T/W: character death, gore
Chapter Thirty-One: The Phoenix Lament
That morning, James kept his focus on the faint orange glow of the sun beyond the forest. He supposed he'd never fully appreciated how much he enjoyed the quiet of snow. Now both of those things were the only things keeping him grounded. From below, James could hear the manic yells of the surrounding Death Eaters, as the final preparations were made to their pyre. Nymphadora strode before them, two wands placed within her palms, she smiled mockingly up at James as she placed the wands on top of the sticks at the bottom of the pyre.
James tugged on the bindings keeping his arms to the post, he reached around for Snape's hand and found it. The second man flinched in surprise at his touch, but accepted the embrace. James gripped tightly to Snape's hand, searching the crowd for a familiar face. But he didn't see Harry anywhere, nor did he see any of the inner circle.
The crowd parted like a sea, and James saw them. The inner circle only wore their masks for executions, he'd found that out on reconnaissance missions. It made it easier to hide their identities, seven people descending upon him from the crowd. At the front of the Death Eaters was Riddle himself, the bottom half of his mask a shining silver skull. And then of course, James recognized Harry, he was nearly half-a-foot shorter than the rest of the men. Although James could not see his face beneath the mask and a set of goggles with poisonous green lenses. Did he need glasses too? James never asked …
I just want to see you one more time, James thought desperately. He tried to picture both Lily and Harry together, but it was impossible, the crazed shrieks of the crowd did not allow him to sink into himself.
"There is, but a simple blood price to be paid today," Riddle's voice boomed over the courtyard. "How many of you would see this world eternal?" The Death Eaters yelled as if the entire courtyard had been engulfed in flames. James felt sick looking at them, their gaze locked in on the man they coveted as if he were a god.
"Once we have cleansed the world of these two traitors," Riddle continued. "You will witness the beginning of a new era, my most faithful servant Bartemius Crouch." One of the masked Death Eaters in the inner circle stooped into a deep bow, completely forgoing their vow to anonymity during the execution. "Will reach through the Mirror of Erised to begin our conquest in a new world. And you, my most loyal followers, will expand our operations over Europe. We will raise an army of loyalists, thanks in no part to our own dear old schoolmaster." Riddle leered coldly at Snape. "And we will finally overwhelm the eastern front."
The crowd moved together, as if Riddle had at his command a singular organism made out of hundreds of human bodies. Riddle turned his attention back to the pyre.
"Oh, but we will final have order, James Potter and Severus Snape." Riddle continued, and the crowd jeered. "Executioner, if you'd please …"
Harry stepped forward, a plume of fire dancing in his hand. James tried his best to focus on this image of his family that existed only within his mind. James heard a scream from the crowd, he opened his eyes, just as Harry sent the plume of fire sailing into the stone wall beyond the pyre. James's stomach dropped, he could hear the Death Eaters murmuring in dissent. Harry turned around slowly, to the shocked six other people standing behind him.
"No."
James twisted violently on the ropes binding him as he saw Riddle take out his own wand, and—
A volley of spells tore through the barriers around the courtyard. The ward burned, like cellophane covered in oil slick. James followed the arch of the spells, until high above in the sky he saw the red and orange wingspan of a phoenix. Fawkes's song shot through James like an arrow, he couldn't control the tears streaming down his face.
Riddle looked up to the phoenix, his face contorted into a mask of rage. Riddle waved his wand, knocking Harry out of the way, as a plume of blue fire enveloped the pyre where James and Snape were tied.
Ron could barely hold onto his broom, his fingers were so cold. He focused on following behind Lily, his heart pounding at the familiar sight of the old stone walls of Hogwarts. Beyond, he saw Bill and Moody land on the far side of the courtyard. In the courtyard, Ron saw a massive fire enveloping two people. All around, the remaining members of the Order began to attack the watching crowd of Death Eaters.
It had taken some convincing, and Ron knew at the back of his mind that he needed to find Harry before Moody and the others. They were there, after all, to kill Death Eaters. A Death Eater close to the pyre raised his wand.
