Liltigger - thanks for the review. Hope you enjoy the last few chapters.
Mina - thanks and welcome!
A/N: Sorry about the delay. FFnet wouldn't let me upload anything for about a week now, and now my formatting is funky again. Oh well. Here's the chappie!
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A Hippogryff and a Gryffindor ~*~
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As Draco and Beska ran up the path toward the cliffs, Draco gave her the Wizard's Digest version of what was happening.
"All I know is Snape is stuck at the top of the cliffs, held by my father and a group of Death Eaters," he said.
"Draco, that's terrible! He and Lorien must be in great danger," Beska replied as they hurried.
"Let's hope so," Draco panted as ran next to her.
"Why do you say that?" Beska asked. She pointed to a side path and indicated they should take it. "Shortcut," she said.
"Because," Draco replied, trotting down the new path with her, "if they aren't still in danger it's probably because they're..well..dead."
"Oh." Beska said nothing else, but they both began to run a little faster. They rounded a corner in the path and skidded to a halt as they nearly ran into the back of a group of Death Eaters.
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Snape ran down the path that Lorien had indicated would be a quicker one to the bottom of the cliffs, and the pair by-passed the very path that Perth and Harry had taken but a moment before.
"We have to find Harry," Lorien said as they ran.
Severus agreed, but mentally rolled his eyes. 'We have to find Harry, Harry's in trouble.' When was that boy not in trouble? Dammit! And it was big-time trouble as usual. Any idiot would have determined that, even if they didn't have the assistance of a searing Dark Mark on their left forearm.
"Lorien," he called, causing her to look his way. "We should split up."
"What?" Lorien slowed up a bit, puzzled at his suggestion. "Don't you think we'd be better off staying.." She trailed off as she saw Severus merely point skyward, and she took his meaning as he ran past her.
It took her a moment to get her dragon form airborne, and she climbed thirty feet in the air to get a better vantage point. She caught up to Snape just as he rounded a corner of the path and skidded to a halt. From her view in the air, the turquoise dragon could see he had nearly run up against a group of Death Eaters, and with a quick glance at the scene below her, she reacted quickly, and folding her wings, plummeted down in a fiery swandive.
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Silence filled the small clearing for just a moment as the large group of wizards crowded slightly closer around the two trapped Gryffindors.
Sirius pressed his back tighter up against Remus behind him as he raised his wand and tensed up. Remus, behind him, likewise raised his wand, knowing their chances of surviving the current odds were not good, but determined that they would take out as many of the Death Eaters as they could before they were obliterated.
Each saw the nine wands surrounding them leveled in their direction, and expected to be assaulted with a variety of unpleasant hexes, but in the instant before the first curse could be uttered, a loud roar filled the air above them, startling everyone in the clearing.
Then utter mayhem broke loose.
Remus and Sirius simultaneously each dropped to one knee, dodging the first curses flung their way, and Remus risked a quick glance skyward even as the words of the blinding curse came to his lips. Cries of agony came from several of the Death Eaters even as curses were being invoked by others, and it took Remus only an instant to recognized that the source of the roar and subsequently the screams in the clearing was the small blue-green dragon diving at the group with dragonflame a-blazing.
"Yes!" Remus said, nearly to himself. The dragon was evening things up as she took out three Death Eaters on the north side of the circle. "Turquoise dragon at six o'clock!" He cried to Sirius, who was already casting a curse of his own at the nearest hooded wizard.
"Cruento!" Sirius cried, pointing his wand. A gaping wound, large enough to incapacitate the victim, opened in the leg of the Death Eater. The dark wizard screamed and grabbed his bleeding limb.
"Caliga!" Remus blinded the next attacker, and then turned suddenly at the commotion to the south. To his great surprise, he found Draco and the young Nemorosi witch with him attacking two more of the Death Eaters from where they had come up behind them on the path. One fell to the ground babbling incoherently, the other found himself being wrapped repeatedly in a spiderweb-like cord.
One of the remaining Death Eaters, having just dodged the fire strike from the dragon, fell back and pointed his wand skyward at the animal who was circling round for another attack. "Avad.." the rest was cut off as the dark wizard's hands went to his throat, trying more and more desperately to pry off the unseen fingers wrapped around his neck.
Snape dodged past him from where he was on the path to the north, knowing the wizard would pose no threat while dealing with the Stranglehold curse.
One Death Eater remained in the midst of his incapacitated comrades, now facing four wizards, one witch, and one small dragon that was landing behind the group. He quickly did the smart thing and dropped his wand, surrendering without the least resistance.
