To End It All
The next morning, Daisy sat in the locker room at the Arrows stadium, staring at the floor. It was early - they still had a few hours until the meetup, but they wanted to make sure everything was in place before Magnus arrived. They would do the hand-off in the middle of the field, allowing the Prostatis there a good vantage point. She figured Magnus would likely suspect as much and have a few of his own waiting.
Her mother and Teddy were already out there, looking over everything. She figured Magnus would uphold his end of the bargain, but only to a point.
"There you are," Wills said, stepping in. Daisy frowned as she stood.
"You're supposed to be at the country house," she said.
"You didn't think I'd let you come here alone, did you?" he asked, appearing unnaturally serious. "You should know by now, Pix, we're connected. Where you go, I go."
"Wills, this is not some… game. This is serious! They could kill you! You could get hurt!" Daisy shouted, walking towards him.
"And so could you, Daisy. I vowed to keep you safe, and I will!" he shouted back. Daisy blinked furiously, feeling angry tears fill her eyes as she turned away, her hand at her forehead.
"Wills… there are some things I must do on my own, and this is one of them," she said, not facing him.
"I refuse to believe that," he said, stepping up behind her. "We're together in this." Daisy sighed and turned around.
"I can't have you die on me, Wills. Even if I can bring you back… it still hurts," she said softly. "Please don't make me relive that again."
"You won't. I've no intention of dying," Wills said, smiling down at her.
"But you don't know that," she nearly shouted. "Besides that, you're not supposed to be here! If they see you, they may go back on their word. They could kill Toby!" Wills went silent. "Did you not think of that?!"
"They won't see me," he said. "But you can't send me away. I won't go back and wait to hear they've taken you again. I will be here and make sure that they don't. Don't make me live through that again."
Daisy was silent, studying his face which was wrought with worry. She finally looked down and nodded slightly.
"Fine. But stay out of sight until we give the signal," she said softly. Wills smiled slightly and took her into his arms, kissing the top of her head.
"Everything will work out," he said. Daisy swallowed and shut her eyes briefly, tears squeezing out.
"I know," she said softly. She then stepped back and looked up at him, mustering a half smile. "I better go look over the field again. I'll be back to get you when it's time." Wills nodded and stepped aside, letting her pass by. Daisy walked out of the locker room, turning to face the door once it shut behind her. "Forgive me," she whispered as she placed her hand on the door and closed her eyes. When she opened them, she stepped back, surveying her work. She then turned and walked towards the tunnel leading out to the field. She figured it wouldn't be long before he figured out what she did.
But she would not go through the pain of losing someone again if she could help it.
Daisy stood still in the middle of the field, Teddy and her mother at her sides. It was still dark, but they could see streaks of gray and pink starting to show over the hills. She was nervous. Even though they had gone over and over the plan, part of her was worried it wouldn't work or that something would go wrong and they might lose too many.
Of course, she could bring them back, but she hoped she wouldn't have to.
They still had some time before Magnus showed up with Toby but felt it best to wait there. She had checked on Toby and he was still alive - a bit banged up, but alive nonetheless. Magnus had kept his side of the bargain and didn't hurt him anymore.
"You alright, Pix?" Teddy asked. She nodded, not looking at him.
"Just don't get yourself killed, yea?" she said.
"Don't worry. We're here with you. This will work," he said. Daisy glanced over at him, frowning.
"I know, but… if it doesn't… let them take me. I don't want any of you hurt or dead because of me. It's bad enough that they took Toby," she said.
"Don't worry about us, Pix. We can take care of ourselves," he said.
"Really, darling," Iris said. Daisy looked over at her and nodded. She then glanced around the empty stadium. She felt a bit better knowing the Prostatis were there, but she didn't put it passed Magnus to try something. Her heart ached as she looked back towards the tunnel. Wills would be angry, but it was a small price to pay to keep him safe. She turned to face the other side of the field, silently steeling herself.
Suddenly, there were shouts behind them. The three turned, seeing nearly all of their family running up, Oliver, Remus, Alan and Jamie leading the group. Daisy groaned as she turned and stomped towards them.
