"This is dangerous," Catherine whispered, even as she hugged Cliodhna tighter.
"I know," Cliodhna blinked back tears and let her mother hold her for a long moment. "But I'm worried about Harry."
"You saw him?" Catherine pulled back slightly to look her in the eye. "When?"
"A month ago," Cliodhna bit her lip and looked away from her mother's gaze, letting her arms fall to her sides. "We should," she glanced around at the trees around them. "We should go somewhere and talk about it." Catherine saw how Cliodhna looked around warily at everything, how hard her eyes were, and nodded, letting Cliodhna take her hand and Apparate them to a dark alley in a dark town.
"There's a pub up this way," Cliodhna said softly. "It's very quiet, very out of the way, very Muggle," she shrugged at her mother. "They won't be at risk if," she trailed off and nearly jumped when Catherine put her hand on her shoulder.
"Lead the way," Catherine said softly.
They ordered pints and sat in the corner near the front of the pub away from the very small, very dirty window and after casually assuring her mother that no one could hear them (even without waving her hand), Cliodhna started telling her, very briefly, about how she had seen Harry, Hermione, and Ron at Luna Lovegood's house. "Do you know anything about the Deathly Hallows?"
Catherine tapped her pint glass with her wedding band as she thought. "Outside of what you know, that it's a wizarding fairy tale?" She shook her head, "No, I don't."
"Harry said to ask you," Cliodhna frowned. "He said," she shook her head. "But he knew you were Muggleborn, so why," she trailed off and picked up her pint to take a small sip.
Catherine cleared her throat, "Dumbledore met with me before he," she saw the flash of anger in Cliodhna's eyes. "Before he was killed," she dipped her chin slightly. "He told me that Harry would know what to do, that we'd have to trust him -"
"But the Deathly Hallows," Cliodhna shook her head. "I'm worried he's lost the thread," she glanced down at her hands that were gripping her glass and released them to rest on the grimy table. "He said they were real, mum," she looked back up at her. "I went to Grimmauld Place to look for a book about it, but there was nothing there. And if the Blacks didn't have any books about them being real, in that awful library of theirs," she shrugged.
Catherine watched Cliodhna for a long moment, "So what are you thinking?"
"He wanted me to ask you," she tilted her head slightly. "What else did Dumbledore tell you?"
Catherine got the feeling that Cliodhna wasn't asking out of sheer curiosity. "That Harry should trust himself, that he would know, in the end, what he had to do," Catherine swallowed. "That he should trust Ron and Hermione to help him. That the fewer people who knew -"
"And you don't know what they're doing?" Cliodhna's voice was hard.
"No," Catherine let out a breath, clearly frustrated that she was as in the dark as Cliodhna. "I don't. And I don't have enough information to guess," she shook her head slightly. "Dumbledore was a secretive man. Even before," she swallowed thickly again. "Even in the last war. He didn't tell us much."
Cliodhna nodded, her eyes flashing for a moment before she took another sip of beer. "That's why I want to save Sirius."
Catherine jumped in her seat as though she'd been prodded, "What?"
"I'm going to break into the Ministry," Cliodhna said, her voice eerily calm. "And I'm going to bring Sirius back out from beyond the veil. And I'm going to tell Harry that Sirius is back, to focus his attention on the task at hand. Not on the Deathly Hallows," she watched her mother closely. "Real or not, we are running out of time and we need Harry to focus." She closed her eyes briefly, "He looked so wild, so in pain," she trailed off.
How you look, Catherine wanted to say. If Harry looked anything like what Cliodhna looked like…
"Well, when are we breaking into the Ministry?" Catherine asked.
"Soon," Cliodhna tapped her pint glass with her nail. "Very soon."
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In the weeks since Cliodhna had seen Harry he haunted her dreams and her waking hours - the wildness of his bright green eyes when he mentioned the Deathly Hallows, the hollowness of his face. Hermione had looked no better, as thin and sallow as she knew she must have looked to Ben, but she also recognized the worry in Hermione's face, for Harry. That was what pushed her to risk going back to Grimmauld Place, to reach out to her mother.
That, and the dreams she'd been having of Sirius awake beyond the veil, yelling himself hoarse, waiting for someone to answer him, to rescue him.
She wondered why her mother hadn't put up a fight about breaking into the Ministry to rescue Sirius, hadn't even pushed Cliodhna to explain herself. Was it because Cliodhna herself looked as wild and distraught as Harry? Did Catherine see Cliodhna the same way Cliodhna saw Harry?
Cliodhna looked out over the misty loch in northern Scotland where she was camping for a few days, unable to see the tree-lined shore on the other side because the mist was so thick. She felt unmoored, untethered to anything and everything. Maybe saving Sirius from wherever he was trapped would help both her and Harry.
She ran a hand over her face and pushed her beanie further up her head, feeling too warm even in the chilly, misty air. She left her mother, telling her she'd meet her in two weeks to go over her plan. They'd need a distraction to get as many people out of the Ministry and as many Snatchers and Death Eaters as they could as far away from London.
And what was a better distraction than another sighting of Undesirable Number 3, Cliodhna Quick herself?
The Prophet and the Wizarding Radio had been writing and talking about her for weeks after the incident at the Lovegood's house. Thankfully they still didn't know her hair was two different colors; the picture of her in the Prophet was still the one of her at the National Quidditch Team signing. Cliodhna knew Luna hadn't been returned to her father and spent several days throwing her magic into the ward around Malfoy Manor, hoping to one day, maybe, break her friend (and whoever else was there) out.
