Sorry it's been a while but I lost my muse a bit with this fic and I wanted to give it a break instead of forcing it and making it rubbish. So hopefully you guys will like it. I'm gonna try and get this fic finished pretty soon because I go on holiday for a month in two and a half weeks. So hopefully I should be updating regularly, I know what I want to write, it's just getting it written that I'm finding hard. Review loads please!
Thanks to:
Dreamer Child
Renna
Metalmayhem
Erak
Charmedfanatic3000
Silver Warrior
Chrios
wllw979
Anne-Marie
Water Naiad13
Kyra2
Thorn of Blood – hey I reviewed the new chapter of your story, it was really good! As for the last chapter being like LOTR, I'd just watched fellowship for the millionth time before I wrote it and that was the thoughts in my head at the time. I agree that Buffy's not entirely right; Kingsley's got more of a point.
Chapter 31 – Azkaban Breached
The day
after they visited Nott's they planned for a visit to the Malfoys but the
following morning something happened that made their plans a little more
difficult.
They were breakfasting early when Bill ran
in clutching the Daily Prophet.
"They've taken Azkaban!" he panted,
throwing the paper down on the kitchen table. They all got up to look over it,
a large moving picture on the front showed the walls of Azkaban in ruins. A
headline screamed 'AZKABAN BREACHED!'
"Voldemort and the Death Eaters, they took it
last night," Bill exclaimed, pointing to the picture. "Every prisoner is out
and the Dementors have turned. They're calling for Fudge's resignation. He's
made too many mistakes now." Buffy looked at Sirius and from the look in his eyes
she could see how serious this was.
"Who's in there?" she asked in a low
voice. Sirius scratched his head.
"Every Death Eater that's ever been
captured," he said hollowly. "Some from Voldemort's last reign, some from this
one. Plus a number of other psychos, most unrelated to the Death Eaters but
willing to join if it means getting to kill. Most of them are mad, the ones
that have been in there the longest. They don't see the real world anymore."
His voice was bitter and his eyes were wide.
"We should still go," Faith said
forcefully. "To the Malfoy place. We can see if they're there."
"And do what?" Giles asked frustrated.
"They're effectively untouchable."
"But remember what we heard last time,"
Buffy reminded him. "The little bit of information we got could come in handy.
Plus you never know." She got up and went into the drawing Room, gathering her
weapons again. Faith did the same.
"Giles, you should stay here," Buffy
instructed. "Faith's got Kingsley's invisibility cloak but it'll only cover two
of us." Giles frowned.
"I should go then," he argued. "It's too
risky for you. You stay here."
"I'm going," Buffy said determinedly and Giles
knew there was no point arguing. "Sirius, portkey?"
Sirius opened his mouth to protest, and
then closed it resignedly. He took a small statue of a sphinx from the
mantelpiece and turned it into a portkey for them. Buffy and Faith checked
their weapons were secure and Buffy tucked the freezing potion into her pocket
securely. Together they touched the portkey and whirled away.
They landed
inside the gates this time, in the oversized garden of an even larger mansion.
Throwing the invisibility cloak over the two of them, they crept round to the
front of the house. This time there was no waiting; there were people outside,
and a number of winged horses wearing bridles.
A man with long white blonde hair was talking intensely with a painfully thin
woman. Other men stood around, a few women mixed with them, all of them wearing
the same ragged robes that Buffy recognised painfully as the Azkaban robes.
Other people were also present, Death Eaters who hadn't just escaped from
Azkaban.
Buffy and Faith crept closer to the blonde man and woman who Buffy assumed to
be Lucius and Narcissa.
"We cannot remain long," Lucius was
saying. "The Ministry will raid us before long. I must go into hiding; the Dark
Lord speaks of a permanent headquarters for us. I will send for you before
long."
"What will I tell Draco?" Narcissa asked
anxiously.
"Tell him nothing," Lucius said impassively.
"He will be told, they all will but not whilst in the care of Dumbledore. I am
free, that is all he need know and he can read that in the Daily Prophet. Go
now, we must leave shortly." Narcissa kissed her husband and hurried back into
the gigantic house.
Almost immediately after the door closed behind her, it was opened again and
Voldemort stepped out into the pale sunlight.
Immediately every single one of the Death Eaters before him fell to their knees
in deep bows. He appeared to enjoy their servitude for a moment before
signalling for them to rise.
