AN:
Many thanks to my great beta reader Verlor (id: 1113787) for his fantastic and overwhelming help with this chapter! Cheers!
Chapter 33 - Tears of Blood
Blue. That was what Harry saw, where he directed all his thoughts, all his senses, all his being. A unique blue, as sublime and tremendous as the arctic oceans. But for Harry, in this place, at this time, it was the only thing that saved him from drowning in the dark, the cruel reality that surrounded him like a cage, metaphorically and literally. The sight of Daphne's eyes made Harry forget the thick iron bars around him, at least for a few, wonderful moments.
He could feel that Daphne felt the same. She, too, lost herself in his eyes, her silver lining on the horizon. She, too, clung to that one sight with everything she had, ignoring the cold and despair in her heart.
They had nothing else. The tears on their faces had long since dried, their voices hoarse from screaming in silence. Around them was darkness, illuminated only by a small torch on the wall. It was the only light source in the bleak cell block of the Ministry that Harry and Daphne had been thrown into. They were to be kept there until their trial the next day. For in the eyes of the world they were both criminals – murderers, legacy hunters, unscrupulous creatures. And criminals did not deserve joy and warmth.
And cells were no place for laughter.
That's why Harry was startled when he suddenly heard a laugh, still quiet, but growing louder and louder. It was not a warm laugh, not an inviting laugh nor a joyful one. No, this was a laugh that only sparked ridicule and malicious glee.
"Awww, is the wannabe dark couple sad?" came a cold, feminine voice. "Is killing no fun anymore when you're caught? Boo-hoo."
"Focus on the mission," hissed a male voice Harry would have recognized anywhere. Too often he had heard his insults. Snape!
Harry jumped up and saw that Daphne was doing the same. Both knew that they were helpless in their cells without their wands, but standing on their own two feet at least gave them the illusion that they still had some control.
Four black shapes in hooded cloaks emerged from the darkness. One of the figures stepped forward, pulling down their hood. A woman emerged whom Harry had only seen in the papers before. Azkaban had emaciated Bellatrix Lestrange's face, made it gaunt and skull-like, but there was still that feverish, fanatical glow in her eyes that had once made her the most feared witch in all of Britain. And in her hand she played with Daphne's light-colored wand, while Harry recognized his own darker wand in Snape's hand, his long, greasy hair giving him away. How dare they?!
"But just look at the little ones," sneered Bellatrix. "They look so cute. I think they'd love to cut our throats." She started giggling like crazy.
"Quiet, both of you," barked a third voice Harry identified as Barty Crouch Jr.'s. A cold shiver ran down his back. "We need to focus on our mission. We don't have much time. Rodolphus, free the other children. We'll take care of these two here."
The Death Eater who hadn't said anything yet gave a short nod before leaving the cell block through a door on the other side. Harry and Daphne were now alone with Barty Crouch, Bellatrix Lestrange and Severus Snape, Voldemort's most dangerous followers. In vain, Harry searched for a way out, some way to escape; he could not find anything. Even so, he would not surrender without a fight!
"Are you here to kill us?" Harry hissed.
Bellatrix laughed. "Oh, he wants to tell us something. Certainly something naughty. He must be so mad."
Harry understood. Apparently the cell's enchantment also prevented his voice from being heard in the hallway and not just in the other cell. Exchanging a look with Daphne, he saw fear on her face. The fear that they would die apart from each other.
Barty raised his wand, casting a spell that made the bars glow yellow for a brief moment. "Speak, Potter," he then said.
"Are you here to kill us?" Harry repeated.
"Only if you don't do what we want," Barty replied. "But first we'd kill your whore, after we had some fun with her. Our good friend Fenrir has developed a voracious appetite for beautiful girls, although their beauty is gone by the time he's done with them."
Harry's body shook with fury. He wanted to slit their throats, gouge their eyes, drown them in pain, over and over again, just for daring to talk about her like that. However, the feeling of Daphne's love spilled over to him, urging him to keep calm. They exchanged a look, blue and green stars twinkling in the dark. Imperceptibly, Daphne nodded her head.
They had to play along. Until they got an opportunity to act.
"What do you want?" Harry pressed out between clenched teeth.
"Only that you come with us for a moment," said Barty. "You just have to do us a favor. No big deal, don't worry. After all, we planned all this well." Harry's surprise had to be visible, because with a grin Barty continued," Yes, did you think that it was all a coincidence? That it was just revenge that spurred Draco and his friends on? It was all part of the Dark Lord's plan. And it turned out exactly as he anticipated. Except maybe that you killed Lupin." He grinned at them.
