AN: So, here is another chapter. Time to bring your tissues again for it's about to get emotional again. I decided to split this chapter because it's quite long altogether and it's better if it's split, so enjoy this chapter (as much as you can), and I'll be posting again next week. Oh, and one more thing, this book will be finished in two weeks time, so that's what's going to happen. Enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 32
The Phoenix Lament - Part 1
KIARA
"Kiara, come here ..."
"No."
"Kiara, you can't stay here ..."
"Your mother's right, Kiara," said my father steadily, "you can't stay here ... come away now ..."
"No."
I did not want to leave Crighton's side, nor did I want to leave Sian's; I did not want to move anywhere. My father's hand on my shoulder was trembling. Then another voice said, "Kiara, come on."
A slightly smaller and warmer hand had enclosed mine and was pulling me upwards. I obeyed its pressure without really thinking about it. Only as I walked blindly back through the crowd did I realise, from a trace of sandalwood through the air, that it was Chris who was leading me back to the castle, my parents following. Incomprehensible voices battered me, sobs and shouts and wails stabbed the night, but Chris, my parents and I walked on, back up the steps into the Entrance Hall: faces swam on the edges of my vision, people were peering at me, whispering, wondering, and Lion-Heart rubies glistened on the floor like drops of blood as we made our way towards the marble staircase.
Just then, someone ran past us to the marble staircase: it was Sian who was dashing for the stairs.
"Sian!" I called to her. She stopped when she heard my voice and turned back to face us; her eyes were puffy and red but she was no longer crying. "Where are you going?"
"To see my siblings," Sian croaked. "They have to know."
"Do you want any of us to come with you?"
"No!" Sian barked, then realising how harsh her voice sounded, she sighed and said in a more gentler tone, "No, this is something I have to do alone." Sian then smiled briefly, before turning round and dashing up the marble staircase.
Chris, my parents and I watched her until she vanished from sight. My heart went out to her; I could only imagine the pain she was in. After a moment or two, I turned to Chris and asked, "So, where are we going?"
"To the hospital wing," he answered.
"But we're not hurt," I said.
"It's Darbus' orders," said Chris. "Everyone's up there, Chrissie and Meers and everyone - well, everyone apart from Kestrel, anyway - "
That got my attention. "Kestrel? Why is she not with everyone in the hospital wing?"
"She went up to the common room after the Love Destroyers fled," he explained. "Sian wasn't there, as she was with you and Ma, so she went to check on our other siblings instead."
"Actually, Sian didn't go with us. Your mother wouldn't let her."
"Why?"
"I dunno," I said. "It was weird, 'cause first Crighton was all for Sian coming with us, then she froze, went pale and asked to talk to Sian quietly, which they did, and when they came back to me Crighton said that Sian had to stay here. I didn't understand, for I didn't ask why, but after seeing what was in that cave, I understand Crighton's reasoning now."
Fear then stirred in my chest again: I had forgotten the inert figures I had left behind.
"Chris, who else is dead?"
"Don't worry, none of us."
"But the Death Trail - Malty said she stepped over a body - "
"She stepped over Sam, but it's all right, she's alive."
There was something in his voice, however, that I knew boded ill.
"Are you sure?"
"Of course I'm sure ... she's a - a bit of a mess, that's all. Silverfur attacked her. Matron said she won't - won't look the same any more ..." Chris' voice trembled a little. "We don't really know what the after-effects will be - I mean, Silverfur being a werewolf, but not transformed at the time."
"But the others ... there were other bodies on the ground ..."
"Nikita's in the hospital wing, but Matron thinks she'll make a full recovery, and Professor Winds was knocked out, but she's all right, just a bit shaky. She insisted on going off to look after the Raven-Wings. And a Love Destroyer's dead, she got hit by a Killing Curse the huge blonde one was firing off everywhere - Kiara, if it hadn't been for your Felix potion, I think we'd all have been killed, but everything seemed to just miss us - "
We had reached the hospital wing: pushing open the doors, I saw Nikita lying, apparently asleep, in a bed near the door. Chrissie, Keziah, Lincoln, Todd and Meers were gathered around another bed near the far end of the ward. At the sound of the doors opening, they all looked up. Chrissie ran to me and hugged me; Meers moved forwards too, looking anxious.
