QLFC — Round 6 — Captain: use the concept 'night and day'

Chudley Cannons Team Challenge: be inspired by a song (I chose "Red and Black" from Les Miserables AND "A Little Fall of Rain" from Les Miserables)

Tumblr dialogue prompt: "I'm sorry…"

Summary: Voldemort wins!au. Scorpius and Rose have been raised in war. They fight on different sides by day, but at night things are different. Until, one night, the only way for Scorpius to keep Rose safe is to capture her. But has he made a foolish mistake?

Warning: Character death, non-graphic murder

WC. 2993 (excluding A/N and title)

The Colours Of The World Are Changing Day By Day

Scorpius ducked behind a statue as two spells grazed past him, slamming into the wall to his left and exploding it.

Someone screamed, but there was no time to wonder where it came from. Three more spells crashed into the statue, and he was forced to sprint across the open courtyard before it crumbled.

"Scorpius! Are you alright?"

Panting, Scorpius collapsed behind a low wall and fired two spells, both missing their target.

"Yeah," he breathed.

Isabella Zabini eyed him with concern.

"I'm fine!" he insisted, popping his head up again and sending another spell into the battlefield.

Daylight was fading rapidly; the ceasefire would begin soon.

"Scorpius!" Isabella hissed. "Twelve o'clock!"

Scorpius peered out from behind the wall. Scuttling across the open battlefield, covered in scratches and with her long, red hair tied back, was a girl heading toward the Death Eaters' boundaries.

He raised his wand just as her eyes fell on him. Scorpius' Stunner missed its mark, just as someone pulled the girl to safety.

Isabella snorted. "Lost your touch, cousin?" Nodding towards their camp, she added, "The fight's just about over. Let's retreat."

...

The night was cold. The overcast sky made it even darker than usual. Perched atop one of the watchtowers, Scorpius stared at the quiet battlefield below.

His eyes drifted closed, opened again, then just as he was about to close them, something caught his eye.

It was a flicker of movement — a shadow skulking across his vision. He leaned forward, squinting. Even in the darkness, he knew it was the girl he'd almost Stunned earlier.

As inconspicuously as possible, he climbed down from the tower and crept through the shadows, wand drawn.

She'd stopped by some debris, unaware of his approach, but with her wand ready. What was she doing here?

His feet were silent against the pavement as he crept up behind her. She hadn't seen him yet, nor, it seemed, heard him. He was drawing nearer, she was breathing heavier, and then —

She spun just as he reached her. He lunged, grabbing her around the neck and cutting off her breath. She struggled against him, gasping as she flailed to cast a spell. He was stronger, having the advantage of surprise. Once he dragged her under the tower, he released her.

"What are you doing here, Rose?" he hissed.

Rubbing her neck, Rose turned to him. She was bruised and battered, her usual pretty face swollen.

"They want me to plant more detonators," she said matter-of-factly.

"Stealth isn't your strong suit, is it?" Scorpius accused. "If it'd been anyone else on watch —"

"I'd be dead," Rose said. "Yeah, got it."

For a long moment, they stared at each other. He wanted to reach out and run his fingers along her wounds...

"You need to go back," he whispered. "I'm about to be relieved by Bellatrix. If she finds you here —"

"I'll be dead." A glint appeared in her eyes. That stupid, rebellious glint she got whenever she was in danger. It was like she enjoyed facing death.

"Go."

"No."

"Rose…"

She flung her arms around his neck, her lips crashing against his in such a desperate way he couldn't resist kissing her back. He never could.

When they broke away, she smiled at him. "Thanks for not killing me today."

"Yeah, well, it cost me my cousin's respect," Scorpius grumbled. "She thinks I'm a bad shot."

"You are a bad shot."

"I'm not. I've got perfect aim when I want, thank you." He pushed her away, sensing her desire to continue their rendezvous under the tower. "You. Need. To. Go." The words had barely left his mouth when footsteps sounded from behind them.

They froze, staring at each other as the footsteps grew louder.

"Bellatrix!" Scorpius hissed. "I told you —"

"Take me!" Rose said.

"What?"

"Make it look like you caught me trying to sneak into your camp —"

"You were trying to sneak into my camp!"

