14/06/2006 10:19:00
A/N: Not much to say only that this chapter does contain Character Death. I'm sorry it took me so long to update but please leave a review and I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Disclaimer: The song is called Colorblind by Counting Crows. I also based a lot of this dialog on HBP but twisted it a bit so it may seem a little familiar.
Chapter Forty; A pop like a gunshot.
Angel hit the hard ground with a thump; Faith came soon after announcing herself with an uncharacteristic yelp. The soled vampire squinted into the enveloping darkness, vamping out for a second to familiarise himself with their surroundings. They seemed to be standing at the bottom of an old elevator shaft with ominous tunnels leading of from it, himself and Faith had dropped down from the side but all above them was a dense open darkness filled with clanking levers and tarnished wheels.
They were underground, that he knew for sure. Dust conjugated in the corners like old bus tickets in a favourite handbag and the air smelt thick with decay. "Come on we need to find them," he whispered, steering Faith out of the eerily black hole. As soon as their heads had passed under the arch leading into the nearest tunnel a net hurtled down from the ceiling, shrouding them in it's webbed depths.
000
Ginny's P.O.V
I think that I must have blacked out after seeing Kaiyas body being violated right in front of me. When I came round the room was filed with not so muffled murmurs, as if an orchestra of bees had buzzed into the rounded room. My eyes felt crusted like crumpled wet clothes left to dry in the sun. It was a huge effort to open them and once I did it seemed as if they would do better closed.
Against the wall (where my companion hung) was a party of three adults, all bound by a white-ish strong rope. There was a woman with large green eyes and blond messy hair, another woman with red hair and hazel eyes was muttering some incantation to herself and next to her was a man with a brown messy hair and a pirates patch over his eye. The patch reminded me of a similar one Tyler had worn last Halloween. Oh how I missed that seductive boy! As soon as I thought of Tyler I suddenly came to the realization that I hadn't seen Aiden, Conroy, Faye or Vanessa in what seemed like ages.
I turned around to see another set of hostages, this time a man and a woman bundled up in a net. I felt dazed, why would Ray and Draco need so many innocent people, or maybe they weren't how was I to know? It seemed that the other occupants of that stuffy room had not realised my clogged up eyes were open, so I shut them again tight and with one ear straining against my bindings I listened intently.
"Fidelity…canto… NO! EH!" A female voice shouted agitatedly.
"Don't worry Will you'll get it," said the girl I first saw with the long brown hair and teary eyes. So she clearly new these people well at least Will I thought.
"If I could just get my hand out!" Another female voice shouted this time coming from the people in the net.
"Listen we just need to figure out what's gonna happen to us and then we can worry about getting out," said a moody male voice.
"Ma…" The door slamming open cut across the next voice very rudely. I opened my eyes abruptly to see who had entered and was met by the steely gaze of Ray and the low hanging head of Kaiya.
"Right everyone you'll be pleased to know we're moving out, it's time," Ray shouted briskly. I gulped my heart hammering like a snare drum.
0000
Hogwarts castle was still asleep in a sea of silence and secrecy. Harry and Dumbledore walked slowly around the dense halls that smelt strongly of salty fish decaying in the heat. The smells of that night's dinner still swam in the air chocking the castle with their scent of death. Along with that foul smell was the smell of Dumbledore's breath; still full of the sickly potion Snape gave him.
As Harry told Dumbledore of this years events, the laugh, his dreams, Draco and his disappearances to the eleventh floor corridor and even Ginny. He found himself standing on the very bridge where he had seen Ginny and Malfoy laughing and chatting so long ago. Harry noticed that a cluster of pigeons (flown in from the Owlery) had congregated in the centre of the bridge, covering it with a blanket of white and grey dappled feathers that swayed and swam in the light breeze from an open window. Just then the strangest thing happened, instead of them all flying of squawking they parted to allow Dumbledore and Harry passage. The two stood in silence for a bit looking over the cold rusted railings at the corridor below devoured in darkness.
"Well Harry it seems we've gotten our selves into a bit of a pickle," Dumbledore said calmly but croakily. Before replying Harry noticed that Dumbledore would have fallen down by now if it wasn't for the railing supporting his frail body.
"Well what are you going to do about it…sir?" Harry asked bluntly. Dumbledore seemed to be contemplating the simple question and didn't answer for a long time, but when he did it was not what Harry expected.
"Harry I can hear someone, do you have your invisibility cloak?" He asked briskly.
"Yeah I…" Harry started.
"Shh put it on and go behind that pillar, don't move don't make a sound no matter what happens. Do I have your word?" Dumbledore hissed.
"Sir I don't understand."
"Your word Harry not a sound no intervening of any sort!"
"Yes, yes you have my word," Harry said bemusedly. Dumbledore shoed him behind the pillar agitatedly, with the hand that wasn't holding onto the rail. There was a bump soon revealing Draco Malfoy. For some reason Dumbledore seemed slightly relieved, Harry on the other hand was gripping onto his wand so tightly that his hand was blistering. Draco immediately halted when he saw Dumbledore standing there weakened and powerless. Harry could practically see the wheels turning in his head.
