CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR:
NEFARIOUS
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Nova had never truly fainted before. Which might have been why she was only out for about fifteen seconds before she came to once more, her old professor still staring down at her in worry. "'M fine," she mumbled nearly unintelligibly, her voice sounding hollowed and muttered, like someone had shoved cotton between her cheeks. She struggled to sit up, but Lupin was quick to put his hand on her shoulder and hold her down.
"Stay down. You were just hit with a Cruciatus Curse. You need medical attention," he ordered. She could hear the fight going on around her, hear people yelling spells and curses. She wanted to help.
"I don't need medical attention," she said, ignoring the push against her shoulder. She sat up, the blood rushing to her head almost immediately. "I've been hit with it before."
Lupin's eyes were surprised for just a moment before they darkened considerably. "That matters not. We've got to get you to St. Mungo's."
"Are you okay?" she heard from her right. She saw Harry, yelling over the sounds of spells being thrown as he tried to stealthily rush to her side. She nodded, grabbing her wand from where it lay inches away from her. Nova nodded, not bothering with a response as she accepted Harry's hand, lifting herself from the ground. Lupin was still giving his disapproving look, but she recognized the impressed look in his eyes. It was a look she'd never received before. It made her want to smile, but there was a battle going on around her. "And Ron?" Harry asked nervously.
"Do you think I would have come in here if he wasn't okay?"
Harry considered it for only a moment before a Death Eater was behind him, crushing his windpipe in his strong hold. Nova, still a little groggy and disoriented, could only stare in surprise before she felt the fury. But she knew there was a chance if she stunned him, she would accidentally hit Harry. She was going through plans in her head when suddenly Neville popped up and jammed Hermione's wand in the eyehole of the Death Eater's mask. The second the man's arms released Harry, Nova sent a Stunner his way and watched as he flew backwards with the weight of the spell.
"Thanks!" Harry called to the two of his remaining friends. Nova immediately saw Bellatrix dueling with Professor Lupin, who had seemed to recover from helping Nova through the pain of the Cruciatus Curse. Nova immediately ran over to help him, knowing Harry could handle himself if necessary. "Protego!" Nova shouted when she saw Bellatrix shoot an unknown jinx towards Lupin. Bellatrix grinned and laughed maniacally.
"Little Konstantinova knows how to fight! Defense class must be going swell, I assume?" Nova sent a jelly-legs jinx towards her godmother and watched Bellatrix fall to the ground when her legs collapsed underneath her. If there was one thing Nova could admire about her godmother, it was her resilience. She didn't even looked bothered that her feet had been knocked out from underneath her. Instead, she just smiled evilly. "I wonder if those things would have helped your mother."
"Nothing could have helped my mother. Not when she married a psychotic wanker."
Bellatrix laughed, her cackle so loud Nova felt it reverberate around the walls. "Your mother used to call him that, too. You two are so alike. I see it more now that you've grown. Goodie goodie, Elizabeth Nott." Bellatrix's smile died down on her face and her expression turned so dark and cold that Nova shivered. "You'll die in the same way." Bellatrix raised her wand in a lightning fast movement, but Nova was already ready. She sent a knockback jinx over at her godmother and watched her body fling to the side.
"Go!" Lupin shouted, nodding towards where Harry was struggling to help Neville up. Nova's heart stilled in her chest, hoping Neville was alright. "Go help them, Nova!"
Nova got to them as soon as Neville collapsed to the ground, the weight of another Death Eater crashing into them too much to bear. "Nova!" Harry shouted. "Catch the Prophecy!" The orb flew through the air and sailed into Nova's waiting arms. She made sure to keep it tucked closely to her body. Nova surveyed around her. Lupin was now fighting Lucius Malfoy, who Harry had sent flying to the dais where the archway stood. Sirius Black and Nova's godmother were dueling, cousin against cousin. Mad-Eye Moody was lying on the floor, bleeding from his head. Nova could still see his chest moving up and down with breath. Two people Nova didn't know were fighting another Death Eater, and Nova watched as a woman's hair turned bright red with anger as someone tried to fire a curse at Lupin. The woman quickly repelled the spell and charged towards the Death Eater with a newfound purpose.
