Amelia saw nothing but red as the Daily Prophet in her hands went up in flames. Three weeks, three weeks of normality after Dumbledores arrest and now it was gone in a cruel slash of ink. Standing from her seat the flames that turned the newspaper to ash fell from her hands and onto the section of stone bench she'd been sitting. Paying it no mind she stalked out set on venting her anger. What she wouldn't see or hear about later is the fact her her fire melted the stone to liquid slag that melted through the masonry of the floor
Luna and the rest of The Keep students gave Amelia more than a fair amount of space as the papers on the table ALBUS DUDMBLEDORE CLEARED OF ALL CRIMES AGAINST GIRL-WHO-LIVED mockingly dared them to pick it up and read the story below the moving photo of Albus Dumbledores shackles being undone before the british Minister of magic shook his hands mouthing something. The blonde witch chanced a look to her cousin and was scared to say that the aura that was visible TERRIFIED her. Not only was the aura visible, something only feasible for the most magically gifted and powerful individuals older than them by decades, but the color was a deep dark maroon like fresh blood spraying out of a severed artery borderling chaotic light sucking inky black. As far as she was aware due to her mothers notes, dark colors for auras were very very bad . Dark auras were associated with extremely negative emotions and her educated guess told her that Amelias emotional state was murderous.
Over at the Gryffindor table no one made a sound as some eyes darted rapidly between the Daily Prophet, Amelias form before the Great Hall doors violently slammed shut and the hall actually trembled from the force. "You think she could teach us how to do that?" All eyes snapped to the pair of Weasley twins whose eyes were focused on the molten hole in the castle floor. No one dared approached it as Fred, or was it George, held a fork above the hole and dropped it. The fork was metallic liquid before it passed through the hole from the heat emitting from the rim and for a long minute no one heard a splat signifying it had hit the bottom.
Over at the Ravenclaw Michael was in no better shape as he tore the paper to shreds startling his house mates with the semi-violent action. Calm, composed and pleasant but relatively unattached to anyone was his normal means of being in public but seeing proof that the manipulative bastard Dumbledore was able to get off scott free with trying to murder his sister! Oh that tossed that version of himself out the window in favor of a more violent version who wanted to see the bastard die. Pushing away from the table he stalked away with his own aura manifesting, not nearly as malicious as Amelias but sufficiently malicious, a dark red like the heart of a fire as he shoved one of his hands towarsa the door to grab the handle only for the door to burst into ash. If he was in a right state of mind he might've questioned why but he wasn't and thusly did not care as he left through the ash pile as the metal fixing on the wall glowed red hot.
For nearly a week Amelia was nowhere to be found and this worried more than a few people up the wall. Chief among them was Luna, Janette, Joyce, the Potter family members and some of the girls at The Keep who at one point or another the witch had dated. Just when Joyce was about to authroize a war party to track down Amelia a portal opened in the middle of the Great Hall. All present parties, which was nearly everyone considering it was dinner time in the castle, tensed before two people stepped out; perhaps stepped out was being too generous. One person stepped through and the other was being dragged by the neck behind the first with a metallic barbed rope digging into their neck painting the masonry red with a generous splatter of blood. The first person was recognizable enough despite her change of style. Abandoning anything respectable for an academic environment she had worn before she looked ready to fight in a war zone. Dresssed in a dragonhide trench coat that was open in the front, combat fatigues that showed hints of being taped from the ankles up, a tight shirt that was hinted to be three quarter sleeved, dragon skin combat boots and covered with a steel mesh overlay on top of her shirt she looked every bit the part of a vengeful goddess.
Luna looked up hopefully to confirm the enraged goddess before them was indeed Amelia all well and in good health before a shudder raced down her spine. All the weapons that now adorned her person made her feel pity who ever was stupid enough to think they could take her on and win. Between the copious amounts of pistols lining either side of the open trench coat in their own holsters, the abundance of knives in sheathes on her belt and a long gun on strapped across her back Amelia was a fearsome sight. Her gaze was inevitably drawn to the person she was dragging behind her and in a moment her hands were covering her mouth in shock. Looking no better than a muggle prisoner of war during the World Wars was Albus Dumbledore. His hands feet were enshackled with runic cuffs, his beard was stained maroon with dried blood and he was beaten to all hell after being tortured for the Goddess knows how long if the rags that were once his usual splendor robes told any story.
