I know this has been a long time coming, but I'm a university student too. Gimme a break. :D
* * * *
Lucius' hands were on Cassandra's shoulders, but all she could feel was James' familiar fingers pushing her forward roughly with every step they took. Sirius was casting the most deadly glares he possessed in Lucius' direction, but nothing seemed to faze the Death Eater. He was trembling with excitement, his adrenaline pumping through his body at a quickened pace. There was a definite tension in the air around them, as if the very ground they stood on knew that something was happening. The group trudged up a long flight of stairs, Voldemort at the head of them, followed by Death Eaters holding tightly to Remus, Sirius and Peter. Lucius made up the back of the group, pushing Cassandra along.
They trudged along silently, Cassandra casting pleading glances in Remus' direction whenever she thought he had caught her eye but nothing seemed to get through to him. His head was hung, lank hair falling in a curtain around his face and his eyes staring blankly at he ground. Cassandra could tell he was getting weaker as they drew closer to the surface and his arms trembled in anticipation of the moon that would blossom fully that night. He seemed so lost, but his entire body was in tune with what was happening to him; in tune with the world he hadn't seen in over six months.
"Remus," Sirius said suddenly, glancing at his friend. The Death Eater who had Sirius by the shoulder elbowed him sharply.
"Back off," he snarled, then turned his gaze onto Remus once more. "Hey, Remus, I need you to do something for me."
The werewolf tiredly raised his head, staring blearily at Sirius. "Hmm?"
"If you get free for any reason try your best to contain yourself."
A dry sounding laugh escape Remus and Cassandra looked up in surprise. "Sirius . . . I've been locked up for six months. I don't know what I can and can't do anymore."
"Try," Sirius begged, his eyes pleading. "Just try. For Cass."
Remus' mouth tightened into a thin line and his head dropped down again. "I'll do what I can," he murmured.
"Remus," Cassandra whispered softly, staring at him. She waited a long tense moment for an answer but his eyes remained on the ground.
"Quiet," Lucius snapped, nudging her. "Just leave him to his pathetic delusions."
Cassandra opened her mouth to reply but Sirius shook his head softly.
"It's not worth it," he murmured.
"It is too worth it!" she replied angrily, but Lucius nudged her again, more roughly this time.
"Close," Remus muttered into the sudden silence. His body trembled violently in the hands of the Death Eaters and he nearly dropped to his knees. "We're getting close."
"Get them out," Lucius snarled suddenly, shoving Cassandra forward again.
The Death Eaters grumbled in response, but they picked up the pace and dragged their prisoners along quickly. A few steps closer to the surface, Sirius could smell the difference in the air. It was sweeter and cleaner and it smelled fresh, like wind off the ocean. Above them, Voldemort stood aside as one of the Death Eaters unlocked and pushed open a heavy door, revealing a darkening sky and the setting sun.
"Set them up," Voldemort said simply, gesturing at Sirius, Remus and Peter.
"You can't chain them up," Cassandra said, seeing the stake driven into the ground at each point. Shackles and chains were snaked along the ground, the sun glinting off them as it shimmered above the water. "When they change they'll either break the chains of just . . . worm away," she said, glaring pointedly at Peter.
Voldemort chuckled. "Do you think we've not thought of that?"
Lucius smiled, then gestured for the Death Eaters to take the others away. "The chains are charmed, Cassandra. They'll shrink and expand where needed as the change happens. We're not about to let this chance slip away with a mistake as simple as that."
Cassandra's lips tightened and she turned away to watch Sirius and Remus being chained to their points. Sirius was fighting, but the Death Eaters managed to get him into his chains within minutes. Remus didn't even move as the shackles were clamped down upon his wrists and ankles. He collapsed a moment later, his back heaving with every breath he drew. The sun had all but disappeared behind the horizon and the exertion on him was getting heavier with every second that ticked by.
"What are they doing?" Cassandra asked, pointing to the men who had positioned themselves behind each animagus.
"Security reasons," Lucius said casually.
"They can't be near Remus," she told him. "If he gets close enough he'll kill them."
"He won't kill them," Lucius said.
"If he changes and one of them is too close . . ." she trailed off, shaking her head. "You can't let him kill a person."
"He's chained up," Lucius snapped sharply. "He won't kill them."
