§
"Shit!" Ginny cursed, dodging another bright strip of light.
Sending her own spell into an oncoming figure, she shouted over her shoulder. "We can't fight them all! We have to get out!"
Aidan proved to be a better duelist than she had first supposed, which in reflect, wasn't much.
"Thank you for the update, Queen of Obviousness." The oldest one shot in response along with a stunning spell.
Harry rolled out of the way of another spell, which clipped his ear and drew blood. Keeping in the small-target motion, the wizard pushed himself toward his companion. Unfolding, the youth stood up with speed.
"I'll distract them. You and whatshisface get out of here." His verdant eyes held a firm-jawed warning, and an underlying of fearful affection.
"No, Harry—" Her protest was cut short when they both scattered away from a magical binding shot between them, reaching for a captive.
The sandy-haired warlock fell heavily against the ground, nose bleeding as he looked blearily up at the two kids.
"Argue later! We have bigger p—shit!" The traitorous death eater swore as a red, scythe-like spell split his left shoulder, spattering blood along the cropped valley grass.
Muttering under his breath, the reluctant albeit honest hero, raced forward with wand held high.
"STATUAMORTIS!" Potter cried, weaving his wand in a large swooping arc.
The robed figure being who was looming over the fallen one soon found himself hit square by a distorted gray shape. Within a blink, the colorless substance spread throughout his body and soaked him of all color. Without looking, the caster knew his lips would be blue by now.
Aidan did blink now, in surprise and awe. "Is he dead?"
Scar face gave an impatient shake. "No, but you have to get out of here. Take her-"
He jabbed a finger to a Weasley, who was currently casting a disarming spell on her third death eater.
"-and run for it. I'll give you both cover."
The older man stood up, nodding and preparing to run over to the girl that had veered his life when another though passed by.
"Should we wait for you to send out a signal?"
This... boy? His eyes, they are so old... and filled with suffering. Is he truly a child?
The aforementioned orbs shadowed defiantly. "No. If I come back it'll be with Blair."
He didn't mention what would happen if he didn't come back.
The older wizard gave hesitated only a moment further before turning back and running toward the witch.
"I'll protect her."
The boy-who-lived hadn't asked for a promise, but he was grateful for one. A small smile tugged at his lips.
"Good... She deserves someone to."
His soft spoken words met with empty air, quickly replaced by white light as another spell bounced beside him, cutting a groove into his ribcage as it passed.
The seeker grunted in pain as his own blood joined the mingle. Reacting quickly, he counterattacked.
"Expelliarmus," The cardinal light issued from his command and the death eater flew feet away.
Throwing a quick glance behind him, Harry spotted Aidan overpowering the lean girl to drag her away from the fight. Hazel met Cocoa which lingered on Emerald.
The chosen one began to draw an intricate pattern with his wand. If it lined the sky it would have formed a kind of upside-down dragon.
"DISTORCIASM!"
The short, fried grass around them suddenly sprung to life. Wild fronds grew into vibrant claws upon the opposing party. The crackled earth bucked up, wavering like water and spewing rocks. The sky grew thick and white, making it seem an pale blindness had fallen.
Stay safe both of you.
Voldemort's servants could be heard scurrying around, bumbling and shouting. Faintly out in the night, a pretty voice's cries were carried away into the hidden night. Harry turned and began running back toward the forest. He was not waiting for the enemy to figure out how to undo his spell.
"Hey is anyone th—Omph!"
"Harry...No, Aidan let go!"
"Who the hell is that? Macnair?"
"Yeah, what did that kid do?"
"Brat, shut it! Aren't you the one always preaching faith in that kid?"
"This is different! Aidan, I can help. Just put me down! I don't need to be coddled!"
"Everyone stop panicking! This is just an illusionary spell!"
" A fake? Oh fuck, that brat is so dead after this!"
"You'll only be in his way. He kept trying to protect you and no one can fight like that. You're a hindrance, Ginny... Just, trust him."
"STOP moving I said! Let me dispel it you idiots!"
"Well then go ahead and do it!"
"WACCIM!" A voice hissed, and the sudden fog lifted.
The ground stopped churning and the grass gleamed with yellow innocence back up at them.
"Where did he go?" One of the disgruntled mask-wearers demanded.
"He probably went after the other two, let's go!" Another wizard hissed.
