June, 2018

Chapter 23: Unbreakable

"Everything started as nothing."

― Auliq Ice

Rubbing her stomach, Hazel let out a small huff of frustration. At five months, she was still considering names for her son. Their son, she corrected herself. Staring at the object in front of her, Hazel wished she hadn't insisted on Mason returning to his own flat before work. How in Merlin's name was she going to pick up the bloody bucket? Pausing, the witch let out a small laugh at herself. Right, magic. She hoped it was the hormones that kept her from the obvious.

Despite the chaos in the world, Hazel Cross was strangely content in her own little Sanctuary. At least, right now. While she wasn't any closer to figuring out how to save...or stop...Ridgeway, the brunette found it easy to focus on the little things. The violence between muggles and wizards hadn't escalated...much. The Village of Blackthorn, as Ridgeway had described it, was an example, a "utopian" society with muggles and wizards coexisting peacefully. Still, she doubted the rest of the world would 'fall into place' that easily. Pulling her wand from its position in her bun, she summoned the metal bucket before moving towards the next creature.

With the help of a few younger, enthusiastic witches, Hazel practically lived within the Sanctuary. Not that she minded. Secretly, her Occamy was her favorite; lately, however, a certain hatched egg had eaten up most of her time. Baby dragons require a lot of attention and care….a lot. The small Norweigian Ridgeback was a mischievous creature, often attempting to 'attack' the witch when her back was turned, pretending to innocently stare up at her when she glanced at the little dragon. He reminded her of the muggle cats, the tigers. With his dark red scales - and as a tribute to the groundskeeper -Hazel had decided upon "Ruby" for the dragon's name. It's almost a shame he isn't here now. He would adore Ruby. Hazel laughed softly at the low grumble behind her, the muted click as the dragon moved closer to her turned back. She loved Ruby to pieces. With a small groan, and much more effort than expected, Hazel lowered the bucket to grab Ruby's lunch.

"It hatched!" Sweet Merlin, was that - A voice suddenly called out. The meat dropped to the grass with a muted thud as Hazel straightened abruptly, neck aching at the speed she turned her head. At the entrance of the dragon's pen stood a tall, familiar half-giant. "Bloody hell," She breathed, lips parted in shock at the sight of the bearded wizard, "K-Kestis?" Their eyes met for what felt like a long moment before he was suddenly in front of her, hugging the witch tightly. Tears sprung, unbidden, as she got over her shock long enough to return the embrace, mind racing. Merlin, what was Kes doing back? He said he would return, but it's been months. Why did he come back? Bloody hell, why was she so...happy? And nervous, and relieved, and wary, and, and….

To her surprise, the conversation flowed...easy, friendly. Well, easy enough, given everything that had occured between them, everything she'd done, and all that had happened around them. As Kestis fed Ruby - she'd been right, the wizard could hardly take his eyes off the dragon - Hazel explained the changes in Britain and within the Village itself. Conveniently, she didn't mention Mason, or that she'd been spending time with him. He probably knew, and why ruin the pleasant atmosphere? Kestis showed her his new wand, made with the feather given from a Thunderbird in Arizona. It had been her turn to be starry-eyed as he told her about his encounter with the majestic creature. The mood had sombered when the pregnant witch had shown him Cormac's grave, a small spot near the Healers Hut; in return, he had explained how many of the Order's children were forced to disassociate with their family members in order to remain safe within the country, and within the Ministry. Marcus, what are we doing here? This isn't right, surely you must know.

As the afternoon came and went, Hazel opened the small door with a grin. As a present to the witch, Ridgeway had somehow gotten hold of a very rare magical creature. An extremely dangerous one, as well. She felt lucky to have gotten to nurse it back to health, so to speak. The half-giant eyes had gone wide when he saw the massive Nundu in the center of the clearing. While she had warned him about the dangers of his poisonous breath and sharp spines that covered the leopard-esque animal, the man had stubbornly insisted on entering the pen. It hadn't helped that she accidentally mentioned that Mason was able to play with the Nundu in animagus form. Not her proudest moment, that following silence. Her heart had caught in her throat when the carnivorous beast had leapt at the polar bear; thankfully, he'd been quick enough to transform back to exit the boundaries in time. When the wizard had, with a solemn expression, named the Nundu "Steve", the pair had locked eyes before dissolving into laughter. It almost felt like it had been, when they were best friends. Before.

By the time Hazel and Kestis left the Sanctuary, it was evening. The day flew by. She nearly tripped when Kestis had wordlessly taken her hand as they walked; if she was honest, Hazel wasn't sure how she felt about it. But she hadn't pulled away. Strangely enough, it felt...comforting. Not romantic, but still...nice. It helped, she thought with a wry smile, that Kestis was adeptly ignoring any tension that lingered between them, particularly at the accidental mention of the grey-eyed wizard.

