Title: Al Rubio Moreno
Chapter Sixteen: The War's Landmark
To see the Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore walking briskly down the corridor, was a frightening yet exciting experience. His feet did not falter despite his age and his robes shook rapidly behind him.
"Albus!" Minerva said in an alarming tone from the end of the corridor as she motioned the last of the student to hurry up the stairs. "It came from the Great Hall!"
Dumbledore stopped halfway in front the old witch, one hand gripping her shoulder in comfort. He looked back at Severus and the others catching up and motioned them towards the Great Hall's direction with his head.
He turned his head back to the witch," The children?"
Her stance relaxed at Dumbledore's touch and she nodded. "All sent to the common rooms with the rest of the Aurors." Her eyes darted back to the group now in front of the Doors of the Great Hall, wands out. "What is Lucius and Draco doing here?" She looked back to Dumbledore with a criticizing look. "They broke out of Azkaban-"
"Go Minerva," Dumbledore cut in, letting go of her shoulder and walking down the moving staircases. "We'll take it from here."
"Albus this-"
"Minerva!" Dumbledore said in a hard and louder tone, stopping in front of the Doors of the Great Hall and facing the witch.
Minerva shivered, and pressing her lips in disapproval she grasped part of her robe around her thigh, and turning, now walking up the stairs. "There better be a good explanation for this!" She said out loud, rather aggressively,
"Thank you." she glared back and Dumbledore smiled. The old wizard turned, and pushed the door opened.
At the end of the vast Great Hall, near the table of the Headmaster, were two figures, one man standing, his back towards them and the other, a woman, facing the first figure.
The group follow Dumbledore down the Great Hall stopping few feet away from the figures.
The amber eyes of the second figure focused at the group, as her hair shook softly behind her back. Her right hand forced the other figure she was holding by the forearm down to his knees. There was a soft yelp from the male figure. Draco drew a sharp breath at the voice .
"Potter!" Draco blurted, pushing past Lucius and Severus. Before he could past Dumbledore, the older wizard grasped his right forearm, stopping him and the image of the two figures flickered, like an old TV turning in a channel.
"Albus," said the woman. " Can you hear me?"
"Projection," Severus muttered.
"Merlin's beard," Albus said softly, letting go of the stiff blonde and stepping forward. "The Great Evangeline!"
The name brought a grin to the woman's lip. " I take that as a yes?"
"Yes," Albus assured as he readjusted his glasses, " Never though the legend was true."
"Legends aside, " she started, her amber eyes darkening and her grin vanished, "There's not much time left before Tom finds out."
The sight of Evangeline and Harry flickered again. Draco stepped forward, "Where the fuck is the baby?" he asked. Lucius held his son by the forearm trying to prevent him from doing anything stupid. The young man shook his grip away, annoyed. "Draco shut it!" Lucius said in reply.
Evangeline's eyes darted to the young blonde, " His safety is at stake," she said as her eyes focused back to old bearded wizard. " Tom plans to strip the Byujji off the child-"
"It will kill the host!" Lucius exclaimed, his left hand gripping his son's shoulder.
"Do you think I don't know that, Lucius?" Evangeline snapped, glaring at the older blonde. " I am buying time as we speak. The baby is alive because of me and I need you people to move out before he loses his patience."
"Mark," Albus said shortly. The image flickered violently and this time, Evangeline looked alarmed. Potter, who was still kneeling unaware of the conversation turned his head towards them.
Draco felt his breath hitched up in his throat at the sight of the weary green eyes and the gauntly face of the missing man.
"Focus Harry!" Evangeline hissed, shaking his forearm and making the young man turn his head back to her.
"They're coming!" Harry exclaimed, his back shivering.
"Evangeline!" came the enraged voice of the Dark Lord. " Stand down your shield!"
The woman hastily conjured a crystal orb with her free hand. " Lucius!" she exclaimed tossing the orb to his direction. He pushed Draco away, as the orb passed through a red portal.
"Hurry!"
Lucius catched the crystal orb lightly, now glowing orange. The image of both figures vanished, like switching a tv off.
" How the fuck," Lucius asked holding the orb close to his face. " Did she get a Dragon's eye?"
"Not just any eye," Dumbledore said, leaning over Lucius's hand, inspecting the orb. "Y Ddraig Goch's eye."
Lucius hastily let go of the orb, with a terrified expression. Dumbledore was quick and caught the orb before it hit the floor. Lucius's hand trembled, and he started shaking them around, as if caught in fire.
Rikku took hold if his hand, whispering words in Al Bhed tongue.
