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"Dread it, run from it, destiny still arrives." - Thanos, Avengers: Infinity War
Chapter 50 – The Death Day
Ankaa had barely turned away from watching Harry Potter and his friends fly away on their thestrals when she heard a voice call out for her. Annabelle Roker ran the length of the courtyard and came to a stop right before her, huffing and puffing. At Ankaa's questioning glance, she merely held up the DA coin in her hand.
"I was in the Hufflepuff Common Room when it changed," she panted, pointing to the request for members to arrive in the courtyard. "Where's everyone else?"
Ankaa cast an angry glare towards the rapidly disappearing dots on the horizon. Annabelle's expression of momentary sadness betrayed her, but she quickly composed herself.
"Is there any way I can help?"
"Go back to your dormitory," Ankaa told her as she made her way past the girl. "I'm going down to Hogsmeade."
"What? Wait!"
Ankaa had already started towards the castle, only for Annabelle to grasp her elbow and pull her back. For a small girl, Annabelle sure had a lot of strength.
"I'm coming with you."
"Annabelle—"
"Ankaa," Annabelle began firmly, "I've trained for this. How long am I just going to sit by and let everything happen? We've all got to step up sometime."
Ankaa hesitated. "You're too young," she told her. "You're just thirteen."
Annabelle did not retort but instead focused her hazel gaze on the other student. Ankaa looked back at her, wondering whether or not this was a good idea. If she let Annabelle come along, she would be doing the exact thing she had cautioned Saint Potter against. On the other hand, Annabelle seemed adamant about not letting Ankaa go by herself.
"Fine," Ankaa finally relented. Before Annabelle could cheer, Ankaa held up her hand. "Neither of us is going there," she told the girl. "We're just going to get the message to the Order, and they can deal with it. If you want you can come with me, or you can stay here. It's your choice."
Dejectedly, Annabelle nodded. Her enthusiasm was back a second later as she smiled and took Ankaa's hand. "Let's go!"
Together, the two girls ran through the castle and towards the hidden passageway into Honeydukes' cellar. Luckily, at this time of the evening, Honeydukes' cellar was entirely empty. It was always rather easy to sneak out of the castle when there were no Hogsmede trips that had shopkeepers bustling about their shops.
"Where are we going?"
"To Fred and George's," Ankaa grunted, sliding the trap door shut. "I can't take you to the safehouse directly, so I'm going to have those two go and see for me."
Annabelle frowned. "So basically you're going to be babysitting me?"
"When you act like a child, you'll be treated like one." Ankaa looked over at her, noting her slumped posture as they both waited for the hallway to clear. "I told you that you could just wait at the castle. There's still time to turn back—"
"No," Annabelle interrupted firmly. "I'm coming with you, even if it's just as backup."
That was the end of their discussion then. Ankaa nudged the door open, glancing up and down the hallway before she stepped through. Ambrosius Flume, one of the owners of the shop, was standing by the register in his usual spot. The man was entirely immersed in organizing the candy in one of the display cases, but Ankaa could not take a chance. With a wave of her wand, one of the shelves behind Mr. Flume's head snapped in half and all of the boxes of Fudge Flies toppled to the floor. Ankaa watched as Mr. Flume eyed the damage in distaste before crouching below the counter with a grunt as he began to scoop up the boxes.
Ankaa ushered Annabelle out first, casting a Disillusion charm on the both of them as an extra precaution. The girls had barely just stepped out of the shop before Ankaa grabbed the younger girl's hand and turned on the spot, Disapparating into Diagon Alley.
The duo was greeted by a worried-looking Fred and George, who stood leaning against the side of their shop.
"What's happened?" asked George, glancing between the girls.
Ankaa grimaced, patting Annabelle's back as the girl hunched over and dry heaved. Ankaa had forgotten how disorienting it was to Apparate for the first time.
"Harry's gone to the Ministry of Magic with the others—"
"Who are the others?" asked Fred.
"Hermione, Ronald, Ginny, Luna, and Neville."
Annabelle finally stood with a groan. Although she still grimaced with her arms around her stomach, she asked, "Why've they gone to the Ministry?"
Oh, right, I haven't told her yet. Ankaa turned to Fred and George. "Harry thought he had a vision that Sirius was taken captive. He thinks Sirius is being tortured at the Ministry at the hands of V—well, You-Know-Who."
Fred and George continued staring at her blankly.
"I tried to stop them—I told them that I would Apparate to—" Ankaa glanced at Annabelle, who was finally starting to compose herself, "—the place to verify that Sirius was, in fact, all right. But by the time I got up the stairs they had already mounted their damn thestrals and were on their way to the Ministry."
George let out a heavy sigh and rubbed his eyes. Fred, on the other hand, was entirely stoic.
"Well," began Annabelle, "the good news is that it'll take them a while to get to the Ministry, so we've got them beat."
Ankaa nodded. "You both need to get there and see if Sirius is alright, and alert the Order that Harry's up to his usual idiocy."
"Wait here," Fred told Ankaa sternly. "Or no wait," He cast a look at the people mulling about the Alley, "We'll get help. Get inside until then."
He passed her a set of keys before he stepped away with his brother. Fred and George gave her one nod before turning and Disapparating in the middle of the Alley. Annabelle frowned at the sight, and Ankaa gave her an understanding smile with the girl shuddered at the mere thought of Apparating.
"Come on," Ankaa beckoned. She led the way inside, noting that the shop was starting to look much more put together than the last time she had been here. "Don't touch anything," Ankaa told the Hufflepuff girl. "You never know what will bite and what won't." Ankaa saw the girl eyeing some of the Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder. With a fond smile, Ankaa walked over.
"Here," she held one out to the girl. "We might need it for the journey back. We can use it to make a distraction at Honeydukes."
Annabelle gingerly accepted the little rock, pocketing it for later. Ankaa stepped away, letting the younger girl explore the shop. Ankaa wanted to marvel at how the shop was finally starting to come together, at how the boys had added floors and shelves, started painting and organizing the registers. It was still mostly empty, seeing as they had yet to stock their full inventory, but they were going full steam ahead.
"So," Annabelle's voice drew Ankaa out of her thoughts. "Sirius Black is innocent then, I'm guessing?"
Ankaa raised a brow at her, but the corners of her lips tugged in a smile at Annabelle's cheeky look.
"I gathered as much," Annabelle told the Slytherin girl proudly. "You and Ceph have got his hair. Of course, you look like Henry too, but—well, I don't know how to explain it." She shrugged, "You're a good blend of your parents. You've got his eyes and your mom's nose."
Ankaa nodded. "I forget that you've met my mom sometimes."
"Only in passing. Why? Did I leave a lasting impression on her?"
Ankaa chuckled. "Oh yeah, she talks about you all the time. Misses you terribly."
Annabelle laughed along with her, muttering something about how everyone's parents loved her before she turned to examine some of the Skiving Snackboxes on display. There was a lull in their conversation before Annabelle asked, "Why did you not go to the Ministry directly?"
"Because that would mean bringing you along. It's exactly what I told Harry not to do."
Annabelle shook her head. "No, that's not it entirely, is it? There's something else that you're not telling me. Why do you not want to go to the Ministry?"
"Why do you?"
"I want to help," was her simple response. Annabelle set down the box of Canary Creams she had been examining before turning to face Ankaa. "I want to help because I don't want anyone else to end up like your brother. I don't want people to lose their family, or for the wrong people to win. I don't want him to win."
Ankaa was glad for the interruption then. The little bell above the door rang sharply in the quiet room, and Fred and George quickly making their way in.
"What happened?"
"It's a trap," George told them. "Sirius is fine, he's at the house. Whatever Harry saw, it was obviously wrong. The only problem is—"
"It'll take a while for the Order to get here," Fred interrupted. "By then Ginny, Ron and the others could have already reached the Ministry."
