An inhuman scream came from above.
It sounded like a drowning orchestra or the cry of a childless mother.
Dread slid down Pansy's spine.
"What is that?" whispered Blaise, his eyes skidding to the fireplace. The green flames petered out to dull, orange embers. Their escape was now closed to them.
"It's not a dragon. If only, eh?" Charlie said, looking over at Pansy with a bright smile eclipsing his worry. "Definitely not human though."
Good, Pansy thought. She could kill something that wasn't human. At least she thought she could.
"Could be a Satyral? Possibly a Lampago?" she proffered. Whatever it was, it wasn't good. First the Dementors, then the masked attackers, now this… "Where were all the other guests, Blaise? How many?"
"A lot of people left before the attack, or managed to escape. Theo, Milly, Draco and… um, they were upstairs."
"And Astoria," Pansy filled in the tactful gap.
"Quite."
She took in a breath. There was no pain. Only the fading drill of adrenaline. There was more to the story, but Blaise didn't look exactly forthcoming.
Pansy refused to have another Greengrass girl on her conscience. She needed to keep her alive. She needed to keep her alive for Daphne, and possibly, for Draco. Though he deserved it a lot less. Peril, why was it that they found themselves constantly in peril.
A movement, silver and sleek, whispered in the corner of Pansy's eye. They had their wands out and had skirted themselves into formation before realising it was a pure white hare, a Patronus.
It contained an inhuman stillness, ears twitching for a second as it looked upon them. Luna's dreamlike voice drifted from the beast. It rang clear and urgent as a bell. "Pansy, we're coming as quickly as we can. There's been another attack, and Ron keeps shouting about bureaucracy and how on earth someone managed to rile up a Selma around Azkaban. We'll be there soon. I promise."
As the hare faded into inexistence, Pansy watched hope grow in Charlie as it died within her. The boy didn't understand priorities and how far down sinful Slytherins would be on the list of these problems. The lives of a few ill-morale Slytherins against the risk of losing hard won prisoners? Unlikely.
Luna would miss her, at least. She cared enough to lie.
"We need to go," Pansy said without emotion.
"Yes," Blaise agreed, then motioned to his long robes. "Let me just take my tailored, portable tripping suit off and let's go disfigure whoever is hurting us."
As Blaise busied himself with his robes, Charlie gently reached out to her. A sureness bloomed behind the snowstorm of freckles on his face. Pansy drank him in, preparing for what could be a last look. How could someone with so many scars and so much solidness be so soft? She felt like she was glass – something to break and cut - or ice. He was all warmth. All giving. He approached her gently, dark blue eyes looming over hers. A want nagged awkwardly at his lip – a word trying to escape.
"Pansy, I know this isn't the time-"
"It is most definitely the time."
She leaned forward to meet him, feeling his softness and the hard hammering of his heart. It was a brief kiss. It was all she had time for. Before freeing her, he whispered in her ear words she could not return in that moment, words she should not be hearing now. Yet she couldn't leave him silent.
"I'm so glad you're here, Charlie. But I'll never forgive you if you get hurt for me or for my friends. Never." She released him, trying in that moment to release him in her heart. He was wedged there fast.
"You think I'm planning to do that? My Mother would murder me if I come out with a mere scratch and she's a lot scarier than whatever is up there, so don't worry. I'm not about to do something overly reckless."
He gave her a lying smile. How she adored this fibbing Weasley.
Blaise gave them a dry look while rolling his sleeves over his elbows. In his waistcoat, he looked far more prepared for after dinner drinks than battle.
"Yes, yes, yes. It's very kind of you to be here and all – there's nothing like having a guest character to overcomplicate an already fraught romantic ecosystem – but I personally hope you pull your weight. The death of Parkinson would put a downer on what has already been an exceedingly mediocre Christmas party."
Charlie led the way, with Pansy practically tripping on his heels. (Blaise was… following, there or thereabouts). The remains of the smoke still laced the air but was gradually fading. Malfoy Manor wouldn't let itself be burnt down - it's heart was almost as cold as it's occupants.
She wished Charlie would creep up the stairs, taking it slowly and carefully, but he was bounding round the corners and not bothering to be quiet. His shape was swallowed by the corridors, the thin windows letting in little light.
The high ceilings and deep green curtains of the Manor bothered her. It felt like she was more in a mausoleum than a battleground. She had not experienced a skirmish like this before. She had left Hogwarts before the battle could take off, fleeing as quickly as she could – not truly caring which side won, as long as she and those she loved were far from it. Her fights were secret, dark and subtle. Petty, really. Cerebral, if she wanted to be prideful about it. The way she fought the Carrows was covert, with them thinking she was on side.
