Author's note, please read:
Hey guys, as some of you might know, I my uni semester started this Monday, that's why the updates took a bit longer than expected. I just want to explain the schedule going forward. It should be the same as last semester, two updates for this fic a week. Some weeks, I might get time to write a third one, or maybe another snippet, who knows, but the two updates for this a week is assured.
For the exam weeks (there's three to four per semester) I won't be updating during the weekdays, just weekend, sometimes I might post two, others probably just one, depending on the muse.
Then the schedule (not counting this week) should be Wednesday/Saturday most of the time. I think. This week, for obvious reasons (moving, groceries, preparing the bedroom I rent, blah blah) will post this chapter, and a following on Sunday. But from next week on, Wednesday/Saturday, like I said.
That should be it. Good luck to everyone and I hope y'all having a nice week. Next chapter will be Dumbledore's Pov for the first part before returning to Elias.
Celestial Ascendancy
Chapter 67: We who burn.
Manchester.
Elias Black.
As soon as I opened my eyes, I frowned. Whatever I was expecting, this wasn't it. It was around noon, and although this city was famous for its cloudy weather, there was something in the air that just felt off.
And really, really wrong. There was a chill in the air that didn't really bother me, but I could see how it affected everyone else. The civilians I could see, completely mundane, looked confused and scared as they shivered and ran in different directions.
I scowled when I looked up and really focused. The sky was cloudy, like I said. Still, inside those clouds, I could feel a faint sensation of magic moving, before a dementor descended and grabbed someone three hundred feet away from me.
I pulled out Durindana and allowed my mana to surge just a bit before I launched myself.
My first jump sent me towards the coffee shop to my right, where tens of people were looking at me in fear. This was going to be a mess of epic proportions, and I didn't know if we could hide it.
Once I arrived at the shop, I jumped and stuck my fingers into the wall before tensing my legs and propelling myself all the way to the victim under the Dementor's shadow. I launched up like a bullet before I twisted myself midair, Durindana pointing out forward.
At times like this, I hated having enhanced senses.
I saw it all... too clearly. The wispy, smoky substance spilling from the young man's mouth drifted toward the open maw of the Dementor above him like incense.
My scowl deepened. Another explosion cracked the air as I surged forward, magic boosting my speed. I appeared behind the creature and drove my spear through its hood, slamming it into the ground with a satisfying crunch.
"Hey, hey," I muttered, slapping the man's cheek rapidly. His eyes rolled, completely unfocused. Barely clinging to life.
The Dementor hissed before turning to ash, my magic reducing it to nothing. But what caught my attention wasn't the ashes.
It was what was left.
The same drifting substance hovered above it. Pale, flickering, almost gone. I stared at it. Then, without thinking, I reached forward.
My fingers brushed the edge, and I gasped.
I could feel it.
Not just as magic. Not just as energy. It was warm, but fragile. It felt like life.
I tried to cup it gently in my hands, but it slipped through my fingers like water. Slipping down like light between the cracks.
No. Not yet.
I inhaled sharply and focused. The Aetherius shimmered under my skin, responding to my will. I called it forward, not with force, but with eagerness.
A thin film of gold washed over my hands. Not the usual light, this time it felt deeper.
When I touched the soul again… it pulsed.
As if it recognized me.
It coiled into my palm like a lost child reaching his father.
Carefully, I opened the flow just a bit more. The Aetherius answered, whispering rather than roaring. A single thread of light passed from me into the soul, wrapping around it gently like a ribbon.
The wisp shimmered before it solidified… and sank back into the young man's chest.
His body jerked. Then he coughed violently, his eyes flying open.
I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.
"Hey, can you hear me?" I patted his cheek twice. He blinked owlishly, then recoiled with a gasp, fear overtaking his face.
I let go of Durindana and raised both hands slowly, showing him that I wasn't going to harm him. "I'm here to help," I said softly.
He hesitated, then nodded. I stepped closer and offered him my hand, pulling him to his feet.
"What do you remember? Be quick."
"I… I was remembering my worst memories," he said shakily. "When my mum died in the hospital… when my dad crashed the car drunk."
He choked on a sob. "They kept repeating. I felt like I was losing something every time... like I was falling apart."