"Ha, as though you could actually catch me!" Their target's voice bounded from the trees, amplified through magic.
"Let's get him, stupid bastard!" A witch sneered darkly.
"What about the other two?" This was the tone of the executioner Macnair.
"Leave them. The Dark Lord wants only Potter. The other two are of no relevance." The leader, the same wizard who had dispelled the illusion, spoke harshly.
No one disagreed as the swarm of black descended upon the trees.
Harry was searching for Blair who was looking for him. Life's little ironies are rarely in favor of those sentenced to them. However Blair Kryeen did not like to be the butt of any god's whim. And boy, did she have a temper.
§
His moccasin clad feet made no sound as they touched the earth. Their pale blue fabric soiled in the run of midnight azure and lighting crimson. Deep, fair eyes looked out over a shock of white hair. The visitor was garbed in a simple white undershirt and brilliant cerulean jacket. Jeans held his thin legs and non-existent hips. A faint breeze ruffled through his locks and sent the jacket ends splaying. The dark backdrop gave the man an almost glowing look, with his simple pale monochrome.
"It was her." His voice was low and breathy, smooth and whispering. The tongue that danced with the wind around it.
He appeared to be talking to no one, or perhaps the corpse at his feet. The darkly handsome creature had once vibrant eyes the color of fresh spilled blood and hair an impenetrable black against colorless skin. His only physical shift from the undead to the twice killed was the unfocused sheen to his irises, and the even more pronounced pallor to his skin.
Making a hand-sign by bringing both index and middle fingers up to touch and folding the other fingers down, the living being pressed his lips gently to the tip of his tallest finger. Bringing it in a sweeping movement over the corpse, the wind suddenly picked up and began to disintegrate it. As the current relaxed again, the vampire was no more than charred dust upon its whim.
"Rest now, Draeg." The man spoke. In features, he could seem no older than twenty-five. However his eyes and distant expression spoke of eons in suffering and loss. Years of pain combat only by numbness.
As he turned, the breeze seemed to move with with, churning in the direction he looked out at.
"Blair..." The pale being called softly, seeming to be almost to beautiful to be human in his ethereal sense. It was only the blood staining his shoes that offset the train of divinity.
"The flame in your heart, it has rekindled. You have found purpose again." There were such thoughts gleamed in those orbs, yet no emotion.
"He will not care. Death will come to capture you again young one." At this point the stranger truly was talking to himself, and his words seemed to be carried by the air and into all things that breathed it. In some form of pacification, he breathed in and out slowly and evenly. He inclined his elegant face toward the sky, momentarily shutting his eyes.
"But he cannot have you, not again if he ever did." The irises opened again, identical hue to the celestial realm they were looking through. Some voice was speaking quietly back through the breeze, plucking at his eardrum with its secrets. He didn't blink at the message, not give any movement, but somehow his distanced aura discreetly shifted,
In an unhurried, sure-stepped pace, the man walked along the dead, bloodied grasses. His features never changed as he walked to the edge of the forest. A somewhat dimmed moon fingered over the land, mourning its loss. As it cast quick reflex upon the trees and creatures of night, the white form seemed to be immune to all darkness. He cast no shadow and made no sign as his unfathomable gaze once again shifted upward and his legs halted their movement. Reading the air that cascaded around his fine jawbone, the immortal took a step upward, as if reaching for the empty air. It held solid for him, and soon the lone individual was climbing upon the empty sky in his own bask.
"You are our last hope, young one. You are your unbroken spirit."
§
Harry didn't know how long he had been running or which way he went. The forest was all a mass of crooked stumps and gnarled branches contorting into frightening shadows to snare him. His body was screaming like a banshee for rest, but the seemingly circle of death eater voices kept the boy moving. Soon movement became thoughtless, just an action he didn't stop and all reason fled before weariness and fear. However the night was unrelenting and unforgiving to the desperate youth in its midst.
"There—I saw him! He went that way!" A woman's throaty voice made the celebrity veer abruptly left, scudding along dirt and a thorny vine.
"Where? Oh just shut up and go after him!" The leader snapped, irate. Even with the lighted wand tips that came with Lumos, the darkness was heavy and the natural sounds of the forest made hearing useless. The tracking spell they had tried was sent bounding right after them, and any attempt at bigger light would allow their prey time to escape. It had been hours, and now even if they managed to get Potter back to their lord, they would pay. However to fail allowed certainty of death.