"I'm fine ... how's Sam?"
Nobody answered. I looked over Chrissie's shoulder and saw an unrecognisable face lying on Sam's pillow, so badly slashed and ripped that she looked grotesque. Matron was dabbing at her wounds with some harsh-smelling green ointment. I remembered how Triphorm had mended Malty's Sectumsempra wounds so easily with her wand.
"Can't you fix them with a charm or something?" I asked Matron.
"No charm will work on these," said Matron. "I've tried everything I know, but there is no cure for werewolf bites."
"But she wasn't bitten at the full moon," said Chrissie, who had let go of me and was looking into her cousin's face as though she could somehow force her to mend just by staring. "Silverfur hadn't transformed, so surely Sam won't be a - a real - ?"
She looked uncertainly at Meers.
"No, I don't think Sam will be a true werewolf," said Meers, "but that does not mean that there won't be some contamination. Those are cursed wounds. They are unlikely ever to heal fully, and - and Sam might have some wolfish characteristics from now on."
"Ma might know something that'd work, though," Chrissie said. "Where is she? Sam fought those maniac's on Ma's orders, Ma owes her, she can't leave her in this state - "
"Chrissie - Ma's dead," said Chris.
"No!" Meers looked wildly from Chris to my parents to me, as though hoping I might contradict him, but when I did not, Meers collapsed into a chair beside Sam's bed, his hands over his face. I had never seen Meers lose control before; I felt as though I was intruding upon something private, indecent; I turned to look at Chrissie instead, and when she caught my eye and I confirmed what Chris had said, she burst into tears and Chris immediately went to her, enveloping her in his arms.
Looking up from Chris' shoulder, Chrissie's eyes searched for one person in particular who wasn't there. "W-where's Sian? Where is she?"
"Don't worry, Chrissie," I said. "She's in the common room, telling your brothers and sisters about your mother as we speak."
"She should tell Dad what happened when he gets here," said Chrissie shakily. "She's the oldest. If our father has to hear it from someone, it should be Sian." Chris nodded in agreement at his sister's words.
"How did Crighton die?" Todd then whispered. "How did it happen?"
"Triphorm killed her," I said. "I was there, I saw it. We arrived back on the Astronomy Tower because that's where the Trail was ... Crighton was ill, she was weak, but I think she realised it was a trap when we heard footsteps running up the stairs. She immobilised me, I couldn't do anything, I was under the Invisibility Cloak - and then Malty came through the door and disarmed her - "
Chris and Lincoln both bowed their heads. Chrissie had silent tears running down her cheeks. Keziah's cheeks had paled.
" - more Love Destroyers arrived - and then Triphorm - and Triphorm did it. The Avada Kedavra." I could not go on. I turned to my father, needing his warmth, support and comfort, which he gladly gave to me. Matron burst into tears. Nobody paid her any attention except Chris, who whispered, "Shh! Listen!"
Gulping, Matron pressed her fingers to her mouth, her eyes wide. Somewhere out in the darkness, a phoenix was singing in a way I had never heard before: a stricken lament of terrible beauty. And I felt, as I had felt about the phoenix song before, that the music was inside me, not without. It was my own grief turned magically to song that echoed across the grounds and through the castle windows.
How long we all stood there, listening, I did not know, nor why it seemed to ease our pain a little to listen to the sound of our morning, but it felt like a long time later that the hospital door opened again and Professor Darbus entered the ward. Like all the rest, she bore marks of the recent battle: there were grazes on her face and her robes were ripped.
