Chapter 50: The one where I fall to the darkness.

Disclaimer: I am just a mere visitor in the sublime world constructed by J.K Rowling. Anything that rings a bell is hers.

Chapter 49

"Red sparks again?"

"I hope its Krum." Ron muttered into my ear, and I smiled, I hoped so too, considering the alternative would be Harry or Cedric. I wonder if Mi was hoping that it was Cedric.

"Score!"

Ron laughed manically next to me as they removed Krum from the maze. The Durmstrang lot booed and Mi looked worried. I looked around the crowd, Hogwarts faces were happy, and why not? It was a definite win for us. I guess this must be what a school quidditch match is like, each of us cheering on a house.

I caught Nott staring at me, he smiled his strange smile, and I turned back to the maze. The idiot in front of me decided to stand and I couldn't see, I moved to my left, then my right, trying to get a better position, getting dizzier and dizzier.

I found the right spot and looked through, a lightness coming over me. My eyes drooped and I saw mist creep around me until it all went black.

"Yeah…we've helped each other out, haven't we? We both got here. Let's take it together." The two dark haired boys picked up their hands, " one…two…"

A flash of green highlighted the stones around... a thud… empty grey eyes.

A large steaming cauldron… blood… red eyes in a pale face.

Harry behind a large stone, a cold voice piercing the air, speaking words I couldn't decipher.

Buzzing

Buzzing

Green light

Grey eyes

Red eyes

Green eyes

Mist

More mist

Blackness

I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth at the piercing pain that shot through my skull. It was like a thousand pins poked at the crevices of my brain.

I opened my eyes, looked at Mi, who was engrossed in a conversation with Dean next to her, laughing. Her lips parted in slow motion, and I processed the sound long after her lips closed. I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. I couldn't move, immobilized by the pain.

Then the images assaulted me, green lights, and empty grey eyes. The cup. The cup. I opened my mouth to tell them. Still no sound. I tried harder. Nothing.

I felt something drip onto my lap. I watched the redness spread through my blue jeans.

Red eyes. Pale face. The cup. I tried to control my breathing, but it evaded me. The cup. I closed my eyes, trying to stop the pain. It dulled slightly, I managed to stand up. With eyes shut I took a step down.

"Ky?"

I didn't stop though. I tried to open my mouth again but still nothing. I took the next step and the next, surging forward as if hypnotised by the need to inform Nonno about what was going on in the maze. The steps became faster, the pain stronger but I willed myself to move my legs.

I was bustled in the crowd, the faint sound of Mi calling my name as she struggled after me in the crowd that was immune to my dilemma, all eyes on their champions, but once I felt solid ground, I opened my eyes. The pain shot fiercely through my skull; I clutched my head as if physically fighting the assault.

I saw oily hair and a black cloak. He was right there. I parted my lips but still no sound. I closed my eyes and moved forward. I willed myself to take the next step and then the next. I stopped. Swaggered, and felt my knees buckle, not feeling the hard impact I expected but warmth. Warmth from a body….and then I felt it.

Cold hands.

My eyes fluttered open, but my heavy eyelids slid down. I could only keep it open in a slit. The pain dulled but it was still there, the pins assaulting my blunted brain. I was in a corridor. A familiar corridor. I glanced at a torch. I knew this place. I tried turning my head as we floated on, but I couldn't.

I was jostled and my view was obscured by the curtain of black that was my hair. Suddenly I was in the air and then the hardness I expected earlier caught me. My back ached and I looked up.

Then I saw it, expensive slacks. Expensive sweater. Thin. Broad shoulders. Black eyes. No mask… Pale face. Pink lips held in a sneer. High cheekbones. Black hair. The face of an angel… a devil.

He pulled his pants up and he crouched down. A glint of light hit my eye, reflected off the badge on his sweater, 'Eliot Hutchinson, media'.

He brushed the hair from my face, and I recoiled inside from his cold touch.

"I can't have you running off now, can I? As much as I love playing cat and mouse with you, we can't have you ruining anything. You fainting over yourself about Salazar knows what, might gather enough attention for them to halt the task…. we can't have that now, can we?"

He smiled down at me as I concentrated a glare, ignoring the pain. "Fine. I admit I was just waiting for you to wander from the flock so I could sink my teeth into you. I didn't have to wait as long as I thought though, it seemed your peers were more than willing to help with my mission considering they were blind to everything but what was going on in that maze."

The door to the right opened and I finally realised where I was. I was in that secret passageway, that Malfoy took me through the night of the Yule ball.

An unfortunately familiar mundane face poked through the door. He saw me lying on the floor and sneered down at me. The bastard that hovered over me though didn't seem to appreciate the intrusion, "Did I not tell you to keep look out Barriston."

