Chapter Thirty Six
... b ...
Saturday, July 27
Ginevra woke up in an unfamiliar sunlit room. She saw large marble pillars rising to the roof of the room as she looked around the large bedroom with a frown. She pulled her arm out of the sun with a slight hiss, expecting pain but there was only a warm tingling feeling. It felt weird and she grimaced, rubbing her arm.
"Ah, you're finally awake, daughter."
The woman standing in the doorway wasn't Molly Weasley, nor was it one of her vampire ancestors, yet she still seemed vaguely familiar. Persephone took over with a sigh.
"Why have you brought me here, mother? You know very well that I am in the middle of something important."
"What could be more important than visiting your own mother?" Demeter asked, her eyes wide with hurt and feigned innocence.
"You know very well what! Don't think for a second that I believe you haven't been spying on me the moment I left."
"I only have your best interests at heart, Sephy."
"Don't call me that," she muttered.
Her mother seemed not to hear her. "We both know that your human pet is still alive, so why should a quick visit matter? Surely you would have felt it if she died?"
Persephone didn't answer, still annoyed that her mother had brought her up to Mount Olympus without even letting her know first. She was just glad that Demeter had been forbidden from taking human form while she was on Earth.
"So you brought me up here for a visit, nothing else?" Persephone asked, trying not to sound as scathed as she felt.
"Well, maybe a quick favour. I know you're busy searching for your human pet, but the crops need harvesting," Demeter said.
"Which you can and have done every turn of the season for the past hundred millennia!" Seph replied.
"Oh, don't exaggerate, daughter; it doesn't become you. It's only been a few millennia," she replied offhandedly. "I suppose that means you won't do a small favour for the woman who gave birth to you?"
"You suppose correctly. As my body is sleeping, I can probably stay to visit you for an hour or two," Persephone offered as an alternative.
"I would love that. But not today, daughter. I have a late harvest to deal with and cranky farmers. I swear, they were never this upset when we were still worshipped," she said with a shake of her head, disappearing without another word.
"That's because you didn't wait until the last two weeks of spring to harvest their crops!" Persephone yelled after her mother, knowing very well that she could still hear her.
Without warning, her bedroom on Mount Olympus disappeared and she felt herself falling through a black nothingness.
Ginevra woke up with a gasp, her heart pounding even as she tried to tell herself that she wasn't falling, her fingers digging into the thin mattress beneath her body. She looked out of the tent's material window and saw that the sky was a grey haze, the sun barely rising on the horizon. She sighed and flopped back onto the mattress, her heart only just starting to calm down.
I'm sorry about that, Ginevra. As you can probably tell, my mother can be quite the drama goddess. She could have done the harvest rituals two full months ago, but she was being stubborn about me leaving, Persephone said, rolling her eyes.
"She was being stubborn? Don't you think she'd just miss you?" Ginevra asked, thinking of her own mother's tearful goodbyes every year at King's Cross station.
Persephone gave a small laugh in her head. Of course she would miss me; who else would she have to bitch about the other gods to? Can you imagine my mother gossiping with Hera or Aphrodite? she asked with a snicker. She hates them almost as much as they hate her. That's why she was given the nymphs to look after. It eased her personality somewhat, but then I came along... I grew up in a very nice gilded cage, but it was still a cage, and my mother never seemed to realise that. She still hasn't forgiven me for eating those seeds; she knows I did it on purpose, but she still blames Hades for everything.
Ginevra supposed that Persephone would know her own mother's behaviour and just gave a short nod in response.
"Your mother's not going to pull me up to Olympus again, is she? We need to keep searching," Ginevra murmured.
She should be occupied with the harvest rituals for the next two weeks, and if we're lucky, then someone up there will keep her busy for the next ten years or so, Persephone muttered.
Despite her reassurance, Ginevra still hurried to get dressed, as if her being awake and dressed would stop the goddess from taking them back up to Mount Olympus. The sun was starting to creep up over the horizon by the time she had left the tent and Ginevra looked at it for a long moment, wondering if this would be the day she finally found Ric.
She had been annoyed at Luna's insistence that she not search for Lettie, but rather focus on Ric's whereabouts. Draco had agreed with Ginevra, not happy at the idea of her actively searching out the bastard who had fucked with her head, but Luna refused to budge, stating that Ginevra couldn't be too close to Lettie in case she turned into a beast again. While she might not be evil anymore, the evil in Lettie had been borne of Ginevra's own evil rampage. It worked both ways: the seed of evil could take over her sensibilities just as it had Lettie's, and the carnage would be more than they could handle. Ginevra had questioned Luna about Lettie turning into a beast again, but she refused to answer.
Sighing heavily, Ginevra tapped her wand on her tent and watched as it folded itself and shrank down in a matter of seconds. Pocketing the small square, Ginevra cloaked herself with a shadowing spell so the sun wouldn't burn her and moved to the other tents to wake up Fred, Parvati, Agnes, and the other vampires that comprised of her search team. They would find Ric if they had to walk up and down the Andes for a year, Ginevra promised herself.
... b ...
Lettie kept her eyes closed when she heard the tent flap open. The slow whisper of footsteps meant that it was Voldemort, which meant that she would be undergoing another round of questions, ones that she would refuse to answer. Every time they shoved Veritaserum down her throat, Lettie made herself fight it so she wouldn't betray her Lady and her friends. Every Cruciatus Curse had her screaming a pure note of pain, but not the answer to their questions. Voldemort had tied her wrists down again and put her through the Cruciatus Curse, not allowing her to claw at her head to get through the pain, but somehow, she still managed to hold off.
"Well, my dear. I do hope you've come to your senses. You need not follow through with this folly. You will be rewarded handsomely," Voldemort offered, his voice soft as he caressed her bruised cheek gently. "Now, where are they?"
Lettie kept her mouth closed, refusing to answer. Voldemort lost his faade of composure and patience, his face twisting into a horrible snarl as he grabbed her neck with his long fingers, his wand pressed against her cheek.
"I will get the answer from you if it's the last thing I do," he hissed.
She managed a skewed smile, wordlessly taunting him to do his worst. Voldemort lifted her off her feet briefly and threw her body down to the ground, the Cruciatus Curse hitting her before she even had time to register the impact. The Unforgivable was used on her three more times, a blood-curdling scream finally breaking free of her throat. Lettie writhed in the dirt, her body contorting in pain. Some part of her mind thought that she'd never been this flexible before, and she briefly wondered if the Cruciatus Curse had some sort of bendy side-affect that no one had discovered before now. She was on the verge of laughing hysterically at her own thoughts when the curse was lifted, and Lettie dug her hands into the ground beneath her, as if she could cling onto her sanity much the same. She had no doubt that this was how Neville's parents ended up in St. Mungo's.
Voldemort seemed to know exactly what the problem was and smiled down at her. It was not a pleasant smile, but she was still too preoccupied to notice the expression. By the time she had regained her senses and looked up once more, Lettie realised that Voldemort had left her alone. She shivered as a cold breeze found its way into the tent and curled up on her side, hugging her knees to her chest to try and stay warm. Lettie desperately tried to call out for Ginevra in her mind, but came up with nothing. She closed her eyes and willed herself to sleep, hoping that she wouldn't be tortured by Voldemort again that day.