Cassandra opened her mouth to reply, but a long, low howl cut through her words and she turned to see Remus struggling to stand. His hair looked thicker and his entire body was wider than he had been only moments before. Cassandra heard a distinct snapping noise as his legs bent backward, taking on a dog-like shape. Another pained howl tore from his throat, then he collapsed onto the ground once more.
"Bring them back!" she yelled at Lucius.
Remus raised his head once more, his golden eyes glowing in the dark night. The moon had risen and was full and red on the water. His jaw snapped at the empty air, then the wolf whirled around in his chains, teeth gnashing at the men who stood behind him. They both jumped backward and the wolf tried to jump forward, but his chains drew taut and he fell to the ground. A snarl ripped through the air and he tried to leap once more but failed.
"You don't know what you're doing," Cassandra said sharply, pushing against the Death Eaters that held her back. "You're going to get someone killed. I've seen it."
Lucius glanced at her and Cassandra was startled by the likeness to James once again. She would never get over seeing her dead friend walking the earth.
"You've seen what?" he asked, leaning over her.
She blinked a few times and tried to back away but the men at her arms held tight.
"What did you see?" Lucius asked again, moving in closer.
Cassandra stared at him, then sighed and said, "I had a vision of Remus killing someone while in wolf form."
Lucius studied her for a long moment, his eyes taking in everything before he finally turned away. "She's lying," he said. "She doesn't know what she's talking about."
"I'm not lying!" Cassandra said angrily. "You're going to get someone killed and it might be someone I care about."
Lucius' muscles contorted James' face into a vicious smile and he laughed softly. "Well, then you'll just have to take their place." He flashed another grin in her direction before moving toward the apex of the three points and standing before the great stone. Cassandra shook her head angrily and turned away, her eyes searching the horizon for something that could prevent what was about to happen. She felt lost and useless, angry at having come all this way to do nothing in the end but make the situation worse.
"Turn around, my dear." Voldemort's cold voice penetrated her thoughts and she shivered, but didn't turn.
"I asked you to turn," he said again and the strong hands on her turned her roughly. The moon cut into her gaze, hanging low on the horizon and she could see Remus struggling against his chains in wolf form.
"Don't you want to witness this?" he asked, coming closer to her and laying a thin fingered hand on her shoulder. His nails dug painfully into her skin, crushing her shoulder beneath his hand. Cassandra whimpered softly as she felt her bones grinding into one another, the sound reverberating inside her head.
"Don't you?" he asked again, squeezing harder.
"No," she murmured.
His body pressed against her from behind and Cassandra could feel his thin chest heaving with every breath he drew. The outline of his ribs was pressed into her back and she shuddered involuntarily at the feeling.
"No?" he asked, his hand still on her shoulder. "But this promises to be a ritual of great importance."
"You're killing my friends," she said, her voice hushed and clouded with pain.
Voldemort laughed softly behind her and bent to place his mouth near her ear. "Don't you want to watch your only love writhe in pain? Don't you want to see his body twist in agony and watch as his mind is torn from his body?"
"Stop it," Cassandra hissed.
"He'll be completely mad . . . like you almost were once. And then Lucius will have all their power and I'm sure he'll want someone to test it on," Voldemort said, his voice dry next to her ear. "Wouldn't you be the absolute perfect person?" he asked. "He's wanted to make you suffer for years and I believe in him . . . he'll make you feel pain like you've never imagined.
"Watch," Voldemort hissed. "His power will be greater than you could ever imagine."
"I don't care," she answered.
"Quiet," Voldemort snapped, his hand tightening on her shoulder once more.
Cassandra immediately fell silent. She hated having his body that close to hers; chilling waves radiated off him, washing over her and leaving her feeling weak and uncoordinated. His hand was like ice, long, spider-like fingers digging into her and embedding the cold in her very bones.
Lucius spread his hands on the stone - hands that didn't belong to him - and turned James' face to the dark sky. Wherever Snape was, if he wanted to do anything, he would have to show up soon, Cassandra decided. If he had turned back and left them on their own she would never forgive him.
"Bestia valeo," Lucius said, his voice resounding in the air that was suddenly very still. Not even the lightest of winds rustled the trees or stirred the dirt at their feet.
