![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
FIC: Phoenix Rising, Part 33 of 37
Title: Phoenix Rising, Part 33 of 37
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Snape/Lupin
Word count: ~8,440
Warning: AU; my own version of Year 6 (was written pre-HBP).
Author's notes: {} Indicates character's unspoken thought
Disclaimer: No money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.
Sequel to: Always (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6), Summer Vacation (Part 1, Part 2), For Old Time's Sake (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5), Three's a Crowd (or, Summer Vacation II) (Part 1, Part 2), Return of the Raven (Part 1, Part 2), Phoenix Reborn (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8)
Summary: Both sides prepare for war, and some will be redeemed, while others will be damned by their actions.
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20, Part 21, Part 22, Part 23, Part 24, Part 25, Part 26, Part 27, Part 28, Part 29, Part 30, Part 31, Part 32
***
Back in Japan, Kamiyama and his allies had not been idle. They had been stockpiling healing salves and potions, and had begun sending them to Dumbledore at Hogwarts after the news of Goewin's kidnapping reached them. Although the Headmaster wanted to keep the incident from becoming public, he trusted his old colleague with the news, because he suspected it was a sign that open war would break out soon. The tengu warriors began preparing for battle, gathering in the mountains behind Kamiyama's temple, and Kamiyama sent some of his mages to England to help lay protective spells upon the residences of Order members, of Muggle-born wizards, and others who might be vulnerable to attack--even on some of the residences of the lesser Slytherin families who were not powerful enough to protect themselves, and who might be subject to vigilante justice. One of these families was the Zabinis, and it made them grateful to Dumbledore despite their long-held antipathy towards Gryffindor. They had already suffered minor vandalism to their home, although they had not told their son that, not wanting to worry him.
Kamiyama was meditating in the temple early one morning, when his granddaughter burst in on him, shouting, "Grandfather! I must go to Hogwarts now!"
"Miyako?" Kamiyama said, looking up in surprise.
"I had a vision," she gasped, her eyes still looking a little unfocused. "The Dark Lord will attack tonight, I have Seen it! The school, the students, the unborn baby...they are all in danger! I have to warn them!"
"You can't Apparate that far," Kamiyama said. "You must use the Portkey. But I don't want you going alone."
"There's no time--"
"I'll go with her, Father," Tsuneko said, entering the temple. "You can't think I'd let my daughter go off to a strange country alone."
"I'll go, too," said another voice.
"Mamoru!" Kamiyama exclaimed. "When did you get here?"
His youngest son smiled at him. "I just returned from England yesterday after helping to set protective wards around vulnerable locations. But it seems I must turn around and go right back."
"It would ease my heart greatly, if you would act as guardian to your niece," Kamiyama said with a smile. His son was a master of protective magics, which was highly appropriate, since his name meant "to protect."
"We have to go now!" Miyako shouted impatiently.
"Very well," Mamoru said, and they set off together down the path to the Portkey. Meanwhile, Kamiyama set off to alert the healers and the tengu warriors, who would be needed if a battle was imminent.
It was early morning in Japan, but it was late at night in England. Miyako and her mother and uncle emerged in the Sakura restaurant, startling the staff, who had closed the restaurant and were cleaning up and preparing to leave. Haruko, the hostess and owner of the restaurant, contacted Dumbledore and sent her surprise visitors to Hogwarts through the fireplace.
***
Draco Malfoy crept out of his dorm room, intent upon following his father's orders. First, he woke up Crabbe and Goyle, then headed to Nott's room. To his surprise, he found that the door had been sealed with a minor warding spell. No problem; it was easy to break--it was probably only intended to prevent casual intrusions, but Draco was curious about why Nott felt the need to ward his door. So he quietly broke the spell and opened the door, and laughed at what he saw.
"Merlin!" gasped Crabbe.
"Nott and Zabini?" Goyle said, his eyes wide with shock. Because Zabini's bed was empty, and both boys lay together on Nott's bed, limbs intertwined.
"Wake up, sleeping beauties," Draco crooned.
Nott woke with a start, lunging for the wand on his nightstand. Draco quickly pulled out his own wand, just in case. "Take it easy, Nott! It's me, Draco!"
"Draco?" Nott said. "What the hell are you doing here? What time is it?"
Zabini looked up blearily and said, "What's going on?"
"The time has come, Nott," Draco said in a dramatic voice.
"Time for what?" Nott asked, sounding annoyed and just a little frightened.
"Time for us to take our places beside our fathers," Draco said with satisfaction.
"Wh-what?" stammered Nott. "Tonight?!"
"Yes," Draco said, frowning. "Aren't you happy?"
"Of course!" Nott said quickly. "It's just--I didn't expect it to happen so soon--"
"I guess we'd better bring Zabini, too," Draco said, looking at Blaise, who was staring at him with fear in his eyes. "You did say you wanted to be one of us, after all."
"I did?" asked Zabini nervously. "I don't remember--"
"Of course you don't," Draco replied with a smirk. "Nott's dad took your memory away when you stumbled across our meeting on Halloween. But it doesn't matter whether you remember or not, Zabini; I'm holding you to your promise."
"He'll keep his promise," Nott snapped.
"Good. Hurry up, let's go."
"Give us a minute to get dressed first," Nott said, blushing. Both boys were obviously nude beneath the blankets.
Draco smirked again. "All right, but hurry up."
Draco shut the door and Blaise stared at Theodore in horror. "I knew something happened on Halloween!" he whispered.
"Hurry up and get dressed!" Theodore hissed, throwing a robe at Blaise.
"Theo, what are we going to do?" Blaise asked desperately.
"They'll kill us if we don't go with them," Theodore said, reaching for a scrap of paper and his quill.
"I think maybe the two of us can take on the three of them," Blaise said uncertainly.
"Maybe," Theodore said dubiously. "But the Death Eaters will come after us if we defy them. I'm sending a note to Snape; maybe he can help us." He folded the note into an origami crane and cast an enchantment on it. "It'll take off as soon as we leave the room."
Draco knocked on the door, calling impatiently, "Come on, Nott, get a move on!"
Blaise and Theodore emerged from their room and followed Draco down the hall. Draco never looked back, so he didn't notice a little white paper bird slip out through the door, which had been left open a crack, and flutter away.
They went to Dylan's room and woke him up, and since the disturbance woke up Damien as well, Draco said, "Well, I guess you're coming, too, Pierce." Damien went pale, but Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle all had their wands out, and he was unarmed, so he looked at Dylan, who looked back at him helplessly, and nodded in reluctant assent.
Dylan asked hesitantly, "Is Professor Snape going to be...wherever we're going?"
Draco shrugged. "My dad didn't say, but I'm sure he'll be there if our Master deems it necessary."
Dylan reluctantly followed Draco, wondering what he should do. He and his friends should be able to overpower Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle if they all worked together, but he wasn't sure if Theodore, Blaise, and Damien would be willing to do that. They looked frightened and cowed right now, and they were so used to following Draco's lead that Dylan wasn't sure he could convince them to act before Draco and his henchmen disarmed them. Besides, that would mean blowing his cover as a Death Eater, and he wasn't sure Snape would want him to do that. So he kept his silence and followed obediently for the moment.
Draco sent Theodore to fetch Serafina from the girls' dorm; apparently he had managed to do so without waking her roommate and creating a disturbance. Serafina joined their group, her face pale and unreadable, and Draco led them out of the castle.
"So where are we going, Draco?" Dylan asked.
"You'll see, Rosier," Draco said with a grin. "We haven't far to go."
Draco had not been particularly quiet, and many of other students had woken up, but they all pretended to be asleep, not wanting to get involved with what was surely Death Eater business. Except for one; Brad Doherty quietly crept out of his room and followed behind at a safe distance.
***
Miyako was informing Dumbledore and his companions of the vision she had seen, when a white paper bird slipped under the door of the Headmaster's office and fluttered over to Snape. Startled, he plucked it out of the air, unfolded it, read the note, and turned even paler than usual.
"Severus!" Lupin exclaimed. "What's wrong?"
"It's from Theodore," Snape whispered. "Draco is rounding up the Death Eater offspring, to 'take their places beside their fathers.' He's taken Blaise Zabini as well."
"We've got to stop them!" Lupin said.
"If the Death Eaters are making an attack on Hogwarts, the children are probably supposed to meet them somewhere on the school grounds," Snape said grimly. "Besides, none of them are able to Apparate, so they can't go far, anyway."
"How can the Death Eaters get into the school?" Lupin asked.
"I don't know, but I'm sure they'll find a way," Snape said, still looking grim.
Math was already on his feet. "If they have Goewin and they intend to kill her, there's no time to waste!"
Dumbledore nodded. "The five of you start searching, but stay together and be careful. I'll alert the other teachers and the Order."
"I have to send a message to Lukas," Lupin said. "He promised to fight when the time came."
Suddenly Snape cried out in pain and clutched at his arm. Then he smiled mirthlessly. "Well, we shouldn't have any trouble finding them; the Mark should lead us straight to the Dark Lord."
***
There were many protections upon Hogwarts, but the Minister of Magic could not be barred from the school, and the gates swung open for him. He walked through the gates, followed by a number of dark-robed figures.
They chose a spot on the school grounds near the Forbidden Forest. One of the Death Eaters used a spell to scorch a large area bare of grass, leaving behind smooth, packed earth. Other Death Eaters began drawing a circle on the ground using red paint, and within the circle, the runes and symbols required for a blood sacrifice. They laid Goewin, who was still bound, within the circle. Voldemort had them remove her gag; he found the screams of a victim pleasurable, and it was unlikely that anyone in the castle would be able to hear her screams and cries for help. Even if they did, by the time they got here it would be too late.
Just then, Draco and his band of mostly-reluctant followers came into view, and Voldemort grinned. Goewin had seen the children in her vision, so he had ordered Lucius to make sure that they attended the sacrifice. It was as a good a time as any to induct them into the Death Eaters, and if one sacrifice was not enough to desecrate the school grounds and break the protections upon Hogwarts, why then, he would have several more victims within easy reach. Besides, the blood sacrifice spell and the battle that was sure to follow would drain him of energy, and he would need to replenish his strength...though maybe he would take Wormtail instead of one of the children. He was really quite fed up with his minion's sniveling and whining...
***
Lukas smiled with grim satisfaction as he slipped a small mirror into his pocket. "Word has come from Remus!" he announced to his pack. "It is time!"
They growled with mingled fear and eagerness, their eyes more feral than usual--except for Brian.
"This isn't our fight," he protested.
"It became our fight when they murdered one of our pack!" Lukas snarled.
