Happy 2021! Here's the second part of the chapter (and another single-scene one). There are only two more chapters after this!


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?"


Chapter 21: The Dark Lady, Part 2

Mordred's Stone? I wondered vaguely, as Scorpius leaned heavily on Albus and I for support. Astoria said the Malfoys were related to Mordred, but Mordred doesn't exist.

"Scorpius, what's going on? How do we get rid of her?"

"I don't know," he responded. "But I do know that if we let her get a hold of your and your brothers, the result will be very, very bad. Let's just say that she was sealed in Avalon for a reason."

Morgan, the mythical ancestral witch, was standing between us and the Aurors, flickering in the low light of the basement, weak and close to invisible. Though the lightning had stopped since Scorpius woke, the tension in the room was still palpable.

Dad nodded slowly, his hand slipping into his pocket as he glanced across the room.

"NO!"

Astoria stopped chanting again, and raised her wand, her face white with fury.

So if Astoria is angry that the lightning bolt is flickering, maybe we need to destroy it!

Teddy lunged before she could finish speaking. "Stupefy!"

She crumpled to the ground; Morgan's shield must have flickered out completely.

As he did, Dad threw something, and a small object flew through the air.

"Lily, catch!"

I let go of Scorpius, snatching the object out of the air with the near-instinctual skill of a Seeker.

Astoria's pale-green brooch lay in my hands. Teddy placed a hand on my shoulder, steadying me as I swayed backwards. The brooch was strangely heavy, just as the Sword of Gryffindor had been.

"Lily!" gasped Scorpius, stretching a hand out. Albus looked worried, gripping Scorpius tightly as his brow furrowed deeper.

The Aurors stood still; rows of silent, scarlet figures, ready to strike.

I placed the brooch in Scorpius's outstretched palm, and the entire room turned to watch the motion, except Aurelie, who stood beside her mother's unconscious form, as lifeless and pale as an Inferius.

As Scorpius curled his fingers around the brooch, the room began to fill with blinding, pale light. I shuddered, stepping closer to James.

"It's cold," I whispered. The residual flames issuing from the Sword of Gryffindor flickered out, and Dad dropped the sword with a gasp.

The violet lightning had all but disappeared, and so had Morgan.

"What are you doing?" asked Dad, staring at the spot where the tear between worlds had been.

Scorpius tilted his head, stepping away from Albus. He smirked slightly, looking casually around the room.

His magic felt strong. Too strong.

"The Son's power, Head Auror Potter," he said, but it was as if several people were speaking, their voices intermingling with the ear-splitting, soul-shaking sense of a pipe organ. "She's already fully in our world. The tear is of no use to us now."

I glanced up at Teddy, but he merely shook his head.

"Slytherin-" Dad started, but not-quite-Scorpius interrupted him again.

"No. Not quite. I need the others to seal her away again."

"The ruby?" asked Dad, gesturing at the sword. "That's one of them?"

"What the hell is going on, Teddy?" I whispered. "One of what?"

Teddy shook his head. "I don't know. But I don't like this."

"Yes," said Scorpius, lifting the glowing brooch clasped in his hand. "But I need the others."

Foolish boy.

Scorpius shook his head as if to clear it, moving to clip the brooch onto his shirt to free his hands.

"I thought it was over," muttered James as we watched Morgan get to her feet again.

Betrayer! she spat at Scorpius, pushing through the crowd of Aurors as if they were immaterial. Scorpius pushed past Albus, who tried to hold him back, but Scorpius turned and shoved him away.

Albus started to protest.

"Let him go, Al," I said quietly, though I too felt fearful. "I think he knows what he's doing."

But deep down, I knew that a sixteen-year-old boy, no matter what magical artifact he had on his side, was not a match for the ancestral witch.

Betrayer, king-killer, traitor!

Morgan stretched a hand out, lighting the room once more with violet sparks, ripping the air into sweet, cloying ozone.

"NO!" Albus launched himself towards Scorpius, but James and I held him back.

"No!" shouted Albus. "Let me go, let me help him!"

Scorpius stretched an arm out towards Morgan, and I shut my eyes instinctively.

Blinding blue light burst behind my eyelids, and I heard a cry go up around in the room as something heavy clattered to the floor.

