The Augurey

The Duel

22

The space that had been marked off for the duel was large, almost too large. Voldemort stood calmly on the other side and, behind him, there were three rows of Ministry employees watching him silently. Rodolphus smirked at Delphi and she stared back coolly, unwavering.
"Step forward," someone called. Delphi obeyed; Voldemort did the same before bowing to her, an air of mocking hanging between them. Delphi bowed back, accepting that this would be one of the last things she ever saw. She raised her wand cautiously in front of her and Rodolphus laughed quietly. Voldemort raised his wand, steady and unafraid.
"You first," he called to her, the knowledge that he could more than his own in a fight racing through Delphi's mind.
"Incendio!" she cried and a jet of bright, orange flame exploded from the end of her wand, smashing into the shield that Voldemort had cast. Delphi ran towards him, knowing that her magic would be more powerful if she was closer.
"IMPEDIMENTIA!" Voldemort yelled, and Delphi was forced back as the spell hit her. Voldemort fired curse after curse at her, deliberately not killing her yet, and she blocked each one, her movements becoming more frantic and terrified.
"FLIPENDO!" Delphi bellowed in the one moment that Voldemort stopped his torrent of magic. He rose slightly into the air to avoid the curse and Delphi rose into the air to match him. Voldemort flew slightly to the side.
"CRUCIO!" he roared.
"PROTEGO!" Delphi yelled frantically, hoping desperately that the shield blocked the curse. It slowed it, but it didn't block it and Delphi dived to the side, staying in the air, and trying not to tear her gaze away from Voldemort. She fired another bolt of fire at him and the curses began to fly back and forth again.
"Augurey!" Phin called, "Augurey, look out!" Delphi risked half a glance away from Voldemort, still duelling fiercely, and noticed Rodolphus raising his wand.
"NO!" Delphi screamed, floating back to the floor. She knew it was now or never – she had to destroy the Elder Wand there and then, or she and Phin would both die, "EXPULSO!" she roared, forcing every ounce of power she had left at Voldemort's wand. It exploded as the power collided with it, destroying it, piece by piece. Some sort of force burst from the splintering wand and Delphi was thrown backwards. She held on tightly to her wand and her arm snapped back as the wand flew from her grip. She screamed as she hit the floor, landing on her broken arm.
"AUGUREY!" Phin yelled. Delphi didn't respond, trying to see where her wand had landed. She saw it a few feet away and pulled herself towards it, ignoring the searing pain in her arm. But, just as she stretched out her hand, Voldemort's foot landed on her injured arm and she screamed again. He picked the wand up, looking it over.
"It seems I no longer have a wand," Voldemort said, "I could do it without, but I am feeling merciful," he pointed the wand at Delphi, "Crucio!" Delphi's screams ripped through the air, echoing around the otherwise silent room. Someone was running white-hot knives through her skin, somehow making the pain ten times worse than it had ever been.
"PHIN!" she shrieked, "SECOND! PLEASE, SECOND!" she begged, "PLEASE!" All thoughts of what she had planned to do were gone; the pain had blinded her to everything.
"Now, Madam Augurey," Voldemort said coldly, not relenting, "I cannot fight your Second until you are dead. Surely you were taught the etiquette of duelling?"
"PLEASE!" Delphi begged again. She could hear Phin murmuring behind, or maybe he was shouting – she could not hear – and suddenly the pain was gone, leaving just a shadow.
"You wanted to say something, Mr Selwyn?" Voldemort asked.
"She was right," Phin repeated, crouching beside Delphi, "She told me that you could not love. And I did not see that until now. But you cannot love. Not if you can torture your own daughter in that way."
"Phin," Delphi pulled on his sleeve, "Phin, go."
"Cruel?" Voldemort laughed. Delphi shivered, "That was not cruelty. That was a taste. This, this is cruelty," he gripped Delphi's mind in his hand.

~

She was back on the floor of St. Jerome's church, only, this time, it was only her, Albus and Scorpius. And Rodolphus. Albus and Scorpius lay a few feet away, weak and terrified. Rodolphus raised his wand and Delphi pulled herself up, trying to reach them, when hands landed on her arms. They were surprisingly gentle, almost like Phin's had been but, as Albus began to scream again and she fought to reach him, they pulled her back.
"GET OFF ME!" she roared, and they were gone. She dived in front of Albus and Scorpius, trying to get in the curse's way and take the brunt of the curse for Albus. Instead, her screams joined his, the pain coursing through her.
"AUGUREY!"
She knew that voice; it tied her to reality, kept her sane.
"AUGUREY! IT'S NOT REAL! I PROMISE!"
"PHIN!" Delphi screamed, holding onto that one last scrap of reality, "PHIN! SHOUT!" she begged desperately.
"AUGUREY! IT'S NOT REAL!"
Delphi rocked back and forth with the pain, whispering over and over.
"It's not real," she whispered, "It's not real." The pain continued, but Albus' screams were gone, though he still stirred weakly beside Delphi. Scorpius did not move, but she hoped desperately that he was still alive, still fighting. As he always had.