Chapter 24- Planning
Time passed quickly and it got closer and closer to the battle. Anaka and Harry helped in whatever ways they could. They ran errands, counted supplies and cleared the battlefield of debris that might get in the way. Scouts were sent into the forest to make sure Voldemort didn't make a move before the set date. Severus kept giving Dumbledore information from Voldemort and everyone tensed.
Anaka sat at breakfast and sighed. Tomorrow was the big day. The day where everyone's fates would be decided. She listened as the owls flew into the room. Four letters dropped in front of Anaka. She smiled. Ever since Ron and Hermione had left they had kept in touch. Anaka laughed when she looked at the first letter. It was from George. She read it slowly and realized how much she missed him.
"Since when does George write letters?" Harry asked. Anaka shrugged.
Anaka read through the other letters. They were from Hermione, Ron and Lelaca. Anaka turned to Harry when he had finished reading his letters.
"Anything good?" she asked. Harry smiled.
"The usually. Be careful, don't get yourself killed, leave while you can, you know."
"Anything from Ron?" Anaka pressed. Harry looked at her strangely.
"Besides that? Not much.." he said slowly. Anaka handed him the letter Ron had sent her.
"Nice time for him to tell me." She grumbled.
Anaka watched as Harry read the letter.
"I guess you know now huh?" he said handing her the letter.
"He told you right?" Anaka asked.
"Yeah. But you should be flattered that he told you."
"Flattered? That he liked me all this time and finally decided to tell me when we could die tomorrow?"
"He's over it now. He got over it awhile ago."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes." Harry said sternly.
Anaka nodded and folded the letter.
"I think he and Hermione make a better couple anyway. Now we just have to set you up Harry." Anaka teased.
Harry looked at her, surprised, then laughed.
"There aren't many people our age here." Harry said, "But if you see any feel free to point them out."
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Leslie walked out of the Great Hall after breakfast holding Remus's hand. They were following Severus down to his dungeon. Leslie needed some of the potion that had scared the creature away. She was getting closer to a solution.
"He'll just kick us out." Leslie sighed. They watched Snape go down the stairs. Once he was inside his classroom they walked down the stairs. Remus knocked on the door.
"What?" Severus snapped.
Remus opened the door and they entered slowly. Remus watched as Severus looked up. His face distorted slightly when he saw Leslie. Leslie looked at the floor and felt Severus watching her. Remus cleared his throat.
"What is it?" Severus growled. He turned to Remus. Remus nudged Leslie.
"We need some of the potion that scared the creature away." She said softly. Severus nodded. He got up and went to his rack.
Remus sighed. The tension in the room was unbearable. There had to be a way to make them friends again. I'm not helping being here, Remus thought.
"I just remembered Dumbledore wanted me to meet him." Remus said suddenly. Leslie looked at him surprised.
"Remus you can't leave." She whispered grabbing his arm. He smiled at her and unhooked her arm. Then he left the room. Leslie watched the door close. She turned and gasped. Severus was standing right in front of her.
"Here." He said gruffly.
Leslie took it and fought back tears. Severus hesitated a moment and their hands touched. They both let go at the same time and the potion shattered on the floor.
"I'm so sorry!" Leslie cried kneeling. She picked up some pieces of glass.
"It wasn't you." Severus mumbled. They knelt together and picked up the glass. Then Severus took out his wand and cleaned the potion.
"I have another one." He said taking the pieces of glass from Leslie. He threw them away and rushed to the rack. He took a potion and handed it to Leslie. Leslie took it and stared at the red liquid.
"I think magic scares it but I don't know if it hurts it." Severus said slowly.
"So I might have to do it the muggle way." She murmured.
"The muggle way?"
"Yeah. With a knife or dagger or gun or something."
"But how will you get close enough?"
"I don't know." Leslie said shaking her head, "But thanks."
Severus nodded. Leslie started to leave.
"Be careful." Severus blurted, as Leslie was about to shut the door.
Leslie nodded. She closed the door and smiled. They had actually held a conversation.
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Dumbledore was sitting at his desk when Remus entered. Remus watched as Dumbledore tested a wand. He wrote on a small piece of paper, attached it to the wand and then put it in a box. The box was half full and there were tons of other wands on his desk.
"What is it Remus?" Dumbledore asked as he picked up another wand. He glanced at Remus and waved toward an empty chair. Remus sat in it quickly.
"If you're busy I can go." Remus said.
Dumbledore smiled.
"Busy? Just planning a battle that's all. But right now I'm checking everyone's wands to make sure they work. I've only checked the professor's so far and I'm up to the Aurors now."