"I don't think they'll be that quick," Annabelle muttered, glancing between the twins. "I'm sure the Order will still reach them in time."
"I'm going," said Fred, his hands forming fists at his sides. "They're going to need all the help they can get."
"I'm coming with you."
"Me too," echoed Annabelle, glancing at Fred and George. At Ankaa's disapproving look, Annabelle shrugged. "I'm already here, might as well go all of the way, right?"
Before Ankaa could say anything, Fred interrupted her.
"You're staying here."
"That's likely," Ankaa rolled her eyes. "If you're all going, I'm coming with you. Besides," she held up her hand when he opened his mouth to retort, "you two wouldn't even know about this if it wasn't for me. So, I'm coming with you."
"Ankaa, if this is as dangerous as it seems, I don't think you should be there."
"You don't have the right to tell me to sit this out," Ankaa retorted hotly. "I don't see you telling Annabelle to sit back."
George glanced between the two of them with unease. He shared one look with Annabelle, who gave him a similar look of pure discomfort before the two nodded. "We'll be outside," muttered George before he and Annabelle ran for the door.
Ankaa watched them go before turning her incredulous stare onto Fred, who was not at all bothered by her rage. Instead, Fred matched her glare with his own, and continued glaring down at her as she spoke.
"Fred, you can't protect me all the time—"
"I know that, Ankaa, but I can't take a chance with this." His voice lowered then, "If this is what your Death Day is, then I can't let you go to the Ministry and into this trap. You're just asking to get slaughtered."
"Oh? And you're allowed to just waltz in like there's no danger to you? You know someone has to take my place, and if you and George, or hell even Ginny or Annabelle are there, then you're all fair targets."
"I know." Ankaa scoffed at that, but Fred continued. "George and I... we can't let it be Ginny, or Ron... If that means it has to be one of us—"
"STOP BEING SO DRAMATIC!" Ankaa wanted so badly to grab a hold of his shoulders and shake him until his brain rattled and he saw logic and reason. "You're being completely irrational! Why do you get to make that decision but you're denying me the right?"
"You're too important to lose." Something in his tone changed then. His hands came to her face, stroking her cheeks as he stepped forward and planted a kiss on her forehead. It did very little to quell her rage, or to distract her from wanting to slap some sense into him, but it worked enough so that he could pull out his wand. Ankaa had barely registered the tip of the wand pressing into her stomach before he had muttered, "Petrificus Totalus," and stepped away.
"I'm sorry," he murmured. "It has to be this way."
With that, Fred Weasley turned around and left the shop. There was a moment of silence before a loud pop where Ankaa surmised that the three had Disapparated and left for the Ministry.
When Fred, George, and Annabelle stepped into the Ministry of Magic, it was dubiously deserted. The atrium that was once bustling with people, even at a time of night like this, was sitting empty. The only sound that echoed throughout was that of the magnificent golden fountain in the very heart of the atrium.
"Where is everyone?" asked George, holding his wand at the ready. "There's no security."
Fred glanced towards the golden bars of the elevators, noting that all the other elevators were present except one. "Harry and everyone else must already be there," he told the two. "We need to go."
Annabelle and George exchanged glances behind him. Fred stepped in the elevators first and held it open for Annabelle. Fred watched as his brother cast one more dubious look towards the empty atrium before stepping in and sliding the gold bars to a close. Fred watched the black tiles slide past as they descended further and further. He could see his reflection in the tiles, the furrowed eyebrows and the straight line of his lips was an unfamiliar sight to him. His hands were shaking ever so slightly, the anticipation of facing whatever awaited them in the Department of Mysteries.
"Department of Mysteries."
Fred was the first to step forward. He held his wand in front of him, marching tersely ahead of the other two and motioning for them to follow. He and George fell into a rhythm, pausing together and peeping down a hallway before motioning Annabelle through. Eventually, they reached the solid black door that was the entrance.
"Ready?"
Fred looked back at Annabelle, waiting until she nodded to reach for the handle and carefully open the door. To their surprise, there was no one on the other side. The large circular room was empty. The candles were burning a bright blue, and there was a glowing red X over a few doors.
"They must've already gotten through," Fred pointed out. "We just need to try the other doors."
Just then, the room started to spin. It began with a loud rumbling noise, and then the candles and doors started to move sideways; slowly at first and then accelerating so that the blue flame of the candles melted into one, only occasionally being interrupted by the red of the X markings. When the room finally came to a stop, the trio looked to one another.
"Great," muttered George, "We've only got six more doors to try."
"We each pick a door and check," answered Fred, quickly taking up a post in front of one of the unmarked doors. "If it's not the one we want, mark it with an X and move on to the next."
Fred watched Annabelle and George push open their respective doors before stepping in. He gingerly opened his own, noting the large rectangular room on the other side. The walls were lined with several cabinets, each housing a small phial of glowing silver liquid. In the centre of the room was a white desk upon which a silver bowl had been placed. Fred stepped back, closing the door behind him and marking it with an X.
George stepped out from his room, shaking his head when Fred gave him a questioning look.
"Where's Annabelle?"
Fred realized that Annabelle had yet to step out of the room she was in. The twins pushed open the door, spotting the young girl on the other side of the room standing in front of a large glass-front cabinet. She glanced behind her when the two entered, immediately holding a finger to her lips.
"They're in here," she motioned to the dark door a few feet away. "I can hear them."
As if on cue, the door burst open and Neville, Hermione, and Harry rushed forward, crashing into Annabelle. Fred and George ran forward, helping everyone up. Hermione was the first one up.
"Colloportus!" panted Hermione, and the door sealed itself with an odd squelching noise.
"Fred! George!" Harry stood, blinking in surprise. "What—"
"Where are the others?"
"Where's Ron and Ginny?"
Harry explained something about how he had thought the other three were in front of him the whole time, but they must have gotten separated. Fred frowned, exchanging a glance with his brother. This place was a maze, being separated could mean the end for them.
"Listen!" whispered Neville.
Footsteps and shouts echoed from the other side of the sealed door. Though the voices were indistinct, Fred could easily make out the angry shouting of a woman. It did not sound like Ginny, and Fred could only hope that his siblings had gotten out through another exit and away from the Death Eaters.
"What do we do?" Hermione asked, looking from Harry to Fred, trembling from head to toe.
"We can't just stand here and wait for them to find us," said Harry, stepping away from the door and clutching a glass sphere in his hand securely. "Let's get away from the door…"
He led the way, running as quietly as he could past the shimmering bell jars on the desk that each had some sort of time-relevant experiment. George reached forward, grabbing Annabelle when he noticed her hesitate, glancing over her shoulder at the glass-door cabinet. Nonetheless, when he took her hand and pulled her forward she came without any resistance.
"Stand aside!" said a rough voice. "Alohamora!"
George reacted first, perhaps due to his many years as a beater on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and quickly ducked under a desk, pulling Annabelle along with him. He could see Fred on his left, trying to keep his breathing as even as possible as he crouched under the desk. On the other side were Harry, Hermione, and Neville, all looking equally terrified.
"They might've run straight through to the hall," said the same rough voice. George glanced at the robes of the Death Eater nearest to him, noting that there were four more behind him. He felt Annabelle shift beside him, looking down at her as she reached into her pocket for something.
Annabelle pulled out a chunk of the Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder.
"Check under the desks," said another voice.
George swallowed audibly when he saw the knees of the Death Eaters bend. He brought his wand out, mouth opening to shout a curse, where there was a slight burst and the room was engulfed in darkness. There were several shouts of spells from the DA, and a body crashed onto the desk George and Annabelle had been hiding under. The Death Eaters started firing spells left and right, and Geroge was blown backwards when someone collided into him and sent him sprawling backwards.
"RUN!"
