August, 2012
Chapter 25: My Dear (Professor)
"You are enough to drive a saint to madness or a king to his knees."
― Grace Willows, To Kiss a King
Time was strange, Hazel thought as she glanced out the bedroom window. The day with Markus and the Corre had been...nice enough, though the boy had been very concerned when she'd broken down into tears...twice. Thankfully, the mere mention of her time of the month had been enough to stop him from retrieving the professor. Ridgeway….Her heart ached at how she'd left things with her mentor in her own timeline. She knew his actions had been increasingly terrible, to say the least, but...she still cared for him. What a fool. Even now, having nearly died from aparating away from him, Hazel couldn't find it in herself to hate him, or to even stop caring about the dark-eyed professor. He was like a father to her.
Shaking her head, the 20-year-old-in-her-12-year-old-body - Merlin, time travel was something - reminded herself of why she was here. Even with Kes, Mason, and Tim somewhere else, she still had a job to do. Ridgeway knew of the plan after she'd royally messed up, and every second counted. With one last look around the room, Hazel stepped out into the dark hall.
She tried to cast muffliato, but nearly jumped out of her skin at a small sound behind her. Twisting around, Hazel saw….nothing. She was freaking out. Her slow exhale felt louder than it was, and the brunette continued towards the study. The route was easy, natural. She'd been there so many times, but never like this. She remembered the expression on Ridgeway's face as she turned, lantern in hand. Her obvious lie, and he still hadn't raised his wand. Nonetheless, Hazel had felt the magic shifting, wards raising. If she was honest, she didn't know how she survived for as long as she had. Apparating into Mason's apartment as a last resort, feeling the agony of limbs being ripped from her body, muscle and bone snapping as - Another wave of phantom pain and nausea washed over her, and Hazel leaned against the nearby wall. Without realizing, she'd fallen into a panic attack; not surprising given everything that had occurred, Ridgeway knows, Hazel, he knows about the plan, he's coming home, it's only a matter of time, isn't it always?
Her loud, stilted gasps echoed in the empty hallway. So much for stealth. May as well give up now, she couldn't do it by herself and she knew it. Resisting the urge to literally slap sense into herself, Hazel's fists curled against the wallpaper as she tried to calm herself down. Markus is okay, everyone is still alive...for now. They're alive, and that's what matters. There is time to fix everything, to save Ridgeway. There's still time. Exhaling, Hazel nodded to herself. Finally with the strength to stand by herself, the witch pushed off the wall to continue to her destination. Does history truly repeat itself?
For a moment, she stood in the doorway of the study, ignoring the too-loud creak of the heavy wooden door as it opened. It wasn't like she'd been quiet before, panting and all but crying in the hallway. Hazel felt as if she really had stepped back in time; everything was the same, down to the small pile of books on Marcus's desk. It took her another moment to roll her eyes; she'd nearly forgotten she was actually back in time…...as if she could forget giving up her child, or losing not one but three limbs, or the look of Ridgeway's face...Despite herself, Hazel shuddered. Maybe there are some things she'd like to oblivate, if she succeeds. If, and hopefully when, she saves him from himself, from Grindelwald.
The hidden compartment was easy to find, sliding open silently; pale light spilled across the witch, casting deep shadows across the room to reveal the familiar pensive, and bottles upon bottles of memories. This is for everyone lost...Hazel grabbed the lantern, placing her wand inside. This is for everyone who has lost someone, or lost a part of themselves. She lifted the lantern, and muttered, "confringo maxima". Even if she'd been silent before, it wouldn't have mattered. The explosion shattered the entire compartment, sending Hazel stumbling backwards and dodging broken glass. Merlin! She felt a stray shard cut her cheek, liquid dripping down her cheek slowly. However, Hazel hardly felt any cuts or phantom pain as a wide grin spread across her face. She'd done it! She destroyed the memories before they'd taken hold of Ridgeway. Now all that was left was to save - A second, unexpected explosion came from the entrance.
The door, closed behind her, was blasted into the room; the sharp, heavy corner hit her in the shoulder before she could even think of dodging. Bloody hell, that hurt. Hazel struggled to sit from her position on the floor, a faint ringing in her head as she sluggishly looked up. Blinking away her blurry vision, she could barely see a tall, dark, familiar figure step through the hole in the wall. It was Marcus Ridgeway...and he looked furious.