It was hand-in-hand that they walked when the witch noticed a familiar face walking towards them. Blinking, Hazel slipped her hand out of the half-giants as she moved forwards. "Tim?" She quickly strode towards the green-eyed man, concern flashing through her. "What-What're you doing here?" Didn't he realize how dangerous it was for him, a known member of the Order, to be in Blackthorn? Tim's smile didn't reach his eyes as he nodded at the pair, responding in a low voice, "We need your help."

Kestis had been the first to suggest they move inside, glancing around them. "Before he arrives." He added, grimacing. It was with a heavy heart that Hazel agreed, knowing that his worries weren't far from the truth, this time. She couldn't predict what Marcus would do, next. Inside, she told the wizards to wait in the living room while she stopped by the kitchen. Mitsy was gone for the week; Hazel had somehow finally convinced the elf to take a vacation with some of the other elves in Blackthorn. Although she wouldn't personally choose to go to Canada, herself, she was happy for Mitsy. She'd been absolutely adorable in her oversized sunglasses, even if they were unnecessary for their destination.

When she returned, Hazel noticed Kes move something by the mantle. Oh, Merlin, she'd forgotten about that. With a twist of the familiar guilt, Hazel ignored Kes placing the photo of her and Mason dancing face-down. Good job, Hazel. Unfortunately, her eyes met the half-giant's just as he turned, and he nodded towards the frame, "Was...was this at Henry and Miranda's wedding?" She barely noticed Tim grimace as she set down the tea, nerves fluttering as she tried to find her voice. "I, yeah. It was. Christi took it, if you remember her." Kes stared at the witch before turning away, "Yeah, I remember." Yikes. It wasn't like she didn't deserve this, though.

"So," Hazel moved to the couch, hand on her stomach as she lowered herself down. The men watched her silently as she finally looked up with an awkward smile, "Does anyone want tea?" Despite the situation, or maybe because of it, Tim covered a small laugh as he nodded, moving to serve the steaming drinks. Kestis quietly sat in a chair across from the pair. "We need your help, Hazel." Tim repeated once everyone had a cup in their hands. "The…" He sighed, gripping the cup tighter. "The Order is planning to stop Ridgeway from committing...well, all the bad things he's done so far." Stop him…? At her expression, he quickly continued, "They plan on removing the memories of Grindelwald before they take over, before people start to die again." Again? What did that mean? Her eyebrows furrowed as she glanced over at Kestis, who only shrugged in similar confusion..

"The Order wants to return him to the Marcus Ridgeway he was when we were in school. Do you remember?" Tim nodded, and Hazel scoffed lightly, without malice. Looking down at the swirling liquid in her cup, she smiled humorously, "Of course I do." There was another pause as Tim took a sip of his own drink. "But how is that possible?" Hazel finally asked, frowning. "How can you just...undo what has already been done? At this point, Ridgeway and Grindelwald are one and the same." Although they all knew it to be true, the words hurt as they left her lips. She set down the tea, no longer interested.

Tim glanced between the two as he asked about what they knew about Cormac, about the fiendfyre. As if she could forget. "After Cormac had woken up from his injuries, he took Bill to destroy the pensive and memories in Ridgeway's office. They'd been gone for only a few hours before Cormac's...ghost appeared. Less than a few minutes later, he seemed to be ripped away from the cottage by something." Tim stopped, eyes widening as he set down his own cup. "Guys, I think Ridgeway was the one to pull his soul away, to…" His eyes flickered to her again, "to kill him and Bill. He certainly could use the lantern for something like that."

Hands clenched, Hazel tried to breathe through the rising nausea. Merlin, that explains the strange orb that had been on Ridgeway's desk, why she thought she had heard Cormac's voice for a split second. She'd been so distracted with Ridgeway's comment on the next meeting, about bringing the goblins into the Wizarding Parliament, that she hadn't truly noticed. She wasn't sure if it was worse that she believed Ridgeway capable of such an act, or that she had nearly turned a blind eye...again. What kind of mother would she be if she just ignored anything that went wrong, anything her loved ones did? And she did love Ridgeway, but...Without realizing she had closed them, the brunette slowly opened her eyes; the boys, her boys, watched her with visible concern. Instead of putting on a comforting smile, she simply looked at Tim and nodded, "I'll meet with the Order." Tim visibly relaxed, the corner of his own lips lifting. "Thank you, Hazel." He had probably expected her to say no, she realized with a flicker of pain and guilt. Tim turned to the other wizard with the unspoken question. Kestis nodded immediately, setting down his tea as he smiled, "Of course I'll help, Tim."

