GETAWAY CAR, sirius black

━━ chapter 49

Celeste gazed at the sphere in wonder, lost in the lull of the voice as it went on.

"A cursed heiress will make her final choice. What she will choose will determine the fate of the Dark Lord. She will be free from her prison, another to take her place. Her duty will be done, and blood will surely run."

Celeste's blood ran cold as the voice went silent. There was too much to dissect, too much to comprehend. How could Dumbledore have simply stashed this prophecy at the bottom of his desk?

She rose to her feet, hands shaking. She needed to deliver this back to Voldemort.

But what of the Order? What of the Order, who was currently dangling their lives before death and fighting down there? What of them, who needed this piece of information the most?

Celeste tried to calm herself; tried to seize the steady composure she always carried.

And she failed miserably.

She couldn't breathe. The horrific events of the day all came crashing down on her. Her father had just died, and nobody except Sirius seemed to know. And Sirius hadn't really cared either. He had been neglecting her ― up until this night. She had been struck by the Cruciatus Curse for crying out loud! Moreover, it had killed her to speak to Marlene, and now the Dark Lord had given her an impossible task.

She was crying, raw and unrestrained. Every inhale and exhale was faster and heavier. Her panic was holding her body hostage, somehow even worse than the Cruciatus Curse.

Nobody cared ― nobody understood.

Celeste glared through her tears at the ugly glass sphere. She wanted to smash it and burn the remains. The whole world was against her again, like it had been so since she was born. It had built her up to be destroyed.

Just as the prophecy had said, she needed to make her final choice. The choice she'd flinched away from for so long. Because if she chose greed and abandoned her duty, she would curse the world. But if she was selfless and stayed, she could wind up dead.

A vain voice told her that the world deserved to be cursed. That it had done nothing for her at all and therefore deserved nothing in return.

She had to make her choice now. She needed to stay or go, like Olivia had said. Her gaze hardened at the prophecy. This was her curse. It had always been waiting for her.

Its power hummed in her hands ― like it knew what she was.

What she will choose will determine the fate of the Dark Lord.

But what if she stayed and somehow found a way around the Dark Lord's task? What if she could manipulate this horrible prophecy into something better? Something that could let her survive?

Maybe it still made her the worst person alive by refusing to defy the dark side. But Celeste could keep dancing this dangerous game. That was her choice. She had no side to pick because this was her side. Her own.

Inhaling sharply, she stood on shaking feet, shoving the heavy prophecy in her pockets. No matter the cost, she would protect herself. She would protect her family, her friends, her reputation.

Celeste had swam too far out in the sea and could not turn back now. The cold black water was closing over her head.

But Malfoys did not drown. They just held their breaths.

-

The entire castle was empty.

Celeste raced through the corridors, following the sound of screaming till it led her outside. Before her was a battlefield, spread all across the grassy grounds she'd learned to love. The Order was spread out thinly, dueling an overwhelming amount of Death Eaters. Some lay lifeless on the ground, some barely breathing.