"We can hide in the shadows living on handouts and charity like this for the rest of our lives," Kyra said. "Or we can show those cowardly Ministry dogs how wolves fight!"
"That's the spirit!" Lukas said clapping her on the shoulder. "But it is likely that many of us will die tonight. I won't take anyone who isn't willing. But you must make up your mind now."
Brian hesitated. He wanted to protest that he was a stockboy (and before that a businessman), not a warrior; he wanted to crawl away with his tail between his legs. But Kyra's words had shamed him; he was tired of hiding, tired of being ashamed of himself. And his family might have rejected him, but these werewolves had taken him in and looked after him, even when they were sick of his constant complaining and whining. They were his family now, Brian realized; they were pack. They would never abandon or betray him as his real family had. "I will come with you," he said.
***
As the Slytherin children entered the clearing, they could see dim lights coming from wands held aloft. As they drew closer, Theodore could see a woman--a very pregnant woman--lying bound within a rune-filled circle and his blood ran cold. He realized that he had just made a very big mistake; Blaise was right, they should have tried to overpower Draco and Crabbe and Goyle back in the dorm. Instead, they had followed Draco like lambs to the slaughter, and now it was too late, because the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters were standing before them and there was no possible way they could escape.
The other children did not recognize the woman within the circle at first, but Dylan did. "AUNT GOEWIN!" he screamed, reaching for his wand as he rushed forward. Strong arms grabbed him from behind and he struggled desperately with his captor.
"Stop it!" Lucius Malfoy hissed into his ear. "Behave like a proper Death Eater!"
"You never told me you were planning to sacrifice my aunt!" Dylan screamed.
"What did you think was going to happen to her, boy?" Lucius snarled. "She and your great-uncle are allies of Dumbledore, our Master's enemy! All those who stand against us must die! Besides, do you really think they would still love you once they found out your true loyalties?" He called out in a taunting voice, "Look, Goewin! Your beloved nephew is a Death Eater like his father!"
If he was expecting shock or horror, he was disappointed. She only looked over at Dylan sadly.
"Aunt Goewin!" Dylan shouted, still struggling to break free.
Goewin knew that the Death Eaters would kill him if he tried to help her, and there was no chance he could succeed in freeing her even if his friends joined him, which was not very likely. He had to remain alive; Severus and the Order could still rescue him even if it was too late for her. "No, Dylan," she said quietly. "Don't do it."
Stunned, Dylan stopped struggling, and Lucius laughed. "I was wrong! How touching; she does still love you! Listen to your aunt, Dylan, like a good little boy." Dylan glared at him, his silver-gray eyes filled with pure hatred. "Remember your place, boy!" Lucius snapped. "Remember that your mother will pay the price if you disobey your Lord!"
Voldemort had been watching with amusement, and he finally spoke. "If you try to interfere, Dylan, I will kill Ariane as well as Goewin."
As Dylan's face turned white, Lucius gestured to one of the other Death Eaters. Bellatrix Lestrange raised her wand; black ropes shot out of it, binding Damien, who let out a startled squawk. Then Bellatrix stepped forward and held a knife to his throat, and he froze in place. "Such a pretty boy," she crooned, stroking his hair. "Shall we open his throat and let his blood run red, to match his pretty red hair?"
"Your friend Pierce will suffer too, if you continue to defy us, Dylan," Lucius said.
"Pierce?" Narcissa Malfoy asked in a startled voice. She stepped forward, holding up a glowing wand, to take a closer look at Damien. "This is my friend Aileen's son!"
Damien knew that Narcissa had been friends with his mother at school, although they now saw each other only occasionally at parties or school functions. "Please," he whispered. "Please, Lady Narcissa..."
Narcissa opened her mouth, as if to command Bellatrix to let the boy go, but then she looked at her husband and at the Dark Lord, and fell silent.
"I will be quite cross with you if you force me to cause my dear wife distress," Lucius said in a light, joking tone, but Dylan could hear the threat behind those words.
Dylan's body went limp with resignation, and Lucius loosened his hold on the boy. "Enough," Dylan whispered. "I...I've come to my senses. I will not defy you." He had to play along for now; he would watch and wait, and maybe he would get a chance to help Goewin later...although he doubted it, after the scene he had just made. He didn't know if he could just stand back and watch them kill her, but on the other hand, neither could he let Damien and his mother be harmed. He wondered if Snape had ever been faced with such a choice, and if so, how he had managed to live with the guilt for all these years.
Lucius released him and Bellatrix released Damien. "Very good, Dylan," Lucius said. "Don't do anything so foolish again."
"I should punish you," Voldemort said, "but I have no more time to waste. I shall not be so merciful a second time, boy."
Dylan dropped to his knees and bowed low. "Forgive me, Master. I will never do such a thing again."
Voldemort actually laughed and patted him on the shoulder, looking almost indulgent. "You are young, boy. In time you will learn not to be affected by foolish emotions like love."
Dylan forced his body to remain still, fighting back a shudder, and also kept his mental walls rigidly in place, not letting any of his hatred or fear leak through them.
Voldemort turned away and called to his Death Eaters to begin the ceremony. They formed a circle around Goewin and began chanting. Lucius and a few of the other Death Eaters, including the elder Crabbe and Goyle, remained apart from the circle to keep an eye on the children.
Lucius placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "This is a great night, my son. Tonight you will become one of us, and we will finally claim the power and glory that are rightfully ours."
"Y-yes, Father," Draco said, trying to look properly grateful and impressed, but inside he was deeply shaken. He was the son of a Death Eater, and was prepared for the sight of blood, was prepared to kill if necessary, but he had not expected the Death Eaters to sacrifice a pregnant woman tonight--especially not one who was Dylan's beloved great-aunt. {She's the enemy,} he told himself. {That means she deserves to die.} But he remembered seeing the beautiful dark-haired woman cheering her nephew on from the spectator stands on the Quidditch Pitch, waving one of Draco's beribboned roses, and could not quite seem to make himself believe his own words.
Lying in the circle, Goewin felt her fear depart as a vision overwhelmed her and she slid into trance, with no need for drugged smoke. "One will fall tonight," she intoned in a low, emotionless voice, "and only one will remain. The Lord of Darkness or the Boy Who Lived." The chanting faltered, then resumed as Voldemort glared at his Death Eaters, but a hint of fear glimmered in his crimson eyes. "Only a child born of the Serpent and the Lion can slay the Lord of Darkness." A sudden, overpowering fear filled the Dark Lord; he alone of all the people here understood the true meaning behind those words. For a moment, he was tempted to drop everything and flee, but the moment passed, and he raised his voice and continued chanting the incantation for the blood sacrifice spell. He would not be driven away in his moment of triumph by a Seer's ramblings! One would fall tonight; that one would be Harry Potter and not himself. He would not fail; he would not be defeated by a mere child! No, he would carry out the sacrifice, break the protections on Hogwarts, kill Potter, and then no one would be able to stop him...
***
Dumbledore was holding an urgent conference with the remaining Hogwarts teachers and whatever Order members he was able to gather on short notice when Miyako's eyes glazed over and she spoke without seeming to be aware of it. "One will fall tonight and one will remain." Silence fell over the room. "The Lord of Darkness or the Boy Who Lived," she continued, oblivious. "Only a child born of the Serpent and the Lion can slay the Lord of Darkness." Then she fainted, and Mamoru hastily stepped forward to catch her. She blinked and regained consciousness a moment later, but had no recollection of what she had said.
"What does it mean?" McGonagall asked.
"I don't know," Dumbledore said, looking worried. "But it must refer to Harry. He does have some of Voldemort's powers, transferred to him when Voldemort tried to kill him; perhaps that's what it means by 'the Serpent.'"
"I don't know about this Serpent and Lion business," Karasu said impatiently. "But the rest of it is clear enough. Harry Potter must fight in this battle tonight or all is lost."
"No!" Sirius cried out, but the despair in his eyes gave away the fact that he knew he could not shelter his godson from this battle.
Dumbledore bowed his head, looking old and weary. "I am afraid you are right," he told Karasu.
***
Only Voldemort understood what this particular prophecy meant. Even before he had organized the Death Eaters and rose to power during the first war, he had still vented his rage on Mudbloods and Muggles, although he had been more discreet about it back then. He had raped a pretty red-headed Muggle girl who had crossed his path by chance one night, simply because it amused him, and did not realize until years later that their brief encounter had resulted in a child: Lily Evans. When he learned of the child's existence, he monitored her closely, but to his disappointment, she did not follow his path as a Slytherin, but instead joined the foolish, noble Gryffindors, and eventually married James Potter, who was a descendant of Godric Gryffindor. Neither Potter nor any of his living relatives had been aware of their heritage because their Gryffindor ancestor had been born on the wrong side of the blanket, so to speak, and the Potter woman who had given birth to a child not her husband's had taken that secret with her to her grave. Only Voldemort knew that little Harry Potter was the descendant of both Salazar Slytherin and Godric Gryffindor--a child born of the Serpent and the Lion. Voldemort had been intent upon wiping out the Potter family, not just because they were staunch supporters of Dumbledore, but because of their Gryffindor blood. He had intended to spare his wayward daughter's life, but she had forced him to kill her when she refused to give up the child. He should have slain her long ago, as soon as her path crossed Potter's, before she ever had a chance to bear a child with the power to destroy him.
***
A commotion in the hospital wing woke up Deirdre Donner. Madam Pomfrey and a young Japanese woman were bustling about gathering bandages and other supplies.
"You stay here and be prepared for serious injuries," the Japanese woman was saying. "I'm going to set up a field hospital; I'm sure they'll need a healer on the battlefield."
"Is that safe, Chizuru?" Pomfrey asked, sounding worried.
"Of course not," Chizuru replied. "But if the warriors are risking their lives, I can do no less. Mamoru and Tsuneko will protect me."
"What's going on?" Deirdre asked in alarm. "You said something about a battle...?"
"The Headmaster believes that the Death Eaters are staging an attack on Hogwarts tonight," Pomfrey replied gravely.
Deirdre jumped out of bed. "If there's going to be a battle against the Death Eaters, I intend to be there!" she declared.
"Mrs. Donner!" Pomfrey cried. "You're not well, you can't--" But Deirdre was already running out of the room.
"We don't have time to chase after her," Chizuru said with a rare hint of impatience as Pomfrey started to go after Deirdre. "I'm sorry, but there are other people counting on us."
Madam Pomfrey sighed and said, "I suppose you're right." She remembered Deirdre well, from when her children had been students at Hogwarts; she remembered Lady Donner as a cold, formidable woman who never took "no" for an answer. "Besides," she added wryly, "in a fight between a Death Eater and Deirdre Donner, I'd put my money on Deirdre any day."
