Patient 43B

0:16:49

"What makes you think we'll tell you anything?" the female Squib spat.

We'd tried everything to get them to talk - we'd offered them money, safety, freedom - nothing. No matter what we tried, it seemed their desire for vengeance reigned supreme. I could feel trickles of sweat drip down my back, all too aware that each second that passed diminished our chances of rescuing Al. From the smug smiles on the Squibs' faces, they knew it, too.

Ginny Potter scowled and, stalking forward so that her nose brushed the magical barrier enclosing the three Squibs against the wall, dispelled the barrier with a swish of her wand.

Seth let out a startled yell as the Squibs, looking beside themselves with joy, began to run for freedom -

Ginevra Molly Potter sent them all flying against the wall with another flick of her wand. I watched, open-mouthed, as the woman stalked forward, her eyes narrowed at the woman before her. The woman struggled, her face twisted into a venomous snarl, but was unable to break free of Ginny's hold.

"I suggest you start speaking," Ginny said coldly. "Now."

When the woman merely glared in response, Ginny sent the other two Squibs crashing to the ground, where they crumpled, unconscious. Throughout all this, she kept staring at the woman with unnerving intensity.

"Merlin," Seth whispered to me. "Remind me never to get on her bad side." Beside him, Vane watched Ginny with an expression of pure awe. Knowing her, she was probably taking mental notes.

"I will ask you one more time. Where is my son?" Ginny hissed, and she whipped her wand towards the Squib's throat.

The woman gasped, her eyes darting towards her fallen companions, before blurting, "I- I don't know!"

"You'll have to do better than that," I said, stepping forward.

Her eyes widened at the sight of another wand. "W-wait! I - I remember something. Ragnuk promised he'd get us all magic. He said - he said he'd come up with a new way to transfer magic from a wizard to one of us Squibs."

"That's impossible," Seth said, coming up behind me. "Even with the Elder Wand."

The woman shook her head, her curls flying. "N-no! Ragnuk - he came up with a new way, you see - with - with runes. Luke - Luke was going to be the first to get it."

Seeing our horrified looks, she smiled, regaining some of her earlier composure. "By now, your son is dead and Luke is the first of many to regain what was wrongfully denied to us."

With an angry yell, Ginny landed a sound punch on the Squib's cheek, and the woman slumped, unconscious.

The witch let the Squib fall to the ground and raised the magical barrier with another flick of her wand. "Is this true?" she demanded, looking at us wildly. "Can this - can this Luke take my son's magic?"

I thought of Aleksandra and of the flickering runes that covered her body. "He'll need access to the one person who has connected deeply with the runes," I realised with another sickening lurch of my stomach.

"Who? Who is this person?" Ginny demanded.

I looked grimly at Vane, the only other person in the room who knew what the Ministry housed in St. Mungo's. We had both voted to protect the Ministry building, thinking that the artifacts housed in the Department of Mysteries were too dangerous to risk losing to Ragnuk's forces. We'd reasoned that if Ragnuk had the objects in the Department of Mysteries, St. Mungo's would be lost, anyway.

Had we killed Al with our vote?

"Aleksandra Tsvetkov," I said. "Also known as Patient 43B."

The witch paled. "But - St. Mungo's is unguarded," she whispered.

"We'd better get there quickly, then," Seth said firmly. I noticed Vane giving him a queer look (was it admiration I saw flickering in her eyes?) and Seth, meeting her eyes, smiling wryly.

"Let's go save the bloke's sorry arse," he said.

Casting one last glance at the three unconscious Squibs (despite everything, I still felt pity for them; they only wished to have access to the magic they saw all around them. Could I really fault them for that?), I linked arms with my three companions. Then, spinning on our heels, we Apparated from the safehouse.

00:08:29

Fortunately, St. Mungo's wards were done, which meant we were able to Apparate directly to the top floor. Unfortunately, the lack of wards meant that the hospital was utterly defenseless. I could only hope that the burly man - Bates - had managed to secure the full evacuation of the hospital in time.

