The End
Chapter 24: Run
Aurora opened her eyes. She smiled weakly when she heard the familiar sounds of her brother sleeping next to her. Aurora tried to sit up, but found that her body was much too sore. Her head ached and she felt nauseous. Rolling over, she saw that the sun was setting on the horizon. Its red light shone through the drapes on the single window in the room. Aurora sighed and forced herself to sit up. Santino shifted a bit at her action, but he merely mumbled something illegible and went back to sleep. Aurora put her feet on the floor and stood, her legs shaking. She wobbled to the window and looked out it.
There was nothing except what seemed like miles and miles of forest. The wind blew through the thick trees, making them look even scarier. Aurora touched the window. A sharp buzz flowed through her fingers. She quickly withdrew her fingers and winced in pain. There was obviously a barrier around the house she was in.
'So much for an escape,' she thought disdainfully. Sighing, she went back to the bed and sat down. She ran a hand through Santino's hair. The young child smiled in his sleep and seemed to snuggle closer to her. 'Don't worry, Santino. I'll think of something.'
Elsewhere, Ginny, Harry, and Ava were sitting in front of Dumbledore in his office. They all looked weary and tired. Ava had been trying desperately to get a lock on Aurora's mind again. She'd only seen glimpses of Aurora's surroundings before their connection was severed.
"Any luck, Avarielle?" Dumbledore asked, removing his half-moon spectacles. He rubbed his twinkling eyes gently. Ava opened her eyes and shook her head. She was obviously not happy about not being able to do something.
"They must have put up a barrier that can block me out. I can't even get a remote signal of Aurora's mind anywhere. As far as Telepathy goes, it appears that she just vanished off the face of the earth," Ava said, clearly agitated at failure. Dumbledore nodded, then glanced at Harry and Ginny.
Harry had a bandage covering the middle of his forehead from his opened scar. His normally unruly hair looked even more disheveled. Ginny sat next to him with a vague expression on her face. Dumbledore sighed.
"Miss Weasley, have you any idea why an attempt on your life has been made more than once in the past week?" he asked. Ginny for a moment looked confused by his question. Then an answer came to mind.
"Well, maybe because I can alter things that will happen in the future to our advantage," Ginny said. Dumbledore nodded.
"I suppose that would be a great reason for any. Have you all ever taken into consideration your futures?" he asked. Now, all three of them looked utterly confused.
"Professor, forgive me, but I don't understand the question. We won't have a future unless we defeat Voldemort," Harry said, holding his head up.
"Yes, that is very true for you especially, Harry. Nevertheless, you do have a future. There is an ulterior reason that Voldemort is trying so desperately to kill Miss Weasley here. Can anyone tell me what it is?" Dumbledore sat back in his chair. Ava squinted at the old professor, as if analyzing him. Harry and Ginny just stared blankly at him. Then, it all clicked for Ava.
"Of course. Why didn't I think of that before?" she said mostly to herself. Ginny and Harry looked in her direction.
"What is it?" Harry asked.
"Voldemort wants Ginny out of the picture because he knows of your..." Ava paused for a moment and looked at Dumbledore. She was not sure what her next words should be, so she just said what came to mind. "...intimate relationship with Ginny. Since he has the power to kill Aurora now whenever he so chooses, he could easily get rid of you."
"Thanks, Ava. You just made me feel oh so confident," Harry said, his voice dripping with candid cynicism. Ava ignored his smart comment and continued talking.
"But, he is not so sure of Ginny."
"I have no connection with Harry other than I am his girlfriend," Ginny said. Ava nodded. Dumbledore just watched Ava's young mind being set into motion.
"That's exactly the point, Ginny. The point is that because you are Harry's girlfriend and you both are...intimate, that there is a possibility that you could produce offspring for Harry. Then, Voldemort would have to come after..." Before Ava could finish, the fire in Dumbledore's office roared. Ava, sitting closest to the fire, flinched at the heat. They all gasped at what they saw.
"Hello," that raspy, sinister voice said. Harry cringed when he realized that it could only belong to one person on earth: Voldemort. Harry looked at Dumbledore. If the old professor was shocked in any way, his face did not portray it. Instead, the grip in which he was holding the edge of his desk showed it. Voldemort glanced around the room.
"What do you want and how did you get here?" Ginny asked, breaking the awkward silence. Voldemort looked in her direction and frowned.
"You should be dead. It is a pity that you aren't. I guess I have YOU to thank for that, don't I, Avarielle?" he asked Ava. Ava blinked at the sound of her whole name. For a single moment, Voldemort thought he was looking at a 17-year-old Giovanna Zaviera.
