Chapter Thirty-Three: Stardust

Disclaimer: All characters belong to J.K. Rowling. The underlined portions are taken directly from the novel; I do not own those parts. They belong to J.K. Rowling.

Author's Note: This fanfiction is going to be different from my other stories. This picks up where "The Heart of Everything" and "The Heart of Everything: Shallow Bay" left off. The time in the books also changes. So, pay attention the time, so you don't get confused. Some of the chapters are other Marcus Flint/Katie Bell stories, just with more changes and deleted scenes added.

Time: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Genre: Romance, Drama, and Friendship

Rating: PG-13

Katie looked around at the world of white, unsure of even where to start. The sky above was filled with both sun and moon. She could faintly make out the faint stardust, but no one known stars where in sight. It was just a wasteland where time didn't seem to exist.

Damon looked at Brad. "What exactly are we supposed to be looking for?"

"Amaranth," Brad answered.

Remus stared out into the white world. "For a place that is supposed to home to all these different types of herbs, I sure don't see any form of life."

Katie pulled her coat closer to her. The wind was starting to pick up causing the snow to lift up off the land. If they didn't move soon, they would be lost in this world.

Demi nodded toward a mound of rocks. "Over there!"
Katie ran beside Brad. She could feel the snow licking her heels. The wind was spending icy blasts down her head. She didn't dare look back for fear of being surrounded by an wintery death.

Katie ducked down in the rocks behind Demi.. Even though the snow's howls filled the hollows of the rock, none reached the inside.

Remus tried lighting his wand, but nothing happened. He looked at the others, but didn't say a word.

"Well, that went well," Demi muttered.

Katie put her hands on her knees as she fought to catch her breath. She stared out at the tunnel of rocks. "We could just walk in here. It couldn't hurt seeing as we really don't know where we are."
Demon pulled himself to his feet. "Anything is better than going back out there. I don' think this place likes us too much."
Katie followed the group down a dark tunnel. "It was sealed off for a reason."
"I'm starting to think that reason was more than protecting it was Muggles," Brad said. "Careful, it's wet up here and there's a step right in front of you, Katie."
As Katie stepped down a level, she could hear the faint sounds of running water. She looked too her right and could faintly see the white of rapid moving waves. "Look."

The other peered down.

"Water," Demi whispered. "How can there be running water?"

"It is a magical land, there," Damon said sarcastically.

Demi just gave him a look. "Funny."
Katie was still frowning down at the water. "If there's water, there must still be life or at least there was a one time."
"We just follow it, I guess," Brad said. "The problem is which way does it run. We really shouldn't spilt up. Who knows that this land will do to us?"
"I didn't noticed it until we got here," Katie replied. "I think we should keep going to the way we are. It seems to me that Amaranth would be at the end of the water."
"Life at the mouth," Demi echoed.

Katie nodded.

Damon and Remus started walking down the tunnel with Katie and the others on their heels. Katie kept both eyes on the ground in front of her while her eyes listened to the roar of the water below. The water was getting louder, but there no end to the tunnels.

The wind above was screaming down on the tunnels, but the heavy rock prevented any of it from reaching them. A couple of the wind gusts were so powerful that it shook the tunnels. Katie hated to think about what was going on up there.

Ahead, Katie could see something twinkling. She had to look twice to make sure that her mind wasn't playing tricks on her. Yet, there is was.

"There," Katie whispered.

The others looked ahead.

Katie pushed past Brad and Demi to have a better view. It looked like stardust with its brilliant colours. She took another step forward, but was afraid to go much further in case her mind was playing tricks on her.

Brad stared at it as well. "What do you think?"

"I really don't know," Remus muttered. "We can't use magic here and I just don't know."
"This is why we came here," Katie said. "We have to try it."
Even though Katie couldn't see it, she knew that everyone was looking at each other.

Katie walked forward. She was going to see what that light was with or without them. After a few seconds, she heard the others slowly falling in behind her.

The lights were getting brighter as Katie approached it. She could see each light dancing against the cave wall. She wanted to reach out and touch it, but knew better. The lights, to Katie, were what Veelas were to men.

Katie stumbled, but a pair of arms saved her from falling over into the water. "Thanks."

"No problem," Damon said. He was staring ahead. "What do you think?"

Katie didn't answer.

"Do you think this is it?"
"I hope so. There's something here, but I can't be sure until we are closer."
"I hope it is for Marcus's sake."
"I do too."
Katie really didn't know what other option, besides dying, that Marcus had. The Amaranth just had to work. It just had to. So many people needed to him to make their world go round.

Damon took another step forward. "Shall we?"

