I stood back as the fearless, calloused, purely evil "Dark Lord" stepped from the crowd of his lackeys.
"Harry Potter is DEAD!" I froze.
"He actually did it..." The other side of the courtyard erupted in laughter as the vile crowd enjoyed the thought.
"...Join us, and you will be renowned as one who stood in this final great battle at my side! Who will join me?" I saw Lucius Malfoy and his wife gesture to Draco. Akumu found me and spoke in hushed whispers.
"What do we do?"
"I don't know." I looked around, then my eyes drifted up to the tower. "Got it." I slipped through the crowd of students as Voldemort gloated. I ran up the stairs as fast as I could, overclocking my muscles to leap four stairs at a time. I stopped for a moment to catch my breath, then peaked out the window. I gawked as I saw Neville standing in front of the crowd. I couldn't hear what he was saying, but I still smiled.
"So the Prodigal son awakens." I gathered all of the magical energy I could, and I started sweating from the strain of holding it back. I gasped when I saw Harry twist out of Hagrid's grasp and take off running. "He's alive?! How?!" Voldemort tried to hit him, but thankfully he missed. I stood up and grunted, feeling my magic flare. I pointed my pear wand at the front of the crowd, right at Nagini, knowing it had more of a flare than my lilac wand.
"BOMBARDA MAXIMA!" I shouted as a large bolt of energy surged through my wand. An explosion rocked everyone's world as it took out a large number of Death Eaters. I ducked away from the window as spells flew towards me in retort and I retreated down the stairs as fast as possible. Akumu met me at the bottom and wrapped my arm over her shoulder.
"You idiot! You just made yourself a target!"
"Good. Let them come. Did I get the snake?"
"Now, somehow the stupid thing survived that."
"How in the-!" I saw the war had once again restarted. I started shooting off rapid-fire spells at anyone who dared attack the students. One Death Eater landed in front of us and shot off a spell, but we ducked, moving forward for a pincher attack. I chopped his wand hand and Akumu planted a solid kick in his gut. The guy collapsed and I waved my wand, binding his tongue. We moved through the crowd, once again taking down any enemy within range. Akumu leaped into the fray to help another student cornered by three Death Eaters. Spells of all colors were flying over my head when I made it to a bridge. One Death Eater pointed at me.
"That's the one that shot from the tower!" I yelped as spell after spell was launched at me. I tried to dodge or block them, but I was too tired after that large spell and one got through, sending me reeling. The number of spells slowed to a stop as a couple of the Death Eaters stepped forward.
"You thought you were clever, didn't you? I'll admit I've never seen someone as agile as you." I was panting again, and I was running out of time. My magical stores were almost all used up. I glanced behind me to see the war had moved on from the bridge, leaving me alone. "Not so tough when you're alone, aren't you?" I grunted at him as I stood up.
"Speak for yourself. You hide behind your so called Dark Lord like he is some sort of deity. You think you have a mind of your own, but you are nothing more than an expendable pawn on Moldy Wart's chessboard." His eyes lit up in anger and he raised his wand.
I saw the familiar color of a Bombarda spell and rolled to the side. The explosion knocked me farther than I thought it would and my legs slipped off the edge. I scrambled for any hold, but my momentum carried me over. My eyes widened and a shout escaped from my lips. My hands slipped over the edge and I closed my eyes, waiting for the long fall. Someone grabbed my wrists and I instinctively grabbed theirs, dropping my wand in the process. Looking up, I saw Akumu on her stomach, holding onto my arms.
"Rai!"
"Akumu!" I saw the dark wizard calmly walking over. "Akumu, pull me up-!" She cut me off, closing her eyes as she grunted.
"I'm-trying Rai!" When she opened them, I could see the fear in her eyes. She wasn't strong enough.
"Akumu...drop me!" Horror made her eyes widen further.
"No!"
"Akumu, you have to let go! He's going to kill us both!" Tears sprang to her eyes.
"I...I-I can't lose you Rai!"
"Akumu, listen to me!"
