Carys felt the storm within her whip up, and black clouded her vision for a long moment. Her only anchor to reality was Sebastian's hand clasped around hers. The tugging behind her navel grew until it was nearly unbearable. She could almost hear Lamia screaming for her minions, could nearly see the flurry of activity in the castle, so strong was her connection to the magic that rushed through her and linked her to the aunt she'd never known she had.
The power was a drug. It flooded her senses, rendering her unable to feel anything but the strength of the magic coursing through her veins. She both loved, and hated it. And she knew that she couldn't ever go back. She'd tapped into the power she'd subdued all her life, and there was no turning from it. She didn't want to turn from it. She wanted to increase it. And for an instant, she knew, really knew, and understood why witches and wizards turned to the dark side of magic. The power, the strength, the sheer thrill of the magic was addictive.
Sebastian squeezed her hand, bringing her back to the surface. "Ready?"
Carys felt her mind clear slightly. "Didn't you just ask me that?"
Sebastian looked down at her, worry in his gaze. "Are you all right?"
Carys smiled then, and for the first time he could remember, he saw evil in her. "Perfect." She tugged her hand from his grasp, took the first step toward the castle. "Let's go, Sebastian. We've started a war."
Worried and confused, Sebastian followed silently, wondering if encouraging her to let go and just let the magic within her flow had been a mistake. He feared it had been, and prayed that it wasn't.
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Draco's head snapped up when he felt the wind and the magic in the air. He swore when he heard the crash of what had been the maze and the various calls and cries of the magical creatures that had called it home. He turned to look at his companions.
"It would seem Carys and Sebastian just made a hell of an entrance."
Harry put a hand on his friend's arm. "You know what she just did, right?"
Draco nodded, started toward the cliff. "She gave herself over to the magic." He sighed, and for a moment, looked much, much older than his years. "I hope she can handle it. It's always been so hard for her."
"She'll do it the same way you did. The same way you still do." Ron surprised himself by speaking as they looked at the cliff. "She's got too much to lose and not enough to gain. And even though the prospect of being evil is great, and the power is fantastical, she'd have to lose too much. Losing her family is far too high a price."
Draco laughed as he boosted Noah and then Harry. "Nothing is too high a price if the pull is great enough. I know. It's the most addictive drug in existence, power is. Nothing compares to the high, and if it gets to you, there's nothing short of a miracle that can yank you back."
Harry nodded, understanding. "Like Dumbledore."
"Like Dumbledore. Offering to help me and protect me as I pointed a wand at his chest, desperate for the rush of the power I knew would come when I did it. There's nothing that compares to that high, Ron. Nothing at all."
"Then why did you turn your back on it?"
"Power is supposed to bring responsibility. Evil isn't responsible. There are no repercussions. In the end, the main reason I ran was that I realized the type of power I had would be more likely to kill me than help me. Evil is like that. The person most likely to curse you while you sleep is the person the closest to you. I was conceited enough that the thing that broke me away was the knowledge that I would be killed. It was all about me back then. And life ended up being more important than being powerful."
Harry nodded. "Makes sense, I suppose. Let's go guys. We need to get there and save our kids."
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Death Eaters rushed from the castle, wands lifted, ready to duel the two teenagers that stood at the castle gates. Sebastian was standing slightly in front of Carys, automatically shielding her with his body and she had her wand clenched tightly in one hand.
And in the center of the wave of Death Eaters, Lamia came forward, robes and cloaks billowing around her, her heels like gunshots on the stone path, hair swirling around her shoulders. She was exuding power, and the wave of evil swept over Carys and Sebastian. She carried no wand, and threw her arms out, tossing them to separate sides on the staircase.
"You would dare enter my home!?" she roared, anger making her even more powerful than she normally was. "You would have the nerve to come in here and challenge me!?"
Carys climbed to her feet, saw Sebastian do the same. "I would."
Lamia again threw out her arms, and Carys tumbled down the stairs. She didn't get up. Sebastian didn't move for a second, not wanting to draw her attention too quickly. When Lamia started down the stairs to Carys, he pointed his wand at her.
"Diffindo!"
Lamia's feet left the ground as she was tossed to the side. Carys was able to struggle to her feet before Sebastian reached her, and despite her brief struggle, she allowed him to push her behind him. Lamia stood, brushed herself off and stared at Sebastian. She lifted her hand and clenched her fingers into a fist. As she did so, Sebastian felt a vise close around his throat.