Sirius quickly stepped forward and grabbed the man by the front of his robes. "Smart move," he snarled at the man, and flung him to the ground before hexing him with a full body bind.
Remus did likewise to the blinded wizard and the bleeding one, and then glanced at where Draco and Beska had taken care of their victims. "Thank you, Draco," Remus said.
Draco shrugged, trying to make light of the situation.
Remus stepped a little closer and spoke quietly to the young blonde wizard. "I know your decision involves more than just hexing that Death Eater," he said. "You've made a good choice, Draco."
"We'll see." The boy shrugged again, uncomfortable with gratitude from the werewolf.
Snape grabbed the nearly unconscious strangling man and flung him into the group on the ground. The man gasped dramatically for air as the phantom fingers around his throat were removed.
Lorien walked quickly toward the three wizards taken out by the dragon to see what she could do for their injuries. Two of them were moaning on the ground and severely burned. It took her several minutes with each of them to do enough to at least ease the worst of their pain, and she knew they were going to need more intensive care than she could provide at this point before they were carted away to Azkaban.
The third wizard lay on the ground face down a few feet away and Lorien started to go to him as Severus came to stand by her side. He cautioned her with a look, and raised his wand as she knelt by the figure in charred robes.
She spoke to the man and prodded him gently, getting no response. Concern escalated into alarm that overrode the fact that the man was a Death Eater, and she rolled the prone figure over quickly, and winced at the sight that met her eyes. She needed to check no further to know that the man had not survived the degree of charring that was evident on his body. She stood quickly, hand over her mouth as a wave of nausea hit her. Experience as a medical witch had presented her with dead wizards before, with injuries as bad and worse, but this had been her doing.
Lorien swallowed hard, and backed away one unsteady step at a time, not knowing that the eyes of the rest of the group were on her. She stood there trying to rationalize what she'd done. She hadn't stopped to think about what her animagus form was capable of, she only reacted out of fear for Sirius and Remus, lashing out in the best way the dragon knew how.
And now, because of her, a man was dead.
'A bad man,' she thought, trying to console herself in any way she could. A very, very bad wizard that wouldn't have given a second thought to blasting one of her beloved Gryffindors to smithereens if she hadn't acted. If she hadn't..if she hadn't...
Lorien felt her knees going weak as the panicked feeling overwhelmed her. Strong fingers gripped her arms tightly from behind, keeping her on her feet as Severus's voice came from just behind her ear.
"Let it go, Lorien," he advised her softly. "Don't make it complicated, just let it go."
His voice and grip on her arms grounded her again, and she stared at the burned remains again as her vision re-focused. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked. "But I killed him.."
"Yes," Severus said. "Yes, you did.."
"But I didn't mean to..."she interrupted.
Severus tightened his grip and pulled her back against himself. "I know, but would you rather that he were alive and Lupin or Black was dead because you didn't act?"
"No," she said quietly.
He turned her around to face him. "The time is rapidly approaching, Lorien, where you may have to make such a decision again. You may have to kill again." He indicated the rest of the group with a slight wave of his arm. "We all may."
She understood what he meant, but the thought made her feel very cold.
Severus placed a hand under her chin and lifted her eyes to meet his. "Don't complicate things. The dark wizard is dead, your friends are alive. Good triumphed over evil in this case. Time to move on."
"Is it really that simple, Severus?" She asked, feeling numb now more than anything.
A hint of a sad smile and a shake of the head. "But it'll get you through it for now."
Lorien didn't like his answer, but she took the advice he gave her, knowing that he was speaking from experience. She nodded and then walked with him to the rest of the group that had been taking in the interaction between the witch and her dark robed wizard.
She managed to give Remus a small, brave smile when she saw his concerned look. The fact that he was standing there in front of her alive and safe made her feel a little better. She looked around the group. They were all safe, thank Merlin. It had been a close call but...Lorien frowned as she realized the group was incomplete.
"Where's Perth?" She asked suddenly, looking around the gathered wizards. "And where is Harry?"
Everyone realized at that moment that no one seemed to have an answer.
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Harry was standing just behind Perth Taber as realization of the grave danger they were both in dawned on the Nemorosi wizard. The gray-haired mage drew himself up to his full height and stood protectively once again in front of the teenager.
"You have no business here," he warned in a stern voice.
"Oh, but I DO," Voldemort returned casually, "don't I, Harry?"
Harry wished desperately at that moment that there were about ten more Nemorosi wizards here to help face Voldemort. As defiant as Taber appeared, Harry knew from firsthand experience that they were still in major jeopardy.
