"AVADA KEDAVRA!" Bellatrix cried, and I watched with horror as the jinx hit him in the chest. He fell backwards beyond a ragged veil hanging from the arch. It happened so quick. So painless.

"NO! SIRIUS!" I screamed, running towards him, dropping the prophecy. It smashed into a million little pieces on the ground. Several Death Eaters cried out, but Bellatrix Lestrange was too busy laughing with pride to notice.

Lupin was holding me back.

"He's gone, Haile, there's nothing we can do!" Lupin told me.

"NO, PLEASE! SIRIUS!" I was screaming, hot tears running down my face.

"He's gone, Haile…"

He was. I had seen it. Bellatrix Lestrange had killed him. All I could think of was…not again. Voldemort did not take my loved ones away again. First, my parents. Then, Cedric Diggory. Now, Sirius Black.

"NOT AGAIN!" I bellowed, anger overpowering my senses.

I broke free from Lupin's grip and chased after Bellatrix Lestrange. She was laughing hysterically. "I killed Sirius Black! I killed him!" she was singing. "You know, Potter, I was once beautiful like you…before I got sent to Azkaban. You know why I was sent there? BECAUSE OF YOU!"

"CRUCIO!" I shouted at her. She fell to the floor, but didn't cry out.

"You've never used an Unforgivable Curse. You need to mean it. You need to want to cause pain. Give me the prophecy."

"Didn't you see it break, you idiot?" I told her. "It broke!"

"YOU'RE LYING!" she screamed at me. "ACCIO PROPHECY!"

Now it was my turn to laugh.

Then, there was a presence behind me that made my bones chill. I knew who it was.

A hand from behind me reached out to caress my cheek, sliding down to my chin, making my scar nearly explode with pain.

Then, Dumbledore was there. "I see I'm going to have to get through you first, Dumbledore," came the hissing of Voldemort. He left my side to begin dueling. It was the most intense and powerful fight I might ever witness.

Please win, Dumbledore, please win…

I watched with terror, at being in the presence of Lord Voldemort once more.

Please let it be all a dream…Sirius is still alive….

Suddenly, Voldemort was gone, vanished. I ran out to Dumbledore, but Dumbledore yelled, "STAY WHERE YOU ARE!" And he sounded scared.

Then, my scar burst open. I fell to the floor, unable to take the unbearable pain. I rather have died than experienced that.

Mark my words, Haile Potter, you will get yours. I will kill you…there is nothing worse than death.

I awoke up, sweating from head to toe, shaking.

The Atrium in which we were was filled with witches and wizards. Voldemort was gone…but I could tell by the looks on the Ministry's faces that they had caught a glimpse of him.

Fudge was there, white in the face. "I…I saw him…You-Know-Who…"

"I shall see you in a half an hour," Dumbledore told me. "Take this Portkey back to Hogwarts and I'll meet you there. Minister, I daresay we have a few things to discuss."

I took the Portkey and landed back in Dumbledore's office. Once alone, I collapsed in an armchair with a sob and covered my face with my hands, having a good cry for several minutes.

I really had had enough. I was sick of Lord Voldemort or Tom Riddle or whoever he was! He had first killed my parents and tried to kill me for reasons that are unknown to me but the Death Eaters seemed to know! He then proceeded to haunt me for the next fourteen years until once again murdering the boy I truly loved, right in front of my face. And now, Sirius Black was dead. Because of me. NO! BECAUSE OF HIM! He was the one that sent me that vision, luring me to the Department of Mysteries! I stomped my foot angrily hysterically.

I had fallen for his trick! I was not only lured there, but I lured the rest of the Order there too! I didn't even know if my friends were okay…what if someone else was injured too?

Finally, after what seemed like hours of torturous wait, Dumbledore appeared in front of me, quiet as a mouse.

"Your friends are all alive and well. The members of the Order are being treated, and they will all live."

"Not Sirius," I told him, my voice cracking.

"I believe…I owe you an explanation."

I looked up. "An explanation?" I asked.

'It begins with your scar," Dumbledore said gently, taking a seat across from me. "As you already know, through it, you and Voldemort share a powerful connection. And more recently, he became aware of it, after you penetrated his mind so far as to see the attack of Arthur Weasley. But why, Haile, were you taught Occlumency by Professor Snape and not I?"

"I wondered that…" I admitted. "Professor, I wondered since the beginning of last summer why you dared not look me in the eyes, not speak to me unless necessary. You ignored me the entire year."

Dumbledore hung his head. His voice was heavy. "I did want Voldemort to know our relationship was more than headmaster and pupil. I feared he would try to possess you. I was only trying to protect you…with good reason. Voldemort demonstrated tonight that his aim was to kill you. Alas, Professor Snape did find out through Occlumency lessons that Voldemort was sending you visions of the Department of Mysteries."

"It's my fault," I confessed to Dumbledore, my eyes brimming with tears. "I didn't practice Occlumency enough, and I put everyone in danger…and that's why Sirius is…is…"

"Haile, after you told Professor Snape that hidden message in Umbridge's office, he contacted Sirius at once. He alerted members of the Order because he suspected you still thought that the vision you saw was true. Professor Snape told Sirius to stay behind…but of course Sirius did not."

I sniffled. "Who told you?"

"Kreacher. Apparently he has been serving more than one master for months. Narcissa Malfoy. He passed on information…the only information that he was allowed too. That Sirius Black and you were very, very close."

