A/N - I worked so hard on this chapter. You guys have no idea. This chapter is my baby. It's been written for quite a while now, actually, waiting to be published. Please be nice to my baby.

"blah blah"- Speaking Greek

"blah blah"- Speaking Amestrian

'blah blah'- Thinking

*<*<*>*>* - Begin/end flashback

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, Fullmetal Alchemist, or Percy Jackson. Good thing too, or they wouldn't be nearly as good as they are now. They belong to J.K. Rowling, Hiromu Arakawa, and Rick Riordan. Just to be safe, I also don't own the song 'This is War' by Thirty Seconds to Mars.

Harry

     Harry didn't know that much about the night his parents died. Thanks to the dementors, he knew more than he wanted to. And now, he knew that their deaths had been caused by one of his father's best friends. Needless to say, the new information made him angry. If Sirius Black were in front of him, he felt as if he wouldn't hesitate in killing him.

     Hermione and Ron weren't sure how to act around him. Thalia, Percy, and Nico treated him as they always did, which Harry appreciated. He tried not to think about Black and focus on his schoolwork, but it was hard with Hermione and Ron sending him anxious glances every five seconds. Which is why he retreated to the library by himself to enjoy some privacy.

     He tried to study, but he found himself staring at the wall, thinking only of his parent's betrayer. How long had Black been working with Voldemort? Had it been from the very beginning? Had he ever been their friend in the first place? If he had, then why, why would he betray him like that?

"Excuse me?"

     Harry jerked up, startled, and turned to the new voice. It was a young girl, probably a first year. Harry looked closer and recognized her as the Slytherin girl who had been visiting Professor Elric in the hospital wing after the Quidditch game. What was her name? Something White.

"Er...yes? Can I help you?" He asked, not bothering with remembering the rest of her name.

"Actually, you looked like you could use some cheering up." She smiled at him, and Harry blinked in confusion, slightly suspicious of the young Slytherin.

White continued, ignoring his confusion. "I don't know what's wrong, and I don't expect you to tell me. But whatever it is that's happening, you can't let it ruin the good things that are happening right now. You have friends and opportunities, and every day you can breathe and eat and read and sleep happily. So whatever it is that's bothering you, don't let it take those things away from you." The first-year smiled brightly. Before Harry could respond, she turned and walked out of the library.

     Harry watched her go, wondering what to make of her. Had she really given him that speech just because she thought he looked sad? What was her reason? She was a Slytherin, surely she had some ulterior motive. She didn't even know him, she couldn't have just wanted him to be happy...right?

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Joy.

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     Harry shook his head and began gathering his books. Whatever White's motives had been, maybe he did feel a little better. A little.

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Sadness.

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     He smiled a little as he walked out of the library. He had a few days until his homework was due, maybe he could convince Percy or Nico to try a broom. They could have some fun, and he could forget about Black for a while.

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Fear.

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     It seemed to him that Percy, Nico, and Thalia were too tense sometimes. They hid it well, but sometimes their restlessness would slip through. They were just kids, after all. They shouldn't have to worry about murders; at least not all the time.

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Anger.

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     Harry smiled. He would have to find that White girl later and thank her. He had no idea why she had decided to do what she did, but it had helped him. She seemed nice; even if she was a Slytherin. Harry laughed inwardly. Thalia would love to hear him say that.

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Four emotions.

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Harry's thoughts were significantly brighter than before as he neared the common room.

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Some considered good, some considered bad.

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     His happy train of thought crashed abruptly to a halt when a scream echoed through the castle halls.

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As you experience each one

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Harry whirled toward the sound, seeing Professor McGonagall rushing toward him.

"Professor, what's going he on?" He asked urgently.

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You never know if it will be the last time.

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"Sirius Black has been spotted in the castle," McGonagall informed him briskly, hiding any traces of worry. "Come with me, Potter."

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So cherish them all

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"What?!" Harry exclaimed as Professor McGonagall ushered him down the hall. "But, Professor-"

He was interrupted they turned a corner and ran headfirst into a student.

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The good and the bad

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     Professor McGonagall's wand was trained on the boy in an instant, and she lowered it as she saw who it was. The boy leaned against the wall in relief as she lowered her wand.

"P-professor, h-he-he's looking f-for-" The boy stammered, and Harry saw he was shaking so bad he was having trouble standing.

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For you never know

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"He was looking for me, wasn't he?" Harry asked the trembling boy, trying to contain his own fear.

"N-no, i-it's the three e-exchange students, he was looking f-for them!"

     Harry froze, shocked, and was immediately worried for his three friends; not to mention confused. What did Black want with them?

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If it will be the last time.