Battle-worn or not, she'd destroy every last one of those who were hurting them.
"Protego Duo!" a voice as sharp as cut glass yelled. Draco.
Pansy fled towards the voice, up the spiral stairs towards his workroom. Behind her, she could hear the boys calling and trying to keep up. The carpets before her had been torn, bloodied, the door guarding the workroom torn off it's hinges. It gaped like a wound, a toothless cry.
Inside was carnage.
Three intruders gathered like panicked spiders across one side of the room, pressed against walls with wands drawn ready. Their masked faces gave away no sign of fear, anger or triumph. Justice free of passion.
And there was Draco. The golden boy. There, standing in the corner of the room. The intruders' wands were not turned to him.
Draco had red dripping down his face. Heart-stuttering red. How could a boy so pale be filled with so much colour? But he was standing upright, alive and scared. His perfect posture shook, though his wand remained still.
He was not the reddest thing in the room.
Have you ever seen the face of death?
We probably glance it sometimes, unknowingly. An illness we keep at bay purely because we were strong enough this time. A moment when we almost step too soon into the road before a car or engine worries past.
Sometimes it's there, smiling, looking you straight in the eye. Knowing that perhaps it'll take you, or perhaps it won't.
Pansy could never shake off how beautiful the face in that room was.
In the centre was a huge, undulating mass of red fur; a forest fire of colour forced into brutal muscle, huge, and nauseatingly strong. The four-legged beast had a crazed mane around it's - her - neck. At the other end, poised high and cruel, was a wicked tail - armoured and ending in a sharp, scorpion spike.
Pansy couldn't yet see it's face. Spell after spell hit it's flank, absorbing into it's thick skin, completely unharmed. The creature was too engaged to care yet about it's pathetic attackers, it was too busy gutting the body in front of it. Beneath it's bowed head lay a pool of black and a cracked mask. The beast the intruders had brought seemed to have no alliance, the fools. It's first meal was them.
"Draco," Pansy called, wanting him to know they were not alone. For a second the look of dread dropped from his face and he met her gaze. She couldn't tell whether it was fear or hope.
The lion-beast turned to this new intruder, meeting her eye to eye.
It had a human face.
An awful, kind-looking, human face with eye's the same colour as Charlie's.
She was so beautiful that it didn't make sense that human remains glistened from her chin and neck.
Nothing could have prepared Pansy for such cruel beauty. She looked almost motherly.
Slowly, as if about to laugh at a private joke, it smiled at her. It's mouth was too full of teeth.
Page 293 from the Monster Book of Monsters describes the Manticore, the Mantichora, the Man Eater. A Persian beast, rare and terrible.
They say it has a scorpion tail that shoots spines as quick as arrows.
They say it has a hide so thick it repels all magic.
They say it has three rows of teeth.
Pansy could see these teeth, glinting sharp and large. All the better for eating it's prey and leaving no bones behind.
"Merlin," whispered Charlie, voice laden with awe. "I've never seen one of those outside a book."
"Or your dreams," replied Pansy, distractedly.
There was a horrifying crunch of bone as the Manticore returned to it's prey. Pansy couldn't drag her eyes downward, but she could tell the beast was halfway through it's meal and was distending it's jaw to eat the wizard with illogical speed.
That's the problem with magical beasts. Their stomachs didn't follow the rules of physics or biology. Their purpose was to consume. They would keep eating until they were bored of blood and desired a new torture.
"What do we do when it's finished?" Blaise whispered, keeping low to the ground and his voice impressively calm.
"I don't know," said Charlie. "It's hide is impermeable to magic, like a dragon. But we haven't got time to brew something, nor space to distract and trap it."
"Perhaps if we get them out of here, we can block the door with a curse? It looks like the intruders are scared shitless, so it's unlikely they're going to help or hurt in this situation." Pansy suggested, eyes doubting the space between the wall and the Manticore's whipping tail for Astoria and Draco to get through.
"Good plan," replied Charlie, then without feeling the need to develop this plan further, jumped into the middle of the doorway to call to Draco, Astoria and the murderous intruders. Pansy had hoped they were going to keep them out of this as they were obviously not the brightest of evil-doers.
"We're going to get you guys out of here. I'm going to distract the Manticore, and you need to slip round the sides. Pansy and Blaise, keep an eye on the tail - it can shoot spines with reasonable accuracy. Malfoy and… friend, you're going first."
Draco looked like he was going to be physically sick at the suggestion (and the fact he was going to follow someone else's suggestion), but nodded. Astoria took his hand and squeezed it.
Blaise groaned. "I hate being involved."