"Percificus Totalus," Lily said, and the Death Eater collapsed rigid as a board.
"Aguamenti!" Lily cried out a second time, she circled the pyre, dousing it in water.
"Releshio!" Ron shouted, pleased to see the bindings fall away from James and Snape.
"Thanks," Snape croaked, bending down to take the paralyzed Death Eater's wand. The both looked worse for wear, there were small patches of burn marks from the flames, although thankfully Lily put out the fire before any permanent damage could occur. There was an angry yellow bruise over about half of Snape's face, and James's eyes were bloodshot and red. Ron couldn't image that he looked any better considering everything that had happened the past day and a half.
"Where's—" Lily touched down next to Ron. "Have you seen Harry?"
"He was just here—"
James grabbed Ron by the shoulders and pulled him down to the ground as a streak of angry green light soared over them. About ten feet away, Ron saw Rodolphus Lestrange and Barty Crouch holding their wands defensively. Riddle was nowhere to be seen in the courtyard either.
"The whole family's here," Lestrange said, grinning in anticipation. "How about it, Barty?"
"Might as well, the Dark Lord said to proceed—"
Lily screamed in anger, launching herself into a duel with both Death Eaters at once. Snape rushed forward to assist her, while James pulled Ron back up to his feet.
"Are you okay?" James panted, looking Ron up and down.
"I'm fine—everyone's here—" Ron tried to explain everything but it felt like he'd just run a marathon.
"Good," James patted him on the back. "PEEVES," he bellowed, and Ron jumped back in surprise. To Ron's amazement, the poltergeist came zipping out of the castle, halting in front of James with his arm raised in a mock military salute.
"Give them hell," James said in a deadly quiet voice. And the poltergeist, who Ron had never seen so much as say hello to a student, vanished in an instant; all across the courtyard Ron could hear the sound of manic laughter. Lily hit Lestrange with a spell that made him gag, razor sharp spikes protruding from every visible inch of his face. Crouch turned around in shock, crying out at three large gashes down the side of his face.
"Batty old Barty, batty old Barty!" Peeves screeched like a train whistle. "Daddy worked too hard so he became obsessed with bigotry!"
Ron had never felt such affection for one of the school ghosts in his entire life. Crouch yelled louder and Peeves latched his claws inside his ears, cackling as the wizard attempted to curse him. James began to claw through the funerary pyre.
"My wand, I need my wand," James muttered repeatedly, finally pulling it out from the oil coated pyre. James whipped around, sending a fiery inferno hurdling to where Crouch stood not moments before. The Death Eater had fled further into the castle.
"He's going to the mirror," Ron felt like there were icicles growing in his lungs.
Without thinking he began running frantically in the same direction. Ron heard James shout in protest, reaching out to grab Ron by his collar. Ron ducked out of his grasp, he couldn't let it happen … he wouldn't let Crouch get through. He'd have to kill Ron if he planned on hurting his friends again.
In the entrance to the Great Hall, Ron saw Peeves floating about 20 feet in the air in some sort of trance. Ron gripped his wand tightly and stepped inside the hall. The tables and chairs had been removed, in favor of large wires and cables with runes etched into them. The cables fed up towards the raised area for staff dining. In place of the staff table, there was an ornate silver mirror twinkling in the light of the stars above. Far beyond the mirror, Ron could see a raised pedestal with wires attached to an ugly old bronze diadem. The tiara shook, and Ron saw something like oil sludge pulsing its way in and out of the sapphire jewel on the front.
Crouch stood in front of the mirror, he looked back at Ron and smirked.
"I'll be sure to say hello for you." Crouch said, pointing his wand directly at Ron's face. From behind, Ron heard footsteps running, James shifted back from his stag form, Lily, Snape, and Bill following closely behind him.
"No," Ron said, looking the Death Eater straight in the eyes. "You're not going anywhere."
There was nothing that could compare to being back at the castle.