"You British retards revere this excuse of a man as the next coming of Merlin!" Many winced at the hatred in her voice, a hard cross sneer painted on her features. "Do you know what your great Albus Dumbledore tried to do after being freed? HE TRIED TO FINISH ME OFF SINCE HIS FIRST ATTEMPT TO KILL ME FAILED!" Amelia noticed many more wince at the volume of her voice. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed an upper year lion patch reach for his wand. Quicker than he could draw a bullet pierced through his hand staining his robes red with his blood as agonized screams escaped his throat only for Amelia to silence him with a spell. "If anyone tries to interrupt me again or draw your wand on me I will aim to permanently disfigure you and destroy your wand for interfering with Business of The Crown. Got it maggots?!" she asked with a demonic smirk. No one moved, not even to help the injured boy bleeding heavily from his gaping wound.
Luna quivered in her seat at the violent being before her. This wasn't Amelia she tried to tell herself. This wasn't her cousin she quickly came to love and adore. This violent goddess of destruction and vengance was not the gentle soul who spilled parts of her guts to her when she tried to drag out what had been bothering her weeks ago. 'But this is your cousin. Everyone has a dark side no matter how small little cresent moon' her mind retorted, a rebuttal she buried instant to focus on Amelia.
"After the article proclaiming his free and clear you all saw me leave here. What none of you saw was what came after." Amelia tugged hard on the barbed metal rope forcing Dumbledore to his feet. "This pitiful excuse of a wizard tracked me down and tried to kill me with a replacement wand. A lot you are asking yourselves how I know this no? Illegal tracking charms placed by him on every foreign witch and wizard the moment we set foot on this Goddess forsaken back water school. Spells placed in the food through the use of brewed potions."
The Keep and Durmstrang students suspiciously cast diagnostic charms on their persons before looking alarmed. In moments the expenditure of magic dispelling the tracking charm, a common one, choked the younger years of Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors not used to so much magic happening at once around them for a few moments before they could breathe easy.
"When he failed to kill me again I had enough. With the same violence he used to TRY and murder me, well you see where your mongrel has landed himself." Out of her pocket Amelia pulled out a sheet of paper bearing the seal of the monarchy. "This is the summary execution order for one Albus Brian Percival Wulfric Dumblefore on two counts of my attempted murder signed by the Queen of England and both Prime Ministers." On cue nearly the whole of Gryffindor cried out in outrage before two bullets were shot through the center of the table collapsing it silencing the lion patched students in fear. "Consider for a moment you fucking sheep" she sneered "the gravity of the crime when you factor in he orchestrated the attempts on the life of a direct descendant of Godric Gryffindor via the connection the Potter family has to it by marriage. Not mention-"
"Not to mention that the bloodlines of Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Gryffindor were tasked to protect the British Isles, more specifically the nation of Britian. In other words for the less informed he is guilty of the attempted murder of Her Majestys Royal Knight." Every eye snapped over to the doors where a platoon of the British Magical Guard. Dressed in gold and black dragonhide armor & armed with staves they cut a fearsome image as they marched up to and stopped before Amelia, the soldiers stopping as one and offering a salute to the witch. "A thousand pardons our lateness Lady Evans-Gryffindor-Nightshade, we met resistance from a Ministry stooge named Crouch."
"At ease men." Amelia almost smirked as the horror of it all settled into the Gryffindor students faces but restrained the urge. "Captain, take the men you need and construct the gallows on the grounds. The prisoner hangs at dawn."
"At once ma'am. You heard her men, lets get the gallow built." Half the men left before turning to the look around the hall. "Her Majesty has granted us the leeway to deal with those who interfere with the execution in the same fashion. You lot might be brainwashed by the prisoner but if you interfere or try to help the prisoner escape his execution you will meet your fate in the gallows as well."
