Disclaimer: Stop teasing me! I'm starting to feel depressed. (Sigh) I don't own it, peoples.
A woman in a purple sari crying.
The size of a goodbye.
-Habibi- Naomi Shihab Nye (It's a novel (And a good one, at that))
The Forest Brings No Lies, Only Illusions
issalee
The woods were dark and smelled of acrid smoke as Draco plunged through them, ignoring the roaring and pounding that had escalated as he went further in. Ahead of him he could see nothing; he was suddenly thankful for his Urian skills, which enabled him to see farther, and faster. He could feel his wings yearning to get out, thrumming with the force of the magic on the air.
"Over here, Edgewick!" Someone shouted startlingly close to him. Draco jumped sideways, landing in an ungainly heap inside a bush, just as two men appeared in the area he had just vacated. Both of them were unrecognizable from the Death Eater gear, but their voices were deep, one brusquer than the other.
"I thought you said you saw something," the brusque one said. "Merolt, you fool, if you've alerted anyone to our presence the Dark Lord will have your head off."
"Oh, shut up," snapped Merolt. "It's not like you're doing anything! Besides, I know I saw someone here a moment ago. Looked sort of like Lu—"
"Don't say his name!" Edgewick hissed. He sighed, as though in exasperation. "Listen, let's go. If you were right, whoever went in won't get far anyways. Crimson will soon change that."
Merolt laughed along with his companion, but as they moved off, the laughter faded quickly into tense silence. Draco waited only a moment before bolting off the way they had come from. He had to find the girls; it was his primary concern, not his own safety.
Something spun through the air, striking the tree next to him before falling at his feet Draco hesitated, and only when he heard a loudly shouted spell did he retreat back into the shadows. He moved on the fringe of the forest's trees, keeping close to the trees and flattening himself, treading lightly so that the only sound he heard was his own breathing. He approached a small clearing in the woods, and held his breath as he peered around a tree. The breath was immediately sent out in a soft gasp.
Several Death Eaters had surrounded Chloris and Carleigh, as well as a single, bloodied and bruised centaur. One of the Death Eaters (a woman, it looked like) was pinning the wriggling centaur down with silvery strands protruding from her wand. Carleigh, on the other hand, was leaning over the still form of her twin, eyes wide and glassy.
"Can I kill the beast?" A man asked from the circle.
"Hush, McNair." The woman replied. Draco started; but it couldn't be the same one he knew! "We have to wait for the Dark Lord to come and tell us what to do with these two girls, but the beast, I want to get rid of. You're always knocking off animals, anyway."
"Aren't those Ernestine's kids?" Another small, pitiful voice piped up. A squat, short form with ill-fitting robes stumbled closer to the two. Draco automatically curled his lip in disgust. "Shouldn't we be leaving them at the drop point?"
"Stupid." The woman said, idly tightening her wand's hold on the centaur, who only grunted and ignored the fresh blood that came pouring out. "If Ernestine cared for his kids, than he would've sent the letters like we told him too. I suppose you lot sent yours?"
A few scattered heads nodded. McNair stepped up again, voice bitter. "Yeah, the Dark Lord told me to give 'em to his sister. She's sending them, but she warned us that when she visited a couple days back that some they were supposed to be at the drop site already. It's on the other side of the school."
"So what?" The short figure asked. "Are these kids traitors?" He suddenly kicked out cruelly at Carleigh's form, but before Draco could lunge into the fray, another Death Eater had pushed him away.
"Wormtail, you idiot!" The woman roared. "Traitors they may be, but you've already done in one! I hope Crimson gets her hands on you, and I'll watch as you writhe in the wake of her Cruciatus!"
"Oh, Gods, shut up, Sidney." McNair muttered, pulling off his mask. Draco's eyes narrowed. It was the same McNair. The man wiped a bead of sweat from his face. "Obviously, we've got no use for these kids. Yeah, Ernestine's hooked on 'em, but it won't make much of a difference. Kill 'er and the beast, and then we can go."
"Yeah," someone else said. "We're supposed to be at the school by now!" The woman held up her free hand as though she was about to make a rude gesture, but then sudden cries took up in the air.