Even Potterwatch talked about Cliodhna, but in the sense that she had taken down several Death Eaters on her own, that she wasn't the wild threat she was being made out to be, but a part of the resistance. Cliodhna had tried not to tear up at the voice of her brother and her friends saying that she was giving everyone hope.
How could she give others hope when she had so little hope of her own?
She took a deep breath and looked out over the loch again, suddenly itching to dive into the dark, cold water to clear her head so she could focus on the task at hand.
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"You've been living in a houseboat?" Cliodhna's lips twitched when she saw her mother step out of the door of a dingy, rundown looking houseboat.
"Welcome to Little Venice," her father's voice rumbled from behind Catherine as he popped his head out of the door and Cliodhna leapt over the small guardrail of the boat and threw herself into her father's arms. "Oof," he grumbled with a watery laugh and hugged Cliodhna as tightly as he could through her thick jumper and black leather jacket. "Missed you too, love."
"Dad," she whispered and Angus felt tears drop onto his neck and rubbed her back soothingly.
"Let's get inside," Catherine said gently, putting a hand on Cliodhna's back as she looked up and down the sidewalk cautiously, despite knowing that no one could see them through their various wards and Charms.
Cliodhna let her parents ply her with food and water, talking about how everyone in the Order was, what they were doing, what living in a houseboat was like, and Cliodhna couldn't help the small smiles that lit up her face, her eyes wide and clear as she tracked their every movement as they flitted around the magically-enlarged houseboat. They didn't ask how she was or if she was eating, and although their worry was palpable when she saw their occasional frowns or furrowed brows, she was thankful they didn't verbally express their concern for her.
"Might have to keep this after," Angus sighed as he leaned back in his chair. "Rather like the idea of living at sea -"
"She's not seaworthy," Catherine rolled her eyes and Cliodhna bit her lip to keep from laughing.
"That's what the magic's for," Angus scoffed and leaned over to kiss Catherine's temple. "We'll fix her up nice, send her across the Channel."
"We'll need a bigger, different boat for sea journeys," Catherine protested again and glanced at Cliodhna. "You'll have to learn how to drive a boat -"
"A sail boat then," Angus clapped his hands together. "Won't even need an engine, just sails, the winds at our back -"
"Merlin, have you been reading Hemingway again?"
Cliodhna choked on her water, "How did he get his hands on Hemingway?"
"Nicked it from a pub," Angus grinned. "It's awful, I absolutely hated it, but to be on a fishing boat and smoke cigars and drink -"
"Enough," Catherine shook her head. "It was bad enough when Fitz was obsessed with Hemingway, thankfully only for a month. Absolutely horrid. Wouldn't shut up about the blasted man."
Cliodhna let out a true, genuine laugh, and let her parents continue to banter as she ate another bite of the stew Angus had made.
Eventually, Catherine and Angus looked to Cliodhna for her plan to rescue Sirius and distract the Ministry. She was surprised that Angus didn't argue, as he had always been more open about his disappointment that he couldn't protect Cliodhna, but aside from the obvious worry and pain in his dark green eyes, he said nothing.
"You really think you can use your powers to get Sirius out?" Catherine asked gently.
"Worth a try, innit?" Cliodhna shrugged before frowning and glancing between her parents. "I've been," she swallowed. "He's been in my dreams. Shouting and crying out for someone to rescue him," she stared at her mother. "I have to try."
"And the distraction?" Angus asked. "How are you going to be in two places at once?"
"I'm going to trap some Snatchers," her voice was nonchalant but her eyes glittered.
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Cliodhna got "sloppy", leaving clues of where she was for days leading up to the moment when she and Catherine were going to break into the Ministry. Angus would be hidden in plain sight outside the Ministry to warn them (through a coin that he Charmed for all three of them) if and when people were returning to the Ministry. Catherine got in touch with Potterwatch and told them when to talk about Cliodhna's whereabouts so it coincided with the "clues" she was leaving for Snatchers and Death Eaters, in case they found out how to tap into the resistance's radio.
She was leading them to a bit of wood along the edge of the Cairngorms, not too far from Hogsmeade and Hogwarts that it was unlikely she'd be staying there to be close to the castle and her former mates, but far enough away that the students wouldn't be lying when they'd say they hadn't seen her. It was far enough from any Muggle settlements, and Cliodhna had warded it against any Muggles stumbling upon it before and after the Snatchers were trapped there.
Because as soon as any wizard or witch stumbled into the bit of wood, they'd be trapped for a few hours, depending on how many others came to help them, and depending on how good they were at magic.
It was so easy, too easy, to lure the Snatchers there that Cliodhna wondered why she hadn't done this before, hadn't lured Death Eaters into a trap only to kill -
She shuddered as she twisted her hand so an illusion of her, without her new white hair, was running towards the wooded area, the faux-Cliodhna's face fearful at being caught.
She'd had more thoughts of hurting and killing Death Eaters, beyond the more frequent desire to destroy Snape, Bellatrix, and Vol- He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named (for she still didn't even dare think his name in fear of the Taboo) because of the very dark magic books she'd read at Grimmauld Place. When she went to look for information about the Deathly Hallows, she also looked for information about the Veil, and while there was nothing explicit, it was obvious that dark magic was woven into the Veil itself and therefore she'd have to use dark magic to break it open.
Something she would not (could not) confess to her mother. It was a risk she was willing to take, letting her power come close to dark magic, and while she tried not to fear her dark thoughts, it was hard to stop them. Especially when it would be so very, very easy -
She shook her head again and looked around the wood, satisfied that this would keep some lower level Death Eaters and Snatchers occupied for a few hours. The last piece of her trap would be set when she would set out a flare of her lightning, a beacon of sorts, up into the sky, not far from her trap, knowing that Snatchers had been close to the area for at least the last several hours looking for her.