Draco looked from his sweating father to Dumbledore and the orb, " Y Ddraig Goch? As in the children's book Y Ddraig Goch? "
"Master of Merlin," Dumbledore said, as the orb glow from orange to a yellowish color.
"The Byujji's creator," Lucius added, shuddering at the process.
"If she gave you the orb," Severus said looking over the older blonde, "By all means it shows you know what to do with it."
Dumbledore looked at the orb in his right hand, " Only a Byujii can see the content of a Dragon's eyes."
"I will not, by all Salazar's ancestry to ever touch a dragon eyes again, no less Y Ddraig Goch's," Lucius said, shaking his head, becoming paler, "The visions are sickening."
Draco snorted as he picked up the orb, earning a terrified expression in his father's face. At first nothing happened. Draco was about to dismiss the orb with a sarcastic remark until he felt a pulling force and his vision was drowned in flames.
Dozens of screaming, suffering voices exploded inside his head. There was fire everywhere he looked. He tried to scream out but no sound came out of his mouth, instead a raging shriek of a terrible creature erupted.
He could see the silhouette of the screaming people in the flames, wriggling madly in pain and blood splattered around. His body felt warmer, with the eerie sensation of self satisfaction. The screaming became melody to his ear and he felt a smile spread in his lips. "Enjoying yourself," a voice boomed in a raspy dark tone, "You self-righteous bastard!"
"Draco!" came the soft voice of Evangeline. "Draco, listen to me!"
But the images of the agony were so delicious, like the state of ecstasy in his bloodstream. He felt a tug in his right hand and his eyes were ripped off the agonising creatures to the voluptuous woman now standing beside him, bare naked. The screams and flames diminished along with the raging shriek of a dragon. He was left with the presence of the woman in a vast white room.
"What was that?" he asked in a weak voice, almost like a croak.
Evangeline shook her head walking ahead, "A monster communicating with yours. not a nice experience."
"My body liked it!" Draco said terrified, the pit of his stomach turned sick.
"The Jinkyubi liked it," Evangeline corrected, looking past her shoulders to the blonde. " Lets not dwell about it."
She stopped and turned to face the blonde. She stretched out her arms and the white room vanished, replaced by the sky view of a Mansion the edge vast rocky, arid terrain followed by a sea of tall dark trees.
"Peverell Mansion," Evangeline pointed out to the mansion, "That's the place. Heavily guarded and masked."
The woman walked over the blonde, and pushed him back roughly.
The orb fell off Draco's hand and he stumbled backward to the ground, gasping for breath. His vision focused back to the Great Hall of Hogwarts. He seem to have been screaming the time he was inside the vision of the orb. His throat was raspy as hell.
Rikku walked over the blonde, as a mother would to check in her child. His silver eyes darted to the orb, glowing orange, with a thin slit of a snake's pupil searching around. He could swear he heard his name being called in that dark evil voice of the monster inside. Severus reached inside his robe pocket and took a black hand towel. He picked up the orb with it. wrapping it around and handing it securely to Dumbledore.
The whisper of his name vanished, and he breath out in relief. "Beautiful isnt?" Lucius added in a sarcastic remark, almost mocking his son.
Draco sneered, "At least I got the place." He looked at the white bearded wizard as Rikku help him stand up. "Peverell Mansion."
Dumbledore's eye lit up, his lips turned into an incredulous smile. " I should have thought of that!"
The wizard flicked his wand, a white smoke float in front of them, forming the sight of a man. He was facing away from them, hastily looking around his desk. "Remus."
The werewolf turned, his lips curved into a smile, "Ah Albus-" his eyes darted to Draco and Lucius and jumped.
"Now Remus, " Albus added before the werewolf could open his mouth in protest. "There's not much time to explain. We have Lord Voldemort's location."
The information seem to lit Remus's expression like a child at christmas, "You have got to be kidding me, we've been searching for months! How?"
"I need you to gather the Order, Call the council, bring the Aurors to the Ygdrall Forest."
"Albus, you're walking with two fugitives," Remus pointed out looking suspiciously to the blondes, "They will consider you allied with the criminals. That's treason to the Council."
"Harry and the child are there too, alive,"Dumbledore replied, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "They are being kept alive for a short time by Evangeline. She won't be able to hold up much longer."
"Evangeline?! The infamous Evangeline!" Remus exclaimed, bringing his hand to his forehead. "Merlin's pant Albus, you have a bunch of people off the charts of good terms."
"10 minutes Remus," Albus said, ignoring the werewolf's comment. "There's no turning back now."
Remus sighed, "Fine. I'll move my contacts."
Remus face vanished and Dumbledore turned to the other wizards, his blue eyes darkened, "We're going to war."
TBC…