Voldemort spoke again before Harry had a chance to reply. "Well, where are your manners, Mr. Potter? Aren't you going to introduce me to your Nemorosi friend?" The dark wizard strode ever so casually closer, arms folded and the tip of his wand resting against his chin.
Harry glared back defiantly.
"Oh, come now." Voldemort looked at the older wizard.
"Taber," the green-robed wizard hissed, not dropping his guard for even an instant.
"Ah, yes," said Voldemort, tapping his wand against his chin thoughtfully. "Perth Taber, animagus, Order of Merlin second class, and youngest Nemorosi on the Council of Elders." Voldemort chuckled to himself, and then looked at Harry again. "As you can see, Harry, I have done a little homework concerning the Nemorosi."
"Then you know what powerful wizards they are," Harry returned with implied warning.
"Powerful? Oh, yes, yes, I know, Harry." Voldemort took on a vaguely nostalgic expression. "One of my best was a Nemorosi..pity about what happened to Fincastle...lots of talent...bit too much ambition, but, ah well...who am I to talk about too much ambition?" He seemed amused momentarily by his own comments.
Voldemort's expression became more sober and the red eyes narrowed slightly. "Speaking of ambition, Harry, you've been demonstrating a bit by pursuing this fascination of yours with wandless magic."
Harry's mouth started to fall open before he could muster control of his expression.
Voldemort returned to being amused for a moment. "Oh, I know all about your lessons, Harry. Pretty blonde teacher, practice in the courtyard, research in the library over the holidays." The black robed wizard strode casually around Perth and Harry, and they turned together to keep Voldemort in front of them.
"Yes, I know ALL about your progress.." Voldemort put on a mock air. "Even summoned the rains the night I had my little presents delivered to your party. Very impressive, Mr. Potter."
Harry did his best not to let how rattled he was by the Slytherin's knowledge show. "Fine. So you know."
Voldemort snorted and took a quick menacing step in Harry's direction. "Such a brave, but foolish little Gryffindor, aren't you?" he hissed, all pretense of camaraderie evaporating.
Perth raised his arms in a defensive posture, spell poised on his lips, and Voldemort suddenly turned on the Nemorosi mage. "And you! One of the powerful Nemorosi that I should respectfully keep my distance from? Well, let us see."
He pointed his wand at Taber and uttered a stunning spell.
Taber blocked it.
An acid stream.
Again, Taber blocked it. Not a difficult task normally, but a spell cast by Voldemort was something different altogether.
"Very good. Let's try something a little different, shall we?" Voldemort inquired of the slightly winded wizard.
Voldemort drew his wand again and pointed it not at the man before him, but at the air between them. "Manus inimicus." A spectral hand holding a wand like that in Voldemort's own hand appeared in the air and hovered there. Voldemort repeated the phrase again, and another hand holding a wand appeared beside the first.
"There, that should make things jut a bit more interesting, don't you think, Harry?" Voldemort directed his question at Harry, even though his gaze remained focused on Taber. "Let us see how your Nemorosi friend does now."
Voldemort uttered the stunning spell again, and as it flashed off Taber's defenses, the two spectral hands waved their wands in rapid succession and duplicated the original spell, forcing Perth to act quickly and block two more spells, one right on top of another. The Nemorosi wizard was definitely out of breath after that sequence.
"Well done!" Voldemort cried, taunting Taber in the process. "Let's try another." Without hesitation he pointed his wand and spoke again. "Inflamare!"
A fireball raced at Taber, exploding against the water defense he had invoked immediately, and it was followed quickly by two more. The second Taber blocked, and the third.
"Again. Inflamare!" Cried Voldemort.
Taber blocked the first. He blocked the second but was knocked back a pace, and barely managed to block the third, the force of which knocked him to the ground. He managed to climb to his feet, but by this point his robes were smoking in places.
Harry was furious and fearful of the way Voldemort was toying with Perth. "Stop it! Stop it, now!" he demanded angrily.
"It's not your turn, Harry," Voldemort scolded, in a tone reminiscent of how one speaks to a petulant child. He flicked his wand in Harry's direction.
Harry reflexively blocked the blast of energy that hit him, but the force of the spell knocked him off his feet, sending him skidding into the dirt where he remained, shaking his head and trying to regain his senses.
Voldemort returned his attention back to Taber, who was winded but determined to protect Harry as long as he could.
"Now, something a bit more imaginative..ah, yes...Ossus Infractus!"
