𝐑𝐄𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐒-ℍ𝕒𝕣𝕣𝕪 ℙ𝕠𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕣❥

𝐃𝐇 𝟐𝟖

The moment her finger touched the Mark, Harry's scar burned savagely, the starry room vanished from sight, and he was standing upon an outcrop of rock beneath a cliff, and the sea was washing around him and there was triumph in his heart - They have the boy.

"You."

The single word left Emily like a blade — quiet, sharp, and lethal.

The witches head snapped toward her, surprise flickering in those wild, hateful eyes. Emily stared back without flinching, every muscle coiled tight. This was the witch who had murdered her eldest brother. In this castle. In these halls.

"I remember you—" she began, with that sickening, delighted lilt in her voice—

But she never finished.

A violent crack of magic exploded through the room. A jet of spell-light — bright, furious — slammed into her chest before Harry could even register who had cast it. her toppled backward, collapsing onto the stone floor with such force that the bookcases rattled and glass shattered, tinkling like broken stars.

Silence crashed over the space.

Emily lowered her wand slowly, her breaths sharp and uneven. Her eyes, still fixed on the fallen witch, were burning — not with fear.

With justice.
With hatred.
With grief she could no longer contain.

"Bitch," she muttered, the word trembling with years of pain. "That was noisier than I thought it would be."

And sure enough, the ceiling had begun to tremble. Scurrying, echoing footsteps were growing louder from behind the door leading to the dormitories: Emily's spell had woken Ravenclaws sleeping above.

"Luna, where are you? I need to get under the Cloak!"

Luna's feet appeared out of nowhere; he grabbed Emily's hand and hurried to her side and she let the Cloak fall back over them as the door opened and a stream of Ravenclaws, all in their nightclothes, flooded into the common room.

There were gasps and cries of surprise as they saw Alecto lying there unconscious. Slowly they shuffled in around her, a savage beast that might wake at any moment and attack them. Then one brave little first-year darted up to her and prodded her backside with his big toe.

"I think she might be dead!" he shouted with delight.

"Oh, look," whispered Luna happily, as the Ravenclaws crowded in around Alecto. "They're pleased!"

"Yeah . . . great . . ."

Harry closed his eyes, and as his scar throbbed he chose to sink again into Voldemort's mind. . . .

He was moving along the tunnel into the first cave. . . . He had chosen to make sure of the locket before coming . . . but that would not take him long. . . .

There was a rap on the common room door and every Ravenclaw froze. From the other side, Emily heard the soft, musical voice that issued from the eagle door knocker: "Where do Vanished objects go?"

"I dunno, do I? Shut it!" snarled an uncouth voice that Emily knew was that of the Carrow brother, Amycus. "Alecto? Alecto? Are you there? Have you got him? Open the door!"

The Ravenclaws were whispering amongst themselves, terrified. Then, without warning, there came a series of loud bangs, as though somebody was firing a gun into the door.

"ALECTO! If he comes, and we haven't got Potter - d'you want to go the same way as the Malfoys? ANSWER ME!" Amycus bellowed, shaking the door for all he was worth, but still it did not open.