Fred dodged another surge of light, breathing heavily he kept low and ran towards the door leading to the circular hall, pushing Neville and Hermione ahead of him. Behind him, George rattled off spell after spell, trying to catch as many of the spells heading their way, as well as any distracted Death Eaters. When they finally made it through the door, Harry sealed it off with the same spell from before.
The five of them stood in the circular hall for a moment, panting quietly. Neville was bleeding profusely from his nose, and the front of his sweater was matted with a spattering of blood. Harry had dropped to the floor beside Hermione, urgently checking over her.
"What happened?"
"She was hit by something," mumbled Harry. "I can feel a pulse but she's not waking up." Harry shook her slightly, but the girl did not wake. Fred was not sure when the girl had been hit with, but he hoped it was something that could wear off in time.
"We need to find the others," said George urgently, glancing behind him at the several doors. "What do we do now?"
"Here," Harry held out the Prophecy. "Take this and get out of here. I'll go look for the others."
Fred shook his head. "Tough luck mate. None of us are splitting up, it's far too dangerous." He shared a look with George. "We've already lost Ginny, Ron, and Luna. We need to find them and get out of here, all of us."
"Someone needs to raise the alarm."
"We already have," Annabelle told him. "Ankaa realized you all left without her and she wanted to kill you all herself, but—"
"We sent word to the Order," interrupted Fred. "When Ankaa came by and said that you thought Sirius was captured. Help is on the way."
Annabelle nodded. "Our best bet right now is to stick together, find the others, and fight our way out."
"But Hermione—"
"We'll take her with us," said Neville firmly. "I'll carry her, Harry. You're better at fighting. Besides," he held up his broken wand, "I'm not much use."
George frowned. "Don't be silly, Neville," he consoled. "Take Hermione's wand, it'll help enough for now. Then when we make it back—" He gave a meaningful glance to the people around him, "—you can get a new one from Ollivanders."
"Great, so now what—"
Before they could make a decision as to what to do next, a door to their right sprang open suddenly, and three people tumbled out of it.
"Ron!" croaked Harry, dashing towards them. "Ginny—are you all—?"
"Harry," said Ronald, giggling weakly, lurching forward and seizing the front of Harry's collar. "There you are… And Fred! George! New girl!... Ha ha ha… everyone's here!"
"What's wrong with him?" Annabelle eyed him uneasily as he tried to reach for her, all the while his unfocused eyes trailed from Annabelle to his twin brothers. George took his brother by the arm, holding him upright as Ronald grabbed onto his robes and tried to sink to the ground.
Fred was crouching next to Ginny. "What happened, Gin?" Fred asked her softly, looking fearfully from her face to her ankle. She was sitting against the wall, panting heavily and holding onto her ankle.
"I think she broke it," whispered Luna, the only one out of them who was not bleeding. "Four of them chased us into a dark room full of planets, it was a very odd place, some of the time we were just floating in the dark—"
"We saw Uranus up close!" said Ronald, giggling feebly. "Get it, George? Uranus?"
"If you have to explain the joke it's not funny Ron," said George gently, holding up his brother as his knees buckled once more. George eyed the little bit of blood by the corner of Ron's mouth, frowning over at Fred who was glancing between his younger brother and sister in equal amounts of worry.
"We've got to get out of here," said Fred firmly. "We can use the fireplaces and get out."
"It's only my ankle, I can do it myself!" said Ginny impatiently when Fred tried to support her. Unfortunately, she collapsed sideways when she tried to stand up by herself. Fred gave her an unamused look as if asking her if she was done being Ginny before he took her arm and hoisted it over her shoulder. Seeing as George was busy with Ronald, Annabelle stepped to Ginny's other side and positioned the girl's arm over her shoulders and wound one around her waist.
The group ambled over towards a door. Fred cursed under his breath when he realized that even getting out would take the same amount of work and guessing as before, seeing as all of their markings from before had vanished. Not to mention that about half of the group was down for the count.
A door from the other side of the room was thrown open with a loud bang. Annabelle turned back in time to see a silver-haired woman step over the threshold, following closely by a deranged looking Bellatrix Lestrange, and another Death Eater with a mask.
"There they are!" shrieked the dark-haired woman.
Fred wasted no time in pushing Ginny's weight to Annabelle, and he turned and shot several Stunning Spells alongside Harry. The others rushed through the door, and only when they had cleared the threshold did Fred and Harry step back. Unfortunately, whatever door they had blindly rushed through was not the exit they had been hoping for. One moment Fred was standing on the solid black-tiled surface, and the next he was falling through the air, face first a few feet per second towards the hard stone floor.
They all came to an abrupt stop mere inches from the ground before whatever spell had been holding them up vanished, and they dropped unceremoniously to the floor. Fred groaned as he sat up, taking in that all the others were in various stages of surprise as she was. Annabelle was helping Ginny stand up. As Fred stood, he spotted the dais in the centre of the room, sporting a large stone archway.
Luna stepped forward slowly, trying to tune in on the voices she could hear from the archway.
"Can you tell what they're saying? The voices?"
Fred looked from her to the archway. "I can't hear anything," he told her. "There's no voices."
"I can hear them too," said Harry, stepping forward and approaching the dais.
"Watch out!"
The door to the chamber sprung open, and several wisps of what looked to be black mist descended upon them. Annabelle realized it was the Death Eaters when several hands tried to grab at her, pulling her this way and that until finally, a hand wrapped around her throat and squeezed tightly. In one second, she had been standing with his friends, and in the next, she was held by the throat by a Death Eater who had chosen to forego his mask, on the other side of the dais. Unfortunately, everyone except Hermione (who was still unconscious) was restrained across the dais.
In the centre of it all stood Harry, clutching the prophecy as Lucius Malfoy approached him.
"Potter, your race is run," drawled the man. "Now, hand me the prophecy…"
"Let—let the others go, and I'll give it to you!" said Harry desperately.
A few of the Death Eaters laughed.
"You are in no position to bargain, Potter." Lucius gestured to the Death Eaters around him. "All those of your friends who could fight have been taken captive." He cast a dubious look to Neville, "Though, I daresay, not all that we have captured can fight. It's Longbottom, isn't it? I suppose your grandmother is used to losing family members to our cause."
"Longbottom?" repeated Bellatrix. She was clutching George by the throat, her wand pointed to his temple. She seemed to lose interest in him when she realized who the other Gryffindor boy across the dais was. "Why, I have had the pleasure of meeting your parents, boy…"
"I KNOW YOU HAVE!" roared Neville, raging so wildly against his captive that the Death Eater stumbled, shouting, "Someone Stun him!"
"No, no, no," came a saccharine voice. It was the Death Eater holding Fred, the silver-haired woman from before. She had pulled Fred's head back so far that it almost looked unnatural. "He's of no consequence," she said softly, glancing from Fred to George. "You've got one of the twins in your hands, Bella. And if I know my daughter, she must have passed the same love for bloodtraitors she had to her own spawn."
"Oh?" Bellatrix glanced down at George with renewed interest. "Little Rhyther is interested in bloodtraitors, is she?"
Alice nodded, her eyes looking from the two to Annabelle. "I'm surprised she's not here," her malicious stare remained locked on Annabelle. "Did she send you in her place? I bet she knew what would happen today, didn't she? Not as dull as we think." The woman laughed then. "The thing is," Alice continued, trailing her wand from Fred's temple, and down the side of his face, "I'm not sure which one is which, and I'd hate to torture the wrong one."
"LET THEM GO!" Ginny thrashed against her captor, trying to elbow him in the face. The man only grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back.
"A loyal group, aren't you?" muttered Alice, glancing distastefully from the Gryffindor girl to Harry Potter, who stood glaring over at her Alice. The woman turned the captive in her arms. "What's your name, sweetheart?"