"Enough talk captain" Amelia said with a scowl. The man had the decency to look embarrassed before trodding off to aid in thd construction of the gallows. "Take one last look at your precious second coming of Merlin. Just after day break he will be dead." Amelia looked to the remaining men and made a motion for them to take Albus away. "Secure him in the brig. No visitors whatsoever I don't care if its his mother."
A fruitless search of the castle & no sightings of Amelia, Dumbldore or the British Magical Guard had the combined parties of The Keep representatives plus the Potter family seet around a table with similar looks of concerns or grimaces. Having witnessed the cruelty that Amelia displayed they were worried to say the least, more so Luna and the Potters since The Keep kids were used to Amelias dark side. "So who is going to say it?" Janette asked as her grimace deppened.
Michael broke first. "I'm more than a touch concerned about her display earlier" he said steepling his fingers before his face witb a rather fierce scowl.
"You shouldn't be" one of The Keep girls said drawing all eyes to her. "Amy is a not quite dark soul, neither black or white but a dark shade of grey. Her magic can be foul and malevolent as her temper. Be thankful she didn't truly show how malevolent she can be when truly irritated. That would be true cause for concern."
"What do you mean how malevolent she truly can be Ms..?" Luna asked letting the question trail off.
The black haired girl rolled her eyes slightly and tilted her hair making strands of dyed green hair obscure a violet eye. "Kelly O'Connor" she said. "Amelias anger in true fashion and unrestrained cruelty could without doubt destroy this castle without breaking a sweat before she turned the rubble to its base elements leaving a field where we currently sit."
"Kell is right. Even though our individual magics are titanic in synch when we practice our alchemy or War magics in tandem, her individual magics and abilities are nothing to underestimate. Her specific alchemy is geared towards pure destruction. Very few things have been able to resist her alchemy. Add on the hours that she spends on her training in Dragon Priestess and Dragon Slayer magic with her mantle as Lady Evans shes a budding magical titan in the making."
"So her display in the Great Hall was.." Lily hesitated for a moment as she cast a worried glance to her husband "tame compared to the worst it could possbly be?" she asked finding the right words to suss out a response.
"Incredibly tame. If she wanted to go full bore she would have to torn him limb from limb in the hall, cut him open adams apple to groin to let his organs spill onto the floor in a sea of blood in front of everybody before conjuring railroad spikes to pin the individual pieces to the wall. That is the least of her full bore rage and fury" Janette said.
James, Lily and Michael exchanged much more worried glances. If Amelia was able of such cruelty she needed help. "Thats dark" Michael said voicing his parents thoughts.
"Her soul isn't dark but stained dark grey from the magic like we said. She doesn't seek out sadistic pleasure from making people suffer but if they earned her wrath well... Shes not beyond making them suffer and regret it into their eternalddemise."
Sat alone atop the astronomy Amelia trembled slightly with her face buried her knees. The deed was done but now she knew many were scared of her or outright feared her capactiy for cruelty. 'Stupid stupid stupid! Why did you have to do it so...PUBLICALLY!' she scream a ed at herself mentally. She had hoped that her reapparance at the castle would be in a place where there wouldnc't be people to see her dragging a shackled and beaten Dumbledore through but nnnoooo it had to be in the Great Hall during dinner. Her peers at The Keep knew she possessed an immense darkness but seeing the horror etched in Lunas eyes at what she did, that hurt her. It hurt a lot more than she had thought even the worst painful physical injury magnified by an order of ten would feel like. "She probably wants nothing to do with me now. Who can love a monster even if its family" she muttered to herself as her unseeing gaze brimmed with tears.
"Because as much as the monster scares you" Lunas voice drifted up the stairs "that doesn't mean they are beyond redemption. Nor does it mean that the actions behind making one act like a monster are unjust and deserving." Her head appeared first and her gaze, though traces of fear lingered in the background, landed lovingly on Amelia with concern heavily written into her gaze. Seating herself beside the trembling witch she noticed the flinch at her first touch before the older girl buried herself into her warm embrace. "I know that darkness scared you as much as it scared us" she said softly as her arms tightly wrapped around Amelia as a soft show of support and something for her to divert her attention to instead of her thoughts.
