She was a wreck that was for certain. She had spent way too many hours on the road, feeling at times as if she was running into a brick wall. And she knew, she understood during those moments that not many from the outside were willing to join England in a fight, each for their own distinct reasons. She was surprised with the amount of people she could gather and it was all thanks to Jasper's sharp tongue and her presence and display of power that people decided to actually go through with following them and believed there was a chance to win.
When she arrived back in England it was on the day of the battle, Talia taking a broom to actually fly to the castle just in time to witness the inevitable. But as fate would have it, she was already too late. Under a cloaking spell she remained undetected, however as the wind lashed against her face and her eyes watered from the speed, she saw the barrier above the castle closing, Talia cursing under her breath.
If only she did not drop by to ensure Felix and Charlie had everything ready, she might have flown to Hogwarts in time before the barrier was casted. Now, she remained hovering above it, eyes searching the surroundings, horror gripping her chest as she saw movement and move movement and she wished her eyes were deceiving her and she did not actually manage to depict the sea of Death Eaters.
But when the spells were launched across the sky, Talia was forced to lift herself upwards and just watch as the barrier started coming apart. And when one singular blast made it crumble, all the fatigue and fright that were present in her suddenly died out. There were people below her, people she cared about and she could only think about how if another wave of spells flew their way she might lose them.
Steadying herself on the broom, she extended her arms out, took a deep breath, then set it free. Alongside a monstrous yell, fueling her naïve heart in order to focus her pain. She thought about her family, what they did, about Dumbledore finding her, promising her better, about all the fights, all the words, all the hate, all the beatings. Her pain, her power, how she tried to hide it. About losing people she loved, about almost losing others, but mainly herself. About suffering and grief and all that made her blood boil and her brain tick. One after the other, one following another, cascading and tumbling as she felt she was forcing the very flesh from her body to burn but at the same time stay where it should have.
Pain she knew, pain she could use.
When the spells started targeting her, she barely had it in her to not fall from the broom. Instead, she managed to grip the handle, evading them, her hands feeling as if she had been sleeping on them for a decade or had been out in the cold for far too long. But muscle memory alone allowed her to hold a barely stable grip, until one of the countless spells knocked her out of the sky, Talia pummeling to the ground beneath her.
However she was not afraid, oh no, she knew that even if she hit the ground, she would come back. She would see the fight through no matter what. For that was what she was meant to do. Fight and fight until she gave out her last breath. And when a new breath would fill her lungs after a resurrection, she would scream, she would yell and get up and do it all over again.
Yet the speed she came down with came to a steady halt. She landed on her feet, exhaling smoke, eyes not dying out as she looked around. A few people came to her aid, a guy winking her way as his spell dissipated around her.
"You know you would have avoided that if you would have just sat flat on the broom, just saying."
Talia glared at a girl, wishing to have the ability to use her arms to show her something but she could not. Instead she rolled her eyes "Thanks for the tip, next war I will be sure to use it."
A familiar face came in front of her "Way to make an entrance." She smirked, a twitch in her left hand making her wince in pain, Talia forcing herself to ball her fists. Akira lifted his hands, placing them on her arms, her initially wanting to back down, however his grip was far too strong. It hurt, every sensation against her trembling flesh burned however it subsided gradually, the pain leaving her limbs entirely through his touch.
"Thank you." She spoke when he let her go "Now how about those knives."
"You only get one." He mentioned, flipping on in the air, Talia catching it.
With the oncoming army the situation changed quickly and not to their advantage, the air heavy inside the courtyard. Dust rose, spells flying left and right as the first wave hit hard.
She kept a relaxed pose, quickly attacking, preferring to use spells from a long rage, saving her energy. For those that decided to attack at close range however were met with a different fate, blood painting her skin soon, one that was not her own. She challenged all she had against the enemies she thought, closing her mind off completely.
There was no adrenaline rushing through her, no, she controlled her body. She was not scared, she was savage. She bent and hit the ground, she launched hell fire and burned to ashes whatever it touched. Rules were her own to make and break as she saw fit.
Fear was not something she needed. Distractions even less.
And with a formidable crew next to her, it felt as if they managed to tear through the first wave.
