Chapter 37. Half-Blood Prince
Lucius took Astrid's hand, and upon standing he pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her he lifted her up into the air as he kissed her deeply.
"You've made me quite the happy man," He breathed against her lips as he set her down gently. She kissed sweetly, and then smirked against his lips.
"My dad's going to kill me," She whispered against him. He smirked back, capturing her lips again. A crack of thunder and flash of lightening caught his attention, the storm had well untruly brewed above them now.
"I wish I could stay, but I have to go dearest," he whispered, his voice cracked as he spoke, how cruel could fate be, deciding that they could only share these fleeting moments together. He glanced up to the Astronomy tower and gulped, she followed his gaze curiously. The baby monitor at her hip began to sound now, Everly's whimpering indicated she had just awoken, and was threatening to cry out for her.
"Seems I must go too,"
"Go straight to her," Lucius told her firmly. "And don't leave your chambers… Hogwarts is not safe tonight."
"What's happening?" Astrid asked, her brows furrowed.
"Just do as I say…please," He pleaded as he stole one last rough kiss from her. "Stay safe." He whispered against her lips.
And then the two parted ways. Lucius headed for the Astronomy tower, whilst Astrid made her way quickly back to her chambers. Not noticing how silent the baby monitor had become.
As she climbed the endless stairs up to the second highest tower she winds picked up, howling through the brickwork. No wonder Everly had awoken, the storm was atrocious up here, she thought to herself as she came to her door. Astrid froze suddenly, finding her door to be not only unlocked, but open, swung ajar. She tried her best to remain level headed, presuming it to be the strong winds, but she knew wind could not open an enchanted lock.
She pulled her new-new wand out of her pocket and entered her chambers cautiously. She felt a fool jumping through the door, her wand arm extended, to find she was pointing it at nobody. With a sigh she relaxed and approached the crib, ready to soothe her waiting daughter.
When she found the crib empty it was as if someone had stabbed her in the heart. Dropping to her knees she held one hand to her exploding chest, the other to her mouth as she cried out. When she gained some resemblance of strength, she pushed herself up off the floor and called out for her daughter.
"Everly?" She stuttered, looking around her quarters. "Everly?! My baby!" She screamed now, spinning around in a circle, the infant was not in sight. She swallowed hard, slapping her hand to her forehead she thought for a second, where could she be? Where should she search first? Who should she alert?
Astrid decided to run after the only other person in the castle she trusted with her daughter's life: Lucius.
Like a whip she was out the door, running down the stairs so fast there was a high possibility she could stumble and fall, but she didn't care, she ran as fast as her feet would carry her to the astronomy tower.
At the astronomy tower an equally tense scenario… Draco Malfoy held Albus Dumbledore at the tip of his wand, threatening to end him permanently. Harry watched silently from below the floor, he had promised Dumbledore to remain silent and hidden no matter what, a promise he found incredibly hard to keep as he watched the younger Malfoy threaten the headmaster.
"Draco… you are no assassin," Dumbledore told the boy calmly.
"How do you know what I am?" Draco whined, "I've done things that would shock you!"
"Oh… like cursing Katie Bell and hoping that when she returned, she'd bare a cursed necklace to me? Like replacing a bottle of mead with one laced with poison?" Dumbledore questioned the boy, his attempts on his life hadn't gone unnoticed by the headmaster. "Forgive me, I cannot help feeling that these actions are so weak… that your heart cant really have been in it,"
"He trusts me!" Draco cried, his face twisting up as he pulled up his sleeve, revealing the dark mark on his arm. "I was chosen!"
Dumbledore stared at the mark for a moment, a little surprised that Draco had been brave enough to go through the pain of receiving it.
"I shall make it easy for you," Dumbledore said calmly as he went to throw away his wand. Draco however did not trust the headmasters' actions, and so flicked his wand at him before he could do anything.
"Expelliarmus!" He hissed, disarming Dumbledore's wand, sending it bouncing across the towers floor.
"Very good, very good," Dumbledore whispered nodding, trying to pacify to the boy who held him at wand point. Draco's face screwed up, his jaw tense, he looked as if he was about to cry as his lips trembled. The slamming of a door caught Dumbledores attention.
"You're not alone…" The headmaster concluded, "There are others, how?"
"The vanishing cabinet in the room of requirement," Draco explained proudly, it was a genius idea, albeit not his own. "I've been mending it."
"And I guess it has a sister, a twin?"
"Borgin and Burkes, they form a passage," Draco explained cockily, it did not matter that Dumbledore knew of his secret way of smuggling things, or people, into the castle, not after he was through with him….