"Worse." The word took a time or two to come out clearly. "I don't.. I don't find the suffering of others to be...entertaining... I don't like to hurt people like that kid who dared to try drawing his wand on me" Amelia said, her words coming out slightly muffled against Lunas chest. "Its part of the curse."
A gentle hand tipped Amelias head up and placed a delicate finger upon her lips to prevent her speaking further. "Dumbledore was a bad person even though we will never know just how many people he has truly been the master mind of making their lives miserable correct?" Luna asked maintaining the gentle pressure of her finger making the older witch nod. "He tried to kill you not once but twice correct?" Another nod. "Then his fate was sealed with his own actions. Your summary execution backed by the crown was justified. I'm not afraid of you Amelia."
A short flutter of relief came to life in her chest. "You're not?" she asked with a hopeful undertone to her words. "But you sai-"
"I said I was scared, not that I was afraid. I had to remind myself we all carry a dark part of ourselves no matter how good we try to be" Luna said bopping her cousin on the nose. "Being scared is a temporary state. Being afraid is a lot more permanent for most. How could I be afraid of my only living family that isn't adopted into the family? Tell me how I could be afraid of you when you accepted me with open arms and an even more welcoming heart." Her lips pulled into a soft smile as she leaned the short distance between them and pecked the witches lips softly in reassurance. "I don't fear you cousin. I love you too much to ever be truly fearful of you. I promise you with the Goddess as my witness nothing and I do mean nothing will ever change that. You could become a mass murdering psychopath and I would still love you because I know that no matter what happens or what you do, I know theres a tender heart underneath it all that only wants whats best for the people you love and you'll fight to your last breath to make sure we have it."
Little by little the trembling stopped til the last tremor died and a small smile came to tug at her lips spotting the tell-tale silver glow of magic accepting her oath though to eyes like her own she knew it wasn't the normal acceptance but one accepted by the Goddess herself. "You didn't have to make an oath" she said as she settled into a comfortable position against Luna. Despite preferring to be the big spoon she didn't mind being the culddle-ee instead of the cuddler in this instance.
"I know." Luna ran a hand loving through Amelias hand as she closed one eye. "But there is no other really true way to prove sincerity of word or action. Plus" she paused for a moment before leaning down to kiss the top of Amelias head "I meant every word of it. I don't care what you do or become in the future. You could be the next Dark Lady and I wouldn't so as much blink because I know you enough to know you wouldn't do it for shites and giggles or just because you can. Your actions are thought out and have a very good, very valid reason behind them." Her grip loosened as she leaned back against the stone. "Why do I always find you alone up here at night when you sequester yourself away in solitude?"
"When my mother Kathrine first took me to Gringotts on my birthday and we found out who I was by birth due to a heritage test she revealed to me just how I came into her care." Amelia shifted slightly and closed her eyes as her head lay on Lunas chest. "She always called me her dark little angel since I was quite literally dropped into her hands during a new moon because of magic or so she believed. We know it now because of the corpses work but back then my mother thought it was the work of our Goddess granting her hearts deepest desire. She couldn't have her own children and always yearned for a child of her own. Then I appear and her faith in our Goddess was made that much stronger. After I was formally blood adopted I lived a really good childhood" she said through a yawn. "I grew up learning magic in it rawest form. Wandless magic is a misnomer since mages and sorceresses of old were able to harness magic wirhout a wand long before foci were needed to channel magic. But thats off topic... She taught every branch of magic under the sun, even the Black Arts that the Nightshade family was famous for using that made them walking disasters in the eyes of our enemies."
