My Wings Are Black

The room was cold and dark. The only light that showed came from the stars outside and the dim fire in the grate. It was quiet, only the breathing of the various gathered around the table could be heard, and the slight hissing of the snake. Now and again, a boy’s breath quickened in fear, and he was shushed by his mothers soothing hand on his, or the rustle of his best friend and closest companion moving behind him, a secret message between friends that she was there, he was not alone.

They were waiting. Waiting for news, a sign. The Dark Lord did not like waiting, and when he had to wait he became annoyed. His long, white fingers tapped against the dark wooden table and the girl, almost unnoticed in the dark corner flinched at the noise. She looked out the window, into the night, begging Severus to hurry. She needed news, anything...even if it was about Harry Potter.

Finally, she saw them sweep up the Malfoy drive but she stayed as still as stone, practised in hiding away feelings to perfection. She raised her hand to her sweeping dark hair, running her fingers through the silky smooth locks, and as she heard the footsteps of Severus and Yaxley approach the room in which they were gathered, her heart beat quicker. A sign that he was all right...news of deaths, murders, disappearances....anything at all.

“Yaxley, Snape,” Voldemort’s voice was harsh with impatience, “you are very nearly late.”

Snape sat down to right of his master, his eyes cutting over to Odette’s worried ones for a moment. No sigh, no deaths. Snape was well aware of Odette’s predicament; he had not been blind watching Odette in Hogwarts. He knew well what was happening, and it reminded him of the love he had always borne for Lily Evans. It was against everything they were as Death Eaters but it grew stronger and brighter than everything else in their lives. He knew what Odette was fighting everyday and he wanted to help her, even if she did not know he was.

Odette looked out the window, only vaguely listening to Snape’s news about the moving of Harry Potter. She knew she would be there, whatever happened...forced to send spells towards a group of people containing the man she loved. This time she could slip him no potion, no sleeping draught to assure his safety. For he was not talking to her. He would not meet her, and even at that, the Dark Lord would barely let her out of his sight. He seemed to want his most precious follower by his side day and night. She was suffocating in his constant presence. She needed some lightness and laughter. She was dying in the dark that that was choking her.

She had sent a letter to Fred, explaining her actions, begging forgiveness. She had inquired about George, she asked for news about their new shop in Diagon Alley. But she had received nothing back. Just an owl with an empty pouch.

She didn’t hear the rest of the conversation between the people behind her, nor did she acknowledge the flash of green light signalling the immediate death of Professor Burbage. She vaguely felt Draco’s fingers run over her back as he left the room with his parents and finally she was left alone with the Dark Lord.

She withheld a shiver when the hand of the one she had once adored clasped down upon her shoulder like a lover’s would. He felt his breath on his neck, and his mouth close to her cheek, he whispered in fevered excitement, the snake tongue echoing around the empty room, “you are quiet tonight Swan, speak your thoughts.”

Odette allowed her eyes to flicker down to the floor and up again, though they were dull with pain in missing Fred, she feigned excitement and lust for power when she spoke, “I’m imagining our wizardry world My Lord, when finally we rid it of the filth. When you will finally take your seat of Power and start the reign of Magic Is Might.”

The Dark Lord laughed, and stepped away from the young girl, “yes, My Swan...it is something to be imagined, desired and don’t you worry,” he stretched out a hand to bring it to her deathly pale cheek, “we will have it very soon, and I will master a world like we have always wanted.”

Odette smirked, “One for the history books my lord.”

Lord Voldemort laughed down with gleaming eyes at his favourite servant, not knowing that she herself was his biggest traitor. He left the room, leaving Odette alone to look out the window again, at the dark sky and think of Fred.

~

Odette shivered in the sky upon her broomstick. She looked to her right and left where Snape and Goyle were also positioned on broomsticks. She clutched her hands around the wood, she hated flying on broomsticks, and she never had liked it. But she couldn’t fly tonight with her wings, tonight she was expected to duel, to kill. And somewhere where her spells were aiming would be Fred.

