A/N: Not yet beat read! Hope you like it!
She looks like the real thing
she tastes like the real thing
My Fake Plastic Love.
But I can't help the feeling
I could blow through the ceiling
If I just turn and run
And It Wears Me Out, it wears me out
It wears me out, it wears me out.
And if I could Be who you wanted
if I could Be who you wanted,
all the time, all the time, ohhh
"Fake Plastic Trees" Radiohead
Chapter 38:
The days passed quickly for the sixty Aurors that waited and watched as the moon waxed fuller each night. In one day, the moon would be completely full and the Aurors would be on their way to the Ochil Hills of Scotland to face nearly one-hundred children turned monsters and one monstrous man.
The plan seemed to be a sturdy one, a potions expect had been hired to create a serum of sorts for Remus to take the night of the raid. The serum would calm his wolf's instincts and his human mind would have control over his decisions. They couldn't give him a simple Wolf's Bane potion because he needed to be in his were-form to fight the Alpha, Fenrir.
Truth be told, Ginny was nervous. She didn't trust her new partner and this raid could either go very well or very badly. She sighed as she scratched her face with the tip of her quill before dipping it into the indigo ink at the top right corner of her desk. She had just brought the point of the quill back down onto her paper when Tadd's voice interrupted her.
"Malfoy! To what do we owe the pleasure?" Her partner said, looking past her shoulder to the man standing in the doorway.
Ginny could feel the muscles in her back tighten as Tadd taunted the blond haired man. She shivered at the prickling sensation on the nape of her neck, sensing that Draco's silver eyes were focused there.
"Actually, I'd like to have a word with Auror Weasley," Draco responded stiffly and Ginny shuddered at his tone. She hadn't heard his voice in so long, and his familiar baritone was sending certain parts of her anatomy into overdrive as his words floated over to her.
"That's too bad. We're busy. Like you should be, the raid is tomorrow night," Tadd said acerbically.
"Oh, be quiet, Tadd! It's about time we took a break anyway. It'll only be a minute," Ginny replied, pleased that her voice sounded stronger than she felt as she stood from her chair, squaring her shoulders before turning to her former partner.
Draco nodded at her, gesturing with a hand to the door and Ginny bit her lip as she followed him into the hall. They stopped just outside of her office, standing against the wall.
"What is it?" Ginny asked him shyly, as she played with the tips of her fingers nervously.
"I just wanted to--to--," he paused, breaking off on a sigh, "—In the raid tomorrow…" he mumbled, searching her face, "Watch your stances. Don't leave yourself open."
"Alright," she conceded on a breathy exhale, a dry smile crossing her lips, "As long as you don't get too cocky. Focus on taking them down, then you can gloat."
Draco laughed at her quietly, his mouth curved in a gentle grin and his eyes unreadable as he tilted her chin up to look at him.
His finger hovered there for a moment before sliding across the skin of her jaw line and up to her left cheek. His thumb brushed against the soft skin just below her eye as his fingers stretched to touch the silky hair above her ear.
"You have some ink of your cheek," he explained, rubbing his thumb against the wet splotch under her eye.
She swallowed roughly and whispered, "Draco…," as she leaned her face into his hand.
His hand fell to her shoulder and he twirled a strand of her scarlet hair around his fingers before letting go and pulling away from her reluctantly.
"Good luck tomorrow," he mumbled, spinning on his heel and walking away.
She watched him as he disappeared down the hall, a forlorn expression on her face as she became lost in her own thoughts. Wholly unaware of her scratchy faced partner watching them from the corner of her office.
Draco walked into the employee lounge quietly and made his way over to the tea leaves and hot water. He reached up to the community cabinet and pulled down the mug that he had brought from home years ago.
He was just stirring a few cubes of sugar into his warm drink when someone else entered the room. Draco craned his neck, peering over his shoulder at the man standing a few feet away from him.
"Taddeus," he greeted calmly, resuming his task of stirring his tea.
"So, it's true then."
"What is?" Draco asked, sipping his tea, his eyebrows knitted into a look of mock confusion.
"You and Weasley. You wanted out because of sexual tension," he said with a gleam of triumph. He had banked good money on the office pool and he would be glad to cash in with the others that had guessed correctly.
"Don't be ridiculous," the blond man drawled, placing his cup on the counter and facing the brunette.