"You're the only one to ever care about me! I can't let you go!" My eyes widened as the wizard got even closer.
"Akumu, please!" She shook her head, still trying to pull me up. "Akumu! You need to live! Out of either of us, you need to get home!"
"I won't have a home to go back to if you die!" Silence rang true as the wizard stood over her. A sickly sweet grin played on his face as he raised a boot and stomped on her back. She cried out in pain and gritted her teeth.
"Not so tough when your hanging by a limb, are you?" He crouched down and brushed her hair aside. My face contorted into a scowl.
"Get away from her!"
"What are you going to do about it? You're wandless and hanging off a bridge." I just about roared at him, electricity sparking in my eyes. "She is so young, to be fighting in a war. So pretty." He said, brushing her cheek with the back of a finger. Akumu flinched away from him as lightning flashed between my teeth. I nearly blasted him, but I realized Akumu was holding me, the lightning would transfer to her through my arms.
"Leave her alone!"
"Oh? Is she your lover?" He said with a sick grin. I made my choice. I looked at Akumu, a single tear falling down my cheek.
"Akumu. Get…home safe." She knew what I was about to do.
"Rai, NO!" I threw my arms back, slipping from her grasp.
"She's actually my SISTER!" Any strength I had left gathered into my arms. I threw my hands forward and a massive bolt flew at the man. He was only able to let out a short scream before being blown away. Akumu screamed my name as her tears fell with me. I closed my eyes, not wanting to see the ground.
Time seemed to slow down as I heard a somewhat familiar gong sounding but distant hum. A roar shattered the air, followed by flapping wings. I opened my eyes, only to gasp. Above Akumu a portal had opened, and out of it dove someone I hadn't seen in a long time.
"TESLA?!" He roared at me as he dove. I couldn't believe it, he was here! I felt a large grin spread across my face. I reached out as he drew closer, and our eyes met. "About time, old friend." He grinned as he dove past me. I grabbed a strap of leather and hauled myself onto his saddle. He pulled up and we shot back up to the bridge. We hovered above the bridge and Tesla charged up, blasting anyone near Akumu. He landed and I ran over to her. "Akumu! Akumu, are you okay?!" She scrambled to her feet and we met in a hug.
"Rai! Don't ever do that again!" I pulled back.
"We'll talk about this later!" I gasped when I saw a familiar brown and orange dragon smacking a few wizards off the bridge with his tail. "Sting!" He turned to me, wagging said appendages. He bounced over and held up a claw. In it was my katana, still in its sheath. I grinned and strapped it over my head, hugging him in thanks. "Alright! Let's finish this war!" I hopped on Tesla and Akumu hopped on Sting. We took to the skies, Akumu and I blocking any spells from hitting our Dragons. I patted Tesla. "I could use a recharge bud!" He tilted his head in question but nodded as black clouds filled the sky. I was reminded of a certain God of Thunder as I unsheathed my katana, a familiar and really missed hum echoing with the loud rumble of thunder. I raised it high and Tesla growled, a bolt flashed down and struck us both. I shouted as I felt my power restore to full.
"FOR HOGWARTS!" Tesla landed and spun, his electrified tail smacking into a few wizards, knocking them back. He then blasted a group who thought they were tough enough to face a dragon. I leaped off his neck, landing and slashing across a wizard's hand. He cried out as his arm bled and spasmed before reeling back as I sent a lightning filled punch into his face. I ducked under a spell and saw a few foes retreating. I charged with a cry; my speed now doubled. They fired at me, but I dodged them with ease. I flashed passed them and one fell, blood pooling around him. One of the others turned with a grief filled shriek, releasing a sickly green light. I brought my sword back and swung it down with everything I had, a shout and a clap of thunder echoing out as the sword cut through the curse. It faded harmlessly past me and the witch stopped, surprise making her freeze. I grinned ferally.
"Looks like you didn't mean it." I flashed forward, a thunder filled roar echoing in her ears as I sent her flying with a kick. Another spell flew over my head and I rolled towards my next opponent. He was a pretty good shot and almost got me. I flipped into the air and planted a foot in his head, making him fall back. I ducked left and right as two more spells came for me. I paused when I noticed six more Death Eaters were surrounding me. I slowly slid into a stance. All of my senses kicked up to level 10 as I felt the fresh round of lightning course through me.