... b ...
"I promise I'm all right now. It was just a result of being knocked about like that. Honestly, you don't have to keep checking up on me, Theo," Gregory said.
"Actually, I do. It's part of my job as a healer, as well as your friend. Now, as your friend, I'm telling you in the nicest way possible to shut up and lie down so I can be your healer," Theodore said, his wand twirling along his knuckles as he fought the urge to just bind the stubborn troll to the bed.
Gregory muttered under his breath as he moved over to the bed, removing his vest. Theodore pretended not to hear his friend's words and waited until Gregory was lying down before making his way over. He had made the mistake of following Gregory over yesterday and had been treated to a backhand. Theodore had inadvertently discovered that trolls - or Gregory, at least - were far more paranoid than most realised and especially didn't like people sneaking up behind them.
Spelled bars showed Gregory's vital signs, and Theodore could see that he was fine both physically and magically. He just wished that Gregory would agree to go to St. Mungo's so he could see what the internal damage was to his head.
They'd all been stunned when Gregory had asked about Vincent. Theodore was sure that he'd never seen Pansy turn pale as fast as she had. She'd left them almost immediately, and Gregory had turned to him with a look of pure innocence and confusion. Theodore had to tell his friend that Vincent had died, and he'd watched as the heartbreak displayed across his face as if for the first time. Theodore had done a basic check on Gregory while he'd been preoccupied and found that he was okay. The temporary amnesia was probably just that: temporary, but Theodore had wanted to check at St. Mungo's. He had said as much to Gregory, who simply ignored him and left the room, stumbling out into the sunlight to try and find Pansy.
"There, all done. Not that hard, now was it?" Theodore said, grinning down at Gregory.
"No, I suppose not. But next time, can you call ahead? I've already delayed this meeting twice, and if I have to delay it again, they won't be quite so forgiving," Gregory muttered, sitting up and slipping his vest back on.
"Who are you meeting?" Theodore asked curiously.
"Firecall with the trolls in South America. I'm trying to see if they'll help us find Lettie or Ric. Preferably both," he added over his shoulder, already heading out the door.
Theodore hurried to catch up with him. "So Luna's told you to contact them then?"
"No, but a little initiative can't hurt. We haven't always lived our lives waiting for Luna to tell us what to do, and I'm sure there'll come a time when we won't always have that luxury. I'm not going to sit back and do nothing until I'm called upon to help; I can at least organise for more people to join in the search," Gregory said firmly.
His words stopped Theodore in his tracks and he gave a slight nod to Gregory. "I didn't think of it that way. A certain pack of wolves owe me a favour," he muttered, almost to himself. "Say hello to Pansy for me. Bye Greg," Theodore said, Disapparating away before Gregory could say his own farewell in response.
"That was quick, Theo. Everything all right with Greg and Pansy?" Millicent asked, popping her head out of the lounge room to see him in the entrance.
"Greg's getting better. I didn't see Pansy. I'm just going to visit our neighbours. I'll be back later," Theodore called over his shoulder, heading outside.
"Wait, what?" Millicent asked, throwing her knitting in the general direction of the couch and hurrying after him. "Why are you willingly going to visit our neighbours?" she asked warily once she'd caught up with him.
"Because they can help us in the war," he replied.
"It's not their fight, Theo. We can't ask them to fight with us. I mean, how do you even know if they've even got any misgivings against Voldemort?" Millicent asked pointedly.
"Muuuuuuum! Millicent said the V word!" Caleb yelled suddenly, running up to his house.
"Well, there's that," Theodore said, trying not to laugh at Millicent's look of surprise.
"Bloody hell! I swear that kid has a permanent Sonorus charm on him!" she muttered, rubbing her ear with a wince. "You can stop laughing now, Theodore," Millicent added sourly.
"Sorry, Mill, but your expression was hilarious!"
She muttered at him under her breath and they both headed up to Selena's house after Caleb.
Selena met them at the porch, arms folded over her chest. "Why have you been saying that evil bastard's name in front of Caleb?"
"To be fair, we didn't know Caleb was there. Or that Vol... Uh, He-Must-Who-Not-Be-Named would invoke such a response," Millicent said.
"We were talking about the upcoming war against him," Theodore added when Selena calmed down slightly.
Selena's eyes narrowed as she looked between them. "Luna said that we would be required to fight; I thought we'd have more time. You'd best come inside."
Millicent and Theodore nodded and hurried inside before she changed her mind.
... b ...
Niryal was absolutely fucking exhausted. It wasn't that she'd done anything more strenuous than fly overhead while Neville, Seamus and Blaise scoured the world below, but it was the middle of the damn day, and she was a bloody nocturnal being. She was meant to be sleeping, not winging through the damn air trying to find someone who was probably covered in a million damn cloaking spells in the first place. There was only so much her magic could do when she was this tired.
"Niryal!" Neville called without raising his voice, which was a nice comparison to the last Master she'd had, who never seemed to do anything without shouting at the top of his lungs.
Ugh, she was thinking of a Master as nice, now Niryal knew that she was definitely exhausted. She heaved a sigh and flew down to where Neville was waiting with Seamus and Blaise.
"What?" she snapped.
"We all need to rest. I'd prefer if you weren't out in the open right now; we don't know who's around," Neville said.
"Muggles can't see me anyway," Niryal muttered, but still flew into Neville without another word of protest.
She was so tired that she fell asleep immediately, wings folded around her body as she curled down to the size of a seed.
"She all right, Nev?" Seamus asked with a slight frown.
"She's asleep," he replied. "She'll be all right with a few hours sleep."
"Are you sure it's okay to keep going? The motion of you walking won't wake her up?" Blaise asked.
"Niryal's out like a candle; she won't wake up again until it's dark. Besides, we have to keep moving while it's still light out," Neville said, nodding for both of them to start walking again.
Blaise pressed a kiss to his cheek, then turned and did the same to Seamus before stepping out of the clearing and turning into a centaur. Neville kissed Seamus briefly, licking his lips as he stepped back. Ignoring Seamus' protests, he started taking his shoes off, shrinking them to fit in his pocket easily. With a heavy sigh and a mutter under his breath about shagging them both senseless later, Seamus climbed up the nearest tree.
"Ready?" Blaise called, his bow and quiver of arrows slung over his shoulder.
Neville flexed his toes gently, feeling the earth warm under his feet and the sun shining on him. In the tree, Seamus listened to the wind as it brushed past him, his own bow and arrows fitted across his shoulder.
Blaise counted down from three, and they took off. Neville ran straight, all manner of plants moving out of his way, his entire body glowing green. In the opposite direction, Seamus ran across the treetops, his feet light enough to barely cause a rustle of leaves. Along the forest floor in another direction all together, Blaise galloped and leaped over and through the trees. All of their senses were attuned to the forest around them, the three men trying to find any clue to Lettie's whereabouts, or better yet, any rogue Death Eaters to lead them to where Voldemort was hiding.
... b ...
