Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters, locations or prior storylines associated with it. That is all the intellectual property of the wonderful JK Rowling. No copyright infringement is intended, nor am I making any money from this story. I am just playing in her world.

Thanks so much to my wonderful friend Cheryl for the quick beta and Brit-pick for me!

The Four Horsemen © The Sexy Muggle Librarian

Chapter 21: Death

Astoria knew that when Pansy left, she was losing her only ally. Not that they were that close, but she felt a certain kinship to the woman since she helped save her son. The only thing that kept going through her head was that she was entirely grateful to the fact that no matter what happened, her son was safe.

The more she listened to Blaise's megalomaniacal speeches, the more she realised that none of them were going to survive. She had no hope that people, Wizarding or Muggle were going to accept what he had planned. Not that she dared to speak those thoughts aloud. Blaise would beat her within an inch of her life if he even suspected that she was not devoted to the cause.

The month went by in relative peace, but she kept feeling the pressure of her upcoming trial build. She wondered at one point if it would be possible for her to escape to London for a day and let someone know exactly what was coming, but then Blaise let something slip. He had just slipped out of her bed, assuming that she was asleep and muttered, "Oh, good. Pansy has moved on to the next destination."

Fear curled in her stomach as she understood that he was tracking them all on their journeys, but she was not surprised. After committing to the relationship that she was in, she came to understand that he was a very paranoid person and she fully expected that if his bid for power was successful, the three of them would be eliminated. He did not trust anyone and they would cease to be his helpers, they would be his rivals at that point. Needless to say, she spoke little after that. She didn't want to give him any cause to doubt her.

Valentine's Day came and left with no celebration on their part, other than Blaise smirking gleefully at his successful plot to kill off his minion in the Ministry. He knew that Sebastian had become a liability and he only knew one way to deal with that. Death, plain and simple. And the sheer fact that he managed to kill a good number of other people with Sebastian only made him happier. For once he did not leave bruises on her after their nightly session.

When Pansy arrived back at the estate, bearing news of her success, Astoria felt relief at being able to escape her Master for a month. She was looking forward to the relative freedom that she would have. So once Pansy had reported, she picked up her bags (which had been packed for three weeks) and walked off the estate in silence. She looked down at the destination that appeared on the parchment in wonder. Las Mosquitia, Honduras. Well that sounds like it will be pleasant, she thought with a shudder as she quickly charmed the parchment to become a Port Key.

~H~P~H~P~H~P~H~P~H~P~H~P~H~P~H~P

28 February 2003

When Astoria arrived at her destination, she was overwhelmed by the heat. Even though it was mid-morning, she could feel sweat begin to trickle down her back at the heat and humidity. Looking around at the lush greenery, she realised that she must be in a rain forest. How in Merlin's name am I supposed to find people in all of this wilderness? she wondered as she listened to the sounds of wildlife around her. Sighing, she decided to first transfigure her clothes into something more suitable for her surroundings, so her slacks became khaki shorts, her shirt a simple linen short-sleeve button up and her trainers into hiking boots. This was the first time that she was truly grateful for Professor McGonagall's lessons in the subject. Next, she pulled her hair up into a pony-tail with a hair bobble.

Once she was feeling much more comfortable, she decided to pick a direction to go. After giving it a moment of thought, she quickly said, "Point me" and her wand showed her the way north. Taking careful footsteps, she began to move in that direction wary of anything that could harm her.

She walked for what seemed like days, but in reality it was only a few hours, when she almost stumbled into a river. It was wide with slow moving water the colour of milk chocolate. She grimaced as she knelt next to it and dipped her hands in. Splashing the liquid on her face, she felt a bit of relief at being able to scrub away the dried sweat, but wondered if it would be safe enough to drink. She decided not to take any chances and after filling up her canteen, she quickly muttered, "Mundare Aquas." She smile when she poured a little of the liquid out to find it crystal clear. She quickly began to drink, quenching the thirst that had been plaguing her. Once done, she filled the canteen again, before placing it on the pack on her back. Better to be prepared than anything, she thought. Not wanting to place her only source of water on the Aguamenti Charm.