"The Black Arts are ev-"
Amelia put a finger up to Lunas lips silencing her without opening her eyes. "Magic is not Light or Dark. Magic is a natural neutral force we could spend our while lives researching and never hope to fully understand. For arguements sake I could use a 'Dark', dark under British Ministry laws anyway, spell to hurt you and that makes sense to you since its what you learned growing up. I could just as simply also use an everyday cleaning charm and permanently blind you, a spell that the ministry would define as an everyday 'Light' spell. Magic is about intent of what you want it to do, magic itself is neutral in all regards to the whims of those who wield it. Wizards and witches are what makes a spell 'Dark' or 'Light' in what they plan to do with it" she said with another yawn. "Back to my story before I fall asleep on you. I learned everything about magic under the sun but my favorite magic was my mothers lessons on astronomy. The stars are proof that out Goddess is not one singular being but a collection of many. It is perhaps the romanticized version but its something I find comforting knowing my mother is up there with our Goddess watching over me."
Lunas eyes softened as she rested her cheek on Amelias head. "I think I understand" she said in a quiet voice.
Amelia laughed softly and shook her head as she drew her finger back. "No you don't Luna. Not yet anyway. Perhaps in time you will" she said. "This may sound a little selfish but... I'm comfy like this. Would it be too much to ask you to sleep in my bed tonight? When you and Jane slept with me snuggled up on either side I.. I can't recall sleeping that soundly in a long time. Not since mums funeral before the school year started."
Lunas gaze softened even more at the shy request and rubbed her cheek lovingly against Amelias head. "I don't mind and it isn't selfish to ask me either" she said a sweet smile gracing her lips. "Honestly I would be more upset if you didn't ask for cuddles."
"Cheeky bint." Amelias eyes opened showing a thankfulness and glowed with a soft love as they peered into Lunas own, her words lacking any real meanness as it was said with an air of playfulness. "Lets go then, the cockrow is nigh and we have lessonsn to attend after nine am" she said disengaging from the blonde witch and standing before offering a hand up in assistance.
Luna thought for a moment she saw the illusion of pitch black wings emerge from Amelias back. Wings as dark as the night sky but mismatched in design, one a delicate angel like wing with mixed blood red & black feathers while the other wing was a dragon wing of blood red & black scales. "Tenebrus Angelus-Draconus" ihe whispered almost reverently to herself as she took Amelias hand pulling hersf to her feet.
Amelia shook her head with a tiny smile playing at the edges of her lips. "Not pure enough to be an angel or purely vicious of heart to be a dragon. I am what I am Luna" she said squeezing the small hand in her own gently. "I am a guardian, a protector." She kissed the soft flesh of the blondes knuckles after bringing it to her lips. "But if that is what you wish me to be for you, just ask me and it shall be done. For my family and the ones I love I would forsake the 'Light' and embrace the 'Dark' as a whole if it meant their safety. Do you wish me to be your Dark Angel-Dragon Luna?" she asked with a quiet softness to her voice.
"That depends." Luna smiled softly back in return hugging Amelia close and snuggling into Amelia.
"If you mean to ask fiercely would I fight for you, you don't have to. I thought my display earlier, unintended as it was, would tell you I would kil-
"Not what I was going to ask" Luna said looking up so their eyes met. "I was going to ask how often would I be able to see my red and blacked winged angel truly smile & relax? I know my happiness is important to you but the same is said about me for you."
"Oh Luna you silly girl" she said rubbing the blondes back gently. "As long as I have my friends and family I'll always be happy. I thought I made the fact quite clear." Amelia shook her head and embraced Luna smiling softly as she let her magic go, a warmth surrounding them as like the illusion the real things cocooned them as they escaped the seal on her back.
A/N: so another chapter down and i can say with certainty im pleased. But here is a question to my readers should be quiet clear: IS ALBUS DUMBLEDORE ACTUALLY DEAD OR DID HE PULL A BARTY CROUCH JR AND LEAVE A PATSY TO TAKE HIS DEATH SO HE CAN SCHEME ANOTHER ATTEMPT TO KILL AMELIA?!
Who knows? Oh, before you accuse me of writing her OP purposely- its not supposed to imply that way. Her dragon slayer and dragon priestess magic combined with alchemy is supposed to show how advanced her magic is added to her near to nonexistent patience for those who try to kill her.