His eyes shone with a feverish glint. He clutched my arm tightly, "It was like I was falling. And the longer it went on, the less I could think. The less I was me."
"And then… the light." He clenched his fist around my arm. "God, the light."
He broke down in tears again, clutching me like a lifeline. "I felt it. I swear I felt it. It wasn't cold, it wasn't pain. It was warm, it was welcoming."
"Hey, hey, you're safe now. Breathe." I placed a hand on his shoulder. My chest ached with something I couldn't name.
"No! You don't understand!" he yelled suddenly before falling silent.
He stared at me. "It was you, wasn't it?"
"You saved me." His voice cracked. "You pulled me up from that abyss."
I didn't speak. I didn't know what to say.
He looked at me with so much hope that it felt wrong to lie. And yet… I didn't understand it either.
But something inside me wanted to believe it.
I nodded.
He collapsed again, tears falling freely.
I gave him time. Then, I said quietly, "You need to run. There are more of those things here. Others need help."
"Go. Hide." I urged him when he didn't move.
He nodded quickly, then paused a few steps away.
"Can I feel it once more?" he asked softly, almost whispering.
I sighed, calling him forward.
"Be safe out there," I murmured, placing my hand gently on his head. The Aetherius pulsed at my touch, thin golden light washing over him like a cloak.
He shivered. Then smiled through fresh tears. Those tears were different.
I sighed when I heard him run away. That was... strange, but not in a bad way.
Whatever. I had things to do. A warm feeling lingered in my chest, knowing that I had helped him, and that was enough. I launched myself into the air, not bothering with my wings.
Just jumping from building to building, killing every Dementor I could find. I wasn't even counting.
But the streets were empty. There weren't many Dementors in view. I sensed a spell being cast in the distance. I threw myself toward it, soon spotting a crowd hiding below, surrounded by Dementors both in the air and on the ground.
A single wizard stood between them and death, casting a Patronus to shield the civilians behind him. But I could feel him wavering. Several bodies were already sprawled in front of him, people who had long lost their souls to those monsters. They weren't dazed. They were gone.
Somehow, I knew that.
Still in the air, I closed my eyes and moved my hand in a circular motion. Light parted the clouds above me, drawing shrieks from the Dementors it touched. Everyone below turned to look.
The strand of light solidified into a whip, and I cocked my arm back before letting it loose.
The street went silent as the windows cracked, and people on the ground were thrown back slightly. Good thing I did that from up high... I didn't want to think about what might've happened if I'd been closer.
The whip tore through the air, slicing the group of airborne Dementors and turning them to ash in an instant. The shockwave blasted the ones on the ground into dust.
I landed hard, legs tensed, and Durindana plunged into the street, forming a crater. It sounded almost soft compared to the thunderclap from the whip.
I rushed to the wizard and the civilians behind him, frowning at the oily substance left by the Dementors. There was far less of it than there should have been. Almost fifty dead bodies lined the street, but only five or so "souls."
"Were you the one who sent the message?" I asked loudly. The Auror grimaced and looked around, not responding.
"How are you all feeling?" I asked again, frowning when no one answered. Then I noticed the blood dripping from their ears. Oops.
With a wave of my hand, I sent healing magic toward them. Almost everyone gaped, their expressions shifting to gratitude. The Auror staggered forward.
"Were you the one who sent the message?" I asked again. He shook his head rapidly and ran toward a fallen body in the distance.
"Fuck!" he shouted, turning the corpse over. "Marc sent it... he gave his life for it, the stupid cunt."
"Help me look for the souls in the ash piles," I ordered firmly. "Maybe I can do something."
He gave me a confused look but nodded and rushed off to the ashes.
I turned to the civilians. The sheer fear on their faces made my heart ache. Worst of all, not everyone was an adult. There were all kinds of ages here, and something inside me dimmed.
"Everything is fine. You'll be okay," I murmured when no one replied.
"What are you, mister?" a young boy asked curiously. His father tried to shush him, but I smiled and crouched down.
"I'm just a passerby. But I will help."
"Are you a superhero?" he asked. I laughed and ruffled his hair.