Far above her head, Hermione could see the turrets covered in a blanket of snow, she'd spent winters playing hide and seek with Neville in those twisting staircases. Far away she heard the boom of an explosion, and suddenly she was aware of how cold she felt. She realized Sirius was casting a disillusionment charm on her. Hermione followed closely behind Sirius and Lupin, pausing only for Lupin to press a knot on the trunk of the Whomping Willow. The branches froze, reaching out towards the castle like a set of fingers.
"Come on," Lupin gestured for Hermione and Malfoy to follow him. He held the marauder's map in front of him, taking a moment to brush off the snow.
"Never thought I'd get to see it myself," Malfoy commented, "it's wonderful."
"Wait until you see the library," Hermione said, she could picture it so clearly in her mind. If this was the last day she had, she wanted to make sure she saw it one more time.
"Everyone's still near the courtyard, it'll be close but there's a staff entrance to the Great Hall." Sirius squinted down at the map. "There! I still see James, Remus, he's alive—"
"We'll get him," Lupin gripped his hand tightly.
Hermione followed the two adults through the snow, she was thankful they didn't disillusion themselves. She didn't know if they'd be able to keep up otherwise. Far above their heads, Hermione saw several Death Eaters begin to dive on their brooms, their wands pointed straight at Lupin and Sirius.
"Avada Kedavra!" Sirius yelled, one of the Death Eaters toppled off his broom. Sirius cast a summoning spell, and the broom zipped into his outstretched hand.
Hermione tried the same with a stunning spell, pleased to see a second Death Eater land roughly in the snow. She caught the broom, nervous, she'd never been a good flyer … Lupin waived his wand to bind the Death Eater that Hermione stunned, it was not lost on her that the rest were dead.
"Where is your master?" Lupin grabbed the Death Eater by his collar, waiving the map in his empty hand. Hermione felt queasy, if Riddle had already fled …
"Everywhere," the Death Eater smiled, his teeth bloodied from his landing. "He will paint the snow in your blood." Sirius punched the man across his face and the Death Eater dropped cold.
"Cryptic bastards," Sirius cleaned the blood off his hand. "We're losing time."
The four of them mounted the brooms, as soon as they were in the air Hermione regretted her decision to fly. Her fingers felt like they were going numb on the broom handle, above their heads she saw a massive red and orange shape streak by. The air shifted for the brief moment Fawkes was above them, pleasant like a sunny winter day.
They landed in a turret directly behind the Great Hall. Hermione set down her broom, she remembered how awful it had been the night the Death Eaters took the castle. She'd cried all the way to the auror outpost. This time, she didn't think she'd be so lucky if they lost. She had no idea why Ron insisted on trusting Harry, but she'd had enough. When she was little, James Potter was the one to provide flying lessons to the kids at the castle once they reached Hogwarts age.
"Professor Lupin knows a lot about spells," she remembered the words he said the first time she held a broom. "But how many of you want to soar through the clouds?"
Far in the distance, she heard a scream as a body toppled out of one of the towers. Lupin checked the stairs, gesturing for the rest to follow. Hermione saw Malfoy shift his hand protectively over his knapsack. Inside she could hear the clink of bottles, she didn't like how much they were moving around. It'd taken hours to brew the combustion potions, she just wished they had something better to store them in.
"Careful—" Hermione warned, Malfoy smirked back at her.
"Relax, Granger," he said. "I want that damned mirror gone just as much as you."
She knew that, but it'd come as a shock when Ron told her they needed to destroy it. Hermione fixed her mind on a world where her friends and family were still alive.
She heard footsteps racing up the stairs, a witch with bubblegum pink hair cut them off. Tonks pointed her wand directly between Sirius's eyes, the same spot Hermione knew Death Eaters were trained to target.
"You let her fall," Tonks surveyed Lupin coldly. "I'm not complaining though, I got a promotion out of it."
"Dora, please …" Malfoy said, trying to pry Lupin's hand away.
He'd stepped forward to shield both Malfoy and Hermione from Tonks's view. Tonks turned to look at her cousin, chewing her tongue indecisively. Tonks gave Sirius one final accusatory look, before stepping aside away from the stairs. Hermione didn't question it, following closely in Sirius and Lupin's wake as the descended down the stairs towards the staff entrance to the Great Hall.