"Bestia animus," he continued, his hands turning over to face the sky. The moon dripped like blood over the water, sending red streaks up to the points of earth that her friends were chained upon.
"Abeo!" Lucius commanded. "Bestia abeo!"
Sirius collapsed, one of his arms coming up across his chest. On another point, Peter let out a shrill squeak of surprise before tumbling to the ground and staring at his hands. He drew in a laboured breath, his body shaking with exertion. Cassandra's eyes went back to Sirius and she saw the dark hair thickening on his head and creeping down his neck. Something was forcing him to change and he was trying to fight it. A hoarse cry escaped him as his legs snapped and his shoulders broadened into the dog. A moment later, the shaggy black dog was lying on his side, panting in exertion.
"Valeo," Lucius growled deeply, raising his hands again. "Bestia valeo!"
The air around them seemed to quiver, then break as a storm poured down around them. Thunder rolled and lightening flashed in the cloudless sky as rain beat down on them. Cassandra looked upward, trying to find the source of the rain, but the lightening blinded her and she ducked her head when it flashed nearby.
"Finish it!" Voldemort roared at Lucius and the other man nodded.
His mouth opened and words spilled from his lips that couldn't be heard above the pounding rain and thunder. As he raised his arms once more, Cassandra stared at him from under her soaking hair, pushing it off her forehead and squinting into the rain. A dark shadow loomed over Lucius and a scream caught in Cassandra's throat. Remus had escaped his chains and he was going to kill Lucius.
She broke free of the Death Eaters and pushed past them, wrenching her throbbing shoulder from Voldemort's grasp. She had to get to him before he did something he'd regret. How she would stop him wasn't the first thought on her mind, but Cassandra knew as she ran toward him that she might not be going home with Sirius and Remus. With her hands tied and her wand lost, she had no way to protect herself from the werewolf, but she couldn't let him kill someone if she had the chance to stop it.
Cassandra skidded to a stop near Lucius, nearly slipping in the mud. She braced herself for the impact and went tumbling to the ground when it came. The large black dog jumped over the stone and slammed into her, causing her to slip and fall. He nosed her angrily, then went after Lucius, knocking him down and breaking the power transfer that had begun. The Death Eater moaned and tried to rise to his feet, but his arms quivered and he collapsed into the wet mud.
"No!" Voldemort shouted, his voice filled with fury. "You can't break the chains!"
Sirius returned to his human form and smiled crookedly. "I didn't."
Another shadow emerged from the pouring rain and Snape glared stonily at Voldemort.
"I did," he said.
Voldemort's thin nostrils flared in anger and he lifted his wand, his hand trembling. Snape raised his wand in defence, but the Dark Lord turned from them and stared in the direction of Remus.
"Abiungo," he snarled and a moment later, the chains holding down the werewolf snapped.
"Get to him!" Snape growled, shoving Cassandra and Sirius in the direction. At the same time, Voldemort's wand snapped Peter's chains and the tiny rat went scurrying away. Snape went in the direction that Peter had gone, running through the driving rain and straining to see where the rat had disappeared to.
"You'll never find him," Voldemort said from behind. "Do you think that he would let himself be caught by the likes of you?"
Snape said nothing, but continued to search for the rat.
Voldemort laughed. "Come now, Severus, this isn't about Peter. This final battle comes down to me and you. Nothing more."
"I have nothing I can say to you," Snape replied.
"That's right. There is nothing you can say that will make up for the betrayal I've felt," Voldemort snarled angrily, his eyes gleaming in the night. The rain continued to soak the ground around them and lightening lit up the eyes of the Dark Lord as they stared at each other.
"This is the end," Voldemort said and raised his wand.
Snape made no move to do the same.
* * * *
"Body bind!" Cassandra shrieked as she and Sirius circled the werewolf carefully.
"I can't get close enough," he shouted back. "If I try it now I might hit you instead."
"I'll live," she snapped. "If I had my wand . . ."
Sirius reached into his robes and tossed her wand across to her. "Peter was good for something."
Cassandra blinked and stared at her wand for a long moment before Remus growled threatening and snapped in her direction.
"He felt guilty," Sirius explained quietly, trying to circle around Remus while he was distracted by Cassandra. "He gave me our wands back."