Lettie must have dozed off because she was woken abruptly by Pettigrew, the ratty man poking at her with a fairly sharp stick to rouse her. It seemed that whatever granted wishes wasn't listening to hers, because Voldemort was returning to torture her, and this time he was bringing Virginia along with him. Lettie felt nauseous just at the thought of seeing the Vampiress. The very idea of her Lady being related to that woman - no matter how distantly - made her blood boil in rage. Her Lady was so much better than the utter filth that Virginia exuded.
Thinking of Ginevra made Lettie think about her friends, her Lady and Lord's mentors, and almost unbidden, Julianne's tale of Kendra's fate came to her mind. She smiled a slow smile, one that sent a shiver of fear straight up Pettigrew's spine, and he scampered out of the tent without even trying to hex her as Voldemort had instructed. Lettie was somewhat oblivious to his departure, her eyes closed calmly as she worked on doing the only thing she could do to save herself and her friends while trussed up this way: remove her tongue.
Voldemort and Virginia made their way into the tent almost fifteen minutes later, the former's jaw clenching when he saw that Lettie hadn't been hexed as per his instructions. Virginia simply frowned, smelling the warm coppery scent of blood, but unable to determine its' source. The girl wasn't bleeding, Voldemort didn't even have a single scratch on him, yet she could smell the blood as if it was right there in front of her. The scent made her hunger for blood, her Thirst coming close to consuming her until she could think of nothing else but her next meal.
Lettie was not allowed to be bled dry until she gave Voldemort what he wanted, and Virginia would never lower herself to drink from a man who had such pale skin and cold hands. His poor blood circulation would mean that she'd barely get her fill, and Virginia didn't have the time to try to suck his blood out through sheer willpower alone. Thankfully, she'd brought a couple of humans along with her. One was a qualified General of something or somewhere (she vaguely remembered getting him as she left Italy), and he had a nice healthy tan, along with a strong heart that pumped an awful lot of blood around his muscular body. Yes, a drop of Italian would do nicely, she decided.
"If you will excuse me, my dear Lord Voldemort, I have an urgent matter that needs attending," Virginia said, leaving the tent before her Thirst consumed her and she tried to drink from him, no matter her personal standards.
Voldemort frowned slightly at her sudden departure - Virginia was the one who had wanted to see the Unforgivable Curses in action, after all. Deciding that he would take some time to break Lettie further while waiting for his beloved Virginia to return, Voldemort smiled to himself once more and turned to face the woman kneeling in the dirt before him. All was just as it should be.
Knowing that she had to wait for the exact moment, Lettie tried not to choke to death on her own blood. She was feeling a bit woozy from the blood loss, was barely breathing for fear of swallowing too much blood, she could actually feel half a chunk of her tongue floating around in her mouth, she was feeling very nauseous on top of everything else, and Lettie wanted to do nothing more than throw up and go to sleep. Preferably in that order.
Voldemort pulled Lettie up by the front of her shirt, his long fingers curled into a tight grip as he held her before him. He'd learnt the hard way not to keep her too close to his body; the little bitch had a tendency to kick. He sneered at her, his wand pressing fiercely against her temple.
"Where are your friends?"
If she could have, Lettie would have smiled. Instead, she gathered up as much breathe, blood and bits of tongue as she could, then spat them directly into Voldemort's face. The piece of her tongue hit the floor with a wet thwack sound, and then Lettie did smile, trails of blood trekking down her chin. She could smell, taste, and see her blood as it dripped off her chin, pooling on the dirt beneath her. Nausea finally took a hold of her, vomit trailing down Voldemort's clean robes moments later. All in all, Lettie thought it was a job well done.
Voldemort hexed her within an inch of her life, which didn't take too long considering the amount of blood loss her self-inflicted mutilation had resulted in. Then, when she was wishing for death - yet another wish not granted - Voldemort stooped down low beside her and did the worst thing he could possibly do at that moment: he healed her tongue.
Lettie could feel it growing inside of her mouth, the silver tipped tongue fluidly gaining mass until it had replaced the part she'd bitten off completely.
"You will tell me where they are, whether you want to or not," Voldemort sneered.
She still refused to say anything, working her teeth further back where her tongue was still made of flesh, intent on biting it off again. Voldemort must have seen her teeth moving because he put her in a Full Body Bind to stop her. Lettie wanted to scream in frustration, but Voldemort just sneered down at her. He growled in annoyance when he realised that he wouldn't be able to question her until he had some sort of assistance (Veritaserum would work, if only he could convince Virginia to procure the items for him - he didn't trust Pettigrew to get them, and there were still some places in the wizarding world that would not serve Voldemort himself - never mind, it would all change soon enough, especially with Virginia by his side). He kicked dirt out at her frozen form, blood and dirt congealing on her face.
Lettie waited until he had left her to her misery before letting the tears that had built up slide down her cheeks. She was frozen, but she could still see, still experience, and her body was weak from the blood loss, lack of sleep, and various bouts of torture. It didn't take long for Lettie to fall asleep, her body and mind too weak to stay awake any longer. As she faded into the darkness, she could have sworn she felt Miles' presence nearby.
... b ...
Miles' mouth ached fiercely. He felt a wave of nausea flow over him, and almost stumbled at the intense feeling. It definitely wasn't from himself, and so far as he knew, nothing was wrong with Ginevra or either of his parents. The only other person he had this sort of bond with was Lettie.
A surge of hope rushed through him, and Miles ran ahead, certain that Lettie was nearby. The others in his group ran too, a few calling questions out to him, asking if he'd seen or heard something. Miles ignored all of the questions, keeping his mind focused on the sense of nausea that he'd felt, and kept running. He heard concern from Ginevra, asking what was going on and if he'd found Lettie yet. He didn't reply to her question; Miles refused to get distracted from the feeling of nausea, clinging to it desperately as he continued to run along the path. Lettie was nearby, she had to be, especially if he could feel her feelings this strongly. He wouldn't give up hope; she would be found on this day.
The nauseating feeling began to fade and he spurred himself to run faster still. Miles could smell blood, he was sure of it. She had to be just over the hill. He could smell her, feel her, and even though the feeling was fading faster still, Miles threw out his mind to search for a stronger hold on his beloved Lettie. He felt her slipping through the outstretched hand his mind had created, her consciousness leaking between his phantom fingers. Miles tried to tighten his fingers around her, to hold her as he had all of those days ago. He could feel his mind starting to splinter as a result of what he was trying to do, but he couldn't make himself pull back, not when she was so close, not now.
His feet pounded against the ground, and his mind began to crack, even as he spied the top of the hill, the sky appearing light blue and sunny. Miles threw himself forward, trying to hold onto Lettie even as she slipped down into the darkness. He landed hard on his stomach, pain spreading throughout his body, his nose dripping blood as his mind broke into a thousand pieces. His mind immediately began to shut down, to try and repair the damage that had been done. Miles tried to call out to the others, but no sound came out, and his mind was too far gone to call out to Ginevra internally. His eyes closed reluctantly, even as he fought against the sensation - he didn't matter, only Lettie did! - and at the bottom of the hill was a small group of tents and the smell of Lettie's blood.
... b ...
