Note: I have to thank my beta reader Grace for her help with this chapter. Without my action beta in stride, this chapter would have been ridiculous. I will also apologize for it taking me four months to update again. Life has been rough. Let's just leave it at that. This chapter is a bit longer for those of you who have been waiting for this story to continue... well, here you go! Enjoy!
Chapter Summary: The Death Eaters strike at the heart of the Ministry of Magic with dire consequences; Buffy falls deeper into her coma as her new life far outshines the other; Faith must make the choice about coming back into Harry's life; Draco must make the ultimate choice about which side he's really on; a traitor is revealed in Bulgaria…
Warning: These next few chapters are dark, just to be warned…
Chapter 10
Turn of the Tide
Part I
x-o-o-x
"Do we weep for the heroes who died for us, who living were true and tried for us?" - A. Ryan
Emma Vance strolled through the Ministry of Magic early that Thursday morning, a stack of files tucked against her black robes. Her steps were crisp and precise as she made her way to the Atrium and to the vaults near the bottom levels. As the newest recorder for the Wizengamot, she had many files to obtain, make notes to and shift around. She passed several other Witches and Wizards, flashing a smile to them. Those who knew her name nodded and said words of welcome. Others passed with the slightly-wary look that came from the early morning hour.
Once down below, she walked through the narrow halls, smiling at the twinkling lights from above. Reaching the vault, she disappeared inside, tucking her files under her arm.
She was so engrossed in her work that she didn't hear the dull thuds several stories above her head. It was only when she heard a loud crash did she realize how long she'd been down here. When the crash was followed by a scream, however…
Taking a new stack of files, she closed the heavy vault door and walked towards the elevator gate at the opposite end of the corridor. The sounds several levels up had not yet stopped; in fact, they were getting louder. Raising suspicious eyes, she set the stack of files aside and moved to the grate, staring upwards.
It was then that the emergency lights along the floors lit up. She stared for one moment at the bright purple lights, her heart thundering in her chest. Something was terribly wrong upstairs, she could sense the rousing danger… racing for the elevator, she yanked open the grate and tucked herself in, calling "Atrium!" as she went. The cage doors closed; the files lay open and forgotten on a small table only a few feet away.
x-o-x
Percy Weasley was wedged between his desk and a large lamp as he searched for some scroll that Minister Fudge had been looking for. To be honest with himself, he knew he couldn't remember exactly what he was looking for. Despite how important this job was to him, there were more important things on his mind – Elizabeth Potter, for one. He had been the first person informed that Buffy had been gravely wounded in Bulgaria. It was because of the Ministry of Magic she had been sent there in the first place and, for once, Percy felt a feeling of deep disgust for the office he worked for. He had fought so hard to keep this office, he thought sadly, his hand passing over the note that Cornelius Fudge had actually requested.
He heard a crash down the hallway and turned, frowning. Normally things went off with a bang and it didn't set him off; he'd had far too much experience around Fred and George for something like that to happen. But there was something almost peculiar about this sound.
Turning, he snatched the entire stack on his desk and marched to Fudge's office. The portly man sat inside, talking with a short, stout woman known to them both as Dolores Umbridge. Though detested by all at Hogwarts, Percy had a great deal of respect for her.
He heard the sound again: a dull thud like an explosion. "Sir," he said, clearing his throat and knocking on the frame. "I have those papers you asked for."
"Just leave them there," Minister Fudge said, nodding to a cleared-off corner of his desk. "I was just discussing Miss Potter's position here with Dolores. We are all of the belief that she should be brought back to England immediately."
Percy felt his jaw tighten as he recalled the look on Buffy's face when she found out she was going to Bulgaria. "When?" he asked coolly.
"We need to clear a few things first," Dolores said gently in that soft, breathless voice she often used. "For one, her injuries need to be treated."
Percy wanted to throttle that demure beam right off of her face. He also was tempted to point out the fact that Buffy was a vampire Slayer and with that responsibility came her body's ability to heal itself completely. If she wasn't healing, something was terribly wrong. But before he could voice his opinions, he heard a shrill scream from the hallway.
The door to the Minister's office burst open and a figure came flying in breathlessly. "Minister!" she shrieked. "Death Eaters… in the Atrium!"
"What?" all three bodies inside questioned.
"Sir… they've got…" Her eyes bugged out as though she recalled seeing something so terrible she couldn't reveal it again. "They've got…"
"Weasley, get Jenkins here a glass of water and calm her down," he barked, brandishing his wand and turning to Dolores. "I want you to get all of the staff together and prepare for emergency departures."
"You… you can't," Jenkins gasped after she had taken a sip of water out of the cup Percy had handed to her. "They… they've put some sort of charm… you can't Disapparate in. There's only one way out and that's…" She moaned under her breath.
Then came the sound of a loud explosion. Percy felt the floor beneath his feet tremble and he, too, pulled out his wand. "We've got to do something," Percy said in a controlled voice; it was what his friends would do given this same situation.
"Right you are," Minister Fudge said after taking a deep breath. "You must find Amelia Bones and Rufus… yes, they must be found. Dolores, if you can find a way to escape, please do." He turned to the ugly portrait hanging over the back of his desk. "And you… we will need to send a warning to Hogwarts saying that the Ministry of Magic is under attack."
The man just walked clearly out of the frame, leaving Percy feeling quite alone.
"Weasley!"
"Right," he muttered, turning to run out of the office. "Right."
x-o-x
Nymphadora Tonks was seated in the busy Auror office, sipping from a cup of tea when the alarm first sounded. Getting to her feet, she saw that the rest of the Aurors were looking around in obvious confusion. She knew the alarm was triggered by the Wizard who ran the security desk in the Atrium. Perhaps he was just fooling around – it wouldn't be the first time. Pressing her lips together, she pushed herself back into her seat and forced herself to stare hard at the papers in front of her. Given the state of open war in their country now, it wouldn't make much sense to sound a false alarm.
A few moments later, though, she looked up again as several Aurors walked out of the office. The incoherent sound of shouting was drifting into the office from the exterior. Tonks stood up and sighed, walking to the doorway where she was met by Arthur Weasley. "What do you think this is?" she asked calmly.
"Likely another false alarm or so Perkins said," Arthur replied, frowning slightly. His clear eyes were trained on the end of the corridor. "Although, for the moment I'm not sure."
"Nor am I," Tonks said slowly after hearing a crash from below. "Something is happening." Turning to glance at the Aurors in her office, she made her way to the end of the hall just as the sound of an explosion threw them off of their feet. Tonks landed hard on the floor just as the lights above them flickered twice before plunging the hall into darkness. The only thing visible was the dull light pouring through the fog in the windows. What a day for the weather people to decide on a foggy morning!
"Tonks!"
The young woman spun around just as Arthur Weasley grabbed her arm. They made their way through the confusion to the elevator. Ducking inside, they were met a floor above by Emmeline Vance. She, too, wore a confused look. "We heard the explosion," she said, shaking her dark-curled head, "but we don't know what's going on upstairs. I'm going to find my daughter."