Tadd shrugged, sniffing indelicately, "If you wanted her that bad you should have just told me. I had her a long time ago. Could've given you some pointers, mate."
Draco moved before Tadd could react, fisting his hands tightly in the other mans shirt and shoving him violently against the wall, a picture frame falling from its hook with a crash at the impact.
"Don't talk about things that you know nothing about!" Draco threatened through clenched teeth. "You sicken me," he snarled, pulling Tadd towards him by his shirt and then slamming him back again, rattling the wall.
A short yelp escaped Tadd's mouth as the air rushed from his lungs.
"I know all about the betting pool, and if I find out that you've been spreading lies…" Draco moved his hand to Tadd's neck, tightening the pressure of his fingers until breathing was troublesome for the other man.
"Ok! OK! Let me go!" Tadd gasped and Draco pulled away, shoving him once more for good measure before walking to the counter and retrieving his drink. When he turned to face the room once more, Tadd was gone.
Draco smirked, sipping his drink and humming happily to himself as he stirred in another lump of sugar.
Bear was right. It did feel good to vent.
It was date night again, she and Harry had only seen each other once in the last two weeks and it had been brief to say the least. Ginny was trying to focus more on getting good rest and on preparing for the raid. As a result, Harry had been pushed to the back burner while she did some inner reflecting.
It was her night to pick the place, so she had invited Harry over to her flat for dinner and conversation. She set their dishes in the sink and followed Harry into the living room, sitting across from him on the couch.
"You're becoming a great cook, Gin. You'll be rivaling your mum pretty soon—"
"Harry," she said, breaking through his words. She bit the corner of her bottom lip as she gathered her courage, a frown crossing her freckled face. "There's something I need to get off my chest," she said, feeling sick.
"Sure, Gin, what is it?" He asked, his face lighting up in a reassuring smile.
Her stomach tied into a knot at his expression, she didn't want to see his smile twisted into something ugly and angry. She didn't want to see a broken expression on his face.
She pressed her lips together and her hands began to shake nervously. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to look into his eyes as she spoke.
Just as she was opening her mouth to speak a memory floated into her mind.
'He doesn't love you.'
'He may say he does, but he doesn't. He loves someone who doesn't even exist!'
' Ask him why he loves you, what he loves about you and you will see that I'm right!'
The memory of Draco's voice sounded in her ears and she focused on the messy haired man sitting at the other end of her couch.
"Why do you love me?" she asked quietly, her words jumbled, as if she were shocked at her own question.
"Why?" he laughed and she nodded at him seriously, somehow, everything rested upon his answer.
He looked at her strangely, a funny lop-sided grin on his face, "That's a ridiculous question, but all right," he acquiesced after a moment, pursing his lips in thought.
"Lets see… I love you because you're you," he said with a chuckle, leaning in for a quick and playful kiss. He stopped only an inch from her lips as her frown deepened, backtracking quickly.
"It's the truth," he defended, "I love you because you never change. I swear, you've always been the only constant things in my life," he paused and Ginny couldn't help but think of one of her favorite quotes from a play that she had read in Muggle Studies.
O, swear not by the moon, the fickle moon, the inconstant moon, that monthly changes in her circle orb, Lest that thy love prove likewise variable.Sensing that he was losing his audience, Harry cleared his throat and tried again, "You're always the same. You love quidditch and the Three Broomsticks, you always believe in second-chances. Your favorite drink is Butterbeer. You cook me dinner and watch muggle movies with me. You're happy with the simple life, you don't need frilly things or travel to excite you. You're you; I don't know what else to say."
Ginny sat silently for a few moments, the knots in her stomach unfurling into a feeling of assured rightness. She felt relieved, as if she had been trying to put the last piece into a puzzle and then realized that the last piece belonged to another puzzle, and that her last piece had been in place all along, she just never knew it.
"That's not good enough for me," she realized, speaking her thoughts aloud.
"What?" he asked, his eyes seeming owlish behind his round rimmed glasses.
"That's not good enough for me," she repeated, looking at Harry with wide eyes that were filled with a strange kind of inner understanding.