"Shall we dance, my dudes?" I ducked, bobbed, weaved and twisted as I cut or avoided every spell, my sword, even after these years, was instantly a familiar extension of my arms, giving me no hindrance as I slashed Killing Curse after Blasting Curse. I felt the friction in my muscles build up and I leaped high, coming down and slamming my fist into the ground. Lightning spread out in a dome, electrocuting each witch or wizard. I glanced around to make sure they were all down, then sighed, shaking my fist out. "Dang it, that hurt." I spun as I heard a roar, and saw two werewolves charging me on all fours. I grinned and sheathed my sword, charging forward. One werewolf got to me first and slashed at me. I ducked and came up, clocking him with an uppercut. He yelped and fell back as his partner charged me. I leaped up and twisted, rolling along her back as she skidded to a stop. I landed on one solid foot, already twisting to spin kick then as she turned, giving her a foot right in her nose. Both werewolves got shocked until they ran off to lick their wounds.
"Rai! Rai come quick! Sting got shot down!" I spun to see Akumu running towards me.
"Sting?" She pointed back the way she'd come from. I nodded and ran over, dropping to a knee next to the young dragon. I gasped at the hole in his wing. "Sting, no, please!" His eye cracked open and he let out a moan. I gritted my teeth as he closed his eyes in pain. I stood up.
"Rai?"
"Who did it?" My voice shook with barely contained anger.
"That one." I followed her finger to a man walking over, his coat and long white hair billowing in the wind. A cane in one hand and a wand in his other, Lucius Malfoy stopped a few feet from me. I pointed at Sting.
"You did this?" He smirked.
"My, you have an attachment to it. Interesting. I'm sure the Dark Lord would like to hear of such an intriguing development." I scowled.
"You moron! Tell me why I shouldn't cut you to pieces?!" He looked down his nose.
"You couldn't possibly harm me, you pathetic-!"
"Lucius, enough!" We both turned as his wife ran up. She looked a little worse for wear, with her dress being torn in this place and that. She hesitated only for a moment before walking over to Sting. She knelt next to him and gently placed a hand on his head. Sting opened his eyes, and she let out a small sigh. I tensed when she pulled out her wand and waved it over his injured wing. I stared as the hole stitched itself back together. Sting seemed to regain some energy and stood up, looking over his newly healed wing in awe. He looked to Narcissa and purred, tilting his head curiously. She placed a hand on his horn. "Is that better young one?" He crowed and flapped his wings a little, testing them. She smiled and stepped back. "I'm glad."
"Narcissa what are you doing?" She spun around so quickly I nearly cowed at the look.
"How could you harm such an innocent creature?!" She stood near me, her focus solely on Lucius.
"Narc-."
"Why do we need to fight for him, Lucius?! Can't you see it's only hurting the innocent!"
"We must Narcissa. Otherwise, we will lose our own lives." I turned to face him, a curious tone to my voice.
"You really think he'll win, don't you? " I saw a flash of hesitation in his eyes.
"How could he lose?" Lucius spat out. "He is the most powerful wizard known to live."
"Is he?"
"Of course he is!"
"Is he powerful? Or is he just a tyrant?" I said. "You see Lucius, there was another ruler much like him, ages ago. He ruled with an iron fist. Anyone who went against him perished because they went against his point of view. He thought one type of people shouldn't exist, so he tried to wipe them out." I paused to let that sink in. "He almost did too. By the end of his rule, he had mercilessly slaughtered millions."
"What is your point boy?!" Lucius said impatiently. I scowled.
"My. Point. Is." I paused to make sure he wouldn't interrupt. "Everyone thought he was invincible. But. Even a feared tyrant once thought invincible fell once he was pushed hard enough. Even those who "don't die" have limits." I tilted my head back. "Even if Voldemort is powerful, he rules with fear. That will only go so far once people figure it out."
