My Wings Are Black

Silence.

It hung around her like a dark shadow, and underneath her long cloak, her fingers trembled. This was it. All these months, the agonising waiting. The final moments had come before the wizardry world erupted into complete chaos.

And he was furious. Furious, his secret had been found out. Even his beloved Odette did not know what angered him, but she could feel the fury radiate from his pale body. It bounded towards her and scorched her own pale skin with a strength she could not understand. She stood with the others, and she fought the urge to recoil from Bellatrix. The deranged witch was breathing quickly and the whites of her eyes shone in the dark night. She laughed to herself, bubbles of joy ringing from her throat and Odette shuddered to herself. She had been like that once, she had been worse. Once, before Fred all of this had made perfect sense. She would be longing for the fight, to see those blood traitors fall with the flashes of her own wand, her perfect magic casting them all down. Because she had the greatest master and she was his most loyal of servants. But now...now all she wanted was to run away. Run away with Fred.

It was almost time and Lord Voldemort retreated into the Shrieking Shack. Odette followed him, as he believed she always followed him. He had his beloved Nagini with him, speaking words of reassurance to her, as he cast her in a bubble. Odette wondered at the strange behaviour but she was not in the position to question her Master.

“My Lord?” she spoke quietly.

He didn’t turn around straight away. He seemed to breathe calmly to himself for a few moments until he turned to face the beautiful girl in the doorway. Her bright eyes stared at him, and in them he could see her questioning him. Ah his beautiful Swan, his best of followers. How he cared for her.

“My little swan, come to me,” he beckoned her and like a meek servant she obeyed. She knelt by his feet, touching the ground with her forehead until his cold finger pushed her head back up to look at him. She allowed a smirk to grace her beautiful pout and with a cold evil she spoke to him, “we shall have a most excellent battle my Lord. I can feel it in the air. They shall fall and finally we can conquer all!”

She allowed her voice to rise in feigned excitement all the while shushing her thumping heart. Her plan had to work, she need her Lord’s help.

The Dark Lord chuckled despite his anger over the Horcruxes. She was the epiphany of youth, her eyes shining with the prospect of battle, of killing those who would not serve. He allowed his hand to run through her hair, “Yes my swan, we shall conquer. And finally we can rid the world of blood traitors and muggle borns.”

“Yes, yes,” she whispered, and then her voice faltered. She looked down at the ground and back up at him again. And this time her eyes were wide, innocent...he had not seen her like this and he straightened, intrigued.

“My Lord,” she whispered, and she gripped his hand in hers, caressing it as if he were her lover, “my Lord, there is something...something I wish to ask of you.”

Voldemort narrowed his eyes, but allowed her to speak and she did.

“My Lord, there...there is a boy in the castle. I befriended him when I was in the school. He...he fawned over me for a long time, and eventually I grew to like the adoration. The almost slavish way he followed me around. I wonder if I could beg of you his safety?”

The dark Lord was astononished at this show of humanity in a girl he had believed felt nothing but the lust of power and dark magic. “Why would I do this Odette?”

“I believe I could get him to convert, I could persuade him to. He may be useful in getting others to follow us once we win this battle. At least let me try my Lord, and if he is useless, I will kill him myself.”

The Dark Lord considered her request and then saw one of the Death Eaters come into the room, announcing the Giants were coming. He pushed Odette away from him, gently and glided from the room.
“My Lord?” Odette called after him, desperation lacing her sweet voice.

He waved his hand, “yes, yes, grant him it but he better not displease me.”

Odette smiled to herself. At least now, she could assure herself Fred would be safe.
~

Fred tried to dodge the flashes of light that came his way and all around him he saw people falling, Death Eaters and students alike. A flash of pink signalled Tonks had just rushed past him, and he quickly stunned the blonde Death Eater he was duelling. He looked around while he could, searching the fighters for long black hair. Where was she? His stomach clenched. No, she wasn’t dead. He’d feel it if she was.

He began to run, seeing Harry in front of him. He began to shout out to join their leader when two hands grabbed him by the collar and swung him back into a alcove within the wall. He stared into green eyes, “Odette, I’ve been looking for you.” He kissed her again and again, rejoicing she still lived and not trying to think about perhaps he may not see her again.

Odette smiled and talked quickly, “I think I have been able to grant your safety Fred. But still, be careful. They have orders not to kill you, so perhaps George will be safe too. They won’t be able to tell the two of you apart.”

Fred nodded, and then looked at her, “She is safe...just in case?”

And Odette smiled sadly, “Yes, Draco knows what to do, what we want. And if he falls as well as us, everything is still intact.”

The two looked at each others, tears in both their eyes. Nothing could grant their freedom from this situation. They were trapped in both the sides of magic they fought on, and within the love they shared for one another. There would never be any relief.

“I love you Odette,” Fred whispered bringing his forehead to hers, and clasping her in a way that would make anyone watching think they were saying their last goodbyes.

“I love you Fred,” she whispered back, “don’t fall on me, don’t leave me.”

Fred smiled as if it were the most preposterous thing in the world. “Never!”

And then they kissed one last time, a kiss that was most bittersweet and heartbreaking. A kiss that would end a thousand more kisses. A kiss that seeped all their love into each other. A kiss that was mixed with the saltiness that came from tears. A kiss that said, ‘just in case I don’t see you again.’

They parted like that, Odette ran one way, her hood up, and she killed a Death Eater duelling Ginny Weasley. Ginny looked at her in shock but didn’t question her. Fred ran the other way, joining his big brother Percy, making jokes and laughing the way Fred always did.

Odette kept running, and fighting and when a moment later there was the sound of a wall exploding from the direction she had run in, she didn’t think of running back. Because her Fred was safe and Hope was waiting for them.

He had promised he would never leave her.