"I didn't even know we had to hand them in." Remus said surprised.
"I made an announcement last night. Don't worry. You are not the only one who forgot."
"Who else?" Remus asked handing him his wand.
"Leslie." Dumbledore said with a smile, "Perhaps you two were caught up in each other."
Remus blushed.
"I'm sorry..." he stammered. Dumbledore looked at him with twinkling eyes.
"It's nice to see two people not preparing to die but looking forward to a future."
"I don't know if we have a future." Remus sighed.
"After tomorrow she won't be working here any more. She won't have to worry about those stupid rules."
Remus looked at him surprised.
"I know about the rules the Ministry has." He said with a wave of his hand, "They are stupid but how can I argue? Anyway I don't think you came here to talk about your personal life. How can I help you?"
"Have you spoken to Professor Snape lately?" Remus asked.
"Yes, I have. Only about Voldemort though. He did seem kind of...well…upset I guess. But then again Severus seems to always find something to be gloomy about. I never understood that. Perhaps if I gave him more time off…"
"I know why he is upset." Remus interrupted. Dumbledore nodded and Remus quickly explained.
"Well that is terrible but what can I do?"
"I don't know," Remus said running a hand through his hair, "but it's upsetting Leslie. I think she is giving up. Anaka tried to help but it didn't work. He's being stubborn and frankly so is Leslie."
"Perfect for each other, hum?" Dumbledore said quietly.
Remus hesitated. Perfect for each other in what sense?
"Well I must get back to work Remus. I'll speak to you tonight no doubt."
Remus nodded and left. He thought about what Dumbledore had said. The more he thought about it the more confused he got. Remus shook his head. He was confused because he had more important things gnawing at him. It was the full moon tomorrow and they had a battle to fight.
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Anaka sat with Leslie in the common room. She picked up the bottle and stared at the red liquid.
"I doubt this stuff will kill the creature," said Anaka.
"I don't even know if magic will work on it." Leslie said thoughtfully.
"It would be nice if we knew that." Anaka replied.
"We should find out." Leslie murmured.
"Yeah we should. But if magic doesn't work then we are just going to get ourselves killed."
"Well, a Patronus spell can knock it down."
"But can a spell kill or injure it?"
"I don't know." Leslie sighed. Anaka nodded. Her eyes widened when she got an idea. She quickly recovered and smiled at Leslie.
"Don't worry. You'll figure something out."
Leslie nodded. Anaka excused herself and she ran to find John.
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John was reading in his parent's apartment when Anaka knocked on the door.
"Yeah?" John called.
"It's me, Ana. Open up Muffin man."
John smiled. He put down his book and opened the door. He swept Anaka into his arms and kissed her.
"What was that for?" Anaka asked, smiling. John shrugged.
"I love you that's all." he replied.
"I love you too." Anaka said hugging him.
John sighed and closed the door. Anaka sat in a chair and waited for John to do the same.
"What is it?" he asked.
"I need your help with an... um...experiment of sorts."
"What type of experiment?" John asked suspiciously.
"Well, Leslie needs to know if the creature is affected by magic."
"So?" John asked.
"We need to find the creature and see if magic affects it!"
"Oh no. No, no, no!" John said shaking his head, "It almost killed you last time."
"It won't if you're there." Anaka pointed out, "If we don't try this Leslie could be killed! If she tried a spell on the creature and it failed and we were all out fighting then the creature would kill her!"
"I don't know…" John said slowly.
"You're not afraid are you?" Anaka teased. John smiled slightly.
"Me? Never." He said smiling. Anaka smiled back but noticed his voice was shaky.
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Anaka walked down the halls slowly. She had her wand out and was holding it tightly. John was keeping his distance behind her.
"Come on creature. Where are you?" she mumbled.
She turned a corner and walked a little quicker. Suddenly she heard a cry behind her. Anaka's throat grew tight.
"John?" she whispered.
There was silence.
"John?" she said louder.
"John?!" Anaka screamed.
She ran back around the corner and started up the hall but stopped. Before her was a large lizard like creature. It was orange all over and was at least one foot taller then any adult she knew. Its eyes were glued on John but it was no longer covered with a black cloak. Its mouth had no lips but was filled with rows of sharp teeth. He laughed at John. John was staring at the creature defiantly. He had changed to his Zekan self. He folded his wings and looked back at Anaka.
"Run!" he cried.
"But John…" she hesitated. He turned back to face the creature.
"Don't look in its eyes!" Anaka cried.
"It can't freeze me!" John cried triumphantly.
The creature hissed and slashed at him. John took to the air and evaded the attack. He floated in the air smiling at the creature.
