Walking through the secret tunnel, all of its defenses were already disabled. We couldn't hear the chaos above us from here, as if we were in a completely different world. Reaching the end, it didn't surprise us that the hatch was open, its magic keeping the dark water from flooding us.
"Ready?" I asked, and Quincy, with a nod, bit down on some gillyweed and jumped, disappearing into the water.
I didn't hesitate to follow her, and we were swimming fast, heading towards the surface and the ship of the Durmstrang students. Feeling the freezing water bite into our bodies wasn't something one could be prepared for. I expected it to be cold, but to hurt like this? Damn...
As we approached the surface, I could see some flashing lights, probably wild spells, going over the lake's surface. I couldn't let myself be distracted, so I kept my eyes locked on the ship's bottom, not that far from us. As we got closer, I nodded at Quincy to head towards its anchor, and we used it to scale the vessel, me going first.
When my head popped up at the top, I couldn't help but let out a relieved sigh as I saw our classmates and Professor Lockhart there, working hard to disable the magical defenses of the ship.
"Conrad!" One of the others called out as we climbed up, using spells to dry and warm ourselves up.
"Good work, everyone! How are we?" I asked, unable to help myself, and looked towards the school, seeing the battles going on, watching some of the explosions and loud screams carried forward by the strong wind.
"We are fine, but the ship's defenses are giving me a headache!"
"Nobody's hurt, yes?" I asked after hearing the Professor's words, making the rest chuckle, knowing what I meant, "We will wait for Victor; he should be able to unclog it with ease!"
"If he comes."
"Professor, please, be a bit more positive!" I grunted as it was no time to be depressed. If we don't try to be optimistic, then why are we even trying anything? Should we just flop down and die?
"Look!"
All of us turned towards where one of the fourth-year students pointed, and I saw a broomstick heading towards us with incredible speed, making me smile, turning towards Lockhart.
"See?"
The way he landed was immaculate, and he didn't wait for questions or introductions, beginning to unseal the vessel, taking control of it at once.
"Inside! Everyone!" He ordered, and I was about to repeat it, telling the others to hurry down the now open doors and hatches, deep into the ship's belly, when an incredible pain stabbed me in the arm.
"Conrad!" It was Quincy who noticed it as I almost kneeled over, looking towards the school.
"HE is here! And HE is calling everyone!" I groaned, feeling the tattoo burn my flesh.
"HE?" Victor shuddered, just as the others did as we all turned towards the shore.
It didn't take long to notice him standing in the air, surrounded by multiple Death Eaters... including my Father. I immediately felt my heart speed up, rising to my throat. The roar of dragons followed their appearance as the two carriage-pulling animals rose to the sky, attacking the group and making them scatter, dodging their fiery breaths. I may have been awed by the scene in a different life, but now I was feeling such dread that my legs were shaking. Something terrible was going to happen.
...
....
......
Screams. Ear-piercing, hearth-wrenching screams. It was what filled the dreams of Angus Anguine for many years. Countless nights made him wake up to them, echoing in his ears, drenching his body with cold sweat. He could see his parents' faces distorted by being subjugated to the cruciatus curse over and over again.
Worse, it was his one and true love's expression, on the brink of madness, crying, biting her lips until blood flowed, begging for death, the sweet release just so she would not suffer anymore. He was not just made to watch it but made to experience it himself. It was the punishment for betraying Lord Voldemort and the rule of the Ministry.
They were going to die... but before that, they were going to break them all. When Angus's eyes met with his Father's, he suddenly understood something. His always kind and wise parent told him everything with that one look, only clear for a blink of a second between two blasts of torturous curses. He understood what had to be done.
When the final trial happened, every family member acknowledged their sins of harboring mudblood witches and wizards. They were intentionally muddying their bloodlines, wanting to make their son marry a muggle. Angus, stoically, never looking at her parents, also told the Wizengamot that he was forced to comply and that he abhorred what was going on, but his Father held every power within the family.