Harry's stomach rumbled at the thought of Remus, of his dead eyes staring at him reproachfully. It hurt. But pain was good. Pain showed he was still human.
There was a loud clank from the darkness as Barty summoned a bunch of keys. "You won't do anything stupid if I open your cell, will you, Potter? You don't want to do that to your Daphne, right?"
The way the bastard pronounced Daphne's name just sounded wrong, but Harry forced himself to stay still and nod. Grinning, Barty placed one of the keys in the keyhole of Harry's cell door, which then squeaked open. Only the raised wands of his three enemies prevented Harry from running to Daphne – or pouncing on the Death Eaters.
"Your whore stays here," said Barty, "to make sure you do what we want. Bellatrix, you stay with her. Severus and I are going with Potter."
"If you lay a finger on her," Harry growled, but instantly Barty pointed his wand straight at his face, an angry sparkle in his eyes.
"You're in no position to make demands," he snarled. "Now go!"
Harry glanced one last time at Daphne, who was shouting something to him. He could not hear her words, but he could read their meaning from her lips and mind. I love you.
With the feeling of her love in his heart, but also terrible fear and anger, Harry left the cell block, Barty and Snape behind him, their wands pointing at his back.
I'll come back, Daphne. I'll come back and save you. I love you. I love you.
Gulping back her tears, Daphne watched Harry go. Why did it feel like a final farewell?
Please, Harry. Please come back to me.
A chill ran down Daphne's spine as she felt Bellatrix Lestrange's eyes on her.
Harry passed the motionless figures of Elphias Doge and two Aurors, drooling and staring into the air. So much for their watchdogs.
They walked down a long, dark corridor before finally reaching a large room with many desks separated by small walls and mountains of parchment stacked on top of one another. This had to be the Auror Office, Harry guessed.
"Go left," said Barty from behind him.
A moment later Harry heard a few quick steps before feeling a gasping breath on his neck, making his hair stand on end.
"It's such a shame, my beautiful art gone, don't you think?" Barty whispered, stroking Harry's back with his wand. "But maybe I'll have the chance to redo it later..."
Harry swallowed his wrath as the memories of his skinning rose in him, the stabbing pain as his back was being carved. Instead, he looked discreetly over his shoulder. Barty was right behind him now. Harry was confident that if he suddenly turned around, he could push the Death Eater to the ground and overwhelm him. As soon as he snatched the wand from him –
Harry stopped the thought. Snape was further behind them. He had to wait for a better opportunity.
They reached the elevators, whose empty openings loomed up like jaws in the darkness.
"Press the button to go down," Barty ordered.
Harry pressed the nearest down button and shortly a lift clattered into sight, its gold grilles sliding aside with a loud, echoing clanking.
"In there. And press number nine."
The thoughts swirled in Harry's head. What was hidden on the ninth floor? He had only been in the atrium before when they had put the medals on him and Daphne, when Fudge had been still using them for his ego trip.
Harry stepped into the elevator and, after Barty and Snape had also entered, hit the button. With a loud bang, the grilles closed, before the lift began to descend, jangling and rattling. Harry was sure that the noise would raise every security person in the building, but probably the Death Eaters had taken care of that too. After a few seconds, the lift stopped. A cool female voice said "Department of Mysteries" and the grilles slid open again.
So that's where they wanted to go, Harry thought. But what was their goal?
Since there was no other way, Harry headed for a plain black door at the end of the corridor. He opened it and stepped through. They were now in a large, circular room, the ceiling and floor of which were completely black. Identical, also black doors were set into the black wall all around, with candlesticks in between, their candles glowing blue.
Barty started mumbling something Harry couldn't understand when suddenly one of the doors on their right lit up. "Through that, Potter," said Barty.
Stepping through the door, bright, diamond-sparkling light blinded Harry. They had entered a room full of clocks; big and small, beautiful and ugly, grandfather clocks and travel alarm clocks. They were everywhere, on high shelves, on desks, on the carpeted floor. And the source of the bright light was a large crystal bell jar that stood at the other end of the room.
"Don't stop, Potter. Go on."
Careful not to touch any of the clocks, Harry walked through a narrow corridor between the rows of desks, past the crystal bell jar, which seemed to be full of a billowing, glittering wind, until they finally stood in front of another black door. With a pounding heart, Harry opened that door too.
Defiantly, Daphne returned Bellatrix Lestrange's gaze, pretending to be much calmer than she felt. Under no circumstances would she show how scared she was, how gripped she was by her overwhelming worry for her Harry. He would find a solution, she was sure, she just had to hold out long enough. That hope was the only thing driving her.