A sudden knock on the door caused all three to tense, shooting wide-eyed looks at one another. Merlin, that couldn't be Ridgeway, could it? He couldn't have known Tim was here, or his purpose for visiting. Using the couch arm to push herself to her feet, Hazel moved to answer the door with a pounding rhythm in her ears. Please, please, please don't be him. It was with a mixture of emotions that Hazel opened the door to a smiling Mason. The grey-eyed wizard grinned, holding up a bag of Chinese food. Bloody hell, how could she have forgotten? This wouldn't end well. To her horror, the witch heard the two men move somewhere behind her as Mason's expression changed, smile dropping. Merlin, she felt like a terrible person.

"I'm off the clock," Mason shrugged as he lowered the bag, "I don't see Tim here." Grimacing, Hazel resisted the urge to look behind her. "Mason, I..can we reschedule?" She subtly nodded behind her, "I've had some..unexpected guests." The wizard sighed with a wry smile on his lips, "Alright." As he turned to leave, Hazel felt the ache in her chest reappear. "Sorry," She called softly. It was a small relief when Mason smiled at the witch before walking down the path to apparate back to his flat. And now...Reluctantly, Hazel turned back to the two, awaiting wizards that stood in the hall.

"What was that?" Kestis stepped forwards, voice low. A shaky sigh left her lips as she mustered the courage to meet his mismatched eyes. Merlin help her, she'd done this to herself, hadn't she? "Dinner...I'm sorry, Kes. We sometimes share meals together." She hardly noticed Tim back away as she closed the door with a muted click, the sound ringing in the following silence. Finally, the wizard asked, "Was this a date?" Bloody hell. Hazel swallowed nervously, resisting the urge to study the painting to her right in great detail. Anything was better than this. But...he deserved honesty. "I.." She tightened then unclenched her hands, letting them drop to her sides, "I don't know...No, well...I…I don't know." This time, she couldn't look at the disappointment and hurt that flashed across his face. Merlin, let the ground swallow her whole. Please.

There was a long, heavy silence as Tim cleared his throat. Clearly awkward, the wizard nodded towards the door, hands jammed into his pockets, "Sooo, uh, are you ready to go?" If it'd been another situation, Hazel might've laughed. For a moment, she'd nearly forgotten that Tim had been there. Grateful for the escape, the witch went to fetch her belongings; out of sight from the pair, she leaned against the wall with a hand on her stomach, trying to breathe as quietly as possible.

After her short panic attack - it wasn't healthy for the baby, or for her - Hazel gathered herself enough to return downstairs. The trio left in silence, with Tim occasionally making casual conversation with the half-giant. Before they apparated, Hazel wondered why the Order would want her to help. She was close to Ridgeway, yes, but certainly couldn't defeat him in a duel. She'd never even consider such a thing, throwing spells against her family, murderer or not. Her eyes met Kes's with a jolt, Merlin, she was a terrible person at this point. What kind of logic was she using, if any? She'd hurt so many people, whether by indecisiveness or by simply making the wrong decision. Maybe whatever this plan was...maybe she could help undo the damage...Somehow.

They arrived at an empty beach, shells crunching softly underneath their feet as they walked up a small path. At the top of the hill laid a small cottage; Hazel could feel, more than see, the invisible wards that hung around the place. This must be the Order's secret hideout. They must truly be desperate if they're bringing her there. A beautiful blonde woman opened the door, expression darkening at the sight of the pregnant witch. It's not like she didn't deserve that. They'd lost so many members of the Order, Potter and Weasley included. And she...she stood by Ridgeway while it all happened, believing herself to be good. She'd been blind, for much too long. Too late.

By the time they sat in the small living space, three other figures stood around the room. Hazel recognized Minister Granger - or, well, Hermione Granger, now - but didn't know the blonde witch and wizard that watched her cautiously. With her nerves, and guilt, making a sudden reappearance - Merlin, what a day it had been - Hazel could only say, quietly, "I'm sorry for your loss." The blonde witch immediately scoffed and crossed her arms as the unfamiliar wizard replied, "Those are just words. You were...complacent with a monster. You stood to the side as all of this happened." As if to emphasize his point, the man waved his arm at the fairly empty room. He wasn't wrong, even if Ridgeway hadn't always been a monster.

With a nervous glance at Tim, Hazel cleared her throat to speak again. Merlin, she was so bloody awkward. "I...I understand. That's why I'm here. Tim mentions you have a plan...to undo everything." Could they really go back, before the pain and death and carnage? Before he'd changed into the...well, into the monster Marcus Ridgeway seemed to act as now…? The man, who introduced himself as Draco Malfoy, held up a small chain; a golden object hung at the bottom, and Hazel's eyes widened in shock. Bloody hell, was that what she thought it was? Weren't they destroyed?