"Harry, I hate the Three Broomsticks and—and I have changed. I love to travel, I want to see the whole world and expand my mind. I don't want to be stuck at home my entire life like my parents and then only travel to Egypt once because that's all we could afford. My favorite drink is Chai tea, not Butterbeer. I want different things now. I'm not fifteen anymore," she said, repeating her fathers words from weeks ago.
A fuzzy white light tingled in her lungs and she breathed out a cold breath of relief. For the first time in a very long time, she felt as though she were taking control of her own life, her own decisions and destiny. It was powerful and startling, as if she were standing on the edge of a rocky cliff.
"I-I don't understand," Harry stumbled over his words and Ginny could feel herself deflating at his wounded tone.
"I know and I'm sorry, but I just can't see you anymore. I tried, Harry, I really did. I wish that I could love you, you're so good and kind but I just…" In her minds-eye, Ginny could envision herself stepping even closer to the edge. She was an adult, she couldn't live by majority rule, she had to do what felt right. Then, she jumped, leaping for the control that had seemed so lost. "I can't."
"Is there someone else?"
"That doesn't matter. Harry, I cant be your pedestal anymore!"
"It's Malfoy isn't it?" he asked, ignoring her words.
"Harry, please…"
"Isn't it?!"
"Yes," she admitted on a whisper, holding the word for a few beats until it ended on a quiet hiss, "but that's not the only reason--"
"Damn it, Ginny! He's just using you, he's just a pompous little—"
"Please, just listen to me!"
"Did you sleep with him?! Did you share his bed when you wouldn't share mine?" He grit out, "Never mind, I don't want to know," he spat, his nose scrunching up in disgust.
"I never meant to hurt you, Harry," she pleaded, her voice catching slightly, "I'm in love with him."
He looked as though he had been smacked and the broken expression that she had so feared was displayed plainly over his features.
"No, you're not. You love me. Not him!" he tried desperately
"I'm sorry, Harry," she mumbled shaking her head, "Didn't you ever wonder why I never said it back to you when you told me that you loved me?" she asked quietly, reaching out to touch his shoulder, hoping to cushion her harsh words.
"You didn't have to say it back. I knew. I know you love me."
"I do love you, Har. Just not the way that you want me to. Not the way that you deserve."
"And a pile of scum like Malfoy does deserve your love?" he asked and Ginny fell speechless. "Merlin, Gin! Are you forgetting who you are? Who he is?!"
"I'm sorry," she said, her eyes falling to the floor while her shoulders stayed level, her spine still ram rod straight. Her jaw was clenched stubbornly and the column of her neck was long and regal. Confident in the face of this storm, even as a tear spilled down her cheek.
"If you're sorry then don't do this!" Harry screamed, tugging at the already messy black hair at the crown of his head.
"I have to."
"No! You don't! He's just using you, why can't you see that? If Ron were alive—"
"Ron would have loved me enough to understand!" she cried out in outrage. For the first time, since Ron's death she knew with complete certainty that her brother would have wanted her to be happy more than he would have wanted her unhappily with Harry.
"So you're just going to throw yourself at Malfoy? Is that it?" the dark haired man seethed, his eyes brimming with tears. "You'll be his whore?"
Ginny gasped, her eyes locking with his. His words had stung and she struggled to form just one word as she forced her tears back, "Yes," she said finally, her strength failing her as she hammered the final nail into the coffin of a long dead relationship and a very old friendship.
"I can't even look at you right now," he snapped, his face contorting in anguish as he jumped away from her and marched over to the door, swinging it open, "I hope you're happy," he shouted, slamming the door behind him.
"It's for the best. You'll see," Ginny muttered to herself as she stood shakily and walked over to the front door. With trembling fingers she twisted the lock and bolted the door.
It was the evening of the full moon and the sun was just beginning its descent on the horizon. Sixty Aurors stood in the main training room for a final debriefing before setting off.
There were sixty Aurors participating in the raid, and they were broken down into six teams of ten. Each ten man team had a leader and that leader would be focusing on giving commands while taking commands from Auror Tonks and Remus Lupin.
Each team would go in separately, attacking from a different direction. Draco was the leader of team one, his team would be flying in from the north. Neville and Rosa were on Team two, their team would come from the south, their main objective would be to get the injured out as soon as possible. Team three would come from the South as well, while team four entered from the East, and five from the West.