Meanwhile, Bellatrix had started grinning at Daphne, her fingers playing with Daphne's wand. "So you're Cissy's murderer," she said. "Tell me, did you enjoy it? Did it arouse you, all the blood, the cries of pain, the smell of burnt flesh?"
Daphne did not answer, her thoughts focused solely on Harry. With every step he took, an ice-cold fist pressed around her heart.
"Oh, the princess thinks she's something better, too refined to speak to scum like me. But you're just like us, aren't you? You are a bad girl. You killed and you liked it. I can see it in your eyes."
Daphne closed her eyes as if she could escape this nightmare if she could not see anymore. But there was no escape from the cruel words.
"Do you know what else is fun? It's my favorite spell, I have to admit ... have you seen it before? Surely you have. Your slut of a mother must have enjoyed it … But have you used it yourself? Have you experienced the so, so wonderful feeling of having another person in your grip ... for sure you have. You certainly tortured Cissy before you killed her… Oh, how I will make you pay…"
Eagerly, Bellatrix licked her lips before she suddenly started giggling like crazy again.
"Oh, I see it, I see it. You want to torture me, don't you? Bring me pain. Kill me. But you can't because you're just a helpless little baby with no wand. Because I have it. And I think I'm going to maim you with your own wand. What do you think, dear?"
Daphne wanted nothing more than to kill Bellatrix, to throw her into the same hell as her parents and Malfoy before. The very thought ignited her heart, making her body tremble with fury and hatred, but she forced herself to keep a cool head. Perhaps Bellatrix would open her cell if she irritated her more. Perhaps then she would have an opportunity to –
Quickly approaching steps tore Daphne from her thoughts.
"Ah, there are our other guests."
Harry entered a room the size of a cathedral, the ceiling of which was lost in the darkness. The room was filled with towering shelves covered in small, dusty, glass orbs. Some of the orbs shimmered dimly in the light of the blue candles, others were dull and dark like black coal. The room was very cold.
"Forward," Barty hissed behind him. "Up to row ninety-seven."
Harry looked at the next shelf, to which a gold plate with the number fifty-three was attached, before he started walking, past the long alleys of shelves, the farther ends of which were in near total darkness. Now he also noticed small, silver labels under each of the glass balls. Finally, they reached row ninety-seven.
"In there, slowly forward."
Cautiously, Harry stepped into the alley. What did the Death Eaters want here? And what were these glass balls?
"Stop," Barty's voice suddenly pulled him out of his thoughts.
Harry stopped, right next to a glass ball on whose label he, to his dismay, recognized his own name. With a pounding heart he read:
S.P.T. to A.P.W.B.D.
Dark Lord and (?) Harry Potter
"Take it," Barty ordered.
As if in a trance, Harry stretched out his arm before he suddenly pulled himself together. Pausing, he looked at the two Death Eaters who were still threatening him with their wands. "What kind of ball is that?" he asked. "What do you want with it?"
"Stupid boy," hissed Barty. "That is a prophecy. And the only ones who can remove a prophecy from this hall are those about whom it was made."
Harry was stunned. A prophecy? About him and Voldemort?
"Take the prophecy," said Snape, who had been silent the entire time.
Harry knew he had no choice. He had to take the prophecy to save Daphne. With a deep breath, Harry raised his arm, closing his fingers around the dusty ball. It felt surprisingly warm as if it had been lying in the sun for hours.
"Now give it to me," Barty commanded, his voice soaking with desire. "Give it to me!"
Tightening his grip on the ball, Harry replied in as firm a voice as possible, "No. I will only give it to you when I see that Daphne is fine." He could sense that nothing had been done to her so far, even if her soul was still trembling with fear, worry, and suppressed anger, but he knew that he could not hand over his only advantage so easily.
Barty's eyes sparkled irately, but eventually, he hissed, "Then go, boy."
Daphne watched helplessly as her Slytherins schoolmates, who had apparently also been arrested after their attack at Hogwarts, now joined the Death Eaters. They were truly outnumbered.
"Draco," Bellatrix called proudly, taking the boy in her arms.
Daphne almost retched at the sight, but Malfoy did not seem to enjoy his aunt's hug either, as his body suddenly stiffened.
"You did very well," Bellatrix continued, patting Malfoy on the back. "The Dark Lord will be very pleased with you." Breaking away from her nephew, Bellatrix let her gaze wander over the others as well. "With all of you. You all made your parents proud today."
She then turned back to Daphne, a cruel smile on her face, her eyes shining manically. "And here we have your parents' killer, Daphne ... Potter." She spat the last word as if it caused her physical pain. "I think you are all more than eager to show her how happy you are to see her."
"Do you think that's a good idea?", the other Death Eater spoke for the first time. "The Dark Lord –"
"Just said we shouldn't kill her," Bellatrix interrupted angrily. "Now let's have our fun."