"My Death Eaters today is a glorious
day," he said, staring round at all of them. Both Faith and Buffy noticed the
appearance of a snivelling Wormtail behind him. "We are once again united and
this time there will be no end to our glory. You all know what can achieve,
what we will achieve." The Death Eaters erupted in cheering but to Buffy's ears
it sounded like the kind of screaming you had to cover your ears to escape.
Voldemort walked through the Death Eaters,
coming to a stop not far from Faith and Buffy. They tensed up, but he paused
before walking right into where they stood.
"Now is not the time to discuss our
plans," he said, cold mirth in his voice. "Many things are already in motion,
things that are finally coming together." With that he turned and stared at
Faith and Buffy with a twisted smile. "Like the appearance of the Slayers. Did
you really think an invisibility cloak would fool me?"
Buffy jumped back, nearly falling to the ground and taking Faith with her. Voldemort stared at them, a smile coming to his lips, eyes watching them hungrily.
For the
second time in her short life Buffy had the cold knowledge she was about to
die. She forced her breathing to slow down, forced her to become the slayer and
keep her eyes open for any escape. They were better than this, better than any
of the wizards that stood before them.
"Take off that ridiculous cloak,"
Voldemort ordered and Buffy pulled it off slowly. The moment she did, every
Death Eater had their wand pointed at the two slayers.
"The slayers," Voldemort said, pacing
around them, his eyes moving over them in a way that made Buffy feel like cold eels
were crawling all over her body. "This is the second time we have met. At
Nott's I believe? You are a little out of your element, I feel." He chuckled
coldly. Buffy's jaw was set; she was determined not to give away her surprise
at his knowledge. She looked around, apparently casually but really she was
looking around for any weaknesses. Her eyes flickered over Wormtail and flashed
with hatred as she saw the slimy rat who was responsible for so much pain.
"You must be Voldy," Faith said casually and Buffy bit back a smile. It was so good to hear Faith being her brazen self and the warmth returned to her body. She was ever aware of the portkey in her pocket that would take them back to Grimmauld Place but could also get them killed if she wasn't quick enough.
"Faith," Voldemort addressed her. "I have looked forward to meeting you, you have interested me greatly. You have power, you are a masterpiece, and Miss Summers is mediocre at best."
Buffy
growled deep in her throat and it was only Faith's relaxed demeanour on her arm
that prevented her jumping Voldemort, regardless of all the wands trained on
her.
"Was that your big 'join me' speech?"
Faith asked incredulously. "Coz, gotta say, it was lacking. I've had better."
Voldemort smirked.
"From Wilkins I expect?" he asked and Faith
raised her eyebrows. "Yes, I know Richard. Or should I say, I knew Richard. He
had high hopes for you. Pity."
Buffy
glanced sideways at Faith whose jaw was set in a grim line. Voldemort smirked
again and then looked to Buffy.
"Did I hurt your feelings by calling you
mediocre, Buffy?" he asked disdainfully. "Oh I am sorry. But I'm afraid I was
only being truthful. It's disappointing when people have no desire for power.
Without that, you are nothing; you will never be as magnificent as Faith. "
Buffy stared at him levelly.
"I'm afraid I'd have to disagree," she said
coldly. "Dumbledore always managed to kick your ass pretty good, from what I
hear. Never could take him on could you?" Voldemort scowled.
"You talk of things you don't
understand," he spat and raised a hand to backhand her hard across the cheek.
Buffy turned her head slowly back, her cheek smarting but her chin held high.
"I think you should accompany us inside now," Voldemort said, eyes flitting between the two slayers. Buffy slid a hand down to her pocket, that had that wasn't clutching the invisibility cloak. Her hand moved over the cold hard glass of the potion. Ever so carefully, she gripped it and withdrew it.
"I think we'll pass," Faith said frostily. "Got an elsewhere to be."
Buffy lobbed the potion into the crowd and
grabbed Faith, throwing both of them to the ground.
They covered their mouths and noses with their hands, crouched to the ground as
a turquoise mist rose from the shattered potion bottle and swirled around. When
it cleared the Death Eaters were frozen.
"Bravo," Voldemort said, clapping
slowly. Faith and Buffy sat up and stared in at Voldemort who stood amidst the
motionless Death Eaters. It was a bizarre sight, the pale man standing among
statues. "But you have nothing that can hurt me. This is what Dumbledore is
sending to defeat me? He slights me."
Buffy carefully reached out with the
hand that was holding the invisibility cloak and gripped Faith's wrist.
"Mediocre magic will not save you,"
Voldemort said, his voice hardening. Buffy reached back into her pocket. Her
fingertips grazed the statue and suddenly Voldemort was staring at her.