It was time. With a grimace, she opened a palm and let loose a bolt of lightning towards the sky.
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"Did it work?" Catherine breathed into her ear when Cliodhna met her a block away from the Ministry.
"You tell me," Cliodhna jerked her head and they saw five men in dark robes Apparate in the dark, swirling clouds the Death Eaters favored. They felt the coins warm and then instantly cool in their pockets; Angus letting them know the coast was clear and it was time to break into the Ministry.
It was Sunday at 11pm and no one - or at least very few people - should be in the Ministry, but that didn't mean it would be easy. Catherine and Cliodhna were ready to stun and Obliviate anyone they came across. Cliodhna touched the Norwegian coin on the chain around her neck for a long moment: she wanted everyone to stay inside and remain safe while she and her mother broke into the Ministry.
Catherine nodded her head and pulled her hooded cloak further over her face; she had refused the Polyjuice potion Angus (and Cliodhna) wanted her to take, arguing that it was better for Sirius to see both of their true faces; who knew what his mental state would be after being beyond the Veil for over a year. Before they walked towards the Ministry, Cliodhna pressed the stolen wand into Catherine's hand. "Here," she whispered. "For Sirius. Stole it off a Snatcher a while back. Don't bother," she added with a hiss. "I'm fine. But he'll need a wand to get out and hopefully it'll work well enough."
Catherine nodded grimly and shoved the wand in her pocket before they hurried towards the Ministry, remaining in the shadows. They slipped into the Ministry unseen and took the lifts to the Department of Mysteries.
Catherine noticed her daughter clenching and unclenching her fists, her wand nowhere to be seen, and knew that she was likely fighting the memories she had from their last time being down in the bowels of the Ministry: Sirius (seemingly) dying, fighting Death Eaters, facing the Dark Lord, exploding in electricity. It couldn't have been easy for Cliodhna to be down here, Catherine knew, but she had to focus on the task at end: getting them all out of the Ministry.
"Do you know where -" Catherine whispered, but Cliodhna simply pulled open the lift door and without even looking to make sure no one was there, stalked down the dark tiled hallway, electricity crackling at her fingertips. Catherine raised her wand and followed her daughter's confident footsteps.
Ignore that door, Cliodhna thought to herself as they passed the door to whatever remained of the Hall of Prophecies. Whatever Druid prophecies were left were of no use to her now, for what good did hearing a prophecy ever do for anyone? It made Harry more secretive, more nervous; Cliodhna already knew more than she wanted from the centaurs.
Not that door either, she thought as they passed another door. She was glad her mother didn't ask how she knew where to go because she wasn't sure herself, it was just a tug, in the palm of her hand, pulling her towards Sirius.
Sirius was in there, she knew, waiting for them to help him.
"Here," she whispered and twisted her hand in front of her, the door opening slowly, a flat, stale breeze floating past them as though it had been waiting to escape this room for a very long time. Cliodhna shuddered but stepped through the door.
The Veil fluttered in that unnerving breeze, mocking Cliodhna and Catherine as they walked towards it. Without turning around, Cliodhna raised her hand behind her and turned her wrist to ensure the door stayed open.
"Do you hear that?" Catherine whispered as she stood still mere feet from the Veil, her body leaning towards it. "What is that?"
"Sirius," Cliodhna responded softly; it was the same faint screams she'd heard in her dreams. She took her mother's hand for a moment and squeezed it, "Remember," Cliodhna said seriously. "No matter what happens, no matter what you see or what I say, don't let go of your magic on me until Sirius is out."
She could see in her mother's eyes that she wanted to argue, but she held her tongue and nodded, stepping to the side of Cliodhna and letting a rope shoot out of her wand to wrap around Cliodhna's waist.
"Ready?" Cliodhna asked and before Catherine could answer, Cliodhna raised both of her hands towards the Veil and let her electricity explode out of her hands to incinerate the curtain of the Veil, cracking some of the stone archway. She heard Catherine take an inhale of breath but she ignored it and with a deep breath, let her electricity die down and focused on Sirius' shouts which were louder and clearer now. As quickly as she could, she wandlessly sliced her palm open and let the droplets of blood land on the broken stone of the Veil.
"What are you -" Catherine's voice was loud and shocked, but Cliodhna ignored her, closing her eyes and reached again, palms outstretched, towards the open archway. Her magic thrummed inside her, wanting to be unleashed. She focused on her blood on the stone, on Sirius' cries that were even louder now, and let her magic erupt out of her, tendrils of white hot magic emerging from her palms and disappearing into the Veil. Cliodhna staggered slightly, losing her footing, but felt the rope around her waist tighten slightly. "Hold on," Catherine ground out tightly from beside her.
Cliodhna opened her eyes to see her blood had sizzled out from the stone and sent a few more droplets out onto the stone, letting the dark magic she'd stolen from the ward around the Manor into the tendrils, turning them inky black for a moment. She clenched her jaw, forcing her mind to focus on the task at hand - rescuing Sirius - and not on her raging desire to destroy everyone and everything around her.
"Hold on," Catherine said again, but her voice sounded far away, as if she were in another room and not right beside her.
Sirius' shouts were louder, distinct words now, "Over here," he seemed to shout. Cliodhna's hands twitched and electricity fluttered at her fingertips, turning the tendrils white again.
"Here," Catherine said, her voice louder now and Cliodhna felt a wave of unknown magic wash over her, wrapping itself around the white tendrils.