"Figure what out?" Narcissa asked. I turned a grin on her.
"He's afraid of death." I stopped and looked up as a black smoke trail flew through the sky. I realized it was Harry and Voldemort and looked to Lucius. "Live in fear or live in freedom. Your choice. Just know I won't let you harm anyone else." He hesitated, when Narcissa stepped forward.
"Lucius...for Draco..." I turned when I heard footsteps running up, and saw Draco slow to a stop. He looked over the scenario in confusion.
"Draco. Do you want to fight for Voldemort?" I asked. His face instantly tightened, and he spat at me.
"What choice do we have?"
"I thought we already talked about this." He grew frustrated.
"I have tried to leave that path my entire life! I didn't want any part of this bloody war! But someone just kept dragging me back down!" His eyes flicked to Lucius. I nodded and folded my arms.
"Make your choice. Now." Draco's eyes widened and he froze. I watched him carefully as his mind kicked into overdrive. He couldn't think and his eyes grew wet from the frustration.
"I...I-I, I don't know!" He shouted.
"You know which side will win this war today."
"What are you talking about?!"
"You know it, deep down. Feel for it. Hogwarts is still fighting. It is still reaching for those loyal to it. Can you feel it?"
"I don't know what y-!" I gritted my teeth.
"Draco! For once! Shut your mouth and feel!" I shouted, trying to reach him one last time. He pulled back in surprise. I glared at him to keep him quiet. He stumbled a little and Sting raised a claw to catch him. Draco stared at the innocent dragon, who tilted his head with a warble. Draco looked at me, his lip trembling a little.
"...Voldemort will die, won't he?" I nodded.
"Whether it is by Harry's hands, or mine. The tyrant won't stand for another day." I turned and marched over to Tesla. I hopped on and gave Draco one last look, this one just a hint softer than the others. "You're a bright kid Draco. Don't let that go to waste." We took off, Sting and Akumu following.
We landed not too far from where Harry and Voldemort were duking it out, spells being tossed back and forth. I started to step forward, but Harry had noticed us and threw his hand out.
"Stay back!" I nodded and they continued. I turned to Tesla.
"Go and help anyone you can. And please be careful." He roared at me before taking off, blasting Death Eaters along the way. Voldemort grinned and shot a spell at me. I drew my sword and slashed the spell in half, the blade humming with electrical energy. His eyes widened a little and I stepped forward.
"Never had a muggle fight back, huh "Dark Lord"?" I said mockingly. His brow creased and he shot another spell at me. This one I simply sidestepped. He fully turned to me.
"Who are you?"
"Me? Oh, I'm nobody. I'm just a guy from the past and the future. Oh, by the way, out of all rulers I've ever heard of, you aren't one of them." I taunted him the same way I had Drago Bludvist years ago. He thought about it for a second.
"Surely you must be mistaken, if you are from the future, like you say." He said condescendingly. I tapped a finger to my chin, thinking about it.
"Mm, nope. Never heard of a ridiculous name like yours." It looked like I had just kicked his pet snake. He shot another spell at me. I stepped out of the way and walked closer, spinning my sword once before sheathing it.
"I've never seen a wizard wielding such a weapon."
"Heh, you don't get out much. It's a katana, native to the Japanese people."
"How do you know about magic if you're a muggle? How are you here?"
"Oh, at Hogwarts? I was a student, have been for a couple of years now…Sort of." His eyes widened as I held my hand out. My pear wand snapping to it from its sheath. "Neat trick huh? I learned it myself about a year ago."
'In your time at least…' I pointed the wand straight up. "Accio Wand!" I held up my other hand and waited. "It takes a second." My wand snapped to my hand with a slight shower of sparks. "Ah! There we go." Voldemort's eyes widened.
"You, you wield two wands?" I could see his gears turning. "You, are a powerful wizard. You would do well among my ranks. W-!"
