Chapter XXIII - A Night Painted Green
"Morsmordre!"
The sky was dark, filled with the poisoned atmosphere of burning gunpowder. Occasional sparks of fire illuminated the scene, and suddenly, an emerald green skull with a snake coming out of its mouth slowly rose into the sky, hovering above the long building. Another spark of fire crossed the air, painting it red. Then stars, pink and blue, exploded and disappeared with a trace of smoke.
But even the noise of all the explosions could hardly silence the screams that came from inside the building. You could hear people screaming, pleading for mercy, and some voices saying "Crucio!" or "Avada Kedavra!", after which some screams would stop.
Then a man came running from the door. "Noooo!" he was crying "Have mercy! Please!"
And a hooded masked figure came from behind him, slowly riding a black horse. He seemed the spitted image of Death. The man kept running until he stopped and kneeled by the horse of the man whose wand had produced the green light that shone over the night, like a horrible full moon.
"Please," said the man, kneeling "Have mercy! Please, sir!"
"Shall I leave him to you?" said the figure who had come slowly up to them.
"Yes, Lucius" the man of the wand answered. And the figure galloped away, shouting "Fear! Fear us!!" around the building.
The little man, kneeling before the man with the wand was now crying.
"Get up" said the man in the wand. The little man stood up slowly and when he got up he saw that this man was also masked, and also looked like Death itself.
He raised his wand at the little man and said "Avad-"
"You're not so brave without your mask, are you?" said the little man suddenly. It was obvious he had understood what was going to happen. And death had removed any fear from him.
"You're not afraid of me." said the masked man.
"I only fear for my family" said the man, now calm as a martyr. "I wish to survive because I love my family and I want to be with them. But I don't fear death."
"Your family..." he sneered "And how do you know I'll kill you? Are you a wizard?"
The man smiled bitterly "I am a scientist. I saw my friends and colleagues die whenever someone pointed that thing at them and cried Avada Kedavra. What should I conclude?" And after a brief pause he said "No, I'm not a wizard... but my family is. My wife's a witch, my daughter is a witch... and I believe my son will be a wizard too."
"You married a witch?" said a woman, coming closer on a horse.
The little man didn't take his eyes of the masked man. "I asked you if your wife's a witch, mudblood!" asked the woman's voice again.
"My daughter has just come from abroad" whispered the little man to the masked man who had so many chances to kill him and still hadn't done it. "I miss her so much. Please, sir, have mercy. If not for me, than for the people who love me."
The woman was riding around them, but unable to catch a word, she asked "What is he saying, Severus?"
"Nothing, Bellatrix" said Severus. "Nothing that matters."
"Then stop chattering, will you? We have much to do still! Hurry up with it!" and she galloped away.
Severus raised his wand.
"Please sir..." whispered the little man again. "Isn't there love in your heart?"
And sudenly... Severus was unable to curse him. His lover's eyes were watching him from the little man's face! How could he be so stupid! His daughter had just come from abroad!
"Are you still there?" asked the woman, joining them again. "Avada Kedavra!" she said.
"Nooooo!" said Severus before he could stop himself. But the man was already lying in the ground... dead.
"What?!" asked the woman.
Severus forehead was sweating. How could it have happened?! He was dead! And it could have been by his hand!
"What was it, Severus?" asked Bellatrix again.
Severus looked up at her and this time he felt disgusted. She was not a "buddy" anymore, she was a monster to his eyes.
"I wanted to do it." he said, calmly, controlling and hiding his emotions, as he had mastered himself to do. "I haven't done nearly anything tonight."
Bellatrix laughed "You are wicked! I like it..." she said lasciviously.
He felt so revolted all he wanted to do was curse her. But he kept still, and she went away and joined the others.
Severus felt his insides melt, his heart clenched... And this time, he didn't feel like celebrating and didn't join them in their war cry when all that was left was ashes and dead bodies.
"Morsmordre!"
The sky was dark, filled with the poisoned atmosphere of burning gunpowder. Occasional sparks of fire illuminated the scene, and suddenly, an emerald green skull with a snake coming out of its mouth slowly rose into the sky, hovering above the long building. Another spark of fire crossed the air, painting it red. Then stars, pink and blue, exploded and disappeared with a trace of smoke.
But even the noise of all the explosions could hardly silence the screams that came from inside the building. You could hear people screaming, pleading for mercy, and some voices saying "Crucio!" or "Avada Kedavra!", after which some screams would stop.
Then a man came running from the door. "Noooo!" he was crying "Have mercy! Please!"
And a hooded masked figure came from behind him, slowly riding a black horse. He seemed the spitted image of Death. The man kept running until he stopped and kneeled by the horse of the man whose wand had produced the green light that shone over the night, like a horrible full moon.
"Please," said the man, kneeling "Have mercy! Please, sir!"
"Shall I leave him to you?" said the figure who had come slowly up to them.
"Yes, Lucius" the man of the wand answered. And the figure galloped away, shouting "Fear! Fear us!!" around the building.
The little man, kneeling before the man with the wand was now crying.
"Get up" said the man in the wand. The little man stood up slowly and when he got up he saw that this man was also masked, and also looked like Death itself.
He raised his wand at the little man and said "Avad-"
"You're not so brave without your mask, are you?" said the little man suddenly. It was obvious he had understood what was going to happen. And death had removed any fear from him.
"You're not afraid of me." said the masked man.
"I only fear for my family" said the man, now calm as a martyr. "I wish to survive because I love my family and I want to be with them. But I don't fear death."
"Your family..." he sneered "And how do you know I'll kill you? Are you a wizard?"
The man smiled bitterly "I am a scientist. I saw my friends and colleagues die whenever someone pointed that thing at them and cried Avada Kedavra. What should I conclude?" And after a brief pause he said "No, I'm not a wizard... but my family is. My wife's a witch, my daughter is a witch... and I believe my son will be a wizard too."
"You married a witch?" said a woman, coming closer on a horse.
The little man didn't take his eyes of the masked man. "I asked you if your wife's a witch, mudblood!" asked the woman's voice again.
"My daughter has just come from abroad" whispered the little man to the masked man who had so many chances to kill him and still hadn't done it. "I miss her so much. Please, sir, have mercy. If not for me, than for the people who love me."
The woman was riding around them, but unable to catch a word, she asked "What is he saying, Severus?"
"Nothing, Bellatrix" said Severus. "Nothing that matters."
"Then stop chattering, will you? We have much to do still! Hurry up with it!" and she galloped away.
Severus raised his wand.
"Please sir..." whispered the little man again. "Isn't there love in your heart?"
And sudenly... Severus was unable to curse him. His lover's eyes were watching him from the little man's face! How could he be so stupid! His daughter had just come from abroad!
"Are you still there?" asked the woman, joining them again. "Avada Kedavra!" she said.
"Nooooo!" said Severus before he could stop himself. But the man was already lying in the ground... dead.
"What?!" asked the woman.
Severus forehead was sweating. How could it have happened?! He was dead! And it could have been by his hand!
"What was it, Severus?" asked Bellatrix again.
Severus looked up at her and this time he felt disgusted. She was not a "buddy" anymore, she was a monster to his eyes.
"I wanted to do it." he said, calmly, controlling and hiding his emotions, as he had mastered himself to do. "I haven't done nearly anything tonight."
Bellatrix laughed "You are wicked! I like it..." she said lasciviously.
He felt so revolted all he wanted to do was curse her. But he kept still, and she went away and joined the others.
Severus felt his insides melt, his heart clenched... And this time, he didn't feel like celebrating and didn't join them in their war cry when all that was left was ashes and dead bodies.