Cliodhna bent her knees slightly, hunkering down as the tendrils went taut, and with one final pulse of electricity she pulled back the tendrils of magic, nearly falling back on her arse as she let out a guttural scream.
Sirius lay panting on the ground, his grey eyes wide, staring up at Cliodhna and Catherine, "You heard me," he breathed before he fell unconscious.
Catherine took a step towards Sirius before she turned to Cliodhna who swayed slightly and caught her before she fell to the ground as well. The rope fell away and Catherine helped Cliodhna to sit. "Check him," Cliodhna breathed and pulled two vials out of the pocket of her cloak. "Make him drink this," she handed Catherine one before she tossed back her own and stood up shakily.
"Sit down and rest," Catherine started to admonish her but felt the coin heat up in her pocket and cursed. "We've got to go before they find us -"
"Got to destroy this," Cliodhna argued and with a tilt of her head, she let the electricity erupt out of her hands and the stone archway cracked so loudly the entire room shook. "Now we should go," Cliodhna reached towards Sirius just as his eyes opened in shock.
"Klee? Catherine?" He looked bewildered at them, "What happened?"
"Later," Catherine said and pulled him on his feet. "Here," she thrust a wand in his hand. "We've got to move."
Cliodhna led them out of the room, pausing briefly to send another bolt of electricity towards the fallen arch before she closed the door behind them. "I'll distract them," Cliodhna said as she caught up to her mother and Sirius. "Once we're in the Atrium, you take the Floo and I'll -"
"You're coming with us," Catherine's voice was hard, her brown eyes fierce. "You've used too much energy -"
"No," Cliodhna said firmly and tilted her head towards Sirius. "We need him," she pulled the lift door shut. "Harry needs him."
"What is," Sirius licked his lips. "How did you do that?" Sirius pointed at the hall behind them. "You're," his eyes turned to Cliodhna. "How -"
"Later," Cliodhna patted his arm. "Mum will explain -"
"We can both -"
They felt the coins heat up again and Cliodhna shook her head. As they got closer to the Atrium, they heard footsteps and Cliodhna stood in front of the lift door. "Get ready to stun," she said to them both. "Get to the Floo," she said softly to Catherine. "You know what to do. Dad will find you -"
"You'll come and see us -"
"Later," Cliodhna didn't let her finish. "If I can -"
"Cliodhna," Catherine's voice was hoarse but she didn't press as Cliodhna turned to look back at her mother. Catherine saw the determination there, had seen how Cliodhna had used blood magic to save Sirius and knew there was no arguing with her daughter. "Send a Patronus," she whispered and with a nod, Cliodhna opened the lift door and ran out of it without another glance back, making as much noise as possible. Catherine dragged Sirius the opposite direction towards the Floo before they could close them.
Cliodhna grinned wildly at the handful of Death Eaters that were running around the Atrium and with a yell let out a bolt of electricity up towards the ceiling, drawing attention to herself.
"The mutant," someone shouted and pointed his wand at her, the others doing the same. She could see more Death Eaters running towards the doors, trying to get inside but with a flick of her wrist she locked all the doors and let out a laugh.
"Miss me?" She sent another bolt of electricity towards the ceiling. "Thought I'd wreck the place one more time." She laughed wildly when she saw someone wave their wand at her from the corner of her eye and without even moving her hand the wizard flew up into the air as though pulled by an invisible string, his wand clattering to the ground. "I'm not in the mood for games today, boys," she crowed. "You tell your master that you couldn't even catch me in the Ministry," she flicked her wrist to unlock the doors. "He'll be most displeased," she reprimanded them and before the Death Eaters from outside could wave their wands at her, she let her electricity form a circle around her and touched her earring thinking Portus and letting it take her away.
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Cliodhna landed in the same field she'd landed in months ago after Bill and Fleur's wedding, but this time she didn't lay there for long and in a second jumped up and Apparated away to Hogsmeade, letting the Caterwauling Charm go on for a moment before she Apparated away again to the loch in Northern Scotland, catching her breath for one more minute before she Apparated away one last time to a deserted street in Inverness.
She hunched over, hands on her knees, to take several deep gulps of air before she pulled her cloak off and opened her extended bag to shove it inside and silently Accioed the leather jacket she'd bought at a charity shop the month before. She tugged it on over her thin jumper and tousled her hair before reaching in to grab her blackwatch plaid scarf and hung it open around her neck. With another deep breath she walked to the main road to look for a pub.
She needed a drink.
Several drinks.
She caught her reflection in one of the dark windows of an empty shop and stopped to run her fingers through her hair: was more of it white? She turned her head slightly to get a better look, but it was hard to tell; whereas before it was a distinct line around her ears where the white stopped, it looked like the white portion had gotten even bigger. Had she really done such big magic today rescuing Sirius?
She turned away from the window and smiled slightly; they saved Sirius. He was now with Catherine and Angus on the houseboat in Little Venice, sitting around the kitchen table, talking about what was beyond the Veil and how Sirius could help Harry. Cliodhna hoped Catherine had sent a Patronus to Ben immediately so he could announce it on Potterwatch. She wondered if she should send a Patronus to Harry…
Cliodhna looked up at the old, faded, wooden sign of The Rose & the Crown above a small, very dirty window and pressed her lips together tightly to keep from smiling at how perfect this pub looked. She just needed a finger - or two - of Scottish whisky, and to ask about any open B&Bs that still had beds available at this hour.
No one paid her any mind when she walked, running a hand through her hair, and took a seat at the small bar. The bartender, an older man with thick glasses nodded at her. "Whisky, please," Cliodhna asked, her voice low.
"Jus' gettin' ta town?" He asked as a way of conversation but Cliodhna knew she clearly didn't look like a local lass.