Bellatrix pointed her wand at the bunch of keys on the floor, which then floated directly to Daphne's cell. A key entered the lock, causing the cell door to creak open.
Daphne froze. Panic overwhelmed her. She wanted to get out of here! She didn't want to be here!
But she had no choice. Bellatrix now pointed her wand at Daphne, and she felt herself being pulled forward by invisible forces. She tried in vain to fight back, having no longer control over her body. Helplessly, she was exposed to the hungry gaze of her enemies.
"Draco, don't you want to avenge your parents?" Bellatrix whispered in Malfoy's ear, but her voice echoed throughout the cell block. "She's right in front of you now. You can do whatever you want with her. She can't defend herself. You can give her pain. You can take all of your desires out on her…"
Daphne twisted and tried in vain to free herself from the spell that was immobilising her. She wanted to scream, bite, beat, but her limbs no longer obeyed her. Tears pressed against her eyes.
Malfoy straightened up in front of her, his gaze sliding over her body. Oh, how she'd love to scratch his ugly eyes out. Shivering slightly, Malfoy pointed his wand at her, right at her face, and ... nothing happened.
Daphne could feel her heart pounding wildly as she glared at the last Malfoy with hatred, but he just stood motionless in front of her. Seconds passed without anything happening. Eventually, Malfoy lowered his wand, slouching his shoulders.
"Stupid boy," hissed Bellatrix, pushing him aside. "Is there anyone among you who is not as pathetic as my nephew?"
"I'll do it," said Parkinson, storming forward and pointing her wand at Daphne, her face a grimace of hatred. "This is for my father. Crucio!" A flash of red broke out of her wand.
Daphne screamed.
They were walking down the narrow corridor to the lifts when Harry suddenly felt a terrible fear spreading from Daphne to him as if his heart had been dipped into a pool of icy water. He stopped. Something happened to Daphne! The bastards did something to her! He had to –
All of a sudden, Harry felt as if his frozen heart had burst into blazing flames. Daphne was overcome by excruciating pains that shook Harry's soul, her screams echoing back in his mind, displacing any other thoughts.
He had to go to her! He had to help her!
Harry ran off, filled with burning need to reach Daphne.
"Stop, Potter!" Barty yelled from behind him, but Harry could not hear him anymore. "Stand still! Stop! Cru –"
Then everything went very quickly.
Harry spun around. At the same time, Snape screamed, jerking up his wand. There was a loud bang and suddenly Snape's body and the walls of the corridor were covered with blood and intestines. With a large hole in the center, Barty's body sagged at Snape's feet, whose wand was smoking lightly.
Looking at Harry, Snape opened his mouth. "Harry, you –"
Suddenly Snape collapsed on the floor as well, foam coming from his mouth and blood running from his nose. He writhed in pain, but after a few moments his body went limp. He was dead.
Harry, however, hardly noticed any of that. As soon as Snape collapsed, he stormed off and snatched his wand out of his cramped hand before running on to the lift as quickly as possible, unaware that a man had just sacrificed himself out of love. But Harry was focused solely on his goal.
Hold on, Daph! I'm coming! I'm coming! Hold on!
Pain. Unimaginable pain. It was everywhere, cutting deep into Daphne, devouring every positive thought – except one. Desperate, she stretched her arm toward the door. She had to get out of here, she had to reach Harry, she had to –
"Awww, is the little baby crawling away? There is no escape from the pain, dear. Who wants to try next?"
"Me! Crucio!"
Screaming, Daphne writhed on the floor, seeing nothing but veils of blood in front of her eyes.
"Yes! Yes! More! More!"
"Crucio!"
"Crucio!"
"Crucio!"
More and more flashes seared Daphne's body, her blood boiling like glowing lava. Never before had Daphne experienced such pain. Her mind was about to renounce her body, to finally escape the horrific agony of hell, but her little soul clung desperately to the epitome of all her hopes and dreams.
Their bond trembled but did not break.
Panicked, Harry ran out of the lift, feeling Daphne's soul cling to their bond like a drowning man on a piece of wood, feeling the dark abyss behind her threatening to engulf her mind.
I'm coming, Daph! I'm coming!
As fast as his legs could carry him, Harry ran through the open-plan office, through the dark corridor, straight into the cell block. A true horror awaited him there.
The figures of the two remaining Death Eaters and their Slytherin classmates leaned over the writhing Daphne, their wands and Daphne's body connected by rays of red light and the stench of scorched flesh, malicious laughter and Daphne's screams of pain cutting the air. For a brief moment, Harry and Daphne's eyes met. Bloody streaks ran through Daphne's irides, staining their purity, before her body doubled up again.
