The enemy [Part 2]
“Hurry!” the voice hissed. “Ignore the rest... they will not try anything with Potter caught...”
Skull wished he could say otherwise, but it was true. Skull growled as Pettigrew tied Harry to a gravestone. Reborn came out of his hiding spot, and Skull glared at Cedric as the boy tried to do the same. The Hufflepuff’s lips tightened, and he came out anyway.
”Plan?” Skull murmured to Reborn.
”I could shoot,” Reborn suggested. “But the bastardo still has his wand pointed at the brat. I could shoot the wand, though.”
Pettigrew had started to chant something. Skull’s mind whirred with panic. What could he do? What was he supposed to do?! Skull didn’t flinch as Pettigrew cut his own arm, but took half a step forward when the rat held the knife to Harry’s arm. Reborn stopped him.
”Don’t,” Reborn said softly. “The knife it too close to him. If you attack now, you might do more harm than good.”
Skull hissed as Pettigrew turned his back to Harry, and took his chance then. Reborn fired a shot and Pettigrew’s wand shattered. Skull lunged forward, tackling Pettigrew to the ground and- the vial of blood flew out of the rat’s hand and into the cauldron. Skull swore, bringing a rock down on Pettigrew’s head and knocking him out before aiming a spell at the sparking cauldron.
”Reducto!” he yelled and the cauldron exploded. However... Skull realised with rising dread as the being the cauldron had contained stood up slowly, that only the cauldron has been destroyed not the thing inside.
Skull scrambled up and towards Harry as Voldemort looked at him coldly. Then at Reborn.
”...a muggle?” he asked softly. “A muggle dares to be in my presence?”
”Arrogant much?” Reborn asked, clicking his tongue. “Wizards. Worthless without their wands, dares to make fun of me. How funny.”
Voldemort’s nose flared and Reborn smirked. “While you may look ugly, I’ll be betting that your body works the same as anybody else. A well placed bullet will end your life.”
Voldemort, to his credit, chose to ignore Reborn and instead knelt down next to Pettigrew and tugged the one good arm out from under his body. Skull tensed. What was he planning...?
Voldemort touched a long, pale finger to the Dark Mark, and the Dark Lord smiled.
”How many will be brave enough to return when they feel it? And how many will be foolish enough to stay away?”
”Humans are rather foolish,” Reborn supplied, “So don’t mind me when I say I think none of them.”
”Silence, muggle,” Voldemort hissed.
”Whatever,” Reborn snorted, and fired his gun. However, someone appeared with a crack! and took the bullet instead. There was a yelp of pain and the cloaked figure crumpled to the ground. Reborn raised an eyebrow. “Unexpected.”
Soon, however, there were more and more pops as hooded figures appeared in the graveyard. Skull hissed as he backed towards Harry, wondering how he was supposed to defend himself as well as cut the boy loose at the same time.
Reborn was on guard, though he didn’t appear to be. He quietly moved in front of Cedric, his gun poised to shoot at any given moment.
Slowly, the hooded figures moved forward towards Voldemort, as if not believing what they were seeing. Then, one of them collapsed to his knees and kissed the hem of the newly risen Dark Lord’s robes, much to Reborn’s disgust.
”Master... Master...”
This seemed to prompt the other figures behind the figure into doing the same thing, and then moving away to form a silent circle.
Skull and Reborn exchanged wary looks. Reborn spoke loudly.
”Alright, you freaks, I think you put on enough of a show. Why don’t we get on with the fight already?” he asked and all eyes turned to him. He smirked, twirling his gun in the air.
”The Dark Lord has no need to answer you, muggle,” a man hissed. Reborn raised an eyebrow as Voldemort raised a hand airily.
”No... let the muggle speak. It shall be his last words anyway... and I am feeling generous,” he said.
”Well, here’s what I want to know,” Reborn said, “I already know you have a spy planted within Hogwarts-” here, there was a collective murmur, “-and I have good guess as to what you’re aiming for.”
”Well then?” Voldemort asked, “tell me, muggle. What am I aiming for, then?”
”World domination,” Reborn said confidently. “Either that, or immortality.”
”Well,” Voldemort said softly. “It appears even a muggle like you has a few brain cells to rub together.”
”Wasn’t hard, really,” Reborn snorted. “Why else would you bring yourself back from half-death and summon your followers? You’re following a very cliche plot here.”