"Albus Dumbledore," Fred let out a little snicker. His snicker was cut short when Alice scowled, tightening her hold on his hair before throwing him forward by her feet. Fred barely had time to react before Alice pointed her wand at him.
"Crucio!"
"NO—"
Every nerve in his body was on fire, it seemed. It was a level of pain he had never felt before; it had him clawing at his own body, squirming this way and that to distract himself from the absolute fire that overtook his system. Fred could hear the others shouting for him, screaming at Alice to stop, but the onslaught never stopped. There was no dull aching, no respite. Only pain and more pain until one shout reverberated through the pain.
"STOP!" It was Harry. "STOP HURTING HIM AND YOU CAN HAVE THE PROPHECY!"
The pain stopped all at once. Fred could only take in staggered breaths as if he had been sobbing for the past ten seconds. His limbs ached, and he wanted nothing more than to curl up and cry. He had felt pain before; he and George had broken several bones, dislocated their shoulders, their knees, burned and bruised themselves while testing their products and yet none of that compared to the pain he had felt in those ten seconds under the Cruciatus Curse.
From his spot on the floor, Fred could see Lucius Malfoy saunter up to Harry, seemingly unbothered by the fact that one of his accomplices (if they could even be called that) had tortured a young boy with an Unforgivable Curse.
"Did you actually believe, or were you truly naïve enough to think that children stood a chance against us?"
There was a surge of bright light that finally drew everyone's attention. Sirius now stood behind Lucius, and although his next words were barely above a whisper, they echoed through the chamber.
"Get away from my godson."
He lurched back and threw a punch so hard it made Lucius Malfoy stumble off the dais. Fred finally rolled over and pushed himself up on all fours, slowly coming to stand s bright surges of light came upon them. One particular surge of light sailed for him, chasing away one of the Death Eaters that had tried to grab at him. The members of the Order had arrived.
"Are you alright?" Annabelle asked Fred, gasping as a Stunning Spell missed them by mere inches.
Fred only nodded. Remus and Maya immediately planted themselves next to the duo, helping them down from the dais and behind a boulder as the members of the Order continued fighting the Death Eaters. Annabelle wrapped her arm around Fred's waist, doing her best to support him as he stumbled behind the rocks. He was breathing heavily when he finally settled. She glanced at him, trying to see if he was alright. She hoped, for Ankaa's sake, he was not too hurt. She felt it was her duty to take care of him if Ankaa was not present.
"Where're the others?" he rasped, coughing loudly.
Annabelle dared a look towards the dais. She ducked quickly when a particularly nasty spell hit the edge of the boulder, showering the two in debris. Maya stood up and fired a quick Stunning Spell towards the Death Eater, slamming him back into the black tile walls.
"They're fine!" answered Annabelle. "Sirius has Harry, a woman and Moody—is that Professor Moody?—oh, right, anyway they've got George and Ginny, and two more have got the others." Annabelle frowned, "Sorry, I realize that doesn't help much but I'm new to this, I don't really know anyone here."
"I can…" Fred coughed again, trying to sit up straight. "I can help."
"No," Remus and Maya told him in unison.
"It's too dangerous," said Remus shortly.
"And you're hurt," Annabelle told him, "Fred, please," she pleaded with him, "You were being tortured thirty seconds ago with the Cruciatus Curse—you can't just be exerting yourself. If anything happens to you, Ankaa will kill me."
"That goes for you too," said Maya, ducking as another spell rebounded and hit the wall in front of them, causing the tile to shatter. "The Order can handle it from here. You need to take the others and get out of here."
"But what about—"
Fred was interrupted by an onslaught of spells being shot their way. The spells hit the boulder one after another, and the boulder started to crack. Remus and Maya tried to return fire, but they ducked down just as quickly as they stood up, crouching as another five or so spells hit the wall.
"Come out, come out wherever you are!"
Fred recognized the voice immediately. He exchanged a look with Maya, who shook her head at him. "You need to leave," she told him sternly.
"What's the matter, little girl?" Alice laughed, sending another spell towards where Ankaa was hiding. "Don't you want to come and face your mother? Too scared to bring your little vision to life?"
Annabelle frowned, glancing between the three people who had grown much paler. Lupin was shooting looks towards Maya, who was entirely too busy trying to help Fred sit up properly.
"You both need to get out of here," Lupin told them urgently. "Maya and I can cover for you. Annabelle," he gestured her to come forward, "You're going to need to help Fred get to the other side, all right? Do you see where Tonks and Moody are standing?" He pointed to the people standing beside George and Ron, "Good girl, good. When I say, you and Fred stay low and make a run for it. Maya will go along and cover you as best as she can." He paused, and then took a deep breath. "Ready? One… two… three!"
As Remus stood and shot a few spells at the deranged Death Eater, Annabelle grabbed Fred's hand and pulled him along, ducking and covering her head as they raced around the dais and to where Moody and Tonks stood with the rest of their friends. Behind them, Annabelle could feel Lupin and Maya returning some spells here and there, trying her best to shield them from the Death Eaters. Before they could make it however, Joseph had waved his wand and thrown Annabelle back against the wall. Fred turned to see what had happened, but Annabelle saw Joseph pointing his wand at him.
Luckily, with a simple wave of Maya's hand, Fred was pushed back so that the spell Joseph had shot at him sailed a few inches over his head. With her wand-hand, Maya shot several spells towards her father, and with a wave of her other hand, Annabelle was pushed back by an invisible force until Fred grabbed her and pulled her behind the boulder with him and George.
"Did she just do wandless magic?" whispered George, looking over at Maya who was now standing beside Sirius and the two of them were firing spells in a kind of rhythm that felt all too natural.
"Seems so," muttered Fred. He was clutching his wand, looking for an opportunity to step in if need be. He was a member of the Order, it was only fair that he contributes as much as the other members.
"Who is that woman?" Annabelle peeked at the silver-haired woman from before. "Why's she deadset on going after Maya?"
"That's Ankaa's grandmother," George informed her. "She's a bit..."
"Crazy? Psychotic?"
"It varies from moment to moment," grimaced Fred, ducking as Moody deflected a spell at the last moment.
"How long do you think you can keep her safe, Maya?" Alice tossed up a shield effortlessly, barely flinching as Shacklebolt sent a spell her way. "Is that how I raised you? Coddled and spoilt. It's no wonder your son died the way he did—"
She never got to finish her sentence. Annabelle watched Ankaa's mother step forward with a fierce scowl. Maya did not say anything, and she did not have to; the frequency and intensity with which her spells and hexes were hurtling towards Alice were speaking volumes. And although the older witch was able to fend off some of them, she was quite clearly disturbed by the rage behind her daughter's attacks.
As a last resort to survive her daughter's heightened attacks, Alice disappeared in a burst of black mist, and Annabelle watched with wide eyes when Maya followed. Annabelle felt helpless; she had come to do one thing, and standing between this battle she could now understand that she wasn't as good as she had hoped to be. Sirius was standing beside Harry, helping him fight against Lucius Malfoy and another Death Eater. Remus was standing beside Shacklebolt, protecting Neville, Hermione, Luna and Ron. And Tonks and Moody were protecting her, Fred, George, and Ginny.
George pulled Annabelle back roughly as a Death Eater snuck through the rocks and tried to aim at her, but before she could do anything George had already shot a Stunning Spell his way, sending him soaring backwards and out of sight.
Sirius had finally stunned Lucius Malfoy off the platform. He cast one look at Maya and Alice, who were in the middle of a heated duel, firing spell after spell at one another without so much as breathing. Sirius grabbed Harry by the shoulder and pulled him off the dais, depositing him behind the boulder beside Annabelle, Fred, and George.
"Take care of him," he told them.
"Where are you going?!"