***
Dumbledore and McGonagall woke up Harry and told him what was happening. "This is it," Harry said, turning pale. He rubbed the scar on his forehead which, not surprisingly, was sore. "The prophecy said one of us must kill the other. I have to fight him tonight, don't I?"
Dumbledore nodded gravely. "I'm afraid so, Harry."
"All right," Harry said with grim determination, trying to sound braver than he felt. At least after tonight, it would all be over, one way or the other... "Let me get dressed." The teachers exited the room, as Ron, Neville, Dean, and Seamus watched with round, frightened eyes. Harry pulled off his nightshirt and started to reach for his clothes, then paused. He reached into his trunk and pulled out the jar of woad-based unguent they had made in Snape's class, and smeared it over his arms and chest. He might look a little silly dyed blue, but maybe it would help; it certainly couldn't hurt. He also took out a small strip of cloth he had made in Professor Chizuru's class, one that had a protective charm woven in along with the threads. At least, he hoped so; the cloth had come out slightly lopsided, with little lumpy knots where the threads had gotten tangled on the loom--but again, it couldn't hurt. He tied the cloth around his wrist and got dressed. The other boys got dressed, too; Ron and Neville also put on their unguent and protective charms.
Dumbledore said, "Come with me, Harry," and McGonagall tried to shepherd the other students to a safer and more defensible location in the heart of the castle. But she--and the other Heads of House as well--were having some trouble with their charges.
"We're not letting Harry go off to fight the Death Eaters alone!" Ron said indignantly, and Hermione nodded in emphatic agreement. In fact, all the members of Dumbledore's Army were frightened but determined to support Harry.
"Let them come," Miyako said. "I saw them on the battlefield in my vision--at least, I saw those two." She pointed to Ron and Hermione. "It may be that they have a key role to play in the battle."
"But--" McGonagall protested. Putting children in danger went against all her instincts as a teacher.
"We don't have time to argue," Miyako pointed out. "And if the Dark Lord wins, hiding in the castle won't protect them."
"But sending children out to fight--"
They reached a compromise; Chizuru needed volunteers to help her with her field hospital, and agreed to take charge of the rest of the D.A. members. She pointed out that she could especially use the help of students like Neville and Lavender, who could practice healing magic. This was marginally safer than fighting, although the teachers still weren't happy about it.
The Slytherins were not so eager to rush onto the battlefield, but when Millicent and Pansy heard that Parvati and Lavender would be working at the field hospital, they insisted on going with them. "We can't do healing magic," Pansy said, "but we can bandage and splint wounds."
"And we can help guard the hospital," Millicent added. "The Death Eaters won't hesitate to attack noncombatants. You need someone to protect the healers."
"Thank you," Chizuru said with a gentle smile, as all the other teachers and students stared at the Slytherin girls in shock.
"Let's get a move on!" Karasu said impatiently. "We haven't time to waste!"
Before they left, Miyako drew Harry aside and said to him quietly, "The Lion must embrace the Serpent in the end; I have Seen it in my vision."
Harry had no idea who this strange girl was, but the adults had deferred to her judgment when she told them to allow the students to fight. Clearly she was some sort of Seer, but her proclamation made no more sense to him than any of Professor Trelawney's predictions. "What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, a bit more sharply than he had intended.
"You will know when the time comes," the girl said solemnly, and Harry shook his head in frustration before following Dumbledore, Sirius, and the other Order members out of the castle.
***
The Death Eaters continued the ritual, which seemed to be drawing near the end; Voldemort had slipped the serpent-hilted dagger out of its sheath. Meanwhile, Percy Weasley was desperately trying to shake off the effects of the Imperius Curse. He was still frozen in place, unable to speak, but with a great deal of effort, managed to move his hand just a little; it was enough. Lucius, preoccupied with keeping a close eye on Dylan, did not notice Percy's hand slip into his pocket...
Percy grasped hold of the fireworks tube, pulled it out of his pocket, and knocked the cap off. A stream of red and gold fireworks shot straight up into the air. The Death Eaters broke off their chanting and looked up in surprise. A furious Lucius Malfoy pointed his wand at Percy and screamed, "CRUCIO!" Percy fell to the ground screaming, but despite the pain, felt a sense of triumph. Surely someone at the castle would notice the fireworks...
***
Snape, Lupin, Branwen, Math, and Ariane heard a small explosion, and a second later saw fireworks bursting into red and gold flowers of flame and sparks in the sky. "It must be a signal from one of the students!" Lupin exclaimed. The pain in Snape's Mark seemed to confirm that the Death Eaters lay in the direction of the fireworks, and the five Order members ran towards them.
At first, Voldemort was pleased to see Snape run into the clearing; he wanted all of his Death Eaters present at his victory. But then he noticed Snape's companions, and the dagger flew out of his hand as Snape pointed his wand at his Master and shouted, "Expelliarmus!"
"You traitor!" Voldemort and Lucius Malfoy shouted simultaneously. Lucius raised his wand, but Dylan attacked him before he get a spell off. Lucius managed to sidestep the curse, and snarled, "A traitor like your mentor, I see! You'll pay for that, boy! Give my regards to your father because you'll be seeing him soon!"
"How could you?!" Draco shouted at Snape, looking hurt and furious. "How could you betray us?! My father was right when he said I shouldn't trust you!"
"Draco, I--" Snape started to say, but had to break off and cast a shield spell when Draco attacked him.
Voldemort cursed; the ritual had been interrupted and now the spell was ruined. Well, he would still kill Goewin and her unborn child, and hope the mere spilling of blood would be enough to break the protections on Hogwarts even if it wasn't amplified by a Blood Magic ritual. If that wasn't enough, then he'd kill the Death Eater offspring, and if that still wasn't enough, he'd slay every damn brat in the castle if that's what it took!
A fierce and heated battle was taking place, but the Death Eaters outnumbered the Order members, and it seemed that they would prevail until...
"Master!" Wormtail shouted, pointing at the sky. They could see a number of figures on broomsticks approaching at high speed.
Voldemort cursed again; it was Dumbledore bringing reinforcements, no doubt. Well, two could play at that game! "Morsmordre!" he shouted, and a giant glowing skull made of green sparks appeared in the sky. As the Order members arrived at the scene, Voldemort's allies poured out of the Forbidden Forest: the ground trembled and shook, heralding an army of giants, and behind them glided a number of dark-cloaked Dementors.
The fighting broke out in earnest then; and it seemed that the scales had tipped slightly in Voldemort's favor: the Order members were temporarily too occupied with fending off Dementor attacks and avoiding being crushed by the giants to effectively fight the Death Eaters.
But then a flock of crows flew into view and dropped to the ground, turning into men and women armed with staves and spears and swords. And a series of bloodcurdling howls filled the air as a pack of wolves ran onto the battlefield. They didn't seem to be affected by the Dementors' auras as the humans were, perhaps protected by their animal forms. One large wolf with light, yellow-brown fur leapt up and tore out a Death Eater's throat as he raised his wand. Several other wolves darted in close to one of the giants--too quick and nimble to be caught by the larger but slower and clumsier creature--and tore at his calf, hamstringing him, and ran for cover as the giant toppled to the ground like a tree being felled. As another giant tried to grab at the snarling wolves nipping at his heels, an arrow suddenly buried itself deep in his eye, and he howled in pain. The centaurs had arrived.
Draco was fighting with the Death Eaters, and Dylan was fighting alongside the Order, but the other children watched from the sidelines for the moment, too shocked and frightened to react. But as a Dementor glided towards Dylan's unprotected back, Damien ran forward and shouted, "Expecto Patronum!" And his hound Patronus--reflecting his inner self, faithful and loyal--emerged from his wand and drove back the Dementor.
"Thanks!" Dylan said, and Damien grinned back at him, looking pale but determined.
Meanwhile, Voldemort, drained by the effort of the failed ritual, grabbed the closest available victim--Cornelius Fudge, still frozen in place by the Imperius Curse. He stabbed the Minister of Magic with the enchanted red blade, and the man went pale, and his plump form seemed to shrivel in upon itself. He fell to the ground, a withered husk, and Voldemort stepped forward to do battle, revitalized by the life-force he had stolen.
In the commotion, Goewin was temporarily forgotten. Gilbert hesitated, then saw the serpent-hilted dagger lying on the ground where it had been knocked out of Voldemort's hand. He picked it up and quietly crawled towards his aunt. Her eyes widened with fear, but all he did was cut the ropes binding her. "I'm so sorry, Goewin," he whispered. "For everything." He cast a small spell of obscurement over her; it would not last long, but hopefully it would hold long enough for her to escape the battlefield. "Go now," he said. "Quickly."
"Thank you," she whispered. And with a Seer's certainty, she knew that she would never see him again, so she added, "I forgive you."
Gilbert's eyes filled with tears as he watched her hurry away; he had made a mess of his life, but at least he had finally done one thing right. He dropped the knife and hastily slipped away from the empty circle before anyone could notice that Goewin was gone, or that he had helped her.
Goewin moved as fast as she could--which was not very fast, considering that she was about eight months pregnant and her limbs were stiff from being bound for so long. But she managed to get a good distance away before the obscurement charm wore off and somebody spotted her.
"Hey!" shouted Andreas Avery. "The sacrifice is getting away!" He flung a spell at her, but Karasu jumped in front of Goewin, and the spell rebounded harmlessly off a magical shield. He was more than a simple warrior, it seemed.
"Get her out of here!" Karasu shouted to Satoshi.
Goewin turned to see a plump, smiling man standing at her side; he seemed to have a raccoon's tail growing out of his rump. He made a brief gesture with his wand, and suddenly a dozen duplicates of Goewin and Satoshi appeared on the battlefield. Each Satoshi smiled and extended a hand to each Goewin, bowed, and said, "This way, my lady."
Each illusion vanished as soon as a spell hit it, but it bought enough time for the real Satoshi to get the real Goewin to safety.
***
Meanwhile, Gilbert saw Gwydion dueling with a tall, bald black wizard, and hurried to his brother's side. "Gwydion!"
"I'm a little busy right now, Gil!" Gwydion snarled.
"Gwydion," he said urgently, "this is wrong! You've got to stop!"
"What are you babbling about?" Gwydion said impatiently. "It's too late to turn back now!" He dodged a beam of red light and shouted, "Hah! Is that the best you can do, Shacklebolt?"
Before the Auror could retort, Deirdre Donner unceremoniously pushed him out of the way, snapping, "This is my fight!"