Dark hair was forced to meet dirt as he fell flat to dodge a sharp jet of red light.
"Aha—there he is! There he is! Mancair, Colloway, Dugart!" The caster called to his friends in an excited frenzy. Footsteps crushed the small brush as the wizards raced for the voice that had given such wonderful news.
Cursing, the sixteen-year old withdrew his own wand from the pocket of his robe and aimed over his shoulder as he shakily stood again, ready to resume running.
"Statuamortis," The Gryffindor whispered quickly, drawing his wand through the pattern. The familiar gray, shapeless substance ejected from the wooden tip and were flung at the unlucky witch. She cursed, then garbled, and finally keeled over clutching the spot where it had touched to fall still.
However she had already alerted her comrades and their steps were easily heard. Without wasting another moment, the seeker sped back into the trees and avoided the convergence of tones.
Just keep going. Just keep going. The mantra repeated itself behind worn eyes the hue of fresh-mowed grass. He didn't even know why anymore. It was only something he had to do, no matter what.
The hunter's sound was approaching, blindly hacking at the trees and creatures after its elusive prey. It in turn, kept running and dodging around his enemies. Ginny and Aidan were long gone, and who knew where Blair was?
The young man was forced to give more attention to his laborious breathing then he would have liked. His body no longer produced sweat, but the beads that still clung on him were chilling his body in the cool night air. It made him almost want to shiver despite the burning heat his muscles felt. Dark tresses plastered to his sun-kissed face, and the standard school robe was torn into insignificant pieces. He was reaching his limit.
However another spout of scarlet got the underaged wizard moving on his feet again, much clumsier this time.
However as soon as the boy-who-lived pivoted around to escape he soon discovered that Voldemort's servants had him cornered in a circle of black robes and white masks.
"We have you know boy." The leader stepped forward, wand at the ready. "Surrender."
THERE! In Harry's half-sedated mind he spotted a gap between the death eaters. To weak to scream, the famous tragedy barreled himself right into the empty space.
Too bad for him it was the edge of a cliff.
§
She used to love the feel of flight, she knew. In some past life, it had been hear only joy. To Blair, there were three lives she had been a part of. The first was some distant person's memory, the tale of Ally and Blayne. And in flames that one had ended and given way to merciless searching and hunger where she was unaware of even Daemon. The feel of wind resisting her skin had been one of the few good aspects of that time, a brief moment of freedom. Somehow she has unknowingly stumbled onto the third—a time were the heart was reborn and with it came strength... and weakness.
I refuse. The fire immortal thought strongly as her bird-like irises scanned for sight of the raven-haired boy while her senses stretched toward his distinct aura. She wondered vaguely if he knew his color was green. Not the same brilliant shade as his eyes, but rather a darkened cameo color. Green for life, green for youth. Dark for pain, dark for fear.
I refuse to let someone else die. The death dealer knew it to her core that it was true. Once, all her power and efforts had been in vain. She had lost, and it had killed her. Now, there was a second-chance. Another person, a young human who had sat down in her heart and refused to leave her to the fire that burnt her piece by piece. He had weakened her, she knew; but he had also brought her back to life. This time, with all her power and will, she would not fail. Kryeen couldn't fail. It would kill her. Permanently.
A sudden tinge in her senses brought a quick end to her pondering. Golden eyes dilated to cut through the dark foliage of the forest. Blair caught sight of the semi-circle of robed and masked figures.
If they've touched him, I'm going to have more than a little fun with those worms. The woman kept scanning for his smaller, more significant form. Aduru would admit she was a sadist. Ally hadn't been, she had hated pain. But as a death-dealer, her spirit had a craving for blood and death. It was designed in each of them, and only years of learning to control it allowed any normal interaction with life.
Catching sight of movement, Eposis watched from a distance as her pupil blindly ran into the hole. Did he not see the ominous darkness of the gully before him?
Shit! The DADA professor remembered all to distinctly just how fragile human bones were. Taking a dive, her bright form descended straight into the gully after him.
"STOP HER!" One of the worms cried, catching sight of her glowing red body.
