It was dark and cold in the Forbidden Forest. Branches whipped past her,
scratching her face, tangling her hair. She didn't feel them.
"Sirius, where are you?" she yelled out. Her only response were evil cackles. They seemed to resound all over the place: earth, sky, trees.
She stopped a moment to catch her breath, closed her eyes and tried to focus. "Sirius?" she whispered to herself. She felt nothing for a few seconds. Her brow creased in concentration. Suddenly, a direction presented itself to her. She sprinted towards it, not stopping until she caught sight of his ripped robes. Celestine gasped and squealed to a halt, seeing the deep gash in his forehead.
"Sirius!" Celestine cried, starting toward where he lay on the dark grounds.
A Death Eater came out and waved his wand at her. "I think that's far enough."
Celestine stopped her advance towards Sirius. He lay bleeding on the ground, the remaining Death Eater's slowly coming out to surround him with their wands. Desperation crawled up her throat. She swallowed hard, determined not to cry in front of them. Instead, she stared at Sirius, trying to catch his eye and perhaps confer some of her strength to him. But he lay there on the ground, unconscious. A Death Eater kicked him, and he groaned. A whimper escaped her, despite herself.
"Nooowww," Voldemort hissed, his snaky, spitting accent sending chills up Celestine's spine. "Are you ready to give me what I asked for? Or do we have to negotiate further?" At that, another Death Eater kicked him, harder this time. He groaned again.
Celestine tried to get her breathing under control. "I'll give you anything you ask for . Just let him go."
"No can do, Celesssstine," Voldemort hissed, coming forward to stroke her face with his thin, pale claw that passed for a hand. She repressed the urge to vomit as the cold, dead thing touched her flesh. "You know what I need. Now you have only one option, if you want to see him alive again."
Her eyes blurred. Voldemort smiled evilly. Celestine's hands fumbled for the red stone that hung around her neck. She gripped it tightly, unwilling to let it go. Then she ripped it from her neck, holding it up for the Death Eaters and Voldemort to see. The silver chain dangled, broken, from her hand. "OK, now you have it. Now let him go."
Voldemort laughed, a cold, slithering hiss. It made Celestine shudder uncontrollably. She suddenly realized why she hated snakes so much.
Voldemort twitched his hand, and the Death Eaters backed away from Sirius. Celestine longed to rush to him, to heal his wounds and fly them out of there, but she held firm. It wouldn't do for Voldemort to see her lose control.
"Give it to me!" he hissed, stretching out his hand. The Death Eaters advanced towards her, now, with wands outstretched. In an instant, Celestine understood that once Voldemort had the jewel, he wouldn't let them leave the grounds alive.
Maybe, just maybe, she could at least make sure one left here alive....
She took a deep breath. Voldemort's face was a picture of pure rage, sure that her hesitance was an attempt to defy him. The Death Eaters smirked at this, wands at the ready, desperate to satisfy their large appetite for destruction.
She felt the light build, suddenly, and knew at that moment that her plan would work. She just hadn't expected to make such a big sacrifice. As she filled with the white-gold glow, she could see the Death Eaters and Voldemort start to tremble.
"GIVE IT TO ME!" came the strangled hiss.
"This stone, forced from my hand, " she intoned, "I beg, rise up and stand, suffer no user after me, to use it freely. From this day, I curse, all who coerce, all magics from this gem!"
"NNOOO!!!" Voldemort screamed, as the light shot out from her to strike several Death Eaters. Many choked and staggered, dropping their wands. Celestine used the opportunity to fling the stone away from her, and run quickly to Sirius. She scooped him up, using what little magic was left to her to fly both of them to the far end of the field, where his wand lay.
He stirred and woke. "Celestine?" he said groggily, groping for her hand as she lay the wand in it. "What's happening?"
Celestine kissed him on the forehead, and his wound disappeared. "Take it and Apparate out of here. We don't have much time."
"OK," he said, still grasping her hand. She pulled away. He looked at her with alarm. "Celestine? We've got to go!"
"You've got to go. Protect James, Lily and their boy for me, ok? "
"No! Not without you!" He grasped her arms, as the shouts and lighted wands of the Death Eaters could be heard and seen charging across the field, near where they lay.
"I can't, Sirius," she eluded his grasp, backing away from him. "Don't argue! I'll be along later."
Hope gleamed in his eyes. "You will?"
Celestine's throat choked up. "I will."
"Well then, why didn't you say so?" he said, then disappeared.
Celestine let the tears fall down her face for the first time that evening. She was cursed now - no longer what she was. There was no going back. The Elders would have no choice but to declare her condemned by first cursing a sacred object, then by lying to the man she loved. But she hardly had time for such thoughts. "Kill her!" a voice shouted behind her. Celestine barely had time to turn around when a green light streaked towards her.