As her vision cleared, Hazel felt legitimate fear rush through her at the sight of the professor. If she'd thought the look on his face had been upsetting before, the utter betrayal and fury across his features were a sight to behold. Had he..? Was this...her Ridgeway? From her timeline? It couldn't be, he couldn't have returned back in time this fast. "We're in this situation again, little one." Hazel's blood ran cold at his low, smooth voice. She briefly forgot how to breathe, before the burning in her chest reminded her that she was still alive. But not for long. Bloody hell, how had he returned back so fast?...And why did she feel sad at his expression? She was a proper fool for thinking she could do this, alone.
The anger in his dark eyes was a strange contrast to his seemingly calm demeanor, hands tucked behind his back as he stepped over rubble. "Out of everyone, you were the last person I expected to betray me. You were more than a friend...you were like a daughter to me, Hazel." Despite everything she knew he'd done, everything she'd risked to undo, Hazel's chest ached at the venom and pain in his voice. He was still Ridgeway….but he would kill her now. It was only a matter of time.
"You failed, my dear." His smile failed to reach his smoldering eyes, and he paused some distance away, "Destiny arrives all the same." Does history repeat itself? Is she doomed to die at the hands of someone she loved, the man she failed to save? The Unbreakable Vow she'd made with the Order echoed in her ears, a taunting reminder of her complete and utter failure. She'd only made things worse.
"I didn't betray you, Marcus." She finally was able to pull herself to her knees, wincing at the sharp pain in her shoulder. It was nothing compared…His mouth twitched at her words as Hazel lifted her chin to meet his piercing gaze, brown meeting brown once more, "I'm doing this to save you, Marcus, to save everyone who has -" The man cut her off with a terrifying yell. For the first time in any lifetime, Hazel heard Ridgeway yell, "You betrayed me!". Shivers ran down her spine as he advanced, dark eyes locked onto hers, "You betrayed me, Hazel, and everyone you loved...I won't make the same mistake twice."
Tears pricked her eyes, unshed, as Ridgeway lifted his wand at Hazel. Please, Marcus…"For the memories we had, stand up." When she didn't move - where the hell was her wand? Where was the lantern? Could she save him, still? Was it truly too late? Was she destined to die here? - Ridgeway's face twisted into a macabre smile, voice dropping, "Stand, my dear." The familiar term hurt more than she'd expected, and Hazel grabbed her wand from beneath a piece of rubble, heart racing and clenching at the same time. Did she really have to duel her own family, someone she still loved? Ridgeway was like a father to her, he'd admitted it himself. Maybe she could - "One last chance." His voice cut across the room, "Stand and duel, like the woman I know you are...or die on the ground, like the weak, pathetic girl you were before I made you great."
A tear slipped unwillingly down her cheek as she finally rose to her feet. It appears she had no choice in the matter. She'd been too late. The witch tried to clear her mind the best she could. She was about to duel Marcus Ridgeway, her mentor, the man who had the memories of a dark wizard, a man capable of turning spells to water, for Merlin's sake, and taking down multiple Aurors. Meeting the eyes of Ridgeway, she found it hard to raise her wand against him. It wasn't death she feared, in that room.
The twisted smile remained on his lips, eyes flickering to the tear that rolled down her face before he dropped into a slow, mocking bow. "You know the rules, my dear. First, we bow to one another." Dread coiled inside her, but Hazel refused to fully cry or break down as she reluctantly returned the gesture. She had a feeling he would've forced her to bow, if she hadn't...Merlin, she was really going to die at the hands of her mentor, the man Hazel wanted so desperately to save that she had turned a blind eye to suffering and pain and countless other sins.
"First move is yours, my dear." The term of endearment was thrown at her like an insult as Ridgeway nodded towards the woman-turned-girl. She felt as if she truly was twelve again, but could never forget everything that had happened. She wouldn't want to. After a moment's hesitation - I'm sorry, Marcus - Hazel threw a blasting curse at the man's feet. To her surprise, the spell worked. Ridgeway was knocked to the floor, a similar look on his own face. Normal attacks wouldn't work on him at all, he'd - she was too late to dodge the responding curse, and Hazel was thrown against the wall behind her, sharp pain cutting across her injured shoulder. Bloody hell, she didn't stand a chance. She could see the flicker of lightning from his wand spark again, recognizing the curse he'd used on Barty Crouch Jr. With whom he'd been working with all along, despite Edward and Mohinder and everyone who believed in the cause, in Ridgeway. A sudden rush of her own anger allowed her to recover briefly enough to cast a protection charm against the next lightning whip before attempting to accio the lantern.
