"Hey Usagi, did Luna ever tell you about Veela?" Fleur questioned. The two blondes were lounging in the library, talking on about nothing at all. Usagi cocked an eyebrow at her friend as she shook her head. As she though about it, she realized she hadn't seen the black feline in quite a while.
"Well, Veela in their true forms aren't very attractive. They resemble the ugliest of monsters. They change into beautiful, human-like creatures and use their dance to ensnare men. The men they seduce are driven to do the most outrages things trying to impress them."
"You know, that reminds me of the Sirens in Greek mythology, only they killed their victims." Usagi mused, thinking back to English lessons she'd received about Homer's Odyssey. Greek mythology was one of the few things in school that ever interesting her. She remembered Odysseus being tied to the mast by his crew mates so he could hear the Siren's song without being drawn in to his death.
"What most people don't know is that Veela can also use their singing voice in the same manner as the dance to capture their victims." Fleur went on, not really sure what Siren was or how to respond to Usagi's statement. The blonde looked over with sudden interest.
"Really? So if I were to sing, I could drive men insane?" She asked, laughing as she said it. Fleur laughed with her.
"Yes, actually, if that was what you were intending to do. You'd have to want to for it to work, you understand?"
"I think so," Usagi nodded, still grinning. "So, I hear you and Helios have another date." As her friend's pale complexion flushed a deep scarlet, she burst out laughing. Poking fun at her friends never got old.
Usagi sighed to herself, staring down at the darkened grounds of Hogwarts. Her conversation with Harry several days before was fresh on her mind, as well as the follow up they both had with Ron and Hermione. Voldemort, the name meant nothing to her before her Hogwarts school year started, and now...she was terrified. Honestly, she'd rather go another round with Chaos than face the man that had caused so much pain for her, for Harry, for the entire wizarding world.
That's how she knew he spoke true when he'd said she wasn't strong enough. All the faith Queen Serenity had in her, that Lee and Harry had in her, all added up to nothing in the end. 'I may be Sailor Moon, or the Moon Princess, or whoever else, but I'm still just a teenager.' Even so, she knew she would fight no matter what. Her beloved senshi, her Mamoru, and her brother all died at the hands of Voldemort, she wouldn't forget that.
Before now she thought that being Sailor Moon was hard, but being Harry Potter must be so much harder. She couldn't fathom growing up without her parents or Shingo, not having someone who really loves you through your childhood. The strength to become a superhero wouldn't have existed without such loving support throughout her life. The strength of her friends was the only thing that enabled her to triumph over the evil beings that she had. The thought of fighting alone made her shudder, as Harry was expected to do.
'No, I won't let him fight alone. There's no way you can win alone. We'll fight together.' Thinking back now, Usagi couldn't blame Harry for anything. She'd never really thought about how hard it must be to have so many expectations laid on your back; to have everyone anticipate you being a hero that stops a great evil when you don't know how in the first place. All the stares from people just passing by, and a scar to remind you of everything you've lost along the way.
Being Sailor Moon, no one in Japan knew that Usagi Tsukino was the same person. Could she have dealt with people staring at her as she went to school or the arcade? Could she have carried the cross of everyone's hope on her back when she fought with Chaos? Harry's burden outweighed her own, and she knew that now.
Yet, despite this, all she ever did was complain about how bad she had it. She must have sounded foolish to him, talking about the difficulty of being Sailor Moon. Losing her loved ones and attempting suicide because of it must have seemed so weak to someone who never knew his parents.
"Usa, why are you crying?" Usagi jumped at the soft voice in her ear. Was she crying? Her hands reached up to her face, and the moisture at her fingertips confirmed it. She hadn't even realized...
"I don't know." The blonde faced the intrusion on her privacy, "What are you doing up?"
"I was going to go to the kitchens for a snack," Lee grinned sheepishly at her, and she couldn't hold the smile that tugged her lips. Turning back to the window, she stared down at the darkness of the Forbidden Forest and thought about how they ever hoped to defeat Voldemort. "You know, when you worry like that it makes me worry, and I usually don't worry."