To this statement, the old man didn't fight back but acknowledged it without any resentment. Not long after, Lord Voldemort himself decided that the family would be purged, leaving only one life to atone for their sins. Angus Anguine. Of course, this had to be sealed by blood, and it was deemed that the last Anguine would become the executioner. Either that... or be killed just like the rest of the family.
To this day, whenever Angus looked at Voldemort, he couldn't help but see the faces of his family. His smiling Mother... his always kind Father... and the relieved expression of his one and only love since childhood. What was worse, none of them were angry at him in their moment of death, knowing full well that one day, Angus would avenge them all.
"Soon we will meet again... I can't wait to tell you all about little Conrad..." He whispered to himself, dodging the dragon's flames, watching Voldemort's back.
There was no more hesitation. With a flick, he unleashed the killing curse straight at the back of Lord Voldemort.
"LORD!" cried out one of the other Death Eaters, but his master was already facing Angus, hitting the green jet of magic with his own spell, as the two curses canceled each other.
With a loud roar, one of the frenzied dragons interrupted them, scattering the group once more as it flew past, trying to eat them alive, taking its sweet time turn in the sky, ready to breathe fire from above.
"I knew you would do this one day!" Voldemort grunted, waving his hand to the others to deal with the raging dragons while he began dueling Angus in earnest. "I wasn't sure which of you is the traitor! You or Severus, but now it came to light! Good, good! Fight me, Angus Anguine! Let me crush you just like your family! Maybe your death will finally make the old bastard appear!"
Angus said nothing in turn as their duel commenced, multiple flashes of light clashing mid-air as they waltzed around the battlefield, trying to kill each other. It wasn't just Voldemort who attacked Angus; three other Death Eaters were in close pursuit, trying to assist their master. Even the Dark Lord himself had to acknowledge the man before him was an exceptional duelist. One mistake would be enough to kill him... deep down, he was disappointed that he would have to kill one such great asset.
"UGH?! NOOOO!"
The profound and unsettling cry that interrupted their fight came out from none other's mouth than Voldemort, with his free hand clutching his chest. He knew full well what this meant... Dumbledore found it. The bastard was not here to kill him... but to obliterate the Horcrux hidden inside the Castle! How did they find out about it?! Nobody should know about it, not Angus, not Snape, nobody. Only. Him! It was inconceivable for Voldemort to think this was even possible as only he was the master of Hogwarts; only he should know about the Room of Requirements, being the blood of Salazar Slytherin. But he could no longer think about it as a jet of green light approached him very quickly...
When the howl of pain left the mouth of Lord Voldemort, Angus didn't waver. He knew what to do, and even though he was surrounded by multiple other Death Eaters, it was what he was waiting for. Decades passed since that day, but finally... it had come to him. He used the killing curse with a precise and elegant flick, sending it directly at Lord Voldemort and hitting his body, which disintegrated for some weird reason. Still, he wasn't questioning it, his lips curling into a satisfied smile.
"I'm coming..." Angus whispered, looking towards the horizon, his eyes already calm, unbothered, and filled with tears of happiness. The screaming finally stopped... he could no longer hear them. "Take care... my son."
His last thoughts were of Conrad when three different curses hit his body, tearing him apart, without a chance to fight back, letting his mangled body fall from the skies.
...
....
.....
"Conrad!"
I heard my name being called, but it was as if somebody was shouting it from far away. Every noise was muffled and distorted as I watched my Father's body plummet from the sky, unable to comprehend what I was seeing. I felt two hands grab me, one belonging to Quincy and one to Victor, pulling me into the belly of the ship before it was fully submerged and we would be washed off from it.
My Father... died? Killed? Just... Just like that? No... that can't be... can it? But... he is the best duelist; he just defeated the Dark Lord himself... how was he dead? That... that can't be...
...
....
......