To her dismay, the item only shifted a few feet towards her. If she could get the lantern, she could apparate to the Ministry...or die trying. With her focus on retrieving the lantern, even with her dodging the spells he sent her way, Hazel saw the flash of red before it hit her. Immediately, she dropped to the floor, teeth clenching as she writhed in pain. Nothing but burning, consuming her alive, pain, endless burning and pain, Marcus, please, it hurt, burning, she wouldn't scream, searing heat and - Ridgeway waved his wand to his side, releasing the witch. Hazel gasped for air as she trembled on the floor, barely able to move or think. She'd almost returned to the burning, the endless pain, Ridgeway had used crucio on her, had it really been only ten seconds? Her entire body quivering with the effort, Hazel tried to sit up before her arms gave out, head smacking against the floor with a dull thud.
"You're weak, I thought I trained you better." From her position on the ground, she watched the powerful wizard close the distance between them. In the back of her mind, she wondered what the rest of the Corre would do when they found her...What would Mason do? She had failed. Again, Hazel slowly tried to pull herself up to her elbows, body violently shaking with the mere attempt. But she held. She was strong; she had to be to have survived this much. She was here. She was alive.
Brown eyes clashed as Marcus slowly bent down beside the shaking witch, his hand grasping her face. He was surprisingly gentle for someone who about to murder her...or worse. The professor lifted her chin, another false smile at the corner of his lips. Something in his eyes seemed….off, uneasy; for a moment, it reminded her of Barty Crouch, the haunted look in the mad man's eyes. Had Ridgeway truly...lost it? She couldn't save him, she had failed. Moving even closer, the wizard whispered harshly, "Everything you thought you could do...everything you know….everything you believed...was a lie." He practically spat, a manic grin spreading across his face as his grip tightened. She didn't notice the tears that dripped down her cheeks as he spoke, "I shall take great pleasure in this." She had failed to save him from himself. Hazel was, as always, too late. She knew what happened next.
"The girl who broke so much, broken herself," Ridgeway released her to stand at his full height, stepping back as he aimed his wand at her. It's strange, the things you focus on, right before. Hazel's attention was stuck on the wand he raised. It wasn't the Elder wand, it was his own. The one he'd been using when they first met. The wand he used to transfigure the lake into an ice-skating rink, or to duel her and Henry, or to fix her wounds after practice. He was going to kill her with his own wand. "The cursed child," He laughed humorlessly at the title, "ready to die."
She was too late….Marcus….The genuine smile on her lips trembled as she gradually lifted herself into a sitting position; both the man's dark eyes and wand followed her movement jerkily, unsteadily. He hadn't killed her yet, didn't truly want to. As her hand fumbled for her wand - it had to be somewhere nearby - Hazel kept her eyes on the father figure she'd never known she needed, the man who taught her everything she knew, the man she failed to save. "I love you too, Marcus Ridgeway," She laughed as her hand closed around the familiar wood, her free hand wiping away some of her tears. She was always crying. The wizard's eyes widened at her words, and she could've sworn his wand hand wavered briefly. Sitting up, Hazel tilted her head up at the man, the smile breaking across her face as something shattered inside her. She failed him. "You're family to me, too. I'm sorry it had to come to this." Hazel Cross lifted her wand to do the unthinkable: to kill Marcus Ridgeway.
It was strange, she decided, watching the green light that had haunted her since Paris leave her own wand, watching it strike the man she loved, her mentor and professor. The look of surprise was the last thing on his face as the killing spell hit him directly in the chest; his eyes fluttered shut, expression smoothing out as he fell backwards was a loud thump. She had killed someone….she had killed Marcus Ridgeway. Had she not turned to empty the contents of her stomach, to collapse in a pile of grief and guilt and so much more, a part of her gone, forever broken at what she'd been forced to do, what she decided, Hazel might've noticed the solitary tear that escaped the empty eyes of the professor she once called home. And the world was turned upside down.