"Want to try again?" he teased. The creature narrowed its eyes and lunged at John. Anaka gasped as he knocked John to the floor and grabbed him with both hands.
"No!" Anaka cried.
She ran towards them and pointed her wand at the creature. What spell? Oh god what spell? She thought frantically. She started to mumble some words. The creature looked at her and seemed to laugh. Anaka looked away, avoiding its eyes. The spell hit the creature but only seemed to knock it down.
Anaka's mind raced. The creature still had John. He was struggling but Anaka knew he wouldn't be able to get out. The creature's claws dug into John's skin.
"Ahh!" he screamed.
Anaka tried to block the sound and think. Then it came to her. The ultimate test to see if magic would kill the creature. She gulped and screamed:
"Avada Kedavra!!"
A streak of green erupted from her wand. The spell hit the creature hard and it let go of John. John tumbled to the floor. Anaka ran to him. The creature stayed still. John sat up slowly. He had blood on his arms and his wings were a crumbled mess.
"Are you ok?" Anaka asked.
John nodded. He stared at the creature.
"You killed it." He whispered. Anaka sat there. She was shocked that she had used the spell. The most evil spell in the world to her. The one spell that had killed Harry's parents.
"I did it to save you." Anaka sobbed. John hugged her tightly.
Suddenly the creature stirred. They drew apart and stood. The creature laughed and stood up.
"Your little spells won't work." It hissed.
"Anaka, you have to run! Find someone, find anyone, find Leslie!" John cried.
He pushed Anaka aside and lunged at the creature. He planted his hands on the creature's chest and smiled evilly. Anaka backed up but couldn't help watching. The creature grabbed John but then let out a scream. He threw John aside and grabbed his chest. When he removed his hands Anaka saw two burn marks the size of John's hands on the creature's chest. John groaned. He was slumped against a wall. The creature bent over him. Anaka couldn't see what he was doing but she turned to find help.
"Help!! It's the creature!" she screamed. As she came to the corner two figures flew past her. Anaka turned around to see what they were and took a deep breath when she realized it was John's parents.
"Let him go." Alania said in a stern voice.
The creature turned. Blood dripped from his claws. Anaka turned white when she realized it was John's. Anger boiled inside her.
"You send bugs to fight me?" the creature roared, "Come little fireflies!"
It laughed. Rich nodded to his wife and soon a battle was raging. I have to get John out of there, Anaka thought. She kept her eyes down and peered out of the corner of her eye to see. She ran towards the creature and dodged its moves. She slid on the ground and hit the wall.
"Oh John." She groaned as she sat up.
John was moaning softly. His forehead had a huge gash in it. His clothes were torn to rags. His wings were bloody and Anaka realized the creature had torn feathers from them.
"Wake up John. Wake up! You can heal some of your wounds if you wake up." Anaka cried. She started to drag John down the hall. The creature's back was to them and Rich and Alania made sure it stayed that way. They got to the next corner when John woke up.
"Anaka." He whispered.
"I'm here…" she started when a clawed hand suddenly hit here. She gasped and was knocked against a wall.
She turned towards the creature. She stared, unbelieving. He seemed to have gotten bigger somehow. His one hand was as big as John and any of them could have fit in it. He picked John up and sneered at his parents.
Rich and Alania had tons of cuts and scratches on them. They were gasping now and standing on the ground. Using their powers also made them tired.
Anaka wondered where everyone else was in the castle. They would have heard this battle by now. Then Anaka's eyes widened.
"Voldemort's attacked today." She whispered. She thought of her father and the others. She looked at the creature and stood. Her body felt like it had been rammed by a dragon but she still stood and walked towards the creature.
"Let him go." She said softly, then louder, "Let him go!"
The creature laughed. Anaka took out her wand and lunged at the creature. Then she stabbed him with the point of the wand. It wasn't extremely sharp but it was enough to cut the creature. The creature roared and suddenly it threw John to the ground. Anaka jumped off the creature and fell next to John. The creature ran down the hall. He seemed to shrink as he went and then he was gone.
Anaka sighed. John moaned and turned his head to look at Anaka.
"How'd we do?" John asked with a smile. Anaka shrugged.
"Not bad." She replied.
John laughed slightly but stopped when a sharp pain entered his chest. He concentrated hard and Anaka watched as some of the cuts stopped bleeding and healed.
"I can't stop them all." He whispered.
"You don't have to. I'm impressed enough." Anaka whispered back.
Alania and Rich picked John up carefully and carried him to the hospital wing.
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"You are nuts! I am never talking to you about work again. You and John could have gotten killed and then whose fault would it have been hum? I give up!" Leslie cried.
