Thanks to: thingsleftdesired, DelenaElejah1864, TheDiva121, Potterhorse-Spirit, CookieSpells4, HPFan and MemoirsofaLostCause for your reviews.
Songs for this Chapter:
Isabel's Theme [See Tumblr]
Devil May Cry by The Weeknd
No Church In the Wild by Jay-Z & Kanye West
My Blood by Ellie Goulding
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
Lily, James, Sirius, Peter, Remus and I returned from the shack, and were greeted by Minerva once we had reached Gryffindor Tower. I thought at first that we were in trouble for all spending the night with Remus, but then I saw the look in her eyes. Fear and nervousness had overcome our Transfiguration professor.
"What is it, Professor?" Remus asked, the first to speak up. "If it's the fact we were all out, it was the full moon - "
"I know, Mr. Lupin. No need to explain yourself. I am afraid that I must ask something completely unfair of me. I understand that Professor Dumbledore has talked to you about the Order of the Phoenix?" We all nodded in response to Minerva's question. "Good. This should make this somewhat easier. Welcome to your first battle."
We stood in a dark, desolate field. By my side, Remus, Sirius, James, Lily, Peter, Frank, Alice, Marlene and Professor McGonagall were all preparing themselves for what we expected to be a difficult battle. McGonagall looked around anxiously, nervous that some of the Order would not show up to help us. We were waiting, for some sort of noise. Some sort of movement. Anything that would give us a clue as to where these Death Eaters were. We all jumped as the noise of someone apparating suddenly came from nowhere. McGonagall and I held our wands up to where the noise had come from, but soon lowered them as Mad-Eye Moody, Dedalus Diggle, Elphias Doge, Emmeline Vance, Arthur Weasley and Molly's two brothers, Gideon and Fabian Prewett all walked towards us. I couldn't stop looking at Mad-Eye, the man who died in the Battle Over Little Whinging.
"We're sorry for our lateness, Minerva," Emmeline Vance told her. She then looked to the rest of us, surprised. "You brought along students?"
"Seventh year students, and some of the most talented students I have ever taught. I would not have brought them with me if I did not believe that they could handle it." Emmeline gave Minerva one single nod, and moved to stand by my side.
"Welcome to the Order. Emmeline Vance," she said, holding her hand out.
"Isabel Fairfax," I replied, shaking her hand. "May I ask, what Death Eaters are they expecting to come tonight?" I wanted to know what to expect.
"Most of them will be a bit dim, you'll be able to take them on, perhaps succeed in most cases. Watch out for Antonin Dolohov, Rabastan, Rodolphus and Bellatrix Lestrange, and Lucius Malfoy. They'll be the most ruthless, and the most talented. Most of all, try to keep away from Bellatrix. She will have no hesitations when it comes to killing you." I nodded, my eyebrows raised. It was hard to sound like I was surprised. Suddenly, there was a noise, coming from the sky. I looked up to see what looked like black jet streams. The Death Eaters were here. I looked over to the other side of the paddock to see them all appear. Dolohov, Rabastan, Rodolphus, Rowle, Regulus, many other Death Eaters I remembered from the war, and to my shock, Bellatrix and Lucius.
"Aww, look at the little gathering of filthy mudbloods and blood traitors!" Bellatrix exclaimed, taking out her wand. "Why is it that you dare defy us again? Did you not learn your lesson last time? Or perhaps, did you not learn from the consequence?"
"Consequence?" Minerva said, holding her head high. I'd almost forgotten how badass she was.
"That little Wizarding Town you all read in the Daily Prophet - how many days was that after the last time the Order tried messing with us?" Bellatrix asked. Minerva looked uneasy, to the point where I truly didn't believe Bellatrix was simply stirring us up - she and her fellow Death Eaters killed an entire Wizarding town because of the Order.
"I'm sick of talk," Lucius said, stepping out beside Bellatrix. He pointed his wand and blasted a curse that knocked Fabian Prewett off of his feet. It had started. Curses were flying everywher, and Alice, Frank, Marlene, Peter, Lily, James, Sirius and Remus had no idea what to do. Lily slowly took out her wand, but she wasn't quick enough to defend herself. I shot a spell in front of Lily that protected her from the one heading her way. I then turned around to see Bellatrix Lestrange walking in my direction with her husband, Rodolphus. I thought the Battle of Hogwarts was the last time I'd have to fight this bitch. She whipped out her wand and sent a spell in my direction. I blocked it, and then Remus, who stood beside me, sent one back in hers.
"Teeny weeny little kiddies!" Bellatrix cackled. "Look at them, Rodolphus! Look at them!" I rolled my eyes and sent a spell at towards her husband, who was blasted off his feet. Bellatrix looked back in my direction, her eyes wide with anger at the fact that I just humiliated her.