We'd landed in a deserted hallway littered with overturned beds and crushed glass, and I bit my lip, feeling a deep sense of foreboding. I cast a quiet Lumos but drew little comfort at the dim light the spell provided. Vane, who'd stationed herself at one of the windows, said, "It's too dark to see anything, but I can feel them out there."

I joined her at the window, squinting into the darkness. The first smears of grey-pink were slowly spreading to the east, but darkness still pooled in the area directly outside of the hospital. Still, I, too, could feel the looming presence of the giants, and I shivered, stepping away from the window.

I looked at the plain door at the end of the hallway. It was so unobtrusive, so seemingly harmless, yet I knew through that door was a dangerously unstable woman. The last time I'd visited Aleksandra, there had been guards posted all along the hallway, and the current lack of, well, any human presence was highly troubling.

"Adela," Seth said, and I turned, heart sinking when I saw my twin holding a dark red shift gingerly before him. It was part of a Healer's robes.

"Aren't Healer's robes normally white?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said, swallowing thickly. My brother shuddered and set the robes carefully down on the floor. "Someone's been here already, then," he whispered, looking pale. His blue eyes gleamed in the off-white light cast from his wand.

Before I could respond, I heard a baby let out a shrill cry from somewhere below us. "I thought Bates evacuated everyone," I hissed.

"He must not have managed to get to everyone in time," Ginny said, her forehead creased with worry. She cast another look at the door, her eyes troubled. She clearly did not want to leave Aleksandra - and the chance of finding her son - behind, but she couldn't, in good conscience, abandon a helpless child, either.

Seth looked at me before saying, "I'll go down and evacuate the rest," he said.

"Seth, there are barely five minutes remaining. The giants will attack at any moment, and it could be a trap," I said. I desperately, selfishly wished for my twin to remain with me.

"Adela, I'm the hero, remember?" Seth said, his voice steady.

I let out a half-strangled laugh, torn between wanting to hug him and wanting to smack him. "Don't-" I began before shutting my mouth abruptly, feeling ashamed. Merlin, how selfish was I? It wasn't like whatever was lying beyond that door was any safer than the dark unknown below us.

Seth stepped forward, wrapping me into a tight hug. "Stay safe, little sis," he whispered into my tangled hair, his voice hoarse.

I sniffed, blinking back tears. "You, too, Sethogriff."

He stepped back and rubbed angrily at his eyes. "Alright," he said. "Time to show the world that Gryffindors shouldn't get all the glory."

"I'll come with you," Vane said abruptly, flushing slightly when we all turned to look at her. Beside me, Seth grinned widely, looking like a unicorn had just appeared to inform him that he had just won a lifetime's supply of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. "That is, if you do not mind, Adela," she added stiffly.

"No, I'd feel better if you kept Seth from hurting himself," I said ("Oi!" protested my foolish, lovable brother). "I'll send a Patronus your way if we find Al."

The Auror nodded her thanks and, looking highly uncomfortable, gave me an awkward pat on the arm. Alright, that was unacceptable. We'd survived a bloody (literally) attack together. Before the Auror could skip away, I wrapped my arms around her waist (well, she was tall, I was not - it was the best I could manage, alright? No judgment, please). After three seconds, the Auror relented, relaxing in my hold.

"We make a good team, Vane," I said, releasing her.

Vane smiled slightly. "Al talked about you a lot," she said suddenly, sounding as if she wished to tell me everything possible before she - or I - died. "During our training - and afterwards, too. It was bloody annoying, but I - I could tell he really cared for you. It made me jealous that he had someone special in his life, someone whom he obviously loved, and reminded me of my own failed infatuation with Scorpius. I - I'm sorry that I let that affect our relationship at first. I'm glad to have known you, Adela Lancaster."

Someone whom he obviously loved. I let out a half-strangled noise (which, I was sure, was the pinnacle of eloquence), chancing a glance at Al's mother (who was eying me with an unreadable expression, which surely meant my incoming demise under suspicious circumstances), before returning Vane's smile. Well, impending doom or not, her words touched me. "I'm glad to have known you as well, Eve," I said sincerely.

