Broken - 3/50 for Character Diversity Boot Camp
Colin was frantic, looking around at everything and trying to catch his breath. Too many things were happening all too quickly; with explosions, screams, and spells going off every which way. He hid behind a wall, dodging the spells that shot past at incredible speeds. Many of the flashes of light were green-tinged, and he didn't know how to stop them. Fear gripped his heart, but he tried to keep calm. All around him, people were dropping like flies, both people dressed in dark robes and others wearing Hogwarts school uniforms.
Professors ran about, trying to lend help where it was needed, but they were all in trouble, clearly losing and at a disadvantage.
He would be safe. He knew he would be, because in his last Divination class, he'd foreseen his safe return home. He didn't want to tempt fate, anyhow. It had been a bad idea to come into the battle, he realized as he peered around the wall, only to have a spell whizz toward him, just missing him when he ducked back. Adrenaline pulsed through his veins and his head pounded in rhythm with the quickened beating of his heart.
What could he do?
He couldn't just hide out behind a wall and have a clear conscience at the end of it all. Not only was he sure to be found and it was an all-around better idea to stay in motion, but he needed something to distract him from all the distraction, as well. He decided that it was important to go out and help people.
Colin finally resolved to take his sneaky photographer skills to the battlefield and did his best to blend into the background. He'd decided against a tiny notice-me-not charm, and simply relied on the skills his hobby had honed over the years. He saw flashes of fire-red hair, waving and swaying in the wind as the Weasleys cast spell after spell. Some relief coursed through him at the familiar sight, despite the danger.
They were safe; they had each other's backs. He smiled a little at the thought of a family being so close as to fight together, thinking quickly of his own family. They were vulnerable in their muggle neighbourhood, defenceless if the Death Eaters tried to attack. Worry made his forehead crease, but he committed himself to doing all he could to stop the Dark side from having the chance to attack.
He scanned the area, only to see a girl from his year battling a masked Death Eater. She was panting, something that was visible even from his position, and it was obvious she was tiring.
She had always had luck – being one of the class clowns and still managing to keep a spotless school record in her time at Hogwarts – and he wished for her to have a bit more of it in order for her to win.
Inside, he battled for sanity as he watched her fight. They'd grown up together, and lead ran through his veins as he observed. His muscles had frozen and he couldn't even move forward to go help her, dismay and alarm weighing him down. The Death Eater kept pressing, until, to his horror and frozen eyes, she collapsed, hitting her head against the ground.
A sharp kick was sent into her side, and then a green spell put her out of her misery. Colin shook in fright.
Just then, a spell narrowly missed him, and he was shot back into the thick of the battle. Someone had targeted him, and he hastily put up a shield charm to keep a semblance of control over the situation. His mind was still reeling from the sight of a school friend being killed in front of him, but he couldn't allow himself to be distracted. A shout sounded out from somewhere, and he turned to see someone in yellow-lined school robes crying over the girl's broken body.
Colin's heart broke all over again, and he was distracted against his will. His eyes followed the scene, and somehow everything else was blocked out.
Another spell flew by him, singeing his hair, and he shot one right back instinctively. It bounced off of his attacker's shield, and Colin ducked when it flew back to him. They exchanged spells for a moment, Colin and the Death Eater, and it was with horror that Colin realized he was being pushed. And then he realized what the Death Eater was doing; cornering him in order to make him an easier target. Panic made his heart beat double in speed, and he frantically shot spells back at the Death Eater, doubling and then tripling the speed at which the spells were cast. He sent up a frantic "thank you" to the DA meetings that taught him the skills he was using – they'd saved him so far.
Energy poured out of him and his muscles began screaming in frustration. He was panting hard, unable to keep a cool head when under such pressure. He was still being pushed backwards, taking steps backward with worrying regularity.
He cast stupefy after stupefy, but nothing worked.
When his back hit the brick wall, Colin felt a cold shiver run up his spine.
A Death Eater somewhere to the left shouted, "Crucio," and he heard that familiar scream again. The Hufflepuff. Colin couldn't see the boy, but the shouts pained him and filled him with pain nonetheless. He had to go help. He had to. He had to go-.
"Avada kedavra!" The Death Eater he was dueling yelled, taking advantage of Colin's momentary distraction, and Colin saw green.
He ducked out of the way, and the spell hit the wall. It exploded inwards, showering rocks and brick every which way. Colin took the chaos to slip away, but he wasn't quite so lucky with the Death Eater, who was still hot on his heels.
He ran with all the speed he'd gathered over the years of running from the scandalized subjects of his photos, and tried to look for a place to hide. His eyes fell upon the girl on the ground one last time, and wondered where the boy had gone. A heavy ball of dread landed in the pit of his stomach when he understood that the two students – both underage – had just been murdered, but had no time to stop and grieve.
Dust, soot, and tears covered his face, and he could hardly see where he was going. He ran even faster, weaving through the bodies, trying to avoid the spells that pursued him. In the bedlam that was happening around him, Colin didn't see the tree root until his foot caught on it, sending him tumbling to the ground. He grazed the palm of his hand on the ground, bringing blood to the surface of the skin. Colin cursed inwardly, feeling shots of pain run up his leg.
The Death Eater, still right behind him, caught him seconds later as he tried to get his twisted ankle to support his weight.
"All I wanted was a nice chat," said the masked Death Eater in a scratchy, sarcastic tone. "Didn't your poor mummy ever teach you that it's rude to leave in the middle of a conversation? Ah, but I heard she was a muggle. Dirty, filthy creature. Maybe idiocy and inadequacy runs in the family? Hmm?"
Colin was only listening with half his brain, trying to figure out how to get out of the situation. He responded, "Don't talk about my mum like that!"
He was destined to live, but how was he going to do it? All he really wanted was to help Harry – it was why he'd snuck back against the rules. He wanted to help win the war to save and protect all those who were defenceless and didn't deserve fear and threats. Like his family – muggles, his parents were.
It hadn't been the most intelligent idea to sneak back, granted, and he knew it. He was terribly unequal to, outwitted by, and outmaneuvered by nearly everyone else in the battlefield.
Then, the Death Eater raised his wand, and Colin considered raising his own.
But the man was whispering words and the air was getting thicker with magic… and then a flash of green light illuminated his face. He looked at it for a fraction of a second, understanding and dread sinking in, and then he fell to the ground. Motionless. Breathless. Thoughtless.
In the moments before he lost his life, as the light started receding from his vision, all he could see was a vision of his family, smiling and laughing together over the dinner table. Memories bubbled up, one after the other, a chain reaction. A small, sad smile graced his face, and he finally let himself go. He'd sacrificed all – his family and life – all for the war… for them.
"Arrogant bastard," muttered the Death Eater once Colin's gaze had turned stony, beginning a physical assault on his latest victim. The kicks and stomps were violent and would have been painful… but Colin Creevey was dead. Gone.
He was but one more face. One more person whose death would hurt others, force them to cry and grieve. But it didn't matter, because in the end, he was only one more body to litter the grounds of Hogwarts.
Written for the Qudditch European Cup Competition on the HPFC forum. My challenge was to write:
2. A Trio Generation One Shot using the prompts: fire, luck, palm (all in italics within the fic).
It was supposed to be either adventure, tragedy, or friendship.
Check out my teammates: kitty132383, annaisadinosaur, and WentToManderleyAgain.