at her own flesh -

He turned to Violet, who wore a satisfied smirk, eyes glinting with the same look Bellatrix's had possessed only moments before.

He didn't know why he did what he did; it certainly wasn't for Bellatrix's sake. All that mattered as to efface that scarily pleased smile off Violet's face -besides, Bellatrix was no good to them as a shell. Harry shoved Violet aside, cutting off her concentration and leaving her victim twitching on the ground. But as his eyes trained back on her, he was disgusted to find that after panting a little and wiping the blood trickling down her chin, Bellatrix seemed unusually unfazed. He wasn't sure if Violet's spell just hadn't been powerful enough -or if she had actually liked the pain.

Sure enough, she was beginning to rise, grinning mockingly. Just as he had been about to stun her, he felt someone push him from behind.

"Why did you stop me?!" Violet demanded, her face contorted in anger.

"Later," Harry said, ignoring Violet's incoming protests and preparing to stun Bellatrix when something red shined in the corner of Harry's eye.

"Move!" he ordered, shoving her once again out of the way of incoming danger. Disorientated, Harry couldn't see anything. Then he realized that there was red smoke all around them.

"Stupefy! Stupefy! STUPEFY!" he shouted, shooting them in random directions. There was no way he was going to let Bellatrix go now; how many more lives will she take? But most importantly, Harry wanted to see Sirius's murderer brought to justice.

"Where are you, damn it!" Gaze fiery, he turned to Violet. "If you're going to mess things up, help me get her again!"

Violet nodded timidly, all fire and arrogance gone. Together, they randomly sent stunners into the blood colored haze. But it had completely blanketed itself around them; it was starting to feel almost solid. As it grew thicker, Harry found that it became harder to breathe, that something seemed to be compressing on his chest, that the distance his stunners traveled seemed to be decreasing.

"Screw this," Harry muttered. "Reducto!" His spell gave them a clear path out of the eerily opaque area, but by the time they got out, all trace of both Bellatrix and the stunned and hanging Death Eaters was gone.

Harry swore loudly, not caring who heard. How could she have gotten away? How could maniacs like her run free while people he loved had died? His fists clenched, he angrily turned to Violet.

"What the bloody hell is wrong with you? You just let her get away! Can't you control your temper?" He remembered his own anger in Dumbledore's office, how he had thrown and kicked and raged -he remembered how empty he'd felt when all the damage had been done. "Why?" he asked quietly, suddenly too tired to feel bad about the hint of tears welling in Violet's eyes. It faintly reminded Harry of first year, when Ron's comment had made Hermione cry -though this was an entirely different situation altogether.

"You -you don't know who she is, do you?" Violet asked quietly.

"Yeah, actually, I do," Harry answered roughly. "Bellatrix Lestrange." Sirius's murderer.

"No kidding," she said sarcastically. "I wasn't sure if you knew -only reason I know is because I overheard some Aurors talking about it after the major Azkaban breakout -"

"What is it?" Harry interrupted, irritation rising again.

"She -Bellatrix Lestrange -she was one of the people who tortured Mum and Dad after Neville defeated Voldemort. Mum was pregnant with me, but that didn't stop them. Guess after it was over, she was afraid they'd killed me or something..." Violet never quite met Harry's eyes. "Lucky, really, that Uncle Sirius and Uncle Remus were there -they'd gotten careless, you know, didn't do the proper reconnaissance to know that they were in the area, really close. I think the Aurors said they'd gone out for take out and came back just in time to save Mum 'n Dad -and me. Oh, and she's Uncle Sirius's cousin too -he really hates her, though I guess they were close when they were younger, before he chose the 'blood traitors' over them."

Harry stared at her for a moment. So the Potters -like the Longbottoms -had been tortured by Bellatrix and her gang? But unlike the Longbottoms, they hadn't been tortured to insanity. He frowned; the timeline didn't match if Lily had been pregnant with Violet -unless they had been attacked later than Neville's parents. But that didn't matter right now; despite whatever her reasons were, she still let Bellatrix get away.

"Sectumsempra!" A familiar voice echoed from somewhere to their right, in an alley. The siblings glanced at each other and took off running, quarrel forgotten.

