Happy Holidays!
I slumped as I felt my energy begin to drain. I looked down, and vaguely realized that blood was pooling under me, and creeping along the cracks in the stone floor towards the outside of the circle.
I felt weak.
Everything smelled like metal, as Astoria began to chant something in a strange language.
"What's going on? James? Al?"
"I couldn't find a way to fix the runes. I'm sorry." Albus's voice sounded muffled.
"It's fine."
The world started to go dark and quiet.
The doors flew open again, and everything cleared as scarlet-robed Aurors flooded into the room. A familiar voice spoke.
"Drop your wands! Astoria Greengrass-Malfoy, you are under arrest for the use of forbidden Dark rituals by the order of the British Ministry of Magic!"
Chapter 20: The Dark Lady, Part 1
"Dad?"
I gasped as blood and strength began to return to my limbs. James reached out to squeeze my hand reassuringly. So it had worked. Lysander's bird had gotten to him in time to warn the Aurors. We're safe!
Albus was the first to stumble to his feet. James and I followed him, and I noticed Albus's gaze darting between the symbols on the circle of runes. The rush of relief died out as Astoria made no move to drop her wand. Morgan tilted her head, and looked curiously at the assembled Aurors.
I caught sight of Teddy's blue hair amongst the semi-circle of scarlet-robed, frowning people.
Dad was standing at the front, looking more grim than I had ever seen him, and pointing his wand directly at Astoria.
The lightning bolt crackled aggressively. I reached for my wand, without taking my eyes off of Morgan. If there was going to be a fight, I would be ready.
Astoria snorted, tossing the Sword of Gryffindor to the ground with a dismissive gesture. She did not seem the least bit shaken by the dozens of wands pointed at her head. But why not?
"Come on, Harry. You know me better than that."
"You're outnumbered, Astoria," said Dad. "Drop your wand and come quietly."
Morgan shimmered in the low light of the basement.
"So, this is the famous Harry Potter. I have heard whispers of you in Avalon. I wonder how much stronger your love for your children will make me when I drain them of their magic and their lives."
"Do not threaten my children."
Astoria tossed her head. "Mind your tone, half-blood filth. You are in the presence of the ancestral witch. She can rip you and your precious Aurors into shreds like a wolf tears into a sparrow."
If the Aurors were at all intimidated, it did not show.
I turned to Albus. "Did you find a rune?"
"Yes." He drew a straight line over a symbol that reminded me of a lock, then completed something that looked like a semicircle. "Now try."
"We're not going to be ripped apart, are we?"
We all stood, and I scrunched my eyes tight as I stepped over the runes, half-expecting to disintegrate. Nothing happened. We were free.
"Fools!"
Morgan sent a ball of violet energy at Dad's head. He dodged, and the ball tore through the wall, leaving an angry, black scorch mark.
Dad's voice was heavy and unfamiliar.
"Surround her."
I attempted to run towards the Aurors, but James grabbed my arm before I could go more than a few paces. I turned towards him, confused.
"NO!" Astoria flicked her wand, and a wall of flame shot up between us and the Aurors. She began to chant again, in an attempt to restart the ritual.
"Come on, let's grab Malfoy and go!" I said. "She can't keep that up forever."
Astoria virtually ignored us as James and Albus stepped forward.
"Take him if you want. He's had his use. You three, however, are staying right here."
Albus knelt down next to Scorpius, taking his hand. Albus shuddered. I wondered if Scorpius's hand was cold.
That was a horrid thought.
I bit my lip, feeling a bit useless. I didn't know how to wake Scorpius, or extinguish the wall of fire. And I certainly didn't know what to do with the ancestral witch glowering at us. Her eyes were burning violet, and I didn't doubt Astoria's threat. I bit back fear, looking anywhere but at the haunting eyes that had followed me since I opened that cursed book.
"It doesn't matter how much you fight. How far you run. I've marked you. You're mine. You will come to me."
I shuddered, but did not look up to stare at Morgan defiantly, as James was. Instead, I glanced over to Albus and Scorpius, and instantly regretted it.
"Come on, wake up. Please, come on, Scor," he pleaded.
I had never heard Albus so frantic.
He shook Scorpius gently, frowning and trying hard not to cry.
I glared at Astoria. "What did you do to him?"
James turned back, interrupting Astoria. "Can we go through the flames?"
She stopped chanting to glower at James. "Try at your own peril. The fire is cursed."
"Fiendfyre! You're crazy."
Astoria crossed her arms. "No, simply determined."
James nudged me. "Lily, look. The Sword of Gryffindor," he said in a quiet voice.
I hadn't noticed it before, but the silver sword lay glinting at my feet, just as it had in McGonagall's office.
The rubies on the hilt seemed to glow from the reflection of the fire. Beckoning me. Calling me.
I reached for it, just as Morgan sent a bolt of lightning at me.
"NO!"
My Quidditch training kicked in, and I ducked, barely missing the lightning. I gasped as the electricity singed the end of my braid, and I felt heat on my face. But I still managed to grasp the hilt with both arms.