"And I should find my son," Arthur murmured on his breath.
Without warning, the elevator jerked to a stop, throwing all inside the cage onto the floor. After untangling themselves, they all stood up and stared at the flickering lamp over their heads.
"Damn it," Arthur whispered under his breath.
x-o-x
With his usual gliding grace, Lucius Malfoy strolled into the Atrium, sneering at the bodies along the floor. Eric, the usual Wizard who occupied the security desk, was lying against one of the Grecian columns. His eyes were open, staring at the ceiling with a look of startled amazement on his face. There were others as well, but nothing compared to the trouble the little treat his mysterious trump card was causing.
There was another grand explosion as a second fireplace was blown from the wall, crashing across the Atrium, leaving deep gouges in the walls. Hearing the sound of an elevator approaching, he lifted his wand just as another figure swept into the room. Bellatrix Lestrange was gazing around the Atrium with a fond look on her face. "The last time I was here, I murdered my dear cousin," she breathed.
"Shall we repeat that victory?" Lucius asked, stretching out his arms as she gestured to the approaching elevator. "Surely our dear friend would have moved on by now."
There was another explosion, one that seemed to make the entire room shake. Turning, both Lucius and Bella spied a deep crevice in the floor that was widening. The third Death Eater arrived and with him was an army of pearly-white figures that flashed like lightning. Though they were transparent, they still had figures. At this moment, each one stared forward with socket-less eyes, completely under the thrall of the man who held them magically bound.
"I think we should send our new friends to visit the others," Lucius smirked, watching as the third figure moved forward with a hint of flourish in his older face.
"I believe that would be a plan."
"Are you certain your mental state can control them for so long?" Bella asked sardonically as she flexed out her own wand-arm, tired after so many years of waiting for a victory such as todays.
"After years of training potential Slayers, I believe I have the advantage to control something even more brainless," the figure sneered.
And, without warning, the elevator doors opened. Immediately the figures inside were ambushed, their bodies falling forward. Using a quick flick to push them all aside, Bella strode into the elevator and reached for the controls, her eyes gleaming. "Going down!" she cackled as the heavy golden doors closed on her face.
"And you?" Lucius asked, turning to the figure at his elbow.
"Our methods are less common," the figure replied heartily. Turning, he flicked his wand and the Inferius, the most dreaded ally of the Dark Lord to date, turned and began burrowing into the floor again. As they crashed through the layers of magical materials, they created such sound that the building trembled. After a moment, Lucius stared at the crater before a slow smile spread across his face. As the other figure hopped down into the gap, the doors from the visitors entrance burst open and more Death Eaters poured in, led by Bella's rather familiar husband. His manic eyes calmed as he saw Lucius Malfoy.
"Ah, my old friend," Lucius said, walking over to him with his walking stick. "Welcome to our greatest moment of victory."
"It will only be victory once all opposed to us are dead," he replied with a mad laugh. "I want to see their bodies melt at the Inferi touch… I want to hear them scream after what they did to us."
"You may have your chance," Lucius replied, stepping over and placing his hand on the wall. "I didn't spend this many years playing nice with the Ministry without learning of their weaknesses. Falling for a trap so cleverly devised by your wife is definitely one of them." Turning, he tapped his wand against the wall to trigger the alarm. Hearing the sounds of panic breaking out across the Atrium, the Death Eaters began to space themselves out and lie in wait for the ambush to come.
x-o-x
Even when the cage stopped, Emma knew it wasn't anything good. She stared up as the lights flickered and went out. "Lumos," she whispered, igniting the tip of her wand. Lifting it up, she walked to the doors and slid the grate, finding herself between floors. A narrow gap of light was only a few feet up, but she knew instantly from the screaming that it would be futile for her to attempt to escape. She needed to get to the atrium. That much was for certain.
"Ascendio," she murmured, tapping on the panel. Instantly, the elevator came to life and continued to lift, but acted as though it were under great strain. "What the—"
Suddenly, the top of the elevator caved in as two figures suddenly appeared. White and human-like they were, but there was no warmth in those cold gazes, nor eyes to look upon them. Emma screamed as she scampered towards the edge of the elevator. She searched her thoughts frantically as the two figures bore down upon her. Nothing from her former Defense Against the Dark Arts classes came to mind as she backed into a corner, bringing her wand up to protect herself. A shaped, white skeletal hand was reaching for her now. She knew that instant death awaited those who were touched by the hand of an Inferius.
"Help, oh help, oh help," she whimpered, trembling. As she moved, she felt something dig into her back. It was one of the lines from the conduit that had exploded when the Inferi had made their way into her elevator cabin. Her mind coming up with the one thing she could think of, she reached back and grasped the cold, rubber tubing. The hand was only a foot away from her chest now, so she knew she had to act quickly. Bringing her other arm around, she jammed the live electrical charge into the Inferius, which recoiled, falling back. The other hissed and jumped, clearing the elevator completely. As the other struggled with bright blue electricity flashing through its body, Emma surged forward and grasped the grate, sliding it open. The floor was only a few feet up now and she quickly made to climb out.
She knew she was far from safety. Grabbing the floor above her, she hoisted herself onto the level with one knee, moving to bring the other forward. It was then she heard a cry unlike anything she had heard before. Her body froze, paralyzed with fear. Terrified, she struggled to squeeze through the small gap between the elevator shaft and the floor. Before she could move however, she felt the coldest sensation as the hand of the Inferius wrapped around her flailing ankle.
"AHHHHH!" she screamed, collapsing forward and half-sliding back towards the cage. She knew that if she fell back into the elevator, she would die. Wave after wave of pain stunned her body as she struggled to hold onto the floor. But there was nothing else to hold onto. Ice-cold pain washed over her and her mind numbed. Her ankle felt like it was melting, the chilling sensation rising to her throat. Struggling to remain conscious, she pulled herself forward, kicking her uninjured foot and making contact with the Inferius.
The elevator's cage groaned and the Inferius shrieked, leaping out the top of the cage.
Panting, Emma moved forward as the elevator began to shift. She felt the cage going up and the second the floor of the elevator was level with the corridor, she leapt from the cage back onto the floor, rolling twice before she stopped.
And then she passed out.
x-o-x
"Faith? Are you all right? Answer me, Faith!"
Faith felt like her entire body was on fire. Everything burned from the blackened Dark Mark on her forearm. Blanching, Sirius grabbed his younger sister by the shoulders and throttled her. Faith's head bobbed back and forth, but she did not awaken.
Her face was tense, like she was trying to fight off something so great that it required every last ounce of energy. Her body was slack in his arms, but he refused to let her go. "Faith?" he whispered. "Faith?"
All at once, her eyes opened and she stared at him. At that moment, he felt fear like he had never had before. "Harry," she breathed.
