☽☽☽
"YOU SHOULD HAVE LET ME DIE" Kennedy muttered under her breath, "you can't save everyone Rena"
"Even if I let you die, Bellatrix still found me. There might not have been another way out"
Athena didn't know where she was. It was dark and cold. She couldn't even see her hands in front of her face. Panic had taken over as soon as she'd seen Kennedy with the knife to her throat. Athena had felt she'd had no choice.
So now they were sat in some cellar. Athena had been stunned on the journey and when she'd woke up all the light seemed to have vanished from the world. She felt like screaming from rage and fear. How could this have happened? Remus and Athena had ensured this wouldn't happen when they went into hiding. How could she have forgotten that Kennedy knew the location of Remus' cottage?
She felt frustrated with herself for opening the door in the first place. Remus wouldn't have forgotten his key and even if he had, why would he have come back for it? It's not as though Athena would have been going anywhere.
Athena rested her head on the stone wall behind her and looked up to what she imagined to be the ceiling. For all she knew the ceiling could be miles away or there might not be one at all. That would certainly explain the cold. However night can't have fallen this fast. Athena wasn't sure how long she'd been out but she didn't want to think about it. She didn't want to imagine Remus sat at home alone worried about her, terrified even. He'd expect the worse and he'd be right to think that way.
She hadn't even considered letting Kennedy die for a second but now as she sat there realising that she may not get out of here, she wondered what would have happened if she did. Kennedy already had a life sentence on her head but that didn't make any of this right. Who cared if Athena couldn't save everyone, it didn't mean she would stop trying.
"There's always a way out" Kennedy murmured, "you're invincible in a fight... you could have just absorbed some spells and... I don't know, do whatever you're good at"
"It's not that simple" Athena replied as she placed a hand over her stomach.
"What do you mean it's not that simple?" Kennedy asked coldly. From her voice, Athena could tell that she wasn't sitting too far away. The echoes suggested the room was large but Athena didn't want to get up and have a look around. She wanted to crawl into one of the corners and complain about how this had happened.
"I didn't want to risk absorbing magic" Athena admitted, "it's too dangerous now"
"What's changed?" Kennedy mumbled stupidly.
"Are you serious?" Athena scoffed, "I'm pregnant Kenny"
"You're what?" Kennedy exclaimed, she'd obviously jumped to her feet because Athena could hear scrambling footsteps of someone trying to find themselves in the dark, "since when? Why didn't you say?"
"Why didn't I say?" Athena frowned, "because I thought you would notice... it's been four months now Kennedy I'm not exactly discreet"
"You were wearing a big jumper... I couldn't tell" Kennedy argued, "anyway I wasn't looking at your stomach, was I?"
"Well now you know" Athena said bitterly, "honestly I didn't think you'd care, considering that you didn't care enough to show up to my wedding"
"Oh come on Rena, you know it's not like that" Kennedy sighed, "I thought you were over this... when I turned up to your door you said it didn't matter, that you were glad to see me"
"That's when I thought you'd come to make amends rather than giving away my location to the death eaters!" Athena snapped, "what the hell is that about anyway?"
"I gave myself away" Kennedy sighed loudly, "I didn't mean to but going to my parents was a mistake. They left some spell over the house, some kind of tracker. They knew I was coming for them, I suppose they expected it in the end"
"So the death eaters found you?" Athena asked calmly.
"Yeah before I'd realised I was being tracked" Kennedy continued, "showed up at my hideout and threatened my life"
"You seemed keen dying a minute ago when you told me I should have let Bellatrix murder you" Athena pointed out.
"Well it's a lot different saying that when I don't have a knife to my throat" Kennedy shouted, "at the time I just panicked, I didn't want to get my neck slit did I? I thought if I led them to you there'd be a chance you'd save us both... I didn't know you were pregnant, if I knew Rena I would never—"
"I know you wouldn't" Athena sighed as she rested her head in her hands.
"There has to be a way out of here" Kennedy said as she started to pace around, "a door or something"
"I doubt it's that easy" Athena shook her head, "they've been looking for me for ages, they won't just let me go"
"Maybe if you tell them you're pregnant" Kennedy suggested weakly.