No power in the world could have held Harry back now.
Blind with rage and hatred, he stormed forward, a brutish roar, deprived of all humanity, coming from his throat. His enemies could not react in time. Like dolls, they were thrown against the bars. Immediately Harry followed suit, waving his wand like a scythe. Necks were snapped, eyeballs ripped, lives extinguished, blood and broken glass covering the floor.
Within a few seconds, it was all over.
Harry was just turning to Daphne when an insane laugh rang out. "It is you! It is you!" Bellatrix Lestrange shouted as she tried to hold her bowels in her slit belly with her hands, her broken wand lying next to her. "You are the end! You will –"
Harry raised his wand to kill her too when suddenly another voice rang out. "Not yet," Daphne croaked, leaning on the floor with her knees and hands, covered in sweat and panting heavily. Blood ran from her mouth.
Instantly, Harry was at her side, carefully reaching out his hand to Daphne's body, which was still shaking violently. He felt that she was at the end of her tether, still, she continued to straighten up.
"Daphne! Daphne!" he exclaimed fearfully. "Are you okay? Is –"
I'm alive," replied Daphne, sending him a feeling of boundless love. "Just because of you! Oh, Harry, I love you!"
"And I love you! I love you, I love you, I love you!"
Tears ran down Harry's face as he hugged Daphne's trembling body, so fragile, yet so, so strong. How could he have let them do this to her?
"It's not your fault, Harry. It's not your fault..."
Harry did not have the heart to contradict her, but he knew he had a lot to blame himself for. First, however, they had to get out of there, out of the Ministry, to safety!
"In a moment," said Daphne. "We have to do something first."
With Harry's help, she managed to get off the floor, but her shaky legs couldn't carry her weight. Harry had to support her as they turned to the dying Bellatrix, who was still giggling. With each sound she made, the pool of blood around her grew larger.
"I'll do it," Harry said firmly, pointing his wand at the Death Eater. He had never used the spell since they found it in Valeydis' book titled "Mind", but he was sure it would work. It just had to.
All his thoughts focused on the target in front of him, he opened his mouth. A melodious hissing rang out as a beam of white light broke out of his wand, piercing Bellatrix's forehead. Instantly, her cackling giggles died away, replaced by a panicked squeak.
"No, no ... out ... out of my – Arrgh!"
Bellatrix began to scream in pain, but instead of enjoying it, Harry cut deeper into her mind. Any resistance was swept away with sheer force, like a tsunami hitting flat land.
Pictures flared up in front of his mind's eye. Crying children next to their dead parents, bled-out Muggles, three girls in the ballroom of Grimmauld Place…
That wasn't what Harry was looking for. Determined, he dug even deeper, uncovering her most well-kept secrets. Voldemort, not quite as inhumane looking as now ... he gave Bellatrix a golden cup. But where did she take it? Where, damn it? Suddenly Harry saw the small figure of a goblin in front of him, in front of Bellatrix. He led her deep down, into the deepest halls of Gringotts, much deeper than Harry and Daphne had ever gone ... and then he saw it ...the vault of the Lestranges.
Triumphantly, Harry drew back from the memory, opening his eyes. Bellatrix's once dark hair had become snow-white, her skin wrinkled. With one last flicker of remorse, the light of life in her eyes went out.
They knew the location of another one of Voldemort's Horcruxes!
However, Harry and Daphne did not linger long to cheer. They still had to get out of there as soon as possible. It was only a matter of time before more people would show up. With Harry's arm around Daphne's waist and her arm around his shoulder, the couple hobbled towards the exit. Every step was agony for Daphne, as Harry could feel. Her breath rattled and she still spat blood with every move.
They were halfway to the door when an icy voice rang out, freezing the blood in Harry's veins.
"Oh no, you're not going anywhere."
In panic, Harry lifted his head, but his ears had not fooled him. A chill spread across the cell block as he recognized the terrible snakelike face that looked little like Quirrell anymore … Lord Voldemort had appeared in the doorway, his wand pointing at Harry and Daphne, who froze in motion.
Harry's mind was racing. He knew Daphne could not fight anymore.
"Behind me," he told her in his mind.
Daphne did not move, just tightened the grip on her wand. "I won't let you fight alone."
She didn't have to say it. Harry knew what she did not dare to say. She also wouldn't let him die alone. For what chances did they, in their condition, have against Voldemort? But then Harry felt a hot anger flare up inside him. No! They were not yet defeated, nor had they lost!
Gathering all his courage, Harry looked defiantly into Voldemort's eyes. "Go away," he said. "We killed your minions, we will kill you too."
