"Where's the pain originating from, do you know?"
"E-everywhere. It's coming from everywhere."
"Oh, Merlin," Thalia cursed, "can you… can you see what's going on?"
"No. It's as though something is…" she scrunched her eyebrows and crinkled her nose, searching for the right word, "blocking me. As though, as though I can only take a small peek and something is keeping me from seeing everything."
. . .
Percy:
I watched in utter horror as Harry stepped to a side of the circle. Voldemort decreed for the Death Eaters to spread out. The little bastards did as ordered.
Hermione, I thought hard, Hermione! Think of Hermione goddamnit! Would she want for me to let him die?
"S-st-stop," I finally grunt. I catch everyone by surprise, including the caster of the Cruciatus Curse, causing the end of my pain. "Stop," I repeat, dragging myself to my feet.
Voldemort turns around to face me, and Harry looks up to me, both are smiling.
For different reasons.
He steps forward with that malicious grin of his, wand at the ready. "He is just a child," I say, "it would not be fair for him to fight against the great Dark Lord," I nearly gag at my own words.
"Silence!" He orders, casting a rope to tie around my neck. "The boy and I shall have a duel. Does anyone else here agree with this insolent child?" He flicks his wand skyward, my body following.
My throat feels constricted, and I can no longer continue to swallow the dark blood that pools into my mouth.
I am drowning in the one thing that keeps me alive.
I slowly feel my wand slipping, slipping from my bloody fingertips.
And then, I close my eyes.
I see Annabeth and Thalia, in cloaks, looking down at—me?—worriedly.
"I think he's reaching through," my cousin says. Annabeth nods her head.
"Percy. Percy what's going on?" I hear them ask. Her lips are not in sync with her words, but it will do.
I skip the obvious. They had come to collect me so together we may run, run far from the Guardian Realm's reach. "Not… enough… time…" I think to them. I hear an angel's voice echo my words.
"He's back. He's got Harry. A-and me. I don't…" I have to spit out blood to prolong my asphyxiation. "I will get Harry back to you guys. I think my number is up."
"No! No, Percy—"
The connection is broken. And then, I am alone again.
"Let him go! Let him go and I'll—I'll fight you."
"Harry," I choke out, "don't," my wand falls.
"Very well," Voldemort says. His figure has blurred and blended in with the background, and I can't see where he ends and begins. As soon as I'm dropped to the ground, I tuck and roll, picking up my wand and cast off a spell to keep the Death Eaters at bay. I close my eyes and breathe in deeply, kneeling to catch my breath. When I open them everything is sharpened by 100%, I can see everything from the ants crawling around many yards away from me, to the droplets of sweat forming on the tip of my nose. All the sharp, jagged lines and soft, smooth curves are in my sight. I watch as Harry takes a step back in shock, for he can no longer see my pupils.
"A Veteran I see," Voldemort begins to laugh, and I can't help but to chuckle at the irony.
These were the very last words he had said to my father before he killed him with the simple gesture of a flick of his wand.
"How's Daddy doing?" He taunted.
I ignored him and proceeded to cast curse after curse, jinx after jinx, spell after spell. He deflected them all, and suddenly I felt my whole body go rigid and stiffen as something hits me from behind.
"I presume they have taught you how to duel, yes? First, we bow to each other," as he explained this, he demonstrates with a bow of his own. Harry continued to stand, fear in his eyes, panting as he looked around for an escape. "Come on now, Harry the niceties must be observed. You wouldn't want to dishonour Dumbledore." With a horrifying calm tone, he says, "Come on Harry, I said, bow," Harry gives up a small Yelp as he is forced to bow. I grit my teeth. "That's better," he starts, before turning into a growl and starting to speed walk to Harry, "And now…" I turn my head away as he forces Harry to the floor using the Cruciatus Curse. He continues to rant on about how he wants to look Harry in the eye as the light slowly drains out of them.
I look a little ways off to the left of Voldemort, where I see my father, smiling at a little pink bundle in his arms. He looks up to me, a smile never fading and the twinkle in his eyes never dimming.
"Protect Harry," he says, rocking back and forth for the comfort of the baby. "Harry is the key. You must protect the boy. He needs your skill. Remember what I have taught you. It is not yet your time, my boy. Merlin shall not permit it. It is not yet time for you to reunite with I, nor is it time for you to come home to your baby sister. Not yet. You have a powerful soul, and an equally powerful wand, use it," His smile turns into a small, sad smile.
"I am proud of you, son." He fades away. I am set free from my paralyzation and jump over to Harry's side, where I see him conversing with Merlin knows who. There is an aura around the two as Harry fights to keep the Killing Curse away.
"No!" He shouts, thrusting his wand forward, disagreeing with the spirits of the dead. "I have to defeat him. Once and for all. Before he gets too strong."
"Harry!" I slam my hands into his shoulders, sending him all my power. "Harry! Trust me I know how it feels. I may not have as much time as you do, but listen to me, Harry. Listen to me! He will get stronger, but so will you! So will Ron and Hermione and Ginny and Fred and George and everyone! But in order for that to happen, in order for there to be hope that Voldemort will be gone for good one day, we must return to Hogwarts. I do not have much time, listen to me Harry. Come on!"