"I know Bastian, it's just that he's calling you and I don't know what to tell him."

"You moron, what did I tell you about using my name! You're lucky everything will be clear tonight or else you'd spend another night rolling on the floor in agony." Bastard straightened up and looked down at me hungrily, "I'll have you later…idiot, guard her." And he exited.

Barriston Blishwick came forward like an obedient dog and ducked down quickly, "Oh and I'll have this."

He grabbed the wand from my hand, the pain still leaving me defenceless. I just needed to overcome it. I glared up at him. My eyelids were so heavy, I was fighting the sleep away. It was a losing battle as I knew that the sleep was the only thing that would keep the pain away.

"Not so tough now are you."

Oh, how I wanted to wring his neck, I tried to, but the pins got sharper and felt something drip from my face.

"You know I don't see why he's so fascinated with you. You're not that pretty. I've seen better…he's fucked better for sure. It must be that feisty nature of yours; he always did like a challenge."

He knelt down and ran a finger down the side of my cheek. I was then flung against the wall with the force of his slap.

"That's for your little face transfiguration spell and this is for the last time…. cru-"

He didn't get to finish the curse as he hit the opposite wall hard. He barely managed to get to his knees when he was flung again and again and again until he fell to the floor unconscious.

I looked around, looking for the attacker and for once I was not annoyed to see his green-brown eyes. He smirked at me as the rest of his body became visible; he tossed an invisibility cloak onto the floor.

"Knew this would come in handy sometime…. he really did a number on you Kitten. Took my eyes off you for a second and you disappear…here."

He knelt down and I felt something warm on my cheek. He frowned, "Your nose won't stop bleeding. Kitten, you're awfully quiet."

I gritted my teeth and grabbed his shirt, pulling him to me so he could hear, "The Cup…"

"I know, I'll get you water once we get out of here, I don't fancy Blishwick coming around and seeing me."

"The cup-"

He bent down and picked me up, slinging my arm around his shoulders, he walked down the passage. I had to tell someone, Cedric and Harry were in danger. We walked into the dungeon corridor through the portrait.

"The Goblet…the cup…portkey."

"Just hold on Kitten."

And then I heard it, just as we turned the next corridor. Footsteps behind us. This was so frustrating, I needed to tell someone.

The cold empty grey eyes flashed through my mind followed by green eyes full of fear. Fuck this. A tingle of energy surged through my veins, and I thought the spell and Nott was disarmed, I grabbed his wand and before he could react, I sent him flying into the wall.

"Let me go through Nott! Let go of me!" I stunned him and ground my teeth so hard the nerves in my mouth were on fire. Bastard opened the door and looked at me and then Nott lying on the floor, unconscious.

"That's a surprise. Little Theodore Nott. Poor boy thought he could take on my lamb." He spoke the term like an affectionate pet name. "Silly boy….my lamb couldn't be defeated by such a weakling. The boy must be commended for trying though. Punished for failing. But how rude of me, all that can be done later. I have a guest."

He took a step forward and I straightened up, wiping the blood from my face with the back of my sleeve.

He licked his lips menacingly, "Such fun…always such fun."

He whipped his hand to the side, and I ducked as the flame singed my hair. He conducted wandless, silent magic with such ease. I coughed due to the speed I moved at, "expelliarmus."

He lazily side stepped the spell. "Come now Lambie, you're so much better than that. Don't disappoint me now."

I didn't have time for this. I had to get help. I had to find Nonno. I touched the place where my locket usually sat…Harry.

I stood up straight, I swung Nott's wand down hard and saw the water gush at him, he dodged again, with a sneer. That's what I wanted. I moved my hand quickly, pushing the pain from thought. The water hardened into ice, and I changed the shape, the pointy edge curved like a sickle and went straight for his chest, he sidestepped quickly, and it slashed his arm.

He laughed manically, "Now my little lamb has come to play."

He sent ropes at me, but I erected a shield. The ropes bounced off it and then I saw red and yellow sparks fly off the shield in succession.

As the shield began to fade, I sent a trip jinx at him that he lazily dodged, I already began the wand movements of the next spell and sent it at him, anticipating his movement.

He quickly conjured a shield charm and then dropped it sending a white spell my way. I jumped to the side, but it was a second too late, I felt the white-hot pain in my left thigh. Just my luck, the adrenaline was doing so well as a numbing agent and now I get more pain.

I flung myself flat on the floor as the next spell went whizzing pass my head. I turned quickly as I heard footsteps and swung my leg out catching him on his knee. I heard a thud and scrambled to my feet. Unfortunately, he rose quickly as well,

"You dare use filthy muggle tricks on me!"

