Hello everyone! I'm on a roll, the chapter after this is almost finished (though I'm keeping it in reserve, seeing as I won't be able to write for a week at the end of June). If I get another one out soon, I might post it before next Sunday!
Thanks of course to everyone who was kind enough to review: Sarah (neither do I, by the way), Lily MJ Fae, Senyuu, lizyeh2000, wiseguy123, Cae-Leigh Anne, One Smart Waffle and Nik1804.
Also thanks to my poor Beta VidereLux, who I didn't give enough time to beta this chapter, so I tried my best by myself.
Without further ado!
'Ready?' Emma asked everyone as they stood around the Portkey in Hogsmeade.
She was nervous and could tell that Rabastan was too, even through his mask. He had told her on the way there that he was worried about not being able to scout out the village beforehand, lest the Dark Lord think that they knew there would be trouble. She tried not to show it though, letting her trademark smirk slide onto her face and lifting her mask slightly to survey her group.
Regulus was stoic as ever, wand polished and at the ready in the one hand, sleeves rolled up to display the Dark Mark in all of its glory. Barty was eager, excited even. He kept readjusting his mask, even though it was magically enhanced to partially mould to his face. Emma realised that it would be his first raid, his first mission for the Dark Lord as a fully fledged Inner member.
Bellatrix clapped her hand on Emma's shoulder, making her start. She smiled widely, showing perfectly white teeth. On Narcissa, the gesture made her look inviting; Bellatrix simply looked vicious.
'Ready, little Pottie?' she asked, brimming with enthusiasm. 'Oh, and by the way, nice catch Reggie,' she nodded her head towards Regulus, who couldn't help but wince at the nickname. 'I had to learn about your engagement from grandfather, so I was most disappointed, but you've definitely made up for that by snagging one of the purest witches available.'
Bellatrix threw a wink at Emma, who supposed that she was on the receiving end of the highest compliment Bellatrix could give. She was glad that her silver mask hid her burning cheeks. Before she or Regulus could say a thing, Rodolphus checked his watch.
'Sorry to break up the reunion, but it's time we left. Emma?' he asked.
Emma understood immediately. Tonight was her responsibility; she had to give the order. Meeting Rabastan's eyes over the Portkey, she placed a finger on the circular plate.
'Everyone on the Portkey,' she said, checking her own watch. 'In three…two…one.'
As soon as her feet touched the ground, Emma whipped out her wand and pointed it to the sky.
'Morsmordre!'
Green tendrils shot out of the tip of her wand towards the sky, coalescing into the signature snake entwined with a human skull. Emma took a second to watch it form, hood slipping as she did so.
A hand moved to place her hood back into place. Emma looked down to find Bellatrix staring at her, eyes soft between the snake-like slits in her mask.
'There's nothing quite like your first time casting it, is there?' she asked, uncharacteristically serious.
The moment was gone as soon as it came though, since Antonin Dolohov, the last member of their group, came running up to them, having made a cursory sweep of the area.
'The Muggles,' he panted, hands on his knees. 'They're gone!'
'What?' Emma asked immediately, letting anger lace her voice.
Bellatrix wasted no time in casting the Homenum Revelio spell. Emma waited with baited breath, calling the others back to the Portkey.
'No one but the seven of us,' Bellatrix cursed loudly. She rounded on Emma. 'Where are the Muggles?'
Emma pretended to search, her heart feeling like it would burst out of her chest if it beat any more violently.
'They were supposed to be here,' she said plaintively, before hearing the tell-tale crack of Apparition. 'It's a trap!' she yelled. 'Everyone, get out now! We'll come back another day.'
On cue, her fellow Death Eaters turned as one, only to find themselves spinning on the spot.
'Anti-Apparition Charms,' Rabastan stated grimly.
'Yes, thank you Captain Obvious,' Emma said angrily, making a mental note to apologise to Rabastan later. 'I guess we'll just have to fight this one out.'
'I guess it's my lucky day,' Rodolphus rumbled. 'The only thing I like better than Muggle hunting is blood traitor hunting!'
Emma raised her eyebrows at this, glad that the shift in her mask couldn't be seen over her hood. Several more cracks were heard and she ran over to Rabastan, grabbing him and bodily throwing him behind an abandoned cart. Regulus followed soon after, conjuring piles of hay to one side.
Barty would be protected by Dolohov, infamous for his purple curse, but with the lesser known trait of having the ability to protect new Death Eaters during raids. Every time Emma had been paired up with him, she hadn't received a scratch. Barty was in good hands.
'What's the plan, Rab?' she whispered. 'I didn't expect them to get here so quickly. Someone must have given them the exact time.'
Rabastan was busy massaging his arm.
