Chapter 2

"How can you see into my eyes like open doors?
Leading you down into my core
Where I've become so numb
Without a soul,
My spirit sleeping somewhere cold
Until you find it there
And lead it back…home
Wake me up, Wake me up inside
I can't wake up,
Wake me up inside
Save me
Call my name and save me from the dark…"
~ "Bring Me to Life" by Evanescence

The darkness seemed to be rippling, the air itself quivering. Then, one by one, figures began to pop into sight as the Disillusionment Charms lifted in the back garden of Number Four Privet Drive. From the door to the kitchen, Harry stood, eyes widening in surprise.

Dominating the scene was Hagrid, wearing a helmet and goggles and sitting astride an enormous motorbike with a black sidecar attached. All around him other people were dismounting from brooms and, in two cases, black winged horses.

Wrenching open the back door, Harry hurtled into their midst. There was a general cry of greeting as Hermione flung her arms around him, Ron clapped him on the back, and Hagrid said, "All righ', Harry? Ready fer the off?"

Civia smiled in greeting and hugged him when he came over to her, though she wasn't the same as before, Harry saw. She was paler, thinner, and more tired looking than before, with dark circles under her eyes.

His aunt looked like she was wasting away.

"Definitely," said Harry to Hagrid, beaming around at them all. "But I wasn't expecting this many of you!"

"Change of plan," growled Mad-Eye, who was holding two enormous, bulging sacks, and whose magical eye was spinning, taking in his surroundings. "Let's get undercover before we talk you through it."

Harry led them all back into the kitchen where, laughing and chattering—with one notable exception—, they settled on chairs, sat themselves upon Aunt Petunia's gleaming work surfaces, or leaned up against her spotless appliances: Ron, long and lanky; Hermione, her bushy hair tied back in a long plait; Fred and George, grinning identically; Mr. Weasley, kind-faced, balding, his spectacles a little awry; Mad-Eye, battle-worn, one-legged, his bright blue magical eye whizzing in its socket; Tonks, whose short hair was her favorite shade of bright pink; Lupin, grayer, more lined; Kingsley, bald, black, and broad-shouldered; Hagrid, with his wild hair and beard, standing hunchbacked to avoid hitting his head on the ceiling; Mundungus Fletcher, small, dirty, and hangdog, with his droopy, basset-hound's eyes and matted hair; and finally his aunt who stood beside, surprisingly, his ex-Head of House Minerva McGonagall, the new Headmistress, whose graying black hair and emerald robes were neat as ever.

Harry's heart seemed to expand and glow at the sight: He felt incredibly fond of all of them, even Mundungus, whom he had tried to strangle the last time they had met.

"Kingsley, I thought you were looking after the Muggle Prime Minister?" he called across the room.

"He can get along without me for one night," said Kingsley. "You're more important!"

"Harry, guess what?" said Tonks from her perch on top of the washing machine, and she waggled her left hand at him; a ring glittered there.

"You got married?" Harry yelped, looking from her to Remus

"I'm sorry you couldn't be there, Harry, it was very quiet."

"That's brilliant, congrat —"

"All right, all right, we'll have time for cozy catch-up later!" roared Moody over the hubbub, and silence fell in the kitchen. Moody dropped his sacks at his feet and turned to Harry.

"As Dedalus probably told you, we had to abandon Plan A. Pius Thicknesse has gone over, which gives us a big problem. He's made it an imprisonable offense to connect this house to the Floo Network, place a Portkey here, or Apparate in or out. All done in the name of your protection, to prevent You-Know-Who getting in at you. Absolutely pointless, seeing as your mother's charm does that already. What he's really done is to stop you getting out of here safely…"

Civia stared into space as Mad-Eye explained it all, until, finally, he called—

"Right then, fake Potters line up over here, please," said Moody.

Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, and Civia lined up in front of the gleaming sink.

"We're one short," Remus mused.

"Here," said Hagrid gruffly, and he lifted Mundungus by the scruff of the neck and dropped him down beside Civia.

"I've toldjer, I'd sooner be a protector," Mundungus complained.

"Shut it," growled Moody testily. "As I've already told you, you spineless worm, any Death Eaters we run into will be aiming to capture Potter, not kill him. Dumbledore always said You-Know-Who would want to finish Potter in person. It'll be the protectors who have got the most to worry about, the Death Eaters'll want to kill them."

