And here we go with Chapter 18. I managed to write this all in a day, which, given my schedule, is an accomplishment. It just seemed to flow, so I hope that this pattern continues. If it does, I might be able to post updates closer together. I'm not exactly sure where this chapter is heading, but I think I'm going to close it off the same way I did KYEC. With touching at key points in the lives of the characters so that there are no loose strings. I know a lot of people didn't like that, but I think that the story needs to actually have a definitive ending, where you aren't left wondering what happens next. I know that's what I like to read. Anyway, here it is, enjoy, and drop me a line to let me know if you liked it. We might see a little action in the next chapter, but not too awful much. That's coming a little later. I have a plan. Don't worry.
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Carys walked into her bedroom close to midnight that night. She'd been sitting up and waiting for Harry, Ron and Draco to get back from a meeting they'd arranged with Arthur. They'd come in an hour before, and not been able to tell her much. Mainly because the Ministry had no idea if Desdemona had been lying or telling them the truth.
Without noticing the two men sitting on the couch in her room, she yanked her shirt over her head and snagged a nightshirt off the desk chair. Well, more accurately, it was one of Sebastian's shirts, but no one would know the difference.
"Looks good on you." Sebastian commented, alerting her to his presence. She jumped and shrieked, her head stuck in the shirt. She thrashed for a minute, then struggled into the shirt and glared at him.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?! You scared me to death!"
Noah laughed. "Then look around when you come into your room. You might notice who's sitting on your couch that way. Sit down, Carys, we need to talk to you about an idea we've got."
Intrigued, Carys sat on the bed, not bothering to take off her jeans, and crossed her legs. "What's up?"
"We have an idea about getting to Lamia."
Sebastian rolled his eyes. "Thanks, Mr. State-the-obvious. What we thought is that we should go now, and not wait to formulate a plan. That way we have more of an element of surprise."
Carys lifted one eyebrow. "That's your brilliant idea? Go on a suicide mission? My idea is that we wait for our fathers to come up with something."
"I don't want them to know we're going."
That shocked Carys. She stared at Sebastian, then quick as lightning, flew to the couch and pressed her palm to his forehead. "No fever, so this insanity isn't from an infection or virus. ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!"
Sebastian winced at the pitch of her voice, then shook his head. "No. In fact I think that this is relatively logical. Think about it before you freak out anymore, Carys. Lamia is going to think exactly that. That we'll wait for Dad, and Uncle Draco, and Uncle Ron. If we don't, she won't be ready, and we'll have the element of surprise."
"You're insane, and I am not going to have any part of this."
Noah fixed Carys with an intense blue stare. "Listen to reason, Carys. Do you really think that Dad, and Uncle Harry, and Uncle Draco are going to let us have any part of what they're doing? Do you really think for an instant that they'll let us go, and let us be in that battle? We're their kids, and that means they think it's their job to protect us from whatever they can. And they'll think that fighting for our lives against the most powerful witch to ever live falls solidly into that category."
"Carys, listen to us for a minute before you admit me to the nearest mental institution, okay?"
Carys heard the desperation in Sebastian's voice and eased herself into his lap instead of sitting on the bed. "Okay. You have five minutes to convince me that this is a good idea and not a suicide mission."
Noah nodded. "Thanks. Okay, let's look at this logically. Lamia is not stupid. She has to know that her mother came straight to us. So that means that she probably thinks we're setting up a plan of action. Which means that she probably thinks she has a couple days before we come after her, agreed?"
Carys nodded. "Considering the time that all the preparations would take, and all the information that would logically have to be confirmed, it would probably take us at least two days to make a move. However, she could also be thinking that we'll hop on our brooms and zoom over to try and kill her. Dad's famous for his temper."
"Our bet is with her thinking that we'll wait a couple days. It makes the most sense. And Aunt Ginny would stop your Dad. She's probably doing that right now, actually." Sebastian said, laying his hand on her thigh lightly. "Which means that if we leave now, or in the morning, we'll be able to spring it on her and surprise her."
To their surprise, Carys nodded. "That would work. But I have a better idea, one that would fit better in with the scheme of things. I'm going to go in first, attract their attention. Sebastian, you and Noah will follow me in about an hour and then sneak in under the radar, so to speak. That way we can stage a two-pronged attack. I'll keep them busy inside while you two sneak in and destroy the Horcruxes. Once you do that, we'll be able to take her on."
Sebastian shook his head. "Now who's out of their mind? No one goes into this alone. You know that."