"To help Maya," Sirius glanced behind him. Maya and Alice now stood on opposite ends of the dais. "I need to—"
There was a bright flash of light that illuminated the chamber entirely. Sirius crouched by Fred's side, shielding his eyes from the light from the dais. There was a steady stream of light pouring from the ends of each witch's wand. Fred had heard Ankaa speak of this moment a thousand times, he had heard her describe the moment down to the last detail, yet being in the chamber right now felt entirely surreal. Everyone could feel the power in the air, almost feel the pulsing magic as the two lights died out.
Alice was panting slightly, and Fred could detect the slight note of desperation in her posture. The woman who was usually poised and collected had her hair unruly and dishevelled, her robes tearing at the ends, and little bruise on her arm. "You are nothing!" came the thunderous shout.
"You haven't changed one bit," Maya shook her head in wonder. "All these years and you're still as poisonous as ever."
Alice snarled, sending a Stunning Spell that was easily deflected. A moment later, the woman composed herself. She straightened up, and her eyes were void of all emotion once more. "You are a disgrace, Maya. And so is your daughter. She'll never be anything but bloodtraitor scum, just like you."
"You're wrong," Fred heard Maya's steady reply. She was smiling softly, looking undaunted at the harpy that she had the misfortune of calling her mother. "You've seen what she'll do, who she'll become. That's why you're hellbent on trying to kill her... It's because you're scared."
Alice tightened her grip on her wand.
"I won't let you hurt my daughter. I'm not letting you hurt my family."
There was silence in the chamber for a split second. In that moment, Maya turned to her husband and drew a shuddering breath. Fred was deftly aware of George and Annabelle struggling to hold Sirius and Harry back. Sirius looked, for a split second, as if he understood what was about to happen. But even all the time in the world could not have prepared him for that.
"When the time is right, I'll have to go," She had told him once. He had not understood it then, but Maya hoped he would understand now.
Ankaa would understand it as well. It would take time, and things would be tough, but in time she would come to understand exactly why her mother had decided to take her place. All Maya could do was lower her wand and turn to her husband and godson, giving them a teary smile.
All she could do now was to whisper a quiet, "I love you," to her family, before the Killing Curse from her own mother shot her way, hitting her squarely in the chest.
There was a loud shout. Someone was screaming no over and over and over again. It was Harry. The boy was fighting against Remus' hold, pulling this way and that to try and break his hold.
"She's gone," Remus was telling the boy over and over again. "Harry, please."
Sirius was the first to move from his perch. Fred bristled when he made his way past him and onto the dais. He shot one look towards the door to the chamber, where Alice stood, looking down at the scene in disgust. She gave the man a teasing smirk that only deepened when Sirius shot a spell her way. The woman dodged it easily enough, scoffing as she turned to exit the chamber.
Fred could not hear anything through the ringing in his ears. His father was upon him with not a second to spare. Even in his father's embrace, Fred could not bring himself to speak. So he did what he could do; he closed his eyes and hugged his father back, wondering exactly how he would give Ankaa the news that her mother had taken her place on her Death Day.
It was Remus who came to fetch her from the shop. Ankaa could immediately tell that something had gone terribly wrong. He looked weathered and beaten as if he had been through a century of strife. There were several scratches and bruises on his person, but he paid them absolutely no mind. Upon spotting her in the middle of the aisles, Remus simply waved his wand to end Fred's spell. Ankaa slumped forward for a second before bounding over to him quickly and gripping his arm tightly.
"What's happened? Where's everyone else?"
Remus did not answer her questions. Instead, he simply whispered, "Dumbledore wants you back at Hogwarts. You are to go to his office immediately." He took something out of his pocket and passed it to her. The moment the portkey touched her hands, Ankaa disapparated from the shop and found herself standing in the middle of Dumbledore's office.
To her dismay, Harry Potter was already waiting in Dumbledore's office when Ankaa got there. He was standing silently by a window, overlooking the scenery outside as dawn approached. He had been startled out of his thoughts when Ankaa joined him, but he did not say anything when she approached. The two stood on opposite sides of the room.
"I—"
"Miss Rhyther," Ankaa turned to find McGonagall entering the office. In her hand, she held a small glass vial of glowing white liquid. With no delay, the Professor pulled the Pensieve out of Dumbledore's armoire and emptied the contents of the vial into the dish. Ankaa watched the memories swirl black before looking between Harry and McGonagall for an explanation.
"These are Miss. Roker's memories of the night's events," she informed Ankaa. "Professor Dumbledore says it is imperative that you see what has passed."
Ankaa looked from McGonagall to Harry, the latter of whom turned away from her and simply chose to stare out of the window. Ankaa could tell there was something different in the way McGonagall stared at her, the smallest flicker of pity behind her eyes, before she, too, stepped away and decided to leave the office. Only when the door to the Headmaster's office clicked shut behind the Transfiguration Professor did Ankaa step up to the Pensieve. Ankaa cast one more dubious look at Harry before tipping forward and submerging herself in Annabelle's memories.
Almost immediately, Ankaa wished she hadn't. The last time she had been in this position, she had Ceph with her. And now, Ankaa was all alone and entirely helpless. It was almost as if she was in another vision, a helpless bystander who could only watch the events unfold and be powerless. But all this had happened; Potter had been lured, Fred had been tortured, her mother had been murdered. And Ankaa had stood frozen, quite literally, miles away while her Death Day had come and gone, claiming the life of her mother.
Ankaa resurfaced after the memory elapsed, and her first thought was, Please, not again, as she buried her face in her hands.
She hoped it was a sick joke, one of Fred and George's pranks that they somehow roped McGonagall into. But even they would not go this far. It was all real. Her mother was gone, and Ankaa had not even been able to say goodbye. Fred Weasley had made sure of it.
It's Potter's fault though, she thought as she glared at the boy. If he had just listened, if he had stayed put and asked for help, if he had waited, none of them would even have gone down to the Ministry… Any fleeting sympathy that she had for the boy for losing his godmother was shrouded by the fact that he had been the one who had so eagerly lead them all into the Ministry. Perhaps her Death Day could have been avoided entirely if Harry had never been stupid enough to venture into the Ministry.
"Ankaa, please—"
One glare from her shut Potter up. With a severe frown, Ankaa turned towards the door. She turned the knob, even going as far as to rattle it violently when it would not open. Furious, she kicked the door; once, twice, thrice, until she found herself simply standing there and kicking at the door with augmenting intensity for Merlin knows how long.
"STUPID—PIECE—OF—SHIT—LET—ME—OUT!"
The empty fireplace burst into emerald-green flame, and Dumbledore emerged from it, nodding in polite acknowledgement to all the portraits who were wishing him a warm welcome. The wizard did not acknowledge Potter or Ankaa, and instead walked over to his desk and withdrew a tiny, ugly, featherless Fawkes, and placed him gently on the tree of soft ashes that had gathered on his perch.
"You will both be pleased to hear that none of your fellow students are going to suffer lasting damage from the night's events." Neither Potter nor Ankaa answered. Although Potter had turned to face the Headmaster, Ankaa continued to face the door, twisting the knob and waiting for it to open. "Nymphadora Tonks may need to spend a little time in St. Mungo's, but it seems that she will make a full recovery."
There was silence.
"Let me out," Ankaa said without turning to the Headmaster. "Let me out, right now."
"I know how you both are feeling," said Dumbledore very quietly.
"No, you don't," came the reply from Potter. His voice seemed much louder and stronger, and Ankaa could tell he was angry, but he refrained from saying anything else.
"There is no shame in what you are feeling, Harry," said Dumbledore's voice. "On the contrary… The fact that you can both feel pain like this is your greatest strength."