'Next time, try to remember I'm not a Quaffle, he huffed, before taking on a business-like tone. 'The drill is, once we've downed enough to create a gap, we'll sprint for the Apparition boundaries. Only Dumbledore's club is here now, and we don't know if they'll even signal the Ministry. The others know that the first priority is to make sure the Hogwarts students don't get caught, since we're the closest to Dumbledore. Regulus, your job is to keep an eye on Barty. I know he's with Dolohov, but it'll be your responsibility to bring him to the barrier in one piece.'
A second later, a hex blasted through their makeshift barrier and the three rolled to the side, each going their own way.
Dear Merlin, Emma squeezed her eyes shut for half a second. Please let us all get out in one piece.
Dolohov was a war machine, taking on Alastor Moody and both Prewett twins at once, allowing Barty to fire well-placed sneak attacks from time to time.
Bellatrix and Rodolphus had their hands full with Albus Dumbledore himself, though fortunately Minerva McGonagall appeared to have been left behind at Hogwarts in case Voldemort attempted an assault on the school. Either way, it was clear to Emma that it was a losing battle, although both Death Eaters were powerful in their own right.
Someone Emma didn't recognise stepped straight into her path, and Emma readied her wand, only to see the man blasted to the left, soaring back towards the village and falling on the broken fence. She stared as a cloud of dust rose from where he lay, motionless.
'Come on, Ems, we've got to go!' Rabastan yelled, pulling her by the arm towards the border. 'I think Dumbledore's alerted the Aurors, they've gone on the defensive as if they're waiting for someone.'
Sure enough, now that Emma looked closely, most Order members seemed to be conserving their strength. Fortunately, it didn't seem like anyone at school was there, which meant that James would be safe at Hogwarts.
'Alright,' she said, meeting Rabastan's pale green eyes in a sea of dirt, blood and sweat. 'I know what to do. Cover me.'
As Rabastan protected her from stray spells, Emma rolled up her sleeve with difficulty, it having stuck to a scab on her wrist. Tugging the cloth, she managed to rip it free, revealing the Dark Mark beneath. Bringing her wand around, she pressed the point into the skull, whispering a small Severing Charm to draw blood.
The bright red tattoo seemed to drink the blood, the liquid travelling through the skull and snake until it turned the entire mark to an inky black.
Rabastan let out a cry of pain, showing that the magic had done its work. He glanced back, making sure that the tattoo had completely changed, before grabbing Emma's arm once more and hustling her to the village edge.
'Now we really need to go,' he said, ducking under a nearby bush. 'Have you seen Regulus anywhere?'
Emma cast her eyes about, but saw no sign of Regulus's slight build amongst the Death Eaters.
'We don't have time for this,' she said impatiently. 'Homenum Revelio!'
Rabastan looked down at his stomach, and Emma imagined that he felt the tell tale lurch of the spell identifying his body. Glancing over the village once more, Emma counted the bodies moving around and noticed something odd. There were too many, all linked in a circle, all moving slowly around the village exterior. She cast her eyes about, only to notice some not far from their own position.
'The Aurors are already here!' she cried urgently, panic surging in her veins. 'He's going to be killed!'
'Emma, don't!' Rabastan yelled, but it was too late.
Emma had run ahead in front, causing the Aurors nearest to them to reveal themselves.
'Incarcerous,' one shouted, pointing her wand at Emma.
Ropes fell neatly around the Slytherin, but with a sweep of her wand, Emma had burned them away. She might be more reckless when angry, but she was also more powerful.
'Behind you!' Rabastan shouted, sending Stunner after Stunner in a panic.
Emma immediately swivelled around, diving back to the brush. She tapped her wand on Rabastan's head, then her own, and without waiting to see if her spell had succeeded, grabbed him and made a break for the village.
The Disillusionment Charm gained them precious seconds, but it wasn't hard to notice the chameleon-like ripple of scenery and the Aurors were soon casting Finite in their direction.
Emma had a stitch in her side by the time she reached Dolohov and Barty.
'Aurors,' she gasped. 'All around... I called the Dark Lord.'
Dolohov nodded and intensified his spells, catching Fabian Prewett with a Conjunctivitus Curse that had him momentarily occupied. Barty took the opportunity to cast the Body-Binding Curse, effectively ending Fabian's participation in the duel.
'Go,' Dolohov urged, holding an arm out as though to shield the teenagers from further fire. 'We can handle this.'
With that, the burly man gave a blood-curdling war cry that was so unlike him it would have been funny, if Emma didn't know it was to attract the attention of the Order and Auror members.
'Look,' Barty said, pointing. 'The Order members are retreating.'
It was true. Gideon had taken hold of Fabian and dragged him towards the barriers just as the Aurors burst from their cover. It seemed as though the Order had come simply to buy time for the Ministry to organise an attack. Emma's fear redoubled.