Feeling refreshed, she began to walk eastward along the banks of the river, keeping herself hidden in the foliage. She had only been walking for a few moments when she began to hear signs of children playing. Her heart jumped in her throat as the consequences of her mission were running through her mind. Merlin, help me. I don't want to kill! That is just wrong. Please, please show me the way.

She kept to the foliage, but quickly cast a Disillusionment Charm until she found the children. She smiled as she watched them, their brown skin gleaming in the sunlight, as they played in the river with women looking at them as they washed clothing in the river. With a pang, she remembered Scorpius and wondered if he was having as much fun with Pansy's nanny.

Drawing a breath, she followed the women back to their tiny village, hidden amongst the trees. This is breathtaking, she thought as she looked at the carvings on the support beams holding up woven leaves and branches. She was intrigued by the carvings and longed to study them further, however she was distracted by the general contentment. That gave her cause for thought, since when comparing their lives to hers caused her to wonder how they survived at all. Not only survive, but they were thriving.

Suddenly, there were shouts from the forest, causing all the women to look up. A group of men, bearing spears, were dragging a man with them. From the amount of blood he was losing, Astoria could see that the man would not likely survive without some divine intervention or modern medicine. The adults seemed to realise this as well. Quickly, the children were sent to huts while a man and woman worked diligently to try to stop the bleeding. Once the blood was no longer gushing out of the wound, seemingly made by an animal, the entire adult population gathered around, looking at the pair.

The woman with them raised her head as the conversation began and shook it sadly. Astoria realised that the man would not live through the night. Seeing an opening, killing a man who was already doomed to death, she saw her way out. I can do this. I can kill those already condemned to death. My conscious will be clear that way. Thank you, Merlin. This is an acceptable solution.

Feeling her hope rising, she waited until darkness fell and the adults finally drifted off to sleep. Once they slept, she quickly moved in front of the man, whose breathing was laboured and cast a Silencing Charm. Once the charm was in place, she dropped her Disillusion spell and bent in front of him.

"I am here to take your pain away," she said softly. "May your gods watch over your soul." Taking a breath, she concentrated on taking the man's pain away, not on casting Avada Kedavra.

The man's confusion only lasted a moment, before the pale green light from her wand engulfed him. Startled at the colour, since she had not cast the Killing Curse, she wondered Death, both metaphorical and the previous Horseman, was the reason that the Killing Curse was a bright green with cast. Shaking her head out of her contemplative thoughts, Astoria quickly retreated to the jungle, to find a safe haven to camp until the time came to move on to her next location.

H~P

7 March 2003

After a week in the humid jungle of Honduras, Astoria was grateful when her parchment showed her next location. Estancia Victoria, Paraguay. Really? Two Spanish speaking countries. I really should learn the language. Still, knowing that Blaise would be tracking her, she quickly packed up her camp and muttered "Portus" to activate the port key. She felt the tug behind her navel and quickly she was spinning through space, to land in another forest.

This forest, however, was not oppressively humid as a rain forest would be, but instead there were tall trees that blocked the sunlight from the ground and there was no grass that grew; only leaves covered the ground. It was also much cooler than Honduras had been, to which Astoria was eternally grateful. She copied her actions from her first try and whispered, "Point me" to her wand. She again started walking northward, keeping her sense alert for any sound that could betray her presence. She walked the entire day, taking a few moments out to eat by lunch and dinner. When night fell, she had yet to find any signs of people.

Settling into her bed in the tent, she stared up at the flickering light and let her thoughts drift back to Scorpius. She wondered how he was doing; was he missing her? She hoped so. She wished she could go back in time and prevent her fourteen year old self from getting into a relationship with Blaise. I can wish all I like, but that will not change the past without a Time Turner. Get with it, Astoria. You have to figure out how to convince the person who wants to become the next Dark Lord that you are completely with his plan and find a way to make sure that your son survives to adulthood.

Sighing, she rolled over onto her stomach, enjoying the luxury of living without Blaise's constant attentions. She had forgotten what it was like to be able to lie in bed without the expectation of sex. Even when she was married to Draco, Blaise still had set expectations of her and rarely had a day passed without him contacting her. This is what my life should be, she thought as she drifted off into a fitful sleep.

It took two days of hiking before Astoria finally found a settlement. She approached carefully, noticing that it was not much different from the other one. The only difference (besides the lack of intricate carvings on the wood) was that there were huge dogs running around. After searching for a good place to pitch her tent, she Disillusioned herself and began to walk through the forest bordering the village.