"Great," she murmured softly as Remus snapped at her again. She jerked backward and came dangerously close to stepping off the edge of the point.
"Careful," Sirius said, grabbing her arm and dragging her forward.
Another low growl rumbled out of the werewolf's throat and his golden eyes narrowed as he studied them.
"On three?" she asked. "We do a full body bind."
Sirius nodded. "On three. One . . . two . . ."
Remus attacked, his jaws snapping at the air between Cassandra and himself before his front paws connected with her chest and sent her reeling backward. Sirius grabbed for her again and prevented Remus from propelling them both into the angry ocean below, but the werewolf had sunk his claws into Cassandra's shoulders and wasn't about to let go.
"Do it," she cried, her voice strangled by the nails raking across her throat.
Remus' teeth gnashed toward her before sinking into the shoulder Voldemort had held in his crushing grip earlier. Cassandra screamed and Sirius pointed his wand quickly.
"Petrifucus totalus!" he cried.
Remus went rigid, then collapsed to the side, his eyes wide and terrified. Sirius knelt quickly, reaching for Cassandra's shoulder.
"It's not bleeding too badly," he said. "You'll be okay."
"Tell that to the blinding pain," she moaned, burying her face in Sirius' shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her waist, then hauled her to her feet.
"We have to get Remus out of here," he said, trying to support her on one arm and study the werewolf at the same time.
"Sirius," Cassandra said suddenly, her hand tightening on his wrist.
"What?"
Slowly she raised a shaking hand and pointed through the driving rain. On another point, barely visible, stood Snape and Voldemort and it looked as if the Dark Lord had his wand raised.
"He can't . . ." she murmured.
"We can't let him do that," Sirius said at the same time.
Without speaking, without thinking, they each raised their wands and shouted, "Expelliarmus!"
Through the rain they saw Voldemort falter, saw his wand fall and saw him staring wildly around him, trying to find the source of the magic that had disarmed him. A moment later he fled, snatching up a tiny rat as he went and grabbing Lucius by the arm. Lucius didn't look like James Potter anymore, he had slowly turned back into himself, leaving them nothing left to do but run.
"Get him," Cassandra said when Snape joined them, nodding at Remus. "I can walk."
"You're hurt," Sirius said in a scolding tone. "You can't walk."
"I can walk," she insisted, then broke away and stumbled back toward the main land. She turned to watch as Snape and Sirius struggled to pick up the rigid werewolf and haul him in her direction.
The rain continued to fall, though the thunder was soft and rolling and the lightening had all but faded. Cassandra's feet sunk into the wet mud as they trudged away from Cape Three Point and she turned a final time to see the points of earth crumbling away.
"Look," she murmured, touching Snape's arm and pointing toward it.
They all stopped and stared at the earth broke away and fell into the churning ocean below. The worn stone cracked and dropped away, leaving no evidence that it had ever been there.
"It's probably for the best," Sirius said. "Let's go get Remus locked up again and . . ." he trailed off, his lips tightening into a thin line.
"We'll take James back to where he's supposed to be," Cassandra said, reaching out and squeezing Sirius' arm. "He'll be okay."
"I can't believe they did that to him," he murmured shaking his head. "Even when he's dead he can't escape Voldemort."
Cassandra smiled gently and tried to reply, but her legs gave out and she collapsed to the ground. A deep shudder went through her and her eyes went to Remus, staring in terror at the stiff werewolf before she started to shake her head.
"Oh no," she moaned. "No, oh no, oh no."
"What?" Snape asked, his dark eyes flickering between Remus and Cassandra.
"The vision I had earlier," she said, still staring at the werewolf. "I had that vision of Remus killing someone and thought it was one of us."
"It wasn't?" Sirius asked.
She shook her head slowly. "It was Voldemort."
The group fell silent, the only sound was the rain pattering softly around them as the storm ran out and faded into the night.
"We should have let him go," Cassandra said finally. "That was what he was meant to do. That's why he's so important in the war. We should have let him go."
Sirius shook his head. "I don't care who it is, could you let him live with someone's life on his shoulders?"
Cassandra reached out an unsteady hand and stroked it over the werewolf's fur before shaking her head. "No, you're right. I could never let him kill someone."
Snape sighed deeply. "Let's just go home."
Cassandra got to her feet and nodded. "Yeah, I think that's a good idea."