Ginevra felt Miles' panic, the surge of hope, and the absolute certainty that Lettie was nearby. Then his mind broke, and she almost stumbled and fell face-first into the snow. Miles just kept moving, and she could feel his determination with every step even as his mind splintered with each movement. She didn't have time to cry out, nor to tell Draco or the others that Lettie might be found, before her mind cracked open as well, the connection with Miles too new and overpowering with his emotions. Ginevra fell forward, collapsing onto the freezing snow and not moving.
"Gin?" Fred called out in worry, running over to her. "Gin, what's wrong?"
Fred? What's wrong with Ginevra? Draco demanded, George echoing his concern a second later.
No idea. She's just collapsed. Theo? Luna? Someone tell me what's going on!
Luna stepped in before anyone else could panic, her words firm and steady. Fred, get Ginevra out of the blizzard. There should be a cave about five minutes ahead of you. Wait at least three minutes after the blizzard's passed before attempting to Apparate to Hogsmeade with Ginevra and the others... Draco, Apparate to where Garion is with the rest of your team. Find Miles; he will need medical assistance, so he needs to be brought back to Hogwarts... Theodore, Millicent, you need to Apparate to Hogsmeade as soon as possible. Bring everyone with you; yes, the children are included in that... Blaise, Seamus, and Neville, you need to go to Hogsmeade to lead everyone back to Hogwarts. Bring them in small groups so you don't attract any unwanted attention. You can use both the Shrieking Shack entrance and Honeydukes tunnel. Use the Hog's Head painting only as a last resort, and if you can help it, avoid the Three Broomsticks completely... Colin and I will be going to the troll camp for Pansy and Greg, and the trolls they've organised to help... Everyone else, organise as much accommodation as you can within Hogwarts; we're about to get an influx of both werewolf and troll allies. Don't forget to let the house elves know as well - they'll need to get more meat.
That's enough, Cassandra. They'll be able to figure out the rest on their own, Apollo said firmly on seeing how pale Luna had become, her eyelids fluttering quickly as she tried to See every possible future in the space of a few seconds.
She took a deep breath and nodded weakly, opening her eyes to offer a reassuring smile in Colin's general direction. In her mind, she heard everyone following her directions, and hoped that it would be enough to save Lettie.
... b ...
"I hit you with lightning! You're dead now!" Caleb yelled, glaring at his cousin.
"Nuh-uh! I dodged it!" Maxine yelled back, glowering.
"I thought I told you two to play outside?" Selena asked them sternly.
"Sorry!" the two children called, running out to the backyard.
"Now, why don't you two sit down and we'll talk this over?" Selena offered, indicating to the dining room chairs for Millicent and Theodore to sit on.
They sat down, waiting and wondering just what on earth was going to happen.
"I don't know what Luna's told you, but she came here about eight months ago, telling us that a war was coming and we had to prepare. No one really believed her, but then she predicted a few things that were too personal for a stranger to know, and we eventually heard about You-Know-Who returning. It takes longer for news from the UK to reach the outskirts of France," Selena added with a slight shrug. "Everyone here has their own reasons for fighting, but I will tell you straight up that Matt and I have a personal vendetta against Fenir Greyback. If he comes within sniffing distance of us, we will not stop until he's dead."
"Uh... He's already dead," Millicent said a little hesitantly, hoping it wouldn't change her mind about joining their fight.
Selena went silent for a moment, shocked at this unexpected news. Millicent felt her heart drop to her stomach; now that their reason for fighting no longer existed, they weren't going to fight. Great one, Mill, why didn't she ever learn to shut up?! she berated herself.
"How did he die? Was it painful?"
Remembering the messy pile of blood and organs that Ginevra had turned Fenir Greyback into with her red wave on the Riddle House attack, Millicent grinned wickedly. "He was turned into a pile of goop by our friend."
"I hope it was painful," Theodore added with a fierce snarl.
Selena seemed surprised by his hostility, but nodded firmly. "Good. In that case, Matt and I will be completely focused on whatever task we're assigned. When do we need to leave?"
Millicent and Theodore were both distracted by Ginevra's collapse and didn't reply. Luna started issuing orders, even telling them who to take to Hogsmeade before they had asked the question itself, and when everyone had their tasks, she left abruptly.
"You two all right?" Selena asked, frowning at them in concern. "You kind of dropped off there."
"We're fine - sort of. Luna said that we have to leave for Hogsmeade right now," Millicent said.
"All of us, the children included," Theodore added.
"Fuck, how's that for timing?" Selena muttered with a shake of her head and a snort. "I'll tell Matt. Everyone will be ready to go in about fifteen minutes, if we can get the kids to put their shoes on without a fuss."
"Caleb, we've got to get ready to go! The war's here!"
Fucking hell, someone needs to get these kids bells or something to announce where they are! Millicent thought, her fingers clawed into her thighs.
"Maxine! What have I told you about your indoor voice?!" Selena yelled out to her niece.
"But I'm outside, Aunt Selena!" she called back over her shoulder, running to Caleb at the edge of the forest.
"Oh, damn it all, she's right... You two okay to stay here while I get packed?"
"We'd better tell our employers we're unavailable for the next month or so," Theodore said.
"Oh, right, of course. We'll meet you back here in about ten minutes then?" Selena asked.
Millicent nodded and thanked her, both she and Theodore Apparating to their workplaces a moment later.
... b ...
Draco barely waited for Luna to finish relating her instructions before he Apparated to Garion. He was part of the search team with Miles along with Xavier, much to his chagrin, as well as a mix of vampires and Veelans as the other teams were set up as well. Julianne, Padma, and George followed Draco with the others that had joined them, but Draco paid them no mind, his wings spreading a mere second before he flew ahead, hurtling between the trees to find Miles.
The vampire had run far ahead of the rest of his group and after passing the furthermost being, it still took Draco a few minutes to find Miles, collapsed on the ground and hidden beneath a plant's overgrowth as he was. His wings disappeared and he dropped to the forest floor, taking off at a run to reach Miles. He turned Miles over carefully and was relieved to find him alive - breathing, at least - but Draco couldn't see what was actually wrong with him. There was no wound, nor any blood, but that didn't matter; he was no healer. Draco let Padma and George where he was, and was joined by the two groups in a matter of minutes.
"Miles has been taken to Hogsmeade; we're going to head there now, are you coming, Draco? Draco?" Padma called again, frowning when he didn't answer.
"Do you see that?" Draco asked softly, looking down over the hill to a large clearing in the forest.
George and Padma moved to where he was standing, looking at the clearing but not seeing anything special about it; it was just an empty space between the trees.
"It's shining; I think there's a Glamour on it," Draco muttered, his eyes turning black as Hades took over and inspected the forest as well.
Now that he'd brought their attention to it, both George and Padma could see the shimmering as well. A brief flux of pixie magic had the Glamour fading, like water washing over a pane of glass, and they could see the multitudes of tents within the clearing. They were magical tents, if the sheer amount of people wandering the clearing were to go by.
