Of Witches and Wizards
"I AM EVIL," Luke bellowed, shaking his fist while his dark cape billowed behind him. "I WILL KILL YOU AND YOUR FAMILY."
Our valiant heroes, upon hearing this foul beast utter this despicable cry, sent the villain careening off the edge with the force of their scornful gaze.
…
Okay, so perhaps this wasn't entirely accurate and, alright, alright, maybe Luke wasn't entirely the evil villain. Sure, he'd just murdered five people and, sure, he certainly looked the part, but I knew that part of that bloodlust stemmed from the runes shifting erratically on his glowing flesh. Besides, at his core, he'd had a justified desire: the wizarding world wasn't kind to Squibs...or, for that matter, goblins or werewolves.
Still, that didn't mean our deaths would be any less painful. As I stared down at Luke's cold eyes, I felt the icy fingers of fear rake down my spine. If I were being perfectly honest, all I wanted to do was hide my face and pretend I was anywhere but here.
I felt Al's shoulder press against mine and I glanced at him, my heart sinking when I saw the runes pulsing at his throat. I couldn't give up now. So, pushing down my fear, I let out a long, shuddering breath. I was about to do something incredibly stupid, but at least I didn't feel like peeing my pants anymore (or, at least, I felt less inclined to doing so). I leaned over the edge and shouted, "You're looking good, Luke. Or, I guess, as good as a disgusting beast can possibly look, but, ah well. Can't win them all, I suppose. Don't worry - I hear that the cosmetics industry has made some major advancements recently. I'm sure you'll figure something out."
Luke's eyes bulged, and I heard Aleksandra hiss, "Are you trying to get us all killed?"
"This was the plan, right?" I muttered, watching with considerable anxiety as Luke's body began to hum with power. "Get him to expend as much magic as possible?"
"Well...yes," Aleksandra conceded. "But I didn't know you'd take that to heart quite so...enthusiastically."
Al let out a low laugh. "Adela never does things half-arsed," he said. "It's what I love about I her." Then, before I'd had a chance to process his words, he cursed loudly. I followed his gaze, flinching when I saw that Luke's wand was raised.
"From the looks of his wand movements, he's getting ready to send another cleaving spell our way," he said and hurriedly looked around, his eyes landing on a rock at least six meters to our right. "If we jump at the right moment, I think we can make the leap to that rock over there."
Six meters. I could jump three, maybe four on a good day, and after weeks spent in captivity, I was hardly in the best of conditions. I looked back down at Luke, whose wand had begun to glow with the same blindingly white magic as before, and swallowed thickly. What choice did we have?
I scrambled to my feet and crouched, staring determinedly at the rock. "On my mark," I heard Al mutter. "One...two...now!"
I sprinted across the rock's length, my feet sliding slightly against the slippery rock, and leaped, my limbs flailing. For a brief, terrible moment I feared I had misjudged my angle and was going to be sent plummeting to my death, but in the next moment I tumbled onto the next ledge. Unfortunately, however, my momentum sent me sliding forward. I screamed, my fingers scrabbling uselessly against the slick rock -
A pair of strong hands caught me at the edge, and I looked up, half-sobbing, to see Aleksandra's unreadable gaze. "Now," she said, her chest heaving slightly from the strain of holding me up. "We are even."
Al appeared next to her, and together they pulled me up over the ledge. I looked up just in time to see the arc of white light come crashing through our old rock, splitting it in half with a thundering crack. "Well," I said faintly, watching as the two halves went crashing into the lava below. "That was violent."
Then, before I could react, a barbed rope of magic encircled my waist. I screamed, the sound tearing painfully from my throat, as the spell sent splinters of heat through my skin. The magic wrenched me from Al's hold, sending my body slamming painfully against the slick rock. I reached back blindly and tried casting a severing spell of my own. I missed and, catching a glimpse of Al's wide eyes, was pulled off the edge.
As I careened through the air, I had just enough time to think about everything I hadn't done yet - never figured out how to conjure a lightsaber, never found a way to win Daisy's case, never expressed how grateful I was to everyone I loved - before I crashed into the rock waiting below. The sudden impact made me bite sharply into my lip.