"A superhero wouldn't be late, kid," I sighed.
"But you saved us!" he pouted.
"What are those monsters? Who are you, lad?" an older woman asked, looking at the sky with fear.
Before I could respond, the Auror returned with a pop.
"Lord Elias, there's nothing where you said."
"What do you mean? I saw them as I was falling down. Did you even look properly?" I asked incredulously.
I could hear his heart pounding in his chest. He shook his head quickly.
"There's nothing there, I swear!"
In a blink, I vanished and appeared by one of the ash piles. The Auror followed with another pop.
"See? There's nothing," he said, baffled.
"You can't see them?" I asked, almost murmuring as I looked at the faint traces on the ground.
He shook his head. I sighed. Another question with no answer.
I waved him off and knelt down, repeating what I had done before. Letting my magic guide me, I made the substance momentarily tangible. A bit more energy, a single thread of the Aetherius, and the souls stirred. Then, as if recognizing what I wanted, they floated gently toward their bodies.
Moments later, six people coughed and sat up.
"Did Marc wake up?" I asked the Auror, who was staring at me dumbfounded.
His eyes widened, and he vanished again. A few seconds later, he returned with a sad frown and shook his head.
"I'm sorry for your loss," I said, patting his back. "Follow me. This isn't over. Let's check the civilians."
"Your group is too big. Follow behind us, don't stay alone," I ordered, and they all nodded like chickens.
We walked down the streets, and I killed every Dementor in sight, saving only a couple that had just had their souls taken. Time was probably a factor; every new dead body made me feel hollow. Even more so when the bodies belonged to children. But there was something strange. There were far fewer Dementors than I expected.
"This will take too long, Lord Elias," the auror, who was called Augustus, said seriously.
"When is the help coming?" He asked.
"I am the help, friend," I sighed, "Voldemort attacked the Ministry, Fudge is dead, and Bellatrix was leading the charge in Diagon Alley… I doubt Amelia has the forces to send here. What about the people Marc said in his message? I haven't seen a single one."
"They must be on the other side of the city," he murmured, "Can you do something? This is too slow, and there are too many dead already."
"How will we hide this mess from the muggles?" I groaned and looked around. The group was bigger, but that meant that we moved more slowly.
"The obliviators will work overtime," Augustus snorted with a grimace.
"I could do something to kill all the dementors," I murmured, and almost everyone stopped in their tracks.
"Then why? Why haven't you done that?" Augustus asked, and I grimaced.
"I doubt that we'll be able to hide something of that magnitude…" I murmured and felt something break when no one spoke against it.
Just quiet acceptance in their faces. Augustus was almost uncaring.
I clenched my fists tight enough that I heard a crack.
What am I doing?
Am I really letting more people die… just to keep things hidden?
Was that the right thing?
A hollow chuckle escaped my lips. The sound didn't feel like mine.
"This is wrong," I whispered, then louder, "This is all so wrong."
I stepped forward until I stood in the middle of the intersection. My hands rose, and the very air seemed to shudder.
The pavement cracked beneath my feet.
Windows all along the block shattered in unison.
The clouds above trembled... then parted.
Magic rushed to me like a tidal wave. The air lit up with a golden glow as an orb formed between my outstretched hands.
Not just light, my sun. Small in size, but that didn't mean it was any less powerful.
Behind me, people fell to their knees, not from pain, but from the sheer pressure. The weight of something so ancient and absolute filled the air like a storm.
Then, two magic circles appeared around us.
A voice shouted out sharply, "Elias Black, cease this at once! This is Isadora Greaves, I'm under the royal family!"
I didn't turn. I didn't care.
The orb between my hands trembled with restraint. I could feel the spell on the verge of completion.
"This is MacGregor Mathers, Lord Sirzechs Bishop! You must stop!"
Only then did I glance back.
A man stepped through the portal. He seemed young, but considering he was a devil, that didn't mean anything.
"You're about to break the secret between our worlds," he said seriously. "Is that what you want? Are you ready for what will happen after that?"
I stared at him hollowly, "I want this nightmare to end."
Mathers nodded once, "Then come with me. We've prepared something. A lure for these monsters near the Pennines. That's what Golden Dawn was working on. Every Dementor in the city will converge there. That's why there are so few here lately, you must have noticed."