"Thought we told you to stay at the country house," she growled.
"What? And miss all the fun?" Uncle George replied, grinning.
"This is not a game!" Daisy shouted.
"And as I recall, we all have a bit more experience when it comes to battles," Bill said reasonably, looking down at her. She glanced around the faces of her aunts and uncles. She noticed Lucy, Molly, James, Freddie and Roxanne there as well. She could see determination in all their eyes and knew there was no way she would talk them all into leaving.
"Besides, Ginny here is still wicked fast with those hexes," Charlie said, glancing at his younger sister.
"Gran is at the country house, waiting to take care of whoever gets injured," Fleur said. "Victoire is with her." Daisy breathed a sigh of relief. The last place Victoire needed to be in her state was on a battlefield.
"By the way, just why was Wills locked up in our locker room?" Kelly asked and he and the rest of the team jogged up behind them. An irate Wills was at his side.
"For Christ's sake," Daisy shouted.
"Daisy Nymphadora Wood! Language!" her father shouted back. Daisy looked around at the now rather large group standing there.
"None of you should be here! This was not the plan!" she shouted. "As soon as he sees you all, he'll go back on the bargain."
"Like it or not, Pix. We're here," John said. Daisy huffed and looked around.
"Fine. But at the very least we should do some concealment charms and you must hide. The deal was that it was just us for the exchange. He shows up and sees a crowd and he might run with Toby or worse," she said seriously. "I won't have Toby's blood on my hands."
"Don't worry, Pix. We all know the best hiding spots around here," Kelly said with a smile. Daisy huffed again and waved them off.
"Hurry. They'll be here soon," she said. The group quickly dispersed, leaving Teddy, Iris and Daisy alone once again. "Bloody idiots."
"Can you blame them?" Iris said.
"You know as well as I do that it could ruin everything," Daisy said, frowning at her mother.
"And you know as well as we do that there was no way they were going to stay home," Teddy replied with a sigh. "Though, truth be told, I do feel a bit better with more numbers on our side."
"Let's just hope that Magnus doesn't suspect he's walking into an ambush," she said. "He will run and this will all be for nothing."
"Don't worry. Even if he runs, we've got teams in place to take Headquarters. We'll cut them off at the head," Teddy said. Daisy nodded and looked around again, the silence falling around them.
"It's nearly time," Iris said, looking around the stadium as well. "Brace yourselves."
Daisy moved to stand in between them, clenching and unclenching her fists. She closed her eyes, breathing in and out slowly as she focused on everything around her. The silence of the pitch. The grass beneath her feet. The smell. She quieted the storm raging inside her, focusing on one thing. Getting Toby back. She then opened her eyes, the green flashing slightly.
"Let's do this," she said, fixing her sight at the other end of the pitch. Not but 10 minutes had passed before they all heard the familiar pop of apparation. At the other end, four people appeared and started walking towards them. Daisy swallowed as she watched Toby stumble, his hands tied in front of him, as Martins dragged him down the field, his wand pointed at him. Magnus walked leisurely next to them, a smirk on his face. She couldn't place the last person, but figured it was another of his minions.
"Well, well, seems you kept to your side of things," Magnus said, glancing around the empty stadium as they stopped about five feet away. "Or at least it would appear that way. How many Prostatis do you have hiding around here?"
"We're here for the exchange, nothing more," Daisy said coldly. Magnus chuckled.
"Of course, straight down to business, aren't you," he said.
"How long have you been working with them?" Teddy shouted, his eyes fixed on Martins. The American laughed.
"Long enough," he replied. "I'm surprised at your stupidity. Couldn't figure that out. How's Richards taking the news?"
"Rather well, considering," Teddy said.
"Enough talking. Let's do what we came to do," Daisy said.
"Patience is a virtue, dear Daisy," Magnus said lightly. He looked over at Iris. "Shame I couldn't take you both."
"Haven't you done enough to our family," Iris said, narrowing her eyes at him.
"Right… I did kill your son. Which one was it, by the way?" he asked.