Voldemort's scarlet, slit-pupiled eyes glided across the room, over the disfigured corpses and pools of blood, the traces of the previous massacre. "Yes, I see what you did," he said without any emotion. "Apparently my daughter is more like me than I've –"
Harry didn't let him finish, firing an explosive spell at Voldemort while Daphne had started making soft hissing sounds, but Voldemort blocked it with a quick flick of his wand.
"That was –"
Again, Voldemort couldn't finish. Harry felt the familiar pull on his soul and an arm of black fog shot from Daphne's wand straight at Voldemort. Widening his eyes in shock, Voldemort conjured a shining, silver shield out of thin air, on which the fog bounced off with a deep, gonglike note.
Daphne collapsed on the ground, gasping madly, but every breath tore her lungs. Screaming, he fired another curse at Voldemort, which he again simply blocked.
"Pathetic," said Voldemort. "Enough playing."
With that, Voldemort waved his wand at inhuman speed. Harry felt a powerful magical impulse and was about to create a shield in front of him and Daphne when Voldemort's spell hit him right in the chest. Harry was hurled against the wall, right next to Goyle's decapitated body, while his wand landed out of reach in a pool of blood. Thick ropes wrapped around Harry's body.
In vain Harry struggled against his bonds while he watched as Voldemort disarmed the rising Daphne, kicking her back to the ground. Pointing his wand threateningly at her, Voldemort turned to Harry.
"Where's the prophecy?" he asked. "Answer or she will suffer even more."
Helplessly, Harry looked back and forth between Daphne and Voldemort. Daphne tried hard to straighten up, but her spell seemed to have drained the rest of her strength. Shaking, she collapsed on the floor.
"Where's the prophecy, Potter?"
Only then did Harry notice that he was no longer holding the glass ball in his hand. He must have dropped it, and indeed ... near the door he could see its black fragments.
"It's destroyed," Harry said defiantly. "You will never get it. Never!"
Insensate fury glowing in his red eyes, Voldemort jerked up his wand before a sudden jolt went through his body. Slowly, he lowered his wand again and looked thoughtfully at Daphne. A terrible smile fell on his lips.
"It doesn't matter," said Voldemort. "You're going to die today, Potter ... by the hand of my daughter ... kill him, Daphne, and take your place by my side."
An incomprehensible croak came from Daphne, interrupted by another bloody rattle.
"What was that, daughter? I didn't understand you."
Harry felt Daphne pulling up all her strength to lean on her hands, her gaze and mind filled with abysmal revulsion. "I said," she hissed, "fuck you! I'll never join you."
"Crucio."
A flash of red burst from Voldemort's wand, hitting Daphne. Harry could feel her fighting, but eventually, she cried out in pain. Her screams mingled with Harry's screams of fury, while his mind desperately sought Daphne's, sending her feelings of love to somehow alleviate her suffering.
At some point Voldemort stopped the spell. "Silence, Potter," he spat, and after a brief flick of his wand Harry's screams fell silent. Then Voldemort turned back to Daphne, whose body was still twitching. "And, daughter? Do you obey me now? Just think of all the power I can give you. Everyone will be afraid of you, everyone will squirm on the ground in front of you, as you squirm in front of me now. The only thing you have to do is kill him."
With that, Voldemort conjured a black dagger and threw it on the ground in front of Daphne. "Kill him."
With visible effort, Daphne turned her head until she could look Harry in the eyes. Tears glittering, her mind filled with a deep sadness. Frantically, Harry fought against his bonds. He had to reach her, take her in his arms, comfort her. He wanted to make her smile again, to hear her laughter.
From Daphne, a feeling of warmth surged to him, wrapping around his heart, seizing his whole being.
"My name is Daphne Potter," Daphne whispered, a lonely tear running down her cheek. "Harry Potter is my husband. I have sworn to love and honor him for all time, in this life and beyond. And I will keep this vow. No power in heaven or earth will ever stop me from loving Harry Potter."
Not once had Daphne averted her gaze from Harry, her eyes filled with the same sincerity as on their wedding day. Harry wanted to call out to her that he loved her too, that he would do anything to save them both, but he still couldn't utter a sound, thus had to leave it to his eyes and soul to show her his love.
"Look at me, daughter," Voldemort's commanding voice cut the tender moment, but Daphne did not move, her gaze still fixed on Harry, her petite body trembling violently.
"Look at me or you will never look at anyone again!"
Still, Daphne did not turn her gaze away. Harry too only saw her sparkling eyes in the darkness, his little piece of heaven in this hell of life. Together, they gave each other the strength they could not have mustered alone.
"Crucio."