As it was later called, the Massacre of Hogwarts lasted for multiple hours, ending in the retreat of the Order's forces, who remained unsuccessful in occupying it. Of course, few knew that it was not a failure but a success that the members of the Order celebrated for multiple days onwards.
Even though they lost a lot of people, it was a great success. Dumbledore not only managed to find and destroy the hidden Horcrux, but Angus Anguine, sacrificing his own life, destroyed Lord Voldemort's body.
"Ultimately, we were triumphant." Moody grunted, swinging his flask as the Order of the Phoenix leaders were gathering in a villa hidden by ancient magic somewhere in the British Isles. "With us back at home, we can finally spread the flames of rebellion! The bastard is down to two lives!"
"Are we sure?" Flamel asked, only present through a chocolate frog card, as he was accompanying his students back to France, preparing for war.
"Yes." Dumbledore nodded, looking over the others who were attending this meeting. Some of them were surprising for him to be found alive, like the Sirius brothers. They were battered but living, something he wasn't expecting, especially after giving the nod to Severus. But it didn't matter... Then there was Charlie, who looked way too calm, which could only mean he was beyond angry. These were people; he was sure to die along with Angus... yet did not. "Tom only has two Horcruxes left. Now, with him dead, he will be whittled down to the last one. When he returns, he will only have a lone Horcrux that we need to find, destroy, and finally be able to kill him for good. 'Tis was a great victory for our Order!"
"The kid escaped..." Charlie murmured, incensed by the thought that his dragons were sacrificed for nothing.
"Come to France." Flamel said, catching Cahrlie's attention. "Their ship must have headed towards the mainland. My student, Fleur, is already preparing to go and hunt the two youngsters down before the Death Eaters. You can team up with her."
Charlie quickly glanced at Dumbledore, who nodded in agreement, letting him go on his own way. He was unstable... let it be Flamel's worry from now on. His mind was already on different problems. He was back, back in England. It was time to begin executing plans that they had been working on for decades. By the time the Dark Lord returns to a new body, they must welcome him with the flames of war.
Walking through the secret tunnel, all of its defenses were already disabled. We couldn't hear the chaos above us from here, as if we were in a completely different world. Reaching the end, it didn't surprise us that the hatch was open, its magic keeping the dark water from flooding us.
"Ready?" I asked, and Quincy, with a nod, bit down on some gillyweed and jumped, disappearing into the water.
I didn't hesitate to follow her, and we were swimming fast, heading towards the surface and the ship of the Durmstrang students. Feeling the freezing water bite into our bodies wasn't something one could be prepared for. I expected it to be cold, but to hurt like this? Damn...
As we approached the surface, I could see some flashing lights, probably wild spells, going over the lake's surface. I couldn't let myself be distracted, so I kept my eyes locked on the ship's bottom, not that far from us. As we got closer, I nodded at Quincy to head towards its anchor, and we used it to scale the vessel, me going first.
When my head popped up at the top, I couldn't help but let out a relieved sigh as I saw our classmates and Professor Lockhart there, working hard to disable the magical defenses of the ship.
"Conrad!" One of the others called out as we climbed up, using spells to dry and warm ourselves up.
"Good work, everyone! How are we?" I asked, unable to help myself, and looked towards the school, seeing the battles going on, watching some of the explosions and loud screams carried forward by the strong wind.
"We are fine, but the ship's defenses are giving me a headache!"
"Nobody's hurt, yes?" I asked after hearing the Professor's words, making the rest chuckle, knowing what I meant, "We will wait for Victor; he should be able to unclog it with ease!"
"If he comes."
"Professor, please, be a bit more positive!" I grunted as it was no time to be depressed. If we don't try to be optimistic, then why are we even trying anything? Should we just flop down and die?
"Look!"
All of us turned towards where one of the fourth-year students pointed, and I saw a broomstick heading towards us with incredible speed, making me smile, turning towards Lockhart.
"See?"
The way he landed was immaculate, and he didn't wait for questions or introductions, beginning to unseal the vessel, taking control of it at once.