"Those aren't coming from the school," McNair swore, looking to his left. "They've sent out the old man already. All right, you lot, come with me! We're heading for the school, like we're supposed to! Sidney, you can get rid of those two."
The Death Eaters quickly took off, as though they didn't want to be caught near the two anymore. Wormtail lingered for a moment; head tilted in the general direction of Sidney's face, as though pleading.
"Nice way to get at them, Miss Sidney!" he praised. The woman kicked out at him, and as he fell, squirming, she pointed her wand at Carleigh.
"Here, Wormtail, you old suck up. I'm going to show you how to kill someone."
Draco didn't waste a second. He all but flew out of his hiding place; giving Sidney no warning so that when he hit her she could do nothing but scream as she fell. Draco held his wand to her face, between her eyes, and growled at her.
"Leave, now, or die."
She seemed shocked for a moment, before laughing shortly. "Oh, Lucius Malfoy's son, are we? Do you know your father's secret, boy?" she asked, peering up at his face. It stayed emotionless, and she was sorely disappointed if she had expected an answer.
"Is the other one alive?" He asked, indicating, Chloris, whose prone shape Carleigh was still leaning over, but now she was also watching Draco. Sidney kept her lips pursed tight, saying nothing. Draco opened his mouth, but then a large weight slammed into his side.
He fell to the ground, wheezing as he half sat up. Sidney was already up, and she nodded curtly to Wormtail, who lay gasping in front of Draco, Draco's wand in his grubby fingers. Sidney pointed her wand at Draco, eyes cold.
"I'm sure Lucius won't mind," she said, "If his line were to be diminished a little early. Who knows? With Narcissa out of the way, he has a lot of people to pick from…like me…"
The blood pounded in Draco's veins, and he stood up quickly, pushing Wormtail away and grabbing his wand in the same motion. Sidney's figure stiffened, and she began the shouted Avada, but Draco was already running towards her. His wings ripped his shirt, spreading wide as he lunged, screaming the same spell.
There was a lapse in noise for a moment afterwards, and Carleigh seemed to wake up from whatever catatonic state she had been in. "Draco?" she whispered, looking at the still bodies in front of her. She shrieked as her hair was jerked upwards. Wormtail was holding onto her head, licking his lips nervously. His mask was gone.
Carleigh glared at him, and the dark wand he held in his hand. "That's mine, you pig! Give it back!" Wormtail shook his head, eyes darting about.
"Can't…can't," he said quietly. "People might come, might see. You'll tell them, won't you? You'll tell them! I don't—no Azkaban!" He pushed the wand to her temple and she squeezed her eyes shut, as well as her sister's pale hand.
"Avada Kedavra."
A second later, Carleigh opened her eyes. Wormtail keeled over, letting go of her hair. The Slytherin turned around and saw Draco, shaking with anger, striding over to her and lowering his wand.
"Is Chloris ok?" he asked, dropping down next to her. Carleigh hesitated for a moment, before pointing to the centaur next to her. Draco nodded carefully. "Of course." He muttered the counter-curse and watched as the centaur sat up, rubbing its body with dirt so as to staunch the flow of blood. He nodded to Draco.
"These two were running towards the Death Eaters. I stopped them, and they were turning back until these people surrounded us. I thank you; we centaurs owe you."
"Owe me?" Draco asked, surprised.
"Yes," the centaur replied, although it looked uncomfortable. "I have lost my weapons else I'd swear upon them, but you have saved the leader of the centaurs, child. I am Orion."
"Draco Malfoy," he replied. "What happened to her?" He asked again, pointing to Chloris. Orion's features darkened.
"The one you just killed—the man, he came swinging out with his wand. He shouted a spell and a light came, knocking her into one of the trees. There was a loud snapping noise. Methinks she has broken her spine; she cannot still live."
Draco was at a loss for words, but Carleigh only turned hooded eyes toward them. "Back to the school," she said softly. "Carina was heading back before us. She told us to wait but we wouldn't and she shouted she was going to go get you."
"Than let's go." Draco said. "Coming?" he asked Orion. The centaur snorted, pawing the ground. "I cannot. My people are still in here. I must help them." He pricked up his ears. "I hear more approaching. Go now, Master Malfoy."