"How do you know my whole name?" Ava asked, clearly looking suspicious of the man. Voldemort just grinned evilly.
"I'm surprised that no one has told you," he said. Ava narrowed her eyes. Voldemort noticed how much her eyes were like his.
"Told her what?" Harry asked. Voldemort looked in his direction and noticed the bandage on his head. He smirked to himself.
"Did you cut yourself, Potter?" he asked snidely. Harry frowned. "Anyway, I just stopped in for a little chat with someone who I think deserves to know the truth about something," Voldemort said. Dumbledore cleared his throat, as if to let everyone know he was still in the room.
"Why by fire, Tom? Couldn't bear to grace us with your presence here?" he asked. Voldemort shot him a look, but said nothing to him.
"I wouldn't dream of gracing Hogwarts with my presence unless I came to battle, Dumbledore. Unfortunately, that time is not now. It will be soon, though. I assure you of it." Voldemort turned his attention back to Ava. Ava just stared in him the eye, unblinking and with her face showing no emotion whatsoever. Voldemort smirked.
'So like me, yet she doesn't even know it,' he thought arrogantly. Ava just continued staring at him.
"State your business and be off, Tom. You are aware that I can easily trace this, right?" Dumbledore said. Voldemort shook his head nonchalantly.
"Au contraire, old man. Do you really think that I would risk contacting you if you could easily trace me? Think again. I have enough spells and charms on this connection that it would literally take years to figure out exactly where I am. Surely you can't possibly think that I would be so dumb."
"Get to the point, Voldemort," Harry said, eager to be out of the room. Voldemort shot him a nasty look, but did not comment on his brusqueness.
"Very well. As you are probably already aware, I have a five of the Assantes with me. Well, I have two of them with me right now. The other three are in undisclosed locations. I have no REAL desire to harm them. That is, with the minor exception of Aurora Assante. She and her little brother are in my custody. Now, you are probably wondering why I haven't just killed her off, right?"
"Yes. You have the power to do it," Ava said. Voldemort nodded.
"Yes, I do. However, Aurora has proven herself to be quite powerful and I might have another use for her besides death."
"Aurora will never work for you," Ginny said, crossing her arms. Voldemort let a chuckle escape him.
"That is where you are wrong, Miss Weasley. Aurora is the type to put others' safety before her own. I brought her youngest sibling here, just to give her incentive to work for me. Every time she refuses, a family member will suffer. You will be seeing the fruits of her labor soon enough." With that, Voldemort's face disappeared. All three students looked at Dumbledore. He appeared to be in deep thought.
"Professor, what could he force her to do?" Ginny asked. Dumbledore did not answer right away.
"I don't know who he could be talking about, but it definitely doesn't sound good."
"We need to find her and fast," Harry said.
Aurora's head snapped to the side when she heard the door to the room open. She squinted at the dark figure. Aurora sat up slowly, trying to make out who the person was. They closed the door started walking forward, barely making a sound. Aurora squinted and realized it was a woman. The she saw the signature Tremaine eyes. Chaylse sat down in front of her.
"Tell me about those two girls at your school," Chaylse said. Aurora blinked in the moonlight. Chaylse still wore her hood and Aurora could only make out half of her face.
"What?" Aurora croaked. Chaylse sighed.
"Those two girls who look exactly alike aside from their hair. Who are they?" Chaylse asked. Aurora knew she was referring to her sisters, Lina and Rina.
"Oh, they are Catalina and Celerina Tremaine."
"Why do they have the same last name as me and why do they keep trying to protect me?" Chaylse asked. Aurora raised an eyebrow. That was really a self-explanatory question, but Aurora decided to answer it anyway.
"They are your sisters. You do not remember?" Aurora asked. Chaylse looked at her with a completely indistinguishable expression. Aurora couldn't tell if it was shock or confusion, it was that vague.
"That is impossible. Consuelo told me that I have no family," Chaylse said. Aurora sighed deeply, looking back over at her sleeping brother.
'What a mind job they have done to her. She does not remember a thing,' she thought.
"You have seven sisters and one brother, Chaylse. Their names are Cytheria, Catalina, Celerina, Camilla, Cascata, Carmelita, Christiana, and Christian. You are the second oldest. You parents are Clyde and Chrissy Tremaine. Do you remember anything before meeting this Consuelo guy?" Aurora asked, determined now to make the girl see the truth. Chaylse looked thoughtful for a moment. She closed her eyes.