However when she was met face to face with familiarity her brain went in overdrive. She was not on bezerker mode, no. The opponent was too far away from her and far too close to Talbott, and she knew that look in his eyes. She recognized it, the moment when his mind was not on the fight, but was desperately scrambling to regain a modicum of composure.
She meant to shove Talbott out of the way, however what happened next was different than what she anticipated. She saw red. That was it. Simple. Anger, pure rage for the simple audacity of another daring to lift his wand in attack in order to cast the killing curse. The word "Obliterate" came out of her mouth on its own, motion of her hand swift, closing her fist and then the surroundings were covered in blood and guts.
Talbott was not in a good state, she knew it the moment she was close to him. He was hurt, hit his head, was swaying somewhat from reality and unconsciousness something she could not afford and him even less. Pressing her lips onto his, she poured her healing powers, forcing his wounds to heal and his mind to anchor itself to her, fire keeping them safe as she engulfed them.
The whisper falling from his lips did not go unnoticed. It made her heart flutter, it reminded her she needed him as much as he needed her, but at the same time how much power he had over her and in that moment she did not need him to distract her.
She needed to get him away from her if she was to actually manage to continue fighting "Save it for when and if we survive this. I need you focused today alright?"
"Yes mam." He smiled, both breaking away from each other to continue what they set out to do and see it until the end.
A few voices told them to fall back, her catching a glimpse of what was coming their way "Fuck." It was as if they barely put a dent in them, as if they were appearing out of thin air or had the power to resurrect just like Talia.
Next to her Akira stood, lighting up a cigarette, offering one to her "Thank you, you're a lifesaver. How many knives to you still have?"
"Not enough." He answered lighting her cigarette as well.
Akira squinted his eyes, Talia groaning as a piercing pain travelled through her head, her trying to push it out, however the force was far stronger, a voice echoing inside her head "There is no greater dishonor. Join me in the Forbidden Forest and confront your fate. If you do not do this, I shall kill every last man, woman and child who tries to conceal you from me. Join me in the forest tonight and confront your fate."
One hour, the troops not advancing despite having them surrounded by the looks of it.
Talia looked away from a window, slumping down on some ruble alongside Akira, both of them just smoking for a while before he spoke "Go to your friends."
"Not yet." She did not verbalize the following words, he did not need to know, but she just wanted a moment. A moment without anything. Before she forced herself to get up despite the ache in her muscles. She had not realized how tired she actually was until she sat down and in that moment she regreted it.
But tired bones and aching muscles were not all that was worrying her. As the battle came to a halt, people started helping others, gathering in the great hall, Talia seeing in her peripheral vision bodies being levitated and she just could not deal with it in that very moment.
She knew she had to get up. She had to walk the halls, heal those that needed healing and assure them they could still do it, could still fight. She would have to see who died and not have time to deal with it before the attacks continued.
Sighing, she took the last drag from the cigarette, forcing herself to get up "How do I look?" she asked Akira, him just staring at her "No, nothing? Great, well I need to go check up on everyone, see you when shit hits the fan again."
He nodded, Talia limping down the corridors.
She finally took time to look around in order to witness the destruction. This was something she had never seen, devastation on such a magnitude. She had read tales of war and loss, but she never figured she would actually be an active member on the battlefield. It should have been left for times long forgotten, for history books, words on paper and nothing more.
No one should be forced to live through such events.
Looking down at her blood soaked hands, she closed her eyes shut, for a second swearing she was swaying and that she almost zooned out. Opening her eyes again she actually thought for the first time about the other side. About how many of Voldemort's followers were forced to join him and how others did out of fear and just wished to protect their families. How could they say no when the outcome would have been death either way?
And she killed, she did it without thinking about what their lives meant and the first thing she could find in herself was how disgusted she felt. Not with the action in itself per say, but with the blood on her clothes and skin. And then she felt disgusted with herself.
A weapon, a monster.
Talia Crane.
Talia fucking Crane.
Taking a deep breath, she straightened before entering the great hall. She had to be there, she had to continue because there was no going back.
At least not for her. All she had, all she could do was to keep moving forward and never look back at the trail of blood behind her.