I suddenly became aware that the hallway was now light enough to render Lumos unnecessary, and I let my wand dim slowly. "You should go," I said.

Seth smiled softly at me, and I stared at him intently, trying to memorize every feature of his face -

Then they were gone, leaving me with the mother of the man I, if I were being perfectly honest with myself (which, let's face it, was fitting at a time like this), still loved fiercely.

"Um," I stammered awkwardly, feeling the full effects of the Adela Tomato. "I, uh, am sorry if I've, er, besmirched the purity of your, uh, precious, um, son, but I promise there's nothing between us now - there hasn't been for years, mostly because of my own stupidity and, sorry, your son's obstinence, but, uh-"

Mercifully, Ginny cut me off with a stern look. "Dear, now is not the time."

"Right," I said gratefully. Then, remembering our impending doom, I said again, "Right," with considerably less enthusiasm.

We advanced towards the door, our wands held aloft, and, looking at each other with varying degrees of terror. Then, as one, we pushed the door open-

00:00:58

-and screamed, voices tearing from our throats as we looked at the horrific scene before us. Aleksandra stood, body folded into an impossible angle, over two bodies. Runes glowed on every centimeter of her body, flashing scarlet in the dim light of the room. Matching runes burned on the two forms slumped at her feet, one sporting wild black locks I'd observed countless times before and one with short-cropped dirty blonde hair.

00:00:42

At our cries, a goblin and a werewolf rushed forward. The goblin snapped his fingers, slamming the door shut behind us, and the werewolf sprang, her hands curled into claws -

Ginny's arm whipped out, sending both crashing to the ground with two loud thuds. Throughout this succession of loud noise, Aleksandra remained motionless, her head tipped back as light shot from her open mouth. I watched in horror as the runes began to grow brighter and brighter on their bodies, and I rushed forward, wand raised -

And froze, mid-stride, at the goblin's command. I flicked my eyes back, heart sinking when I saw that Ginny was barely managing to fend off the werewolf's advances. The goblin stalked towards me, mouth grim, and raised his hand to cast another spell -

Thud. Thud. Thud.

The goblin paused, a nasty smile appearing on his lips. "So it ends," he breathed. "And so we begin."

00:00:00

His momentary distraction was all I needed to break free. I wrenched free of his hold, breaking the spell, and blindly flung a stinging hex in his general direction. Not looking to see if it had hit its intended target, I flung myself across the remaining two meters separating me from Aleksandra. I collided with her waist, sending the Bulgarian witch sprawling to the ground. Her body burned under my touch, and I let out a cry, scrambling away -

When I looked at my hands, I saw angry white blisters begin to dot my flesh. Aleksandra began to convulse on the ground, her dark hair flying wildly around her, as the runes flashed erratically. If I squinted against the blinding light, I thought I could see her very flesh begin to disintegrate around the runes.

Al. I ran towards the fallen Auror, feeling tears spring to my eyes at his wan appearance. I cupped my hands around his cheeks - Merlin, he'd grown so thin - and flinched. He, unlike Aleksandra, was frighteningly cold to the touch. No. I refused to accept this. He was not going to die - not when he still had so much to explain, so much to apologise for -

No. I was not finished with Albus Severus Potter.

Gripping my wand tightly, I began running my hands in the air a scant three centimeters above his chest, muttering a stream of healing spells Healer Park had taught me all those months ago. My hands glowed a faint blue, and for a moment I allowed myself to believe that maybe this was working, that maybe I could actually save him, inexperienced as I was at healing -

The runes, which had darkened to an angry, ragged black, flared suddenly, and, as I watched in horror, travelled sinuously up to encircle his throat with a series of sharply angular curves. I was dimly aware of Ginny's cries as she came running towards her son. She cradled Al's head in her lap as I continued to chant, trying desperately to halt the spread of the runes I couldn't even begin to understand -