"Inside! Everyone!" He ordered, and I was about to repeat it, telling the others to hurry down the now open doors and hatches, deep into the ship's belly, when an incredible pain stabbed me in the arm.
"Conrad!" It was Quincy who noticed it as I almost kneeled over, looking towards the school.
"HE is here! And HE is calling everyone!" I groaned, feeling the tattoo burn my flesh.
"HE?" Victor shuddered, just as the others did as we all turned towards the shore.
It didn't take long to notice him standing in the air, surrounded by multiple Death Eaters... including my Father. I immediately felt my heart speed up, rising to my throat. The roar of dragons followed their appearance as the two carriage-pulling animals rose to the sky, attacking the group and making them scatter, dodging their fiery breaths. I may have been awed by the scene in a different life, but now I was feeling such dread that my legs were shaking. Something terrible was going to happen.
...
....
......
Screams. Ear-piercing, hearth-wrenching screams. It was what filled the dreams of Angus Anguine for many years. Countless nights made him wake up to them, echoing in his ears, drenching his body with cold sweat. He could see his parents' faces distorted by being subjugated to the cruciatus curse over and over again.
Worse, it was his one and true love's expression, on the brink of madness, crying, biting her lips until blood flowed, begging for death, the sweet release just so she would not suffer anymore. He was not just made to watch it but made to experience it himself. It was the punishment for betraying Lord Voldemort and the rule of the Ministry.
They were going to die... but before that, they were going to break them all. When Angus's eyes met with his Father's, he suddenly understood something. His always kind and wise parent told him everything with that one look, only clear for a blink of a second between two blasts of torturous curses. He understood what had to be done.
When the final trial happened, every family member acknowledged their sins of harboring mudblood witches and wizards. They were intentionally muddying their bloodlines, wanting to make their son marry a muggle. Angus, stoically, never looking at her parents, also told the Wizengamot that he was forced to comply and that he abhorred what was going on, but his Father held every power within the family.
To this statement, the old man didn't fight back but acknowledged it without any resentment. Not long after, Lord Voldemort himself decided that the family would be purged, leaving only one life to atone for their sins. Angus Anguine. Of course, this had to be sealed by blood, and it was deemed that the last Anguine would become the executioner. Either that... or be killed just like the rest of the family.
To this day, whenever Angus looked at Voldemort, he couldn't help but see the faces of his family. His smiling Mother... his always kind Father... and the relieved expression of his one and only love since childhood. What was worse, none of them were angry at him in their moment of death, knowing full well that one day, Angus would avenge them all.
"Soon we will meet again... I can't wait to tell you all about little Conrad..." He whispered to himself, dodging the dragon's flames, watching Voldemort's back.
There was no more hesitation. With a flick, he unleashed the killing curse straight at the back of Lord Voldemort.
"LORD!" cried out one of the other Death Eaters, but his master was already facing Angus, hitting the green jet of magic with his own spell, as the two curses canceled each other.
With a loud roar, one of the frenzied dragons interrupted them, scattering the group once more as it flew past, trying to eat them alive, taking its sweet time turn in the sky, ready to breathe fire from above.
"I knew you would do this one day!" Voldemort grunted, waving his hand to the others to deal with the raging dragons while he began dueling Angus in earnest. "I wasn't sure which of you is the traitor! You or Severus, but now it came to light! Good, good! Fight me, Angus Anguine! Let me crush you just like your family! Maybe your death will finally make the old bastard appear!"
Angus said nothing in turn as their duel commenced, multiple flashes of light clashing mid-air as they waltzed around the battlefield, trying to kill each other. It wasn't just Voldemort who attacked Angus; three other Death Eaters were in close pursuit, trying to assist their master. Even the Dark Lord himself had to acknowledge the man before him was an exceptional duelist. One mistake would be enough to kill him... deep down, he was disappointed that he would have to kill one such great asset.