"It's the magic of gods, no wonder no one else sensed it," Hades muttered. "You see the runes outlined there?" he asked Draco, indicating to a red rune, "It is a rune designed to break the mind of those bound with anyone within the magically-protected area. Ginevra will be all right in a few hours' time now that Miles has been removed from this area, but Miles will take longer to heal. I am truly surprised that he made it this far, considering the bond he has with Lettie."
"Wait, are you saying Lettie's down there? As in we can save her right now?" Padma asked, moving to go down to the clearing.
Hades grabbed her arm tightly, ignoring the low growl from George and the glare Padma gave. "Did you not hear me, woman? I just said it will confuse the senses of those bound with it's inhabitants. You think all bonds are forged with blood or magic?" he sneered. "Well, the bond does not differentiate between types; all bonds are adhered to. You are Lettie's friend, are you not? Friendship, love, respect, even hate can be a bond to another person. A complete stranger will need to go within the clearing to rescue Lettie. Are there any that you trust that do not know Lettie?"
Padma wrenched her arm out of Hades' grip and tried to think of someone that hadn't met Lettie that she trusted enough to rescue her friend. Thanks to the training Lettie had done, every single student still at Hogwarts knew Lettie, and Padma wouldn't trust the ones that weren't at Hogwarts anyway. The vampires all knew her, as did the Veelans; hell, even the Golden bloody Trio had met Lettie and probably formed an opinion of her on sight.
Didn't Luna mention something about an influx of trolls and werewolves? One of them might be trusted enough to get Lettie back, George mused.
Trolls, really? Are any of them - other than Greg - smart enough to get through the clearing, find and rescue Lettie, and then escape without alerting anyone to their presence? Or just destroy the place? One person won't be able to do anything other than get in and get out, and that's only if they're immune to Virginia! They won't be able to fight all of the Death Eaters that Voldemort's got down there alone. We don't have enough time to find a group of strangers to do this, and trust they'll get out of there without killing themselves or Lettie. Fuck, this sucks.
They stood there for a long moment, not daring to look away from the clearing. Padma soon reached the end of her patience and was ready to go in, screw the risk to herself.
The werewolves have volunteered; they will need to be Side-Apparated to your location. Please come to Hogsmeade as soon as possible, Luna said.
"We can't all go; what if something happens here?" George muttered.
"I'll stay. You both go, and get back here soon before I do something stupid," Padma muttered, making a shooing motion at them.
Draco nodded firmly. "Fine, but I'm trusting that you won't do anything stupid, Patil. Lettie will have my head if something happens to you."
"I know," she said with a smirk. "Now go already."
George hugged her warmly. "We'll be right back," he murmured in her ear, pressing a kiss to her cheek.
Padma smiled briefly, watching as they both disappeared. When she was alone, Padma turned around and sat on the top of the hill, watching the clearing carefully.
... b ...
Fred called for Parvati to help him with Ginevra, and she hurried over with Agnes by her side.
"Luna says there's a cave up ahead, about five minutes away. We've got to get Gin in there and wait out the blizzard!" he called over the sound of the wind.
"I can carry Ginevra, if you are not opposed to the idea?" Agnes offered.
Fred just nodded, a gust of wind stealing his words of thanks. Smiling briefly, Agnes gave Fred a slight nod and lifted Ginevra easily, striding ahead to the cave.
Parvati and Fred clung to each other, wading their way through the snow and battling their way against the wind. The vampires that had accompanied them weren't too far behind, and they all crowded in the cave awkwardly.
Parvati murmured a spell to light the tip of her wand so they could at least try to make Ginevra comfortable. A hiss of pain at the light came from further back in the cave, and Agnes spun on her heel, throwing a dagger before Fred or Parvati could react.
"Ow! Fuck, that hurts!"
Fred went with Parvati as she moved away from the light-sensitive vampires, heading to the back of the cave as she made her wand light up brighter.
"Well, today was a bad day to try and get over my cabin fever," Ric muttered to himself, raising a bottle of potent alcohol in salute, a dagger sticking out of his chest. "A few inches to the left and I'd be heartbroken. Turn that bloody stick off, would you? I'm not going anywhere, there's no reason to torture me."
Parvati dimmed her wand slowly, not looking away from Ric as Fred bound his arms and legs with a spell. Agnes was beside them a moment later, and lifted Ric off his feet with an inhuman growl.
"Lovely to see you too, dearest ancestor. Care for a drink?" Ric asked with a laugh, offering the bottle with his bound hands. "No? Then how about you take this dagger out of my chest before the thing rusts? Wouldn't want a beauty like that being ruined over little old me," he sneered.
"Just how drunk are you?" Agnes asked in disgust, dropping Ric to the ground without warning.
He landed in a heap and took a moment to sit up properly, bound as he was. Still, he ignored the dagger and just raised the bottle to his lips with a grin. His cheeks and nose were pink, but Parvati doubted that it had anything to do with the cold weather outside.
"I'm just drunk enough to forget my manners and not feel the cold anymore."
"You're a vampire; you don't feel the cold," Parvati pointed out.
"Then I suppose I'm just drunk enough to forget my manners. But some would argue I don't have those anyway, so perhaps I'm just drunk. What're you lot doing in my backyard anyway?" Ric asked.
He looked between them with a lopsided frown, but when he saw Ginevra lying on the cave floor, all the colour drained from his face immediately.
"Ginevra? Fuck. Take these damn ropes off me and let me help her!" Ric demanded, throwing the bottle against the cave's back wall, green glass smashing and scattering across the cold floor, the light from Parvati's wand casting odd reflections on the wall.
"Yeah, like you helped her last time?" Fred sneered.
He pulled the dagger out of Ric's chest, twisting the hilt a bit as he did so, and feeling a sliver of satisfaction as the vampire cried out in pain.
"Fred, we don't have time for this. The blizzard's getting worse, and Ginevra can't stay here in this condition," Agnes said, not bothering to take her dagger back from Fred just yet.
"I've got a fireplace, and better accommodation than this. Not much alcohol left though," Ric added. "Please, I can take you there. It's not far, but I won't be able to get there in these binds."
"You heard Agnes, Ric; if Ginevra can't stay in here like this, what makes you think she'll be able to survive out there, no matter how close you live?" Fred muttered.
"Give me the dagger," Ric said, nodding to Fred.
He grinned slightly and buried the dagger back into Ric's chest, straight into his open wound.
"Fred!" Parvati hissed. "Do that after Ginevra's safe inside, would you?"
"Sorry, dearest," he said, stepping back with a slight bow.
Ric gave a small blood-splatted laugh, lifting his bound arms to pull the dagger out awkwardly. He hobbled and jumped his way to the back of the cave, shards of glass digging through his thin-soled shoes until the path to the wall was nothing more than a trail of blood. No one moved to help him, even though the vampires seemed more interested in draining him than helping. Ric grunted in pain as he stabbed the blood-covered dagger directly into the stone wall. The cave disappeared around them, melting like snow in summer, and they were suddenly in his lounge room. Ric collapsed onto his armchair, the dagger falling listlessly from his fingers. He watched as Agnes lifted Ginevra onto the lounge, Fred transfiguring the piece of furniture so it resembled a high bed and his sister could be comfortable.
"Someone heal him before I bleed him dry," one of the vampires hissed, hands clenched at her sides to hold herself back.