* * * *
* * * *
Lucius' hands were on Cassandra's shoulders, but all she could feel was James' familiar fingers pushing her forward roughly with every step they took. Sirius was casting the most deadly glares he possessed in Lucius' direction, but nothing seemed to faze the Death Eater. He was trembling with excitement, his adrenaline pumping through his body at a quickened pace. There was a definite tension in the air around them, as if the very ground they stood on knew that something was happening. The group trudged up a long flight of stairs, Voldemort at the head of them, followed by Death Eaters holding tightly to Remus, Sirius and Peter. Lucius made up the back of the group, pushing Cassandra along.
They trudged along silently, Cassandra casting pleading glances in Remus' direction whenever she thought he had caught her eye but nothing seemed to get through to him. His head was hung, lank hair falling in a curtain around his face and his eyes staring blankly at he ground. Cassandra could tell he was getting weaker as they drew closer to the surface and his arms trembled in anticipation of the moon that would blossom fully that night. He seemed so lost, but his entire body was in tune with what was happening to him; in tune with the world he hadn't seen in over six months.
"Remus," Sirius said suddenly, glancing at his friend. The Death Eater who had Sirius by the shoulder elbowed him sharply.
"Back off," he snarled, then turned his gaze onto Remus once more. "Hey, Remus, I need you to do something for me."
The werewolf tiredly raised his head, staring blearily at Sirius. "Hmm?"
"If you get free for any reason try your best to contain yourself."
A dry sounding laugh escape Remus and Cassandra looked up in surprise. "Sirius . . . I've been locked up for six months. I don't know what I can and can't do anymore."
"Try," Sirius begged, his eyes pleading. "Just try. For Cass."
Remus' mouth tightened into a thin line and his head dropped down again. "I'll do what I can," he murmured.
"Remus," Cassandra whispered softly, staring at him. She waited a long tense moment for an answer but his eyes remained on the ground.
"Quiet," Lucius snapped, nudging her. "Just leave him to his pathetic delusions."
Cassandra opened her mouth to reply but Sirius shook his head softly.
"It's not worth it," he murmured.
"It is too worth it!" she replied angrily, but Lucius nudged her again, more roughly this time.
"Close," Remus muttered into the sudden silence. His body trembled violently in the hands of the Death Eaters and he nearly dropped to his knees. "We're getting close."
"Get them out," Lucius snarled suddenly, shoving Cassandra forward again.
The Death Eaters grumbled in response, but they picked up the pace and dragged their prisoners along quickly. A few steps closer to the surface, Sirius could smell the difference in the air. It was sweeter and cleaner and it smelled fresh, like wind off the ocean. Above them, Voldemort stood aside as one of the Death Eaters unlocked and pushed open a heavy door, revealing a darkening sky and the setting sun.
"Set them up," Voldemort said simply, gesturing at Sirius, Remus and Peter.
"You can't chain them up," Cassandra said, seeing the stake driven into the ground at each point. Shackles and chains were snaked along the ground, the sun glinting off them as it shimmered above the water. "When they change they'll either break the chains of just . . . worm away," she said, glaring pointedly at Peter.
Voldemort chuckled. "Do you think we've not thought of that?"
Lucius smiled, then gestured for the Death Eaters to take the others away. "The chains are charmed, Cassandra. They'll shrink and expand where needed as the change happens. We're not about to let this chance slip away with a mistake as simple as that."
Cassandra's lips tightened and she turned away to watch Sirius and Remus being chained to their points. Sirius was fighting, but the Death Eaters managed to get him into his chains within minutes. Remus didn't even move as the shackles were clamped down upon his wrists and ankles. He collapsed a moment later, his back heaving with every breath he drew. The sun had all but disappeared behind the horizon and the exertion on him was getting heavier with every second that ticked by.
"What are they doing?" Cassandra asked, pointing to the men who had positioned themselves behind each animagus.
"Security reasons," Lucius said casually.
"They can't be near Remus," she told him. "If he gets close enough he'll kill them."
"He won't kill them," Lucius said.
"If he changes and one of them is too close . . ." she trailed off, shaking her head. "You can't let him kill a person."
"He's chained up," Lucius snapped sharply. "He won't kill them."