Ginny was the leader of team six, much to Tadd's chagrin (he had been an Auror longer, after all). Her team would apparate directly into Fenrir's camp. By doing so, they hoped for the element of surprise to be on their side. Remus would be in her group and as soon as they landed, his duty would be to find Fenrir.
In order to take down an alpha, a werewolf had to be in his or her wolf form. It was a ritual of sorts, a werewolf code. Alphas were typically stronger than the rest of the pack and Remus would be looking forward to a tough fight. If he succeeded, he would be avenging hundreds of families. He would be taking vengeance on behalf of himself and Bill and so many others.
The Aurors made their way outside, preparing. As the clock struck eight Ginny watched as Remus downed the potion that would allow his human consciousness to stay in tact even after the change took place.
She looked around at her fellow Aurors as Tonks gave a last, short speech of encouragement.
Finally she saw him, standing near the back with his team, his broom in his hand. He met her gaze and Ginny felt her heart racing against her ribcage. She wanted to run over to him, she wanted to tell him that…
No, she thought, there would be time after the raid to talk about all that she was finally ready to admit. She offered him a small smile, the fuzzy warmth of 'rightness' still filling her chest and flowing in her veins. After the raid.
Tonks signaled team one and Draco ordered his team to mount their brooms and at Tonks' nod they flew off into the night.
Ginny felt a painful ache in her stomach as she watched him flying into the distance. Cold fingertips gripped her lungs, a thousand pricks of ice stabbing her heart and forcing her to gasp for breath. Her stomach dropped and she grimaced. Dark clouds rolled in, hiding his fading silhouette from view. He'll be fine. She told herself, ignoring the feeling of foreboding that wouldn't seem to leave.
She waved the feeling off as nervousness as the other teams were signaled at sent to their positions. She focused on clearing her mind, focusing on her duty as Tonks signaled her.
"Wands!" Ginny shouted and her team members lifted their wands into the air, standing at the ready.
Tonks waited a few beats, watching as the minutes ticked by on her watch before gesturing with two fingers and then a fist. Ginny nodded.
"Apparate!" she yelled and eleven pops filled the evening air, ten Aurors and one werewolf traveling to the Ochil Hills to face an unknown fate.
Tonks placed her hands before her in a simple prayer, counting to five before sending a last salute to a quietly watching Kingsley and Disapparating.
When Kingsley was the only one left on the field, he made his way inside. He would be in his office with Auror Douglas, awaiting reports.
Ginny and her team arrived in the heart of Fenrir's camp and on her command the Aurors cast a collective Smoke Charm and Anti-Disapparition Jinx. Shouts and screams rang through the ravine of the Ochil Hills and Ginny ordered her team to step back as the werewolves became disoriented. They only had a few minutes to try and gain an upper hand.
They would try to take down as many as they could, while the werewolves were still in their human forms. Ginny could hear the marching of the other Teams coming over the hills and heard the rush of wind as Draco's team flew over head.
She looked up, her eyes staring into the darkening sky, grey clouds covering the now visible full moon.
A jet of bright green light hurtled towards her team. It had begun.
They had their orders, take down the wizards that Fenrir may have on his side first, and then focus on the children with non-harmful spells (if possible). Leave Fenrir to Lupin.
Adrenalin pumped in her veins and she ordered her team to shield just as another spell ricocheted off of a rock behind her head.
Spells were shouted into the night, echoing over the hills. Counter-Spells being shouted from Neville's team while the others focused on offensive and defensive spells.
The Aurors worked as a well oiled machine, alternately shielding and then casting,
rounds of "Protego!" and "Stupefy!" filling the air.
The smoke began to dissipate and Ginny could see that they had only managed to down a handful of Fenrir's men. For the first time, she could see how outnumbered they were. There seemed to be a little over one-hundred versus their sixty. We can do this.
In the center of the camp was Fenrir himself, he stood regally, his werewolves sitting at his feet, not yet changed.
He grinned at them maliciously, as if he was waiting for something. Ginny watched his eyes flick to the sky and then back again and a chill traveled down her spine as a howl of pain sounded to her right.
She spun to see Remus fall to the ground his back arching strangely and his muscles seemed to pulse. There was the sickening wet popping sound of bones snapping out of place and he howled as his eyes brightened to a pale gold.
"Auror Weasley," one of her team members whispered and she turned to look where he pointed. Fenrir and his 'children' were beginning to change.