"Yea," she nodded. "Hitched a ride," she shrugged and took a sip of the whisky he sat in front of her. "Anywhere still open I can find a bed?"
"Blackfriars House," the man pointed behind her. "Up the road a few yards. I'll ring Iona an' tell her yer comin', shall I?"
"Please," Cliodhna finished her whisky. "That'd be lovely. One more, if you wouldn't mind," she tapped her glass and pulled out some Muggle money to lay on the counter. "Then I'll be out of your way," she smiled at the man and accepted her glass of whisky.
Iona was nearly asleep on her feet and Cliodhna thanked her again and again for being so accommodating and demanded to pay up front for the two nights she'd be staying. "I'll probably sleep through the day," she warned the woman when she accepted her key.
"You young people always do," Iona smiled sleepily and pointed Cliodhna to the stairs.
Cliodhna barely had her shoes off before she fell asleep on the bed, not even bothering to take her clothes off.
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Cliodhna jolted awake and looked around the room, confused as to where she was. The Muggle alarm clock read 18:52 and Cliodhna threw herself back down onto the small mattress as it all came rushing back to her: breaking into the Ministry, saving Sirius, Apparating across the entire damn island to Inverness. She ran a hand over her face and grimaced. She needed a shower and she needed to send some Patronuses.
Her hair was more white she noticed when she looked in the mirror. More than half of it was now that same bright white and Cliodhna sighed; the Centaurs had said when she was fully white she'd be at the height of her powers. Whatever that meant.
She listened to the wireless in the bath, hoping for Potterwatch but instead all she got was "news" that the mutant girl had once again broken into the Ministry and destroyed the atrium. She really was an absolute menace.
Cliodhna eventually emerged from her room and grinned at Iona at the front desk. "Where's the best place for a quiet dinner?"
"Quiet?" Iona chuckled. "Nowhere is quiet, not at this time," she smiled. "You know the Rose & the Crown have the best whisky on the street," she nodded up the road. "But you'll get better food at the Hatter next door. Just don't tell Johnny I said tha'."
"Secret's safe with me," Cliodhna attempted a smile and left.
Cliodhna knew she shouldn't stay in Inverness for more than one night, but she was still bloody tired and had to recuperate her energy and her magic even though she'd barely used any since she'd landed in Inverness. Death Eaters and Snatchers may be on the lookout for her, but they were down in the wood closer to Hogsmeade, not up here.
Cliodhna ate her fish and chips in silence, being as alert as possible in the crowded, very loud pub. Her head throbbed from the noise; she was still bloody exhausted and wanted to sleep for another 12 hours. As she was eating her last few chips drowned in malt vinegar, she felt as though someone was staring at her. Slowly raising her eyes to the bar she saw a man with a hat pulled down low over his face staring at her over his pint; when she caught him his eyes darted away. She looked further down the bar and saw another man staring at her over his pint glass; when he was caught, he winked at her.
They were Muggles. Muggles who were not used to seeing a young woman they didn't know, alone, in Inverness. She gulped down the rest of her lager and left more than enough Muggle pounds on the table, shrugged her leather jacket back on, and felt even more eyes on her as she left the pub.
She shivered as soon as she stepped outside onto the cold, dark street, and surreptitiously looked around her. She didn't see anyone, but she felt as though someone was watching her, and Muggle or not, she suddenly no longer felt safe in Inverness.
"Ya lost, lass?" A gruff voice said from behind her and Cliodhna turned her head slightly to the left and clenched her fists, careful to keep her electricity hidden.
"No," her voice didn't waver.
"Ya're no' from a'roun' here, lass," the man continued. It wasn't a question but he waited as though he expected an answer. She saw another man walking up behind him and bit the inside of her cheek. She didn't have time for this.
"We be happy ta take ya ta -"
"No," Cliodhna's voice was low. She stopped walking and turned to face the men, now aware that there were two more men watching from outside the pub she'd just left.
"Come on, lass," the man stepped into the dim light from the street lamp.
Cliodhna wanted nothing more than to send a lightning bolt into these men so they'd never again corner a woman, but she shook that thought out of her head, she had to overcome these violent thoughts -
That was, until a man reached for her arm from behind her and she swung around her to punch him square in the nose.
"Bloody 'ell -" another man shouted as he moved to help his stumbling friend.
Cliodhna tried not to look too frantic as she glanced around at the men that were now all coming towards her; she didn't hear the awful words and names they were saying to her. With a twist of her wrist, the street lamps went out and the men stopped moving. She knew it was illegal to do magic in front of Muggles, but if they didn't know it was magic…
Dark clouds covered the street to block out the lights from the pub window and to keep everyone inside as Cliodhna nearly-growled out, "You should have let me be."
"Wha' goin' on, Horace?"
"Cannae bloody see -"
"Tha' lass is a demon, I tell ya -"
Cliodhna tried not to smile as she barely electrocuted the group of men that were around her on the street and their screams filled her ears. "Teach you not to harass women again," she snarled and she reached for her wand to help her Obliviate her face out of their memories. "You'll remember what happened here," she said softly to them as they all fell to the ground. "But not me."
With another twist of her wrist the clouds were gone; she tried not to sway as a sudden tiredness fell over her: she'd done too much too soon after saving Sirius. She hurried up the street to the bed and breakfast before she let the street lamps come back on and she heard someone stumble out of the pub to help the men on the ground.
Cliodhna smiled at Iona, "I won't be staying tonight, sorry."
"Oh, lass, are ya sure -"
"Got to continue on my way, I'm afraid," Cliodhna handed the older woman her key, her hand shaking slightly and handed her an extra few Muggle pounds. "Thanks for everything."
