If there was one thing that people were always doing for me, it was sheltering me from the truth. I was forever, hidden away or kept in secret. My uncle did it the teachers did it and my close friends did it. Mainly those who knew who I was. Harry had survived, Harry was built as the special one, he was one that people valued. I was nothing. I was nothing. There were times I was probably jealous of him. I felt I had to be strong.
At the beginning of 1996, I was happy, stronger than I had been in a long time. We had come back from a Christmas at Grimmauld Place and felt as though I could burst through the walls. I was no longer considered sick by Mme Pomfrey and was able to carry on like normal. Perhaps it was having been so ill for nearly nine months or simply because people are over-protective of me but I was to become a target more than ever before.
In January there was, what the Daily Prophet called a MASS BREAKOUT from Azkaban. There was no point shielding me it was in the morning post with owls everywhere. Within hours word was around the school. They even listed some of the names of the prisoners with photos.

ANTONIN DOLOHOV

BELLATRIX LESTRANGE

AUGUSTUS ROOKWOOD

TRAVERS

RABASTAN LESTRANGE

RODOLPHUS LESTRANGE

I knew some of these the Lestrange family were high in the Death Eater ranks, Bellatrix I was sure was related to Sirius. Later that evening I managed to get hold of a copy in the Common room. I had seen each and every one of them before. But not like this. These were all photos from Azkaban Prison, taken years ago. Now they were older, the joy taken away from them. Life taken away from them. I could imagine how if they had been bad enough to go in then it would have done them no good coming out. I imagined asking my uncle about it after breakfast the next morning but his face was so pale that it told me all I needed to know. This was bad. Preparations to the fullest. I could see no other way.

By the time it got to February 1996 the weather was getting warmer and wetter as usual. There had been some…nasty comments made to me because of it being Valentines. As it wasn’t something, I ever celebrated I wasn’t prepared for it but the comments were more painful. I went down to the Forbidden Forest to visit Arber, to rest. Everyone else was up at the school and it was growing dark so I decided to sleep. I was accustomed to sleeping when I needed to so I thought just half an hour and I would be gone.

I didn’t turn up for dinner that night. I imagine that’s what saved my life in the end. That night I was attacked by 12 Death Eaters. From what I understand those that were parents of students had come under the ruse of wanting to check that their children were ok. I think that Polyjuice must have been used in some instances because Narcissa came and Bellatrix left. They managed to get close enough to the castle but didn’t realise that the student would be me, the Dark Lord’s daughter.

I was only half awake when I heard them, mainly Bellatrix. Her laugh pierces me more than anything else. They threw everything they could at me. I imagine their magic was weak from being in prison for so long. But it gave me strength to fight, to be brave. It was my uncle that came, saw me, saw them. He told them to leave, that they had been stupid to come. He took me to his office. I got more or less the same speech. I could have been killed; I had been reckless... The point is I wasn’t killed. I was fighting back.

I was the Phoenix in the Death Eaters, some may understand now but others will have to wait for my explanation. I was fighting back then an I am fighting back now.