I opened my eyes slowly, still holding onto Teddy.

The basement was frozen; encased in a thin, sparkling layer of . Bursts of violet and aquamarine light filled the room; and it the center of it were Scorpius and Morgan. Rubble rained down from the ceiling, separating us from Dad and the Aurors.

I'm sorry, Teddy. This is definitely time to panic.

My wand felt useless against my clammy fingertips. What use was the magic of a fourth-year student, when the power of the elements themselves could barely hold back Morgan.

"This isn't a fight for us," said Teddy quietly, pulling me back towards the wall as he did.

"We can't let him just-" snapped Albus, turning towards Teddy with a furious expression.

"We have to!" James shouted back, dodging a stray violet spark. "Look, Al, Dad and the Aurors are on the other side of Morgan! They can't help him, and we can't either!"

You might have my son's power, foolish boy, but you will never know how to wield it!

I watched, the breath seemingly caught in my throat as Scorpius flung his arms out, encasing Morgan in solid ice. The effort seemed to drain him, and Scorpius slumped forward, falling to his knees.

Relief flooded me. He's captured Morgan, the Aurors are getting rid of the rubble, we'll be safe soon.

"Do you think he..."

Before I could finish my sentence, Albus sprinted towards him.

Morgan's ice prison began to shake, the quivering ice emitting a painfully high-pitched squeal.

"Al, stop!"

I was rooted to the floor, unable to do anything but watch with horror as the ice shattered, sending tiny, sharp shards shooting in all directions.

Teddy, James, and I sprinted towards Albus, but it was too late. All of us were sent sprawling back across the floor.

Morgan threw her head back, laughing.

You care about this boy, don't you?

"ALBUS, NO!"

I stumbled towards him, sobbing as violet, crackling light arced towards Albus from all directions. I heard a shouted Shield Charm, but what use would that do now?

I slammed my fist again the glowing, shimmering wall, my hands scrabbling helplessly against it.

Teddy had his wand drawn. It was his shield.

"Help, Teddy, you have to let me-"

"No."

I slid slowly to the floor. "Please, Teddy, you can't just watch, I-"

The violet light was close to blinding. All I could see was death and fear.

Scorpius flung himself between Albus and Morgan, just before the lights connected. Then came the terrible sound of a lifeless body hitting stone.

I heard my brother's scream before any thoughts could come to my mind.

He sounded devastated. Helpless.

"No! Scorpius, no!"

Dead. Scorpius Malfoy is dead.

The ancestral witch is going to kill us all, probably slowly, and there is nothing Dad and the Aurors can do to help. They won't get through in time.

Somehow, I didn't feel scared anymore. Just resigned to our fate. Hopeless.

Morgan floated beside Albus, gloating.

What are you going to do, little boy? Are you angry? Do you want to kill me?

"I wish I could," spat Albus. "If you were mortal, you'd be dust."

Such fire, purred Morgan. If only I didn't have to kill you...

She turned towards Astoria, and knelt by her unconscious form.

I pushed, and Teddy's spell broke. Ignoring the shouts to stay back, I ran towards Albus and Scorpius, kneeling beside them and holding Scorpius's still-warm hand in mine.

"He's dead, Lil," Albus choked, holding Scorpius's other hand tightly, his eyes glimmering with tears. "He's dead, and it's all my fault."

"It's not your fault, Al. Don't say that."

I sniffled, staring down at Scorpius.

"He looks peaceful," I said, because he did. If the brooch hadn't shattered into dust, and if he hadn't been laying amongst shards of ice that looked more like glass, he could have been sleeping. His eyes were even shut.

"He was really brave," I continued. "He didn't have to come down here. Try to save us."

He didn't have to come down here, he could have stayed with his father, wherever he was... What would Draco Malfoy's face look like when he saw his son lying dead... because of his wife?

"I'm not dead, Al."

What?

Scorpius was squinting up at us. Scorpius was alive!

"Sorry to disappoint," he muttered. "Come on, Al, stop looking so sour."

Albus's face lit up with shock and delight for an instant, then he immediately pulled Scorpius into a crushing hug.

"Ah- ow, Al, you're going to kill me all over again!"

I grinned stupidly, sitting here with my hands folded in my lap.

