"Son of a bitch," Aziyraphaile muttered as he couldn't spot his relatives anymore, when he got to the edge of a cliff they weren't there, he told Alleia to turn around and go lower and they flew over the woods for a while and Alleia could catch their sent, she stopped near the cliff and flew down as I told her to take a break.
I thought that they were hiding or something but Alleia would've smelt them, I sat at the edge of the cliff swinging my legs back and forth, I guess I did get over the height fear, sort of. The thought of plummeting was still pretty scary, he closed his eyes and leaned back feeling the rough rocks against his cloak.
The feeling of the cool air hitting his skin felt like freedom like he didn't have to do anything anymore and he could just relax, however being him had its flaws, he heard someone clear their throat and he immediately reached in his pocket and threw a dagger at whatever it was.
He opened his eyes and saw Montgomery standing next to him as he towered over him, he held the dagger in his hands before it fell through it, I rolled my eyes knowing that he wasn't really there but he didn't say anything. "How long have you known?" he asked, Aziyraphaile sighed when he knew that if he didn't answer Montgomery would continue to bother him.
"Since you told me my thoughts were loud and that my mind wasn't protected, I've known because no one could enter my mind. I just didn't believe you were a... you know," Aziyraphaile pointed to his head and tapped it indicating that Montgomery was just a part of his imagination, it was odd knowing that someone wasn't really there but being able to speak to them.
He wished it wasn't Montgomery there, but the thought of his best friend coming back to his mind made his breath get caught in the back of his throat causing him to close his eyes before opening them again, he took a deep breath and tried getting rid of the thoughts as they were just too painful.
"Can't you leave?" Aziyraphaile asked as he turned his head to the side, he did not want to see him anymore and he wanted to be alone before he went back to setting fire to everything in sight. "I can but only if you want me to," Montgomery said as he sat down next to Aziyrapahile's head, Aziyraphaile narrowed his eyes at him before moving away.
He did want him gone, "if you did I'd be gone by now," Aziyraphaile heard Montgomery whisper causing him to clench his fists, he closed his eyes focusing on getting rid of the nagging voice of his imagination, he tried getting rid of any and all thoughts of Montgomery and began to burry then deep but it's not as easy as it sounds.
Montgomery kept speaking and it always made Aziyraphaile twitch because of the irritation he began feeling just by hearing his voice, he wanted to rip his vocal cords out and shove them down his throat but he couldn't because he wasn't real. Aziyraphaile suddenly felt a sharp sting on his forehead causing his eyes to shoot open.
He sat up and turned to Montgomery who crossed his arms and scooted away from him, "Did... did you just hit me?" Aziyraphaile asked as he was about to toss him over the cliff and listened to the sound of his body hitting the ground but he knew he couldn't because he would just reappear. "I only did what you were thinking." Montgomery's words cut through the tension, sending a chill down Aziyraphaile's spine. "I can hear your thoughts," Montgomery continued.
"Well of course you can you are part of my thoughts," Aziyraphaile said as he was referring to Montgomery not being an actual person, he watched as Montgomery tried kicking him but missed which was completely embarrassing, Montgomery stood up and walked away from the cliff as he disappeared from Aziyraphaile's sight.
Aziyraphaile clung to the edge of the cliff when he felt Alleia nudge him, he turned around and gave her a look making her move back a bit. "Thanks for almost killing me," he said sarcastically and stood up from the edge, "do you want to set fire to the rest of Diagon Alley? You do don't you?" he said as he stroked Alleia's skin.
~•~
The Lestranges, Malfoys, Harry and Blaise stood in front of the dark lord as they were all in Diagon Alley near Olivanders, or what was left of Olivanders, breathing heavily as they tried to control their breathing and telling the dark lord what happened.