"We were going to destroy them ourselves," he continued. "It would have taken a long time since not everyone knows how to harm them… but if you want to do it, you can help. My lord spoke highly of you, please don't act without thinking, young man."
The orb between my hands flickered.
My shoulders slumped, just slightly.
I glanced at Augustus, then at the civilians behind me. The boy from earlier clutched his father's leg, trembling. I exhaled slowly.
"Fine," I muttered, dismissing the orb with a flick of my hands. The light vanished in an instant, leaving only the cold in its wake. "Take me there."
He nodded silently and glanced at the magician, "Will you follow us?"
She shook her head, "This mess is above my pay grade."
"Aren't you the highest-ranked magician the royal family has, Lady Isadora?" MacGregor snorted.
"I meant what I said," The older woman snorted too, "We were focusing on how to contain this. We'll deal with that. Now leave and finish those monsters once and for all. I don't know why they even created them."
"And child," she continued, "Please tell Albus to finish this damn war already. Voldemort already did the unthinkable. There's a reason why we maintain the veil of secrecy."
"Don't worry," I nodded at her, my teeth clenching so hard, "I will hunt that bastard as the worm he is."
She smiled and nodded before magic circles appeared behind her and the group of survivors, and all of them disappeared from view.
"What a mess," I sighed, looking at the devil quietly, "And what are you doing here? Is Rias's brother looking for information about me?"
He chuckled loudly, shaking his head, "I was one of the founders of Golden Dawn, young man. I visit sometimes."
"Sure," I rolled my eyes, "Let's go, I need to check the other two attacks."
He nodded, and Augustus and I walked toward him. The Auror was confused but decided to stay by my side. Not that I faulted him, this shit was beyond him.
A red magic circle appeared from under us, and we appeared in some foggy mountains, where a group of twenty magicians were gathered.
"So… what's the plan?" I asked softly as we reached them. Some of them scowled at me, but I ignored them.
"Take this and pump some magic into it," Mathers nodded as he gave me a kids' toy, "You'll feel… a lot of negativity. I was going to do it, but since you offered."
"Whatever," I sighed and grabbed the teddy bear and walked some distance, and willed a bit of my magic into it. A black miasma came out of the teddy, and I looked around in confusion when I felt some of the magicians and August fall to their knees, screaming and crying.
"What's going on?" I asked confusedly at Mathers, the only one left standing. But even he was sweating buckets.
"My lord was right… You're a scary kid," he chuckled.
"That bear is a lure of pure negative feelings, Elias. They are feeling that, enough despair to feel more appealing than a city filled with fear," he shook his head disbelievingly, "And you are fine?"
"Peachy," I grunted and looked at the sky, already seeing hundreds of dementors flying like starved animals toward us.
"Can you make a ward or something? Things will get ugly," I asked the devil.
"What? for you?" he asked amusedly.
"Nah," my eyes lit up as I opened my connection to the Aetherius, "And move away, I wouldn't want to get on Rias's brother's bad side. He still scares me."
He grinned and nodded. A snap of his fingers spread a massive silver magic dome across the ground, the runes flaring to life with radiant light as they stretched for nearly a kilometer. The moment the last of the Dementors floated into range, a translucent curtain of shimmering energy snapped into place around us like a dome of glass.
"Deathloop," I smirked, and the monsters shrieked in recognition or maybe instinct as they lunged toward me all at once, their hunger overriding the most important thing all living beings had. Survival instinct.
The three sigils carved into my body lit up, shining through my clothes. But I wasn't planning to waste a second.
I glanced toward the edge of the dome, where Mathers and the rest of the Golden Dawn stared at me from beyond the veil. Their eyes filled with shock.
I gave them a wink.
Then I exploded.
Not in blood, not in flesh... but in light.
The Aetherius surged outward from me like a detonation of divinity, filling every corner of the dome. It was no longer simply magic; it was judgment made form.
My body floated upward as my wings unfurled behind me, the clank of the metallic wings sounding almost like a bell.
My eyes glowed like stars and more importantly... I became the sun.