Pansy ignored him as Charlie crept towards the distracted Manticore, putting his wand away. All that remained of the meal were two legs, one which the Manticore had angled between it's ruby paws and was gnawing on like a dog with a bone.
Charlie was a savant with Magical Beasts, Pansy tried to reassure herself as the scorpion tail whipped to and fro. He could calm them. He could calm anything. He was not just a madman with a death wish. He does know what he's doing.
"Hello, you beaut. I'm just going to pick up this… er… this human leg you're planning to snack on. Hmmm, yes, you are a bit peeved, aren't you…"
The Manticore growled and looked divided as to whether to stay with the leg it was chewing on or follow Charlie with the bloody limb he had stolen.
Charlie waved it temptingly and took a small step back, which caused the beast to drag itself to it's feet, infuriated. In it's mouth, it clasped the leg like it was about to beg for a bloody game of catch.
"Charlie, be care - ARRESTO MOMENTUM!" Pansy yelled as a spurt of spines shot out of it's tail towards Charlie. The spines stood stock still in the air, shining like bullets.
Unfazed, Charlie began taking some bigger steps back and circling the beast to free up the space for Draco and Astoria to slip through.
"Mate, come on, be nice," Charlie crooned as the Manticore, who's growl deepened in response. "Just come this way."
They began to move in the direction towards the three intruders as the space opened up sickeningly slowly. Draco and Astoria began to make small quiet movements along the wall, when one of the cloaked figures yelled.
"No fucking way. We're not staying put while Burbage lies dead and fucking Malfoy gets away. You think these snakes will help us?"
"No names! Hold your nerve, Quint. The Weasley isn't going to-" A female voice replied.
"Fine, follow me or risk your own life, Septus."
Quint bolted forward pushing behind Charlie, as Septus and the other followed at pace. Angered, the Manticore dropped the leg and leapt over Charlie on to one of the work tables to chase it's prey.
The triumvirate raised their wands as Charlie yelled not to use their magic. But Septus had other plans.
"Confringo!"
The heavy desk beneath the beast blew up. A wave of force made Pansy double up as whiteness filled her eyes. A hand held her chest - Charlie had been thrown back and was trying to check she was alright. Blaise screamed something causing Charlie to get up and run towards the door. Where-?
That inhuman scream returned and Pansy could see the Manticore righting itself on the other side of the room, it's face contorted in rage. Magic might not be able to permeate it's skin, but a jagged piece of wood stuck out from it's belly and splinters had filled it's face and paws. Now it's fury was fuelled by fear.
Pansy saw where she needed to be.
Draco and Astoria cowered by the wall - too close to it, far too close. Their wands powerless. The beast moved with difficulty towards them, promising slow and vengeful death.
Pansy stumbled up. Her legs unwilling to work, but making her own promise. It'd take her first.
Charlie recovered quick enough to see the intruders escaping, leaving their deadly mess behind them. Pansy seemed okay, but winded, her heart beat quick under his hand and he was about to tell her to run when Blaise shouted at him to get "the bloody medieval thing on the wall."
What?
Through the broken doors and balanced on two hooks lay a silver lance. Who would use weapons to decorate their home? But it's tip was sharp and it had heft to it.
There was no time to think. A weapon in a wizards house was definitely cursed. Charlie just had to hope it was cursed against the victim and not the wielder. He dragged himself away from Pansy and towards the furthest wall.
His arms strained against the weight as he lifted the lance, but the moment he had it off the wall it felt as light as a quill. He tested his balance. This was not the kind of fighting they prepare you for. This was not a duel with wands or wits, nor brotherly rough and tumble.
This was Muggle. This was a man defeating a beast with brawn and brain.
Charlie was quite aware he could murder this creature, this rare and obscure wonder that did not deserve to be here and was caught in the middle of a wizarding battle. It didn't feel fair. However, as he turned, he saw the vision that was going to make him act without question. Perhaps he did like people more than beasts.
"Come on you Ginger Sphinx. You relic. Try and kill Pansy Fucking Parkinson!" Pansy screamed, cheeks aflame and voice filled with spit.
For her, he could do this with ease.
The Manticore's eyes went wide and wild, it's body tensing to pounce, as Charlie fitted the javelin to his side. His mind threw back manically to his student days flicking past the anatomy of the Manticore to get the section on dragons. For once he was bitter with himself for fuelling a single obsession.
Carpe Jugulum. His legs ran, his palms pushed and he pelted head long into the beast.
He collided with one of the wonders of the wizarding world as it screamed and let of a wild pelt of stings. The javelin pinned it to the wall, having sunk through flesh, sinew and stone like a hot knife through butter.
Spines struck him and he saw Pansy fall as they hit her, too. His love.
Then they arrived. The cavalry.