Marvolo grew impatient as he waited for the family to start speaking but instead, they all made hand motions with their hands as they weren't able to use their mouths just yet. "If one of you doesn't start speaking I will throw you in a pit of fire," he threatened and Regulus, without thinking, waved him off. "Would you?"
he asked with measured confidence, challenging the dark lord for the first time as the tension crackled around them. Regulus knew that the dark lord wouldn't dare kill them because they were Aziyraphaile's family but that didn't mean he couldn't harm them because he would, Regulus knew that the dark lord would kill them because if there was a slight chance that Aziyraphaile would remember him, he wouldn't want to mess it up.
The other members of the group watched in tense silence, waiting to see how the dark lord would react to Regulus's response, the dark lord narrowed his eyes at Regulus before taking a step towards him, "You're lucky you're his brother," he whispered, he knew what Regulus was thinking and he was right, if Aziyraphaile were to come back to him as he was and he found out that Marvolo killed his family, they wouldn't be together.
It was stupid holding onto a what-if, because as far as Marvolo knew Aziyraphaile wasn't going to come back anytime soon, if anything he'd come back only to continue a war with him Despite these thoughts, he couldn't help but entertain the possibility. The fleeting image of Aziyraphaile's return lingered in Marvolo's mind, both tantalizing and terrifying in its implications.
He stepped back and looked at the rest of the family as he took in their appearances, "your husband nearly fried us to a crisp," Cassie said sarcastically though she was being serious, even if she didn't look it. Marvolo fought the urge to laugh, the image of Aziyraphaile still flying on his dragon as he tried to murder his family, it wasn't funny but the image of his husband doing it was.
And suddenly Marvolo's emotions twisted into a knot, torn between the memories of their love and the pain of what it had become. He suppressed a sigh, feeling the weight of their shattered relationship like a physical burden on his shoulders. The ache in his chest grew heavier as he gazed up at the darkening sky, the thought of Aziyraphaile consuming his mind. With a heavy heart, Marvolo realized the path ahead was unclear, and the shimmering hope of Aziyraphaile's memories complicated.
It would be a long and winding road to mend the fractures in their once beautiful bond, but he was willing to endure every twist and turn if it meant reclaiming the love they once shared. He knew that the possibility of Aziyraphaile remembering him was slim but that never stopped him from holding onto the glimmer of hope that someday, somehow, they could find their way back to each other.
Closing his eyes momentarily, Marvolo looked back at his husband's family, "don't you have barriers around your manor?" he asked and Bellatrix and Rodolphus tried their best not to groan as the others glared at them, as soon as they reached the cliff they were able to apparate but they were almost killed when Aziyraphaile's dragon almost spotted them as they all hurried each other to hold hands so they could leave.
"Yes, all around the place actually and that's what almost killed us as well," Bellatrix stated and she heard a soft growl making her look around but nothing was there, she figured she was just hearing things and looked back at the dark lord as she didn't know that the growl was from Aziyraphaile's dragon that was heading towards Diagon Alley.
Marvolo kept quiet for a moment as he opened his mouth he heard a loud screech causing him to immediately look up, his eyes slightly widened when he noticed his husband's dragon flying towards him and Aziyraphaile's family, he noticed the dragon had an alarming amount of blood in its mouth and when he looked at Regulus he noticed him almost on the bridge of fainting.
"Scared Lestrange?" he teased even if the situation was serious, he couldn't help but laugh at his husband's brother when he shook his head, but the moment was cut short when they heard the dragon growl and spit fire from its mouth, it didn't aim for them directly though, it aimed for the entirety of Diagon Alley.
Chaos erupted as people screamed and ran for cover, spells and hexes flying in every direction. The dragon's fiery breath engulfed buildings, billowing smoke and flames, prompting a desperate scramble for safety. Marvolo pulled out his wand and gripped Rodolphus's arm in his grasp as he quickly pulled up his sleeve to call for his death eaters.
"Son of a bitch," Harry mumbled as Regulus pulled him closer to him and tossed him on his shoulder again, however, he laughed when he saw that Blaise did the same thing with Cassie despite her protests to let her down, she was skilled enough to fight off her brother and maybe dragon fire but she let Blaise have his moment to be her, night in shining armour.