"Not on your seventh-of-a-soul-life you inhumane freak." Harry's mouth dropped open and Voldemort looked like he had been slapped. I closed my eyes as I sheathed both of my wands. "Don't you get it Voldemort? You will never rule this world. You know why?" His lips thinned, clearly losing whatever patience Harry hadn't already destroyed. "Because you don't rule with trust, or honor, or integrity. You rule with a tyrannical fist that will soon shred itself apart." Voldemort almost seemed to dance in place, unable to stand still while talking.
"How, can you be so sure? You have not yet seen my true strength." I audibly scoffed.
"And I never will. Harry and the others have destroyed most of your soul. Now you are weak. Weaker than you ever have been. And you're scared." I calmly unsheathed my sword, running my fingers over the back of the blade. "You know only one more and you are just as mortal as the rest of us." I tilted the blade horizontally. "Or maybe you already are."
"...Avada Kedavra!" He shot the spell at me. I rolled out of the way and charged.
"Let's find out just how immortal you really are!" I leaped high, dodging another spell. I landed behind him and spun, slashing a deep cut in his back. He howled in pain as black blood spilled from his wound. His magic lashed out, knocking me off my feet. Harry called my name and restarted his assault. I rolled underneath one of Harry's spells and slashed again. Voldemort might have been good one on one, maybe even two on one, but he had never gone up against a swordsman. He wasn't used to his opponent being this close.
"ENOUGH!" A large blast of magic carried me off my feet. I landed hard, dropping my sword so I could catch myself. "I will not tolerate this anymore! Avad-!" He lurched forward and looked down to see a knife in his gut. I smirked when I saw whose knife it was.
"What's with these people and their loud mouths?" Akumu stepped up. I looked over my shoulder and saw Sting flying off, chasing after Tesla to help. I Accio'd my sword over and Harry, Akumu and I stood in line.
"I don't know. Guess they're compensating for something."
"Rai, Akumu." Harry said.
"Harry." We both replied, knowing him too well. He sighed, knowing us just as well.
"...Don't die, alright?"
"Let's just end this, shall we?" I brought my sword up, resting it on my shoulder. "If you're immortal, then why do you bleed?" Voldemort was livid that he had gotten injured.
"You, do not understand, dark magic. This is merely a side effect, of the Horcruxes. Nyah!" He threw his arm forward and Akumu and I dove to the side. Harry returned fire and the fight was on. Three vs one wasn't doing Voldemort any favors, and I charged forward, slashing down with my sword. He brought his arm up and twisted his wrist, pointing his wand right at my face. Instantly, electricity exploded from my core as my sword slashed through his pale flesh. He howled in pain as my power overloaded his system and stopped the incoming spell. I saw a crack in his wand and smirked. I stepped back and flicked my sword, most of the blood coming off. He held his smoking wound as he gasped in pain.
"And you don't understand muggle weapons."
"I will-! Yaaaaa!" He threw his arm out, spells firing off randomly. Akumu ducked under one spell while I flipped away from the other. I stumbled on a rock and landed on my backside. I shook my head and got to my feet, only to freeze as the world slowed to a near halt. A now familiar green light was flying towards me at high speeds.
'There's no time to move!' My eyes shifted when they caught movement off to my right, only to lock onto Akumu's sprinting form. Determination filled her eyes as she ran with all she had. I caught a single tear fall from her eye as she jumped straight into the path of the Killing Curse.
'NO!' The heel of my left foot had barely lifted off the ground before it impacted right in the center of her chest, knocking her flat on her back. She didn't get back up. The whole event took less than a second.
"No! …No, no, no, no!" I ran forward, dropping to my knees. "Akumu! Get up!" Her eyes were still open as I rolled her over, unshed tears in them as she stared unseeingly. I fell backward, staring at her still form in horror. Harry and Voldemort went back to fighting, Harry shouting in grief for one of his friends while Voldemort laughed. My body went numb.
'She's gone…'
*Thu-thump*
'But she can't be…'
*Thu-thump*
'I promised her.'
*Thu-thump*
'I promised…And now…She's gone.' Eyes now filling with hot tears, I shakily looked at the battle still going on. Harry was standing between us and Voldemort, acting as a shield. I could see him shouting over his shoulder at me. Hot rage pulsed through my body.