"You haven't got a clue… You don't know…"
"Harry, suffering like this proves you are still a man! This pain is a part of being human—"
"THEN—I—DON'T—WANT—TO—BE—HUMAN!" There was a smash, but Ankaa did not bother turning around to witness Potter's breakdown. "I DON'T CARE! IVE HAD ENOUGH, I'VE SEEN ENOUGH, I WANT OUT, I WANT IT TO END, I DON'T CARE ANYMORE—"
There was the sound of things clattering, instruments breaking, glass shattering. In the middle of it all was a screaming Harry Potter. Ankaa simply stood there, turning the knob over and over again, trying to wrench the door open with force, and by using several unlocking spells, but nothing seemed to be working. All Ankaa knew was that if she stayed in this office with Potter and Dumbledore, she would end up killing one of them at the very least, if not both.
"If you are to attack me, both of you," Ankaa had a feeling Dumbledore looked her way, "I would like to think that I have thoroughly earned it."
"What—"
"It is my fault that Maya died," said Dumbledore clearly. "Or I should say almost entirely my fault—I will not be so arrogant as to claim responsibility for the whole. Maya was a clever woman, loyal and caring and extremely protective of her family—such women are not usually content to sit at home and hide when they know their friends and family to be in danger. Nevertheless, if I had been as open with you, Harry, as I ought to have been, you would have known that Voldemort would have tried to lure you out."
"Open the door." Ankaa turned to the Headmaster then. "I don't care if you want to talk to Potter about this, but I'm not going to stay here and listen. Frankly, you both are the last people I'd like to see right now. Open the door. Now." He did not, so Ankaa did the next best thing. She stepped back from the door and reached for her wand. With silent precision, she brought the wand forward in a wave and blew a hole straight through the door. Dumbledore did not seem at all surprised, but everyone else in the office was.
Ankaa gave the Headmaster one last seething glare, hoping it conveyed every ounce of hatred she felt for the man before she ducked and stepped through the splintered remains of the door. She did not bother to look back as Dumbledore repaired the door, quietly continuing his conversation with Potter.
Instead, Ankaa ventured down to the dungeons slowly. With each step, she felt her heart grow heavy and her stomach start to churn. She did not want to face anyone, not her friends and not what little family she had left. So, Ankaa turned to the one room where she knew no one would bother her, and if even if they did, she would not mind.
Mopsus was stirring out of his sleep when Ankaa came into the portrait room. Ankaa did not say anything, instead simply choosing to sit down cross-legged in front of him. He always had a way of making her talk, even when there were things she wanted to leave undiscussed. He was giving her the same look now; a look that never seemed to stem from pity, but rather quiet understanding and patience.
"She's gone," was the only thing Ankaa could muster.
Mopsus did not say anything. He simply sat down, miming Ankaa's pose, resting his sceptre over his lap. He waited until Ankaa explained to him what had happened, nodding every so often and giving her reassuring hums to let her know he was listening when she started to stutter.
"Are you not angry?"
Was she? It seemed that she had been feeling this way for a while. First with Ceph, and now this. "I am angry…" she finally said. "I'm angry at Potter and Dumbledore. And Fred... I'm livid."
"He simply did what he thought was best."
"He had no right to decide that for me," Ankaa returned vehemently. "He's the reason I couldn't be there. My mother's gone now and I didn't even get to say goodbye."
"You knew that someone would have to take your place."
"If Potter had just stayed put like I asked him to instead of running off to play hero, everyone would still be alright. We would've never gone to the Ministry and my mother would still be alive!"
Mopsus nodded. "He is not entirely blameless," he replied softly. "You are right—if he had been more cautious and level headed, your mother's life could have been spared. And yet, here we are." Ankaa only shook her head, but Mopsus continued gently. "If not today, then tomorrow, young one. Until yesterday, it was you who would've been at Death's door. Today it is your mother. Even if you had not ventured to the Ministry… Death finds a way, Ankaa."
"I know that Mopsus," came the resigned reply. "I've heard it a million times. Death must have death, I get it. But I'm tired. I don't want to do this anymore. I'm… I can't watch more of my family die, I just can't. I…" She paused, taking a deep breath. "First Ceph... And now my mother… she's gone too. It feels like she was ripped away from me so suddenly and cruelly—there's no sign of her in that chamber, nothing to show what happened."
She could see the scene over again—one minute her mother was there, smiling and saying I love you and the next she had vanished into thin air, nothing more than a memory in less than five seconds. It was cruel and brutal, but it seemed to be the norm in Ankaa's life these days. The war had barely just begun and for whatever reason, her family was the one taking most of the fire since Voldemort returned.
"Why is it that I'm the one losing the most in this war when I absolutely wanted nothing to do with it?"
"War does not take its pick of casualties," Mopsus returned sadly. "It is the nature of war to be widely-encompassing and savage. If it is not you, then it will be someone you know. And I am afraid we might have another war on our hands."
"Do you really think that?"
Mopsus nodded. "It feels like it did before," he said. "Let us hope that it is swift and painless."
The two shared a look. Neither of them believed it would be swift and painless, but just imagining it was hope enough. Ankaa stood with a deep breath, wiping her hands on her jeans. She promised Mopsus that she would return to visit him one more time before leaving for the summer. As Ankaa exited the portrait room, she found Annabelle Roker standing there patiently, as if she had been waiting a long time for this moment. Immediately, Ankaa recalled what she had seen from Annabelle's memories in the Pensieve.
Annabelle had opened the door to the mysterious room slowly, holding her wand at the ready when she noticed that the room before her was empty. Save for the few experiments set up on the table, there was nothing else happening in the room. Inquisitively, she stepped inside. On one of the tables in the middle sat a little glass dome, wherein an egg was hatching and then unhatching over and over again. With a start, Annabelle realized she was in the Hall of Time. Immediately, her gaze was drawn to the glass-door cabinet on the other side.
Annabelle reached for it gingerly, slowly opening the case and reaching for one of the Time Turners. She weighed it in her hand, wondering whether or not it was a good idea to take one. If someone from the Ministry were to find out… Fred and George entered then, and Annabelle turned to them, holding one hand in front of her, gesturing for them to be quiet as she discreetly slipped the Time Turner in her pocket.
"How did you know I'd be here?"
Annabelle glanced at her friend. The girl had done a good enough job of wiping away her tears, but Annabelle had seen her own sister cry countless of times and telltale signs of tear tracks and puffy, swollen eyes were not lost on her. Still, Annabelle did not comment on it. In fact, she did not answer Ankaa's question at all. Instead, the girl simply opted to pull the Time Turner from around her neck and hold it out for Ankaa.
"Your mom wants to speak with you," Annabelle told her softly.
Ankaa was so overcome with emotion that she could not bring herself to thank the young girl. Her hands trembled ever so slightly as she reached for the Time Turner and secured it around her neck. Annabelle gave her an encouraging smile before turning and heading off to her Common Room. Ankaa watched her go for a moment before heading up the grand staircase and towards the passage leading to Honeydukes' cellar, once more. Sneaking out of Honeydukes was easy enough, and so was Apparating into the gardens right across Grimmauld Place. The hard part was putting the Time Turner over her head and turning the dial. But she needed answers, and she needed closure. So, with one last glance to the front door of number 12 Grimmauld Place, Ankaa turned the dial a few times and watched as her surroundings melted away.
She did not know what day it was when everything finally stopped moving. However, Ankaa was not surprised to see that her mother was standing by the entrance, holding the door open for her and giving her a gentle smile.
"I didn't think you'd come," Maya said softly when Ankaa ventured towards her.
"There's a lot of surprising things going on at the moment, wouldn't you say?"
Maya smiled, giving her daughter a once over before her hand came to rest on her head. She gave Ankaa's head a little tap before motioning her inside with a tilt of her own head. "Come on in, I've put the kettle on," was all she said.
Ankaa took a deep breath, holding her hands in her pocket as if to steady the shaking, and headed inside. The house was empty, it seemed. Even when Ankaa had been here before Christmas, no matter how brief, it had seemed full of life. Occasionally, a series of steps would have alerted her to the presence of other people. But now, it seemed that it was only her and her mother.