The small Time-Turner sat, seemingly innocuous, in his palm as Malfoy sat, explaining the plan to Hazel and the group around them. Hazel had been correct in assuming the magical items had been destroyed. This was the only Time-Turner left. The Order wanted to send back a small number of people at a point in time to stop Marcus Ridgeway from ever committing his numerous crimes. They'd eventually decided to include Hazel because, as he explained it, she had inside knowledge on the memories and access to the magic-amplifying lantern; the magical artifact that Ridgeway had stolen all those years ago was crucial to being able to travel back far enough to make a significant difference. "With the Lycaereum, the time-turner will not only take you back to the right moment, but will also…" Malfoy paused in consideration, "It will, in essence, return you to your original body at the time chosen." Hazel had listened with intense focus, thoughts racing a mile per minute at the overload of information.

"When you say you want to stop Ridgeway," Hazel hesitantly broke the following silence, trailing off. Did they mean..."We mean murder, yes." It was the blonde witch that answered her silent question, lifting her chin as if to dare her to disagree, "Can you think of another alternative?" Before she could reply, Tim spoke, running his hand through his dark hair, "There must be a way aside from sinking to his level." He shot an almost apologetic look at Hazel as he continued, "A point in which he is still Marcus Ridgeway, and not a combination of two wizards." Relief flooded through her, and the witch nodded gratefully at her old friend. Now Tim was a good person. Maybe she should try to be more like him, or the Order. But Marcus...She resisted the urge to physically shake the bouncing thoughts from her head.

"It'll be dangerous," Granger commented as she met Hazel's gaze, "That's why we need you, for the Lycaereum. You've known Marcus Ridgeway more than anyone else we know. You're in a unique position to find the right moment to return." She would help, there wasn't much doubt about that, but Hazel was surprised they trusted her. Looking at the blonde witch's expression, Hazel reconsidered. Maybe trust wasn't the right word. "If we pick the right time, we can save more than one life." Tim murmured softly, eyes dropping to the floor. Everyone had lost someone they cared about. Jack, Markus...Merlin, they could save him. And Edward, and Mohinder, and muggles who'd been slaughtered, the wizards who were killed at the international conference...so many lives could be saved...but at what cost?

Ridgeway's smiling face appeared in her mind, the memory of her third year summer nearly making the witch tear up in front of the Order. She genuinely loved Marcus Ridgeway and knew him - just him, and not the unlawful combination of the wizards - to be a good person. Her time with the man, and the phoenix that had attached itself to Marcus was proof enough. But could she give up an opportunity to finally do something for once? To help, and make up for the countless mistakes she'd made..? Releasing a slow breath, Hazel nodded as she met each of the Order's eyes. "I want to help, but Ridgeway can be saved, as well. If you want my help, then we go back to prevent the memories from taking over him." Her heart beat violently against her chest as she waited for their response. What if they changed their minds? What if they didn't let her help? Could she simply go back to the Sanctuary and keep her head buried in the sand? What if - Hermione Granger sighed softly, nodding. "On one condition." All eyes were on the older witch as she spoke, "You will have the opportunity to try and save him, but if you fail….You will have to kill him." Hazel felt like she couldn't breathe, even though she wasn't surprised by the words, "There won't be a second chance to undo this. Time will continue to flow here until you permanently change the past; small changes won't cut it. Marcus Ridgeway will know the second we use the lantern. Time is," A humorless smile lifted Granger's lips, "of the essence." Malfoy rolled his eyes with a small smile at the remark.

After some debate, Hazel agreed to make an Unbreakable Vow with the Order. I'm sorry, Marcus, but I'm going to save you. You, and Markus, and Edward, and countless others...At least, I'll try, for once. While she was nervous about the group - they had refused to tell Hazel who the final person joining her, Tim, and Kes would be, understandably - they had decided to return to Hazel's summer with the wizard. It was the first time she'd seen the lantern and the memories. Hazel had been careful to not mention any details. Yet. After she stole the lantern from Ridgeway's office, she would gladly tell them about the hidden compartment. With the agreement to meet in twenty-four hours at Shell Cottage - lantern in tow - Hazel stood to make her promise. Merlin, what was she agreeing to?

With Malfoy as their witness, the other wizards Vowed to not kill Marcus Ridgeway. It'd been with a twist of nausea - she was surprised not to feel guilty - that Hazel Cross Vowed to kill Ridgeway if they failed to save him from himself. If they were too late. Merlin, for once, let her not be too late. She wasn't sure if she'd be capable of murdering her own mentor. Moments after their magic intertwined, settling somewhere deep within her, Hazel rushed outside to get rid of her previous meals. It was in the sand that Kestis found her, kneeling and tear-stained, trembling at the implications of their decision. Their Vow….her Vow. Please let this be the right thing. Please.