Three bone splintering spells raced at Perth who dodged the first, and blocked the second, but the third one hit home with a sickening 'CRACK', and the gray-haired wizard doubled over in pain and groaned aloud as he grabbed his left wrist.
"Perth!" Harry cried out from where he had managed to get back on his feet. He ran towards the two wizards.
"Harry, get back!" Taber snapped, wanting the boy out of the line of fire.
"Yes, Harry, get back." Voldemort mimicked Taber's concern and then sent Harry skidding into the dirt again with a flick of his wand. Two more blows slammed Harry into the dirt further.
Again he pointed his wand at Taber, and three more bone-splintering spells slammed into the Nemorosi, only one of which he had the strength remaining to block. Taber cried out, grabbing farther up his already damaged arm, and then collapsed as his ankle shattered and he landed in a heap.
Voldemort stepped closer to stand over the fallen man and pointed his wand once more.
"NO!" Harry cried, shaking his dazed head and trying desperately to get to his feet, to find his wand, to help in some way.
"Ossus Infractus!" Voldemort cried again, fire raging in the fierce red eyes.
Taber collapsed further into the dust, moaning terribly as three more bones in his limbs shattered. He teetered on the edge for a moment, and then slipped mercifully into a state of unconsciousness as he lay sprawled in the dust.
Voldemort stood over the defeated Nemorosi mage and spoke to Harry again. "So much for your powerful wandless friend," he said dismissively. The spectral hands in front of him dissipated into nothingness.
"Now," Voldemort continued, "to kill, or not to kill, that is the question now isn't it?" He tapped his wand against his chin thoughtfully as he regarded the broken figure on the ground. "Hmmm, but we do need a witness, now don't we, Harry?"
Voldemort turned suddenly toward where Harry had struggled valiantly to gain his feet again. "It's your turn," he hissed menacingly.
Harry glared back at the skull-like face, furious about what the Dark Lord had done to Taber, and fearful of what else the dark wizard might do. He raised his wand, determined to face Voldemort and not be defeated in the dust. His heart raced, and his pulse pounded in his ears, the rushing blood sounding like the marching of many feet in the distance.
Voldemort raised his own, eyes narrowed to red slits for a moment, and then he spoke while swirling his wand in a small circle, and then pointed abruptly it at Harry.
An icy blue stream of light shot from the wand, and quickly encircled Harry at a distance of a few feet, spinning more and more rapidly. Harry's eyes went even wider at the sight of the surrounding light as the adrenaline level in his blood jumped higher. He dared not take his eyes off Voldemort, but he didn't know what to expect from the blue light.
His concern was promptly addressed as the ring of light flashed whiter and an object raced at him at the level of his chest at great speed.
Harry gasped and cried out words of protection, drawing his wand up instantly to deflect the object. Tiny shards of ice flew everywhere as the dagger-like icicle was destroyed.
Voldemort flicked his wand wordlessly, and another flash of light from the blue ring brought another frozen missile, this time flying at Harry's head from his left.
Harry spun around and deflected the second attack. Icy splinters showered the ground inside the circle.
Two more flicks of Voldemort's wand brought two more icicles. Harry spun about, trying frantically to block them, nearly missing the second.
"Very good," Voldemort said slowly, minor admiration present in his voice. "But surely the great Harry Potter can do better?" Three rapid flicks of his wand, a pause, and two more.
Harry whirled, deflecting and smashing each successive icicle as he began panting from the exertion. He leaped back around to face Voldemort as the fourth raced at his face, only just managing to parry it as he flung his head back out of reflex and his arm up in front of him. He was off balance and stumbled a step, and when he yanked his arm down to deflect the fifth missile, his timing was off by a fraction of a second.
A sharp cry of pain escaped Harry's lips as the wand fell from his right hand, and he grabbed his wrist, panting, and staring, horrified at the icicle that was protruding through his palm. The biting cold shot up his entire arm, and the icicle wafted away in a small cloud of steam. The wound was bloodless, but painful, and Harry yanked his arm inward, cradling it against himself, trying to keep his attention on the accelerating circle, Voldemort, and wondering if he had time to snatch his wand from where it had fallen at his feet.
Voldemort paused, and spoke in a mocking voice. "But, Harry," he began, "you don't really need your wand, now do you?" He laughed the high-pitched laugh that had haunted Harry's nightmares since last year.
Abruptly Voldemort stopped laughing, and his eyes narrowed again as he gauged Harry's thoughts on springing for the wand on the ground.
"Accio!" Voldemort fairly spat the word, and a second before he could act, Harry's wand was suddenly in one long-fingered skeletal hand.
