Rows and rows of low humming blue orbs, Harry was hunting a specific one.
The others had followed close behind, none paying attention to the girl who slipped from view. She padded left, listening to the faint twinkle of the one she was searching for--the Prophecy of Darkness, Grindelwald had claimed it would find her. She heard it...she heard it calling to her like a siren upon a jutting, ocean rock. It lured her, only her, its master.
The blue light soothed but she was not looking for something of calmness. The twinkle of the prophecy grew louder and louder with every step. There was a flicker of light, like a flame amidst the sea of night. She paced toward it, breaths echoing amidst the stone hall. Camille waved her wand forcing the orb to float toward her, she plucked it out of the air, the orb glowing vibrantly upon contact. It was a ferocious red glow that danced amidst a marbling pool of midnight ink.
The world of magic is vast and sealed,
Until the darkness descends to yield,
A Master of three is known to be,
The mother of night will give the key,
The maiden of beauty is she of wildfire,
Sired by an ancient terror who is a liar.
For the land of the living, Death will fight,
but will consume itself with all its might.
Camille furrowed her brow upon the words that echoed within her brain. She couldn't think about its meaning, not now, not when she heard several new voices arrive.
Bellatrix.
She heard her, speaking inaudible words but Lucius...
Camille neared around the corridor, spying them through the hollow places of the cupboards.
"Be a good boy and hand over the prophecy, Potter." Lucius spoke slowly, taunting him. "No one needs to get hurt."
"You don't need a prophecy to know what is to come." Camille spoke, stepping out from the aisle behind Lucius and Bellatrix. She hissed, spinning around with a wand raised at the girl.
Camille raised an eyebrow, taunting the witch. She briefly saw Harry's worried face, Hermione's contemplative gaze and Luna's smile. Camille drew back to look right at Bellatrix, Lucius motioning her to lower the wand.
"Is this a trick?" Bellatrix snarled.
Camille looked stone cold.
"Camille, darling." Lucius begins, tilting his head a little. "Are you sure you're on the right side after everything you've been doing? Yes, that's right. We know about your newfound admiration for the Dark Arts...the Dark Lord relinquishes in that field. He detected you straight away. You are every bit the clone of your mother, aren't you?"
"Quite right, you are." Camille spoke, "Of course, my mother still conspires to win this war that is yet to come."
"Your mother is dead." Bellatrix spat then cackled, curling the ends of her scraggly hair. "I killed her."
Camille laughed and even Bellatrix and Lucius took a step back. "Is she now. You see, I've found out that some people I once believed dead were not so lifeless as I thought."
No one spoke in response. No one knew what to say.
"Why did you come here?" Lucius asked after the long silence.
Camille pulled out the orb from beneath her overcoat. The red and black glowed like raging storms of lava and ash. "My grandfather ordered me to bring this home to him. You see, its different to the others. Fiery against the sea of calm. That's how the darkness works, a firefly of death amidst the world of the living."
Harry raised his wand. "You betrayed us!"
Camille hummed a little. "Always quick to point the finger at me, Harry Potter. You forget that three of them point back to you. I did not betray you; I have no part with Voldemort's army. I simply came here to kill two birds with one stone."
"You once said that your grandparents died before you were born." Ginny spoke up, her voice echoing amidst the long hall.
Camille's head cocked a little, she heard the voices of other prophecies slightly murmuring. She brought herself back to reality. "Like I said, not so lifeless...my real grandfather has hid himself from the world with great reason to, considering who he is."
Hermione spoke this time, "Who is your grandfather?"
Camille brought her attention to Bellatrix who was looking oddly bored. She looked back to Harry, "You've got what you came for, now run."
Bellatrix sent a blast of magic their way, narrowly missing by one of Neville's blocks. The six students ran, dodging the scattered Death Eaters. Lucius and Bellatrix turned to Camille who still stood there. She smirked at them, raising her wand.
"You devious witch!" Bellatrix snarled at her, readying her wand to attack the girl. Lucius' eyes widened in the same second.
