Alecto Carrow and the Shiny Horcrux
Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters, names and locations belong to J.K. Rowling. I own nothing that you recognize.
Written for Alecto's birthday and for the Death Eater of the Month challenge.
The hour was late. The final battle had begun. For dominance over the wizarding world, for the fate of all who lived within the magical kingdom.
Though no one would have expected it, there was one amongst the shadows who rose to power on this night, preserving the treasured artifact that would ensure her master's survival. And when the war was over and the darkness conquered light, those who remained would forever hear her cries, emblazoned upon this moment in time when the Alecto stood alone, fighting for what she believed in.
"My shiny!" Alecto roared, taking the steps two at a time as she raced downstairs. "You're not taking it from me! The shiny crown is mine, you hear? Mine mine mine mine miiiiiinnneee!"
Her last sentence escaped in the form of a frantic screech, echoing off the vaulted ceiling.
This was the reason why Voldemort had stationed her in Ravenclaw Tower, using her love of all things shiny to his advantage. And once she had awakened, she went into a rage, tearing from the room in search of the children who wanted to steal the lost diadem.
She paused in the corridor in front of the blank stretch of wall concealing the Room of Requirement, her heart pounding frantically against her ribs. She was not oblivious to the wonders within, having used the room during her youth to begin her first ever shiny collection.
"Shinies," she rasped, clutching a stitch in her side. "I need my shinies. But not just any shiny, the shinest shiny of them all."
Drawing a deep breath, she began to pace the floor; once, twice, three times, and the pathway opened before her. Inside were all the golden treasures her heart desired, including the one in question she'd been looking for. This particular piece of shining glory was currently being carted off by the Potter boy, his filthy hands leaving smudges of nastiness all over the shiny crown.
"Potter!" Alecto roared, flames leaping from the tip of her wand. A burst of searing heat ignited a tower of discarded objects on her right, the embers coming together to form a blazing whip that shot through the air and coiled itself around Harry's throat. "That's my shiny!" Alecto snarled, baring her teeth like a dog.
The diadem fell from his grasp as his knees struck the floor, his voice rising in tormented screams of agony. One flick of her wrist was all it took to silence the boy, choking his air supply as flames liquefied the tissues clinging to his bones.
He clawed at his melting flesh, charred fingers desperately trying to remove the burning cords that closed around his neck. But it was a worthless endeavor, and before long his body had been reduced to a pile of ashes on the floor.
His friends met with a similar fate when Alecto picked up the diadem, laughing gleefully and spinning in circles as streams of fire encircled the room. This time she had chosen one of her favorite incantations, conjuring Fiendfyre and setting the room ablaze.
The door swung closed on its hinges, vanishing from sight and concealing the tomb of the fallen. In the end there was just Alecto, hunched over the glimmering object, muttering and giggling as she fondly stroked its shining surface.
"This is my shiny, and no one will ever take it from me."