Then, Reborn’s onyx eyes seemed to darken even further. “Immortality is not worth the trouble. If you are wise, you will take my word for it.”
”How would you know?” Voldemort sneered.
”Well, considering I was immortal for some time, I’d know better than you, at least,” Reborn snarked back. “And I’d love to stay and chat, but it seems Skull is done.”
There was a crack! as Skull least onto a Death Eater’s shoulder with Harry on his back and Pettigrew trailing behind and somersaulted behind Reborn. There were several cries of shock and Voldemort looked furious.
”Give me the Potter boy,” he hissed and Skull handed Harry to Cedric and whispered something in his ear. Cedric nodded, his face pale. Then Skull turned to Voldemort, shoulder to shoulder with Reborn. His eyes glinted purple as his hair turned spiky and purple.
Skull rolled his shoulders and shook his head, dumping Pettigrew on the ground.
”I don’t think so, you senile old man. You want him? You’re gonna have to get through us,” he said.
”Who do you think you are!?” a Death Eater cried in fury. “Filthy mudblood!”
”I’ll have you know I’m a half-blood,” Skull said coolly. “My Father was Alphard Black of the Black Household.”
There was a pause, and a cry of outrage. Skull rolled his eyes. “Oh, shut up for Hell’s sake. This really is getting annoying though. I think we should- CEDRIC NOW!”
Cedric, bless the boy, bolted instantly towards the Cup. There was a cry of rage from Voldemort- wands raised... and-! Cedric and Harry disappeared as jets of red and green light shot towards them. Skull instantly cast a shield charm, and the spells that got through- well, they were dodged easily. Skull raised his wand, kicking Pettigrew aside. Reborn raised his gun.
”I usually don’t like killing,” Skull said coldly. “However, I think I might make an exception for just this once.”
The next few minutes were a blur. Skull and Reborn moved in total harmony. Spells were shot, bullets fired and flashes of purple, yellow, green and various different lights flashed like lighting.
At one point, Skull was pretty sure he’d brushed hands with a Death Eater, and the person’s blood had propagated so much that they’d exploded within seconds. Reborn was faring quiet well too. The Death Eaters has underestimated him for being a muggle. It was their undoing. Reborn wasn’t called the worlds greatest hitman for nothing.
Everything seemed to be going well enough, until- “Sectumsempra!”
Skull took a harsh intake of breath, his hands flying to his stomach. Something warm trickled over his hands and he stumbled back from his opponent, who grinned and raised his wand again.
”Skull!” Reborn roared and a small hole appeared in the Death Eater’s head.
”Well,” Skull mumbled. “At least he was the last one. Too bad most of them apparated away. Peh, cowards. Including Voldemort.” Then he collapsed, his knees crumpling from his weight.
Reborn caught him and gently laid him on the ground, though his eyes were panicked.
”Skull,” he said in false calmness. “Why aren’t your Flames working? Shouldn’t they be working?”
Reborn’s hands started to glow yellow as the hitman pressed them to Skull’s abdomen. The stuntman grimaced.
”Yea, yea I think... it’s because the spell... used isn’t really a normal spell... to use it... you kinda... need to gather enough resentment... or something...? Don’t remember how Severus explained it... oh! This guy must have been Jordan Starkwood... the guy took a peek at Severus’s notes and saw the spell...”
Reborn looked frantic and Skull frowned in a daze. “Hmm? Renato? You okay?”
”It’s not working,” Reborn said desperately, “your Flames are propagating your blood, but the wound fucking isn’t healing!”
”Think...” Skull said weakly. “Think maybe we should call someone...? And... get Pettigrew too... yea? Want... want him to... suffer... for the betrayal... don’t... don’t like Pettigrew...”
”Hold on,” Reborn said. Strangely, his eyes felt hot. “Hold on. I’m calling Tsuna now. Don’t close your eyes. Don’t close your eyes. Keep talking. Keep talking.”
”I don’t wanna die...” Skull said quietly. “I never liked the quiet, you know, Ren? Never liked silence. That... was a reason why I... was so loud... if you guys got mad... then you’d shout... right? So... so...”
”That’s right,” Reborn encourages, sounding slightly hysterical. “Tsuna sent some people over. Keep talking, Bellissimo... keep talking, ok?”
In the distance, the two heard shouting. Huh, the Vongola were surprisingly quick... Well, Skull wasn’t complaining.