"Yeah good one Kenny" Athena replied sarcastically, "tell Bellatrix I'm pregnant she'd probably stab me in the stomach. She's a complete psychopath... though I suppose you can relate to that"
Kennedy fell silent for a moment at the harshness of the words. Her pacing stopped and Athena couldn't even tell where she was anymore. Her eyes weren't becoming adjusted to the light.
"You're on about what you read in the paper aren't you?" Kennedy asked knowingly.
"I understand why you wanted revenge on your parents Kenny I really do" Athena sighed, "but what you did to them... it's not right"
"I know it's not" Kennedy snapped, "nothings right... nothings fair and they didn't deserve an easy death. I don't care about what happens to me anymore... when I saw them again I just lost it. I don't regret what I did"
"A mentally stable person wouldn't do that" Athena murmured.
"Since when have I been mentally stable?" Kennedy laughed coldly, "don't kid yourself Rena. I know you've painted a picture of me in your mind, the ideal version of me, who you want me to be but newsflash Rena, I'm not like that at all"
"I didn't think you were like this"
"Yeah well even you get it wrong sometimes" Kennedy scoffed, "this bloody door is locked"
"Of course it is" Athena groaned, placing her other hand on her stomach now, "this can't be happening. I was in hiding, we were safe. Remus is going to go mad"
"I'll get us out of here"
"You got us in here!" Athena exclaimed, "they're going to come down here and torture us Kennedy, I can't... I'm carrying a child, what do you think the cruciartus curse will do to an unborn child—"
"It's not going to come to that" Kennedy snapped as she kicked the wall angrily.
"They have our wands" Athena began slowly.
"What about your self preservation tactic... with the curse... can't you stop it from hurting you"
"That requires concentration" Athena explained, "I have to be in control to throw the power back at the other person but the cruciartus curse is different. Once it hits me... well you've experienced it Kennedy there's no point trying to concentrate when it feels like your mind is being ripped apart"
"I'll take the curse" Kennedy added valiantly, "I'll tell them to hurt me and not you"
"What good is that going to do?" Athena asked harshly, "you do realise I'm here because Voldemort wants to know how the war ends. You can't give him what he wants Kennedy, I'm surprised he hasn't killed you already"
Kennedy fell silent and from the noise Athena heard, it sounded as though she'd slid back to the floor. Athena felt like accepting defeat as she rested in the corner of the room and tried to stop her eyes from fluttering shut.
"I've already failed" Athena whispered.
"What was that?" Kennedy questioned quietly.
"I've already failed as a mother and my daughter isn't even born yet" Athena continued.
"Don't say that" Kennedy snapped, "you're going to be an amazing mother. It's not your fault... it's mine. I'm so sorry that I was such a coward. I honestly thought there'd be a way out and... I shouldn't have given away your location, it was selfish"
"You were scared" Athena shrugged lazily, "I would have done the same"
"No you wouldn't" Kennedy stated confidently, "no you wouldn't because you always put others first. You've always helped everyone you could, saved everyone"
"You say that but I've barely saved anyone" Athena argued, "I couldn't save Lily or James, Marlene, Dorcas, Alice, Frank... I couldn't save Sirius... or Archer... i couldn't save Theodore...I won't be able to save you... or my daughter and... I can't save Harry either"
"Don't look at it that way" Kennedy said softly, "you saved Sirius... helped him go into hiding. You saved Theodore by teaching him occlumency... you may not have prevented the deaths of your friends but you still made them incredibly happy... to me that shows what an amazing person you are—"
"Right Kennedy I get it" Athena muttered, "we can agree to disagree"
"You saved me" Kennedy said finally after a minute of silence, "if you hadn't been my friend I wouldn't have had a life. I wouldn't have been happy, I wouldn't have had the chance of friends or family. I wouldn't have met Sirius... I wouldn't have fallen in love and... sure everything's bad now but it's a little better knowing my past wasn't all terrible. That's thanks to you"
"It's not just thanks to me"
"Don't be modest Rena" Kennedy laughed, "take the compliment. You saved me. You saved Remus too. His life is brighter with you in it. I don't want to hear anything about Harry because the amount of times you've saved him is uncountable and as for your daughter... she couldn't ask for a better mother Rena, she's so lucky"
"I'd like to think that but I'm suck in here so I'm not exactly convinced" Athena sighed.