A scream cut through the air and Ginny shuddered, "Back up," she ordered, "Wands at the ready."
She stared, unblinking at the sight before her. Nearly ninety small children were changing into beasts under the power of the moon. There was a collective crunch and squish as their bones shifted and their skin grew and stretched over their changing forms. They thrashed, crying into the night air as their ribs shifted and their flesh broke out in thick hair, their faces wrinkled as their snouts elongated and their teeth grew into knife-sharp points.
Standing among them was Fenrir. He didn't make a sound as he changed. He seemed to relish the way his body rippled and bulked. He bared his teeth at the Aurors and roared at the moon, his chest heaving with excitement.
As if taunting them, Fenrir, only half formed, pulled one of his wizards to him, sinking sharpened teeth into the man's shoulder. Blood gushed down the wizard's chest as he wailed in agony. As Fenrir's body stretched and molded into his wolf form, he tossed the man's remains to his followers and the Aurors watched, horrified as the children-turned-werewolves devoured the body.
Draco's team hovered over head and as Fenrir readied his body to pounce, Draco ordered his team to fight.
A large shape, leapt from Ginny's side, bounding up the steep rocks of the ravine and pushing his way past the children, leaping over them to reach his destination. Remus.
Ginny glanced to her other side, where Tonks stood on a wooden walkway above the ravine. Her purple haired friend pointed at each team in turn, gesturing with her hands and Ginny nodded.
She turned to face the, now approaching, werewolves and with two fingers she motioned for her team to wait.
"Now!" she shouted as three wolves jumped out at her.
"Glacius!" she yelled, freezing the wolves in place. She didn't have time to enjoy the small victory; however, as two more werewolves leapt out at them.
"Shield!" she said, a second to late, as one of her team mates fell to the ground.
"Keep moving!"
"Spread out!"
"Focus on the wizards!"
"Watch your back!" commands were barked out, rising above the clamor of spells and shrieks.
"Petrificus Totalus!" she screamed, taking out a wizard that was aiming at the broom fleet."Protego!"
The world below him was dark, only the light of the moon and the flash of a spell lighting his way occasionally as he ordered his team to fire.
Draco swooped down, closer to the ground, spreading out in slow circles as he ordered in what direction they should focus.
"Draco!" Bear called to him, pointing to the center of the battle where two large werewolves were locked in combat. In the dim light, Draco couldn't tell which was which and as his eyes darted to the side he could see that some of the smaller werewolves were attempting to protect their Alpha.
"Take them out! Lupin must not lose!" he commanded and Bear nodded, swinging two fingers to the rest of the team and then pointing towards the ground with a flick of his wrist.
Draco continued his slow descent, a glint of red catching his attention. He watched her for a split second as she fought before turning his silver gaze to the woman standing on the wooden walkway, awaiting his next order.
Taddeus Hayes stood near the center of the action. He glanced towards his partner, sneering as she sent him a command and pointedly ignoring it.
If he had been in charge of their team this battle would have already been won. He stupefied an on-coming werewolf and looked up at the two werewolves fighting in the center. Kingsley Shacklebolt was an idiot, trusting a beast like Remus Lupin.
They were all idiots, the lot of them. He would find a way to show them. He would take down these little pups all by himself if he had to. No one ever understood his brilliance. He was the best Auror the Ministry had-- because he could think out side of the box.
They just didn't promote him because they were afraid of him and his skill. If he were a head Auror he would make sure that things were done his way. The right way. It was all a conspiracy to keep him down. He would show them. He would get his promotion and from there…well, he would just work his way up to minister. Yeah, that sounds nice.
He saw a movement from the corner of his eyes and spun, "Incarcerous!" he shouted, pleased when his target fell to the ground in a tangle of ropes. The small werewolf struggled in its bindings, yipping at his friends for help.
Tadd followed his prisoner's eyes, trailing to the south where five or six other werewolves were busy scrambling up and over the large rocks of the cliff to his left.
He grinned, looking to his sides at the Aurors around him. He seemed to be the only one who had noticed the young beast-children running away. He looked back towards the cliff face and at the yellow eyes that stared out at him in fear from their hiding place.