Well, this was unfortunate. I gasped for air, my fingers curling against the unyielding rock, and tried to push myself to my feet. Numberita protested instantly, sending sparks of white scattering across my field of vision. Alright, so standing could wait. At least I still had my wand. My hand had formed a vice-grip around the tool, and I slowly, slowly, brought it closer to my chest -
A rubber-soled trainer landed solidly on my wrist, and I hissed as tears sprung, unbidden, to my eyes. Merlin, that hurt. I looked up, glaring blearily at Luke's grinning face.
"The runes are twisting you," I gasped out, and Luke pursed his lips mockingly.
"Twisting me? Adela, they're empowering me," he said, twirling his wand between his fingers. "You have no idea how useless I was before. Do you know what it is to live in a world with magic and to know that you can never access that power? Do you know how torturous that is?"
I shook my head, saying, "No, I can't pretend to know what you've gone through, but, Luke, this isn't the way. You don't need magic - at least not this kind of magic - to prove that you're a worthy human being."
Luke looked down at his wand, and for a brief moment I hoped he'd stop, that he'd see that he was verging on the brink of madness. In the next moment, however, Luke turned slowly, facing Ragnuk, and I knew he was lost. Luke's gaze landed on the goblin's wand, and my stomach lurched.
"You're right, Adela," Luke breathed, and his foot lifted from my wrist. "This kind of magic won't do."
Understanding dawned in Ragnuk's black eyes, and the goblin snarled, raising his wand. "Don't be foolish, boy," he said, and the end of his wand glowed red.
Luke smiled. "Don't be foolish, goblin," he returned and, his smile turning savage, slashed his wand forward, sending an arc of blistering black magic at the goblin.
Sensing imminent danger, I pulled myself to my feet and, ignoring my body's protests, began to limp away. Stray bolts of magic seared through the air, and I conjured a weak barrier around my back. At my current weakened state, the barrier would block only the simplest of spells, but I supposed it was better than nothing. I chanced a glance upwards, hoping to catch a glimpse of Al and Aleksandra, but saw only the dark undersides of at least fifty-two identical floating boulders.
That was just absolutely wonderful. Of course I was on a completely flat, precariously floating rock with absolutely no cover to be had. I dodged another poorly aimed hex, my heart thudding rapidly in my chest. At least Ragnuk and Luke appeared too engrossed in their fight to bother with me. Sure, their dismissal might have more to do with my obvious exhaustion (I knew I didn't look like much of a threat - I certainly didn't feel like a threat, anyway) than anything else, but at least I didn't have to worry about a joint attack.
I forced myself to cross the remaining three and a half meters to the edge of the rock and, chancing another glance to make sure neither of the Evil Duo were paying attention, carefully looked over the edge. Below the tips of my blackened trainers, the gurgling lava leaped upwards and swallowed the nearest rock whole. In the crimson swirls, I spotted the twisted faces of countless witches and wizards. The lava reeked of magic, and I definitely did not want to know what happened when the lava touched a witch. A large plume of noxious, off-green gas billowed from the rippling surface and ate jagged holes into the rocks above.
Okay, so the gas was highly corrosive, and the lava apparently had an appetite for giant, floating boulders. That was fine. This was all fine. Fine x100.
The stone under my feet lurched, sending me sprawling to the ground. Although it was hard to discern much through the rapid flashing of curses, Numberita estimated that the boulder we were on was slowly descending.
I had to get off of this boulder. In my current state, I didn't dare risk jumping to another rock - odds were that I wouldn't make it.
"CONFRINGO!" I heard Luke bellow.
I turned, letting out a half-strangled yell when I saw the former Squib. The runes no longer were contained to his flesh - instead, the crimson runes teemed in the air around his body, sending erratic lashes of light spiraling into the air. Even his eyes gleamed scarlet, and I watched, horrified, as he sent another wave of magic towards the goblin.
Ragnuk spat, his mouth painted red, and lifted his wand with trembling fingers. He barely managed to deflect Luke's attack, and his feet were pushed closer and closer to the rock's edge. He slumped to his knees, his gnarled fingers loose around his wand. I didn't think the goblin would survive another hit, for he was dangerously close to falling over the edge. Luke smiled, apparently coming to the same conclusion, and raised his arm to cast one final blow.