"What?" he asked incredulously, setting her body back in her bed.
"Harry's in danger," she said, her eyes suddenly flashing with determination. "I have to help him."
"How do you—"
"I felt it," she grimaced. "I felt…" She glanced at her arm where the Dark Mark had yet to fade. "They were called. I resisted."
"Does this mean the final battle's begun?" Sirius asked, examining her arm closely.
"Not yet," Faith replied. "I'm still alive, aren't I? If he really wanted to… he could have killed me. He could have killed us," she appended, her gaze darkening. "He could have and he didn't. That means he doesn't need us yet."
"That means he has something else planned," Sirius said. A sudden look of understanding flashed in his eyes and he dashed from the room.
"Sirius?" Faith asked, stumbling out of bed and landing face-first on the floor. "Sirius!" she shouted, flinging herself to her feet and tumbling out into the hallway. She could barely make out her brother's shadow as he ran downstairs. "What is it?"
"I need to know," came his muffled response. "I need to know where they are."
Faith fell panting against the wall as she heard her brother moving into the dining room below. A few moments later, she heard him curse loudly. "What is it?" she asked, making her way downstairs. Now that she control of her own body again, she could move freely. As she crossed the bottom step, Sirius came pelting out of the dining room and nearly knocked her over. "Sirius?"
"I tried Hogwarts," Sirius explained, out of breath as he pulled on a cloak. "I spoke with McGonagall directly. She said something about Snivellus."
"Snape?" Faith asked in disbelief as her brother raced back into the dining room. She attempted to keep up with him, still feeling a bit dizzy. "What does he got—"
"She said that everyone at Hogwarts was safe. But they lost contact with the Ministry of Magic about a half hour ago."
"The Ministry of… you mean the government is under attack?" Faith asked as Sirius grabbed the pot from the mantle and drew out a handful. "Sirius, where are you going?"
"To Hogwarts," Sirius replied, smoothing his wild mane of hair.
"If you're going to school, I'm going with you," Faith said, pushing him back and pulling down the small pot. "There's no way in hell I'm letting you go alone—"
Turning around, he grasped his sister by the shoulder. "You can't go, Faith. Nobody knows you've come back."
"Then I'll tell them," she persisted, yanking back the pot before he could take it from her. "If there's anything I can do to help Harry—"
"If you go back, you'll put him in even greater danger," Sirius said, seizing her forearm and holding it up, the black Mark flashing dangerously. "Faith, I need you to be patient, please. I'll tell them that you're back in England and maybe they'll ask for your help. Maybe they won't. But I need you to be patient. If there is anything you can do to help, I'll let you know, okay?" Faith blinked as she handed him the pot. "I don't want anything to happen to you. I certainly don't want anything to happen to him."
Faith felt tears of frustration in her eyes and blinked them away as she watched Sirius Floo out of the mansion. After he left, she sat heavily on the bench, staring down at her arm. The Mark still burned and it was a mark of her inner strength she didn't cry out. She felt like her entire body was on fire.
All she could do was wait and pray that whatever they were doing, it wasn't too bad. But she knew deep within herself that the Death Eaters weren't playing this time around.
Once at Hogwarts, Sirius stumbled out of the fire until a hand grasped his and pulled upward. Lifting his face, he stared into a pair of familiar amber eyes. "Remus," he said cordially, straightening and glanced around Professor McGonagall's office. "Minerva."
"The situation is direr than we first anticipated," Professor McGonagall explained, glancing at both men.
"I barely escaped before the barrier was put up," Remus said, turning to Sirius. "They have the entire Ministry blocked off. Those who could get out when the emergency signal was first broadcasted did. But so far, only a handful of Aurors, journalists and other personnel have been able to get out. Most of the Wizengamot was not working today. However, some of the members of the Order are still inside, including Arthur Weasley, Tonks, Alastor Moody and Emmeline Vance." He cleared his throat. "Most in the Obliviation department as well as those in the Department of Mysteries have not yet made it in. Many high officials, however, are still inside."
A dull silence filled the room.
"I think our top priority should be getting our people out of there," Sirius said, appealing to both of them.
"I think they planned a perfect attack myself," McGonagall said bitterly. "They have hit at the heart of the political leadership, the one medium trying to convince the people of our world that they're safe. If they're gone…"
"If they're gone, the Wizarding world is in a world of hurt," Remus agreed. "If the Ministry's top bodies are destroyed, there is nothing left to convince the Wizarding world that they stand a chance against Harry Potter. It would convince them that even he can't save us all."
Sirius opened his mouth to speak but before he could get a word out a sudden shadow of a phoenix appeared in the office before fading away.
"Albus is calling us," McGonagall said, turning to both men. "You are both welcome to attend this meeting."
"We will," Remus said curtly, following her out.
As they stood at the base of the staircase guarded by the giant gargoyles, they were interrupted by Madam Sprout who came hurrying up to them. "I just received instructions to get the Hufflepuff students to their common room immediately," she said breathlessly.
"We will speak in Albus's office, Poppy," Minerva said, patting the other woman's arm. At that moment, the gargoyles separated and the four stood on the staircase as it wound around the column before coming to rest before a single door. After knocking twice, Minerva stepped inside the office.
Albus Dumbledore was standing with his back to them. His hands were clasped behind his back and his head was bowed. As the door closed behind them, he turned a weary face to the others. "It has begun," he said in a heavy tone.
"We know about the Ministry," Remus said quickly, stepping forward to explain.
Albus held up his hand and looked up. "The attack on the Ministry was not the only attack this morning."
"There are more?" a voice asked from behind the group. Turning, Sirius saw other faculty members crowding into the office behind him including, he saw with a sneer, Professor Snape.
"There have been a series of attacks," Albus said in a quiet, humbled voice. "Officials in the south have reported that two Giants have been on a rampage. Up north, a bridge collapsed and hundreds of Muggles have died. In the east, entire neighborhoods were wiped out… dozens of families were found dead in their homes. And in the west, an apparent earthquake has made an entire city sink below the Earth."
"In the center of it all, the Death Eaters chose this day to attack the Wizarding government," Minerva said quietly.
"Yes." Again, Albus bowed his head.
"If I may, Headmaster," Snape said, taking a few steps forward and pausing. Sirius noted that Snape's right hand curiously covered his left forearm. "There would be reason to assume that this has been planned for some time."
"How do you figure?" Remus asked politely, though a darker undercurrent wavered through his tone.
"Why would today be chosen?" Snape asked lightly, arching one eyebrow as he met Remus's cool gaze. "You see, the Dark Lord has waited in order to give our world a greater feeling of comfort. If we find we are not in danger, why should we worry?"
"Like you have anything to worry about," Sirius muttered under his breath.
"Nevertheless," Snape continued, his tone rising slightly, "the time for enduring a false sense of security is over. If the Minister for Magic and British seats for the International Confederation of Wizards have been compromised… there will no longer be a reason to feel safe. If they wanted to frighten the public, they have done a superior job."