Mina - thanks and welcome!
A/N: Sorry about the delay. FFnet wouldn't let me upload anything for about a week now, and now my formatting is funky again. Oh well. Here's the chappie!
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A Hippogryff and a Gryffindor ~*~
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As Draco and Beska ran up the path toward the cliffs, Draco gave her the Wizard's Digest version of what was happening.
"All I know is Snape is stuck at the top of the cliffs, held by my father and a group of Death Eaters," he said.
"Draco, that's terrible! He and Lorien must be in great danger," Beska replied as they hurried.
"Let's hope so," Draco panted as ran next to her.
"Why do you say that?" Beska asked. She pointed to a side path and indicated they should take it. "Shortcut," she said.
"Because," Draco replied, trotting down the new path with her, "if they aren't still in danger it's probably because they're..well..dead."
"Oh." Beska said nothing else, but they both began to run a little faster. They rounded a corner in the path and skidded to a halt as they nearly ran into the back of a group of Death Eaters.
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Snape ran down the path that Lorien had indicated would be a quicker one to the bottom of the cliffs, and the pair by-passed the very path that Perth and Harry had taken but a moment before.
"We have to find Harry," Lorien said as they ran.
Severus agreed, but mentally rolled his eyes. 'We have to find Harry, Harry's in trouble.' When was that boy not in trouble? Dammit! And it was big-time trouble as usual. Any idiot would have determined that, even if they didn't have the assistance of a searing Dark Mark on their left forearm.
"Lorien," he called, causing her to look his way. "We should split up."
"What?" Lorien slowed up a bit, puzzled at his suggestion. "Don't you think we'd be better off staying.." She trailed off as she saw Severus merely point skyward, and she took his meaning as he ran past her.
It took her a moment to get her dragon form airborne, and she climbed thirty feet in the air to get a better vantage point. She caught up to Snape just as he rounded a corner of the path and skidded to a halt. From her view in the air, the turquoise dragon could see he had nearly run up against a group of Death Eaters, and with a quick glance at the scene below her, she reacted quickly, and folding her wings, plummeted down in a fiery swandive.
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Silence filled the small clearing for just a moment as the large group of wizards crowded slightly closer around the two trapped Gryffindors.
Sirius pressed his back tighter up against Remus behind him as he raised his wand and tensed up. Remus, behind him, likewise raised his wand, knowing their chances of surviving the current odds were not good, but determined that they would take out as many of the Death Eaters as they could before they were obliterated.
Each saw the nine wands surrounding them leveled in their direction, and expected to be assaulted with a variety of unpleasant hexes, but in the instant before the first curse could be uttered, a loud roar filled the air above them, startling everyone in the clearing.
Then utter mayhem broke loose.
Remus and Sirius simultaneously each dropped to one knee, dodging the first curses flung their way, and Remus risked a quick glance skyward even as the words of the blinding curse came to his lips. Cries of agony came from several of the Death Eaters even as curses were being invoked by others, and it took Remus only an instant to recognized that the source of the roar and subsequently the screams in the clearing was the small blue-green dragon diving at the group with dragonflame a-blazing.
"Yes!" Remus said, nearly to himself. The dragon was evening things up as she took out three Death Eaters on the north side of the circle. "Turquoise dragon at six o'clock!" He cried to Sirius, who was already casting a curse of his own at the nearest hooded wizard.
"Cruento!" Sirius cried, pointing his wand. A gaping wound, large enough to incapacitate the victim, opened in the leg of the Death Eater. The dark wizard screamed and grabbed his bleeding limb.
"Caliga!" Remus blinded the next attacker, and then turned suddenly at the commotion to the south. To his great surprise, he found Draco and the young Nemorosi witch with him attacking two more of the Death Eaters from where they had come up behind them on the path. One fell to the ground babbling incoherently, the other found himself being wrapped repeatedly in a spiderweb-like cord.
One of the remaining Death Eaters, having just dodged the fire strike from the dragon, fell back and pointed his wand skyward at the animal who was circling round for another attack. "Avad.." the rest was cut off as the dark wizard's hands went to his throat, trying more and more desperately to pry off the unseen fingers wrapped around his neck.
Snape dodged past him from where he was on the path to the north, knowing the wizard would pose no threat while dealing with the Stranglehold curse.
One Death Eater remained in the midst of his incapacitated comrades, now facing four wizards, one witch, and one small dragon that was landing behind the group. He quickly did the smart thing and dropped his wand, surrendering without the least resistance.
