The Potter Twins and the Deathly Hallows {7}

4. Fallen Warrior

"We are the warriors that built this town from dust" - Warriors, Imagine Dragon

I can hear sirens faintly in the distance, accompanied by the familiar buzz of metropolitan life.

"Sirius?"

I struggle to push myself from the cold ground, the icy wind slashing at my face like a sword. I don't understand what just happened: was Voldemort really there? Will he swoop down any minute to kill me? Are Harry and the others safe? Something hot and wet is trickling down my chin from my forehead. With all my strength, I push myself up to my knees and open my eyes: we landed in a dark alleyway, probably somewhere within London. In the distance, I can see a busy road, accompanied by bright lights and the sound of alcohol-infused mania. A few meters in front of is Sirius laid on his side with his back facing me.

"Sirius? Sirius, talk to me --"

He does not stir. I crawl over to him, my body aching with every movement, my head swimming.

"Sirius," I repeat stupidly as I finally reach him, pulling him onto his back. He's still breathing, thank goodness. A little further along I can see my trusty Firebolt, snapped in two pieces. I feel as if I've lost a friend, but the panic of not having a way out of here is more terrifying. I find my wand a little to the left of Sirius, thankfully still intact, alongside my rucksack: I point my wand at his chest and whisper shakily, "Rennervate."

His eyes flicker open, and he wakes with a jolt. "Haylee! What happened, where are we?!"

I shush him. "It's all right, we're safe. Someone stunned you. We fell -"

The sound of footsteps silences us immediately, and I grip my wand a little tighter, ready for anything. I glance over my shoulder to see a group of young Muggle men approaching us, many of them stumbling helplessly: I loosen my grip on my wand.

"Are yeh all right, lass?" one asks, his accent thick and slurred. I notice him eyeing the blood on my face as I force a smile, trying to disguise the nausea-inducing pain in my head.

"Yes, we're absolutely fine!" I say quickly, stabilizing myself on Sirius' chest. "My godfather had a little bit too much to drink, is all."

They eye Sirius nervously. "Do yeh need a hand getting him home?"

Sirius gives a slurred sort of grunt from the ground, and mumbles, "stop flirting with her, I'll kill you!"

"No, no. Probably best if you go," I say earnestly, flashing another forced smile. Thankfully, they stumble back into the pub without another word. I wait until I know for certain we're alone before continuing.

"We fell," I continue, helping him to his feet even though we're both wobbly and dizzy. "Malfoy and someone else was chasing us, I got rid of Malfoy, and the other one...I -- I think I killed him." My mouth goes dry, and I feel as if I could be sick. I take a few deep breaths, my whole body shaking. Sirius grabs my shoulders and lowers himself to my level, a seriousness about him I've only seen a few times.

"Haylee, Haylee, look at me! Killing isn't easy, but you did what you had to do. This isn't the time for Stunning or Disarming, this is war....it was him or us. You just saved our lives."

"I know, I know." I swallow the lump forming in my throat. "Fuck. I think Voldemort was up there, too, we've gotta get out of here. How do we get to Potter Manor?"

He shakes his head, pulling a watch out of his coat. "We've missed our Portkey. We'll have to Apparate. Grab my arm."

"Are you sure you'll all right?" I ask, wiping the blood from my face with my sleeve. "Malfoy got you pretty good..."