Run
It was a large expanse of white, blinding and like fire, fierce, grey winds crashed into each other, creating and destroying, strange shapes forming and deforming, everything zeroing in to one point, a moment of complete deafening silence before it exploded outwards and screaming followed.
I covered my ears, feeling my chest hollowing, like life was literally being drawn from me. I screamed, anything to make it stop. Then everything stilled. I slowly opened my eyes and saw black, not darkened, just black. I managed to get to my feet, not quite knowing what I was standing on, there was no ground, nothing. Movement caught my eye, I turned to see a man hovering, almost like he was falling, but it was so slow.
‘Angie.’ He whispered, terrified, unable to move. ‘Angie, please, help me.’
I rushed towards the man and saw the familiar curling blonde hair and dark brown eyes.
‘Remus,’ I panted. ‘What happened? One minute I was fighting Bellatrix, she killed Sirius and now… what’s happening here?’
‘I couldn’t let her kill you. You are the last living descendant of Rhea Lockwood, you cannot be allowed to die before she does.’
‘Rhea? Whose Rhea?’
‘My mother.’ It was as if admitting the very fact itself pained him. ‘Angie, the prophecy. Perhaps, once there was a time where it could have been stopped, but that time has come and gone and choices were made that cannot be undone.’ I could see the brother was terrified to move in case he somehow fell, but why was he suspended in the first place? ‘You know how this will end, you know who the last wolf is?’
‘Yes, yes I know, it can’t be anyone else.’ I was at a loss, I didn’t know how to help him. ‘All the evidence points towards-‘
‘Then you have all you need and I can no longer help you defeat my brother.’ Tears began streaming down his face, he was in pain and I felt such pity for him. ‘Can I die now? Can I be free?’
I didn’t know whether he was asking me or someone else, but suddenly I realised what was happening.
‘You took the curse for me? You’re saving me?’
‘Three thousand years is far too long a life, it’s difficult to hold onto the things you once believed important when so much death and suffering have poisoned the soul. Love, family, friendship… I would like to see my wife again, my son, my brave boy.’
It was like he was looking at something unseen, something out of the corner of his eyes that I wasn’t privy to.
‘I don’t understand.’
‘Angie, the end has already begun, but you can still fight, you can still save some of your friends. Don’t make the same mistake I did, don’t let her escape your grasp. Destroy Rhea!’
It was clear that he was in a lot of pain and was extremely scared. I could see the same cuts and injuries as the day he died, it was the moment he was supposed to die all those years ago. He was never supposed to live this long and he knew that, he just wanted to be free of this life.
‘Go,’ I nodded. ‘Go and see Dora, hug Felix. You don’t have to fight anymore. Be at peace.’
As soon as I said it, I felt violent vibrations beneath me.
‘Thank you.’ Remus whispered, his eyes closed and I began to fall straight through the floor. I was scared, I couldn’t stop falling, there was nothing to grab onto, nothing to break my fall or stop the speed at which I was falling.
The black, became green, the green became a blazing sun reminiscent of the inside of my soul and the sun melded into sharp rocks of the room I’d been summoned to by my begging husband. I felt the hard floor and my aching body slamming into it. I landed on my shoulder and instantly knew I’d dislocated it at best. I rolled over and saw the one thing I didn’t think I’d ever see.
‘Darren?’ I groaned.
His dark eyes found me and fear flashed through them, his wand was raised, pointed curiously in the direction of the children. He bolted. Darren ran through a narrow corridor, following Harry who looked to be chasing Bellatrix, his smooth balck cloak, whipping around the corner after him. I got myself to my feet and chased after them. Darren would need the back up if he was going after her alone.
‘Crucio!’ Harry yelled but it didn’t have much affect on the witch who was just staring up at him.
‘Harry, no!’ I ran towards him. Darren was hunched over, panting hard, he was exhausted. ‘Stay behind me Harry.’ I said, still holding onto my shoulder. ‘Darren, the Aurors are coming we need to restrain her.’
Darren just looked at me and did nothing. His expression was blank.
‘Darren?’ I frowned. ‘What are you waiting for?’
Bellatrix started laughing, she was looking at something behind me, the second I turned she ran towards an escape route. Voldemort was here. I moved Harry to the other side, Darren was still watching me. I held my wand up, praying someone would come and find us, I couldn’t fight Voldemort alone, not when I felt so drained.
‘Lockwood, the younger.’ Voldemort’s silky voice sickened me.
‘Darren, you have to help me, we can take him together.’ I said.
‘He was right, your ferocity is limitless.’ Voldemort laughed, if you could have called it laughing. I felt weak, I felt lighter than I ever had before, something was wrong.
‘Darren what’s he talking about?’ I turned to my brother, his handsome face was gaunt, his blue eyes were sunken and bloodshot and I suddenly feared the worst. ‘Please don’t tell me you’ve…’ the words were caught in my throat, I couldn’t say it. ‘It doesn’t have to be like this Darren, you can still fight this, we can still get what we deserve, long and happy, remember?’
Darren said nothing. I could feel Harry trying to get closer to help, if it was me against my brother and Voldemort, then I was losing, I just prayed that my brother was still in there somewhere.