"Alan," Daisy replied. "Now, let's get on with it." Magnus looked over at Martin and then nodded. Martins shoved Toby forward. He nearly stumbled to the ground, but then righted himself. Daisy started walking towards him.
Once they met in the middle, she quickly looked him over.
"Are you alright?" she asked softly. Toby smiled, though it looked more like a grimace, and nodded.
"As good as I can be. Hoping you've got something up your sleeve," he whispered. Daisy hugged him quickly, meeting Magnus' eyes over his shoulder.
"Just get to Mum," she said before letting him go. She then squared herself and continued walking towards the group slowly. "You won't get away with this," she said loudly as she neared Magnus and Martins.
"I'm sure I will," Magnus said lightly. "Everyone has their orders if I don't return safely." Daisy swallowed as she reached them and turned to face the others. She silently willed Toby to move faster, getting antsier by the second. She didn't trust Magnus to uphold his side and wait until Toby was safely in their custody. "We don't have all day," Magnus shouted towards Toby.
He walked a bit more quickly, making it to Iris. She grabbed him and met Daisy's eyes, nodding slightly. She then disappeared, taking Toby with her. Taking a deep breath, she then shouted.
"NOW!"
Martins turned quickly to grab her, but Daisy disappeared, reappearing next to Teddy as the field filled with Prostatis. Magnus started laughing.
"Seems you were right, Martins," he said, glancing over at the auror.
"Turn yourself in and no one gets hurt!" Teddy yelled. "These are Prostatis. You can't disarm them so might as well come without a fight."
"You honestly think I would do such a thing?" Magnus shouted as many in dark robes appeared around the Prostatis. "I suggest Daisy get back over here and you let us leave in peace, otherwise blood will be shed."
"Over my dead body!" Daisy shouted, feeling her magic begin to stir inside her, the pixies all taking flight. "You won't get away with this!"
"Oh, I will and I'm taking you with me!" Magnus said, gripping his wand. "ATTACK!"
The field suddenly erupted in chaos as curses and hexes began flying. Shields flew up around the Prostatis as several began disappearing and reappearing, throwing off Magnus' men. Daisy quickly put up one around Teddy and another around herself, throwing out every hex she could think of. She then looked over at Magnus, aching to get closer to him to take him out.
A smirk came across her face as she turned her focus to fighting. She could feel the magic in the air as her family appeared on the field around them, jumping into the fight. For the first time, she felt like they could win this.
"You ready for this, Pix?" Jamie called out, glancing at her. She just grinned.
"Wager on who takes out more?" she called back.
"Not fair, Pix!" she heard Wills as he appeared at her side. She glanced over at him, frowning, barely having enough time to put up a shield around him before a hex bounced off.
"Thought we told you to stay back," she said. He grinned down at her.
"What and let you have all the fun?" he said. She looked over, seeing Alan and Remus jumping into the thick of it.
"Haven't you died already!" she shouted at him.
"You'll bring me back again!" Alan called out. Daisy shook her head and sent out a hex that knocked a foe down.
"Now Iris!" Nikos shouted just after she reappeared. Iris paused for a moment, hexes and curses bouncing off her shield as she closed her eyes and focused. Above the stadium, a large shield started, covering the entire thing.
"Blimey," Wills said, momentarily transfixed by it.
"Now no one can get in or out," Daisy said.
"Seriously, what else can you lot do?" Wills asked.
"You will see!" Christos shouted cheerfully as he appeared and then disappeared, showing up not much farther away.
"By the way, Wills. In case I don't get a chance to say it later… welcome to the family," Oliver said, glancing over at the chaser as he fought off two men. Wills stared at his coach in awe. It was a good thing Daisy had him covered, otherwise he would have been taken down by hexes at least twice.
"Shut up, Dad. You're not dying on my watch," Daisy said.
"Just thought-"
"Focus on the fight!" Christos shouted. He rolled his shoulders a bit. "What should I become, Pixie?" Daisy laughed.
"Preferably something large that can inflict a lot of damage," she said, an evil glint in her eye. Christos shot her a grin.
