chapter nine
SECOND FIGHT IN THE WOODS
When they reached the clearing, it looked just as it had so long ago. The Death Eaters were encircling Voldemort, who looked as though he had just drunk a strength-enhancing potion. There was a bottle in his hand, and Artemas lay tied up on the outskirts of the circle. He was sleeping, and blood poured from his shoulder. Orion's eyes swelled up with water. 'Get a hold of yourself.' she demanded as she stepped into the clearing. With her other companions right behind her, she pushed the masked humans into the trees, and approached Tom Riddle.
"You are too late, Avery. I have already won," he smirked as he took his hand and waved Orion into the sky and slammed her hard into the ground in front of her dragon friend. Black, Snape, Dumbledore, and McGonagall sprang into action, all shouting "Crucio!" at the same time, but they had made a devastating mistake. Riddle reflected the spell back onto them, just as Orion had done to his Death Eaters, who were encircling them once more. The teachers and Sirius fell to the ground, convulsing. The Enigma shouted, but Voldemort's laugh rang through the clearing like a hundred cracked church bells. Then he advanced on her.
"Like I said, Avery. You are too late. Thanks to your friend here," he pointed to the fallen dragon, "I cannot be stopped. Even by you." Orion stood frozen in her spot, trying to form a plan. The four that she had come with had stopped their convulsions, and were now laying motionless on the ground.
"You are a fool, Thomas," she said, and spat in his face. He slammed her into the outside of the dragon's cave, and then pulled her back to her original standing position. Then he began to circle her.
"You know, we could have been great, you and I. But you defied me. You thought I could never be more powerful than you. But guess what," he whispered into her ear. She flinched at the touch of his breath. "I am the most powerful person on this planet now." He held up a hand to strike her again but this time she was not frozen. She stopped his hand from coming down on her and with the other she retrieved her long lost sword from his side.
"I believe this belongs to me," she said as she slashed across Voldemort's face. He stumbled backward, blood dripping down his neck. He laughed.
"You are a foolish girl." He got up and pulled the sword with a magnetic hand, and tossed it into the middle of the clearing. Snape wearily opened his eyes. Riddle continued his circling, but this time Orion spoke.
"I say to you again Tom. You are the fool. Only a true moron like yourself would try a stunt like the one you just pulled." She waited for him to react, but he kept on circling. It was making her head spin. "Artemas is no ordinary dragon. He's an Atlantean Spiked Tail, and he is the very last of his kind."
"If I have proved it to you once, I've done it a thousand times. I'm not stupid, I know what he is Orion."
"Yes, but did you know that you are going to need him to live? Forever?" the man stopped circling, "Ah, you didn't? Did you know that once that potion wears off you will die unless you have Draco's blood to live off of?" Voldemort looked uneasy. Orion had trapped him. "Let me explain, because you are clearly as stupid as I have always thought you to be," she began to circle around him, "The potion you brewed and engulfed enters your bloodstream, and the dragon's blood in the potion replaces your own. That is what gives you stealth strength and your ability to be immune to all magic. But the blood is quickly used up, and since you are obviously not a dragon and therefore cannot reproduce it, you are left with no blood, because Artemas's fluids have destroyed your own. Unless you have him, you will die." She stopped in front of him, a great smile spreading over her lips.
"Are you blind!? I have the dragon! He sleeps under my watchful eye, and therefore I will live forever."
"I don't think so." Orion pointed a finger behind Tom, and he turned to see Severus and Sirius untying his precious lifeline. The potions master was waving smelling salts under his nose, and the great dragon awoke with a start. His bleeding had ceased. Albus and Minerva were pointing wands out from where they stood in front of Artemas.
"NO!" Riddle shouted, advancing on the thieves. Orion threw herself against him and both fell to the ground, fighting hand to hand. The Death Eaters were throwing curses every which way, but somehow her companions were managing just fine. The dragon gave a great roar, and a bruised and battered Orion looked up to him. He looked as enraged as she felt. He spat fire in Voldemort's direction, and he barely escaped. As Orion picked up her Great-grandfather's sword, she felt a warm soul approach the clearing. When she turned to look, Voldemort lunged at her.
"Crucio!" shouted an enraged Harry Potter. Voldemort flew back against a tree, not hurt, but shaken and surprised that Potter's magic had worked on him. Orion looked happy to see him.
"Thanks."
"You're quite welcome," he replied as he came to a halt at her side. The Enigma raised her sword and spoke in a voice filled with pure, violent, hatred.
"With this sword that I hold tight,
Drain his blood, drain his fight
Take from him what he holds dear
Take his blood and leave him fear."
And with one swift motion, Orion flung her weapon at Voldemort. Time seemed to stand still. The sword had imbedded itself in his thigh, and golden blood was pouring from the wound. His vision became blurry, but he could still make out Orion's figure, heading toward him.
She pulled the sword from his leg, and he screamed in protest. Artemas stood and walked slowly toward the two. Oh how he wanted to eat that bastard. Orion saw him coming toward them. She put up a hand.
"No Artemas. Not this one. He's survived as nothing before, let's see if he can do it again." She was playing with him. He wasn't going to die? "You will live as you did before. But know this--I will always be there to stop you. You might as well give up your fight now. Go crawl in a hole and pray for death, because once you see what I have made you, you will wish you were never born." He cowered at her power. "Now, get out of here. And take your damned minions with you!" She flung Voldemort and his followers high into the sky, and way beyond the forest. Where they ended up, she didn't really care.
"That was very compassionate of you," said Albus.
"You should have killed him," sneered Sirius. Snape actually agreed with him. Orion fell to the ground, completely exhausted. Severus picked her up.
"Um, thank...you, Mr. Potter, for your assistance. However you know this forest is forbidden--"
"Severus, give it a rest," The woman said from his arms. He sighed a deep, grateful sigh. As they made their way out of the clearing, Artemas stopped Sirius.
"Thank you for watching over her," he said. In English. Sirius nearly fell back into the dirt. Artemas laughed.
"You! You could've talked to me the whole time!"
"Of course I could've. You think English is harder than my native tongue?" he laughed again at Black's quizzical look.
"You have proved your worth, Sirius. Now I will help you. There is a woman who I came across a few years back. She said that she saw what happened that night that Voldemort came after the Potters. She knows you didn't do it." Sirius stood frozen. "Her name is Aimee Pearla. She lives in Tipton. Go to her, and may you find your true self." Without even waiting for a thank-you, The great dragon spread his wings and took off once more into the night sky. Sirius walked over to Snape and Orion.
"It's over," he assured her.
"No, it's not. Colin Creevey was not in this clearing with us tonight."