"It's definitely a girl then?" Kennedy asked casually.
"According to Remus and his string trick" Athena rolled her eyes, "he's convinced it's accurate, I'm not so sure. I'd love it to be a girl though so I'm believing him"
"Thought of any names?" Kennedy asked, "personally I think Kennedy has a nice ring to it, though I may be slightly bias in thinking that"
"Hope" Athena murmured, "we wanted to call her Hope"
"That's beautiful" said Kennedy and Athena could tell that she was smiling, "I hope..."
"You hope what?" Athena asked with a frown.
"That I live long enough to meet her" Kennedy finished in a slightly shaken voice.
Athena hated the feeling of sentimentality that washed over her. She was supposed to be annoyed with Kennedy but in this moment she couldn't bring herself to be angry because she agreed with her friend. She wanted Kennedy to live long enough to meet her daughter too. She understood why she was here, why Kennedy had panicked.
"You'll get to meet her" Athena replied gently.
Kennedy didn't say anything. Athena doubted she'd really believed what she had said. Kennedy was forever the pessimist. Never seeing the good in a situation. As soon as her death had been marked, she saw it lingering over everyday. If Athena had found it hard to imagine a future for herself, Kennedy was a lost cause.
"Kenny?" Athena continued.
"Yeah?"
"Why didn't you come to my wedding?" Athena asked curiously.
"It's... complicated I guess... well truthfully—"
Her words were cut off by the sound of a lock clicking. A second later a door had opened, casting light into the room. Athena still didn't know where they were. It definitely looked like a cellar or a dungeon. The walls were stone and the ceiling rather low. Standing in the doorway was a figure clothed completely in black. Athena felt a chill just looking up at him.
Lord Voldemort was here.
Athena didn't have time to adjust her eyes to the light before someone was dragging her up from the floor by her arm. From the strength of the grip and the size of the hand, she guessed it was a man.
"Good work Pettigrew now bring her upstairs" Voldemort sneered before he turned and left the room.
"Peter" Athena whispered as a chill ran through her, "Peter don't do this"
Peter didn't reply as he started to walk forwards dragging Athena with him. Her legs were weak and she could barely put one leg in front of the other without stumbling slightly. It felt incredibly disconcerting knowing that one of her old friends was behind her. Sometimes she remembered Peter and she didn't feel upset. She'd always liked him, he'd been a good person. However he'd done the worst thing imaginable. Athena still didn't even understand why.
"Leave her alone" Kennedy yelled. Athena heard running footsteps before Peter yelped in pain.
Athena pushed him off, seeing a flash of silver as Peter reached for his wand. He had a fake metal hand. She recalled Harry telling her about that. It had been his sacrifice to Voldemort. Proof of his loyalty.
"Fight me like a man you coward" Kennedy snarled as Peter pointed his wand at her.
"Don't you have any words of your own? Athena asked harshly, "or do you have to wait for your master to tell you what to say?"
"Think about who has the power here" Peter snapped.
"Don't make me laugh, you've never had an ounce of power in your life" Kennedy shouted. Peter moved in fast movements, pointing his wand between them as though deciding who he was going to hex first.
He looked completely different, Athena could barely recognise her old friend behind the aged eyes and the almost rat-like stance. Twelve years of hiding had really changed him. Athena couldn't help but feel saddened. Peter had possessed potential. The problem was, he'd never believed in himself.
"There's no way out" Peter hissed, "you have to come with me"
"She doesn't have to do anything—" Kennedy began but in a flash of light she was thrown against the stone wall behind her.
"You shouldn't make her angry" Athena jeered as Peter grabbed her arm once more and started to lead her up the stairs, "or didn't you hear what she did to her parents"
Peter didn't reply. They made it up the stairs into a large hall. The walls were painted in murals with a large family tree hanging at the other side. It was the Black family tree. Athena recognised it from Sirius' old house. She could even see the place where it had been burnt off.