"Cant have them getting away. They'd terrorize the country-side." He grinned to himself, "…and if I manage to catch them," he threw a look over his shoulder at his partner, "I'm sure to get a promotion and a raise," he laughed, aiming his wand at the rocks.
Tadd's laughter floated over to her and Ginny paused for a second, turning her head to find her partner. Something didn't feel right. That cold sense of foreboding swam back to her as she looked behind her.
"Tadd! NO!" Ginny cried, seeing his intent.
"Reducto!" He yelled, his face lit up in a triumphant smile.
"Oh gods…"she breathed as the side of the ravine shook under the force of his spell.
It happened quickly, only a small reaction at first—a pebble breaking off of the cliff side, clinking as it bounced off of another rock and fell to the ground. Then there was a sound, like glass breaking or flint sparking as the ravine rumbled.
Ginny wobbled on her feet, trying to steady her body as the wall of rock in front of her exploded.
"Wingardium Leviosa," She shouted, trying to levitate the bigger rocks, but it was happening too fast and her spell failed her as a boulder slammed into her shoulder. She cried out as she felt the bone shatter. She shifted her wand to her other hand, trying again.
She attempted a hover charm, but didn't get a chance to see if it had worked as the rocks fell down in sheets of thick boulder.
"Run!" She ordered to a few of her teammates that were trying to help her. She tried to move and stumbled as the earth rumbled under her.
There was a scream of pain from her side that she distantly recognized as Tadd's but the sound of his voice was covered up as layer upon layer of heavy rock crashed down upon her. She felt her legs break, the bone ripping through the skin of her shins, and she crumbled to the ground. She tried to block her fall with her hands and her arms gave out as another rock slammed into her back.
She gasped for air, looking behind her as the top of the cliff raced towards her. She had no time to react as the stone crushed her to the ground. Her body was a tangle of broken limbs, a monument to mortal fragility. There was a flash of summer days at the burrow, quidditch games, the chamber, her family and friends.
Mum licking the corner of her apron and rubbing the smudge of soot off of her cheek after they had flooed to Hogsmead. Conversations with Dad in his shed over hot cocoa. Playing games with her brothers and sharing jokes with the twins. Sitting and reading by the fire with Hermione. Gentle moments with Harry. Green eyes filled with tears and Paris with Draco. Light pulsed in front of her eyes and there, in the distance she could see Percy and Ron. They seemed to be made of pure white light and she smiled at them as they came closer, their breath soft and sweet on her cheeks. Then the world disappeared behind her lids. The flashes stopped, giving way to all consuming black.
The blood in her veins became sluggish, seeping out of her slowly as her heart struggled to keep beating and her lungs burned for breath that wasn't coming.
Bump-bump
Bump-bump
Bump…
…
"Hold the shield!" Draco ordered his team mates as they created a collective shield around the two men in the middle. It took all of his concentration and as the ground shook below him and the earth groaned in agony, the only thing that he felt was the vibration of his magic flowing through him and the only thing he heard was the hum of his spell.
"Merlin and Morgana!" Tonks gasped as she saw the cliff breaking down. With a quick flick of her fingers she sent an order to Neville's team.
A loud howl filled the air and Tonks looked down to see her husband fall to the ground, Fenrir standing over him, covered in blood.
"Remus!" She screamed, forgetting herself and leaning as far forward as the rope bridge would allow her. "Please get up!"
Remus shuddered, the deep gash in his chest making even the smallest of breaths difficult. He looked to his side, his snout pressing against the dirt as he watched his blood seeping into the rocks below him. It looked black in the moonlight and a distant part of him sang with the urge to paint it.
He was a gifted painter. At least that was what Nymphadora always said.
Nymph. His eyes rolled to the sky and he could see her standing above him, her hands white knuckled against the ropes that she held onto and a halo of light behind her head. She looked like an angel, as if the stars knew what she would look like and had placed themselves in those positions just so that they could be reflected as a halo around her round face.
He couldn't hear her, but she seemed to be saying something and he found himself straining to hear her words, his wolf ears empty of all sound.
I'm deaf. He realized, almost laughing at the absurdity of the notion as he stared up at her.
Her light was blotted out as a shadow fell over his vision and he looked up into the cruel expression of his enemy.
So this is it. I've lived through two wars, survived the loss of my best friends and family, suffered through a monthly curse and now here I am. This is how I die, deaf and bloody, with an ugly and old werewolf glaring down at me.
