If anyone would care to know, I am still looking for artists (if you have no clue what I'm talking about, go to my profile or previous chapters)! And, I will be putting out a new story shortly after this one is over, so watch for it. However, if you're sick of my writing I wouldn't hold it against you.
So this is it. The battle scene you've all been waiting for... well actually, it might not be, but that's beside the point. I'm quite proud of it, being my first actual fighting chapter, so nothing too harsh please! 5 chapters left!
Chapter 25
"Crucio!" Snape bellowed, his voice echoing throughout the restaurant. Harry didn't say a word, but glared at the man who had cast the spell.
"You have to do bloody better than that!" He laughed. Those who hadn't already ducked for cover panicked and moved around the room, looking for shelter. The rest of the death eaters burst into action, firing spells and becoming mobile.
I jumped from a spell cast on me by a rather short witch—or so I assumed by the sound of her voice. I glared at her evilly.
"Stupefy!" she screamed. I moved again, now by myself in front of the buffet table. The rest of my wizarding family had moved out and beyond, battling and dueling with other death eaters, whose amount seemed to be growing at a rapid rate.
"Expelliarmus!" I wailed. She performed a shield charm and laughed.
"So sad that the younger generation never learned how to properly throw a—" she was cut off in mid sentence and stood shock still for a moment amidst the flying curses. Then she fell forward, petrified or dead I couldn't tell, flat on her face. Ron gave me thumbs up from behind my fallen foe.
I stooped low and scrambled over to one of the now turned over tables and ducked behind it for a moment. It acted as a small wall and I allowed myself a moment to think. Before I knew it there was more screaming. I peeked my eyes over the top and saw a death eater lying on the ground, squirming in obvious pain for a brief period before her comrade realized he was performing an illegal spell on one of his own. Not very smart, I thought. With no one to lead them, these people were like lost souls, or groupies without a … well group.
I turned to look for the nearest exit, and my eyes sought out a fireplace across to my left. It was my only hope. I took a deep breath and went to make a sprint for it when a screaming met my ears once again. It wasn't the shrill scream of a woman however, but the high-pitched cry of someone younger. I peeked over the table and saw a little girl, at least five years of age confused and distraught, clutching her wand underneath the table across from me.
"Bloody Hell," I murmured underneath my breath. If she weren't quiet soon, a death eater would surely change that permanently. I jumped over the table rather tactlessly and sprinted across the room at full force, praying for my sanity; I was positive that at this very moment, Merlin was laughing at me. I fell to my knees and covered the girl's mouth with my hand.
She looked up at me with piercing brown eyes, and a unibrow. Her hair was looking rather windswept and her chubby cheeks were covered with tears.
"Here's what we're going to do," I said, pausing briefly to look up. "See that fireplace?" I whispered. She nodded her head in the direction still yelling into my hand. "Excellent. That's where we're going. When we get there, you go in first—see the green flames, I think an accident knocked the full pot in. You… you have flooed before haven't you?" Her terrified face stared up at me wondrously. "Oh God. Umm, well jump in and scream 'the Burrow.' Do you understand?" She nodded gravely. "I'm going to take my hand off your mouth now alright, but you can't shout."
She didn't say a word after that. I watched Harry and Snape duel it out across the room, each mentally cursing the other and shielding only themselves from harm. It was an endless mental battle, and I was worried—until Snape went down.
"Go!" I hissed. I had waited for someone major to fall, and whether it would have been shrieking lady who was battling Remus and Mr. Weasley, or Snape I wasn't sure, but when one of them went down, I figured there might be panic, and it would give us a great distraction to escape.
She moved fast for such a pudgy child, and she scampered across the floor, keeping low like I told her. I followed close in pursuit, ducking behind tables and chairs, and staying near to the ground. I heard a shriek of instruction from behind me, and turned to see three death eaters walking briskly towards me. I wasn't sure if they had seen us, but they were headed in the direction we were. I grabbed the child's shoulder and motioned with my fingers for her to be quiet, all the while ducking beneath yet another overturned table.
"… block all the fireplaces. Why can't he do it? Git."
"Rules are rules. If he says he can speak to our Master, than so be it. I listen to him."
They passed our hiding spot and proceeded towards the fireplace, putting it out with a series of spells. My heart broke in two, and I stayed crouching, my thighs burning. The little girl looked at me hopeful, as if I might save her, but I was all out of ideas. The awful trio made their way back to Snape, thankfully avoiding our sanctuary.