He moved his wand in a flourish, and I quickly put up a shield charm, a line of black mist hit it and rebounded. I was picking my next move when I felt it. I gasped for breath and fell to the floor, clawing at my neck, the black mist surrounding me, entering from the back of the shield charm which faded quickly.

I clutched at my neck, begging the air to come through. My head hit the ground and I caught a glimpse of my shirt, full of scarlet. Red eyes…blood red eyes.

I threw my hand up, slashing at the air in haste; I felt the wind leave my wand and heard a thud as he hit the opposite wall. I lurched forward, throwing up on the floor, gasping for air but forcing myself to my feet. That's when I felt it again; the mist…. everything was going black….

He stood tall, skin so pale Death would have been jealous…serpentine nose…ruby eyes…he flourished his hands and laughed aloud. It was high pitched and piercing and his movements were jerky. A circle of masked black cloaks stood around him, and in the centre was a large tombstone. And tied to that tombstone was a limp and bleeding Harry. The buzzing that was coming out of the pale figures mouth stopped suddenly, he stopped walking around the circle and looked at Harry.

"Crucio"

I felt Harry scream in my soul, I had never heard a scream so raw. So broken. And then he stopped.

Buzzing

"Now untie him Wormtail and give him back his wand."

Buzzing

Red eyes

Green eyes

Red light meeting green light.

Gold light

Gold web

A piercingly beautiful sound

Cedric transparent, "Hold on Harry".

Fearful scarlet orbs

A smoky outline of a beautiful woman "your father is coming…. he wants to see you…it will be alright…. hold on…."

Whispers of a smoky shadow of a tall Harry

Shocked red orbs

"NOW" screamed tall Harry.

It was as if someone had set my skull on fire and held my brain in their hands, squishing it together as tight as they could. Suddenly the pain spread to every bone, every muscle fibre, every skin cell of my body. It stopped and was localised to my head again.

"Crucio"

Fire. Everything was on fire. I was burning alive. I could hear a blood curdling scream vaguely, the voice familiar. Fire. I felt the darkness descend, just go with it, just go. Fire. And then it stopped.

And all I could think was Cedric was going to die or was dead and Harry was dead or dying. I stopped shaking, ceased my writhing on the floor. I breathed, forcing calmness from my soul to take on physical manifestation. Nobody knew. I knew. The calmness was replaced by a fierceness to take control of this situation. To go to Harry. To get someone to Cedric. A fierceness to stop wasting time with this scum.

"Imperio"

I didn't even let the lightness descend on me like the last time with Moody. He chose the wrong time to try to take hold of me. I remember what I had done in Moody's classroom. Constant vigilance. I didn't even let Moody know that I had flung off the curse. Constant vigilance. Being able to throw of the Imperius curse should be kept secret… This curse could work in my favour. I listened out for his words.

"Come to me"

I walked towards the blurry figure. I stopped.

"Undress."

I started automatically. First button… Harry. Second button… Cedric. Third…Harry. And then I saw it. What I was waiting for. Black eyes burning with need. I stopped on the fourth. Took a deep breath… and ran.

I ran like a dozen hungry dogs were at my heels. Like Death itself was chasing me.

Harry, Cedric. Harry, Cedric. I couldn't feel my heart beating or my breathing heavy. I couldn't hear my pursuer's footsteps. It was against every fibre of my being to fly.

I fight, never flight. But I knew what was most important. Dying fighting would be a selfish and vain death, and I needed to help Harry. To help Cedric. Harry. Cedric. Harry. Cedric. And then I saw it. Like the light at the end of the tunnel,

"Open!"

I barged in, the force of my speed only allowing me to stop in the centre of the room. I turned and watched Bastard barge into the waterfall like door and then was flung back. I didn't wait to see if my room eventually let him through.

I looked around. Finally seeing it. I flung the door open and flew through it. I took the stairs two at a time. Potions lab. Open door. Corridor. Turn right. Corridor. Turn left. Corridor. Stairs. Corridor. Stairs. Entrance hall. Doors. Grounds. Pitch. People all around. I caught sight of bushy brown hair. Of red hair. Of black hair. Of black bun. I didn't stop. I ignored the voices. I then saw it. My target. Silver hair. Long silver. He stood talking to two people.

"Nonno!"

My voice pierced the air, out of breath and grating. "Harry! Cedric!"

And just like that the pain was back. The pins. The knives. The fire. I clutched at my skull, pulling my hair. That blood curdling scream again. The last thing I saw was blue eyes. Blue eyes with no twinkle.

And it all went black.

A/N: I wanted to infuse the urgency of the situation by using short, sometimes one-word sentences – hopefully they're understandable! It's a challenge writing from the perspective of someone who is going in and out of a lucid state but hopefully it worked – let me know what you think !

Kalina