"Your wish is my command," he said. "You might want to back away a bit." He then bent over as his hands touched the ground, he started growing as scales covered his body. Those around him backed up until a large dragon stood there. He roared, causing a large amount of the enemy to stop, turn and run. He shot out of line of fire, which caused even more to turn and run, even though they had nowhere to go. Daisy laughed as she cracked her knuckles and focused on those running. She flicked her eyes to the right, and the group of them flew to the side.
"My future wife is amazing," Wills said.
"She's just getting warmed up," Jamie said with a grin.
The battle continued, and it appeared the Prostatis were winning as more in black cloaks began littering the ground. Still, there were far too many left fighting. Daisy looked across the field, seeing Magnus still there. She sent two men flying across the pitch and started towards him, determination in her eye.
"Magnus!" she shouted, gaining his attention. "Let's finish this!"
He smiled as he watched her approach, dodging streaks of light.
"I would like for nothing less," he said. Daisy glanced over at Teddy, who was watching them closely besides trying to take out his own foe.
"How much longer do we need to drag this out?" she sent him. He glanced over at Aleka and then back at Daisy.
"Not much - Aleka said they're nearly done clearing out house and have cut all off lines of contact between them and the group here and the others around the world," he thought. Daisy nodded and turned her focus back solely to Magnus.
"I'm flattered that you think you're a match for me," Magnus said as Daisy narrowed her eyes at him, coming to a stop.
"I'm not surprised. Your arrogance seems to know no bounds," she said, clenching her fists. Magnus laughed and raised his wand, sending a curse her way. Daisy didn't even flinch as it was reflected off her shield. He sent another. This one also bouncing off. At the moment, she wasn't worried, but she knew if the fighting continued much longer, she would get tired and have trouble keeping it up.
"This is no fun," Magnus pouted.
"You don't want me to use my gifts? Won't that take away the challenge," Daisy shouted, sending another hex his way. Magnus deftly dodged it, frowning. Suddenly the two were locked into an intense battle, dueling each other while dodging stray curses from around them. Daisy wasn't sure which were from friend or foe but dodged them all nonetheless.
She could feel her energy starting to ebb the longer they continued. She didn't want to admit it, but Magnus was better than she was expecting. She had long lost track of everything around her, focusing solely on the man who was now laughing maniacally.
"You think if you take me in, that'll be the end of it, don't you?" he shouted.
"That is the point of this, isn't it?" she replied, dodging another stray curse.
"Even if you take me in, that won't be the end of this," he said.
"That's what you think," Daisy shot back, gritting her teeth.
"Take me in, I'll just escape. This is bigger than you think," he shot back.
"I know precisely how big this," Daisy said. Magnus laughed as he dodged another hex, watching as it flew by him and hit another of his men, boils erupting over his body.
"Come now, Daisy. You have to do better than that. You're not going to defeat me by using school-grade hexes," he called as he took off, weaving in and out of fighters as he shot a few more curses at her. She put up a shield and took off after him, attempting to hit him with another hex as he ran. She ducked under a stream of fire as Christos roared passed, wishing she had thought to summon a broom. It certainly would have made it easier to keep up with Magnus.
"Over here, Daisy!" she heard Magnus called out brightly. She skid to a stop as she finally saw him, sucking in a quick breath. She disappeared and reappeared closer, but this time fear finally struck. He was holding on to Lucy, who struggled to get away from him, her wand lying on the ground nearby. Magnus' wand was trained at her throat.
"Let her go! This is between you and me!" Daisy shouted, stepping towards him.
"Ah, ah," Magnus said, pushing his wand closer to Lucy's throat. "It seems we're at an impasse. I can't get out of here because of your mother's shields and you can't get to me as long as I have Lucy here. Tell you mum to drop the shields."
Daisy stared at him, breathing heavily.
"Don't do it, Daisy," Lucy shouted, struggling against him. "I'll be fine!" Magnus jabbed her again with his wand, causing her to cry out in pain.
