The Titans of Secrets

─Chapter Thirteen

Story: The Titans of Secrets
Chapter Thirteen: The Aftermath

Pieces of brash rained down and the boy did not deter from the spot. Dragonfly immediately dived down, shielding herself from the crashing debris. She could hear Shade shout an incantation which slowed down the building's collapse.

Her feet touched the ground, hard, but she immediately ran to the red haired boy and pushed him aside. Just as she was about to get out of the way, a chunk of solid stone fell down, missing her head by an inch as she dived out of the way.

"MOVE DRAGONFLY!" Shade shouted from above as his spell weakened. Dragonfly tried standing up but found that her ankle had been twisted. She looked up with fearful eyes as the leftovers of the started inching closer. She shut her eyes tightly, regretting the day she said yes to Blackburn.

All of a sudden, she felt a heady feeling. Thinking she was probably in afterlife, she kept her eyes shut, fearing for the worst. A pair of strong arms grabbed her shoulder and waist and she was hoisted up.

Wondering why Merlin knows which deity would carry her, she opened her eyes and froze: she was on the rooftop, in Shade's arms. He looked down at her with pained green eyes.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly. She nodded vigorously.

"Thank you very much but can you please let me down now?" she replied. He slowly placed her on the rooftop and sat down beside her. "Where is Ron?"

"Ron?" Shade asked, looking perplexed.

"The teen who was standing under the building like a daft dimbo!" Dragonfly screamed.

"Oh right. He's being tended to by err his girlfriend," Shade explained, scratching the back of his hooded neck nervously. Dragonfly let out a sigh of relief. Fortunately, her brother was alright. "What do we do now?" Shade interrupted her relief.

"For what?" Dragonfly asked foolishly. Shade smirked.

"Are you thinking about thanking me in any special way?" he asked, grinning. Dragonfly rolled her eyes and pushed him away.

"Confusion?"

"Confused about what?" Shade asked, perplexed.

"I'm talking about the guy who attacked this place! Confusion!" Dragonfly snorted.

"Oh, right. We haven't got a clue about who he is. I s'pose we must meet Blackburn. What do you think?" he suggested. Dragonfly shrugged.

"I reckon yes. We could do that. We must start somewhere, after all. But for now, we must get back lest our friends get suspicious."

"True but can you make it?" Shade asked. Dragonfly pumped up her arms.

"Of course I can, Shady. I am the leader, after all."

Shade could not do anything other than admire her with a smile.

_______________________

Ginny limped to the Three Broomsticks only to find it a mess. The ceiling was partially ruined and the other pieces were held back by a shield spell. Dust flew everywhere and Ginny blinked rapidly to avoid them getting into her eyes. A small, straight and partially bright sunlight streaked through the shattered windows. Taking slow and careful steps to avoid hitting her feet with the debris, she walked unsteadily to her friends who were grouped together.

Hermione had several fresh wounds but she was scolding a zoned out Ron, who had equally bleeding bruises. Gilligan was sitting on a destroyed lump of brash, looking depressed. Harry was sitting on the other side of Ron, trying to get him out of his reverie. His shirt was wet and red from the fight. It sent her chills down her spine.