A pair of freckled hands joined mine, and I looked up to see Ginny's determined gaze. She began to mimic my movements, adding her own magic to my efforts, and I continued with renewed energy. I thought of all my regrets, of all the things I wished to say -

I hated you for leaving, Al. Yes, I made a horrible mistake in lying to you all those years ago, but I didn't deserve to be held to that mistake for so long. I hated you, Al, and I loved you for pursuing your dream so fiercely. You were unfailing in your ambition to be your own person, and I admired you for that. Even now, I am so grateful that we are speaking again, that we are verging on friendship. You were and are my closest friend, Al Potter. You like green apples and pumpkin juice and cheering far too loudly for the Puddlemere United, which everyone knows is a rubbish team but, Merlin, you deserve so much more.

Live, Al. Live.

Please.

I watched, blinking away tears, as the blue light of the healing spell crept towards Al's throat.

"Damn you, Albus Potter, live," I muttered and, sending one last burst of magic into the spell, felt Al suck in a sudden breath. Ginny let out a shuddering cry and, dropping her wand, hugged Al to her chest.

I could have wept for happiness if not for the answering breath that came from Luke's body.

"No," I whispered, watching in horror as Luke, his body glowing crimson with runes, stretched upwards. Under my touch, Al's chest moved slowly as he breathed, but the Auror remained unconscious. I stood shakily, moving to block Al's body with my own, and watched as the Squib stretched, shaking out his limbs experimentally.

"Merlin," Luke breathed, looked at his hands in wonder. His voice sounded wrong, splintered - it sounded like a dozen different voices had been splinched together hastily. "So this is what it feels like to have magic."

He looked at the wand lying, forgotten, thirty centimeters to Ginny's left. Ginny lurched forward at the same time as Luke, but the man, unhindered by fatigue, snatched the wand first. He rolled the wood between his fingers, his eyes wide. Then, slowly, slowly, his mouth spread into wide grin. "Brilliant," he murmured.

He looked scornfully down at Al's fallen form. "He'll only get worse, you know. Ragnuk shared all the delicious details with me. It would be a mercy to kill him."

I shifted protectively, blocking his view of Al, and Luke's smile widened. "Ah, well, you can't say I wasn't merciful."

The building shuddered, sending me sprawling to the ground. Merlin, I could only hope that Vane and Seth had managed to escape. "This," Luke said, and his body suddenly glowed with crimson light, "is the start of a new era."

"Yeah, yeah, new world, blah, blah. We get it, young'un. The goblin already filled us in," I managed, hauling myself to my feet. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing me afraid. I was tired of bullies who felt that they could get away with anything they wished.

Luke reeled backwards, looking as if he had just been slapped. "Young'un? You do realise I can kill you at any moment?"

The air began to taste bitterly of magic, and Numberita came to the sinking conclusion that someone would have to die. I thought again of Al's crooked smile, of the way Ginny had hugged her son so closely to her chest -

I knew what I had to do.

"I'm older than you. I see no reason not to refer to you as I see fit," I said blithely. Behind my back, I tossed my wand in Ginny's direction, hoping that the woman would take the hint and leave with Al. I felt the loss of my wand immediately but, squaring my shoulders, forged on. If I could just distract Luke for long enough, at least Ginny and Al would make it out. Kingsley needed to know of this new development, anyway. I could only hope that the Ministry building was still secure.

Luke spluttered angrily before quieting suddenly, his eyes frighteningly intent. I swallowed thickly - why hadn't Ginny Apparated away yet? - as I saw his expression morph to one of understanding.

"You're distracting me," he said. "What, do you think I'm a Bond villain? That I'll waste away precious minutes revealing my oh-so-evil plans?"

"Well, yes," I said, making another frantic gesture behind my back. Blast it, Ginny Potter, leave. "You do seem stupid enough to fall for it."

Luke raised his wand arm, a spell forming on his lips -

Behind me, a loud crack -

My shoulders slumped with relief, and I let my eyes flutter shut, whispering a quiet goodbye -

Silence.

AN: hugs to you all. 1000th reviewer gets a one-shot!