After walking for a few moments, she found a spot that she could hear the water from a small stream. She checked the ground, to see if there were any tracks to indicate that it was on a path for the villagers and seeing none, quickly set up the tent and Muggle repelling charms. Checking the time by the sun, she noticed that it was just starting to sink in the horizon and for that she was glad. It would give her time to study the villagers to see if there was anyone close to death. She knew that she didn't want to kill anyone, so she hoped that there was someone close to death.

By the time night fell, she had found what she was looking for. There was an old woman in the village and even she could tell that the woman was dying. Her skin had a greyish tint to it, and from the sound of her laboured breathing, she had been ill for a long time. The only problem was that she was never alone. Constantly, she had someone with her. There was a young woman, who shared the same eyes, so Astoria was sure she was either a daughter or more likely a granddaughter of the women. She stayed by her side.

Astoria decided to keep following her and hoping that the woman would leave her for a few moments, but her hopes were dashed.

She kept watch over the following days and finally, the night that was to signal the end of her stay in the village, she decided to create a distraction. Muttering a few charms under her breath, she made screams ring out through the forest. The entire village gathered in around the common fire, obviously discussing what needed to be done.

Seeing her opening, Astoria quickly cast a translation charm and walked into the hut. She dropped the Disillusion charm and knelt next to the pallet on the floor. "Are you ill?" she asked quietly.

The woman coughed, her black eyes widening, but she nodded. "Yes," she managed to say.

Astoria felt relief flood her that the woman could speak English. "Do you want your pain to end?"

"Yes."

Astoria smiled. "Then close your eyes and greet your afterlife."

The woman did as she asked and Astoria reached out with her wand. A soft pale green light slowly enveloped the woman and she breathed her last breath. Astoria sighed in relief and allowed herself a small moment of reflection for the woman. She quickly stood and recast the Disillusion charm as she heard footfalls coming closer to the house. Not wanting to see the reaction of the family, she quickly exited the house before the young woman entered.

Rushing back to her tent, she quickly packed up and looked at the parchment as the mournful wails of the young woman filled the air. Good, she thought as she saw her next destination on the parchment. Bürd, Mongolia. At least this country doesn't speak Spanish!

H~P

14 March 2003

When the Portkey dropped Astoria into Mongolia, all she could see was white. Cursing under her breath for not thinking of changing before she touched the key, she began to shiver uncontrollably. Quickly dropping her pack and pulling out her wand, she cast the spells that cause the tent to set up. It was only a minute before the tent was ready, but it felt like hours to her. When she walked—or rather ran—into the tent, she was caked in snow and her face felt as if ice was hitting it. She quickly increased the strength of the heating spell on the tent and wrapped her arms around herself as she began to steep hot tea.

It was almost an hour later before Astoria finally felt as if she was warm. She had changed (and transfigured) her clothes into something that was appropriate for a blizzard and sat in a chair to figure out how she was meant to find a settlement in the white out conditions that she had appeared in. "What am I meant to do?" she muttered aloud. "Think, Astoria, think!"

She bit her lip as she thought, before finally an idea came to her. A map. I need a map of this place. Not only that, but it needs to show me the location of the Muggles that obviously inhabit this place. Now, why they choose to live here is a mystery, but they must or the parchment would not have brought me here. Quickly, she withdrew a sheet of parchment from her bag and waved her wand over it in a complicated pattern that she had remembered from her parents lessons in camping.

Slowly ink spread across the parchment and dots began to appear. As she watched, smirking at her cleverness, Astoria began to realise that the black dots represented the Muggles living in the harsh environment. Huh, I suppose that I am the green dot. Interesting. I wonder how close to these dots that people are. I could test the theory. With that in mind, she walked around the tent to see if the green dot moved. It didn't. Sighing, she knew that she would need to find the range of the map before she was able to pinpoint any Muggles. Unfortunately, the weather conditions were not conducive for wandering around. I hope this blizzard stops soon.

Four days later, her hope became reality as the blizzard finally stopped. By that time, even Astoria's warming charms were feeling the pressure of the weather. She awoke to the unexpected sound of nothing. No wind, no snow hitting the tent. Just dead silence. Jumping out of the bed, she quickly ran to the door and looked out, almost blinding herself from the glare from the snow.