"No. I don't remember anything before then." Chaylse opened her eyes and looked back up at Aurora. Aurora nodded.
"Close your eyes, Chaylse," Aurora said. Chaylse stared blankly at her. " I will not hurt you. I promise. I just want to see something," Aurora reassured her. Chaylse still looked skeptical, but she did as she was told. Aurora smiled and closed her eyes.
Chaylse stepped off of the Meloni Esprimere at Piazza Duca d'Aosta, the train station in Milan. She breathed in the fresh summer air that was in Milan was great. After seven grueling years, the 18-year-old was finally out of school. She was finally out of the watchful eye of her grandmother's best friend, VittoriaMariana Assante, headmistress of Meloni Scuola di Magia (Meloni School of Magic).
Chaylse turned and saw her sisters walking toward their driver, Paolo Vetra. He was waving enthusiastically at the girls. Chaylse smiled and started to walk towards them. Then, she felt a sharp pain in her neck and everything went black.
Aurora was jerked out of the vision by the sound of the door opening. Aurora turned her head quickly and saw Bellatrix standing there. Bellatrix raised an eyebrow at the scene before her. Aurora looked at Chaylse. Chaylse nodded towards Aurora and stood. She sauntered out past Bellatrix. Bellatrix watched her and rolled her eyes as Chaylse passed. Then she turned her gaze to Aurora.
"Follow me. Wake the boy up," she said, her voice firm. Aurora picked her brother up. He shifted, but did not wake. Aurora followed Bellatrix into the room where she knew she was before she passed out. Voldemort and Jada were sitting in the room. Bellatrix pointed to a chair. Aurora took a seat with Santino in her lap. He finally stirred awake. Jada walked over to them and took Santino away.
"What are you..." Aurora began. An evil glare from Jada silenced her. Aurora frowned and sat back in her chair. Jada smiled at Santino. The good-natured boy smiled back as she gave him another lollipop. Aurora turned her gaze to Voldemort.
"Good evening, Aurora. Did you sleep well?" he asked, sounding rather dry and calm. Aurora just stared at him. Bellatrix nudged her.
"The Dark Lord asked you a question; he expects an answer," she said. Aurora growled something in Italian under her breath. Then she looked up at Voldemort.
"Yes, I slept well. What do you want with me now?" she asked through gritted teeth. Voldemort nodded. He motioned to Bellatrix. She walked over to him and he gave her five pictures. They all looked to be at least in their fifties. Aurora examined the pictures. She came across one that she knew. "This is Cornelius Fudge. He is the Minister for Magic here. What about him?" Aurora asked, looking up. Voldemort smirked. Aurora knew his answer was not about to be good.
"Those are pictures of five prominent Ministers and Mistresses for Magic. As one of my spies informs me, they are all at the Ministry here in a meeting. Instead of attacking head on, I want those five to just drop dead."
"You son of a bitch. You want me to do your dirty work for you? She is a Telepath! Ask her to do it," Aurora said pointing at Jada. Jada mumbled something and Voldemort shook his head.
"Although Jada is a very powerful Telepath, her power pales in comparison to yours. She cannot kill with her mind. As exhibited earlier, you have that rare ability." Voldemort cringed at that last sentence. Aurora smirked happily to herself. Voldemort noticed this, but said nothing.
"I will not do it," Aurora said resolutely. Voldemort nodded and intertwined his fingers.
"Bellatrix, bring me the mirror," he said calmly. Bellatrix nodded. Aurora looked confused by his request. Bellatrix disappeared, but she was only gone for a moment. She came back, wheeling a huge mirror inside the room. She set it up to the left of Aurora.
"What is that?"
"It's a mirror. What does it look like?" Voldemort said. Aurora faced him.
"You are going to threaten me with a silly mirror?" she asked, sounding very unconvinced. Voldemort nodded. He looked towards the mirror.
"Show us Jolie Tucci," he said. Aurora looked into the mirror. The glass became foggy and rippled. As it cleared, Aurora could see a body. A young woman with dark brown hair and tan skin was sitting on a damp floor in a dark room. Her abdomen was swollen with child. Aurora gasped as she realized that it was her elder sister.
"Jolie," she whispered. Another figure was in the room with her. Their wand was pointing at her. Jolie looked up. She seemed to be looking directly at Aurora. She smiled weakly at her. Aurora gasped. She looked at Voldemort. "She can see me?" Voldemort nodded, grinning to himself. Aurora turned her head back to him.
"It is like a window. She can hear us, too," he said. Aurora nodded numbly. She stared closer at her sister. She had not seen Jolie since the past June.