"Oi, look, aren't we forgetting something?" asked James as he approached.

Teddy crossed his arms. "Specifically, the fact that the five of us are still very much in mortal peril, and - oh, would you look at that? Astoria's started chanting again!"

"We're going to die," said Albus grimly, watching Morgan flit about the cauldron, "and there's nothing we can do about it."

"Nothing?" asked Scorpius.

"Well, your spooky brooch got destroyed," James pointed out. "That's where the ice powers came from, right?"

"Yeah," said Scorpius, wincing as he stood up with Albus's help. "Yeah, that's a bit of a minor problem."

I hit the side of my head with my hand. "Look, I know that none of us are Ravenclaws, but seriously? Help the Aurors move the rubble! It's easier on our side."

The other four looked at me blankly.

"Have you got any idea how long that would take to lift, Lil?" asked James, shaking his head as if I was the stupid one.

"ARE YOU FOUR WIZARDS OR NOT?" I yelled.

Teddy nodded. "Scorpius, Lily, keep an eye on Morgan. James, Al, and I will shift the rubble."

The situation was too dire to argue. I nodded, and Scorpius limped over to me.

"Maybe you should sit," I said, as three sets of footsteps receded across the room. He nearly died.

"Right."

Scorpius lowered himself unsteadily to the ground, shaking his head.

"It's gone. That brooch has been in the Malfoy family for generations, and..."

"Do we need it to stop Morgan?"

He let out a shaky breath, placing his palms against the pale green dust.

I looked up at Morgan and Astoria. Both were still absorbed in their task. We were safe for now, but that did nothing to slow my racing heartbeat. At this rate, blood was going to start spurting out of my ears. I was sure of it. My heart was thudding so hard against my ribcage that I had to press the heel of my hand against it to quell the fear of it bursting out of my chest.

"Maybe, I can..." Scorpius pulled out his wand. "Reparo!"

The pale dust rose, and settled against the metal backing of the brooch, looking as if each particle had been hastily glued on. The result was a misshapen oval, instead of the luminescent, shimmering gem from before.

"If we survive, I'll figure out how to fix it," said Scorpius as he pocketed the brooch.

Suddenly, there was a deafening crack. We sagged with relief as the Aurors managed to break through the rubble; but any fleeting sense of security was swept away by the re-appearance of Morgan.

It was taking all of the Aurors to just barely hold Morgan back. This wasn't sustainable.

The room shook.

"And this is the point," Teddy shouted over the noise, "when I get the kids out of here! There's a clear path to the door now. Lily, Albus, Scorpius, when I say go, I mean go!"

"We can't just leave you to-"

"GO!"

No!

Before we could move or protest, violet sparks showered down around us, cutting the three of us off from everyone else.

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying desperately to stay calm as light burned behind my eyelids. I felt Albus gripping my shoulder, and felt tears collecting behind my eyes.

"It's going to be okay," I heard Scorpius say, but I could tell that even he didn't believe it.

Magic and metal are intimately connected. Metal conducts electricity in the same way wands conduct and focus magic. It is believed that the two processes are much the same.

Why was I remembering that passage?

Metal, metal and electricity. There was something I needed to remember.

I peeled my eyes open tried to think frantically as jets of light ricocheted all around us.

Blood, lightning, metal, electricity, magic. What am I missing?

ENOUGH! shouted Morgan, landing before us and seeming to shake the entire earth, sending the three of us skidding back again a wall of tangible light. If I can't have three, two Peverells will do just as well for now!

Her eyes burned violet as I felt my strength start to wane, and I felt my magic dying with it.

I smelled blood in the air.

Blood, lightning, metal, electricity, magic.

It was hopeless. Why try? Why not just give up?

Suddenly, I heard James's voice just as I was about to pass out. It sounded like a memory.

"Well, magic exists all around us. Like gravity, or electricity or whatever. If you could transfigure the magical force field around you to point the other way..."

"... you could redirect all of the enemy's spells back to them."

That was it. That was what I was what I was trying to remember! I gripped my wand, and drawing on the last of my magic on the wild hope that it would be enough, I whispered,

"Mutare."

