Work Text:
And We Break
by EMPG22HoPe
Death doesn't discriminate, between the sinners and the saints.
It takes, and it takes, and it takes, and it takes.
"It's heavy!" A female student cried, sporting Gryffindor robes as she attempted to lift a heavy debris from someone that had been stuck underneath.
Astoria sped towards them, wand aloft, ready to cast a spell. "I'll help!"
Curses and hexes sped rapidly throughout the threshold. One spell after another came from either the mouths of Death Eaters or students who were risking their lives to defend Hogwarts. The sky had fallen a tinge of black, not even a star in sight as the battle ensued among the people down below-witches and wizards fighting for their lives; neither knowing which was winning at this point into the heat of the fight.
After she managed to levitate the debris off the person underneath, she saw a flash of a green spell speed towards her. Astoria dodged, watching the spell streak pass her, missing her by a hair. Within such a short time, she heard a Death Eater cry out a binding spell onto her. With a yelp, she flicked her wand wordlessly to protect herself from being binded by iron ties-its metal clanking soundlessly due to the noise in the threshold.
Her face contorted with anger, whipping her head around to find another Death Eater in her midst; wand aloft as if to send another spell at her. Though before he could mutter a single word, she pointed her wand and wordlessly sent a curse towards her attacker. A blue light emitted and zoomed towards the man, knocking him several feet away.
Before she could rush towards a group of Hufflepuffs fending off Death Eaters who outnumbered them, she felt a harsh tug on her arm. Astoria was about to cast another non-verbal spell at the assault until she saw that it was Hannah Abbott.
"What are you doing?" Astoria asked heatedly, attempting to free herself from her friend's hold as her eyes flitted back to the Hufflepuffs. They were girls from her year and were looking dreadfully terrified for their lives. "We have to help them!"
"They can handle themselves! We've got worst things to worry about-" Hannah's eyes were aflame as she pointed back to the castle. "The kids, the underaged ones-they can't get out! They're being attacked and fended off one by one! Colin's holding the forth, but he can't handle them for much long!"
Astoria's eyes widened nervously, her gaze shifting back towards the Hufflepuffs only to soon find that an Order member had joined them. She turned back to Hannah and nodded furtively.
The pair rushed past duels, docking spells and curses-Astoria with the defensive of throwing protection spells and Hannah about with the offensive of hexes and jinxes.
They sped into the castle, up the steps, then down a hallway where Astoria could hear the cries and screeches of small voices. Several witches and wizards, two or three years younger than her were attempting to throw basic spells at three Death Eaters that surrounded them. At the front, keeping their guard, was Colin Creevey. They all stood a few feet away from what looked like a gaping hole, likely one of the secret passages used to expel the underaged wizards away from the fight.
"You'll have to go through me, you sorry lot!" Colin yelled defiantly, waving his wand as a set of curses whisked towards them. With a cry of "Protego!", he had managed to rebound the curses towards the Death Eaters.
While they were distracted from the counter-curse, Astoria and Hannah both cried out at the same time; wand aloft, as if thinking the same thought, "Expulso!"
Two of the Death Eaters were knocked back, but one stood his ground as his companions dropped to the ground with massive grunts. He glared at the two witches, grinning menacingly.
A surge of fear overpowered Astoria's confidence. The sight of Amycus Carrow had always been enough to throw her off her footing.
Astoria felt as though she had stood there for hours, and only at the sound of a disarming charm from Hannah did she finally awaken from what felt like a limbo of fear. She raised her wand just as she saw the two Death Eaters stand on their feet once more. Hannah docked away to battle Amycus, and Astoria hurtled herself next to Colin.
Colin cried a loud a "Expelliarmus!" but was immediately blocked off by one of their attackers. He turned to her hastily, "Take them into the passage! I'll handle the lot of them!"
"Colin, you can't-" Astoria complained but was quick to cast a wordless Protego when she saw green and red lights speed towards them. Colin mouthed her to go, and now merely banking on his words, she shifted to face about three young witches and two first year wizards; all looking frightful.
"Come now, and hurry!" Astoria ordered as she rushed them towards the gaping hole. With Hannah and Colin on the Death Eaters, she managed to slide in the lot of the kids into the passage. But just as she had helped on the last witch, she heard a grunt of pain come from Colin.
Astoria's eyes flitted quickly, shock rocking her body as she saw Colin on the ground; bleeding from eye to lip and surrounded by the two Death Eaters; both looking very menacing. By instinct, she raised her wand and hurtled a Blasting Curse towards the middle of the two. It nicked the arm of one of the Death Eaters, causing a massive explosion to ensue between them.
When she heard their bodies collapse in a heap far from Colin, she rushed towards him and tried to help him up. But before she could even lift him to his feet, she saw Colin's eyes widen-and before she knew it, he had knocked her off to the side as a green light sped past her and onto Colin.
"No!" Astoria cried, knowing exactly what that green light had meant. She scrambled towards Colin's unmoving body, and felt sick to her stomach when she saw the glassy look in his eyes. There was that ever present look of determination, but it was now mixed with a hint of shock. She was too afraid to check for a pulse, but did so anyway. It took most of her self control not to sob uncontrollably right then and there when she felt none.