"You must have a lot of questions," said Maya softly, sliding a cup of warm tea towards her daughter when she had settled down in the dining room. "You can ask me anything, Ankaa."
Ankaa had thought of so many questions, and she had wanted to say so many things to her mother. But now that she was really sitting before her, everything she had thought to mention had fled her mind. Everything except one single, yet heavy, question.
"Why you?"
Maya, who was nursing her own cup of tea, looked back at her for a moment. "Why not me?"
"Why didn't you just kill Alice?" Ankaa could feel her grip on her own teacup tighten in fury. "If someone had to die, why couldn't it be her?"
Maya pursed her lips. "Ankaa, the way my visions work are quite different from yours, and the same for your grandmother. With each generation, our gifts have been getting better and better. I'm a better Seer than my mother, and you're a better one than I am. Your grandmother, for example, sees visions of the far future, visions that come to life so late that she's had time to prepare for them. As much as I don't like to admit it, she's a powerful witch, and unfortunately, one who's known that she would face off against you and win. She's had time to train, years and years of it with only one single goal."
"But you knew too? You must have already had this vision as well!"
"I did," Maya nodded. "I've known for quite some time, but no matter what I did it was always either me, or Sirius who died by the end of the vision. And then when I had a vision of you dying instead, I knew there was no other way. I couldn't just stand by and let my husband and daughter be killed. One day, you'll understand."
Ankaa ground her teeth together. "People have been saying that to me an awful lot," she seethed. "I wish they'd stop—I don't want to understand anymore."
"I wish you didn't have to either, Ankaa, but this is war." It was a simple truth. Maya reached for her hand across the table. "When I had heard that Lily and James had died that night, I couldn't understand what could have possibly gone wrong. They were both accomplished, could both hold their own against Dark Wizards. But then I understood—Lily and James… they loved Harry very much. They had laid down their lives to protect their child, and I have no right to do any less than them."
Ankaa could not bear to look at her mother. Her hand tightened around her mother's for the last time, her mind acknowledged. "So you had to die because of me?"
"Not because of you, darling," Maya corrected softly. "I died because my mother is too power-hungry and deranged. She's the one to blame, not you. Never you."
"I should have been there—"
"No," Maya interrupted strongly. "You were exactly where you needed to be—"
"Paralyzed in Diagon Alley? That's where I needed to be? If Fred hadn't done that, I could have been there with you—"
"And then you'd be dead." Her mother's words were harsh, but her gaze remained soft. "I understand you're upset with me, and Fred, and even Harry and Sirius. But we all have a part to play in this war, and this was mine. I asked Fred to keep you away, and he did his part. I asked Sirius to trust me when the time comes, and he did." Her mother gently tucked a strand of hair away behind her ear.
Maya stood from her spot on the opposite side and came to rest on the seat next to Ankaa. She took her daughter's hand once more, looking down at it when she spoke. "I know I haven't been a good mother to you—or even to Ceph. I wish that I had been able to give you both the childhood you deserved; full of love and happiness. I don't think I was very good at showing you affection, was I? Always more worried about the future than the present."
"What do you mean?"
"When you were born, there was a prophecy." The woman sighed deeply.
Maya could recall the day perfectly. It was the day that her daughter was born, and Madam Vablatsky had been visiting. Over the years that Maya had been training with Madam Vablatsky, the woman had taken on something of a motherly role in her life. When Sirius had sent the news that Maya was getting ready to have her second child, Madam Vablatsky had raced over.
"It'll be a girl," she said, depositing a collection of pillows next to the bed where Maya was bathed in sweat. "I have a feeling. Well that and the fact that I already bought some dresses and unless Cepheus wants them, they will be going to waste."
Sirius only grinned over at her, his snarky reply cut short when his wife squeezed his hand in pain as another wave of pain washed over her. "I wish Lily were here," he mumbled, taking away his hand and trying to flex away the pain. "She was a blessing when you were giving birth to Ceph. A real pro."
"Is she not coming?"
"No," huffed Maya, groaning as another contraction came and went. "She's expecting too. Anytime now, really. It's not safe for her to be Apparating, and so we told James to just stay with her."
Madam Vablatsky nodded. The healer from St. Mungo's reappeared into the bedroom, ready with her wand and a few more towels and instruments.
"Well, then, Mrs. Black," smiled the elderly healer. "Are we ready?"
"Yes, we are!" Sirius gave his wife's hand a little squeeze, "We're ready, aren't we—Oh, sorry, I realized I'm not the one in pain and that I should just stand here and provide silent support."
Maya gave him a deadpan look. "That'd be much appreciated, love, thank you."
Sirius gave her a salute and then turned to the Healer.
"Looks like we're ready, then," said the woman. "Now, when the next contraction starts, I'd like you to push, and I will guide you through as much as possible."
Maya nodded, taking a deep breath before she began to push. The Healer, a woman named Mrs. Cartwright, brought up her wand and commenced with small and steady waving motions, as if she were guiding the baby out. Maya could feel some of the pressure being taken off, but she continued to push, all the while squeezing Sirius' hand to the point where he was groaning in pain as well. And then finally, there was a sharp and piercing cry.
"It's a girl!"
Mrs. Cartwright wasted no time in cleaning the little girl up with a wave of her wand and wrapped her up in a soft little towel before passing her off to her parents. Maya's hands trembled as she reached for the little bundle, and the pain that she had been in for the last twelve hours was forgotten instantly. She felt the same way she had felt when she first held Ceph in her hands, gently cradling the newborn's head and trying to memorize everything about her. Marveling at her little hands, her little nose, her chubby cheeks…
"She's so wrinkly," breathed Sirius, but even he was staring at his new daughter in pure awe. He reached out carefully, gently trailing the pad of his finger over her cheek, smiling when her features scrunched up in response.
Madam Vablatsky stood, her eyes glazed over and a faraway look on her face. Her voice was deep and mystical, almost carrying a heavy edge when she spoke.
"Born at the dawn of the sixth month… she shall have a well-wisher from history garner her a favour from Death… Twice shall she defy Death to be reborn and return a loved ones sacrifice."
Then, as if she was shaking herself out of a stupor, the woman shook her head and smiled at the shocked couple. "I'll go and fetch Ceph," she said, turning to leave the room.
In her wake, Sirius and Maya watched her go with identical open-mouthed stares. It was Sirius who recovered first, looking from the elderly Seer to his wife.
"What was that?"
"A prophecy," Maya mumbled, eyes frozen on the spot that her mentor had vanished from. "It's about her..." They both glanced down at their daughter. Maya knew what sacrifice the prophecy spoke of… She had been having the same vision for a while now; first of her husband dying in a strange chamber, being swept up into a stone archway and never being seen. And then of herself, standing up to her mother and protecting her husband, and a girl who she now knew would be her daughter.
"It's ok," Sirius muttered softly, taking a seat by his wife and taking her face in his hands. "We'll figure this out together," he told her. "We'll deal with it."
Maya nodded, but as she looked down at the little bundle in her hands, she knew that there was no other choice. This was why she had trained, why she had pursued every opportunity to develop herself as a Seer, so that she could protect the ones she loved.
"I failed with Ceph, though, didn't I?" Maya scoffed, "What's the point of being a Seer when I couldn't even protect my own child. I let him face his death, afraid and alone. I wasn't a very good mother to him, but… I hope I can at least do it for you."
Ankaa's mind was racing. This was far too much information to process at once. Her mother had known all these years that she would die to save Ankaa, and she had made no mention of it?
"Why did you not see Ceph's death?"
"I didn't think he would die," Maya answered. "I saw him in the graveyard, and I saw Harry with him, but I never saw Voldemort return. All this time, I had thought that it would be my mother and father who would return and try to restore his name to glory. I never thought—well, anyway… I warned Ceph about it, that something seemed off and he should probably leave the Cup behind."