"Take me."

Bellatrix rounded the tower, and Scorpius grabbed Rose around the neck, gently this time.

"Scorpius?" Bellatrix asked, her eyes flashing with excitement as they landed on Rose. A gleeful grin spread across her face. "Well, well," she said, "what do we have here?" She circled them, still grinning, and she touched the tip of her wand to Rose's throat.

"Well done, Scorpius. You've caught one of them! A Weasley, too, I see. The Dark Lord will be pleased. This one —" she jabbed her wand harder into Rose's throat, "— has been causing us plenty of trouble, setting off detonators in our camp, capturing our men… yes, the Dark Lord will be very pleased to have her."

Rose lunged, spitting in Bellatrix's face. Bellatrix only smiled. "Pass her to me, Scorpius; I'll take her to the Dark Lord…"

"I caught her!" Scorpius spat. "I'll take her."

Rose continued to struggle against him, even making a point of stamping on his foot.

Bellatrix grinned. "Very well. I can't have all the fun, can I?" She moved away. "It's a shame the Dark Lord wants this one alive. I do hope he'll let me torture her. What fun it'll be…"

Scorpius turned and walked back to his camp with a thrashing Rose in his grasp. "Give me your wand," he hissed into her ear when they were out of earshot of Bellatrix.

"What? No."

"They'll kill me if you're still holding it. Give it to me."

When Rose didn't respond, he wrenched the wand from her hand. He pointed his own at her. "Move!" he said loudly so Bellatrix would hear. "Or I'll kill you."

Rose put on a very convincing act, turning timidly around as if afraid he'd kill her.

I will kill her, Scorpius thought as they started walking. What was she thinking, sneaking around, putting herself in danger…

…

"Scorpius, you're late. Where've you —" Draco Malfoy paused, his eyes darting to Rose, who Scorpius was prodding with his wand.

"I caught her trying to sneak in," Scorpius explained. "She confessed to trying to plant detonators while we slept. I'm bringing her in."

Draco stared between Scorpius and Rose. Eventually, he nodded, his mouth thinning. "Very well."

Fear flashed across Rose's face. It seemed she hadn't believed he'd take her in, that he'd help her escape… perhaps he should've, but she never would've gotten past Bellatrix alive.

Wand still pressed into her back, Scorpius led her into a dark corridor. He didn't dare speak as they came to a closed door with a flicker of light underneath.

Swallowing a lump in his throat, he knocked.

For the first time, Rose looked frightened. He ignored her as they waited. It was a long moment before the door opened, revealing a long table with Death Eaters seated around it. At the end sat the cold, pale figure of Voldemort.

"I'm sorry, My Lord," Scorpius said. "But —"

Far from looking displeased, however, Voldemort observed Scorpius and Rose with dark pleasure. Scorpius resisted the urge to turn around and drag Rose with him.

"Young Malfoy," the Dark Lord said, rising. "What have we here?"

Scorpius swallowed, digging his wand into Rose's back — a warning not to be rash. "A prisoner, my Lord. Caught her while on watch."

Voldemort walked over to Rose, peering at her with cold eyes. "And who is this prisoner you have brought me, Scorpius?"

Rose tensed. Scorpius hesitated. To give her name… but then, what did it matter? The Dark Lord would find out anyway.

"Weasley," he whispered.

This interested the Dark Lord. He waved a hand at the others. "Dismissed."

Scorpius swallowed.

"Weasley?" the Dark Lord said as the others left. "Yes… I see the resemblance." He ran his fingers through Rose's hair. She bristled, but did nothing. "Well done, Scorpius. You will be rewarded. Now, leave."

Scorpius lowered his wand and stowed it in his pocket where Rose's was hidden.

"M-my Lord," Scorpius said, bowing low. "If I may ask you of your plans for her?"

The Dark Lord gave a smile that chilled Scorpius. "I have many plans for a Weasley," he hissed. "Most unfortunately, none of them result in her death… yet."

Scorpius felt sick, but he knew there was nothing he could do. He left the room without looking at her, and the moment he was out of earshot, he sprinted down the corridor.

The screams started before he'd reached his bed.

...