Draco needed no second bidding. He grabbed Carleigh's hand, dragging her along and ignoring her protests. "Her body—," she shrieked. "I want to get her body!"
Draco turned, eyes angry. "You've done enough, don't you, by running in here. Come on now, unless you want me to die too!" That made her fall silent.
They continued their run in silence.
The first thing Harry was aware of as he and his group spilled out onto the Hogwarts grounds was the total lack of quiet. The grounds usually had one area where someone could relax, but here the noise was cacophonic.
"Harry!" Hermione whispered, just next to him. "Look! They're sneaking around!"
And sure enough, there was a group of Death Eaters circling the other side of the school, moving with wraith-like silence. Leading them was the one Death Eater without a mask on; Bellatrix Lestrange.
Harry's eyes burned with a quiet force. "She's going to die," he said, already starting for her position, but Luna suddenly grabbed his arm.
"The teachers!" she said, her voice a little high. "What if we get the teachers? They need—they need to know this. The Headmaster's inside of the Forest, and we're the only ones here."
"Not for long," Ginny murmured, squeezing back and closer to her brother. She was looking off to the other direction, where several Death Eaters were starting to emerge. The redhead's eyes narrowed. "There's a woman in a red dress there…"
"Neville," Harry said suddenly. "We need to find the people still in the Forest. Draco, Carina, Carleigh and Chloris." He looked almost wistfully to where Bellatrix was still hovering on the edge of the Forest with her group, not having noticed them, as they were still under the alcove of the doors.
Neville looked frightened. "Just me and you, Harry?" The green-eyed Gryffindor shook his head, mind working quickly.
"No. You're leading a group. Ginny and Luna, go with Neville back inside of the school. You alert the teachers, and then Luna, I want you to barricade the doors. You were really good with levitating spells," he reassured her. "You're the most advanced of you three."
Luna faltered, but then nodded. She, Neville and Ginny quickly turned around and ran back inside. Harry turned to his now diminished friends, frowning. "Ron, take Seamus and Dean. I want you two to get inside of Hagrid's hut. Fire off some spells from there, but stay hidden, ok? We'll meet back there, if anything. Don't open the door unless it's me or a teacher. I'm sure there are protective spells on the hut; it's part of Hogwarts, too."
Ron dawdled for a moment. "Harry, mate, if anything goes wrong—"
"Nothing will happen," Harry out in forcefully. "We're all going to come out of this fine. We've been through worse, before, remember?" He was talking about the War. Hermione stepped up, and gave Ron a peck on the cheek. The redhead blushed, but quickly regained his composure and slunk off, keeping low with Dean and Seamus as they made their way across.
Harry turned to Hermione, smiling grimly. "Just you and me, right, 'Mione?"
She smiled back, but this one was just as fake. "Yeah, Harry. Sure. Are we going to stop the group over there, or head for the Forest?"
"The Forest first," Harry said. His eyes scanned the crowd led by the red-robed woman, still too far away for him to recognize her. "Let's go."
They crouched low, walking with their cloaks spread over their bodies and darting behind trees.
Neither of them wanted to be the first spotted.
Draco and Carleigh were hopelessly lost.
In the Slytherin boy's frantic rushing to just find the girls, he had totally forgotten the way he'd went, and strayed off the path. The screams and cries of the Forest's inhabitants could still be heard every often, but it was coupled by a new sound; that of students laughing, and a little cheering. Draco retracted his wings (with just a little difficulty) and plodded on.
They emerged from the forest a little moment later, and Draco nearly smacked his forehead in frustration. The Ravenclaw quidditch team was still flying high, a few of them playing around, but the captain was scanning the forest with worried eyes. He was Roger Davies' younger brother, Richard.
"Richie!" someone shouted, pointing down to them. Draco watched with wary eyes as the captain immediately flew down to them, looking more worried than suspicious. Draco was suddenly very glad this was Ravenclaw and not a Hufflepuff or Gryffindor practice.
"What's going on, Malfoy?" The dark-haired boy asked. His light blue eyes flicked nervously across Carleigh (on whom it was obvious he had had a crush on for years) before he asked another question. "Are you two ok?"