"I'll do it," Parvati murmured, slipping around Fred to go to Ric. "This will hurt a little," she said, pointing her wand at him.
A simple healing spell shouldn't hurt - it was trying to heal a person and end their pain, after all - but Parvati found that she could be just as ruthless as her sister, just as cruel as Fred, and just as vengeful as George. The spell she used wasn't simple and it was very painful. Ric let out a scream of anguish as she healed the wound on his chest, his back arching off the chair and twisting in pain. Parvati lowered her wand with a smile.
"It seems like this blizzard will be raging for some time yet, so I believe we will have time to question Ric," Agnes said, turning to look at Ric curiously.
"Just so you know, I'll be stabbing you for every injury - emotional or physical - that you or your mother and her allies have given her. I think today makes it thirty-eight, isn't that right, Parv?" Fred asked over his shoulder.
"I'm pretty sure the answer's forty-two," she replied, then looked at Ric with her most sweetest smile. "Don't worry, Ric; I'll be healing every stab wound Fred gives you."
"Fuck that ten times over... I'll tell you whatever you want, just keep that girl away from me," he spat, glaring at Parvati.
In her mind, Parvati could hear Fred's riotous laughter even though his outward appearance showed no hint of joy when she looked at him. You're the kindest out of the four of us, Parv, and you just brought a big bad vampire to his knees by offering to heal him! Oh, and you have to teach me that spell sometime.
Later, when this is all over, she promised.
"Where's your mother?" Fred asked, the dagger twirling between his fingers nimbly.
"I don't know; I haven't seen her since I threw her out," Ric said with a brief shrug.
Parvati noticed that Ric wasn't actually looking at Fred, but had eyes only for Ginevra across from him. She frowned slightly and moved to block his line of sight to test her theory. Ric gave her another glare, sitting up a little straighter as if to look over her shoulder.
"Fred? Give me a minute alone with Ric, would you?" Parvati asked.
Why? Fred asked suspiciously.
Because I know how to get the answers we need.
All right... You sure? he asked, concern etched in his voice.
Positive. Trust me on this.
I'll always trust you, Parv. Take care, and call out if you need me, Fred said.
Thank you, dearest Fred, Parvati said with a warm smile.
He grinned and pressed a quick kiss to her hand before stepping back to leave them alone. Parvati created a cube around them, blocking Ric from Ginevra's sight completely.
"Let's get started, shall we?" Parvati said with a sweet smile, pointing her wand directly at Ric.
... b ...
Theodore and Millicent arrived in Hogsmeade with the pack only a second behind them. Selena had Side-Apparated with Caleb in her arms, and he scrambled out of them as soon as possible, calling for Maxine to join him at Honeydukes. Max tugged on Serena's hand, looking up at her pleadingly.
"Can Cal and I have a Sickle to buy something, Mamma? Please?" she asked, smiling wide enough to show her missing front tooth.
"Selena, you okay with Caleb getting hyped on sugar?" Serena asked her sister, grinning.
"He's already hyper enough, Rena. Oh, fine, make it a Knut," she said with a sigh when Max turned her big blue eyes on her.
"Thank you!" Max said, taking the Knut and running to join Caleb at the candy store.
"Oh, I don't trust that boy to wheedle as many sample sweets as he can. Come on, Matt, let's go stop our son before he rots his teeth away," Selena said with a sigh, heading over to Honeydukes with her husband in tow.
Serena frowned after her sister, then looked to Grant. "Max will do the same, and she's already knocked a tooth out from running around after sugar. We'd better go check on them too."
"All right. But I want a bag of Pumpkin Choc-Chunks while we're there," Grant said with a grin, already heading towards the store.
"Ugh, just the smell of those things makes my stomach turn. What's the furthest place from here?" Jim asked Millicent.
"Probably the Shrieking Shack," she replied, nodding up to the old wooden structure.
"That'll do. Coming, Mark?" he called to his partner.
"Yeah, be right there," Mark replied. He pulled out a pouch and pressed a Sickle into Millicent's hand. "Be a love and buy me a bag of Liquorice Wands, would you?" he asked quickly, heading after Jim.
"Well, I guess I'll be at the pub until our escorts arrive," Rob said with a shrug, heading to the Three Broomsticks.
"No! Not there," Millicent said urgently, remembering Luna's advice. "If you want a drink, go to the Hog's Head. I'd better buy Mark's Liquorice Wands before I forget," she muttered to Theo, giving his hand a squeeze before following the two families to the store.
"Okay, fine, but where the hell's the Hog's Head?" Rob asked Theo with a frown.
"I'll take you there," Theo offered, nodding down the lane in the direction of the pub.
"Thanks; I've got a wrecked sense of direction if I'm not shifted," Rob said, grinning.
Lettie's been found. We think, at least. We need a stranger to save her due to the runic wards that are set up there. Any volunteers from your area? Luna asked suddenly.
"You 'right, mate?" Rob asked, his grin slipping at Theo's blank expression.
I'll ask in here; you ask the other three, Millicent said.
"Sorry, Rob, change of plans; we've got to get to the Shrieking Shack," Theo said, leading him away.
"Everything all right?"
"Our friend might be found; there's wards stopping anyone from getting close. Only a stranger can rescue her from You-Know-Who," he replied briefly, getting more information relayed through Luna and Padma. "Someone needs to get in, get Lettie, and get out without bringing any attention to themselves."
"I'll do it," Rob said, shrugging. "Pretty sure Matt won't mind if I go lone wolf this one time."
Rob's volunteered, Theodore told Luna and Millicent.
"Thank you, Rob; I appreciate it."
"Not doing it for you, not really. My pack - they've all got families and partners, and I'm not going to let them risk that. They're my family, and I'm just the weird uncle that arrived one day and never left. I'll get the girl out so they won't put themselves in harm's way."
"You're an idiot, Rob. You're our family as much as we are yours," Mark said firmly, coming out of the forest with Jim beside him, both looking thoroughly kissed.
"Yeah, weird uncle or not," Jim said with a snicker.
"If yer gonna start blubberin', let me know so I can leave, yeah?" Seamus said with a grin as he came down from the Shrieking Shack to meet them, Blaise beside him.
Blaise nudged Seamus with his elbow sharply. "Don't be a prick, Irish."
"Who the hell are you two?" Rob asked, his hands tensed at his sides, ready to shift if need be.
"They're our escorts. The rude Irishman is Seamus, and his better-behaved boyfriend is Blaise," Theodore introduced, moving to shake their hands in greeting. "Thought you were meant to meet us here, not be ten minutes late?"
"We would've been here sooner if Seamus hadn't made so many lewd comments about Neville's arse while we were crawling through the tunnel," Blaise said with a snort. "A bunch of plant roots ensnared Seamus and Neville wouldn't let him go until he stopped."
"Dear gods, how long were you stuck down there?" Theodore asked in feigned shock.
"Oh, shove off. I controlled it after a few minutes."
"You mean Orion did," Blaise said, grinning as he put his arm around Seamus' shoulders and kissed his cheek.
"Are we goin' or not?" Seamus muttered.