When they skidded around the corner, wands out, they came upon a sickening sight. A girl lay crumpled on the ground, short, panicked gasps replacing her breath as the blood spilled from the pores of her face and upper body, creating a crimson pool around her. The girl's dark complexion was now almost completely covered in blood; he focused on her face, and recognized her.

Parvati Patil.

In a matter of seconds he had surveyed the situation, trying to stay calm as he noted Parvati's bleeding body and the Death Eater standing off to the side, his back to them. The monster seemed not to have noticed them, standing completely still and watching Parvati die, probably even enjoying it.

That is, until Harry noticed the figure's slumped shoulders and trembling hands, the discarded wand lying abandoned on the ground.

Quietly, Harry stunned the Death Eater, who hadn't bothered to fight back, merely accepting the immobility. This behavior puzzled him, but he pushed his confusion aside as he walked over to Parvati. "Watch him," he told Violet, who nodded and kicked the Death Eater's wand off to the side, training her own on him.

"Parvati?" Harry whispered, kneeling down next to her.

"H -Harry?" Parvati gasped, her voice rattling. She was close to death. "T -tell my p -parents..." She shuddered, unable to say much more. But she still attempted to give her message. "I t -tried to stop -Padma...Padma, she's..." Her eyes shifted to the side; Harry followed her gaze to see her twin's broken body lying at the far end of the alley.

"Tell them yourself," Harry told her sternly, voice breaking, a horrible knot twisting him inside. He'd been housemates, classmates, with Parvati for six years; Padma had been Ron's date to the Yule Ball -that meant something. Think, Harry, think! Harry suddenly remembered Malfoy, bleeding on the floor of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, his wounds exactly like Parvati's -and Snape, healing him somehow, with an incantation, but what was it? Damn it, he couldn't remember!

Harry's wand hovered over Parvati's face, willing his magic to heal her. Nothing happened. "C'mon!" he urged his wand, closing his eyes and trying again, thinking hard. Heal her, help her, make her well again, close the wounds, fix them, reverse Sectumsempra...Harry looked down a his wand in surprise.

A golden glow had issued from his wand, completely unlike what Snape had done, and the bleeding stopped. A warm feeling -hope- bubbled inside of him, as he repeated reverse Sectumsempra, reverse Sectumsempra, over and over again, concentrating hard on tapping the stores of magic inside both himself and his wand until the wounds had completely closed, until the only remnant of what had been done to her were the streaks of blood on her face. After he had finished, he moved on to the wounds on her chest, knowing that there was no time to pause and be embarrassed about where he was healing. At last, he'd closed up her remaining wounds, and sat back, extremely drained.

"Parvati?"

She tried to smile at him, but she still looked really weak. He must have looked puzzled, because Violet explained quietly, "She's lost a lot of blood."

Harry bit his lip, knowing they'd have to get her to St. Mungo's soon, before she dies. He found himself gazing at Padma's still body on the far side of the alley. "Watch her," he told Violet, who nodded grimly and recast the Stunning Spell on the Death Eater, just in case the original spell was weakening.

Glass crunched underneath Harry's shoes as he walked over the remains of telescopes and crystal balls, and he carefully evaded the various textbooks littered on the ground. After what felt like an eternity, he reached Padma.

There was no blood. The cuts and burns on her face, however, were definite signs of a struggle, and that she hadn't gone down without a fight. He didn't need to feel her pulse to know that she was dead; it wasn't the awkward, broken position of her body or the icy quality of her skin. No, it was the eyes -wide open, forever petrified with fear and regret.

Padma's death had been swift and clean, unlike Parvati's sadistic assailant, which led Harry to believe that there had been two Death Eaters; for whatever reason, one had lingered. Harry closed Padma's eyes and stood up, fists clenched, eyes blazing. He felt a strange sort of vindication, remembering Cedric.

He had been young too.

"Harry -" Violet protested, but Harry shoved her aside. Pushing the Death Eater up against the wall, he stepped on his feet, pointed his wand in his face, and removed the mask.

As the guise fell away, Harry suddenly reeled back in shock, though instinct kept his wand pointing at the man -boy, really. Without something to hold him up, the stunned Death Eater slumped to the ground, his white-blonde hair falling into his eyes.

"Malfoy?"