Chapter 12: Bad happenings

Rubicelle's eyes widened as she saw the flames at the top of the stairs to the seventh floor.

The black deadly smoke was swirling around them and Rubicelle coughed inhaling the thick chalk like smoke.

Amethyst grabbed hold of her sister's hand.

"Please lets go back," Amethyst coughed, her eyes streaming as the smoke entered her eyes.

She felt like she was inhaling the smoke through every pore.

She knew Rubicelle felt the same way.

"We need to get a professor," Rubicelle said shaking her head.

Rubicelle lead them to the headmaster's office, for now it was clear of the deadly fire and smoke.

They burst into the office coughing.

Dumbledore and Dippet looked concerned.

"Fire, there's fire on the upper levels," Rubicelle choked.

Dumbledore looked as the twins coughed and his eyes widened as he saw blood splatter on to their hands.

Amethyst didn't seem to notice as her eyes cried blood.

"Girls who did this, do you know?" he asked urgently.

Amethyst shook her head holding in her coughs so not to worry Rubicelle.

"No, we had an argument and Rubicelle ran out of the common room, I chased her and just as we sorted everything out there was thick smoke everywhere and violent red flames at the tops of the staircase,"

"We must go urgently," Dippet said not liking the sight of the two children in front of him.

They looked frightfully pale.

Amethyst had blood streaming from her eyes and nose while Rubicelle had it coming from her ears and dripping from her mouth.

Neither girl seemed to notice.

As quickly as possible the twins lead the two professors to the corridor they had last seen the smoke.

It looked blacked out the smoke was so thick.

Before they reached it Dumbledore had bubble body charms on them all except the bubbles instead of being thin created a barrier around their whole bodies not allowing them to touch anything not in the bubbles.

"We need to search for causalities," Dippet croaked in fear.

"Rubicelle! Amethyst!" a voice was heard calling fear in their voice.

"Tom," the twins breathed together.

Irrationality taking over Amethyst pushed the bubble charm off her so she could leave the professor's side and ran into the smoke, preying her brother was ok.

If only she had talked him out of doing this.

"Tom!" Amethyst shouted not able to help the coughs that escaped her.

She found her brother with a bubble body charm on.

His wasn't as thick as the ones Dumbledore had created but she knew he was still safe.

"Amethyst," Tom shouted fearful. "where's Rubicelle?"

"With Dumbledore," Amethyst coughed allowing Tom to cast the bubble body charm on her. "They're going looking for causalities, Tom how could you let this get out of control like this,"

"You weren't supposed to come out of the common room," Tom said looking fearful with tears in his eyes. "The potion matured too much and gained a life of its own, we couldn't control it,"

His eyes were raking her in looking as if he was about to loose her.

"I'm fine, come on we need to go get Rubicelle," Amethyst said for once in her Hogwarts career not listening to anyone's thoughts but her own.

Rubicelle looked up as her sister and Tom came running to them she couldn't see them but rather feel their presence.

"Miss NaStasia, Mr Riddle, did you see anyone on your way here?" Dumbledore demanded urgently.

"No one sir, the corridor was empty for what we could see,"

Instead of just seeing the black smoke as they walked the group could now see the violent red flames that seemed to stare at them menacingly.

Dippet put his wand to his throat and his voice boomed out.

"All students are to take cover in the nearest common room or classroom!"

"What is it sir?" Rubicelle asked tears of blood now streaming down her face as she started to feel drained.

"It's known as Le Feu De Mort, it's a dark powerful potion that's very purpose is to cause death. The fire itself will consume you if given the chance and the smoke is deadly absorbing into your body through your very skin," Dippet said shakily looking at them. "Usually it is controlled by a master but this is matured, this fire is out of control, the master is either dead already or fled when they realised it was matured,"

"How do you stop it?" Amethyst demanded her voice hoarse.

Adrenaline was pumping through her, she wouldn't let it hurt her sister.

"The potion will be at the centre of the flames, it must be vanished, no accounts in history have ever noted this being achievable. The flames engulfed anyone that tried," Dippet said as if in a trance. "It looks like this is the end of Hogwarts and everyone on the upper levels including ourselves. The fire is spreading too fast for us to out run it,"

Amethyst gritted her teeth especially when the fire flared and the smoke thickened.

She took the knowledge of where the potion was from Tom's mind and with a deep breath she threw off the bubble charm once again and ran towards the flames.

"Amethyst!" Tom and Rubicelle screamed.

Breathing hard she threw her arms out.

A powerful gust of wind flew from her hands pushing the fire to the side.

A path was created between the fire.

Before Amethyst could even take a step Rubicelle shot forwards and into the path.

Amethyst gritted her teeth her eyes squeezed shut as the fire pushed against the wind.

Follow the path.