"Ingenious," Dumbledore breathed. "Draco, years ago, I knew a boy… who made all the wrong choices… please let me help you." Dumbledore pleaded; he didn't want Draco to go down the path he had set for himself. A path to damnation.
"I don't want your help! Don't you understand?" Draco whined with tears in his eyes, his wand hand trembled as he choked up… "I have to do this! I have to kill you…" He cried softly, "Or he's going to kill me."
Dumbledore felt nothing but pity for the boy, trapped in this dilemma, forced to do something so heinous. He knew Draco wasn't a bad apple, just brought up in bad circumstance. The thundering of feet up stairs captured both their attention. Draco was soon joined by his aunt: Bellatrix Lestrange. Plus a few other death eaters, notably Fenrir Greyback, and the Carrow twins. Bellatrix smiled her sickly smile as she looked upon the defenceless headmaster.
"Well… Look what we have here," She almost sang as she slowly approached Draco. Stopping to whisper over his ear: "Well done Draco."
"Good evening, Bellatrix," Dumbledore greeted the new arrivals, "I believe introductions are in order, don't you?"
"I'd love to Albus, but we're on a bit of a tight schedule," She said with a fake cry. The death eaters heard a set of footsteps following them up the stairs, and pointing their wands they got ready to face the new arrival.
Lucius Malfoy stepped up into the Astronomy tower, his eyes firmly on his son.
"Just where did you… sneak off to Lucius?" Bellatrix questioned him with narrowed eyes.
"Nowhere," he grumbled as he slinked to Draco's shoulder.
"To visit Astrid Moody I imagine," Dumbledore's calm voice echoed through the tower. "Lucius how do you think she would feel about this?" Dumbledore asked as he opened his arms to gesture to the entire room.
"Don't listen to him Lucius," Bellatrix hissed. "He's trying to warp your mind, do it Draco!"
"He doesn't have the stomach… just like his father," Amycus Carrow sneered, eyeing Lucius distastefully, Lucius simply lowered his gaze, "Let me finish him, in my own way!"
"No!" Bellatrix yelped before her voice returned to a snake-like hiss… "The Dark Lord was clear; the boy is to do it! Go on, do it!"
Unbeknownst the death eaters above, Severus Snape was under the astronomy tower floor, his finger to his lips, pleading the Potter boy to remain silent.
"Go on Draco… NOWW!" Bellatrix squealed a the top of her lungs. The pressure only made it harder for Draco, his wand hand now dramatically shaking as he held back tears.
"No," A dark flat voice filled the air, Severus Snape climbed the stairs and slowly strutted onto the viewing platform of the tower, he came side by side with Draco and stared down the headmaster. Everyone paused with anticipation, but the moment was ruined by yet more boots trampling up the stairs to the astronomy tower accompanied by the wailing cry of an infant, everyone turned to greet the sight of Corban Yaxley entering the platform, with Everly in his right arm, her arms and legs darting about wildly as she screamed with distress.
"Hope I didn't miss the show," Yaxley snarled. "I got the baby… no sign of the girl though,"
"Everly," Lucius breathed. He moved for the infant, but Yaxley pointed his wand threateningly at the senior Malfoy, who responded by halting and putting his hands up. Severus tried to remain stony faced, but he too felt dread in his veins at the sight of the child in the hands of that psychopath.
"Oh no you don't," Yaxley smirked, licking his yellow teeth, "She's going straight to the Dark Lord,"
"Unhand my daughter, immediately!" Lucius intended his words to sound more powerful and intimidating than they came out, Yaxley simply smirked in response. Not exactly the response Lucius was looking for.
"You want her? You'll get her from the Dark Lord," Yaxley sneered with a menacing smile on his face. Albus looked at Everly with heartbroken eyes, her screams and cries filled him with complete sadness.
"Can we do this already?" Amycus sneered as he looked about nervously… "It's taking too long!" There was a moment of silence as everyone looked between Severus and Albus.
"Severus… please…" Dumbledore whispered, he was not begging for his own life however, but pleading his case for the child, pleading with his most trusted man to keep her safe in the Dark Lord's clutches. Albus never got to complete his plea, Severus aimed his wand…
"Avada Kedavra," Severus snarled, and with a large flash of green light Albus flew back off the edge of the tower, his lifeless body falling stories to the courtyard below. Harry's gasp was thankfully masked by Everly's cries, he stood completely frozen, his mind still computing the terrible thing that had just happened before his eyes.
