Do A/N:
Hello, all! Thank you for the reviews! And now, here's Chapter 28!
Disclaimer: I own NOTHING!
------28------
"Oh, right—ow! Watch out!"
"Sorry, sorry! It's cramped is all!"
"Well you had to pick a closet!"
"I was going for the feeling of the situation!"
Draco groaned; "Just let me turn on a light…"
"No, no! We're fine!" Harry said, adjusting.
He kissed Draco deeply, but the blonde pulled away; "Ouch! You stepped on my foot!" he exclaimed.
"Sorry love," Harry said earnestly.
Draco smiled; "Well, you've got the feeling, alright," he said seductively as his hand traveled downward.
Harry shivered at the touch; "Oh gods," he whispered.
Suddenly, both young men felt a tremor. Not a physically. A magical rush that froze both of them as they took it in. Instantly they burst out of the closet, looking around.
"Who made that?" Draco asked as they headed for the Great Hall, putting their clothing on at the same time.
Harry shook his head; "I don't know, but it didn't feel good," In truth it had rocked him to his core, and sent unwanted chills down his spine.
They reached an entrance, and tried to open it. The doors were cold to the touch, and Draco shied away in sudden uncertainty, just before he touched the handle. "Harry, don't!" he suddenly shouted just as Harry's fingertips graced the cold metal.
But Harry hadn't heard him. As soon as his skin came into contact, he began to slow down. Reaction time, awareness, breathing…everything. He was able to recognize something was wrong, but as he pulled away, the spell had run its course.
Draco watched in horror as Harry's skin turned grey, and he failed to breath. Slowly he walked over, tentatively reaching over; "H-Harry?" he stuttered, touching his lover's shoulder.
And then, the spell overcame him as well.
Ellis Vander chuckled; "Judas? I believe that is you, vampire."
Sabet felt the cold steal at his side, through his robes. He sighed and set his glass down; "Shall we take this elsewhere?" he asked, more so a statement.
Vander shook his head; "Here is just fine," he said, rising. "Stand up."
Sabet did, straightening his robes professionally; "This is a cowardly act, Ellis," he said, looking at Vander in t he eye; "What have I done to you?"
"Look around," Vander said, and Sabet did; "You did this."
"Provided a haven?" Sabet asked, looking back and Vander incredulously.
"No, established a school," Vander corrected him; "At least, that is what the Minister thinks," he added smugly; "Me, I don't know what this place is. I was just paid handsomely to relieve you and several others of their duties…"
"You know, Ellis, what this place is," Sabet said heatedly, becoming angry; "When I first approached you, when I found you in an alley…"
"With a dead woman in my arms!" Vander shouted irately, overcome; "I swore that I would destroy this curse and them myself."
"Shh, Shh," Evan murmured as he held onto a quivering and silent Aideen. She had stopped crying, but he could tell she was still flustered, still fighting to comprehend…
Finally, Aideen raised her head. Her makeup was a mess, she was angry; "Why?" she asked again, stronger, her voice shaking though, for all her emotion.
Evan wiped the black trails from her face. This is something you needed to know.
"I didn't want to know!" Aideen whispered.
To want is different than to need, Aideen, Evan said wisely. Of that much I am sure.
Aideen stepped away, slowly. She looked around; "I know them all," she said, regarding the statures; "From stories, from… events…" she glanced at Evan; "All of them are dead of course. That's the only way you could end up here…" she wiped her eyes, walking over, and standing in front of a statue of a man with a stern expression; "My…my father!" she held her hands over her mouth as a fresh wave of sadness rocked her heart. She looked at Evan with a fierce gaze, whipping around so fast that her hair and dress graced to the other side of her action.
"And it's all… all his fault!"
Evan was about to speak, when they both felt a tremor rock their worlds. Evan immediately went to Aideen and protectively embraced her until the tremor passed.
Suddenly, there was a tremor that shook through them, worse than any quake. Evan was immediately on the defense, Aideen was frozen in fear. They rode it out, unable to focus for a time. What was that? Aideen wondered, and Evan voiced the question.
"I don't know," Aideen said; "but I tell you, someone's here."
The Ball Room! Evan said, and they immediately left the room.
"Ellis, accidents happen," Sabet said; "I offered to help you make amends, I offered my advice. I have suffered far longer than you, and I think it's time you realized that you are no martyr!"
"Martyr? Martyr! What fool do you take me for!" Vander asked; "I am no martyr, that is a fact. I am just a tool to rid the world of an evil."