"We're fine," Draco said shortly. "But the school's being attacked by Death Eaters. We need you to get your team and the watchers away. They're in danger of being hurt—or worse."
Davies wasted no time in raising his arm and shouting to his team. "Inside! Inside now! This is an emergency!" They all looked at him in surprise, and then a lithe, young looking girl with silky red hair down to her waist and dyed green at the ends and random spots gestured backwards. She spoke rapidly, Draco could tell, but what she said he couldn't hear. Her teammates gave grudging responses, but they slowly flew back towards the entrance at the bottom of the pitch leading to the locker rooms and inside. The spectators also filed out of the bleachers, mumbling dejectedly.
The girl, however, stayed behind. She touched down next to Davies and smiled brilliantly at all three of them, extending her hand. "Melissa. Melissa Mason. What's going on here, Malfoy?"
"The Death Eaters have broken through the wards," Draco repeated, glancing back anxiously. "Dumbledore's going after them but I'm sure there are a lot more."
Melissa pointed to Carleigh. "Don't you have a twin? Where's she?"
Carleigh stared at her, eyes blank. "She's dead. Someone got at her before I could." The full force of the situation suddenly hit them all, and Melissa's smile faltered.
"Death Eaters, you say?" she licked her lips. "Between all of us, even you, Rich, my parents are Death Eaters. Have you seen them, Draco? I don't think—Dad wouldn't do anything like that."
Draco had a sinking suspicion in his gut but he brushed it away quickly. "I wouldn't know. Now's not the time anyway—take her, I have to go get someone else."
"Carina?" Davies guessed. At Draco's sharp look, he shrugged. "She's always with them. Besides, we saw her running by near ten minutes ago. She yelled something to us but we were too high up to hear, and then she just disappeared."
"Which way?" Draco asked.
Davies pointed, and he barely got to wish Draco luck before the Slytherin had sprinted off.
Lucius Malfoy was quite angered. From what he could see, absolutely no one was at the drop off site. Not one child, not one. Fuming, he turned to face his second-in-command, Antonin Dolohov.
The man was too scary, with black hair sticking up slightly in spikes and cold, ice blue eyes that put Lucius' to shame. Although never wanting for leadership, Dolohov was a true assassin; quiet, deadly, and loyal. He looked back at his Lord, face cold and Death Eater mask slipped to rest on top of his head.
"Where are the children?" Lucius snarled. "Did we not send out the letters?"
"My Lord," Dolohov replied, "It was not me who was to send them out. Your sister was in charge of that." Lucius looked out over the wide clearing he had chosen, easily accessible but carefully stowed away in the Forbidden Forest. Behind him milled a few chosen members, his close entourage.
"Zabini, Ernestine, Nott, Baddock," he snapped. "Is this true?"
The men all nodded carefully, all eyes shifting nervously under the mask. Karl Zabini raised his wand. Under the mask was a cruel face, ever sneering and reckless.
"My Lord, mayhaps these children are not as well trained as we thought them to be." Zabini backed away as Lucius spun to face him, glowering.
"My son is one of the children who are not well-trained Zabini! Did you ever consider that? Draco will come out this alive, else you won't!"
Complete silence reigned as Lucius breathed heavily, and silently dared anyone to oppose him. None did, and he soon calmed. Thinking quickly, he barked out orders.
"Zabini I want you to head off for Tynan. Find the little wretch and tell her to report here quickly—the attack is not to commence. We are retreating, right now, until we can some answers. Nott, Ernestine!"
Sylvan Nott and Matthew Ernestine stepped forward, bowing. "My lord?" they chorused. Lucius nodded shortly at them. "Go find Bellatrix. Go silently, and swiftly. Do not get caught by Dumbledore's forces. Baddock, Antonin, you two come with me."
His eyes glittered maliciously as he strode in the general direction of the school. "We have a few words to exchange with the Headmaster."
Harry stumbled through the underbrush, fingers curled tightly around his wand. Behind him he could hear Hermione's heavy breathing. She was trying, but their relentless search was pulling at her last resources.
Green eyes scrutinized every inch of the ground and brush, making note of every out of place thing. Despite the fact that he was getting closer and closer to he chaotic sounds, Harry didn't allow himself time to panic; that could come later.