Cassandra opened her mouth to reply, but a long, low howl cut through her words and she turned to see Remus struggling to stand. His hair looked thicker and his entire body was wider than he had been only moments before. Cassandra heard a distinct snapping noise as his legs bent backward, taking on a dog-like shape. Another pained howl tore from his throat, then he collapsed onto the ground once more.
"Bring them back!" she yelled at Lucius.
Remus raised his head once more, his golden eyes glowing in the dark night. The moon had risen and was full and red on the water. His jaw snapped at the empty air, then the wolf whirled around in his chains, teeth gnashing at the men who stood behind him. They both jumped backward and the wolf tried to jump forward, but his chains drew taut and he fell to the ground. A snarl ripped through the air and he tried to leap once more but failed.
"You don't know what you're doing," Cassandra said sharply, pushing against the Death Eaters that held her back. "You're going to get someone killed. I've seen it."
Lucius glanced at her and Cassandra was startled by the likeness to James once again. She would never get over seeing her dead friend walking the earth.
"You've seen what?" he asked, leaning over her.
She blinked a few times and tried to back away but the men at her arms held tight.
"What did you see?" Lucius asked again, moving in closer.
Cassandra stared at him, then sighed and said, "I had a vision of Remus killing someone while in wolf form."
Lucius studied her for a long moment, his eyes taking in everything before he finally turned away. "She's lying," he said. "She doesn't know what she's talking about."
"I'm not lying!" Cassandra said angrily. "You're going to get someone killed and it might be someone I care about."
Lucius' muscles contorted James' face into a vicious smile and he laughed softly. "Well, then you'll just have to take their place." He flashed another grin in her direction before moving toward the apex of the three points and standing before the great stone. Cassandra shook her head angrily and turned away, her eyes searching the horizon for something that could prevent what was about to happen. She felt lost and useless, angry at having come all this way to do nothing in the end but make the situation worse.
"Turn around, my dear." Voldemort's cold voice penetrated her thoughts and she shivered, but didn't turn.
"I asked you to turn," he said again and the strong hands on her turned her roughly. The moon cut into her gaze, hanging low on the horizon and she could see Remus struggling against his chains in wolf form.
"Don't you want to witness this?" he asked, coming closer to her and laying a thin fingered hand on her shoulder. His nails dug painfully into her skin, crushing her shoulder beneath his hand. Cassandra whimpered softly as she felt her bones grinding into one another, the sound reverberating inside her head.
"Don't you?" he asked again, squeezing harder.
"No," she murmured.
His body pressed against her from behind and Cassandra could feel his thin chest heaving with every breath he drew. The outline of his ribs was pressed into her back and she shuddered involuntarily at the feeling.
"No?" he asked, his hand still on her shoulder. "But this promises to be a ritual of great importance."
"You're killing my friends," she said, her voice hushed and clouded with pain.
Voldemort laughed softly behind her and bent to place his mouth near her ear. "Don't you want to watch your only love writhe in pain? Don't you want to see his body twist in agony and watch as his mind is torn from his body?"
"Stop it," Cassandra hissed.
"He'll be completely mad . . . like you almost were once. And then Lucius will have all their power and I'm sure he'll want someone to test it on," Voldemort said, his voice dry next to her ear. "Wouldn't you be the absolute perfect person?" he asked. "He's wanted to make you suffer for years and I believe in him . . . he'll make you feel pain like you've never imagined.
"Watch," Voldemort hissed. "His power will be greater than you could ever imagine."
"I don't care," she answered.
"Quiet," Voldemort snapped, his hand tightening on her shoulder once more.
Cassandra immediately fell silent. She hated having his body that close to hers; chilling waves radiated off him, washing over her and leaving her feeling weak and uncoordinated. His hand was like ice, long, spider-like fingers digging into her and embedding the cold in her very bones.
Lucius spread his hands on the stone - hands that didn't belong to him - and turned James' face to the dark sky. Wherever Snape was, if he wanted to do anything, he would have to show up soon, Cassandra decided. If he had turned back and left them on their own she would never forgive him.
"Bestia valeo," Lucius said, his voice resounding in the air that was suddenly very still. Not even the lightest of winds rustled the trees or stirred the dirt at their feet.
