Chapter 34- Not my Time
The house located at Twelve Grimmauld Place, Wizarding London is aflame and the perpetrators hope with smiles, that its occupants burn alive. Being burnt alive was a slow death, a death most wouldn't even wish upon their worst enemies. People, even magical folk, burnt gradually clothing and flesh and bone that liquified into heavy smoke that suffocated the victim. But for magical folk, they had to feel the pain of their magic disintegrating, and that was more than anyone should ever have to bear.
Sirius scrambles to Maxima's room, a t-shirt covering his mouth as he attempted to prevent smoke inhalation. The potion, THAT wretched potion sat in his pyjama bottoms that he wore having no time to change before the house would be ravaged by flames and he along with it.
He had to keep her alive, today her birthday she left, and he had to ensure it happened, no matter what. Sirius black, having an important job, now there was a laugh.
Walls went up in flames, the smoke billowed around him so think that he could barely see his own hand in front of him. Her room, Regs room, was worse than his, angry magical flames flourished forth and back again as Maxima used her unique magic to attempt to quell them. She screamed as a flame burned her skin and glanced out the window, it is too far of a jump. She may not survive it but it may be the only option. She takes another look grass lay beneath, a someone what soft landing she hoped. She knew it would not be.
Maxima is in a dark green nightgown, its neckline plunging, the dress of a woman. Jane Granger would be horrified. This could be the wear in which she dies, Maxima thinks darkly and then shakes her head. She had too much to do.
"-burning" Sirius's voice is drowned out by the sound of timber crackling, snapping like bones. He barely manages to pull her away from a pillar that collapses nearly severing her leg. They needed to get out. The heat was unbearable, sweat coated his brow and she looked worse for wear,
"Come out, Maxima potter. Face me at last, I brought you some friends to meet" the slithering sound of the Dark Lord's voice echoes in the home amid the destruction. Sirius's face is darkened as he hurries her, battling against the flames. Fiendfire could not be subdued only slowed down and the dark lord appeared to be paying a personal house call, although soon there may not be much of a house left.
She tosses her mother's neckless in her pocket and fastens her wand strap on her arm. There was no time for anything else. She doesn't see the potion, deemed by even her, too destructive that Sirius hides in his quittage themed pyjama pocket.
Her magic frosts from her fingertips as she attempts to bring down the flames but her magic timid, and inconsistent at best. Smoke clouds the air as they fight to an exit any exist.
Maxima throws open the window, but there lay Voldemort himself who beings throwing spells as soon as he sees. "Diffendo" he misses as Sirius and her back into the smoke-covered room.
"another exit" she looks at Sirius who sends her a helpless look in return. They trudge to the hall, hoping that their enemies weren't coviering all sides of the building.
"don't you want to say hi, aftercall Maxima we're old friends" Maxima doesn't react to the message, and Sirius from his position coughing on the floor sees her slip down from standing position. They were going to die in this wretched house, with his mother's portrait screaming.
"Kreatcher" Maxima calls into the black smog her voice is weak and the smoke is now so thick she is enveloped in complete darkness. "Kreacher please, mistress calls you". She doesn't know if it will work but she needed to try. She almost cries when she feels the elf's tiny hands grasp her and the tug of elf magic that tugs both her and Sirius into the forest beyond the property.
She runs, hearing Sirius follow in suit, there is no time for words unsaid; Sirius I'm sorry. Sirius this is my fault. Siris this is the end. Sirius don't play the hero. So much but all futile in the crowd of death eaters in numbers she has never seen before that charge towards them. She wants to say it but holds her mouth.
Inside she runs, scraping her bare feet on sticks and rocks, her dress tearing. A glance backwards and she sees a crowd of death eaters like never before.
Lord Voldemort stands at the lead of this death parade holding up Kreatcher and snaps his neck. Maxima fights the urge to pill sick all over the forest, he hadn't done anything wrong, his only crime listening to her.
The Dark Lord sure loved an entrance, and always one involving death. He was like an orchestra conductor instructing all his, likely imperious, instruments to play. They chanted, loud Mors Omnibus, again and again. Death to all. She was sure it wasn't a metaphor. They chanted to her death. Mors omnibus.
"Sirius black you fool, you could've been great but now you will be nothing more than dead" The dark lord sneered unleashing a spell "sectumsempra" Maxima shoves Sirius out of the way but doesn't manage to avoid the spell herself.
"Stupid girl, its not your turn yet" Voldemort hisses and Maxima laughs, she laughs as blood trails down the open wounds, as flows through her nose onto her face. She knows she sounds insane, she feels insane.
"you saved my life" Sirius sounds shocked and far off, the dark lord has no interest in him, and she has already waved from him not to engage in this. This was her fight.
"Maxima potter, this is the final time" she almost laughs, a big bad guy but it is her, a child to escapes his grasp.
"I will come back and kill you" he glares at her.
They get closer and closer and she can hear the Latin chats. Long live Lord Voldemort.
She has never been so scared. She falls to her knees, breath short. Smoke clogs her lungs and she struggles to stand.