Sirius quickly stepped forward and grabbed the man by the front of his robes. "Smart move," he snarled at the man, and flung him to the ground before hexing him with a full body bind.
Remus did likewise to the blinded wizard and the bleeding one, and then glanced at where Draco and Beska had taken care of their victims. "Thank you, Draco," Remus said.
Draco shrugged, trying to make light of the situation.
Remus stepped a little closer and spoke quietly to the young blonde wizard. "I know your decision involves more than just hexing that Death Eater," he said. "You've made a good choice, Draco."
"We'll see." The boy shrugged again, uncomfortable with gratitude from the werewolf.
Snape grabbed the nearly unconscious strangling man and flung him into the group on the ground. The man gasped dramatically for air as the phantom fingers around his throat were removed.
Lorien walked quickly toward the three wizards taken out by the dragon to see what she could do for their injuries. Two of them were moaning on the ground and severely burned. It took her several minutes with each of them to do enough to at least ease the worst of their pain, and she knew they were going to need more intensive care than she could provide at this point before they were carted away to Azkaban.
The third wizard lay on the ground face down a few feet away and Lorien started to go to him as Severus came to stand by her side. He cautioned her with a look, and raised his wand as she knelt by the figure in charred robes.
She spoke to the man and prodded him gently, getting no response. Concern escalated into alarm that overrode the fact that the man was a Death Eater, and she rolled the prone figure over quickly, and winced at the sight that met her eyes. She needed to check no further to know that the man had not survived the degree of charring that was evident on his body. She stood quickly, hand over her mouth as a wave of nausea hit her. Experience as a medical witch had presented her with dead wizards before, with injuries as bad and worse, but this had been her doing.
Lorien swallowed hard, and backed away one unsteady step at a time, not knowing that the eyes of the rest of the group were on her. She stood there trying to rationalize what she'd done. She hadn't stopped to think about what her animagus form was capable of, she only reacted out of fear for Sirius and Remus, lashing out in the best way the dragon knew how.
And now, because of her, a man was dead.
'A bad man,' she thought, trying to console herself in any way she could. A very, very bad wizard that wouldn't have given a second thought to blasting one of her beloved Gryffindors to smithereens if she hadn't acted. If she hadn't..if she hadn't...
Lorien felt her knees going weak as the panicked feeling overwhelmed her. Strong fingers gripped her arms tightly from behind, keeping her on her feet as Severus's voice came from just behind her ear.
"Let it go, Lorien," he advised her softly. "Don't make it complicated, just let it go."
His voice and grip on her arms grounded her again, and she stared at the burned remains again as her vision re-focused. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked. "But I killed him.."
"Yes," Severus said. "Yes, you did.."
"But I didn't mean to..."she interrupted.
Severus tightened his grip and pulled her back against himself. "I know, but would you rather that he were alive and Lupin or Black was dead because you didn't act?"
"No," she said quietly.
He turned her around to face him. "The time is rapidly approaching, Lorien, where you may have to make such a decision again. You may have to kill again." He indicated the rest of the group with a slight wave of his arm. "We all may."
She understood what he meant, but the thought made her feel very cold.
Severus placed a hand under her chin and lifted her eyes to meet his. "Don't complicate things. The dark wizard is dead, your friends are alive. Good triumphed over evil in this case. Time to move on."
"Is it really that simple, Severus?" She asked, feeling numb now more than anything.
A hint of a sad smile and a shake of the head. "But it'll get you through it for now."
Lorien didn't like his answer, but she took the advice he gave her, knowing that he was speaking from experience. She nodded and then walked with him to the rest of the group that had been taking in the interaction between the witch and her dark robed wizard.
She managed to give Remus a small, brave smile when she saw his concerned look. The fact that he was standing there in front of her alive and safe made her feel a little better. She looked around the group. They were all safe, thank Merlin. It had been a close call but...Lorien frowned as she realized the group was incomplete.
"Where's Perth?" She asked suddenly, looking around the gathered wizards. "And where is Harry?"
Everyone realized at that moment that no one seemed to have an answer.
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Harry was standing just behind Perth Taber as realization of the grave danger they were both in dawned on the Nemorosi wizard. The gray-haired mage drew himself up to his full height and stood protectively once again in front of the teenager.
"You have no business here," he warned in a stern voice.
"Oh, but I DO," Voldemort returned casually, "don't I, Harry?"
Harry wished desperately at that moment that there were about ten more Nemorosi wizards here to help face Voldemort. As defiant as Taber appeared, Harry knew from firsthand experience that they were still in major jeopardy.