"There is little that can be done to convince the people we are still in control of the problem," Albus agreed.
"This puts a great deal of pressure on Harry too, doesn't it?" Sirius asked.
"Yes, it will," Albus replied. "The Wizarding world may have lost great people today. We don't know the extent of the attack. We lost contact seconds after Remus here arrived at Hogwarts. All we know for sure is that they are facing a massacre of great proportions. All we can hope is that somehow, someway they will find a way out…"
x-o-x
"Here, here," Arthur Weasley said, bending down and helping Tonks out of the elevator shaft. After somehow managing to pry off the top of the cage, they had climbed up to the next level. Now Arthur, Tonks, Emmeline Vance and a few other Aurors they had picked up were cluttered together one level above the Atrium.
"This way is no use," one Auror said, coughing as he trudged back to the group. "The floor has caved in from above. There is no way through that corridor. I recommend trying this one."
"Right," Arthur said, taking charge as he ran a hand through his thinning hair. "We should split up. Our main goal is to get to the Atrium and get to the fireplaces to get the bloody hell out of here."
"I'll go with you," Tonks said, her pale face anxious.
"I'll lead a group this way," Emmeline Vance said, gesturing down a long dark corridor. As she spoke, a shower of sparks exploded from a set of wires running above the ceiling that had collapsed down. Even where they stood they could see a trail of something dark on the floor. It took Emmeline one moment to realize the trail was actually blood.
"Good luck," Arthur said, reaching out and shaking Emmeline's hand. A moment later the two groups separated, Arthur's group heading down the main corridor and to the left while Emmeline's group headed straight right.
"Lumos," Arthur whispered, lifting his barely lit wand and squinting in the darkness. He heard Tonks and several others mutter the same words and follow him cautiously down the corridor and around the corner.
What they saw as they turned was a massacre. Great holes were gouged into the walls, ceiling and floors. Office doors had been ripped and were lying in small piles of splinters. Small fires burned along the hallway. There were also a number of bodies that lined the wide corridor.
"Arthur," Tonks whispered, gesturing forward with her wand. Arthur quickly stepped forward, keeping his back along the wall as they passed a pile of mutated, bloodied corpses.
"I think I knew some of them," one of the Aurors said in a hushed, mortified voice behind them.
"It's likely we knew all of them," Arthur replied, frowning. "Something here seems out of place." As they passed through one of the vents in the floor, they saw the twisted metal and broken debris.
"Can we get through one of those?" Tonks asked softly.
"We might be playing right into their hands if we do," Arthur said grimly. "If they're in the Atrium, they could be waiting to pick us off one by one."
"What choice do we have, Weasley?" another Auror asked. "We need to get down one level and this is our best opportunity."
"If you wish to go down and meet your death, you are more than welcome to," Arthur snapped. "But we need to find a way to get down there safely and undetected."
"Wait," Tonks said, holding out her hand as she dropped to her knees, bending to place her ear near the floor. "Listen…"
Just one level below, they heard terrified screams and the sounds of manic laughter. And then, suddenly, there was silence.
"We have to keep going," Arthur said quietly. "We have to keep—"
A sudden hand pushed through the wall between him and another Auror.
"Oh, Merlin!" a voice gasped as several bodies stepped back. The Auror had no time to move as a second hand reached out and passed through the man's neck. His body shook and recoiled violently, his face growing increasingly red before small boils began to break out across his face. The scent of burning flesh filled the corridor as his throat and neck burned bright red before the hand came through, remnants of muscle and sinew coiling away. A moment later, the man fell face-forward through the gap and down the shaft.
Unfortunately, Tonks was still on the floor and her arm had been hooked around his leg.
"Tonks!" Arthur cried, watching as she fell face-first into the gap, held up only by her ankle. Arthur fell to his knees, his hands reaching to grab at her ankle. But before he could act, the Inferius came out of the wall, bursting out with such vigor the wall seemed to explode. More Aurors and others were thrown into the gaping hole, their screams only cut off as they hit the ground below in the atrium.
Arthur was forced to pull back to protect his face but thankfully one of the other Aurors had dove next to him and was holding one of Tonks' ankles.
"Don't let me go!" her voice screamed shrilly from beneath them. "Don't let me fall!"
But it was too late. The Inferius, sensing its prey, dove for the lone male. As its hands pushed through the man, he felt like he was being boiled alive. Stunned hands lifted up, leaving Tonks to fall. Arthur could only watch in horror as the man literally fell apart before his eyes.
And then Arthur saw himself as the last man standing. "Not good," he murmured, clutching his wand as he staggered back to his feet. "Not good…"
The Inferius turned to him with socket-less eyes, lifted its arms and began coming at him. Backing away slowly, foot over foot, he held out his wand. He knew he was alone as the rest in his group were dead including, he thought unpleasantly, Tonks. All he could do was turn and run. But his mind flew through many thoughts, trying to find something he could use to kill or at least slow down the figure moving zombie-like towards him. As the sound of screams increased just one story below, the Inferius looked up and Arthur Weasley could have swore it smiled.
It knows I'm doomed, he thought darkly to himself. Risking a quick glance behind him, he saw that he was running out of corridor. He would soon have to turn the corner and that could spell doom. He could find himself face-to-face with more Inferi or… even worse, he thought, there could be Dementors. There were many dark creatures at He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named-s disposal. All he wanted to do was find a way out and find his son. Percy must be so scared, Arthur thought, finding the last bit of corridor before he felt his back impact with a wall. Then he moved forward, frowning slightly. The wall behind him felt downright hot.
Hot? Heat! The only way to deter an Inferius was with heat!
Holding out his wand, he saw the white, transparent figure move towards him. Once it was within a few feet away, he found the word he was looking for and muttered it. "Incendio!"
A lash of hot flame flew from his wand. The Inferius shrieked a terrifying, otherworldly cry before it pushed upwards towards the ceiling.
Breathing a small sigh of relief, Arthur turned his attention to the left where a narrow corridor branched off from the main corridor. Seeing nothing dangerous ahead of him, he broke into a run. He needed to get down below to find out of Tonks or any of the others had survived. He needed to get them out of there. And then he had to find his son.
Down several levels, Emma Vance finally stirred awake as someone was shaking her shoulder. "Mmm," she moaned, pressing a bruised hand to her forehead, which had been sliced open from impact against the floor.
"Are you all right?"
The voice was unfamiliar she thought as she turned on her back and stared up at a face that could only belong to a Weasley. "Who are you?" she murmured sleepily.
"Help me get her up," the figure said in response. A second figure appeared at Emma's opposite side. The next thing she knew they had tugged her to her feet. But as she set her weight on her ankle, she cried out in pain. The redheaded figure bent down to examine the bloodied foot. "The damage doesn't look too serious," he said, the panic in his voice belying his words.