"I can't do that, Mum," he told her. It was a few days before the Final Task, and when Dumbledore had done nothing to stop the Tournament from continuing, Maya had anxiously revealed her vision to her son.
"Please, Ceph," Maya implored. "Whatever is there, it's really dangerous! I haven't been having any visions of you after that, I'm worried that something powerful is interrupting my visions."
"Mum," Ceph began gently. "If that's the case, then Harry shouldn't be there either. I'm not going to let him be alone, no matter what. He's family, isn't he?"
"Of course he is, Ceph, which is why neither of you should be doing this."
Ceph only laughed. "I'll be fine, Mum. And if not… well, at least I'll die protecting someone. It's what I signed up for, Mum. Besides, we've all got to go sometime, isn't it?"
"He always was very noble," Maya remembered. "Even when you both were little, he always took the blame for any mischief you both caused."
"I don't remember you punishing either of us for that behaviour."
"Good behaviour should be rewarded, not discouraged. Ceph was a good man, and though nobility is often mistaken for stupidity, I'm glad he was a brave and strong boy, true to his values and principles. I couldn't have asked for a better son." There was a pause, and then she reached for her daughter's face, gently turning it over to face her. "And I couldn't have asked for a better daughter. You're just as brave, just as noble, and just as caring as he was. We've all got our different ways of showing our love to the ones we cherish, we just need to look for it. You don't like to say I love you, and I understand that—neither do I. But you've shown me just how amazing you are as a woman and as a daughter with all the little things you do; for me, for your father, for your friends. Don't doubt yourself, Ankaa."
How could she possibly tell her mother that the only feeling Ankaa could identify within herself right now was of guilt? That she felt guilty to be the one who survived, when it was supposed to be her on the floor, in that cold chamber?
"You were never meant to die there, darling," Maya said, almost as if she had read Ankaa's mind. "Don't you understand? You're meant to do great things! I have no regrets in taking that curse or standing there in your place. I would do it a thousand more times if it meant keeping you safe. The only thing I regret is that I wasn't able to give you the normal life you deserve, and I hope you can forgive me for that. But I hope that I've been able to give you a chance to have a bright future, even if it is without me."
That was when Ankaa could feel the burning hot tears streaming down her face. She did not resist when her mother wiped them away gently, giving her a look of pure love that Ankaa reached for the woman and wrapped her up in a tight hug. She could feel her mother's hands roving over her head, running through her hair, patting her back to try and calm her down. All the while, Maya was telling her it was all okay, it's alright. Until eventually, the hour that Ankaa had borrowed from the Time Turner ran its course, and the last thing Ankaa saw before being returned to her original time was a happy, carefree, and reassuring smile from her mother as she placed a kiss on her forehead, and whispered a quiet but powerful, I love you.
When she was returned to her time, Ankaa was once again stood outside of 12 Grimmauld Place, in the midst of the garden that was rustling with the summer breeze. She was still crying, but with no one to wipe the tears away, it felt all the more painful. When she saw the door to Grimmauld Place open again, she half expected it to be her mother, standing there with the same welcoming smile as before.
It was Sirius.
He had the same expression as she did, Ankaa guessed. Swollen, bloodshot eyes, puffy from crying. But he was trying his best to hide it, instead choosing to give her a meaningful look as she stepped over the threshold and into the house once more. Ankaa watched her father close the door behind them, standing there a moment longer with his head bowed.
"I'm so sorry," muttered Ankaa. Sirius turned to her, nodding along to her words but Ankaa did not think they actually registered with him. "Did you know?"
"I did," he replied. "Just… hearing about it is different from actually seeing it."
Ankaa nodded slightly. Without hesitation, she reached into her shirt and pulled the Time Turner over her head. She held it out for Sirius. "Annabelle stole it from the Ministry," She admitted. "She gave it to me and I went back to see Mum… If you want to as well… to say goodbye?"
Sirius' eyes were filling with tears before she had even finished her sentence. He stared down at the golden contraption in her hand, looking as if he was seriously contemplating something. Then, he looked from the Time Turner, to his daughter.
"Your mother did not sacrifice herself for us to stay in the past." He reached forward and closed her palm over the Time Turner, holding her hand in both of his own. "She wanted to give you and me a chance at life, to look towards the future, and to win this war so that we can make the futures of everyone else brighter than what we had to face."
"Don't you want to see her one last time?"
"I've had my chance to say goodbye, and I'm glad you did too. But I promised your mother I would stand by you and help you to achieve the future you were promised, and I can't do that if I keep going to the past."
Ankaa sighed. "If you're sure."
"I am," he gave her a strained smile. His voice was laced with emotion as if he was straining to get the words out before his tears started falling. Clearing his throat, he added, "I want you to know that your mother loved you very much. And so do I. I know I haven't been a great father, but I swear I'll get better—"
Ankaa shook her head, stepping forward to wrap him in a tight hug. She closed her eyes, trying to stop the tears from falling but all she could see was the one memory of her mother, holding a little Ankaa and smiling down at Ceph. The woman who had tried the best she could and given Ankaa a second chance at life. The woman who had refused to stand aside and had willingly given up her life for the sake of her family. The pain was far too much and too similar to what she had felt when she lost Ceph. The never-ending onslaught of memories, of every regret, that she had when she had acted less than desirable to a mother who was only trying her best.
"You're a great father, Sirius," Ankaa finally mumbled. Although she could feel her tears soaking into Sirius' shirt, she did not move away. "Thank you for everything."
Ankaa wished she could have told her mother that, one last time. And though she could just as easily turn back time and visit her mother once more, Ankaa felt that she owed her mother a tremendous debt. No matter how unwillingly, Ankaa now had to look to the future and create one for herself that would have made her mother's sacrifice worthwhile.
And when Sirius' arms tightened around her, and his own sobs were shaking his frame, Ankaa thought that while the loss was so terrible and great, she at least had her family to help her weather the oncoming storms.
19irene96: Oh yeah, get ready for an ice-cold arctic front from Ankaa in regards to Harry and Fred. What the two of them did was idiotic beyond belief, and they've gotta pay for it. There's no way she's gonna let this slide.
TheRavenSlayer13:Oh man, I'm so honoured that you like this! I'm sorry that you had to wait so long for the next update, but hopefully, you're still on board and ready to read and comment!
brainless19: THANK YOU! WOOOOHH! LOLOL I especially loved reading your review cause thats EXACTLY what went on in my head when I was trying to decide who had to die. Unfortunately, it needed to happen, and it's meant to be one of the pivotal moments in the story where Ankaa sort of comes into her own, if we can say. So... yep. Hopefully, you've still stuck around and I hope you enjoy this chapter! I'd love to hear from you again! PLEASEEEEEE
Grim: LOOOL I def see Fred as the type of guy to rock some pink unironically. Like, I bet he'd have pink curtains and flowers in his room just to mess with Ron. I really hope you liked this chapter! I've spared Sirius (for now) but we shall soldier on nonetheless. And as for Zara, we're definitely going to see more of her from now on and until the end. Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter, as tumultuous as it was, and LEAVE ME A REVIEWWWW!
Raven that flies at night : honestly, at the end of this chapter, I'm not sure if I'm angry or happy. I'm happy we spared Sirius, but at what cost. I have a feeling no one is going to be as bothered with Maya's death as they were with Ceph, but hopefully they can see how her flaws made her human, and ultimately, forgive her? I'm interested to see what you think, honesty: are you happy or sad?
RainbowPotter: ASK AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE! Honestly, thank you for reviewing because that's what spurred me into action and finally got this chapter out. This is why I saw reviewing MAKES MY DAY AND MAKES ME WRITE! Anyway, I hope you like this chapter as well, and I hope you continue reviewing!