"Where are we?" Athena asked as Peter led her towards a chair in the centre of the room.
"Lestrange manor" replied a voice that didn't come from Peter. Athena turned to see Voldemort himself striding along the wooden floor. He looked grotesque. His head shining almost blue in the bright light. His eyes glowed red. His snake-like features made him look monstrous. He was barely human anymore.
"Please, take a seat" Voldemort said slowly, pointing to the chair.
Peter pushed her forwards harshly. Athena staggered towards the seat, still keeping a hand on her stomach. She didn't necessarily want to draw attention to her bump, it was simply intuition. She wanted to protect it even though so far she felt as though she were doing a poor job.
Suddenly something hit her. It felt like a fog making her hazy. Athena blinked a few times, trying to rub her eyes. She couldn't think straight anymore. Everything felt confusing. Where even was she?
"Athena Sinistra?" Came a voice.
"Yes" she replied. Unsure of what else she should say.
"You're the one who will see how the war ends?"
"Yes" she frowned, looking around "How did I get here?"
She felt that she had forgotten something important but she knew she was in danger. Kennedy was here. Athena blinked again and saw Voldemort coming into focus again. She wasn't sure what spell he had used but whatever it was had made her delusional. Thanks to her training in occlumency, her mind was starting to clear now. Things were starting to make sense.
"How does it end?"
"I don't know" she shook her head, feeling tears build up in her eyes "I haven't seen—"
"How does it end!" Voldemort shouted, pointing his wand at her again. Athena flinched even though no spell had been cast. He couldn't hurt her, if he hurt her he'd be hurting her child. Athena couldn't let that happen.
"Please" she sobbed, "please just let me go, I've already told you I have no idea how this ends, I can't tell you anything"
"You lost in the first war" the voice continued, "you lost more than you could imagine"
Athena let out a small whimper at the thought. She felt Voldemort trying to break into her mind. Visions of the first war rushed to the front of her mind. She saw the faces of her friends staring at her. She hadn't saved them in time.
"I know I did" Athena whispered. Blocking Voldemort out once she gained concentration. It's not as though he would find anything about the end of the war.
"You will lose in this war too" Voldemort said casually.
"How do you know?" Athena snapped. He was bluffing, she knew he was. There was no telling who would win this war. There was a chance on both sides yet.
"I have my own sources" he hissed, "it's not only you who can reach into the future"
"Sanders" Athena blinked harshly, "you're still using him then"
"He joined me willingly—"
"He did no such thing!" Athena yelled in sudden fury. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been face to face with Voldemort but now her anger was rising to the surface. He was the one responsible for those she had lost. All of them were down to him. Lily, James, Marlene, Dorcas and... Sirius.
"you kill and you torment the lives around you, innocent lives like—"
"I don't care for your loss, it's been a year Athena"
She felt furious at the very idea. Now sitting in the house that belonged to the woman who had killed him. It's as though she could feel the anger of Sirius rushing through her. Still so fresh in her mind.
"He didn't have to die" she cried, "why did he have to die?"
"That's not the loss I'm talking about" Voldemort sneered. Athena hadn't realised she was tied to the chair, now as she tried to move her arms she realised they were stuck tight.
"I can't lose anymore" Athena sobbed, "I can't... lose anyone else"
"Then tell me how the war ends, simple as that"
"I told you... I don't know"
"Hope" he whispered.
"What?" Athena looked up with a snap, her hands still gripping the seat beside her.
"Hope" he repeated, "is that not the name you're planning on giving to your daughter?"
"You're evil" Athena spat.
Voldemort didn't seem to care about her remark as he lowered his wand slightly until it was pointed directly at Athena's stomach. She felt sick her limbs shaking as she looked at him wildly.
"You wouldn't" Athena shook her head, "you're not that demented"
"Do you want to take that chance?" Voldemort asked slowly.
"I don't know how the war ends" Athena cried, "please I'm telling the truth, I really don't know"
"Crucio—"
"No don't!" Athena screamed, the pain hit her for only a moment before Voldemort stopped expectantly. She had still felt it, still remembered the agony that greeted whoever was cursed by that spell.