I can feel a tightening in my chest, my enhanced eyesight noting the advancement of the Killing Curse toward Harry and I. "Harry," I start, "on three we run to the PortKey." I close my eyes, summoning all my inner strength for what I am about to do.
"One," I say, readying my wand. My muscles are tense and my heart feels heavy.
"Two," I continue the countdown, my mind clearing and focusing on the task at hand.
"Three," the word barely pasts my lips in a whisper, and Harry lets go just as I stare Voldemort down, for merely a second, before I set my eyes on his and cast my spell.
His eyes widen in shock. And so does Harry's.
I pray Hermione does not see.
I turn on my heel, adrenaline still pumping through my veins as I sprint toward Harry, my once tense muscles starting to loosen as I feel the aftermath of the spell wear off. I am suddenly aware of the pool of blood in my mouth, the multiple cuts on my lip, my sprained ankle, my perhaps broken ribs, and my tight throat.
But no injury can overweigh the heaviness of my dark, damned soul.
"Accio," is all I hear as I touch Harry's shoulder, slump over his form to protect him from any spells, and succumb to the pain of my injuries.
The sounds of my screams only last a few seconds before I am able to pass out, still protecting Harry.
Third Person:
Music plays as Harry returns, carefully placing Percy on the floor. Blood quickly begins to trickle from the unconscious boy's mouth. Everyone stood and cheered: "Harry! Harry! Harry!" Though the boy being praised did nothing to stand from his kneel beside his friend. The scene from the graveyard was on a loop in his mind, his ears not believing what they heard. His eyes refusing to believe Percy even opened his mouth at all. His heart was pounding, and quite distantly, he noticed the boy's eyes were still open, and his dark pupils had returned. Cautiously, he removed the wand from Percy's hand, making sure a good foot was between the hand and wand. Though he was sure the intended target for the spell well deserved what he got, he did not like to play with Death. He believed that was something that only the Reaper and his Scythe can decide whom deserves to receive the touch of the cold steel or who shall live in blissful ignorance.
He looked up from his glare to the floor, revealing the sight of the boy. Fleur Delacour, who had been walking forward with a smile to congratulate the winner, suddenly screamed in horror at the sight of the presumably dead boy. It took minutes for the cry to reach the ears of the overwhelming crowd, and suddenly all was silent.
Percy's sleeve had been torn off in the adventure, revealing his bloody tattoo. Hermione was one of the first to react, running forward to aid the young man. Ron was second to react, only out of jealousy and defiance to hold Hermione back. Thalia—not liking the boy, or boys in general—shoved him off with a glare, causing him to gulp. The three of them continued to run forward, Hermione at a sprint. When she was merely a foot away she slid to her knees beside him, carefully setting his head into her lap. Harry had been pulled away from Percy's body, Without a fight for Percy had terrified him to no end with his power. Two men stood forward, preparing to pull Hermione, Thalia, and Annabeth away when Dumbledore ordered for the girls to be left alone. Thalia and Annabeth took a defensive stance in front of the two, preparing for a fight from the Guardians of the Guardian Realm.
Hermione was frantically wiping away at the blood leaking from Percy's mouth, and when she realized her sleeve was of no use she searched her pockets for a handkerchief. When she found none, she searched his pockets for the one she knew he always kept with him.
Instead, she pulled out half a seashell.
It was nearly a perfect match for the one she herself held possession of, if not for the small chip that seemed to be collateral damage from tonight's fight.
"Hi!" A bright young boy with a missing tooth and sea green irises greeted. Hermione had been reading one of her favorite books during recess of Primary, when he walked up to her. "My name is Alexander. What's yours?"
"Hermione. Hermione Granger."
. . .
"Come on, 'Mione. What's life without a little adventure? Please, it's just a mile hike. I'll protect you from everything. I promise."
. . .
"Mommy and Daddy are moving. I have to go with them. Today's our last day here. I'm sorry. But hey! We're best friends and nothing ever gets in the way of best friends. And in order to declare our best-friendship," he puffed out his chest and Hermione couldn't help but giggle, "I, Perseus—" Hermione was surprised he said his full name, since she knew he preferred it when she called him Alex. No one else was allowed to call him Alex but her, "—Alexander Jackson, hereby declare Hermione Jean Granger as my forever best friend. And as a piece of evidence to seal the bond, I present to her half of my favorite seashell, and I will always carry the other half everywhere I go with me." He handed her her half of the seashell. She looked up at him with a sparkle in his eyes, remembering the first day she had gone over to his house and he prohibited anyone from touching his favorite seashell. They hugged each other until it was time to go.
. . .
"The pleasure was all mine, I insist." She started to walk away before he remembered one last thing. "Oh and Miss Granger?" she turned around, a little surprised. He smiled at her, "What's life without a little adventure?" and he walked away.
. . .
"Perseus Alexander Jackson!" Hermione stepped back, shocked at Sally's statement.
. . .
Hermione felt a tear slip away from its sheath as she put the pieces together. She wiped away furiously at it, determination set in her eyes as she continued to heal Percy to the best of her abilities.
"Step aside, Guardian Chase and Guardian Grace."
Hermione looked up, to find the cruel eyes of Jean staring down right at her.