"Here," said a voice in heavily-accented French. "Use this." With a single motion a tall, slender blonde whipped a shiny silver scarf from her neck and handed it to the redhead kneeling on the floor. He used the scarf as a makeshift bandage.
"What… what's happening?" Emma asked, swaying slightly as she grasped at the blonde who held onto her with an arm around her waist.
"Death Eaters are attacking the Ministry of Magic," the redhead said simply, rising back to his full height. "We need to get up to the Atrium."
"That's two levels up," Emma said stupidly, still feeling quite out of it even as they began to drag her forward.
"Luckily for us, they blasted holes in the floor so we can get through."
"Isn't that a bad thing?" Emma moaned as they moved quickly down the hallway.
"Fleur?"
The woman with blonde hair left Emma's side. She clutched at the redhead weakly. When she caught him examining the gash on her head, he quickly looked away. A moment later the blonde returned. "The corridor ahead is clear."
"We should hurry."
They turned the corner. As Emma began to regain feeling to her injured leg she began to move on her own. It helped when she had their support on either side as they seemed to move much faster.
All of a sudden, they seemed to stop. Emma forced herself to look up and saw through her foggy stare a single person standing in the middle of the hallway.
"What have we here?" a cold voice asked humorously.
The redhead next to Emma straightened up and stepped forward, letting go of the smaller girl, who nearly collapsed onto the blonde. "Fleur, take her and go."
"But, Bill…"
Bill Weasley, Emma thought to herself. The man who saved her life was Bill Weasley?
"Go, Fleur," he said in a controlled voice as he pulled his wand from her robes. "Get her to safety."
"Bill…" For the first time, the woman's voice shook. Emma turned her head to stare at her and saw that the blonde had tears in her eyes. Suddenly she felt her stomach clench painfully. All at once she knew what was at stake here.
"Yes, Fleur," said the high-pitched cackle. "Get the weakling out of here, go, go… let the grown ups play nicely."
Emma swallowed hard as she felt Fleur back away. She began moving her own feet, adding just the slightest amount of pressure to her wounded foot.
Bill turned back one last time, a flicker of a smile spreading across his face. "I love you."
"I love you," Fleur's voice trembled.
And then Bill turned back with his wand out. The last thing Emma saw before they rounded the corner were streaks of light going back and forth and two voices, one male and one female, rising loudly.
"We have to find a way out of here," Fleur said suddenly, stopping at an intersection with the main corridor and allowing Emma to grab onto the wall and catch her breath.
"We could use that," she said, gesturing weakly to a small door in the middle of the wall. "It's a shaft used by the Wizards that control the weather systems." She saw Fleur staring at it for a moment before shaking her head to clear it. "He's going to be all right, Fleur."
The other woman smiled at her sadly. "We should get out of here."
Emma stumbled forward, grabbing onto the other woman for support. Once they reached the door, both women grabbed onto a corner of the door and pulled it open. As they did, they were both hit with a massive wave of heat and the scent of something that made both women immediately ill.
"There's a ladder," Emma said, bracing herself against the doorway and staring upwards.
"There is no light," Fleur replied, glancing at her. "How will we see our way up?"
"Use your wand," Emma said, gritting her teeth as she maneuvered herself in the doorway and took a step down on the ladder. Just moving her leg slightly caused a great wave of dizziness to overcome her. Blinking uneasily, she clung desperately to the ladder, knowing that nothing would stop her from falling except the floor just above the Department of Mysteries. "Come on."
Fleur gracefully leapt inside, using her wand to tap on the strand of lights running all the way up to the Atrium. Soft blue light filled the corridor. "I will climb," she said, turning back and pulling the door shut. "We should brace it."
"So we can't let anyone else get out?" Emma asked fearfully, glancing down and swallowing hard. Why did her fear of heights have to kick in now?
"So nothing evil can get in," Fleur said dramatically, tucking her wand back in her robes as she grasped the rungs and began to climb. Putting every ounce of her energy towards not passing out again, Emma slowly followed her. They only had two levels to go, but it was still a long climb. As they moved, she could hear the sounds of screaming, distant bangs and booms that sounded suspiciously like Inferius burrowing through the floors and then complete and utter silence as they reached the top.
"It's too quiet," Emma said, pausing a bit and glancing down to make sure nothing bad was following them.
"We must keep moving," Fleur said in her heavy accent as she neared the top of the ladder.
"Easy for you to say," Emma mumbled. She was about six steps behind; using her upper body to pull her lower body up considering her injured leg seemed to have given out completely.
When Fleur finally reached the top, she stepped onto the landing. Emma was still five rungs down and was moving slowly towards her. She saw the look on the other woman's face; Emma was in serious pain. "Come, now," she said, bending down to help hoist the younger girl along. "We need to get out of here. We have to find a way to safety."
"You mean you have to get me and my ineptitude out of here," Emma grumbled as she passed the third rung and continued to climb.
Fleur gave her a patient smile before turning around. "I need to look to the Atrium," she said, rising to her feet and pressing lightly against the door. As she peered out, Emma took a breather, pressing her face on the cold metal rung. She was amazed that this passageway wasn't controlled by the Inferius.
"What do you see?" she asked softly.
Fleur pulled back in, looking sickened. "I can't say," she said, swaying slightly with a greenish hue to her face.
"That bad, huh?" Emma asked, passing the top rung and pulling herself up next to the other woman with her aid. Then, as Fleur took her hand, she pushed the door open and both women stepped out.
The Atrium was deadly quiet but was not without grave damage. They kept to the shadows, Fleur pushing the door shut behind them. Every inch of the Atrium floor was gouged out, burnt or else covered in massive piles of bodies. Feeling sick, Emma stepped closer to Fleur who wrapped an arm around her waist. "What now?"
"Bill said that the only way out was through the Muggle phone booth."
It was directly across the Atrium. Emma gazed at it and knew instantly there were great obstacles between them and that entrance. The elevators that lined the opposite wall were all closed. And from what she could see, all fireplaces but one had been destroyed, blown from the wall with the Floo network connections severed.
"Can you run?"
Emma knew in her heart that she couldn't, but fear was her greatest motivator. "I'll try."
"Let's move… NOW!"
As both women burst forward, figures leapt from all directions, aiming curses and shooting at them.
"Fleur!" Emma screamed as they became separated. Unable to run as her leg crumpled beneath her, Emma found herself sliding and slamming into a column, leaving Fleur Delacour standing in the open and exposed to a half-dozen Death Eaters and more than a dozen Inferius.
Fleur pulled out her wand, shouting curses and downing two Death Eaters almost instantly. And then she was hit in the back by a curse. Her face tensed up with pain as she fell forward. Emma found herself screaming an endless scream that lasted, even when Fleur had fallen. Another Death Eater stepped out, cursing her again and again. She watched with tears streaming down stunned cheeks as Fleur's body shuddered under the force of the curses until, at last, the figure stopped.