"Ah Mr Malfoy what brings you here at such a late hour?" Dumbledore asked lightly.
Harry felt like screaming at him, the stupid fool had the upper hand if he just raised his wand then it would all be over, if he wasn't such a lovable trusting old idiot then it wouldn't have, happened, but it did. Almost simultaneously they both rose their wands Dumbledore shouted 'Immobilise' and Draco shouted the word 'Expelliarmus'. A beautiful ark of colour collided in mid air, Dumbledore's well-aimed spell hit Harry full on, the other hit Dumbledore, and he flew backwards into the wall his wand zooming through the air into Dracos out stretched hand.
"Ha you missed you old fool, you hit that post instead of me!" Draco gloated. Harry tried to move but the spell was too strong, he was bound to this spot until Dumbledore released him.
"Indeed I did Draco, now I am presuming you are not acting on your own?" Dumbledore asked.
"No, there's an army of Death Eaters in the grounds right now, they're accompanied by the worst hell beasts you could imagine!"
Harry sucked in his breath, felling slightly sick. Part of him thought Draco was lying but another more prominent part of him new he wasn't.
"Well that can't be it, the end of your master plan, what exactly are they going to do?" Dumbledore said in a strangely annoyed voice.
"Well then there's the best part, the mystery guest. Voldemort's making an appearance on tonight's show and that's not the end of it. Do you remember my brother?" Draco asked breathlessly, Dumbledore nodded sadly he was one of the few who did. "Yeah well he's here too and he's got three girls captive, Ginny Weasley, Dawn Summers and Kaiya Cooper, so I'm guessing your pitiful Order aren't really going to help, they're not even here!"
"May I ask how exactly you got all these Death eaters and such into my school?" Dumbledore asked. Harry was fuming his insides were tangled and boiling the very mention of Ginny's name had sent him over the edge it was too much.
"It was easy, I had that detention with you once and I found the plans of the schools charms to prevent apparating on them. I hid them in the room of requirement and spent all year working on how to undo them," Draco looked proud but Harry could also see a nervous twitch on his cheek, his hand was shaking and the start of tears were starting to become visible in his eyes.
"Well then Draco I suppose now would be an opportune time to kill me…but what if you don't we can take care of you, Voldemort can't harm you with us. Come to the light and we will help you," Dumbledore implored.
Draco suddenly looked scared he hesitated before speaking and when he did it came out as a shout, "No…n…no I can't he'll kill me and I n...no! NO!"
Harry couldn't feel his fingers, he tried to wiggle his toes but it was no use they stayed stubbornly immobile. There was suddenly a great clatter and a man robed in long sweeping black entered the death trap, Harry fought against the shouting in his head to hear what was going on. He thought he heard someone say Snape and then Severus but they weren't the same people.
Harry looked to the scene before him. Snape was stalking towards Dumbledore with a look of pure loathing on his sallow face, Malfoy was standing stock still fear emanating of him like heat and then Dumbledore, his body was crumpled the withered frame wilting against the cold wall, a dead flower.
"Severus…please…" Dumbledore emitted the plea making Harry want to puke; it should not be like this they should be pleading to him, not this!
"Snape?" This time it was Draco's voice.
Snape ignored them both but continued on his hunt, when he was mere inches away from Dumbledore Snape raised his wand. The etchings of disgust and hatred evident on his face Snape hissed 'Avada Kedavra!' A brilliant jet of green light streamed out of Snapes wand, hitting Dumbledore squarely in his head. The old professor slumped down against the wall his face blank…there was nothing.
0000
It was a hot night, the unforgiving waves of warmth hung in the trees shifting themselves through the spider like branches and coming to settle in the still, menacing air. Ray pulled his eight captives along with his casually held wand. They moved uncomfortably through the underground, slowly making their ways up and up and up. Until they hit the heat drenched air of outside.
The bulky group came up through a cleverly placed trap door just by the moon lit lake, which seemed almost solid it was so still, so quite and expecting. As soon as Buffy felt the air on her face she could feel sweat soaking her through her dirty blue tee shirt. Buffy looked around only to see a sight she most certainly didn't expect. The blond was surprised she hadn't felt it before now, surprised she hadn't smelt it and even more surprised she hadn't heard it.
The normally deserted grounds where infested by the slithering, the hissing, the shredding, the grinding and screaming of a million hell beasts and heavily breathing dank, dark Death Eaters. Buffy looked at them in horror, there where vampires, banshees, wale-wolves, slithering slimy things she couldn't describe and hunched demons with knurling claws and bones jutting out in a knobbly sort of way.
"Oh Fuck,"
000
Buffy's P.O.V
For some reason Ray was smiling instead of backing away in fear. I looked around with the sudden realization that they hadn't noticed us yet, they appeared to be waiting for something, I guess they were waiting for the slayers but they weren't there yet. Ray started acting fast. He pushed everyone away apart from Dawn and Ginny who were both crying in intense fear. I struggled against my bindings fiercely trying to get to her but the magic was too strong, it's invisible grasp squeezing me with crusted claws.