The weight of the sword almost dragged my arms out of the sockets. The ruby buzzed under my palm, with an energy that reminded me of Astoria's green stone.
Metal stores energy, I remembered, metal carries electricity in the same way that wands carry magic.
Maybe...
I thrust the sword into the air as James cast a Shield Charm around between us and Morgan. The shield strained and shook as Morgan shot more lightning out of her bare hands. James was bending and shaking under the barrage of raw energy as he struggled to keep the shield up.
How is that possible? What is Morgan? An immortal, an ancestral witch, but what? How?
Albus was still trying to wake Scorpius.
"If you're going to do something with that sword, Lil, now might be a good time!" yelled James.
I didn't know if what I was thinking would work, but I had to try. I screwed my eyes shut, and focused on the heat of the flames.
I imagined pulling them closer, trying to find the same concentration as if I were casting a spell. The heat around me grew searing-hot, and my head pounded.
I managed to open my eyes slightly. I looked up, and the wall of Fiendfyre was pooling into a swirling vortex above our heads. My arms burned with exhaustion from keeping the sword up, and the blade seemed to sing as the flames poured into it. I couldn't give up. I had to keep going.
Morgan was screaming in frustration, and James's Shield Charm strained under the weight of her attacks. Astoria was chanting again.
"Can't you go any faster, Lil?"
"I'm trying!"
As the flames left the wall, the silhouettes of the Aurors standing behind us came into focus. People began to step through the fire, now reduced to mere embers licking at the stone floor.
I staggered and nearly fell. The sword was heavy with the weight of absorbing the fire, and I let it clatter to the floor.
Someone steadied me. I looked up to meet a familiar face.
"Teddy?"
He nodded. "Are you alright to stand?"
"Yeah," I said, but still gripped his arm for balance.
"You will not ruin this!" snapped Astoria, her face contorting in fury. A sharp, yellow light sliced through James's Shield Charm, sending him flying backwards.
"Where's Dad?" I looked around, but the room was filled with scarlet-robed people and my glasses had been lost in the scuffle. I picked the sword up with both hands. I felt sick and nervous, my clammy hands sliding across the warm hilt.
Teddy pointed. "He's over there. Come on, we need to get you out of here."
He grabbed my wrist and started to drag me away.
"I want to fight!"
"No. Take Scorpius, he's injured."
Teddy's tone was earnest. I knew that he wanted to protect me, but this was my mess to fix. I couldn't just sit by and let everyone else do the work.
I wrenched my arm from Teddy's grip. "No! I started this whole mess, so I'll fix it!"
"You need to get Morgan back into the lightning bolt."
"What?"
I pointed at the crackling violet light that sliced the room from ceiling to floor.
"That's where she came from. So we need to get her back in there."
Teddy looked confused. Morgan was protecting Astoria, and the entire room lit with violet light.
What had I done?
"Look, Teddy. The Aurors can't hold her back for long. We need a permanent solution."
I heard people shouting to regroup, as the lights in the room flickered dark, and Aurors were thrown back against the wall. My heart was in my throat, and I drew back in fear. What chance did we have of even surviving?
Suddenly, Albus's voice cut through the sounds of battle.
"Protego Diabolica!"
I gasped as a ring of black fire passed through me and thundered forward.
"Albus, that's Dark magic!" Dad said behind me in a shocked voice. Albus turned towards us. He and James had Scorpius's arms around their shoulders, but he was still unconscious, his head lolling helplessly between them.
"I don't think Astoria cared who she burned when she was whipping Fiendfyre around. Besides, you said we needed to regroup," said Albus.
Albus and Dad locked eyes, both refusing to concede. The black flames crackled. I swallowed, trying to get rid of the cold, creeping anxiety.
"I still don't like stooping to their level," Dad said finally.
"It's not their level," Albus retorted. "Is Dark magic really Dark if the intent is to protect instead of harm? Besides, I was only able to keep it up for a few minutes when I practiced."
Dad frowned. "We'll continue this conversation when we're not in mortal peril."
Albus turned away, grimacing with the effort of keeping the flames under control. I tried to fill Dad in on what had happened as quickly as possible. People around us were muttering healing spells and checking for injuries. I saw James and Teddy moving Scorpius as far back as they could behind the line of fire.
Dad frowned. "So, in summary, the three of you decided that it would be a good idea to investigate a potentially Dark object without guidance, and now we're facing the return of an enemy that we know practically nothing about?"
"Yes. I'm sorry Dad, I had absolutely no idea that this was related to the Malfoy Problem, or else I would have told you. I promise," I said in a small voice.
"We are going to have a long discussion after this is over," said Dad. "Give me the sword."
He hefted it with a surprised look as I passed it to him. "Feels heavier than I remember."
"I think the fire made it heavy," he said thoughtfully, turning the sword over. "Goblin steel. It takes in only what makes it stronger."
I wondered what Dad was thinking, but Albus cut in before I could ask.
"Can't hold it for much longer!"