"So you are a saint?" Sabet asked; "you are proposing genocide, you fool," he said, sitting down.
"I did not say you could sit down," Vander growled.
"And I did not ask you if I could," Sabet said, sipping his wine. "Ellis, you are young. You are smart, you are strong. You're a survivor. Why make you living on death? You stand for so much more."
Vander was silent in his thought, and Sabet continued; "What you are, Ellis, is a combination of three very influential and important groups of people. You hold in your hands the power of peace, the power of understanding. You have the choice to make this world, as a whole, a more reasonable place. You have a voice so powerful, and yet…" he shook his head in wonder, gazing off at the frozen crowd; "You… are silent. So… eager to destroy your shame. You say that, what you do is for the good of man, but really it is to sate your own agenda. You fear what you possess, and you fear it in others. Your ignorance has taken the lives of hundreds, and still you walk this earth!"
His last was stated loudly. Vander blinked and missed Sabet moving to stand in front of him. "You know nothing," Vander hissed; "NOTHING!"
He shoved Sabet back, and the vampire narrowly missed a chair. Vander whipped out his revolver, aiming at Sabet's heart; "And that is how it will remain," he said, finger on the trigger.
Sabet stood tall and calm, unwavering; "I probably will never know, Ellis," he said; "For there has never been an opportunity that you did not ignore."
Sabet saw Vander's hand shake slightly; "Well, all that's sentimental aside," he said; "I do have business to attend to."
"How much are you being paid to do this?" Sabet asked, never mind who was paying Vander, he thought absently. He knew.
"Oh, fairly well, I should imagine," Vander said; "Nearly two hundred thousand galleons, maybe more. I don't really know. The paperwork is still being sorted out…"
Aideen gasped as they came upon the entrance. Draco and Harry were motionless, their skin grey and dead looking, eyes faded and grim. Evan, curious, began to approach them, but Aideen grabbed his arm and pulled him violently back.
"No! You mustn't touch them!" she said earnestly; "You'll become like them."
What happened to them? Evan asked, looking at her.
Aideen averted her eyes as she thought. "A suptended charm, I think," she finally replied; "You know, things stop, they don't change? It's not that they're dead, just…"
You mean suspended animation? Evan asked, and Aideen nodded.
Evan looked at the two young vampires. Can we help them? He asked.
"Yeah, but whoever cast this…" her voice trailed away; "Stand back, Evan. Please." The polite request came out as a sob as Aideen arched her back and her fingers spread out almost painfully.
Evan did as he was told, watching as Aideen's mask, a glamour, faded away. Large, pointed ears, overly thin and long digits, glowing skin, limbs sinuous and thin, too long, for reaching into the earth… her true self, still better. Her eyes were closed tightly in pain as she straightened up, pulling her hair down in a quick swiping motion. It seemed vibrant, less subdued. Beads and pins fell to the floor, the only sound for a time.
When she opened her eyes, they were flecked with red, amber orbs of light. She was elegant and deadly suddenly, feral and inhuman. Though she was still Aideen, she was no longer the young witch Evan had befriended.
Ai… Aideen…? he projected, but she held a hand out.
"Get. Help." she ground out, English suddenly too hard to master.
Evan looked at her helplessly, then at Draco and Harry. He closed his eyes and cleared his head, and then he was off.
Aideen stared at the door. Her eyes saw the spells, like golden, wafting mist. She looked at the two vampires and held her hands out. As she focused on an ancient spell, tendrils of soft blue escaped her fingers. They encompassed the two young men completely. The spell she had cast would take time to fully work. She again stared at the door, and a small, light growl escaped her.
She walked up, and boldly placed her hand on the wood. A chill swept over her body, but she quickly got over it. With a sigh, her breath blew over her hand, and it glowed. It went through the door, and then, she followed her hand.
Sabet shook his head; "A contract killer," he said wearily; "I thought you would have been more…"
"More?" Vander asked; "I do what I must, no matter what recognition I do or don't get."
"That is not what I meant, and you know that," Sabet said.
He was about to finish, but a high-pitched wailing sound suddenly filled the room. Both men were caught off guard, their verbal battle forgotten for a moment. It rushed about the room like a breeze, poignant and longing. Vander knew the sound all too well; he had been the cause for such a cry many, many times over. And each time, it sent shivers down his spine. It was one of the few things this world had to unnerve him.
Sabet was perplexed and fearful. Had Vander conjured something else? Had he unleashed something onto the castle? His senses directed him towards set of doors then. He watched a hand came through the wood, and then a foot, a dress, another hand, and finally, the face of a child he knew.