The light was so bright that she staggered back a few steps with her eyes watering from the sudden brightness. "Well, at least the snow stopped," she muttered as she wiped her eyes.

Closing the tent flap quickly, her heart dropped at the thought of walking through the blinding brightness. Deciding to move at night, even though the temperature would drop dangerously cold, she studied the map to find the closest group of Muggles close to her. During her days confined to the tent by the snow, she had worked on the map's charms so that she now could see movement of her green dot when she moved. After some calculations, she thought she had an estimate of scale of it.

She knew that she wanted to find a settlement and hope that someone was close to death. Merlin knows that it's so cold that someone must succumb to the weather. Is it too much to ask that I be able to find that person? Please, to whatever higher power is up there; help me do this without causing a senseless loss of life. It was the first time she had ever prayed, but she was desperate to come out of this with her soul intact, but she did believe from the bottom of her heart that there was some greater power. She knew that if there wasn't, there was no way her son would still be alive.

The rest of the day was spent in charming her clothes to keep her warm. Taking extra precautions, she charmed them with multiple layers of charms, just in case one failed, all the while glancing at the map. Just as the sun was sinking below the horizon, she saw a group of dots appear. Squinting her eyes in concentration, she hazarded a guess that this particular group—ten in all—was no more than five kilometres away from her.

Gathering her courage, she quickly dressed and headed out into the frigid wasteland. Prepared for the glare this time, she kept the map in front over her and above the light bouncing off the snow. Thankfully, the howling winds had blown away most of the pellet-like granules, so she didn't have to force her way through metres of snow. Sighing, she began to walk, glancing down at the dots, figuring that she would have to walk for at least a few hours before reaching the first group of dots.

Four hours later, she was finally in sight of the camp. Her hands and feet ached with cold and she knew that she had not taken the bitter temperatures into account. She had to stop at least once every hour to warm up or she would have suffered frostbite. She was grateful that she could finally see the smoke from the fires. Quickly, she disillusioned herself and carefully made her way towards the camp.

Oh, what I couldn't give for those listening devices that George Weasley sells, she thought ruefully. Shaking her head, she just continued walking until she was outside of what looked like a sturdily made hut with a thatched roof. She watched the hut, seeing if anyone went inside before quickly peering through a window. Damn, supplies. Keeping behind the buildings, she continued checking the buildings until she found one that had a group of arguing people in them. She tried to cast a translation charm, but she had little hope of it working. She had never mastered it, even after practicing for hours on end.

Luck was not with her, for the language was still foreign to her after she cast the charm. She frowned, but concentrated on the body language of the men and women arguing. She could tell that they were extremely upset, but there wasn't a single person amongst them that the anger was directed towards. She pursed her lips after drawing a blank to why they were fighting.

Finally, the group moved out of the building as the volume of their argument grew into shouts. Hands are arms were flailing wildly to emphasise each of their points, until a lone figure walked into view. Like a nest of vipers, they turned as one to the thin man in front of them. Astoria watched in dawning horror as the man shrank way from the people slinking towards him, his head turning madly as he looked for an escape. None was found.

She was astonished when the man began to stutter in English and she discovered that he was an American. "I'm not responsible! I didn't cause the storm!"

It was then that she realised they were blaming him for the blizzard that had fallen upon the land. An older man sprinted out of another building, yelling at the group, but his cries fell on deaf ears as they began to assault the man. Their intent was clear; they sought his death.

Astoria felt a rage build up inside of her and without meaning to, she dropped her disillusion charm and pale green light radiated from her, engulfing each person in the group. In seconds, they all lay dead on the group.

The two remaining men looked at her in shock. "Who are you?" the American managed to say as he coughed blood onto the white snow.

Astoria was taken aback by the question and did not know how to answer, but the older man spoke slowly in English. "She is Lady Death." Astoria slowly nodded. That's as good as an explanation as any.

The older man bowed, before kneeling beside the injured man. "Lady Death?" the man asked, scepticism evident in his voice.

"These are dark time, Doctor. Those men and women were infected by the darkness rising in the world. Lady Death has come to judge and send their souls to be purified by their ancestors."