Katie took Damon's hand. "We shall."
They stepped down.

Katie reached out, as if she could touch the stars, but they just danced out of her reach. They danced toward a small hole in the centre of the large cave room.

Frowning, Katie took a small step toward. The stars blinked at her and began forming a dome over the hole.

"What the hell?" Damon muttered under his breath.

Katie looked up at the different coloured stars. "I'm not sure. I think it wants us to follow it."

Damon looked up at the stars, then at the hole. "I don't see how we can really fit down there."

Brad, Remus, and Demi joined them.

"It couldn't hurt to look, could it?" Demi asked slowly. "I mean, what have we got to lose?"
"That was what I was thinking," Katie said as she stepped forward.

The stars pushed apart as Katie approached them. She could feel her heart in her throat. She really didn't know why she was afraid, maybe she was just afraid of what this thing could be. Maybe she didn't want it to be nothing.

"Come closer," the stars whispered. "Let us show you what we have. Everything you've ever wanted lies with us. All you have to do is come closer and we will show you."
Katie looked back at the others. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Remus asked.

"The stars," Katie said. "They are talking to me."
Remus shook his head. "No one is talking. I think you need to come back here."
Katie looked ahead, but didn't start back.

"You're heart is pure," the stars started in again. "You have the greatest gift possible to offer someone: love. You want to save someone you love. You think he is important to the task ahead. You know that he has a great life to live, yet. He's too young to go. Come here and see all we have to offer."

Katie looked at the stars. "How do I know what you are saying is true?" she whispered.

"You don't, but you have just trust us."

Katie stepped forward.

"Don't do it," Remus said.

Katie didn't listen.

The starts collapsed on her, showering her in a rain of glitter.

"KATIE!" Brad yelled.

Katie held her hand up and looked at her glittery arm as the stars danced on her skin. She smiled and turned back to the others. "It's okay. Stay where you are."
"Amaranth is waiting on you," the stars said. "We will show it to you."

Katie nodded. "Take me to it, if you please."

"Yes, miss, we can show you all our secrets. You are not like the others who only want to let themselves live."
Katie felt a pull at her stomach as the stars pulled her down into the small hole. She could hear the others calling her name, telling her to come back to them, but she didn't.

She softy landed on the floor. She blinked and looked around. She was in a living world, surrounded by different coloured herbs-herbs that she had never seen before.

Katie stared in wonder. Who knew what these plants were capable of? Could they bring someone back from the dead?

The stars danced around her. "Come see what we have. We have the starlight you are looking for. Let us show you."

Katie let the stars guide her into a back corner of the room. She could feel a certain power pulling her to it. She couldn't be sure what it was, but knew it was good. There was a difference between being close to something that was good and something that wasn't. No words could really describe it, but there was just a different feeling.

"See what we have for you. You will get everything you ever wanted."

The stars motioned for Katie to kneel down in the soft dirt. Katie looked around, unsure of what she should do.

"You are so close. Don't back out now."
Katie nodded and looked around. She could feel the power, but didn't see what the stars wanted her to see. In this corner, there was nothing more than the smoothness of dirt.

"Push the dirt aside," the stars commanded..

Katie looked down at the dirt and sighed as she started pushing it aide. The dirt was far warmer than it should have been. She dug about ten centimetres or so down before something soft brushed her fingertips.

She quickly pushed the rest aside and sat back on her heels. There it was!

The Amaranth's leaves waved as the stars circled it. It's grand pink flower stared up at her as a newborn does at the sight of its mother. It was small, not much bigger than a quill.

"What do I do?" Katie asked the stars.

"Hold your hand out and see what it has to offer you," the stars whispered.

Katie held out her right hand to the Amaranth.

The Amaranth slowly made its way to Katie. She wasn't sure if she should let it come closer or pull her hand away. It was a moving flower, after all. However, she held still and allowed the flower to move into her hand.

She looked at it and, then, at where it had been. The Amaranth was still there. Frowning, she looked up at the stars.

"It's the never ending flower," the stars whispered. "There will always be one here as long as the user's intentions are pure."
Katie nodded.

"Let us take you back to the one you love."

"What about the others?" Katie asked.

"We will make sure that they are safe as well."

Katie got to her feet. "Thank you."

"It was all on you."
Katie felt a tug at her stomach as the world of herbs disappeared. She blinked and the main entrance of Nathanial's house appeared.

"That was the strangest thing ever," Damon muttered as he appeared next to Katie.

Demi, Brad, and Remus appeared soon after with confused looks on their faces.

Katie ignored them as she headed down the hall to Marcus, the Amaranth glowing in her hand.