"Harry," Hermione said suddenly. She tugged on his sleeve, forcing him to slow down. When he gave her a questioning look, she merely motioned down to the ground. It took a moment for Harry to realize it, but then he saw them; small spatters of blood, in a trail, around smudged dirt. Someone injured had been dragged through the woods this way.
"Draco?" Hermione asked, voicing the question Harry dared not to. He looked up at her, momentarily at a loss. A loud bark of laughter cut off whatever he was about to say, though, and both turned without a word to plunge into a bush. Crawling on all fours, ignoring robes and clothes, they went forward, pushing branches from their faces. Some made their way past their hands, and small cuts were formed on their faces.
They hadn't gone on in this fashion for more than ten minutes before Harry drew to an abrupt halt. Hermione edged closer to him, and pushed aside some of the leaves. A soft gasp left her lips as she saw the hordes of Death Eaters gathered alongside each other.
"Hermione," Harry said softly. "How far are we from the school?"
The brown-haired girl was forced to think quickly. Given the direction in which they'd been traveling (at first straight through, but then with some turns) she could only guess the worst. "Just outside the east castle walls," she mumbled. "Where we saw one of the groups."
A loud jeering rose in the air, and the two could now make out a sort of crude circle. A small, pitiful form was tied to something—maybe it was a log? It whimpered loudly, and scattered laughter rang out. Harry felt the blood rising to his ears, and his grip around his wand tightened.
A lithe figure cloaked all in red suddenly pushed past the assemblage, forcing them back so that a large gap was left. Carina Zabini's shaking body was now clearly seen by the two Gryffindors, but they didn't feel truly afraid until the red-dressed woman pushed back her cowl, revealing a sharp, aristocratic face and a mass of tangled blond hair.
"Think you're funny, do you?" Tynan said to the Slytherin. "Running into my group and attacking me?" It was only then that Harry noticed the slight swelling under her right eye. She was already holding her wand to it, and the black and blue was disappearing quickly.
Carina raised her head, narrowed her eyes, and spit at Tynan's feet. "I hope you die for what you're doing!" she muttered sourly. "That would be funny."
Tynan slapped her, and raised her wand. Suddenly, she stilled. One perfect, golden eyebrow arched upwards. She motioned to one of the Death Eaters, a man, and whispered something to him. He nodded and moved back, vanishing into the crowd. Tynan raised her wand again, smiling even more cruelly.
"Harry," Hermione said, biting her lip. "Harry…"
"There's a lot," he said. "I know. But we've got to try, right?" Indecision washed over him, as well as guilt. He prepared to stand, but then something suddenly was knocked against his head. The last thing he saw was Hermione's frightened face before he fell unconscious, blissfully unaware of the things happening about him.
Draco stopped short, and gripped at his chest. It was only a brief flash of pain, but it had turned into a dull aching, now. Wincing slightly, the blonde took another step forward, only to retreat when he heard a mighty roar be set up. Treading carefully, he peered around a tree, and his eyes widened owlishly.
He could see his professors surrounding the school, eyes grim with determination as masses of black-robed people ran towards them. From the corner of his eyes he could see some of them being felled by random flashes of light; he looked up, and saw some of his classmates leaning out of windows and firing off spells, then ducking back inside.
"…Second salvo!"
Draco blinked. That had sounded suspiciously like Longbottom…but he didn't dwell on it, as another brief sting hit him, this time staying for a moment longer before fading slowly away.
The Slytherin ran his fingers through his already thoroughly mussed hair, eyeing his hands immediately afterward in disgust. "Ugh. Potter's giving me his habits now, too…" The rest of the sentence trailed off, as he glanced over.
It couldn't be.
A low growl left his throat as he spread his wings again, flapping them mightily for extra speed as he struck off for the other side of the castle.
"Stupid, stupid Potter," he ranted. "You had better not be in any trouble." He was cool and calm, angered but that was to be expected. Even now, as Draco all but flew past scores of Death Eaters, seeing them through the leafy fringe, he was expressionless.
But inside, he was nearly dying of fright.
Harry awoke slowly, with a pounding head and a sick feeling in his stomach. Next to him he could hear Hermione speaking in a low voice to someone, probably Carina, and before him was a flurry of red fabric.