"I'm scared." She never thought a hug could be so comforting, but when Lee's arms wrapped around her she felt a little safer. She leaned into him and, for the moment, let go of all the things weighing on her mind.
"It's okay to be scared, right?"
"Right."
"We're going to be patrolling the outside of the maze," Professor McGonagall moved her stern gaze over each champion as she spoke. The four teenagers were trying feebly to hide their nerves. Usagi stood beside the intimidating woman, her spaced out gaze focused on the maze entrance. Her normally cheerful expression was extraordinarily solemn. "If you get into difficulty and wished to be rescued, send red sparks into the air and one of us will come and get you, understand?"
Each of the four nodded almost simultaneously as the filled stadium erupted in cheers. A wave of nausea hit Usagi as she looked at the ecstatic students of Hogwarts, jittery with anticipation. Did everyone really expect the tournament to end with the winner hoisting their trophy and grinning? Maybe she was just being paranoid. She eased herself down in a chair and watched as the ceremonies begun.
Ludo Bagman announced the current point standings, whistling Harry and Cedric into the maze. As her dark-haired friend disappeared into the foliage, she was possessed by the urge to run after him. Knowing she couldn't, she sent Fleur a reassuring smile before the blonde entered as the final champion. Everything she'd been dreading came down to this moment, a torturous waiting game.
The minutes crawled by sluggishly, Usagi trying to burn through the maze with her steady gaze. There had been no red sparks as of yet and the crowds were conversing anxiously, irking the blonde girl to no end. Didn't they realize how dangerous this whole thing was?
"Is there something on your mind?" Usagi looked over at the speaker with something akin to boredom. Albus Dumbledore smiled down at her, the stadium lights twinkling against his half-moon spectacles. Though she'd intended to reply, she never got to it. A muffled scream echoed through the maze walls, blanking out all of her thoughts. The femininity of the scream was definite.
"Fleur!" Usagi lurched forward, towards the maze entrance, but Dumbledore gripped her arm and pulled her back. She struggled against him but the old man's grip was abnormally strong. The twinkling had gone from his eyes as he frowned down at her.
"You can't enter the maze," he said sternly. Usagi's face contorted in an angry expression that didn't suit her smooth features at all. Her blue eyes blazed as she glared at the headmaster of Hogwarts.
"I need to help Fleur! What if she's hurt?" She yelled indignantly, fighting to get her arm free as hard as she could. Dumbledore didn't budge, and his grip tightened as another yell rang around them. This one was definitely male, and her head swam as she realized it could be Harry.
"If someone is in danger, they'll send up sparks. You aren't allowed to enter," The silver-haired man repeated, employing his other hand to make sure the blonde didn't squirm from his hold. The crowds nearest to the duo had caught sight of the struggle and began to watch in stupefied awe.
"This is all some sick game to you, isn't it? People could be hurt or in serious danger and you're exploiting all this for entertainment. Two of my best friends are in there! I won't stand by and let them get killed for your stupid tournament!" Usagi was disoriented. She didn't sense the silent crowd staring at them, the tears of frustration in her eyes, or the fact that she'd reverted to her native tongue of Japanese. All that registered was the collective gasp as red sparks exploded in the sky.
Her heart skipped several beats and she choked on her own air. She went into a coughing fit, Dumbledore finally releasing his grip as she slid to her knees with her hands around her neck. The more she tried to get a grip on herself, the worse her cough became, until she was floundering for air. The crowd was dead silent; apparently the danger had just sunk in. 'Harry and Fleur are hurt.'
"It's Krum!" Someone shouted, and her blue eyes snapped upwards instantaneously. Two teachers were carrying the bushy-eyebrow, somber boy from the maze and he was clearly unconscious. As they hauled him away on a stretcher, her limbs went weak with relief. She sat on all fours, breathing heavily and staring into the grass below her.
Her face flushed as she looked back up at the maze, refusing to connect gazes with Dumbledore. Harry and Fleur were fine. Maybe Fleur had seen something that spooked her and she screamed. It was probably just a spider or something, and she screamed. No one was hurt after all.