"Let her go. Let all of them go. You only want me," Aurora said.
"No can do. Do what I ask and they will not be harmed. Now..." Voldemort waved his hand, rearranging the pictures in Aurora's hands. Aurora looked down as a woman with red curls and blue robes on was looking up at her. She looked very mean. "...that is Eilis Cairbre. She is the Mistressfor Magic for Ireland. You are going to kill her first. If you refuse, Mrs. Tucci will suffer."
"I cannot just KILL a person. Unlike you, I happen to have a conscience. How am I supposed to live with that on it?" Aurora asked, sounding infuriated. Voldemort just smiled.
"You can either kill her, or you can sit here, powerless, and watch HER die." Voldemort nodded towards Jolie. Jolie shook her head vigorously. Aurora's eyes welled up with tears. She looked down at the woman. Voldemort raised his hand. The other person standing next to Jolie raised his wand again. Aurora closed her eyes.
"Fine!" she cried out. Voldemort smiled. Jolie gasped. Aurora glared up at Voldemort. "I will comply." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes again searching for the woman's mind signal.
In London, the heads of magic swarmed about in a large room in the Ministry. Amid the turmoil in the world, there was still time to be jovial. The mixed and mingled in the large room. Short and thin Eilis Cairbre was talking to Fudge.
"Well, Cornelius, you sure do know how to ease the mood in this time of trial. Merlin knows that I really needed this relaxation. It has been so hectic in Dublin with the appearances of Death Eaters. We've been capturi..." Eilis stopped short. Fudge's whole face changed.
"Eilis?" he asked. Eilis Cairbre fell to the ground. He eyes rolled in the back of her head and her body lay still. The room hushed all around the two. Fudge kneeled down next to her and checked her pulse.
"Is she okay, Cornelius?"
"No. She's dead." Fudge looked up.
Aurora opened her eyes. She had a massive headache. Her vision was starting to blur. She looked up at Voldemort.
"It is done," she said. Aurora blinked twice. Voldemort nodded. Santino noticed his sister's look. Jolie noticed it too.
"Aurora?" her voice said. Aurora's droopy eyes brightened at the sound of her name. Aurora blinked again. The pain in her head was just too much.
"Do one more person. Then you may go back to sleep," Voldemort said. He could see the pain in Aurora's eyes. Aurora nodded slowly and looked down at the picture in her hand. "That is Alejandro Cruz, Minister for Spain. Kill him," Voldemort said. Aurora again closed her eyes, tears rolling down her face.
Across the room in the Ministry, Alejandro Cruz was looking in the direction of Eilis Cairbre. A pair of MediWizards had carried her off on a stretcher.
"I wonder what happened to her," Ophelia Pandor, the Greek Mistress, said. Cruz nodded. Suddenly, Cruz's body went rigid. Ophelia turned to face him and saw his distress. He looked as though he was drowning. Suddenly, the exact same thing happened to him as Eilis Cairbre. Alejandro Cruz dropped dead. Ophelia screamed.
Aurora opened her eyes. Her head felt as if it was about to burst. She could not focus on anything at all. Before she passed out, she heard Santino say her name.
Harry cringed at a sharp pain suddenly in his head. He rubbed his head. It was becoming increasingly harder to pay attention in class, especially with all the tests coming up and with Voldemort lurking around every corner. Hermione noticed his distress.
"Is everything all right, Harry?" Hermione asked. Ron looked over Hermione's shoulder in his direction. Harry shook his head.
"I think Aurora just did something. Something that wasn't very good," he said quietly. Hermione and Ron looked at each other. "I think we'll be hearing about it sooner or later," he said glumly.
Aurora awoke again. This time, it was pitch black outside and the full moon shone in through the curtains. Santino was asleep against her. Somehow, he'd gravitated to her side during the night. Aurora managed to pull her self away. She walked over to the window and saw the same forest as before.
'I have got to get out of here,' she thought. She softly touched the barrier around the window, testing its strength. She found that although it was painful, it was not a very good barrier. Most people would stop getting through it because of the pain. She turned and looked at her brother. She walked over to him and shook him gently. He opened his big eyes.
"Luci?" he said groggily. Aurora nodded and put her fingers on her lips.
"Stiamo andando giocare un gioco. Stiamo andando vedere chi può essere più calmo. Approvazione (We are going to play a game. We are going to see who can be quieter. Okay)?" Aurora said slowly to Santino. Santino nodded. He put his finger to his lips, smiling. Aurora nodded. She stood and walked back over to the window and took a deep breath.