Voldemort spoke again before Harry had a chance to reply. "Well, where are your manners, Mr. Potter? Aren't you going to introduce me to your Nemorosi friend?" The dark wizard strode ever so casually closer, arms folded and the tip of his wand resting against his chin.
Harry glared back defiantly.
"Oh, come now." Voldemort looked at the older wizard.
"Taber," the green-robed wizard hissed, not dropping his guard for even an instant.
"Ah, yes," said Voldemort, tapping his wand against his chin thoughtfully. "Perth Taber, animagus, Order of Merlin second class, and youngest Nemorosi on the Council of Elders." Voldemort chuckled to himself, and then looked at Harry again. "As you can see, Harry, I have done a little homework concerning the Nemorosi."
"Then you know what powerful wizards they are," Harry returned with implied warning.
"Powerful? Oh, yes, yes, I know, Harry." Voldemort took on a vaguely nostalgic expression. "One of my best was a Nemorosi..pity about what happened to Fincastle...lots of talent...bit too much ambition, but, ah well...who am I to talk about too much ambition?" He seemed amused momentarily by his own comments.
Voldemort's expression became more sober and the red eyes narrowed slightly. "Speaking of ambition, Harry, you've been demonstrating a bit by pursuing this fascination of yours with wandless magic."
Harry's mouth started to fall open before he could muster control of his expression.
Voldemort returned to being amused for a moment. "Oh, I know all about your lessons, Harry. Pretty blonde teacher, practice in the courtyard, research in the library over the holidays." The black robed wizard strode casually around Perth and Harry, and they turned together to keep Voldemort in front of them.
"Yes, I know ALL about your progress.." Voldemort put on a mock air. "Even summoned the rains the night I had my little presents delivered to your party. Very impressive, Mr. Potter."
Harry did his best not to let how rattled he was by the Slytherin's knowledge show. "Fine. So you know."
Voldemort snorted and took a quick menacing step in Harry's direction. "Such a brave, but foolish little Gryffindor, aren't you?" he hissed, all pretense of camaraderie evaporating.
Perth raised his arms in a defensive posture, spell poised on his lips, and Voldemort suddenly turned on the Nemorosi mage. "And you! One of the powerful Nemorosi that I should respectfully keep my distance from? Well, let us see."
He pointed his wand at Taber and uttered a stunning spell.
Taber blocked it.
An acid stream.
Again, Taber blocked it. Not a difficult task normally, but a spell cast by Voldemort was something different altogether.
"Very good. Let's try something a little different, shall we?" Voldemort inquired of the slightly winded wizard.
Voldemort drew his wand again and pointed it not at the man before him, but at the air between them. "Manus inimicus." A spectral hand holding a wand like that in Voldemort's own hand appeared in the air and hovered there. Voldemort repeated the phrase again, and another hand holding a wand appeared beside the first.
"There, that should make things jut a bit more interesting, don't you think, Harry?" Voldemort directed his question at Harry, even though his gaze remained focused on Taber. "Let us see how your Nemorosi friend does now."
Voldemort uttered the stunning spell again, and as it flashed off Taber's defenses, the two spectral hands waved their wands in rapid succession and duplicated the original spell, forcing Perth to act quickly and block two more spells, one right on top of another. The Nemorosi wizard was definitely out of breath after that sequence.
"Well done!" Voldemort cried, taunting Taber in the process. "Let's try another." Without hesitation he pointed his wand and spoke again. "Inflamare!"
A fireball raced at Taber, exploding against the water defense he had invoked immediately, and it was followed quickly by two more. The second Taber blocked, and the third.
"Again. Inflamare!" Cried Voldemort.
Taber blocked the first. He blocked the second but was knocked back a pace, and barely managed to block the third, the force of which knocked him to the ground. He managed to climb to his feet, but by this point his robes were smoking in places.
Harry was furious and fearful of the way Voldemort was toying with Perth. "Stop it! Stop it, now!" he demanded angrily.
"It's not your turn, Harry," Voldemort scolded, in a tone reminiscent of how one speaks to a petulant child. He flicked his wand in Harry's direction.
Harry reflexively blocked the blast of energy that hit him, but the force of the spell knocked him off his feet, sending him skidding into the dirt where he remained, shaking his head and trying to regain his senses.
Voldemort returned his attention back to Taber, who was winded but determined to protect Harry as long as he could.
"Now, something a bit more imaginative..ah, yes...Ossus Infractus!"
