It was a quiet evening with the sun blazing in the sky, painting it with rose, blue, and lilac. The lake was blood red in the light, rippling peacefully, but I stared away from it. I was under a tree on the lakeshore - the tree Theodore and I used to always visit under - curled up in the fetal position with my head turned to the side, resting on my knees.

I was back to being the person I had been before Theodore and I were together. Without him, it was like an empty space in my heart that had temporarily been filled was now empty again. I was the old Lyra, the pre-Theodore post-Sirius dying Lyra. I hated being that Lyra.

I hadn't spoken to Theodore yet, and I wasn't sure how to go up to him and say anything. I wasn't even sure what I wanted to say.

And then, as if he had been reading my mind from afar, I saw him approaching. When he noticed me curled up and depressed, his pace quickened. Once he was at my side, he knelt down beside me but didn't say anything.

I was the first to speak. "I'm sorry," I whispered, my eyes closed. I didn't want to look at him in case there was anger or hurt in his eyes.

"So am I," he murmured gently and quietly. "You didn't deserve those two weeks of detention, and I know you can take care of yourself. I didn't mean to embarrass you or ... hurt you like that."

"It was my fault. I didn't want to fight. I was so afraid I'd lost you. I'm always the one to start things with my anger. I should have it under control, but nothing works. I thought playing Beater in Quidditch would, but apparently I can still snap if I reach my limit."

"I don't blame you for getting angry," he said. "Nobody realizes what you've been through, and you're only human. I know it's not easy. I'm willing to forgive you if you'll forgive me."

"I forgive you," I said so quietly I barely even heard myself. My voice trembled as I spoke. "I just wish things could be different sometimes. I've lost so much."

"That may be, but you haven't lost me. Here." He gave me his hand like always and pulled me up. I caught a glimpse of the sun sinking below the horizon as I rose to my feet. He held me around the waist as I kept my gaze glued to his, saying, "I'm glad I haven't lost you."

He smiled and said, "You won't lose me. Now, Lyra ... there's something I've wanted to tell you for some time now and I was preparing to tell you before our fight, and then that came up. I think now would be a good time ... so ... what I'm trying to say is ... I guess ... I ... "

He was cut off when a loud crashing noise boomed from the castle. We both looked to the source of the sound, but couldn't see anything.

"Something's happening," Theodore said, his voice dark.

"Should we see what that was?" I asked, my voice quavering.

"In a minute. But first - "

"Ouch!"

The skin against my thigh suddenly blazed red-hot. I reached into my robe pocket; my fingers received the same sensation. It was my Galleon from the D.A., which had not burned in over a year. Why it was in my pocket now I wasn't sure, but it was a good thing it was.

"Something's going on in the castle," I told him urgently.

"What's that you have?"

"Doesn't matter. We should go inside and see what's happening."

"But Lyra, can't I at least - "

"There's no time!" I exclaimed in a panicked voice. "Come on, follow me!"

I ran toward the castle doors as Theodore followed, cursing in frustration. I ignored his longing to tell me whatever it was, feeling that whatever was happening inside was probably more important. My robes trailed behind me as I ran; I reached the doors before he did. I stopped to catch my breath as I waited for him. Once he approached, we heard another crash.

"It's on one of the upper floors. Let's go!"

"Lyra! Lyra, wait!"

"I said we need to get inside!"

"No, this is serious! Come here and look at this!"

His eyes were wide with shock. I hurried to his side to see where he was pointing. High above us, hovering over the Astronomy Tower, was the Dark Mark.

"How's your wrist feeling?" he asked.

"Painful," I replied, just before reality hit quite late. "Theodore - Death Eaters are attacking the school!"

"I know. I know. We need to go see what they're doing and - "

Before he could finish, I was dashing up the Grand Staircase, heading for the seventh floor. He followed hastily, and once we were on the staircase from the second to the third floor, I stopped abruptly as a new thought hit me. He stopped and crashed into me, knocking me to the ground.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. Theodore, I get it now, and you were right. This must be Malfoy's plan. This is what he's been up to," I told him darkly.

He gasped. "You have to be right. We can't wait any longer. We need to find out what this is."

We made it to the seventh floor without stopping, but once we reached the staircase it seemed to lead into eternal darkness. We could hear shouts and screams as curses were cast all over. The bangs were getting louder.

"What happened here?" I whispered.

"I know what that is - Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder."

"Should we keep going?" I asked nervously. "There's a fight going on up there; I can hear it." Just as I spoke, a flash of red light shot down the stairs and hit the wall, barely missing me.