Gwydion's face went white. "Mother!"
Her face was as cold and implacable as it had been on the day she had disowned Ariane. "You are my sons no longer! You are a disgrace to your bloodline!"
"Mother," Gwydion whined, "you don't understand! This isn't what it looks like!"
In answer she hurled a powerful curse at him; he quickly threw up a shield spell. But Gilbert just stood there, hands down at his side, not raising his wand in defense. Deirdre pointed her wand at him.
Ariane looked at Gilbert, and suddenly she remembered the older brother who had pulled her hair and teased her as a little girl, but who had also read her bedtime stories when their mother was too busy, who had climbed a tree to rescue her pet kitten, who had responded to his little sister's demands of "Carry me!" with a laughing, "Yes, Princess!" Riding on her brother's shoulders, she had indeed felt on top of the world, like a princess or queen surveying her kingdom. All this flashed through her mind in a few seconds, and she grabbed at her mother's arm, disrupting the spell. "Mother, no!" she cried. Gilbert looked at her in surprise, then smiled, the kind and loving smile she remembered from her childhood, which she had not seen in years.
Deirdre shoved her daughter aside, with a strength surprising for one who had been lying in a hospital bed until recently, and cast a Killing Curse at Gilbert. He did not try to dodge the spell or shield himself, just stood there smiling; the smile was still on his face when his body hit the ground.
Gwydion screamed in rage and grief. "You killed him!" he shouted. "You dare scorn me for being a Death Eater when you killed your own son with an Unforgivable Curse?!"
"I gave you life," Deirdre hissed, her eyes still cold and hard. "It is my right to take it, now that you have betrayed not just your family, but the entire wizarding world! You will atone for your crimes with your life, Gwydion!"
"AVADA KEDAVRA!" Deirdre and Gwydion screamed simultaneously as Ariane screamed at them to stop. She watched in horror as both her mother and brother fell to the ground, dead.
Shacklebolt fended off an attack from Thaddeus Nott, who took the opportunity to strike when he saw that Ariane was distracted. "Grieve for the dead later!" he said gruffly, but not without sympathy. "We have no time for that now!"
Tonks suddenly appeared at Ariane's side. Sirius had removed the Squib Collar so that she could come and fight with her comrades; breaking the Ministry's terms of release was now the least of her worries. Besides, if it brought a pack of Aurors to the scene to arrest her, so much the better--they could use the help. She laid a hand on Ariane's shoulder and said, "You must be strong now, for Dylan's sake."
"You're right," Ariane said, blinking away her tears. Then she looked around frantically. "Where did he go? I lost of sight him when Mother attacked Gilbert."
Meanwhile, Voldemort had removed the restraining net from the roses. Fred and George Weasley, who had arrived with the Order reinforcements, spotted their brother Percy lying on the ground. He had lost consciousness after being struck with the Cruciatus Curse, and was just beginning to stir as his brothers rushed towards him. Nearby, the rose vines, awakened by the scent of blood being spilled on the battlefield, began to stir as well. They lashed out and ensnared Fred, who started screaming as the thorns bit into his flesh and began drinking his blood. George frantically began hurling spells at the vines as Percy struggled to shake off the effects of two Unforgivable Curses and come to his brother's aid.
Dylan saw this and rushed over, Damien by his side. George had just cast an Incendio spell; the flames scorched the vines slightly and caused them to loosen their hold on Fred, but not release him completely.
"Let him go!" Dylan shouted. The vines quivered rebelliously. "Let him go, I said! I command it, as your master!" The vines very reluctantly released Fred, and George and Percy--who was rather wobbly on his feet himself--hustled their wounded brother to safety. A tengu showed up to lead them to Chizuru's field hospital, which had been set up a short distance from the battlefield.
The vines were stirring restlessly, angry at being deprived of their prey. "Attack the Death Eaters!" Dylan ordered. They shot out, stretching to their full length--much longer than Dylan had known they could reach--and just managed to reach Antonin Dolohov, who was engaged in combat with Professor Lupin. The vines wrapped around his ankle; before he had a chance to exclaim, they dragged him back towards the flower pot they were anchored in, knocking him off his feet and causing him to drop his wand. The vines converged on him, wrapping themselves around the full length of his body as he screamed hysterically.
Lupin's eyes widened, and he had only a moment to nod at Dylan in acknowledgment before being attacked by Walden Macnair. Dylan was about to go to Lupin's aid when a trio of Dementors surrounded him and Damien, and they had to stop to cast Patronuses to drive the Dementors back. Ariane had spotted him by now, and was hurrying over to her son.
A giant toppled behind Lupin, brought down by several tengu, and the loud crash startled him, distracting him long enough for Macnair to strike at him with a curse. It struck him squarely, but did not kill him as it should have; he felt a sudden surge of heat against his chest as the protective charm Kamiyama had given all the Order members absorbed the brunt of the attack and was instantly destroyed, crumbling into ash. But the remaining force of the attack knocked him backwards, causing him to fall and drop his wand. Macnair grinned and moved in for the kill.
Snape was engaged in combat with Rabastan Lestrange and had not yet noticed. Dylan and Damien had just managed to drive back the Dementors and would not be able to react in time. But someone else was watching...
Brad Doherty had followed Draco and the others to the Death Eater ceremony. He had watched from a distance, hidden behind a tree, at first with excitement, then with increasing fear and horror. Lupin and Macnair had unknowingly drifted near his hiding place, and when the boy saw his Professor in danger, he acted without thinking.
Brad leaped out and shouted, "Protego!" A magical barrier sprung up in front of Lupin, reflecting Macnair's spell back at him. He was not able to completely evade it, and screamed in pain as he was wounded by his own curse.
Meanwhile Bellatrix Lestrange saw an opportunity, and hurled a curse at Dylan, who was still staring in shock at Brad and Lupin. A beam of red light shot out of her wand towards the boy.
"NO!" screamed Snape, breaking off his duel with Rabastan, but he was too far away, he knew he would be too late...then he had to duck as Rabastan laughed and threw another curse his way.
Ariane had no time to raise her wand; she simply flung herself in front of her son, straight in the path of Bellatrix's spell; it hit her squarely in the chest.
"MOTHER!" Dylan screamed as Ariane fell to the ground, the front of her robes now soaked with blood.
Tonks stepped up to duel with Rabastan, freeing Snape to rush to Dylan's side. As he ran, he hurled a Killing Curse at Bellatrix, not caring that he might be punished for it after the battle was over. She managed to dodge it and laughed, but then she saw Math, his face filled with fury at the sight of his niece being struck down, and fled the scene.
"Mother, please don't die!" Dylan begged, kneeling at Ariane's side as tears streamed down his face.
"It's all right, Dylan," she whispered, reaching up to touch his cheek. "Don't cry; it's all right, I can finally be with your father now." Then her gaze shifted to a point over his shoulder and she smiled. Dylan looked behind him but saw nothing. "Evan," Ariane whispered, and she died. What must have been a stray gust of wind gently brushed across Dylan's cheek in what felt like a caress as he threw himself across his mother's body, sobbing.
Lupin, Snape, Damien, Brad, and Math were all gathered around him. Snape placed a hand on Dylan's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Dylan," he said in a voice low and hoarse with grief. "But we have no time to mourn our dead now."
"My mother's dead!" Dylan screamed.
"Dylan--" Lupin started to say in a gentle voice.
"Yes, she is," Snape said harshly, and Lupin blinked in surprise. "She gave her life to save yours; will you let yourself get killed and make her sacrifice for naught?"
The stern, familiar tone of the Potions Master's voice seemed to snap Dylan out of his hysteria. "No, sir," he said firmly. There was still sorrow in his eyes, but also grim determination.
"Good lad," Snape said, squeezing his shoulder. "Let's go fight some Death Eaters." Dylan smiled, still with that grim look in his eyes.
***
Meanwhile, at the moment of Ariane's death, the roses exploded into a frenzy. They immediately dropped Dolohov's body, although it was not yet completely drained of blood, and shot out in Bellatrix's direction. She saw them heading her way, turned, pale, and ran as fast as she could. The vines whipped the air, as if in anger and frustration, when Bellatrix ran out of their reach. But then they rustled eagerly as Voldemort, who was trying to evade Dumbledore, crossed their path. He felt the thorns pierce his flesh and he screamed in fear and rage, hurling spells at them, trying to force them to let him go. His screams were drowned out by the howling of the wind, which sounded strangely like vindictive laughter...it almost sounded like Evan Rosier's voice. Then the wind died away, and the air was still again.
"Master!" Rodolphus Lestrange shouted, loyally rushing to his Lord's aid. He cast spells of flame and withering; the vines loosened a little, but would not let go. Voldemort reached out, grabbed Lestrange's arm, and thrust his loyal servant into the heart of the vines. The vines released the Dark Lord and wrapped around their new captive, who was screaming in pain and shock and betrayal.
"RODOLPHUS!" Bellatrix screamed. For all her sadism, she did truly love her husband, and she stared in horror as their Master saved himself at Rodolphus's expense. They had served him loyally, never wavering in their faith when all the others had turned their backs on him. They had gone to Azkaban, spending over a decade in prison with the Dementors sucking out every happy memory they had, loyally waiting for their Master's return. They would willingly have given their lives for him, if he had asked. But he had not asked; he had simply taken. He had betrayed them. Bellatrix did the unthinkable; she attacked her Master.
Pain erupted in Voldemort's already fragile body; he turned to see Bellatrix, mad with grief and rage, recklessly flinging spells at him. She was actually able to wound him badly before he managed to slay her with a Killing Curse.
He stumbled away and the first Death Eater who crossed his path was Thaddeus Nott. "Bring me your son," he gasped. Thaddeus hesitated; he suspected he knew what the Dark Lord wanted his son for. "Do it!" Voldemort snarled. "Or I'll take your life instead!"
Theodore, Blaise, Serafina, Crabbe, and Goyle were trying to avoid the battle, but were kept busy fending off Dementors, who didn't particularly care who they attacked, avoiding being accidentally stepped on by the giants, and generally trying not to get caught in the crossfire. Theodore saw his father heading his way, and when he saw the look in Thaddeus's eyes, started to run.
But Thaddeus raised his wand and shouted, "Imperio! Come to me, Theodore!" And Theodore found himself moving against his will towards his father.
"Stupefy!" Blaise shouted, trying to stun Theodore's father. But Thaddeus avoided the spell and hurled a curse at Blaise. Theodore heard his friend cry out in pain, but his feet kept moving forward no matter how hard he tried to stop.
"Blaise!" he cried helplessly; he was still free to speak--for all the good that did--since his father had not commanded him to be silent.