"Matt is on his way," she said, and the spell of the music was broken: we all roused ourselves as though coming out of trances, turning again to look at Sam, or else rub our own eyes, shaking our heads. "Kiara, what happened? According to Mina you were with Professor Crighton when she - when it happened. She says Professor Crighton was involved in some - "
"Triphorm killed Crighton," I said.
She stared at me for a moment, then swayed alarmingly; Matron, who seemed to have pulled herself together, ran forwards, conjuring a chair from thin air, which she pushed under Darbus.
"Triphorm," repeated Darbus faintly, falling into the chair. "We all wondered ... but she trusted ... always ... Triphorm ... I can't believe it ..."
"Triphorm was a highly accomplished Occlumens," said Meers, his voice uncharacteristically harsh. "We always knew that."
"But Crighton always swore she was on our side!" whispered Todd. "I always thought Crighton must know something about Triphorm that we didn't ..."
"She always hinted that she had an iron-clad reason for trusting Triphorm," muttered Professor Darbus, now dabbing at the corners of her leaking eyes with a tartan-edged handkerchief. "I mean ... with Triphorm's history ... of course people were bound to wonder ... but Crighton told me explicitly that Triphorm's repentance was absolutely genuine ... wouldn't hear a word against her!"
"I'd love to know what Triphorm told her to convince her," said Todd.
"I know," I said, looking up, and they all turned to stare at me; I turned away from the others, looking into the eyes of my parents. "Triphorm passed Zira the information that made her hunt you two down. Then Triphorm told Crighton she hadn't realised what she was doing, she was really sorry she had done it, sorry that she almost killed you."
"And Crighton believed that?" said Mum incredulously. "Crighton believed Triphorm was sorry that Zira came after out family? Triphorm and I detest each other ..."
"And she didn't think you were worth a damn either, Daddy," I said, "because she called you a - "
"Yes, thank you, Kiara," said my father loudly. "I know perfectly well what Triphorm said to me. We don't have to go through it again."
Nobody asked my father and I what we meant or how I knew what I knew. All of us seemed to be lost in horrified shock, trying to digest the monstrous truth of what had happened.
Professor Darbus then looked around. "Where's the Eldest Dawson Girl?" she asked.
"In the common room, telling our siblings," said Chrissie; Professor Darbus nodded her head in understanding. "I'm sure she'll be here soon, though, ma'am."
"We've all agreed that Sian should be the one to tell our father what happened when he gets here," said Chris.
"A wise decision on the whole," said Professor Darbus. Then, looking disoriented and twisting her wet handkerchief in her hands, she moaned, "Oh, this is all my fault, all my fault. I sent Wanda to fetch Triphorm tonight, I actually sent for her to come and help us! If I hadn't alerted Triphorm to what was going on, she might never have joined forces with the Love Destroyers. I don't think she knew they were there before Wanda told her, I don't think she knew they were coming."
"It isn't your fault, Deidre," said Meers firmly. "We all wanted more help, we were glad to think that Triphorm was on her way ..."
"So when she arrived at the fight, she joined in on the Love Destroyers' side?" I asked, wanting every detail of Triphorm's duplicity and infamy, feverishly collecting more reasons to hate her, to swear vengeance.
"I don't know exactly how it happened," said Professor Darbus distractedly. "It's all so confusing ... Crighton told us she would be leaving the school for a few hours and that we were to patrol the corridors just in case ... Timon, Sam, Nanna, Simba and Nala were to join us ... and so we patrolled. All seemed quiet. Every secret passageway out of the school was covered. We knew nobody could fly in. There were powerful enchantments on every entrance into the castle. I still don't know how the Love Destroyers can possibly have entered ..."
"I do," I said, and I explained, briefly, about the pair of Vanishing Cabinets and the magical pathway they formed. "So they got in through the Room of Needs."
Almost against my will I glanced from Chris to Chrissie, both of whom looked devastated.