And then the figure turned towards her. Emma trembled as the wand arm lifted and the figure in the black cloak advanced towards her.
"Oh, my God," she muttered, painfully getting to her knees before she collapsed to the side again. She knew there was no escape except certain death. Her wand that she'd been holding since they'd gotten out of the shaft was lying twenty feet away near a column… near Fleur's body… "Oh, my God…"
x-o-x
"Can I help you, Miss?"
Buffy turned to an older man in tweed who stood behind a counter, cleaning his glasses on the front of his nerdy shirt. "No, thank you," she said, offering a smile as she turned back to the card catalogue.
"At the very least, let me help you in the right direction."
Buffy glanced at the librarian, her eyebrow arching slightly. "Fine, then. Tell me where I can find a meaning for this." Rolling up the sleeve of her blouse, she showed him the skull with the snake coming from its mouth.
"Perhaps you would like to read the section on modern body art and cross-reference it with cultural groups and civilizations."
"That's what I was doing," she said, gesturing to the drawer she was reading through. "It's not like I'm not trying, you know."
The man smiled at her as he replaced the glasses on his nose. "I am smarter than I look, Miss…"
"Miss none of your business," Buffy snapped. "Besides, I think I've found what I was looking for," she continued, plucking a single card from the stack and using her hip to nudge the door closed.
"Very well," the man said simply, frowning as he drummed his fingers on the countertop.
"Then I'll be sure to call on you," she replied, squinting as she attempted to read the man's nametag, "Giles."
After a few minutes, she found what she was looking for. She retreated to the back, selecting a few books before setting in a comfortable armchair. Propping the books on the table next to her, she began going through a book that boasted thousands of tattoos and tribal symbols. She searched for skulls and found only gang symbols. She searched for serpents and found more tribal symbols than anything else. When she did find something referencing a snake coming out of the mouth of a skull, it referenced a group of psychotic magicians known only as Death Eaters. They were apparently a mass murdering group of people who disguised themselves in black robes with tall, pointy hoods and wore skeletal masks. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought them rejects from the 'Masters of the Universe' era. At least, that's what she found as she combed through useless comic books that had been in the reference section as she had looked them up.
With a frustrated sigh, she closed the book and stared hard at her tattoo. Was it just her imagination or was it darker today? Frowning, she poked and prodded at it, her mind going back to something her mother had said to her earlier that morning.
"Is something wrong, honey? You've barely touched your breakfast."
Buffy forced herself to look up at her mother, who sat across the table from her. They were outside at one of the cutest patio tables she had ever seen, and her mother was sitting there graciously, sipping at her tea and reading the morning headlines. After a few moments though, she realized that her daughter was staring at her blueberry scone rather than actually eating it.
"No, nothing," Buffy said quietly, setting her napkin aside. "I guess I'm just not hungry."
"Now I know something's wrong," Lily teased, setting the paper aside. "Elise, you've never been not hungry. Even when you're nauseatingly ill and throwing up, you're always able to choke down a hot meal." Her eyes traveled down to where her daughter was holding her hand over her right arm. "Are you injured?"
"Well, not really," she grudgingly admitted, pulling her hand away. "It's just... what is this?" She held out her arm to her mother, who suddenly sighed.
"Your teenage rebellious streak, dear," she said, taking Buffy's hand and glancing down at the tattoo of the snake protruding from a skull. The mark was very faint, almost invisible as though it rested just beneath the surface of her skin. "You don't remember getting marked?"
For a second, the words struck her as ironic. After a moment though, she decided to reply, "No, I don't."
"You and that roommate of yours," Lily said, her voice taking on a testy tone. "We warned you that if you ever got a job in the force, they'd probably make you take it off, but try as you might, some marks can never be erased."
"Like this one," Buffy grumbled, scrubbing at it with her nails. Lily gently reached across and removed her daughter's hand.
"If you keep rubbing it, it won't disappear," Lily said in a voice of practiced patience. "In fact, all you will end up doing is irritating your skin."
"Thanks for that life lesson, Mom," she said, wrinkling her nose.
"Anytime, dear," Lily beamed. Standing up, she collected her cup and walked over, placing a kiss on top of her daughter's head. "I've got to get ready for my shift; your father already left for his. Don't expect us home for dinner, we had plans tonight. Dawn's at school working on a play and your brother should be around after his classes get out later. Until then, feel free to wander around town or roam about with those friends of yours. I'm sure they're still in your address book, right? Look them up, give them a call." Glancing down into her daughter's haunting, blank eyes, she added, "Who knows? Maybe one of them can jar that memory."
Frowning, she stood up and collected her books. So far that memory was staying right where it didn't belong. She knew the answer was there, but she also knew that someone could tell her what the tattoo meant. But she was out of time for today. She knew she needed to get ready for the gala that night. As she checked her watch, she only had a few hours left. And she still had so much to do.
x-o-x
In the real world, Buffy Summers was as still as a corpse. But Giles couldn't worry about it anymore. He had had to get out of the mansion, even if it meant a long walk around the muggy forests of Bulgaria by himself. When Tomas had come forward and offered himself as a chaperone, Giles couldn't find it in his heart to push the young man away. It was clear he was traumatized. His eyes were glazed over and his voice was oddly cold and strained. But even as they walked and as Giles asked the boy questions trying to find out more about his life, the young man didn't talk much. He just kept staring down and marching, his arms swinging stiffly at his sides.
"Are you all right, Tomas?" Giles asked in what he hoped was a friendly voice. He knew that the two vampire hunters were afraid of him, especially after he threatened Irene Ironton. He scoffed under his breath. Irene deserved everything that was coming to her and more for what she did to his Slayer. And though he tried to coax out of Tomas the reason why he became a vampire hunter in the first place, the young man remained sullen and quiet. This didn't really bother Giles who needed the time alone, anyway. He knew time was running out for his Slayer. Whoever had done this to her… they would soon come back to either finish her off or to cart her to wherever they wanted to cart her off to. He needed answers and he needed them quickly.
They began to walk down by the river. Tomas walked slightly behind Giles as the man stopped for a moment, tipping his face to the hazy sky and inhaling deeply. "This is what I love most about Mother Nature," he said warmly, turning with a bright smile to the boy. Tomas didn't even look up. He was still staring down. "She never fails to impress."
The boy looked up then. His eyes had a foggy appearance. Giles frowned; normally talking to him was as easy as sin, but today for some reason the young man didn't feel like opening up. Giles knew it was time to resort to his old Watcher ways. Turning back to nature, he added, "Did you know that in nature you can use anything as a weapon in order to escape your enemy?"
Tomas let out a sound that sounded like a scoff. Giles didn't know what it was. He shot a reproachful look at the young man, but he refused to look back at him. Frowning deeper, Giles turned back to the river. "And did you know that the first Slayers actually used the forest?"
"I did not."