"I, promised." I weakly got to my feet, my balance off just enough to make me sway. "You. You made me, break it." Voldemort paused in his assault. Harry looked at me, concerned.
"Ah, one still stands." Voldemort started to turn his wand to me when low thunder rolled across the entire sky. He looked up to raise an eye ridge for a second before looking back to me.
"I promised to give her a home," I said, my voice hauntingly hollow, "I promised to give her a new start." I ducked my head, my teeth gritting and fists clenching. "And you took that away." Thunder crashed and rain fell, slowly at first, only to rapidly grow heavier. "What have you done?" My voice was wavering, and my fists were shaking.
"I am merely putting her in her place. At my feet." Voldemort said after he cast a wordless spell to keep the rain off of himself.
"You killed her. My sister. She's dead. And because of you, I can't keep my promise."
"If you are done grieving for a worthless girl, do as a young man should around his better. Kneel." My head jerked up and my eyes made contact with his.
"Worth…less?" My voice cracked, lightning following suit.
"Yes. Worthless." He said, like he was teaching a kid a new word. I snapped.
"No." Lightning repeatedly flashed in the clouds. "Nooo..."
*Boom* Lightning raced through the sky before striking me, blinding anyone who looked.
"AAAHHHHH!" I threw my head back as my echoing scream raced along with the thunder, making the entire war around us pause. I screamed in pain, not just from losing Akumu, but also from the amount of lightning I was putting out and calling down. My eyes were glowing pure blue as I glared at Voldemort, the lightning curling off of my body in a sharp aura.
"Do you know what you've done?! I was giving her a choice! I was letting her live a real life! And you stole that from her!" One step moved me over Akumu's limp form. "I won't forgive you!" Voldemort's eyes were wide when he saw my power, and he took a few steps back. Lightning bolts surged out, carving deep trenches in the stone laid ground. I took a few heavy steps forward, Voldemort taking one back. Harry had long since backed away, a tiny part of my semiconscious mind making note of that. Since he was now out of the way, I could unleash my full fury on the Dark Lord.
"Avada Kedavra!" Time slowed as the green light approached. I backhanded it away with a snarl. Voldemort gritted his teeth and fired three different spells. Each one was deflected with nothing more than a swat. He growled and pulled his wand back, gathering his magic. "Avada Kedavra!" The spell lashed out and I raised both hands. The spell impacted my hands, making me skid back a few inches. I stopped myself with a growl.
"Grr-HAA!" I thrust my arms forward, his spell instantly overpowered, split down the middle and then vaporized by two separate arcs of lightning. The only sound was the lightning ionizing the air around me. Voldemort, for once, was completely speechless. "You killed her! You stopped her heart! I won't forgive you!" I just about shrieked as the built up lighting around me lashed out wildly. Pillars and arches of stone once standing were left in unrecognizable piles. Voldemort was barely throwing up a shield each time a bolt lashed out at him.
"I was prepared to give up my entire life to make sure she could have one!" Voldemort scowled at me and threw his wand arm out. My head snapped back, and I stumbled, barely catching myself. Reaching a hand up, I felt blood running down the side of my face. He had caught me with a Cutting Curse right above the eyebrow. Even with all of the power I was using, I was still vulnerable. If I wasn't careful, I could still die. The blood dripped into my right eye and I tried to wipe it out to no success. I kept it shut to try and stop any more from getting in it.
"Grr…!" I threw one arm down, lightning striking at him from the clouds. He let out a shout and dove to the side. Thunder clapped as the lightning retreated, leaving the spot he had just been standing now destroyed. He scrambled to his feet and tried to flee, black smoke forming around him. My eyes flashed.