Daphne's body was gripped by excruciating agony. She screamed, but still, she did not look away from Harry. Silently and with tears in his eyes, Harry yelled at her, trying to be her anchor to whom she could cling. Together they would survive this. Somehow!
After almost a minute the red lightning went out. "I see," Voldemort said, "I have to break you a lot more before you're ready to serve. Let's see what love is worth."
The temperature seemed to drop even further as Voldemort leaned over to Daphne, pressing his wand into her neck. "Welcome to the dark, daughter."
Daphne began to scream, even more terrifying than before, as if the previous torture had only been a foretaste of the torments that now gripped her body. Powerless, Harry had to watch as more and more tears ran from Daphne's eyes, first transparent and brightly sparkling in the torchlight, then becoming more and more reddish, until she eventually cried tears of blood. The blood ran down her cheeks, soaking them in the color of life, as her eyes lost all color until Harry saw nothing but empty, dead white.
"Harry! Harry!" Daphne screamed with her voice and soul, moving her head wildly. "Where are you? Where are you? Harry!"
"I'm here!" Harry wanted to shout, but no sound came from his throat. Then he suddenly felt the spells on him being lifted, the ropes around him disappearing, causing Harry to hit the floor. Immediately he got up again and was by Daphne's side. When he threw his arms around her, he felt as if he had touched liquid fire.
"Harry! Harry!" he finally heard Daphne's thoughts again, cutting deep into him like a storm of knives. "Where are you? Where are you?"
"I'm here!" Harry called to her. "Right in front of you. I'm here! I'm here!"
At his words, Daphne's trembling intensified, this time not from pain but abysmal fear. "I can't see you! I can't see you! I can't see you!"
Daphne repeated that one sentence over and over again, rolling her blind eyes around her eye sockets. Nothing was left of the beautiful blue in which Harry had so often lost himself, which had been the most beautiful sight on earth for him.
"Harry Potter," Voldemort's voice cut the air. "If you really love her, you will kill her. Otherwise I'll torture her again and again until she'll eventually serve me."
Harry was at a loss. What should he do? Daphne was at the end of her tether, her mind pure chaos, no longer capable of any clear thoughts, robbed of her eyesight. Their wands lay somewhere in dirt and blood, out of reach. Then Harry's hand slid over the black dagger on the floor that Voldemort had tossed Daphne. It was freezing cold.
"Kill her," said Voldemort. "This is the only way you can save her. Show me that love is worth something, as the old fool keeps saying. Kill her and then I'll kill you. You two can be united in death. If you refuse, I'll break her in ways you can't even imagine…"
Harry's heart pounded in his chest. Blood rushed in his ears. And his mind and soul trembled with Daphne's feelings.
For the first time in years, Harry felt alone. He was holding Daphne in his arms, but she wasn't really with him, her body aching, her mind a mess...
How much he wished he could look into her eyes again, as he had so often before. But that sanctuary, too, had been taken from him by Voldemort and the cruelty of the world. How much Harry wished they could simply renounce this world that had only disappointed them over and over again.
His fingers closed around the handle of the dagger. It felt rough, devoid of any grace or beauty.
Death was not the end. His mother had told him herself. And he could feel that his parents were watching over him in death. And Sirius. And Remus. He would be able to see them again, ask them for forgiveness...
With trembling hands, Harry held the dagger to Daphne's throat, her dead eyes pleading with desperation, or so it seemed to him. He just had to push it and it would all be over, all the pain, all the suffering. Shortly after Daphne he would die too, no matter what Voldemort did. In death, they would be united. They would have fought together and died together, just as they had promised themselves.
Blood dripped into Harry's eye from a wound on his forehead.
He was bleeding, bleeding, the blood made him hungry, the hunger fed his soul.
No! They hadn't finished fighting yet, damn it! He was still breathing, he could still move his hand, had a knife. He wasn't ready to give up their dream yet!
With all his hatred, Harry screamed and hurled the dagger at Voldemort. His eyes widened in surprise, and, for a moment, Harry hoped that it would hit him, but the dagger just vanished in the air as if it had never been more than smoke and naive dreams.
"That was a mistake," said Voldemort. "With that you've condemned her –"
"Leave them alone!"
Harry jerked his head up to see Dumbledore standing in the doorway with his wand raised and Fawkes on his shoulder, his face white and furious. A warm feeling spread inside him – they were saved!
Voldemort's hand had tightened around his wand, as Harry could see when Voldemort turned to face the headmaster. "Dumbledore," he said in a perhaps slightly higher voice, otherwise not showing any signs of nervousness. "As always, you show up at the most inopportune times. You're interfering with a family dispute."
Confusion spread across Dumbledore's features while Fawkes croaked furiously.