"So it is my fault!" I shouted.

"Haile, would you please stop blaming yourself? If anyone's fault, it is mine. I kept Sirius inside that house, hoping to keep him alive. Instead, it let to his ultimate defeat."

"Of course it did!" I cried, tears streaming down my face. "Being locked up does that to a person. You kept me locked up all last summer!"

Dumbledore buried his face in his hands while I sat staring at him.

"I want the truth."

Dumbledore finally looked up at me. "Yes. It is time for you to know what you should have five years ago. Please, if I can have your attention. Firstly…why is it that I left you with your aunt and uncle, when so many other wizarding families would have taken you in? I wanted to keep you safe. So, I placed a charm upon you and your aunt sealed it by taking you in. The strongest shield there is—love.

"Then, you arrived at Hogwarts after a grueling ten years with the Muggles. But you were alive and healthy. You rose up to meet the challenges that occurred in your first year with more bravery than I could have anticipated. I still could not tell you why.

"Your second year. You met challenges that even grown wizards never face. But twelve years old was still too young. I did not want you to carry the burden of knowing. And then your third year, you found Sirius Black. I knew I would have to tell you soon. But I didn't.

"Your fourth year…my excuses were running out. You had fallen in love, and seen that loved one die. You were much more mature. You had seen the Darkest Lord of all-time return and you fought him. I still could not bring upon you the truth. But now, I must.

"Voldemort tried to kill you because of a prophecy made right before your birth. No one knew the full contents of it. That's why he set out to kill you, but his plan backfired. Ever since then, he wanted that weapon, the prophecy—the knowledge of how to destroy you."

"I dropped it," I told him.

"Yes, but that was merely a record. The real prophecy was made by Professor Trelawney sixteen years ago. I was there. The prophecy states that neither can live while the other survives. And it was between you and Lord Voldemort, for certain."

I sat in silence for a few minutes, while the sun rose over the tip of the trees, as daylight crept over Hogwarts.

"So…it's destiny, is it? One of us must kill each other in the end?" I asked hollowly.

"Yes," Dumbledore answered.

"Can't wait," I said dryly, licking my lips. "Professor, might I ask you just one more irrelevant question?"

"Please."

"Why…wasn't I chosen as prefect?" It was silly, childish. But I had to know.

Dumbledore looked me for a long time. "I thought you had enough responsibility as it was." And I saw a tear trickle down his face.

That morning, papers were printed with the headlines that the Lord Voldemort had returned. I visited Ron and Hermione in the Hospital Wing. Luna and Ginny were there as well.

I would have to tell Ron and Hermione about the prophecy eventually, but not now. They drifted off to sleep again, and I left to go see Hagrid. He was back.

On the way down, I saw Malfoy with Crabbe and Goyle. All three of their fathers were convicted as followers of Lord Voldemort and sentenced to Azkaban.

"You're dead, Potter," Malfoy told me. His face was white and shaking with anger.

"You going fill your dad's shoes now that he's chucked away where he belongs?" I shot back.

"SHUT UP!" he yelled at me, furious. "How dare you talk about my father that way! You just wait. You will get yours."

"This is really it, huh?" I asked him, as he turned to walk away. "We're really enemies now. On opposite sides of a war."

"It's destiny," Malfoy told me. The words rung in my ear strangely.

"Actually, I have a bone to pick with you," I said. I pulled him aside, and said quietly, "Don't try to deny it. You weren't going to let Umbridge torture me that night, were you?"

He looked down at the floor. "You just don't get it, do you?" he said, after several moments.

"I get that you make my life miserable and you're the worst person I've ever met. And then, then you aren't, just like that. What's with you?"

His eyes met mine. He laughed like he couldn't believe himself or me. "Doesn't matter, Potter. Guess we'll never know."

He turned to walk away. I felt myself wanting more answers for him, unsatisfied. "Never know what?" I called after him. God, why did I care?

He turned back once more to look at me. "Destiny," he said again.

And then he was gone.

I went down to talk to Hagrid. He talked mostly about Sirius. And it strangely didn't make me sad. It made me feel better.

"It's how he would have wanted ter go. In battle," Hagrid said thoughtfully. "I know yeh miss him, Haile, but you of all people should know by now…losing people is just how life goes sometimes. You mope 'round all yeh want, but yeh know yer parents, Cedric, and Sirius would want yeh ter go on."

Hagrid was right.

But…

I missed him…so much though. What would I do without him? He was everything to me. But I had to be strong. And keep moving, keep pushing through this tough time. That's what he would've wanted.

The last day on the Hogwarts Express was different than the others yet the same. This time last year I was mourning the death of Cedric Diggory and now I mourning the death of Sirius Black. Who would it be next year?

Hermione and Ron were being very supportive. Hermione told me how maturely I was handling his death. Getting off the train, I found myself surrounded my members of the Order and the Weasleys and people I cared about.

They promised to have me whisked away as soon as possible, and I just couldn't find the words to tell them how much it meant to me.

All I knew at that moment was that a second war had began. And I knew, I just knew, I was on the winning side. And in the end, it would come to me. It would be between Lord Voldemort and I. And that's all that mattered.

But…for some reason…I don't like to admit…I couldn't get that awful git, Draco Malfoy, out of my mind. His words were ringing my ears still, as I walked away towards my aunt and uncle and cousin…

"It's destiny."