She released Anaka from a tight hug.
"At least you got the info you needed." Anaka replied.
"Never do that again." Remus scolded. Anaka had already heard his speech that had ended in hugs and tears.
Sirius stood nearby. John and his parents were being treated and with the help of their powers would be able to fight in the battle. Remus had told Anaka that a pack of 20 or so Death Eaters had attacked the castle during their fight with the creature. After about an hour they had let up and ran.
Anaka excused herself and walked up to Severus. He was standing in the doorway holding Sunfire. Sunfire purred as Severus pet him. Harry had followed Anaka and now stood awkwardly next to her.
"Here." Severus growled. Anaka took Sunfire gladly. She hugged him close.
"That was a brave, but stupid, thing you did." Severus said. He looked away as he spoke.
"I did it to help Leslie. I don't want her to get hurt or die." Anaka replied. Severus looked like he was going to say I don't want her to die either, but his face quickly returned to stone.
"At least we know magic doesn't effect the creature, unless it's the type of magic John and his parents can use. I guess Leslie will have to figure out a muggle way to take care of it." Anaka said slowly.
She watched Harry as she spoke. The fact that she had used the killing spell on the creature hadn't affected him as bad as she thought it would. One thing that bothered her though was that everyone had looked at her strangely when she mentioned she had preformed the spell. Turns out no one thought Anaka or anyone her age could pull it off. Dumbledore had even looked at her strangely. Anaka sighed.
"You should rest." Harry replied.
"I'll be fine." Anaka said looking around the room.
"Sleep while you can. You won't get much rest tomorrow." Severus pointed out.
Anaka nodded.
"I'll just wait for John to be done."
Severus grunted and walked away. Harry shrugged and they headed towards John's bed.
"I hope you're feeling better." said Harry.
"As good as I can feel." John replied.
"Next time talk me out of my stupid ideas." Anaka growled, "I could have gotten you killed."
"I think you were really brave." John said squeezing her hand.
Harry rolled his eyes and smiled.
"I will just leave you two alone." He remarked and slipped away.
Anaka laughed.
"He definitely needs a girlfriend." John said shaking his head.
"Are you sure you are ok?"
"I'm fine." John paused, "I meant it when I said you were brave. It must have taken guts to…um...use that spell."
Anaka stayed quiet.
"Did you feel happy when you burned the monster?" Anaka asked suddenly. John looked at her surprised.
"What would give you that idea?"
"You smiled like you enjoyed it."
"I was mad and just wanted it to suffer." He shrugged.
Anaka nodded but couldn't help but feel strange. The Zekans could use their powers for good or evil anyway. It just scared Anaka thinking they could do such deadly things.
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Leslie sat in the common room late that night. They had stayed in the Great Hall for hours planning. They had tons of tactics but knowing Voldemort none of them would work. It was more like early morning now and Leslie had to think of a way to stop the creature. She looked at the suitcase on the floor besides her. She opened it. Inside was the bottle of red liquid and other weapons. She frowned when she looked at them. They were primitive muggle weapons. A handgun, a rifle, a dagger, and her favorite, a sword. There were also some small bombs and listening devices. She smiled as she remembered certain missions where she had used these things. The things she had used the least were the sword and dagger. Not many people dueled now a day. Leslie always kept a pocketknife with her anyway. The weapons she hated to use were the guns. Leslie hated any type of violence but the guns seemed to cause so many useless deaths. Even children fell victim.
Leslie sighed. She was dressed in black. Her hair was in a bun and she wore black stockings. Leslie decided against wearing shoes since they would be noisy. She took out the dagger and placed it on her belt. She quickly did the same with some of the other weapons. It would be hard finding the creature. Anaka had figured out how it hides so well. It could control its size. Leslie sighed. She stood up to leave when a figure entered the common room.
"Remus." Leslie scolded.
"What do you think you're doing?" he asked.
"Going to kill the creature." She said walking past him.
"You forgot something." He said picking up her wand.
"It won't hurt him anyway."
"Just take it."
Leslie took the wand and stuck it in her belt. Remus looked her over.
"Nice outfit." He commented. Leslie raised an eyebrow.
"I only wear it for work. If I wore loose clothing it would get in the way. Otherwise I hate tight clothing." She smirked, "Get those ideas out of your head Lupin."
Remus blushed.
"I guess you won't let me help you huh?"
She shook her head.
"No way."
He sighed. Remus walked towards her and took her hand.
"Be careful." He whispered. Leslie looked into his eyes. They were full of concern.
"I'll be back." She said with a smile. Leslie leaned towards him and kissed him gently. Then she slipped out the door.