‘Show me the wolf.’ Voldemort said, I felt my eyes flicker towards the dark wizard. Why would he want to see my animagus?
‘Darren, everything will be okay, I promise, everything will be fine.’ My shoulder was killing me and I had no idea what I was supposed to do. I watched my brother move to stand closer to Voldemort and rage began to pour into me. ‘Don’t do this Darren.’
‘Your brother has made his loyalty to me clear.’ Voldemort said, softly.
‘He’s not loyal to you.’ I snapped. ‘Darren, you and I both know the truth, it’s not you, this isn’t you… it’s him and we need to stop him.’
‘Angie, we have to do something.’ Harry said, still behind me.
‘Darren, why were you in Bulgaria?’ I asked.
Darren’s expression suddenly changed from hardened to a flicker of surprise. He was still having black outs. There was a good chance that he didn’t even know about Bulgaria, the brother must have had a tighter hold on him than I realised.
I felt the rage pulsing and stepped forward.
‘I hope you’re listening to me,’ I growled. ‘I hope you’re paying attention. I don’t care where you go or what you do, I will destroy you and there is nothing that will stop me.’
Voldemort began cackling and I’d had enough. I pulled my wand up and found myself thrust into a quick and devastating battle with Voldemort himself. One eye always on Darren, I pushed Harry back behind me and blocked every spell Voldemort threw in my direction, some of them I could block, others, I had to duck out of the way. What was wrong with me? Why couldn’t I fight harder than this? Why was my body failing me?
There was a noise from one of the fireplaces behind me and it was enough to stop Voldemort firing spells at me. I dropped to my knees and gasped for air, anything to gain a little energy back.
‘It was foolish of you to come here tonight, Tom.’ Dumbledore. Thank Merlin he was there. I couldn’t keep this up on my own.
I felt my body sliding across the floor to somewhere safer with Harry, I could taste blood and my shoulder was killing me. Darren’s blue eyes caught my attention, Harry was already on his feet, Darren was watching him closely, his wand coming up, but before he could fire anything off, I launched my body towards Harry and moved him out of the firing line.
‘Don’t do this, Darren!’ I yelled, blood pooling in my throat. ‘There’s another way! I can show you another way.’
‘This is the only way!’ Darren’s voice was more like a growl and I knew it wasn’t my brother I was speaking to.
‘Then you leave me no choice.’ I growled back.
I scrambled to my feet, Darren had begun firing weakened shots in my direction, it gave me hope that he was pulling his punches. My brother was still in there somewhere.
‘I won’t let him take you, Darren!’ I yelled, between dodging spells. ‘You’re my brother, I won’t let this happen to you. You’re stronger than he is! You’re my brother!’
One shot straight to my chest was enough to floor me, it wasn’t nearly as powerful as it could have been, but my body was frailer than it had ever been before. I felt as I was walking around in a glass skeleton, my bones, were heavy and delicate at the same time. My muscles were bruised and torn, my skin was thin and barely enough to contain me. I looked up to where my brother was standing, holding his head and screaming. He was still fighting.
‘Darren.’ I whispered, his eyes opened. ‘No one loves you the way I do. No one in the world could ever…’ blood was pouring from my mouth. Was this what dying felt like? ‘Darren, run.’ I begged. Harry was on the floor, Dumbledore leaning over him, telling him how to fight off Voldemort’s possession. It scared me more than anything. ‘Run for your life, the Aurors are coming. I won’t let them put you back in Azkaban. Run, Darren. I’ll find you.’
Darren finally found some strength to dart into a fireplace and the green fire consumed him. I would keep my promise. I would find my brother, but for now, I needed to find Remus. Why wasn’t he here? My mind was blurring as I began to drag my body back towards the entrance way, the way I’d sprinted in through. Remus. I needed to find him. My shoulder was badly damaged that I could only crawl with one arm, I could feel sand underneath my hands, making it harder to move.
The sound of every fireplace lighting up behind me sounded and Fudge gasped at the sight of Voldemort disappearing once again. I felt Kingsley’s familiar warm grasp, wrap around me.
‘Angie, you’re okay, you’re going to be just fine.’ He said, I didn’t believe him.
‘Remus.’ I croaked. ‘Through there.’
‘I know. Just rest a moment.’ Kingsley motioned for another face I didn’t recognise to take care of me.
I hated the taste of blood, I hated the smell of it, it sickened me. My vision was blurring, but I wondered if that was anything to do with my state, or rather because without the brother, I needed glasses. It was a brief thought, but it spiralled and a hundred others came into my mind. The brother was gone. Remus Lockwood was dead at last, but I was suddenly weak without him. My body felt empty and hollow, but somehow heavier, how was that possible? Did Romulus sense that? Did he know his brother had been killed? Had the prophecy started? Was there really no turning back? No, no, I could still do it, I could still save Darren, long and happy was still the dream, the goal. We could still do this, if I could just work out what happened, I could save my family. After three thousand years, we’d never been closer to peace, it was time to push ourselves to the limit and have the lives we wanted.