She whispered into her sister's mind knowing there was nothing she could do to stop Rubicelle.

The professors and Tom looked on fearful to the twins.

They watched as a purple hue started to appear around Amethyst as she pushed past any barriers her magic tried to create.

She would do this.

She would help correct her brother's mistake before they all died.

Rubicelle ran she could feel Amethyst still within her mind helping her remain calm.

It was frightening been surrounded by walls of fire that had the very feel of darkness to them.

She felt like she'd entered hell as soon as she'd stepped onto the path her sister had created.

The potion looked as deadly as the fire and smoke.

It'll take more than a vanishing spell. It all needs to be destroyed, the cauldron is laced with the potion too.

Rubicelle gritted her teeth and with a scream she slashed her hand down through he air.

Gold was supposed to be impossible to mar but with magic she didn't think she had with a flash of redy-orange and a mighty crack the potion and cauldron was gone.

The twins collapsed as one as the fire and smoke vanished as soon as the potion did.

Tom ripped out of Dumbledore's hold and ran forwards.

Guilt was swarming him, he knew the consequences of inhaling the smoke.

Dumbledore levitated the two girls and started on the course to the Hospital Wing.

On the way they were surprised to see no one else.

"I need to go speak to the Heads of house, we need a head count immediately," Dippet said with a shaky voice. "Tom I understand that you're worried for your friends but you must go back to your common room until the head count is complete and your head of house says you can return to the hospital wing,"

Tom gaped and was about to argue but Amethyst stopped him.

Go Tom, we haven't just destroyed the evidence of you being the culprit for nothing, you must comply.

Tom felt immense amounts of guilt but knowing after what they had just done for him that he couldn't refuse them.

Madam Boris was horrified at the sight that met her as Dumbledore levitated the two girls onto the wing.

"What's happened?"

"Le Feu De Mort," Dumbledore said his eyes sad as he laid them on separate beds.

"Professor Dumbledore surely you know-"

"That the effects are incurable and that these two girls are going to die a horrible and gruesome death? Yes I do know but we must try our best to make them comfortable,"

Rubicelle was crying as their future was blacked.

There was no denying it, they were going to die.

Amethyst pulled her sister's bed towards her with her telekinesis and took hold of her sister's hand.

We were born together we will die together.

The girls were cleaned up to the matron's best ability but the blood was starting to come from their very pours.

They choked and gurgled on the blood that settled in their throats.

The sadness and sorrow between Dumbledore and Madam Boris was palpable.

An hour later when Headmaster Dippet entered the wing he looked worn and old.

"We've had three deaths a muggleborn from Ravenclaw called Kristy Oak, a muggleborn and pureblood from Gryffindor called Fiona West and Curtis Bones. The NaStasia sisters will make five deaths in total," Dippet said sadly.

"The target was no doubt muggleborns," Dumbledore said his eyes resting on the two suffering twins.

He couldn't help his suspicions but he knew who had done this, whose fault it was and he wondered why they still protected him.

Amethyst's eyes flickered open looking at him and he was surprised when an image flashed through his mind.

"Why do you protect us so, Tom, we can manage," an eight year old Amethyst asked a nine year old Tom as it neared Christmas.

"Because you're the sisters I never got. I will protect you both from these idiots forever, because I know what it feels like to be alone and bullied. If I let them do that to you I could end up alone again and I don't want that, you and Rubicelle mean everything to me and I would never ever hurt you or want you hurt. I love you guys,"

Amethyst's dirty face lit up. "Oh Tom we love you too and I promise that I will always be with you, you'll never be alone again Tom because I'll always be there for you, I may not be able to speak for Rubicelle but I know she feels the same. We're your sisters and we will never go anywhere no matter what you do,"

The scene morphed to a more recent one.

"You're both nutters," Tom said shaking his head with a grin.

"You love us though," Rubicelle said with a smile.

Tom nodded. "I'm just happy we did this today. It seems that we haven't spent time just the three of us in a while,"

"Because we haven't," Amethyst said dryly. "You're always busy,"

"My studies-"

"Don't insult me Tom," Amethyst said tapping her head.

Tom sighed and shrugged. "Things are just a little hectic at the moment,"

"Well I think we need to manage our time better," Rubicelle said with a huff. "From now on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays are reserved for jus us three, on a Tuesday and Thursday we'll meet in the library after dinner and on Saturdays we'll meet in the common room,"

"Rubes, I'm busy most Saturdays," Amethyst said with a shrug.

"Fine Sundays then," Rubicelle said reluctantly sticking her nose up as if Amethyst did it on purpose.

Tom snickered at the twins antics.

Amethyst nudged him in the side. "Shut it you,"

Dumbledore finally realised that despite thinking otherwise, the three of them felt like they were siblings.

Their very actions showed their love.