Rockwood, who had previously been fighting Kingsley Shacklebolt, started marching towards Nova, eyes greedily locked on the prophecy in her hands. "Neville! Catch!" she shouted, tossing it in Neville's direction. He shoved it in his pocket when he caught it. Nova turned around to face Rockwood and glared. "Colloshoo!" Nova shouted, watching as Rockwood's feet stuck to the floor. He didn't let it deter him, swinging out his arm. His fist clipped Nova's lip, sending her head flying to the side. She tasted the blood but didn't feel the sting. And then, just as she raised her wand to send him flying backwards, she saw Albus Dumbledore running down the steps. Rockwood swore under his breath and tried to move his legs, but Nova was rushing to Harry and Neville before she could even register Rockwood's movement.
And then, her eyes drifted over to her godmother, still fighting with Sirius Black and unaware that Dumbledore was in the room. "Come on, you can do better than that!" Sirius taunted, ducking from a spell Bellatrix sent his way. Nova saw the second the spell hit him in the chest, the second the laughter froze on his face, like he would spend the rest of his life laughing.
The resemblance of his expression to Fred and George Weasley shook Nova to the core.
She didn't claim to know Sirius Black, but in that moment, watching him slip through the veil with that last little bit of laughter on his face made her heart break in two. And then she was running, the only one in the room daring to move, and wrapping her arms around the back of Harry's chest to keep him from going towards where Sirius had just fallen through. Tears stung in her eyes as she gripped onto him tightly, feeling his body rocking with sobs. "Harry," she whispered, unable to say anything more.
Lupin joined Nova in pulling Harry back. And when Harry crumpled against Lupin's form, Nova released, understanding that this was a moment between the two of them. She walked back to Neville, reached out her hand and gripped Neville's in her fingers. He didn't make fun of her for the touch, didn't scoff that she was supposed to be the ice princess of Slytherin. Neville just turned his hand around underneath hers so he could grip her fingers back. They watched as Lupin whispered words in Harry's ear, probably reminding him that Sirius wasn't coming back. He couldn't come back.
Nova could remember when she had truly realized her mother was gone. She had spent hours locked in Theo's embrace, crying into her brother's shoulder because what kind of kid had a father who would willingly take their mother away from them? She hadn't understood, had been too young. But all she had known was that her mother was never coming back, and the thought of that provided her with enough hurt and heartbreak to last through eleven years of her life, and maybe even longer.
Harry would hurt. But unlike her father, unlike even Theo, Nova would never let Harry feel like he was alone.
"Harry?" The bespectacled boy looked vacant as he moved his head in the direction of Neville. Lupin had long since let go of his death grip on Harry's chest, but kept a hand on his arm just in case. "Harry... I'b really sorry..." Neville said, trailing off. "Was dat man - was Sirius Black a - a friend of yours?" Harry nodded blankly.
"Here," Lupin mentioned, pointing his wand at Neville's legs. "Finite." Neville's legs stopped dancing, and it was only then that Nova noticed someone had cursed his legs to dance. On an ordinary day, she would have laughed at herself for not possible noticing, but this wasn't a normal day. Harry had lost Sirius, whatever their relationship might have been. Nova had Stunned her father and officially ended their relationship. She knew her Godmother would want Nova dead. Neville's dancing legs were the least of her problems. "Let's find the others. Where are they all, Neville?" Lupin asked.
"Dey're all back dere," Neville responded. "A brain addacked Ron bud I dink he's all righd - and Herbione's unconscious, bud we could feel a bulse -"
Neville's words were interrupted when Bellatrix shot a spell at Kingsley Shacklebolt. She laughed maniacally, deflecting a spell from Dumbledore as she went. She was halfway up the steps before Harry took off running.