Time passed quickly and it got closer and closer to the battle. Anaka and Harry helped in whatever ways they could. They ran errands, counted supplies and cleared the battlefield of debris that might get in the way. Scouts were sent into the forest to make sure Voldemort didn't make a move before the set date. Severus kept giving Dumbledore information from Voldemort and everyone tensed.
Anaka sat at breakfast and sighed. Tomorrow was the big day. The day where everyone's fates would be decided. She listened as the owls flew into the room. Four letters dropped in front of Anaka. She smiled. Ever since Ron and Hermione had left they had kept in touch. Anaka laughed when she looked at the first letter. It was from George. She read it slowly and realized how much she missed him.
"Since when does George write letters?" Harry asked. Anaka shrugged.
Anaka read through the other letters. They were from Hermione, Ron and Lelaca. Anaka turned to Harry when he had finished reading his letters.
"Anything good?" she asked. Harry smiled.
"The usually. Be careful, don't get yourself killed, leave while you can, you know."
"Anything from Ron?" Anaka pressed. Harry looked at her strangely.
"Besides that? Not much.." he said slowly. Anaka handed him the letter Ron had sent her.
"Nice time for him to tell me." She grumbled.
Anaka watched as Harry read the letter.
"I guess you know now huh?" he said handing her the letter.
"He told you right?" Anaka asked.
"Yeah. But you should be flattered that he told you."
"Flattered? That he liked me all this time and finally decided to tell me when we could die tomorrow?"
"He's over it now. He got over it awhile ago."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes." Harry said sternly.
Anaka nodded and folded the letter.
"I think he and Hermione make a better couple anyway. Now we just have to set you up Harry." Anaka teased.
Harry looked at her, surprised, then laughed.
"There aren't many people our age here." Harry said, "But if you see any feel free to point them out."
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Leslie walked out of the Great Hall after breakfast holding Remus's hand. They were following Severus down to his dungeon. Leslie needed some of the potion that had scared the creature away. She was getting closer to a solution.
"He'll just kick us out." Leslie sighed. They watched Snape go down the stairs. Once he was inside his classroom they walked down the stairs. Remus knocked on the door.
"What?" Severus snapped.
Remus opened the door and they entered slowly. Remus watched as Severus looked up. His face distorted slightly when he saw Leslie. Leslie looked at the floor and felt Severus watching her. Remus cleared his throat.
"What is it?" Severus growled. He turned to Remus. Remus nudged Leslie.
"We need some of the potion that scared the creature away." She said softly. Severus nodded. He got up and went to his rack.
Remus sighed. The tension in the room was unbearable. There had to be a way to make them friends again. I'm not helping being here, Remus thought.
"I just remembered Dumbledore wanted me to meet him." Remus said suddenly. Leslie looked at him surprised.
"Remus you can't leave." She whispered grabbing his arm. He smiled at her and unhooked her arm. Then he left the room. Leslie watched the door close. She turned and gasped. Severus was standing right in front of her.
"Here." He said gruffly.
Leslie took it and fought back tears. Severus hesitated a moment and their hands touched. They both let go at the same time and the potion shattered on the floor.
"I'm so sorry!" Leslie cried kneeling. She picked up some pieces of glass.
"It wasn't you." Severus mumbled. They knelt together and picked up the glass. Then Severus took out his wand and cleaned the potion.
"I have another one." He said taking the pieces of glass from Leslie. He threw them away and rushed to the rack. He took a potion and handed it to Leslie. Leslie took it and stared at the red liquid.
"I think magic scares it but I don't know if it hurts it." Severus said slowly.
"So I might have to do it the muggle way." She murmured.
"The muggle way?"
"Yeah. With a knife or dagger or gun or something."
"But how will you get close enough?"
"I don't know." Leslie said shaking her head, "But thanks."
Severus nodded. Leslie started to leave.
"Be careful." Severus blurted, as Leslie was about to shut the door.
Leslie nodded. She closed the door and smiled. They had actually held a conversation.
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Dumbledore was sitting at his desk when Remus entered. Remus watched as Dumbledore tested a wand. He wrote on a small piece of paper, attached it to the wand and then put it in a box. The box was half full and there were tons of other wands on his desk.
"What is it Remus?" Dumbledore asked as he picked up another wand. He glanced at Remus and waved toward an empty chair. Remus sat in it quickly.
"If you're busy I can go." Remus said.
Dumbledore smiled.
"Busy? Just planning a battle that's all. But right now I'm checking everyone's wands to make sure they work. I've only checked the professor's so far and I'm up to the Aurors now."
"I didn't even know we had to hand them in." Remus said surprised.