"Bestia animus," he continued, his hands turning over to face the sky. The moon dripped like blood over the water, sending red streaks up to the points of earth that her friends were chained upon.
"Abeo!" Lucius commanded. "Bestia abeo!"
Sirius collapsed, one of his arms coming up across his chest. On another point, Peter let out a shrill squeak of surprise before tumbling to the ground and staring at his hands. He drew in a laboured breath, his body shaking with exertion. Cassandra's eyes went back to Sirius and she saw the dark hair thickening on his head and creeping down his neck. Something was forcing him to change and he was trying to fight it. A hoarse cry escaped him as his legs snapped and his shoulders broadened into the dog. A moment later, the shaggy black dog was lying on his side, panting in exertion.
"Valeo," Lucius growled deeply, raising his hands again. "Bestia valeo!"
The air around them seemed to quiver, then break as a storm poured down around them. Thunder rolled and lightening flashed in the cloudless sky as rain beat down on them. Cassandra looked upward, trying to find the source of the rain, but the lightening blinded her and she ducked her head when it flashed nearby.
"Finish it!" Voldemort roared at Lucius and the other man nodded.
His mouth opened and words spilled from his lips that couldn't be heard above the pounding rain and thunder. As he raised his arms once more, Cassandra stared at him from under her soaking hair, pushing it off her forehead and squinting into the rain. A dark shadow loomed over Lucius and a scream caught in Cassandra's throat. Remus had escaped his chains and he was going to kill Lucius.
She broke free of the Death Eaters and pushed past them, wrenching her throbbing shoulder from Voldemort's grasp. She had to get to him before he did something he'd regret. How she would stop him wasn't the first thought on her mind, but Cassandra knew as she ran toward him that she might not be going home with Sirius and Remus. With her hands tied and her wand lost, she had no way to protect herself from the werewolf, but she couldn't let him kill someone if she had the chance to stop it.
Cassandra skidded to a stop near Lucius, nearly slipping in the mud. She braced herself for the impact and went tumbling to the ground when it came. The large black dog jumped over the stone and slammed into her, causing her to slip and fall. He nosed her angrily, then went after Lucius, knocking him down and breaking the power transfer that had begun. The Death Eater moaned and tried to rise to his feet, but his arms quivered and he collapsed into the wet mud.
"No!" Voldemort shouted, his voice filled with fury. "You can't break the chains!"
Sirius returned to his human form and smiled crookedly. "I didn't."
Another shadow emerged from the pouring rain and Snape glared stonily at Voldemort.
"I did," he said.
Voldemort's thin nostrils flared in anger and he lifted his wand, his hand trembling. Snape raised his wand in defence, but the Dark Lord turned from them and stared in the direction of Remus.
"Abiungo," he snarled and a moment later, the chains holding down the werewolf snapped.
"Get to him!" Snape growled, shoving Cassandra and Sirius in the direction. At the same time, Voldemort's wand snapped Peter's chains and the tiny rat went scurrying away. Snape went in the direction that Peter had gone, running through the driving rain and straining to see where the rat had disappeared to.
"You'll never find him," Voldemort said from behind. "Do you think that he would let himself be caught by the likes of you?"
Snape said nothing, but continued to search for the rat.
Voldemort laughed. "Come now, Severus, this isn't about Peter. This final battle comes down to me and you. Nothing more."
"I have nothing I can say to you," Snape replied.
"That's right. There is nothing you can say that will make up for the betrayal I've felt," Voldemort snarled angrily, his eyes gleaming in the night. The rain continued to soak the ground around them and lightening lit up the eyes of the Dark Lord as they stared at each other.
"This is the end," Voldemort said and raised his wand.
Snape made no move to do the same.
* * * *
"Body bind!" Cassandra shrieked as she and Sirius circled the werewolf carefully.
"I can't get close enough," he shouted back. "If I try it now I might hit you instead."
"I'll live," she snapped. "If I had my wand . . ."
Sirius reached into his robes and tossed her wand across to her. "Peter was good for something."
Cassandra blinked and stared at her wand for a long moment before Remus growled threatening and snapped in her direction.
"He felt guilty," Sirius explained quietly, trying to circle around Remus while he was distracted by Cassandra. "He gave me our wands back."
"Great," she murmured softly as Remus snapped at her again. She jerked backward and came dangerously close to stepping off the edge of the point.
