Venom & Virtue

chapter 54

We stared at the fireplace, the large black structure reaching to the low ceiling of Snape's office, traces of Floo Powder scattered over the iron grate just as they had been months ago.

"Are you sure this will work?" Draco glanced at me, sceptical.

"Yes, trust me, as long as they haven't locked the network yet, we can make it."

"Here's hoping," he muttered, releasing my hand and approaching the fireplace.

He eyed it for a moment before dipping his hand into the pot attached to the wood, taking a handful of powder.

"Okay, now remember it's ministero camino," I enunciated the password carefully, recalling all the times Kingsley had uttered the words to take us back after a day trip through London.

He nodded, stepping into the fireplace and turning to face me, a hint of angst in his expression.

It was a significant risk to Floo into the Ministry, there was no guarantee it would be possible, and even less assurance of what awaited us on the other side.

But we had already wasted too much time, each second now more crucial than the last.

I offered him a reassuring smile, watching as he uttered the words clearly and dropped the powder, causing green flames to engulf his lithe form.

I waited a moment, anxious to see if he would reappear, but he didn't, confirmation that he'd made it through.

My feet placed themselves inside the fireplace as I repeated his actions, the swift heat of the magic flames licking at my skin as Snape's office disappeared, the last scrap of safety gone.

I re-emerged to find Draco waiting for me, his expression relieved as I appeared.

We'd come through one of the fireplaces halfway down the wide corridor, the golden statues of the fountain gleaming in the distance.

It felt strange to have returned to the place I called home under strenuous circumstance, it appeared exactly the same, and yet, I had changed immensely.

There was a faint murmur of voices in the distance, I guessed three at least, their range of tones echoing off the tiles around us.

Draco and I exchanged looks before he took my hand again, the final offer of intimacy we might ever have.

We walked quietly up the entryway, peering around the last wall to see which direction the sounds were coming from.

It was immediately obvious they were echoing through the arched corridor to our right, but we were unable to see the source, a disadvantage we couldn't afford.

I pulled him along, both of us ducking behind the large fountain in the middle of the space, our bodies concealed safely.

We raised our heads above the edge, craning to see around the statues and down into the dark passage.

The voices were significantly louder from our current proximity, one in particular familiar and horrifying.

Bellatrix's cackle rang out towards us, unmistakeable delirium and glee laced through it as she tottered around, the image of a demented jester.

I felt cold fear run through my veins as I surveyed the scene around her, my pupils blown wide in shock.

She was joined by an array of companions, I guessed about 40 in total, every single man and woman clad in black leather cloaks, a sinister army of death.

Scattered around their feet was an exhibition of bodies, their limbs strewn at awkward angles from where they had fallen, or been forced down, sickly pools of crimson blood ebbing from their skin.