"I made an announcement last night. Don't worry. You are not the only one who forgot."
"Who else?" Remus asked handing him his wand.
"Leslie." Dumbledore said with a smile, "Perhaps you two were caught up in each other."
Remus blushed.
"I'm sorry..." he stammered. Dumbledore looked at him with twinkling eyes.
"It's nice to see two people not preparing to die but looking forward to a future."
"I don't know if we have a future." Remus sighed.
"After tomorrow she won't be working here any more. She won't have to worry about those stupid rules."
Remus looked at him surprised.
"I know about the rules the Ministry has." He said with a wave of his hand, "They are stupid but how can I argue? Anyway I don't think you came here to talk about your personal life. How can I help you?"
"Have you spoken to Professor Snape lately?" Remus asked.
"Yes, I have. Only about Voldemort though. He did seem kind of...well…upset I guess. But then again Severus seems to always find something to be gloomy about. I never understood that. Perhaps if I gave him more time off…"
"I know why he is upset." Remus interrupted. Dumbledore nodded and Remus quickly explained.
"Well that is terrible but what can I do?"
"I don't know," Remus said running a hand through his hair, "but it's upsetting Leslie. I think she is giving up. Anaka tried to help but it didn't work. He's being stubborn and frankly so is Leslie."
"Perfect for each other, hum?" Dumbledore said quietly.
Remus hesitated. Perfect for each other in what sense?
"Well I must get back to work Remus. I'll speak to you tonight no doubt."
Remus nodded and left. He thought about what Dumbledore had said. The more he thought about it the more confused he got. Remus shook his head. He was confused because he had more important things gnawing at him. It was the full moon tomorrow and they had a battle to fight.
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Anaka sat with Leslie in the common room. She picked up the bottle and stared at the red liquid.
"I doubt this stuff will kill the creature," said Anaka.
"I don't even know if magic will work on it." Leslie said thoughtfully.
"It would be nice if we knew that." Anaka replied.
"We should find out." Leslie murmured.
"Yeah we should. But if magic doesn't work then we are just going to get ourselves killed."
"Well, a Patronus spell can knock it down."
"But can a spell kill or injure it?"
"I don't know." Leslie sighed. Anaka nodded. Her eyes widened when she got an idea. She quickly recovered and smiled at Leslie.
"Don't worry. You'll figure something out."
Leslie nodded. Anaka excused herself and she ran to find John.
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John was reading in his parent's apartment when Anaka knocked on the door.
"Yeah?" John called.
"It's me, Ana. Open up Muffin man."
John smiled. He put down his book and opened the door. He swept Anaka into his arms and kissed her.
"What was that for?" Anaka asked, smiling. John shrugged.
"I love you that's all." he replied.
"I love you too." Anaka said hugging him.
John sighed and closed the door. Anaka sat in a chair and waited for John to do the same.
"What is it?" he asked.
"I need your help with an... um...experiment of sorts."
"What type of experiment?" John asked suspiciously.
"Well, Leslie needs to know if the creature is affected by magic."
"So?" John asked.
"We need to find the creature and see if magic affects it!"
"Oh no. No, no, no!" John said shaking his head, "It almost killed you last time."
"It won't if you're there." Anaka pointed out, "If we don't try this Leslie could be killed! If she tried a spell on the creature and it failed and we were all out fighting then the creature would kill her!"
"I don't know…" John said slowly.
"You're not afraid are you?" Anaka teased. John smiled slightly.
"Me? Never." He said smiling. Anaka smiled back but noticed his voice was shaky.
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Anaka walked down the halls slowly. She had her wand out and was holding it tightly. John was keeping his distance behind her.
"Come on creature. Where are you?" she mumbled.
She turned a corner and walked a little quicker. Suddenly she heard a cry behind her. Anaka's throat grew tight.
"John?" she whispered.
There was silence.
"John?" she said louder.
"John?!" Anaka screamed.
She ran back around the corner and started up the hall but stopped. Before her was a large lizard like creature. It was orange all over and was at least one foot taller then any adult she knew. Its eyes were glued on John but it was no longer covered with a black cloak. Its mouth had no lips but was filled with rows of sharp teeth. He laughed at John. John was staring at the creature defiantly. He had changed to his Zekan self. He folded his wings and looked back at Anaka.
"Run!" he cried.
"But John…" she hesitated. He turned back to face the creature.
"Don't look in its eyes!" Anaka cried.
"It can't freeze me!" John cried triumphantly.
The creature hissed and slashed at him. John took to the air and evaded the attack. He floated in the air smiling at the creature.