"There's no trains -"
"I'll be alright, thanks," Cliodhna smiled and nearly ran out of the house.
What had she done? She enjoyed hurting those men. She could have hurt them more, she knew, but she -
She shook her head and once she found a deserted alleyway she Apparated with a CRACK!
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Cliodhna slept fitfully that night and long into the next day. She set up her 'camp' along the stone wall of a sheep farm not far from Inverness; she'd been too tired and drained to Apparate very far. She woke up constantly, every sound causing her hands to thrum weakly with electricity, her heart to beat too wildly. She knew she needed to sleep for longer than an hour at a time so she could get out of Scotland, but what had happened in Inverness kept her on edge.
When her stomach growled later that day and she knew she wouldn't be able to nap for a while, she sent a Patronus to her mum to tell her she was okay. It took several tries for her Patronus to take shape and her hope of sending one to Harry to tell him Sirius was alive was clearly not an option at the moment.
She fell back asleep as soon as her Patronus was gone.
And woke up to her mother's fox Patronus trotting around her head. Sirius is safe with us. Sent a Patronus to Harry. Waiting for a reply. Is this a new Patronus?
Cliodhna blinked. A new Patronus? She grabbed her wand out of her pocket and tried again and again to think of a happy enough thought to conjure a Patronus to no avail. Grumbling she stood up and waved her wand for everything to fall into her bag. She needed to keep moving.
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Cliodhna didn't stop moving for a week, traveling the Muggle way to get out of Scotland and further south, back towards London. She no longer felt safe in cities - or rather, she didn't trust herself in cities. She had electrocuted those men so easily -
She camped in woods and at the edge of farms, stopping only briefly in pubs to have a pint and a bit of food before she was off again. She was exhausted, and she knew she was losing weight, but she couldn't stop moving. She kept looking over her shoulder, sure that Snatchers or Death Eaters were close to catching her. She'd rescued Sirius, had been seen in the Ministry, had set up a trap in the woods in Scotland. She could only imagine how furious that made Voldemort and his followers.
As she got closer to London she panicked and took the first train she could purchase a ticket for, not caring where it was going. She knew she was losing her mind and needed to sleep on a bed somewhere safe, but she didn't want to put anyone at risk. She was desperate to see Sirius but knew the houseboat wasn't big enough for them all, nor was it worth the risk of drawing the attention of Death Eaters or Snatchers again. She threw on Muggle headphones she bought at the train station last week and turned on the Wizarding Wireless, Charmed to look like a Muggle AM/FM portable radio.
'- and our sources say that Sirius Black has returned. Take it from us, wizards and witches, the man is not dangerous, is he Rapier?
That's right, River. I've met the man meself and he's on our side. He's Potter's godfather for Godric's sake!
But he was in Azkaban for 12 years -
Wrongly accused! It was Peter Pettigrew who gave away the Potters' location, and it was Pettigrew who murdered 12 Muggles and cut off his own finger to frame Sirius Black.
Helluva story -
And it's all true. And now he's back and helping our side. We don't know where he's been since he escaped Azkaban, but we're glad he's here.
And now to Royal with the question on everyone's mind, how did Cliodhna Quick escape Death Eaters a second time? From the Ministry no less! And why was she there?
And do you think she was the one who burned the Muggles Records Room which helped save countless Muggleborns -
Rapier, River, how are you?'
Cliodhna bit her lip to keep from laughing out loud at Kingsley attempting to stop Fred and Lee from continuing with their questions.
'I don't want to be one to speculate, do you? There were reports, as you know, that Ms. Quick was hiding out in the wilds of Scotland, and it seemed like Snatchers and Death Eaters were converging there to capture her -
Tons of them for one small little witch! And they didn't even catch -
Must have been a good trap or they really are stu -
Instead she was seen in the Ministry again, but managed to escape before she was caught -
She's really embarrassing them, isn't she?'
Cliodhna recognized Ben's voice now.
'I mean, there were reports she caught two Death Eaters who were after her herself and left them for someone else to fid, then set a trap just so she could get into the Ministry, it's -
Yes.' Kingsley agreed.
'And that's all we have for today -' Cliodhna switched off the wireless and looked out the window. Maybe it was time to see Briony and Henri again.
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"I wanted to send a Patronus," Cliodhna said through the door. "But I couldn't conjure one. You had me eat your ice cream on the beach the first time I visited because you wanted to talk to that lifeguard and -"
"That's enough," Briony hissed as she opened the door and grabbed Cliodhna's arm to pull her through. "Henri doesn't need to know that."
"Actually, I'd love to hear that story," Henri said from behind her and met Cliodhna's eyes with a smile as Briony hugged her tightly.
"Quick," Briony shook her head and pulled away slightly. "You look like you could do with a meal -"
"Or twelve," Cliodhna agreed. "I haven't stopped moving since -"
"Since you broke into the Ministry?" Briony raised a dark red eyebrow. "Come in, we've got plenty of food to heat up."
"I just need a bed for a few days -"
"As many as you need," Briony agreed and handed Cliodhna a glass of red wine as soon as they walked into the kitchen. "Goes well with the roast Henri made earlier."
Cliodhna took a sip of the wine and smiled at her best friend as Henri began to reheat the roast, "Thanks for letting me crash here."
"We're sick of each other anyway," Henri said over her shoulder with a laugh. "Could do with a new person around to talk to."
Briony watched Cliodhna for a moment before she said, "I don't want to assume -
"You know what they say -"
"But I can't help but think you breaking into the Ministry has something to do with this Sirius wizard returning."