"You're awake," Tynan said, smiling widely. Harry made as if to lunge for her, but was sorely disappointed to find himself tied to the same pole Carina had been. A hand found its way to his pant leg, and he looked down to see Hermione with an arm wrapped about the younger girl, looking frightened, but both untied.
"Run," Harry whispered, but apparently not softly enough. Tynan laughed loudly, pushing back her locks as she threw her head back.
"Run? You want them to run?" She shook her head as she giggled again. "Listen, the girl is a kind, kind and chivalrous Gryffindor. She wouldn't leave you, and the young one is injured." Tynan pointed to Carina's leg, which had been loosely wrapped with scraps ripped from Hermione's robe.
"Mr. Potter, I believe I gave you an offer the last time I saw you. I'm making it again. Join me? I do believe in second chances," she added, as though it were a privilege. With head still swimming and his sight slowly becoming fuzzier, Harry raised his head in a defiant manner.
"No."
Stillness was not long in being broken. Tynan straightened, and stepped back so that the other Death Eaters were visible. She turned to face them, eyes flaring. "Listen to me, all those who are here! The Slytherin girl here is proof enough of what is happening inside of this school! They have tainted our children, and St. Potter here has helped! With his death, we begin the new age!"
A loud cheer went up, and as Tynan smiled inwardly, the dark haired Death Eater pushing through the crowd distracted her. She narrowed her eyes and waved for silence, waiting until the man had presented himself.
"Take off your mask," she ordered, eyes gleaming as she recognized him. "Look at these prisoners before you deliver your message, and then tell me what you have to say."
Zabini hesitated for a moment, but then he removed the disguise and looked behind her. Tynan watched in childish glee as his face contorted with rage upon seeing his daughter, who was peering up at him with more fear than relief.
"Dad," Carina began shakily, "Dad, I didn't mean to ruin anything, I'm sorry—"
"Silence!" Zabini roared at her. "Where is your brother, wench?"
Hermione squeezed Carina's shoulder, but the black-haired girl took no reassurance as she shrank back a little. "Dad, he's still inside. We didn't—Dad, we didn't know!"
Her father pointed his wand at her, fuming. "Shut up. You are no daughter of mine, and neither is your brother. I have no need of you—your siblings were raised better, but surely, something went wrong with you!" He turned to Tynan, and bowed. "My lady, please, I offer you my apologies. Do with her as you see fit."
The Death Eaters took up their cheering again as Zabini stepped back into the crowd. Tynan smiled maliciously and poked Harry's chest with a finger.
"You," she purred, "Will be first, m'dear. I so want to hear you scream." She waved her finger in an airy little motion, before tapping directly on his scar and murmuring "Crucio."
The screams that rent the air were terrifying.
Blah de da. Got my first flame...actually, I agreed with it. This fic is sort of incoherent, isn't it? GUESS WHAT? When I say my first flame, I mean ever. EVER. Dude. But does it count as a flame if I agree with the person?
Bonzai and fluffles to: MagicChic82, Master Elora Dannan (Yeah, but I need the cast later for something...you shall see...) Yana5, DestinyEntwinements, berserkgoddess (Are you joking? I can't stand that movie...urgh, but Denzel got me out, so I must praise him.) Hoshiko Malfoy, Dreaming Sensations, Jyaoris (It keeps me from doing my homework too. I don't complain. I CRY OUT FOR JOY.) Pasht (Hess yes, it was supposed to be confuzzling. No worries, it shall all be made clear soon...) Shortshape (Danke muchos.) sbkar (Dunno. Mebbeh Tynan, mebbeh Lucius...mebbe Harry? (Cackles gleefully)), lemonkissesxoxo (It measn Luna doesn't get her pancakes! (Silence) Damn. I thought it waas funny.) ChildofLight 051, lady lorethei (Thanks so much for reviewing every chapter! I nearly had a heart attack when I found them all. Plus, give yourself a bajillion pats on the back, you motivated my lazy arse to update.), Loup Garu-chan ( I feel hurt...Tynan is based off of me...JK! Thanks, I was hoping that's the way everyone else sees her as too.)