"Want to try again?" he teased. The creature narrowed its eyes and lunged at John. Anaka gasped as he knocked John to the floor and grabbed him with both hands.
"No!" Anaka cried.
She ran towards them and pointed her wand at the creature. What spell? Oh god what spell? She thought frantically. She started to mumble some words. The creature looked at her and seemed to laugh. Anaka looked away, avoiding its eyes. The spell hit the creature but only seemed to knock it down.
Anaka's mind raced. The creature still had John. He was struggling but Anaka knew he wouldn't be able to get out. The creature's claws dug into John's skin.
"Ahh!" he screamed.
Anaka tried to block the sound and think. Then it came to her. The ultimate test to see if magic would kill the creature. She gulped and screamed:
"Avada Kedavra!!"
A streak of green erupted from her wand. The spell hit the creature hard and it let go of John. John tumbled to the floor. Anaka ran to him. The creature stayed still. John sat up slowly. He had blood on his arms and his wings were a crumbled mess.
"Are you ok?" Anaka asked.
John nodded. He stared at the creature.
"You killed it." He whispered. Anaka sat there. She was shocked that she had used the spell. The most evil spell in the world to her. The one spell that had killed Harry's parents.
"I did it to save you." Anaka sobbed. John hugged her tightly.
Suddenly the creature stirred. They drew apart and stood. The creature laughed and stood up.
"Your little spells won't work." It hissed.
"Anaka, you have to run! Find someone, find anyone, find Leslie!" John cried.
He pushed Anaka aside and lunged at the creature. He planted his hands on the creature's chest and smiled evilly. Anaka backed up but couldn't help watching. The creature grabbed John but then let out a scream. He threw John aside and grabbed his chest. When he removed his hands Anaka saw two burn marks the size of John's hands on the creature's chest. John groaned. He was slumped against a wall. The creature bent over him. Anaka couldn't see what he was doing but she turned to find help.
"Help!! It's the creature!" she screamed. As she came to the corner two figures flew past her. Anaka turned around to see what they were and took a deep breath when she realized it was John's parents.
"Let him go." Alania said in a stern voice.
The creature turned. Blood dripped from his claws. Anaka turned white when she realized it was John's. Anger boiled inside her.
"You send bugs to fight me?" the creature roared, "Come little fireflies!"
It laughed. Rich nodded to his wife and soon a battle was raging. I have to get John out of there, Anaka thought. She kept her eyes down and peered out of the corner of her eye to see. She ran towards the creature and dodged its moves. She slid on the ground and hit the wall.
"Oh John." She groaned as she sat up.
John was moaning softly. His forehead had a huge gash in it. His clothes were torn to rags. His wings were bloody and Anaka realized the creature had torn feathers from them.
"Wake up John. Wake up! You can heal some of your wounds if you wake up." Anaka cried. She started to drag John down the hall. The creature's back was to them and Rich and Alania made sure it stayed that way. They got to the next corner when John woke up.
"Anaka." He whispered.
"I'm here…" she started when a clawed hand suddenly hit here. She gasped and was knocked against a wall.
She turned towards the creature. She stared, unbelieving. He seemed to have gotten bigger somehow. His one hand was as big as John and any of them could have fit in it. He picked John up and sneered at his parents.
Rich and Alania had tons of cuts and scratches on them. They were gasping now and standing on the ground. Using their powers also made them tired.
Anaka wondered where everyone else was in the castle. They would have heard this battle by now. Then Anaka's eyes widened.
"Voldemort's attacked today." She whispered. She thought of her father and the others. She looked at the creature and stood. Her body felt like it had been rammed by a dragon but she still stood and walked towards the creature.
"Let him go." She said softly, then louder, "Let him go!"
The creature laughed. Anaka took out her wand and lunged at the creature. Then she stabbed him with the point of the wand. It wasn't extremely sharp but it was enough to cut the creature. The creature roared and suddenly it threw John to the ground. Anaka jumped off the creature and fell next to John. The creature ran down the hall. He seemed to shrink as he went and then he was gone.
Anaka sighed. John moaned and turned his head to look at Anaka.
"How'd we do?" John asked with a smile. Anaka shrugged.
"Not bad." She replied.
John laughed slightly but stopped when a sharp pain entered his chest. He concentrated hard and Anaka watched as some of the cuts stopped bleeding and healed.
"I can't stop them all." He whispered.
"You don't have to. I'm impressed enough." Anaka whispered back.
Alania and Rich picked John up carefully and carried him to the hospital wing.
**********************************************
"You are nuts! I am never talking to you about work again. You and John could have gotten killed and then whose fault would it have been hum? I give up!" Leslie cried.