"Filthy little half blood!" She screamed. "Crucio!"
"Sectumsempra!" We shot spells at each other at the exact same time. The spells connected, causing a huge blast to knock everyone off their feet at the magnitude of them. I coughed and took hold of my wand, then quickly stood up off the ground. I had to make sure that I defeated her, not for the Order's sake but for my own pride. "Expelliarmus!" I shouted. Bellatrix's wand flew from her hand. She looked up at me in complete surprise. To her, I was a child. But I knew the truth. I knew that I was a better witch than she was. I was the one that killed her in the old world, and I would be the one to finish her off here.
"LUCIUS!" Bellatrix screamed. "RODOLPHUS! SOMEONE GET MY WAND!" Bellatrix then took out a dagger, and in a matter of seconds, it was flying in my direction. I flicked my wand, and the dagger exploded into little pieces. Whilst I was dealing with the dagger, Bellatrix had retrieved her wand. It was an even game again. "You dare think that you can treat me this way?" She walked towards me slowly, like she was stalking me. "You dare think you can blast my wand out of my hand?" She paced around me, looking me up and down. "You're quite cunning, like a snake…" I rolled my eyes, enough talk. I slapped Bellatrix in the face, wanting to add insult to injury. She then waved her wand, and I was blasted back onto the ground. She stormed up to me, smirking and holding her wand in front of her. "Truly, you'll be no great loss to the Order. It is a shame you will not get to see the Wizarding World in the way it was supposed to be, however. Pureblooded and powerful." The problem with Bellatrix is that she always played with her food.
"Stupefy!" Bellatrix was blasted in the air. As quickly as I could, I pointed my wand at her again. "Petrificus Totalus!" Halfway through the air, Bellatrix was petrified. Frozen. She landed on the ground, frozen. I turned around to see Lily was barely able to hold off another Death Eater. I pointed my wand towards the Death Eater attacking Lily, and the Death Eater was blasted out of the way. Lily and I ran to Sirius, Remus, James, Marlene, Alice, Peter and Frank, who were all clustered together, hiding from a group of Death Eaters who were slowly closing in on them. One Death Eater, who I identified as Rabastan Lestrange, waved his wand, and a huge ball of fire was sent in our direction. Marlene screamed as she watched the ball of fire come towards us, but I waved my wand backwards, and a large shield appeared in front of us, blocking the fire from hitting us. As soon as the shield had worn off, I blasted a spell at the feet of the group of Death Eaters walking towards us. All of them fell to the ground, and before they got up, Arthur, Minerva, Emmeline Vance, and Mad-Eye ran over and stood over the Death Eaters.
"Get out of here," Arthur told us.
"What about - "
"How?"
"We've got them all covered from here," Minerva told me. She looked at me and nodded. I was the only one that would be able to disparate this whole group as safely as I could. The others hardly knew how to apparate alone. I was worried, Peter, Alice, Frank and Marlene didn't know about my circumstance, and surely they'd be suspicious about my advanced magic, but I had to do this to protect them all. They couldn't complete with Bellatrix and Lucius, not in their first battle.
"Take each other's hands, make sure you're all holding onto each other tightly," I told them all. Marlene's eyes went wide as she realised what I was about to do.
"No, it's too dangerous. You're insane! We can't even apparate by ourselves!"
"Just do it, McKinnon!" Time for us to escape had run out, four Death Eaters were approaching us - one of them, Lucius Malfoy. There was no way that this group could hold them. The curses they were sending were too weak. "YOU ALL DO AS I SAY," I yelled at them. I cursed two of the Death Eaters, and they were sent crashing into the ground, which would have instantly knocked them out. "Expelliarmus!" The other Death Eater was sent onto the ground, and finally, I had to deal with Lucius Malfoy.
"Cruc - " Before Lucius could finish, he was sent flying off his feet and back onto a rock. I turned to my right to see Sirius, holding his wand out, glaring at the spot Lucius Malfoy landed in.
"ISABEL, LOOK OUT!" Lily screamed. I looked back in front of me to see a Death Eater holding out their wand.
"AVADA - "
"SECTUMSEMPRA!" The Death Eater fell back onto the ground, bleeding, in numerous places. I stared at the blood. No one knew the counter curse, except for Severus Snape, who was not here. He was going to bleed, and he was going to die. I covered my mouth with my hand. I just signed someone's death sentence.
"ISABEL LET'S GO! PLEASE!" I heard Remus desperately call. He took my hand, and the others had joined their hands. I looked one more time to the Death Eater. I shook my head, it was a Death Eater. They caused so much pain. I wasn't to feel sympathy for them. I breathed in deeply, focusing, and seconds later, we disapparated.