"Aideen…" he breathed, shocked and unsettled.
The elfin girl stumbled from the door, catching herself quickly. Gracefully she straightened up, chest heaving though her breath was silent. Her bright, fiery eyes stared at Vander.
"You…" she said, stepping forward.
Vander aimed the gun at her, and she stopped; "Ah, the one that got away!" he said archly; "Thought I left you to die in the Alps, elfchild."
"I'm lucky," Aideen said quietly. She desperately wanted to drop the language and speak her own, but constant spells would get her no where.
"Well obviously, and you made it here!" Vander said.
"Ellis, leave her out of this," Sabet said.
"Oh, but I can't, Morste," Vander said, regarding the vampire for a moment; "She's the reason I wasn't paid for my last job…"
When Vander glanced at Sabet, Aideen took the opportunity. With a feral cry she had crossed the distance, and her long fingers wrapped around the gun and wrenched it from Vander's grasp. She threw it, and it landed some feet away, only to slide into the middle of the dance floor, hitting against a young woman's shoe.
Vander blinked and slapped Aideen, sending her flying. Aideen hit the floor and slid into chairs, knocking over a table. She lay motionless under the wreckage. Vander took the opportunity and punched Sabet, and the blow sent the vampire to his knees, and then to his side. Satisfied that the old codger was out of commission for a time, Vander walked over to the elfin girl, who was busy throwing a table cloth and broken china off of her body.
"So there's truth to your nickname, Delamor," Vander said, and she stared at him in surprise; "Vixen, I believe? Well, you are cunning, and certainly elegant…"
Aideen glared; "Bastard," she said, and Vander laughed as his wand manifested with a flourish of his fingers.
"Oh, you've mastered the best in English, child," he said. He aimed the wand at Aideen; "But I fear you won't have time to learn more."
Instinct to her to attack, her head told her to speak, and her heart begged her to run. Run and find Evan, run home, run… she had no where to run. In the matter of a second, Aideen thought all of this, and her heart sank.
"Oh, contemplating suicide, child?" Vander drawled; "Let me help…"
Evan burst through the parlor's doors, and stopped to catch his breath and look around. He recounted the weapons on the walls, but as he viewed a sword, his eyes caught sight of the moon. His bones began to ache and he growled through gritted teeth. Soon now, he thought, and I will be the living dead.
Ignoring his inner beast, he chose a sword above the mantle. Taking it down, he stared at the fire dancing in the blade, a reflection. He looked into his own eyes, turning away at the sight of his darkening eyes.
"When you kill me," Aideen breathed; "The world shall fall on you."
"Oh, I've heard that a lot," Vander said with a laugh; "Is that some curse your people have placed upon me?"
Aideen only stared at him staunchly; "Yes," she said; "even now, your life is failing."
Vander was taken aback slightly by such a statement, though it didn't really surprise him. Just the fact that she had the sheer gall to say it…
"Well, I've heard enough from you," he said, and his hand shot out.
Instantly breath was stolen from her as Aideen was lifted off the ground by some invisible force. Her neck felt as if it were being strangled. She grappled at the air, found nothing to clutch, and placed her hands on her neck instead. She thought countless counter curses. Vander smiled, walking over to her.
"Goodbye," he said flatly, and his hand jerked to the left.
Aideen screamed as she was thrown across the room and through the windows. The glass broke apart, but hung in the air, suspended pieces of the sky. The lack of sound unnerved Aideen as she fell with a great thud, slammed into the ground. She tried to rise, but she couldn't. She knew something was broken. She prayed her legs were still fine, usable. Her wrist hurt, and her head did as well.
Vander was quick to follow her, jumping through the hole Aideen had created. Shards of glass brushed up against him, some cutting through his long coat. But he didn't care; a coat didn't matter at the given time. He landed silently, dusting himself off out of pure habit. With a nearly feral grin, he spotted the elfin maid, who lay precariously on the ground, her chest having as breath pained her. Vander reveled in it.
His boots clicked against the earth, and quickly he reached her. Pulling her up harshly by her arm, he held her at level with his eyes. He manipulated her head to rise, and her eyes to open. Wearily she looked at him, heated gaze undeterred by her pain.
"But you are a fighter," he mused, shaking his head and dropping her unceremoniously. He kneeled, bending over her; "I can make this painless, you know…"
Again, the invisible hands wrapped around her neck, and pressure built against her chest. Aideen tired to look away. Why was he so powerful? She had underestimated him.