Thaddeus grabbed his son's arm and hustled him towards the Dark Lord. "When I have time later, I'll finish your little friend off, Theodore! Too bad you won't be around to see it!"
Serafina stepped forward to try and stop him, but found her father barring her path.
"Well, well, Serafina," he said with a nasty smile. "You're not being a very dutiful daughter. Attacking your fellow Death Eaters is treason."
Part 34
Back in Japan, Kamiyama and his allies had not been idle. They had been stockpiling healing salves and potions, and had begun sending them to Dumbledore at Hogwarts after the news of Goewin's kidnapping reached them. Although the Headmaster wanted to keep the incident from becoming public, he trusted his old colleague with the news, because he suspected it was a sign that open war would break out soon. The tengu warriors began preparing for battle, gathering in the mountains behind Kamiyama's temple, and Kamiyama sent some of his mages to England to help lay protective spells upon the residences of Order members, of Muggle-born wizards, and others who might be vulnerable to attack--even on some of the residences of the lesser Slytherin families who were not powerful enough to protect themselves, and who might be subject to vigilante justice. One of these families was the Zabinis, and it made them grateful to Dumbledore despite their long-held antipathy towards Gryffindor. They had already suffered minor vandalism to their home, although they had not told their son that, not wanting to worry him.
Kamiyama was meditating in the temple early one morning, when his granddaughter burst in on him, shouting, "Grandfather! I must go to Hogwarts now!"
"Miyako?" Kamiyama said, looking up in surprise.
"I had a vision," she gasped, her eyes still looking a little unfocused. "The Dark Lord will attack tonight, I have Seen it! The school, the students, the unborn baby...they are all in danger! I have to warn them!"
"You can't Apparate that far," Kamiyama said. "You must use the Portkey. But I don't want you going alone."
"There's no time--"
"I'll go with her, Father," Tsuneko said, entering the temple. "You can't think I'd let my daughter go off to a strange country alone."
"I'll go, too," said another voice.
"Mamoru!" Kamiyama exclaimed. "When did you get here?"
His youngest son smiled at him. "I just returned from England yesterday after helping to set protective wards around vulnerable locations. But it seems I must turn around and go right back."
"It would ease my heart greatly, if you would act as guardian to your niece," Kamiyama said with a smile. His son was a master of protective magics, which was highly appropriate, since his name meant "to protect."
"We have to go now!" Miyako shouted impatiently.
"Very well," Mamoru said, and they set off together down the path to the Portkey. Meanwhile, Kamiyama set off to alert the healers and the tengu warriors, who would be needed if a battle was imminent.
It was early morning in Japan, but it was late at night in England. Miyako and her mother and uncle emerged in the Sakura restaurant, startling the staff, who had closed the restaurant and were cleaning up and preparing to leave. Haruko, the hostess and owner of the restaurant, contacted Dumbledore and sent her surprise visitors to Hogwarts through the fireplace.
***
Draco Malfoy crept out of his dorm room, intent upon following his father's orders. First, he woke up Crabbe and Goyle, then headed to Nott's room. To his surprise, he found that the door had been sealed with a minor warding spell. No problem; it was easy to break--it was probably only intended to prevent casual intrusions, but Draco was curious about why Nott felt the need to ward his door. So he quietly broke the spell and opened the door, and laughed at what he saw.
"Merlin!" gasped Crabbe.
"Nott and Zabini?" Goyle said, his eyes wide with shock. Because Zabini's bed was empty, and both boys lay together on Nott's bed, limbs intertwined.
"Wake up, sleeping beauties," Draco crooned.
Nott woke with a start, lunging for the wand on his nightstand. Draco quickly pulled out his own wand, just in case. "Take it easy, Nott! It's me, Draco!"
"Draco?" Nott said. "What the hell are you doing here? What time is it?"
Zabini looked up blearily and said, "What's going on?"
"The time has come, Nott," Draco said in a dramatic voice.
"Time for what?" Nott asked, sounding annoyed and just a little frightened.
"Time for us to take our places beside our fathers," Draco said with satisfaction.
"Wh-what?" stammered Nott. "Tonight?!"
"Yes," Draco said, frowning. "Aren't you happy?"
"Of course!" Nott said quickly. "It's just--I didn't expect it to happen so soon--"
"I guess we'd better bring Zabini, too," Draco said, looking at Blaise, who was staring at him with fear in his eyes. "You did say you wanted to be one of us, after all."
"I did?" asked Zabini nervously. "I don't remember--"
"Of course you don't," Draco replied with a smirk. "Nott's dad took your memory away when you stumbled across our meeting on Halloween. But it doesn't matter whether you remember or not, Zabini; I'm holding you to your promise."
"He'll keep his promise," Nott snapped.
"Good. Hurry up, let's go."
"Give us a minute to get dressed first," Nott said, blushing. Both boys were obviously nude beneath the blankets.
Draco smirked again. "All right, but hurry up."
Draco shut the door and Blaise stared at Theodore in horror. "I knew something happened on Halloween!" he whispered.
"Hurry up and get dressed!" Theodore hissed, throwing a robe at Blaise.
"Theo, what are we going to do?" Blaise asked desperately.
"They'll kill us if we don't go with them," Theodore said, reaching for a scrap of paper and his quill.
"I think maybe the two of us can take on the three of them," Blaise said uncertainly.
"Maybe," Theodore said dubiously. "But the Death Eaters will come after us if we defy them. I'm sending a note to Snape; maybe he can help us." He folded the note into an origami crane and cast an enchantment on it. "It'll take off as soon as we leave the room."
Draco knocked on the door, calling impatiently, "Come on, Nott, get a move on!"
Blaise and Theodore emerged from their room and followed Draco down the hall. Draco never looked back, so he didn't notice a little white paper bird slip out through the door, which had been left open a crack, and flutter away.
They went to Dylan's room and woke him up, and since the disturbance woke up Damien as well, Draco said, "Well, I guess you're coming, too, Pierce." Damien went pale, but Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle all had their wands out, and he was unarmed, so he looked at Dylan, who looked back at him helplessly, and nodded in reluctant assent.
Dylan asked hesitantly, "Is Professor Snape going to be...wherever we're going?"
Draco shrugged. "My dad didn't say, but I'm sure he'll be there if our Master deems it necessary."
Dylan reluctantly followed Draco, wondering what he should do. He and his friends should be able to overpower Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle if they all worked together, but he wasn't sure if Theodore, Blaise, and Damien would be willing to do that. They looked frightened and cowed right now, and they were so used to following Draco's lead that Dylan wasn't sure he could convince them to act before Draco and his henchmen disarmed them. Besides, that would mean blowing his cover as a Death Eater, and he wasn't sure Snape would want him to do that. So he kept his silence and followed obediently for the moment.
Draco sent Theodore to fetch Serafina from the girls' dorm; apparently he had managed to do so without waking her roommate and creating a disturbance. Serafina joined their group, her face pale and unreadable, and Draco led them out of the castle.
"So where are we going, Draco?" Dylan asked.
"You'll see, Rosier," Draco said with a grin. "We haven't far to go."
Draco had not been particularly quiet, and many of other students had woken up, but they all pretended to be asleep, not wanting to get involved with what was surely Death Eater business. Except for one; Brad Doherty quietly crept out of his room and followed behind at a safe distance.
***
Miyako was informing Dumbledore and his companions of the vision she had seen, when a white paper bird slipped under the door of the Headmaster's office and fluttered over to Snape. Startled, he plucked it out of the air, unfolded it, read the note, and turned even paler than usual.
"Severus!" Lupin exclaimed. "What's wrong?"
"It's from Theodore," Snape whispered. "Draco is rounding up the Death Eater offspring, to 'take their places beside their fathers.' He's taken Blaise Zabini as well."
"We've got to stop them!" Lupin said.
"If the Death Eaters are making an attack on Hogwarts, the children are probably supposed to meet them somewhere on the school grounds," Snape said grimly. "Besides, none of them are able to Apparate, so they can't go far, anyway."
"How can the Death Eaters get into the school?" Lupin asked.
"I don't know, but I'm sure they'll find a way," Snape said, still looking grim.
Math was already on his feet. "If they have Goewin and they intend to kill her, there's no time to waste!"
Dumbledore nodded. "The five of you start searching, but stay together and be careful. I'll alert the other teachers and the Order."
"I have to send a message to Lukas," Lupin said. "He promised to fight when the time came."
Suddenly Snape cried out in pain and clutched at his arm. Then he smiled mirthlessly. "Well, we shouldn't have any trouble finding them; the Mark should lead us straight to the Dark Lord."
***
There were many protections upon Hogwarts, but the Minister of Magic could not be barred from the school, and the gates swung open for him. He walked through the gates, followed by a number of dark-robed figures.
They chose a spot on the school grounds near the Forbidden Forest. One of the Death Eaters used a spell to scorch a large area bare of grass, leaving behind smooth, packed earth. Other Death Eaters began drawing a circle on the ground using red paint, and within the circle, the runes and symbols required for a blood sacrifice. They laid Goewin, who was still bound, within the circle. Voldemort had them remove her gag; he found the screams of a victim pleasurable, and it was unlikely that anyone in the castle would be able to hear her screams and cries for help. Even if they did, by the time they got here it would be too late.
Just then, Draco and his band of mostly-reluctant followers came into view, and Voldemort grinned. Goewin had seen the children in her vision, so he had ordered Lucius to make sure that they attended the sacrifice. It was as a good a time as any to induct them into the Death Eaters, and if one sacrifice was not enough to desecrate the school grounds and break the protections upon Hogwarts, why then, he would have several more victims within easy reach. Besides, the blood sacrifice spell and the battle that was sure to follow would drain him of energy, and he would need to replenish his strength...though maybe he would take Wormtail instead of one of the children. He was really quite fed up with his minion's sniveling and whining...
***
Lukas smiled with grim satisfaction as he slipped a small mirror into his pocket. "Word has come from Remus!" he announced to his pack. "It is time!"
They growled with mingled fear and eagerness, their eyes more feral than usual--except for Brian.
"This isn't our fight," he protested.
"It became our fight when they murdered one of our pack!" Lukas snarled.
"We can hide in the shadows living on handouts and charity like this for the rest of our lives," Kyra said. "Or we can show those cowardly Ministry dogs how wolves fight!"
"That's the spirit!" Lukas said clapping her on the shoulder. "But it is likely that many of us will die tonight. I won't take anyone who isn't willing. But you must make up your mind now."