Bellatrix was ecstatic, running to the railing she screamed and yelled with joy, thrusting her wand to the sky she conjured the dark mark over the school. Severus pulled Lucius and Draco in the direction of the stairs, and the death eaters retreated down and out of the Astronomy tower and into the Great Hall. Here Bellatrix jumped upon the table, kicking plates and glassware in every direction gleefully. With the flick of his wand Severus stunned the Auror that stood guard at the front gate of the school and strutted over his unconscious body, his black caped robe billowing behind him.
Bellatrix gave out another blood curdling scream as she waved her wand, smashing the large windows at the end of the Great Hall, sending shards of glass clattering to the floor. And with that all the candles that floated harmoniously above the tables extinguished in one gust of wind.
Harry made it to the bottom of the tower, too embroiled in his chase he found himself crashing into another running body, the two fell to the floor in a pile of limbs. Astrid groaned as she pushed herself to her feet. Harry jumped up, aiming his wand at the young pressor at first until his brain caught up with his eyes and realised who it was.
"Snape just killed Dumbledore," Harry blurted out as he broke into a run, Astrid chased after him, she hoped she misheard him, but something told her she didn't… "They have Everly," Harry shouted over his shoulder as he ran through the Great Hall, his feet crunching on the broken glass. Astrid was quick on his heels.
"They?!"
"Bellatrix Lestrange, the Death eaters!" Harry shouted as the two ran down the line of tables. Tears blurred Astrid's eyes as the two jumped over the downed Auror and ran through the school gates into the Forbidden Forest. Down the hill towards Hagrid's they ran, arms out to balance they were careful to keep their footing, it would be a nasty fall. The faint singing and teasing of Bellatrix Lestrange echoed through the woods, they were close! Harry ran ahead, his longer legs carrying him forward at great pace towards Hagrid's hut.
"Snape!" Harry shouted as he spotted the black clad death eaters just outside the hut. "He trusted you!"
Snape turned to find the owner of the shouts, just as Bellatrix ignited Hagrid's hut, squealing happily like a little girl.
"Go on," Snape called to his posse, all but Bellatrix and Lucius moved on passed the hut. Astrid got to the tree line, she could see them now, retreating down passed Hagrid's hut, she watched as Harry flicked a spell at the ex-potions master, which Severus easily deflected. Astrid ran towards Harry, with hopes to help him in his duel against the professor.
"Fight back!" Harry yelled with rage. "You coward! Fight back!"
Bellatrix took Harry's blinding rage as an opportunity, and stun the boy, sending him flying onto his back. She laughed wildly at the sight.
"No!" Severus scolded the curly haired menace, "He belongs to the Dark Lord!" Bellatrix eyed Severus for a moment, sticking her tongue out the side of her mouth she tilted her head in annoyance and retreated away, brushing passed Lucius' shoulder roughly.
"Everly! Harry!" Astrid yelled as she ran towards the defenceless boy. Lucius watched with desperate eyes as she flicked her wand at Severus, a spell he easily deflected into the grass before turning away and walking towards Lucius. When she got to Harry, he had begun to regain himself, pushing himself up off the grass, Astrid helped pull him to his feet, and there he cast his wand forward, towards the retreating Snape.
"Sectumsempra!" He yelled, but Snape turned and deflected the spell once again. And instead hit Harry with a second stun, sending him flying out of Astrid's grip. Astrid began to raise her wand at Snape, but he disarmed her quickly.
"Expelliarmus!" Astrid's wand jumped out of her hand and tumbled down the grass hill somewhere to be lost in the darkness. A wandless Astrid went to grab Snape as he stalked towards Harry, but he pushed her to the ground roughly, she yelped at the sudden impact. Lucius looked at her helplessly, and then to the retreating death eaters down the hill, he could just see the form of Everly being held to Yaxley's shoulder in the moonlight. He'd never felt so torn.
"My baby!" She sobbed as she watched Everly disappearing into the forest in the arms of a death eater. "Bring her back… Everly… my baby…" She called over and over again, her shouts became cries, cries then became whimpers as she brought her knees up to herself and hugged them tightly. Lucius could see the tears streaming down her face in the glow of the burning building. She glanced up the hill to Severus and Harry. Snape stood over Harry menacingly, his black cape blowing wildly in the wind.
"You dare use my own spells against me, Potter?" Snape sneered down at the boy. "Yes… I'm the half-blood prince."
Severus kicked the wand from Harry's hand and strode towards Lucius, he refused to look at the crumpled, inconsolable girl who sobbed in the grass, it would be too much to bear. Instead, he grabbed Lucius roughly by the shoulder, for he knew he would not leave her in such a state on his own accord. Severus pushed him away, down the hill, Lucius tried to look over his shoulder to catch one last glimpse of his beloved but Severus forced him forward through the slippery grass and they both disappeared into the foggy woods.