"Careful," Sirius said, grabbing her arm and dragging her forward.
Another low growl rumbled out of the werewolf's throat and his golden eyes narrowed as he studied them.
"On three?" she asked. "We do a full body bind."
Sirius nodded. "On three. One . . . two . . ."
Remus attacked, his jaws snapping at the air between Cassandra and himself before his front paws connected with her chest and sent her reeling backward. Sirius grabbed for her again and prevented Remus from propelling them both into the angry ocean below, but the werewolf had sunk his claws into Cassandra's shoulders and wasn't about to let go.
"Do it," she cried, her voice strangled by the nails raking across her throat.
Remus' teeth gnashed toward her before sinking into the shoulder Voldemort had held in his crushing grip earlier. Cassandra screamed and Sirius pointed his wand quickly.
"Petrifucus totalus!" he cried.
Remus went rigid, then collapsed to the side, his eyes wide and terrified. Sirius knelt quickly, reaching for Cassandra's shoulder.
"It's not bleeding too badly," he said. "You'll be okay."
"Tell that to the blinding pain," she moaned, burying her face in Sirius' shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her waist, then hauled her to her feet.
"We have to get Remus out of here," he said, trying to support her on one arm and study the werewolf at the same time.
"Sirius," Cassandra said suddenly, her hand tightening on his wrist.
"What?"
Slowly she raised a shaking hand and pointed through the driving rain. On another point, barely visible, stood Snape and Voldemort and it looked as if the Dark Lord had his wand raised.
"He can't . . ." she murmured.
"We can't let him do that," Sirius said at the same time.
Without speaking, without thinking, they each raised their wands and shouted, "Expelliarmus!"
Through the rain they saw Voldemort falter, saw his wand fall and saw him staring wildly around him, trying to find the source of the magic that had disarmed him. A moment later he fled, snatching up a tiny rat as he went and grabbing Lucius by the arm. Lucius didn't look like James Potter anymore, he had slowly turned back into himself, leaving them nothing left to do but run.
"Get him," Cassandra said when Snape joined them, nodding at Remus. "I can walk."
"You're hurt," Sirius said in a scolding tone. "You can't walk."
"I can walk," she insisted, then broke away and stumbled back toward the main land. She turned to watch as Snape and Sirius struggled to pick up the rigid werewolf and haul him in her direction.
The rain continued to fall, though the thunder was soft and rolling and the lightening had all but faded. Cassandra's feet sunk into the wet mud as they trudged away from Cape Three Point and she turned a final time to see the points of earth crumbling away.
"Look," she murmured, touching Snape's arm and pointing toward it.
They all stopped and stared at the earth broke away and fell into the churning ocean below. The worn stone cracked and dropped away, leaving no evidence that it had ever been there.
"It's probably for the best," Sirius said. "Let's go get Remus locked up again and . . ." he trailed off, his lips tightening into a thin line.
"We'll take James back to where he's supposed to be," Cassandra said, reaching out and squeezing Sirius' arm. "He'll be okay."
"I can't believe they did that to him," he murmured shaking his head. "Even when he's dead he can't escape Voldemort."
Cassandra smiled gently and tried to reply, but her legs gave out and she collapsed to the ground. A deep shudder went through her and her eyes went to Remus, staring in terror at the stiff werewolf before she started to shake her head.
"Oh no," she moaned. "No, oh no, oh no."
"What?" Snape asked, his dark eyes flickering between Remus and Cassandra.
"The vision I had earlier," she said, still staring at the werewolf. "I had that vision of Remus killing someone and thought it was one of us."
"It wasn't?" Sirius asked.
She shook her head slowly. "It was Voldemort."
The group fell silent, the only sound was the rain pattering softly around them as the storm ran out and faded into the night.
"We should have let him go," Cassandra said finally. "That was what he was meant to do. That's why he's so important in the war. We should have let him go."
Sirius shook his head. "I don't care who it is, could you let him live with someone's life on his shoulders?"
Cassandra reached out an unsteady hand and stroked it over the werewolf's fur before shaking her head. "No, you're right. I could never let him kill someone."
Snape sighed deeply. "Let's just go home."
Cassandra got to her feet and nodded. "Yeah, I think that's a good idea."
* * * *