"UGH?! NOOOO!"
The profound and unsettling cry that interrupted their fight came out from none other's mouth than Voldemort, with his free hand clutching his chest. He knew full well what this meant... Dumbledore found it. The bastard was not here to kill him... but to obliterate the Horcrux hidden inside the Castle! How did they find out about it?! Nobody should know about it, not Angus, not Snape, nobody. Only. Him! It was inconceivable for Voldemort to think this was even possible as only he was the master of Hogwarts; only he should know about the Room of Requirements, being the blood of Salazar Slytherin. But he could no longer think about it as a jet of green light approached him very quickly...
When the howl of pain left the mouth of Lord Voldemort, Angus didn't waver. He knew what to do, and even though he was surrounded by multiple other Death Eaters, it was what he was waiting for. Decades passed since that day, but finally... it had come to him. He used the killing curse with a precise and elegant flick, sending it directly at Lord Voldemort and hitting his body, which disintegrated for some weird reason. Still, he wasn't questioning it, his lips curling into a satisfied smile.
"I'm coming..." Angus whispered, looking towards the horizon, his eyes already calm, unbothered, and filled with tears of happiness. The screaming finally stopped... he could no longer hear them. "Take care... my son."
His last thoughts were of Conrad when three different curses hit his body, tearing him apart, without a chance to fight back, letting his mangled body fall from the skies.
...
....
.....
"Conrad!"
I heard my name being called, but it was as if somebody was shouting it from far away. Every noise was muffled and distorted as I watched my Father's body plummet from the sky, unable to comprehend what I was seeing. I felt two hands grab me, one belonging to Quincy and one to Victor, pulling me into the belly of the ship before it was fully submerged and we would be washed off from it.
My Father... died? Killed? Just... Just like that? No... that can't be... can it? But... he is the best duelist; he just defeated the Dark Lord himself... how was he dead? That... that can't be...
...
....
......
As it was later called, the Massacre of Hogwarts lasted for multiple hours, ending in the retreat of the Order's forces, who remained unsuccessful in occupying it. Of course, few knew that it was not a failure but a success that the members of the Order celebrated for multiple days onwards.
Even though they lost a lot of people, it was a great success. Dumbledore not only managed to find and destroy the hidden Horcrux, but Angus Anguine, sacrificing his own life, destroyed Lord Voldemort's body.
"Ultimately, we were triumphant." Moody grunted, swinging his flask as the Order of the Phoenix leaders were gathering in a villa hidden by ancient magic somewhere in the British Isles. "With us back at home, we can finally spread the flames of rebellion! The bastard is down to two lives!"
"Are we sure?" Flamel asked, only present through a chocolate frog card, as he was accompanying his students back to France, preparing for war.
"Yes." Dumbledore nodded, looking over the others who were attending this meeting. Some of them were surprising for him to be found alive, like the Sirius brothers. They were battered but living, something he wasn't expecting, especially after giving the nod to Severus. But it didn't matter... Then there was Charlie, who looked way too calm, which could only mean he was beyond angry. These were people; he was sure to die along with Angus... yet did not. "Tom only has two Horcruxes left. Now, with him dead, he will be whittled down to the last one. When he returns, he will only have a lone Horcrux that we need to find, destroy, and finally be able to kill him for good. 'Tis was a great victory for our Order!"
"The kid escaped..." Charlie murmured, incensed by the thought that his dragons were sacrificed for nothing.
"Come to France." Flamel said, catching Cahrlie's attention. "Their ship must have headed towards the mainland. My student, Fleur, is already preparing to go and hunt the two youngsters down before the Death Eaters. You can team up with her."
Charlie quickly glanced at Dumbledore, who nodded in agreement, letting him go on his own way. He was unstable... let it be Flamel's worry from now on. His mind was already on different problems. He was back, back in England. It was time to begin executing plans that they had been working on for decades. By the time the Dark Lord returns to a new body, they must welcome him with the flames of war.
