DEPARTMENT OF MYSTERIES

Harry James Potter was convinced that he was going to die. He was going to meet an untimely death like his parents.

With his friends around him, held at wand-point by half a dozen Death Eaters, and while he himself was face to face with Voldemort's right hand man, he began to wonder if the prophecy in his hand was even worth it.

He thought about what Sage would do. Faced with certain death either way, would she give up the thing she'd fought so hard to retrieve if it meant her friends could live? He was sure she would. She'd taught him time and time again that friends were worth more than gold.

So he clenched his fist and passed the prophecy orb over to Lucius Malfoy, despite the fact that every cell in his body was screaming at him not to.

And then the room went white. A pure, blinding, brilliant light flashed, and he was left blinking stupidly, unsure what had just happened or if this was what dying felt like.

"Touch my kid again, Malfoy, and I swear to Merlin you'll be dead before you hit the ground."

Sage Fontaine-Black stood in front of him, looking ragged and exhausted, with the sleeves of her cardigan rolled up to expose the Dark Mark on her forearm. Her face was set in an expression full of fury, and she looked downright murderous.

She transferred her wand to her right hand, and with her left, she swung, knuckles connecting to Malfoy's eye.

Hope swelled in Harry's chest as more white light filled the room, and one by one, each Death Eater was thrown back, away from his friends. He was so abruptly optimistic that the sound of glass shattering—the prophecy smashing against the stone—didn't phase him. He simply watched in awe as more of his family appeared.

Sirius, Regulus, Remus, Anna-Lee, Rowan, Maia. They were all there, for him. To protect him.

Sage lunged for Harry in the chaos, tackling him down behind a short wall of rock, and she looked at him with concern in her dark eyes.

"You alright?" She asked quickly, eyes scanning over him to check for injuries or any sort of pain. When he nodded fervently, she sighed. "Good. Sit tight right here. I'll come get you when it's over."

She prayed he'd listen, although she knew he never would, and she dove right back into the action, sending hex after hex and even a few Unforgivables at her enemies.

She was locked in a nasty battle with Lucius, so focused on taking him down that she didn't notice her godson had followed her. She found herself next to Sirius, back to back with him, really. He was so close that she could feel his body heat through the fabric of their clothes; she itched to grab his hand in order to quell the feeling of dread building just behind her heart.

He was suddenly spinning her, taking her former place as she now fought with Rabastan Lestrange.

They disarmed their opponents quickly and easily, and, with the playing field relatively clear, he pulled her into a kiss.

Something felt wrong, so wrong that she pulled away, words forming on her lips.

"Stupefy!"

She hadn't realized where they'd been standing until Bellatrix screamed out a spell and Sirius went flying backwards.

She hadn't realized that this room was the same as the one from her dreams, so many years ago, and the veil...

Her heart stopped. Sirius stood just inside the large stone archway, a strange, peaceful smile on his face as he gazed at her with loving eyes. He didn't look to be in pain, or scared. He simply looked peacefully absent, like he wasn't truly there.

And then she blinked, and he was gone. Disappeared without even a trace. A scream ripped from Sage's throat.

"No!" She cried, lurching forward.

She would have leapt right into the veil after him if Regulus hadn't caught her, wrapping his arms around her to prevent her from moving even an inch. His grip was so stranglingly tight that she felt suffocated.

She struggled to get free. "Let me go. Please, let me go, let me go, let me go. I can't—he can't—Regulus, please." She begged, eyes welling up with tears.

Regulus looked down at her, eyes on the crown of her head. After the week she'd had, between botched physical therapy and the phone call from Madeleine that had led them all here, she was one bad thing away from having a nervous breakdown. And for Sirius to vanish in front of them...well, she'd have a visit to St. Mungos planned before the day was through.

He didn't have time to think about how he had just lost his brother. Not when Sage had just lost her husband and the love of her life and the godfather to her child. She came first, no matter how much he felt like he was going to vomit.

Sage shoved him away and took off running after Bellatrix despite the protests of everyone who was left standing around in shock.

"Sage, stop!" Maia shouted.

She didn't listen. She just chased after Bellatrix and prayed the murderous bitch hadn't gotten away in the time it had taken her to cry.

This is why you don't fucking cry, Sage thought to herself as her thighs burned with the effort of sprinting. She briefly wished she had worn better shoes, shoes that didn't have a heel. But in that moment, she didn't care. She had murder on her mind, vengence that needed to be achieved. Bellatrix was a dead woman walking, if Sage had her way.

"Bellatrix!" Sage shrieked, skidding on the tile floor as she turned a corner sharply. "Stop running, you fucking cu—"

She was cut off by a stun to the chest. She hit the floor hard, only for a moment before she clambered to her feet again.

She caught up to Bellatrix just as she was slipping into a fireplace and disappearing, laughing like the truly deranged madwoman she was, gleeful because she was able to hurt Sage one last time.

Sage keeled over, hands on her knees and panting. "Merlin's fucking beard." She hissed tiredly. Her lungs were heavy in her chest, and the weight of what had just happened threatened to drown her.

He couldn't be dead. Everything they'd gone through, after he'd fought like hell to get back to her, and he was gone in literally a blink. If he was dead, after she'd had him back for less than three years, that would mean that she was cursed to spend the rest of her life without him. And that was not something she could bear.

One of the Floo Network's fireplaces roared to life to her left, and she stood up straight, chest heaving with labored breaths as the smell of rotting flesh hit her.

No, she thought to herself, no, no, no, no no no.

Voldemort sauntered out of the flames, snake-like eyes bright with a malicious glee. "Well, Miss Fontaine. I would have thought my favorite assassin would be a bit more loyal." He said, his voice cold and cruel.

Despite the fact that she was shaking like a leaf, she pointed her wand at him. "You created a killing machine, Tom. It's only fitting that yours is the last name that I add onto my list." She inhaled deeply, adjusted her grip on her wand, and put all her power into the spell she cast while the monster opposite her did the same: "Avada kedavra!"

Two jets of deadly green magic met in the middle of them, showering the space between them in sparks of the same emerald color.

Energy and pain shot through Sage's body, paradoxical sensations setting every nerve on fire as she forced herself to stay upright. Voldemort might have had the upper hand.

But she had nothing else to lose.

It was in that moment that Sage Fontaine-Black knew that there were only two ways this would end—either she would kill him, the war would be over, and she could go home to mourn her husband; or her body, fragile and frail enough already, would crumble, he would kill her, and Regulus Black would lose the only family that he had left.

And judging by the way she could almost hear Lily Evans-Potter's voice, screaming at her and pleading with her to fight and keep going, Sage knew. She couldn't see the future, but it was all so obvious now. Everything was perfectly clear.

"Aunt Sage!"

Her resolve shattered and, still holding steady on her wand, she glanced over her shoulder to find Harry and Madeleine standing a few yards behind her.

She smiled. The beginning of a final goodbye started to work its way onto her lips. One thought crossed her mind, one that was directed towards Sirius: Wait for me.

When her wand-arm dropped, she was ready for it—ready to give them a few precious moments to run or fight back.

The killing curse hit her square in the chest, and even before the screams reached her ears, she was gone.

Sage was dead before she could hit the floor.

the end.

jk