The American still looked doubtful, but he knew that he had been saved from his own death. "Thank you, ma'am."

Astoria just nodded as she turned to walk out of the encampment, confusion tumbling inside of her. Once out of sight of the men, she quickly Apparated back to her tent, her hands shaking as the next destination appeared on the parchment. Upsir, Iceland.

H~P

21 March 2003

Astoria was still shaking as the landed after touching the Portkey. She wasn't sure what had happened in Mongolia, but she knew that it was important. As she stared at the picturesque town in front of her, she was struck by two things. One, it was much larger than anyplace she had visited prior. Two, it was not Muggle. She could clearly see people using magic around her. That she was grateful for, since she had landed in the middle of the street.

Quickly, she made her way to the side of the street to take in her surroundings. It was not as cold as Mongolia, but it was still bitter to someone used to English winters. Deciding to walk around, she began to follow the street as she looked at the people chatting around her, their Slavic accents delightful to her ears.

For the rest of the afternoon, she just observed, carefully keeping her mind blank in case someone tried to read her thoughts. As the sun began its descent into snow, she found a small inn and rented a room, only thoughts of a warm bath and bed in her head. The inn's owner smiled, his blue eyes twinkling when she commented on his command of the English language.

"I studied at Hogwarts," he admitted. "Best seven years of my life."

Astoria couldn't help but grin as his smile was infectious. "What House were you in?" she asked.

"Hufflepuff," he responded with shrug. "But that was a lifetime ago. Long before you were born. What about you?"

Astoria accepted the gold key from him, wondering if she should be truthful. "Unfortunately Slytherin."

"Why unfortunately? When I was at Hogwarts, Slytherin was a very respectable House. Some of the most cunning minds came from there and they were always the best at playing tricks on the other Houses."

"There was the matter than most of the Slytherin house followed the Dark Lord, sir," she responded gravely.

"A minor blip on the respectability of the House, young lady. Slytherin will not always be known for creating evil monsters," he assured her. "Do not let me keep you from your room. You look like you could use a good night's rest."

"Thank you," Astoria returned as she turned to the stairs to take the man's advice.

The following morning, she rose with the sun, feeling much refreshed after getting a proper bath and sleep on a comfortable feather mattress. She decided to repeat her pattern from the day before and walk around the town after eating a delicious breakfast. She felt more human that she had in the previous three weeks.

This time, instead of following the road northward, she went the opposite direction. The building slowly began to change from business oriented to residential and she began to see more children out in the streets. Her heart constricted at the sight of all the tow-headed children playing. She ached to hold Scorpius back in her arms.

Her thoughts were so filled with him that when she looked up into the distance she believed the child she saw playing with a toy broom to be him. Scolding herself mentally, she closed her eyes briefly before walking towards the child to see what he really looked like. She was only a few steps away when he looked at her, delight coming to the grey eyes.

"Mummy!" the child screamed as the toy broom went flying.

Astoria sank to her knees; her arms wide open as tears sprang to her eyes. "Scorpius," she whispered into his blond hair as he threw himself into her arms. "My sweet baby boy. Oh, I've missed you!"

Neither she nor the child noticed the witch smiling from the doorway. Astoria looked up when she heard a throaty chuckle. She drew back slightly from Scorpius, her brow furrowing in confusion. "So you are the child's mother," the woman asked, her voice showing no hint at her true age.

Comprehension dawned after a moment of blankness and Astoria rose, offering her hand in greeting. "You are Pansy's nanny."

"Ja. Come inside, it is not safe for you to be in the open," the woman said as she opened the door.

Astoria followed her quickly, Scorpius tagging at her heels. She quickly settled onto a comfortable settee. She glanced at Scorpius, happiness radiating from her from her reunion.

"We have much to speak of, young woman," the woman began. "What has to be spoken is not fit for young ears." She looked at Scorpius. "Lítill einn, please play in the corner with your toys." Scorpius stuck out his lower lip in defiance, but she just raised an eyebrow. "Now, lítill einn."

The boy just stomped to his toys, but sat down facing the women. The woman just smiled before casting a silencing charm. "Now, I am Valdis Amundsen. Pansy never told me any information about you."

"Astoria Greengrass," she returned.

"Ms. Greengrass, you are in a terrible predicament, are you not?"