'Where's Regulus?' she asked urgently.
Barty simply shook his head. 'I thought he was with you?'
Emma grimaced, but refused to give up hope. 'Stay close, Barty. We'll do our best to protect you.'
'I don't need protecting,' Barty started angrily, but quietened when Rabastan and Emma turned around with equally venomous looks.
'Come on,' Emma muttered to Rabastan. 'He has to be around here somewhere.'
She had barely rounded the next building before the ground exploded in front of them; the result of a Bombarda Maximaspell. Emma found herself knocked to the floor, her ears ringing from the blast. There was dirt in her eyes and mouth, and she quickly spat it out, rubbing at her eyes until her vision came back, albeit blurry.
'Emma! Emma!' Barty was yelling over and over, but it seemed to Emma as though he was under the Black Lake.
She rolled over, sitting up to frown at Barty. He gesticulated wildly, and she turned around to see an Auror leaning down to face her, so close that she could see the shock on the man's face.
He mouthed something, but Emma couldn't hear. Suddenly, she realised why Barty was so anxious. The Auror's navy blue robes were brushing the floor between her and her wand…but also her Death Eater's mask.
He's seen me! she thought in one horrified moment, reaching between the man's boots for her wand. He moved his foot, blocking her access. She knew that she should try some wandless magic, that she should get up, that she should run, but the world was still spinning and she felt as though she would fall over if she even tried to move any further.
The whistling in her ears died down enough that she was able to hear the man muttering over and over as he transfigured ropes to bind her hands.
'So young, so young.'
Then a bright light sent stars flying over her vision, accompanied by those two fatal words.
'Avada Kedavra.'
Rabastan no!
As soon as he reached Barty and Dolohov, Regulus realised that they were in trouble. Albus Dumbledore and the Prewett siblings were there, three of England's greatest duellers. Of course, they had Bellatrix and - more importantly - Dolohov with them, but still, it was three on two, and Bellatrix had her hands full with Dumbledore.
He waited for a moment, unsure as to how to be of help. The Order hadn't picked up on his presence yet, only going after Emma and Rabastan, but Regulus was fairly certain that they wouldn't have brought so few people. Not if there was a chance to bring in Bellatrix Black, the Dark Lord's lieutenant.
Sure enough, he noticed a short man in a large hat send off some kind of Patronus into the woods. Given that there were no Dementors for miles around, it must have been a coded message of sorts. Perhaps depending on the Patronus shown?
Shaking his head of academic thoughts, Regulus hit upon an idea. Crawling back to their starting spot, Regulus grabbed the plate, which had miraculously survived the initial skirmish. Magic, he supposed.
He almost dropped it as soon as he touched it, a searing pain burning its way up his left arm. He glanced down at his sleeveless forearm: sure enough, the Dark Mark was fulfilling its purpose. After making sure that he hadn't forgotten any other missions that night, he pressed on it. Nothing happened. Someone in the vicinity must have activated it.
That means the Aurors are here, he thought, redoubling his pace as he tried to find the others.
By the time he had managed to creep around the various battle zones back to where Dolohov and Barty were, they were gone. Cursing inwardly, he trekked back to the centre of town, attempting to find any of his classmates.
He checked his watch. The Portkey was due to leave in three minutes. If he couldn't find them before that, he would have to make a choice: leave without them, or drop the useless Portkey and find another way out of the Auror-infested place.
Suddenly, a blast tore up part of the ground to his left, so he immediately snuck that way, hoping that his friends were there, and that it wasn't Bellatrix having her way with another Order member.
He arrived on the scene just to see a flash of green light speed towards an Auror. The man crumpled to the ground instantaneously, revealing Emma also lying on the ground, unmoving.
No! Regulus thought, a surge of emotion coursing through him. He ran towards the motionless girl, almost dropping the plate in his haste.
'Don't worry,' Rabastan said, crouching down beside him. 'She'll be fine.'
The taller boy looked like he had been through hell and back, his face blackened by dirt, mud and blood. For the first time, Regulus noticed that Barty was standing behind him, straw blond hair scattered with hay and dirt. Other than that, the younger boy didn't have a scratch on him, although he looked petrified.
His immediate question answered, Regulus checked his watch. They had little time left. The three adults were still fighting at the risk of being overwhelmed, but Regulus had to hope reinforcements were arriving soon. Either way, the kids wouldn't be much help. He knew his Cousin Bella could blast her way through the Anti-Apparition wards if she really wanted to.
'Thirty seconds,' he said, reminding himself of Rodolphus earlier. Only this time, they were fewer and a lot worse for wear. 'Rabastan, can you grab Emma's other arm? Three…two…one...'
PS If you are interested in seeing how Regulus is doing with his research, I have a little one-shot of him as another story on my profile.