My surroundings seemed to sharpen into sudden, vivid clarity. With one more blow, the goblin would be pushed over the edge and sent sailing into the lava below. I still had possession of my wand, and, if I timed my spell correctly, I could deflect Luke's attack and save the goblin. This, however, meant saving a goblin who hated me and everything I stood for, a goblin who had murdered countless others. This also meant drawing attention to myself. My arm was bleeding freely, and I feared I'd torn one of my ligaments, for I was unable to walk without limping. If they were reminded of my presence, I would surely be killed.
But what choice did I have? Who was I to decide that Ragnuk deserved to die?
"I'm sorry, Seth," I whispered. Raising my wand, I pushed, sending Luke's curse barreling just centimeters away from Ragnuk's crumpled form. Then, before either had time to react, I disarmed the goblin, sending the Elder wand sailing through the air. It clattered to the ground at my feet, and I stooped, snatching it up hurriedly. This action had three consequences:
Both Ragnuk and Luke turned to look at me, one with utter confusion, the other with utter hatred.
The exertion sent a fresh wave of black spots across my vision, and I felt dangerously close to vomiting.
I vomited.
Luke cast another blistering glare at the goblin before marching towards me, leaving smoking footprints in his wake. I swiped at my mouth and raised my wand again, my hand shaking uncontrollably.
"Ex-Expelli-" I tried.
I stared down the length of Luke's wand, and my heart stuttered. For the first time in my life, Numberita couldn't think of a way out of this predicament. I had no escape plan. What good did knowing that Luke was two meters away do me? Or knowing that the rock was now seven and a half meters away from plunging into the lava's burning depths?
Wait.
Luke paused, seeing my sudden smile, and frowned. "What-" he began, and his voice was a rattling echo of what it had once been. He no longer sounded human at all, and his monstrous state sent the last piece of the puzzle spinning into place.
By Numberita's calculations, the rock was minutes (five minutes and twenty-two seconds, to be exact) away from plunging into the depths. I now held the Elder wand, the most powerful wand ever known to the wizarding world. Aleksandra had warned of the consequences of a sudden influx of magic - if I could just find some way to give the wand to Luke without rousing suspicion, perhaps he could be stopped - that, or he would be imbued with limitless power and I would die a painful death.
This plan, however, required that I not die - at least not for another five minutes and twenty-two seconds. And that was something I was having trouble figuring out how to accomplish.
Luke resumed his advance, and I saw his lips begin to move as he began to cast a curse -
A small rock came sailing towards us, landing solidly against the back of his head.
"OI!" I heard a horribly, wonderfully familiar voice shout. A tall, lean man flew towards us, rolling nimbly as he landed on the solid rock. Oh, no. I'd hoped Al had managed to escape - why was he still here?
Al stood, his eyes flashing as he took in my less-than-ideal state. "Adela," he breathed, and in his voice I heard all of the years we had spent arguing, laughing, and working together.
Luke blinked, taking in the black runes swirling on Al's skin, and smiled. "This is delightful," the man said. He twirled the Elder wand between his smoking fingers. "I have magic, you do not. How can you possibly expect to oppose me?"
Al's jaw tensed, but he didn't look away from me. By his side, low enough that Luke could not see, he slowly extended two fingers.
Two. Two minutes, two meters, two what?
"I might not have magic, but I do have something you lack," Al said.
"And what is that?" Luke said scornfully. "Is this the part where you say you'll vanquish me with friendship and rainbows?"
Al smirked. "No, but I do know someone who is very angry about getting shot."
Two twins. Seth was here.
"Down!" Al shouted, and I flung myself to the ground just in time to avoid being hit with what appeared to be an oversized porcelain pig.
"BATTLECRY!" Seth Lancaster bellowed. He landed firmly on the boulder, sending the rock dipping dangerously closer to the lava, and hurled another projectile (this time, an oversized cow).
Luke appeared as perplexed as I was, for he caught the cow (which promptly burst into flames) and stared at it in disbelief.
Seth grinned and plunged his hand deep into a small satchel at his side. He withdrew a bright pink fish, which he sent sailing towards Luke. Luke snarled and batted the fish to the ground, where it smashed instantly.