"Didn't you know?" Voldemort said with mock astonishment. "Daphne is my daughter. And right now I have a little argument with her and my son-in-law."
Dumbledore's twinkling eyes glanced back and forth between Voldemort, Harry, and Daphne as if he didn't know how to react to this new knowledge. Fawkes, however, uttered another angry scream, and with a single, powerful flap of his wings, pounced directly on Voldemort's face, who in turn hurled the phoenix against the iron bars of the nearest cell. By now Dumbledore had overcome his surprise and wrapped Voldemort in cold, golden flames. There was a high-pitched whistle before the flames were suddenly thrown back onto Dumbledore.
A mighty magical battle broke out between the two wizards as if two forces of nature were clashing. The cell block was bathed in all the colors of the rainbow, interrupted again and again by the fiery flashes of the attacking Fawkes.
Heart racing, Harry felt for his wand. It had to be here, he thought desperately, it had fallen into that pool of blood, he was sure. Finally, his fingers closed around the familiar wood. Goosebumps spread all over his body.
At the same time, however, Daphne's fingers were clutching his clothes. "Don't leave me alone! I need you!" she sobbed. "I want to see you..."
"I'm here, Daph," Harry called. "I'm with you. I'm with you."
The sight of her empty, dead eyes felt like a stab to Harry's heart. The thoughts raged in his head. He loved Daphne, he loved her so much, but he couldn't stay with her. He had to fight, for her!
"I love you, Daphne. Always."
With the utmost effort and Daphne's wailing, Harry pulled away from her trembling body and jumped to his feet, the same moment he heard a whip-like crack. Spinning around, he saw Dumbledore collapse on the floor, his beard scorched and Fawkes screaming on his chest. Voldemort leaned over the two of them with two wands in his hands. "Now you're going to die, old man," he hissed.
Harry didn't hesitate for a second, immediately hurling a Bone-Breaking Curse at Voldemort that forced him to turn away from Dumbledore's defenseless form to block it. Harry instantly followed suit, firing three more curses at Voldemort, which ricocheted off his magical shield. Harry longed to use demonic magic, but he didn't have the time and, he feared, the strength. Daphne couldn't help him in her current condition, and he felt incredibly weary too, his wand heavy in his hand, his movements becoming increasingly slow. But Voldemort did not attack Harry and contented himself with repelling his spells. Voldemort was playing with him, Harry realized. Just like he had played with his classmates a few hours ago. Or did Voldemort not want to risk failing another attempt to kill?
Out of the corner of his eye, Harry could see Dumbledore getting up again, Daphne's wand in his hand. Dumbledore then fired a flash of yellow lightning at Voldemort, who snapped around and guided the lightning into the ceiling, causing stone and dust to trickle down on them. Harry wanted to take advantage of the brief moment of distraction to cast another curse in Voldemort's direction, but he was too slow, his arm and mind too slugghish. By the time he was finally ready, Voldemort was again in a perfect fighting position.
"You'll all die today," Voldemort hissed angrily. "You'll –"
Suddenly voices came up to them, many voices, getting louder and louder. And the next moment Harry saw the figures of Amelia Bones and numerous Aurors running into the cell block. He even spotted Tonks' bright red among them.
Then things started to happen very fast. Stunned faces. Screams. Lightning illuminating darkness. A cloud of smoke where Voldemort had just been.
"Fawkes," Dumbledore called.
The phoenix croaked loudly and with a few strokes of his wings, he was at Daphne's body, his claws digging into her shoulders. Harry was just able to grab Daphne's hand before the vortex of flames and smoke carried them away, leaving behind the traces of shed blood and shattered dreams.
To Harry it felt like he was awakening from a nightmare as the familiar outlines of their bedroom in Grimmauld Place appeared around them. He could almost pretend that everything was normal again, that they weren't standing in front of their life's ruins... if it hadn't been for Daphne's desperate sobs and dead eyes.
"I want to see you, Harry. I want to see you…"
Next chapter: E Tenebris Lux
Preview:
"You're angry with me," Dumbledore stated aptly as if he could read his mind. "You're angry with me because I'm not angry with you. Because I'm not yelling at you, telling you that you are a monster so that you can wallow in your self-pity that the world was oh so unfair to you. What, Harry? Do I see surprise in your eyes? No, you are not monsters, you and Daphne, even though you might wish you were. It would undoubtedly make a lot of things easier. Yet you are deeply human, with everything that comes with that. You may not realize it yet, but your souls are on fire. They're burning because of the things you did."
AN:
Many deaths in this chapter – RIP
That ends Act II of Birds and Monsters. The third and final act of the story begins with the next chapter.