Colin Creevey was dead.
"Filthy blood traitor," She heard the crass voice of Amycus from behind her.
Tears streaked down her cheeks as she turned to face him. Hannah Abbott lay unconscious near the steps, and she feared the worst that her friend might be dead-had the Hufflepuff's body not convulsed for a fraction of a moment.
Astoria attempted to get up on her feet, but her legs felt like jelly. It's as if every bit of energy and hope in her body had been drained, and she could not help but replay the very moment when Colin had been hit by the killing curse.
"Blood traitor is just as bad as mudblood. Weak and insignificant." Amycus cackled as he twirled his wand about childishly. "Shall I end you now, little Greengrass? Or have you still got some fight left in you after our little scuffle?"
Astoria felt like she'd been hit by a full body-bind curse. The memory of Alecto pining her down as Amycus drew blood from her wrist, carving the words that now scarred her left wrist, came to her. As if the nightmares had not been enough to keep her up at night, the growing and never-ending fear of Amycus attacking her out of nowhere once more.
Suddenly, an anger like no other surge through her. All her life, she had been too kind, too soft on anything in fear of death until today-when she had to be cruel, when she had to be tough to fight for her life. She was not going to die today. No Death Eater or even some blasted blood malediction was going to stop her. She would be damned if she ever let Amycus Carrow get to her again.
As soon Amycus raised his wand, crying out a jinx, Astoria waved her wand wordlessly to block the spell. It had been easy to duel Amycus now. Learning non-verbal spells throughout the summer was a staple that Astoria picked up, and with every cry of a curse that Amycus sent her way-she blocked it with ease. Her anger now turned to something completely justifiable.
It would kill her if she knew that a murderer will walk free after tonight.
Astoria's intention now was to cause as much pain as possible. At one point in the midst of their duel, she had thought of resorting to finally using the Cruciatus curse, one she couldn't possibly have done days ago.
But perhaps now it'd be justifiable. Perhaps now she can finally use it.
But her stomach tugged considerably, as if to hold her back from doing just that. She hated herself for it, screeching at the back of her head to just do it. Wand aloft, she meant to utter the Cruciatus curse loud and clear. But her brain, having a mind of its own, mentally cast the stinging jinx straight at Amycus's face.
White light shot from the tip of her wand and smacked Amycus dead in the middle of his face. He was knocked back a few steps, but Astoria could see that his face was swelling considerably. A stinging jinx should have given him just enough pain, but her jinx seemed to be so powerful that Amycus's eyes began to bulge and bleed from where he stood.
Before Amycus could send another curse her way, she cried out a spell she's never tried before, "Ebulio!"
Purple light whizzed steadily towards Amycus, smoke ensuing from the tip of her wand, and before she knew it-he was entrapped in a large transparent bubble. The Death Eater kicked and thrashed from inside, but it seemed that the more he struggled; the tighter the bubble was enclosing around him.
Astoria walked towards him, a look of absolute defiance and repulse coursing through her features-not something anyone would see on her on a regular day.
"Who's weak and insignificant now?" Astoria asked him defiantly, eyes aflame as she stared through what little of Amycus's slit and bloodied eyes were left with. A cry left the Death Eater's lips, and with the utmost disgust; Astoria kicked the bubble containing Amycus Carrow down the flight of steps-watching him bounce off the stairs and smacking right onto a group of Death Eaters dueling Order members.
Astoria's entire body shook with a thousand and one emotions. And yet, despite her satisfaction in seeing Amycus defeated-albeit temporarily-and despite having saved the underaged wizard, she still felt as though she had lost a battle tonight.
Hannah Abbott shifted awake just beside her, looking around wildly. "Astoria, what's ha-"
Before Hannah could even finish her sentence, a gasp escaped her lips as her eyes drifted to the one body Astoria couldn't possibly face.
For the first time since her duel with Amycus, she collapsed onto the floor in a heap of tears-too scared to go near Colin; a paramount amount of grief and guilt eating her from the inside out. Her entire body shuddered from her gasps and cries, trying to hold herself together-but every time her eyes accidentally flitted towards Colin's body, she wailed louder.
It seemed as though the receding voices of curses and jinxes had dissolved. There were footsteps echoing downstairs, as if making their way out of the castle. She didn't know what was happening, but she could only hope they were winning after what she just witnessed.
Astoria could have easily used the Cruciatus curse. Hell, she could have easily killed Amycus Carrow right then and there, but what good would that have done? She would have been a murderer, like the fleet of Death Eaters within the walls. And even if she did resort to something so unforgiveable, she knew it would have never helped get Colin back.
The Gryffindor's bravery and sacrifice left a mark in her that she can never quite shake. And she wished, she wished and wished she could have done more-but there was only regret. Her satisfaction of defeating Amycus had dropped ten-fold, and only the sound of the last of Colin's breath leaving his body haunted her as she sat there at the edge of the stairs-not even caring if someone were to throw a killing curse at her. Too afraid to even come near the body of the boy who had just gave her another chance at life, when death had been so near hear.
She'd take all the killing curses in the world, if it meant keeping Colin's life. He was too young, his life taken too soon-it could have been her.
Astoria wept. It should have been her.