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Percy

     Percy's day had been pretty normal. Nothing spectacular was supposed to happen, according to what they had read. Just another normal day of homework, classes, and relaxing. Then there was a faint scream, and then silence.

     Percy, Nico, and Thalia were alone in an empty classroom, practicing their spell-work. They all dropped their wands, each reaching for concealed weapons. The seconds ticked by, and nothing happened.

"What was that?" Thalia asked, still on the alert.

"Nothing good," Nico replied uneasily.

Percy fiddled with Riptide, which he had drawn out of his robes. "C'mon, let's go see what happened."

      The three demigods crept out of the classroom, long-honed battle sense awakening. They had been in a fairly isolated section of the castle, so they headed towards the great hall. Hearing the sound of running footsteps, they whirled around, ready to draw their weapons at a moment's notice. A young girl burst through a doorway, looking around frantically. Spotting them, she sagged in relief.

"Hurry, come with me!" She cried, beckoning to them urgently

"Uh...what?" Percy asked, coming out of his battle stance. "What's going on?"

"He's here, Sirius Black! He's looking for you! Come on, I know a passageway that can take you near Great Hall. Hurry!"

"If he's looking for us, then you need to get away from us!" Thalia warned. "We can handle-"

"Shut up and come on!" The girl pleaded. She turned and ran down the hall.

     The demigods looked at each other, then rushed after her. They hadn't been running for long when the girl stopped at a seemingly random spot in the hall. She turned to the wall and muttered a few words while waving her wand. A doorway appeared in the wall, and she gestured into it frantically.

"Hurry, though here!"

"You first," Percy instructed.

The girl shook her head. "I have to close it from the outside. I'll go around another way, don't worry, I know plenty of passages." The sound of footsteps made all four wizards freeze. "Hurry!" She pleaded.

     Percy, seeing that hesitating would only put them more at risk, hurried into the passageway. Nico and Thalia followed his lead. As soon as they had crossed through the doorway, the wall closed up behind them, separating them from their savior. The three demigods were left alone, wondering what they had done wrong to cause this catastrophe.

Susan

     Susan White had never thought of herself as brave. Even so, she had made a promise to herself. She had promised that she would help anyone who needed it, no matter how small and no matter what the risk. When she was sorted into Slytherin, that did nothing to change her promise.

     And now, as she closed the passageway, she knew that she was doing the right thing. She was doing what she believed was right. Even so, her hands were shaking. She had kept a brave cover on for the three escapees, but now that they were gone, it was slipping.

     As she turned to face the murderer, she was terrified because she didn't want to die and she could have helped so many people and couldn't she at least have seen her baby sister even once and what about everything she had wanted to do with her life and now it was all slipping away and it was happening so fast and she was scared-

"Listen, girl, I don't want to have to kill a Slytherin, but I will if necessary. Tell me where they are and I won't have to."

     It would be so easy to just point at the passageway, and then she would live and she would see her family and she would do so many things to help people and surely living would be better, she could do some much for the rest of the world-but she knew that if she did that, she would never forgive herself. She would live the rest of her life regretting. And she had made a promise. She would not go back on what she believed.

     Her legs were shaking, her eyes were filling with tears, and it was so hard to make herself speak that one word.

"No."

"Are you really willing to die to save three people that you don't even know?"

"I promised that I would give help to anyone who needed it, no matter the risk." Susan squeezed her eyes shut, tears streaming down her face and fear gripping her heart. Her last words came out barely louder than a whisper, her throat clenched so that she could barely breathe. "That's what I believe."

     As she felt a sharp pain pierce her heart, she remembered her older brother's words to her so long ago; spoken through a teasing grin. "A promise like that is going to get you killed one day, Suz." And for the first time, when examining this memory, she noticed the well-concealed worry in her brother's tone.

     The pain in her chest was worse than anything she had ever felt; she didn't know what was happening anymore, her only thoughts were of the awful, burning pain in her heart. She had heard that your life flashed before your eyes right before you died. As her chest turned numb and she breathed her last, she remembered.

Running to her brother as he returned home for the summer, jumping into his arms as he laughed and said she would love it when she was old enough...

Susan vaguely registered that she was on the floor, though she didn't know how she had gotten there.

Playing house with Lucy, talking excitedly about Hogwarts, promising to stay best friends forever...

The footsteps of her killer faded away, or was it that everything was fading?

Eating dinner with her family, hearing her brother's stories...

Were those footsteps getting louder? She didn't hurt anymore...she felt...numb. Weightless.

Sitting next to her mother as her father scolded her for lying...

     Susan's vision was white, but she could have sworn she saw a flash of red...and...was that a voice? The only voices she could hear were inside her head, coming in quick flashes.