"Give my best to Annie," Tonks called after them. "You'll likely see her before me."
"Come on," Lupin panted, scanning over the marauder's map as then ran. "Rodolphus and Crouch are in the courtyard, and McNair is trying to head off Moody at the west entrance, I still don't see Riddle, AHH—"
Lupi yelled in pain, and Hermione saw blood spurting from his ear. Lupin's skin hissed from the silver. Sirius charged past him, towards the cackling form of a woman Hermione prayed she'd never have to meet in person.
"NOT MY HUSBAND, YOU BITCH," Sirius shouted at the top of his lungs. He cast a spell, sending Hermione and Malfoy back far away from the duel. Bellatrix cackled, although her face was gaunt in exhaustion. She threw a knife very close to Sirius's head, but he deflected it.
"What will happen to your dirty little brats?" Bellatrix taunted, "when you go to join darling Reggie and Annie?"
"You will never touch my family again!" Sirius was working to close the gap between Bellatrix and himself, she was a marginally faster dueler than he was. Lupin moved to help him, but Sirius cast a barrier between them.
"Stand back, she'd mine." Sirius growled in warning, and Bellatrix laughed harder than ever.
"She's mine," Bellatrix mocked him. "Ahh, do you love him, Sirius? What will we call the cubs—" It was then that Hermione realized the Death Eater's mistake, Sirius threw something small and silver back towards Bellatrix. It was the same knife she'd tried to use to kill him.
Bellatrix's eyes bulged in shock as the dagger landed clean in the middle of her forehead. Blood leaked down the side of her face into her eyes, Bellatrix Lestrange dropped to the floor, the echo of her last laugh still etched on her face.
"S-she never did know when to shut up," Sirius stared down at the body of his cousin.
"It was the right thing to do," Lupin embraced him. "She's hurt too many people."
Malfoy's gaze was fixed on the dead body of his aunt, Hermione couldn't help but notice the grim triumph on his face. It was an odd thing, to have a family alive, but so divided. Hermione tried to image her parents faces, but they had been gone for so long that they only existed as echoes to her.
"We need to keep moving, Granger." Malfoy nodded to Hermione, adjusting his grip on the bag.
"Right," Hermione nodded, as she began down the stairs to the Great Hall.
Ron could hear the horcrux pulsing like a heartbeat, as if it knew that its life was in danger. Crouch looked back to it, and the mechanical cords running between the diadem and the mirror. He cocked his head curiously, looking down at Ron, James, and Lily. Behind them, Ron heard Snape whisper something to Bill
"You're wasting your time." Crouch taunted, "or perhaps … you think he's already dead? What a shame, here I thought Delphi was the disappointment out of the three. Ah well, I knew there was no hope for any of the half-breeds—"
"Avada Kedavra," James screamed at the top of his lungs. Crouch flicked his wand and a piece of the stone floor shot up, shielding him from the curse. The Death Eater chuckled darkly, sending several deep violet curses back at James.
James waived, his wand, knocking Ron out of the way of the duel. Ron slammed into side wall of the hall; the wind knocked out of him. Dazed, Ron got back up to his feet, he looked around the back wall of the room, and nearly cried out in joy when he saw a dark wooden cabinet tucked into the corner.
He silently thanked Regulus for telling the truth about one thing. Ron raced past James and Lily in their duel with Crouch. Bill began to slash at several of the cables with his wand, he kept one arm around Snape. Ron could hear the potions master hissing instructions. More Death Eaters were pouring into the hall to assist Crouch.
"The red one, no! Look at the command runes, cut all of the cords at once, Weasley—"
Ron forced open the doors of the cabinet, and stepped inside. He was suddenly hit with a most peculiar sensation. He did not dissappearate, but he was now hundreds of miles away in Regulus's office at the Ministry for Magic. The office was dark, lit only by a singular blue lamp near the desk. The doors to the cabinet were still open, and Ron could hear the battle raging in the Great Hall. Many of the things in Regulus's office were packed away tightly in what appeared to be evidence bags. Ron sifted through them, praying that he would find the one he was looking for.