"Maybe he was on a nice holiday -"
"Yes," Briony drawled. "While his godson was fighting a war. Definitely a holiday on the continent." Cliodhna pressed her lips tightly together and Briony let out a sardonic chuckle, "Absolutely impossible. I don't even want to know how or why -"
"We're just happy you made it out," Henri interrupted Briony sternly and put the plate of food in front of Cliodhna. "And that you weren't caught."
"And glad you weren't caught at the Lovegoods either," Briony shook her head in disbelief. "Although I'm sure you had a reason to be there."
"I did," Cliodhna grumbled in between bites.
"We're glad you're here, Klee," Henri said gently. "You can stay as long as you want. Rest up and all that -"
"Lots of rest," Briony eyed her best friend carefully. "I think you should have lots of rest."
"Look that bad, do I?" Cliodhna nearly winced at how grumpy she sounded.
"I've known you a long time, Quick," Briony shook her head. "I can tell when you're pushing yourself too much, can't I?" Briony leaned back in her chair. "I know you won't stay here for long, so while you're here, you'll sleep."
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Cliodhna slept. Not well, but better than she had been. Briony and Henri let her sleep through the day as the constant noise of them being in the house seemed more conducive to longer periods of sleep than the random, infrequent noises at night. Cliodhna tried her best to stay awake during the day to chat with her friends, but she was bloody exhausted.
"And not much for conversation anyway," Briony whispered to Henri the second night Cliodhna stayed with them. "I don't like that haunted look in her eyes."
"She's been through a lot -"
"And won't bloody talk about it," Briony huffed before biting her lip.
"What is it?" Henri asked soothingly.
"I'm more worried about her now that I've seen her than I was before," Briony met Henri's amber eyes. "How daft is that?"
Henri put her arms around Briony and held her, "I know, love. You just have to be there for her now and after."
Briony didn't respond and instead let Henri hold her as she closed her eyes and continued to worry about her friend.
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"Another day of rest with us won't hurt you," Henri chided Cliodhna sweetly before she glared at Briony to keep her mouth shut. "We'll have a lovely roast for early Easter tonight before you go."
"I wouldn't mind another roast," Cliodhna sighed and took a sip of her tea; she'd never get sick of Henri's roasts, they were incredible. She glanced at Briony and was glad to see Briony attempting a smile at her as they both probably thought about their whispered conversation the first night about how bloody delicious Henri's roasts were.
"Won't ever be sick of 'em," Briony whispered to Cliodhna now as Henri went to begin preparing for the roast.
They were sitting at the table, drinking another cup of tea, Henri making their roast dinner when Cliodhna sat up perfectly straight, her hazel eyes wide before she shot up from her chair without a word. "What is it?" Briony asked nervously.
"Ron touched his," Cliodhna couldn't finish as she summoned her bag and shoved it in her pocket. "I've got to go -"
"Let me," Briony started but stopped when Cliodhna's eyes snapped to her and flashed white.
"Stay here. Don't go anywhere. Listen to the wireless," she hurried to the door. "I'm going to touch my coin in a minute so everyone knows to stay put."
"But -"
"You're a Muggleborn," Cliodhna snapped. "I won't have them catching you."
Henri reached for Briony's hand, "Be careful, Klee -"
"Always am," Cliodhna flashed them a quick smirk before she snuck out the door in broad daylight and Apparated away. Henri and Briony felt their knickknacks heat up and looked at each other for a moment, both at a loss for words before Henri wrapped her arms around Briony and hugged her tightly.
Cliodhna landed in an empty field.
No one was here.
She looked around wildly and didn't see a tent; this was where Ron had called her. She took a deep breath as she tried to slow down her brain before she began to panic. Where could they -
Hermione.
Hermione had touched her knickknack now and a shiver went down Cliodhna's spine. They were at Malfoy Manor.
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Cliodhna's feet barely touched the ground before she was running through the first faux-ward around the Manor and shot out a huge bolt of electricity at the severely damaged true ward. She saw it fizzle as the already-massive hole she had made months ago grew even bigger, but she didn't stop; she ran through the true ward and hoped alarms went off to alert the Death Eaters inside the Manor to her presence. She ran up the drive, her eyes darting to the windows in the Manor but didn't see anyone; where would they have taken Harry, Hermione, and Ron? Was Voldemort in there?
She saw black, wild hair dart across a window on the ground floor and her face broke into a wild, crazed grin: Bellatrix was there. She was going to kill Bellatrix. Without thinking she threw out her hand and let a bolt of lightning towards the window Bellatrix had just run past. It went through and sent the window shattering along the yard. Cliodhna laughed triumphantly and called out, "Come out and play, Bellatrix!" She needed to distract whoever was in there so Harry, Ron, and Hermione could get away - had they taken their wands? Would they be able to Apparate or Portkey? She hoped they had their own escape plan.
Cliodhna sent another small bolt of lightning through another window as she slowed her pace towards the front door of the Manor and screamed again, "Is no one going to even try to stop me?" Why were they not more concerned that she'd made it through their ward? She sent an even bigger bolt of lightning towards the sky above the Manor and laughed as she watched cracks form in the now-visible ward.
"That's enough," a rough, familiar voice called out from the now-open front door. Cliodhna tilted her head and stared blankly at the hulking figure of Fenrir Greyback as he slowly approached her, licking his canines. "Don't cause anymore trouble and we'll let you see your friends." He didn't notice her eyes flash white as he continued, "You know you can't get past me, little one."