And the Dementors? They screamed. They burned. They twisted and withered in midair, their shadows peeling away like rotting skin. They tried to flee, clawing at the dome, devouring each other, anything to escape.
There was no escape.
I raised my arm, and the orb forming in my palm swelled, layered with solar flares.
"Begone."
The dome didn't just glow, it ignited. The ground turned gold, the air pulsed with the echo of something far older than this world's magic. The sun inside the barrier reached critical mass and then flashed.
And the darkness was no more.
Diagon Alley.
Hermione Granger.
We appeared with a faint pop, having rushed toward the Room of Requirement to gather our things before running all the way to where the school's wards ended. Eli's ward wasn't blocking Apparition, but it didn't matter since the original wards did.
But the diadem and Eli's glasses helped us learn that much, much faster than usual, and with our considerable magic pools, the travel here wasn't that taxing.
Iris, since she had the most magic, took Sirius and Remus with her, while Fleur and I followed.
It was something that used to make me jealous years ago. But it had obviously lessened even more this year. I wasn't a monster like Elias, and Iris was also abnormal, even if less so.
No, I was pretty limited in the magic department. At least before we learned how wizards actually worked. That had been marvelous, and my magic kept increasing without hitting a bottleneck. Slowly but surely, just like I liked.
Would I ever have as much magic as Iris? I genuinely doubted it, but I didn't need it.
Iris was a brawler, even as a witch. She threw spells like fireballs the size of houses. But I didn't need that. That wasn't me.
"Be careful," I said firmly as soon as the five of us were ready. "Iris, protect our back. Fleur, stay in the center and prepare your arrows. Sirius, Remus, cover our sides. I'll go in front."
Iris saluted, earning a chuckle from me. We decided to apparate outside the Leaky Cauldron, in Muggle London.
I waved my hand and nodded once I felt my spell cover our bodies. It was a simple Disillusionment Charm, mainly to avoid being seen by Muggles.
"Let's go," Iris grinned, and I shook my head but started walking. The Leaky Cauldron was empty, which made me frown.
Rushing toward the entrance of Diagon Alley, I tapped the password and sighed. It was locked.
"Iris, be a dear."
"Sure, ma'am!" she said, stepping forward and closing her eyes.
Her fist was coated in a light sheen of Touki, and she punched the wall. The wall shuddered, but held. Iris took a step back and cocked her fist again. She launched another punch, and then another. After the fourth, the wall dented inward, and the bricks began falling all at once. The sounds from inside greeted our ears, and my eyes widened at the sight of so many bodies near the entrance.
It seemed they had tried to run this way and were cornered before being killed like animals.
I waved my wand, and a gentle breeze turned the bodies. Then I muttered, "Revelio Mortem."
Everyone stayed silent as I looked at the corpses clinically, my eyes analyzing the cause of death.
"These two were killed by vampires. You can see the teeth marks on his neck," I said, separating those bodies. "This one by a werewolf," I grimaced, seeing a deep bite that had taken most of his throat at once.
"The rest were done by wizards," I sighed. "A Bombarda got most of them. That's why there are so many missing limbs."
"Fuckers," Iris scowled. "Can we hurry? We need to support Gringotts."
"They'll be forced to join the war after this attack. They won't be happy, but if we help, they might decide to join us instead of rebelling against wizardkind as a whole," Fleur murmured softly.
"Got it," I nodded. "Follow me."
We sprinted toward Gringotts but were stopped when we reached Florean Fortescue's, where a bunch of people were throwing spells at the entrance.
"Shields up," I barked and waved my wand. A golden shield sprang forth, the same as Sirius and Remus, covering us completely.
"Sirius, Remus, you two on defense," I told them softly as the first barrage of spells splashed harmlessly against my shield.
Within a single breath, I dropped my shield and sent forth a curse that struck the Death Eater in the front. I watched neutrally as his body shriveled up and fell to the ground, a watery red liquid seeping from his pores and orifices.
Iris was waving her wand behind me, and I felt her magic pulse as the ground in front of us opened. Right beneath the large group of non-wizards, the hole grew teeth and clamped down. The sound of their screams made me nauseous, but I focused on my Occlumency.
