Dose of Darkness | Tom Riddle |

Chapter Twenty Five: It Ends Here

Nurmengard was stormy.

Professor Dumbledore had been right; the terrain was awful.

It was slippery black slate with slopes and jagged edges spanned out as far as she could see. Above, the clouds had nearly turned black but in the outskirts of this island with the wind whipping Eleanor's hair and nearly causing her to stumble, she could see over the small hills of rock the flare of lights.

For a brief second in just a small section of the sky she could see the brief flicker that she knew was a spell.

For now, she was grateful that she could not hear anything over the heavy air that was drenched with a salty smell that made her feel nauseous.

But the group did not speak before they took off in the quickest run they possibly could over the damp surfaces.

Eleanor had not seen much of this island and took in every detail of it as they made their way towards the echoes of shouting and crying. The closer they got the more her head began to pulse. Or maybe it was just the air. She kept glancing over her shoulder to make sure her friends were still there. Every time they looked more pale.

The next time she looked straight ahead though, she skidded to a halt, not realizing the land had gradually begun to flatten out with several ridges and patches of vegetation. It was a sight to marvel at but not in a good way. She stared in awe, in fear. With just the few seconds she had she let it all consume her.

The grim fortress that was beacon on Nurmengard caused a slew of painful memories to shoot through Eleanor.

The dirt and the rock sprayed up in certain spots. Beams of white light shot across going different lengths --all hitting their target for the most part-- and it was also hard to differentiate the sides.

But there wasn't enough time to try.

Before Eleanor even knew it though, she had withdrew her wand and was staring at the back of her mother's head as they delved into the chaos.

Suddenly, Eleanor had felt the magic flowing through her, soaring out through her wand and targeting the men who targeted her first.

Her vision had narrowed and yet she still had time to keep in check with staying within a few yards of her mother and her friends, protecting each other as they pushed through.

The ground was slippery but she was quick on her feet, feeling her strength in balance and agility the same way she felt in Quidditch. What was most familiar about all of this was the first challenge in the Tournament last year. She dived on slippery rock and fell down great slopes as well.

If she could fight a dragon she could surely handle this.

This battle on Nurmengard was not one side going against another; it felt like an attack from all sides in which Grindelwald's army had surrounded them, despite the fact that the Aurors outnumbered him.

As the faces blurred and her movements were now a result of her unconscious processes, she was sure that her strength would not have survived this long if it weren't for Tom's ring. She knew very well it was his power surging through her, enhancing everything she did to a more deadly level and making her spells more lethal the more this went one.

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, her heart leapt painfully at the sight of a white glow slamming into Julius who was standing one second and on the ground the next.

There was no hesitation and it was the most clear thought she had since she got here: she had to get to him.

"Julius!" Eleanor shouted, nearly losing her balance as she ran to pick him up.