"I messed up, Kiara," said Chrissie bleakly. "We did like you told us: we checked the Scallywag's Map and we couldn't see Malty on it, so we thought she must be in the Room of Needs, so me, Kestrel and Nikita went to keep watch on it ... but Malty got past us, about an hour after we started keeping watch. She was on her own, clutching her Hand of Glory, that gives light only to the holder. Anyway, she must have been checking whether the coast was clear to let the Love Destroyers out, because the moment she saw us, she threw those Crystal Blinders into the air," she added bitterly, "which reminds me, I must have a word with Tanya and Geri about who they let buy their products. So, we were staggering blindly through the light, trying to find a way out of the corridor again, and meanwhile we could hear people rushing past us. Obviously Malty could see perfectly because of that Hand and was guiding them, but we didn't dare use any curses or anything in case we hit each other, and by the time we reached a corridor that was lit by normal light, they'd gone."
"Luckily," said Meers, "Chrissie, Kestrel and Nikita ran into us almost immediately and told us what had happened. We found the Love Destroyers minutes later, heading in the direction of the Astronomy Tower. Malty obviously hadn't expected more people to be on the watch; she seemed to have exhausted her supply of Crystal Blinders, at any rate. A fight broke out, they scattered and we gave chase. One of them, Gibber, broke away and headed up the Tower stairs - "
"To set off the Trail?" I asked.
"She must have done, yes, they must have arranged that before they left the Room of Needs," said Meers. "But I don't think Gibber liked the idea of waiting up there alone for Crighton, because she came running back downstairs to rejoin the fight and was hit by a Killing Curse that just missed me."
"So if Chrissie was watching the Room of Needs with Kestrel and Nikita," I said, turning to Chris, "were you - ?"
"Outside Triphorm's office, yes," whispered Chris, his eyes wide, "with Lincoln and Keziah. We hung around for ages outside it and nothing happened ... we didn't know what was going on upstairs, Chrissie had taken the Scallywag's Map ... it was nearly midnight when Professor Winds came sprinting down into the dungeons. She was shouting about Love Destroyers in the castle, I don't think she really registered that Lincoln, Keziah and I were there at all, she just burst her way into Triphorm's office and we heard her saying that Triphorm had to go back with her and help and then we heard a loud thump and Triphorm came hurtling out of her room and - and - "
"What?" I urged Chris, as he groaned.
"I was so stupid, Kiara!" Chris whispered. "She said Professor Winds had collapsed and that we should go and take care of her while she - while she went to help fight the Love Destroyers - "
Chris began to pace, annoyance etched across every line of his face, and when he spoke again his tone was angry.
"We went into her office to see if we could help Professor Winds and found her unconscious on the floor ... and, oh, it's so obvious now, Triphorm must have stupefied Winds, but we didn't realise, Kiara, we didn't realise, we just let Triphorm go!"
"It's not your fault," my father said firmly. "Chris, had you not obeyed Triphorm and got out of the way, she would probably have killed you, Lincoln and Keziah."
"So then she came upstairs," I said, watching Triphorm in my mind's eye running up the marble staircase, her red robes billowing behind her as ever, pulling her wand from under her cloak as she ascended, "and she found the place where you were all fighting ..."
"We were in trouble, we were losing," said Todd in a low voice. "Gibber was down, but the rest of the Love Destroyers seemed ready to fight to the death. Nikita had been hurt, Sam had been savaged by Silverfur ... it was all dark ... curses flying everywhere ... the Malty girl had vanished, she must have slipped past us, up the stairs to the Tower ... then more of them ran after her, but one of them blocked the stairs behind them with some kind of curse ... Nikita ran at it and got thrown up into the air - "
"None of us could break through," said Chrissie, "and that massive Love Destroyer was still firing off jinxes all over the place, they were bouncing off the walls and barely missing us ..."
"And then Triphorm was there," said Todd, "and then she wasn't - "
"I saw her running towards us, but that huge Love Destroyer's jinx missed me afterwards and I ducked and lost track of things," said Chrissie.