A few spells bounced around her, missing. The fiery individual wasn't worried. Their petty magic could do little to her ancient power. However a well-aimed green light caught her straight in the back of the neck, where a horrible bird-shaped scar resided. It was dumb luck that he had hit there. Dumb, fucking, luck.
Golden eyes widened before shutting, and the dive became a plummet as she evened with the person she had been rescuing.
§
Harry was more than surprised. His mind froze as he tumbled down and over the ledge, falling into the darkness. His thoughts were a white pallet, giving no way out of certain death. And then there was distant shouting and a flash of fire-like brightness. Suddenly she was falling right beside him, her flesh baring long gouges and brilliant eyes closed.
"Blair!" The black-haired wizard cried, reaching a hand against the wind-pressure to shake her shoulder.
I have to think of a way to get us both out of this. There has to be SOMETHING! Potter thought desperately, praying for some inspiration.
"Wake up you stupid git!" The teen shouted shaking harder.
I swore not to let a friend die, not to watch them get hurt. Damn it, he had a scar on his left arm promising that!
Somehow, in frustration and desperation, the seeker called out another name.
"ALLY!"
Golden eyes shot open so fast it almost shocked him. Instinctively taking in the situation, the Aduru grabbed his small figure around the waist and called forth a gift long given.
Ivory wings expanded from her shoulder blades. They curled down to her ankle, great feathery things. Steeling herself, Kryeen expanded the wings against the harsh wind current and flipped both her and the brat around.
Harry gave a shout of surprise as he found himself suddenly barreling the other way, heading toward a rocky protrude.
I can't fly us both in this state. Damn kid should lose some weight! I'll have to land somewhere!
Her inhuman eyes locked on a hidden cave just below the outstanding rock. Locking her muscles, she aimed for there.
"B-Blair we're heading for a crash!" The heartthrob managed to choke out.
"Shut up." The fire-haired creature hissed, tilting down just so the brush of her back was skinned on the cave wall. Once in the cavern, the witch flipped them around again, so the much more breakable body was above. Hers, on the other hand, got the pleasure of skidding roughly to a stop.
The cavern was damp and gray walls covered with green wines and algae. The unpleasant floor felt of slime. Or was it blood? Both intruders didn't move for a moment, just panting together in the darkness.
Damn, I'm bleeding. The Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher had not forgotten what her immortal blood could do. It wasn't pretty. Roughly pushing the smaller form off of her, the exotic beauty hissed in pain as she sat up.
"You saved us... You flew!" Her student stated suddenly, his voice lowered due to the gloom of their surroundings.
"Yeah, so what kid? That was the stupidest shit you've pulled yet!" Golden eyes peered out of him in the darkness.
It was then that the seeker caught sight, from her unearthly light, the sparkling puddle of blood his rescuer was sitting in.
"You're hurt." There was remorse in his voice.
It's my fault.
"We have better things to worry about." The death dealer stared flatly, forcing her body to stand once more.
"You shouldn't move." The sixteen year old stated with a tone of argument.
"Brat don't argue." The taller individual stated simply, while turning toward the depth of the cave.
"There is something in here."
Following his professor's lead, the chosen one stepped further into the darkness. It was only a few steps of heavy breath and oppressive quiet until the two found themselves faced with rock.
Blair ran her fingers across it. "There's writing here... it's not human though."
The pit of his stomach fell out. "Give me some light."
Glancing questioningly at the green-eyed youth, she snapped her fingers. A flame danced along the index digit, acting like a candle.
Using the light, Harry found his mouth dry as he read the inscription.
"I—It's the gateway to another cavern, connected to the Chamber of Secrets... It's Salizar's original tomb, where the Guardian came from. Only... only someone with Slytherin's mark can enter."
Her flaming eyes studied the stone door once more, looking a strange notch.
"Mark... like reading Parselmouth?"
Before the young man had a chance to reply, the powerful immortal had grabbed his hand and jammed it into the notch.
"What are you—" The rock surface slid open.
And the floor slid out from under them.
§
A/N: Hehe, I do love cliffies! Oh and thanks to everyone who Pm-ed me—I feel so loved! As incentive for more people to send a message: ANYONE WHO LEAVES A PM GETS ANY QUESTION OF THERE'S ANSWERED! I don't care if it is an explanation to the symbolism or who dies at the end. If you pm me, I'll answer the question. Luv ya all and see you in a week or so!