The voice sounded harsh and scratchy. He turned back to Tomas, frowning as the young man stared at him. And then he felt something jump in his stomach. Something isn't right here, he thought to himself. Something's out of place…
"I have respect for the Slayers," Tomas said, turning to stare out over the river. "Even ones that can whittle stakes from trees."
"They all can," Giles said proudly. "Even my Slayer can do that… err…" The more he thought about it, the more he wondered how capable Buffy really was at using nature as a tool. He smiled sadly as he thought about all of the things he wanted to ask her about… and now he may never get that chance.
"I happen to like nature," said the voice. By the sound of his footsteps, he could tell that Tomas was moving behind him. "I think it works as perfect cover to do what needs to be done."
As the words registered in Giles' mind, he twisted around to confront the young man about his metaphorical threat. But before he could, he heard the sound of a shot. There was a sudden tingle in his neck and he found himself staring dreamily at the wood line and at the river as he crumpled to his knees before falling face-first into the ground.
x-o-x
The Gryffindor common room was buzzing as Professor McGonagall stepped inside, the portrait swinging shut behind her. Setting his books and the letter on the table, Harry turned and watched as Professor McGonagall waited for the room to calm down.
"As I'm sure many of you are fearing… there has been an attack on the Ministry of Magic."
Almost immediately, there was uproar. Students leapt to their feet, demanding to know whether or not their loved ones were still alive. Bitterly, Harry recalled that the Ministry of Magic sent his sister to Bulgaria so at least he knew she was safe. Professor McGonagall listened as the students shouted for a moment before raising her hand. Slowly their tempers simmered and many sat down again.
"We do not know the extent of the attack. We do know however that the Ministry itself seemed to be blocked; our people cannot get in and as far as we know, there is no way out. All we can do at this point is wait for the news to come in. Please do not ask if your loved ones, friends and families are all right as we do not yet know. Once we know for certain, we will come to you. Now, as you have all had a free day, I hope you have spent it wisely. We will resume classes in the morning unless something dire comes to pass." She suddenly noticed a letter addressed to Harry Potter from the Ministry of Magic on top of his books and frowned slightly. "I looked to our Head Boy and Head Girl to make sure that students do not panic." She looked pointedly at Harry and Hermione. Both nodded. "Good. Until your lessons tomorrow… have a good day."
Turning around, she motioned for Harry and Hermione to follow her. A moment later, the portrait shut behind them. Glancing at the nosey portrait of the Fat Lady covering the doorway, she gestured Harry and Hermione down the hall. "I would like you two to take regular patrols around the school to make sure students are not moving about."
"Professor, if there has been an attack at the Ministry of Magic, surely whoever initiated that attack will be headed for Hogwarts next?"
"No, Miss Granger," Professor McGonagall said, shaking her head slightly. "We do not believe that will be the case. However, we must use caution. If the students should panic, we might inspire fear for little reason at all. All we can hope for at this point is that the attack is less instead of more." She offered them both a brave smile. "I will let you two get back to your classmates now. Oh, and Potter?" she asked, turning around even as she walked away. "That letter from the Ministry of Magic… will you read it immediately?"
"Yes, Professor," Harry said. Professor McGonagall nodded firmly before disappearing around corner.
Even in the darkness, Hermione's hand found Harry's. He felt her trembling next to him. But inside, he was beginning to boil with anger.
The common room was full of chattering students when they came back. Hermione immediately explained to Ron why she and Harry had been pulled outside as he located the letter and opened it. After a moment, he fell weakly to his seat, a small cry coming from his mouth.
Students quieted down and turned to him. Hermione dared a single step forward. "Harry?" she asked. He stared up at her with bewildered eyes as the letter slipped from his fingers and the parchment fell gracefully to the floor. "What is it?"
"It's Buffy," he said in a stunned voice. "She… she…"
"Is she dead, mate?" Ron asked, leaning forward. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a single figure stand up. It was a younger girl with brown hair and blue eyes. Those blue eyes were directed at Harry and were filled with tears. Even Ginny stopped studying from her scroll and looked round at Harry.
"They… they don't know…" Harry said, his anger immediately melting away at something else… uncertainty. "They… they said she was mortally wounded, but they didn't say if… if…" He couldn't bring himself to say it. How could he say that his only living relative was dead? "I…" he tried again, struggling to get the emotion out. "I…"
x-o-x
Emma could almost see her life flash before her eyes. The Death Eater was only a few feet away from her now. She saw the mouth open and heard the words before the curse was released.
"IMPEDIMENTA!"
Emma gasped and swung her head around as another redheaded somebody launched out of the shadows towards her. The single curse hit the Death Eater so close to killing Emma. The curse he had shouted went awry as his body spun away, hitting the ceiling and sending bits of plaster and metal towards her. She screamed, covering her head with her arms.
"Emma!"
The next thing she knew, she felt hands at her sides pulling her backwards. She kicked out her legs, crying out as her injured leg hit the ground. At once she saw a face she recognized easily. "Percy!" she cried in relief as they continued to move.
"We have to go!"
As they began running, she saw her wand sticking out from under the debris. A large beam fell dozens of feet before landing on top of Fleur. She paused only for a few seconds to retrieve her wand before they went running again. "That phone booth is the only way we're going to get out of here alive," she panted to him as they stumbled across the Atrium. The only thing holding her up was the arm firmly set beneath hers. He wasn't about to let go of her she knew. Hot tears burned in her eyes as she remembered Percy's brother, the one who had saved her life.
"I saw Bill below," she moaned as they stopped at a column to catch their breaths. "He… he saved my life."
Percy's eyes held worry as he glanced at the scene behind him. "We have to break for it. We can't stop until we get there."
"It's so far," Emma whispered. "I… I don't know if I can make it."
"I am not leaving you behind," Percy said, grasping her by the shoulders and turning her to face him. "I will not leave you," he said in a voice under quiet control. "I've already seen so many that I…"
Recalling her own horrors at watching Fleur Delacour die, she could only nod, swallowing hard. "I know…" she moaned. "But I'll just slow you down."
"I can't leave you behind," Percy said in a dignified voice. He thought about Buffy who was in Bulgaria, mortally wounded somewhere. He knew in his heart that he couldn't abandon her friends to this massacre. Emma was one of Buffy's dearest friends. He would not let her die no matter what. "On the count of three."
"One," she muttered, bending down as his arm locked itself around her waist.
"Two…" he said quietly, his eyes on their goal: the door at the other end of the large, open area.
"Three!" they both shouted, bursting forward with such speed that Emma felt dizzy.
As they continued to run, more Death Eaters came from nowhere, aiming their curses at the two figures running between them.
"We can't stop!" Percy shouted as they moved, streaks of light fluttering straight past them. "We have to keep moving."
Suddenly a figure stepped right in front of them, a slow evil grin spreading across his face. "No," Emma wept, closing her eyes.
"Stupefy!"
