LIGHT ME UP, ginny weasley.

↳ ooxxii

Fake Moody was thrown backward onto the office floor. Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, and Stark stood in the doorway, Dumbledore in front, his wand outstretched. There was cold fury in every line of the ancient face, a sense of power radiated from Dumbledore as though he were giving off burning heat.

He stepped into the office, placed a foot underneath Moody's unconscious body, and kicked him over onto his back, so that his face was visible.

"Dad," Effie croaked, blood dribbling down the side of her lips. Eleazar's eyes widened, pushing through the room towards his daughter. Then her eyes rolled back in her head.

✨

EFFIE FELT AS IF SHE WAS FLOATING, HER CONSCIOUSNESS WAS IN AND OUT THAT EVERY NOW AND THEN SHE WOULD HEAR MUFFLED VOICES AND BLANK AGAIN.

Until finally—finally, Effie was able to open her eyes without fading away. Her mouth fell open and let out a slow, ragged breath, but then found it hard to breathe, like she ran out of oxygen.

Smell the roses, blow the candles. Smell the roses, blow the candles. Smell the roses, blow the candles, she remembers. She could breathe again.

Effie looked around, the first face she sees was her dad, who looked at her, concerned. Then Ginny. And she remembers what the fuck just went down. "I figured out," She says hoarsely. Now she felt the pain residue from the garrote. "Moody, I—that wasn't—I—"

"Take it easy," Eleazar advised her.

"No!" She snapped, her voice breaking, and suddenly plunged the room in silence. Effie sat up and grabbed the inhaler on the nightstand next to her, puffed it onto her palm. Crushed, pink dust crusted over her palm, and tears filled her eyes. It was all fucking real. Effie launched the inhaler across from her where it broke and dusted the same pink particles all over the floors. "I've been inhaling poison all this time and—and all I've figured out was who he was—I couldn't—Cedric, he—"

A loud sob cut her off, which Ginny instantaneously hugged her for. "At least—At least tell me I was right," Effie wiped her eyes quickly, pushing Ginny away. Her eyes lands on Dumbledore, "You found the Polyjuice Potion, did you? He knew—He knew I smelt it and he switched it out for Fire Whiskey when Ginny smuggled it. I wasn't going insane."

The most unexpected thing was, Dumbledore sat at the foot of her bed, looking at her gently. "Your father told me everything, Effie," He says kindly, gesturing to the tape recorder on the nightstand. "If you could confirm it please—"

"Bertha Jorkins is dead," She tells him, but then soon got frustrated. "Cedric died for me. It was supposed to be me, it was supposed to be me who's dead! If he hadn't—If he hadn't turned us around, if he—" Another frustrated sob escaped her lips. "I killed him."

"No you didn't," Eleazar soothes her. "Sweetheart, that was his choice wasn't it? To save you?"

"But he sacrificed his life for mine!" Effie dug her hands in her scalp. "Crouch broke my mind, dad," She snapped, getting up and nearly stumbling, but she managed, and started pacing. "Let's see—" She started counting on her fingers. "—he chased Pansy and I down in the World Cup, he fucking made me inhale poison all year; which results to my insomnia, addiction to amphetamines, nightmares, and hallucinations, then he tries to kill me in the maze. Bloody hell, people I didn't even know I cared a bit about died a thousand times in my nightmares—where is that son of a bitch—if he hadn't—"