Phantom Reflections

Chapter 1:

In the terminator, the darkest hour before the dawn. He hid, ready, waiting. Rays of reddish orange light broke through the thick forest canopy. Casting long dark shadows onto the undergrowth below where he lay hidden. After an hour or so the sounds of scurrying feet drew near. "Come on... closer." He mouthed holding his breath urging whatever it was onwards. Seconds later the creature emerged through the thick underbrush only a few meters away. 'A rabbit.' The realization made his stomach spasm in hunger.

The rabbit approached cautiously, sniffing the bait he had set out. A few radishes no larger than chestnuts unripe and bitter. He lifted himself up, observing the rabbit as it nibbled on the meager roots. Very carefully he crawled forward keeping low to the ground, making sure to be silent as possible. A rock clenched tightly in his right hand, a .38 special revolver in the other. How long had it been since he had last eaten? Was it three, no four days ago? He couldn't remember..

Upon reaching the edge of the clearing, a few feet away from the rabbit. He rose on one knee and took aim with the stone, hands shaking and sweaty he hoped beyond hope that it would find it's mark. If not he would have to try and shoot the bastard, under regular circumstances he would have never wasted valuable ammunition on such a thing. 'Survive, survive at all costs.' Remembering what he was told long ago, if he had to waste a cartridge or two to avoid starvation so be it.

Steadying his hand up he focused on the creature. It was almost as malnourished as he was, small ribs stuck out of its muddled brown fur. Taking aim he flung the stone with all his might launching it like a trebuchet. The rock whizzed through the air and hit the rabbit on its flank.. impacting with a sickening crunch. Springing up from his hiding place he ran to the whimpering beast and twisted it's neck...

'I killed it.. I can't believe it… I actually get to eat today.' The thought that he would go to bed tonight full, full of real meat, not grasshoppers, pine nuts, or dandelions left him in disbelief all he could do was gape at the rabbit twitching involuntarily in his hands. "You were wrong after all Flint… I managed hit what I was aiming for." Something came rumbling up from his chest, he let out a shrill wheeze that soon turned into hysterical laughter. "You should have let me join the team you snobby git!" The sound of his own voice unnerved him, how long had it been since he had heard it? Composing himself he tied the rabbits feet together with a length of cord and made his way back to the makeshift campsite.

'I must be near Birmingham now, it's been three days since I left the Welsh border… I'll move out tomorrow, maybe I can go a bit farther north since spring has come.' He sat near the fire turning the spit as he looked over his battered copy of a map of Great Britain that he had torn off the back of an old muggle fishing catalog. 'I need to pack up and leave regardless…. If I stay in same place for too long they could find me.' When the rabbit was done he removed it from the spit and ate ravenously. Filling his belly too fast almost to the point of sickness.

Afterwards he lay in his hammock beside the fire, trying to fall asleep. Reaching down he dug through his bag for the revolver. That's when his fingers brushed the smooth glass of the picture frame, he knew it by touch, giving in to the temptation he drew it out for one last look. Nostalgia flooded in when the smiling faces were brought to life by the flickering firelight. Students sat on raised benches each row slightly higher than the other. Smiling to himself he read the banner floating above their heads. 'Hogwarts Class of 1998.' A rush of warmth filled his breast immediately followed by that of guilt and sorrow.

'Look there's Neville.' He smiled at the uncomfortable look on the boys face. 'Theodore, Albert and Blaise look just as I remember them. Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley. Hell even Malfoy looks smug and satisfied… They have no idea what lies ahead of them.. so many dead and gone.' His gaze fell on himself sitting awkwardly beside Daphne Greengrass. He examined the untidy blonde hair, and the strained smile on his face with distain.

He found his twin brother sitting where he always was, between Seamus Finnigan and Harry Potter. 'Miles...' Smiling brightly without a care in the world. Deciding that he had enough reminiscing for the night he put the picture frame back in his bag and retrieved the revolver, laying it beside him in the folds of the hammock.

'I've been living like this for five years now, from day to day, meal to meal. When did I lose track? When did I give up looking for them? If they are still out there, where are they? Is the war still going on? If it is are they still fighting?' The questions he asked himself over and over throughout the years stung in the place where his heart had once been. The boy would have given up long ago and finished it. Perhaps with a suicidal charge into the ministry of magic like all the others or with a swift shot to the head from the revolver that lay at his side.

The boy had died years ago… in the fire and flames along with his brother, a man emerged from the dust and ashes.

'Bryce Carraway I'm the only one left, the worst of the bunch. They were all better than me, they deserved to live. Why am I still alive? Is this some cruel trick by the gods? Or do I still have a part to play in this tragedy..'

The following night Bryce walked silently through the wood heading east, darkness on all sides. The stars shone brightly easily guiding him on his path, he knew which stars and constellations to follow at any given time of the year. You become familiar with them sooner or later when you live out in the wilds.

