Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the wonderful world of Harry Potter. It all belongs to the lovely and talented Ms. Rowling ;)
Magic Destroyed
"Brett!"
Bang, bang. "Expelliarmus!"
"Jeremy!"
Crash, thud. "Crucio!"
"No! Stop it! STOP!"
"Run, Claire!"
"Leave him alone! Dammit, leave-," A shriek pierced the bitter night air and a bullet ricocheted off the brick wall. Dust and debris rained over Claire's head as she threw her arms up. A girl screamed in agony and collapsed to the ground like a rag doll. Her crumpled silhouette was lifeless.
"Ann!" A tall boy whipped around and jabbed his thin wooden rod into someone's throat. "Avada Kedavra!" A flash of green light, a rush of air, a life extinguished. "Ann! You killed her! You murdered her! Annie!"
"Jeremy, wait!" Claire reached out, her fingers brushing his frayed sleeve. Too late. Jeremy dropped to his knees beside the still figure in the distance.
"Look out!" A pistol was pulled out of a back pocket, aimed at the wizard. His head jerked up, eyes ablaze with hatred.
"Avad-," Bang bang! He fell back with a dull thud, wand still outstretched.
"No!" She sprinted across the damp blacktop, her lungs screaming for a breath.
"Claire!" A familiar pair of arms flung her out of the way. Gunshots echoed like dying screams into the pitch-black oblivion. Her head collided against the ground with a crunch and a trickle of warm, sticky blood. Silence. No shouts, no running footsteps. Just the whistle of wind and the faint rasp of labored breathing. With a great effort, Claire pushed herself up onto her elbows and scanned the area. Out of the five bodies around her, only one stirred.
"Brett?" she whispered. Not trusting her shaky legs, she crawled on her raw hands and scrapped knees. "Oh no, please… please, oh God no! Brett!" The muggle lay gasping for breath and clutching his chest, his chocolate brown eyes wide with pain.
"I'm s-sorry…" he choked out. Claire sat and cradled his head in her lap.
"Shhh… It'll be alright, baby. Everything will be fine,"
"D-d-don't l-le-ave m-m-m-," he coughed dryly and a stream of blood trailed out the side of his mouth. A dark stain was slowly spreading on the light fabric of his t-shirt. His splayed fingers shook violently, followed by the rest of his body.
"I'm not going anywhere and you're not either. You're staying right here with me. Brett? Listen to me hon, stay here. Stay with me." She pulled out a long wand from her singed coat. Brushing her cheek-length bangs out of her eyes, she put her free hand over Brett's, covering the wound. Crystal tears pooled in her eyes but she wouldn't let him see. Stay strong, Claire, he needs you.
"Hold still," she whispered. "I'm gonna fix you." She pointed the wand at his heart and muttered a few charms. A bright silver light, but other then that, nothing.
"Cl-Claire,"
"Wait! I can do this, just hold on!"
"Claire, I-I c-c-can't." His round face was draining of color and his hand, growing cold beneath hers. "P-please forgive m-me." His voice was cracked with agony. "O-only want-t-ted…p-protect you."
"But I can't live without you! I won't live in a world where you're gone, Brett." His eyes began to droop as she touched his cool lips with her finger tips. His chest was heaving with each slow breath.
"Brett?" He opened his eyes slightly, not trying to deny the tears trailing down his face. "Brett, I love you so, so much. Please don't leave me here all alone." She bent down and pressed her forehead to his, tangling one hand in his disheveled, dark blonde hair. Her lips wandered to his flickering eyelids and slowly traced their way down to his mouth. He returned the kiss with as much passion as he could muster in the fleeting seconds he had left. All his love for the witch who's arms he was in seemed to burn in his long-lashed eyes. Their noses still brushed against each other as he uttered his last words.
"Love you Cl-Cl-," a shuddering sigh left Brett's lungs and his head fell back. The last warm pricks of his breath faded from Claire's face as she pressed it against his cheek. Her tears mingled with his freshly spilled blood.
"Don't go…," she sobbed, shoulders shaking. Claire seized his limp body and held it to her with all her strength. Her world shattered around her as the truth sunk in. All the magic in existence couldn't bring him back now.