My breathing had increased and by heart was thumping like it was being blown up by a bicycle pump. The air seamed to have intensified around us as Ray scattered some bluish purple sand in a circle.
"Oh God fuck, fuck, fuck!" Dawn screamed her voice reaching a fever pitch as the blond boy grabbed her by her neck, digging a long pointed knife into her collar threateningly.
"NO!" I bellowed my voice echoing in my head, seeming to be repeated all around me a thousand times. There was silence, a silence so complete I could hear the trees whispering to each other.
"Hay you lot lookin' for us?" I looked up to the dark brick wall that surrounded the perimeter of the castle, to see over a hundred people I never thought I'd be so pleased to see. The wall and the looming walls of the castle behind us where infested by slayers all holding some kind of gun. The person that had spoken in such a blunt manner had been Lola; her side pressed up against Spikes, both carrying loaded rifles.
"So this is it you're the little army Voldemort's managed to rustle up, pity we have guns," she shrugged a half smirk planted in her face.
"Did you know about this?" Ray hissed at me, his eyes were wide in fear his grip on Dawn increasing. I shook my head trying to keep my breathing in check.
"Well I guess your all just waiting for a signal, tell you what on the first gun…" Lola never finished her sentence because just then like a babies first popping gasp of air a gun fired it's streamline bullet into the atmosphere.
0000
Harry could only watch as Snape smirked in a satisfied sort of way, his greasy skin stretching. The bat like professor swept around his cloak sweeping majestically.
"Come along now Draco," Snape ordered as he passed the shocked boy. Malfoy didn't move his skin whiter than a ghost he stared on at Dumbledore's dead body blankly. "Draco!" Snape shouted. When the wizard did not move for the second time Snape tuted and swept out of sight.
For the first time Harry realised he could now move, not wasting any time he threw his cloak of him and ran out from behind the pillar. Malfoy hardly even noticed the flash of black that was Harry as he strode up to the blond breathing heavily.
"You bastard!" Harry shouted grabbing the front of Draco's robes and pushing him back against the nearest pillar, holding the now shacking boy by his strong arm.
"You fucking wanker! You killed him you fucker!" Harry shouted, his voice cracking as a stream of steady tears fell from his eyes, tears only matched by Malfoys own.
"I…I didn't! It was Snape I couldn't," Draco said in a voice of utter shock and bewilderment.
"Can't doesn't come into it! I saw the whole fucking show! I was right hear and I couldn't do anything about it!" Harry screamed his tears now swamping his hollow cheeks.
"Well then you would have seen how I couldn't kill him! How I'm too scared to switch sides but how I want to Harry! I want out!"
Harry suddenly moved his arm from Malfoys chest, his face slack with realisation. "You called me Harry," the boy whispered.
Malfoy only answered with a grimace. Harry walked away from the other boy leaving him to massage his neck sullenly, suddenly Harry swung around advancing on Draco with a fist. The blond ducked leaving Harry to ram his fist into the marble pillar.
"Fuck!" He roared. Harry disconnected his fist from the marble and continued to pace around the hall until his breathing was in check. "There are Death Eaters in the school am I right?" Harry asked.
"Yes."
"Is Voldemort here?"
"Yeah, I can bring you there, I promise to make sure he's alone."
Harry looked at Malfoy uncertainly, but seeing the look of fear, determination and apology on his face Harry gestured of him to lead the way.
000
Ray stumbled back, barley a sketch of a man to some in the overly crowded grounds. He looked to his side where the bullet had come from. His wide eyes searching for a culprit, they fell upon Kaiya. The skeletal girl held a stray gun stiffly in front of her. Her arm slowly dropped down, her mouth forming a silent oh.
Ray dropped Dawn as he fell back another few steps, this time a rounded circle of blood slowly seeping through his robes could be seen in the moonlight. The boy put his hand over his chest in bewilderment, and then with one final glance towards Kaiya he fell back into the lake. The once placid water was now rippling with his dark, matted blood, the water now contaminated with his dirty flesh.
I am colorblind
Coffee black and egg white
Pull me out from inside
I am ready, I am ready, I am ready
I am…taffy stuck and tongue tied
Stutter shook and uptight
Pull me out from inside
I am ready, I am ready, I am ready
I am fine
I am covered in skin
No one gets to come in
Pull me out from inside
I am folded and unfolded and unfolding
I am…colorblind
Coffee black and egg white
Pull me out from inside
I am ready, I am ready, I am ready
I am fine, I am fine, I am fine
"Well I guess a signal like that would do," Lola said braking the silence that had settled over the grounds. Immediately there was uproar, a cry emitted from the crowd of demons below the slayers, another echoing and another and another.
Dawn looked up at the pitch-black heavens to see that the storm, which had been threatening to show its teeth, was now starting to snarl. The sky hurled its first painful drop of misery down onto her a million more following. Mixed with the swirl of lighting and rumble of distant thunder were a torrent of bullets from around them and a steady rhythm of spells and snarls aimed at the slayers. The sky seemed to be a churning mist of red above them as spell after spell hit the dusty atmosphere.
0000