Another gasp rippled through the crowd and Usagi immediately scrutinized the night sky for an expected shower of red sparks. Instead she found herself temporarily blinded by the glare of white wings. Helios galloped to a halt in front of her as she pulled herself to her feet. The lights in the Quidditch pitch made the white horse shimmer majestically and for a moment, she was as awed as everyone else in the stands.
Helios' red eyes flickered with annoyance at her silence, and he nudged her cheek with his muzzle. Usagi blinked a few times before she returned to reality, smiling up at her friend apologetically. He fluttered his wings and connected eyes with her. Something was wrong.
'Hurry, come with me.' He instructed, dipping his neck lower so she could climb onto his back. Sensing the urgency of the situation, she draped her arms around his neck and slung a leg over his back. With some awkward maneuvering she managed to haul herself onto the winged-horse's back. No words spoken, Helios stretched his wings and took flight. The whole stadium stood in silent awe as the horse disappeared into the night, Usagi clinging to its neck desperately so not to fall off.
"Helios, what's going on?" She yelled over the wind roaring in her ears. They were traveling an ungodly speed, and the air in her eyes was starting to make her eyes water. She narrowed them as she waited for Helios' answer.
'Harry is in trouble. The trophy transported him to Voldemort, we have to hurry.' The blonde's whole body tensed up. She'd been right all along, the tournament was rigged, and now Harry was in danger. Her heart pounded wildly against her chest as it hit her. She'd have to face Voldemort.
"You know where he is, right Helios?" The winged horse nodded, as well as a horse can, and she silenced. How could she prepare herself for something so big? She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. She'd sworn to not let Harry fight alone and to remember her fallen friends, there was no backing down anymore.
'We're here,' Helios announced. Without slowing his speed, he swooped down towards land. Usagi nearly flew from his back as his hooves met the ground, but she clung to his neck as he galloped to a stop. Once they'd halted, Usagi slid to the grass and stood on shaky legs, finally willing her eyes open.
'A graveyard, how ominously fitting,' she thought grimly, drawing in another deep breath. Taking a few steps forward, she looked around for any sign of Harry or the dark lord. Her eyes caught the glimmer of something golden, and she subconsciously moved for it. With a gasp of surprise, she realized it was the Triwizard trophy, and there was a body crumpled beside it.
"Harry!" She breathed, running for the body. It was sickeningly cold as she rolled it over, but the face wasn't that of Harry Potter. It was the other Hogwarts champion, Cedric Diggory, and he was definitely deceased. She bowed her head sadly as she closed the boy's eyes, withdrawing her hands from the corpse all together. 'Voldemort has stolen another life away.'
A high pitched scream broke through her reverie, but only one thought registered. The voice was nothing alike, it couldn't be Harry. She scrambled to her feet and moved towards the noise, mentally telling Helios to stay put no matter what. This wasn't his fight, after all.
Through the labyrinth of tombstones she could vaguely see a shadow moving around in the dim light of the moon. And then she saw Harry, tied to a large tombstone, and bleeding from his arm. Her mouth went dry as she headed in his direction, ducking behind the structure without being detected by anyone present. Her hands searched the ground, but the only rocks she could find were dull and useless.
Frustrated, she reached for the knot of the ropes and began to struggle with it. Harry, sensing her movements, turned his head in her direction and gasped. She sent him a silencing glare and continued to work at the knot, most of her body still concealed behind the tombstone. Beyond the tombstone she could see the tall, pale form rising from the simmering cauldron, and she pulled her hands out of sight just as Voldemort opened his eyes.
"Robe me," Usagi shivered at the voice she knew so well. The sounds of movement on the other side of the tombstone unnerved her. She snuck a peek at the scene and saw the Dark Lord pacing around, apparently enthralled with his new body. She moved for Harry's knots again as he turned towards the man on the ground, which Usagi vaguely remembered from her dream.
Voldemort spoke to the man about the mark on his arm, but Usagi tuned the voice out. She focused on the ropes, which seemed to tangle more the harder she tried to undo them. The Dark Lord began to speak to Harry, but apparently he didn't see her hands working the knots to the side.
