"Go to your houses," McGonagall called to the students. It was the afternoon and the sky had mysteriously turned an odd shade of gray. Lauren's stomach twisted as she walked out of the courtyard with Marian. Instincts. But as to what they were warning her about, she wasn't sure. Then it hit her. Harry and Dumbledore hadn't returned yet. She turned to Marian. 

"You head back, I have to ask McGonagall something." Lauren lied. Marian looked at her skeptically. "I'll meet you back at the common room." she insisted. A smirk grew on Marian's face. 

"And what do you expect me to tell Colin?" Marian asked. Lauren shot her a look.

 "That I'll be fine." she suggested. She paused. "Just - make sure he stays in the dorms, okay?" Marian nodded. 

"Of course - just don't die, okay?" Lauren smiled. 

"Alright," she promised. After Marian had walked away, Lauren ran over to McGonagall. "Something's going to happen tonight, isn't it." she said wistfully. McGonagall swallowed hard. 

"Yes, I think you're right." 

"Should we contact the rest of the Order?" The professor nodded.

"That might be a wise idea." 

Later....

Death Eaters had found a way into Hogwarts. Lauren fought alongside Sirius as they attacked. She was the only one who saw Snape race up the stairs to the Astronomy tower after Bellatrix and Draco Malfoy. Lauren's stomach was on a roller coaster ride. Something horrible was coming, and soon. Suddenly, Bellatrix came flying down the stairs, laughing. 

"Dumbledore is dead!" she sang. Everyone stopped for a moment, too stunned to fight. Bellatrix, Malfoy, and Snape fled from the room, Harry at their heels. Lauren followed them as the fighting began again. As Lauren raced through the Forbidden Forest, she thought for a moment that she'd lost them. She spun around, looking for anyone or a way out. A loud noise grabbed her attention as the smell of smoke rose into the air. A faint light appeared and she ran towards it. 

*****

"She should be back by now," Colin said, worry creeping into his voice. And even though Lauren had said she'd be fine, Marian wrung her hands with fear. "That's it. I'm going to look for her." Colin declared, heading for the door. 

"No!" Marian cried. "She told me to make sure you stay here." But as much as she pleaded, Colin's mind was made up. Lauren was in trouble- he could feel it- and he was going to help her. Finally Marian gave up. 

"Fine." she agreed. "But I'm coming with you." 

"Me too." Hermione and Ron said in unison before Colin could protest. The four of them left the common room, wands at the ready.

*****

It was Hagrid's hut. Lauren gasped as she realized it, watching the little building burn. She was on the edge of the woods as she heard a shout. 

"Snape!" Harry's familiar voice yelled. "He trusted you!" Snape turned to face him as Harry shot spells at the professor. Lauren frowned. Something was off about this scene. Harry and Snape were on one side of the burning hut, and Draco and a couple of Death Eaters on the other side. But Bellatrix Lestrange was nowhere to be found. Suddenly, a wand was pressed to Lauren's throat as someone snuck up behind her. 

"Well, well, well, if it isn't my cousin's little brat." A familiar voice cackled.

*****

The fight near the Astronomy tower had ended and the members of the Order of the Phoenix raced around the school. Hermione and Ron had separated from Marian and Colin in order to find Harry. As the latter ran around the school Marian caught sight of a familiar mustache, attached to a person who's picture she had seen many times. Sirius Black. 

"This way," she said, dragging Colin along. "Sirius!" she called down the hall. The man stopped and whirled around to see two students running up to him. 

"Who are you?"he questioned. "We're friends of Lauren's and we're trying to find her." Colin supplied. "I'm Colin and that's Marian." Sirius blinked in surprise. Lauren had mentioned Marian before, but she hadn't said anything about befriending a boy outside of Harry and the Weasleys. 

"I don't know where she is either," Sirius said ruefully. "I haven't seen her since she ran after some Death Eaters." Colin went pale at his reply. 

"What is it?" 

"Well," Colin began "Lauren said that the last time You-Know-Who was in power, it started with disappearances, so what if the Death Eaters take her?" he said worriedly. Sirius inhaled deeply. 

"Then we have to find her first." he said firmly.

*****

Lauren stiffened as Bellatrix laughed. She was trapped. 

"What should I do with you..." Bellatrix wondered out loud. "I'd love to kill you, but if what Snape says is true, then you're much more valuable alive." Still, Lauren didn't move- didn't make a sound, but she, very slowly, was reaching into her pocket, towards her knife. "The Dark Lord might want you alive; you could tell us some important information, let us see if Snape is trustworthy-" Lauren cut her off. 

"I'm not telling you anything." she said, determined. 

"Is that so?" Bellatrix questioned. "We'll see. Crucio!" she said, casting the curse. Lauren gasped. The familiar pain returned, but she didn't scream. Bellatrix would never expect her to attack under an unforgivable curse. Fighting through the pain and gritting her teeth, Lauren grabbed the dagger- and she stabbed Bellatrix in the leg.

*****

The crowd stopped them. Sirius, Colin, and Marian were outside the castle. They were searching for Lauren on the grounds when they saw the growing circle of students and professors. Sirius knew what they were looking at. 

"What is it?" Marian asked. 

"Dumbledore." Sirius replied. Marian gasped and Colin's head dropped. Unconsciously, they joined the crowd. None of them heard the scream.

*****

Bellatrix let out a scream as Lauren plunged the dagger into her leg. With the Death Eater distracted, Lauren broke away from her grasp, Bellatrix's wand flying out of her hand as she did so. Lauren kicked it away and sprinted- but not towards the grounds, back the way she came. Lauren assumed that she would be an easier target out in the open. She ran until she saw people- lots of people. She stepped out of the woods to see a huge crowd, all silent. No one saw her. From her spot, Lauren saw Harry approach the crowd. They slowly parted to let him through. That's when he saw her.

*****

Colin stood shocked in the group. Dumbledore was dead. As Harry walked towards them, the crowd parted and Colin turned slightly. But that slight turn allowed something to catch his eye. Something like blue lightning. Colin's eyes widened as she studied her. Lauren was standing at the edge of the woods, her hair messy and her face smudged with dirt and blood. Her eyes were sad and wild as she clutched a blood soaked dagger in one hand and a wand in the other. But she was alive. And that's what mattered to him. 

"Lauren," he whispered. And he ran towards her.

*****

She was staring at the crowd, searching for a familiar face. Her eyes landed on Colin, who was staring back at her, of course. As she looked around him, she spotted Sirius and Marian. Lauren watched as Colin said something she couldn't hear and started towards her. Sirius whirled around at what Colon had said. He sighed with relief as his eyes landed on her. As he watched, Lauren did something she had never done before. 

She dropped her knife. 

She dropped it and ran to Colin who pulled her into a fierce hug. But he also caught something else. There was something about the way Colin had said her name, something about the way she looked at him, something about the way she'd ran into his arms. As the two broke apart, Sirius and Marian walked up them. Lauren could tell just by looking at Sirius that he knew; or at least had a good guess that Colin was a bit more then a friend. But before he could say anything she pulled him into a hug and leaned back. 

"I know exactly what you're thinking," she began "but now is not the time to discuss it. We have bigger problems." Sirius looked at her and sighed. 

"Sometimes I really hate how right you are." he said softly.