Astoria frowned, wondering what exactly Pansy had told the woman. "Yes."

"And it has little to do with the abusive relationship that you have found yourself in."

Shock coursed through her, but Astoria nodded numbly.

"Ja, I thought so, once I set eyes on you," Valdis said with a sigh. "Are you aware of what has awoken in the last four months?" She continued when the shocked woman failed to respond. "Evil. You are part of it, are you not?"

Astoria finally found her voice back. "Yes," she responded softly. "Against my will, but yes, I am partially responsible."

"Ah, minn fátækur elskan. Your life has turned upside down and I can feel your confusion from where I sit. I do believe I can help you to understand your choice in this, if you could listen to a senile old woman."

Astoria felt the truth of her words in her heart and nodded gratefully. "Please. I am so confused."

"That is understandable as you have been touch by an ancient, but powerful magic. Magic that has been lost to this world for good reason. You, in essence, have become Death personified."

Astoria nodded.

"These magics were lost at the end of Merlin's life. There are very few families left that have knowledge of this, but my family was picked by Merlin himself to be the keeper of this knowledge. I am the last of my line, for I have no children of my own and I have known since I learned that I was barren that the prophecy would come to fruition in my lifetime," Valdis continued. "The binding on the Beasts have unraveled. You, my child, are one of four, but you chose a different path."

"I did. I was supposed to kill Scorpius, but my love for him would not allow me to. I substituted my own blood in lieu of his."

"And by doing that, you saved your soul in a way that no one could have predicted. For sacrifice made willingly to protect one from Death has allowed you greater power than your Master could have dreamed."

"What do you mean?"

"He seeks to wreak destruction and death upon the world; you however sought to protect life, at the expense of your own. By doing that, you can choose to protect life, instead of just inflicting death." She paused, to give Astoria time to think.

"I did," Astoria said as she thought back to Mongolia. "I protected a man from death at the hands of a mob."

"That mob was more than likely affected by the changes in the magical energy that supports all life. Reports are showing up all over the world about people sinking into evilness. Muggles for the most part, for now the evil is only affecting those with no immunity to it, but soon even the magical world will feel its effects."

"What am I to do?" Astoria questioned.

"I can not tell you that. I am only a protector of death. That question must be answered by you. I can tell you this, death is a constant. All living things must die and that is why you were the one chosen for this. Death is the only one of the powers that is neither good nor evil. You can choose who will die. Even those who think they are immortal are not immune to your power."

Astoria settled back in the comfortable cushions, her mind reeling from the revelation. She was quick enough to understand that Valdis had just told her she would be capable of killing Blaise, if she could break free of the slave bond enough to do so. "I have a lot to think about, but I also must use my power here, to keep my Master from being suspicious."

Valdis was silent for moment. "There is a hospital, Muggle hospital, on the border between the Muggle Upsir and the magical Upsir. You should be able to find someone to help move on there," she advised.

Astoria nodded, her gaze returning to Scorpius. "May I stay her with him? I am not due back for five days and I want to spend as much time with him as possible."

"Of course and I will continue to watch him in your absence."

Astoria felt her throat close up with emotion before she managed to choke out her thanks.

Canceling the silencing charm, Valdis just watched as mother and son reconnected, her heart lighter at meeting the woman whom her family had searched a millennium for. She knew that the coming months would be difficult, but the darkness in the world would not be all encompassing. Her hope had been restored.

H~P

AN: I know. I am absolutely the worst updater in history. This chapter is 6 month after when I wanted to post, but real life reared its ugly head and I had the busiest five months at work ever. Once it was over, I swear I slept all my spare time. But, now I'm back and so is my muse and I am valiantly trying to complete this story! I truly believe that it won't be but eight or nine chapters more. I can't promise that I'll be updating weekly any time soon, but I'm hoping that once the next chapter is over (it's the final one of the long chapters) that the story will move much faster. Thank you soooooo much to every single person who has kept up with this story! To those who reviewed, they did help. This chapter was created bit by bit as I got inspiration from those reviews! Thanks for reading and please review!

Here are the translations:

Mundare Aquas means "to clean water" according to my online Latin translator.

Lítill einn means "little one" in Icelandic.

minn fátækur elskan means "my poor darling" in Icelandic.