He couldn't get a breath in, nor force one out. His chest was constricted, his eyes watered as he struggled both for breath and to cast a voiceless spell. Carys finally ended his torture, throwing out her hands and sending a wave of magic at Lamia that was powerful enough to knock her over.
Sebastian was moving before Lamia hit the ground. He grabbed Carys around the waist and ran through the throng of Death Eaters and into the castle. They kept going, straight up the stairs, making random turns every so often until they were lost and relatively certain that for the moment, they were safe. Once Sebastian shouldered his way into a locked bed chamber, they relaxed slightly, taking the time to catch their breath and gather their bearings.
"She's really strong."
Carys shook her hair over one shoulder. "We're stronger together. It's going to take both of us to defeat her. We're going to have to do it together."
Sebastian nodded. "Agreed. There's no other option here. Okay, now that we've lost them for the moment, I think we should go looking for those Horcruxes. After that, we need to split up. I'll take them to the Great Hall and destroy them while you make a commotion and draw them to you. That should give Dad, Draco, Ron and Noah time to get here. Once they're here, you leave the Death Eaters to us, and you and Draco go after Lamia. Desdemona said that the two of you are the only ones that can kill her."
Carys nodded, looked at her watch. "Right, let's go then."
"Carys, we need to go slow. We have no idea where this chamber is."
Carys lifted her eyebrows. "Speak for yourself. I know exactly where it is."
"How?"
"I'm connected to her. We're blood relations, and the strength of the magic we used on one another is connecting us."
"So she knows where we are?"
"I didn't say that. She's mad, Sebastian. Furious that she doesn't know where we are and that she wasn't expecting us when we came. Her anger is blocking a good portion of her magic and it's keeping her from realizing the connection. She can't feel me inside her head, but I can feel inside hers. Sort of like Uncle Harry and Lord Voldemort way back when. They had a mental connection that he was aware of first."
Sebastian nodded. "Okay, then. Lead the way to these Horcruxes. We need to destroy them and get on with this thing. I want to go home."
"You aren't the only one. I'm sick and tired of this saving the world thing already and we just started. I'd much rather just be back in training."
Sebastian managed a chuckle as they crept down the hall, constantly on the lookout for any Death Eaters. They had several close calls, but were never caught. "I don't think I want to be an Auror anymore. Teaching is suddenly sounding really good. Or playing professional Quidditch like Dad."
Carys nodded, opened a door silently and led him into a dark chamber. The walls were covered in black drapes, and in the center of the room there was a huge bed with dark red sheets and a black comforter. There was a throne in one corner, an ingredient cabinet against one wall, a cabinet with jewelry being showcased against another and a huge gaudy desk in another corner. She felt the inexplicable urge to giggle.
"My ,my, Lamia certainly went overboard with this whole Dark Queen look, don't you think?"
Sebastian wrinkled his nose and moved to the cabinet, ripping a chunk off of the draperies hiding the walls as he did so. "It looks like I just walked into some cheesy vampire movie and Leslie Nielsen is going to jump out at me trying to suck my blood through a straw."
Then Carys did giggle, clapping a hand over her mouth to mute the sound. "That's exactly what this looks like. And they say she's the best? The woman couldn't even come up with good evil decorations. This is pathetic."
"You're telling me." He opened the glass doors, reached in with the cloth and collected the six pieces of Lamia's soul in it. "Got it. Ready to go?"
Carys shook her head, darted to the door. She peered out, the ducked back in, finger to her lips. "You've got to go. Now."
"What is it?"
"Lamia's coming. She's felt the link. She knows where I am. But you have to go now. She can't tell if you're with me or not, but you have to leave right now."
Sebastian nodded, crossed the room to her. "You'll be okay?"
"I'll be fine. I'm going to let her get close, then take a run and pray Dad's here by then. Get to the Great Hall and destroy those pieces of her soul. If you don't, then we'll never be able to kill her." Carys pushed him toward the door. "Go!"
He leaned down and captured her mouth quickly and heatedly, leaving her dazed. "I love you, Carys. Hold on to that."
"I will. And I love you too."
Sebastian tossed her a wicked grin, and ducked out the door. She gave him thirty seconds, then stepped into the hall to face her aunt.
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