The Order suddenly appeared in the sky, and Odette froze between the immediate flashes of green and red in the clouds, counting the amount of spectacled, dark haired Harry’s she could see. Seven, there were seven of him. Who was the right Harry? Where was Fred? She couldn’t see him, he was one of the Harry’s...he was in the most danger.

She allowed herself to blend into the night, and looked at the partnerships before she decided who to chase down. Hagrid started to zoom off, and it was then Odette noticed the caged owl in the side-car. That was the real Harry....it was rather clever of them to pair him with Hagrid. You’d expect him to be with Kingsley or Tonks.

She scanned the rest of the Harry’s and finally met the green eyes of the one that was staring back at her, having spotted the raven haired beauty in an instant. And this one, with Arthur Weasley was her Fred. She immediately sent a spell his way, a simple scalding jinx, one that would barely hurt; he sent one back, the spells colliding in mid air in an explosion of purple and yellow.

Arthur began to fly off, bringing Fred as Harry with him. Odette followed, bending low over her broom, allowing her cloak to fly back and her hair to stream behind her so Fred would not mistake her for another. She made sure no one else followed that pair, and when she sent jinxes, she allowed them to miss by inches.

She wasn’t expecting Arthur Weasley to turn back and send a curse towards her, having expected Fred to do the fighting. The spell hit her broom, causing it to explode into a thousand pieces; she shrieked as splinters pierced her face and neck painfully and began to fall through the air. Faintly, with the rushing of the wind in her ears as she began to fall the hundreds of miles to earth, she heard Fred scream her name in terror as he watched her fall, her blood staining her face. She closed her eyes against everything and in one wild moment, didn’t want to transfigure herself. She wanted to fall, to feel this freedom. To feel death as it took her. She wanted to die, to leave everything behind, all this worry and pain. And then she thought of Fred...no, she wasn’t leaving him behind.

Her strong wings lifted her up, and she flew fast upwards once again and soared. She screeched a call, watching the broomstick that held Fred with her eagle’s eye. He looked up seeing her, and Harry’s face showed relief. She flew down to him, the soft feathers of her right wing, skimming his face like a tender kiss before she flew away.

This time, she didn’t fly back to the manor; she didn’t fly towards her parents’ home. She flew to a place she knew would be safe, a place she had wanted to visit so many times before. She perched on the roof of the building of Weasley’s Wizardry Wheezes in Diagon Alley and watched the nightly processions of witches and wizards hurrying from building to building. Eventually when she grew tired, she flew with difficulty down the chimney, landing lightly in the store room that was filled with hundreds of boxes. She changed back, and not caring what happened in the morning, she covered herself in her Death Eater’s cloak and fell instantly asleep.

~

She awoke in a warm bed, with soft cushions against her face and the sun pouring into her eyes. She blinked, startled, already having grown accustomed to waking in the dark Malfoy manor that exuded gloom in every room. A strong hand pushed her gently back down on the bed when she frantically began to rise, forgetting where she had chosen to sleep in her confusion. When his hand then cupped her cheek, she finally looked to the man by her bedside looking at her, and she let out a cry of relief, ‘Oh Fred, you’re alright.’

Fred kissed her on the mouth and she clung to him as if he were about to disappear. “Of course I’m ok, and it’s thanks to you. You probably saved my life when you made sure you were the one to follow me and not the others. How did you know it was me?”

Odette smiled at him, her smile for him, “Fred...I’d know you anywhere.”

Fred smiled, and then laughed as Odette began to tug him towards hers, “I think I’ve been asleep too long. You know I can’t stay...let’s make the most of this, please.”

Fred’s eyes became tortured and he ran his hand down her face, his fingers lingering on her lips, “You could stay, we can protect you. I won’t let them harm you Odette.”

Odette smiled, they had had this conversation so many times before. “And for your safety, I must return to him. Soon it will all be over Fred, I can feel it. And one way or another we’ll be together. But I’m here now. So kiss me.”

And Fred obeyed her, covering her mouth with his as she commanded and he moaned as her fingers scrambled to rid him of his clothes. It had been far too long, and soon she would be gone again. How were they ever going to be safely together in this world?