A fizzing sound filled his head, like the sound of butterbeer when the cap is popped off and then he could hear. Shouts, screams, howls, and growls filled his consciousness, but one voice carried over them all.
"Please get up!"
It was her voice calling down to him, his starry angel.
His claws dug into the ground beside him, the fur of his paws sticky with blood. He could see Greyback licking his chops and dropping into a low crouch, ready to pounce as soon as he tried to get up.
Thinking quickly, he whimpered in pain, rolling over fully onto his back and offering his belly to his opponent in a sign of surrender.
Fenrir snorted at him, standing out of his crouch and coming closer to accept Remus' white flag. He moved cautiously and Remus could feel his nose twitching in irritation.
'Clever bugger.'
Fenrir sniffed him and then growled when he didn't smell fear coming from the other man. He reared up and Remus lunged upward, his jaws connecting with Fenrir's throat.
The larger werewolf roared, swinging his head around and Remus could taste warm blood filling his mouth as he bit down harder. Fenrir scratched at him and Remus yelped as another deep gash was carved into his side, giving Fenrir enough time to move away from him.
Remus could feel the loss of blood starting to effect him and his vision blurred as the Alpha male stalked towards him. He was tired and he just wanted to go home to his wife and not leave their bedroom for days.
Tonks watched her husband fighting, feeling completely helpless. She knew that they couldn't interfere. This was werewolf business. This was werewolf law. If they took down Fenrir instead of Remus then any of the other werewolves could throw their hat in the ring for the position of Alpha.
Remus had to win on his own. If he became Alpha then he could lead the children. If not…A werewolf even worse than Fenrir Greyback could be placed in control.
Tonks pushed wisps of purple hair from her face as Draco flew down towards her.
"We need your order," he said and Tonks looked at him briefly before turning her gaze back to the fighting below.
"Tonks…"
She watched as her husband fell once more, and she could tell that his strength was leaving him.
Without tearing her eyes away from the man she loved she gave an order that she hoped she wouldn't live to regret.
"If Remus falls again, take out Fenrir."
Draco studied his cousin for a moment before nodding and flying off towards his team.
Remus watched blearily as Fenrir moved towards him again. The older werewolf's movements seemed to be heavier as he dragged forward.
The former DADA professor pushed himself up, ready for another round but as the other man neared him, he caught a whiff of blood--life blood-- pouring out of the Alpha's neck.
I did it, he thought, stunned at the realization that he had managed to hit his opponent's carotid artery on his last attack.
He watched, amazed as Fenrir fell to the ground, thick red blood flowing from the area just below his ear. The blood that was meant to travel to his brain was now spilling to the ground.
Their was a wet cough and Fenrir's claws surrendered their purchase on the rocky ground, all of his muscles relaxing as if reading for sleep and he took his last breath.
His final exhale seemed to echo around the hills and the fighting halted as nearly a hundred yellow eyes turned to admire their new leader.
Remus forced his tired body into a regal sitting position and looked out among his new pack. He was the Alpha now.
Instinct built up inside of him, overpowering the potion that he had taken hours ago and he arched his neck back, opening his mouth into a perfect 'o' and unleashing his howl to the full moon.
His pack followed suit and the watching Aurors shivered as the night air was filled with the praise of almost a hundred werewolves.
When the call ended, Remus' new children crawled towards him.
Tonks held her breath, afraid that there would be another fight for dominance now that Fenrir was dead, but the young beta wolves that approached, seemed to just want to introduce themselves. They came close to him, and he snapped his jaws at them in warning.
With a fluid movement, the lower ranks werewolves offered him their throats in turn, pledging both their trust and loyalty.
It was over.
Draco looked around; his heart was pounding and his breathing ragged, the ringing in his ears lowering to a gentle hum. A few feet to his left, he could recognize a few members of Ginny's team. They were binding the remaining werewolves and sending them by portkey to a temporary holding room at the Ministry. He searched for the familiar head of strawberry hair, his stomach churning and his skin breaking out in goose bumps when he couldn't find her.
He stumbled past his fellow Aurors, his broom in his left hand and his wand still held in his right. He started to panic, her team was here, and she wouldn't have left without her team. Where is she?
"Malfoy!" he could hear Bear yelling behind him but he didn't stop.