Cliodhna raised an eyebrow and before she could finish saying, "Is that so?" Fenrir dropped to the ground writhing in pain. "Don't underestimate me," she cooed as ropes and chains snaked around him, her hands unmoving at her sides. He was immobile, his eyes wide and his mouth open as if he wanted to call out for help, but no sound came out. With a flick of her hand he flew back into the Manor and hit the wall with a sickening crack. "Now, where's your mistress?" Cliodhna said loud enough for anyone to hear, "Or your Master? I'd be happy to speak with him too."
Don't get caught. The centaurs had told her.
She spared Fenrir one last glance as she walked by him, the sudden urge to maim him or watch him bleed out shuddered through her, but she refrained and instead a piece of thick cloth tied itself around his head. She patted his cheek, "To ensure you keep quiet, dear."
She strolled into the house, wandlessly and wordlessly casting a Homenum Revelio: of course Malfoy Manor had a bloody dungeon. She knew she couldn't conjure a Patronus, but a flying memo like at the Ministry would work as everyone else seemed to be away from the dungeon. She dug through her bag to pull out the other wand she had taken off the Snatchers and let that fly alongside the note.
Get out while I cause a distraction
She hoped whoever was in the dungeon had an idea of how to get out of Malfoy Manor because Apparating was not going to be an option.
She heard a scream come from somewhere on her floor and clenched her fists to keep from exploding before she needed to. She sent another message to the dungeon.
Be ready to grab her and get her out
She opened her bag and pulled out the Portkey she had made for herself, an old, antique key, not unlike the one she'd given to Charlie and Transfigured a chain to fasten it around her neck.
The screaming stopped and Cliodhna took a deep breath and called out loudly, "Didn't any of you notice someone's been chipping away at your wards for months?"
She pushed open the heavy doors of the room she knew someone - probably Hermione based on the scream - was being tortured and before anyone could react she threw lightning in every direction of the room, hoping Hermione was on the ground.
She didn't hear their shouts of pain as she zoned in on Bellatrix and let her lightning focus on the insane woman for a moment longer, throwing a shield around Hermione's prone figure in the center of the room before she threw Bellatrix to the ground, her eyes blazing white. "Don't even think about it," she didn't look at Mr. Malfoy who stood to her right near a window, but her hand stretched out towards him, lightning crackling along her fingertips.
"Do something," Bellatrix hissed. "She'll tire soon," she let out a cackle before Cliodhna's lightning wrapped itself around her tightly and pinned her to the wall; she stopped laughing.
"New trick," she tilted her head to the side and let her other hand stretch towards Draco. "You like?"
"Call him!" Bellatrix hissed again. "She wouldn't be here unless it truly was the mud -"
The lightning sizzled along Bellatrix's skin and a cruel smile grew on Cliodhna's face. "I wouldn't if I were you," Cliodhna let her eyes flick to Mr. Malfoy. "He'd be so disappointed to know how a little girl managed to completely destroy the wards around your home."
"Impossible," Mr. Malfoy's mouth fell open.
"Have a look," Cliodhna let out a harsh laugh and nodded her head to Mrs. Malfoy. "Go on. There's barely anything left. Been working on it for weeks and no one ever noticed."
"Draco," Bellatrix cried out again. "Call him here! It's Potter in the dungeon -"
"Your cousin Sirius says hello," Cliodhna ignored Bellatrix and hoped that Harry and Ron were coming to get Hermione soon.
The color drained from Bellatrix's face and Mrs. Malfoy gasped, "You brought him back from the -"
"Enough," Mr. Malfoy hissed. "Draco, call him, this must be Potter's girl -"
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Cliodhna seethed and reached her hand out to Draco but the lightning skirted around him and he dodged out of the way. What the bloody -
She didn't notice her lightning had loosened around Bellatrix who managed to grab her wand and send a hex towards Cliodhna. She groaned and quickly sent up a shield around herself before sending several quick bolts of lightning at Bellatrix, one finally catching her long dress and sending her flailing across the floor. "Get down," Cliodhna yelled to Hermione, unsure if she was conscious, as she let loose another huge wave of lightning.
She was panting after a few long moments; she could feel herself losing steam. Bellatrix lay on the floor now, lightning wrapped around her again, but still cackling her maniacal laugh; it took everything in Cliodhna to not kick her in the mouth.
She was ready to tie up the Malfoys like she had Greyback, but when she turned around there was Harry and Ron sending hexes at Draco and Mr. Malfoy and Dobby the house elf running towards Hermione. "Klee!" Ron pointed behind her and Cliodhna saw too late that Bellatrix had managed to put her wand on the Dark Mark on her forearm, her face pulled into an insane grin.
"Get them out," Cliodhna screamed at Dobby, throwing a shield around them all, as Harry and Ron ran the few feet to the still-prone figure of Hermione on the floor, and Dobby Apparated them away. As soon as she heard the crack of the house elf's magic, Cliodhna unleashed herself on the room.
The glass of the windows shattered, the walls of the Manor shuddered beneath the onslaught of lightning and after a moment even Bellatrix was quiet.
Don't get caught.
She knew He was here, in the yard, closing in on the house and she let her lightning reach out to him for a moment before she could feel herself slipping. With one final pulse she reached for the key on her neck and whispered Portus.
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A/N: Whew, I've been nervous about writing that ending for a while because I just wasn't sure how to make it sort of match up to the books while giving Cliodhna something to do without taking away too much from the others. Hermione does get Crucio-ed, but not sliced with the cursed blade and Dobby doesn't die. And saving Sirius was a last minute decision I made when I was finishing up the last chapter because I just missed the guy so much.
I wonder where Cliodhna could have Portkeyed to! :)
Reviews are much appreciated :)