I held out my wand as I checked our surroundings, a natural instinct that I had gained during the First Wizarding War. Hogsmeade. Just the place I had intended. I placed my wand in my pocket and sighed. I thought that after the Battle of Hogwarts that I'd never have to go into battle again with any Death Eater, let alone Bellatrix Lestrange, and let alone kill another Death Eater. Now that I was staying here, I'd have to live through another war. I didn't know how I'd manage.
"How did you do that?" Marlene said, getting up off the ground, holding her stomach. She looked quite nauseous, like she was about to vomit at any moment. "How did you apparate all of us out of there when the rest of us can barely apparate by ourselves?"
"I'm talented," I responded bluntly. I was in no mood for her questions. I was in no mood for Marlene McKinnon. When I said no more, Marlene looked at us all, huffed, and walked off to make her way back to the castle. Alice rolled her eyes and followed, as did Peter (who I suspected to have a small crush on Marlene) and Frank. I sighed and sat down on the nearest seat I could find. I put my hands in my head and shook my head. I thought I wouldn't have to kill anyone after the Second Wizarding War had finished. I had forgotten how torturous it was to take another persons life - but how necessary it was when they were a threat. They were going to kill me. I had to do something.
"Isabel, what was that curse?" Lily asked, touching my arm. I turned to her. I begged with my eyes for her not to ask me again, but her eyes did not let up. I had to answer. I promised myself - no more secrets and no more lies.
"It was like a, uh, severing charm. Perhaps a little worse. Never use it, Lily. Ever."
"What was it going to do to that Death Eater?" I pursed my lips and looked down. I heard Lily gasp and stand up. I looked back up at her - she had lost the colour in her face and was holding on to James for support. What was I going to say to her? 'Hey, Lily, welcome to the ruthless side of Isabel Fairfax, the side she gets from her father'. "They're going to die, aren't they?"
"No one knows the counter to that curse, Lily. Only one other, and they weren't there."
"Isabel, you killed someone."
"Lily, you have to understand, where I come from, we had to kill Death Eaters to survive. It was a natural instinct for me to harm them, to want to destroy them. Bellatrix Lestrange, yeah, I killed her too!" I stood up and held her shoulders, although I could tell that she wanted to get away from me. She was afraid. I could feel it. "Lily, I know that the thought of killing another person scares you, but they were going to kill me, and they would have killed all of you. In this world, where Death Eaters are a threat, you cannot hold back against them."
"Have you ever used the killing curse?" Lily whispered. After a few moments of stillness and silence, I finally nodded in response. Tears filled Lily's eyes. It was obvious that I was not the person that she thought I was. "You've used the killing curse! HOW COULD I BE FRIENDS WITH SOMEONE THAT HAS DONE SOMETHING LIKE THAT?"
"Lily, it was Bellatrix Lestrange! What did you want me to do? Let her go without doing anything? She killed so many people."
"Lily, stop," Sirius said. "She had no choice!"
"How would you know, you weren't there!"
"Lily, that Death Eater would have killed us all," James interrupted. "You know that. And as far as Bellatrix Lestrange goes, does she not deserve it? You saw her tonight, she tried to kill every living thing in her sight!"
"SHE DIDN'T HAVE TO DO IT!" Lily yelled, tears streaming down her face. I even felt sympathy for her. All her beliefs were being turned on its head, just because she wants to defend what she thinks is right. She was in a moral conflict with herself - could she kill these people? I took Lily's hands and looked into her eyes to get her to calm down.
"Lily. Bellatrix killed Sirius in the old world. She had no care for him. She did it in front of my eyes, Lily. I was engaged to him at the time, and there he went, he died. You need to understand, there is no good in these people, and they want people like you dead. I just really don't want you to hate me because of the fact that I want to defend everything I believe in." Lily wiped her tears, then placed her arms around me. She did not say a word, but she didn't have to. It wasn't me in this situation, Lily was conflicted within herself, and she really needed to work it out.
A/N: Did you enjoy that chapter? I hope so! Don't forget to leave a review! Speaking of reviews, we've passed the 200 mark! I'm so happy! And Disturbing Truths has passed the 1000 mark! How amazing! Thank you, my beautiful readers. I don't deserve you guys!
HAPPY NEW YEAR, may 2014 be the best year yet for all of you, my lovely readers!
Tumblr: bellabellex . tumblr . com
Next Chapter:
"Isabel?" I looked over at Peter, my eyebrows raised. "Why is everyone acting so strange lately? I hardly see anyone anymore, no one really talks to me." I sighed and felt a rush of sadness and guilt. I hoped that I was not the reason that Peter was being left out, because the boys were spending all of their time with Lily and I, rather than him. Now that I knew this, I definitely had to rectify it.