Time seemed to slow down as I felt the very last of my magic slip through my fingers. The air between us and Morgan rippled golden, like a pebble disturbing a still pond. Then slowly, like a tsunami coming into shore, blinding gold light thundered back and slammed into me with the force of a sledgehammer, sending me skidding across the floor.

Albus and Scorpius were beside me; shocked, but alive.

I did it! I actually did it!

I felt stronger, but too strong. I could taste metal and blood in my mouth, hear the rushing of blood in the veins of every living being the room and feel the crackle of static in the air.

And along with the electricity, I could sense magic. Morgan's magic; twisted violet threads, knotted and crossed in strange patterns. And somehow, I knew what they all were.

One of them was a tether. She was tethered to Aurelie.

Tether. How did I know that was what such a connection was called? What did that mean?

It had been in Magicke Moste Evile, I remembered. It was one of the more unsavory topics that I'd come across in my search for a way to get into McGonagall's office undetected; the page directly after the spell for weakening magical traces on objects had been ripped out. The person who had done it must have been in a hurry not to be discovered, because the top of the page, containing the title and the details of the spell remained bound to the book.

Creating magical tethers; this process is used to bind a non-living entity to a living one. This process is how non-beings such as Inferi and Dementors are animated.

But how could I break such a connection, without killing Aurelie?

Morgan herself was slumped on the floor. Flickering, weak, but still alive.

I didn't know how I knew, but I realized that there was some kind of connection.

I looked down. My hands were glowing faint gold, and I could feel the strange magic filling my veins. What do I do with it?

I turned to Astoria. Teddy had his wand to her throat with a grim expression that I'd never seen before.

"What have you done?"

Astoria said nothing. Teddy forced his wand further into her throat, and I watched the skin break as my body thrummed with the strange energy.

"Answer the question." His voice was quiet, yet deadly.

Morgan, Mordred. Mother, son. A firstborn's blood.

Aurelie dipped her hands into a potion containing Scorpius's blood in order to touch Morgan. So, maybe...

"You said a first-born's blood is potent, Astoria. So what does it do?"

"You'll kill me before I tell you," she spat.

It must be part of the tethering ritual. But I don't want to make another tether, I want to break an an existing one...

I thought of something suddenly. Bless Aunt Luna.

"I need candles," I said.

"What for-"

Scorpius dragged out a box of beeswax tapers from under Astoria's cauldron.

"It's your lucky day, She-Potter."

"A cleansing ritual."

The row of Aurors stared at me blankly as I gathered up an armful of candles and began to pass them around. "Why are you laughing? It's a real thing."

Astoria laughed, blood spilling down her neck. "You think you can cleanse the ancestral witch? Pathetic."

"Yeah, that's why I'm not trying to." I gestured at the Aurors. "A little help would be nice, y'know."

Teddy pulled Astoria closer to the back of the room. "I'm not taking any chances," he said.

I had to admit that it felt a bit odd to stand in a circle around Aurelie, with lit candles flickering.

Whatever absorbing Morgan's spell had done to me, I was able to sense the threads of magic in the circle, able to reach out and manipulate the string tethering Aurelie to Morgan, picking away at the thread little by little, until most of it had been absorbed into the air and unbound.

"Hey, Lil, you're glowing."

Aurelie blinked, and she slumped forward. "What? Where am I? What's going on - Mother?"

I felt exhausted too. The tether had weakened to the width of a hair, but it was all I could do. The strange power was gone, and I felt even weaker and emptier than I had in the living room after using the green stone's energy.

The candles snuffed out all at once, as if a giant had spoken. Yet, the air in the room was as still as a tomb.

"Stay back!" someone shouted, and I stumbled back, dropping the candle in my hands.

"James?"

"Look."

There was a loud, rushing sound, and and of the darkness in the basement seemed to gather above Morgan's prone, flickering form.

I see the future of all things... I see the end of this world...

Suddenly, the wind was rushing up, and a raven made of shadows circled the basement.

Then, with one last gurgling croak, the dark bird disappeared.


A/N: Again, seriously so sorry that this took forever to write, I do really need to practice writing action scenes more. Check back soon for 'The Malfoy Problem Resolved,' where we (hopefully) get some answers about what exactly just went down from Harry, Scorpius, Astoria, and Carla.