Ironically the family had the same idea to toss their lovers over their shoulders however Bellatrix threatened to kill Rodolphus if he picked her up and ran with her over his shoulder, and Narcissa pointed her wand at Lucius as he bent down to try and pick her up, she waved her finger in his face and ran in the opposite direction of the fire.
Marvolo noticed the death eaters started to appear and some had gotten caught in the flames and got turned to ash in a matter of seconds, he told his followers to try and contain the dragon despite noticing the fear on their faces as he shouted for them to do so, some gave him pleading looks as they didn't want to but they knew better than to ask the dark lord for something knowing that he wouldn't bother to take any suggestions.
Marvolo apparated on top of a building where the fire had not yet touched it, he ducked when the dragon flew over him, almost taking him off the building in the process. He stayed down and looked over the edge to see Aziyraphaile's family apparate just as the fire almost touched their skin. They ended up on top of the building in front of Marvolo as they all stared at one another, not knowing what to do.
Until spells from all directions started to hit the dragon, causing it to thrash and howl in pain, its scales splintering as some were cutting curses and internal curses. The dragon wept and growled as she felt the pain all over her body, Aziyraphaile tried to calm her and his touch had an effect on her, she managed to ignore the pain and focused on the calming magic flowing past Aziyraphaile's fingers and through her skin.
His magic calmed his dragon and she managed to completely forget about the wounds across her scales and soft flesh, Aziyraphaile looked down at the curses that still aimed for his dragon and he felt the anger flowing through his skin, he slowly stoked Alleia's scales and spikes before letting his anger flow through her.
Aziyraphaile slowly wrapped his fingers around Alleia's spikes when he felt her start to react to his magic, she flew up above the clouds and out of sight of everyone else. Marvolo and the others watched as the dragon disappeared and blended with the dark clouds, Marvolo felt a small drop of water hit his face causing him to blink in surprise.
He lifted his hand to his face and brushed his fingertips against the drop on his cheek before bringing it in front of his eyes and looking at the small drop of water before he felt another drop on his face, he looked at his husband's family and noticed them holding out their hands thinking that it started raining.
Marvolo made eye contact with Cassie and Regulus from the building in front of him and as soon as they locked eyes with one another it started pouring, their cloaks, shirts, and dresses started to get damp as the sky began to darken even more than it already was . Thunder cracked in the distance, and the wind began to howl, whipping Marvolo's hair around his face.
They all knew that Aziyraphaile and Alleia's departure had triggered something both magical and dangerous. Aziyraphaile spotted his relatives on the roof of a tilted building and he was about to dive down towards them before his eyes drifted and he spotted the dark lord staring up at the sky with his wand drawn and pointed up at the sky.
He could feel the anger bubbling inside of him at the sight of the dark lord, it brought the memories of what happened with Alexandria back, it brought back her death and it angered him, he needed someone to blame besides himself and if he had tried harder to fight off the dark lord then perhaps he could've stopped the curse from hitting his best friend, and maybe she could've been there with him.
"I want them to pay... don't miss Alleia," he whispered, the emotions were all in his words, you could sense the anger and sadness within them and you could nearly see the tears in his eyes from both anger and sadness, Alleia heard his command and she heard his emotions, it caused her to feel the anger he felt and she flapped her wings before she dived down and aimed for the dark lord.
With a powerful beat of her wings, Alleia hurtled toward the dark lord, determination and fury coursing through her veins as she felt Aziyraphaile's magic, she opened her mouth and fire erupted from her jaws, blazing like the fury of a fallen star hurtling from the heavens.
Aziyraphaile screamed as he saw the dark lord leap out of the way, narrowly avoiding the searing flames that engulfed the ground below. Aziyraphaile didn't have to tell Alleia to burn them, his magic was telling her to do it for him.
Marvolo apparated on top of the building that Aziyraphaile's family was on before he grabbed onto Cassie and Regulus's shoulders, they were all holding each other's hands and with a lot of force he was able to apparate them away from Diagon Alley, he caught a glimpse of Aziyraphaile screaming in furry as fire shot towards the but it missed and it angered Aziyraphaile far more than he ever imagined.