"Are you going to tell me now?" Voldemort asked coldly, watching as Athena placed her hands around her stomach in tears.
"Harry has to die" Athena whispered.
"What?" Voldemort snapped in immediate excitement.
"The end of the war is marked by Harry dying" Athena lied easily as she looked back up to Voldemort, "that's what I saw"
"But that must mean" Voldemort's red eyes seemed to glow, "that must mean that I am victorious!"
"I only see an event, not the consequence" Athena muttered, "I do not know who wins"
"I do!" Voldemort snapped, "once the boy is dead... my victory will be confirmed"
"There's one more thing" Athena continued desperately.
"Yes" Voldemort snapped, "yes... what is it?"
"You have to do it" Athena went on, remembering what Dumbledore had told her, "it has to be you who kills him"
"Of course it does" Voldemort added harshly, "I will be the one to kill Potter. He is mine!"
"Now you know... you can let me go" Athena pleaded quickly.
"You honestly believe that?" Voldemort raised his eyebrows, "you really think I'm going to let you go? If I am correct, you are undesirable number two in the ministry of magic, I think there's a cell in Azkaban with your name on it"
"No please" Athena shook her head, "you can't do that"
"I think you'll find I can... tomorrow I'll have the dementors take you... maybe they'll even give you a kiss"
"You're sick" Athena screamed, "twisted! Do you even have a conscience?"
"No" Voldemort replied simply, "Wormtail take her back to her cell"
Athena felt someone grab her arm and the next second her restraints had broke. Peter pulled her up from the chair and started to shove her towards the cellar door.
"Peter please" Athena turned to him desperately, "you must see how wrong this is, I'm pregnant. Peter we were friends"
"Were" Peter muttered under his breath.
"Did our friendship mean nothing to you?" Athena continued to plead, "I can help you Peter... I can help you... you don't need to be scared of him anymore"
"I'm not scared" Peter snapped, "lying doesn't suit you Athena. As if you could ever forgive me"
Athena couldn't think of any more words to say as she tripped on the last step and fell onto her back, watching as the light faded as the door closed. Staring after Peter as her last chance faded away.
"Rena!" Kennedy yelled as she ran over, "are you okay?"
"I'm fine" Athena sighed as she pulled herself up into a sitting position, "but we're not going to be fine for long. They're giving us to the dementors, they're going to suck out my soul"
"We'll get out" Kennedy murmured but Athena could tell she didn't believe it, "what did you tell them?"
"That Harry has to die" Athena sighed.
"What?" Kennedy gasped, "why the hell would you say that?"
"Because it's true" Athena muttered, "Harry is a horcrux. Voldemort can't die until Harry is dead... telling him doesn't change anything. Voldemort would always try and kill Harry anyway"
"But surely there's a way around it?" Kennedy asked, "a way to save Harry"
"I'm working on it" Athena grunted, running her hands through her hair, "not that I'm getting anywhere in here. Harry's save for now... he's hunting horcruxes and if he's smart he'll not get caught. That's all we need to hope for"
"So... you haven't actually seen the end of the war?"
"not yet" Athena admitted, "I'm scared that as soon as I see it... everything will come crashing down just like it did last time, I can't cope with that again so I've been abiding looking into crystal balls"
"I understand" Kennedy sighed lightly, "now we need to get out of here... you're not dying on me"
"I can't die Kennedy"
"Doesn't that mean you can't lose your soul either?" Kennedy pointed out.
"I really don't want to take that chance" said Athena as she got to her feet. "So what's your plan mastermind?"
"I hoped you would have one" Kennedy replied as she pressed against the door.
Both of the girls jumped in amazement as the door flew open before them. They looked at each other wildly.
"I didn't think that would actually work" Kennedy murmured in shock.
A figure was standing in the door, illuminated in the light coming from upstairs.
"I'm guessing you two want to get out of here?"
☽☽☽
A/n
Words - 4067
Published- 22nd August
it was a year ago
that Draco-tok started
apparently
That was a time
That's when my
Harry Potter obsession
came back