Brian hesitated. He wanted to protest that he was a stockboy (and before that a businessman), not a warrior; he wanted to crawl away with his tail between his legs. But Kyra's words had shamed him; he was tired of hiding, tired of being ashamed of himself. And his family might have rejected him, but these werewolves had taken him in and looked after him, even when they were sick of his constant complaining and whining. They were his family now, Brian realized; they were pack. They would never abandon or betray him as his real family had. "I will come with you," he said.
***
As the Slytherin children entered the clearing, they could see dim lights coming from wands held aloft. As they drew closer, Theodore could see a woman--a very pregnant woman--lying bound within a rune-filled circle and his blood ran cold. He realized that he had just made a very big mistake; Blaise was right, they should have tried to overpower Draco and Crabbe and Goyle back in the dorm. Instead, they had followed Draco like lambs to the slaughter, and now it was too late, because the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters were standing before them and there was no possible way they could escape.
The other children did not recognize the woman within the circle at first, but Dylan did. "AUNT GOEWIN!" he screamed, reaching for his wand as he rushed forward. Strong arms grabbed him from behind and he struggled desperately with his captor.
"Stop it!" Lucius Malfoy hissed into his ear. "Behave like a proper Death Eater!"
"You never told me you were planning to sacrifice my aunt!" Dylan screamed.
"What did you think was going to happen to her, boy?" Lucius snarled. "She and your great-uncle are allies of Dumbledore, our Master's enemy! All those who stand against us must die! Besides, do you really think they would still love you once they found out your true loyalties?" He called out in a taunting voice, "Look, Goewin! Your beloved nephew is a Death Eater like his father!"
If he was expecting shock or horror, he was disappointed. She only looked over at Dylan sadly.
"Aunt Goewin!" Dylan shouted, still struggling to break free.
Goewin knew that the Death Eaters would kill him if he tried to help her, and there was no chance he could succeed in freeing her even if his friends joined him, which was not very likely. He had to remain alive; Severus and the Order could still rescue him even if it was too late for her. "No, Dylan," she said quietly. "Don't do it."
Stunned, Dylan stopped struggling, and Lucius laughed. "I was wrong! How touching; she does still love you! Listen to your aunt, Dylan, like a good little boy." Dylan glared at him, his silver-gray eyes filled with pure hatred. "Remember your place, boy!" Lucius snapped. "Remember that your mother will pay the price if you disobey your Lord!"
Voldemort had been watching with amusement, and he finally spoke. "If you try to interfere, Dylan, I will kill Ariane as well as Goewin."
As Dylan's face turned white, Lucius gestured to one of the other Death Eaters. Bellatrix Lestrange raised her wand; black ropes shot out of it, binding Damien, who let out a startled squawk. Then Bellatrix stepped forward and held a knife to his throat, and he froze in place. "Such a pretty boy," she crooned, stroking his hair. "Shall we open his throat and let his blood run red, to match his pretty red hair?"
"Your friend Pierce will suffer too, if you continue to defy us, Dylan," Lucius said.
"Pierce?" Narcissa Malfoy asked in a startled voice. She stepped forward, holding up a glowing wand, to take a closer look at Damien. "This is my friend Aileen's son!"
Damien knew that Narcissa had been friends with his mother at school, although they now saw each other only occasionally at parties or school functions. "Please," he whispered. "Please, Lady Narcissa..."
Narcissa opened her mouth, as if to command Bellatrix to let the boy go, but then she looked at her husband and at the Dark Lord, and fell silent.
"I will be quite cross with you if you force me to cause my dear wife distress," Lucius said in a light, joking tone, but Dylan could hear the threat behind those words.
Dylan's body went limp with resignation, and Lucius loosened his hold on the boy. "Enough," Dylan whispered. "I...I've come to my senses. I will not defy you." He had to play along for now; he would watch and wait, and maybe he would get a chance to help Goewin later...although he doubted it, after the scene he had just made. He didn't know if he could just stand back and watch them kill her, but on the other hand, neither could he let Damien and his mother be harmed. He wondered if Snape had ever been faced with such a choice, and if so, how he had managed to live with the guilt for all these years.
Lucius released him and Bellatrix released Damien. "Very good, Dylan," Lucius said. "Don't do anything so foolish again."
"I should punish you," Voldemort said, "but I have no more time to waste. I shall not be so merciful a second time, boy."
Dylan dropped to his knees and bowed low. "Forgive me, Master. I will never do such a thing again."
Voldemort actually laughed and patted him on the shoulder, looking almost indulgent. "You are young, boy. In time you will learn not to be affected by foolish emotions like love."
Dylan forced his body to remain still, fighting back a shudder, and also kept his mental walls rigidly in place, not letting any of his hatred or fear leak through them.
Voldemort turned away and called to his Death Eaters to begin the ceremony. They formed a circle around Goewin and began chanting. Lucius and a few of the other Death Eaters, including the elder Crabbe and Goyle, remained apart from the circle to keep an eye on the children.
Lucius placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "This is a great night, my son. Tonight you will become one of us, and we will finally claim the power and glory that are rightfully ours."
"Y-yes, Father," Draco said, trying to look properly grateful and impressed, but inside he was deeply shaken. He was the son of a Death Eater, and was prepared for the sight of blood, was prepared to kill if necessary, but he had not expected the Death Eaters to sacrifice a pregnant woman tonight--especially not one who was Dylan's beloved great-aunt. {She's the enemy,} he told himself. {That means she deserves to die.} But he remembered seeing the beautiful dark-haired woman cheering her nephew on from the spectator stands on the Quidditch Pitch, waving one of Draco's beribboned roses, and could not quite seem to make himself believe his own words.
Lying in the circle, Goewin felt her fear depart as a vision overwhelmed her and she slid into trance, with no need for drugged smoke. "One will fall tonight," she intoned in a low, emotionless voice, "and only one will remain. The Lord of Darkness or the Boy Who Lived." The chanting faltered, then resumed as Voldemort glared at his Death Eaters, but a hint of fear glimmered in his crimson eyes. "Only a child born of the Serpent and the Lion can slay the Lord of Darkness." A sudden, overpowering fear filled the Dark Lord; he alone of all the people here understood the true meaning behind those words. For a moment, he was tempted to drop everything and flee, but the moment passed, and he raised his voice and continued chanting the incantation for the blood sacrifice spell. He would not be driven away in his moment of triumph by a Seer's ramblings! One would fall tonight; that one would be Harry Potter and not himself. He would not fail; he would not be defeated by a mere child! No, he would carry out the sacrifice, break the protections on Hogwarts, kill Potter, and then no one would be able to stop him...
***
Dumbledore was holding an urgent conference with the remaining Hogwarts teachers and whatever Order members he was able to gather on short notice when Miyako's eyes glazed over and she spoke without seeming to be aware of it. "One will fall tonight and one will remain." Silence fell over the room. "The Lord of Darkness or the Boy Who Lived," she continued, oblivious. "Only a child born of the Serpent and the Lion can slay the Lord of Darkness." Then she fainted, and Mamoru hastily stepped forward to catch her. She blinked and regained consciousness a moment later, but had no recollection of what she had said.
"What does it mean?" McGonagall asked.
"I don't know," Dumbledore said, looking worried. "But it must refer to Harry. He does have some of Voldemort's powers, transferred to him when Voldemort tried to kill him; perhaps that's what it means by 'the Serpent.'"
"I don't know about this Serpent and Lion business," Karasu said impatiently. "But the rest of it is clear enough. Harry Potter must fight in this battle tonight or all is lost."
"No!" Sirius cried out, but the despair in his eyes gave away the fact that he knew he could not shelter his godson from this battle.
Dumbledore bowed his head, looking old and weary. "I am afraid you are right," he told Karasu.
***
Only Voldemort understood what this particular prophecy meant. Even before he had organized the Death Eaters and rose to power during the first war, he had still vented his rage on Mudbloods and Muggles, although he had been more discreet about it back then. He had raped a pretty red-headed Muggle girl who had crossed his path by chance one night, simply because it amused him, and did not realize until years later that their brief encounter had resulted in a child: Lily Evans. When he learned of the child's existence, he monitored her closely, but to his disappointment, she did not follow his path as a Slytherin, but instead joined the foolish, noble Gryffindors, and eventually married James Potter, who was a descendant of Godric Gryffindor. Neither Potter nor any of his living relatives had been aware of their heritage because their Gryffindor ancestor had been born on the wrong side of the blanket, so to speak, and the Potter woman who had given birth to a child not her husband's had taken that secret with her to her grave. Only Voldemort knew that little Harry Potter was the descendant of both Salazar Slytherin and Godric Gryffindor--a child born of the Serpent and the Lion. Voldemort had been intent upon wiping out the Potter family, not just because they were staunch supporters of Dumbledore, but because of their Gryffindor blood. He had intended to spare his wayward daughter's life, but she had forced him to kill her when she refused to give up the child. He should have slain her long ago, as soon as her path crossed Potter's, before she ever had a chance to bear a child with the power to destroy him.
***
A commotion in the hospital wing woke up Deirdre Donner. Madam Pomfrey and a young Japanese woman were bustling about gathering bandages and other supplies.
"You stay here and be prepared for serious injuries," the Japanese woman was saying. "I'm going to set up a field hospital; I'm sure they'll need a healer on the battlefield."
"Is that safe, Chizuru?" Pomfrey asked, sounding worried.
"Of course not," Chizuru replied. "But if the warriors are risking their lives, I can do no less. Mamoru and Tsuneko will protect me."
"What's going on?" Deirdre asked in alarm. "You said something about a battle...?"
"The Headmaster believes that the Death Eaters are staging an attack on Hogwarts tonight," Pomfrey replied gravely.
Deirdre jumped out of bed. "If there's going to be a battle against the Death Eaters, I intend to be there!" she declared.
"Mrs. Donner!" Pomfrey cried. "You're not well, you can't--" But Deirdre was already running out of the room.
"We don't have time to chase after her," Chizuru said with a rare hint of impatience as Pomfrey started to go after Deirdre. "I'm sorry, but there are other people counting on us."
Madam Pomfrey sighed and said, "I suppose you're right." She remembered Deirdre well, from when her children had been students at Hogwarts; she remembered Lady Donner as a cold, formidable woman who never took "no" for an answer. "Besides," she added wryly, "in a fight between a Death Eater and Deirdre Donner, I'd put my money on Deirdre any day."
***
Dumbledore and McGonagall woke up Harry and told him what was happening. "This is it," Harry said, turning pale. He rubbed the scar on his forehead which, not surprisingly, was sore. "The prophecy said one of us must kill the other. I have to fight him tonight, don't I?"
Dumbledore nodded gravely. "I'm afraid so, Harry."
