Beginning of the End

The Beginning of the End

Prologue

It had been the moment we all trained for. The Quarte was ready for the war, the Order was ready for the war. I looked at my three best friends, Krystoff Ravenfeather, Veridian Marcus, and Thaddeus Shordshere. The final battle. The big deal. Everything was riding on this one.

Merlin, shoot me, I'm beginning to sound like him. I shoot Krys an angry glare and he looks at me with that look of 'what did I do' on his face. We hunker down, and wait in our positions for the Death Eaters to show up. They don't fail to disappoint, either. Pretty soon we hear the combination of baby talk and insane laughter one expects from Bellatrix Lestrange. I'd pay good money to shut that woman up once and for all. From the look on Veridian's face, she was thinking the same thing. "Dead bitch," she muttered.

The battle went something like this. The Quarte waited until the Aurors of the Order initiated combat with the enemy, using curses and wands. A lot of protect spells went up for stunners and the like, and it was a battle in which curses and a lot of moves to get out of the way of the Killing Curse were attempted. The gargoyles descended from on high from the craggy fortress that Voldemort was using, and I had to repress the thought of, Mon Dieu, does this man have NO originality?

That was when they were summarily electrocuted from the power lines the Quarte had dangled there in a net anchored over the battle. One full chameleon charm and a few transfigurations to disguise them was all it took, along with some sticking charm. Everyone looked up at the sparks and the smell of charred stone flesh as the gargoyles baked. Thaddeus counted to three, and we all then, members of the Quarte, took out that Muggle invention we'd all been carrying, the standard revolver, and opened fire into the Death Eater's ranks. They looked like a Stunner hit them as they hit the ground. Not as fast as wands, Thaddeus had intoned, but they won't be expecting bullets. We saw the Trio, Harry, Hermione and Ron, scutter into the fortress while the Death Eaters realized they were between curses and a killing floor.

It took quite a while for them to cast a charm to Disarm me, but they did. Then I heard the word I never, ever wanted to hear. "Crucio." My body was on fire, and I twitched as millions of ants crawled over my skin. I heard laughter of Lucius Malfoy as he said the word again, and the pain amplified, making the world go red.

I then heard a bloodcurdling scream that wasn't mine. I watched in beautiful, wonderful horror as Lucius sprouted vines, vines erupting from his skin and through his body, strangling and ripping him apart. I smirked because I knew damn well who's contrivance this was, and she probably wasn't happy.

"Devil's Snare, and Drill Plant. Some Mandragora for good measure," Veridian said coldly. "As you sow, so you reap." Lucius screamed, but we both knew it wouldn't be long now. He was already twitching in his death throes. Veridian helped me up. "I can't find Thaddeus and Krystoff, but we need to make sure Harry and the others made it, otherwise no amount of bred torture plants could save us all."

We ran, trying to dodge the curses and the other projectiles as we went. We were successful, except for some shrapnel from a poorly fired Death Curse hitting a stone wall. We were both bleeding, Veridian from the stone, and I from my lesson in pain. I tried not to think of Remus and where he was now, I didn't need the distraction. I failed miserably.

We ran to the end of another hallway, to a macabre throne room. It was dark, dank and smelling of death. It made Grimmauld Place downright cheery. I looked at Veridian. "Mon Dieu. Not a place for the Boy Who Lived."

"We all chose our part in this," she said grimly, "and Harry's the final player, poor boy."

We heard a scream, female and high pitched, and I swallowed and said softly, "Hermione."

Veridian just nodded. We knew what we'd find here, and as we looked around, we despaired to know we were exactly right. On the floor, huddled together, as close together in life as in death, were the bodies of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ronald Weasley. Standing over them, laughing his head off, was the Dark Lord Voldemort.

I don't remember much but firing my gun, and hearing another go off, and the world went black.