Flash. Her mother telling her about her acceptance letter. Flash. Her brother teasing her about being nervous. Flash. Her father telling her she didn't have to worry; she would be ok. Flash. Her mother calling goodbye as the train pulled away.

"Susan?! Susan!! No no no no..."

     Who was talking? The voice sounded familiar, but Susan couldn't quite place it. She had felt like she was drifting, but now she could feel that she was done.

"No, please, not again..."

     She wanted to tell whoever that was that it was ok, but she couldn't seem to move her body anymore. She saw brilliant gold, piercing through the whiteness, and then it was gone, and she was free.

Luna

     Luna Lovegood had often been regarded as crazy. Loony Lovegood, they called her. It had never bothered her. She knew that she wasn't crazy, and that was what mattered. She sometimes saw things, things that anyone else would consider strange, even for the wizarding world. When she was younger, they would scare her; but now she was used to them.

     Sometimes she would encounter something that startled her, but that was a rare occurrence. When the three Americans had arrived, she knew that they were different. She knew that there was something within them that was ancient and powerful, yet somehow familiar. She knew that they didn't belong here.

     Luna knew that they didn't belong the same way that she knew that this 'Sirius Black' wasn't really Sirius Black; and she knew that whoever this woman was, this woman who was imposing as Black, she was after them. She didn't know why, or how she knew. There were so many things she didn't know for sure.

     She knew that this woman was dangerous. She was planning something, and if she succeeded, destruction would follow. Luna knew that she needed to warn them. Perseus, Thalia, and Nico; they needed to know. She knew their names the same way she knew that they needed to know.

     Luna rarely ran, but right now she was flying. She reached her destination right as the three practically fell through the wall and into the hallway. At that moment all she felt was relief that she had made it in time.

     Their faces were white, and they didn't seem registered her presence. And Luna knew that someone had died. Someone who hadn't deserved to. Anger flared in her chest but she had to push it aside because they needed to know.

"Wait! I need to tell you something!"

The three whirled around, arms up and eyes wide, ready to fight.

Luna began talking, knowing she had no time to waste. "I don't know how I know, or what exactly it is, but that woman-she's dangerous."

"Woman?" The girl; 'Thalia,' her mind supplied, demanded. "Don't you mean Sirius Black? What woman?" She had lowered her arms and was now eyeing Luna warily.

"No, not Black. A woman. I don't know who she is but-I had to tell you. Please, listen to me!" Luna's breath was short, her adrenaline having worn off.

"She's planning something. Something in the graveyard; something where the three will come together;" Luna wasn't sure where the words were coming from, but she knew that she had to speak them. "Myths, magic, and alchemy; the three great powers; she's bringing them together for something, something that will end in d-destruction." Her voice stuttered out as she finished speaking, and suddenly she realized how utterly terrified she was.

The three stared at her, a mixture of shock and disbelief on their faces.

"That-that's all I know. Please, you have to run! If you die, then no one will be able to stop her. And then it will all be over. GO!"

     Luna shoved them down the hallway. They stumbled, the bewilderment evident on their faces, but they gathered themselves and turned to run. The relief Luna felt was wonderful. She had warned them. Now she just had to get somewhere safe, like everyone else had. There wasn't anything else she could do.

     Luna turned into another hallway; and found herself facing the person who had haunted her dreams. For a split second, it looked like Sirius Black, and Luna wondered if maybe she was crazy. But then that second passed.

     The woman whirled to face her, and Luna saw her clearly for the first time. Long, dark brown hair tinted with dark red. Cold, pale green eyes. Tall, with brown skin, and hands that looked used to work. Luna took in all of that in an instant before her mouth slipped and asked a simple, damning, question.

"Who are you?"

The woman's eyebrows raised in surprise. "How can you-ah, I see." The woman sighed, as if it pained her. "I really didn't want to kill anyone else, but I can't very well have a clear-sighted mortal who's been touched by Apollo running around ruining my plans."

      Luna didn't have time to wonder what she meant. She didn't have time to move, or to scream, or even to think before a sharp pain entered her chest and she realized that she was going to die.

      But she couldn't die, because there were so many things that needed to be done and she was the only one who could do them and who was going to tell Harry that he wasn't crazy when he saw the thestrals for the first time and who was going to convince her father to publish his story in the Quibbler and so much more and she was seeing all of it, everything that she would have done but it was too late now. The last thing she heard as she fell to the floor was the woman's sardonic voice.

"It's too bad. You would've done great things, kid."

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Cherish these emotions; the good and the bad. The joy, the sadness, the fear, the anger. For you never know if it will be the last time. And then it will be too late, and all you will have left is regret. So cherish them.