The black flames started to die, and I shut my eyes, tightening my grip on my wand.
"What do you suggest?" asked Dad.
That was the same tone he used with Teddy, James and Albus.
He wanted me to take responsibility.
I opened my eyes, wiping away tears. I had to be brave, like Dad. I had to be strong.
"I think the lightning bolt is a tear between worlds," I said, frowning. "If we could force her back through the tear-"
Dad nodded. He turned and began to shout orders at the Aurors.
"The shield's coming down!"
Albus slumped forward as the black flames fizzled out.
Morgan was standing calmly in front of the fire. She nodded at Albus.
"Most impressive," she said. "I have decided to give you a chance to surrender."
Dad crossed his arms. "What are the terms? What do you want?"
The glowing eyes narrowed. "Leave. Leave the children with me. They've been marked with my magic. The last of the Peverell line belongs to me."
"That's not happening."
"Then die."
Several simultaneous Shield Charms were cast as more violet lightning rained down on us.
"What now?" asked one of the Aurors.
"Push her towards the rip," said Dad, as the shield shook under the onslaught. "It's our only option."
He turned to Teddy. "Keep them safe."
Astoria was chanting again. This time, she was protected by a sheet of air crackling with Morgan's lightning.
"Should we panic now?" I whispered to Teddy.
He shook his head. "It is never time to panic. Watch. Look, and try to see something that others may not."
I squinted at the sea of scarlet, but saw nothing but guilt. My actions had brought us here. Brought her here.
There was a lull in the battle, as Dad and Morgan circled each other, the latter leaving a trail of blurred light in her wake.
The bolt of lightning - the rip in reality - snapped and burned behind Morgan.
"What do you want?" Dad asked. "Why have you come?"
Morgan seemed to burn. The air around her shimmered.
"They split me. They tore me. They ripped me."
"Why?"
Dad was holding the sword in his left hand. I stood behind Teddy, wondering what Dad was planning to do with it.
"A curse, Harry Potter. A curse on your blood, placed there by magic that mortals such as you cannot possibly understand."
I glanced over at James, who was frowning. A blood curse? Neither the Potter or the Weasley families had a blood curse. She had to be bluffing. We didn't have a blood curse. We couldn't. James, Albus, Dad, Mum... I couldn't bear to lose any of them.
"Are you an immortal being?"
"Yes."
Instantly, Dad drew the Sword of Gryffindor, pointing it at Morgan as if it were a wand.
I had to turn and cover my face to shield myself from the heat as the room burst with phoenix-colored flame. I buried my face in Teddy's shoulder, my nose pressed against the thick fabric of his uniform, dulling the sense of panic. Peeking up through my eyelashes, I saw Teddy, James, and Albus's shocked expressions.
I squinted and saw flames erupting from the tip of the sword, burning unbearably bright and red, so hot that the stone floor shimmered with moisture. Fiendfyre. The sword must have absorbed it.
How can Dad stand that heat?
I couldn't see Morgan anymore, through the barrage of light and flame. Immortal or not, no one could survive that. Could they?
The flames flickered out, and I saw Dad stumble back in surprise. I gasped. Morgan was still alive, and completely unscathed.
She started to laugh as the circle of Aurors drew tighter around her, and I tried to run towards Dad, but Teddy held me back.
"No, let me go, let me help, Teddy!" I thrashed against him, but it was no use. "I want to help!"
"Fools! You think you've won? You think you can defeat me?"
But even as she started to gather lightning in her hands, I knew she was weak. Astoria's shield looked faint.
"NOW!" Dad shouted, and the room lit again with hundreds of jets of light, criss-crossing through the darkness. If not for the circumstances, it might have been beautiful.
The bolt of lightning flickered and dimmed.
And as I turned towards the darkest corner of the basement, I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. I wrested myself from Teddy's loosening grip and turned fully towards it. Albus gasped, sprinting towards the corner.
"Scorpius! You're okay!"
Scorpius Malfoy, still pale as a sheet and trembling with effort, got to his feet, his wand clutched in shaky fingers. He blinked, and so did the lightning.
Albus and I each slung one of his arms over our shoulders. Scorpius gave me a weak smile, his grey eyes crinkling.
The battle had stopped. Even Morgan was watching Scorpius with a wary expression.
He turned towards Dad. "Head Auror Potter, do you have Mordred's Stone?"
Apologies for the long wait. This was such a difficult chapter to flesh out, even though I already had all the scene turning-points written out. I think it's because I don't often write single-scene chapters.
Anyway, the second part of The Dark Lady is coming soon!
-also, please check out Running From Destiny, a Hogwarts-Era fic that I just published a few days ago.
Things started to go horribly wrong for Tom Riddle on the day he killed Myrtle Warren. He's managed to trap himself in his own Horcrux, and now he's awake and alone for all eternity to reflect on his sins. That is, until Harry Potter's Slytherin sister opens the Chamber of Secrets fifty years later. Meanwhile, Harry is struggling with a parasitic magical force — an Obscurus.