Ron heard more voices in the Great Hall, Hermione and the others had arrived. Ron forced open the drawers of Regulus's desk, every fiber of his being focused on finding the only thing that could save them. He could hear Sirius and Lupin fighting more of the Death Eaters, he just hoped that Hermione and Malfoy were able to slip in unnoticed. Ron was so focused on the fight that his hand nearly slipped at the bottom of the last drawer, onto something small and sharp like a fish bone …
Ron placed the basilisk fang in one of the bracers he had borrowed from Harry's bag. His heart pounded in his throat, he could do this, he would do this …
Ron burst back out of the vanishing cabinet, ducking and weaving under several duels. To his left he could see Moody lying quite still on the ground surrounded by several dead Death Eaters. He could see Snape covering for Bill while he continued to dismantle everything Riddle had done to the mirror. Frank Longbottom was panting in pain as two Death Eaters backed him into a corner. Sirius and Lupin were back-to-back, each battling three on one.
"You've had this coming long enough, McNair." Snape said coldly as a massive red X carved itself into another Death Eater's chest. Further up, Lily and James were still ferociously dueling Crouch. Lily had stepped in front of James, who now sported a deep gash in the left side of his face.
"If I'd gone a little higher, you might even match." Crouch sneered, his focus solely on Lily and James. He did not see Malfoy's foot slip for a second from behind the mirror.
"Bill," Ron skidded to a halt next to his brother and Snape. "I got it—"
Bill took the basilisk fang from Ron's shaking hands.
"Mum and dad will be proud of you." Bill grinned at Ron, before he began running at breakneck speed towards the diadem.
Crouch snapped his attention towards Bill, realizing what he meant to do a fraction of a second before it happened. He waived his wand, knocking both James and Lily clean off their feet. Crouch grinned; a flash of green light landed directly in Bill's chest.
For a second that contained an eternity, Ron watched his brother fall to the floor. Bill's wide blue eyes open in a mixture of surprise and fear.
There was a buzzing all around the room, Ron felt his thoughts colliding into each other. No, Bill couldn't be dead. He couldn't leave Ron alone here … so why wasn't he getting up?
"Move, boy!" Snape pulled Ron up to his feet. He hadn't even realized that he'd fallen to the ground. "He's gone."
"Accio fang!" Hermione said, narrowly dodging the basilisk fang as it zoomed towards her. Hermione grabbed the fang out of the air, she had taken the diadem off of its pedestal. The diadem shook, its jewel encrusted surface shifting like the scales of a snake. Hermione plunged the fang into the sapphire at the helm of the diadem. For a moment, Ron heard Tom Riddle's distorted scream echo around the room. There was only one horcrux tethering his soul back to the Earth.
The sapphire shattered, cutting into Hermione's face. Crouch raised his wand to perform another deadly curse.
"NOW!" Malfoy yelled, grabbing Hermione's arm and pulling her back behind the staff door to the Great Hall. He waived his wand to detonate the potion bottles they'd placed around the mirror.
The bottles exploded in an array of red and orange smoke, briefly obscuring Crouch, James, Lily, and the mirror. The smoke cleared with a waive from Crouch's wand, his eyes blazing in fury as he turned back towards the mirror.
Ron's heart dropped, several cracks were running up the frame of the mirror, but he could still see the empty classroom reflected on the other side. Crouch turned around and began to try and force his way through the glass, slipping his right hand through into Ron's world—
"Reducto!" Ron panicked, aiming a spell at the mirror.
All at once the glass shattered, blasting Crouch backwards. Ron looked up to where his reflection should have been in the mirror, the only way he had to get back to his friends and his family.
The silver frame of the Mirror of Erised glinted in the starlight, a million pieces scatted across the Great Hall floor.
A/N: Hard for me to pick a favorite moment in this fic, but Peeves reading Crouch for filth is definitely up there along with the chess game, and unforgivable curses flashback. Thanks so much for reading!