'Here goes nothing,' she thought. Aurora put her hand on the barrier, looking for weak spots. She found one and smiled. She went over to Santino and told him to stand up. She kneeled to his level.
"Dovete essere molto calmi, Santino. Nessuna comunicazione affatto (You have to be very quiet, Santino. No talking at all)," Aurora stated. Santino nodded and leaned toward her ear.
" Sì, Luci. Sarò calmo (Yes, Luci. I will be quiet)," Santino whispered. Aurora nodded and stood up. She picked up the white bed sheet and held it in one hand. Then she put the other hand on the weak spot and pushed with all her might. Closing her eyes, she thought of the barrier breaking spell.
'Disperdere,' she said in her mind. The barrier shattered instantly. Aurora smiled. 'Bombarda,' she casts the spell. The window was blasted out a little noisier than she would have liked. She quickly wrapped the bed sheet around her hand and cleared the glass from the window. She didn't have much time.
Bellatrix looked up. Rodolphus was reading the paper and Nicola was fixing tea. Chaylse sat in her usual solitary corner in deep thought. That was when they heard the explosion. Bellatrix sighed.
"What the hell was that?" Consuelo asked, coming in the room. Chaylse stood up.
"It was that girl. She must have broken the barrier somehow." Bellatrix stood up and started running towards Aurora's room.
"Chaylse and Rodolphus, go around the house to see if she fled. I'll go tell Tom," Nicola said. She looked at Chaylse then looked at a sack on the counter. Nicola then started walking off with her tea in her hand. Rodolphus nodded and headed for the front door. Chaylse lagged a little, picking up the sack Nicola left on the counter.
Aurora finished clearing the glass away. She threw the bed sheet to the side and looked at the door.
'Colloportus maxima,' she held her hand out. The door seemed to get tighter around the hinges. Aurora smirked. 'That should buy me some time,' she thought. She picked up Santino just as she heard banging on the door.
"AURORA!" Bellatrix yelled, pushing against the door. Aurora said nothing and carefully climbed out of the window. She looked around and then took off just as Bellatrix finally got through. Chaylse and Rodolphus looked at the whole in the wall and then at the forest.
"She went into the forest," Rodolphus said. Bellatrix looked at her husband.
"I know that, you dunce! Now move your sorry arse and go get her back! She can't escape!" Bellatrix yelled. Rodolphus flinched and took off running. Chaylse followed close behind.
Aurora kept running while holding Santino to her. The trees and bushes cut into her skin. She heard footsteps behind her. Stopping suddenly, she looked for a place to hide. A rather deep ditch was between two trees. She jumped down in it and kneeled, trying to calm her breathing. Santino removed his head from her chest.
"Luci?" he whispered. Aurora looked down at her brother in the darkness. Even in the dark, his big eyes shone in the moonlight. Aurora felt a smile coming to her face. It immediately disappeared when she saw light approaching slowly. She tried to sink down lower in the ditch. She looked at Santino and put a finger to her lips. Santino nodded and did the same.
Chaylse walked towards the ditch with her wand lit. Rodolphus was lagging somewhere behind her. She walked closer to the ditch until she came upon two pairs of greenish-gray eyes.
Aurora stared Chaylse in the eye. The powerful witch did the same. As always, her hood was on and she looked extremely sinister. Chaylse felt something in her snap as she looked down at the two siblings. Sighing, Chaylse kneeled down and pulled out the sack.
"Here. Take this. There is a road a couple of miles that way," she said, pointing to the north. Aurora looked utterly mystified by what Chaylse was doing. She took the sack.
"Why are..."
"No time now. That old man will be coming up behind me any minute now. This is an invisibility cloak and some food. Go, now," Chaylse whispered harshly. Aurora nodded and pulled the cloak around her just as Rodolphus walked up. Chaylse pretended she was looking for remnants of Aurora. She stood up.
"Where did she run off to?" Rodolphus asked. Chaylse shrugged.
"I don't know. It was like she just disappeared. Maybe she Apparated," Chaylse said in her usual monotone. Rodolphus raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.
"Let's head back. The Dark Lord will not be happy about this," Rodolphus said. Chaylse nodded. Rodolphus walked off, but Chaylse lingered for another moment. Before long, she was gone. Aurora peered over the edge of the ditch and saw no one. She stood up straight and picked up Santino.
"Tenga questo e non faccia un suono (Hold this and do not make a sound)," Aurora said. Santino took the package from her. Aurora climbed out of the ditch with Santino on her back. They had the cloak draped around them. Aurora started going with only one thought on her mind.
'Run...'