Seth pouted. "That was Ministry property," he complained. "Do you know how much paperwork that's going to require?" He paused. "Although, I suppose I won't be the one who has to deal with all that bureaucracy."
"No," came a crisp voice. I turned, watching, open-mouthed, as a pair of pale hands appeared through a glimmering rift in the air five paces to my left. The hands were soon joined by a sharp, meticulous blonde ponytail as Eve Vane pulled herself through the tear in the sky. "I'll have to deal with all of that, which you know very well."
Well, I supposed it wasn't the oddest thing I'd ever seen, but it definitely made the list of Top Ten Things That Would Haunt Adela's Dreams. Another pair of hands appeared, soon revealing Rose, Scorpius, and, most unexpected of all, Lysander. The Unspeakable tumbled out of the rift and gave it a slight pat. The tear shuddered for three seconds before dissolving under his fingers.
"What are you all doing here?" I managed.
Vane gave me a small smile. "We got your message," she said, and I felt my stomach give another lurch. Happy as I was to see my closest friends, I only hoped that I hadn't summoned them to their certain death.
She inclined her chin and added, "I hope you've got a plan, Lancaster. For now, I'm going to make sure your foolish brother stays alive."
She displayed a porcelain rooster in her hand and smiled wryly. "Kingsley would kill us if he knew how we were using these priceless Portkeys. They're useless, anyways, down here - no teleportation magic works correctly in the Department of Mysteries - but they do make good projectiles."
Rose rushed forward as Vane left and hugged me tightly. I blinked away tears, holding my best friend close, and said hurriedly, "How are things up here?"
"Bad," Rose said grimly, pulling away. "It's total chaos - giants, goblins, werewolves, witches, wizards - everyone's fighting each other. There's no order."
She looked down at my swollen ankle. "Merlin, Adela. How are you still standing?"
Before I could reply, my friend tapped my leg with her wand, sending a soothing pulse of pale blue light over my reddened skin. The swelling went down immediately, and I gingerly stepped forward, beaming when the movement didn't send splinters of pain shooting through my body.
"Thanks, Rose," I said.
"Anytime. Now, what do you need us to do?"
I raised my other hand, displaying the slim, dark wand nestled in my bloodied palm. Even now, through the fog of my own fatigue and pain, I could feel the sense of power, of joy spilling from the wood. I felt that if I just used this wand for its intended purpose, I could accomplish anything and make the world buckle on its knees.
It was that feeling - the sense of illogical power, the dizzying freedom - that scared me more than any of the prior encounters with Ragnuk or Greyback ever had. I liked it far more than I cared to admit.
"Is-is that the Elder wand?" Scorpius asked, his silver-grey eyes wide.
"We need to get this to Luke," I whispered.
Silence. Then -
Scorpius blinked. "Are you mad? Why would we want him to do that?"
"The same runes that grant him magic will bring his death," Aleksandra said, appearing suddenly behind me. The Bulgarian now appeared half-transparent, as her limbs flickered in and out of existence. Her voice sounded like leaves rattling in the wind, and I felt that if I pushed her, she would dissolve instantly.
Scorpius flinched, stumbling backwards. "Who are you?" he demanded, shifting his body so that he was in between Rose and Aleksandra.
The Bulgarian leveled him with a piercing look. "Unimportant. Adela is right; our only hope of stopping Luke is to get him to use as much power as possible. If he expends enough magic, there is a slim chance that he may self-implode."
"Slim chance. How slim are we talking?" Scorpius said flatly.
Rose stepped out from behind Scorpius and rested a calming, freckled hand on his shoulder. "What choice do we have, Scorp?" she said quietly. She turned to Aleksandra and, her chin set, said, "Alright. I assume we can't just hand the wand to Luke, as that would draw far too much suspicion. How are we going to make the transfer?"
I looked again at the wand - not the Elder wand, but the one that had carried me so faithfully through twenty-two years of life. I curled my fingers tightly around the wand and slowly, slowly, slipped it into my back pocket.
"He needs to defeat Adela," Lysander said, his voice distant. The Unspeakable tilted his head, peering at me with his disarming, yellow-grey eyes, and smiled. "You've become quite a hero, Adela Lancaster."
AN: One more full chapter to go! :O 1000th reviewer gets a oneshot