He had made a habit of moving camp every three days, never sleeping in the same spot twice. He traveled only at night, easier to remain hidden that way. 'When did it really begin? The war.. I guess you could say it started when Cedric Diggory died in the Triwizard Tournament. But it really began in full force when the Death Eaters infiltrated the ministry in the beginning of my seventh year. Not even a year later You-Know-Who launched open war on muggle society as a hole, after that everything just fell apart.'

Word spread that the dark lord killed Harry Potter and his friends after they were captured by snatchers. If the rumors are believed to be true they dragged the trio off to the Malfoy's estate, tortured them and when the dark lord arrived he murdered them.

A few days later You-Know-Who went to Hogwarts with Harry's corpse, where he mounted it over the double doors of the Great Hall with a sticking charm so that all may see the price of defiance. He summoned the entire school to the hall and demanded that they submit to his rule. With an army of death eaters surrounding them most of them consented out of terror and were branded.

However a choice few stood up in the face of certain doom and refused. Dennis Creevey reached for his wand when You-Know-Who approached. Voldemort killed him instantly.. dead before the wand cleared his pocket. Upon witnessing the murder of a student the professors retaliated and attacked the dark lord. Chaos ensued, a spell hit the ceiling causing part of it to collapse onto the people below, death eaters murdered students as they saw fit whether they had been branded or not. The result was a complete and utter bloodbath, seventy five students from ages eleven to eighteen were murdered along with most of the Hogwarts staff.

The news of the massacre spread like wildfire, many of the distraught people who had lost love ones in the carnage took up arms against the dark lord and his government. Various rebel cells linked together to form an army a several hundred strong and on Easter Sunday they launched a full scale attack on the Ministry of Magic.

At first the rebels managed to break through the wards and defenders with suprising ease advancing deep into the bowels of the ministry, they realized all too late that they were being lured into a trap. You-Know-Who and his followers cast anti disapparation jinxes around the complex, essentially cutting off all means of escape. They fought bravely but in the end it made no difference they were slaughtered to the last man…

In the span of a few short weeks Lord Voldemort cemented his power. Wiping out the one person who posed him the greatest threat and eradicating a significant part of the wizarding population who opposed his rule. With this he reorganized his forces and began planning the most devastating campaign of destruction the world had ever seen.

The first of August the day of infamy is when it began. The death eaters attacked key military installations, infrastructure, public facilities, factories, etc. all across Great Britain and Europe. Achieving complete surprise from the muggles who were up to this point almost completely unaware of their existence. The leaders of the European nations of course knew about the wizarding population living in secret amongst them, but they never considered open war with them, they saw themselves as the dominant power superior to wizarding folk.

Muggle technology that relied on electricity and computing systems fried or went haywire when exposed to magic. Rendering most of the advanced weapon systems, methods of communication, and navigational devices the muggles employed totally useless. Magic proved to be the decisive factor that won the campaign for the death eaters.

How could you fight an enemy that can vanish then reappear miles away in an instant? An enemy that could alter memories, erasing or implanting things as they saw fit. Hell using a fidelius and an unplottable charm You-Know-Who could have stationed his main headquarters right beside Number Ten Downing Street and the muggles would have been none the wiser.

Vastly unprepared for this new form of warfare the muggle governments in Europe toppled one after another like dominoes. In Brussels the dark lord even made a show of it, broadcasting on live television the execution of the European Parliament publicly proclaiming a new era of magical dominance.

Unnerved by how Europe had fallen in less than a fort night... the remaining members of N.A.T.O particularly the United States opted for a preemptive nuclear strike on Lord Voldemort's forces. But this was rejected as they didn't know where the enemy was located, and because it would inflict too many civilian causalities.

Apparently the dark lord invaded other continents like Australia, Africa, and South America but these were only rumors Bryce had seen in old propaganda posters.

'A few months after the war began… no perhaps a year later... the purges began.' A chill like a cold knife went down his spine. "The bodies… my god the bodies. It got to a point where they killed so many that they didn't bother digging pits anymore.. just left them out to rot." Bryce gagged remembering the stench that permeated the air in those days. He could still see the bloated bodies, of men, women, and children, the carrion crows feasting on their flesh, maggots wriggling through hollow eye sockets, the looks of terror contorting their faces...

The true number is not known but it is estimated that the death eaters under Lord Voldemort's orders slaughtered tens of millions of muggles, mudbloods and blood traitors over the span of two years, this period is called the Bloodletting.

Voldemort used dementors from the very beginning to patrol towns, cities, and villages. The dark creatures did their duties admirably in exchange for the raw emotions they sucked out of the populace. With this stockpile of raw emotional energy the dementors were able to increase their numbers from a few hundred to several thousand. For muggles they make excellent guards, going unheard and unseen. Anyone of low status that leaves the boundaries of their communities without permission gets the kiss.

'Lucky for me they don't wonder off into the countryside that often. My soul would have been sucked out long ago. I can't perform a Patronus without a wand.' His wand had been destroyed before he had went into hiding, five years ago. 'Merlin I wish I had a wand.. I wouldn't be so hungry I could summon food. I could disapparate, I wouldn't have to walk everywhere.' The chill wind blew a draft through his tattered boots, cardboard patched most of the holes but it was by no means comfortable. 'I could mend these ruddy boots.'

