No, impossible was all Aerrow could think as he terrifyingly watched Cyclonis run over her new body. The man, who stood with an open mouth as Cyclonis walked a little, barefoot under her robe, smiling to herself at the thought of being in a proper body again.
"My wand Petigrew" She ordered in her dark, dangerous voice. The man drew another wand from his pocket, a white sharp one with a handle almost shaped like bone, bowing he presented it to her. Taking it with a very pale hand, her nails grown very long she took a deep breath, examining it. "Hold out your arm" She instructed. The man looked relieved and thankful.
"Master..." He began to say gratefully, beginning to hold out the arm that was missing a hand.
"The other arm Petigrew" Cyclonis hissed a little. The man's smile faded a little as he held out his other arm which Cyclonis took hold of, pulling back the sleeve of the top to reveal a black mark which perfectly matched the mark seen at the world cup. The skull with the snake coming out of its mouth was marked on the man's under upper arm to which Cyclonis pressed her wand tip against. At once it seemed to grow more solid, even move a little as overhead what sounded like thunder filled the sky as a dark mark took shape using the black clouds and streamers of black smoke seemed to come down to the ground. Out of the smoke, forming a crescent shape around Cyclonis came a number, maybe nine or ten hooded men all wearing almost skull masks over their eyes and part of their noses.
"Welcome my friends" Cyclonis greeted, almost warmly as she looked around at them all. "Ten years it has been, and yet here you stand before me as though it was only yesterday" She continued. Aerrow could only watch silent, still pinned against the statue as Cyclonis examined her 'friends' more. "And I find my self disappointed" She said the last word very darkly. "Not one of you tried to find me" She hissed as she yanked away one of the men's masks, turning it into black smoke as she did. "Crabbe" She hissed at the man, who fell to his knees. "Mcnaire" She proceeded to do the same to another, the man also falling to his knees. She contained until there was only one of the men standing. Pausing in front of him Cyclonis spoke again.
"Not even you" She hissed as she pulled off the man's mask, the man like the others falling to his knees. "Lucius" She hissed again as the man Aerrow had distastefully met at the world cup spoke up.
"My master if I had detected any sign or whisper of your whereabouts.." He tried to say back.
"There were signs my slippery friend and more than whispers" Cyclonis cut in.
"I assure you my master that I never renounced the old ways" Lucius said back, pulling off his hood. Meanwhile Aerrow had started to quietly strain and push against the stone sickle, but desperately it wasn't moving an inch. "The face I have been obliged to front each day since your, absence..." He said pausing for a moment as he stood up, slightly taller than Cyclonis he was still scared of her as he proceeded. "...that is my true mask" He concluded as Petigrew held up his uninjured arm.
"I returned" He said, almost bragging until he flinched and cowered when Cyclonis walked briskly over to him.
"Out of fear not loyalty" She hissed as he cowered. "Still, you have proved yourself useful these past few months" She considered as the man lost a little of him fear. Cyclonis then pointed her wand at his missing hand where in its place, a metal silver one grew and began operating like a real one. Holding it up the man become happy.
"Thank you, Master, thank you" He gasped gratefully. It was than that Cyclonis spotted Cedric on the ground.
"Oh, such a handsome boy" She taunted, turning his head with her bare foot as she tutted.
"Don't touch him!" Aerrow shouted. Cyclonis turned her attention to him.
"Ah Aerrow, oh I'd almost forgotten you were here" She said smiling in triumph. "Standing on the bones of my father" She said walking up to stand right in front of him, he could see now that see looked somewhat less human than before, the pale skin, the maddened look on her sunken and darkened face. "I'd introduce you to him but word is that your just as famous as me nowadays" She chuckled. "You've grown a little since we last met" She taunted. "But still a child" She hissed in a faint anger.
"Yeh, one that took you down, remember" He said back defiantly, finding a little confidence. Cyclonis's face gave a small flicker of hate and perhaps fear before she struck Aerrow hard on the cheek with her hand and nails. Aerrow nearly blacked out for a second from the force of the hit, he could slightly taste blood in his mouth and could feel the side of his head stinging and starting to bruise, he also felt a slight warm trickle where Cyclonis had also scratched him on his cheek. He remained defiant and composed though, facing a still angered Cyclonis, who then regained her own composure and confidence.
"Always the brave Sky Knight" She taunted as a few of her followers laughed. "But oh how lies have fed your legend" She said walking back to the centre of the circle of followers. "Before I kill you tonight I'm going to give you a small history lesson" She told. "Before you were even born Aerrow I was fast becoming Atmos's most powerful sorcerer, I even studied at Hogwarts, which is where I met the only person I would ever consider an equal" She stood smiling at the knowledge she was about to give. "It was none other than your own mother, Lilly who studied alongside me, was my only true friend. She said tauntingly to Aerrow, who was trying to hide his surprise although, he had seen it coming when he realised they would have both been the same age. "But then, she met your father" Cyclonis said very darkly. "And had you, she stopped talking to me, even began working against my plans for sorcerers and Atmos" She continued with a hint of vile disgust.