Tears streamed down Scorpius' face, the sound of her pain reverberating around him. His chest ached as he fought the urge to run back to her, to forget this pretence of loyalty, and to save her from the grasp of Lord Voldemort.

He never should have brought her here. He should have let her escape. So what if he was punished? At least she would've been safe.

Another scream — the loudest one yet — clenched his heart so tightly he thought it might explode. Then another, and another, until he couldn't take it anymore. He sprung to his feet, shaking all over. This had to stop. He had to end this. For her.

He sprinted back down the corridor, wand drawn. His feet slapped against the ground, making so much noise, but it didn't matter. He was ready to fight, ready to go to war against his own people.

"Scorpius!"

He skidded to a halt, her screams as loud as if she was beside him.

"Scorpius!"

He spun, turning to his father. Why did his father want him now? When the girl he loved was being tortured by Lord Voldemort?

Draco stepped forward, placing a hand on his shoulder. Scorpius looked at it, not knowing what to do. It was like his father knew… as if he'd been waiting…

"What are you doing?"

Scorpius trembled as another scream filled the corridor.

"There's nothing you can do, Scorpius."

Draco's words took a moment to register. Scorpius stared. "Father, she —"

"Don't be stupid!" Draco snapped. "You foolish boy, getting yourself involved with one of them."

"I love her!"

Draco was furious, shaking. "Go!" he said. "Now. The Weasley girl, she's not as accomplished at Occlumency as her friends like to think. Go."

The meaning of his father's words sunk in. The Dark Lord — Voldemort — had broken her mental defences. That meant he knew… everything.

Scorpius shook his head. Then, what did it matter? He was a dead man regardless. "I must —"

His father grabbed his shoulders, shaking him. "Your life is far more valuable to me than hers. I must protect you."

"What'll happen to her?" Scorpius insisted.

"She'll be sent back as a warning. She'll live, but you won't. Your life is in danger."

"I don't care!" Scorpius cried.

"Well, I do!" Draco cried.

Another scream, and it was like Scorpius' heart was being ripped from his chest. He turned, but his father grabbed him, hurling him through a hidden door that had suddenly appeared. "Don't come back. You hear me? Don't come back."

Scorpius was encompassed in silence. He could no longer hear Rose's screams, completely alone, realising for the first time what his actions had cost him. He'd sealed her fate the moment he'd taken her.

She was as good as dead, and so was he.

…

Scorpius' fists slammed against the door as he fought back tears. "Father! Father! What's he done to her?"

Silence.

"Let me out!" He kicked at the door, but it didn't move. "He can have me! Me! Let him kill me. Not her… please not her…" Loud sobs sounded throughout the dark room as he sunk against the door. He was helpless. He wouldn't be able to save her…

She'll live… but at what cost?

The darkness filled him — all of him — as tears rolled down his cheeks. The hours wore on in silence. Where was she now? What had happened to her? Was she —

"No!" Scorpius sprang to his feet, wand out again. "I won't let her die because of me!" He gave another hard wrench of the door and it flung open, the corridor bursting with sudden, unexpected light.

Scorpius blinked. It was daytime. The fight would start soon.

He sprinted down the corridor, ready to fight for her — ready to die for her.

…

The daylight blinded him as he burst from the halls and onto the camp grounds, but he didn't dare stop. He dodged red sparks, purple sparks, even a green one.

The battle was fierce. The Order was angry. As he drew nearer, he saw, with a sinking feeling, what had angered them.

Stopping, he stared at a platform that had been constructed overnight. In the centre was a stirring Rose, circled by Order members and Death Eaters locked in battle.

Scorpius noticed her parents at the forefront of the attacks, their wands firing spell after spell with a fury he'd never seen before.

He looked around, taking in the people on his side; Isabella, crouching behind a large chunk of wall that had been blasted off, his father… Bellatrix, delighted by the destruction.

Bodies littered the ground.

No, Scorpius thought. This can't be how it ends.

He had but a moment to decide what to do before Rose's father spotted him. His eyes fell on Scorpius, transforming into something beyond fury. He raised his wand, his mouth opening —

Someone wrenched Scorpius to the ground. His father.

"What are you doing here?"