"A portkey," he said softly. "Wise
choice. We will meet again." Buffy stared back at him as she gripped the statue
hard.
Buffy heard a murmured word, lost into the wind as they flew away.
They landed in the kitchen again and it was empty. Buffy got up, rubbing her
shin painfully. She looked at Faith who got up wordlessly and sat down hard in
a chair, staring into space.
"What did he say?" Buffy asked, looking at Faith who looked up sharply as if she had forgotten she wasn't alone.
"Legilimens," Faith said hollowly. "I don't
know what it means."
"That stuff he said, its bull," Buffy
said after a pause. "I trust you; don't let it get to you." Faith looked at her
with a great effort and focused her eyes on her.
"It wasn't that," she admitted in a low
voice. "That word….he did something, right before we left; he was in my head,
looking."
"Looking?" Buffy repeated, feeling cold
inside. Faith looked down at her hands.
"He was looking at everything I'd ever
done, you know killing people," she said quietly. "He was showing it to me,
showing me what I could be if I followed him. How much power he could give me.
And he was showing me other things too, things I could do if I joined him."
Buffy stared at her.
"What did you see?" she asked slowly.
Faith glanced up at her and then down again.
"He showed me killing you," she said,
barely audibly. "And everyone. He showed me sitting at his right hand and
having power. It was like he was offering it to me, showing me what I could
become and then telling me to do it. He
told me to kill you, to kill you all and for the tiniest second I wanted to
because he said it." She looked up at Buffy.
"He knew
everything I'd ever felt and seen. He used that and he showed me all the sick
twisted thoughts that had ever crossed my mind and I felt sick with it. But he
was saying it was okay, to embrace it. But I don't want to Buffy; I don't want
to be evil." Buffy felt like Faith was pleading with her, she stared up at her
with glassy eyes that were asking for something – acceptance?
"It's okay," Buffy said soothingly,
sitting down next to Faith and putting her arm around her. Faith let her for
once and leant into her embrace. "This guy's just trying to screw with your
mind, mess you up. But he doesn't know you, he's only pretending to." Faith
looked away.
"I don't want to feel that again," she
said wearily. "I don't want to hate myself."
"Do you want to go back to Sunnydale?"
Buffy asked gently. "You don't have to be here, this isn't your battle. I don't
mind if you want to." Faith shook her head.
"I'm in this thing now," she said
staunchly. "In to the end, like
everything. Besides I wanna see how stuff goes with Kingsley." Buffy smiled and
nodded.
"You're a lot softer than you make out,"
she said reflectively. Faith grimaced.
"You tell anyone that and I'll have to
kill you," she warned jokily. "Now stop hugging me, I've got a rep to think
of."
Buffy
walked through from the kitchen, leaving Faith behind her. She stopped in the
hallway and leant against the wall, taking a few deep breaths. Truth was, she was more worried than she'd made out to Faith.
Voldemort knew them now and he could manipulate them. Buffy knew that the
things in her past alone could be used against her in more ways than one.
She trusted Faith, she had promised her she would three years ago and she
wasn't about to go back on that promise. But she was scared for her, Voldemort
had a lot of techniques for controlling people and the fact that he had entered
her mind like that scared her more than she had admitted. Slayers were good
with demons that they could see but when you made it psychological, it was a
lot more tricky and dangerous. That was what got slayers killed.
It had taken Buffy a long time to get over her emotion so she could finally
kill Angel. She knew now that she'd been foolish, that so many people had died
because she had let her emotions control her, Miss Calendar was one of many.
She also knew that if she had done it sooner, it would've hurt less. Killing
Angelus would've been a walk in the park compared to killing Angel.
Buffy sighed, living in Sirius' world was a lot harder than she had expected.
Without magic, she was effectively a sitting duck. She walked through into the
drawing room where Sirius and Giles were sitting. Remus was with them, having
returned from the full moon and he bore the signs of tiredness that his
transformation wrought.
"How'd it go?" Sirius said, looking up
at her. Buffy shook her head, suddenly feeling tired.
"Not good," she stated and proceeded to
tell them what had happened.
"You can't go back," Sirius said
immediately. "You shouldn't have gone in the first place, it was too dangerous,
what was I thinking?"
"As much as it bugs me, you're right," Buffy said wearily. "We took too much of a risk, it could've been so much worse. I'm gonna concentrate on sitting here and letting this baby grow."
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It seems like stuff is dying a bit, but trust me, there will be more action next chapter!
