1996
DEPARTMENT OF MYSTERIES
Hide and seek. A game in which little children would play with their friends. Whether it was at a park, at home, or at school, it was a fun, classic, game. However, it's not fun if you could possibly die when you get caught.
Though, in Athena's situation right now, it's more like 'Hide or you better run and dodge as fast as you fucking can before my spell hits you'. Fun right?
Athena was running, holding Neville's hand as they both shot spells at the Death Eaters running after them. As she shot a spell at the one behind them, the two had crossed paths with the others. Lucky for Athena and Neville, there were no other Death Eaters following them, but there were still in front.
"Reducto!" Ginny yelled, a large light illuminated the dark place, creating a large impact over the place. Due to that, the shelves began to fall, the prophecies were falling, crashing onto the floor as tall shelves toppled over each other.
"Hold on!" Athena yelled, grabbing her friends and keeping a grip on the. With as much focus and energy she could muster up, she teleported herself and the others out of there - the right timing as well as the shelf just merely missed them.
Hearts were beating fast, breaths were being inhaled and exhaled at a quick pace, and adrenaline was rushing through their bones as they got out of the place. As much as Athena loved to her powers, she had to avoid exposing them to anyone other than family or friends - in fear of Death Eaters coming after her or the ministry taking her to question her abilities. But as the Death Eaters had already heard the prophecy - within the ministry building - there was surely no point of hiding it now. She just had to be extra safe.
Athena felt like fainting. Hermione noticed this, her eyes widening as she noticed the girl almost falling. She immediately reacted, holding her before she could fall. "This is why we told you not to teleport all seven of us at the same time! You're even bleeding!"
Athena laughed softly at the girl, vefore placing her hand to her nose, feeling blood drip down. Her eyes were closed but her mouth quirked up into a tired grin.
"I'm fine," She replied lazily, but everyone knew she was lying. Even she, herself, knew she was lying. She felt like she could go into slumber for at least fifty years. Her right forearm had been hit by a thick shard of glass, digging itself into the girl's skin.
The sleeve was ripped, and blood had seeped out from her arm. She scrunched up the damp sleeve up, waving her arm around the deep wound. It wasn't extremely deep to the point where she couldn't move it, but she did feel pain whenever she did move it. "I'm tired and in fucking pain right now, but there are errand minions on the loose and we need to stop them."
Easily, she had regained her normal breathing pattern. "Where are we?" Ron asked, looking around the place. There was a shaded area, right where they were situated, and there was a lit up one. Underneath the light was a stone arch, wispy grey smoke coming out of it as whispers could be heard coming from it.
Athena's eyes widened as she realised where they were. "We're in the Ministry's death chamber." She really didn't mean to teleport them there. She just acted on instinct and grabbed everybody before they could've died due to being squashed by many prophecies. "Oh Merlin. I'm sorry! I- didn't mean to teleport us here! I just teleported us out of there without thinking - which I probably should have - and got us out of there. Oh dear gods... There's probably an even bigger chance of all of us dying in here. I need to get us out of here before someone pushes us through that Veil-"
"Athena!" Hermione and Ginny yelled at the same time, stopping the girl from her rambling. Said girl stopped, looking up to them.
"It's alright, we understand what you mean." Hermione stated. Athena nodded, but that didn't make her feel any less uneasy. She then looked behind the two girls - Harry was walking towards the Veil.
"Harry don't go near that arch-"
"Can you hear the voices?" He asked, interrupting her.
"Yes but don't go near it-"
"What are they saying?" Harry didn't listen, walking closer to the Veil.
"I don't know, I can't hear them right but please don't go near it-"
"What voices?" Hermione then interrupted her. Athena looked at Hermione in a panicked state, as if saying "What?! Not you too!".
"Can you not hear them?"
"I can hear them." Luna stated, looking up at the Veil.
Athena became even more panicked, holding onto the girl's wrist. "Don't get close to it. We have to get out of here."
"She's right. We have to get out of here." Hermione repeated. But the boy wasn't listening. "Please Harry."
Then the hasty sounds could be heard earning the attention of the fifth and fourth years. "Now we really should leave. That could be Death Eaters."
"Get behind me!" Harry yelled out instantly, putting his wand up to the source of the sound. All of them went behind the boy, putting their wands up as well.