"I can't leave her. It's my fault —"

"You fool! He told them it was you who tortured her. That you captured her and tortured her."

"What?"

"I told you to leave! They're after you, Scorpius. They want blood." Draco sent a curse firing through the air. It caught Rose's father in the shoulder, grazing him, but doing little damage otherwise.

"No!" Scorpius said, jumping to his feet. "This is my fault. I have to set things right. I can't do this anymore." He crossed the invisible line that divided the Order from the Death Eaters. A moment later, at least five spells came towards him. He avoided four, but the fifth one — the one from Rose's mother — knocked him off his feet.

His head slammed onto the hard ground with a sickening crack. A searing pain shot through him as something hot and sticky began trickling down his neck. His vision blurred, but he had to get to Rose.

He stumbled to his feet, forcing himself forward. Blood gushed down his neck, but he ignored it.

"R-rose!"

She looked up, recognition crossing her face. "No!" she said. "No! Stay!"

Another spell hit him in the ribs; he fell once more. This time, he didn't get up, but laid there until a shadow fell over him. A wand pointed into his chest.

"You did this to her!" said a cold voice. "You —"

Scorpius felt too weak to counter the accusation. He stared up into the furious eyes of Ron Weasley. Scorpius knew this was it. The man believed he'd tortured his daughter.

"No!" Rose's voice sounded from nearby. She was off the platform. "Don't hurt him!"

Weasley ignored her pleas. His mouth opened, the words on the tip of his tongue —

"No!"

His vision beginning to return, Scorpius saw Rose standing beside her father. She grabbed his arm, as if attempting to redirect his curse, but it was too late. Weasley had already uttered the words. A flash of green sprung from his wand. Scorpius waited for it to hit him, to send him away from this world, away from the darkness, never able to hurt her again.

It never came.

In the few milliseconds it took for the curse to reach him, Rose had thrown herself in front of it, her body crumpling against him.

"Rose! No! No!" Sobs rang from Weasley. Loud, heartbreaking sobs.

Scorpius forced himself up, shifting Rose's body. Her head fell into his arms, and she stared back with lifeless eyes.

"Rose, no!"

Scorpius looked up. Weasley was fighting against his wife, who was holding him back. His wand had fallen to the ground. There was despair on his face, heartbreak, the knowledge that it had been his wand…

"Rose," he sobbed.

Scorpius knew he should've given her up to them, but he couldn't. He held her tight against him, tears trickling down his face, rocking back and forth, gripping her.

"Rose! Rose! No! You… you —" Scorpius heard more than saw Weasley reach for his wand.

"No, Ron. Don't!"

"He… he kil —"

"Ron, no."

Scorpius looked up at Rose's mother. She understood. Rose had not ended up in front of Scorpius by accident.

Staring intently at her, ignoring the sobs of Rose's father, still holding Rose in his arms, he said, "Things must change. This world has to change. She was good; she was right. We're not. Let me join you. I can lead you to him."

The sun was high in the sky now, and for the first time, Scorpius noticed the battle raging around them.

"Please," Scorpius begged. "For her."

Weasley's sobs continued, but his wife bent down and levitated Rose from Scorpius' arms.

Scorpius shakily stood, watching as Rose was carried away. He stumbled after her, knowing he'd made the right decision. His family was wrong, but these people were right. He'd always known it.

"Wait!"

Scorpius froze. Rose's body was getting farther away, but the agony with which Weasley spoke made Scorpius pause.

He turned, seeing the tear-stained face of her father. He'd never forgive himself for what had happened.

Weasley's eyes moved to where his wife had gone, his expression changing, and Scorpius understood.

"This is your fault!" Weasley spat, lifting his wand. "If it wasn't for you… she…" Tears streamed from his eyes. All Scorpius could do was nod. It was his fault.

The words left Weasley's lips before Scorpius could move. The green light flashed before him, and this time there was no Rose to stop it.

The biggest thank you yet to my amazing, incredible, BEAUTIFUL team. This started out at 4202 words, and I cannot thank them enough for helping me get it to an appropriate word limit for the competition. And not only that, but we, the Chudley Cannons, are currently sitting at the top of the ladder. Ron WILL be proud.