She released Anaka from a tight hug.
"At least you got the info you needed." Anaka replied.
"Never do that again." Remus scolded. Anaka had already heard his speech that had ended in hugs and tears.
Sirius stood nearby. John and his parents were being treated and with the help of their powers would be able to fight in the battle. Remus had told Anaka that a pack of 20 or so Death Eaters had attacked the castle during their fight with the creature. After about an hour they had let up and ran.
Anaka excused herself and walked up to Severus. He was standing in the doorway holding Sunfire. Sunfire purred as Severus pet him. Harry had followed Anaka and now stood awkwardly next to her.
"Here." Severus growled. Anaka took Sunfire gladly. She hugged him close.
"That was a brave, but stupid, thing you did." Severus said. He looked away as he spoke.
"I did it to help Leslie. I don't want her to get hurt or die." Anaka replied. Severus looked like he was going to say I don't want her to die either, but his face quickly returned to stone.
"At least we know magic doesn't effect the creature, unless it's the type of magic John and his parents can use. I guess Leslie will have to figure out a muggle way to take care of it." Anaka said slowly.
She watched Harry as she spoke. The fact that she had used the killing spell on the creature hadn't affected him as bad as she thought it would. One thing that bothered her though was that everyone had looked at her strangely when she mentioned she had preformed the spell. Turns out no one thought Anaka or anyone her age could pull it off. Dumbledore had even looked at her strangely. Anaka sighed.
"You should rest." Harry replied.
"I'll be fine." Anaka said looking around the room.
"Sleep while you can. You won't get much rest tomorrow." Severus pointed out.
Anaka nodded.
"I'll just wait for John to be done."
Severus grunted and walked away. Harry shrugged and they headed towards John's bed.
"I hope you're feeling better." said Harry.
"As good as I can feel." John replied.
"Next time talk me out of my stupid ideas." Anaka growled, "I could have gotten you killed."
"I think you were really brave." John said squeezing her hand.
Harry rolled his eyes and smiled.
"I will just leave you two alone." He remarked and slipped away.
Anaka laughed.
"He definitely needs a girlfriend." John said shaking his head.
"Are you sure you are ok?"
"I'm fine." John paused, "I meant it when I said you were brave. It must have taken guts to…um...use that spell."
Anaka stayed quiet.
"Did you feel happy when you burned the monster?" Anaka asked suddenly. John looked at her surprised.
"What would give you that idea?"
"You smiled like you enjoyed it."
"I was mad and just wanted it to suffer." He shrugged.
Anaka nodded but couldn't help but feel strange. The Zekans could use their powers for good or evil anyway. It just scared Anaka thinking they could do such deadly things.
*******************************************
Leslie sat in the common room late that night. They had stayed in the Great Hall for hours planning. They had tons of tactics but knowing Voldemort none of them would work. It was more like early morning now and Leslie had to think of a way to stop the creature. She looked at the suitcase on the floor besides her. She opened it. Inside was the bottle of red liquid and other weapons. She frowned when she looked at them. They were primitive muggle weapons. A handgun, a rifle, a dagger, and her favorite, a sword. There were also some small bombs and listening devices. She smiled as she remembered certain missions where she had used these things. The things she had used the least were the sword and dagger. Not many people dueled now a day. Leslie always kept a pocketknife with her anyway. The weapons she hated to use were the guns. Leslie hated any type of violence but the guns seemed to cause so many useless deaths. Even children fell victim.
Leslie sighed. She was dressed in black. Her hair was in a bun and she wore black stockings. Leslie decided against wearing shoes since they would be noisy. She took out the dagger and placed it on her belt. She quickly did the same with some of the other weapons. It would be hard finding the creature. Anaka had figured out how it hides so well. It could control its size. Leslie sighed. She stood up to leave when a figure entered the common room.
"Remus." Leslie scolded.
"What do you think you're doing?" he asked.
"Going to kill the creature." She said walking past him.
"You forgot something." He said picking up her wand.
"It won't hurt him anyway."
"Just take it."
Leslie took the wand and stuck it in her belt. Remus looked her over.
"Nice outfit." He commented. Leslie raised an eyebrow.
"I only wear it for work. If I wore loose clothing it would get in the way. Otherwise I hate tight clothing." She smirked, "Get those ideas out of your head Lupin."
Remus blushed.
"I guess you won't let me help you huh?"
She shook her head.
"No way."
He sighed. Remus walked towards her and took her hand.
"Be careful." He whispered. Leslie looked into his eyes. They were full of concern.
"I'll be back." She said with a smile. Leslie leaned towards him and kissed him gently. Then she slipped out the door.
