Little Phoenix (Harry Potter Fanfiction)

78. Turmoil

Nic was crouched in a corner before she crawled outside, spotting a figure at the bottom of the tower. She turned cold other than the burning of her arm as she crawled over. Sobbing bitterly, she crouched over Dumbledore's body. Time passed in a haze as she tried to muffle her sobs, covering her mouth with her uninjured arm. She felt someone hug her and she instantly flinched, wheeling around to face him. Seeing Harry, she fell into his embrace, sobbing into his shoulder.

Nic wasn't sure what was happening when Harry got up, pulling her with him. She was still sobbing as they entered the hospital wing. She was instantly rushed to a bed and she felt something being put on her arm. She had finally stopped sobbing, but her eyelashes were soaked with tears. She didn't catch anything anyone was saying until Ron said, "Dumbledore might know something that'd work, thought. Where is he? Bill fought those maniacs on Dumbledore's orders, Dumbledore owes him..."

"Stop," Nic whispered shakily, but it was loud enough for everyone to stop and look at her. Refusing to look at any of them, she said, "Dumbledore is dead."

"No!" Lupin shouted, looking from her to Harry and Ginny.

"How did he die?" Tonks asked. "How did it happen?"

"Snape killed him," Harry spat. Everyone apart from Nic reacted to this, but she tuned them out, getting to her feet and beginning to pace.

"I never saw this coming," Ginny whispered. Nic opened her mouth to say she had, but shut it again, turning to face them all.

"All right," Nic said, looking up at them all. When they all looked at her, they suddenly didn't see the girl who had been sobbing in her bed a moment ago. This girl was strong. "Look, war is here in full force. With Dumbledore gone...we need to create safeguards for everyone in the Order. We don't have time for grief or anger or betrayal right now."

"What, so pretend nothing happened?!" Harry shouted, facing her.

"We don't have another choice!" Nic shouted back, glaring at him fiercely. "I'm doing what I can to protect you! Nothing else matters any more! Don't you understand?!"

"Nic," Lupin said quietly.

"Nothing else matters anymore!" Nic shouted. "Can't any of you understand that?! DUMBLEDORE IS DEAD! WE DON'T HAVE ANYONE TO SAVE US ANYMORE! WE HAVE TO LOOK AFTER OURSELVES! VOLDEMORT WON'T STOP! He won't stop..." Nic broke down in tears again before turning away and running out of the room.

Inside Malfoy Manner, the Death Eaters were celebrating and many glasses went around. "You seem so serious, Tyriq," Voldemort drawled approaching him from behind.

"There is much more to be done, my Lord," Tyriq said quietly, refusing to make eye contact.

"Yet something else pains you," Voldemort said. "What can that be?"

"Nothing important," Tyriq replied, taking a sip of his drink. "Nothing is more important than our cause. May I be excused, my Lord?" He nodded and Tyriq went to the room he had been given. Once inside, he let out a scream and banged his fist against the wall before falling to the ground in tears. He had scanned the room for Nic but only saw her crumbled body in the corner. She was gone.

The door behind him opened and he saw the last person he wanted to see. Getting up, Tyriq snapped, "What do you want, Malfoy?"

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"What do you care?" Ty retorted.

"Tyriq, what is wrong?" Draco asked.

Growing irritated, Tyriq hissed, "She's dead. The one person I have left in the world that I love is dead. Nicole is dead!"

"Nicole?" Draco repeated. "She's not...what?"

"I saw her, while we were leaving," Ty explained tearfully. "Fenrir killed her."

"I didn't even know you liked her," Draco said.

"You weren't supposed to," Tyriq replied quietly. "She's been my girlfriend for a year and a half." After a pause, he corrected, "Was."

"I'm sorry," Draco replied.

"You know, one of things I loved about her is when I started hanging around you, she never stopped believing in me," Tyriq said. "She...she cared so much about me that she never gave up."

"I don't understand how she had faith in us," Draco admitted. "If everything Dumbledore said is true, she had to of known I was a Death Eater yet she still believed I could change."

"Was she right?" Ty asked, glancing over at him.

"I don't know," he replied.

"You can't tell the others about this," Tyriq said. "About Nic."

"I won't," Draco replied.

"Something you should know," Ty added after a pause. "Voldemort can see into your mind if you look into his eyes. Avoid eye contact and he can't." Draco nodded and stood. He hesitated by the door before leaving.