Three bone splintering spells raced at Perth who dodged the first, and blocked the second, but the third one hit home with a sickening 'CRACK', and the gray-haired wizard doubled over in pain and groaned aloud as he grabbed his left wrist.
"Perth!" Harry cried out from where he had managed to get back on his feet. He ran towards the two wizards.
"Harry, get back!" Taber snapped, wanting the boy out of the line of fire.
"Yes, Harry, get back." Voldemort mimicked Taber's concern and then sent Harry skidding into the dirt again with a flick of his wand. Two more blows slammed Harry into the dirt further.
Again he pointed his wand at Taber, and three more bone-splintering spells slammed into the Nemorosi, only one of which he had the strength remaining to block. Taber cried out, grabbing farther up his already damaged arm, and then collapsed as his ankle shattered and he landed in a heap.
Voldemort stepped closer to stand over the fallen man and pointed his wand once more.
"NO!" Harry cried, shaking his dazed head and trying desperately to get to his feet, to find his wand, to help in some way.
"Ossus Infractus!" Voldemort cried again, fire raging in the fierce red eyes.
Taber collapsed further into the dust, moaning terribly as three more bones in his limbs shattered. He teetered on the edge for a moment, and then slipped mercifully into a state of unconsciousness as he lay sprawled in the dust.
Voldemort stood over the defeated Nemorosi mage and spoke to Harry again. "So much for your powerful wandless friend," he said dismissively. The spectral hands in front of him dissipated into nothingness.
"Now," Voldemort continued, "to kill, or not to kill, that is the question now isn't it?" He tapped his wand against his chin thoughtfully as he regarded the broken figure on the ground. "Hmmm, but we do need a witness, now don't we, Harry?"
Voldemort turned suddenly toward where Harry had struggled valiantly to gain his feet again. "It's your turn," he hissed menacingly.
Harry glared back at the skull-like face, furious about what the Dark Lord had done to Taber, and fearful of what else the dark wizard might do. He raised his wand, determined to face Voldemort and not be defeated in the dust. His heart raced, and his pulse pounded in his ears, the rushing blood sounding like the marching of many feet in the distance.
Voldemort raised his own, eyes narrowed to red slits for a moment, and then he spoke while swirling his wand in a small circle, and then pointed abruptly it at Harry.
An icy blue stream of light shot from the wand, and quickly encircled Harry at a distance of a few feet, spinning more and more rapidly. Harry's eyes went even wider at the sight of the surrounding light as the adrenaline level in his blood jumped higher. He dared not take his eyes off Voldemort, but he didn't know what to expect from the blue light.
His concern was promptly addressed as the ring of light flashed whiter and an object raced at him at the level of his chest at great speed.
Harry gasped and cried out words of protection, drawing his wand up instantly to deflect the object. Tiny shards of ice flew everywhere as the dagger-like icicle was destroyed.
Voldemort flicked his wand wordlessly, and another flash of light from the blue ring brought another frozen missile, this time flying at Harry's head from his left.
Harry spun around and deflected the second attack. Icy splinters showered the ground inside the circle.
Two more flicks of Voldemort's wand brought two more icicles. Harry spun about, trying frantically to block them, nearly missing the second.
"Very good," Voldemort said slowly, minor admiration present in his voice. "But surely the great Harry Potter can do better?" Three rapid flicks of his wand, a pause, and two more.
Harry whirled, deflecting and smashing each successive icicle as he began panting from the exertion. He leaped back around to face Voldemort as the fourth raced at his face, only just managing to parry it as he flung his head back out of reflex and his arm up in front of him. He was off balance and stumbled a step, and when he yanked his arm down to deflect the fifth missile, his timing was off by a fraction of a second.
A sharp cry of pain escaped Harry's lips as the wand fell from his right hand, and he grabbed his wrist, panting, and staring, horrified at the icicle that was protruding through his palm. The biting cold shot up his entire arm, and the icicle wafted away in a small cloud of steam. The wound was bloodless, but painful, and Harry yanked his arm inward, cradling it against himself, trying to keep his attention on the accelerating circle, Voldemort, and wondering if he had time to snatch his wand from where it had fallen at his feet.
Voldemort paused, and spoke in a mocking voice. "But, Harry," he began, "you don't really need your wand, now do you?" He laughed the high-pitched laugh that had haunted Harry's nightmares since last year.
Abruptly Voldemort stopped laughing, and his eyes narrowed again as he gauged Harry's thoughts on springing for the wand on the ground.
"Accio!" Voldemort fairly spat the word, and a second before he could act, Harry's wand was suddenly in one long-fingered skeletal hand.
