✔️ 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐆𝐎 → ℎ. 𝑝𝑜𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑤𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦

26 | S A C R I F I C E

you know how the moon only glows
because it's reflecting off of the sun?
well, that's me with him.

he's my sun,
and I only shine, because he's
with me.

   HARRY OPENED HIS eyes, heart still beating, hands still trembling, eyes still able to see what was happening right in front of him: A shield of darkest blackness swallowing bright green light, growing smaller and smaller, almost vanishing, before a splendid bright light exploded mid air, throwing the Death Eaters and Voldemort off their feet.

   His head jolted around, and Harry's blood froze. Branches cracking underneath her feet, Ember stepped out of the high trees shadows, her wand still up. The dried blood from her broken nose still stained her pale face, but her eyes were nothing more than black orbs, staring at her opponents determined, but as they locked with Harry's, they regained the warm hazel colour he was used to.

   Harry's mind was blank; she shouldn't be here! That was, what he wanted to tell her. He begged his lips to move, to scream at her, to make her run and hide. But his mouth remained slightly agape, and never had he felt so powerless. He didn't want her to see him dying. He didn't want her to save him ...

   "Ember." Voldemort's voice drew his attention back towards his enemy, noticing he and his followers were back on their feet. "Excellent. I saw your powers have improved. I'm glad to see."

   "You probably shouldn't", she replied in a cold voice.

   "So you aren't here for a deal?", said Voldemort, again tilting his head in curiosity. "There's nothing you would offer me to spare your beloved brother's life?"

   "There is", she spoke, stepping forward, until she stood next to Harry. "But not what you expect me to offer. I won't join you."

   "Then watch him die." Voldemort's wand lifted once more, but Ember quickly stepped in front of Harry. He could see her shivering, trembling, her knees buckling.

   "Wait!", she cried, sounding desperate.

   "You can't save him a second time, stupid girl", Voldemort hissed. "Your powers are limited. You need to recover from your little trick."

   "I know", she said, and with horror Harry had to watch her throwing her wand aside. "You'll take me instead of him."

   There was a second of silence, before suddenly Voldemort's mouth opened for a high pitched laughter. "I made this mistake once, Ember. An unpleasant accident, that won't happen a second time. Love won't save Harry Potter tonight."

   "This is no sacrifice", Ember whispered. "Eighteen years. You were after the wrong person for eighteen years. It wasn't Harry. It was me."

   Ember could feel Harry staring at her in a mixture of panic and disbelief. He knew she was lying. Silently she begged him to stay quiet. But he didn't.

   "Stop it, Em, you won't die for me", he snapped. "She's lying!"

   "No, it's the truth, and you know it", she told Voldemort. "You wanted to murder me as I was a baby, but it didn't work, did it? You know what Wormtail did. But it was you who set it free. You set the darkness inside me free." She paused for a brief moment, then said, "You can kill Harry, but still you would have to deal with me. My powers are beyond measure. You can't defeat me. Unless I let you."

   Voldemort said nothing, so Ember took another step forward.

   "So here I am", she said, spreading her arms. "This is my deal: you let Harry go, therefore you can have my life. I'm wandless. I won't flee. Kill me instead of him."

   Voldemort quietly laughed. "An adorable story. Really, I enjoyed this." Bemused, he clapped his hands. "But you aren't the one I need to destroy. It's clearly said to be a boy. He has to die."

   "I won't let you", Ember growled, but Voldemort flicked his wand, and she was lifted off the ground.

   "Who would stop me?"

   Dangling midair, Ember threw a desperate glance at her brother, who was no longer sheltered by her. He watched her horrified, his eyes locking with hers, before she was thrown against a tree, and the impact pressed the air out of her lungs.

   "But as you're so desperately wishing to end your life ..." Voldemort looked at Bellatrix. "Finish her."

   "NO!" Harry yelled, frozen on spot. "You don't need her dead, you need me, kill me! Let her go! Please let her go!"

   And Bellatrix lifted her wand, as Ember fought herself back to her feet. If she had to die, she wanted to die standing tall against her murderer. Bellatrix wore a wild grin upon her face.

   "You don't know how long I've been waiting for this", the Death Eater cackled.

   Harry couldn't do anything, and so he had to watch Bellatrix' lips moving, screeching, "Avada Kedavra!"

   A blinding green light broke out of her wand, an earpearcing whirr boomed through the silence of the Forbidden Forest, crashing into Ember's defenseless body. She didn't scream, not even blink. Her body shined in green light for a second, before her knees gave in and she hit the floor. Her eyes turned black; a dark shadow hushing over those once sparkling eyes, but it was gone as fast as it appeared, leaving them staring straight into the night sky above, hazel and empty. Dead.

   "Don't be sad, Harry." Voldemort's voice sounded far away, it barely reached Harry's ears. His eyes were still on his Sister's empty face, when Voldemort pointed his wand at him. "You'll be reunited in the blink of an eye."

   Emerald green for a last time locked with hazel eyes, as the blinding green flash came at him, and then there was nothing.

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