"I don't know if it's worth the risk. We won't be able to see a thing."

"Then ... what do we do?" I panicked. My stomach tightened nervously. "We can't just wait around!"

"We could go back to the ground and hide until it's over. We could go to the forest ... "

"The forest? Theodore, we have to figure out what's going on! There could be people we know in this fight!"

"Sh - Someone's coming!" he whispered in a hushed voice. "I hear them from those stairs over there - quick, get behind this statue!"

He grabbed my arm and yanked me behind the stone structure, not bothering with gentleness. He pulled his wand out; I did the same. We waited as three pairs of shoes ascended the stairs. Peering around the corner, I saw three people I recognized well: Bill Weasley, Remus Lupin, and ...

"Dora!" I shouted, standing up, though Theodore still had his hand gripped tightly around the sleeve of my robe. With a rip, it tore off and he stood up furiously, saying, "Get back down!"

"No, it's okay!"

"Lyra!" Dora approached me with Bill and Lupin behind her. "Lyra, do you know what's happening? We were told to come because Death Eaters attacked!"

"We figured out that much but we don't know why or how they got here. We just came to investigate and it's no use; the whole floor is covered in darkness."

"It must be thinning out," Bill said. "Look, we can get through now." He pointed his wand up the stairs and I saw that the corridor was almost clear.

"Are you saying we should go up?" I asked.

"No," Dora said. "We'll fight. You find some place to hide."

"Dora, no! My Galleon burned, the one from the D.A. last year! They need help; they need to more to fight!"

"Okay, then ... I guess ... "

Though she wasn't pleased with my choice, she proceeded up the stairs. I turned to Theodore and said, "Aren't you coming?"

"No. Lyra, I can't. I can't fight against the Death Eaters. You know I can't."

"But ... " I didn't know what to say. "But you ... you're just going to let them ... oh. Your father, right? I guess you can't fight against him."

He let out a laugh, sounding half amused, half frustrated. "Lyra, didn't you know? My father's in Azkaban. He was at the Ministry battle, remember? I thought you had that much figured out!"

I flushed with embarrassment and turned away. I should have known. I was fighting back tears now, stung by his words. Though we were a couple, we were extremely different, what with our families - the ones we were loyal to, anyway - on opposite sides of the war. For once I felt distant from him. He wouldn't fight with me, but would he really fight against me?

"You're not crying, are you?" he asked, but it wasn't really asking. He was almost snapping at me. I hadn't been crying until then, but as soon as he spoke the words, the tears flowed.

"Lyra." His voice was flat and stern.

Stop it, I told myself. I wiped my eyes and turned around. "No."

He sighed, looking irritated. "Listen, I hate doing this to you. But I can't fight against the Death Eaters. You wouldn't understand."

"But you're not going to fight with them, are you?" I asked, and the tears came back. I didn't bother to control them this time.

"I - well ... " He bit his lip, looking thoughtful. "No. I won't fight with them. I'm going to try to find Malfoy and see what he's up to."

I sighed in relief, but tried to keep it quiet. He wouldn't be taking a side tonight.

"I know this means a lot to you," he said, "so I won't fight at all. We're wasting time standing here. I'll try to find Draco, and you go...do what you're planning to do."

"Okay. Theodore, thank ... " I began to say, but he was already dashing into the disappearing darkness. " ... you."

Still feeling dissatisfied, I bounded up the steps and into the battle, gripping my wand so tightly my hand hurt. Immediately two Death Eaters spotted me.

"There's one!"

"Hey, it's her! It's the Lestrange girl!"

"You're right! Stupefy!"

"Protego!"

My spell bounced the Death Eater's spell back and knocked into him. He fell backward, Stunned, and hit the stone wall. The other one aimed a curse at me, but it simply singed the bottom of my robes as I dashed away.

Around the corner I nearly crashed into someone. After seeing a blur of fiery orange, I realized it was Ginny. Her eyes widened when she saw me.

"Lyra! You got the message?"

"Yes! What's going on?"

"Death Eaters - they got in, but we have no idea how! We don't know what they're up to, either. Right now we're just trying to get them out!"

"I'm here to help!" I announced just as another Death Eater came around the corner and shot a fiery curse at us. I gasped and ducked instinctively. The Death Eater shot the curse again. I tried to block it but my Shield Charm was too late. I felt an intense burning sensation in my arm and heard someone mutter, "So weak ... "

Everything was gone, and I was swallowed by blackness.