"You killed her" Aerrow said beginning to realise. Cyclonis chuckled a little.
"Very good, your quite sharp, yes I killed her ten years ago, she died protecting you, on her knees begging for you to be spared, how pathetic" She hissed. Aerrow began to look even more disgusted and angry. "But she left a lasting protection I should have seen, love, she sacrificed her life for you leaving old magic behind, I could not touch you not that night and not enough to kill you when we met two years ago, that is how and why I truly disappeared, losing my powers in a rebound shot all those years ago, I was starting to get them back when you destroyed everything again"She hissed walking back up to him again, confident. "But now things have changed" She said drawing a hand. "I can touch you" She said placing a single finger on Aerrow's cut arm. At once Aerrow felt a burning, unbearable pain seize up causing him to scream in pain, despite all his resitance not to. Cyclonis seemed to be yelling with joy as she touched his cut before releasing it.
"Astonishing what a few drops of your blood will do hey Aerrow" She smiled as Aerrow tried to digest the pain. With a flick of her wand she made the stone sickle move back to its normal place, Aerrow was sent tumbling to the ground in his sudden release. Cyclonis moved a little away from him, in total control. It was then that Aerrow spotted his blades, that he had both dropped when he had been moved into the statue, a little distance away. Making a move for them Cyclonis saw this.
"Crucio" She pointed her wand, which although did not give a blast the effect was visible as at once Aerrow felt a blinding pain strike causing him to fall back to the floor, seizing up in pain. "We can't have that" Cyclonis said, finally releasing the curse and walking back over. Bending over a recovering Aerrow she began to speak.
"Your going to suffer for what you did to me, and after tonight no one will ever question me again and if anyone speaks of you they will only speak of how you begged for death and I being a merciful master, obliged" She almost whispered before lashing out a kick into Aerrow's stomach, knocking the breath out of him as she walked away a little again. "Although I feel I should give you a fighting chance" She said laughing with her followers doing the same. Levitating his blades they were thrown at him, landing just beside. Trying to gain his breath Aerrow took hold, finding new strength in having some defence he managed to stand.
"That a boy, I've heard you've recently gained your powers so I presume you can duel, first we bow" Cyclonis explained, bowing mockingly. Aerrow didn't even move an inch.
"Come on Aerrow, the formalities must be observed, your squadron wouldn't want you to forget your manners, I said bow" She ordered, setting another spell at him, forcing him painfully into a bow. "That's better, your parents would be proud especially your filthy Sky Knight father" Taunted. Aerrow ignited his blades and pointed one.
"Expelliarmus" He shouted, sending a red blast at Cyclonis who quickly blacked it and sent another Crucio spell causing Aerrow to fall back down in pain. Cyclonis tuned her back as to distance herself a little more, seizing his chance Aerrow scrambled to his feet and started running.
"Don't you turn your back on me!" Cyclonis shouted, sending a curse at him as Aerrow managed to dive behind a stone wall, unhurt from it except where it had just slightly cut against a cheek. "I want you to look at me when I kill you, I want to see the light leave your eyes!" Cyclonis continued to shout. Aerrow drew a determined breath,
If he was going to go down it would be fighting. He though as he stood up determined and emerged from the wall and walked to face Cyclonis again.
"Have it your way" He said determined. "Expelliarmus!" He shouted as Cyclonis also sent off a killing curse. The two spells, red and green, collided right in the middle of them send sparks and a bright white light off as the two spells fought for ground. Aerrow could only hold his blades firmly and push them into holding off the attacking curse. Some of the followers began forward but Cyclonis called them off.
"Do nothing he is mine to finish!" She ordered as they continued to fight. "He's mine!" Cyclonis shouted again. Then something very odd happened, in the middle of the colliding spells a foggy mist appeared and seemed to place a shied around Aerrow and Cyclonis as then from her wand three white streaming lights came out. They then took form, one seemed to be what looked like a ghost of an old man to the left, then none other the Cedric ghostly image appeared to the right. The final one landed right next to Aerrow. It was a young woman with soft hair and bright eyes. As Aerrow continued with the locked spells he turned to face her. He instantly and instinctively recognised her.
"Mum?" He asked.
"Just hold on a little longer" She encouraged in a soft and calming voice. "When the connection is broken you must get back to the Portkey, we can linger for a moment to give you some time but only a moment do you understand?" She asked, flickering her gazed to Cyclonis determinedly.
"Yes" Aerrow said back, gaining new strength from her appearance.
"Aerrow, take my body back will you, take it back to my squadron?" Cedric asked. Aerrow nodded back determined to do so.
"Let go, sweetheart your ready, let go, let go" Lilly reassured. Trusting her without any question Aerrow, with a last look to her stopped his own spell as the three ghosts seemed to collided into Cyclonis and shroud her and her followers in a think smoke. Aerrow ran to Cedric's body and grabbed hold, pointing his blades at the Tri-Sky Knight cup he shouted.
"Acio cup!" The smoke cleared just in time for Cyclonis and her followers to see Aerrow, Cedric's body and the cup vanish. Leaving her able to do no more the scream in utter fury.