"I've already killed one relative - I'm not afraid to do it again," he said. Daisy continued staring, going through her options.
"You can bring me back!" Lucy shouted, continuing to struggle in Magnus' arms.
"Not if I incinerate her body," Magnus said. Daisy's eyes widened. "Ah yes, Toby let out your little secret about that." Daisy's heart began pounding as it felt like time slowed, she looked around her, seeing friends and family engaged in the fight. Streaks of red and green and various other colors flew around her.
She then settled back on Magnus, who was laughing in glee as Lucy continued to struggle. Daisy clenched her fists, feeling the anger course through her. She was not about to let him take someone else. But as she tried to summon the power to send the killing curse his way, she found something inside her stop. Her eyes widened as it hit her – she couldn't do it. And for the moment, she couldn't see a way out of this. Magnus' smile brightened as he seemed to catch on to her inner conflict. Daisy shook her head again, willing herself to stay calm. It was then that her eyes found someone standing just behind him. Calm began to fill her as she nodded slightly, hearing the directions in her mind.
"Let her go… we'll drop the shields," she said.
"NO DAISY!" Lucy screeched. Magnus grinned.
"Not so brave are we?" he shouted. "You do understand I need to take you with me, don't you?" She nodded and started slowly towards him as Lucy screamed for her to stop. Daisy narrowed her eyes, waiting for the right moment. Magnus loosened his grip on Lucy and Daisy flicked her eyes to the left, sending her cousin flying out of his reach. While it was rough, she knew ultimately Lucy would be fine. Magnus was temporarily distracted, but then growled as he turned back to look at Daisy. He raised his wand, the beginnings of an incantation on his lips. She breathed heavily, steeling herself. Suddenly, a look of shock came over his face as his body jerked forward a bit. Daisy stared coldly at the arrow point protruding from his chest.
Magnus stumbled forward before falling to his knees, looking down at the arrow and then up before falling flat on his face. Just behind him, Daisy saw Aleka standing calmly, slowly lowering the bow in her hands. She walked over to Daisy as the fight began to die down around them, the many Network members unwilling to continue fighting now that their leader was gone and there was no way out. Besides, they were outnumbered.
"So much for bringing him in," Daisy said dully.
"It would not stop him. Only death would stop him," Aleka said, her voice void of feeling.
"I couldn't do it. I thought I could, but I couldn't," Daisy said. "Even when he was threatening Lucy… I couldn't."
"It is your gift to bring life, not cause death. This was a task that I had to do," Aleka said, looking back at Magnus. "I am not afraid to do such things when they need to be done."
Daisy nodded and looked around as the dust of the battle began to settle. She saw her parents embracing. Then Kelly running over to help Lucy up. Remus and Alan looked around, seemingly in awe that it was over. Her eyes search the pitch, trying to find everyone. Wills walked up, grinning, as usual. She fell into his arms as he kissed the top of her head.
"It's over," he said against her head.
"Yea… but how many did we lose?" she asked softly, burying her face into his chest.
"A lot less than we would have without you," he said. Daisy stepped back and looked around. She saw John helping James up. He nodded at her. In the aftermath, many things began running through her head. There was Toby to check on. And the raid.
She closed her eyes, fearing a bit what she would find once she checked her connections, but she knew she needed to do it.
Even though the battle was won, her work wasn't over.
So part of this I had written a long time ago before I had figured out the plot and it took place in a different setting, so had to adjust. And it took awhile to finish - battle scenes are not my forte. But in the end, I'm happy with it. Hope you guys are as well. But it's not over yet. Still have about two more chapters and then the epilogue, which I'm still trying to finish.
AleenaBean - Thanks! I was a bit nervous about Chapt. 30. Think I rewrote it a few times before I published it. And I actually had it in my head that they were going to take him for awhile before I wrote it. Again, I mentioned with the last book that originally I had intended for Toby to die or be taken, but it didn't work out with the plot. But it fit this time. They knew they were best friends and I think the backup plan was to just take someone close to her. Toby unfortunately was it.
As always, thanks for reading, following and reviewing!