Bryce walked for a few hours, stopping for a break atop a high grassy hill that gave him a view over the forest canopy. Sitting down he opened his rucksack and took out a piece of smoked rabbit. 'I need to ration this over the next few days, theres no telling when I will eat again.' Resting his head on the bag he ate savoring the taste. He could see far off in the distance that there was a rather large town by the small but bright lights that speckled the horizon. 'Blackouts were mandatory every night a few years ago, the death eaters must have lifted that restriction. The war must be going well for them if they no longer fear getting attacked by bombers when the sun goes down.'

Just as he turned over on his side, a long drawn out yell echoed through the woods. Bryce froze in terror as a flock of birds took flight from the trees all around him. 'It can't be a werewolf the moon isn't full tonight.' With shaking hands he fumbled with the clasps on his bag, after a few seconds he drew the revolver from its depths. He crawled prone to the edge of the hill.

A flash of red light nearly blinded him when he peered down the slope, illuminating the scene below for a split second. A man was running frantically through the wood, his pursuer wore a long dark cloak the spell missed by inches hitting the tree beside him. 'Fuck, fuck! Should I try and save him? I may get captured after all those fuckers think I'm dead if they find me they-'

"Incarcerous!" The black figure bellowed as ropes flew from the tip of his wand. The man let out a scream as they wrapped around his legs, stumbling he fell to the forest floor with a loud thud. 'Damn it!' Bryce got to his feet and without thinking he ran down the hill, silently as possible.

The cloaked figure approached the man, it's arm outstretched. "You thought you could get away that easily did you? Fucking thief we should have seen through your disguise sooner. Once he finds out what you tried to take he'll flay you alive. Hand it over and maybe your death will be a little less painful." Bryce heard the figure say in almost a whisper as he reached the bottom of the hill. "No, no don't- I won't give." The man broke off letting out a high pitched wail as his body shook violently from the cruciatus curse.

Bryce used the mans screams to his advantage moving closer and closer towards his intended target. "SNAP." A branch broke beneath his feet. The cloaked figure spun around stopping the curse immediately. The pale face met his they stared at each other for a moment then the man raised his wand, but Bryce was faster. Not even aiming down the sights Bryce ducked down and instinctually fired a shot. The figure crumpled backwards.

Ears ringing from the blast, he reached into his waistband and withdrew his knife. The hooded figure was sprawled on his back clutching at his throat in pain. A sickening sound bubbled up from his mouth as he choked on his own blood. Bryce pounced stabbing the man in the chest putting an end to his suffering, he felt his body shudder then go limb.

Bryce retched as a wave of nausea hit him. "Help.. please.. come quickly." He got up on trembling legs and walked over beside the man. The scent of blood and sweat filled his nostrils as he helped the man up into a sitting position. "Thank you… perhaps there still is hope after all.." Bryce's hands were soaked from the blood that seemed to drench the mans robes.

"Are you hurt sir?" Bryce asked not knowing what to say. "Yes- yes I am let me.. Lumos" The man snapped his fingers and a dim white ball of light appeared illuminating the area. Bryce felt his heart sink, the man had several deep cuts on his torso and face, a rope was coiled tightly around his legs. He was a middle aged man, his brown hair was flecked with gray. He wore tattered black death eater robes. "Listen..I was on a mission to take a certain item from You-Know-Who's private stores. But I was discovered upon leaving.. I was able to disapparate once I made it past the barriers... but that death eater you dealt with... held on to me." Just saying this seemed to strain him greatly.

The man coughed blood issuing from his mouth. "Can you do something for me young man?" Bryce nodded frantically. "Here take this." He outstretched his hand and dropped a tiny golden ball into his open palm. "A golden snitch?" Bryce asked confused. "Yes I need you to take it to Mina, she is a friend... She wanted to rendezvous in the old Kingsway tram tunnel in London at Dawn in a couple hours, but it looks like I won't be making it that far. Mina said if I missed the deadline to meet her at the same place in ten days time at midnight."

"You're not going to die. I can heal you where's your wand?" The man shook his head. "Snapped it when the death eater fell on top me after we apparated." Bryce stood up and went over to the dead body. "I'll get his." He found it laying beside the figure. "I'm afraid you can't-" Pain seered through his hand as the wand burst into flame, he dropped it into the mud clutching his burned hand. "They have a curse on their wands, they destroy themselves upon the death of their master. Clever.. makes it harder for most folks to get a wand these days."

"They'll be here soon, you've got to get moving. Tell Mina that Dirk Crestwell sent you in his stead, give her that snitch. Remember ten days from now at the Kingsway tunnel, London at midnight. Now get going and don't stop until the sunrises. Don't worry about me I don't have long left.." Bryce nodded putting the snitch into his pocket. "I'll do whatever it takes, I won't fail you." With one last look at the man he ran back as fast as he could up the hill. Grabbing his pack he found due south and began running with a single goal in mind.