"I saw her running straight through the cursed barrier as though it wasn't there," said Meers. "I tried to follow her but was thrown back just like Nikita ..."
"She must have known a spell we didn't," said Professor Darbus. "After all - she was the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher ... I just assumed that she was in a hurry to chase after the Love Destroyers who'd escaped up to the Tower ..."
"She was," I said savagely, "but to help them, not stop them ... and I'll bet you had to have a Death Trail to get through that barrier - so what happened when she came back down?"
"Well, the big Love Destroyer had just fired off a hex that caused half the ceiling to fall in, and also broke the curse blocking the stairs," said Meers. "We all ran forwards - those of us who were still standing, anyway - and then Triphorm and the girl emerged out of the dust - obviously, none of us attacked them - "
"We just let them pass," said Todd in a hollow voice, "we thought they were being chased by the Love Destroyers - and next thing, the other Love Destroyers and Silverfur were back and we were fighting again - I thought I heard Triphorm shout something, but I don't know what - "
"She shouted, 'It's over,'" I said. "She'd done what she'd meant to do."
We all fell silent. Kenna's lament was still echoing over the dark grounds outside. As the music reverberated upon the air, unbidden, unwelcome thoughts slunk into my mind ... had they taken Crighton's body from the foot of the Tower yet? What would happen to it next? Where would it rest? I clenched my fists tightly in my pockets. I could feel the small cold lump of the fake Horcrux against the knuckles of my right hand.
The doors of the hospital wing burst open, making all of us jump: Mr Dawson strode up the ward, Ferdinand just behind him, his handsome face terrified.
"Matt - " said Professor Darbus, jumping up and hurrying to greet him and Ferdinand, "I am so sorry - "
"Sam," whispered Ferdinand, hurrying past Professor Darbus as he caught sight of Sam's face. "Oh, Sam!"
Meers and Todd had got up hastily and retreated so that Mr Dawson and Ferdinand could get nearer to the bed. Ferdinand bent over his fiancée and pressed his lips to her bloody forehead.
"You said Silverfur attacker 'er?" Ferdinand asked Professor Darbus. "But he 'adn't transformed? So what does zat mean? What will 'appen to Sam?"
"We don't know yet," said Professor Darbus, looking helplessly at Meers.
"There will probably be some contamination, Ferdinand," said Meers. "It is an odd case, certainly ... we don't know what her behaviour might be like when she wakes up ..."
Ferdinand took the nasty-smelling ointment from Matron and began dabbing at Sam's wounds.
"And - and my wife ... I heard whispers about her on the way up to this room ..." said Mr Dawson. "Deidre, is it true ... is she really ...?"
But before Professor Darbus could offer him any sort of answer, a small voice behind us said, "Dad?"
We all spun round: Sian was standing in the doorway, tears streaming down her face, looking desperately at her father, who hesitated for a moment before he ran to his eldest child and held her tightly. Father and daughter remained like this for a few moments, before Sian broke away, turning her back on her father and facing the window.
"Sian?" said Mr Dawson, confused at his daughter's behaviour.
Sian took a deep breath and said, "I suppose you hate me now, don't you, Dad?"
That shocked and surprised Mr Dawson, and looking around I saw everyone else wearing similar expressions.
"Hate you?" said Mr Dawson. "No, I don't - I could never - why would you - ?"
"I understand if you do, because I look and act a lot like Ma ... but I hope you don't ... I've already lost Ma ... and I don't want to loose you, too ... nor does anyone else ..."
Mr Dawson was frozen in place by his daughter's words, and Sian, not hearing anything from her father, crumpled: her face fell and a stray tear trickled down her cheek. As if seeing his daughter's sadness and hopelessness, Mr Dawson strode over to her and held her tightly; Sian, her face buried in her father's chest, seemed shocked by his actions, until he said something, something that meant more to Sian that, though she would never admit it, I'm sure, meant more to her than the words 'I love you' ever could.
"Never."