"Serenity, why don't you join us? My family has just arrived." Or maybe he did. The blonde froze as cloaked people began popping up all around them. Her hiding place became completely useless as the wizards formed a circle all around them. She gulped down her fear and moved to the other side of the tombstone to stand beside Harry. Voldemort turned his sharp eyes to the circle of Death Eaters and back to the blonde girl, smirking.
"I smell guilt," he said derisively, turning towards the band of his followers. As he launched into his soapbox about his follower's disloyalty, Usagi immediately went for the ropes. She half expected for the Death Eaters to just blow her away, but no one moved. Shortly, she had the black-haired boy free. As he fell to his knees, she crouched down with him and gave him support so he would completely crumple to the ground. His leg was injured.
"Harry, we have to get out of here," she whispered, and Harry nodded at her. The only problem was the circle of Death Eaters, their only obstacle to escape, and perhaps Harry's apparently injured leg. Usagi dug in her shirt and pulled out her locket. Maybe if she transformed, they could attack and run for their lives. Helios was waiting, and the trophy might be able to take them back to Hogwarts as well.
"Leaving so soon, are we?" The blonde's head snapped up to meet the cold scarlet eyes of Voldemort. "You aren't leaving here, either of you. Crucio!" The raised wand wasn't pointed at her, but at Harry. She threw her arms around the stunned boy, protecting him, bracing her self for the curse. The locket around her neck flared to life, emitting a beam of light that expanded around the two teenagers like a bubble.
After several seconds, it disappeared, and Usagi pulled away from Harry disoriented. What just happened? Apparently Voldemort didn't know either by the wide eyes and flared nostrils he was displaying. He scowled and turned towards the man from before, pointing directly at Usagi.
"Wormtail, tie her up and get the necklace. Give the boy his wand back, as well." The small man immediately stepped forward, grabbing Usagi's arm with the silver hand that Voldemort had gifted him with. He yanked on the locket and Usagi felt the chain dig into her neck before it snapped. Harry tried to help, but Wormtail kicked him in his injured leg and he immediately caved.
The grip on her arm was cutting off her circulation. There was no way she could get out of it, she knew that, but she struggled and kicked and scratched at the man for all she was worth. Soon, however, she found herself bound to the tombstone exactly as Harry had been moments before. Wormtail shoved Harry's wand at him and resumed his place in the circle of Death Eaters.
"You've been taught how to duel, right Harry Potter?" Voldemort almost cooed, smirking as he looked at the necklace in his hands. He tossed it to the side like a piece of trash, and bowed ever so slightly. "We bow, firstly."
The black-haired boy had risen to his feet, wincing as his weight was placed on his sore leg. The wand in his hand was trained on Voldemort, but the shaking hand holding it didn't seem very confident. "I said to bow."
As Harry's spine forcibly bent into a bow, the Death Eaters burst into hearty laughter. Usagi scowled and fought against her bonds, knowing it was useless. After all the vows, Harry was left to fight alone anyway. She closed her eyes and scowled. 'I won't let that happen.'
Hmm...what does little Usagi have planned-grins evilly- I've left you an evil cliffhanger. You know how to get rid of it? Review of course! The lack of updates can be blamed on laziness, Need for Speed Underground 2, Zelda NES version, Texas Hold 'em, and my new fic 'Forever.'
Other business...if you've been scouring fan fiction for an Ayashi no Ceres crossover, look no further, for I now have one of the very few. It's called 'Forever.' If you've been looking for a good Kingdom Hearts/Sailor Moon, look no further than S. Nestor's "The Hearts." It is quite honestly, the best KH crossover I've read so far on this site. It's much better than my own, in fact. -sweatdrops- Anyways, she's well deserving of more readers for that story, so go check it out. It's an order! You won't be disappointed.
Now that I've shamelessly advertised, review my story:) Please.
-SachiNyoko- "Do you have your G.E.D.? I got mines:D" (Best T-shirt in the whole world)