AN - Done for the first_order community over on LJ, which I discovered today and was determined to get in a story before the deadline for this week. Anyways, my prompts were Edgar Bones and Loud and defiant. Bit more angsty than my usual work, but I suppose it's good to practice with a variety, right? Read and review and other such awesome things.
Edgar Bones lay where he had fallen, vision gone blurry and red. There was roaring in the background, and screams somewhere distant and far away. There were white masks that shone sickly green in the light of the mark that hovered overhead. Today had been a warm summer day, a birthday, his mind supplied. His brother Edmund had been there, his older sister Susan. And there had been cake and laughter and singing, sweet summer air and the smell of fresh grass. Night had fallen in a slow inky spread, leaving children romping through the yard chasing fireflies and the adults chattering quietly about wars and dark things. Susan had left for home first, kissing the children goodbye, and Edmund had embraced his brother and tossed baby Martin into the air, drawing a laugh from his nephew.
Be careful Susan had said, all serious eyes and soft smile.
See you tomorrow Edmund had waved a cheerful goodbye before he vanished entirely.
Edgar had hugged his brother and sister, had bid them farewell, had kissed his wife and settled into a comfortable chair to watch his children in the yard. The full moon shimmered overhead, marred by passing grey clouds, and Edgar had just been about to call the children in for bed when they came.
And they came like shadows, slippery and soft extensions of the night itself, shuddering to the earth with a whisper. Edgar was on his feet in an instant, wand in his hand, dashing to reach the children even as the house exploded into flame behind him. The heat burnt his neck and filled the air with smoke and heat and death. His wife screamed and fell in a blur of green light, still protecting Martin even as she died. Edgar hurled curses and hexes, downed one Death Eater, then two, but there were simply too many. The fire spread to the porch, and the children's screams fell silent in blurs of light and magic and Edgar thought he might be crying and shouting, though the effort did no good. And then the leader of the attackers levelled at Edgar, the spell struck him in the chest and he went sailing backwards, his chest constricting painfully, matching the agony that was his heart. He lay where he had fallen, his vision blurry and red, watching as the Death Eaters summoned the Mark, painted the yard in wavering green light. And Edgar could only see the children chasing fireflies, his wife in her chair. Edmund and Martin, Susan's serious eyes. And Edgar was standing again, wand raised, roaring loud and defiant. He had never been a quiet man in life, never one to surrender. He would not be quiet in death. His first spell caught the leader in the face, knocking away the mask and revealing the pale face of Lucius Malfoy. Malfoy's face contorted in fury and then they were dueling, furious and fast and Edgar knew, in a fair and honest fight he would best the Death Eater easily. But this fight had stopped being fair and honest the moment the intruders had interrupted the evening, had silenced the children and bathed the house in flames. Edgar Bones was still fighting, loud and defiant, eyes blazing, even as green light swarmed at him form so many wands, and suddenly the pain was gone.