November Snow

f i f t y - n i n e

Wizard family murdered.

The front page of the Daily Prophet brought up all the students's fear once more with that bolted title under the headline about the Dark Mark. They read the black and white newspaper, silently pray that the names of the people killed weren't their families and friends outside of school. Many of them sighed in relief knowing that it wasn't someone they knew, but some others just got tensed.

Juliette walked into the Great Hall with her usual eerie look, her hair falling over her face and shoulders, her eyes had dark circles. It was a normal thing about Juliette this year, the others had seen it too much they hardly paid her any attention anymore. But today was different, she may not have noticed but the almost everyone was staring at her the moment she walked in. She sat down next to Ginny and Luna at the end of the Gryffindor table, and then she noticed the look on the girls's faces.

"What?" She asked.

Ginny's hands were shaking as they held the Daily Prophet tightly. Luna looked at the article grimly and none of the two wanted to look into Juliette's eyes. The Slytherin girl snatched the paper out of their grip and her eyes trailed down to the short notice under the main article.

Wizard family murdered.

And few seconds later, they saw a dark-haired Slytherin girl running out of the Great Hall in tears, the copy of the Daily Prophet laid crumbled on the table, next to the untouched plate of breakfast toast. The article was still visible to the kids walking by, especially the name of the victims.

Maverick and Acacia Tughorn.

"Why?" Juliette cried as she collapsed in front of the webbed and dusty sinks in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom where she had spent her time crying for months in "Why must it be them?"

She knew why, actually. Her parents were one of the few Slytherins who publicly fought against The Dark Lord because her grandparents were murdered by the Death Eaters. Juliette had learnt the story when Harry Potter started telling everyone that You-Know-Who was back, and since then she had been worried sick about her family. She knew, by the look and the tone of November's voice at the end of last year when she last talked to her, that he would do anything to terminate the ones fighting against him. She didn't even want to go back to Hogwarts, but she also knew she would just get in their way when the Death Eaters came. She knew they would come, soon or later. But she didn't know it was this soon.

She didn't know she would loose her family this soon.

But she did. She lost them.

Forever.

And she swore that whoever took her family would pay for what they did.

When a Tughorn swore they would do something, they would do it, or die trying.

-----

A dark, stormy night, a middle age couple sat in their solitude house on the hill. They could feel the tension of war in the air, but they were somehow happy. Five more months, they counted, five more months and they would give their eldest daughter a chubby little brother. The mother thought of her sixteen-year-old child at Hogwarts and smiled as she caressed her baby bump which was growing bigger and bigger.

"He will be a big, healthy boy, won't he?" Her husband sat down next to her and placed his hand on top of hers.

"He will be born in the middle of the storm, honey, but he will be fine." She smiled and he kissed her forehead gently.

They were thinking of building a new nursery. The old one was already sixteen years old, they didn't want all the dust and cobwebs and creaking wooden windows. They would paint it in blue, like what Muggles do when they have a baby boy. They would buy him handsome clothes, toys and warm blankets. They would sing him a lullaby or read him The Tales of Beetle the Bard. They would watch him taking his first baby steps, hear his first words, teach him magic and watch him getting on the Hogwarts Express for the first time when he turns eleven. They would watch their eldest daughter making fun of her baby brother, telling him things about Hogwarts and tutoring him. They would all go on holidays in their cottage by the sea where they would go swimming, cook and spend time with each other. They would be happy.

They heard a loud bang outside and sprung onto their feet alarmingly. They both grabbed their wands and held each other's hands as they approached the window to see what was happening.

Dark clouds of mist were circling in the air above and and around their house. They watched in horror as hooded figures started appearing on their lawn, staring at them from the darkness outside. The husband, knowing that they wouldn't stand a chance, shook in fear and anger as he gripped his wife's hand tighter. They both knew they couldn't Disapparate out of the house.

"Acacia, dear, you have to run." He said to his wife "Take the Floo Powder and get out of here. I'll hold them off."

"Maverick, no!" Acacia argued "I'm not leaving you."

"Do it for Juliette and Jonathan, Acacia." Maverick said "Go!"

But it was too late. The Death Eaters had broken down their front door and marched into their living room. With no other choice, Maverick gripped Acacia's hand tightly and ran through the back door and to the vast hill. Enemies were surrounding them, it was ten to one. They had nowhere to run to. They were trapped.

"Awe, is that a baby boy in there?" Asked a maniacal female voice.

"Bellatrix Lestrange." Maverick gritted his teeth as he stood protectively in front of his wife and unborn son.

"I see you remember me." She chimed "How's life?"

"Stay away from my family." He said.

"Straight to the point, I see." Lestrange laughed "Ladies and babies first, shall we?"

"Over my dead body." Maverick growled.

"You see, we're not the one doing the killing tonight." She grinned "It's someone else."

They parted for a small figure walking through. She wore Hogwarts uniform, a Slytherin crest shone on her chest. Her jet black hair was blown by the harsh wind, making it hard to see her face. But Maverick and Acacia could catch a glimpse of her pale, china-like skin and her small plum lips. And they could see her eyes, soul-less, cold, cruel eyes. With one flick of her wand, she disarmed the middle age couple. The Death Eaters bowed to her with such respect that they normally would give only to the Dark Lord. She pointed her wand at the couple, and Lestrange's lips curled up into a cruel, insane smile.

"Avada Kedavra." Whispered the young girl.

As the bodies of the Tughorns touched the solid ground with a deadly thud, a cruel laughter echoed the hills under the green Dark Mark.