Not all diamonds shine --August 10 1978

Melanie and I got out of the room as James fought Mcnair. I hoped with everything in me that he would be okay. I helped her get outside the room as we needed to get out. I needed to get her out, I would come back and help everyone. The thought of losing someone close to me was unbearable. We almost made it out when I heard the curse, I didn't have any time to react. The green flash hit Melanie and she dropped to the ground. "No!" I looked at her body as I looked to the death eater standing in front of me. " Stupefy!" I shouted.

I was walking backwards towards the door with McNair practically on top of me.  He was advancing despite my spellwork.  And that was when I fell backwards over a piece of debris.  I fell and quickly rolled to the side to avoid a blast.  When I rose, my back was towards Mcnair, but I saw Lily disarm another Death Eater.  "Go!" I shouted at her, throwing the protective spell up at her back because I was sure that McNair saw the opportunity to send something her way.  I was not worried about myself.  "Find Padfoot!"  I knew Sirius was in this area with me... She would be okay with my best mate.

I knew that magic would be useless with Greyback.  He seemed utterly surprised that I did not use my wand and used merely my brute strength.  Of course, we were evenly matched.  The full moon was mere days away for the both of us.  He growled at me and glanced past me and at Chloe; that was a big mistake.  The wolf inside of me did not like that.  I let him out because I knew that was going to be the only way to get Chloe and the kids in this ward away from Greyback and safe.

Ember Potter Black wrote:I was sure that she would expect a spell coming straight for her, so I levitated a piece of rubble and practically threw it at her.  I could not help but smirk when it hit her and the rage was written all over her face.  I knew that fighting Bellatrix was not a very good thing to do.  When I heard my dad's warning, I ducked behind some debris, but his blast barely moved anything on this side.  When I stood up, Bellatrix was close enough to use physical force to ram me up against the wall.  

She was wickedly strong and had her hand around my throat.  I brought my knee up and got her in the stomach, which made her let go of me.  Instead of using magic, I used my fist.  If she wanted to get physical, i grew up with James.  I knew how to get physical.

After I stood up and caught my breath, I slammed Potter into the wall, my hand closing on her throat.  I knew that harming her would just kill Sirius.  And I wanted to hurt my traitorous brother so much for hurting Aunt Walberga and Uncle Orion.  I thought that Regulus might be on the trail like Sirius was... just different way.  When I thought that I was going to succeed, I got a knee in my stomach.  I was so stunned, I let go of her, coughing.  

"You're going to pay for that!" I shouted when she punched me in the face.  I shrieked as I went at her, tackling her to the ground.  She knocked my wand away from me and that was not going to fly.  I did have to admit that she was a good little figher:  until I was able to snatch up my wand.  She came at me again and I pointed my wand at her.  "Crucio!" I said angrily and forcefully.  She fell to the ground; her screams echoed around us in this little chamber made by debris.  I could hear her father trying to force his way through, still.

I had been dealing with death eaters what seemed to be left and right. I had been trying to keep an eye on Prongs and knew he'd be heading right into the fire to find lily. I tried to keep his way clear when I heard a familiar scream and laughter that I knew to much. I took off towards the laughter, then I saw her. My eyes narrowed as I got side tracked as a death eater got in front of me. My mind wasn't really here and it needs to be.

I heard a scream of pain mixed with Bella's laughter.  She was torturing somebody.  I had been trying to help some of the patients while making it look like I was fighting for the Dark Lord.  I was just getting tired of doing both side of the board... especially with where I needed to go with what I had foudn out.

I turned around and saw that it was Ember being tortured.  Even if Sirius never knew that I tried to help his girlfriend, that would be fine.  I helped her in school sometimes and I would help her now.  She made him happy and I wanted to make sure that no one - especially Bellatrix -- would take that away from him.  Without even checking to make sure that no Death Eater was watching, I waved my wand, hitting my cousin in the back.  She fell to the ground and I kicked her wand away from her as I reached Ember.  Bella would not stay out long, but I did not want to make it easy for her to get back into the fray.

"Ember," I said, sitting her up.  I noticed that she had bruises on her neck in the shape of a hand.  I knew that had been Bella's doing.  She was shaky and I helped get her set up against a piece of rubble.  "You'll be alright, but you've gotta stand up on your own to get away from her."  I was speaking very quickly and glanced around a bit and did not see any other Death Eater that was too close.  Anyone else, I could lie my way out as to what they would see.  I grabbed Ember's wand and put it into her hand and helped her to her feet.  "There you go."

I did not even have time to try to do anything about Bellatrix once she got her wand.  The curse hit me like a thousand knives being thrust through my skin all at once.  While being burning hot.  Mixed with other unimaginable pain.  I heard a scream and realized it was coming from me.  Suddenly, the pain stopped and I was struggling to get myself moving.  I felt firm, but gentle hands on my shoulders, getting me into a sitting position.  I heard the voice and was not expecting it to be Regulus.

I stared at him while he spoke, trying to understand what he was doing.  He hoisted me to my feet and I was able to stand on my own.  "Reg... thank you," I said to him, trying to smile when he gave me my wand.  There was something different about him... maybe it was being in battle, but he looked so sad and deathly tired.  He squeezed my shoulders once more and kissed my forehead like James would and left me there, sneaking through a crack in the wall to go elsewhere.

I saw someone....Regulus. Near Ember...what? I couldn't believe my eyes. Unfortunately, the death eater took this opportunity to hit me in the stomach to wake me up from watching Ember and Regulus. Stumbling backwards I shook my head. Forgetting about magic I clocked him in the side of the head.

I gathered my senses and pushed off from the wall, no longer hearing my dad trying to get to me, but seeing Sirius deck someone.  I smirked slightly - even with a swollen lip that the bitch gave me - and started towards Sirius.  I heard a curse hit right above my head, making some of the wall fall down upon me, but I kept moving.  I spun around to see the assailant -- whom I could not name -- and was able to disarm them.

When defenses started to arrive, I left the ward I was in and went towards where my fellow Death Eaters needed help.  Then I saw Potter.  The one who stole away my daughter.  I started to lash out at him with curses bounding from my wand easily.  I would make him pay for taking away my legacy.

While Remus fought off Fenrir, I set to work making sure the kids were okay. " Head for the door!" I shouted over the explosions. We needed to get them all away from Fenrir and the other death eaters. I was going to give everything I have just like Remus is giving even tapping into Boris a bit more than he would like.

Greyback threw me into the wall and tore after Chloe and the children.  I waved my wand and managed to get Greyback distracted by me again.  I felt the wolf within me rear it's head again when it knew that there was a challenge.  It was going to be... interesting.  I could almost feel my skin crawl like it did when I changed; obviously the change was not happening, but I was feeling like it almost was.  The animal instinct was going to run rampant if I was not careful.

I heard my Name being called out as I noticed ember and lily making their way over to me. Trying to clear a bit of a path for the two of them to get to me. "Where's prongs?" I asked loudly to lily.