I Fancy You: James Sirius Potter

58. The Final Attack

  The school year has been going so fast it's almost impossible to keep track of time. Winter break is so close everyone can feel it. Motivation is at an all time low. Albus, Scorpius, and I are walking around Hogsmeade, killing some time and catching up on non school related things.
  "Windermere? That's like. Well ridiculously gorgeous," says Scorpius when I tell them about Daniel's offer.
  "Definitely. Are you considering it?" Albus asks.
  "Honestly? I am. I've seen pictures of the house there and it's... well the most gorgeous house I've ever seen. The crazy thing is I see my whole future in front of me if I go with him."
  "And if you don't?" Albus inquires.
  "Well..." I trail off. I can't even begin to imagine what I'd do if I don't go with Daniel. Would I travel? Would I study? Would I get a job at the ministry with dad? Would I go to Ireland?
  "No need to think about it right now," Scorpius interrupts my thoughts. A welcome interruption.
  "Hey!" We hear behind us. When we turn around we see Dylan and Analiese.
  "I keep forgetting you're allowed in Hogsmeade now," I tell him. "Hey Ana!"
"We've just been to Honeydukes!" Analiese tells me. She hands me a sweet and I gratefully take it.
"Shall we all get a butterbeer?" Scorpius asks. We all agree and head over to the three broomsticks.
Out of the corner of my eye I think I see someone standing in the distance watching us but every time I look I see nothing. A chill rushes over my whole body. Albus holds the door open for all of us but has to grab my arm to get my attention. I jump and shrug it off when he gives me a look.
Once we're seated and served our drinks I can't help but continue to stare out of the window. The snow looks like it's starting to fall again so we finish up and head back to the castle.
Albus and I fall behind the rest of the group a bit and link arms.
"I feel something. Someone. Out there. Just behind us but also too far behind. Does that make any sense?" I ask him.
"Yes. I feel it too. I wonder who else feels it."
"Meaning your siblings?"
"Exactly." His grip tightens on me a bit. We both hurry up and try to catch up with everyone else.
  Before we can though, everything goes silent. Looking around, I see that everyone has disappeared. It's just me and Albus. I look over at him to confirm I'm not going crazy, that he sees it too. It's almost all white around us too, like we're caught in a blizzard but in a snow globe, the white circling us.
  "Take your wand out," I tell him. He grips his wand tightly and we put our backs against each other. "Listen carefully, stay vigilant."
  And then she's there. Delphini. An emaciated Mara by her side. This time they have another with them. A boy. No, not just a boy. It's Flick. Flick, who is supposed to be locked away. My breathing gets heavy. When Albus turns to see what I'm seeing he tenses up.
"What a surprise," I break the silence, directing my gaze to Flick.
"Yes. I'm full of those," he snarls back.
"Three against two. Then again it is me and a Potter. You sure you don't wanna call more backup?"
"You're right," Delphini says. "We should." With a wave of her wand it appears, the dark mark. High in the white sky it's dark contrast is chilling.
Suddenly puffs of black shoot from all around us, landing as cloaked, masked figures. Albus squeezes my arm. I just had to open my mouth.
Before I can think a spell is shot at us that we both dodge. From then, it's chaos. Spells being thrown, some Death Eaters being hit, some dodging. All the while Delphini walks calmly, slowly towards me. Mara transfigures into her snake form, practically invisible against the snow. She slithers along with her master.
I think quickly, casting a spell I've only attempted once. I cast a whip of fire out of my wand, surrounding Albus and I in a protective circle. Nobody else comes near but Delphini walks right through it, Mara still slithering by her side. Suddenly she's hit, flying backwards through the flames. I look to my side and James is there. How did he know how to find us?
  Mara is sent flying out next, this time by Lilly on my other side. Behind me with Albus is Daniel. The Potters, Daniel, and I all gather closer, in a tight circle after I tell them I can't hold the fire any longer. My arm finally gives out and around us is still a good number of Death Eaters.
  "That was brilliant work, Ellie," Daniel whispers from behind me.
  "How did you know?" I ask them.
  "Dylan, Ana, and Scorpius made it back to the castle without you guys and panicked. They never saw you fall back. Scorpius is there trying to keep the younger bunch from coming this way," James tells me. Lilly was clearly the exception.
  Suddenly we're being attacked again, but this time it's easier to fend them off because we're surrounded by support. Out of nowhere though, one of us gets snatched up by a Death Eater. When they reappear in a matter of seconds my stomach nearly falls out of my mouth when I see Flick pointing his wand to Daniel's head.Delphini smiles when we all pause.
  "Please," I whisper desperately. I set my wand down. "Please don't hurt him," I hear myself beg.
  "Aww. Everyone drop their wands now," Delphini demands loudly. Everyone does but James hesitates. "Potter. Wand down. Or this sweet face gets it," she says running her hand over Daniel's face. My body shakes, my stomach knots up. When James finally drops his wand she smiles deviously. "Good boy," she taunts.
  Before I realize it I'm taking a few steps closer, but she points her wand at me and I stop in my tracks. Daniel looks at me with pleading eyes.
  "Let him go, please. He has nothing to do with this. He's not a Potter. He's not me. Just let him go," I plead desperately.
  "Oh but he's so handsome. I might want to keep him." Delphini gets close to his face, tracing his jaw with her disgusting bony finger. "And he's your prized possession," she practically whispers. "I see why. Pitty." She taps his cheek before taking out a dagger.
  "No! Please!" I scream, James holding me back. I kick and buck and bite at him but he won't let go. Delphini turns to face me, one hand still on his beautiful face, the other on the dagger. "Please kill me instead, please," I beg with tears covering my face.
  "Maybe we can arrange that," she says.
  "No!" Daniel yells. She turns to look at him. James tightens his grip and in that moment, that split second, Daniel's eyes meet mine. He mouths the words I love you, I'm sorry. And then, looking back at me, she plunges the dagger in his stomach. Once, twice, three times.
  I hear a guttural, chilling scream escaping my mouth. My body goes numb. Daniel falls to his knees and suddenly we're surrounded by light. Out of nowhere the Death Eaters, Mara, Delphini, all of them are being restrained, attacked, some killed. In a moment of confusion, James looses his grip on me and I desperately crawl to Daniel, scooping him in my arms.
  "Please don't. Please, Daniel. Look at me," I tell him. His fluttering eyes meet my face, a smile forming on his blood stained lips. "Please I love you so much."
  "I love you," he chokes out. Around us is chaos. Mcgonagall and other professors have somehow found us, protecting us. But it's too late. The light has faded out of his eyes. His blood is in a pool around me, staining the snow. His breathing stops. And the most painful feeling I've ever experienced spreads from my chest to my whole body.