Blaise just laughed, and moved to meet Jim, Mark and Rob properly. Seamus shook their hands as well, smirking when Mark admitted that he would've done the same thing if he'd been stuck in a tunnel with his boyfriend.
"Well, don't go saying that. We've still got to get back yet," Blaise muttered.
Mill, we're heading back through the Shrieking Shack; is Neville there with you? Theo asked.
Yes, going through Honeydukes now. See you at Hogwarts. Oh, tell Mark I bought two bags on special; Neville's bought things for both Blaise and Seamus, but it's a surprise.
"Mill got two bags of Liquorice Wands on special for you," Theodore said, grinning when Mark did a little dance.
"Oh, you're so lucky I love you, Mark," Jim said, shaking his head at his partner. "Come on, let's go before he really breaks out the moves," he deadpanned.
"Don't tempt me, Jimmy," Mark said with a laugh, following Seamus, Blaise and Rob up to the Shrieking Shack.
"Don't see why I couldnae go ter Honeydukes," Seamus muttered to Blaise.
"Because you'd either eat your way through the store, or want to spend hours in there choosing one thing," he replied certainly.
"Hmm, true. How long do ye think it'd take ter eat me way through the store?" he asked with a broad grin.
"Longer than you'd ever be allowed in there," Blaise muttered. "Come on, you're first, Irish," he said, opening the trap door for Seamus.
"Why do I have ter go first?"
"Because you'll make lewd comments if you're behind someone again."
Seamus chuckled. "Yeah, prob'ly. All righ', see ye there," he said, pulling Blaise down for a kiss before he slid down into the trapdoor and began the trek back to Hogwarts.
Jim, Mark, and Rob followed, Theo going after them, with Blaise bringing up the rear after ensuring the trapdoor was closed firmly.
Hey, if I stop, don't butt heads, Seamus said, chuckling.
Bloody hell, Seamus, I'm going to hex you when we get back! Blaise yelled.
Seamus just laughed and continued through the dirt tunnel.
... b ...
Dressed in heavy and bulky chain-mail, Helorr struggled to keep up with Gregory's long strides across the troll camp, his movements clinking with each step.
"Is the chain-mail really necessary, Helorr? You're giving me a migraine," Gregory muttered.
"I won it in my first fight," he replied, frowning.
"That doesn't mean you have to wear it all day, every day."
"Oh, leave him alone, Greg. Thank you for bringing him here, Helorr. You can go continue your tournament celebration now," she said with a smile.
Helorr thanked them both and hurried off, clinking all the way to the pub.
"You've been in a bad mood all day; what's wrong?" Pansy asked Gregory.
"I'm not the one in a bad mood; Poseidon's still sulking and it's irritating me."
"Still? I'm very grateful that he helped keep you alive, but that doesn't automatically mean he gets sex," Pansy said with a snort.
"I know that, but try getting it through his thick skull! I swear, he's got a thicker head than I do."
"You don't have a thick head, Gregory," Pansy said, reaching up to stroke his head with a grin, pressing a kiss to his lips.
Poseidon took over and responded, holding her tightly and deepening the kiss until Pansy could wrench herself out of his embrace. She slapped him hard, Amphitrite shining through her eyes.
"You do not get to touch me," she hissed, her wand shimmering to take its triton shape.
Poseidon fell to his knees, his jaw clenched at the humiliation. "My apologies, my lady."
"Your apologies?! Since when have mere words ever mattered to you?" she sneered, leaving him kneeling on the ground as she left.
Sorry, Pansy, I couldn't control him then, Gregory said, sounding as pissed off as she felt.
It's not your fault, Gregory. Are you all right to stay there for a while longer?
I'm happy to keep kneeling and humiliate this bastard some more. How about another five minutes?
Thank you.
Gregory just grinned in response. He stayed where he was, pushed to the back of his mind, so that Poseidon could fully appreciate the consequences of his actions.
His five minutes were nearing their end when Luna and Colin walked into the room. Colin was surprised at Gregory's state, but Luna just smiled when he relayed what was happening.
"I do wish you would learn your lesson already, Poseidon. You will be humiliated each time you attempt something like that. I can tell you right now that this punishment is one of the kinder ones that will be administered if you do not relent in this behaviour. Pansy and Amphitrite will always be stronger than you while you are this weak."
"I am not weak!"
"You are kneeling and will continue to stay that way unless you are released by your wife. I do not see any strength in this situation. You must learn to see and treat her as an equal before you can ever hope to stand on your own," Luna said, shaking her head.
Poseidon roared and tried to get up to do something, he wasn't sure. Apollo stood before Luna in a heartbeat, blinding Poseidon instantly.
"You are weak, Poseidon, and you would do well to remember that you are not the only god present. Never threaten my wife again, or you will find out firsthand just how I eat my fish," Apollo snarled.
Pansy tried not to laugh as she stepped into the room. "Please tell me it's shish kebab?"
"Lady Amphitrite," Apollo said, making sure to bow to her, a clear sign of respect that he hadn't shown to Poseidon.
"It has been far too long, Apollo," she said with a smile. "I would have liked to see you again sometime after your birth, you know."
"I regret that this meeting has been so long in arriving," he said in return, nodding his head briefly.
"Stop your flirting, woman, and let me stand!" Poseidon yelled.
You know what? I'm still good for another five minutes, Pansy. Why not take Colin and Luna on a tour of the camp? Take the scenic route, Gregory said with a chuckle.
"As much as I would enjoy prolonging Poseidon's lesson, we do not have the time. Lettie may yet be found, and we will need everyone to come to Hogwarts sooner rather than later. Bonds need to be formed, and our training must begin tomorrow in order for the varied allies to be able to work together without causing any problems," Luna said.
"Yet be found? You mean you don't know?" Pansy asked, frowning.
"No. I have a bond with Lettie, just as everyone else does, and if she is within the runic wards as it is believed she is, then I cannot See her. I have tried to See her, gods know I have, but it is extremely difficult to find one person in the hundreds of countries that exist in both the Muggle and magical worlds. For all I know right now, Lettie could be in that clearing, or she could be somewhere in the Himalayas," Luna muttered, frustrated at her lack of ability.
"We'll find her, Lu, you know we will. You can't know everything," Colin murmured, taking her in his arms.
"I'll go gather the trolls. Gregory, care to join me?" Pansy asked.
Gregory shifted until he had control of his own mind and body once more and nodded, standing up easily without needing Pansy to free him. "I'd love to, Pans. Poor Helorr, this is the second time we've interrupted his celebration."
Pansy smirked and took Gregory's hand as they left to go to the pub where their guests from South America were involved in a drinking competition with their European cousins. Colin didn't bother following them. Instead, he stayed where he was with Luna in his arms, keeping her calm and centred as she tried to compose herself once more.
... b ...
Draco went to Hogsmeade on the second trip with Blaise, Seamus, and Neville, just as dinner was starting to be prepared by the house-elves. They returned with the first group of trolls half an hour later, but they weren't alone. Draco carried Ginevra in his arms, and Parvati and Fred were dragging Ric into the Great Hall behind him.