Mundungus did not look particularly reassured, but Moody was already pulling half a dozen shot glasses from inside his cloak, which he handed out, before pouring a little Polyjuice Potion into each one.

"Altogether, then . . ."

They drank as one. Civia gasped and grimaced as the golden-hued potion hit her throat. At once, she felt her features stretch and change, as she shot upwards in height and her hair shot back into her skull, or so it seemed.

Moody, quite unconcerned, was now loosening the ties of the large sacks he had brought with him. When he straightened up again, there were six Harry Potters gasping and panting in front of him.

Civia frowned, glancing into her reflection in the toaster, fingering her much-shorter hair. "Still the same shade and just as messy," she sighed, and realized that her glasses worked almost as well for Harry as for her.

Fred and George turned to each other and said together, "Wow — we're identical!"

"I dunno, though, I think I'm still better looking," said Fred, examining his reflection in the kettle.

Civia rolled her eyes before accepting the changes of clothes from Moody and began changing with the others.

Finally, they were all done, each with a rucksack, an owl cage, and a stuffed snowy owl inside the cage.

"Good," said Moody, as at last seven dressed, bespectacled, and luggage-laden Harrys faced him. "The pairs will be as follows: Mundungus will be traveling with me, by broom –"

"Why'm I with you?" grunted the Harry nearest the back door unhappily.

"Because you're the one that needs watching," growled Moody, and sure enough, his magical eye did not waver as he continued, "Arthur and Fred —"

"I'm George," said the twin at whom Moody was pointing. "Can't you even tell us apart when we're Harry?"

"Sorry, George—"

"I'm only yanking your wand, I'm Fred really—"

"Enough messing around!" snarled Moody. "The other one – George or Fred or whoever you are — you're with Remus. Miss Granger with Kingsley, again by Thestral—"

Hermione looked reassured as she answered Kingsley's smile; they all knew that Hermione lacked confidence on a broomstick.

"Which leaves you and me, Ron!" said Tonks brightly, knocking over a mug tree as she waved at him. Ron did not look quite as pleased as Hermione.

"I'll be going with Minerva," Civia added for Harry's sake, "on Thestrals. Though I can fly as an Animagus, I absolutely suck at flying on brooms." Harry cracked a grin.

"An' you're with me, Harry. That all righ'?" said Hagrid, looking a little anxious. "We'll be on the bike, brooms and thestrals can't take me weight, see. Not a lot o' room on the seat with me on it, though, so you'll be in the sidecar."

"That's great," said Harry, though strained.

"We think the Death Eaters will expect you to be on a broom," said Moody, who seemed to guess how Harry was feeling. "Snape's had plenty of time to tell them everything about you he's never mentioned before, so if we do run into any Death Eaters, they'll choose one of the Potters who look at home on a broomstick. All right then," he went on, tying up the sack with the fake Potters' clothes in it and leading the way back to the door, "I make it three minutes until we're supposed to leave. No point in locking the back door, it won't keep the Death Eaters out when they come looking . . . Come on . . ."

Civia felt as if a knife was twisted in her chest at the mention of her ex…well, ex-something-or-other…

Harry hurried into the hall to fetch his things before joining the others in the dark back garden. On every side broomsticks were leaping into hands; Kingsley had already helped Hermione onto a great black thestral, and Minerva and Civia were ready on theirs. Hagrid was standing ready beside the motorbike, goggles on.

"Are you ready, Civia?" her colleague asked, anxiety hinting in her voice.

The Potions Mistress nodded stubbornly. "Absolutely. Ready to kick some Death Eater ass," she added in a low mutter, her grip tightening on the alder wand in her hand.

Hagrid kicked the motorbike into life: It roared like a dragon, and the sidecar began to vibrate. The two thestrals fidgeted at the noise.

"Good luck, everyone," shouted Moody over the roar. "See you all in about an hour at the Burrow. On the count of three. One . . . two . . . THREE."

Civia's heels dug into the thestral's side, and it gave a screeching call as they took off—

And then, out of nowhere, out of nothing, they were surrounded. At least thirty hooded figures, suspended in midair, formed a vast circle in the midst of which the Order members had risen, oblivious —

Screams, a blaze of green light on every side—

Civia reacted at once, as Minerva and the others did too. "Stupefy! Expulso! Stupefy! Confringo!"