Emma opened her eyes and watched as the Wizard in front of them fell to the side. Leaping over him, Percy dragged her on. Turning their heads, they caught one of the most beautiful sights.
A half dozen Aurors had appeared out of nowhere. Emma found her body coming to a jerky stop as Percy paused, staring at the scene unfolding to their left. Unexpectedly her eyes were drawn to a single figure with curly black hair and a pale yet determined face. "Mum!" Emma cried.
"Get out of here!" another Auror cried, drawing Emmeline's attention to her daughter.
"Emma!"
"Mum!"
As desperate as she was to get to her mother, Percy held her back. A moment later, she knew why. Five Inferi suddenly sprang from the walls, swarming towards the six Aurors. "Mum, look out!" she screamed. She found herself being dragged backwards as Percy started to run again.
In less than a minute two Aurors were dead as the Inferi touched them with their deadly grasp. Emma's screams grew more frantic as the Inferius backed away, leaving the trail clear for ten Death Eaters as they came up against the only Auror left standing.
"Emma, please go."
Just the sound of her mother's desperate voice broke her heart. "Mum, no!"
"Emma, go!"
"No!"
"EMMA!"
"Mum!"
Even as more Aurors suddenly arrived and the battle continued on, two Death Eaters suddenly appeared out of nowhere, knocking her and Percy to the ground. Emma cried out, drawing Emmeline's attention again. She and the Auror standing next to her broke out, running to protect her daughter. As Percy raced for Emma's fallen form, a Death Eater approached. "Avada Ked—"
But before he could finish his curse, Emmeline pummeled into him. As they both tumbled to the ground, Emmeline reached out and took her daughter's hand. "Please, Em… get out of here!" She turned to Percy with distressed eyes. "Get her out of here!"
"Mum, no… I'm not leaving you," Emma moaned, grasping her mother's hand even as Percy tugged at her.
"Honey, go!"
The next thing Emma knew, she was on her feet and tears blinded her vision as her mother turned to valiantly continue the fight. But no sooner had she stood up did a familiar voice cry out, "Avada Kedavra!"
"NOOOOOOOOO!"
Percy struggled to hold onto Emma as she sprang forward, watching as the flash of green light hit directly into the center of her mother's chest. Emmeline flew gracefully through the air before landing on a pile of rubble, her dark eyes staring vacantly into nothingness.
"Mum!" Emma sobbed, struggling to go towards her mother. "No, Mum, no!"
Percy managed to maintain his hold, dragging Emma backwards towards the lift so close. He managed to jump over the shattered remains of the stunning set of fireplaces that had lined the walls. Emma, blinded by tears, could only watch as Death Eaters advanced after them.
"They're getting away!"
"No, they're not!"
Again they were forced to dodge curses even as they reached the lift. Percy used his free arm to jerk the gate open before throwing Emma inside. She tumbled to the ground as Percy stepped inside and closed the gate, two shiny green death curses stopping just shy of their heads. Finally, the lift began to rise.
Percy stood, his chest heaving slightly as he saw Emma on the floor next to him. Her face was wet and terrified.
And then their cage came to an abrupt halt. "No," she whispered, petrified. "No, oh no, oh no…"
Percy stepped forward, muttering under his breath as he tapped the controls. After one stressful moment, the phone booth continued to ascend. Moments later, they were greeted by the regular Muggle day. Weak sunlight filled the cabin as, at last, their horrific plight came to an end.
Without warning, a great tremble shook the entire phone booth. "Go," Percy said, hauling her to her feet. "Go, go!"
Before they could get themselves out of the tiny phone booth, the booth shattered, sending them both onto the Muggle street just as a great plume of smoke rose from where the phone booth had once stood.
As Emma blinked, recovering from the jarring motion of landing on the street, she heard voices calling them.
"Percy?" Emma barely moved her neck as she saw a pair of legs moving frantically towards them. "Percy?"
"Dad! Dad!" Percy was calling as Arthur Weasley came reached his son and pulled him into a heartbreaking embrace. Emma felt as though the world dropped from beneath her as she struggled to her knees. "Dad, Bill---"
"I know, my son," Arthur said, tapping Percy's cheeks. "I know." Turning, both men helped Emma Vance to her feet. She lifted grieving eyes to the older Weasley and offered him a look of deep shock before passing out in Percy's arms.
x-o-x
To be continued…
x-o-x
Next Chapter: The Death Eaters strike at the heart of the Watcher's Council; Faith makes her choice; Draco makes his choice; Buffy falls deeper into her coma; a traitor is uncovered in Bulgaria…
Reviewer Comments: Another chapter or two and I'll be halfway done with this story! I'm also going to ask for reviews because they might cheer me up and that's what I need... yeah.
Lightdemondarkangel: The mysterious Death Eater shouldn't be much of a surprise... his identity should be known by the end of this set. Needless to say, things are going to pick up in pace now. Buffy will make it back out, but she has to "want" out first.
Naitch: Aw, you flatter me so. Seriously... the Death Eater's are up to no good. I've always been fond of blowing things up and this seems like the perfect thing to do. Giles will get the one-up on Irene, but the wand was left for a reason. Buffy does get the life she's always wanted, but beneath the surface, she's going to discover she's much more than a future trophy.
Grace: Okay, so I didn't give my beta the last chapter. And you know what will happen... until I send you the revised outline anyway. I know you like Sirius and Faith and I know you believe that neither one will make it to the end of the story. And yes, you are right again - much darkness to come, but also some light...
Amber: Cedric was chosen for a reason. But you'll see Oliver again, a lot sooner than you think. And yes, they will be reunited in the waking world. Sirius is just lonely is all... he was trapped in that house for the entirety of Harry's fifth year and, once again, is trapped there again. So Faith showing up was a good thing... it's time for the Black siblings to heal.
sparky24: Dawn's appearance in Buffy's dream does have meaning, true. And if you think that rain on the emotion was bad, just wait a few chapters... but even in darkness, happiness has a way.
Haunted: Well, thank you. I hope this chapter met your expectations, too!
smurfinator: There is one reason I put her with Cedric. And though I haven't yet written that out, I can't wait to. Sirius is only drunk because he's lonely. Both Black siblings have a lot to work through, but they're well on their way.
dominus513: I want to do Harry/Faith. Why? There's a reason somewhere in there.
Javian: Buffy will snap out of it when she's ready to snap out of it. The exterior world and all of its happenings will go on without her. Besides, in her dreams, she will see part of the future.
Lady Smoothie: Gah... poor Harry. I really want it to be Harry/Hermione, but it seems to be heading more towards Harry/Faith. Of course, that means nothing because I might change my mind again.
Demongirl024: There is no such thing as magic in Buffy's normal life. Oliver is in Buffy's normal life, but in a completely different role. And besides, this story is more like Buffy/Oliver. Actually, your daydream isn't that far off for what is going to happen. As for me, I'm doing okay. To say my family and friends have had an easy past few months is an understatement.