"We've prepared a bed for Ginevra beside Miles in the hospital wing," Theodore said, hurrying over to go with Ginevra and Draco. "Where do you want him?"
"Ric can be put in the Room of Requirement with his binds kept on," Draco replied firmly. "Make sure you put him in a door that won't grant him any requirements."
Fred and Parvati both nodded, and were joined by their twins a moment later, the four of them working together to levitate the bound vampire up seven flights of stairs.
"Why is Ric here?" Theodore asked as they headed to the hospital wing. He'd offered to levitate Ginevra, but Draco refused to let her go.
"He claims to have information about his mother's plans for the war, but refuses to tell anyone other than Ginevra what they are," Draco muttered, his jaw clenched.
Theodore fell silent, and they stayed that way until they reached the hospital wing. He watched as Draco set Ginevra down on the indicated bed carefully. "It doesn't have to be Ginevra herself, does it? What if it just looked like her?"
"It won't work; Ric's been in her mind and she's been in his. He'll know if we try to trick him," Draco said.
"You already tried, didn't you?" Theodore asked with a sigh.
He nodded in return. "It didn't help things when I knocked him out cold, apparently. Made me feel better," Draco said, smirking.
"Great. Stay here and I'll check your hands after I've looked after Ginevra," Theodore said.
Draco's smirk slipped and he sat on the chair beside Ginevra's bed. He suddenly wished that they were anyone other than themselves. Just an ordinary witch and wizard who met, fell in love, and had nothing but the rest of their lives to look forward to. Instead, they were magical creatures, possessed by gods, King and Queen of the freaking world, and were crucial figures in the upcoming war that neither one could avoid. There were times when it felt as though all of his responsibilities weighed too heavily on his shoulders, and Draco forgot that he was only seventeen years old. Ginevra was sixteen, and had to bear just as much responsibility as he did. Where were their teenage years, their carefree days? Or were they gone completely now that their childhood was over?
Theodore realised that Draco was lost in his thoughts, and from the expression on his face, it didn't look like they were good thoughts. He went into Madam Pomfrey's office to get a vial of dreamless sleep potion, and soon returned, offering the potion-filled goblet to Draco. He took it after Theodore explained what it was, swallowing the whole concoction in one long gulp.
"Thanks, Theo," Draco murmured, resting his head on Ginevra's bed gently.
Theodore finished reviewing Ginevra's vitals - everything was all right and she would be fine with time and rest - and then checked Draco's hands as he had promised. After he healed the red-raw skin, Theodore levitated his friend to a separate bed, moving the bed so that Draco could be close to Ginevra again. His three patients all needed to sleep and let their minds recover from their ordeals. There was nothing Theodore could do to help them with that part of their healing process but he could make them as safe and comfortable as possible, and for now, that would have to be enough.
He closed the hospital wing's door gently, taking care not to wake his patients. Theodore then locked the door with a spell to ensure they wouldn't be disturbed by anyone other than himself or Madam Pomfrey, and headed back to the Great Hall where Millicent was waiting for him.
... b ...
By the time Blaise, Seamus and Neville arrived with the last of the trolls in the late evening, the house elves had finished cooking up the meals required for the varied groups staying within the walls of Hogwarts. The vampires were given their own table, their goblets filled with a blood-red liquid; the Veelas feasted on venison that Artemis had hunted in the Forbidden Forest with Evita and the unicorns' permission; the trolls drank copious amounts of mead and ate whatever was placed in front of them; the werewolves were seated across the Great Hall from the vampires as they ate their rare steaks, the smell of fresh blood enticing to the vampires, but not enough that they tried to steal the food. The Professors and students of Hogwarts sat wherever they could, most of them keeping to the trolls' table as the vampires found their smell entirely unappetising and would not go near the mortals while they smelled like a troll. (Of course, not many of the students or Professors liked the idea of smelling like a troll either, but they liked the idea of living more; the smell could be fixed with a shower and strong-scented soap.)
The werewolves needed time to assess the situation they were about to get into before they attempted to save Lettie, and left with Colin soon after they'd eaten, the seven adults seated on his back as he flew in dragon form to Hogsmeade so they could be Apparated to the forest. On arriving, Colin gave Millicent a nod and took his turn at watching the clearing, Apollo shining through his eyes as he surveyed the runes.
The pack of werewolves slipped between the trees, eyes glowing in the dark as they made their way to the clearing quietly. There were guards, but they were dealt with easily enough, and they continued. A v-formation kept them aware of their surroundings at all angles, and knowing that his pack would protect him, no matter what, Rob slipped between the trees and into the clearing without a sound.
His sense of smell was better than his directional sense, and Rob could smell blood and a stench of fear-hate-pain coming from one of the tents at the furthermost side of the clearing. He went around the back of the tents, ensuring that no one would notice him. He was a shadow, nothing more. Then, as it was difficult to convey a rescue plan while he was a wolf, his shadow became a man, and Rob slipped into the tent to find Lettie. Only, the tent was empty.
Frowning, Rob turned into a wolf again and left the tent once more, going to the next - empty - and the next - empty - and the next - empty. He checked every single tent within the clearing, only to find them all completely empty.
Stepping out of the final tent as his human self, Rob called to Matt and Selena. "It's empty! No one's here!"
Up on the hill, Colin heard Rob's words, his heart sinking as he related the news to his friends.
... b ...
Everything had been in an uproar since Lettie fainted earlier, and when she'd woken up, they were moving through a forest, getting as far away from wherever they'd been as possible. Now, hours later, the stars faintly twinkling overhead and starting to fade, their second camp had been set up and Lettie had been thrown in another tent, her hands and legs bound.
Unable to quell her bladder's urgency, Lettie called out, raising her voice until someone threw an old copy of The Daily Prophet for her to wipe herself. She never thought that she would say something like this, but Lettie was almost positive that she would kill someone to use an actual toilet again. In fact, she had already compiled a list of the people she'd kill first: Voldemort, Virginia, Pettigrew were the top three, not surprisingly. Glancing down at the front cover of The Daily Prophet that was sitting before her, Lettie frowned at the date.
July 25th? But that couldn't be right. Her period was due on the 23rd, and her body was like clockwork when it came to menstruating.
Pettigrew came in a few minutes after she'd finished her business, a grimace on his face as he threw her food at her and cleaned the mess with a flick of his wand.
"What's the date today?"
"It's the 27th. Why do you want to know?" Pettigrew asked suspiciously.
"I wanted to know how long I've been here," she replied with a shrug, though her heart was hammering in her chest.
Pettigrew was still frowning as he left the tent, but Lettie ignored his departure easily enough.
She was four days late. Maybe it was just the stress? Kidnapping and torture's probably not good for body clock-things.
Somewhere in her chest, Lettie already knew the truth: that she was pregnant with Miles' child. Yet, she was a captive of Virginia and Voldemort, and she doubted that they would treat her any different if they knew. Lettie couldn't let them find out. They would try to hurt her baby or use it against her, and she would never let that happen. Despite the choker still being tied tightly around her neck, her eyes flashed black and her nails grew to sharp spikes.
... b ...
End of the thirty-sixth chapter.
Thank you for reading, I hope you liked it.