✔️ 𝐔𝐍𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐃 → 𝑐.𝑤𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑙𝑒𝑦

23 | W O R S E T H A N D E A T H

   THERE WAS NO rest, though silence lay over the battlefield. The world had slowed down; fallen warriors were solemnly carried into the elusive safety of the Great Hall, for the moment laying to rest under the ceiling's starry night sky.

   Ana, in the meantime, was fleeing from those annoying emotional scenes and approaching her dragon in the courtyard, hand placed on Rosie's calf.

   "You aren't about to leave, are you?"

   His voice made her close her eyes for a second, wishing that the wind would just carry it away. Her pleas remaining unfulfilled, as she heard his footsteps coming closer, until he was right behind her.

   "Harry Potter has gone to the forest", Ana said. "Your youngest brother assumed it. I think he's right and your Chosen One has sacrificed himself, the stupid fool. The war is lost."

   "The war isn't lost before every single one of us is taken down", Charlie replied, his voice. "If Ron's worries are true, then we have to fight even harder!"

   "And lose even more lives?", Ana bitterly scoffed a dry laughter. "You should leave. Everyone should. Your war is over."

   "You could still turn this battle, Ana", he said, and though she should have seen it coming, it hit her kinda unprepared. At least, though, this was the reason why he had entered her forest a year ago. The only reason.

   Ana turned around, her eyes gleaming red. "None of those people was ever interested in helping me", she snapped in a sharp voice. "Au contraire, Charles! They wanted to see me dead! Give me one reason to save them ..."

   "Ana, nobody wants you dead."

   "Because they know they're unable!"

   "They're dying tonight for all that's right!"

   "There are worse things than death!" With her scream, her powers enflamed, enveloping her in this powerful aura of glowing crimson red. "I wish they had just let me die! Some people aren't supposed to be saved. Just look at me!" Spreading her arms, what looked like red smoke ensheathed them, whirling higher until meeting her neck, traveling down her body, until nothing human was left. "Look at me and tell me you're not afraid of me, Charlie Weasley!"

   He kept standing in his spot, undazzled, unaffected.

   "I am not afraid of you", he said.

   "Liar!", she called out. "I am a predator, Charlie. I feel your fear; your heart is racing. I smell it, you know? Sweaty palms. The way you look at me —"

   "This is no fear you sense." His voice, though his whole body showed the signs of anxiety, was calm, not the tiniest shake in it.

   "You think I'm one of your bloody dragons then? Trying to tame me? Bloody idiot!"

   But Charlie shook his head, his eyes still fixating her. "You're not a creature, Ana."

   "I am worse! I am a monster!"

   With a movement too quick, so that even if Ana would have seen it coming, she wouldn't have been able to withhold him, Charlie's hands pervaded this glowing veil of crimson like it didn't exist at all, cupping her face, and Ana's gasp was muffled by a pair of lips, as surprisingly soft as they were forceful, crashing against hers eagerly.

   Blinking first, Ana's eyes fell shut, unable to control her thoughts, her body immediately started to answer this unknown kind of human touch as if she had been waiting for this for all her life. Her lips moved against his, her whole body responded with a warmness spreading through her veins. He moved even closer to her and she placed her hand onto his toned chest —

   A red flash of light had Charlie fly six feet through the air just to land on his flat back on the meadows.

   "Oh hell!", Ana gasped, clasping a hand over her mouth.

   He didn't move. Ana watched him paralyzed, until in some corner of her mind the order to move her feet grew louder, until her body could no longer ignore it and she ran over to him, landing on her knees beside Charlie.

   "Charlie? Please, Charlie, are you okay?", she asked, not daring to touch him again. Still he didn't make a move, and Ana's eyes started to examine his body for a life sign: a breath, a heartbeat, anything. But Charlie remained calm and motionless.

   Cold shudders jolted down her spine, as panic was overwhelming her like it had never done before. Bloody stupid Charlie Weasley! Why couldn't he just let her go?!

   "Charlie, wake up! Wake up you fool!"

   She had murdered people before. Though not visible, their blood would remain on her hands forever. She had done this before, on full purpose, not so long ago. It always had felt natural. Humans deserved to die.

   But not Charlie. And before Ana could fully realise what was going on, her eyes were filled with burning liquid she hadn't felt in years. Needless to say that Anastasia Voinescu was plainly shocked when she realised that there were tears rolling down her cheeks. She had forgotten how crying felt like; she had even forgotten she was capable of this emotion at all.

   "Charlie Weasley, you can't ruin me and then die just like that", she spoke through a sob, and finally her small hands dared to lay onto his body, giving his shoulders a shook. "Wake up, you insufferable idiot! You can't die just like that!"

   "When you said there are worse things than death, I didn't know you were actually talking about something as painful as this", Charlie suddenly muttered, his lips barely moving, his voice weak.

   "You total arse!", Ana yelled, her fist slamming onto his chest. "You scared me!"

   "Well", he said, his eyes still closed, but nevertheless his face lighted up with a smile, "I guess that's just another thing to tell Fred's kids someday. That Anastasia Voinescu was scared of their Uncle Charlie!"

   And Ana just added another thing to her list of things that were worse than death. Because losing Charlie Weasley definitely counted.

   "Fuck you", she said, getting up. "Don't you ever touch me again!"

   "That'd be worse than death as well", he responded, and with a blush on her cheeks, she turned her back on him, giving Rosie a small clap on the calf.

   The dragon rose high into the air and vanished into the night, leaving Ana whispering, "Let's go, the war won't win itself."

•✧•