Mr Dawson said it so fiercely that Sian closed her eyes, smiling, as tears of relief spilled down her cheeks.
"I could never hate you or abandon you or our family, Sian," Mr Dawson said into her hair. "I love you and our family all so much."
This seemed to strike a chord in both of them, for Mr Dawson and Sian both raised their heads and turned to look at Chris and Chrissie, who they held their arms out to; the two siblings needed no asking and immediately ran to their father and eldest sister, and for a while they just stood like that, holding each other tightly.
They were suddenly rudely interrupted by Ferdinand, who said, "Well, now zat zat eez all taken care of, we can move on to ze most important person 'ere - "
"Most important person?" said Sian suddenly, letting go of her father, Chris and Chrissie and turning to face Ferdinand, outraged. "Your fiancée got attacked by a werewolf, which is a terrible thing that has happened to her, but she still lives! My mother does not!" Sian then sneered and went on, "But I don't know why you're so concerned about Sam ... it's not like the wedding will go ahead now, anyway - "
"'Ow dare you!" said Ferdinand, glaring at Sian. "'Ow dare you say zat ze wedding will not go ahead because of zis! Do you 'onestly think that I care about the way she looks? Of course I don't! Zere are more attractive aspects of 'er than just those, Sian, zat I know! I am good-looking enough for both of us, I theenk! All these scars show is zat my wife is brave!"
Ferdinand then turned his attention back to Sam. Sian watched him with a most peculiar expression. None of us said anything. Then, after a long pause, Sian spoke again.
"Ferdinand, I'm sorry about what I said. I was just - "
"I know," said Ferdinand, looking gently at Sian. "I am sorry, too. What I said was uncalled for. I am truly sorry about your muzzer, Sian. She was a great witch and was always nice to me."
Thank you." Sian and Ferdinand then shared a smile, and that was all that was said between them.
"You see!" said a strained voice. Todd was glaring at Meers. "He still wants to marry her, even though she's been bitten! He doesn't care!"
"It's different," said Meers, barely moving his lips and looking suddenly tense. "Sam will not be a full werewolf. The cases are completely - "
"But I don't care either, I don't care!" said Todd, seizing the front of Meers' robes and shaking them. "I've told you a million times ..."
And the meaning of Todd's Patronus and her mouse-coloured hair, and the reason she had come running to find Crighton when she heard a rumour someone had been attacked by Silverfur, all suddenly became clear to me; it has not been Pumbaa that Todd had fallen in love with after all ...
"And I've told you a million times," said Meers, refusing to meet her eyes, staring at the floor, "that I am too old for you, too poor ... too dangerous ..."
"I've said all along you're taking a ridiculous line on this, Timon," said Mum.
"I am not being ridiculous," said Timon steadily. "Todd deserves somebody young and whole."
"But she wants you," said my father with a small smile. "And after all, Timon, young and whole people do not necessarily remain so." He gestured sadly at Sam, lying on the bed.
"This is ... not the moment to discuss it," said Meers, avoiding everybody's eyes as he looked around distractedly. "Crighton is dead ..."
"Crighton would have been happier than anybody to think that there was a little more love in the world," said Professor Darbus curtly, just as the hospital doors opened again and Mina walked in.
Mina's face was soaking and swollen; she was shaking with tears, a vast spotted handkerchief in her hand.
"I've ... I've tried ter move the body, Professor," she choked, "but I couldn'. A man forbade me ter. He said I couldn' move it until the ceremony had been done."
"A man?" said Professor Darbus suddenly. "Who is he, Mina? What does he look like?"
"Well, he didn' g-give his name, but he's b-bald, quite short and wore a light-green robe - "
There was a loud gasp from Sian: she and Chrissie were looking at each other as though they could not believe what they were hearing.
"What is it, girls?" Professor Darbus asked them.
"We know who that man is, Professor," said Sian. "He's the Oracle, and he's here to perform the ritual that will take my mother's soul to the next life."