It was the last thing she saw.
"Sirius, where are you?" she yelled out. Her only response were evil cackles. They seemed to resound all over the place: earth, sky, trees.
She stopped a moment to catch her breath, closed her eyes and tried to focus. "Sirius?" she whispered to herself. She felt nothing for a few seconds. Her brow creased in concentration. Suddenly, a direction presented itself to her. She sprinted towards it, not stopping until she caught sight of his ripped robes. Celestine gasped and squealed to a halt, seeing the deep gash in his forehead.
"Sirius!" Celestine cried, starting toward where he lay on the dark grounds.
A Death Eater came out and waved his wand at her. "I think that's far enough."
Celestine stopped her advance towards Sirius. He lay bleeding on the ground, the remaining Death Eater's slowly coming out to surround him with their wands. Desperation crawled up her throat. She swallowed hard, determined not to cry in front of them. Instead, she stared at Sirius, trying to catch his eye and perhaps confer some of her strength to him. But he lay there on the ground, unconscious. A Death Eater kicked him, and he groaned. A whimper escaped her, despite herself.
"Nooowww," Voldemort hissed, his snaky, spitting accent sending chills up Celestine's spine. "Are you ready to give me what I asked for? Or do we have to negotiate further?" At that, another Death Eater kicked him, harder this time. He groaned again.
Celestine tried to get her breathing under control. "I'll give you anything you ask for . Just let him go."
"No can do, Celesssstine," Voldemort hissed, coming forward to stroke her face with his thin, pale claw that passed for a hand. She repressed the urge to vomit as the cold, dead thing touched her flesh. "You know what I need. Now you have only one option, if you want to see him alive again."
Her eyes blurred. Voldemort smiled evilly. Celestine's hands fumbled for the red stone that hung around her neck. She gripped it tightly, unwilling to let it go. Then she ripped it from her neck, holding it up for the Death Eaters and Voldemort to see. The silver chain dangled, broken, from her hand. "OK, now you have it. Now let him go."
Voldemort laughed, a cold, slithering hiss. It made Celestine shudder uncontrollably. She suddenly realized why she hated snakes so much.
Voldemort twitched his hand, and the Death Eaters backed away from Sirius. Celestine longed to rush to him, to heal his wounds and fly them out of there, but she held firm. It wouldn't do for Voldemort to see her lose control.
"Give it to me!" he hissed, stretching out his hand. The Death Eaters advanced towards her, now, with wands outstretched. In an instant, Celestine understood that once Voldemort had the jewel, he wouldn't let them leave the grounds alive.
Maybe, just maybe, she could at least make sure one left here alive....
She took a deep breath. Voldemort's face was a picture of pure rage, sure that her hesitance was an attempt to defy him. The Death Eaters smirked at this, wands at the ready, desperate to satisfy their large appetite for destruction.
She felt the light build, suddenly, and knew at that moment that her plan would work. She just hadn't expected to make such a big sacrifice. As she filled with the white-gold glow, she could see the Death Eaters and Voldemort start to tremble.
"GIVE IT TO ME!" came the strangled hiss.
"This stone, forced from my hand, " she intoned, "I beg, rise up and stand, suffer no user after me, to use it freely. From this day, I curse, all who coerce, all magics from this gem!"
"NNOOO!!!" Voldemort screamed, as the light shot out from her to strike several Death Eaters. Many choked and staggered, dropping their wands. Celestine used the opportunity to fling the stone away from her, and run quickly to Sirius. She scooped him up, using what little magic was left to her to fly both of them to the far end of the field, where his wand lay.
He stirred and woke. "Celestine?" he said groggily, groping for her hand as she lay the wand in it. "What's happening?"
Celestine kissed him on the forehead, and his wound disappeared. "Take it and Apparate out of here. We don't have much time."
"OK," he said, still grasping her hand. She pulled away. He looked at her with alarm. "Celestine? We've got to go!"
"You've got to go. Protect James, Lily and their boy for me, ok? "
"No! Not without you!" He grasped her arms, as the shouts and lighted wands of the Death Eaters could be heard and seen charging across the field, near where they lay.
"I can't, Sirius," she eluded his grasp, backing away from him. "Don't argue! I'll be along later."
Hope gleamed in his eyes. "You will?"
Celestine's throat choked up. "I will."
"Well then, why didn't you say so?" he said, then disappeared.
Celestine let the tears fall down her face for the first time that evening. She was cursed now - no longer what she was. There was no going back. The Elders would have no choice but to declare her condemned by first cursing a sacred object, then by lying to the man she loved. But she hardly had time for such thoughts. "Kill her!" a voice shouted behind her. Celestine barely had time to turn around when a green light streaked towards her.
It was the last thing she saw.