"All right," Harry said with grim determination, trying to sound braver than he felt. At least after tonight, it would all be over, one way or the other... "Let me get dressed." The teachers exited the room, as Ron, Neville, Dean, and Seamus watched with round, frightened eyes. Harry pulled off his nightshirt and started to reach for his clothes, then paused. He reached into his trunk and pulled out the jar of woad-based unguent they had made in Snape's class, and smeared it over his arms and chest. He might look a little silly dyed blue, but maybe it would help; it certainly couldn't hurt. He also took out a small strip of cloth he had made in Professor Chizuru's class, one that had a protective charm woven in along with the threads. At least, he hoped so; the cloth had come out slightly lopsided, with little lumpy knots where the threads had gotten tangled on the loom--but again, it couldn't hurt. He tied the cloth around his wrist and got dressed. The other boys got dressed, too; Ron and Neville also put on their unguent and protective charms.
Dumbledore said, "Come with me, Harry," and McGonagall tried to shepherd the other students to a safer and more defensible location in the heart of the castle. But she--and the other Heads of House as well--were having some trouble with their charges.
"We're not letting Harry go off to fight the Death Eaters alone!" Ron said indignantly, and Hermione nodded in emphatic agreement. In fact, all the members of Dumbledore's Army were frightened but determined to support Harry.
"Let them come," Miyako said. "I saw them on the battlefield in my vision--at least, I saw those two." She pointed to Ron and Hermione. "It may be that they have a key role to play in the battle."
"But--" McGonagall protested. Putting children in danger went against all her instincts as a teacher.
"We don't have time to argue," Miyako pointed out. "And if the Dark Lord wins, hiding in the castle won't protect them."
"But sending children out to fight--"
They reached a compromise; Chizuru needed volunteers to help her with her field hospital, and agreed to take charge of the rest of the D.A. members. She pointed out that she could especially use the help of students like Neville and Lavender, who could practice healing magic. This was marginally safer than fighting, although the teachers still weren't happy about it.
The Slytherins were not so eager to rush onto the battlefield, but when Millicent and Pansy heard that Parvati and Lavender would be working at the field hospital, they insisted on going with them. "We can't do healing magic," Pansy said, "but we can bandage and splint wounds."
"And we can help guard the hospital," Millicent added. "The Death Eaters won't hesitate to attack noncombatants. You need someone to protect the healers."
"Thank you," Chizuru said with a gentle smile, as all the other teachers and students stared at the Slytherin girls in shock.
"Let's get a move on!" Karasu said impatiently. "We haven't time to waste!"
Before they left, Miyako drew Harry aside and said to him quietly, "The Lion must embrace the Serpent in the end; I have Seen it in my vision."
Harry had no idea who this strange girl was, but the adults had deferred to her judgment when she told them to allow the students to fight. Clearly she was some sort of Seer, but her proclamation made no more sense to him than any of Professor Trelawney's predictions. "What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, a bit more sharply than he had intended.
"You will know when the time comes," the girl said solemnly, and Harry shook his head in frustration before following Dumbledore, Sirius, and the other Order members out of the castle.
***
The Death Eaters continued the ritual, which seemed to be drawing near the end; Voldemort had slipped the serpent-hilted dagger out of its sheath. Meanwhile, Percy Weasley was desperately trying to shake off the effects of the Imperius Curse. He was still frozen in place, unable to speak, but with a great deal of effort, managed to move his hand just a little; it was enough. Lucius, preoccupied with keeping a close eye on Dylan, did not notice Percy's hand slip into his pocket...
Percy grasped hold of the fireworks tube, pulled it out of his pocket, and knocked the cap off. A stream of red and gold fireworks shot straight up into the air. The Death Eaters broke off their chanting and looked up in surprise. A furious Lucius Malfoy pointed his wand at Percy and screamed, "CRUCIO!" Percy fell to the ground screaming, but despite the pain, felt a sense of triumph. Surely someone at the castle would notice the fireworks...
***
Snape, Lupin, Branwen, Math, and Ariane heard a small explosion, and a second later saw fireworks bursting into red and gold flowers of flame and sparks in the sky. "It must be a signal from one of the students!" Lupin exclaimed. The pain in Snape's Mark seemed to confirm that the Death Eaters lay in the direction of the fireworks, and the five Order members ran towards them.
At first, Voldemort was pleased to see Snape run into the clearing; he wanted all of his Death Eaters present at his victory. But then he noticed Snape's companions, and the dagger flew out of his hand as Snape pointed his wand at his Master and shouted, "Expelliarmus!"
"You traitor!" Voldemort and Lucius Malfoy shouted simultaneously. Lucius raised his wand, but Dylan attacked him before he get a spell off. Lucius managed to sidestep the curse, and snarled, "A traitor like your mentor, I see! You'll pay for that, boy! Give my regards to your father because you'll be seeing him soon!"
"How could you?!" Draco shouted at Snape, looking hurt and furious. "How could you betray us?! My father was right when he said I shouldn't trust you!"
"Draco, I--" Snape started to say, but had to break off and cast a shield spell when Draco attacked him.
Voldemort cursed; the ritual had been interrupted and now the spell was ruined. Well, he would still kill Goewin and her unborn child, and hope the mere spilling of blood would be enough to break the protections on Hogwarts even if it wasn't amplified by a Blood Magic ritual. If that wasn't enough, then he'd kill the Death Eater offspring, and if that still wasn't enough, he'd slay every damn brat in the castle if that's what it took!
A fierce and heated battle was taking place, but the Death Eaters outnumbered the Order members, and it seemed that they would prevail until...
"Master!" Wormtail shouted, pointing at the sky. They could see a number of figures on broomsticks approaching at high speed.
Voldemort cursed again; it was Dumbledore bringing reinforcements, no doubt. Well, two could play at that game! "Morsmordre!" he shouted, and a giant glowing skull made of green sparks appeared in the sky. As the Order members arrived at the scene, Voldemort's allies poured out of the Forbidden Forest: the ground trembled and shook, heralding an army of giants, and behind them glided a number of dark-cloaked Dementors.
The fighting broke out in earnest then; and it seemed that the scales had tipped slightly in Voldemort's favor: the Order members were temporarily too occupied with fending off Dementor attacks and avoiding being crushed by the giants to effectively fight the Death Eaters.
But then a flock of crows flew into view and dropped to the ground, turning into men and women armed with staves and spears and swords. And a series of bloodcurdling howls filled the air as a pack of wolves ran onto the battlefield. They didn't seem to be affected by the Dementors' auras as the humans were, perhaps protected by their animal forms. One large wolf with light, yellow-brown fur leapt up and tore out a Death Eater's throat as he raised his wand. Several other wolves darted in close to one of the giants--too quick and nimble to be caught by the larger but slower and clumsier creature--and tore at his calf, hamstringing him, and ran for cover as the giant toppled to the ground like a tree being felled. As another giant tried to grab at the snarling wolves nipping at his heels, an arrow suddenly buried itself deep in his eye, and he howled in pain. The centaurs had arrived.
Draco was fighting with the Death Eaters, and Dylan was fighting alongside the Order, but the other children watched from the sidelines for the moment, too shocked and frightened to react. But as a Dementor glided towards Dylan's unprotected back, Damien ran forward and shouted, "Expecto Patronum!" And his hound Patronus--reflecting his inner self, faithful and loyal--emerged from his wand and drove back the Dementor.
"Thanks!" Dylan said, and Damien grinned back at him, looking pale but determined.
Meanwhile, Voldemort, drained by the effort of the failed ritual, grabbed the closest available victim--Cornelius Fudge, still frozen in place by the Imperius Curse. He stabbed the Minister of Magic with the enchanted red blade, and the man went pale, and his plump form seemed to shrivel in upon itself. He fell to the ground, a withered husk, and Voldemort stepped forward to do battle, revitalized by the life-force he had stolen.
In the commotion, Goewin was temporarily forgotten. Gilbert hesitated, then saw the serpent-hilted dagger lying on the ground where it had been knocked out of Voldemort's hand. He picked it up and quietly crawled towards his aunt. Her eyes widened with fear, but all he did was cut the ropes binding her. "I'm so sorry, Goewin," he whispered. "For everything." He cast a small spell of obscurement over her; it would not last long, but hopefully it would hold long enough for her to escape the battlefield. "Go now," he said. "Quickly."
"Thank you," she whispered. And with a Seer's certainty, she knew that she would never see him again, so she added, "I forgive you."
Gilbert's eyes filled with tears as he watched her hurry away; he had made a mess of his life, but at least he had finally done one thing right. He dropped the knife and hastily slipped away from the empty circle before anyone could notice that Goewin was gone, or that he had helped her.
Goewin moved as fast as she could--which was not very fast, considering that she was about eight months pregnant and her limbs were stiff from being bound for so long. But she managed to get a good distance away before the obscurement charm wore off and somebody spotted her.
"Hey!" shouted Andreas Avery. "The sacrifice is getting away!" He flung a spell at her, but Karasu jumped in front of Goewin, and the spell rebounded harmlessly off a magical shield. He was more than a simple warrior, it seemed.
"Get her out of here!" Karasu shouted to Satoshi.
Goewin turned to see a plump, smiling man standing at her side; he seemed to have a raccoon's tail growing out of his rump. He made a brief gesture with his wand, and suddenly a dozen duplicates of Goewin and Satoshi appeared on the battlefield. Each Satoshi smiled and extended a hand to each Goewin, bowed, and said, "This way, my lady."
Each illusion vanished as soon as a spell hit it, but it bought enough time for the real Satoshi to get the real Goewin to safety.
***
Meanwhile, Gilbert saw Gwydion dueling with a tall, bald black wizard, and hurried to his brother's side. "Gwydion!"
"I'm a little busy right now, Gil!" Gwydion snarled.
"Gwydion," he said urgently, "this is wrong! You've got to stop!"
"What are you babbling about?" Gwydion said impatiently. "It's too late to turn back now!" He dodged a beam of red light and shouted, "Hah! Is that the best you can do, Shacklebolt?"
Before the Auror could retort, Deirdre Donner unceremoniously pushed him out of the way, snapping, "This is my fight!"
Gwydion's face went white. "Mother!"
Her face was as cold and implacable as it had been on the day she had disowned Ariane. "You are my sons no longer! You are a disgrace to your bloodline!"
"Mother," Gwydion whined, "you don't understand! This isn't what it looks like!"
In answer she hurled a powerful curse at him; he quickly threw up a shield spell. But Gilbert just stood there, hands down at his side, not raising his wand in defense. Deirdre pointed her wand at him.