Thick, black, wisps of smoke came to them, distracting each of them. Athena felt herself being taken away, her throat being closed together, then when the black smoke exited her vision, she felt a sharp-ish object being pointed towards her neck. Well fuck, I'm a bloody hostage now.
Her body ached in agony as the death eater behind her gripped her hair tight, poking their wand deeply to her neck. She could see Lucius make his way up the rock hill, where Harry had gotten up. Athena tried to remove herself off of the death eater, but it only resulted with her hair being pulled tighter and the wand going deeper. The wand even had a sharp tip, causing it to draw blood from the girl's neck.
"Did you actually believe..." Lucius chuckled bitterly, "...or were you truly naïve enough to think..." he walked closer to Harry, his cane guiding him, "that children stood against us?"
Harry didn't respond, but Athena's snarky voice did. "I mean you guys looked pretty rough- roughed up, don't you think?"
"Shut it!" The death eater holding her yelled.
Lucius ignored her, walking in front of Harry. He held his hand out. "I'll make this simple for you, Potter. Give me... the prophecy now, or watch your friends die."
Harry looked towards his friends seeing the pained expression that filled their faces as they had wands up against their throats.
"Don't give it to him Harry!" Nevill yelled out bravely, causing Bellatrix, who had her wand pointed at his throat, to pull his head back and point her wand closer.
Harry looked at the crystal ball in his hand, then to the death eater in front of him. Hesitantly, he gave the ball to him. Athena felt the familiar power flowing through her arms as she watched Lucius hold the ball with pride.
A bright light reflected behind the Malfoy, Athena seeing her father stand there. "Get away from my godson." Sirius stated, throwing in a hard punch at the man.
At that, many other bright, glowing foggy smokes arrived, initiating that other Order members had arrived. "No fair, Padfoot." The voice of James Potter could be heard. "I wanted to do that."
Athena immediately reacted against the death eater, who was holding her, stomping against his foot harshly; she surely even heard a crack. She pulled herself away, looking towards the man. She couldn't even register what happened though she knew that she had her arms pointed towards him, a glowing, neon blue colour emitting from her hands. Power and adrenaline surge through her blood and hands as she managed to lift the death eater up, bringing him back down abruptly, with a crash.
She did not understand what happened as she realised what she did, from looking down to her hands then to the figure who ran to her - Sirius - in shock. "What in Merlin's pants was that!" Sirius exclaimed. Sirius had then gone to her daughter as James had wanted to fight Lucius himself.
"I- I- I don't know..." Athena stuttered out. In a brisk motion, The older Black ran up to his daughter, hugging her tightly as he placed a kiss on her head.
"You're alright." He stated softly. He then let go, taking in her appearance to see if she was injured - in which she was. Not only was her forearm cut, but so was her leg, and now her neck. "Oh Merlin, you guys need to leave. We can handle it from here."
"Dad- it's fine. I can help you guys out-" She stated, though cutting herself off as she noticed a spell coming towards her dad. Like what she had done earlier with the now-unconscious death eater, her hand had a blue glow effuse from it, and she waved her hand to the left, the spell following the direction. She then looked at the death eater again, waving her up then down harshly. "See that! I just protected your arse!"
"I-" Sirius was shocked. He then stood behind Athena - the two now back to back with each other as they threw different spells at the Death Eaters. "When'd you manage to learn that!? And why'd you not tell me anything?"
"Bombarda!" She yelled out, her wand out as she threw the spell at one of the remaining Death Eaters. "And I just learnt it when you saw me do it! I literally had no clue what I was doing, and that happened."
Different spells were being thrown back and forth between the Death Eaters and the Order members. Athena noticed earlier that her friends were being escorted behind the large rocks, safe from being attacked. The only ones that weren't an adult remaining was her and Harry, who was currently being hugged by James. She looked at her dad, a shiny object catching her eye below but not looking towards it, then the two Black's running up the hill to protect the Potters while they reunited.
She dejected spells easily, whether it was with her hand or not, and she casted some herself. As the father and son had finished reuniting, she took Harry's hand, bringing him down to safety while Sirius and James had fought off Lucius. "Nice one James!"
She then turned back around, seeing as Harry was safe behind the rocks already, but the sight she saw was one she did not want to see. A green spell was cast towards her dad. A bright silver glow had occurred as the older Black had frozen in spot, the man collapsing to the floor.
At that moment, Athena felt as if her world crumbled, as she let out a loud, painful scream.