He saw a familiar face in the distance and jogged towards its owner, his sore joints protesting at the quick movement.
"Longbottom!" he called out, stopping when he reached the man's side, "Have you seen, Ginny? Her team is still here but—"
His mouth snapped shut as he took in the other man's sorrowful expression, "Neville?"
"Draco," he swallowed big gulps of air, his voice shaky as he spoke, "the—the avalanche. Ginny was—she was hurt,"
Draco's breath caught in his throat, a shocked sort of sob escaping his lips, his grey eyes growing wide in the moon's light, "Is she---?"
"I don't know," the round faced man answered honestly, his eyes filling with tears, "My team—we tried to get her out as fast as we could. Draco, when we found her, she wasn't breathing…"
"No," he choked out, "No!" he repeated, his voice rising in anger.
"They took her to St. Mungo's with the others, but I don't—"
Draco tightened his fingers around his wand and lifted his arm, pointing the weapon at his former partner threateningly. His face was unnaturally pale and his eyes were still overly round. Shock arrested his features and made his brow wrinkle and his cheeks fall slack, making them appear sullen. He looked to have aged ten years in only a few minutes.
Neville held his hands up uneasily, "Malfoy?"
The blond seemed to come back to himself slightly, without removing his wand from its target; he threw his broom to the ground in front of Neville's shoes.
"Make sure that my team gets back safely," he ordered staunchly before flicking his wand and Disapparating.
He rushed through the halls of St. Mungo's, shoving his way through the emergency unit and searching for a familiar head of redhair.
Nurses, Mediwizards, and Mediwitches were rushing about and magically powered gurneys zoomed down the halls.
Draco felt lost as he forced his body forward, his eyes skipped over face after face as he searched for the brown eyes and freckles that had captured his attention so many years ago.
He passed by a curtain covered doorway, and as the curtain shifted he could see a black bag being zipped closed over a man's now restful face.
He swallowed harshly and his steps became shorter as he sped up, not wanting to believe that Ginny could be lying behind a similar curtained room.
"Out of the way! Move it!" someone yelled behind him and he jumped to the side as a gurney floated by him, nurses running to keep up with its fast movement.
The person lying on the stretcher was a mess, their hair seemed to be matted with dirt and blood and he couldn't discern its hue. The patient's hands were small and soft looking and he guessed that the person was a female. Her arms, that were spread carefully at her sides, were obviously broken along with her legs. Her chest seemed to be caved in and her skin was an unnatural grey color.
Without understanding why, Draco found himself jogging after the moving cart, following the broken woman.
The nurses disappeared with their patient into a room and he paused outside of the door.
"I'm sorry, sir. You are going to have to move. The waiting room is down the---"
"I need to know who is in that room," he explained, pointing toward the door at his back.
"Sir, if you will just wait in the waiting room. We have many people here right now and as soon as--" the nurse said, shoving Draco in the opposite direction.
"Who is in that room?!" He yelled, panic replacing his shock. He pulled away from the stout nurse and pushed inside of the room that he had seen the woman taken into.
"What is he doing in here?" a doctor shouted indignantly, "Get him out of here!"
Draco couldn't even feel the hands pulling him from the room, or hear the doctor's angry voice. All he could focus on was the woman lying on the bed, tubes hooked up to her mouth and nose and Mediwitches hovering over her, her chest convulsing as they attempted to jump start her heart.
All that he could see was the scar on her lower stomach as her back arched off of the bed and her shirt rose up.
He would know that scar anywhere. He was there the night she had received that particular wound, he had been fighting beside her that night at the battle of Hogwarts.
"Ginny!" he cried as he was yanked away from her and the door shut behind him, hiding her from view.
A/N: The moon quote is of course from Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare. The battle was inspired by Spartan (shield, spell. Shield, spell) and Guerilla warfare (surprise). There's also some Revolutionary War influence in there (the smoke spells).
Big battles are very hard to write :c( and I don't think that I wrote it the way that I wanted to but I tried. Werewolves are fun, lol
Ginny:'c(
Don't give up! Still have two more chapters to go!
Soon it won't be just pretend
Soon a happy ending
Love, can you hear me
If you're near me
Sing your song
Sure and strong
And soon
Don Bluth's Thumbellina-"Soon"