I peeked over the top of the table like a coward. Spells were still flying everywhere. I saw Hermione and Ginny side by side in a duel with a rather tall wizard with gangly brown hair. His mask was half blown off, one side quite bloody. I ducked down again and saw the little girl was silently crying, snot hanging from her rather tiny nose.
"It'll be alright," I whispered. The words were more to convince myself than anyone else, but I didn't feel the confidence that sounded through my mouth. I peeked over the table again, and caught Remus falling. I let out a rather loud scream.
"Remus!" I yelled desperately. The witch he had been dueling turned to me and I knew I had blown our cover. "Stay down," I hissed out of the corner of my mouth. The kid curled herself up into a ball, her back against the table.
"Knew the bloody werewolf did you?"
"Know! I know him!" I screamed.
"Right. Know. May as well make your last thoughts happy ones right? Crucio!"
She was quick and I tripped over the top of the table, shaking in pain. This woman was full of hate, and I felt it down to my core. Even my toes were vibrating.
"Oh God! Bloody God!" I sobbed. It stopped briefly and I curled my knees up. The room was still loud and my ears were burning.
"Do I know you?" the woman asked, her pointy teeth laugh through her mask. She stood above me, hands on hips, easily my superior. I knew in that moment, who she was.
"I try not to make a habit of getting to know evil thanks," I said sarcastically. I realized how dead I was when my voice echoed in my ears.
"Oh smart mouth are you?" she said. Her wand hand was completely relaxed and I felt mine poking into my back. I let out a groan and rolled over, as if in total pain. I snatched it up and screamed: "Crucio!"
She laughed at me. "Never tried one before have you girl? Expelliarmus!"
I rolled across the ground towards Remus, missing the spell narrowly. "Imper—" She laughed rather loudly and I couldn't help but stop in mid-curse. "You're an evil, deceiving toad!" I screamed with as much malice I could muster. Surprised I was still alive; I looked up at her once more.
She ripped off her mask and her dark hair hung over her brow in a sweaty line. Her eyes were dark and heavy lidded, and there was a slight gleam to them. Her skin was oily from sweat, and appeared to be dark and dirty. "I'm afraid that this was your last day." She cut herself off in mid-gloat and her head looked a little behind me.
I whipped my body around to see the little girl there, snot still hanging on her nose, her large eyes whining brightly.
"And who're you?" she said, still holding me at wand point.
"Don't hurt her!" I said loudly. My voice cracked and it was obvious how scared I was.
"Awh, sister or cousin or something?" She laughed. "I don't see the resemblance. Avada Kedavra!"
I watched in dismay as my little damsel ogled for a brief moment, her chocolate orbs flashed in shock and she shrieked in horror. Her body slumped backwards and I heard a death like crack from behind the overturned table.
I looked back at this woman's angular face and back at her feet. Rolling forward I grabbed at her ankles, and she let out a hiss before stumbling backwards and dropping her wand. I scrambled upright at the same space as she, and held my wand at her chest; hers was gripped tightly in her fingers in her left hand, which hung rather limply. She was much taller than I (but really, who wasn't?), and looked upon me.
"You think you can beat me girl?" she hissed. There was a sadistic nature to her voice and I looked directly at her face, with a piercing glare.
"Yes." I almost wet my pants.
"Ha!" She went to jump on a spell, but I beat her to it.
"Silencio!" I wasn't a wonderful spell, and I laughed for a moment—although I should've done something. Bound her up, or the like. She mouthed a few times before realizing she had no voice, and then smiled wickedly. Realizing how delayed I'd been on the uptake, she pointed her wand at me, and a flash of blue light came directly at torso.
Suddenly there was blood, piles and piles of blood, dripping everywhere from my body. I screamed and screamed while she turned away from me, laughing.
"Expelliarmus!" I shrieked. It hit her in the back, and her wand came flying to me. I caught it in my bloody hand, continuously screaming. She turned back.
"Not a good time girl." She paraded towards me, and I held up my wand. I began to feel dozy; my head was hard to hold up. Everything was turning red and I couldn't see.
"Do you think I can't perform magic without a wand… Bethany?" I gasped. "I remember now. You were our girl! I thought you were going to turn out so well too." She shrugged and held out her hand in front, and pointed her palm upwards. "Avada—"
In a flash she went down, a man on top of her, pinning her to the ground. Harry's head of black hair was covered in sweat and I fell to my knees, the blood covering my body. I looked beside me at Remus.
His eyes were glossed over, but he blinked.
"Hi Remus," I whispered, my head falling on top of my arm. I lay on the ground beside him and continued to talk until I couldn't anymore.