Fleur wasn't waiting, opening fire with her bow. The arrows grazed our enemies with venom flying at insane speed, enough to pierce through basic shield charms. The Death Eaters shrieked like howling animals before dropping to the floor. Whether they were dead or alive, I didn't care.
The door of the ice cream shop opened, and a group of Aurors emerged, wands drawn.
"Thanks for the save," the one in the lead grunted, and my eyes widened as Moody stumbled out behind them, his magical eye spinning in every direction.
"Merlin," I gasped, seeing his injuries. His left arm was gone, a conjured rope tied around the stump.
"You're just in time," he barked as I rushed toward him.
"Let me close your wound," I told him seriously before he could continue walking.
"Not enough time, lass," he grunted, but I leveled my wand at him, red light shining at the tip.
"Stay still or I'm stunning you," I said neutrally.
"She really will," Fleur giggled behind me, but I ignored her, locking eyes with the gnarly Auror.
"Fine," he scowled, and I began murmuring the spell Pranitha had shown me.
Green light flew from the tip of my wand, mending his stump and sealing the damaged arteries and everything in between.
"You're lucky we came. You would've died of blood loss in an hour, tops," I scowled.
He grinned with a crazed look. "Blood-replenishing potion. Always keep four with me."
Iris laughed out loud behind me, and I felt my eye twitch. Even more so when Fleur joined her, followed by Sirius and Remus.
"He got you there, Mione," Sirius chuckled.
"Whatever. We're going to Gringotts to offer our support. I suppose that's where Bellatrix is. Do we know anything about help? Or at least what's happening at the Ministry and in Manchester?"
"Manchester is dark," one Auror grimaced. "The Ministry's in shambles. Last I heard, Dumbledore joined Lord Alaric, and the two of them started pushing Voldemort back. Still, we haven't received news in twenty minutes. So who knows."
"Do you know where Tonks is, old man?" Remus asked Moody.
"She wasn't supposed to work today. I wouldn't be surprised if she shows up here," Moody grunted with a grin.
I ignored the giggles from our group at the werewolf's expense.
"Fine. Everyone who's combat ready, follow us," I sighed. "Not you, Moody. Rest."
I glared at him, which he ignored.
"Let it be, Mione," Iris patted my back. "We need to hurry."
As a group, we moved toward Gringotts, the smell of blood growing stronger. Wizards, witches, Death Eaters, werewolves, vampires, goblins... There were bodies from all groups scattered across the cobbled street. The sound of fighting grew louder, reaching a crescendo until we found the main battle.
Over fifty Death Eaters were attacking the partially open doors of the bank, not counting the vampires and werewolves among them.
"This is for going against the Dark Lord!" a woman screeched, and I recognized her immediately. The resemblance to Eli before he gained that absurd power from the Grimoire was clear. Bellatrix Black.
"You made the greatest mistake today, girl," snarled an armored goblin at the entrance, dancing between spells and monsters with a supernatural grace I had only ever seen from Eli and Kiba. He was far faster than Flitwick when he trained Eli.
Bellatrix giggled, throwing Unforgivables with reckless abandon. "You won't last, and help won't come to you."
"Wrong!" Iris shouted, gathering an absurd amount of magic in her hand. A wide wall of fire formed above Voldemort's group, then dropped.
The battle descended into chaos as everyone scrambled away from the fire, and we began our assault.
Bombardas, transfigurations, cutting curses, fire... We threw everything we had at them. Bodies fell quickly. I stayed close to my group, walking forward and eliminating anyone who crossed our path.
My eyes widened as I caught Moody sprinting straight toward Bellatrix, launching a Bombarda nearly point-blank. Bellatrix's eyes widened too, but she laughed maniacally as a golden dome shimmered behind her, shielding her body.
I narrowed my eyes, just in time to see her pendant snap under the strain. Her expression twisted with rage.
"You bastard!" she screeched. "That was my Lord's gift for my loyalty!"
With a flick of her wand, the ground around Moody cracked. Four wooden stakes erupted from the earth, and serrated chains slithered out like snakes, whipping toward him.
I launched a Bombarda in hopes of interrupting her spell, but a blond Death Eater blocked it with a shield.