"Where do you think you're going?!" I moved, electricity supercharging my body as I leaped, cocking a fist back. His eyes instinctively shut from how bright the lightning was, allowing me to land the hardest punch I had ever thrown. I landed, skidding a few feet while spinning. Voldemort laid on the ground, holding his head. For all I know, I could have cracked his skull. "I may not be able to use the Cruciatus Curse, but I wonder if this is a close second! RAAAH!" I threw my arms forward, the lighting impacting his body as he let out a strangled scream. I screamed in return as unrestrained tears poured from my eyes. I could feel the electricity I was pumping out. Not even Tesla had used this much power before, and he was a dragon built for this. Meanwhile, I was only human. But I didn't care. I wanted Voldemort dead.
"-ai! RAI! RAAAI!" I looked up and saw Harry standing in the middle of the ruined courtyard. His wand tip was pressed against his throat, and I recognized it as the Amplifying Charm. "Rai! Stop! You're hurting yourself!" I looked at my hands and gasped. My arms were shaking wildly, my skin was turning red, and I could feel my body aching in protest. I looked back at Harry in horror. The lightning around me gathered up and leaped into the sky, leaving with a final clap of thunder. Harry canceled his charm and ran over, ignoring the smoking form of the Dark Lord in favor of my own. I sucked in a wheezing breath, only to drop to my knees as my body was racked with a harsh coughing fit. Harry dropped to his knees next to me.
"Rai! Just breathe, just…breathe." He paused as I pulled my hand away from my mouth, revealing blood on my burnt skin. "We need to get you to Madam Pomphrey!" He scrambled to his feet and tried to help me up, but I didn't move. My hand, now sprinkled with blood, dropped to my side. My head slowly raised, and Harry's heart nearly shattered at the look in my eyes.
"…Sh-*cough* She's gone…I-She's dead." Tears refilled my eyes and I leaned forward, pounding my fists on the stone. "No! She can't be! Akumu! No!" I shouted until my voice fully gave out, then I collapsed onto my side, sobs wracking my whole body as my hands grasped at my chest, trying to grab my heart as it shredded into pieces.
"…" Harry could only watch as he grieved as well. But not just for Akumu. He knew I wouldn't recover from her death. Not with how close we had grown. He looked up as people started to enter the courtyard. The first was Professor McGonagall. She paused, surveying the situation.
"Oh, dear." She bustled over to Harry and I, only taking a moment to make note and frown in mourning for the still form of Akumu. She shook herself out of it and crossed the rest of the way to Harry and I. She dropped to her knees and noted my smoking clothes and singed hair.
"Professor, Rai! He-!"
"I see, Mr. Potter." She cut him off patiently. She sighed as she placed a hand on my shoulder, but I didn't react except to flinch. "Mr. Taiki, I need you to stand." My head barely shifted enough to allow her into my line of sight. Beyond the red of my skin, my left eye was bloodshot, while my right eye stayed shut, the eyelid covered in fresh blood. The Professor steeled herself, years of experience the only thing keeping her from breaking at that moment. She stood up and flicked her wand, my body floating into the air. She conjured up a stretcher and gently laid me on it. As she walked back through the courtyard, she paused just long enough to repeat the process for Akumu's body.
Everything had calmed down around us, and Harry noticed students had started to show up, a few helping others limp along. He looked through the crowd and sighed when he noticed Ron and Hermione stepping through the growing number of people. Neville limped forward as well, still holding the sword he had earlier. He smiled sadly.
"You all made it." Ron's face grew grim and looked at the ground. Harry frowned, not liking that look. "Which one…?"
"Fred." Harry immediately grabbed his friend in a hug.
"Akumu didn't make it either." Hermione gasped, her hands going to her mouth as her tears started again. The three of them dropped to their knees, simply holding each other. Professor McGonagall sighed and kept walking, quickly wiping a single tear away. She could help her cubs heal emotionally after she helped those who needed it physically. And after all of that was done, then, and only then, could she allow herself to grieve. She walked into the castle and led the floating stretchers into the Great Hall.
So…on a level of 1-10, how many calculators do I need to overclock in order to figure out the sum of hatred I just procured from all y'all?
…Welp, you are either going to hate me even more next chapter or forgive me(somewhat)! I do my darndest to keep my promises! XD I think there are two more chapters after this one, maybe three, I'm not quite sure.