Ariane looked at Gilbert, and suddenly she remembered the older brother who had pulled her hair and teased her as a little girl, but who had also read her bedtime stories when their mother was too busy, who had climbed a tree to rescue her pet kitten, who had responded to his little sister's demands of "Carry me!" with a laughing, "Yes, Princess!" Riding on her brother's shoulders, she had indeed felt on top of the world, like a princess or queen surveying her kingdom. All this flashed through her mind in a few seconds, and she grabbed at her mother's arm, disrupting the spell. "Mother, no!" she cried. Gilbert looked at her in surprise, then smiled, the kind and loving smile she remembered from her childhood, which she had not seen in years.
Deirdre shoved her daughter aside, with a strength surprising for one who had been lying in a hospital bed until recently, and cast a Killing Curse at Gilbert. He did not try to dodge the spell or shield himself, just stood there smiling; the smile was still on his face when his body hit the ground.
Gwydion screamed in rage and grief. "You killed him!" he shouted. "You dare scorn me for being a Death Eater when you killed your own son with an Unforgivable Curse?!"
"I gave you life," Deirdre hissed, her eyes still cold and hard. "It is my right to take it, now that you have betrayed not just your family, but the entire wizarding world! You will atone for your crimes with your life, Gwydion!"
"AVADA KEDAVRA!" Deirdre and Gwydion screamed simultaneously as Ariane screamed at them to stop. She watched in horror as both her mother and brother fell to the ground, dead.
Shacklebolt fended off an attack from Thaddeus Nott, who took the opportunity to strike when he saw that Ariane was distracted. "Grieve for the dead later!" he said gruffly, but not without sympathy. "We have no time for that now!"
Tonks suddenly appeared at Ariane's side. Sirius had removed the Squib Collar so that she could come and fight with her comrades; breaking the Ministry's terms of release was now the least of her worries. Besides, if it brought a pack of Aurors to the scene to arrest her, so much the better--they could use the help. She laid a hand on Ariane's shoulder and said, "You must be strong now, for Dylan's sake."
"You're right," Ariane said, blinking away her tears. Then she looked around frantically. "Where did he go? I lost of sight him when Mother attacked Gilbert."
Meanwhile, Voldemort had removed the restraining net from the roses. Fred and George Weasley, who had arrived with the Order reinforcements, spotted their brother Percy lying on the ground. He had lost consciousness after being struck with the Cruciatus Curse, and was just beginning to stir as his brothers rushed towards him. Nearby, the rose vines, awakened by the scent of blood being spilled on the battlefield, began to stir as well. They lashed out and ensnared Fred, who started screaming as the thorns bit into his flesh and began drinking his blood. George frantically began hurling spells at the vines as Percy struggled to shake off the effects of two Unforgivable Curses and come to his brother's aid.
Dylan saw this and rushed over, Damien by his side. George had just cast an Incendio spell; the flames scorched the vines slightly and caused them to loosen their hold on Fred, but not release him completely.
"Let him go!" Dylan shouted. The vines quivered rebelliously. "Let him go, I said! I command it, as your master!" The vines very reluctantly released Fred, and George and Percy--who was rather wobbly on his feet himself--hustled their wounded brother to safety. A tengu showed up to lead them to Chizuru's field hospital, which had been set up a short distance from the battlefield.
The vines were stirring restlessly, angry at being deprived of their prey. "Attack the Death Eaters!" Dylan ordered. They shot out, stretching to their full length--much longer than Dylan had known they could reach--and just managed to reach Antonin Dolohov, who was engaged in combat with Professor Lupin. The vines wrapped around his ankle; before he had a chance to exclaim, they dragged him back towards the flower pot they were anchored in, knocking him off his feet and causing him to drop his wand. The vines converged on him, wrapping themselves around the full length of his body as he screamed hysterically.
Lupin's eyes widened, and he had only a moment to nod at Dylan in acknowledgment before being attacked by Walden Macnair. Dylan was about to go to Lupin's aid when a trio of Dementors surrounded him and Damien, and they had to stop to cast Patronuses to drive the Dementors back. Ariane had spotted him by now, and was hurrying over to her son.
A giant toppled behind Lupin, brought down by several tengu, and the loud crash startled him, distracting him long enough for Macnair to strike at him with a curse. It struck him squarely, but did not kill him as it should have; he felt a sudden surge of heat against his chest as the protective charm Kamiyama had given all the Order members absorbed the brunt of the attack and was instantly destroyed, crumbling into ash. But the remaining force of the attack knocked him backwards, causing him to fall and drop his wand. Macnair grinned and moved in for the kill.
Snape was engaged in combat with Rabastan Lestrange and had not yet noticed. Dylan and Damien had just managed to drive back the Dementors and would not be able to react in time. But someone else was watching...
Brad Doherty had followed Draco and the others to the Death Eater ceremony. He had watched from a distance, hidden behind a tree, at first with excitement, then with increasing fear and horror. Lupin and Macnair had unknowingly drifted near his hiding place, and when the boy saw his Professor in danger, he acted without thinking.
Brad leaped out and shouted, "Protego!" A magical barrier sprung up in front of Lupin, reflecting Macnair's spell back at him. He was not able to completely evade it, and screamed in pain as he was wounded by his own curse.
Meanwhile Bellatrix Lestrange saw an opportunity, and hurled a curse at Dylan, who was still staring in shock at Brad and Lupin. A beam of red light shot out of her wand towards the boy.
"NO!" screamed Snape, breaking off his duel with Rabastan, but he was too far away, he knew he would be too late...then he had to duck as Rabastan laughed and threw another curse his way.
Ariane had no time to raise her wand; she simply flung herself in front of her son, straight in the path of Bellatrix's spell; it hit her squarely in the chest.
"MOTHER!" Dylan screamed as Ariane fell to the ground, the front of her robes now soaked with blood.
Tonks stepped up to duel with Rabastan, freeing Snape to rush to Dylan's side. As he ran, he hurled a Killing Curse at Bellatrix, not caring that he might be punished for it after the battle was over. She managed to dodge it and laughed, but then she saw Math, his face filled with fury at the sight of his niece being struck down, and fled the scene.
"Mother, please don't die!" Dylan begged, kneeling at Ariane's side as tears streamed down his face.
"It's all right, Dylan," she whispered, reaching up to touch his cheek. "Don't cry; it's all right, I can finally be with your father now." Then her gaze shifted to a point over his shoulder and she smiled. Dylan looked behind him but saw nothing. "Evan," Ariane whispered, and she died. What must have been a stray gust of wind gently brushed across Dylan's cheek in what felt like a caress as he threw himself across his mother's body, sobbing.
Lupin, Snape, Damien, Brad, and Math were all gathered around him. Snape placed a hand on Dylan's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Dylan," he said in a voice low and hoarse with grief. "But we have no time to mourn our dead now."
"My mother's dead!" Dylan screamed.
"Dylan--" Lupin started to say in a gentle voice.
"Yes, she is," Snape said harshly, and Lupin blinked in surprise. "She gave her life to save yours; will you let yourself get killed and make her sacrifice for naught?"
The stern, familiar tone of the Potions Master's voice seemed to snap Dylan out of his hysteria. "No, sir," he said firmly. There was still sorrow in his eyes, but also grim determination.
"Good lad," Snape said, squeezing his shoulder. "Let's go fight some Death Eaters." Dylan smiled, still with that grim look in his eyes.
***
Meanwhile, at the moment of Ariane's death, the roses exploded into a frenzy. They immediately dropped Dolohov's body, although it was not yet completely drained of blood, and shot out in Bellatrix's direction. She saw them heading her way, turned, pale, and ran as fast as she could. The vines whipped the air, as if in anger and frustration, when Bellatrix ran out of their reach. But then they rustled eagerly as Voldemort, who was trying to evade Dumbledore, crossed their path. He felt the thorns pierce his flesh and he screamed in fear and rage, hurling spells at them, trying to force them to let him go. His screams were drowned out by the howling of the wind, which sounded strangely like vindictive laughter...it almost sounded like Evan Rosier's voice. Then the wind died away, and the air was still again.
"Master!" Rodolphus Lestrange shouted, loyally rushing to his Lord's aid. He cast spells of flame and withering; the vines loosened a little, but would not let go. Voldemort reached out, grabbed Lestrange's arm, and thrust his loyal servant into the heart of the vines. The vines released the Dark Lord and wrapped around their new captive, who was screaming in pain and shock and betrayal.
"RODOLPHUS!" Bellatrix screamed. For all her sadism, she did truly love her husband, and she stared in horror as their Master saved himself at Rodolphus's expense. They had served him loyally, never wavering in their faith when all the others had turned their backs on him. They had gone to Azkaban, spending over a decade in prison with the Dementors sucking out every happy memory they had, loyally waiting for their Master's return. They would willingly have given their lives for him, if he had asked. But he had not asked; he had simply taken. He had betrayed them. Bellatrix did the unthinkable; she attacked her Master.
Pain erupted in Voldemort's already fragile body; he turned to see Bellatrix, mad with grief and rage, recklessly flinging spells at him. She was actually able to wound him badly before he managed to slay her with a Killing Curse.
He stumbled away and the first Death Eater who crossed his path was Thaddeus Nott. "Bring me your son," he gasped. Thaddeus hesitated; he suspected he knew what the Dark Lord wanted his son for. "Do it!" Voldemort snarled. "Or I'll take your life instead!"
Theodore, Blaise, Serafina, Crabbe, and Goyle were trying to avoid the battle, but were kept busy fending off Dementors, who didn't particularly care who they attacked, avoiding being accidentally stepped on by the giants, and generally trying not to get caught in the crossfire. Theodore saw his father heading his way, and when he saw the look in Thaddeus's eyes, started to run.
But Thaddeus raised his wand and shouted, "Imperio! Come to me, Theodore!" And Theodore found himself moving against his will towards his father.
"Stupefy!" Blaise shouted, trying to stun Theodore's father. But Thaddeus avoided the spell and hurled a curse at Blaise. Theodore heard his friend cry out in pain, but his feet kept moving forward no matter how hard he tried to stop.
"Blaise!" he cried helplessly; he was still free to speak--for all the good that did--since his father had not commanded him to be silent.
Thaddeus grabbed his son's arm and hustled him towards the Dark Lord. "When I have time later, I'll finish your little friend off, Theodore! Too bad you won't be around to see it!"
Serafina stepped forward to try and stop him, but found her father barring her path.
"Well, well, Serafina," he said with a nasty smile. "You're not being a very dutiful daughter. Attacking your fellow Death Eaters is treason."
Part 34