So, Camille waved her wand and let every last ball of prophecies shatter on the midnight tiles. Bellatrix ran out of the way, away from Camille whole sent the entire hall crashing down. The blue mists that whispered words floated toward her as she commanded them to pour into her mind. Every single prophecy, tucked within the brain of a Seeress. Death knew knowledge that mere men would kill for.
...and then she ran for her life.
The Ministry plunged into a world of darkness, the light of the prophecies all diminished, their secrets tucked within the mind of a child. Camille was late to the party down in the pit where the others had jumped.
The Seeress emerged from black smoke as she disapparated amongst them. Her acquaintances were held by Death Eaters, each with a wand at their throats. Lucius had been debating something with Harry Potter but now...they all turned to her as she stood tall and proud near the entrance of the white-misting gate.
White light flew around the room, the Order appearing before them, taking out some of the followers. Camille caught sight of Lucius, clumsily dropping the glass orb of Harry's prophecy.
Camille willed it to her mind, her eyes searing a glowing turquoise as the blue mist seeped into her mouth. She saw it, plain and clear, the prophecy between the Dark Lord and the Boy Who Lived. When her eyes returned to normal, she saw the look of shock worn on Lucius' face and she knew...she knew Draco would look at her the exact same way.
She was becoming a monster.
Camille caught sight of Remus and Sirius, fighting for the light. A hand placed on her shoulder and she turned to see Nymphadora, hugging her quickly as she whispered in her ear. "I've got you, sweetheart, you're safe."
She fought, hard. Against the dark side, against the death eaters. She stood beside Ginny, the one to have always accepted her no matter what and fought. Hit and block. Hit and block. Then...
Lucius flung back and hit a wall and Bellatrix whirled into space, flinging a curse Harry's way. But Harry did not get hit.
Camille's heart twinged in pain. Deep pain like a sword had pierced straight through her chest. Sirius Black was dead. Sirius, gone before her eyes just as Cedric had left her. Gone. Dead. She remembered. She remembered the feeling of pain, of grief, of loss. She felt human...and it hurt like hell.
Harry had gone rogue, chasing Bellatrix down into the heart of the Ministry but Camille did not move. She could not. She stepped toward Remus who silently grieved, a hand holding his chest. His best friend, a friend he loved beyond any outsider's understanding. Camille clutched his forearm and he turned to her with such pain in his jewelled eyes.
Camille's mouth quivered and she pulled herself into Remus' side, hugging him as she felt himself combatting his tears, his agony. She didn't know why she hugged him, whether to comfort herself of him.
But it was not over yet.
⍟
She stood in a plain of white. A long, rippling dress of black drifted behind her, a crown of bones upon her head. Sirius was there, waiting.
"Hello, sweet one." He chimed, pushing himself off the white, ghosting beam.
"You are free to rest now, Sirius." Camille spoke, a sad smile on her face. She held out a hand to him.
He stared at it for a moment. "Death doesn't have to be bad, or dark or terrifying. You don't have to succumb to the darkness."
"How long have you known?"
Sirius smiled, his hand hovering over hers, not touching her skin yet. "Your mother appeared to me once, in Azkaban, as a being of dark mist - an angel of darkness. Told me the truth. Told me to protect you until the end of my line."
"You have fulfilled your promise, Sirius."
He smiled. "I suppose its left to Remus to watch you grow."
"I think you'll find that your brother could do the job well enough." She watched the way his eyes narrowed. "Regulus sends his regards."
"He's alive?"
She nodded. "You should know, Sirius, that your brother sought to do right. He switched the horcrux with a fake and feigned his death, waiting for me. Waiting to fight again."
Sirius smiled once more. "Then I leave you in great hands after all and tell him, little one, tell my brother that there was nothing for me to ever forgive him for. Tell him that I loved him to the end, and even after that. Tell him that if he abandons you, my ghost will terrorise him."
Camille laughed, nodding. Deep down, however, they knew. Sirius was letting go completely and he would have no ghost, but she wouldn't tell Regulus that...not yet.
So, Sirius touched her hand a last and with a smile on his face she watched her guardian fade away from life to death.
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