Vander smirked; "Tell me about where the Citadel is…" he droned, running a cool finger down her jaw line; "And your death will be quick, painless even..."
Aideen only glared at him, silent. Vander chuckled, then clinched his fist; "You'll do well to answer me!" he growled, and Aideen gasped.
"No…" she breathed.
Vander frowned. He needed the location, he couldn't kill her. Perhaps if he killed Sabet then took her with him… the thought was a good one, he realized.
"Well, Delamor," he said, breath hot against her skin; "You will be reminded of your place in due time. But, until then…"
"NOOOOOOO!"
The voice was resonating and powerful, loud and uncontrolled. It was hoarse and full of passion, weak from its silence. Looking around, Vander saw the heaving form of a young man at the garden's entrance, Evan. Weary from fighting his transformation, determination lit his eyes in a passionate fire. He wielded the sword expertly, standing there in the moonlight.
A twisted smirk graced Vander's face; "What is this?" he asked, Aideen falling as his magic was redirected to ready for defense or attack; "Another hero? This bloody fucking place must spit them out regularly."
"I'm no hero," the teen said hoarsely; "Just another victim who's had enough."
Then it dawned on him. Vander knew who the boy was, he knew!
"I know you," he said snidely; "The little boy that got away? The one Greyback could only mute?" he laughed; "I remember seeing you at St. Mungo's, the entire Ministry was fretting over you," his face turned sour then; "And you came here."
"Best place I ever came across," Evan coughed then, violently. Blood dotted his lower lip, and he wiped it away.
"Scar tissue's a bitch, boy," Vander spat, holding his hand up; "Time you shut up again."
He pulled the same trick on Evan, magic encircling the boy's throat and chest, and then slowly constricting. Evan coughed, and tried not to move. His hand tightened around the hilt of the sword until his knuckles turned white. He would not move if he could help it. But oh how he needed air! He coughed violently again, and the taste of copper overwhelmed him. He had to stop talking, he had said too much. His throat was on fire, eaten away by his outburst. His hand shook, he wanted to let go of the sword. His chest cried out in agony as ribs threatened to break. Evan was tough and strong, a gift from his curse, but even he had his limits.
Then, a thought occurred to him.
Vander smiled in malicious victory as Evan succumbed and collapsed. "You always were thought of as a weakling," he mused, and then he turned his eyes again on Aideen. She had not moved, but her eyes were fixed on Evan, sympathetic and heartbrokenly wide in terror.
"Oh, have you feelings for that boy?" Vander sneered.
Aideen shot him a fiery glare that would have sent anyone else running. Vander only laughed; "you cannot scare me, you—"
Suddenly, he was at a loss for words. Pain erupted from his back and chest. He couldn't breathe, he was drowning! Looking down, he saw a shining, crimson blade protruding from below his sternum. Vander coughed blood; the blade was ripped from his body. Stumbling he fell, and rolling onto his back he looked to see the werewolf standing over him, bloody blade gripped tightly in both hands.
Quickly the scenario played in Vander's head. He had faked his death. He had then darted across the garden, stalked his way over. he had hunted Vander. He had sneaked up, and jammed the blade in a upward thrust through Vander's body.
Evan's breath was ragged. He stared at Vander, his wizard trying to enjoy his victory while his beast clawed and bit and fought for freedom. He had beaten it, nearly, anyways, and now he tried to stall it once more. Vander's wild eyes caught this and he laughed a gurgling, pitiful laugh.
"You'll finish the job for me, boy," he gasped, and then, he breathed no more.
Evan was stunned. Finish what job? He looked at Aideen then, how she had passed out, succumbed to the toil of battle. He dropped the blade, felt the rush of magic that had been put on hold. Screams erupted from the ball room, he heard people running around, but Evan didn't care. He had to get away. He had to run now. He hadn't taken his potion like Adam had said, he had been defiant that way.
Now he quickly darted over and planted a soft kiss on Aideen's head, and then he rushed for the outside world, rushed for the forest.
Draco and Harry both fell as a sudden rushed of air filled their lungs. Harry stumbled into the ballroom, while Draco collapsed. Harry then looked around, saw the chaos, and quickly closed the doors again. HE looked at Draco, who had since rolled over and was staring at the ceiling.
"What… the hell…?" Harry asked, sitting down.
Draco only began to laugh; "I'm so high for some reason!" he said in a high-pitched voice.
Harry stared at Draco, and then laughed. "What the hell is the matter?" he asked through his fit of random mirth.
"I don't know!" Draco said through his laughter.
TBC
Please review! Thank-you!