"Tsk tsk," he waggled his finger mockingly. "That's not your fight, girlies."
"Malfoy," I spat, my eyes locking onto the chains now coiling around Moody. My heart dropped, and I felt my eyes sting. The gnarly Auror screamed his throat raw as the chains tightened. The stakes pulled him down violently, and a pool of blood spread beneath him.
The only sound that followed was Bellatrix's maddened cackling.
"You're dead, Malfoy," Iris snarled, launching a fireball that shattered his shield with ease. Malfoy's eyes widened in alarm, but he didn't get the time to react or run away, as he was used to.
Fleur followed through, a single arrow embedding itself in his leg. Malfoy squealed like a pig.
Sirius stepped forward, wand raised. A conjured blade shot through the air and pierced Malfoy's chest clean through, the hole it left dripping for all to see.
"Malfoy!" Bellatrix screamed, her eyes wide as she stared at her fallen comrade.
We circled Bellatrix as a group, our eyes locked on the increasingly irate woman. She hurled spell after spell, from curses to Unforgivables, but I trusted Remus and Sirius. They transfigured the cracked ground into wide slabs of marble, sturdy enough to block the feared spells.
Honestly… those spells weren't as scary anymore. The fact that you had to say their name before casting removed most of the threat if you remained calm. She would have had a better chance using something else.
She moved with unnatural grace, weaving through attacks, but we kept up the pressure. Spell after spell, she blocked them all, but her pace was slowing.
"Now!" I shouted and waved my left hand, sending a gale of wind straight into her chest. A Bombarda struck beside her an instant later, and her wand arm disintegrated on impact.
I rushed toward her, levitating her into the air while channeling my voice into a Sonorus.
"Give up!" I cried, my voice rising above every other sound at Gringotts' entrance. "You lost. Drop your wands and stay still!"
It didn't happen instantly, and not everyone obeyed, but a good portion of Voldemort's forces surrendered. The rest tried to run and were killed.
"Let me have her," Iris said neutrally, walking toward the crying Bellatrix.
"No." I grabbed her shoulder. "She might have answers. Walburga wasn't part of this attack, and she's the main threat. Voldemort is nothing more than a footnote."
I said it loud enough for Bellatrix to hear.
"You dare?!" she shrieked madly.
I just stunned her and healed her stump. Eli could decide what to do with her when he returned.
Iris glared at me. I almost relented, but then shook my head firmly. She held the glare a moment longer before she pouted.
"Fine," she scowled and turned around to help herd up Voldemort's remaining forces.
There were… a lot of bodies. I did my best to ignore them. It was easier this time, probably because most were combatants, unlike Ottery.
We had over ten vampires, a single werewolf, and around twenty Death Eaters bound in magical chains with spell-blocking restraints.
"Mione," Fleur whispered behind me, her voice tight as she pointed with a trembling finger. Her eyes were wide, filled with pity.
I turned around mechanically, a cold weight forming in my chest. If something had shaken Fleur, it wasn't going to be easy to stomach.
And there it was… impaled above Gringotts' doors. Professor Snape. His expression was frozen in pain, half of his face melted. The word "traitor " was carved into his forehead. His left leg was missing, and large portions of his skin were torn or peeled away.
I noticed a faint movement in his abdomen, as if something was shifting.
I stepped back, bile rising in my throat, just as his torso burst open. A snake slithered out from the mess.
Fleur reacted instantly, incinerating it with a flash of fire before it could do anything more. But I would never forget that image.
Iris returned, her eyes scanning the scene, her expression hardening when she saw what remained of Snape.
"Fuck," I sighed as I sat down on the floor, just to take a breather before I offered my healing magic.
Before I could do so, almost everyone staggered, many falling to the ground.
"For Merlin's sake," Sirius grumbled with gasped breath, "Do you feel that?!"
How could I not? The pure feeling of magic filling the place. The air felt so heavy that it was hard to breathe.
I turned, and just for a moment, I saw gold.
"He's here," I relaxed.
If you enjoyed this chapter and want to support my work and get early access to new content, you can find me on Patr* on at pat*e* n.c om (slash) Infinityreads99.
Every bit of support helps me write more!