"Harry - no!" Lupin shouted.
"SHE KILLED SIRIUS!" Harry screamed as he rushed away. "SHE KILLED HIM - I'LL KILL HER!"
Nova started to rush in his direction, but Lupin snagged her arm before she could even think about running further. "Lupin, let me go," she said, struggling against his grasp. "This is my fault, this is all my fault." He continued to hold onto her, keeping her anchored to the ground. "This is my fault," she whispered, and then the dam broke. Nova felt herself fall slack in Lupin's arms as the tears came to the surface. "Ron's hurt, Bellatrix is my godmother... if I had just been a normal Slytherin and never gotten involved..." Nova trailed off, hopelessly throwing her hand over her face to stop the tears and hide them from Lupin.
"I had a friend who thought that way. He died merely minutes ago, saving his godson. A noble death. A meaningful death."
Nova's sobs stifled, her brain processing Lupin's words. Sirius Black. She knew of Walburga Black, of the pain she had inflicted upon her two sons. Regulus got the lesser of the evil because he was the perfect Slytherin. Sirius, however... Suddenly, Nova's brain clicked. "Professor Lupin?" she asked softly.
He moved his chin in her direction, indicating he heard her.
"R.L.?" she guessed. He simply nodded. "Sirius was the friend you wrote about?" Another nod. She fell against Lupin, knowing he was ready to support her whole weight. "That's different. I'm not like Sirius. I'm not good," she whispered.
"You risked your life to save Harry Potter, the very enemy people like your father and godmother seek to destroy. You truly believe you aren't good?"
"Harry," she said, another wave of pain rolling through her heart. "He's going to be so heartbroken. I have to find him, Lupin. I have to help him."
Lupin stared at her for a moment before he silently nodded once more. He released his grip on her arms. "I'll go with you," he said softly. "I'm sure Dumbledore and the others will want to come. Let's go get Harry."
The rushing run back to the Atrium felt like it took hours. Nova's footsteps seemed lethargically slow, no matter how much faster she willed her feet to go. She was running behind Dumbledore and Lupin, who has insisted she stay behind them. They didn't want anymore harm coming to a child, especially one who had endured the Cruciatus Curse only minutes before. Neville was back in the room with the dais, Nymphadora Tonks left to fix the mess that was his broken nose and bloody mouth.
Lupin suddenly stopped running, casting his arm out to prevent Nova from going any further. She heard her godmother and Harry fighting, arguing over the fate of the prophecy.
"What? What do you mean?" Bellatrix cried, her voice sounding more frightened than Nova had ever heard it.
"The prophecy smashed when I was trying to get Neville up the steps! What do you think Voldemort'll say about that, then?"
Bellatrix exploded in rage. "LIAR! YOU'VE GOT IT, POTTER, AND YOU WILL GIVE IT TO ME - Accio Prophecy! ACCIO PROPHECY!" But there was nothing to summon. The prophecy was gone. Nova's eyes followed her godmother as Bellatrix started to squirm, looking terrified and looking like she had failed. Harry laughed at her expense, his hand appearing from behind a statue. Bella sent a stream of green light his way, and Nova watched as Harry quickly moved his hand away.
"Nothing there! Nothing to summon! It smashed and nobody heard what it said! Tell your boss that-"
"No! It isn't true, you're lying - MASTER, I TRIED, I TRIED - DO NOT PUNISH ME -"
"Don't waste your breath! He can't hear you from here!"
It was silent for a moment. In that single moment, Nova felt her body go cold. The air in the room seemed to drop at least twenty degrees. Nova shivered. And then, in the kind of cold voice to match the temperature, the kind of cold made to instill fear in someone, she heard it. The soft, eerie voice that said nothing more than: "Can't I, Potter?"
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my poor baby harry why would jk kill sirius how dare she
AND THEN SHE HAS THE GALL TO TWEET THAT SHE REGRETS KILLING SNAPE LIKE CMON JO