Draco opened the door and looked at the three teenagers. "Then how about you go with her, Sebastian, and Noah and I will follow later?"
Carys' eyebrows met her hairline. "Are you serious? You want to go with us?"
"Do you really think that I'd let the three of you run off and do this on your own? I'm not an idiot, Carys. I know how you think. You think exactly like me. Harry and Ron are waiting downstairs. Get dressed and let's go. We leave in an hour."
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Sebastian stood in his room, wand in hand, looking at all the books that he had accumulated throughout the years. It was amazing just how many he had. And all of them were filled with information: how to reason with a vampire, how to turn a feather into a baby chicken, how to make a lamp hover thirty feet in the air. They also told how to Apparate, how to bring out his Animagi, which was, like all the Potter males, a stag, and how to turn invisible. And all the books he had studied his entire life couldn't begin to tell him what he was supposed to do in the position he was in.
How to defeat the most evil witch to have ever been born. That was not a title of a book on his shelves. That book didn't exist, though he was hoping that by the time he was through with everything, he would be able to write it if he so chose. Of course, the stipulation for that was that he survived, and actually did, or helped to, defeat her. He was praying to every deity he had ever heard of that they would manage somehow, through the grace of Merlin, defeat Lamia and live to tell about it.
After all, he had just found the perfect woman, and he wasn't in much of a hurry to give her up. He'd been waiting for her all of his life, and wanted to spend the rest of it with her. He loved her, and he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he would never love anyone else ever again. Not like he loved her. They'd grown up together, gone through heartbreak, and puberty, and first crushes, and first kisses together. Of course, they'd been each other's first kiss, so that didn't really count as they had been thirteen and extremely curious. That and anxious to get it out of the way so that they wouldn't be nervous when it happened the first time for real.
It was one of his most precious memories. And he would never admit that fact to anyone. Ever. It was one he kept solely to himself. And truly, Noah was the only one other than Carys, who even knew about it. Which was just the way he wanted to keep it.
He knew that if it came down to it, he was prepared to die for her. He'd nearly done it only a week earlier. He wasn't back to full strength, was in fact far from it. But he was going, he was going to fight, and he'd be damned if she died. Especially if she died while he lived. He'd stepped in front of a Killing Curse meant for her before, and he would gladly do it again. Without a second thought.
He'd have done it for anyone in that house. He loved them all, they were his family, and he would die to protect any one of them. Which, retrospectively made the gesture less noble, but it was just as heartfelt. But if he had to choose which person to save, he knew he wouldn't have a choice. He'd save her over any of them. And he knew she'd do the same for him.
Well, Sebastian admitted ruefully, allowing himself a small grin, she may have a problem choosing between Draco and him. Those two had always been close. Closer than any parent and child he knew of. He told his parents everything and talked to them about everything, but Carys and Draco were best friends. They were typically joined at the hip, and when they went away to school each year, he was consistently more upset at her leaving than Ginny ever was. Which was sweet and disturbing, all at the same time. But then again, that was the epitome of Draco himself. Sweet and disturbing.
And unnaturally violent for a wizard. He was oftentimes happier settling things with his fists than with his wand. More satisfying, he always claimed, though Sebastian never saw the point in making his knuckles ache when there was another, just as effective choice in using a spell. But it all went back to personal preference.
And Draco liked to punch people. It was written into his DNA. Sebastian smiled at that mental picture as he descended the stairs. He was, however, shaken from his thoughts by Hermione, who handed him a sweater.
"Don't you think it's a little warm to make me wear a sweater?"
Hermione raised her eyebrows at him. "I can't go with you because of the baby. Ginny can't go for the same reason, and Luna won't go no matter what. I charmed your sweater to act as your body armor. All six of your have articles of clothing that should reflect and curse that comes at you. They won't last forever though, and each Unforgivable that hits you will weaken it. It will help a lot though." She was fighting tears, and hugged her son tightly. "Be careful, I love you, I wish I could go, and please come home to me, Sebastian."
Sebastian gripped his mother tightly, inhaling her familiar scent. "I'll be as careful as I can, I love you too, I wish you would be there with me, and I'll be home as soon as I can."
Hermione nodded through her tears and watched her son, husband, two of her best friends, and her niece and nephew walk out the front door. And she prayed that they would all come home. And feared that they wouldn't.
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A little short, I know. But give me a break. I have class and homework. It's hard to find the time to write anymore. Here's chapter 18, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. Leave me a review, and let me know what you thought of it.
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