Other shouts joined in, spells and lights and fire flying everywhere. Their thestral gave a great screech as it, as sensing the urgency, beat its wings harder, gaining altitude.

Then, a frantic yell came from somewhere in the chaos. "No — HEDWIG!"

As she fought off the others—imitating Harry's dueling style—she watched as a cloaked figure appeared…mid-air…unsupported by anything—no broom, magical creature, or invention—

Voldemort was flying, unaided, just as Civia had learned to…

Beside Moody, the Harry decoy—Mundungus, she cursed—disapparated away as Voldemort's eyes zeroed in them and threw a Killing Curse…

The deathly spell soared through the air where Dung had been—and hit Moody, who plummeted to the ground below, limp—dead—

Voldemort smirked, before flying towards the other thestral with Kingsley and Hermione upon it—

No. He'd killed one of them, he couldn't kill another— A Death Eater was closing in, nearly within reach— "Expelliarmus!" she yelled, knowing the effect it would have.

The other surrounding Death Eaters reacted instantly. "It's Potter—the real one!"

"Professor—they know!" she screamed, feigning panic. "Hold on tight, Potter!" Minerva snapped, her panic only half false.

Then, the Death Eaters drew back, and Voldemort appeared, like smoke on the wind.

Sectumsempra.

Her spell was direct, and the darkest wizard barely deflected it, losing speed because of it.

"Avada Kedavra!"

The thestral screeched as it dived to save its riders from Voldemort's spell.

Voldemort screeched in fury, and there was a yell, from who she didn't know—and something hit her in the back that made everything go black for a moment until her vision cleared again…

And then he was gone, swift as smoke, and the Death Eaters converged again. To her right ahead of her, Civia spied Remus and George on broom.

Then a spell shot at George, and blood poured from one side of his head—Civia spun to see the perpetrator and she shocked to see, flying on a broom—

"SNAPE!"

"Civia—no!" Minerva yelled, but it was too late to stop the Potions Mistress, who threw her leg over the thestral's back and leapt from it—

She flew at an unbelievable speed towards the traitor, fury burning in her gaze. The hatred burning in her veins made her feel alive, for the first time in months—more than a shell. This was the final straw and Civia knew her purpose now—revenge on Snape.

How ironic that she used the ability he had taught her, only months ago, against him…

One of the Death Eaters near Snape yelled something, and the Potions Master spun to see his ex-colleague flying at him. Obsidian eyes widened, his face paling.

"Civia!" Minerva screamed behind her, calling her back.

"GO!" the Potions Mistress yelled, fury giving her energy, giving her life… But there was a painful burn in her chest, aching terribly…

Their safe house was right below her, but she had to confront him.

Sectumsempra! She cast, recalling viciously how they'd argued because of such a spell…Severus barely dodged it, but recovered quickly, and several other Death Eaters approached her to fight.

"MINE!" yelled Snape, throwing a spell at the Death Eaters, sending them flying away, while she neared him. They threw him furious glances, but shot away to chase other decoys and fight other protectors.

She shot out another spell—a painful hex—at him, but he blocked with ease.

They dueled, spells flying, as well as curses and cussing from Civia that would have surprised a sailor's monkey of its diversity.

But then, the burning in her chest spiked, and she cried out…

The night—full of sorrow, fury, danger, dueling, and fallen enemies—blurred before her and her eyes fluttered shut. Civia lost concentration and began to plummet as her shreds of consciousness were snatched away…

A/N: For some clarification on the quote—I know more than one reader will be wondering why I chose it, so here it is. The song is 'Bring Me to Life', by Evanescence. The singer feels dead inside—like Civia, who feels so numb because of the shock of the loss of Albus and the pain of Severus' betrayal. Seeing her, as she puts it, 'ex…well, ex-something-or-other…' really "brings her to life", but knocking out of her sorrow, replacing it with her fury and hatred of him, and her determination to further protect those she loves.

The previous chapter, where Civia is rather…numb, is necessary to show her reaction and emotional frame. Betrayal is something that cuts directly to her heart. She lost almost everything she cared about sixteen years ago because of Pettigrew's betrayal. She's an extremely loyal person, as well, so being betrayed by someone she trusted so irrevocably … I can't imagine the pain she feels because of that.