"You coward. Come for what you desire" She screams as he points his wand at Sirius, she knows this is her last stand, perhaps the very last stand against him. I'm going to die. Is all she can think and a small part of her is relieved to finally rest.
Mors omnibus. Mors omnibus. Mors omnibus. They chant, they scream- death to all. It is an army, they're stares are vacant but they are sure in whatever mission Vomdemeort will ask of them. They will execute it, to their final breath.
"AVADA" he screams flourishing his wand but she deflects the spell, she wouldn't go down easily.
"Cofringo" she sends back, and the spell it hits its target moving him back a few feet. He growls the sound of a monster, the sound of something belonging deep in hell.
Lord Voldemort stands, no more than skin over bone, cloaked in black holding Dumbledore's wand.
"You think you're a match for the elder wand." He looks at her incredulously, and she knows what he sees. A simple young girl, who by sheer dumb luck has survived until now. But she is not a master of death, and he will destroy her.
"Verdimillious Uno" she attacks but he deflects the spell, swiftly and easily.
"No matter how many you kill you'll always be a child scared of being alone" She places up a violet shield sweat beading on her brow stinging as it hits her cuts.
"Just how many of your followers are imperialized. Poor unliked Tom riddle had to Imperious himself friends" she taunted him and he hissed throwing spell after spell but in his anger he is slow, and she has been trained well.
"Snape taught you to fight" he snarled angrily at the betrayal, and you killed him "ferrum" she casts and he is shocked when it hits him the blast, the bastard.
"Diffendo" he curses and the spell hits her hard, blood pours on the sleeve of her nightgown and drips down her fingertips. The spell lacerates her body opening old wounds, of which she had many. She can see Sirius in the corner of her eye donning his wand, she shakes her head.
"SECTUMSEMPRA" Voldemort screams " you filth don't deserve a quick end. I'll have you begging for it" He growls, and she despite being convinced of his words replies, "I don't fear death and I don't fear you. I will not beg for my life or death". He doesn't reply.
"Crucio" he casts angrily his red eyes blazing. it is pain like she has never felt, pain that makes her eyes turn white. Her blood boils and blood from her wounds that touches her skin causes burns. even her cold magic can't cool the boil. But she doesn't scream. She knew that she had that power, not to show him how much he was hurting her.
"CRUCIO" he casts again but she is prepared; occluding the best she wall of bricks. One by one with no way out, it is secure and her mind her shielded. She is hidden behind a wall of bricks. And pain doesn't reach her.
Crucio a Thursday time and it shatters her mind wards. She screams a sound she had never before, the pain is would deep. It is like he is tearing the very essence of her being.
"You would I have been a great soldier by my command stupid girl" She supposes this is respect, this is a compliment if any. She hates that he feels that way, although she is not certain that he does feel.
Sirius steps forward and it is as if time slows. He moves forward and the vial containing the potion he slams to the groundbreaking the glass.
"NO SIRIUS" she screams but it is too late. She barely turns back to Voldemort before his final curse hits her in the chest.
AVADA KADAVRA he screams and the spell touches the time turner hidden under her shirt and it bounces off. It is as if the magic is alive, cognizant with a mind of its own. It tears through the Dark Lord's chest like the firework leaving a hole when it exits to enter her again.
Voldemort is on his knees. Blood, and an unusual black substances pour from the wound.
As the spell re-enters her chest it hit the time turner and the machine heated, white-hot pain lay where it lay and the dial whirled into action. And finally, she understood, it was her birthday. This is what was bound to happen, what always did happen.
She looked at the fallen figure of Voldemort still barely alive and smiled.
A golden protective field wrapped around her as the turner spun and spun and spun. A fail-safe only in her death would it work.
"We will meet again riddle" she spoke, and the dark lord sends her a smile before he aimed his wand.
"Avada kavra" he spoke in barely a whisper, the sound of a dead man. But it was enough and Sirius who had been smiling at him fell to his knees the life drained out of him.
Maxima Screamed but it did not matter, the sands of time rose high around her spinning fast her faster until she could not see. She felt something tug at her core, pulling her through time and then she was gone.
She landed on the center foyer of some large house. She screams at the realization that her body is that of a child, the same dark hair and thin limbs of Maxima potter but a child. She is covered in blood, and dirt, sweat and grime. She tries to locate where she is, had something gone wrong. She knew that horrible things could happen when messing with time.
She peeled the time turner, destroyed, from her bloody flesh. There was no going back or forward now, this was truly the last chance.
A boy raced down the steps, Dark hair and circular glasses rested on his nose he observed her.
"Harry" she whispered the same face she recognized stood before her. He raised an eyebrow and then crouched to put a blood-caked strand of her hair behind her ear. Tears glistened his eyes.
"Bloody Hell" he swore before screaming,
"MUUMM DAAAAD GETT HERE NOW FIRE" Maxima looked around, not fire please no fire. Her heartbeat like a bird was trapped in her ribcage and it was beating itself to death.
He shrugged as his own words "they'll run faster" she understood this was no atypical behaviour for the boy.
She smiled gratefully "welcome home Max, I've been twinless for too long". She thinks she likes that sound of that. Home.
Then the world went black. That was James Potter and She was finally home.